Prabhupādji Mahārāj ki jaya!
Prabhupādji Mahārāj viraha tithi ki jaya!
This is today, it is a very, very auspicious day, the viraha-tithi, disappearance day of our revered spiritual master Śrī Śrīmad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupadji Mahārāja. It is said, śuniyāche sādhu guru mukhe - I have heard this thing from sādhus, gurus, previous ācāryas that śāstra says: the appearance and disappearance day of a Vaiṣṇava, dear devotee of the Lord, is as auspicious as the appearance day of the Lord - kṛṣṇa samya haite haya baḍa bhakta pada- Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is nobody superior to Him, nobody equal to Him. But, if somebody becomes His dear devotee, He makes him greater than Him.
That is Kṛṣṇa's bhakta-vātsalya, how he is very dear to Kṛṣṇa, how He is very dear to His devotees. We are jīvas - jīvera 'svarūpa' haya--krsnera 'nitya-dāsa'- This is our real identity that we are eternal servants of Kṛṣṇa. But here, in this material world, we have forgetten Kṛṣṇa, being captured by māyā. So how can we understand Kṛṣṇa? How can we remember Kṛṣṇa? How can we imbibe that Kṛṣṇa consciousness again? That's the question. Again, you should understand that this human birth is rarely achieved
- durlabhaṁ manava janma -
labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte
mānuṣyam artha-dam anityam apīha dhīraḥ
ŚB 11.9.29
After undergoing lakhs lakhs lakhs of species of life, you have been given such chance that you have gotten this rarely achieved birth this human birth and the purpose of this birth what is the purpose of the birth one should understand anityam arthadam - it's temporary, but it is arthada, in this very birth you can have the 5th purṣuārtha or supreme purṣuārtha that is kṛṣṇa-prema bhakti by which you can get Kṛṣṇa. To get Kṛṣṇa means to achieve the supreme perfection of your human life. How can you get Kṛṣṇa? That is a most important question. Without the help of His dear devotee a sādhu, Vaiṣṇava who has gotten Kṛṣṇa, who has made Kṛṣṇa bound up in his heart with the rope of love, you cannot get Him.
bhakta āmā preme bāndhiyāche hṛdaya-bhitare
yāhāṅ netra paḍe tāhāṅ dekhaye āmāre
CC madhya 25.127
That is stated, that bhakta, that devotee, have bind Me up with the rope of love in his heart. Wherever he looks, he sees Me. So only he can give you Kṛṣṇa. Oh, Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākur,
kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dīte pāro,
tomāra śakati āche
āmi to' kāṅgāla, 'kṛṣṇa' 'kṛṣṇa' boli',
dhāi tava pāche pāche
Ohe Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākur, Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur
That Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura who has gotten Kṛṣṇa, who has bound up Kṛṣṇa in his heart with the rope of love, only he can deliver you Kṛṣṇa, give you Kṛṣṇa, nobody else. And we should run behind him, beg his mercy again and again beg his mercy. Pray to him, pray to him, cry, cry before him. "Give me Kṛṣṇa, give me Kṛṣṇa, give me Kṛṣṇa!" Otherwise how can you get Kṛṣṇa and make your life successful? My revered spiritual master is such a dear devotee of Kṛṣṇa, very dear devotee of Śrīman Caitanya Mahāprabhu who came here to deliver us Kṛṣṇa. Śrīman Mahāprabhu had this prophecy:
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya 4.126
He had this prophecy - "In all villages, towns that are there throughout the world, My name will be broadcast." How this prophecy was fulfilled? And who did it? Who did it? That, my revered spiritual master Śrī Śrīmad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupadji Mahārāja did it. He acted wonderfully. He was especially empowered by Śrīman Mahāprabhu so he acted wonderfully.Within a very short period of ten years, he travelled all around the world and spread this message of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. Now, wherever we may go, we see how the devotees of Chaitanya, how the members of this ISKCON, International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, are chanting 'Hare Kṛṣṇa', dancing, saying 'Jaya Śacīnandana Gaurāṅga!' One who is a Vaiṣṇava, sādhu, really his heart bleeds seeing the suffering of conditioned souls here in the material world.
