मोहिनी एकादशी

आज का दिन अत्यन्त शुभ है — मोहिनी एकादशी। एकादशी का अर्थ है “हरि-वासर”। यह तिथि (चंद्र मास का दिन), शुक्ल पक्ष की एकादशी, भगवान हरि को अत्यन्त प्रिय है। एक शब्द में कहें तो: हरि-वासर। इस कारण से, यह दिन अत्यंत शुभ होता है। यही इसकी विशेषता है। अतः यदि आप एकादशी के दिन श्रवण, कीर्तन, स्मरण आदि भक्ति की विधियों द्वारा कृष्ण की उपासना, भजन करते हैं, तो अन्य दिनों की अपेक्षा लाखों गुना अधिक लाभ प्राप्त होता है। यदि आप इस व्रत को करने के लाभ या उपयोगिता को समझ लेते हैं, तो आप इसे अवश्य पालन करने के लिए प्रेरित होंगे।

लाभ दो प्रकार के होते हैं। भारत के सनातन धर्मशास्त्रों में दो मुख्य विभाग हैं: कर्मकाण्ड और भक्ति। कर्मकाण्ड वैदिक साहित्य का वह भाग है जो भौतिक, अस्थायी लाभों की प्राप्ति हेतु यज्ञ एवं अनुष्ठान का विधान करता है। इसे कर्मकाण्ड — स्मार्त कहा जाता है। स्मृति से ही “स्मार्त” शब्द बना है। वे ब्राह्मण जो स्मृति में निपुण होते हैं, स्मार्त ब्राह्मण कहलाते हैं। वे स्मार्त शास्त्रों से लिए गए नियमों और विधियों का निर्देश देते हुए कहते हैं, “यदि आप इस प्रकार का व्रत करेंगे तो इस प्रकार का लाभ मिलेगा।” सांसारिक लोगों को उत्साहित करने के लिए वे सांसारिक लाभों की बात करते हैं। इससे भौतिक मानसिकता वाले लोग प्रेरित होते हैं, किंतु शुद्ध भक्त इस प्रकार के भौतिक, अस्थायी लाभ नहीं चाहते। इसे ही शुद्ध भक्ति कहा जाता है। एक है शुद्ध भक्ति की पथ और दूसरा है स्मार्त पथ। ये दोनों मार्ग एक-दूसरे से पूर्णतः भिन्न हैं।

शास्त्रों में मोहिनी एकादशी के पालन की महिमा और उपयोगिता का वर्णन प्राप्त होता है। यह विवरण सूर्य पुराण में मिलता है, जो सूर्यदेव के नाम पर है। यह महिमा, उपयोगिता या लाभ किस प्रकार का है? युधिष्ठिर महाराज ने भगवान श्रीकृष्ण से पूछा, “कृपया मुझे यह बताइए कि वैशाख मास के शुक्ल पक्ष की एकादशी का नाम क्या है, और इस एकादशी का व्रत करने से हमें क्या लाभ प्राप्त होगा? कृपया बताइए।” भगवान कृष्ण ने उत्तर दिया, “मैं तुम्हारे प्रश्न का उत्तर अपनी स्वयं की इच्छानुसार या मत से नहीं दूँगा।” अर्थात, अपने निजी मत से नहीं बोलेंगे। यही विधि है। स्वयं भगवान और ऋषि-मुनि भी आत्म-साक्षात्कार प्राप्त पूर्वजों द्वारा प्रदत्त प्रमाणों के आधार पर ही प्रमाण प्रस्तुत करते हैं।

श्रीकृष्ण आगे कहने लगे— “वशिष्ठ मुनि ने भगवान रामचन्द्र के गुरु के रूप में लीला की थी। एक बार भगवान रामचन्द्र ने अपने गुरु से एक विशेष प्रश्न पूछा— ‘मैं अपनी पत्नी सीता देवी से वियोग के कारण अत्यधिक शोक अनुभव कर रहा हूँ। यह मेरे साथ क्यों हो रहा है? मैं इस तीव्र वियोग शोक को कैसे दूर कर सकता हूँ?’

वशिष्ठ मुनि ने उत्तर दिया— ‘आप परमेश्वर हैं। आपके नाम का उच्चारण करके सबका उद्धार हो जाता है, और सभी प्रकार की कठिनाइयों से मुक्ति प्राप्त होती है। फिर भी आप मुझसे इस प्रकार का प्रश्न क्यों कर रहे हैं? निश्चय ही आप यह प्रश्न संसार के उन बद्ध जीवों के कल्याण हेतु कर रहे हैं, जो अपने शाश्वत कल्याण की प्राप्ति की इच्छा रखते हैं। आप उन लोगों की ओर से यह पूछ रहे हैं जो इस लक्ष्य की प्राप्ति के लिए परिश्रमपूर्वक प्रयासरत हैं। आपके आदेश का पालन करते हुए मैं कहता हूँ कि यदि आप मोहिनी एकादशी व्रत का पालन करें, तो यह समस्त पापों को यहाँ तक कि जघन्य घोर पापों को—नष्ट कर देगा। यदि आप इस व्रत का पालन करेंगे, तो आप वियोग जन्य शोक से मुक्त हो जाएँगे। इस बात को स्पष्ट करने के लिए मैं एक उदाहरण प्रस्तुत कर रहा हूँ।’

वशिष्ठ मुनि आगे बोले— ‘सरस्वती नदी के तट पर स्थित भद्रवती नामक एक नगर था, जो एक राज्य की राजधानी थी। इस नगर में द्युतिमान नामक एक राजा निवास करता था। यह राजा अत्यन्त धर्मात्मा, धार्मिक और पुण्यशील था। उस राज्य में धनपाल नामक वैश्य जाति का एक व्यक्ति भी रहता था। वैश्य समाज का तीसरा वर्ग है, जो व्यापार के माध्यम से अपना जीवन यापन करता है, और प्रायः समृद्ध होता है। यह व्यक्ति भी राजा की भाँति बहुत धार्मिक था। वह सदैव मानवता और समस्त प्रजा के कल्याण के लिए कार्य करता था। सभी लोग उससे बहुत प्रसन्न और आदरभाव रखते थे। उसके पाँच पुत्र थे, पर दुर्भाग्यवश उसका सबसे छोटा पुत्र धृष्टबुद्धि, दुश्चरित्र और व्याभिचारी था। स्वाभाविक रूप से धनपाल इस स्थिति से अत्यन्त दुखी और निराश था। उसने सोचा— ‘यह क्या हो रहा है? मेरा पुत्र मेरी कमाई का धन नष्ट कर रहा है और वेश्याओं के साथ संग कर रहा है। वह सभी प्रकार के घोर अपराध कर रहा है।’

एक दिन धनपाल ने अपने सबसे छोटे पुत्र को मार्ग में एक वेश्या की गर्दन में बाँहें डालकर चलते हुए देखा। यह देखकर वह अत्यन्त दुखी और निराश हो गया। उसने सोचा— ‘मुझे ऐसा पुत्र नहीं चाहिए। मैं इसे घर से निकाल दूँगा। यह चला जाए। मुझे इसका आचरण बिल्कुल पसन्द नहीं।’ तब धनपाल ने अपने पुत्र को घर से निकाल दिया।

पिता की सामाजिक प्रतिष्ठा और धन के कारण, घर से निकाले जाने के पश्चात भी कुछ दिनों तक धृष्टबुद्धि के पास कुछ धन रहा। परन्तु जब वह धन समाप्त हो गया, तब उसे जीविका के लिए चोरियाँ और अपराध करने पड़े। अन्ततः वह सिपाहियों द्वारा पकड़ लिया गया। जब पुलिस को ज्ञात हुआ कि वह प्रतिष्ठित धनपाल का पुत्र है, तो उन्होंने उसे छोड़ दिया। आख़िरकार, उसके पास कोई विकल्प नहीं बचा और वह घने जंगल में रहने लगा, जहाँ वह जीविका के लिए पशु-पक्षियों को मारने लगा। वह सभी प्रकार के पाप कर रहा था, अन्यथा वह बिना धन के कैसे जीवित रहता? अचानक उसके सामने एक महान संत कौण्डिन्य मुनि, जो स्नान करके लौट रहे थे, भीगे वस्त्रों में प्रकट हुए। उनसे भेंट होते ही उनके भीगे वस्त्र से एक बूँद जल धृष्टबुद्धि पर गिरा और वह तत्काल पावन हो गया। धृष्टबुद्धि को अपने कर्मों पर पश्चात्ताप हुआ। उसने सोचा— ‘मैंने अपना सम्पूर्ण जीवन व्यर्थ कर दिया। मैंने अपने माता-पिता के स्नेह से स्वयं को वन्चित कर लिया। यह मैंने क्या कर डाला?’ इस प्रकार सोचते हुए वह कौण्डिन्य मुनि के चरणों में गिर पड़ा और कहने लगा— ‘कृपा करके मुझे उबारिए। आप सर्वदयालु हैं। कृपा करके मुझे उबारिए, क्योंकि मैं सबसे अधिक पतित प्राणी हूँ। मुझसे अधिक अधम कोई नहीं।’ इस प्रकार वह बार-बार प्रार्थनाएँ करता रहा। कौण्डिन्य मुनि स्वभाव से ही करुणामय थे। उन्होंने पूछा— ‘तुम कौन हो?’ तब धृष्टबुद्धि ने अपना परिचय दिया और अपनी दुखद स्थिति बताई। कौण्डिन्य मुनि ने उसे चिन्ता न करने को कहा और परामर्श दिया— ‘यदि तुम मोहिनी एकादशी का व्रत करोगे, तो तुम्हारे समस्त पूर्व पाप नष्ट हो जाएँगे। यह व्रत करना शास्त्रों का विधान और आदेश है।’ अतः धृष्टबुद्धि ने उनके उपदेश का पालन किया और अपने समस्त पापों के भार से मुक्त हो गया। केवल यही नहीं, अपितु एकादशी के पालन से वह परमेश्वर के चरणों में पहुँच गया।’” कर्मकाण्ड शास्त्रों में इस प्रकार की प्रोत्साहना (प्रलोभनात्मक फल देने की शैली) प्राप्त होती है, परन्तु शुद्ध भक्त केवल श्रीकृष्ण की सन्तुष्टि के लिए एकादशी का पालन करते हैं। एकादशी का वास्तविक उद्देश्य क्या है? हमारे स्मृति ग्रन्थ, अर्थात वैष्णव स्मृति ग्रन्थ, का नाम है “हरि-भक्ति-विलास”। इसमें उन समस्त व्रतों को कैसे संपन्न किया जाए, यह नियमों के द्वारा बताया गया है, जिनका उद्देश्य परम भगवान की भक्ति प्राप्त करना है। वे लोग जो शुद्ध भक्त हैं, वे इन भक्तियोग-शास्त्रों—विशेषकर हरि-भक्ति-विलास—के विधानों के अनुसार आचरण करने की इच्छा करते हैं। इस ग्रन्थ में एकादशी के व्रत का वास्तविक उद्देश्य इस प्रकार वर्णित है—

उपाव्रतस्य पापेभ्यो यस्तु वासो गुणै: सह
उपवास: स विज्ञेय: सर्व भोग विवर्जित:।
(श्रीहरि-भक्ति-विलास 13.14)

भावार्थ— “जो मनुष्य समस्त पापों से निवृत्त होकर और समस्त शुभ गुणों से युक्त होकर समस्त भोगों का त्याग कर भगवान के निकट रहता है— वही वास्तव में उपवास (एकादशी-व्रत) का पालन कर रहा है।”

उपावृत्तस्य पापेभ्यः— हमें समस्त पापों से निवृत्त होना चाहिए, पाप करना छोड़ देना चाहिए। एकादशी तिथि पर यह तो न्यूनतम आवश्यकता है। उपवास— “उप” का अर्थ है ‘निकट’, और “वास” का अर्थ है ‘रहना’— अर्थात भगवान के समीप रहना। सामान्यतः यह समझा जाता है कि उपवास का अर्थ है—भोजन न करना। किन्तु यदि आप बिना खाए रहें, परन्तु मन में सोचते रहें— “मैं कब खाऊँगा? मेरा पेट तो भूख से जल रहा है”—तो आप भगवान का स्मरण नहीं कर रहे, आप अपने पेट का ध्यान कर रहे हैं। यदि ऐसा हो रहा है, तो आप शास्त्रसम्मत द्रव्य का सेवन कर सकते हैं, किन्तु मन सदा भगवान में ही स्थित रहना चाहिए। एकादशी व्रत में सेवन योग्य पदार्थों के विषय में शास्त्र कहता है—

आपो मूलं फलंपय: हविब्राह्मण काम्या च।
गुरोर्वचनमौषधं एष्टैतान्यव्रतघ्नानि।
(श्रीहरि-भक्ति-विलास 12.40, महाभारत के उद्योग पर्व में से लिया गया वाक्य)

भावार्थ— यदि आप इन वस्तुओं का सेवन करते हैं, तो व्रत भंग नहीं होगा।

आपः— जल

मूलम्— जो पृथ्वी के नीचे उगते हैं जैसे आलू आदि

फलम्— सभी प्रकार के फल

पयः—गाय का दूध और दूध से बनी वस्तुएँ जैसे दही, घी आदि

यदि आप इस श्लोक में निर्दिष्ट आहार-वस्तुओं का सेवन करते हैं, तो आपका व्रत भंग नहीं होगा। आप जल का सेवन कर सकते हैं।

“मूलम्” का अर्थ है—वे कन्द-मूल जो पृथ्वी के भीतर उत्पन्न होते हैं, जैसे आलू आदि। इन्हें उबालकर खाया जा सकता है, और इससे व्रत खंडित नहीं होता।

“फलम्”—सभी प्रकार के फल सेवन करने योग्य हैं।

गाय का दूध और दूध से निर्मित वस्तुएँ, जैसे दही और घृत (घी), भी एकादशी व्रत में अनुमेय हैं। गाय के दूध से निर्मित घी का उपयोग कर के आप आलू जैसे मूल आदि से हल्की सब्ज़ी भी बना सकते हैं। कच्चा केला (पका नहीं, कच्चा कन्द रूपी केला) और पपीता भी एकादशी व्रत में अनुमेय हैं। यदि किसी गंभीर या जीवन-रक्षक स्थिति में चिकित्सक द्वारा कोई औषधि निर्धारित की गई है, तो उसका सेवन व्रत भंग नहीं करता। यदि कोई सच्चा ब्राह्मण किसी वस्तु का सेवन करना चाहे, तो उसे ऐसा उपाय करना चाहिए कि उसका व्रत खंडित न हो। किन्तु, यह बात विशेष रूप से समझनी चाहिए कि भक्ति-शास्त्रों का वास्तविक आदेश यह है कि एकादशी के दिन मनुष्य दिन-रात सदा भगवान के समीप रहे। हमें भगवान को भूलना नहीं चाहिए। निषेध और आज्ञाएँ—दोनों प्रकार के अनेक विधि-निषेध शास्त्रों में वर्णित हैं। कुछ ऐसे कार्य हैं जिन्हें नहीं करना चाहिए—ये नकारात्मक विधियाँ हैं। यदि कोई ऐसा कार्य हो जो आपको श्रीकृष्ण को भूलने पर विवश कर दे— यदि वह निषिद्ध सूची में उल्लेखित न हो—तो भी वह निषिद्ध ही माना जाएगा। इसी प्रकार कुछ आज्ञाएँ भी हैं—स्मरणम्, कीर्तनम्, आदि नौ प्रकार की भक्ति, चौंसठ प्रकार की भक्ति, इत्यादि। यदि कोई कार्य या सेवा ऐसी हो जो आपको श्रीकृष्ण के स्मरण में लगाए रखे—यदि वह शास्त्र में स्पष्टतः न उल्लेखित हो—तब भी वह अनुमोदित है। तो अब प्रश्न यह उठता है— क्या करना चाहिए और क्या नहीं करना चाहिए, यह जानने का मापदण्ड क्या है?

