Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

[Respected Harikatha Readers, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga. This year, 2013, Sunday, May 12th (in America) is Aksaya-tritiya, (an auspicious day to start new projects), Candana-yatra of Lord Jagannatha, the anniversary of the inauguration of Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti,  and the opening of the doors of Sri Badrinarayana.  

Temple of Sri Bhadri-narayana

Today is a very auspicious day – Aksaya-trtiya. We will observe it tomorrow, however, because today there are three tithis (time periods, like days) in one day. Today the door of Bhadri-narayana will be open, and therefore a festival will be observed in Puri with Lord Jagannatha. Candana-yatra will also begin on this auspicious day.

Especially, anyone who will begin anything on this day, that endeavor will be successful. Aksaya means ‘not perishable.’  If you are sincerely taking diksa initiation today, your bhakti will be very successful.

Today, on Aksaya-trtiya the universe was created by Brahma. The universe took its shape today, so today is the first day of Creation. Also, Brahma created barley, which is like a medicine, and which is the root of all the corn and other foodstuffs. Barley is given today to Krsna.

Today is the birthday of our Gaudiya Vedanta Society. On this day Sri Abhaya Carana Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja became one of the founder members of Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti.

Devotee: Not many devotees realize this.

Brajanath dasa:  The Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti was founded by Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja (the diksa-guru of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja) in 1941. Srila Prabhupada was present there.

Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: He was one of the founding members. Krsna Consciousness and Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti are the same thing. This Krsna Consciousness movement is actually coming from Brahma, Narada, Vyasa, and Sukadeva Gosvami, who are all members of ISKCON. To serve Krsna is ISKCON. Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja is not the establisher of ISKCON, but the re-organizer. He himself has said this. *

ISKCON is transcendental. All those who serve Krsna, and all those who wish to serve Krsna, are ISKCON. So, we are all in ISKCON.

[Endnote: “Thus Brahma was initiated by the Krsna mantra, by Lord Krsna Himself, and thus he became a Vaisnava, or a devotee of the Lord, before he was able to construct the huge universe. It is stated in the Brahma-samhita that Lord Brahma was initiated into the eighteen-letter Krsna mantra, which is generally accepted by all the devotees of Lord Krsna. We follow the same principle because we belong to the Brahma sampradaya, directly in the disciplic chain from Brahma to Narada, from Narada to Vyasa, from Vyasa to Madhva Muni, from Madhva Muni to Madhavendra Puri, from Madhavendra Puri to Isvara Puri, from Isvara Puri to Lord Caitanya and gradually to His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, our divine master.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.9.6 Purport)

In another verse, Rupa Gosvami says, krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih kriyatam yadi kuto ‘pi labhyate. (I have translated the words Krsna consciousness from krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita.) So here Rupa Gosvami advises, “If Krsna consciousness is available, please purchase it immediately. Don’t delay. It is a very nice thing.” (Srila Prabhupada’s Journey of Self Discovery)]

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

[An excerpt from the Harikatha Festival in Wales: May 10, 1998] 

You have all come here from so many faraway places; you have spent so much money to come here. Some of you have come from India, and some of you have given up their jobs to come here – only to hear from me, and also to attend the classes of the devotees here.

You should try to attend morning mangala-arati [*see endnote], Tulasi-parikrama (circumambulation of the sacred Tulasi plant), giving water to Tulasi, vandana (singing prayers), some kirtana, then breakfast, and then again hearing class from 10am to 12 noon. Then taking some rest, always chanting and remembering, and again attending our class in the evening up till 8 or 9pm. Then after class, you can chant by yourselves, and then take the remnants of Krsna’s prasada. Then you can sleep, continuing to chant and remember at that time as well, and then again begin all these devotional activities the next morning.

I want to know who has not attended mangala-arati today. I want those who didn’t attend to hold up their hands.

[Seeing many hands raised, Srila Maharaja says with an affectionate chastising tone:] Oh, so much thanks to you all. So much thanks to you, because you have spent so much money to come here. I don’t know what you were doing this morning. If you were chanting during mangala-arati – if you give me the explanation that, “I was chanting” – then my reply is, “You can chant before or after arati, and you can sleep before or after; no harm.” And if your explanation is, “Oh, we were busily chattering and prattling with each other,” then I will reply, “No harm; you can chatter and prattle after arati.”

[Continuing with the same affectionate chastising tone mixed with sarcasm in his voice:] So, I am happy. I want to be like you, because as you have left all these things – chattering and prattling, and sleeping and talking. I cannot do as you have done. I want to be with Krsna in the same way as you, having given up all worldly things. I think that you are really renounced persons, like sannyasis, because for self-recreation and self-interest you can give up Krsna; so you are really very advanced. [The sarcasm ends here, but the affectionate chastisement continues.…]

Those who are giving up everything for Krsna are really very selfish, so selfish, because they want to gain something – and you want to lose everything. Don’t be like this. You have wasted so much money.

You have come here to be inspired for seven days. This Harikatha Festival is a time for training. We have seen in the police force that the recruits undergo training for one month, or six months. This is true in the field of law as well, and in practically every field there is some special training. So please understand that this festival is a special training for devotees, all kinds of devotees. Try to attend all the classes, and try to be very strong.

If you are strong during my visit here, you will be strong forever. Even if you are alone, you will be very strong and qualified to teach others. How can a lazy man, a person who is not doing bhajana, help others? So think of this as a training period, and do not miss any of the devotional programs or functions.

Otherwise, those who are managing will fine you. Do you know the meaning of ‘fine’? Actually, Krsna is the manager, and He will fine you. He has the authority to fine you, and He also has the power and authority to punish you.

Hare Krsna.

*Endnotes:

[Mangala-arati definition – the daily predawn worship ceremony honoring the Deity of the Supreme Lord, which brings auspiciousness (mangala) to the performer.]

[So this arcana-paddhati, the devotional service, although we have got this material body, under the direction of sastra, under the direction of spiritual master, we are working, we are trying to serve God, Krsna. So that service is as good as the service in the spiritual world. There is no difference. Just like… The example is: just like you have got a green mango. Green mango. So the green mango is not so tasteful, but when it is ripe, it is tasteful. The mango is not different. The same mango. You wait. You wait for the time when it is ripened; you will taste it, nice. Similarly, in the beginning, in the neophyte stage, when we say, “You must rise early in the morning, you offer mangala-arati, you do this, you take your bath,” these things, because we are not ripened, in the neophyte stage, these things appear to be botheration, not tasteful. But you have to do it under the order of the spiritual master and the order of the sastras. Because unless you practice, how you can…

But when it is ripened by practicing, practicing, when one is accustomed… Say by practicing he develops love for God. Then, when he’s in love for God, he cannot do without it. Automatically he will rise early in the morning, automatically he’ll do everything. It is simply the question of time to arrive to that ripened stage. (lecture by Srila Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja, August 17, 1971)]

[People still, in India, those who are rich men, they have got their family temple Deities. One temple is there in Kanpur. The family members, they are very rich. The rule is that if the family members do not come in the temple to offer obeisances to the Deity, they’ll be fined. The mother, the head of the family… Mother is still living. She has imposed this law, that “Any of my children or grandchildren, if he or she does not visit the temple, then according to this rule, this fine should be realized from them.” So if somebody misses to go in the temple one day, the priest presents the bill: “Sir, you have been fined five rupees.” So they pay. Yes. So we should also enforce that rule. Anyone who is not attending mangala-arati should be fined. (laughter) And the fine should be that he must sell one Krsna book. Is that all right? (Srila Prabhupada’s lecture of June 1, 1972)]

[note: Srila Prabhupada’s Vedabase quotes are presented here exactly as they appear in his Vedabase folio.] 

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

Sao Paulo, Brazil: January 15, 2010

A Morning Walk

Devotee: Gurudeva, I want to ask if it’s okay to chant the Panca-tattva mantra [“Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasadi Gaura-bhakta-vrnda”] on my japa beads?

Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Why?

Devotee: Because if we chant to Panca-tattva, they forgive all our aparadhas in chanting. There is no aparadha.

Srila Gurudeva: You can do this on another mala (not tulasi-mala). The maha-mantra is Radha-Krsna, and Panca-tattva is Panca-tattva. Nityananda Prabhu is present in the Panca-tattva mantra, so how can both be together? *

Brajanath dasa: Gurudeva, In ISKCON they are teaching that after finishing one mala…

Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Have I told you to do this? Do not follow what I have not instructed you. In kirtana you can chant to Nityananda Prabhu and the Panca-tattva, but not on the tulasi beads.

Any further question?

Priyanatha dasa: Gurudeva, I want to give my life in your service, but sometimes I am scared to surrender my material life.

Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Chant more loudly, and try to be saranagata (surrendered). Try to hear hari-katha from superior Vaisnavas.

[*Endnote: The tulasi-mala represents Sri Radha-Krsna and Her gopi friends and their confidential pastimes. The first eight beads (after which there is usually a knotted string) represents Her eight principle gopis, beginning from Lalita-devi and Visakha-devi. 

Nityananda Prabhu is Baladeva himself. As Baladeva Prabhu does not remain with Krsna when Krsna is together with Sri Radha and Her gopi friends (except on special occasions such as Holi and Krsna’s lifting Govardhana Hill), so Nityananda Prabhu’s name, which is non-different from Nityananda Prabhu Himself, is not chanted on tulasi beads.-ed]

[Respected Harikatha Readers,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga. 
This year, 2013, the divine appearance day of Srivasa Thakura, the intimate associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and one of the five glorious members of Sri Panca Tattva, is on April 3rd (in India). We pray that you accept our offering to you in honor of this auspicious day – a few excerpts of lectures that our Srila Gurudeva, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, gave throughout the years, in which he glorified this great personality. 
Your aspiring servants, The Harikatha team]

ON VYASA PUJA

Hilo, Hawaii, on January 21, 2004

Sri Vyasa-puja is observed for the purpose of pleasing Krsna, and it has been celebrated since the very beginning of our parampara. Sri Sukadeva Gosvami first performed Vyasa-puja to his Gurudeva, Srila Vyasadeva himself. Then, Srila Suta Gosvami performed Guru-puja to his Gurudeva, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami. Just before replying the questions of the sages at Naimasaranya he prayed:

yam pravrajantam anupetam apeta-krtyam
dvaipayano viraha-katara ajuhava
putreti tan-mayataya taravo bhinedus
tam sarva-bhuta-hrdayam munim anato ‘smi
(Srimad-Bhagavatan 1.2.2)

[“I offer pranama to Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, who can enter the hearts of all living beings. When he left home without undergoing the purificatory processes such as accepting the sacred thread, his father Sri Vyasadeva cried out, ‘O my son!’ As if they were absorbed in that same feeling of separation, only the trees echoed in response to his call.”]

Srila Sukadeva Gosvami prayed, “O Sri Vyasadeva, my father and Gurudeva, how marvelous you are! And how merciful! You are causelessly merciful! You dragged me from the forest and from Mayavada philosophy to your lotus feet, and you taught me Srimad-Bhagavatam. By your mercy I was totally changed.” This is the duty of a guru.

The bona fide guru does not consider that his disciples are his property. He does not think, “They are my property.” Nowadays I see this going on. So-called gurus think that their disciples are their property; so they accept all their offerings and fall down. A real guru never thinks like that.

At the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu there was a meeting in the evening after nagara-sankirtana in the house of Srivasa Pandita. In the meeting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu announced, “Tomorrow is Vyasa-puja. Srivasa, we will observe Vyasa-puja here in your courtyard. Do you have the paraphernalia?”

Srivasa Thakura replied, “Oh, yes. I have sacred thread, betel nut, rice and all other required ingredients and paraphernalia.” Mahaprabhu ordered, “We should be ready at nine in the morning.”

All others came on time the next day, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself arrived somewhat late, and saw that all were waiting for Him. He asked, “Why are you waiting? Nityananda Prabhu is My guru – My guru-varga (senior). It seems that he is My elder brother, but I see him in relation to his Gurudeva, who is My param-gurudeva (grand spiritual master). Nityananda is My Gurudeva’s guru and is still greater; so He will perform Vyasa Puja.” [Nityananda Prabhu had taken diksa from Laksmipati Tirtha, the guru of Sri Madhavendra Puri, who was in turn the parama-guru of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Nityananda Prabhu was actually Sri Madhavendra Puri’s god-brother, but He accepted him as His siksa-guru.]

Before Mahaprabhu’s arrival, Srivasa Thakura, Sri Advaita Acarya, and all others had requested Sri Nityananda Prabhu to perform Vyasa-puja. They had told Him, “Please begin.” Nityananda Prabhu replied, “Yes, yes, I am just about to do it. I will do it right now.” But He was not doing it. He simply remained in his seat. Then, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came He at once ordered Nityananda Prabhu, “Why are You delaying? You should begin Vyasa-puja.”

