19920318 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.31-32

Following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on March 18^th, 1992 in Śrī Māyāpur, India. The class begins with a reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto, Chapter Five, Text Thirty-one and Thirty-two.

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.31

iti dvāpara urv-īśa
stuvanti jagad-īśvaram
nānā-tantra-vidhānena
kalāv api tathā śṛṇu

Translation: O King, in this way people in Dvāpara-yuga glorified the Lord of the universe. In Kali-yuga also people worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead by following various regulations of the revealed scriptures. Now kindly hear of this from me.

Purport: The words kalāv api, “in Kali-yuga also,” are very important in this verse. It is well known that Kali-yuga is an irreligious age. Thus it is surprising that in such a completely irreligious age the Supreme Lord is worshiped. Therefore it is stated kalāv api, “even in Kali-yuga.” In Kali-yuga the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead does not directly assert Himself to be the Personality of Godhead, but rather He is detected by expert devotees in accordance with the revealed Vedic scriptures. Similarly, Prahlāda Mahārāja states in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.9.38):

itthaṁ nṛ-tiryag-ṛṣi-deva-jhaṣāvatārair
lokān vibhāvayasi haṁsi jagat pratīpān
dharmaṁ mahā-puruṣa pāsi yugānuvṛttaś
channaḥ kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo ’tha sa tvam

“In this way, my Lord, You appear in various incarnations as a human being, an animal, a great saintly demigod, a fish or a tortoise, thus maintaining the entire creation in different planetary systems and killing the demoniac principles. According to the age, O my Lord, You protect the principles of religion. In the Age of Kali, however, You do not assert Yourself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore You are known as Triyuga, or the Lord who appears in three yugas.” Thus it is understood that it is difficult for common people in Kali-yuga to recognize the incarnation of the Lord since in this age the Lord’s appearance is slightly concealed.

According to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura the word nānā-tantra-vidhānena indicates the importance in Kali-yuga of the Vaiṣṇava scriptures known as the Pañcarātras or Sātvata-pañcarātras. It is stated in the Bhāgavatam, strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā: in Kali-yuga it is impossible for ordinary people to perform highly technical Vedic sacrifices or the unbearable penances of the mystic yoga system. Such standard Vedic processes are practically inaccessible for the spiritually retarded population of Kali-yuga. Therefore the simple process of glorifying the Personality of Godhead by chanting His holy names is essential in this age. Such devotional processes as chanting the holy names of the Lord and worshiping His Deity form are elaborately described in the Vaiṣṇava śāstras known as Pañcarātras. Such tantric scriptures are referred to in this verse, and it is stated that in Kali-yuga these devotional processes, taught by great ācāryas such as Nārada Muni, are the only practical means for worshiping the Lord. This will be more clearly explained in the following verse.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.32

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

Translation: In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.

Purport: This same verse is quoted by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Three, verse 52. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has given the following commentary on this verse. “This text is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32). Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this verse in his commentary on the Bhāgavatam known as the Krama-sandarbha, wherein he says that Lord Kṛṣṇa also appears with a golden complexion. That golden Lord Kṛṣṇa is Lord Caitanya, who is worshiped by intelligent men in this age. That is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Garga Muni, who said that although the child Kṛṣṇa was blackish, He also appears in three other colors — red, white and yellow. He exhibited His white and red complexions in the Satya and Tretā ages respectively. He did not exhibit the remaining color, yellow-gold, until He appeared as Lord Caitanya, who is known as Gaurahari.

“Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that kṛṣṇa-varṇam means Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam and Kṛṣṇa Caitanya are equivalent. The name Kṛṣṇa appears with both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya Kṛṣṇa. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He always engages in describing Kṛṣṇa and thus enjoying transcendental bliss by chanting and remembering His name and form. Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself appears as Lord Caitanya to preach the highest gospel. Varṇayati means ‘utters’ or ‘describes.’ Lord Caitanya always chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and describes it also, and because He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, whoever meets Him will automatically chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and later describe it to others. He injects one with transcendental Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which merges the chanter in transcendental bliss. In all respects, therefore, He appears before everyone as Kṛṣṇa, either by personality or by sound. Simply by seeing Lord Caitanya one at once remembers Lord Kṛṣṇa. One may therefore accept Him as viṣṇu-tattva. In other words, Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself.

“Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam further indicates that Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa. His body is always decorated with ornaments of sandalwood and with sandalwood paste. By His superexcellent beauty He subdues all the people of the age. In other descents the Lord sometimes used weapons to defeat the demoniac, but in this age the Lord subdues them with His all-attractive (feature) figure as Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that His beauty is His astra, or weapon, to subdue the demons. Because He is all-attractive, it is to be understood that all the demigods lived with Him as His companions. His acts were uncommon and His associates wonderful. When He propagated the saṅkīrtana movement, He attracted many great scholars and ācāryas, especially in Bengal and Orissa. Lord Caitanya is always accompanied by His best associates like Lord Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa.

“Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī cites a verse from the Vedic literature that says that there is no necessity of performing sacrificial demonstrations or ceremonial functions. He comments that instead of engaging in such external, pompous exhibitions, all people, regardless of caste, color or creed, can assemble together and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa to worship Lord Caitanya. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam indicates that prominence should be given to the name Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya taught Kṛṣṇa consciousness and chanted the name of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, to worship Lord Caitanya, everyone should together chant the mahā-mantra — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. To propagate worship in churches, temples or mosques is not possible because people have lost interest in that. But anywhere and everywhere, people can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thus worshiping Lord Caitanya, they can perform the highest activity and fulfill the highest religious purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord.

