Today is Sunday. Since there wasn’t any suitable natural place nearby the
Mira Road it was decided that Guru Maharaja will be giving an afternoon,
Sunday class at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple. The option came up in the
morning that Guru Maharaja could go to a nearby preaching program which is
40 min away. Since the announcement was already made at Sri Sri Radha
Giridhari temple they couldn’t cancel it. So depending upon Guru Maharaja’s
situation they were going to decide if he would be able to attend this
preaching program after giving the class in the temple.
After the facial theraphy Guru Maharaja took a small nap and then got ready
to go to the temple. Guru Maharaja was brought in the wheel chair to the
ground floor and before going out of the hospital he offered flowers to
Srila Prabhupada in the lobby at the entrance. The temple is very nearer to
the hospital but it was decided by Guru Maharaja to go by car instead of in
the wheel chair. It was hot, so much traffic and dust. Acintya Nitai prabhu
is a physically strongest devotee to help Guru Maharaja into the car.
Devotees were a little bit concerned today as he was not in Mumbai anymore
and how they were going to carry out this task without him. But Guru
Maharaja seemed to be improving and he was able to get into the car with
lesser difficulty than the previous weeks. It went quicker as well. Just
like earlier four or five devotees assisted in this process. Dr.Chako the
physiotherapist says that Guru Maharaja keeps making progress everyday
during the excercises.
At Radha Giridhari temple the devotees where singing kirtan to receive Guru
Maharaja. The whole temple was fully packed. Guru Maharaja had a darshan of
the beautiful Deities, Sri Sri Radha Giridhari and Sri Sri Jagannath
Baladeva Subhadra. Guru Maharaja offered flowers to the Deities by just
touching the plate and the pujari offered them on his behalf. He also gave a
small donation to the Deities. Later he was taken to Srila Prabhupada and he
offered his prayers to His Divine Grace and also a devotee offered a big
rose garland to Srila Prabhupada on behalf of Guru Maharaja.
Thousands of devotees were seated in the hall eagerly awaiting to hear Guru
Maharaja’s lecture.
Kamalalocana prabhu, the vice president of Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple
gave an introduction about Guru Maharaja to the audience. He mentioned how
Guru Maharaja is the pioneer for the Mayapur project development and that he
is the Minister of the Congregational Development. He travels widely all
around the world. He said how just by Guru Maharaja’s darshan one can obtain
Gauranga Prema. It was a great fortune for every one at Radha Giridhari
temple to have him on this day and one should take his instructions
seriously and get purified.
Guru Maharaja started delivering the following lecture (the lecture was
simultaneously translated into hindhi by Kamala Locana prabhu and if
anything what Guru Maharaja said wasn’t heard properly then Shiromani Mataji
would repeat it in English. I am typing it from my handwritten notes.):
Invocation prayers of Om ajnana, Srila Prabhupada pranam mantra, Panca
Tattva mantra and Hare Krsna mantra were chanted by Guru Maharaja.
“I am very glad to see so many devotees today. This is a very grand
assembly. Lord Caitanya is very merciful. He came to distribute love of
Godhead.
One devotee he was teaching the emperor, Ussain Shah the military science.
When he was a prince he was goofing around with a whip. He would whip the
back of the people to life and death. Then he became a emperor.
(the following discussion took place between the emperor and the queen)
Queen: How did you get this mark on your back?
Emperor: My teacher hit me as I deserved it.
Queen: Then you should kill him.
Emperor: How can I? He is my teacher.
Queen: But you are an emperor. He should be killed.
As queen kept on insisting the emperor agreed to change the jath (caste) of
the teacher. In those days if someone spits on the water and if the water is
sprinkled on the person, then that chages the jath (caste) of that person.
So the teacher was outcasted in this way. He went to Benaras and asked the
pandits there, how could he be purified. They replied saying it was very
easy. He just needed to drink 1 kg of hot ghee. The teacher said he would
die. Then the pandits replied that was the way to change back the caste. One
has to take birth again in the Hindhu family. He was then recommended by
some people to go and see Lord Caitanya. The Lord recommended him to chant
Hare Krsna and he would get purified.
Even if one time one chants then he is a devotee. Hare Krsna Maha Mantra and
Krsna are non different. In this way one can always remain in Krsna’s
association and in this way one can taste the nectar of Krsna Consciousness.
We have many different programs for the congregation. We have Nama Hatta,
Bhakti Vrksa group, Counselor group and sraddha kutir. Those families who
are Krsna conscious are consider Sraddha kutir or house of faith. How many
Sraddha Kutir do we have here? 1500 was the reply. They have 6000 in Mayapur
and you have 1500 here. It is pretty good.
In the month of Damodar we have a special program to invite people to offer
lamps for Lord Damodara and Yasoda. In Malaysia, a devotee set up a big
altar in the bazaar and 60,000 people came and offered lamps.
In the small group one has the chance to do group chanting, improving the
quality of japa. Also we recommend in the morning if you can come to the
temple and chant to improve the quality of japa. I used to chant loudly to
improve the quality of japa. Everyone complained to Srila Prabhupada that
they couldn’t concentrate. So I was sent out to chant in the park.
In 1968 we were bhakta along with Gopal Krsna Maharaja. Since then we are
serving together for 41yrs. When I got sick recently he was taking important
decisions for me. Gopal Krsna Maharaja Ki Jai! I was also helped by
Radhanatha Maharaja. One way to chant is to do japa walk. So we see every
morning Gopal Krsna Maharaja and Devaki Nandana prabhu would do japa walk in
Juhu. If you are able to sit for sometime and do japa then you can do.
Otherwise you can also walk and chant. One should fix the mind in chanting.
In Bhakti Vrksa and Nama Hatta it is quite common to sit and chant together
1 round of mahamantra.
How many do 16rounds everyday? [Many raised their hands.] How many chant 8
rounds?” [Some raised their hands.] And again he asked, “How many chant 4
rounds?” [Some hands raised.] How many don’t chant their rounds, raise the
hand? It’s alright we don’t want to make them feel guilty. [There was
laughter.] Everyday we should enthusiastically chant the rounds.
Haridas Thakur is called Nama acarya. He chanted 3 lakhs names everyday.
When he became sick he wouldn’t complete the rounds. So he said the real
sickness is not to chant. He asked permission from Lord Caitanya to leave
the world. He knew that Lord Caitanya was going to leave the world soon. He
didn’t want to see that.
We would like everyone of you to at least chant some Hare Krsna Mahamantra
everyday. Srila Prabhupada adviced us if we chant 16 rounds of Hare Krsna
everyday then he would take the responsibility to take us back to Godhead.
In the TV, I heard about the serial, “Kaun banega karor pati?” (who will own
1 crore?) [everyone started laughing] If we chant 16rounds minimum every day
then one becomes karor pati in a year. I want that you all become karorpati.
If one chants 8 rounds minimum everyday then one gets to chant 50 lakhs in a
year. If one chants 4 rounds minimum everyday then one gets to chant 25
lakhs. It is always beneficial to keep increasing.
Lord Krsna and His name are non different. If we understand this then our
quality will improve. We should pray to the Holy Name asking for forgiveness
from the offenses so that we could chant attentively. You can either chant
the prayers written by the acaryas or make your own prayers. Rupa Goswami
chanted Krishna namastakam. It is mentioned in 7th canto of Srimad
Bhagavatam. I translated the verses and wrote commentary in English. It is a
very beautiful prayer. In this prayer, the vedas personified are chanting
not the glories of Lord Krsna, but the glories of the Holy Name of the Lord.
The names of the Lord are glorified, His form, quality and lila. Like
Yasodanandana is connected with the lila of the Lord, whereas, Visnu denotes
guna. Lord Krsna has unlimited names. So we can always feel the presence of
the Lord through the Holy Names.
We chant normally with the beads. The index finger is used to curse. So we
don’t use that finger for chanting. When you notice someone uses that finger
to chant inside the beadbag before you then it means he might be cursing
you. We as devotees shouldn’t curse. The other three fingers are used for
dharma. The little finger gives one mystic powers, the ring finger for peace
and the middle finger for all perfection. It is a whole science how to chant
japa. Sometimes one chants by counting on fingers. I have some people who
work in the office intensely so they use a counter or fingers. Somehow or
other we should chant. This is the yuga dharma.
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nastyeva gatir anyatha
Like this we gradually increase the chanting more and more, the quality and
quantity.
One thing is that, when they are going to build the big temple here? I have
been seeing for many years this temple. [Adi Yog prabhu, the temple
commander confirmed that very soon the big temple construction will begin.]
Jai! It doesn’t matter. The main thing is to do sadhana bhakti. I am seeing
that on Sundays it is packed. Whoever lives nearby the temple should take
advantage of Sri Sri Radha Giridhari to do their sadhana bhakti. Life of the
temple is devotees. When devotee come and pray then that is the life of the
temple. But ofcourse not everyone is able to come. Then in the house one can
keep the picture and serve. In that way it becomes a sraddha kutir. One can
come on weekends or on festival days and attend the temple. Eventually one
can develop the taste for chanting, hearing and serving. Initially it is
called Sadhana and after sometime one develops the taste then it becomes
raganuga or spontaneous devotion. Everyone should engage in sadhana and
gradually develop the taste more and more. In the Part 1 of Nectar of
Devotion, it describes about sadhana bhakti and takes one through the
different stages to spontaneous devotion.
I can speak few words in Bengali. [speaks in Bengali] You are from the land
of Caitanya and therefore you should be more fortunate to chant Hare Krsna.
Everyone should chant but you are more fortunate being born in the land of
Caitanya.
[again in English] Thukaram saint is a follower of Lord Caitanya. Therefore
the whole Maharastra should get the mercy of Caitanya. I had an
opportunities to visit Pandarpur twice. The priests there grab your head and
place it on the lotus feet of Vittala. It is the only deity, temple where
one can place the head at the lotus feet.
I stop here so you can all take prasad. I can hear kirtans from here at the
Bhaktivedanta hospital. As the hospital is just opposite to the temple. I am
doing different therapies to become normal. I had a head stroke. By your
prayers and Lord Krsna’s mercy I am alive. I hope with the prayer I can
speak better and better in the coming weeks. Every day between 6-7 pm I am
visiting devotees.”
Guru Maharaja thus gave a 40 min class. This is the first time he is giving
the lecture after the stroke. The whole assembly of devotees seemed to be
very inspired by the lecture. One could see their smiling and bright faces.
The personal servants discussed with Guru Maharaja to see if he would be
able to go to the other program or return back to the hospital. Guru
Maharaja decided to go back to the hospital after the class.
When Guru Maharaja reached the entrance and entered into the lobby he was
brought again in front of Srila Prabhupada. He made a signal to a devotee
and the devotee took one maha flower and gave it to Guru Maharaja. He made a
parikrama in the wheel chair once, circumumbulating Srila Prabhupada and
went inside the lift to the 2nd floor. At the 2nd floor there is a deity of
Hanumanji. Guru Maharaja offered bananas to Hanumanji which he does almost
everyday and made his prayers.
Patita Pavana Guru Maharaja ki Jai!