Nityananda Prabhu then took a very beautiful, fragrant garland and placed it around the neck of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, saying, “You are the same as Lord Krsna,” and then He began to perform the arati and worship of Mahaprabhu.

Sriman Mahaprabhu became ashamed, thinking, “Why is He doing this?” Nityananda Prabhu, who is Baladeva Prabhu Himself, possesses full knowledge of all tattva (established truths). In fact, His lotus feet stand on the head of all tattvas. He replied, “What I am doing is correct. We should try to please the worshipable Deity of Srila Vyasadeva – Rasamayi Sri Krsna, who is akhila-rasamitra-sindhu (an ocean of the nectar of pure transcendental mellows). This is Vyasa-puja.”

ON MAINTAINING ONE’S BODY

New Braja, Badger, CA: June 1, 2002

In this world, it is essential to maintain our life. Without this, we can’t do our bhajana. But don’t be worried about this. Your maintenance will come automatically, according to our previous activities. If something comes, that is okay, and if something that you have collected is lost, still you should not worry. Suppose you have deposited many thousands of dollars in a bank, but somehow your business failed and your money was lost. Don’t worry about that. You cannot achieve krsna-prema, or anything else, by money. You cannot eat your bank money. You can only eat two capatis or two slices of bread – nothing more. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura quotes in his Bhajana Rahasya:

alabdhe va vinaste va
bhaksyacchadana-sadhane
aviklava-matir bhutva
harim eva dhiya smaret

[“The mind of one who has taken shelter of the holy name is undisturbed even if food and clothes are not easily obtained or if they are obtained but then lost. Leaving behind all material attachments, he takes complete shelter of Govinda.” (Padma Purana)]

Chant Hare Krsna without any worry.

Remember Srivasa Pandita and his four brothers. They chanted throughout the night, “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” and “Hari haraya nama krsna yadavaya namah.” There was nothing to eat in Srivasa Pandita’s house, and Mahaprabhu told him, “You chant Hare Krsna day and night, but you should also try to maintain yourself. Make some money by working or by begging. Somehow or other you should maintain yourself and your family.”

Srivasa Pandita replied, “We will not do so. We will only chant.” Then he clapped three times as he said, “One, two, three.” Mahaprabhu asked, “What are you doing?” Srivasa Pandita replied, “I will wait one day, and if there is no food, I will wait for another day, and then for a third day. Then, if nothing comes by the third day, I will jump in the Ganges. I will say, ‘Hare Krsna’ and jump.” Mahaprabhu then told all the devotees that those who have sincerely taken shelter and are sincerely chanting will never have to beg. Laksmi, the Goddess of Fortune herself, may beg, but My devotees will never have to do so. I will take responsibility for their maintenance on My own head, and I will arrange everything for them. I will maintain them; this is My promise.” Have strong faith in this.

Devotee: Gurudeva, you described some of the glories of Srivasa Thakura. You said he was not even concerned when his little son died during the kirtana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him to come back, but he said, “No, I am in a better place now.” My question is what better place could he be in? He was already in Mahaprabhu’s kirtana with Srivasa Thakura.

Srila Gurudeva: Krsna had called him to participate in the pastimes He was performing in prakata Vraja in one of the universes. He was playing with Krsna and His associates there, and he was very happy. He therefore told Mahaprabhu, “Let me stay here; I am very happy here.” It may be that, due to his sadhana-bhajana, he had become a gopi and he was residing with all the gopis. He may have been with Sri Rupa Manjari. Why would he want to return? His new situation was the fruit of his serving Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

sokamarsadibhir bhavair
akrantam yasya manasam
katham tasya mukundasya
sphurttih sambhavana bhavet

[“Within the heart of one who is full of anger or pride, or lamentation about the state of his wife or sons, there is no possibility of Krsna being manifest.” (Padma Purana)]

What is the meaning?

Sripad Madhava Maharaja: This sloka concerns one whose heart is afflicted by lamentation and anger. Amarsa means anger and soka means sadness. If you loose material things, you become very sad. If you are always absorbed in these two things, then Mukunda, meaning Bhagavan Krsna, will not manifest in your heart.

Srila Gurudeva: If your mind is disturbed, if your heart is disturbed and thus contaminated by these two things, Krsna will not manifest there. Therefore, try to keep your heart very pure in all circumstances. If you lose anything in this world, what harm is there? Sri Rupa Gosvami and Sri Sanatana Gosvami were highly posted officials in the government, but they left their positions. Why? We want to engage all our property in Krsna’s service, but they left their property.  So, if your property is later stolen or lost, why lament? Don’t lament. Otherwise, your heart will be impure and you will not be able to remember Krsna.

yavata syat sva-nirvahah
svikuryat tavad arthavit
adhikye nyunatayanca
cyavate paramarthatah

[“If the devotee accepts those things necessary for the maintenance of his life, it does not mean he is a sense enjoyer. The devotee neither accepts too much nor too little, for that hampers his progress towards his goal.” (Naradiya Purana)]

For whom has this sloka been told? It has not been told for the kanistha-adhikari. The kanistha-adhikari should engage his money and everything else for Krsna; but this sloka is for those who have ruci. It is for those like Srivasa Pandita. They think, “Whatever comes is okay.” They chant the holy name and remain undisturbed, and even if death comes they are not disturbed. Rather, they think, “Many diseases may come, or a relative may die; no harm.” They are always satisfied and they are always chanting.

bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir
anyatra caisa trika eka-kalah
prapadyamanasya yathasnatah syus
tustih pustih ksud-apayo ‘nu-ghasam

[“Devotions, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things – these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way as pleasure, nourishment, and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite for a person engaged in eating.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 11.2.42)]

If you are chanting and remembering but if there is no vairagya (renunciation), it means there is some ‘leakage’ in your bhakti. If you are chanting and remembering, but you are not satisfied and you are always hankering for worldly things, there is some leakage. Try to repair that leak. Otherwise, it will be as though you are pouring water in a pot, but all the water is pouring out through the many holes in that pot. Anarthas and offences are like holes. You should try to repair the problem. Otherwise, if you do not do so, you will not be able to do bhajana.

ON RATHA-YATHA (THE HERA PANCAMI FESTIVAL)
[Excerpts from Origin of Ratha-yatra]

While Caitanya Mahaprabhu was tasting all this katha , He said, “I have never heard anything like this before – that Laksmi has come with her whole party as a commander-in-chief, as if to attack.” Laksmi began to beat Krsna’s chariot, and Srivasa Pandita began clapping. He was very happy that the associates of Laksmi were chastising the associates of Vrndavana, imprisoning them, “beating” them, taking a fine from them, taking their garlands and ornaments, and punishing them.

srivasa hasiya kahe, – suna, damodara
amara laksmira dekha sampatti vistara
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 14.203

[“At this time, Srivasa Thakura smiled and told Svarupa Damodara, “My dear sir, please hear! Just see how opulent my goddess of fortune is!”]

vrndavanera sampad dekha, – puspa-kisalaya
giridhatu-sikhipiccha-gunjaphala-maya
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 14.204

[“As far as Vrndavana’s opulence is concerned, it consists of a few flowers and twigs, some minerals from the hills, a few peacock feathers, and the plant known as gunja.”]

Srivasa Pandita smiled and said, “There are no golden crowns in Vrndavana. There are only flutes made of dry bamboo, and some peacock feathers, and Krsna only wears a pitambara and flower garlands. There is nothing of any value there.”

eta sampatti chadi’ kene gela vrndavana
tanre hasya karite laksmi karila sajana
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 14.206)

Laksmi wondered, “Why did Lord Jagannatha give up so much opulence and go to Vrndavana?” To make Him a laughing-stock, the goddess of fortune made arrangements for much decoration. People in the mood of opulence may think like this. They are all on the side of Laksmi-devi. Svarupa Damodara, however, being Lalita in krsna-lila, is of her mood and therefore a pure Vrajavasi.

tomara thakura, dekha eta sampatti chadi’
patra-phala-phula-lobhe gela puspa-badi
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 14.207)
[“Then the maidservants of the goddess of fortune said to the servants of Lord Jagannatha: ‘Why did your Lord Jagannatha abandon the great opulence of the goddess of fortune and, for the sake of a few leaves, fruits, and flowers, go see the flower garden of Srimati Radharani?”]

… [“Your master is so expert at everything. Why does He do such things? Please bring your master before the goddess of fortune.” In this way, all the maidservants of the goddess of fortune arrested the servants of Jagannatha, bound them around the waist, and brought them before the goddess of fortune. When all the maidservants brought Lord Jagannatha’s servants before the lotus feet of the goddess of fortune, the Lord’s servants were fined and forced to submit. All the maidservants began to beat the ratha with sticks, and they treated the servants of Lord Jagannatha almost like thieves. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 14.208–11))”]

Here, Jagannatha’s servants were the associates of Mahaprabhu, and those who were with Laksmi-devi were also the servants of Jagannatha.

saba bhrtya-gana kahe – yoda kari’ hata
‘kali ani diba tomara age jagannatha’
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 14.212)

[“Finally all of Lord Jagannatha’s servants submitted to the goddess of fortune with folded hands, assuring her that they would bring Lord Jagannatha before her the very next day.”]

Jagannatha’s servants made this promise, and then Laksmi fined and punished them and returned to her abode. Now Srivasa Pandita asked Svarupa Damodara the following question: “Do you know that all the gopas and gopis in Vrndavana are very poor? They have no golden ornaments. They only milk cows and make butter, ghee, and similar things, and then they use it all themselves. Vrndavana is not like Mathura and Dvaraka; there are no palaces there, and the residents have only carts and kunjas. All the garlands there are made of flowers, whereas the garlands in Dvaraka are made of pearls, diamonds, and other jewels. So why does Krsna go to Vrndavana?”

Krsna goes to Vrndavana because the natural love and affection there is not found in Dvaraka, or anywhere else. In Dvaraka, love and affection is controlled by rules and regulations, just as the Vedas control by rules and regulations. In Vrndavana there is no control, for the gopis serve Krsna by their parakiya mood. This is possible only in Vrndavana, not in Mathura and Dvaraka.

svarupa kahe, – Srivasa, suna savadhane
vrndavana-sampad tomara nahi pade mane?
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 14.218)

Svarupa Damodara then retorted, “My dear Srivasa, please hear me with attention. You have forgotten the transcendental opulence of Vrndavana.”

vrndavane sahajika ye sampat-sindhu
dvaraka-vaikuntha-sampat – tara eka bindu
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 14.219)

[“The natural opulence of Vrndavana is just like an ocean. The opulence of Dvaraka and Vaikuntha is not even to be compared to a drop.”]

One flower of Vrndavana can give millions of diamonds and other opulences, though Krsna’s associates do not want that. They only make garlands for decoration, and their ankle bells are made of desire stones (cintamani) although they have no need of them. They only use them when they are dancing.

Suppose you are very wealthy and have many millions of dollars, but you are not getting any love and affection; and suppose that somewhere else there is no wealth, but there is love and affection. Where would you prefer to be? As long as there is love and affection, there is no loss in being poor. Similarly, there is no deficiency in Vrndavana because there is only love and affection. Vrndavana is the place of the most elevated love and affection.

Krsna is the Supreme Personality, and therefore He wants to taste supreme love and affection. He is not satisfied with any second-class love. Svarupa Damodara was explaining this, and Mahaprabhu responded, “More, more! I want to hear more!” The topics presented at the Hera-pancami Festival are all very secret topics from Ujjvala-nilamani. Mahaprabhu questioned, and Svarupa Damodara replied with many slokas regarding all the moods of madhya, pragalbha, dhira, adhira, mugdha,  and so on. Try to be at least in madhyama-adhikara, and then try to understand all these topics. This is the aim and object of everyone in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s line.

Why Krsna did not take Laksmi

For advanced devotees, who are conversant with the truths concerning this lila, the Hera-pancami Festival is superior even to that of Jagannatha’s riding to Sundaracala. Such devotees know why Caitanya Mahaprabhu descended to this world. If you are not reading and hearing the Tenth Canto of Srimad- Bhagavatam, you can never know why He came, and you will be cheated. Try to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from elevated Vaisnavas, and do not listen to those who say, “Oh, we should not read the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.”

Actually, there are three reasons one may say this. The first is that one has no knowledge, and the second is that one is following the order of the good devotees who know everything. These devotees are actually telling us, “You should begin from the First Canto, proceed to the Ninth Canto, and then you can finally come to the Tenth Canto.” The third reason is to create an interest. For example, one may close his fist and ask, “What is in my hand? Can you tell what is in my hand?” If someone else hears this, he may become curious to know. Similarly, if anyone says, “Don’t read the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam,” an aspiring devotee will automatically become curious and ask, “What is there? I should know.”

In my village there was a devotee who used to bathe in the Ganga every day. If anyone said to him, “Rama! Rama!” he would appear very furious and hold his stick up as though he wanted to beat that person. The boys of all the nearby villages used to come to him and say, “Rama! Rama!” and he used to run after them. Why did he do this? It was just to enthuse them to say, “Rama! Rama!” It was like a game. Similarly, if anyone tells you not to read Srimad-Bhagavatam, you should be curious to know, “What is inside? There must be some jewel there.”

If you do not read and hear the Tenth Canto, you will never be able to decide the aim and object of your life and devotion. For example, if you hear about Mother Yasoda, a greed for motherly love may arise. You may begin to think about how she loves Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and how she bound Him with her love and affection. A greed for friendship may arise when you hear that the cowherd boys sometimes play with Krsna, and when you hear that Krsna is their life and soul, and that they cannot remain alive unless they are playing with Krsna; they will die. If Krsna hides behind a tree for a moment, all the cowherd boys wonder anxiously, “Where is Krsna? Where is Krsna?” And, if you hear the most elevated topic in Srimad- Bhagavatam, the service of the gopis to Krsna – and especially what is told in Gopi-gita, Venu-gita, Bhramara-gita, and other such chapters – you may develop a greed for this service. This is the aim and objective of the most exalted and pure devotees, and it is not possible to develop greed without reading and knowing Srimad-Bhagavatam.

The first nine cantos create a platform for the Tenth Canto by removing all your unwanted desires, offenses, and worldly requirements and attachments. After that you should read the Tenth Canto, then you should decide how to attain the goal of life, and then you should read the Eleventh Canto.

An even easier process is to follow the essence of Srimad- Bhagavatam, and that essence is Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. You will have to read Caitanya-caritamrta and the books of Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Jiva Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, Narottama dasa Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. In particular, Narottama dasa Thakura and Bhaktivinoda Thakura have explained the essence of Caitanya-caritamrta in language that can be understood easily. If you want to be pure and high-class devotees, you must know all the truths presented in their literature.

…Now we are coming again to our subject: Hera-pancami. Jagannatha was not alone when He departed on His chariot. He was with Subhadra and Baladeva. But why did Laksmi become furious? Jagannatha had become indifferent to her and  meeting with others. She felt neglected and became angry over this.

You should know the significance of these three places: Jagannatha Puri, Vrndavana, and Kuruksetra. First you should know the significance of Jagannatha Puri. Krsna is the son of Vasudeva and Devaki there. He never has a flute in His hand, He does not wear a peacock feather, and He cannot address Nanda Baba as “Father” or Yasoda-maiya as “Mother.” He will have to forget the gopis while He is there. He can think about them in His heart, but He will not tell any of His queens, like Satyabhama, Rukmini, and others, “I love the gopis more than you.” He can never say this.

Jagannatha Puri is Dvaraka. All the Yadavas are there, and Krsna sports with all His queens there. Do you know Vimala-devi in the Jagannatha Temple? Rukmini is like Vimala-devi. Laksmidevi is also there, and she represents all the queens, especially Rukmini and Satyabhama. There are no gopis in the Jagannatha Temple or Jagannatha Puri. They can never be there, and that is why it is Dvaraka Puri.

What is Kuruksetra? Krsna has come from Dvaraka to Kuruksetra, and therefore it is part of His dvaraka-lila. There is a speciality there, though, in that Nanda Baba, Yasoda-maiya, all the gopis like Radha, Lalita, Visakha, and most of the other Vrajavasis went there to meet with Krsna. Still, there is immense opulence there, whereas in Vrndavana the gopis freely play with Krsna.

Laksmi-devi thinks, “There is so much opulence here. Why should Dvarakadhisa-Krsna go to any impoverished place?” Krsna never told her, “I am going to Vrndavana.” He cheated Her by saying, “I have caught a cold. Now I want to go somewhere to get some fresh air. I want to go to a forest, to get a breath of fresh air and feel rejuvenated.” He played a trick so that Laksmi would not think He was going to run off to Vrndavana. To cheat Her, He took along His brother Baladeva Prabhu and His sister Subhadra. He was thinking, “Yasoda-maiya knows them, and Rohini also knows them. I will leave them with Yasoda-maiya and then I will stealthily go to Radha-kunda, Syama-kunda, and Giriraja-Govardhana, where all the beautiful kunjas are situated. I will play with all the gopis there. Baladeva Prabhu and Subhadra will take their meals with Mother Yasoda and be very happy there, and I will go and play. No one will know.” He did not tell anyone where He was going, and He ran at once to Vrndavana – Sundaracala. Mahaprabhu’s mood has revealed that the Gundica Mandira in Sundaracala is Vrndavana. Before Mahaprabhu, no one knew all these high truths, but now everyone can know.

krsno ’nyo yadu-sambhuto
yah purnah so ’sty atah parah
vrndavanam parityajya
sa kvacin naiva gacchati
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya-lila 1.67)

[“The Krsna known as Yadu-kumara is Vasudeva-Krsna. He is different from the Krsna who is the son of Nanda Maharaja. Yadukumara Krsna manifests His pastimes in the cities of Mathura and Dvaraka, but Krsna the son of Nanda Maharaja never at any time leaves Vrndavana.”]

vrndavanam parityajya padam ekam na gacchati

[“Krsna never goes even a step from Vrndavana.”]

It is because of Radhika that Krsna never leaves Vrndavana. He stays there only for Her, and both of Them do not go anywhere else. Then who went to Kuruksetra? Radhika will never go there. It was Samyogini-Radhika, who is Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika’s manifestation, and not directly Radhika Herself, who went to Kuruksetra. Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika will always remain at Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda in Vrndavana. If Radha and Krsna are always together in Vrndavana, why does Radhika feel so much separation from Krsna, and why does She always weep for Him? Sometimes She becomes so absorbed in love and affection in separation from Krsna that even when She sees a tamala tree, She thinks, “O Krsna! O Krsna! Oh, now You are here.” She quarrels with “Him,” becomes angry with Him, and sometimes She embraces that tamala tree as if it were Him. How can there be a separation mood there in Vrndavana?

There is no actual separation in Vrndavana, but there is some separation mood. In Vrndavana there is the rasa-lila, and Prema-sarovara as well, and Radha and Krsna feel great ecstasy in meeting there. Who experiences the separation mood in Nandagaon? Who met with Uddhava? To whom did Uddhava offer his prayers?

vande nanda-vraja-strinam
pada-renum abhiksnasah
yasam hari-kathodgitam
punati bhuvana-trayam
Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.47.63)

[“Uddhava prayed: ‘I forever pray to the dust of the lotus feet of the gopis in Nandagaon. The hari-katha emanating from their lotus mouths in their separation mood purifies the entire universe.’”]

asam aho carana-renu-jusam aham syam
vrndavane kim api gulma-latausadhinam
ya dustyajam sva-janam arya-patham ca hitva
bhejur mukunda-padavim srutibhir vimrgyam
Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.47.61)

[“The gopis of Vrndavana have given up the association of their husbands, sons, and other family members, who are very difficult to give up, and they have forsaken the path of chastity to take shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, Krsna, which one should search for by Vedic knowledge. Oh, let me be fortunate enough to be one of the bushes, creepers, or herbs in Vrndavana, because the gopis trample them and bless them with the dust of their lotus feet.”]

In Nandagaon, Radhika is Viyogini-Radhika, another manifestation of Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika. Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika has practically no separation mood at all, for She and Krsna always meet together and embrace. Her manifestation, Viyogini-Radhika, is present in Nandagaon, and She appears as Samyogini in Kuruksetra. You cannot deeply understand these truths without being constantly in the association of pure Vaisnavas.

At the Ratha-yatra Festival, Mahaprabhu experiences the moods of Samyogini-Radhika in Kuruksetra, not those of Vrsabhanu-nandini. Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika will never leave Vrndavana and go to Mathura or Dvaraka, even if Krsna weeps bitterly for Her there. Viyogini-Radhika will also not give up Vrndavana to go to Kuruksetra; only Samyogini-Radhika will go there. So at the Ratha-yatra Festival, Mahaprabhu is absorbed in the mood of Samyogini-Radhika, pulling Krsna on the chariot from the Jagannatha Temple – that is, from Dvaraka Puri – to Vrndavana. What can I say more than this? No one can say anything more.

Laksmi came with her associates, riding on a golden palanquin and profusely decorated with golden ornaments. She arrived at the Simha-dvara along with musicians beating drums, and dancing girls who were Jagannatha’s deva-dasis. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting very comfortably there, and He listened to the dialogue that ensued.

Why did Krsna not take Laksmi-devi to Vrndavana? She could not go, because she was not qualified. Even Satyabhama and Rukmini were not qualified to go to Vrndavana, and that is why they never went. One may ask, “What harm would there be if Radhika and all the gopis went to Dvaraka?” There would be so much harm; they would not be satisfied there. They would see Rukmini, Satyabhama, and all Krsna’s queens with Him, and He would not be able to leave their company. Sometimes Krsna’s sons would come to sit on His lap, and Srimati Radhika would not be able to do anything about it. So She will never go there – never.

If Radhika does not go to Dvaraka, how can Laksmi go to Vrndavana? She cannot go. After she performed austerities in Baelvana for thousands and thousands of years, Krsna came and asked her, “Why are you doing this?” She replied, “I desire a benediction from You. I want to join the rasa-lila.” Krsna said, “That is absurd – you cannot.” “Why not?” she asked. “I’ll tell you why,” Krsna replied. “After this birth, you will have to take birth in the womb of a gopi in Vrndavana, and then you will have to marry a gopa. After that you will have to associate with nityasiddha- gopis, and only then you can join the rasa-lila, when you are sufficiently purified.” Even a gopi who has come from the womb of a gopi is unqualified if she has any children by her husband. None of the gopis in the rasa-lila have had any children, and they have nothing to do with their husbands.

Krsna continued, “So how can you go? You will have to give up your brahmani body and your chastity to Narayana. You will have to cheat your gopa husband and absorb yourself in parakiya-bhava. Then, in the form of a gopi, you can join the rasa-lila.” Laksmi objected, “How can I give up my husband Narayana? I cannot give Him up, I cannot give up my chastity, and I cannot marry a gopa.” Then Krsna said, “Then wait, wait. You will obtain this boon from Me when you are able to do all these things.” Even now Laksmi is performing austerities, but she is still not qualified.

You may want this gopi-prema, but it is so very high. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very merciful, and He descended to the material world to give it. It is very precious – more so than anything. It is very difficult to attain even for Narada, Laksmi, Sankara, and all the other great personalities, so what to speak of lesser personalities? However, if someone has pure greed to serve Radha- Krsna Yugala, and to serve in the rasa-lila, he is very fortunate.

Let us say someone has become greedy for a rasagulla, and there is no money in his pocket. Then by grabbing it, stealing it, or by any means he will get it. In the same way, if you have that kind of high-class greed for gopi-prema, an opportunity will come to attain it. Where there is a will, there is a way; the way must come.

Krsna Himself gave the way in His form as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He also sent His devotees like Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda, Rupa Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Prabhupada, our gurudeva, and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. I have also come, and I want to give you a little greed for this gopi-prema, which is the aim and object of our lives. I have not come to give vaidhi-bhakti, because so many people coming from India are giving that. They will tell you to serve Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra, and they will tell you not to read the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. I have not come for this. I have come in the line of Srila Rupa Gosvami, and in the line of Srila Prabhupada, my gurudeva, and my siksa-guru, Srila Swami Maharaja.

A person will not hear if he has no greed for the goal of life. He is sleeping now, and he will continue to sleep. If he has no greed or interest, he must sleep like the camels, dogs, hogs, pigs,and especially like the donkeys. I have only come for those who have some taste and greed for this, and I have come to give this greed to those who want it, so that they can advance in the line of Mahaprabhu.

When Srivasa Pandita heard these topics from Sri Svarupa Damodara, he began to laugh very loudly, “Hee, hee! Ho, ho!” Caitanya Mahaprabhu was deeply absorbed in the moods of the festival, and He watched silently as Srivasa Pandita continued to laugh and tell Svarupa Damodara, “You don’t know anything. Don’t you see the opulence of my aradhya-devi (worshipable deity) Laksmi-devi? She is decorated with golden ornaments, and she sits on a golden palanquin like a commander-in-chief with all her associates. But in Vrndavana, there is nothing. The gopis there can make some garlands, but only from flowers; there is no abundance of diamonds or gold – nothing of the kind. There are no golden palanquins. There are only bullock-carts made of wood and bamboo. There is nothing there; only flowers. There are some cows there, giving milk, and there is forest. Krsna can only graze His cows there. He has no throne to sit on, and He doesn’t even have shoes or an umbrella. He goes cowherding barefoot, and if He doesn’t do this, His father may chastise Him.”

Srivasa Pandita continued:

vrndavana dekhibare gela jagannatha
suni’ laksmi-devira mane haila asoyatha
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 14.205)

[“When Jagannatha decided to see Vrndavana, He went there, and upon hearing this, the goddess of fortune experienced restlessness and jealousy.”]

Laksmi, who represents Satyabhama and the other queens, thought angrily, “Here in Dvaraka, my husband is always sitting on a golden throne, and He has so many military commandersin- chief, and so many beautiful queens, and each queen has ten sons and a daughter. Why did Krsna go to Vrndavana?”

I have seen something like this in my boyhood. My mother would give me a slap if she was giving me something sweet and I wanted something else instead. So Laksmi was very unhappy and angry, and she tried to attack her husband to force Him to come under her control. She wanted to defeat Him and bring Him back to Dvaraka by quarreling and attacking Him.

Mahaprabhu smiled somewhat and said, “Oh, Srivasa Pandita has the nature of Narada. He always glorifies Laksmi and Narayana, and Dvarakadhisa. Svarupa Damodara is a pure Vrajavasi, and that is why he glorifies the gopis. Srivasa cannot do so.”

Almost everyone in this world and universe glorifies Laksmi. Very, very few and rare people glorify the gopis and Krsna. This is true even in India. There are some groups that put forward the view that Srimad-Bhagavatam is not authentic evidence. They say that someone other than Vyasadeva compiled it; so it is bogus, and therefore the love and affection of the gopis is also bogus. There are many who reject all these topics, and only highclass devotees have a taste for them.

Svarupa Damodara then said, “O Srivasa, don’t you remember that the trees in Vrndavana are kalpa-vrksa (desire trees)? They can give millions of tons of gold, and everything else. Anyone can have whatever he desires from those trees, but the gopis have no personal desires. They simply decorate their hair with the flowers of those trees.

“The ankle-bells of the gopis are made of cintamani, but the gopis never use them for fulfilling their desires; they only wear them to make sweet sounds while they dance with Krsna. The cows are kama-dhenu. What does that mean? They not only give milk, but they give the “milk” of the fulfillment of all desires. They can give anything a person wants, but the gopas and gopis don’t want anything from them. They only want milk and butter. You don’t know all these truths because you have not gone to Vrndavana. You don’t know even the A-B-C’s of Vrndavana. The flowers there are more valuable than the parijata flowers of the heavenly planets. They are always fragrant, and they never become stale. They can give anything, but you don’t remember this.”

He then quoted Brahma-samhita (5.56): “Sriyah kantakantah parama-purusah – in the spiritual world, all the female lovers are goddesses of fortune and the male lover is the Supreme Personality.” After Srivasa Thakura heard all this from Svarupa Damodara, his mood changed. He entered the mood of Madhumangala [See Endnote 5]  Krsna’s intimate sakha in Vraja, and then he began to dance, remembering the glories of Vraja.

After Mahaprabhu heard Svarupa Damodara’s katha, He went to a flower garden and along with the devotees took rest there. Then, after He awoke and bathed, He began singing and dancing with His devotees, absorbed in krsna-prema. Then, when they had performed kirtana throughout the day, Svarupa Damodara tricked Mahaprabhu by telling Him, “Now we are all tired, so please stop Your dancing. Jagannatha-deva has sent very beautiful and sweet prasada, like rice, dahl, puri, kacauri, chena (curd), paida (coconut), pana (fruit juice), sara-puri (a kind of puri made with cream), and many other varieties of preparations.” Mahaprabhu began to distribute the prasada Himself, but Svarupa Damodara said, “Everyone is waiting for You. No one  will take prasada if You don’t take.” Then Mahaprabhu sat down and began to taste the prasada, and everyone called out, “Hari bol!”

You can read this discussion between Srivasa Pandita and Svarupa Damodara in its entirety in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Chapter 14].

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
Sri Devananda Gaudiya Matha, Navadvipa: Mar.12, 2000

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Navadvipa and performed His pastimes there. It is said that after these pastimes were completed, He took sannyasa and went to Puri. Later He went to South India, met Srila Ramananda Raya, and revealed to him His form as Sri Sri Radha and Krsna combined – Rasaraja-mahabhava. This form of Rasaraja-mahabhava is also described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, as the pastimes of Radha and Krsna. Krsna is Rasaraja (the king of all tasters of transcendental mellows) and Radhika is Mahabhava-svarupa (the quintessence of transcendental loving emotions towards Krsna).

In Navadvipa, Sri Gauranga performed sakhya-bhava pastimes with His friends in His naravata, human-like, lila. Some people say that after taking sannyasa in Navadvipa, He left and performed higher pastimes in Puri. After that, on the bank of Godavari He met Ramananda Raya and learned how to taste Krsna in a still more intense mood of separation. It is not actually true, however, that Puri and Godavari are higher than Navadvipa, nor is it true that Sri Sacinandana Gaurahari ever leaves Navadvipa.

It is said that Mahaprabhu was able to taste what He came to this world to taste – only after He met Raya Ramananda, who is Visakha-devi in Krsna-lila. He learned from him how to taste radha-bhava. Do you know why He learned from Ramananda Raya instead of Srila Svarupa Damodara, who is Lalita-devi in krsna-lila? Lalita devi is the first expansion of Radharani and Visakha-devi is the second expansion. But Visakha’s birthday is the same as that of Srimati Radharani, so her nature is the same. She has practically the same qualities and the same form. Krsna could not be taught by Lalita-devi because her mood is pragalba, bold and outspoken. Srimati Radhika and Srimati Visakha, although also left-wing gopis, are the same as each other – madhya-nayika, heroines who are a mixture of pragalbha and mrdvi (sweet and gentle). Therefore. Mahaprabhu had to learn from Ramananda Raya how to taste Radha-bhava. Because it was at Godavari that Mahaprabhu learned to taste that Radha-bhava, some say that Godavari is higher than Navadvipa.

But this is not so. Navadvipa itself is the highest abode, and it includes Godavari and Jagannatha Puri. We can understand this by a comparative study of aisvarya-mayi-lila and madhurya-mayi-lila (‘mayi’ means ‘consisting of’). What is the difference between aisvarya and madhurya? Aisvarya-lila are displays of opulence which cannot be performed by any human being, whereas madhurya-lila are those pastimes which appear human-like, even if there is a great display of opulence. If there is no opulence, activities are simply mundane. So there may be opulence in madhurya-mayi-lila, but that lila still appears sweet and human-like, and so it is called madhurya. Whether opulence is clearly present or not, in madhurya-lila there does not seem to be opulence.

As we see from Krsna’s lila, there is more aisvarya in Vrndavana than there is in Vaikuntha, Dvaraka, or Mathura. However, it is covered by so much sweetness that the opulence cannot be tasted. [For clarification an example is given of salt and sugar: There are four cups. The first has 1 ounce of salt and no sugar. The second one has 2 ounces of salt and 2 ounces of sugar. The third has 3 ounces of salt and 6 ounces of sugar. And the fourth has 4 ounces of salt and 100 lbs. of sugar. Although the fourth cup has more salt, one cannot taste it because of all the sugar.] In Goloka Vrndavana the opulence is covered.

Krsna’s madhurya-lila includes aisvarya. When Krsna lifted Govardhana Hill, the cowherd boys thought that He must be getting tired. They considered, “We should also help to hold up Govardhana, with our sticks.” Others thought, “Because of Nanda Maharaja’s austerities, Lord Narayana entered Krsna’s body. It is actually Narayana who is holding up Govardhana.” The gopis were glaring upon Govardhana and said to him, “If you fall down on Krsna, we will curse you.” So these are human-like pastimes. When Krsna was a baby He showed His mother His universal form, and everything was there within His mouth – all incarnations, all universes, all elements, all senses, and so forth. Despite this, Yasoda-maiya could not conceive that her son is God.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, and His dhama, Sri Navadvipa, is Vrndavana itself. In Navadvipa He was known as Saci-putra and Sacinandana, the son of Saci-mata and Jagannatha Misra. He was also called Visnupriya-pati, the husband of Srimati Visnupriya-devi. Practically no one there knew that He is the Supreme Lord.

Two of His friends at that time were Jagadananda Pandita and Svarupa Damodara. They were his fellow-students when He attended the school of Gangadasa Pandita, and they all performed their madhurya-lila there. As there are so many human learned scholars or panditas, the residents of Navadvipa considered Saci-putra to be Nimai Pandita, a very good human pandita.

There is no aisvarya in this name Nimai Pandita. It is naravata, human-like. When Kesava Kasmiri, the digvijaya (challenging scholar), came to defeat the panditas of Navadvipa, they decided to make Nimai Pandita their representative. They considered Him to be just a boy. Therefore, if He would lose, they could then say, “He’s just a boy.” And if He would win, they could consider it a great victory for Navadvipa that their boy-scholar was successful.

Being fellow-students in Gangadasa Pandita’s school, Jagadananda Pandita and Nimai Pandita used to have friendly arguments about logic. Sometimes they would argue about the definition of mukti. Jagadananda Pandita would quote the verse beginning, “Atyantya dukha nivritti – Liberation means to be delivered from the miseries of maya.” But Nimai Pandita would say, “No. The real definition of mukti is: ‘Mukti hitva anyata rupam, svarupena vyavastiti – Mukti is that condition in which one realizes his own svarupa and the svarupa of Krsna, and he realizes his relationship with Krsna. Liberation from all false identifications is only possible when one knows his real identification. When one surrenders to the lotus-feet of Radha and Krsna and serves Them with one’s transcendental body and senses, that is mukti. Otherwise mukti is only partial.’” So this is nara-lila – human-like friends arguing together.

In Jagannatha Puri, on the other hand, there were so many opulent pastimes, which everyone knew could not be performed by a human being. For example, when Mahaprabhu jumped in the ocean and was caught in the fisherman’s net, His body became elongated and all His joints were separated by eight inches. This is opulence, and this is very deep and hard to understand. After Mahaprabhu completed his talks with Ramananda Raya, He tasted the fruits in Gambhira and only three-and-one-half persons were allowed to enter there – Sri Ramananda Raya, Sri Svarupa Damodara, Sikhi Mahiti, and his sister, Srimati Madhavi devi.

Dvaraka is full of opulence. There are so many palaces, elephants, horses, and chariots there. Similarly, in Puri there was so much veneration by all Mahaprabhu’s devotees, and all were fearful to make proposals to Him. In Navadvipa, on the other hand, Kolaveca Sridhara would have arguments with Nimai Pandita – and Nimai would even steal his vegetables.

In Vraja, Sri Krsna is considered an ordinary cowherd boy. In Navadvipa, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is considered an ordinary brahmana’s ordinary son. No one in Navadvipa could conceive of Him being called Mahaprabhu. Only when He went to Puri did He begin to be called Mahaprabhu. In Navadvipa He sucked the breast of Saci-devi. He played with the girls who were worshiping Siva-linga to get a good husband. He also sometimes behaved as a mischievous student. His lila, therefore, is called madhurya-mayi-lila.

Someone may object to this statement, considering that He manifested as Nrsimhadeva and Varaha in Navadvipa. This is true, but hardly anyone saw this. Practically all the devotees always thought He was simply Saci-nandana. Only a few were in the mood of worship, like Murari Gupta (who is Hanuman in Rama-lila) or Srivasa Pandita (who is Narada Muni in Krsna-lila), understood Him as the Supreme Lord.

COMPARING THE THREE FEATURES

There is a comparison between the three features of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the three features of Srimati Radharani. There is an original Radhika, and Her complete and original form is called Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika. She never leaves Vrndavana, and She only feels short-term separation from Krsna – as when He goes cow-herding for a few hours each day. Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika is always experiencing Her nitya-lila, or astakaliya-lila, pastimes with Krsna, which take place twenty-four hours a day – from one early morning to the next. She is actually never separated from Krsna. There is only an abhimana, or self-conception, that They are sometimes separated.

Vrsabhanu-nandini has two manifestations. One is Viyogini Radhika: Radhika feeling separation from Krsna at Uddhava Kyari when Krsna was in Mathura and Dvaraka. Her other manifestation is in Kuruksetra, and that is Sanyogini Radhika. It is Sanyogini Radha who meets with Krsna in Kuruksetra. Just as Dvarakadisa-Krsna and Mathuresa-Krsna are always within purnattama (Krsna’s most complete form) Vrajendra-nandana Sri Krsna, so these other two manifestations of Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika are included within Her original form.
 
Radhika’s full, original form also feels separation, but only at certain times. For example, She may wake up one morning and think, “Oh, what a terrible dream I had. Krsna went to Dvaraka and married so many queens.” Also, now and then some conception comes, “Oh, Krsna has left. No, Krsna is here after all.” That sentiment or conception takes a tangible form in prakata-lila, Krsna’s pastimes as preformed in this material world.

The three features of Srimati Radhika – Vrsabhanu-nandini, Viyogini, and Sanyogini – are defined in the Sanat Kumara Samhita. Just as She has three features, Sri Sacinandana Gaurahari has three features. Sri Krsna Caitanya Radha Krsna nahi anya. Mahaprabhu is no one but Radha and Krsna combined.

When Srimati Radhika is speaking to the bumblebee at Uddhava Kyari, She is Viyogini Radhika.

madhupa kitava-bandho ma sprsanghrim sapatnyah
kuca-vilulita-mala-kunkuma-smasrubhir nau
vahatu madhu-patis tan-manininam prasadam
yadu-sadasi vidambyam yasya dutas tvam idrk
(Srimad-Bhagavatam10.47.12)

[“O black bee, don’t touch me. I know you are a representative of Krsna from Mathura, and you are trying to make some compromise. But I will never compromise with that Krsna. I know that the red of your whiskers has come from the kunkuma which came from the breasts of His beloveds there in Mathura. It was smeared on Krsna’s garland when He embraced them, and then came on your mustaches.”]

This mood of transcendental madness is of Viyogini Radhika, and this is compared to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Puri. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta explains that the mood of Srimati Radhika which was seen by Uddhava was the constant mood of Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Gambhira.

“Vrndavana parityaja na padam ekam gacchati.” Krsna never leaves Vrndavana. Nandanandana is always in Vrndavana. Vrsabhanu-nandini also never leaves Vrndavana, and similarly Sacinandana never leaves Navadvipa.

In Godavari, Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifested his Rasaraja-mahabhava svarupa. There in Godavari He discussed all tattvas: rasa-tattva, prema-tattva, and radha-tattva. But who saw this? Only Ramananda Raya. This manifestation of Rasaraja-mahabhava was not an ordinary activity. No one else could have shown Himself as Radha and Krsna. Therefore it is an opulence; it is aisvarya, and it is not the highest lila.

Srimati Radhika’s partial moods and forms are included within Her original form, and this is also true with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In Mahaprabhu’s lila, Puri is like Dvaraka. When He is in Gambhira, He is experiencing Radharani’s separation from Krsna at Dvaraka, in the mood of Viyogini Radhika. When Mahaprabhu is in Godavari, He is like Sanyogini Radhika. This aspect of Srimati Radhika meets Krsna at Kuruksetra in order to bring Him back to Vrndavana. These two aspects of Mahaprabhu are included in Navadvipa.

In Jagannatha Puri, no one accepted the names Sacinandana, etc. Everyone there had a reverential mood towards Mahaprabhu. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya realized, “Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I’ve never seen such a person in this world.” Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 6. 9-13) states that while examining the body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sarvabhauma saw that His abdomen was not moving and that He was not breathing. Seeing this condition, he became very anxious. He then took a fine cotton swab and put it before Mahaprabhu’s nostrils. When he saw the cotton move very slightly, he became hopeful. Sitting beside Mahaprabhu, he thought, “This is a transcendental ecstatic transformation brought about by love of Krsna.” Upon seeing the sign of suddipta-sattvika bhava, the Bhattacarya could immediately understand the transcendental ecstatic transformation in Mahaprabhu’s body. Such a sign could take place only in the bodies of Krsna’s eternally liberated associates like the gopis, and especially in Srimati Radhika. The Bhattacarya considered, “The uncommon ecstatic symptoms of adhiruddha-bhava are appearing in the body of Mahaprabhu. This is very wonderful! How are they possible in the body of a human being?”

HIDDEN VRNDAVANA

Navadvipa is gupta (hidden) Vrndavana. Although the twelve forests of Vrndavana are hidden in Navadvipa, they are in a different sequence. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has described this as acintya, inconceivable. He has explained that it is the speciality of this dhama. It is hidden and crooked, so it cannot be exactly in the same sequence. This is the nature of hidden prema.

Radha-kunda is not far from Devananda Gaudiya Matha. Because Govardhana is here, Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda must also be here. My Guru Maharaja, nitya-lila pravista om visnupada Paramahamsa Srila Bhakti-prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja has fulfilled the innermost heart’s desire of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura by establishing this temple in the valley or plain of Govardhana.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu sometimes stayed here and performed pastimes. One pastime, as explained in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, was when some young girls were making offerings to Siva-linga with fruits, flowers, and other paraphernalia of worship. At that time Nimai Pandita forcibly stole the offerings and told the girls that they should not waste their time worshiping Lord Siva. He said, “I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You should worship Me. All the demigods and demigoddesses are My servants. If you do not worship Me, I will curse you all to get old, ugly husbands who already have five wives.” They were all joking in this way, and they did not believe that He was the Supreme.

All the Vrndavana pastimes are there in Navadvipa. Govardhana and Rasa-sthali are present where we are now sitting, in Koladvipa, at the Devananda Gaudiya Matha. Krsna is dancing here with the gopis. One may say that the highest place in Navadvipa is Yogapitha at Mayapura, because that is where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. But actually, Koladvipa is superior. We must consider the siddhanta (conclusive truth). Comparing Navadvipa to Vrndavana, Mathura-Gokula is the place where Krsna appeared. He appeared simultaneously as Lord Vasudeva in Mathura and as a baby in Gokula. But this place in Koladvipa is Govardhana, where Krsna appeared in His original and most complete form, His kaisora (teenage) form, His Radha-Krsna yugala form. This is also where rasa-lila, the highest pastime, took place. It can be concluded, therefore, that this place is so much higher.

Srila Rupa Gosvami confirms in his Upadesamrta, “The holy place known as Mathura is spiritually superior to Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathura-puri is the transcendental forest of Vrndavana, because of Krsna’s rasa-lila pastimes. And superior to the forest of Vrndavana is Govardana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Sri Krsna and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the super-excellent Sri Radha-kunda stands supreme, for it is over-flooded with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Sri Krsna. Where, then, is that intelligent person who is unwilling to serve this divine Radha-kunda, which is situated at the foot of Govardhana Hill?”

AFTER CLASS

After the class, at an informal darsana just outside Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja’s room, a disciple questioned, “You said this morning that there was no opulence manifestation in Navadvipa. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed His Virat-rupa, His universal form, there in Navadvipa.” Srila Maharaja replied, “Yes, but only to a few; to Srivasa Thakura as Narada Muni.”

Another devotee questioned, “You said in class that Jagannatha Puri represents Dvaraka and Godavari represents Kuruksetra. How is Godavari Kuruksetra?” Srila Maharaja replied, “It is not that Godavari is the same as Kuruksetra. This comparison is given because of its display of opulence. When Srimati Radhika first met Krsna at Kuruksetra, She saw so much opulence: horses, chariots and elephants, and Krsna was dressed as an opulent prince. Similarly, when Mahaprabhu manifested His transcendental form as Rasaraja-mahabhava, this was a great display of opulence. Another thing was that the great happiness Srimati Radhika felt by meeting Krsna in Kuruksetra after such a long time was only momentary. When She realized that Their meeting and relationship could not be the same as it was in Vrndavana, it became a pathetic scene. Similarly, the opulent display of Mahaprabhu’s Rasaraja-mahabhava form was only revealed for a moment.

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
Murwillumbah, Australia: Feb. 13, 2002

What is the meaning of Navadvipa? The nine islands denote the nine processes of bhakti.
 
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
 
[“Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Visnu (Krsna), remembering them, serving the Lord’s lotus feet, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering Him prayers, becoming His servant, considering Him one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words).” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.23)
 
This Navadvipa has been addressed as Svetadvipa in the Vedas, Upanisads, and so many other Vaisnava literatures.
 
sriyah kantah kantah parama-purusah kalpa-taravo
druma bhumis cintamani-gana-mayi toyam amrtam
katah ganam natyam gamanam api vamsi priya-sakhi
cid-anandam jyotih param api tad asvadyam api ca
 
sa yatra ksirabdhih sravati surabhibhyas ca su-mahan
nimesardhakhyo va vrajati na hi yatrapi samayah
bhaje svetadvipam tam aham iha golokam iti yam
vidantas te santah ksiti-virala-carah katipaye
 
[“I worship that transcendental seat known as Svetadvipa, where as loving consorts the Laksmis in their unalloyed spiritual essence practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Krsna as their only lover; where every tree is a transcendental purpose tree; where the soil is the purpose gem, all water is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, the effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milk cows always emit transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, which is ever-present without past or future and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the space of half a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world.” (Brahma-samhita 5.56)]

Srila Rupa Gosvami has quoted this verse, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has also quoted it, along with many such verses.  Navadvipa is Svetadvipa. In transcendental Goloka Vrndavana there are two parts: Vrndavana and Svetadvipa. Vrndavana and Navadvipa are complementary. Without Navadvipa, Vrndavana is incomplete, and without Vrndavana, Navadvipa is incomplete. Together they are complete, as when separation and meeting mix together, the resultant situation is complete. Where there is no separation mood, meeting is incomplete.
 
The twelve vanas (forests) and upavanas of Vrndavana are in Navadvipa, within the nine islands: Madhuvana, Talavana, Kumudvana, Bahulavana, Kamyavana, Kadirvana, Badhravana, Bandhirvana, Baelvana, Mahavana, Vrndavana, and Mahavana. All of these forests, in some way, are in Navadvipa.  
 
Don’t think that Jagannatha Puri is superior to Navadvipa. Don’t think that Godavari-tata, where Mahaprabhu revealed His form and mood of Rasaraja-Mahabhava (Radha-Krsna combined), is superior to Navadvipa. Navadvipa is far superior to both these places. On one hand, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed His transcendental form of Rasaraja-mahabhava at Godavari, and that most high class of hari-katha, Raya Ramananda Samvad, took place there. On one hand, Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed His extreme moods of separation in Gambhira. He jumped in the ocean near there, and He relished Srimati Radhika’s moods of separation, with Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda. This may be said, therefore, to be the deepest and highest of the Lord’s abodes, but there are so many reasons why it is not.
 
Jagannatha Puri is a very elevated pastime place, especially regarding the Gambhira-lila of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but still it is like Dvaraka. There are no forests or sub-forests of Vrndavana there. Neither Gokula, Bandhiravana, Nandagaon, or Varasana is there. These forests are not in Godavari-tata, neither are they in Kuruksetra or Jagannatha Puri. Therefore, Navadvipa must be superior to these places.
 
Because the pastime places of Vrndavana are in Navadvipa in a hidden way, Navadvipa is known as Gupta-Vrndavana. One of the nine islands of Navadvipa is Godrumadvipa, and this island is described by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Jaiva Dharma. Godrumadvipa is Nandagaon, nearby Varsana.
 
The birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Mayapura is Mathura and Gokula combined. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna, with the internal mood and complexion of Srimati Radharani. Krsna took birth in Vrndavana; partly in Mathura, but fully in Gokula, and both places are combined there in Mayapura Yogapitha.

 
Crossing Ganga from there to Koladvipa, where our Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha is situated, we find Giriraja-Govardhana. There, all the kunjas and caves in which Krsna played with the sakhas and sakhis are situated. Nearby there is Rasauli, or Rasa-sthali, where Candra-sarovara is located at the foot of Giriraja-Govardhana. Nearby there is Rtudvipa, where Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda are situated, and that is Kokilavana. Mayapura is on the east bank of Ganges, where the Ganges itself flows, and Brahma performed thousands upon thousands austerities on that Ganges bank. 
 
In Navadvipa there is Pancaveni, the meeting place of the Ganges, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Godavari, Narmada, Sindhu, and Manasi Ganga rivers. Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda are there, and this is all very wonderful. In Mamagachi (Modadrumadvipa), Bhandiravat is present, and Jahnudvipa is Bhadravana. All these truths have been explained by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Sri Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya; Vrndavana is in Navadvipa, not in Jagannatha Puri or Godavari.
 
There is one very important thing to know, and I am explaining it for those who are senior Vaisnavas.  They will be able to understand. Junior devotees should note it down, and they should also try to understand. You should know these things very deeply. With regards to Navadvipa being Vrndavana, there are two asta-kaliya-lilas. One is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s asta-kaliya-lila and one is Radha and Krsna’s asta-kaliya-lila. Mahaprabhu’s asta-kaliya-lila takes place in Navadvipa, and it is that asta-kaliya-lila upon which devotees meditate.
 
In their Gaura-gayatri mantra, the brahmanas chant, “Gauraya.” Why do they utter, “Gauraya”? Who is Gaura? Gaura, or Gauranga, is Krsna, with the intrinsic mood and beauty or golden color of Radhika. He is actually Krsna, but now He is fully absorbed in the mood of Radhika. He feels as though He has become Radhika.

But there are three features of Radhika. One is Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika, one is Viyogini Radhika, and one is Sanyogini Radhika. 
 
Three Features of Radhika and Mahaprabhu

Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika never goes out of Vrndavana, and Krsna and Rohini-nandana Rama (Balarama) are also always in Vrndavana. If Balarama and Krsna are coming towards Mathura, they will turn back to Vrndavana at the borderline. Rohini-nandana Rama cannot go out of Vrndavana, because He always remains with Krsna. Only Their manifestations, Vasudeva-nandana Krsna and Vasudeva-nandana Baladeva, will go to Mathura and Dvaraka. The pastimes of Krsna in Mathura and Dvaraka are transcendental and everlasting, as are the pastimes of Vrajendra-nandana Krsna in Vrndavana. Vasudeva Krsna plays eternally in Mathura, and in Vrndavana, Vrajendra-nandana Krsna plays eternally.
 
Similarly, there are three Radhikas. Actually there is only one Radhika, but She has three moods or three features. Krsna does not change when He goes to Mathura, but He does not use His flute and peacock-feather. He ‘changes’ His father and mother, but not His form. Only His mood is changed, and mood is the prominent factor of determination. If He takes His flute and peacock-feather and tells everyone, “I am the son of Nanda and Yasoda,” then He is Vrajendra-nandana Krsna. On the other hand, if He has no peacock-feather and flute and He tells everyone, “I am the son of Vasudeva and Devaki,” then He is present by His prakasa (manifestation). His manifestation is not fully the Supreme Krsna Himself. 
 
In the same way, Vrsabhanu-nandini Radhika is always with Krsna in Vrndavana. In Nandagaon, where Radhika felt so much separation and spoke Brahmara-gita, She is Viyogini Radhika. Actually, She is never in viyoga, in the sense that She is never separated from Krsna. Srila Rupa Gosvami has explained this truth in his Lalita-Madhava and also in Ujjvala Nilamani, and that is why Kavi Karnapura has not discussed the lila of Mathura and Dvaraka. He completes his Ananda Vrndavana Campu just after rasa-lila. Our acaryas can never tolerate the idea that Radhika would be separated from Krsna.

In Her original and complete feature She is called Vrsabhanu-nandini. She is always with Nanda-nandana Krsna, and the Radhika who feels separation in Nandagaon is Her manifestation, as Viyogini Radhika. She is the same Radhika, but She is feeling viyoga. Then, in Kuruksetra, She is Sanyogini Radhika. She goes there for a moment, for one or two days; and, keeping Krsna on the chariot of Her mind, She brings Him back to Vrndavana. Sanyoga means ‘always meeting.’ 
 
In the mantra ‘tan no gaura pracodayat’, the name Visvambhara is uttered. Visvambhara never lived in the cave (Gambhira) in Jagannatha Puri, for He is Sacinandana Gaurahari in Navadvipa. From there He gives so much knowledge, so much love and affection, and a very high-class prema to the jivas. ‘Visvambharaya dhimahi’ means that we meditate on Him in Navadvipa.
 
In the cave of Gambhira, Mahaprabhu played a role of great opulence.  At that time, in the night, no one but Raya Ramananda and Svarupa Damodara (Visakha and Lalita) were able to witness His pastimes. At that time, although Srila Rupa Gosvami was always hearing and knowing all Mahaprabhu’s pastimes, even he could not go there. In Godavari, Mahaprabhu manifested His form as Rasaraja-Mahabhava. This is opulence. At that time, even Ramananda Raya began to pray like Devaki or Arjuna, “O, You are that same Supreme Personality of Godhead.” This is opulence. *
 
In Navadvipa, however, there is no opulence. In Navadvipa, Sacinandana Gaura-hari played as Krsna played with the girls in Vrndavana. While bathing in the Ganges He would say to the little girls, “Will you marry Me? I want to marry you. If you do not marry Me, you will not be happy. Give your offerings of sandesa and bananas to Me.” This comes in the category of the asta-kaliya-lila of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and it is therefore far superior to any lila in Jagannatha Puri.

In Navadvipa there is svarasikhi-upasana (meditation and worship of the continual flow of unlimited lilas taking place throughout each twenty-four hour day), whereas in Puri there is mantramayi-upasana (meditation and worship of a specific lila, in this case Srimati Radhika’s separation feelings for Krsna).
 
Now we are going to Godrumadvipa , which is Nandagaon, where Premadasa Babaji performed his bhajana. What is Godruma? Go-druma. The druma means a very big pipal (asvattha) tree, and ‘go’ refers to the Surabhi cow. After Krsna’s pastimes, Surabhi brought Indra to this place and performed thousands upon thousands years of austerities in order to receive the darsana of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. At last she received His darsana, when He was performing nagara-sankirtana in mahabhava. It was also in this place that Surabhi gave milk to Markandeya Rsi. So Navadvipa-dhama is not an ordinary or general place. It is the most superior place.
 
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has an abode in Nandagaon, Ter Kadambha, which is so glorious because unlimited very sweet pastimes took place there. During the day Krsna used to play on His flute, calling, “Syamali, Davali, Gange, Yamune, Pisange,” at which time millions of cows used to meet Him. During the night His flute called, “Radhe, Lalite, Visakhe!” and they all came to Him. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura preferred Godrumadvipa, just as Srila Rupa Gosvami preferred to have his bhajana-sthali in between Nandagaon and Yavat. Godruma is the same as Ter Kadambha in Nandagaon. Antardvipa is Mahaprabhu’s birth-place and also Krsna’s birth-place, Gokula and Mathura. But Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura preferred Nandagaon, because Radha’s and Krsna’s separation and meeting are both present there.
 
Question: In Kuruksetra, Radharani felt separation from Krsna even though They were meeting. Why is She called Sanyogini here, since ‘sanyogini’ means ‘always meeting’?
 
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: They are never separated. For lila, They appear to be separated.
radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau
caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam
radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam
 
[“The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani although He is Krsna Himself.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 1.5)
 
They have become two for lila-rasa, but They are one, and in this way They are always meeting. In meeting there is also separation, and this stage is called madanakya-maha-bhava.
 
Question: Is Sacinandana Gaurahari tasting madanakya-maha-bhava in prakata-lila (Mahaprabhu’s pastimes as manifest in this world), in Navadvipa, in Srivasa Angam and other places?
 
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes, He was, but it was in His heart. Without madanakya-maha-bhava, He is not Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He has become Sacinandana Gaurahari especially for tasting this mood. It was especially for this.
 
Question: He is tasting this in Svetadvipa, but is He also tasting it in prakata-lila (Navadvipa, in this world)?
 
Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes, either in seed or externally manifest; everywhere it will be so.

[*Endnote: After speaking in this way, Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed Himself as Rasaraja Mahabhava, and seeing this form, Raya Ramananda fainted and began to roll on the earth.

What was so special about this form? Ramananda Raya had personally seen both Radhika and Krsna in Krsna’s pastimes, (because he is Lalita-sakhi in those pastimes), but now, in this form, he saw that each and every limb of Radhika was covered by each limb of Krsna, and the body of Krsna was covered with the golden complexion of Srimati Radhika. And still, even though He was covered by that golden complexion, some black luster from His body was showing through. Raya Ramananda had never before seen this form.

This means that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Radhika covered by all the limbs of Krsna, who is covered by the complexion of Radhika. Krsna’s beauty is nilamani-kanti, which means it has the beauty and luster of a sapphire pearl. This beautiful luster was covered with a golden luster, and the combined beauty of the two is Rasaraja-Mahabhava.

Krsna is Rasaraja and Radhika is Mahabhava. Here, Rasaraja and Mahabhava are combined, and Raya Ramananda fainted when he saw that form. This siddhanta is the top-most in any history or in any Vedic literature, and it has not even been revealed in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

I know that you cannot understand this elevated mood, but something of it will gradually come to you. Suppose you are trying to take bath, and at the same time all the water is draining out. Still, some of the water touches your body and you feel somewhat refreshed. Similarly, even if you do not fully understand what I am telling you, something will nevertheless come to you. Somewhat of a seed of greed to attain this mood will come to you, and it will become a treasure for you in the future. Try to become very bold and strong, and try to follow my teachings. Actually, these are not my teachings, they are the teachings of my gurudeva and the guru-parampara. (Holland, June 29, 2002)]

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 Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

[Respected Harikatha readers,
     Please accept our humble obeisance. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga. 
For most of us, some of the main activities of our day are in relation to krsna-prasada – purchasing foodstuffs from the market, cooking them, offering them to Krsna, and then honoring the prasada. Prasada is important to us. 
     We pray that you will relish the following eye-opening, never-before-published darsanas of Srila Gurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, on the subject of prasada.]

Don’t Eat Prasada
Springfield, Virginia: 1999

     We should have more faith in the holy names of Krsna than in money and wealth. Then, quickly, Nama Prabhu (Krsna’s holy names) will be merciful to us. Generally, devotees chant without faith that the holy name can give them everything. Please realize this; Krsna’s names can give anything. So, chant with great love, and with a sense of having the relation with Krsna that I have explained to you. Don’t ‘chant;’ rather ‘serve.’ Do you eat prasadam? Never ‘eat.’ To consider that we are ‘eating’ prasadam is an offense. Can you eat Krsna? Similarly, don’t ‘chant’ or ‘utter’ harinama. Rather, serve harinama.

     Don’t consider that you are ‘hearing’ hari-katha, because your mortal ears cannot hear transcendental words. Rather, we should try to serve hari-katha, which is actually the pastimes of Krsna, thinking, “I want to serve Him.”

     When you are going to see the Deities, do not consider that you are seeing Them. We actually never see Them; we cannot see Them. We cannot take darsana. We should simply stand in front of Them and pray, “O, You are so merciful. Please give one glance to us. How fallen we are that we cannot even take Your darsana.”  We should have this mood of serving. If you consider, “I’m seeing,” then you are the doer; and if you are serving, then Krsna is the doer. We should always have this mood.

How to Honor and Serve Prasadam
(Vrndavana, February,1995)

Syamarani dasi: You said that everything we do is service; so how can we further develop the attitude of service while taking maha-prasadam instead of trying to enjoy it?

Srila Gurudeva: When you take caranamrtam, you don’t consider whether it is sweet or not; you simply take it. Similarly, try to serve prasadam as Sri Vigraha (Thakuraji, the Deity). We ‘serve’ caranamrtam, we ‘serve’ tulasi leaves offered to Krsna. We don’t consider the taste of tulasi; we take the tulsi leaves as service.

                   maha prasade govinde
                   nama brahmani vaisnave 
                   svalpa punyavatam rajan
                   visvaso naiva jayate                      

     Maha-prasada is Krsna. Everything of Krsna is like Krsna, so we should try to serve maha-prasada. We pray, “O maha-prasada, please give us your mercy so that we can understand you and realize you; so that we can serve you; so that all worldly desires will go away; and so that krsna-prema will manifest in our hearts.”

     This is the speciality of maha-prasada; it gives krsna-prema. Krsna-nama, pure brahmanas, and pure Vaisnavas are all non-different from Krsna Himself. Nama (the holy name) and Nami (Krsna, the possessor of His name) are the same. “Svalpa punyavatam rajan, visvaso naiva jayate.” Those who have actually served Krsna, Gurudeva, and Vaisnavas can realize all this.

     We should pray in this way, and not consider the taste at all; do only this. When we see Gurudeva, we know that he is a manifestation of Krsna. He is both a servant of Krsna and Krsna’s manifestation. Similarly, prasada is also non-different from Krsna, and we pray to prasada to be merciful to us.

The Glories of Prasada
Excerpts of Darsanas on Sri Vilapa-kusumanjali, Texts 47-49
Vrndavana/Mathura: December 1991, and January 1992

[In Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja’s discourses below, he goes back and forth between saying that (a) certain pastimes of Tulasi (Rati) Manjari serving Srimati Radhika had already taken place, and (b) saying that Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in the mood of Tulasi Manjari is praying for those services. This is because both are true. In Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s external consciousness (bahir dasa) he is praying with a feeling of great separation and a desire for service, and when he is in his internal consciousness, he forgets that he is Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and is absorbed in his identity as Tulasi Manjari engaged in that service. We have only included those parts of the discourse wherein Srila Maharaja is speaking directly about the prasada seva. -ed]

Verse 47 
nitanna-mad-vidha-lalata-tate lalatam
pritya pradaya mudita vraja-raja-rajni
premna prasur iva bhavat-kusalasya prccham
bhavye vidhasyati kada mayi tavakatvat

Translation
O Srimati Radhika, embodiment of auspiciousness! When, after I have taken the sweets you have prepared to Yasoda, will she, knowing me to be Your dasi, make me happy by touching her forehead to mine, and like a loving mother ask about Your welfare?

Commentary
      Here, Srimati Radhika has ordered Tulasi Manjari to take Her sweets to Nanda Bhavan, so that when Krsna returns from cow-herding, Yasoda-maiya will give them to Him. 
     Tulasi Manjari is very dear to Srimati Radhika. Radhika may also order Rupa Manjari, Lavanga Manjari, or any of the other manjaris, so Tulasi Manjari prayed, “Will You order me?” Radhika became very pleased and said, “You are so dear to Me, as are Rupa Manjari, Lavanga Manjari, and all others. I am thinking that I cannot go to Nanda Bhavan now. I’m confident that if you go there and give this to Mother Yasoda, and in front of you she gives it to Krsna, it will be presented in an even more pleasant way to Krsna than if I were to personally go there. In that manner, through you, I will give these things to Krsna. You are My representative.  If you are present there, serving Krsna by fanning and so many other loving activities while He takes the sweets, I will see that I’m doing it Myself. You are like myself. Go now and tell Yasoda Maiya, ‘Your daughter Radhika has sent all these things.’”
     Mad-vidha-lalata-tate lalatam. Srimati Radhika prepared manohara-laddu, amrta-keli, rasa-malai, rasagulla, and many other sweets. She carefully packed them all separately, placed them in a big golden pot, and covered that pot with a pure white cloth. 
       For some reason Rupa Manjari was not present, so in this instance Tulasi Manjari being the head of the party, took two, three, four, five, or six sakhis with her. She took the pot on her head and set off with the other sakhas, who also assisted her along the way. 
     Mother Yasoda was eagerly waiting at Nanda Bhavan for those sakhis, repeatedly stepping outside the door to look and then going back inside. When she finally saw them coming, she became immensely happy. 
     After the pot was removed from her head and put in a safe place, Tulasi Manjari bent down to put her forehead at the feet of Mother Yasoda; but when she was midway down, Yasoda caught her in her arms and embraced her, as if she were Srimati Radhika Herself. Yasoda loves Radhika no less than she loves Krsna. Out of great affection, Yasoda touched her own forehead to Tulasi Manjari’s forehead, as if Tulasi Manjari were her own daughter.
    Pritya pradaya mudita vraja-raja-rajni. Yasoda knows that Tulasi Manjari is a dasi of Srimati Radhika. Premna prasur iva. Raghunath dasa in the mood of Tulasi Manjari says, “Yasoda devi will inquire of me in such a loving manner, as if I am her daughter.” Prasuh means ‘mother, or she who gives birth to a child,’ so Tulasi Manjari is like Mother Yasoda’s own child. “She will ask me, “Oh, how is my beloved daughter Radhika?” and with a smiling face I will reply, “She is quite well.” Bhavye vidhasyati kada mayi tavakatvat. “At that time, Mother Yasoda will show me great affection.”

Verse 48 
krsna-vaktrambujocchistam
prasadam param adarat
dattam dhanisthaya devi
kim anesyami te ‘gratah

Translation
O Devi! Will I place before You the prasada remnants from the lotus mouth of Sri Krsna that was respectfully brought by Dhanistha?

Commentary 
      Srimati Radhika does not take anything other than Krsna’s remnants. 
      In the previous verse, Tulasi Manjari prayed that Radhika will send her to Mother Yasoda with varieties of sweetmeats that Radhika has prepared: “I will go there with all these preparations, and I will offer pranam to Mother Yasoda, who will take me in her arms and give me so many blessings. Then she will ask me about the welfare of her darling daughter Radhika. I will give her all the sweets, and she will then give them to Krsna to eat.”
     Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, in his internal absorption as Tulasi or Rati Manjari, went from Yavata to Nandagaon, where she saw Krsna return from cow-herding. Krsna was coming with so many cows and friends, and Tulasi saw that every mother first took Krsna in her lap, and then her own son. The mothers kissed and caressed Krsna first, and their own sons afterwards. When all the boys returned to their homes,    Yasoda took Krsna to Nanda Bhavan, and Tulasi Manjari was watching what happened there. When she gave Yasoda the sweets and offered pranama at her lotus feet, Yasoda treated her as if Radhika Herself had come – as if Tulasi Manjari were her newly married daughter-in-law coming to her home for the first time. 
     Krsna took bath, and then, along with Baladeva, Nanda Baba, and all His uncles and friends, He sat down to take the prasada prepared in Yavata and sent by Srimati Radhika. All this was very tasteful for Krsna, who, after finishing His meal, went for a short rest. At that time Yasoda gave Tulasi Manjari some of the prasada that had been prepared for Krsna – not Krsna’s direct remnants, but the separate prasada that had been taken from all the sweets and other preparations – to bring to Radhika. Dhanistha also gave Tulasi Manjari Krsna’s remnants, which she had very carefully mixed with the rest of the prasada in a way that no one would know, and which Tulasi Manjari then brought to Yavata. 
                                                                                                                                             ******
     At the time of taking prasada in Nanda-Bhavana, Mother Yasoda, Rohini, and Dhanistha were feeding all the boys present there with Krsna. All of Nanda Baba’s brothers, such as Upananda and Sunanda, were also present. Krsna sat at Nanda Baba’s left side and Baladeva sat on his right side. Nanda Baba was feeding Them both, and They also fed Themselves. 
     Krsna’s cowherd friend Madhu-mangala was also there, and by assuming various comical postures, he made everyone laugh. When Mother Yasoda gave Krsna something tasteful to eat, Madhu-mangala said, “O Mother! Krsna has an upset stomach. He cannot digest that. You can give it to me instead.” Then, when Mother Yasoda placed a large quantity of prasada on Madhu-mangala’s plate, Madhu-mangala said, “Oh look, a crow has come!” And when everyone looked toward that direction pointed out by Madhu-mangala, he put all his prasada on Krsna’s plate and said, “I have taken everything you have given me, so give me more.” 
In this way everything was going on, and everyone was enjoying the feast. Sometimes Upananda and the other brothers of Nanda Baba also placed the prasada in the mouths of Krsna and Baladeva, who accepted it all very pleasantly.
     When everyone rose to wash their hands, Krsna very secretly placed some of His remnants in the hands of Dhanistha. Or sometimes, in the mood that Srimati Radhika and all Her sakhis will not take anything if the remnants of Krsna are not included there, Srimati Yasoda Ma will give Dhanistha His remnants. Or, Krsna may give something to Dhanistha and say aloud, “This preparation is not very good. Give it to Radhika and tell Her that She could not prepare delicious foodstuffs.” In reality that preparation is so delicious, but Krsna wants an excuse to give Radhika His remnants.
     These pastimes begin the time period called pradosa-lila. [Sayana and pradosa lilas take place from sandhya, 6pm-10.48pm, and within that time this pastime took place. See endnote. –ed.] For two and a half hours, Srimati Radhika and all Her sakhis waited eagerly for Tulasi Manjari to return, and when she appeared in their midst, everyone present became so happy. They all wanted to hear about the pastimes of Krsna that she saw in Nandagaon – how He returned from cow-herding, how He entered His palace with Yasoda-devi, how He took bath, and how He enjoyed all the prasada along with Nanda Baba, Upananda, and His other relatives and friends. Govinda-Lilamrta describes all of this.
  This verse states, “Krsna-vaktrambujocchistam / prasadam param adarat dattam dhanisthaya…” Yasoda Ma, or Krsna, gives Krsna’s remnants to Dhanistha. Absorbed in his svarupa as Tulasi Manjari, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami prayed, “After Dhanistha has given these remnants to me, will I bring them to You?” Then, in his internal consciousness, Raghunatha dasa forgot his identity as a sadhaka and saw himself as Tulasi Manjari. 
When Tulasi Manjari returned to Yavata from Nandagaon, Srimati Radhika asked her, “O Tulasi Manjari, were you present when Krsna was taking His meal?”
     Tulasi replied, “I was there, but at a distance because Krsna’s elders were there. I was too shy to go close.” 
     “Did Krsna enjoy it?” 
     “He liked it very much.” 
     “How did you know that He liked it?” 
     “Krsna glanced towards me, and with His eyes He told me how delicious it was. I also saw myself that He enjoyed it.” 
     “Did you get a chance to render any service to Krsna? And was His stomach filled?” 
     “Yes, He was fully satisfied.” 
     “How do you know?” 
     “I just know.” 
     Srimati Radhika then looked into the eyes of Tulasi Manjari and, searching for Krsna there, She saw Him. How was She able to see Him? Tulasi Manjari was extremely cheerful due to seeing Krsna. Srimati Radhika thus saw Krsna in Tulasi Manjari’s eyes and became so pleased. Her hairs stood on end, Her eyes welled up with tears, and Her throat became choked up so that She was unable to speak. 
    After this conversation, Tulasi Manjari gave Radhika Krsna’s remnants, saying, “Krsna Himself secretly gave me this for You.” Or, “Srimati Yasoda has sent the remnants of Krsna for her darling daughter.” 
     Lalita, Visakha, and all the other sakhis then sat down to take prasada. Srimati Radhika gave the remnants back to Tulasi Manjari, saying, “Divide this among everyone.” Therefore, in the next verse, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami prays in the mood of Tulasi Manjari, “When will I distribute Krsna’s remnants to You and Your sakhis? You have not eaten anything all day because You were waiting for His remnants.”

                                                                                                                                           * * * * *
Text 49
nana-vidhair amrta-sara-rasayanais taih
krsna-prasada-militair iha bhojya-peyaih
ha kunkumangi lalitadi-sakhi-vrta tvam
yatnan maya kim u taram upabhjo janiya

Translation
O Kunkumangi (She whose limbs are anointed with kunkuma)! When will I carefully serve You the many kinds of remnants left by Krsna, that are like the essence of nectar, mixed with other eatables and drinks, as You sit down, surrounded by Lalita and Your other friends?

Commentary 
[In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya-lila, chapter 16), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu speaks in the mood of Radhika as She is tasting the remnants of Sri Krsna. Regarding Mahaprabhu’s pastime of taking Krsna’s prasada, most of the Bengali verses (called payars) quoted by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja in his discourse below are from that place in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – Antya-lila, chapter 16. -ed]
  
     Krsna has taken four kinds of prasad; those which are licked, drunk, chewed, and sucked, and these four are of so many varieties; such as lassi, chutney, raita, mango, and so on. 
………

    Nana-vidhair amrta-sara-rasayanais taih. Anything can be called rasayana. Here in this verse amrta-keli and other foodstuffs have been referred to, but the main subject is not food; the important thing is rasa. You may give me a fountain pen, but it is not the fountain pen that is important; it is the love in your heart that you are giving me. The pen is but the external representation of your heart. Here in this verse, the word amrta-sara, meaning ‘essence of nectar’ does not refer to the foodstuffs, but to the remnants of Krsna and the pastimes of Krsna.
      In the mood of Tulasi Manjari, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is praying, “O Kunkumangi Radhika, “Will Dhanistha give me the remnants of Krsna, and Yasoda give me rasayana, her love for You in the form of amrta-keli and all the other preparations? Dhanistha will give me what Krsna has directly tasted and secretly left for Srimati Radhika. I will mix Yasoda’s with Dhanistha’s, thus making it more than nectar.” It will be rasavaha, carrying rasa, just as every atom of a rasagulla is full of rasa. These preparations are very delicious, no doubt, but the fact that they are Krsna’s remnants makes them so much more tasteful, and the pastimes mixing with the remnants makes them become still more tasteful. 
    Tulasi Manjari is praying, “I will bring this prasada to You and place it in Your hand. You will then give it to Lalita and Visakha, who will distribute it in a lonely place and all the sakhis will partake of it.” Especially Radhika is relishing these remnants, but Her mind is in another place, deeply thinking of the pastimes of Krsna. 
                                                                                                                                             ********

     Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila chapter sixteen, describes that Sriman Mahaprabhu once went to Jagannatha Mandira to receive darsana of Lord Jagannatha. After darsana, when He returned to the Gambhira, the pujari of the Jagannatha temple sent Him a large plate of maha-prasada. Seeing the beautiful and fragrant prasada, Mahaprabhu began to weep, thinking, “Jagannatha is so kind to have sent this for Me.” 
     “Krsnera ye bhukta-sesa, tara ‘phela’-nama.” The remnants of Krsna, or Jagannatha, are called phela, and a very little particle of this is called phela-lava. Krsna tasted that prasada, and in that way it had touched His lips and has thus become nectar. 
     After tasting this maha-prasada, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to weep and praise it: “Oh, only those who are very fortunate can taste this.” What is that fortune? “Samanya bhagya haite tara prapti nahi haya.” If one does not have sufficient sukrti, he will not be able to taste it.

maha-prasade govinde
nama-brahmani vaisnave
svalpa-punyavata rajan
visvaso naiva jayate

     Those who do not possess sufficient pious credits will not have faith in the Holy Name, in maha-prasada, in the Vaisnavas, or in the pure brahmanas. Why? Because maha-prasada is cinmaya (transcendental), such persons will not be able to taste it. On the other hand, those who possess abundant sukrti – here sukrti means bhakti – they will be able to taste it and directly experience that it is maha-prasada.
      Mahaprabhu told His associates, “I think that if someone tastes maha-prasada and serves it, he has received the full mercy of Krsna. This sukrti, or punya (spiritual pious credits), is Krsna’s mercy, and without it one will be unable to realize that this is maha-prasada.” 
     “Koti-amrta-svada pana prabhura camatkara, sarvange pulaka, netre vahe asru-dhara.” When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu tasted that maha-prasada, He closed His eyes and began to weep. The whole day He continued to praise it, weeping and chanting harinama. For twenty-four hours He was under its influence. 
     Why did He weep? He was remembering the pastimes of Krsna and the cowherd boys taking prasada together, sitting in lines. Yasoda and Rohini were distributing the prasada. Nanda Baba was there, Madhu-mangala was there, and everyone was happily taking prasada.
     Mother Yasoda saw that everything she was distributing was too little. Seeing Srimati Radhika cooking puris in the kitchen, she called to Her, “My dear darling daughter, come and bring more puris.” When Radhika came out from the kitchen with a golden pot full of puris, Mother Yasoda asked Her to put some on Krsna’s plate. Instead, Srimati Radhika quickly placed down the pot somewhere else, ran back into the kitchen, and began to tremble. Yasoda came and asked Her, “What is the matter? I called You to come and put the puris on Krsna’s plate.” Radhika smiled shyly, but did not say anything. 
     Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was remembering these pastimes and weeping. Having taken the bhava and complexion of Srimati Radhika, Mahaprabhu could experience how She felt as Krsna took prasada. 
   Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda, and all the other devotees present with Him, “Ei dravye eta svada kahaì haite aila? krsnera adharamrta ithe sancarila.” You know how tasteful are rice, dahl, grains, vegetables, milk, rabadi, koa, and laddhu; but taste this, the remnants of Krsna. How fragrant it is! How sweet it is! Certainly Krsna has tasted it and has left some remnants in this pot. Material preparations cannot be so tasteful and fragrant.” Weeping, He distributed the prasada to His associates with His own hand; and upon tasting it, they all became as blissful as Him. 
     In the same way, Srimati Radhika took the remnants which were sent through Dhanistha, tasted some, and then divided it among Her sakhis. Tasting Her sentiments, Caitanya Mahaprabhu told His associates, “Tanu-mana karaya ksobha, badaya surata-lobha.” As Radhika tasted the remnants of Krsna, the effect was that Her rati (attachment) to meet with and love Krsna increased unlimitedly. She became maddened with desire to see Krsna and to taste His lips. “Harsa-sokadi-bhara vinasaya.” Radhika told Her sakhis, “Taking this maha-prasada from Krsna makes My heart feel as if I am tasting Him, seeing Him, talking with Him, and touching Him. Tasting the prasada increases My eagerness to meet with Him. Taking His remnants certainly vanquishes all of one’s anxieties, lamentations, bewilderment, fear, and all other worldly emotions. All worldly desires disappear. “Pasaraya anya rasa, jagat kare atma-vasa.” Every kind of desire to enjoy this material world – eating, drinking, dressing, meeting, and everything else – disappears by tasting this maha-prasada. Even shyness (shame), religion, and patience go away. 
     “Patience and shame are what obstructs a gopi from meeting with Krsna. She considers, ‘How can I go? Everyone will see that I’m going. What will they say?’ By this thinking, patience comes, and becomes an obstacle to meet with Krsna. And shame: ‘What will everyone say? I should not go in front of everyone. If there is no one present, then I will go.’ 
     “Taking His prasada clears the way, at which time one will not care for anything; whether it is day or night, or any circumstance, they will go to Krsna. “Mataya narira mana, jihva kare akarsana, vicarite saba viparita.” If one is male, he will easily go at once, so what to say of females; by taking these remnants, the way becomes clear and they meet with Krsna. These remnants have so much potency.” While Srimati Radhika took this prasada and also distributed it to Her sakhis, She said, “O sakhis, all of you, take this prasada. 
     She continued, “Although the flute is male, he desires to drink the adharamrta, the nectar of Krsna’s lips. And, continually drinking, he has left nothing for us. The nectar of Krsna’s lips is really meant for us, because we are of the same class as Krsna – He is a gopa and we are gopis – whereas this person is nothing but a piece of bamboo; simply dull matter. At the same time, he drinks this nectar directly in front of us, and we are helpless to do anything about it. This flute is trying to show us: ‘Stay away from here. What can you do? I am taking this nectar for myself. This nectar is yours, but I am taking it.’ How bold he is! He is so naughty that he is looting our property right in front of us!” Praising maha-prasada in this way, Srimati Radhika distributed it to all Her sakhis.  
     It was Tulasi Manjari who had brought all the prasada, so Srimati Radhika asked her, “You were so near to Krsna at that time. Which preparation was most tasteful for Him?” Tulasi Manjari replied, “Krsna loved the taste of all your preparations. He personally kept His remnants, and by His glance He told me to give it to You.”

                                                                                                                                                              *******
     Bilvamangala Thakura has written that phela-lava, the remnants of Krsna, are similar to Krsna:

premadam ca me kamadam ca me
vedanam ca me vaibhavam ca me
jivanam ca me jivitam ca me
daivatam ca me deva na ‘param
(Sri Krsna-karnamrta, 104)

[“O Krsna, You alone are the bestower of prema to me, the fulfiller of my internal desires, the giver of knowledge, and my only wealth. You are my life, the giver of my life, and my worshipful Deity. Besides You, there is nothing for me.”]

     This is a very good sloka. 
     Everything of Krsna is like Krsna; not less than Krsna. “Premadam ca me.” In the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krsna was so eager to give to all jivas prema, especially gopi-prema, that He went from door to door – sometimes in South India, sometimes in the Eastern and Western parts – all over India, giving prema in the form of krsna-nama. “Nama-prema-mala ganthi.” And He distributed this with no consideration of who was qualified and who was not.
     Krsna is therefore addressed as premadam, the giver of prema, and His maha-prasada remnants also bestow krsna-prema because they are like Krsna Himself. “Kamadam ca me.” Krsna’s maha-prasada also gives kama. What is kama? There are two kinds of madhurya-rasa: sambandhatmika (the love of Krsna’s queens in Dvaraka) and kamatmika (the amorous love of the Vraja-gopis, outside of wedlock). The young Vraja-gopis are kamatmika, whereas Yasoda, Nanda Baba, Upananda, the sakhas, Arjuna, Rukmini, Satyabhama, and all others of Dvaraka are sambandhatmika. [sambandhatmika not only applies to madhurya-rasa, but to the other rasas as well. -ed] 
    Kamatmika is also of two types: one is direct, and the other is tat-tad-bhava-iccha-mayi, manjari-bhava, the sentiments of the nitya-sakhis and the prana-sakhis. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to taste kamatmika sakhi-bhava and to give manjari-bhava, tat-tad-bhava-iccha-mayi, the sentiment of the palya-dasis, or maidservants, of Srimati Radhika. In the Caitanya-caritamrta, it is written that He also sometimes tasted palya-dasi-bhava. If He had not tasted it, how could He give it? 
     There are three-hundred sixty types of gopis, and all gopis are manifestations of the bhavas of Srimati Radhika. No gopi other than Radhika can give Krsna whatever He desires. Because Mahaprabhu was immersed in the bhava of Srimati Radhika, He tasted madhurya-rasa in every way. 
     Previously, all bhavas up to vatsalya (parental love) had been given, but not madhurya, and especially not manjari-bhava. Caitanya Mahaprabhu distributed manjari-bhava to the fortunate jivas, and for ordinary people He gave harinama sankirtana and the knowledge that we are all eternal servants of Krsna. 
     Therefore, in this verse, kamadam ca me refers to ‘kamanuga,’ or ‘kamatmika,’ and within kamanuga, tat-tad-bhava-iccha-mayi. How did He give this? By manifesting His mercy, as He did to Rupa Gosvami. He manifested His mercy in the heart of Rupa Gosvami, and also prayed to all His associates to manifest their mercy in Rupa Gosvami’s heart so that he may give this manjari-bhava to the entire world. 
     “Vedanam ca me.” Veda means ‘to know.’ Vedanam means ‘He who gives every kind of knowledge.’ By acting as both siksa-guru and caitya-guru, Mahaprabhu inspired sambandha-jnana (knowledge of one’s relationship with Krsna), abhidheya-jnana (knowledge of the dealings of that relationship), and prayojana-jnana (the ultimate goal, krsna-prema) within the heart of the jivas. Caitanya Mahaprabhu or Krsna is vedanam, or caitya-guru (Krsna dwelling in the hearts of all beings as Supersoul).  
     “Vaibhavam ca me” means ‘Krsna is my wealth, reputation etc,’ so this maha-prasada is also my wealth. “Jivanam ca me” means ‘He is my life,’ and “jivitam ca me” means ‘without krsna-prasada, or without Krsna or Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I cannot remain alive.” Daivatam ca me deva naparam” means ‘O, You are my worshipful Deity; You are my everything.’ Prasada is also like this. Naparam means ‘There is nothing besides You.’ All of this can also be said for Krsna’s maha-prasada, which is non-different from Him in all respects, and therefore Radhika takes nothing besides His maha-prasada. If anyone offers Her something that Krsna has not taken, She will not take it. Instead, She will give it to Krsna, and if Krsna takes it, then She will take it.

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     We read in Brhad-bhagavatamrta how Gopa Kumara came to Goloka Vrndavana. 
     Krsna, Baladeva, Sridama, Madhumangala, and all other cowherd friends were sitting with Krsna and taking prasada with Him. At that time Krsna took the hands of Gopa Kumara, who in Goloka Vrndavana is the cowherd boy Svarupa, and made him sit near to Him. When all the boys were taking prasada, Yasoda Maiya placed the amrta-keli prepared by Radhika on Krsna’s plate. Krsna tasted it, making a grimace as if to express that it was not at all tasteful, and put it on the plate of Svarupa. Radhika saw this from a distance, and wondered, “Why has He done that?” She knew to some extent, but not completely; it was hidden. 
     Svarupa is like Radhika’s brother, dear both to Her and to Krsna. Krsna wanted to give him the opportunity to experience the beautiful taste of that preparation. It was the remnants of Krsna and it was prepared by Radhika, and it was therefore so sweet. As soon as Svarupa tasted it, he lost his external consciousness, thinking, “How has She made such a wonderful preparation?” All the sakhis were watching this, and Radhika was watching. When Krsna had first grimaced, they were all thinking that perhaps the preparation had no taste, but it was actually so tasteful.  
     Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was remembering these pastimes of Srimati Radhika taking Krsna’s remnants, and of Her mind going to Krsna. This is the purport of the sloka 49. In the mood of Tulasi Manjari, he prayed to Srimati Radhika, “Will You be so merciful to me that You will engage me in these varieties of services? You will tell me to go to Nanda-Bhavan, and from there I will bring You Krsna’s remnants and serve You in that way.”

[Endnote: (from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Sri Jaiva-dharma, chapter 38)

“Vijaya-kumara: Please tell me about the pradosa-lila (pastimes of the first part of the night).

Gopala-guru Gosvami:

tan-matuh prarthanat purvam / radhayapi tadaiva hi
prasthapyante sakhi-dvara / pakvannani tadalayam

In great excitement, Srimati Radhika cooks varieties of food preparations and sends them by Her sakhis to Krsna in Nanda-bhavan, even before Her mother-in-law orders Her to do so.

slaghayams ca haris tani / bhuktva pitradibhih saha
sabha-grham vrajet tais ca / justam bandhu-janadibhih
pakvannani grhitva tah / sakhyas tatra samagatah
bahuny eva punas tani / pradattani yasodaya

Along with His father and the sakhas, Sri Krsna repeatedly relishes and praises the varieties of preparations sent by Sri Radha, as well as many others given by Yasoda Maiya. Then Krsna goes with His father, friends, and relatives to the assembly hall where singers and dancers entertain them with sweet songs and dances.

sakhya tatra taya dattam / krsnocchistam tatha rahah
sarvam tabhih samaniya / radhikayai nivedyate

Meanwhile, the sakhis take Krsna’s remnants and offer them to Radhika in a secret place. Srimati Radhika distributes them amongst the sakhis in order of seniority (and deeply absorbed
in thoughts of Him She honors them with great delight).

sapi bhuktva sakhi-varga yuta tad-anupurvasah
sakhibhir mandita tisthet / abhisarttum samudyata

After enjoying those remnants, Her sakhis decorate Her very charmingly, and She is then ready to go on abhisara (meeting with Her priyatama Syama).”]