New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Date: June 22, 2008 (immediately after the 24 Hour Kirtana)
Verse: Nectar of Instruction, Text 8
Speaker: HH Radhanath Swami
Location: New Vrindaban, WV, USA

Courtesy of Ekendra Prabhu, you can download the audio file (19MB but not the best quality) of this lecture from: here

Right click on “Radhanatha_08-06-22.mp3” and “Save Link/Target As.”

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(Please click here for the verse, Nectar of Instruction Text 8. I didn’t paste it in to save space for this posting.)

(Mangalacarana prayers)

Radhanath Swami: Because there is very little time, on behalf of New Vrindaban I chose this verse and the purport says everything. So I’ll just speak a few words. “The essence of all advice is that one should utilize one’s full time–twenty-four hours a day (as we did here at New Vrindaban) in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord’s divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja [Goloka Vrndavana dhama] and serve Krsna under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service.”

In the little time we have, we’d like to share a few words on the chanting of the holy names. In this verse of Sri Upadesamrta, Sri Rupa Goswami instructs us in the very beginning of the ultimate goal, in just a few words, so comprehensively. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur warns us not to take Krsna consciousness cheaply. To follow in the footsteps of the residents of Vrindavan is the highest purest state of divine consciousness. We must approach such a state of consciousness by absorbing our consciousness in chanting Krsna’s holy names, especially.

When Sarvabhauma Bhatttacarya asked Caitanya Mahaprabhu of the nine processes of devotional service, which is the most important, the Lord instantly responded: the chanting of the holy name. As Srila Jayapataka Maharaja, His Holiness, taught us yesterday, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expressed to the sannyasis in Varanasi this was the order he was given by his Guru Maharaja:

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

In this age of Kali, there is no other way except the chanting of the Holy Names.

Many of us, as we are chanting these names for a few years, some of us for a few decades, why is it that we are not experiencing what Rupa Goswami tells us that he experiences when he chants the Holy Name?

“I do not know how much nectar the name of Krsna produces. When the name of Krsna appears on my tongue, I wish to have many, many, many tongues. When it enters my ears, I desire millions of ears and when it enters my heart, it conquers my consciousness.”

How many of us desire millions of ears when we are chanting? Some of us are struggling to stay awake, wondering when we are going to get through the tedious act of pulling down all sixteen counting beads. It is the way we chant that is so important. Krsna tells in Bhagavad-Gita:

ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham

That as we approach him, Krsna reciprocates and manifests himself accordingly. Kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara, in this age of Kali, Krsna incarnates within his name. As we chant the Holy Name, how Krsna will respond.

There are so many stories that teach us. From our heart, with deep feeling, we must take shelter of the holy name. It is like a little baby bird that is hungry waiting for his mother. The mother bird has to feed him, he is absolutely helpless. Where can a baby bird go, up high, high in the tree? He doesn’t know how to fly, trapped in a little nest. He can’t do anything, go anywhere. If it takes a single step out of the nest, it falls and dies. He is absolutely dependent on the mother to come and nourish it. And when the mother is late, for two hours and three hours and four hours and five hours and the whole day, the way that bird is chirping for his mother is how we should chant the holy name:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

There is the example of Draupadi. If we just analyze this story carefully, it is quite profound. Draupadi was in a stronger position than any one of us. How many of you ladies are married to Arjuna? [laughter] Plus Bhima. [laughter] Plus Yudhisthira. And Nakula and Sahadeva. Would you feel safe with husbands like that? [laughter] The greatest warrior on earth, the most powerful person on earth, Bhima and Arjuna. Draupadi had the greatest of all protection, but the nature of the world, padam padam yad vipadam na tesam, there is danger at every step for everyone. No one is safe. Whether we are the wealthiest man in the world, the prime minister, the greatest athlete, the greatest warrior, at any moment, everything can be finished. It’s the nature of the world. No one is exempt.

