There are verses in Damodar Vrata, how we can propitiate by our worship Sri Sri Radha Damodar, and They are satisfied. For that reason Satyavrata Muni has narrated glories of Radha Damodar. So everywhere during the observance of Damodar Vrata we have to repeat what is stated by Satyavrata Muni who is very dear to Sri Sri Radha Damodar. By uttering that we may not understand the significance, He is already satisfied, yet it will be effective. Otherwise, if we do not do this, observance of the Damodar Vrata will be incomplete.

Second period of Devotional Practice (2nd Yama Sadhana)

Morning Worship:-sādhu saṅge anartha nivṛtti

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given importance to Sadhu Sanga. Specially He has instructed us to perform five principal forms of devotion (Sadhan Bhakti). First is association of sadhus, chanting of the Holy Name, hearing of Srimad Bhagavatam, dwelling in transcendental realm of Mathura Dham and worship of Deities with firm faith. (Sadhu sanga, Nama Kirtan, Bhagavata Sravan, Mathura Vasa and Sraddhya Sri Murthi sevan). Without sadhu sanga you cannot correctly utter Hari Nama, Holy Name. Who will teach you? A Pure Devotee, Suddha-bhakta who has got one-pointed devotion to Sri Krishna, he is sadhu. Without the association of sadhus no bhakti can be done. For that reason Caitanya Mahaprabhu first has mentioned association of sadhus. It is very important. Without Sadhusanga you cannot do Harinam, you cannot hear Bhagavat from a professional reader, through devotees you listen. And also you will not be able to have your stay, your residence in transcendental realm. Who will take you to transcendental realm? Sadhu. And who will teach you about the worship of the deities? First Sadhusanga, association of sadhus, not in saffron clothes, he may be in saffron clothes or may not. But he should have one-pointed devotion to Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. That is the original qualification of a sadhu. And you take shelter of a bonafide Guru, he is equal to bonafide sadhu. And as per his direction you perform devotional forms Navadha bhakti (9 kinds of devotion), or 64 kinds of bhakti. By that you can remove all ulterior desires. This is what we have to do in the second period, Bhakti Vinod Thakur has taught us.

nāma grahaner kālākāla-vicāra nāhi nāma sarvaśakti samanvitā

Amongst all forms of devotion chanting of the Holy Name is the highest. For the eternal benefit of the conditioned souls of this Kaliyuga Supreme Lord has appeared in various Names, Original Names. And all powers have been given to the Names. And we can do it any time, any circumstance and at any place, there is no restriction. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taught in regard to this in the second verse of Sikshastaka.

Second verse:

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśi tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
(2rd Verse of Sri Shikshastaka)

O Supreme Lord! Certainly, Your Holy Name can bestow all kinds of eternal welfare to the conditioned souls. There should not be any doubt in this, what can a mere name of the Lord can bestow? In that case there is no necessity of speaking glories of the Names. Therefore, You have mercifully manifested in this world with Your Principal transcendental Names like Krishna, Govinda, Gopinath, etc. which do not have any connection with the material world. You have appeared in this world in different Names to rescue the fallen souls and You have given all powers in Your Names. And no conditions have been imposed here. You can do Harinam anywhere, at any age, in any circumstance, in any place. No restrictions have been imposed. By lying down also you can do Harinam. God is so gracious, given this opportunity to the conditioned souls to be rescued from the clutches of maya. Also God, Supreme Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered His Personal Associates and those who have gone through the preceptorial channel, the sadhus, His standing order to teach this throughout the world. You should not be confined only to India. They(the people of this world) should be informed without chanting of the Holy Name there is no other way for their rescue from the clutches of maya. Why they should be deprived? For that reason that is the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Whether they accept or not, it is your duty to say to the whole world. So God is so gracious and has made it so easy for the conditioned souls of this black age but our misfortune is so much that due to the tenfold offenses to Harinam we have got no aptitude to do Harinam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is expressing His extreme regret for this.

aneka-lokera vāñchā — aneka-prakāra
kṛpāte karila aneka-nāmera pracāra
khāite śuīte yathā tathā nāma laya,
deśa-kāla-niyama nāhi sarvasiddhi haya,
sarvaśakti nāme dila kariyā vibhāga,
āmāra durdaiva nāme nāhi anurāga
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita Antya 20.17-19)

ekānta bhaktera mātra kīrtan-smaraṇa,
anya parve ruchi nāhi haya pravartana,
bhāvera sahita haya śrīkṛṣṇa-sevana,
svārasikī-bhāva krame haya uddīpana

A true bonafide devotee who has got one-pointed devotion to Supreme Lord has got liking to do only kirtan and smaran, only chanting of the Holy Name and remembering. He will engage only in these two forms of devotion, kirtan and smaran. But without the association of bonafide sadhus this sort of aptitude will not to be manifested. It is rare a devotee has got extreme separation grief to the Object of worship. Out of separation grief when he utters the Name it will be delightful, otherwise charming words, he may cry, he may imitate the voice of human beings, not from the core of the heart, only imitate, this sort of imitation or uttering will not reach Supreme Lord. So association of sadhus is necessary, who has got extreme separation grief. By the company of the sadhus extreme desire will come, will be manifested in your self and you will cry. Utterance will come from the core of the heart. One who has separation grief for Krishna, he is a real sadhu. When he calls Lord in separation grief, that call is life-full. He cannot be a conditioned soul of this world. If I get association of bona-fide sadhu, even if I get remembrance of sadhu, you may submit to him, you may serve him, then you will not be deprived, he may be a bonafide devotee. There should be submission to him, serving mood should be there. Then that mood will be transmitted.

