Today is Harivasar Tithi. It is very dear to Supreme Lord. Among all the serpents, Shesha is topmost; among all the Yagyas, Ashwamedha Yagya is topmost; among all the human beings Brahmans are topmost and likewise observance of Ekadashi-vrata is topmost among all the Vratas. The merit one gets by observing one Ekadashi-varta is equivalent to performing penance for five thousand years.”

The purpose of mentioning such temporary benefits in the scriptures is to attract the conditioned souls of this world for observing Ekadashi-vrata which ultimately brings eternal welfare to them. If you tell any materialistic person that by observing Ekadashi-vrata (fasting for whole day and night and not sleeping even in the night) he will get Supreme Lord then he would say, “I cannot follow Vrata like this; my health is not good and I frequently need to visit doctor. I would die without food and sleep.”

If you tell him that he would achieve the Supreme Lord, he would reply, “Who has seen the Supreme Lord?” But if a rich person comes and declares that he would give five lakh rupees to a person who can observe complete fast for Ekadashi Tithi without eating anything and without even having sleep then everyone will get ready immediately. We may think that even if I die while observing fast in this manner then my family members would get five lakh rupees which will help them a lot. So we would get ready to stay without food and sleep. Isn’t is right? Tell me! So we are ready to observe fast for five lakh rupees but not for the Supreme Lord’s satisfaction or to receive Divine Love of Him.

Therefore, in the scriptures, such allurements are given to encourage worldly people for the observance of Ekadashi-vrata. But devotees do not get entangled in such material temptation. An example may be given here of a young boy who is sick and was advised by the doctor to take some medicine. The doctor was insisting repeatedly for him to take medicine to which the boy repeatedly denied. Nowadays, it is not so difficult to take medicine because it comes in capsule form but in our time it was very bitter mixture and was very difficult to take. The doctor even warned him that he would never get cured if he wouldn’t take the medicine, but still the boy was firm in refusing to take the medicine even at the cost of his life. Then the doctor asked the parents about what eatable does the boy like. The parents replied that he liked rasagulla. So the doctor tempted him with rasagulla but on the condition that he would have to first take the medicine and then only he can have the rasagulla. The boy being so greedy for the rasagulla was compelled to take the medicine to get the rasagulla. The main aim of the doctor was not to feed him rasagulla but to somehow make him take the medicine in order to cure him.

The people of this world are also like that boy, they want some material benefits in return of observing Ekadashi-vrata. Therefore, scriptures mention material benefits for following Ekadashi-vrata to tempt us with those benefits in order to make us follow the Vrata. Ekadashi Tithi is very dear to the Supreme Lord. It is one important limb among the 64 kinds of limbs of devotion. If this Tithi is observed at any Dham then one will obtain crores and crores times more benefits. Wherever devotees assemble and sing the glories of the Supreme Lord is also a Dhama. The place where a pure devotee of Supreme Lord manifests his worshipable object (Math or temple) is also a Dham. So if anyone observes this Vrata in such places then he will get many many more times the results.

Ambarish Maharaj pleased the Supreme Lord by observing Ekadashi-vrata in Mathura-mandal for one year to such an extent that even a curse of a powerful Risi, Durvasha, who can remain without food for a thousand years and then can eat the food one eats in a thousand years in a single day, could not touch him.

One should perform Ekadashi-vrata only to get the loving service of Supreme Lord.

adau guru-pādāśraya, dīkṣā, gurura sevana
sad-dharma-śikṣā-pṛcchā, sādhu-mārgānugamana
kṛṣṇa-prītye bhoga-tyāga, kṛṣṇa-tīrthe vāsa
yāvan-nirvāha-pratigraha, ekādaśy-upavāsa
dhātry-aśvattha-go-vipra-vaiṣṇava-pūjana
sevā-nāmāparādhādi dūre visarjana……..
(Chaitanya Charitamrta Madhya 22. 115-117)

Out of the ten topmost important limbs of bhakti from the sixty-four, one is observing fast on Ekadashi.

Nowadays Vaishakh is considered as the first month of the calendar but before it was Agrahayan month. The Ekadashi which falls in Agrahayan month is known as Utpanna Ekadashi. As you might have heard in the glories of Utpanna Ekadashi, the Supreme Lord told to the Divine woman personified who emanated from His transcendental body, “You are My Para potency, the internal energy. You will be known as Ekadashi. I will be very much pleased with one who will observe Ekadashi-vrata.” So from that day on, the glories of Ekadashi became manifested. She emanated from Supreme Lord Himself and is His internal potency.

