Blog

sri-bhagavan uvaca
varam vrnidhvam bhadram vo
yuyam me nrpa-nandanah
sauhardenaprthag-dharmas
tusto 'ham sauhrdena vah

TRANSLATION: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear sons of the King, I am very much pleased by the friendly relationships among you. All of you are engaged in one occupation -- devotional service. I am so pleased with your mutual friendship that I wish you all good fortune. Now you may ask a benediction of Me.

PURPORT: Since the sons of King Pracinabarhisat were all united in Krsna consciousness, the Lord was very pleased with them. Each and every one of the sons of King Pracinabarhisat was an individual soul, but they were united in offering transcendental service to the Lord. The unity of the individual souls attempting to satisfy the Supreme Lord or rendering service to the Lord is real unity. In the material world such unity is not possible. Even though people may officially unite, they all have different interests. In the United Nations, for instance, all the nations have their particular national ambitions, and consequently they cannot be united. Disunity between individual souls is so strong within this material world that even in a society of Krsna consciousness, members sometimes appear disunited due to their having different opinions and leaning toward material things. Actually, in Krsna consciousness there cannot be two opinions. There is only one goal: to serve Krsna to one's best ability. If there is some disagreement over service, such disagreement is to be taken as spiritual. Those who are actually engaged in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be disunited in any circumstance. This makes the Supreme Personality of Godhead very happy and willing to award all kinds of benediction to His devotees, as indicated in this verse. We can see that the Lord is immediately prepared to award all benedictions to the sons of King Pracinabarhisat. [End of Srila Prabhupada's purport]

HH Radhanath Swami: I am very grateful to be with all of you today. I am very honoured with this opportunity and will try to serve you as best as I can. Special gratitude to our beloved devotee Nitai's family...brother...One of our very, very dear devotees, dedicated servant to Srila Prabhupada, Nitai Prabhu passed from this world in a very inconceivable way and it is really an honor that the family....nephew have come all the way here to Sri Mayapur to observe the last rights. Thank you very much. Let us all pray for Nitai's beloved soul.

Also a special welcome to Shailesh Vara who is the chief whip of the British Parliament, dear friend, who I think is the first member of the parliament who has come to Mayapur [Haribol] It is very historical. [Applause] You may whip us in any way you like. [Laughter] Lord Nityananda has His whip too.

My gratitude to Gopal Bhatta Prabhu and the Strategic Planning Team who have brought so many hundreds of devotees together to share with the others here in Sri Mayapur Dham. And to Laxmimoni-devi who selected this verse and told me what I should speak on. [Laughter] Mothers are very powerful in this way when the Swamis are not. [Laughter] She told me to speak on the subject of Unity in Diversity Amongs Devotees.

In this verse from the fourth canto, thirtieth chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam entitled the Activities of the Pracetas, we find the Lord offering His immense pleasure to them for their co-operation with one another in rendering devotional service.  The Pracetas are the sons of the great King Pracinabarhisat. In order to prepare them to be leaders he ordered his sons to go out and perform tapasya. For their tapasya they actually went to the bottom of the sea to perform austerities together after receiving the blessings and mantra from Lord Siva. In a similar way Srila Prabhupada who is our father asked us to do tapasya in this ocean of the faults of Kali-yuga.

kaler dosa-nidhe rajann
asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet [SB 12.3.51]

This age of Kali is an ocean of faults but there is one benediction. Through chanting sankirtana we can attain the supreme perfection of liberation. The two primary faults of Kali are her focus in her all pervading, all encompassing powerful way to create quarrel and hypocrisy. So when Prabhupada said this ocean of Kali there is tapasya - is to somehow or the other maintain co-operation.

Srila Prabhupada told us, "You can show your love for me by how you co-operate. Love is not only a sentimental act. We can chant Srila Prabhupada Ki!Jai! We can build magnificent monuments for him. We can call his name a hundred thousand times a day with our word. That is all very nice. It is beautiful. Srila Prabhupada told us that we can actually show our love for him by how we cooperate for the higher purpose of assisting him in his mission of spreading pure bhakti, Krishna consciousness all over the world.

Srila Prabhupada also told on occasions that when his leaders were having conflict it would give him great headaches. Our goal is to please our beloved founder acarya, Srila Prabhupada - not cause him headaches. But this is a great challenge. Srila Prabhupada told us that united we stand in the service of Krishna. Like a bundle of sticks that is bound by a string - no one can break it. But individually it can easily snap. So Maya's work is to somehow or the other impede the progress individually and collectively in our Krishna consciousness.

