Original Source - Chapter One

All Glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga.


In Search of The Original Source
by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj
All rights reserved by the Sevaite-President-Acharya Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip

You are all my spiritual relatives, assembled here today for hearing something from me about Krishna-consciousness. I humbly pay my respects to you all because you have given me this opportunity to speak about my Lord Sri Krishna and His associates. I want to do good for you, good for myself and good for the world. I have some experience. I am an old man, and I stayed many years with my Guru Maharaj, who was vastly learned in Vedic knowledge and ultimately a siddha-mahapurush a perfect, liberated soul. His affection, mercy, well-wishes and desire have given me something. I feel it and I cannot deny it. I may be a very low class person, but how can I deny the gift of my Gurudev. I am a very tiny and insignificant jiva-soul, nothing else, this is my identity, but if I give you all, the gift of my Lord Krishna, and my Guru Maharaj–that little ecstasy I have got–if I give to your holy ear the sound vibration that is coming down from the transcendental world–you must be benefited and I shall also be benefitted. Krishna will bless me and my Guru Maharaj will be satisfied that I shall have done something in this world.

Actually we are all spiritual entities and because we are part and parcel of our Lord, our home is eternally existing in the transcendental abode of the Lord. You have heard of Upanisad, Veda Vedanta and other scriptures which were revealed in India in the written form five thousand years ago. Previously, this knowledge existed as sruti-mantram and it was transmitted from the rishis and munis to their disciples, through the sruti-mantram or spoken word. At that time there were no books. Vedavyasa has very mercifully given us this written form of sruti-mantram called Veda. He then divided that Veda (sruti) into four: Rg, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva. He also composed the corollary literatures (smriti) like the Mahabharat which is called the fifth Veda and the gist of the Vedas can also be found in the hundreds of Upanisads. The great Vedic research scholars have also found the Vedic knowledge in the Puranas. Thus, through the great rishis, Vedic research scholars, this transcendental knowledge is being revealed in this mundane world, and when necessary, from time to time, an incarnation of the Lord manifests and by His divine mercy we are getting a connection with that transcendental knowledge.

These Vedic literatures mainly try to give us transcendental knowledge and for our benefit they have proclaimed, srinvantu biswe amritasya putra: “You are all the sons of nectar, transcendental nectar, you are from the nectarean ocean. Dive deep into that nectar!” We are all parts and parcels of the Lord, therefore we are spiritual relatives. Here in the mundane world, we are seeing many differences; some of us are born in India, some in Russia, some in Mexico, Latin America, etc., so many countries and so many completely different languages, but the spirit that is living within everybody, and without which the body is useless, that spirit is coming from the same place. We call this place the spiritual world or the transcendental world. 

We want eternity, we want love, we want affection, we want mercy, ecstasy, these are our hankerings, but this mundane world cannot successfully give any of these things to us. But in the transcendental world everything is existing eternally in a very beautiful and sweet way.

Everyone will pass away from this world one day, whether he is poor or rich, rouge or scholar, animal, or tree. When we have been born, it is sure we will die. Death will not give any notice to us, “Today is your dying day or today is your birthday.” Birth and death are actually beyond our control. Maybe we can extend some time or reduce some time but when we have been born, we must die. This wave of birth and death is surrounding this world not only our present planet but the whole universe. Beyond the orbit of this universe many universes are also existing and this wave of birth and death is rolling through all of them. This knowledge has been given to us by the Vedic research scholars, and now the scientists in this age are also saying the same thing.

This world is always completely filled with quarrel. The wave of death and birth is always flowing through this world and there are so many problems. You hear many things on the radio, television, and newspapers, therefore you know how much violence is going on all over. Everywhere this bad situation will come to be, as it is written in the Scriptures. It is the age of Kali. Kali means the age of quarrel. We cannot avoid it. I may be a very good man, but without cause I may be attacked by violence. Many things happen, and many good men have been killed. Then death and birth is beyond our capacity. I may be protected by so many bodyguards, like John Kennedy, like Martin Luther King Jr., like Indira Gandhi, like so many, who were protected by so many bodyguards but could not avoid death.

We are also not secure or satisfied in this world. What do we want here; we want love, affection, charm, beauty, and ecstasy. Ultimately, we want eternity, but in this world it is not possible in any way to get it. Here, what is the form of love, what is the form of beauty, of affection? All are only a shadow or reflection of the transcendental world. As such, here we are playing only within the shadow. All that we are getting is in the form of shadow and the substance is missing. We are eating rice powder mixed with water and thinking we are drinking milk. Actually, when we will get a proper taste of transcendental ecstasy and we will feel the transcendental form, then we will feel that transcendental knowledge is within me and my Lord is within me and we will understand everything very clearly and easily. That connection is necessary for us.

In which way may we get it? Our sincere searching tendency can give us that connection. We must want to search. If it is possible why will we not proceed in that line? The research scholars of religion have made many contributions and made that knowledge available. If you come forward sincerely, you will get it. It is so easy to get if you have faith, chastity, and a little good fortune. Without good fortune it is very difficult to get it.