स्मर्तव्यः सततं विष्णुर्विस्मर्तव्यो न जातुचित्।
सर्वे विधि-निषेधाः स्युरेतयोर् एव किंकराः॥
(पद्मपुराण, चैतन्य-चरितामृत, मध्य-लीला 22.113 में उद्धृत)

हमें सदैव श्रीकृष्ण का स्मरण करना चाहिए—यह भक्ति-शास्त्रों की आज्ञा है और उन्हें कभी भी भूलना नहीं चाहिए—यह निषेधाज्ञा है। अतः एकादशी व्रत का उद्देश्य ही यह है कि हम सदैव कृष्ण-स्मरण में लगे रहें। जहाँ तुम्हारा मन रहेगा, वहीं तुम्हारा अस्तित्व भी रहेगा। तुम अभी यहाँ मन्दिर में उपस्थित हो, परन्तु यदि तुम्हारा मन घर के कार्यों, संबंधियों या किसी चिन्ता में रमा हुआ है, तो वास्तव में तुम कहाँ हो? तुम्हारी देह तो मन्दिर में है, किन्तु मन—घर पर। यदि तुम वृन्दावन जाओ पर वहाँ जाकर भी वृन्दावन के बारे में न सोचो, तो तुम वास्तव में वृन्दावन में नहीं हो। शरीर से वहाँ हो, पर मन से नहीं। इसलिए—भक्ति के समस्त प्रकारों में मूल साध्य है—मन को श्रीकृष्ण की सेवा में लगाना। यदि तुम मन को वश में कर सको, तो इन्द्रियाँ स्वयमेव संयमित हो जाएँगी, क्योंकि वे मन के अधीन हैं। “सर्वे मनो निग्रह लक्ष्णान्ताः”—अर्थात, सभी साधन मन को वश में करने की ओर अग्रसर हैं।

अब समस्या यह है— “सर्वभोगविवर्जितः”—इस दिन तुम्हें समस्त प्रकार के भोगों का पूर्णतः त्याग करना चाहिए। यदि तुम्हारे भीतर भोग की प्रवृत्ति है, तो तुम केवल उन्हीं वस्तुओं का भोग कर सकोगे जो तुमसे हीन हैं। जो वस्तुएँ तुमसे श्रेष्ठ हैं—जैसे भगवान या भगवद्भक्त—उनका भोग नहीं किया जा सकता, उनके समीप रहना सम्भव नहीं होता। अतः यदि तुम एकादशी के दिन श्रीकृष्ण के समीप रहना चाहते हो, तो भोगवृत्ति का संपूर्ण त्याग करना अनिवार्य है। तुम्हें श्रीकृष्ण के समीप रहना है—पर अब एक और समस्या आती है। वह क्या है? श्रीकृष्ण कौन हैं? वे कोई साधारण मनुष्य नहीं हैं:

हरिर् हि निर्गुणः साक्षात् पुरुषः प्रकृतेः परः।
(श्रीमद्भागवतम् 10.88.5)

अर्थ:

भगवान् हरि साक्षात् निर्गुण हैं—वे गुणातीत हैं। वे प्रकृति से परे—अर्थात् इस भौतिक जगत के समस्त गुणों, तत्त्वों, चेष्टाओं और नियमों से पूर्णतः अतीत और स्वतन्त्र हैं। वे न तो इन्द्रियों द्वारा ग्रहण किए जा सकते हैं, न मन से, न बुद्धि से, और न ही विकृत अहं से। अतः—श्रीहरि तक पहुँचना, उनके समीप रहना, इस स्थूल देह या सूक्ष्म शरीर के माध्यम से सम्भव नहीं। यह स्थूल शरीर पाँच महाभूतों—पृथ्वी, जल, अग्नि, वायु और आकाश—से बना है। यह सूक्ष्म शरीर—मन, बुद्धि और अहंकार से निर्मित है—जो सब भगवान की अपरा शक्ति, अर्थात् भौतिक शक्ति से उत्पन्न हैं। इससे भगवान के पास पहुँचना सम्भव नहीं। उदाहरण के लिए – एक भवन का स्वामी दसवीं मंज़िल पर रहता है और उसका सेवक नीचे भूतल पर रहता है। यदि वह सेवक नीचे ही ठहरा रहे, तो क्या वह स्वामी की सेवा कर सकेगा? नहीं। उसे ऊपर चढ़ना होगा—सीढ़ियों या लिफ्ट से। फिर उस कमरे में प्रवेश करना होगा जहाँ स्वामी विश्राम कर रहा हो, और पलंग तक जाना होगा जहाँ वह उसकी सेवा कर सके—जैसे मालिश आदि। ठीक वैसे ही, परमेश्वर तो परात्पर तत्त्व हैं—निर्गुण, अव्यक्त, शुद्ध चेतन तत्त्व। और हम भूतल पर—स्थूल और भौतिक स्तर पर स्थित हैं। तो प्रश्न है— हम परम पुरुष श्रीभगवान् के समीप कैसे रहें? क्या भगवान् का कोई भौतिक रूप है?

ईश्वरः परमः कृष्णः
सच्चिदानन्द-विग्रहः
अनादिरादिर्गोविन्दः
सर्व-कारण-कारणम्
(श्रीब्रह्म-संहिता, 5.1)

श्रीकृष्ण ही समस्त कारणों के कारण हैं। उनका विग्रह (शरीर) है, परन्तु वह सत् (शाश्वत सत्ता), चित् (ज्ञान) और आनन्द से युक्त है—भौतिक पदार्थों से नहीं। तो फिर, इस भौतिक शरीर के साथ मैं कृष्ण के समीप कैसे रह सकता हूँ? भक्ति-शास्त्रों का यह आदेश है कि हमें सदैव भगवान के समीप रहना चाहिए। परन्तु भगवान तो आध्यात्मिक, इन्द्रियों की पहुँच से परे हैं। तो फिर समस्या यह है कि हम उनके समीप कैसे रहें? इसका समाधान हमें श्री चैतन्य-चरितामृत में मिलता है:

दीक्षा-काले भक्त करे आत्म-समर्पण
सेइ-काले कृष्ण तारे करे आत्म-सम
सेइ देह करे तार चिदानन्दमय
अप्राकृत-देहे तङ्हरा चरण-भजय
(श्रीचैतन्य-चरितामृत, अन्त्य-लीला 4.192-193)

“जब कोई भक्त दीक्षा ग्रहण करता है, तब वह पूर्ण रूप से गुरुदेव की शरण ग्रहण करता है। उसी समय श्रीकृष्ण, गुरुदेव के माध्यम से, उस भक्त को चिदानन्दमय स्वरूप प्रदान करते हैं, और उसी अप्राकृत देह से वह भक्त श्रीकृष्ण की भक्ति करता है।”

इसका क्या अर्थ है? दीक्षा-काले भक्त करे आत्म-समर्पण—दीक्षा का अर्थ है मंत्र-दीक्षा और हरिनाम-दीक्षा। ये दो प्रकार की दीक्षाएँ होती हैं। जब हम दीक्षा लेते हैं, तब हम स्वयं को पूर्णतः गुरुदेव के चरणों में और परमेश्वर के चरणों में समर्पित कर देते हैं। किन्तु हम परमेश्वर को नहीं देख रहे। परमेश्वर यहाँ अपनी मूर्ति के रूप में उपस्थित हैं, परन्तु वे हमारे साथ वार्तालाप नहीं कर रहे। हम उनके साथ विचारों का आदान-प्रदान नहीं कर पा रहे, यद्यपि वे यहाँ विग्रह रूप में उपस्थित हैं। बहुत ही विरले, असंख्य मनुष्यों में से कोई एक कृष्णभक्त ऐसा होता है जिसके साथ मूर्ति बोलती है, किन्तु सामान्यतः हमारे साथ ऐसा अनुभव नहीं होता। दूसरी ओर, यद्यपि हम जानते हैं कि यह भौतिक शरीर और उससे सम्बद्ध वस्तुएँ अस्थायी हैं, फिर भी हम उनके साथ विचारों का आदान-प्रदान करते हैं, और उसी के फलस्वरूप हम उनसे आसक्त हो जाते हैं। हमारा लगाव नाशवान, भौतिक सम्बन्धों से होता है, परन्तु कृष्ण से नहीं। तो फिर क्या किया जाए? उपाय क्या है? इसका समाधान श्रीमद्भागवतम् के तृतीय स्कन्ध में कपिल भगवान और माता देवहूति के संवाद में मिलेगा।

प्रसङ्गम् अजरं पाशम् आत्मनः कवयो विदुः।
स एव साधुषु कृतो मोक्षद्वारम् अपावृतम्॥
(श्रीमद्भागवतम् 3.25.20)

आप साधु को देख रहे हैं। साधु चल-फिर रहा है, बोल रहा है। सच्चा या शुद्ध साधु वह है जिसकी भक्ति केवल और केवल भगवान श्रीकृष्ण के प्रति एकनिष्ठ होती है। वह अपना मन, बुद्धि, वाणी, इन्द्रियाँ—सब कुछ श्रीकृष्ण की सेवा में समर्पित कर देता है। वह चौबीसों घंटे श्रीकृष्ण की सेवा में लीन रहता है। ऐसा शुद्ध भक्त अत्यन्त दुर्लभ होता है। मनुष्य को चाहिए कि वह ऐसे ही किसी शुद्ध भक्त के पास जाए—किन्तु शुद्ध भक्त कौन है? कपिल भगवान कहते हैं कि शुद्ध भक्त में भगवान श्रीकृष्ण के प्रति एकनिष्ठ भक्ति का यह मूल लक्षण अवश्य होना चाहिए, अन्यथा वह शुद्ध भक्त नहीं कहा जा सकता। मनुष्य को ऐसा शुद्ध भक्त ढूँढना चाहिए जैसे कि हमारे गुरुदेव, श्रील भक्तिदयित माधव गोस्वामी महाराज। उनसे कोई भी बात करता या उन्हें देखता, तो वह सहज ही आकर्षित हो जाता। कुछ लोग तो यहाँ तक कहते थे कि वे श्रील भक्तिसिद्धान्त सरस्वती ठाकुर के पुत्र हैं, क्योंकि उनके शारीरिक स्वरूप में अत्यन्त साम्यता थी। यद्यपि श्रील भक्तिसिद्धान्त सरस्वती ठाकुर ने कभी गृहस्थ जीवन स्वीकार नहीं किया, वे पूर्ण रूप से विरक्त सन्यासी थे।

जिन्होंने हमारे परमगुरुदेव श्रील भक्तिसिद्धान्त सरस्वती ठाकुर को प्रत्यक्ष रूप से नहीं देखा, उनके लिए यह जानना आवश्यक है कि वे चौबीसों घंटे श्रीकृष्ण के विषय में चिन्तन करते और बोलते रहते थे। अनेक पण्डितजन—जो बड़े विद्वान एवं तर्कशास्त्री माने जाते थे—उनसे वाद-विवाद करने आते, यह सोचकर कि वे उनके प्रचार के सिद्धान्तों का खण्डन कर सकेंगे। परन्तु जब वे उन्हें देखते, तो निरुत्तर हो जाते और उनके चरणों में झुक जाते। इतनी प्रभावशाली महिमा थी उनमें! वे चकित रह जाते, क्योंकि उनका ज्ञान केवल पुस्तकीय नहीं था—वह श्रीचैतन्य महाप्रभु द्वारा प्रदत्त आत्मसिद्ध साक्षात्कार था। यह सर्वथा भिन्न वस्तु है। श्रील भक्तिसिद्धान्त सरस्वती ठाकुर प्रायः हमारे गुरुदेव को किसी कार्यक्रम में पहले भेजा करते थे, क्योंकि जहाँ भी वे जाते, वहाँ अत्यन्त सफल रहते। ऐसा ही एक अवसर था जब हमारे परमगुरुदेव प्रथम बार सरभोग, असम पधारे। वहाँ उनके स्वागत में भव्य समारोह आयोजित हुआ। सरभोग में रहते हुए वे बैलगाड़ी में यात्रा करते थे, जबकि अन्य पैदल चलते थे। उन्हीं दिनों मेरे एक वरिष्ठ गुरु भ्राता, श्रील आश्रम महाराज, उस समय वह एक नवयुवक ब्राह्मण थे, जो कुलगुरु का कार्य करते थे। एक दिन जब वे परमगुरुदेव की गाड़ी के पीछे-पीछे चल रहे थे, उन्होंने परमगुरुदेव से उनका नाम और आगमन का स्थान पूछा। इस संवाद ने उनके पारिवारिक जीवन के सारे बन्धन तोड़ दिए। इस प्रकार, यह निश्चित रूप से कहा जा सकता है कि—”साधु से वार्तालाप अत्यन्त खतरनाक है!” श्रील प्रभुपाद के दर्शन, श्रवण और वार्तालाप से वह ब्राह्मण बालक अत्यन्त आकृष्ट हो गया। यद्यपि उसके परिवार ने उन पर अनेक प्रकार के बन्धन लगाए थे—जैसे कि, “तुम बाहर मत जाओ, यहीं दीक्षा लो”—परन्तु उन्होंने सब कुछ त्याग दिया और हमारे मठ में आ गये। शुद्ध भक्त का आकर्षण ही ऐसा होता है! प्रथम दर्शन में ही श्रील आश्रम महाराज उनके प्रति आकृष्ट हो गए। उस बालक को पूर्व में शास्त्र का कोई गम्भीर ज्ञान नहीं था, फिर भी शुद्ध भक्त के केवल थोड़े से सम्पर्क से वह आकृष्ट हो गया। क्योंकि शुद्ध भक्त, भगवान के अनुग्रह के मूर्तिमान स्वरूप होते हैं, उनका अनुग्रह सभी जीवों पर होता है—सिर्फ मनुष्यों पर नहीं। वे समदर्शी होते हैं और सभी के प्रति स्नेह प्रदर्शित करते हैं—और यही स्नेह लोगों को आकृष्ट करता है। परमगुरुदेव को स्वयं श्रील गौरकिशोर दास बाबाजी और श्रील भक्तिविनोद ठाकुर ने आदेश दिया था कि वे श्रीचैतन्य महाप्रभु का संदेश प्रचार करें। स्वयं पंचतत्त्व ने उन्हें प्रकट होकर कहा— डरो मत, हम तुम्हें यह आदेश दे रहे हैं।” और बहुत ही अल्पकाल में उन्होंने सम्पूर्ण विश्व को आन्दोलित कर दिया। अनगिनत शिष्य उनसे जुड़े—हमारे गुरुदेव, पुरी गोस्वामी महाराज, बोन महाराज, भक्तिवेदान्त स्वामी महाराज, और श्रीधर महाराज—ये सब महान विभूतियाँ थीं! इस प्रकार उन्होंने स्वयं को अनेक रूपों में प्रकट किया। इसलिए यदि आप गुरुदेव के चरणकमलों में शरण ग्रहण करें—जो श्रीभगवान के अभिन्न स्वरूप हैं—तो श्रीकृष्ण आपको उसी माध्यम से स्वीकार कर लेंगे और आपके शरीर को आध्यात्मिक बना देंगे।

