Śrīla Gurudeva [Hindi]: It is a very difficult subject matter. By means of the mind, one thinks of a woman; by means of the mind, we make enmity with someone; by means of the mind, sometimes we speak truth and sometimes a lie. In our current state, all the activities we do, we do by means of the mind, so when we listen to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, we think that we are hearing by means of the mind [meaning, we think we can hear and understand those pastimes merely by focusing our mind on Them]. When we read about those pastimes, we think we are reading by means of the mind [meaning, we think we can truly grasp those pastimes merely by reading them attentively]. If out of anger we can fight with people and do other [mundane] things [by means of the mind], then we also conceive, think, with our mind, that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are transcendental (aprākṛta) and their prema is transcendental. We understand that, also, through the mind’s faculty (vṛtti). But that [true transcendental perception] is not the tendency of the [mundane] mind. For this reason, those whose minds are clean [pure] and have completely given up sense-enjoyment (viṣaya), who have done sādhana-bhajana, and who are properly situated in the line (dhārā) of the guru-paramparā – hear from them! Only then, gradually, all this – aprākṛta-śraddhā, aprākṛta-niṣṭhā, [aprākṛta-] ruci – will come; otherwise, it will not come in hundreds of thousands of births.
There is a type of person called khaḍa-jaṭhiyā beṭā*. Do you understand what a khaḍa-jaṭhiyā is? A khaḍa-jaṭhiyā is one who goes to everyone. This is the mind’s tendency. If we see someone who speaks of females and males and says to all [his own followers] that he has given them gopī-veśa, but he opposes the praṇālī (methodology) of Śrīla Prabhupāda [Sarasvatī Ṭhākura] and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, should we listen from such persons or not? Should we go to them or not? [English:] Ask my question to them.
* Khaḍa-jaṭhiyā beṭā. Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya-khaṇḍa, Chapter 10) states, “Mukunda was unqualified to receive Mahāprabhu’s darśanabecause at times he associated with impersonalistic sampradāyas and shared their sentiments. His mind and devotional service were unsteady. The Lord called him khaḍa-jāṭhiyā beṭā because sometimes he held a straw (khaḍa) in his teeth and sometimes he beat Him with a stick (jāṭhi). To deny the supremacy of devotional service is like beating the Lord’s body with a stick.” Later, upon seeing Mukunda’s love for Him, Śrīman Mahāprabhu forgave him. [In other words, khaḍa-jāṭhiyā refers to those whose devotional conceptions and principles are unstable. They thus are not one-pointed and try to mix with all.]
Puṇḍarīka prabhu [English:] The question is, if anybody is imparting the mood of the gopīs and immediately giving the seed of the form in that way, but he is not following in the line of the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
Śrīla Gurudeva [English:] Especially Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
Puṇḍarīka prabhu [English:] Then is it proper if one goes and hears from that person and takes instructions from that person?
Śrīla Gurudeva [Hindi]: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is a liberated mahāpuruṣa. After the six Gosvamīs, he is the seventh Gosvāmī. His Jaiva-dharma, his other books, all his books that are there, his commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that is no longer available, his commentary on Vedānta and his commentaries on all Gosvāmīs’ literatures, beginning from Vilāpa-kusmañjali to Manaḥ-śikṣā and so on, Mahaprabhu’s Śikṣāṣṭaka, Upadeśāmṛta – he has written a commentary on all of them after deeply entering [realizing the essence of] those books. If anyone opposes one such as Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, should we go to such a person? Never! Don’t go! Not to speak of gopī-prema, even if he gives everything [related to that], then also, don’t go. Understand this: what he is giving is not gopī-prema. Do not be khaḍa-jaṭhiyā.
[English:] Don’t go! Be one-pointed. Try to follow Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and this line. If you are going, then you are foolish; you are not understanding all these things. You are making muri and miśrī – everything – the same [bringing down the most excellent spiritual conceptions to the level of lower mundane conceptions]. You are making prākṛta-prema(mundane lust) and that aprākṛta-prema (transcendental love) the same thing.
[Hindi:] Therefore, try to stay far away from it.
Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja [English]: If someone is going there to hear hari-kathā….
Śrīla Gurudeva: [English:] Never! Don’t go.
Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja: [English:] Should we keep contact with him [the speaker] or not?
Śrīla Gurudeva: [English:] Never! Never! Be very strict among.…, otherwise, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy, Gurudeva’s mercy will not come. [Hindi:] Why are they [such persons] transgressing [the teachings of our] guru-paramparā? They don’t accept it. They don’t believe in the conceptions of even Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
If you want bhakti that is pure, then stay properly situated in this matter. Otherwise, aprākṛta-bhāvas (transcendental moods) will not come.
kṛpā kari’ prīti-tattva more dehô bujhāiyā.
