A Divya Shower

sakhyaya to mama

namo’stu namo’stu nityam

ddsyaya to mama

raso’stu raso’stu satyam

(Vildpa-Kusumdnjali, Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami)

Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, the greatest ex onent of the faith of servitude to Srimati Radharari, radha-dasyam, says, “I won’t allow yself to become fascinated by the roposal of the higher level service as friend, sakhya. Rather, I shall tend always to do the lower service, dasya, of the servant. I shall of consider myself to be a high class servitor and I shall always end to go towards the lower class of service. But He may forcibly e me to a higher service-‘No, you are no longer to serve there; .now you must serve in this higher category

Therefore, here in Sri Gita, the Lord is saying: tesam vdnukampdrtham -being conguered by the love of those devotees, when I cannot tolerate their pain of separation, I at once come running to satisfy them, and I reveal their pain of separation, I at once come running to satisfy them, end I reveal to them with special fight, special consciousness, ‘I have returned to you-see me now.’ With powerful brilliance (jndnadipena) I show them My presence when they are very much in need of Me, and I relieve their pain of separation.”

Devotee: We are all trying to be devotees but sometimes we see that there is some differentiation made between the Western and Indian devotees.

Srila B.R. Sridhara Maharaja: You have so many differences, such as your hair, eyes and so on! Devotee: These are material differences.

SSM: But these are all known from the spiritual; they cannot demand any originality of their own.

There are so many things to be understood. Even it is found that in the presence of Krsna at Puskara tirtha the whole of the Yadu dynasties including such a host of great personalities were annihilated before His very eyes. But these dynasties fought in order to reveal the deeper realities of the plane of the soul. Whatever He wills is truth proper. Can you understand this? Krsna was a sightseer-He simply watched! How can you adjust to that? Can you understand that fighting is life?

All the Pandavas including Arjuna were submissive to King Yudhisthira, but still they sometimes revolted against him. Peace such as the deep slumber of brahma

nirvana is wanting in vitality; it is not true lasting peace. And the absolute truth is not impersonal but a person.

“Srila Rupa Gosvdmi has given us a gradation of service: When “na is at the summit of Govardhana Hill and He sees Balarama and His sakhya friends playing in the pasturing ground below, He also sees Yagoda with all their helpers busily preparing His meal. All the dasi servitors are seen to be engaged i some arrangement under the d rection of Yagoda. Candrava with her group is approaching particular meeting place; while H beloved ~rimati Radharani is con ing with Her friends to an al pointed place to be united wit Krsna. All the different groups rel resented together aroun Govardhana are assemble there-sdnta, dasya, sakhy vatsalya, and madhura-all are i His sight. He is overseeing ever thing. So, very many affectiona servitors are all vying for His a tention but His eyes are alwa5 drawn to ~rimati Radharani an Her group.”

godavarya-vdma-tira rdmdnanda-samvadam jndna-karma-mukta-marma rdga-bhakti-sampadam pdrakiya-kdnta-krsna bhdva-sevandkaram

prema-dhdma-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram

“In Sri Caitanya’s famous conver sation with Ramananda Raya known as rdmdnanda samvdda in Sri Caitanya-Caritdmrta, He con cluded that the most cherished possession is raga-bhakti, or spon taneous loving service, rendered with a heart thoroughly cleansed

of jndna and karma; and the bhdvasevd of Seri Krsna, the predominating moiety of pdrakiya-bhdva, or ecstatic paramour love, and Sri Radha, the predominated moiety, is the only basis, the sole objective and sole recipient of ecstatic loving service. I sing the unending glories of my golden Lord Gaurasundara the beautiful, the divine abode of pure love.”

(Sri Sri Prema-Dhdma Deva Stotram, 23)

the most cherished possession is raga-bhakti, rendered with a heart thoroughly cleansed of jndna and karma…”

On Sarandgati, Self-Surrender

Devotion is above all. Sarandgati, self-surrender, is the highest property of everyone. Surrender to Him, and He may graciously make His name known to us, and we will be able to know Him.

In the Upanisads, it is said, yam evaisa vrnute tena labhyah: Whoever He chooses to make Himself known to can know Him. Otherwise, no one can know Him against His will. He has reserved all the right of not being exposed to the senses of anyone and everyone. He is so high, He can do that. If He does not wish to make Himself known, no one can know Him-whenever He wishes to make Himself known to someone, they can know Him. This is His position.

Mercy is above justice

On the order of his Gurudeva Devarsi Narada, the scripture grimad-Bhdgavatam was given by Vedavyasa as the conclusion of his teachings. After giving the Vedas, Upanisads, Purdnas, Mahabhdrata, Bhagavad-Gitd, and so on, the last gift of Vedavyasa in the world of scriptures was, grimad-Bhdgavatam. And the message of the Bhdgavatam is that beauty is above all-not knowledge or justice. Mercy is above justice. Affection, love, beauty, charm, harmony-these are above all, and this absolute conception of the ultimate reality is in the Krsna conception.

On Beauty

Beauty is above knowledge and power. Knowledge is above power, and above knowledge is beauty, charm, love. That is the supreme. Srimad-Bhdgavatam has declared, krsnas to bhagavdn svayam: the Krsna conception of Godhead is the most original conception of the Absolute. This is the prime declaration of the Bhdgavatam: the Lord, as Beauty, is above all. And below Him is awe, reverence, power, and so on.

And Mahaprabhu Sri Caitanyadeva pointed out, “Go to the beautiful-Reality the Beautiful-He is your highest attainment. Hanker neither for power nor

knowledge, but hanker for service of the Beautiful, and thereby, you will be taken in and given entrance into the land of the Beautiful:’ This is the highest realization. Don’t waste your energy by engaging yourself in any other pursuits, but go straight-jndna-sunya-bhakti, non-calculative devotion. By the help of sddhu-sariga,take the name of the Lord and try to march straight onwards to the K,rsna conception of Godhead. Krsna consciousness is our highest achievement, and this is given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and grimad-Bhagavatam. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended, “Don’t waste your energy for anything else. Utilize your energy for the Krsna conception of Godhead.”

The Campaign of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas

So we try to make our progress in this line, and at the same time we also ask our friends to try to embrace this life. The fulfillment of life for every particle of existence of this world can be found here. March towards universal good. Wherever and whoever you are, it does not matter. Take your course towards Krsna consciousness. This is the highest fulfillment of the life for everyone. You are only to turn your face towards Him and march, and the Sweet Absolute, Sri Krsna,will welcome you. This is the campaign of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas.

~Srila Rupa Gosvami described Krsna in a scientific way: akhila-rasdmrta- murtih. Our hearts are hankering for satisfaction and happiness of different types, but He is the emporium of all such rasas, flavors of ecstasy. All types of rasas are in K,rsna and He is the personification of them all, so everyone canfind his corresponding place in Him alone, and nowhere else. He is Krsnaakhila-rasamrta-murtih. All our necessary satisfaction is personified in Him. So only He can say, “Give up everything and come to Me, and you won’t have to repent. You will find your highest satisfaction.” No one else has ever said such a thing in any place. Only Krsna has said this, and Mahaprabhu pointed it out. “Go directly to that side and don’t go any other way, but march straight for the Krsna conception-that is your home.”

On Hari-katha, Preaching, Speaking and Writing

Once I had a talk with one of the big spiritual leaders of Udipi temple in Madras. He told me, “Sometimes I preach about Madhvacarya and the bhakti cult, but I have no time for sadhana:” I supported him. Our guru maharaja said that hari-katha, preaching about Krsna, is no less important than sadhana. Rather, it is a more living thing. Preaching is more vital. When we are preaching, automatically we must have the maximum concentration. On the other hand, while chanting on our japa beads, we may be absentminded. When we are speaking about Krsna to another person, we must be all-attentive. Otherwise, we can not speak accurately. All our attention will automatically be concentrated when we talk about Krsna. And in writing about Krsna, accuracy is even more necessary than in speaking about Krsna. So, writing is also kirtana. The cultivation of Krsna consciousness may even be more intense when we are engaged in writing about Krgia.

On the Meaning of anarpita caririt drat (CC adi 1.4)

In Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s book Jaiva Dharma we find one Vai~nava is asking his gurudeva, “Devotion, it is eternal; but why do you say it came from Mahaprabhu?”

Then his guru, Paramahamsa Babaji, is saying, “I visited Vrndavana and asked the eternal servitor of Sri Caitanyadeva, Sanatana Gosvami, ‘This anarpita carim cirat-‘which has never been dealt with before’-what is the meaning underlying it?” Then Sanatana Gosvarru replied, “Bhakti is eternal; in Narada-Bhakti-Sutras, Sandilya-Sutra, all such scriptures, this has been given-but the type of devotion which Mahaprabhu came with, which we meet after the advent of Mahaprabhu Seri Caitanyadeva, that was not previously at any time open to the ordinary person. So, it is called anarpita carim drat.”

And what is that standard of devotion? It is this: complete surrender to Krsna in consorthood, where every atom of the jiva soul gets welcomed and embraced by the corresponding atom of Krsna consciousness-madhura-rasa. That was not open to the public before. “This is my finding, my faith. You may accept, or not accept…” Sanatana Gosvarru told like this to that Vaisnava, “This is my private conception-you may take it or not:” This was his reply.