Seminar on Bhagavan ke dham ka dhan Harinam Sankirtan by Lokanath Swami on 06 Oct 2012 at Kaundinpur

(Born in Aravade, a small village Maharashtra, Indian, he went to Mumbai for studying. In the year 1971, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was touring India with his foreign disciples and had organized a pandal program in Mumbai.)

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Expanding the intersection of our Emotional Circle and Krishna's Emotional Circle by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu

(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)

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Lecture on Importance of understanding Other Religons by Radhika Raman Prabhu

(Radhika Ramana Das, also known as Dr. Ravi M. Gupta, is a notable Vaishnava scholar. Presently, he is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and a member of the faculty at Bhaktivedanta College.)

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Lecture on Simple Solution to Complex Life by Kratu Prabhu on 24 Jan 2008 at Dubai

(In 2002, he became an initiating spiritual master in ISKCON and is ever since vigorously traveling and preaching all over the world.)

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Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Class (11.05.32) by Sivarama Swami

(Sivarama Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. In 1956, during the failed Hungarian revolution, he emigrated with his family to Canada.)

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Lecture on Para Dharma contrasted with apara dharmas like Patriotism be good and service to Parents by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu

(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)

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Lecture on Conceiving Inconceivable Krishna's Creation by Radhanath Swami on 08 Mar 2014 at ISKCON Mayapur

(Radhanath Swami has a special interest in the holy places in India and leads thousands of devotees on pilgrimage each year. Radhanath Swami is a trustee of Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium, by providing his spiritual support and encouragement.)

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Lecture on Chaitanya Charitamrita (Antya Lila 14.19) by HG Malati Mataji on 13 Mar 2014 at Bhaktivedanta Manor

In 1990, she established an all female ISKCON temple which later was awarded a large road side bronze plaque by the State of Ohio Historical Society recognizing the center as the first Vaishnava/Hindu temple in the state, mentioning in detail its unique status in training women in Krishna consciousness.

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Lecture on When Johnny Comes Marching Home by Indradyumna Swami at ISKCON Mayapur on 14 Mar 2014
(Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 05, Chapter 13, Text 09)

(Indradyumna Swami is a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a Sannyasi traveling preacher, and a guru or spiritual teacher in the Chaitanya Vaishnava tradition. Each year Indradyumna Swami circles the globe teaching the message of the Bhagavad Gita and introducing people to kirtan chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra.)

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Lecture on Associating with Like Minded Devotees by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 28 July 2013 at Russia

(His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami appeared in this world in 1957 in England. He joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London in 1975 and was initiated in that year with the name Ilapati dasa by ISKCON's founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)

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Read more about Sri Srivasa Pandita on www.harekrishnacalendar.com
Posters of Sri Srivasa Pandita on www.images.iskcondesiretree.info
Audio Lectures on Sri Srivasa Pandita at www.audio.iskcondesiretree.info
Video Lectures on Sri Srivasa Pandita at www.iskcondesiretree.net 
Chaitanya Charitamrita Series by Jagannatheshwari Mataji on YouTube  

a-kalanka gauracandra dila darasana
sa-kalanka candre ara kon prayojana

Translation: When the spotless moon of Caitanya Mahaprabhu became visible, what would be the need for a moon full of black marks on its body?

eta jani' rahu kaila candrera grahana
'krsna' 'krsna' 'hari' name bhase tri-bhuvana

Translation: "Considering this, Rahu, the black planet, covered the full moon, and immediately vibrations of "Krsna! Krsna! Hari!" inundated the three worlds. (Adi-lila 13.91-92)

Purport: According to the Jyotir-veda, a lunar eclipse takes place when the Rahu planet comes in front of the full moon. It is customary in India that all the followers of the Vedic scriptures bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as there is a lunar or solar eclipse. All strict followers of the Vedic religion stand up in the water throughout the whole period of the eclipse and chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. At the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, such a lunar eclipse took place, and naturally all the people standing in the water were chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare."

HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami: We are right on the eve of Gaur Purnima, so we are going to focus on Lord Caitanya. It's a nice description here from the 13th Chapter of the Adi-lila which is discussing the appearance of Lord Caitanya.

First of all it was a full moon and there was an eclipse. So a certain understanding is being given here, what is described elsewhere is that Lord Caitanya is Gauracandra, He is the golden moon. And not just some ordinary gold, like some gold jewelry you may buy in a shop, and not even just molten gold which is when gold is heated and melted then the natural luster of the gold is enhanced quite dramatically and it becomes very effulgent; it's quite amazing to see. Not even like that, but some super transcendental golden color which we have not really had experience of, something just completely stunning, and more than stunning.

That is Lord Caitanya as Gauracandra, the transcendental golden moon. So he appeared on that Purnima evening and last night we were driving back from Ekacakra and coming down the main road. We could see on the left was almost a full moon, not actually full but very close to a full moon and it looked very nice, silvery colored and it has an effulgence on the full moon night. Everything is lit up to some degree. And you can move around and see to some extent at least the situation around you, etc.

So anyway on that Purnima night 528 years ago, tomorrow, the full moon was there at his silvery best, illuminating and looking very nice. But he knew that Gauracandra, the golden moon of Lord Caitanya was just about to descend and so the description is that our regular silver full moon felt embarrassed. So he hid his face as he didn't want to be there in the sky. Lord Caitanya would be there and then he would look really insignificant and just nothing particularly wonderful at all. So that silver full moon thought it best to hide his face. That is a sort of an esoteric understanding of those conditions when the eclipse happened on that Gaur Purnima night 528 years ago.

Lord Caitanya is such an extraordinary personality, what to speak of compared to human beings like ourselves and even exceptional beings. But even compared to other forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya is very exceptional, very amazing and unique. A unique character, personality even amongst the innumerable forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even compared to Krishna actually in certain very important ways. He is just completely outstanding.

You may know that in Caitanya Caritamrta there is a little description of when Lord Krishna returned to Goloka Vrindvana 5000 years ago having completed His pastimes here at that time, speaking Bhagavad Gita etc. etc. So Lord Krishna returned to Goloka Vrindavana and Caitanya-caritamrta describes that there He was remembering what a wonderful time He had here. It was just most glorious and relishable and Krishna was remembering how He was here and all of these most wonderful devotees were serving Him in most wonderful ways, the topmost of all devotees serving Him in just the most amazing ways.

