First of all I pay my innumerable prostrated humble obeisances to the Lotus feet of my most revered Gurudeva Nityaleela Pravishta Om Vishnupad Ashtottara Shata Sri Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhava Goswami Maharaj the absolute counter-part of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and His Grace Incarnate. I pray for His causeless mercy to bestow me strength to sing the glories of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and His personal associates to purify my mind and to get one-pointed exclusive devotion to Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. I pay my innumerable prostrated obeisances at the Lotus feet of my most revered śikṣā Gurus and pray for their causeless mercy to give me strength to sing the glories of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and his entourage to purify my mind and to get exclusive devotion to Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. I pay my due respects to all who are present here.

Tomorrow is the last day of the observance of Purushottam-vrata. Tomorrow observance of vrata will be finished. Now we are engaged. In spite of that, without going down to the ground floor to Sankirtan Bhavan I have to remain here to meet you to get the blessings of devotees of Great Britain, London, Holland, Slovenia etc. I have got several questions. I think it is for my own benefit. You have got a sincere desire to get the answers of the questions and you are reminding me. My position is worse than yours. You are reminding me. It is beneficial for me. I shall try to go through these questions and make myself understand and rectify. In that way I shall give you the reply.

Now observance of Purushottam-vrata is here, something I must say. Purushottam-vrata now I think we will not be able to complete the prayers of Brahma. I shall have to speak on it for another three to four days. Otherwise we will not be able to finish. There are forty verses. We have gone through up to twenty-six or twenty-eight verses. I have to understand every word. First, I have to make myself understand, otherwise listeners won't be able to understand. It is for my own benefit. Your questions are beneficial to me. I am grateful for this.

By the desire of the Supreme Lord, you have sent me such questions so that I may remove my doubts. I have got my doubts. Who is Purushottam? It is very difficult to understand. In the first verse of his prayers Brahma has said

naumīḍya te 'bhra-vapuṣe taḍid-ambarāya
guñjāvataṁsa-paripiccha-lasan-mukhāya
vanya-sraje kavala-vetra-viṣāṇa-veṇu-
lakṣma-śriye mṛdu-pade paśupāṅgajāya
(Srimad Bhagavat 10.14.1)

Who is the object of worship? At first, Brahma could not understand, at least he played the pastimes of not understanding. He saw Krishna as a cowherd boy. He did not give Him any value.

After being infatuated by Krishna, he took shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna, and by the grace of Krishna then he understood that the person standing before me is not an ordinary person; He is the prime cause of all causes, He is the Supreme Lord of all lords. He is the highest reality possessing infinite opulences and is the sweetest of the sweetest, avatāri Krishna. But what are we hearing here? How can we understand? Even with descriptions we cannot understand, I cannot understand.

Naumīḍya te 'bhra-vapuṣe, the ultimate reality has got form. But not like our form which is a transformation of five elements. Krishna's spiritual, transcendental body is not like us and Krishna's all personal associates are also transcendental, spiritual. How can we understand? He is explaining, “You are the highest.” He is saying Krishna is standing with a flute inserted inside His waist, a cane and horn under the left armpit, and in the left hand a morsel of yogurt and rice mix, standing and eating. By seeing this Brahma (initially) thought He must not be a Bhagavan. Doesn't He know vedic instructions? He is holding a morsel of food on His left hand. In the Vedas, it is prohibited. You have to take food with your right hand. Brahma thought He does not know the instructions. How can he be Bhagavan?

Now after the grace of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, everything is changed. What he is saying. You are ultimate reality. What sort of word you are using? Yes, this cowherd boy is the ultimate reality. Yogurt & rice mixture in the left hand palm, peacock feather on the head, and also ornaments in the ear made of guñjā (a small black and white seed.) Everything He wears is of the forest and His garland is also of wild flowers, He is decorated, endowed with all this. His color is blackish, like the color of a rain-borne cloud. And He wears a loincloth. God? Supreme Lord in loincloth? What is this? We think it is absurd. The loincloth is dazzling because of the yellow color. It is dazzling like lightning and the whole face is adorned with all these things. After that, seeing the lotus feet of Krishna which are very tender, very sweet, by seeing that the Gopis come to confidantes (sakhis) and they become unconscious, thinking how can Krishna move in this forest with these tender feet? We cannot imagine. All this he is narrating. Like human being we see, with cloth and bamboo flute. But how he can be the Lord of all lords? Can you understand by our own wisdom? Any enslaved jiva or conditioned soul of this world can understand it? How he can?

You will find in Krishna worship, you are to meditate. That meditation is allowed. First you have to meditate the form of Krishna. After meditating

sat-puṇḍarīka-nayanaṁ
meghābhaṁ vaidyutāmbaram
(Gopal-tapani Upanishad Purva 12)

Those who worship Krishna, how do they worship, how do they meditate? Something fictitious? This verse is from the scripture narrating all the aspects of Krishna. He has got sat-puṇḍarīka-nayanam, very beautiful lotus eyes. Like us? We have got eyes, He has got eyes. Later on, it has been stated in the prayer that difference is that, in the transcendental form all the sense organs, all body, all parts of the body have got all qualities of sense organs. By hand He can see, smell, hear. Difference is there. By feet. All sense organs have total all sense organs power. It has been mentioned there.

Now you meditate. When you worship Guru, you have to meditate on the form of Guru, position of Guru, where is Guru. You have to meditate on Panchatattva, and where Guru is sitting you have to meditate that. Otherwise you cannot perform Guru puja. This meditation mantra; is it fictitious? By fictitious ideas you cannot worship. It is not fictitious. It will be revealed in your heart. If you are sincere and if there is simple heartedness, no deceitfulness is there, then He is equal to all. If there is true devotion then all the beauty of this narration will be revealed to your heart, extremely beautiful. Extreme is also not sufficient. There is no word by which you can say. So much attractive that you can forget everything by seeing that. If you get the grace, and if Krishna appears here, if there are no eyes to see Him, you cannot see.

You have heard about Parikshit Maharaj. What did he do? Parikshit Maharaj was cursed that after seven days he would die by snakebite. After giving all the responsibilities to Janmejaya, he went to Shukartal by the side of Ganges and all the munis, great saints, and all kings came there. He submitted his prayer. I am cursed. After seven days, I will be killed by a snake bite. I am taking shelter of you. Please give me advice. What should I do? They are advising, they are yogis, gyānis, karmis etc. Different saints had different views. He was puzzled. Whose advice should I take, follow, and whose should I not? If I do not follow then those saints will be dissatisfied. My time is short. He remembered Krishna, 'I was born in a Pandava family. Pandavas are dear to You. Oh Krishna! You rescued me when I was in my mother's womb. Oh, Krishna! Please show me the path.' Then Krishna sent his own person Sukadeva Goswami, His own person, who had brahmananda but who has given up brahmānanda and started worshiping Krishna. Brahmānanda is nothing compared to Krishna premānanda.

As per the order of Krishna, he put his holy footprints there in Shukartal. All the munis came. But on the way, many people could not understand him (Sukadeva). He is only sixteen years of age, and naked. All the villagers saw him. They thought he was a mad person, a crazy person. They could not understand. They were throwing stones, dirt, etc. A learned man can understand the dignity of a learned person. An illiterate person cannot give dignity to a learned person. He has no capacity. A sadhu can understand a sadhu. Non-sadhu cannot understand. He did not say anything because he is Paramahamsa.

When he set footprints there, all the saints including Parashuram, Agastya Muni who drank the ocean, they all stood up and they saw thousands and thousands of suns appearing. But the villagers; they did not see. Parikshit Maharaj is satisfied. Whatever you will instruct, I shall act accordingly. Then he said you are not to do anything—yagya, karma, gyāna, yoga. By this you will not be able to deliver yourself from the imminent danger. I, Sukadeva Goswami had Brahmānanda when I was in my mother's womb, then I got Krishna premānanda from my Gurudeva Vedavyasa. I have got no attraction for Brahmānanda. You should hear the glories of Krishna for a week incessantly and do nothing else. No saint had the power to say anything against him. There were so many saints. They did not say anything.

Parikshit Maharaj was hearing. We are to compare with this. What sort of speaking of Sukadeva Goswami? What sort of hearing of Parikshit Maharaj? This was second session (of Bhagavatam). First session was there in Badrinarayan, third session in Naimisharanya. Everywhere was pindrop silence. No hubbub of the city. And Parikshit Maharaj was hearing without taking food, water, and rest. Can we imagine, can we do this? If we demand to get that without doing this, how can we get it? You require a bonafide Sadguru. Actually who has dedicated himself for the service of Krishna. Where Krishna's transcendental glories are descending, not going through scriptures only. Descending, powerful words, transcendental words—śabda brahma. When he was speaking he did not take rest, he did not take food along with Parikshit Maharaj. But he asked Parikshit Maharaj, “You should take rest, you should take water, food. Otherwise you would not be able to hear.” Then Parikshit Maharaj said, “I have got only seven days time. Don't bother. Do not think about me. I am alright. You are giving me nectar of harikatha, transcendental ambrosia. I am satisfied. I do not want to sleep, I shall die in seven days. I do not want to take water or food. Kindly please grace me.” Parikshit Maharaj was hearing and Sukadeva Goswami was speaking for seven days. All rishis, munis were there. And after seven days, all the knowledge was imparted to Parikshit Maharaj through the sound. A powerful person (Sukadeva). God enters (into Sukadeva). All the transcendental glories of name, form, attributes etc., he was speaking, and Parikshit Maharaj was attentively hearing, with total attention. By hearing seven days all the knowledge entered into him.

For example, there is a vessel full of water. If you have to take out water from the vessel, then you are to fill up the vessel with bricks and then there will not be a drop of water. Our attachment to the world, this body is not eternal, the sense organs are non-eternal. Whatever we have taken in cycles of births, we have taken non-eternal ideas. They are within us. When heavy things enter, light ideas will be purged out. Where is the person to speak, where is the person to hear? We have this example in the Bhagavat. We have to get an ideal person who has dedicated his life totaly for the service of Krishna, such a person can speak, where the knowledge or the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Lord have descended. For that, we pray for the grace of the preceptorial channel, pray for the grace of the devotees. By our own power we cannot speak. That will be something different.

Parikshit Maharaj was hearing and hearing, and after seven days he got the objective, ultimate goal. In Naimisharanya also, Shaunaka and sixty thousand other rishis heard for seven days. These are the examples in the scriptures. For that, we should not be disappointed. Something is better than nothing. But you have to try to do, try to engage your efforts so that you can hear—hear more and speak more. If you speak about worldly things, worldly things will enter you. You have to make it short, you should not speak unnecessarily, worldly things, 'grāmya-kathā nā śunibe, grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe.' All these rustic words you should avoid. Then your mind will go there. Try to avoid that. You engage your sense organs for the service of Krishna. Wherever you engage your sense organs that will remind you.

Now you are hearing. After that, you may clean the utensils and sing the glories. While cooking, for whom are you cooking? Cooking is also a great devotion. But here we keep a cook. Our Gurumaharaj did not want to keep a cook. He used to say, you have come to worship. Radharani Herself to cook food for Krishna. You have no desire to do this? You have got no love relation, that is the difficulty. If you engage the sense organs, subtle and gross, then you will be there. If you engage in non-eternal things you will be attracted to non-eternal things and all difficulties will automatically come. It is true for all. So we have imbibed thoughts in our mind through cycles of births. Those ideas are within us. If you say go away from my mind, by saying they will not go. If you keep a tenant in your house, after some time you say go away, if he has taken a position in your house, he will not go. No, I shall not go. We have accepted somebody, we have accepted all the ideas of the world with adoration. We have kept them in mind. If we say go now, they won't.

If you imbibe higher thoughts, transcendental thoughts of Krishna from a śuddha-bhakta, those will enter into you and all these rubbish ideas will be removed. Degree of devotional practice is necessary. How much degree you have got according to that you will get. Fruit is in the hand of Krishna. He is not interfering into the relative independence of living beings because if He interferes then consciousness will be destroyed. He is advising, by residing in the heart. Do this, do not do this. He is advising by descending in this world, by sending His own persons, and by as scriptures. You should avoid all these things, you should do these things. You should act accordingly, as per His advice. This is called Bhakti. In that way, if you go on practicing, as much you do, so much you will get. There is no doubt in it. He is equal to all. There is no fear in this. We may not be able to adjust ourselves because we are not omniscient. We may pose to be omniscient. I do not know what others did in their past. The Supreme Lord knows everything.

In Gita He said, 'karmaṇy ādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana.' You have got relative independence. Do karma, bad and good action. But the fruit is in My hand. In that way, I am controlling. You will not get fruit according to your desire. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the vedas it has been said, 'mā hiṁsāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni'—do not inflict injury to any sentient being in the world. If you do it, it will have a reaction. But if your mind, body, everything is dedicated for the service of Krishna then if you serve, now you are taking food, all vegetables etc. life is there (in vegetables) also. But as per the direction of scriptures, as per direction of the Supreme Lord, you are taking prasād, those lives, those vegetables are benefited and by taking prasād all your sins will be destroyed. By only Harinam you cannot get. Harinam and Harikatha are medicines. But simultaneously you have to take prasad. If the diet is wrong, by taking medicine you cannot recover from the disease. Now there is naturopathy, without medicine. You have to take prasād. That which cannot be offered to the Supreme Lord, you should not take. After offering you have to take prasād.

He is inside you. One brahmana in this world, a point, nothing in this phenomena, this world is nothing. In that world one brahman of Pratishtanpura. He was a devotee of Narayana. Very poor. He used to offer bhoga to the Lord by mentally bringing all the things. One day he wanted to give (kheer) preparation of rice, sugar and milk and other spices etc. Very good. You have taken it in India, and also in Mayapur. Very good. He wanted to offer it to the Lord. He had no money. By mentally he bought everything. Good milk from a very good cow, fine rice—and mentally he prepared. After preparing it on the oven he thought I have to give it by 10AM otherwise Krishna will go to the forest. I am so much late. Immediately, he kept it down from the oven, and in a golden pot, he did not see any gold but mentally, he offered it to Narayan in a golden pot. And he thought, oh hot things should not be given. It is so much hot. I have committed a great offence. To feel heat he inserted his finger and his finger burnt, and he felt Oh, I have committed an offence. Narayana in Vaikuntha smiled. Lakshmi Devi said why you are smiling? So many planets, infinite brahmandas, in some world in some Earth in some place a very insignificant person is worshiping. Narayana knows everything. He is omniscient. (Narayan said to Lakshmi Devi,) “There is one devotee there; He is doing worship there. He is a great devotee. He wanted to give Me something. He has no money. So mentally he used to give. Today he offered kheer, a sweet made of milk. But he thought he offered it hot and he put his finger in it and it burnt. There is no actual kheer, mentally he offered, so I laughed. Do you want to see?”

He ordered Garuda to bring the person to Vaikuntha. Garuda went and brought him to Vaikuntha. He is Omniscient, Omnipresent. He knows everything. If you have belief in God, then you will get grace. If you have no belief, why will He grace you? For that reason, bonafide sādhu is neccessary. If there is want of a bonafide sādhu, then you have to go through the writings of the bonafide sadhu at least, writings that will have force because at the back of their writings Krishna is there. A śuddha-bhakta, then you will get some sort of impetus. You should not stop hearing and chanting. You should not stop.