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An Arrival Address
Murwillumbah, Australia: February 5, 2004
Tridaṇḍīsvāmī Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja
Perhaps you know that my śikṣā-guru, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, inspired me in his last days by telling me to help his devotees. He said:
"I have collected many disciples, but I could not complete their training; so you should complete it."
A guru like Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu goes door to door and begs you to chant the Holy Name and become happy. Similarly, Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja inspired me to go door to door, because not all of you can come to India. All of you should try to follow – and go door to door in Australia, England, America, Europe, Brazil, Africa and everywhere else. This is my duty – to follow my spiritual guru, śikṣā-guru.
I especially want to remind you of the aim and object of your life. If you don’t know the aim and object of your life, you can never be fulfilled. You should remember that we are fortunate to be in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and my śikṣā-gurudeva and my dīkṣā-guru, Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja.
You should know the aim and object, not only of your life, but also of your activities. You know why Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to this world. He came not only to preach the holy name – because this was the duty of the yuga-avatāra. He especially came to preach the supreme aim and object of life – not only the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, but service to the lotus feet of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, in the line of Rati Mañjarī and Rūpa Mañjarī, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha Gosvāmī. In this life we should know what is service to Śrīmatī Rādhikā – having even more inclination towards Śrīmatī Rādhikā than towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
We should know the aim and object of our life and our devotion. It is Kṛṣṇa-prema, not Kṛṣṇa or Śrīmatī Rādhikā. The heart of Rādhikā is full of mahābhāva – up to mādanākhya-mahābhāva. She serves and controls Kṛṣṇa. This prema is the object. This is the supreme object for all of our lives.
Knowing this, what kind of devotional practice should we perform?
We will have to begin with śraddhā, the smallest fraction of bhakti. Begin from śraddhā, niṣṭhā, anartha-nivṛtti, ruci, āsakti, and then come up to bhāva.
Try to achieve śuddha-sattva.
śuddha-sattva-viśeṣātmā prema-sūryāṁśu-sāmya-bhāk
rucibhiś citta-masṛṇya-kṛd asau bhāva ucyate
["When devotional service is executed on the transcendental platform of pure goodness, it is like a sun-ray of love for Kṛṣṇa. At such a time, devotional service causes the heart to be softened by various tastes, and one is then situated in bhāva (emotion).”
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.3.1)]
This is the heart of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, who is hlādinī-śakti. Try to have transcendental śraddhā (faith), not laukikī or mortal śraddhā. If that śraddhā comes, then strong faith automatically comes in the words of Guru, Kṛṣṇa and scripture. Try to give up your anarthas and offenses; otherwise you cannot have any real gain.
I have come to remind you of all these truths. Be inspired and do not be weak. Try to follow the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu – how He was strict. A deva-dāsī, female singer, was singing Gītā-govinda, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ran after her. Govinda Prabhu "saved Him". He stopped Him, reminding Him that the deva-dāsī was a lady, and Lord Caitanya told him:
"Had I touched her, what would I have done?
I would have given up my life by jumping in the ocean."
By this incident Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us to be very careful, especially if we are sannyāsīs, in the renounced order. If any facility or glory is coming easily, we should not think:
"All is coming – no harm”
A lady may come and say:
"Please marry me"
What should a devotee do?
Will Mahāprabhu allow this?
If you want kṛṣṇa-prema, and especially rādhā-prema, you will have to very strictly follow all the principles of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Be softer than a lotus flower and stronger than a thunder-bolt – both at the same time. I have seen these qualities in my Guru. He was stronger than a thunder-bolt and at the same time so soft. He often wept for his disciples. If any devotee had a disease, he would stay up all night and day to help him.
If you are not like this, how can you attain that perfection which is greater than Vaikuṇṭha, Dvārakā, and Mathurā?
And even in Vraja, this perfection is greater than vātsalya and sakhya-rasa.
pādābjayos tava vinā vara dāsyam eva
nānyat kadāpi samaye kila devī yāce
sakhyāya te mama namo’stu namo’stu nityaṁ
dāsyāya te mama raso’stu raso’stu satyam
["O Goddess! I shall never pray to You for anything else but the excellent service of Your lotus feet. I offer my constant obeisances unto the idea of becoming Your friend, but I truly relish the idea of becoming Your maidservant."
(Śrī Vilāpa-kusumāñjali 16)]
This is how Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī instructed us, and how strong he was!
I have come to remind you all to be like him, and not to be weak in any way, whether you are ladies or gentlemen. It is for both. The śloka that Bhaktisāra Mahārāja told is not only for ladies or only for men. It is for all those that want that supreme object:
tan-nāma-rūpa-caritādi-sukīrtanānu-
smṛtyoḥ krameṇa rasanā-manasī niyojya
tiṣṭhan vraje tad-anurāgi-jana anugāmī
kālaṁ nayed akhilam ity upadeśa-sāram
["The essence of all advice is that one should utilize 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."
(Śrī Upadeśāmṛta 8)]
I request you to make a schedule of classes from morning until evening every day of this festival. I will speak only in the evening.
Thank you. My heartly blessings to you all.
Gaura premānande! — with Jaga Mohan Das and Ganashyama Dasa.
Murwillumbah, Australia: February 5, 2004
Tridaṇḍīsvāmī Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja
Perhaps you know that my śikṣā-guru, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, inspired me in his last days by telling me to help his devotees. He said:
"I have collected many disciples, but I could not complete their training; so you should complete it."
A guru like Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu goes door to door and begs you to chant the Holy Name and become happy. Similarly, Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja inspired me to go door to door, because not all of you can come to India. All of you should try to follow – and go door to door in Australia, England, America, Europe, Brazil, Africa and everywhere else. This is my duty – to follow my spiritual guru, śikṣā-guru.
I especially want to remind you of the aim and object of your life. If you don’t know the aim and object of your life, you can never be fulfilled. You should remember that we are fortunate to be in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and my śikṣā-gurudeva and my dīkṣā-guru, Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja.
You should know the aim and object, not only of your life, but also of your activities. You know why Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to this world. He came not only to preach the holy name – because this was the duty of the yuga-avatāra. He especially came to preach the supreme aim and object of life – not only the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, but service to the lotus feet of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, in the line of Rati Mañjarī and Rūpa Mañjarī, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha Gosvāmī. In this life we should know what is service to Śrīmatī Rādhikā – having even more inclination towards Śrīmatī Rādhikā than towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
We should know the aim and object of our life and our devotion. It is Kṛṣṇa-prema, not Kṛṣṇa or Śrīmatī Rādhikā. The heart of Rādhikā is full of mahābhāva – up to mādanākhya-mahābhāva. She serves and controls Kṛṣṇa. This prema is the object. This is the supreme object for all of our lives.
Knowing this, what kind of devotional practice should we perform?
We will have to begin with śraddhā, the smallest fraction of bhakti. Begin from śraddhā, niṣṭhā, anartha-nivṛtti, ruci, āsakti, and then come up to bhāva.
Try to achieve śuddha-sattva.
śuddha-sattva-viśeṣātmā prema-sūryāṁśu-sāmya-bhāk
rucibhiś citta-masṛṇya-kṛd asau bhāva ucyate
["When devotional service is executed on the transcendental platform of pure goodness, it is like a sun-ray of love for Kṛṣṇa. At such a time, devotional service causes the heart to be softened by various tastes, and one is then situated in bhāva (emotion).”
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.3.1)]
This is the heart of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, who is hlādinī-śakti. Try to have transcendental śraddhā (faith), not laukikī or mortal śraddhā. If that śraddhā comes, then strong faith automatically comes in the words of Guru, Kṛṣṇa and scripture. Try to give up your anarthas and offenses; otherwise you cannot have any real gain.
I have come to remind you of all these truths. Be inspired and do not be weak. Try to follow the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu – how He was strict. A deva-dāsī, female singer, was singing Gītā-govinda, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ran after her. Govinda Prabhu "saved Him". He stopped Him, reminding Him that the deva-dāsī was a lady, and Lord Caitanya told him:
"Had I touched her, what would I have done?
I would have given up my life by jumping in the ocean."
By this incident Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us to be very careful, especially if we are sannyāsīs, in the renounced order. If any facility or glory is coming easily, we should not think:
"All is coming – no harm”
A lady may come and say:
"Please marry me"
What should a devotee do?
Will Mahāprabhu allow this?
If you want kṛṣṇa-prema, and especially rādhā-prema, you will have to very strictly follow all the principles of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Be softer than a lotus flower and stronger than a thunder-bolt – both at the same time. I have seen these qualities in my Guru. He was stronger than a thunder-bolt and at the same time so soft. He often wept for his disciples. If any devotee had a disease, he would stay up all night and day to help him.
If you are not like this, how can you attain that perfection which is greater than Vaikuṇṭha, Dvārakā, and Mathurā?
And even in Vraja, this perfection is greater than vātsalya and sakhya-rasa.
pādābjayos tava vinā vara dāsyam eva
nānyat kadāpi samaye kila devī yāce
sakhyāya te mama namo’stu namo’stu nityaṁ
dāsyāya te mama raso’stu raso’stu satyam
["O Goddess! I shall never pray to You for anything else but the excellent service of Your lotus feet. I offer my constant obeisances unto the idea of becoming Your friend, but I truly relish the idea of becoming Your maidservant."
(Śrī Vilāpa-kusumāñjali 16)]
This is how Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī instructed us, and how strong he was!
I have come to remind you all to be like him, and not to be weak in any way, whether you are ladies or gentlemen. It is for both. The śloka that Bhaktisāra Mahārāja told is not only for ladies or only for men. It is for all those that want that supreme object:
tan-nāma-rūpa-caritādi-sukīrtanānu-
smṛtyoḥ krameṇa rasanā-manasī niyojya
tiṣṭhan vraje tad-anurāgi-jana anugāmī
kālaṁ nayed akhilam ity upadeśa-sāram
["The essence of all advice is that one should utilize 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."
(Śrī Upadeśāmṛta 8)]
I request you to make a schedule of classes from morning until evening every day of this festival. I will speak only in the evening.
Thank you. My heartly blessings to you all.
Gaura premānande! — with Jaga Mohan Das and Ganashyama Dasa.
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