Discourse at Sri Radha Kunda

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur

The following is a translation of the lecture given by Srila Prabhupad on Krishna Dvitiya, Sunday, 16 October 1932, on the bank of Sri Radha Kunda during Sri Gaudiya Math’s Vraja Mandal Parikrama in the afternoon of the party’s third day at Sri Radha Kunda and eighth day of parikrama.

We are present today between Sri Radha Kunda and Sri Syama Kunda. We are the Gaudiya Sri Rupanuga sampradaya. We do not speak of anything except service under the guidance of Sri Rupa. Before we discuss everything Sri Rupa’s Upadesamrta has said to pull us out of the mud of the contamination we attribute to the name of the followers of the followers of Sri Rupa, please hear the glories of Sri Rupa within this song by Sri Rupa’s follower Srila Narottam Thakur.

[Saying this, Srila Prabhupad requested Pandit Srila Haripada Vidya Ratna Mahoday to chant Srila Thakur Mahasay’s song:]

sri-rupa-manjari-pada sei mora sampada
sei mora bhajana-pujana
sei mora prana-dhana sei mora abharana
sei mora jivanera jivana [1]

[«The lotus feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my fortune. They are my service and my worship. They are the wealth of my heart. They are my ornaments. They are the very life of my life.»]

sei mora rasa-nidhi sei mora vanchha-siddhi
sei mora vedera dharama
sei vrata sei tapa sei mora mantra japa
sei mora dharama karama [2]

[«They are my ocean of nectar. They are the fulfilment of my desires. They are my scriptural duty, my vows, my austerities, my chanting of mantras, and my virtuous acts.»]

anukula habe vidhi se pade ha-ibe siddhi
nirakhiba e dui nayane
se rupa-madhuri-rasi prana-kuvalaya-sasi
praphullita habe nisi-dine [3]

[«When Providence favours me, I will reach those feet and see them with these two eyes. Sri Rupa’s abounding beauty is the moon of the lotus of my heart, which will bloom night and day.»]

tuya adarsana-ahi- garale jarala dehi
chira-dina tapita jivana
ha ha prabhu! kara daya deha more pada-chhaya
narottama la-ila sarana [4]

[«Afflicted by the poison of the snake of separation from you, my body wastes away, and my heart constantly burns. Alas! O mistress! Be merciful. Give me the shade of your feet. Narottam Das has taken shelter of you.»]

suniyachhi sadhu-mukhe bale sarva-jana
sri-rupa-krpaya mile yugala-charana [1]

[«I have heard from the mouth of the sadhus, and everyone says, that by the mercy of Sri Rupa souls attain the feet of the Divine Couple.»]

ha ha prabhu sanatana gaura-parivara
sabe mili’ vanchha-purna karaha amara [2]

[«O Prabhu Sanatan! O associates of Sri Gaura! May you all unitedly fulfil my desires.»]

sri-rupera krpa yena ama prati haya
se pada asraya yara, sei mahasaya [3]

[«May Sri Rupa be merciful to me. Those who have taken shelter of Sri Rupa’s feet are great souls.»]

prabhu lokanatha kabe sange lana yabe
sri-rupera pada-padme more samarpibe [4]

[«When will my master, Sri Lokanath, take me with him and offer me to the lotus feet of Sri Rupa?»]

hena ki ha-ibe mora — narma-sakhi-gane
anugata narottame karibe sasane [5]

[«Will I ever attain this? Will the intimate sakhis ever chastise their follower Narottam?»]

When the kirtan ended, Srila Prabhupad began to speak again:

If we are to attain the mercy of Sri Vrsabhanu Nandini, then we have no means other than subservience to Sri Rupa Manjari. Sri Raghunath Das Goswami is the foremost follower of Sri Rupa. Sri Jiva is a follower of Raghunath. The instructions that Sri Rupa Goswami has given are revealed in the hearts of the highest section of devotees (the paramahamsa Vaisnavas).

The bank of Sri Radha Kunda is not simply a holy place like Jambudwip, Vaikuntha, or the district of Mathura. For those who beg for the lotus feet of Sri Radha, there is no other place to take shelter. Sri Radha Kunda is their one and only place of shelter, and Sri Upadesamrta has explained how they are to follow the path to Sri Radha Kunda.

Because a faint presence of the message of Sri Rupa can be found in the hearts of the paramahamsas, the first verse of Sri Upadesamrta is the same as a verse from the Hamsa-gita in the Mahabharata.

vacho vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat

Vakya-vega: giving up talk of Sri Krishna and those devoted to Krishna, and talking about other things. Sitting silently is also vakya-vega; it is unexpressed vakya-vega. Those who speak about numerous worldly matters, whose speaking power has waywardly remained engaged in worldly talk — be it in this birth or a previous birth — may remain silent with the desire of taking rest for a little while after saying many things to atone for their sins. Some may become silent for a week, and some may have performed an act of remaining silent for ages, but inside their unexpressed urge to speak remains like a loaded gun. Genuine goodness can never come about through such artificial endeavours. Only the tongue that resonates talk of Krishna is chaste. A tongue that croaks like a frog about worldly matters or indulges in unexpressed vakya-vega by remaining silent like a python has no chastity. We have no reason to remain silent. We have heard the dictum, «Kirtaniyah sada Harih: we must always glorify the Lord.»

The subject (asray) and object (visay) of the respective rasas of those who relish the various rasas in the service of Krishna should be discussed. The devotees of the Lord have no other life. Their life is filled exclusively with devotion — with the endeavour to gratify the senses of Krishna. Their devotion is not mixed with abstract knowledge (jnan), meditation (yoga), or austerity (tapasya). Their entire life — their everything, their sustenance — is Krishna’s service.

The service of Krishna is performed in five forms. In santa-rasa, there is residence on the bank of the Yamuna in the district of Mathura. In dasya-rasa, there is subservience to Raktaka, Patraka, and Chitraka. In intimate sakhya-rasa, there is compliance with Sudam, Sridam, Stokakrishna, and others. In vatsalya-rasa, there is subservience to Sri Nanda and Yasoda, and in madhura-rasa, there is servitorship to the gopis of Vraja.

If you can become an emperor by holding the supramundane dust of the gopis’ feet on your head, then you can serve Krishna. If you adorn your head with the dust from the feet of the surrendered Vaisnavas, then you will attain all perfection.

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-’bhisekam
niskinchananam na vrnita yavat

[«So long as souls attached to worldly happiness do not bathe in the dust of the feet of great souls who are detached from this world, their consciousness, which is intent upon the removal of misfortune, cannot touch the Lord’s feet.»]

The only duty of the gods of the earth — the brahmans — and all other classes is service to Krishna. If they do not do this, they all must become subject to punishment by Yamaraj. In Srimad Bhagavatam (6.3.28–9), Yamaraj said to his attendents:

tan anayadhvam asato vimukhan mukunda-
padaravinda-makaranda-rasad ajasram
niskinchanaih paramahamsa-kulair asangair
justad grhe niraya-vartmani baddha-trsnan

[«Bring me the non-devotees who are bound by desire to the path to hell — their homes — and averse to the taste of the nectar from the Lord’s lotus feet, which is relished by the selfless paramahamsas free from bad association.»]

jihva na vakti bhagavad-guna-namadheyam
chetas cha na smarati tach-charanaravindam
krsnaya no namati yach-chhira ekadapi
tan anayadhvam asato ’krta-visnu-krtyan

[«Bring me the non-devotees whose tongues have never even once uttered the Lord’s Name or qualities, whose minds have never even once remembered His lotus feet, whose heads have never even once bowed to Krishna, and who have never even once served Krishna.»]

Manasah krodha-vegam: the mind has two types of urges: reciprocal affection and reciprocal opposition; the urge for affection and the urge for opposition. Jihva, udara, and upastha vegas: these are three types of bodily urges. One who can control the urges of the body, the mind, and speech is a carrier of the triple-staff (tridandi), and engaging these three types of urges in Krishna’s service is a characteristic of being a master of the senses (goswami). If we are to engage in Krishna’s service, then we must become a goswami. Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati, a resident of Kamyavan, was such a tridandi-goswami.

The second instruction of Sri Rupa is,

atyaharah prayasas cha prajalpo niyamagrahah
jana-sangas cha laulyan cha sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati

Excessive eating, amassing wealth in large quantities, amassing strength, and amassing prestige (pratistha) are all atyahara. Accepting as much of these things as is necessary to live (yavan nirvaha pratigraha, Cc: Madhya, 22.112) is the conduct of a Vaisnava. After giving up talk of service to Krishna, all talk that remains is prajalpa. Talk of worldly sin and piety is all prajalpa. Niyamagraha means both excessive attachment to and detachment from rules. «I will be attached to rules and give up the service of Krishna» and «I will give up the rules of service to Krishna» — these are both aversion to the Lord’s service. Regarding Srila Das Goswami Prabhu, the greatest of all servitors of Sri Radha Kunda and the best of the followers of Sri Rupa, Srila Kaviraj Goswami has written,

raghunathera niyama yena pasanera rekha

[«Raghunath’s adherence to rules is like a line carved in stone.»]

Jana-sanga means associating with those who are averse to Krishna’s service. Associating with many wealthy persons, egotists, and intellectuals (jnanis) who are averse to the Lord, considering them disciples, and associating with non-devotees of Krishna is jana-sanga. Associating with those who are devoted to Krishna is not jana-sanga.

Sri Rupa’s third instruction:

utsahan nischayad dhairyat tat-tat-karma-pravartanat
sanga-tyagat sato vrtteh sadbhir bhaktih prasidhyati

Progressive enthusiasm for Krishna’s service, conviction that all goodness can be attained only in Krishna’s service, (perseverance in Krishna’s service), performing activities that please Krishna, giving up the association of non-devotees of Krishna, those who illicitly associate with women, and those who associate with such persons, and following the proper conduct of the sadhus and the great souls — devotion develops through these six types of actions that are favourable to devotion.

Srila Rupa Prabhu’s fourth instruction is about association: what is association and how are we to associate with others?

dadati pratigrhnati guhyam akhyati prchchhati
bhunkte bhojayate chaiva sad-vidham priti-laksanam

With love, we should give servants of Krishna whatever articles they require. We should accept things given by devotees. We should speak from our heart with genuine servants of Krishna, and we should listen to what they speak from their hearts. With love, we should feed the Vaisnava, and we ourselves should eat the prasad given by the Vaisnava. These six things are the characteristics of love, and in these six ways, our association with both sadhus and non-sadhus takes place. Those who selfishly behave in these six ways with materialists, sinners, atheists, religious hypocrites, and fradulent devotees — mundane imitationists (prakrta-sahajiyas) — do not serve Krishna; they engage in bad association (asat-sanga). So-called gurus who increase the material property of their materialistic disciples and indulge the sins of their sinful disciples associate with these materialists and sinners. Such so-called gurus and so-called disciples engage in bad association with one another; they do not serve Krishna.

Sri Rupa Prabhu’s fifth instruction is about service to the Vaisnavas. How much should I associate with a Vaisnava? Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, in one of his songs, has said,

ye yena vaisnava chiniya la-iya
adara kariba yabe
vaisnavera seva yahe sarva-siddhi
avasya paiba tabe

[«When I will recognise and honour a Vaisnava as is appropriate, then I will certainly attain their serivce, within which there is all perfection.]

Sri Rupa Prabhu also has said,

krsneti yasya giri tam manasadriyeta
diksasti chet pranatibhis cha bhajantam isam
susrusaya bhajana-vijnam ananyam anya-
nindadi-sunya-hrdam ipsita-sanga-labdhya

We should honour within the mind those who (under the shelter of a genuine Guru’s feet) chant the Name of Krishna. If they become initiated and sincerely engage in the Lord’s service through service to Sri Guru, then we should know them to be intermediate Vaisnavas and honour them with obeisance. We should know the association of great devotees who have taken shelter exclusively, are indifferent to criticism and praise, and engage in genuine service to Krishna during the eight periods of the day to be most desirable, and we should serve them in all respects. Service to the great devotees in body, mind, and words is the root of service to Krishna. Beginners often times proudly consider themselves great devotees and fall down. We should honour the Vaisnavas with our heart, and we should give external social respect to non-Vaisnavas. If we do not honour the Vaisnavas with our heart, then our fall down is inevitable. Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu quotes a verse from the Puranas in his sandarbhas:

hanti nindanti vai dvesti vaisnavan nabhinandati
krudhyate yati no harsam darsane patanani sat

Killing a Vaisnava, showing anger towards a Vaisnava, being inimical towards a Vaisnava, criticising a Vaisnava, not offering obeisance upon seeing a Vaisnava, and what more, not feeling joyful at heart upon seeing a Vaisnava — these six are causes of fall down.

In his Bhakti-sandarbha, Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu has established the definition of initiation (diksa) by quoting from the Agama-purana:

divyam jnanam yato dadyat kuryat papasya sanksayam
tasmad dikseti sa prokta desikais tattva-kovidaih

The Guru who can, through the gift of the mantra, establish spiritual perception in the place of material knowledge and remove all mundane sins in the form of forbidden activities [within a disciple] is a giver of initiation (diksa), and those who take shelter of him are initiated. A Vaisnava who is fortunate to attain initiation into the mantra has no mundane ego. Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu, quoting from a statement from the Puranas, has said,

ahankrtir ma-karah syan na-karas tan nisedhakah
tasmat tu namasa ksetri-svatantryam pratisidhyate
bhagavat-paratantro ’sau tadayatatma-jivanah
tasmat svasamarthya-vidhim tyajet sarvam asesatah

The Lord’s Name is the Lord Himself. The union of the Lord and the word namah in a devotional manner which expresses subservience to the Lord is the Lord’s mantra (Bhagavan-mantra). Ma means mundane ego, and na is there to negate it. The word namah has been used for the purpose of giving up mundane ego in subservience to the Lord. The master of the field in the form of the body is known as the jiva. By the use of the word namah, the jiva’s independence in the form of absorption in matter has been checked.

There are three designations for devotees: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. In service also, there are three principles: love for the Lord, friendship with those surrendered to Him, and mercy for the unknowing. Ignoring the inimical also, as an alternate, is mercy and avoidance of bad association. Offer obeisance to the inimical from a distance. Offer obeisance to materialistic followers of the smrti scriptures from a distance. Offer obeisance to the various schools of demigod worshippers from a distance. Speak about the Lord only with those who want to listen.

Worship of the Lord is the fundamental principle. Austerities, rites, and so on are not.

aradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim
naradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim
antar bahir yadi haris tapasa tatah kim
nantar bahir yadi haris tapasa tatah kim

[«If the Lord is worshipped, what is the use of austerities? And if Lord is not worshipped, what is the use of austerities? If the Lord is within and without, what is the use of austerities? And if the Lord is not within and without, what is the use of austerities?»]

Previously, the conception in the Sri sampradaya was mixed with yoga, but Gosthipurnapad curbed this.

The characteristics of a great devotee are:

sarva-bhutesu yah pasyed bhagavad-bhavam atmanah
bhutani bhagavaty atmany esa bhagavatottamah

[«Those who see the presence of the Supreme Lord within all beings and the presence of all beings within the Supreme Lord are advanced devotees.»]

sabe krsna bhajana kare, ei-matra jane

[«They know only that everyone serves Krishna.»]

«Everyone is a devotee, but I have never had any devotion.» Sriman Mahaprabhu said,

na prema-gandho ’sti darapi me harau
krandami saubhagya-bharam prakasitum
vamsi-vilasy-anana-lokanam vina
bibharmi yat prana-patangakan vrtha

[«I do not have even a trace of love for Krishna. Still, I cry to show that I have a great fortune. Without a glimpse of the face of that Flute Player, I carry on My meaningless, insect-like life.»]

The Lord is present as the Supersoul within everyone. Horses, donkeys, outcasts — great devotees offer obeisance to everyone.

The qualities of beginners, intermediates, and the advanced have been examined in both the Bhagavat and the Pancharatra. Followers of the Pancharatra have taste for the process of worship (archan), and the followers of the Bhagavat engage in glorification (kirtan). Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu, in his Bhakti-sandarbha, has said,

tatah prema-taratamyenaiva bhakta-mahattva-taratamyam mukhyam.
yair lingair sa bhagavatah priya uttama-madhyamatadi-vivikto bhavati tani lingani.
tatraivarchana-marge trividhatvam labhyate.
padmottara-khandoktam mahattvan tu archana-marga-paranam madhya eva jneyam.

[«The gradation in advancement amongst devotees is ascertained by the gradation in their love. The signs by which the advanced, the intermediate, and a beginner are distinguished as being relatively dear to the Lord are the characteristics for establishing the gradation amongst devotees. In the system of worship given in the Pancharatra, three stages are found. The advancement amongst Vaisnavas mentioned in the Uttara-khanda of the Padma-purana should be understood to apply to followers of the system of worship given in the Pancharatra.]

tatra mahattvam —

tapadi-pancha-samskari navejya-karma-karakah
artha-panchaka-vid vipro mahabhagavatah smrtah

[The characteristics of an advanced devotee according to this system: «A brahman who has undergone the five samskaras, engages in the nine forms of worship, and understands the five branches of knowledge is known as a great devotee.»]

madhyamatvam —
tapam pundram tatha nama mantro yagas cha panchamah
ami hi pancha-samskarah paramaikanti-hetavah

[The characteristics of an intermediate devotee according to the system of worship given in the Pancharatra: «Performing austerities, wearing tilak, chanting the Name, chanting one’s mantra, and offering worship are the five samskaras. They (as practised by intermediates) are the cause of earnest and intense devotion.»]

kanisthatvam —
sankha-chakrady-urdhva-pundra-dharanady-atma-laksanam
tan-namaskaranan chaiva vaisnavatvam ihochyate

[The characteristics of a beginner devotee according to the system of worship given in the Pancharatra: «Those who mark themselves with the conchshell, disc, and other signs of the Lord, wear vertical line tilak, and offer obeisance to other Vaisnavas who wear such marks are said to be beginners.»]

bhagavata-mate manasa-lingena mahabhagavatam laksayati

[According to Srimad Bhagavatam, an advanced devotee is characterised by a particular state of mind:]

sarva-bhutesu yah pasyed bhagavad-bhavam atmanah
bhutani bhagavaty atmany esa bhagavatottamah

[«Those who see the presence of the Supreme Lord within all beings and the presence of all beings within the Supreme Lord are advanced devotees.»]

atha manasa-linga-visesanenaiva madhyama-bhagavatam laksayati —

[Next, an intermediate devotee is characterised by a particular state of mind:]

isvare tad-adhinesu balisesu dvisatsu cha
prema-maitri-krpopeksa yah karoti sa madhyamah

[«Those who love the Lord, befriend the devotees, are merciful to the innocent, and ignore the inimical are intermediate devotees.»]

atha bhagavad-dharmacharana-rupena kayikena kinchin manasena cha lingena kanistham laksayati —

[Next, a beginner devotee is characterised by marks on the body that represent engagement in service to the Lord and to a certain extent by a particular state of mind:]

archayam eva haraye pujam yah sraddhayehate
na tad-bhaktesu chanyesu sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah

[«Those who faithfully worship the Deity of the Lord but not His devotees or other souls are beginner devotees.»]

prabhate chardha-ratre cha madhyahne divasa-ksaye
kirtayanti harim ye vai na tesam anya-sadhanam

[«Those who chant the Name of the Lord in the morning, at noon, in the evening, and at midnight need no other practice.»]

yena janma-sataih purvam vasudevah samarchitah
tan-mukhe hari-namani sada tisthanti bharata

[«O descendant of Bharat, the Names of the Lord always remain in the mouth of those who previously worshipped Vasudev for a hundred births.»]

We should chant the Name of the Lord twenty-four hours a day every day. Those who are qualified to engage in service at all times always think, «Everyone is serving the Lord; only I have not served Him.» Such souls have no conception that, «Some are good, and some are bad.» If beginners, intermediates, or persons with selfish desires, however, imitate advanced devotees and think, «I will not conceive of good and bad; good association and bad association are the same», then they will fall into bad association and will not be able to enter even the proximity of the land of devotion. We should offer obeisance to intermediate devotees and honour beginners, that is, we should give them enthusiasm. We should honour Pandas who guide pilgrims at holy places; they engage in worship. We should offer obeisance to devotees, and we should serve experts in devotion with our body, mind, and words. We should remain engaged in their service at all times. To external vision, we should even leave the service of the Lord to serve the devotees.

aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarchanam

[«Of all types of worship, the worship of Visnu is supreme. Even better, however, O Goddess, is the worship of those who are dear to Him.»]

abhyarchayitva govindam tadiyan narchayanti ye
na te visnu-prasadasya bhajanam dambhika janah

[«Proud persons who worship Govinda but do not worship those who are dear to Him are not recipients of the Lord’s grace.»]

«I have become the Guru of everyone. Everyone is my disciple.» The name for such an attitude is pride. A tridandi is nirasir-nirnamas-kriyah: he does not bless anyone and he does not offer obeisance to anyone. Even the mother and father of a tridandi in his previous asram should offer obeisance to him.

Sri Rupa’s sixth instruction:

drstaih svabhava-janitair vapusas cha dosair
na prakrtatvam iha bhakta-janasya pasyet
gangambhasam na khalu budbuda-phena-pankair
brahma-dravatvam apagachchhati nira-dharmaih

We should never look with mundane vision at the innate faults, such as being low class, rough, or lazy, or the bodily faults, such as having an unpleasant complexion, a deformed figure, or an unsightly appearance as a result of disease, of a devotee of the Lord present in this world. «Because all these faults appear before our eyes, Vaisnavas engaged in the service to the Lord must also be living beings just like all other souls.» If such a conception comes to us, then we are unfortunate. Bubbles, foam, mud, and various types of refuse can be seen in the stream of the Ganges, but the greatness of the Ganges of liquid spirit is not diminished by this.

Although Sathakopa Das appeared in a family of sudras, Yamuna Muni described the greatness of Sathakopa Prabhu’s appearance in a brahman family.

mata-pita-yuvatayas tanaya vibhutih
sarvam yad eva niyamena mad-anvayanam
adyasya nah kula-pater bakulabhiramam
srimat-tad-anghri-yugalam pranamami murdhna

«I offer my obeiance with my head to the holy feet of Sri Sathakopa Acharya, the first Acharya in our family. Our entire family’s wealth is simply the holy feet of Sri Sathakopa Prabhu. Our mother, father, wife, sons, and wealth — everything is the lotus feet of Sathakopa Deva.»

Yamuna Acharya also said:

tava dasya-sukhaika-sanginam
bhavanesv astv api kita-janma me
itarav asathesu ma sma bhud
api me janma chaturmukhatmana

«O Lord, a birth as an insect in the home of Your devotee is good, but I do not want to reside even in the body of Brahma himself in the home of a non-devotee.»

Ramanuja Acharya has said,

vaisnavanan cha janmani nidralasyani yani cha
drstva tanya-prakasyani janebhyo na vadet kvachit

Even if we know about a Vaisnava’s low birth, sleep, or laziness, (for the good of society and to help persons whose faith is soft) we should never proudly speak about such things with others to defame them. We should overlook a Vaisnava’s present and visible faults and glorify their qualities.

In this verse, Sri Rupa Prabhu has repudiated the mundane mentality of the prakrta sahajiyas. Those who do not recognise a genuine devotee of Krishna if they have not taken birth as a descendant of the Lord or an Acharya and imagine deceitful persons who identify themselves as descendents of the Lord or an Acharya but are averse to the Lord’s service to be goswamis or prabhus have mundane vision. They can never enter the land of devotion.

Those who do not look at a pure devotee with mundane vision and see their pure devotion can quickly become free from vision of misbehaviour in an advanced devotee and develop the qualities of a sadhu. There is a difference between a practitioner who has not developed taste (ruchi) and a perfected (siddha) devotee. The prakrta sahajiya school cannot understand this point. We should know one of such persons to be a disciple, and one to be a Guru. We should not give advice to a Guru, and we should not accept advice from a disciple.

Srila Vedavyas, therefore, has said,

archye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhir
visnor va vaisnavanam kali-mala-mathane pada-tirthe ’mbu-buddhih
sri-visnor-namni-mantre sakala-kalusa-he sabda-samanya-buddhir
visnau sarvesvarese tad-itara-sama-dhir yasya va naraki sah

[«Anyone who thinks the Deity is a stone, Sri Guru is a man, the Vaisnava is from a particular caste, the foot-wash of Visnu or the Vaisnava is ordinary water, the Lord’s Name and mantra, which vanquish all sins, are ordinary sounds, or Visnu, the Lord of Lords, is equal to others is damned.»]

svapakam iva nekseta loke vipram avaisnavam
vaisnavo varno-bahyo ’pi punati bhuvana-trayam

[«As one should not look at a dog-eater, so one should not look at a brahman in this world who is not a Vaisnava, but a Vaisnava even from outside the brahman class purifies the three worlds.»]

viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad aravinda-nabha-
padaravinda-vimukhat svapacham varistham
manye tad-arpita-mano-vachanehitartha-
pranam punati sa kulam na tu bhurimanah

[«I consider outcasts who have dedicated their mind, words, actions, wealth, and life to the lotus feet of the Lord to be superior to brahmans who have all twelve qualities (wealth, high birth, beauty, austerity, learning, strong senses, lustre, power, strength, virility, intelligence, and discipline) but are averse to the Lord’s lotus feet. The outcasts purify their entire family, while proud brahmans do not (even purify themselves).»]

aho bata sva-pacho ’to gariyan
yaj-jihvagre vartate nama tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvuh sasnur arya
brahmanuchur nama grnanti ye te

[«Amazing! The outcast on the tip of whose tongue Your Name appears is exalted. Those who chant Your Name have performed all austerities and sacrifices, bathed at all the holy places, observed all the codes of conduct, and studied all the Vedas.»]

mukha-bahuru-padebhyah purusasyasramaih saha
chatvaro jajnire varna gunair vipradayah prthak
ya esam purusam saksad atma-prabhavam isvaram
na bhajanty avajananti sthanad bhrastah patanty adhah

[«The brahmans, ksatriyas, vaisyas, and sudras were born from the face, arms, thighs, and feet of the Lord through the modes of nature along with the four asrams. Those amongst them who do not serve and thus disrespect their own creator, the Supreme Lord, lose their positions and fall down.»]

We cannot recognise a Vaisnava by observing external detachment or external attachment. We can recognise a true Vaisnava as a Vaisnava by observing their extremely sincere attachment to the Lord’s service and their extremely genuine constancy within it. We should not confuse a practitioner with an expert. We should not look at Vamsi Das Babaji Maharaj of Nabadwip’s habits of chewing pan and smoking tobacco, and we should not imitate him. We should look at his extreme propensity for service.

abhyarthitas tada tasmai sthanani kalaye dadau
dyutam panam striyah suna yatradharmas chatur-vidhah
punas cha yachamanaya jata-rupam adat prabhuh
tato ’nrtam madam kamam rajo vairan cha panchamam
amuni pancha sthanani hy adharma-prabhavah kalih
auttareyena dattani nyavasat tan-nidesa-krt
athaitani na seveta bubhusuh purusah kvachit
visesato dharma-silo raja loka-patir guruh

[«Having been requested, Maharaj Pariksit gave Kali the places of the four forms of adharma (dishonesty, lust, violence, and pride): gambling, intoxication, illicit association with women, and slaughter. When requested again, Maharaj Pariksit gave Kali gold (wealth), in which dishonesty, pride, lust, violence, and a fifth (form of adharma), enmity preside. Kali, the propagator of adharma, following this order, took up residence in these five places given by Maharaj Pariksit. Therefore, souls who desire good fortune should never indulge in these five things. Virtuous souls, kings, social leaders, and spiritual masters should completely avoid these things.»]

Pan, tabacco, and other intoxicants are places of Kali. Devotees should never consume intoxicants. If a habit of consuming intoxicants can be seen in any particular sadhu, then we should look at the quality of his propensity for service. Otherwise, we should not say he is a sadhu because he can smoke a lot of ganja. You can call those who are addicted to drugs ‘sadhus’, but you should not call them servants of the Lord.

We should not judge the bodily faults of nondevotees. We should not look at their high or low birth. We should not call them servants of the Lord (‘Hari-jana’) and confuse them with supramundane servants of the Lord. «Ambaris was a grhastha, and therefore, he was less than a sannyasi. He was a ksatriya, and therefore, he was a servant of the brahmans.» We should not think like this. If we do, we will undergo tribulation like Durvasa. Sri Krishna Chaitanyadev has said,

eta saba chhadi’ ara varnasrama-dharma
akinchana hana laya krsnaika-sarana

[«Give up bad association and adherence to social and occupational duties, become detached, and take shelter of Krishna exclusively.»]

When drain water mixes with the water of the Yamuna, we should no longer go to judge, «Which water is this?» There is a verse of Tulsi Dasji,

brahmana-ksatriya-vaisya-sudra sabkoi karata vichara
hari na bhajeta charo chamara

[«Brahmans, ksatriyas, vaisyas, and sudras — judge them all: if they do not serve the Lord, then all four of them are untouchables.»]

Sri Rupa’s seventh instruction,

syat krsna-nama-charitadi-sitapy avidya-
pittopatapta-rasanasya na rochika nu
kintv adarad anudinam khalu saiva justa
svadvi kramad bhavati tad-gada-mula-hantri

As people suffering from jaundice think even sweet sugar candy in their mouth is bitter, so souls whose tongues have been afflicted with the jaundice of ignorance since time immemorial — souls who have been averse to Krishna since time immemorial — have no taste for the supremely sweet Name of Krishna. Although sugar candy seems bitter to someone suffering from jaundice, as sugar candy is the medicine for curing jaundice, so the Name of the Lord is the one and only medicine for warding off ignorance and attaining divine love for Krishna. Only by constantly and uninhibitedly chanting the Name of the Lord will taste for the Name develop. «Everyone should stop chanting the divine, liberating Name (Taraka-brahma-nam) and quitely meditate.» This is the conception of the materialists and illusionists. Sri Sanatan Prabhu, nonetheless, has said,

jayati jayati namananda-rupam murarer
viramita-nija-dharma-dhyana-pujadi-yatnam
katham api sakrd attam muktidam praninam yat
paramam amrtam ekam jivanam bhusanam me

«Let the Name of Murari, the origin of all joy, be glorified again and again! By hearing and chanting the supramundane Name, relief from social and occupational duties, sacrifices, meditation, worship, and other endeavours is gained. By just a semblance of the Lord’s Name, the soul is liberated from ignorance. The Lord’s Name is the one and only nectar, my very life and ornament.»

Those who chant the Name of the Lord become free from social and occupational duties. Thus, we hear in the words of Srila Madhavendra Puripad, which Sri Rupa Prabhu collected in his Padyavali:

sandhya-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bho snana tubhyam namo
bho devah pitaras cha tarpana-vidhau naham ksamah ksamyatam
yatra kvapi nisadya yadava-kulottamsasya kamsa-dvisah
smaram smaram agham harami tad alam manye kim anyena me

«O daily prayers, all the best to you. O daily baths, my obeisance to you. O gods and forefathers, I am unable to offer you oblations; please forgive me. Wherever I dwell, I will easily be able to destroy the misery of material existence and my sins and offences by again and again remembering Krishna, the crown of the Yadu dynasty and enemy of Kamsa. So, to remove the temporary misery of material existence and my tendency to sin, I have no need for daily prayers, daily baths, or any other incidental functions.»

There are linguistic differences between the words in the ancient scripts such as Brahmi, Sanki, Kharausti, and Puskarasa. All the dictionaries that have been created for these scripts are objects of enjoyment for souls who are averse to Krishna. The Name should not be conceived of in that way.

yena janma-sataih purvam vasudevah samarchitah
tan-mukhe hari-namani sada tisthanti bharata

[«O descendant of Bharat, the Names of the Lord always remain in the mouth of those who previously worshipped Vasudev for a hundred births.»]

Sriman Mahaprabhu has said,

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah

[«O Lord, You have manifested Your many Names, put all Your power in Them, and made no rules regarding the time for remembering Them. Such is Your great mercy. My misfortune, however, is that I have no attachment to Your Names.»]

«I have taste for worship, bathing at holy places, and so on, but I have no taste for exclusive service to the Name.» All the benefits and effects of the practices of worship, bathing at holy places, and so on are intertwined in the Name simply as subsidiaries. What more, all the personal power of the Possessor of the Name is present in the Name. Still, souls are so unfortunate that they have no taste for the Name. Thus, Srila Thakur Mahasay has sung,

tirtha-yatra parisrama kevala manera bhrama
sarva-siddhi govinda-charana

[«Visiting holy places is simply labour, a mental delusion. All perfection is at the feet of Govinda.»]

According to the conception of the seekers of material gain (karma-kandis), visiting holy places is for purification of the heart, but purification of the heart is automatic for those who chant the Name:

aho bata sva-pacho ’to gariyan
yaj-jihvagre vartate nama tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvuh sasnur arya
brahmanuchur nama grnanti ye te

[«Amazing! The outcast on the tip of whose tongue Your Name appears is exalted. Those who chant Your Name have performed all austerities and sacrifices, bathed in all the holy places, observed all the codes of conduct, and studied all the Vedas.»]

The followers of Christ’s dharma say, «We should not take the Name of the Lord in vain”, and “If we take the Name of the Lord at all times, we will disturb the Lord.» Materialistic followers of the smrti scriptures say, «Visnu rests during the four-month monsoon season (Chaturmasya). Therefore, if we loudly chant the Name of the Lord at this time, we can break the Lord’s sleep, and out of anger He can bring famine, drought, flooding, and so on to the country. So, let us remain quiet and, because it is not unnecessary talk or village talk, let us give indulgence to enjoyment in the form of the unexpressed urge to speak [silence]! In Christ’s dharma, however, the purpose of the prohibition of unnecessarily taking the Name of the Lord is not that we should not call out to the Lord at all times. Its purpose is that we should call out to the Lord only for the purpose of serving the Lord. We should not call out to the Lord to take any benefits for ourselves as though He is the proprietor of a garden. Taking the Name of the Lord to acquire any kind of worldly benefit is taking the Name in vain. This, in Vaisnava scriptures, is said to be an offence to the Name (Namaparadh).

Sri Rupa Prabhu’s eighth instruction is the essence of all instructions:

tan-nama-rupa-charitadi-sukirtananu-
smrtyoh kramena rasana-manasi niyojya
tisthan vraje tad-anuragi-jananugami
kalam nayed akhilam ity upadesa-saram

When practitioners develop taste (ruchi) by following the gradual path and engaging their speech and mind in chanting and remembrance of Krishna’s Name, Krishna’s Form, Krishna’s Qualities, Krishna’s associates, and Krishna’s Pastimes, then they should spend their time residing in Vraja under the guidance of the residents of Vraja. This is the essence of all instructions. We should always remain submissive to the residents of Vraja. The bank of the Yamuna — the place of Krishna’s amorous play, the waters of the Yamuna, the cows, sticks, horns, and flute are all residents of Vraja — they are residents of Vraja in santa-rasa. Raktaka, Chitraka, Patraka, and others are eternal residents of Vraja in dasya-rasa. Externally acting like a resident of Vraja but internally thinking of things other than Krishna is not «residing in Vraja». Only those who cannot even unknowingly or unwillingly engage in anything other than the service of Krishnachandra and who have constant natural attachment to Krishna’s service are residents of Vraja. If we cannot reside in Vraja in this body, then we should reside in Vraja within our pure heart — in our heart of hearts that is situated in pure goodness (suddha-sattva). The mind must always be kept fully immersed in the conception of Vraja. The mind is not meant for the concepts of enjoyment and renunciation. We need to give up both of these mentalities — enjoyment and renunciation. «Na nirvinno natisakto bhakti-yogo ’sya siddhi-dah (SB: 11.20.8) [«The practice of devotion of those who are neither excessively averse nor excessively attached grants all perfection»]. Neither a householder who is henpecked and extremely attached nor an extreme dry renunciate can serve the Lord.

We have to follow the gradual path. First is the stage of hearing (sravan-dasa). We have to hear the Name of Krishna and talks about Krishna. The Name of Krishna will reveal Himself as His Form, His Qualities, His associates, and His Pastimes. After the stage of hearing is the stage of accepting (varan-dasa). When the stage of accepting arrives after hearing, we begin to chant what we have heard. By constantly and sincerely chanting, we reach the stage of remembrance (smaran-dasa). There are five different forms of remembrance: general remembrance (smaran), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyan), constant meditation (anusmrti), and trance (samadhi). Complete constancy free from interruptions is samadhi. After the stage of remembrance is the stage of attainment (apan-dasa). In this stage, the practitioner realises their true self. After this, in the stage of fortune (sampatti-dasa), one attains absolute perfection (vastu-siddhi).

We have to properly glorify (perform sukirtan of) the Lord’s Name, Form, Pastimes, and so forth. If we perform improper kirtan (kukirtan) or make a show of kirtan, we will not be successful.

srnvatah sraddhaya nityam grnatas cha svachestitam
kalena natidirghena bhagavan visate hrdi

[«The Lord quickly enters the heart of those who always faithfully hear and chant about His activities.»]

The rest gained in remembrance after giving up chanting is not real remembrance. By giving up chanting and making an act of remembrance, one will simply meditate on objects of enjoyment. The scriptures have explained two paths: that of pleasure (preyah) and that of goodness (sreyah). The path of preyah is what we like, and the path of sreyah is what is good for us even though we do not like it. When sreyah and preyah become one, when the pair sreyah and preyah unite (sreyah o preyera yugala-milan haya), then our heart runs to serve Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. Then sreyah becomes preyah, and preyah becomes sreyah (goodness becomes pleasure, and pleasure becomes goodness). The preyah of an advanced devotee of Krishna is sreyah, and their sreyah is preyah.

Tad-anuragi means the residents of Vraja who have deep attachment to Krishna (ragatmika Vraja-jana). The cows, sticks, horns, flute, kadamba trees, and the banks of the Yamuna are Tad-anuragis in santa-rasa. Raktaka, Chitraka, Patraka, Bakula, and others, who are servants in the house of Nanda and serve Krishna when He returns from the upper pasturing grounds, are Tad-anuragis in dasya-rasa. Sridam, Sudam, and others are Tad-anuragis in confidential sakhya-rasa. Arjuna’s conception is mixed with awareness of the Lord’s majesty; he does not have pure friendship with the Lord. There is a distinction between reverential friendship and confidential friendship. In confidential friendship, Sudam, Sridam, and others climb on Krishna’s shoulders, pick palm fruits in a palm forest, feed Krishna the pal fruits, fight with Krishna, and put Krishna on their friends’ shoulders and play with Him. Arjuna, however, becomes awestruck by seeing the universal form: «You are so powerful. I have offended You by calling You a friend. Please forgive my offence.» Overwhelmed by Krishna’s majesty, Arjuna speaks this way.

Nanda, Yasoda, and others are Tad-anuragis in vatsalya-rasa. Madhavendra Puri’s disciple Raghupati Upadhyaya said,

srutim apare smrtim itare bharatam anye bhajantu bhava-bhitah
aham iha nandam vande yasyalinde param brahma

[«Amongst those who are afraid of mundane existence, some follow the sruti, some the smrti, and others the Mahabharata. I, however, worship Nanda Maharaj, who has the Supreme Absolute on his veranda.»]

The gopis of Vraja are Tad-anuragis in the highest, brightest rasa (madhura-rasa). Upon meeting Krishna at Syamanta Panchaka [Kuruksetra], the gopis, stricken with separation, said,

ahus cha te nalina-nabha padaravindam
yogesvarair hrdi vichintyam agadha-bodhaih
samsara-kupa-patitottaranavalambam
geham jusam api manasy udiyat sada nah

[«O Lord whose navel is just like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are meditated upon by ascetics and sages, and they are the means of deliverance for souls that have fallen into the well of samsara. Although we are simply householders, may they always arise within our hearts.»]

Worldly persons think they will attain good fortune only when they are able to cross over the world, and renunciants of the world who engage in the practice of meditation think experience of the subtle material plane is pure experience of spirit, but it is not a deep experience at all. Leaving this conception, the highest expression of service to the Lord in the conception of parakiya (‘another’s’) can be seen in the gopis. Like practitioners of meditation, the gopis are not prepared to serve Krishna from a distance, but the gopis’ meditation is natural and completely spontaneous. These five types of rasa can exist in Goloka and in Vraja on earth. There are two and a half types of rasa in Vaikuntha: santa, dasya, and half sakhya — there is reverential friendship but not confidential friendship.

In Sri Rupa Prabhu’s ninth instruction, the highest plane of service has been established through comparative analysis:

vaikunthaj janito vara madhu-puri tatrapi rasotsavad
vrndaranyam udara-pani-ramanat tatrapi govardhanah
radha-kundam ihapi gokula-pateh premamrtaplavanat
kuryad asya virajato giri-tate sevam viveki na kah

According to the conception of a maintained maidservant (palya-dasi) of Sri Radha, we must always reside on the bank of Sri Radha Kunda. There is no conception of Lord Narayan’s mother and father. In the conception of cause and effect, there is no cause of the supreme cause; He is unborn. In Mathura, however, the unborn Lord’s Pastime of birth as the son of Devaki and Vasudev can be seen. In Vaikuntha, the Lord is simply unborn, but in Mathura, by manifesting His Pastime of birth through the influence of His inconceivable energy, the unborn Lord becomes manifest as the Lord even more wonderfully. Thus, Mathura is higher than Vaikuntha. Krishnachandra takes birth in the pure heart of the practitioner. Such a pure heart is also Mathura. Many people think Mathura is only figurative or subjective, but it is not. Attempting to make it only figurative or subjective is to repudiate Krishna’s inconceivable energy. By Krishna’s inconceivable energy, Mathura appears with Krishna in the earthly plane.

The place of Krishna’s Rasa Dance, Vrndavan, is even higher than the place of Krishna’s birth, Mathura.

sriman-rasa-rasarambhi vamsi-vata-tata-sthitah
karsan venu-svanair gopir gopinathah sriye ’stu nah

[«May Gopinath, the beautiful inaugurator of the Rasa Dance, who stands on the riverbank at Vamsi Vat and attracts the gopis with His flute-song, bestow auspiciousness upon us.»]

In Mathura, Krishna is an immature boy; at the site of the Rasa Dance, He is an adolescent. At the site of the Rasa Dance, Krishna danced in circles with all sorts of different gopis. Radhikaji came and saw that the speciality of Her service could not be maintained in the midst of this congressional circle dancing. So, She left the site of the Rasa Dance and came to Govardhan. The group leader Chandra also arrived there then. Krishna sat in a cave in Govardhan, and when He saw Chandra and others, He showed them that He had four arms. Tulasi, Dhanistha and other gopis in Radha’s party deceived Chandra’s messenger Saibya and sent Chandravali to Sakhi Sthali. Therefore, Srila Das Goswami Prabhu, the foremost of Sri Rupa’s followers, has offered his obeisance to Sakhi Sthali from a distance. After deceiving Chandravali, Radha’s followers brought Syamasundar to Radha Kunda.

The caves in Govardhan in which Radha and Krishna’s highly confidential amorous play takes place is higher than Vrndavan, the place of the congressional Rasa Dance.

yasyam madhava-naviko rasavatim adhaya radham tarau
madhye chanchala-ke nipata-balanat trasaih stuvatyas tatah
svabhistham panam adadhe vahati sa yasmin mano-jahnavi
kas tam tan nava-dampati-prati-bhuvam govardhanam nasrayet

[«Who would not take shelter of Govardhan, the Young Couple’s intermediary, where the Manasa Ganga flows, where Madhava the boatman took lovely Radha in His boat and collected His desired fare after being praised by Her out of fear of the boat sinking in the unsteady water.»]

Holding on his head Syama Kunda and Radha Kunda, which are superior to billions of Ganges Rivers, Govardhan Hill is more worshippable than even Mahadev. Here, surrounded by hundreds of sakhis who are worshippable to Laksmi and embraced by Krishna’s sweet, fragrant arms, Radhika, Krishna’s beloved, dances in the month of Madhu (in the sweet early spring). Thus, a second site of the Rasa Dance exists in Govardhan.

Radha Kunda is even higher than Govardhan. This place is the plane of the full flood of the nectar of Krishna’s divine love. Sri Rupa Manjari, who knows the heart of Sri Gaurasundar, has instructed that service at Radha Kunda, which is the highest of all aspirations in the heart of Sri Gaurahari, is the pinnacle of service itself. For members of the school of Nimbarka Acharya, members of any school following Chandravali, and anyone who thinks they are situated in madhura-rasa but are devoid of devotion to Gaura, Sri Radha Kunda is completely incomprehensible and unattainable. Therefore, Srila Das Goswami Prabhu, the foremost of Sri Rupa’s followers, has said,

vraja-bhuvi mura-satroh preyasinam nikamair
asulabham api turnam prema-kalpa-drumam tam
janayati hrdi-bhumau snatur uchchair priyam yat
tad atisurabhi-radha-kundam evasrayo me

«Radha Kunda quickly appears as a wish-fulfilling tree of divine love in the hearts of those whose bathe within it, a wish-fulfilling tree of divine love difficult to attain for even Krishna’s lovers in the land of Vraja. May Krishna’s dearmost Radha Kunda be my shelter.»

Sri Rupa Prabhu, in his tenth instruction, has ascertained through comparative analysis who is the greatest amongst all devotees:

karmibhyah parito hareh priyataya vyaktim yayur jnaninas
tebhyo jnana-vimukta-bhakti-paramah premaika-nisthas tatah
tebhyas tah pasu-pala-pankaja-drsas tabhyo ’pi sa radhika
prestha tadvad iyam tadiya-sarasi tam nasrayet kah krti

All types of pious karmis who are engaged in virtuous acts are better than sinners and performers of impious acts. Again, Brahma-jnanis who have given up the three modes of material nature are in all respects better than pious karmis. Pure devotees such as Sanaka who are free from jnan and established in devotion are more dear to Krishna than all types of Brahma-jnanis. Pure devotees such as Narad who are fixed exclusively in divine love are more dear to Krishna than them; the gopis of Vraja, who have given their lives to Krishna, are more dear to Krishna than them; and Sri Radhika alone is Krishna’s dearmost amongst all the various gopis. Like Sri Radha, Radha Kunda is also extremely dear to Krishna. Souls who are more fortunate than all others reside at supramundane Radha Kunda with supramundane consciousness and serve Sri Krishna during the eight periods of the day.

The highest place in all of Goloka is Sri Radha Kunda, the supreme shelter for those who relish madhura-rasa. The planes of Bhuh, Bhuvah, and Svah are places of enjoyment for selfish householders who desire piety. The four planes above these — Mahah, Jana, Tapah, and Satya — are places of enjoyment for non-householders. Interim brahmacharis enjoy in Maharloka. Avowed brahmacharis enjoy in Janaloka. Vanaprasthas enjoy in Tapaloka, and sannyasis enjoy in Satyaloka. We see in Sri Gita (8.16):

a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna

[«O Arjuna, from Satyaloka down, the residents of every plane take birth again.»]

The intensely joyful spiritual abode of Vaikuntha is very difficult for even liberated souls to attain, but selfless devotees of the Lord, after leaving their body, immediately attain this abode. Even higher than Vaikuntha is Mathura, and higher than Mathura is the site of the Pastimes of the Rasa Dance, Vrndavan. Higher than Vrndavan is Govardhan, and highest of all is Radha Kunda.

Sri Sanatan Goswami Prabhu’s conception of the Lord’s abode as three-fourths of existence is most scientific. Beyond the Causal Ocean is the undifferentiated plane. «None of the imaginary deities of the panchopasakas (worshippers of five deities), such as Surya, Ganes, and Sakti, will remain — all imaginary forms of Brahma will become one.» This is the conception of the impersonalists (nirvisesavadis).

ya ya srutir jalpati nirvisesam sa sabhidhatte savisesam eva
vichara-yoge sati hanta tasam prayo baliyah savisesam eva

The same scriptures that at first say that the Absolute is impersonal lastly establish that the Absolute is a person. The Lord’s two qualities of being impersonal and personal are both eternal. If we conceive in this way, then the personal aspect becomes predominant. Sriman Mahaprabhu has said,

‘nirvisesa’ ta̐re kahe yei sruti-gana
‘prakrta’ nisedhi’ kare ’aprakrta’ sthapana

[«The scriptures that say He is impersonal forbid the conception of the Lord being mundane and affirm that He is supramundane.»]

«Because material personality has been rejected, spiritual personality should also be given up. Spiritual personality is also an illusion like material personality.» Those who accept such a theory are illusionists (mayavadis). The abode of impersonal Brahma exists on the far shore of the Causal Ocean. The effulgence of the Lord’s form (Brahma-jyoti), cleansed of the three non-spiritual modes, exists on the opposite shore. But,

jyotir abhyantare rupam atulam syamasundaram

[«Within that effulgence is the beautiful, incomparable form of Syamasundar.»]

In Vaikuntha, there is spiritual personality. There, in the mood of reverence, are two and a half rasas. The Supreme Lord possess infinite energies, and both spirit and non-spirit [matter] are under His control. This is the conception of Ramanuja. The Supreme Lord is the proprietor of spiritual energy and non-spiritual energy.

The conception of non-Vaisnavas is to enjoy the world, but this is not the conception of the Vaisnavas. Neither enjoying the world nor renouncing the world is the conception of the Vaisnavas. Here, there are many who consider themselves enjoyers. In Vaikuntha, there is one enjoyer (visaya) without a second, but there are many servants (asrayas): «Laksmi-sata-sahasra-sambhrama-sevyamanam (Bs: 5.29) [Govinda is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses].»

There is a distinction between reverential worship and confidential service. At death, when the body given by our mother and father will be retired, we will attain uninterrupted service. The Supreme Lord is the independent Supreme Person, and we have to accept His independent will. Regulations are for those whose propensity for service has not arisen and who are bound by the gross and subtle bodies. Otherwise, while bound by the gross and subtle body, to make a show of following our supramundane natural dharma is simply to become a mundane imitationist (prakrta-sahajiya).

The rasas described in books such as Kavya-prakasa or Sahitya-darsana are mundane. Such books describe the rasas between a man and a woman or many men and many women. Again, even when two and a half types of rasa are applied to the Lord and the remaining two and a half types of rasa are not applied to the Lord but instead applied to the improper and odious affairs of souls forgetful of the Lord, then the completeness of rasa is not manifested. The complete forms of the five types of rasa exist in the complete plane of Goloka. The supramundane gopis have no small or big conception of above and below the waist. They serve Krishna with their whole body — with all their senses. All the sages who could not fulfil their desires as worshippers of Gopal tried to fulfil their desires upon seeing the beauty of Sri Ramachandra. In the Pastimes of Sri Ramachandra, who vowed to have only one wife, however, it was not possible to fulfil their desires for that rasa. So, all the sages eagerly took birth as gopis in Vraja. This is stated in the Padma-purana. Amongst them, some attained perfection at the beginning of the Rasa Dance. This is stated in the Brhad-Vamana-purana. The great personified Upanisads were astonished to see the fortune of the gopis, and as a result of their worship in eagerness for Krishna’s service, they too took birth in Vraja as gopis filled with divine love.

According to impartial judgement, the divine love of the gopis in madhura-rasa is even more astonishing than the divine love in santa-, dasya-, and sakhya-rasas. Amongst the gopis, Sri Radhika is the highest of all. Srimati is the foremost of all the group leaders. The eight sakhis, Lalita, Visakha, and so forth, are the leaders of Srimati Radhika’s various groups. As a result of immense good fortune, entrance into the group of Srimati Lalita is attained. Thus, those who aspire to circumambulate Sri Radha Kunda today have taken care to dwell on the bank of Lalita Kunda. Some people think Chandravali is the highest amongst the group leaders, but attaining the fortune of being a maintained maidservant Sri Radha — embodiment of the greatest ecstasy (mahabhava) — is the highest of all.

Srimad Bhagavatam can fall from the hands of souls who are averse to Krishna, and thus the Name of Krishna’s favourite, the embodiment of the highest form of service, Sri Radha, is present in the Bhagavatam in a hidden way. The most munificient Sri Gaurasundar and my Gurudev Sri Rupa Goswami Prabhu, however, have not hidden Sri Radha from those who are genuinely qualified and have explained Sri Radha’s position.

yatha radha priya visnos tasyah kundam priyam tatha
sarva-gopisu saivaika visnor atyanta-vallabha

[«As Radha is dear to Visnu, so Her lake is dear to Him. Amongst all the gopis, She alone is Visnu’s dearest beloved.»]

When Sri Radha is merciful, we can attain an eternal place on the bank of Her lake. This is the highest of all places. Thus, Sri Rupa Prabhu, in his last instruction in Sri Upadesamrta, has spoken about bathing in Radha Kunda:

krsnasyochchaih pranaya-vasatih preyasibhyo ’pi radha
kundam chasya munibhir abhitas tadrg eva vyadhayi
yat presthair apy alam asulabham kim punar bhakti-bhajam
tat premedam sakrd api sarah snatur aviskaroti

«Sri Radha is more dear to Krishna in all respects than all Krishna’s other lovers. Srimati’s lake is also most dear to Krishna. The sages have said this in the scriptures. Sri Radha Kunda mercifully gives those who bathe within her divine love that is difficult to attain for even Narad and others who are dear to the Lord, what to speak of ordinary devotee practitioners.»

«I took a bath in Radha Kunda. I took a dip in Radha Kunda. I am a lump of blood and flesh. I am my wife’s maintainer, or I am a sannyasi. I am a brahman, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra.» Those who think in this way have no qualification to bathe in Sri Radha Kunda. What more, even by following the path of reverence for the Lord, we cannot bathe in Radha Kunda. We have to follow the conception of Sri Radha’s maintained maidservants, but we should not imitate them. If we become a sakhi-bheki, we will not attain any good fortune. Simply by decorating our male body like a female body we do not become qualified to serve at Sri Radha Kunda.

On the path of regulation (vaidha-marg), there is the tridanda, and on the path of love (anurag-marg) there is the white dress of the paramahamsa. The followers of the path of love say of the dress for the regulated path, «Ratka-vastra Vaisnavera parite na yuyaya (Cc: Antya, 13.61) [Vaisnavas should not wear red cloth].» If we are insincere, however, we will not attain good fortune on any path. Keeping the conception of love within their hearts, some externally accept the tridanda and other formalities or wear saffron cloth. The ignorant are deceived by this. Although the writer of Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi and resident of Kamyavan Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati externally made a show of accepting a tridanda, the conception of love ruled his heart.

We have to give up our mundane conceptions. In supramundane Vraja, a supramundane soul attains the supramundane body of a gopi, lives in the supramundane mood of a maintained maidservant near supramundane Sri Radha Kunda in the supramundane grove of the supramundane sakhi dear to Krishna who is their chosen Guru, and, having externally taken constant shelter of the supramundane Name, assists supramundane Sri Radha during the eight periods of the day in supramundane service to supramundane Sri Krishna.

Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj was a disciple of Srila Madhusudana Das, who served at Surya Kunda. My Gurudev was a disciple of this Srila Jagannath Das. There was no mundane sentiment (bhava) in his conception.

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhichij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah

[«Those who think a corpse made of mucus, bile, and air is one’s self, one’s spouse and family are one’s own, earthen images are worshippable, and bodies of water are holy places, and never associate with the wise are nothing more than donkeys who serve cows.»]

If we think bodies of water and other such things are holy places and the gross body is the true self, we cannot see Sri Radha Kunda or bathe in Sri Radha Kunda. Even though they think the true self is the gross body, their wife, sons, and family are their own, material objects made of clay and other substances are the Lord, and bodies of water are holy places, and even though they do not sincerely consider pure devotees of the Lord to be near and dear to them — even though their vision of the world is based on enjoyment and averse renunciation — the mundane imitationist school believes that they can bathe in Sri Radha Kunda. Sriman Mahaprabhu has said,

diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama
sei deha kare tara chid-anandamaya
aprakrta-dehe ta̐ra charana bhajaya

[«At the time of initiation, devotees fully surrender themselves. Krishna then accepts them and makes their bodies spiritual and joyful, and they serve His feet in those supramundane bodies.»]

The supramundane body becomes manifested when Vaisnava nature becomes manifest within the consciousness. Matter, however, is not spirit. Spirit forever is spirit, and matter is never spirit. We should not bring sentiment (bhava) into the gross. If we remove the dress of a sakhi-bheki’s deceitfully dressed body, their natural male body will be exposed. I said this to Radha Raman Charan Dasji. Bathing in Sri Radha Kunda is the highest of all principles in the spiritual plane.

[After delivering this lecture, Srila Prabhupad recited his poetic translation, Bhasa, of Sri Upadesamrta.]