“दीक्षा-काले भक्त करे आत्म-समर्पण”—दीक्षा का अर्थ केवल मन्त्र सुन लेना नहीं होता। इसका वास्तविक अर्थ है—एक सच्चे, प्रमाणिक गुरु के चरणों में सम्पूर्ण आत्म-समर्पण करना। भगवान श्रीकृष्ण अपना कृपाप्रसाद गुरु के माध्यम से देते हैं, जो स्वयं कृपा की मूर्ति होते हैं। यदि तुम सूर्य को देखना चाहते हो, तो सूर्य की किरणों की उपेक्षा करके सूर्य को नहीं देख सकते। पहले प्रकाश आता है, और उसी प्रकाश के माध्यम से तुम सूर्य को देख सकते हो। सूर्य स्वयं प्रकाशित और स्वयं ज्योतिस्वरूप है। परन्तु यदि रात को तुम सूर्य को देखना चाहो, तो तुम्हें वह नहीं दिखेगा। चाहे संसार के सारे विद्युत बल्बों को जोड़ लो, फिर भी सूर्य को नहीं देख सकोगे। तुम उन कृत्रिम विद्युत दीयों को देखकर यह भ्रम कर सकते हो कि यह सूर्य है, किन्तु वह सूर्य नहीं है। तुम्हें सूर्य के उदय की प्रतीक्षा करनी होगी। जब सूर्य उदित होता है, तब तुम्हें उसकी कृपा को स्वीकार करना होता है। तुम्हें अपनी आँखें खोलनी होंगी, दरवाज़े और खिड़कियाँ खोलनी होंगी—स्वीकार करना होगा। तभी तुम सूर्य को देख पाओगे। इसके अतिरिक्त और कोई उपाय नहीं। स्वयं-प्रकाशमान भगवान सभी कारणों के कारण हैं—”सर्व-कारण-कारणम्”। उनका कोई कारण नहीं होता, अतः वे स्वयं-सिद्ध और स्वयं-प्रकाश स्वरूप हैं। केवल उनकी कृपा से ही उन्हें प्राप्त किया जा सकता है। और वही कृपा-स्वरूप हैं—गुरु। यदि तुम अत्यन्त सौभाग्यशाली हो, तो तुम किसी ऐसे सन्त से साक्षात् मिल सकते हो—जो एक प्रमाणिक गुरु हैं। भगवान अपनी कृपा सदा भक्त के माध्यम से ही देते हैं। “दीक्षा-काले भक्त करे आत्म-समर्पण, सेइ-काले कृष्ण तारे करे आत्म-समान।” जब भक्त सच्चे हृदय से प्रमाणिक गुरु के चरणों में आत्म-समर्पण करता है—जो श्रीकृष्ण के कृपा-मूर्ति हैं—तब श्रीकृष्ण उसी माध्यम से उस भक्त को अपना लेते हैं, उसे आलिंगन करते हैं और उसके इस देह को आध्यात्मिक कर देते हैं—ऐसा देह जो भगवान के समीप बैठने के योग्य हो। “सेइ देह करे तार चिदानन्दमय, अप्राकृत देहे तांहारा चरण भजय।” ऐसा आध्यात्मिक स्वरूप ही श्रीकृष्ण की उपासना कर सकता है। इस भौतिक शरीर से तुम वृन्दावन में प्रवेश नहीं कर सकते। वृन्दावन कोई सामान्य भौगोलिक स्थान नहीं है, यह भारत का कोई भौतिक क्षेत्र नहीं है। यह तो भगवान का अवतरित धाम है। भगवान स्वयं अवतरित होते हैं, उनका धाम अवतरित होता है और उनके पार्षद भी अवतरित होते हैं। यहाँ तक कि “श्री चैतन्य गौड़ीय मठ” भी कोलकाता या चण्डीगढ़ का कोई साधारण मठ नहीं है—वह भी अवतरित मठ है। श्रीश्री राधाकृष्ण की आराधना कहाँ हो सकती है? केवल और केवल उस आध्यात्मिक धाम में—वृन्दावन-धाम में। राधा-कृष्ण सदा वृन्दावन-धाम में ही विराजमान रहते हैं। सच्चे भक्त की कृपा से ही कोई व्यक्ति राधा-कृष्ण की सेवा में प्रविष्ट हो सकता है। सामान्य जीव यह सेवा नहीं कर सकता। अतः समझना होगा कि वृन्दावन इस संसार का भाग नहीं है, यह भारत का भाग नहीं है, यह उत्तर प्रदेश का भाग नहीं है—वृन्दावन एक दिव्य, आध्यात्मिक धाम है जो यहाँ अवतरित हुआ है। और यदि हम इसको समझना चाहते हैं, तो हमें श्रीकृष्ण के चरणों में आत्म-समर्पण करना होगा।

श्रीमद्भागवतम् के दशम स्कन्ध में, इस सृष्टि के रचयिता ब्रह्मा ने श्रीकृष्ण को एक सामान्य बालक समझकर उनके ग्वालबालों और बछड़ों की चोरी कर ली। ब्रह्मा इस बात से चकित थे कि श्रीकृष्ण एक साधारण ग्वाले के रूप में क्यों हैं; यदि वे वास्तव में भगवान हैं, तो उन्हें महान ऐश्वर्य और प्रभुता का प्रदर्शन करना चाहिए। अब बात यह है—यदि ब्रह्मा भी श्रीकृष्ण को नहीं समझ सके, तो हम कैसे समझ सकते हैं? यह अत्यन्त कठिन है। इसी कारण, जब हम गुरुदेव के चरणों में पूर्ण आश्रय ग्रहण करते हैं—जो कि श्रीकृष्ण के अनुग्रहस्वरूप हैं—तब श्रीकृष्ण हमें कृपा प्रदान करते हैं और हम सच्चिदानन्दमय स्वरूप को प्राप्त करने में सक्षम बनते हैं। उस स्वरूप में हम श्रीकृष्ण के समीप रह सकते हैं और एकादशी का यथोचित पालन कर सकते हैं, किन्तु यह बहुत कठिन है। यह इतना सरल नहीं है। तथापि, यह कहे जाने के बाद, बन्धन में पड़े जीवों के लिए एक सरल उपाय भी है।

श्रीचैतन्य महाप्रभु ने स्वयं यह सिखाया है कि एकादशी पर हमें क्या करना चाहिए। हम श्रीकृष्ण-लीला में नारद मुनि से परिचित हैं। चैतन्य-लीला में, नारद ने श्रीवास के रूप में मायापुरधाम में प्रकट होकर गौरांग महाप्रभु की लीलाओं को पूर्ण किया। श्रीवास-पण्डित के घर, श्रीवास-आंगन में, श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु अपने निज-प्रिय पार्षदों—नित्यानन्द प्रभु, अद्वैताचार्य प्रभु आदि—के साथ पूरे एक वर्ष तक प्रतिदिन रात्रि में संकीर्तन करते थे, बिना नींद लिए। यदि हम एक ही रात जागते हैं, तो हमें एक सप्ताह अस्पताल जाना पड़ सकता है!

अब, श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु सिखाते हैं कि हमें एकादशी पर क्या करना चाहिए?

हरिवासरे, हरि-कीर्तन विधान
नृत्य आरम्भिला प्रभु जगतेर प्राण
(श्रीचैतन्य भागवत, मध्य-लीला 8.138)

यहाँ श्रीवृन्दावन दास ठाकुर एकादशी के दिन श्रीवास पण्डित के गृह में श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु द्वारा कीर्तन और नृत्य का वर्णन करते हैं। भक्ति की विधि यह है कि आपको कीर्तन करना है। कीर्तन-विधान—अर्थात् आपको हरिनाम का उच्चारण करना है। नाम और नामी में कोई भेद नहीं है। जब विग्रह शयन कर रहे हों और मन्दिर के द्वार बन्द हों, तब आप उनके निकट नहीं रह सकते। किन्तु नाम का उच्चारण आप दिन या रात्रि किसी भी समय कर सकते हैं। श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु ने कहा है कि इस कलियुग में उन्होंने पवित्र नाम में एक विशेष शक्ति समाहित कर दी है:

नाम्नाम अक़ारि बहुधा निज-सर्व-शक्तिः
तत्रार्पिता नियमितः स्मरणे न कालः
एतादृशि तव कृपा भगवन् ममापि
दुर्दैवम् ईदृशम् इहाजनिनानुरागः
(श्रीशिक्षाष्टक 2)

हम दुर्भाग्यशाली हैं कि हमारे भीतर पवित्र नाम के उच्चारण की कोई इच्छा उत्पन्न नहीं होती। नाम और नामी अभिन्न हैं। अतः, सदैव हरिनाम करना चाहिए: “हरि-वासर हरि-कीर्तन।” एकादशी व्रत का ठीक प्रकार से पालन करने के लिए भोजन आदि के नियमों का पालन अवश्य करना चाहिए। परन्तु मुख्य बात यह है कि आपको श्रीकृष्ण के निकट रहना चाहिए। आपको उनका नाम जपना चाहिए। क्योंकि नाम और नामी एक हैं—जब आप “कृष्ण” का उच्चारण करते हैं, तब आप उनके समीप होते हैं। “कृष्ण” और “कृष्ण” नाम में कोई भेद नहीं है।

नाम चिन्तामणिः कृष्णश्
चैतन्य-रस-विग्रहः।
पूर्णः शुद्धो नित्य-मुक्तो
ऽभिन्नत्वान् नाम-नामिनोः॥
(श्रीभक्तिरसामृतसिन्धु, पूर्व-विभाग 2.233 — पद्मपुराण से उद्धृत)

हम ये सब प्रमाण उद्धृत कर रहे हैं, अतः हमें उनमें विश्वास करना चाहिए! “नृत्य आरम्भिला प्रभु जगतेर प्राण”—श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु ने नृत्य आरम्भ किया। चैतन्य महाप्रभु कौन हैं? वे सम्पूर्ण जगत के समस्त जीवों के प्राणस्वरूप हैं। वे सबके प्रिय हैं। आपको यह श्लोक श्रीमद्भागवतम् के सप्तम स्कन्ध में मिलेगा, जहाँ प्रह्लाद महाराज असुर बालकों से कह रहे हैं—

न ह्यच्युतं प्रीणयतो
बह्वायासोऽसुरात्मजाः।
आत्मत्वात् सर्व-भूतानां
सिद्धत्वादिह सर्वतः॥
(श्रीमद्भागवतम् 7.6.19)

प्रह्लाद महाराज कहते हैं—“श्रीकृष्ण को प्रसन्न करना कोई अत्यन्त कठिन कार्य नहीं है, क्योंकि वे समस्त जीवों के सबसे प्रियतम हैं।” इस संसार में आप देखेंगे कि माता को अपने पुत्र सर्वाधिक प्रिय होती है। किन्तु आप यह भी देखेंगे कि उसमें कुछ स्वार्थ अवश्य जुड़ा होता है। इस संसार में जहाँ किसी के स्वार्थ की पूर्ति नहीं होती, वहाँ प्रेम का अस्तित्व नहीं होता। तथापि, हम यह भी देखते हैं कि माता और पुत्र के बीच में प्रेम होता है। कल्पना कीजिए कि एक बालक को एक बिस्कुट दिया गया है, और वह उसे खाते समय भूमि पर गिरा देता है। बालक की लार से भीगा हुआ वह बिस्कुट अब धूल आदि से लिप्त हो गया है। फिर वह बालक वह बिस्कुट अपनी माता को देता है और कहता है—”माँ, यह खाओ।” सामान्यतः माता ऐसा बिस्कुट नहीं खाएगी, परन्तु अपने पुत्र को प्रसन्न करने हेतु वह उस बिस्कुट को मुख में रख लेती है। तो श्रीकृष्ण को प्रसन्न करना अत्यन्त कठिन नहीं है, क्योंकि वे सबके प्रिय हैं। आप केवल पुकारें—”हे हरि! हे कृष्ण! आप कहाँ हैं? मुझे क्षमा करें, कृपा करें।” यदि यह पुकार आप हृदय की गहराई से कर सकें, तो वे प्रसन्न होंगे। आपके पास उन्हें देने को कुछ नहीं है। उन्हें कुछ चाहिए भी नहीं—वे अनन्त ऐश्वर्य के स्वामी हैं। उन्हें आप केवल भक्ति से आकृष्ट कर सकते हैं। यदि आप सच्ची भक्ति से उनका नामोच्चार कर सकें—तो यही पर्याप्त है। यह तथ्य सभी परिस्थितियों में सत्य है।

पुण्यवन्त श्रीवसाङ्ग्ने शुभारम्भः
(श्रीचैतन्य भागवत, मध्य-लीला 8.139)

श्रीवासाङ्गन, श्री चैतन्य महाप्रभु के शक्तिशाली संकीर्तन के प्रभाव से परम पवित्र एवं पुण्यस्थल बन गया। वहाँ एक अत्यन्त मंगलमय शुभारम्भ हुआ। वह शुभारम्भ क्या था?

उठिल कीर्तन ध्वनि गोपाल गोविन्द
(श्रीचैतन्य भागवत, मध्य-लीला 8.139)

हरि ओ राम राम
हरि ओ राम राम
(श्रीचैतन्य भागवत, मध्य-लीला 23.92)

गोपाल, गोविन्द के नाम का उच्च स्वर में उच्चारण आरम्भ हुआ। श्रीगोविन्द के पावन नाम की वह मधुर ध्वनि, वह पारमार्थिक ध्वनि—आपको इस भौतिक संसार में कहीं प्राप्त नहीं होगी। इस संसार में स्वर, राग, ध्वनि आदि तो हैं, परन्तु यह दिव्य ध्वनि—”गोपाल! गोविन्द! हरि राम! राम! हरि राम! राम!”—ऐसी पवित्र ध्वनि है जो जीव का उद्धार कर सकती है। आपको हरिनाम करना चाहिए। यह अत्यन्त सरल है। यदि आप हरिनाम करते हैं, तो आप श्रीकृष्ण के समीप हो जाते हैं।

आपको एकादशी के दिन विशेष लाभ तब प्राप्त होगा जब आप भजन ऐसे स्थान पर करें जहाँ श्रीभगवान के भक्त एकत्र होकर भजन कर रहे हों। ऐसा स्थान ‘धाम’ कहलाता है। यदि आप मथुरा-धाम, व्रज-मण्डल, नवद्वीप-धाम अथवा पुरुषोत्तम-धाम जैसे पारमार्थिक स्थलों में एकादशी का व्रत करते हैं, तो उससे विशेष फल प्राप्त होता है। जहाँ कहीं भी भक्तगण एकत्र होकर भगवान के नाम, रूप, गुण, लीला एवं पार्षदों का कीर्तन करते हैं—वही स्थान ‘धाम’ है:

मद्भक्ता यत्र गायन्ति
तत्र तिष्ठामि नारद
(पद्मपुराण)

श्रीकृष्ण नारदजी से कहते हैं—”हे नारद! मैं कहाँ निवास करता हूँ? जहाँ मेरे भक्तगण मेरे नाम, रूप, गुण, लीला एवं पार्षदों की कीर्ति का गान करते हैं—वहीं मैं निवास करता हूँ।” यदि आप यह साधना सच्चे शुद्ध भक्तों—सिद्ध साधुओं—की संगति में करते हैं, तो उसका विशेष प्रभाव होता है।

एकादशी व्रत के फल का प्रमाण अम्बरीष महाराज के जीवन से मिलता है। अम्बरीष महाराज ने एक वर्ष तक मथुरा-धाम, व्रज-मण्डल में अत्यन्त श्रद्धा और नियमपूर्वक एकादशी तिथि का पालन किया। श्रीकृष्ण इस व्रत से इतने संतुष्ट हुए कि दुर्वासा ऋषि का श्राप भी अम्बरीष महाराज को स्पर्श नहीं कर सका। श्रीमद्भागवतम् के नवम स्कंध में, शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने राजा परीक्षित से इस विषय में कहा है—

नास्पृशद् ब्रह्मशापोऽपि यं न प्रतिहतः क्वचित्
(श्रीमद्भागवतम्, 9.4.13)

ब्राह्मण का शाप कभी निष्फल नहीं होता, न ही टाला जा सकता है। फिर भी वह शाप अम्बरीष महाराज को स्पर्श तक न कर सका। यह सुनकर राजा परीक्षित अत्यन्त आश्चर्यचकित हुए। वे बोले, “मेरा जन्म पाण्डव वंश में हुआ है। पाण्डव श्रीकृष्ण को अत्यन्त प्रिय हैं। जब मैं अपनी माता उत्तरा के गर्भ में था, तब अश्वत्थामा ने समस्त पाण्डवों का संहार करने के उद्देश्य से ब्रह्मास्त्र छोड़ा था। उस समय मेरी माता विलाप कर रही थीं, तब परम पुरुषोत्तम भगवान श्रीकृष्ण ने अपने सुदर्शन चक्र से मेरी माता के गर्भ की रक्षा की। अतः मेरा नाम विष्णुरात हुआ—जिसे स्वयं विष्णु ने रक्षा प्रदान की हो। उसी गर्भस्थ अवस्था में मैंने अपने आराध्य श्रीकृष्ण का दर्शन किया। जन्म के पश्चात् मैं उसी पुरुष की खोज में लग गया, ‘वह पुरुष कहाँ है? वह पूज्य पुरुष कहाँ गया?’ मैं निरन्तर उसकी परीक्षा करता रहा। संस्कृत शब्द ‘परीक्षा’ का अर्थ होता है ‘जाँचना’, इसी कारण मेरा नाम परीक्षित पड़ा।” परीक्षित महाराज ने आगे कहा, “मेरा जन्म पाण्डव वंश में हुआ, श्रीकृष्ण ने मेरी रक्षा की। गर्भ में रहते मैंने श्रीकृष्ण का दर्शन किया और जन्म के बाद भी मैं उन्हें खोजता रहा। फिर भी आज मैं यहाँ बैठा हूँ, इस ज्ञान के साथ कि सातवें दिन मुझे सर्पदंश से मृत्यु प्राप्त होगी, क्योंकि मुझे शमीक मुनि के पुत्र द्वारा शाप मिला है।”

इस शाप की कथा इस प्रकार है: एक दिन परीक्षित महाराज अत्यन्त प्यासे थे और जल की याचना हेतु शमीक मुनि के आश्रम में गए। उस समय शमीक मुनि ध्यानस्थ थे और उन्हें परीक्षित महाराज की उपस्थिति का ज्ञान नहीं हुआ। जब कोई उत्तर नहीं मिला, तब परीक्षित महाराज क्रोधित हो उठे—“मैं आश्रम में उपस्थित हूँ और तुम एक प्यासे को जल भी नहीं दे रहे?” इस अपमान और क्रोध के वश, उन्होंने एक मृत सर्प को उठाकर मुनि के गले में डाल दिया। जब वे आश्रम से लौटे, तो उन्हें गहन पश्चाताप हुआ—“पाण्डव तो ब्राह्मणों और मुनियों का अत्यन्त सम्मान करते हैं, और मैं उसी वंश में जन्मा हूँ। मुझसे बहुत बड़ा अपराध हो गया।” उन्होंने हृदय से पश्चाताप किया और भगवान श्रीकृष्ण से प्रार्थना की, “हे प्रभु! मैंने महान अपराध किया है, कृपया मुझे दण्ड दीजिए।”

इसी बीच शमीक मुनि के आश्रम के बाहर उनका पुत्र श्रृंगी, अन्य ऋषिपुत्रों के साथ क्रीड़ा कर रहा था। जब वह लौटकर आया, तो देखा कि उसके पिता के गले में मृत सर्प लटका हुआ है। यह देखकर वह बहुत दुखी हुआ और अत्यन्त क्रोधित हो गया। उसने कहा, “यह पाप किसने किया? यदि मैं अपने पिता का सच्चा पुत्र हूँ, तो मैं शाप देता हूँ कि आज से सातवें दिन जिसने यह पाप किया है, उसकी मृत्यु सर्पदंश से होगी।” और यह कहकर वह रोने लगा। तभी शमीक मुनि ने अपने नेत्र खोले और पूछा, “क्या बात है? तुम रो क्यों रहे हो?”

