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Part 1: The Majesty of Prayāg and the Nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s Lotus Feet Prahlāda, Nārada, Parāśara, Puṇḍarīka, Vyāsa, Vāliśa, Śuka, Śaunaka, Bhīṣma, Dalbhya, Rukmāṅgada, Arjuna, Vasiṣṭha, Vibhīṣaṇa, and other holy ones — wherever the name of Raghunātha is sung, there, with eyes full of tears and hair standing on end, I bow to Maruti, the destroyer of demons. Nārāyaṇaṁ Namaskṛtya Naraṁ Chaiva Narottamam Devīṁ Sarasvatīṁ Vyāsaṁ Tato Jaya Mudīrayet Moli Vrindavan Bihari Lal Ki, Śrī Rādhārāṇī Sarkār Ki, Śrī Garga Saṁhitā Purāṇa Ki, Mahāmuni Gargācārya Jī Mahārāj Ki, Tīrth Rāj Prayāg Ki, Śrī Veṇī Mādhava Bhagavān Ki, Sat Gurudeva Bhagavān Ki, Jaya Jaya Śrī Rādhey, Jaya Jaya Śrī Rādhey… Purījī is relishing the sweet pastimes through Gārgī Saṅgīta. Why is Prayāg called Tīrtharāj — the king of pilgrimage sites? What is the importance of Prayāg? What is the meaning of Prayāg? What makes it so special and supreme? It is a story from when this universe began. There was a demon named Śaṅkhāsura, who stole all the Vedas from Brahmā. Brahmā prayed to Lord Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa defeated Śaṅkhāsura, and the knowledge of the Vedas returned. That time was filled with joy, and Brahmā organized a grand, sacred Vedic Yajña. It was immense. All the demigods were present — Viṣṇu, Śaṅkar, Devrāj Indra, everyone. The Vedas were invoked in this very special Yajña Karma. The place where this Yajña was conducted is called Prayāg. This is where the very first Yajña of this entire universe was performed, and so this site became supremely significant. Our Vedas define the spiritual path in three ways: Karma (action), Bhakti (devotion), and Jñāna (knowledge). The Vedas themselves are a unity of three aspects, just as Prayāg is the confluence of three precious rivers: Gaṅgā, Sarasvatī, and Yamunā. We can see the Gaṅgā; we can see devotion. We can see karma as the Yamunā. But knowledge, like the Sarasvatī, tends to remain hidden. 'Saras' means water, and the one who lies in the water is Nārāyaṇa — thus the river is called Sarasvatī. The holy goddess of knowledge, the knowledge of Nārāyaṇa, is also called Sarasvatī. That knowledge, the eternal experience, is always veiled; we cannot display it. Jab jñāna prakaṭ hotā hai, koī vyakti jñāna ko dikhātā hai, to usse prauḍh kahā jātā hai, abhimān kahā jātā hai. (When knowledge becomes manifest, if a person shows off his knowledge, it is called arrogance, it is called pride.) A jñānī vyakti apne āpko prakaṭ nahīṁ kartā, vo hameśā chhupā rahatā hai. (A knowledgeable person does not reveal himself; he always remains hidden.) A wise man never puts his knowledge on display; just as a hidden inner power often goes unrecognized, the Sarasvatī river remains ever concealed. Bhakti means expressing your love for God — by chanting His name, by dancing, by kīrtan, by worship. We can see devotion; we can see karma. Āp kuch bhī acchā kām kar rahe ho, logoṁ kī sevā kar rahe ho, vo dekhā jā saktā hai. (Whatever good work you do, whatever service you render to people, that can be seen.) Work becomes worship when it is dedicated to the welfare of society, to all of humanity. Serving the poor, feeding them, caring for their health — all this is also worship, and we can see it. Yet behind these visible acts lies a hidden emotion: the question of why we perform this service. The Vedas contain one lakh mantras: 80,000 mantras related to karma, 16,000 mantras related to devotion or bhakti, and only 4,000 mantras of the Upaniṣads, which are concerned with knowledge or eternal experience. Karma kī mātrā jyādā hai, 80,000 ślok hai, vaha karma kī hai. (The proportion of karma is greater; there are 80,000 verses, and they belong to karma.) This is because our minds possess three basic qualities — the three guṇas. The Tāmo Guṇa is associated with anger, hunger, and abusiveness. The method to eradicate all malefic tendencies — laziness, sloth, and the quality of darkness — is karma. Karma karte karte vyakti kā tamoguṇa miṭ jātā hai, kī bad qualities dūr ho jātī haiṁ, evils dūr ho jāte haiṁ. (By performing karma, a person’s tamo guṇa dissolves; bad qualities go away, evils go away.) Then comes cañcalatā or the Rajo Guṇa — restlessness. We cannot sit peacefully to enjoy our inner calm, our inner realization. The mind keeps wandering here and there. Devotion is the way to erase this restlessness. The knowledge of how to do so comes to us from the Guru. When we take shelter at the Guru’s feet, he points out the confusions in our mind, the bad qualities we possess, and where pride and evil lie. Kya cheez hai jo hum apnī bad qualities ko, apnī kamiyōṁ ko hum khud find nahīṁ kar sakte? (What is it that prevents us from finding our own faults and weaknesses?) Who will uncover them? That is the work of the Guru. This is why there is no difference between Guru and Bhagavān. Guru is God, and God is Guru. Therefore it is said of Kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa is also Jagat Guru. Krishna is Guru, and Guru is Krishna. There is no distinction between God and Guru. What is a Guru? Guru is a holy light — a prakāśa. In this light we can see our own reflection, our own personality, our own power. Guru is light. If he is not Prakāśa, how can we see ourselves? How can we know ourselves? That is why Kṛṣṇa is called Jagatguru. The light of Krishna’s life helps us to understand ourselves; it aids us in self-realization. This is Krishna’s quality. Brahmā Jī manifested the supreme knowledge of the Vedas in this very land, in this very tīrtha. So the deity of this pilgrimage site said, “Bhagavān, such a great Yajña took place here — I want to receive something from You.” Then Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa declared: “Without giving anything, you shall become the King of all Tīrthas. Every pilgrimage will come and bow before you.” The king of all pilgrimages is the pilgrimage of Prayāg. That is why its importance is so immense. Then Tīrtharāj Prayāg said: “O Lord, You have made me the king of pilgrimages, but a king must have a court. If I am the king of pilgrimage sites, then You must always reside with me.” At Prayāg’s insistence, Bhagavān became Veṇī Mādhava. Veṇī Mādhava is the lord of this holy region. Jo Tīrtharāj Prayāg me ātā aur Veṇī Mādhava kā darśana nahīṁ kartā, usko Prayāg me āne kā phala nahīṁ miltā. (Anyone who comes to Tīrtharāj Prayāg and does not take darśana of Veṇī Mādhava does not receive the full fruit of coming to Prayāg.) Just as we mark our presence when attending a class, similarly one’s presence at Tīrtharāj Prayāg is marked at the abode of Veṇī Mādhava. We have come to the Tīrtha Kṣetra. Because this is the union of the three — Karma, Jñāna, and Bhakti — here Bhagavatī Satī became alopa (unmanifest); her body disappeared here. Therefore Bhagavatī Satī is in the form of Alopīmāiyā. Alopī means that when Bhagavān Śiva placed her body on his shoulder and danced, Lord Viṣṇu divided it. The body fell in 52 places, which are known as Śakti Pīṭhas. After the 52 Śakti Pīṭhas, the body of Satī vanished right here. Thus this state is called Alopī — the disappearing of Satī’s body. That temple is known as Alopī Śaṅkarī. Bhagavatī kā Alopī Śaṅkarī temple yahān hai. (The Alopī Śaṅkarī temple of the Goddess is here.) Devīyā Śakti Pīṭha: with her darśana, all wishes are fulfilled, and a special power is attained. This is the land where nearly all sects, all the spiritual paths to realize God, have their centre. In such a holy area we are blessed with the opportunity to reside. And even more, this time — Māgha Māsa — according to the Hindu calendar, this is Māgha. ‘Māgha’ means ‘Mā agha’ — free from sin. There is no sin in this month. If you desire release from all sins, stay here during Māgha Māsa; hence it is called Māgha. Prayāg mein log Māgh mein ākar rehte hain, Māgh agh, agh mānasī. (In Prayāg people come and stay during Māgha; ‘Māgha’ means the absence of mental sin.) The special astrological configuration draws more powerful positive energy from the planets — Jupiter, Moon, and Sun gather in a particular position. This conjunction is called Gajakeśarī Yog, Amṛt Yog, the Immortal Yoga. When Jupiter, Moon, and the Sun are in a specific area — the rāśi called Taurus (Vṛṣabha) — it becomes a highly immortal sign; it is called Amṛta Yoga. In the specific longitude and latitude of Allahabad, one gains especially potent planetary energy. So this is the occasion of Kumbha. Kumbha is a highly scientific event; it is not merely a Purāṇic story. It is an astrological or astronomical phenomenon. Thus the great fair takes place. Story or myth alone is not the reason for this gathering. Keval koī purāṇik mānitā nahīṁ hai; iske pīche ek bahut baṛī vaigyanik dhāraṇā hai. (It is not just a Purāṇic belief; behind it lies a profound scientific concept.) When Jupiter, Moon, and the Sun conjoin in Taurus — Vṛṣabha rāśi mein — we receive tremendous positive energy, and moreover, this is especially true in this longitude and latitude. Here, the three energies of Sun, Jupiter, and Moon are available in a way not found anywhere else in the world. Now, what do these three planets represent? Jupiter is the master of all the Gods. The Guru of all the Gods is Bṛhaspati; he is the God of knowledge. Chandra is the demigod of the mind — the God of the mind. And the Sun is the God of the soul. Thus, at this time, mind and soul are filled with knowledge. Knowledge dawns only in the consciousness of one who lives with practice. And when a person is filled with knowledge, will he have any pain? There is no sorrow, no grief. At this time, there is no pain of the body, no mental anguish, no physical distress. This is such a perfect moment that when a person comes here and takes a bath during this period… The very reason for attending this occasion, this Kumbha, is happiness. It is a scientific definition of immortality, of Amṛt. So, during this Kumbha melā, in the month of Māgha, at Tīrtharāj Prayāg, we are listening to the story of Jagatguru Śrī Kṛṣṇa. What greater fortune could there be? Nothing else can happen but this. It is a great destiny, a great grace of God that we speak with our tongue and you listen. Aisā avasar bahut kam miltā hai. (Such an opportunity is very rare.) This is a spiritual discourse on Yoga in the Indian tradition. When the auspicious month arrives, the Kumbha takes place. Goswāmī Tulasīdāsa Jī has written in his Rāmcaritamānasa about this very kṣetra, where Bharat Jī came and prayed: Dharma nārtha na kāma ruchi gati na cāhon nirvāna, Janma janma rati rāma pada yaha varadāna na āna. When Bharat came to meet Rāma in Citrakūṭa and spent a night here in Prayāga, he addressed Tīrtharāja: “I do not desire dharma (duties), I do not desire wealth, I do not desire any worldly wishes, and I do not even desire mokṣa. I only want love for the feet of my beloved Lord Rāma, birth after birth.” Bhagavān Rām ke carnoṃ meṃ prem kī prārthanā Bhārat jī ne kī thī. (Bharat Jī prayed for love at the feet of Lord Rāma.) This is a place of love. Pyār ke pratīk hai Bhārat jī aur Rām jī. (Bharat and Rām are symbols of love.) They are the emblem of brotherhood. In such a holy place, we are listening to the pastimes of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa through Garbha Saṅgīta. We do so in comfort. Through the Golok Khaṇḍ of Garbha Saṅgīta — Goloka is the abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā. A most wonderful sight: countless cows, countless Sakhā (friends), countless Gopīs. Gargācārya Jī offers prayer to Lord Nārāyaṇa: Nārāyaṇam Namaskṛtya Naram Chai Vanarottamam Devīm Sarasvatīm Vyāsam Tato Jaya Mudire. It is customary to first offer obeisance to Lord Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇam Namaskṛtya — Nārāyaṇa is the origin of all beings. Nāraṃ Caiva Narottamam — Nārāyaṇa, the supreme among men, and the Ṛṣi Nārāyaṇa; then to Devī Sarasvatī, the goddess of knowledge; and to Vyāsa, the holy poet who composed all the eighteen Purāṇas. Tato Jaya Mudire — after offering all these salutations, one recites the Purāṇa. Thereafter Gargācārya said: “In the season of autumn, the beautiful lotus in a pond — like the feet of my loving Lord Kṛṣṇa, the friend of Rādhā — and like bees hovering over that lotus, all the munis, ṛṣis, and devotees long to stay at Kṛṣṇa’s feet. Just as bees hum around a blooming lotus in the autumn, so do the ṛṣiloka and muniloka circle around those lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.” Bhavre hain, Kṛṣṇa ke charan itne komal hain, pyāre hain, jaisā khilawā kamal ho. (They are like bees; Kṛṣṇa’s feet are as tender and lovely as a blossoming lotus.) And why do the bees hover? To extract its juice, its fruit, its nectar. Similarly, saints and sages settle at the feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa to drink the juice of bliss, to relish that constant ānanda; they wish to become absorbed. Gargācārya jī says: “Main Rādhāpati Śrī Kṛṣṇa ke un cāraṇ kamaloṅ kā makarand pīne vālā bhaṁvar bananā cāhata hoon.” (I desire to become a bee drinking the nectar of those lotus feet of Rādhāpati Śrī Kṛṣṇa.) What will happen then? Usse jīvan mein koī kaṣṭ nahīṁ rahegā. (There will be no suffering in life.) No worries about the physical body, no mental tension, no desires — kisi tarah kī man mein koī vāsanā nahīṁ rahī gayī — and all three kinds of tāpa are destroyed. The three causes of suffering are: ādhyātmika — related to the body, such as sickness or accidents; ādhidaivika — calamities from fate or unseen forces; and ādhibhautika — pain arising from unfulfilled physical desires and external circumstances. Tino kā nāś — all three types of worries are remedied — when we take shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet. Rādhāpati ke caraṇa kamal kī śaraṇa grahaṇa kar lete haiṁ … aise Rādhāpati ke caraṇa kamaloṅ ko mein apne hṛdaya mein sthāpit karatā hoon. (I enshrine the lotus feet of the husband of Rādhā within my heart.) Because when one takes refuge at the feet of Rādhā’s consort, a divine fragrance pervades one’s being; one is meant to enjoy that scent, that eternal essence. Therefore Gargācārya first meditated on the lotus feet of the Lord, and then on Maharṣi Vedavyāsa — because Vedavyāsa Jī wrote the eighteen Purāṇas. He is the son of Satyavatī and an incarnation of Lord Nārāyaṇa; he is an incarnation of knowledge. His mother’s name was Satyavatī, and his father was Parāśara Ṛṣi. Śaunaka and other ṛṣis asked, “How did I come to write this Purāṇa?” Mere man mein yeh chintā thī, main logoṅ ko rule aur regulation kaise samjhāūṅ, to Nārada jī ne kahā: Āp Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa kā caritra likho. (This worry was in my mind — how would I explain rules and regulations to people? Then Nārada Jī said: “You should write the life‑story of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”) Nārada Jī inspires everyone. He is the great guru. He gave inspiration to Vālmīki Jī to compose the Rāmcaritra, to Vyāsa Jī to write the Bhāgavatam, and to Gargācārya Jī to compose the Garga Saṁhitā. Nāradajī inspire all the knowledgeable men. He shows the right path to those who are moving towards God — like Dhruva, like Prahlāda, like Chandrahasa. Every human being who strives to reach God receives Nārada’s guidance, showing him the way. Gargācārya Jī ko bhī sahī diśā Nāradajī ne dikhāye. (Nārada Jī also showed Gargācārya the right direction.) And Nārada Jī said, “When you write this narrative, I will be the first to hear it.” So Nārada Jī is the main narrator of the Garga Saṁhitā, and the principal listener is Rāja Bahulāśva. Rāja Bahulāśva Janaka, the King of Mithilā — Mithilā, the city of knowledge where Sītā was born — was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He was always chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name and worshipping Him. One day, as he sat in his assembly, he saw a brilliant light descending from the sky. Looking closer, he saw Saint Nārada with his vīṇā, coming down from the heavens. Nāradajī vīṇā bajā rahe hain, ākāś se utar rahe hain, aur Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa ke nām kī kīrtan kar rahe hain. (Nārada Jī was playing the vīṇā, descending from the sky, and singing the glories of Lord Nārāyaṇa’s name.) The king prepared Madhuparka — a mixture of milk, curd, and honey — to offer to the sage, for it would refresh his energy and remove all fatigue. Part 2: The Incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa and the Nature of Avatars This was the manner of welcome. Rājā Bahulāśvara invited Devarṣi Nārada for the Madhuparka, washed his feet, offered him a seat, and after rendering ritual service, proceeded to question him. tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṃ jñāninas tattvadarśinaḥ This is the way to approach the Guru. First serve them, please them. Then those Tattvadarśīs, those Jñānīs, will impart to you the knowledge of Tattva. Rājā Bahulāśvara asked the very same question. “Who are the rulers of this whole world? Who are the rulers of the universe? What is the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa? What is the state of His people? Avatāra ke kitne bheda hai, aura Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa kā avatāra kaise huā? Avatāra lekar unhoṁ ne kaun kaunsī līlāeṁ kī? Reason for the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa – please explain it to us in a systematic way.” Then Lord Śrī Nārada told King Bahulāśva: “He Rājā Bahulāśvara, ek nahī, aise karoḍoṁ universe hai. Billions and billions of universes. Their master is Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is why He is called Paripūrṇa, the Paramātmā, God Himself. Look, there are six types of Avatars of Bhagavān. One is Bhagavān’s Aṁśa Avatāra. Aṁśa means a part – when God comes in partially, like Kūrma, like Varāha. This is Bhagavān’s Aṁśa Avatāra, from one part, from one Aṁśa. Kāla Vatār. There is one thing called Āveśa Avatāra. When someone does some work, God gives His power to someone else. He is not God Himself, but He imparts His power to that person – an āveśa. In a way, God’s power enters him. He is called Āveśa Avatāra, like Paraśurāmajī. When there were kings on this earth who opposed the Kṣatriyas and Brahmins, God gave them His energy and power. And when the work was finished, that power merged back into Rāmjī. This is the Āveśa Avatāra. Then there is the Pūrṇa Avatāra, who is complete God, God Himself. They come, like Rām, like Narasiṁha. These are complete God. And why do they come? What is the reason for the Supreme Power descending? This belief exists only in our Hindu Dharma. Other religions do not accept this idea – that God can ever come. God sends His angels, like Īsā Masīh, like Muhammad Paigambar. No matter how many stories of devotees we read – may God come for Mīrā, may God come for Narasī, may God come for Prahlād, may God come for Narasiṁha – God comes for His devotees because, just as when a child calls, parents don’t send anyone else; they come themselves. God comes because He loves us. He loves us, so He leaves His superiority and descends in a simplified manner. What is the difference between incarnation and birth? Our birth is not the same as God’s incarnation. What is the difference? Look, a person stands at a height. He has something in his hand. It falls down – the thing plummets. To pick it up, the person comes down the stairs. Our birth is falling; we fall into the world. Pāpa aura puṇya ke kāraṇa hame svarga naraka miltā hai, aura apne bache hue karma ko bhogne ke liye hame dharatī par girnā paṛtā hai. Hamārā patan hotā hai, aura hamko uṭhāne ke liye, hamko us ūñcī sīṛhī tak le jāne ke liye, bhagavān nīche utarte hain. Seediyon se aate hain, isliye usko kehte hain avatāra, niche utarnā. Step by step we fall, and as we fall we forget our own true form. When something falls down, it breaks. It doesn’t remain the same; it becomes dirty. But when someone comes down deliberately, he remains the same. There is no difference in his form. He remains exactly as he was. He picks up the object, cleanses it, and takes it with him. This is the difference between birth and incarnation. Birth means falling, and incarnation means coming down to care for those who have fallen. The Lord comes to us because He loves us. He is our saviour – our saviour, Mahāprabhujī. Karatā Mahāprabhujī, karatā Mahāprabhujī. Just as Mīrā met, just as Sūr met, just as Narasī met – in the same way, we will also meet. This hope you will not find anywhere else. Bhagavān, yadi aapko kahīṁ mileṅge, to Bhārat meṁ hī mileṅge. Kisī aur jagah par Bhagavān aapko mileṅge nahīṁ, because this Bhārat, this India, is the heart of the whole world. Bhārat purī viśva kā hṛday hai, aur hṛday meṁ hī Bhagavān rehte haiṁ. Ye Bhārat bhūmī kī viśeṣatā hai. Rest, all the places of the world are sacred, but the most important place among them is Bhārat – that is, the land steeped in knowledge, where God is experienced in every corner, in every place, because this is the heart of the whole world. Bhole Bhakta Vatsala Bhagavāna Kī Hari, Vyāpaka Sarvatra Prasamāna. Prema Se Prakaṭa Hoī Meṃ Jānā. God is everywhere. He appears with inner love. When love for God is awakened in our mind, we can see Him. And devotees have seen Him. Devotees’ stories are often heard and spoken. This is a story from South India. There were two young girls. A certain saint came to their house. He had a small black Ṭhākurjī – we call it Śāligrām Śilā, just as we worship Śiva Liṅga. Similarly, just as the Liṅga is a symbol of Lord Śiva, the Śāligrāmajī is a symbol of Lord Viṣṇu. Those who follow Viṣṇu worship the Śāligrāma Śilā. They are stones of black colour found in the Gaṇḍakī River in Bihar. Vaiṣṇavas worship Śāligrāma, offering sandalwood paste and Tulasī leaves. In South India, a saint came to a certain place. One of the girls was a princess, the other the daughter of a landlord. The saint visited the landlord’s house and worshipped his Śāligrāma. The worship of Śāligrāma is very beneficial. One who keeps a Śāligrāma Śilā at home is not affected by any kind of sin; he is easily freed from all bondage. The worship of Śāligrām Ṭhākurjī is very easy: just bathe Him, offer Gaṅgā water, sandalwood, Tulasī leaves, and any food. Śāligrām Jī becomes pleased. Seeing him worship, the girls – who were small children – also felt they wanted to worship Ṭhākur in the same way. “We should also have Ṭhākur.” They were adamant. When they insisted, the saint thought, “How can we give Bhagavān like this? Right now they are small children, right now they are insisting. When they grow up, we don’t know whether they will keep Bhagavān or not. In childhood the desire arises, but later the mind may change.” So the saint simply gave them: “Aise hī koī do patthar,” the plain stone, “koī Bhagavān ke vigraha nahīṁ the, śāligrāma nahīṁ the, vaise hī nadī ke koī do plain stone, vo bhī kāle raṅg ke the,” uthākar dedī, “ye tumhāre Bhagavān haiṁ, it is your God.” The simple stones. Then the girls asked, “Ilka naam kya hai? What is the name of that god?” He said, “Śil Pillai.” Śil means stone, and Pillai means child – the child of stone. They were small girls, and they believed from childhood. They sat in faith. “He is our God. He is our everything. His name is Śilpillai.” They made a beautiful box, a special box, and decorated the stone inside very nicely. They used to worship and chant “Śilpillai, Śilpillai, Śilpillai.” They fell so much in love with their God that they chanted “Śilpillai, Śilpillai” day and night. Once, in the landlord’s house, his own brother stole everything – this happens many times; our own people become enemies. The brother stole everything from the landlord’s house, including the gold box in which the girl’s God was kept, for the box was made of gold. Now, when her God went away, she became very sad: “Where is my God, my Śilpillāī?” Her father said, “Your uncle has stolen it. Go and ask him.” She went to her uncle and aunt, crying, “I don’t want anything else; give me my God, return my God.” Now, if they admitted to stealing, the whole society would defame them. So when she cried a lot, her aunt said, “If your God loves you, then you must believe that He is your God. Call out to Him. If God is true, He will come.” And that girl, that little girl, called out, “O Śilpillāī God! O God, O Śilpillāī Bhagavān! If you love me, please come and walk with me.” And everyone saw that the box – wherever it had been kept – lifted up on its own and came straight into that girl’s lap. Where did the power to walk and to come enter that stone? That was the love and affection of God, who infused power into that stone. Hari Vyāpaka Sarvatra Samāna, Premate Prakaṭa Hoī Me Jāna. Now, if you have so much love for a stone – a plain stone – that power comes into it and it becomes God, then how much power must there be in the direct God? This is a direct and true incident: that stone came into motion. For this very purpose, He is God. That is why our love needs a locus, a space. For that space, all these forms of God appear. God comes so that people can love Him, show affection, connect themselves with Him, and think about Him. If there were no līlās, no stories, then what would a person think about? Whom would he speak of? How would he love? Otherwise, it is the same worldly gossip, the same criticism of one another. To save us from all this, God brings forth His unique incarnations. Rājā Bahulāśvara says, “Tell us about the character of Lord Kṛṣṇa.” Devarṣi Nārada replies: the one known as Rāma, Narasiṃha, and such – that is the complete God. Similarly, the Supreme God, of whom all these are parts, is Lord Kṛṣṇa. Once upon a time, it was the age of Dvāpara. We have four eras here: Satyayuga, Tretāyuga, Dvāparayuga, and Kaliyuga. It was the time of Dvāparā. At that time, the Devāsur Saṅgrām – the battle between gods and demons – that had taken place earlier, during the time of Samudra Manthan and Amṛta, had resulted in the death of many deities. Those very deities had taken birth as different kings in the Dvāpara age. The most powerful demon in that Devāsur Saṅgrām was called Kāla Nemī. Even though Kāla Nemī had been killed, Śukrācārya had revived him. That demon named Kāla Nemī then performed very severe tapasyā on Mount Chahara. Tapasyā kā matlab hotā hai apnī energy ko gathered karnā. Gathering our energy is called tapasyā. Strengthen the body through tapas, make it so robust that cold, heat, or rain have no effect – no season affects it – and conserve all one’s energy. Our energy is flowing out through our eyes, ears, mouth. Humārī jitnī indriyāṁ Mahāprabhujī kā rahā haiṁ… Strong ho gayā voh energy, voh tapasyā. Daitya log bhī kartā hai, demons bhī kartā hai, siddh, saint bhī kartā hai. Lekin jo daitya log tapasyā kartā hai, voh kisī best purpose ke liye nahīṁ, voh sṛṣṭi ko naṣṭ karne ke liye, kisī kā burā karne ke liye. And the saints, the siddhas – the purpose of their tapasyā is to remove the burden of karma. See, if there is atomic energy, it is used in generating electricity and many other good things. But terrorists and demons misuse atomic energy in making weapons. So the utilization of energy depends on the nature of the person, on how his nature is. Today, the atomic energy we obtain externally – earlier, the saints used to call it tapasyā. Tapasya means gathering of energy. It also contains the atomic energy that is accumulated within our body. One of the mediums of collecting atomic energy was tapasyā. So, Kāla Nemī performed tapasyā and Brahmājī appeared. He asked for boons. All the stories of our Purāṇas contain curses and boons. He said, “I will not die from any ordinary person. I will become very powerful. I will have so much power that every person will lose to me.” Brahmājī said, “You cannot die from any creature of my creation.” You cannot die from the creation of Brahmā – those beings Brahmājī created. And Lord Kṛṣṇa is not the creation of Brahmā; Brahmā is the creation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Brahmājī gave this boon because he wanted the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. If Kāla Nemī cannot die by Brahmā’s creation, then who is the person outside Brahmā’s creation? Only Bhagavān Himself. When this incarnation (Kāla Nemī) took birth, he appeared here in the Yadu dynasty as the son of King Ugrasena. Rājā Ugrasena was a very religious person. His queen was Padmāvatī. Here, Rājā Bahulāśvara asked, “When Rājā Ugrasena was such a spiritual person and his wife was also very spiritual, why was this demon born there? What is the reason?” Devarṣi Nārada replies: Look, this is religion – to follow the rules and regulations. Gargājī explained this principle: to follow the rules and regulations is so difficult; if even a small mistake is made, the result is severe. Ugrasenajī’s wife Padmāvatī was very religious. Once she went to her father’s house, to her mother’s house. … She went to her mother’s house, she went to her mother’s house, she went to her mother’s house, she went to her mother’s house, she went to her mother’s house. … Mahāprabhujī Karata He Kevalam. Mahāprabhujī Karata He Kevalam. Sūrya, Sūrya… Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam… The security of the centre of power will also be tight. For us, women are not something to enjoy. Women are our mothers, the centre of our power. That is why women are kept under prohibition, under protection. This is the reason. Protection does not mean breaking their freedom – it does not mean we do not give freedom to women. If we give unbridled freedom, our land will be destroyed. Then the child will be like Kaṃsa. If we want Rāma, if we want Kṛṣṇa, if we want Vivekānanda, then we have to give protection to the mother, protection to the woman. She has to remain in balance, in a balanced situation. Whenever there is imbalance, its effect falls on the child. In today’s era, there is a lot of talk about women’s freedom. You set the woman free and let her do all the work – the result is that our children are getting spoiled and do not possess such good qualities. The biggest role of a woman is motherhood. She is not a woman for other works; she is a woman who takes care of her children, and that is why she is Pūjanī. She is Jananī – she is a mother. If we ask, the greatest duty of a woman is motherhood. Nārī jananī hai, sṛṣṭi ko paidā karne vālī hai, uske binā sṛṣṭi kā vistār nahīṁ ho saktā, sṛṣṭi ko gati dene vālī hai, jananī kī surakṣā zarūrī hai, isliye usko adhik hamārī svatantratā nahīṁ dī gaī, uskā protection kī gayā, aur jab isme chūk paḍtī hai, purāṇon meṁ kathā ātī hai, jab Diti ne asamay garbha dān kiyā to uske garbh se daitya paidā hue, even though she was the wife of a deva, a ṛṣi, but she gave birth to demons. And there, Kayādu was the wife of a demon, but she stayed in the shelter of God, in the shelter of a saint. She was the wife of Hiraṇya Kaśyapu – Kayādu. Hiraṇya Kaśyapu was a demon. She was his wife, but she always nurtured her morality in the shelter of Nāradajī, in the shelter of a Guru. So she gave birth to Bhakta Prahlāda. Mā kī baḍī viśiṣṭā hai. Mā kaisī hai? Mā yogya hai, toh santān yogya hai. Mā kahīṁ bigaḍ gaī, to santān bigaḍ gaī. Padmāvatī jī se cūk ho gaī, unhoṁ ne apne dharma kā pālan nahīṁ kiyā, to bhale hī man se spiritual thī, bhale hī dhārmik bhāvanā vāle rājā thī, lekin unke ghar Kaṁsa jaisā duṣṭ paidā huā. And he was so powerful because he was the incarnation of Kāla Nemī. He conquered the whole of India in his Digvijaya campaign. He won all of India; he won everyone. Once he was boxing on the banks of the Yamunā, displaying the art of Mallayuddha. Impressed by his valour, Jarāsandha married both his daughters, Astī and Praptī, to him, and as dowry gave him the elephant Kuvaliyā Pīḍa. Part 3: The Divine Purpose: Love, Saints, and the Descent of the Lord Kaṁsa secured the support of Jarāsandha, the king of Magadha and a highly powerful being. Gaining their backing, he assembled deities from across the land—indeed, all the evils and demons gradually gathered together. A congregation of all these dark forces took place in Mathurā. Kaṁsa traveled to Mahiṣmatī Nagarī, from where he brought Bal, Toṣal, Muṣṭik, Cāṇūra, and boxers. Then he journeyed to the southern countries and summoned Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Pūtanā, Ariṣṭāsura, Vyomāsura, Keśidāitya, Śaṁbarāsura, Bāṇāsura—collecting every demon from across the whole country. When his power swelled, he attacked heaven and vanquished all the deities, aiming to seize their authority. Demons represent bad qualities, while deities embody divine qualities. As the demons’ power increased, the deities were crushed—our divine forces weakened. The deities became distressed: “Devatā parastha ho gaye, devatā dukhī ho gaye, toh unhoṁ ne cākar Brahmā jī ko kahā ki Kaṁsa kī śakti bahut baḍh gayī hai, sāre asuroṁ kī śakti bahut baḍh gayī hai. Un asuroṁ ke ātaṅk se dharatī bhī dukhī ho gayī.” The Earth then assumed the shape of a cow: “Dhartī ne gāī kā rūp dhāraṇ kiyā, Dhartī.” She came in that form—“gāī ban kar āyī”—and together with Indra and all the gods, approached Brahmā: “Ye Earth usne Indra aur sab devtāoṁ ko sāth liyā aur Brahmā jī ke pās de.” The Earth cried out, “The burden of these deities upon me has become unbearable. All the demons together are spreading terror. My condition has grown so dire that I am bent over; yajñas can no longer be performed on me. Nobody delights in good works—righteous acts are not liked, and no one receives any help.” She lamented further: “Devatā dukhī, kisī kī sevā nahī̃ ho rahī, koī bhī acchā kām ye dhaṭṭe log hone nahī̃ dete, yajña band ho gaye, devatā naṣṭ ho gaye, sajjan log dukhī haĩ, jo acche log voh dukhī haĩ, isliye dharatī par accī̃ phasale nahī̃ hotī. Peḍ paudhey nahī̃ hote, cāro taraf har acche kām band ho gaye haiṁ, satkarma band ho gaye haiṁ, good work nahī̃ ho rahī. This is why I am sad—because the good people who live above me are sad, the gods are sad.” Brahmā Jī then said, “What remedy can I offer? Let us go to Śaṅkar Jī.” So all proceeded to Śiva—the God of well‑being, the God of welfare, called Śiva, who desires everyone’s welfare. Śivjī replied, “At present, we cannot act alone; let us all go together to Viṣṇu Bhagavān.” Brahmā is the creator, Śiva the destroyer, and Viṣṇu is the operator—the one who follows, sustains, and drives everyone. Viṣṇu means a vast vision, the Viṣṇu‑tattva. All went to Nārāyaṇa and prayed: “You, O Lord, at the proper time take avatāra. The burden of the earth is borne by you. You incarnate, you assume an avatāra.” At that, Bhagavān Viṣṇu spoke: “This time, the earth’s burden is not to be borne by me alone. Countless beings, sages, and ṛṣis have been meditating for ages to attain love. To fulfill that love, I must also give love. I cannot do this work alone—I will indeed do it, but I also have a Lord?” Brahmā and Śaṅkar were astonished: “We have always considered you our Lord. Who then is your Lord? For the first time we hear that you too have a Master. Please grant us his darśan.” Then Lord Viṣṇu took Brahmā and Śaṅkar beyond the universe, out of this Brahmāṇḍa. When the Vāmana avatāra took place, a hole was pierced in the universe by His feet. Through that opening, the waters from beyond the universe poured in, and that stream was called Gaṅgā. Gaṅgā is not the water of this universe; it is the water from outside. The story of Gaṅgā’s creation is also deeply touching. Once, Lord Śiva—who is the Lord of Music—reached Goloka along with the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. To please Kṛṣṇa, they played the tānpurā. The rāga that Śivjī loved most was called Kedār, and thus he is known as Kedarnāth. They praised Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Kedār rāga, a supremely beautiful melody. Narsī Mehtā too was deeply blessed by this Kedār rāga, and indeed Bhagavān Śaṅkar himself initiated Narsī Mehtā into it. In the Kedār rāga, Narsī Mehtā would call out to Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa: “Darśana Do, Bhaṅśā Mana Atha, Burī Akhiyā Pyāsire, It Is Rāga Kedāra.” When Lord Śiva performed this verse in Rāga Kedāra with such immense love, all the deities present melted away. That melted love‑deity was named Gaṅgā. This tale is found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa. Gaṅgā is made of love. All the good qualities of everyone melt in the name of God; that melting is Gaṅgā—the dissolution that comes through song. When bhakti sang, the hardness within everyone softened. That is why Gaṅgā is a symbol of devotion; whoever bathes in it touches love, and love awakens within. From that same hole where the holy Gaṅgā emerges, Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Śaṅkar, the Earth, Indra, and all the other deities exited. Looking around, they beheld myriad universes floating like watermelons in a vast lake—“Jyot watermelon hotā hai, tarbhuja hotā hai, jaisā voh kisī bahut bade sārovar mein paḍe ho, aise bahut sāre universe vahāṁ tair rahe the.” All the deities boarded a great ship and crossed those waters, arriving at a place surrounded by utterly pure white water, a realm of divine light: “aisā devya look thā, cāro light hī lāī thī, keval prakāś hī prakāś likhāe detā thā.” In that grand veneration, nothing else was visible. The deities bowed their heads. They then beheld a divine dhāma, infinite and white as the stem of a lotus, in the lap of Bhagavān Mahānand Śaṅkarācārya. (Mahāprabhujī, Mahāprabhujī…) Lord Kṛṣṇa has said, “If you wish to see Kṛṣṇa, if you wish to see Goloka, first bow to Rādhā Jī. Call out the name Rādhā. Only then will you attain the darśan of Lord Kṛṣṇa.” Rādhārāṇī, our Kiśorī, is an embodiment of compassion. It is her nature to shower mercy upon all beings, for she is a mother—and a mother is pure compassion, the Great Morsi. Therefore, whenever any difficulty arises in life, Rādhā Rānī herself prays to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This is her greatest virtue. Hence, Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Lalitā are called Achāṛās—those who teach devotees by their own conduct and, through that same conduct, compel the Lord to bestow mercy. Such Gurus continually pray: “Nārāyaṇa, Dayā Sindhu, Vatsalya Guṇasāgara, Eṇaṁ Rakṣa, Jagannātha, Vahū Janma Paradīnaṁ.” There is no Guru greater than a mother. Whenever hardship strikes, Rādhā Rānī entreats, “Lord, please bless them.” That is why all the Gods call out to Rādhā Rānī when they approach Lord Kṛṣṇa. Brahmā and the Earth placed their entire situation before Him: “He bhagavān, is samay pṛthvī par asuroṁ kā ātaṅk baṛā gayā hai. Āp ne jin devatāoṁ kā vad karvāyā thā, devāsura saṅgrām mein āp mohinī ban kar āye the. Āp ne devatāoṁ ko amṛta pilāyā thā.” And the gods who had once decreed the fate of the deities—all those deities had now taken birth in Dvāpara Yuga as the sons of kings, as princes. The earth is deeply saddened. “What should we do? You alone can show us the way.” Then Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa reassured them: “Do not worry. The time has come for me to take avatāra on this earth. I myself will descend. O deities, listen carefully.” He then explained why He comes. He could destroy the demons simply by His will: “Main man mein sochoon, ek thought aaye ki mujhe in sab ko destroy karna hai, to remote ka button dabaane me jitna samay lagta hai na, usse bhi kam samay lage, Bhagavān ko sab ko naṣṭ karne me. To keval daityoṁ ko destroy karne ke liye nahīṁ āte, Bhagavān cāhe to apne saṅkalpa se, apne thinking power se dharmī ke sthāpana karne. Daityoṁ ke nāś ke liye, athavā dharmī ke sthāpana ke liye, Bhagavān ko āne kī āvaśyakatā nahīṁ hai.” Indeed, Rāmjī could have killed Rāvaṇa from his abode in Saket, from Vaikuṇṭha, and taught him dharma. But what would have become of that Śabarī who had been waiting through many yugas? Or Jaṭāyu, Guhā? God can destroy Kaṁsa from anywhere, but what about those Gopīs who performed penance for ages to attain Him? Without Rāma, who can satisfy Hanumān? Without Kṛṣṇa, how could Sūdāmā and the Gopīs ever be satisfied? “In ko santuṣṭi karne ke liye, in ko prem dene ke liye, Bhagavān rūp le kar āte hai. Wo nirguṇ, wo nirañjan, sākār ho kar āte haiṁ.” Lord Kṛṣṇa declares, “Un premiyon ko premdān karne ke liye mujhe ānā hai. He Yugo Yugo Se, Kai Kalpon Se Meri Pratiksha Kar Rahe Hain, Ab Wo Samay A Gaya Hai, Jib Unki Sadhana Puri Hungi. Pahla Kaam Hai Premiyon Ko Prem Dena, Aur Jab Hum Jase Kahin Nikalte Hai, Toh Do Kaam Extra Bhi Kar Lete Hai, Toh Extra Kaam. Hai, O Dharm Ki Sthāpanā Aur Duṣhṭon Kā Vināś Pramukh Kām Toh Premiyon Ko Prem Denā Hī Hai.” The primary purpose is to bestow love upon the lovers; establishing dharma and destroying the wicked are secondary, extra tasks. Then the Lord spoke about the Vedas: “Ved Koī Sāmānya Cīz, Koī Simple Book Form Mein Likhe Gaye Cīz Nahī̃ Hai. Directly, merī bāt hai, it is my narration. Yeh merā narration hai, merā speech hai. Veda is my speech, jo maine apnā speech diyā, Brahmā ko jo gyāna diyā, the whole spiritual knowledge, that is called Veda. Veda mere vachan hai, my speech hai.” Those who constantly dwell in Brahma—the ṛṣis, munis, the blessed ones—are the Brahmins. They are the mouth of the Lord, for where does speech come from? From the mouth. “Jain ko vedon kā gyān haiṁ, unheṁ hī brāhmaṇ kehte haiṁ. Brāhmaṇ is not a koī jātī, koī class, koī varg nahīṁ haiṁ, koī classification nahīṁ haiṁ.” The special class that has acquired the knowledge of the Vedas is called brāhmaṇ. “Jain ke pās vedon kā knowledge hai, usse brāhmaṇ keheṁge.” They are the Lord’s own mouth, manifesting His words; therefore they are worthy of worship and reverence. Bhagavān also once said, “In Goloka there are many cows. Cows are my body. Śarīra hai, my entire body is cow, ye gāyeṁ mera śarīra hai, aur iss cow mein sāre devatā, sāre demigods, nivāsa karte haiṁ, rehte haiṁ, cows is shelter of all the demigods, and that all demigods is the part of my body. Sab aap jo devtā ho, mere aṅg pratyāṅg ho.” All the classes are important: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra. “Śūdra kā matlab ye nahīṁ hai ki koī service class yā lower caste, not. Wo ek aise caste hai, jo hamāre samāj ko gati detī hai. Samāj kā flow banāye raktī hai, sāre artist jo caste mein āte hai.” The art of society is represented by the śūdra caste. Because they are artists, they must focus on their art; they lack the leisure to chant the Vedas. That is why they were given a relaxation: they need not perform Sandhyā or Vedic chanting. It is not that they were deprived of Vedic rights—they were offered respite. “You are artists, you do such beautiful work, you need concentration in that. If you sit for three hours to chant, then how will your work be done? How will your art be represented? So, take this relaxation.” The notion that they are discriminated against or untouchable is a misconception. Next, the Lord declared, “Devatā mere aṅg pratyaṅg hai. Ab ye juṭne sādhū hai, sant hai, ye mere prāṇ hai.” What is the most vital element in the body? The breath—our prāṇa. Because we breathe, we live. “Śarīr mein sabse important cīz kyā hai? Our breath, we are breathing, so we are alive. Our prāṇa is most important, and this prāṇa, this oxygen, our breath.” So Bhagavān asks, “Because of whom am I alive? Main sāṅs neh rahā, main jindā hūṁ, merī sāṅs kyā hai? Meri breathing kya hai? My breathing is the sand.” The Lord exalts the glory of the saints to the highest extent: “Swayam santon kī mahimā ko itnā ūñchā uṭhāte hain, yeh sant log hamārī prāṇ hain, aur yeh sant log ham se itnā prem karte hain, din-rāt hamārī nām kī chanting karte hain, hamārī worship karte hain. Toh bas unse milne ke liye inch mein uṭavalā raitā hain. Mujh se bade hain na, yeh jab bhi mujhe pukaarte hain sant, jab jab pukaalenge, Bhagavān ko ānā patā hain. Antaryāmī garbhagat sant Sundarī Maa hain. Ek an ko pūjan chalo, doī pūjan. Jai Swāmījī ne kahā hai, jaise koī pregnant lady hai, aap usko agar bhojan karate ho, to uskī bheetar jo ek bachchā hai. Uska apne āp poṣaṇ ho jātā hai, Bhagvān kehte hain. To yeh sant hai, nā? Yeh pregnant lady kī tarah hai, jinke bhītar main śiśarūp main rehtā hai. Santon kī sevā karo, santon kī pūjā karo, Bhagvān kī pūjā apne āp ho jāyegī, because these are also the lives of God.” Thus, God says that in response to the call of the saints, for the saints and the Sadguru, He will descend to the earth. Lord Kṛṣṇa tells His close friend Uddhava, “Saints are very close to my heart. I always follow the dust of their feet, because even that dust purifies me.” Kṛṣṇa kehte hain, “Main bhi santon kī feet sand se swayam ko pavitra karatam.” I purify myself with the dust of the Guru’s feet. “Unke charan raj, jo hamaare man ko pavitra karti hai.” Following the saints, loving the saints—this is the simplest path to attaining God. “Ye Bāt, Svayaṃ Bhagavān Kapil Kapil Gītā Mein Kehate Hain.” And there is no other way. “Kyunki, ye sansār aisā hai, jisme anek tareke ke mārg hai. Vyakti, yadi khud koshish kare to bhaṭak saktā hai.” If a person tries to approach God alone, he may wander and get lost. So what is the complete, correct path? The Guru will indicate it. That is why the importance of saints is paramount. Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, “On the strength of those saints, to love them, to grant them darśan, and to purify myself through them—I wish to purify myself, and therefore I shall bring the incarnation.” Part 4: The Descent of the Lords and the Birth of Śrī Rādhā The Lord said, "Look, all you Gods, you must also take incarnation along with me. O Brahmājī, these Kāmadevas will come as my sons. Brahmājī, you become their son, and Nirodha is the incarnation of Brahmājī. You become their son. Śaṅkarjī, you also take an incarnation. Dharmarāja, you become Yudhiṣṭhira. Vāyu, you become Bhīma. Indra, you have to become Arjuna. Aśvinī Kumār, Nakula Sahadeva, Bhūmī Satyabhāmā, Mahālakṣmī Rukmiṇī, Jāmbavatī Pārvatī, Lakṣmaṇa Tulasī, Lajjā Devī Bhadrā, Gaṅgā Jī, He Kevalam He Kevalam... He Kevalam, why are you worrying like that? You are going to be fine. You are going to be unconscious? What is the reason?" Rādhā Jī said, "If you leave me and those people, how will I live without you? I cannot live even for a moment without you. How will I live?" Bhagavān said, "Where am I going to leave you? At this time, we have to take our complete form, and then you also have to come with me to the earth." Rādhā Jī said, "I have a condition. I can walk on earth only when Vṛndāvana goes with me, when Yamunā goes with me, when Girirāja goes with me. I cannot live without Vṛndāvana." That is why Rādhā Jī did not leave Vṛndāvana. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Without Vṛndāvana, Rādhājī does not exist, and without Rādhā, there is nothing in Vṛndāvana. Mother, no one asks about Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavān said, "Don’t worry, Rādhā Rānī. When you have to go to the earth, you will have to go with Vṛndāvana, Yamunā, and Girirāja as well." So Bhagavān said to his 84 cows, "The land of Goloka, Goloka Dhām, you also go to the earth." Where many cows live happily, that is called Vraj. At that time, this land area was worth billions upon billions of cows. Millions of cows used to live there. Bhagavān said, "In this land area, those who have cows, those who have more than a million cows, they will be called Nandrai." Among those Nandrai, one of the Vasus was named Droṇa. Vasu means the king of wealth. Those who live under Kubera are called the eight Vasus. One of the eight Lords of Wealth was Droṇa, and his wife was Dhara. He had served cows for years. The cow of Brahma was Bahulā. He had served that Bahula cow. Brahmājī blessed him with his influence. When you serve cows, there is no difference between a cow and a saint. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā No one can pay the price for it. There is only one price for it: that is the attainment of Govinda, the darśana of the Kaniyas. Those who have served the cow without any poison have met the Kaniyas. They have met them in today’s age. And we have seen, in our neighborhood, there is a temple of God. There used to live a very innocent animal-like person. His name was Dhanna. He used to serve the cow every day, and he served the cow in such a way that there was no difference between the cow and himself. He used to feed the cow and then eat himself. He used to say, "This cow is our mother. When we drink its milk, is there any difference between a mother and her child?" He served the cow with great love and drank only its milk. We always saw such divine peace and happiness on his face. Whenever he came to our ashram, he would look at Bhagavān's photo and say, "Arre, ye toh abhī yāṁ khaḍā, abhī toh mere pās khel rahā thā." Toh pehle toh uski baatoṁ ko sunkar hasī ātī thī, ki ye aise hī keh rahā hai. Lekin jo wākai mē uskī svarūp ko dekhā, aur bād mē jo samajh mē āyā, toh gāī kī sevā karte karte, wo aisā siddh ho gayā thā, ki Govind uske sāth khelte the. Kṛṣṇa Kaṇaiyā pratyakṣ uske sāth khelte the, uske sāth bāt karte the. Usko aise anubhūti hotī thī. Toh jo gāī kī sevā kartā, he does not have to call Kaniyyā, they come on their own. These Vasus and their wives performed such service to the cows of Brahmaloka that Brahmājī said, "You will receive the good fortune of witnessing the childhood pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa." The complete God, Lord Kṛṣṇa, will play in your lap, will play in your courtyard. What could be a better reward for such service? Nandrayā Vahue Jilke Pāz Karot Se Jāda Padma Jāti Kī Gaye Thi, Unke Adhi Naunand Hue, Naupanand Hue. Iske Bādh Jo Nandī Vaṅś Kā Pālan Karte The, Vo Vraṣhabhānu Hue, Yānī Jo Vraṣhab Kā Pālan Karte, Vraṣhaba Anu, Vraṣhaba Ke Pīche Jo Cale, Gayeon Ke Pīche Cale. And Vṛṣabha, Anu Vṛṣabha, plus Anu equals Vṛṣabhānu, meaning one who follows behind the bulls, the oxen—one who follows behind the bulls is called Vṛṣabhānu. So at Rādhārāṇī’s place, there were crores of Nandīs, bulls, and because He raised them, He is called Vṛṣabhānu Vār. There were two villages. Ek Tha Gokul Jahan Gaay Rehti Thi, Uske Raja Nandarai Ji, Ek Jahan Yeh Sab Nandi Rehte The, Vrashabh Rehte The, Wo Tha Rawal Uske Raja Vrishbhanu Var Aur Unke Adhinast Chhe Ye Post Thi Nand Aur Vrishbhanu Ye Post Thi Nand Jiske Pas Gaya Jada Ho Vrishbhanu Jiske Pas Sand Jada In Nandav Ke Adhinast Nau Nand, Nau Panand Aur Unke Adhinast Chhe Vṛṣbhānu Gaur The Bhagavān Ne Kahā Sabse Pahle Mein Gāon Mein Krīḍā Karungā He Rādhā Rānī Tum Rāval Mein Avatār Lenā Tum Usse Pahle Avatār Logī. This is Rāval village near Gokul. Here are Vṛṣbhānujī and Kīrtī Māiyyā, in whose hands our Rādhā Rānī was born. Who were they? Śrī Kṛṣṇa tells their story first. This Vṛṣbhānujī was a very great and wealthy king. His son was Suchanda. Suchanda’s wife’s name was Kālavatī. She was the daughter of the king. She had three sisters: Menā Jī, Menā Jī, and Kālavatī Jī Sunainā Jī married Janaka Jī, where Sītā Jī appeared. Menā Jī married Himālaya, where Pārvatī Jī appeared. Pārvatī Jī’s mother is thus Rādhā Jī’s maternal aunt, in a way, from a previous birth. Pārvatī Jī appeared there. So Kālavatī Jī felt that the divine grace had appeared simultaneously for both her sisters, and she said, "May I also get such an unparalleled, beautiful girl." See, in India, it is not that penance is always performed for the attainment of sons. Here, a daughter is also asked for. Kālavatī Jī had a wish in her heart that my divine child should perform divine acts herself. She is my very beautiful daughter. When the time came, Suchanda Jī handed over the burden of the kingdom to his sons. And as is our tradition here: first, remain in brahmacarya and study, then enter household life, then go to the forest, and finally take sannyāsa. So, Suchanda Jī came to the forest with his wife and began performing penance. Brahmā Jī was pleased with his penance and appeared. Suchanda Jī had no desire in his mind, so he said, "I don’t want anything; I want Mokṣa." I wish to attain the supreme position. I have no desires in my mind. Brahmājī said, "Very well, you will attain the supreme position, you will attain Brahma Loka." Then Kālavatī Jī stopped and thought, "Even if he has no desires, my desires are not dead." Prabhu Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhujī Dīp Karatā He Kevalam Then this same Suchanda Jī appeared in Vraja as Prajñānu, and Kālavatī Jī appeared in Kannauj. The king of Kannauj was Bhanandana. Thus, she appeared as his daughter in the city of Kannauj. He only desired to have a divine child in his mind, and so she was born from the Yajña Kuṇḍa, because she is the mother of the divine. In Kannauj, there was no suitable place for cows and cattle; it was also a cave-like area under Bhanandana Jī. So all this relates to Rādhā Kuṇḍa. Near Govardhana is Mukherī village. So they came from Kannauj to that Mukherī. Kīrtimaiyā lived there, and Nandabābā arranged the marriage of Kīrtimaiyā and Vṛṣabhānujī. Kīrtimaiyā then came from Mukherī to Rāval village. Inke pehle Śrī Dama ittyādī putra bhī paidā hue, lekin inko putroṁ meṁ koī jyādā prem nahīṁ thā. Inke man meṁ to putrī kī prāpti kī hī icchā thī. Inhoṁ ne apne kulguru, kul purohit, Bhagurī Ṛṣi se pūchā, jo inke priest the. Unkā nām thā Bhagurī Ṛṣi. Mujhe ek bahut sundar putrī cāhiye, maiṁ kyā karūṁ? To Bhāguri Ṛṣi ne kahā, tum Yamunā jī kī rōj sevā karo, Yamunā kī prārthanā karo. Yamunā, Gaṅgā aur Yamunā dono mahān haiṁ, in dono meṁ koī antar nahīṁ hai. Gaṅgā kā pānī hai... The feet of God, so who is Yamunā? Yamunā is the queen of God. This matter once went to the court of Akbar: "Is Gaṅgā good or is Yamunā good?" Now, who will make the decision? There was a lot of debate; everyone gave an argument, so A great saint from Vṛndāvan was called Jīva Gosvāmījī. He gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very... Good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very. Good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very. Good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī, gave a very good description of Gaṅgājī. So, your faith is very strong. You are a very faithful maid. So, it is important that your wife is important. Akbar said, "What kind of a faithful maid is she?" What kind of maid is she who is going to do the best work? She will be a maid, a servant, but my wife is just like me. All the rights of my wife are the same as the rights of my wife. Jī Goswāmī Jī said, "This is the difference between Yamunā and Gaṅgā." Gaṅgājī is the daughter of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Yamunājī is his closest wife. That is why Yamunā Jī, who can give, no one else can give. Yamunā Jī has a lot of power. She is the daughter of Sūrya, then the wife of Kṛṣṇa, and then the sister of Yamarāja. See, she is the daughter of Sūrya. So Sūrya is the witness of everyone. Yamunā is the daughter of the Sun and the sister of Yamarāja. Everyone fears Yamarāja, right? They think, "If we commit any sin, Yamarāja will punish us." And Yamarājī, Yamarāja’s sister, Sūrya’s daughter, and Kṛṣṇa’s wife, therefore she has many rights. She can recommend someone to Yamarāja, she can recommend someone to Sūrya. Yes, one can make a recommendation to Kṛṣṇa. It is said that Queen Yamunā performed the worship and meditation of Yamunā Māiyā. Kīrti Māiyā would daily offer a stream of milk into the Yamunā, she would offer chonar to the Yamunā. And by the grace of Yamunā Māiyā, a time came when Kīrti Māiyā became pregnant, she became pregnant. To Roj Jaakar Yamuna Kī Pūjā Karti Hāth Joṛh Joṛh Kar Prārthanā Karti, Ab To Mujhe Vah Pyārī Sī Lālī Kā Darśan Karā Do. Now there should be some girl like me, like my sisters had in their previous births. I tried again and again, and one day she came. It was the day of Bhādrapada Śukla Aṣṭamī. Bhādrapada Śukla Aṣṭamī. That day, Kīrti Māyā was in a lot of pain. She could not go to Yamunā for darśana. So she told her husband, "The veneration and worship on my behalf, you have to do all those occupations today." Aaj mujhe kuch kaṣṭ jyādā lag rahā hai, us samay Vṛṣbhānu jī Yamunā kā darśan karne gaye. Subah kā samay thā, prabhāt kāl kā samay. Us kā aruṇ prakāś, us kā jo ek pink light hotī, vo chār aur phail rahī thī, aur us kā reflection Yamunā ke us water mein dikhāī de rahā thā. Yamunā kal kal kartī beh rahī thī, padā sundar dṛśya thā. Aur usme unho ne tairtī huī ek bahut baḍe lotus ko dekhā, jiskī bahut sārī choṭī choṭī paṅkhaṛiyāṁ thīṁ. A great lotus was floating on the water of River Yamunā. Jo kamal wo lotus unke pās āyā, khelā. Us Lotus Me Unho Ne Ek Bohot Pyaari Choti Si Kanya Ko Dekha. Ekdom Gori Gori, Jaise Sona Chamak Raha Ho, Peela Peela Sona. Usko Tapa Diya Jai, The Gloring Gold. Unka Rang Aisa Gora Tha, Aisa Khubsurat Tha, Jaisi Tapa Hua Sona, Glorified Gold. And, seeing that the little girl had kept her eyes closed, Vishwagurujī was very pleased. That girl showed him her true form, the sixteen-year-old delicate maiden, of whom Rādhā Rānī had spoken. Kālāvatījī’s wish was that, just as daughters were bestowed upon my sisters, may I also receive one. To fulfill her wish, Main, Swayam Golok kī Adhiṣṭhātrī, the Goddess of Golok, Kṛṣṇa kī Prāṇa Vallabhā, aaj āpke aṅgan mein āyī ho. Āp Sucand the, vo Kalāvatī thī. Āpko āpkī pūrjanam kī smṛti karāte ho. Choti si lali ko ono ne dekha, godh me uthaya, to uska jo tej tha, ono me vilin ho gaya. Khush hote ve ghar paunche, unke us tejasvi swaroop ko dekha. Sari ghatna ono ne Kirti Maiya ko batai, to Kirti Maiya prasanna ho gai, "Aaj meri garbh me brahmāṇḍ kī adhiṣṭhātrī virajman hai." Unkā Tejasvī Swarūp Chamakne Lagā, Brahmā Jī, Śaṅkar Jī. Radhā Rāṇī was celebrated in Rāval village. All the deities came, and all the Brajwāsīs were gathered. There were no celebrations in Braj Maṇḍal before this because there were no children of Nandrayā. That is why people used to hesitate in celebrating any celebration. We have a king because there was unity in such celebrations. Everyone used to live in harmony. We have Nandraya. Purījī, Purījī... And there was such a big celebration. What was there in Raj? Milk, curd, ghee, there were crores of cows, so milk splashed on each other, curd splashed, butter splashed. This is called Dadi Kandha Ustha. A lot of milk, curd, ghee was splashed, so much milk, curd, ghee was splashed that from Rawal. To Vṛndāvana, to Allāhābād, to Prayāg, all of Yamunā was filled with milk; so much milk was splashed. Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā... Now we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t. Anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this, we don’t have anything like this. He was a very religious person, with deep faith in God. He would perform bhajans day and night. So he asked his guru, Gargācārya Jī, "With whom should we marry Devakī? She is so religious. Look, she has the nature of a girl. She has the nature of a girl. Just like that, she gets a husband. So she gets to live a good life. Our Devakī is completely religious. She is religious. So, her husband should also have such a spiritual mentality. If both have the same mentality, then both can live happily. And if the mentality does not match, then it leads to disturbance, divorce, and problems arise. That is why our father worries that we should find a husband who is worthy of our daughter’s qualities. How can we get her married to a suitable person, Gargācārya Jī? Now, please see and tell us." He was a very great astrologer. He said, "Look, you have married six of your daughters to Vāsudeva Jī. Vasudeva Jī is the best person in the entire Yādava family. Even though she is the seventh daughter-in-law, she is much younger than them. Still, you should get her married to Vāsudeva Jī. If Devakī and Vāsudeva are married, it will be very beneficial for the world." The first six sisters of Vāsudeva Jī who were married had no children. Rohiṇī Jī was the eldest; Rohiṇī, Pulo Mazar, Kīrtī, etc., were their names. So it was said that when Devakī is married, she will have a divine child who will bless the whole world. It is very important that the marriage of Vāsudeva and Devakī be arranged for the welfare of all the world. He will be blessed by the whole world. This is not just because Devakī will get a suitable husband, but because the entire world will receive a great leader who will solve everyone’s problems. With the permission of Gargācārya Jī, the marriage of Vāsudeva and Devakī was arranged. Ugrasena Jī had only one son, Kaṁsa; he had no daughters. So Kaṁsa loved his cousin Devakī very much. Kaṁsa lovingly participated in that wedding. Part 5: The Birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa: Divine Descent, Yoga, and Celebration He had arranged the wedding, and when the wedding was over, he was about to leave. He seated Devakī on the chariot to take her to her in-laws’ home. We had to take birth in the house of Vāsudeva and Devakī, and they were still sitting in the passenger’s car. Their life was about to begin, and that chariot is called Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa is a symbol of pride; it is a symbol of self‑esteem. If there is so much pride, then ego and pride are things that will disturb married life. Āpas meṁ ego nahīṁ honā chāhie, sacrifice honā chāhie, devotion honā chāhie. Kaṁsa is a symbol of ego and pride. Bhagavān said, “Nahīṁ, nahīṁ, yeh hamāre mātā‑pitā ke rat ko nahīṁ hakegā.” Then another thought came into Bhagavān’s mind: “Hum agar binā mātā ā jāyeṅge to... Vāsudevjī, humko Mathurā meṁ hī rakhenge, hum Vraj kaise jāyeṁ?” Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to go to the village Vraj. How was it possible? Jab ākāśavāṇī ho, the voice of the sky. It would not have been possible without that. Had there been no Ākāśavāṇī, why would Vāsudevajī send them to Gokul? He would have kept them there. That is why God sent a message through Ākāśavāṇī. A voice from the sky spoke, and a message was received through it: “He Kaṁsa! Hey fool! The eighth child of the one whose chariot you are pulling will be your death. The eighth child of Devakī will kill you.” Just as this Ākāśavāṇī released the horses’ reins from Kaṁsa’s hands, he seized Devakī’s ankle. If Devakī lives, her child will kill me. “I will go in to kill Devakī. If I kill Devakī, then where will the child come from?” So Vāsudevajī said, “This is wrong.” What kind of lover is Kaṁsa? What kind of love does he have for his sister? Until now he was loving his sister deeply, and he was drawing her chariot by his own effort. And as soon as his own security is mentioned, all his love disappears. Look—evil people, demons, vices—their love is only this much. As long as everything is fine, they will show love. The moment there is a threat to their own safety, to their own security, all their relationships break and everything is abandoned. Everything is left; he is even ready to kill the very person for whom he was showing love. “Main tumhe hī mār ḍālūṅgā, to tumhārā āṭhvā beṭā kahāṁ se āyegā?” Vāsudevajī checked him: “Nahīṁ.” Because what is a husband? It is like Vāsudeva—a husband who cares and dares for his wife. Vo hameśā apnī wife kī care kare, uske protection kare, aur uske lie koī bhī dare lene ko tyār ho jāye—caring and daring. These are the basic nature and qualities of a husband. Ek husband kī yehī qualities honī chāhie, vo hameśā care kare, and to protect her, get ready to take any dare. He protects her; that is why he is called a husband. He always protects her and gives her shelter. It is not that he will only use her, because a woman is not an object of use. She is an object of worship, a thing of adoration, a thing of love. The relationship between woman and man is based on adoration. And our holy grantha presents this relationship on the basis of love. Vāsudeva said, “No, you are not going to kill Devakī. Devakī is not harmful to you; her children are harmful to you. Then I will give you all the children—jo bhī bacche hamāre hoṅge, main tumhe de dūṅgā.” But when Devakī was left, “I am afraid of children, afraid of children, so I will bring all the children and give them”—but Devakī was left. See, Vāsudevajī did not say that we will not give birth to children, because Vāsudevajī had faith in the words of God. Our eighth child will be born, and he will kill Kaṁsa, and we have to wait for that time. We have to endure. Waiting is the great thing for attaining God. There should be a capacity to wait, and with that capacity one can achieve God. Without waiting, we do not get God. Śabarī jaisī pratikṣā ho, Mīrā jaisī pratikṣā ho, sahanśīlatā ho, to God milte hain. Devakī had that quality—that endurance, that waiting. The first child was born. In accordance with the word Vāsudevajī had given, he took that first child to Kaṁsa. When Kaṁsa saw it, mercy grew in his heart—Kaṁsa had no child, uske koī santān nahīṁ thī, to usko lagā ki tabhī choṭā baccā hai, a child cannot kill me. So he released the first child out of mercy. Nāradajī thought that if mercy arises in the mind of a person like Kaṁsa, then let us see how long this mercy will last. This mercy was not to be left; Nāradajī inspired him to test it. He just wanted to test his mercy, to examine how long it lasts. So he went and asked Kaṁsa, “Kaṁsa, how are you? Is everything fine? Did Devakī have any child or not?” Kaṁsa replied, “Devakī has just had one child, but I have no danger from the first child, so I left him.” Nāradajī said, “How foolish you are! You are that illusion of Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is the god of illusion. Viṣṇu is expert at creating illusion—don’t you know? At the time of Amṛt‑Manthan, He took the form of Mohinī. It was He who became Mohinī, and you all were covered. He did not give you Amṛt; He placed you in illusion. So for the demons, Viṣṇu is the God of Illusion. You have come to know His ways. The first can be the eighth, the eighth can be the first.” He threw Vāsudeva and Devakī into prison, into a kārāgṛha, and snatched their first child—a tiny, beautiful newborn. He flung it against the wall. As soon as he threw it against the wall, it fell down dead. Devakī kept weeping and staring at the lifeless body. Kaṁsa killed the six children of Devakī before her very eyes. She kept gazing at the wall where there were stains of her red blood. Six sons were killed, and the seventh son was killed at the same time. Lord Mahānanda Śeṣanātha came. This time He said, “We will go as your elder brother. In the incarnation of Rāma we came as the younger brother, so we could not do anything for you. So this time we will go as the elder brother.” Thus Lord Mahānanta, Śeṣanāga, came in the form of the seventh garbha. Bhagavān said to His power, to His māyā, to His Yogamāyā, “Balabhadra jī is the incarnation of Śeṣanāga. If he appears before Me in the prison, in the kārāgṛha, and Kaṁsa tries to kill him, then he will leave off Kaṁsa with his own venom and kill Kaṁsa. So My birth will happen later; Kaṁsa would die first. Therefore do this: you take him and go to Rohiṇī.” See, the concept of the surrogate mother has come from here. First he came in the womb of Devakī Mā, and from there Yogamāyā performed His Saṅkarṣaṇa. He was planted in the womb of Rohiṇī Mā. That is why the original mother was Devakījī, but He was born from the womb of Rohiṇījī. He was planted in her womb, and on the day of Bhādrapada Śukla Ṣaṣṭhī, Dāo Dādā was born in Vraj. Mooligaujī Mahārāj Jī Kī Jai. Now it is the time for celebration. First the birth of Rāī Dharani was celebrated, then the celebration of Balabhadra Jī. Now excitement in the mind of Nandarāya began to increase. When everyone was receiving divine children, the gods came here because they were planted in the womb of Rohiṇī Mā. Bhādrapada Śukla Ekādaśī arrived five days later. So Nandabābā could not understand this mystery. Then the gods came and told him that He is not an ordinary child; He is the incarnation of Śeṣanāga. Nandabābā also saw Him in the form of Mahā Ananta. All kinds of people saw how He holds the earth within Himself. They saw that ultimate idol. Now Nandarāya felt that his wish would also be fulfilled. See, Vṛṣabhānujī’s own Yoga‑Śakti, Rādhā Rānī, had appeared here. Rohiṇījī, who is my best friend, my special fast friend, Vāsudevajī’s wife—her last name has appeared here, so now it is my turn. Now there will be some grace here too. Now someone or the other will play here too. They lived in this bliss, they used to think day and night. This was Nanda Bābā’s routine. He used to wake up early in the morning, go for a bath in the Yamunā, and perform Sandhyā Vandana there. But now, when a desire had awakened in the mind, a person lives in his imagination. He keeps thinking. So one day he woke up a little late. He was just seeing such dreams; he had dreams in his mind, so he woke up a little late. He went to Yamunā‑tata, sat there, completed Sandhyā Vandana and his pūjā, and was coming back. He had gone so late, so everyone was busy with their work. All the Brāhmaṇas of the bridge—Nandabābā was a great devotee of Brāhmaṇas—he bowed down to all the Brāhmaṇas. All the Brāhmaṇas together blessed Nandabābā: “Dīya he Nandabābā, putra bhanvā he Nandabābā. Āpko bahut beautiful son mile. You must have a baby boy.” Jaisī āśīrvād milā, Nandabābā became very happy. “Brāhmaṇo kī vāṇī to kabhī asatya ho nahīṁ saktī.” Dekho, Nandabābā at that time was of a very advanced age; Yaśodā Māiyā bhī baḍī umra kī thī, but the Brāhmaṇas had said it, so kuch na kuch zarūr hogā. He went and told the matter to Yaśodā Māiyā. Yaśodā Māiyā bhī bahut prasanna hoī. Now all the Brāhmaṇas went to their priest, Śāṇḍilya Ṛṣi. He said, “The words have come out of my mouth. What will happen now?” Everyone said that we would perform some or the other anuṣṭhāna, some or the other prayer, so that a baby boy, a son, would be born to Nandabābā. Everyone performed the anuṣṭhāna of the Gopāla Mantra, and when the chanting of 18 crore Gopāla Mantras was completed, they performed the yajña. When the yajña was finished, on the last day of the yajña, everyone saw that there were many clouds in the sky. So many clouds—andherā sā honī lagā, darkness because of clouds. Usme se sabne dekhā, a flash, a divine light, a blue shining light became visible to all. When everyone saw that blue shining light, and then looked down from that light, they saw a very beautiful shape, a form within it. It was a little boy of more than two or three years, cloudy‑colored, Ghanashyām, his head adorned with peacock feathers, his hands adorned with peacock feathers, wearing a yellow kāchṇī and dancing. It was such a wonderful scene. As soon as it was seen, that scene became visible inside Nandabābā. Nandabābā began to shine so brightly, so brightly. Mahāprabhujī Kī Jai, Mahāprabhujī Kī Jai… Then, when Yaśodā Māiyā saw Him, He entered through her eyes, through eye contact. Bhagavān enters through two ways: through the eye and through the ear. Either He enters through the ears, or He enters through the eyes. Bhagavān does not enter through any other method. Yaśodā Māiyā was pregnant. At the same time, here Devakī Māiyā also carried the eighth garbha. The time came; she was no longer afraid of Kaṁsa. Her mind was happy. She always took the name of God; she was always happy. She had no fear in her mind that Kaṁsa would kill this child. She was free from all fear; she could see happiness all around her. She looked as beautiful as if Sarasvatī were in a prison. At the right time—Bhādrapada Kṛṣṇa Aṣṭamī, Bhādrapada Kṛṣṇa Aṣṭamī—Mahāprabhujī Kī Jai, Mahāprabhujī Kī Jai… Purījī, Purījī… Mahāprabhujī Kī Jai, Mahāprabhujī Kī Jai… The gods offered stuti and departed. The hour of midnight came—midnight time—jab candramā kā uday ho gayā thā, the moon was glowing in the sky; it was the darkness of midnight. It was Bhādrapada Kṛṣṇa Aṣṭamī. In the Candravanśa, Bhagavān’s manifestation took place. Candramā’s wife is Rātri, Niśā. This is why God was born in the night. It was exactly twelve o’clock, twelve o’clock at night. And in the kārāgṛha, God gave darśan to Devakī and Vāsudeva in the form of a wonderful child. He said, “Bālakṛṣṇa lāl kī.” Bhagavān gave darśan in the form of Goloka Bihārī, in the form of Dvibhuja, in the form of Muralīdhara, in the form of Pītāmbara Dhārī, in the form of Moramukuṭa Dhārī. Bhagavān told Vāsudeva and Devakī, “You were Praśnī in your previous birth, you were Sutapā, both of you prayed for me and asked for the boon of obtaining me in the form of a son. I fulfilled My boon. First I came as Praśnīgarbha, then you became Kaśyapa, then you became Aditi. Śrī Śrī…” Then there appeared a winnowing basket—a thing used to clean grain—that very thing appeared. In it they placed Bhagavān, and Vāsudevajī placed it on his head. When Bhagavān is on your head, what bondages can remain? All the chains fell away, all the fetters opened, all doors started opening—all the doors opened by themselves—and all the gatekeepers fell asleep by themselves; everyone slept by God’s grace. Vāsudevajī came out. It was raining, it was raining… Bhagavān’s caraṇ had to be touched; “I want to have darśan of my husband.” Bhagavān, from inside the basket, from that basket, extended one of His feet outside. The Yamunā surged forward, touched the foot, and then gave way. Vāsudevajī moved forward. In Gokul, too, all the people had fallen asleep under the influence of Bhagavān’s māyā; no one knew whether Bhagavān had come or not. Vāsudevajī, carrying Bhagavān, entered Nanda Mahal. Mahāprabhujī Kī Jai, Mahāprabhujī Kī Jai… The bonds that are tied—at that moment, in the kārāgṛha, the newborn girl began to cry. As soon as she cried loudly, word reached Kaṁsa that the eighth child had appeared. He came running and stumbling, opened the door. For the first time, Devakī saw him: “Re bhaiyā, kyā dekhte ho? Ye to choṭī sī kanyā hai. It is a baby girl, not a boy. Ye to be kyoṁ māregī?” But Kaṁsa did not listen. He snatched her from her lap and, just as he wanted to dash her against the wall, she slipped from his hand and appeared in the form of Aṣṭabhujā Devī—that is, Vindhyavāsinī. She appeared as Vindhyavāsinī and said, “He Kaṁsa, what will you kill me? The one who will kill you has reached a safe place. Kaṁsa, who are you to kill me? Who is your Kāla? He is now in a safe place. He has reached his safe place.” He was confused. Let him be confused. Let him be confused. And we all go to Gokul. Let us go to Gokul. In Gokul, it is morning. Yaśodā jī is asleep. She does not know yet. Bhagavān said, “We have come to Gokul, and no one knows.” We should know. Chāhie. Just as Bhagavān began to cry, Nanda Bābā’s sister, who is called Sunandā, came first. She saw a little child lying beside my bhābhī—ek choṭā sā pyārā sā śiśu merī bhābhī ke pās so rahā hai. The first darśan was Sunandā jī’s. She said, “Yaśodā jī se jāgo. Ariyo, Bhābhī, dekho to sahī.” And as Yaśodā jī woke up: “Arre, bacche kā janma bhī ho gayā, aur mujhe patā bhī nahīṁ chalā.” She took that tender, that dear, that dusky, that beautiful child into her lap. Sunandā jī became delighted; she showered garlands and pearls. She arrived at the cowshed. Because Nanda Bābā, first of all, would go and have darśan of the cows and serve the cows, so she reached the place where the cows were. “Bhaiyā, vaḍā sukhad samācār hai. It’s great news.” What is the great news? The great news is that our child has come. “Hamārā baccā ā gayā hai.” For the first time, the sound of a newborn was heard in Nanda Bhavana. Now he climbed onto a high terrace, a tall building, and from there he called out, “O Brajavāsīs, O Gāyās, O Gvālās, all of you listen, our Nanda Bābā has been blessed with a son. Congratulations to everyone.” This is a spiritual lecture about Yoga in the Indian tradition, the celebration of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s birth. Whenever Bhagavān’s birth takes place, such a celebration occurs. In Gokula, that celebration also occurred. The celebration continues until tomorrow. Kal bhī Nanda Utsav kā ānand leṅge. And Bhagavān’s beautiful, beautiful childhood pastimes—what did Bhagavān do in His childhood? He stole butter and all those things, and He killed all the demons. The entire mystery of these līlās will be presented here tomorrow. So, this celebration continues in our mind, in our heart. We are going with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Polival Kṛṣṇalāl Kī, Rādhāraṇī Sarkār Kī, Śrīmad Garg Saṅgh Ṭā Kī, Māmūnī Gāgācār Jī Mahārāj Kī, Sadgurudev Bhagavān Kī, Namaḥ Pārvatī Pate Har Har Mahādev.