F rom Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir

Date: February 23, 2017

Speaker: HH Jayapataka Swami

Subject: Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.13

bhogena puṇyaṁ kuśalena pāpaṁ

kalevaraṁ kāla-javena hitvā

kīrtiṁ viśuddhāṁ sura-loka-gītāṁ

vitāya mām eṣyasi mukta-bandhaḥ

TRANSLATION

My dear Prahlāda, while you are in this material world you will exhaust all the reactions of pious activity by feeling happiness, and by acting piously you will neutralize impious activity. Because of the powerful time factor, you will give up your body, but the glories of your activities will be sung in the upper planetary systems, and being fully freed from all bondage, you will return home, back to Godhead.

PURPORT

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says: evaṁ prahlādasyāṁśena sādhana-siddhatvaṁ nitya-siddhatvaṁ ca nāradādivaj jñeyam. There are two classes of devotees—the sādhana–siddha and the nitya–siddha. Prahlāda Mahārāja is a mixed siddha; that is, he is perfect partly because of executing devotional service and partly because of eternal perfection. Thus he is compared to such devotees as Nārada. Formerly, Nārada Muni was the son of a maidservant, and therefore in his next birth he attained perfection (sādhana–siddhi) because of having executed devotional service. Yet he is also a nitya–siddha because he never forgets the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The word kuśalena is very important. One should live in the material world very expertly. The material world is known as the world of duality because one sometimes has to act impiously and sometimes has to act piously. Although one does not want to act impiously, the world is so fashioned that there is always danger (padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām). Thus even when performing devotional service a devotee has to create many enemies. Prahlāda Mahārāja himself had experience of this, for even his father became his enemy. A devotee should expertly manage to think always of the Supreme Lord so that the reactions of suffering cannot touch him. This is the expert management of pāpa–puṇya—pious and impious activities. An exalted devotee like Prahlāda Mahārāja is jīvan–mukta; he is liberated even in this very life in the material body.

Lecture:

So now, Lord Nrsimhadev, He gave His blessings to Prahlad maharaj.  Today is the first day of the kirtan mela. Prahlad maharaj talked to his demon colleagues in his school, to help to chant Hare Krishna mantra. This mantra was used by Prahlad and he chanted it all the time. Nrsimhadev, our Lord is most special. He is most everything. So, he became angry, he was in supreme anger. Even Lord Brahma, Lakshmi, they were not able to approach Him. He was so angry. He was so angry and then he was more angry than anyone has ever seen before. They then sat Prahlad near and said, because of your father, He is angry it’s your fault. Prahlad said, Ok, it’s my fault so he went there. And then Nrsimhadev seeing the boy offering his obeisance, He became naturally very detached.

The parents love to see their children being submissive. Actually, in Bombay I was asked to mediate between the school and temple, many decades ago. The parents said, we are so grateful, you know it’s like, our children back from school they touch our feet. They were so grateful they say you are our parents, you have given us Krishna consciousness. They would like to give anything to keep the school to open. We will do anything it’s the best school in the world, you cannot close it its strange anyway.

So Nrsimhadev is the original father, so he was very grateful. That this little boy is offering Him respect. So first He blessed him. Because this world is a very dangerous place and in the kirtan mela, we were reminded of the first verse of Shikshashtakam, what Caitananya said “cheto-darpana-marjanam” the consciousness, the mirror of the consciousness is clean is cleansed. We have to overcome all those mental states like stress, depression, anxiety, greed, anger all those things used for the wrong purpose they are all wiped clean. “ceto Darpana marjanam”, one becomes peaceful, cleansed. “bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam”, in Southern California we see in TV sometimes that they have these forest fires it will burn the houses, so this material world is compared to forest fire. Because here just like the forest fire, animals are running which way to go, which way to go. Where is freedom, fire here, fire there everywhere, fire, fire. We are in the world of birth and death. Where to go?

Everywhere some anxiety, some crisis. Now you may be in the holy dham, the peaceful place. Recently one disciple devotee in Peru, his son, who is not yet devotee, partially, he has some problem and his whole body became infected. The doctor said it’s not normal, you will die. His son was 7-8 years old and he died of drought. Also, recently this young man devotee he passed away, this is happening in one of our life members, his son was travelling in motor cycle, got into an accident, and died. So, this world is a very dangerous place, place of birth and death.

I was in an ICU in an hospital. They were 3 patients screaming in the ICU, one said Mama Mama Oh mother oh mother I have such pain. One was saying mama mama I have so much pain. One was screaming bahhhh like that. All three died this night. Very dangerous place, this material world. But this chanting of the holy name, “bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam” it can free us from the cycle of birth and death and take one to the spiritual. And free you from forest fire of material illusion.

“shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam”, it gives us the benediction of moonlight. Shreya, Shreya means auspicious transition in the material world, its Shreya and preya. Preya like Prahlad the eg here you do auspicious things therefore you neutralise your inauspicious activity. Preya, is the immediate sense gratification sometimes pious, sometimes impious. We are in such a situation sometimes we have to advise to do Preya, we don’t have to but such is material world.

Shreya means auspicious activity; This chanting is supreme auspicious activity and by doing that all good fortunes occurs. So, “shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam”, simply giving good fortune to everybody. That’s why you can spend many hours in the kirtan mela. It’s good. I was watching from the TV upstairs there is hot line in my room and I see all in the temple, I see the deities. I heard how Bhakti Purushotam swami he spoke about coming of Lord Caitanya then he spoke how the son of Saci came and  sacinandana swami came, to give us kirtan mela and other stuffs.

So vidya-vadhu-jivanam, the life of the spiritual knowledge. We all want to read the books. Srila Prabhupada spent so much time writing. I saw at 12 midnight, he get up and start writing. He would have the dictaphon. When we read the book, we don’t understand it, sometimes people who say I don’t understand. But by the chanting of Hare Krishna, we can understand what the book say. So its very important to chant Hare Krishna. Lord Caitanya came to give us this chanting and he thought how to deliver all the souls. That’s why Srila Prabhupada gave us the song,

parama karuna, pahū dui jana

nitāi gauracandra

saba avatāra-sāra śiromani

kevala ānanda-kanda

What other avatar thinks how to deliver all the souls? I mean they come into universe, they kill the demons but actually, to think how to get every man, woman and child, how to get everybody all people Krishna Conscious. Where is the other incarnation that have so much mercy. Even as 24 years, he was a grahasta he thought logicians, argumentative students mayavadis, all these people are somehow avoiding me, avoiding my mercy so there he took sanyas. And with that he got all the others. In fact, he went to Banaras, there Kasi Misra and Chandrasekar, Chandrasekar was considered like a sudra. They ate Prasad at the house of Kasi Misra but they stayed at the house of Chandrasekar. But they both approached him. But they couldn’t tolerate hearing all the mayavadi sanyasi criticising Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya, on the way back stopped at Banaras. And then he devised a plan, to liberate the sanyasis. So, a brahmana came and invited for prasadam, he said I have invited all the sanyasis of Banaras. I know that you don’t come, you don’t mix with other sanyasi, but I am begging you, just have mercy on me please come. So, Lord Caitanya agreed. He went and he saw all the mayavadi sanyasis were there, he went by the doorway and washed his feet he offered his obeisance and sat down by the dirty foot water in front of all the brahmanas.

Then he started emit effulgence like millions of suns. All the mayavadis were impressed by the effulgence so they stood up. The head was Prakasananda Sarasvathi, he said why are you sitting there in that dirty place? He said, Oh! I am lower class of sanyasi, I am not worthy to sit with all of you. Prakasananda Sarasvati went and took him by his hand, for him in the midst them. I heard you took sanyas from Kesava Bharati he is one of our sanyasis. Your name is Krishna Caitanya. But you don’t associate with us you don’t read the Vedanta sutra and meditate. You chant Hare Krishna, like a sentimentalist and you associate with other sentimentalist, chant the holy name, chant hare Krishna. Why is this you don’t do as a duty as sanyasi?

I could tell you what my guru told me. You see, he told me that I don’t have the intelligence to understand the Vedanta sutra, instead I just chant the holy name. He told me one mantra,

“Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

Since then I have been chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra. I saw that when I’m chanting sometimes would I laugh, sometimes would I will cry. sometimes my hari would stand on end I have all these symptom. I went back to my guru and said what mantra you gave me? It is making me look like a mad man, and he told me this the good sign, this is Krishna Prema, love of Krishna. So he encouraged me to continue to chant. So I will be doing this. Like this Lord Caitanya spoke to the mayavadi sanyasis. He spoke for a long time and afterwards he convinced them to actually chant the Hare Krishna mantra so in  it his way, everybody was swept away by this Hare Krishna  movement. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna hare hare Hare rama Hare rama rama rama hare Hare”.

“anandambhdhi-vardhanam”, I was listening to a lecture by Prabhupada, we go to the ocean and we always find it at the same level.But this is “anandambhdhi-vardhanam”, the ocean of transcendental bliss ever increasing. So night they were signing the adivas kirtan, I don’t know if you could understand the Bengali. The singer was one of the last lines he was singing in this kirtan yajna, he said anande sivanai. Ananda means happiness, pleasure. Shiva means learned. Andand sivanai – no limit to the spiritual happiness spiritual bliss, ananda sivanai sings…Nirananda durijai. Nirananda, no happiness in sadness, unhappiness, dhur is far away. Jai means go, he goes far away.  All unhappiness, all anxieties all sufferings, far away. This is our sankirtan yajna, unlimited happiness, and all the sadness faraway.

