From “On the Holy Name” at Kirtan-mela in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Oct 5, 2019:
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains that if we are humble will seek the help of another. Otherwise, we will not be inclined.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that “trnad api” is the siddha-pranali, the mantra to attain perfection.
Lord Caitanya said to string that verse on the garland of the holy name and wear it around your neck.
Lord Caitanya says that even if a tree is drying up, it does not ask for water.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura says if someone comes to cut the tree down, the tree will still give shade to that person.
“The devotees of the Lord are so forbearing that even though they are defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they are never inclined to avenge themselves.” (SB 1.18.48)
Although because of spiritual understanding the devotees do not take insults very seriously that does not reduce the offense of the person committing the insult.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura compares to initiating people without faith in bhakti to casting pearls before swine or dressing a monkey in fancy clothes.
Hearing the glories of devotional service nourishes our faith in bhakti.
Even hearing of the existence of pure devotion, even though we do not have it, is purifying.
To chant the Lord’s names means to take the Lord’s help, but if we use the Lord for our own ends, we cannot never attain the state of humility.
If we hear what purity is, then we become purified. In fact, it is the best way to become purified.
To chant the Lord’s names for any other reason other than to develop our pure devotion is an offense.
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavaam 10.9.19 in Hartford on October 25, 2019:
Srila Prabhupada makes the point in the purport, “This bhrtya-vasyata does not mean that He [Krishna] is under the control of the servant; rather, He is under the control of the servant’s pure love.”
Yashoda considered because that the milk she was boiling was ultimately for Krishna’s pleasure, it was something important for her to tend to so she stopped breastfeeding Krishna and set him down.
Krishna does not come to this world to collect some offerings or servants but to reciprocate the spontaneous love of His devotees here.
Krishna does not have to wonder what is the motive of the person because he is omniscient.
Because He is does not have to do anything, He does what he wants to do, and what he wants to do is exchange with the devotees who have spontaneous love.
In Vrindavana-campu, it is described that Krishna broke so many pots of butter and yogurt that there were rivers of those substances pouring out of the house.
Kunti was perplexed that Krishna was genuinely afraid of His mother.
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura lists other contradictions within Krishna:
Although personified goodness, He becomes angry.
Although self-satisfied, He becomes hungry.
Although condensed bliss, He experiences sorrow.
Love is so powerful that it makes Krishna forget that He is God.
The acaryas point that usually we wait for the judgment of God but in this pastime Krishna awaits the judgment of Yashoda.
The cowherd women, seeing that all the additional rope Yashoda added was not making the rope long enough to tie up Krishna, advised her to stop.She told them she wanted to see the extent of Her son’s waist, and told the women to bring all the rope they had in their homes.
Krishna’s heart melted when Krishna saw Yashoda’s determination to bind him, a manifestation of her bhakta-nistha.
From “On the Holy Name at Almaty Kirtan” in Kazakhstan on 21 Sep 2019:
Anarthas obstruct us from appreciating Krishna’s presence in His holy name.
Anarthas are things we are attached to but which have no real value.
Hrdayam daurbalyam (weakness of heart)
1. attachment to things that have no connection with Krishna.
2. envy of other living beings
3. pride in material things
4. duplicity and fault-finding
Persons who wonder how they can find time to chant have this weakness of heart. I ask them if they have time to eat. Generally they are very regulated, and they find time to eat very day. Why? Because they realize if they do not eat, there are consequences very soon. They get weak, etc. Similarly we need spiritual nourishment, and if we do not get it, there are consequences. The trouble is that we do not perceive these immediately. Thus maya lures us into thinking things are not so bad.
The more we associate with the holy name, the more we become purified.
The purpose of this life is that at the time of giving up our body we have to remember Krishna.
We may think that “attachment to things that have no connection with Krishna” is not a problem for us because we understand everything has a connection with Krishna, however, if we are seeing something is for our sense gratification, then we are not seeing its connection with Krishna.
If we chant the holy name while maintaining faith in the glories of the holy name we conquer over offenses.
Tattva-vibhrama means to not be aware of the obstacles in devotional service.
The acaryas give us so much knowledge of the anarthas so we can get beyond them and taste the presence of Krishna in his holy name.
Even though I do not experience the presence of Krishna in His holy name I have faith that if I continue chanting and I try to give up the anarthas someday I will experience Krishna’s presence in His name. This much faith we have to have.
If we do not hear we forget. That is the nature of this world. And forgetfulness is the most dangerous place to be in the material world.
Every day chant Hare Krishna, even if you cannot chant 16 rounds.
From a lecture on Govardhan Puja in Hartford:
This is a festival that Krishna Himself started to worship the cows, the brahmanas, and Govardhan Hill.
Krishna Himself gave a description of how it should be performed. He was the inaugurater of that festival and wanted it performed.
Krishna also wanted to promote complete devotion to Himself as the Supreme Lord and not worship of the various demigods.
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said that Krishna spoke to reduce the pride of Indra, to begin a blissful annual festival, and to spend seven days in the association of His intimate friends.
The sweetness is Krishna subordinating Himself to those with spontaneous affection.
In kevala-bhakti, yogamaya acts so those with an intimate relationship with Krishna are not distracted by His opulence and His divinity.
Yashoda actually feels responsible for Krishna’s naughty behavior. If she were always conscious of His opulence and divinity she could not correct Him.
If someone tries to correct Him without unalloyed love, they are not going to be able get away with it.
Not only does reveal His spontaneous love and thus attract people during His manifest pastimes, He leaves descriptions of His pastimes so people in the future will also become attracted.
Krishna has nothing He has to do because everything is done by His energies. Thus what He does is what He likes to do the most, experience these pastimes with His eternal associates.
Krishna is self-sufficient because all the ingredients for creation are within Himself. First Krishna creates time, for without time there cannot be a beginning of anything.
Sukadeva Goswami speaks to Maharaja Pariksit Krishna’s pastimes to bring Him to the point of complete resolute faith and absorption in Krishna.
Some places it is amazing how Govardhan Puja is celebrated. At New Vraja in Hungary they would fill 40% of the temple room with hundreds of preparations as the altar was already full.
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