“Śrīla Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, a famous disciple of Lord Caitanya, said: ‘The principle of transcendental devotional service having been lost, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya has appeared to deliver again the process of devotion. He is so kind that He is distributing love of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone should be attracted more and more to His lotus feet, as humming bees are attracted to a lotus flower.’”

The incarnation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also described in the Śrī Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma, which appears in Chapter 189 of the Dāna-dharma-parva of Mahābhārata. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has quoted this reference as follows: suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṅgo varāṅgaś candanāṅgadī. “In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold.” He has also quoted, sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ śānto niṣṭhā-śānti-parāyaṇaḥ: “In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyāsa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees.”

* * *

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this Age of Kali, the fallen souls have got the greatest benediction. Normally, in the thousand yugas of the day of Brahmā, the Age of Kali is the worst. The Age of Kali is considered to be the most fallen. Only one fourth of religion is still remaining and three fourth is lost. Even Śukadeva Gosvāmī stated that the defects of the Age of Kali are like an ocean, kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann, asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ [ŚB 12.3.51]. However, in spite of this Kali-yuga being the most despicable fallen age by material calculation, because the Lord has come into this Age of Kali, therefore the age has actually become the topmost of all the ages. This age has become a special benediction.

It is also mentioned by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Parīkṣit Mahārāja, kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann, asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ [ŚB 12.3.51] that although this Age of Kali is filled with defects, an ocean of defects, it has one good quality which is so wonderful that it outweighs all of the defects, asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya, that is chanting congregationally the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. By doing that, one is liberated from the conditioning of this material world and is sent back home, back to Godhead, back to the spiritual sky. Nitāi-Gaura Premānanda Hari Haribol! So, that is the very special facility of this age. Although this age is otherwise so rotten, because of the mercy of Lord Caitanya, it is the best of the ages.

We can get in this age what we could never get in previous ages. The mahā-mantra although existed in previous ages but if people would chant the name of Kṛṣṇa along with offenses, that chanting would not have any effect of giving pure love for Godhead. That chanting would take a long time, even millions of births. But by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, one is able to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa without offense, and thus one can easily get love for Kṛṣṇa.

So, this saṅkīrtana movement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is actually a benediction mood, it is giving out the mercy, otherwise people would not be. That is why Lord Caitanya’s mood, the mood here in Navadvīpa, is called audārya, one of simply benevolence, simply giving out mercy. In Vṛndāvana, the mood is mādhurya, or the sweet, sweet mood of mādhurya-rasa. In Jagannātha Purī, the mood is aiśvarya or opulence. So, you have these three dhāmas of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s worship — mādhurya, aiśvarya, and audārya.

So, today we are seated in audārya-dhāma, Navadvīpa Māyāpura dhāma. Here is where the Lord’s mood is simply giving out mercy. In the Age of Kali, that is really the most important thing because if we do not get the mercy, how can we access mādhurya or aiśvarya? They are beyond our reach but by the audārya, unlimited mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we can easily grasp the lotus feet of Rādhā and Mādhava. We can get the mercy of Jagannātha. So, this holy dhāma of Navadvīpa, the pastimes of Caitanya Mahāprabhu are in this mood of audārya. Of course, Lord Caitanya also was relishing the mādhurya-rasa; He was relishing the separation of the Lord. So simultaneously, within Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you will find the various aspects, but the special feature is audārya, the mercy of Lord.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also been described as mahā-vadānya or bhūridā — someone who is so merciful that He just gives out mercy, I mean, this is something that needs to be properly understood. Just like Trivikrama Vāmanadeva, He became so large He covered the whole universe in three steps. Just like Girī-Govardhana was lifted by Govinda with His little left pinky finger. Just like Varāhadeva lifted up the earth from the fallen position at the bottom of the universe. Every avatāra has got some special great quality which is inconceivable, which is unlimited, which is wonderful. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is coming in a human-like form, coming as a brāhmaṇa paṇḍita. But what is His extraordinary pastime? That pastime is a little subtle, but actually it is the greatest gift of all, the greatest miracle of all — He is giving out this mercy of love of Kṛṣṇa.

Love of Kṛṣṇa – Varāha did not give, Matsya did not give, Nṛsiṁhadeva did not give, Vāmanadeva did not give this to the fallen souls far and wide. Kṛṣṇa Himself did not give it freely to everyone. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives out this mercy in unlimited proportions. That is why worship of Lord Caitanya is essential in this Age of Kali. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja considered that those who did not worship Lord Caitanya, those who did not bow down to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, even as a sannyāsī, they were actually demons; they are very offensive, they are hopeless cases.

It sounds like very harsh words. Lord Caitanya is all-merciful; He is the Lord. Here he is saying, “If you do not worship Him, you are a demon.” So it sounds like some very harsh statement. Jarāsandha also was worshipping Viṣṇu, but he refused to respect Kṛṣṇa. So, although he was worshipping Viṣṇu, his worship was in order to get strength to kill Kṛṣṇa. So this type of ignorance, where one does not know that Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa are the same, it is demoniac. So, someone, in spite of so much scriptural evidence available, if they refuse to see that Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya are one and the same person in different forms and different pastimes, and instead one is against Lord Caitanya, then what is the difference between him and Jarāsandha, who was against Kṛṣṇa but was worshipping Viṣṇu?

