The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Hawaii on May 11, 2002 (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology Volume 79)

(Every day, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja is usually surrounded by hundreds of devotees in the West, and hundreds or thousands every day in India. From mid-April to mid-May, however, he was externally almost alone in Hawaii, accompanied only by a few assistants, so that he could concentrate on his translation of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi and his translation of our ācāryas’ commentaries of that literature. He gave only one public class at the home of Vṛndāvana dāsa, and the transcription of that class is presented herein.)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: My obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual paramārādhyatama, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. And the same, unto the lotus feet of my śikṣā-guru, Śrī Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja.

Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja inspired me to go to the Western and Eastern countries to preach the same mission that he preached, and I am happy that by the combined mercy of Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja and my dīkṣā-guru (Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja), I am doing so. Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja preached everywhere through his books. The words we speak in class may disappear into the sky, but what is written in documents, in books, like the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the books of the Gosvāmīs, will remain forever and help for millions of years.

Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja used to come to this island to write, for it is very favourable here, and I am also doing a great deal of writing here. I have been totally absorbed in that for the last three weeks, and I have not been giving classes during that time. Do you know why? I am focusing on writing to have written documents about all these things.

The last time we were here for about seven days, we planned to distribute books. Only writing these books will not do. These should also be distributed. I told them to make a plan for distributing these books, and a very qualified Prabhupāda disciple prepared some plans. He is also publishing all the books of Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja ‘as it is,’ all the original books. He is not changing any ideas, as they are now doing, changing so much. He is publishing them ‘as it was.’ He is publishing Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja’s books and my books as well, and he has a plan to distribute them. Do you have any reports of that?

(Break in audio)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: On this island, I am totally absorbed in writing about the very elevated moods of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī; moods that were inspired in him by Śrīla Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself. Mahāprabhu ordered Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī to write about the deep moods of the gopīs as well as the process by which we can achieve similar moods. Most of you are not qualified to hear or read about this, what to speak of follow, and yet we are writing. Otherwise, if we do not do so, these moods will be lost to the world. We must record this for future generations. These moods of the gopīs have not been clearly written about even in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, except in a hidden way, but Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has given definitions of each of them in Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi.

We see that in this world, those who have lust, anger and other bad qualities cannot advance in sādhana-bhajana, what to speak of of entering the transcendental realm. If a person cannot remove all the anarthas delineated in the first śloka of Upadeśāmṛta, like vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ, jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam, he cannot advance in bhakti.

On the other hand, we see there is quarrelling in Goloka Vṛndāvana. Śrīmatī Rādhikā has a somewhat jealous mood towards Candrāvalī, and Candrāvalī has the same mood towards Rādhikā. It seems that they also quarrel. Why is this so in that sphere? Actually, the gopīs are transcendental; Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, their love and affection is transcendental, and their quarrelling is also transcendental. You should know that their quarrelling is not worldly. Rather, it is an expression of love and affection to increase the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa.

If the above-mentioned moods were not present in their pure forms in the transcendental world, they could not exist in this world, and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has written about all the gopīs’ moods for our benefit. He has explained why they are sulky and so on, and I am giving you a very slight taste of their moods in my translation and writing.

Jealous of Candrāvalī, Śrīmatī Rādhikā told Lalitā, Viśākhā and all Her sakhīs, “Candrāvalī does not know the ABCs of love and affection. Since she has no real māna (transcendental loving anger due to jealousy), no sulky mood, how can she please Kṛṣṇa? She will never be able to please Him.” The prema of Candrāvalī is called ghṛta-sneha (ghee-like affection).” Ghṛta means ghee. It has the quality of being very soft and smooth, but it is not sweet. The prema of Rādhā is called madhu-sneha. Madhu means honey, which is both soft and smooth, and also sweet. Even if Rādhikā abuses Kṛṣṇa, or even if she is in māna, Her mood is very attractive and wonderful. All become happy to see Her activities, and their love becomes more intense. Therefore, in all situations, Her madhu-sneha prema can be called “soft and sweet.” Rādhikā continued, “Candrāvalī is very soft in her dealings with Kṛṣṇa. Even if she sees that Kṛṣṇa has committed an offence to her lotus feet and, in front of her, He is meeting with other gopīs, she will generally not become sulky. She may do so sometimes, but not often. Without this sulky anger, no one can serve Kṛṣṇa, or please Him. She does not have a trace of love and affection, so I don’t even want to hear her name. Never mention her name in My assembly.”

