Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

How Lord Krishna is saving his devotees from COVID – 19?

The Coronavirus pandemic is affecting people all over the world including the devotees of ISKCON.

In UK many Iskcon devotees have got infected with Coronavirus and some have even passed away.

So, a natural question may come in the minds of the devotees, “Why is Krishna not saving his devotees from COVID – 19?”

To find answer to this question we need to dig deep into philosophy of Krishna consciousness.

Scriptures tell that all the living entity in this world suffer from four-fold miseries of birth, old age disease and death.

Just like a person who is not a devotee of Krishna grows old, get affected by disease and eventually die similarly a devotee of Krishna also grows old, may get affected by disease and will one day have to leave his body.

When Arjuna at the battlefield of Kurushetra got bewildered then the first lesson which Krishna taught to Arjuna was about the nature of the soul. Krishna explained that our body is temporary, and the soul is eternal.

Just like a person gives up its old and torn clothes similarly the soul gives up old and invalid bodies.

This world is temporary. None of us are going to live here forever.

An intelligent man should not get bewildered seeing death in this world.

With this understanding a devotee practices devotion to Krishna sincerely and as long as he lives in this world he lives as per the guidelines of the scriptures. And scriptures say that when we are living in this world then we should follow the laws of the material world.

Devotees do have to follow the material law

Srila Prabhupada in his book, Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers (PQPA) explains, that “As long as you are in the material world, you cannot neglect physical laws.”

Even the Supreme Lord Krishna who is the creator and controller of this material world and who is above all the material laws and even spiritual laws follows the laws of this world to teach us that we should also respect the material laws.  

• If a devotes goes out in the rain, then just because he is a devotee does not mean that he will not get wet.
• If a devotee jumps from a high-rise building, then he will also break his bones.
• Similarly, during this COVID – 19 crisis if devotees do not take precaution then he will surely get affected.

It is true that if Krishna wants, he can intervene and protect a devotee from COVID – 19. And in many cases, he might be protecting the devotees, its just that we do not know about it.

Lord Narasimhadev saves a little girl

One small girl with his father had gone to the farmland. The father got busy with his work and the little girl ran away from there and came on the road. When the father started looking for her, he saw her on the middle of the road. At that very moment a big truck was coming and the girl who was so small to understand the situation did not know what to do.

It was a highway. The truck was in full speed. The father was helpless. He prepared himself for the eventuality. He closed his eyes. How could he see his daughter being crushed by the truck?

He frantically started praying to Lord Narasimhadev.

He was shivering. After a few moments, he opened his eyes. He was so fearful. He was in great distress, deep agony.

But to his surprise he saw the little girl on the other side of the road. She was safe. He could not control his tears.

He ran to embrace her. He lifted her up and asked her what had happened to her? How did she come to the other side of the road?  The girl said one person who looked like a lion, had big teeth and long hair came and lifted her and put her beside the road. The girl could recognize lion because she had seen the picture of a lion in her schoolbook. 

The father was surprised but not convinced. Then he saw her shoulders. There were some marks. He immediately went to a doctor. The doctor was surprised, he said that this mark is not of any human being but is of a lion. Now the father understood that it was Lord Narasimhadev who came to save her daughter.

There are many such incidents which happen in devotees’ life.  When Krishna wants to protect devotes then Krishna surely protects.

But the way Krishna protects a devotee may be different.

Passing away of devotee is also glorious   

Even if a devotee meets with death then his death is also glorious. Srimad Bhagavatam narrates the passing away of great devotee of the Lord like Bhisma Dev, Parikshit Maharaj and Dhruv Maharaj. Their passing away from this mortal world was glorious and after leaving this world they went back home back to godhead. Even today there are many instances when devotees have left their body in a glorious way.

Lord Chaitanya comes for his devotee at his last moment

Once one devotee was on his death bed. He was in Mayapur. He was not from India. Srila Prabhupada had given him the service of distributing his books and had said that if you distribute these books then Lord Chaitanya will personally come to deliver you.

Now when he was sick then his desire was to come to India and leave his body in India. So, he was brought to Mayapur. During his last days, he was completely bed ridden.

For several weeks he was not able to get up from his bed. One day the doctor said that he may pass away at any moment.

So, all the devotees came together, they began doing kirtan in the room where the devotee was lying bed ridden. One devotee placed saligram sila in one of his hands.

When the kirtan was going on, the devotee who was bed ridden for several weeks and could not even move slightly, got up and looked towards the door and said Lord Chaitanya is here, he has come to take me back.

After saying these few words, he again lied down on the bed. And immediately left his body. Even the saligram sila which he was holding in one of his hands had also disappeared.

My husband’s life is successful

Once one devotee was on his death bed in Mayapur and his wife was holding a picture of Krishna and showing him. While seeing the picture of the Supreme Lord the person left his body. The wife with tears in his eyes said, “My husband’s life is now successful.”

Chanting at the last moment

In Bhaktivedanta hospital, Mumbai, doctors tell about many heart touching stories of the patients who leave their body and how Krishna at the last moment bestows his mercy upon them. I still remember one picture of a husband and wife which I saw there.  That picture was taken moments before the person’s death. The doctors at the hospital informed his family members that the person has only few minutes to live. Now what could have been done. So, the wife took beads in her hand and was helping her husband to chant the name of Krishna.  And the man who had just few minutes left, left his body chanting the names of Krishna.

Miseries will come. Death will come. But devotion to Krishna gives us solution by which we can free ourselves from this four-fold miseries of birth, old age, disease and death forever.

When we chant the holy names of Krishna and read literatures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam then it cleanses our hearts of all the impurities of lust, greed, pride, anger, envy, illusion and false ego.  Once our hearts start getting purified the knowledge of the scriptures start getting revealed in our hearts. And in that state, we start understanding the true nature of this material world, we start understanding that this world can never give us any joy, we start experiencing Krishna in our hearts which fills our hearts with unlimited bliss.

And while living in this world even if some suffering comes, a pure devotee is not bewildered because he knows that in this world suffering is inevitable and Krishna is always there to protect.

In the Light of the Bhāgavata, Text Twelve, Srila Prabhupada writes, “Even though a person takes to the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, he may sometimes become diseased, impoverished, or disappointed by life’s events. A true devotee of the Lord always considers these sufferings to be due to past sinful activities, and thus without becoming disturbed he patiently awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Such devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment. Free from pride and envy, they easily gain the mercy of the Lord and go back home, back to Godhead.”

Lord Krishna is protecting his devotees from deadly COVID – 19 by giving him/her a proper understanding that in this world suffering is inevitable and he also gives us a process by which we can free ourselves from all the miseries and live happily forever by returning back to the spiritual world where there is no disease, no epidemic, no pandemic, no calamity, no death,

Knowing the nature of this world, a devotee continues practicing devotion to Krishna in all situations and circumstances. So even if a devotee may be physically ill, he is not much disturbed by it. He remains always blissful by chanting Krishna’s holy names and by engaging himself in the service of Krishna.

In the present day we can learn a great lesson from the life of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj. From material point of view, he is physically not well, he has undergone many operations but with extraordinary enthusiasm he is not just practicing devotional life but is inspiring thousands of devotees all over the world to practice devotional life.

So those who are practicing devotional life live happily as long as they live in this world, and he gets so purified that he starts understanding that death is not the end of everything. He understands that as a soul he is eternal and never going to die. He even understands that his practice of devotional life will even liberate his family members. So, in a sense a devotee knows that if he becomes pure and his family members are also devotee of Krishna then they all will remain united in the kingdom of Krishna.

And even if the devotee has not completely perfected his life then in next life, he takes birth in the family of a pure devotee where he has great opportunity to practice devotional life. As Krishna explains in Bhagavad Gita 2.40, in practicing devotional life there is no loss.

We need to remember that as long as we are in this material world suffering is inevitable. So suffering may come in the form of COVID – 19 or some other calamity but if we take shelter of Krishna with proper understanding then we will be able to fearlessly face all the difficulties in life.

Once we establish Krishna in our hearts, we will remain happy in this world and after leaving this world we will reunite with Krishna and live blissfully in the kingdom of Krishna.

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5 ISKCON devotees die of Covid – 19 in UK

5 ISKCON devotees die of Covid – 19 in UK

Iskcon devotees in UK have been badly affected by Coronavirus. As of now there are twenty-one confirmed cases and five devotees have died.

In this tragic situation when the whole world should unite to fight the pandemic some people with vested interest are trying to blame ISKCON UK devotees for the spread of Covid – 19 in UK. This is totally fake.

'ISKCON temple as a source of Coronavirus in UK' –
Andh Bhakti, blind faith is the source of all problems not TJ or ISKCON. https://t.co/tx9ahN3LUq

— shahid siddiqui (@shahid_siddiqui) April 7, 2020

But the facts are totally different.  

ISKCON devotees in UK and worldwide have always believed in following the law of the land and they work hard to create peace and harmony in the society.

• When Iskcon held its program in UK at that time the government of UK had not declared any lockdown or had not issued any directive to close the religious places.

• UK GBC Praghosa Prabhu said that ISKCON UK closed all its temples in UK on March 16th, a week before lockdown was declared by UK government

• Even before the lockdown was announced in UK, all the temples were following the guidelines given by the government and devotees were taking all the precautionary measures like washing hands with soaps, using sanitizers etc.

• None of the devotees who were infected tried to hide their disease.

• None of the devotees hid in the temples or took shelter in the houses of Iskcon congregation members.

• None of them deliberately tried to spread the disease.

• The devotees who got infected immediately contacted the doctors, quarantined themselves and followed all the guidelines.

• All the devotees of Iskcon UK have tried their best to cooperate with the government agencies.

• In UK, the total number of confirmed cases are 51,608 and number of Iskcon devotees affected is 21. So only 0.04% of the affected people in UK are from Iskcon.

• In UK, the total number of deaths due to Coronavirus is 5373, and the number of Iskcon devotees who have passed away is 5.  So only 0.095% people who have died because of Coronavirus in UK are from Iskcon.

• Now contrast this with the action of Tablighi Jamaat. Many of their members had violated their visas and were illegally staying in India.  And many of them have hid themselves in different parts of the country risking their own lives, lives of their family members and lives of others too.

Those who are supporting them do not know that in fact they are doing a great harm to the entire humanity and even to the Muslim community because if the affected members are not quarantined then thousands more will have to suffer.

Moreover, Iskcon in India and all over the world is trying their best to serve the society to fight Coronavirus. Many devotees who are doctors and nurses are spending days and nights to serve the Coronavirus affected patients.

Iskcon monks are putting their efforts to serve the society by cooking food by themselves and trying to distribute it free of cost to the needy people.

Any sane man will appreciate the efforts of the devotees of Iskcon in this difficult time.

ISKCON monks at ISKCON Kolkata Packaging food to be distributed amongst needy people during Corona Lockdown. Pan India ISKCON is serving free meal to over 5 lacs people daily as of now. They are scaling it up every day. #Coronafighters #CoronavirusLockdown #CoronaWarriors pic.twitter.com/Ab7cN0lkSZ

— Purushottam Nitai Das (@Discoverursupe1) April 7, 2020

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COVID-19: Sourav Ganguly lauds Iskcon’s efforts to serve the society

BCCI President and former captain of Indian Cricket team Sourav Ganguly thanked Iskcon for feeding the needy people during this Coronavirus crisis.

All over India Iskcon is arranging food for around four lakh people daily.

In Kolkata too Iskcon has been distributing food packets to thousands of people daily.

After Sourav Ganguly’s contribution Iskcon Kolkata will be able to feed 10,000 more people.

A team of Iskcon Kolkata devotees at Iskcon House in Gurusaday is putting their best efforts to prepare the sanctified vegetarian food for thousands of people.

The devotees while working are taking all precautions like wearing masks, wearing gloves, using sanitizers and soaps.

Anant Bhagavan Prabhu who is with the team of devotees at Iskcon Gurusaday said that we were able to feed 10,000 people daily in Kolkata but after Sourav Ganguly’s contribution we would be able to serve 10,000 more people i.e. total we will be able to prepare food for 20,000 needy people in Kolkata.

Scriptures tell that one of the qualities of a devotee is that he is para–dukha–dukhi i.e. when he sees other people suffering then he too feels pain and he tries to help that person.  So currently because of the pandemic when the country is under lockdown the devotees are not thinking much about themselves but are more concerned how best they can serve the people.

Sourav Ganuguly not just donated the amount so that thousands of more people can be served but he also visited the Iskcon centre to thank all the devotees.

HG Radharaman Prabhu who is the spokesperson and vice-president of ISKCON, Kolkata centre thanked Sourav Ganguly for the support. He said that under the captaincy of Dada the monks of Iskcon will be able to fight the battle of hunger confidently during this Coronavirus pandemic.

Thank u ISKCON .. keep serving the society https://t.co/alXyabQVcR

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) April 4, 2020

Thousands participate in Jayapataka Swami Maharaj’s 71st Vyasapuja Celebration in Mayapur

Although India is under lockdown, nobody can come out of their houses but still devotees and especially disciples of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja celebrated his vyasapuja on 4^th April 2020 i.e. on the day of Kamada Ekadashi. Maharaj was in Mayapur and very few devotees were there with Maharaj. Those devotees who were with Maharaj were wearing facemask and hand gloves as preventive measure and were keeping safe distance from each other.

And thousands of devotees from all over the world who were not able to be with Maharaj were celebrating the vyas puja through Mayapur TV and through facebook live.

Maharaj’s godbrothers, senior sannyasis and many devotees gave their offerings to Maharaj.

Offering given by Maharaj’s godbrothers, senior sannyasis and various leaders of Iskcon clearly reflected how much love devotees all over the world have for Maharaj.

The offerings of prominent leaders of Iskcon is given below.

Offering of HH Loknath Swami Maharaj:

Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja Vyas Puja is being celebrated in Mayapur today which is Kamada Ekadashi. This year it is in small scale. It used to be large every year. But because of coronavirus only few devotees are there. Of course, his disciples and devotees from all over the world are celebrating in their house and temples. He has around 30K – 40K disciples. I am encouraging you all to celebrate Vyasapuja. Vyasapuja ki jai!

Like Maharaj, my birthday and HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj’s birthday is also on Ekadashi.

He was born in 1949.  He is few months elder to me. But from knowledge perspective he is very elder. He joined Iskcon around 1968. I joined in 1971.He joined in Canada.

One famous thing about him I remember, when he was a new devotee, he had got initiated, he was always doing kirtan very loudly and always chanting Hare Krishna loudly. He used to loudly take name of Krishna in ashram, in the temple and even outside.  He would forget that he is on the road. Outside too he would loudly sing or chant Hare Krishna. People got disturbed. Some went to complain to the police that a person is causing nuisance. He is disturbing our peace.

When Srila Prabhupada came to know about Jaypataka Swami Maharaj, then Srila Prabhupada said we will send him to India, to Mayapur. He can shout as much as he wants name of Krishna in Mayapur, no one will be disturbed in Mayapur by his loud chant. At that time, he was not swami.

He was one of the senior-most sanyasi disciples of Srila Prabhupada. He was one of the first disciples of Srila Prabhupada to be sent to Mayapur. He got the responsibility of Mayapur, of Kolkata. He became GBC. Once in India only HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja and HH Gopal Krishna Goswami was the only GBC from India.

Srila Prabhupada gave him the responsibility of developing Mayapur and TOVP. HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja ki jai. I love him. When we were younger, sometimes there was love and hate. But now I not only like him but love him. I pray that my brotherly love keeps increasing. My love for Maharaj grows daily.

Today Jayapataka Swami Maharaj has become a miracle. We see his bodily condition; he had many operations. But in this state also he is busy, he keeps thinking about preaching, attends all meeting which we miss sometimes. But he is so dutiful. It is a miracle. He is a miracle. Where miracle there is surrender. My prayers to him. Vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca kripa-sindhubhya eva c ..

HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj was touched by the offering of HH Loknath Swami Maharaj and said that “I also love him.”

Offering of HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj:

My dear godbrother Jayapataka Swami Maharaj, on this auspicious day of your appearance, I was remembering all the wonderful memories. You were my leader in Mayapur. You are an example of dedication and devotion. For Srila Prabhupada you sacrificed everything. You sacrificed your wealthy parents, wealthy nation and took a life of austerity in remote village of Mayapur.

To feed all of us you used to go out to collect funds. I saw you beg, scream, fight to get money from persons who were responsible to give money to feed us in the temple. You did all for our sake. I had wonderful experience of going with you to different places in Bengal to distribute books, make life members. During those trips in the evening classes hundreds of people came and you used to give class in Bengali.  We were happy. You were there to lead us. Those were happy days. Please accept my obeisances at your lotus feet and bless me. Your eternally indebted servant Bhakti Charu Swami.

Offering of HH Bhakti Nityananda Swami Maharaj, disciple of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj

Today is your appearance day. I remember how you saved me in the very first meeting which I had with you. I came to take my younger brother Mukunda to home from temple. I told him its nonsense, you are not doing anything for parents and society but simply wasting time. You have shaved your head. But devotees are intelligent. My brother told that I will go home but now its evening, so there is no bus, no train to go home. You should meet my gurudev. I said I will not meet your gurudev.

He knows black magic that is why so many educated people have surrendered. He had given me Rs 101 so that I should donate when I meet a vaisnav. I was not convinced. However, I met him. He has big build up and he was wearing a garland. I thought he knows some magic, maybe black magic.

He said welcome welcome brother of Mukunda. You had prasadam? By birth I am Bengali, but he was speaking Bengali so nicely. He again asked, “You had prasad?” I was there for 2 hours, had no prasad. He phoned somebody. And one devotee brought big rasgulla. I was very hungry. I took. He kept speaking so nicely. He said you stay here, why you want to go back. I thought this man is trying to catch me. I immediately wanted to run away. 

He said see there are free rooms, free prasadam, free cloth. Then he again told me to stay back. I said no. He said stay for at least one month. I said not even for one hour I will stay. He said stay for 15 days. I said not even for one hour I will stay. He again said stay for 7 days. I thought this man is so stubborn. But he was speaking so nicely. Again, I said no. He said at least for 3 days. His speaking hit me. He said to me situation was so bad, Bengal’s economic condition was so bad.

I was graduate. I was trying to make money. I became sentimental. He further said that everything coming from Radha Madhav but educated puffed up people are catching the feet of marwaris for Rs 500 – Rs 600 but they do not bow to Sri Sri Radha Madhav. I did not have that much problem, but I was searching for money. But those words I can never forget in my life. You are the only hope. You gave me so much mercy by shouting, correcting me guru maharaj. You are my only hope. Please save me. Please save me.

Offering of HH Gouranga Prem Swami Maharaj

On this day he appeared in this world. He follows all orders of Srila Prabhupada. He always looks for conclusion in vaisnvas siddhanta. Srila Prabhupada said to him that I have given you the kingdom of God develop it. He is trying to develop Gaur Mandal bhumi. He is trying to rescue all places of Lord Chaitanya, Lord Chaitnaya’s associates and where the Lord performed his pastimes.

In 1979 he started namhatta. He started Navadwip Manadala parikrama. He is trying to take land so that future generations can do parikrama and have place to stay during parikrama. He is constantly thinking of developing the dham. This is how he is serving all and we the disciples should serve him in his mission.

Offering of HG Jannanivas Prabhu

He is my beloved godbrother. He is attentive to satisfy everyone. Once there was flood in Mayapur. Situation was very critical. That time he was in Kolkata. He arranged some boats to come to Mayapur. In lotus building water was rising, there was constant rain, storm.

We were in that situation and he arrived with boats which was full of rice, sabzi (vegetables), dal (lentils). In that tense situation he was standing on the boat and was loudly chanting Jai Gauranga, Jai Prabhupada. He said let us go prepare food and we will go village to village to distribute food. That fearful situation became joyful situation because of him.

I was thinking that because of Coronavirus similar situation has come up now. He is again organizing devotees to chant 3 times a day so that holy name is chanted all over the world. In this bodily situation how he continues his activity I cannot understand? I offer my humble obeisances to him.

Offering of HG Pankajanghri Prabhu

Just by you being here we feel safe and peaceful. When we are in any dilemma, when there is management issue, any concern, any disagreement, then we know that at the end of the day when the situation will be presented to you, you will give the answer and the problem will be resolved.

Everyone feels safe by your presence. You resolve any philosophical doubt. You give your able guidance to the deity department. I pray that you stay here for many years. Krishna please bless HH Jaypataka Swami Maharaj so that he is always with us. Thank you, Maharaj, for everything.

Offering of HG Nitai Sevani Mataji

One sadhu was living with his disciples on a mountain. All his disciples were following instructions except one. The disciples complained to the guru that this particular disciple is  not following the instruction. He is mixing with village people and eating anything. Guru asked then what should we do. The disciples said you banish him. Guru asked, “Why?”

Because he is bringing bad name to the ashram. Guru asked them, “Do you follow everything and not transgressing the principles.” The disciples said yes. Guru said, “Since you all are perfected, you do not need me. So, you all should leave me. But he needs me as still he has difficulties.”

Guru makes you complete. At times you think he is going to punish his erring disciples, but he is the first to help the disciples. In my personal life for last 21 years me and my husband have been serving here (in Vizag). Whenever I used to hear that you are coming, I used to be tense. Is everything ok? Whether his room is good? Will people turn up?

But after few years I realized that guru is not coming to give me marks, to give me report card. He is coming to help, to protect my spiritual life. He is not giving grade. He is with me. He is like my father, my guide, my ever well-wisher. Guru is not judging you. He wants to help you to be better every day.

I beg you to keep us in your prayers and bless me and my husband.

Offering of Sri Vallabh Prabhu (leader of middle east)

This year because of lockdown we are not able to come to Mayapur, but we all are participating from every nook and corner of the world from our houses.

We now see importance of Bhakti Vriksha Shradha kutir. How you have reached out everywhere. Even in such circumstances where people are under lockdown through Bhakti Vriksha and Shradha Kutir they are practicing. Your service is something of pride to Iskcon world over. You have reached to all – rich and poor. You have even reached to less visited places in the world. Srila Prabhupada will be very satisfied. Guru Maharaj in spite of all difficulties you have continued to work for Iskcon, for TOVP.

We have great responsibility to serve you. We pledge to serve you in your multifaceted responsibility. This year is your 50^th year of sannyas. This is a glory to Iskcon. This year on Radhastami we will celebrate 50^th anniversary of your taking sannyas.

We pray to you for strength so that we can serve you.

Offering of HH Bhakti Advaita Nabadwip Swami Maharaj (from Bangladesh)

Please accept our respectful obeisances. This is your 71^st vyas puja. This year is also golden jubilee celebration of your sannyas. Because of coronavirus whole world is under lockdown. We are sitting here in Sylhet, Bangaladesh and are celebrating your vyas puja. Srila Prabhupada asked you to distribute books, develop dham and you fulfilled his desires.

Please include this lowly servant in your service. We are afraid that we may not fulfill your mission. You gave service of Radha Madhav to us at Sylhet. We have now the deities of Radha Madhav. You will be installing the deity of Radha Madhav here. Just by hearing this that you will install the deity, the citizens of Sylhet are in great jubilation.

By seeing you everyone will be joyful. Poison of corona has disturbed all. Please bless so that the people of world will be saved. In 1995, 21^st April, you accepted service of Radha Madhava. You had declared that there will be school, there will be hostel. Now school is there, hostel is there. Citizens are waiting for you to come. You had said that here mini Mayapur will be established. We are eagerly waiting for you here.

Bhagavad Gita Distribution Report

HG Venudhari prabhu who has been serving Maharaj gave the Bhagavad Gita (BG) Distribution report from all over the world.

Number of Bhagavad Gita (BG) sponsorship from different countries: Burma: 71, Canada : 108, New Zealand: 71, Russia: 113, Malaysia: 133, Sri Lanka: 142,Saraja: 142,USA: 546,Bahrain: 624, Abu Dhabi: 831,China: 989,Dubai: 1071,Singapore: 1001,UK: 1278,Saudi Arabia: 1661 ,Europe: 2098,Kuwait: 2389,Bangladesh: 2765 ,Oman: 5014,Qatar: 5482,India: 11,448

Total: 38,186 Bhagavad Gita (BG) Books have been sponsored till now.

As this is the 50^th year of Maharaj taking sannyas so the target is to have 50,000 BG sponsorship by Radhastami.

HG Venudhari Prabhu is supposed to take sannyas on the auspicious day of the vyas puja of his spiritual master, HH Jaypataka Swami Maharaj.  

Share the pictures of vyas puja celebration at your homes or temples

HH Bhakti Purusottama Mahraj gave a proposal: Since thousands of devotees are celebrating vyas puja at their home, they have decorated their altar in a beautiful way.  So, if anyone desire, they can send the photo of the celebration at their homes and these photos will be shown to guru maharaj. The photos can be sent on the following whatsapp number:

+919434506434: Whatsapp number of Bhakti Purushottam Maharaj

+919944018001: Syam Rasik prabhu Whatsapp number

+917305015701: HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja media foundation

Or at 9647200346

HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja vyas puja class

Lord Chaitanya said all over the world my name will be chanted. Srila Prabhupada has established center in every country of the world. Now is the opportunity to help people chant names of God. By chanting Hare Krishna kalmash of Kaliyuga will be destroyed. But if someone wants to chant other names of god Srila Prabhupada said alright.

Anyway, our Srila Prabhupada has given us seva to Lord Krishna. It is something very confidential. Even the priest, even the pundits nobody knows about this concept of serving the Lord. They just pray to god to get some peace or material happiness. They do not know how the love of Godhead and the service of godhead is the real happiness we are searching for. I hope all the devotees participating in vyas puja take this very seriously to develop Krishna Consciousness.

Lochana Das Thakura said that Lord Chaitanya is the crown jewel of all the incarnations of godhead. He has given a process which is simply blissful. We hope all the devotee will taste this bliss.

Seva padma devi dasi from Syam Desh or Balaram Desh said that Vrajvasis were also locked down under Govardhan hill for 7 days. But they did not feel that time was distressful because Krishna was there. We want all the disciples to be with Krishna all the time. Thank you all very much. Hare Krishna.

I am sorry we cannot give you a big feast today.

Washing of lotus feet, puspanjali and arati of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj

Bhakti Nityananda Maharaj and Sripad Venudhari prabhu washed the lotus feet of HH Jaypataka Swami Maharaj.

During that time devotees sang the song – Sri Guru charan Padma.

After that Maharaj’s pranam mantra was chanted three times

“Nama Om Vishnu padaya Krsna presthaya bhutale
Srimate Jayapataka swamin iti namine,
Nama Acharya padaya Nitai kripa pradayine
Gaura katha dhama daya nagara grama tarine”

And devotees from all over the world in their mind offered flowers at the lotus feet of Maharaj three times.

After that arati of Maharaj was performed and devotees who were fortunate to be with Maharaj and also thousands of devotees virtual attending the vyas puja celebration sang – saḿsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka- trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam …

COVID – 19: Collective 1 Crore Japa Yajna Campaign

In this difficult time when scores of people are dying daily because of Coronavirus all over the world, Iskcon Chowpatty has come up with a novel idea of fighting this disease by invoking the mercy of the Lord.

To invoke auspiciousness saints and sages have always recommended that we should perform yajna.  And in this age of Kali Yuga scriptures recommend sankirtan yajna i.e. congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

The more we chant the names of the Lord, we create more auspiciousness.

Almost everyone agree that we are suffering from this pandemic because we the human beings have acted against the laws of nature. Our current suffering is because of the sins committed by mankind against other living entities.

And the best way to remove the sins from the world is by chanting the names of the Lord. If people from all over the world come together to call the names of the Lord, then soon the suffering caused by Coronavirus will end.

Iskcon Chowpatty is inviting everyone to participate in this japa yajna. The goal is to chant 1 crore Holy Names of the Lord from April 1st – April 15th.

One has to just invest 15 min daily in this campaign from 7:30 am – 7:45 am IST. The entire country is under lockdown. All educational institutions are closed, offices are closed. If people are working, then they are working only from their homes so taking out 15 minutes daily is not a very difficult thing to do.

It takes around 7 minutes to complete one round of chanting which consists of 108 beads. So in 15 minutes one can complete two rounds of Hare Krishna Mahamantra on the beads.

15 minutes is not mandatory. One can spend even 10 min or even 5 min for chanting.

The collective japa – yajna will start everyday from 7:30 am – 7:45 am IST or (GMT + 5.30).

Not just people from India but people from all over the world can participate in this yajna.

Japa Yajna Date and time

• Begins from 1st Arpil 2020 – 15th April 2020

• Time: 7:30 am – 7:45 am IST or (GMT + 5.30).

How to participate in the japa – yajna?

Step 1:

Android user: Download the app from google playstore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freeconferencecall.fccmeetingclient

iPhone users: Download the app from the link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-conference-call/id1076834814?mt=8

Or else one can also join by calling the below number directly from the cell phone:

Dial-in number (IN): 0172 510 0948
Access code: 765009#

Online meeting ID: iskconchowpatty

Visit: https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/iskconchowpatty for more details about dial in number. In the link one can find the International dial-in numbersto connect to conference japa.

Step 2:

After the app is installed no need to signup.

Step 3:

Click on the link to join the online meeting: http://bit.ly/japayajna*

Step 4:

Select the tab to ‘call in’ using wifi or data. Enter your name

Step 5:

Click on ‘Lets go tab’ and begin your chant.

Chant with people from all over India and all over the world.

Step 6:

After completing the chanting submit your count at
Http://bit.ly/japacount

Everyone can participate in this japa – yagna. Men, women, children, Indians, non-Indians, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Parsis everyone can participate to purify the world and to make it a better place for everyone to live.

How spirituality can help fight Coronavirus effectively?

1.3 billion Indians are observing Janata Curfew on 22nd March, to fight Covid-19. Billions of people in different parts of the world are already under lockdown.  Schools are closed, colleges are closed, offices are closed, malls and theatres are closed, flights have been canceled, trains and buses have stopped running. There is an undeclared curfew in almost all the parts of the world.

Coronavirus, the tiny little virus, which cannot be seen with our eyes have brought the whole world to a standstill.

Scientists are working to find a cure for the deadly disease and hopefully, they will succeed.

The virus is spreading because of human to human transmission and as of now there is no cure, so billions of people find themselves vulnerable.  Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, said in his nationwide address that this is more dangerous than World War 1 and World War 2.

As we are now locked down inside our houses it is the best time to ask ourselves as why such a calamity has dawned upon entire humanity. This disaster can also be a wakeup call for all of us.

The virus spread from seafood and animal market in Wuhan, China.  A report in CNN explains, “In the likely epicenter of the virus — the so-called wet-markets of Wuhan, China — where wild animals are held captive together and sold as delicacies or pets, a terrifying mix of viruses and species can occur.” 

It is now widely believed that bats are the carrier of the virus. They might have either directly passed it to humans or through some intermediate host.  Although as of now there is no conclusion about its origin but researchers agree that its origin is from non-human species.

It was transmitted to humans because some ate the animal which was carrying that virus.

Humans are not supposed to eat animals or drink their blood. But especially in China, the concept is – you can eat anything on the land except motorcars, anything in the sky except airplanes, anything in the sea except ships. Why blame China, people in many parts of the world are today practicing the same eating habits. Unfortunately, even in India too.  They are not just eating animals but are also drinking their blood. And surprisingly we call ourselves humans and them as animals.

Bird flu, swine flu, mad cow disease, and now coronavirus which have resulted in deaths of thousands of people all over the world have spread because human beings eat animals.

Have we ever read about potato flu, brinjal flu, tomato flu, milk flu, curd flu, paneer flu or mad cauliflower disease, mad spinach disease?

We are not supposed to kill animals and eat and drink their blood. We are supposed to live on food grains, fruits, vegetables, and milk.  As per my wife, Dr Ketaki, who is a dentist, “The human dentition and digestive system have been designed for the intake of vegetarian food and not non-vegetarian food.”

In fact, the scriptures go one step ahead and say that vegetarian food should first be offered to the Lord and then consumed. Bhagavad Gita 9.27.

The Lord purifies the food and when we take that pure food then we remain healthy. And a healthy body is generally free from diseases.

But if we go against the laws of the nature created by God, then nature will react. If we exploit the nature, then we will be exploited.

If we eat animals, we will have to live like animals in cages. Like animals we are now forced to lock ourselves inside our houses, we cannot go out. And eventually we will die like animals.

God has made us humans so why not live like humans?

Srila Prabhupada always cautioned that if we play with the nature then we will have to suffer. In one of the conversations, he explains, “We act according to our whims and the resultant action is there immediately. Nature’s law, God’s law, is there. It is not God’s creation that somebody is suffering from some painful condition and somebody is enjoying. No. We infect ourselves with some contamination because this material world is full of contamination. You must remain very cautious. Otherwise you will have to suffer.” — Conversation in Mayapur, 19th Mar 1976.

As we have isolated ourselves from the world to save ourselves from the virus it is also a time for us to go deep within and introspect why we are suffering and what steps we should take so that we do not suffer in future.

God does not want us to suffer. Therefore, he gave us sacred Vedas which explains how we can live happily in this world and how we can minimize our suffering. The Vedas elaborately explains how to live and how not to live, what to eat and what not to eat.

Srila Prabhupada writes in Srimad Bhagavatam 7.15.24 Purport, "By practice, one should avoid eating in such a way that other living  entities will be disturbed and suffer. Since I suffer when pinched or  killed by others, I should not attempt to pinch or kill any other living  entity. People do not know that because of killing innocent animals  they themselves will have to suffer severe reactions from material  nature. Any country where people indulge in unnecessary killing of  animals will have to suffer from wars and pestilence imposed by material  nature. Comparing one’s own suffering to the suffering of others,  therefore, one should be kind to all living entities. One cannot avoid  the sufferings inflicted by providence, and therefore when suffering  comes one should fully absorb oneself in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra."

So if we want to free ourselves from the sufferings then we should try to reconnect ourselves to our roots, to the teachings of the Vedas and to the Supreme Lord who is our best well-wisher.

As we are locked inside our houses, we have an option to spend time watching news channels, movies, serials or programs like big boss. We can also spend time tweeting, updating status on Facebook, forwarding unlimited WhatsApp messages, watching funny TikTok videos, posting pictures on Instagram or Pinterest.

Or else we can spend time reading books like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam which will nourish our intelligence and bring us closer to God. 

When King Parikshit faced the biggest challenge in his life then he without wasting even a single moment took shelter of the Supreme Lord.  He spent his days hearing the transcendental teachings of Srimad Bhagavatam from Sukhadeva Goswami, son of Ved Vyas.

If we take shelter of the Lord, shelter of the sacred Vedas and pray to the Lord then our miseries will surely vanish. In Bhagavad Gita 3.10 Krishna explains the process by which we all can be happy in this world,

“In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Viṣṇu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living happily and achieving liberation.”

The best yagya in this Kali Yuga, the age of downfall and suffering, is the sankirtan yagya. In Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.32 it is mentioned that in this age of Kali Yuga intelligent men and women chant the holy names of the Supreme Lord.

During World War 2, there was a danger that Kolkata may be bombed. Thousands of residents were fleeing Kolkata during that time but Srila Prabhupada was not afraid. He said let us do sankirtan and with few devotees he did sankirtan on the streets of Kolkata. No bombs were dropped on Kolkata.

As the coronavirus disease spreads from people to people contact so we cannot come together to perform sankirtan physically but each one of us can individually chant the holy names of the Lord.

As to protect ourselves from the coronavirus infection we are asked to wash our hands with soap constantly and also use sanitizer, similarly, we should clean our hearts and sanitize our consciousness from the contamination of the world by sincerely and regularly chanting the holy names of the Lord like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

This will protect us, protect our family members, friends and relatives, and the entire world.  If we take shelter of Krishna, the Supreme Lord, he will protect us and the whole world from this pandemic.

Let us contemplate:

• Is God responsible for our suffering or we are responsible for our suffering?
• Why eat animals when sacred Vedas asks us not to do?
• Why not follow the teachings of sacred books like Bhagavad Gita which is a manual for humankind and live happily in this world?

Kurma Purana tells Ravana did not kidnap original Sita

Ramadasa was in deep agony.  His eyes were filled with tears of sorrow. He was so absorbed in remembering Lord Rama, the Supreme Lord, and mother Sita, the mother of the entire universe, that he thought he too was living in the forest with them.

He even forgot that he had invited Lord Chaitanya to his humble home for lunch. Lord Chaitanya is none other than the Supreme Lord.  The Lord during his pastime as Lord Krishna had rejected Duryodhana’s invitation who had arranged an opulent feast. He instead went to the house of Vidura without any invitation and enjoyed eating simple preparation of spinach. 

The same Lord was now at the house of the brahmana for lunch. But Ramdas had not cooked till now.  Mahaprabhu was hungry, not angry. “Why haven’t you cooked?” asked the Supreme Lord.  

“The ingredients for cooking have still not arrived. Lakshman has gone inside the forest to collect vegetables, roots, fruits, and other essential items but has not returned yet. Once he is back, mother Sita will begin cooking.” Ramdas’s deep absorption in the pastime won the heart of Mahaprabhu.

Soon the brahmana realized his folly. Mahaprabhu was at his house at his invitation. It was already noon. Without further delay, he began preparation and served food to Lord Chaitanya. 

Chaitanya Charitrmrta Madhya, Chapter 9, Text 185 informs, “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took His lunch at about three o’clock.”

But the brahmana did not eat anything. He fasted. Mahaprabhu inquired, “Why are you fasting? Why are you so unhappy?”

“Thinking that mother Sita has been touched by a nasty person, Ravana, I am feeling utterly miserable. My heart is burning in disgust. I should have died but I am so unfortunate that I am still alive.” Ramdas, the brahmana, was in tears while uttering these words.

Mahaprabhu was so surprised to hear the sorrowful words of the brahmana. He immediately replied, “Mother Sita’s body is spiritual and not material. So how can any materialist even touch her? Forget about touching, a person with material vision can’t even see her. Ravana did not kidnap mother Sita. The demon who lived in illusion kidnapped her illusory material form.”   

The authoritative words of Mahaprabhu relieved him of the pain and the Lord made sure Ramdasa had his lunch, although it was too late.

The saga of Lord Rama and mother Sita is popular all over the world, especially in India.

But millions of people are unaware of the fact that Ravana did not kidnap mother Sita, but he kidnapped an illusory material form who looked like Sita.

But the uninformed people question if that was the case then why Lord Rama asked Sita to prove her chastity?

It is true that all including the demigods headed by Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma were flabbergasted when they heard Lord Rama asking Sita to walk through the fire to prove her purity.

How can it be possible that Lord Rama did not know that Sita was never kidnapped?

He had crossed the gigantic ocean not to kill Ravana but to meet Sita. How can he distrust her now?  

Sitadevi was in tears.

Lakshman was devastated but was helpless.

As per the order of the eldest brother he assembled the woods and lit the fire.

Sita circumambulated Lord Rama, the Lord of the universe, and entered the fire.

The ocean stood still. The sky watched in disbelief. All beings of the land, of the water and of the sky including the demigods headed by Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma wanted to jump in that fire. Rama put his head down. He did not want anyone to see his tears.

Just like a piece of gold glitters more in the fire, similarly, Sita in the fire was so effulgent that her effulgence overshadowed the effulgent rays of the sun.

And from the fire appeared the god of the fire, Agni. He felt immensely blessed having been touched by the lotus feet of mother Sita.

He spoke to Rama, “Her mere presence purifies the three worlds. How can sin even touch her? She is supremely pure.”

Sita wearing red robes, a garland of celestial flowers and beautiful gems walked towards Lord Rama. She was desperate to meet him. And he who was hiding his emotions could no longer contain himself.

Rama declared boldly, “Sita is as inseparable from me as sun rays from the sun.”

It was not that Lord Rama wanted any certification from anyone to know Sita is pure.

But he who resides in the hearts of all knows the hearts of all. He knew people bereft of conscience may question Sita and bring their own downfall.

And how can he tolerate any infamy to Sita whom he loved more than his own life? He knew well that his act will be criticized for sure by the ignorants.

And he also knew that this act will ensure Sita attains all glories. Her virtues will be sung in all the directions for eternity.

He knew that the atheists, the agnostics, the ignorant, the cunning people who can stoop low to defame anything virtuous would also not even dare to question the purity of Sita. One of the foremost duties of the husband is to protect his wife in all situations and in all circumstances.

And he, the best amongst all, protected Sita, his eternal consort, by taking all the pains and giving her all the glory.

Who can better understand the heart of Rama than his father, Dasaratha?  

Dasaratha, the father in law of mother Sita, who was then residing in heaven with Indra, seated on a celestial chariot came down and spoke, “Do not think ill of your beloved husband. He put you in a moment of agony to declare to the entire world that you are extremely pure. For eternity your glories will be sung. Your virtue will overshadow the renown of all virtuous lady.”  Reference: Ramayana -> Part Three – War – Chapter 14 – Sita’s Ordeal, https://vedabase.io/en/library/rkd/3/14/

And in Kaliyuga Lord Rama appeared as Lord Chaitanya to establish this fact again that Sita was never kidnapped and her chastity was never tested.

Lord Chaitanya after meeting Ramadasa visited Ramesvara temple where he found Kurma Purana. 

In the Purana, it is mentioned that as soon as Ravana came to kidnap Sita, Sita immediately petitioned the fire – god, Agni. The fire god brought an illusory form of Sita and Ravana kidnapped the false Sita.

The original Sita went to the abode of the fire god.

And so, when Lord Ramachandra tested Sita then it was the false Sita who entered the fire. And at that very moment, Agni brought the original Sita before Lord Rama. 

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu immediately went to Ramadasa, the servant of Lord Rama, to deliver the script.

Ramadasa was so happy to get the original leaf manuscript of the Kurma Puraṇa.

His doubts were now cleared. He was now delivered from an unhappy condition.

With tears in his eyes he fell at the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya and said, “Sir, you are Lord Ramacandra Himself and have come in the dress of a sannyasi to give me audience.” Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 9.214. 

Overwhelmed by the emotion he pleaded the Lord to accept food at his house again. This time he joyfully cooked the food and served a first-class dinner to the Lord.

इस्कॉन न्यू टाउन कोलकाता में गौर पूर्णिमा उत्सव

भगवान कृष्ण के भक्त हमेशा आनंद में रहते हैं। वे साल में कई त्योहार मनाते हैं।  सभी त्योहारों में, गौर पूर्णिमा यानी श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु का प्रकट दिन ब्रह्म-माधव-गौड़ीय सम्प्रदाय के अनुयायियों के लिए सबसे महत्वपूर्ण है। 

इस शुभ दिन पर, हमें भगवान चैतन्य के जीवन पर एक नाटक करने का अवसर मिला। प्रभु की सेवाओं में सक्रिय भागीदारी हमें भगवान के  करीब ले जाती है। इसलिए, कुछ भक्तों के साथ मिलकर हमने नाटक प्रस्तुत करने के बारे में सोचा। हम में से किसी को भी नाटक में भाग लेने का पूर्व का कोई खास अनुभव नहीं था। लेकिन फिर भी हमने सोचा, ‘हम प्रयास करते हैं और भगवान श्री कृष्ण निश्चित रूप से हमारी मदद करेंगे। ‘ 

हमने चैतन्य महाप्रभु का वह लीला चुना जिसमे वो चाँद काज़ी का ह्रदय परिवर्तित करते हैं।

काजी ने नवद्वीप में संकीर्तन पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया था और महाप्रभु ने इस फैसले के खिलाफ बड़े पैमाने पर विरोध प्रदर्शन किया था।

ऐसा कहा जाता है कि उस विरोध प्रदर्शन में लगभग 1 लाख लोगों ने भाग लिया था।

वास्तव में, यह भारत का पहला सविनय अवज्ञा आंदोलन था, यहाँ तक की यह दुनिया का पहला सविनय अवज्ञा आंदोलन भी हो सकता है।

हमने स्क्रिप्ट तैयार की। चैतन्य महाप्रभु, नवद्वीप के भक्त, चाँद काज़ी और काज़ी के सैनिकों के चरित्र का चुनाव किया। हमने गौर पूर्णिमा से एक दिन पहले कई बार अभ्यास किया। अगले दिन यानी गौर पूर्णिमा के दिन हमने जल्दी आकर और अभ्यास करने  का फैसला किया।

हमने बैकग्राउंड म्यूजिक और गानों की व्यवस्था की। हमें नाटक के लिए पोशाकें भी मिलीं। एक भक्त ने मशालें भी तैयार की। पहले हमने सोचा था कि हम मशाल जलाएंगे, लेकिन चूंकि कार्यक्रम मंदिर के हॉल के भीतर था, इसलिए मशाल जलाना खतरनाक होता, इसलिए हमने इस विचार को छोड़ दिया।

छोटे बच्चे भी महाप्रभु के जीवन पर नाटक कर रहे थे।

गौर पूर्णिमा कार्यक्रम की शुरुआत गौर निताई के सुंदर विग्रह के अभिषेक से हुई। श्री गौर निताई को गंगा जल, फलों के रस, फूल और अन्य पवित्र वस्तुओं से स्नान कराया गया। अभिषेक के समय सभी भक्त हरे कृष्ण महामंत्र का कीर्तन कर रहे थे।

अभिषेक के तुरंत बाद बच्चों का नाटक था। बच्चों ने शानदार प्रदर्शन किया। रंग–बिरंगे परिधान पहने, उन्होंने महाप्रभु के बचपन के लीलाओं पर नाटक प्रस्तुत किया जो सभी के दिलों को छू गए।

अब हमारी बारी थी।

हमने प्रार्थनाएँ कही और भगवान से आशीर्वाद मांगा ताकि हम भक्तों को निराश न करें।

हमारे नाटक की शुरुआत उस दृस्य से हुई, जिसमें हमने दिखाया कि कैसे भक्त नवद्वीप में भगवान कृष्ण की भक्ति आनंद के साथ कर रहे थे। एक परिवार पवित्र नामों का जाप कर रहा था। महिलाओं का एक समूह प्रभु के लिए माला तैयार कर रहा था। कुछ भक्त शास्त्रों पर चर्चा कर रहे थे।

एक भक्त सभी को आरती के लिए आमंत्रित करने आता है। जब भक्त आरती कर रहे थे, चाँद काज़ी के दो सैनिक प्रवेश करते हैं। वे दर्शकों के पीछे से प्रवेश करते हैं।

ऊंची आवाज में सैनिक सभी को धमकी देते हैं कि वे कृष्ण के नामों का जाप न करें। वे भक्तों के पास आते हैं और उन्हें तुरंत आरती रोकने के लिए कहते हैं। उन्होंने उन्हें चेतावनी भी दी कि यदि वे आदेश की अवहेलना करते हैं तो उन्हें सलाखों के पीछे डाल दिया जाएगा और उन्हें कड़ी सजा दी जाएगी। जाने से पहले उन्होंने एक मृदंग भी तोड़ा।

हमने मृदंग का उपयोग नहीं किया बल्कि मिट्टी के बर्तन का उपयोग किया। मृदंग एक पवित्र वस्तु है और किसी भी परिस्थिति में उसका अनादर नहीं किया जाना चाहिए।

श्रद्धालु एकदम सदमे में थे। भक्तों ने आपस में चर्चा की और निष्कर्ष निकाला, “जीवन का उद्देश्य कृष्ण के पवित्र नामों का जप करना है। अगर हम ऐसा नहीं कर रहे हैं, तो हमारे शरीर का क्या फायदा। हमें अपना जीवन त्याग देना चाहीए। ” सभी दुखी थे।

फिर चैतन्य महाप्रभु प्रवेश करते हैं।

भक्तों को दुखी देखकर वह आश्चर्यचकित हैं। वह उनसे पूछतें हैं, “क्या हुआ? आप सभी इतने दुखी क्यों हैं? ” भक्त अपनी व्यथा सुनाते हैं। आंखों में आंसू के साथ वे कहते हैं, “चूंकि अब हम कृष्ण की भक्ति करने के लिए स्वतंत्र नहीं हैं, इसलिए हमें अनुमति दें ताकि हम खुद को गंगा में डुबाकर अपना जीवन समाप्त कर सकें।“

महाप्रभु भक्तों की विनती सुनकर भावुक हो जाते हैं।

फिर वो कहते हैं, “पूरे ब्रह्मांड में कोई नहीं है जो संकीर्तन को रोक सकता है। संकीर्तन जारी रहेगा। हम आदेश की अवहेलना करेंगे।”

भक्त हर्षित हो जाते हैं लेकिन कुछ भक्त फिर भी पूछते हैं, “क्या यह संभव हो सकता है?”

महाप्रभु कहते हैं, “क्या आपको मेरे शब्दों पर विश्वास नहीं है? क्या आपको मुझ पर भरोसा नहीं है?” सभी भक्त कहते हैं, “महाप्रभु आप हमारे उद्धारकर्ता हैं। आप हमारी जिंदगी हैं। हम आप पर विश्वास करते है। हमें आप पर पूरा भरोसा है।”

महाप्रभु ने उन्हें मशालें तैयार करने, मृदंगों और करताल की व्यवस्था करने को कहा। नवद्वीप के सभी भक्तों को विरोध मार्च में आमंत्रित करने को कहा।”

इसके बाद महाप्रभु जाते हैं। भक्त तैयारी शुरू करते हैं। और बैकग्राउंड में खूबसूरत भजन बजता है।

भज गौरांगा कह गौरांगा लाह गौरांगरा नाम रे

जे जना गौरांग भजे, सेई (होय) अमरा प्राण रे

भक्त फिर विरोध मार्च निकालते हैं। महाप्रभु के नेतृत्व में मशाल और मृदंग और करताल के साथ वे जोर–जोर से नवद्वीप की सड़कों पर संकीर्तन करते हैं और नृत्य करते हैं।

लोग चाँद काज़ी के घर की ओर जाते हैं।

चाँद काज़ी इस बात से अवगत नहीं था कि लोग, जिनमें से कुछ बेहद गुस्से में थे, उसकी घर की ओर मार्च कर रहे हैं।

एक सैनिक उसे खबर देने के लिए दौड़ता हुआ आता है। शुरू में काजी ने उस पर विश्वास नहीं किया। लेकिन फिर वह भारी भीड़ को संकीर्तन करते हुए देखता है। वह दौड़ता है और अपने घर के अंदर छिप जाता है। भक्त अब उसके दरवाजे पर हैं।

महाप्रभु एक भक्त को अंदर भेजते हैं। भक्त घर में प्रवेश करता है और काज़ी को बाहर आने के लिए मजबूर करता है। काजी बेहद भयभीत है। कुछ भक्त चिल्लाते हैं, “इसे दंड दो। इसे सजा दो।“

महाप्रभु उन्हें शांत करते हैं। और काजी से पूछतें हैं, “लगता है आप मुझे देखकर खुश नहीं हैं। आपने मेरा स्वागत नहीं किया। आप अपने घर के अंदर छिप गए।”

काजी लड़खड़ाती आवाज़ में कहता है, “नहीं। नहीं यह सत्य नहीं है। मैंने देखा आप गुस्से में हैं। आपके साथ आने वाले सभी लोग गुस्से में हैं। तो मैंने सोचा कि जब तक आपका गुस्सा कम न हो जाए, मुझे अंदर ही रहना चाहिए। जैसे ही मैंने देखा आप शांत हो गए हैं, मैं आपका स्वागत करने के लिए तुरंत बाहर आ गया।”

फिर काज़ी कहता है, “नीलाम्बर चक्रवर्ती, आपके नाना, मुझे बहुत प्यार करते थे। मैं उन्हें चाचा कहता था और वो मुझे अपने पुत्र की तरह स्नेह करते थे। उस रिश्ते से तो आप मेरे भांजा हुए। और मामा और भांजा आपस में झगड़ा नहीं करते। जब कभी मामा नाराज होता है तो भतीजा उसे शांत करता है। और जब भतीजा नाराज होता है तो मामा बुरा नहीं मानता बल्कि उसे शांत करता है।”

महाप्रभु तब पूछते हैं, “एक मुस्लिम शासक के रूप में आपने कल संकीर्तन को रोकने की कोशिश की थी। लेकिन आज जब लोग सड़कों पर जाप और नृत्य कर रहे थे तब आपने कुछ नहीं किया? “

काज़ी कुछ कहना चाहता है। वह महाप्रभु से पूछता है कि क्या हम अंदर जाकर बात सकते हैं। एक भक्त क्रोधित स्वर में कहता है, “नहीं। सारी चर्चा यहीं होगी।”

महाप्रभु कहते हैं, “ये भक्त अपने हैं। आप इनके सामने सब कुछ कह सकतें हैं।”

काज़ी कहता है, “कल, मेरे जीवन में कुछ अविश्वसनीय हुआ। सपने में मैंने एक अध्भुत जीव देखा। मैं समझ नहीं पा रहा था कि वह कौन है। वह आकार में बहुत बड़ा था। उसका आधा शरीर शेर का था और आधा आदमी का था। वो मेरे शरीर के ऊपर बैठा था और अपने बड़े और तीखे नाखूनों से मेरी छाती को चीरने की कोशिश कर रहा था। उसके बड़े नुकीले दांत थे। उसके मुँह से आग निकल रही थी। वह गर्जना कर रहा था और चिल्ला रहा था, ‘तुमने नवद्वीप में संकीर्तन को रोकने की हिम्मत की। तुम्हारी हिम्मत कैसे हुए एक मृदंग को तोड़ने की। यदि तुम ऐसा फिर से करते हो, तो मैं तुम्हें  चीर दूंगा। मैं तुम्हें ही नहीं बल्कि तुम्हारे परिवार के सभी सदस्यों को भी मिटा दूंगा। ऐसा फिर कभी करने की कोशिश नहीं करना।’  उसके नाखूनों के निशान अभी भी मेरी छाती पर हैं। “

महाप्रभु फिर पूछते हैं, “इसके अलावा भी कुछ हुआ?” काज़ी कहता है, “हाँ। कल जब मेरा एक सैनिक संकीर्तन को रोकने के लिए एक घर में गया, तब कहीं से आग की लपटें आ गयी जिससे उसका दाढ़ी और चेहरा जल गया।”

काजी महाप्रभु से भक्तों को परेशान करने के लिए क्षमा मांगता है।

आंखों में आंसू के साथ वो कहता है, “वेद में भगवान नारायण की महिमा का गुणगान किया गया है। सभी हिंदू उस नारायण की पूजा करते हैं और उसे हरि भी कहते हैं। अब मैं समझ गया हूँ कि आप वही हरि हैं। आप परमपिता परमात्मा हैं। आप गौरहरि हैं।”

काजी गौरहरि के चरणों में गिर जाता है। गौरहरि प्यार से उसे उठातें हैं और कहतें हैं, “आप बहुत भाग्यशाली हैं। आपने हरि, कृष्ण और नारायण के नामों का जप किया। आपके सभी पाप समाप्त हो गए। अब आप शुद्ध हैं।”

महाप्रभु काज़ी से कहते हैं, “मैं एक निवेदन करना चाहता हूँ। आप वादा करें कि आप इस संकीर्तन को कभी नहीं रोकेंगे।”

अपने गलती के लिए माफी मांगते हुए काज़ी कहता है “अब से कोई भी नवद्वीप के इस पवित्र धाम में कभी भी संकीर्तन को नहीं रोकेगा। भविष्य में मेरे वंशज भी नहीं। हम सभी मिलकर संकीर्तन में भाग लेंगे।”

भक्त हर्षपूर्वक बोलते हैं, ‘हरिबोल! हरिबोल! जय गौरांगा’

अंत में “हरी हराये नमः कृष्ण यादवया नमः यादवया माधवाय केसवाया नमः” का संगीत बजता है और सभी आनंद में नृत्य करते हैं ।

नाटक के बाद श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु के जीवन और शिक्षाओं पर एक विशेष कथा होती है। कथा के बाद आरती और अंत में सभी भक्त प्रसाद का आनंद लेते हैं।

A Memorable Gaur Purnima Celebration at Iskcon New Town Kolkata

Devotees of Lord Krishna are always joyful. They always have reasons to celebrate. There are so many festivals and so many events.  Amongst all the festivals, Gaur Purnima i.e. the appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is one of the most important festivals for the followers of Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya.

On this auspicious day, we had an opportunity to do a drama on one of the most important pastimes of Lord Chaitanya.  Active involvement in the services of the Lord helps a lot in becoming serious in devotional life. So, with a group of few devotees, we thought of presenting the drama. Many had no previous experience in participating in any drama. But still, we thought, ‘Let us give it a try. Krishna will surely help us.’

We choose to do drama on the pastime of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with Chand Kazi. 

The Kazi had banned sankirtana in Navadwip (Navadvipa) and Mahaprabhu had organized a massive protest against this decision.

It is said that around 1 lakh people participated in that protest. 

In fact, it is said to be the first Civil Disobedience movement of India or maybe of the world.

We prepared the script and devotees got their respective roles and dialogues.  We decided on the character of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, devotees of Navadwip (Navadvipa), Chand Kazi and Kazi’s soldiers. We practiced many times a day before the festival. The next day i.e. on the Gaur Purnima day we decided to come early to practice a few more times before the final performance.

We arranged for background music and songs. By the mercy of Krishna, we got costumes too.  The costumes were perfect. Torches were also prepared. Initially, we thought that we will light the torches but since the program was within the temple hall so lighting the torch would have been dangerous, so we gave up the idea.  We even practiced with costumes and music.

Small children were also performing drama on childhood pastimes of Mahaprabhu. 

Gaur Purnima program began with the abhishek of beautiful deities of Gaur Nitai.  Amidst the melodious chant of Hare Krishna Mahamantra, the deities were bathed with Ganges water, fruit juices, flowers, and other sanctified items.  

Immediately after the abhishek was the drama of the kids.  Children performed wonderfully.  Wearing colorful costumes, they delivered dialogues in broken languages which touched the hearts of all.

Now it was our turn.

We said our prayers and sought the blessings of the lord so that we do not disappoint the assembled devotees.

Our drama started with the scene where we showed how the devotees were happily engaged in practicing devotion to Lord Krishna in Navadvipa. One family was chanting the holy names. One group of ladies were preparing garland for the Lord. Few devotees were discussing Krishna Conscious philosophy. 

One devotee then comes to invite all for arati.  While the devotees were performing arati, two soldiers of Chand Kazi enter. They enter from behind the audience.

In a loud voice, the soldiers come threatening all not to engage in chanting the names of Krishna. They come near the devotees who were doing arati and asked them to stop immediately. They even warned them that if they defy the order they will be put behind bars and will be severely punished.  Before leaving they even broke a mridanga.

We did not use mridanga but a clay pot. Mridanga is sacred paraphernalia and in no circumstances should be disrespected.  

The devotees were in utter shock. In the background played sad music. The devotees discussed amongst themselves and concluded, “The life’s purpose is to chant the holy names of Krishna. If we are not doing so then what is the use of our living and maintaining this body. Let this body rot and die.” All were sad.

And then enters Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. 

Seeing the devotees sad he is surprised. He asks them, “What happened? Why you all are so sad?” Devotees narrate their ordeal.  With tears in their eyes, they say, “Since we are now not free to practice devotion to Krishna so give us permission so that we can end our lives by drowning ourselves in the Ganges.”

Mahaprabhu is moved to hear the pleas of the devotees.

In an authoritative tone, he says, “There is no one in the entire universe who has the power to stop the sankirtana.  Sankirtana will continue. We will defy the order.”

Devotees become joyful but some are doubtful. So some ask, “Can this be possible?”  

Mahaprabhu says, “Don’t you have faith in my words. Don’t you trust me.” Devotees unanimously say, “Mahaprabhu you are our savior. You are our life. We believe in you. We trust in you.” 

Mahaprabhu asks them to prepare torches, arrange for mridangas and kartals and inform all the devotees of Navadvipa to come for the protest march.” 

After this Mahaprabhu leaves.  Devotees begin the preparation. And in the background plays the beautiful song

bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga laha gaurangera nama re
je jan gauranga bhaje, sei (hoy) amara praṇa re 

Devotees then take out the protest march. Carrying torchlights and mrindangas and kartals under the leadership of Mahaprabhu they loudly chant and dance on the streets of Navadvipa.

The scene now moves to the house of Chand Kazi.

He is not aware that tens of thousands of people, some of them extremely angry, are marching towards his house. 

A soldier comes running to give him the news. Initially, the Kazi did not believe him. But then he sees the huge crowd doing sankirtana. He runs and hides inside his house. Thousands of devotees now are at his doorstep.    

Mahaprabhu asks one devotee to go inside and inform Kazi about his arrival. A devotee enters the house and compels him to come out.  Kazi is extremely fearful. Some devotees shout, “Punish him.  Punish him.”

Mahaprabhu pacifies them. And asks the Kazi, “Seems you are not happy seeing me. You did not welcome me. You hid inside your house.”

Kazi in a faltering voice says, “No. No. It is not true. I saw you are angry. All the people coming with you are angry. So I thought let me be inside till your anger subsides.  As soon as I saw you are in a good mood. I came out immediately to welcome you.”

He then says, “Nilambar Chakravarti, your maternal grandfather, loved me a lot. I called him uncle and he treated me like his son. With that relationship, you are my nephew. And maternal uncle and nephew do not quarrel with each other. Sometime when the uncle is angry, nephew calms him down. And when nephew is upset then uncle do not mind and pacifies him.”

Mahaprabhu then asks, “As a Muslim ruler, you tried to stop sankirtana yesterday. But today when thousands were chanting and dancing on the streets then you did nothing?”  

Kazi wants to say something. He asks Mahaprabhu that can we go inside and speak. Immediately one of the devotees in angry tone says, “No. All discussion will happen here only.” 

Mahaprabhu says, “These devotees are his own. He can say everything in front of them.”   

Kazi then says, “Yesterday, something unbelievable happened in my life. In the dream came a being. I could not understand who he was. He was massive in size. Half his body was of a lion and the other half was of a man. He was sitting on top of my body and with his big and sharp nails was trying to tear apart my chest. He had sharp-pointed big teeth. Fire was emanating from his mouth.  He was roaring and was shouting, ‘How dare you tried to stop sankirtana in Navadvipa. How dare you broke a mridanga. If you do it again, I will tear you apart. I will not just kill you but all your family members. Never try to do it again.’ See the marks of his fingernails are still on my chest.” 

Mahaprabhu then asks, “Anything else happened?”  Kazi says, “Yes. Yesterday when one of my soldiers went to a house to stop sankirtana then from nowhere flames appeared which burned his beard and half face.” 

Kazi seeks forgiveness from Mahaprabhu for disturbing the devotees. 

With tears in his eyes, he says, “The Vedas talk about the Supreme God, Narayana. Hindus worship that Narayana and also call him Hari. Now I have understood that you are the same, Hari. You are the Supreme Lord. You are Gaurhari.”

The Kazi falls at the feet of Gaurhari. Gaurhari lovingly picks him up and says, “You are so fortunate. You chanted the names of Hari, Krishna, and Narayana. Your all sins are nullified. You are supremely pure now.”

Mahaprabhu tells Kazi, “I have come to make one request. You must promise that you will never ever stop this sankirtana.”

Kazi seeking forgiveness for his deeds declares that “From now onwards no one will ever stop sankirtana in this holy Dham of Navadvipa. Not even my descendants in the future.  We all will together participate in sankirtana.”

Devotees joyfully chant, “Haribol! Haribol! Jai Gauranga!.

In the end, everyone sings and dances on the song Hari Haraye Namah Krishna Yadavaya Namah…

After the drama was a special class on the pastimes and teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu which was followed by arati and delicious prasadam.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate the Gaur Purnima festival.

चैतन्य महाप्रभु ने भारत के पहले सविनय अवज्ञा (सिविल डिसओबेडिएंस) आंदोलन का नेतृत्व किया

भारत को हमेशा उस भूमि के रूप में महिमा मंडित किया जाता है जहां पवित्र नदियाँ प्रवाहित होती हैं और स्थानो को पवित्र करती हैं। पर्वतों के राजा, हिमालय, उसके मुकुट के रूप में उसकी महिमा गाते हैं। यह वह भूमि है जहाँ भगवान राम और भगवान कृष्ण ने कई लीला किए| वे इस धरती पर चलते थे, वे नाचते थे, वे गाते थे और इस धन्य भूमि में खेलते थे।

लेकिन दुख की बात यह है कि हमारे इस महान राष्ट्र का धीरे-धीरे पतन होने लगा| शास्त्र बताते हैं कि कलयुग में , जिसमें हम वर्तमान में रह रहे हैं, अधर्म को प्रमुखता मिलती है| तो यह आश्चर्य की बात नहीं है कि भारतीय समाज जिसकी जड़ें आध्यात्मिकता में है उसकी संस्कृति और मूल्यों में गिरावट होनी शुरू हो गयी|

कई विदेशी आक्रमणकारियों ने देश पर धन-दौलत लूटने के लिए हमला करना शुरू कर दिया। हजारों मंदिरों को उजाड़ दिया गया, और हजारों लोगों को अपना धर्म छोड़ने के लिए मजबूर किया गया।

भले ही लोगों ने धार्मिक प्रथाओं को जारी रखा लेकिन वे हमेशा सताए जाने से डरते रहे।

सिर्फ विदेशी आक्रमणकारी ही नहीं जिनसे लोग डरते थे बल्कि वे जातिगत ब्राह्मणों से भी डरते थे। क्योंकि अयोग्य ब्राह्मण लोगों का शोषण कर रहे थे।

लोग चेतना के उत्थान या प्रभु के साथ संबंध विकसित करने के लिए धर्म का पालन नहीं कर रहे थे। इसके बजाय, वेदों की भावना के खिलाफ होने वाले अनुष्ठानों को प्रमुखता मिली। लोग पूरी तरह से भौतिकवादी हो गए थे।

एक क्रांतिकारी सुधारक का जन्म

चैतन्य महाप्रभु उस दौरान प्रकट हुए जब भारत भीतर और बाहर से पीड़ित था। उन्होंने १४८६ में मायापुर, नवद्वीप, पश्चिम बंगाल में जन्म लिया।

अपने उपदेशों के माध्यम से, उन्होंने अयोग्य ब्राह्मणों के एकाधिकार को समाप्त कर दिया जिन्होंने एक कठोर वंशानुगत जाति व्यवस्था की स्थापना की थी। यह जाति व्यवस्था वेदों की शिक्षाओं के विरुद्ध थी।

जाति ब्राह्मणों के नियमों के अनुसार सामान्य जन को देवताओं की पूजा करने, वैदिक शास्त्रों को पढ़ने, कोई भी अनुष्ठान करने और किसी भी मंत्र का जाप करने की मनाही थी। उन्होंने स्वयं को ईश्वर के प्रतिनिधि के रूप में नियुक्त किया था|  उनके माध्यम से ही कोई भगवान से कोई आशीर्वाद प्राप्त कर सकता था|

शास्त्र कभी किसी को दूसरों के साथ भेदभाव करने के लिए नहीं कहता है। वेद जिस सामाजिक विभाजन की बात करता है, वह समाज के सुचारू संचालन के लिए है। यह विभाजन जन्म पर नहीं बल्कि किसी के काम पर आधारित है। (भगवद गीता ४.१३)

चैतन्य महाप्रभु वेदों की सच्ची शिक्षाओं को फिर से स्थापित करने के लिए आए थे। महाप्रभु ने अन्यायपूर्ण जाति व्यवस्था की बेड़ियों को तोड़ दिया और सभी को भगवान की भक्ति करने का समान अवसर दिया।

संकीर्तन आंदोलन का जन्म

उन्होंने संकीर्तन आंदोलन की शुरुआत की। संकीर्तन का अर्थ है हरे कृष्ण महामंत्र का सामूहिक जप।

श्रीमद-भागवतम (१२.३.५१) का हवाला देते हुए उन्होंने कहा कि हरे कृष्ण का जप ही एकमात्र प्रभावी तरीका है जिसके द्वारा कलियुग में मोक्ष प्राप्त होता है।

हरे कृष्ण महामंत्र कोई नया मंत्र नहीं था। जप करना कोई नई प्रक्रिया नहीं थी। वास्तव में हरे कृष्ण महामंत्र का जप अनंत काल से चला आ रहा है। सिर्फ धरती पर ही नहीं बल्कि स्वर्गीय ग्रहों पर भी इस मंत्र का जप किया जाता है।

लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से, लोग भूल गए थे और इसलिए पीड़ित थे। जप व्यक्तिगत रूप से किया जा सकता है और जब एक साथ कई लोगों के साथ किया जाता है, तो यह संकीर्तन बन जाता है।

सभी भगवान के नामों का जप करने के पात्र थे। तथाकथित ऊंची जाति और निम्न जाति, पुरुष और महिलाएं, अमीर और गरीब, हिंदू और गैर-हिंदू सभी जप करने के योग्य थे। अपने जीवन में पहली बार वे भगवान के साथ एक गहरे संबंध का अनुभव करने लगे।

लाखों लोग जप करने लगे

नवद्वीप के लगभग हर घर में लोग कृष्ण के नाम का जप कर रहे थे। और जिन दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण लोगों ने जप करने से इनकार कर दिया, उन्होंने हमेशा कृष्ण का नाम सुना। यह जंगल की आग की तरह फैल गया।

इस आग ने जाति ब्राह्मणों के आधिपत्य को भी नष्ट करना शुरू कर दिया। वे बेहद गुस्से में थे।

मुस्लिम शासकों को डर था कि जप सभी हिंदुओं को एकजुट कर देगा| और एकजुट हिंदू हमें उखाड़ फेंकेंगे। उन्होंने कई गैर-हिंदुओं को संकीर्तन मंडली में भाग लेते देखा, जो बहुत चिंता का कारण था।

जाति ब्राह्मणों ने मुस्लिम शासकों से संपर्क किया। उन्होंने मिलकर संकीर्तन आंदोलन को रोकने की योजना तैयार की।नवद्वीप के तत्कालीन मजिस्ट्रेट चाँद काजी ने एक आदेश जारी किया।

‘तुरंत जप बंद करो। आदेश की अवहेलना करने वाले को कड़ी से कड़ी सजा दी जाएगी।’

उनके सैनिक जप के खिलाफ लोगों को चेतावनी देते हुए घरों में गए। उन्होंने श्रीवास ठाकुर के घर पर एक मृदंग को भी तोड़ दिया, जो चैतन्य महाप्रभु के प्रमुख अनुयायियों में से एक थे।

सभी पुरुष और महिलाएं जो भगवान के नामों का जप आनंद के साथ कर रहे थे, बहुत भयभीत हो गए।

उन्हें अब अपने धर्म का पालन करने की कोई स्वतंत्रता नहीं थी।

उनके पास अब केवल दो विकल्प थे।

यदि वे रहते थे तो वे जप बंद करना चाहते थे।

लेकिन अगर वे जप करना चाहते थे तो उन्हें अपनी जान देनी पड़ती है।

विरोध करने के लिए लाखों लोग सड़क पर आ गए

उन्होंने चैतन्य महाप्रभु से संपर्क किया जो उनके नेता थे। उन्हें अपने अनुयायियों की जान बचानी थी।

‘भगवान के नाम का जप कोई नहीं रोक सकता। किसी को भी भय में नहीं रहना चाहिए। हम भेदभावपूर्ण आदेश की विरोध करेंगे।“

चैतन्य महाप्रभु के स्पष्ट आह्वान ने सभी को बहुत आशा दी। उन्हें चैतन्य महाप्रभु के नेतृत्व में पूरा विश्वास था।महाप्रभु ने हजारों अनुयायियों के साथ सविनय अवज्ञा आंदोलन शुरू किया। सैकड़ों साल बाद गांधीजी ने इसे ब्रिटिश शासन को उखाड़ फेंकने के लिए एक हथियार के रूप में इस्तेमाल किया।

हजारों मृदंगों और करताल को लेकर एक लाख लोग निर्भय होकर सड़क पर आ गए। उन्होंने जोर से हरे कृष्ण महामन्त्र का जाप किया। उन्होंने गाया और उन्होंने नवद्वीप की सड़कों पर नृत्य किया।हरे कृष्ण महामंत्र को हर जगह सुना जा सकता था |

वे काजी के घर तक मार्च करने लगे। काजी के शक्तिशाली सैनिक असहाय थे, वे भाग गए।

चैतन्य महाप्रभु आदेश को चुनौती देना चाहते थे| उन्होंने काजी से मिलने का फैसला किया। विशाल भीड़ मीलों तक फैली थी। काज़ी ने अपने घर के भीतरी कक्षों में खुद को छिपा लिया। वह अनिच्छा से बाहर आया।

चैतन्य महाप्रभु ने अन्यायी शासक से लंबी बातचीत की।महाप्रभु उनके साथ कठोर नहीं थे। वह उसे नुकसान पहुंचाने के लिए वहां नहीं थे| उन्होंने विनम्रता से लेकिन तार्किक रूप से बात की। उनके तर्क का बहुत प्रभाव पड़ा। काजी को अपनी गलती समझ में आ गई। उसका हृदय अब परिवर्तित हो गया था।

उसकी आंखों में आंसू थे। उन्होंने कहा, “कोई भी इस संकीर्तन आंदोलन को कभी नहीं रोकेगा। मेरे वंशज भी इसे नहीं रोकेंगे।” चैतन्य चरितामृत, पाठ २२२।

भक्त खुश थे। वे अब कृष्ण की भक्ति करने के लिए स्वतंत्र थे।चैतन्य महाप्रभु एक क्रांतिकारी समाज सुधारक थे। उन्होंने विश्वव्यापी संकीर्तन आंदोलन की नींव रखी। वेदों में उनके आगमन की भविष्यवाणी की गई है – श्रीमद्भागवतम् ११.५.३२, महाभारत, आदि पुराण, नारद पुराण, पद्म पुराण।

संकीर्तन आंदोलन दुनिया भर में फैल गया है

इस्कॉन के संस्थापक आचार्य श्रील प्रभुपाद ने संकीर्तन आंदोलन को आगे बढ़ाने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई है।वह श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु के सबसे बड़े अनुयायियों में से एक हैं।

उन्होंने अथक परिश्रम किया ताकि इस दुनिया के लाखों लोगों को चैतन्य महाप्रभु की कृपा मिले। आज हम हजारों भक्तों को दुनिया के प्रमुख शहरों में हरे कृष्ण महामंत्र का आनंदपूर्वक जप करते देखते हैं। लंदन हो या न्यूयॉर्क, मॉस्को हो या केप टाउन, मुंबई हो या सिडनी हर जगह आपको कृष्ण के भक्त दिखते हैं।

नवद्वीप में लगभग 500 साल पहले श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु द्वारा शुरू किया गया संकीर्तन आंदोलन दुनिया भर में फैल चुका है और लाखों लोग अब इसमें भाग ले रहे हैं।

श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु हमें सिखाने आए कि हम सभी एक ही ईश्वर की संतान हैं। इसलिए जाति, पंथ, धर्म, लिंग या आर्थिक स्थिति के आधार पर किसी के साथ भेदभाव नहीं किया जाना चाहिए।

साथ ही साधकों को निर्भय होकर कृष्ण की भक्ति करनी चाहिए। और पूर्ण विश्वास होना चाहिए कि महाप्रभु किसी भी कठिन परिस्थिति में हमारी रक्षा करेंगे।