Rasa Lila In Brief: Saptasloki Rasa Lila
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Transcript of Rasa Lila In Brief: Saptasloki Rasa Lila
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Rasa-Leela in Brief: Saptasloki
The twelve Cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam can be likened to the twelve limbs
of the body. The tenth Canto, which describes the glories of Lord, is the heart. In
this tenth Canto, five chapters, from 29 to 33, describe the Raas-Leela (or Rasa
Lila). These five chapters of the Raas-Lila represent the five life breaths of this
Divine Leelaa. Five slokas from these chapters are given here, along with the first
sloka of the first chapter (no. 29) and the last sloka of the last chapter (no. 33).
l
र l RasO vai sah l
Rasagg hyavaayam labdvaanandee bhavati l Ko hyEvaanyaat kah praaNyaat l
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Yadesha aakosha anandO na syaat l Esha evaanandayaati l Yadaa hyEvaisha etasmin nadrushyE anaatmyE aniruktE anilayanE
abhayam pratishthaam vindate l Atha sObhayam gatO bhavati l
Yadaa hyEvaisha etasmin udaram antaram kurte l Atha tasya bhayam
bhavati l Tat tveva bhayam vidushO amanvaan asya l Tadyesha shloka bhavati ll 7 ll Taittareeyopanishad – Abhaya pratishthaa
The word “Raas” is derived from “ra-sa” which means taste, a delicacy, what
which we enjoy. We enjoy with all our senses, the sensory organs and perceptions.
We enjoy the taste of food of many different kinds. We enjoy the sensations of
smell of many different kinds. In the same way, here we can enjoy the divinity of
Krishna, in many different ways. The Taittareeyopanishad states “RasO vai sahaa,
He is the rasa.”
http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume11/sss11-31.pdf
Taittiriya Upanishad says: 'Raso vai sah. Rasam hyevayam labdhvanandi bhavati'
– 'He the Highest Self is Bliss in itself. The individual soul becomes blissful after
attaining that Bliss' II-7. http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/bs_1/1-1-06.html
Every part of Krishna was Krishna. His lotus-like face was Krishna. Even the nail
of the toes of His feet was Krishna. Every part of Krishna was capable to doing
anything and everything He pleased. His ears could see. His hands could see. He
could walks with His eyes. And, so He is the Supreme since every bit of Him is
Him. (This paragraph is my translation of a small part of the notes to the Rasa-lila
chapter in Hindi given in the Gorakhpur Press edition of Srimad Bhagavatam.)
http://www.salagram.net/BVTBhajanRahasya8.htm
http://harmonist.us/2009/07/a-transcendental-dialectic/
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The Five Stages of Rasa-Lila, as described in the five
chapters, are:
1. Bhagavan’s Sankalpam: Rasa-lila Prarambham
and Bhagavan’s Antardhaanam
2. Gopi viraham
3. Gopi geetam
4. Punar prakatanam and santvanam
5. Maharasa
Bhagavaan api taa raatreeh
sharadot phulla mallikaah l
Veekshya rantum manashcakre
Yogamaayaam upaashritahaa ll 10.29.1 ll
l
ll १०.२९.१ ll
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Sri Shukaacarya (Śrī dar ya i) said: Shri Krishna, is Bhagvan Himself, the
Supreme Personality (with ALL six of His Opulences, aishwaryam, veeryam,
yashah, shriyah, jnanam, and vairaagyam). He saw that on that lovely autumn night
the air filled with the sweet fragrance of blossoming, scented, jasmine flowers and
decided in His mind to make it an unforgettable night filled with loving affairs. To
fulfill this purpose He or decided to resort to (employed) His Yogamaaya – His
internal potency --- Raasa aarambham (Beginning of Rasa-lila).
Shreer yat padaambuja rajash-cakame Tulasyaah
Labdwaapi vakshasi padam kila bhrutyajushttam l
Yasyaah swaveekshaNa-krutEnya sura-prayaasas-
tadvad vayam ca tava paada rajah prapannaah ll 10.29.37 ll
l
ण S - -
च ll १०.२९ .३७ ll
Goddess Lakshmi (Shri), whose mere glance is eagerly sought after by all the
celestials with great effort (sura prayaasah), has achieved the envied and unique
position of always remaining within the chest of Her Lord, r ya a. Yet, She too
desires the dust of His lotus feet, even though She has to share that dust with
Tulasī-devī and indeed with the Lord's many other servants. Similarly, we (the
gopis) too have now approached You and eternal seek the shelter of dust of Your
lotus feet (Raasaarambham – the start of the Rasa-Lila).
Haa Naatha RamaNa Preshtha kvaasi kvaasi Mahaabhuja l
Daasyaaste krupaNaayaa may Sakhe darshaya sannidhim ll 10.30.40 ll
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ण l
ण ll १०.३०.४० ll
The gopi (Radha) who had been carried away by Krishna and felt very proud of
Herself, prompting Krishna to disappear (so she can be taught a lesson in humility)
cried out: O master! My lover! O the dearest of all, where are You? Where are
You? Please, O mighty-armed one, O dear friend, I am totally helpless (without
You). I am Your servant. Please show Yourself to Me! - Gopeeviraham (Pining
of the gopis after separation from Him with Krishna’s disappearance).
Tava kathamrutam tapta-jeevanam
kavibhir eeditam kalmashaapaham l
Shravana-mangalam Srimad aatatam
Bhuvi grunanti ye bhurida janah ll 10.31.9 ll
l
ण ण ll१०.३१ .९ ll
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The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life
and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations,
transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one's sinful reactions and bestow
good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all
over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who
spread the messages of Godhead are most munificent beings of all.
Gopikaa geetam (The song of the gopis)
Taasaam aavirabhoot Shaurih
Swayamaana mukhaambhujah l
Peetambaradharah Sragvee sakshaat
Manmatha Manmathahaa ll 10.32.2 ll
l
ll १०.३२.२ ll SB
And then suddenly amongst them He reappeared, the descendant of the Shurus
(son of Shura, Vasudeva). His lotus-like face was beaming with a gentle
enchanting smile. He was dressed in lovely yellow robes. He had a garland of
flowers around His neck. It appeared as if the God of Love Himself (Cupid) had
arrived. He was the indeed God of Love, literally churning up their hearts.
Prakatanam saantvanam ca (Reunion with Krishna’s reappearance).
Gopeenaam tat-pateenaam ca
Sarveshaam eva dehinaam l YOntashcarati SOdhyakshah
kreedhaneneha dehabaak ll 10.33.36 ll
च ए l
S S ll १०.३३.३६ ll
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He who lives as the Indweller and the overseeing witness within all of the gopīs
and also within their husbands, and indeed also within all embodied living beings,
it is He who is the Master, the Witness to all and it is He who has assumed these
forms in this world to enjoy His transcendental pastimes. Maharasa-Lila (The
Great Rasa dance)
Vikreeditam vraja-vadhoobhir idam ca VishNnoh
ShraddhanvitO-nushruNuyaat atha varNayet yah l
Bhaktim paraam bhagavati pratilabhya kaamam
Hrud-rogam aashu apahinot-yacireNa dheerah ll 10.33.40 ll
च ण
S ण ण l
च ण ll १०.३३.४० ll
If one, who is filled with faith, continuously hears or describes Bhagavan Sri
Krsna’s transcendental rasa-lila with the damsels of Vraja, that person will first
easily, and at will, attain para-bhakti (Supereme devotion) for the lotus feet of
Bhagavan and, thereafter, will quickly conquer the senses and become forever free
from the afflictions of the heart – worldly lust.
http://www.purebhakti.com/resources/harmonist-monthly/67-year-4-special-
editions/1301-continuously-hear-about-rasa-lila.html
**************************THE END******************************
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The Five Rasas are:
1. Shantam
2. Daasyam
3. Sakhyam
4. Vaatsalyam
5. Madhuryam
Continuously hearing (anu-shruNuyaat) and describing (varNayet) Rasa-lila takes
us to this final state of madhuryam and will confer upon the devotee the status of
becoming a gopi. http://www.be-pure.info/Bhaktisub/Stages-of-bhakti.html
http://www.purebhakti.com/teachers/bhakti-discourses-mainmenu-61/21-
discourses-2002/252-the-vrajavasis-never-know.html
http://nitaaiveda.com/All_Scriptures_By_Acharyas/Raghava_Pandita_Goswami/H
ari_Bhakti_Ratna_Prakash/Sixth_Ray_of_Light.htm
http://krishnascience.info/Vaisnava%20Library/Courses%20-
%20seminars/VOW%20compl.htm
******************************************************************
See also http://vedabase.net/sb/10/33/39/en and extract below.
Canto 10: The Summum Bonum Chapter 33: The Rāsa Dance
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad h gavatam 10.33.39
vi rī ita vraja-vadhūbhir ida ca vi o
raddh nvito nu uy d atha var ayed ya l
bha ti par bhagavati pratilabhya ma
h d-rogam v apahinoty acire a dhīra ll
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SYNONYMS
vi rī itam — the sporting; vraja-vadhūbhi — with the young women of
nd vana; idam — this; ca — and; vi o — by Lord i u; raddh -anvita —
faithfully; anu uy t — hears; atha — or; var ayet — describes; ya — who;
bhaktim — devotional service; par m — transcendental; bhagavati — unto the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; pratilabhya — obtaining; mam — material
lust; h t — in the heart; rogam — the disease; a u — quickly; apahinoti — he
drives away; acire a — without delay; dhīra — sober.
TRANSLATION
Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord's playful affairs with the young
gopīs of nd vana will attain the Lord's pure devotional service. Thus he will
quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.
PURPORT
The extraordinary power of Lord K a's conjugal pastimes is clearly revealed
here. Qualitatively, the Lord's spiritual, loving pastimes are the diametric opposite
of material, lusty affairs, so much so that simply by hearing about the Lord's
pastimes a devotee conquers sex desire. By reading pornographic literature or
hearing about material romance, we certainly do not conquer sex desire but rather
increase our lust. But hearing or reading about the Lord's conjugal affairs has
exactly the opposite effect because they are of the opposite nature, being purely
spiritual. Therefore it is by the causeless mercy of Lord K a that He exhibits His
r sa-līl within this world. If we become attached to this narration, we will
experience the bliss of spiritual love and thus reject the perverted reflection of that
love, which is called lust. As nicely put by Lord K a in the Bhagavad-gīt (2.59),
para d v nivartate: "Once having directly experienced the Supreme, one will
not return to material pleasures."
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C.
ha tivedanta Swami Prabhup da to the Tenth Canto, Thirty-third Chapter, of the
Śrīmad- h gavatam, entitled "The R sa Dance."
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Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Dear All:
In an earlier email, during the week of April 8, 2012, during the Masters (golf)
tournament, I had mentioned how "thousand" is used even in a non-spiritual
context. The writer was referring to a difficult to pronounce last name of a golfer
who was among the top two (2) who were poised to win the tournament going into
the final day. He said there were a "thousand" mispronunciations of his last name
(Louis Oosthuizen, or Oosti, for short http://louis57oosthuizen.com/ ).
Now, here's another example, used by the famous English poet William
Wordsworth. Now, we come across "ten thousand". The poet is using this to refer
to an unimaginably large number. We use Sahasra, in our scriptures, in the same
way - it actually means Infinite, or unimaginably large - not EXACTLY one
thousand - Sahasra Sheershaah Purushahaa.....
Several of Wordsworth's poems were prescribed in our English classes when I was
in high school. I used to remember most of them but, for some reason, Daffodils
came to my mind this morning when I was thinking about the description of the
night of Rasa-lila and Krishna's sudden appearance in front of the Gopis.
Taasaam avirabhoot Shaurih
Smayamaana mukhaambhujah l Peetamabara-dharah Sragvee
sakshaat Manmatha Manmathahaa ll 10.32.2 ll SB
I keep thinking about Manmatha Manmathaahaa here and the impact His sudden
reappearance would have had on the gopis who were pining from His separation
and singing His glories after Rasa-lila was initiated and He disappeared, when each
gopi started feeling very proud of herself and felt as if she was all alone with
Krishna. They did not see the other gopis, or see Krishna with the others.
It is said that only Radha could see them all and she saw Krishna with each one of
them and also Herself with Krishna. However, the name Radha is NOT mentioned
explicitly in the Srimad Bhagavatam. (There is a reason for it and it is a long story
that we cannot get into here; see articles cited at end of this document.)
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Manmatha means the Madana - the god of love - Cupid. It also means one who is
churning your heart like we churn milk to produce butter using what is known as
the "matha" (or "matthu" in Tamil). A "matha" was used to churn the Ocean of
Milk to produce nectar. The Meru mountain was used for this purpose by the gods
and the demons but, since it did not have a peg to hold it, it fell off and Bhagavan
then appeared as a giant Koorma (tortoise) with a nice cavity in the shell to be able
to hold the "matha" in place to facilitate the churning. In the Bhagavad Gita,
Krishna says (chapter 18, verse 61),
Eeshwarah sarva bhootaanaam hrud deshErjuna tishthati l Bhraamayan sarva bhootaani yantraaroodhaani maayayaa ll 18.61 ll BG
I am seated in everyone's heart and churn it up like a "matha" is doing - yantra
actually means a machine, or tool, like a "matha". Because of all this "churning",
with His Maayaa, we cannot see Him clearly within our heart.
So, here in Srimad Bhagavatam, He appears saakshaat Manmatha Manmathahaa.
That is how Shukaacarya describes it. One can only imagine what the scene might
have been like on that night of Rasa-lila.
Now read about what Wordsworth says about the Daffodils. He says he saw ten
thousand of them. Daffodils also have a yellow color. They were dancing in the
breeze. Krishna is described here as being wearing a yellow (peeta) dress (ambara).
May be that is why I remembered the poem. Everyone was dancing with Krishna.
May be that is why I remembered that poem.
I want to remember the Rasa-Lila scene and enjoy it although I have never seen
Krishna, like the gopis did, with their own eyes, that is what Saakshaat means, with
one's own eyes, or even unlike Swami Desikan who saw Him as Venugopalan (at
one of the 108 Diva desams) and describes Him (in Gopala Vimshati, verse 12).
Swami Desikan wants to retain that vision forever in his heart, like Wordsworth
did of the daffodils and used to remember it always (for oft when on my couch
recline….). Desikan also says he wants to remember that vision again and again,
and wants that vision even at the very last moment of his life - anthima smurthi.
http://www.prapatti.com/slokas/sanskrit/desika-stotramaala/gopaalavimshati.pdf
Now, enjoy also the Daffodils. Wordswoth says, he saw ten thousand of them
dancing in the breeze. There were thousands upon thousands of Krishnas in
Peetambaras dancing during Rasa-lila. I want to enjoy that scene, that Saakshaat
Manmatha Manmathahaa. I can only think about it. This has been haunting me
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ever since I started writing about Rasa-lila. This is one verse that I now remember
over and over again.
It is also a verse that is recited every week, during the Saturday Thirumanjanam at
the Sri Balaji Temple, in Sterling Heights. I am quite sure I will be heard reciting
this one aloud, like people hear me reciting other slokas, very soon, at the temple.
Peetamabara-dharah Sragvee Saakshaat Manmatha Manmathahaa..... oh, to just
imagine that ... and remember at that last moment!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/91224441/Rasa-Lila-In-Brief-Saptasloki-Rasa-Lila
http://www.scribd.com/doc/90505011/Duration-of-Rasa-Lila
http://www.scribd.com/doc/90582950/RasaLilaKrishnaCelibate
Very sincerely
V. Laxmanan
April 26, 2012
******************************************************************
Daffodils - a poem by by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills, (hills and dales?)
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
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The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves (waves?) in glee;
A poet could not be but gay, (gay = happy)
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought (never thought?)
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie (recline?)
Awakened or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
***************************************
Masters set for fitting finale
Originally Published: April 7, 2012
By Gene Wojciechowski | ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&pa
ge=wojciechowski-120407&sportCat=golf
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- At 4:52 p.m. Masters Standard Time on Saturday, the ground
shook, the pines covered their ears and scoreboard operators all across Augusta
National reached for more red numbers. Phil Mickelson was tied for the lead! For
about 24 minutes.
And then an ego-free Swede named Peter Hanson, whose own country club in
Orlando won't talk about him, moved ahead. He was joined by Louis Oosthuizen,
who has a Claret Jug (i.e, he has won a major championship, the British Open) and
a last name with seemingly 1,000 incorrect pronunciations.
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Deshikan’s Gopala Vimshati Verse 12
Composed at the Divya Desam at Thiruvahindrapuram
http://www.prapatti.com/slokas/sanskrit/desika-stotramaala/gopaalavimshati.pdf
http://keshavonline.tumblr.com/post/14594279254/vishwaroopam-this-is-
based-on-swami-vedanta
Adharaahita caaru vamsha naalaah
Makuthaalambi mayoora piccha maalaah l
Hari neela shilaa vibhanga neelaah
Pratibhaa santu mamaantima prayaaNe ll 12 ll
च
- - l
-
ण ll १२ ll
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http://www.sundarasimham.org/ebooks/GopalaVimsati.pdf
Vamsha naalaa means a slender tube, or a pipe, made from bamboo. This
refers to the flute held by Krishna. Adhara means lips. The flute resonates
with the movement of Krishna’s lips. Enchanting divine music emanates
from the flute and Swami Desikan is able to experience this and feel it. He
can also see the crown worn by Krishna and the string of peacock feathers
that adorn the crown. He can see the blue lustre and resplendence of the
gemstone (sapphire) around His neck and the blue hue emanating from all
over His Divine body. The soft blue radiance is all pervading and Swami
Desikan wants to remember this forever, even at his last moments.
In verse 12 above of the Gopala Vimshati (which means 20 verses on
Gopala), we see Swami Desikan pleading for Anthima Smruthi. As he is
describing all the Krishna Leelas throughout in this stotram, Desikan is
completely overwhelmed and wants to retain this vision of Venugopalan
THROUGHOUT his life and also at the LAST MOMENTS of his life on this
earth. Notice also that he is using the same word "PrayaaNe" used by
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Krishna in chapters 7 and 8 of the Gita. (PrayaaNa kaale, chapter 7, verse
30 and chapter 8, verse 10, anta kaale in chapter 8, verse 5).
If Swami Desikan can so desire - ALL of US must ALSO desire the same -
and this is also consistent with Krishna's message in chapter 8 of the Gita
(and in others chapters of the Gita, as well). For those who may not be
familiar, Swami Desikan is the leading acarya of SriVaishnavism, following
in the footsteps of Ramanujacarya. He also laid the modern foundations for
what is known as Prapatti in this Vaishnavite tradition of South India.
SriVaishnavite scholars generally seem to feel, see links below, that the
desire for ‘anthima smruthi’ expressed here by Swami Desikan is merely
his own personal prayer and not in any way contrary to the very profound
Prapatti doctrine, or to Ramanujaacarya’s six dictums, received through
Thirukkatchi Nambi (one of which is Anthima Smruthi Varjanam).
http://www.sundarasimham.org/ebooks/GopalaVimsati.pdf
http://desikastotras.blogspot.com/2007/02/gopala-vimsati.html
http://www.saranagathi.org/
http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/psekaram/psekaram03.html
Even if one is a true “prapanna”, i.e., if one who has recognized the utter
helplessness and inability to follow any type of prescribed yoga to achieve
moksha and so decides to “surrender” (as opposed to a bhakta, who is a
devotee, and is still “striving” in the path of Bhakti Yoga, with his or her
“own” efforts), why stress “varjanam” (which means to abandon, banish,
etc., i.e., not required, or not necessary, or not mandatory in this context)?
Can one be a “true prapanna” and yet long for anthima smruthi? There is
no need to hold the two as being in opposition. The two need not be
contrary viewpoints. “Varjanam”, as in abandonment, certainly appears to
be too strong and harsh a sentiment to express in this regard.
Page 17 of 57
In the accepted versions of the dictum of Anthima Smruthi Varjanam, with
no contradictions to Krishna’ teachings in the Gita (see, for example, links),
http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/psekaram/psekaram03.html
http://ramanuja.wetpaint.com/page/Antimastriti+Varjanam
one seems to be (conveniently? with full realization of one’s helplessness?)
shifting the burden on to Emperuman (or Krishna). Is that really the intent of
performing Prapatti? Or, is one refusing to take responsibility a la the
famous markata-marjara nyaaya? This refers to the observations by the
wise on the markata (monkey) and the marjara (cat).
Observe monkeys in the forest, or even in a zoo. The monkey baby is
scared to death and clings on to the mother for dear life as the mother goes
about swinging carefree from branch to branch as opposed to the baby cat
which is utterly unafraid as the mother cat very carefully picks up the baby,
making sure not to hurt it while grabbing tightly at the baby’s “throat” or
“neck”, with the same grip used to kill a prey but leaving the baby
unharmed!
And, so it is in the Anthima Smruthi Varjanam.
Are the prapannas marjara babies and bhaktas the markata babies – still
tightly holding on to bhakti, with fear in their hearts, like the markata baby,
in the ultimate hope of success sometime in attaining moksha – at some
distant time in the past, perhaps, after many many janmas?
Chaturvidhaah bhajante Maam janaah sukrutinOrjuna l
AartO jinyaasur arthaarthee jnaanee ca Bharatarshabha ll 7.16 ll BG
Bahoonaam janmaanaam ante jnanavaan maam prapadyate l
Vaasudevah sarvam iti sa Mahaatma sudurlabhahaa ll 7.19 ll BG
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“To be or not to be”, said Hamlet. “To be a prapanna, or not to be”, says the
SriVaishnava neophyte while hanging on to every word of Krishna from the
Gita for dear life!
Durlabham maanusham janma…., says Prahalada to his fellow students
at the demon school he was sent to by his father Hiranyakashyapu (Srimad
Bhagavatam, Canto 7, chapter 6, verse 1 http://vedabase.net/sb/7/6/1/en1
He is advocating Harinaama smaraNam. To Hiranyakashyapu himself,
Prahalada said fearlessly, in the previous chapter (verse 23) when asked
what he had learned from his teachers in the demon school.
ShravaNam keertanam VishNoh smaraNam paadasevanam l
Arcanam vandanam daasyam sakhyam aatma nivedanam ll 7.5.23 ll
Hiranyakashyapu was amused and laughed at Prahalada’s innocence
when he heard the above. At this stage in the story, the demon king has
not yet reached the fury point. He sent his son back to school and advised
the demon teachers that they should teach something useful to his son –
like sing the glories of Hiranyakashyapu!
It is up to us to make the most of this manusham janma --- this human body
with all of its blessed faculties. Bhakta or Prapanna? Markata or marjaara?
Vrajanam or Varjanam? or
SharaNam Vraja but Smruthi Varja? Prahalada says SmaraNam Vraja.
Your choice! ☺or may be there is no choice!
See also discussion of Varaha Charama Slokam
http://www.scribd.com/doc/56368141/The-Three-Charama-Slokas-An-
Introductory-Discussion
Page 19 of 57
The Varaha Charama Sloka of Varaha Purana
l
च ll
ण - ण- l
ll
Sthite manasi susvasthe shareere sati yo narahaa l Dhaatu-saamye sthite smartaa Vishwaroopam ca Maamajam ll Tatas-tam mriyamaaNam tu kaashtta-paashaaNa-sannibham l Aham smaraami madbhaktam nayaami paramaam gatim ll
Lord Varahaswamy Addresses Mother Earth or Bhumi Devi:
Three main characteristics of His bhaktaa, mentioned in the second sloka, are listed
in the first sloka.
1. Sthite manasi: Sound mind, literally “in” sound mind, i.e., having sound
mind.
2. Suswasthe shareere: Healthy body, “in” a healthy body, i.e., being healthy.
3. Dhaatu saamye: Essential ingredients being in full equilibrium. The word
‘dhaatu’ literally means the basic ingredients of Pra riti; see chapter 7, verse
4 of the Bhagavad Gita. It is also used in many Indian languages for basic
minerals, ores, etc. that we find on the earth.
If any man (sati yo narah) who is with a sound mind, situated in good health, with
all physical and mental faculties which one is made up of) in functioning in full
equilibrium (saamye) were to think of Me (smarthaa) as being the cause of this
Universe (Viswaroopam, having the form of this Universe) and as the One without
birth (Ajam), I will think of that devotee of Mine (madbhaktam) when he is on his
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death bed (mriyamaaNam), lying helplessly like a stone (paashaaNa) or a log of
wood (kaashtta) and take him (nayaami) to the Ultimate Abode (Paraam gatim).
In the other words, the Merciful Lord has already taken a vow to grant Anthima
Smurthi to the Prapanna and will liberate the Prapanna (moksha via transport to
His Abode). This is the widely accepted interpretation, except that Varahaswamy
uses the word “ ha ta” to describe this person, not a “Prapanna”.
Hence, it is my humble opinion that one must ALWAYS continue down the path
of Bhakti yoga, even after becoming a Prapanna. The spirit of "Ten thousand saw I
at a glance" appeals more to me, personally speaking, and also Swami Desikan's
own desire for anthima smurthi (memory of the Lord during the final moments).
May I be blessed to be forgiven by Acaryas and Prapannas for any offenses in this
regard.
What is the position of a Prapanna? Is the person now assured of the Lord’s Grace?
Interestingly, we find Yamunaacarya, whom Ramanujacarya sought as a guru,
pleading with the Lord (verse 64 of Stotra Ratna, English rendition by Dr. MS
Rajajee, published by Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams, 2004 Edition), as follows.
He says, “O Lord, my Master (naatha), I have indeed truly (nanu) sought Your
refuge (prapannah). I am begging You (yaacamaanah) with the entreaty that I am
but Yours (tavaaham asmeeti). You have promised that if one surrenders to You
but once (sakrudeva prapannaaya..) that person shall without any doubt be
protected by You. Is that not Your own vow (kimidam vratam te)? I surely deserve
Your mercy and compassion (tava anukampyahaa). So, why are You now
seemingly going to make one (eka) exception (varjam) in my case? What kind of
(kim idam) a vow (vratam) of Yours (te) would that be (if You made the exception,
in my case)?
Nanu prapannah sakrudeva Naatha
Tavaahamasmi iti ca yaacamaanahaa l
Tavaanumkamyah smaratah pratijnaam
Madeka varjam kimidam vratam te ll 64 ll
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च च l
ll ६४ ll
Readers can consult Professor Rajajee’s full translation and nice explantion of this
verse further. The text is still available at the TTD bookstore, right across from the
Venkateswara’s temple atop the seven hills.
Here Yamunacarya is careful to use EXACTLY the same words used by Lord
Rama Himself (in Valmiki Ramayanam) to explain to Sugreeva (who is the King
and His ally in the war against Ravana) and other vanara and ruksha warriors and
elders why He is bound by His own vow (vratam ma-ma) of providing (dadaami)
protection to all beings (abhayam sarva bhootebhyO) who have sought His shelter
and have surrendered to Him (sakrudeva prapannaya) and is pleading (yaacate)
with the words “I am Yours” (tava asmi iti), see link for an introductory discussion
of the three charama slokas http://www.scribd.com/doc/56368141/The-Three-
Charama-Slokas-An-Introductory-Discussion
Sakrudeva prapannaaya tavaasmeeti ca yaacate l
Abhayam sarvabhootebhyO dadaamyetad vratam ma-ma ll
च च l
ll YK, Canto 18, verse 33
Interestingly, notice that this revered charama slokam from Ramavataram is found
in chapter 18 of the Yuddha kandam (YK) of Valmiki Ramayanam and is verse 33
(Gorakhpur Press, Part II, Reprint 2011), just as the better known charama slokam
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from Krishnaavataram (Sarva dharmaan parityajya maamekam sharaNam vraja) is
also found in chapter 18 (verse 66, ah, double of 33).
The exact same words “prapanna”, “sakrudeva”, and “tavaasmi”, are again used by
Yamunacarya in his stotra ratna. But the pleading continues. The entreaty
continues. The doubts seem to persist as to the Lord’s intent (even after becoming
a Prapanna) as to whether His grace shall be forthcoming. Why should there be
any doubt when Lord Rama has said “sarva bhootebhyO”, ALL beings? NO ONE
has been excluded by Lord Rama. He promises to protect all beings, regardless of
their offense, if they seek His refuge. Hence, the Lord protected Kakaasura (demon
in the form of a crow, mentioned by Sita to Hanuman, in Sundara Kandam) and
even Shishupala (who is mentioned the preceding verse 63 by Yamunacarya).
The prapanna, Yamunaacarya himself, is even taking the liberty to remind the Lord
of His own vow (as if the Lord cannot remember, but that is okay and what
“vatsalya bhaavam”, the sense of deep intimacy like a dear kin, is all about).
Perhaps, most important of all is the significance and the meaning of the word
“varjam” as used in Yamunacarya’s slokam. This is the same as “varjanam”.
However, varjam, or varjanam, as we just saw above, also means “one exception”
or “to the exclusion of”.
This is one of several meanings of “varjanam” found in the dictionary, in addition
to the commonly understood meaning of “to abandon, to banish”, not necessary,
not needed, etc.
So, anthima smruthi “varjanam”, as conveyed via Thirukkachi Nambi (at
Kanchipuram to Ramanuja) might simply mean that He is happy to grant ONE
EXCEPTION – at that last moment, IF the prapanna cannot remember Him. But,
the prapanna must remain a Bhakta and remember Him at all other times. One
exception shall certainly be made. SmaraNam of the Lord must continue at all
other times, as recommended by Prahalada Himself, to none other than
Hiranyakashyapu.
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And so, today, at a much older age, I will now rephrase what I learned when I first
read Wordworth’s famous poem when I just a teenager.
For oft when on my couch recline
Awakened or in pensive mood
He, My Gopala, flashes upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the gopis and thrills
Very sincerely
V. Laxmanan
April 27, 2012
******************************************************************
Quotes: Six Principles of Srivaishnavam
Extracted from http://www.saranagathi.org/
Sriman Narayana is the Supreme Self; unparalled and unsurpased -
Ahameva Param Tatvam. The Lord has all the insentient and sentient as his body, and He is the soul of
everything - Darsanam Bhedam Eva Cha.
The way to get salvation is surrendering to the feet of the Lord - Upayeshu
Prapatisyaat.
There is no need to adopt contemplation on the Lord during our final breath
- Anthima Smruthi Varjanam.
After the soul departs from the material body, it gets salvation if he/she
adopted the means of surrender (saranagathi) - Dehaavasaane
Mukthisyaat. One should approach a fully qualified Vaishnava acharya and get
enlightened - (Poorna)achaaryam Samaasraya.
Lord of Kanchi (Sri Varadaraja Perumal) told these six statements to Sri Ramanuja
through Sri Thirukachi Nambi (Kanchi Poorna).
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UNDERSTANDING Rasa-Lila
The following is copied and pasted in entirety (see link given below) and must be
read by all true devotees to fully understand Rasa-Lila.
http://www.be-pure.info/files/Articles/Article77.html
The Structure of the Srimad Bhagavatam
Sri Prem Prayojan Prabhu
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the sastra that will free one from the endless chain
of birth and death. It is the very svarupa of Krsna Himself. Just as we love
Krsna and serve Him with the utmost deep attachment, caring about
how He feels and what He desires, in the same way we should approach
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Prema maya bhagavata krsnera sri anga: Caitanya
Bhagavat says that this Bhagavatam is full of love, and it is non-different
from the limbs of Krsna Himself. Actually Bhagavatam is transcendental,
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and no one, but no one, can understand Bhagavatam by their own mind, by
their own effort. Vedanta Sutra gives the instruction that the absolute truth
is ‘tarka apratistanat’; it is not understood by logic or argument. Mahabarata
gives us information:
acintyah khalu ye bhava na tams tarkena yojayet
prakrtibhyah param yac ca, tad acintyasya laksanam
For that subject matter which is transcendental, you cannot apply your
logic, reason or experience. Why not? All transcendental subject matters
are acintya, inconceivable. So Bhagavatam is like that. Why? What
language is Bhagavatam written in? It appears to be written in Sanskrit, it
appears to be so, but no. Vyasadeva, having received blessings from his
guru Narada Rsi, who ordered him to manifest Bhagavatam in this plane,
went into trance.
bhakti-yogena manasi
samyak pranihite ’male
apasyat purusam purnam
mayam ca tad-apasrayam
(SB 1.7.4)
Vyasadeva went into trance, bhakti-yoga samadhi, and then, what
manifested in his heart by the blessings of his Gurudeva, he wrote down in
the form of syllables. Our Acaryas explained that this Bhagavatam is
written in samadhi-bhasa, trance language. If you are Israeli, you speak
Hebrew; if you are Japanese, you speak Japanese; but who can
understand samadhi-bhasa? That person who lives in the world of trance,
who lives in the land of samadhi can speak and understand samadhi-
bhasa. Those who do not spend a very significant portion of their day in
trance cannot understand a word of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
If we want to know the nature or structure of Bhagavatam, we have to go to
its roots. We find its roots explained within itself, in the Second Canto,
chapter nine. At the beginning of creation, Brahmaji was existing,
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but he could not understand where he had come from, what was the
meaning of his existence, what he should do, or anything. He searched
here and there, but to no avail. However, because he was very sincere, the
Supreme Lord inspired him by the vibration of two syllables ‘ta-pa’. Then he
began to search within himself, instead of searching outside up and down
the lotus stem. He began to do ta-pa, not austerity, but sadhana, a
practice to understand the purpose of his existence. He began supplicating,
“Is there someone superior to me who can help me and teach me who am I
and why am I here?” In this mood he performed his austerity. By his
meditation Brahmaji came into trance, and there the Supreme Lord came
and instructed him. What did He give him? He gave him Bhagavatam.
At the beginning of the creation, the Bhagavatam was only four slokas; this
is called Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam. If we want to understand the essence, or
structure, of Bhagavatam, the format or dialectic of this sastra, we can
find it in a nutshell, summarized in the Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam. Before
speaking Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam, the Supreme Lord told two more
verses which should be taken along with Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam, because
they give the key to opening the mystery of Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam. What
are they? First Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord Himself, said:
jnanam parama-guhyam me
yad vijnana-samanvitam
sa-rahasyam tad-angam ca
grhita gaditam mayam
yavan aham yatha-bhavo
yad-rupa-guna-karmaka
tathaiva tattva-vijnanam
astu te mad-anugrahat
(SB 2.9.31-32)
These slokas are very important. The first instruction explains ‘parama-
guhya’, the highest and most confidential knowledge. Now Bhagavan does
not want to speak of any relative understanding, any general conception, or
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any step on the path to finding out what the ultimite reality is. He is saying,
“Now I want to instruct you on parama-guhya, the most confidential
mystery.” If you can reference this to Bhagavad-Gita, there you will see
find ‘guhya vidya’, ‘guhya’, ‘guhyatara”, and ‘guhyatamam’. Guhya-vidya is
knowledge of ‘brahma bhuta prasanatma, na socati na kancati’. Guhyatara
is knowledge of ‘isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati’
(the Paramatma), and then, ‘sarva guhyatamam bhuya srinume paramam
bacha…’, Know that I am telling you the most secret thing. What is parama
guhya?
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te, pratijane priyo 'si me
Bhagavad-Gita 18.65—“Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship
Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I
promise you this because you are My very dear friend.”
Your mind should be ‘man mana bhava’. What does it mean to be ‘man
mana bhava’? It is explained in detail in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Krsna told
Uddhava when He wanted to send him to Vrndavana: Tara matamana
sarmat prana.
Here, ‘man mana’ has been explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam in this way:
The hearts of the gopis of Vrndavana are totally absorbed only in Me. They
don’t know anything except for Me. Inside and out, they only see Me. Thus,
the gopis are the example of ‘man mana bhava’. This is called ragatmika
bhakti, the bhakti of the residents of transcendental Vraja.
Krsna told Arjuna, ‘mana mana bhava’. Be like this, but if you cannot be like
a ragatmika, then be like a devotee in this world and try to follow the
ragatmikas. If you cannot be ragatmika, then be raganuga, following them.
But raganuga is very rare, very few are qualified. If you cannot do
raganuga, then ‘mad yaji’, this means to do puja, arcana. Arcana is not in
raga-marga; it is in vaidhi-marga. So, if cannot do raganuga-bhakti, you
should do vaidhi-bhakti. OK, if you cannot do vaidhi-bhakti, then
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‘namaskuru’; if you cannot follow so many rules and regulations in your life,
then at least bow down. Namaskuru means ‘namah’: ‘na’ means ‘nivritti’
and ‘ma’ means ‘aham mameti’, give up your false ego. Try to give up the
fruit of your work and your enjoying mood, the false ego that “I am this
body,” give up this bodily identification and, bowing down to the Supreme
Lord, start your spiritual life. In this way, Krsna is so kind. If you cannot do
the highest thing, Krsna gives you another option—if you cannot do this,
then do this, if you cannot do that, do this, and so on. If you can start your
spiritual life somewhere, gradually, gradually, one day you will attain the
goal. So understanding this word ‘parama guhya’ with reference to parama
guhya in Gita, that parama guhya is ‘man mana bhava’—be like the gopis,
totally absorbed in prema.
But here the Lord is saying, “Take up ‘grhana gaditam maya’. On my order
you should take up this knowledge, this process.” What is that? It consists
of four types of knowledge. The first one is called ‘jnanam’. Tad-vijnana
samanvitam: this knowledge is samanvit, it is also related to, or imbued
with vijnana. Then sa-rahasyam, and also rahasya, a mystery. ‘Tad angam
ca’, and it has anga. Grhana gaditam maya. In other words, He is saying,
“The knowledge I am about to impart to you is of four types: jnana, vijnana,
rahasya and tad anga. Each word, or each ingredient, of this introduction to
Catuhsloki Bhagavatam tells you its content. You have the four slokas of
Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam, but before the four slokas is the page of contents,
listing four types of knowledge: jnana, vijnana, rahasya and tadanga.
Actually, ‘tad anga’ means the angas of that rahasya. What is that? First
jnana, this means sambandha-jnana; vijnana also refers to same jnana.
Rahasya refers to premabhakti, the mystery is prema, the prayojana, and
tadanga, or the angas of bhakti, is abhideya. So there are three things:
sambandha, abhideya and prayojana. Bhagavatam is presented in this
format, as is all Vedasastra. The first verse of Catuhsloki Bhagavatam is:
aham evasam evagre
nanyad yat sad-asat param
paccad aham yad etac ca
yo ’vasisyeta so ’smy aham
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(SB 9.2.93)
Krsna is saying here, “Before the creation, before there were any material
developments at all, I existed. When the creation was finishd, ‘paccad
aham yad etac ca yo ’vacisyeta so ’smy aham’, when everything is
annihilated, dissolved, only I exist. And in the middle only I exist.” What
kind of knowledge is this? sambandha, abhideya or prayojana? This is
sambandha-jnana. Why? Sambandha means knowing the relation with the
Supreme Absolute Truth, Krsna. Are you related with brahma, paramatma
or Bhagavan? Here is a description of Bhagavan, because brahma never
gives any instruction—He never speaks before, after, in-between, or
anything. This is sambandha-jnana. Then:
rte ’rtham yat pratiyeta
na pratiyeta catmani
tad vidyad atmano mayam
yathabhaso yatha tamah
Here He is saying, “Whatever you see which apears to be true but is
separate from Me, you should know that this is My Maya.” My energy has
two features: yathabhaso yatha tamah—abhasa and tamah. What
knowledge is this? Sambandha, abhideya or prayojana? This is also
sambandha. Why? Here there is knowledge of three things: Bhagavan and
His realation with Maya and the Jivas. Here the semblence, ‘My abhasa’,
that means jiva-maya, jiva-tattva. Why? Because the jivas are also
conscious like Me; they are bhokta-svarupa (the embodiment
of enjoyment), they are jnata-svarupa (they are the knower), they are
jnana-svarua (they are the embodiment of knowledge), they are mantra-
svarupa (they are thoughtful), they have independence, free will (sveccha
mayata).
All these qualities are in Bhagavan, and are also in the jiva. Jivas are like
the semblence of Bhagavan, and ‘yatha tamah’, this means darkness. The
material energy is not conscious of anything; Therefore it is called tamah,
darkness, because there is no feeling there. This constitutes sambandha-
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jnana. The jivas and Maya are not separate from Bhagavan. There, like
reflection and darkness, the reflection depends on the real thing, and
the darkness is only the absence of the real object. Everything depends on
the real object. So everything is related to, created by and dependent on
the Supreme Lord. This is also sambandha-jnana. So here when Krsna
said, “I existed before, during, and after,” this is related to His own svarupa.
If He is speaking, that means He has senses, and this also means that He
has intelligence. Therefore He is a person. To emphasize that He is a
person, He uses the word ‘aham’ three times:
aham evasam evagre
nanyad yat sad-asat param
paccad aham yad etac
yo ’vasisyeta so ’smy aham
Three times in this verse He says ‘aham’, to emphasize that “I am a
person—I can speak; My senses are transcendental.” Why? “Because
when the material world is completely collapsed, I am still there. My senses
are not material, My individuality is not material, My intelligence is not
material. Everything about Me is transcendental.” In fact, in the previous
verse leading up to Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam, Bhagavan told Brahma:
yavan aham yatha-bhavo. “As much as I am ‘yad-rupa-guna-karmaka’, My
form, My qualities and My activities, there is no question of impersonalism.
Oh, may this be awakened in your heart, ‘tathaiva tattva-vijnanam, astu
te mad-anugrahat’, by My mercy.”
Previously, the Lord had said that you should take up this knowledge,‘grhita
gaditam mayam’. This is your sadhana, and then He said it will be
awakened in your heart ‘by My mercy’. In other words, the process to know
the truth is sadhana-bhakti, and sadhana is not independent of krpa
(mercy)—you need both. You will have to do sadhana, and seeing your
hard endeavors, Bhagavan will give you mercy. Then you will realize
something. Without sadhana, you will not realize anything, and without
mercy you cannot realize, but when both come together, then you can
realize something.
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So here the first sloka of Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam is called jnana. Jnana
means the direct perception of the svarupa of the Supreme Lord. And
vijnana generally means science, or visaya-jnana, but here visesa-jnana,
visesata means specialities, or distinctions. To understand the distinctions,
and the relation between Bhagavan and the Jiva and Maya, is called
vijnana. How Bhagavan relates with His sakti is called vijnana. So, jnanam
parama-guhyam me yad vijnana-samanvitam: these two are sambandha-
jnana. The third sloka of Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam is:
yatha mahanti bhutani
bhutesucavacesv anu
pravistany apravistani
tatha tesu na tesv aham
“As the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do
not enter into the cosmos, similarly, I Myself also enter within everything
created, and at the same time I remain separate from everything.” What is
this verse? Sambandha, abhideya or prayojana? This is prayojana-tattva,
prema-tattva. Why? Follow the content page: first come jnana and vijnana.
What comes next? Rahasya, confidential mystery. That is prema; prema is
the mystery of Bhagavatam. How is it so?
The mood of the Maha-Bhagavata devotee has been described in
Bhagavatam:
sarva-bhutesu yah pasyed
bhagavad-bhavam atmanah
bhutani bhagavaty atmany
esa bhagavatottamah
(SB 11.2.45)
That person who sees Me everywhere and everything in Me, and who sees
his own mood in everyone else, is called Maha-Bhagavata. This is prema-
tattva. Mahaprabhu told Ramananda Raya: stavara jamgam na dekhiya
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amurti. You are Maha-Bhagavata, so you see your beloved Lord
everywhere, in every moving and non-moving object. Here Krsna is saying,
“I am in everything and also separate”—this is prema-tattva. This is
demonstrated by Srimati Radhika—in the madness of mahabhava, what
happens? When She sees a tamal tree, She embraces it, and thinks, “Now
My life is successful.” Why? She is not seeing a tamala tree; She actually
thinks, “I am embracing Krsna.” When Her braided hair falls over Her
shoulder, She brushs it off, and chastizes, “Don’t touch Me!” Why? She
thinks this is Krsna’s arm. When She sees the dark clouds in the sky, She
has mana and turns Her face, as if Her lover has made an offense. This is
called prema-tattva, ‘sa rahasya’.
The last verse of Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam is:
etavad eva jijyasya
tattva-jijyasunatmanah
anvaya-vyatirekabhyah
yat syat sarvatra sarvada
One must search for this rahasya (mystery) in all times, all places, all
circumstances, both directly and indirectly.
This verse is what? Tad angam, abhideya-tattva, bhakti. What is the first
anga of bhakti out of 64? Gurupada asraya diksa guru asevam sad dharma
preta sisksa sadhu maganugamum. Like this, the first ten angas come,
but the first anga is gurupada asraya, so here it is given ‘atavad eva
jijyasya’, you have to inquire. By asking questions, you can realize this truth
that you have to approach a person who knows the truth. Otherwise, if you
approach any ordinary person, what is the use of asking him any question?
He cannot give you the answer.
Thus, here bhakti-tattva has been indicated beginning with the first anga of
bhakti, gurupada asraya.
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‘Jijyasya’ also means sadhana-bhakti. Sadhana-bhakti means to engage in
the angas of bhakti in order to discover the beautiful transcendental form of
Krsna. Krsna can only be seen by bhava-netra, the eyes of bhava.
Therefore, sadhana-bhakti is what you do to attain bhava:
krti-sadhya bhavet sadhya-bhava sa sadhanabhida
nitya-sidhasya bhavasya prakatyam hrdi sadhyata
The engagemant of the senses in the angas of bhakti to awaken your
eternaly latent loving mood, to manifest that mood in your heart, is called
sadhana. By this you can have darsana of Bhagavan. Here it is said,
‘anvaya-vyatirekabhyah’, directly and indirectly. This means that in
sadhana, you will have to accept what is favorable for bhakti, and you will
have to reject that which is unfavorable. This is direct and indirect. And it
also means that this bhakti as two aspects, sambhoga and vipralambha,
meeting and separation.
In this way, in Catuh-sloki Bhagavatam the essence of Bhagavatam has
been given, and the rest of Bhagavatam is only elaborating on that. The
Bhagavatam is giving us sambandha-jnana. How has it been elaborated?
Ete ca amsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Krsna is
Bhagavan.
That Bhagavan is the ultimate feature in the Absolute Truth. Why?
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
(SB 1.2.11)
Those who know the truth, who are tattva-vit, say that truth is advaya, it is
one, non-dual, but it is sometimes called brahma, paramatma, or
Bhagavan, according to one’s approach. If you will approach the truth with
bhakti, then you can realize Bhagavan—there is no other method. Thus,
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sambandha and especially abhideya, the process of bhakti, have been
given in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Why? Krsna told Uddhava: bhaktya hum
ekeagrajam. “I am known only by bhakti.” After being bewildered by the
sakti of Bhagavan, Lord Brahma said: jnane prayasam udapasya namanta
eva. “Give up this process of jnana.” Sristirstitibhaktya udasyate vibho—
those who gave up the path of bhakti to follow the path of jnana, what
happens to them? It is like the hard work of threshing husk. If you have rice
padi, and you beat the rice out from the husk, then you have rice, but if you
beat the husk, then what is that? Hard work for nothing. So here in
Bhagavatam, the abhideya-tattva has been defined: don’t go in the path of
nirvisesa jnana. Why? This is only threshing empty husk. Jnane prayasam
udapasya namanta eva—give it up. Jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-
vartam—just hear the pastimes of Krsna from the lips of a pure devotee. In
this way impersonalism is completely rejected. Kapila-deva told his mother:
salokya-sarsti i-samipya-
sarupyaikatvam apy uta
deyamanam na grhnanti
vina mat-sevanam janah
The devotees reject all types of liberation, what to speak ‘ekatva’ (oneness
of brahma), they even reject salokya, samipya, sarsti and svarupya, going
to Vaikunta, all the five types of liberation. Deyamanam na grhnanti: if I try
to give My devotees, they do not accept it. So Bhagavatam is even
rejecting the four types of personal liberation. If someone will try to
establish that the Supreme Truth is nirguna, then yes, Kapila-deva is
saying, “We like nirguna.” What is nirguna? Laksanam bhakti-yogasya
nirgunasya hy udahrtam: this devotional service is nirguna, and by this
devotional service, what will happen?
mad-guna-sruti-matrena
mayi sarva-guhasaye
mano-gatir avicchinna
yatha gangambhaso ’mbudhau
(SB 3.29.11)
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“I am very confidentially hidden in the hearts of all living entities, and when
they hear about Me, simply by hearing My qualities, by their heart they
come running and meet with Me.” This is called nirguna bhakti—simply
by hearing about Krsna, in his heart one comes running to meet Krsna face
to face.
So those who want to establish that the Absolute Truth is nirguna, to them
we say, “Yes, we say ‘nirguna’, but that does not mean
that He has no qualities.” And just to make sure that you don’t think that the
Absolute Truth is impersonal, or that the impersonal aspect is superior, the
Bhagavatam gives us the example of the four Kumaras, who were
Brahmavadis, absorbed in brahma. But what happened?
tasyaravinda-nayanasya padaravinda-
kinjalka-misra-tulasi-makaranda-vayuh
antar-gatah sva-vivarena cakara tesam
sanksobham aksara-jusam api citta-tanvoh
(SB 3.15.43)
The four Kumaras were absorbed in impersonal brahma, but when they
went to the gate of Vaikuntha, and the fragrance of the Tulasi leaves on the
feet of Nararyana entered into their nostrals, they lost all interest in
nirvisesa brahma and became devotees.
From birth Sukadeva Gosvami was absorbed in nirvisesa brahma, but what
happened to him? When he heard the description of Krsna’s form,
‘barhapidam nata-vara-vapuh karnayoh karnikaram’, he was attracted to
Krsna and went mad. And when he heard of Krsna’s qualities in the verse
‘aho baki yam stana-kala-kutam’, he ran from the forest and returned to the
asrama of Vyasadeva, who taught him Srimad-Bhagavatam.
The sages of Naimisaranya asked Suta Gosvami, “Sukadeva Gosvami was
atmarama, self-satisfied. Why did he undergo the hard endeavor to hear
1,800 verses of Bhagavatam?” What did Suta Gosvami say? He
answered, “My Gurudeva heard why:
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atmaramas ca munayo
nirgrantha apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukim bhaktim
ittham-bhuta-guno harih
(SB 1.7.10)
“Don’t you know? Even those who are atmarama, liberated from this world,
are attracted to the pastimes of Krsna. Why? Ittham bhuta guno harih: Hari
has ‘adbhuta guna’, astonishing transcendental qualities. Therefore,
the sambandha of Srimad-Bhagavatam is only with the transcendental sat,
cit, ananda svarupa of Krsna. And the process is never jnana; the process
is only bhakti.” If one will hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, what is be the result?
yasyam vai sruyamanayam
krsne parama-puruse
bhaktir utpadyate pumsah
soka-moha-bhayapaha
(SB 1.7.7)
By hearing Bhagavatam, what happens? Bhagavatam itself is saying that
bhakti will arise in the heart. The impersonalists say that bhakti is one kind
of illusion—one does bhakti only to realize brahma, but here it is said
that when bhakti comes in your heart, then ‘soka-moha-bhayapaha’, your
lamentation, fear, and illusions are all vanquished. This can happen only by
bhakti. What is that bhakti? That sadhana-bhakti has been described in
Srimad-Bhagavatam: it is called raganuga-bhakti. When Pariksit Maharaja
heard that Krsna was bound by Mother Yasoda, he was struck with
wonder. He could not believe it and Sukadeva Gosvami was also
overwhelmed with bliss. Pariksit Maharaja asked Sukadeva Gosvami:
nandah kim akarod brahman
sreya evam mahodayam
yasoda ca maha-bhaga
papau yasyah stanam harih
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(SB 10.8.46)
He asked him, “O Brahmana, what did mother Yasoda do to be so
fortunate that the Supreme Lord, who maintains the whole universe, is
crying, and she is maintaining Him by her breast milk?” In reply Sukadeva
said:
nayam sukhapo bhagavan
dehinam gopika-sutah
jnaninam catma-bhutanam
yatha bhaktimatam iha
(SB 10.9.21)
Here he is saying, “Hey Pariksit Maharaja, you should know one thing—you
cannot attain a love like the residents of Vrndavana if you have dehatma
budhi, if you have bodily idenification. If you are a jnani, you cannot
know their prema. Even the other expansions of Bhagavan cannot know
this prema, and Krnsa’s associates like Uddhava, Laksmi devi, and the
devotees on the path of aisvarya—like Prahlada Maharaja, Druva Maharaja
and Bharata Maharaja—cannot understand it. Only those who follow the
moods of the Vrajavasis can know.” This verse is giving the
recommendation—only raganuga-bhakti is the way to attain this prema.
The Vedas personified also in their prayers to Krsna said:
nibhrta-marun-mano-’ksa-drdha-yoga-yujo hrdi yan
munaya upasate tad arayo ’pi yayuh smaranat
striya uragendra-bhoga-bhuja-danda-visakta-dhiyo
vayam api te samah sama-drso ’nghri-saroja-sudhah
(SB 10.87.23)
Here the Vedas personified said, “What is the use of yogis’ yoga-
sadhana? Even the demons who are killed by Krsna attain what the yogis
achieve after meditatating for 60,000 years. So, if even those who hate
Krsna receive the same destination as those doing meditation for
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thousands of years, then what is the use of yoga?
Then what do the Vedas say? Striya uragendra-bhoga-bhuja-danda-
visakta-dhiyo: The gopis of Vrndavana, who day and night were only
thinking of what it would be like to be embraced by the snake-like arms of
Krsna, directly met with Him—they attained the highest destination.
Therefore, vayam api te samah sama-drso ’nghri-saroja-sudhah: we will
also attain the nectar of Krsna’s lotus feet by being sama-drsa. Sama-drsa
means that the Vedas say they are going to do the sadhana of following the
moods of the gopis of Vrndavana. So here Srimad-Bhagavatam is
recommending raganuga-bhakti. How do we enter into this raganuga-
bhakti? Guru will have to give you kama-gayatri. Caitanya Mahaprabhu
heard this from Ramananda Raya on the bank of the Godavari, and
Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself instructed Sanatana Gosvami:
vrndavane ‘aprakrta navina madana’
kama-gayatri kama-bije yanra upasana
The upasana of the “vrndavane ‘aprskrta navina madana’” is achieved by
the kama-bija and the kama-gayatri. Therefore, Srimad-Bhagavatam gives
the instruction, “Take shelter of kama-bija and kama-gayatri.” Where is
Bhagavatam giving this instruction? Where is it explained that you should
chant kama-gayatri? It is very difficult to detect. Only those who are in
samadhi can realize, because it is written in samadhi bhasa.
In the beginning of Rasa-pancadhyayi (the five chapters in the Tenth Canto
describing the Rasa-lila), Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.29.2) gives a beautiful
description of Vrndavan as Rasa-lila was about to begin:
drstva kumudvantam akhanda-mandalam
ramananabham nava-kunkumarunam
vanam ca tat-komala-gobhi ranjitam
jagau kalam vama-drsam manoharam
Here it is said that the night time came, and the moon began to rise. The
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moon was coloring the horizon with a reddish tint, and it seemed as if a
lover had decorated the face of his beloved with kunkuma powder. This is
stimulation for parikiya-rasa. Why? Because Candra is the moon, and the
eastern horizon is purva drsa; the eastern horizon, purva drsa, is the wife of
Indra. So if the Moon God is having some erotic lila with the wife of
Indra, this indicates parikiya, because the moon is consorting with
someone else’s wife. So when Krsna said this, He was inspired within His
heart, “Now I should taste parakiya rasa. I will enter the forest and the rasa
dance will begin.” Vanam ca tat-komala-gobhi ranjitam: the moon was
gracing the forest with its soft touch and causing the flowers to blossom—
this is all uddipana (stimulation) for parakiya rasa. And there in the forest,
jagau kalam, Krsna played ‘kalam’, sweet notes, on the flute, and what did
that sound do? Vama-drsam manoharam: this means that the gopis, whose
restless eyes were looking here and there, ‘manoharam’, were
enchanted by the sound of His flute. This is the beginning of Rasa-
pancadhyayi.
Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura explains two things here, kalam vama-
drsam: ka-la, the first symbal is ka, the second syllable is la; this is followed
by vama-drsam. In the Sanskrit alphabet, the vowels are listed first: a, aa
(long), i, ii (long), u, uu (long). The fourth letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, ii
(long i), is called vama-drsam. Why? Vama-drsam means that which looks
on the left-hand side. The short i looks to the right side, and the long ii
looks to the left side, so ka-la-ii, manoharam, this means ‘who controls the
mind’. Who controls the mind? Candra-deva is the god who controls the
mind. In Sanskrit grammar the anusvara is called candra bindu, so ka-la-
ing becomes “kling”, kama-bija.
In other words, the playing of Krsna’s flute is the kama-bija, which attracts
all living entities to His lotus feet. When Krsna plays His flute, what sound
comes out? Brahma Samhita tells us—kling, the kama-bija, and from this
seed comes kama-gayatri. Kama-gayatri has the potency to awaken the
jivas and attract them to meet with Krsna in gopi-bhava, parakiya bhava.
This is written here in Srimad-Bhagavatam for those who are in samadhi;
only they can read this. The scholars have no idea; they cannot understand
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this.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the commentary on gayatri, and it is also the
commentary on Vedanta Sutra. Why? Garuda Purana states:
artho ’yam brahma-sutranam
bharatartha-vinirnayah
gayatri-bhasya-rupo ’sau
vedartha-paribrmhitah
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the meaning of brahma-sutra; it defines the purpose
of Mahabarata; it is also a commentary on gayatri—brahma-gayatri and
kama-gayatri both. Why? Because brahma-gayatri is called Veda Mata, the
mother of the Vedas. She is a person who did austerities to become a gopi,
and when her bhava was mature, then brahma-gayatri transformed into
kama-gayatri. This is mentioned in Skanda Purana. This is told also in
Gopala Tapani Upanisad and in Tattva-Sandarbha.
In his Brahma Samhita commentary, Jiva Gosvami explains that omkara
and kling are the same, and that they are the meeting of prakrti and purusa,
that means Radha and Krsna.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the natural commentary on Vedanta, because the
author of Vedanta is Vyasa, who has given his own commentary. How do
we know? Just see, ‘janmadasyata’ is the beginning of Vedanta Sutra. And
how does Srimad-Bhagavatam begin? Janmady asya yato ’nvayad itaratas
carthesv abhijnah svarat.
And inside Srimad-Bhagavatam itself, it is directly written: sarva vedeti
hasanam saram saram sumumdritum. “This Bhagavatam is the essence of
the Vedas.” That means the end result of the Vedas, ved-anta.
Suta Govami, in glorifying his Gurudeva before speaking the Bhagavatam,
said: ya svanubhavam akila srutisara ekam. “This purana guyum,
confidential Purana, is srutisaram ekam, the one essence of Veda, that is,
Vedanta.” And right at the end of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is stated:
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sarva vedanta-saram hi
sri-bhagavatam isyate
tad-rasamrta-trptasya
nanyatra syad ratih kvacit
(SB 12.13.15)
“Srimad-Bhagavatam is the essence of Vedanta. If you will have a taste in
this Bhagavatam, you will lose taste in all other scriptures.” There is no
doubt about the position of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and this Bhagavatam is
giving very confidential knowledge, para-guhya, of sambandha, abhideya
and prayojana.
I have spoken about sambandha and abidehya, but I have not yet
mentioned prayojana. What is the prayojana? It is prema.
Bhagavatam establishes this by presenting different types of bhakti. It
shows the bhakti of Druva Maharaja, who engaged in chanting his
mantra, following the instruction of Narada, but what happened to him? He
had darsana of Narayana, and then went to Druva-loka, which is not even
outside the coverings of this universe. So, because Druva did sakama-
bhakti (bhakti with a material desire), he could not come out from the
coverings of the material universe.
In Bhagavatam the bhakti of Prahlada Maharaja has been explained, but
what happened to Prahlada Maharaja? He had darsana of Nrsimhadeva for
a moment, who then disappeared. He never served Lord Nrsimhadeva,
gave Him a glass of water, or massaged Him—he never did anything for
Him. Why? Because in his idea, Lord Nrsimhadeva is not hungry, not
thirsty, not tired or anything, so he never does any service for Him. He
offered prayers, but he never performed paricarya seva.
Prahlada Maharaja’s bhakti is good, but Bhagavatam is saying, “Go
further.” It tells us about the bhakti of whom? Ambarisa Maharaja. Sa vai
manah krsna-padaravindayorvacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. Ambarisa
Maharaja is not only offering prayers, he is doing all the angas of bhakti,
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and he is serving by all his senses, so he is superior. In Bhagavatam we
see next the bhakti of Citraketu, who in his next life became Vrtrasura.
When, as Vrtrasura, he was being killed by Indra, he prayed:
ajata-paksa iva mataram khagah
stanyam yatha vatsatarah ksudh-artah
priyam priyeva vyusitam visanna
mano ’ravindaksa didrksate tvam
(SB 6.11.26)
“O my Lord! I want bhakti.” How? “Just like a newly born bird cries for his
mother.” Actually, the baby bird is only opening his mouth, and meditating
on the mother. He cannot make any sound even; he is only opening his
mouth wide, with eyes closed, totally absorbed. Then Vrtrasura said, “No,
better then that, I want to be like a calf, very eager to take milk from its
mother.” If the calf is tied close by, calling “mooo!” it is remembering and
doing kirtana at the same time. The baby bird does not want the mother; it
wants the food that the mother is bringing, so this is not a good example.
So then Vrtrasura gave the example of the calf, because at lease the
calf wants the milk, which is in the mother. But then he said, “No. Priyam
priyeva vyusitam visanna: I want to be like a woman who is pining for her
beloved who went has gone to a distant place, and is only waiting for him to
come back. She is crying, calling his name, remembering, doing kirtana,
and also thinking, “When he comes, I will give him a seat. I will wash his
feet and massage him with oil. I will fan him and give him something to eat.
I will please him in all ways, with my whole body.” This prayer is in the
mood of a lover.
Here Citraketu has gopi-bhava-abhasa. This is the most excellent and
highest mood you can find in all nine cantos, before the tenth canto.
The love of Hanuman has been described in the ninth canto. He is a
gret servant in dasya-rasa, superior to Ambarisa Maharaja, who is in the
stage of sadhaka, while Hanunam is siddha. In other words, Ambarisa
Maharaja has this body, and when he leaves this world, he will have a
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spiritual body in that world, but Hanuman is already in his spiritual form, so
he is superior to Ambarisa Maharaja. This is Sanatana Gosvami’s
commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam. Hanuman is superior to Ambarisa
Maharaja, but the Pandavas are superior to Hanuman.
Why are the Pandavas superior? Because Hanuman cannot sleep on the
same bed as Ramacandra. Krsna and Arjuna lie on the same bed together.
They even eat from the same plate. Hanuman cannot tell Ramacandra,
“Drive my chariot,” but Arjuna can.
When Arjuna is firing his arrows, he is telling Krsna which way to go. How?
If Arjuna is absorbed in firing arrows, he has both hands holding his bow.
Then how will he tell Krsna which way to go? By his feet, he kicks Him, “Go
left! Go right!” and Krsna, feeling the touch of Arjuna’s feet, is steering the
chariot. Can Hanuman steer Ramacandra by his feet? No, so how Arjuna
and the Pandavas are suprerior to Hanuman!
But do you know who is superior to Arjuna? Uddhava. When Krsna was
feeling separation from the residents of Vrndavana and wanted to send
someone there with a message, he had to choose the most qualified
person. Who did he choose? Uddhava.
vrsninam pravaro mantri krsnasya dayitah sakha
sisyo brhaspateh saksad uddhavo buddhi-sattamah
(SB 10.46.1)
The six qualifications of Uddhava have been given in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Krsna Himself said: na tata me priyatama. “No one is as dear to me as you
are, not even Laksmi-devi, not even Brahma who is like my own son,
not even Lord Siva, not even my own expansions.”
So Uddhava is superior, but what happened to Uddhava when Krsna sent
him to Vrndavana? He never sent Uddhava to Vrndavana so he could
deliver His message; this was not His main reason. His real reason was
that in Mathura, He had no one to talk to. There was no one who
could understand the way He felt, because no one can understand
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Vrajavasis. So Krsna thought, “If I send Uddhava there, he will see their
love. At least he will have some experience, and when he comes back,
then at least I will have someone to talk to.”