Candrāvalī likewise told her sakhīs, “I don’t want to hear the name Rādhikā. I don’t even want to hear the name of the star constellation called Anurādhā. Why not? Neither the experts on the subject of love, nor the great sages and munis, appreciate the mood of Rādhikā; nor do the yogīs and ṛṣis meditate on the mood of Rādhikā, nor do they appreciate Her name. Those ṛṣis who always meditate upon Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet never attract Rādhā into their hearts. Those who want to meditate peacefully on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa become disturbed when they think about the moods of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. In fact, Her name alone makes them tremble and become disturbed. That very same Kṛṣṇa fell at the feet of Rādhikā, and still She rejected Him and said, ‘I don’t want You here. O black Kṛṣṇa, get out of My kuñja.’ So don’t utter Her name, and don’t even utter the word Anurādhā.” 

Rādhikā and Candrāvalī both speak in this way, but Rādhikā’s love and affection is superior. The highest truths of Rādhikā’s madhu-sneha prema have been described, in minute detail, in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi. They have not been disclosed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or in the books of Śrī Jayadeva Gosvāmī, or by previous ācāryas. Only Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has revealed these intimate moods, in Vidagda-mādhava, Lalita-mādhava, and here in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi.

Except for works like these, there are no other descriptions of these moods, and my mind and activities are absorbed in writing here in Vṛndāvana dāsa’s house in Hawaii. The topics in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi are very elevated subject matters, which you would never be able to imagine even in thousands of births. I am translating this most valuable literature for the future, and those who will be qualified will experience a new life by reading it. Although I have little formal education, I am so fortunate that by the mercy of my guru-paramparā, this ability to translate and write a commentary comes automatically.

Devotee: You have heard from Śrīla Gurudeva why he came to Hawaii and what he is doing here. He is now translating the commentaries of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, and on his previous tour, he completed the writing of his own commentary.

Once, a sakhī of Śrīmatī Rādhikā asked Her, “O Rādhike, why are You jealous of Candrāvalī? What is the fault that Candrāvalī has the same desire? You want to make Kṛṣṇa happy, and Candrāvalī has the same desire. So what is the harm if she takes some of your workload? Let her do so.” Rādhikā replied, “Yes, you are speaking the truth, but Candrāvalī does not know at all what will please Kṛṣṇa and make Him more and more happy. I’m bound to be jealous of her and in competition; otherwise, Kṛṣṇa will never be happy.”

Once Kṛṣṇa wanted to enjoy with Rādhikā and the other gopīs who were on the bank of Mānasī-gaṅgā. Whoever has been on Vraja-maṇḍala parikramā in Govardhana has seen Mānasī-gaṅgā. There was a boat called Vilāsa-tara, and Kṛṣṇa wanted to have fun on it with the help of the gopīs. Kṛṣṇa invited Rādhikā, “O Śrīmatī Rādhike, taranī uttiṣṭha; please come and sit in this boat.” According to Sanskrit grammar, taranī is the seventh case ending and has more than one meaning. Tarunī means “on the tree” and “on the boat.” Kṛṣṇa was inviting Rādhikā to be seated inside the boat, but Rādhikā replied, “Oh, I am unable to climb the tree.” Kṛṣṇa meant one thing, and Rādhikā replied with another meaning. Then Kṛṣṇa told Her, “O Rādhike, you are quite ignorant! You could not understand what I wanted to tell You. I am saying boat, and You are hearing tree. Why? Oh, I think you must be very clever.” He then again said, “Tarunī uttiṣṭha.” Tarunī means “boat” and also “the Sun-god.” This time Rādhikā replied, “I have no love for the Sun-god; I have love for You. Why are You asking Me to love the Sun-god? I don’t like this.”

