Guru Maharaja is still not conducting initiations. This also means no acceptance of aspiring disciples and no pranama mantra. Around Gaura Purnima one can inquire again what the status is.

27-DEC-2011,   Premanjana das

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The Holy Name

By H.H. Lokanath Swami Maharaja

Disciples meeting London 19/06/10 (Transcribed class notes - Therefore slightly paraphrased)

The Material world is hot and cold, young and old, birth and death, ladies and gents, etc. The list gets longer and longer. But the Maha-mantra is not from THIS world.

Whilst we were just chanting together, I had a thought that each one of us is chanting and we were all with Krsna, in the form of the holy name. For most of the year, we are not physically together, but wherever we are, we chant and we are with Krsna. Therefore in this way we stay together. It is the easiest way to remain together.

When Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was getting ready to take sannyasa, everyone was naturally thinking that "we shall be deprived of His association!" Mahaprabhu spent 24 years together with His associates and then suddenly in the middle of the night He left and decided to take sannyasa. Prior to His departure He gave a speech to pacify and console. "No no! I will live with you in two forms! The first one, I will stay in the form of the holy name (chanting). Even when I am gone, keep chanting". Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non-different from the holy name. So, one avatar of Mahaprabhu is the Holy Name.

kali kale nama rupe krsna avatara
nama haite haya sarva jagat nistara

"In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Krsna. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered. (CC Adi 17.22)

The Lord appears in every age. But in the Holy Name, He appears to all of us, unlimited, everywhere, everyday for each and every one of us! Even in THIS tent. The Lord appears at midday (Rama), in the middle of the night (Krsna) and during dusk (Caitanya Mahaprabhu/Nrsimhadeva) and so on. But Krsna's holy name is ready to appear every day! Everywhere! And to Everyone! It is the beauty, the Lord making Himself accessible to everyone, and we all, each one of us, have our very own Lord. In this form He can become our cherished property.

This is homework for us - to chant Hare Krsna and be happy! This is the only transaction on initiation. We have the four regulative principles, which are the "DONT's", but what will you "DO"? This is the most important bit. We all have received Krsna in the form of the Holy Name. 'Here is Krsna, in the form of the name". Narottama Dasa Thakura said:

krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro
tomara sakati ache
ami to' kangala, krsna krsna boli
dhai tava pache pache

We are paupers, penniless (kangala), poor - Oh Gurudeva, Oh Vaishnava Thakur, I am running after you for Krsna that you can give to me. This way, Krsna is given by Guru.

The second form in which Caitanya Mahaprabhu said he will stay is "Ananda" - Bliss! This Bliss, comes from chanting Hare Krsna. Therefore Chant Hare Krsna (first form) and be Happy (second form).

When you chant, 'Ananda' will also make an appearance. From Krsna comes bliss and this bliss is Krsna. Any genuine bliss in this world comes from Krsna.

'Nanda ke Ananda bhayo'. When Krsna appeared at Nanda Baba's home, all the Vrajavasis were singing this in joy. Some did not know what had happened and all they could hear was 'Nanda ke Ananda bhayo' from the other Vrajavasis running by them. They would try and stop one of the running Vrajavasis to inquire what has happened. But the person would not stop and keep on running in happiness and joy. They say "Ananda has appeared", not Krsna, not Nanda Nandana, not Kesava, etc. Ananda, actual bliss, has incarnated. 'Sat Cit Ananda Vigraha'.

The lilas, pastimes of the Lord in Vraja, are Ananda-Kunda. They fill up the lakes and reservoirs with Ananda. The residents of Vraja drown and swim in this Ananda. As it is written in the Damodarastakam prayers

itidrk sva lilabhir ananda kunde
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

Thus bathing Gokula in a great lake of bliss, He shows that love defeats Him. Devoid of reverence. conquered only by those in complete confidence. I offer Him unlimited loving praises. (Verse 3)

This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's strategy, His plan. He appeared to expand the ocean of love of Godhead. He started in Mayapur and now He has reached London! The River comes to you! This is His kindness.

Our acaryas cut a canal from this river and they brought the same 'Rasa', Ananda, to us. Srila Prabhupada brought the flood of the holy name to us all. One press reporter asked Srila Prabhupada "Why have you come to our country?" I think it was here in London. Srila Prabhupada replied "You also came to ours" and they had come to loot, plunder and steal all the riches and precious gems, like the Kohinoor, which is on display in London. But Srila Prabhupada carries on "But what brings me here is to come and give what your viceroys left behind. The precious gem which is the culture of our country, the most ancient and valuable gift. The Holy Name is the wealth of our nation! All the scriptures are our wealth!"

nama cintamanih krsnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
'bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

Our homework, which can take a whole lifetime and more, is to realise this name is Krsna. This name, holy name, is non-different from the Lord. "Abhinnatvan nama-naminoh". This is the glory, the introduction of the Holy name. "Nama Cintamani" - It is a gem, "Caitanya" - it is full of spirit. The word "Jada" means Matter, dead matter. But the Holy Name of Krsna is lively and is "Rasa-Vigrahah" - Source and Embodiment of all the Rasa's.

