The first characteristic of a servant is that of his shelter, if shelter is proper then everything comes spontaneously. To become loyal to the devotees is the main ingredient because devotees are greater than God. Therefore, to pay attention to shelters outside of God is another affair, materialistic allurements, property, money, all are an ‘inanimate existence’. The living entity, which appears to be conscious takes such refuge, in money, wealth, shawls, clothing, and properties, all inanimate existence concerns, separating himself from God.
Unless there is detachment from these elements, the living entity becomes blind. There cannot be faith in God. When the mind is detached from temporal shelters, then a ‘consciousness of God’ awakens. By exposure to Maya’s domain, the living entity withdraws from the Supreme. Referring to this power of delusion, God Himself says that “Even if one is very great scholar, if these ‘heart concerns’ manifest, then hallucinations will follow.”
Lord Kṛṣṇa says this in Gita 2.60:
yatato hy api kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ
indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ
The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them.
Somebody may be a great scholar, first of all, this is not easy, and after being a scholar his ability to perform sādhana may be difficult.
If somebody has these two qualities of proper attachment and dependence, then even though his senses knock him down, if he remains aloof from the negative influences, he controls God. Now by which devotion is God controlled? We should think about this, everybody performs devotion, many people are wandering, being sadhus, but there is not such devotion by which God is controlled because it is seen that sadhus like us, run after money and sense objects. We are mesmerized by the inanimate material existence, so how can we control God?
Nāradaji says this to the Pracetās, “So many people have rendered devotional service, but such devotion is different to ‘that approach’ that can control God.” This relation is unique.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.31.20:
apahata-sakalaiṣaṇāmalātmany aviratam edhita-bhāvanopahūtaḥ
nija-jana-vaśa-gatvam ātmano ’yan na sarati chidravad akṣaraḥ satāṁ hi
Being completely cleansed of all material desires, the devotees are freed from all mental contamination.Thus they can always think of the Lord constantly and address Him very feelingly. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, knowing Himself to be controlled by His devotees, does not leave them for a second, just as the sky overheadnever becomes invisible.
Here Śrī Nārada reveals this mystery to the Pracetās; devotion that can control God even if you get knocked down. God will not leave one, whose heart is free from materialistic desires, the longing for sense objects. However, from the ant to Lord Brahmā, there are three kinds of affection or desires, which make the Lord hide Himself, covering an external devotee.
These materialistic desires Kagbhusandiji has described in the Rāmacarita mānasa, Uttara-khāṇḍa, 71st verse, with regard to those whose intelligence is not contaminated by these aspirations and how to perform devotion which protects one from the three types of material infection, which lead to māyā, illusion. Even Brahmā and Shankara fear this māyā.
byāpi raheu saṁsāra mahu māyā kaṭaka pracaṁda
senāpati kāmādi bhaṭa daṁbha kapaṭa pāṣaṁda
so dāsī raghubīra kai samujhe mithyā sopi,
chuṭa na rāma kṛpā binu nātha kahau pada ropi
Māyās formidable army is spread over the whole universe. Concupiscence and others (viz., Anger and Greed) are its generals; Hypocrisy, Deceit and Heresy its champions. That Māyā, however, is Śrī Rāma’s own handmaid; though unreal when understood, there is no release from her grip except by Śrī Rāma’s grace: I declare this with the utmost confidence.
Kagbhusandiji describes clearly this first obstacle, the desire for prestige, and respect. Who is there in this world that does not aspire for one’s own respect? No one is free from this imperfection.
The second desire is that for property or money. Who is free from this? Also, desire for a wife and son, to see the beautiful form of a woman, who in this world is not fascinated by this? In the Uttara-khanda, 70th verse it is said:
gyānī tāpasa sūra kabi kobida guna āgāra
kehi kai lobha bidaṁbanā kīnhi na ehi saṁsāra
śrī mada bakra na kīnha kehi prabhutā badhira na kāhi
mṛgalocani ke naina sara ko asa lāga na jāhi.
Is there any sage, ascetic, hero, seer, man of learning or man of virtue in this world, whom greed has not betrayed? Again, whom has the pride of self not perverted? Who has not been deafened by power? And is there anyone who has not been smitten by the shaft-like glances of a fawn-eyed woman?
Bring any example of some one whose mind is not stolen in this way, everyone comes under this influence, even Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā are in this category, their fear of this māyā in this 71st verse is justified, because in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata it is shown how Brahmāji was attracted to his daughter Sarasvatī, and Lord Śiva was fascinated by Mohinī. So bring any example, this is a challenge, what to speak of the condition of miserable sadhus like us.
Only that person is protected from illusion, whom God protects. It is not that anybody can be protected from Māyā, that’s why I spoke on this topic of materialistic desire. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sri Nārādji makes it clear in 4.31.20.
By eradicating these three types of materialistic desires, then the mind becomes purified. These things have entered our mind, so how can our intellect be purified? The impure mind is contaminated whether we accept it or not, whether we understand it or not, it just unclean. The heart of one who thirsts for these things, respect, sense objects, and properties, is polluted, and not cleansed, whether he is educated, scholarly, or detached. The presence of these three materialistic desires means definite adulteration. That’s why Sage Nārada says:
apahata-sakalaiṣaṇāmalātmany aviratam edhita-bhāvanopahūtaḥ
When all three kinds of material desires are destroyed, only then can you truly call upon God, then God will come in your heart, and even if you try to push Him away, He will not leave you. This is the ‘mystery’, which Nāradaji discloses to the Pracetās.
However, how can God come into our heart when in the early morning we think about delicious dishes and money? When these desires are finished, then our mind will be purified. Then what happens in that heart? Devotion is generated, real emotions will appear spontaneously.
How can emotions increase when we aspire for the earthly morning sweets? How do genuine emotions to God increase? Such feelings only arise when these three materialistic cravings, which destroy the finer sentiments, are finished; apahata-sakalaiṣaṇāmalātmany. When the mind is purified then natural emotions manifest and when you call God, then God will come into your heart and be controlled by you. God comes under your control, because God thinks that “This person does not want self respect, money, and delicious dishes, so what can I do for him?”
Everyone is hoping that his or her name will come on the TV channel, not caring for the abode of God, think about this, we people are meditating on the TV channel, not God. If our name comes in the newspaper, we become very pleased. Every day in the newspapers there are names of, thieves, robbers, kidnappers, and people who commit adultery. You are pleased if your name comes there, such a great folly, however it cannot come in the abode of God because your desires are of this world.
When these desires are finished as in 4.31.20, then the mind is purified and emotions with regard to God increase, and at that time God will come in your heart and allow Himself be controlled by you. You can make God dance in that way and God will never go from your heart, even if you strike Him, He will not go away.
There is sky, which cannot be removed from anywhere; everywhere sky is present, this mystery is revealed by Nārada; how to control God, an all- pervasive reality. We should meditate on this passage. Lord Kṛṣṇa did not even give up his father. The Lord has stated, “Where God is present Lakṣmī and property will come with out invitation.” Lord Kṛṣṇa thought, “My father Nanda Bābā has so much property, so much money, but this is a problem. This is not good, it is a form of death.”
There is and English saying, “The form of God is so sweet that God does not remain God.” He becomes like an ordinary human being. God becomes the personification of the Almighty God, all-powerful, but He becomes a human being, and plays with children. He becomes so sweet and simple, eating the remnants of food from His devotees, being defeated in a game; He places the cowherd boys upon his shoulder, and dances with His gopas and gopīs. He is dependent on his devotee, even if we try to remove God from within the heart, He will not move.
Once upon a time, the sage Nārada came to Braja and on the bank of the Yamuna he saw that a gopi meditating like a yogi and sometimes she would move her head here and there. Sage Nārada thought, “Why does a gopi need to meditate on Kṛṣṇa, when immediately Kṛṣṇa is present before her? What is the need of her making such an effort in this meditation?” then sage Nārada stopped there. After some time when she stood up, Nārada asked “Whom you are meditating upon?” She said “Oh Nāradaji by meditating on the invisible Brahmānanda other tendencies are removed. I was meditating so as to remove Kṛṣṇa from my heart.” That means Kṛṣṇa is not removed from the heart of the gopis. Nārada then thought, “Oh, let me go from here!”
People perform severe austerities for millions of years, trying to invite God into the heart, and the gopis are trying to remove Him from their heart. Why? God will never go from your seat of consciousness. Even if you strike Him, God will not leave, because that mind has become so pure. There is not even the trace desire for sensual pleasure.
Lord Kṛṣṇa observed that “My father Nanda Baba has so much money, property and wealth, everything has increased too much, I will have to remove it.” This inanimate existence binds the mind. If somebody has a bank account, then one looks in the pass book and says “Oh what is my interest, how much more money is there?” He looks at his passbook, and then the mind remains there. We don’t know this. Lord Kṛṣṇa thought, “This money should be removed from My father, because where there is God, Lakṣmī comes spontaneously.”
Lakṣmīji herself said this, “You are dying to get me, if your perform pure devotion to God, then I myself will run after you.” Without invitation, Lakṣmī will come before you. She declares in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.18.22:
mat-prāptaye ’jeśa-surāsurādayas tapyanta ugraṁ tapa aindriye dhiyaḥ
ṛte bhavat-pāda-parāyaṇān na māṁ vindanty ahaṁ tvad-dhṛdayā yato ’jita
O supreme unconquerable Lord, when they become absorbed in thoughts of material enjoyment, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, as well as other demigods and demons, undergo severe penances and austerities to receive my benedictions. But I do not favor anyone, however great he may be; unless he is always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet. Because I always keep You within my heart, I cannot favor anyone but a devotee.
Lakṣmīji says, “To achieve me foolish persons make such efforts, they earn money here and there, to get donations. To achieve me even Brahmā and Śiva make such efforts,” great demigods perform austerity to get the mercy of Lakṣmī, even great sages want Lakṣmī, no one wants a modest condition, however, a pure devotee prays become poor, otherwise everyone falls into this parampara coming from Brahmā and Śiva; they want to become prosperous and perform great austerities. People like us work hard for sense gratification, running here and there for a feast, the achievement of materialistic goals being difficult; nothing really comes to our hand. Someone may collect money, billions and trillions of rupees, but in truth, zero comes to hand, God does not come; He never will come.
Now if you perform daily ārādhana, Lakṣmī and devotion will increase. Running after Lakṣmī, with an improper attitude, will not nurture devotion. To approach the lotus feet of God with desires for increasing wealth and property; devotion will not manifest. For one who has the wrong desires, bhakti will be destroyed, and suffering will follow accumulated Lakṣmī. Lakṣmī has fifteen errors, and that which is ‘divine Lakṣmī’, will have no negative side effects, only divine pleasure, and increasing love for God.
The money that comes will give you the pleasure of devotion, a desire for God. On the other hand, there is a kind of money that will destroy devotion, where the finer sentiments cannot increase. So one who only serves the lotus feet of God can traverse this path. One who is ‘servant’ cannot tolerate any wastage. Like someone may turn on the tap and keep the water flowing and another will come, see, and switch it off. A person who wastes is not servant. In the SB 5.18.23, Laxmi devī states:
sa tvaṁ mamāpy acyuta śīrṣṇi vanditaṁ
karāmbujaṁ yat tvad-adhāyi sātvatām
bibharṣi māṁ lakṣma vareṇya māyayā
ka īśvarasyehitam ūhituṁ vibhur iti
O infallible one, Your lotus palm is the source of all benediction. Therefore Your pure devotees worship it, and You very mercifully place Your hand on their heads. I wish that You may also place Your hand on My head, for although You already bear my insignia of golden streaks on Your chest, I regard this honor as merely a kind of false prestige for me. You show Your real mercy to Your devotees, not to me. Of course, You are the supreme absolute controller, and no one can understand Your motives.
People will die collecting money, but they get nothing. They cannot achieve ‘exalted’ Lakṣmī. The great ācārya Vishvanath Chakravarti has said that Lakṣmī has three forms. The superior form of Lakṣmī comes by dint of ārādhana, devotional service, inviting spontaneous devotion, bhakti, this is called ‘exalted laxmi’.
Once upon a time when I came to Maan Gar, Gahvarvan, I became very sick. At that time this was a place of robbers, for two days I remained sick on the bed and I was exhausted, I thought that if I remained in this location I would die, no one was here to give me water. Then I decided to make a small kutir below, where the satsaṅga goes on. At that time I did not know anybody, out of fear no one would come to Maan Gar because robbers lived here, it was a very terrible place. Even snakes and scorpions were also present, so I was forced to move.
There was a great saint in Gahvarvan, his name was Pandit Harishchandri, who I accepted as my spiritual master. I said to him, “Bābājī my mind is so attached to Maan Gar, and for so many days I was lying there sick so I have decided to make a kutir in this area.” He said “Alright” and gave me five rupees. He was a very great saint and on the day before the very auspicious occasion of Vasant Panchami, I remarked, “Tomorrow is the most auspicious Vasant Panchami, Rādhārāṇī played holi for the very first time on this day. So I will begin this work tomorrow.”
I received five rupees for making a cottage and that saint also said this “Divine property has wings and that money is to be used for seva, even if there is hindrance, divine property will come to you without any effort.” Then that mahatma said, “Your work will be done.” I have never gone anywhere to beg money. He gave me his blessing, but he said just one thing “On the Vasant Panchami, there is one inauspicious planet Panchak,” because he was a very great astrologer. I asked, “What is this?” He said, “During Panchak some bad accident will happen, if you do your work on this day then you will have to build many kutirs, many cottages.” Then he was silent.
I continued, “In my mind my only feeling is that for the very first time Rādhārāṇī began playing holi, so what is this Panchak? My emotion is based on the pastime of Rādhārāṇī.” Then he replied, “Then you should start your work on this very day even though Vasant Panchami is the wrong time.” But I insisted, “I should not come under the grip of what is an auspicious time, I just take the name of Rādhārāṇī and surrender everything upon Her Name, the doubts of the mind create errors,” that is the condition of every person.
In the drama there was the dancing of the urban pots, collages, when Gopi dasa decorated these pots and used glue as an adhesive, someone said, “Glue is inauspicious, you should not allow”, and I said, “At our place everything is auspicious, black is auspicious, blue is auspicious, because materialistic people think about their business, but here there is no loss, there is no business.”
The director stopped using glue panis on the collage, in the same way, Pandit Harishchandri said that “This Panchak would generate inauspicious things,” but I said “I am a beggar, I have no wife, I have no son, so what will be the loss for me? It is not that my wife would die or my son would die, I beg roṭis from the Brajavasis, if I get hungry, I will beg roṭis, what would be the loss for me?” He said, “Go and start your work tomorrow.”
He was a great saint he has said, “You will make so many cottages,” so many buildings are being constructed here. In every building there is rasa, pleasure, and delight, while previously in Maan Gar, ghosts and robbers would live here, if I entered the temple, there would be blood scattered on the ground. A mahatma came here and as he slept, some entity sat on his chest and began to choke him and he ran away from here.
At the present time, after evening katha, I go on the top building, the doctor has said that you should not go on the top story, because your heart is weak now, but I said to the doctor, “You can reprimand, but I will do what I like. My heart is not weak, I dance and I climb stairs.” My opinion is different, when I took the examination of Sanskrit, a panditji came and said “According to astrology your time is very bad, you could die at this time,” in reality there was an accident on the bus on the way. People said, “What will you do, the time is passing for your examination,” I replied that I would go on foot to Mathura. I stayed there at one temple, where there was a small roof, I climbed up to the top and some monkeys came, surrounded me, and tried to threaten me.
One hundred people were watching and they were thinking that these monkeys will bite him, no one came forward to protect me, the building was so high, and if some one fell from there they would die, even the stairs were very dangerous. I thought what panditji had said was right, “This time is not good for you.” When the monkeys came I just threw my hands towards them, the monkeys ran away, and I came down. As they ran away I growled and raised my arms here and there. The monkeys were very clever, saw that I was not frightened and scattered. Somebody said, “Oh mahatmaji, you defeated all the monkeys!” I said, “You people are so covered that you did not try and chase the monkeys away with a stick, you are seeing with ‘tamasā’.”
The astrologer said, “Well this time is very inauspicious,” but I always fought. So many ghosts and robbers ran away from here, and when I go on the very top floor of Rasa-Kunja, it appears that everywhere flowers are blossoming. These small children are also like flowers, they dance, they sing, it seems as thought they like the champaka flowers and here is the chameli, these small girls are flowers because they perform devotional service without any impurity of heart, so how can I give them up, I feel great pleasure in sitting amongst them, I am not the type of person who meditates in loneliness. It seems that this is the garden of Rādhārāṇī, so many flowers are blossoming, and these small girls are the awakened flowers.
So all the inauspicious aspects of Panchak have now finished. As Gosvāmī Tulsidasji has said, ek bharoso, ek aas, ek vishwaas; “One trust, one expectation, one belief.” The greatest and most auspicious thing is that of trust.
Some one asked about Kabhirdasji who lived in Kāśi, Varanasi. Saint Kabhir said “I’m about to die”, people say, “When somebody dies in Kāśi they become liberated.” Saint Kabhir das said “No I will not die in Kāśi, I have heard from the scriptures if some one dies in Magar, then immediately he goes to hell.” There is place in Magar if he takes bath there, then he immediately goes to hell, because the very spit of Shri Shanku came downward, and from his spit a river was made there. So Saint Kabhir said “I will die in Magar” People said “Oh if somebody dies there he goes to hell!” Kabhir dasji said, “If God cannot give me salvation by dying in Kāśi, then what is the mercy of God? If I die in Magar, if God gives me salvation there, then that is the mercy of God!”
And he passed away in Magar and his body became flowers, there were no bones or flesh left, the entire body became flowers. Here we find the greatest and most auspicious reality is trust.
In the last Braja parikrama, near the end from Kuchapti to Samaykira, for 4-5 days there was such heavy rain, people were harassed, the tents and sheets were wet, and at Deeg so many Braja ratris turned back. People said to me that, “You are totally shameless.” In all my Braja parikramas such incidents have happened. You would not be able to believe it if I told you the history.
Once upon a time, a steamer got stuck within the Yamuna. If some one writes the history of the Braja parikrama, it would be a very big book. Everybody has seen that in every Braja parikrama, some miracle has happened.
What transpired during the last yatra, so many people had returned due to the rains at Deeg, and following morning I said, “Lets go, our yatra should start,” then people proceeded. When it began there was such a nectar shower of pleasure that followed like never experienced before, and as we approached Deva Sarovara in Adi Badri, Lord Kṛṣṇa performed a miracle. I want to restore Deva Sarovara, such a lake like this is not else where in Braja, and some one announced, “I will donate 40,000,000 rupees for the restoration of Deva Sarovara in Adi Badri.” Some one noted that at this place were many ancient kadamba trees, thousands of years old, and at this time those trees are protected. This event shows how there is always reciprocation and protection.
So I escaped from this place, Maan Gar, which was previously an area of ghosts and robbers. The greatest most auspicious wealth is trust. Even bad things become good, this is the definite reality. It says in the Rāmacarita mānasa, Rāmāyaṇa in the Sundara kandha 5th verse;
sata jojana tehi ānana kīnhā, ati laghu rūpa pavanasuta līnhā
badana paiṭhi puni bāheran āvā, māgā bidā tāhi siru nāvā
When she further expanded her mouth eight hundred miles wide, the son of the wind-god assumed a very minute form, by which he entered her mouth and came out again and bowing his head to her begged leave to proceed.
What is an inauspicious time? Even poison can be come nectar for you. Enemies can behave like friends, the sea can become like the ditch made by the footprint of a cow, and you would cross it, fire would be like cold snow. A heavy mountain like Sumeru can be like a small particle of dust. We should take shelter of the mercy of God, one should be secure, and one who does not experience this is following the wrong method.
For Hanumānji poison became nectar, he entered the mouth of Surasā, the mother of snakes, her poison was very dangerous and that poison became like nectar to Hanumānji and Surasā even blessed Hanumānji. That means what ever has happened, where there is shelter; situations reverse themselves.
In his pastime, when Hanumanji proceeded to Lanka, the demigods sent Surasā, she said to Hanumanji, “Today the demigods have given you as my food, now I will eat you,” as is said in the 2nd verse of Sundara-khāṇḍa. Now Surasā, being the mother of snakes, no one could be protected if they went into her mouth. Hanumaji said, “Mother when I should return back from doing the work of Lord Rāma, then you can eat me,” here a devotee has no fear death. “When I return back from doing the seva of Lord Rāma, then I will enter your mouth,” Surasā would not let Hanumanji go. So what did Hanumanji do? He responded, “Then you should eat me.” Surasā expanded her mouth up to four yojanas, so many kilometers to make sure that Hanuman could not get away. Then Hanuman expanded his body four times the size of her mouth, 12 kilometers, then Surasā expanded her body up to 64 kosas, 4 kosas means 12 kilometers, a total of 192 kilometers. She even expanded her mouth up to 100 yojanas, its length was like the sea.
Then Hanumanji made his body like an atom and entered the mouth of Surasā and came out from her ear. He thought how long can I expand my myself. So Surasā could not eat Hanumanji, then she said, “O son the demigods have sent me to test you to know whether you would return back after entering the Lanka of Ravana, even the they could not enter there, so they knew you were going to enter there, but wondered if you could return from Lanka or not, therefore they have tested, that’s why they sent me. I understand now that you have the strength and intelligence also, so you should go do the service of Lord Rāma.” She then blessed Hanumanji.
[Bābā singing]So for Hanumānji, poison became nectar. This mother of snakes blessed Hanumānji.
Here is an example of where poison became nectar for Hanumanji. When there is the mercy of God, bad things become good. The devotee thinks about the mercy of God, he does not think about bad things or good things. In association with the Lord bad things become good, an enemy becomes a friend.
For Hanumānji, Vibhīṣaṇa was a brother of Ravana but he became the enemy of Hanumānji. In the Lanka of Ravana, when Hanumān came to Lanka, there was a demoness who protected Lanka, her name was Lankinii, she stopped Hanumānji, but he then proceeded.
When Hanumānji entered Lanka and talked with Vibhīṣaṇa at that time Hanumānji was exhausted searching for Sita, then Vibhīṣaṇa revealed the location of Sita. Hanumānji said I want to see Mother Sita, and Vibhisana said, “That you cannot approach Sita because Ravana was not and ordinary demon,” in the war Ravana astonished Hanumān by his maya, he made all the demons in the form of Lord Rāma, now whom will Hanumānji kill? Such was the illusory power of Ravana. Everywhere Hanumānji saw Rāma and Laxman and he just fainted. The monkeys became over whelmed, and then Lord Rāma laughed to observe this maya, this illusion of Ravana. Everywhere there were billions of Rāmas, then Lord Rāma cut off that maya.
Then Vibhīṣaṇa told Hanumānji how to search out for Sita, this is an example of how an enemy becomes a friend, this is the mercy of God, for Hanumānji, the sea became like the size of hoof print of a cow. And for Hanumanji fire became cold, he burnt Lanka but this fire did not harm Hanumanji.
We people very easily lose our trust. Even if we die and our head is cut 100 times, but we should never lose our trust, so I was saying, the time is getting late.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa saw that Nanda baba has so much money He thought “My father has so much property and money, this is not good. To have so much money is a bad thing.” The Lord decided to remove the money. Lord Kṛṣṇa did not leave his father. This is in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3rd canto, 2nd chapter, Text 32:
ayājayad go-savena gopa-rājaṁ dvijottamaiḥ
vittasya coru-bhārasya cikīrṣan sad-vyayaṁ vibhuḥ
The Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, desired to utilize the opulent financial strength of Mahārāja Nanda for worship of the cows, and also He wanted to give a lesson to Indra, the King of heaven. Thus He advised His father to perform worship of go, or the pasturing land and the cows, with the help of learned brāhmaṇas.
Lord Kṛṣṇa inspired Nanda Bābā to perform sacrifices to deplete the six krosas of Braja treasuries, coming from so many homes of the Brajabāsīs. Kṛṣṇa had Nanda Bābā perform this yajña to consume his wealth. Money is a burden, it kills a man and with this burden a man dies. If you collect money, this is an encumbrance, which will kill you. Lord Kṛṣṇa wants, “With my devotee that money should not be there, because My devotee will die with this concern.” The Lord thinks in this way.
There is the affliction of inanimate things, not using money in service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, but for us when money comes it sticks and does not go out from our hand. So Lord said “Let this money be removed from my father. From where in My Braja has all this money come to My father, Nanda Bābā”? To remove that money, Lord Kṛṣṇa arranged that the Brajabāsīs worship Girirāja Govardhan. Suradasji has written in his bhajan that in the realm of Braja there were up to 56 kosas of tents of Brajabāsīs and many dishes were prepared for people coming there, in this way so much money was spent.
Yesterday, when I was giving the lecture, somebody showed me the expenditure of the Rādhāṣṭami festival. I asked, “What is this paper?” The reply was this is the account of 2 million rupees, which was spent for the festival expenditure, I thought that there were so many festivals and millions of rupees are spent, I don’t know from where this money comes from. Before Rādhāṣṭami, it showed that the expenditure was in the millions, but I said this must be done and the money was spent. This was a very small festival for Rādhāṣṭami, and with Nanda Bābā there was so many expenditures, Lord Kṛṣṇa thought, “Why should there be so much money with my father?” Lord Kṛṣṇa did not leave his father, though money is an obstacle in the pleasure of devotion.
[break] Everyone should know if the fan is moving uselessly you should switch off. I don’t see any servant who cares about these things, if something is being wasted you should take care.
So many great sages came to the sacrifice of Nanda Bābā. There was a great feast; all the money was spent on this yajña, because money, an inanimate existence, is a barrier to the nectar of Braja. That’s why in the āśramas, there is no pleasure, no rasa, because there is this worship of money, then the nectar of devotion cannot come. As said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.2.32, money is to be used in devotional service, the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Rādhā Jivanaji became Vrishabhanuji and he donated so much money to the girls and they brought the money to me, and said, “Take this.” I said, “Give me the money, I give only lecture, but I have so much attachment to money.” I took all the money so that the delusion should be finished. I have nothing to do, I’d simply drown in the materialistic ocean and to see how attraction is drawn to inanimate things, I will give another example. It is so late, but what can I do, I cannot become good, but I can talk about being good.
Sanātana Gosvāmī gave up his house by giving so much bribery. He was thinking, “What ever it takes to approach Braja”. Even in taking shelter of God if bribery is utilized then it is good. He gave 7,000 golden coins as a bribe to the jailer to get out of the prison. The jailer said, “If the king Hussain Shah knew he would kill me.” Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “You should say that I went to the Ganga and drowned there. I will never come around here, I will leave Bengal.” When the jailer saw the 7,000 golden coins, then he became greedy. He said, “Oh, yes, yes, yes.” By giving a bribe, then Sanātana Gosvāmī was freed. As he was coming in passage, he met one of his relatives, having a very precious blanket, who said, “Take this blanket.” When Sanātana reached Kośi, he met Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when repeatedly visiting Mahāprabhu, the Lord kept glancing at that blanket.
How can we perform devotion when we keep very opulent shawls upon our body, we decorate our body with fine cloths, then how can we achieve God? We have so much attachment to these mortal things. Sanātana Gosvāmī understood that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was looking at his blanket time and time again, but He did not say anything or give any discourse asking why he was wearing such a precious blanket, but Sanātana Gosvāmī understood from the Mahāprabhu’s indications, intelligent persons understand through signals.
Then he went to a beggar, who was drying an old cloth, torn in so many places. Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “Oh beggar,” and the beggar replied, “What is the matter?” “Please take this blanket and give me your torn cloth.” The beggar retorted, “Why do you make fun of me, why do you ridicule my poverty? This blanket is worth so much and you are giving this to me only taking my torn cloth, are you trying to make me look foolish?” Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “Oh this is a great mercy upon me, please take it in exchange for your torn cloth,” the beggar could not understand. By giving his blanket to the beggar and placing the torn cloth on his body, Sanātana came before Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Mahāprabhu embraced Sanātana Gosvāmī and said, “Sanātana, you are praise worthy, you are now worthy to live in Braja. How can somebody live in Braja by dressing in such a precious blanket?”
If we wear special cloths, then how can we do bhajan? We cannot do any kind of bhajan if there is attraction to inanimate things, there can never be any attraction to devotion to God.
[Singing] As Mirabai has said, “Moti muke utaar, banmala poee…mire to Giridhari Gopal, doosro na koee.” Mirabai was a princess, she said, “I have given up decorating my body with these precious things, I have broken opulent jewelry adorned with special jewels and I now wear torn cloth upon my body.” So she was Mira. “Mira dasi janam jana ki dole.” Mirabai says, “I am the servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa, I will always wander in the forest in search of my Kṛṣṇa.” The hairs of Mirabai became, jata, and the modern Mira uses first class shampoo on the hair, these are the present day Miras. If there is an attraction to mortal things, these things separate a man from God. We have taken the shelter of inanimate things. We want good cloths, good food, wealth, property, money, and delicious dishes. We have attraction for inanimate things, that’s why the sage Bihari says that we will never get love for Kṛṣṇa. People who want the pleasure of delicious dishes, even in the dreams, cannot get love of Kṛṣṇa, he said this for people like us. This is now sufficient.