NOI 11 – The Glories of Radha-kunda

Giriraj Swami: So, in honor of the Appearance of Sri Radha-kuṇḍa, at midnight, last night, and for our own purification, we shall read the verse that describes the glories of Sri Radha-kuṇḍa. The verse is from The Nectar of Instruction, an authorized English presentation of Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.

TEXT 11

kṛṣṇasyoccaiḥ praṇaya-vasatiḥ preyasībhyo ‘pi rādhā
kuṇḍaṁ cāsyā munibhir abhitas tādṛg eva vyadhāyi
yat preṣṭhair apy alam asulabhaṁ kiṁ punar bhakti-bhājāṁ
tat premedaṁ sakṛd api saraḥ snātur āviṣkaroti

TRANSLATION

Of the many objects of favored delight and of all the lovable damsels of Vraja-bhūmi, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is certainly the most treasured object of Kṛṣṇa’s love. And, in every respect, Her divine kuṇḍa is described by great sages as similarly dear to Him. Undoubtedly, Rādhā-kuṇḍa is very rarely attained even by the great devotees; therefore it is even more difficult for ordinary devotees to attain. If one simply bathes once within those holy waters, one’s pure love of Kṛṣṇa is fully aroused.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Why is Rādhā-kuṇḍa so exalted? The lake is so exalted because it belongs to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is the most beloved object of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Among all the gopīs, She is the most beloved. Similarly, Her lake, Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa, is also described by great sages as the lake that is as dear to Kṛṣṇa as Rādhā Herself. Indeed, Kṛṣṇa’s love for Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the same in all respects. Rādhā-kuṇḍa is very rarely attained, even by great personalities fully engaged in devotional service, not to speak of ordinary devotees who are only engaged in the practice of vaidhī-bhakti.

COMMENT

So, Srila Prabhupada begins with the question: Why is Radha-kuṇḍa so exalted? And he answers that the lake is so exalted because it belongs to Srimati Radharani, who is the most beloved object of Sri Krishna. In the Padma Purāṇa, Lord Shiva tells Parvati: ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarcanam. “Of all types of worship, the worship of Vishnu or Krishna is the most exalted. But even higher than the worship of Vishnu or Krishna is the worship of things related to Krishna.” When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was residing in Jagannatha Puri, the king, Maharaja Pratāparudra, was very eager to meet the Lord, but the Lord refused to meet him because he was a king, and kings are associated with wealth and women. And for a sannyasi to associate with wealth and women, or someone who is associated with wealth and women, is considered an obstacle. And in the culture at the time, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as the acharya, was following all of the rules and regulations of the sannyasa ashrama to set the ideal example. But the king was a great devotee, he had full faith in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and many of the Lord’s most confidential associates were recommending him to the Lord, including Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, Sri Ramananda Raya, and even Nityananda Prabhu, Himself. So, Lord Chaitanya was in a dilemma. He didn’t want to meet the king in person, but at the same time, He didn’t want to disappoint the king. Rather, He wanted to encourage him, because the king had offered his entire kingdom at the disposal of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and had done many favors for the Lord. So, as a compromise, Lord Chaitanya sent him a piece of His cloth, because, tadīyānāṁ samarcanam, the worship of something related to the Lord is even better than the worship of the Lord directly.

So, this principle of tadīya sevā is extended. Most often, the verse is used to refer to devotees who are related to the Lord; that the service of devotees is more exalted than the service of the Lord, Himself. Often, tadīya sevā is related to Tulasi-devi; the service of Tulasi-devi, because she is related to the Lord. She is a devotee of the Lord, and she is related to the Lord. And of course, of all of the devotees, Srimati Radharani is most exalted, the most dearly beloved of all of Krishna’s girlfriends. And therefore, Her worship, or Her service, is the most exalted. But because Sri Radha-kuṇḍa is tadīya, it is related to Her – it is Her lake – it is as worshipable and lovable as She is. And Krishna loves Her lake as much as He loves Her. Now, what is our connection with Radha-kuṇḍa?

