I shall also describe the sublime knowledge which is the door to spiritual life to my mother so that she also can attain perfection and self-realization, ending all reactions to fruitive activities; thus she also will be feed from all material fear.

PURPORT by his divine grace a.c. bhaktivedanta swami prabhupad

Kardama muni was anxious about his good wife devahuti while leaving home and so the worthy son promised that not only would kardama muni be freed from the material entanglement but devahuti would also be freed by receiving instruction from her son; a very good example is set here. The husband goes away taking the sannyas order for self-realization; but his representative son who is equally educated remains at home to deliver the mother; a sannyasi is not supposed to take his wife with him. at the vanaprasatha stage of retired wife, or the stage midway stage between householder life and renounced life, one may keep his wife as assistant without sex relations; But in the sannyas order of life, one cannot keep his wife with him; otherwise, a person like kardama muni could have kept his wife with him and there would have been no hindrance through the prosecution of self-realization; kardama muni followed the Vedic injunctions that no one in sannyas cannot have any kind of relationship with women; but what is the position of a woman who is left by her husband ? she is entrusted to the son ; and the son promises that he will deliver his mother from entanglement; if woman is not supposed to take sannyas, so all spiritual societies concocted in modern times gives sannyas even to women; although there is no sanction in the Vedic literature for women accepting sannyas; otherwise, if it were sanctioned , kardama muni could have taken his wife and given her sannyas; the woman must remain at home ; she has only 3 stages of life; dependency on the father in childhood; dependency in the husband in youth and in the old age, dependency on the grown-up son, such as kapila; in old age, the progress of women depends on the grown-up son. The ideal son kapila muni is assuring the father about the deliverance of his mother so that his father may go peacefully without anxiety for his good wife.

Today, we are reading from srimad bhagavatam canto 3 chapter 24, entitled the renunciation of kardama muni, text number 40. It is my very great pleasure and fortune to be amongst all of you once again in srila prabhupad's abode of new dwaraka. In this section of srimad bhagavatam, we are reading of the renunciation of kardama muni. He was a great sage living in the forest. The lord himself inspired within his heart the desire to marry. He married the daughter of swayambuva Manu, the great king whose name was devahuti. Devahuti was a princess brought up in indescribable luxuries. In fact she was so beautiful that once she would play on her roof, demi gods who would see her would sometimes fall unconscious falling from their airplanes. Now, being a king, swayambuva manu could have married his daughter to any of the greatest princes; however, devahuti, she simply wanted spiritual life. Therefore, swayambuva muni married her to a sage living in the jungle. Some very serious adjustments would have to be made in her lifestyle -- but she accepted it gratefully. Kardama muni was engaged in such severe tapasya. And devahuti, she did not want to eat until she fed her husband. The problem is her husband never ate. So she became emaciated, thin with very difficulty. Kardama muni's heart was very soft. He honored and respected his wife. He was so grateful to her. He understood what she was undergoing to live with him. So he wanted to fulfill her desires. He could understand that she wanted children. But to have children in the environment of the forest was very difficult. It was just too austere and too much in the mode of goodness. So by his mystical powers, he had the abilities to chant mantra and create an aerial mansion. Such an incredible idea -- beyond any technology of the 21st century. this aerial mansion was an airplane that could fly from planet to planet; not like an airplane of today which gives big roars and people put in ear-plugs and you have to listen to announcements "put on your safety belts", "if there is lack of oxygen, an oxygen mask will flow". "If you have to vomit, then the vomit basket is in the front". "If we fall in water, there is floatation cushions"; so nice just float it. None of it. So nice there were parks, lakes, mansions, maid servants. In that environment, kardama muni and devahuti had 9 daughters. Beautiful daughters. In fact, kardama muni married them to the 9 great sages (rishis). And then, a child entered the womb of devahuti. Lord Brahma himself came to declare how this was the supreme personality of godhead. The cause of all causes. He was coming