Opis putovanja u srpnju 2000.
 
 

Manifesting the potency of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Rupa Gosvami,
continuing the mission of his diksa-guru, paramapujyapada Sri Srimad Bhakti
Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and fulfilling the legacy of his
siksa-guru, paramapujyapada Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, Srila
Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja embarked on the fifth successful year of his
world preaching tour, beginning on May 22, 2000. In Maui, Hawaii, he
primarily revealed his many insights on Ramananda Raya Samvada. In Badger,
California, he primarily spoke on Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teachings to Sri
Rupa Gosvami and Sri Sanatana Gosvami, culminating in a powerful class
resolving the controversy on the origin of the jiva-tattva. In Alachua,
Florida, he continued Sanatana siksa in the evenings and enlightened all on
the essence of Mahaprabhu's Sri Siksastakam. In the process of speaking in
these places, he initiated about 300 devotees and inspired thousands. He
then traveled to Wales. It is difficult to express the excitement and joy he
created around him.
 

                                                 Wales

U Walesu je Shrila Maharaja sa preko 300 bhakta odsjeo u zgradama koje su pripadale sveučilišnom kompleksu zgrada, tako da su svi bhakte mogli biti na jednom mjestu. Kao i obično, gosti nisu došli samo iz države domaćina, već iz cijeloga svijeta. Kako su za vrijeme gostovanja Maharaje bili dani Ratha-yatre, čišćenja Gundica templa i Hera Pancamija, Shrila Maharaja održao je niz predavanja o Ratha-yatra festivalu. Kao i uvijek, razotkrivao je mnoge povjerljive pouke vezane za povijest dolaska Gospodina Jagannathe, te o ezoteričkoj lili koja se krije iza godišnjeg festivala. Detaljno je ispričao povijest kralja Indradyumne i njegove kraljice, o Gundici, kraljevoj potrazi za Božanstvom Nila Madhave, te o razotkrivanju Nila Madhave kao Gospodina Jagannathe.
 

In Wales, Srila Maharaja and over 300 devotees resided in the buildings of a
University Campus, so that devotees from all over England could stay in one
central location. As usual, though, his audience was not only from that
country, but rather from all over the world. Because the holy tithis of
Ratha-yatra, Cleansing of the Gundica Mandira, and Hera Pancami occurred
during his stay there, Srila Maharaja gave a series of talks about the
Ratha-yatra festival. As usual he revealed many deep truths regarding the
history of Lord Jagannatha's appearance, as well as the esoteric lila behind
the yearly festival. In great detail he told the history of King Indradyumna
and his queen, Gundica, the king's search for the Deity of Nila Madhava, and
Nila Madhava's revealing Himself as Lord Jagannatha.  Moreover, he explained
the inner meanings behind that unique form of Lord Jagannatha in relation to
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's dancing before the ratha cart -- with Caitanya
Mahaprabhu in the mood of Srimati Radharani and Jagannathadeva in the mood
of Brajendranandana Syamasundara Krsna who, having now circumstantially left
Vrndavana and, living in the foreign land of Dvaraka, is feeling intense
separation from the Vrajabasis and especially from Srimati Radhika, and is
finally meeting with the Radhika and the gopis at Kuruksetra.

Just before leaving for Holland on July 5, Srila Maharaja held a special
istagosthi, and the current of that istagosthi was like a platform for his
other talks: both those based on lila, and those based in the consideration
of tattva. In this istagosthi he gave strong instructions on how to balance
one's day -- a balance of sadhana-bhajana and temple services, a balance of
sadhana-bhajana and preaching activities, a balance of sadhana-bhajana and
family responsibilities, and a balance of sadhana-bhajana and earning money.
He began by saying that those who are not demons but are not doing bhajana
are like very ignorant donkeys, kicked by the hind legs of the she-donkeys
and taking all the burden of the washerman. Persons favorable to devotion
are of two kinds, and those who are not following the process, the rules of
devotees and devotion are greater in number. Real devotees are few, and even
among that small number there are many divisions. Most are initiated by
unqualified, false gurus, and even those with bona fide gurus are of many
types. Some think, "My fire sacrifice has been performed and I have a sacred
thread; therefore I am initiated." Such persons wear big tilaka, but there
is no diksa in the true sense, and they are continuing their unfavorable or
sinful activities. They are greater in number, and we may be also in this
category. There is no thick relation with Krsna and no real knowledge of
tattva -- not of jiva-tattva, bhagavata-tattva, guru-tattva, maya tattva, or
prema-tattva. Even if they remember a mantra like 'aim guruve namah', their
minds are elsewhere. After ten minutes they think, "What am I doing?" They
were sleeping or just drifting. Then, while chanting, 'klim caitanyaya
vidmahe', the mind is absent for 1/2hour. Most of us are in this category of
struggle.
Worldly affairs come, our job or the like, and we are always very careful
and cautious in these affairs. The mind is always there -- in computers and
here and there -- and not in the guru gayatri and the hare krsna
maha-mantra. A pure devotee comes and inspires them, but as soon as he
leaves -- nothing in there. Their numbers are greater. Others cannot follow
'trinad api sunicena', or even Srila Rupa Gosvami's instructions in
Upadesamrta: 'vaco vegam manasa krodha vegam.' Some wear neck beads of only
one strand, which do not even touch the neck. Even in the military there are
some rules and etiquettes, and the soldiers are punished if they do not
follow them.
If we cannot follow these things, how can we follow Vraja-prema? Caitanya
Mahaprabhu and His associates were all paramahansas, but they all followed
Vaisnava etiquette. If we follow their rules and regulations, a taste will
come. In school there is daily reading and completing the task given by the
teacher.
First, vaco vegam. Control your tongue. The Ramayana and Mahabharata battles
took place because Sita and Draupadi did not control their tongues. Promise
from today,  "I will not quarrel with my wife or husband, children,
Gurudeva, and other devotees." Without this you cannot control your anger.
Don't take rich foodstuffs. The fault of overeating is not only the fault of
the tongue. All five senses are guilty, including the eyes. Looking brings
attachment. Don't try to be astrologers, and don't read books other than
bhakti books. There is no harm if you have not studied in school and
colleges. By chanting, remembering, and serving Gurudeva you will be happy.
Nothing else will make you happy.
 Don't criticize all the Kamsas and Jarasandas. Spend your time in always
glorifying  Nanda, Yasoda, the gopas, gopis, Krsna and the devotees. Don't
care much for your life's maintenance. A lower-class devotee can do so, but
when you are mature you have nothing to do in this regard. What you need
will easily come. Don't talk prajalpa. Chant one lakh of holy names. If this
is not possible, then chant fifty thousand names. If not, then thirty-two
rounds. If not, then go to the ocean and at once jump in. You should
certainly go to the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. Chant, but if your bona fide
guru has come to give a lecture, then go and hear. Then your chanting will
become high-class. Be confident that by doing all this, surely krsna-prema
will come. First finish these things, THEN do anything to maintain your
life. The holy name will arrange everything for you.
Don't associate with friends or family members if they are not devotees.
They are all cheaters. If you are ugly, with two or three children, your
husband will reject you and take a new wife. So give up all your other jobs
and come to saranagati, full surrender to Krsna.

Some of the 300 devotees present were meeting Srila Maharaja for the first
time, some had been waiting since the year before, counting the seconds.
Some, although meeting with him in one or two countries each year, for the
past three, four, or five years, were just now realizing the magnitute of
their fortune in getting the most rare and precious association of such a
high class suddha Vaisnava. Many within the various categories of devotees
were now in the process of changing all their priorities in life and were
preparing to leave their money and position to remain with Srila Maharaja.
 

Holland

Holland was the first place of Srila Maharaja's preaching in the west in
1996, and he was now fond of calling it 'holyland.' Holland was the first
place that he initiated disciples in the west. By now he had thousands of
disciples in the west, and thus far this year's tour had already made
another three hundred fortunate in this way.

July 7 was the celebration of Hera Pancami. Manifesting Srila Rupa Gosvami
and his line of acaryas, Srila Narayana Maharaja again established the
supremacy of the prema of Vraja and especially the glory of Srimati
Radhika's love. He explained the deep meanings behind the festival, where
the Jagannatha Puri temple represents Dvaraka Puri, where Krsna is the son
of Vasudeva and Devaki, where He never carries a flute or wears a peacock
feather, where He cannot say, "Nanda Baba is my father and Yasoda Ma is my
mother", and where He can think in His heart but not say with His mouth, " I
love the gopis more." Laksmi devi is there and all the queens are there, but
there are no gopis. Kuruksetra is the meeting place of Dvaraka and
Vrndanvana -- but there is so much opulence there. Because Laksmi would be
thinking, "Why should He go to a poor place like Vrndavana?", Krsna had to
play a trick. He told her, "I have taken such a long bath that now I have a
cold and loose motions. I need fresh air. I want to go to the forest for
refreshment." Within, however, He was thinking, "Now Laksmi will not know
I've run to Vrndavana." In order to cheat, He took Baladeva and Subhadra. He
considered,  "I'll keep them with Ma Yasoda and Rohini, and I'll stealthily
go to Radha kunda and other secret meeting places. They will happily take
their meals, and I'll run off.

Why was Srila Maharaja telling all these pastimes? Only to give his audience
a greed for Vraja-bhakti, and specifically to fulfill the mission of
Mahaprabhu in giving a greed for service to Srimati Radhika. He said that
others may say, "Don't read tenth canto", and they have come to give only
vaidhi-bhakti. Srila Maharaja indicated that he came to give
raganuga-bhakti, as did Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all the acaryas in the line
of Srila Rupa Gosvami. As he had explained on so many occasions during his
tour, Paramapujyapada Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja had also came only
for this purpose and, only to lay the foundation for this, did he teach
vaidhi-bhakti. Reserving everything in his books, he engaged the energy of
his followers, but he knew that bhakti is like a current it is not stagnant.
He was creating sukritis by this, in order that his followers develop a
tendency or desire to serve Radha-Krsna Jugal. Srila Maharaja concluded that
therefore, with tears in our eyes and our hearts melting, we should sing the
songs of our previous acaryas to achieve this greed. We should think, "If
these symptoms do not come, then fie on me." He said, "I saw Srila Swami
Maharaja when he used to cry while chanting, 'gauranga bolite habe', and
when he sang, 'sankhya purvaka nama gana natibih', he wept bitterly.

On the morning of July 8, Srila Maharaja explained the essence of
Mahaprabhu's appearance in a most interesting way. He said that Krsna is the
supreme almighty, but if you go deep you will see so many things, as given
us by Srila Rupa Gosvami. Krsna wanted to attract the fallen souls to Him,
and he wanted to give the ocean of rasa, Srimati Radhika's mahabhava, to the
world -- but He could not. He could only give His own love, not love TO Him,
which only Radhika has in completeness. He would therefore have to steal Her
beauty and mood. He could not steal it, however, because Radhika is always
alert and more clever and intelligent than Him. He could only have the wish,
and therefore He had to beg Her. Her sakhis were also present when He
prayed, "I beg Your mercy, Your beauty and Your mahabhava." Srimati Radhika
replied, "Yes, I'm donating it for some time, but you will have to attend
the class of my sakhis (Visakha devi in the form of Sri Ramananda Raya, and
Lalita in the form of Sri Svarupa Damodara) so that they can sprinkle that
in you. And I will also be there (as Sri Gadadhara Pandita). Krsna was thus
able to come and give what no other incarnation or acarya gave before:
manjari bhava, direct service to Srimati Radhika as Her maidservant.

On the morning of July 11, Srila Maharaja again gave an important
istagosthi. He carefully elucidated the process of turning arcana, Deity
worship, into bhajana, intense and complete absorbtion in the pastimes of
Krsna with a greed to enter into one's svarupa as a participant in those
pastimes. In other words, he explained how to meditate and pray at the time
of serving the Deities. The hundreds of hungry devotees felt so nourished,
because, as usual, he did not concentrate on their outer existence, but on
their inner existence, and they therefore felt  both being satisfied.

Srila Narayana Maharaja had come for everyone, and so he also taught
everyone how to chant according to their qualifications. Because in kirtana
all things are complete, on this last day in Holland he explained the
different ways in which different grades of devotees should chant and
remember. The first grade or stage of remembrance is to remember our sins
and offences to Vaisnavas -- to remember them and think, "I've done so
wrong." Second is to remember Vrndavana, Goverdhana, etc., and to do
parikrama of all these holy places in the mind. If more qualified, the
devotee chants and remembers pastimes, and if more qualified, he engages the
mind in serving like the Vrajabasis, and especially like Sri Rupa Manjari.

On the next day Srila Maharaja went to the airport, to return to Mathura for
two weeks before his visit to Russia on July 28. As usual he was surrounded
by weeping disciples who were already beginning to feel the universe
becoming vacant. With great love, and without material attachment, he bid
them farewell and boarded his plane.