People are Suffering from Heart Disease

Goswāmī Mahārāj: Nitāi Gaura Premānande! Haribol! Hare Kṛṣṇa.Yes, some question?

Devotee: I would like to start with a question from one of our viewer[s]. He ask[s] about: in one lecture, you told us about the sidas, the high souls and their...

Goswāmi Mahārāj: About what?
Devotee: It's written here, siddhas, but..
Goswāmi Mahārāj: Spell it.
Devotee: Sida.
Goswāmi Mahārāj: Spell it.
Devotee: S-i-double d-h-a
Goswāmī Mahārāj: Oh, siddha. Yes.
Devotee: So, this is high souls, and their connection with that reality. And you said that it's living, developing and demanding.
Goswāmi Mahārāj: It’s?
Devotee: Demanding.
Goswāmi Mahārāj: There were three things you said, it's living, developing...
Devotee: Demanding.
Goswāmi Mahārāj: Ah-huh.
Devotee: So, what did you mean by that.
Goswāmi Mahārāj: I said what is living, developing, demanding.
Devotee: The connection of these high souls with divine reality.

Goswāmī Mahārāj: Oh. Yes. I am reminded that...as you can see, we are trying to establish what is this word. Siddha. Somebody will say sida. So, Śrīla Gurudev, he played with this a little because sida— not siddha— but sida in Bengali means boiled. So, when someone [will] be presented [as] "he is a sida-puruṣa" he would say "we are not interested in any boiled man." [Laughter]. That's what it sounds like they are saying to him: boiled man! And, this does..how will we determine who our search personality is. It has to be thematically consistent. Right? We are saying:
yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapo
 vihāya kāmān su-ciraṁ dhṛta-vratā
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.16.36)
In the Herā-Pañchamī, Svarūp Dāmodar is saying Lakṣmī Devī does not have the adhikār to..for rāsa-vilāsa. To enter those type of divine pastimes. This cannot be ignored —mahāprabhu dvitīya kalevara ( Śrī Chaitanya Charitāmṛta Madhya-līlā 11.76) — these are the opinions of Svarūpa Dāmodar Goswāmī. But someone else is going to have another opinion and quote something from a sida-puruṣa, a boiled man.

So..for those who are, as Guru Mahārāj is saying, you know, born to be deceived. When Mahāprabhu is asked by Pradyumna Miśra to speak Kṛṣṇa-kathā and by a...there is some implication of level of Kṛṣṇa-kathā, the divine pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. And Mahāprabhu responds by saying: krsna-kathā āmi nāhi jāni (Śrī Chaitanya Charitāmṛta Antya: 5.7). I don't know any Kṛṣṇa-kathā. How is that possible? He is Rādhā-Govinda-militva, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa combined— Śrī Chaitanya Avatār. And He is saying I don't [know] — He who is saying tell everyone about Kṛṣṇa: āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ei deśa yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa (Śrī Chaitanya CharitāmṛtaMadhya-līla: 7.128) in one context. And this, with greater connotation, as Guru Mahārāj would invoke, as connotation increases, denotation decreases. Here, He is careful to say I don't know anything.
jānanta eva jānantu
 kiṁ bahūktyā na me prabho
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.16.36)

Brahmā [is saying this]. And what is this prayer from? The Brahma-stuti, the famous prayers of Brahmā, where more or less all Gaudiya-siddhānta is compacted there. One of the prayers, he is saying, I don't know anything. That's one of the principal prayers, he is saying I don't know anything about — I can't say much about Kṛṣṇa. He has just spoken 30-40 of the all-time great prayers in praise of Kṛṣṇa, that man, Brahmā, Brahma-Mādhva sampradāya, [that] Brahmā, tene brahma hṛdā yaḥ (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.1.1) [that] Brahmāsays I don't have much say on this subject, when it comes to speaking about Kṛṣṇa. Mahāprabhu is saying, I don't know Kṛṣṇa-kathā. But, [Mahāprabhu said,] my advice for you, if this sort of tendency, in a genuine way —śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: 10.33.39)— in a genuine — if it is genuine outcome of the growth of your inner development, if it's genuine, then I advise you to hear from Rāmānanda. And what did he say? There is eka Rāmānanda. He didn't say, well, there's two or three, there's a few...no, there's one Rāmānanda.

So, we are coming back to quality. It's a particular quality of what? Reality. We are interested in reality, right, not sida-puruṣa, boiled man. Siddha-puruṣa. It's a big difference. So we are interested in vāstava-vastu. And there is a particular way that the ultimate reality descends and expresses Himself in this world. That sort of divine agency. mahāprabhu dvitīya kalevara —Svarūpa Dāmodar, eka Rāmānanda— the one and only Rāmānanda. That quality, it's consistent, thematically consistent. Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāja Goswāmī [is] saying at the time of the departure of Mādhavendra Pūri from this world, that what is expressed from his heart, originally comes, was expressed by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Herself:
ayi dīna-dayārdra nātha he
mathurā-nātha kadāvalokyase
(Śrī Chaitanya-Charitāmrtam Antya-līlā: 8.34)

This ślokā. And at the last point, the last moment of his life, this sort of heart-felt expression appeared from him, [and it] is identified as coming from Rādhārāṇī Herself in the beginning and Mahāprabhu can appreciate this. That's three, and he said there's not a fourth person. So, again, it's always pointing —connotation increases, denotation decreases. So, that world is variously described. One way it is described is as śraddhāmayo' yaṁ lokā, sevāmayo' yaṁ lokā. It's not a plane for curiosity-seekers. Or for those who, taking themselves to be subjects, conceive of it as an object that's meant for their amusement, pleasure or enjoyment. Sometimes Guru Mahārāj would remind us [by] saying: Kṛṣṇa is not a sweetball. One of His names may be Rāsarāj. At Ganguram's [sweet shop] in Calcutta, they have a sweet called the rāsarāj. They gave it that name, but Guru Mahārāj is reminding us that Kṛṣṇa is not like that, the sweetball you toss into your mouth and gobble the thing wholesale. [It is not like you can do that] and then you know what it is Kṛṣṇa, what is rāsa, all of these things.

So..kṛṣṇa-līlā amṛta-sāra,tāra śata śata dhāra (Śrī Chaitanya-Charitāmṛtam: Madhya-līlā: 25.271). At the conclusion of the Madhya-līlā of Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāj Goswāmī, he is drawing a comparison, parallel, comparison between Kṛṣṇa-līlā and Gaura-līlā. He is not just saying in a generic sense, ohh, they are both really nectar, prabhu. That's not what he is saying. He begins by saying: kṛṣṇa-līlā amṛta-sāra.Kṛṣṇa-līlā is amṛta, it is the cream of nectarine substances, this is it. Right? The creme-de-la-creme of nectarine substances. Right? On account of that, that means it is reserved for the highest section of liberated souls. In that sense it is exclusive, most exclusive. Guru Mahārāj told [at] different times, once, [he was] saying, we should have a sign that says 'No Entry' and 'Welcome.' Welcome to the land of no entry.

He said it's our means…pūjala rāga-pātha gaurava-bhaṅge mātala sadhu jana viṣaya-raṅge, (Composed byŚrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur). The means of bringing people in connection with that plane, as devised and envisioned by our guru-varga: śithilita-vidhi-rāgārādhya-rādheśa-dhānī vilasatu hṛdi nityaṁ bhaktisiddhānta-vāṇī(Ślokā by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Dev-Goswāmī Mahārājglorifying Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur), the means will be all-inclusive, but the end to be achieved is most exclusive. So, Guru Mahārāj made this point when describing his [thoughts on] where he —deciding where he would spend his final days. Three places he considered. We know he settled on Navadwīp, the aparādha-bhañjanera-pāṭa, where he established Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswata Maṭh. [Another one he considered was] the Gambhīr in Purī; he thought of [that] as well. But the first place was Uddhava Kyāri, where Uddhava delivers his message to the bhrmara-gopīs and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī expresses ten different types of divine madness in the bhramara-gītā, the song of the bumblebee. So, he thought of that. But then, as he thought about it more carefully, he said, no, well, Vṛndāvan is for the highest section of liberated souls. In Upadeśāmṛtam of Rūpa Goswāmī, he is saying...mentions the ....asulabham...bhakti-bhājam(ŚrīUpadeśāmṛta: verse 11). Mentions Uddhava, Nārada. Remember Uddhava is in Dwārakā for the most part. Nārada, he is moving all over Vaikuṇṭha and many different places. Still, he is saying, this...when it [Upadeśāmṛtam] talks about the holiest places, Śrī Rādhā-Kuṇḍa, and its divine waters, he is saying, this is a rare achievement for the parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs, what to speak of others. And not just others, who are these others? So, he is talking about how rare an achivement, sevā. This is the sevā world. What distinguishes it? We should factor in that vaikuṇṭhera pṛthivy-ādi sakala chinmaya (Śrī Chaitanya-Charitāmṛtam Ādi-līlā: 5.53). The spiritual world, even [in] its most general sense, is beyond the realm of time and space. We live in the world of time and space. And on account of that, whenever we go to conceive of the spiritual existence with time and space as our reference point, we are very confused and bewildered.

Everything here is — the system of measurement we have here has been achieved by consensus. Talking about America, we have miles and things like that, then you get to a place they have kilometers, you know...and one day I realized, there is no such thing. Miles don't exist, kilometers don't exist. We just agreed that this...you know if I said, it's going to be this much, everybody [who] agrees[s] raise your hand, and we go OK, what are we going to call it? That's all it is. It's just a...folie a deux, shared delusion of two or more people, that's all the material world is, actually. Folie a deux. It's a shared delusion. So, when your mailing address is the world of misconception, that's where you get all your email, it's @the world of misconception, then when you try to understand the spiritual domain using this as a reference point, it's bewildering, confusing, full of doubt and so many things. So, only by divine revelation can it be properly understood. So in the Chaitanya-Charitāmṛtam [it is said] vaikuṇṭhera pṛthivy-ādi sakala chinmaya (Śrī Chaitanya-Charitāmṛtam Ādi-līlā: 5.53). That pṛthivy-ādi means beginning with the ground, the soil, and then everything more developed than that. It's all chinmaya, it's all spiritual substance. So, once, in conversation with Śrīla Guru Mahārāj, it just occured to me as I was thinking of śānta-rasa, there must be difference between a blade of grass in Vaikuṇṭha and a blade of grass in Goloka. And Guru Mahārāj said, "Of course!" [Laughter]. But, there is something to be said for that. [One might think] well, a blade of grass in the spiritual world is a wonderful thing. That's true. When Brahma [said this] — [this was] observed by him:
tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṁ
 yad gokule ’pi katamāṅghri-rajo-’bhiṣekam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.14.34)

Similar to Uddhava's prayer, same same, but different. He is also — when he saw the blades of grass dancing and singing the glories of Kṛṣṇa in the Brahma-vimohana-līlā, what was revealed to him, he thought: what a wonderful position. But the point is, there, what would be the difference? We are beyond time and space. So, there are no limitations here. Vaikuṇṭha [means] the world that is without limitation. What would be the nature of the grass in Vaikuṇṭha, the nature of the grass in Goloka, would be a difference in faith. And that determines so-called location. The development of faith. One [is] somewhat influenced by calculation, one [is] beyond all calculation. Why in Vṛndāvan — if the whole Vṛndāvan is spiritual — does — some of the cowherd men will say, ohh, let's move all the cows to this other area where the grass is even sweeter. They [all the grass] are all spiritually conscious, it's all chinmaya, if it — how can one area, one zone be sweeter than another? [It is] mentioned in the Chaitanya-Charitāmṛtam:
chintāmaṇiś charaṇa-bhūṣaṇam aṅganānāṁ
śṛṅgāra-puṣpa-taravas taravaḥ surāṇām
vṛndāvane vraja-dhanaṁ nanu kāma-dhenu-
vṛndāni ceti sukha-sindhur aho vibhūtiḥ
(Śrī Chaitanya-Charitāmṛtam Madhya-līlā: 14.228)

Svarūp Dāmodar quotes in the Hera-Pañchami saying that, think carefully before you make some pronouncements on any type of a comparison between Vaikuṇṭha and Goloka. He is saying, the chintāmaṇi gem — we hear of these in the Brahma-saṁhitā —
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.29)
This mysterious, miraculous chintāmaṇi gem, one chintāmaṇi gem of Goloka Vṛndāvan has more opulence than the whole, all the innumerable Vaikuṇṭhas. Remember, it's beyond time and space. One chintāmaṇi gem has more opulence than innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets. How is this possible? Kavirāj Goswami gives an example, where he says, if you have a vat of sugarcane juice, and then you start condensing it, and it becomes molasses, and you condense it further, it becomes gur, you condense it further it becomes sugar, and ultimately rock candy. Right? So, one rock candy possesses the vast sweetness of the vat of sugarcane juice. He is giving an example. So, he is saying that one chintāmaṇi gem — all the opulence of all the Vaikuṇṭhas can be condensed and concentrated into one of those. It surpasses that.

This is Svarūp Dāmodar's method to describe these souls. So he says — so now we know — that one gem, this one chintāmaṇi gem is more concentrated, condensed aiśvarya and sweetness than the whole of the Vaikuṇṭa world. Right? And the Vraja-gopīs string them and wear them as anklets on their holy lotus feet. So then what is Goloka Vṛndavan? It's beyond time and space. We hear of the contraction and expansion of time and space. It's…what is it? something like 50 square kilometers, ṣola-krośās, 32 square miles, so let's just round it off to 50 square kilometers. That's the so-called size of it. Someone wrote a book once called "Small is beautiful." Right? It's very interesting. So, Saraswati Ṭhākur....Brahma-saṁhitā is saying 'the all-charming medium size of Kṛṣṇa.'
kṛṣṇera yateka khelā, sarvottama nara-līlā,
nara-vapu tāhāra svarūpa
gopa-veśa, veṇu-kara, nava-kiśora, naṭa-vara,
nara-līlāra haya anurūpa
(Śrī Chaitanya-Charitāmṛtam Madhya-līlā: 21.101)

The human-like form is the ultimate form. The saumya-rūpam, Reality the Beautiful. In [the] Bhagvad-Gītā, when Kṛṣṇa reveals the virāṭ-rūpa to Arjuna, this fantastic display, innumerable forms, time, space, everything, it's a perspective that is being shown to him. Like the Bhāgavatam that is being shown to Sukadeva. We know, like some of our devotees, in the full dome program, they know what time-lapse photography is. Right? So, if you make time-lapse photography at night, sometimes they do this, they show a city like New York, in Manhattan, they show all these cars entering New York city and the ones leaving. The ones entering you see white headlights, the ones leaving are red, reddish color. Sometimes they'll photograph that, film it for 8 hours. Then, because it is time-lapse, with computerized technology you can show what was filmed in 8 hours, you can show that in 8 minutes, or less. But when you look at it, when it is sped up like that, suddenly you see, it looks like blood flowing through arteries. It's like, when they make a map, they use words like arteries, to describe different things going in and out of cities. So, suddenly, from another perspective, what is seen there, it starts [to make sense], it could be described in personal characteristics. So, I am just using this as a crude example, to show [that] from a certain perspective one can see certain things. Right?

So, what Kṛṣṇa revealed to Sukadeva in the Bhāgavatam may not be objectively verifiable but it is a particular perspective that He revealed to him. Similarly in [the] Bhagavad-Gītā, Kṛṣṇa is showing Arjuna. Imagine..I said 8 hours in 8 minutes. What if you were showing 800 million years in 8 minutes. Or longer. You get the idea. When Arjuna sees that Kṛṣṇa has this type of divine power, aiśvarya, you can say, what is the effect upon Arjuna? It's — [it] makes him a little nervous, fearful, to see this. Your friend, who you have friendly relationship with, you behave with in a familiar way, suddenly He is showing you, revealing this type of divinity, divine aspect. Arjuna is fearful and he is also reflecting upon his own behaviour with Kṛṣṇa in the past. [Arjuna is] even apologizing, saying, "Ohh, forgive me, when I would sit on the same bed with you and deal with you [in] very familiar ways." But that's not the end of it. When Kṛṣṇa sees this effect upon Arjuna, he[Arjuna] says tenaiva rūpeṇa catur-bhujena(Bhagavad-Gītā: 11.46), then He shows him the four-armed Viṣṇu form. Then it says, at last, saumya-rūpam. His beautiful, sweet form. Rūpa Goswāmī [says]:
sarvādbhuta-camatkāra-līlā-kallola-vāridhiḥ
atulya-madhura-prema-maṇḍita-priya-maṇḍalaḥ
tri-jagan-mānasākarṣi-muralī-kala-kūjitaḥ
asamānordhva-rūpa-śrī-vismāpita-carācaraḥ
(Śrī Chaitanya-Charitāmṛtam Madhya-līlā: 23.82-83)

Talks about the super-sweet unique qualities and characteristics of Kṛṣṇa. So, when Kṛṣṇa shows His saumya-rūpam, His beautiful form, he tells Arjuna, "This is actually the highest. This is the most confidential. This is the form that the great souls are forever eager to see, to have a glimpse of."
gopyas tapaḥ kim acaran yad amuṣya rūpaṁ
 lāvaṇya-sāram asamordhvam ananya-siddham
dṛgbhiḥ pibanty anusavābhinavaṁ durāpam
 ekānta-dhāma yaśasaḥ śriya aiśvarasya
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam : 10.44.14)
The ladies of Mathurā, when they saw Kṛṣṇa, they thought, ohhh — just having a glimpse of Kṛṣṇa's beauty, they thought what did the gopīs do that they get to drink the nectar of Kṛṣṇa's beauty incessantly in Vṛndāvan. How beautiful is Kṛṣṇa? It is told, sometimes the gopīs are prevented circumstantially; they are viewing Kṛṣṇa, but they are circumstantially prohibited from embracing Kṛṣṇa or approaching Him. So, Viśwanāth Chakrvarthi Ṭhākur says in some place [that] sometimes their eyes leave them. Their eyes just go. And if you want to think of that, literally, metaphorically, in any way you want. Their senses separate. What kind of beauty is that, if you are saying, and your eyes just left you and went to drink the nectar of the beauty of Kṛṣṇa.

No time and space, there are no constrictions of time and space, the limitations of here [do not exist] in that plane. So, these siddha[s], mahātmās, are they...shall we think of them as practitioners, as we hope to conceive of ourselves? [Are they] engaged in some sort of spiritual practices hoping that someday [they] will be uplifted, or are they rather inhabitants of that plane? The sevamayo' yaṁ lokā, the śraddhāmayo' yaṁ [lokā] the service plane. Is there interest to serve, or to have that plane amuse them, they can sit, chant the Holy Name and be amused by the name of Kṛṣṇa, be amused by the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. No. They must — if this is all to be consistent, then they must be rendering service to that plane. Their nām-bhājan must be service to the upper world. What they write, what they think, what their hearts generate must be in service to that plane, an expansion, an extension of that [plane]. nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin ( Bhagavad-Gīta: 11.33). They are offering themselves as instruments for divine expression. So, Gurudev told of one man, who worked in the press for Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur, setting type and things. He said, "The desire of Śrīla Saraswati Thakur played upon him very beautifully." That's what the devotees are hoping for. vilasatu hṛdi nityaṁ bhaktisiddhānta-vāṇī(Ślokā by Guru Mahārājglorifying Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur).

That their hearts, the core of their consciousness may be played upon, may be offered as an instrument for some sort of divine expression, or assistance. So, we say, that [the] demands of that plane, the demand is wholesale. Kṛṣṇa does not tolerate any lien holders, [does not tolerate that] anyone else will have some claim to our hearts, the core of our consciousness. He claims it all for Himself. As Guru Mahārāj mentioned in the ślokā:
praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa
 svānāṁ bhāva-saroruham
dhunoti śamalaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ
 salilasya yathā śarat
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.8.5)
When it's cleansed, fleeting desires, Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.1.11), when those coverings are removed, then the heart is capable of expressing its natural, pure flow, rāga- bhakti.

So, when we talk of siddhas in the proper [sense], we mean rāga-bhaktas. Therefore, it is said, no rule, stricture, regulation, constraint should come to constrain the natural flow of their hearts towards Kṛṣṇa. It should not be thought that rāga-bhaktas are devotees who do not follow rules and regulations. That's not what it says. It is saying that no rule or regulation should obstruct the flow of heart of a genuine rāga-bhakta. So, although from this [plane], from what we can perceive, these things may not be visible to us or observable to us, but the spiritual experts can recognize. It is mentioned, Śrīla Saraswati Ṭhākur, while he dismissed so many so-called siddha-puruṣas of Vṛndavan, bābājīs, he dismissed them all, he did not [dismiss] — he gave recognition to Vamsi dās Bābājī Mahārāj, as a vātsalya-rasa rāga-bhakta, who, from an external point of view, seemed to be involved with objectionable things, whereas those who were, from an external point of view, what was observable as [them] being observant in their practices, he dismissed them as neophyte practitioners at best, trying to elevate themselves, as opposed to those who descended from the higher plane. But because the nature of that plane is one that is dynamic, and growing and developing, there are also recommendations for them as well. It's not a static sense of enlightenment or spiritual achievement. It is something that is growing and developing.

So, we see the interaction of the great devotees in Mahāprabhu's pastimes and Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, but Mahāprabhu's pastimes in particular. How the Goswāmīs of Vṛndāvan are interacting with one another. Sometimes there is chastisement, correction, and that way, development. But it's [in] their plane, [it] is not on the basis of mistakes, illusion, confusion of the lower world. There is bhrama from Mahāprabhu. That means confusion, mistaking one thing for another. Which [we might say] ohh, that's māya, we say, that which is not. No, his bhrama, what is it, he mistakes a sand dune for chaṭaka-parvata, for Govardhan. He mistakes the ocean for the Jamunā. So, the practices, if we want to call them that, of liberated souls are not be mimicked or imitated by the non-liberated section. So, Guru Mahārāj wisely concluded by saying, well, Vṛndāvan, Kṛṣṇa līlā amṛta-sār, it's the domain of the highest section of liberated souls, but we hear the non-liberated can achieve their highest position in Navadwīp. So he adjusted himself and made his way towards Navadwīp, and, as is echoed in the sentiments of Prabhodānanda Saraswati Ṭhākura:
yathā yathā gaura padāravinde
vindeta bhaktiṁ kṛta puṇya rāśiḥ
tathā tathot sarpati hṛdy akasmāt
rādhā padāmbhoja sudhāmbhurāśiḥ
(Śrī Chaitanya-Chandrāmṛta: 78)

So, where did Guru Mahārāj [go], then what did he do? Just go anywhere in Navadwīp? No, he went to Ekachakra, the place of Nityānanda Prabhu, who is the Dhameśvar of Navadwīp, who can give admission there. And it was before, at Nitai-bāri, the house of Nityānanda Prabhu, Hadāi Panḍit, Padmāvati, that Guru Mahārāj [performed] saṣṭāṅgadaṇḍavat, praying to Nityānanda Prabhu, "You are patita-pāvana, please give me shelter in Navadwīp." And up to this time, Śrīla Guru Mahārāj was hesitating and deferring, declining to initiate anyone. Śrīla Swāmi Mahārāj Prabhupāda's sister, Pishima Bhavatāriṇi, she had Harinām initiation from Śrīla Saraswati Ṭhākur. She approached Śrīla Guru Mahārāj for mantra-dīkṣā. He declined and deferred her to Goswāmī Mahārāj, Aprākṛta Bhakti Sāraṅga Goswāmī Mahārāj. Because he [Goswāmī Mahārāj] had been an empowered ṛtvik in the lifetime of Śrīla Saraswati Ṭhākur.

So, anyway, Guru Mahārāj is hesitating to initiate. But at that time, when he is praying to Nityānanda Prabhu, "You are patita-pāvana, please give me shelter in Navadwīp," he said, this inspiration came to him in his heart from Nityānanda Prabhu, "but you do not give patita, shelter [to] the fallen." And the implication: if you will give patita, shelter, then you can take shelter in Navadwīp. So that was one factor in his deciding to modestly begin initiating. The other was Jīva Goswāmī saying jñāna-śāṭhyavitta-śāṭhya, if a man possesses wealth and the person next to him starving, there is some blame on him for not sharing something with that person. And lastly was an example from the Purāṇas of a brahman paṇḍit who was so knowledgeable, he knew so many things, had studied so much, extracted so much wealth from the scriptures. But he didn't share it with anyone. So, in his next birth, he was a mango tree and full of these juicy mangoes. But, we are told, not even a bird would [eat them]; they [the mangoes] would just drop to the ground and rot.

So, this is how Guru Mahārāj's consciousness [changed]. These three things, and he thought, all right, modestly, not in an aggressive way, meaning na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (Śikṣāṣṭakam: Verse 4) not aggressively trying to get followers, men, money, buildings etc. as is kind of standard, but modestly. And where? In the aparādha-bhañjanera pāṭa, where all the aparādhis are forgiven their offenses, there [he established] a small maṭh, he began śrīmach-chaitanya-sāraswata-maṭhavara udgīta-kīrtir-jayaśrīm. Raised the flag of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh.

And that Guru Mahārāj and Śrīla Gurudev and Śrīla Swāmi Mahārāj Prabhupād, they are very cautious about using this word, siddha.
muktānām api siddhānāṁ
nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ
su-durlabhaḥ praśāntātmā
koṭiṣv api mahā-mune.
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: 6.14.5).
This ślokā says one in 10 million liberated souls may be real devotee of [Kṛṣṇa]. Out of so many siddhas, like [this ślokā from Bhagavad-gītā]:
manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
(Bhagavad-gītā: 7.3)

Bhagavad-Gītā, Krsna says, out of many thousands of men, one is even interested in spiritual life. Out of so many thousands of spiritually [interested men], one...and you keep going in this way, you will reach the position of someone who actually becomes siddha. And so this verse is saying, out of many millions, ten million such persons, you may find one devotee of Nārāyaṇa. koṭi-mukta-madhye durlabha eka kṛṣṇa-bhakta (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛtam Madhya-līlā: 19.148) . Out of ten million liberated souls, you may find a proper devotee of Kṛṣṇa. And sometimes Guru Mahārāj would say, "even that is too many." One is too many, he goes, well, that is an exaggeration. [Laughter]. su-durlabhaḥ. In the beginning of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu:
kleśa-ghnī śubha-dā mokṣa- laghutā-kṛt su-durlabhā
sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī ca sā
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.1.17)
How rare it is! So, Guru Mahārāj said, quite simply, [with regard to] siddha-praṇālī, this is what is recommended for that type of soul. So for, how do you say, fledgling, infant-class Vaiṣṇava, neophyte, novitiate, aspiring servitors to imitate the practices of liberated souls will be a cause of degradation. Any other question? Yes?

Devotee: Narottam Dās Ṭhākur wrote in his song [that] everyone who wants some connection with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa must go to Nityānanda Prabhu. And Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāj also wrote, "I have everything by mercy of Nityānanda." But Rūpa and Sanātana, [do] they have some connection with Nityānanda, or what kind of connection?

Goswāmī Mahārāj: Well, Guru Mahārāj says that when Narottam wrote this, that one level of interpretation is Vidya-kule ki karibe tāra. Vidyā-kula here means people who think by their learning or their gotrā, their family, their DNA, that they have a right to these things. So, to be more specific, we hear from Kavirāj Goswāmī in the Chaitanya Charitāmṛtam that...he mentions Advaita Āchārya had six sons. Achyutānanda, Gopāl, and Kṛṣṇa Miśra, I think ...... The three good sons, and then he had three apa-siddhantic types. And their opinion was [that there was] no necessity for Nityānanda. They are not giving him proper recognition. So Guru Mahārāj says, in one sense, that's why he [Narottam Dās Ṭhākur] is saying Vidya-kule ki karibe tāra. Those who are so proud, [thinking] no, we have a…we are in the Advaita-vaṁśa. He is talking to people like that. So, when it comes Rūpa Goswāmī, Sanātana Goswāmī, I don't know of any specific pastime, as you mentioned, [there is] the case Raghunāth Dās and Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāj. But we know from their positions in Kṛṣṇa-līlā that their...they all have the proper respect for Nityānanda, Balarām. There's never any expression on their part to the contrary. So, it's only about a particular principle that is observed by all of them, whether it is stated explicitly, as in the case of Raghunāth Dās and Kṛṣṇadās, or implied. Any other question? Yeah?

Devotee: Mahārāj, once you told us about Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur and that he wants to be a sweeper in the marketplace of Harinām. And we also somehow try to promote Kṛṣṇa Name by media work and so on. What's the difference between the marketplace which Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur mentioned — I mean, of course, it's no comparison — but I mean, how not to become sellers or vendors..?

Goswāmī Mahārāj: No, all right, he is speaking metaphorically, right? This is the Nāma-hāṭa of Nityānanda Prabhu, we were talking about the glories of Nityānanda Prabhu. So, he is speaking metaphorically, that's all. What is it really, it's the Gaudiya line, in that sense you can say it's the same, but it means this line, Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat, as Guru Mahārāj says, from Mahāprabhu to Saraswati Ṭhākur and his followers. We're in the — we can invoke Avadhūta Mahārāj — we're in the same market. But Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, he's the one we're in — Guru Mahārāj's Bhaktivinoda-virahadaśakamwhat's that song, dharmmaś-carmma-gato 'jñataiva satatā yogaś ca bhogātmako.How he...what's the word...market correction. The sampradāya, what was known as the sampradāya to people had lost its purity, become adulterated, polluted, turned into something else. So Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, that's why when we say, the sweeper, he purified the sampradāya of the pollution and adulteration that was brought in by sahajiyās, the various sahajiyā sampradayās. Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur restored the purity of this line. And Saraswati Ṭhākur is saying, humbly, if he is the sweeper, then I am one of the straws in his broom.

He's also emphatically maintaining the integrity and purity of the line. So, if anything, if you want to pursue that spirit, then we'll be very careful in our promotion, to not allow the product to become diluted in the name of extensive promotion. Just like if we agree that this is the medicine, the vaccine— living in a time of plague, this is the medicine, the vaccine. So, the desire to inoculate as many people as possible is a very noble desire, that's really a noble aspiration. But what will be all-important is the vaccine, the quality of the vaccine, what people are being injected with. If you say, "we're going to inject everybody!" Good. With what? Just to inject, that's not sufficient. Inject them with what? It has to be that substance that cures hṛd-rogam. Right?

As [in that instance] when Guru Mahārāj went to collect a cheque for a building [a] Gauḍiyā Maṭh temple, and one man declined, saying, well, what do we need another temple for, if anything people [don't need temples], if there's any surplus money it should be used on the corporeal works of mercy, you know, feeding people, giving them shelter, these type of things. What do we need another temple for? And Guru Mahārāj's response was invoking such a high reference, rāsa-līlāślokā:
vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ cha viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty achireṇa dhīraḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.33.39 )

Hṛd-rogam. He said what people are suffering from, is not ultimately their starvation or lack of clothing, food and shelter, but hṛd-rogam. Heart disease. And the topics of Kṛṣṇa, coming in a [proper way] śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād properly, from the proper sources, the genuine devotees of Kṛṣṇa, this is the cure for the heart disease which everyone is suffering. He said otherwise [the help is of no use]. When Guru Mahārāj gave these extraordinary examples saying, "when I was in the body of a stool-eating pig, I ate a hill of stool and my hunger wasn't satisfied. In the body of an elephant, I ate jungles, and that hunger wasn't satisfied." So, how to address hṛd-rogam, the heart disease. He said the temple, which will provide
tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ
kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad-ātataṁ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūridā janāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam : 10.31.9)

This is the ultimate welfare work for people. But...[we] have to give them something substantial. Means Kṛṣṇa-kathā.Śrīla Saraswati Ṭhākur would say, Guru Mahārāj said sometimes he [Saraswati Ṭhākur would] become very excited and say, Kṛṣṇa-kathā- durvikṣā. "I don't recognize that there is a shortage of anything in this world except the topics of Kṛṣṇa." Sometimes he would look at an article they are publishing and he'd say, "how many times did they mention the name Kṛṣṇa in the article?" And they'd say...[unintelligble, seems to mean "a lot!"]. [Then he'd reply,] "ohh, then it's a good article." [Laughter]. Whatever else it might say...how many times [it mentions Krsna]. They said it [mentioned] many, many times, and [then he'd say] all right, good, that's a good article. Really, time is short, we can become very clever about what it is we are doing, but remember, it all comes down to this. śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyaś cecchatābhayam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.1.5). Hearing, chanting, remembering about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣ-ṇa. Gaurānga Mahāprabhu, Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa, Their devotees. Vibrating Their names. So many of the songs we sing, they are the names of devotees. Right? Murāri mukunda jaya, premanidhi mahāśayabhakti sapārṣada-prabhupāda. They're all [name of devotees]. We can make songs out of the names of devotees. The names of Kṛṣṇa. chita-hārī vaṁśī-dhārī, vraja-jana-pālana asura-kula-nāśanaGopendra-Nandana. We don't want to become so clever in our distribution that the product is diluted to the point where it's beyond recognition. kalau naṣṭaḥ paran-tapayogo naṣṭaḥ paran-tapa - Bhagavad-gītā: 4.2). It's so modified by the temperament (prakṛti vaichitrya param parjena?) modified to the degree that it's....we don't know what it is any more. Right? That's what Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur corrected. Śrī-rādhā-pada-sevanāmṛtam aho tad dātum īśo bhavān (Bhaktivinoda-virahadaśakam-Śrīla Guru Mahārāj's composition).

Hari haraye namaḥkṛṣṇayādavāyanamaḥ...