On behalf of His Devine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada the founder Acarya of our society in all of our temples we welcome you. This evening we are celebrating Pushya Abhishek. I will not speak long because you have all come to see the beautiful flower shower ceremony of Sri Radha Gopinathji. I would like to speak something of the history of this festival. Pushya Ahbishek actually means the winter bathing ceremony of Sri Radha and Krsna in the month of Paush, In the Krsna book or Srimad Bhagvatam generally, whenever Krsna kills demons the cowherd boys dance and clap their hands and cry out “well done well done “ and the demigods shower Krsna with flowers. So this bathing Krsna with the shower of flowers is authorized by Sukhadev Goswami in Srimad Bhagvatam. It was very much during Rasa Lila they were being showered by flowers, during killing of demons they were showered by flowers. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in this world not to kill the demons with His weapons of chakra or bow and arrow. Nityanand Prabhu when Mahaprabhu was about to sever the heads of Jagai and Madhai he said “My Lord in this age of Kali everyone is more or less like this Jagai and Madhai.

We have come to deliver them with the weapon of the holy name.” Srila Prabhupada told that this is the special magnanimous mercy of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Ram killed Ravana with bow and arrow, Narasimhadev killed Hiranyakashipu with his sharpened claws, Varahadev killed Hiranyaksha with his hoof and his tusk, Krsna killed many demons in various ways. Sisupal with his Sudarshan Chakra. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has come with his devotees and their weapon is their causeless mercy – the holy names. Through chanting the holy names under the direction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers the demoniac mentality within the heart is killed and the original consciousness - Krsna Consciousness is awakened. Jagai and Madhai were the demons Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, Ravana, Kumbhakarna, Sisupal, Dantavakra they came again but through the mercy of Gaur Nitai their hearts became cleansed simply by giving up their sinful activities, associating with devotees and chanting Harinam Sankirtan. They became humble like the blade of grass, tolerant like tree, eager to offer all respect to others and expect none in return. In this way the greatest of all demons Jagai and Madhai were chanting the Holy names constantly “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare“ So to celebrate Srila Prabhupada’s mercy the mercy of Radha Gopinath coming through Srila Prabhupada after delivering so many demons we are showering Radha Gopinath with flowers. Srila Prabhupada ki Jai, Nitai Gaurchandra ki Jai, Sri Radha Gopinathji ki Jai. In this world everyone is looking for enjoyment maya is the external energy of the Lord the shadow energy of the Lord. The guru and shastras explains how trying to enjoy on the material platform forgetting our constitutional nature as the eternal servants of Krsna is like trying to enjoy our shadow. Shadow enjoyment, there is no actual reality, there is no substance. It is like trying to eat by putting food in your reflection in a mirror. It may appear that you are eating but there is no nourishment there is no substance. We are eternal spirit souls. Bhagvatam declares that when you water the root of the tree all the parts of the tree are satisfied.

ahaḿ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaḿ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māḿ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

Krsna is the root the cause of all causes from whom everything emanates. When we please Krsna our souls become fully satisfied. Any endeavor that does not please Krsna is simply the attempt to enjoy in the shadow of illusion. But yet the desire is so deep and powerful. “ananda mayobyasat” Lord Chaitanya’s method is so joyful “keval anand kanda” with our same mind with our same senses in a most vibrant creative and even festive way we can be fully immersed in pleasing activities that purify the soul and awaken our love. Sri Rupa Goswami describes in Bhaktirasamrita Sindhu one of the regulative principles of devotional service is to celebrate these festivals. And all of our festivals are simply to come together to give to pleasure to Krsna. And what pleases Krsna, simply our sincere effort in the spirit of devotion – patraḿ puṣpaḿ phalaḿ toyaḿ Krsna tells in Gita it doesn’t take much to please him just devotion - one who offers me even a leaf, a fruit, some water or even a flower if it is offered with devotion I will accept it and I am satisfied. That is the perfection of our life. In Poona we saw a nice drama of Srutadeva and Bahulasva. Bahulasva was a king who was offering Krsna the best opulence, wealth in his entire kingdom and Srutadeva was a very poverty stricken brahman he had just whatever little he could beg he offered it to Krsna. Krsna does not see what you offer. As Niranjan Swami Maharaj was so beautifully describing in Pune, Krsna is Bhavagrahi he accepts, the attitude the purpose in which everything is offered. Bahulasva offered grand grand wealth to Krsna and Srutadeva so small. Bahulasva a huge feast of hundreds of preparations flowing in ghee and Shutadev just had some chipped rice. Bahulasva seated Krsna on a royal golden throne with jewels and Srutadeva offered Krsna straw mat of Kusa grass. But Krsna was seeing the emotion the devotion and what is that devotion? The purpose in which we are making the offering. Rupa Goswami describes

anyabhilashita-sunyam gnana-karmadyanavritam
anukulyena krishnanusilanam bhaktir-uttama

Real devotion is uncontaminated by any type of selfish desire- desire for material benefits or even desire for liberation. Kolavecha Sridhar was a poverty stricken person with torn clothes living in a thatched hut we was emaciated for not enough food. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu offered him the wealth of Indra the king of heaven, He offered him all the 8 mystic siddhis, He offered him liberation, He offered him elevation to the Vaikuntha but Sridhar refused all these things in the mood of Prahlad. “I am not come to do business with you my Lord”. Prabhupada paraphrases Kolavecha Sridhar the only benediction he wanted was to be the servant of the servant of the servant of his servant. I just want the benediction that I can always serve those whom you love. That is pure devotional service. It is only that unconditional state of consciousness that can bring the soul happiness everything else is a disturbance and it is attraction (0:12:46). Srila Prabhupada travelled around the world over a dozen times so much difficulty he underwent to give us by his words and by his example this principle of unconditional love. So it does not matter who we are or what we have what matters is our purpose, the quality of our service attitude that is the all in all that Krsna accepts. Haridas Thakur was a malecha untouchable but Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu proclaimed him to be the Namacharya and personally lifted his dead body and danced with it with tears weeping from his eyes. Kolavecha Sridhar was poverty and then we have Rupa and Sanatan Goswami, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya very highly qualified Brahmans. King Pratap Rudra a king with great wealth the material condition did not matter. King Pratap Rudra was willing to go in the street with a broom and take such a humble position to serve the Lord and his devotees that is what the Lord accepted not his being a king and because he had that attitude Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was willing to accept all the power and grandeur of this kingdom. It was the attitude he was accepting. And in the same way Lord Chaitanya accepted water from the old, broken up, beaten iron pot of Kolavecha Sridhar not just accept it he stole it. That water was used for all the washing and drinking purposes of Sridhar it was so broken and old that even the most desperate thief on earth would not even cast a glance upon it but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was weeping in ecstasy with his hairs standing on end and his voice choked up to drink that water. This is devotional service kevala anand kanda. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has made life so beautiful. Krsna consciousness is so wonderful and these festivals, you will not find anyone in Bombay going to any Bollywood cinemas or watching any satellite TV’s even the American Stations, you will not find anyone in any of the Restaurants and Hotels having as much fun as the devotees here this evening. They are all trying to enjoy through attracting each other in sexual ways, and just gazing at some illusion and someone’s trying to exploit you upon. But inside there is nothing there is no substance. We are here only to serve and what would be our joy simply seeing Radha Gopinath happy. Seeing the amount of devotion that has gone into serving them. I believe there is - Yes over1100 kilos of flowers that is over 1 ton pounds of flowers. Krsna says patraḿ puṣpaḿ phalaḿ toyaḿ even one flower he will accept. Why should you offer one if you can somehow or other access 1 ton and we have hundreds of devotees plucking the flowers very nicely all day long and everyone of those plucks was an offering of devotion. There were so many ladies making flower ornaments, and flower dresses for Sri Radha Gopinathji, with devotion. No one’s getting paid, no one’s getting prestige no one’s getting fame everything is going to Krsna and that selfless spirit of service creates an energy that pleases the Lord and as Sri Radha Gopinath are being bathe with showers of fragrant flowers all the devotees will be chanting the holy names with great feeling and devotion and all the devotees will be happy to see Krsna enjoying and that will give Krsna immense pleasure. Prabhupada told us “Chant Hare Krsna and be happy’. That’s a very profound statement because Krsna is happy when we are happy being happy is a service. It is not that we chant Hare Krsna because we want to be happy. On a lower level that may be because we are miserable and we are suffering and we are basically just crushed by the modes of material nature. We are looking for happiness and we want some happiness and chanting Hare Krsna will make us happy but on a higher level Prabhupada’s instructing us if you chant and you are happy chanting that will give Krsna great pleasure because that’s love. If we are happy giving Krsna pleasure that is love. When we are in the association of wonderful enthusiastic devotees it makes such a joyful experience to chant and that joy that we feel as we are praising Krsna gives Radha Gopinath great happiness. So the essence of this festival is to see the beauty of the deities and to being seen by them happily, enthusiastically, and very loudly chanting the holy name “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare / Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare“

In previous years our head pujari Jananivas Prabhu would come from Mayapur Dham. Jananivas Prabhu the senior most pujari in the entire Hare Krsna movement has been a Pujari of Sri Mayapur Dham since about 1971 and some years ago we requested him to be the head pujari whom all others are answerable to in Sri Radha Gopinath temple and his blessings and guidance is always upon our pujari staff. Tonight I have a special secret to tell you. Are you ready? When Jananivas Prabhu first began as pujari he was under the authority and guidance of HG Sriman Bhavananda Prabhu who is with us this evening. Jananivas Prabhu’s pujari teacher is present he is like our Param Pujari. Our grandfather pujari. We are very grateful that he has come and my dear god brothers – Chandramauli Swami Maharaj, Niranjan Swami Maharaj, Janakartha Prabhu, Yaduvar Prabhu, Shyamsundar Prabhu, Bhavananda Prabhu, Dayaram Prabhu, Makhanlal Prabhu, Sheyadas Prabhu (22:38), Gaursakti Prabhu, Kulashekhar Prabhu Please come sit up here. Could one of the devotees bring here and also Madam Mohan to the front? We are so very very grateful that these great souls have come to bless us. Let us very enthusiastically welcome them to our festival. Would you like to speak a few words Maharaj?

So we will now begin the flower Abhishekam ceremony. My sincere request is, remember Rupa Goswami’s wonderful warning that if you are attached to the things of this world, family, friends, love of this world, wealth, prestige then do not look at the beautiful form of Gopinath who is standing on the banks of Yamuna. Especially tonight. He is Hari. If we simply chant his name with humility and devotion Krsna will steal our hearts that is the ultimate aspiration of our lives to serve and to please the Lord in such a way that he will be pleased to steal our hearts. That is the extraordinary supreme gift that Srila Prabhupada has showered upon all of us. As Krsna is being showered with the flowers of the devotees love, all of us will be showered by the causeless mercy of his Devine Grace Srila Prabhupada and in this way we will have a wonderful wonderful festival. Thank you very much