My sincere gratitude to all of you for kindly being with us in Mayapur dham.

500th anniversary of Lord Caitanya’s accepting of sanyas
This year, we are commemorating the 500th anniversary of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s acceptance of sannyas, the renounced order. Beginning from January of next year, this is especially auspicious and brings about enormous good fortune to contemplate discuss and deeply appreciate the fact that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left his wife, who was only about 15 years old. The most beautiful woman on the entire earth, who is perfectly loving and chaste and absolutely dedicated to the service of Her beloved husband Gauranga. His mother who lost 8 children, just after birth, beloved daughters finally had a son who left and took sannyas at an early age and never contacted his parents again, for the rest of his life. Her husband died at a very young age; all she has was a little Nimai. But He left her.
And the land of Navadwipa, the most holy of all holy places, non-different from Vrindavana. His beloved friends, Adwaita Prabhu, Srivas, Gadadhar, Nityananda Prabhu, Haridas Thakur, Sridhar Kolavecha, Murari Gupta, Pundarika Vidyanidhi, Vakreshwar Pandit, all these devotees and so many more were residing in Navadwipa, the greatest vaishnavas in all the universe, were all assembled here. And throughout the day, He would roam around performing Naam Sankirtan and Krishna katha with them in the house of Srivasa all night long. He would reenact the Vrindavana Rasa lila with his most intimate associates and friends. He was most highly recognized, respected and honored in the land of Navadwip. Among the scholars… this was the scholarly capital of the world, no one could defeat him in argument, He had defeated Keshav Kashmiri, the greatest scholar in all the land. As far as his influence in the society of Navadwipa, with one order He assembled millions of people, all armed with torches to perform Harinaam sankirtan, through all the streets, market places and bathing ghats of the Navadwip area, upto the house of Chand Kazi, who was Kamsa in preivous birth. And the Chand Kazi, who hated Hindus, who outlawed their religious practice in public, ultimately surrendered and became Lord Caitanya’s devotee, accepted Harinaam sankirtan as his life and soul and promised that He would never intervene at all in any of the generations following Him.

Why did Lord Caitanya take sannyas?
What Lord Caitanya had here in Navadwipa, was extraordinary. Material wealth is not very substantial, as far as money and possessions, but relationships that is something very deep and substantial because relationships touch the heart. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had the deepest possible relationships, on the highest spiritual platform with his mother, His wife and all His friends and devotees and the towns people, He had everything here in Navadwipa. People were giving Him gifts, He had everything He needed for his family, and whatever extra was there, He was giving in charity. Why would anyone leave a position like that at the age of 24. At the prime of his youth, at the crescendo of His career, why? Many take sannyas because they are frustrated with life, He had no frustrations, everything was right. Most perfect family, perfect friends, perfect kirtans, here was everything. He left only, because he wanted to reach people who were distant and who were offensive. As a sannyasi, those people who were blasphemous and offensive and atheistic in Navadwip, He could reach them. Because if they bowed down to Him, they would become liberated of all sins and by His grace He could give them bhakti. And everyone bows down to a sanyasi. The people who hated him, the people who threatened him, the people who were making conspipracies against Him to physically harm Him or destroy His reputation. Practically everyone else was already His devotees. He wanted to deliver them because He loved them.
The Lord loves every living entity. And as Lord Caitanya so magnanimous. And what about beyond Navadwip and provinces and other places. As a sanyasi He will be free to travel here, there and everywhere. And people would bow to Him, their sins would be removed because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whether they know it or not. And their hearts would be receptive to receive the seed of bhakti and prema from Him. And also Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the role of a devotee wanted to teach the world how valuable Krishna Consciousness is. “Prema pumartho mahan” the crest jewel of all goals of life is to love Krsna. Whatever occupation we may perform, whatever varna or ashram we are in, if it does not develop within our hearts a taste for hearing about Krsna with love, then “shrama eva hi kevalam“, it is a waste of time. Lord Caitanya wanted to teach the world that this yearning and longing for Krsna, this putting Krsna above and beyond every other concern in life, is proper perspective. If we gain Krsna’s love everything else will be taken care of. Krsna promises in the Gita, “Those who surrender with love to Me, I protect what they have and I carry what they lack”. The value of Krishna Consciousness should not be taken for granted. It should never be second to anything else in our life. Therefore Lord Caitanya exhibited that He put it first and foremost, in fact He gave up everything for it.  

Reference for Lord Caitanya’s taking sanyas
References to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s taking sanyas are revealed in the earliest parts of His pastime in this world. One particular reference was just after Lord Caitanya’s appearance during the lunar eclipse on that full moon night in the month of Phalguna in Navadwip, when everyone was loudly chanting the  holy names. He was hardly a day or so old, he was a little tiny infant. When Nilambhar cakravati the father of Saci devi came to the home to read the childs horoscope. There is a secret in this story that you are going to know, that nobody in Lord Caitanya’s family knew. In fact nobody told them. But I am telling you.

Nilambar Cakravarti sees the horoscope of Nimai
Nilambar Cakravarti was one of the greatest brahmanas, scholars, astrologers and pundits. And when he saw the horoscope of little Nimai. He said, “This is wondrous. It is well known, spoken in tradition and in our local scriptures that a great king will be born in a brahmana family in Bengal and how he will give the greatest leadership in humanity. I see in this horoscope extraordinary qualities. This child is a divine being. He will nourish the whole Universe, therefore we will name him Viswambhar. And then there was a very saintly brahmana that happened to be there for that occasion. He began to explain what he could see in the horoscope of the lord and through his own divine vision. He told all the family and friends that this child is lord Narayana himself. He has descended into this world to establish the essence of all religions. He has come to deliver the whole world to give everyone the treasure of love of God a treasure even lord Brahma and Shiva are long and aspire to achieve. Simply by seeing him all beings will become happy. Because he will nourish the universe by his grace he will be known as Vishwambar. Because He would be so dearly loved by the residents of Navadvip He will be called Navadvip Chandra. Jagannada Mishra you are so blessed and so fortunate to be His father, I bowed down to the lotus feet of Jagannada Mishra the most fortunate man in all the world to be the father of this boy.”
The Brahmin said that much but then he very deliberately stopped. Because in the horoscope and in his vision he could see  that at the young tender age of 24 years old this child was going to renounce his family, his home, Navadwip and go into the forest as a sanyasi. But because whole family and friends were so happy with the birth of lord Chaitanya there was a beautiful festival. He did not want to spoil their good time. He did not want to cause depression or despondency in their hearts. So the Brahmin purposely hid from them as a secret the inevitable fact that this boy is going to be a sanyasi at the age of 24. But he was so much overwhelmed with the child that he fell at Jagannada Mishra’s feet and wept tears of ecstasy. Just to be able to see this child and worship his father was his greatest fortune.
Jagannada Misra hearing all the good things he said about Nimai he was in supreme happiness. And He started weeping and he fell at the lotus feet of Brahmin and they were both touching each others’ feet embracing and crying in happiness,  united by the beauty and mercy of little infant Nimai.

Viswarup’s disinterest in material enjoyment
Some years later Nimai was just a boy may be about 9 years old or so. His elder brother Viswarup was so charming in every way. Nimai was especially restless and naughty as a child like Krishna in Vrindavan he wouldn’t listen to his mother, he would not listen to his father, he would not listen any of his neighbors. And whenever he was close to Vishwarup his elder brother he became very grave and sober. And Vishwarup, he had no interest in any type of material enjoyment. His life was always only to serve the Vaishnavas and to hear about Krishna and to chant about Krishna. That is everything.

Krishna wants us to want Krishna-prema, and to pay a tiny price
When someone develops this param drstva nivartate.. this higher taste for Krishna consciousness then everything in this world it loses its attraction. Its pale. Its pale.  It has no life no substance. Its just a distraction. But to attain that higher taste… tapo divyam putra kalena satvam. We have to deliberately cultivate it. When Lord Caitanya was here, just by a simple glance or embrace or a single word he could give you Krishna Prema. But for His devotees, He is willing to give that same Krishna Prema. But He wants us to want it more than anything, and to pay a little price, it’s a tiny price.
People work for years and years to afford a house or a car or some cloths or some jewellery. Yes, what else do people buy? Computer? I don’t know. People work very hard. To get a house your working, you get a mortgage, 25 or 30 years of your life, you’re just trying to feed people and pay for your house, make some money get some reputation, people go to college to get a PhD. How many years? Sometimes 20 years. What do you attend? There is so much of austerity for people who have a job. Its 8 hours a day sometimes, and you work for sometimes 60 years and in the end what do you get? – DEATH.
Old age! If you live long enough. Which as Kaliyuga goes on, it’s going to be rare for people to live to be old?   
When Lord Caitanya was told you should not take sannyas at such a young age, you should wait till your old. He said I don’t know if I will live till I’m old so I’m taking now.  Nobody knows that their going live till they are old. There is not a single young person in the entire earth planet, that knows for sure that they are going to be old. Padam padam yad vipadam… So many dangers.
So Vishavarupa, he saw that people were working so hard for these mundane things. Lord Caitanya, he says just work hard practicing Bhakti, just one life time. It’s not much. And you’re not going get a house that’s not going to fall apart. There probably going get termites that you’re going to have to fight against. After sometime the plumbing is going to start breaking down, and the electrical you’re going to have to change. You’re working so hard for that. You’re working so hard for your children. Usually they get older and they just disrespect you. They don’t even care about you. Work hard for this, Krishna Prema, and what will you get, eternal life in Goloka Vrindavan with Krishna, Balarama, Radharani, the Gopas, the Gopis, Cintamani Dham, you’ll have an eternal spiritual body, which is Sat Cit Ananda, which is full of knowledge and bliss. No more suffering, no more trace of suffering for the rest of eternity. Unending unlimited ecstatic joy of love. That’s what I’ll give you.
Can’t you just not chant 16 rounds? Can you not just follow these regulative principles, can you just try to be a humble servant of the servant, a few years, and I’ll give you all that. And we think it is so difficult, people do so much more for some fleeting pleasures or possessions.
Namo maha vadanya ya, Krishna prema padayate
Unless we understand the value of Prema Bhakti, love of god, it may seem that Krishna Consciousness is difficult, but if we can just appreciate the value of ecstatic love for Krishna then whatever we have to go through in this life, it’s actually very simple. It’s a very small price, it’s not so difficult. Therefore it’s so essential that you associate with devotees who will help to cultivate within our hearts the value of Prema. The value of love of god, the rareness of Bhakti. Rupa Gosvami explains that pure devotional service it’s the rarest thing, and Srila Prabhupad explains although it the rarest thing if one is simply sincere, serious and does not have any ulterior motives, in that persons practice of Krishna Consciousness, Krishna easily gives it. Appreciation is so important.

Matchless gift of prema-bhakti
That was already there, that was some sort of a gift store and it was named matchless gifts. So when Prabhupada moved in, he didn’t change the sign. It’s actually very symbolic what he did, because everyone in this world is looking for matchless gifts. Matchless means without a match. The best of all gifts. And people were coming for; I don’t know how many years to buy some toys, or some clothes or some jewellery, whatever they were selling there. In the name of supreme gifts but Lord Caitanya came specifically to this world to give the matchless gift, the supreme gift that has no match, love for God. The goal and essence of every great religion and in that little store front Prabhupada was giving the matchless gift of Prema bhakti to anyone and everyone for that small little price.

Lobha – greed is the price for getting higher taste
Just for whatever years in this life time you have, just cultivate the taste to hear about Krishna, How?  By hearing about Krishna. If you want to cultivate that taste to hear the way you do it is you hear.
Sushrusha sraddha dhanasya…
We develop the taste for hearing through serving great souls, in a humble selfless service spirit, and then we regularly hear. Nasta prayeshu abhadreshu nityam bhagavati sevaya. We study the Srimad Bhagavatam, the Bhagavad Gita, the Caitanya Caritamrita, We come to the classes, we humbly serve and we hear by practicing this, it’s not that you attain it. Just like a musician or an actor actress, or an athlete they become champions by practicing and practicing. Yes! Of course there are certain gifts of Karma that come from previous lives. But they practice and by practicing they attain a certain state. But bhakti is not like that, just be sincere, Practice! Practice hearing.  Even if it doesn’t taste good.
Srila Prabhupada explains if you have jaundice sugarcane juice tastes bitter. But if you are healthy sugarcane juice is so sweet. So if you have the disease what is the cure? Drink the sweet sugarcane juice. Even though it tastes so bitter. Drink it as an austerity and as you become cleansed by it you begin to taste its sweetness. So like that, the more we hear about Krishna as a discipline with enthusiasm, the real austerity we are talking about is enthusiasm. You are not going to get a taste for Krishna by saying, Alright! I want to taste, I am coming to class. Ok! I am listening, I heard it before. God! Again I have to hear this again. Everybody says the same thing in this Krishna consciousness movement again I am hearing this, but somehow or other I am going to stay awake and not going to get up. I am going to stay here because I want a taste. That’s a very long process. The practice is enthusiasm. Rupa Goswami says lobha or greed eagerness is the price for getting that higher taste. That means as an austerity we are enthusiastic. Oh! Yes I am hearing it again wonderful! The more I hear it, the more I am going to realize it. The more I hear it the more I am going to aspire to achieve it. And we pray to Krishna, we take shelter of Krishna when we are hearing.  If we are eager to hear, everything we hear is ecstatic. Because Krishna is non-different than Hari-katha. He is non-different than Hari-kirtan. And He reciprocates according to how we approach Him. If we are eager to hear, its going to taste like nectar, in time. If we are not, we approach Hari-katha as something ordinary, it will appear ordinary to you.

Higher taste doesn’t come by our endeavor, but by Krishna’s grace

Even when Krishna is here in this world personally, everyone saw Krishna according to their particular way of approaching Him. In the wrestling arena, in the ranga-bhumi of Mathura, the wrestlers saw Krishna as a big wrestler, He is a big wrestler. Kamsa saw Him as death personified. Yogis saw Him as paramatma. The ordinary people saw Him as an ordinary man. The young girls saw Him as a cupid. The cowherd boys saw Him as a friend. And the devotees saw Him as the Supreme object of their worship. So, similarly, if we are eager to hear, and we practice cultivating that by coming to the classes, by reading the scriptures, gradually we develop; and how do we develop? – By Krishna’s grace. That higher taste does not come simply by our endeavour. It comes by Krishna’s grace.
Those two fingers that were necessary between mother Yasoda binding Krishna or not – the two fingers that were the gap between the rope every time she tried to wrap it around His waist - our eagerness, enthusiasm, and Krishna’s mercy. If Krishna just sees that we really want it, and we are practicing sincerely, then Krishna gives it. We should have faith; we should have complete faith that Krishna will give it. And we have to be very enthusiastic to hear about Him, enthusiastic to chant His holy names, enthusiastic to serve the vaisnavas, and patient. Whatever time it takes, it doesn’t matter. Krishna makes His promise. All the acaryas have confirmed His promise. It is for sure. This is our golden life. We cannot achieve it by our practice, but by our sincerity of our endeavor, we can attract Krishna’s grace. And by that mercy alone – Srimati Radharani’s mercy, we are given Bhakti.
 

Viswarup leaves home
Vishwarup understood the beauty of love for Krishna. And he saw, all people in Navadwipa tragically wasting their human lives. There were thousands, tens and thousands of scholars here but all they were concerned with was getting higher and higher titles as scholars…Bhattachyaraya, Mishra, Chakravaroty. Students wanted to become teachers, teachers wanted more and more students. In Navadwipa, all the students were fighting with each other over who had the best teacher. They would go to the bathing ghats in the afternoon, when everyone would take their baths, and one group of students from one teacher would say, “My teacher is the greatest, yours is useless”. Then the other would say, “No yours is just ignorant, mine is intelligent”. Then they would start throwing mud at each other from the Ganga and splashing each other. Sometimes they beat each other up, chase each other, fight with each other. This was going on everyday in the Ganga. Fighting amongst the students over who had the best teacher. And the poor ladies, they would come with their pots,  to get clear water  for drinking for the family and all the Ganga was muddy. They couldn’t take water and the Brahmins couldn’t take their bath, it was all mud water because they were fighting so much in the Ganga. So much egotism, people were trying to make money and spending lavishly on useless things. Vishwarup, he really felt pity for these people. And he tried to explain to them but nobody wanted to hear.
It would not get through to them because they were so egoistic. So he remained throughout the day with Adwaita Prabhu and the devotees. Not far from here, Sri Adwaita Acarya had a home. And there all the devotees would meet. They would do Harinam Kirtan, and Hari katha and worship the deity and serve each other. It was the spiritual world. Vishwaroop could not give up that association. He would practically get up in the morning and go to adwaita prabhu’s house. Sacidevi was becoming very worried about him. She would cook wonderful feast, everyday, just what her two sons loved.  And she would send little Nimai, “Go get your brother Vishwaroop, We all know where he is.” So Nimai, he would run to Adwaita’s house, and they were all doing Hari Katha, absorbed. Can you imagine? Gadadhara, Mukunda, Adwaita Acarya, Haridas Thakur, when they do Hari Katha, nobody fall asleep, very very deep. They are there, when there is discussion of Vrindavana through sound vibration, they are there in Vrindavana…In the pastime. And when they would be at the peak of absoption in hearing about Krishna, little Nimai would come and say, “Vishwaroop, my brother, mother is calling you home for lunch. Please come”. And then Nimai would grab Vishwaroop by the dhoti and pull him. When Nimai came to the house, none of the devotees could speak about Krishna anymore. They all gazed upon little Nimai, small boy, so beautiful his golden complexion, his lotus like eyes,  his wonderful curling black hair, he was the essence of beauty, every limb of his body, was effulgent with enchanting qualities. The devotees couldn’t move, they couldn’t even blink off their eyes. So enchanted by the beauty of little Nimai. And they were speechless. When Nimai took his brother by the hand, then they both left. By his yoga maya potency they could not understand that he was the person that they were talking about. He was Krishna, he was the person that they were worshipping. After he left, they shook their heads,  “What just happened, who is this child? He is not ordinary”. Adwaita Acarya said, “There is some substance in him, that I cannot understand that completely attracts and enchants my heart.  They couldn’t put the two together.  That whatever love they had for Krishna was fully manifested whenever they saw little Nimai. And Vishwaroop right after lunch would go back to Adwaita Acarya’s house, for more hari Katha and the chanting of the holy names. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, …. Hare Hare. Then when he would come home, he would spend all his time in the temple of Vishnu in Jagannath Mishra’s house and just worship the Lord. One day, Vishwaroop happened to hear that his mother and father were planning to arrange for his marriage and that night without saying anything to anyone, he left home. And immediately he took sannyas. He was a very young man… took sannyas, accepted the name Shankar aranya and never came home again. There was never a letter. Of course, no telephone calls or emails either. There was never a message, no contact. He was gone. When his mother and father and brother heard that he left us to become a sannyasi, it was devastating.  Little Nimai was weeping incessantly, “I lost my brother, my best friend”. And the mother and father, they were inconsolable. Sacidevi was weeping, weeping and weeping.  Jagannath Mishra was bereaved, and all their friends and relatives were coming to somehow or other pacify them. They were saying “Actually we are very fortunate. When a family member takes sanyas, millions and millions of family members all get liberated from both the mothers side and the fathers side. So how lucky you are. You are all liberated because your son Viswaroop has performed the glorious deed of becoming a sanyasi. How wonderful.” Jagganath Misra would would think how wonderful and then he would think of Viswaroop and say “how horrible, He left us”. It was very difficult and nothing could console them. but then Jagannath Misra started becoming philosophical and said “Krsna gives my son and he can take away my son. Everything is in the hands of Krsna.” Through this philosophy he became somehow pacified. But what pacified him the most was Nimai. Everyone said “Viswaroop may have left, but the crest jewel, most beautiful of all children in the universe, Nimai is living with you. You are so fortunate”. And Nimai promised them. He said “Please do not be sad. I am here for you and I will never leave you”. From that day on Nimai became the everything for Jagannath Misra and Sacidevi.
 

Nimai’s Dream
One day somebody gave some betel nuts for Nimai to eat and He ate one and by eating that betel nut He became intoxicated that he went to sleep and had a dream. It was a wonderful dream. When he woke up he went to His mother and father and said “I had an amazing dream.” “Please tell son, what was the dream?” He said, “Viswaroop came in the dream. He was a sanyasi and he took me by the hand and said “Come with me, I am taking you away from your home and I want you to take sanyas. Come and join me in the renounced order of life.” And I told Viswaroop in the dream, what about our poor and helpless mother and father I have to stay here and help them and I am so young I am not ready to take sanyas. I have decided that i will become a grihasta and take care of our aging parents”. And then Nimai said Viswaroop brought him back home in the dream and said, “Very good. Please give my thousands of obeisances to our mother Sacidevi” and he disappeared. After hearing about this dream, Jagannath Misra and Saci mata became very concerned, “What will be the destiny of Nimai?”
Nimai became very immersed in studies. Practically every spare moment when he wasn’t in school he would study his books. When Jagannath Misra first thought Nimai how to do the alphabet as soon as he saw and heard it once he perfected it. And every letter he was being taught, he would start drawing names of Krsna. And every subjest that his teacher taught, just by hearing it once he managed to learn it equal to or better than his teacher. Such a student. At a young age. Jagannath Misra  was feeling great happiness in seeing his child in this way, but he was becoming afraid. So one day he told Saci Mata,”From this day Nimai should give up all of his study. Let Him to anything else He wants except study.” Sacidevi said, “I have never heard anything. Parents don’t talk like this.” He said, “When he studies the scriptures he is going to understand that this material world is so illusory and temporary, that he is going to become like his brother, Viswaroop and take sanyas and live us. He is all we have. We will not be able to survive.” Saci devi said, “But who will marry him if he is an illiterate, and how will he make a living?” Jagganath Misra was determined. He said, “One gets a good wife and one gets good wealth by Krsna’s arrangement. Not by simply his study. Just look. I am a scholar. I am one of the greatest masters of the Vedas and the scriptures. We hardly have enough food to eat from one day to the next. Look over there. They are all business people, they cannot write a single letter of the alphabet. But yet they made so much money that there are lines of scholars and pundits loitering around their house, begging for a donation. So I declare it that it is not by hard work or study that one becomes wealthy. So let our son remain ignorant and stay home. And because he is a good boy, Krsna will provide for him”. Then he called Nimai and said “From this day no more studies. You can do anything else you like. But not study.”
So Nimai took that seriously that he can do anything else he wants. He wanted to study, but as a second alternative he did anything else he wanted. He became more mischievous than ever before, he would be playing all day and usually they would be playing all night. and Jagannath Misra and Sacidevi were afraid to say anything lest He may, start studying again. Vrindavan das Thakur explains some of the things they would do. They would go out in the day along with all the games and mischief and naughtiness they would plan for the night. Night time is the right time to perform nefarious activities. So they would be just playing and looking around Look at that beautiful opulent banana trees.
When the lights were on I saw so many people sleeping and when light were off everybody woke up. Ya nisha sarvabhutanam.. So speaking about darkness they would plan up they will see oh nice banana groves we will attac k at tonight. And Nimai had two friends. They would put a big blanket over three of them all at once and they look like a bow.  
And then in the guise of a bow the three of them would go to banana grove and started running into the trees and   knocking them down one after another knocking the trees, knocking the trees, and stealing the bananas. The owner of the house he would hear all the noise outside and he come to his door and he would see this bow and he hai hai and he really really disturbed. And the bow would run away and they  take their blanket off and laugh and laugh. As the poor man, his banana trees were all knock down. But that was just practice for the next transcendental mischief. Then they  would go to peoples houses and tie the windows closed and tie the doors closed from the outside. So no body could get out. They would do this at night. Then they watch from a little distance away.
And when the people had to respond to the calls of the nature. In those days there was no indoor pluming. Everyone would come outside to do it. In fact it is considered extremely contaminating to do those things in a house. No one would think of having toilets in their house. But in the modern progress these same principles are not followed. But they followed it very strictly. And Nimai took advantage of this situation. And when they have nature calls they came to the door wouldn’t open they are struggling and striving. First nature calls, then nature cries, then nature screams, then nature howls, then nature roars. They were screaming out, “Let us out let us out..”  They were trying to open the windows, they were trying to open the doors they were like imprisoned. and Nimai and his friends clap and laugh and run away. Success. This is what they do all night.
 

Nimai sitting on clay pots
One day Jagannada Mishra happened to go out of town for a day. And little Nimai saw some pots, clay pots. Just like tomorrow those of you who would like were going to be Prabhupad’s disappearance day feast. How many of you cook for the Govardhan puja feast. Please raise your hands or helped out.  Hare Krishna. I was told 135 stalls and they all be there for prabhupada’s feast. And most of us were cooking in clay pots and same pots will be offered to deities. But there is sometimes it would be all black. In those days the Brahmins they would cook once in a clay pot and it would be all black and they would offer it to Krishna and they would not use the clay pot again and they would throw out in pile.
So, Nimai was sitting on the pile. And there was all black marks all over His beautiful body and He looked like a golden champak flower with black bumble bees swarming around Him. So, the neighbors went and called Saci, that your son is in a filthy dirty place, on clay pots. “What?” Saci ran out, and she said, “Nimai, come down from that mountain of pots. You are all dirty. It is a filthy place. You are a son of a brahmana. Come down.” And Nimai said, “Its not dirty. Here, it is very sanctified place. How can you say dirty? These pots were used to cook for Visnu. That means it is very very much sanctified and besides that, my mother.” And He started speaking things that nobody understood. He said, “Wherever I am, that place becomes purified. Nothing could contaminate Me. I am the source of all purity.” And He entered into the mood of Dattatreya, His avatar, speaking this philosophy. And Saci mata, she said, “My son. Your father is a brahmana and a pandit. He is going to lose his reputation if You behave like this. And You should know better. We have raised You with all high ethics. Why are You up there like this in this dirty place?” And Nimai said, “How am I supposed to know the difference between clean and unclean if you do not allow Me to study?” Then all the neighboring ladies started chastising Saci mata, they said, “You don’t allow Him to study? All our children, they don’t want to study. We have to force them to study. You are fortunate. You have a child who loves to study. And you don’t allow Him to study. Who has told you this misleading information to stop your child from studying? Nimai, as far as You are concerned, You should stay there. Don’t come down until Your parents allow You to study.” Saci mata had to climb herself up all these pots and pickup her little Nimai and carry Him down.
 

Nimai begins His studies
When Jagannath Misra came home, she told him, “This is what happened. I think our son is unhappy because we do not allow Him to study.” Ultimately, for Jagannath misra and Saci mata, there is only one purpose of their life, and that was to make Nimai happy. So, Jagannath Misra said, “we will begin His studies again.”
And He called brahamanas to chant mantras and he had musicians playing music and he had all the friends and all the relatives, for the ceremony of giving little Nimai the sacred thread. When Jaganath Misra had the sacred thread put on Nimai, it was not an ordinary thread, Anantasesa personally incarnated as that thread to be close to Nimai always. And then Jaganath Misra whispered the Gayatri mantra into little Nimai’s ears. And as part of the ceremony, there was some yagnas and there was some mantras being chanted, and then Nimai was given a little stick and was told to go out and beg for Dakshina. And when He had that little stick and He went out to beg, He actually assumed His form of Vamanadev. He went to people’s houses, and everyone was falling in love with Him and giving Him some donations. Parvati and Saraswati, they disguised as Brahmans wives just to give some donation to Nimai.
 

Nimai’s contemplates about His mission
And as He was doing this, in His Vamana Rupa, Nimai with the little stick and a begging bowl began to think, He contemplated, “It is the age of Kali, and people in this world all around us are suffering terribly to the disease of forgetfulness of Krishna. The one cure in this age of Kali is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. Harinam Sankirtan, my life, my mission, I have incarnated in this world to spread the glories of the Harinam Sankirtan movement and very soon I’m going to have a begging pot and I’m going to have a danda, because I am going to take sannyas, especially to relieve the suffering of the conditional souls by giving them Krishna’s holy name.” Thinking in this way He became so ecstatic, the idea of rescuing the suffering people and giving them the love of God was so intoxicating, so pleasing to Him. Becoming a sannyasi where He is free to go everywhere and anywhere to give love of Krishna, to give Krishna’s name was so beautiful. Nimai went into ecstasy, his hair started to stand on end and he roared. It was a supernatural roar. Small child, he was roaring and the pandits, they were wandering what is this symbolic Vedic explanation for this roaring. They were thinking He is going to deliver this world.
 

Jagannath Misra’s prayers for the protection of Nimai
Jagannath Mishra seeing Nimai studying so attentively and He was just so sweet and so respectful and so polite, He was just so beautiful after Vishwarupa left and He got to do His studies again. Jagannath Mishra, every time he would look at Nimai his heart would explode with love, uncontrollable love. Every time he would hear Nimai’s voice his heart would melt. He just 24 hours a day, he was absorbed in fatherly affection for Nimai. He couldn’t even think of anything else. And as a father he was so afraid, so afraid that something may happen to Nimai. He would perform puja and in his worship the only thing he ever prayed for was, “My dear Lord! Please protect Nimai, please protect Him from danger. Let Him live forever, please protect Him from any inconvenience, from any suffering, just let Him be happy. Just let Him be happy.”
 

Jagannath Misra’s dream
One night he had a dream, he woke up from the dream and started shouting, “Nimai, come home! Please, No! No! Not like this. Please come home.” And Saci mata asked, “why are you saying this, Nimai is at home. What is the problem?” He said, “I had a dream, it was the most wonderful dream but at the same time it was the most tragic dream”. He said “In my dream I saw our little Nimai, He was a sannyasi, his head was shaven, his beautiful luxurious locks were shaven from his head, he was wearing saffron robes, he carried a danda and a begging bowl. The form of our son Gauranga in this role of a sannyasi, was so extraordinary, He was so beautiful, but my heart was breaking. And then around Him, I saw the greatest of all the devotees, there was Advaita and Srivas and all the others and they were all worshipping, worshipping our Nimai, who now was a sannyasi. And all around him Nimai began to chant the holy name and they were all chanting along with him, Chanting and chanting and chanting and soon thousands of people were there. Then Nimai sat on a couch that was none other than Ananta Sesa. And he put his feet out and Advaita Acharya and Srivas and all the other saints were placing their heads on Nimai’s lotus feet. And they were all chanting the glories of our son. Suddenly the dream changed and I saw Nimai in this sannyasi role, he was dancing in ecstasy in kirtan of the holynames of Lord Hari. Tears were pouring from his eyes, his limbs were trembling and his hairs were standing on end and as he was dancing millions of people were around him and they all followed him, and Nimai took them all to Jagannath puri. Where millions and millions of people induced by the beautiful form of our son were crying out filling the entire universe with Krishna’s holy names. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare! Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama  Rama Hare Hare!! Jagannath Mishra said,” Saci mata, I fear that our son Nimai like Vishvaroop is going to leave us”. Saci devi said ”It was only a dream, why do you take dreams so seriously. Nimai is completely attached to us and not only that he loves his studies. He will not give up his studies for anything”. She tried to pacify him, but he could not be pacified.
Very soon after this dream Jagannath Mishra in the anguish of his deep mood of love in imminent separation of his son he contracted an incurable fever. And Saci mata was at his side, “My dear husband please do not leave me as a widow. Please do not allow Nimai to be without a father, He needs.”
 

Nimai pacifies Saci mata
In the same way, Nimai was weeping. Now what is this weeping? Krishna tells in the Gita, “A learned man or a woman, doesn’t lament for the living or the dead, because the soul is eternal. When a person in ignorance cries for the death of the loved one, they are crying because they feel that the person is gone, that they cease to exist. But when a learned person or devotee, when a loved one leaves a devotee, in one sense it is a festival because they know that that soul is going to be with Krsna. If a person is a good devotee, he is going to be elevated and be with Krsna. Jagannath Misra definitely he is going back to godhead. So that a celebration. But we are without his association. That is the tragedy. We don’t lament for the person, we celebrate the fortune of the person. But we lament for our own misfortune that Krsna was revealing Himself so beautifully through this devotee in my life and now that devotee is no longer here. I could reciprocate with Krsna so dearly with this devotee, but now all the guidance, all the friendship, all the reciprocation we shared is gone. So in the departing of a loved one for a devotee there is simultaneously more joy and more tears. But its in knowledge. It is separation in light of truth rather than separation in the darkness of ignorance. Nimai then realized that he was the only thing left that Saci mata had. And the only way he could console Saci Mata was to promise her “I am yours, I am with you. Our father has gone back to Godhead that is his good fortune but I am yours.” And he emitted such love to Saci Mata. He enchanted her heart so dearly that just seeing him she totally forgot all suffering, all anxiety. She was in bliss. But even for five minutes if he was out of her vision, she would be longing to see him again. We will continue tomorrow.