All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga! Founder Acharaya His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Thakura BHAGAVATA The e-magazine of Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math Issue No.27 November 2020 DHARMA President & Acharaya His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Goswami Maharaja In this issue: Attaining the Ultimate Goal by HDG Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Goswami 2 ConversationMaharaja with a Disciple by HDG Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Thakur 4 Vaishnava Festivals November - December 18 Lord Chaitanya gave us such a marvelous opportunity to chant wholeheartedly, but due to the influence of Kali-yuga, we are engaging ourselves in hypocrisy and staying far from the benefit of easily delivering ourselves from the miserable mundane world through chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Please try to develop sound faith in Lord Chaitanya’s instructions, and chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra without offenses, so that we may attain the ultimate goal of this human life, which is to eternally serve the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha Krishna, in Goloka Vrindavan. In the Service of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Mission, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Goswami Maharaja President, Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math Bhagavata Dharma – The e- magazine of Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math Page | 2 ATTAINING THE ULTIMATE GOAL Radharani’s mercy, no one can obtain His mercy; this is the truth. by On another occassion, Srila Gurudeva HDG His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Bibudha Srila Puri Goswami Thakur explained that Bodhayan Goswami Maharaja Radharani expanded from the left side of Krishna and all the sakhis expanded from Once, the founder acharya of Sri Gopinath Radharani. All the manjaris expanded from Gaudiya Math, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti the sakhis. Originally, the source of all is Sri Pramode Puri Goswami Thakur, was Krishna. Even all the souls in this world are explaining the Absolute Truth of Sri Sri tiny fire sparks that have emanated from Radha Krishna. He explained how Radha Krishna. According to the Caitanya and Krishna are in reality one Absolute Truth Caritamrta, ekale içvara Kåñëa ara saba that expanded for the purpose of performing bhrtya, jare yaiche nacaya se taiche kare pastimes. When one hears about the rasa- nrtya – Krishna is the one and only enjoyer; lila, one may not understand at first, how everybody dances according to the way in Krishna can enjoy pastimes with all the which He makes them dance. The purport is gopis. Usually, the mundane people think that in reality, everyone is a servant of that this is all material. Srila Gurudeva then Krishna. explained the aphorism from the Vedanta- sutras, which elucidate that there is no The actual theme is that the Supreme Lord difference between the energy and the wants to make a drama. For the drama, He possessor of the energy (çakti-çaktimator- needs a stage. The stage is the material abhedah). Srimati Radharani is the pleasure world. In order to prepare the stage, Krishna potency of Sri Krishna. The possessor of the first expands into four forms as Vasudeva, energy cannot function without the energy. Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Thus, Krishna is enjoying with His own self Karanodakasayi Vishnu expands from (svarupa-çakti) in the rasa-lila. Sankarshana. Karanodakasayi Vishnu glances at the mahat-tattva, which causes the material world to go into action. Karanodakasayi Vishnu expands into Garbhodakasayi Vishnu who enters each of the universes of the material world. Lord Brahma appears from the lotus coming from Garbhodakasayi Vishnu’s navel. Lord Brahma is the first created living entity. Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the presence of the Lord within all atoms and is the confirmatory intuitive consciousness present alongside the souls in all the material bodies. The stem of the lotus contains the 14 planetary systems including the middle planetary system, bhu (where we are currently situated), the upper From the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, we planetary systems including bhuva, sva, know that without the mercy of Srimati maha, jana, tapa, satya and the lower Radharani, nobody can attain the mercy of planetary systems including tala, atala, vitala, Krishna (satyam satyam punah satyam talatala, sutala, rasatala, patala. The lower we satyam eva punah puna: binä radhä- are situated in the planetary hierarchy, the prasädena mat-prasado na vidyate). more selfish we are. Lord Brahma is situated Krishna explains repeatedly that without Bhagavata Dharma – The e- magazine of Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math Page | 3 on the top planet, satya-loka, but even there, gopis. Krishna is dancing with Himself. he has a tinge of selfishness. Krishna is the object of love and Radharani is the shelter of love, the embodiment of love, People may think that Brahma is the creator; and the internal potency of the object of love how can Brahma be considered a living (svarupa-çakti, prema-rupa, äçraya-tattva). entity (jéva)? Actually, Brahma is the most Ultimately, They both are one. elevated living entity. We know from the sastra that Brahma is the incarnation of the When one is completely free from material mode of passion (rajo-guna). In this material attachments, then one can enter Vrindavan, planet, we all, more or less, make mistakes. the place of the rasa dance. Srila Narottama We know from the Srimad Bhagavatam that Thakur says, visaya chadiya kabe suddha once Lord Brahma made a mistake, thinking häbe mana, kabe häma heraba sri Krishna to be just an ordinary cowherd boy. vrindavan – when will my mind be free from Lord Brahma kidnapped all the other the objects of material sense enjoyment and cowherd boys and calves and kept them in thereby, become purified to see Sri Sumeru cave of Vrindavan to test if Krishna Vrindavan? All living beings are eligible to is really supreme or not. Finally, after one enter Vrindavan when they get intense greed year, when Lord Brahma saw that Krishna (laulya - lalasa), which will come only by expanded Himself into all the kidnapped the mercy of the Spiritual Master and cowherd boys and calves and that they were Krishna. This greed cannot be achieved even going about their daily lives as normal in from the pious merits gained over tens of Vrindavan, he was surprised because the millions of births. Srila Rupa Goswami boys and calves whom he had kidnapped writes: were still in the cave. Thus Lord Brahma understood that Krishna is supreme. The Kåñëa-bhakti-rasa-bhavita-matih kriyatam Supreme Lord never makes mistakes but yadi kuto’pi labhyate Brahma being a living entity, he made a tatra laulyam api mulyam ekalam janma- mistake. koti-sukrtir na labhyate Actually, this was the desire of the Supreme Translation: If one desires to purchase the Lord Krishna in order to destroy the false ego ecstatic mood of devotion to Krishna, then of Brahma and to fulfill the wishes of the there is only one price for that, which is gopis and cows. The gopis had the desire to intense greed. This devotion cannot be feed Krishna by their hands and the cows attained even through the results of pious wanted to feed milk to Krishna from their activities (punya) performed over tens of udders. Therefore, we see how Krishna millions of births. made Brahma act in such a way to achieve the two-fold purpose. Also, Krishna bound My spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Brahma to come down in the Kali-yuga for Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Thakur, was assisting Him while Lord Krishna would be physically in the material world but was in the form of Lord Chaitanya. Lord Krishna constantly residing in Vrindavan in spirit due in the form of Lord Chaitanya was spreading to his intense greed. Therefore, he left his the sankirtan movement. At that time, physical form on the day before the Maha Brahma appeared in the form of Haridas Rasa known as Gaura Chaturdasi at 2:10 AM Thakur and glorified the Holy Name in every (the 14th day of the waxing moon cycle in the step of his life. month of Kartik). It is at this time that Maha Rasa is manifested in the divine Goloka In reality, all living entities are energetic Vrindavan. He left on that day so that he expansions of Krishna. In the rasa lila dance, would enter into the Maha Rasa-lila. Srila Krishna is dancing with Radharani and the Gurudeva was an exemplary personality Bhagavata Dharma – The e- magazine of Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math Page | 4 showing us how to get the qualification of laulya, which is obtainable only through the mercy of Guru and Krishna. Written by HDG Srila Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Goswami Maharaja, on the occasion of the Disappearance day of HDG Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Thakur, on 29 November 2020 Who is a genuine sädhu? “Only he who has gotten the association of another sädhu out of some good fortune and has been able to awaken his own spiritual identity can be called a sädhu.” ⎯HDG Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Gurudeva: They were saying that there are many Babajis in Vrindavan who criticize us in various ways. They do not accept our SRI GURU PRANALI — disciplic line. I wanted to say something SIDDHA PRANALI about that. A conversation between Srila Bhakti Devotee: Please go on, Guru Maharaja. Pramoda Puri Gosvami Maharaja and a disciple Gurudeva: My position is the following: Gurudeva: Gopinatha (Gopinatha Dasa sampradya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala Brahmacari)! Please give me my Sabda- matah atah kalau bhavisyanti catvarah sara. And my copy of Gaudiya-kantha- sampradayinah hara, and Sriman Mahaprabhura Siksa. sri-brahma-rudra-sanaka vaisnavah ksiti- Look at me, I am completely bedridden. pavanah catvaras te kalau bhavya hy utkale Well at least I can sit up; so I am only half- purusottamat bedridden.