At first I pay my innumberable prostrated obeisances to the lotus feet of my most worshipable divine master, who is the redeemer of the fallen souls, the bestower of knowledge on the Absolute, the non-different manifestation of the Supreme Lord and the bestower of service of the Supreme Lord. I pray for his causeless mercy. I pay my prostrated obeisances to the lotus feet of the worshipable Vaishnava and pray for their causeless mercy. I pay my due respects to all the devotees who are inclined to hear discourses on the Supreme Lord and observing Damodar-vrata. May they all become satisfied.

The condition of my health is not good but it is not that bad that I cannot attend this assembly. In the month of ‘Niyam seva’ (Kartik) one should attend assemblies where Harikatha discourses are held following the rules and regulations which are to be practiced in this month. Whether one speaks in such an assembly or not that is a different issue. But one must surely attend such an assembly and hear discourses on the Supreme Lord.

I am just an ordinary person. But those who are considered important persons should follow all the rules and regulations of devotion very carefully. If they show lethargy in following the devotional principles, it will create a bad impact on the people who follow him. As much as one can follow the devotional principles it will be good. Yesterday I told about my Param Guruji. He is the eternal associate of Supreme Lord. His body is not gross material body made up of flesh and bones. When he was performing the pastimes of illness, he was told repeatedly not to speak much. But despite of his ill health he continuously spoke Harikatha. He did not listen to anybody. He spoke Harikatha incessantly without taking rest. Not only that, he also gave impetus to others to speak Harikatha always, since Harikatha is the life of one’s devotion. Everything will be lost if one gives up devotion. The functionality will be lost if you give up hearing or speaking Harikatha. That is why Srila Prabhupada told everybody that ‘sravan, kirtan’ (hearing and singing the glories of the Lord and His devotees) is everything for us. One should not give up performing ‘sravan and kirtan’ under any circumstance. We generally think about the maintenance of this body and give more stress to bodily comforts. The sevaka (servants) worry that if I speak too much something might happen to me. But when the time will come for the body to deteriorate it will happen inevitably whether one desires it or not. When death arrives nobody can stop it. When the fruits of one’s Prarabdha-karma (karma that has already fructified) finishes, then his body will go. Nobody can stop it. So, one should not spend even a moment of this valuable human life uselessly for anything else except service. We may say others are doing so but we should not do so. One should be driven by scriptures and by the instructions of our Guruvarga. We should try to do this as far as practical.

Previously during this month of Kartik we used to sit eight times a day for each 'yama' and engage in speaking or hearing Harikatha. Presently we sit for Harikatha only three to four times a day. First, only discourse on Shikshastaka was introduced. The reading of Radha-Krishna pastimes for the corresponding yama was not practiced before. The conditioned souls may consider those transcendental pastimes ordinary so the reading of those was not introduced before. But our Guruvarga, later, introduced the reading of those pastimes. My health condition may be bad but it is not that bad that if I come a little before time or if I speak a little more, I will die. There should not be any fear about it. The condition is not so bad that if I come I will leave this body. When the time will come we shall have to leave this body. When the end will come nobody can stop it.

tatrāpi jajñe bhagavān hariṇyāṁ harimedhasaḥ
harir ity āhṛto yena
gajendro mocito grahāt
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.1.30)

“Also in this Manvantara, the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, took birth from the womb of Harini, the wife of Harimedha, and He was known as Hari. Hari saved His devotee Gajendra, the King of the elephants, from the mouth of a crocodile.”

śrī-rājovāca
bādarāyaṇa etat te
śrotum icchāmahe vayam
harir yathā gaja-patiṁ
grāha-grastam amūmucat
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.1.31)

“King Pariksit said: My Lord, Badarayani, we wish to hear from you in detail how the King of the elephants, when attacked by a crocodile, was delivered by Hari.”

Among the fourteen Manvantara, the fourth Manvantara is called ‘Tamasa’. In this Manvantara the Lord Hari appeared from the womb of Harini, the wife of Harimedha. After appearing, He rescued the elephant called Gajendra from the clutches of a crocodile. Gajendra was a very powerful elephant whom all wild elephants considered as their leader. He was attacked by a crocodile. In US they call it alligator but we call it a crocodile. Sri Hari appeared and rescued Gajendra from the clutches of the crocodile. In his previous life, Gajendra was a devotee of the Supreme Lord. But due to a curse inflicted upon him, he took the birth of an elephant. When Sukadeva Goswami said all these, Pariksit Maharaj wanted to hear the whole history of Gajendra. How did he listened to the narrations of Srimad Bhagavatam? He sat and heard Bhagavatam continuously for seven days and seven nights without eating, drinking, sleeping, or taking any sort of rest. Can you imagine this! Can anybody do this in present times? Pariksit Maharaj addressed Sukadeva Goswami as ‘Badarayani’. He told that he had the desire to hear in details how the Supreme Lord Sri Hari saved the elephant Gajendra from the clutches of the crocodile. He wants to hear more and more. If anybody wants realization of the Supreme Lord, then he should have this sort of mentality from the core of his heart. If we are only thinking about the body, body, body then we will remain here. We cannot perform bhajan. Performing bhajan is not so easy. When one performs bhajan sincerely and one-pointedly his soul will be awakened and he will run towards the Supreme Lord. Nobody can stop it. Such a person will perform bhajan wherever he may be. We may not see that he is performing bhajan, he is sleeping. But what he is doing while sleeping, do you know? Outside it may look like he is sleeping but from inside he may be performing bhajan.

Those who have given their life, dedicated their life for the service of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, they will not want to spoil even an iota of time, a moment for any other thing except service up to the end of their lives.

tat-kathāsu mahat puṇyaṁ
dhanyaṁ svastyayanaṁ śubham
yatra yatrottamaśloko
bhagavān gīyate hariḥ
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.1.32)

“Any literature or narration in which the Supreme Lord, Uttamaśloka, is described and His glories are being sung is certainly great, pure, glorious, auspicious and all good.”

Uttamaśloka—the Supreme Lord Whose glories are being sung by emancipated souls or realized souls. Hearing and speaking about the glories of the Supreme Lord sanctify us. We will then become blessed to get all kinds of eternal welfare. We can get all kinds of attainments by hearing and chanting the glories of Supreme Lord.

Pariksit Maharaj heard about Gajendra's deliverance from the clutches of the crocodile which comes in the eighth canto of Bhagavatam. He also heard the detailed histories of Chandra-vansa (the kings belonging to the moon dynasty), Surya-vansa (kings belonging to the Sun dynasty) and Yadu-vansa (Kings belonging to the Yadu dynasty) from the lotus lips of Sukadeva Goswami which come in tenth canto of Bhagavatam. After hearing all these, Maharaj Pariksit requested, “I have the desire to hear the pastimes of the Supreme Lord Krishna and Baladeva when They appeared in the Yadu Dynasty”. He has a strong inclination for hearing about the Supreme Lord and His devotees. Contrary to that, as we are entangled in material life, our mind is occupied by material thoughts only. Srila Santa Goswami Maharaj used to cite the verse,

naiṣātiduḥsahā kṣun māṁ
tyaktodam api bādhate
pibantaṁ tvan-mukhāmbhoja-
cyutaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam
(Srimad Bhagavat 10.1.13)

“Because of my vow on the verge of death, I have given up even drinking water, yet because I am drinking the nectar of topics about Krishna, which is flowing from the lotus mouth of your Lordship, my hunger and thirst, which are extremely difficult to bear, cannot hinder me.”

It is difficult for the living entities to sustain themselves without food. In the previous ages like Satya, Treta and Dwapara people could remain without food, but in Kaliyuga the living entities are ‘annagata-pran’ (their life air remains within food grains) so, if they remain without food then they start suffering. But if they take food at proper times they feel quite well. Actually we should give priority to our bhajan. Let say (during the month of Kartik) because of the morning devotional practices the 'jala-pan' (breakfast) got delayed and soon after that afternoon Prasadam is served so one may say bad (things) about Math system. It depends on us. How we define our priorities. If we give priority to bhajan then we will adjust other things accordingly.

