From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.24.12
HH Radhanath Swami

               brahmovaca
tvaya me 'pacitis tata kalpita nirvyalikatah
yan me sanjagrhe vakyam bhavan manada manayan

TRANSLATION: Lord Brahma said: My dear son Kardama, since you have
completely accepted my instructions without duplicity, showing them proper
respect, you have worshiped me properly. Whatever instructions you took from
me you have carried out, and thereby you have honored me.

PURPORT: Lord Brahma, as the first living entity within the universe, is
supposed to be the spiritual master of everyone, and he is also the father,
the creator, of all beings. Kardama Muni is one of the Prajapatis, or
creators of the living entities, and he is also a son of Brahma. Brahma
praises Kardama because he carried out the orders of the spiritual master in
total and without cheating. A conditioned soul in the material world has the
disqualification of cheating. He has four disqualifications: he is sure to
commit mistakes, he is sure to be illusioned, he is prone to cheat others,
and his senses are imperfect. But if one carries out the order of the
spiritual master by disciplic succession, or the parampara system, he
overcomes the four defects. Therefore, knowledge received from the bona fide
spiritual master is not cheating. Any other knowledge which is manufactured
by the conditioned soul is cheating only. Brahma knew well that Kardama Muni
exactly carried out the instructions received from him and that he actually
honored his spiritual master. To honor the spiritual master means to carry
out his instructions word for word. [End of purport]

HH Radhanath Swami: I am very grateful for this opportunity to try to offer
some service to the assembled devotees. We are reading today from Srimad
Bhagavatam 3.24 entitled - The Renunciation of Kardama Muni. Text 12

Kardama Muni so sincerely without ulterior motives carried out the order of
his father and guru, Lord Brahma. He performed great austerities and the
result is he and his wife Devahuti attracted the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Lord Kapiladev to become their son. In these verses Lord Brahma has
descended to honor and worship the Lord who is within the womb of Devahuti
and to express his deep satisfaction to Kardama Muni.

In the spiritual world Goloka Vrindavan we read about the loving affairs
between Radha Krishna and all of Their devotees. When the Lord descends into
this material world

yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham (Bg 4.7)

He comes again, and again and again in different forms. It is to manifest
that love in the form of compassion. The love of the spiritual world of God
is manifested in this world as compassion to lift the fallen souls who have
rejected Him, who are suffering, para dukha dukhi - Great souls, their
unhappiness is to see others separated from Krishna and their greatest
happiness is to see people reconnecting with Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada explains this, Lord Brahma, he is the original spiritual
master of this universe. How much happiness he is experiencing that his son,
his disciple Kardama Muni by the power of his devotion has attracted the
Supreme Lord to come to show compassion to all living beings within this
world. The Lord's vani, which is carried through disciplic succession, is
the most powerful form of His love within this creation.

All the great spiritual masters are instruments of that love and how we find
throughout the history of Vaisnavism how devotes take the order of their
spiritual master as their life and soul and through that process are
empowered to be such instruments of Krishna's will. Here in Sri Navadvip
Dham, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared.

radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam (CC Adi 1.5)

He is Radha and Krishna - Krishna with the complexion and love of Srimati
Radharani. He appeared in the role of His own devotee. As Nimai Pandit He
harassed and challenged the Vaisnavas until He accepted initiation from His
spiritual master Srila Isvara Puri. And how He made that order His life and
soul!

In Varanasi Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Prakasananda Sarasvati and the
sannyasis there what was his heart? They were blaspheming Him, ridiculing
Him in every possible way. Why should He waste His time with them? But even
to these blasphemers He wanted to show compassion. He entered that assembly
and here are these Mayavadis who are envious of Him, who declare themselves
to be God, who defy His own transcendental form to be maya, illusion and He
enters the assembly and sits down were they are all washing their feet and
emitted His Brahman effulgence which they were very attracted to.

His humility affected them. They said, "Swamiji why are You sitting in a
dirty place? Come and sit with us." And here is the guru of all gurus, the
Absolute Truth, the cause of all causes and He says, "I am not qualified to
sit on an elevated seat with all of you." At that point they had to come
down and take Him by the hand and bring Him up. He tricked them into doing
this ajnata sukriti.

They rendered service with feeling, with respect for Him and by doing so
their hearts were opening. And they said, "Why are You dancing and chanting
with all this ignorant foolish people? You are a sannyasi, You should be
with us. You should be studying Vedanta, performing tapasya. He said, "My
Guru Maharaj told Me that I am not qualified to study Vedanta. He said I am
a fool."

Now here are all these great scholars who are so proud of their scholarship
and usually people when they are with like-minded people they try to boast
of their qualifications. Lord Caitanya disarmed them totally. He said, "I am
a fool. You all want to be God but I am a fool. My Guru told Me that. He
said I should just chant the holy name and he gave Me the sloka,

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha (Cc. Adi 17.21)

In this age of Kali there is no other way. By chanting the holy names You
will realize the essence of dharma, the perfection of life. So I started
chanting and tears started coming from My eyes and My hairs were standing on
end and My limbs were trembling and I asked My Guru what is happening to Me!
My Guru said, 'Congratulations, You have achieved perfection.'"

And then he gave Lord Caitanya an order, "Taste the nectar of the holy name
and give this nama sankirtana, giving this chanting of the holy name to the
whole world." That was the order that He received from his spiritual master.
On the basis of the order Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came back to Sri Navadvip
Dhama and inaugurated the harinam sankirtan movement.

One day He gave that same order of the disciplic succession to Nityananda
Prabhu and Haridas Thakur. An amazing order! "Go to everyone and beg them,
'Please chant the name of Krishna, worship Krishna, talk about Krishna.
Krishna is your mother, Krishna is your father, Krishna is the real treasure
and He is your very life and soul.'".

Here is Lord Nityananda Prabhu, Balaram who previously to that arrogant
Romharsana Suta, He took a blade of kusha grass and ended his life. Now
Balaram is taking grass within his teeth and going to the same type of
arrogant nonsense people, offenders, blasphemers, everyone and begging them
take the name of Krishna. Sometimes they would reject Him, abuse Him,
Threaten Him, but with tears of compassion in His eyes and folded arms, He
would beg them, "Please just take the name of Krishna and you will be my
life and soul."

Haridas Thakur is the same Brahma we are reading about today and he is doing
the same thing - subjecting himself to ridicule persecution, beating in
public places for one reason, to alleviate peoples suffering by giving them
Krishna consciousness and the chanting of the holy names. All in obedience
to the line of the order of the spiritual master! And to what extent Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed this!

Just nearby at Srivasangam there was a kirtan going on Srivasa's son died.
The ladies of the house were weeping. Srivas Thakur could feel the sadness
and he went back there and told them, "Keep your weeping quiet. If our
sadness destroys Lord Caitanya's happiness and His chanting and dancing I
will end my life."

Towards the end of the night Lord Caitanya sensed, "Is there some sadness
here?" Someone else said, "Srivas's son died seven and a half hours ago."
"Why didn't anyone tell Me?" "Srivas did not want to disturb Your
happiness." Lord Caitanya asked Srivas, "Is something wrong?" Srivas said,
"With You dancing in my house nothing can be wrong." When Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu heard this, He incessantly wept tears and cried out, "Govinda,
Govinda, how is it possible to give up the company of a person who out of
love for Me does not even know grief for his own son." He cried again and
again and again, "How will I give up the company of a devotee, a friend like
Srivas.

The devotees were confused as to why He is saying this. The reason - Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu had already decided that He was going to take sannyas,
and in taking sannyas He was going to break the hearts of devotees like this
and leave their association. He will have to depart from His most beloved
abode of Sri Navadwip. Why? To further carry out the order of His spiritual
master -to spread the nama sankirtan movement in all directions.

Actually this coming January, the celebrations begin now, in Calcutta there
was a big festival with many, many thousands of people celebrating the five
hundredth anniversary of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepting sannyas. In the
coming month of Marg is when that most compassionate manifestation of the
Lords love has taken place.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Nityananda Prabhu that, "I am going to shave up
and take sannyasa and wander around searching for Krishna and giving Krishna
to others." When Nityananda Prabhu heard this he became numb. He said, "My
Lord whatever You wish to do that You will do. Nothing and no one can stop
You but please talk to the devotees and see how they react."

Nityananda Prabhu went to a secluded place and cried, cried and cried,
thinking what will happen to Sacidevi when her son leaves her. What will be
the anguish of her heart! Thinking in that way Nityananda Prabhu fell
unconscious. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu told this news to Mukunda Datta.
Mukunda Datta was practically paralyzed that, "How could you do this to us?
I have renounced everything of this material world. I have renounced all
desire for artha, karma and moksha, I have renounced everything only to take
shelter of You and now You are going to renounce me and all of Your devotees
and leave us? This is cruel!"

He gave this expression that, "Your heart is like a pot of poison on the
very top of which is a very thin layer of milk. You appear to be so merciful
but once we taste You what kind of suffering, once we take shelter of You
what kind of suffering You inflict upon us!"