So the first thing she is going to do is to somehow or the other break that string - break that string that keeps us united. Krishna explains in the Gita

daivi hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya  [Bg 7.14]

Maya is Krishna's energy. We have no power to resist but if we surrender, take shelter then Krishna will protect us, inspire us and empower us. Co-operation is a very, very essential aspect of our surrender because it is a primary order of our beloved guru Srila Prabhupada.

There are so many differences we have. I was given this very beautiful garland. Srila Prabhupada gave an example that was written on that brochure that was given to all of you. We are all like flowers on this garland. There are different colors, there are different shapes, there are different fragrances but the flowers are not fighting one another, "Who is better!" The flowers are not trying to stand in front of each other to get more attention or recognition. One flower is not saying, "I was born in Mayapur!" [Laughter] "And you were born next to the railway tracks in Dehli!" [Laughter] They are all together and what keeps them together is the string. The same string that keeps the sticks bound together. And that string is the higher purpose - the higher purpose of our will to please Krishna - samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]

atah pumbhir dvija-srestha
varnasrama-vibhagasah
svanusthitasya dharmasya
samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]

Whatever our occupation, whatever our asrama, whatever position we may be in, whatever we are firm - our success is to the extent we please Krishna. Krishna is explaining so clearly in this verse and it has been repeated by our acaryas - this united co-operation where we are united on that strength to please guru and Krishna. This is what will please them.

Srila Prabhupada is like the supreme garland maker, mala wala. He has strung us all together and he wants to make a beautiful offering to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Caitanya-caritamrta explains that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu made a garland of ecstatic love, krsna-prema on the string of nama sankirtana and he placed that garland on the entire world. That is our mission, that is our challenge - to work together.

If we examine our own body nature tells us how we are supposed to work together. In Krishna consciousness as far as hierarchy goes there is a need for structure to organise and move forward properly and to make proper spiritual progress. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained in that beautiful prayer - He began Ratha Yatra with this prayer. "I am not a brahman, vaisy, ksatriya, sudra, brahmacari, grhasta, varnaprastha or sannyasi. My only true identity is: gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah [Cc Madhya 13.80] - to be the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant."

As long as we are actually in that mood co-operation is possible. If we are not in that mood co-operation is quite impossible because we don't have the grace of Krishna with us. Each limb of the body has a different shape, many are different colors and all together different functions. The heart cannot do what the lungs do. The lungs cannot do what the kidneys do. The kidneys cannot do what the anus does. It is not that the heart says to the anus, "You are just low class!" The heart can't live without the anus. (Sorry for being so grotesque but sometimes it keeps us awake.[Laughter]) The eyes can't do what the feet do but it is not that, "Feet you are low! I am the eyes!" Every part of the body with all of its differences in every way is working together for the whole body. That is the meaning of sankirtan.

yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah
tatra tisthami narada [Padma Purana]

Krishna says, You will find Me wherever My devotees are gathered together to chant My names." Nothing in Krishna consciousness is superficial. It is with deep substance. Bhakti is a thing not of just the body but when the body is harmonised with the heart and the heart is harmonised with the law of Krishna.

So when we talk about sankirtana which means together - we are together to glorify Krishna by hearing and chanting and doing so many activities. The real sankirtana is when we come together to chant the holy names with our hearts united on the string of that higher purpose to please Srila Prabhupada, to give that grace to each other and together to move forward to the end of the string. And all the differences in our past, our opinions, our temperaments, everything else is a detail in comparison to that. We should not take them so seriously. But the ego influenced by Kali wants us to take these things so seriously.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught these very sacred principles in such incredible ways to His devotees. Here in Mayapur how he brought devotees with such different backgrounds and temperaments to become the best of friends to spread this sankirtan movement. According to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and Sri Caitanya-bhagavat one of the main reasons why Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to this world was because Sri Advaita Acarya was offering prayers and puja for Krishna to appear. Yet simultaneously in a cave Srila Haridasa Thakur was constantly chanting the holy names with the will for Krishna to appear.

Advaita Acarya and Haridas Thakura were the very, very, deepest best of friends at a time when India was so much ruled over by the caste system. Advaita Acarya was the leader, the crest jewel leader of all the most esteemed Brahman community. And Thakur Haridasa was an untouchable who had no caste according to this system. But they were best of friends.

