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Originally published December, 1958, in Gaudiya Patrika, the magazine of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti.

1. I am sitting alone in Vrindavana-dhama. In this mood I am getting many realizations. I have my wife, sons, daughters, grandsons, everything, But I have no money so they are a fruitless glory. Krishna has shown me the naked form of material nature, By his strength it has all become tasteless to me today. Yasyaham anugrihnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih: "I gradually take away all the wealth of those upon whom I am merciful." How was I able to understand this mercy of the All-merciful?

2. Everyone has abandoned me, seeing me as penniless, Wife, relatives, friends, brothers, everyone. This is misery, but it gives me a laugh. I sit alone and laugh. In this maya-samsara, whom do I really love? Where have all my loving father and mother gone to now? And where are all my elders, who were my own folk? Who will give me news of them, tell me who? All that is left of this family life is a list of names.

3. Like the froth on the sea water mixes again in the sea, Maya's samsara's play is just like that. No one is mother or father, or personal relative, Just like the sea-foam they remain but a short time, Just as the froth on sea water mixes again in the sea, The body made of five elements meets with destruction. How many bodies does the embodied soul take in this way; His relatives are all simply related to this temporal body.

4. But everyone is your relative, brother? On the spiritual platform. This relationship is not tinged with the smell of maya. The Supreme Lord is the soul of everyone. In relation to Him, everyone in the universe is the same. All your relatives, brother! All the billions of jivas. When seen in relation to Krishna they are all in harmony. Forgetting Krishna, the jiva desires for sense gratification, And as a result he is firmly grasped by maya.

5. As a result of past activities he takes on different types of body. Absorbed in that dress he remains forgetful of Sri Hari. Therefore maya gives him so many kinds of miseries And although he bobs up and down in this ocean of misery, he still thinks that he is happy. Lying on a bed, suffering greatly, having been sick a long time "I am very well today," he says laughing. I get a laugh out of his "feeling very well" This is the way the soul conditioned by maya feels "well".

6. How many plans they have to remain "well" But time and time again nature destroys them. Daivi hy esa gunamayi: that is the Supreme Lord's maya. Try to understand exactly the meaning of their "feeling well"; No one is well in the whole world, but still they are saying. In this way maya cheats the conditioned soul. But, ignoring that he is being cheated, he remains absorbed in maya; And although maya kicks him, he will not give up his mistaken conception.

7. Again and again making plans, and again and again they are destroyed. Sometimes he falls on the dry earth and sometimes in the mud. In this way the universe is filled with wandering jiva souls who finally by the grace of Guru and Krishna get bhakti -- the eternal wealth. Gaining that wealth if they can give up all other so-called wealth, Then very easily he crosses over the ocean of samsara. There on the other side is unparalled spiritual variegatedness. There he enjoys in eternal happiness and peace.

8. The mad say, "There everything is formless, Without special feature like a kind of nothing." He is actually the storehouse of spiritual tastes -- raso vai sah. The intelligent knowers of tastes serves him becoming his subordinate. Santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya are those tastes and The best of all, madhurya, is the essence of them all. But in the spiritual world all these tastes are relishable, Whereas the material tastes are just shadow reflections and are all contemptible.

9. One who worships Krishna is clever But one who worships maya is a pauper. Becoming a pauper one engages in temporary pastimes. Without knowledge of the true relationships of things he simply becomes bound up in maya's knot. Arjuna and Duryodhana both fought in the same war, But Arjuna was the best devotee and Duryodhana died. On one battlefield both dear and detestable. One who is intelligent will be able to understand.

10. One who fights the war of life knowing his true relationship, He will remain alive while all others will perish. One who does not know his relationship, and takes up some other path, He will never attain love of god, and his whole life is useless. First understand properly your relationship with Krishna And then keeping that relationship, go and fight with maya. Other than this all the heroes of jnana and karma Never attained liberation, they were all uncertain.

11. In name only they were great sober and unaffected men, They were all unpeaceful. Desiring liberation, sense gratification or mystic powers, all had uncontrolled senses. The uncontrolled senses don't answer to the potency of yoga. How many yogis and munis there were, and always the senses remained independent. Without service of the master of the senses there can be no sense control. They all return to material activities after a short term of peace. By the process of yoga, no one ever attains sense control. This is explained extensively in the Vedas and Puranas.

12. Vishvamitra sat on the yogic asana, But he desired the pure beauty Shakuntala. In this way the yogis fall down, what to speak of the jnanis. And the karmis are all just asses, suffering in all respects. The one to whom Krishna is merciful and gives His instruction, Becomes equally as fortunate as Arjuna. But one who fights for his own happiness' sake—He, like Duryodhana, dies along with his family.

13. One who always fights on behalf of Krishna, Wealth, power, knowledge are all within his grasp. Understand properly the Gita's message, You will attain Krishna's service and will worship Sri Hari. The devotees are endowed with all qualities, So what are "non-violence" or "freedom from anger" to them?

14. Sri Hari teaches the living entities by means of his devotees, one such helper is Partha. Arjuna acted just like a conditioned soul. Like one bewildered was the Pandava brother. Violence to his relatives and then enjoyment of the Kingdom— Could this be happiness? Arjuna showed lamentation. This though, was all dehatma-buddhih, identification with the body. One who is a kshatriya gives up such family affection on the battlefield.

15. Krishna, seeing his illusion, chastised him. Therefore Arjuna accepted the position of disciple. Becoming a disciple he listened to the Bhagavad-gita. All his ignorance dissipated as well as his material bondage. His material bondage was cut, but he was not dressed as a sannyasi. The householders understand the Gita's meaning this way. The perfection of mantras, karisye vachanam tava. Therefore the war that he fought brought him an increase in fame.

16. The Vaishnavas have no desire, they all chant japa on their beads. So what kind of Vaishnava is this Arjuna in the middle of samsara? The Vaishnava freed from duality simply chants japa on his beads, So say those who are eating the mind's bananas. The Vaishnava is without desire, and amicable by nature But he is not a forceless weakling as people foolishly think. In two great Indian wars, two great personalities; Leaders amongst the Vaishnavas and were victorious.

17. Because of desire for the satisfaction of his own senses he would not fight. But he is one who is known by everyone as a Vaishnava. Those who do not see the real Vaishnavas say that a Vaishnava is inactive. But the Vaishnava is always active in the service of the Lord. The lifeless kanistha-adhikaris don't perform any service. For profit, adoration and prestige they stay in their lonely place. Nityananda prabhu, who is worshipable by the Vaishnavas Suffered blows, but still distributed love of God one after the other.

18. Gaura Hari came with the chakra in His hand and gave punishment, After that the Vaishnava-haters were subdued. The Lord sets example Himself to teach the jivas So one who performs nirjana bhajana simply cheats himself. The world has now become full of Jagais and Madhais. The Nityananda Vamsa has increased its following of disciples. But eating, sleeping, wearing the dress, but remaining unconcerned. It is not proper for the Vaishnavas to remain so uncompassionate.

19. Srila Chakravarti Thakura says in his Madhurya Kadambini. Just see his conclusion and what is his judgement. Devotional service is causeless and self-manifesting But the Eternally Perfect Substance is always covered over. The madhyama-adhikari therefore being compassionate Gives mercy to the innocent souls by awakening devotion in them. The Supreme Lord acts according to the will of the Vaishnavas, Therefore by the mercy of the Vaishnavas the bewildered can be awakened.

20. The Vaishnavas can awaken the sleeping world. By their mercy the sinful can all become devotees. Therefore they do not perform nirjana bhajana, That is the world cheating process of the kanistha-adhikari. All the big, big famous Vaishnavas were in assembly And Padri Saheb came in to meet them. He asked some questions about Krishna's lila in Vrindavana But that association of venerable Vaishnavas was not able to enlighten him as to the real truth.

21. The kanistha-adhikaris do not understand these scriptures. In the false pride of being alone they simply hunt for chapatis and dal. Our spiritual master said these are all kanistha. Now I can understand the truth of what he said. One well versed in the scripture and who has strong faith Is an uttama-adhikari and can deliver the whole world. He is the deliverer of the most fallen and is famous through the world. Now, save this fallen one and thus become really famed.

22. In the Kali-yuga the jivas are all fallen and the lowest of mankind. Seeing, they do not see the different activities. The Supreme Lord Gaurasundara is the most magnanimous And His instructions are all full of nectar. One who has taken his birth in the land of Bharata Should engage in welfare activities according to His instructions. The Supreme Lord's lila was to relish mellows in the nirajana But it is not the play of Vaishnavas to imitate these activities.

23. This transcendental service cannot actually be tasted by those who are not Vaishnavas. In the material body one cannot relish this transcendental nectar. One who has the material concept that the body is his self Cannot relish spiritual mellows. But those who have conceptions of the Vaishnavas in terms of birth etc. Are very bold when it comes to relishing the lilas of the Lord. Like the clerk in the post office, one caste goswami. The babajis all pay their obeisances to him a lot.

24. The Gosai Thakura has false pride in his birth Which Nityananda Prabhu cut into pieces. I see all these things going on in Vrindavana Therefore I can understand that there is some work to be done here. The prakrita-sahajiyas all commit adultery. Taking someone else's wife they go to relish transcendental lila. This is not Vrindavana. As always, think like this my dear mind, Remember the Lotus feet of the six gosvamis.

25. The six gosvamis came and preached religious life. They saved the process of devotional service on the order of Lord Chaitanya. They are all eternally perfect associates of the Lord and always remember Radha and Krishna. Remembering them all the conditioned souls sins are cleared away But if he tries to imitate them taking on their dress and characteristics He becomes the plaything of maya and does not cross over the material ocean. Always preach! From jiva's door to door Your life will be successful as a result of your preaching.

26. Sri Dayita dasa prabhu gave this instruction "Chant Hare Krishna loudly, this is my initiation: Kirtana is not just drums and karatalas. The sound of kirtana is not this modern system. Anything favourable for devotional service is all Madhava And the only enjoyer of the three worlds is Yadava. Maya's pride and joy, the radio sound Destroy them all by forceful kirtana.

27. Maya's is all these newspapers. Preach that throughout the whole world. Sitting alone in your room shouting, you may increase your bile's secretion But in ten million births Sri Hari won't be pleased. Sri Hari is no one's father's property. Come out of your cage, stop making objection. Everything belongs to Sri Hari and Sri Hari belongs to everyone. Chant the Hare Krishna mantra loudly. By the performance of such sankirtana there will come remembrance automatically. Then there will be nirjana bhajana manifested in the heart spontaneously.