PURPORT (continued)

It is stated that a devotee will at once develop pure love of Kṛṣṇa in the wake of the gopīs if he once takes a bath in Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends that even if one cannot live permanently on the banks of Rādhā-kuṇḍa, he should at least take a bath in the lake as many times as possible. This is a most important item in the execution of devotional service.

COMMENT

So many of our acharyas did reside on the banks of Radha-kuṇḍa. Almost all of the Six Gosvamis had bhajana-kuṭiras on the banks of Radha-kuṇḍa. And after them, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, and still later, from our point of view, more recently, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. They all had bhajana-kuṭiras on the banks of Radha-kuṇḍa and did bhajana there, engaged in devotional service and wrote books. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami wrote Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta at Radha-kuṇḍa.

PURPORT (continued)

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in this connection that Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa is the most select place for those interested in advancing their devotional service in the wake of the lady friends (sakhīs) and confidential serving maids (mañjarīs) of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Living entities who are eager to return home to the transcendental kingdom of God, Goloka Vṛndāvana, by means of attaining their spiritual bodies (siddha-deha) should live at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, take shelter of the confidential serving maids of Śrī Rādhā and under their direction engage constantly in Her service. This is the most exalted method for those engaged in devotional service under the protection of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

COMMENT

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s instructions, here, refer to advanced devotees who have spontaneously developed the desire to serve Krishna – Radha and Krishna, or Srimati Radharani, in particular, as one of Her confidential maid servants. This type of desire arises when one is more or less free from material contamination. There is a stage in devotional service called anartha-nivṛtti, in which a major portion of one’s anarthas are eradicated. And it is really only when one has that purity of heart, having passed through the stage of anartha-nivṛtti, that one can feel this spontaneous attraction to serve the Lord in a particular mood. It may not be the mood of the associates of Srimati Radharani; it could be in the mood of a parent of Krishna, or a cowherd boyfriend of Krishna, or a servant of Krishna. But whatever it is, that mood can arise in a natural way, not an artificial way, when one has passed through that stage of anartha-nivṛtti. Sometimes, Srila Prabhupada has given a figure of 75 percent. That stage is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. That by serving the book Bhāgavata – It means hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or by serving the person bhāgavata; naṣṭa-prāyeṣu, prāyeṣu means “almost,” and naṣṭa means “destroyed.” So, the anarthas are almost destroyed. And in that stage, bhāgavata-bhaktir naiṣṭikī, one becomes fixed and steady in devotional service.

Now, we all experience, in our practical realization of Krishna consciousness, that we have highs and lows; we have ups and downs. So, although one may be generally situated at a certain stage in devotional service, if one is inattentive; if one is negligent in one’s practices, if one unfortunately, falls into the wrong association and engages in sinful activities or offensive behavior, one can experience a lower stage. We all experience it, anarthas. And on the other hand, after a nice program or festival, after associating with an advanced devotee or devotees, after a wonderful kirtan, one may experience a glimpse of a higher stage. One may actually be situated in a higher stage for some time. But generally, one will come to the stage that he is most generally at. So, we can get a glimpse when we go to Vrindavan or Mayapur, Jagannatha Puri and associate with more advanced devotees; hear kṛṣṇa-kathā from them; chant sincere japa; do kirtan, we can feel these sentiments, although we cannot hold them permanently, but we can feel them. And by the gradual process of purification of devotional service, including preaching – preaching is a very important part of it – the heart will become purified, and we can more regularly feel these sentiments. So, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says:

PURPORT (continued)

Living entities who are eager to return home to the transcendental kingdom of God, Goloka Vṛndāvana, by means of attaining their spiritual bodies (siddha-deha) should live at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, take shelter of the confidential serving maids of Śrī Rādhā and under their direction engage constantly in Her service.

COMMENT

So, what does this mean? Well, siddha-deha, that is our spiritual body. We all have spiritual bodies in a seed form within us. The soul is actually the seed form of the spiritual body, and as we progress in devotional service, that spiritual body becomes manifest. And then, what does it mean to take shelter of the confidential serving maids of Sri Radha? Well, this has different levels to it, or different dimensions to it. Sri Rupa Gosvami writes in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi, that in a more advanced stage, one is aware of both; one’s form as a sādhaka and as a siddha. A sādhaka means one who is practicing devotional service, and siddha means one who is perfect in devotional service. And that verse by Rupa Gosvami explains that externally we should serve in our sādhaka-rūpa and internally in our siddha-rūpa, following a beloved devotee of Krishna.

Now, in our case, as followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and specifically as followers of Srila Rupa Gosvami, we are called rūpānugas. Our line is a line of rūpānugas. We follow Srila Rupa Gosvami and others like him; the Six Gosvamis and their followers. So, this form of Rupa Gosvami, although he is an eternally perfect being, but still, that form of Rupa Gosvami is the form of a sādhaka. He engaged in activities that sādhakas perform: chanting the holy names, dancing in kirtan, reading scriptures, writing books and serving his gurus. These are things that devotees do in this stage of sadhana. But in his identity in kṛṣṇa-līlā, Rupa Gosvami is Rupa Mañjarī. So this verse, sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi, means that externally we serve Rupa Gosvami as a sādhaka, and internally we serve Rupa Mañjarī. And the same pertains to Srila Prabhupada. The form in which we saw Srila Prabhupada, although he was a perfected being, but the form in which we saw him was the form of a sādhaka. He did the same things that sādhakas do. He got up and read books; wrote books; chanted japa; greeted the Deities; gave Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class; preached the message of Krishna; organized the preaching; wrote books; went to the printer and purchased paper – so many things for the service of the Lord. But apart from his sādhaka-rūpa that we all saw, he also has a siddha-rūpa. Now, in the case of Srila Prabhupada, he didn’t directly tell us what his identity in kṛṣṇa-līlā is, and it has been a subject of contemplation and speculation for devotees. And in one sense, we don’t need to know, or to put it another way, when we need to know, he will reveal to us.

But, when one does come to that stage of wanting to serve Krishna in a particular mood, following some particular associates of Krishna in the spiritual world, and in this case, we are talking about the sakhīs, lady friends of Srimati Radharani, in particular, the mañjarīs, the confidential serving maids, it means that we take shelter of the instructions of Rupa Gosvami and the example of Rupa Gosvami as a sādhaka. And internally, we take shelter of Rupa Mañjarī and serve under her guidance. So, this is a very advanced stage. That is a little esoteric topic, but because it is a special occasion, Sri Radha-kuṇḍa’s Appearance Day, and because Srila Prabhupada has mentioned these topics in this purport, we are discussing them so we know what lies ahead.

PURPORT (continued)

In this connection Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes that even great sages and great devotees like Nārada and Sanaka do not get an opportunity to come to Rādhā-kuṇḍa to take their baths. What, then, to speak of ordinary devotees? 

COMMENT

Now, this is also a very mysterious statement, because apparently, one could buy a ticket, fly to Delhi, take a taxi to Vrindavan, to Radha-kuṇḍa and take a bath. So many people go to Radha-kuṇḍa and take bath. Not even ordinary devotees. They may not even really be devotees. Of course, they have some connection with Vrindavan; with Govardhana; with Radha-kuṇḍa. They have some faith, but they may be ritualistic, they may have material desires, they may be impersonalists and they take bath. And then, there are so many tortoises that live in Radha-kuṇḍa; so many birds come. So, how is it that great devotees like Narada and Sanaka do not get an opportunity to go to Radha-kuṇḍa to take their baths? One explanation is that, for us conditioned souls, the dhāma is covered by a veneer of maya. We visit the dhāma, but we don’t see the original Vrindavan.I don’t want to discuss what’s going on in the manifest Vrindavan now, but cars, trucks, noise, traffic, horns, and people blaring loudspeakers with cinema music; then, sewage and pigs and flies and filth. There are a lot of those things in Vrindavan now. And with our ordinary vision, that is what we see when we go to Vrindavan. And if we have faith in Krishna, and even without that much faith – But, Vrindavan has its potency, and if someone goes to Vrindavan, he can feel an upsurge of spiritual sentiments.

I remember the first time I went to Vrindavan – and of course, Srila Prabhupada said one cannot go to Vrindavan simply by purchasing a ticket. There is the story in the Kṛṣṇa Book and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam of Akrura when he went to Vrindavan. As soon as he reached the precincts of Vrindavan, he dismounted his chariot, and he rolled in the dust of Vrindavan. He saw the footprints of Krishna in the dust of Vrindavan, and in ecstasy, he rolled in the dust of Vrindavan. In fact, the entire journey to Vrindavan, Akrura was simply thinking of Krishna and Balarama and Their pastimes, and imagining, when he reaches Vrindavan, he will see Krishna; he will see Balarama. They will receive him. And the whole way to Vrindavan, he was thinking of Krishna and Balarama and then, when he got to Vrindavan and actually saw Their lotus footprints, he became ecstatic and rolled in the dust. So, Srila Prabhupada remarks, “This is the way to enter Vrindavan.” You cannot enter Vrindavan just by purchasing a ticket. So, Vrindavan exists eternally in its original spiritual feature beyond what we see with our materially contaminated eyes and other senses. But when we develop our siddha-dehas, we can reside in that Vrindavan even when we are in our physical bodies. This is another advanced topic, but there are examples, in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, even of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, seeing the pastimes of Radha and Krishna and seeing Himself in the pastimes of Radha and Krishna. And then, being, you could say, called back to this manifest world by the efforts of the devotees chanting and sprinkling water on Him and so many things. So, one explanation is that it is very rare to take bath in Radha-kuṇḍa – that Radha-kuṇḍa; that spiritual perception. And if one takes that bath in that Radha-kuṇḍa, one will immediately awaken love for Krishna in the of the wake of the gopīs.

For this special occasion, we have come to the last verse of the Upadeśāmṛta; Text Eleven. So, one could say that if one proceeds step-by-step, following the directions in the first ten verses, beginning with vāco vegaṁ, krodha-vegaṁ, manasaḥ vegaṁ, controlling the urges of the senses – we haven’t even fully fulfilled the requirements in the first verse, but if we proceed systematically and follow the directions given in the first ten verses, and then take bath in Radha-kuṇḍa as described in the Eleventh Verse, then we will develop that exalted love for Krishna.

PURPORT (continued)

If by great fortune, one gets an opportunity to come to Rādhā-kuṇḍa and bathe even once, he can develop his transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa, exactly as the gopīs did.

COMMENT

Another explanation is that one goes to Radha-kuṇḍa in whatever one’s present consciousness is. Of course, one should have the utmost respect for Radha-kuṇḍa as non-different from Srimati Radharani, but in that mood of respect one takes bath, even if one is in the conditioned stage, one has inaugurated a process, or been part of a process, that will ultimately lead one to develop that love for Krishna. Just like we often hear, sādhu-saṅga sādhu-saṅga sarva-śāstre kayalava-mātra sādhu-saṅga sarva-siddhi haya. That just by a moment’s association with a pure devotee one will attain all perfection. It doesn’t mean that by a moment’s association one will immediately attain perfection, but associating with the pure devotee begins a process that will ultimately lead one to perfection. One associates with the devotee, one hears his instructions, one follows the instructions, one serves the devotee and gradually one achieves perfection.

PURPORT (continued)

If by great fortune, one gets an opportunity to come to Rādhā-kuṇḍa and bathe even once, he can develop his transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa exactly as the gopīs did. It is also recommended that one should live on the banks of Rādhā-kuṇḍa and should be absorbed in the loving service of the Lord. One should bathe there regularly and give up all material conceptions, taking shelter of Śrī Rādhā and her assistant gopīs. If one is thus constantly engaged during his lifetime, after giving up the body, he will return back to Godhead to serve Śrī Rādhā in the same way as he contemplated during his life on the banks of Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