Maharaj Pariksit had gone to Shamika Rishi's Ashram to quench his thirst. He was cursed by the son of Shamika Rishi that after seven days he will die by a snake bite. But, where has his thirst gone now? Pariksit Maharaj thought to himself, “The Lord mercifully gave me a time span of seven days to live. Within these seven days, I will not die. Nobody will be able to kill me. Death will come to me only after seven days. So for seven days I will be able to perform Hari-bhajan continuously.” While Pariksit Maharaj was hearing Srimad Bhagavatam from Sukadeva Goswami, the latter told him, “Maharaj, please take rest for some time. Take some food and water.” Pariksit Maharaj replied, “I have only seven days left to live. After that I have to die. I am not suffering by not drinking water. Neither I am suffering by not taking food or getting sleep. Please do not worry for me. Pibantaṁ tvan-mukhāmbhoja cyutaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam—I am drinking the ambrosia of Harikatha that is emerging from your lotus lips.”

Pariksit Maharaj got the highest objective of life only by performing ‘sravan-bhakti’ (hearing the pastimes of the Lord from a shuddha-bhakta). In this way he did it. We should perform sravan (hearing the pastimes of the Lord), kirtan (singing the glories of the Lord), padasevan (serving the lotus feet of the Lord) only with the aim for performing Hari-bhajan. We should not do it with the intension of just finishing the rules and regulations somehow. We should do these with heart and soul. Leaving aside all material egos one should perform all the above mentioned devotional activities only for the pleasure of the Lord with the ego that I am of Him. One should not have any other ulterior motives behind performing the above mentioned devotional activities and have to practice incessantly. Pariksit Maharaj said to Sukadeva Goswami, “I am not getting any sort of afflictions only due to drinking the ambrosia of Harikatha that is emerging from your lips.” In the same conversation, previously, Pariksit Maharaj said,

nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād
bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt
ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt
pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt
(Srimad Bhagavat 10.1.4)

A person who has got no thirst for any object of this world can sing the glories of the Lord and His associates. Only liberated souls, whose target is to please the Lord and nothing else, can sing His glories. Those with false egos and false interests cannot sing His glories. We are having false egos, passing through cycles of births and deaths and suffering three-fold afflictions. But even the medicine for such worldly disease is also performing ‘sravan’ and ‘kirtan’. Even if one does not feel like performing ‘sravan’ and ‘kirtan’ he should still do it. The medicine for this disease of passing through cycles of births and deaths is performing ‘sravan’ and ‘kirtan’. So one should do it even if he does not feel like doing it.

syāt kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sitāpy avidyā-
pittopatapta-rasanasya na rocikā nu
kintv ādarād anudinaṁ khalu saiva juṣṭā
svādvī kramād bhavati tad-gada-mūla-hantrī
(Sri Rupa Goswami Upadeshamrita Verse 7)

Krishna–kathamrita (the ambrosia of Krishna-katha) is the sweetest amongst all the Mishri (sugar candy). A person who is suffering from disease of pitta (bile), to him even Mishri tastes bitter. Even though sugar candy tastes very sweet but he feels it bitter only because his tongue has become bitter due to the disease of bile. But what does an Ayurvedic doctor recommend for such a patient? He recommends the patient to drink more of sugar-candy water even if it tastes bitter to him. The more such sugar-candy water enters the body of the patient it will cure the disease of the bile to that extent. And to the degree the disease gets cured the patient will be able to taste the sweetness of sugar candy to that extent. When the disease gets cured completely, he will be able to perceive the sweetness of sugar-candy completely. Now we have got no taste to hear Harikatha. As per the narration heard yesterday, the boy who stayed in the Math to save himself from drought says, “When there is festival in the Math and Prasadam is distributed, I love to have the Prasadam. But when I listen to Harikatha my head starts spinning.”

Actually this is the real disease that one does not have liking for hearing topics on the pastimes of the Lord. The real disease is misconception of one’s self. We think that we are this body and so the requirements of the body becomes our actual requirements. This is the reason why we have got no taste to hear topics on the Lord. For eating we have got so much eagerness. Therefore it is said, nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt, Harikatha is the only medicine for the disease of material existence. It is so much pleasing to hear Harikatha—chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt. Harikatha will manifest itself on the tongue of a pure devotee whose only aim is to please Krishna. If the mind is averse to the Lord, then Harikatha will not be pleasing to one’s mind.

Ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt—persons who have got the aptitude to kill other living beings, persons with a wild-temparament, ferocious, they will abstain from hearing Harikatha. Such persons have a furious nature. In this world, only sober-tempered nice persons will have the aptitude to hear Harikatha. They will not be able to remain without hearing Harikatha. Vile and wicked natured persons will never hear Harikatha. Such persons are even degraded in nature than animals like tigers. Even ferocious beasts like tigers and lions have got some consciousness. They do not like killing unnecessarily. They kill other beings for maintaining their own livelihood. But human beings have become so ferocious that they kill other living beings unnecessarily without considering that whether the living being is a child or a woman or a weak person. Such violent human beings do these only because they have abstained themselves from worshipping the Supreme Lord. So such things will keep on happening in this material world. Therefore it is said before,

nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād
bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt
ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt
pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt
(Srimad Bhagavat 10.1.4)

“Other than vile and ferocious natured persons (paśughnāt) who get pleasure by inflicting pain and misery to other living beings, is there any person in this world who can abstain himself from hearing the discourses on the Lord?”

Only a pious-natured person will associate with pious objects. The Supreme Lord is All-Knowledge, All-Existence, All-Bliss and All-Good. If you do not cultivate it, then you will not get contact with the All-Existence, All-Knowledge, All-Bliss and All-Good. You will get just the opposite. The other meaning of paśughnāt is a person who does suicide. Such vicious persons who deprive themselves from performing sravan-kirtan are the ones who are trying to commit suicide. Other than such persons, who else will not perform hearing and singing the glories of the Lord? So here Maharaj Pariksit expressed his desire to hear the pastimes of the Lord rescuing the elephant Gajendra. He had got a liking for hearing the glories of the Lord. What is the 'swarup lakshan' or the original quality of a sadhu?

mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām
mat-kṛte tyakta-karmāṇas
tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ
mad-āśrayāḥ kathā mṛṣṭāḥ
śṛṇvanti kathayanti ca
tapanti vividhās tāpā
naitān mad-gata-cetasaḥ
(Srimad Bhagavat 3.25.22-23)

The original quality of a sadhu is that he will keep himself engaged in hearing and reciting the pure divine discourses on the Supreme Lord. If a person doesn’t have the liking to hear Harikatha or speak Harikatha, he should not be accepted as a sadhu. He will spend his energy for all the non-eternal things of this world, not for eternal truth, Supreme Lord. If you give your energy for the Supreme Lord, you will go to Him. And if you give your energy for something that is devoid of knowledge, devoid of existence and devoid of bliss you will also remain devoid of knowledge, devoid of existence and devoid of bliss (asat, achid and nirananda). You will only get the above mentioned three. What else will you get?

Sukadeva Goswami also performed kirtan for seven days and seven nights. He too did not eat, drank nor took rest for those days.

śrī-sūta uvāca
parīkṣitaivaṁ sa tu bādarāyaṇiḥ
prāyopaviṣṭena kathāsu coditaḥ
uvāca viprāḥ pratinandya pārthivaṁ
mudā munīnāṁ sadasi sma śṛṇvatām
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.1.33)

“Sri Suta Goswami said: O Brahmanas, when Pariksit Maharaja, who was awaiting impending death, thus requested Sukadeva Goswami to speak, Sukadeva Goswami, encouraged by the King’s words, offered respect to the King and spoke with great pleasure in the assembly of sages, who desired to hear him.”

Srimad Bhagavatam is commentary of the Brahma-sutra, the commentary of Vedanta. There were three sittings on Srimad Bhagavatam, they took place in three different places. The first sitting took place in Badrinarayan. The second one at Sukratala and the third one at Naimisaranya. So, after being requested by King Pariksit to narrate the pastimes of the Lord, Sri Sukadeva Goswami blissfully described them in front of the King and many other saints. The devotee who describes the pastimes of the Lord also gets happiness. Just like the three rivers namely the Ganga, the Mandakini and the Bhagirathi purify everything, the speaker, the listener as well as the enquirer of Srimad Bhagavatam also get purified. The person who asks questions after hearing Bhagavatam also gets benefitted. But not everybody can ask questions.

Sri Sanatana Goswami asked questions and they were answered by Mahaprabhu. Arjuna asked questions which were answered by Lord Krishna. There are many Rishi-muni but Lord Krishna answered the questions of Arjuna since he is a devotee. After being requested by King Pariksit to narrate the pastimes of the Lord, Sri Sukadeva Goswami blissfully described them in front of the King and many other saints.

śrī-śuka uvāca
āsīd girivaro rājaṁs
trikūṭa iti viśrutaḥ
kṣīrodenāvṛtaḥ śrīmān
yojanāyutam ucchritaḥ
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.2.1)

Sukadeva Goswami said: “My dear King, there is a very large mountain called Trikuta. It is ten thousand yojanas (eighty thousand miles) high. Being surrounded by the Ocean of Milk, it is very beautifully situated.”

Sukadeva Goswami started describing the mountain called Trikuta surrounded by the ocean of milk where the Lord appeared. So one may ask this question, “I have come to hear about the pastimes of the Lord Hari, what will I do by hearing about a mountain?” The answer is—the place where the Supreme Lord appears also becomes purified. It becomes Vaikuntha. And so when one hears about the place where the Lord appeared he becomes purified too.

In the Gajendra Moksha Mahatmya, the fruits one receives by hearing the pastimes of the Lord for one month or for the rest of his life are clearly written. I will not mention it right now.

The height of this mountain is ten thousand yojanas. One yojana measures eight miles in length. So ten thousand yojanas is eighty thousand miles. Even this earth is small compared to this mountain. It is nothing compared to this huge mountain. What is the length of this earth? Can you say? Sixty four thousand miles. But the height of this mountain is eighty thousand miles. So the earth will fit inside this huge mountain. There are many planets which are much bigger than the earth. We cannot imagine this by our mundane intelligence. So many solar systems are there which are bigger in size than this solar system. Now think of this vast milk ocean. It is surrounding the vast Trikuta Mountain. In our planet we see the Everest mountain which is in Himalaya. The Everest mountain is nothing compared to that huge Trikuta Mountain. In Western countries the people call all these descriptions of the Vedas myths and believe that they are fictitious. But when Astronomers will say that such things exist then they will admit their existence. All these descriptions are not at all mythology or fictitious.

tāvatā vistṛtaḥ paryak
tribhiḥ śṛṅgaiḥ payo-nidhim
diśaḥ khaṁ rocayann āste
raupyāyasa-hiraṇmayaiḥ
anyaiś ca kakubhaḥ sarvā
ratna-dhātu-vicitritaiḥ
nānā-druma-latā-gulmair
nirghoṣair nirjharāmbhasām
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.2.2-3)

“The length and breadth of the mountain are of the same measurement (eighty thousand miles). Its three principal peaks, which are made of iron, silver and gold, beautify all directions and the sky. The mountain also has other peaks, which are full of jewels and minerals and are decorated with nice trees, creepers and shrubs. The sounds of the waterfalls on the mountain create a pleasing vibration. In this way the mountain stands, increasing the beauty of all directions.”

There is an elaborate description of the Trikuta Mountain which is very beautiful. If you hear about the description you will have devotion to the place where the Supreme Lord has appeared. For this reason when we will hear about these pastimes with faith we will get devotion. Do not think these descriptions to be worldly descriptions. So, this mountain contained peaks made of iron, gold and silver. If someone gets peak made of solid gold he will become very rich. The entire world will start fighting to get such a valuable thing. The mountain also contained varieties of trees, creepers and shrubs. It also had springs. Apart from the three above mentioned peaks, this mountain also contained other peaks. In the ten directions you will find gems and different metals scattered all over. The entire place is even more beautified by the reflection of the sun on the golden and silver mountains. You imagine in your mind what beautiful scenery is there.

sa cāvanijyamānāṅghriḥ
samantāt paya-ūrmibhiḥ
karoti śyāmalāṁ bhūmiṁ
harin-marakatāśmabhiḥ
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.2.4)

“The ground at the foot of the mountain is always washed by waves of milk that produce emeralds all around in the eight directions (east, west, north, south, and the directions midway between them).”

At the foot of the mountain you will find so many things like jewels etc. The ground at the foot of the Trikuta Mountain is washed in eight directions by the waves of the milk ocean and there are so many gems that lay there like the ‘Markata’ gem. The light of the sun reflected on that gem and beautified it even more. Each such gem is so much precious. The valley that lay between the feet of the mountain and the ocean of milk is adorned by valuable gems which when reflected the sunlight beautified all directions. The ‘Markata’ gem is a green coloured costly stone. Due to the reflection of such gems and the golden peak and the silver peak the entire area has become green emerged a greenish hue.

siddha-cāraṇa-gandharvair
vidyādhara-mahoragaiḥ
kinnarair apsarobhiś ca
krīḍadbhir juṣṭa-kandaraḥ
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.2.5)

“The inhabitants of the higher planets—the Siddhas, Charanas, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas, serpents, Kinnaras and Apsaras—go to that mountain to sport. Thus all the caves of the mountain are full of these denizens of the heavenly planets.”

The Trikuta Mountain contained many caves inside it. The caves are as huge as to accommodate the entire land of Bharat-varsha (India) inside it. Those caves are not small as the ones we have become accustomed to seeing. In Assam, there are many mountain caves where Rishis used to perform penances. Those caves are the size which could accommodate one Rishi at a time. The Trikuta Mountain caves are not small as the caves of the mountains found in Assam. At Badrinarayan, there is a cave where Srila Vedavyas Muni sat down and composed Srimad Bhagavatam. Though it is a slightly big in size, it can ony at maximum accommodate six to seven people. In the above mentioned caves of the Trikuta Mountain, a huge country like America can fit into it.

There are many classes of demigods who reside there. They are Siddhas, Charanas, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas, big serpents like pythons and Kinnaras etc. those who are very expert in singing. These demigods have got separate qualifications and so they have got separate names. Nymphs are also there, Apasaras. All these demigods reside in those above mentioned big caves.

yatra saṅgīta-sannādair
nadad-guham amarṣayā
abhigarjanti harayaḥ
ślāghinaḥ para-śaṅkayā
(Srimad Bhagavat 8.2.6)

“Because of the resounding vibrations of the denizens of heaven singing in the caves, the lions there, being very proud of their strength, roar with unbearable envy, thinking that another lion is roaring in that way.”

Apart from the demigods, nymphs and serpents, there are caves filled with lions and tigers. When the demigods sang and danced for their pleasure, the sound gets reverberated and enters the ears of those lions. The lion who hears those sounds mistakes it to be the roar of another lion who is boasting his power by roaring. On hearing the sound the lion would become agitated and roar with greater vigour.

I also have once seen similar thing. Where did I see? Not in Kolkata. I have never visited the zoo in Kolkata. The entire world is a zoo so what is the special necessity of visiting a zoo again. But once I went to Hyderabad with Santa Goswami Maharaj. That time we went to visit a temple and on the way we also visited a zoo. There I saw many types of birds, deer, beasts etc. I saw pigeons with small bells tied around there necks. I was so astonished after viewing all these, so many species of different birds and beasts. Can you just imagine! There were so many various types of snakes. I was so astonished. After that I saw a tiger. The tiger was lying down like a dead animal when I saw it. Seeing it I thought what sort of tiger is this! Santa Maharaj and I waited for some time to listen to the roaring of that lion but it did not stand up. Then we visited other animals like hippopotamus etc. There was an empty space where some tigers were kept in captivity. There was a car which will drive you inside that empty space to view those tigers in exchange of money. But we didn’t go to that empty space containing tigers. Suddenly a tiger roared from that empty space. Immediately that tiger which we saw earlier stood up and roared back. We got little scared and realized our mistake that we thought the tiger we had visited earlier to be weak and feeble.