tarko'pratisthah srutayo vibhinna nasau rsir yasya matam na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah

Regarding dharma. The crator of this dharma is the Supreme Lord. And the vedas and the smriti sastras, they have got different views and even Mahabharata had its own view. And the risis, sages, they have got different views. How can you follow one path? That one path how can you know and how can you follow? Then it is told: mahajano yena gata sa pantha. The margam, the path traveled by mahajanas. Who are those mahajanas? Svayambhu, Brahma, Narada, Sambu, Siva, Kumara, Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, Sanat-kumara, Kapila, Kapilacarya, Manu, Svayambhuva Manu, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Bali Cakravarti, Sukadeva and Yama dharmaraja. These twelve mahajanas, they are the authorities of dharma. If we want to know dharma then we have to follow them. Then only we can reach our spontaneous or our sublime stage or Vaikuntha wherefrom if we reach that place we never return from there.

yad gatva na nivartante
tad dhama paramam mama

So, to know that. The mahajanas. These mahajanas. One of them is sukajo sukendra; Sukadeva Gosvami. What did he say? He said only Srimad Bhagavatam. No other. No other text. No other sastras he told.

srimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam yad vaisnavanam priyam
yasmin paramahamsyam ekam amalam jnanam param giyate
yatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam naiskarmyam aviskrtam
tac chrnvan supathan vicarana-paro bhaktya vimucyen narah

If you practice bhagavata. If we read, study bhagavata under a Vaisnava, through the ... a vaisnava, through the mercy of a vaisnava. The conclusion of bhagavata is the last end. pramanam amalam. It is amala pramana. It has nothing impure. It is pure. Sudha, pure. And that pure without having the association of gunas; rajo guna, tamo guna or satva guna. It is nirguna. The Lord is nirguna and we want to know the Lord, we must be nirguna. That nirguna is to be properly understood. If we read bhagavatam under the guide of a Vaisnava then we can realize the truth. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared 500 years back and he says:

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas

He says to all:

"All of you worship Vrajendra nandana. Nanda-nandana. He is the son of Nanda."

"He was born to Vasudeva. How can you say Nanda?"

"Yes, he is. Nanda has more devotional love towards Krishna than Vasudeva. So Nanda-nandana Krishna. Who is Krishna? One meaning of Krishna, hundred meanings, thousand meanings, I don't know,"

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu replied to one acarya, Vallabha Acarya. He wrote that I have written in details the names of Krishna, meanings. Then he said:

"I have no time to listen."

He gently avoided it, saying that:

"I know only one. That Krishna is Nanda-nandana. Nanda-nandan Krishna."

Nanda has got so much affection towards Krishna that Krishna has become his son, became his slave.

aham iha nandam vande
yasyalinde param brahma

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked one scholar:

"To whom do you worship?"

He said "Let others worship vedas or smriti sastras. I don't worship. I don't even worship bhagavad-gita or mahabharata."

"Then what do you worship?"

aham iha nandam vande

"I worship only Nanda."

"Is he God?"

"Yes, if I worship Nanda, if Nanda is pleased I can easily see his son. Krishna is playing in the yard of Nanda, always playing, and now, if I go and request Nanda maharaja:

"I have come to see your boy."

Then he will say:

"Boy! Somebody has come to see you.""

But, if we directly approach, Krishna will never respond to you. If you say:

"Directly I will approach. I have got tongue. I have got all senses. I am intelligent. I have studied everything and I have got penance or austerity or renunciation. Everything I have got. I will approach directly."

Krishna will close the doors. He will never allow to come in and see him. But, if he approach through his devotees. Devotee, supreme devotee is Nanda maharaja. There is no other devotee so much greater than Nanda maharaja. Because, Nanda maharaja, whenever Krishna was playing with his playmates, Nanda maharaja says:

"Krishna!"

Krishna hearing this informs all his playmates:

"You boys, you go home. Father is calling. I am going home."

He ran to father. Then: "Father?"

"Just take your bath and come to take food and be ready to go to the forest."

So,

aham iha nandam vande.

Nanda has more affection towards Krishna than Vasudeva. More affection. So, the vatsalya rasa you can find from Nanda. Nanda could control Krishna through his devotion. If Nanda maharaja says: "You bring those sandals."

