Second period of Devotional Practice (2nd Yama Sadhana)

Morning Worship: sādhu saṅge anartha nivṛtti

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is expressing His regret seeing the sad plight of the conditioned souls of this Kali yuga. He has appeared in this world with His Original Names which are from the highest transcendental realm, Krishna, Govinda, Gopinath, Madanamohan, etc. They are not the names of this world. By all these names Supreme Lord has descended. By transcendental Name you will get transcendental realm. The practice has been given. Material sounds will take you to material things, non-eternal things. The main difficulty is this, about the sound, whether you are using material sound or transcendental sound. If you use material sounds you will get attached to non-eternal material things. If you use transcendental sound in the company of bona fide sadhus without tenfold offenses then it will take you to transcendental realm. And in this Kali yuga all powers have been given to the Names, and there is no restriction of it, any where you can do. But yet we have got conditioned souls who are so unfortunate that they have got no desire to do Harinam due to offenses. For that reason Caitanya Mahaprabhu is expressing His regret.

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

Whose kirtan? Krishna’s Name - Krishna, Govinda, Gopinath, Who are ‘Shabda brahma’, transcendental sounds, Their practice. Here the chanting is of principal names (mukhya nama) and also Their remembrance. A pure devotee who has got one-pointed devotion to Lord has only desire for doing, uttering the name of highest transcendental sound – the original names of Supreme Lord. By that you will be taken to that place. And if we use all these words of domestic, like ordinary men women, then you will be attached to those non-eternal things. Sound is the cause of bondage and sound is the cause of emancipation. The highest transcendental sound Govinda, Gopinath, have descended to this world. They are not of this world. Afterwards They have descended. Those who are exclusive devotees who have exclusive devotion for Supreme Lord, they have got no taste for other forms of devotion, no liking for it.

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

They can do something, ordinary neophytes they think this is devotion, these are the prohibitions and with that they assess others and if any suddha bhakta does anything which they think is not devotion, immediately they assess him. Without knowing the purpose you commit offense. Even by doing reverse higher devotees can satisfy, they have got that sort of capacity. When love is there, there is no mistake.

sarva tyaga karile o chara sukathina
pratisthasatyage yatna payibe pravina
prabhate gabhira ratre madhyahne sandhyaya
anartha chariya lao namera asraya

Other motives should not be there. If targeting something else, then Hari will not appear. Supreme Lord will not appear, His illusory energy maya will appear. It is maya’s name, not transcendental spiritual name. If there are other motives, other targets, it cannot be bona fide name.

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

This is the procedure of doing kirtan and smaran, remembrance. That procedure you do correctly then you will get the actual fruit of it. Krishna is gracious, Oh this person is sincere, is sincerely trying, He will come at the back and His Absolute Counter-part His Personal Associate will also come.

śraddhā kari’ sādhu sange kṛṣṇa-nāma laye,
anartha sakala jāye niṣṭhā upajaye

Sadhu, Grace Incarnate form of Krishna, will come, Krishna will come in the Grace Incarnate form if neophytes are sincere.

prātaḥakāle nityalīlā karibe cintana,
cintite cintite bhāvera haibe sadhana

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
(Sri Govinda-lilamrta)

Radharani, after taking bath in the morning decorates Herself in beautiful clothes and ornaments, all for Krishna’s pleasure, and comes with Her Sakhis being called by Yashoda Mayya. They are happy for the opportunity they got for seva. In this material world a person is happy when he gets opportunities for sense-enjoyment, but when gets seva opportunities it is as though lightning struck him. The worldly thinking is that one who serves is a fool and one who enjoys he is intelligent. But there in the spiritual world it is just opposite, they are happy in service. When they do not get service opportunity they are unhappy, sad, it is reverse, just the opposite. In service they find delight-fulness, they find rest of the mind, they find peace, they find bliss, everything by getting the scope of service. They do not think like the people of this world. Here in this world (thinking is) those who enjoy they are very much intelligent and those who are serving they are fools, we are in this world. But in that world, it is just the reverse. There no body wants to enjoy. As much service they can do so much they are glad.

Radharani along with Her gopis prepare food and afterwards Yashoda Devi feeds Krishna. The remnants of Krishna, prasad is like nectar which is full of Krishna’s love. Eating whatever one gets, is not good. By this you will forget Krishna. Here we chant ‘Mahaprasade govinde…’ when honoring prasadam, but to think it is not necessary and just eat when you are hungry, is not correct. Even they do not like to give Jais, simply briefly say Mahaprasad ki Jai, and think by giving long Jais the hot rice served will become cold. One of my senior God brother who is in a reverential place for me, ordered me ‘Krishna Vallabh, give Jais’. And when I started giving Jais he became impatient seeing the hot rice being served with ghee is getting cold and even got angry. Later on another occasion when Keshava Prabhu said Krishna Vallabh will give Jais, he said no, no, I will give Jais and hurriedly said ‘Jai Sri Sri Guru Gauranga, Mahaprasad ki Jai’ like this.

But here Srimati Radhika and gopis are very pleased and satisfied honoring remnant prasad. We have to take shelter of such Radharani. Then our mind will be purified and we will also desire to serve like Her.

And Krishna is also devoted to His devotees. To bestow happiness to His devotees He plays the pastime of getting up from bed. His sleep and waking up are all His pastimes to give pleasure to His devotees. Similarly to give pleasure to the cows, He goes to cowshed with His sakhas. A devotee is devoted to the Lord and the Lord is devoted to His devotees. Together Krishna and sakhas take bath and sit together for breakfast so that they are not late for grazing of the cows. When they go to nearby places, they come back and then eat. The sakhas say, Kannaiah we are going today to a nearby place, so we will eat after coming back. And when they are going far, they all sit for breakfast. Once when they had planned to go near by place, they went to a far off place called Bathrol near Vrndavan. All felt hungry there and wives of Brahmins performing fire sacrifice (Yajnik brahmins) got the chance of service. Some times such things also happen. I take shelter of such Krishna.