• The Seventh Day: Gurudeva opens the seventh day of the Bhāgavata-kathā, which has been extended by one more day. Śāstra says the havana should follow the full seven days; in Bengal this is kept strictly, though elsewhere it is often done earlier. Taking up the glory of Girirāja that Padmanābha Mahārāja had just spoken, he explains Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s words in the Veṇu-gīta (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.18). The word hanta expresses wonder, humility and separation, and Govardhana is the best of all hills. Without darśana of Mānasī-gaṅgā and Harideva, a Govardhana parikramā is incomplete.
• The Appearance of Girirāja: The Bhaviṣya Purāṇa says Girirāja appeared from Rādhārāṇī’s heart. In another account Pulastya Ṛṣi took Droṇa’s son Girirāja to Kāśī as a servant. From this Gurudeva draws practical lessons. A sādhu should stay three nights, or five at most. Dakṣiṇā should be given, and one should not go empty-handed to three persons, such as a king: Kṛṣṇa came before Kaṁsa carrying Kuvalayāpīḍa’s tusk. An aged sādhu needs a servant, as Mahāprabhu told Sāraṅga Murāri. He recalls Śrīla Trivikrama Mahārāja and Śrīla Navadvīpa Mahārāja.
• The Curse and Vraja-vāsa: A Kṛṣṇa devotee, Girirāja did not want to hear ahaṁ brahmāsmi in Kāśī. He set a condition that wherever he was put down, he would stay. In Vraja Pulastya set him down to answer nature’s call, could not lift him again, and cursed him to sink by a sesame seed every day. Girirāja accepted the curse rather than leave Vraja. His caves witness Rādhā-Govinda’s most intimate pastimes, including the boat pastime (Śrī Govardhanāṣṭakam 7). Mahāprabhu said that without Govardhana one will not see Gopāla (a Bengali couplet, source not verified). Gurudeva used to say devotees see Girirāja in two forms, as a devotee and as Bhagavān.
• Three Haridāsas and Uddhava: Yudhiṣṭhira, Uddhava and Girirāja are the three Haridāsas. Kṛṣṇa sent Uddhava to Vraja (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.46.3), and Śukadeva lists his six qualities (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.46.1). When two invitations came at once, from Yudhiṣṭhira for the Rājasūya and from the kings imprisoned by Jarāsandha, Uddhava advised freeing the kings first, so that they would follow Kṛṣṇa to the Rājasūya. A digression explains why Janaka’s invitation for Sītā’s wedding went first to Viśvāmitra.
• Buddhi-sattama and Parokṣa-vāda: Like a judge who hears both sides before deciding, Uddhava answers with steady intelligence. Gurudeva condemns spreading unproven accusations on Facebook, an offence for both the writer and the reader. The Bhāgavatam speaks sweetly through indirect words (parokṣa-vāda). He illustrates this with Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s verse on Mahāprabhu’s conclusion, and with the vraja-vadhūs’ parakīya service, which is clear only in the spotless Bhāgavatam (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 1.211). In a story, a host quietly feeds a gluttonous friend. Girirāja serves Kṛṣṇa with fragrant stones, warm and cool streams, caves and roots (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.18, recited twice more).
• Knowing the Guru’s Heart: A disciple who kept coming back to ask which water, which glass and which tray never brought the water at all. A real servant knows the guru’s heart. Kṛṣṇa is served in the ānugatya of Rādhārāṇī, the āśraya-vigraha, and even Her māna and rebukes delight Him (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.26). Gurudeva urges everyone to buy, read and distribute Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Prema-sampuṭa this Kārtika, a page or two a day, so that homes have prema instead of quarrels.
• Four Unique Sweetnesses: Of Kṛṣṇa’s sixty-four qualities, four belong to Him alone: rūpa-mādhurya, prema-mādhurya, līlā-mādhurya and veṇu-mādhurya. Rāmacandra carries His bow even to His wedding, but Kṛṣṇa’s naṭa-vara form enchants even Vāsudeva (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.5, recited twice), and He bows at the gopīs’ feet in prema. In the Veṇu-gīta the peacocks dance and offer Him a feather (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.10), and the Yamunā and Mānasī-gaṅgā swirl and offer lotuses. The cows drink the flute-song through raised ears while the calves forget to suck (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.13).
• The Blessed Does: Absorbed, Śukadeva speaks in the present tense, seeing directly. The does and bucks run to Kṛṣṇa and weep at His touch (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.11, recited twice). Gurudeva names three kinds of speakers: those who see directly, those who repeat what they heard, and those who speak in meditation. Kṛṣṇa-sāra is both a deer and one devoted to Kṛṣṇa. Without Kṛṣṇa-bhajana a person’s “nidhana” is really “nirdhana”, poverty (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 20.37).
• Pati-sevā and Two Stories: In the rāsa-pañcādhyāyī, Kṛṣṇa tells the gopīs never to abandon a husband, even one who is harsh or diseased. He gives two examples. A chaste wife carried her leper husband to a courtesan at night. When a saint on a stake cursed him to die at sunrise, she stopped the sun, and Viṣṇu revived him with His infallible glance.
– We must take refuge in Giriraja Govardana.
– Srimati Radhika glorifies Giriraja Govardana.
– The Bhavisya Purana says that Giriraja Govardana manifested from the heart of Sri Radha.
– Pulastya Rsi, wanting to take Giriraja to Kasi, went to the house on Mount Drona and asked for his son Giriraja as a donation. But, on the way, Giriraja settled in Vrndavana.
– Giving donations to sadhus is very auspicious; otherwise, the sadhu takes your punya (devotion).
– About Guru Saranga and Murari, a young man who died and was resurrected and became his disciple.
– Men do not serve in the pastimes of srngara-rasa of Radha and Krishna.
– About Hanuman and Uddhava.
– Writing defamatory posts about others on Facebook and reading such things leads both to hell.
– About the sweetness of affection in friendship.
– Giriraja manifests many flowers and sweet fragrances out of love for Krishna; he serves in the lilas of Radha and Krishna in various ways.
– The best service is performed by Radharani.
– Read the Prema Samputa this month of Kartika.
– Qualities that only Krishna possesses: venu-madhurya, lila-madhurya, prema-madhurya, and rupa-madhurya.
– Beautiful descriptions from the Venus Gita: how all beings are ecstatically delighted by the sound of Krishna’s flute.
– The essence of life is to perform devotional service to Krishna; chant the Mahamantra.
– Stories that exemplify the immense power of a woman’s chastity.
– Delightful katha of the dialogue between the gopis and Krishna.