He brings the sandals. " You bring that pot. You bring that cloth."

"Anything you say the boy does."

Can you command the Lord? You cannot command the Lord. Who can command? A devotee like Nanda maharaja can command. You cannot command. So,

aham iha nandam vande
yasyalinde param brahma

Where is parabrahma? Parabrahma is not in Vaikuntha. Parabrahma is not in all the scriptures. Parabrahma is not in the heart of a yogi. Parabrahma is not with other rishis. Where is he? He is playing in the yard of Nanda maharaja. If you want Krishna, if you want Krishna you must pray to Nanda Maharaja. Mahaprabhu says:

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas

There also he says, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu:

"All of you should worship Krishna."

Who is that Krishna? Vrajesa. Vraja. Vrindavan. The master of Vrindavan is Nanda. vrajesa-tanayas Nanda's son, Krishna. You must worship Nanda's son Krishna. And how to worship:

vrajavadhu-vargena ya kalpita

vrajavadhu - gopis. As they have performed their devotion towards Krishna, that way you have to follow. And what is the authority?

"You are saying this. Shall we accept you? Or is there another authority?"

Though Krishna is the Supreme authority yet he obliges. He says:

"There is authority."

"What is that authority?"

"Srimad-bhagavatam. Srimad-bhagavata is authority."

We have to admit that bhagavat is the authority. Without authority whatever we say it may not be approved or appreciated by all. As when you go ahead in the court, head, an advocate. Now, he is arguing a certain case. While arguing he must quote the authority, the section and authority. Unless he quotes the superior authority, judge will never approve his argument. So Mahaprabhu said:

"There is the authority. I am not saying this, but the authority."

srimad bhagavatam pramanam amalam. It is the pure puranam. It is the authority. And it has nothing material. Everything is spiritual. And bhagavatam pramanam amalam yad vaisnavanam priyam or pancam purushartha pramanam for prayojana, prema. prema pumartho mahan. Now you practice devotion. That devotion at a ripe stage is prema. Just like sadhan-bhakti, bhava-bhakti and prema-bhakti. Bhakti is the supreme dharma. That bhakti, first we have to practice sadhana. What are those sadhana? sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam These are the nine types of bhakti taught by Srimad bhagavatam which says that every one should follow these nine steps. And gradually we have to follow. If we don't follow the steps, one by one we must walk. If we come to the last. Adau sraddha, sadhu-sanga, bhajana-kriya, anarta-nivritti, nishta, ruci, asakti, bhava, prema. One by one you must. without any ..., without any impediment, without commiting any offence. Of all the offences the most dangerous offence is vaisnava-aparadha. If you commit vaisnava-aparadha whatever little bhakti you have accumulated, it will dissapear. There can be no bhakti throughout your life and future also gone. Unless and untill we approach the personality to whom we have to surrender and beg him: "Sir, we have commited offence at your feet. Please excuse me." If he excuses then you will get relief. If not, by the time, he might have left this world. Now, you have to weep, weep. Repeat namam and weep, weep. And before the Lerd you say that I have committed offense, but he is not available to whom I go and beg to excuse me. You don't think nama:

krsna nama aparadher koroye vicar

If you repeat krishna namam these offenses must be counted. Without offense you must repeat it. And if you commit offense, then whatever you have practiced it will go away. You must be very careful repeating namam and then this namam is very merciful. Merciful. Very merciful. It is told:

jayatu jayatu devo devaki-nandano 'yam
jayatu jayatu krishno vrishni-vamsa-pradipah
jayatu jayatu megha-syamalah komalango
jayatu jayatu prithvi-bhara-naso mukundah
srnvatah sraddhaya nityam grnatas ca sva-cestitam kalena natidirghena bhagavan visate hrdi

If you repeat Krishna, if you hear Krishna, and now you repeated, incessantly you repeat without offense then, very soon Lord will enter into your heart. And he will occupy your heart. Your heart will be the throne of the Lord. He won't to go from that throne. And then the Lord will be yours. And if I am his:

ami to'tomara, tumi to 'amara,
ki kaja apare dhane

"O Lord, I belong to you. I have surrendered to you. I am yours and you are mine. I know you. I never know anybody except you. I have none. I am helpless. You are my father, you are my mother, you are my wealth, you are my knowledge. Everything you are. I have surrendered to you. I don't know anybody. I know you."

By saying that, if I surrender, then the Lord in return will surrender to you. As Nanda Maharaja surrendered, now Krishna has surrendered to Nanda. As Yashoda surrendered to Krishna, now Krishna surrendered to Yashoda. Yashoda wanted to tie Krishna with a rope. But Krishna is anadi. He has no beginning and no end. How can she tie with a rope which has a beginning and end. And Krishna's body is normal. It is not increasing like Vamana avatara.

Vamana, when he came to Bali Chakravarti as dwarf. Very beautiful. Charming. And when Bali saw:

"Oh, I am very fortunate. I am very fortunate. I am fully fortunate. And by your arrival to our place all are fortunate and all are happy. Now, what do you want? If you want three worlds I will give you."

He said:

"No. I don't want three worlds. I want only three feet. Three feet. According to my feet, measurement three feet. And those three feet will be, one foot, one foot."

"What is this? I am the master of three worlds. You want three feet?"

"Yes, we will be happy to receive that."

When his guru, his spiritual master came to him and said: "You fellow. You do not know what is the harm waiting for you. You are doing the harmful action. The moment you give three feet then he will extend his body throughout three worlds. You cannot give him three feet."

And, he said:

"Sir, I have already promised. If I have promised I have promised. I am afraid of deceiving the brahmin boy. He asked. I have said: "Alright. Yes, I will do." Now, how can I withdraw it?"

The Guru said:

"You fellow, you'll suffer. You'll suffer."

He went away. Vamana became very, very big. With one foot he took all the earthen field, all with one foot. Next foot. Oh, that mastered whole ether, whole air. Then, where is the other foot? Then he asked Bali:

"You have promised three feet. Two you have given. Where shall I put? Because everything I have already taken in these two feet. Their whole empire I have taken. Yes. Where is three feet? Third foot where shall I put?"

He said:

"Please place it on my head."

Then he placed. Now, when he did this, Vamana asked Garuda to tie him with varuna-pasha. So he was tied by the rope. Then all his favourites, all his servants, ministers they all came and abused Vamana:

"What is this? Our Lord has given you three feet. Promised you three feet. You received. Why should you tie him?"

Then Bali said:

"No, you have no power. You are, you can not."

"Why?"

"Because I have surrendered to him. My body I have surrendered. First empire I have surrendered. Now, the body I have surrendered. So, I am not here. Your king is not here. Bali is not here. I am his. So, there is no question of arguing for me. You go."

Then the Lord said:

"Oh, you have surrendered. Though you have given promised three feet, I have tied you. Yet, you never revolted against it, the decision. And you have accepted. Now, I shall give you, in return, I will be always at your palace gate. You'll see me always. I surrender to you. You have surrendered. I surrender."

Now in Sutala loka, Bali is there. The empire is Sutala loka. Now Vishnu stands. Vamana stands at his gate. "Daily you will see me." And this is called atma-nivedana, surrender. The result of surrender is: the Lord will fully surrender to you. If you surrender to the Lord, Lord will be yours. You can control the Lord. If ask Lord to do this, he will do that. "Lord, don't do this". He will never do. He will carry out your orders. So, like that. The devotion. People say:

"What devotion? What devotion? What?"

They, this sublime stage and the nectar that can be enjoyed, devotee can enjoy and nondevotee cannot understand. Who can understand? mad bhakto

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru

Gita's conclusion. 18th chapter. Krishna says the summum bonum. Says: man-mana bhava - always remember me, mad bhakto bhava - be my devotee and serve me. Devotee without service; no devotee. He must do service. What service? Service means his body