So, actually, what Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja was saying was not harsh at all; he was just speaking a fact. This is the reality. If we do not respect Lord Caitanya, it is our deficiency, it is our defect. And if we do not respect Lord Caitanya, how will we get the mercy of Kṛṣṇa in this Age of Kali? In Age of Kali, people are more sinful, more offensive, more fallen. So, without the mercy of the Lord (Caitanya), how is it possible to get the mercy of Kṛṣṇa? So, this is very good for us to really fix our consciousness that we have to have the mercy of Lord Caitanya. There is no other way. No other way. Not that we are just saying it dogmatically or fanatically, but realistically, there is no other way.

Just like today in the world, the AIDS epidemic is the biggest concern of modern governments, and so far they have not found a cure. If they find the one cure, then the people will say, “You have to take this medicine,” and say, “There will be no other medicine.” If that was the case, nobody can argue, there is only one medicine, only one cure; we have to take it. Well, they have not found the cure for AIDS, but they have found the cure for Māyā. They have found the cure for being a conditioned soul in this universe. They have found the cure for not having love and devotion for Kṛṣṇa. That cure was found by Rūpa Gosvāmī, found by the great Vaiṣṇava ācāryas. That cure is any guess? Gaurāṅga! Who? Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu ki Jaya! Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the actual cure of all of our diseases of this material world; He is the cure of the principal disease of forgetfulness and lack of love of Kṛṣṇa and there is no other alternative, you see.

Maybe when Lord Jesus was present and he told his followers, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the light,” he was the only way for those people. Who else would they go to? Who else would teach them about God? Now, of course, people are saying that is for all time and all places. In the Vedas we do not find that there is only one way throughout history, at different times of history, there are different ways. But in this particular age, there is a particular way. In this age, for instance, in the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa it states:

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa 38.126]

“Chant the holy name. Chant the holy name. Chant the holy name. There is no other way except for the holy name. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.” So, there is no other alternative. You can do karma, you can do jñāna, you can do yoga, you can practice all the different aspects of Vedic dharma, but they will not take you to the point of developing love for Kṛṣṇa unless you come up to the practice of chanting the holy names and holy names need to be chanted by devotees of the Lord.

I remember when Śrīla Prabhupāda was at a gītā-jñāna-yajña in Wardhā, in the Vinobā Bhāve āśrama. There were so many different karma-kāṇḍīs and jñāna-kāṇḍīs speaking on the Gītā, and Prabhupāda was the only pure devotee. So Prabhupāda had his devotees chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and everyone was chanting the holy name. All the people present there were clapping their hands and moving their bodies, and everyone was enjoying the kīrtana and the other karma-kāṇḍīs, jñāna-kāṇḍīs, Māyāvādīs, some of them were getting really disturbed that Prabhupāda was stealing the show.

So, I explained this in some places that after Prabhupāda finished his lecture, one Māyāvādī got on the stage, it was his turn to speak on the Gītā, and he told his followers, “Let us chant a kīrtana now.” They must not have been very used to chanting kīrtana. He came up with the funniest kīrtana I ever heard. He was starting to chant; I cannot remember exactly, but it was something like, Sac-cid-ānanda Vāsudeva (claps his hands) Oṁ tat sat... Sac-cid-ānanda Vāsudeva Oṁ tat sat (claps his hands again) Hari.. sat cid.. I mean something far out like that. Prabhupāda shook his head, he could immediately understand. His followers were trying to follow this one, four, seven beat, you know, Sac-cid-ānanda Vāsudeva speculation, and it was really coming out flat. Prabhupāda, he knew that this person was just trying to put him up. It was like Kṛṣṇa and Pauṇḍraka. So, then Prabhupāda just told his followers, “Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! Chant!”, so right in the middle of this other person’s kīrtana, the devotees just started a full-blown kīrtana,

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Haribol! Everybody started chanting and clapping. That Māyāvādī turned red, and Prabhupāda was beaming. Even the Māyāvādīs, they try to imitate, they try, but it does not come off, it does not make it. Some of them have given up trying. They just commit offenses; they just offend the holy name. So, Lord Caitanya said, māyāvādī-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa [Cc. Madhya 6.169] You lose your devotion, you lose your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you hear the Māyāvādīs, māyāvādī haya kṛṣṇa-aparādhī [Cc. Madhya 17.129] they are offensive to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

So, if you want to chant the holy names, you have to hear from the devotees. So Prabhupāda, after that function, he told that the devotees, “You are all.. your chanting was so effective because you are pure devotees. Pure devotion, of course, we have a very high estimate of pure devotion, unadulterated devotion but Prabhupāda had a very broad definition. We know pure devotees are pure devotees but there are ripe mangoes, partially ripe mangoes, and green mangoes that are going to get ripe in due course of time but all of them Prabhupāda considered pure devotees, those who are wanting to worship, those who are purely in love of Kṛṣṇa, those who are completely fixed in wanting to love Kṛṣṇa and serving Kṛṣṇa in devotion without any condition, those who are aspiring to serve Kṛṣṇa without any condition — all the different levels, uttama, madhyama, kaniṣṭha — all were considered by Prabhupāda pure devotees when the objective was satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa.

