"Merry Christmas"

Today is a day when we can remember Lord Krishna. Krishna told us everything in Srimad Bhagavad-gita—there may not be mentioned any names, but Krishna said (Srimad Bhagavad-gita, 10.14), "Yad yad vibhutimat sattvam, srimad urjitam eva va: If you see anyone with some superpower, you must think that I am present there." That is why Lord Jesus gets honour. I do not know the actual number, but I think 40–60% people in this world worship this day, and I see that even here in Bengal, every house is giving honour to Lord Jesus's birthday. They call this day Bada Din ("a great day"), and the celebration starts from this day.

Anyhow, it is mentioned in the scriptures that there are many incarnations of the Lord ("avatara hy asankhyeya"; Srimad Bhagavatam, 1.3.26), and we must respect that. If we read Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Vedas, Vedanta, Upanisads, we can see that we are given consciousness of Vaishnavs' words everywhere. There are many planets in this universe—Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar, Janas, Tapas, Satya-loka and so on—and we give honour everywhere. Sriman Mahaprabhu's line especially is very sweet: to be very humble, very tolerant and always give honour to others. So, we must give honour to every religion.

Pious people respect Jesus as the son of God, so God has some divine form, but what kind of form is it? They do not tell much about that. There are two divisions in Christianity, protestant and catholic. Catholics are astik (they believe in the existence of the personality of God), and protestants are mayavadis (they do not respect any form of the Lord). In any way, we give special respect to any place where there is even a little connection with the Lord. Today is a very big festival day here in Bengal as well as all over India. The whole world knows that it is the appearance day of Jesus Christ, and India celebrates this day now too.

Actually, we consider that what Christian religion teaches is very near to Vaishnavism, so we give our special respect to it on the strength of that. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said that we must be tolerant, and Jesus showed an extreme of tolerance in his life. Their religion is also teaching giving honour to others and humility. So, the practising procedure is very close, but the only difference between Christianity and Vaishnavism is that Christianity goes up to Svarga-loka, heaven, but our destination is the transcendental world, Vaikuntha-loka and Goloka Vrindavan within it, where we will see the Divine Couple playing and performing Their divine pastimes and where there are four–five kinds of rasa (ecstacy or relationships with the Lord): santa (neutrality), dasya (servitude), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parenthood) and madhura (consorthood). There are many descriptions not only written in books but also seen in practice—we can see this kind of presence, faith and everything else is manifested and exists gloriously within many sadhus, Vaishnavs and high-standard devotees. This is the difference, but this difference is not small—it is no doubt vast. We can cross the line and go beyond heaven. In heaven also, our conception is that we must give honour to Indradev because we say that he is the king of heaven.

You must give honour to wherever there is some piety and religious manifestation. This is our religion. Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanyadev taught this, and He also gave a very beautiful procedure for us to connect with that holy, divine Name of Lord:

হরের্নাম হরের্নাম হরের্নামৈব কেবলম্ ।
কলৌ নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব গতিরন্যথা ॥

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

"Only chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name—there is no other way, no other way, no other way."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 1.7.76)

There is no other alternative—we must get the divine association of the Lord through His Divine Name. And when that Name reveals Himself in our hearts in His transcendental vibration form, we will get everything in our spiritual life. Anyhow, Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gadharva Govindasundar are there in front of us, and we are engaged in Their service under the guidance of Srila Guru Maharaj (that is our good fortune), and we are continuing our spiritual practising life.

Jay Om Vishnupad Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj ki jay.

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