COMMENT

Now, this is a very important point, that our thoughts at the time of death will determine our next life, and our thoughts during our present life will determine our thoughts at the time of death. So, in general terms, if we think of Krishna during our lives, then at the time of death, we can think of Krishna and go to Krishna. But thinking of Krishna, it can begin by just seeing the form of Krishna in a picture; seeing the Deity of Krishna. But, when we hear about Krishna—- and we are all meant to hear about Krishna – that is how we learn about Him, and that is how we develop our faith, attraction, and love for Him—and the same applies to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Krishna Chaitanya. So then, when we see the Deity of Krishna or the Deity of Krishna Chaitanya, we think of His merciful pastimes and attractive qualities. Or when we chant, if we have been hearing about Krishna or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, or reading about Them, then when we chant, and we are chanting in a nice mood, then naturally we will remember Krishna and His devotees. So, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ, whatever we think at the time of death, will determine our next life. So, let us go on to think of Krishna. But again, it is not just Krishna on a pedestal, on the altar. That is good, but it really means Krishna, His names, His qualities, His activities with His devotees. That is really thinking of Krishna. And when we develop that particular mood, of course, a devotee appreciates Krishna in all of His names, all of His qualities, all of His pastimes, all of His devotees. But if we become eager to serve Krishna in a particular way, as recommended in this verse and purport, then we will think of Krishna in that particular way. If we are always eager to serve Krishna, following Srimati Radharani and Her associates, and that is how we think of Krishna during this life, then at the time of death, we will think of Krishna in that way, and we will get a body in our next life that is suitable for serving Radha and Krishna in that way, or whatever way it is.

PURPORT (continued)

If one is thus constantly engaged during his lifetime, after giving up the body he will return back to Godhead to serve Śrī Rādhā in the same way as he contemplated during his life on the banks of Rādhā-kuṇḍa. The conclusion is that to live on the banks of the Rādhā-kuṇḍa and to bathe there daily constitute the highest perfection of devotional service. It is a difficult position to attain, even for great sages and devotees like Nārada. Thus, there is no limit to the glory of Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa. By serving Rādhā-kuṇḍa, one can get an opportunity to become an assistant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī under the eternal guidance of the gopīs.

Sri Radha-kuṇḍa, ki jaya! 

Srila Rupa Gosvami, ki jaya! 

Śrī Upadeśāmṛta, ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada, ki jaya!

Are there any questions or comments?

Oh yes, Dānakeli.

Dānakeli: You were mentioning how sometimes we may get a glimpse of a more advanced stage, then you may be there for some time, then ultimately, we slip back to our general stage. Because our minds are so powerful, our minds can try to convince us that, “Oh, this is just how you are. You should just be okay with this. This just—this is me. This is where I am at,” and it is not necessarily. How can we know if that really is where we are at, and how do we get past that?

Giriraj Swami: Well, Dānakeli Prabhu asks a good question. That sometimes we get a glimpse of a higher experience of devotional service, but then we fall back into our more usual condition. And our mind, which is very powerful, will tell us, “This is where you are at. Just accept it, and don’t try to be more than you really are.”

Well, of course, your actual identity is eternal servant of Krishna, jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa. That is your constitutional position, and this body and mind and false ego are artificial coverings of your actual identity. So, your normal condition is eternal servant of Krishna. That is who you really are, and your present condition is a diseased condition. It is not a normal condition. So yes, if one has been sick for a long time, he might get a little hopeless. But generally, even people who are sick for a long time, unless they are very depressed—and it can happen—but, unless they are very depressed, they still try. They still hope that they will find some cure so they can be healthy and do what they used to do. So, this mind – of course, that is a big topic – but you know that it is just your mind. It is not you; it is not Krishna; it is just your mind, and so you shouldn’t take it so seriously. It is just your mind. Or another way of putting it is maya. It is just maya trying to discourage you from making progress, and you should not pay heed. You should have confidence. That is also one of the instructions of Upadeśāmṛta, utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. One should have confidence that because I am doing my best to serve Krishna, Krishna will help me and ultimately bring me to success. So that is one of the six items for the successful execution of devotional service; confidence. One should have confidence in Krishna, and in the power of the process of devotional service, and in the mercy of the devotees of Krishna. And when your mind speaks nonsense, then you just ignore it. Just don’t pay it any attention, and eventually, it will stop.

Srila Prabhupada said that we are in the kingdom of maya, so it is natural that maya will call us. You didn’t say it, but it is implicit; when maya calls you, she is calling you for material enjoyment. Maya is saying, “You are where you are at. Don’t try to act on an artificial platform. You are where you are at,” which means you have material desires, so you should fulfill them. That is what it really means. So, Srila Prabhupada said that when maya calls, and her call is, “Come on. enjoy me. Come on, enjoy me.” That is the call of maya. But, Srila Prabhupada said, if we don’t heed the call of maya, then eventually she will give up. She will realize this person is not interested. I am just wasting my time. That is like it happens in the material world. You are pursuing someone, you keep phoning, for whatever reason, and they never take your call. So eventually, you give up. You go, “Look, I have called so many times. The person never takes my call. It is obvious the person is not interested. So, forget it.” So, that is what we have to do when maya calls. We have to ignore her call. And as soon as we entertain her call, we come in her clutches.

A friend of mine told me he went, I think, for a job interview from Yahoo? And Yahoo has a room with a huge screen, and it keeps track of all the hits, and according to all the hits they get to charge their advertisers more. Or, I think what it is, is when someone advertises, every hit they get, they pay something to Yahoo. And he explained about telemarketing. It is the same thing. They keep track. So, there is a huge computer system, and all the telemarketers are linked together on the computer system, and there is a huge database that keeps track of your responses to telemarketers to see if you are a good prospect. So, if you don’t answer the phone, you are safe. If you answer the phone, and hear it is a telemarketer and immediately hang up, it is recorded. You answered the phone, so there is hope of getting to you. If you answer the phone, you find out that it is a telemarketer, and you speak to the person, even if you say, “I am sorry, I am not interested,” that is recorded, and you are considered an even better prospect than someone who just hangs up. And if you answer the phone and listen to what they say, and then say you are not interested, then you are considered a really good candidate. And that is recorded. And if you listen and say you will think about it, oh boy, you are like almost a perfect candidate. And if you actually buy some product or service, you are the perfect candidate. So, it is all recorded. Every phone call from a telemarketer, your response is recorded, and it goes into your file; how likely you are to respond to a telemarketer’s phone call.

So, it is like that with maya. She is calling us, and the more we heed her call, the more she is encouraged. “Oh boy, this person is really responsive. This person is really taking me seriously. Boy, this is a good candidate. I am really going to work on him.” And the more we neglect her, the more she will think, This person is not interested. There is no way to get through. I don’t think I can do anything with this person. But, of course, we are weak, and therefore, we pray to our superior authorities; take shelter of our superior authorities; take shelter the holy name; take shelter of the scriptures; take shelter of good devotees; take shelter of the Deities. And that will give us the strength to resist the calls of maya.

Yes, Narottama?

Narottama: Hare Krishna. Now, it is just regarding the appearance of Radha-kuṇḍa last night. And, when we had actually gone there for the Vraja Mandala parikramā, and with a group of devotees, about five hundred of us, we were being led by Lokanath Swami and Sacinandana Maharaja, from Germany, and then, Tamal Krishna Maharaja joined us, from Krishna-Balarama Mandir. But, the festival, just to give everyone just a quick idea of what it was like: All day long, we had been worshiping Radha-Krishna. Our party got there early in the morning, and so we were there, and it was really a powerful experience, because all day long, there were lectures like this about Radha-Krishna about the process of worshiping, and entering more deeply, and trying to develop the pure qualities of spontaneous love for Krishna.

So, one lecture, then a huge kirtan, then another lecture, and then another huge kirtan, and then another lecture, and another huge kirtan, until it got until late into the night. And, I remember by that point, the crowd was just phenomenal. It was like people were coming from every direction. It was no way of telling how many people were there. And what actually occurred, for me, is our kirtan party came down to the – there is like a set of stairs that comes down to the area of Radha-kuṇḍa, and then, there is another set of stairs that goes down into the water, actually. And the crowd became so intense that I had become pinned, and all of the devotees—there is hundreds of devotees—we were just completely compressed by the crowd. And I can remember, my feet weren’t touching the ground. Yes, I was compressed against the person in front of me. My feet were totally off of the ground, and I went down those stairs. Yes, it is a big set of stairs! Without touching the stairs. I was trying to feel it with my toes. And then, it was getting up till midnight, and the crowd was just, “Rādhe! Rādhe! Rādhe!“ It was incredible volume and intensity. And then, you are immediately just carried right down. And then, we got to just a few feet from Radha-kuṇḍa, and then people were cheering and jumping into the water and submerging themselves. And, just thousands and thousands and thousands of people. It was just a phenomenal experience. So, I would recommend definitely going on that portion of all of the Vraja Mandala parikramā, and getting this type of association that Maharaja is kindly of offering here.

I did have a question also, Maharaja. But my question was more dealing with the chanting of the holy name and developing the actual mood, the correct mood for arousing or awakening the spontaneous love, especially as is being described here in our line in the mood of Srila Rupa Gosvami. And, I know Tamal Krishna Maharaja, he lectured extensively on this topic, and one example of it, and I will give this microphone back to you with this question. And I was hoping you could take a little bit more time and elaborate on this. And he was describing, how as we chant, as we develop ourselves in chanting, it requires a very specific focus, and not just chanting in general. And he gave the example of someone calling your name in an official status, like going through an international immigration terminal, and someone just saying, “Are you Giriraj Swami?” And you just say, “Yes, I am.” “Okay, thank you very much,” and they stamp your passport and you go. So, you are saying that, in a very neophyte condition, or in a materialistic condition, we might chant the holy name like that. But he said what he found is, with most of us, we weren’t chanting with the desire for fruitive gain or a desire for jnana. He found that most of us were chanting out of duty. “Well, I have sixteen rounds. I have to finish these sixteen rounds, today.” But he told us that that type of chanting, that it was good and it would free us from sinful reaction, and we would become happy, but it wouldn’t bring us to the platform of pure love of Radha and Krishna. He was just saying that there is a tendency for us to oversimplify the process, and that he was recommending gaining śikṣā, just like you had described. At least, he was telling us that, don’t think you are going to get everything from – he was referring to himself as an initiating spiritual master—he said that Srila Prabhupada very specifically and numerously elaborated the necessity of a śikṣā-guru. So he was directing us like that.

So, without going farther, because I know you would know this topic much, much better than I do, I was just hoping if you could just touch on that a little bit on that specific – the correct type of chanting that brings us to the stage that you are describing here.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you for your nice comment and question.

I should mention now, and I am not sure exactly how it has been arranged, but Rasaraj Prabhu, has arranged a japa session with me tomorrow morning from nine to eleven. Unfortunately, it is during working hours for many devotees, but it is the best he could do; from 9:00 to 11:00.

In the japa retreats, one thing that Sacinandana Swami emphasizes is that we should be in the receiver’s mode; not in the achiever’s mode. In other words, we do our best, you could even say as a matter of duty, but we do our best to sit properly, to articulate the syllables exactly, to focus the mind on the mantra, on the sound of the mantra, and even to chant in a prayerful mood with one’s heart. But even doing all of that, the final result of that effort depends on Krishna; Krishna’s mercy. He compares—maybe I will discuss this tomorrow morning—but in South Indian temples, there is an outer wall, and you go through the gate, then, there is another wall; another gate; another wall; another gate. So, in this example, say the outer wall is the physical body; sitting properly with erect posture. And so, you do that, then you go in the next gate, and that is to pronounce the mantra correctly, each word. Okay. You go through the next gate, and that is to try to fix the mind on the sound of the mantra. It is a struggle, but you can do it to some extent. Then, you go on the next gate, and then the next gate, that brings you into the temple room. Then, you are in a very prayerful mood. That is the mood; the mood of prayer. But in spite of all that, the door to the Deity’s chamber may be closed. And it is not in your power to open that door; that door is not opened from the outside; that door is only opened from the inside.