We need to hear the chanting from those devotees. That is why the Māyāpura festival, Vṛndāvana festivals, ISKCON festivals are so satisfying, because the devotees, by their chanting, they actually invoke the presence of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa explained, “I am not in Vaikuṇṭha, I am not in the heart of the yogīs; I am where My devotees are singing My glories.” When the devotees are assembled together, singing the glories of the Lord, then the Lord is present. So that is where we can actually realize Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Some could see Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and others could hear about Him.

And Prabhupāda said that seeing Him with our eyes or seeing Him with our ears is not different; they are both on the same transcendental platform. So, we can go on hearing and realizing Caitanya Mahāprabhu all of the year, all of life, life after life. Eternally we can continually remain in the presence of Lord Caitanya and that is a special gift we can get here in Māyāpura Navadvīpa-dhāma. In the association of so many devotees, in association with pure devotees, we are able to experience the presence of Kṛṣṇa in His name, the presence of Lord Caitanya in His name, in His remembrance, in His worship. And some who are very fortunate can also see the Lord with their transcendental vision. So, we know these things; they have been revealed to us.

But in the beginning or at the end rather, at the end of the Dvāpara-yuga, it was not very clear what was going to be the future for the people of Kali-yuga. Was this going to be another Kali-yuga like all the others — abominable, sinful, hellish, argumentative, materialistic, Iron Age with no hope, no bhakti, no jñāna, no prema, nothing, a desert? Was it going to be one of those Kali-yugas where everyone is completely in a hopeless condition with no chance to get love of Kṛṣṇa? That was the apprehension of Nārada Muni. He was very concerned, and he went to Dvārakā. He found out from Kṛṣṇa that Kṛṣṇa was going to come as a devotee in the Age of Kali. He was going to give out devotion. And so Kṛṣṇa told Nārada the good news, “Do not worry. I am going to come back. I am going to give out bhakti. I am going to save the conditioned souls. You go tell all the devas. When I come, I want them to come with Me and help Me. I want them to be My associates and My assistants in this mission of giving out the saṅkīrtana.”

So, Nārada Muni, he was very excited. He was really in the peaks of frustration earlier, and now there was hope. He was so hopeful, so happy that the Lord was coming. So, then he went to see Lord Brahmā, the first guru in our disciplic succession, the creator of this universe. Nārada Muni flew up to Satyaloka, and there Nārada Muni, who was the mental son of Brahmā, offered respect to his father and his guru. Nārada is the second guru in our disciplic succession.

So, Brahmā, he knew that although Nārada was acting as his son and disciple, Nārada was actually eternal. Therefore, Brahmā treated him with great affection and asked him to sit down. Even Brahmā has to die, but Nārada never dies. Nārada is a completely nitya-siddha, mukta-ātmā, liberated soul.

So, then Nārada Muni started to discuss with Lord Brahmā all the different things that happened and how the coming Kali-yuga was going to be very special, because normally only a partial incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu appears in the four yugas, but in the Kali-yuga and in the next yuga after Kali, Kṛṣṇa Himself was going to come. Nārada Muni discussed how Kṛṣṇa comes in different avatāras, but that Kṛṣṇa had promised Lord Brahmā in the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa three times that He would come in the beginning of the Age of Kali to give the saṅkīrtana movement, and He would appear in the home of Mother Śacī. He also reminded Brahmā that in the Śānti-parva of the Mahābhārata it was predicted that the Lord would come in a golden color, decorated with sandalwood pulp, and would peacefully accept the āśrama of sannyāsa and distribute devotional service to all conditioned souls.

In the Age of Kali, the religious activities are reduced, including charity, penances, austerities, fire sacrifices, varṇāśrama-dharma, celibacy, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, etc and etc. Everything is reduced because of the sinful activities of the people who are fallen in the Age of Kali. So, all these spiritual practices, however, are contained in the holy names of the Lord. In the Nārada-pañcarātra it is stated that all mantras, tantras, everything is contained in the words, “Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.”

So, you wonder how to get everything; we can get it right in these things —

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

You see. Then Nārada also was discussing with Brahmā that there are so many incarnations of Godhead who delivered their followers, but when was there ever an incarnation of Godhead who would deliver and give pure love even to those who were not His followers, even those who were inimical, who were against Him? That was the most rare incarnation of Godhead.

Lord Brahmā informed, “Do not worry. I am planning to come. I would not miss it. I am going to come and join the pastimes of the coming incarnation.” And so, in this way they were both overwhelmed with ecstasy, discussing about the future coming of the Lord. So, then Lord Brahmā gave leave to Nārada Muni, who wanted to inform all the other devas.

So, Nārada started heading out to see Indra and all the other devas. And then he just started thinking; his hair started standing on end, how the Lord was going to be coming very soon. And he became so ecstatic thinking of the mercy, the glories of Lord Caitanya, he just started to shout out, “Jaya! Jaya! Jaya Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Haribol! Haribol!” He just became overwhelmed. And so in this excited way he went all over the universe, informing. Nārada was giving the good news that the Lord of Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, is coming down in this Age of.. the next Age of Kali and He is going to be giving out His priceless jewel. So, he informed the Yogendras, Lord Indra, the moon-god Candra, all the mahārṣis, brahmarṣis from the heavenly planets, and everyone started to hear about this great news.

