Why is brahmacharya so important? / Description of Damodar Ashtak and the liberation of Kuber's sons 05/10/2026

Satsang of Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj — To listen to the full discourse, watch the video above.

The Complete Discourse

O Vrindavanesvari, Your lotus feet are full of the nectar of love. O sweet one, remembering You brings intoxication. Grant me supreme coolness, supreme peace. You are the form of supreme consciousness-bliss, full of love. The nine treasures of nikunj, most glorious, most pure Sri Vrindavan Dham. Sri Vrindavan Dham's beloved, the life-sustaining, life-dear Sri Yugal Sarkar, Shyama and Shyam. All the companions, all the birds, deer, animals and creatures, trees and creepers, the Yamuna, the Queen of Rasa, the Queen of dust, all the residents of Braj. Millions of salutations, millions of prostrations to the feet. Dear ones, whose grace is constantly flowing upon us. Let us honor that grace.

We must honor it. Whatever knowledge we have received regarding Bhagavat and sadhana is by the grace of the Lord. Let us apply it. We have that capacity within us. We have forgotten our own capacity. The saints, the scriptures, and the guru awaken that same capacity. It exists within you. Whatever capacity exists in the liberated mahatmas also exists in you. You have forgotten it in illusion, in enjoyment, in the pride of the body, in the dazzle of the worldly world. You have forgotten your true nature. You have forgotten your power. This satsang, these scriptures, this study awaken that same power.

And with the power of that very capacity, we conquer lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride, jealousy, hunger, thirst, old age, death, and delusion. If we treat these with friendly feelings and obey them, we will be utterly destroyed. Both this world and the next will be destroyed. They make us behave in such a way that the mind joins with the five sense organs and associates with these thieves—lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride, jealousy. Then misery begins. Through such ignorance, we forget our true nature so that it seems to us we are merely the body and we will never die.

We perform cremation rituals for others. But we do not take the knowledge that this will be the state of our own body too. So we must perform such sadhana that we do not have to come again into these five material bodies. Clothed in a divine consciousness-bliss body, wherein there is no old age, no decay, no hunger, no thirst, no heat, no cold, no foul smell—in that glorious divine consciousness-bliss body, from that body we shall serve Shri Ji, remain near the beloved Lord. Let us perform such sadhana as the guru teaches. If we perform sadhana according to their guidance, our obstacles will be removed, and seeing us labor in sadhana, Shri Ji will have mercy on us and bestow upon us the bhava-body by Her grace.

For even the liberated mahatmas, what is unreachable is love. The love of the beloved and the Beloved. Kabir Das Ji Maharaj says, "Whoever has read the two and a half letters of love is a scholar." If love has awakened, then all scriptures, all study, all sadhana have become successful. If love has not awakened, then everything remains in vain.

They say that one who has crossed the entire ocean of all scriptures—that is, whoever has knowledge of all scriptures but has not developed love for Bhagavat—they say that such a person's study has been fruitless. "Let liberation come to me, let there be some welfare." One who has all the knowledge of scriptures but not love for Bhagavat, then what these writings say—they say he is without wisdom, that is, foolish. If love has not awakened, then one who has studied all the scriptures remains ignorant.

He is ignorant. And if love is manifested, then all scriptures and study become successful. Goswami Ji says:

yog kujog gyan agyanu jahan nahi Ram prem pradhanu.
Yoga, false yoga, knowledge, ignorance—where there is no Ram, love is supreme.

If love has not awakened in the heart, if the predominant nature is not love, then the false eightfold path remains false, the knowledge of all scriptures remains ignorance. If love for Bhagavat has not been manifested:

so sab dharm karm jar jau jahan na Ram pad pankaj bhav.
Let all dharma and karma burn—where there is no devotion to the lotus feet of Ram.

That is, the success of dharma is in devotion to Bhagavat, the success of karma is in devotion to Bhagavat, the success of yoga and knowledge is in devotion—devotion, that is, love. Sripada is saying:

tatr varn matrak vidodha namta sarwaj sakalta partar Vrindavan.
One who has known this—that the goal of life, the supreme truth, is love for Bhagavat.

He has become the greatest in this world. He has obtained the fruit of all scriptures. He has become worthy of worship by all wise men.

One who wishes to attain love—the greatest obstacle to love is lust. This is the heaviest enemy of love. Everything else is small. If love has any enemy, it is lust. This is not a minor one. It is very powerful. This is why the mahatmas have said:

kam andhkar prem nirmal Bhaskhar.
Lust is darkness; love is the pure sun.

jahan kam tahan Ram nahi jahan Ram tahan na kam.
Where there is lust, there is no Ram; where there is Ram, there is no lust.

Lust is a very powerful enemy. Not a small one. It is very powerful. All the scriptures contain knowledge of how one should protect oneself.

This is false. Look, it is merely a vessel of feces and urine. The body is attracted only to it. This is God's mighty illusion. Look, it is all God's illusion. Abandon it. This is a dream.

brahm satyam jagat mithya.
Brahman is real, the world is false.

sat hari bhajan jagat sab sapna.
Truth is worshipping Hari; the world is all a dream.

People are giving teachings, but the state remains in that dream. For the state to match the teaching—this is a very rare thing.

Sripada is describing in the first verse that one has memorized all the scriptures.

Without divine love, life is worthless. The one who is all-knowing is worthy of praise. The one who is honored by great souls is the one in whose heart divine love has awakened. Now, when divine love awakens, the greatest obstacle to it is lust—the erratic tendency of the mind. When the heart becomes tender and soft, and union takes place, then nothing will be able to hold it back if there is naam jap—chanting of the divine name—and the grace of God, and no pride in devotion. Understand this too. Someone once asked Pujya Bhai Ji—Hanuman Prasad Poddar Ji—a question: "The Lord's surrendered devotee has become corrupted. Why?"

God says, "Always keep the child in the care of the mother." Bhai Ji replied: "Externally, he appears surrendered, but not from the heart. Second, he has pride. One thing is hypocrisy and display—that we are dancing and doing everything. But there is not even that much connection with God. Only external, only external." The play of bhakti and maya is very strange. Both are beloved of God. If bhakti is the Lord's beloved, then "my maya is the second beloved." If you walk correctly, the inner controller, God, knows. He will save you.

If you practice hypocrisy, you will be destroyed. If you show arrogance, then He will arrange abundant pleasures. Die in those pleasures. Shripad is saying: "Be calm. Control the force of your senses. Desire is coming. Radhe Radhe, Radhe, Radhe, Radhe, Radhe." This mobile phone is very poison, brother. It is destroying many children. Much good also comes from it. Satsang is heard through it. The phone and such necessary tools are very useful instruments for necessary work. We are grateful for it. But those who misuse it—it is very harmful.

Prahlad Ji said this in his hymn to God: Lust is like an itching—like a new rash. If you don't scratch it, it feels very good. But later when it becomes infected and causes burning—when you indulge in it, you feel pleasure. But in restraining it, what pleasure there is! There is a wondrous strength in restraint. There is a radiance. A young man has back pain, pain in the joints. If you look at dirty things on your mobile, then all day in solitude, instead of bhajan, you will do only that. Consider—the mind is very strange.

What one sees, what one hears becomes contemplation. What becomes contemplation becomes action. With folded hands, I pray: Use the mobile rightly. Do not misuse it, or there will be destruction. When you see dirty things before you, how can you remain pure? How can you continue in meditation? That is why everyone now has a mobile. See the cunning way this poison was sent—we cannot even forbid it. If we forbid it, many services depend on it. They depend on the mobile. And if we do not forbid it, then this is what happens. And no one wants to give up their smartphone. Shripad is saying: if you want to express love, then "be calm. Control your senses and words. Like a moth attracted to light, burning itself—just as a moth is drawn to the flame and burns itself—

So too this craving for lust destroys everything. Even the great wise ones. Not to mention the ignorant. "Knowledge, the divine name, awakens in consciousness. The divine goddess, the great illusory power, bewilders Krishna. O great Maya, I take refuge in you. Protect me." And always, Radhe, Radhe, Radhe, Radhe—then there is a chance of escape. But to see dirty things, to speak dirty things—this is total destruction. This is spreading among children like a virus. This self-gratification is spreading among children like a virus. This is very harmful. The nature of lust will churn in your heart, but if you do not practice it, it will become quiet.

This is the method of victory. Just as when there is burning deep inside, go into solitude. Become quiet. "Be calm. Be vigilant. Radhe, Radhe, Radhe. Dear Radhe, be merciful. Compassionate Krishna, have mercy. You will be given strength." Look, we tell you many glorious teachings of satsang, but if your foundation is weak, nothing will be understood. Second thing: the bread earned through madhukari—going from house to house begging—has a particular effect. When you sit at someone's home and receive prasad, it has a different effect. The prasad from the community feast—the nice gulab jamun—we received that and saw a different effect. When we remained hungry, it had a different effect.

If you want to be absorbed in bhajan, you need sattvic food. And for sattvic food, you need simple bread, lentils, and vegetables. That is enough to nourish the body. One piece of sweets at most. For a brahmachari, sour foods are not good, very sweet foods are heavy, root vegetables, cauliflower, rice, yogurt—many such things like peanuts and dry fruits—all these are restricted. A brahmachari's food is like that of the sick—light food, sattvic food. If you find good, simple items, bhajan will become tasteless. But if you get tasteless food, bhajan will become full of flavor.

How many times have you heard this? Who sustains this? "Shantam svantave"—it is not, Lord, that we are giving you teachings while we are sieving gulab jamuns. That is not the case. Believe me truly, if you see what we eat, you will only say that even an ordinary person does not eat like this. A little salt, some ghee—not much—and bread like that, or some vegetables, a little lentils, this is all we live on. We have not kept anything else suitable. This is indeed a strange leela of life: when we were worthy of receiving, we had nothing, and now that we have it, we are not worthy of it. And it is the Lord's pure grace—very pure grace of the Lord—that when adversity comes, bhajan grows through adversity. Bhajan growth comes through adversity. Understand this completely: say this body is not you, say these senses are not you. When you do not accept this, then my Lord gives you all the comforts you desire. "Jo ichchha kar man mahi hari prasad kachu durlabh nahi"—when the mind harbors a wish with devotion, nothing is rare to the Lord's grace. Shant—how much bliss there is! Shant—sit in contemplation of the Lord, your eyes wet with tears. Never lust after such pleasures. "Vachanam de kamini rupa na patang van nipare chaksu pramada"—if you look at mothers and sisters with lustful eyes, if you look at such things on mobile phones with lustful eyes, this is a very strange form of Kali Yuga. Mobile phones are very harmful to sadhana, very harmful. If you have conquered the senses, then they can also be very helpful.

The words of great saints have been placed before you. We hear them in our ears, we move the rosary. This is very beautiful companionship. You can hear the words of one great saint after another. But if you have not conquered the senses, then it is a great loss. And escape from this, brother, escape from this. Children, escape from this. If someone has the habit of wrong action, this is the rule of the world: by taking a firm vow, one becomes free from it. Whoever does it—whether a child or anyone else—take an oath today that I will never attempt anything like this with my own hands. Accept it within yourself, because this is very harmful, brother, very harmful, very harmful.

Those who engage in this action become unfit to be householders, because their nerves and channels become so damaged that merely by thinking of it they become unfit for household life. Wherever their mind wanders, they become unfit for household life. Such weakness develops. Therefore, for both householders and the renounced, this hand action is very harmful. There is no discourse on this anywhere. This is not discussed anywhere, and it is very harmful. Neither can children tell their parents, nor can parents ask their children.

What strengthens the foundation—if you ruin that very foundation, how will anything be built? "Rupa sundar na patang van nipare chaksu pramada"—this beautiful form may seem beautiful, but it is only momentary. No one is truly beautiful. Your eyes are a little defective, which is why it appears beautiful. Truly beautiful is one who does bhajan of the Lord, who is beyond all limits of beauty. The Lord—whether their appearance is beautiful or not, they are beautiful. They are beautiful whose thoughts are beautiful. They are beautiful whose character is beautiful. They are beautiful whose feelings are beautiful. This skin is not beautiful at all. One woman came here. She would say, "I am not happy.

I have every comfort in the world. She would say, 'I am not happy,' that we have everything but we are not happy. We came to ask you why. You said, "Shri Krishna is not in your life. That is why you are not happy." Whoever does not have God in their life can never be happy. "Brahm bhuta prasanna atma"—one who is established in Brahman, whose heart is delighted, has no worry and no desire. One wonderful bliss comes. "O pati pus poshaay dosh kare"—do not destroy yourself, O soul. The soul destroys itself, yet the soul can also uplift itself. Therefore, great caution is necessary.

Great caution is necessary. I have seen much in this world. I have seen much. We used to wander as children, not as children—I have seen much in complete silence and peace, in many places and many ways. This pretense, this show, this hypocrisy takes you very far from God. Walk in truth. In every step there should be the experience of bliss—if not, tell me. Come now, if we are already walking toward God, why not walk in truth? "So na pistosh"—do you know that you could die today or tomorrow? Then why commit sin? Why spoil your conduct? Why give freedom to your mind and senses? "Poshaay dosh kare"—you are nourishing sins from this body. Keep the company of great saints. Serve the sacred dhams.

While chanting the Lord's name, conquer your senses and go toward the auspicious dhams of the Lord. This worldly play has gone on long enough. Muster some courage. Show some courage. These are such actions that you can even say, "I do not do this. It just happens." Because when a practice becomes perfected, then you do not have to do it anymore. Then it just happens—whether it is bhajan or worldly activities. The perfected soul who does bhajan and becomes the Lord's has divine leelas flowing through them. They speak of God. And one who is entangled in worldly affairs also becomes perfected at it. While sleeping, while waking, they too speak curses and worldly matters—they have also become perfected because they have done that throughout their life. So when an old man sees something, it seems like he is talking to someone, talking to himself in solitude. Talking to himself, as perfected saints talk with God. In the same way, those worldly ones are lost. In the same way, these wrong actions also become perfected. Then it becomes difficult to stop them. When the state of ripeness comes, when practice becomes perfected, then it becomes very difficult to stop wrong action. Therefore, whoever is sitting in satsang today—if they engage in these wrong actions, take an oath making Vrindavan dhams witness: from today, I will not perform any such false action within myself. This body is a thing that will be destroyed.

Only through this will we attain the eternal state. Try living in genuine celibacy for two months—if someone like you who keeps squirming doesn't manage it, then you will see such energy and power running through your entire body. A celibate's feet strike the ground the way someone walks through fire—with that burning energy. With such radiant brahmacharya, be very careful, brother. This is what Shripad is saying—that for attaining divine love, lust is the greatest obstacle, and in lust, this act of hand is the greatest obstacle.

Because cohabitation should only happen after marriage. If it happens before marriage, it is a great sin. And this act does not require anyone's consent. So I request those in whom such a mistake occurs to remove it very carefully. The Supreme Brahman, the Almighty God, Shri Krishna, has been bound by His devotee's love in the churning pot. God, who is sat-chit-ananda, whose very name liberates everyone, is bound in the churning pot while Mother Yashoda is occupied with household chores. So God Shri Krishna, Vyas Dev, Nerad, and all the great sages came to where the Lord was bound in the churning pot and offered their prayers.

Composed by God Vyas Dev: Namah Shivaram sat-chit-ananda Rupam lasad kundialam Gokule virajamanam Yashodabhu khaladamanam Parashat matyam tato dattya gop Namah Shivaram sat-chit-ananda Rupam lasad kundialam Gokule virajamanam
Glory to the Lord of all gods, the supreme Lord, the embodiment of sat-chit-ananda, Shri Krishna, whose crocodile-shaped earrings move and dance on His cheeks, who shines majestically in the divine abode of Gokul.

Your face is surrounded by soft, dark, curly hair gleaming like precious jewels, and it is repeatedly kissed by Mother Yashoda because You broke the butter pot and were afraid of her wrath. Your mother ran quickly and caught You, then bound You with a rope. To such Damodar, bound by a rope, we bow again and again. Mother Yashoda holds a stick in her hand.

The Lord cries repeatedly. He is rubbing His eyes with both lotus hands. His eyes are trembling with fear. With the intensity of His crying, He is whimpering. The pearl garland around His throat, marked with lines, is quivering. Such is the Supreme God, Lord Damodar, whose belly is bound not by ropes but by Mother Yashoda's maternal love. To such a Lord I bow again and again. All the great sages and lords of the worlds praised that Lord bound in the churning pot in that solitary chamber. Such is this divine play—filled with bliss and overwhelming joy, drowning all the beloved residents of Gokul in the ocean of joy.

Lost in their knowledge of God, they reveal the truth of their sentiments: that loved ones can frighten Him, loved ones can bind Him, loved ones can even punish Him. God is displaying this play. Through the inner, devoted bhakts, this unconquerable God can be conquered. O Lord Damodar, I bow to You millions upon millions of times. Varam dev mokshyam na mokshadhava nachanyan pranah
O God, I do not desire liberation, nor the happiness of Vaikuntha, nor any other boon through the nine forms of devotion.

Rather, O Lord, my only desire is that Your child form, Your Bal Gopal, always remains manifest in my heart. What greater boon could there be than this? What use do we have for any other blessing? O Lord, Your face surrounded by curling dark hair is repeatedly kissed by Mother Yashoda. Your lips are red like ripe fruits. May this beautiful sight of Your face always dwell in my heart. I have no need for millions of other benefits. So, O Lord, grant me nothing else but this Bal Gopal form in my heart. Namo dev Damodaram Vishnu Pras Prabhu dukh jala magnam Kripa drishti drishtyā dīnam batanu Ganesh mamadhyaksh drishy
O Lord, I bow to You, I bow to You again and again. O Damodar, O Infinite One, O Narayana, O Vishnu, O Lord, be pleased with me. I was drowning in the ocean of suffering. You showered Your grace upon me and saved me. Uplift this wretched, surrendered soul and dwell in my eyes. May this form of Yours reside in my eyes.

Just as You, in Your Damodar form, freed the sons of Kubera, Nala and Kubera, named Manipuri, from their curse and made them great, so too grant me Your love and bhakti. This is my only desire. I have no wish for liberation in any form. Namaste Damne pur dīp Dhamne tado daray Vishvas Dhamne Namo Radhikay tady Priyay Namo Anant Lilya Devay tabhyam
I first bow to the rope that binds Your belly, and I offer my respectful obeisance at the feet of Your beloved Sri Radha Kishori, O Lord Damodar who performs endless pastimes. Again and again I bow to You, and this is my only plea.

May the Damodar form be present in our eyes. Parikshit asked the Lord, and the Lord answered giving the reason. The divine sage Narad is one who has victory over lust, anger, greed, delusion, and pride—but then he became angry and cursed Nalakubar and Manigriva. How was it that the divine sage Narad, who is supremely peaceful, became angry?

Shri Sukhdeva said: "Parikshit, Nalakubar and Manigriva—these two are the beloved sons of Kubera, the lord of wealth. They are also counted among the servants of Lord Shankara. That is why their pride had increased.

This is a great matter. The servants of Lord Shankara, the sons of Kubera—their pride had increased. This is why, without the association of great souls, arrogance will grow. It is only through association with great souls that arrogance is destroyed. One day, these two went to the Mandakini Ganga near Kailash. Drinking wine—which is a great forbidden act. Kubera's beloved sons, drinking wine, and then bathing in the Ganga in such a state of intoxication that their eyes were spinning. With beautiful apsaras, and naked in the water—such is the pride of wealth. In that pride, great sins are committed.

Naked with the apsaras in the Ganga—when the supreme devotee of the Lord, the all-powerful divine sage Narad, who was passing by after visiting Mahadev, saw this, fire burned in him. In the most sacred Ganga, these apsaras, out of fear and shame, quickly put on their clothes and went to bow before Narad. But these two just stood there, deeply intoxicated and senseless. When Narad saw this, he thought: being the sons of gods, blinded by pride, drinking wine, they deserve punishment.

Should they receive punishment or grace? Grace means mercy. The anger of a sage is a giver of liberation. If a saint becomes angry with someone, it does not mean that person's welfare will not happen. If a saint shows mercy, it is different. The anger of a sage is a giver of liberation. Till now, there has been no example of anyone on whom sages, saints, and rishis showed mercy and their welfare did not happen. This grace is in the form of anger. When Lomas became angry at Kakabhushungi, they kept cutting him off, answering question after question. So they gave answers for answers. When a knower becomes angry, the words are like a snake repeatedly cutting off the conversation midway.

He became a chandal, a bird—he became a crow instantly. He bowed down. "Ram Ram Ram." He thought, his devotion is genuine. So he said, "Turn back," and showered blessings! Wherever you stay, no Maya will enter for miles around. You will have constant godly inclination. The Lord has special grace upon you. He showered blessings. The anger of a sage is a giver of liberation. Narad saw them stumbling, drinking wine, standing in such a state. They deserve punishment. Their pride from wealth should be removed. The arrogance—they are the sons of Kubera, the sons of Kubera, the lord of all wealth of the three worlds. Narad said: Those who indulge in their favorite objects, the greatest destroyer of their intelligence is this wealth, this pride of wealth.

In this is violence, passionate-natured action, pride in lineage—all of these destroy intelligence. But most of all, this pride of wealth, because with it comes union with women, gambling, wine, and meat. If one's money increases while doing devotion, keeping the company of saints, well then intelligence stays pure. But this flaw—the divine sage Narad is saying—but with money comes union with women, gambling, drinking wine, eating meat. It will come, money is there.

Hy ete pashu yatra nirdaya rajitātmā bhimanyamān,
De merā mrityu nam.

These arrogant about wealth cruelly kill poor animals and eat them, and think their bodies are eternal and immortal. All these will go to hell. Come to your senses! By being arrogant about money, by devouring chickens and goats, all living beings—you are not demons. You are human. Your fate will be miserable. See this now. This is karma. Speak, sow seeds. When its fruit comes, you and all your ancestors will suffer greatly. You know, those who kill animals and eat them. They become very strong. You wield the knife. When you become a chicken and the knife cuts your throat, then certainly—

Bhoktvyam kritam karma—Subhash Dev anyate paso yatra nirjit bhī manyamān de merā mrityu nam.

They think their own bodies are eternal and immortal while killing and eating others' bodies. These arrogant about wealth will meet with ruin. The gods sing—

Kram bhasm sangitam bhut dhte swārtham kim ved niratā.

This body, which they call bhudeva, nardeva, and dev—in the end what will become of it? If buried, worms will infect it. If thrown out, birds will eat it and turn it to droppings. And if it is burned, it becomes a heap of ashes. For this body, you kill other animals, you cause harm. They are saying: whoever nourishes this body by causing suffering to any living being, their ruin is certain.

The divine sage Narad is saying, and he is saying:

Veda niryō yataḥ pakkā nir.

He says that hell is permanent. You will attain permanent hell. To the extent you cause suffering to other beings, you will receive suffering. You are riding in fancy cars, and before that, you were the wire—just that which opens the glass, opens the gate. Now you are roasting on that same wire. Everyone outside is watching. You are inside in fire, enjoying. That is the one who roasts chickens and hens. Be very aware. Whatever karma you do here, you will have to experience its fruit.

You must experience the consequences. Tell me truly, whose property is this body? The one who nourished it with food, the father who conceived it, the mother who held it in her womb for nine months, or the grandparents who gave birth to the mother? Whose property is this body? Listen, this body is nobody's property. It will become the fuel of fire and turn to ash. Animals and birds will eat it, and if you throw it out, it will become excrement. If you bury it, it will become worms. This is nothing at all. Do not commit sin by becoming attached to the body. This body is an ordinary thing, born from nature.

It merges back into nature. Listen, you fools, abandon this animal-like intellect. Eating the flesh of others, drinking alcohol, committing adultery—this will destroy you. The wise person never causes suffering to anyone else. There is no greater sin than causing suffering to others. Remember this: if you cause suffering to any living being, look at what kind of nature you have developed. That living being is suffering. If you tie its legs while it is alive, it is like an iron pipe with fire lit below it—it burns slowly and dies. In the same way, slowly and comfortably you will burn in your own cart. And if you do not understand, if you run a truck full of iron rods over it—your own cart comes behind that truck, and everything is crushed by it. But God has complete control over everything. Surely I am experiencing the consequences of my own actions. The actions I performed today, I must experience their fruits. Whatever harvest was planted long ago, you must consume that harvest.

That is why Devarshi Narad is saying: whoever considers this body to be their own self and causes suffering to others, whoever steals their lives, must experience great suffering. These people have become filled with the arrogance of wealth. They must be subjected to the treatment of poverty. Because the poor person never causes suffering to another. When a thorn gets stuck in one's own body, one knows the pain of that thorn. So why would they cause suffering to another living being? Put a thorn in yourself and leave it. See how it feels. How can anyone cause suffering to Radha, Radha, Radha—to any living being?

This is not the duty of a human being. Whoever causes suffering to others will receive that suffering many times multiplied. As you behave toward others, so you must experience it. In the same way, you must experience it. There is no arrogance in the poor. There is no ego. The poor person is free from all arrogance. And if somewhere they find the company of a sant, if they engage in great austerities and spiritual practice and kirtan, then they attain God. These arrogant people commit many sins. Many sins—they think only of sin all day long because they want enjoyment, so they keep thinking of sin.

The great souls whose hearts are full of generosity for all, they mostly show compassion to the humble. The humble one who is not arrogant—therefore the Bhagavat Rishi has written: we have friendship with all. We bow at the feet of all. But from these body-proud ones, these arrogant ones, there is great distance. From these wealth-proud ones, there is great distance. In all past, present, and future worlds, may that God be dear to us. Our behavior is free from arrogance. We should not practice flattery toward wealthy people, nor from the wealth-proud ones—from them, no. If before us you place even one rupee, I know that Shri Ji has sent it. We do not know you. You will meet Radha again later. We will not do this with you. Once I told a loved one: feed him rabri for his whole life. But we only know this: Vishwambhar, God has sent you through. Therefore, we will never acknowledge your favor this way. And here I have said many times: if anyone thinks that Radha's kunja is with us, I swear to you by God—do not place even a quarter-anna here. God alone is the source here. This is dependent on God alone. And there is not a single wealthy person like this. Not a single one. Avoid the donations of wealthy people who earn through falsehood.

Eat simple salt bread with contentment and keep the feeling of saying Radha, Radha. If you eat rabri and rasgulla, it will come out of your forehead. Definitely he will strike you with a brick. He will strike you with a stick. This is something we have directly witnessed and are telling you. So Narad is saying: the treasures of vice, the livelihood of the unethical, the wealth-proud ones—ignore them from a distance. They think they can make everyone bow with the whip of money everywhere. But there is one place, the place of sadhus and great souls, where it does not work. They say, we do not need it. Go ahead—before the Gurudev, the God, no one can do this.

He went for darshan. We also went for darshan. We returned. Cylinder, stove, cooker—how many things. Everything was fully arranged because Gurudev, our God, even now prepares Shri Ji's offering with his own lotus hands—with cow dung cakes and wood. With his own lotus hands—if he is unwell, he fasts. He does not get bread. If he is well, he prepares it with his own lotus hands, offers it, and then partakes. When we came, he asked, who placed it? We did not know, Maharaj Ji—speak truly. Pick it up and go on the circumambulation path. They brought it in the circumambulation path. After a while, we looked around. People on all sides saw it—a new cylinder, a new stove, everything new.

This is the domain of saints and great souls. Indeed, looking at the household drama here, there are precious things here, absolutely. In the pilgrimage and on the path, things are arranged in certain ways. In the pilgrimage circle, a disciple of Guru Ji, a devotee of Maharaj, said: In Vrindavan, all the saints—going to the hut of each one, all completely disinterested, absolutely disinterested. Sadguru Bhagavan is the very embodiment of disinterestedness. Whatever are the characteristics of a great soul who has attained Bhagavan, all of those qualities shine forth completely in the lotus feet of Sadguru Bhagavan. All the festivals that the saint great souls also celebrated outside, by the banks of the Ganga, completely—Narada Ji is saying: when you are under the shelter of Bhagavan, when you are a great soul, a drinker of the nectar of the lotus feet of Bhagavan, a storehouse of these vices, a sustainer of the wicked one's livelihood, arrogant about wealth, the wicked one—then what is the need for their flattery? What is the need to move back and forth behind them? Look, here are the sons of Kubera drinking wine and standing in the Ganga. And how are they standing? Standing naked. Tamo mad—indriyas adheen, intoxicated by the senses. Today I shall remove their intoxication. Today I shall set them right. Today I shall crush their ego. Look, if the son of the regent of the world, the most purified one, the sons of Bhagavan Kubera, they are drinking wine.

Playing naked in the Ganga with the apsaras. Not even a single cloth on their bodies. This Sudharma has become completely wicked. Go, I curse you. May you attain the form of a tree. When you have become a tree, when you endure cold, heat, sun, and rain, then you will know. For a hundred years of the devas. For a hundred years of the devas. Now their intoxication has left them. They fled and fell at the feet of Devarshi Narada. They said: Lord, please tell me how my liberation will happen. O Lord, be merciful. They begged at the feet again and again. The hearts of saints are very compassionate. Very well, when a hundred years of the devas have passed, Bhagavan Shri Krishna Chandra will manifest, and when Bhagavan Shri Krishna Chandra touches you, then you will return to your own true form.

Devarshi Narada spoke thus and departed from there, chanting "Nārāyan Nārāyan Nārāyan" in a boat, moving with the sound of the divine name, to the ashram of Bhagavan Nar Narayana. Nalakubara and Manigriva instantly became trees. But where did they become? In Braj. This is the special grace of Narada Ji. They came to be called Yamalarjuna. Now the time for Bhagavan to liberate them has come. So, slowly dragging the mortar toward the Yamalarjuna, He moved. Bhagavan thought: Devarshi Narada is very dear to Me, and these two are the great devotees, the sons of Kubera. Therefore, the time has come to fulfill the words of Devarshi Narada and to liberate them.

Thinking thus, Bhagavan, dragging the mortar, went near the Yamalarjuna tree. Yamal and Arjun—the mortar between them and Bhagavan on that side—Bhagavan moved to the other side. The mortar became crooked and got stuck between the two trees. The rope was tied tight around Damodar Bhagavan's waist. He gave one jerk. The infinitely powerful Bhagavan's single jerk uprooted them from the roots. The Yamalarjuna trees, branches, small twigs, leaves—all trembled, and with a great crashing sound, both fell to the ground. Bhagavan could have liberated them even with His glance of grace alone. But by going to the trees and placing the mortar there, what special grace Bhagavan showed! By receiving His touch—Bhagavan could have liberated them by the glance of grace, even by His will alone. But Bhagavan granted them His touch. They received the touch of Bhagavan Shri Krishna. From the crashing sound of the trees, the entire Braj mandal trembled, and two radiant men appeared.

All sin had been destroyed. The directions shone with their radiance. They prostrated completely before the lotus feet of Bhagavan Shri Krishna, the Lord of all the worlds. And folding their hands, both began to offer hymns. Krishna Krishna, the great yoga, the supreme Purush, the manifested universal form, Brahmin, all names, the self within the self, the Lord, even time—Bhagavan Vishnu, the Lord, the great Prakriti, subtle nature, You are the overseer of all beings. All space, all transformation. O Krishna, O Krishna, blissful consciousness, Shri Krishna who attracts everyone to yourself, Yogeshwar Shri Krishna, we bow to you.

You are beyond nature, yourself the supreme Purush. The Brahmin knowers of the Vedas know this truth: this manifest and unmanifest entire world, O Shri Krishna, is your form alone. You yourself have become the body of all beings, become their life force. Become the inner sense, become the senses and their master too. You are all-powerful, time, all-pervading and indestructible Ishwar. You are the great principle, that Prakriti which is exceedingly subtle and composed of sattva, rajas, and tamas qualities. You cannot be grasped by the qualities and transformations of all Prakriti.

Who is such a being covered by the sheath of gross and subtle bodies who could know You? For You existed as one rasa even before those bodies. Tasmai tam bhagavate Vasudevaya, veda aatma deta gun chano mahimne. Brahman namah. We bow to Vasudev Bhagavan, the creator of all creation. Lord, by the qualities revealed through You, You have hidden Your own glory. O Param Brahman form, Shri Krishna, we bow to you. You are devoid of nature's body, yet when You display such might that is impossible for ordinary embodied beings, and than which none can do the same or even equal it, then it becomes clear that You have manifested as an avatar.

Lord, you are embodying your full powers to bring about the welfare and ultimate good of all the worlds. You are the ultimate good, the fulfilment of all desires—I bow before you. You are the means of supreme auspiciousness—I bow before you. You are supreme peace, dwelling in the hearts of all, the glory of the Yadu dynasty—I bow before you. Shri Krishna, namas te. Supreme good, namas te. Supreme auspiciousness, Vasudevaya, to the lord of the Yadu lineage, namas te. Lord, we are the servants of your servants. Accept this today. If the celestial sage Narad Ji had not shown us grace, we sinners would never have received your touch and darshan.

Lord, is my speech asking something very difficult? What did Amlabharan ask while offering prayers? First, he prayed: Let me become a servant of your servants. And second: Let my words ever sing your virtuous attributes, let my ears ever hear your sweet tales, let my hands ever serve you, let my mind ever dwell in meditation on your lotus feet, let my eyes ever behold the saints, let your divine names enter the lives of all. Then it would be supreme auspiciousness. Lord, let the devotion of your servants remain constant, and let their words ever speak of your auspicious virtues. Let our ears ever listen to your nectar-sweet stories. Let our hands ever be engaged in your service, and may our minds be absorbed in meditation on your lotus feet.

Lord, this entire world is your abode. The whole world is your form. Therefore we bow to all the people of the world. As the Goswami says: Siya Ram mai sab jag jani, karo pranaam—I recognize Siya Ram in all the world, I bow to all. The saints are your direct form. When you told Shabari about the seven types of bhakti, you said: Sata sammohi jag dekha, mote adhik sant kar lekha—I see all the seven equally, but I count the saints as greater. And here you are saying that this entire world is your form. We bow to the entire world recognizing it as your form.

But you yourself are saying that the saints are your direct and manifest form. They are your visible image. So grant us the grace that we may ever behold the saints with our own eyes. Let our words ever narrate your virtues, let our ears ever hear your stories, let our hands ever serve you, let our minds dwell in meditation on your feet, and may we ever recognize you in the entire world. From the saints—who are your direct body—we seek darshan. The treasure of beauty and sweetness, Lord of Gokul, Shri Krishna—when Nalakubar and Manigriva offered such prayers, bound as they were to the mortar, laughing in the wooden mortar, the Lord spoke. You had become blinded by the arrogance of wealth. I knew this already. But listen—it was the grace of the Lord himself. I sent the celestial sage Narad Ji to you and told him: I know that you have become arrogant. Hear this: the natural trait of devotees is ego, and the Lord does not like ego in his devotees. And if it creeps into his people, operations begin immediately.

So the Doctor was sent—the celestial sage Narad. By cursing you, the compassionate Narad Ji showed great grace upon you. See, even the curse of the saints is grace. Those whose intellect is equal-sighted, whose hearts are completely surrendered to me—if such saints grant their darshan, that soul is surely liberated. As the sun rises and darkness is destroyed even before, so when the darshan of saints occurs, the darkness of ignorance is destroyed and realization of God is attained. Therefore, Nalakubar and Manigriva, renounce all else and surrender to me, then go to your respective places.

Now you have received my darshan. You will not fall into the cycle of existence again. My exclusive bhakti will awaken in your hearts. When the Lord spoke thus to both of them, they circumambulated the Lord four times, bowed again and again, and vanished. Bound in the mortar, the omniscient Lord's deed spread throughout Braj. The trees came crashing down at that sound. When Yashoda discovered that Krishna and the mortar were missing from the house—what tremendous anxiety! She cried: Alas, why did I bind him? He was only bound to the mortar—how could he go anywhere? He must have taken the mortar with him! Now the anxiety increased. Yashoda ran, and all the Braj residents rushed there. It seemed as though lightning had struck. Everyone in fear rushed to see, and behold—the massive trees. For hundreds of divine years they had stood—can you imagine how enormous they must have been? The Yamala-Arjun trees lay uprooted. When they arrived, between the fallen trees lay Krishna, bound in the mortar. The cause was clear: the mortar had caught on both sides of the trees, and Krishna was between them. Yet no one could imagine that Krishna had uprooted the trees.

Everyone wondered: How did this happen? There was no storm, no wind. How could both trees be uprooted from their roots? Just then, some children who had been watching when the mortar was being dragged came forward. They had seen the whole leela. The children said: Father, we will tell you. These two trees were brought down by Kanhaiya. This is Kanhaiya's doing. He wedged the mortar between the two trees, and when it stuck fast, he gave such a jerk that both trees were uprooted. And from these two trees, we saw two divine beings come forth, glowing brilliantly, and Father, they were repeatedly bowing down and praying to him, saying: Lord, Lord.

The elder said: Go, young boys, this small child Kanhaiya could not uproot such enormous trees! A tiny boy who cannot pull up grass—how could he uproot trees? That is impossible. But some of the elders said: Father, this was the same one who struck Putana in the chest with his feet. The boys also told us—you just would not listen. Perhaps Shri Krishna possesses such yogic powers by which he accomplished this? Nand Baba exclaimed: What are you all babbling about?

My child ran away in a state of affection, and the elder untied the knot from the mortar. He held him to his chest and began to scold Yashoda Maiya: What were you thinking? Why bind the boy to a mortar like this? You should tie him with a rope. Is there something lacking in your own home? If you had opened the curd yourself—but now Maiya's tears are flowing, thinking: I made a mistake. The Lord Narayana saved Kanha from suffering. We don't know—he might have been crushed under a tree somewhere. This is the direct manifestation of Narayana, the almighty God. Krishna is supreme. Babu picked him up in his arms, and Maiya took him lovingly and left. Then they performed the ceremonial bath, called the Brahmins, and performed charity.

Sometimes the gopis would call Krishna, and like an innocent child he would dance. The gopis would clap and beat time: Dance, child, dance! Show how you dance—look how Shri Krishna Chandra dances! Sometimes, innocent like an ordinary boy, he would stand before them and say: Go, sing something for us. And he would sing.

The gopis would move him like a puppet in their hands. As it is said, just as the Lord makes the puppet dance on strings, here too the gopis move Krishna like a puppet—however the gopi wishes to move him, he moves. Sometimes a gopi would say: Oh child, bring that stool for sitting—it causes pain to my head. Another would say: Bring the butter measure. Another: Bring my sandals—my padas—and he would place them on his head and bring them, serving his beloved devotees. Sometimes a gopi would ask: Child, how do wrestlers act? And he would stand proudly, beating rhythm, striking his arms like an ordinary boy. Thus the almighty God, through childhood play, brings joy to the residents of Braj.

For those who know the mysteries of the Lord, he shows: Look, though I am the God of gods, the all-powerful, I am subject to my devotees, my servants. The God who broke the Yamalaarjun tree, playing and wandering, reached the banks of the Yamuna and played there. Rohini Devi would call: O Balaram! O Shyam! Come quickly! But however much Rohini Maiya called, they remained absorbed in play on the Yamuna bank. When they would not come, Rohini said to Yashoda Maiya: You go call them. They will come if you call. They don't listen to me. Shri Krishna and Balaram were playing with the cowherd boys for a long time. Yashoda Maiya, filled with maternal affection, kept calling: O my son Rama! O my son Shyam! Dear Kanhaiya, lotus-eyed one, come here, come! See, we will give you milk. Come, you must be tired from playing so much. Look how thin you've become! Come quickly, my son Rama, my son Shyam! What fortune for the whole clan, bringing joy—Balaram, bring your little brother quickly! See, you took an early meal—how much time has passed! Come now, you should eat. Son Balaram, the king of Braj is sitting waiting for you to eat.

Come and bring joy. Children, you also go to your own homes and there receive blessed food. Son Shyam, every part of your body is covered in dust. First we will bathe you, then give charity to the Brahmins. See, see how your friends' mothers have bathed them, combed them, and dressed them in beautiful clothes. You too come—bathe, eat and drink, get dressed, then play again. Hearing Yashoda Maiya's loving words, the crown jewel of all moving and still creation, the Lord, ran with Balaram holding his hand, and Maiya lifted them into her lap. She bathed them with blessed water, adorned them beautifully, and sitting with father, the meal leela took place. Day after day, ever fresh and new, the son of Nand pours blessings.

From the day Nand Baba saw the tree uproot—when Putana came, when the cart fell—the calamity was averted, the disturbance-removing leela—all the residents of Braj sat together and said: Perhaps some new calamity might happen. We think we should consider moving to another place. Among them was a gopa named Upnand. He was advanced in age and had attained great knowledge. So he knew what behavior was right at what time. And he loved Krishna and Balaram more than his own life. He too held in his heart: Perhaps we should change our location. Lest some misfortune befall us here in Mahavan. Brothers, great disasters are happening here that are harmful to Shyam and Balaram and to us Braj residents as well. If we wish for the welfare of Gokul and the people of Gokul, we should not stay here anymore. Look—this beloved of Nand Raj, first he escaped from the clutches of Putana, that death-form killer of children. After that came God's second grace—the cart fell, but he was saved. Third, the demon Tanavartha in the form of a whirlwind took him into the sky. A grave peril—the child was right at death's door. Yet our God, Shri Hari, protected him. Not a hair on his head was harmed. Therefore now we think—look, two terrible trees have already fallen. We fear that some misfortune might befall Gokul. So we should move from here to another place. So they asked: Where should we go? They said: To the forest named Vrindavan, where there are many new forests and groves, where Govardhana mountain is near, where many pure springs flow.

For animals—green grass, creeping vines and vegetation—for the gopa and gopi and cows, Vrindavan will be the most convenient place. If you people are in agreement with this, then say yes. All the gopa said yes together. Gosth Vrindavan—the Vrindavan connected to Gopi Vrindavan, where the Lord tends His calves and cows, the Lord's pastimes with His friends in Gosth Vrindavan, pastimes with the gopis in Gopi Vrindavan—these are the Navni Nikunj Vati, Shri Kishori's eternal dwelling place. The pastimes here are with the sakhis. And in Girirāj, in the courtyard of Girirāj—these are Gopi pastimes. And Nand village, Barsana, Gokul, Mahavan—all these are Gosth Vrindavan where the Lord goes with His friends to tend the cattle. This is the eternal Navni Nikunj Vrindavan of the Maharani. Three Vrindavans—Shripād Prabodhanand Ji described them: Gosth Vrindavan, Gopi Vrindavan, and Navni Nikunj Vrindavan.

Hearing Upanand's words, all the gopa said in unison: Yes, yes, that's right! We will all go to Vrindavan. Preparations are underway for going to Vrindavan. The remaining discussion has come. Of Shri Radhavallabh Lal.

This text is taken from the video's auto-generated captions—there may be word errors in it. For authentic words, be sure to listen to the video.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)