And of course, the experience of japa – our experience of japa will depend on the quality of our life outside of the time when we chant japa. How Krishna conscious we are during the rest of the time. But generally, it is better to chant in the early morning. And in japa retreats, devotees have commented about the benefit of reading something about Krishna’s pastimes at night before they take rest. And Srila Prabhupada, himself, introduced a system of reading the Kṛṣṇa Book at night before devotees take rest. And devotees have commented that if they think of Krishna’s pastimes when they take rest by reading the Kṛṣṇa Book, or whatever, then in the morning when they chant their japa, it is sort of natural that they will think of Krishna’s pastimes, because whatever we think about, whatever we are attached to, we will tend to think about even when we are chanting. Although, we try not to, but if we are preoccupied with money; how to get money; how to pay the bills; how to juggle the finances; probably think about that when we are chanting japa. Or, we have a small child or an adolescent child, and thinking what is my child going through, and how is my child going to turn out, and what can I do, and that is what we are thinking about during the day, then those thoughts will probably come to mind when we are chanting, as well. So, the more we can think of Krishna during the day, then the more likely it is to think of Him when we chant. And especially at night, if we set that mood of reading about Krishna at night, and then, first thing in the morning, we bathe and come before the Deity and chant, then there is a better chance that the chanting will remind us of those pastimes.

I think that that would happen naturally if one is attracted to a certain kind of pastime. But, as Prabhupada always emphasized, we accept Krishna completely. It is not like some people are, “Oh, we don’t want Krishna speaking the Bhagavad-gītā. We only want Krishna with the gopīs.” No. We want Krishna as Krishna. We love Krishna in every respect, in all of His features and all of His incarnations, and They are all included in Madana-mohana; in Govinda; in Gopinatha; in Radha Raman. And our acharyas, they have all written commentaries on the Bhagavad-gītā. Most exalted acharya: Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. . .and they have written commentaries on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, beginning from the First Canto, covering all the Cantos; all the Chapters; all the incarnations; all the pastimes. So yes, and then preaching; it is the most purifying; it is the most pleasing to Krishna. If we preach, we really get mercy that will help us because we ultimately depend on mercy anyway. We can do everything that we are meant to do, we can try to do everything that we are meant to do, but ultimately we depend on mercy. And preaching is extremely purifying. It is talking about Krishna, it is bringing people to Krishna, it is pleasing to Krishna, and we get a lot of mercy from that. And, of course, Tamal Krishna Gosvami emphasized that along with everything else, that is essential; preaching is the essence. But yes, it is good, and again, especially in our line, to read about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, think of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, it is also very favorable. And within Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is kṛṣṇa-līlā. Caitanya-caritāmṛta is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Himself, was absorbed in thinking of kṛṣṇa-līlā, so with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu you get kṛṣṇa-līlā, too. But yes, I agree we should. . .

I think that the point about duty is well taken. I think what Gosvami Maharaja meant was duty without affection. He wasn’t suggesting we don’t do our duty. So, what we are talking about is duty without affection or duty with affection. And yes, so if we do all these things, then we will not just develop loving sentiments for Krishna, but we will enter into loving reciprocation with Krishna through our efforts to chant attentively and through our efforts to preach His message and bring new people to Him. You all feel Krishna’s reciprocation when we do that. When we distribute books, when we speak about Him, when we meet new people, when we answer questions, we feel Krishna’s reciprocation, and it becomes like a living relationship. And, yes, it is very vital and vivid. But, yes, I think that is a very good point. We should just really surrender ourselves to the process, give ourselves fully to the process, give our whole heart and soul to the process, and then the chanting will be part of it the whole process. It won’t be like a separate activity. Prabhupada said that one time, he was chanting his rounds, then, he commented to his servant, he had finished his sixteen rounds; puts his bead bag on his desk, said, “Okay. sixteen rounds finished. Now I can do any damn thing.” So yes. The whole thing should put us into this great flow, this great current of bhakti that will just carry us along to the lotus feet of Radha and Krishna.

All right, thank you very much. Oh yes, one other thing, because I have to leave for Houston on Thursday because they have arranged programs for me beginning Friday. But I did want to have more chance to associate with you all. So, on Wednesday, on Ekādaśī, we will have a program, I guess, at seven o’clock. Ārati is at 6:30, right?

Devotee: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. So, seven, maybe seven to eight, then Dāmodarāṣṭakam.

Srila Prabhupada, ki jaya!

Srila Gurudeva, ki jaya!

Gaura-premānande Hari Haribol!

Giriraj Swami, ki jaya!