What mercy Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave us? Haribol! Haribol! Gauranga! (devotees). This is the ocean of happiness which is ever increasing,

anandambhdhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritasvadanam

sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate shri-krishna-sankirtanam

We are always anxious to taste nectar in every step. With this Hare Krishna mantra, it gives us this nectar at every step for everybody which we are always anxious for. Here Lord Caitanya thought as Krishna, I have tasted this wonderful pastime especially the pastimes in Vrindavan. I like to share these with everybody. So he came again as Lord Caitanya, and he gave us this Hare Krishna mahamantra. Sometimes we are pre-occupied by being in situation, we have temple to build, various activities to do, deity worship, but the basis is very simple, chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra. But we forget that sometimes. That is the actual basis of everything. So there will Supreme success glories of sankritan, “param vijayate shri-krishna-sankirtanam”

So this land of Navadvip, we all walking around after this kirtan mela in our kirtan mela and we are continually chanting Hare Krishna. One of the places we go to is Narasimha pali. In this part of Bhagavatam Lord is very angry. No one could approach Him except Prahlad. Here in Navadvip he became so accessible, all the devas saw this, another name of it is called deva palli. There devotees and devas cook for Narasimha dev. The devas like, Indra, Vayu, all the devas they came down and they served the Lord. He became accessible he became friendly and gave mercy to everybody.

Our Nrasimha dev is very very ugra, very angry looking. Who is molesting my devotee, Prabhlad?, and where is the demon. So here also Lord Caitanya, saw Murari Gupta was chanting the Vishnu sarasaranam, he came to the names of Narasimha dev, Lord Caitanya became in ecstasy.  With the mood of Narsimha Dev, he ran out into the streets, ”Where are the demons?, “Where are the demons?”, everybody started running and then he became conscious externally. He had caused all the people to run and Murari Gupta said you gave them liberation, I am seeing you in that mood they are all liberated.

So we are here in the place of the Lord’s appearance and pastimes. He appeared in Mathura as Krishna, but His pastimes were in Vrindavan . But Navadvip is non-different from Vrindavan. He appeared here and his pastimes are here. Haribol! And you are here you can participate in Lord Caitanya’s pastime by chanting the Harinam. Hare  Krishna!. Haribol!  Any questions or comments?

Devotee: Hare Krishna, thank you very much maharaj would you be kind to say little something about Ishwara Puri, being his disappearance day today?

HH Jayapataka Swami:  Ishwara Puri was one of the favourite disciples of Madhavendra Puri. He came after Madhavendra Puri.  He was when Madhavendra Puri was sick, he would take care of him. So, he got the blessings to be a lover of Krishna. And he had another disciple, who he was angry with. He was feeling separation in the mood of devotees. He was lamenting in separation of Krishna. His disciple Ramachandra Puri came up and said, Oh, why you are crying why you are lamenting you should meditate on the impersonal Brahman. You will be peaceful, om Shanti!!Om shanti!! (devotees laughing). He got angry. H is in ecstasy of love of Krishna and this stupid guy is his disciple. He is telling him that, he has to meditate on the impersonal Brahman. So, he said “Don’t show your face to me especially when I’m leaving your body, if I see your face, I will take birth again”.

So Ishwara Puri, he was a very special disciple. He came once in a while to Navadvip. He came once when Jagannanth Misra was present, He stayed at the house and took Prasadam, then he came back. He was in  disguisd at that time he didn’t tell anybody he was dressed as sanyasi but he went to Advaita Gosai. Advaita Gosai could see his effulgence as a devotee, he said “You seem to be a Vaishnava sanyasi. who are you?”. He told him that he is Sri Madhavendra Puri’s disciple. So, he was the God brother of Advaita Gosai. Advaita Gosai was very happy to see him.

Then he went back to Lord Caitanya, who is at that time, Nimai Pandit. Nimai Pandit invited him to his house for meal. That is the duty of grahastas, be very charitable, at least offer meals to the sanyasis. So then Ishwara Puri said that he was writing a book on Krishna Lila. And he asked Nimai Pandit if he would spot his mistakes. So Nimai Pandit said, Krishna doesn’t care whether one makes a mistake or not. He sees the devotion. Still, I would like to have my book free from errors.

But in Sanskrit, Vishnuve namah, one may say Vaishnave namah. So Vishnuve is proper. Vaishnava is bit unclear, colloquial. But Krishna, He sees the devotee’s mood, when someone finds fault and they fall down. But Ishwara Puri said, Well, I won’t take any offence, please tell me wherever you want. So like this some hours he will come every day and hear Lord Nimai Pandit speak on the grammar of the book so they have these academic talks. When Lord Caitanya went to Gaya to perform the pinda for his father he met Ishwara Puri and he asked for his initiation. At first Ishwara Puri said, Well, you are a great Pandit who am I to initiate you? And he said, Well, if you don’t initiate me, there is no use to my living. So, I may commit suicide then Ishwara Puri gave initiation. So, like that Ishwara Puri was such a great soul that the Supreme Lord took him as his guru although he is the guru of all the gurus, to show us the example for us to have a guru, he took a guru.  So, that means Ishwara Puri was an exemplary guru. So, those are few words on Ishwara Puri.

Thank you very much!