Krishna was remembering this and cherishing the memory - How nice it was when we did this and we did that and certain different devotees were serving Me, I was so happy. I was enjoying so much!

And then Caitanya Caritamrta describes that somehow at some point as the Lord was deep in this ocean of remembrance, an idea struck Him that even though I was enjoying so much when the Gopis were serving Me and the cowherd boys and all the Brajvasis, even though I was enjoying so much, the idea just struck Krishna - it seems to Me, they were enjoying more than Me!

And Krishna went deep into a meditation on this. How they were enjoying more and much more than He was, when they were serving Him, when He was being served by them. And He thought of some particular devotee, this devotee was serving Me, I was so happy. But that devotee was ten times happier than Me. (aside: Sri Sri Radha Madhava Asta sakhi vrinda ki jaya!)

And some other devotee was enjoying a hundred times more than Me. Can you imagine your favorite prasadam whatever it is, and just relishing it, but then you find out that someone was enjoying it a hundred times more than you were. It's quite inconceivable. And then some other devotee was enjoying a thousand times more! Krishna 's head was spinning. And one of the Gopis was enjoying ten thousand times more and another one a hundred thousand times more! It's truly, just truly fantastic and then He thought of Srimati Radharani.

And Caitanya Caritamrta says that Krishna thinking about Radharani and how she was enjoying serving Him in so many ways, Krishna understood She was enjoying ten million times more than Him. Now that's a lot isn't it? (laughter) That's really a lot and Krishna understood that this was actually the situation and then Krishna thought - Wait! I have been missing out! I have really been missing out! I have got to experience this Myself! I've got to become a devotee Myself!

And then He appeared as Lord Caitanya. Of course there are a number of different reasons behind the Lord appearing as Lord Caitanya, of all the different component factors involved, but this is definitely one of them. That Krishna understood that there is more happiness in being a devotee than being the Lord. You may know that also in Caitanya-caritamrta, Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami describes that generally all the other forms of the Lord, other than Krishna are in the mood of being devotees. Lord Balaramai

Jiva Goswami says, if you ask Krishna who is God, Krishna says Me!

If you ask Balarama who is God? Balarama says Krishna! Because Balarama is already and has been for long time, maybe eternally in the mood of being a devotee because he knows this is where the nectar is.

So Krishna He got the idea, it took Him some time, but Krishna understood - I must become a devotee and then I am going to experience the topmost by far.

Then Krishna appeared as Lord Caitanya, as a devotee, in the mood of a devotee. Of course just not any devotee, not just like in a general abstract sense just a devotee. But of a particular devotee, topmost devotee, Srimati Radharani.

sri-krsna-caitanya,radha-krsna nahe anya

Who is Lord Caitanya? He is none other than the combined form of Radha and Krishna. When you read Caitanya-caritamrta you find from time to time, Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami makes the point that the pastimes of Lord Caitanya are the most amazing. They are in a class of their own.

This is Lord Caitanya, in the mood of a devotee, and not just any devotee but specifically Srimati Radharani experiencing the maximum ecstasy, and the maximum of what it means to be a devotee.

There are a number of reasons for Krishna appearing as Lord Caitanya. There are three particular very personal reasons, sometimes called internal reasons why He wanted to appear as a devotee and particularly Radharani. These are also described of course in Caitanya Caritamrta.

One is He wanted to experience the position of Radharani, just what's it like to be Radharani.

He also wanted to experience what it is in Him which stimulates Radharani to appreciate Him and feel for Him the way She does. That's the second reason.

And then He wanted to experience how She feels the ecstasy.

The first reason is more similar in a more general sense, the position of Radharani, who She is and how She thinks. But then the third reason is specifically the bliss She feels when She is engaged in His service.

So these are the three very personal reasons why Krishna wanted to appear as Lord Caitanya.

Although he had other reasons, sometimes called external reasons. The time came to inaugurate the yuga-dharma. So Lord Krishna was going to appear as Lord Caitanya to carry out that function, establish the harinama sankirtana movement, yajnaih sankirtana prayair (SB 11.5.32). So the time had come for that. In other words to help people become devotees, preach and give people the gift of Krishna consciousness.

But then you see if you read the third chapter of the Adi-lila it's discussed in some detail there that Krishna was feeling not just to give people devotional service again in the general sense, that you become a devotee and you serve Krishna in some way or another. But particularly Krishna felt - I want to give everyone the opportunity to get the topmost level of devotional service. I want everyone to get the opportunity to come to the position of the inhabitants of Vrindavana, to actually develop vraja-bhakti and enter Vrindvana.

Otherwise generally the other forms of the Lord, other than Krishna Himself, cannot offer that. They can offer some form of Vaikuntha bhakti which of course is a lot better than whatever you might experience in material life, even the heavenly planets, what to speak of in America or somewhere like that. But still compared to vraja-bhakti the experience of Vaikuntha bhakti cannot compare.

In Brhad Bhagavatamrta, towards the end, Gopa Kumara has gone back to Goloka Vrindavana and realized his eternal relationship with Krishna and entered into it. But somehow or other his position is such that he goes up and down, from Goloka down to planet Earth and up again and down again, this seems to be his program, sometimes.

So he says there when I am going up and down I pass by all the different planets here and there, material world and spiritual world, and Gopa Kumara says I pass by the Vaikuntha planets. And he says when I see the devotees there they seem to me to be very miserable. (laughter) He doesn't say how he sees the regular people in material life to be. But even the Vaikuntha vasis are not doing so well compared to the inhabitants of Goloka where it's just another dimension all together even compared to Vaikuntha.

So Lord Krishna was feeling like that - I want to give even the people of Kali-yuga who are degraded and unfortunate in so many ways, I want to give them the opportunity to achieve vraja-bhakti and actually go back to Goloka Vrindavan and enter into eternal relationships with Myself there.

This is another reason for Lord Krishna appearing as Lord Caitanya and conducting Himself as He did. So Lord Caitanya is Krishna, He is also Radharani, radha-krsna nahe anya, She is personally present there with Him, two in one. But particularly He is Krishna, experiencing the position of Radharani.

Radharani is an extremely interesting personality in so many ways. Lord Caitanya is patita pavana, the deliverer of the most fallen. He is particularly known for His mood of audarya, of great compassion and great mercy and expressing that in His activities. So in this way He is distinct even from Krishna. Not that Krishna is not merciful, Krishna is merciful and He expresses Himself in these terms in Bhagavad-gita:

sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja
(BG 18.66)

Just surrender to Me, and I will deliver you.

