Vyasa-puja of HH Niranjana Swami

Translation setup and introductory remarks

0:04No, no, no, no, no. It's my complete uh free will and uh the desire of my heart. So I don't know if somebody should translate it or I should just speak straight, what's the arrangement?

0:22I think there is a simultaneous translation going on. They have a a a a translation feature that they've acquired and somebody will speak

0:30in Russian, you won't hear it, but the Russian speaking devotees can just can hear it just in Russian. Oh that's cute. That's that's wonderful. That's wonderful.

0:41So, dear Maharaj, I'm very happy to congratulate you with your birthday. And uh I thought yesterday when I was thinking a little bit about this, I thought that you were born in the coldest time of the year.

0:59And I think there is a hidden reason behind this. Because it's so cold. And you, Krishna, manifested you and brought you, sent you here to make us a little warmer. And especially in Russia, it's extremely cold.

1:22End of December, or whatever, middle of December, beginning of January, it's a very cold time of the year.

Nature of spiritual shelter

1:29But what I want to say is that you make our hearts warmer by the warmth of your heart, and it's a great fortune.

1:43And what I want to say sincerely from the core of my heart is that I always admire your tremendous ability to give shelter to people. I am the one who took shelter of you.

1:56You know it many many many many many innumerable occasions I take your shelter and protection and guidance and, yeah, whatever is required.

2:16And what is most amazing for me is that how willingly you are giving this shelter, how eager you are to give shelter. And that's the sign of a bona fide spiritual master. You know, this ability is coming from Krishna.

2:33Krishna is the one who gives shelter to everyone, and the spiritual master comes to represent him in this regard. And I can testify.

2:44I am actually, it's not that I can testify, I'm the living testimony of this ability of yours.

Distinguishing between Mitra and Suhrit

2:55I am the living proof that you are giving shelter in a very generous way, and I'm eternally grateful to you for this.

3:11Because, you know, you're recently in my studies of Sanskrit I found the definition of these two terms, Mitra and Sukrit. Mitra means friend and Suchit means friend.

3:32But Mitra means friend who is giving something with some calculation. He expects something in return. And Sukhrit means somebody who gives without any calculation, without any expectation of return.

3:49And therefore, Krishna says, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām, I am the friend of everyone. This kind of friend, not the mitra, the kind of friend which we usually know. So, I just want to thank you.

4:05I mean, it's it's not uh it's not a question of even thanking, it's just it's just a deep feeling within my heart that uh you giving it so selflessly.

4:21And I am the recipient of your mercy as well as many, many, many other people throughout the world.

4:30So thank you for this thank you for being such a glorious representative of Lord Krishna thank you very much so as as you see nobody nobody pressurized me.

Gratitude for mutual spiritual friendship

4:51I'm gonna give a s a response to that. Okay. You have to understand that I can only give shelter if I have friends like you.

5:04If I didn't have friends like you, like Yadukuṁvara, Śrīrāma, like I can can go the list on and on and on. I would be worthless for offering shelter to anybody. But having real friendship, which is not mitra.

5:27It's the greatest jewel, it is the greatest valuable gift could possibly have.

5:33And it gives me an impet this uh in so many ways to uh in my service whatever service I can do and to maintain that proper mood is due to having friends like you so

5:50I also have to take some of the credit for whatever shelter I can. Okay. I'm I will gladly take the credit. This is my habit to take the credit Thank you very much, Maharaj. Unfortunately I have to leave this event.

6:17I I really have to go somewhere else. I understand for the least I I need to go to someone. Yeah yeah I will definitely tell you. Okay. Thank you very much, Maharajan. Thank you to all of your disciples who are So thank you.

7:02Hare Kṛṣṇa. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to you, Hare Kṛṣṇa.