Sri Prabandhåvalî -2

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Sri Prabandhåvalî

Sri Sri guru-gaura∫gau jayata˙

SREE PRABANDHAVALE

A Collection of Devotional Essays

Sri Prabandhåvalî

cri cri guru-gaura∫gau jayata˙

CRE PRABANDHAVALE

A Collection of Devotional Essays

As one

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progresses spiritually by remaining in the company of

Vais√avas, he will be able to understand spiritual vernacular.

At the age of seven or eight, Prabhupada began worshipping

a deity of Kurmadeva, and Bhaktivinoda Ehakura gave

him the maha-mantra and other mantras for his puja. At the

age of eighteen, all of the scholars of astronomy in Bengal

gave him the title “Sarasvati”. After that he attended college

but quarrelled with the professors, saying, “Will I learn

from you, or teach you?” When he abandoned his studies,

Bhaktivinoda Ehakura and other family members became

concerned, so they took him to Puri where he began studying

at Satasana Acrama, which is where Svarupa Damodara

and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami had lived. Vais√avas used to

regularly meet there, and now Crila Siddhanti Maharaja has

a ma†ha at that very place. There Prabhupada began giving

readings from Caitanya-caritamRta. Present there were

some babajis who considered themselves rasika, and when

they heard Prabhupada’s explanations, they became inimical

to him. Seeing this, Bhaktivinoda Ehakura took him away

from there and had him begin teaching the son of the king

of Tripura.

Prabhupada had a great library of Vais√ava literature, and

having read through it thoroughly, he began teaching the

son of the king in such a way that the boy accepted a chanting

mala and began wearing tilaka. He became detached

from the world, and gradually, hearing hari-katha became

his sole interest. Seeing this, the queen became very

annoyed and said to the king, “This boy will become useless!

Then, after your demise, what will happen? Who will

make offerings to our departed souls? He will become a

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renunciate, and everything will be ruined! Quickly get rid

of this teacher. Give him four hundred rupees to go – we

don’t need money, we need a son!” That was approximately

one hundred years ago, so you can imagine how much four

hundred rupees was worth then. The queen put so much

pressure on her husband that in the end he approached

Prabhupada and very humbly said, “It is a matter of great

unhappiness that our family members are not in favour of

you; they are afraid that the boy will take up bhakti and

become a renunciate. I consider that it has been our great

good fortune to have met a person like you and had our son

educated by you, but the others don’t understand.” The

king approached Bhaktivinoda Ehakura and offered the

money to him, but without accepting it they left there.

Then Bhaktivinoda Ehakura started a homeopathic shop.

When the shop was unsuccessful, he thought, “I was not

made to run a shop anyway,” and he went and purchased

some land in Mayapura. After locating the birthplace

of Mahaprabhu, he installed deities there of Gaura,

Vis√upriya and Laksmipriya, as well as small Radha-KRs√a

murtis. After Bhaktivinoda Ehakura’s disappearance,

Prabhupada was determined to follow the Navadvipadhama

parikrama that his father had written, and to attract

people he invited great kirtana performers to attend. He

set up a large tent, thousands of people came for the

parikrama, and there the katha of cuddha-bhagavad-bhakti

commenced.

Gradually, qualified youths of only sixteen, seventeen and

eighteen years, whose hearts were soft and pure, came forward,

and Prabhupada made them into brahmacaris and

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sannyasis. With great ease he was able to train them, but

those who were over fifty years old, like parrots could not

be taught anything new. Then devotees like our Guru

Maharaja, Bon Maharaja, Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Maharaja,

Bhakti Vilasa Tirtha Maharaja, Ara√ya Maharaja and

Narahari Prabhu came. In the beginning there in Mayapura,

Narahari Prabhu would offer arati while Prabhupada played

the hand-held gong, and gradually the preaching started.

The convention of trida√∂i-sannyasa was established, and

the result is that today the name and conception of Caitanya

Mahaprabhu are being vigorously preached. Within eleven

years, from 1926–37, preaching was spread everywhere, but

before that, so much time was spent in merely setting the

foundation. Prabhupada published many magazines – daily,

weekly, monthly – in the Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi, Orissan,

English and Assamese languages, and very easily we have all

inherited the fruit of his endeavour. He established the

Gau∂iya line very strictly with great endeavour, and there

were so many difficulties in his preaching campaign that we

cannot even imagine them. There was so much opposition

to Prabhupada’s preaching at that time that his disciples

were not even allowed to enter the mandiras in VRndavana

or Navadvipa.

Prabhupada began culturing the creeper of devotion by

cutting off all of the unnecessary branches and subbranches.

How? First of all he revised the guru-parampara.

He said that we are of Mahaprabhu’s line, and he removed

the names of those who were not fully perfected. After

establishing the names of Brahma, Narada and Vyasa, he

went straight to Madhva. Prabhupada accepted the names

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of those from whom the people of this world would get the

most benefit, and mostly they were brahmacaris. For the

most part he didn’t accept the names of those who had been

gRhasthas for a long time. After Madhva, he recognised

some special personalities, and then he went to the name of

Madhavendra Puri. Everyone accepts him, and then from

him there is Ecvara Puri, Svarupa Damodara, the Six

Gosvamis, and then KRs√adasa Kaviraja Gosvami. At this

point some had divided into the lines of Nityananda

Prabhu, Advaita Acarya, Gadadhara Pa√∂ita, Vakrecvara

Pa√∂ita, Lokanatha Gosvami and others, but Prabhupada

said, “We accept in our line those who are fully perfected

souls, who know the correct siddhanta and who are rasika,

wherever they are.” In this way all of the various lines were

represented in our parampara in one place or another.

There are so many lines of disciplic succession, but

Prabhupada said that we will recognise the guru-parampara,

not the disciplic succession. The guru-parampara is composed

solely of those who were bhagavata-gurus, even if

they made no disciples and there is therefore no direct

disciplic line coming from them. Some of them may not

have initiated any disciples at all, but still they are jagadgurus.

In this way, with all-pervading vision he collected all

the mahajanas and made what is known as the bhagavataparampara

or guru-parampara.

After the departure of Vicvanatha Cakravarti Ehakura, so

many familial disciplic lines arose, but Prabhupada ignored

them and gave recognition to Baladeva Vidyabhusa√a, and

then Jagannatha dasa Babaji. He accepted only those in

whom he detected the real spiritual siddhanta. Simply

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receiving the mantra in one’s ear and wearing a dhoti or

other cloth given by the guru does not qualify one as the

guru’s successor. Bhaktivinoda Ehakura did not receive any

mantra from Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, so how was

he his disciple? He was a disciple of his conception: his

feelings towards KRs√a, his conception of rasa and his

conception of tattva. This is a disciple. Most people can’t

understand this, but being able to see with such insight,

Prabhupada declared this to be our line. Gaura-kicora dasa

Babaji Maharaja was also not an initiated disciple of

Bhaktivinoda Ehakura, but he embraced all of Bhaktivinoda

Ehakura’s sentiments and conceptions, and due to this his

name appears next in the succession. At this point, all of the

babajis said, “Whose disciple is Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati?

Who gave him sannyasa? Why doesn’t he wear the same

cloth as Sanatana Gosvami did? In our sampradaya, after

Nityananda Prabhu and Svarupa Damodara, everyone wore

white cloth, but we see that he wears saffron cloth and has

accepted a da√∂a. How can he do this?” But what relation

does wearing either orange or white cloth have with bhakti?

Is there any relation?

kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, cudra kene naya

yei kRs√a-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya

Cri Caitanya-caritamRta (Madhya-lila 8.128)

Whether one is a brahma√a, a sannyasi or a sudra, if he

knows kRs√a-tattva, then he is a guru, so what to speak of

being a Vais√ava? Prabhupada was thinking, “We are not

qualified to accept the dress that was worn by such great

personalities as Rupa, Sanatana, Jiva and KRs√adasa

Kaviraja. We will remain in the ordinary dress of sannyasis

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and will not accept the dress of paramahaμsa-babajis.

Remaining within the var√acrama system as brahmacaris

and sannyasis, we will keep the ideal of that paramahaμsa

dress above our heads. Otherwise, if we accept that dress

and commit sinful activities, it will be aparadha at the feet

of Rupa and Sanatana.” Some babajis criticised him for

training brahmacaris and giving them the sacred thread, but

our Guru Maharaja said that those babajis were all fools,

like animals. They wore paramahaμsa dress and gave the

elevated gopi-mantra to anyone and everyone who came,

yet Prabhupada was only training brahmacaris and giving

them instructions on how to control the senses – so which is

correct? First Prabhupada wanted us to understand what is

siddhanta, i.e. jiva-tattva, maya-tattva and bhagavat-tattva,

and how to avoid maya in the forms of kanaka (wealth),

kamini (women) and pratis†ha (prestige) – these are the

beginning instructions. Gopi-bhava is very elevated; first

we must understand that “I am kRs√a-dasa” and begin

taking harinama. But these babajis immediately give their

conception of gopi-bhava to whoever approaches them;

then they all chant “I am a gopi, I am a gopi ” and in this

way create a disturbance in society.

Every morning in our ma†__________ha we sing the song in which

Prabhupada established the bhagavata-parampara: kRs√a

haite catur-mukha... In his composing of this song, he

accepted all of the great, perfected personalities from

different lines and declared, “This is the line of Gaura.” If

Prabhupada had not come, then today would the name of

Mahaprabhu and talks from Bhagavad-gita and Crimad

Bhagavatam be found anywhere? Here in Mathura, in Vraja

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and everywhere else, gaura-kirtana and hari-katha are still

going on and have not vanished. Therefore the world will

forever remain indebted to Prabhupada for his preaching.

He never approached wealthy people, but he would take

one paisa from each person he met. And our Guru Maharaja

did the same. Although he was from a wealthy family, he

would take a wooden box with a slot in it into the market

and also onto the trains, trams and buses. He would speak

with people from all classes, and in this way the preaching

spread in all directions. We should also engage in such a

pure form of preaching, and not just remain idle after hearing

this. As if giving an injection, you should all encourage

others to start taking harinama and hearing this conception,

whether you are a man or lady, married or unmarried. And

don’t think that because one is not educated he cannot do

it. Did Haridasa Ehakura have any college degree? Did

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and others? But their activities

were first class, and their conceptions were extremely high.

We are regularly hearing tattva from scriptures such as

Crimad-Bhagavatam and BRhad-bhagavatamRta, but how

will others also get the opportunity to hear it? After hearing

it we should take it to many other people, and this is the

duty of each and every one of us. With great love we should

take harinama and encourage others to chant it. We should

hear siddhanta ourselves and then help others to understand

it; that will give Prabhupada great pleasure. To the

very end of his life Prabhupada said, “We are mere labourers;

we are the peons of bhagavat-katha.” He never made

himself a permanent living situation in an opulent temple,

but always kept moving. These days we do things a little

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differently, but we should always try to follow not only

Prabhupada’s philosophical conception but the ideal he

showed through his own behaviour as well.

These ideas serve as the very foundation of bhakti, and

if this foundation is not established, then we will fall

from hearing the higher levels of katha. For instance,

Bhaktivinoda Ehakura has written a song entitled Vibhavari

Cesa, which includes lines such as:

yamuna-jivana, keli-paraya√a,

manasa-candra-cakora

nama-sudha-rasa, gao kRs√a-yaca,

rakho vacana mana mora

Cri KRs√a is the life of the Yamuna, He is always engaged in

amorous pastimes and He is the moon of the gopis’ hearts.

Sing the glories of He whose name is pure rasa – O mind,

always remember these words.

In our ma†ha we sing this every day, and there is certainly

some benefit in it, but do we understand the complete

bhava contained within it? Nothing remains outside these

lines – not the rasa-lila, not the Bhramara-gita, not the

Ve√u-gita, nothing. Everything is there, and all of the previous

lines of this song are similarly saturated with both rasa

and tattva. Phula-cara-yojaka kama – what is the meaning?

The complete kama-gayatri has come here. Cara means an

arrow, an arrow of kama (desire) which KRs√a places on His

bow. How many of these arrows does KRs√a have? Five: His

sidelong glances and His eyebrows, cheeks, nose and smile.

So tell me, is there anything remaining outside these lines?

Helping the people of the world to understand these

topics is the real task of the guru-parampara – those who

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are conversant with rasa, the diksa- and ciksa-gurus. If we

examine one line of this song after another, then for so

many days so many lectures could be given, and our hearts

would become full of rasa and divine bliss upon hearing

their full meaning. So much bhava has been put into each

word by Bhaktivinoda Ehakura, and it is the same with the

compositions of Narottama Ehakura and Vicvanatha

Cakravarti Ehakura. To understand what our acaryas have

given, great intelligence and bhava are required. And if we

have such a bhava in our hearts by which we can understand

the poetry and the special characteristics of acaryas like

Prabhupada, then wherever we may go, it will always

remain with us.

In explaining the line paraμ vijayate cri-kRs√a-sa∫kirtanam

from the first verse of Mahaprabhu’s Ciksas†aka, Prabhupada

wrote that this is the Gau∂iya Ma†ha’s mode of worship.

There are three stages: the beginning stage of sadhana, the

intermediate stage of bhava, and the final attainment produced

by that bhava, which is called prema. Sadhana is that

practice by which cuddha-sattva-bhava arises, and if it does

not arise, what one is practising cannot be called sadhana.

We can all examine ourselves and see if we are practising

the sadhana that makes bhava arise or not. Are the symptoms

there, or not? We may not even have the proper aim in our

sadhana. If someone is striking a match, what is his aim? To

obtain a flame; and if after striking one match a flame is not

obtained, then he will take another match and try again.

Our endeavour to reach the sadhya (final attainment)

through the practice of sadhana is like that. Ksud-anuvRtti

(spiritual “hunger”), tus†i (satisfaction) and pus†i (strength)

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– these three things should appear, and if they don’t, then

we are not really practising sadhana and cannot be called

real sadhakas. Whatever we do should be done with this

vision: “By performing this activity, bhava for KRs√a will

arise.” Is the match producing a flame or not? If we see that

our sadhana is producing attachment for material results

such as pratis†ha, then we are moving in the wrong direction.

Therefore we should understand this point well: the

sole aim of kirtana is to make bhava arise.

Ceto-darpa√a-marjanam: in our practice of namasa∫

kirtana, have our minds become purified or not? Are our

minds going towards wealth, material enjoyment and prestige?

Do we consider material enjoyment to be poisonous

or favourable to us? Material enjoyment is poison. Haridasa

Ehakura was taking harinama in a solitary place when a very

beautiful woman approached him and said, “Prabhu, you

will no longer have to cook for yourself. You won’t have to

fetch water, and I will also serve your tulasi plant. You can

just chant harinama all day and I will perform all of your

tasks. And if you become fatigued, I will massage your feet.”

But did Haridasa Ehakura accept her?

All types of material enjoyment should be understood to

be poison, whether one is a man or a woman. If we consider

things like luxurious food and accommodation to be

favourable to us, then the mirror of the mind will not be

cleansed and the reflection of one’s own spiritual form will

not be visible. The mirror should be made pure; there

should be no dust or anything on it. We should be able to

see what is our illusory body, what is our spiritual body and

what all of our faults are; but it is our great misfortune that

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instead we only see others’ faults. The first type of contamination

affecting our minds is thinking that we are the

material body. We are eternal servants of KRs√a, but the

most prevalent dust on the mirror of the mind is thinking

that we are the material body. Endeavouring for the happiness

of the body is dust on the mirror, or contamination on

our minds.

There are so many anarthas: svarupa-bhrama (bewilderment

concerning one’s actual form and nature), asat-tRs√a

(desire for temporary things), hRdaya-daurbalya (weakness

of heart) and aparadha (offences). Besides these, described

in Vicvanatha Cakravarti Ehakura’s Madhurya-kadambini,

are utsahamayi (false confidence), ghanatarala (sporadic

endeavour), vyu∂ha-vikalpa (indecision), visaya-sa∫gara

(combat with the senses), niyamaksama (inability to uphold

vows) and tara∫ga-ra∫gi√i (delighting in the material facilities

produced by devotion).

Then there are four types of aparadha: duskRtottha (arising

from previous sins), sukRtottha (arising from previous

piety), aparadhottha (arising from offences in chanting) and

bhaktyuttha (arising from imperfect service). When all of

these are eradicated, then our real selves, the atma, will

reflect in the mirror of the mind; but for now our vision

is distorted. We consider the pain and happiness of the

material body to be our own, and our worldly relations and

worldly loss and gain to be related to our very selves.

Bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapa√aμ: this is the forest fire of

material existence in which we are time and again taking

birth.

When the mirror of the mind is purified, then this great

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fire will be extinguished and we will progress along the path

of sadhana for uttama-bhakti, that devotion which is free

from any tendencies towards karma or jnana. That devotion

will be kleca-ghni, that which burns away so many types of

difficulties. It will not happen all at once, but gradually.

First there is craddha, then nis†ha, and then we will move

towards ruci and asakti when our anarthas will have been

mostly eradicated. However, those anarthas may still exist

in root form. One may shave his head, but has even one hair

completely disappeared? Its roots are still there, and hair

will again appear after a couple of days. In the same way,

when we have reached the stage of asakti, only the roots of

anarthas will remain; externally they will not be visible. If a

favourable environment is given to them – that is, if we

keep bad company or offend a Vais√ava – then they will

reappear. But upon reaching the stage of bhava, they will be

finished forever.

Then there is cubhada, which is of many varieties. In the

worldly sense, cubha means having wealth, good progeny,

position, fame and knowledge, and keeping the body healthy

so that the effects of old age will not come prematurely. But

what is real cubha? Having ruci for the name and lila-katha

of Bhagavan and for the limbs of bhagavad-bhajanasadhana.

Having eagerness for these things is cubha, and

that cubha is the lotus flower described by the words

creya˙-kairava-candrika-vitara√am. If the rays of the moon

fall upon it, it will bloom purely and without blemishes.

How will such pure bhakti arise in the heart? The cakti of

harinama is like the rays of the moon which make the lotus

of the heart gradually bloom, taking it through the stages of

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nis†ha, ruci, asakti and bhava. When it fully blossoms, that

is the stage of prema. But for the cakti of harinama to act in

this way, our interest must be drawn away from material

life. In the same way as two swords will not remain together

in one scabbard, maya and bhakti will not remain together

in one’s heart.

Vidya-vadhu-jivanam: nama-sa∫kirtana is the very life of

vidya-vadhu. Vidya is that by which we can know jivatattva,

maya-tattva, and ultimately KRs√a; it does not mean

knowledge of mundane science or how to make money.

Real vidya is bhakti and ultimately assumes the form of the

vadhu, or consort, of KRs√a. First there is sadhana-bhakti,

then bhava-bhakti, and finally prema-bhakti. After entering

prema-bhakti, one’s devotion develops through the stages

of sneha, mana, pra√aya, raga, anuraga, bhava and finally

mahabhava. The embodiment of mahabhava is Crimati

Radhika, who is the vadhu, or consort, of KRs√a. Over and

above the sandhini-cakti, the saμvit- and hladini-caktis fully

manifest as radha-bhava. This is vidya-vadhu, and if even

one ray of this transcendental potency enters into our

hearts, it is called bhava.

Anandambudhi-vardhanaμ prati-padam: if we are chanting

harinama with this bhava, then with every step we will

experience increasing ananda, divine joy. In the mahamantra,

there is kRs√a-nama and also Hare, which means

She who attracts KRs√a away to the kunja, Crimati Radhika.

This bhava is so deep that it has no end, and this is the

nama, so saturated with rasa, that Caitanya Mahaprabhu

brought to this world. When we chant the maha-mantra

with this bhava, then every step will submerge us deeper

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into the ocean of divine bliss. Pur√amRtasvadanam – what is

pur√amRta, the complete nectar? Prema, and one will perpetually

relish it. Absorbed in chanting the name in this

way, our acaryas such as Jayadeva Gosvami, Sanatana

Gosvami and Bhaktivinoda Ehakura could envision divine

pastimes and compose such nectarean literatures. And

sarvatma-snapanam – one will never desire to resurface

from that ocean of nectar where there is not even a trace of

maya, meaning that they have entered into svarupa-siddhi.

This is the explanation of the first verse of Mahaprabhu’s

Ciksas†aka given by Crila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Prabhupada, whose return to Cri Radha-KRs√a’s eternal

pastimes we are commemorating on this day.

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Chapter Five

The Disappearance Day of

Crila Gaura-kicora dasa Babaji Maharaja

We cannot touch Crila Gaura-kicora dasa Babaji Maharaja’s

renounced lifestyle and high standard of bhajana, but we

can at least accept and follow whatever lower principles that

he established for us and practised in his own life. After

making sufficient spiritual progress, we may be able to

accept the higher things, but we should not desire to follow

them in our present condition. Who can possibly follow his

extreme renunciation, such as eating the clay of the Yamuna

and Radha-ku√∂a and remaining completely dependent on

Bhagavan? He felt that if he lived in a mandira many people

would come and disrupt his bhajana, so instead he lived in

a latrine. People would come seeking his blessings for the

purpose of attaining some material benefit, but he considered

the stench of the latrine to be preferable to the stench

of those people’s words. For us this is impossible, even for

one minute. Therefore a kanis†ha-adhikari will not easily be

able to understand the life of this great uttama-bhagavata

Vais√ava. The higher things have been prohibited for us,

but we should accept from his life whatever will be

favourable for progress in the madhyama-adhikari stage.

As long as we have not attained the mercy of Cri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Navadvipa-dhama,

we will not be able to enter into Vraja. Therefore most of

our previous acaryas who were performing bhajana in

VRndavana left there and went to Navadvipa to attain

prema. Only after submerging themselves in the Ga∫ga of

Mahaprabhu’s prema in Navadvipa did they return to

VRndavana to drown in the ocean of kRs√a-prema. First they

performed the bhajana of Gauracandra, and from that what

did they attain? The prema of the amorous pastimes of

Cri Radha and KRs√a. Therefore, in the beginning

Gaura-kicora dasa Babaji Maharaja performed bhajana in

VRndavana at Surya-ku√∂a, Radha-ku√∂a, Nandagrama,

Varsa√a and many other places; but in his heart came the

feeling that, “The type of prema that I desire is not being

attained here.” He was performing kirtana with great

prema, calling out “Radha, Radha! Where have You gone?

Protect my life because I will die without You! Radha,

Radha!” Although he cried out with extreme vipralambhabhava,

he felt that his yearning was not being fully satisfied,

so he left VRndavana and went to Navadvipa. There, to

avoid having to come in contact with worldly people, he

lived in a latrine. He was such a mahatma that he didn’t

even construct himself a hut.

Once, the aristocratic landholder of Kasima Bazar was

organising a conference of all the prominent Vais√avas, and

he approached Babaji Maharaja to request him to preside

over this conference. He said, “Babaji Maharaja, I am

organising a conference of Vais√avas, and everyone desires

that you be the president of this assembly. Being merciful,

please give sukRti to us by accepting this entreaty, and I will

take you there and bring you back in my own car.”

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Babaji Maharaja asked him, “For what purpose are you

organising this conference? What is the necessity of doing it?”

The man replied, “It is for the preaching of vais√avadharma,

so people will hear talks describing Bhagavan and

be inspired to take up bhajana.”

Then Babaji Maharaja said, “Alright, then you do one

thing: first you do bhajana and forget about others. Leave

your home, wife and children, and come to me. I will furnish

you with a pair of kaupinas and then you do bhajana.

First make your own life meaningful, and then worry about

others. Otherwise your conference will only be for your

own self-aggrandisement, and there will be no benefit in it

for others anyway. First you should come to me and do

bhajana for some time; then you should organise your conference.”

Hearing this strong answer from Babaji Maharaja,

the man was rendered speechless and went away.

Another time, one man went to Babaji Maharaja and said,

“Babaji Maharaja, please be merciful to me! Please be merciful

to me!” Again and again he said it. Babaji Maharaja

became a little annoyed and said, “You want mercy? Then

here – take mercy!” and he handed the man a pair of

kaupinas. What is the purport of giving the man a pair of

kaupinas? When a guru gives sannyasa to someone, what

does he give him? A pair of kaupinas and the mantra. Then

that person will at once become renounced, leave all

worldly attachments and fully apply his body, mind and

words to the service of KRs√a. If the guru gives this to

someone, what greater mercy could there be? “Here – take

mercy!” Hearing this from Babaji Maharaja, that man

became frightened, ran away and never returned.

CHAPTER FIVE

On another occasion a young boy from a wealthy family

ran away from home and came to Babaji Maharaja. He said

to Babaji Maharaja, “I want to stay with you and just do

bhajana.” Babaji Maharaja did not reply, so the boy began

staying with him. He would bring water for Babaji

Maharaja and do other services for him also, and he began

telling the people, “I am a disciple of Babaji Maharaja.” But

in reality Babaji Maharaja had no disciples other than

Prabhupada. This boy stayed with Babaji Maharaja for

some time but didn’t attain what he expected, so he

thought, “I should return to material life.” Many people go

to live in a ma†ha, stay for one or two months, and then

return to material life, get married and become busy in

household duties. Some men leave renounced life even after

ten or twenty years, but only because they desired to attain

the same things as worldly people: kanaka (wealth), kamini

(women) and pratis†ha (prestige). They apparently leave

their homes to engage in bhajana, but they are really only

interested in material gain.

Feeling that he had attained nothing by staying with

Babaji Maharaja, the boy left and after about two weeks

returned to Babaji Maharaja with a beautiful young girl

from a wealthy family whom he had married. He offered

pra√ama to Babaji Maharaja and said, “Babaji Maharaja, I

have entered the saμsara, the material world. Bhaktivinoda

Ehakura has written in his Gitavali: ‘kRs√era saμsara kara

cha∂i’ anacara – we should give up our offences and perform

bhajana as family men.’ Therefore I have collected a kRs√adasi.

Please be merciful to her and to me also so we can

engage in bhajana and have a successful material life as well.”

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Babaji Maharaja replied, “You have done so well! I am so

pleased! You have collected one kRs√a-dasi ? Then you

should do one thing: you should offer puja to this kRs√adasi.

Every day you should cook an offering for her and

offer her pra√ama and some flowers saying, ‘You are a

kRs√a-dasi and very dear to Cri KRs√a.’ But beware: don’t try

to enjoy her, otherwise everything will be destroyed for you

and you will descend into hell! Beware – don’t try to enjoy

her!”

Hearing this, the boy was astonished and was rendered

speechless. Frightened, he called his “kRs√a-dasi ” and

quickly left. Was deceiving Babaji Maharaja an easy thing?

It was not possible to deceive him.

Babaji Maharaja vowed that he would never accept any

disciples, but it was Prabhupada’s resolution that, “If I

accept a guru, it will be him only.” Prabhupada wrote in his

Gau∂iya Patrika, “At that time I was very proud. I was

thinking that there was no scholar equal to me, that there

was no tattva-jnani equal to me, no speaker equal to me and

no philosopher equal to me. This paramahaμsa Vais√ava,

Gaura-kicora dasa Babaji Maharaja, understood this; so he

ignored my requests for initiation. Three or four times he

told me that he would not accept disciples. He said, ‘What?

You are the son of Bhaktivinoda Ehakura! You took birth in

such a high family that you are worshipful to me! You are

such a big scholar, your appearance is so beautiful and you

possess all good qualities; so what is the necessity of you

becoming my disciple?’ In this way he pulverised my pride.

People said that he was illiterate, but he possessed all real

knowledge and was a jagad-guru.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Three or four times Babaji Maharaja ignored him, but

Prabhupada had vowed that he would accept initiation only

from Babaji Maharaja. In the end he was performing severe

austerities to attain Babaji Maharaja as his guru, and seeing

that his son’s face was withered as if he would die,

Bhaktivinoda Ehakura requested Babaji Maharaja, “Please

be kind to him.” After this, Babaji Maharaja finally accepted

Prabhupada as his only disciple.

Bhaktivinoda Ehakura’s acrama was situated on the banks

of the Ga∫ga, and upon hearing “Hare KRs√a, Hare KRs√a,

KRs√a KRs√a, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama

Rama, Hare Hare” being chanted very loudly, Bhaktivinoda

Ehakura would know that Babaji Maharaja was coming.

He would chant so loudly that his voice could be heard

across the Ga∫ga, and upon arrival at the acrama, he would

hear Crimad-Bhagavatam and other kRs√a-katha from

Bhaktivinoda Ehakura.

Babaji Maharaja didn’t associate with other babajis very

much. Generally he would only wear a la∫go†i and nothing

more, but one day he begged a good quality dhoti, a kurta,

a walking stick and a nice turban from someone. Wearing

these, he went to Bhaktivinoda Ehakura’s acrama, and upon

seeing him, Bhaktivinoda Ehakura thought, “See how

Babaji Maharaja’s appearance has changed! He has taken

the ordinary dress of a gRhastha. He is wearing nice clothes

now and is carrying a walking stick like a landlord. What

has happened to him?”

Babaji Maharaja offered pra√ama and sat down, and

Bhaktivinoda Ehakura asked him, “Babaji Maharaja, today I

see that your appearance is of a different type. Why is this?”

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Babaji Maharaja replied, “These days there are so many

babajis, and many of them are such hooligans that if one

even mentions their names it will be sinful. They are

engaged in such misconduct that a gRhastha is thousands of

times superior to them. In the name of parakiya-bhajana

they engage in mundane activities and they will all go to

hell for it. When a babaji obtains some rasagullas or any

good quality foodstuff, he should just offer it to a cow.

Babajis should not go to any festival, but people invite them

and off they go to these festivals simply to enjoy a good

meal. Feeding the dogs of the dhama is more beneficial

than feeding them. Therefore I think that I shouldn’t

remain a babaji. I will wear the cloth of a gRhastha, and then

people will not look upon me as one of these babajis.”

Bhaktivinoda Ehakura said, “You have spoken correctly.”

At that time the misconduct of these babajis was so widespread

that people hated to even hear the good Vais√ava

name, so there was a necessity for a great personality who

could preach the pure prema-dharma of Cri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu in the world. Then came such a great personality,

Crila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada. He

preached sa∫kirtana in such a way that in no time the world

opinion had changed, and scholars, gentlemen and everyone

began to accept vais√ava-dharma. If there had been no

Gaura-kicora dasa Babaji, then there would have been no

Prabhupada. And if there had been no Prabhupada, then

the pure prema of Mahaprabhu would not be preached all

around the world as it is now. Therefore the original great

personality was our father’s father’s father, our great grandfather,

Gaura-kicora dasa Babaji. Today with great pride we

CHAPTER FIVE

declare that he was the guru of our parama-guru, and it is

our supreme good fortune that he came to this world.

According to our qualification we will follow the

instructions for bhajana and renunciation that he gave, and

those who sincerely follow them will be offering the real

puspanjali to his feet. Otherwise, if we don’t offer this real

puspanjali, then we will be just like those people that he

sent away. We should not desire to have material pleasures

and at the same time beg for mercy as they did. For really

achieving his mercy, we should offer this genuine

puspanjali to his feet, follow his instructions in a pure

manner, and then we may be able to enter into real bhajana.

He is never far away from us; he is with us at all times, and

he will certainly bestow his plentiful mercy upon us. Calling

out his name, our guruji would cry and say, “He took all of

my hardships away.” Similarly he will remove all of our

hardships so we will be able to perform bhajana, and to

really engage in bhajana there must be no other desire

whatsoever in our hearts. But if we leave sadhu-sa∫ga, all

will be lost. Therefore, remaining in the association of

devotees we will perform bhajana and always remember the

ideal that Gaura-kicora dasa Babaji Maharaja showed in his

life. Then our lives will be meaningful, and from our bhajana

we will get the real benefit. So today we offer a prayer to his

feet that he will always be merciful to all of us.

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Chapter Six

The Disappearance Day of

Crila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami

Crila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is an eternal associate of

Caitanya Mahaprabhu and also of KRs√a, but in the pastimes

of Mahaprabhu he showed the sadhana-bhajana for attaining

the elevated devotional stages of bhava and prema. If a

sadhaka sincerely desires to engage in bhajana to achieve

the direct association of Bhagavan without delay – perhaps

in only one or two births – then he should engage in

bhajana just as Raghunatha dasa Gosvami did. But doing

that type of bhajana is very, very difficult. How he left his

home and family, how he engaged in very strict bhajana,

how in his final days he went without eating and drinking

and just cried day and night in divine separation – all of this

would be very difficult for us. But for those who really

desire prema, it is not so difficult.

This world is a reflection of the spiritual world; there is

some similarity between them. If we see that this world is a

place of instruction rather than a place for enjoyment, then

we will be benefited. But only those who have taken sincere

shelter at the feet of a guru will take such instruction; not

everyone will be able to accept it. Dattatreya understood

that this world is a place of instruction, and therefore he

accepted twenty-four gurus. When we can fully understand

the twenty-four gurus that have been mentioned, we will

see that the entire world is our guru. Why has it been said

that there are twenty-four gurus? Because there is nothing

in all of existence from which some instruction cannot be

taken. For an intelligent person, all the objects of the world

will give some kind of instruction.

Someone may argue that the world is a prison-house

which is full of unlimited misery.

tavad ragadaya˙ stenas

tavat kara-gRhaμ gRham

tavan moho ’∫ghri-nigado

yavat kRs√a na te jana˙

Crimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.36)

For those who are not devotees of Cri KRs√a, the bewilderment

of material attachment serves as the handcuffs and

foot-shackles that bind them in the prison of maya.

But the material world will not be a prison for those who

are not infatuated with it. Here raga means material attachment,

which is like a thief and is the cause of our bondage.

If this attachment is removed, then liberation will be

attained. In this regard, Mahaprabhu told Raghunatha dasa

Gosvami:

sthira hana ghare yao, na hao vatula

krame krame paya loka bhava-sindhu-kula

Cri Caitanya-caritamRta (Madhya-lila 16.237)

For now, return home and remain in household life. Don’t

behave irrationally. Eventually you will be able to cross the

ocean of material existence.

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If Bhagavan could be attained just by leaving home, then

so many people would leave their homes because they

couldn’t get along with the other members of the household,

or because of poverty or some other reason of this

type. But would they attain the association of Bhagavan just

by going to another place? Bhagavan is not attained merely

by abandoning one’s home and family. Especially if one

abandons his home and family in an immature stage, it will

be very detrimental to his welfare, and his condition may

become even worse than that of an ordinary materialist.

Bhagavan is attained only through abandoning material

attachments and engaging in real bhajana. Therefore

Mahaprabhu told Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, “For now

return home and be patient, and when the right time

comes, you will automatically be able to leave everything.”

There is nothing in the material world that is inherently

bad; it is only a question of proper or improper utilisation.

antare nis†ha kara, bahye loka-vyavahara

acirat kRs√a tomaya karibe uddhara

Cri Caitanya-caritamRta (Madhya-lila 16.239)

Externally you should behave in an ordinary fashion with

your family members, but internally you should have nis†ha.

Then KRs√a will deliver you very soon.

But is having nis†ha an easy thing? What is nis†ha?

Immovable, firm resolution. When there is firm confidence

that whatever is said by guru, Vais√ava and castra is correct,

then that is called craddha. When this craddha becomes

firm, it is called nis†ha. “I will give up my very life, but I will

never leave the bhajana of Bhagavan. If I live at home or

CHAPTER SIX

wherever, I will always engage in bhajana” – such resolution

is called nis†ha. Honouring this instruction of Mahaprabhu,

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami returned home and began taking

harinama and studying the scriptures, and at the same time

attending to all of his worldly duties. Eventually his nis†ha

increased more and more, and after attaining the mercy of

Nityananda Prabhu, he was able to leave his home permanently.

He had tried to leave before and was unsuccessful,

but Bhagavan could see the desire within him and therefore

made the arrangement for him to leave.

When Bhagavan sees that there is sincere desire within

us, He will make all arrangements for us to come to Him.

Otherwise, if we try to make the necessary arrangements

ourselves, we won’t be able to enter into bhajana proper and

we will eventually fall down. Therefore Bhagavan makes

the arrangement for us, just as we see that He did for

Gopa-kumara in Cri BRhad-bhagavatamRta. In the form of

caitya-guru in the heart He sees what is necessary and

sends the diksa-guru and the ciksa-guru to us. Who gave

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami the company of Haridasa

Ehakura? Did Raghunatha dasa Gosvami meet him of his

own accord? The arrangement was made by Bhagavan.

Haridasa Ehakura used to visit the home of Raghunatha

dasa Gosvami – why? What was the necessity of his going

there? Haridasa Ehakura was a supreme renunciate; every

day he would chant three lakhas of harinama. Therefore he

could see the natural love and devotion for Bhagavan that

the young boy Raghunatha dasa possessed, so he would

go to his home and teach him how to take harinama. Of

course, Raghunatha dasa had the previous saμskara of a

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perfected soul, but here we can see how Bhagavan makes

the arrangement for a sadhaka to acquire the association of

a great personality. And He also sent Yadunandana Acarya,

a disciple of Advaita Acarya, to become Raghunatha dasa’s

diksa-guru.

sthane sthita˙ cruti-gataμ tanu-va∫-manobhir

ye prayaco ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyam

Crimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.3)

Even while remaining within their respective social positions,

fortunate souls get the opportunity to hear hari-katha

from great personalities, and becoming inspired to dedicate

their body, mind and words, they conquer He who is otherwise

unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.

Bhagavan made this arrangement for Raghunatha dasa,

and within a short time intense eagerness arose within his

heart and he thought, “How will I attain the direct association

of Bhagavan? What kind of sadhana-bhajana should I

perform?” Then he went to Paniha†i where he received the

darcana of Nityananda Prabhu. On the order of Nityananda

Prabhu, Raghunatha dasa arranged a big festival; and by

the power of his meditation Nityananda Prabhu, called

Mahaprabhu Himself to attend it. When Raghunatha dasa

received the darcana of the two brothers taking prasada

together, this increased his desire even more. Then

Nityananda Prabhu placed his lotus feet on Raghunatha

dasa’s head and said, “Now all your obstructions will disappear.”

So by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu he was able

to leave his home and travel to Puri where he attained the

shelter of Mahaprabhu’s feet. This time Mahaprabhu gave

him another type of instruction:

CHAPTER SIX

‘mane’ nija-siddha-deha kariya bhavana

ratri-dine kare vraje kRs√era sevana

Cri Caitanya-caritamRta (Madhya-lila 22.157)

“Internally a perfected soul thinks day and night of serving

KRs√a in VRndavana, and Svarupa Damodara will teach you

this very special activity.” Mahaprabhu didn’t personally

give Raghunatha dasa so much instruction, but He handed

him over to one of His eternal associates from whom he

received all instruction. And what did Svarupa Damodara

teach him? To perform the high standard of bhajana that he

himself did.

Svarupa Damodara would compose clokas describing the

ontological position of Mahaprabhu, and he also kept a

diary describing the daily pastimes of Mahaprabhu. For

instance, he wrote that one night, when the waves of bhava

were powerfully flowing through Mahaprabhu’s heart, He

somehow managed to pass through three bolted doors. He

mistook the ocean for the Kalindi, and thinking the waves

to be due to the sporting of KRs√a with the gopis, He

jumped in. Floating farther and farther away, He came into

the net of a fisherman at Arkatirtha. When the fisherman

brought the devotees to Mahaprabhu, they saw that all of

His joints were dislocated, His limbs were all elongated and

He was rolled up into a round shape. This is a symptom of

mahabhava. This will not happen in the stages of prema,

sneha, mana, pra√aya, raga or even anuraga. Sometimes this

will not even happen in mahabhava, but only in the higher

stages of ru∂ha, adhiru∂ha, madana and citra-jalpa. But this

may not even come within citra-jalpa, which is where

Crimati Radhika, in the madness of divine separation, was

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speaking to a bee about KRs√a. We don’t find any description

of Her ever displaying the symptoms that Mahaprabhu

did here.

Svarupa Damodara recorded these pastimes in his diary

and revealed them all to Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Then

later Raghunatha dasa revealed them to KRs√adasa Kaviraja

Gosvami. Murari Gupta, who was an incarnation of

Hanuman, also kept a diary. But since his feelings were for

dasya-rasa, he found other pastimes of Mahaprabhu to be

more tasteful, and therefore he described them. Svarupa

Damodara was Lalita herself, so in his poetry he described

the mahabhava and higher conditions of Mahaprabhu. Just

see what an excellent arrangement Mahaprabhu made for

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami: He handed him over to Svarupa

Damodara who taught him all of these things. If we ever

receive such a good opportunity, then we should understand

that it was arranged by Bhagavan Himself. For a

sadhaka who is especially sincere, He will make such an

arrangement, but one who is not so eager will not receive

such good fortune.

At first Mahaprabhu instructed Raghunatha dasa to

remain at home, and this instruction was in relation to

vaidhi-bhakti. The instruction that He gave later – that a

perfected soul deeply remembers KRs√a day and night – was

on the raganuga level, and Raghunatha dasa harmonised

both of these in his life. Crila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Prabhupada also gave instructions related to vaidhi-bhakti,

such as instructions for arcana, while at the same time drawing

forth the sentiments of raganuga from the poetry of

Crimad-Bhagavatam. He combined them in his preaching

CHAPTER SIX

in this world. Regardless if people were qualified or unqualified,

Prabhupada accepted everyone. Previously there was

a prohibition that only those who were especially qualified

could leave their homes and families and come to engage in

bhajana; but everyone received a good opportunity from

Prabhupada. He created a school in which even those who

were unqualified could come and learn, and gradually

progress upwards. Otherwise we would not have the qualification

to come in this line, but he opened the door for

everyone.

These days society has become somewhat degraded.

Young boys no longer honour the conventions of society or

accept the guidance of their parents as they did previously.

They sometimes fall into bad company and become thieves

and dacoits, and then it becomes almost impossible for

them to be rectified and find the correct path. But

Prabhupada made schools and centres in Mayapura and all

over India in which these boys could come. Perhaps they

only had a little taste for spiritual life, but he saw their

potential to eventually have complete taste. They learned

something there and made substantial progress in the direction

of pure bhajana, sometimes even up to the point of

becoming brahmacaris. Those who desired to do so could

after some time return to their homes, marry and perform

bhajana there; Prabhupada didn’t impose any restriction on

that. In this way Mahaprabhu’s mission was spread

throughout India.

As long as Mahaprabhu remained within this world,

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami stayed near Him, and when He

disappeared, Raghunatha dasa became so disturbed that he

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at once gave up eating. Then in a short time Svarupa

Damodara, Raya Ramananda and Gadadhara Pa√∂ita all left

this world. Because everything then appeared void in Puri,

all the remaining devotees left there. The very things there

that had previously been so dear to Raghunatha dasa now

pained him like thorns. His condition was like that of the

residents of Vraja after KRs√a had departed for Mathura.

When KRs√a was in VRndavana, the sakhas and sakhis loved

Nanda-bhavana very dearly. The gopis loved the Yamuna’s

Gopi-gha†a so much because there they would meet KRs√a.

They loved Govardhana so much because there were so

many beautiful gardens and kunjas there where they would

make flower garlands for KRs√a. Blissfully they would go to

these places, but when KRs√a departed for Mathura, Nandabhavana

appeared empty and lifeless. The gopis’ remembrance

of KRs√a became so intense that they no longer

desired to go there, and everywhere they cast their vision

drowned them in vipralambha-rasa. Food was no longer

prepared there, the utensils were just lying around and

there were cobwebs everywhere. Who would they prepare

food for? Mother Yacoda had become almost blind in

separation. In an attempt to forget KRs√a, Nanda Baba left

there, but there was no place in Vraja that would allow

forgetfulness of KRs√a. Everything just brought more

remembrance of Him.

After Mahaprabhu left this world, the devotees in Puri

were in exactly the same condition. For Raghunatha dasa,

going to the Gambhira was like entering a fire, and day and

night he only cried and cried. This is real bhajana, and until

one’s bhajana is of this standard, it is only abhasa, or the

CHAPTER SIX

shadow of real bhajana. Unless one has experienced such

intense feelings of separation from KRs√a, guru and the

Vais√avas, they have not entered into real bhajana.

Mahaprabhu Himself showed the way: He was always

lamenting, “Where can I find Vrajendra-nandana? Where

has He gone?” Day and night He was crying, feeling the full

impact of divine separation.

Sometimes we also cry, but for what reason? Because we

have just received some indication that our material attachments

and enjoyment may be taken away from us. Inside we

should be feeling intense separation from Mahaprabhu,

from Cri Radha and KRs√a, and if not directly from Them,

then from our own guru. But we have no experience of

these feelings of the upper world, and instead we only

desire material happiness. But really we belong exclusively

to Them, and with that understanding we should approach

this line of devotion. Therefore, first there should be deep

attachment for bhajana, and then for bhajaniya, those

whom we are worshipping. In our conditioned state we are

not as much concerned about chanting our daily prescribed

number of rounds as we are about things like, “What will I

eat? Where will I live?” But how did Raghunatha dasa

Gosvami perform bhajana? His only anxiety was: “How will

I do bhajana? How can I make sure that this life is not

wasted, and how will I attain Bhagavan in this very life?”

For those of us aspiring for raganuga-bhakti, the life of

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is very instructive, and if we can

assimilate into our lives even one iota of his eagerness for

bhajana, we will surely become successful. Regardless of

whether we are renunciates or householders, we should

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have some of the eagerness for bhajana that he did. If we

have that eagerness, all of our endeavours will automatically

become crowned with success.

CHAPTER SIX

Chapter Seven

Advaita Saptami

Advaita Saptami is the day that Advaita Acarya appeared in

this world. Advaita Acarya, the cause of the material world,

comes first; after that Nityananda Prabhu comes on the day

of trayodaci; and then Cri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself

comes on pur√ima, descending into this world with the

effulgence of radha-bhava. In this way the pastimes of

Mahaprabhu begin.

vande taμ crimad-advaitacaryam

adbhuta-ces†itam

yasya prasadad ajno ’pi

tat-svarupam nirupayet

Cri Caitanya-caritamRta (Adi-lila 6.1)

I pray to Advaita Acarya, who performs especially wonderful

pastimes, that by his mercy I may be able to describe this

difficult tattva easily. What are these wonderful pastimes?

Seeing Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu began complaining:

“Where has this avadhuta come from? Today he

has come to our home and thrown prasada in all directions!

He has no knowledge of what class he belongs to; actually

he has no class at all! We are brahma√as, we are the best of

society, and he has dropped prasada on the bodies of everyone

here!”

Om Tat Sat

(Continued...)

_{(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swami jis great Devotees , Philosophic
Scholars, Purebhakti dot com for
the collection)}

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Saturday, October 13, 2012