They were all feeling very frustrated that Kṛṣṇa was leaving the universe and that Kali-yuga was going to start, but then they got the good news very soon, the Lord is coming. So, finally Nārada after spreading the good message, the good news throughout the entire universe, he returned to this planet and he noticed it was not the same anymore. It looked like the people were dead, like they were living dead. They did not have that life that they had when he left the planet and he realized Kṛṣṇa is gone. Kṛṣṇa has left this world. Kali-yuga has begun. That is why these people live like walking dead men. No more spiritual life was evident in them.

He was astonished that wherever he went people had lost their taste for performing spiritual activities. They did not want to give charity anymore, nor penances, nor austerities. They were attracted to the attractive features of women. Men were infatuated with their wives, meditating on their attractive features, their nice words, liking to serve their bodies. Men and women were being so attracted to each other that they forgot the all-attractive feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In this way they had lost their spirituality.

Seeing these things, he again became filled with anxiety, and he sat down in meditation, trying to understand what was going to happen, when the Lord was going to come. And then from the sky there was a daiva-vāṇī, “Nārada Muni, I am Jagannātha, the Lord of the universe. I have appeared as Dāru-brahma, in the form of the Absolute Truth, in a wooden form you come and see Me. I am now present in Nīlācala, on the seashore, on the side of the salt ocean.” Nārada Muni immediately went, and there he saw the beautiful forms of Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā and he fell down at Their feet, seeing Their smiling faces, Their lotus eyes. And he prayed before the Lord. Seeing the Lord’s form, which was more soothing and cooling than billions and millions of moons, the original Personality of Lord Kṛṣṇa in His most merciful form, out of His causeless mercy, had descended in this world to benedict everyone.

Nārada Muni came before Jagannātha and prayed with folded hands, “O Lord of the universe, O Jagannātha, please have Your mercy. Now in this Age of Kali which has come, how will these people get out of this dark, sinful region of life?” So, then Jagannātha spoke to Nārada with a smiling face, “I can reveal everything to you in private, but now go to Goloka. Go to the supreme spiritual planet. You can go on My order.” Normally nobody can go from this universe to Goloka, but if the Lord orders, “Go to Goloka!,” then you can go to Goloka. Who is going to stop you? The Lord is all-powerful.

So, there in that planet you go beyond the Vaikuṇṭha planets. In the planet known as Goloka Vṛndāvana, you will find Lord Caitanya, Gaurasundara. Gaurasundara, the Lord of Śvetadvīpa. In Goloka, everyone is serving the Lord. He is the only enjoyer, and everyone else is His energy and His servitor. So, we know from Brahma-saṁhitā there is devī-dhāma, maheśa-dhāma, there is the Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma, and finally Goloka-dhāma. So, Nārada was asked to go to all the dhāmas. So, the Lord, He also privately told Nārada that there is the form of Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭha, but Kṛṣṇa Himself was coming from Goloka, coming down to give something greater than what Nārāyaṇa gives.

Nārāyaṇa comes down in his partial incarnations to give liberation – No more birth, no more death, no more old age, no more disease, you can get sārūpya, sālokya, sāmīpya, sārṣṭi, you can the various, all types of liberation from Nārāyaṇa but pure love of Kṛṣṇa, even Nārāyaṇa does not give but Caitanya is going to give this, that was a secret revelation. Jagannātha told Nārada, “In this Age of Kali, the Lord is coming.” So, without making any delay, Nārada immediately went up to Vaikuṇṭha. There after reaching the gates of Vaikuṇṭha, entering into the planets of Vaikuṇṭha, there he saw Lord Nārāyaṇa seated on a great jewel, accompanied by His divine associates.

Immediately, Nārada fell prostrate before Lord Nārāyaṇa, the Lord rose from the throne and embraced Nārada Muni. Smiling, “What is on your mind? Kindly reveal your heart to Me, My Dear Nārada.”

So, Nārada Muni replied, “I am simply anxious to carry out Your orders. That is the only thing which is in My heart. That which is a mystery I want to have revealed.” So, with folded hands, Nārada Muni explained that, “Jagannātha has told me that there is a special form of You coming into the material world in the Age of Kali to give that which has never been given before. I want to see that form of Yours.”

Nārāyaṇa took Nārada aside to a private place, “I know the form that you want to see. That is the most merciful form of Mine, and it does not live in this part of the spiritual world. This is Vaikuṇṭha. There is a part much more intimate, much higher. That part is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. Go there, and the Master of the entire existence, the śikṣā-guru of everyone, is there — Mahāprabhu. Go there and your desired Lord will be revealed to you.”

So, Nārada Muni took the blessings of Nārāyaṇa and he went to Goloka Vṛndāvana. And there he could see everyone was engaged in spontaneous devotion to the Lord. Everyone was engaged in kīrtana of the Lord, glorifying the Lord. The only sound was śabda-brahma, transcendental vibration. So, he wanted to be part of it. Anyone who wants to understand these glories, of course, of Goloka, can get much more information from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. I am just giving a synopsis.

Nārada went into the innermost part of Goloka Vṛndāvana. And there, in the beautiful groves of gardens, beautiful gardens, there seated on a beautifully decorated throne, a platform of jewels, seated was the golden form of Kṛṣṇa, Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! His form was more nectarian, more beautiful than the sweetness of honey is to the taste. Unbelievable. How incredible. Wonderful, wonderful – this form of Lord Caitanya. Nārada Muni was completely overwhelmed.

