Nilacala Gaudiya Matha, Jagannatha Puri Dhama
October 2, 2001 (evening)
[In this leap year, 2007, May 17th began the extra, very sacred month of Purusottama. Srila Narayana Maharaja revealed some of the glories of this month in his lecture below, given two leap years ago:]
[Just as the kirtana was ending, a pujari from the Jagannatha Mandira came up to the stage where Srila Narayana Maharaja was seated, put a prasadam shawl from Lord Jagannatha around Srila Maharajas neck, tied it with a knot, offered his obeisances, and left. Then Srila Maharaja called on Sripad Madhava Maharaja to shed light on the meaning of Purusottama Month):]
[Sripad Madhava Maharaja:] According to solar calculation, a year is 365 days and 5 hours. According to lunar calculation the movements of the moon each month is 29.5 days long. When that is multiplied by 12 months, it comes to 354 days. The difference between the solar calculation and lunar calculation is thus 11 days and 5 hours. After 32 months, or 2 years and 8 months, an extra full month is then seen (11 days and 5 hours x 2.66. This extra month is called 'adikha mas' in Hindi. (One of the benedictions received by Hiranyakasipu from Brahma was that he would not be killed in any month. He was thus killed in this 'extra' month.)
Smarta brahmanas call this month 'Mala Mas', the rejected month, because there is no need for it. It is extra. But Vaisnava sastra calls this month Purusottama Mas. The history is that the personified Mala Mas, being very disturbed, went to see Lord Visnu and said, "No one wants to do any good deeds in my month. What can I do?" Visnu took him to Sri Krsna, who told him, "Don't worry. I will become the presiding Deity of your month and give it My own name." This month then became as auspicious as Karttika, and Mala Mas became happy.
The rules and regulations and prescribed duties of this month are the same as those of Karttika.
[Srila Narayana Maharaja: (speaking partly in English, partly in Hindi, and partly in Bengali)] I remember when I used to come here with my most worshipful Srila Gurudeva and his disciples to Purusottama-ksetra during the Ratha-yatra car festival, and when Purusottama Month fell at a different time of year, we all returned here for one month to observe Purusottama Vrata, the vows of this month. Along with Gurudeva were many of his god-brothers who were prominent disciples of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.
From here we went to all the places of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes. We heard Hari-katha three times each day, twice in the morning and once in the evening, and it was very, very wonderful. Whatever I have heard from their lotus mouths, and especially from my Gurudeva, I will be telling you in the next days.
Tomorrow morning, after mangala-arati and kirtana, we will go to the Gambhira, and from there we will go to Srila Haridasa Thakura's bhajana-sthali. Western devotees should not be worried that they are banned from entering Lord Jagannatha's temple. You can see Patita-pavana Jagannatha-deva on the doorway, and pray to Him from there.
It was here in Purusottama Dhama that Srila Rupa Gosvami established the mano'bhistam (innermost hearts desire) of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He established the identity of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and also that of Radha-Krsna. If he had not done so, no one would have known.
Krsna plus Srimati Radhika's inner mood and golden complexion is Sacinandana Gaurahari. When Sacinandana Gaurahari is minus that golden beauty and intrinsic mood, He is Krsna. Mahaprabhu came to this world to taste the essence of prema and to give raga-marga-bhakti to the world. We have called you all from so many places around the world. Why? In order to explain to you the moods of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and how He wanted to give raganuga bhakti and especially rupanuga-bhakti, intimate service to Srimati Radharani.
We have no direct relationship with Krsna. Our Svamini (Mistress) is Srimati Radhika. Our relationship is with Her, and Krsna is Her most beloved. We will explain this principle for the next 15 days, and if you are qualified to accept a sprinkle of what Mahaprabhu wanted to donate, your life will be most successful. That is why I have called you.
We will discuss what Mahaprabhu did in Navadvipa and Godhavari, how He tasted Radha-bhava in the Gambhira, what He donated to the animals in Jarikhanda, how He made elephants maddened, and how He changed the hearts of tigers, bears, and deer, and made them all friends. Such is His mercy. This is the nature of Krsna. Krsna is love and love is Krsna. .
Nowadays, we hear in the name of religion: "We should destroy all those who do not want to be in our religion." Real religion never gives such teachings as this. Now there are terrorists all over the world, and they want to destroy all those who do not surrender to them and their conception of God. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never killed anyone, and even when Krsna and Rama 'killed', They gave salvation and love and affection. But what can the terrorists give? They are in fact against religion. I pray to Krsna to change them. We should pray to Krsna to give love and affection to all; to every tree and every creeper. Krsna is very powerful and He can do so.
I think that from tomorrow onwards, from 3-4 p.m., you should all sit together in different groups and explain all these pastimes and established philosophical truths from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.
Gaura-premanande!
Editorial advisors: Sripad Madhava Maharaja and Sripad Brajanath dasa
Editor: Syamarani dasi
Typist: Radhika dasi
Proof-readers: Krsna-kamini dasi and Vasanti dasi
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Thanks to Vasanta dasa for the photo
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