adadanas trnam dantair idam yace punah punah
srimad rupa-padambhoja-dhulih syam janma-janmani

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

namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-chaitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah

Since you are Croatia, the devotees are very anxious to have the association of sadhus and hear from them.

Our sastras or the revealed scriptures caution us to hear only such spiritual topics as narrated, composed or approved by great realised devotees. Ancient or modern - any composition, maybe on Godhead, from the pen of worldly minded people does not provide us with the desired result. They say things in their mental mode, and give often an entirely new form or even a wrong shape. It is beneficial, preferable, compulsory to hear spiritual discourses from persons who have realised God, and whose lives are living examples of this same valuable teachings. Of all kinds of sacred books prescribed for the purpose of hearing, sravana, they establish listening to srimad-bhagavata. It is spoken of as the best. In it we get the combination of both aforesaid qualifications. It is composed by the great Krishna-dvaipayana Vedavyasa one of our manifested Lords, and narrated by great bhaktas like Sukadeva and Suta Goswami and others. (inaudible) it contains the quintessence of all the sastras of the world. It is the essence of all the sastras, all the revealed scriptures of the world.

Rasika devotees belonging to the any of the 5 important spiritual rasas of santa rasa, dasya rasa, sakhya rasa, vatsalya rasa and madhura rasa, and that bhavukas in whom the spontaneous love for bhagavan has made its manifestation drink deep this nectarine rasa till they are completely saturated with devotion, everlasting bliss.

Srimad Bhagavata is the fully ripened fruit of the wish-yielding treeslike Vedas.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam

It is the wish-yielding tree - Vedas. And Srimad Bhagavatam is fully ripened fruit of that wish-yielding tree.

The fruit has dropped down from the tree to the earth. From the holy mouth of the great sage Sukadeva. This fruit is unlike other fruits as it is free from any waste substance. Nothing can be thrown away. All the fruit we use - you can throw the bark or inside-outside you can throw it - but in this fruit nothing should be thrown. Every atomic form of that fruit is useful. That's why the skin, fibre, seed, etc. cannot be thrown. And it contains rasa itself, the most marvellous and captivating transcendental pastimes of this Nama, qualities from the nectarine content of this incomparable fruit.

It is imperatively necessary to verify the authenticity of what we have heard, and yet to be fully convinced of it. Before starting with any course of spiritual procedure we must be through with its theoretical side. Theoretical side you must hear. That are the sastras, the pure sastras. Sravana occupies a first place in the limbs of devotional practices.

There are nine devotional practices. Out of it sravana, hearing. You must hear from a bonfide, pure, realised mahatma, sadhu, bhakta, bhagavata.

And hear it says: "the act of listening is thread forth by many devotees even after realising bhagavan."

Listening. A man can listen till he realises the Lord. But even after realising the Lord also the devotee never forgets listening to the glories of the Lord. Always. They have prayed to bhagavan to bless them incessantly with the benefit of hearing his transcendental glories.

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

The Prahlada was asked by Nrisimha. The God Nrisimha.

Nrisimha after killing Hiranyakasipu, his father - demon, he asked:

"Prahlada. What boon I can give you?"

Then Prahlada said:

"I don't want any boon from you."

"Really? How is it? There is none in this world who can reject my boons? I willingly want to give you a boon. And how can you reject it?"

"Yes sir. I don't want any boon. If I take a boon I will take birth again. I am your servant. My duty is to satisfy you. I always sing your glories. Not only in this birth, if I take any birth, in that birth also I want to sing your glories. Glories I will sing. But I don't want any boon from you."

na sa bhrtyah sa vai vanik

The transcendental glories what they hear. They have prayed to bhagavan to bless them incessantly with the benefit of hearing his transcendental glories. That is the benefit.

If a bhagavan wants to give you any boon, you can ask anything. But he says:

"I don't want anything. And if you want to give me anything - as I am singing, as I am serving you again in the next birth, or one birth, two births, three births, hundred of births. I want to have a link with you, I will serve you, I will sing your glories. I don't want anything."

So this is exceptional. Exceptional demand of a devotee. A devotee.

Sakama bhakta and niskama bhakta.

Sakama bhakta possesses many types of demands. Many type of thoughts. Many things he wants. And those things:

ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham

Whatever he wants, the Lord will supply him.

But a real pure devotee, though the Lord offers, he rejects.

"I don't want. I want your service."

"Already you have done so much service. You have performed penance. You have suffered the most. You have suffered. Your father has thrown you into the ocean, and has thrown you into the fire. And you were tumbled by these elephants. And serpents. The venomous serpents were brought to kill you. You have highly suffered. You have suffered utmost for my service. Now you take something in return."

"No sir. I am your servant. I am eternal servant. Now you want to give me some wages, some remuneration, some reward and you deceive me."

(inaudible)

If the Lord wants to give anything to the devotee, the clever devotee, intelligent devotee thinks:

"I will be deceived. If you give me anything in return, then I am deceived. I don't want to be deceived. I am more intelligent. I don't want anything."

Many people to please themselves, they want to give something to their devotees. The devotees may take it, but a pure devotee, a strong devotee of the Supreme Lord says:

"No sir. I don't want."

Not only Prahlada. Even Dhruva. Dhruva was offered:

"What do you want? What you want I will give you."

He says:

"Nothing I demand. I demand only your blessings. I came for my father's throne. I wanted to sit on the throne of my father. My father never allowed me. I was a child of 5 years. I wanted to sit on the throne of my father. But my stepmother Suruci drove me away."

"You fellow! You cannot sit on the throne of your father! If you are born to me you can sit. My son is Uttama. He will sit. You were born to some other, so no, you cannot sit."

Then he was very angry. He thought:

"Why should I survive?"

He told his mother, Suniti:

"Mother. I was not allowed to sit on the throne. What shall I do?"

She told:

"All the great sages perform tapas. Through the blessings of the Lord that can satisfy them. But you are a boy now, young boy. What tapas, penance can you do? Please wait. After some years you can do that"

"No mother. I will go now."

So he started to the forest. On the way Narada came to him. And Narada said:

"Boy! I am Narada. I have come to you to make you return to your house. Where you are going I know. You want to perform penance. What penance can you do? You are a young boy. There is no food, no water, no place to sit, no place to sleep. All the cruel animals will eat away your flesh. You cannot perform penance. So now, g !"

But he said:

"No, sir! I won't go. Don't advise me to go back! I have come. Either I must perform penance or I must die, but I will never return back to home."

Then he gave mantra.

"That mantra you repeat for six months. First month you should eat this much quantity of food. Second month you reduce. Third month you reduce. Fourth month you reduce. Fifth month you reduce. Sixth month nothing. At the end of sixth month you will see some light in your heart, inside. And open your eyes and see - the Lord is standing before you."

Six months completed. He saw the light, opened his eyes, saw - the Lord is standing. Then he did not know what to do after seeing the Lord.

So the Lord himself touched the head of Dhruva.

Then he offered fine prayers, very fine strong sanskrit prayers.

And after listening to the prayers the Lord asked:

"Dhruva. What boon do you want?"

Then Dhruva said:

"Sir. I have come for the throne. As my father never allowed me to sit on the throne. I am the eldest son but he never recognised me. So I have come to the forest to perform penance, and now my Lord, my spiritual master Narada has given me this mantra, and due to chanting that mantra I could get your vision. Now I am satisfied. I saw you. I don't want any boon from you. Though you offer it to me, I will never accept it."

"No. No. Your father is coming now to the forest. He will give you the entire kingdom and the throne. And he will go to penance. From today onwards for 36000 years you will rule the country, and after that I will give you the place near Vaikuntha."

Then he went. And because the Lord ordered he performed this, and at last went to Vaikuntha.

So also, so many devotees when in pure devotion, when they satisfy the Lord, the Lord though willing to offer them any boon, they reject it. Almost there were innumerable narrations about the devotees in Srimad Bhagavata, in each canto number of devotees. Almost all these devotees, they are pure devotees, they never took any boon for their penance, or for their service, or for their performing austerities, anything. They never in return took any boon from the Lord.

Now here it says: "A devotee does not want anything in return from the Lord."

The acts of listening were prayed for by many devotees even after realising bhagavan.

Those who are desirous of crossing this terrible ocean of triple afflictions, extremely difficult to cross, this terrible ocean. They have no other vessel than hearing. They must occupy a vessel. There they must carefully sit. Then they will be driven by a well-versed driver. And he will make them cross the ocean. Like that - enjoying the nectarine narrative of the glorious deeds of the Supreme Lord Krishna. What is that boat? That boat is only the narration of the glories of the Lord Krishna. And those glories, the sadhus who have already surrendered to Krishna, they always repeat the same stories. Always. There is nothing more that they should hear or talk of. Sri Krishna, the eternal benefactor of those sadhus, hearing and chanting whose name is great purifying factor. If we hear his name or chant his name Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. If we hear or if we chant or if one chants.

"Oh, very good, he is chanting."

So he appreciated. And one who remembers:

"Oh. On that day we had gone there. I had heard about Krishna nama."

Remembers.

They will be benefited. Their benefit is only pure devotion. They don't want to take anything in return from Krishna. So they say: transcendental glories uproot the evil propensities in their hearts - as their indwelling guide. Here, the Lord is there, chaitya guru, indwelling guide.

Isvara sarva-bhutanam hrid-dese arjuna tistahati

He is inside. He is guiding.

If I hear the glories of the Lord he will guide me in a proper way. I may not be mislead. Misleading is not there if we hear from a proper person, from a sincere person, from an honest, pure Sadhu. If he repeats then the result will be the devotion. And who hears that, then he also wants to serve the Lord, but not to take anything from him. But here, those who drink in the narrations of nectar-like glorious deeds of the Lord who is light of the devotees, and pour them into the cavities of their ears through the bhaktas, purify their hearts which are awfully contaminated by the thoughts of the senses and sense objects, and attain his lotus feet.

Because

srinvatah sraddhaya nityam grinatas ca sva-cestitam
kalena natidirghena bhagavan visate hridi

If one repeats the nama, or hears the nama, all the glories of the Lord he may think of, or if any devotee is singing and he hears - then definitely it purifies his heart. This heart is impure due to senses and sense objects. Our hands, our eyes, our ears, our tongues, our noses and our bodies. All these, they are anxious to enjoy. And that makes him heavy and he cannot purify himself through these sense objects. He goes to a fancy market. He travels to the market. He sees so many varieties of articles. He wants to purchase them. He wants to purchase. Though he has no money, he wants to purchase. To purchase he borrows or steals. Like that everything. Beauty. He is charmed by the beauty. Beauties of these lifeless objects (inaudible).

Now our sense objects. We must be free from sense objects. When we have the lotus flower. You see, yesterday a big lotus flower was given to me. Some devotee gave it to me. It is so beautiful. All were astonished to see that - this flower. The lotus feet of the Lord are more beautiful and more attractive. They can attract whole universe. They can attract. The flower can attract only few. So we see. But that has the capacity to attract. And that nectar by hearing, by seeing, by smelling, by tasting and touching - through our organs - we can have that nectar.

Sravana-nayana amrita(inaudible)

Sravana. Hearing. If you hear the nectarian glories of the Lord then you will feel happy. Nectarian. You will never want to leave that. You must always, day and night you must hear that nectarian glories.

Who heard? You know? The Bhagavatam was narrated by Sukadeva Gosvami and heard by Parikshit Maharaja. Parikshit Maharaja was the emperor of whole Bharata-varsa. One day he went to the forest and wanted to bring some(inaudible) the several beasts, but he was very tired from the hunting. Now he went to an asrama where a person was sitting and performing yoga. He went and requested him little water. But he could not get water. Now he:

"I have come to the asrama. And I don't want anything except little water. If the asrama cannot feed little water what help can they do to us?"

So saying, by going he saw a serpent, dead body of a serpent. And that serpent he threw on his neck. And went away.

By the time he reached, this boy, his son Shringi. He was playing with other boys. Other boys, they told him:

"Boy! You see what is there on the neck of your father?"

He saw a serpent. Then he grew very angry.

"Who has done this? Anybody? Who he may be? He must live only seven days. After seven days Taksaka will come and bite him and kill him."

He was crying and he removed that serpent from the neck of the father and the father came to senses.

"What happened?"

He said:

"Some fellow has come here and he requested you little water. But you were in a trance. You could not hear that. He could not receive water. He threw that dead body of a snake round your neck and went away. I have cursed him. After seven days he will die."

Then the father said:

"You have committed greatest blunder. He is an emperor of our country. Because he is here alive, we freely, without any harm, we can perform penance. And if he goes away then we cannot perform penance. There may be so many impediments. So many demons will destroy us. We will be destroyed. And our penance will be destroyed. Oh, Lord, please excuse this boy. His boon should not affect Maharaja. Parikshit Maharaja."

But Parikshit heard that. Maharaja heard.

"The boy has cursed me. All right. It is not a curse. It is a boon. The boy told me that I will die after seven days. Suppose I will bring many people, doctors, those who can cure me from serpent bites. There are many. But what is the use? If I survive, I must die one day. I cannot live eternally. If not on 7th day, after 7 months or 7 years or 100 years. Not more than 100 years I can survive in this world. Now he has done me great help. Now it is a boon. It is not a curse. Because he told 7 days, it will be like this. (inaudible) On the 8th day I will go away. In these 7 days I must reach the sublime lotus feet of my Lord. I want to know that."

So when he started to perform his fasting he said:

"From today onwards, for 7 days I will never drink water, I will never take food, I will never sleep. Without sleep, without food, without drinking water I must perform tapas as you say. Whatever you say."

All the sages also have come there. They thought:

"If Parikshit maharaja goes away we cannot be happy. We cannot exist. We must also die. Let us die with Parikshit Maharaja. As long as he stays here we will stay. He is not taking food - we will never take food. He has no sleep - we will have no sleep. No water - no water. We will follow."

Then Parikshit Maharaja asked all of them, the sages, the brahmarisis, rajarisis, devarisis and so many sannyasis, yogis. So many people, religious people have come there. And he asked:

"All of you please accept my humble sastang prostrations. I beg you. Within these 7 days how can I reach the Lord? With all of you, Ganga devi is here, you rishis are here and I am fortunate. I am not afraid of death. I want to know and I want to reach the Lord within these 7 days."

Then all these sages, they have advised different ways. Some said:

"You perform yajna."

Some said:

"You perform penance. You perform this. You perform that."

So many methods they told. But he was not convinced. He said:

"All these methods cannot take me to the Supreme Godhead within this short period of only seven days."

So he could not have faith in these offerings. He was waiting.

"My Lord Krishna, who has helped my ancestors, 5 pandavas, that Krishna must come now and bless me. And then only I can be free."

Then, while he was thinking of Krishna, Krishna himself, as a Sukadeva, a boy of 16 years, he was naked. He was the son of Vyasadeva. He was born and after birth he left the parents immediately, Vyasadeva and the mother he left, and went to the forest. And Vyasadeva followed him.

"Oh my boy, where are you going?"

So saying he followed him. But in the forest

"Ha kumara ha kumara! Ha putra ha putra!"¸

The trees were resounding

"Ha putra ha putra!"

But, "he will never come again." So saying he returned. While he was returning he saw the river Ganga flowing very near and there all the damsels were taking bath. Keeping their clothes on the shore they were taking bath. And when they saw Vyasadeva is coming, they all came to the shore and tied the cloth. When Vyasadeva reached they prostrated to Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva asked them:

"Have you seen a youth, a boy going this way?"

"Yes" they said. "We saw."

"You tied the cloth. But you saw a youth and you were not ashamed to tie your cloth. Then you were in the water. But now, I am an old man and seeing me you feel ashamed?"

Then they said:

"Yes sir. We know that you are experienced. You are the oldest person and you have got experience of men and women. What is man, what is woman you know. But your boy doesn't know what man is, what woman is. We saw him like a tree. We saw him like a small animal. We never felt ashamed."

Then, such was a yogi. He was a yogi, maha-yogi. Then he went away into the forest and while performing penance he heard the writings of his father Vyasadeva. Bhagavata text. These bards, and the local people they are singing those texts where he came? No. But:

"Who has written this beautiful text he heard there? Who has written this?"

He came to know his father has written. He came to father.

"Father, please tell me what is that grantha you have written which contains these slokas?"

Then he said:

"It is Srimad Bhagavata."

"So let me hear Bhagavata."

Then he repeated Bhagavata to his son and son went away. After birth went away. Now he has come. So he narrated the whole of Bhagavata to Sukadeva.

That Sukadeva who heard from his father 18000 texts, to repeat that before Parikshit Maharaja he came.

Now it is a first sitting. Bhagavata's first sitting. Samya-prakasa. Badarika-ashrama. It was done.

Now the 2nd sitting in Bihar province Suka-sthal on the banks of Ganga. In that place Sukadeva has come. Sukadeva, a boy, with all the children, naked children playing, he has come. And when Parikshit Maharaja saw Sukadeva:

sannidhyat te maha-yogin patakani mahanty api
sadyo nasyanti vai pumsam visnor iva suretarah

"By seeing you, when I have a chance to see you, all my sins have evaporated. I am not suffering for death, for the curse. After 7 days I will die. I am not afraid of death. Now please bless me. I have got only 7 days. In these 7 days I want to reach the Lord."

Then Sukadeva said:

"Yes. I promise you. I promise you in 7 days I will take you to the Lord. Vaikuntha. I am taking the responsibility."

He took the responsibility.

"You sit and hear."

"Yes" he said.

Parikshit Maharaja was hearing Bhagavata and Sukadeva was repeating Bhagavata. Whatever he heard from his father Vyasadeva, the same thing, nothing excluded, nothing added. Not even a word added, not a word excluded. As it is. What he repeated? 18000 slokas of Srimad Bhagavat. Same Bhagavat he repeated like a parrot. A parrot, if you say Rama, the parrot will say Rama. And if you utter any sloka it will utter. It will never utter anything unless you say. So like that Sukadeva. His name is Suka. Suka-yogi. What he heard from his father, he repeated this to Pariksit Maharaja.

Now Pariksit Maharaja heard it. Sravana. And Sukadeva Kirtana. Repeated. Continuously for 7 days Sukadeva as well as Parikshita Maharaja and all the listeners that were there. All of them are suffering. Nobody is eating, nobody is drinking water, nobody is sleeping, nobody puts his eyelids. Is there any person to hear the message, the narration of a devotee or a realised soul or a pure soul, a mahatma, his sayings? Nobody. We have never heard. This is the first occasion that Bhagavata was heard. By Parikshita maharaja. Without dropping of the eyelids.

Now sravana. And that sravana, he says.

"Those who hear this Bhagavata, they are not afraid of death."

tam mopayatam pratiyantu vipra
ganga ca devi dhrita-cittam ise
dvijopasrishtah kuhakas takshako va
dasatv alam gayata vishnu-gathah

He says:

(inaudible)

"No one minute rest. Because you have promised:"

"In 7 days I will repeat Bhagavata to you."

"And if one minute is lost, then I cannot hear Bhagavata. Because if one minute lost, so for one minute it is not complete Bhagavat I am able to hear. So you never stop. You repeat. You repeat. I am not suffering. I am not suffering. I am happy. I am not afraid of death. I don't feel unhappy. I am very strong. I am not in need of sleep, in need of food and water. Because I am drinking nectar. Whatever you speak is a nectar to me. I eat that nectar."

That nectar who can distribute? Only the pure devotee of the Lord can do that. I cannot. I cannot do that. So here, he says:

"If we hear the narrations of the glories of the Lord Krishna from a devotee, we also will be a devotee. By hearing the narrations we will definitely reach the Lord. The planet of the Lord - Vaikuntha - we will reach. Because it has got the power. This is the nectar. The hearing of the glories of the Lord is nectar. Nectar means: it will give you no death. You will never die.

Of course we are jivas. We will never die. We are not born, nor will we die. What is born? This frame, this bodily frame. This frame was born, it will grow, and gradually it decays and disappears.

avyaktadini bhutani vyaktamadhyani bharata
avyaktanidhanany eva tatra ka paridevana

Now we are appearing and after some time we will disappear. So what is the loss? No loss. We are, means this body. This body, it appears, and this body will disappear. You cannot keep it eternally. But atma inside, our indweller, he is eternal. He has no birth. He has no death. And that stage we can achieve by serving sadhus, and hearing the glories of the Lord from them.

These are the important subjects. The sadhus always, they discuss sastra.

Sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, cittete kariya aikya, ar na kariho mane asa

In Chaitanya-caritamrita Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said:

"Sadhu."

Sadhu. Who is a sadhu? A devotee. A devotee. A Vaisnava. And whatever he says - the same thing is written in sastras, bhagavat sastras. Bhagavata Purana written by Vyasadeva, Krishna-dvaipayana Vedavyasa, it is the word of the Lord. It is a sabda-brahma. What we call sabda-brahma? Sabda-brahma, para-brahma - one. No difference. Sabda-brahma is a sound. Krishna, Krishna is a sound. And para-brahma is Krishna. And sabda-brahma is Krishna. His name, his glory, his attributes or his pastimes. Everything is nectar.

And that nectar if we drink through mouth or drink through ears, and drink through eyes, and drink through nose, and drink through the skin, touching...

When Krishna was in Vrindavan all the beasts, they come to him. They are licking his body, Krishna's body. And these ladies, these what you call deers, these deers they look at Krishna. Both, male and female. They combine and they look at Krishna. That is devotional prema.

It is love. They are looking, looking him with love. Their eyes have touched.

There is one, what you call? (inaudible) He is like a man. Like a man it will be sitting on this branch. He is a man. And when you go there and say "Goo, goo, goo" and see, he will look at you. He looks at you. And you think: "did you know me?" As if my friend is looking at me? No. It is his nature. It is his nature to look. As if you have got relation with him, as if he knows you. No. It is her nature.

Like that a deer has a nature. Her eyesight is very, very pleasant eyesight. It is called prema. Prema. This devotional nectar. If anybody sees the eyes of a deer it is very pleasing. Very pleasing. Her sight is very pleasing. So all the deers they come. And the peacocks. The peacocks they gather. Hundreds of peacocks gather round Krishna in the forest. And all these calves with cows. They work in grazing. But when Krishna blows the flute they give up drinking mothers milk. And cows who were grazing the grass, they erect their ears and listen. And birds. When they hear the melody of that flute they sit in the thick trees. Sit. Closing their eyes they listen. Like a munis. They listen this sound, melody.

(inaudible)

The clouds, they are moving. But when he blows the flute they stop moving. The flute stops the movements of the clouds.

(inaudible)

And Brahma who is on the 7th planet. He is astonished to hear that sound. Because it travels. And who is underground? Vasuki, who carries this world on his hoods. He is now trembling hearing this voice.

The solid becomes water, and water is solidified as ice.

So the view and the pastimes of Krishna are all pleasant. Everybody is attracted by Lord Krishna. The beasts, the birds, the cows, the calves, the men and women. Everybody. When they hear Krishna's flute, when they see him, Krishna, they are not satisfied in the (inaudible), they always want to hear.

When Krishna... You know? There in Vrindavan. Krishna was in Vrindavan daily performing his pastimes. And from that village with milk, curd or butter, these Gopis, they go to other villages. And there is a village, brahmins are there. And there they go and sell. They used to call these gopies inside. And they purchase what they have got. And they ask what Krishna has done yesterday? Daily they come. Daily they report. What pastimes he has done. So, daily hearing this for six months. They want:

"Can we see Krishna?"

"How can we see? We are not allowed to cross the threshold of our house. Outside we cannot see. We cannot go to the streets outside. Nor our guardians will allow us to see. Krishna must come to our threshold and give darshan, then only we can see."

Like this they heard the glories of Krishna for 7 years. 7 years. And after 7 years they were very much distressed.

"Krishna has not accepted our prayers. He has not come to our place and gave darshan."

Now Krishna realised that. One day early in the morning they came away without their breakfast. Now when they reached that place Krishna sent all these boys.

"You go to Brahmins here. They are performing yajna. You tell them that Krishna-Balarama have come here. They have not brought today breakfast from their homes. So they are feeling hungry. You please give some food."

They offered their prayers and requested. The brahmins never gave any reply. Then they returned and told Krishna.

"Krishna. Why did you send us to those people? They never gave us any reply."

"Yes. You need not feel for that. You are a beggar. If one gate is closed hundred gates are open. Now you go to back-side of these brahmins. Backdoor. Through backdoor you approach the ladies. They are sitting. They will close the purnahuti of the yajnam now. With all their preparations they are sitting. You go immediately."

Then they went. (inaudible)

"Mothers. Krishna Balarama have come here. They are very hungry. They want some food from you. They are here in your village."

When they heard that Krishna has come:

"7 years we are crying to have darshan of Krishna! Now Krishna has come!"

They were very glad. But they heard Krishna is hungry.

"Why do we hear that he is hungry? He is hungry."

So they keep all the preparations on the plates. They covered it, and all of them, each taking one plate, were running.

Then all the brahmins, they are with a stick and an axe and with a sword. They want to forbid them.

"If you are going without our order, if you go out we will never allow you to come. If you come we will kill you."

They said:

"You are throwing ghee in the flames so that yajna-murti bhagavan will take. Not the fire. In the fire, yajna-murti, Vishnu-murti will take. For Vishnu you are offering ghee. But the Lord Vishnu has come to you and begged you that he is hungry. "You give little food." You rejected. Why do you waste ghee and throw it in the flames? Now you could not satisfy the Lord. We will go whether you kill us or whether you do any harm to us. We will go."

So, with all the preparations, with all that, they saw... They saw Krishna - one hand on his friend, a boy, and with one hand he was keeping lotus flower, big lotus flower and doing this. And one hand is on his friend. They saw this.

syamam hiranya-paridhim vanamalya-barha-
dhatu-pravala-nata-vesham anavratamse

Now they saw Krishna. They saw that Krishna with his friends, with lotus flower in hand. And the eyesight, that sight, they took it through the gates of eyes. Through the eyes they saw, and took that figure into their hearts. They placed Krishna on their hearts throne. And they embraced. They closed their eyes. They embraced Krishna.

And Krishna took that offering. Immediately he distributed it to all his playmates. And Krishna took. Now Krishna said:

"You have seen. You are anxious to see me. To satisfy you I have come here. And now you brought food for us. We have accepted. Now you go home."

Then they said:

"We are not allowed to go home. If we go home they will kill us. We will never go home. We will die here. We will leave the world."

"No. No. I am in their bodies. I must inspire them to kill you. But unless I inspire how can they kill you? They cannot kill you. You go. They will never do any harm."

So they went back to them and when the brahmins saw them:

"Oh. You have come. All right. It is already late. Now let us do purnahuti."

They received them. Happily the received them for purnahuti. After that purnahuti all of them took prasadam and were happy.

Krishna was then in their village. Now the brahmins were feeling:

"We have committed great offence. We have studied in spiritual master's house for 20, 22 years. We studied all the Vedas, all the scriptures, revealed scriptures. We know everything. We are fully educated. We have gone through the Vedas. And in age we are 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 years of age. But in spite of that we could not able to see Krishna. These ladies they do not know abcd. How to write they do not know. They have nothing - no penance, no sacrifice. No. Nothing they did. But they could see Krishna. They offered to Krishna, and Krishna accepted them. Now whatever the devotion they have accumulated, half of it will come to us. Because (inaudible) - the wife and the husband. Half - half. When they have done that we were unfortunate we could not go there, but they have done. Now, accidentally, our fortune will be that we will have half of their devotion.(inaudable)

But still Krishna was there. They never went there - only two yards they can go and see Krishna. Why? Because they thought Kamsa has given us the landed properties to perform yajna. Daily we do yajna. Now if Kamsa comes to know that we have all gone to see Krishna then tomorrow he will say: "You bring away all this land and property and give to me". And he will take it away. What shall we eat?" So they stopped.

But here, the ladies, they never wanted to go home. And Krishna said:

"No. They cannot beat you. They cannot kill you. Neither they can abuse you. They will receive you. Because I am inside them. I must inspire them to do that."

So now that same Krishna is there. Krishna. If the brahmins have gone and seen Krishna, then they would have gotten the boons, but they are unfortunate. Though Krishna has come there, they never go to Krishna. Krishna has come to them, but these fellows are unfortunate. They could not see Krishna.

So that is how by seeing Krishna, hearing Krishna and searching Krishna we can attain the sublime stage that we want. Unless we reach that sublime stage, we will be having rebirth.

punar api jananam punar api maranam
punar api janani jathare shayanam
iti samsare... (inaudible)

Where is the happiness? No hapiness. Now we must hear revealed sastras, revealed scripture's words.

Whatever the scriptures say, the sadhus should say. The spiritual master also says the same thing. If you find difference between a sadhu and a sadhu, and between one spiritual master and another spiritual master it is because it is not approved by the scriptures. If it is approved by scriptures, the quotations, anybody will say - every sadhu, every spiritual master must quote sastra. But when they never do so they cannot be spiritual masters. They cannot be sadhus.

Now shall we stop here?

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