He told Gadadhara. Gadadhara said, "What kind of religious principle is
this? You have come to this world to teach religious principles. By Your
doing this, taking sannyas, leaving You home the first thing You will
accomplish is the death of Your mother and all of Your friends, devotees and
associates."

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met His mother, Sacidevi, she had already heard
rumors. She was running all over Navadwip, "Could this be true, could this
be true? This is possible? My son Nimai! This cannot be true but I know it
is. Hearing this news, I feel like the entire sky is falling on my head as
is crushing me. Your brother Visvarupa has left to take sannyas, Your father
has left me and gone back to Vaikuntha. I am a helpless widow with nothing
and no one except You. If You leave what will I live for?

Just the thought of Your soft lotus feet trampling through the jungles were
there are thorns and stones breaks my heart. I am cooking for you every day.
You are my child. The thought of You hungry and thirsty wandering around
begging for some food is unbearable to me. The thought of Your body, which
is as delicate as soft butter being subjected to the winds and the rains and
the burning scorching sun is intolerable. I will enter into fire so that
this ears never have to hear the news that My son has entered into the
renounced order of life."

These were the emotions that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was confronted with but
still five hundred years ago from this year Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
became a sannyasi. Why? Why did He leave His chaste, young, loving wife
Visnupriya, His mother and all of His friends like Srivas, Gadadhara whom He
was enjoying beautiful kirtan with every night, practically all day? It was
simply for the purpose of showing compassion to the most fallen.

That is parampara! To take the order of the spiritual master and to be an
instrument of his compassion, to taste the nectar of the holy name and to
distribute that name according to our capacity! Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in
Varanasi said, "I have come like a fruit vendor. I have so many fruits. I am
asking everyone to taste these fruits and help Me to distribute them." That
was Mahaprabhu's order to all of His followers.

Bhaktivinode Thakur in order to please his spiritual master, Jagannath
Babaji Maharaj whose disappearance it is today, he not only went through
great efforts to discover the birth place of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but in
order to build a temple, the great Thakur Bhaktivinode, an aristocrat, a
magistrate of the government, a great scholar and paramahamsa, he was going
door to door begging. Begging to give people the opportunity to render this
most invaluable service of bringing the world to Sri Mayapur Dham.

His disciple and son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, he took that
order as his life and soul. He started printing presses, millions of books
being printed and distributed, started temples in sixty-four parts of India.
Sent his chief disciples to the west to spread this movement and he, himself
made his headquarters here in Sri Mayapur Dham to fulfill the dream of his
Guru, Bhaktivinode Thakur that Americans and Russians and Pakistanis
(Pakistan wasn't there at that time!) Africans and Indians would all be
dancing and chanting together glorifying the holy names of the Lord.

That same order, the order of the Lord's love and compassion was given to
our beloved Guru Maharaj, A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. "Take this
message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the chanting of the holy names and
spread it throughout the world in the English language. Srila Prabhupada,
like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he took sannyasa exclusively for this purpose.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu left all of His beloved associates in Navadvip to
travel around to spread the holy name. Srila Prabhupada left Radha Damodara
Temple in the heart of Sevakunj in Sri Vrindavan dham where he was
surrounded by friends and loving well wishers. He came here to Mayapur and
spent the day begging for the mercy of his Guru Maharaj, Bhaktisiddhanta
Saravati Maharaj at his samadhi to empower him to follow his instruction.
Then he went to Calcutta, Friday the 13th of August 1965, he boarded
Jaladutta, crossed over two oceans and several continents all alone with no
money and knowing no one were he was going.

He left Vrindavan for that. He had taken sannyasa and then traveled across
the world to execute the order of his spiritual master. And that was only
the beginning. Srila Prabhupada told us again and again that he did not
consider himself worthy of any credit. All credit he gave to simply adhering
to the order of his spiritual master. He imbibed that same spirit in his own
followers.

Srila Prabhupada told us when he was studying the commentary by Srila
Visvanath Cakravati Thakur he came to that commentary of,

vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-sakha hy anantas ca buddhayo 'vyavasayinam  (Bg 2.41)

That if you are on this path you have to be resolute in purpose, you must
have determination. What does that mean? To make the instruction of the
spiritual master your life and your soul. Prabhupada, Lord Caitanya, Lord
Nityananda, all of our great acaryas, they were willing to give up
everything and anything, to endure any obstacle up to the persecution and
death to carry out the order of the spiritual master.

Recently I was speaking with the doctors at Bhaktivedanta Hospital. His
Holiness Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaj he had this stroke. Well according
to the medical doctors it was impossible for him to live according to that
condition, But somehow or the other he is not only living, he is giving
classes every night! [Loud audience applause]

He called me on the phone when I was coming back from the RGB meetings in
Dehli. I was in an automobile driving from the airport and he said, "I would
like to come to Radha Gopinath Temple to give the Sunday feast lecture on
February 1st. What do you think? The doctors are not inclined but if you
tell them then maybe they will say that I could come." (Laughter)

It means driving there one hour and one hour back. So I said, "Please come."
And then I told a joke. In Krishna consciousness you have to be very careful
when you tell a joke. I said the week before that is our Pune yatra. There
will be 4500 people. Pune is only eight hours drive back and fourth. Why
don't you come for that too!

He started laughing really hard and I heard his caretakers and everyone
laughing and then we talked about some other things and he said, "It is
eight hours driving?" So yes we talked some more. He said, "I don't think
the doctors will let me." We talked about some other things then he said,
"But if you tell them then they have to let me." (Laughter.) I never said a
word to anyone after this but the day before we were leaving for Punar I get
a call from Madhavananda Prabhu, sitting right here, the director of
Bhaktivedanta hospital. He said, "We don't know what to do." He said, "Ever
since that phone call he is saying how he wants to go to the Punar Yatra."

Then he says, "All the local doctors and caretakers are saying, "No, no, no.
It is too much trouble. You should not go. Four hours driving there and four
hours back. There will be 4500 people. There will be a lot of pressure, a
lot of stress. You shouldn't go." But he was very much insisting.

So finally we asked the chief doctor, the neuro surgeon. They asked his
opinion and he said, "What will make him better is what will make him
happy." And he said what makes this man happy is serving others by preaching
to them and giving them Krishna! (Audience applauds.) Is this correct
Madhavananda Prabhu? ("Yes.")

We have evidence. And I was thinking that this is the sakti that Srila
Prabhupada imbibed in people's hearts. That Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaj,
he lives, he breathes to give Krishna to others, whatever inconvenience,
whatever disturbance is irrelevant. That was Prabhupada's spirit that was
Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda and Haridas Thakur's spirit. That is our
parampara.

Just happiness in life is life itself is to share Prabhupada's message with
others. Why? Because that was the order that Srila Prabhupada gave to His
Holiness Jayapataka Swami.

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Tamal Krishna Maharaj. How in his
own special unique way he just took the order of his spiritual master as his
life and soul. That is why we are sitting here in Mayapur today. Other
people tried to get this land but it was too difficult. Ultimately Srila
Prabhupada called for Tamal Krishna Goswami and he taught him how to tape a
kaupina around his neck and put all these rupees and said, "Now you go and
you don't come back until you have the deed for that land."

Very difficult! With great effort and all sorts of manipulation and whatever
else he had to do he somehow or the other convince them to sell the land to
him. He had to sit there for hours and hours and hours while they were
counting every little rupee. Very Difficult! And he returned to Calcutta it
was late at night. Prabhupada's light was on. He was waiting. He came in the
room, offered his dandavat and said, "Prabhupada the land in Mayapur is
yours," and gave him the deed. [Audience applauds]

We can speak so many things about His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami
Maharaj. There will be a memorial service of offerings in the community
center later this morning. But another example Srila Prabhupada ordered him,
"Go to China." The circumstances that he said it were rather unusual.
Prabhupada told him, "Go to China."

I think there was some controversy and Prabhupada was chastising Tamal
Krishna Goswami Maharaj. And in America when you are really in a hopeless
situation there is a term were you say, "Maybe I should just go to China!"
(Laughter.) So somehow or another, Goddess Sarasvati maybe just went on his
tongue to make him say that and Prabhupada said, "That is a good idea."
(Laughter.) "You should go to China!"

"Well Prabhupada, I didn't mean that." He said, "No, no. Krishna is speaking
through you." (Laughter.) And then later on Srila Prabhupada said, "You go
to China. That is your service."

The iron curtain is also the bamboo curtain. The only frontier that Krishna
consciousness never penetrated! Different! Different everything! He went in
disguise and the seeds that he planted and the flowers that he watered - it
is one of the fastest growing places in the world were Krishna consciousness
is expanding. How did that happen? Because he pleased his Guru by taking his
instruction as his life and soul!

Srila Prabhupada is explaining in this purport today, honoring the spiritual
master is not just about throwing flowers. In fact for one Vyasa-puja for
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur he wrote that beautiful offering that
said honoring our spiritual master is not just words of praise and offering
garlands. It is carrying out the order of the spiritual master.