Vedavyasa Muni is the Guru of all. He wrote eighteen Puran. He wrote Mahabharata. Srimad Bhagavad Gita is there within Mahabharata. He also wrote Vedanta and divided Vedas into four parts. He wrote about dharma, artha, kama and moksha which the conditioned souls feel as their necessities. For them who want to enjoy the heavenly planets after death, he wrote dharma-shastra. He wrote artha-shastra for people who want to get a lot of wealth of this world and for them who want to fulfill their material desires, he wrote kama-shastra. But even after writing so many scriptures he did not have peace or satisfaction in his heart. He thought, “I have written so many scriptures for the welfare of the conditioned souls of this world. I tried to give everything that the conditioned souls require and by acquiring this, they will have peace and happiness, but still, why do not I feel peace in my mind? What is the reason?” Thinking so, he went to Badrinarayan and remembered his Gurudev, Narada Goswami to ask the solution. Narada Goswami appeared in front of him. He offered his obeisance to Narada Goswami and asked for his mercy.

Narada Goswami asked him, “Is your soul, entangled to a material and subtle body, at peace?” He did not ask directly, are you at peace? As such the body does not have any feeling, when conscious principle remains in the body then only it will have feelings. Narada Goswami asked about the soul who is always happy and at peace but when he gets entangled to the material and subtle bodies, he experiences happiness and distress both.

Vedavyas Muni replied, “You are the knower of everyone's heart. I have written so many scriptures for the welfare of the worldly people, still why am I not at peace?”

“What did you do?”

“I wrote dharma-sastra, artha-sastra, kama-sastra etc.”

Narada Goswami replied,

jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ
svabhāva-raktasya mahān vyatikramaḥ
yad-vākyato dharma itītaraḥ sthito na
manyate tasya nivāraṇaṁ janaḥ
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.15)

“You have done the most abominable work. All the conditioned souls already have got inclination towards this sort of non-eternal desires with non-eternal ego and you have encouraged them in that way in the name of religion. As they are guided under your instructions, they will accept such activities in the name of religion and will hardly care for any prohibitions.”

We have got this body by the external potency, the illusionary potency of the Supreme Lord which comprises of three modes of material nature. By rajo-guna one gets the birth, by satva-guna the body is maintained for some time and by tamo-guna it gets destroyed. Satva-guna is prominent in Brahmin; rajo-guna is prominent in Kashatriya; mixture of rajo-guna and tamo-guna is prominent in Vaishya and tamo-guna is prominent in Sudra. With the misconception of the self, whatever we do karma, gyan etc. will give us non-eternal results. This body is non-eternal, all the senses and the subjects of the senses, rupa (form), rasa (taste), gandh (fragrance) etc. are also non-eternal. We are connected to the non-eternal things of this world which are devoid of blissfulness and knowledge. It is like a mirage in the desert where from a distance you may see the presence of water but actually it is an optical illusion. The Sun’s rays which fall on the sand may create an illusory picture of water when seen from a distant place but actually there is no water. The deer run after it and finally die of thirst. If we hanker for the non-eternal, perishable things, and by that if we are elevated to the svarga-loka, jana-loka, tapa-loka etc., we will have to come back to this material world after the merits of our good deeds will be finished.

kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti

You have to again come back to the material world after the results of pious acts are exhausted.

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
mālī hañā kare sei bīja āropaṇa
śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana
upajiyā bāḍe latā ‘brahmāṇḍa’ bhedi’ yāya
‘virajā’ ‘brahma-loka’ bhedi’ ‘para-vyoma’ pāya
(Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 19.151-3)

Above Viraja and Brahma-loka, there is Para-vyoma (Vaikuntha). There is suffering in Viraja also but the material world has more suffering; there exists waves of sufferings in this world. In Viraja, there is no creation so there is no action of rajo-guna. But there is presence of agyan (nescience) there. It is the samyak-avastha of suffering where there are no waves of suffering. Above Viraja there is Brahma-loka. It is superior to this material world and Viraja. On this planet no suffering exists. There is a presence of happiness there but not the waves of happiness. So, to enter into Para-vyoma, where there exists waves of happiness, one has to pierce through Brahma-loka. There are waves of happiness of the service of Narayan in the mood of shant (neutral), dasya (servitor ship) and sakhya (friendship with reverence).

Gyanis try to realize the Brahman form of the Supreme Lord but Sukdev Goswami says to Pariksit Maharaj, “I was fully established in Brahman realization by birth, but when I heard the pastimes of the Supreme Lord, He captured my heart completely. So I advise you not to engage yourself in karma, gyan, tap, dhyan, yoga etc. as other Risi and Munis have advised you. There is no need to do anything. For seven days, you engage yourself in hearing Krishna-katha, glories of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna incessantly. I was fully established in Brahamanda, but after hearing glories or pastimes of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, I was completely attracted towards the Supreme Lord and I did not give any value to the bliss of Brahman realization. So, you listen to Bhagavatam for seven days.” There were so many great Risis and Munis but no one had courage to refute his advice.

Now here, Vyasadev Muni says to Narada Goswami, “I have written about salvation also.”

“It is even more abominable. You have completely closed the path for them to reach Supreme Lord. You have deprived them of getting Krishna-prem for eternal time. You have done a great harm to living beings. You have done a tremendous violence towards jivas. If someone tries to create hindrance in the path of getting the limitless Supreme Lord then it is a great violence.”

This could be understood well by an example of a woman who serves her husband with the desires of getting clothes, jewelry etc. Her service is with some motive. The husband may say to her, “You serve me with love and affection from core of your heart. You will get everything. Why do you serve me desiring something in return? You leave your wants.” But she could not do so. When the husband tried to make her understand, out of anger, she committed suicide by hanging herself. So now she has deprived her husband from her service completely. At least in the previous situation she used to serve him, though with some desires in her heart. But now, she has deprived him of completely. Therefore, the desire of salvation (moksha) that is eradicating one’s existence completely is the foremost process of cheating in which the jiva is making himself unavailable for the service.

ajñāna-tamera nāma kahiye ‘kaitava’
dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa-vāñchā ādi saba
tāra madhye mokṣa-vāñchā kaitava-pradhāna
yāhā haite kṛṣṇa-bhakti haya antardhāna
(Chaitanya Charitamrit Adi 1.90 & 1.92)

“The darkness of ignorance is called kaitava, the way of cheating, which begins with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. The foremost process of cheating is to desire to achieve liberation by merging into the Supreme, for this causes the permanent disappearance of loving service to Krishna.”

So, Narada Goswami told to Vyasdev, “You have done the highest harm to the living beings.”

Vyasdev Muni told, “It is better if someone else would write about the welfare of living beings.”

“No, you are a well-recognized person in the society. If you write then all will pay attention to it. So now you sing the glories of the Supreme Lord by the mouth by which you have spoken about dharma, artha, kama and moksha.”

“I have spoken about Him in Mahabharat, in Gita”

“No, it will not work, you have to write for His satisfaction. You have to sing the glories of Krishna to please Him. In Gita, you have written it with some other motives.”

Saying so Narada Goswami gave him Chatushloki Bhagavat—the four shloka of Bhagavatam. And by getting the grace of His Grace Incarnate form of Krishna, Narada Goswami, after meditating upon the four verses, by the imparted power Vyasdev Muni saw all the pastimes of Supreme Lord. He saw everything and after seeing he wrote Srimad Bhagavatam. He wrote about how one can get emancipated from the bondage of material existence.

So now for what purpose do we have to observe Ekadashi-vrata?

upāvṛttasya pāpebhyo
yas tu vāso gunaiḥ saha
upavāsaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ
sarva bhoga vivarjitaḥ
(Sri Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, 13.14)

Giving up all sins, and with all good qualities, one who remains near to Krishna, totally relinquishing all enjoyments, has actually observed the vow of Ekadashi.

Upavrattasya papebhyo—We are to give up all sinful activity. We are to refrain, to desist from committing all sins and totally relinquishing all enjoyments. We can enjoy things inferior to us. While exhibiting all good qualities and leaving all kinds of enjoyments we should remain near the Supreme Lord. Now how one can stay near Supreme Lord? He is transcendental. He is beyond the material nature, how can I go near Him with this material body? How can we go to that place which is beyond the material nature with this material body? The Supreme Lord is beyond the three modes of material nature, how can I stay in front of Him with this body made up of three modes of material nature? In regard to this, it is said,

guru-pādāśrayas tasmāt kṛṣṇa-dīkṣādi-śikṣaṇam
viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā sādhu-vartmānuvartanam
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.74)

(1) First of all one should submit to the lotus feet of a Guru. Guru must be srotriyam—one who has got the knowledge about the Supreme Lord from bonafide preceptorial channel and brahma-nistham—one who is fully established in the realization of Supreme Lord (2) Receiving training from him in spiritual initiation and devotion to Sri Krishna (3) Serving the spiritual master with affectionate zeal (4) Following in the path of saints.

mahat-kṛpā vinā kona karme‘bhakti’ naya
kṛṣṇa-bhakti dūre rahu, saṁsāra nahe kṣaya
(Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 22.51)

Unless one is favored by a pure devotee, one cannot attain the platform of devotional service. To say nothing of Krishna-bhakti, one cannot even be relieved from the bondage of material existence.

We find in Chaitanya Charitamrita:

dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa
sei-kāle kṛṣṇa tāre kare ātma-sama
sei deha kare tāra cid-ānanda-maya
aprākṛta-dehe tāṅra caraṇa bhajaya
(Chaitanya Charitamrita Antya 4.192-193

At the time of taking mantra-diksha, the devotee takes absolute shelter of Gurudev, the grace incarnate of the Supreme Lord, non-different from Supreme Lord. Sri Krishna makes the devotee cid-ananda-maya via the medium of Gurudev and in that transcendental form the devotee can worship Sri Krishna.

The Supreme Lord is present everywhere. As quoted above, dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa, we should completely dedicate ourselves to the lotus feet of Sri Guru. Sri Guru is the grace incarnate form of the Supreme Lord. I am not Guru, our Guruji is Guru. To obey his order, I am obliged to give Mantra. And also our Srila Puri Goswami Maharaj ordered me to take the responsibility of our Math after Gurudev left this mortal world. Later, Srila Sant Goswami Maharaj also forced me to take the responsibility and told me that if I would not take the responsibility then Srila Gurudev’s Math would get destroyed and I would become the cause of it. Later, I understood his mood, we should obey the order of Guru as he is non-different from Supreme Lord.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur has written,

emona durmati, saḿsāra bhitore, poḍiyā āchinu āmi
tava nija-jana, kono mahājane, pāṭhāiyā dile tumi
doyā kori’ more, patita dekhiyā, kohilo āmāre giyā
ohe dīna-jana, śuno bhālo kathā, ullasita ha’be hiyā
tomāre tārite, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, navadwīpe avatār
tomā heno koto, dīna hīna jane, korilena bhava-pār
vedera pratijñā, rākhibāra tare, rukma-varna vipra-suta
mahāprabhu nāme, nadīyā mātāya, sańge bhāi avadhūta
nanda-suta jini, caitanya gosāi, nija-nāma kori’ dān
tārilo jagat, tumi-o jāiyā, loho nija-paritrāṇ
se kathā śuniyā, āsiyāchi, nātha! tomāra caraṇa-tale
bhakativinoda, kāńdiyā kāńdiyā, āpana-kāhinī bole

I personally feel that it relates to my life directly. Bhaktivinoda Thakur wrote so many grantha, so many kirtans, it touches my heart so deeply.

Prabhupad is the personified form of the mercy of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and our Gurudev is expansion of Prabhupad. He came to our place and took me in his shelter. If we take absolute shelter to Guru, the Supreme Lord will take us with Him and make us chid-ananda-maya by the grace of Guru.

Going to a Sadguru and taking absolute shelter with complete surrender to him is very difficult but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has made it easy.

At Srivas-angan, on the day of Ekadashi, He ordered,

śrī hari-vāsare hari-kīrtana-vidhāna
nṛtya ārambhilā prabhu jagatera prāṇa

Mahaprabhu is the life and souls of all the living beings, He is Krishna Himself, advented by taking the mood of Radharani.

puṇyavanta śrīvāsa-ańgane śubhārambha
uṭhila kīrtana-dhvani ‘gopāla’ ‘govinda’
Hari o Rama Rama , Hari o Rama Rama!!

By uttering this loudly, He rescued Chand Kazi.

So, there is no cause of worry. By staying in association with a sadhu, by fully surrendering to the Supreme Lord, calling Him from the core of our heart, as He is situated in our heart, He will surely take care of us.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur wrote in one of his Kirtan,

ātma-nivedana, tuwā pade kȏri’,
hȏinu parama sukhī,
duḥkha dūre gelȏ,
cintā nā rohilȏ,
caudike ānanda dekhi

‘Tuwa’ means ‘Your’, The Supreme Lord's lotus feet, where I have surrendered myself completely. We cannot see Him but He is seated in our heart. When we call Him from the core of our heart, He will surely listen.

There was one poor Brahmin, who lived in Pratisthan Pur, who hardly ever had any food. In spite of such poverty, he used to worship Lord Narayan daily without fail. One day a desire arose in his heart to offer kheer (sweet-rice) to the Lord. He mentally prepared kheer to be offered to Lord Vishnu. He thought the preparation took long time and so it must be the time for offering. He took out the kheer in a bowl and offered it to Lord Narayan. Suddenly he realized that the kheer must be very hot and hot things should not be offered to the Supreme Lord. He tried to verify it by putting his finger into it. Everything he was doing mentally only. There was no kheer, fire or anything. When he put his figure into the bowl it got burn. He got worried thinking that he committed an offense at the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. Witnessing the Brahmin’s action, Lord Vishnu who was being served by Lakshmidevi in Vaikuntha, suddenly started laughing loudly. Being asked by Lakshmidevi, He narrated about Brahmin’s service attitude. Thus even though this Brahmand is so vast, the Lord knows about what is happening in each and every small corner of it. Supreme Lord, being situated in the heart of each and every living being as Paramatma, knows about the actions of each and every living being. No one can cheat Him. He is situated in the heart, so He will surely listen when you call Him from the core of your heart. We cannot hear if a person calls our name from somewhere far. But Supreme Lord wherever He is, when you call Him from the core of your heart, He would appear there.

ātma-nivedana, tuwā pade kȏri’,
hȏinu parama sukhī,
duḥkha dūre gelȏ,
cintā nā rohilȏ,
caudike ānanda dekhi

So if one fully surrenders to the Supreme Lord, he will be at peace. All his unhappiness will go away, and there would be no more anxieties. He would see joy in all directions. But this will happen only when we fully surrender to Him from core of our heart, merely speaking from mouth, it will not happen. If we are not getting peace, happiness in all directions, our unhappiness has not gone yet, then we should understand that we have not surrendered to Him in reality. It is by mouth only. Surrender will not happen without association of a pure devotee.

To get the six-fold sharanagati, association of a pure devotee is a must.

aśoka-abhoya, amṛta-ādhāra,
tomāra caraṇa-dwaya,
tāhāte ekhona, viśrāma labhiyā,
chāḍinu bhavera bhoya.

Your lotus feet are reservoirs of immortal nectar where one may live free from sorrow and fear. I have found peace there now and have given up the fear of worldly existence.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma,
Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

You should utter His name from the core of the heart.

tomāra saḿsāre, koribo sevana,
nāhibo phalera bhāgī,
tava sukha jāhe, koribo jatana,
ho’ye pade anurāgī

Whose world is this? It is of the Supreme Lord. We are living in His world, it is not of ours. We should render service in His household and not endeavor to enjoy the fruits of that service. But we want fruits of our activity. We want deliverance from miseries and we want happiness. But rather we should strive for whatever pleases Him, be fully devoted to His lotus feet.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma,
Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

tomāra sevāya, duḥkha hoya jato,
se-o to’ parama sukha,
sevā-sukha-duḥkha, parama sampada,
nāśaye avidyā-duḥkha

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma,
Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

If we remember the Supreme Lord from core of the heart, He will come immediately. We do not even need to tell Him to come.

āmi to’ tomāra, tumi to’ āmāra,
ki kāja apara dhane

I am of Supreme Lord, this body is also of Him. And He is indeed mine. Then what need is there of any other wealth?

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma,
Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

bhakativinoda, ānande ḍubiyā,
tomāra sevāra tare,
saba ceṣṭā kore, tava icchā-mato,
thākiyā tomāra ghare

If we surrender completely to Him, then there will be no problem, everything will get solved.

Gaur Haribol!!!