to the world to deliver mankind by teaching the SANKYA PHILOSOPHY. After some time, the lord appeared in the form of kapila dev. so beautiful, so compassionate was he. When he grew up to a suitable age, kardama muni had the calling within his heart to re-enter into the forest as a sannyasi. To renounce everything of this world, for the highest attainment of self-realization and also he wanted to set a proper example to the world of what really is of ultimate value. That is self-realization. Since time immemorial, we find great personalities have left immense wealth, power, prestige, loving society to seek out the treasures of the spiritual world; however, kardama muni, being soft hearted and caring, was very concerned about his wife. So here, kapila dev is assuring him that have no reservations to go to the forest and renounce this world. Because I will take care of my mother . I will take care of her in every level -- physically, emotionally and most of all, spiritually. She will attain the highest destination of self-realization because I will instruct her in the science of the absolute truth. Srila prabhupad is explaining here how important it is within society, for those of the female class to be respected and protected. Where there is not such respect and protection, society becomes deeply corrupted. Kapila dev and kardama muni are giving a wonderful example. Prabhupad is explaining that when devahuti was young, she was protected by swayambuva manu -- how ? Bhagavatam declares Swayambuva manu provided her with nice food, clothing, whatever education was there; that also, such a spiritual environment she grew up in. Swayambuva manu had every time when he and his family would take rest at night, beautiful singers would sing the glories of the supreme personality of godhead. Sing the names and pastimes of the lord and they would fall asleep and in the night, dream about Krishna. All night they dreamt about Krishna. And they did not wake up to Alarm Clocks -- TRING.... they woke up to Brahmins and the singers would come again and sing the beautiful narrations of the lord's names and pastimes. He had beautiful deity worship in their home. They were always entertaining saintly persons. In this way, devahuti was brought up actually in the spiritual world. Srila prabhupad explains like this "that when the husband and the wife both center their lives in devotional service to lord Krishna, then their home is vaikuntha". Their home is the spiritual world. Bhakti vinod thakur, he had wife and 10 children . That was his prayer . When he would come home, he would see that because his family was engaged in devotional services, he would see his house transformed into goloka vrindavan, the highest planet of the spiritual world. so in this way, yes, as a small child, devahuti was protected by her parents perfectly; and, as a wife, kardama muni, although, at the beginning, he did not provide her much material necessities, he provided her such spiritual protection, when she saw that she needed some material necessities, he provided that too. But it was all such a spiritual devotion. Devahuti had such love of god that the supreme lord himself actually made her womb his abode. He took shelter in her womb. And at the time he left this world for the forest, he entrusted his wife to his empowered son. So this is a very very important example. Real protection is an expression of real affection and respect. It is not exploitation. Sometimes people have a very negative image of India. How men treat women. Have any of you heard such things ? There is lot of propaganda in this way and most of it is true. Because the culture has been perverted to a very unfortunate extent. What we find in the Vedic culture is perhaps the highest esteem, the highest respect for the female class. But expressed in a way that is beneficial for all. I remember many years ago, this was in 1970 that is many years ago, relatively, prabhupad said recently lord chaitanya mahaprabhu appeared, only 500 years ago. In eternity, 30 years is not much. I was hitchhiking in Italy and 2 girls from California ; they were in so much anxiety. Please one of you hitchhike with each of us because every time truck stops, they try to molest us, we are helpless. They are strong, we are not so strong. They were really in anxiety. So we paired off and I remember -- she said actually if you want to get a ride, you hide behind a tree and I’ll stand out and you come out after the truck stops. it was amazing, every truck screeched on brakes and stopped, as she was getting in, I came in behind her and truck would just take off before she even got in but somehow or the other one truck stopped and let us both in under the condition that she sat in the middle. I couldn't believe what was happening at 60 miles an hour. It was