Where does pirīti stay? As I have said, the pinnacle of prīti stays in Rādhārāṇī. There is prīti in the devotees. Which devotees? Those who are [fixed] in the conceptions of Mahāprabhu. Prīti can only manifest in them; otherwise, prītiwon’t manifest. Serve such persons [who are situated in the conceptions of Mahāprabhu]. Don’t make their conceptions and saṁsaric (mundane) conceptions the same. If, on one side, there is the wealth of the entire world, and on the other side, there is the instructions of such devotees. … Simply, if, on one side, there is śraddhā, or śravaṇa, kīrtana, and Bhagavān’s name, and on the other side, the wealth of the whole world, devotees’ hearts will not go there [towards the wealth of the entire world]. He whom aprākṛta-bhāva has touched, just a little, will be uplifted far above all these things. He will feel disgust for all these things.
kṛpā kari prīti-tattva more dehô bujhāiyā
kṛtārtha hoibo mui saṁśaya tyajiyā
Haridāsa Ṭhākura is sitting. A most beautiful woman, sixteen years old, nicely decorated, half-naked, at midnight, arrived at the bank of the Gaṅgā and began to speak to him. Had it been anyone else… [he would not have been able to maintain his composure]. This didn’t happen [to him] just once; it happened twice. One time, Māyā-devī herself came to him, but he was immersed in harināma and was seeing harināma as Kṛṣṇa. That person who is seeing Kṛṣṇa, who is receiving darśana of Rādhājī, will that person see Māyā? This is a natural thing [for such a person to not see māyā.] And if there no such experience, those who do not have such realization will fall down. If even just a little particle of prīti enters someone, then none of the greed, beauty, attraction, or mood of this material world can enchant him. Understand this point. It is not possible. He may remain like a wretched person, but none of these things can touch him. Then, kṛtārtha hoibo mui saṁśaya tyajiyā – all doubts will be dispelled (saṁśaya tyajiyā) [and my life will be successful and blessed (kṛtārtha hoibo mui)].
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Guru Purnima
[Respected Harikatha Readers,
Dandavat pranama to you all. This year, 2022, Guru-purnima is July 12. We are happy to present Srila Maharaja’s brief explanation of the auspicious Guru-purnima, or Vyasa-purnima, or Vyasa-puja festival, which he gave in Ananda-dhama in Vrndavana, India, in 2008:]
Today is the birthday of Srila Vyasadeva, the son of Parasara Rsi. Srila Vyasadeva divided the Vedas into four sections and then he took the essence of all the Vedas and Upanisads, and wrote Brahma-sutra, so that everyone would be able to easily understand. He then wrote fifty four Puranas, but they were also very difficult to understand. Then he wrote the Mahabharata, and within the Mahabharata he wrote the Gita Upanisad or Bhagavad-gita. Still, he was not happy, and he could not understand why. In the meantime, Srila Devarsi Narada came and asked him, “Why are you not happy? You have fully delineated the subject of impersonal Brahman and other knowledge as well. Why should you be despondent in spite of all this?
Srila Vyasadeva replied, “All you have said about me is perfectly correct. Despite all this, I am not pacified, and I don’t know why. You can tell me, because you are my Gurudeva. I therefore question you about the root cause of my dissatisfaction, for you have unlimited knowledge.”
Narada then said, “You have written and divided the Vedas, you have written Brahma-sutra, you have written the Puranas and even Mahabharata and Gita. But, you have basically only described dharma (religion), artha (economic development), kama (sense gratification), and moksa (liberation). You have not written about the fact that although Krsna is the Supreme Lord, He performed sweet human-like pastimes of Vraja. That is why you are not happy.
“Please try to write how Mother Yasoda bound Him and chastised Him and, although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Para-brahma), He was weeping bitterly because of this. Please write about Krsna playing with His friends, and write about how they used to defeat Him in various games. And write about how Krsna placed His head at the feet of the gopis and told them, ‘I have no capacity to repay you, even if I would have the lifespan of Brahma.’
na paraye 'ham niravadya-samyujam
sva-sadhu-krtyam vibudhayusapi vam
ya mabhajan durjara-geha-srnkhalah
samvrscya tad vah pratiyatu sadhuna
[“I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahma. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.” (Srimad-Bhagavatm, 10.32.22)]
“Have you written Gopi-gita, Venu-gita, Brahmara-gita, and the other gitas?”
Vyasadeva replied, “No, nothing of the sort.”
“Oh, you should concentrate your mind, by bhakti-yoga, and then you will realize all these pastimes.”\
Then, when Narada Rsi left Vyasadeva’s asrama, Vyasadeva concentrated his mind in bhakti-yoga. He entered into trance, and thus he saw that Supreme Parabrahma, Krsna, present before him. Srimati Radhika, Lalita, Visaka, His mother Yasoda, His father Nanda Baba, Subala, Sridhama, and all His associates were also present. Srila Vyasadeva thus saw Krsna’s pastimes, from His birth up to Dvaraka-lila. He saw how the souls who had forgotten Him were covered by maya. He also saw how certain souls in this world, by the help of a bona fide guru, were performing bhajana and going towards Krsna. In his trance, He then wrote Srimad-Bhagavatam for those who do not know about these transcendental topics.
yasyam vai sruyamanayam
krsne parama-puruse
bhaktir utpadyate pumsam
soka-moha-bhayapaha
[“Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.7.7)]
The meaning of the verse is that bhakti enters the heart of those who hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, and such persons will become happy forever. All calamities and sufferings will leave them.
Srila Vyasadeva then wrote Srimad Bhagavatam in his trance of bhakti-yoga. After that, he taught this to his son, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, and from Srila Sukadeva Gosvami it went to the entire world.
Today is the birthday of that very Vyasadeva, and therefore this day is called Guru-puja or Vyasa-puja.