Surrounding Lord Caitanya there were so many transcendental energies of the Lord, engaging in bathing Lord Caitanya. The potencies of Vṛndāvana were on the right side of the Lord. The potencies of Dvārakā were on the left, with golden water pots filled with transcendental Ganges water, soaked in jewels. They were bathing the transcendental Form of Lord Caitanya, performing a great abhiṣeka bathing ceremony. Everyone was chanting the glories of the Lord, and all one could hear was the sound of “Jaya! Jaya! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Jaya!” and the holy names of the Lord. In this way Lord Caitanya was worshiped by the four-syllable mantra, Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaura Premānande Hari Haribol!

Lord Nārāyaṇa, He has four hands — cakra, padma, gadā, śaṅkha. Lord Caitanya, He had only two hands. Seeing this two-handed form of the Lord, the Lord of Goloka Vṛndāvana, Nārada Muni fell and became unconscious before Him like a stick on the ground. He was overwhelmed. Never had he seen such a beautiful Form. So beautiful. We have heard from Śrīla Prabhupāda that Lord Caitanya’s special weapon was His inconceivable beauty. Anyone who saw Him was stunned. No one had so much beauty as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and when Nārada Muni saw that form in Goloka Vṛndāvana, he went POW! Down on the ground like a stick, unconscious in his ecstasy. When the Lord finished His bath, He said, “Bring him. Bring him.” And then Nārada was picked up. Lord Caitanya sat him right down on His lap. Lord Caitanya was much bigger than Nārada. So, He just sat Nārada down on His lap, and immediately Nārada’s anxiety was relieved.

Nārada revealed his mind to his eternal master. “Today my life is a success, for I have been able to see this transcendental form of Yours.” So, Lord Brahmā and other devas, they know of these glories, but these glories are inconceivable to the conditioned souls, to the fallen souls.

So, in this way Nārada wanted to know that, “You are being worshiped as the Supreme Person, and they see Your potencies and energies everywhere, but they are not able to understand this transcendental form of Yours beyond the material nature, beyond perception. Actually the Lord appears in so many forms, so many incarnations, so many different forms. There is no limit to the Lord’s mercy. But this form of Lord Caitanya is the most merciful, the most beautiful. He is the source of all beauty, all mercy.

So, in this way, Nārada Muni was offering his prayers, many more prayers, I am just cutting it short, this is mainly from the Caitanya-maṅgala. He offered many prayers to the Lord and then Lord Caitanya spoke to Nārada Muni, “It is My desire to give the mercy of My lotus feet to the fallen souls without cessation. My heart is crying out for these fallen souls. I am going to leave this spiritual world and again take up My appearance in the material world, to create a world centered around Lord Kṛṣṇa, where everyone is filled with pure love of Godhead, spiritual brothers and sisters and devotees of Lord, Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees.” This gives us an idea of what Lord Caitanya wants. He wants this world to be centered around Kṛṣṇa. Now the world is centered around sex, centered around materialism, centered around so many things but Kṛṣṇa, centered around mayā-sukhāya but Kṛṣṇa Caitanya wants the whole world to be centered around Kṛṣṇa and to do that, He is going to give everyone that love of Kṛṣṇa, and everyone will become mad after Kṛṣṇa.

And this is our work. We have to carry out this order of Lord Caitanya, to somehow or another get people to get this mercy. Prabhupāda one time said that you can go up to someone and just fall at their feet and praise them, “Sir, you are the most great gentleman, learned, handsome, educated, beautiful, wonderful person. So many good things you have. So many achievements you have been able to achieve in this life, so on.” Then say, “Just one thing I want to request from you.” “Oh, what is that?” “If you do not mind, can I just request one thing to you?” “All right, okay. What is that?” “Forget about it. (laughter) For a moment, just forget all about it and just grab onto those two lotus feet of Gaurāṅga. Take the lotus feet of Gaurāṅga and chant,

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

And the money is—no, none of those things will last. They are all just will-o’-the-wisp, just momentary realities, asat. As such, the real happiness, the reality, is in worshiping Lord Caitanya and having this Kṛṣṇa devotion. And if they just would grab onto Lord Gaurāṅga’s lotus feet, they would just say, “Gaurāṅga.” Just say, “Hari.” Just say, “Kṛṣṇa.” Very easily they will get the mercy of the Lord, very easily they will be able to understand what is all this temporary nonsense. Their reality is within our reach. So, this is the desire of the Lord to make the whole world centered.. Kṛṣṇa-centered. That is our special duty, our special function, our special sevā service, our offering of love. To fulfill this desire of Lord Caitanya, we have to make everyone Kṛṣṇa conscious, somehow or another and this is the Lord’s desire.

So, Lord Caitanya went on revealing His mind to Nārada Muni, giving His mercy to Nārada: “I am going to leave this spiritual world. I am going to come again in the material world and make the whole world centered around Kṛṣṇa. Everyone will filled it with pure love of Godhead. I am going to deliver the people of the Kali-yuga, preaching the glories of My own devotional service.” How does He deliver the people? He is going to give them bhakti, give them devotional service. If we serve Kṛṣṇa, we immediately get free from this bondage. That was very nicely explained in previous classes, how we can reverse the whole reason for our being in māyā simply by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa.

