Gour Govinda Swami:
I thank you one and all because you have come here to take part in this festivity, festival, Saṅkīrtana Mahotsava, the Saṅkīrtana Festival, and have inspired us to do Hari saṅkīrtana, giving us opportunity to do Hari saṅkīrtana, speak Krishna kathā. So I thank you one and all on behalf of our society, International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
This is the festival one always wants to take part in — the festival. Festival means some rejoicing, relishing, blissfulness. This is festival. Krishna festival means the greatest rejoicing, greatest rejoicing.
And this is the real festival, the Hari Saṅkīrtana Festival. Krishna Kathā Saṅkīrtana Festival is said in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. If there will be no such festival, yatra-saṅkīrtana yajña mahāntam, it may be the abode of Lord Indra, heavenly king, where there is much abundant material opulence for enjoyment (ŚB 1.17.33).
Still, where there is no such festivity as Hari Saṅkīrtana, we… that's not a place for residence. One should not stay in that place. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam says so. So one should stay in such a place where every day this festival is going on. It is not once a week, but every day, daily festivity, daily festival. One must take part of that festival and enjoy it, relish it, and be happy, blissful. This is a fit place. Otherwise, what is this material world?
janma-maraṇa-duḥkha-duḥsaha
It is a… such a, a platform, this material platform, and there is only miseries: birth, old age, and disease. All have been afflicting here, three tapas, three types of suffering — that is ādyātmika, ādhidaivika, ādhibhautika (ŚB 4.29.51).
A deep in a frying pan. Yes, a deep in a frying pan. Such a place, nasty platform, and we are toiling so hard. This is very hard struggle for existence, very hard struggle, koṇṭi jīvana saṅgara, very hard struggle for existence, isn't it? Right, Rāmānanda?
And they say, yāgyena tomāra nivartana — it is survival of the fittest. Only the fittest person only can survive. And who is the fittest person? What, what does he do? Who makes very nice arrangements here for eating, sleeping, defending, and mating is the fittest person and survival of the fittest. Only he can survive. Otherwise, nobody can survive.
Cannot make nice arrangements for eating, sleeping, defending, and mating. He cannot survive. Unfit person. He's unfit person. "Payoṇidhi is an unfit person. He cannot make such arrangement, came here and joined this Krishna consciousness movement," people say. They are cowards. They are fearing. They are unfit persons, cannot make such nice arrangements. Escapist, just escaping. Yes. General conception, isn't it?
But what is real festival, what is real happiness, real rejoicing, real relishment? You should understand it. It's eternal. It's unmixed. Not mixture of any suffering or distress.
bhava ghorī dekho bhai amiṣṇu ānanda nāyā
Mahājana says, Bhakti Vinoda Ṭhākura says, "Please see it very clearly. Think about it very deeply. Whatever ānanda, pleasure or happiness you find here, it is not unmixed. It is mixed. It is mixed with distress and unhappiness."
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā say:
ye hi saṃsparśa-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣu ramate budhaḥ
(Bg. 5.22)
Isn't it? Isn't it, Ray Rāmānanda? Saṃsparśa-jā bhogā means sense enjoyment, the happiness you get through sense perception or through the material senses. What is that? Duḥkha-yonaya — its consequence is unlimited miseries, unlimited miseries. At first, maybe some little happiness or pleasure.
Mahājanas say, "This is just like a drop, just like a drop in the desert. A drop of water in the desert." Bāri bindu samā, sutamita ramani samāde, it’s like a drop. Do you understand? Here we try forgetting Krishna, developing some material relationship, this bodily relationship, trying to enjoy this material world in association with our family relationships. Sutamita ramani samāde, tātālas saikā tare bāri bindu samā — being surrounded by sons, daughters, wives, so-called friends. We want to enjoy something. What is that?
Tathā ha saike bāri bindu samā. A weary traveler going in the desert, scorching overhead, scorching heat of the sun, beneath very hot sand. Two sides: scorching heat and hot sand. No water. Desert means no water. That is desert. But a thirsty person, when someone wants water — do you understand? — there is no water. Running, running, running, scorching heat, overheating, very hot sand. Where is water? Where is water? Just a glimpse, just a glimpse, abhāsa, water there in front. Ohhh, very nice, clear, sparkling water. I'll run, get it and drink to my heart’s content. But it’s not real water.