Becoming a devotee doesn’t mean that our material life will be very smooth because the nature of this world is that it is not very smooth. And if it is, if it’s a smooth road, there is construction on it [laughter]. You see those diamond-shaped warning signs “Construction Ahead”, “Forgive the Inconvenience”. Maya has her signs everywere, at every step. It is not going to be smooth.

[Please click below to read the rest!]

Even Draupadi was going to be stripped naked, a fate worse than death to destroy her integrity and her dignity forever. There was no one to protect her. And the amazing thing about the story is that Bhima was sitting just a few feet away from her with his club, and Arjuna was his Gandiva bow was right there in the same way. And Bhisma, her grandfather-in-law, was also there. They all wanted to help but due to the circumstances, they couldn’t.

Duhsasana, the mighty brother of Duryodhana, was ordered to rip her naked. He grabbed her sari. She looked at Yudhisthira and he sighed, “I can’t help you.”

She looked at Arjuna, “You are my husband. You love me more than anyone.”

He looked down. Then she looked at Bhima, who was really attached to Draupadi, there are many stories in Mahabharata. He looked down. There was no one to turn to except Krsna. In that state of absolute desperation, with one hundred percent of her consciousness fixed on Krsna alone, then she raised her arms. She didn’t just go Hare Krsna Hare Krsna [feebly]. [laughter]

She raised her arms. First she tried to hold on to the sari with her own hands because nobody else would help her, but her own strength failed. Then she raised her arms in a spirit of complete surrender and she cried out helplessly the Holy Names:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

That is kirtan. And Krsna appeared. We shouldn’t forget the end. Krsna reciprocated. Krsna can do anything at any time in any way. He incarnated as a sari [laughter] and Duhsasana was very sorry. [laughter] He pulled and he pulled and he pulled, but Krsna is unlimited so the sari became unlimited. Draupadi was saved.

In Mahabharata there is a nice story when Durvasa Muni was sent by Duryodhana that, “Oh, you want prasada, go to Yudhisthira, he’s in Kamyavana. He has nice prasada, but go right at this time after Draupadi has eaten.” She had that pot, it was magical. It could feed as many people as could come until she ate. Then it became an ordinary pot.

So Duryodhana sent Durvasa Muni with 60,000 disciples. And sadhus eat a lot. [laughter] When I first went to India in 1970 I was living with sadhus for some time. I remember they invited me to a feast in the Himalayas. I was thinking, “Sadhu feast, yogi feast? We’ll probably get some water or something, [laughter] some herbs. They were serving out puris and halavah and kachoris. I was nineteen years old, they were sixty, seventy, eighty. They were eating so much prasad because they don’t get it very much. [laughter] Mostly they are eating herbs so when they get utsava, a feast, mahotsava, they were really eating, eating and eating. I turned to somebody afterwards, I said, to one lady, “Sadhus eat like that?”

She said, “They always eat like that.”

So Durvasa Muni and 60,000 sadhus come to the house, “We have come for prasada. Durvasa Muni was very famous for becoming angry and when he gets angry, he is very empowered. For Ambarisa, he became angry just because Ambarisa drank a spoonful of water before hecame back and he made a fiery monster that had the power to destroy the universe and he came to Ambarisa. There are many stories like that. He is an amsa of Lord Siva, the destroyer. So what to do, Draupadi already ate.

They said, “Well, why don’t you go take a bath?”

He said, “Yes, I will take a bath in Yamuna with all my followers.”

They were besides themselves, “What to do? When he comes back, we have nothing. What can we prepare in a half hour?”

In their heart of hearts they were crying to Krsna to save them. Draupadi was crying to Krsna to save them. And Krsna came. Krsna makes everything exciting. He comes, but not to save them, to eat prasada. [laughter] He says, “I am really hungry, give me some prasada.”

Draupadi was thinking, “First I’m offending Durvasa Muni and his followers, and now I have nothing to give Krsna.” She was crying, she was weeping, she was trembling.

Krsna said, “Just bring me the pot.”

But how she was crying? She was crying for Krsna to protect them. She wasn’t just “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Hare Rama.” She was taking shelter. Krsna said, “All right, give me the pot.” He found a little morsel of a dry piece of subji on the bottom. And he ate it. Then he told Bhima, “Now you go get Durvasa Muni and all of them. But bring your club with you.” [laughter]

Bhima said, “We have nothing to feed them, what are you. . . .”

“Just go, have faith and go.”

Bhima comes with his club and says, “Prasada is ready!” But there was nothing there, not even a shred of subji was left, Krsna took that away. Krsna said you trust me, just go and tell them prasad is ready. So Bhima comes and says prasad is ready and right when he said that, Durvasa Muni and all of his followers, they all became stuffed up with prasad because Krsna ate that morsel. They are all parts and parcels of Krsna.

They said to Bhima, “We’ll be just one minute, you go home and we’ll be there in a minute.” Because he had his club, they were thinking, “If we go there after Draupadi cooks this huge feast and we don’t take anything, Bhima is going to kill us.” [laughter] As soon as Bhima turned his back, they all ran away. [laughter] By their mystic powers they left.

Then we have the story of Gajendra. How powerful was he. He was the unrivalled king of the jungle. He was an elephant. When he would stride through the jungle path, even the lions and tigers and leopards would scamper like little pussy cats away from Gajendra. He was so powerful. He had a wonderful family. He was ruling over with no obstacles. But the nature of the material world is that it is not safe for anyone.

He, somehow or other to enjoy, went into a small lake of water and was bit by a crocodile who just held on to his leg with its jaws. You people from Alachua, I think you have alligators. Be careful please. So his teeth sunk right into his foot. Now if that crocodile came to attack Gajendra on the land, he would have just stomped on the poor creature, but in the water, he was in a compromised position. In the water, the crocodile was stronger. He somehow or other without knowing it, entered into a realm where he wasn’t strong.

It is a fact, however advanced we are in Krsna consciousness, it we’re not very, very careful, if we take lightly the warnings of the great acaryas and step into a compromised position, we will be defeated in our devotional service, we can be destroyed. We have seen it happen so many times in the scriptures and in people’s lives. Even if we are very strong and powerful spiritually, if we just play with maya, if we try to enjoy in a realm outside of bhakti, the crocodile will get us. It’s a matter of time.

Gajendra pulled at the crocodile and the crocodile would pull at him, and he would pull, and they would pull. . . all of his strength could not protect him. He turned to his family members. They were standing on the bank of the lake crying, unable to do anything for him. Prabhupada called the government, family members, everyone: fallible soldiers. When we need them the most, they can’t help us. What is the time of greatest need? It is the time of death. Who can help us then? Only one person.

Yes, Gajendra he fought and he fought and he fought for a long time. When he was actually on the verge of death, then, in that state, he remembered his previous life. Previously he had no recollection of the previous life, but at the last moment, when he was absolutely desperate, he remembered. His previous life’s devotional progress came back to remind him there is only one shelter, the Lord. With his trunk, he lifted a little lotus flower, and like Draupadi he held it (he doesn’t have two arms), with his trunk, he held up that lotus flower, and he helplessly, desperately, humbly cried out the holy name:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

But he chanted much louder. [laughter]

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Whether you know it or not, we are all in the jaws of the crocodile of old age, disease, and death, so let us all chant:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

And then Krsna appeared, and with his cakra he cut off the mouth of the crocodile. Crocodiles are quite useless without their mouths. [laughter] And Gajendra was safe to go back with his family and enjoy as king of the jungle. But because he cried out Krsna’s name, he was no longer attached to any of that. He wanted to be with Krsna, so Krsna just took him right back home, back to Godhead at that moment. That is the power of crying out for Krsna.

I will give one more incident. In Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s lila, in Navadvipa, he was only performing kirtan privately with his most confidential associates in the house of Srivasa. Thousands and thousands of common people were dying to get into that kirtan.

Meanwhile the blasphemers were so envious they weren’t allowed that they were making all horrible rumours. They were saying, “You know what these people do? You know why they are locking the doors? We know. During the day they go and search for beautiful young women, then they seduce them into coming in, then they lock the doors and give them intoxication so that they will submit to them. And through very horrible tantric rites, they are drinking wine, enjoying sexual affairs with these women, illicit sex. This is what they do all night. That’s why they are all screaming.”

These were not just some people working in coal mines, these were top brahmanas who were spreading these rumours. These were influential, educated, powerful brahmanas who were leaders of society. There were hundreds of them spreading these rumours. The common people, they were just appalled, that “Our life’s desire, our goal, we are hankering to be able to see Lord Caitanya dance, Nimai dance, but because of these blasphemers, we are not allowed to do that.” When the blasphemers would hear them, they would say, “He is one of them!” And they would attack the innocent people.

So one morning, after the kirtan, a whole crowd of the townspeople came with gifts for Lord Caitanya: garlands and flowers and rice and bananas, so many things. He was pleased because he saw they really were sincere. Rupa Goswami explains, the price to receive Krsna’s mercy is lobha, greed, that deep desire. They were longing for the Lord’s mercy. . . . He reciprocated, “All brothers and sisters, constantly chant the holy names.” He gave them the mahamantra to chant:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

“No hard and fast rules in this chanting. If you have karatals and mrdanga, you play them, if not, you clap your hands, with your family, in your shop, while you walk down the road, just constantly chant the holy names of Krsna. Whether you are sitting or you are laying down trying to sleep or whether you are eating or whether you are working, just constantly fill your mouth with the holy name and you will be my life and soul.”

Tens of thousands of people started chanting. Previously they weren’t. In every shop practically people were chanting. People were walking down the street, chanting. In their homes they were clapping their hands and doing kirtana. Everyone was chanting and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates still did not do kirtana with them. They never saw.

When he would walk down the street and he would see anybody who was chanting, he would offer his obeisances to the chanters. He would put a garland around the neck of the chanters. He would embrace those who were chanting, he would anoint their limbs with sandalwood and he would say, “You are my life and soul.”

That is how much the Lord appreciated those who are chanting the holy name. But the Lord wanted them to chant really sincerely. As the supreme controller, he allowed the coming events to take place. Should we end here or should I keep going? [laughter]

Chand Kazi, he was the dictator of that area in Nadia district and he hated Hindus. He outlawed any public practice of the Hindu religion. No one dared defy him for years and years and years. One day he is walking down the street and everywhere he goes there are people chanting. He was outraged! He was screaming at them. They were defying his authority, crushing his ego. Intolerable. He had hundreds of soldiers every day, full time service, just searching for anyone chanting. They would beat them, torture them, plunder all of their wealth, sometimes imprison them. It was horrible what was going on.

One day Chand Kazi himself broke the mrdanga and crashed it to the ground. The townspeople came back to Nimai and they said, “We are getting beaten, we are getting tortured. We’re afraid to chant.”

And he said, “No, no, you go on chanting, Krsna will protect you.”

You know how they were chanting with all these soldiers looking for them and the Chand Kazi looking for them. They could be killed, they could be tortured, the women could be raped, all the property which they worked so hard for could be plundered. Under those conditions, how many of you would continue chanting Hare Krsna? That is the price of seeing Lord Caitanya dance. It’s a small price, actually.

It is not easy. But they did it. They kept chanting because it was the Lord’s will, risking everything. They weren’t just Hare Krsna Hare Krsna. . . they may have been, but because of Chand Kazi, they couldn’t just go Hare Krsna Hare Krsna. Like Durvasa Muni for Draupadi, or the crocodile for Gajendra, it is like the mother bird when they are calling out. Those people, from the core of their hearts they needed Krsna.

If you are not hungry, you can’t really digest food very well. That is an Ayurvedic principle. When you are hungry, you have the power of digestion. If your favourite preparation if gulabjamun, right now, because it is kind of late in the morning, but if your favourite preparation was gulabjamun, oh how you could eat gulabjamun. [laughter] But if you just overeat very substantially at the Govardhan Puja festival, and then fifteen minutes later somebody comes with a bucket of gulabjamuns, what will you do? Aaaah. [laughter]

In order to enjoy food, in order to digest food, you need hunger. And that is the principle. In order to really digest the holy name, in order for the holy name to really penetrate our heart and transform our soul, we need to have that lobha, that greed, that hunger. That means we have to feel a sense of need. Queen Kunti prayed:

janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir edhamana-madah puman
naivarhaty abhidhatum vai tvam akincana-gocaram

She was a hungry lady, spiritually. All . . . ? She prayed that, “The qualifications that people consider opulences in this world are the greatest disqualifications to call out the holy name.”

To have physical beauty, to have strength, to have wealth, to have fame, good family–everyone wants these things, but the tendency is if you have them, you’ve worked like a dog to get them, but the tendency is you become complacent spiritually. You don’t cry out the name with feeling.

“Tvam akincana-gocara, therefore the best things is to be totally impoverished.” But she is not talking about impoverished as not having anything, she is taking about in the heart feeling nothing is mine, I need Krsna. We see some of the wealthiest greatest kings crying out for Krsna’s name with total feeling because they understood nothing is mine, I need Krsna. But that is the tendency.

So yes, these people in Navadvipa, they were crying out for Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy when they chanted the holy name and still, even after they were doing that, the persecution continued. Hare Krsna.

Now a person of weak faith would say, “Why isn’t Krsna saving me yet?” But a person who understands the truth knows that if we just remember Krsna with our heart, in life or death we will be saved. They were chanting, but still they were being persecuted and it was escalating.

Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu called, “Nityananda, go and tell all the devotees and all the townspeople to come here. Today I will personally lead the nama-sankirtana party. Today I will dance.” It was the first public kirtan in history of Mahaprabhu.

He said, “Today I will go to the Kazi’s house not only chanting the holy name–I will break that house down, I will burn that house, and let us see what he does to me. Today I am going to bring a great rainstorm of nama-sankirtana and inundate the entire Navadvipa with ecstatic love of God. Everyone come here this afternoon with a torch in your hand!”

This is faith. Now they are all going to chant right in the street in procession to the Kazi’s house, which is surrounded by soldiers. This is the price of seeing Lord Caitanya dance. You have to take these risks with that faith. Maybe they would get beat up sometime. . . ?

And he danced. He danced so beautifully through the streets of Navadvipa and ultimately even the Kazi surrendered. Because the people of Navadvipa, from their hearts, in a feeling of helplessness that only Krsna could save them, they cried out very feelingly and very loudly the holy name:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

We had a wonderful twenty-four hour kirtana. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told his followers to do twenty-four hour kirtana every day, for one year. They accepted. One day he just said, “We are chanting all day, but why are we wasting the nights sleeping? For the next year we should do kirtana twenty-four hours.”

How many of you were in the twenty-four hour kirtan and stayed up all night? Please raise your hands. Are you ready for another day? [laughter] What about ready for another 364 days?

But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed them at that time how they would be able to do it. It’s a matter of consciousness. And he gave them the verse:

trnad api sunicena taror iva sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniya sada hari

Humble as the grass, tolerant like the tree, eager to offer all respect to others and expect none in return.

The grass, so much grass at New Vrindaban, at least in the summer. In the grass is under the snow for eight months, maybe seven, with global warming. [laughter] How would you like to be under snow? And when it is summer and you get to come out, then people are stepping on you with their feet. Dogs come out and you know what they do. In the old days in New Vrindaban, even people used to do that. [laughter] But the grass just keeps getting up and doing its service, humble. More humble than a blade of grass!

And the tree, in the sunshine, the tree will stand in the sun directly while giving shade to shade to us. In the winter time the tree will stand there freezing and give us wood to keep us warm. And the tree will give fruits even if it has absolutely nothing itself. In India. . . Prabhupada said the king of fruits is? Mango!

The king of fruits is mango. But you know what a tree has to go through to make a mango? What season does the mango come out? Summer. And summer in Maharashtra is different than summer in West Virginia. It is really hot, burning–April, May and half of June. Usually by the time there is burning 100 degree plus weather practically every day, and there hasn’t been a drop of rain since the monsoon in September. No rain. That mango tree has been standing there October-November-December-January-February-March-April-May. . . it’s been standing there eight months with no water. And it’s burning under the heat. And yet it is giving the most luscious, juicy, delicious mangoes for us to enjoy and quench our thirst.

Tolerance means forgiving others and accepting inconvenience to serve others, to please others, in the service of God. And to offer all respects and not demand respect ourselves. If you have this consciousness. . . humility is actually a type of hunger: “I’m, nothing, I need.” When you feel empty, they you’re really longing to be filled. And the more you are filled with Krsna, the more you are humble.

So this is the consciousness which we must really sincerely cultivate. We shouldn’t be complacent in our chanting. We should know for sure that old age, disease and death are inevitable and they could happen at any moment. Now is the time to cry out for Krsna loudly:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

And to hear Krsna’s glories–our beloved Srila Prabhupada, and his gurudeva Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, are telling–when we can chant like that then we can actually follow the footsteps of the residents of Vrindavan. Thank you very much.

Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra ki jai!

It is ecstatic to see the enthusiasm of our young generation coming from so many distant places. It’s a tapasya. Amazing; how many people in America do like that? They traveled hundreds and thousands of miles to come, just to sit all day long and chant the holy names. Most of us old people went to sleep. [laughter] You are our gurus in taste for the chanting, enthusiasm for the chanting, hunger for the chanting–the greatest of all treasures.

For all those who organized the twenty-four hour kirtana, I thank you very much. And for all the patrons that may be here, our patron guests are here now? On behalf of New Vrindaban and Radha Vrindaban Chandra, from our heart of hearts, we thank you sincerely for coming and participating in this weekend and showing your support.

And we pray that New Vrindaban can become a place of pilgrimage like it is mentioned in Prabhupada’s vision. On behalf of the whole of ISKCON North America, your efforts in coming to help is actually to strengthen krsna-bhakti throughout this entire continent. We thank you very much.

(Malati DD: The pujaris and cooks!)

Radhanath Swami: We also thank the pujaris and cooks, but most of all we thank Malati Devi. [cheering and applause]

(Malati DD: Thank you to the second generation for everything you are doing for Prabhupada’s mission.) [cheering and applause]

Radhanath Swami: I don’t know all their names, but I know Ananta Govinda Prabhu and Janaki Priya Devi and Acyuta Gopi Devi and Visvambhar Prabhu and Nitai Prabhu and Rasikananda Prabhu and who else? Gopal and Madhava Prabhu. It’s amazing. They put so much energy and so much devotion to make this weekend such a glorious success.

In fact, my dear Godbrother Hari Sauri Prabhu, who was Prabhupada’s personal servant for several years, he told me this morning he never saw a kirtana like that yesterday. Such high quality, such devotion, such enthusiasm and it went on the entire day and night. He had never seen it in his life. Has anybody ever seen it in their life? No. All of you are really empowered. Please cherish and be grateful for this amazing gift you’ve been given and continue sharing it with each other and helping Srila Prabhupada give it to the world. Thank you very much.

Anyone else? Radha Sundari and Ananda Tirtha Prabhu, yes. They worked really hard also. I’m not good at announcements, [laughter] but somehow. . .? And everyone we forgot, we thank you too and everyone of you who have come, we thank you very much.

[extended applause]

END.

PS: We couldn’t locate this painting of Pancha Tattva after everything wound up. . . please leave a comment if you know anything. . . .