So, Lord Caitanya’s purpose is to give out this devotion. We have to systematically sit on this matter, telling us professionalism—whether professional, systematic, expertly. We have to somehow see that no one is left out. Everyone gets the mercy. Everyone gets this benediction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Lord Caitanya, when He told Haridāsa Ṭhākura that He was feeling some anxiety—few people He saw were not getting the mercy: some fishermen, some argumentative students, some careless this that.. not careless but now they are careless, then they were just students. We have to see who is getting left out!

In other words, Lord Caitanya’s agenda is that no one should not get the mercy. No one should go hungry from this real hunger, this real satisfaction of love of Kṛṣṇa. So, definitely we have to be very expert, very professional, to see that every single one, every person, every fallen soul gets this mercy of Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! And who is the most expert powerful servant of Lord Caitanya that we have seen in this modern age? We have seen Śrīla Prabhupāda. He was so expert, He was so efficient in giving out Lord Caitanya’s mercy – traveling all over the world, translating books, answering hundreds of letters, establishing temples and farms, guiding devotees, creating a whole administrative structure for the society. He was just giving us so much opportunity to serve, so much opportunity. Many times we failed to take it; we failed to focus on it; we failed to cling to his lotus feet sufficiently. But He said He could deliver the whole world in just eighteen days if His followers would just do whatever He told them. That indicates how lacking we are. But Prabhupāda had a perfect agenda. We have to become expert followers of Prabhupāda, because He knew what Lord Caitanya wanted. He knew how to give out this mercy of Lord Caitanya.

There may be other people who may have other ideas. We do not care. We want to follow Prabhupāda, because we know He had the best idea how to give the mercy of Lord Caitanya to everyone. Śrīla Prabhupāda ki Jaya! So, Lord Caitanya was telling Nārada, “I am not going to come alone. I am going to come down with My associates. I am going to come in Nādia, Navadvīpa in Māyāpura. I am going to come with Balarāma. And Balarāma is going to be with Me. He is going to be known as Nityānanda! Nityānanda! Nityānanda! That Nityānanda who is Ananta, who is Balarāma, who is worshiped by Śiva, by the ekādaśa Rudras.” That Balarāma is coming as Nityānanda with Me and so many other associates.

So, then He took Nārada aside, leaving the other associates. And at that time—no, this was all in private—then He came back to the other associates. And He was going to send Nārada off. Then He told the other associates, “Listen, Rādhā. Listen, Lalitā, Viśākhā, Indulekhā, Tuṅgavidyā, Raṅgadevī, Sudevī, Citrā, Campakalatā. Listen, Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā. Listen, Rūpa Mañjarī, Anaṅga Mañjarī, Listen to what I am going to do. I am going to take birth in the Māyāpura. I am going to take birth in Śacī’s house and give out love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone and flood the entire world with love of Kṛṣṇa. Nitāi Gaura Premānande Hari Hari Haribol! And if you want to come along with Me —some before, some during, some after, you are all welcome.” So, who is going to miss it, right?

So, they all came, Rādhā came as Gadādhara; Lalitā and Viśākhā came as Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya, different people, they joined up together. Arjuna and Viśākhā, they came together; somehow they all had to be present. Nobody wanted to miss this one. No one wanted to miss this great pastime of the Lord. So, He told them, “I am coming. I am going to flood. I am going to personally appear, and personally I am going to preach in Bhāratavarṣa.” But there are other interesting..

It says that about four hundred fifty years ago this was written by Locana Dāsa Ṭhākura, one of the direct associates, disciples. He explained that there are many sinful practices in distant countries, and if there are religions in those countries that allow sinful activities to be performed in the name of religion when I am not personally present, then I am going to send My internal pure devotee. I am going to send My senāpati-bhakta, My commanding general devotee, to go and deliver all those distant sinful countries with their religions that allow people to go on doing sinful activity. I am going to deliver all of them through that devotee and let everyone taste the love of Kṛṣṇa. Hari Haribol! Śrīla Prabhupāda Kī Jaya! Śrīla Prabhupāda Kī Jaya! Śrīla Prabhupāda Kī Jaya!

In this way the Lord personally or through His intimate associates is going to inundate the entire world, the entire universe, with pure love. So, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, along with all of His associates, revealed to Nārada Muni how He was going to come. Then He told Nārada, “By the way, before you go back to Earth, just stop and see Balarāma. He is taking a visit in the other section of Goloka. Go and see Him. He has got to come too. Get ready—we are about to appear. I am just waiting for the call of Advaita.”

So, Balarāma was informed that Nārada Muni appeared, went before Balarāma. There Balarāma was being worshiped so beautifully, there was Revatī, Vasudhā (Vāruṇī), he paid his obeisances before the Lord, and he was so overwhelmed, he was remembering Lord Caitanya, He could not speak; he could not move. He wanted to go actually to Balarāma, but he could not. He was just—he was overwhelmed. And suddenly, actually on the way to Balarāma, he just became so mad with ecstasy. So mad. Thinking of the mercy of Śrī Caitanya, His beauty, His mission, that he just, like a lion, started to roar Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! In this way, Nārada Muni, just in his complete ecstasy, went to see Balarāma in His own spiritual abode.

And there he saw that Balarāma was so beautiful. He was relaxing on His siṁhāsana against a beautiful pillow, with His left hand on His head, and His right hand was holding the hand of His eternal consort, Revātī. In this way Revātī was making offerings to Balarāma. Many assistants were fanning Balarāma. There was music, there was chanting, there was kīrtana. The other associate, Bhū-devī, Vasudhā (Vāruṇī) she was also worshiping and engaged in writing. She was writing on a palm leaf or something and in this way everyone was engaged in different devotional services. Nārada Muni playing on his vīṇā entered in.