But we see Lord Caitanya's mood is not like that. Not that you must just surrender to Me, as we probably by now if you have been a devotee for some time, just surrendering to Krishna is not just so easy (laughs) But Lord Caitanya His mood is patita pavana, He is just drowning people in the love of God. When Lord Krishna came He brought the storehouse of love of God but He kept it locked. And when Lord Caitanya and His Panca tattva associates came, they broke open the lock, opened the door and out came a great flood of love of God and everyone drowned, at least all the nice people.

Those who were already devotees or at least pious, like sort of potential devotee types, they all just drowned on the spot immediately in love of God. But then others didn't or couldn't, the staunch materialists, the mental speculators, mayavadis, and even the lowest of the student community. They couldn't drown, they were floating their heads above that flood of love of God. And they were crying out for help and the Panca Tattva were swimming around and they would see these people calling out, please help me, save me!

The Panca tattva would say - Don't worry here we come! We will help you! We will save you! And that person would think, oh good I am going to be saved! So the Panca tattva would swim over push him under the flood of love of God and he would drown too. And that was Their saving, Their mercy.

In this movement following in the footsteps of the Panca Tattva we are giving drowning lessons, how to drown in the love of God. This is the mood of Lord Caitanya, patita pavana hetu tava avatara, Narottam das Thakura says, this is why You have come, this is why You have descended. Lord Caitanya has that particular mood of mercy distinct from Krishna Himself even and what to speak of other forms of the Lord.

And we should consider Radharani as we mentioned a few minutes ago. She is a very interesting personality, very extraordinary personality. Among many other things She is extremely merciful. Srila Prabhupada in one Radhastami class, you can read it in the Folio, is glorifying Radharani and he says Radharani is such a person that if She sees someone doing a little devotional service, just a little bit, Radharani feels so pleased - Look at this nice person! This person is serving My beloved Lord Krishna! She is so appreciative even of other devotees even if it is not really a devotee so much. Just some person who happens to do some service.

Prabhupada says, so Radharani goes to Krishna and She tells Krishna - Krishna! Down there in somewhere in the material world there is one very nice devotee named, i. Fill in the space, some devotee, named Rajendranandana Prabhu (haribol) and Radharani tells Krishna, he is such a nice devotee, I want You to accept him. And because whatever Radharani says Krishna immediately completely accepts, Krishna says yes yes yes, and He accepts you! And that's it! Your life becomes perfect on the spot!

Prabhupada continues talking there that even you may be fool and rascal number one but somehow you do little service and Radharani notices and She reports you to Krishna and that's it, back to Godhead! This is Radharani. Anyway fool and rascal number one there are many competitors for that position (laughter). So this is Radharani, She is so merciful!

And we read again in the Caitanya-caritamrta how the Gopis are going to meet Krishna and Radharani is of course the topmost, in a class of Her own, but in Her humble mood as an extremely sincere devotee who simply wants that Krishna's pleased, She looks around at the other Gopis, appreciating how nice they are, their different good qualities.

And the other Gopis are also thinking in the same way and they are all thinking, Radharani is the best, She should just go and meet Krishna but Radharani picks some Gopi, and says You! She pushes the Gopi forward, You go and meet Krishna! Because She feels you are the best! And who am I? I am no one in particular!

Radharani is very special transcendental personality and in that combined form of Radha and Krishna, Her personality shows very vividly that mood of compassion, extreme compassion, extreme mercy, even on people who are sort of like ridiculously fallen, the Jagai's and Madhai's and so on.

This is the mood of Lord Caitanya. This is the mood of Lord Nityananda. Yesterday we were in Ekacakra and we were thinking about Lord Nityananda and we sang Nitai Pada Kamala, how you can only approach Lord Caitanya through Lord Nityananda. The idea is that Lord Nityananda is more merciful than Lord Caitanya.

It said that that demon whom Lord Ramacandra would kill, Lord Krishna would spare his life. There is a particular example, I forget who exactly it is. One demon who was killed by Lord Rama, Lord Krishna when He met him, didn't kill him, but spared his life. And then that demon whom Lord Krishna would kill, Lord Caitanya would spare his life. But that demon whom even Lord Caitanya would kill, Lord Nityananda would spare his life-not just spare his life but give him Krishna prema. (haribol)

Like this Lord Nityananda is celebrated. However, as far as I can see at least, it is not quite that simple. For example that song which we sing regularly:

sri krsna caitanya prabhu daya kara more,
toma vina ke dayalu jagat-samsare

Oh my dear Lord Caitanya, please be merciful unto me, other than You who can be merciful, who could be-it's basically a rhetorical question-other than You who could be merciful in this world? Well, nobody of course! Nobody else could even be a little merciful in the real sense of mercy. You know what to speak of the Mother Theresas of this world, the Ambedkars of this world, the Mahatma Gandhis of this world, they can't actually be merciful.

I was reading a couple of days ago one devotee sent me some excerpts from Mahatma Gandhi about what he thinks about Bhagavad Gita. And you know it's interesting to read it. I never realized how completely bewildered Mahatma Gandhi was. (laughter). It's unreal, it's bizarre, at best it's dangerous! (laughs)

There are different people meant to be merciful to certain people but Narottama das Thakur says toma vina ke dayalu, other than You who can be merciful in this world of birth and death? And the example is noone.

Patita pavana hetu, the song goes on, but then he says, then he prays to Lord Nityananda: ha ha prabhu nityanands premananda-sukhi, krpa kara kana koro ami bada dukhi

Now You Lord Nityananda, You also be merciful! And then daya kara sita-pati advaita gosai, Advaita Acarya you also be merciful, then the six Goswamis, Svarupa Damodar Goswami, then Srinivas Acarya, all of you be merciful! But he just said in the beginning that Lord Caitanya, toma vina ke dayalu, other than You who can be merciful? It's not that Narottama das Thakura has become confused and he thinks only Lord Caitanya can be merciful, that's it. But Lord Nityananda can be too and Advaita Acarya and so on.

The fact is that Lord Caitanya He is really the ocean of mercy, the actual and original ocean of mercy and Lord Nityananda, Advaita Acarya and Srila Prabhupada for that matter they are all getting their mercy from that reservoir, supreme reservoir of mercy who is Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Nityananda Prabhu is completely in the mood of a devotee. What is the mood of a devotee? To ascertain what will please my Lord and then do that! So Lord Nityananda, Prabhupada and all these other great transcendental personalities understand who is Lord Caitanya and have a nice understanding of what is the mood of Lord Caitanya, how merciful is Lord Caitanya, then they accept that mood. This is what will please Him to deliver the fallen souls, let's do it!

If Lord Caitanya had somehow not been interested in delivering the fallen souls and had been interested in something else, Lord Nityananda would have done that, isn't it? Beause that's the mood of a devotee. But because Lord Caitanya is that great reservoir, the ultimate reservoir of mercy for the deliverance of the conditioned souls, then naturally Nityananda as His topmost devotee, that's His business, that's His program. Like this Lord Caitanya is such, such a wonderful most wonderful personality.

And we see with Srila Prabhupada, he understood the same point, not just in a sentimental way, emotional way, but he really manifested it in his life. Prabhupada at such a late stage in his life, seventy years old, you know I am not seventy years old yet, but it's difficult enough, frankly, it's really difficult enough (laughter), physically and just dealing with reality, with this body.

But Prabhupada was seventy and he didn't have a nice place to go where there are a whole lot of devotees, and we get together with them, and they will give us nice prasadam, a nice place to stay etc. He just came on his own to a totally foreign alien culture and just full of these crazy people, but he didn't just give up and say look they are all crazy people, just leave them to them to their craziness and just go back and chant Hare Krishna in Vrindavana.

He persevered, despite some real challenges, because he had that mood of Lord Caitanya. As a devotee he understood what will actually please Lord Caitanya. And he did it and therefore we are all here, everyone last one of us.

So we also following in the footsteps of Srila Prabhupada, following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Himself and taking shelter of the dust of their lotus feet, we should also try to spread this movement of Lord Caitanya all over the world. If we really do our best, you know which may not be that good really, because of our conditioning and our body and our psychological conditions and so on, but at least if we do our best then they will be merciful.

Prabhupada said that. Prabhupada said at the end of one class, to go back to Godhead you have to be 100% pure, all the devotees were like - me, 100% pure, don't know about that! And Prabhupada noticed and said, at least 90%. And devotees were still - leaves me out. Prabhupada said at least 80%. Still it was the same. And Prabhupada said just take hold of my dhoti and I will take you back, I have the key to the back door. (haribol)

Prabhupada also said if you try your best to spread this sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya, your best is a very individual thing, what anybody's best may be. You know one person's best may well vary a lot from another person's. But if you actually try your best, Prabhupada said that when the time of death comes even if you cannot remember the Lord because it is just too extreme, beyond whatever we may have experienced so far in this lifetime, so even if the devotee can't remember the Lord, Prabhupada said, Lord Caitanya will force His way into your mind.

Like this if we try our best then one fine day, one fine morning, we will wake up in Goloka Vrindavana. (haribol)

Sri Gaur Purnima Mahotsava ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura premanande haribol!

Hare Krishna! Thank you very much!

ISKCON Nashik welcomes you all to the third Bramhotsav festival of Sri Sri Radha Madangopal ji on 23rd March 2014

Highlights of the program -

• Pushpa Abhishk of the Lord with about 1000kgs of flower petals
• Special Guest for the evening HH Chandramauli Swami
• Kirtan
• Mahaprasad for all

Holi is a day in India when people throw brightly colored water and powder over just about everyone they can! It is often known as the festival of colors. In today's day, this festival has become mundane and people have forgotten the actual spiritual roots of this festival - 

Lord Krishna and the cowherd maidens played by spraying colored water at one other! This is actually an act of devotion and love that devotees express to glorify the Supreme personality of Godhead - Sri Krishna.

Playing Holi in devotional service is far different than playing holi in general society. Devotees play holi to give pleasure to Lord. Its not an act of arrogance, pride or ego. Its an act of love. People who love to celebrate holi should watch this video and learn how holi can be an act of actual LOVE and not an expression of lust!

In this video you will see the nice decoration of the deities in the mood of holi. You will see how the devotees of the Lord engage in these pastimes. No fighting, no revenge - simply love. The center is Lord Sri Krishna!!!

Watch the video - 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMWCB6zyDZ0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKjHRdCtnKk

View Photo Albumn : click here

 Verse 01
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 Verse 07
 Verse 08

HH Prahladananda Swami: I am going to read from Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi Lila, Chapter 1, Text number 4. I am just going to read it, so you don't have to respond, otherwise it will take too long.

anarpita-carim ciriat karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnata ujjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah
sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandana

TRANSLATION: May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Saci-devi be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.

HH Prahaladananda Swami: I am happy to have this opportunity to try to say something about Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. As it says in the Bhagavatam, as the birds fly in the sky according to their ability so I can try to explain about Krishna conscious according to whatever mercy Srila Prabhupada has given to me and in that way I could try to become more, understand Krishna conscious myself.

We have in our societies in terms of our meditation, we have Srila Prabhupada, we have Srila Prabhupada's movement, we have our previous Acaryas, going back to the Six Goswamis, we have the Panca Tattva and then we have Lord Krishna, Srimati Radharani and their associates in Goloka Vrindavan and somehow or another we have to fit this all together so that Srila Prabhupada becomes part of our daily lives. Not only when we have Guru puja, we have kirtan and chant his name.

I remember Srila Prabhupada once said that wherever I am, my spiritual master is also there. And because Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada is one our acaryas, wherever he was, our previous acaryas were also there. And our previous acaryas means, that because they were serving the instructions of the Six Goswamis, therefore within their hearts, the Six Goswamis were also there and all the mercy that the Six Goswamis were offering was also there. If one is a 100% surrendered with enthusiasm, Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita:

tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te

After hearing from these great devotees about one subject matter-how wonderful Krishna is, How He is the source of everything, how everything is flowing from Him. This is the subject matter for the advanced devotees or for the devotees and as they become advancement then they become satisfied as gradually the awareness of Krishna consciousness develops within one's heart as gradually the detachment from the things that our agitating us, gradually we become aware not only that we are eternal, but all the things that we are in anxiety about they gradually disappear. And when they disappear as we become more receptive, as we can hear the Holy Name and the glories of Lord Krishna, not only with a peaceful mind but with a receptive mind that we want to feel like we are bathing in the happiness of Krishna's pastimes when we hear the Holy Name. Then it is not only through sakti that we are making advancement:

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya

We are actually going through the stages of development of faith. We are actually becoming more aware of Krishna, tattvatah, in Truth and that the process of bhakti is having an effect on our heart. Then as we become satisfied, ramanti. The understanding of Krishna's activities and why he has come here become more clear to us, as Srila Prabhupada writes in the Krishna book.

In the beginning Krishna consciousness is attractive because it is nice: nice prasadam, nice devotees, nice Deities, nice lifestyles-but as we make advancement, that devotional service becomes more clear and more and more encouraging. And finally ramante: we can come to the platform where we are actually in transcendental happiness. The same happiness we can experience that Srimati Radharani and Krishna are experiencing, that Their associates are experiencing, that the residents of the spiritual world are experiencing. The same happiness the Panca Tattva are experiencing, the same happiness that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is experiencing, the same happiness that the Six Goswamis are experiencing, the same happiness that our acaryas are experiencing, the same happiness that Srila Prabhupada is still experiencing. And it's because of Their happiness and because of Srila Prabhupada's happiness that we are actually making advancement in Krishna consciousness.

We should not think that Srila Prabhupada has left. He is present here in his murti form. He is present here in his instructions. He is present here in the form of his devotees who are following his instructions. And if we follow those instructions also then that happiness of Srila Prabhupada will be revealed to us through the devotees, through his murti and through following his instructions. And we'll be able to experience that happiness which is the happiness coming in the disciplic succession, the same happiness that our acharyas are experiencing, that the Six Goswamis and the Panca Tattva are experiencing-the happiness of feeling separation from the transcendental pastimes of Srimati Radharani, Krishna and Their associates in the spiritual world. This is what is raising us and advancing us in devotional service and indeed this is what advances our entire society for Krishna consciousness.

It is said that Lord Krishna had three confidential reasons for assuming the form of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One of them is He wanted to feel the happiness of Lord Krishna the same way that Srimati Radharani was feeling that happiness. Lord Krishna is the reservoir of unlimited happiness. When we chant Hare Krishna, Lord Krishna is there with all His happiness. But the question is how much are we feeling Lord Krishna's happiness? That will depend upon how much we are trying to make Krishna happy when we chant Hare Krishna.

If we are like Srimati Radharani when Krishna is there-Her heart is completely a 100% dedicated to Krishna's happiness. She only wants that Krishna is happy. Then she feels Sri Krishna's happiness a 100%. So what is Krishna's happiness? What has Caitanya Mahaprabhu described as Krishna's happiness for us? Of course Srila Prabhupada has made it very practical: serve Krishna's instructions, that will make Krishna happy. It will make Srila Prabhupada happy if we serve those instructions.

So what are those instructions? Those instructions of course in the beginning is to chant Hare Krishna and follow the regulative principles of devotional service. That will make Srila Prabhupada happy, that will make Krishna happy. But is that enough? No. Actually Srila Prabhupada did not stop there. He wanted us to act on the second class platform. He wanted us to become liberated, to act on the liberated platform. So that we ourselves can become liberated. So what is that liberated platform? Try to dedicate everything to Krishna. But practically what does that mean? Dedicate everything to service of the Spiritual Master. But what did Prabhupada want us to do. He wanted us to cooperate with the devotees-in a maitri-at least in friendship. And what is that cooperation? That cooperation is:

krsneti yasya giri tam manasadriyeta
diksasti cet pranatibhis ca bhajantam isam
susrusaya bhajana-vijnam ananyam anya-
nindadi-sunya-hrdam ipsita-sanga-labdhya

There are six loving exchanges. This Hare Krishna movement is an opportunity to explore and experience those six loving exchanges between the devotees. By offering prasad, by learning how to actually accept prasadam, by chanting the Holy Name, learning how to actually receive the Holy Name. By offering the gift of pure love of Krishna to others and being willing to accept the gift of pure loving service to Krishna from others. These are the loving exchanges.

So for those who are not very advanced in Krishna consciousness, we can accept when they chant Hare Krishna, we accept that as an offering to Krishna and we respect them that they are giving us a merciful gift of helping us remember Krishna. But we may not associate with them very intimately because they may not follow very strictly. Those who are fortunate enough to understand the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his gift of pure love for Krishna then we cooperate with them to spread the Krishna conscious movement. And what is that Krishna conscious movement?

yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna' upadesa
amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa.

Whoever we meet we try to remember that I am not meeting a man, I am not meeting a woman, I am not meeting my wife or my husband, I am not meeting my Godbrother or Godsister, I am not meeting an American or an Indian or whatever else, I am meeting an eternal servant of Krishna. And because I am meeting an eternal servant of Krishna, and because I am trying to become a servant of my spiritual master, therefore my duty is to pray to my spiritual master, to pray to Lord Krishna, to please give me the intelligence so that I can serve this servant of Krishna by helping them become a better servant of Krishna. I can help them revive their eternal loving relationship with Krishna. Somehow or another that Krishna will give me the intelligence to do this.

Then everyone we meet becomes an opportunity to serve our spiritual master, to serve the disciplic succession, to serve Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, to give people the gift of their eternal service to Krishna. And if we do that then we have a mission and purpose of life at every moment. How to learn, how to fulfill that mission with not only humility but with greater and greater transcendental discrimination and expertise that these are the things necessary to expand the Krishna conscious movement? Therefore

susrusaya bhajana-vijnam ananyam anya-
nindadi-sunya-hrdam ipsita-sanga-labdhya

We have to take shelter of all the devotees and especially Srila Prabhupada. Why? We take shelter of all the devotees in as much as understood the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu as revealed to us through the unalloyed service instruction and heart coming from Srila Prabhupada, who was actually advanced in undeviated devotional service, who spent every moment of his existence distributing Krishna conscious to others, giving them the gift of Krishna with unparalleled discrimination. So much so he was able to not only by his heart full of love and spiritual potency attract people, but by his expert discrimination and transcendental expertise invite people to take up the process of devotional service and actually make tangible advancement and experience the love for Krishna to some degree and the awakening of transcendental consciousness within their consciousness so that they can understand what the goal of life is and how to achieve it.

Srila Prabhupada had said in his last days that he was visible to us in this planet, when he was asked who would be the next acarya. Because after all that ultimately is the wish of every conditioned soul to become an acarya. Everyone wants everyone to follow them, to surrender to them. That is why we have all come to this material world. We want full surrender from every other soul. And we are disappointed somehow or another we have not been able to achieve it, although the conditioned souls within this universe, they are quite determined to do so-life after life after life. They think they get a hint from that when their wife seemingly surrenders to the husband and the husband surrenders to the wife and the children, but actually they are really surrendering to Krishna to some degree.

But Srila Prabhupada when He was asked who will be the next acarya, He said all my disciples, all my followers, as much as they follow my instruction to that extent they become the next leader. Not that I name anyone as leader. So the next leader will be as much as we have understood and follow Srila Prabhupada's instruction, to that extent every one of us becomes qualified to be the next leader.

Of course Srila Prabhupada has also given us this society with its leadership of the GBCs, initiating spiritual masters, temple presidents, Godbrothers and Godsisters, so this is also following Prabhupada's instructions-to follow that leadership also. So that leadership is meant to give us uninterrupted, unalloyed love for Krishna. To teach us how to come to that mood, whoever we meet, not only the GBC, not only the Temple President, not only our initiating Spiritual Master, not only our instructing Spiritual Master but every single devotee, how to become their servants by deeply understanding and accepting the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, the instructions coming from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, deeply understanding, developing this transcendental discrimination expertise, so that we can enter into other's hearts and give them something about Krishna. Then if we are actually sincere servants of our disciplic succession, if we are actually able to follow our authority structure then we will able to awaken within the hearts of others something about Krishna. Then we will able to feel Krishna's love. Actually if we try to give Krishna's love for others then we'll be able to experience that love for ourselves. We want others to understand how wonderful Krishna is, how wonderful His love is, then He will give us an opportunity to experience it. If we actually serious about experiencing it for ourselves in giving it to others. And to understand what is it like to love Krishna.

That love for Krishna which is most intense in the heart of Srimati Radharani and she is offering that intensity of love for Krishna to everyone through Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. When we feel how much Srimati Radharani is loving Krishna then we can understand our own natural feelings in loving Krishna too. And that is manifested loving Krishna by expanding this Krishna conscious movement. Because this is what Krishna wants.

He wants everyone to go back to the spiritual world so that they can become happy. Because no one can become happy unless they love Krishna. That is what love means. No one can be happy unless they feel Krishna's happiness in reciprocation. No one can be happy unless they experience how wonderful Krishna's qualities are and how wonderful Krishna's qualities are manifested in innumerable living entities, unlimited living entities and especially they are manifested in the sankirtana movement.

So these are said to be the confidential reasons for Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission of coming here. But that mission is to spread these confidential feelings and understandings to everyone on this planet, to everyone in this universe. He did not want to keep them confidential, He wanted them to become a known secret to everyone who is willing to share that secret with others and engage in the sankirtan movement. So it is not that Srila Prabhupada did not give us everything. He gave us everything and more in one sense. He gave us an opportunity to take part in the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and expand the Hare Krishna movement in everyone's heart in this universe. Or at least since we are not going to go to Brahma loka right away, and Indra loka, since the demigods are not coming to this planet yet, still we are meeting so many devotees every day. We don't have to become some powerful incarnation, we don't have to become a temple president or a GBC, we don't have to become anything other than who we are:

gopibhartur pada kamlayor dasadasanu dasa

That's all we have to be: sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir. Remaining in whatever circumstances we are under, in any situation but hear from Srila Prabhupada, hear from Srila Prabhupada's representatives and at the same time try with our body, with our mind and with our words try to serve the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Prabhupada especially wanted us to distribute books. Why? Because in the words of the acaryas, in the words of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the words of Krishna, they are especially imbued and saturated with this karunya, with this mercy of trying to freely give love to Krishna to everyone. These books are saturated in an unlimited way with pure love for Krishna in the mood of compassion. And at the same time anyone who goes out and tries to distribute books, this pure love of Krishna, by contact with this pure love, compassion, they also gradually become purified and some compassion and some love for Krishna will awaken within their hearts also, because it is such a wonderful opportunity to intensify one's desire that whoever we meet, we try to give them Krishna. What a challenge. People who know nothing about Krishna to somehow or the other be able to present them something about Krishna in a way, by the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada and His followers to be able to somehow or another be given the intelligence, the transcendental potency, the discrimination, the expertise to actually awaken within their heart the desire to take one of these books and to accept Krishna to some degree.

So this is really dadami buddhi-yogam tam that Krishna is giving us the intelligence by which we and others can come to Him. And what is everyone else's business? Everyone else in this movement, our business is to reveal what is in these books. This movement is the manifestation of the books of Srila Prabhupada. It is meant to create a cultural revolution so that these transcendental vibrations that are in the books of Srila Prabhupada become manifested in this world. They are not simply words, they are the spiritual world, they are the path to the spiritual world and our basis is to manifest those words within this world so that this world becomes a spiritual world.

[Audience applauses]

So what does that mean? It means whatever talent we have, whatever abilities we have, utilize that in Krishna's service yukta-vair?gyamucyate. If we are dancers then dance for Krishna, if we are singers then sing for Krishna if we are eager for prasadam then take prasadam for Krishna, if we know how to cook then cook for Krishna, if we know how to do art, theater, whatever we have. If we are managers then manage the sankirtan movement for Krishna, if we have money then utilize the money for the sankirtan movement and if we have knowledge then tell people about Krishna.

In this way just like the iron is put into the fire, we'll become hotter and hotter and hotter and then one day we will just become like fire. Now we may be trying to walk and may be just like a child who tries to walk and he falls down so his parents they never criticize the small child, "Why is he falling down? When I was your age it took me three times to walk! You, what family are you from anyhow? That's five times, get with it kid- you are an embarrassment!"

No, the beloved parents they are simply encouraging the child, please walk try one more time. And one day the child will walk-not only walk but dance in the sankirtan movement, dance in pure spiritual bliss.

[Audience applauses]

So acting on the second class platform means this sankirtana movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu as given to us by Srila Prabhupada, this will reveal the innermost heart of Caitanya Mahaprabhu because it will actually be in our heart as we are performing this sankirtana movement with devotion that has been revealed to us by Srila Prabhupada, through this Hare Krishna movement and what will be the result? We will try to capture everyone's talent and abilities, we will see everyone as a precious asset to be utilized in the service of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, to bring everyone back to Radha and Krishna's pastimes in the spiritual world. Then everyone will be appreciated.

One time Ramesvara prabhu wrote to Srila Prabhupada because there was some controversy that Ramesvara Prabhu is saying that the book distribution devotees are in the mood of the gopis trying to bring other people to Krishna's lotus feet and Prabhupada wrote back, he said, yes he's understood. This is the mood of the gopis. We are, actually this movement is the mood of the gopis. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement is imbued with madhurya rasa in the mood of the gopis trying to completely surrendered to do anything and everything to bring all of us back to the lotus feet of Radha and Krishna in the spiritual world.

So every part of this movement, even the varnasrama dharma, the transcendental cultural revolution, it is all part of the same movement to bring people back to the spiritual world, back to the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani, who can bring us to the lotus feet of Krishna. So as this movement becomes more and more imbued with that mission, then we'll invite everyone; why just the members of the Hare Krishna movement, why should only we understand that our movement has convinced people that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that we should bring people to the lotus feet of Krishna? So many other Vaisnava societies have also understood them. So why not engage them also to the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu as revealed to us through the lotus mouth and example of Srila Prabhupada?

Why only the Vaisnavas, why not all the religious movements, convince them that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that everyone should utilize whatever assets they have in this cultural revolution. So this is the mission that Srila Prabhupada has indicated to us, we have to take a step at a time. But it is a big mission. It is a mission to save, Srila Prabhupada said, to save the human civilization. That this movement will actually go down in the history, as a movement that will save this entire material world.

[Audience applauses]

So let us take shelter of Srila Prabhupada, let us take shelter of His instructions, let us take shelter of the acaryas, and actually become Gopibhartur padakamlayor dasadasanudasa. Thank you very much.

[Audience applauses]

Srila Prabhupada ki jai. Any questions?

Question: Thank you for the encouraging class Maharaja. You mentioned that the books are actually alive and the activities themselves are living. So, could you please explain why Caitanya Mahaprabhu chose public chanting and dancing as a method of propagating this movement.

HH Prahladananda Swami: In every Kali-yuga there is chanting and dancing. There is sankirtan in every Kali-yuga. And this is a special Kali-yuga, because this is a Kali-yuga where the chanting and dancing is imbued with feelings of separation from Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan. And is imbued with the feelings of trying to bring everyone back to Vrindavan, not only to Vaikuntha, but to the spiritual world of Goloka Vrindavan, the same feeling of complete surrender to Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan.

So in every Kali-yuga. . . because in Satya-yuga everyone who had any desire for self-realization was meditating on the Radha and Krishna's pastimes, or Krishna's pastimes in the spiritual world. We say Radha and Krishna. We also mean Lakshmi Narayan and Krishna's expansions, Their pastimes. In Treta-yuga, people became a little lusty and a little greedy because from lust comes greed.

I heard somewhere that they began to eat a little too much prasad. Nice prasad. You can imagine what prasad was like in Satya-yuga. So they ate a little too much so they had to make some offering, some sacrifice to get free from these material attachments. And therefore sacrifice was recommended in Treta-yuga. And when their hearts were purified from sacrifice then naturally their minds could meditate upon Krishna's pastimes.

And in Dvapara-yuga people became even more attached and therefore some method of regulating their senses had to be there so their activities could be offered to Krishna, and when their activities were offered to Krishna their consciousness would get purified and then they offered their intelligence to Krishna and then they became qualified to meditate in trance upon Krishna's pastimes.

In this age our minds are everywhere, we have no intelligence, we have no understanding of devotion or attraction to it and so therefore only by the loud chanting of Hare Krishna can we become purified. But in this age not only will the loud chanting of Hare Krishna purify us, but when it is heard by the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu through our disciplic succession, and when it actually is coming from our disciplic succession through the Six Goswamis, through the Panca-tattva, and when Radha and Krishna are actually being manifested through the spiritual world, then it is a portal to send so many souls back to Vaikuntha or especially Goloka Vrindavan and join Radha and Krishna's pastimes there.

Question: You talked about how the mood of separation is happy. You were talking about happiness in Krishna conscious, you mentioned in the mood of separation. So I was wondering if you could speak about how we can understand the mood of separation being happy.

Maharaja: Yes, actually in the pastimes of Lord Krishna, especially as revealed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the pastimes of Krishna are Hladini Shakti. They are full of transcendental pleasure, unlimitedly. And when we feel separation from those pastimes then they are actually revealed more and more therefore we feel more and more pleasure the more we feel separation. Caitanya Mahaprabhu began his pastimes by showing us how to be a good householder, how to be a dutiful brahmana, how to cultivate knowledge.

And at some time He met Madhavendra Puri's representative Isvara Puri and He developed some feeling towards the separation from Krishna and therefore He started the sankirtana movement and had others go with Him. They are all acting on the platform of liberated souls by performing the sankirtana movement. And in that sankirtana movement, Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached how Krishna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead and we should offer everything to Him. At the end of His pastimes He showed us love in separation.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was walking on the beach of Jagannath Puri. And there he saw one hill, the Chataka Parvata and at once He remembered Krishna and His pastimes of Govardhan Hill. He recited the verse, how wonderful Govardhan is, He is greatest of the devotees because He provides the cows with grass and caves for Krishna's pastimes.

He began to run towards this hill at the speed of the mind and His body erupted, He looked like a kadamaba flower. The pores of His body erupted like kadamba flower, because Caitanya Mahaprabhu was yellow therefore pores of His body looked like flowers erupting, kadamaba flowers which were also yellow. And then blood, perspiration were flowing simultaneously and he became stunned in ecstasy and He fell on the shore of Jagannath Ocean and His followers were running after Him, Brahmananda Bharathi, Paramananda Puri, and Bhagavan Acarya who was lame, they all began to run after Him because they are always in anxiety about Caitanya Mahaprabhu's welfare.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu fell on the ground in ecstasy, they came they surrounded him and they were trying to awaken Him. He awakened in half consciousness and He said, "Why have you brought Me back here? I went to Vrindavan and I heard Krishna playing on His flute and then Srimati Radharani and her cowherd girlfriends all came and they were all very wonderfully dressed, beautifully dressed and they were entering into a cave. The gopis invited me to pick flowers for Srimati Radharani and Krishna. So I was in Vrindavan, I was with Radha and Krishna and you made this loud noise and brought me back here."

Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to full external consciousness and Bhagavan Acarya was there and Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Why have you come here?"

Bhagavan Acarya said, "Just to see you dance, my Lord, just to see you dance."

And then all of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's associates went into the Jagannath Ocean to take their bath. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instructions, everything about Caitanya Mahaprabhu is filled with His transcendental separation of love from Radha and Krishna and Their associates in Vrindavan which is the nature of pure transcendental love and bliss. So there can only be happiness in Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement.