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, Caitanya-caritamrta explains they were together on the banks of the Ganges embracing each other and weeping tears of ecstasy, raising their arms and celebrating by chanting the holy names - Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Pundarik Vidyniddhi was a vet pompous person apparently. He was extremely wealthy. He had a beautiful home. He dressed in elegant silks, jewels and ornaments. He wore costly perfume. He chewed all kinds of expensive spices. He sometimes had people fanning him with camaras. And Gadadhara Pandit was the simplest most austere bramacari. He just wore the most austere clothes, slept in the simplest way. He had total distaste for materialistic life. But yet they were like father and son. They were guru and disciple - best, best dearest friends. Buddhimanta Khan was like the multi millionaire here in Navadvip and Koleveva Sridhar was apparently from poverty yet in Srivas angam they were dancing in ecstasy together - not just physically in sankirtan but their hearts were united.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu travelled through Jarikandha Forest. He wanted to teach us some good lessons there - some lessons of infinite hope for all of us, whoever we are and whatever our differences may be. He was dancing along the pathway. On one side of Him were tigers. On the other side were deer. Tiger and deer are the worst enemies - worse than any of us could be. [Laughter] We don't just have different backgrounds, different ideologies and different personalities and different ways of getting things done. Tigers jump on deer's and eat them and drink their blood. Hare Krishna! Sometime we also have those propensities. [Laughter] This is not just directly. This has been going on for generations.

Sometimes if somebody did something to one of your forefathers two thousand years ago you still hate their descendants for that. That is the way the world works. Tigers have been eating deer since from the beginning of creation. So they hate each other.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu turned toward them and with tearful eyes of compassion told them to chant the holy name. Haribol. And the tigers began to dance and the deer began to dance in the string of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's will, to please Him. Each tiger and deer ran toward each other in the kirtan and embraced. And weeping tears of love for each other - and this gets pretty esoteric - [Laughter] each tiger and deer kissed each other. We are speaking sastra. [Laughter] You don't have to necessarily - you can do it in your heart. [Laughter] They were embracing. They were kissing. They were dancing. They were united despite their historical differences and their temperaments. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wants to give us hope he does it in a very graphic way. We shouldn't see this story as something that is a miracle from five hundred years ago. It is. That is true. But with each miracle inconceivable pastime the Lord performs He is teaching us that we must follow in the footsteps these principles and the same result will be achieved by His mercy.

I remember some years ago in our temple in Mumbai - Radha Gopinath Temple when we first started. In India there is due to a perverted kind of history there is a lot of very strict hierarchy. There was a multi, multi millionaire. He was a devotee. He was dancing in kirtan and his driver - the person who drives his car was also dancing in kirtan. In the middle of the kirtan the millionaire and the driver with tears in their eyes started to embrace and started to dance ecstatically with one another because in the kirtan one is not the employer and the employee. They were brothers. They were godbrothers in Srila Prabhupada's mission. They loved each other as devotees. I remember hundreds of people were watching and everyone was crying and it has been like that ever since between them. They both still have the same position but the love, the respect is based on higher principles.

I would like to tell one very famous and beautiful story of how Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu reveals His empowered nature to devotees who are willing to co-operate despite so many differences. Hrdaya caitanya had a disciple named Dukhi Dasa. He sent him to Vrindavan to get educated by Jiva Goswami. Allong with him Lokanath Goswami, his disciple Narottama Dasa Thakura was studying and Gopal Bhatta Goswami and his disciple Srinivas Acarya. They were from different parts of India. They had different gurus but the thread of that common cause to please Caitanya Mahaprabhu brought them together. Their gurus were so united that they entrusted - they treated other disciples as their own - other great souls disciples. And they trusted each other to work together.

Interestingly Narottama Dasa Thakura who was such a great scholar, an empowered person yet he was cleaning the urine and the stool of his guru Lokannath Goswami. And Syamananda who used to be Dukhi Krishna, even though he was such a powerful scholar and such an empowered devotee, he spent his whole day with a broom in his hand sweeping the little pathways of Vraja-bhumi as a menial servant. Srinivas Acarya would be just helping his Gurudev, Gopal Bhatta by cleaning his utensils so that his guru could do seva for Sri Radha Ramana. The unity of all of them - the gurus, the disciples was one family. Ultimately all the gurus together - Jiva Goswami, Gopal Bhatta Goswami, Lokanath Goswami and Hrdaya Caitanya's blessings sent their disciples, "Go to publish and distribute the books of Rupa and Sanatan." With great efforts they did - major setbacks. The only ...of the Goswamis who had already left the world was stolen and they were responsible.

