First Period of Devotional Practice (1st Yama Sadhana)

Worship at close of the night - Sraddha

Bhajan will start from Sraddha, firm faith, by worshiping Supreme Lord we worship all. Highest devotional form is Nama Sankirtan.

Therefore, the glow of the Holy Name can destroy all sins and worldly entanglement. Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu - Dakshina vibhag.

taṁ nirvyājam bhaja guṇa-nidhe pāvanaṁ pāvanānāṁ
śraddhā-rajyan-matir atitarām uttamaḥ-śloka-maulim
prodyann antaḥ-karaṇa-kuhare hanta yan-nāma-bhānor
ābhāso ‘pi kṣapayati mahā-pātaka-dhvānta-rāśim

That person is richly endowed with all good qualities who has got the aptitude to do Krishna Nama, the highest Name, Original Name, Original Supreme Lord, Who is worshiped by the realized souls, Crown of all avataras, Avatari, is addressed as 'guna-nidhe' who has got the aptitude to do Krishna Nama, Supreme Redeemer of all redeemers, but the condition is with firm faith, i.e. to say without deceitfulness. When there is no firm faith then with devoutness you cannot perform bhajan. So it is written, without deceitfulness. He is the cause of all causes, the prime cause, by serving Him we serve all. And, at the earliest, we may lose this human birth at any moment, with simple-heartedness. Again repeated the same thing, there should not be any crookedness. Why? As for instance even by the glow of the Sun all darkness is removed and difficulties created by darkness are also removed, like that the glow of the Holy Name by entering into the cave of the heart can destroy all great sins and ignorance, nescience.

parama pāvana kṛṣṇa tānhānra charaṇa,
niskapata śraddhā saha karaha bhajan,
jānra nāma suryābhās antare praveśi,
dhvaṁsa kare mahāpāp andhakārarāśi,
ei śikṣāṣṭake kahe kṛṣṇalīlā-kram,
ihāte bhajan krame līlāra udgam,
prathame prathama śloka bhaja kichu din,
dvitīya ślokete tabe hauta pravīṇ

You should practice Sikshastaka very carefully. Without practicing Sikshastaka you cannot enter into the transcendental pastimes of RadhaKrishna, eight periods of pastimes. So, so much emphasis has been given for the practice of Sikshastaka. Gradually you will get everything if you practice from beginning to the end, eight verses.

prathame prathama śloka bhaja kichu din,
dvitīya ślokete tabe hauta pravīṇ

Today is the last day of our vow of Kartika Vrata, Damodar Vrata. Last day means this Damodar Vrata will end today, even if starts from Purnima, Dwadasi, Ekadasi, Sankranti, this Chaturmasa Vrata will end on Uttana ekadasi as per the direction of Hari Bhakti Vilas. After that you can do Bhishma Pancaka.

chāri śloke kramaśaḥ bhajana pakkva kara,
pañcam ślokete nija siddha deha vara

After practicing four verses very sincerely then in the fifth verse you will have the realization of your realized form, transcendental form. With this mundane body, physical body, you cannot enter into it. You have to think about your realized form.

ei śloke siddhadehe rādhāpadāśraya

Our preceptorial channel is to get the ultimate goal madhur rasa. For that reason our realized form is to take the shelter of the Absolute Counter-part of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, Complete Spiritual potency Radharani.

ārambha kariyā krame unnati udaya,
chaya śloka bhajite anartha dure gela,
tabe jāna siddhadehe adhikāra haila

How you can understand that you have got the realized form, transcendental form, spiritual form? When all these eight spiritual ecstatic symptoms will be manifested. Tears will roll down from the eyes and your voice will be choked,

nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā
vadanaṁ gadgada-ruddhayā girā
pulakair nicitaṁ vapuḥ kadā
tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati

There will be horipilations, all these ecstatic symptoms, feelings will be manifested. By this you can understand that you have got the realized spiritual form. Without being entitled to enter into the transcendental pastimes of RadhaKrishna you will not be able to enter into it by this material body. For that reason you should very carefully think about this. Without the qualification, without competency, if we think about this, the result will be reverse.

adhikāra nā labhiyā siddhadeha bhāve,
viparjya buddhi janme śaktira abhāve
sāvdhāne krama dhara yadi siddhi cāo,
sādhura carita dekhi śuddha buddhi pāo

You can read all these in two minutes. By that you cannot have the qualification that you have realized everything. It may take several births, hundreds of births if you are not sincerely doing. You can daily read it in two minutes.

siddhadeha peye krame bhajana karile,
aṣṭakāla sevāsukha anāyāse mile

Then very easily you will get the taste of the bliss of the eight periods of the transcendental pastimes of RadhaKrishna after getting the transcendental realized form.

śikṣāṣṭaka cinta kara smaraṇa kīrtan,
krame aṣṭakāla-sevā habe uddīpana

Several times emphasis has been given on Sikshastaka. Previously you have heard, our Param Gurudev Nityalila Pravista Ashtottara shata Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswati Gosvami Thakur first introduced only Sikshastaka, not the pastimes of RadhaKrishna. Later on our Guruvarga have introduced it. It has been written by our Bhakti Vinod Thakur so that you can have the longing to enter into such transcendental pastimes of RadhaKrishna.

śikṣāṣṭaka cinta kara smaraṇa kīrtan,
krame aṣṭakāla-sevā habe uddīpana,
sakala anartha jābe pābe premadhana,
caturvarga phalguprāya habe adarśana

All ulterior desires will be removed, dharma artha kama, worldly piety, to earn, to have liking to get money for fulfillment of all these mundane desires, and even desire for caturvarga emancipation, will vanish, then you can enter into the transcendental pastimes.

1st verse of Sri Sikshastaka -- Singing the glories of the chanting of the Holy Name RadhaKrishna.

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ
bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ
vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ
prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ
paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam

Seven principal attainments i.e. you can get all attainments by performing Sankirtan of RadhaKrishna without tenfold offences. Sankirtan if you do, kirtan is singing of the Name, form, attributes, personal associates and transcendental realm, all of you should do kirtan loudly in the company of bonafide sadhus, Sankirtan.

Cleansing of the mirror of the heart, extinguishing of the forest fire of birth, death and threefold afflictions, eternal soothing benefit like moonlight, life of spiritual learning i.e. awakening of the real self, increases the ocean of bliss, bestows at every step sweet taste of complete transcendental ambrosia, holy immersion of body-mind-real self – be supremely glorified.

saṅkīrtana haite pāpa-saṁsāra-nāśana
citta-śuddhi, sarva-bhakti-sādhana-udgama
kṛṣṇa-premodgama, premāmṛta-āsvādana
kṛṣṇa-prāpti, sevāmṛta-samudre majjana
(Chaitanya Charitamrita Antya 20.13-14)

“By performing congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, one can destroy the sinful condition of material existence, purify the unclean heart and awaken all varieties of devotional service. The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Krishna and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately, one attains the association of Krishna and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love.”

Thinking of Krishna-lila (pastimes of Krishna)

Taking it for granted you have practiced Sikshastaka with devoutness, then you are entitled to think about transcendental pastimes of RadhaKrishna. Name, Form, Attributes, Personal Associates, and thinking of the pastimes, will be gradually manifested if you do actually with sincere devoutness practice Sikshastaka. Then you will get that.

niśānte kīrtane kuñja-bhaṅga kare dhyāna,
krame krame citta lagne rasera vidhān

At the close of the night while doing kirtan you should meditate on the awakening of RadhaKrishna in the grove. Then gradually you will have the taste of the transcendental bliss of the pastimes. This is the devotional Scriptural precept.

rātryante trastavṛnderita bahu-vira-vaibodhitau kirasārī
padyair-hṛdhyair api sukha-śayanād-utthitau tau sakhibhiḥ
dṛṣṭau hṛṣṭau tadātvoditarati-lalitau kakkhaṭīgīḥ saśaṅkau
rādhā-kṛṣṇau satṛṣṇāv api nija-nija dhāmnyāpta talpau smarāmi

Apprehending day break, Vrinda Devi is very busy to awake RadhaKrishna. Vrinda Devi has engaged the birds to do this. They are not ordinary birds, they are personal associates of RadhaKrishna. They are one with RadhaKrishna. In the form they are serving as servitors and Krishna in the form of these birds is doing everything. Nothing is outside Krishna. For awakening of RadhaKrishna at the close of the night Suk-Sarika and other birds, birds have the special qualification, they can know when there will be day break. Other human beings commit mistake. Sometimes by seeing moonlight they start performing arati, in the dead of night. It is a kind of offence. But birds can understand without seeing watch whether it is dawn or not. For that reason they are engaged. Suk-Sarika are the principal birds. There are two groups. One group belongs to Krishna and the other group belongs to Radharani. There is competition of the singing of the glories of RadhaKrishna. Suk sings the glories of Krishna and Sarika sings the glories of Radharani, male parrot – female parrot. They are our object of worship. They are not ordinary birds and chattering. They are singing the glories. Suk sings the glories of Krishna. Supporters of Krishna’s group become very much glad but the supporters of Radharani become depressed, Oh Krishna’s glories is more than Radharani’s. Then Sarika sings the glories of Radharani more than Krishna. The supporters of Radharani become very much satisfied and the supporters of Krishna become depressed. In this way competition is going on in very sweet voice so that by hearing the sweet voice glories of Radha and Krishna, RadhaKrishna automatically open Their eyes. That is the purpose. Forcibly you should not do anything. On hearing the sweet singing of Suk-Sarika and other birds as well as all the gopis which is so sweet, Radharani automatically opens Her eyes. When Radharani opens Her eyes then the responsibility of the gopis, you should think what is transcendental realm. There the gopis are keeping guard whole night so that there should not be any disturbance for the sleep of RadhaKrishna. Everyday they are not sleeping. If we do not sleep one night the next day we will be admitted to the hospital. That place is not such, there is influence of sattva, raja, tamo guna. Tamo guna is here, in the physical body, in this material world. There is no tamo guna there. But there is pastimes of sleeping. And here gopis by keeping guard for the service of RadhaKrishna by their service they get actual rest. When remembrance of RadhaKrishna is there then that is actual rest from the world. Here when sleeping sometimes we have to take sleeping pills for sleep. We cannot sleep. And we have got thinking, worries about our own material matters. We cannot sleep. But, Radharani remain awakened, but it is actual sleep, actual rest from worldly things. Now daily, infinite, without interruption every night they are remaining awake. That is the place of transcendental realm. And here by hearing very sweet devotional songs of the birds Radharani opens Her eyes. The responsibility of the gopis to awake Krishna is gone. It is Radharani’s duty now to awake Krishna. Krishna is not opening His eyes. Radharani is very much worried as it is getting late, what can be done. I cannot push Krishna, it may be committal of offence. If any vaishnav sleeps you should not push. Gradually automatically Vaishnav will open (eyes), not forcibly.

Radharani is in difficulty. And female monkey is there, another devotee of the name Kakkhati. She wants to serve by her own capacity. But her voice is very harsh. She is looking to the gopis, give me permission, you are unable to awake Krishna. I can do the duty. No, your voice is very harsh, you are not allowed. But Krishna intentionally is not opening His eyes. Krishna has attention to all. By this pastime we should think we should not harshly behave with any living being in this world. It is not good. It will be anti-devotional. Even Bhakti Vinod Thakur has said in the offences, to harm a living being is also an offence. Krishna is equal to all. He wants that, may be insignificant the female monkey, but she has got devoutness of devotion. She wants to serve, why are you not allowing her? I shall not open My eyes unless you allow. His sleep is not like Kumbhakarna. Intentionally He is not opening His eyes. And ultimately they are forced. From a distance that female monkey is always looking giving me permission, no, give me permission, no. Ultimately they said, do it. She made a loud screaming harsh sound. Krishna opens His eyes. It is not harsh to Krishna. Krishna likes the voice of true devotee. We may think it is harsh.

Our Paramgurudev, there are so many singers with good voice, without asking them he wants to hear from a sincere devotee without good voice. I want to hear from him. When there is devotion everything is sweet.

RadhaKrishna mutually see each other with wistful eyes, with fear. They have also got fear, yes. If They remain always All-powerful, and Complete Potency of Sri Krishna Radharani, then there cannot be any lila. They forget Their own self. They are afraid, now it is morning, we will be detected. They are running towards Their houses. So many persons are seeing Them, but they cannot understand, (because of) Yogamaya. All this transcendental realm is spiritual, houses are spiritual, beds are spiritual, everything spiritual, there is no matter there. They enter into Their house and to Their respective beds, Their spiritual beds are serving Krishna, for sleep.