Srila Bhakti Pramod Puré Goswami Mahäräja’s
in Vrindavan
January 4, 1997
känäi baläi torä duöi bhäi
patita janära bandhu
adhama patita ämi he durgama
hao more kåpä sindhu
O Kåñëa, O Balaräma, you two brothers are the friends of the most fallen. I am most lowly and
fallen. I am in the most miserable situation, so please be an ocean of mercy towards me.
I fall prostrated in most sincere obeisances to all the devotees and residents of Våndävana. I do
this mentally because I can no longer fall prostrated physically before them. Please forgive me, I
did not come here to give a speech. I have simply come here to ask you for your mercy. I am
now in the very last part of my life. I only wish that I can spend the last few days of my life at
the Queen of Våndävana Çrémati Rädhärani’s lotus feet.
Without the blessings of the devotees, it is impossible to receive Rädhärani’s blessings, for it is
said, “all perfections come through the mercy of the Vaiñëavas” - vaiñëavera kåpä jähe
sarva- siddhi. And furthermore, without Çrémati Rädhärani’s blessings, I will not receive the
mercy of Vrajendranandana. I will not receive the mercy of Kåñëa and Balaräma.
Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura sang:
kabe çré-caitanya more karibena dayä
kabe ämi päiba vaiñëavera pada-chäyä
gala-vastra kåtäïjali vaiñëava-nikaöe
dante tåëa dhari däìåäiba niñkapaöe
käìdiyä käìdiyä jänäiba duùkha gräma
saàsära anala hate mägiba viçräma
çuniyä ämära kathä vaiñëava öhäkura
ämä lägi kåñëe ävedibena pracura
vaiñëavera ävedane kåñëa dayämaya
mo-hena pämara prati habena sadaya
vinodera nivedana vaiñëavera caraëe
kåpä kari saìge laha ei akiïcane
When will Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu be merciful to me? When will I find shelter in the shade of
a Vaiñëava’s lotus feet?
I will approach the saint with a cloth around my neck in humility, my hands folded and with
straw between my teeth. In this way I will stand before him and bare my soul to him.
Crying, I will tell him of my suffering and beg him to release me from the fire of materialistic
life.
When he hears my story, the most merciful Vaiñëava will intercede on my behalf to the Supreme
Lord Kåñëa.
When Kåñëa hears the Vaiñëava’s prayers on my behalf, he will be compassionate towards me,
even though I am most unworthy and insignificant.
Bhaktivinoda humbly submits to the Vaiñëavas lotus feet: please be merciful and take this pitiful
soul with you. (Kalyäëa-kalpataru)
This song shows that without the mercy of the Vaiñëavas, nothing is possible. Therefore, it is
important to ask for their blessings before doing anything else.
There is a saying:
äpane icchäya jéva koöi väïchä kare
kåñëa icchä haya jadi tabe phala dhare
An ordinary person may have millions of desires, but only if Kåñëa wishes do they bear fruit.
And Kåñëa’s wishes follow behind those of his devotees. The Lord considers himself subordinate
to his devotees.
sädhavo hådayaà mahyaà
sädhünäà hådayaà tv aham
mad-anyat te na jänanti
nähaà tebhyo manäg api
He said to Durväsä, “All the saintly persons are my heart and I am also the heart of the saintly
devotees. They know nothing other than me and I consider no one but them to be my own.” (SB
9.4.68)
Therefore I tell you that I am begging for the mercy of all the Vaiñëavas. I am not a great
lecturer. In my day to day life I may have committed so many offenses and I ask the Vaiñëavas
to kindly forgive me for these so that I may spend my last days here in Våndävana, and that I
may obtain the blessings of Rädhä and Govinda, the blessings of Govinda, Gopénätha and
Madanamohana. I pray to you all that you bestow this kindness on me.
jaya rädhe jaya kåñëa jaya våndävana
çré govinda gopénätha madana-mohana
keçé ghäöa vaàçé-baöa dvädaça känana
jähäì saba lélä kaila çré-nanda-nandana
çré nanda-yaçodä jaya jaya gopa-gaëa
çrédämädi jaya jaya dhenu-vatsa-gaëa
jaya våñabhänu jaya kértidä sundaré
jaya paurëamäsé jaya abhira-nägaré
jaya jaya gopéçvaravåndävana mäjha
jaya jaya kåñëa-sakhä baöu dvija-räja
jaya räma-ghäöa jaya rohiëé-nandana
jaya jaya våndävana-väsé jata jana
May you all be ever victorious. All of you please give me your blessings that I may stay here in
the Dhäma and pass my last days in sincerely chanting the Holy Names.
As Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé said,
jagäi mädhäi haite mui se päpiñöha
puréñera kéöa haite mui se laghiñöha
I am more sinful than Jagäi and Mädhäi. I am lower than a worm in stool. (CC Ädi 5.205)
I may make statements of humility in following the Mahäjanas, the great authorities, but if I
don’t experience genuine humility in my heart, it is simply an exercise in deception. Here at the
end of my life, I have no desire to make any pretense of humility. I am no longer capable of
giving a lecture, but Ram Baba has spent a great amount of money to bring me here and has
made opulent arrangements for me here. I pray for his well-being. And I pray that by accepting
all this not the least bit of egoism will affect me.
ämi ta vaiñëava ei buddhi haile
amäné nä haba ämi
pratiñöhäçä äsi hådaya duñibe
haibo niraya-gämé
“If I think that I have become a Vaiñëava then I will never be prideless. The desire for prestige
will descend on my heart and contaminate it and I will go to hell.” (Kalyäëa-kalpa-taru)
O dear Vaiñëavas, please protect me. I am sitting here above all of you. Please don’t take offense
at this. I have not taken this seat and made you sit below me because I desire to lord it over you.
From the words of the Mahäjanas, we have heard,
çré gauòa-maëòala-bhümi jebä jäne cintämaëi
tära haya vraja-bhüme väsa
Anyone who knows the land of Gauòa to be made of the divine touchstone truly resides in the
land of Vraja. (Narottama däsa)
We cannot take up residence in Vraja by abandoning Gauòa-maëòala. So it is not enough to
come here to Våndävana and simply spend one’s time in eating the local milk sweets or ice
cream. It is not the purpose of life in Våndävana to try to enjoy sense-objects or anything other
than Kåñëa. Residence in Våndävana means to take the dust of the Vaiñëavas’ feet, to follow in
the footsteps of the great Vaiñëavas and to chant the Holy Names.
guru vaiñëava bhagavän tinera smaraëa
tinera smaraëe haya vighna-vinäçana
anäyäse haya nija väïchita püraëa
I meditate on the guru, the Vaiñëavas and the Lord. By remembering them, all obstacles are
destroyed and one quickly attains the fulfillment of all desires. (CC Ädi 1.20-21)
If one can always keep the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, the guru and the Vaiñëavas firmly
placed on his head, then all obstacles will be removed. The path of worshiping the Supreme
Lord is filled with millions of obstacles. There is no way to overcome these obstacles other than
through the mercy of the guru and the Vaiñëavas.
Mahäprabhu came to teach the chanting of the Holy Names. We have no way of achieving
perfection other than through the Holy Names. So let us not become inattentive in our
Näma-bhajana. I make this humble request to all of you. At the same time I ask you to bless me
that I may also be able to chant the Holy Name. That I may take my last breath chanting the
names of the Lord free from all offense.
In his mercy, our divine spiritual master revealed his identity as the servant of the beloved of
Çrémati Rädhärani, Çré Varñabhänavé-dayita däsa. Çréla Prabhupäda is Rädhärani’s personal
associate for all eternity. Without his mercy and the mercy of those Vaiñëavas who are the
members of his spiritual family, we cannot make our residence in Våndävana meaningful. We
should all pray constantly that we may be able to follow in their footsteps always and that we
never forget their lotus feet.
vidhi-märge vraja-bhäva päite nähi çakti
We cannot achieve the mood of Våndävana simply through following the rules and regulations
of the vidhi-märga (CC Ädi 3.15). This is why we absolutely must take up the rägänugä path.
Rüpa Gosvämé has said the following about taking up the räga path.
iñöe svärasiké rägaù
paramäviñöatä bhavet
tanmayé yä bhaved bhaktiù
sätra rägätmikoditä
The intense and spontaneous absorption in the object of one’s adoration (iñöa) is called räga.
Devotion which is characterized by such räga is called rägätmikä bhakti. (BRS 1.2.272)
The love and affection that the residents of Vraja feel for Kåñëa is natural and spontaneous. The
love that Kåñëa feels for them is similarly natural and spontaneous. We take up the chanting of
the Holy Names in the hope that we may develop the transcendental greed that allows us to
purchase a consciousness imbued with the divine taste of devotion to Kåñëa - kåñëa-bhakti-rasa-
bhävitä matiù. We wish to develop this divine greed.
We chant the Holy Names under the direction of the Vaiñëavas. If we do so, then we can win
the mercy of the Holy Name and make our stay in Våndävana a success. The kind of devotion
which follows the example of the Vraja-väsés’ rägätmikä bhakti is called rägänugä bhakti. We
should all strive for this kind of devotion.
I have completely lost all physical strength. All I desire now is that you should bestow your
causeless mercy upon me so that I can chant the Holy Name free from all offenses.
