Harikatha in Vishwa Vaishnava Rajsabha

Harikatha, Sreela Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

Gurumaharaj narrating the importance of human birth, emphasises on urgency of starting haribhajan, immediately. He says, “You have got this human birth. God has given you this scope to worship and you are misusing this time, spoiling the whole time for nothing? Always engaged in non-eternal and unholy things, why? Is there any guarantee that you shall get human birth again after you die? So immediately, you should start haribhajan.” He then advises to take shelter of a pure devotee who comes in bonafide preceptorial succession and emphasises on the importance of taking mantra from such succession.

  • 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 Sri 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 humble obeisances to the Lotus Feet of my most revered Siksha 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 present here in the meeting of World Vaisanav Association. And I pay my due respects to all who are present here also.

    I never thought that I shall have the opportunity to participate in Vishwa Vaishnava Raja sabha World Vaisnava Conference at Vienna. You say Wein and English word is Vienna, capital of Austria. I had been to that place several times. Ambarish Prabhu is there. No? in the Radhakunda Temple? Don’t know. At that time he was there. Now he is Muni Maharaja. At that time he was there, he was Krishna Das. Our revered Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Goswami used to say he is Ambarish. He is serving always he is engaged in service. So he is actually Ambarish like that he used to say. So I have remembered that. Now actually his name is Krishna Das, now Muni Maharaja. Now I have got this opportunity to participate in the Vishwa Vaisnava Raja Association at Vienna. But I have got the difficulty. I heard that their state language is German. Our Paramarthi Maharaj’s mother tongue is German. For that reason. I have not hold over German. I heard the Austrian state language is German. I cannot speak German language, It will be difficult. Thank you, some words I can say. I shall try to speak in English, I have got little hold over English. I find difficulty to express my thoughts. I implicate philosophical thoughts in India, actually of the devotional school of thought, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s school of thought. Very difficult to express those thoughts in a foreign tongue. Yet I shall try to speak something.

    This Vishwa Vaisnava Raja Sabha as I heard from our Guru Varga first it was started by initially Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami etc. After that Bhakti Vinode Thakur in 1885 in Kolkata. Our most revered Param Gurudeva Bhakti Siddhantha Sarasvati Goswami Thakur he re-established this on 5th Feb 1919. And now our Godbrother we may say whose birth place is in Germany Pujyapad Srimad Bhakti Alok Paramdveti Maharaj, he has taken the initiative of starting this. Actually I have got this difficulty, I have got some sort of physical difficulty now and Doctors have advised me not to undertake journey to long distances. Always you should remain actually in rest and do not speak much, like that. But I have to speak when I go, atleast one hour. What can be done? It is impossible to speak within a few words.

    Vishwa Vaisnava Raja Sabha; what does it mean? Vishnu and Vaisnava. Vishnu is Supreme Lord. Jaya jalavishwa vyapnati iti Vishnu in Sanskrit we say. One who is extended to the whole universe, pervading the whole universe is called Vishnu, Supreme Lord and those who are coming from him, were from him, of him, and in him, these are all Vaisnavas. There is nothing in this world except Vaisnava. Actually Vishnu is there and Vishnu’s all persons are there, we have forgotten that relation. We give all this geographical, so called geographical and worldly denotation, designation. Actually all the living whether they understand or not they belong to Vishnu.

    yato va imani bhutani jayante yen jatani jivanti,
    yatprayntyabhisamvishanti tdvijigyasasva tad bramha.

    Gaudiya math is not saying. It is in the scripture. All the living beings are coming from Brahma and are maintained by Him, in Brahma, by Brahma, they should remain for Brahma, Param Brahma. "Brahma hi pratishtaham" in Gita it is said. Para brahma, not impersonal, formless Brahma. The Ultimate has got form. If there is no form, we cannot see form in this world. If the cause is formeless, wherefrom the form has come. This form is not eternal. But Supreme Lord form is eternal. Purna Sacchidananda.

    ishwarah parama krishna sacchidananda vigraha
    anadir adi govindah sarva karana karanam.

    Now you have said Vishnu, now you are saying Krishna what is this? Vishnu meaning of Vishnu you have already heard. Vishnu is Supreme Lord. Supreme Lord cannot be many. Supreme Lord Absolute is one. There cannot be anything outside infinite. If you say this is outside then infinite will lose his position. Infinite cannot be more than one. Infinite is one Supreme Lord. His is Vishnu, but there are many manifestations of Vishnu. Difficult for us to understand. Ontologically they are one. But in their pastime they are different. Vishnu, Narayana Vishnu, Supreme Lord as we have heard explained by our Param pujyapad swami Maharaj that Bhagavan means one who possesses opulences. Bhaga means opulences, infinite opulences, primarily sixfold opulences Bhaga means opulences, sakti means potency. One who possess shakti infinite potency, is called Bhagavan. Mainly six fold opulences totality of aiswaryasya samagrasya virasya yasasah sriyah jnana-vairagyayos caiva sannam bhaga itingana. Totality of wealth, totality of power, yash fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation but by mixture permutation combination it will be infinite. Those who want to know mathematically infinite, Infinite potency. Mainly six fold potency is Vishnu. Now all the jivas all the living beings they have come from him. Who are they? They belong to Vishnu. All the different forms of pastimes of Vishnu, or the ultimate reality Krishna. You can serve Vishnu with only shanta, dasya and sakhya half, majestic aspect not more that. Narayana, and you can get more in Ramachandra but restricted by the ethical principles.

    That principles are restricted and after that Dwarakadhish Krishna, Vrajendra Nandan Krishna is Svayam Bhagavan. After that the quintessence of all scriptures Srimad Bhagavatam by writing Bhagavatam Vedvyasa Muni got eternal peace, eternal bliss. But he wrote so many books. He expanded Vedas and he wrote Vedanta, he wrote 18 puranas, he wrote Mahabharata, Gita but he could not get bliss, you please know it. All over you have heard about it and he took shelter to his Guru. His Guru, Narada Goswami and he went to Badarinarayan. That philosophy is recorded. That is not done by Gaudiya Math. Everybody is going there. Badarinarayan temple one thousand feet up. I was there once with Gurudeva. Gurudeva held discourses on Srimad Bhagavatam and we seven or six sat there and heard Bhagavatam. There Narada Goswami said whatever you did you did not for their actual benefit. You have given non-eternal things dharma, artha, kama, material piety, by it they can get material, non-eternal benefits in this world and in higher worlds and for getting money, non-eternal things and for fulfilment of desires. No, I had given arrangement for liberation, salvation. That will give more harm to the human beings, depriving them totally from Krishna prem. That is serious offence you have done. You have given impetus to that. You have not sung the glories of Krishna who is Original Bhagavan. With all relations you can serve Krishna, not any other God, but Vrajendrananadan Krishna. Ete ch kalampumsha krishnastu bagavan svayam. He is the original Bhagavan and all Bhagavans are coming out of Him.

    For that reason even you will find in the scriptures in Padma Puran, Ramachandra is Vishnu, Vishnu is Vishnu, and Varaha is Vishnu. Varaha means Boar Bhagavan, all these are Vishnu but there it is written rama rameti rameti, rame raame mano rame, sahastranam tulyamram nam varanane, thrice he is uttering Ram Ram Ram. If you do thousand times Vishnu nam, then by doing one, by uttering one Ram nam you will get the benefit of thousand Vishnu nam and our Rupa Goswami explained this para-vastu. Ram, Nrisimha and Krishna para-vastu. They have got 60 main qualities. But extremely fulfledged manifestation Ram, Nrisimha and Krishna. But by uttering Ram one single utterance of Nam you will get benefit of uttering Vishnu’s thousand names, but about Krishna,

    sahastranam nam punyana, trir avrttya tu tat phalam,
    ekavrttya tu krishnasya namaikam tat prayacchati
    (Brahmanda Puran)

    If you 3 times one thousand Vishnu nam ie. Three thousand Vishnu nam is equal to one Krishna nam. Krishna nam is superior to Rama nam, the highest prem. Even if you are fortunate in this Kaliyuga, in black age in this very Kaliyuga where everything is disturbed now, all vices are spread throughout the whole world, clashing due to Kali, but in this kaliyuga Nandanandana Sri Krishna appeared taking the form and complexion of Radharani, appeared here in this Kaliyuga in Brahma’s one day. You are so fortunate.

    In Krishna leela previous to that Krishna had his pastimes with his own personal associates but did not give it anybody. But just after that in this Kaliyuga He appeared as Gauranga, Baladeva, Nityananda with the desire to give this prem to all, to give this very prem you have to think about this. Vishva Vaisnava Raj Sabha what is that? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in this very Kaliyuga. It is all pervading, all accommodating, all embracing full-fledged. He gave all irrespective of caste, creed and religion, irrespective of beasts, birds and human beings when he was going through the jungle of Jharkhand through Bihar towards Vrindavan dham uttering the name Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Rakshamam with great affection for all the conditioned souls of this world, those who are suffering in this world for them. But hearing that Krishna, Krishna transcendental sound Krishna that love is there for Krishna in every living being which is not to be borrowed from somebody else. Every living being in the soul they have got the love for Krishna, but is now in enveloped due to the misuse of their relative independence they become averse and enveloped by illusory energy of three primeval qualities raja, sattva and tama.

    By Rajo guna birth, by satva guna maintain for some time and by tamo guna destroy. We are passing through cycles of births and deaths 80 lakhs of species we are forgetting it and he appeared. I have appeared to give you your own necessary requirement you require bliss, your atma is now enveloped. And he has awakened. An awakened soul can awaken others. All are sleeping who will awake? All are sleeping. If one person awakens he can awaken numerous billions like that. Supreme Lord appeared as highest devotee Radharani and with great separation grief is uttering

    Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Rakshamam Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna pahimam Rama Raghava Rama Raghava Rama Raghava Rakshamam Krishna Kesava Krishna Kesava Krishna Kesava pahimam.

    All the jungle beasts they are hearing and that touched their soul and soul awakened and lion is not killing the deer. Deer has got no fear to go with lion, they are kissing because the eternal nature of the real self has been awakened. Who did this? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

    Viswa Vaisnava Raja Sabha includes all, the beasts and birds, all are vaisnava because in Gita. Generally you all the outside people give importance to Gita. Alright? In Gita what Krishna is saying. This body, have I got any hold over my body? What he has said? This body is the outcome of the apara potency. Earth, water, fire, air and sky these 5 elements is the body. This body is the outcome of the material energy. Whose energy? Supreme Lord’s. The product of the material energy,who will be the owner. I have got no hold over my own body. Body belongs to Krishna and the subtle body, mind intelligence and perverted ego, that subtle body, astral body that also is the outcome of apara potency. That also belongs to Krishna and to engage my sense organs everything for the service of Kishna mind intelligence everything for him. There should not be any material ego. What is the definition of Bhakti? Always we are hearing, whether we deeply think it or not.

    sarvopadhi vinirmukatam tatparatvena nirmalam
    hrisikena Hrisikesa sevanam bhaktir ucchati.

    Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam.. condition. There cannot be any Bhakti with false material ego, no bhakti, it is not bhakti. Absolutely karma. Otherwise or, this worldly piety for getting non-eternal benefit. By this material ego you cannot go. Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam, nirmuktam, vinirmuktam. There should not be any trace of it, vinirmuktam. By using one muktam he is not satisfied, nirmuktam fully, completely, free, liberated from this material ego, vinirmuktam totally. There should not be any trace of it, that there be any trace of material ego, then material ego can do material works and he cannot go to Supreme Lord. Supreme Lord is transcendental, Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge, Absolute Bliss, Transcendental form not material form. Our real self is also transcendental, but minutest particle coming from Supreme Lord. You should give up all false ego. What you are finding in this world? Whole world is burning in the furnace of fighting, clashing, everywhere because of material ego, false ego, false interest. Day by day it is increasing in this kaliyuga. But you take absolute shelter to Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, they have come with that intention to rescue us. But you should take shelter to Them. His grace will come to the surrendered soul. Those who have vanity why He will come. Take absolute shelter to Him. I am not of this world, give up all material egos and become sacred, holy. You think I am of Krishna, I am of Krishna. Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tatparatvena nirmalam.

    Haristat means beyond the comprehension of material sense organs, mind and intelligence. Whatever you comprehend with material sense organs is all non-eternal, that eternal entity should be beyond the comprehension of the material sense organs of the material body and astral body, mind and intelligence. By that you cannot go, by challenging mood. He is unchallengeable Truth. You have to take absolute shelter to Him. After taking shelter you will say whether you have got any benefit or not. Whatever you are doing in this world, what benefit you are getting. You have got birth; this body has got birth and death, three fold afflictions always. Now you are immediately, vividly it shown, don’t delay don’t delay. You have got this human birth. Only God has given you this scope to worship and you are misusing this time, spoiling whole time for nothing? Always non-eternal and unholy things why? If I die next I shall become again human being there is any guarantee? Why? So immediately you should start Turnam yatet na patedanumrityu yavat Before the death you should try, immediately, immediately. Just now then you will get benefit and whoever persons who have come at your contact he will be benefitted.

    Actually you have to do something. By theoretical words you cannot get actual benefit. Practical. There should be practice. Example is better than precept. You are advised, I am advising, but I have got no practical life. A practical life, a practical person can do benefit to others otherwise not. So here Viswa Vaisnava Raja Sabha, who is outside it tell me! Now Krishna is Supreme Lord Original Supreme Lord. If you want to serve Krishna in neutral mellow, you say it Ras, neutral. You can do it. If you want to serve Krishna as master servant and there is sweetness in the service of Krishna in master-servant service like that you will not find in Narayana and Ramachandra. Sweetness. Even the servants of Krishna, if Krishna makes some trouble they give a slap. But Hanuman cannot give it? So sweet and parental affection you want to serve him as son, you can serve as parents more attachment. As much attachment you will have for Krishna, even a glimpse a tinge of touch of Krishna it is there, his everything will be fulfilled. He will have no attraction to this world, what is this world, it is hell. No. Even a tinge. I have not tasted even a tinge. By the fruits. Can you value of this money, value of this name and fame and all these things.

    Yesterday I spoke on Loknath Goswami, day before yesterday. He was afraid of respect and vigour and all these things for getting some other name and fame and he ordered Kaviraj Goswami, do not write anything, I do not want. Loknath Goswami. And we are running after this. If these conditioned souls if they give us the respect what is the value? Where we are? We have to see our Guruvarga preceptorial channel. This knowledge is coming from preceptorial channel.

    sampradaya vihina je mantras te nishphala matah, atah kalau bavisyanti catvarah sampradayinah, sri-bramha-rudra-sanakah vaisnavah kiti-pavanah.

    Sampradaya that does not mean sectariarism. Even Indians make mistake. They think Sampradaya means narrowness. No, Sampradaya what is the etiological meaning. What is Preceptorial sampradaya, Absolute Knowledge which has completely bestowed. Sampradaya through the right preceptorial channel. Coming from Supreme Lord. Therefore our Param Gurudeva to teach us this always while delivering his sermons he used to take absolute shelter to Guru Parampara. Guru succession, Guru parampara total. After that, that will come. From there through the process of dissention not through ascension. Sampradaya completely bestow through a right preceptorial channel ie. Sri Brahma Rudra Sanatana and we generally say Ramanuja Sri, Madhvacharya Brahma Madhva, Vishusami, Nimbarka it is coming. But Channel should be right channel, not theoretical channel, practical persons we may say. One is competent to get a real Guru, real Guru will come. Supreme Lord will come as real Guru to me. Don’t blame me. We do not want you. We pray to Lord we come to the temple we pray to Lord. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has taught us, say from the heart

    na dhanam, na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisha kamaye
    mama janmani janmaneshwari bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvyayi

    Say from the heart whether I am fulfilling your desire or not. Say, I do not want wealth, not from the mouth, from the heart. Say na dhanam, I do not want wife, children. Can we say? No. Some money is necessary. That weakness is there inside. So you do not want me. If you get me I am the complete reality, you will get completely everything. A son of a King forgetting his father, he is moving on the road like a mendicant and asking for money, begging. Aare! Your father is King, you are being taken to King, will there be any difficulty? If we belong to Krishna will there be any difficulty? We say only, you have no belief, only say by words. Say from the heart I do not want money. Money is subservient to Him. He is actually sustaining, maintaining, infinite brahmandas everything. Not like these human beings, we cannot sustain and maintain ourselves. Sharanagati, what is it? He will protect us, He will sustain us, He will maintain us. If there is no basis of devotion spiritual culture how you will get it? For that reason. Time is passing. That persons is bad, that person is bad by saying this what benefit you will get. All the conditioned souls are with whom this qualities and disqualifications, demerits and merits. I shall see their merits, good qualities and see my own defects. Then I will be rectified and my mind will not be disturbed. I see always others defects and I am best person, I shall go to hell. I should commit offence to Vaishnavas, to other living beings. Is that the way? Na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisha kamaye. I do not want erudition, learning, worldly learning. I do not want emancipation salvation. I want to serve you, causeless devotion, one pointed causeless devotion nothing else. I shall immediately give you. You say from the heart. You are afraid. Oh! Something is needed. Weakness is there in the heart. If I am not benefitting myself, if I have not got benefit, how shall I give benefit to others. And this Viswa Vaisnava Raja Sabha all the living beings not only human beings actually they are all vaisnavas. As you will find by Rupa Goswami he has written,

    sraddha bhavata…….sadhana………bhagavata

    Sraddha object is bhava bhakti, an intense love for Krishna that you can get by engaging our sense organs with the real ego I am of Him, that real ego should be there and you engage the sense organs that is called sadhana bhakti. Whatever we have got karmendriya, jnanendriya, all these we have to engage in the service, 'niti bhagavatam.…..sdhyayata.' It is there this bhakti is there within the soul. Magnet and iron is there. What is the nature of the magnet? To attract the iron. It is nothing, it is natural. What is the nature of iron? When comes near magnet attracted. You got it? But if the iron is there and magnet is also there and the magnet is not attracting and the iron is not attracted. Oh, their nature is not correct. This magnet does not attract and the iron is not attracted. No, there is dust over iron, rust. You have to remove that rust. Then iron will run towards magnet and magnet will attract like that. All attracting principle is Supreme Lord. Sri Krishna is like a magnet. Sri Krishna is there karshna is there. But actual awake in the nature of the soul to love Krishna. It is not to be taken, bestowed or borrowed from somebody. It is there. You have to awaken it.

    Prakatya vidhi sadhyata. How? Those who have awakened their soul you have to contact with them, you have to serve them then that we will have effect on your soul and soul will be awakened. When awakened then they are saying I am of Krishna I am of Krishna. And all are connected with Krishna then you will have love for all, love for Krishna and love for all. Then actual success of Viswa Vaisnava Raja sabha you will get. For that reason Viswa Vaisnava Raja Sabha, It is my misfortune, I am deprived twice. I had been to Berlin and stayed with Paramdveti Maharaj. I am indebted to him and their devotee helped us. But after that it is not the desire of Krishna, you should not move, you have heart defect like this. So now they say you should remain here and you should speak through video conference. But I have some difficulty of language. Sometimes I do not find appropriate words to speak. That is the difficulty. I am searching, searching what to say and if at my back is these Paramadveti Maharaj or someone like that then appropriate words I can get. Some words in India you will not find corresponding words.

    For dharma, word religion is not appropriate. Not exactly the same. Philosophy and darshan sastra are not the same. For aprakrit, transcendental word is not exact, there is no word which present the exact meaning of aprakrit, aprakrit means there is no connection with this world. Incarnation, word is not original which is also used for conditioned souls. So all these difficulties are there. I have asked in writing Dasavatara. I said you should use these words, introduce these words in your language. Otherwise it is difficult to make them understand. Avatar, avatirna means descending like that.

29 Jul 2005 @ Vinenna

Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math © 2025
info@bbtirtha.org