sādhūnāṁ sama-cittānāṁ
sutarāṁ mat-kṛtātmanām
darśanān no bhaved bandhaḥ
puṁso ’kṣṇoḥ savitur yathā
ŚB 10.10.41
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10th canto says this thing. When the sun rises, it dispels the darkness prevailing here outside. But how the darkness prevailing in your heart will be dispelled? That is the question. The sun cannot dispel that darkness prevailing in your heart. Only such a sādhu, such a dear devotee of Kṛṣṇa, who has gotten Kṛṣṇa, who has bound up Kṛṣṇa in his heart if you are fortunate enough to meet him, to associate with him, to get his mercy, then the darkness prevailing in your heart will be dispelled. Otherwise it will not be possible. Such a devotee, very dear devotee of Kṛṣṇa, is rarely achieved. It is not an easy thing to achieve Kṛṣṇa. Here in this material world, you will find so many people are there, those speak about Veda, but most of them speak from the lips.
veda-niṣiddha karma kare, dharma nāhi gaṇe
CC madhya 19.146
But they don't practise the Vedic principles, teachings in their life. And what Veda has forbidden, they do it. And there are some, those who follow some principles of dharma, but karma-niṣṭha, they are karmīs. And out of crores of karma-niṣṭhas, karmīs, one jñānī is śrestha, superior. Out of crores of jñānīs, one becomes liberated, mukta.
koṭi-mukta-madhye ‘durlabha’ eka kṛṣṇa-bhakta
CC madhya 19.148
But out of such crores of liberated persons, one kṛṣṇa-bhakta is rare. It is not an easy thing. So my revered spiritual master is such a dear devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He has come here out of his causeless mercy.
mahānta-svabhāva ei tārite pāmara
nija kārya nāhi tabu yāna tāra ghara
CB 2.16.116
It is the nature of a mahātmā, he has no business here in this material world. He is not a conditioned soul forced to, compelled to come here, no.
na karma-bandhanaṁ janma vaiṣṇavānāṁ ca vidyate
Padma Purāṇa: 6.229.58-59
One who is Vaiṣṇava sādhu, he has no karma- bandhana. He is not subject to birth and death. Out of causeless mercy he descends here to tārite pāmara, to deliver these pāmaras, most degraded souls here. Such he is. And when he met his Guru Mahārāja in Calcutta in 1922, at the first sight, his guru, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupadji Mahārāja, immediately recognized him - 'that is the person who has come to broadcast, fulfill the prophecy of Śrīman Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.' In this line, in Chaitanya Mahāprabhu's line, the most famous ācārya is Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura. So this succession is also known as Bhaktivinod dhārā. Bhaktivinoda Thakura is such a Vaiṣṇava. When he saw this Western education, civilization is also spreading in India, he became so shocked in his heart. He thought of. And the Indians are blindly imitating the Westerners, so he became shocked. So he thought of, 'this message, this teaching of Śrīman Chaitanya Mahāprabhu should be preached in Western countries in the English language. should be done otherwise the whole world will be doomed.' So he started writing books in English first. Then he thought of, 'a qualified son, very powerful son will be born who will do this thing. He will spread the teachings of Śrīman Mahāprabhu throughout these world.' So as a son, his son, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupadji Mahārāja was born, a very powerful Vaiṣṇava.
He trained his disciples nicely, many sannyāsī disciples he had. He sent Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Mahārāja, Bon Mahārāja, to the West to preach the science of Krsna consciousness in English prior to this coming of my revered spiritual master Śrīmad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. They came but they couldn't do anything. They went back. But my Guru Mahārāja was a gṛhastha, not a sannyāsī at that time; he was not staying in the matha, but he was such an empowered person, such a dear devotee of Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa, who did miracle; pecially empowered by Mahāprabhu, specially empowered by Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami, the previous ācāryas. He never twisted things. He just followed the instructions of his guru, previous ācāryas, Mahāprabhu, 'as it is', so he came out successful. As a fact, at such an old age, he came to the Western world - nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya- deśa-tārine - this pāścātya-deśa, the Western world, there are nirviśeṣa-vāda, śūnya-vāda, and also the most degraded sinful persons, most degraded - mlecchas, yavanas. But Śrīman Mahāprabhu is patita-pāvana, the deliverer of the patitas, the most degraded. How His prophecy would be fulfilled? So he is especially empowered. He came. His heart is filled with so much mercy. At such an old age, he came and faced so much trouble. Still, he delivered the patitas and cast his merciful glance. That is what is needed.
anugrahāyeha caranti nūnaṁ
bhūtāni bhavyāni janārdanasya
ŚB 3.5.3
Some say, 'No, there is no sadhu!' How can you see the sādhu? Have you vision to see a sādhu?
Sādhu is not an ordinary person, not a living being of this material world. He has come down from Kṛṣṇa's abode, that spiritual kingdom. As you cannot see Kṛṣṇa with this material eye, material vision, you cannot see sādhu with material vision. You want to be seer but you are not a seer. Kṛṣṇa is the seer, sādhu is the seer. You are to be seen. If such sādhu casts his merciful glance on you then your good fortune arises. That should be done.
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
CC madhya 19.151
After undergoing so many, so many species of life in so many, so many lakhs of brahmāṇḍas, if someone is bhāgyavān, fortunate enough, he gets, he comes in contact with such a sādhu. When the sādhu casts his merciful vision on him then he gets, his good fortune arises. What sādhu does? Sadhu has come here to give you Kṛṣṇa. Such a sādhu is my Guru Mahārāja. He came here to give you Kṛṣṇa. How he gives Kṛṣṇa? That devotee was reading the letter of Prabhupad, "You just follow my instructions: chant sixteen rounds nicely, offencelessly, follow the four regulative principles, accept kṛṣṇa-prasada. Just follow my instructions 'as it is', I am always with you." He is still there. Vaiṣṇava never dies. Vaiṣṇava has no birth and death, he is always there as Kṛṣṇa is always there. But if you have vision you can see him. Otherwise how can you see him? That is a question of vision and that vision is obtained by the mercy of sādhu, by the mercy of sādhu. You cannot get that vision in any other way. Many people say, "Oh, he is gone; he is no more." This is foolishness. As Kṛṣṇa is always there, he is there. He is there in his books, he is there in his instructions, he is there in lectures, he is still there. You should develop proper vision to see him, to get his mercy, beg his mercy. What he did? He said, he opened Vaikuṇṭhas.
These ISKCON centers, the temples are Vaikuṇṭha. I have opened Vaikuṇṭha. Come and take shelter here. This is Kali-yuga. If you strictly follow the four regulative principles: no fish eating, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication, no illicit sex, then you are free from the influence of Kali, you will be in Satya-yuga, you will be in Vaikuṇṭha. And accept a bonafide guru who can deliver you Kṛṣṇa, who can make Kṛṣṇa appear in your heart from his own heart because he has gotten Kṛṣṇa in his heart, bound up Kṛṣṇa in his heart.That is a real sādhu, guru. And he made all sorts of arrangements as everybody should be engaged. Those who have given up their family life, household affairs, tyakta gṛha, sannyāsī, brahmacārī, they may take shelter here in maṭha, in āśrama, in temple. Twenty-four hours you will be engaged in loving service of Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of guru. For those who are gṛhasthas, for.them he also made arrangements.
'You gṛhasthas should help this mandir, maṭha, and you should come every day. If you can find time, every day you should come and take part. If not, once in a week as Sunday festival is there. If not, once a month, once a fortnight or month you should come and associate with the devotee, chant, dance, take kṛṣṇa-prasāda, hear hari-kathā, kṛṣṇa-kathā.' Such arrangement he has made. So many festivals are there. So you may come and take part in the festivals, get the opportunity of associating with the Vaiṣṇavas, bhaktas, sādhus. Those who cannot follow these regulative principles, for them also he made arrangement. "Oh, they are earning money, wealthy persons but they cannot follow. They have no time, “We cannot do this thing.”
Many people say. All right. How can they get the mercy? All right. He made this Life Membership program. They will give some percentage of their hard earned money thereby they will get the mercy, suṛkti. That will help them develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this way, you will find he made all sorts of arrangements. And he trained the preachers, his disciples, and sent them throughout the world, "Go out and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness." All these arrangements he has made. And today I am going out of time though I have enough to say.
All right thank you very much.
So this is the day we should glorify him, we should remember him. We should beg mercy at his lotus feet, cry for his mercy. - vaiṣṇavera kṛpā pāya sarva siddhi - If you can get the mercy of such a Vaiṣṇava sādhu, you will achieve the perfection of your life, all sorts of perfection. The sādhu's mercy is so powerful. Only sādhu's mercy is required, nothing else. What can you do? What can you do? - karma nahi, jñāna nahi, kṛṣṇa bhakti na - 'I have nothing: no karma, no jñāna, no bhakti. tomāra karuṇā sāra - only your mercy. I am completely dependent on your mercy.' Beg his mercy, so powerful. This is what I shall say.
Thank you very much.
I hope you will get the mercy of my Guru Maharaja and make your life successful.
vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe