On the 5th day of Kartik Yatra, HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj beautifully explained that Krishna is the reservoir of all pleasure. But unfortunately, unaware of this truth people keep on looking for pleasure at wrong places and keeps on suffering.
Maharaj also spoke how Lord Chaitanya transformed Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and how Lord Chaitanya by his personal example taught us how we should be grateful to our guru and all the Vaishnavas who have helped us in our spiritual life.
At the end of the class Maharaj said that we should be always eager and enthusiastic to serve Krishna. Even if we are not feeling enthusiastic to serve Krishna still, we should do it. Maharaj quoted the famous statement of Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada had said, “Even if you do not feel enthusiastic, act enthusiastically and eventually you will become enthusiastic.” We should also develop the same mood and do our best as per the instructions of guru, sadhu and sastra.
Below article is based on the class given by HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj on the 5th day of Kartik Yatra at Jagannath Puri Dham. This article covers one of the topics, Krishna is the reservoir of all pleasure, which Maharaj spoke in the class.
Suffering is a reminder
In this material world suffering is inevitable. Whoever we are from Lord Brahma to tiny ant, we are temporary and insignificant. Suffering is a reminder to us that what we are actually looking, we are not getting. In this world, everyone thinks that he is better, and others are just crazy. This is the reason for confusion and conflict.
Srila Prabhupada says that everyone in this world is crazy because everyone thinks that they are someone which they are not.
Everyone thinks they are body and think on bodily platform. But body is temporary, and it ultimately dies. But with death everything does not come to an end. Because we again get another body. Death is the start of another life. We create our new body and our future based on the karma we do in the present life.
In 1965, when Srila Prabhupada was in the United States, he was homeless, he was wandering, he was wearing saffron sheet, had nothing with him and 99.9% people thought that he was crazy. But craziness is not based on popular votes, but it is based on ultimate truth.
Srila Prabhupada was dedicating his life to make people understand the highest truth, he was doing his best to give happiness to the suffering humanity.
Srila Prabhupada revolutionized the concept of God
Srila Prabhupada revolutionized the concept of God. Generally, people think that God is the creator, he is almighty, extremely powerful, source of everything. But Srila Prabhupada said that Supreme Lord is the reservoir of all pleasure which we are constantly seeking.
And that Supreme Lord is Krishna. All the Vedic scriptures, great acharyas conclude that Krishna is the Supreme Lord – kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.3.28
How everyone is searching for Krishna?
In this world everyone is searching for pleasure. So, it means that everyone is searching for Krishna, the reservoir of all the pleasures.
Krishna is the creator and maintainer of this world; he is our father and mother, and he says that this world is full of misery – duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, Bhagavad Gita 8.15
We should believe Krishna.
In Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.58 it is mentioned that there is danger at every step in this world – padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ
But Krishna assures that if we take his shelter then we will not suffer. This is why Krishna appears in this world to tell us that he is always there for us.
yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself.” Bhagavad Gita 4.7
Krishna cares for us. This is why as Paramatma he always resides with us near the soul. He is our best well-wishing friend. Once a western journalist asked Srila Prabhupada that why have you come here. Srila Prabhupada said, “To remind you what you have forgotten.”
People have forgotten to take shelter of Krishna and so people are suffering. Whatever happens in this world, positive or negative, comprehensible or incomprehensible, we should always take shelter of Krishna.
Krishna is so merciful that he has appeared in his holy name.
kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra
nāma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistāra
“In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered.” Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 17.22
How can we experience pleasure?
Taking shelter of Krishna becomes easy when we associate with like minded devotees.
Life’s goal is to ultimately seek pleasure from the reservoir of all pleasure, Krishna.
Now, if Krishna is the reservoir of all pleasure, then we should give all pleasure to Krishna. To the extent we are living to please Krishna – saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam – to that extent we will be pleased.
In fact, in Krishna’s pleasure, we experience highest pleasure. To the extent we surrender to Krishna to that extent we experience pleasure.
Krishna appears in this world not just to give liberation from suffering but to give love of God. He is giving us entry to Goloka Vrindavan.
Lord Chaitanya is mahā-vadānyāya. He is giving love of Krishna. He is Krishna but giving more mercy than himself i.e. Krishna.
What is Sanatana dharma?
When Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita, he was teaching philosophy. But as Lord Chaitanya, he came and took the role of his own devotee to teach us how to do devotion.
Lord Chaitanya opened storehouse of love for everyone. He did not consider who is fit or unfit, whether its auspicious time or inauspicious time, he gave everyone the opportunity to practice devotion to Krishna, to please Krishna.
When Srila Prabhupada met his guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, at that time India was under British rule. Also, there were so many ideologies at that time. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that the only problem plaguing India and the world is because people have forgotten Krishna.
It is true that dharma is to deal with the problem in a practical way, but Sanatana dharma is to please Krishna, to love Krishna.
Krishna, the reservoir of pleasure, bestows unlimited pleasure
Without the association of those who love Krishna and those who are sincerely trying to love Krishna it is impossible to develop love for Krishna.
A vaisnava is one who no matter how advanced he is, he is always grateful to the gift which he has got with the help of other devotees. He is always grateful to his guru and to everyone who helped him in his spiritual life. We see Lord Chaitanya would always give credit to his mother, to his guru and to all the devotees.
Without the blessings of Vaishnav we won’t be able to seek mercy of the Lord. Lord Chaitanya, who is the Supreme Lord, would seek permission from devotees before going for South India yatra. The Supreme Lord always likes to personally reciprocate with the devotee’s love.
In Jagannath Puri when Lord Chaitanya was performing sankirtana with the devotees, then all the devotees would see that Lord Chaitanya was looking at him.
Just like when Krishna would eat prasadam with the gopas then all the gopas would see Krishna eating prasadam with them. They would experience that Krishna’s unlimited love is exclusively for them and this would give them great pleasure.
Following the footsteps of the associates of the Lord, when we will also completely surrender to Krishna and start serving him whole heartedly, we will also experience that unlimited pleasure which we are always looking for.