Kṛṣṇa was defeated by Rādhikā, but He did not want to accept defeat. He said, “You think You are the most clever person in the entire world. Now I am telling You, “Naukām uttiṣṭha. Naukām means boat. This word does not have two meanings. What will You say now?” Rādhikā replied, “Oh, according to the rules of Sanskrit grammar, nau is the sixth case ending of the root word asmad. Nau means the dialogue between You and Me for meeting. There was no dialogue between You and Myself for meeting. I never proposed to meet with You, so why are You saying, ‘Naukām uttiṣṭha?’ I’m not satisfied with Your words.” Thus, Kṛṣṇa was defeated again by Rādhikā, and He smiled.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda has explained how Rādhikā and Kṛṣṇa joke with each other, and how Kṛṣṇa is always defeated by Rādhikā. When Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda was absorbed in an inner mood, he saw this pastime in his trance and wrote the verse:

vāg-yuddha-keli-kutuke vraja-rāja-sūnuṁ
jitvonmadām adhika-darpa-vikāsi-jalpām
phullābhir ālibhir analpam udīryamāṇa
stotrāṁ kadā nu bhavatīm avalokayiṣye

Śrī Gāndharvā-samprārthanāṣṭakam 8

[“When, in a prankish mood, You defeat Vrajendra-nandana in a battle of words, You become exceedingly jubilant. You exult in the pride of Your oratory prowess as You are extolled by Your overjoyed sakhīs. When will I behold You in such a state?”]

When will that day come for me that I will be able to see the debate between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in which Kṛṣṇa is defeated by Rādhikā, all the sakhīs rejoice and clap, and Rādhikā’s lotus face looks very happy? When will I be able to see all this?”

We pray to Śrīla Gurudeva that although we are very unqualified to even discuss such topics, the day will come by his causeless mercy that we will be able to serve the Divine Couple.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: In his Bhajana-rahasya, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has explained how to do bhajana to attain these moods, and to that end, he quoted Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Śrī Upadeśāmṛta:

utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt
tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt
saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ
ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati

Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (3)

[“There are six principles favourable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavouring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles (such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa), (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.”]

Before this, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had written that if you really want to have bhakti and be a guru, you must follow this instruction of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī:

vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt

Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (1)

[“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”]

You should try to control your mind, tongue, speech, belly, and other urges. Otherwise, you cannot do bhajana. The guru is one who has controlled all six urges; without such control, one is bound to fall down. It is for this reason that so many sannyāsīs have fallen down.

The second śloka of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta states:

atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca
ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati

Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (2)

[“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-endeavouring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.”]

I have explained all these principles to you before, and they are all important, but now I wish to discuss the particular śloka beginning with “Utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt,” with consideration of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s explanation. What is the meaning? What is the meaning of utsāhān?

Devotee: Utsāha means enthusiasm. Niścayād means determination, strong conviction. Dhairyāt means patience. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt means always to be actively participating in all the activities which are related to bhakti. Saṅga-tyāgāt means always to avoid association which is detrimental to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and sato vṛtteḥ means to follow in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas and live our lives accordingly.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: From past births’ impressions, you are somehow or other coming in touch with pure devotees like Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja, who travelled everywhere to help so many. By this, śraddhā comes, and one somehow takes shelter of a guru. However, if one is chanting, remembering Kṛṣṇa, and hearing hari-kathā, but he has not yet come to the stage of ruci (taste in these devotional practices and taste in serving guru, Vaiṣṇavas, and Kṛṣṇa), he will certainly be weak. This is the case with those who have fallen down. This stage is very critical, and I think most of you are in this stage.

We know very well, intellectually, that by chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa, we will be happy. We will realise Kṛṣṇa, and then we will be happy. Still, we have anarthas, however, and if they are not removed, they are very dangerous to our devotional life. We know we should not have lust, but lust is there, and we cannot remove these material desires by our efforts alone. We must have the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, but we must also try to follow the orders of our gurudeva and try to control our senses.

Śrīla Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda is thus explaining in his Bhajana-rahasya the instructions of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Utsāhān means enthusiasm. We think that we should work 24 hours a day for worldly things, to make money and have a position, and we labour very hard at our jobs. But do we have the taste to work for Kṛṣṇa for 24 hours, seven hours, one hour, or even one minute? If taste comes, we will automatically serve Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura tells us that as long as we are in this world, we will have to maintain our lives, but we will also have to practice bhakti-yoga.

If you are a sādhaka here in this world, you will have to maintain your life and practice bhakti-yoga. Understand? Is it clear? No? You were busy with your son.

Devotee: I’m sorry, what did you ask?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Do you understand what I have said? If not, then I am speaking to the sky. Not all of you are hearing attentively, so why am I speaking? If you cannot pay attention in class, it would be better for you to go out and perform nagara-saṅkīrtana. But since you have come, please give me two or three minutes. Don’t let your mind wander here and there, to your children and everywhere else. You have enough time to look after your children and all other things at other times.

Devotee: You said that one should not only depend on the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and guru, but one must have enthusiasm and must follow with determination.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What did I say just now?

Devotee: You said that we will have to maintain our life in this world, and also maintain our practice of bhakti-yoga.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: If you are in this world and want bhakti, both are necessary. First, you will have to somehow maintain your life; otherwise, you cannot do bhakti. At your present stage of development, maintenance of your lives is the first priority. However, when you advance, bhakti will be the priority and life’s maintenance will be secondary. In fact, the effort for it will be very insignificant at that time. Life’s maintenance will be done automatically. Prahlāda Mahārāja has also said this:

tat-prayāso na kartavyo
yata āyur-vyayaḥ param
na tathā vindate kṣemaṁ
mukunda-caraṇāmbujam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.6.4)

[“Endeavours merely for sense gratification or material happiness through economic development are not to be performed, for they result only in a loss of time and energy, with no actual profit. If one’s endeavours are directed toward Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can surely attain the spiritual platform of self-realisation. There is no such benefit from engaging oneself in economic development.”]

Why are you wasting your time maintaining your life? Even if you render a little devotional service, Kṛṣṇa will arrange everything; your maintenance will come automatically.” This is the case with me. I never engage in any activity for life’s maintenance, but so many devotees are engaged in bringing me whatever I require. Some give fruit, some vegetables, some rice, some dāl, and some anything else; and some give their houses and other very costly possessions. I think that living in Hawaii, especially in Honolulu, is more costly than living on the mainland of America. Nonetheless, along with my companions, I am living here without any cost. We have a free house, a free garden, free vegetables, and so much more, like Govinda’s juices. Everything is free. Also, my daughters bring many jackfruits and other vegetables. I am not doing anything for maintenance. Rather, I am totally absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and I will not worry about maintenance for the rest of my life. If no maintenance comes, then Kṛṣṇa is bound to carry what I need on His head.

Similarly, if you have ruci, your bhajana will develop, and you will be happy forever. You should note down this very important principle in your heart and keep this precious understanding in your pocket. Don’t concentrate on your maintenance. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura tell us that both are necessary, and that in your stage, there is a prominence of endeavour for maintenance of your life, but at the same time, you should try to follow the principles of bhakti:

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.23)

[“(Prahlāda Mahārāja said:) ‘Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service.’ ”]

Especially, try to follow the five most important items of bhakti:

sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa
mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana

Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.128)

[“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, reside at Mathurā and worship the Deity with faith and veneration.”]

sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga
kṛṣṇa-prema janmāya ei pāṅcera alpa saṅga

Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.129)

[“These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Kṛṣṇa.”]

These five are very powerful; they can give you kṛṣṇa-prema at once. So try to give this some time; otherwise, you will be weak. How weak will you be? Like the gurukula students, you will be weak. Don’t be weak. Do you know these five limbs?

Devotee: Sādhu-saṅga. Mathurā-vāsa — living in Mathurā.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Mathurā-vāsa means Mathurā, Vṛndāvana, Navadvīpa, Purī.

Devotee: Hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, nāma–saṅkīrtana, and worshipping the deities.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: I will ask anyone, and if you will not answer correctly, then I will twist your ears. I love my children, but with what? A rod, with a rod, having no consideration at all. Utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt — these things are favourable to do. This first line of the śloka is about how to do bhajana, how to practice bhajana — śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ, and especially the five prominent limbs. Especially, harināma-saṅkīrtana includes all these things.

Utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt. Dhairyāt means patience. Saṅga-tyāgāt means that you will have to give up bad association. And you will have to give up all the things and behaviours that are not favourable to bhakti. Then, your bhakti will progress. There is jñāna, karma, and anyābhilāṣa (desires other than to serve Kṛṣṇa) — these three things.

Devotee: We should give up activities we perform to obtain material results, as well as those activities aimed at becoming liberated. We don’t want liberation from the material world.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What is anyābhilāṣa?

Devotee: We should give up worshipping different deities because there will be attachment to the result of that worship. We will be attached to the mundane material world to get something from it. We don’t want to worship the demigods. We don’t want anything that will come from that. It will only keep us in the material world.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: No. Anyābhilāṣa means worldly desires which have no relation with Kṛṣṇa’s service. We should give up all anyābhilāṣa. We should also give up all worldly desires, which are very desirable in this world. All of this should be given up. Don’t only hear these things. From today, you should practice this. Understand? I am not telling you only to hear these things and then give them up. This is foolishness. Don’t do this. Whatever you are hearing, hear to practice that. Then, you will develop.

Worldly things are very desirable. To have a girlfriend is very, very desirable. Worldly delicious foods are very tasty. But we have no taste for love and affection for the Supreme. Very strongly, we should try to follow the principles of bhakti like śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ, all these things — always. Try to be in the association of high-class Vaiṣṇavas and hear and follow. If you are not following, then only hearing will not do. Also, you should know that only bhagavad-bhakti (bhakti for the Supreme Personality of Godhead) is the only puruṣārtha (ultimate goal of all living beings). What did I say, Prabhu?

Devotee: That bhagavad-bhakti is the ultimate goal of all living beings.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: But now we have chosen so many things to be our aim and object. Like what? Wealth, and the four W’s.

Devotee: Wealth, women, wine, and whiskey.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: So many things. But I have explained the definition of our goal. Certainly, I think that you know that our goal is to serve Rādha and Kṛṣṇa Conjugal, Gaura-Nityānanda Prabhu.

This is the goal of life. Having so much strong faith in this is niścayād (determination). Always remember, “My goal is to serve Kṛṣṇa,” not this and that, and so many other things. If any occasion arises to be in high-class association, then give up all your jobs at once. Give up all your jobs and come as you have come here.

This thing is very rare. High-class association is very rare. If we have this kind of association, then we can have Kṛṣṇa in a moment. So, with enthusiasm, we should follow the principles of bhakti. And what is dṛḍha viśvāsa? A strong belief in our goal. If you are constantly engaged in worldly desires, going here and there, the mind becomes so restless. When our minds are restless, we cannot do bhakti. We cannot do anything. We cannot meditate or chant and remember, and Kṛṣṇa will not hear all these things. Only suffering is there. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it has been told:

śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho
kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate
nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām

[“My dear Lord, devotional service unto You is the best path for self-realisation. If someone gives up that path and engages in the cultivation of speculative knowledge, he will simply undergo a troublesome process and will not achieve his desired result. As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain, one who simply speculates cannot achieve self-realisation. His only gain is trouble.”]

Jñānīs and karmīs are both always restless and full of worldly desires: “How to have this, how to have that?” Everyone in the whole world is quarrelling over these things. Even the presidents of America, Russia, China, and everywhere are quarrelling. That is why only this path of devotion to Rādha-Kṛṣṇa Conjugal and Gaura-Nityānanda is the safe and pure path for bhakti. Don’t be derailed from this; otherwise, you cannot be happy.

To be like that, that is called dhairyāt (tolerance). So many kinds of suffering may come, as seen in the lives of Prahlāda Mahārāja and Haridāsa Ṭhākura. The Muslims told Haridāsa Ṭhākura, “You are a kafir (non-believer). You are against the law of the Mohammedans (Muslim law). You are a kafir.”

Haridāsa Ṭhākura told them, “I am chanting the name of God, Allah, Khudā, Kṛṣṇa. All these names are the same, so I am chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa, no harm.”

“No, no, you should only chant ‘Allah Khudā, Allah Khudā.’ Why are you chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa? We don’t accept you as a religious person. You are a kafir. We want to kill you.”

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “If you will cut me into thousands of pieces, still I cannot give up this chanting.” I want you to be like that. If anyone — husband, wife, neighbours, king or anyone — is against you, don’t give up chanting. This is called dhairyāt. This is a very important thing. You should be like that. It has also been told in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.8)

[“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.”]

What is the meaning?

Devotee: In this verse, it is explained how a devotee is praying to Kṛṣṇa, “O Lord, because of my sinful deeds in the past which I have committed, I am facing the reaction, and I am suffering in so many ways. But it is my strong and humble prayer at Your lotus feet with my heart, body, mind and words that no matter if they are there, let me tolerate all these things, and also remember Your lotus feet at the same time.” When a devotee is truly praying like this, then what happens? Jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk — he becomes qualified, or immediately relieved of all the reactions, or actually he becomes liberated, so to say, and the goal of his life is not very far away.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: The devotee is praying, “O Kṛṣṇa, now I am suffering very much in this world, and I am satisfied that whatever I did in the past, now that fruit, that reaction is coming to me. I am satisfied.” The second mood is that “O Kṛṣṇa, if some suffering is coming to me, I think that this is Your blessing, that this is only Your blessing, Your mercy. I should tolerate that. You should give the capacity for tolerance, so that I can tolerate all these things.” And he is going on, always doing bhajana, always serving. He is not searching here and there for a job; this and that. He is constantly engaged in bhajana.

If anyone does like this, suffering so many calamities and so many things, but still he is like iron, if tolerance is there…for example, Prahlāda Mahārāja, he never told anything against his father, never and never. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was also like this. If any difficulties are coming, you should see and think, “This is the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Very dangerous reactions were there for me, but Kṛṣṇa has only given me a slight reaction. He has minimised my reactions. And He has given me these reactions only so that I can do bhajana, only to practice bhakti-yoga.”

Or the devotee thinks, “What I have done must come back to me. ‘As you sow, so shall you reap.’ Thus, all these things are coming, and anyhow I will have to taste that.” Therefore, he is not so restless, and he is going on chanting and remembering, practising bhakti-yoga. Jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk — Kṛṣṇa has given this inheritance to them, that he should surely attain bhakti. Mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk means that he should have bhakti. Mukti is always playing at the lotus feet of bhakti. If we are like this and do bhakti, bhakti will come very soon.

With this tolerance and determination, we should try to chant. We should try to hear hari-kathā and also remember His pastimes. Like when you are chanting the name of Dāmodara, you should remember the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa (dāmodara-bandhana). Yaśodā Mā is binding Kṛṣṇa, controlling Kṛṣṇa by her love and affection. This is called tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. We should try to follow all the limbs of bhakti as it has been written here and there. But you cannot do so if you have no good association. For this, you will have to be under the shelter of high-class Vaiṣṇavas.

‘sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

Śrī Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-līlā 22.54)

[“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.”]

Always be in sādhu-saṅga. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has also told like this:

tan-nāma-rūpa-caritādi-sukīrtanānu-
smṛtyoḥ krameṇa rasanā-manasī niyojya
tiṣṭhan vraje tad-anurāgi-janānugāmī
kālaṁ nayed akhilam ity upadeśa-sāram

Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (8)

[“The essence of all advice is that one should utilise one’s full time – twenty-four hours a day – in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord’s divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue and mind. In this way, one should reside in Vraja (Goloka Vṛndāvana-dhāma) and serve Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service.”]

We should not associate with bad persons, those who are sense enjoyers (viṣayīs), who are constantly engaged in worldly things. Karma, jñāna, aṣṭāṅga-yoga, all these things have no potency at all. Therefore, there should be enthusiasm in Kṛṣṇa’s service, in chanting the holy name, in hearing hari-kathā. There should be firm, strong determination and steadiness in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Whatever you do, do to please Kṛṣṇa, and that which is not favourable for Kṛṣṇa, you should at once give that up. By this, bhakti will come very soon.

Now the time is seven-thirty. You will have to do ārati, take prasādam, and do everything. Then you will have to travel a very long way. Try to remember all these truths. Maintenance is not so important. You can see for yourselves: don’t do anything for seven days; simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and you will see whether or not your maintenance is coming. Even if you sit idle, your maintenance will still come. A python does not do anything, but its maintenance automatically comes; so try to be like that. Be somehow engaged in bhakti. Be very strong and tolerant. Gaura-premānande!

Source(s): Purebhakti.com, Serve Love – Bhakta Bandhav (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology transcribed and edited by the Bhakta Bandhav Team)

Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org.in, Keystone Press / Alamy Stock Photo and / or Bhaktiart.net

Unless indicated otherwise, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)