So you see, just because we co-operate and chant our rounds it doesn't mean things are not going to go wrong. In fact it may mean things will go wrong because if they don't go wrong what is the use? What is the use of being in this material world? The material world is a place where things will go wrong so that our Krishna consciousness develops. It gets some urgency. Eventually Narottama Dasa Thakura went to Khetturi, his home. He had already travelled to Navadvip and to Puri and to so many places. The night he returned he had a dream.

In that dream Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to Narottama Dasa Thakura and told him that in the village of Gopal Pura there is a very wealthy merchant who has silos that are filled with poisonous snakes. I have hidden Myself in the form of a diety in one of those silos. Go and get Me and install Me. And establish a kirtan like no one has ever seen.

So Narottama Dasa Thakura found out about this brahmana named Vipra Dasa who is a very wealthy merchant and he said, "I heard you have silos." He said, "Yes." He said, "I want to go in." Vipra said, "No. No. So many snakes are there. They will kill you within seconds." Narottama Dasa Thakura said, "No, no. I will go in." He said, "I have for years been fighting with these snakes. I have got the best snake charmers and tantrics chanting their mantras and their tantras and their yantras and their pujas and their mudras and all of these other things and the more they tried to get the snakes out by their mysticism the louder the snakes hiss. No you cannot go in."

Narottama Dasa Thakura just smiled. This is how fearless he was. The Lord gave Him an order. And all the people of Gopal Pura were screaming, "No! No. Don't go in." Narottama Dasa Thakura smiled and he went right up to the silo, opened the door and all these snakes started slithering out into the forest. They just walked right by him. There were no more snakes! And he went inside and came out with a deity of Lord Caitanya - Gauranga Mahaprabhu and His consort. They were shinning metal deities, beautifully ornamented with silks and garlands and jewels.

He carried Them and as he was carrying Them and walking hundreds of people started to follow him. They were all chanting the holy names in ecstasy. Narottama Dasa Thakura brought them to his house and placed Them on a shelf - little altar that was made. And for the first time he gazed upon Them. And as he looked upon the Deity of Lord Gauranga tears flooded from his eyes, his hairs stood on end and his limbs trembled in ecstasy and from his heart by Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu's glance sprung a kirtan the world hadn't heard.

He sang with such feelings, such devotion. They began to dance in a way that nobody had ever seen. The demigods were showering flowers. People were mesmerised. In this way Narottama Dasa Thakura's kirtan was established. He was told by the Lord to establish five other deities of Radha Krishna also, which he did. He was wondering about the installation. Not long after this Srinivas Acarya was in a nearby village called Budhari and Narottama Dasa Thakura went to meet him and told him about the deities and they both decided together, "We will install Them on Phalgun Purnima - Gaura Purnima, on Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance day.'

Lord Caitanya had years ago disappeared from this world but most of his associates right then and there just to show what their feelings were for each other. Srinivas Acarya was the leader among them. He personally wrote invitations to everyone they were going to invite. He didn't just hire a press to print all the same. That is impersonal. Each one was so personal, appealing to them to come to bless us for this occasion.

 

They had over twelve devotees who by foot went to each particular person to deliver the letter that was hand written for each person. Each letter was unique and special. One of the letters were being sent to the senior most leader of the whole sampradaya at that time - Jahnavadevi, who was called Isvari - the wife and consort of Sri Nityananda. When she received the letter from the hands of the devotee - each devotee was meant to personify the spirit of the letter when they delivered it and all the beautiful gifts - She decided to go. So many people followed Her.

Meanwhile Srinivas Acarya and Narottama Dasa Thakura - this is a very beautiful point. When Srinivas Acarya and Narottama Dasa Thakura were together for this Srinivas Acarya's dearmost disciple Ramacandra Khan he entrusted for the rest of his life to the care of Narottama Dasa Thakura. That is how they regarded him.

 

After some days together feeling separation from Syamananda and then he appeared. They were making all arrangements for this festival. Then it describes how each of them was so loving, so respectful toward each other like beautiful flowers on a string with the mood to please guru and Krishna. They were making accommodations; they were giving personal emphasis to everyone that came. They all worked together for the common cause. All the disciples of Syamananda, Narottama Dasa Thakura and Srinivas Acarya - one family! When all the devotees came they started the festival.

They began with an abhisek. Then there was bhoga and there was arati and Narottama Dasa Thakura asked all the senior devotees for blessing to begin kirtan. They all showered blessings upon him. Narottama Dasa Thakura with his devotees playing instruments - mrdangas, kartalas, wind instruments and stringed instruments began to sing with such devotion. Everyone was so totally united in worshipping the holy name.

During kirtan Krishna who is non-different from His holy name is the string that is binding us all together. They were chanting so beautifully. Then something happened. Are you ready? [Haribol.] Jahnavadevi stared continuously at Narottama Dasa Thakura. Through her glance she infused inconceivable, incomprehensible spiritual power in Narottama Dasa Thakura. So, on the basis of that mercy that he was receiving through Jahnavadevi that was the power of his kirtan.

Then Acyutananda, the son of Advaita and all the other devotees started to embrace him and Narottama Dasa Thakura was taking the dust of the feet of all the devotees. It is not that he was thinking, "I am empowered. I am the kirtan singer. Listen to my voice." He was going to all the senior devotees all of the devotees and begging for blessings to sing this kirtan. Then what a kirtan!

Then Raghunandana, a personal intimate associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came and he offered garlands, sandalwood to each and every instrument because they are all Lord Caitanya's paraphernalia. He was worshipping each kartala, each mrdanga. Then he was worshipping with garlands and sandalwood every member of the kirtan even though he is senior to all of them. Then he embraced them all and they fell at his feet. What kind of kirtan is this? Narottama Dasa Thakura began and his melodies were so sweet and the emotions were so deep, the tempo was gradually building and building and Narottama Dasa Thakura began to sing about Lord Caitanya's feelings of Sri Radha's love in separation from Krishna.

When he was singinging in that way in this kirtan, tears of ecstasy were flowing from the eyes of Jahnavadevi and all the other devotees were shivering in ecstatic love. The kirtan was so united - it was one heart, one voice. Everyone was singing and they were dancing with their arms raised chanting the holy names: Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. Very similar to this story of the Pracetas when they were performing their yajna united in heart - the Lord appeared. So the yajna for Kali-yuga is sankirtana. They were so united in heart while they were performing sankirtana that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu could not resist.
Suddenly like a stroke of lightening in a cloud Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the middle of the kirtan with His beautiful long hair, arms raised, His molten gold complexion radiating in all directions, tears pouring from His eyes, He was chanting with the devotees and a second later there was Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhara, Srivasa, Advaita Prabhu, Mukunda, Haridasa Thakura, Koleveca Sridhara, Murari Gupta, Swarup Damodara Goswami, Ramananda Raya, Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami - all the associates of Lord Caitanya who passed from this world, from Vrindavan, from Puri, from Navadvip, from all the areas were all there together in ecstasy chanting the holy names with all the simple devotees that had gathered in Kheturigram.

Advaita started dancing with his son Acyutananda, Nityananda Prabhu started dancing with Narottama Dasa Thakura - incredible. Gadadhara Pandita in ecstasy embraced and started dancing with Srinivas Acarya. It is explained in the Bhakti-ratnakara that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's dance showered ecstatic love upon the entire world. Nityananda Prabhu's dance made the world tremble in happiness and Advaita Prabhu was dancing like a made lion in kirtan. It was the ultimate fulfilment of everyone's desires, the highest benediction: param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. The highest benediction in this world is that the Lord appeared in His holy name to bestow all good fortune to everyone.

This body whoever we are - it has a beginning, a middle and an end but the eternal soul if we take shelter of the holy name and the association of devotees the ultimate benediction comes upon us. As this festival of ultimate happiness was taking place suddenly Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Narottama Dasa Thakura and Srinivas Acarya and whispered a secret in their ears which to this day I don't know if anybody knows.

Then They disappeared. Everyone disappeared except the devotees. And just as there was so much happiness when They appeared there was that much unhappiness when They disappeared. There were so many guest that were there that experienced this whole thing because they were associating with devotees and their hearts were flooding with ecstatic love of God.

During this kirtan it is explained blind people opened their eyes to see and after the kirtan they were blind. There was nothing else to see. [Laughter] They were totally happy. Deaf people could hear everything. Lame people were dancing because this is the power of the Lords mercy when He appears in this world. Then He disappeared. People were running, "Where is Advaita? Where is Lord Caitanya?" They were falling on the ground in separation - on a spiritual platform it is the deepest unity because in separation our love for the eternal soul of someone goes so deep in our heart and we identify the body is sacred because it is a temporary medium by which the souls who are Vaisnavas can serve together, relate together. When the body is no more the love of the soul on a spiritual platform is forever.

Jahnavadevi saw the urgency of the situation and she was so intelligent because she called Srinivasa and Narottama Dasa Thakura, Syamananda and said, "Today is Holi! We should do Holi for the deities." So they brought these different color powders and Jahnavadevi and Srinivas Acarya offered them to the deities and then they offered them to the devotees in a very sweet way - in a Vrindavan way not a Kuruksetra way. [Laughter] And they were chanting, the holy festival went on and the kirtan was so sweet they just kept chanting and chanting through the rest of the day, through the entire night - they were chanting and singing and then mangal aratik. No one was tired. Jahnavadevi was enthusing everyone with her glances. The holy name was the unity of their hearts. This is sankirtan.

After mangal arati they all took their baths and started puja and saddhana. Jahnavadevi - what an example she was of a leader! She was the ultimate leader of that time of our sampradaya. She took her bath. She did her sadhana. Then she started to cook with her own hands and some assistance. She cooked a wonderful feast and called all the senior devotees, all the junior devotees, all the middle devotees - everyone guests - she called the all together and Jahnavadevi with her own loving hands personally served prasadam to everyone. Narottama Dasa Thakura and Srinivas Acarya assisted her. And when she served everyone to their full satisfaction - can you imagine the taste of the prasad cooked by Nityananda Prabhu's eternal sakti! Keep imagining! [Laughter] Then Jahnavadevi served all the servers and after serving all the servers then she served Narottama Dasa Thakura, Srinivas Acarya, Syamananda who were the servants of the servants. Then after that she ate a little.

That is how the great installation festival took place. Different gurus, different disciples, different generations, different ages, different backgrounds, different everything - unity in diversity! They were one for the higher purpose. These stories are there to teach us what is possible and ultimately what our responsibilities are.

I remember hear a lecture of Srila Prabhupada. It was in a wedding. I think it was Hayagriva Prabhu and Syama Dasi Mataji and Srila Prabhupada was explaining a story of Mahatma Gandhi. He said that Mahatma Gandhi and his wife had gotten into a serious fight and Mahatma Gandhi got so frustrated he told his wife, "GET OUT! Out from my house." So she left. I thought that was quite interesting because Matma Gandhi is the father of peace to so many people of the world...Nelson Mandela - peace laureates. And they were all following him. Of course Mahatma Gandhi got his concept from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the highest platform of civil disobedience here in Navadvip Dhama.

Prabhupada's telling the story that, sometime later Mahatma Gandhi comes out of the house. His wife was sitting outside. He said, "What are you still doing here?" "She said, "Where am I going to go?" And he smiled and said, "All right. Forget it!" Srila Prabhupada said, "That is the secret." Whatever difference we have - forget it. It is not so important. In marriage it is the sanctity or unity in Krishna's service that has to always be focused on. Everything else is a detail which can be adjusted.

In our relationships with each other especially as leaders. yad yad acarati sresthas, tat tad evetaro janah [Bg 3.21] What leaders do the common men follow. If leaders are united and inspire unity then all the differences become details. But if we don't have that common cause then the details become like mountains.

Srila Prabhupada endured heart attacks, sea sickness, strokes, poverty to begin this movement what to speak of after people like us started to become devotees, what he had to tolerate! He gave his life. He told us that he had shed buckets of blood for every devotee. He said that in the spirit of how important it is to take care of each other and to honor and respect each other. Amanina mana-dena [Cc Adi 17.31] That is what Srila Prabhupada did for us and in his last days he asked us to do something for him - to show our love for him by how we could co-operate. Not only may it be difficulty. It will be difficulty but that is how we can show our love - by taking shelter of the holy names, the Srimad-Bhagavatam and by creating a family based on this higher principle that will attract the whole world. In this spirit here in Sri Mayapur we could do something that will spread throughout the world.

Bhaktivinode predicted that people from Africa and America and Russia, Europe and everywhere as brothers and sisters and will be chanting the holy names of Jaisacinandan: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. That just not just mean different color, different shapes and different backgrounds people are dancing together. It means our hearts are together to show our love for Prabhupada and that will transform the whole world. That is our responsibility to inspire them in that spirit. Thank you very much! [Applause] Srila Prabhupada Ki! Jai! Sri Harinam Sankirtan Ki! Jai!