I wish to sincerely offer my gratitude to each and everyone of you for coming today to Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir. My special thankfulness to Yadubar prabhu for his divine association and wonderful kirtan. A few days ago, I received a telephone call from His Holiness Niranjana Swami Maharaj. He told me that the biggest festival of the year in the country of Ukraine takes place in Odessa, very famous historical city. I believe 3 or 4 thousand people assemble from all over the country, thousands of people. Ukraine is one of the most successful nations in the world for the spreading of Krishna consciousness. In this country which previously was the Soviet Union <_2:46___>. It was always a separate country, but very much under the Russian control during the communist’s times. Niranjan Maharaj was fearlessly risking his life going to Ukraine even then during communism and after the doors of the nation opened to the free world, he became GBC and the most wonderful leader. Under him is the <_3:23___> prabhu, who is original secretary of the entire nation. There is about 50 centers in the country of Ukraine, thousands of devotees who are committing their lives with their own hands, they built a beautiful temple in Kiev, the capital. It is quit amazing. Last year, doing Pune Yatra, we saw <_3:56___> and Yadugar prabhu made that wonderful documentary of all the festival in Odessa and the history of the preaching in Ukraine.

So, Niranjan Swami just came from that festival, and he told me that the grand finale of the festival was when everyone came together for a kirtan with thousands and thousands of people were dancing and dancing and dancing and crying out the holy name in great joy. It lasted for many hours and the personality who lead that kirtan was illustrious Yadubar prabhu. Haribol!!!!! The association of devotees has the power to transform a person’s heart. That is why Srimad Bhagavatam declares that elevation to heavenly planets, liberation, mystic siddhis, all these things are very insignificant, <__5:39__> in value compared to one moment’s association with a sincere devotee of the lord. The Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu prayed it is instruction to Sanatana Goswami that even a moment’s association of a great devotee is the most precious thing that can possibly be achieved because it can open the doors to the perfection of liberation. Little Prahlad, 5-year-old devotee. He was in a society of envious, greedy demons, but just by his little association, all the classmates in the school, they were transformed. They were performing Hari Kirtan Hari Kirtan together. Such is the power of one sincere devotee even while he was totally outnumbered by an entire civilization of Asuras. Krishna consciousness is about the transformation of the heart that takes place according to the choices we make in the association that we keep, but we should understand what it means to associate with devotees. It really means to be in the spirit of hearing and chanting together, carrying out the will of Krishna together in the spirit of service. That is what association of devotee is about. Krishna tells in Gita that there is divine and demoniac natures within the human society. Previously in previous yugas, the devotees and the demons were in different universes and as things degraded, the devotees and demons were in different planets, but in kali yuga especially devotees and demons are in the same heart of the same body of the same person. Krishna tells us we must conquer the lower self with the higher self. The dualities are so powerful in this age of Kali. Happiness, distress; honor, dishonor; honesty, dishonesty; truthfulness, untruthfulness; pleasure, pain; success, failure; victory, defeat; heat, cold; up, down; right, left; everywhere is dualities, but especially the divine and the demoniac; humility, egotism; lust, self control; envy, forgiveness; anger, compassion; these are all dualities. They are both residing simultaneously in the heart of a conditioned soul. Krishna consciousness or real spiritual life is about overcoming the lower nature with our higher nature. The <__10:25__> of American Indians explained the same principle that the soul elaborately revealed in Bhagavad Gita in very simple basic analogy which does strike the heart. They explain that within every human being, there are 2 dogs that are fighting with each other. There is a good dog and a bad dog and they are fighting. Who will win the fight? Whichever dog is given the most food. That is the free will of a human being. This is our god given nature. Something that distinguishes the human being from the lower species. We have free will. We can make a choice at every moment and really what our choice is? Are we going to feed nourishment to the bad dog or the good dog? To the demoniac or the divine? We feed that which we give the most of our energy to. dhyayato visayan pumsah. Krishna explains in Gita when one contemplates the objects of the senses, one develops attachment, This is a law. If you contemplate the objects of the senses, you will become attached. From attachment, lust; Kama arises. When that lust is frustrated which will be in due course Krodha, anger, from anger delusion; from delusion the bewilderment of memory, when the memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost and when intelligence is lost, we engage in abominable activities and fall down again into the material pool. The nature of the mind is thinking, feeling, and willing. We also have power of speech and power of action. So, through our words, our deeds, and our thoughts at every moment, we have the choice of whether we are going to give strength and power to our lower nature or higher nature. According to the choices that we make at every moment, that is what is going to determine the state of our consciousness that is what is going to be who we are and where we are going. So yes, due to so many conditionings, sometimes loving, compassionate thoughts that are full of virtue just arise from our sub consciousness into our consciousness. At other times, evil thoughts, envious thoughts, egoistic lusty thoughts they arise within from the sub consciousness to the stratum of our perception, which are we going to give attention to? Bhagavad-Gita explains that there is no question of yoga without control of the mind and the senses. The mind is so difficult to control. We were discussing this last night. Arjuna tells that it is more difficult to control than the raging wind. Now for those of you who are up to date with the current news of the world, <__15.23__> hurricanes on August 29, Hurricane Katrina. It was just a very minor Hurricane in Florida, did not really do much damage, but then when it touched the warm waters of the gulf of Mexico, just expanded into a deadly earth shaking monster of a wind. When we saw that it was coming with such ferociousness, what did the president of United States, the governor of Louisiana, Mississippi, did they shoot their bombs? Did they send a military all that they could do is say evacuate, get out!!! Usually when you go to the bathroom, that where you do evacuate. (devotees laughing) so in the same way, just get out, run for your life, there is no hope in such devastation. 80% of one of the most important cities of America, 80% was under water up to 20 feet. The plumbing, the sewage, the electricity, the telephone lines, everything finished. The people were so deprived, people were starving. So people got guns and they were shooting each other and they were robbing stores, breaking <_17.31___> people’s homes, raping people, people were going mad with frustration, depression, and desperation. We could really see the caliber of people’s consciousness when they are in desperation. Some people when they are in desperation, they turned to god, and they humbled themselves and say my lord save me and cry out his holy name with great devotion. Other people in desperation, they just become very silent and just pray, others became depressed, others risked their lives to try to help other people, and other people they just became utterly demoniac. They robbed, they steal, they kill anything for survival and others take advantage of it. It is a time to get rich. people are <_18:40___> so yes many things are revealed when people are in desperate conditions. So was desperate situation and 60 billion dollars of insured losses, what to speak of uninsured? 60 billion dollars is what insurance companies have to pay for insured property that was destroyed. Powerful disaster. Thousand people killed, really sad, very very sad. In our temple in new Orleans they were cut off from the world, they had no capacity to give any signal or message to anyone, the postal system was finished, the telephone system was finished, there is no emails because there is no electricity nothing. Finally, somehow or other they got one phone call and I do not how they do <_19:56___> temple in Dallas, and told the condition they are in. The deities and 19 devotees. Installed deities, 19 devotees were trapped in this house, they could not go anywhere, surrounded by looting, violent, shooting, raping, surrounded by deep water, <__20.25__> broken. There was no plumbing, no sewage, no electricity, no gas. They ran out of food. It is very difficult. 19 people living in a house in that condition. So the devotees previously they volunteered to help the government, but the government did not wanted any help in helping people, so they concentrated there energy that let us save the devotees from this horrible predicament. They had a meeting from 7 at night till 3 in the morning, and decided we are going to New Orleans and we are going to rescue the devotees and the deities. Very dangerous. Because no one was allowed in the city. Everyone was leaving the city, no one was going to the city, the roads were blocked coming in and opened going out because it was so dangerous, there was so much violence. It was like a jungle of violence and so much disease and strive the poverty, it is horrible. They had to pass through 40 checkpoints where they were stopped at road blocks in the road and somehow they convinced everyone to let them go, they had a 18 wheel truck and a van. Hours and hours and hours, Krishna somehow or other got them through and as they were in a highway, they saw thousands and thousands of people just walking out of New Orleans <_22:20___> in a highway there were just walking for days. Begging people for rice. People were starving. People were sick, pitiable state, this is the united states of America. Last week, thousand dead, hundreds and thousands homeless in a prominent city and finally they got to the city limits and they were stopped for hours and hours and hours and somehow or other they convinced the government, the military to let them in and as they were going to the city, they just saw dead bodies, and they saw so much violence and they saw people in totally desperate conditions trapped, they have no way out, is very sad. They were trying to get into the temple. Yet on the way they were trees blown down blocking the road, or there was road blocks, there were big floods, so they were just zig zagging zig zagging zig zagging all over the city hour after hour after hour, they happened to have one devotee who was with them, by Krishna’s mercy who previously was a taxi driver in New Orleans, so he knew the roads, finally they got to the temple. When they got to the temple, there were military helicopters everywhere and they were thinking that they are going to their truck away from them now. So they had to do it immediately, otherwise they were not supposed to be in the city. Everyone going out, and they are going in. Very difficult, but somehow they brought all the deities and put them in nice boxes with cushions from Dallas and they brought all the devotees and came back to Dallas with great difficulty. The devotees were practically starving and when they arrived at Dallas, which is hundreds and hundreds of miles away, the Dallas devotees greeted them with kirtan. All the devotees were so happy and after the truck comes, Srila Prabhupad’s murthy, then beautiful marble deities of Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya, then large beautiful deities of Baladev, Subhadra, Jagannath and then the presiding deities Radharani and Radhakantha, Sri Sri Radha Radhakantha. Devotees put the big feast so everyone was very happy. Very difficult strive. Padam padam yad vipadam na tesam.. Danger at every step and the city of New Orleans so much trying to just put things together. They spend millions and millions of dollars working hard, military and all kinds or philanthropic agencies trying to resurrects the city, trying to make it alright again. Yesterday, another hurricane Rita, it struck Texas, when she came close enough to New Orleans, the winds from the outside of the hurricane, broke the <_26.13___> again and put the city again under water and the person in charge of the city said we are back to square one as far as fixing the damage. So much loss, so difficult. Big problems. But yet Arjuna tells that to control mind is more difficult than controlling the winds and this is just a small sample of power of the wind. The most powerful wealthy country in the world was helpless when this wind came crashing to them. So, what is our hope of controlling the mind? Krishna tells in Gita, by constant practice of detachment, it could be done and what is that constant practice in detachment?

Manamana bhava mad bhakto [BG 18.65]

To fix our consciousness on Krishna because Krishna is the controller of all controllers.

Tumi sarveshwareshwara brajendra kumara

The son of Nanda Maharaj is the controller of all controllers. He is Iswara parama the supreme,

Mayadhyakshena prakritih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]).

The whole material energy is working under his direction. So, it is only by the mercy of Krishna that it is possible to we could control our mind. Hrishikena hrishikesha-sevanam bhaktir uchyate [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 19.170], when we engage our mind and our senses in the service of Hrishekesh, who is the master of the mind and senses, then by his mercy only, it is possible. Krishna tells in Gita daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya BG 7.14] this material nature which is constituted of the dualities which are stimulated and activated by the 3 modes of material nature is very difficult to overcome. But, one who takes shelter of me can easily cross beyond it. samashrita ye pada-pallava-plavam, the Bhagavatam declares that this world is a place where there is danger at every step, but for one who vÀPÉ shelter of the Supreme Lord, then the oceanic miseries and complexities of material existence becomes reduced to the water contained within a small footprint of a calf. That is the power of Krishna. So, how to control mind? Krishna tells if we are just sincere, he will preserve what we have and carry what we lack. If we are just sincere to try, Krishna will give us all help. If we just try to do the will of Krishna, what is Krishna? What we need to do in this situation? Material life is about perplexities and indecision. So many little things and big things, it is so difficult to make a proper decision. Should I do this way or that way? From the point of major business decisions, major political decisions, whom I am going to marry? who I am not going to get marry? whom are going to have our children marry? What I am going to study in school? what I am going to do for my occupation? How I am going to deal with this problem that has come upon me? Even to the smallest thing of which Saree I am going to put on today (laughter) so many perplexities. Now, for Brahmacaris it is not a problem, because we wear the same exact thing everyday no matter what. So, that makes life easy. Other people, it is very difficult. We have seen people go to stores, and they are so on the mental platform, should I buy this clothes? do I look better in this? or do I look better in that? They looking in the mirrors and everyone giving their opinion and everyone has different opinion and Brahmacari walks by and says you are not this body, you fool. When they really get on the mental platform. So much indecisions, but Krishna has given us his decisions. Krishna speaks Bhagavad-Gita, tells us how to be humble, how to be honest, how to be faithful to the vows we taken our life, and he tells Arjuna and he tells the whole world, I have given you the information, you need to uplift yourself, now you have your choice. When we follow the will of god, we are nourishing our divine nature. When we are following our own speculations, we are endangering our lives, our spiritual life by feeding the bad dog. They are both fighting, they are fighting like anything, bow bow, now for materialistic people, the bad dog is just practically eating the good dog depending the mode of ignorance, the bad dog is just feasting after good dog, in the mode of passion, it is good fight, it is quite passionate fight. In the mode of goodness, the good dog has some strength. Therefore according to Shastra, before we could transcend the modes of nature, we must come to the mode of goodness. We must make the right choices, but to transcend the modes of nature, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, we must fix our consciousness on Krishna. Because the thoughts that we contemplate, the thoughts that we choose to give attention to, are going to become more and more powerful and they are going to impel us to act and to speak. The thoughts that we give our attention to are going to induce us to speak accordingly. Speech affects very much how we are going to act. According to how we act, we develop habits. According to the habits, we create. Bhaktitheertha Swami Maharaj wrote this it creates our culture and our culture very much determines our life and where we are going individually and collectively. So, it all begins with our thoughts. How to control our thoughts? The easiest way is to always remember Krishna, is to accept the Yuga Dharma, the prime benediction for all humanity, the chanting of the holy names

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE s

so this hurricanes, this bad dog is barking so loud, are we going to feed him, are we going to starve him? where are we going to put our energy ? Where are we going to contemplate? That is why Srila Prabhupad said the idle mind is the devils workshop. He quoted. This is the traditional saying. Because we are conditioned. The whole material world is so full of passion and ignorance, the vibration of passion and ignorance is so all pervading, it affects everyone. Therefore,

vyavasayatmika buddhir

ekeha kuru-nandana

bahu-sakha hy anantas ca

buddhayo 'vyavasayinam (BG 2.41)

We must be determined, we must be determined that whenever and wherever the mind wanders to immoral, impious, envious thoughts, lusty thoughts, we must drag it back, we must fix it on positive devotional service. Therefore it is so very important that we are busy 36.44. Sometimes devotees wanted to imitate Haridas Thakur and just chant all day long. Bhaktisiddhantha Saraswathi Thakur condemns such people. They are exceeding their chanting, but where is your mind? Go out and do some work for Krishna, do seva for Krishna, absorb your mind in your seva, then come back with that proper service attitude and chant the holy names and try to really fix your mind on Krishna, not hypocrisy, but with sincerity. We must control our speech. The propensity for gossip, prajalpa is so strong. Thakur Bhaktivinod said if you could control your tongue, all the other senses come in line. Tongue means what you eat and what you speak. Very difficult. What we eat is difficult enough, but what we speak is more difficult. They have such attendancy, because the false ego. Krishna speaks the Gita, so we want to speak. This is our nature we want to be the authority. We want people to hear us. Everyone have their opinion. In India, that was the amazing thing that devotees realized when they came to India, everyone claims they know Krishna and everybody has their own unique interpretation of Krishna. Devotees would try to preach, this is nearly in 70s, people yes yes I know Krishna. yes yes I know Krishna. We cannot convince a person who thinks that they already know. That is what the whole Gita is about. Arjuna thought he knew what was best for him, so Krishna did not even try to speak a word to him, no use, Arjuna is a person who thinks that they know, Krishna was silent until just the evolution of advance within Arjuna's mind and the environment around him brought him into the conclusion so much pain and distress that he realized Krishna I do not know anything, please I am your disciple, speak, all friendly talks are finish now, I surrender to you, I am desperate, speak. Then Krishna smiled and spoke, he said Arjuna you are a fool. You are lamenting for what is not worthy of lamentation. So, he put Arjuna in a position where he understood he was an ignorant fool which is good because then he could hear. He was receptive. People are proud to speak, we have seen sometimes people are so conditioned to teaching others, he cannot tell them anything. They just cannot grasp anything. They can only give, they cannot receive. yes, that is false ego. I know and even if you do not know, you pretend you know. That is the false ego. Even if somebody else does something, you want to take credit for it, and if you do something wrong, you want to give blame to someone else. That is the nature of the ego. We are trying to get praised, when real devotees see you have these qualities, they simply weep in sorrow in sympathy for you. They are not impressed. Any fool can take credit for what good things they do and give blame to the bad things to others. Any fool does that. The great soul is one who gives the credit of the good things to Krishna, guru, vaishnavas, and everyone else and takes all blame upon himself. That is the great soul. When we see those qualities all, then we bow down with great reverence from the core of our hearts. Because that is the saintly quality, but it is rare. So, yes this urge to speak is so strong. Bhagavatam describes when we are not speaking about Krishna, all these gossip, all these mundane talk is like the crocking of frogs. What is the psychology of frogs? You may not know, but Krishna knows, because he is the paramatma, within frog’s heart. He knows exactly the motivation of frogs and Krishna is revealing it through Srimad Bhagavatam and through the acaryas. Would you like to know the psychoanalysis of the frog’s mentality? It is very important. The frog <_42.56___> like that. It is miserable. No body likes frogs, but the frog is thinking that he or she is reciting the most unique compositions of eloquent poetry. They are so proud. <_43.20___>, but what is really happening is nobody likes it, other frogs likes it because frogs are like frogs. That is their conditioning, but the snake at night cannot see anything and he is hungry like anything to eat frogs. The very delicious feast for a snake is a frog. so he cannot see, it is dark, he is slithering around looking for frogs and then he hears (frog sound) so the frog is calling me, so just follows the sound and <_44.23___> eats off, the grand feast. So, Bhagavatam declares like this that the frog is thinking he is singing beautiful poetry to attract female frogs or male frogs, but it is actually attracting the snake of death to come to devour them. So Srila Prabhupad explains this is the nature of prajalpa. When we speak gossip of others, when we criticize others, when we speak about useless topics, what is happening? Our devotion, our good qualities are just being drained out of our hearts to our mouth and we are just loosing it all. That is the power of prajalpa. We are just draining our devotional energies and all our good qualities through our gossip and our criticism of others. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said when you criticize others with your mouth, you are drinking poison, a poison that will kill the inclination for devotional service. There is only one antidote for drinking poison, to drink nectar. Because it is very difficult to keep the tongue <__45.52__> . Srila Prabhupad explained that there are many people in India who are called Mauni Babas. They take vows of silence. Srila Prabhupad explains if you are talking all nonsense, then your guru says take a vow of Mauni Baba, better speak nothing than all nonsense. But, I have seen when I was travelling around Himalayas and other holy places, I would meet Mauni Babas, and they would have a little piece of slate and little piece of chalk, and they would not speak a word, and so many thousands of people were coming to touch their feet and offer them bananas and rice because they are Mauni Babas, such an austerity, they never talk, but in the writing, and what I could not believe was they were usually writing all nonsense. They were writing prajalpa. They cannot speak it, but they are writing it. Very difficult to control this urge to communicate. How is it possible? Krishna consciousness is about replacing the negative with the positive. Krishna consciousness is about nourishing the good dog, speak about Krishna, speak about devotional service, glorify others, and chant the holy name

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

<_47.42___> this was the vrajavasis, gopis prayer. My dear tongue, they are actually praying to their tongue, my dear tongue, taste the nectar of the holy names, Govinda, Damodara, and Madhava in our actions at every moment, we have the choice of what we are going to faith, what we are going to speak, and we are going to do. The choice that we make is going to feed, nourish, and give strength either to our lower nature or higher nature. Cultivation of consciousness is what human life is for. It is vital, it is essential. What you associate with, you will become like. What are the thoughts we are associating with, what are the words that we are associating with, what are the actions that we are associating with? These will be very much dependent on the choice of whom are we going to associate with. Because if you are with sincere devotees, if you talk prajalpa, they are not going to take any interest. They are not going to be impressed. Somebody was recently explaining in the very high circles of Bombay society, in the social events, where they come together dressed very nicely, very prestigious, sometimes newspapers are taking flash cameras all over and basically what they do is they drink liquor and talk gossip. They just criticize people behind their backs to each other. This is nectar. This is their rasa. This is their experience of happiness, just talking about other people’s <_49.59___> , other people’s downfall, other people’s faults, other people’s ridiculous behaviors. They take pleasure, but what kind of pleasure is that? A decorations on a dead body, <__50.20__> my devotees, their minds are always dwelling in me, their thoughts are always on me, they derive great satisfaction and bliss coming together and conversing about me. So, in that association, it is encouraged, it becomes easy. When you are with sincere devotees, it is embarrassing to speak about anything, but the glories of other vaishnavas, the process of devotional service, and the pastimes and teachings of Krishna and we need that support, we need that association. Thus, Srila Prabhupada said anyone who thinks, they could be Krishna consciousness without association of devotees is insane. It is just not possible. Associating with sincere people who have high aspirations is all important. Because it cultivates right thoughts, right speech, and right actions. To give strength to our higher nature, to conquer our lower nature.

I have given one example from Sri Caitanya Bhagavat. There was a devotee named Gadadhar Das. Gadadhar Das was intimate associate of Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but Lord Caitanya told him to go from Puri to Bengal to assist Nityananda Prabhu in his preaching mission of delivering the fallen souls and Nityananda Prabhu was Sri Balaram himself, just by his glance, he would induce the awakening of such ecstatic love of god in people’s hearts and such <_52.40___> compassion <__52.45__> he had so much of faith in the holy names of Krishna, so much of faith in the mercy of Lord Caitanya that he went right up to Jagai and Madhai and told them give up your sins and chant harinam. Krishna is your mother, Krishna is your father, Krishna is your wealth, Krishna is your life and soul. Chant the names of Krishna, worship Krishna, hear the teachings of Krishna. Who would dare to speak these words to Jagai and Madhai? and even they chased him to kill him, he went back and told them the same thing. Even when they tried to murder him by crashing him with pot on the head, he still repeated the same message. Ultimately, they became great devotees. Parama hamsas, the crest jewel of living beings. This is Nityananda Prabhu. Just his glance would induce such love in people’s hearts and what is love of god? The love of god in this material world must manifests itself as selfless compassion to others. Without compassion, there can be no real love. It is all <_54.13___>. So, Gadadhar Das whoever he met, he would induce them to chant the names of Krishna, did not matter who it was, he did not consider what a person’s past, what a person’s reputation, what a person’s status, he just wanted everyone to be intoxicated with a holy name, he was always blissful just preaching the glories of nama sankirtan. The village he lived in, there was a Khazi. I will tell you something about this Khazi. He was ferocious, he was the most violent, evil, and envious man and he had unlimited hatred for the sankirtan movement. Unlimited hatred, he would go wild with anger and violently persecute anyone who took the names of Lord Hari. He was so sinful that no decent people wanted to go near him. If a breeze touched his body and touched another person, they would jump in a Ganges to cleanse themselves. He was such a sinful man that people thought if he even looked in their direction, they would least their cast. When even the sound that he would be coming, people would run for their lives. That is how people feared this ferocious, evil-minded Khazi. Now, Gadadhara Das one day in ecstatic bliss. This was actually at night he ran right into the Khazi’s house loudly chanting the names of Krishna. Now, the Khazi had military guards and on Khazi’s order they would punish anybody who in anyway offended him and there was no greater offense than chanting the names of Krishna in his house. Gadadhara Das went running right into the house in a night chanting the holy names very loudly

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

The guards did not know what to do, all they could do is just sit down and watch and then Gadadhara cried out in a thunderous voice aha where is that rascal Khazi? I order you chant the holy name of Krishna at this very moment, otherwise I will cut off your wretched ugly head. The Khazi heard every word. He was angry as fire, he came running out to murder that rascal who spoke such blaspheme against him. When he saw Gadadhara, he became very peaceful because Gadadhara was such an ocean of love and compassion and finally the Khazi said Gadadhara Das why have you come here in the middle of the night? and Gadadhara Das said I have come to tell you something, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda are the one supreme personality of godhead who have descended into this world. They have come to inundate the whole world with love of god through the chanting of the holy names of Lord Hari. Every mouth of everyone is chanting the holy name of Lord Hari except you Khazi. I have come today to order you to chant the holy name of Lord Hari and I will deliver you of all sins. The Khazi was stunned. He could not speak a word. Finally, he said Gadadhar it is late at night, I will chant Hari tomorrow, now you just go home please and Gadadhara began to dance and dance and dance and clap his hand, he said why tomorrow? You from your mouth has emanated the name of Lord Hari. Therefore all of your sins are delivered and then Gadadhara was clapping and dancing ecstatically all over the Khazi’s house. Everyone just watched and with all humility, after doing nama sankirtan, Gadadhara Das left. This was his compassion, this was his fearlessness. This is the power of how he could transform someone’s heart just by a moment’s association. <__1.00.19__>. People felt that they lost their cast and became sinful if they saw him, if they were touched by a breeze that went near him, but Gadadhara Das went right into his house, went right up to him, looked him right in the eye, and by the glance of Gadadhara’s love and the compassion of his heart, he transformed the Khazi’s heart. In other words, he fed the good dog and gave that strength by which the Khazi became delivered. So that is the importance of making the right choices within our life. Sometimes, great devotees of the Lord on behalf of Krishna who is all merciful intervene in our life, interfere with our sense gratification to give us a chance, but even then we always have free will. Our progress or our downfall is always dependent on how we utilize our free will at every moment. Are we cultivating remembrance of Krishna? Are we cultivating sincerity of service to Krishna? Are we speaking positive subject matters that invigorate and enliven the heart? Or are we simply wasting the most precious moments that we have in this very short human form of life? No greater tragedy according to Vishnu Purana than to take human life and waste a single moment. We may have occupational duties, we may have so many things that we must do as responsibilities to family and society, but we should do it with dignity and integrity in every possible moment whenever possible we should be seeking the chance to hear and chant the glories of Krishna. That is sincere human life. We must develop a thirst for Hari katha and hari kirtan and we develop that thirst by nourishing the desire for that thirst. Vaidhi Bhakti means we have no real enthusiasm for the right thing, but we do it anyway as a tapasya, tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam, the purpose of human life is tapasay, to do the right thing, even if we do not feel like. Vaidhi Bhakti means the bad dog is growing and barking and fighting ferociously and the good dog is very weak because it has not been fed properly in many many births, may be millions of births. The uncontrolled mind, uncontrolled tongue, the uncontrolled actions of our body have become our habitual life. Vaidhi Bhakti means tapasya. Whatever my mind says, I am going to use my intelligence to speak the right thing, to contemplate the right thing, and to act properly. The body of a human being is like a chariot. The senses are like 5 horses and the mind is the ropes that are the instrument to control those horses and the intelligence is the driver. When the mind dictates to the intelligence, then we are driving into the darkest regions <_1.4.56___> we are driving into the darkest of ignorance, but when the intelligence which is nourished by the words of Krishna, guru, the acaryas, (guru, sadhu, and Shastra) then <_1.5.14___> then our intelligence will lead our life to the light of supreme liberation to Krishna that is our choice. What will we choose? We must cultivate. Vaidhi Bhakti is about making that choice, it is not about just let everything go, do not suppress, do not depress. We do not suppress and depress in an impersonal way of just saying no no no no no no. We are always saying yes yes yes yes yes yes to the will of god. We prepress, we starve the bad dog and feed the good dog. That is the path of perfection and gradually by cultivating this culture within our own heart, Prabhupad said how do we get rid of bad habits? By replacing them with good habits. Then we come to the point of Raganuga Bhakti. You come to the point of spontaneous devotional service. With that higher nature is cultivated and nourished by the energy of our attention to so much that we have agreed for hearing about Krishna, agreed for chanting the names of Krishna. Just like that one devotee at Puri, he was tasting the holy names so sweetly, he could not stop chanting. His tongue just would never stop chanting. It could not say anything else. Just hare Krishna hare Krishna Krishna Krishna hare hare, hare hare rama rama rama rama hare hare, just chanting and he was tasting nectar, he was going to the bathroom, evacuation, we all have to evacuate everyday. So, he was thinking this is an impure place I am going, how can I take the name of Krishna? So he was holding his tongue, but his tongue just would not stop chanting. So, this little boy named Gopal he saw what are you doing? What is this really strange thing. person has his sacred thread wrapped around his <__1.7.58__> in one hand, in his left, and <____> he is going to the seashore and he is <____>, what are you doing? He said my tongue just wont stop chanting the holy names; however, I am going to evacuate, I am going to respond to the calls of nature, I cannot be taking Krishna’s names there and a little boy said namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis tatrarpita niyamitah. Lord Caitanya has taught as that Krishna is nondifferent than his names and by his causeless mercy, there is no hard and fast rules for chanting. You could chant anywhere, that is the power of the holy name. Doing pooja, you cannot worship the deity, you have to take your bath, you have to do your achaman, you have to do all sorts of purifications before you worship the deity. If you touch the deity without that, you are making serious offenses. You cannot do yagnas unless you are very clean and you go through all sorts of purifications, but the holy name is so accessible in any condition, anywhere, at any time you can access. The complete mercy of the lord by sincerely crying out his holy names

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Lord Caitanya was watching, he was very pleased. He called this little boy Gopal and said because you were speaking the absolute truth so nicely about the glories of the holy name, you are guru. So, from this day on, your name will be Gopalgura and he became one of the greatest acaryas of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampraday. Later on Gopal Guru Goswami. So, this is how that attraction, that attachment to Krishna awakens within our heart, but it does not come cheaply. It is accessible and available to everyone. It does not matter whether you are man or woman, whether you are rich or poor, whether you are from a high caste or a low cast, whether you are American or Indian or Pakistani or African or Yugoslavian, it does not matter. Srila Prabhupad sent devotees into China and now there is hundreds thousands of Chinese people who have become addicted to the holy name of Krishna, there was a difficulty. Because in a Chinese <_1.11.00___> there was no word for god, a supreme person. They have to somehow or other invent different words to designate a supreme person, but now those same people are doing Kirtan in a streets. Yes, it is the nature of every living being, it is simply must be uncovered and it is uncovered by association of devotees. In the association of devotees, we understand not only what is our best interest, we understand who we are, the spirit soul. We understand that the nature of the lower self and a higher self and we understand how to feed the higher self, how to nourish and give a strength and gradually that develops into greed to hear about the lord, greed to chant about the lord, enthusiasm and attachment for those things that are favorable for the purification of our heart. Material designations cannot <_1.12.19___> into the realm of transcendental life. Everyone is an eternal spirit soul. Everyone is a child of god. Everyone can become perfect if they simply make the right choices in this valuable human life. The choice to keep always connected with Krishna and nourish the higher self. At this time, we would like to ask Yadubar prabhu to speak some words according to his realizations.

Yadubar Prabhu:

Nama om visnu padaya Krishna preshtaya bhotale

srimathe bhaktivedanta swamin iti namene

Namaste saraswathe deve gauravani pracharine

nirvishesha shoonyavadi paschatya desha taarine

Jay Sri Krishna Caitanya prabhu nityananda

sri Advaitha Gadadhara Srivasadi Gaura Bhakta vrinda

Hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare

Hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

So it is the nature of the great souls to think whatever they have done is not very significant and to glorify the actions of everyone else. So, my realization <_1.14.25___> because of the kind words that Niranjana swami has related to Radhanath Maharaj about that last kirtan in Ukraine because that was not I who lead that kirtan, it was Niranjana Swami himself. So, actually I can feel the in my own life the prime benediction of the vaishnavas. Because, my record is not very glorious. Sometimes, we have difficulty in devotional service and I am not an exception. After Srila Prabhupad left, it was very very difficult for many many devotees, but relatively reasonably, by the kindness of these 2 great souls, I find myself rejuvenated and revived and certainly not by my own endeavor. I feel myself very fortunate to be in the association of all of you, now I have to work on getting my better half, my child here very quickly, so we can stay for long term. <__1.16.21__> thing that was speaking before, I was saying this in a class that Krishna consciousness is a very gradual process that is nothing quick, at least in most people’s cases. Sometimes, we become discouraged because it is such a gradual process, it takes a long long time. Sometimes many many lives, but we should be very patient. That is one of the essential ingredients in devotional service and that is patience. Patience, determination, and enthusiasm. So, we should never become discouraged because the goal is so wonderful. We cannot imagine how wonderful. We can hear, we hear so many times about the glories of the lord and his Dham. Sometimes, we make it a small glimpse of that realm. So, we should never give up our endeavor for Krishna consciousness. We should never become discouraged. Because the alternative is not good. Feeding the bad dog means it brings bad results. We should be convinced to that. So, your good fortune is already here, you have such a wonderful qualified leader His Holiness Radhanath Swami and we are on the boat and Prabhupad said he was speaking one afternoon in front of the Dallas temple, he was sitting on the front <_1.18.26___> devotees were gathered around him, he looked at all of them, he said you are very fortunate, but then immediately he said do not become unfortunate by giving up Krishna consciousness. So, we are all in similar position and the bad dog, material desires may be barking very loudly, extremely loudly, but we have to take shelter of <_1.19.00___> when that happens, there is a sure remedy and that is running to the lotus feet of a Vaishnava and you may want to reveal your mind how difficult it is, not to act on that impulse. Association and chanting a holy name, these are 2 good remedies, sometimes we are very desperate, and we can call out in desperation to the lord, that is a very good remedy and also the association of great souls, So, we should always remember when that dog is barking, to do 1 of 2 things it is always available. If you are alone, the chanting of the holy name is there, if you are not, we can do both, chant and get the association of advanced vaishnavas. So thank you very much for allowing me to speak. Again, I am most fortunate.