Prabhupada, he made that offering to his spiritual master at the highest
cost, enduring the greatest difficulties. That is love. Here he is telling
us that to honor the spiritual master means to carry out his instructions
word for word. Anyone can talk about loving Prabhupada and glorifying
Prabhupada, but from Prabhupada's own heart he is telling us that, that love
and honor will be shown by how you follow my instructions.

Chant at least sixteen rounds everyday as attentive as possible striving to
avoid the ten offenses, by very sincerely following the regulative
principles, no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat eating.
One of Srila Prabhupada's last instructions to all of us for all generations
is, "You will show your love for me by how you will co operate with one
another."

Now that is probably one of the most difficult instruction he ever gave us.
Because this is Kali yuga. The entire atmosphere of Kali yuga is surcharged
with the energy that impels us, practically forces us into quarrel,
disunity, hypocrisy, we all have our egos, we all have our interpretations,
we all have our conditioning, we all have our natures. What to speak of an
international movement were people of all castes, of all countries, of all
races!

Prabhupada's order, "You will show your love for me by how you co operate
together to push forward this movement." To be united, to spread Krishna
consciousness all over the world even if inconvenience and risk. It is the
order Srila Prabhupada has given all of us. The willingness according to our
capacity to be a part of that, whether we are Hanumans or whether we are
those little squirrels or spiders kicking some sand, by taking that order as
our life and soul that is how we show our love for Prabhupada. That is how
we honor Srila Prabhupada - yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na
gatih kuto 'pi.

That is how we show our love and honor for Krishna. On Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakur's disappearance day in Los Angeles many years ago, Srila
Prabhupada ended his talk. He said, "I am very old. I could leave at any
time." And then you can hear on the recording how he chokes up and starts
crying and with a very choked up voice he said, "You are all young, please
carry on, help me to carry forward the order of my spiritual master."

That appeal of compassion should be the life and soul of Iskcon and all of
its members. Thank you very much.

[Loud Applause]

Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai!
Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaj Ki Jai!
Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj Ki Jai!

Let me just say one more thing while we are speaking about departed
Vaisnavas, there is that beautiful little area were the samadhis are. Srila
Gaura Govinda Maharaj, how he took the order of Srila Prabhupada as his life
and soul! Even with ill health he traveled the world with no other motive
but to show love and compassion to others by giving the unadulterated
message of Srila Prabhupada to others. He spent night after night after
night for years giving up his sleeping and practically his eating to
translate Prabhupada's books into Oriya to give Prabhupada's message to
others.

Although such a distinguished scholar he was practically begging door to
door to build that temple on Srila Prabhupada's instruction and gave all
credit to the power he received by Srila Prabhupada's order.

Besides him is His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaj. One I gave a
lecture about him and it ended up being five hours. (Laughter.) So I am not
going to do that to you today. But we can take just one drop from the ocean
of what he has done for Srila Prabhupada.

He has an African American body. Prabhupada wanted him to go to Africa to
western Africa. And the stories he tells of what he endured. He is a
graduate of Princeton. In Africa people were trying to poison him, people
were putting Voodoo curses on him. Voodoo curses are not just some kind of
mythology. It is serious, suffering oppressing heat, all sorts of diseases.
Being in places were there is revolutions, rioting and murders.

He established so many temples, so many farm communities so many hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds of devotees. He establishes Krishna consciousness
powerfully there and he really, really endured tremendous amount of
difficulty and risked his life. Where was that power coming from? His desire
to please Srila Prabhupada by executing his instruction! And he travelled
around the world again and again and again to the most remote places to
repeat that message.

The same instruction that Isvara Puri gave to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the same
instruction Jagannatha Das Babaji gave to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the
same instruction Bhaktivinod Thakur gave to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakur, the same instruction Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur gave to
Srila Prabhupada, and the same instruction Srila Prabhupada gave to all of
us.

And His Holiness Sridhar Swami Maharaja also, he was one of the first
devotees to come to India, very difficult, along with Giriraja Swami and
others. Living in that rat and mosquito infested farm. Fighting against the
government, against the dacoits, against the cheaters; but they never
considered doing anything else or going anywhere else. Why? Because they
wanted to honour Srila Prabhupada and reciprocate with his love.

When we go to those samadhis, especially today on Tamal Krishna Gosvami
Maharaja's disappearance day, we should not only offer our heart's gratitude
to what they have done for us, but to the spirit they have all represented
in such an unparalleled way of making the order of their spiritual master
their life and soul.

And there is no other better joy than feeling the blessings of Srila
Prabhupada upon us. There is no wealth, there is no happiness that could
compare to that. Thank you very much.

[Loud applause]

Srimad-Bhagavatam ki jai! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!