This is a mirage. This mirage just looks like water but is not water, isn’t it? As he runs, that mirage runs. No water, cannot get it. By chance, if one drop of water falls, Indradeva showers mercy. By chance, one drop of water falls, and the thirsty man says, "Hey, hey, hey, I got one drop!" But it’s only one drop, no more. Bāri bindu samā, sutamita ramani samāde.
Mahājanas say our position is like that. We don’t know what is real enjoyment, real happiness, eternal, without suffering at all. Its consequence is happiness and enjoyment. Ye hi saṃsparśa-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣu ramate budhaḥ. The real paṇḍitas know this. They don’t run after this false enjoyment. They know what it is. It is not real enjoyment because its consequence is unlimited misery and suffering.
Is this real enjoyment or happiness whose consequence is unlimited misery and suffering? Is it? Is it? No. Those consequences are not real enjoyment or happiness. Real enjoyment and happiness are something else, isn’t it?
One should run after it. Then you'll get real enjoyment, blissfulness, and happiness. And it is not here in this material world. Duḥkha-la asasvatam. It’s temporary. Asasvata and duḥkha-laya, filled with these miseries—birth, death, old age, and disease. Suffering, suffering only. Nothing else. How can one get it? How can one get it? That is our question. And why am I suffering here? Have I come here for suffering? Who am I?
Who am I? What is my real identification? This inquiry should be there. It’s tattva-jijñāsa — the desire to understand the truth of one’s existence. Jīvasa-tattva-jijñāsa, nārtha yasthā karmabhiḥ, karmasya indraprīti, lao jīve javata, jīvasa tattva jijñāsa, nārtha yasthā karmabhiḥ. Srimad Bhāgavatam says, isn’t it? Payonidhi understood.
Karmasya indraprīti, lao jīve javata, jīvasa-tattva jijñāsa, nārtha yasthā karmabhiḥ.
It’s an instruction to human beings. When someone gets this human birth, he should understand that labdha sudurlabha bhāgya śubhavante. After undergoing many species of life, Krishna gives the chance to get human birth. It’s not accidentally given.
You have gotten it — no, after undergoing lots and lots of species, eighty lakhs (8 million) species other than the human species, you have gotten human birth. And that is Krishna’s mercy—that Krishna has given you this birth and thereby has given you the chance to get real enjoyment, real happiness, which is eternal and unmixed. Yes.
And this is available in this human birth. It’s not available in any birth of other species other than human birth. Not available. So these teachings are here — Veda, Purāṇa, Vedic teachings.
Krishna comes here, descends here, manifests His līlā here—transcendental līlās. Krishna has His abode there, and the spiritual world is the topmost planet, Kṛṣṇaloka, where He’s always engaged with the Gopīs in a raś dance. He’s only an enjoyer, eternal līlā.
He descends here and manifests that līlā. Why? Why? Why does He do so? Yes. Why does He do so? This is not a place — this is material, just the opposite.
That is eternal. This is temporary. That is full of blissfulness, enjoyment, and happiness. This is full of distress. Quite opposite platform—this world. Still, Krishna comes here and manifests that thing. Why?
Devotee: To attract the conditioned souls by His pastimes so that they will also decide to, uh, become their Lord’s associates and go back home to God.
Gour Govinda Swami: Do you think, Payonidhi, the conditioned souls are attracted to Krishna?
Devotee: Some souls.
Gour Govinda Swami: Those who are real pure souls—they have got the natural attraction. Natural attraction. Not everybody is attracted to Krishna. That is natural attraction. But conditioned souls are like hogs eating stool—enjoying, enjoying, enjoying. Hogs eating stool And enjoying it. And think, "The human beings are so foolish. They are not eating such nice things I am eating. They’re eating something else." The hog thinks so. Do you understand, Payonidhi? Once Indra was cursed by his guru, Bṛhaspati, and became a hog.
He completely forgot that he once was Indra. (laughs) He developed his hog family — wife, children, hundreds of them. All eating stool and enjoying amid the mound of stool. Many years passed, but he never thought, “I was Indra, the heavenly king enjoying nectar.”
Once Brahma thought, “What is he doing?” So Brahma came down and said, “Don’t you know who you are? You were Indra.” The hog didn’t listen. Instead, he got angry and attacked Brahma with a torch. Brahma repeated his words, but the hog’s attachment was too strong.
Brahma thought, “He will never hear this unless his attachment is destroyed.” So he killed the hog’s children to lessen his attachment. The hog got angrier but hoped to have more children. Then Brahma killed the she-hog, the wife, too.
With nothing left, Brahma said, “You must understand you are Indra. Heavenly nectar is waiting, but why eat stool here?” The hog asked if stool and the she-hog were there on the heavenly planet. If yes, he would go; if no, he wouldn’t. Such strong material attachment!
They cannot see their suffering and think they are enjoying. Baba, they are in fool’s paradise — not the real paradise. Such carelessness is a fact. That’s the reality of material attachment and ignorance.
Krishna is all-attractive. Kāndarpa-koṭi-kāmanīya-viśeṣa-subham syāma-tribhaṅgālālitam. Those three places carved, not a straight person, very great crooked person. Do you think He’s straight? Crooked. Three places. But such beauty is there. Very beautiful, all attractive, all beautiful.
His beauty far excels crores upon crores of Cupids. Cupid is very beautiful and enchants everyone in this material world. Are you not enchanted by Cupid? (laughs) Dayanidhi. Who isn’t enchanted by Cupid here? That is your disease — hṛd roga, heart disease.
Krishna comes here and manifests His līlā, even though this world is not His real place. Why? Because sṛddhā sarva-bhūtānām — He is the only well-wishing friend of all living beings. His līlā should be recorded in book form for all to know.
His dear devotees and intimate associates also descend here out of mercy. Their only business is to speak about Krishna, nothing else. One should hear from them — śravaṇam kīrtanam — hearing and chanting Krishna’s glories.
If you hear from the pure devotee, fully absorbed in Krishna, with full faith, then abhināty asu hṛd-roga-kāman — this heart disease of lust caused by Cupid’s arrows — will be quickly cured. This Krishna Katha is the real medicine.
As I am saying, all are toiling hard like asses to make such nice arrangements for eating, sleeping, defending, mating.
How to get more money, more money, more money, more money.
Money, money, money, money, money. Brighter than sunshine, sweeter than honey. Toiling, toiling like asses for making this thing. What for, Baba? (speaking Bengali) What for? (speaking Bengali) Such ignorance is there. Such foolishness is there, such bewilderment is there.
Cannot understand why you are doing this, for what purpose? Only for eating stool. Suffering is the consequence, unlimited miseries. Do you understand? You’re not inquiring. You have not developed attachment or relationship with your eternal loving relationship with Krishna.
Sadhu comes. Do you know? Sadhu comes and speaks about it as Brahma killed Indra’s attachment towards children and wife. Then Indra heard what Brahma said. This is nectar. Otherwise, this will never enter your ear. Do you understand? So one should... My point is that I think you are all nice devotees, (speaking Bengali) And you have developed hunger. bukhā ye nā? (speaking Bengali) (speaking Bengali) — dishes you can relish again and again. If you really have hunger in your stomach, then you can relish dishes. Isn’t it? No hunger, even if nice dishes are there, can you relish it? No? Nice dishes are served, but you are not hungry, so how can you relish it? So hunger must be there.
So this is a hunger—the hunger of the soul. It is not hunger of the body and mind. Do you understand? You are earning money, toiling very hard, arranging such eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That hunger is material hunger, for body and mind. If you don’t do it, don’t give food to the body and mind—such stool—the body will never survive. It will become lean and thin, weak.
Similarly, the soul has its food. Are you ever thinking about the food of the soul? All are thinking of the food of the body and mind. Are you ever thinking of the food of the soul?
My guru mahārāj, my revered spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupāda, has given nice illustrations to explain it very nicely, so one can understand. You understand? He has given an illustration.
I don’t know whether it connects or not. A parrot in the cage. You understand? A person has kept a parrot in a nice cage. Every day takes care of the cage. Cleans the cage, puts nice covering on it, but never takes care of the parrot inside. Never gives food, proper food to the parrot.
The parrot becomes skinny, then at last dies and leaves the cage. Isn’t it? You understand my point?
This is the encagement of the soul—this body. Isn’t it? Encagement of the soul. You are all taking care of this cage only. You’re not taking care of the parrot inside—the soul. You are not giving proper food to the soul. The soul becomes weaker, weaker, weaker, lean, skinny. Then at last, you leave this cage. Then what is the utility of this cage? What value is there? It is just a clump of dead matter only. What is this body? Isn’t it? Clump of dead matter only, but you are taking care of it. You have completely forgotten the parrot inside—that is the soul. And you are that soul.
This is the food. And you should develop hunger for it. Krishna Katha—that is the hunger of the soul. If you are not hungry, nice dishes, delicious dishes will be served to you, you can’t enjoy, can’t relish. One who is really hungry, he will relish. Not hungry, he cannot relish. Oh, bitter! You’ll say bitter, though it is nectarean sweet—Krishna Katha.
syat kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sītaḥ
avidyā-pittopātapta-rasanasya na rucikā nu
kintu adarād anudinam khalu sa eva
svādvi kramād bhavati tad-gada-mūla-hantri
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says in Upadeśāmṛta, nectar of instruction,
syat kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sītaḥ
avidyā-pittopātapta-rasanasya na rucikā nu
Sugar candy—very sweet, isn’t it? Sugar candy is very sweet, but if a person is affected with jaundice, jaundice patient, eye looks yellow, skin yellow, urine yellow, everything yellow. Do you understand? Bile is excessive—bile. Do you understand? Vāta, pitta, kapha—three ingredients are there. Do you understand? Vāta, pitta, kapha. Pitta means bile in English. It’s bitter. With excessive bile, that disease is generated—jaundice. If you give sugar candy to that person, he’ll say, “Oh, it’s bit—it's bitter.” Yes, he cannot relish. Does sugar candy taste bitter? Is it bitter? It is so sweet. But why does that person say it’s bitter? Because he’s a patient. He’s a jaundice patient. Bile is excessive. If you give him neem leaf, he will say, “Oh, nice, sweet.” Yes, he will say, “Nice, sweet.” Neem leaf is sweet for him. The sugar candy tastes bitter.
So, Krishna Katha:
syat kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sītaḥ
avidyā-pittopātapta-rasanasya na rucikā nu
One is a materialistic person, too much attached to materialistic enjoyment, that eating-stool-like hog, he cannot taste it. It is bitter though. Bitter. (laughs) Do you understand? If a person is serious and conscious of it, "Yes, really, I am a patient. I am a diseased person. Yes. I am a diseased person. I am a patient." If he is conscious, if he's not callous about it, then hope is there. Otherwise, hopeless condition. He's hopeless condition. He's hopeless condition.
The diseased—this jaundice patient—if he understands, "Yes, I am a diseased person. Jaundice is there. I must get myself cured of it," so he will approach a physician. Doctor. He should go there. That doctor could understand, yes, he's a jaundice patient. Excessive bile is there. So he prescribes the medicine. "All right. Take this medicine. Take it with the sugar candy." That tastes bitter. (laughs) He gives that medicine. That tastes bitter; he prescribed it because that is the medicine. Though it tastes bitter, that is the medicine. And if he's serious to get cured of it,
kintu adarād anudinam khalu sa eva
svādvi kramād bhavati tad-gada-mūla-hantri
Putting faith in the words of the physician, though it tastes bitter, although he takes it every day, he takes that medicine. Then gradually—the excessive bile, uh, that is gone, that makes equal, then proportionately there are vāta, pitta, kapha. No excessiveness of bile there. Then you test that sugar candy tastes very sweet. Then he says, "Oh, it's very sweet now. First it was so bitter."
Similarly, the materialistic persons, they will never be attracted toward this nectarean Krishna-kathā. They have no hunger at all for it. Their soul is not hungry for it. Still, this is medicine that these persons should... if they are conscious, really, "Yes, I am a diseased person. This disease is with me, so I can relish it. It is nectarean and sweet, but it tastes bitter because I am a diseased person." But physician, sadhu vaidya. Sadhu is a doctor. The sadhu vaidya. Sadhu is the doctor for this disease who can cure it.
atatyantika-khemam puṣṭiṣyati bhagavata nāgah samsāre ’smin kṣhinardapi satsanga-sevandhir unnam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Eleventh Canto). Do you follow? Eleventh Canto, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
Maitreyi Muni—Vidura asked Maitreyi Muni, "Yo: nāgah, you sinless mahātma, I am asking this thing. What is real, auspicious for the suffering souls here in this material world?" Those who are in the frying pan, deep in the frying pan. Suffering, suffering, suffering. Three tapas: adhyātmika, adhidaivika, adhibhautika. What is needed for them? Then answer satsanga sevandhir unnam. atatyantika-khemam puṣṭiṣyati bhagavata nāgah samsāre ’smin kṣhinardapi. If even for a moment, kṣhinardapi, that satsanga, sadhu-saṅga, then that is real auspicious for him.
Who is sadhu? That is another thing one should understand. Who is sadhu? What is the real definition of sadhu? The chief symptom of sadhu is kṛṣṇi kṛṣṇatva—completely surrendered unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Completely, unconditionally surrendered. Chief symptom. Other symptoms are secondary symptoms that automatically develop.
yaśyasti bhaktiḥ bhagavati akiñcanaḥ sarvair guṇaiḥ
tatra sanāsṛte suraḥ paraḥ bhaktasya kuto ‘rthaḥ-anartheṇa sa te dhāvato bāhyaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto)
Bhāgavatam says, "yaśyasti bhaktiḥ bhagavati akiñcanaḥ sarvair guṇaiḥ tatra sanāsṛte." With an annoyed devotee developed annoyed devotion unto Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, automatically, automatically all good qualities, divine qualities manifest in his person. Sarva-mahā-guṇa-gaṇa vaisṇava-śarīre kṛṣṇa-bhakte kṛṣṇera guṇa sākali sañchāre.
Where is a Kṛṣṇa-bhakta? A dear devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, completely surrendered unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, always constantly attached to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and relishing that nectar emanating from the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. He is in that ocean of nectar. Ocean of nectar. Pūrṇamṛta-svādanaṁ pūrṇam amṛta-svādanaṁ. Relishment of, full nectar. Completely attached to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa as a bumblebee. Bumblebee always hovers around the lotus.
Similarly, that is sadhu. This is sadhu lakṣaṇa. Satsanga, to have association with such sadhu. Even for a moment then
tulayam labhenapi na svargau na punar bhavam
bhāga-saṅgi-saṅgānāṁ martyānāṁ kiṁ tasisāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto)
Prachetas. Prachetas. Do you know Prachetas in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Fourth Canto? Do you follow? They went to undergo austerity, entering into the water, austerity for Lord Viṣṇu. Do you understand?
So Lord Viṣṇu became satisfied with their austerity and appeared before the waves, asked for the boon. Asked for the boon, "I am prepared to give you any boon you ask for." Then he said,
tulayam labhenapi na svargau na punar bhavam
bhāga-saṅgi-saṅgānāṁ martyānāṁ kiṁ tasisāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto)
What āśīṣa? What blessing is there? What boon is there? Martyānām means we are residents of this martyabhūmi where there is birth, death, old age, disease. This material world is martya-pura.
Death is there. We are residents, inhabitants. For us, what boon is there? Only one boon is satsanga. Sadhu-saṅga. That is the only boon, only blessing.
tulayam labhenapi na svargau na punar bhavam. If someone does sadhu-saṅga, satsanga, even for a moment—real saṅga—and gets such result. It cannot be compared to the attainment of a heavenly planet and heavenly enjoyment and attainment of that Brahman effulgence. Cannot be compared to it.
So what blessing is there? What boon is there? There's only one boon. This is satsanga, satsanga for us. No other boon is there. Please give us this boon. We always will be in this association of satsang. One should develop greed for it.
Greed for it. Do you understand? Yes. You should be greedy enough. All are—all are greedy. All have developed greed for these materialistic possessions, isn't it? They are materialistic possessions, materialistic enjoyments. They have developed greed, and that is your enemy.
kāmaḥ krodhaś tathā lobhaś tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet.
(Bhagavad-gītā)
Gītā. Kṛṣṇa says,
"But that greed, kāmaḥ krodha lobhaḥ, everything can be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service." Yes. That is lobha, greed. How can you do it?
Sadhu-saṅge kṛṣṇa-nāma—ei mātra cāi
saṁsāra jinite āra kono vastu nāi
Develop greed for satsanga and hear Kṛṣṇa-kathā. Develop hunger for it. "I am very hungry." Do you understand?
The soul—soul is hungry for Kṛṣṇa. That is the food for the soul, Kṛṣṇa-kathā, nectarean, sweet kathā. You should develop greed for it. Otherwise, you cannot conquer this illusory world. No. Can you?
Sadhu-saṅge kṛṣṇa-nāma—ei mātra cāi
saṁsāra jinite āra kono vastu nāi
No other way is there. Is there any way? Rāya Rāmānanda Dāsa said, one should develop greed for it—for Kṛṣṇa-kathā and greed for satsanga and hear nectarean kathā from his lips. Then you very easily conquer this illusory dreadful world, existence, material existence platform.
Then you have to hear from satsanga, what satsang says. If we stay here, I say if we stay, (foreign language). If you stay, there is danger. If you stay, there is problem, isn't it?
There is problem, there is danger. Māyā pulls forth before you. Māyā puts next to someone who is under the grip of māyā, the māyā makes bewilderment. Bewilderment made for the soul. Do you understand?
Māyā presents the real as unreal, unreal as real; happiness as distress, distress as happiness; shelter as not shelter, not shelter as shelter. That māyā presents in this way and the conscious soul accepts it. Yes. So he is bewildered.
If we stay, there is—he faces danger and problem, and test—that is test. Every moment that test for you. How can you come out successful of this test? Go on. How can you?
Devotee: By staying away from the objects of taste.
Gaur Govinda Swami: Hearing from mahājanas.
You have to hear. Do you understand? That is the only way. Then you will come out successful. You will achieve success. Come out successful. Then you pass the test. You have to hear what mahājana says, what satsanga says. Do you understand? His words. Do you understand what satsanga says? Here all are saying, "I am the monarch of all I survey." Isn't it? "I am the monarch of all I survey. I am the monarch." Yes.
ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair
janasya mohaḥ ayam ahaṁ mameti
This gṛha, this house, is mine. I am the master. Kṣetra, this land and property, mine, mine. Viraḥ kṣetra. Suto apta vittair. This son, this daughter, they are mine. Wife, they are mine. Family, they are mine. Bank balance, wealth, mine. This land, this country, mine. I am the monarch of all I survey. Isn't it?
janasya mohaḥ ayam ahaṁ mameti
This "I" and "mine" is delusion, is moha. You have been deluded by māyā. Māyā presents such a thing. Let's say really, have you any property, Rāya Rāmānanda? Are you proprietor?
One who has property, he is proprietor, isn't it? One who has property is proprietor. But you have no property, still you say, "I am proprietor." This thing belongs to me. This thing belongs to me. This thing, "I am the proprietor." This is criminal mentality. Really everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa.
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ — "I am the source of all emanations. Everything has emanated from Me." He’s the only proprietor. Everything is property. No other proprietor. Only Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor, isn’t it? But taking Kṛṣṇa’s property, thinking, “I am proprietor,” that means this is criminal mentality you have developed, is great criminal. Great criminal. No properties, still saying proprietor. Stealing Kṛṣṇa’s property?
So how can you think... how do you think that you will get happiness here? Criminals are really put into prison house and suffer there. Prison house. The māyā has created this prison house, māyakṛta kāraṇa, this material world. Yes, māyakṛta kāraṇa. Māyā has created this prison house for some criminals, put them inside.
So one who is in a prison house, is he really enjoying? Happy? Prison house means punishment is there.
Punishments are inflicted on criminals. As long as you are in the prison house, that is only the time of punishment, nothing else.
It is not really a question of enjoyment and happiness there.
yātu kāleyaḥ sahasra-nityaḥ (Sanskrit) — so you have to hear Mahārāja and mahājanas say. They will be able to get out of this prison house, and as your attachment towards material things, positions, relations is destroyed, like Brahmā killed everything. The Indra hog, farm of hog. Then he says, "Ah, oh, yes, what are you saying?" Otherwise, he won’t listen. The sadhu does such a thing, curses this thing. (laughs) Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur, great sadhu, mahājana, ācārya, has said… I will sing a song, this is all essence of Vedic teachings, sāraṁśa, what he has said. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur is known as the Seventh Goswāmī, the Seventh Goswāmī. He has written nice songs, all philosophies there. (singing)
(1)
āmāra’ bolite prabhu! āre kichu nāi
tumi-i āmāra mātra pitā-bandhu-bhāi
(2)
bandhu, dārā, suta, sutā—tava dāsī dāsa
sei to’ sambandhe sabe āmāra prayāsa
(3)
dhana, jana, gṛha, dārā ‘tomāra’ boliyā
rakhā kori āmi mātro sevaka hoiyā
Do you understand? No relishment. It is only one-sided. It’s a question of relishment, reciprocal. Reciprocation must be there. But you cannot sing it. So I feel distressed in my heart. My voice is choked up. It’s not coming out. (laughs) Let me say, say in English. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura Mahājana says, “Āmāra bolite prabhu āra kichu nāi.” “There is nothing that I can say is mine.” Everything belongs to you. That’s a fact, isn’t it? Can you say? Even this body belongs to Kṛṣṇa. This body doesn’t belong to you. Does this body belong to you? Is it your property? Do you have any control over it? No. No. It belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Your soul also belongs to Kṛṣṇa. You are His eternal servant. Jīvera svarūpa haoyā Kṛṣṇera nitya dāsa.
You’re Kṛṣṇa’s… you are Kṛṣṇa’s property. This body is Kṛṣṇa’s. Everything is Kṛṣṇa’s property, isn’t it?
So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, “Āmāra bolite prabhu āra kichu nāi.” “There is nothing that I can say is mine.” No. Everything belongs to you.
Tumi āmāra mātra pitā, bandhu, bhāi. “You are everything for me. You are my father, you are my friend, you are my brother, you are everything.” Yes.
Bandhu-dvāra suta sutā tava dāsī dāsa, sei ta’ sambandhe sabe āmāra prayāsa. “Whatever I say here, I have developed the relationship—material relationship. My friend, my wife, my son, my daughter—whatever I say is mine, they are all your servants. Servants and maid servants.” Dāsa, dāsī. Isn’t it? Do you follow me? Dāsa, dāsī—they are servants and maid servants of yours.
Eko’ni sva kṛṣṇa acā brutya
Kṛṣṇa is the only master; all else are servants. Isn't it? Nobody else is the master. Kṛṣṇa is the only master. They are your servants and maid servants.
Ce ta sambandhe druta āmār. This is one relationship. This is sambandha jñāna. In the Veda, there are three tattvas, isn't it? What are they? Sambandha, abhideya, and prajñāna. Do you follow, Rāy Ramananda? Sambandha, abhideya, prajñāna—three tattvas. In the Veda, there are three tattvas: sambandha tattva, abhideya tattva, and prajñāna tattva. Sambandha means relationship.
Do you follow? Relationship. Sambandha-tattva is knowledge of relationship. Abhideya-tattva is bhakti, devotional service. Prajñāna-tattva is prema, pure love of God. Do you follow? Sambandha, abhideya, and prajñāna—three tattvas. There is one important tattva. Mahāprabhu came and taught the same things.
He said the same thing: Kṛṣṇa is the primary sambandha, Kṛṣṇa—the only sambandha, only relationship. All are related to Kṛṣṇa.
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
(Kṛṣṇa said) "I am the source of all emanations. Everything has emanated from Me." This is related to Kṛṣṇa.
You are related to Kṛṣṇa. I am related to Kṛṣṇa. He is related to Kṛṣṇa.
Everything you see here, whatever you find, everything is related to Kṛṣṇa. There is only one relationship. Isn't it? The chief relationship and the only relationship is relationship with Kṛṣṇa, but we have not established that relationship.
We have established bodily relationships—temporary relationships. Isn’t it? In this temporary platform, this material platform, everything is temporary, for a short time. We are travelers passing through.
In ancient days, there was no modern communication. Do you understand? They used to do padayātrā—walking journeys. Kṛṣṇa has given us these legs—to walk, walk, walk.
Mahāprabhu was doing padayātrā, wasn’t He? Yes. Walking, walking. In my boyhood days, I had walked to Puri Dhāma. Yes. Puri Dhāma, walking, walking. Purusottama Dhāma Yātrā.
Even now, we have introduced padayātrā because everyone is moving very fast by vehicles—cars, trains, or aeroplanes. Nobody is prepared to walk even one inch, one step. They say, "Wait, wait, wait." Waiting for two hours, just to go one yard. "Let the vehicle come—the town bus, city service, train—we will go." No walking, you see. So lazy. But simply… (laughs)
In those days, we were doing padayātrā, some nice chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa in groups. Good! So when evening or night comes, we halt. We stay there. Those of us who stay there, and all the travelers stay there, spend the night in an inn or motel. Do you follow my language? Inn. Panch nivās we say—panch nivās. You understand Hindi, no? Inn? Motel? All right, motel. (laughs)
Some motels are there by the roadside. We take rest for the dark night, to spend the dark night, a few hours. Isn’t it? To spend a few hours in that motel because there is no sunshine. It’s dark night. We cannot move. So the whole night, what to do when this…
When will this dark night be over? When will the blazing sun, the shining sun, come out? Then I will catch up my road to Purusottama Dhāma. Isn’t it? We are just spending time in that way. We are not sleeping there and snoring, ah. Hmm. And we complain about the lodging, complain, complain against the innkeeper: "Hey, motel wallah, you have not made nice arrangements here. Nice bed, nice cushion, bugs are there, they are biting me. I cannot sleep and snore."
Why are you lodging such complaints? It’s not yours... You have just to spend a few hours, baba, the dark night. Just wait for the blazing sun to come out and catch up your road to go to Purusottama Dhāma. Such foolishness! Now you are developing attachment to this inn.
And many people have come—one from Hamilton, one from Toronto, one from Montreal, one from Vancouver, or some place; one from Buffalo or somewhere else. They are all in the inn.
“Oh hi, where have you come from?”
“Oh, I have come from Toronto.”
“Oh hi, where have you come from?”
“I am from Montreal.”
“Oh hi, where have you come from?”
“I am from Bulgaria.”
Then you become friends—temporary friends only for that night. Then again, in the morning, the blazing sun comes out, you leave that inn and catch up your road to Purusottama Dhāma. Then where is that relationship? Finished.
Similarly, this is our material relationship—temporary. For a few hours, a few days, a few months, a few years, a few lives—that’s all. But one relationship is permanent, eternal: the relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That you should not forget.
This is sambandha—relationship. Abhideya is the process—bhakti, devotional service. Prajñāna is the ultimate goal—prema, love of Godhead. All three truths are there.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came and taught the same things. Kṛṣṇa is the only master; all else are His servants. Nobody else is master.
So we must develop this relationship, not temporary relationships. Temporary relationships mean suffering. Eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa means bliss, happiness, and joy.
Therefore, we should not waste our time. We should not be foolish. We should not develop attachment to this inn, to this temporary place, to these temporary relationships. We should only develop attachment to Kṛṣṇa. That is real attachment—eternal attachment. That is never lost, never finished.
Haribol! Haribol! Jaya! Haribol!