bhāvera sahita haya śrīkṛṣṇa-sevana,
svārasikī-bhāva krame haya uddīpana,
ekānta bhakatera kriyā mudrā rāgodita,
tathāpi sei saba nāhi vidhi viparīta

What is the specialty of a sadhu, one-pointed devotion. How you can understand? When there will be spontaneous endeavoring and liking to serve Vishnu, Vaishnav then you will understand that you have done, one-pointed exclusive devotion has manifested in your heart, otherwise not. They serve from the core of the heart delightfully. He will pray for and make efforts to get the opportunity for seva. On the other-hand a so-called sevaka who is lazy and inactive (stabda) is a type of unsatisfactory sevak (adhama sevak) of Sri Krishna who needs to be persuaded through Scriptural rules and regulations.

sarva tyāga karile o chārā sukaṭhina,
pratiṣṭhāśātyāge yatna payibe praviṇa

We can give up everything, but to give up desire for Name and Fame is very difficult. If this desire for Name and Fame is not given up, then devotional service is simply not possible. With emphatic words, with strong words our Srila Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswati Thakur has condemned this sort of desire for Name and Fame.

prabhate gabhīra rātre madhyāhne sandhyāye,
anartha chāriyā lao nāmera āśraya,
ei rūpe kīrtana smaraṇa jei kare,
kṛṣṇa-kṛpā haya śigrha, anāyāse tare

There should be sincerity in your heart, practicing all these different forms from the heart. Then God will come and His Personal Associates will come and help us. Then we will be rescued from all these entanglement of the non-eternal world and get the objective Krsna Prema.

śraddhā kari’ sādhu sange kṛṣṇa-nāma laye,
anartha sakala jāye niṣṭhā upajaye,
prātaḥakāle nityalīlā karibe cintana,
cintite cintite bhāvera haibe sadhana

When there will be proper kirtan then your mind will be sanctified, then you can meditate or think about all these transcendental pastimes.

Morning pastimes of Radha-Krishna:

rādhāṁ snāta-vibhūṣitāṁ vrajapayāhūtāṁ sakhībhiḥ prage
tad-gehe vihitānna-pāka-racanāṁ kṛṣṇāvaśeṣanām
kṛṣṇaṁ buddham avāpta-ḍhenu-sadanaṁ nirvyūḍha-go-dohanaṁ
susnātaṁ kṛta-bhojanaṁ saha-caraistaṁ cātha tāṁ cāśrye
(Govinda-lilamrtam)

In the morning Radharani after taking bath and dressing herself in beautiful fine clothes and ornaments that are pleasing to Krishna, comes to Yashoda Mayya’s house. Yashoda Devi wants that Radharani should come and should cook food for her most beloved son Krishna. She is always thinking about her beloved son Krishna, always thinking how to increase the span of life of Krishna. She has heard that Radharani has got a boon from Durvasa Rsi, if anybody who takes cooked food of Radharani his span of life will increase. So she is so enthusiastic to bring Radharani. What sort of knowledge she has of Krishna? This is not actual knowledge. Krishna is Supreme Lord. You go to Yasoda Devi and say, ‘Why you want to increase the span of life of Krishna, don’t you know Krishna is Supreme Lord?’ then you will be deprived of getting Vraja prema. You cannot get Vraja Prema because you have committed offense. All Vraja vasis, gopis, Nanda Maharaj Yashoda Mayya, they have got firm attachment to Krishna. They do not see Krishna as Supreme Lord, rather Sri Krishna is addressed as ‘mora putra’ my small son, this Krishna cannot do anything. Yashoda Devi bathes the child, dresses the child, and feeds the child, Krishna cannot do anything. This is called Vraja Prema. Radharani also wants scope to serve Krishna, to see Krishna, to serve. With all the Confidantes (Sakhis) Radharani comes every morning without fail and with great enthusiasm, with great love She cooks food. Krishna likes the cooked food of devotees. Greatest devotee is Radharani. And after Krishna’s taking food the remnants is tasted by Radharani and the gopis. This is Radharani’s pastimes. We take shelter of such Radharani.

Some two devotees have come only yesterday. So to please them I have to speak something in English.

In the morning Krishna several times sleeps and again rises. Why, to give satisfaction to all devotees of delightful relations, to Yashoda Mata, Nanda Baba. Already Krishna woke up at the close of the night, and again He is waking up to satisfy devotees, His confidants Sakhas, and also to satisfy Nanda Baba, Yashoda mata, Krishna rises. Several He is making the pastimes of sleeping and rising, only to satisfy His devotees. After waking up Krishna goes to the cow-shed to milk the cows. After milking the cows, then They will take bath. All the cowherd boys, confidants are crying, Oh Kannaiah where are You, where are You? Come, let us take bath. All take bath all together and sit together and Yashoda devi feeds all the cowherd boys including Krishna. You have to take shelter of such Krishna.