hrisikena hrisikesa sevanam bhaktir ucyate

These are our body, limbs, organs or senses. Through all our limbs we must surrender to the Lord. What is that surrender? With our eyes we will see only the figure of Lord Krishna. With our ears we will hear all his glories. With tongue we will always take his food, prasad, whatever we offer. And always we repeat the glories of the Lord, always. Sing the glories. Hear the glories. And head to prostrate before the Lord and the vaisnavas. And the body embrace the murtis and the Vaisnavas. His every limb, every organ, every sense was engaged in the service of the Lord. Who is that? He is Ambarisha Maharaja. So, we must become like Ambarisha Maharaja. Then Krishna will be pleased. But, if we want to be a Vaisnava first we have to surrender to the Lord. And without surrender if we want to be a Vaisnava it is only like a person in the theater. In the theater, pandal. With a dress of a Vaisnava Narada or some Vaisnava. He will be acting. Doing acting. But that is actually he is not a Vaisnava. Though they maintain formalities, but their inside, inner heart is not a Vaisnava. They show outside. They picture one outside picture. No inside picture. Internally we must become the servant of the Lord. Internally. If we internally and externally, we follow and serve the Lord:

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah

If they become surrendered, complete surrender, then Lord's name, Lord's form and Lord's beauty or Lord's pastimes, everything will dance upon the tongue of a devotee. Though devotee wants to control the tongue, the toung only speaks what(?)?

tunde tandavini ratim vitanute
tundavali-labdhaye

The devotee. The devotee! Who is that devotee? She is gopi. They, all, all the gopis are followers of Radhika devi. Now, she says ...isvari. You will say isvari. Now, if the blessings of isvari, one can be a true follower of Radhika devi. Then she will serve Krsna. She will be allowed to serve Krsna. And she knows how to serve Krsna. And he will repeat the namam always, day and night repeat namam. Incessantly repeat namam. He becomes so pure. And in the pure heart, pure tongue he wanted to control repetition of namam. So steadily he repeats namam. Though you tie the tongue, the tongue will repeat.

As Haridas Thakur who was repeating three lakhs namam daily. The Muslim government ordered him not to repeat Krishna namam. Then he said:

"You cannot say so. I am repeating! It is my will! I am repeating. You cannot stop it. If you kill this body, destroy this body, if the tongue is there, tongue will repeat. It won't stop."

Such a determination, such attachment with namam one must have. If not, everything is a false. All our activities are false activities. Our strain, mental strain or physical strain in the name of devotion or devotee, everything is hopeless. No use. We must be determined to follow the Vaisnavas. Always. Without the association of a Vaisnava, without the blessing of a Vaisnava I can not able to follow this path or repeat namam. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when he was repeating namam daily, sankirtan daily. Only devotees, those who are pure devotees, they were allowed. No others are allowed. Others are out of the gate. They want to hear this sankirtan and see sankirtan. "No." Mahaprabhu never allowed. Who? Only devotees. Nondevotion not allowed. One day, Srivas Pandit's house it is. Srivas Pandit's son suddenly died. And Mahaprabhu was performing sankirtan in the front room. Now, Mahaprabhu asked:

"Srivas. Anything happened? Misfortune? Anything happened?"

He said:

"No sir! When you are in my house, nothing, no damage to me. No harm to me. No suffering to me. No loss to me. I am happy."

After half an hour again Mahaprabhu said:

"Srivas. Anything? Anything happened? Any accidents?"

"Nothing."

Then other Vaisnavas, they told:

"Srivas lost his son."

When they were crying Srivas went inside and said:

"Why you are crying" "Your boy died."

"Let him die but if you now weep then Mahaprabhu will stop his sankirtan. So, don't weep now. Early in the morning you will weep, when Mahaprabhu stops his sankirtan."

Throughout the night he will be doing sankirtan; dancing, singing, beating. Not sitting. This is not sankirtan. Sankirtan, sankirtan's dancing, singing and with instruments and mridanga. Now, our sankirtan not even a drop of it, a drop. What is a drop? What is that? Sweating. Our body doesn't sweat even a drop of water. Because we never feel it, sankirtan. They used to feel throughout the night. Throughout the night they will be dancing in it. We cannot do sankirtan sitting for five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour. Half an hour. ... Now Mahaprabhu, when he heard Srivas's son died, then Mahaprabhu says:

"How is you heart? There is no. This sorrow. A man only feels sorry. The extension of sorry is to the sons death. Now, the extreme suffering, extreme suffering that your son died. And you are dancing with us, singing with us. I have never seen, I have never heard about such a devotee who is able to maintain his, keep his heart strict and he is dancing and singing though he lost his son. Is there any devotee in this world like Srivas? No. Noone."

Such a devotee. Such devotees are allowed to sing with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, at our sankirtan. This is not sankirtan. But yet, we are not fortunate enough to see such sankirtan. Now, we hear in the scriptures: Chaitanya-caritamrita, Anupadyavali or different Vaisnavas wrote several songs. In this we can know how they performed sankirtan. So, that sankirtan must be an automatic sankirtan. Mahaprabhu was weeping. Mahaprabhu went there and touched the boy and told the boy:

"Boy, where are you going?"

Then the boy said:

"Sir, I am fortunate. I see you. I heard your nama sankirtan. I was born in the house of Srivas Pandit. According to my past karma I was here for twelve years, thirteen years. Now I have to go to other place. That I have no hand to control. I cannot stay. Though you say I cannot stay."

The boy went away. And he also:

kasya ke pati-putradya moha eva hi karanam

Srivas also thought:

"Who is my boy? I am not his father. He is not my son."

But, though we know this, whatever affection towards the son is always there. And that son, whether he will respond to the love of the father? No, guarant. Today a father loves his boy and maintains him with hardship and he protects the boy, educates the boy. And boy, when grown up, he never cares for the father. And moves as he likes. And he becomes a drunkard. He will have sex. Father cannot control. But yet father has an affection towards that child. But here, he was a great vaisnava. That he could not able to follow this matter? Certainly a vaisnava will follow. "Mahaprabhu was keeping namam. We cannot say anything. No words come out from my or your mouth." And how he is brave enough to do sankirtan. This is how the tolerance a Vaisnava has is inaccessible to others. And:

trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna

The devotee is like a tree. If you cut the tree it will never reject you. Never deny you. Or if you want to cut this branches, take away leaves or don't pour water and let it die it does no harm. It only stands there to serve others. So also a sadhu, a devotee is living only to serve others. Not only his family members or kit and kin but all. Not to only human, humanity. Even the beasts and birds also he serves. They, the birds sit upon his body because they know: "The man will never harm me." So, the other animals or other birds and beasts they never harm to a sadhu. Why? Sadhu should remain in forest.

vanam tu sattviko vaso

This is a vanam. No human is there. No human, humanity, man and woman is there. But here, this is not a vanam. This is not such a vana. Not such a forest. This is a playing forest for or these people. In the summer they want to play. They have got their wagons, their homes, houses, a car which bring their house. And they dance, they sing, they drink, they take bath in the see. And all enjoyment. It is all enjoyment. Nothing but enjoyment. But actually in India we see many sacred forests are there where all the emperors, those who ruled country for fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty years and at last they resign and give the power to their children and go to the forest. Going there not to enjoy. They never have, one cloth only. Nothing. Not even a glass. Nothing. Waterpot. Nothing. No place. No chair. No asanas. Nothing. Like a beast roaming in the forest he also roams. When he feels hungry only he will take the leaves of the tree and drink the water of the river. And no asanas, no pillows, no car. Nothing enjoyment. Though he is an emperor. He can arrange and sit and leave the forest? No. That is not the forest life. Forest life is forest life. In the forest no cooking. Who will cook? Where is the pot for cooking? So, no cooking. Only roots, flowers and fruits. Ripe fruits or unripe fruits or some leaves, soft leaves they eat. That is their food. They have enjoyed all this food. But we, though we have enjoyed throughout our life, but in the old days also we take a car and see that: lines of them. Cottages. That is not a cottage. That is a heavenlike cottage they have. They will be happy. Happily sleep, happily eat and dishes, all dishes they enjoy. For enjoyment they come here. So, this is not forest life. Forest life is we must be; always equality he has. He treats all alike. Even a serpent does him nothing. Serpent will not come. He will see serpent is passing. It doesn't do any harm. The tiger is coming and going. Because, tiger knows that he will never harm him, never harm him. So, they treat all alike. They all called:

vanam tu sattviko vaso

Almost all the sages, they used to remain in the forest. They won't shave. And they have all their beards, mustaches and the hair grown up. That is called jata, big, big jata. They won't take oil bath. They won't take. Even in cold time also, only they rub the ashes of this wood. They burn the wood. The ash will be there. That they will rub. But only to protect themselves from cold they do that. But they are happy. They never take anybody's rewards. Never anxious to take from anybody for enjoyment. They don't want enjoyment. They've already enjoyed throughout their life. Now, renunciation.

pravrttir esa bhutanam nivrttis tu mahaphala

They have enjoyed. Now they must suffer. They suffer. And they will die. Prithu Cakravarti, Maharaja. He was adi, beginning emperor. Prithu. And he has done lot of service. In the country there was no water, no food. Trees no leaves. No fertile country. No water. Due to that, all cereals, rice, or wheat or fruits or vegetables are not available. The cows have no milk. Because no grass, no food, cows don't yield the milk. And all the people, the scholars, they have become blundered, because their brain was also drained, dried. Now they cannot discuss anything. Because no food. How can they survive? How can they do yajna? How can they repeat Vedas? Nothing.

Then Prithu Cakravarti came, through his yoga he has controlled, and through his efforts timely rains. When there were timely rains people used to have crops. And there were many mountains and with bulldozers he has smoldered the mountains and made plains. Plains, so that water may stand and people can cultivate crops and eat and enjoy. And now cows are giving plenty of milk. All the rivers are full of water. And all these pandits, scholars - they always repeat vedas, they also do dharma, they also do sacrifice, yajna. Everything. All were happy. Within 10 years all have enjoyed full happiness. Now they look like celestials because food and health - everything is all right. Due to the Lord. He is the incarnation of the Lord - Prithu Maharaja. Now through his blessings in 10 years all were happy. There was no beggar. There was no sufferer. There was no disease. All have cured. Now people are very happy.

Then after that, Sanak. Amongst these 12 mahajanas Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandan, Sanat-kumara now they came to him. And when they came to his palace, King has given them his throne to sit. They all sat on the throne. He was sitting downstairs and begged them:

"What shall I do in your service?"

Then they said:

"You have done much service to the public. You cannot be always engaged in this. Now you go to forest. You do penance there."

"Yes."

Immediately he accepted the proposal and announced that "on certain day I will be going to the forest." Then all the subjects, they now appealed:

"Maharaja, you have done so much service for us. Why should you go to forest? We will go to forest. If you don't approve our request then we will also go to forest."

"No. No. No. Nobody should come to the forest. I will go alone."

"Then we will arrange there a house. One good small building. There you will eat and sleep. For your daily food, we will arrange."

"Don't do that. No! Nothing I will take! I will never take anything except my cloth. One cloth. One cloth. No more than that. I will go to forest."

Then the wife said:

"I also will go."

"I am not going to serve you. You must serve yourself."

In the forest now they went and for six months they used to take Ganga water and some leaves. And after six months the husband died. And there were a lot of fuel. Now they collected a lot of fuel and attached the fire and placed that body on the fire. And when husband was burning she also went, sat on there. Finished.

That is the forest. Now the forests are there, they are faked. If you go and enter the forest that purity and sacredness will come to you, but here no sacredness. You see, all, they open their clothes, they are dancing and singing. Yes. These are all beasts. These are not human beings. They are all dogs. Playing with (inaudible) they are dogs. They have no God. So, our ancient scriptures they always ask us:

Vanam parishya

Prahlada Maharaja, when he was young he was sent to Sandamarka, and they were teaching him. Then when the boy was taken to his father, father placed him on his lap. He kissed his boy and asked:

"Boy, what have you studied all these days? Please tell me."

Then he said:

"In this world, those who are suffering, they should go to the forest and be happy."

Now he is indirectly attacking his father. Hiranyakasipu never told anything to him. He called the teachers.

"You must be very careful. What is this you have taught to him? I never thought that you will teach these subjects.

(inaudible verse)

"He is a boy. And he is responsible for all this empire. He is the eldest boy. Tomorrow he will be the king of this place. And if he says: "Go to the forest and worship Hari there", who has told him this? If you have not told, some other people, the followers of Vishnu or the brahmins, they have come and they have hidden themselves in your party, and they have taught this. How could he get this knowledge?"

Then they said: "Sir!"

na mat-pranitam na para-pranitam

suto vadaty esha tavendra-satro

"Maharaja. Please excuse us. We have not taught that subject. Nor anybody, the enemies of the demons or devatas or demigods or brahmins or devotees have come without our knowledge and trained him. Nobody has come."

naisargikiyam matir asya rajan

"It is the natural, spontaneous knowledge. Nobody taught him. (inaudible)."

Because, he is full. When he was in the mother's womb, Kayadu, mother Kayadu. In her womb Prahlada was for hundred years.

She said:

"O Narada, for hundred years till my husband returns from penance I must not deliver the boy. Boy must be kept inside."

If she delivers the boy then Indra will come and kill him. So, Narada:

"Till your husband returns you will never deliver."

Narada used to come and tell that boy the philosophy, devotional philosophy. The mother heard, but the mother never remembered. Ladies, they are Maya. They are easily - they want to be deceived and they want to deceive the male members. So they never remember all these spiritual talks. But the boy inside, he remembered. From the beginning till the end - all the teachings he wrote in his mind.

Now when he was born he was always weeping and laughing. The boy when he was weeping they thought that some disease or some insect or some germ might have done any harm, but they cannot diagnose why he was laughing. He was laughing when he sees the Lord. When the Lord disappeared he was weeping. But how can they understand this? They have no knowledge about Prahlada's spiritual body.

He is a great devotee. Such is Prahlada.

Prahlada said:

"Bhakta, when the Lord offers him some boons he says:

"Why do you offer me boons, sir? I don't want any boons from you. I am your servant. I want your service. But don't deceive me by giving boons. I will never take any boons."

"You take something."

"No. I will never take.""

Is there any person like Prahlada in this world who can reject the boons given by the Lord?

There is none equal to him who can give boons, only he can give. And he says:

"Take it."

"No. I don't want. I reject."

Who can reject? If you expect 100000 are given to you. Do you reject that?

"No. It is Lord's blessings." (laughs)

But Prahlada:

na sa bhrtyah sa vai vanik

"I am not a businessman. I am a servant. I want your service, Lord. Don't deceive me by offering money and wealth. I don't want that."

"No. No. Who will rule the country after your father dies? Now you must rule the country."

"Yes. I will rule the country but I will never forget you. Please bless me."

natha yoni-sahasresu yesu yesu vrajamy aham tesu tesu acala bhaktir acyutastu sada

"O, Lord. If I have to take birth no harm. I am ready to accept birth. But in that birth let me not forget you. Let me always remember you."

At every step, while you are eating, every item you eat, you must remember the Lord.

How the Lord takes the devotees offerings? How?

When Krishna went to Duryodana as a royal guest. Duryodana was emperor. And all golden plates with high class preparations were brought to Krishna. Krishna never looked at it. He went away to Vidura's house and there Vidura was absent. His wife was there. What can she give? Nothing. Krishna has come. No such valuable eatables are there which she can offer. Nothing. She, (inaudible) something, yes, Krishna accepted what was given to him. He never accepted the royal gifts of Duryodana. He never accepted. So the Lord only takes what?

Patram pushpam phalam toyam

A leaf and a fruit and little water. Whatever you offer with devotion.

yo me bhaktya prayacchati

Bhaktya - that is there. Without bhakti whatever valuable articles you give, Krishna will never accept. And if bhakti is there, if you have no valuable articles, you get one leaf from the tree, a little water from the well and one fruit from your tree - Krishnarpana. Then Krishna says:

"O you have given me a lot. You have given me a mountain. Mountains."

What you give? A water from the well and one leaf of the tree. You have not purchased? No. No hardship to get one leaf of the tree. And little water. He says:

"You have given. I will give my heart to you. Not my heart, my body.

tulasi-dala matrena jalasya culukena va vikrinite svam atmanam bhaktebhya bhakta-vatsalah

Bhakta-vatsala he is. What the bhakta says he will follow. Bhakta-vatsala.

You see, when the father embraces the boy out of affection, he kisses a boy on his head or in his shoulder, the boy passes urine. But he never feels for that, because of affection. It is affection.

"Just now I have washed with water and the boy has passed urine."

Now he must with cane? No.

This sort of affection, it is spontaneous. The Lord should bless us and through his blessing I can know what is bhakti, how to practice and how to approach a devotee, a spiritual master or a devotee. That also will be taught, dictated by my Lord who is in me. He is called chaitya-guru. He is inside. I must always remember.

(inaudible verse)

Now, when walking you put your left step, then fix it, then you take your right and place it. And without seeing if you put that step there, there may be some poisonous snake or poisonous insect and it will bite you. So you have to walk carefully and see what is next. What is next you must see and then put a foot. If there is a thorn, if you put it, thorn will enter into the body. Then you have to suffer. So whatever you do, you must know it. Without knowing, blindly, you should not do anything. Know that. Step by step. Step by step.

If you put one step towards the Lord, Lord will put steps towards you. That is the submission. That is a surrender. If we totally surrender, if I walk towards him, he will be coming to me. This is an etiquette. I don't know whether western countries have it or not. In eastern countries a guest, a respectable guest has come and now, to whom he has come when he got down from his car, a person to whom he has come, he also will get down from his high place and receive the person coming from the car. Like this. This is called etiquette. He will never sit. Because he may be a great officer, he may be a great man, but greatness can only be understood there if he comes forward to embrace him. He must submit. Now this gentlemen comes forward to embrace him. That is called etiquette.

When you go to Krishna, Krishna will come forward to embrace you. When you want to offer him, Krishna will come. With devotion if you offer anything, Krishna will come and take whatever you offer. Only devotion is there.

When there is no devotion it is a show. So many do, so that others may see:

"O, he is a great devotee. He is doing this and offering so much."

But that is not accepted.

Sudama is a friend, classmate, Krishna's classmate. He took part rice in his armpit, in a small piece of cloth he tied that. And he had no bag, no cloth, upper cloth, only one kaupina. He came to Dwaraka. There are 7 gates. The gatekeepers never asked him:

"Where are you going? Have you got any passport?"

Nobody asked. Because in Dwaraka all are devotees. They know that he is a devotee. He is a devotee. Because all of them in Dwaraka are devotees. They have got full knowledge. They could understand that he is a classmate of Lord Krishna.

After crossing 7 gates when he reached inner apartments, where Rukmini and Krishna were, Krishna saw:

"From a long distance my classmate is coming."

They were in class fifty years back, not now. But yes, he thought:

"My classmate is coming."

With one piece of kaupina. Nothing else. No dressing, no washing, no soap, no cloth, no dress. Immediately he came in that compartment and carried his friend, and went inside and placed him on a throne of a Lord and washed his feet. Cold water was brought and that feetwash water was distributed to all. All the Ranis, Queens.

Feetwash of the Lord Krishna, that is called caranamrita. Everybody, if you go to temple, you must take that caranamrita, feetwash.

Now Krishna is taking the feetwash of Sudama. And putting that on his head and in the mouth.

So no monopoly. Don't think that Lord Krishna is always a Lord. That Lord Krishna becomes a servant of his servants. His servants.

Aham bhakta paradhina

He says:

"I am the servant of my servant. Those who serve me, they are not my servants. Those who serve through my servants, if they serve my servants they are better servants."

This you must realize. That Krishna's power and Krishna's authority we can realize only when we with all sincerity cultivate devotion. You must cultivate devotion. (inaudible)

And Mahaprabhu said:

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

Now we have to stop.

vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

Now this forest has become pure. Vaisnavas performed sankirtan here. Every creature of this forest; "did any mahatma come here and do bhajan?" Nobody can say. No bhajan. It is only picnic, picnic. A place of picnic. No place of sincere devotees, and true devotees coming here and talking about the glories of the Lord or singing the glories of the Lord and dancing. No. Now, from today onwards this forest is sanctified. Completely sanctified. They have got small houses, cars. In a hot season in the seashore they want to enjoy. What is the use? You will die! Death is there. What enjoyment can be there? What is the use? You will die.(laughs) You must know this.

And to let them know we voluntarily come here. It is the (inaudible) Croatia, It is a Croatia. I said people are not properly trained in devotion. They want proper teachings of devotion. They have got little faith, but it must increase. And light it. A kindle. If you put that petrol lamp, to kindle this, you must kindle it. Where? If you don't get any smell and if you put that light here, than this fragrance will come out. So, the devotees must be there to bring that light. The fragrance. They will distribute that fragrance to you all, (inaudible) you like it or not. Haribol.

Krishnarpanamastu. Krishnarpanamastu. Now Krishna will be pleased with all the devotees.