horrible. So, yes, man has the power due to the physical strength to exploit . And protection means, to not allow such exploitation to take place to any human being within society. That is civilization. So real protection means physically, emotionally and spiritually. Because, we have a physical body, an emotional body and we also have NOT we also have BUT we are the spirit soul. The ultimate needs of every living being is to love Krishna and to be loved by Krishna. Spiritual eternal happiness. That is what every soul is longing for. So here, kapila dev, the supreme lord is assuring his father. I will protect your wife -- physically, emotionally and spiritually she will go back to godhead. This I assure you. In the story of Lord Sri Chaitanya mahaprabhu also, we find this. lord chaitanya appeared, although he is the supreme lord, he appeared in the role of a devotee, especially to teach us how to live properly so we can attain the ultimate perfection of life, love of GOD. As just as kapila dev protected his mother, let us examine how lord chaitanya mahaprabhu protected his mother. Shall we explore this subject matter ? Raghunath ji, yes ?? (Smiles) Sochi mata had 8 daughters. But by the inconceivable will of providence, all of them died, just after birth. Her and her husband, jagganath mishra they worshipped the supreme lord in the saligram shila with great great devotion. They wanted a child to raise in his service. By the grace of the lord, a beautiful child was born. His name was vishwarup. He was actually an expansion of lord balaram, nityananda prabhu. He was an ocean of all virtuous good qualities. Sometime later, the supreme lord Krishna himself appeared within the womb of sachi Devi. On the full moon night of month of phalgun during a lunar eclipse, he appeared to the world as Lord Sri Chaitanya mahaprabhu. He was given the name vishwambar by grandfather who said that this child will nourish the universe. He was given the name gaura hari by his father and by the neighboring ladies because he had such a beautiful complexion. Golden , just , he was like a golden lord hari. And his mother gave his name Nimai. Because he took birth under a neem tree. He became the life and soul of everyone of navadweep. When he was just in his teenage years, vishwarup left to take sannyas - renounced everything. Did not say a word to his family; he was showing such disinterest in materialistic affairs, his family was actually arranging to have him married. When he heard about this, he disappeared never ever to be seen again by his family. This utterly shattered the heart of mother and father. Soon after this, jagannath mishra, the husband of sachi Devi had high fever and on the bank of the Ganga, gave up his life. Now, sachi Devi was a widow with only her small child, nimai -- he became her very life and soul. She lived only for him. She would do anything and everything -- she would die a billion times a second if it gave him a particle of pleasure. That was her motherly love. She had such love for her child, that if she didn't see him for even a few seconds, her heart would feel anguish of separation. Lord Chaitanya mahaprabhu married Vishnu priya after his first wife laxmi priya left. He inaugurated the harinam sankirtan movement, where he was chanting and dancing with his devotees practically day and night filling all directions with pure love of god. But he saw that there was various classes of people -- scholars, Brahmins, mayavadis. They were not giving him any respect, because, he was householder, he wanted to reach them too, he wanted to reach out to the people who were criticized him and give them the gift of spiritual perfection. So therefore, the lord decided to take sannyas. Because, everyone offers respect to sannyasis -- at least in those days. And if anyone offered respected to him, they would become purified because he is the supreme lord. so he told a few of his devotees , in a secluded place, he brought lord nityananda prabhu and told him very soon, I will shave my head, put on the robes of a sannyasi and enter into the forest. Nityananda prabhu was practically paralyzed hearing this. He said, what about your mother. How will she survive. She lives only for you. lord nityananda prabhu after lord chaitanya left, he went to a secluded place and all alone thinking about what sorrow sachi mata was going to experience, he just incessantly cried, cried by himself. Gradually, then the word was spreading. One evening, lord chaitanya came home -- sachi mata was hearing this news that her son was going to take sannyas. Her heart was utterly devastated. She was in so much anxiety that she could barely remain alive. At any moment, she would just fall unconscious and endless streams of tears would pour from her eyes. She would be trembling. Lord Chaitanya saw her in that condition and sat beside her silently. Sachi mata, with a choked voice, spoke sweet loving prayers to her son. Sachi mata said "O Gauranga, do not leave. Please. Please. Do not leave me and go away. Seeing your beautiful face is the only thing that keeps me alive. Your eyes are lotus flowers, your face is the shining radiant full moon. Your beautiful lips are bright red. Your teeth are like pearls and jasmine flowers . Your words shower incessant nectar upon me. When you walk and when you make beautiful gestures, you're graceful like an elephant. This is what keeps me alive. Please, my son, o Gauranga, please do not leave me. You have so many wonderful friends. There is advaita and srivas. They have given their life, their everything only for your pleasure. And nityananda, he is non-different than you. He is like a second manifestation of yourself, he has such love, affection for you. And then there is dear gadadhar -- your loving associates -- why do you want to break their hearts by going away, please remain with your friends and spend day and night within your own courtyard chanting the holy names and dancing in happiness. Why ? Why do you have to go away ? You have descended into this world to establish and protect religious principles. What kind of religious principle is it to break the heart of a widowed mother and leave her alone ? Is that what you call religious principles ? Your brother has left me. Your father has gone back to vaikuntha. I have no one but you. In seeing you, I forget all the sorrows of this world. What kind of religious principles will you teach the world by leaving me alone to die ? Without seeing your lotus feet, I will certainly give up my life. Even when there is no lamps, the luster of your limbs illuminate my entire house. Please, do not kill your mother. Stay home." as she spoke, lord chaitanya mahaprabhu was so overcome with emotion, he could not say anything. This is an incredible concept. He is the supreme absolute truth. The controller of all controllers. The independent lord of all lords. But he was unable to speak. So overcome by the loving emotion of his mother, from that day on, sachi mata -- her complexion became pale. She was unable to eat. Her body was emaciated. She was incessantly crying -- often times falling unconscious. Seeing her in that condition, lord chaitanya, her beloved son sat beside her and with a choked voice, spoke with deep love and affection. He said " my dear mother, you are eternally my mother. In the past, you were prishni and I was your son prishnigarbha. And then you became aditi, and i took birth as your son vamanadev. You were devahuti and i appeared as your son, kapila dev and spoke to you the SANKYA PHILOSOPHY. In the past, my dear mother, you were kausalya, and i was your beloved son Sri Ramachandra. And then again, you appeared as Devaki, and I appeared as your son Krishna in the prison house of kamsa in Mathura. My dear mother, i am always your child. In order to establish the sankirtan movement, i have appeared in 2 forms and you are my mother. You are the goddess of the earth and I, your son, is the worshippable deities in the temple. You are the tongues of all the devotees and i am born from you in the chanting of the holy names. HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE; although, to rescue the fallen souls of this world, i must take sannyas. Please know, my mother that you are always in my heart and I am always in yours. We are never separate. Hearing these sweet words, lord chaitanya then told her that I owe everything to you. I owe my birth to you. You gave your heart, your soul, your everything to nourish me. Whatever devotion I have, i have inherited from you. Whatever religious principles I understand and I follow, I have learnt from you. There is no possible way within my life, there is no possible way in all eternity that I can every repay the debt that I owe to my mother. Please know you are always in my heart and I will always be in yours. Hearing these words, sachi mata was slightly pacified. At least enough to go on living. It was on the day of makara sankranti. The day when the sun enters into the northern direction. Lord Chaitanya decided that would be that night he would leave. Now the devotees they didn't, except for 5 people that lord chaitanya told . He told nityananda prabhu actually you can tell 5 people that tonight i am leaving home to take sannyas. My mother knows, you can tell mukunda dutt, chandrashekhar, ramananda and gadadhar. So that day was special, spontaneously, all the devotees came to the lord's house, they didn't know why . They just felt attracted to be at his house. All of them were gazing at the beauty of lord chaitanya. Their hearts enthralled with ecstatic love. Lord Chaitanya gave him simple