Question: You mentioned in your lecture about book distribution specifically. Is there a difference between sankirtana, chanting of the Holy Name, and book distribution, or is there some advantage of one over the other?

HH Prahladananda Swami: Well, they are exactly the same. Prabhupada's books are written kirtanas. They have the name, form, qualities of Krishna right there before us. And they are revealed to us as much as we are actually surrendered to the books. As much as we engage in this sankirtana movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu to that degree the books become real to us to manifest the spiritual world. Then katha ruchi, then we get the taste of the books, then we get the taste of the Holy Names.

The advantage of book distribution is that it's a challenge, the challenge is to become a servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna that whoever we meet we try to tell them about Krishna. So people who have no idea about Krishna, people who have no interest about Krishna, sometimes people who are adverse to Krishna, somehow or another we are praying to Krishna, we are hoping to Krishna, we are praying for the intelligence how to give people Krishna in the form of this transcendental literature.

Therefore, Krishna, when He sees our sincere desire, He reciprocates by giving us more and more transcendental potency, by giving us more and more transcendental intelligence how to accomplish that. But anyone in any service, if that is our mood, if that is our attitude, then Krishna will very happily give us more and more intelligence, more and more transcendental potency to perform those services also.

So therefore Prabhupada said that the best service is book distribution. He also said that the most fortunate people are those who are worshipping Deities, He also said the education of these children is the most important service in our movement. So everything is equally important as much as we take it seriously and apply it within our lives.

So there is one more question, [Maharaja's reads the question] something about Srila Prabhupada said that 50% of His mission is accomplished by establishing ISKCON, the remaining 50% is to re-establish varnasrama dharma and cow protection from farming.

Varnasrama dharma is certainly mentioned through Srila Prabhupada's books. But in order to establish Varnasrama dharma we have to first establish the sankirtana movement. Otherwise, even if we made a king among ourselves, who will the king rule? Even if we had sudras among ourselves what would they do? They'd do the same thing: go on book distribution, become the Temple President whatever else.

So we have to expand the sankirtan movement to a much greater degree so that we actually establish a class of people in this world who actually appreciate the devotees but cannot understand what is the purpose of this sankirtan movement completely. But they are willing to serve the devotees because they have that much appreciation that the devotees at least know how to eat. They know how to farm, they know how to cooperate with each other. They know they have something special, they know how to rule over others, they have this intelligence coming from Krishna. And although they themselves may not understand the value of chanting Hare Krishna and following all the regulative principles, they appreciate the devotee's love to surrender to the Varnasrama system which will be conducted by the devotees.

But first we have to become more powerful devotees, we have to become a more powerful movement, we have to become so powerful and so pure, so conscious that people will actually surrender, accept us in that way. Srila Prabhupada said, first they'll laugh at us, then they'll attack us, then they'll love us. So we may be in different stages in different parts of the world but we have to come to this stage when they'll actually love us and then they'll love to follow our instructions including varnasrama dharma.

Audience: Haribol!

Thank you very much. Srila Prabhupada ki jai. Samaveta bhakta vrinda ki jai. Sri Sri Radha Madhava ki jai. Gauranga!

Audience: Gauranga!

 - Kindly transcribed by Swetha Ganeshan Mataji

Short Answer: It signifies the burning of the impurities of our heart and the subsequent realization of our spiritual glory.

Answer: Let’s first understand the significance of festivals themselves.

In traditional Vedic culture, festivals served a purpose that has been almost forgotten nowadays. They were primarily meant to bring humanity closer to divinity; they served as occasions for people to put aside their worldly preoccupations and focus on the Lord and His glorious deeds, as connected with the specific days of the festivals. Without knowing this spiritual purpose, people nowadays seek only material fun through festivals and miss the internal enrichment.

The festival of Holi, celebrated on the last day of the bright fortnight of the month of Phalgun, offers an excellent opportunity to regain what we have missed for long.

Let’s now come to the bonfire.

The history of the bonfire dates back to millennia, when the demon king Hiranyakashipu ruled and terrorized the universe and considered God, Vishnu, and His devotees to be his arch enemy. When the demon saw that his own son, Prahlada, had become a devotee of Vishnu, he became enraged and decided to kill Prahlada. But Lord Vishnu protected Prahlada during all the assassination attempts. In despair, Hiranyakashipu ordered his sister, Holika, who had been blessed with immunity from fire, to take Prahlada into fire and burn him to death. She complied, but to the dismay of the demon, Prahlada came out of the fire, unscathed, being protected by Lord Vishnu, whereas Holika was reduced to ashes. Why? Because she had been given that blessing by Brahma with the condition that it shouldn’t be used to cause harm to others. This burning of Holika is commemorated by the bonfire and by the name ‘Holi’.

The significance of this historical narrative is immense. Prahlada signifies our godly, serving, selfless nature; Holika, the ungodly, exploitative, selfish tendency that covers our original nature. When gold is placed in fire, the impurities melt away and the purified gold emerges, shining brighter. Similarly, the purifying Holi bonfire signifies the burning away of our superficial, lower tendency and the re-emergence of our essential, higher nature.  When our pure nature re-emerges, we realize our identity as spiritual beings, as souls, who are sac-cid-ananda, eternal, enlightened and ecstatic. Realizing our identity as the beloved children of the infallible Lord, we become free from fear and full of joy.

Prahlada emerged triumphant from the fire by dint of his unflinching devotion to the Lord. Similarly, we will emerge successful through all the fire-like trials and tribulations of life by developing unflinching devotion. Just as Prahlada developed devotion from his devotee-guru Narada Muni, we too can develop devotion by learning chanting of God’s holy names from a contemporary devotee-guru.

With this devotional training, when we light the Holi bonfire, then the sacred fire will illuminate us not just externally, but also internally.

Sunday Feast Lecture on Realisation by HG Sesa Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty on 28 Oct 2012

(Sesa Dasa was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1974 while he was traveling as a member of the initial Bhaktivedanta Book Trust library party. Sesa Dasa has a portfolio of two ministries: Minister of Educational Development and Minister of Justice, under which ISKCON Resolve works.)

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Lecture on Complete Pure and Perfect Love by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 28 July 2013 at Russia

(His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami appeared in this world in 1957 in England. He joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London in 1975 and was initiated in that year with the name Ilapati dasa by ISKCON's founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)

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