At first I pay my innumerable prostrated obeisances to the lotus feet of most worshipable Srila Gurudev, who is the redeemer of the fallen souls, the bestower of knowledge about the Absolute, the non-different manifestation of the Supreme Lord and the bestower of service of the Supreme Lord. I pray for his causeless mercy. I pay my prostrated obeisances to the lotus feet of the worshipable Vaishnavas and pray for their causeless mercy. I pay my due respects to all who are inclined to listen to the discourse on the Supreme Lord. May they all become satisfied.

Today is the most auspicious Tithi, Harivasar Tithi. It is very dear to Lord Hari. On this Tithi, devotees come to the Math to take part in Katha and Kirtans. Many of them live very far, so it is difficult for them to come to the Math daily. If you go to Kolkata Math and there is no special occasion like Radhastami, Janmastami or Annakut but still the Math is full then you should understand that it is the day of Harivasar Tithi. There is no need to see Vaishnava calendar. Devotees think, “It is very difficult for us to go to Math daily, we will go on Ekadashi, once in fifteen days we will go to Gurudev (Guru-grih) or the Holy abode of the Lord (Math) and we will procure the benefits by going on this one day in every fifteen days.” Devotional practices performed on Ekadashi, even being at home, are more beneficial than any other days. And if one observes this vow in any Dham (in the Abode of Supreme Lord) then the results will be manifold. What is the Dham? The Supreme Lord says, mad-bhaktāḥ yatra gāyanti tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada—O Narada, wherever My devotees sing My glories I manifest there, I stay there. The place of Gurudev, who is topmost amongst all the devotees, is also the Dham. Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math is not a part of Delhi. It is not made up of five gross elements. Many people think that Vrindavan and Govardhan are part of UP (Uttar Pradesh). I also used to think the same but after coming in contact with Srila Gurudev and other Guruvargas, I heard that Vrindavan and Govardhan are not part of UP or India. Then where do they belong to? They descend to this world. They are not made up of five gross elements.

harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.88.5)

“Hari (Krishna) is transcendental, beyond the three modes of material nature. He is beyond mind, intelligence and the sense organs of the conditioned souls of this world.”

These instructions are not merely for speaking. We have to have faith in them. The Supreme Lord’s abode is also transcendental and beyond these material qualities. Dham cannot be a transformation of the five material elements. One cannot enter in to the Dham with this material body. One may think that he has come to Vrindavan Dham, Mathura Dham or Nabadvip Dham, but if one goes there with the intentions to get some material benefits, then Mahamaya (the external potency of Supreme Lord) will surely envelop him and will make him do abominable activities even in the Dham. The Supreme Lord is always endowed with two of His potency's—His internal and external potency's. The acts of the external potency are also the mercy of the Supreme Lord. They are like the love of parents towards their child. Because of their relation to him, they sometimes show affection to him, sometimes kiss him and out of the same love, sometimes they even slap him. Their slap is also the sign of affection. The Supreme Lord also has love towards all the jivas. He shows His affection through His pure devotees by His internal potency and through His external potency He sometimes, for their eternal welfare, slaps them (punishes them) also. But both of these actions are because of His compassion only. We may not understand it but as we all are His children, will He not have affection towards all of us? If a child picks some dirty thing and starts eating then the mother is going to slap him as it is not good for him. The child may start crying and when he shows very strong inclination for it and cries loudly then the mother’s heart gets weaker and she will let him do what he wants. Similarly the Supreme Lord also, when He sees that jivas do not want Him; they want to enjoy things independently, out of affection, He creates so many living species and also gives them some power. He tells, “As you cannot enjoy Me, you enter into these species and enjoy the inferior things. Because of your enjoying tendency, I have created all these species and gave them the power also. But in those species you will have the sufferings of birth, death, threefold afflictions etc.”

The Supreme Lord has a transcendental personal form. Many people say that the Supreme Lord is without any form, attributes and power; He is nothing; He is zero or cipher. Their minds have been damaged. Srila Bhakti Vedant Swami Maharaj calls them FOOL No. 1. They consider their own form but deny the personal aspect of the Supreme Lord. They consider the Lord to be formless, attribute-less and powerless. As there is form in the Supreme Lord, there is form in this world also. Personality is attributed to the living entity only, not to the dead matter. The minute living principle (Anu-chetan) has minute (limited) form while the infinite living principle (Vibhu-chetan) has infinite (Vibhu) form.

To be continued..