instructions. Instructions that they would enshrine within the altar of their hearts and remember it always. he said "my dear friends, please I appeal to you -- chant the names of Krishna, speak about Krishna, worship Krishna, always remember Krishna, whatever you do , do it for the pleasure of Krishna, whether you're sleeping or awake, whether you're eating or doing anything, always be chanting Krishna’s names, always offer your hearts to Krishna. Now please, all of you go home. With great difficulty, they all went home. The evening came. Kolaveti sridhar arrived. I think all of you know the story of kolaveti sridhar. Which we do not have time to tell. He was in utter poverty by material standards. He lived in a thatched hut. His clothes were so old that they had more holes . He would tie knots between the 2 sides of the holes to keep the holes together. He was emaciated but from the roof of his straw hut, a squash would grow on a regular basis. He would always bring that squash to lord chaitanya. So he came with the squash and presented it to the lord and the lord was so happy. He was thinking in his heart that this will be the last squash that I am going to receive from kolaveti sridhar. He was feeling great emotion "I’m leaving tonight, so i must have this squash". While he was thinking like this, another person came to his house and presented him some milk. So he called for his mother sachi Devi and said please prepare kolaveti Sridhar’s squash by cooking it in milk. Now, when sachi mata cooked, because of her intensely sweet love, whatever she cooked was sweeter than nectar. So, she prepared a kheer -- a thickly condensed milk with squash in it. That was the last food that lord chaitanya ate. Late that night, when there was only about 2 hours remaining in the night, he rose from his bed, very much enthusiastic. He was going to leave home for ever. But sachi mata had the intuition that her son was gonna leave. So she was guarding the door. The lord approached her and when she saw him, just torrents of incessant tears flowed from her beautiful eyes. She was an elderly widow and the lord explained to his mother his great debt to her and then the lord, seeing his mother, she could not say a word. She actually became stunned like an inanimate statue. There was no movement, like on any limb. Only tears flowing from her eyes. So the lord asked her permission to go. Because he would NOT leave without her permission. And he mystified her in such a way, that she slightly moved her head without even knowing what she was doing. Then the lord with great love, he took dust from her lotus feet and placed it on his head in reverence for her. Then he circumambulated her several times out of love and respect and walked out the door. He crossed the river Ganges all alone by swimming and then walked all the way to KATVA. Just a couple hours later, (this is a very wonderful experience, seeing this high technology used in the service of the lord.) every morning, all the devotees would start their day by seeing lord chaitanya. They rose from their sleep, they took bath in the Ganga and immediately they all assembled to bow down to lord chaitanya before doing their sadhana and other forms of worship. But on this day, they saw, standing outside the door, was sachi mata, she was like a statue, weeping incessantly. The devotees asked "what is happening, what's going on, why are you standing here?" but she could not speak a word. They understood. Ultimately, sachi mata said "all the property of the lord Vishnu belongs to his devotees. So therefore what is here, now belongs to you. I have no reason to live." then the devotees understood that the lord left to take sannyas. Very difficult. They tried to pacify sachi but how could they do they pacify her when they were in such a bad state as her. In fact, advaitaycharya said that I will drown in the Ganges to drown myself i cannot live the lord has left us. If any of you tries to stop me, i will drown in the middle of the night. All the devotees said, "We are not going to stop you. We are going with you to do it". So the whole assembly of hundreds of devotees were all in a procession to the Ganges to commit suicide. HARI BOL. That was their love for the lord. When they approached the Ganges and advaita was about to go in, a celestial voice spoke from the sky and said "advaita, devotees, your lord will soon be back with you to dance and chant for you in great satisfaction. So be patient". So advaitacharya was very happy. and all the devotees when he proclaimed this information they all decided the only way that we can possibly survive, these days in separation from the lord till he's once again with us is to remain together loudly chanting the holy names. Lord Chaitanya took sannyas but he did it in such a thoroughly responsible way. One of his very intimate loving associates was vamsi vadana. Vamsi vadana, according to kavi karnapur, in the ""(47:01), in goloka vrindavan is Krishna’s flute. He was actually the incarnation of Lord Sri Krishna’s flute. He was such a dear associate of the lord. The lord told vamsi vadana that he should take care of sachi mata and Vishnu priya for the rest of their lives. So the lord did NOT just leave but he responsibly took care fully of the protection of his mother. Vamsi vadana, in fact he lived day and night with sachi mata and Vishnu priya. All the devotees were doing everything and anything to protect and assist them. In fact, vamsi vadana, on Vishnu priya's desire, had made a beautiful deity of lord chaitanya which was worshipped by Vishnu priya and vamsi vadana. And today, that deity is still present in kolludweep, navadweep. It is one of the most important worshippable deities of navadweep area in our sampradaya. It is described in Sri Chaitanya charitamrita how every time sachi Devi cooked, she would actually see lord chaitanya. Not every time. Every time she cooked, lord chaitanya would personally come and eat it. And some times in her vision in meditation, she would actually see it. One time lord chaitanya sent mahaprasad with damodar pandit back to sachi Devi. and he wanted, he gave a message " do you remember that time dear mother that you cooked a nice feast for me and you offered this food on the altar and you were thinking this was just the favorite foods of my nimai and you offered it to the deity and when you came back to take the prasadam off the altar, there was no prasadam on the altar. Due to your humility, you thought that you cooked it all but I forgot to put anything on the plates and I offered empty plates OR maybe an animal snuck in the alter and ate it all. So, then you came back and offered it yet again. You remember mother, you never told anyone else about this but I tell you this I came and I ate everything. In fact, every time you cook, I personally appear and eat everything. In reciprocation to your love. So yes, this protection of the mother was very much established by lord chaitanya mahaprabhu.

Actually, after the lord took sannyas, (this is a very incredible story). Lord Nityananda tricked him to go to shantipur and advaita charya had sachi mata brought back. This was very soon after he took sannyas. Sachi mata sees her beloved nimai, his beautiful cascading black silken hair was cut off. He had a shaved head. His beautiful robes which were golden like lightening were now replaced with drab saffron sannyasi robe. The beautiful ornaments he had -- were no longer upon him. Her eyes flooded with tears seeing her son as a renunciate. In reciprocation to her love, lord chaitanya fell in complete prostration at sachi mata's feet. And then he got up and then sat on her lap. Crest jewel of sannyasis he sat on his mother's lap. She was embracing him and literally bathing his body with her tears. And lord chaitanya spoke with a faltering voice from his heart "my dear mother, you have given me my life , you have given me all my happiness, you have given me my religious principles. I am eternally indebted to you. I have no right to take sannyas. Somehow or other I became crazy and left you to become a sannyasi. Now, if you like, I will remain with you". But ultimately, sachi mata, she only lived for his pleasure. Not for her own. Her service, her motherly love was utterly selfless. She understood that the lord had a mission. The lord's mission was to show supreme spiritual compassion to all living beings by giving them Krishna naam and Krishna prem. The name of Krishna and love for Krishna. She said "my dear child, if you stay at home with me. The world will criticize you -- sannyasi living with his mother. That would be worse than death. But please do not go to vrindavan. That is very far away. The same Krishna that lives in vrindavan is living in puri as jagannath. So make your home in puri because puri is very close -- in fact, navadweep and puri are like 2 rooms of the same house -- people come back and forth. So i will always be hearing your glories. I will always be hearing your pastimes". To honor his beloved mother's request, he made his base as jagannath puri. Beautiful example, of the respect, protection and true love that is offered by a devotee and very much in parallel with today's verse. For kapila dev promises his father that his mother will not only be protected physically and emotionally, but I will assure you that your wife, my mother will go back to godhead. I think it is very late. Once again I have gone over time and you have all patiently tolerated me. You are all like my mothers and fathers. Somehow you tolerate my broken words and sit. I am indebted to you. Thank you very much. Srila prabhupad ki jai.