Panihati Cida-dadhi Festival

Giriraj Swami: There is one verse at the Bhāgavatam where the gopīs sing their songs of separation from Krishna, they say that Krishna is glorified by poets, and one of the commentaries says that it is an indirect way of saying that it is exaggerated. But there is a little truth, in that I did have this dream; I mean really, I was a very young devotee, but it was just an image I had that I will go to Vrindavan and just roam—he rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite feeling separation from Radha and Krishna and the gopīs. And Prabhupada knew that, I mean he didn’t say anything but Prabhupada perceived that in me. So, one day in Juhu, very early he said, “First, you manage your father’s estate very expertly like Raghunatha dasa, then you go to Vrindavan and become a Gosvami.” So, it was a sort of chastisement, but in a way, it was also a promise or hope.

I would like to speak about Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s feelings of separation after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates left, many of them left. He wanted to go to Govardhana and give up his life by jumping from Govardhana hill. And first, he wanted to, of course, offer respects to Rupa and Sanatana—that was the depth of his feelings of separation. And when he met them, Sanatana Gosvami told him that, “I also had the idea of giving up my body under the wheels of the chariot of Jagannatha and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did not approve. So, you do not think of giving up your body but you stay with us. And you were privy to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s intimate pastimes, at the end especially. So, we will accept you as our younger brother and you tell us all about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s favorite pastimes,” which he did.

And we have heard about his renunciation, that every day or two or three, he would have a little leaf cup of buttermilk. So, one day Raghunatha dasa fell ill and his devotees were beside themselves, they did not know what to do to cure him. So, finally, they called a physician from Mathura to diagnose him and treat him. So, the physician came, I imagined maybe took his pulse, and said, “He is suffering from indigestion due to overeating.” And his disciples said, “It is not possible because he only eats like a little buttermilk every two or three days.” And Raghunatha dasa Gosvami said, “No, it is true, last night in the spiritual world there was a big festival and I ate too much sweet rice.”

So, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, he was instrumental in excavating Radha-kunda and he really demonstrated such great devotion and renunciation. Once some devotees in Juhu were informing Srila Prabhupada about some of his disciples who had gone to Radha-kunda and were basically living independently, taking shelter of the verse from the Nectar of Instruction, Upadeśāmṛta. And Srila Prabhupada made several points, first was they should begin with the first verse, vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ, first they should learn to control their senses. And then he mentioned Raghunatha dasa Gosvami as the example of how to live at Radha-kunda, and how he would chant so many holy names every day, how he would offer obeisances so many times to Vaishnavas; and he said, “That is how to live at Radha-kunda. If you can live in that way like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami then you can live at Radha-kunda.”

Regarding Tukaram’s version of my parents trying to bribe me or bribe Srila Prabhupada for me to leave, it is true, it happened a few times in different contexts. But one was in Calcutta and it was basically what Tukaram Prabhu said, that my father told Srila Prabhupada that he wanted to give me a million dollars, which was a lot more then than it is now, even now I guess it is quite a bit, but then it was really a lot. But he wanted me to come back to America to sign the papers, and Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, you can send the papers and he will sign.” And then there was some discussion. And my mothe, she was more concerned about my health; it was interesting that Srila Prabhupada said the Gosvamis were sickly, at least I had that in common with them. So yes, my mother was very concerned that I get enough protein to eat, because in those days people really had the idea if you do not eat meat, you will not get enough protein. So, Srila Prabhupada had a container of, I think he had two, he had sandeśa and rasagullā. His sister Pisima was there, so he had Pisima, maybe put a sandeśa in my mother’s hand and my father’s hand, and he said, “These are made of cheese, these are full of protein.” And then he said to me, “You must eat two dozen rasagullā and sandeśa every day.” I am working on it; it is a gradual process.

But anyway, they did want me to come back and my mother, she was crying, and Prabhupada said, “You leave him with me, I will take personal care, and then when I return to America in the spring, I will bring him with me.” Then I said to my father, “Just see how intelligent Srila Prabhupada is, because when it is pleasant in India, and it is too cold in the west in the winter, he is in India, and then when it gets too hot in India and it is pleasant in the west he goes to the west.” Now, by this time, my father was becoming very enlivened by Srila Prabhupada’s association, very enlivened. I said, “Just see how intelligent Srila Prabhupada is,” and my father said, “Yes, he is very intelligent.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “No, your son is intelligent because he has understood my strategy to always stay where the weather is good.” And my father said, “No, you are intelligent,” to Prabhupada. And Prabhupada said, “Well, I guess I must be because otherwise how could I attract so many intelligent young men like your son.” So, in this way, he was really you could say captivating my father, who was not ordinarily an easy person to captivate. And at the end of the meeting, I cannot go into all the details, but at the end of the meeting, as we were leaving Srila Prabhupada’s room, my father said to me, “I will say two things about your master: one, he is a brilliant organizer, and two, he really knows how to deal with people.” And in my father’s values system, those are the highest compliments that he could pay to someone.

But he did not forget, Prabhupada did not forget. And after a little while I went to Madras, and somehow in Madras I was eating very well, staying at different sympathizers’ homes, and I put on weight, and I also arranged a program for Srila Prabhupada and he came. And when he came and saw me in my healthy condition, he said, “You should take a picture and send it to your mother.” Very conscientious, caring, and practical.

So yes, I would say he is our everything, at least he is the source of all our good fortune, our knowledge, our everything really—for us it has come from Srila Prabhupada and we are eternally indebted to him. He gave us Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta which is such a gold mine, like a treasure house. And he really wanted us to read his books. The other day, I think yesterday, I got a letter from someone in Pune, who I don’t think I have even met, a lady who was just thinking about Srila Prabhupada’s efforts in writing his books, and how she felt that it was her duty to reciprocate with him for his effort, by reading his books and applying them in her life. But she felt she could not, something was missing, she was not somehow able to grasp everything and apply it, which is a good attitude. As His Holiness Gaura Govinda Maharaja Swami used to say, that everything is in Srila Prabhupada’s books, but you must go deep in an ocean, you must go deep to get those jewels that are at the bottom of the ocean. So yes, she wrote that letter and I really appreciated it. And we should do that too.

As His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja quoted: “I heard that Prabhupada said in Los Angeles that to approach Radha and Krishna you need the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, and to get the mercy of Lord Chaitanya you need the mercy of Lord Nityananda, and to get the mercy of Lord Nityananda you must approach people like Jagai and Madhai.” So, we do that, that pleases the Lord. One thing that really impressed me when I went to the Polish Festival Tour, of course, everything was so well done; the kirtan, the dramas, the question-and-answer booths where I was, prasāda, etc. But what really struck me about my visit there, was there was an overwhelming sense of happiness that came from the fact that Krishna was pleased, or the Pancha-tattva was pleased; They were pleased, and therefore, because They were pleased the whole festival site was filled with their pleasure. So, there was wonderful kirtans and dramas and little talks and prasāda, but because They were pleased, everyone felt pleased just being there because of their pleasure.

So, that is our goal to please the Pancha-tattva, to please the paramparā. And yes, it is a philosophical truth that if They are pleased, everyone will be pleased; but it is an experience that we can have tangibly. And I experienced that at the Polish Festival too. So, I am sure the Pancha-tattva here are pleased; we are pleased. And really, I am grateful. Earlier on I was thinking of this verse by Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, a beautiful verse, and in the verse, I am not able to recall the Bengali, but he says something like: “I am lame and I am slipping at every step, may the saints, the sadhus, give me support with the stick of their mercy.” And that is really how I feel all the time, and if I do not, I know I am in trouble. And I feel that way, with a stick here, sticks here and sticks everywhere, I pray to always have that association to support me, and I wish the same to all of you.

Hare Krishna.