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01 – Mangalacharana sung by H.H Radhanath maharaj.

02 Establishing the Spirit of Yatra

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

na bhetavyam kalakutad
vishaj jaladhi -sambhavat
lobhah karyo na vo jatu
roshah kamas tu vastushu

A poison known as kalakuta will be generated from the ocean of milk, but you should not fear
it. And when various products are churned from the ocean, you should not be greedy for them
or anxious to obtain them, nor should you be angry.

Purport by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

It appears that by the churning process many things would be generated from the ocean of
milk, including poison, valuable gems, nectar and many beautiful women. The demigods were
advised, however, not to be greedy for the gems or beautiful women, but to wait patiently for
the nectar. The real purpose was to get the nectar.

Hare Krishna.

First I would like to…

First I would like to take this away… (Laughter)

Next I would like to welcome everyone.

Today we are beginning our yatra, following in the footsteps of Lord Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu.
Srila Prabhupada, our beloved Guru Maharaj, wrote the translations and purports to the first
canto of Srimad Bhagavatam in Sri Radha Damodar temple of Vrndavan Dham.
Could everyone hear? Haribol!!!
If you cannot hear raise your hands. If you're raising your hands then you must have heard.
(Laughter)
But there are people back there who cannot hear very well.
Everyone else could hear? Haribol!!!
Haribol!!!

With those three volumes of the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada boarded
the Jaladuta, the king George Dockyards of Calcutta, Friday the 13 th of August 1965. For
over 30 days he sailed on the cargo ship N.V Jaladuta.
When he came off the ship, in New York, at first he did not see anyone waiting for him. He
just walked forward in a strange land, alone with only 40 unchangeable rupees; he looked
right and left and walked forward.
Srila Prabhupada later said that he felt no fear because he was there in the order of his
Gurumaharaj, and he knew he had this box of Srimad Bhagavatams. It was his life mission to
translate the entirety of Srimad Bhagavatam, but suddenly, in the middle of his translation he
took on another project, he was hardly half way through the Srimad Bhagavatam when he
decided to write translations and purports to Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita by Srila Krishnadas
Kaviraj Goswami, because Srila Prabhupada considered it so very, very important. He did not
know how many more days Krishna would keep him in this physical world. He had already
written Krishna book, the summary study of the tenth canto of Bhagavatam, in case he were
to be taken away before he completed the entirety of this work. So how very important it was
to Srila Prabhupada?
Previously, one of the first books he translated in the western world was the teachings of Lord
Chaitanya. The essential instructions that Lord Chaitanya had given to Ramananda Ray,
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Sanatan Goswami, Srila Rupa Goswami, but the Lila and the vast treasure of the glories of
Lord Chaitanya were unknown to the western world.
17 volumes were completed and he instructed his disciples to transcribe, edit, proof-read,
paint all the illustrations, and publish within 2 months.
Rameshwar Prabhu, who was then the head of BBT, in Los Angeles, told Srila Prabhupada
that if we really work hard we can complete one volume every 2 months. Srila Prabhupada
ordered, "I want all 17 volumes complete in 2 months".

Mukam karoti vachalam pangum langhayate girim yat-kripa tam aham vande shri-gurum dina-
taranam.
For one who has faith in the mercy of Sri Guru, even if lame can cross over mountains, even
if dumb can speak eloquent verses, and even blind men can see the farthest starts in the sky.
This was personified when the devotees unified, worked together, 24 hour shifts, they
performed the impossible.
In the Madhya Lila of Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, it is described how Lord Chaitanya, in order
to deliver all kinds of living beings, without considering who was fit or unfit, commenced on a
journey to South India.
In Sri Rangam, we will discuss in some detail, Lord Chaitanya's travel and the incredible
pastimes He performed.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, he brought a large group of his disciples on a
pilgrimage, tracing the places where Lord Chaitanya visited, according to Chaitanya
Charitamrita. He lectured in each place and in many of the prime places Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Saraswati Thakur installed footprints of Lord Chaitanya to honour His visit to there.
In our last South India Yatra we began where Lord Chaitanya's South Indian tour is first
explained, at Kurmukshetra.
From there we went to Simhachalam, Vishakapatnam, then travelled to Vidyanagar, which is
today called Rajmundri, and the specific place, Kavoor, where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
spoke with Sri Ramananda Ray and there revealed the highest treasures of spiritual truths.
Then following Lord Chaitanya's footprints, we went to Mangala Giri in Vijayvada, the banks
of the Krishna River, then to Ahovalam, visiting the various mountains and valleys, having
darshan of the nine forms of Lord Nrsimhadeva. And then we concluded our Yatra in Tirupati.
So we covered the principal places of Lord Chaitanya's travels in Andhra Pradesh.

