In the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra, we see that in order to get back Sita mata who was kidnapped by Ravana by crossing over the ocean, Lord Rama reached the beach and fasted for three days, awaiting the arrival of the ocean personified.

"It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart."

"Material existence causes discontent in regard to fulfilling one's lusty desires and achieving more and more money. This is the cause for the continuation of material life, which is full of repeated birth and death. But one who is satisfied by that which is obtained by destiny is fit for liberation from this material existence."

After killing Kamsa, Lord Krishna stayed in Mathura for sometime with his father Vasudeva and mother Devaki to give them pleasure who had suffered heavily in the hands of cruel King Kamsa.

"Time and tide waits for no one", an old saying goes, bringing to mind what kind of grip time has got on our necks. Are we not easily put into stress by it, and are miseries not coming closer to us, day by day, in the form of old age, sickness and death?

"My dear mother, in a restaurant or place for drinking cold water, many travelers are brought together, and after drinking water they continue to their respective destinations. Similarly, living entities join together in a family, and later, as a result of their own actions, they are led apart to their destinations."

"In the same way, O my gentle mother, when the mind is agitated by the movements of the modes of material nature, the living entity, although freed from all the different phases of the subtle and gross bodies, thinks that he has changed from one condition to another."

Sri Havir said: "The most advanced devotee sees within everything the soul of all souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. Consequently he sees systematically everything in relation to the Supreme Lord and understands that everything that exists is eternally situated within the Lord."

"From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool."

This verse (Gita 2.62) is beautiful. He says 'dhyaayato vishayaan pumsah'. First the dhyaan starts. We meditate on vishayas. Sense gratificatory things, we always meditate. As soon as you are free, you are not chanting, you are not reading Bhagavatam, means, your mind cannot be vacant. Always attached to think about something.

Bhagavad-gita is spoken by the transcendental Supreme Lord Krishna. We must become transcendental. Otherwise we cannot understand Bhagavad-gita. The dog can relate with dog, a cat can relate with cat, a horse can relate with horse.

It is our great fortune that Srila Prabhupada just left India in his 70s and came to America. Otherwise all of you would be chewing the dead-flesh by now, and omlettes and what not? He has saved us from all these things. Now it is our duty to come to him very submissively and take his instructions to our heart.

This microwave! God, we did not imagine at all that without the fire, the food can be eaten. (laughter) We were knowing that fire will definitely heat up the food.

As soon as one sees a sadhu, one naturally becomes free. Nonetheless, persons who are too much offensive, who commit vaishnava-aparadhas, or offenses to a sadhu, will have to take some time before being rectified."

When we chant the names of Krishna, we are forced to study the scriptures, which is again non-different from Krishna. All these devotional activities starting from chanting, mangala-arati and the whole day Bhagavatam discussion, Bhagavad Gita discussion etc, they are Krishna themselves.

As soon as Vallabha is attracted to you, He sits in your heart and in 10th canto again He says to Uddhava,"You please don't worry, I am not going

Bhakti is rare and special gift of Krishna: (Maharaj soulfully began to sing 'jaya radha madhava' and started explaining the names in the song.) If you want to enter into gopi-bhaav, the highest sentiment which the gopis followed, then you have to relish the devotional service, every second of your conscious human existence, neglecting all other concocted things.

Apart from these differences between the Candra year and the Surya year, again there is something left, because in these 30 days all the differences are not met. Again very fine calculation is made in our astrological calculations, that after every 141 years, there is again one month more

In this masa particularly, again Krishna reminds us that, "This masa has surrendered to Me and that is why I have made him completely auspicious. Otherwise it was an inauspicious masa and I have made it auspicious." Please, you are lucky to have this, so do something.

"Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated."

Before we start to think about Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is essential that we should understand the importance of this month which is very correctly known as Purushottama masa [month]. It reminds us in our Vedic calculation, they are very precise since ancient times.

"Just as the rivers do not drink their own water but flow for others' benefit, just as fruit-bearing trees do not eat their own fruit but bear it for others, and just as clouds do not drink their own rain but shower it down for others, so saintly devotees live simply for others."

Krishna says, "I have shown so many ways to attain Me. But please remember this one way is the best way". And what is that one way? mad bhaavam sarva bhuteshu. "In all the living entities, you must see Me. That is the best way to attain Me."

"The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them."

.'Just by talking sweetly, just by giving shelter to living entities, psychologically they will improve. In the end, Krishna is there to look after everybody. Krishna looks. It is His nature. He will not neglect any living entity and if you are chanting, worshiping Him, glorifying Him through names, or if you are working for Him, definitely He will look after you. His attention will be on you.

The energy and the energetic, they are non-different. This is the thing to be understood. As soon as you relish this, then every time the grain of rice is in front of us, the chapatti flour is in front of us, we remember Krishna.

damodara sahah - One who is unlimitedly tolerant. In Mahabharata Bhishmacharya addresses the Lord as 'Damodara sahah' which means Lord Damodara one who is very tolerant.

Lord Krishna explains that dama means indriya samyama (control of the senses). Control of senses is required whether one wants to attain success in material or spiritual life.

"They know Him as Damodara because He has "daama" or great joy, indicating that He brought great happiness for the gods."

We cannot even conceive of the size of this one universe where we live in. There are millions of universes and during pralaya the universes enter into the Lord's body and reside in His belly till the next creation happens.