ISKCON Is a Continuation of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sankirtana Movement

Giriraj Swami: 

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya Nityananda

jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Once, Srila Prabhupada said, “I am ISKCON.” And certainly, ISKCON is meant to embody Srila Prabhupada’s mood and principles. So, by studying how Srila Prabhupada continued Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement, especially in the mood of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, we can appreciate how ISKCON is meant to do so too. When an interviewer once asked Srila Prabhupada, “What is the goal of life?” He replied, “The goal of life is to enjoy. The effort to enjoy materially through the mind and senses leads only to frustration and misery. But spiritually, one can enjoy in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And that pleasure, unlike the temporary so-called happiness of the material world, is eternal. And that eternal happiness can be realized through the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

Nitya means eternal and ānanda means bliss. So, if we can come in touch with Lord Nityananda through Srila Prabhupada, we can realize that eternal bliss for which we are hankering. How do we become eligible for Srila Prabhupada’s and Lord Nityananda’s mercy? We can learn that from the description of Nityananda Prabhu’s qualities and pastimes in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Seventeen: “The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Youth,” Text Seventeen

Text 17

tabe śacī dekhila, rāma-kṛṣṇa — dui bhāi
tabe nistārila prabhu jagāi-mādhāi

TRANSLATION

Thereafter mother Śacīdevī saw the brothers Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Their manifestation of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda. Then the Lord delivered the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Jagāi and Mādhāi were two brothers born in Navadvīpa in a respectable brāhmaṇa family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful activities. By the order of Lord Caitanya, both Nityānanda Prabhu and Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness door to door. In the course of such preaching they found Jagāi and Mādhāi, two maddened drunken brothers, who, upon seeing them, began to chase them. The next day, Mādhāi struck Nityānanda Prabhu on the head with a piece of earthen pot, thus drawing blood. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard of this, He immediately came to the spot, ready to punish both brothers, but when the all-merciful Lord Gaurāṅga saw Jagāi’s repentant behavior, He immediately embraced him. By seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face and embracing Him, both the sinful brothers were at once cleansed. Thus they received initiation into the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra from the Lord and were delivered.

COMMENT

So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura to go into Navadvipa to approach whomever They met on the way, and to go door-to-door and request people to chant the name of Krishna, worship Krishna, and follow Krishna’s instructions, bōlō kṛṣṇa bhajō kṛṣṇa kōrō kṛṣṇa-śikṣā, and not to distinguish between who was qualified and who was not. And Srila Prabhupada preached in that mood. When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was ready to kill Jagai and Madhai, the all-merciful Nityananda Prabhu said, “No Lord, don’t do that. Don’t harm them. In Kali-yuga, our mission is not to kill the demons but to deliver them. And in Kali-yuga, pretty much everyone will be like Jagai and Madhai.”

In a conversation on June 11, 1975 in Honolulu, Srila Prabhupada said, “This is a good certificate we have got from some very authoritative person, that we are turning these drug addicted hippies into servants of Krishna and humanity. Is it not a good certificate?” “Yes, it is true. We were all hippies,” Govinda dasi replied. And Srila Prabhupada responded (chuckling), “This is the fact. And I came to America for this purpose. Pāpī tāpī yata chilo, hari nāme uddharilo tā’ra sākṣī jagāi mādhāi, hari nāme uddharilo, simply by chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu delivered all sinful men, all suffering humanity.” “Is it true? What is the evidence?” “Tā’ra sākṣī, jagāi mādhāi. Just see, Jagai and Madhai were drunkards. So, I thought, Why one Jagai and Madhai? Why not hundreds and thousands of them? If hari-nāma has got so much power. So, actually, it has done so. So, now you take it very seriously. Pāpī tāpī yata chilo, hari nāme uddharilo. Pāpī means sinful, and tāpī means suffering. So, these two classes of men are there all over the world; sinful and suffering. As soon as one becomes sinful, he will suffer. So, all these sinful and suffering beings were delivered simply by the method of saṅkīrtana. Hari nāme uddharilo. Tā’ra sākṣī jagāi mādhāi, people would actually see Jagai and Madhai what they were and what they have become. Try to administer this.”

And in his purport to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya, 16.65, Srila Prabhupada wrote. . . This is very significant, my dear devotees. So, please pay careful attention.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Jagāi and Mādhāi were delivered solely by Nityānanda Prabhu’s mercy. When they injured Nityānanda Prabhu, Lord Caitanya became angry and decided to kill them with His Sudarśana cakra, but Nityānanda Prabhu saved them from the Lord’s wrath and delivered them. In the incarnation of Gaura-Nitāi, the Lord is not supposed to kill demons but is supposed to deliver them by preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the case of Jagāi and Mādhāi, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so angry that He would have immediately killed them, but Nityānanda Prabhu was so kind that He not only saved them from death but elevated them to the transcendental position. Thus what was not possible for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was carried out by Nityānanda Prabhu.

Similarly, if one is true to Gaura-Nitāi’s service in the disciplic succession, he can even excel Nityānanda Prabhu’s service. This is the process of disciplic succession. Nityānanda Prabhu delivered Jagāi and Mādhāi, but a servant of Nityānanda Prabhu, by His grace, can deliver many thousands of Jagāis and Mādhāis. That is the special benediction of the disciplic succession.

COMMENT

And we see, Srila Prabhupada did that.

PURPORT (continued)

One who is situated in the disciplic succession can be understood by the result of his activities. This is always true as far as the activities of the Lord and His devotees are concerned. Therefore Lord Śiva says:

ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param
tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarcanam

“Of all types of worship, worship of Lord Viṣṇu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaiṣṇava.” (Padma Purāṇa)

By the grace of Viṣṇu, a Vaiṣṇava can render better service than Viṣṇu; that is the special prerogative of a Vaiṣṇava. The Lord actually wants to see His servants work more gloriously than Himself. If we simply follow Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instructions and follow in the footsteps of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can advance, and even more difficult tasks can be performed by the preachers remaining faithful to the service of the Lord.

COMMENT

So, Srila Prabhupada took up the same mood of approaching anyone and everyone; pious or sinful, qualified or unqualified, without discrimination. As Nityananda Prabhu said, “In Kali-yuga, practically everyone will be like Jagai and Madhai.” That may be more apparent in America and Europe than in India. Though I did hear a talk in which Prabhupada was discussing how demonic western civilization is, and how the leaders and pretty much everyone are demons. But then, he added, “Actually, in my country also, 80 percent are demons.” But still what Srila Prabhupada encountered in 1965 when he came to America was something that people now, especially people in India, can hardly imagine.

Krishna Chandra Prabhu (Hrishikesh Mafatlal) from Mumbai used to say that people cannot imagine who Srila Prabhupada encountered when he went to America. And Krishna Chandra Prabhu recommended that everyone see the DVDs of Srila Prabhupada when he came to America, first at 26 Second Avenue in New York, and then at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. People can’t imagine what type of people Prabhupada was approaching. And they didn’t always receive him well.

There was one incident when Srila Prabhupada was in New York. Everyone should read the Līlāmṛta as well as see the DVD series, “Following Srila Prabhupada.” So, there was one incident when Srila Prabhupada was in New York, living in a loft in the Bowery, which was the most degraded part of the city. It’s Skid Row inhabited mostly by drunks. But even they had a little respect, they would be sprawled out on the sidewalk and on the stairs leading up to Prabhupada’s apartment. But somehow, they sensed that Prabhupada was a saintly person and they would try to move over and make room for him to pass.

Prabhupada was staying with a young man who seemed interested in Krishna consciousness. In fact, Srila Prabhupada thought, I’ll train him as a Vaishnava. But one day, the young man went crazy, probably from taking LSD or something, the 1960’s equivalent of the strong liquor that Jagai and Madhai were taking 500 years ago. He went crazy and wanted to attack Prabhupada and he was ready to kill him, like Madhai was ready to kill Nityananda Prabhu. Prabhupada bolted out of the room and ran down the stairs with this young man in pursuit. Very similar. It is quite a history how Srila Prabhupada stayed in different people’s places and what he endured for the sake of delivering the mercy of Gaura-Nitai is inconceivable.

On the boat to America, he had suffered two heart attacks. And even in America he had a lot of physical problems. But he endured everything, all these attacks of maya for the sake of delivering Gaura-Nitai’s mercy to us. And what Nityananda Prabhu wanted in India has been fulfilled by Prabhupada outside India. What Nityananda Prabhu wanted was fulfilled in Bengal. But through Srila Prabhupada, it is being fulfilled throughout the world. So, Prabhupada really is the embodiment of the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. There has not been anyone in the history of our sampradāya, no one after Nityananda Prabhu, who had taken up that mood of approaching anyone and everyone without discrimination, without considering who is qualified and who is not.

And Srila Prabhupada presented the same message, “Chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna, and follow Krishna’s instructions.” But not in so many words, because the people that he was approaching didn’t even know who Krishna was. When Nityananda approached people in Navadvipa, “Chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna, follow Krishna’s instructions,” they knew who Krishna was, they knew what Nityananda was saying. But in America and Europe, nobody knew who Krishna was. So, “Just chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna,” had to be explained in books, and thus Srila Prabhupada wrote so many books to explain who is Krishna, what is Krishna’s name, how to chant Krishna’s name, how to worship Krishna, why we should accept Krishna as our life and soul, why we should surrender to Krishna—the same message that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked Nityananda Prabhu to deliver to everyone, but in an expanded form, because the people Prabhupada was approaching had no idea of Krishna’s identity or instructions.

When we go out with Srila Prabhupada’s books, it is like when Mahaprabhu sent Nityananda and Haridasa to approach people with that message. Sometimes devotees are not well received, but even Nityananda and Haridasa were not always well received. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would have nocturnal kirtans in Srivasa Thakura’s house, and if anyone was proud, he was not allowed to enter. Only humble, pure devotees were allowed.

So all these proud people in Navadvipa were upset and angry that they weren’t allowed to join the kirtan, and when Nityananda and Haridasa came, they were angry with them—“Oh, you’ve come from that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srivasa Thakura”—and they spread rumors about them: “They are thieves. They come to your door and say to chant Krishna’s name and worship Krishna, but really what they are doing is looking in your house to see what you have so that they can come back at night and steal it.” They were spreading a lot of false propaganda. So, we have to accept that, expect it and accept it, without being deterred. It didn’t stop Nityananda Prabhu, and it didn’t stop Srila Prabhupada, and it shouldn’t stop any of us.

This is the continuation of Nityananda Prabhu’s mission, and Srila Prabhupada really had that mood. When one of Prabhupada’s early disciples came to India and the Calcutta temple president phoned Prabhupada in Bombay to tell him that the devotee was smoking ganja, marijuana, and asked what to do, Prabhupada told his secretary to relay his response: “Tell him that if he doesn’t stop smoking ganja, I will reject him.” Afterwards, Tamal Krishna Goswami asked Prabhupada, “Is it true that if he doesn’t stop smoking ganja you will reject him?” And Prabhupada said, “No, I cannot reject anyone.” Tamal Krishna Goswami asked, “But don’t you have to draw the line somewhere?” And Prabhupada replied, “The mercy of Lord Nityananda has no limit.” So, that was Srila Prabhupada’s mood; he was in the mood of Nityananda Prabhu.

We are the recipients of Gaura-Nitai’s mercy through Srila Prabhupada. By Prabhupada’s mercy, we are chanting Krishna’s name, worshiping Krishna, and following Krishna’s instructions, accepting Krishna as the goal of our lives. And it is also by Prabhupada’s mercy and order that we preach the same message to others. We can speak to our capacity, and whatever our capacity to speak may or may not be, we can give people Srila Prabhupada’s books, which convey the same message of Mahaprabhu. We just elaborate on it and present it in a way that people without any background in Vedic knowledge can understand.

So, we can pray to Srila Prabhupada to inspire and empower us with his mood of humble persuasion. I saw that mood in him. He often instructed us about it, but I saw it personally. When we first came to Bombay, there was a program on the terrace of the house where we were staying—Seksaria Bhavan, on Marine Drive. It was very nice, very glamorous, near the sea, and our host, Kailash Seksaria, had invited all the elite, affluent, aristocratic people he knew in Bombay. And Srila Prabhupada, with the same humility as Nityananda Prabhu, implored them, “I am taking the straw in my mouth and begging you, please chant Hare Krishna.”

Prabhupada often quoted a verse by Prabodhananda Sarasvati about how we should approach people. The verse goes dante niḍhāya tṛṇākāṁ padayor nipatya, “I take the straw in my mouth.” It is a sign of utter humility. “And I bow at your feet.” Kaku-ṣaṭam kṛtvā cāham bravimi. “And I flatter you a hundred times.” He sādhavaḥ: O great learned man. Sakalam eva vihāya dūrāt: Whatever you have learned, you keep it far away from you. And caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam: Just accept the mercy of Lord Gauranga, just surrender to Lord Gauranga, become attached to Lord Gauranga’s lotus feet. Srila Prabhupada did that.

In one of my favorite statements of Srila Prabhupada’s, He said, “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 have to approach people like Jagai and Madhai.” If we ever feel, “Oh, I’m too high, I’m too holy, I can’t approach these people,” we should think of that instruction and Prabhupada’s own example and really pray, beg, to be humble instruments of his love and mercy and compassion. As his Guru Maharaja told him, “That will be good for you and good for the people who hear you.”

So, ISKCON really is a continuation of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement, distributing mercy as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu did, following in the footsteps of our beloved Srila Prabhupada.

Hare Krishna. So, my dear devotees, thank you for joining us for this auspicious discussion of how Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON are continuing the saṅkīrtana movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu. And now, if any of you like, you can ask questions or share reflections. Hare Krishna.

Deva Madhava dasa: Thank you Maharaja, wonderful talk, and I love the parallel of Prabhupada’s own experience, especially that memorable anecdote from Līlāmṛta in the Bowery and nearly getting stabbed, and paralleling that with the abuse that Lord Nityananda took from MadhaI in his persistence in continuing to give them mercy. We’ll see if any other questions come up, but I would like to ask just a natural question that I hear often, and even myself have wondered. Because we hear the statement as you began: Prabhupada and ISKCON, ISKCON is my body. And at the same time, we see because of ISKCON’s worldly presence, then there are some things that you wouldn’t expect to see in the spiritual master’s body, to put it lightly. So, when we see those kinds of inconsistencies with the worldly developments, which are kind of expected, how do we harmonize that with understanding that ISKCON is in fact the body of its founder acharya, Srila Prabhupada?

Giriraj Swami: Well Srila Prabhupada said, “I am ISKCON.” In fact, in one conversation, the way he said it is, “If I say that I am ISKCON, what is wrong there? Because I have created this. Therefore, I say, ‘I am ISKCON.’ So, what is wrong there?” I see ISKCON as it is in relation to Srila Prabhupada’s statement, “I am ISKCON,” I see it in its ideal form. And the discrepancies; apparent discrepancies or real discrepancies may be there, but that doesn’t really, in my mind, detract from the ideal of ISKCON, as Srila Prabhupada established it. And I also think of a verse that sort of runs parallel to the idea behind your question. A verse from Upadeśāmṛta, I’ll just read it.

Well, the idea is that even though there may be foam and refuse in the Ganges, it doesn’t diminish the purity of the Ganges. And so, one just sort of pushes aside those impurities and takes advantage of the pure Ganges. So, that’s the basic idea. And this Text Six, I think is very relevant from Upadeśāmṛta in relation to your question that if we see ISKCON as Prabhupada, then how can there be faults in ISKCON? And I will just read the translation.

TEXT 6

Being situated in his original Kṛṣṇa conscious position, a pure devotee does not identify with the body. Such a devotee should not be seen from a materialistic point of view.

COMMENT

So, this, I’m saying, could apply to ISKCON.

Deva Madhava dasa: Yes, very well.

TEXT 6 continued

Indeed, one should overlook a devotee’s having a body born in a low family, a body with a bad complexion, a deformed body, or a diseased or infirm body. According to ordinary vision, such imperfections may seem prominent in the body of a pure devotee.

Giriraj Swami: ISKCON, meaning Prabhupada’s body.

TEXT 6 continued

But despite such seeming defects, the body of a pure devotee cannot be polluted. It is exactly like the waters of the Ganges, which sometimes during the rainy season are full of bubbles, foam and mud. The Ganges waters do not become polluted. Those who are advanced in spiritual understanding will bathe in the Ganges without considering the condition of the water.

Deva Madhava dasa: Thank you, Maharaja. Beautiful reference, very appropriate. We have a question from Anuradha. She is asking, “What is ISKCON’s duty or role now during the conflict in terms of continuing Lord Chaitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement?” I’m sure in reference to the geopolitical situation and what’s changed over the last few days.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, in Ukraine.

Deva Madhava dasa: Right. And in terms of that, what is ISKCON’s role or duty? She is asking in terms of continuing Lord Chaitanya saṅkīrtana movement, given the current circumstances.

Giriraj Swami: Well, whenever there is some crisis in the world, which happens from time to time, my first thought is, We have to distribute more books, because the books can purify people’s consciousness and enlighten them with spiritual knowledge so they know how to behave properly. I would say all the conflicts are based on the bodily conception of life, identifying with the body, “I am this. You are that.” So, we fight.

Deva Madhava dasa: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: And by understanding that we are not the body from the Bhagavad-gītā and as explained by Srila Prabhupada throughout his books, that we are all the same, we are all soul, we are all part and parcel of Krishna, Krishna is the Supreme Father, we are all brothers, then that elusive goal of universal brotherhood can be achieved. And from what I understand, the devotees in Ukraine are giving shelter to many souls who need shelter and giving them prasāda. So, our devotees are very heroic. Almost every time there is some crisis, they rise to the occasion with providing shelter and prasāda. So, yeah, we have a very important mission, and we have Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.

Deva Madhava dasa: Thank you, so bring a reminder. More saṅkīrtana is the answer. Let’s see, one last question, Maharaja. This is from Sakshi Lakhyani, and they are saying, “Dear Guru Maharaja, Jagai and Madhai were purified immediately upon contact with Mahaprabhu. And although we have even more contact with Mahaprabhu in His Arca Vigraha form, in His Deity form, still, we don’t see that kind of instant purification that happened for Jagai and Madhai. So, why is it taking so long?” [laughter] And they continue on, “Are we dirtier than Jagai and Madhai? When will we be purified?” So, I think it’s the natural anxiety most of us have. “Is the process working? We are contacting the holy name and Mahaprabhu and Prabhupada and the Bhāgavatam and saints like yourself, and still, it seems like the magic wand hasn’t been waived yet. So, what should we understand?

Giriraj Swami: Well, I would say the answer is also in The Nectar of Instruction, Upadeśāmṛta, utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt. Patience. Utsāhā is enthusiasm, niścayād is confidence, and dhairyāt is patience. So, we have to be patient. Srila Prabhupada explains the principle of patience very nicely in the purport. But we have to be patient, we can’t expect that immediately, all of a sudden, we’ll be completely purified. I mean, Jagai and Madhai received special mercy from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu in person. And one thing, it is said about them that although they had so many sinful habits, one thing they never did was blaspheme Vaishnavas.

Lord Chaitanya-Nityananda delivered Jagai and Madhai, and to welcome them into His association, the Lord invited Jagai and Madhai to come for kirtan. And during the kirtan, Lord Chaitanya absorbed all of their sinful reactions. His golden body became blackish. They asked Advaita Acharya, “What do you see?” Advaita Acharya said, “I see Shyamasundara. Gaurasundara has become Shyamasundara.”

So then, Lord Chaitanya raised the question, “Well, what will happen to all these sinful reactions?” And then, He gave the answer that they will go to those who blaspheme Vaishnavas. And although Jagai and Madhai had so many other faults, they didn’t have the fault of blaspheming Vaishnavas.

So, my dear Sakshi Lakhyani, I’m not suggesting that you blaspheme Vaishnavas, but I am making the point that we should not blaspheme Vaishnavas and be patient. Srila Prabhupada said that we need both enthusiasm and patience; that patience without enthusiasm can lead to lethargy, and enthusiasm without patience can lead to a desire to control. So, we can’t exactly control when we’ll be delivered, but we do our best and we patiently wait for the Lord’s mercy.

So yeah, be patient and you’ll be delivered, I’m quite hopeful.

Deva Madhava dasa: I’m sure she found that a satisfying answer. Thank you, Maharaja.

I’m going to use one more question here. This is from Yamuna dasi. I think this might be a nice one to close with, Maharaja. She is asking, “Many followers of Srila Prabhupada feel they can still be connected to Prabhupada and the continuation of the saṅkīrtana movement without being affiliated to ISKCON. How is that possible if ISKCON is Srila Prabhupada? Is the mercy in ISKCON more than anywhere else? Especially in Prabhupada’s departure, we’ve seen the years different devotees being more or less affiliated with ISKCON and still considering themselves followers of Prabhupada. How would you suggest we see that dynamic, Maharaja?”

Giriraj Swami: Well, of course, it has to be taken in context, but there is one statement in a purport in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in which Srila Prabhupada says that anyone who thinks that they can be Krishna conscious outside of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is simply living a hallucination. So, I mean, personally, I received an instruction from Srila Prabhupada that has removed any doubt from my mind about leaving ISKCON.

I asked Srila Prabhupada, “Now you are here and everything is good and ISKCON is up to the standard. But what if in the future when you are not here, ISKCON falls from the standard? What should I do?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “You are also an important member of the society,” which I didn’t really think I was. At that time, I was quite new. He said, “You are also an important member of the society, so you work for the correction. But don’t leave.” So, I take that as a binding instruction from Srila Prabhupada to me personally, and I would like others to take it as an instruction for themselves as well. I mean, yeah, I have a lot of faith in Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON. And I think devotees will be safer on the ship of ISKCON with Srila Prabhupada as the captain.

But of course, we can’t say that absolutely no one can become Krishna conscious outside of ISKCON. We can’t say that. But I would say that ISKCON affords a very wholesome and congenial and powerful facility to become Krishna conscious.