Second period of Devotional Practice (2nd Yama Sadhana)

Morning Worship: sādhu saṅge anartha nivṛtti

Association of bona-fide sadhu and taking shelter of bona fide Guru who has got one-pointed devotion to Supreme Lord, here Supreme Lord is Sri Krishna, and as per his direction to start bhajan. Amongst all bhajan/worship, chanting of the Holy Name is the highest. By that you will get everything, all ulterior desires will be removed.

nāma grahaner kālākāla-vicāra nāhi
nāma sarvaśakti samanvitā

Kali yuga’s peculiarities are people have short span of life, afflicted by various kinds of diseases and lack the required strength to perform sadhana. So Supreme Lord mercifully said chant Harinam and you attain every thing. He has invested all powers in the Names. There is no restriction of doing Harinam, any time, in any place, in any circumstance, you can do it.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s own teachings you find only in Sri Sikshastaka.

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 bestows all kinds of eternal welfare to the conditioned souls. So, You have descended in the material world with Your various Names, principal Names Krsna, Govinda, Gopinath, etc and have invested all powers in them. And no restriction as regards time, space, etc is imposed on uttering the Holy Names. O Lord! You are so merciful and compassionate to the conditioned souls that You made it so easy for the conditioned souls to remember and chant Holy Names, but due to my tenfold offenses it is my greatest misfortune that I have got no liking for Holy Names which every man can do easily whether sitting, lying down, or walking, and even when cooking or washing vessels. Along with any seva we have to chant the Holy Names of the Lord.

Our Param Gurudev’s disciple by name Ramadas got his eternal welfare. Outside people saw him as a servant, but Prabhupad saw him as a sincere sevak. While serving he always chanted Harinam. He used to serve in the garden and also tending cows, with dedication and also chant Harinam while serving ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna’[. You can do Harinam in all circumstance. We have to make it our only duty to do Harinam. All the other forms of devotion we have to do with Sankirtan.

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

A Pure devotee who has got one-pointed devotion to Lord has got liking only to perform devotion of chanting and remembering Sri Krishna, kirtan and smaran and has no taste to any other form of devotion.

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

When one has taste for chanting of the Holy Names, then he will have enthusiasm for service and vice versa. It is not that one has taste for chanting of the Holy Names and no enthusiasm for seva or has great enthusiasm for seva but no taste in chanting the Holy Names. I heard one instance which probably happened in Bagbazar Gaudiya Math. There one sevak who was busy in cooking called another person who was chanting Holy Names on the upper floor to help him in grinding masala. He replied, I am chanting. He did not notice that his Guruji is standing there just behind him. Guruji heard him and said, ‘Eh, keep your mala aside and go, go and assist. He felt afraid and went. ‘sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah’. Chanting the Holy Names but no taste in seva or performing seva but no taste in Holy Name, there is relation between the two. Otherwise it is mere ‘karma’ only a material activity. When we do chanting of the Holy Names with doership ego and with some material desires of the world, then it constitutes ‘karma’ and not ‘bhakti’ devotional service. In bhakti the more one serves he will be all the more inclined to serve. Even when the physical strength is gone, still they serve. ‘sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah.’ Both will go on simultaneously, chanting of the Holy Names and service.

Two sevaks of Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj submit to him their desire to study Srimad Bhagavatam and chant Harinama. Babaji Maharaj says yes, that will be, but as of now you may go and work in the vegetable garden. Now, what is this? We worked in our house and came, and now here Gurudev is asking us to work in the garden. Anyways they went to work in the garden, but they were aggrieved. They had great regard for Bhakti Vinod Thakur and submitted their problem to him. We came here to perform bhajan and now engaged in the garden we get very little time for study of scriptures. Bhakti Vinod Thakur smiled and said, ‘Your Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj is a personal associate of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. He has indicated Mahaprabhu’s birth place at Mayapur. He is not an ordinary human being. Out of compassion he has given you the order to work in the vegetable garden so as to make you fit to do Harinam. The senses have to become service inclined. His garden is not an ordinary worldly garden, it is Lord’s garden. While working in the garden you can also chant Harinam simultaneously. How fortunate you are that your Gurudeva has given you direct service of the Lord! He is Lord Krishna’s personal associate. By your chanting of the Holy Names, Lord’s service is not possible. But when you follow his orders, then Lord is served and you benefit. So whatever he orders you do.‘ We do not realize this.

sarva tyāga karile o chārā sukaṭhina,
pratiṣṭhāśātyāge yatna payibe praviṇa,
prabhate gabhīra rātre madhyāhne sandhyāye,
anartha chāriyā lao nāmera āśraya

Giving up all ulterior motives, always chant Harinam. Except the desire of love for Lord, all other desires are anartha. By contact with material non-eternal things one will face difficulties.

ei rūpe kīrtana smaraṇa jei kare,
kṛṣṇa-kṛpā haya śigrha, anāyāse tare
śraddhā kari’ sādhu sange kṛṣṇa-nāma laye,
anartha sakala jāye niṣṭhā upajaye,

As per instruction of Guru Vaishnav if you do all these devotional practice, then you can get gradual progress to nishta and mind will be concentrated on the Object of Worship, get the fixation of mind to the Object of Worship.

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-lilamrtam)

Simultaneously one has to perform kirtan along with the remembrance of the morning pastimes of Radha-krishna. When we practice this regularly we will attain the eligibility to meditate on the pastimes. Though chanting and remembrance (kirtan and smaran) both have been given, it is only by chanting we will get the eligibility for remembrance. When this procedure is followed then remembrance will come when the mind will be purified.

Yashoda Devi calls for Radharani and Radharani after taking bath and dressing Herself in beautiful garments and ornaments that are pleasing to Krishna, comes to Yashoda Mayya’s house along with Her friends (sakhis). It is seen in this material world which is the perverted reflection of the Spiritual world, to attract the attention of a man by her beautiful form a woman dresses beautifully. We see such things in the newspapers. These are all causes for material entanglement and spiritual fall down. Here it is shown that the purpose is to please the Lord and so whatever you do is beautiful. Early morning they come to Nanda Bhavan and engage themselves fully i.e all their senses and sense objects in cooking with great love and Krishna likes to eat the preparations made by Radharani. Moreover She has the blessings of Durvasa Rsi also that the food prepared by her enhances long life. Yashoda Mayya can cook herself, but in her intense love for her child she calls Radharani to come. And after Krishna takes prasad, the remnants Radharani and the sakhis honor. One who honors prasad, his love for the Lord enhances. We take shelter of such Radharani.

And Krishna, to give pleasure to Nanda Baba and Yashoda Mayya, wakes up in the morning. Till He wakes up all are worried and after lot of efforts He wakes up. On His waking up Nanda Baba and Yashoda Mayya are happy. Then He goes to milk the cows along with His friends (sakhas). Even after waking up by His sakhas efforts, sometimes Krishna goes back to sleep again. Oh, What sleep Lord has!! Even we get up on time in the morning. And when Dhama Sakhas came Lord woke up. So, we think, He is like us. But His waking up pastimes is to give service to Yashoda Mayya, Paurnamasi who want to serve Him. This is a sweet pastime of the Lord. Then He goes with His cow-herd friends to milk the cows. Then they take bath together and sit down to have breakfast and Yashoda Mayya serves all.

And then in the pre-noon pastimes Krishna goes with His cow-herd friends and cows and calves to the forest for grazing cows. At that time all the vrajvasis feel their hearts are broken. We did not get the opportunity to hear about the pastime, let us hear.