And immediately when Nārada saw Balarāma he fell on the ground and offered his obeisances. And the Lord picked up Nārada and also kept him on His lap. And Nārada was asked by Balarāma, “What has brought you? Why have you come?” And Nārada replied to Balarāma, “What can I say to You? You are the Supersoul of everyone. You are the source of the Supersoul, Paramātmā. You already know why I have come. Everyone and everything is known to You.”

Then he explained how he was concerned for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga. How he went to see the Lord. How he saw the Lord in Goloka Vṛndāvana. How Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed that He was going to come and accept the mood of Rādhārāṇī, the color of Rādhārāṇī, golden, as a devotee, and relish devotion and give devotion to happiness. And so he said, “Śrī Caitanya wants You to come also as His associate and assist Him in His mission, taking Your own name, Śrī Nityānanda.” Nothing is out of Your understanding. You already know before I told You. But I have to tell You anyway, because I was told to do so by Lord Caitanya. So, when Balarāma heard the words of Nārada Muni, He looked from side to side and He started to laugh so loudly. And He started to cry out, “Wonderful!” Lord Balarāma told His own associates that, “You come with Me. Let us go to the planet Earth to carry out the order of Lord Caitanya.” And then as Balarāma was getting ready and Nārada was about to leave, He said, “Wait a minute, Nārada. You cannot escape this pastime. You have to also come. You also appear and come down and be present in Navadvīpa. When the Lord comes, you come as Śrīvāsa.”

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Everybody was taking their appearance in this world to fulfill this order of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and somehow we were just rotting in this material world, rotting in the activities of the senses, chewing the chewed. And somehow or another Śrī Caitanya, by His causeless mercy, sent His senāpati-bhakta. He sent His commanding general devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda. And he uplifted countless living entities, giving the seed of devotion all over this world. So how much we have to be grateful for the mercy of Gaurāṅga? How much we have to be grateful for the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda? Śrīla Prabhupāda Kī Jaya! Śrīla Prabhupāda Kī Jaya! Śrīla Prabhupāda Kī Jaya!

How unfortunate it is that there are still so many millions and billions of people that have not understood the greatness of the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They have not tasted the nectar of Gaurāṅga! They have not understood or got the mercy of His pure devotees. In this way we have to do so much. Actually, we have no capacity and no potency. We have no ability. Personally, I do not have but you have! But with Lord Caitanya’s mercy, even though we are so limited personally, with His mercy, with the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda, there is nothing that cannot be done.

Arjuna did not have hope of winning in the Kurukṣetra battle against Bhīṣma, against Droṇācārya, against the whole Kuru army, against Karṇa and others. But because Kṛṣṇa was his Parthasārathi, he was easily able to be victorious. Śrīla Prabhupāda is our Parthasārathi, he is our guide, he is our śikṣā-guru, jagat-guru, our ācārya-pratiṣṭhātā, he is guiding us and Lord Caitanya’s mercy is there surrounding us. We simply have to very expertly carry out His instruction.

And now we have a great opportunity that his centennial is coming up. Actually for us every day, every moment, every minute is a moment for us to glorify Śrīla Prabhupāda. What is a centennial? For the karmīs, a centennial means something. But it is an opportunity for us to focus specifically at this time to let people glorify and know Śrīla Prabhupāda. But actually we want to continue doing this beyond the centennial all the time, until the whole world is centered around Kṛṣṇa, the way that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wants it, the way that Śrīla Prabhupāda told us to make it, kṛṣṇa-kendra-saṁsāra, a world centered around Kṛṣṇa. That was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instruction.

So, taking the mercy of Gaurāṅga now on Gaura-pūrṇimā day, understanding His appearance to be so merciful, so transcendental, by His mercy, if we could simply be really surrendered, pure instruments, carrying out carefully the instructions of Prabhupāda, then we can achieve everything that Lord Caitanya wants. He will do it through us and we will get the mercy. We will be able to chant Gaurāṅga! We will see the whole world chanting Gaurāṅga!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Thank you very much. Lokanātha Mahārāja wants to make a special announcement or tell us something about Śrīla Prabhupāda ki Jaya! Take this opportunity to meet all the Vaiṣṇavas, to please accept this Happy New Year. Happy Gaura Year. Happy Gaurāṅga Year 506 Gaurāṅga! 506 Please pray to Śrī Caitanya and Śrīla Prabhupāda to bestow blessings upon me, the most fallen soul, and forgive me for any offenses, knowingly or unknowingly committed to any devotees. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Lokanātha Swami: Gaurāṅga! We thank Jayapātaka Mahārāja for revealing Gaurāṅga to us this morning. Śrīla Jayapātaka Mahārāja kī Jaya! He is a special Gaurāṅga bhakta, the way he reveals Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, this is the very special mercy of Gaurāṅga on Jayapātaka Mahārāja. He is always ready to share that mercy with us. For sharing that mercy with all of us, we thank him again and again. Haribol!

Jayapataka Swami: If I could do anything right, it is only by the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda and Gaurāṅga! (laughter) who can make even a dumb person speak, a lame person cross mountains, and a blind person see the stars. Haribol!

Note: (Jayapātaka Swami Mahārāja and Lokanātha Swami Mahārāja say the next lines together)

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram