A Remedy by Which Even a Sinner Can Be Saved / The Slaying of Arishtasura / The Conspiracy to Summon Shri Krishna and Balram to Mathura

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

Full Discourse

Vrindavaneswari [gana gane ki aawaz] tav padarvindm prema makrand raso purnam had itam madhupte smarta mugram nirvai param shital maya param shital Shyam param sacchidanand ghan Premanand swaroop navni nikunj mahmmahim param pavan shri Vrindavan dham

Vrindavaneshwari [sound of singing] Your lotus feet, full of the nectar of love … supreme cool Maya, supreme cool Shyam, supreme Sachchidananda, the embodiment of love and bliss, the ever-new Nikunj, the most sacred Shri Vrindavan Dham

At the feet of the beloved Yugal Sarkar of Shri Vrindavan Dham, the life-worshipped, life-beloved Shri Shyama Shyam Ji, all the companion sakhis, the birds, deer, animals, and trees and creepers, Yamuna, Ras Rani, Raj Rani, and all the Brajwasi retinue, countless salutations, countless obeisances, namaskar. The causeless grace of Priya-Pritam is raining down, but our wayward senses are not under our control.

The mind has us in its grip. Because of this we are unable to receive their grace. We are unable to become completely focused and absorbed in their grace. And this will happen only by the grace of Priya-Pritam. No matter what efforts we make, again and again the senses and mind go toward impure objects. It is like water: leave it anywhere and it flows wherever the slope is. In the same way, the senses and mind can never go upward; they always go downward. By their nature, they can be engaged in Priya-Pritam only by the strength of God's grace and the strength of naam mantra.

Otherwise, they are restless every moment, seeking happiness only in the pleasures born of nature. The senses and the mind are a very strange play of God's maya. It is they who make us do sadhana, and it is they who, becoming the goal itself, come and meet us. We have only been able to understand this much: sadhana is Shyama-Shyam, and the goal is also Shyama-Shyam. They themselves descend in the form of sadhana, and they themselves give darshan in the form of the goal. Indeed, the soul's course reaches only as far as pleasures. That soul, which identifies with the body, again and again accepts the subjugation of the senses and mind and searches for happiness only in pleasures.

This delusion has continued since time without beginning. This delusion will be destroyed by the grace of the Guru and the grace of the Ishta (beloved deity). When the Guru is pleased, the Lord is favourable,

guru prasann sahab anukula mite sakal kalpit bhay shula

When the Guru is pleased and the Lord is favourable, all imagined fears and pains are dispelled.

The imagined fears and sufferings that arise from body-consciousness become weak when knowledge dawns through the Guru's grace.

Shripad Prabodhanand Ji Maharaj says:

namaskaar Vrindavan mah namyasta jagta nasat kurwan Vrindavan damyasta jagtam guru kurwan Vrindavan makhil devadik guru laghum kurwan Vrindavan tanam koti laghu

Salutation to Vrindavan, the great, to be bowed to by all the worlds. Make Vrindavan your guru, the guru of all the gods. Even the smallest blade of grass of Vrindavan …

Whoever bows to Vrindavan every day, wherever they are, should, on waking in the morning and stepping down from the bed, touch the ground and then bow in the direction of Vrindavan.

Bow to Vrindavan from wherever you are. What will happen? It is said:

nam kurwan Vrindavan maha namasta jagtam

Salutation to great Vrindavan, to be bowed to by all the worlds.

They will become so great that the three worlds will bow to the one who bows to Vrindavan constantly, every day. Their fame will spread through the three worlds, and the three worlds will bow to them. But if someone dishonours Vrindavan and commits an offence against it, then wherever they run in the three worlds, they will be punished. An offence committed here is also like a thunderbolt.

Vajra means it cannot be avoided; it must be suffered. Just as, if sin is committed in a village, a lane, or a town, one should go to the tirthas and cleanse it; and if sin is committed at a tirtha, then bathing at the Sangam in Prayagraj, the king of tirthas, and chanting God's naam and so on, destroys the sins committed at the tirthas. If sins are committed in holy cities and in Tirtharaj Prayag, they are destroyed by serving the Dham. But if sin is committed in the Dham itself, it becomes like a vajra mark, one that cannot be erased.

That is why it is said: those who do not respect Vrindavan, who dishonour it,

na satat kurwan Vrindavan maha to damyasta jagtam

Vrindavan, the great, to be bowed to by all the worlds …

run away, you will be punished anywhere in the three worlds. We have heard this from Pujya Shri Mathura Das Ji: if an offence is committed in Vrindavan, then, it is said, Vrindavan itself will forgive. Serve Vrindavan alone, and stay in Vrindavan itself. The offence against Vrindavan will be forgiven by Vrindavan itself.

Just as there are 32 sevā-aparādhas, so these are destroyed by sevā itself; no other remedy is needed. Just as there are 10 nāma-aparādhas, so they are destroyed by naam kirtan itself. And it is said that whoever makes a rasik of Shri Vrindavan his guru, or takes Vrindavan itself as guru, that is, whoever wants to understand the language of Vrindavan, the words of the Bhagavat-rasiks, cannot understand them without being a rasik. Therefore the meaning is: make some loving great soul of Vrindavan your guru. If you have made a loving great soul of Vrindavan your guru, then he becomes the guru of all the gods too.

jo guru kurwan Vrindavan makhil devadik guru

Whoever makes Vrindavan his guru becomes the guru of all the gods.

Remaining under the Guru's command is a very difficult matter. Walking on the wrong path, the feet might slip. But if the Guru commands, "Go, this is the wrong path, come out of it," then your step will not stumble. The Guru's command will take you out of the wrong path and lead you to the supreme state.

Just understand the greatness: obey the Guru's command. If the Guru says, "Put your foot on the wrong path,"

chalehu kumarag pag parehu na khale

Even if you walk the wrong path, your foot will not slip.

you will never fall, because it is the Guru's command. How can it be the wrong path? Whoever makes a God-loving mahatma of Vrindavan his guru, all the gods bow to them. And whoever looks at even a blade of grass of Vrindavan with a disdainful, base attitude becomes the lowest in the three worlds. Do not see anyone in Vrindavan as low. Priyaji has shown grace, and only then has this Dham come to you. Now, when Priyaji accepts even their waywardness, what is it for us to do?

If Priyaji had not shown mercy, no one could even reach the Dham. Without the grace of Shri Radhika, how can anyone's mind reach Vrinda-vipin? If there is no grace, how can one even stay in Vrindavan? Since it is the grace of our Bihariji, what right do we have to find fault with anyone? One day grace will come and all faults will be destroyed. So we should not find fault with any Brajvasi or Vrindavan resident, not even with animals and birds. "Oh, this is a dog, this is a pig." All of them are great. They are all devotees of the Lord's Dham. Whoever looks down on even a blade of grass of Vrindavan and regards it with a lowly attitude will become the most fallen in all three worlds.

Such a person will become lowly.

naman mauli vrinda vipin da sarwot tamo mana preeto Vrindavan bhu samasth priyatam dadat kinchit Vrindavan tante sarv bhagwat vibhute bhagi so bhavti jagtam

I bow with my head to Vrinda-vipin, the best of all. Whoever has love for Vrindavan in the heart, the whole world becomes dear to them. Whoever gives even a little in Vrindavan becomes a sharer in all the divine glories of the Lord, and becomes worthy of worship in all the world.

Whoever bows to Vrindavan every day will be worshipped. Wherever you are, bow to Vrindavan every day. Whenever you remember, bow down facing Vrindavan. One who bows even in the direction of Shri Vrindavan becomes worthy of worship in all the worlds. Such a great devotee will be worshipped by all the worlds.

Mana preeto vrindavan bhoo samast priyatama. If someone has even a little love for Vrindavan in their heart, everyone will begin to love them. If even a little love for Vrindavan arises, the whole world will start to love that person.

dadat kinchit Vrindavan tante sarv bhagwat

If, in the Dham of Shri Vrindavan, one puts even a small amount of anything into the service of a resident, the divine glories of the Lord will come to you. Suppose it is cold and you arrange clothes for someone. You arrange food. They live here, and they are a form of the Lord. Not everyone has every comfort. If we give even a little in charity, whether clothing, food, or shelter, to any Vrindavan resident, then Shri Vrindavan's grace will, one day, make that person endowed with the divine glories of the Lord.

dadat kinchit Vrindavan tante sarv bhagwat to vibhute bhagesh bhavat jagtam tadti para samasth bhagwat vibhutiya

All the divine glories of the Lord will surround the one who gives in Vrindavan. What should one give in Vrindavan? Arrange food for a hungry person. If someone has no place to stay, arrange a place for them. If it is cold, arrange clothing. If someone is ill, arrange medicine. Even a little service to a Vrindavan resident will make you endowed with the divine glories of the Lord. You will see it: those who put up a hut in Vrindavan, we bow down to them. Those who pull rickshaws in Vrindavan, who serve in other people's homes and sustain themselves while reciting vani, keeping rules, holding to their vows, and living in the Dham, we bow to them. Blessed is their life. They accept no gifts and take no charity. They work hard and live their Vrindavan life.

Do not consider them ordinary, thinking, "Oh, they are just rickshaw-pullers." No, they are not just rickshaw-pullers. They are Vrindavan's rickshaw-pullers. The dust and air of this place touch them at all times. They are sinless. They are recipients of the Lord's grace.

vrindavya mavya vidti na kath vas matra nityam

Those unfortunate people never hear talk of Vrindavan, nor do they get to come to Vrindavan.

When I was about 18 or 20 years old, I was deeply engaged in spiritual practice. I did not know anyone for twenty years on the banks of the Ganga. When I came to Vrindavan and this light dawned, then certain people came and said, "Just give us one blessing. One daughter is still left. Once she is married, we can live in Vrindavan for life." It is very hard, brother. See the grace of Shri Ji, because living in Vrindavan happens only by Shri Ji's grace. After some days they came again, and their daughter had been married. After many years they came again and said, "No, she has children now." You asked, "Now what?" They said, "We don't have the courage to leave the family. We have grown old and are near death, yet we don't have the courage." When their little grandson runs to their lap and calls out, "Nana," and the little grandchild calls, "Baba," then it feels as if one has found God, whether or not one finds God. Where would one go, leaving these ones behind? Such attachment, such affection. When they crawl on their knees, the grandparents crawl on their knees too. When they babble, the grandparents babble too.

Where will this happiness be found? By being attached to these pleasures, the living being abandons the happiness of the supreme Sachchidananda Bhagavan.

Hari and Guru are very merciful. Look, ask for what is true. What you desire in your heart, Hari's grace makes nothing hard to obtain.

jo ichchha kar man mahi hari prasad kachu durlabh nahi.

Whatever you desire in your heart, nothing is hard to obtain by Hari's grace.

If you ask the world and God, they will give it. It is all created by them. Go on, play. When you cry of this play, then tell us, and then we will give you what you need. In this way, countless lives have passed. So, vṛndāvyā mabhavyā vidhati na kathaṁ vāsa mātra nityam. If one simply lives in Vrindavan, everything will work out, because it is the residence of the supremely pure Dham.

Vṛndāvyā mabhavyā vidhati na kathaṁ vāsa mātra nityam (as spoken: vrindavya mabhavya vidhti na katham vas matra nityam)

Simply living in Vrindavan forever, one's whole life becomes fulfilled.

Look, every month in the month of Magh, the Ramnagariya is held on the banks of the Ganga. In Prayagraj, and wherever there is an Ardh Kumbh or Kumbh, all the special saints, mahatmas and devotees from all over India gather. There is supreme purity there for a month. Where one arrives in Prayagraj and bows down and rolls in the dust, that is Vrindavan Dham. If you are living here, then the greatest bhajan is taking place. If one lives here without offense by the grace of the Lord, what more is there to say? Then there will be even more joy and blessings. Anyone who somehow lives in Vrindavan, in any way, is very fortunate. Living in Vrindavan is itself a very great thing. Understand this truth: as we see with the residents of Vrindavan, whoever serves the residents of Vrindavan, serves anyone at all.

Saints, mahatmas, Brajvasis: whoever becomes a resident of Vrindavan, the divine glories (bhagavat vibhutiyan) surround him. Those glories increase aishwarya, bhagavat bhakti grows, bhaav grows, and surrender grows. What service he does, what kind of person he is, is not our concern. The Vrindavan resident who has taken shelter of the Bhagavat Dham, if he gives cloth, gives bread, gives clothes, or if he has nothing to give, at least we can speak to him with folded hands.

Vrindavan vasi vidti na katham vas matra cha nityam

Even the unfortunate cannot imagine living in Vrindavan. Mere residence there, eternally, gives the attainment of Bhagavan.

By mere residence, the eternal attainment of Bhagavan. Vrindavan residence is very glorious. Don't give it up. Those who have got it, great circumstances come.

Great circumstances come. Suppose a couple was living together, husband and wife. Then the husband departed for the dham. Now the wife is alone. No one to speak to her, no one to serve her. And with a staff in hand, Maharaj.. Now we see from within that our Priya will give her strength. Our Priya will give her understanding. Once she broke down and said, "Now there is no one here to serve." "Listen to me, don't go. Going means losing your sadgati." Believe me, through sadhana of the indriyas and the mind, we will attain the supreme state.

This is Kalyug. Never. It drops a person down in just two minutes. Does the one who is running know what falling means? The one who has fallen, if he feels hungry he eats food; if desire comes, he enjoys sense objects; whatever comes to mind, he does that. What do you know of falling? Falling is when someone is walking on a thread, and when he slips and falls, one thinks, "Oh Bhagavan, for how many years did he do sadhana." It seems everything is fine, and in one minute it seems, "What was fixed? We are standing where we started." This is such a maze, a labyrinth, that only Bhagavan, who says in the Gita:

daivi hyesha gunamyi mam maya duratyaya. Keval mamev ae prapadte maya menta tarte

This divine maya of Mine, made of the three gunas, is very hard to cross. Those who take refuge in Me alone cross over this maya.

Those who take refuge in me alone, cross over the three-gunaed maya, which is difficult to cross. Here it is said, "Vās mātra ca nityam", have faith in this word. Great mahapurush are saying: by mere residence, eternally.. Having gone everywhere, one gets such happiness that the happiness of moksha is not there. That happiness he will get.

prem [throat-clearing sound] vas matra cha. Only by mere residence. We have seen that whatever nature a person has, whatever opposition he shows, if he is a Vrindavan resident, slowly, slowly, he becomes so close that it feels, "This one belongs to our house."

"He is ours." Whether he accepts it or not. So our Shri Ji also starts to accept that this one belongs to our house. This is our palace. Vrindavan lives in our palace. Even if he does not meditate on Shri Ji, even if he does not shout "Shri Ji ki jai," Shri Ji still accepts him. That is why it is said:

vrindavya mabhavya vidti na katham vas matra cha nityam

Only an unfortunate person can never even think of living in Vrindavan. Great fortune is that you never give up Vrindavan residence, brother, whatever problem comes. See, some people start saying, "If there is no bhajan in Vrindavan, live anywhere. Why do you live here?" But the first bhajan is Vrindavan vas, and secondly, we, Shripad Prabhudas, a few verses, I will explain the bhaav a little:

bahar main brahma nahi banna chahta, bahar main shri Krishna ke prem mein unmatt hona nahi chahta par Vrindavan mein

Outside, I do not want to become Brahma. Outside, I do not want to be intoxicated with Shri Krishna's love. But in Vrindavan..

Now in Vrindavan, this matter will not be understood by everyone, so even by doing agamya-gaman, one can stay here.

There is a paramhansa sanyasi, a brahm-bodh mahatma, who says such a thing: in Vrindavan, we will stay as lowly, wretched, sinful, as we are made, but we will not leave Vrindavan. So he said: "Vās mātra ca nityam." In the last verse of Shri Mad Sudhanidhi, sin is committed in the present, but a continuous Vrindavan resident, even though sin is being committed through him, it is said that he has such capacity. Suppose it is his nature, mistakes are happening through him, but that Vrindavan resident is one who belongs wholly to Priya-Pritam. He has such strength that he can purify even the yogis from outside. Mahaprabhu has written that in the present he has a sinful intellect, but since he is a Vrindavan resident, he has the capacity to purify even great yogendras. Vrindavan's glory is great, by the influence of Vrindavan. Do not look at a Vrindavan resident and think, "This conduct is wrong."

No. Shri Ji has given him residence in her dham, in her palace. So certainly his bhagavat aaradhan will be considered done. Like it is written, "pap bhaj," in the same way, by mere residence, "vās mātra ca nityam," he will attain eternal sachchidanand prem, such attainment that even in moksha there is no such happiness. Trust this and hold on to Vrindavan. We see that Vrindavan is correcting everyone's matter. Just as Nagaridas ji says:

hamari sab hi baat sudhari. Kripa kari shri kunj bihari arsi kunj bihari

All our affairs have been set right. Shri Kunj Bihari has showered His grace. Such is Kunj Bihari.

So, truly, believe that Vrindavan is correcting everyone's matter.

No. Look from outside Vrindavan, see what terror is spreading. The dirty winds of Kalyug, deceit, deception, faults, all kinds of these winds are blowing. Only the intellect is corrupt. Some rare person rises above. Tulsidas says:

koi birla aisa hai te ubhre te kalam je rakhe Raghuvirr

Rare is the one who rises above. From time and death, only those whom Raghuvir protects are saved.

Those whom Bhagavan protects are the ones who are saved. The attraction of maya is becoming so powerful that dharma, shastra, guru, everything is kept aside in a corner, and we are doing whatever comes to mind.

anand sindhur madhutar mahasar murti kishorau aha nityanyam chorau sva nikat milte vata somasgham

The two youthful forms, the very essence of the sweetest ocean of bliss, ever-new, who steal each other's hearts, meet close to oneself.

Now listen carefully. For the one who lives in Vrindavan, the youthful Shri Priya-Pritam, the great ocean of bliss, are stealing each other's hearts. They are so beautiful.

nityanyam chorhu lal markat man chhabi lo tum jo kanchan gat bani sahit Harivansh jori ubhay gun gan mat

Ever-new, O Lal, you steal hearts with emerald beauty. The golden-bodied one, together with Harivansh, the pair, the mother of both sets of qualities.

Each one's qualities are increasing by the qualities of the other.

Each one's beauty is growing through the other. Each one's loveliness is growing through the other. They are stealing each other's hearts. The playful young couple, the thief of minds, Priya and Pritam, are stealing each other's hearts. What will happen? Sva-rasa-ghan will pass right beside them one day, and on that very day Priya-rasaugh will drown in that rasa. It was never written like this. It is like this, it is like that, this is Vrindavan, and it is very miraculous. Let us firmly accept Vrindavan as our refuge and our dwelling. However lowly our nature is, some natures are very strong.

The past sins are very forceful. Sometimes, even when all sadhanas are performed and the goal is attainment of Bhagavat, if one's nature is nourished by some particular sinful conduct, the same habit will keep making one slip, all through life. Now, may there be such grace that the habit is somehow cut. If no new samskara forms, one becomes jeevanmukta. Sometimes this prarabdha is very, very strong. Sometimes, when the purushartha of bhajan and sadhan becomes strong, prarabdha is erased. And sometimes prarabdha becomes so forceful that it crushes purushartha.

It cannot be said whether purushartha is greater or prarabdha is. Sometimes prarabdha is so bad that where does it attack first? On the intellect. Before a bad condition comes, the intellect is changed. First the intellect stops working. And if your dirty habit does not leave you again and again, from childhood right up to old age, understand that this prarabdha is so bad that, despite such a long sadhana, it tramples purushartha. Again and again the same thing happens. Such helplessness of prarabdha is sometimes seen, where, even though the sadhak does not want it, his conduct opposed to paramartha does not let go of him.

This is not a matter for logic. It is a matter to understand: prarabdha keeps showing its effect by trampling purushartha. And sometimes purushartha becomes so forceful that it destroys prarabdha. But for those whose purushartha has grown weak, prarabdha comes and pounces. Prarabdha is the karma done in a past life. See how much account of birth after birth is recorded. Bhishma ji, the lifelong celibate, devoted to Bhagavan, one of the twelve Vaishnav acharyas, lay on a bed of arrows for six months. How bad was that prarabdha? Sometimes prarabdha is so forceful that it tramples even great purushartha and shows its effect. At that time the sadhak has only one means: Hari sharanam. O Bhagavan, I am in Your refuge.

See, if You save me, then save me; if not, then whatever You say, let it be. O Bhagavan, I am in Your refuge. That is all there is to it. No one can swagger here twirling his moustache. There is such a form of Bhagavan's maya that you will not even know that it is maya. You will not know at all. And when, by Bhagavan's grace, the eyes of knowledge open again, then you feel, yes, yes, we had fallen hundreds of hands down. Only then does one realise it. Therefore, dham-vas, nirantar naam jap, and listening to Bhagavan's leela and guna-anuvad: these are the only trust for attaining Bhagavat. And jitendriyata, mano-nigraha, vairagya from the enjoyments of this world and the next, titiksha and samadhan: all of these remain written only in the scriptures.

Now titiksha and samadhan are very difficult matters. Who here is a titikshu? Where is the titikshu? Anger sits right on the nose. We cannot bear even a little. One who endures adverse circumstances, hunger, thirst, heat, cold, respect, disrespect, blame and praise, only he is called a titikshu. If some rare person does have renunciation, it turns into show. This is the influence of Kalyug. So do not give up the shelter of the dham. This is the influence of Kalyug. Vrindavan Dham is, as it were, roaring to manifest and bestow welfare. That is why Shri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu says in Shri Radha Sudha ji:

vrindan sarv mahta mahay durad Vrindavi manusro pranyan cheta satarni krit subhav sudhar saugam Radha vidhan mein divya nidhan mast

Give up all the great sadhanas and sadhyas and come to Vrindavan, because Her nature is to ferry across, such a saintly nature, whose nature is to carry across.

Give up all the great sadhanas and sadhyas and come to Vrindavan, because our beloved Ladli's nature is only to carry across. Such a nature is to ferry across the sants.

It is not that she ferries across the sajjans. No, then the meaning does not make sense. Take the phrase satāraṇī-kṛta svabhāva, whose nature is to carry the sajjans across. But sajjans are already going to cross over. Why would they need ferrying? Come to the hospital, but you must not have fever, cold, cancer, kidney failure, or any disease. "Come, we promise, we will make you healthy." So is this a joke or not? The joke is this: come to Vrindavan, give up all sadhanas and sadhyas, and there, the nature is to carry across the sajjan purush.

In the meaning written there, satāraṇī-kṛta svabhāva. A satāraṇī-kṛta svabhāva, a satya svabhāva, is one that does not waver from its nature. I am not saying anything risky, I am not mistaken. Those who are residents of Vrindavan. We did not understand this: that satāraṇī-kṛta, sat svabhāva. The meaning of sat is saint. The nature of carrying saint-people across. Why are you joking like this? Do saints need to be carried across? Saints are already crossed over. It is in carrying the non-saints across that the glory lies.

So, the one whose true nature is to liberate, whose very nature is to carry across, is Vrindavan Dham. Whoever takes shelter in Vrindavan is carried across.

Dwell in Vrindavan. Give up all greatness, and renounce from afar the big sadhans and sadhyas. Follow Vrindavan, because there sits Kishori Ji. The essence named Radha has the true nature of liberating, and that is her nature. She is the ocean of love, the divine treasure. Shri Kishori Ji Maharaj, whose name is Shri Radha, has the nature of carrying others across. Such is our Ladli Ji, who sits there. Just by living in Vrindavan one attains Bhagavat, because the grace of Ladli Ji falls upon that person.

Pujyapad Shiv Baba Ji Maharaj says that whoever keeps attachment and aversion does not cut them. Cut them immediately. If something is very agreeable to you, attachment will arise. If it is unpleasant, aversion will arise. And as long as this happens, one is still a worldly person.

Nanak Sahib says:

rag dves donon khoie khojie pad nirvaan.
Give up both attachment and aversion, and seek the state of nirvana.

nanak kahe path kathin hai koi koi guru mukh jaan.
Nanak says the path is hard, and only a rare one knows it through the Guru's guidance.

Whoever gives up both attachment and aversion attains the state of nirvana, the station of liberation. Nanak Sahib says that this path is very difficult, but through the gurumukh it becomes easy. When a sadhak takes shelter at the lotus feet of the Guru and does sadhana according to his words, attachment and aversion are destroyed, and equanimity arises.

If someone is doing tapasya, doing bhajan, and gets angry over small things, then everything they have done is ruined. Anger undoes bhajan, tapasya, vrat, niyam and sanyam. It all becomes useless. That means it will not produce its effect. It is like a missile fired to destroy something, but it is destroyed midway. What does anger do? The tapasya and bhajan we do to remove ignorance, anger cannot destroy that ignorance. Wherever anger arises, that tapasya becomes weak. It is left in the middle. It fails to destroy the ignorance. The missile is shot down midway. So no matter how great a tapasvi someone is, how great a bhajananandi, if they get angry, everything they have done is ruined.

Pujya Judiya Baba says:

kam, krodh, lobh yahi narak ke dwaar hai.
Lust, anger and greed are the very gates of hell.

kami, kroadhi lalchi in so bhakti na hoe bhakti kare koi surma jati varan kul khoe.
The lustful, the angry and the greedy cannot have bhakti. Only a brave one, who gives up caste, colour and lineage, can do bhakti.

Bhakti does not happen with a lustful, angry or greedy person. With them there is only a show of bhakti, an outward drama. Inside, there is a craving for women, for money, for all kinds of worldly splendour, fame, name and reputation. Only a warrior does true bhakti. He gives up these three, gives up lust, anger and greed, and gives up caste, lineage and family, and does bhakti of Bhagavan alone, with exclusive devotion.

Your bhajan is going well. The sign of it is that peace keeps growing in your heart. Desires keep falling away, and the heart keeps becoming calm, completely calm. Peace means that even when someone gives you ten abuses to your face, you remain calm. When someone abuses you to your face, and you walk away smiling, that is peace. Baba has surely seen that sadhaks quarrel and fight among themselves. Then what kind of sadhana are they doing? The one who abuses you destroys your inauspiciousness. Reflect on this. The one who praises you destroys your merit. Rightly understood, look at the bhav: the one who abuses you destroys your sins.

So who is the better one? We feel the one who abuses us is the better one? The one who praises us and the one who criticises us feel bad. So understand the path of paramarth. Your bhajan is going right. Its sign is peace. Peace means that if someone gives you ten abuses, criticises you in front of you, you should still not feel anger. Your peace should be like that of a deity. The kusangi and the satsangi cannot be alike. The kusangi will be under the control of lust, anger and greed. The satsangi will be under the control of Bhagavan's naam, roop, leela and dham.

The kusangi keeps criticising others, quarrelling, and harbouring aversion. The satsangi does not do these things, and bears it. Even if he is criticised, or someone quarrels with him, he bears it, and he does a lot of naam jap.

Baba, will we have a next birth or not? Brother, our future life depends on our bhajan. If our bhavna has not been fulfilled, and we form attachments to someone, or love someone, then our coming and going will continue.

Harivansh naam leen je ajat shatru te sada prapanch damb aadi de tahan kachu na pe
Those absorbed in the name of Harivansh, who have no enemies, are forever free of deceit, pride and the like; there nothing else remains.

That name is accomplished where no enemy has been born in this world. Maharaj Yudhishthira was called Ajatashatru. What was his nature? When Duryodhana came at night, he would say, "Come, brother, sit." He would sit, and Duryodhana would ask, "Brother, which formation will be made in tomorrow's battle?" He would tell him: "This is how the vyuha will be formed, who will stand in front, who will stand at the side." He would tell everything. So Bhagavan would have to hold two consultations, one with Yudhishthira ji, and one with someone entirely different. When Yudhishthira ji told them, "Tomorrow this chakravyuha will be formed," then a different chakravyuha would be met there, a different maharathi would stand there, because they knew Yudhishthira ji would tell everything. Ajatashatru means one who has not a single enemy or opponent in the world. O great bhagwat, when you have no enemy in the world, you will not have to come back, and you should not have any friend either, and there should be no attachment to anyone. Then you will have no future birth. The higher the bhavna you hold, the higher your future birth will be. And if you hold bhagwat bhavna, then there will be no birth at all.

In everyone there is no attachment and no aversion, no friendship and no enmity, for Shri Bhagwan. That is why we say: strengthen the bhagavat bhavna. Udiya Baba, if you do not want another birth, strengthen the bhagavat bhavna. We see that even good sadhaks have attachment and aversion. They speak falsehood. They speak in vain. How then do they do bhajan? Those who become silent start doing even more prapanch. Slates, ink, pens, notebooks: this is the first kind of prapanch. Then they say, "Maharaj Ji, now that person is troubled, and the other person is troubled too." Then, in the second matter, they write out the whole thing. Plain talk, brother: pick up this material, speak the right words in a few sentences, and that is finished. Nothing is better than this.

Silence is either dead silence, like the silence of Radha Baba Ji, with no "oo", no "aa", no writing and no reading. That is a body like a corpse, and it is very hard to live that way. Dead silence, completely dead silence, where the mind becomes sankalpa-less and speech goes quiet: this is a state without sankalpa, and it is very difficult. So we feel the right silence is to answer in the right words. That is called silence of thought. If dead silence seems necessary, speak. If it does not seem necessary, say "Radha, Radha" and walk away. That is proper silence, the silence of thought. Whoever keeps committing faults of speech through false talk and useless talk does not get bhajan. And whoever performs silence as a show does not get bhajan either. So Baba is saying: do not put on a display of silence. Many people are seen pretending to be silent, but they do not get the real benefit of silence.

Silence means becoming completely still again. It brings great joy to speech. When we turn towards silence, we get great joy, because silence is absolutely essential for mantrakar vritti. If you keep speaking again and again, the single thread of the mantra breaks. Silence of speech is extremely necessary. Keep silence of thought, everyone. Silence of speech is extremely necessary. If speaking is necessary, then talk. If it is not necessary, then stay quiet. "Necessary" means yes, it is necessary. Here, if speaking is required, speak; otherwise, be quietly still. A bhajanandi sadhak who gathers with ten others can never make a joke or laugh while talking about prapanch.

Without interest in bhajan and without introversion, one keeps running outward. A bhajanandi sadhak should not savour his food. Brother, we want to be free, and this very taste is the bondage. Desiring the pleasure of the senses is the obstacle to attaining Bhagwan. When Svapach Valmiki ji was invited to complete the Rajasuya yajna, Draupadi ji cooked different dishes the whole night. When she served them, she mixed everything together: sweet, sour, salty, spicy. A prince would have tasted each one separately. The whole night went into cooking, and the bell of the yajna completion was not rung. Then Yudhishthira ji said to Bhagwan, "You used to say that a mahabhagavat would eat here." Then the offence was committed. Draupadi ji was standing there, so it was said that a fault-finding look had been cast on them by some close devotee.

Draupadi ji said, "Prabhu, if there was a fault-finding look, it was mine, because all night I made different kinds of dishes and foods, and now they have all been eaten mixed together." He asked her, "Why did you eat everything mixed together?" She said, "Prabhu, you take the taste, we take the prasad. You take the taste. Everything mixed: kheer, rabri, sourness, sweets, all mixed together. Even dal and roti, whatever it is, mixed together in one, will produce an extraordinary taste. Interest in bhajan will grow." So Baba is saying: first, a bhajanandi should keep the right silence, not the silence that is for show. Give up false talk and useless talk from speech. Second, in this, there are two senses: one is the organ of speech, the other is the tongue. One should not eat out of the greed for taste. Even if the food is sattvic, it will turn into tamas if it is eaten for the sake of taste. If the tongue is not under control, the reproductive organ cannot be controlled either.

At the time of evening, one should not do so many activities. One should not eat. [sound of clearing throat] One should not study scripture, sleep or have sexual relations. At the time of sandhya, when the sun god is setting or rising, or at exactly 12 noon, fifteen minutes on either side, thirty minutes in all, and during both sandhyas, that is two ghadis, which is 24 doubled, 48 minutes, only bhagwan dhyan, mantra jap and bhajan should be done. If you sleep and eat during that time, your intellect slowly starts to become corrupted.

Glory, fame and prosperity all begin to be destroyed. In the evening, one should not have sexual relations, should not sleep, should not study, and should not eat. And when it is time to eat, first wash both hands and feet and rinse the mouth. Before eating, one should wash the hands and feet. Pujya Baba says that even from a scientific point of view, you should go with your hands purified, otherwise who knows where you have touched and what germs and bacteria are on them, so you should wash them. And after eating, rinse the mouth again and sip water for achaman. Otherwise the mouth remains impure, and you will lose the knowledge of what is prasadi, what is amaniya and juthan, and of purity and impurity. Then animality remains. A worshipper should wear, when going to the toilet, only as much clothing as he can wash.

This is not right. Bhajan is not accomplished this way. The intellect becomes corrupted. A worshipper should keep increasing his faith and trust in the deity, the Vedas, the guru, the guru mantra, the tirthas, medicine and mahatmas. The more faith and trust he keeps increasing, the more benefit he keeps getting. Many obstacles come in the path of the supreme goal, and they make the sadhak wobble, but a sadhak who is a recipient of Bhagwan's grace never wavers. One who speaks too much is a liar. One who is a liar cannot become a bhajanandi. A sadhak should stop joking and frivolous talk.

Stop making jokes and watching spectacles, and stop watching what is called a series today, and cinema. Stop watching all of it. Why fill the CCTV camera of your mind with this clutter? It will only obstruct your bhajan again.

Stop watching spectacles, films, and news, because you have to walk the path of Bhagwat. Do not speak deceitfully. One thing is said and another is shown. Do not deceive. Do not do injustice. Do not keep company with non-devotees. Do not criticise others. Do not speak about anyone else at all. Once you have knowledge of the scriptures, do not speak unless someone asks; stay quiet.

The purer you are, the purer your mind (chitt) becomes. Do not let the feeling arise that "I am weak, I am impure." With patience and enthusiasm, know that you are a part of the supremely pure, mighty Lord, and you cannot be defeated. When there is too much love for objects of enjoyment, the mind begins to fall. When there is too much fondness for objects of enjoyment, the mind begins to fall. So remember well that no attachment should develop to any object of enjoyment. Take only what sustains the body, and let no attachment form.

Look, keep the body as you would keep it, and it will start to remain that way. What do you wear here? What do you wear in the bitter cold here? Even if the body is very delicate, if you have practised from childhood, you can manage. Otherwise you can manage the body however you wish, as you wish. It needs practice. If you practise, it stays that way; otherwise there is "Oh cold! Oh heat! Oh rain!" These changes of nature make one distressed. Once you have lived this way, never use an electric fan or air conditioner. If you feel hot for ten minutes, you fan yourself a little with a hand fan, and that is all. Sleep only as much as you need.

In bhajan, the upasak should make sure that no attachment to objects of enjoyment develops. "Now we cannot live without this, we cannot live without this." Then say, "We cannot live without Shri Ji." When will you say, "We cannot live without the Lord, we cannot live without the bhajan of the Lord"? If you make a vow (sankalp), do not abandon it, or the merit is destroyed.

For example, let us take a rule from today. Do not make any vow hastily. Do not swear an oath. But if you have sworn an oath, then you have sworn it. Kasam means taking a pledge. Let us not swear by anyone. Kasam means saying something solemnly, that is, saying it with a pledge: "From today onward I will not do this." Then simply keep it. The sadhak should hold on to this point. A sadhak should give up, as quickly as possible, whatever thing, person, or place causes the loss of bhajan. Whatever thing makes you lose bhajan, whatever person makes you lose it, whatever place where sitting causes bhajan to be lost, we must give up immediately.

Bhajan depends especially on food. As the food, so the bhajan. Truly, the one who does bhajan should not sleep more than the fixed time each day. If you keep increasing laziness, it will keep growing. Keep sleeping seven or ten hours and it will grow. Keep increasing food and it will keep growing. Whether you eat four times, five times, once, or take a little light food, you can go on as you wish. Why increase the burden? Increasing the burden of the body is not good. If the body is healthy, do exercise, eat lightly, and keep a rule for sleep: four hours, five hours, at most six. Beyond six hours, a sadhak's practice cannot happen.

Here, by God's grace, even someone who wants to sleep more than six hours cannot, because there is no time. Everyone's routine is so tightly bound that no one has a minute to spare. So, changing food is not for a sadhak: making one thing today, another tomorrow, something else the day after. For Shri Ji it is fine. Offer Shri Ji the finest bhog, and offer peacocks and monkeys apples. But you eat a fistful of chickpeas. Swami Haridas Ji Maharaj and Radha Charan Das Ji Maharaj of Tatiya Sthan ate only chickpeas. Bhajan is perfected by a handful, by living with restraint.

The upasak should not give his bedding, his wrap, or his seat to anyone. Keep one or two spare seats ready in case someone comes. A guru may sit on your seat. Fold up your own seat and put it away, and spread a new seat for them. If you go anywhere, carry your seat with a scarf and spread it out to sit on. The sadhak should keep his own bedding, his own wrap, his own dwelling place, and his own seat separate, because the particles of bhajan gather around them.

The upasak should avoid laziness. Through laziness, sadhana gradually wears away. The upasak must avoid laziness and heedlessness. Now, when anyone takes refuge, we give four rules. First, chant the guru mantra eleven malas; chant more, and you will receive God's grace. Second, reading the Chaurasi Ji of the Acharya in full is very good, but we give the rule of singing twelve pads daily. Third, renounce harmful food. Fourth, renounce bad company.

Now see whether your daily routine has the eleven malas. I told the sadhaks here in satsang, addressing them many times, that your Thakur Ji's prostrations are going on, going on. It is a great grace. Complete your bhajan in the manner of your own rule, with prostrations to Thakur Ji and four parikramas. Laziness and heedlessness both turn a sadhu away from sadhuta. Whenever an obstacle arises in your bhajan, pray to the Lord with tears that this obstacle to your sadhana be destroyed.

Come, let us listen to an episode from the Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapuran. When Bhagwan Shri Krishna Chandra went out to graze the cows during the day, all the gopis would spend the day in talk about the Lord. In the evening, when he returned, those fortunate gopis, whose minds remained fixed on Shri Krishna, would become absorbed in Shri Krishna and have his darshan. In this way their days passed.

Parikshit, at the time when Bhagwan Shri Krishna was entering Braj, there was a stir of festive celebration everywhere. Then Kans sent a great and very powerful demon, an asura named Arishtasur.

That fearsome demon came in the form of a bull. He took the form of a very strong and enormous bull, digging up the land of Braj with his hooves and shaking it as he came, roaring loudly. He raised his tail, tore through the boundary walls with his horns, and left dung here and there. With his eyes wide open, he kept looking around for Bhagwan Shri Krishna. "Where is he?" He roared and bellowed like this, and all the Brajvasis were terrified.

That Arishtasur with sharp horns, who had taken the form of a bull, was seen by the Brajvasis, who said, "This bull is not ours. It is not from Braj. Where has it come from?" The animals were frightened, and they all ran out of the cowshed. All the Brajvasis cried out, "O Shri Krishna, O Shri Krishna, save us from this fear!"

Krishna Krishna tate sarve Govinda sharanam y bhagwanap tadweeksha gokulam bhay vidutam

Krishna, Krishna! Then everyone sought refuge in Govinda, for the Lord saw that Gokul was struck with terror.

Calling out in this way, they all came under the Lord's protection. The Lord saw that these Brajvasis were extremely terrified. Then he said, "Do not be afraid at all. I know this is Arishtasur." And the Lord challenged him: "You wicked fool! You are frightening these innocent Brajvasis, these poor folk, and you are frightening the cows! Look, here I am, the one who will shatter the pride in the strength of wretches like you!"

Having challenged him like this, Bhagwan Shri Krishna slapped his arm in challenge. To provoke him further, he stood with his arm around the neck of one of his friends.

Shri Krishna was the very one Arishtasur had been searching for. Enraged by Shri Krishna's challenge, he flared up in fury. Digging the earth heavily with his hooves, he charged at Shri Krishna. He thrust his sharp horns forward, his red eyes fixed on Shri Krishna, glaring sidelong, and he rushed with such speed that he seemed like a thunderbolt released from Indra's hand. The Lord stood alert.

When Arishtasur, in the form of a bull, attacked the Lord, the Lord seized both his horns. Just as one elephant pushes back another elephant that clashes with it, so he pushed him back, driving him backwards eighteen steps. Holding the horns, he ran him backwards and threw him down.

When the Lord threw him down, he got up again in rage, breathing long, heavy breaths, and charged at the Lord once more. His body was drenched in sweat. The Lord saw that he was about to strike, so he again seized his horns, and, holding them, kicked him with his foot. He seized both horns and delivered one kick. When he kicked, the demon fell to the earth.

"O great and mighty one, whose strength can stand before the Lord?"

The Lord placed his feet and wrung him out like a wet cloth. He held the horns and crushed him thoroughly. Then he uprooted the horns and beat him with them. Arishtasur, vomiting blood from his mouth, began to thrash his feet. His eyes rolled back, and with great pain his life departed. The gods began to shower flowers. Arishtasur was slain. In this way Bhagwan Shri Krishna liberated Arishtasur.

All the cowherd men and women began to praise the Lord. Then he entered the cowshed with Balram Ji, and seeing the Lord's beauty, the Brajvasis rejoiced.

The Lord's leela is extraordinarily wonderful. When Arishtasur had been killed, Narad Ji, who can give the darshan of the Lord most quickly, reached Kans. Kans paid his respects, and Narad Ji said, "Kans, the girl who went up into the sky from your hands was not Devaki's daughter. She was Yashoda's daughter. The one in Braj who is Shri Krishna is Devaki's son, and Balram Ji is Rohini's son. Vasudev, fearing you, placed the two of them with his friend Nand. It is they who have slain all the demons you sent."

Having said this, Narad Ji fell silent. Hearing it, every one of Kans's senses trembled with rage. He immediately picked up a sharp sword to kill Vasudev. Narad Ji stopped him: "You are doing wrong. It is not right to kill Vasudev now, because death comes from Shri Krishna's hand."

Kans said, "They have deceived us. Listen, let it all happen together: first kill Shri Krishna before the eyes of Vasudev and Devaki, then kill Vasudev and Devaki. Yes, only then will they learn what the consequence of deceiving you is."

So they bound Devaki and Vasudev in iron shackles and chains and kept them imprisoned in a dungeon, so that when their son was killed, he would kill them after seeing them grieve. Then he said, "Summon Krishna and Balram here to Mathura, and kill them right here." The job of bringing Kans together with the Lord is done by Narad Ji. Having said all this, Narad Ji went away.

Kans was very dejected. Meanwhile, a demon named Keshi came and said, "Why are you sad? Give us one chance." Kans replied, "Very well, you kill both Balram and Shri Krishna."

Kansa's Plan

Kesi was very strong. Kansa summoned the wrestlers Mushtik, Chanur, Shal, Toshal and others, summoned his ministers, and summoned the elephant-drivers, and said: "Heroes Chanur and Mushtik, listen carefully to what I say. The two sons of Vasudev, Balram and Shri Krishna, are living in Nand's Braj. A voice from the sky has told me that they are my death. So we will invite them on the pretext of a festival, and when they arrive, you must kill them on the pretext of a wrestling bout." He told Mushtik and the others all around: "Kill them on the pretext of wrestling. Prepare the stage, decorate the arenas in a round shape.

"Let the whole populace sit and watch how you knock Shri Krishna down and kill him. O elephant-drivers, you are very clever. Look, brothers, at the gate of the wrestling ring, place the elephant Kuvalayapida. That elephant had the strength of 60,000 elephants. When my enemies Shri Krishna and Balram come, O elephant-drivers, have them killed by the elephant. And on this very Chaturdashi, start the bow sacrifice in the proper way."

Kansa knew only the principle of accomplishing his own selfish ends. So, having given these orders to the ministers, wrestlers and elephant-drivers in this way, he called the excellent Yadav Akrur ji, took his hand in his own and said: "Akrur ji, you are very generous.

"The situation is being prepared for Maharaj Ji to leave Braj, the Maharaj who came from outside. Akrur ji, you are very generous. [clearing of throat] In every way you are worthy of my respect. Today, do one task for me. Among the Bhoj-vanshi and Vrishni-vanshi Yadavs, there is no one else who does more good for me than you. Only you can do this task. You are my friend, and I have sought your shelter for this task, just as Indra, though powerful, takes refuge in Lord Vishnu to accomplish his own aims. Akrur ji, go to Nand Rai's Braj.

"There are two sons of Vasudev there. Put them on this very chariot and bring them here. Just do that much. There must be no delay in this task. I hear that the gods, who live on Vishnu's support, have named those two boys as the cause of my death. For now they still look like mere boys to me. Putana, Aghasur, Bakasur, I don't know how many they have already finished off. Still, his intellect sees only children. On arrival here, first I will have them killed by the Kuvalayapida elephant, as fierce as death. They won't survive at all. If they escape that, I will have them killed by the wrestlers Mushtik and Chanur, who are as strong as thunderbolts and as swift.

"And when they are killed, I will personally strike down Vasudev and the others: the Vrishni, Bhoj, Dasharha clans, their brothers and kin, all of them. My father Ugrasen has grown old, yet he still holds a craving for the kingdom. After I have done all this, I will put Devak and everyone else to the sword. I will do the same to my father, to Vasudev, and to all the Yadavs. My friend Akrur ji, then I shall be, and you shall be, and there will be a kingdom without a thorn. And you know that Jarasandh is my elder father-in-law. Vanar-raj Dwid is my dear companion.

"Banasur, Narakasur and Bansur, these friends of mine keep looking to me for direction. With the help of all of them, I will kill the kings who favour the gods and rule the earth without a rival. This plan, look, is our secret. We have told you, and you must not tell anyone. Now go quickly to Braj and bring Balram and Shri Krishna here. Ha, what effort would it take to kill those children? Just say this much: that you are going to Mathura, where the bow sacrifice is taking place, to see the sacrifice, to see the beauty of Mathura, and that you will bring them along."

Akrur's Reply

Akrur ji said: "Maharaj, you wish to remove your own death and your own misfortune, so your thinking this way is right. A person should carry on his work with an equal mind toward success or failure. The fruit comes not from effort but from divine inspiration. A person keeps building bridges of grand desires, but he does not know that destiny has already destroyed them from the start. That is why, when fate is favourable, his effort succeeds and he swells with joy. When it is unfavourable, it fails and he is gripped by grief."

But even so, "I will follow your command." Having given these orders to the ministers and Akrur ji, Kansa dismissed them all. Then he went to his palace, and Akrur ji returned to his home. Kansa constantly meditated on the Lord out of fear. At night sleep would not come to him, and by day wherever he looked he saw Shri Krishna. He became so absorbed in it. That is why Shri Sukhdev ji said: whether through fear, through love, or through desire, whatever kind of attitude, whether of kinship or of relation, connects one to the Lord, the soul attains the Lord.

The rest of the discussion continues next. Shri Radha Vallabh Lal ki Jai.

This text is taken from the video's auto-generated subtitles and may contain word errors. Please listen to the video itself for authentic words.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)