In this Yatra, we will follow Lord Chaitanya's footprints, of course we're travelling by buses,
because most of you do not have the time to go the traditional route with bare feet and we will
cover the primary places of Tamil Nadu. We were suppose to start in Kanchipuram, but our
very, very dear and gracious friend, Revati Raman Prabhu, the temple president of Tirupati,
invited us to come here with so much emotion and devotion that it was very difficult to say no.
So we are beginning our Yatra today in Tirupati. Haribol!!!

From here, day after tomorrow, we will go to Kanchipuram, then the birthplace of Sripad
Ramanujacarya. Next we will visit Sri Rangam, the largest temple in all of India, the
headquarters of the Sri Sampradaya, the place that Lord Chaitanya resided for 4 months
during Catur Masya. Then we will visit, possibly, Thanjor, and Rameshwaram, Setu Banda,
and for those of you who would like to walk we will go to Dhanush Tirtha.
In Chaitanya Charitamrita, Prabhupada writes that one who bathes in Dhanush Tirtha never
takes birth in this material world again. Haribol!!!

I bathed there before but I must have done something wrong so I am going to try again.
(Laughter)
Then we will go to Madurai, where the Meenakshi and Sundarisvara temples are, where Lord
Chaitanya met Ramdas and at that place our Yatra will officially end. But the Brahamacaris,
whatever Brahamacaris wish to come, will continue for another Yatra to Kanyakumari, Cape
Comorin, and to the Adhi keshava temple, where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu discovered the
Brahma Samhita, and then we will travel to Trivandram, the Ananta Padmanabha temple,
then we return to our respective places.

Advaita Acharya, he said to Lord Chaitanya, "Wherever You place Your lotus feet that is
Vrndavan".
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So by remembering the beautiful pastimes and teachings of Lord Chaitanya, following in the
footsteps of the great Acharyas we can achieve, by their mercy, the greatest treasures of
Prema-bhakti. that is our only aim.
I am especially grateful to the devotees of Radha Govinda temple, here in Tirupati, for making
such amazing arrangements to welcome us. In fact, in all our Yatras for so many years, I do
not believe we have been welcomed so graciously and enthusiastically as we have here in
Tirupati. Haribol!!!
Do you all enthusiastically agree? Haribol!!!
Thank you.

It is such a heart melting experience to see the project that they are developing, I heard
about it, I saw photos, but I did not dream that it would be so glorious. Wonderful temple,
amazing Govindas' restaurant and their BBT godown is bigger than practically the entire
Radha Gopinath projects. (Laughter)
They are so enthusiastic to distribute Srila Prabhupada's books and guesthouse, so many
rooms, and they are beautiful rooms. And they are actually functionable and clean. Something
very rare in Bharat Varsha. And I saw their school and Goshalla, wonderful projects, and the
temple that they are building from the inside and outside it is without doubt, in my heart, one
of the most glorious, magnificent projects in all the world, being offered to the lotus feet of
Srila Prabhupada. Haribol!!!
And for this we are eternally grateful to His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj, His
Holiness Bhakti Svarupa Damodar Swami Maharaj, for inspiring these devotees, where they
are getting the funds. And they have no designers; the devotees themselves are designing
everything. It's really a miracle on earth that this temple is being built.
But a temple is only as effective as the people living inside the temple, because the great
acharyas, Ramanuja, Madhva, the Goswamis, they established their temples to be like
spiritual universities, places to associate with sadhus, holy men. And in that association we
learn who is the deity, how to approach the deity, and what is the ultimate perfection of life,
sambhanda, abhideya, prayojana. In the association of devotees we learn how to establish
our relationship with Krishna. By understanding who He is, and who are we? And how to act
according to that relationship, according to the 9 processes of devotional service. And by
doing so our hearts become purified, and in the ultimate goal of life, prayojana, where love of
God is realized. So we are very, very grateful and amazed by what the devotees are doing
here. These special effects are meant to keep you awake in my…because I have no power to
do so on my own.
I would like to welcome to our Yatra, some of Srila Prabhupada's beloved disciples, who have
so kindly joined us today. We have with us, His Holiness Chandramauli Swami Maharaj.
Haribol!!!
And we have our old and dear friend, His Grace Nityodita Prabhu. Haribol!!!
The list of names just flew away.
And a very senior disciple of Prabhupada, who has served him in India for many years, His
Grace Yadhavacharya Prabhu. Haribol!!!

And a very old friend of mine, who I have not seen in 33 years, we were both Brahmacaris
together. When I lived in India, I never saw any ISKCON temples. In Vrndavan, the land was
not even procured yet when I had to leave. In Bombay when I was there, there was no
temple, no deities. So on my way back to the west, the first temple I had a chance to live in, of
Srila Prabhupada's, was in Amsterdam. And I was a very strange person to them; they were
all very classical ISKCON devotees. The men had shaved heads and dhotis, and the ladies
had saris, there was only a few devotees there. It was in the heart of the red light district,
which means it's the area where the prostitutes do their business.
And I was something very strange, coming from India, but they were very kind to me, and
especially one particular devotee. We were both not initiated but then I left after about a
month and went to America. And soon after he got initiated and Srila Prabhupada gave him
the name Haribol Ananda Dasa. Haribol!
Is Haribol Ananda Prabhu here?
It was last night was the first I saw him in 33 years.
Let us welcome him and his family to our Yatra. Haribol!!! Haribol!!! Haribol!!!
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So during this pilgrimage there are certain principles that we try to follow because most of the
people here are householders or students with various duties to perform in this world, and
hopefully you are all performing your sadhana very carefully in your homes, and regularly
visiting and performing seva at Prabhupada's temples. The special blessing of these yatras is
the opportunity to be away from everything, no domestic duties, no occupational duties, no
computers, hopefully no cell phones. Just to be for the next 2 weeks in the association of
Vaisnavas, where our only purpose is to hear the glories of the Lord, to chant the Holy Names
of the Lord, to develop intimate loving relationships with the Vaisnavas, to see the holy places
of the Lord's pastimes, to take the dust of those places upon our heads, to pray for the
causeless mercy of the acharyas and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and to honour
Krishna's Prasad. That is all. So during this Yatra let us make a resolution, individually and
collectively, no prajalpa, no gossip, no discussing the mundane things of this world, all of that
if you ever have to do it again is waiting for you, back in Bombay or wherever you have come
from.
But we have come to totally absorb our consciousness, absolutely, in purifying our hearts,
through Vaisnava seva, Hari katha and Hari kirtan. And some austerities will be, I believe
there's over 2000 devotees on this Yatra, and we're going to many places, each place we
have to get new place to live, and new venue for Prasad, we have to find places for the
lectures, we'll be driving in over 40 buses, so some patience, that is called tapasya, we
should be cheerful, joyful, whatever inconvenience we should neutralise any sufferings by
taking shelter of the Holy Names of the Lord. Queen Kunti prayed, 'Vipadah santu tah sasvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro'- 'Let calamities come again and again, because whatever calamities do
come I remember You, and in remembering You I do not have to see birth and death ever
again.' So tapasya means suffering for a higher purpose and tapo divyam putraka yena
sattvam- it is the very purpose of human life to perform tapasya, because through such
tapasya we experience the highest happiness. So yes, at time where we have to wait or
things are not going our way, or not coming according to our plans, that is greatest blessing
and opportunity to take shelter of the Holy Name and be purified.

In this Yatra, let us be in a very prayerful mood. Tomorrow, a special, spontaneous schedule
has been made for those of you who have not heard, we are all going to the top of the hill to
Tirumala and at 9 o' clock we are given special darshan of Sri Venkateshwara. Haribol!!!
Now I am going to tell you something that for those who know the inside story you will be
amazed. For those of you who don't someday you will.
Dr Alva is a trustee of Tirupati temple. Every Friday for the whole year he gives a new,
beautiful silk dress for Balaji. He has given beautiful crowns and the effulgence behind Balaji,
made of gold was donated by him. And he is the personal doctor for almost all the pujaris.
And therefore he could arrange amazing special favours that no one else can do. So because
it's the Christmas time, big rushes will be coming to see Balaji. So we asked Dr Alva if he
could arrange for 2000 devotees to get in without having to wait in line for 24 hours, and he
said it was not possible. He said it was not possible. 2000 people, he said, is too much. "I
cannot get them a special darshan". So we sent a message to Revati Raman Prabhu and in
so many words asked him if he could do it, and even Dr Alva said it's impossible, no one
could do it, but he worked very hard for many days, and met many people and Revati Raman
Prabhu has arranged all 2000 devotees to go right into Balaji's temple to have darshan
tomorrow at 9'o clock. Haribol!!!
Some mystic power, it must be the same power in which he's building this magnificent temple.
Now part 2 of this benediction is for those of you who are young and strong or old and strong
we will be walking up the mountain tomorrow. Haribol!!!
For those of you who are not in those 2 categories then please take bus because we do have
to be there by 9 'o clock. So if you are old and you walk slow you will not make it by 9' o clock.
It takes approximately 4 hours if we walk fast, and it is all uphill and many of the places are
very, very steep, although there is step and for those of you who decide to come it is the rule
that you come without shoes, with bare feet, and in this way we will be leaving at 4'o clock in
the morning tomorrow, and we should be arriving by about 8'o clock, and we will meet all of
our brothers and sisters who take buses and then we will have the blessed darshan of Sri
Venkateshwara.
So just so we get some idea, raise both of your hand, if you plan to make the pilgrimage by
foot tomorrow? Haribol!!!
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How many of you have already walked to the top of the hill from the bottom in the past?
Especially I would like to welcome all of the assembled devotees to our Yatra.
Today's verse is Lord Vishnu speaking to the demigods. He has already instructed them of
how to regain the lost treasures of their lives. Ah I am sorry; there is one more disciple of Srila
Prabhupada that is here, our very dear God sister Nartaki Devi Prabhu. Let us welcome her.
Haribol!!!

So the Lord is explaining that you have lost the great treasure of your original homes, you
have been conquered by the powers of the demons, and you have no strength, no strength at
all to defeat them. So best to make a truce and churn the ocean of milk with the objective of
churning nectar. He goes on to explain what will happen when you start churning, "Many
things will come out; you cannot either be elated or disturbed by any of them. There will be
poison, such a deadly poison, but do not be discouraged. Do not let it dampen your
enthusiasm. Although it is a power that has, it is a poison that has the power to destroy all life
in the entire universe, deadly! And there will also be even more dangerous things than most
poison, beautiful jewels, great wealth, beautiful women, do not be distracted! Because if you,
in any way, become distracted to any of those things, you will not get the nectar."
Rupa Goswami, he wrote Bhakti-Rasamrta-Sindhu, that love of God, pure devotional service
is like an unlimited ocean of nectar, that is the real nectar that we are seeking.
Anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam, that true nectar that we are
always hankering for is loving devotional service to Krishna, Who is the all-attractive object of
everyone's love. And the path of bhakti is similar to the churning of the ocean of milk. The
churning of our hearts.
Nitya- siddha kṛṣṇa -prema ' sādhya' kabhu naya śravaṇādi-śuddha -citte karaye udaya.
Pure love of God is within the heart of every living being, but it has been forgotten since time
immemorial, but by practising the nine-fold principles of bhakti in the association of devotees
then that nectar of love of God is awaken within the hearts. Lord Chaitanya was asked by
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, of the nine processes of devotional service, which is most
important?
And Lord Chaitanya responded that the chanting of the Holy Names – kirtan.
Because in this age of kali, by simply chanting the holy names of the Lord offencelessly, we
can achieve the perfection of all the other eight processes of bhakti Harer nama harer nama
harer nama eva kevalam kalau nasteva nasteva nastera gatir anyatha.
Therefore there is no other way in this age of Kali than the chanting of the names of Hari. So
we are chanting Krishna's names, we are associating with the devotees, we are worshipping
the deities, we are following regulative principles, we are hearing Hari-katha and reading from
Srila Prabhupada's books to clean our hearts, and taste that nectar, that nectar of devotion.
But what happens when we follow this practice of bhakti? Many distractions will come in our
way to test us. In herein Krishna is warning that things may come that may horrify you, that
may threaten to crush your faith into fine powder, and other situations may come upon you
that are so very pleasing, that which you never had, pleasures beyond our imagination that
may be available to us. B rahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati. But we
should neither be attracted nor should we be averse unnecessarily to anything, neither
hankering nor lamenting, we must keep our consciousness focused on our goal, this is all-
important. If we want to achieve the fulfilment of devotional service, it does not happen
automatically.
Vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru -nandana bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo
'vyavasāyinām
Krishna tells us, those who are on this path, they are resolute in purpose, and their aim is
one. The intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.
So yes, things come; horrible situations that we could have never dreamt of can come upon
us. But we cannot be diverted, we cannot lose our faith or our enthusiasm, and so many
attractions, amorous, enchanting opportunities may come upon us, wealth, beautiful women,
fame and followers, even liberation. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught us, na dhanam na janam
na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir
ahaituki tvayi. I am fixed, my goal in one. I do not want any amount of wealth, any wonderful
place to reside, any nice car to drive in, any big bank balance, I don't want it, it is a
disturbance nor do I want even the most beautiful, most accommodating enchanting ladies
who are willing to serve me throughout my life, or the opposite sex, we may say. I do not want
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followers, people who adore me, and give me the sense of popularity and fame. I do not want
even to be known as a scholar or poet, nor do I want liberation from sufferings in this world,
my fixed goal, my exclusive desire is to be Your unconditional servant, birth after birth after
birth. We hear about it, every day, but the fact is we must take it serious, we must exercise it,
we must put this principle into our life, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva
bhajamyaham. Because as we approach Krishna, He will reveal Himself accordingly. Maya
will present poison and superficial forms of material nectar, Krishna says tolerate it.
M ātrā -sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha -duḥkha- dāḥ āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāḿs
titikṣasva bhārata.
The non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress, honour and dishonour, pleasure
and pain, success, victory, success and failure, victory and defeat, they are all coming like the
winter and summer seasons, the poisons and the nectar of this world, learn to tolerate them.
Tolerate the difficulties and tolerate the opportunities for pleasure, and carry on with our
devotional service at all costs, because pure devotional service, Rupa Goswami describes as
very rare, and why is it so rare? Because very few people are willing to tolerate the anguishes
and the pleasures of this world, the threats, and the opportunities.
Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti
tattvatah. Out of thousands of people, who endeavour for perfection. I am sorry, out of
thousands and thousands of people want endeavours for perfection, and out of those who are
endeavouring for perfection hardly one knows Me in truth. Why?
Because when we attain pure bhakti, Krishna is bhakta-vatsal, He voluntarily arranges to be
subordinate to the love of His devotees. It is His own sweet will that He becomes the prisoner
in the heart of His pure, unalloyed devotees, so He will not give it very cheaply. And through
Maya Devi, there will be so many distractions, we must remain fixed. And how is that
possible? We are all weak. If we think we're strong then we are already defeated. None of us,
as infinitesimal jivatmas, have any power against Maya, Krishna's own external energy. Daivi
hyesa guna mayi mama maya duratyaya. This material nature consisting of three-fold gunas,
very difficult to overcome, only one who takes shelter of Me can cross beyond it.
So we are infinitesimal, we must humble ourself, we must take shelter of the association of
Vaisnavas, we must take shelter of Srimad Bhagavatam and the holy scriptures, we must
take shelter of the order of the spiritual master, we must take shelter of the dust of the feet of
the previous acharyas, we must take shelter of the Holy Name, and we must take shelter of
whatever service we are offered, and if we sincerely take shelter Krishna will be there to
protect us, otherwise we are sure to be washed away by the strong tsunami waves of
attractions and aversions of this world. What the Lord predicted is exactly what happened,
and the Lord is warning us at the very beginning of our Krishna consciousness, poison and
different nectar will come, do not be distracted.
The demigods, along with the asuras, they worked so hard, so difficult was this project of
churning the ocean of milk, they had to move an entire mountain, their limbs were breaking,
their fingers were aching, dislocations, people were being crushed to death, ultimately they
had to cry out to the Lord to help them. And then the snake, Vasuki, they were using him as a
churning rod and immediately the whole mountain is sinking, and they were trying to lift it up,
lift it up with all their strength but they couldn't do it. They cried out to the Lord to help and He
appeared as Kurma avatar to create a nice foundation. And then blazing flames were burning,
so many difficulties, but they were so eager for this nectar they just kept going and similarly
after years and years and years of very serious surrender, we are expecting nectar but the
Lord predicts that poison will come out, before you reach the nectar, first you have to tolerate
the poison. And what kind of poison? Kala-kutha, this is not ordinary poison, it was spreading
in all directions. One drop of it could practically dis-extinguish the human race, and where to
put it?
Today, in kali yuga, so many poisons were created, nuclear waste and we, somehow or other,
we either put it in the ocean or we bury it under ground, but it is just a matter of time until it's
going to come back and haunt us, yes? But this Kala-kutha is something billions of times
dangerous. It was flying in all directions. Where to put it? What to do with it? All life was about
to be extinguished, both the demigods and the demons were bewildered, they didn't know
what to do, they were helpless, in that helpless state,
Janmaiśvarya- śruta-śrībhir edhamāna- madaḥ pumān naivārhaty abhidhātuḿ vai tvām
akiñcana-gocaram .
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In that helpless state they became very humble. Kunti Devi prays, wealth, beauty, high birth,
prestige, and knowledge, these are great disqualifications, they make us proud. Even if we
chant the holy names, if we have pride, the chanting is superficial. Therefore Lord Chaitanya
taught ' Trinad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniya sada Hari'. If
you want to find shelter in the Holy Name you must follow these principles, otherwise we will
chant and make little, little, little advancement and it may take us many, many, many births. If
we want to actually taste the sweetness of Krishna, in His name, it is not an alternative, it is a
must. We must follow this principle, as difficult as it may seem, to practice the humility of a
blade of grass, the tolerance of a tree, offering all respect to others and expecting none in
return. In this way we will taste the nectar of the Holy Name and chant constantly.
So all of these people were quite proud but when they were in a helpless state, about to be
devoured by this all-consuming poison, they chanted the name of the Lord, they cried out in
deep prayer to Lord Vishnu to save them. And the Lord appeared and told them, Go to Lord
Shiva". Vaisnavanam yatha Shambu. So they cried out for the help of Lord Shiva, and he
demonstrated why he is extolled in the Srimad Bhagavatam as the greatest of all Vaisnavas.
He took all that poison, an ocean and concentrated it. Can you imagine how powerful that
concentrate poison was? It fit in the palm of his hands, he drank it for you and me, so that we
could live, he drank that poison. Rudra has a Sampradaya, Vallabhacharya, he is in that line.
Lord shiva is teaching pure devotional service to Krishna, in Vrndavan. That is the purpose of
this material existence, to bring people to the point of surrendering to Krishna with love, so to
give us that opportunity Lord Shiva drank the ocean of poison. Srila Prabhupada explains,
therein, that the greatest service that one can render for the pleasure of the Lord is to be
willing to make sacrifices of our own life for the welfare of others. And Lord Chaitanya has
described para upakar. What is the greatest welfare work that we can offer to others? To
make sacrifices, to spread the glory of the Yuga dharma, the chanting of the Holy Names.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
By this calculation we could understand how infinitely dear Srila Prabhupada is to Lord
Krishna. When we chant his pranam mantra, namo om vishnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-
tale srimate bhaktivedanta svamin iti namine.
Krsna-presthaya bhu-tale, he is very dear to Lord Krishna, but how dear we can understand
by carefully studying Srimad Bhagavatam, because the people of this world, our only hope is
causeless mercy. Krishna tells in Gita, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaḿ sṛjāmy aham. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāḿ vināśāya ca
duṣkṛtām dharma-saḿsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. He descends into this
world, again and again and again, to show His mercy because mercy is all we are made out
of. We cannot breathe without the mercy of the Lord, we cannot think without the mercy of the
Lord, we cannot speak, we cannot move, and every moment we are surviving simply on the
mercy of the Lord. To be grateful and to reciprocate with that mercy is real life, otherwise
everything is an illusion. So now, I would like to tell the story of how the Lord so mercifully
descended in this world to live on the top of Seshachalam, the mountain that we are now at
the foot of.
Venkateshwara means the Lord, Who frees us from all of our sins. Ven means sin, Kat means
one who delivers. We remain in this world, suffering, birth after birth, because of our sinful
reactions, now in this age of kali, it is an age of sin. It is an ocean of faults.
One time, in Naimisharanya, the sages inquired from Srila Suta Goswami to tell the story of
the incarnation of the Lord of the name Venkateshwara.