Mukham karoti vaachaalam…

He is performing the shraadha ceremony for six generations before both on his maternal and paternal side. That means grandparents, great grandparents and great, great, grandparents, great, great, great, great, grandparents. Great, great, great, great, great, grandparents, maternal and paternal. So this ceremony is called as Nandi mukha. So Lord Caitanya, He did the shaastric injunction, He did the Nandi mukha, He did the commonly practiced customs which were common in that society. Some of those are being mentioned here.

While the Lord was doing these pastimes, there was a loud transcendental sound vibration, musical instruments, dancing, singing, tumultuous sounds on all sides. Ho, Ho, Ho, Ho, (devotees did ulu dhwani). Creating sweet sounds, rejoicing on all sides.

Full water pots, rice paddy, yogurt, lamps, leaves of mango, all these were placed inside and outside of the house. In other words, these arrangements were made to create an auspicious vision.

To add to the decorations many colors of flags were also strung up and there were banana plants and they were tied with mango leaves. The whole house looked very auspicious. One could tell something special was taking place here.

Sachi mata, she took all the brahmana ladies and did the auspicious activities, all the rituals that were in current practice at that time. So mother Sachi took all the ladies and did the activities.

So we would like to remind everyone that Lord Caitanya, He was just acting to perform all the common rituals so that people would not talk afterwards. Sachi maata, she went and worshipped the Ganges and then she went with some of the ladies for the Shasthi puja. Shasthi is like a village goddess and Shasthi protects the village. So during weddings the custom was to worship Shasthi devi.

Then mother Sachi and all the pious ladies went from house to house and they did the specific rituals and although many things may not be mentioned in the shaastra, but they are common practice. The Caitanya Bhagavat says that mother Sachi and the ladies went to different temples. These temples were the different houses and they purified the whole neighborhood. Then she went with the ladies back to her house.

When she returned to her house, she gave in charity puffed rice, bananas, oil, betel nut and red vermillion on the forehead which married ladies would wear. She gave it again and again donations to all the married ladies and they were very satisfied and jubilant.

By the presence of Lord Caitanya, the things that mother Sachi gave out in charity became expanded many, many times and so she gave to the different married ladies profuse charity. She was giving five or ten times more. Mother Sachi gave each of the married ladies, gifts. And so with great respect she was giving out and she became very happy and everybody became very happy.

So the married ladies applied oil, took their bath and everybody was completely satisfied. Mother Sachi was satisfied.

So whilst Sachi maata was observing all the rituals in the marriage of her son, at that time, mother of Vishnu Priya, she also did similar things. In this way the Lord and His consort observed the various shaastric rituals and material activities and material rituals which were common practice.

So Sanatan Pandit, he was performing these activities for his daughter and he was feeling great happiness. So he was getting her decorated for the marriage. This was Sanatan Pandit was floating in emotional bliss.

This is the day of the marriage and being observed in Nimai Pandit’s house and Vishnu Priya’s house. So Lord Caitanya did all the different rituals, shaastric and social which were required. Later on the men are decorating Nimai Pandit with different clothing, putting on His tilak. So we will read all these texts tomorrow.

Any questions? We have internet here in Hindi, also in Spanish and in Russian.

Question: Guru maharaj said Pancha Tattva mantra is powerful and more powerful than Maha mantra, so then how come we are chanting Maha mantra and Pancha Tattva mantra only before starting our every round? Second question, can I buy my gold Gadaadhara deity this Purushottam month? Sukartiki Radha

Guru maharaj: The second question is personal and you write me an email. The first question answer is Pancha Tattva mantra takes effect by chanting Hare Krishna. So we chant Pancha Tattva, then we chant Hare Krishna.

Question: How can we be more Krishna conscious?

Guru maharaj: Prabhupad gave us the system of Krishna consciousness. We should be more serious and practice those activities. With time one becomes more Krishna conscious. It is a gradual process.

Question: In Caitanya Caritamrita Mahaprabhu explains the bhakti tree, main trunk is Lord Nityananda and Advaita Acharya. So how can we understand what is Lord Caitanya’s vision for the future? IN relation to the expansion of the tree, how do we cultivate the future expansion and the future culture when it will spread more? Iskcon is one branch and there are other branches, how do they interact positively?

Guru maharaj: One thing struck me how Lord Nityananda, He was praised that He gave out so much mercy and He said, I do this because I was asked by Lord Caitanya. So Nitai Gaur although they are Lords, They have come door to door to give out Krishna bhakti. Lord Nityananda, He went out in Navadvip because Lord Caitanya told Him to. That is what He said. So Lord Caitanya, Lord Krishna are the primal movers. Although it may seem that Nitai and others give more mercy, ultimately it is because Lord Caitanya desires to give everybody Krishna bhakti. Prabhupad was saying how Lord Caitanya’s mercy was unlimited. So Krishna predicted that in the golden period for ten thousand years that some devotee would come and travel from one continent to another. Then a golden era would be established for ten thousand years. So we see that Srila Prabhupad, he fulfils this prediction. We just have to follow Srila Prabhupad and the whole world will be flooded with Krishna consciousness. So it is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam that in the month of Bhadra on the full moon day one gets special mercy by distributing Srimad Bhagavatam. Now there is a worldwide program to distribute the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Haribol!

23 May 2018
JRDD