श्रृंगी ने कहा, “किसी ने आपका अपमान किया है और आपके गले में मृत सर्प डाल दिया है।” उसने अपने द्वारा दिए गए शाप के विषय में सब कुछ बता दिया।

शमीक मुनि ने कहा, “अरे! तुमने बहुत अनुचित कार्य कर डाला। परीक्षित महाराज धर्मनिष्ठ पुरुष हैं, पाण्डव वंश में जन्मे हैं। उन्हें मुझे ताड़ना देने का अधिकार है। तुम ब्राह्मण हो, परन्तु तुमने अधैर्य दिखाया और अनुचित ढंग से यह श्राप दे डाला।”

तब शमीक मुनि ने एक ऋषिकुमार को परीक्षित महाराज की राजधानी भेजा, जिससे वह उन्हें इस श्राप की सूचना दे सके और वे उसके प्रभाव के लिए स्वयं को तैयार कर सकें। वह बालक परीक्षित महाराज के दरबार में पहुँचा और उन्हें बताया कि शमीक मुनि के पुत्र ने उन्हें श्राप दिया है कि सातवें दिन सर्पदंश से उनकी मृत्यु होगी।

तब परीक्षित महाराज प्रसन्न हुए। उन्होंने विचार किया, “कृष्ण मुझसे प्रेम करते हैं, अतः उन्होंने यह श्राप भेजा है जिससे मुझे सात दिनों का समय मिल गया है। कोई भी मनुष्य पूर्व से यह नहीं जान सकता कि उसकी मृत्यु किस समय होगी। किन्तु मुझे यह विशेष समय मिला है कि मैं स्वयं को तैयार कर सकूँ।”

तब उन्होंने गृहस्थ जीवन का परित्याग करने का निश्चय किया। उन्होंने अपने पुत्र जनमेजय को बुलाकर कहा, “अब तुम राज्य का कार्यभार सँभालो। मैं गंगा तट स्थित शुकताल जा रहा हूँ। मेरे पास समय नहीं है। मुझे स्वयं को तैयार करना है। तुम यहीं रहो।”

संकट और आपत्ति के समय हमारा मन बदल जाता है। मुझे भी एक ऐसा ही अनुभव हुआ था जब मैं कॉलेज में विद्यार्थी था। हमारे पूज्य पिता ने मुझे कूचबिहार के विक्टोरिया कॉलेज में भेजा था, जहाँ से मैंने बी.ए. की उपाधि प्राप्त की। वहाँ एक बहुत बड़ा छात्रावास था। एक बार एक प्रसिद्ध ज्योतिषी वहाँ आया और उसने भविष्यवाणी की कि अमुक समय, अमुक तिथि को प्रलय होगी—सब कुछ विनष्ट हो जाएगा। छात्रावास के सभी निवासी एकत्र हो गए—मैं भी उनमें सम्मिलित था—और वे कहने लगे कि इस ज्योतिषी की भविष्यवाणी अवश्य सत्य सिद्ध होगी, क्योंकि वह कभी भी गलत सिद्ध नहीं हुआ। हम विचार कर रहे थे कि क्या करना चाहिए। हमने सोचा, “हम सन्ध्या में मर जाएँगे। सब कुछ नष्ट हो जाएगा।” छात्रावास के परिसर में एक भोजनालय था। हमने तय किया, “आओ, खाएँ! चलो भोजनालय में चलें और जितना सम्भव हो सके, आनन्द से खा लें। हमारे माता-पिता ने हमें धन दिया है, तो चलो उसका उपयोग कर लें। वे बहुत प्रसन्न होंगे कि हमने बुद्धिमानी से विचार किया कि हम सब मर जाएँगे, तो इस पैसे का क्या करना? चलो, इसका उपयोग कर लें।” मैं भी उनके साथ भोजनालय गया। सब लोग वेटर से विभिन्न प्रकार की मिठाइयाँ मँगवाने लगे। हम खा रहे थे, खा रहे थे, और इतना खा लिया कि और खा ही नहीं सकते थे। सारा पैसा खर्च हो गया, तो हमें लगा कि हमने बहुत बुद्धिमानी का कार्य किया है। “हमारे माता-पिता सोचेंगे कि हमने अच्छा किया,” ऐसा हमने सोचा।

इसके पश्चात हम अपने कमरे में लौटे और अन्त समय आने तक चर्चा करते रहे। समय आया और निकल गया, परन्तु न कोई प्रलय हुई, न ही संसार का अन्त। “अरे! हमें धोखा दिया गया! अब हम अपने माता-पिता से क्या कहेंगे?” हम आपस में यही विचार करते रहे।

इन सब घटनाओं के बीच, हमारा एक मित्र कमरे में सो रहा था। अचानक वह उठ बैठा और चिल्लाने लगा, “प्रलय! प्रलय!” वह रोने और इधर-उधर दौड़ने लगा, और अन्त में गिर पड़ा, चिल्लाता ही रहा। जो लोग उसे देख रहे थे, वे पूछने लगे, “कौन-सी प्रलय? यह क्या कह रहा है? अवश्य ही इसने कोई बुरा स्वप्न देखा होगा।”

इन सब बातों के बीच, किसी ने भी यह नहीं कहा, “आओ, श्रीकृष्ण की उपासना करें।” मैंने भी कुछ नहीं कहा। मैं तो केवल उनके साथ चला गया, क्योंकि वे सब इतने अधिक संख्या में थे। मैं क्या कहता? वे मुझे भी अपने साथ ले गए। ऐसा ही होता है—जब कोई चिरस्थायी शुभकर्म, चिरस्थायी शुभ संस्कार, अर्थात् शास्त्रों में जिसे “सुकृति” कहते हैं, नहीं होता—तो किसी को श्रीकृष्ण की उपासना करने की प्रवृत्ति नहीं होती। यहाँ तक कि यदि हमें बताया भी जाए कि “संध्या में सब कुछ नष्ट हो जाएगा! तुम्हें तैयार होकर श्रीकृष्ण की उपासना करनी चाहिए,” तो भी हम उनकी उपासना नहीं करेंगे। हम तो उन छात्रों के साथ चले जाएँगे, भोग करने।

परन्तु परीक्षित महाराज वैष्णव हैं। उन्होंने गृहस्थ जीवन का त्याग करने का निश्चय किया और इसके फलस्वरूप वे श्रीकण्ठ (शुकताल) गए। मैं वहाँ अपने गुरु महाराज के साथ कई बार गया हूँ। यह स्थान उत्तर प्रदेश में है, मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर से लगभग 20 किलोमीटर दूर। आज भी यह एक पवित्र स्थान माना जाता है। जब परीक्षित महाराज वहाँ पहुँचे, तो सभी ऋषि-मुनि भी वहाँ पहुँच गए, यह सोचकर कि कोई अद्भुत घटना घटित होने वाली है, क्योंकि परीक्षित महाराज कोई साधारण व्यक्ति नहीं हैं। तब परीक्षित महाराज ने उन सभी से पूछा, “मेरे पास केवल एक सप्ताह का समय है। कृपया मुझे बताइए कि मुझे क्या करना चाहिए।” वहाँ अनेक प्रकार के ऋषि उपस्थित थे—कर्म-ऋषि, ज्ञान-ऋषि, और योग-ऋषि—सबके अपने-अपने मोक्ष प्राप्त करने के उपाय थे।

कुछ सामान्य कर्म-ऋषियों ने कहा, “आपके पास धन है। यदि आप दान देंगे, तो आप उद्धार को प्राप्त होंगे।”

अन्य कर्म-ऋषियों ने कहा, “नहीं, समय बहुत कम है। आपको होम करना चाहिए,” और उन्होंने उन सामग्रियों की सूची दी जो यज्ञ के लिए आवश्यक थीं।

तीसरे प्रकार के ज्ञान-ऋषियों ने कहा, “नहीं, नहीं! इन कर्मकाण्ड यज्ञों से उद्धार नहीं हो सकता। आपको ध्यान करना होगा।”

योग-ऋषियों ने आग्रह किया कि उन्हें प्राणायाम करना चाहिए।

परीक्षित महाराज असमंजस में पड़ गए—“मैं क्या करूँ?” तब उन्होंने भगवान श्रीकृष्ण के चरणों में पूर्ण आश्रय लिया। “कृपया मुझे उद्धार दें! मेरा पाण्डवों से पारिवारिक सम्बन्ध है। कृपया मुझे मार्ग दिखाइए!”

तब श्रीकृष्ण ने अपने ही प्रतिनिधि, श्रीशुकदेव गोस्वामी को भेजा। सच्चे साधु का साथ अपने आप नहीं मिलता। उसके लिए कुछ पूर्व संस्कार, कुछ चिरस्थायी पुण्यकर्म—सुकृति—होनी चाहिए। अन्यथा, ऐसा सम्भव नहीं। उस समय श्रीशुकदेव गोस्वामी की आयु केवल सोलह वर्ष थी। वे महात्यागी थे, पूर्णतः विरक्त। वे नग्न होकर गाँवों में विचरण करते थे। गाँव के लोग उन्हें पागल समझते थे। वे उन पर पत्थर और अन्य वस्तुएँ फेंकते थे। श्रीशुकदेव गोस्वामी इसका कोई विरोध नहीं करते थे, क्योंकि वे इस संसार से परे थे। गाँव के लोग उन्हें नहीं समझ सके। परन्तु जब उन्होंने गंगा तट पर स्थित शुकताल में अपने पवित्र चरण रखे, तब वहाँ उपस्थित सभी ऋषि-मुनि उन्हें देखकर आदरपूर्वक खड़े हो गए। एक ज्ञानी पुरुष ही दूसरे ज्ञानी को सम्मान दे सकता है। एक अज्ञानी में यह सामर्थ्य नहीं होती कि वह ज्ञानी को पहचाने। एक सच्चा साधु ही दूसरे साधु को पहचान सकता है। असाधु, साधु को नहीं पहचान सकता। वहाँ उपस्थित सभी ऋषि-मुनियों ने समझ लिया कि यह कोई साधारण पुरुष नहीं हैं।

जब शुकदेव गोस्वामी वहाँ पहुँचे, तो उन्होंने परीक्षित महाराज से कहा—“मैं शुकदेव हूँ। यहाँ आने से पहले मैं ब्रह्मानन्द में पूर्णतः स्थित था, किन्तु श्रीकृष्ण की परम मधुर लीलाओं एवं गुणों ने मुझे आकर्षित कर लिया—

परिनिष्ठितोऽपि नैर्गुण्ये
उत्तम-श्लोक-लीलया ।
गृहीत-चेता राजर्षे
आख्यानं यदधीत्तवान् ॥
(श्रीमद्भागवतम् 2.1.9)

“अतः मैं तुम्हें यही परामर्श देता हूँ कि इन सात दिनों तक केवल श्रीकृष्ण की कथा श्रवण करो, और कुछ मत करो।” वहाँ उपस्थित किसी भी ऋषि-मुनि में इतना सामर्थ्य नहीं था कि इस उपदेश का खण्डन कर सके। सभी वहीं बैठ गए, जबकि शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने श्रीभगवान श्रीकृष्ण की लीलाओं का कीर्तन एवं वर्णन करना आरम्भ किया। परीक्षित महाराज ने सात दिनों तक ध्यानपूर्वक श्रवण किया—बिना जल, अन्न अथवा विश्राम के। क्या हम ऐसा कर सकते हैं?

शुकदेव गोस्वामी चिन्तित हो उठे—“महाराज,” उन्होंने कहा, “क्या आप कुछ विश्राम नहीं करेंगे? शायद थोड़े जल या अन्न का सेवन कर लें?” परीक्षित महाराज ने उत्तर दिया—“कृपया आप इन बातों की चिन्ता न करें। मेरे पास अधिक समय नहीं है।

नैषातिदुःसहा क्षुन्मां
त्यक्तोदं अपि बाधते।
(श्रीमद्भागवतम् 10.1.13)

मुझे प्यास लगी है, यह मैं जानता हूँ। बिना जल के कोई भी जीवित नहीं रह सकता। मुझे भूख भी लगी है। किन्तु यह भूख और प्यास मेरे श्रवण में बाधक नहीं बन सकते, क्योंकि मेरे पास केवल सात दिन का समय है। अतः मेरी चिन्ता मत कीजिए। मैं इन विषयों की कोई चिन्ता नहीं करता। मेरा चित्त यहाँ स्थित है—

पिबन्तं त्वन्मुखाम्भोज-
च्युतं हरि-कथामृतम् ॥
(श्रीमद्भागवतम् 10.1.13 का शेष भाग)

“आपके मुखकमल से जो हरिकथामृत निःश्रृत हो रहा है, मैं उसका पान कर रहा हूँ और इसी से तृप्त हूँ। न मुझे प्यास है, न भूख, न विश्राम की आवश्यकता है।”

उन्होंने सात दिनों तक निरन्तर श्रवण किया और इस प्रकार अपने जीवन के लक्ष्य को प्राप्त कर लिया।

आज के युग में, यदि दस-बारह या सौ लोग भी इस प्रकार एकत्र हों, तो सभी बेचैनी से इधर-उधर करवटें बदलने लगते हैं। परन्तु परीक्षित महाराज पूर्ण स्थिरता एवं मौनता से श्रवण करते रहे।

अतः परीक्षित महाराज ने पूछा—“यद्यपि मेरा जन्म पाण्डव वंश में हुआ है और श्रीकृष्ण ने सदैव मेरी रक्षा की है,

 

Today is a most auspicious day-Mohinī Ekādaśī. Ekādaśī means “hari-vāsara”. This tithi (day of the lunar month) in the bright moon fortnight (śukla Ekādaśī) is very dear to Lord Hari. In one word: hari-vāsara. For this reason, it is most auspicious. This is its specialty. So, if you perform bhajana, worship of Kṛṣṇa, by means of śravaṇaṁ, kīrtanaṁ, smaraṇaṁ (hearing, chanting and remembering) and other devotional forms, on Ekādaśī, you will get a million times more benefit than on other days. If you realize the utility or benefit of following this vow, then you will be actuated to observe it.

There are two kinds of benefit. In the sanātana-dharma scriptures of India there are two main divisions: karma-kāṇḍa and bhakti. Karma-kāṇḍa is the part of the Vedic literatures that prescribes rituals and ceremonies suitable for the obtainment of material, temporary benefits. This is called karma-kāṇḍa—smārta. From smṛti comes the word smārta. Those brāhmaṇas who are well versed in smṛti are called smārta-brāhmaṇas. They prescribe laws and regulations taken from the smārta scriptures advising, “If you perform this sort of vow you will get this sort of benefit.” To encourage worldly people, they speak of worldly benefits. By this, the worldly-minded are inspired, but pure devotees do not want any such material, temporary benefits. This is called śuddha bhakti (pure devotion). One is the śuddha bhakti line and the other is the smārta line. They are quite different.

Now, in the scriptures you will find a description of the glory and utility of observing Mohinī Ekādaśī. This description can be found in the Sūrya Purāṇa, which is named after the sun god, Sūrya. What is the nature of this glory, utility or benefit? Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja asked Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “Kindly tell me what the name of the Ekādaśī is, in the bright moon fortnight of the month of Vaisakha [April/May], and what benefit will we get by observing this Ekādaśī? Please tell me.” Kṛṣṇa replied, “I will not respond to your question based upon my own initiative,” that is to say, based upon His own opinion. That is the procedure. You will find that even the Supreme Lord and the sages observe this procedure of presenting evidence based upon the previous evidence given by self-realized souls.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa continued, “Vasiṣṭha Muni played the pastime of acting as the guru of Bhagavān Rāmacandra. Bhagavān Rāmacandra once put a specific question to His guru. ‘I am experiencing extreme grief caused by separation from My consort, Sītā Devī. Why is this happening to Me? How can I overcome this extreme separation grief?’ Vasiṣṭha Muni replied, ‘You are the Supreme Lord. By uttering Your Name, everyone becomes emancipated and delivered from all kinds of difficulties. So why are You questioning me like this? You are surely putting this question to me for the benefit of the enslaved jīvās of this world, who have the desire to obtain their eternal welfare. You are asking on behalf of those who strive diligently toward this goal. To obey Your order, I say that, if You observe the Mohinī Ekādaśī vrata, it will destroy all sins, even heinous ones. If You observe this vow, You will be relieved of Your separation grief. I shall provide an example to illustrate this point.’

“Vasiṣṭha Muni continued, ‘There was a city, a metropolis, called Bhadravatī, on the bank of the river Sarasvatī, that was the capital of a kingdom, and in this city resided a king by the name of Dyutimana. This king was very religious-minded, righteous and pious. In that kingdom, there was also a vaiśya by the name of Dhanapāla. Vaiśya indicates the third social class, the business class. They engage in business as the means of earning their livelihood and are often quite wealthy. This person, like the king, was very pious. He always acted for the benefit of humanity and for the good of all, including the subjects of the king. Everyone was very grateful and respectful toward him. He had five sons, but it was his misfortune that his youngest son, Dhṛṣṭabuddhi, was without good character—a debauchee. Dhanapāla was, naturally, very disappointed with the situation. He thought, “What is this? My son is squandering the money that I collect and he is also associating with prostitutes. He is committing all kinds of heinous crimes.”

“‘One day, Dhanapāla saw his youngest son walking along the road while embracing the neck of a harlot. At the sight of this, he was very much distressed and disappointed. He thought, “I don’t want this son. I’ll drive him out. He should go. I don’t like his behavior.” Dhanapāla then drove his son out from his home.

“‘Due to the prestigious social position and wealth of his father, Dhṛṣṭabuddhi had some money with him for several days after being driven out. However, when this money ran out, he had to resort to all kinds of criminal activity, such as robbery, eventually leading to his arrest by the police. When the police realized that he was the son of the respected Dhanapāla, they released him. Ultimately, he had no choice but to live in the dense forest where he killed the beasts and birds for sustenance. He was committing all kinds of sins. Otherwise, how would he survive with no money? All of a sudden, he saw coming toward him, in wet clothing, a great saint by the name of Kauṇḍinya Muni, who had just finished bathing. Upon encountering him, a drop of water fell from the muni’s wet clothing onto Dhṛṣṭabuddhi and he was immediately sanctified. Dhṛṣṭabuddhi became repentant, thinking to himself, “I have spoiled my whole life. I have deprived myself of the affection of my parents. What have I done?” Thinking in this way, he fell down at the feet of Kauṇḍinya Muni saying, “Please rescue me. You are all-merciful. Please rescue me, as I am the most wretched creature. There is no soul more fallen than I.” In this way, he repeatedly offered prayers to Kauṇḍinya Muni, who was compassionate by nature. Kauṇḍinya Muni asked, “Who are you?” Dhṛṣṭabuddhi introduced himself, informing Kauṇḍinya Muni of his unfortunate plight. Kauṇḍinya Muni then told him not to worry and advised, “If you observe Mohinī Ekādaśī, all your previous sins will be destroyed. It is the scriptural prescript and law to observe this vow.” Accordingly, Dhṛṣṭabuddhi followed his advice and was relieved of the burden of all his sins. Not only this, but he went to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord by observing Ekādaśī.’”

In the karma-kāṇḍa śāstra you will find that this sort of encouragement is being given, but the śuddha bhaktas observe Ekādaśī solely for the satisfaction of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. What is the real purpose of Ekādaśī? Our smṛti-grantha, or Vaiṣṇava smṛti book, is called Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa. In this, there are laws or rules stipulating how to properly perform all the vows that have devotion to the Supreme Lord as their goal. Those who are pure devotees like to act in accordance with the injunctions of the devotional literatures, especially Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa. In this literature, the actual purpose of observing Ekādaśī is written:

upāvṛttasya pāpebhyo
yas tu vāso gunaiḥ saha
upavāsaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ
sarva bhoga vivarjitaḥ
(Śrī Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, 13.14)

“Giving up all sins, and with all good qualities, one who remains near Kṛṣṇa, totally relinquishing all enjoyments, has actually observed the vow of Ekādaśī.” Upāvṛttasya pāpebhyaḥ: We are to give up all sinful activity. We are to refrain, to desist from committing all sins. On Ekādaśī-tithi this is the very least we should do and, while exhibiting all good qualities, we should remain near the Supreme Lord Who is All-Good, All-Existence, All-Knowledge and All-Bliss. Upavāsa. Upa means near to, in the vicinity of, or in the proximity of. Vāsa means to remain, to remain near God. It is generally thought that upavāsa means to remain without food, to fast. If you remain without food, but you think to yourself, “When shall I eat? My stomach is burning with hunger,” then you are not thinking about Kṛṣṇa. You are thinking about your stomach. If that should be the case, then you can take food that is allowed by the scriptures, but you should always think about Kṛṣṇa.

āpo mūlam phalam payaḥ
havir brāhmaṇa kāmyā ca
guror vacanam auṣadham’e
aṣtaitānyavrataghnani
(Śrī Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, 12.40, quoted from the Udyoga-parva of Mahābhārata)

If you take the foods stated in this verse, there will be no breach of your vow. You can take water. Mūlam means potatoes and other roots that grow under the earth. You can boil them and your vow will not be broken. Phalam—all kinds of fruits can be taken. Cow’s milk and milk preparations such as yogurt and ghee (clarified butter) can also be taken. With ghee from cow’s milk, you can prepare a curry from vegetables like potatoes or other roots. Green bananas (plantains) and papaya are also acceptable. There will also be no breach of vow if medicine is taken that doctors have prescribed for a serious, possibly life threatening, health problem. If a bonafide brāhmaṇa would like to take something, then he or she should fulfill their desire in such a way that their vow will not be destroyed. However, one should take note that the actual prescript of the devotional scriptures is that, on Ekādaśī, one should always remain near Bhagavān—all day and night. We should not forget Him. There are many prohibitions, many commandments, both positive and negative assertions. There is a list of things that one should not do, a list of negative assertions. Should there be any kind of action that will make you forget Kṛṣṇa, then that is also prohibited, even if it is not included in the list. There are also commandments, nine forms of devotion, sixty-four forms of devotion—like this. Should there be any other kind of action or devotion that will remind you of Kṛṣṇa or the service of Kṛṣṇa, then that is allowed, even though it may not be on the list. What is the criterion to understand what we are to do and what we are not to do?

smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur
visamartavyo na jātucit
sarve vidhi-niṣedāḥ syur
etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ
(Padma Purāṇa, quoted in Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.113)

We have to remember Kṛṣṇa always. That is the prescript or injunction of the devotional scriptures. We should never forget Him. So, therefore, the purpose of observing this vow of Ekādaśī is to remember Kṛṣṇa always. Wherever your mind is, you are there also. You are here now in this temple but you are thinking about your house and your relatives, who may be there experiencing difficulty of some sort. Or, perhaps, you are thinking that there is some work at home that requires your attention. If you are thinking like this, then where are you actually staying? You are physically staying here at the temple, but mentally you are staying at your house. Is it not so? Wherever your mind rests, wherever your mind remains, you will be there also. If you go to Vṛndāvana but you do not think about Vṛndāvana, then where are you staying? Physically you are there, but mentally you are somewhere else. The primary factor is the mind. In all the different devotional forms of worship, the target is to engage the mind in the service of Kṛṣṇa. If you can control the mind all the senses will be controlled automatically, as they are subservient to the mind. “Sarve mano nigraha lakṣṇāntam.”

Now the difficulty is this: “sarva bhoga vivarjitaḥ”. On this day, you have to give up all kinds of bhoga, sensuous enjoyment. Totally! If you have the inclination to enjoy, you can only enjoy that which is inferior to you. You will not be able to remain near Bhagavān or the bhakta because They are superior. If you have the spirit of enjoyment, you will remain near material things, the temporary, non-eternal things of this world—things that you can lord it over. If you want to observe Ekādaśī, to remain always near Kṛṣṇa, then you have to give up all kinds of enjoyment totally. You have to remain near Kṛṣṇa, but there is yet another problem. What is that problem? Who is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is not a human being:

harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10.88.5)

Hari (Kṛṣṇa) is transcendental. He is beyond mind, intelligence and the sense organs of the conditioned souls of this world. You cannot stay near Hari by means of this physical body composed of earth, water, fire, air, ether and the astral body, composed of mind, intellect and perverted ego, which are produced by the aparā potency of Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the material energy). An example can be given. The owner of a building is residing on the tenth floor and his servant is residing on the ground floor of the building. If the servant stays on the ground floor, will he be able to serve the owner of the building? He must go upstairs to the tenth floor by means of walking or by taking the elevator and he must enter the apartment and then the room where the owner may be lying down. He must then proceed to the bedstead where he can sit and give a massage if necessary. By remaining on the ground floor, he cannot serve. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is in the transcendental realm but you are on the mundane plane, with this physical body. How, then, are we to remain near the Supreme Lord? Tell me. Does the Supreme Lord have a material form?

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa kāraṇam
(Śrī Brahma-Saṁhitā, 5.1)

He is the Cause of all causes. He has vigrahaḥ (form) but it is made of sat (eternal existence), cit (knowledge) and ānanda (bliss), not of material things. How, then, can I remain near Kṛṣṇa with this material body? The devotional, spiritual injunction is that we should remain near God. But God is transcendental, beyond our comprehension, so the problem is, how are we to stay near Him? What is the solution? We find in Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta:

dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa
sei-kāle kṛṣṇa tāre kare ātma-sama
sei deha kare tāra cid-ānanda-maya
aprākṛta-dehe taṅra caraṇa bhajaya
(Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.192-193)

“At the time of taking mantra-dīkṣā, the devotee takes absolute shelter of Gurudeva. Śrī Kṛṣṇa makes the devotee cid-ānanda-māyā via the medium of Gurudeva and, in that transcendental form, the devotee can worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”

What is the significance of this? Dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa: Dīkṣā means mantra-dīkṣā and harināma-dīkṣā. There are two kinds of dīkṣā and, when we take dīkṣā, we surrender to the lotus feet of Gurudeva and to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. However, we are not seeing the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is here in His Deity form, but He is not talking with us. We cannot exchange thoughts with Him even though He is here in His Deity form. Very rarely, among many, many human beings, we may find a devotee of Kṛṣṇa to whom the Mūrti or Deity is speaking, but generally we experience no exchange of thoughts. On the other hand, although we know that the material body and the things related to it are temporary, we exchange thoughts with them and, as a result, we become attached. We have attachment for non-eternal, physical relations but we have no attachment for Kṛṣṇa. What can be done? What is the procedure? You will find in the dialogue between Kapila Bhagavān and Mātā Devahūti in the Third Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam:

prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pāśam
ātmanaḥ kavayo viduḥ
sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto
mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 3.25.20)

You are seeing the sādhu. The sādhu is moving and talking. The real or bonafide sādhu has one-pointed devotion to Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is giving everything—mind, intelligence, speech and senses—everything, for the service of Kṛṣṇa. He is serving Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. Such a śuddha bhakta is rarely to be found. You should go to a śuddha bhakta, but who is a śuddha bhakta? Kapila Bhagavān says that a śuddha bhakta must have this original quality of one-pointed devotion to the Supreme Lord; otherwise he cannot be accepted as a śuddha bhakta. One should find a śuddha bhakta such as our Gurudeva, Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. By speaking with him and seeing his outward appearance, everyone was attracted. Some even thought that he was the son of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, due to their striking physical similarity. Of course, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had no son, as he was an ascetic. For those who have not personally seen our Paramgurudeva, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, it should be noted that he would think and speak about Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. Many paṇḍits, erudite scholars, would come to debate with him, thinking to challenge his contentions and refute what he was preaching, but, when they actually saw him, they would become speechless and bow down before him. So much power! They were astounded at the sight of him because his knowledge was not merely that of books, but of realization sent by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is a completely different thing.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was in the habit of sending our Gurudeva in advance to functions, as Śrīla Gurudeva was always very successful in his endeavors wherever he went. One such occasion was when our Paramgurudeva visited Sarabhoga, Assam for the first time. There was a great reception for Śrīla Prabhupāda when he arrived. While in Sarabhoga, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura traveled in a bullock cart while others walked to different places in the area. At that time, one of my senior godbrothers, Śrīla Āśrama Mahārāja, was a young brāhmaṇa boy acting as family guru there in Assam. While following Paramgurudeva’s cart one day, the brāhmaṇa boy, who was perhaps one or two years older than myself, asked Paramgurudeva what his name was and where he had come from. The resulting conversation destroyed his connection with family life. So, therefore, conversing with a sādhu is very dangerous! By seeing, hearing and engaging in a dialogue with Śrīla Prabhupāda, the brāhmaṇa boy became very much attracted. His family had placed many restrictions upon him, such as you should not go outside, you should take mantra here, etc., but instead he renounced everything and came to our Maṭh. The śuddha bhakta is so attractive! Upon first sight, Śrīla Āśrama Mahārāja was attracted. This boy had no prior knowledge of scripture but, because the śuddha bhakta is gracious to all, being the grace incarnate of the Supreme Lord, he was attracted by only a brief encounter. The grace of the śuddha bhakta extends to all living beings, not just to human beings, because they are one with Kṛṣṇa. They are equal to all and they show affection to everyone, and it is this affection that attracts people. Paramgurudeva was ordered by Śrīla Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura to preach the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Pañcatattva appeared to him, telling him, “Do not be afraid. We are giving you this order.” Within a very short time, he stirred the whole world. So many disciples came—our Gurudeva, Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Bon Mahārāja, Bhaktivedanta Svāmī Mahārāja and Śrīdhara Mahārāja—all stalwart figures! In this way, he expanded himself. So, if you take shelter of the lotus feet of Gurudeva, who is the absolute counterpart of Śrī Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa will accept you through that medium and make your body transcendental.

“Dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa”: Dīkṣā does not merely mean hearing the mantra. It means submitting totally to the lotus feet of a bonafide guru. Kṛṣṇa gives His grace through the guru, who is grace incarnate. If you wish to see the sun, you cannot do so by ignoring the light from the rays of the sun. First the light will come and, through the medium of that light, you will see the sun. The sun is self-effulgent, self-luminous. And, in the night, if you want to see the sun, you will not be able to see it. Even if you connect together all the electric lights of the world, you will not be able see the sun at night. You might see the light of those electric lights and mistakenly think that this is the sun, but it is not. You have to wait for the sun to rise. When the sun rises, you have to accept the grace of the sun, you have to take the sun. You should not keep your eyes closed—you have to open them. You have to open the doors and windows. You have to accept. Then, through that medium, you will see the sun. There is no other way. Self-effulgent God is the Cause of all causes. He has no cause, so He is Self-Evident Truth, Self-Luminous. By His grace, you can get Him. That grace-incarnate form is guru. If you are very fortunate, you can come in contact with the sādhu, the bonafide guru. God graces us all through the medium of the devotee. “Dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa, sei-kāle kṛṣṇa tāre kare ātma-sama”: at the time when we sincerely submit to the bonafide guru, who is the grace incarnate of Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, through that medium, Śrī Kṛṣṇa will take us, He will embrace us, and make our body transcendental—fit for sitting near Him. “Sei deha kare tāra cid-ānanda-maya, aprākṛta-dehe taṅra caraṇa bhajaya”: that transcendental spiritual form can worship Kṛṣṇa. With this body, you cannot enter the transcendental realm of Vṛndāvana. Vṛndāvana is not a material part of India. It has descended. Gods descends, His realm descends and His associates also descend. Even Śrī Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭh is not a part of Calcutta or Chandigarh. Śrī Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭh has descended there. Where can you perform worship of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa? Only in the transcendental realm, in Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa always remain in Vṛndāvana-dhāma. By the grace of a true devotee, one may receive the service of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. An ordinary person cannot perform this service. So, Vṛndāvana is not a part of this world, it is not a part of India, it is not a part of Uttar Pradesh. Vṛndāvana, the transcendental spiritual realm, has descended there. We must submit to Kṛṣṇa to understand.

In the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Lord Brahmā, the creator of the material universe, stole the cowherd friends and calves from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, thinking Kṛṣṇa to be an ordinary boy. Lord Brahmā was bewildered by this form of Kṛṣṇa as a simple cowherd boy, thinking that, if Kṛṣṇa were Bhagavān, He would exhibit great opulence and majesty. Now the point is this: if Brahmā could not understand Kṛṣṇa, then how can we understand Him? It is very difficult. For this reason, when we take absolute shelter of Gurudeva, the grace incarnates of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will grace us and we will become competent to receive a form comprised of saccidānanda. In that form, we can remain near Kṛṣṇa and observe Ekādaśī correctly, but this is very difficult. It is not so easy. However, having said this, there is one easy way for the enslaved jīvās.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Himself, has taught us what we are to do on Ekādaśī. We are familiar with Nārada Muni in Kṛṣṇa-līlā. In Caitanya-līlā, Nārada appeared as Śrīvāsa, in Māyāpura-dhāma, to fulfill the pastimes of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. In Śrīvāsāṅgana, the home of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍit, Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to perform saṅkīrtana along with His personal associates, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaitācārya Prabhu, etc., throughout the whole night for an entire year, taking no sleep. If we remain sleepless for even one night, then we will have to go to the hospital for a week!

Now, what does Caitanya Mahāprabhu teach that we should do on Ekādaśī?

harivāsare, hari-kīrtana vidhāna
nṛtya ārambhila prabhu jagatera prāṇa
(Caitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā 8.138)

Śrī Vṛndāvana dāsa Thākura here describes the scene of Caitanya Mahāprabhu dancing and chanting at the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍit on Ekādaśī. The devotional prescripts are that you have to perform kīrtana. Kīrtana-vidhāna. You are to utter the Holy Name. That Name and the Named are identical. You cannot remain in the vicinity of the Deities when the Deities are asleep and the doors are closed. But you can utter the Name any time of day or night. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that He has imbued the Holy Name with a special power in this Kali-yuga:

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśi tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
(Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka 2)

We are unfortunate that we have no desire to utter the Holy Name. The Name and the Named are the same. So, you have to perform harināma always: “hari-vāsara hari-kīrtana.” To observe the vow of Ekādaśī correctly, you have to abide by the rules and regulations for eating, etc. That you should do. But the main thing is that you have to remain near Kṛṣṇa. You have to utter His Name. Because the Name and the Named are the same, when you utter “Kṛṣṇa,” you will be near Him. Kṛṣṇa and the Name “Kṛṣṇa” are identical:

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś
caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ
(Śrī Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu, Pūrva-vibhagaga 2.233, quoted from Padma Purāṇa)

We are uttering all these evidences, so we should have belief! “Nṛtya ārambhila prabhu jagatera prāṇa”: Caitanya Mahāprabhu started dancing. Who is Caitanya Mahāprabhu? He is the life of all the living beings of the world. He is the most beloved. You will find the following verse in the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, wherein Prahlāda is speaking to the demon boys:

na hy acyutaṁ prīnayato
bahv-āyāso ‘surātmajāḥ
ātmatvāt sarva-bhūtanāṁ
siddhatvād iha sarvataḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.6.19)

Prahlāda Mahārāja says, “It is not very difficult to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, because He is the most beloved object of all the jīvās.” You will find in this world that the mother is the most beloved of the child. But you will also see that there is some self-interest involved. In this world, without there being something that satisfies one’s self-interest, you will not find any love. Nonetheless, we see that there is such a thing as affection between mother and child. Now, let us suppose a child is given a biscuit and, as he is eating it, the biscuit falls onto the ground. The biscuit, wet with the saliva of the child, will become covered with dust and other things on the ground. Then the child might give the biscuit to his mother, saying, “Here, eat this.” The mother would not ordinarily eat such a thing but, to satisfy her child, she puts the biscuit to her mouth. So it is not very difficult to please Kṛṣṇa because He is the most beloved. You can chant, “Oh, Hari! Oh, Kṛṣṇa! Where are You? Please forgive me. Please bless me.” If you can utter this from the core of your heart, then He will be pleased. You have nothing to give Him. He does not want anything: He has infinite wealth. You can attract Him only by your devotion. With sincere devotion, you can utter His Name. This is true under all circumstances.

punyavanta srivasangne shubhārambha
(Caitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā 8.139)

Śrīvāsāṅgana became the most sacred and holy of places by dint of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s powerful saṅkīrtana. The most auspicious commencement had begun. What was that?

uthila kirtana dhvani gopāla govinda
(Caitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā 8.139)

hari o’ rāma rāma
hari o’ rāma rāma
(Caitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā 23.92)

The utterance of the Name of Gopāla, Govinda—loud shouting of the Holy Name of Govinda—had started. That sweet sound, that transcendental sound, you will not find in this material world. You have notes, tones, etc., in this world. But that transcendental sweet sound of the utterance of the Holy Name—“Gopāla! Govinda! Hari Rāma! Rāma! Hari Rāma! Rāma!”—will rescue us. You should do harināma. It is very easy. If you do harināma, you will be near Kṛṣṇa.

You will get more benefit on Ekādaśī if you perform your worship at a temple—a place where the devotees are assembled to worship the Supreme Lord. This is also called “dhāma”. If you perform worship in the transcendental realm—in Mathurā-dhāma, Vraja-maṇḍala, Navadvīpa-dhāma or Puruṣottama-dhāma—you will get more benefit. Wherever devotees assemble and sing the glories of the Supreme Lord is also dhāma:

mad-bhaktā yatra gāyanti
tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada
(Padma Purāṇa)

Kṛṣṇa was telling Nārada, “Where do I stay? Wherever my devotees sing the glories of My Name, Form, Attributes, Pastimes and Personal Associates is the place that I stay.” So if you observe this practice in the company of bonafide śuddha bhaktas—sādhus—it will have special efficacy.

The effect of observing Ekādaśī is illustrated in the story of the life of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja observed Ekādaśī tithi with great devotion in Mathurā-dhāma, Vraja-maṇḍala, for one year at a stretch. Kṛṣṇa was so satisfied by this, that the curse of Durvāsā Ṛṣi could not touch Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. In the Ninth Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam you will find that Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke the following to Parīkṣit Mahārāja:

nāspṛśad brahma-śāpo ‘pi
yaṁ na pratihataḥ kvacit
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 9.4.13)

The curse of a brāhmaṇa cannot go unfulfilled or be warded off. But nonetheless, it could not touch Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was astounded to hear this. “I was born in the Pāṇḍava family. The Pāṇḍavas are very dear to Kṛṣṇa. When I was in the womb of my mother Uttarā, Aśvatthāmā unleashed a brahmāstra, a missile, with the aim of destroying all the Pāṇḍavas. At that time, when my mother was crying, Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa protected me with His Sudarśana-cakra by covering my mother’s womb. So my name is Viṣṇurāta, as I have been protected and saved by Viṣṇu. I was also able to see my Object of Worship, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, from within the womb. After my birth, I searched for that object, ‘Where is that Purūṣa? Where is that Object of Worship?’ I was examining. The Sanskrit word ‘parīkṣa’ means, ‘examining’. So, my name is Parīkṣit.” He continued, “I was born in the Pāṇḍava family, I was protected by Kṛṣṇa. I also saw Kṛṣṇa when I was in the womb, and after birth I tried to find that Purūṣa Whom I had seen. Yet I am waiting here, knowing that after seven days I shall be killed by snakebite, having been cursed by the son of Śamīka Muni.”

The history of this curse began when, one day, Parīkṣit Mahārāja had gone to the cottage of Śamīka Muni to ask for water, as he was very thirsty. At that time, Śamīka Muni was meditating and was unconscious of Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s presence. When he received no response, Parīkṣit Mahārāja became enraged: “I am in your cottage. You are not offering water to a thirsty person?” So, with indignation and wrath, he placed a dead snake around the neck of the muni as an insult. After Parīkṣit Mahārāja left the cottage and returned home, he repented: “Pāṇḍavas always respect brāhmaṇas, munis. I have been born in the Pāṇḍava family. I have done a very wrong thing.” In this way, he deeply repented his behavior, and prayed to Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “Oh, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, please punish me, as I have done a very wrong thing.”

Outside the cottage of Śamīka Muni, his son, Śṛṅgi, had been playing with the sons of the other ṛṣis. When Śṛṅgi came to the cottage, he saw that someone had put the body of a dead snake around the neck of his father. He was disheartened and became furious. “Who has done this sinful thing? If I am the son of my father, a brāhmaṇa, then I curse that, on the seventh day from today, the person who has done this will be killed by snakebite!” Then he began to weep.

Śamīka Muni opened his eyes. “What is the matter?” he asked. “Why are you weeping?”

Śṛṅgi said, “Somebody has insulted you with this dead snake.” He told his father about the curse he had placed on whoever had done this.

Śamīka Muni said, “Oh! You have done the wrong thing. Parīkṣit Mahārāja is a religious minded person, born in the Pāṇḍava family. He has the right to chastise me. You are a brāhmaṇa, but you became impatient and have improperly delivered this curse.”

Śamīka Muni sent a ṛṣi boy to the capital city of Parīkṣit Mahārāja to inform him of the curse, so that he could prepare himself for its effect. The boy reached the court of Parīkṣit Mahārāja and told him that the son of Śamīka Muni had cursed him to die by snakebite after seven days.

Then Parīkṣit Mahārāja became happy. “Yes,” he thought. “Kṛṣṇa has love for me, so He has sent this curse giving me seven days time until I shall die. Nobody can know in advance that he will die at a specific moment. But I have been granted the time to prepare for seven days.”

So, he made up his mind to renounce his household life. He called his son, Janamejaya, and told him, “You take over my position as king. I am going to Sukartāla by the side of the Ganges. I have no time to waste. I must prepare myself. You remain here.”

At times of peril and danger, our minds become changed. I had one such experience when I was a college student. I was sent by our revered father to Victoria College in Coochbihar, where I received my Bachelor of Arts degree. There was a very big hostel there. Once, a famous astrologer came there and predicted that at such-and-such time, on such-and-such date, there will be universal dissolution. Everything will be annihilated—destroyed. All the residents of the hostel gathered together—I was among them—and they were saying that the prediction of this astrologer would come true, since he had never been wrong before. So, there we were, considering what we should do. We thought, “We shall die in the evening. Everything will be destroyed.” There was a restaurant within the compound of the hostel. We all decided, “Let us eat! Let us go to the restaurant and eat as much as we can enjoy. Our parents have given us money, so let us utilize it. They will be very happy that we have the brains to reason that we shall all die, so what is the use of keeping this money? Let us go.” I also went with them to the restaurant. Everyone was ordering various kinds of sweets from the waiter. We were eating and eating and eating and, after some time, we could not eat any more. We spent all our money, so we thought we were very intelligent. “Our parents will think that we have done well,” we thought.

After that, we went to our room and discussed things until the time for the end of the world was to come. The time came and passed, and there was no dissolution, no end of the world, nothing. “Oh-ho! We have been deceived! What will we say to our parents?” We discussed this among ourselves.

During all this, one of our friends had been asleep in the room. All of a sudden, he woke up, shouting, “Universal dissolution!! Universal dissolution!!” He started crying and running about, until he finally fell down, shouting all the while. The people who saw him asked, “What universal dissolution? What is he saying? He must have had a bad dream.”

During all this, no one had suggested, “Let us worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” I also had not said anything. I had gone along with them because there were so many of them. What could I say? They took me along. Like that, when there are no eternal good deeds, no eternal good impressions, no “sukṛti” (as it is called in scripture), nobody has the aptitude to worship Kṛṣṇa. Even if we are told, “In the evening, everything will be destroyed! You should prepare and worship Kṛṣṇa,” we still will not worship Him. We will go off with the students, to enjoy.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja is a Vaiṣṇava. He made the decision to renounce his household life and, consequently, went to Śrīkanta. I have been to that place with Guru Mahārāja several times. It is in Uttar Pradesh, about 20 kilometers from Muzaffarnagar. It is still considered to be a sacred place. When Parīkṣit Mahārāja went there, all the ṛṣi munis also went there, thinking that something miraculous was about to happen, because Parīkṣit Mahārāja is no ordinary person. Then Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked them, “I have only one week’s time. Please advise me what I should do.” There were many ṛṣis—karmi-ṛṣis, jñānī-ṛṣis, and yogī-ṛṣīs—all offering different methods of obtaining emancipation.

Some of the more ordinary karmi-ṛṣis said, “You have money. If you donate money, then you will be rescued.

Others among the karmi-ṛṣis said, “No, there isn’t much time. You have to perform oblations,” and they gave him a list of articles that he should obtain so they could make sacrifices.

A third group, made up of jñānī-ṛṣis said, “No, no! By performing these karma-kāṇḍa sacrifices, you cannot be rescued. You have to perform meditation!”

The yogī-ṛṣīs insisted that he should perform prāṇayāma.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja was puzzled. “What should I do?” he thought. Then he took absolute shelter of the lotus feet of Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. “Please rescue me! I have a family connection with the Pāṇḍavas. Please show me the path!”

Kṛṣṇa then sent His own man, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. You cannot automatically get the company of the bonafide sādhu. There must be some good qualities, some previous good impressions (sukṛti). Otherwise, you cannot get it. At that time, Śukadeva Gosvāmī was only sixteen years of age. He was mahā-tyāgī, completely renounced, and he wandered through the villages naked. All the villagers thought he was a mad person. They would throw stones and other things at him. Śukadeva Gosvāmī did not protest this, because he was beyond this world. The villagers could not understand Śukadeva Gosvāmī. But, when he set his holy footprints in Sukartāla by the side of the Ganges, all the ṛṣi-munis stood up upon seeing him, out of respect. A learned person can give respect to a learned person. An ignorant person has no capacity to understand a learned person. A sādhu can understand a sādhu. A non-sādhu cannot understand a sādhu. All the ṛṣi-munis assembled there understood that he was not an ordinary man.

When Śukadeva Gosvāmī arrived there, he said to Parīkṣit Mahārāja, “I am Śukadeva. Before coming here, I was firmly established in brahmānanda but I have been attracted by the absolute, sweet qualities of Śrī Kṛṣṇa:

pariniṣṭhito ’pi nairguṇya
uttama-śloka-līlayā
gṛhīta-cetā rājarṣe
ākhyānaṁ yad adhītavān
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 2.1.9)

So, I am advising you to hear about the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, for these seven days. You should not do anything else.”

No ṛṣi-muni had the capacity to say anything against this advice. They all sat there while Śukadeva Gosvāmī sang and narrated the glories of Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Parīkṣit Mahārāja listened attentively for seven days without taking anything—without taking water, food or rest. Can we do this?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī was worried. “Mahārāja,” he said, “won’t you take some rest? Perhaps a little bit of water or some food?”

Parīkṣit Mahārāja answered him, “You should not concern yourself with this. I have no time!”

naiṣātiduḥsahā kṣun māṁ
tyaktodam api bādhate
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 10.1.13)

“I am thirsty. I know that without water, nobody can survive. I am also hungry. But this hunger and thirst cannot become an obstacle to my hearing, because I have no time. After seven days I shall die. So, do not think about me. I have no feeling for these things. My mind is here:

pibantaṁ tvan-mukhāmbhoja-
cyutaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.1.13 continued)

“You are distributing hari-kathāmṛtam and, so, I am satisfied. I have no thirst or hunger and I do not require any rest.”

He heard continuously for seven days and, thus, attained the objective.

Nowadays, if you assemble ten, twelve or perhaps one hundred persons under such conditions, everyone will be fidgeting with discomfort. But Parīkṣit Mahārāja maintained pin-drop silence.

So, Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked, “Even though I was born in the Pāṇḍava family and Kṛṣṇa has protected me, I am waiting here because after seven days I shall be killed. So, what then of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja and the curse of a brāhmaṇa like Durvāsā? Even if anyone hears about Durvāsā, they tremble because Durvāsā can remain without food for one thousand years. But he can also eat one thousand years’ worth of food in one day. So everyone shivers when they hear that he may be coming. ‘He may bless us, or he may curse us!’ they think. He is such a powerful ṛṣi, but his curse could not even touch Ambarīṣa Mahārāja? That is very astounding!” he exclaimed.

But, because Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had observed Ekādaśī, as per the devotional, scriptural injunctions, for one year, Kṛṣṇa was satisfied and the curse of Durvāsā Ṛṣi could not harm him.

Then, Parīkṣit Mahārāja wanted to hear the holy biography of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. Śukadeva Gosvāmī said:

ambarīṣo mahā-bhāgaḥ
sapta-dvīpavatīṁ mahīm
avyayāṁ ca śrīyaṁ labdhvā
vibhavaṁ cātulaṁ bhuvi

mene ‘tidurlabhaṁ puṁsāṁ
sarvaṁ tat svapna-saṁstutam
vidvān vibhava-nirvāṇaṁ
tamo viśati yat pumān
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.4.15-16)

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was the sole proprietor of the whole world, consisting of seven islands (sapta-dvīpavatīṁ), meaning seven continents. This story in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is scriptural evidence that at one time there was one blessed and most fortunate Vaiṣṇava emperor, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, who became the autocrat of the whole world. If we meet someone who is wealthy, we say that he is fortunate. We say that Henry Ford was fortunate because he was one of the richest men in the world. So, in that sense, we say that Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was fortunate, because he was the sole proprietor of the whole world. He was the richest person in the whole world. If one were the owner of the whole world, his wealth would be undecaying and of unparalleled opulence. There would not be anyone equal to him. But, nonetheless, despite possessing this inexhaustible supply of wealth, all this opulence, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had the knowledge that this opulence would not last long. It is like seeing a dream. In a dream, you may see that you have become the Prime Minister of England or the President of the United States. But, when you wake up, you find yourself in your own bedroom, just lying in bed. It is all false. Like that, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had the knowledge that whatever he had was all non-eternal. It would not last. An ordinary human being cannot even imagine becoming the sole owner of the whole world. If he were to become Henry Ford, or Tata or Birla in India, that would be sufficient. He would not want more. He cannot even think beyond that. But, in spite of Ambarīṣa getting this huge property, he understood that it had no actual substance—it was all a dream. He had the knowledge that, although he presently had wealth, he could be separated from it at any time during his life. There are many very rich people, even in India. We have seen one particular person who was very wealthy. But, after some years, he became a pauper, a street beggar. In this lifetime, he lost everything. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja understood that, “Although I have this wealth, I may become separated from it. Or I may leave this world and all this will remain here. Nothing will go with me. As long as I am here, I might have it. But, when I die, I will not be able to take even a farthing of it with me.” He had the knowledge that separation from this world is inevitable. He knew that anyone who thinks, “I am the owner, I am the enjoyer,” will meet an infernal end.

The Supreme Lord is the only Master and Owner. We are not masters or owners. Being enveloped by the illusory energy, we think that we are masters and enjoyers and, for this reason, we are being punished. We have come to this prison-house, this world, passing through countless cycles of births and deaths, where we are afflicted by the three-fold miseries of material life. We have received this punishment because we are not the owner, but we pose as the owner. You have gone through the lectures of Most Revered Parampūjyapāda A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svāmī Mahārāja. He said that there is a simple formula for getting peace: The Supreme Lord is the only Proprietor and Master. However, we falsely claim to be masters. For instance, this Maṭh started only a few years ago. Before that time, this property belonged to somebody else who was thinking, “This is mine.” Now you are saying, “It is ours.” And, after some time, one hundred years, one thousand years, someone will also claim it as their own. So, who is the proprietor? Who is the master? The Master is the Supreme Lord. Will we accept the Supreme Lord as the only Owner and Master? We are not even the owners of our own bodies. This body also belongs to the Supreme Lord. The śuṣma (subtle body) also belongs to the Supreme Lord, as it has come from the external potency of the Supreme Lord. Ātmā has come from the parā potency of the Supreme Lord. The potency of Kṛṣṇa and the products of that potency all belong to Kṛṣṇa—the gross body, the subtle body and the real self. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. I have no right to use it for myself. It should be dedicated to the service of Kṛṣṇa. I am guilty of unrighteousness by using that which does not belong to me. Kṛṣṇa is the only Master and Enjoyer. You are not the owner of your house. You are not the owner of your wife and children. You must believe this on a practical level, not a theoretical one. If you actually believe it, you will immediately find peace. When you demand, “This is my house, these are my people,” then you will fight with others. But if you say, “Kṛṣṇa, everything belongs to You, I have nothing,” then where is the reason for quarrel? This is the simple formula for obtaining peace.

“Tamo viśati yat pumān”: If we have this sort of evil thinking, that the objects of the world are for our enjoyment, then we will fall into hell. An ascetic, such as myself, does not earn money. Let us imagine that I collect some money from the devotees, build a Maṭh with it, and then demand, “This is mine!” People will say, “What is this? This is very strange! With our money you have built a temple and you are demanding that you are the proprietor? What is this? You should be ashamed!” But, actually, we do have this sort of mentality and we fall into hell.

But Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had the knowledge that everything belongs to the Supreme Lord and nothing belongs to us. He had no attachment to anything. Why? We would not even be able to give up our attachment to a cottage, or a small shop, or even £10,000. This is because we have no taste of the sweetness of the Supreme Lord. Śukadeva Gosvāmī told Parīkṣit Mahārāja that Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had no attachment because he had tasted the sweetness of Vāsudeva:

vāsudeve bhagavati
tad-bhakteṣu ca sādhuṣu
prāpto bhāvaṁ paraṁ viśvaṁ
yenedaṁ loṣṭravat smṛtam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.4.17)

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had superior ānanda (bliss).

Go through the explanation given by Śrīla Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura on the following Bhagavad-gītā verse:

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ‘py asya
paraṁ dṛṣtvā nivartate
(Bhagavad-gītā 2.59)

He says that observing a complete fast does not mean that we have given up our inclination to take food. For instance, when we first entered our Maṭh, we were advised by the Mahārājas there that, if we wanted to take food on Ekādaśī, we should take very little, maybe a few pieces of fruit and some potato. But, if we only took this, our stomach was always burning. So we had given things up, but what was the use of having given them up? So, now we take fruits, potato, but also curries, etc., so we do not feel that burning sensation. On Ekādaśī the brahmacārīs are very hungry, so they prepare what they will eat the next morning. Also, in our Maṭhs, there are “maṭh rakṣasas” who look after the functions of the Maṭh. If you ask them, they will tell you that no one takes rice or wheat, etc. on Ekādaśī but, on the days before and after Ekādaśī, the brahmacārīs are eating double! So, the inclination for taking food is not stopped by observing a fast. For that reason, viṣayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ: withdrawing the senses from the objects of the senses, in the manner of a jñānī or a yogī, is not safe.

Saubharī Ṛṣi was a great saint in the jñānī school of thought. He performed penance for 10,000 years under the water. We cannot remain under water for even five minutes. But, on seeing the sexual activity of the fishes there, he developed a desire to marry. He came out of the water and married fifty daughters of Māndhātā. Being a jñānī, he fell down from his severe penance and instead became the head of a great family. Viśvāmitra was a great yogī. When he came in contact with Menakā, the apsarā (heavenly prostitute), he also had a spiritual fall. This was because they had no taste of the sweetness of the Supreme Lord. The jñānīs and yogis are performing penance, but they will fall. We all have material senses and, as we attempt to enjoy the objects of those senses, we become entangled. If you merely stop this activity, it will not be sufficient. The cause of the material sense organs is the spiritual sense organs, and the object of the spiritual senses is Madana-Mohana—Govinda. You have an attraction for the worldly śabda, sparśa, rūpa—sound, touch, form, etc. But there is also transcendental, sweet sound, transcendental touch—everything—and we can taste it by means of transcendental, spiritual senses. If your existence and ego are in this material world, then your perception will be material. But if, by the Lord’s grace, you can enter into the transcendental realm, then, by means of transcendental sense organs, you will experience sweet love, transcendental touch, etc.

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had gotten a taste of the sweetness of Vāsudeva and the sweetness of His devotees and, as a result, he had no attachment to worldly things. If you have no taste of the superior rasa, you cannot give up material attachments. For instance, there is one kind of treacle, which is mixed with a kind of inferior quality molasses. It is not good. It is very nasty. But a person who does not have good molasses or sugar might use it, and might find that some sort of sweetness is there. He has been taught that you should not take this because it will make you ill. After many warnings, he says, “All right, I shall not take it.” But he continues to take it secretly, because he has no taste for anything better. When he is given good molasses, then he will no longer wish to take the inferior kind. Like that, when we have the taste of the sweetness of the Supreme Lord, we will become totally detached from this world. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was indifferent to worldly things because he was getting the taste of the sweetness of Vāsudeva and His personal associates. He thought that this worldly property was like a lump of dirt, having no value. He thought like that, but we are unable to think this way because we have no superior taste. We may speak, but we have no actual feeling.

Being a king, how had Ambarīṣa Mahārāja acquired such love for Kṛṣṇa and His devotees? Many householders who come to our Maṭh say, “Svāmījī, we come to the Maṭh to participate in the holy functions and to hear the sādhus. But we have so many worries, great difficulties and so many duties to perform. For this reason, we have no time to come often.”

Then I ask, “Do you have time to eat food?”

“Yes,” they reply, “we have to eat or we will become weak.”

“So you take breakfast?”

“Yes, I have time to take breakfast. Sometimes I take my meals to work. If I feel weak, then I cannot do my work. It is necessary.”

Your ātmā is now sleeping. Ātmā’s food is ātmā. Because ātmā is asleep, you feel no hunger for ātmā—ātmā’s food. You are only conscious of the body. You think that you can afford to give time to tend to the necessities of the body. You might be very engaged in something else, but you will always take off some time to take food. How many times a day do you eat? First breakfast, then lunch, then dinner and after that maybe supper—sometimes four times a day! Like this, you are taking so much time. Necessity is the mother of invention. When you think that this is your necessity, then you give time. Your ātmā is now in a dormant state. It is sleeping. You have no hunger. Ātmā requires ātmā for its sustenance and maintenance. Without the touch of ātmā, ātmā cannot have satisfaction. But, “We are very busy! We are very busy! We are very busy! We’ve got no time!”

Our Guru Mahārāja used to give the instance of General Goering, the right-hand man of the dictator, Adolf Hitler, who created chaos throughout the whole world—a tyrant. Once, General Goering gave a statement about how he recruited candidates for the Nazi forces.

“When candidates come to apply to be admitted into the force,” he said, “I divide them into four categories: clever and industrious, clever and lazy, stupid and industrious and stupid and lazy. Generally, for my force, I choose the clever and industrious, but I make the chief of the department clever and lazy.”

Then he was asked, “Why? The commander then has one quality less than the others. Why have you given the highest position of Commander-in-Chief to one who is clever and lazy?”

Goering replied, “It is not in our best interest to be always engaged in war. If we give the position of commander to those who are both clever and industrious, they are incapable of remaining idle. They will always want to do something and will start fighting. For this reason, the commander must be clever and know the interest of the country, but only in extreme circumstances will he fight—not so easily. So I choose someone who is clever and lazy for the position of commander.”

He continued, “Those who are stupid and lazy, I accept in small numbers. These types will do little harm. I can manage them. But, if they are stupid and industrious, they will do just the opposite of what they should and I always have to make good of it after the fact. Because of this, I have to expend so much energy. So, I am one thousand per cent against the stupid and industrious.”

So, to which group do we belong? Stupid and industrious: “We are very busy, very busy! We’ve got no time to go and associate with the sādhus.” When you are hungry, you will go automatically. But now, you have no hunger.

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had engaged all his sense organs and everything he owned for the service of Kṛṣṇa:

sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padārvindayor
vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane
karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu
śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye

mukunda-liṅgālaya-darśane dṛśau
tad-bhṛtya gātra-sparśe ’ṅga-saṅgamam
ghrāṇaṁ ca tad-pāda-saroja-saurabhe
śrīmat-tulasyā rasanāṁ tad-arpite

pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpane
śiro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane
kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā
yathottamaśloka-janāśrayā ratiḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.4.18-20)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī was speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: “sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padārvindayor.” Ambarīṣa Mahārāja engaged his mind in thinking about the lotus feet of Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The mind is the king of all the sense organs. If the mind is concentrated on the Object of Worship, then the other senses, being subservient to it, cannot do anything except service to the Supreme Lord. So, first of all, he engaged his mind in thinking about the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.

“Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane”: he engaged his words, his tongue, in singing the glories of Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas. “Vaikuṇṭha” means Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is transcendental: pūrṇa. “Viṣnu ya idam viśvam vyāpnoti iti viṣnu.” He is Complete Reality and the Vaiṣṇavas are His pure devotees, His personal associates. You will find in the scriptures that there can be no devotion if one vilifies the sādhus or other persons. You have to sing their glories. This is the positive side of devotional activity. If you go on speaking ill of others, your mind will become polluted. Your mind will only find the bad qualities of those persons. So what benefit will you gain? You should govern yourself, discipline yourself, restrain yourself. You should rectify yourself. You have many defects within you. When you observe the qualities of others, you see that human beings have both defects and merits mixed together. But the sādhu only sees the good qualities and he ignores the bad qualities. We enslaved jīvās discard the good qualities and see the bad qualities. So we are not sādhus. Sādhu is paramahaṁsa. “Haṁsa” means “swan”. What is the special quality of the swan? If milk is mixed with water, the swan can extract the milk from the water. He has this capacity. So, the Vaiṣṇava is paramahaṁsa: they take the essence of things, the good things, and they give up the bad things. So, you must sing the glories of Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and you must sing the glories of the devotees. Why are you taking the risk of speaking ill of anybody? It is very risky. By speaking ill of others, ultimately you are speaking ill of the Vaiṣṇavas, you are speaking ill of the gurus, and you will be completely separated from the spiritual realm and devotional development.

“Karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu”: he engaged his two hands in scrubbing the temple with water, etc. Some would say, “He is a king and he has not engaged any servant or priest to perform worship? Instead he himself is doing this. Is he a miser?” No, he is not a miser. He is serving all the Vaiṣṇavas. He knows, “This is my necessity, to serve Kṛṣṇa. If I serve Kṛṣṇa, I shall develop love for Kṛṣṇa.” Wherever I engage my sense organs and objects of the senses, I shall go to that. If I engage my sense organs in the temporary things of the world, I shall develop an attachment for those things. I shall be in bondage. Knowing this fully, Ambarīṣa was the sole owner of the whole world and he engaged everything he had for the service of Kṛṣṇa—everything. If we are not worshipping in this way, how can we claim to have love for Kṛṣṇa? He had engaged everything.

“Śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye”: Ambarīṣa engaged his ears in hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord. What is the meaning of “sat-kathā”? We will frequently engage the ears to hear professional platform speakers. There are many platform speakers like myself. From the platform he is speaking nice, high, lofty words, but his life demonstrates no practical application of it. It is all idle chatter—always speaking, speaking without any practical application. We cannot teach others belief in, and worship of, God, if we do not worship God ourselves. Example is better than precept. There should be personal example. You should practice. You will find that, if one actually practices, but does not speak anything at all, that will have actual influence upon others.

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja heard only the words of the bonafide sādhus. His life was dedicated to the service of hearing sat-kathā: actual hari-kathā:

yāha, bhāgavata paḍa vaiṣṇavera sthāne
(Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5,131)

You have to hear Bhāgavata from a true Vaiṣṇava. Then you can get devotion.

Time is passing. So much time is passing. At any moment, we may leave this place. What will go with us? We busily acquire money, perhaps millions of dollars, and then we die. What will go with us? Everything will remain here. Nothing will go with us except devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That is our only wealth. How many of us are thinking about this?

Our Chidghanānanda brahmacārī once told me, when I was in Chandigarh, that one famous speaker on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam had come to Chandigarh and had been delivering lectures on Kṛṣṇa. A lady devotee had asked Chidghanānanda, “You are not going? You are a devotee. Many thousands of people have gathered there to hear this person. You should go there. You will be benefited.”

Chidghanānanda replied, “I have many duties that I have been assigned to do by the Gosvāmīs and other senior Vaiṣṇavas. If I find the time, I shall go.”

Then, the next day, the lady returned and approached him again. “Did you go yesterday?” she asked.

“No, no,” he replied. “I have not had any time. What can be done? I am at the service of my superior Vaiṣṇavas.”

The third day, she asked again, “Have you gone to see the speaker?”

“No,” Chidghanānanda again replied. Then he asked her, “Why are you saying that he is a great saint and that I should go to hear him? What special quality does he have that makes you say this?”

She replied, “To hear his sermon, you have to pay 10,000 rupees!”

“Oh,” Chidghanānanda replied, “Then, I shall not go there! If one pays 10,000 rupees, then his sayings are very valuable. But they are valuable only in reference to 10,000 rupees. I have no time for that.”

The Gauḍīya Maṭh standard is different. They are not like ordinary people. They can understand this point.

“Mukunda-liṅgālaya-darśane dṛśau”: Ambarīṣa Mahārāja engaged his eyes to see mukunda-liṅgālaya, the temple where Mukunda (Kṛṣṇa) is worshipped, and also to have the vision, the darśana, of Mukunda. The temple includes the Deities inside the temple. Pure devotees are also temples, because Bhagavān resides within the hearts of the pure devotees. So, he engaged his eyes to see the temple, the Deities and the devotees, who are also temples. As time is short and I have to leave this place tomorrow, I have no time to speak about Deities. If I were to stay here for several more days, we could discuss this fully. But you should know that we are not idolaters. We are worshippers of the Deity, vigraha is quite different:

nāma vigraha svarūpa—tina eka-rūpa
tine ‘bheda’ nahi—tine ‘cid-ānanda-rūpa’
(Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 17.131)

Deities are All-Existence, All-Knowledge and All-Bliss. We should believe this.

“Tad-bhṛtya gātra-sparśe ’ṅga-saṅgamam”: Ambarīṣa Mahārāja used his sense of touch to have the touch of the lotus feet of the Vaiṣṇavas, so he could acquire devotion. “Ghrāṇaṁ ca tad-pāda-saroja-saurabhe”: he engaged his nose in smelling the scent of Tulasī and the flowers that had been offered to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. By these methods, he received only divine sense impressions, even through the sense of smell. He had engaged everything for the service of Kṛṣṇa. “Śrīmat-tulasyā rasanāṁ tad-arpite”: did he take whatever foodstuffs he found to be good? No. Whatever cannot be offered to the Supreme Lord, he would not take. Fish, flesh, eggs, onions, garlic, red lentils, etc. are prohibited in the scriptures. They cannot be offered to Viṣṇu. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja would offer only those foods that can be offered to Viṣṇu and, then, take the remnants—prasādam. “He is a very good person. He eats whatever is given to him.” No, this is not correct thinking:

āhāra-śuddhau citta-śuddhiḥ
citta-śuddhau dhruvā smṛtir
smṛti-lambhe sarvagranthīnāṁ vipramokṣaḥ
(Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.26.2)

If your heart is not pure, then your mind will be impure. You will not be able to meditate. Āhāra-śuddhi. If you eat foods that are in tamo-guṇa, then tamo-guṇa will increase. If you eat foods in rajo-guṇa, then rajo-guṇa will increase, and foods in sattva-guṇa will increase sattva-guṇa. But, if you take prasādam, it is nirguṇa (devoid of material qualities) and devotion will increase. We take prasādam. We do not even take sattva-guṇa foodstuffs. We are not “vegetarians”. We take only prasādam, that which can be offered to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Anything else, we will not take.

“Pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpane”: he engaged his two legs in going to the holy places of pilgrimage, which are in the transcendental realm of the Supreme Lord. Then he would engage his two legs in the service of circumambulating the temple and going to fetch the various articles of worship.

“Śiro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane”: all the sense organs are in the head of the body. By praying to the Supreme Lord with your head, one engages all the sense organs at once. Hṛṣīkeśa is the Lord of all the senses. You have to worship Him by bowing down your head to His lotus feet.

“Kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā”: he had even engaged desire itself for the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. If there is desire to serve Kṛṣṇa and to serve the devotees, they will rescue us. If there is a desire to enjoy this world, then that desire will take us to worldly things and we will become entangled. We will go to hell. For that reason, he had engaged all that he had for the service of Kṛṣṇa, and he was filled with kṛṣṇa-prema. All other activities had been stopped, so that māyā would not be able to enter. All his sense organs were engaged for the service of Kṛṣṇa. If you are to get Kṛṣṇa, you have to do this.

Now, this is the main subject. One day, Durvāsā Ṛṣi set his holy footprints at the house of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja in Madhuvana (a part of Vṛndāvana). At that time Ambarīṣa Mahārāja observed Ekādaśī in the following way: on Daśamī (the tenth day of the lunar month), he would take only one meal, on Ekādaśī (the eleventh day of the lunar month), he would abstain from all food and, on Dvādaśī (the twelfth day of the lunar month), he would take only one meal. In those days, people had the capacity to abstain from food completely on Ekādaśī. There is a fixed time to take pāraṇa (breaking of the Ekādaśī fast), when you must take something that you have abstained from on Ekādaśī. In this way, your vow will have been observed correctly. Then this is hari-vrata, because you are doing it for the satisfaction of Hari. On Dvādaśī, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja served all the brāhmaṇas, sādhus and other guests with gifts and prasādam. After serving them, he went to take pāraṇa.

At that moment, Durvāsā Ṛṣi arrived unexpectedly and said, “Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, I am Durvāsā.”

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja replied, “I am most fortunate that such a great brāhmaṇa sannyāsī has come to my house. Today is Dvādaśī. I pray that you will take food here.”

“Yes,” Durvāsā Ṛṣi replied, “I shall take food. But first, I shall go to the Yamunā to bathe. After I take my bath, I shall come here to eat.”

Durvāsā Ṛṣi went to bathe. Upon seeing the pure water of the Yamunā, he became completely and ecstatically absorbed in thoughts of Brahman. He completely forgot to come back to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja’s house to eat. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja began to think, “There is not much time left for pāraṇa. If I do not break my fast, I shall commit an offense to Hari. But, if I eat before Durvāsā, I shall commit an offense to the lotus feet of the brāhmaṇa sannyāsī whom I have invited here to take food. This is a great dilemma.” So, he sought advice from the brāhmaṇas who were present there. “What shall I do?” he asked. “You can take water,” they advised. “By taking water, you will not be violating the honor of a guest, and you will also complete your fast and perform pāraṇa.” So, at the advice of the brāhmaṇas, he took a drop of water.

But Durvāsā Ṛṣi could understand by his mystic power that Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had taken water. He thought, “Ambarīṣa Mahārāja is the emperor of the whole world. So, he has some vanity. I did not go to his house with the intention of taking food—he invited me. I am a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī. If one who is a brāhmaṇa and a sannyāsī is invited by a householder to eat and that householder takes food earlier than he, then the whole of society will be destroyed! Ambarīṣa Mahārāja is the emperor and also a religious-minded person and he has done this. His guests will quote this instance and others will follow his example. No, I cannot allow this. I shall give an exemplary punishment so that no man of this world will again commit this heinous offense. It is a very great sin.”

Then Durvāsā Ṛṣi became enraged and said to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, “So, you have become proud that you are the emperor of the world? I have come to you to take food. You personally invited me. You know that I am a brāhmaṇa and a sannyāsī. Even if an ordinary guest comes to you, you must give food to him. So, without your guest having been fed, you have taken food yourself? This is wrong behavior. I shall punish you!”

Durvāsā Ṛṣi plucked a hair from his head and threw it down. A goddess appeared from it, wielding a weapon to kill Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. She ran toward the king, but he did not flee. He said, “I am a householder, I am a kṣatriya. In all respects, I am inferior to you and you have the right to punish me. Whatever you choose to do, I accept.”

But, by the standing order of Nārāyaṇa, the Sudarśana-cakra appeared. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was the king. He was the emperor and the sole proprietor of the whole world, but he had no attachment to it. Outside people cannot understand this. So, Nārāyaṇa said, “Oh, Sudarśana-cakra, whenever Ambarīṣa is in difficulty, immediately go and rescue him!” Sudarśana-cakra came and burnt the goddess to ashes. Then it began to chase Durvāsā Ṛṣi. Durvāsā began to flee from the burning sensation of the cakra. Durvāsā Ṛṣi was fleeing from one direction to another. No matter in which direction he fled, Sudarśana-cakra followed. Durvāsā even entered the ocean, but the cakra came there also and immediately gave him burning pain. He felt as if he were dying from the miseries of the burning sensation of Sudarśana-cakra. He sought refuge in a cave of Sumeru Mountain, but the cakra followed him into there as well.

Eventually, he went to Satya-loka to take shelter of Lord Brahmā. But Brahmā said, “This Sudarśana-cakra is unbearable. It is the punishment of Nārāyaṇa. We think we are the creators, but we are not. Only as per the direction of Nārāyaṇa have we been given the capacity to create this universe. We are under Him. We are not His superiors. We cannot stop Sudarśana-cakra. Sudarśana-cakra is as unbearable to us as it is to you.”

Durvāsā Ṛṣi then went to take shelter of Mahādeva (Śiva). Durvāsā had been born from the power of Mahādeva, so actually he was the expansion of Rudra (Śiva). Rudra said to him, “You see, you think that I am the destroyer. But everything is controlled by Nārāyaṇa. By His direction, Brahmā is creating and, by His direction, I am destroying. I have no independent power. This Sudarśana-cakra is the punishment of Nārāyaṇa. It is not possible for me to oppose it. It is unbearable for me also. But you have come to me, so I am blessing you. Go to Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭha. He can rescue you.”

Durvāsā had no desire to go to Nārāyaṇa, but he was forced to go to ask Him to save him from this intolerable burning sensation. He went to Vaikuṇṭha and fell flat onto the ground, praying, “I have committed an offense, but please be kind to me. This Sudarśana-cakra is giving me so much pain! You are Acyuta! What is the meaning of Acyuta? Nobody can be detached from You! O Acyuta! If I am detached from You, then there is no significance to Your Name ‘Acyuta’. Since Your Name is ‘Acyuta’, You cannot be Acyuta without me. You are Acyuta, so please be kind to me.”

Nārāyaṇa did not say anything.

Durvāsā Ṛṣi continued, “You are Ananta [unending]! Your every quality is Ananta! I am in so much pain, so much suffering. I have committed an offense. I admit this. But You are Ananta and Your compassion is also Ananta. If You cannot grace me, it will bring ill repute to Your Name, Ananta. So, please rescue me from this burning sensation.”

Nārāyaṇa still did not utter a word.

“You are Viśvanātha! You are Jagannātha!” Durvāsā Ṛṣi prayed. “Why is Your Name Jagannātha? You are the Master of all the living beings of the world. I admit that I have committed an offense. But You are Jagannātha and I am an insignificant living being of this world. You are my Nātha [Lord] and I have come to You so that You may rescue me.

“Will You not be kind to me? The sādhus who worship You are always compassionate to the jīvās of this world. They always try to remove the afflictions of the suffering jīvās. They have achieved this quality by worshipping You. You have the quality of supreme compassion for the fallen souls. You are the acme of compassion. Simply by worshipping You, the sādhus become gracious, so will You not be gracious to me?”

Then Nārāyaṇa asked, “You have already gone to Brahmā and Mahādeva. Have they not offered you protection?”

“No,” Durvāsā Ṛṣi replied, “they said they are unable to protect me. They said they could not do anything, as they are subjugated by You. They are dependent upon You.”

Nārāyaṇa then replied, “I am also dependent. I am also a servant.”

“You are a servant?” Durvāsā asked in disbelief. “How can this be?”

Then Nārāyaṇa said:

ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno
hy asvatantra iva dvija
sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo
bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 9.4.63)

“I have made a promise. Whoever serves Me, in return I shall serve him in the same way. When the pure devotees serve Me, I want to give them something. I say, ‘Take this,’ but they never want anything from Me. I tell them, ‘Take ownership of this brahmāṇḍa—ownership of this world, of the heavens and the netherworld.’ I offer them the eighteen kinds of attainment, including emancipation. But they do not want anything except to perform service to Me. So, I have become dependent and subjugated, as I am subdued by the devotion of My devotees. I cannot do anything. ‘Sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ.’ With one’s heart, one can be compassionate. But My heart has been swallowed and devoured by My devotees. ‘Grasta’: they have taken it. Thus, My heart is not here. It has gone to My devotees. Therefore, if you are to receive My grace, you have to go to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. You thought Ambarīṣa Mahārāja to be a householder, a kṣatriya—an ordinary person:

nāham ātmānam āśāse
mad-bhaktaiḥ sādhubhir vinā
śriyaṁ cātyantikīṁ brahman
yeṣāṁ gatir ahaṁ parā
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 9.4.64)

Without the sādhus who have love for Me, I do not want even My own Self. Nor do I want Lakṣmī Devī and all this wealth. I want only those who take absolute shelter of Me and nothing else. You think, then, that Ambarīṣa is a householder? You think that he is engrossed in worldly things and that he has vanity? You see,

ye dārāgāra-putrāpta-
prāṇān vittam imaṁ param
hitvā māṁ śaraṇaṁ yātāḥ
kathaṁ tāṁs tyaktum utsahe
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.4.65)

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja has given up his wife. He has given up his house. He has given up his sons and other relatives and his very life. He has given up the whole world for Me! How can I relinquish him? How can I? Is it possible? You are seeing him as a king. But he has given up everything for Me! Is it possible that I can forsake him? It is not possible!

mayi nirbaddha-hṛdayāḥ
sādhavaḥ sama-darśanāḥ
vaśe kurvanti māṁ bhaktyā
sat-striyaḥ sat-patiṁ yathā
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 9.4.66)

A chaste wife subdues a chaste husband by her service. In the same way, a devotee has one-pointed devotion to Me. They are equal to everyone, because they see everyone in relation to their devotion to Me.”

You cannot have equal vision, sama-darśana, when you have no devotion to the Supreme Lord. One of the brahmacārīs in Calcutta once told me, “When I came to Calcutta, I was rescued.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because one of the female devotees there told me, ‘My husband is not congenial toward this service, but I want to perform some service. So, please come once every month when my husband will not be home. I want to give something for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu every month, so will you please come there and take it.’”

One day the brahmacārī went there but, on that particular day, the husband had not gone to the office and he was there at the house. He saw that a brahmacārī was coming. The brahmacārī was afraid. When he entered, he saw the husband sitting at the table eating. At the same time, their dog was also eating—from the same dish!

The husband said, “O brahmacārī! By taking a saffron cloth, a man cannot acquire equal darśana! I am taking food with the dog! Will you also take? Simply by wearing a saffron cloth, a man cannot become a sādhu! See? You cannot do this? Just by ringing a bell in a temple, a man cannot become a devotee! Sama-darśana! There must be sama-darśana!”

The brahmacārī then became afraid that the husband might beat him. The brahmacārī remained silent and left the house thinking, “I have been rescued. This is not sama-darśana. This man is seeing a dog. He is seeing a man. This cannot be sama-darśana.” Sama-darśana is not so easily obtained. Thousands of saints have performed immense penances to obtain sama-darśana. When we have exclusive devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then we shall see Śrī Kṛṣṇa in everything and all living beings in relation to Him. We will not see the dog, the cat or the man. We will see the Supreme Lord in every living being. That is called sama-darśana. “Myā saha vartamān iti sama.”

Nārāyaṇa told Durvāsā Ṛṣi, “You must go to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. Only he can rescue you. I cannot rescue you because My heart is not here.”

During this time, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was feeling very dejected because Durvāsā Ṛṣi had left his home without taking any food. The king thought, “I have committed a great offense.” He took only water for a full year, after which time Durvāsā Ṛṣi returned to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. When Durvāsā Ṛṣi arrived, he paid his obeisances to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja.

The king immediately protested, “What are you doing? In all respects, you are superior to me. I am an insignificant person, a householder. Why are you bowing to me?”

“No! No!” Durvāsā Ṛṣi cried, “I have been to Brahmā, Śiva and others. I have also been to Nārāyaṇa and He sent me to you. This Sudarśana-cakra is giving me immense pain!”

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja prayed to Sudarśana-cakra, “O Sudarśana-cakra! This brāhmaṇa is not at fault. It is my fault. He has the right to command me. He is innocent! Please stop giving him pain.”

The cakra did not respond.

“I am offering you all my piety. Please stop the burning of this brāhmaṇa.”

Still the cakra did not respond.

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja then pleaded, “I am not a devotee but, if I have done any service for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, please accept all of it in lieu of this punishment and release this brāhmaṇa from your intense heat.”

Then, immediately, Sudarśana-cakra stopped.

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had given all he had to rescue the very person who had come to kill him! It is not so easy to become such a sādhu. It is very difficult.

Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was so very satisfied with Ambarīṣa Mahārāja’s observance of Ekādaśī-vrata in Madhuvana-maṇḍala that the curse of Durvāsā Ṛṣi could not touch him. According to the commentary of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Durvāsā Ṛṣi delivered this curse specifically to create a pastime that would declare the glorious activities of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja.