We Are Suddha Saktas and Brahma Gayatri Bhasya - Sri Gayatri Nigudhartha
Posted in Labels: We Are Suddha Saktas and Brahma Gayatri Bhasya - Sri Gayatri NigudharthaWe Are Suddha Saktas
No, there is guru tattva; Nityananda is also his guru. Then Nityananda Prabhu sent him to Puri, and Mahaprabhu turned him over to Svarupa Damodara, and said, "You will give him training." Svarupa Damodara became his teacher. Living in Puri at that time was Namacarya Haridasa Thakura. He is the acarya of chanting of the Holy Name; could he just pass him by, saying, "Oh, no he is not my guru?" No, he had to accept him, “He is also my guru, Namacarya Haridasa Thakura.”
Sri Rupa and Sanatana were also living there, the sambhanda acarya and the abhideya acarya -- the foremost of the six Goswamis. First, Raghunatha Dasa Goswami lived in Puri under the care of Mahaprabhu and Svarupa Damodara, and he later lived under the care of Rupa and Sanatana for a long time. Also living there at that time was Gadadhara Pandit. Gadadhara Pandit is guru tattva for the madhurya rasa bhaktas in Caitanya Lila, and Mahaprabhu is the principal Deity. The madhurya devotees are under Gadadhara Pandit, and the vatsalya and other devotees are under Nityananda Prabhu. So he is also accepting Gadadhara Pandit as guru. Gadadhara Pandit is Radha bhava; he is an incarnation of Srimati Radharani. So can he not accept that as guru? So he also accepted Gadadhara Pandit as guru.
After the disappearance of Mahaprabhu, all these great personalities began to vanish from the earth very quickly, and Raghunatha Dasa was in great despair. He decided to commit suicide; the world became so bleak in the absence of Mahaprabhu and all the devotees leaving one after another that he decided to take the path of suicide. Narottama Dasa expresses this same sentiment when he prays, "What will we do now? They are all gone!" and beats his head on a stone. It is not a happy day when the Lord’s devotees vanish from this world, from our sight. So he was very distressed and he decided to give up his life, and he thought that the best way is if he can jump from the top of Govardhana Hill, and in this way he will finish his life. Actually, this is love despair.
If you have seen Govardhana Hill, you may understand that one would have to jump about one hundred times. You would do better jumping off a garage roof; it is not very high – better to climb a temple, or a tree even. Govardhana Hill is very gentle; there is no place from which to jump. Because that was his heart’s sentiment, he went to Govardhana with this in mind, but there he found Rupa and Sanatana. They were living there on the order of Mahaprabhu, and he found that Mahaprabhu was living with Rupa and Sanatana. This is what he found there: that his Supreme Lord is living within their hearts. For him, Rupa and Sanatana are like expansions of Mahaprabhu, non-different from Mahaprabhu. They are Rupa and Sanatana, and yet he finds them to be non-different. So then he gave up this idea of jumping from Govardhana Hill and he remained under their shelter for many years.
Raghunatha Dasa Goswami has shown us by the example of his life that we may have many, many gurus who first may bring us in some connection with Krsna Consciousness. Maybe it is our parents; maybe it is a friend at school, or some general connection draws us towards the first Sunday feast. What ever it is -- it may be something at home, such as Back to Godhead magazine. What first put us in connection to Krsna is called vartmana-pradarsaka guru, and we may have many of this type, but it is said that you should only have one mantra guru. You should have only one initiating guru, but siksa gurus you may have many.
Raghunatha Dasa Goswami had many gurus who gave him much instruction and guided him through his life. He himself is known as the prayojana acarya: he shows us the highest perfection of devotion in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Raghunatha Dasa Goswami announces to the world what is the highest aspiration and achievement for a Gaudiya Vaisnava, a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; he shows what is that highest achievement. He announces this in his prayers and in his poems, in his poetic expressions. At the very end of his life he announces this; therefore he is known as the prayojana acarya.
What is the perfection? What is that highest perfection of any Gaudiya Vaisnava? It is the thing that Srila Prabhupada saw in his father when he was a boy, but did not recognize in him until he had become a disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta. There was something in Srila Prabhupada’s father that later — as a disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta, as a Gaudiya Vaisnava — Srila Prabhupada could understand, “My father was pure devotee of Krsna.” When he was growing up he had no such understanding. His father was just his father; he used to get him to buy not just one toy gun, but two toy guns. But as an adult, as a disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta, then he came to note one very special thing in his father, so much so that he boldly wrote in the Krsna book dedication, “To my father, Gour Mohan De, a pure devotee of Krsna.”
But if you study Gour Mohan De’s life, you will see that there are three million such pure devotees of Krsna. They worship Krsna at home, they go to the shop and they come back, they visit temples and they give some gifts to sadhus, and other such things. So what is it that distinguishes his father from so many Hindu gentlemen raising their families in pious India, close to one hundred years ago? It is that very thing which is announced by Raghunatha Dasa Goswami. He announced that our highest aspiration is to be accepted into the line of service to Srimati Radharani. That is called Radha-dasyam: service of Srimati Radharani. Radha-dasyam supersedes even service to Krsna. Srila Prabhupada’s father was doing this all along, when Prabhupada was a boy.
You will read in Satsvarupa Maharaja’s book that Prabhupada is telling, "My father used to gather many sadhus and he would take care of them, and even he would give them a hookah.” A hookah is a pipe. That social custom was the order of the day; now it is low-fat yogurt. But in those days there were so many sadhus of different types, and there were the sadhus who had the hookahs, and so they were offered the hookah. If Murari Caitanya were to offer me a hookah, any devotees attending the lecture would get up and walk out, saying, “He is bogus.” But Srila Prabhupada’s father had a hookah and offered it to the sadhus. That was the basic idea; what ever the sadhus want, they get it, and they will be happy. Then of course he would give them laddus, puris, subjis, and very nice refreshments, and then he would ask some benediction. And what would he ask, what would Prabhupada’s father ask those sadhus?
Prabhupada’s father would ask, "Please bless my son that he will become a devotee of Srimati Radharani and spread her glories all over the world.” So as a youth this made some sense to him, but not as much sense as it would make later. When Srila Prabhupada met his eternal master, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, then everything came into clear focus. He then knew what was to be his purpose in this world, what he was to do.
This is all going on in the plane of lila of the eternally liberated souls. Some people think that when they are born, the eternally liberated souls are thinking, "I’m just waiting to start my movement,” while rocking in their mothers’ arms. No, they are acting as children at that point.
Srila Prabhupada used to laugh and talk about his "maya;" he used to call it his “maya:” He was a follower of Gandhi, and when he said that we would say, "Oh Prabhupada! No maya for you!” But he would laugh. Even when a liberated soul comes into this world he does not manifest, in most cases, why he has come here until he makes the connection with the line of Mahaprabhu, the descending line of the Supreme Lord. Then, making that connection, things come down to him and are revealed, such as what is his purpose here, what is his mission here. So that is the announcement of Raghunatha Dasa Goswami; he has announced that in his writings, in his prayers: his deep heartfelt aspiration for the service of Srimati Radharani.
You all know Radha-kunda, and you know many people come to Radha-kunda, and they do there what is called dandavat parikrama. They offer full dandavats — they put one stone, walk to the place of the stone, again go down, offering prayers, and in this way they go all the way around Radha-kunda. It takes a couple of hours. Many years ago, the Diwan of Bhaghpur came, and with his royal family was doing dandavat parikrama of Radha-kunda. One personal servant of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta who happened to be there at that time came running and said, "Oh Guru Maharaja, the Diwan of Bhaghpur has come with his whole family and they are doing parikrama of Radha-kunda! It is wonderful that they have such devotion for Srimati Radharani." Then Srila Bhakti Siddhanta shocked everyone there. He said, "Actually, their devotion is just the opposite of ours. They have heard that Radharani is dear to Krsna, and so they have some regard for Her. Ours is just the opposite: the only reason we have any interest in Krsna is because He is dear to Srimati Radharani — we are on this side, not on that side.”
When you have gone through the whole thing you realize that we are suddha saktas; we are worshippers of the Energy of Godhead, the Devotional Energy of Godhead. If you do not believe it, then just start reading Srila Prabhupada’s books carefully and you will understand the importance of this conclusion. The whole of the Srimad Bhagavatam is to present one thing, and only one thing -- that Srimati Radharani is the foremost servant of Krsna.
Radharani alone is the one who can please Krsna: She is the mother of devotional energy. And as a jiva soul, the highest attainment is to be accepted as a servant in the descending line of Her grace.
Brahma Gayatri Bhasya - Sri Gayatri Nigudhartha
( by Srila B.R. Sridhar Maharaja )
"The gayatri mantra will excite us
to be mindful about Srimati Radharani's lotus feet, to obey her orders."
"Radha-dasyam, the service of
Srimati Radharani, is the ultimate meaning to be extracted from the gayatri
mantra."
The Mantra
om bhur bhuva sva tat savitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo na pracodayat om
om
- the seed mantra which contains everything within it; bhur - the physical
world; bhuva -
the mental world; sva
- the intellectual world; tat
- that, the three planes of experience; savituh
- the soul; varenyam
- worshipable, venerable; bhargo
- the supersubjective area, the svarupa-sakti;
devasya - who is beautiful and playful, Krsna, Reality the
Beautiful; dhimahi
- come meditate; dhiyah
- of meditation, of service; yo
- who; na - us;
pracodayat -
enthuses our capacity;
Translation
"Above the three planes of mundane
experience, bhu, bhuvah,
svah is the soul, savitur,
who shows us everything just like the sun. Above the soul is the
supersubjective plane which is varenyam,
most venerated and worshipable. That worshipable plane of existence is called bhargo, brilliant and
illuminating. The supersubjective area, bhargo,
is the plane known as the svarupa-sakti
which is the internal pleasure potency of deva,
Krishna, Reality the Beautiful. That bhargo
is His own divine potency Srimati Radharani. Let us meditate upon the lotus
feet of Srimati Radharani, whose extended self and essential nature, mahabhava, is the svarupa-sakti, and who
enthuses our capacity of devotional service. Let us surrender unto Her divine
service."
Introduction
The meaning of the brahma gayatri must bring us to the
conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
The gayatri mantra
and the Srimad-Bhagavatam
are one and the same. It is the very gist of the Vedanta-sutra. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the
elaborate commentary of gayatri:
artho 'yam brahma-sutranam
bharatartha-vinirnay
gayatri-bhasya-rupo 'sau vedartha-parivrmhita
gayatri-bhasya-rupo 'sau vedartha-parivrmhita
"The meaning of the Vedanta-sutra is present
in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
The full purport of the Mahabharata
is also there. The commentary of the brahma-gayatri
is also there and fully expanded with all Vedic knowledge." (Garuda Purana )
What is the meaning of gayatri ? The word gayatri is a combination of two Sanskrit words: ganat (what is sung) and trayate (gives deliverance). This means, "A kind of song by which we can get our salvation, relief, emancipation. Gayatri is known as veda-mata, the mother of the Veda. If we examine the Vedic conclusion from it's most condensed aphorism to its most extensive expression, we shall find that it begins with omkara : the Vedic symbol OM. That truth is expressed as the gayatri mantra, then it appears in the form of the Vedas, and then as the Vedanta-sutra. Finally, the Vedic conclusion is given its fullest expression in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Since the meaning, the purpose of Vedic knowledge progresses in this line, the gayatri mantra must contain within it the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam ---that is, that the Krsna conception of Godhead is the highest. This must be the meaning of the gayatri mantra, but the problem is how to extract Srimad-Bhagavatam-----the Krsna conception------ from within the womb of gayatri. I heard that Jiva Goswami has given such an interpretation, but I could not find where it is written. I heard that he has given the meaning of gayatri leading to Krsna consciousness. Anyhow, the tendency awakened in me to draw the meaning to the Krsna conception.
The general meaning of gayatri is "that song which grants liberation." Liberation must have some positive meaning. Liberation means not freedom from the negative side, but positive attainment. This is the definition given in Srimad-Bhagavatam : muktir hitvanyatha rupam svarupena--- unless and until we attain the highest possible positive position, real mukti, real salvation, has not been effected. Mere withdrawal from the negative plane cannot be called liberation. Hegal has said that the object of our life is self-determination. We must determine our normal function in the organic whole---not mere emancipation in a positive function in the domain of service. This is considered to be the highest attainment of life. This is the real meaning of gayatri.
The word gayatri comes from two Sanskrit roots: ganat and trayate. Trayate means positive attainment to the final stage (sva-rupena vyavashitih ). And ganat means not mere sound, but musical sound. That musical sound which grants us the highest positive deliverance indicates the sankirtana of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the flute song of Sri Krsna.
Brahma-Gayatri-Bhasya
bhvades-tat savitur-vavarenya-vihitam
ksetrajna-sevaya-arthakam
bhargo vai vrsabhanuja-atma-vibhava-eka-aradhana sri-puram
bhargo jyotir-acintya-lilana-sudha-eka-aradhana-sri-puram
bhargo dhama-taraga-khelana-sudha-eka-aradhana-sri-puram
bhargo dhama-sada nirasta kuhakam prajnana lila-puram
devasya-amrta-rupa-lila-rasa-dheraradha-dhi-prerina
devasya-amrta-rupa-lila-purusasyaradha-dhi-preyasina
devasya dyutisundara-eka-purusasyaradhaya-dhi-preyasina
gayatri-muralisÝa-kirtana-dhanam radhapadam dhimahi
gayatri-gaditam mahaprabhu-matam radhapadam dhimahi
dhir-aradhanam eva nanyad-iti-tad-radhapadam dhimahi
srila sri-bhaktiraksaka sridhara deva-gosvami maharaja
bhargo vai vrsabhanuja-atma-vibhava-eka-aradhana sri-puram
bhargo jyotir-acintya-lilana-sudha-eka-aradhana-sri-puram
bhargo dhama-taraga-khelana-sudha-eka-aradhana-sri-puram
bhargo dhama-sada nirasta kuhakam prajnana lila-puram
devasya-amrta-rupa-lila-rasa-dheraradha-dhi-prerina
devasya-amrta-rupa-lila-purusasyaradha-dhi-preyasina
devasya dyutisundara-eka-purusasyaradhaya-dhi-preyasina
gayatri-muralisÝa-kirtana-dhanam radhapadam dhimahi
gayatri-gaditam mahaprabhu-matam radhapadam dhimahi
dhir-aradhanam eva nanyad-iti-tad-radhapadam dhimahi
srila sri-bhaktiraksaka sridhara deva-gosvami maharaja
Purport
The next word in the mantra is svah. Above Bhuvaloka is Sva-loka. The mental world (Bhuvarloka) means acceptance and rejection: what to do and what not to do--"I like this, I don't like that." Sva-loka, however, is the plane of decision, the world of intelligence (Buddiloka). Our intelligence tells us, "You may like this, but you don't do that, for then you will be the loser." That plane, the plane of reason, is known as Sva-loka. In this way, this material world is composed of three general layers, bhur, the physical world, bhuvah, the mental world, and svah, the intellectual world.
Of course, a more detailed analysis will reveal seven layers: Bhur, Bhuvah Svah, Maha, Jana, Tapa, and Satyaloka. This has been dealt with in detail by Sanatana Goswami in his Brhad-Bhagavatamrtam. Here, these seven strata have been summarized in three planes of existence: physical, mental, and intellectual. And these three planes of experience have been summarized in a word, tat.
The next word in the brahma-gayatri is savitur. Savitur generally means surya, the sun. And the sun means, figuratively, that which shows or illuminates; that by which we can see. The three gross and subtle strata within this world are shown to us by a particular thing, savitur. What it that? The soul. Actually, the world is not shown to us by the sun, but by the soul. What really gives us perception and allows us to see gross things? It is not actually the sun that helps us to see; we see with the help of the soul. This is found in Bhagavad-gita (yatha prakasayaty ekah krtsnam lokam imam ravih). The soul reveals this world to us just as the sun does. The sun can show color to our eyes, the ear can reveal the sound world, and the hand can reveal the touch world. But really in the center is the soul. It is the soul who gives light to this world, who gives us an understanding of the environment, the world of perception. All perception is possible only because of the soul. Here, the word savitur, which generally means sun, can only mean soul, like the sun, shows us everything.
All seven strata of our existence-represented by bhur, the physical plane, bhuvah, the mental plane, and svah, the intellectual plane-have here been reduced to one entity: tat-"that." "That" is shown by the sun which in this context indicates the soul. Here soul means individual soul. The individual soul is the cause of his world. Not that the mind is in the world, but the world is in the mind. Berkeley has said that the world is in the mind. Here it is being expressed that everything is seen with the help of the sun. If there is no sun, everything is dark- nothing can be seen. So without light, nothing can be seen. And in a higher sense, light means the soul. The soul is the subject and the soul's object is the seven planes of experience within this world.
The next word in the gayatri mantra is varenyam. Varenyam means puja: worshipable, venerable. This indicates that although within this plane--the objective world--the is the subject, there is another domain which is to be venerated and worshipped by the soul. That is the Supersoul area.
That worshipable plane of existence is known as bhargo. Bhargo means the super subjective area, the area of the Supersoul. This is mentioned in the first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam: dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi. Srila Vysadeva says that here he is going to deal with another world whose pristine glory is so great that by its own ray, all misconceptions are brushed aside. The subject is the soul, and its object is all these worlds of experience. And the super subject, is the venerable area which is superior to the subject, the soul-- that is the super subjective area.
The word bhargo means"more subtle than the soul," and "holding a more important position than the soul." So this means the Supersoul, the Paramatma. In general, of course, the word bhargo ordinarily means light. Just as an X-ray can show us what the ordinary eye cannot see, bhargo is svarupa-sakti: higher, more powerful light that can reveal the soul. And that energy--bhargo--belongs to whom? It belongs to deva. What is the meaning of the word deva? Deva means "who is beautiful an playful," that is, Sri Krsna: Reality the beautiful. He is not a nondifferentiated substance, but is full of lila, pastimes. Deva means pastimes and beauty combined and this is Krsna.
His domain is bhargo, brilliant, and it is varenyam, to venerated by the jiva soul. What is the nature of the svarupa-sakti? It is the vaibava, the extend body of Srimati Radharani. She holds the full service responsibility and the energy to serve Krsna. bhargo is no less than the vaibava, the extended body of Srimati Radharani, which contains everything for the service of Krsna. Bhargo represents Mahabava, the predominated moiety, and deva, Krsna, is Rasaraja, the predominating moiety.
In the gayatri mantra, we are requested, bhargo devasya dhimahi: "come meditate". What sort of meditation is possible in that plane of dedication? Not abstract meditation, but service cultivation, krsnanusilanam. Dhimahi means " to participate in the spontaneous flow, the current of devotion in Vrndavana." And what will be the result (dhiyo yo nah pracodayat)? The capacity of our cultivation will be increased. As we serve, a greater capacity and willingness to serve will be given to us in remuneration-- just as interest is added to capital in the bank(dasa kari' vetana more deha prema-dhana). In this way, our dedicating principle will be increased again and again. Dhimahi means aradhana, worship. It cannot but be explained in terms of aradhana, puja, seva-- worship, adoration, loving service. The word buddhi means that which we cultivate with the help of our intelligence. But here, dhi is a reference to that venerable intelligence which descends into this plane to help us cultivate service. So dhimahi does not mean abstract meditation, but devotional service. This is the underlying meaning of the gayatri mantra.
Gayatri, the song of deliverance, also means sankirtana. Kirtana is also sung, and it also improves us towards the highest goal. The sankirtana of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also reinstates us in out highest serving position. So brahma-gayatri in connection with Mahaprabhu comes to mean krsna-kirtana. Then it reaches Vrndavana and the flute-kirtana. And when we enter Vrndavana, we shall find that the sweet sound of Krsna's flute helps to engage all the Lords servants in their respective duties. When the flute is sounded, the gopis and others are adjusted in their respective duties. At night, the gopis, hearing the sound of the flute will run to the Yamuna, thinking, "Oh, Krsna's is there." And when Yasoda hears the song of Krsna's flute, she thinks, "My son is there. He is coming home soon." In this way, the sound of the flute engages all the servants of the Lord in their respective positions and inspires them to be mindful of their service.
In my Sanskrit commentary on the gayatri mantra, I have written dhiraradhanam eva nanyaditi tad radha-padam dhimahi : All other services are represented fully in Radhika. Like branches they are all part of her. Madhura rasa is the chief or mukhya-rasa, the combination of all rasas. Srimati Radharani is Mahabhava--she represents the entire serving attitude.
The flute-song of Sri Krsna, expressed as the gayatri mantra, is reminding us and engaging us in our service. And what is our service? Our service must be to surrender ourselves in the service of Srimati Radharani-to accept the suggestion of Radharani. The gayatri mantra will excite us to be mindful about Srimati Radharani's lotus feet, to obey her orders. She is mainly representing the whole service area. So to try to engage ourselves in her service, under her order- to accept her direction and to obey her- that is the service of Sri Radha. In this way, the meaning of the gayatri mantra has been drawn to radha-dasyam, self-determination (svarupena vyavasthitih ).
In the meantime, the partial representations in vatsalya and sakhya rasa are also part and parcel of the original mellow of conjugal love, madhura rasa. The vatsalya rasa devotees will serve Nanda and Yasoda, the sakhya rasa devotee will serve Sridama and Sudama, but ultimately, the whole system in one conception is included in Radharani.
Radha-dasyam, the service of Srimati Radharani, is the ultimate meaning to be extracted from the gayatri mantra. That is the supreme end of our life. It cannot but be so. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the ultimate or full-fledged theism to be extracted from the Vedas, Upanisads, and so many scriptures. All the revealed truth rises to its acme, to its highest position, in the conception given by Srimad-Bhagavatam. And Srimad-Bhagavatam teaches us that the highest realization, self-determination, is the service of Srimati Radharani-that under her guidance we may serve Sri Krsna. We aspire for a direct connection with her service.
What, then, is the inner meaning or purport of the word bhargo? Bhargo means the sum, or "who shows us by light." Radharani is the daughter of Vrsabhanu. I have selected the word bhanu. To represent her personal extended self, I have given the word vaibhava. Vaibhava means, "what comes out," or "extended self." Prabhava is the central representation and vaibhava is the outer extension. The very gist of svarupa-sakti is Srimati Radharani, and the whole svarupa-sakti is her extended self. The town of her beautiful service is the whole svarupa-sakti.
Just as rays of light extend from the sun, the whole internal potency is an extension of Mahabhava, Sri Radhika. She has developed herself into such a beautiful area of brilliance, of internal energy, and thereby she serves her Lord. All these necessary things have sprung from her. To help her in serving her Lord, they all come out. When the entire internal energy is condensed in a concise form, it is Mahabhava, Radharani. And when Radharani wants to serve, she extends herself in limitless different ways. And with some contribution from Baladeva and Yogamaya, the whole spiritual world, including Vrndavana, Mathura, and Vaikuntha, evolves to assist Srimati Radharani in the service of Sri Krsna.
In this way, I have drawn out radha-dasyam, the service of Srimati Radharani as the meaning of the gayatri mantra and have tried to represent it in the above Sanskrit verse.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to
H H Sri Swami B G Narasingha ji and Sri Swamy B R Sridhar Maharaj ji for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
The Highest Ideal and The disciples mentality (Art of Sadhana - Ch XV)
Posted in Labels: The Highest Ideal and The disciples mentality (Art of Sadhana - Ch XV)The Highest Ideal
(by Advaita
Acarya Dasa)
There is no exact equivalent in the
English vocabulary to explain the Sanskrit term ‘rasa’ as used in the context of
transcendental relationships. The closest English word for rasa used by our acaryas in rendering
English translations of Sanskrit literatures is ‘mellow’. Certainly, enough
thought has been given before stopping at the word, ‘mellow’ for rasa. The origin of this
word in English stems from the sense of ‘ripe’, ‘sweet’, and ‘juicy’ and is
used to define something that is tempered by maturity or experience.
The taste and experience of a ripened
mango can never be traced in a raw mango, no matter how much it is artificially
processed. In a similar way, the experience of divine exchange of rasa between the Lord and
His devotees cannot be held within a heart tainted with perverted material
crookedness. Most of the spiritual experience is waiting on the other side of
this temporary world – after the death of this body. As long as we are embodied
within this sheath of flesh and bones, we are subjected to various material
miseries that by nature come without asking. The best thing we can do while in
this world is to develop strong faith in the words of the guru and the sastra, in the Holy Name
and become wise by cultivating detachment.
As per the instructions of Srila
Sridhara Maharaja, in our present condition the tendency to improve spiritually
is laudable, but we should scrupulously cultivate only those qualities that are
beneficial for our spiritual health. Srila Rupa Gosvami has given the most
quintessential instructions for a sadhaka
in the eleven verses of Sri
Upadesamrta. These verses, beginning with the verse, vaco vegam manasah krodha vegam,
should be the subject matter of our introspection. Regularly pondering over
these instructions we should calibrate our sadhana
and our ideal. The desire for reclusive smarana
of Krsna’s pastimes in a conditioned state is injurious, and will only produce
lust. Srila Sarasvati Thakura writes in his song, Vaisnava Ke:
kirtana
prabhave smarana haibe
sei kale bhajana nirjana sambhava
Internal remembrance can occur by the power of kirtana, and only then is
solitary service possible. (Vaisnava
Ke 19) sei kale bhajana nirjana sambhava
In the Gaudiya sampradaya more
importance has been laid on congregational kirtana
of the Holy Names of the Lord than internal remembrance (smarana) of His pastimes.
The sankirtana-lila of
Mahaprabhu has been compared directly to the rasa-lila
of Krsna in Vrndavana. But categorically, the sankirtana-lila of Mahaprabhu is placed
higher than the rasa-lila
of Krsna in the sense that the sankirtana-lila
is both sweet (madhurya)
and magnanimous (audarya),
whereas krsna-lila is
sweet but limited to the internal (antaranga)
devotees of the Lord. The Lord taught this by His own example:
bahiranga
sange kare nama-sankirtana
antaranga-sange kare rasa-asvadana
Amongst the ordinary devotees the Lord engaged in nama-sankirtana, and
with His intimate associates He relished rasa.antaranga-sange kare rasa-asvadana
Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana-lila can
accommodate anyone, no matter how degraded they may be. There is no
consideration of qualification; the only price is sincere faith. In this age it
is impossible to gain entrance into krsna-lila
without accepting Sriman Mahaprabhu, His associates and His teachings.
Mahaprabhu never recommended internal remembrance of Krsna’s confidential
pastimes for those in a conditioned state. On the other hand, He relished the
reading of Prahlada’s and Dhruva’s pastimes hundreds and hundreds of times to
set an example for everyone not to jump directly to the rasa-lila.
prahlada-caritra
ara dhruvera-caritra
sata-vrtti kariya sunena savahita
The Lord attentively heard the pastimes of Prahlada
and Dhruva hundreds of times. (Cb.
Antya 10.34) sata-vrtti kariya sunena savahita
The current of the ocean of material
existence is certainly very difficult to cross over, but for one engaged in kirtana under a bona-fide
spiritual master, the waves subside as if giving way. How can it be otherwise
when the sankirtana
movement is the Lord’s own lila
and the Maya potency is but His servant? When the Kurma brahmana asked Mahaprabhu
while He was leaving to take him along, Mahaprabhu gave him two important
instructions to help him cross this ocean of nescience and simultaneously
attain the association of the Lord Himself:
yare
dekha, tare kaha’krsna’-upadesa
amara ajaya guru hana tara’ ei desa
Instruct everyone you see to follow the orders of
Lord Sri Krsna. Vecome a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this
land. (Cc. Madhya
7.128) amara ajaya guru hana tara’ ei desa
kabhu
na badhibe tomara visaya-taranga
punarapi ei thani pabe mora sanga
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu further advised the brahmana Kurma, “If you
follow this instruction, your materialistic life at home will not obstruct your
spiritual advancement. Indeed, if you follow these regulative principles, we
will again meet here, or, rather, you will never lose My company.” (Cc. Madhya 7.120) punarapi ei thani pabe mora sanga
Every living and non-living entity in this universe has emanated from the Lord Himself and is meant only for His satisfaction. Knowing this it is the most intelligent and beneficial act to use everything here including ourselves as an offering to the Lord’s service and to also encourage others to take up this practice. As per Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s reading of the sastra, intrinsically, above anything else, the duty (paro-dharma) of every soul is devotion to the adhoksaja (Krsna) while anything done for selfish ends (dvitiyabhinivesah) is unnecessary and dangerous (bhayavah). The true dignity of the soul does not lie in earning wealth, prestige, and the goodwill of those who have the same material disposition as ourselves. Only by realizing one’s constitutional position as the servant of the Supreme Lord and acting accordingly, is our true spiritual dignity reinstated.
Sri Sri Radha-Krsna hold the most glorious position in the transcendental world of Goloka-Vrndavana and are eternally engaged in sweet pastimes, untouched by material perverseness. Mahaprabhu, who is non-different than Radha-Krsna, appeared in this world out of His overflowing compassion along with four principle associates and hundreds of other associates just to establish the superexcellent position of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, Their Holy Names, Their pastimes and Their devotees all over the world. From Him the illustrious line of the Rupanugas, or the followers of Sri Rupa Gosvami, has manifested just to uphold this great ideal. Rupanuga-cudamani Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura revitalized this ideal in the deteriorated Vaisnava world and started a new era of Krsna Consciousness. May we mature spiritually holding on to the ideal enshrined in the following verse by Srila Sarasvati Thakura:
matala
hari-jana visaya-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange
The servants of Hari are engaged in lavish affairs,
handling material wealth and engaging all manner of things in the Lord’s
service. They worship the path of spontaneous devotion with gaurava-bhange (in a mood
of awe and reverence) and to show that the raga-patha
is above all (above our heads), they remain as servants, being a little distant
and below, praying for that of a servant’s duty, not for that of a confidential
nature — not to bring that highest divine love down here, but to hold that upon
their heads.pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange
The disciples mentality (Art of Sadhana - Ch XV)
( by Srila B.P. Puri Maharaja )
The primary characteristic of a disciple who has received initiation and direction in the practice of worship from his spiritual master is visrambha, an honest desire for faithful and loving service to the spiritual master, the Vaishnavas and the Supreme Lord. The secondary characteristic is that he seeks to destroy all his sinful activities.
The divya-jnana, the transcendental knowledge of sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana, is received by the disciple as part of initiation. The self-revealed scriptures, the Vedas, are the supreme authority (pramana) on spiritual subject matters. The scripture and the nine prameya (teachings) based on scripture are collectively called dasa-mula, the ten basic elements of spiritual knowledge. The nine prameya consist of the seven aspects of relationships (sambandha) -- Krishna Himself, Krishna's energies, Krishna's divine mood (rasa), the soul, its bondage and its liberation, and the inconceivable oneness and difference of the Lord and the individual soul. To these seven are added abhidheya, bhakti, and prayojana, love of God.
Along with all of this knowledge comes an important side effect: the destruction of one's sinful reactions. Thus the direct result of initiation is love for Krishna. Mahaprabhu confirms this in the following statement to His own spiritual master:
kiba mantra dile gosani kiba tara bala
japite japite mantra karila pagala
japite japite mantra karila pagala
"What mantra have you given me, O
gurudeva! What powers does it possess? As I chant this mantra, I feel that it
is turning me into a madman."
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 1.7.81)
If one does not develop love for Krishna nor feels
any attachment to the chanting of the Holy Names after being initiated, but
remains inclined to sinful activities, falling down from time to time, it is
then clear that either knowingly or unknowingly, that person has committed
terrible offenses to the Lord, the guru or the Vaishnavas. One should then
think: "I have only made a pretense of surrendering myself. I have used my
initiation simply as an excuse to engage in sense gratificatory
activities." (Chaitanya Charitamrta 1.7.81)
IGNORANCE MEANS REJECTING THE LORD
A lack of interest in the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna
is the conditioned soul's chief defect. The basis of all sin is ignorance,
whose symptom is the rejection of Krishna. The seed of all sin, i.e., the
tendency to sin, is present in the flaw of ignorance. From there, sinful
activity is inevitable. Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami compares this deficiency in the conditioned jivas to coming under the influence of a witch's spell.
sei dose maya pisaci danòa kare tare
adhyatmikadi tapa-traya tare jari mare
kama krodhera dasa hana tara lathi khaya
bhramite bhramite jadi sadhu-vaidya paya
tanra upadesa-mantre pisaci palaya
krsna-bhakti paya tabe krsna nikate jaya
adhyatmikadi tapa-traya tare jari mare
kama krodhera dasa hana tara lathi khaya
bhramite bhramite jadi sadhu-vaidya paya
tanra upadesa-mantre pisaci palaya
krsna-bhakti paya tabe krsna nikate jaya
"For rejecting Krishna, the witch
of illusion punishes the jiva,
causing him to suffer the three kinds of misery--adhyatmika, adhibhautika, and adhidaivika.
The unfortunate conditioned soul then becomes the slave of his desires and his
frustrations, suffering their kicks and abuse. After wandering through the
universe in this condition, if he somehow finds a saintly person to act as an
exorcist, then through his powerful instructions, the witch's mastery is
overcome and she runs for her life. The fortunate individual then finds pure
devotion to Krishna and goes to Him."
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.13-15)
The devotee then turns to Krishna and prays as
follows: (Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.13-15)
kamadinam kati na katidha
palita durnidesas
tesam jata mayi na karuna
na trapa nopasantih
utsrjyaitan atha yadupate
sampratam labdha-buddhis
tvam ayatah saranam abhayam
mam niyunksyatma-dasye
palita durnidesas
tesam jata mayi na karuna
na trapa nopasantih
utsrjyaitan atha yadupate
sampratam labdha-buddhis
tvam ayatah saranam abhayam
mam niyunksyatma-dasye
"I carried out so many evil orders
of my wicked masters--lust, anger, greed, bewilderment, intoxication, and
envy--that I have lost count. Yet, despite my faithful service, these masters
have never taken pity on me. I am so shameless that the faintest desire for
devotional service has never once manifested in my heart. O Lord of the Yadus,
today I have finally come to my senses and I throw off my shackles to take
shelter of Your fearless lotus feet; please engage me in Your personal
service."
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 3.2.25, Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.16)
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 3.2.25, Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.16)
PURITY'S CHARACTERISTICS
Pariksit Maharaja made the following significant
statement about how one can recognize purity in a devotee's character:
"The person whose self has been washed clean never abandons Krishna's
lotus feet (dhautatma
purusah krsna-pada-mulam na muncati--Srimad Bhagavatam
2.8.6)." Visvanatha further clarifies:
"The sign of a pure heart is the
inability to abandon the service to Krishna's lotus feet" (mat-pada-seva-tyagasamarthyam eva
suddha-cittatva-cihnam). If somehow or other one sees that such a
devotee is affected by lust or anger, such incidental characteristics should be
considered like the bite of a snake with broken teeth; an insignificant setback
which does not have long-term effects on the devotee's devotional life (atah kvacit kama-krodhadi-sattve'pi
utkhata-damstroraga-damsanavat tasyakimcitkaratvam jneyam). There
is no poison in a snake's broken fangs, so its bite is not considered a
significant problem, even though it appears very dangerous to the uninformed
observer. Similarly, lust, anger and greed may cause some disturbance in a
devotee's mind, but do not result in his mind being permanently
contaminated."
The Lord accepts the offerings of those devotees of
purified mind. Other than the association of such pure devotees, the jiva has no other hope of
attaining any value of significance in life. One should not think, however, that all one has to do is to sit and listen to the spiritual master's instructions. One has to act according to those instructions. If a disciple does not take up the devotional practices or sadhana recommended by the guru then how can he expect to achieve spiritual perfection?
In the Chaitanya Charitamrta, the Lord says that, on receiving initiation from the spiritual master, one should worship Krishna and serve the guru. Then one becomes free from the control of maya and attains Krishna's lotus feet. (Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.25)
tate krsna bhaje kare gurura sevana
maya-jala chute paya krsnera carana
In his commentary to the above-mentioned verse,
Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura writes: "It is through
a combination of bhajana and service to the spiritual master that one becomes
free of maya's
net and attains Krishna's lotus feet." maya-jala chute paya krsnera carana
Srila Prabhupada also says,
"Our eternal spiritual identity is
to be the dust of the lotus feet of Rupa and Raghunatha." Therefore, we
have no other duty in life than to follow their example. He has further
affirmed, "Without the performance of harinama-sankirtana,
no other practices of Bhakti yoga such as residence in Mathura or association
with devotees are complete. However, even if I only engage in harinama-sankirtana, I
will win all the fruits of residence in Mathura, associating with devotees,
serving the deity in loving faith, and listening to the Bhagavatam. Simply
through harinama-sankirtana,
all perfections come to the jiva."
Our spiritual master instructed us to chant 100,000
Names daily without offense, keeping our objectives clear. If we cannot follow
this instruction, how can we expect to become free of all the contamination in
our hearts? As stated by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the performance of
harinama-sankirtana is glorious in seven ways. It cleans the mirror of the
heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam);
it extinguishes the conflagration of material life (bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam); it
distributes the cooling moon rays of auspiciousness (sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam); it is
the life of transcendental knowledge, which is like its consort (vidya-vadhu-jivanam), it
increases the ocean of divine bliss (anandambudhi-vardhanam);
at every step, it gives a taste of the full ambrosia for which we have always
been anxious (pratipadam
purnamrtasvadanam); and it bathes the entire self in divine ecstasy
(sarvatma-snapanam).
Mahaprabhu Himself repeatedly stated that there was no worship superior to the
worship of the Holy Names. "All will attain perfection through the
chanting of the Holy Names. Chant these Names constantly; I give you no other
rules." (Chaitanya
Bhagavata 2.23.78)Do we have any hope of attaining the supreme good if we ignore these instructions of the Lord and the spiritual master?
THE SERVANT'S VOW OF SERVICE
The devotee who desires to reach the
level of nistha should make the following vow:
"According to the instruction of
my spiritual master, I must absolutely complete chanting a fixed number of
Names on my japa beads daily, as well as daily offer a fixed number of
obeisances to the devotees and to the deity form of the Lord. I absolutely must
perform my prescribed service at certain fixed times of the day. I must observe
the fortnightly Ekadasi fast. Upon rising in the brahma-muhurta period, before
dawn, I shall remember Krishna and His devotees' lotus feet in a particular
way, then bathe. After this, I will sit down and meditate on the mantra into
which my guru has initiated me. Then I will perform puja to the deity, study
the devotional scriptures, and sing the hymns written by the great authorities.
All these things I shall do every day without fail.
"I shall never welcome any
thoughts other than thoughts of Krishna; I shall absolutely give up all useless
controversy and gossip. Every day, I shall unfailingly hear the spiritual
instructions of my guru and advanced devotees and then discuss those topics
with my godbrothers, rather than wasting time in fruitless conversations. I
will not allow any of the valuable time given to me in this human form of life
to be wasted by giving way to sloth and laziness. I will therefore not lose a
moment to sleep that is not absolutely necessary for maintaining my body, but
will employ every moment in a way that is spiritually profitable.
"I will be very careful to avoid
the association of anyone who is overly attached to material enjoyments, or of
the wives of other men, or of womanizing men. Indeed, I shall avoid the company
of anyone who is not a devotee of Krishna, for it is said:
asat-sanga tyaga ei vaisnava acara
stri sangi eka asadhu krsnabhakta ara
stri sangi eka asadhu krsnabhakta ara
'The essence of Vaishnava behavior is
to give up the association of the unsaintly. By unsaintly it is meant those who
are attached to the opposite sex and those who are non-devotees.'
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.12.195)
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.12.195)
"Every day without fail I will
complete chanting the Maha-mantra consisting of 16 names and 32 syllables a
fixed number of times. Even when not chanting on my beads, I will constantly
repeat these names without counting. Without completing my japa and chanting my ista-mantra, I will not
even touch water, what to speak of taking food. My spiritual master who has
initiated me with the ista-mantra
is my only true friend in both this world and the next. If I cannot win his
pleasure, then all my spiritual practices are for nought. Through his mercy I
can win the mercy of the Supreme Lord. If I displease him I have no other
recourse. If Krishna is displeased with me, my spiritual master can intervene
on my behalf, but if the spiritual master is angry or dissatisfied with my
actions, then all my spiritual practices are as worthless as oblations of
clarified butter poured on the remains of a fire sacrifice. The service of my
spiritual master's lotus feet is the real treasure of my spiritual life. Any
spiritual practice performed independently of him is without value. Whatever
hearing or chanting I engage in should be done for the pleasure of my spiritual
master alone. I should always meditate on these words sung by Narottama dasa:
sei vrata, sei tapa sei mora mantra
japa
sei mora dharama karama
sei mora dharama karama
'The feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my
real wealth. They are the object of my vows. They are the goal of my
austerities and penances, they are the goal of my mantra and my japa. They are
the purpose of my religious observances, my every activity.'
(Prarthana 8)
(Prarthana 8)
"If my guru rebukes or criticizes me, I should take
it as a great fortune. I should remember that whatever spiritual practice I
engage in, all is being done for his pleasure. I should give this consideration
pride of place in my consciousness, remembering Sarvabhauma's words to
Mahaprabhu: ajna gurunam hy
avicaraniya: 'The orders of our gurus
are never to be debated.'
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.10.145)
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.10.145)
"I pray that my intelligence never
becomes so contaminated that I criticize the words of my spiritual master. May
such a wicked mentality never manifest in my heart, not even in my dreams. Any
arrangement he makes for me is for my ultimate good. I pray that I never
consider him to be an ordinary mortal by entertaining negative judgements of
his words or actions. I will always remain on my guard against such a disaster.
"Because the guru is affectionate
towards his disciples, if I approach him with my doubts, he will lay those
doubts to rest with his answers. May I never forget for even a moment that my
spiritual master is the source of all auspiciousness. The Supreme Lord has
taken the form of my guru
in order to give me the mercy of initiation and spiritual teaching. May I never
forget at any time this manifestation of compassion of the Lord's revealed form
as the guru.
The duty of the disciple is to always seek the pleasure of his spiritual
master, whose only purpose is to carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on this earth. I should always consider the servants of my
guru to be worthy of my respect. Whoever is dear to my guru is dear to me.
"If I can keep on doing my
devotional service with this attitude of unswerving, constant faith in my
spiritual master, then through his satisfaction I will quickly become qualified
for all perfections. My spiritual master has assured me that through the Holy
Name I can attain all perfection, therefore, I will faithfully chant the Holy
Names without committing offenses, while always making a determined effort to
strictly follow his orders. On the strength of the Holy Names in which my guru has instructed me, I
will become eligible for the treasure of raganuga
bhakti and for the great fortune to taste the sweet flavors of the
most elevated spiritual relations, never given prior to the appearance of Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu."
THE DEVOTEE'S PRAYER
Sri Guru's mercy is everything -- guru-krpa hi kevalam.
Therefore one should pray as follows:
"I am most fallen and useless, O
Lord. May my spiritual master be pleased with me. May he give me the spiritual
strength to follow his directions. May all the obstacles in my worship of the
Lord be removed so that at the end of my sojourn in this world, I may sit alone
far from the hustle and bustle of the material world, and with a steady mind,
chant the Holy Names with feeling. May the Lord be merciful and allow me to
give up my last breath in this way. Knowingly or unknowingly I have committed
so many offenses to His lotus feet, and even now I continue to commit such
offenses. O Lord, please forgive all such offenses and give me a place at Your
lotus feet. Make my life complete by allowing me to associate with those who
are dear to You.
"For so long I have simply made a
pretense of being initiated. In fact, I have not done that which a surrendered
soul should do; I have not strictly followed my spiritual master's
instructions, thus I have not made even a little advancement in spiritual life.
All the contaminations in my heart prior to initiation are still there today,
so how is there any hope of my attaining the divine realization which is said
to be the real sign of initiation? Like a lump of iron my heart is without
feelings. Even though I chant the Holy Names, it does not melt. Thus I am
thinking,
aparadha phale mama citta bhela
vajra-sama
tuwa name na labhe vikara
tuwa name na labhe vikara
"Due to offenses, my heart has
become as hard as a thunderbolt. Therefore no ecstatic transformations take
place when I chant your name." (Bhaktivinoda Thakura)
tabe jani tahe aparadha achaye pracura
krsna-nama bija tahe na haya ankura
krsna-nama bija tahe na haya ankura
"Thus I know I have committed so
many offenses to the Holy Name; for though I have planted the seed of the Name,
no creeper of love has sprouted."
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 1.8.29)
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 1.8.29)
"O gurudeva! Now in the evening of
my life, I have become so forlorn and hopeless. O Lord! O You who see no fault
in anyone! Be generous to me and give me your mercy. Help me to be free of all
offenses so I develop a taste for the Holy Names which you have instructed me
to chant. Allow me to earn the right to be called the genuine servant of your
servants. With your divine vision, you see me perfectly, externally and
internally. You know everything I do; therefore I pray that everything I do--my
behavior, my devotional service--be a source of pleasure to you.
"O Lord, forgive all my offenses,
whether I have committed them willingly or unwillingly. Forever give me a place
among all your servants, at your lotus feet, where there is no more
lamentation, no more fear, no more death. Your feet are the only shelter for
one like me who has found no refuge anywhere in this world. Your feet are the
source of ultimate good for one like me who has found no value anywhere else in
this world."
bhumau skhalita-padanam
bhumir evavalambanam
tvayi jataparadhanam
tvam eva saranam prabho
bhumir evavalambanam
tvayi jataparadhanam
tvam eva saranam prabho
"Those who trip and fall have only
the ground as an aid to again get up. O Lord, those who commit offenses to You,
have no one but You as a recourse."
So, my dear devotees, tread carefully the path of
devotion. Always pray for the mercy of Krishna, the guru, and the vaishnavas.
Remember that progress in devotion depends on progress in humility--that is the
art of sadhana.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to
H H Sri Swami Advaita Acharya Dasa ji and B P Puri Maharaj ji for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
Monday, February 10, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
We Are Suddha Saktas and Brahma Gayatri Bhasya - Sri Gayatri Nigudhartha
We Are Suddha Saktas
No, there is guru tattva; Nityananda is also his guru. Then Nityananda Prabhu sent him to Puri, and Mahaprabhu turned him over to Svarupa Damodara, and said, "You will give him training." Svarupa Damodara became his teacher. Living in Puri at that time was Namacarya Haridasa Thakura. He is the acarya of chanting of the Holy Name; could he just pass him by, saying, "Oh, no he is not my guru?" No, he had to accept him, “He is also my guru, Namacarya Haridasa Thakura.”
Sri Rupa and Sanatana were also living there, the sambhanda acarya and the abhideya acarya -- the foremost of the six Goswamis. First, Raghunatha Dasa Goswami lived in Puri under the care of Mahaprabhu and Svarupa Damodara, and he later lived under the care of Rupa and Sanatana for a long time. Also living there at that time was Gadadhara Pandit. Gadadhara Pandit is guru tattva for the madhurya rasa bhaktas in Caitanya Lila, and Mahaprabhu is the principal Deity. The madhurya devotees are under Gadadhara Pandit, and the vatsalya and other devotees are under Nityananda Prabhu. So he is also accepting Gadadhara Pandit as guru. Gadadhara Pandit is Radha bhava; he is an incarnation of Srimati Radharani. So can he not accept that as guru? So he also accepted Gadadhara Pandit as guru.
After the disappearance of Mahaprabhu, all these great personalities began to vanish from the earth very quickly, and Raghunatha Dasa was in great despair. He decided to commit suicide; the world became so bleak in the absence of Mahaprabhu and all the devotees leaving one after another that he decided to take the path of suicide. Narottama Dasa expresses this same sentiment when he prays, "What will we do now? They are all gone!" and beats his head on a stone. It is not a happy day when the Lord’s devotees vanish from this world, from our sight. So he was very distressed and he decided to give up his life, and he thought that the best way is if he can jump from the top of Govardhana Hill, and in this way he will finish his life. Actually, this is love despair.
If you have seen Govardhana Hill, you may understand that one would have to jump about one hundred times. You would do better jumping off a garage roof; it is not very high – better to climb a temple, or a tree even. Govardhana Hill is very gentle; there is no place from which to jump. Because that was his heart’s sentiment, he went to Govardhana with this in mind, but there he found Rupa and Sanatana. They were living there on the order of Mahaprabhu, and he found that Mahaprabhu was living with Rupa and Sanatana. This is what he found there: that his Supreme Lord is living within their hearts. For him, Rupa and Sanatana are like expansions of Mahaprabhu, non-different from Mahaprabhu. They are Rupa and Sanatana, and yet he finds them to be non-different. So then he gave up this idea of jumping from Govardhana Hill and he remained under their shelter for many years.
Raghunatha Dasa Goswami has shown us by the example of his life that we may have many, many gurus who first may bring us in some connection with Krsna Consciousness. Maybe it is our parents; maybe it is a friend at school, or some general connection draws us towards the first Sunday feast. What ever it is -- it may be something at home, such as Back to Godhead magazine. What first put us in connection to Krsna is called vartmana-pradarsaka guru, and we may have many of this type, but it is said that you should only have one mantra guru. You should have only one initiating guru, but siksa gurus you may have many.
Raghunatha Dasa Goswami had many gurus who gave him much instruction and guided him through his life. He himself is known as the prayojana acarya: he shows us the highest perfection of devotion in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Raghunatha Dasa Goswami announces to the world what is the highest aspiration and achievement for a Gaudiya Vaisnava, a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; he shows what is that highest achievement. He announces this in his prayers and in his poems, in his poetic expressions. At the very end of his life he announces this; therefore he is known as the prayojana acarya.
What is the perfection? What is that highest perfection of any Gaudiya Vaisnava? It is the thing that Srila Prabhupada saw in his father when he was a boy, but did not recognize in him until he had become a disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta. There was something in Srila Prabhupada’s father that later — as a disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta, as a Gaudiya Vaisnava — Srila Prabhupada could understand, “My father was pure devotee of Krsna.” When he was growing up he had no such understanding. His father was just his father; he used to get him to buy not just one toy gun, but two toy guns. But as an adult, as a disciple of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta, then he came to note one very special thing in his father, so much so that he boldly wrote in the Krsna book dedication, “To my father, Gour Mohan De, a pure devotee of Krsna.”
But if you study Gour Mohan De’s life, you will see that there are three million such pure devotees of Krsna. They worship Krsna at home, they go to the shop and they come back, they visit temples and they give some gifts to sadhus, and other such things. So what is it that distinguishes his father from so many Hindu gentlemen raising their families in pious India, close to one hundred years ago? It is that very thing which is announced by Raghunatha Dasa Goswami. He announced that our highest aspiration is to be accepted into the line of service to Srimati Radharani. That is called Radha-dasyam: service of Srimati Radharani. Radha-dasyam supersedes even service to Krsna. Srila Prabhupada’s father was doing this all along, when Prabhupada was a boy.
You will read in Satsvarupa Maharaja’s book that Prabhupada is telling, "My father used to gather many sadhus and he would take care of them, and even he would give them a hookah.” A hookah is a pipe. That social custom was the order of the day; now it is low-fat yogurt. But in those days there were so many sadhus of different types, and there were the sadhus who had the hookahs, and so they were offered the hookah. If Murari Caitanya were to offer me a hookah, any devotees attending the lecture would get up and walk out, saying, “He is bogus.” But Srila Prabhupada’s father had a hookah and offered it to the sadhus. That was the basic idea; what ever the sadhus want, they get it, and they will be happy. Then of course he would give them laddus, puris, subjis, and very nice refreshments, and then he would ask some benediction. And what would he ask, what would Prabhupada’s father ask those sadhus?
Prabhupada’s father would ask, "Please bless my son that he will become a devotee of Srimati Radharani and spread her glories all over the world.” So as a youth this made some sense to him, but not as much sense as it would make later. When Srila Prabhupada met his eternal master, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, then everything came into clear focus. He then knew what was to be his purpose in this world, what he was to do.
This is all going on in the plane of lila of the eternally liberated souls. Some people think that when they are born, the eternally liberated souls are thinking, "I’m just waiting to start my movement,” while rocking in their mothers’ arms. No, they are acting as children at that point.
Srila Prabhupada used to laugh and talk about his "maya;" he used to call it his “maya:” He was a follower of Gandhi, and when he said that we would say, "Oh Prabhupada! No maya for you!” But he would laugh. Even when a liberated soul comes into this world he does not manifest, in most cases, why he has come here until he makes the connection with the line of Mahaprabhu, the descending line of the Supreme Lord. Then, making that connection, things come down to him and are revealed, such as what is his purpose here, what is his mission here. So that is the announcement of Raghunatha Dasa Goswami; he has announced that in his writings, in his prayers: his deep heartfelt aspiration for the service of Srimati Radharani.
You all know Radha-kunda, and you know many people come to Radha-kunda, and they do there what is called dandavat parikrama. They offer full dandavats — they put one stone, walk to the place of the stone, again go down, offering prayers, and in this way they go all the way around Radha-kunda. It takes a couple of hours. Many years ago, the Diwan of Bhaghpur came, and with his royal family was doing dandavat parikrama of Radha-kunda. One personal servant of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta who happened to be there at that time came running and said, "Oh Guru Maharaja, the Diwan of Bhaghpur has come with his whole family and they are doing parikrama of Radha-kunda! It is wonderful that they have such devotion for Srimati Radharani." Then Srila Bhakti Siddhanta shocked everyone there. He said, "Actually, their devotion is just the opposite of ours. They have heard that Radharani is dear to Krsna, and so they have some regard for Her. Ours is just the opposite: the only reason we have any interest in Krsna is because He is dear to Srimati Radharani — we are on this side, not on that side.”
When you have gone through the whole thing you realize that we are suddha saktas; we are worshippers of the Energy of Godhead, the Devotional Energy of Godhead. If you do not believe it, then just start reading Srila Prabhupada’s books carefully and you will understand the importance of this conclusion. The whole of the Srimad Bhagavatam is to present one thing, and only one thing -- that Srimati Radharani is the foremost servant of Krsna.
Radharani alone is the one who can please Krsna: She is the mother of devotional energy. And as a jiva soul, the highest attainment is to be accepted as a servant in the descending line of Her grace.
Brahma Gayatri Bhasya - Sri Gayatri Nigudhartha
( by Srila B.R. Sridhar Maharaja )
"The gayatri mantra will excite us
to be mindful about Srimati Radharani's lotus feet, to obey her orders."
"Radha-dasyam, the service of
Srimati Radharani, is the ultimate meaning to be extracted from the gayatri
mantra."
The Mantra
om bhur bhuva sva tat savitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo na pracodayat om
om
- the seed mantra which contains everything within it; bhur - the physical
world; bhuva -
the mental world; sva
- the intellectual world; tat
- that, the three planes of experience; savituh
- the soul; varenyam
- worshipable, venerable; bhargo
- the supersubjective area, the svarupa-sakti;
devasya - who is beautiful and playful, Krsna, Reality the
Beautiful; dhimahi
- come meditate; dhiyah
- of meditation, of service; yo
- who; na - us;
pracodayat -
enthuses our capacity;
Translation
"Above the three planes of mundane
experience, bhu, bhuvah,
svah is the soul, savitur,
who shows us everything just like the sun. Above the soul is the
supersubjective plane which is varenyam,
most venerated and worshipable. That worshipable plane of existence is called bhargo, brilliant and
illuminating. The supersubjective area, bhargo,
is the plane known as the svarupa-sakti
which is the internal pleasure potency of deva,
Krishna, Reality the Beautiful. That bhargo
is His own divine potency Srimati Radharani. Let us meditate upon the lotus
feet of Srimati Radharani, whose extended self and essential nature, mahabhava, is the svarupa-sakti, and who
enthuses our capacity of devotional service. Let us surrender unto Her divine
service."
Introduction
The meaning of the brahma gayatri must bring us to the
conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
The gayatri mantra
and the Srimad-Bhagavatam
are one and the same. It is the very gist of the Vedanta-sutra. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the
elaborate commentary of gayatri:
artho 'yam brahma-sutranam
bharatartha-vinirnay
gayatri-bhasya-rupo 'sau vedartha-parivrmhita
gayatri-bhasya-rupo 'sau vedartha-parivrmhita
"The meaning of the Vedanta-sutra is present
in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
The full purport of the Mahabharata
is also there. The commentary of the brahma-gayatri
is also there and fully expanded with all Vedic knowledge." (Garuda Purana )
What is the meaning of gayatri ? The word gayatri is a combination of two Sanskrit words: ganat (what is sung) and trayate (gives deliverance). This means, "A kind of song by which we can get our salvation, relief, emancipation. Gayatri is known as veda-mata, the mother of the Veda. If we examine the Vedic conclusion from it's most condensed aphorism to its most extensive expression, we shall find that it begins with omkara : the Vedic symbol OM. That truth is expressed as the gayatri mantra, then it appears in the form of the Vedas, and then as the Vedanta-sutra. Finally, the Vedic conclusion is given its fullest expression in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Since the meaning, the purpose of Vedic knowledge progresses in this line, the gayatri mantra must contain within it the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam ---that is, that the Krsna conception of Godhead is the highest. This must be the meaning of the gayatri mantra, but the problem is how to extract Srimad-Bhagavatam-----the Krsna conception------ from within the womb of gayatri. I heard that Jiva Goswami has given such an interpretation, but I could not find where it is written. I heard that he has given the meaning of gayatri leading to Krsna consciousness. Anyhow, the tendency awakened in me to draw the meaning to the Krsna conception.
The general meaning of gayatri is "that song which grants liberation." Liberation must have some positive meaning. Liberation means not freedom from the negative side, but positive attainment. This is the definition given in Srimad-Bhagavatam : muktir hitvanyatha rupam svarupena--- unless and until we attain the highest possible positive position, real mukti, real salvation, has not been effected. Mere withdrawal from the negative plane cannot be called liberation. Hegal has said that the object of our life is self-determination. We must determine our normal function in the organic whole---not mere emancipation in a positive function in the domain of service. This is considered to be the highest attainment of life. This is the real meaning of gayatri.
The word gayatri comes from two Sanskrit roots: ganat and trayate. Trayate means positive attainment to the final stage (sva-rupena vyavashitih ). And ganat means not mere sound, but musical sound. That musical sound which grants us the highest positive deliverance indicates the sankirtana of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the flute song of Sri Krsna.
Brahma-Gayatri-Bhasya
bhvades-tat savitur-vavarenya-vihitam
ksetrajna-sevaya-arthakam
bhargo vai vrsabhanuja-atma-vibhava-eka-aradhana sri-puram
bhargo jyotir-acintya-lilana-sudha-eka-aradhana-sri-puram
bhargo dhama-taraga-khelana-sudha-eka-aradhana-sri-puram
bhargo dhama-sada nirasta kuhakam prajnana lila-puram
devasya-amrta-rupa-lila-rasa-dheraradha-dhi-prerina
devasya-amrta-rupa-lila-purusasyaradha-dhi-preyasina
devasya dyutisundara-eka-purusasyaradhaya-dhi-preyasina
gayatri-muralisÝa-kirtana-dhanam radhapadam dhimahi
gayatri-gaditam mahaprabhu-matam radhapadam dhimahi
dhir-aradhanam eva nanyad-iti-tad-radhapadam dhimahi
srila sri-bhaktiraksaka sridhara deva-gosvami maharaja
bhargo vai vrsabhanuja-atma-vibhava-eka-aradhana sri-puram
bhargo jyotir-acintya-lilana-sudha-eka-aradhana-sri-puram
bhargo dhama-taraga-khelana-sudha-eka-aradhana-sri-puram
bhargo dhama-sada nirasta kuhakam prajnana lila-puram
devasya-amrta-rupa-lila-rasa-dheraradha-dhi-prerina
devasya-amrta-rupa-lila-purusasyaradha-dhi-preyasina
devasya dyutisundara-eka-purusasyaradhaya-dhi-preyasina
gayatri-muralisÝa-kirtana-dhanam radhapadam dhimahi
gayatri-gaditam mahaprabhu-matam radhapadam dhimahi
dhir-aradhanam eva nanyad-iti-tad-radhapadam dhimahi
srila sri-bhaktiraksaka sridhara deva-gosvami maharaja
Purport
The next word in the mantra is svah. Above Bhuvaloka is Sva-loka. The mental world (Bhuvarloka) means acceptance and rejection: what to do and what not to do--"I like this, I don't like that." Sva-loka, however, is the plane of decision, the world of intelligence (Buddiloka). Our intelligence tells us, "You may like this, but you don't do that, for then you will be the loser." That plane, the plane of reason, is known as Sva-loka. In this way, this material world is composed of three general layers, bhur, the physical world, bhuvah, the mental world, and svah, the intellectual world.
Of course, a more detailed analysis will reveal seven layers: Bhur, Bhuvah Svah, Maha, Jana, Tapa, and Satyaloka. This has been dealt with in detail by Sanatana Goswami in his Brhad-Bhagavatamrtam. Here, these seven strata have been summarized in three planes of existence: physical, mental, and intellectual. And these three planes of experience have been summarized in a word, tat.
The next word in the brahma-gayatri is savitur. Savitur generally means surya, the sun. And the sun means, figuratively, that which shows or illuminates; that by which we can see. The three gross and subtle strata within this world are shown to us by a particular thing, savitur. What it that? The soul. Actually, the world is not shown to us by the sun, but by the soul. What really gives us perception and allows us to see gross things? It is not actually the sun that helps us to see; we see with the help of the soul. This is found in Bhagavad-gita (yatha prakasayaty ekah krtsnam lokam imam ravih). The soul reveals this world to us just as the sun does. The sun can show color to our eyes, the ear can reveal the sound world, and the hand can reveal the touch world. But really in the center is the soul. It is the soul who gives light to this world, who gives us an understanding of the environment, the world of perception. All perception is possible only because of the soul. Here, the word savitur, which generally means sun, can only mean soul, like the sun, shows us everything.
All seven strata of our existence-represented by bhur, the physical plane, bhuvah, the mental plane, and svah, the intellectual plane-have here been reduced to one entity: tat-"that." "That" is shown by the sun which in this context indicates the soul. Here soul means individual soul. The individual soul is the cause of his world. Not that the mind is in the world, but the world is in the mind. Berkeley has said that the world is in the mind. Here it is being expressed that everything is seen with the help of the sun. If there is no sun, everything is dark- nothing can be seen. So without light, nothing can be seen. And in a higher sense, light means the soul. The soul is the subject and the soul's object is the seven planes of experience within this world.
The next word in the gayatri mantra is varenyam. Varenyam means puja: worshipable, venerable. This indicates that although within this plane--the objective world--the is the subject, there is another domain which is to be venerated and worshipped by the soul. That is the Supersoul area.
That worshipable plane of existence is known as bhargo. Bhargo means the super subjective area, the area of the Supersoul. This is mentioned in the first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam: dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi. Srila Vysadeva says that here he is going to deal with another world whose pristine glory is so great that by its own ray, all misconceptions are brushed aside. The subject is the soul, and its object is all these worlds of experience. And the super subject, is the venerable area which is superior to the subject, the soul-- that is the super subjective area.
The word bhargo means"more subtle than the soul," and "holding a more important position than the soul." So this means the Supersoul, the Paramatma. In general, of course, the word bhargo ordinarily means light. Just as an X-ray can show us what the ordinary eye cannot see, bhargo is svarupa-sakti: higher, more powerful light that can reveal the soul. And that energy--bhargo--belongs to whom? It belongs to deva. What is the meaning of the word deva? Deva means "who is beautiful an playful," that is, Sri Krsna: Reality the beautiful. He is not a nondifferentiated substance, but is full of lila, pastimes. Deva means pastimes and beauty combined and this is Krsna.
His domain is bhargo, brilliant, and it is varenyam, to venerated by the jiva soul. What is the nature of the svarupa-sakti? It is the vaibava, the extend body of Srimati Radharani. She holds the full service responsibility and the energy to serve Krsna. bhargo is no less than the vaibava, the extended body of Srimati Radharani, which contains everything for the service of Krsna. Bhargo represents Mahabava, the predominated moiety, and deva, Krsna, is Rasaraja, the predominating moiety.
In the gayatri mantra, we are requested, bhargo devasya dhimahi: "come meditate". What sort of meditation is possible in that plane of dedication? Not abstract meditation, but service cultivation, krsnanusilanam. Dhimahi means " to participate in the spontaneous flow, the current of devotion in Vrndavana." And what will be the result (dhiyo yo nah pracodayat)? The capacity of our cultivation will be increased. As we serve, a greater capacity and willingness to serve will be given to us in remuneration-- just as interest is added to capital in the bank(dasa kari' vetana more deha prema-dhana). In this way, our dedicating principle will be increased again and again. Dhimahi means aradhana, worship. It cannot but be explained in terms of aradhana, puja, seva-- worship, adoration, loving service. The word buddhi means that which we cultivate with the help of our intelligence. But here, dhi is a reference to that venerable intelligence which descends into this plane to help us cultivate service. So dhimahi does not mean abstract meditation, but devotional service. This is the underlying meaning of the gayatri mantra.
Gayatri, the song of deliverance, also means sankirtana. Kirtana is also sung, and it also improves us towards the highest goal. The sankirtana of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also reinstates us in out highest serving position. So brahma-gayatri in connection with Mahaprabhu comes to mean krsna-kirtana. Then it reaches Vrndavana and the flute-kirtana. And when we enter Vrndavana, we shall find that the sweet sound of Krsna's flute helps to engage all the Lords servants in their respective duties. When the flute is sounded, the gopis and others are adjusted in their respective duties. At night, the gopis, hearing the sound of the flute will run to the Yamuna, thinking, "Oh, Krsna's is there." And when Yasoda hears the song of Krsna's flute, she thinks, "My son is there. He is coming home soon." In this way, the sound of the flute engages all the servants of the Lord in their respective positions and inspires them to be mindful of their service.
In my Sanskrit commentary on the gayatri mantra, I have written dhiraradhanam eva nanyaditi tad radha-padam dhimahi : All other services are represented fully in Radhika. Like branches they are all part of her. Madhura rasa is the chief or mukhya-rasa, the combination of all rasas. Srimati Radharani is Mahabhava--she represents the entire serving attitude.
The flute-song of Sri Krsna, expressed as the gayatri mantra, is reminding us and engaging us in our service. And what is our service? Our service must be to surrender ourselves in the service of Srimati Radharani-to accept the suggestion of Radharani. The gayatri mantra will excite us to be mindful about Srimati Radharani's lotus feet, to obey her orders. She is mainly representing the whole service area. So to try to engage ourselves in her service, under her order- to accept her direction and to obey her- that is the service of Sri Radha. In this way, the meaning of the gayatri mantra has been drawn to radha-dasyam, self-determination (svarupena vyavasthitih ).
In the meantime, the partial representations in vatsalya and sakhya rasa are also part and parcel of the original mellow of conjugal love, madhura rasa. The vatsalya rasa devotees will serve Nanda and Yasoda, the sakhya rasa devotee will serve Sridama and Sudama, but ultimately, the whole system in one conception is included in Radharani.
Radha-dasyam, the service of Srimati Radharani, is the ultimate meaning to be extracted from the gayatri mantra. That is the supreme end of our life. It cannot but be so. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the ultimate or full-fledged theism to be extracted from the Vedas, Upanisads, and so many scriptures. All the revealed truth rises to its acme, to its highest position, in the conception given by Srimad-Bhagavatam. And Srimad-Bhagavatam teaches us that the highest realization, self-determination, is the service of Srimati Radharani-that under her guidance we may serve Sri Krsna. We aspire for a direct connection with her service.
What, then, is the inner meaning or purport of the word bhargo? Bhargo means the sum, or "who shows us by light." Radharani is the daughter of Vrsabhanu. I have selected the word bhanu. To represent her personal extended self, I have given the word vaibhava. Vaibhava means, "what comes out," or "extended self." Prabhava is the central representation and vaibhava is the outer extension. The very gist of svarupa-sakti is Srimati Radharani, and the whole svarupa-sakti is her extended self. The town of her beautiful service is the whole svarupa-sakti.
Just as rays of light extend from the sun, the whole internal potency is an extension of Mahabhava, Sri Radhika. She has developed herself into such a beautiful area of brilliance, of internal energy, and thereby she serves her Lord. All these necessary things have sprung from her. To help her in serving her Lord, they all come out. When the entire internal energy is condensed in a concise form, it is Mahabhava, Radharani. And when Radharani wants to serve, she extends herself in limitless different ways. And with some contribution from Baladeva and Yogamaya, the whole spiritual world, including Vrndavana, Mathura, and Vaikuntha, evolves to assist Srimati Radharani in the service of Sri Krsna.
In this way, I have drawn out radha-dasyam, the service of Srimati Radharani as the meaning of the gayatri mantra and have tried to represent it in the above Sanskrit verse.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to
H H Sri Swami B G Narasingha ji and Sri Swamy B R Sridhar Maharaj ji for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
Monday, February 3, 2014
The Highest Ideal and The disciples mentality (Art of Sadhana - Ch XV)
The Highest Ideal
(by Advaita
Acarya Dasa)
There is no exact equivalent in the
English vocabulary to explain the Sanskrit term ‘rasa’ as used in the context of
transcendental relationships. The closest English word for rasa used by our acaryas in rendering
English translations of Sanskrit literatures is ‘mellow’. Certainly, enough
thought has been given before stopping at the word, ‘mellow’ for rasa. The origin of this
word in English stems from the sense of ‘ripe’, ‘sweet’, and ‘juicy’ and is
used to define something that is tempered by maturity or experience.
The taste and experience of a ripened
mango can never be traced in a raw mango, no matter how much it is artificially
processed. In a similar way, the experience of divine exchange of rasa between the Lord and
His devotees cannot be held within a heart tainted with perverted material
crookedness. Most of the spiritual experience is waiting on the other side of
this temporary world – after the death of this body. As long as we are embodied
within this sheath of flesh and bones, we are subjected to various material
miseries that by nature come without asking. The best thing we can do while in
this world is to develop strong faith in the words of the guru and the sastra, in the Holy Name
and become wise by cultivating detachment.
As per the instructions of Srila
Sridhara Maharaja, in our present condition the tendency to improve spiritually
is laudable, but we should scrupulously cultivate only those qualities that are
beneficial for our spiritual health. Srila Rupa Gosvami has given the most
quintessential instructions for a sadhaka
in the eleven verses of Sri
Upadesamrta. These verses, beginning with the verse, vaco vegam manasah krodha vegam,
should be the subject matter of our introspection. Regularly pondering over
these instructions we should calibrate our sadhana
and our ideal. The desire for reclusive smarana
of Krsna’s pastimes in a conditioned state is injurious, and will only produce
lust. Srila Sarasvati Thakura writes in his song, Vaisnava Ke:
kirtana
prabhave smarana haibe
sei kale bhajana nirjana sambhava
Internal remembrance can occur by the power of kirtana, and only then is
solitary service possible. (Vaisnava
Ke 19) sei kale bhajana nirjana sambhava
In the Gaudiya sampradaya more
importance has been laid on congregational kirtana
of the Holy Names of the Lord than internal remembrance (smarana) of His pastimes.
The sankirtana-lila of
Mahaprabhu has been compared directly to the rasa-lila
of Krsna in Vrndavana. But categorically, the sankirtana-lila of Mahaprabhu is placed
higher than the rasa-lila
of Krsna in the sense that the sankirtana-lila
is both sweet (madhurya)
and magnanimous (audarya),
whereas krsna-lila is
sweet but limited to the internal (antaranga)
devotees of the Lord. The Lord taught this by His own example:
bahiranga
sange kare nama-sankirtana
antaranga-sange kare rasa-asvadana
Amongst the ordinary devotees the Lord engaged in nama-sankirtana, and
with His intimate associates He relished rasa.antaranga-sange kare rasa-asvadana
Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana-lila can
accommodate anyone, no matter how degraded they may be. There is no
consideration of qualification; the only price is sincere faith. In this age it
is impossible to gain entrance into krsna-lila
without accepting Sriman Mahaprabhu, His associates and His teachings.
Mahaprabhu never recommended internal remembrance of Krsna’s confidential
pastimes for those in a conditioned state. On the other hand, He relished the
reading of Prahlada’s and Dhruva’s pastimes hundreds and hundreds of times to
set an example for everyone not to jump directly to the rasa-lila.
prahlada-caritra
ara dhruvera-caritra
sata-vrtti kariya sunena savahita
The Lord attentively heard the pastimes of Prahlada
and Dhruva hundreds of times. (Cb.
Antya 10.34) sata-vrtti kariya sunena savahita
The current of the ocean of material
existence is certainly very difficult to cross over, but for one engaged in kirtana under a bona-fide
spiritual master, the waves subside as if giving way. How can it be otherwise
when the sankirtana
movement is the Lord’s own lila
and the Maya potency is but His servant? When the Kurma brahmana asked Mahaprabhu
while He was leaving to take him along, Mahaprabhu gave him two important
instructions to help him cross this ocean of nescience and simultaneously
attain the association of the Lord Himself:
yare
dekha, tare kaha’krsna’-upadesa
amara ajaya guru hana tara’ ei desa
Instruct everyone you see to follow the orders of
Lord Sri Krsna. Vecome a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this
land. (Cc. Madhya
7.128) amara ajaya guru hana tara’ ei desa
kabhu
na badhibe tomara visaya-taranga
punarapi ei thani pabe mora sanga
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu further advised the brahmana Kurma, “If you
follow this instruction, your materialistic life at home will not obstruct your
spiritual advancement. Indeed, if you follow these regulative principles, we
will again meet here, or, rather, you will never lose My company.” (Cc. Madhya 7.120) punarapi ei thani pabe mora sanga
Every living and non-living entity in this universe has emanated from the Lord Himself and is meant only for His satisfaction. Knowing this it is the most intelligent and beneficial act to use everything here including ourselves as an offering to the Lord’s service and to also encourage others to take up this practice. As per Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s reading of the sastra, intrinsically, above anything else, the duty (paro-dharma) of every soul is devotion to the adhoksaja (Krsna) while anything done for selfish ends (dvitiyabhinivesah) is unnecessary and dangerous (bhayavah). The true dignity of the soul does not lie in earning wealth, prestige, and the goodwill of those who have the same material disposition as ourselves. Only by realizing one’s constitutional position as the servant of the Supreme Lord and acting accordingly, is our true spiritual dignity reinstated.
Sri Sri Radha-Krsna hold the most glorious position in the transcendental world of Goloka-Vrndavana and are eternally engaged in sweet pastimes, untouched by material perverseness. Mahaprabhu, who is non-different than Radha-Krsna, appeared in this world out of His overflowing compassion along with four principle associates and hundreds of other associates just to establish the superexcellent position of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, Their Holy Names, Their pastimes and Their devotees all over the world. From Him the illustrious line of the Rupanugas, or the followers of Sri Rupa Gosvami, has manifested just to uphold this great ideal. Rupanuga-cudamani Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura revitalized this ideal in the deteriorated Vaisnava world and started a new era of Krsna Consciousness. May we mature spiritually holding on to the ideal enshrined in the following verse by Srila Sarasvati Thakura:
matala
hari-jana visaya-range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange
The servants of Hari are engaged in lavish affairs,
handling material wealth and engaging all manner of things in the Lord’s
service. They worship the path of spontaneous devotion with gaurava-bhange (in a mood
of awe and reverence) and to show that the raga-patha
is above all (above our heads), they remain as servants, being a little distant
and below, praying for that of a servant’s duty, not for that of a confidential
nature — not to bring that highest divine love down here, but to hold that upon
their heads.pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange
The disciples mentality (Art of Sadhana - Ch XV)
( by Srila B.P. Puri Maharaja )
The primary characteristic of a disciple who has received initiation and direction in the practice of worship from his spiritual master is visrambha, an honest desire for faithful and loving service to the spiritual master, the Vaishnavas and the Supreme Lord. The secondary characteristic is that he seeks to destroy all his sinful activities.
The divya-jnana, the transcendental knowledge of sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana, is received by the disciple as part of initiation. The self-revealed scriptures, the Vedas, are the supreme authority (pramana) on spiritual subject matters. The scripture and the nine prameya (teachings) based on scripture are collectively called dasa-mula, the ten basic elements of spiritual knowledge. The nine prameya consist of the seven aspects of relationships (sambandha) -- Krishna Himself, Krishna's energies, Krishna's divine mood (rasa), the soul, its bondage and its liberation, and the inconceivable oneness and difference of the Lord and the individual soul. To these seven are added abhidheya, bhakti, and prayojana, love of God.
Along with all of this knowledge comes an important side effect: the destruction of one's sinful reactions. Thus the direct result of initiation is love for Krishna. Mahaprabhu confirms this in the following statement to His own spiritual master:
kiba mantra dile gosani kiba tara bala
japite japite mantra karila pagala
japite japite mantra karila pagala
"What mantra have you given me, O
gurudeva! What powers does it possess? As I chant this mantra, I feel that it
is turning me into a madman."
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 1.7.81)
If one does not develop love for Krishna nor feels
any attachment to the chanting of the Holy Names after being initiated, but
remains inclined to sinful activities, falling down from time to time, it is
then clear that either knowingly or unknowingly, that person has committed
terrible offenses to the Lord, the guru or the Vaishnavas. One should then
think: "I have only made a pretense of surrendering myself. I have used my
initiation simply as an excuse to engage in sense gratificatory
activities." (Chaitanya Charitamrta 1.7.81)
IGNORANCE MEANS REJECTING THE LORD
A lack of interest in the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna
is the conditioned soul's chief defect. The basis of all sin is ignorance,
whose symptom is the rejection of Krishna. The seed of all sin, i.e., the
tendency to sin, is present in the flaw of ignorance. From there, sinful
activity is inevitable. Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami compares this deficiency in the conditioned jivas to coming under the influence of a witch's spell.
sei dose maya pisaci danòa kare tare
adhyatmikadi tapa-traya tare jari mare
kama krodhera dasa hana tara lathi khaya
bhramite bhramite jadi sadhu-vaidya paya
tanra upadesa-mantre pisaci palaya
krsna-bhakti paya tabe krsna nikate jaya
adhyatmikadi tapa-traya tare jari mare
kama krodhera dasa hana tara lathi khaya
bhramite bhramite jadi sadhu-vaidya paya
tanra upadesa-mantre pisaci palaya
krsna-bhakti paya tabe krsna nikate jaya
"For rejecting Krishna, the witch
of illusion punishes the jiva,
causing him to suffer the three kinds of misery--adhyatmika, adhibhautika, and adhidaivika.
The unfortunate conditioned soul then becomes the slave of his desires and his
frustrations, suffering their kicks and abuse. After wandering through the
universe in this condition, if he somehow finds a saintly person to act as an
exorcist, then through his powerful instructions, the witch's mastery is
overcome and she runs for her life. The fortunate individual then finds pure
devotion to Krishna and goes to Him."
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.13-15)
The devotee then turns to Krishna and prays as
follows: (Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.13-15)
kamadinam kati na katidha
palita durnidesas
tesam jata mayi na karuna
na trapa nopasantih
utsrjyaitan atha yadupate
sampratam labdha-buddhis
tvam ayatah saranam abhayam
mam niyunksyatma-dasye
palita durnidesas
tesam jata mayi na karuna
na trapa nopasantih
utsrjyaitan atha yadupate
sampratam labdha-buddhis
tvam ayatah saranam abhayam
mam niyunksyatma-dasye
"I carried out so many evil orders
of my wicked masters--lust, anger, greed, bewilderment, intoxication, and
envy--that I have lost count. Yet, despite my faithful service, these masters
have never taken pity on me. I am so shameless that the faintest desire for
devotional service has never once manifested in my heart. O Lord of the Yadus,
today I have finally come to my senses and I throw off my shackles to take
shelter of Your fearless lotus feet; please engage me in Your personal
service."
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 3.2.25, Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.16)
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 3.2.25, Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.16)
PURITY'S CHARACTERISTICS
Pariksit Maharaja made the following significant
statement about how one can recognize purity in a devotee's character:
"The person whose self has been washed clean never abandons Krishna's
lotus feet (dhautatma
purusah krsna-pada-mulam na muncati--Srimad Bhagavatam
2.8.6)." Visvanatha further clarifies:
"The sign of a pure heart is the
inability to abandon the service to Krishna's lotus feet" (mat-pada-seva-tyagasamarthyam eva
suddha-cittatva-cihnam). If somehow or other one sees that such a
devotee is affected by lust or anger, such incidental characteristics should be
considered like the bite of a snake with broken teeth; an insignificant setback
which does not have long-term effects on the devotee's devotional life (atah kvacit kama-krodhadi-sattve'pi
utkhata-damstroraga-damsanavat tasyakimcitkaratvam jneyam). There
is no poison in a snake's broken fangs, so its bite is not considered a
significant problem, even though it appears very dangerous to the uninformed
observer. Similarly, lust, anger and greed may cause some disturbance in a
devotee's mind, but do not result in his mind being permanently
contaminated."
The Lord accepts the offerings of those devotees of
purified mind. Other than the association of such pure devotees, the jiva has no other hope of
attaining any value of significance in life. One should not think, however, that all one has to do is to sit and listen to the spiritual master's instructions. One has to act according to those instructions. If a disciple does not take up the devotional practices or sadhana recommended by the guru then how can he expect to achieve spiritual perfection?
In the Chaitanya Charitamrta, the Lord says that, on receiving initiation from the spiritual master, one should worship Krishna and serve the guru. Then one becomes free from the control of maya and attains Krishna's lotus feet. (Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.22.25)
tate krsna bhaje kare gurura sevana
maya-jala chute paya krsnera carana
In his commentary to the above-mentioned verse,
Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura writes: "It is through
a combination of bhajana and service to the spiritual master that one becomes
free of maya's
net and attains Krishna's lotus feet." maya-jala chute paya krsnera carana
Srila Prabhupada also says,
"Our eternal spiritual identity is
to be the dust of the lotus feet of Rupa and Raghunatha." Therefore, we
have no other duty in life than to follow their example. He has further
affirmed, "Without the performance of harinama-sankirtana,
no other practices of Bhakti yoga such as residence in Mathura or association
with devotees are complete. However, even if I only engage in harinama-sankirtana, I
will win all the fruits of residence in Mathura, associating with devotees,
serving the deity in loving faith, and listening to the Bhagavatam. Simply
through harinama-sankirtana,
all perfections come to the jiva."
Our spiritual master instructed us to chant 100,000
Names daily without offense, keeping our objectives clear. If we cannot follow
this instruction, how can we expect to become free of all the contamination in
our hearts? As stated by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the performance of
harinama-sankirtana is glorious in seven ways. It cleans the mirror of the
heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam);
it extinguishes the conflagration of material life (bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam); it
distributes the cooling moon rays of auspiciousness (sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam); it is
the life of transcendental knowledge, which is like its consort (vidya-vadhu-jivanam), it
increases the ocean of divine bliss (anandambudhi-vardhanam);
at every step, it gives a taste of the full ambrosia for which we have always
been anxious (pratipadam
purnamrtasvadanam); and it bathes the entire self in divine ecstasy
(sarvatma-snapanam).
Mahaprabhu Himself repeatedly stated that there was no worship superior to the
worship of the Holy Names. "All will attain perfection through the
chanting of the Holy Names. Chant these Names constantly; I give you no other
rules." (Chaitanya
Bhagavata 2.23.78)Do we have any hope of attaining the supreme good if we ignore these instructions of the Lord and the spiritual master?
THE SERVANT'S VOW OF SERVICE
The devotee who desires to reach the
level of nistha should make the following vow:
"According to the instruction of
my spiritual master, I must absolutely complete chanting a fixed number of
Names on my japa beads daily, as well as daily offer a fixed number of
obeisances to the devotees and to the deity form of the Lord. I absolutely must
perform my prescribed service at certain fixed times of the day. I must observe
the fortnightly Ekadasi fast. Upon rising in the brahma-muhurta period, before
dawn, I shall remember Krishna and His devotees' lotus feet in a particular
way, then bathe. After this, I will sit down and meditate on the mantra into
which my guru has initiated me. Then I will perform puja to the deity, study
the devotional scriptures, and sing the hymns written by the great authorities.
All these things I shall do every day without fail.
"I shall never welcome any
thoughts other than thoughts of Krishna; I shall absolutely give up all useless
controversy and gossip. Every day, I shall unfailingly hear the spiritual
instructions of my guru and advanced devotees and then discuss those topics
with my godbrothers, rather than wasting time in fruitless conversations. I
will not allow any of the valuable time given to me in this human form of life
to be wasted by giving way to sloth and laziness. I will therefore not lose a
moment to sleep that is not absolutely necessary for maintaining my body, but
will employ every moment in a way that is spiritually profitable.
"I will be very careful to avoid
the association of anyone who is overly attached to material enjoyments, or of
the wives of other men, or of womanizing men. Indeed, I shall avoid the company
of anyone who is not a devotee of Krishna, for it is said:
asat-sanga tyaga ei vaisnava acara
stri sangi eka asadhu krsnabhakta ara
stri sangi eka asadhu krsnabhakta ara
'The essence of Vaishnava behavior is
to give up the association of the unsaintly. By unsaintly it is meant those who
are attached to the opposite sex and those who are non-devotees.'
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.12.195)
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.12.195)
"Every day without fail I will
complete chanting the Maha-mantra consisting of 16 names and 32 syllables a
fixed number of times. Even when not chanting on my beads, I will constantly
repeat these names without counting. Without completing my japa and chanting my ista-mantra, I will not
even touch water, what to speak of taking food. My spiritual master who has
initiated me with the ista-mantra
is my only true friend in both this world and the next. If I cannot win his
pleasure, then all my spiritual practices are for nought. Through his mercy I
can win the mercy of the Supreme Lord. If I displease him I have no other
recourse. If Krishna is displeased with me, my spiritual master can intervene
on my behalf, but if the spiritual master is angry or dissatisfied with my
actions, then all my spiritual practices are as worthless as oblations of
clarified butter poured on the remains of a fire sacrifice. The service of my
spiritual master's lotus feet is the real treasure of my spiritual life. Any
spiritual practice performed independently of him is without value. Whatever
hearing or chanting I engage in should be done for the pleasure of my spiritual
master alone. I should always meditate on these words sung by Narottama dasa:
sei vrata, sei tapa sei mora mantra
japa
sei mora dharama karama
sei mora dharama karama
'The feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my
real wealth. They are the object of my vows. They are the goal of my
austerities and penances, they are the goal of my mantra and my japa. They are
the purpose of my religious observances, my every activity.'
(Prarthana 8)
(Prarthana 8)
"If my guru rebukes or criticizes me, I should take
it as a great fortune. I should remember that whatever spiritual practice I
engage in, all is being done for his pleasure. I should give this consideration
pride of place in my consciousness, remembering Sarvabhauma's words to
Mahaprabhu: ajna gurunam hy
avicaraniya: 'The orders of our gurus
are never to be debated.'
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.10.145)
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 2.10.145)
"I pray that my intelligence never
becomes so contaminated that I criticize the words of my spiritual master. May
such a wicked mentality never manifest in my heart, not even in my dreams. Any
arrangement he makes for me is for my ultimate good. I pray that I never
consider him to be an ordinary mortal by entertaining negative judgements of
his words or actions. I will always remain on my guard against such a disaster.
"Because the guru is affectionate
towards his disciples, if I approach him with my doubts, he will lay those
doubts to rest with his answers. May I never forget for even a moment that my
spiritual master is the source of all auspiciousness. The Supreme Lord has
taken the form of my guru
in order to give me the mercy of initiation and spiritual teaching. May I never
forget at any time this manifestation of compassion of the Lord's revealed form
as the guru.
The duty of the disciple is to always seek the pleasure of his spiritual
master, whose only purpose is to carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on this earth. I should always consider the servants of my
guru to be worthy of my respect. Whoever is dear to my guru is dear to me.
"If I can keep on doing my
devotional service with this attitude of unswerving, constant faith in my
spiritual master, then through his satisfaction I will quickly become qualified
for all perfections. My spiritual master has assured me that through the Holy
Name I can attain all perfection, therefore, I will faithfully chant the Holy
Names without committing offenses, while always making a determined effort to
strictly follow his orders. On the strength of the Holy Names in which my guru has instructed me, I
will become eligible for the treasure of raganuga
bhakti and for the great fortune to taste the sweet flavors of the
most elevated spiritual relations, never given prior to the appearance of Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu."
THE DEVOTEE'S PRAYER
Sri Guru's mercy is everything -- guru-krpa hi kevalam.
Therefore one should pray as follows:
"I am most fallen and useless, O
Lord. May my spiritual master be pleased with me. May he give me the spiritual
strength to follow his directions. May all the obstacles in my worship of the
Lord be removed so that at the end of my sojourn in this world, I may sit alone
far from the hustle and bustle of the material world, and with a steady mind,
chant the Holy Names with feeling. May the Lord be merciful and allow me to
give up my last breath in this way. Knowingly or unknowingly I have committed
so many offenses to His lotus feet, and even now I continue to commit such
offenses. O Lord, please forgive all such offenses and give me a place at Your
lotus feet. Make my life complete by allowing me to associate with those who
are dear to You.
"For so long I have simply made a
pretense of being initiated. In fact, I have not done that which a surrendered
soul should do; I have not strictly followed my spiritual master's
instructions, thus I have not made even a little advancement in spiritual life.
All the contaminations in my heart prior to initiation are still there today,
so how is there any hope of my attaining the divine realization which is said
to be the real sign of initiation? Like a lump of iron my heart is without
feelings. Even though I chant the Holy Names, it does not melt. Thus I am
thinking,
aparadha phale mama citta bhela
vajra-sama
tuwa name na labhe vikara
tuwa name na labhe vikara
"Due to offenses, my heart has
become as hard as a thunderbolt. Therefore no ecstatic transformations take
place when I chant your name." (Bhaktivinoda Thakura)
tabe jani tahe aparadha achaye pracura
krsna-nama bija tahe na haya ankura
krsna-nama bija tahe na haya ankura
"Thus I know I have committed so
many offenses to the Holy Name; for though I have planted the seed of the Name,
no creeper of love has sprouted."
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 1.8.29)
(Chaitanya Charitamrta 1.8.29)
"O gurudeva! Now in the evening of
my life, I have become so forlorn and hopeless. O Lord! O You who see no fault
in anyone! Be generous to me and give me your mercy. Help me to be free of all
offenses so I develop a taste for the Holy Names which you have instructed me
to chant. Allow me to earn the right to be called the genuine servant of your
servants. With your divine vision, you see me perfectly, externally and
internally. You know everything I do; therefore I pray that everything I do--my
behavior, my devotional service--be a source of pleasure to you.
"O Lord, forgive all my offenses,
whether I have committed them willingly or unwillingly. Forever give me a place
among all your servants, at your lotus feet, where there is no more
lamentation, no more fear, no more death. Your feet are the only shelter for
one like me who has found no refuge anywhere in this world. Your feet are the
source of ultimate good for one like me who has found no value anywhere else in
this world."
bhumau skhalita-padanam
bhumir evavalambanam
tvayi jataparadhanam
tvam eva saranam prabho
bhumir evavalambanam
tvayi jataparadhanam
tvam eva saranam prabho
"Those who trip and fall have only
the ground as an aid to again get up. O Lord, those who commit offenses to You,
have no one but You as a recourse."
So, my dear devotees, tread carefully the path of
devotion. Always pray for the mercy of Krishna, the guru, and the vaishnavas.
Remember that progress in devotion depends on progress in humility--that is the
art of sadhana.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to
H H Sri Swami Advaita Acharya Dasa ji and B P Puri Maharaj ji for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
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