The soul within this body is aspiring for that rasa, that joy and to drown in that bliss. But the living entity is finding it hard to find this and is just going round and round in search. But finally, by blessings of Krsna, we come in contact with devotees and vaisnavas and acaryas and we get the mercy to know the holy name!

I have been thinking recently, 'You know the body, but does the body know you are there?' Do your hairs and nails know you exist? Is the tooth aware of the teeth next door? "I think, therefore I exist". Of course the body exists, but it cannot think. The soul exists and possesses and uses the body. It exploits it and unfortunately, the soul then thinks "I am the body". But this soul, thinking this way, is not realized. The Holy name is to be realized by the soul. We use the body to chant the holy name, we use our lips and tongue to chant, but you can chant and exist without the body, naked, like without clothes, but I don't think many of us would do that.

One time, when we become thoroughly purified, not aspiring or hankering to experience anything from this world, we are connected to the spiritual world and Krsna. The soul will exist regardless and dance, chant, eat and touch. The soul is also a person! The holy name is to be realized by the soul, not the body, even thought we use it to chant, clap in kirtan etc. It is the soul that will be liberated, not the lips. So Chant:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

and be with Krsna. Also be together with each other (fellow devotees) and be happy. Hence when Caitanya Mahaprabhu said "I shall stay behind in the form of Name and Bliss", He meant be happy and chant. Therefore keep chanting constantly and follow the regulative principles and associate with devotees.

One devotee was talking to me and mentioned that we should do our ABCDD.
A - Association - Sadhu Sangha
B - Books - Read Srimad Bhagavatam/Bhagavad Gita daily
C - Chanting of the Holy Name - Kirtan
D - Dhama Vasa - Stay in the Holy places, Go to temple, Make your home the Dhama
D - Deity Worship - Arcana, worship the Deity with faith.

By doing these 'ABCDD' with faith, we can achieve perfection in this life.

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana
mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana
sakala-sadhana-srestha ei panca anga
krsna-prema janmaya ei pancera alpa sanga

"One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura, and worship the Deity with faith and veneration. These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Krsna." (CC Madhya 22.128-129)

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8 NOVEMBER 2010 By Premanjana das

I was and am still getting too many inquiries regarding the initiations by Guru Maharaja. Two days ago I had quickly and briefly written about the initiations. Hereby I want to further clarify this matter. For sure Guru Maharaja will not conduct any initiations during this kartika month. Guru Maharaja has many meetings going on this month, like RGB, GBC, ICC, Divisional council and has also several other responsibilities during this kartika month. Of course the health factor is also there. Guru Maharaja has not fully recovered yet. So if any candidate has any further inquiries regarding initiations, they are free to contact me.

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6 NOVEMBER 2010 By Premanjana das

Guru Maharaja will not conduct any initiations during this kartika month.

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26 OCTOBER 2010 By Premanjana das

The initiations which were supposed to take place in Varsana on 7th Nov, the day of Govardhana puja, has been postponed. Tentatively Guru Maharaja is considering to conduct the initiations on 19th Nov at Brahmanda Ghat. I will try to confirm the exact date of the initiations before 10th Nov.

For your kind information, Guru Maharaja's health has been improved in the past weeks. He is doing much better now and has taken up all his services again. Still his traveling schedule will remain moderated.

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20 AUGUST 2010 By Premanjana das

Now ten days has passed and Guru Maharaja is trying to sleep at night without taking any medicines. The first days were quite difficult. Guru Maharaja could not sleep so much, like half an hour to two hours.

The past days it is going a little better; Guru Maharaja can sleep for about three to four hours. He is trying to avoid sleeping during daytime. Some improvement is there fortunately. But it has still not come to the normal situation of adequate quality sleep, where Guru Maharaja can sleep for about six to seven hours and start the day in a rejuvenated way. The doctor has mentioned that it can take some time (perhaps a few months) to recover. We need to have patience.

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11 AUGUST 2010 By Premanjana das

The past two weeks we have received a lot of information and solutions from many devotees all over de world regarding the health situation of Guru Maharaja. Many devotees have been praying, chanting extra rounds, have performed kirtan or have done some special puja or yajna for the recovery of Guru Maharaja.

We might not be able to thank all of them individually. With this mail we would like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to all of them. We are trying to make use as much as possible of all the valuable suggestions that we have received.

At the medical check-up three days ago the BP had come down to its normal count. Yesterday we received the report of the lab of the Cholesterol, Triglycerides, etc. and the results are within the normal reference range. The past week Guru Maharaja was able to sleep in the night with the help of the medicines. We hope that his normal sleeping cycle has started to recover. The doctor mentioned that physically Guru Maharaja does not have any problems.

Meanwhile Guru Maharaja is following all the prescriptions of the doctors and keeps to his diet. He does all his daily activities on fixed timings, such as (japa) walks, yoga exercises, swimming, reading, taking prasadam, going to bed, etc.

Although the health situation is improving, still for the coming months Guru Maharaja should be careful with the amount of traveling, participation in programs, his diet, etc. As I mentioned in my earlier mail, Guru Maharaja can't continue in the same way as he did before. He should have sufficient time for resting not only in the night but also during the day.

Two days ago the doctor asked to discontinue with the medicines (tranquilizers) for sleeping. The coming days will be a transitional period and we will have to see whether Guru Maharaja will be able to sleep on his own strength further or not.

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3 AUGUST 2010 By Premanjana das

Due to the present health situation of H.H. Lokanath Swami we have no other choice left than to cancel his trip to Dubai, South Africa, Botswana, Mauritius and Ukraine, which was supposed to take place in August and September. We hereby apologize for any inconvenience caused by this cancellation. We hope that in the near future Guru Maharaja can visit these countries again if his health situation will improve.

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31 JULY 2010 by Premanjana das

In continuation of my email of 11th July 2010 here follows a further update of the health situation of H.H. Lokanath Swami.

After his vyasa puja was over we went with Guru Maharaja to Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital in Pune. This new hospital is a multi-specialty medical centre and equipped with the latest technology. There we had an appointment with Dr. K.T. Mohan who is a Pulmonologist and a specialist in sleeping disorders. Guru Maharaja underwent a complete medical check-up. The final diagnosis was:

* Insomnia. Guru Maharaja is not able to sleep well at night or not able to sleep at all.

* High cholesterol

* High BP

Guru Maharaja is taking treatment from this doctor and has to return regularly for medical check-ups. He is also taking some ayurvedic therapy. Besides medicines, the doctor has prescribed completely rest from his travelings for some time. Guru Maharaja should stay at one place and keep to his diet to recover again. The cause of the insomnia is not clear yet because several factors could play a role in it. Further investigations might be needed for that.

We are staying at a peaceful place at the countryside in a natural environment. For the time being Guru Maharaja has restricted his phone calls and email correspondences.

To assist him in dealing with any urgent matter in his zones, Guru Maharaja has formed a Disciplinary Committee on the 23rd of July, consisting of the following members as per 1st October 2010:

Saccidananda das - Chairman
Premanjana das - Secretary
Istadava das
Prasanta dasi
Subhadra devi dasi

For any urgent matter devotees can always contact me on the phone number and email address below. Devotees who have some good experience with ayurvedic or nature cure doctors regarding sleeping disorders are kindly requested to inform me about it.

Your servant,
Premanjana das

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11 JULY 2010 by Premanjana das

On the early morning of 6th July we were very happy to see that Guru Maharaja had returned well and good to India from his tour to the West. Somehow after returning from USA to Europe on 15th June Guru Maharaja showed some serious symptoms of jet lag and fatigue. As a result he was not able to sleep (well) during the night for many days. As far as I remember this is the first time that this happened to him. For that reason several of his programs in Europe had to be cancelled, much to the disappointment of the concerned devotees. Following the good advices of the doctors Guru Maharaja had to take rest and took some nature cure treatments.

In India we followed-up further with his health situation by consulting some doctors. We have to take into account that Guru Maharaja is now 61 years old and that he might not be able to do everything in the same way as he used to do in the past. Since his condition seemed to be improved partially, Guru Maharaja left on the 10th morning for Thailand and Burma.

But there are some measures that should be taken from now on to protect the safety and good health of Guru Maharaja.

* Guru Maharaja should not travel alone anymore. His servant or another devotee should always accompany him, whether in India or to foreign countries. This is important in regards to carrying and protection of his luggage, dealings with so many non-devotees who do not always display a behavior of good character, making use of the lavatory at the airport (where to leave the japa mala and luggage?), etc.

* Devotees should see that Guru Maharaja has sufficient time during the day to take rest.

* Several programs during a day should be avoided. Do not run with Guru Maharaja from one program to another.

* Classes, kirtans or meetings should be limited in time. Don't encourage or compel Guru Maharaja to go on and on.

* Disciples should be trained to discuss their (personal) problems with other senior devotees or with their counselors. Not that they have to approach Guru Maharaja for everything.

* When Guru Maharaja is visiting your temple or place, always see that he is comfortably situated. Please ask him about how he finds the room, the facilities that are available, his health situation, the standard of the prasadam, etc.

* Based on the advice of the doctors we have made a Care and Diet list. Please follow this list when Guru Maharaja is visiting your place, especially the devotees who are incharged for cooking.

We hope that by paying attention to these measures we can secure Guru Maharaja's safety, welfare and health situation for a long time. Anyone who has some additional good advices is more than welcome to write back to me.

I would like to thank all the devotees for their understanding and in particular all the devotees who are always ready to help us in taking care of Guru Maharaja.

Your servant,
Premanjana das