Speaker: HH Lokanath Swami
SB: 11.5.32
Date: 16 Feb 2018
Mayapur Dhama
Verse
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
Translation
In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.
Purport:
This same verse is quoted by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Three, verse 52. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has given the following commentary on this verse. “This text is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32). Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this verse in his commentary on the Bhāgavatam known as the Krishna-sandarbha, wherein he says that Lord Krishna also appears with a golden complexion. That golden Lord Krishna is Lord Caitanya, who is worshiped by intelligent men in this age. That is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Garga Muni, who said that although the child Krishna was blackish, He also appears in three other colours — red, white and yellow. He exhibited His white and red complexions in the Satya and Treta ages respectively. He did not exhibit the remaining colour, yellow-gold, until He appeared as Lord Caitanya, who is known as Gaurahari.
“Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that kṛṣṇa-varṇam means Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam and Kṛṣṇa Caitanya are equivalent. The name Kṛṣṇa appears with both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya Kṛṣṇa. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He always engages in describing Kṛṣṇa and thus enjoying transcendental bliss by chanting and remembering His name and form. Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself appears as Lord Caitanya to preach the highest gospel. Varṇayati means ‘utters’ or ‘describes.’ Lord Caitanya always chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and describes it also, and because He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, whoever meets Him will automatically chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and later describe it to others. He injects one with transcendental Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which merges the chanter in transcendental bliss. In all respects, therefore, He appears before everyone as Kṛṣṇa, either by personality or by sound. Simply by seeing Lord Caitanya one at once remembers Lord Kṛṣṇa. One may therefore accept Him as viṣṇu-tattva. In other words, Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself.
“Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam further indicates that Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa. His body is always decorated with ornaments of sandalwood and with sandalwood paste. By His superexcellent beauty He subdues all the people of the age. In other descents the Lord sometimes used weapons to defeat the demoniac, but in this age the Lord subdues them with His all-attractive figure as Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that His beauty is His astra, or weapon, to subdue the demons. Because He is all-attractive, it is to be understood that all the demigods lived with Him as His companions. His acts were uncommon and His associates wonderful. When He propagated the saṅkīrtana movement, He attracted many great scholars and ācāryas, especially in Bengal and Orissa. Lord Caitanya is always accompanied by His best associates like Lord Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa.
“Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī cites a verse from the Vedic literature that says that there is no necessity of performing sacrificial demonstrations or ceremonial functions. He comments that instead of engaging in such external, pompous exhibitions, all people, regardless of caste, color or creed, can assemble together and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa to worship Lord Caitanya. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam indicates that prominence should be given to the name Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya taught Kṛṣṇa consciousness and chanted the name of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, to worship Lord Caitanya, everyone should together chant the mahā-mantra — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. To propagate worship in churches, temples or mosques is not possible because people have lost interest in that. But anywhere and everywhere, people can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thus worshiping Lord Caitanya, they can perform the highest activity and fulfill the highest religious purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord.
“Śrīla Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, a famous disciple of Lord Caitanya, said: ‘The principle of transcendental devotional service having been lost, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya has appeared to deliver again the process of devotion. He is so kind that He is distributing love of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone should be attracted more and more to His lotus feet, as humming bees are attracted to a lotus flower.’”
The incarnation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also described in the Śrī Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma, which appears in Chapter 189 of the Dāna-dharma-parva of Mahābhārata. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has quoted this reference as follows: suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṅgo varāṅgaś candanāṅgadī. “In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold.” He has also quoted, sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ śānto niṣṭhā-śānti-parāyaṇaḥ: “In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyāsa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees.”
Lecture:
Hare Krishna, welcome all the assembled devotees from all over everywhere, to this morning’s recitation which is, we are in Mayapur and we are busy with kirtan mela also haribol! So we have this verse selected from 11th canto chapter 5 text 32 I am confident you all are confident with this. You have to be. If you are Guadia vaishanva you have to be.
Now to understand this statement of Bhagavatam leave us few mentions of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Bhagavatam, this is one of them. How does he look like and etc few things have been introduced in this verse Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jay! Navadvip dham ki jay! harinam Sankirtan ki Jay! Srila Jagannatha das bhabaji Maharaj tirobhav tithi ki Jay!, There is also 3 topics, srila Rasikananda prabhu tirobhav tithi utsav ki Jay! and that’s not the end Srila Tamal Krishna gowsmai tirobhav tithi mahostav ki Jay!
So we have quite a few topics to cover. We have limited time. Ok so please repeat (Reads translation and purport till end of first paragraph)
Gaura Hari! Gauranga! Ok, we will read this much now and see how it works and say few comments. So earlier in the same chapter, first of all this conversation going on between king Nimi and nine Yogendras, nava yogendras and conversation with one after the other one and then other one. King Nimi is now talking to or enquiring from Karabhajana Muni and the enquiry is text 19th of the same chapter, some dozen verses earlier he has asked, King Nimi has asked,
sri-rajovaca
kasmin kale sa bhagavan
kim varnah kidrso nrbhih
namna va kena vidhina
pujyate tad ihocyatam
[(SB 11.5.19]
This was the enquiry he is interested, (turns around and speaks to someone near him) haribol no sleeping, this goes on, must be age of kali right? You could tell from the attitude of the audience their attention levels, Hari Hari. So he is asking “kasmin kale sa bhagavan”, which age the Lord appeared “kim varnah” in what complexion “kidrso nrbhih” how does He look like, additional information. “namna va “– and the names of those Lords appearing in different ages, please tell me. There is more you would like to know. “vidhina
pujyate tad ihocyatam”- please say, ihocyatam. In what way, what process all those different Lords in different incarnations would be worshipped? The mode of worship, this is the enquiry.
Karabhajana has muni replied, how Lord appears. “krtham sathya yug tretha yuga” and then we will just touch up on that and how he appears in “Dvapara yug”, I thought I had it here?
Sorry I stuck this in wrong place. Ok I got it.
dvapare bhagavan syamah
pita-vasa nijayudhah
srivatsadibhir ankais ca
laksanair upalaksitah
[CC:Adi:3.39]
In Dvapara yugLlord will appear as Bhagavan shayamaha, his colour will be “Syam” and shyama is radha , “pita-vasa” and he will wear golden robes, “nijayudhah” - He will be holding srivasta and others, “laksanair upalaksitah” -by these symptoms, He will become known.
So that is distinctly clear. Karabhajana muni is referring to Sri Krishna. So, after Dvapara yug, covered then this verse is talking, “Krishna varnam Tvisha Krishnam” – what would Lord do, that is also enquired. What would He do? What would be His activities, So this Lord appearing in the age of Kali. “kalāv api tathā śṛṇu” , before this vererse Karbhajan muni has said , Now listen I am going to talk about the Lord who appears in the age of kali. Having said that he says this, “Krishna varnam”. The lord will appear and He will do Krishna varna, Krishna is varna is also syllables or also Varna refers to description. He will describe Krishna he will say Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna varna, “Krishna Varnam tvisha kirshnam”.Tvisha means complexion. Tvisha? What kind of tvisha? the complexion not blackish, meaning sounds like whitish right? Not blackish whitish, opposite of black is white. So golden is closer to white right?
So the conclusion He is golden colour. “sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam” – so anga, He will appear as sanga, saupangao sa-astra saparsada. “sa” means along with four items its mentioned, so with goes along with those four items. This with this with this. What would he do? Already it is said “krishna varnam” so yajna, so he will perform yajna, sacrifice, but mentioned which kind of sacrifice? Doesn’t say only Karbhajana Muni did not say he will perform yajna. He didn’t not stop just saying yajna, but he wants to mention which kind of yajnas, what kinds of varieties of yajnas, sacrifices. So he mentioned “Sankirtana prayay” the yajna, the sacrifice known as sankritan, He will perform.
“yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ” - and enquiry also, in what way the people of different ages would worship Lords appearing in different ages. So in the age of kali “yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ “, The Lord is to be worshipped by performance of sankirtan yajna, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”
I think it’s clear, yes? Not much interpretation is required and things are obvious clear something need clarification some interpretation. So, “sumedasah” it’s mentioned, specifically mentioned, the intelligent people will worship the Lord in the age of Kali by the performance of sankirtan yajna. So, I could tell all you assembled here are very intelligent, how do I know? Because you are performing sankirtan yajna. You have come all the way, all the way to perform sankirtan here and of course where you were, there also and on the way also and here also and “kirtanya sada hari” is done by “sumedasah”. So “tvisha Krishnam” is also mentioned.
namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
[Cc. Madhya 19.53]
Rupa Goswami offered this beautiful (turning to deity- Radha Madhava ki jay) prayer at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Prayag when they met there and he composed and he offered. He was offering this prayer again and again, getting up, offering prayers, offering obeisance and trebling and voice getting chocked up as he was reciting this because he was reciting with full realisation, who that person is, who is standing right before him.
So, “Namo maha-vadanyaya”, this little small prayer, it is a quite prayer. It talks about, well when we are interested to know anybody, to know Lord. To know Lord meaning to know his name, know his form or complexion, to know his activities and to know his qualities.
sri-radhika-madhavayor apara-
madhurya-lila-guna-rupa-namnam
prati-kshanaswadana-lolupasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam
Our gurujans, our acharyas are always absorbed in, doing what? Radha madhava’s name, qualities and passtimes like that. So this prayer, “namo maha vadanyaya” talks about four aspects of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu beginning with “namo maha-vadanyaya”. I offer my obeisance unto Maha-vadanyaya, the Lord who is most magnanimous, most generous, charitable, never ever Lord has appeared like this, this much magnanimity has never exhibited. And we know, the reason of Krishna’s now being magnanimous more than Krishna. Krishna Caitanya is more magnanimous than Krishna because he is not just Krishna but he is also Radharani.
“Sri Krishna Caitanya Radha Krishna nahi anya”
That’s the quality of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. “Namo maha-vadanaya Krishna prema pradayate”. I also offer obeisance to the lord what does He do? “Krishna Prema pradayate”, the giver of Krishna prema, I offer my obeisance to Him. This is the lila this is the pastime of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu to propagate, to distribute the love of Godhead, So we covered quality, we covered pastime. And then “Krishna ya namah”, namah is constant, four times we have to say namah namah, namah namah. Lord, I offer my obeisance to the Lord whose qualities like this, I offer my obeisance to the Lord. Whose pastimes are like this. Now coming to the name, “Krishnaya namah”. I offer my obeisance unto Krishna, but to which Krishna? – “krishnaya Krishna Caitanya namne Krishnaya namah” I offer my obeisance to Krishna who’s name is Krishna Caitanya. “Krishnaya Krishna caityanya namne”, whose name is Sri Krishna Caitanya, I offer my obeisance unto that Lord, and so this is what is the name of the lord. Remanning is now complexion of the Lord.
“gaura-tvise namah”, “gaura tvise”. Here tvise is mentioned, tvisha o Krishna. In the prayer offered by Rupa Goswami says, “gaura-tvise namah”. His complexion is gaur, he is gaura varna. Shyamasundar has become Gaura Sundar. Shyamasundar of Dvapar yug is now Gaura Sundar in the age of kali. Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprahu ki Jay.
So that Lord finally appeared. That is what he is talking, Karabhajana muni in the age of kjali what did he do? He performed Sankirtan yajna. We started just few hundred meters down the road. 1000 meters there was srivas angan, the whole inauguration of sankritan movement. “sankrtanai kapitarau”, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda prabhu, prabhus together are the founding fathers of this sankirtan movement and kirtan started just around the corner from here.
Initially the Lord along with his anga and upanga and astra and parsatas was doing kirtan indoor, it was a private affair, not accessible for general public. There is whole screening process, any impurity out, you not allowed and this went on for long, long time all night long ever kirtans roaring and what not. Amazing dancing of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. So Advaita Acharya, he was happy and not happy. Not happy because he was the one who invited Lord please, please, please time has come.
“dharmasya glanir bhavati bharatha”- when there is decline in religious principle, then Lord appears. Advaita Acharya has seen the state of affairs of the country and whole the world and now only Lord could fix the situation, Only Lord could put an order to this disorderly situation.
So with that aim he had invited the Lord to come, the Lord has come, but He was, you know he was just continuing his kirtans, the way he used to, he always does in the spiritual sky. In Golok there is a Vrindavan and Navadvip. So in Navadvip there is a kirtan which is eternally going on. So he comes here with same associates and parsatas and angas and sastras and upangas, he is continuing. So one day Advaita Acharya has to appear a very humble appeal unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord please, make this available to the entire world and then, (Maharaj sings)
udilo aruna puraba-bhage,
dwija-mani gora amani jage,
bhakata-samuha loiya sathe,
gela nagara-braje
'tathai tathai' bajalo khol,
ghana ghana tahe jhajera rol,
preme dhala dhala sonara anga,
carane nupura baje
There are kirtans all over Navadvip, every town and village. But that was not sufficient. Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu takes sanyas all over India spreading the holy name everywhere. But he left some home work for Srila Prabhupada to do. And Srila Prabhupada, you are very intelligent (pointing to devotees), yes you are performing sankirtan, then you must be very intelligent, you spread this Krishna Consciousness in Western world. So Srila Prabhupada goes bringing the holy name everywhere, as a result as we received the holy name then we begin running coming back to home, back to Godhead.
As soon as we receive the holy name, as soon as we receive the holy name, our journey, our travel beings. That is what has happened. The holy name from name to dham, from nam to dham. So we receive the name and we ended up in dham. So that’s what has happened, you are welcome and what you are doing here is what Caitanya Mahaprabhu always does in Navadvip Mayapur. He taught that also to the whole world, the process of Krishna realization or attaining Krishna, attaining ultimately the dham. That process is sankirtana yajna. So we are in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, chanting, doing this kritan mela ki Jay!
Ok. So much to say, I wish I have at least 5 mouths, if not more. But what to do. Time is always limited. So, after Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifest pastimes got over, chapter closed, there was a big flood. Mayapur, Navadvip was flooded, literally, the ocean of water here and everything was standstill. No one was coming going nothing was happening here for several hundred years. Then things gradually changed the flood situation was not there, it was controlled.
Then Jagannath das Bhabaji Maharaj comes to Navadvip. So Bhakti Vinod Thakur was transferred from Jagannath Puri to Krishna Nagar, district magistrate. He gets his association, Bhakti Vinod Thakur is receiving association, instruction and guidance from Jagannath das Bhabji, taking siksha from Jagannath das bhabji Maharaj.
Then Gaura Kishoradas Bhabaji also from Vrindavan he migrates here, to Navadvip. He becomes siksha disciple of Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur. Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur also asked his son, what was his previous name? Bimal Prasad, to accept discipleship of Gaura Kirshoradas Bhabaji Maharaj. So there were times, may be 125, 150 years ago. All these four acharyas, great Acharya of our sampradaya but together physically together at Bhakti Vinod Thakur’s house or where his smadhi is, like six Goswami of Vrindavana will gather together in the courtyard of Radha Damodhar temple, like that
Jagannath das Bhabaji Maharaj, Bhakti Vinod Thakur, Gaura Kishoradas Bhabaji and Bhakti Siddanta Sarasvati was a junior of these four members they will sit together and have association and I’m sure they would also do, “nana sastra vicaranayaka niupunau” – scrutinising, studding sastras, discussion and debates. So, this is how the discovering the pastime places in Navadvip and re-establishing the glory of Navadvip began. With this, four of these beginning with Srila Jagannath das Bhabaji Maharaj. No one knew which pastime, where this and that. Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur was breaking his brains and making references try to find references, researches, wandering everywhere and trying to verify searching everywhere. Even the place of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s birth was not sure because it was few hundred years of flood everywhere you can imagine. So Bhakti Vinod Thakur, searching and finding out and establishing pastime places of Gauranga and other pastimes also from previous ages.
Amongst those birth place, he was working hard. With the help of Jagannath das Bhabaji Maharaj, he was able to and he was very elderly and he had to be carried in the basket and team was going here, there and Jagannath Das Bhabaji Maharaj was like a detector. He would detect, like sometimes there is water detectors, before digging the well, the farmers, you know, some are expert or they know, the farmers get another person from another village, they are water detectors they know. They make them walk all over, “dig here”, you will find water, like that. So detecting Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s birth place, as they arrived they walking and walking to that location, which is now known as yoga pit. Jagannath Das Bhabaji was 130 years old, immediately he became ecstatic and started jumping, Gaura!!, Gaura!!, Gaura!!, Gaura!! (Audience follow). Jayapataka Maharaj will tell you in a more dramatic manner and who had all that transpired.
That is how, it was finally conclude the is yoga pit, this is the birth place of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and credit goes to Jagannath Das Bhabaji Maharaj and hence when we offer our pranam mantra to Jagannath Das Bhabaji Maharaj, we say, what do we say.? Before that, Gaura avir bhav, Gaura Avir Bhav bhume tam or tvam nirdhista sajana priyah. This soul is sarjan and he is also Sarvabhauma, he is very dear and respected by all the vaishnavas and he is responsible or he indicated or he pointed out, to which palce? Gaura avir bhava bhumi. Bhumi means location, place or land. Gaura avir bhav , Gaura Krishna, Sri Krishna Caitanya avir bhav bhumi, nirdhista he pointed out, it’s here!! it’s here!! it’s here!!. So that was contribution of amongst so many innumerable contribution Sri Jagannath Das Bhabaji Maharaji ki jay. His smadhi is in Navadvip town, as you go on Navadvip parikrama one day, you also get to go and take darshan of Jagannath Das Bhabaji Maharaj.
Just quickly this Rasikananda, he was the disciple of Shyamananda from Orissa. He was the grahasta, quite an amazing personality, (light goes off) Hari Hari!, Ok, we are in business, but if you sleep now I won’t know or if you leave, I won’t. (Laughter)
So he was quite a powerful, influential personality, that many of this disciples were animals. He would initiate animals, like Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jarkhand forest, he make the animals to chant and dance. Some of his followers, Rasikananda followers especially one elephant he went wild and you know creating havoc and all the villages were in trouble, they all ran to Rasikananda, please do something, please do something. Then Rasikananda approached this elephant and Hey! Elephant! (and, maharaj waves his hand for calming the elephant.) “Hare Krishna hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”. The elephant calmed down, bowed down, the tears gliding down from the eyes and cheeks and rolling in front of Rasikananda, Hari Hari. What a empowerment!!!, so much empowered he was! Ok,
Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj ki Jay!. So we are celebrating 16th disappearance anniversary of Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj. I was there 16 years ago, on this day any of you or some of you? anyone of you was here 16 years ago (pointing to the audience)? What a loss, I was shocked. Tamal Krishna Maharaj is nice, He is my dear brother. One time in my GBC, I was just a Bhakta in Bombay and Tamal Krishna Maharaj was the GBC. When I was brahmachari, one day, he was very strict and GBC has to make sure all the standards were maintained. One day I was getting late to come to mangal artati, so I hurriedly put my dhoti like a sanyasis do, not like Brahmacharis. I have no time so I thought I did like gopis would just run, all upside down and that was really accepted, my ecstasies.
So as I was, I came to temple and I was about to bow down, Tamal Krishna Maharaj walked close to me, I offered my obeisances and as I looked up he was there. Are you brahmachari ? I said yes! sanyasi dhoti? No. He said go! And I thought after mangala arati and said do it now! now!, and he stood there till I departed . Hari Hari!
Srila Prabhupada gave him, he was only sole the GBC of entire India at that time. I think he was the first one, first GBC of India. Srila Prabhupada gave him sanyas in Jaipur in Radha Govinda temple, that’s the time queen of Jaipur also donated set of Radha Krishna deities and Prabhupada named them Radha Govinda and send them to New York. So Tamal Krishna Maharaj had come back to Bombay and in the meantime something happened with me. I was getting ready for marriage, it was arranged, temple president was involved and my parents were very happy, thinking that I became normal so they also had come and everything was but then, on the day of the ceremony, the girl’s parents came and then they parked the car, some distance away from the temple. They said jewelleries and sarees for you, please come to the car, they brought her to the car, and made her sit down in the car and (actioning they drove the car away), they kidnaped her. I was very much down thinking why bad things are happening to good person like me? (Laughter)
Anyway so my GBC took note that I was undergoing some depression. So I am very thankful to Tamal Krishna Goswamin Maharaj for counselling me and lifting me. He proposed, he said, you marry Krishna and then idea of me taking sanyas, kind of came out that, marrying Krishna, take sanyas came out. Tamal Krishna Mahara ki Jay!
So then after several years in Bombay, he went, goes back to America. A kind of book distribution he managed, Srila Prabhupada’s book distribution, the tidal wave of revolution. He managed to get 6 buses 20 Vans and 150 brahmacharis with him, some sanyasis also. He named that party as “Radha Damodhar party”, distributing hundreds and thousands of, amazing winning those marathons. I think must be around that time, he had an idea of making offering to Srila Prabhuapda for Srila Prabhupada’s pleasure. He was thinking of offering a garland, not of flowers, but garland of jivas, souls. So he with his staunch strong preaching he made 108 devotes and made some kind of mala and offered them to Srila Prabhupada’s feet. Haribol!! it is quite a feat right.
It was, this very first piece of land for ISKCON in Mayapur was acquired by Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj. Prabhupada assigned this task. Srila Prabhuapda was in Calcutta, he sends Tamal Krishna Maharaj to Mayapur and he was very expert and with great determination and what not? By hook or crook he wanted him, he managed to get a piece of land from Muslim, a muslim sold. Prabhupada was in Calcutta waiting, it was late in the night Prabhupada was waiting and waiting. He was very anxious to know that was the outcome, did he manage to purchase the land? Is the deal complete? He wasn’t coming, So Prabhupada was also concerned, why is he not here, something went wrong? So when Tamal Krishna Maharaj had returned, lights were on in Srila Prabhupada quarter, knocking at the door in the middle of the night and as Srila Prabhuapda opened the door, Tamal Krishna Maharaj handed over the paper, here is a land for you Srila Prabhuapda. He handed the paper.
Tamal Krishna Maharaj was very much attached to Srila Prabhupada and has much affection for Prabhupada he always preferred to be around Prabhupada serving in a very special way which he did, in a very special way. Sometimes I think Tamal Krishna Maharaj had some kind of access to Srila Prabhupada’s mind and heart, knowing what is on Srila Prabhupada’s mind and his heart. He then tried to fulfil Prabhupada’s wishes and desires. Final year, he wrote a book or drama about that also, “final year” finally final year? as a name of the book? “Final lesson”, he wrote many books. “Servant of the servant” is a quite a book, biography of Srila Prabhuapda, the history of ISKCON. TKG Diaries world famous, something that TKG knew and no one else knew. There were times just him and Srila Prabhupada a lot of times, so he was making notes, TKG diaries.
He had come to Mayapur in 77 and then from that sometime until 14th Nov 77 in Vrindavan, he never left Srila Prabhupada’s company, he was like a shadow of Srila Prabhuapda going, following everywhere and offering, from here going to Bombay and idea of going to Hrishikesh. Tamal Krishna Maharaj was involved and then back to Vrindavan and Srila Prabhupada said, I may be leaving this world, So Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj managed, and our Bhakti Charu Maharaj was also there in Hrishikesh.
Last year of Prabhupada in the planet, Bhakti Charu Maharaj also spend lot of time with Srila Prabhupada and Tamal Krishna Maharaj. When he was getting little better Srila Prabhupada, idea of travelling to America going to Gita Nagiri came up. Prabhupada was on the way to Gita Nagiri but then he stopped in London and then his health went from back to worse and had to be rushed to Bombay and then on to Vrindavan and all these times Tamal Krishna Maharaj was with Srila Prabhuapda, writing will of Srila Prabhupada, Tamal Krishna Maharaj was instrumental to getting that written. And on and on, the mission of very tough mission, frontier China.
When there was some difficulty in America, I think, interrelationship with different zones and then Tamal Krishna Maharaj had to surrender his zone in America and then he was, “You go to china” and he was surrendered soul, so he did go to China to the tough hard nuts there, he did cracked. We could see a bunch of, I was coming down here, so many Chinese devotees. There are a few hundred Chinese devotees here, right? And of course se there are thousands in China. So this was his work initially, planting seed of Krishna Consciousness in China. China was opened and Krishna Consciousness is making inroads in China, the communist China.
This was Tamal Krishna Maharaj’s very special mission. Then it was 2000? year which ? (maharaj was asking) yes 2002 right? In 2002, Tamal Krishna Maharaj did something special, he had been doing that for years. He had been conducting kirtans in his apartment, he had large apartment in conch building which could accommodated like 100 or 150 devotees and he was inviting them every night and something like what was going on in Srivas angan with selected group of devotees, Caitanya Maharprabhu was chanting and dancing. Tamal Krishna Maharaj was organising those kirtans, night after night after night after night, very amazing kirtans.
I remember him going every day to Ganga also, those days where I stayed, I used to see him going to Jamuna and coming back from Jamuna every day. So the kritan mela that has now been happening in Mayapur and elsewhere also, I think, I make connection this is Tamal Krishna Maharaj started those special kirtans in his quarters and that was happening many years, year after year. After his departure, GBCs has continued those kirtans, reading of Caitanya Caritamrita and kirtans as memory or remembering Tamal Krishna Maharaj and his programs, his activities of kirtan activities and the gradually, gradually kirtan melas started everywhere and Kirtan Mela ki Jay!
Kirtan mela which are now happening in Mayapur also has connection with Tamal Krishna Maharaja, did the kirtans in Mayapur. So all day there are ceremonies celebrating disappearance festival of Tamal Krishna Maharaj beginning at 10’ 0 clock, community hall?, Oh Samadhi his Samadhi? Tamal Krishna Maharaj samadi beginning at 10 o clock, you are all invited, welcome to go there, offer your prayers, obeisance, hear his glories, chant and hear his glories and like that keep remembering this great soul and great brother of mine and many of us.
When Prabhupada departed, I felt certainly a loss, a big loss and one more time I had a similar feeling when Tamal Krishna Maharaj left. I also had the feeling of great loss, Hari! Hari!! I was told that before he left, he had offered his obeisance to Garuda, the morning before he left, he offered obeisance to Garuda. But he was not allowed to go outside Vraja mandal realm before he could cross Vraja mandal border, oh Ok, non-different, Gaura mandal, then he was stopped and he was checked. Now you can’t go out stay here, so we can take that Tamal Krishna Maharaj is here, yes he is here in Navadvip, in Vrindavan, or he is with Srila Prabhupada, he caught up with Srila Prabhupada that day. He is one of the portions of Srila Prabhupada.
Sri Tamal Krishna Maharaj “tirobhav tithi maha uttsav ki, Jai!, Sri Jagannath Das Bhahaji maharaj tirobhav tithi maha uttsav ki Jay, Sri Rasikananda prabhu, “tirobhav tithi maha uttsav ki, Jai”.Srila Prabhupada ki Jay!, Nitai Gaura premandande!!
Comments