A problem shared is a problem halved. The gopis felt separation from
Krsna, but at least they could talk to each other, but Krsna was alone in
Mathura, and He could not tell anyone how He was feeling, so that is why
He sent Uddhava. He wanted to send Uddhava to become a student in the
gopis’ school of prema so that Uddhava could learn something about the
meaning of real love. So, although Uddhava is the highest devotee outside
of Vraja, when he reached Vrndavana, what does Srimad-Bhagavatam
say? Uddhava was rolling on the ground, calling out:
asam aho carana-renu-jusam aham syam
vrndavane kim api gulma-latausadhinam
ya dustyajam sva-janam arya-patham ca hitva
bhejur mukunda-padavim srutibhir vimrgyam
“I want to leave this life and take birth as a blade of grass in Vrndavana.”
So what is the position of Radharani? Actually Uddhava said this after he
saw Radharani speaking with the bumblebee. Thus, if Uddhava wants to be
a blade of grass in Vrndavana, then how superior are the friends of Krsna?
How superior are the parents of Krsna? And the lovers of Krsna? And
among all of them, the gopis—Lalita and Visaka—and among them,
Radharani? So Bhagavatam is establishing the prema of Radharani as the
prayojana.
Uddhava is saying, “I want to be grass in Vrndavana.” Why?
Because “if I will become a grass, then maybe Radharani will step on me,
and some dust from Her feet may touch my head.” This means that without
the mercy of Radharani, you cannot realize the prayojana of Srimad-
Bhagavatam. Therefore, the process is to engage in the bhajana of the
lotus feet of Srimati Radhika—this is the abhideya. And Her prema is the
prayojana, But actually no jiva can have prema like Radharani. This is only
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in Her. We can only have a drop of that, the beauty of Her love, the paraga
(the pollen), a particle of fragrant pollen from the lotus of Radharani’s
heart—this is manjari-bhava, the mood of Her maidservants. No one can
be like Radharani, but those who serve the dust of Her lotus feet are
fortunate to have Her moods reflect in their heart. Thus, they can realize
Her moods. Others, who do not become Her dasis, cannot realize how She
feels, and therefore the ultimate conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam is the
mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who entrusted His mission in the hands
of Rupa Gosvami.
sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam
sthapitam yena bhu-tale
svayam rupah kada mahyam
dadati sva-padantikam
Only Rupa Gosvami realized what Mahaprabhu came to give. And through
Rupa Gosvami it was distributed in this world.
yan kali rupa sarira na dharata?
tan vraja prema mahanidhi kutharika, kaun kapat udarata
One Vaisnava poet said, “Mahaprabhu brought the treasure of prema to
this world but it was locked, and He gave the key to Rupa Gosvami.
Therefore, only those in this rupanuga sampradaya, who are doing bhajana
in manjari-bhava, can realize the actual purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
What does Uddhava say in Srimad-Bhagavatam? He is praying for the foot
dust of the gopis, but one could ask, “Why are you praying for this? They
left all Veda dharma—ya dustyajam sva-janam. They left ‘arya-patha, they
left Vedic dharma, the path of the Vedas.”
Uddhava gave his reply to this: bhejur mukunda-padavim srutibhir
vimrgyam. The way that they serve the lotus feet of Mukunda—srutibir
vimrgyum—the Vedas themselves are doing research to discover that. This
is Vedanta; this is the end of the Vedas. The Vedas personified said, “We
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want to follow the gopis by our mood,” and Uddhava, in this verse of the
Bhagavatam, is saying the same thing. The Vedas are searching for
(vimgmyam) those lotus feet which the gopis are serving directly. How?
Bhagavatam (10.31.19) tells us:
yat te sujata-caranamburuham stanesu
bhitah sanaih priya dadhimahi karkasesu
tenatavim atasi tad vyathate na kim svit
kurpadibhir bhramati dhir bhavad-ayusam nah
In the last verse of Gopi Gita, Radharani said, “O Krsna, why are You
wandering alone in the forest, stepping on the brambles in the forest with
Your soft lotus feet? We cannot tolerate this. We will die. Come back and
meet with us at once. What to speak about treading on thorns in the forest,
when we take Your lotus feet upon our breast, we are afraid.” What is the
meaning? It is very confidential. The Bhagavatam is explaining that the
prema of the gopis is the highest type of love. That prema is called prema,
sneha, pranaya, mana, raga, anuraga, bhava, mahabhava, rudha-bhava,
adirudha-bhava, modana-bhava, mohana-bhava, madhanakya
mahabhava—all these stages of prema have been proven where? In
Bhagavatam. This verse is what mood?
This is rudha-bhava. In Ujjvala Nilamani, Rupa Gosvami described the
symptoms of rudha-bhava:
nimesasahatasana janata hrd vilolayan,
kalpa ksanatvam ksinnatvam tat sukhe ’py’ arti sankayam
This means when Krsna is completely happy, His beloved is worried. She
fears that Her lover is not satisfied, not happy. It means that when Radha
and Krsna meet together in the kunjas of Vrndavana, Radharani pleases
Him in all ways, and now Krsna is lying completely tired, and perspiring. He
is so happy, but His beloved is very eager to again enjoy sweet rati-keli
with Him, so She will have to make His tiredness go away. How? If you will
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massage someone’s feet, his fatigue will abate. Serving Krsna’s lotus feet,
Radhika takes those lotus feet on Her breast, very slowly, and this gives
the utmost happiness to Krsna. But when Krsna is tasting the utmost
happiness, and rudha-bhava comes, then the beloved worries, “Perhaps
He is not fully satisfied. Maybe He is feeling some inconvenience.” Why?
“My breast is hard.” This mood, called rudha-bhava, is explained in Srimad-
Bhagavatam.
After rudha-bhava comes adirudha-bhava. In this adirudha-bhava, there
are moods like mohan, divyonmad, ten types of citra-jalpa—prajalpa,
parijalpa, vijalpa, ujjalpa, sanjalpa, abhijalpa, avaljapla, sujalpa, ajalpa and
pratijalpa. Where do we find them? Bhagavatam Canto Ten, chapter 47,
Bhramara Gita, but this will take hours and hours to explain. This is the
prayojana-tattva that is clearly shown in Bhagavatam, not anywhere else.
This love is so high that even though Krsna said in Gita, ‘ye yatha mam
prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham’, “I reciprocate with My
devotees,” but in Bhagavatam (10.32.22) He said something completely
different to the gopis:
na paraye ’ham niravadya-samyujam
sva-sadhu-krtyam vibudhayusapi vah
ya mabhajan durjara-geha-srikhalah
samvrscya tad vah pratiyatu sadhuna
With you I cannot reciprocate—this mahabhava conquers Krsna and
makes Him want to be the servant of those gopis. Among the gopis,
Radharani is supermost. Uddhava said:
vande nanda-vraja-strinam
pada-renum abhiksnasah
yasam hari-kathodgitam
punati bhuvana-trayam
(SB 10.47.63)
“I am praying to one partical of dust, ‘renum’ (this is singular).” One particle
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of dust cannot be on two different gopis’ feet; one partical of dust can only
be on one person’s feet. Uddhava has just seen Radharani speaking
with the bumblebee. Here Uddhava is glorifying only the prema of
Radharani—this is the prayojana. But Radharani’s prema is unattainable
for the jiva, who can only become Her dasi, the servant of Her foot dust.
Even the Vedas are doing research trying to discover Her foot dust.
This is Vedanta; this is what Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to give, and He
distributed it through the parampara of Rupa Gosvami. Therefore, those
who are rupanuga, who are doing bhajana in manjari-bhava, following the
mood of Rupa Manjari, are actually the Vedantists, those who know the
end of Veda—others cannot know.
There is an episode of Svarupa Damodara censoring some poetry which
was to be read to Mahaprabhu. One time a brahmana came from Bengal.
He had written some poetry that he wanted to read to Mahaprabhu, but no
one can read to Mahaprabhu without going through His secretary first.
Therefore, he read the poetry to all the devotees, who unanimously replied,
“Bravo, bravo. You should read this to Mahaprabhu, but first you should
read it to Svarupa Damodara, so he can check everything first.” When
Svarupa Damodara heard his poetry, he became angry and said,
yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane
ekanta asraya kara caitanya-carane
(CC Antya 5.131)
He was angry with him and told him, “What are you doing? Why are you
writing about Krsna and Bhagavatam?
You don’t know anything. If you want to know the Bhagavatam, then sit at
the lotus feet of a pure Vaisnava.”
caitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya kara ‘sanga’
tabeta janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga
(CC Antya 5.132)
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If every day you associate with the devotees of Mahaprabhu, svarupa-
rupananuga line—tabeta janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga—only then can
you enter the waves in the ocean of siddhanta, the conclusion. Otherwise,
you cannot find that ocean; it is not possible at all.
What happened to Vallabhacarya? When his pride had been cut by
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he realized that he had made an offence to
Gadadhara Pandita. Therefore, he surrendered to Him, and Gadadhara
Pandita initiated him into Yugala mantra, the worship of Radha and Krsna.
In this way Vallabhacarya also ended up worshiping Radha and Krsna by
the mercy of Gadadhara Pandita. And though in their line they do upasana
in vatsalya rasa, actually, many of their acaryas were secretly doing
bhajana in madhurya rasa. Just see what Vallabhacarya’s son, Vitalacarya,
has written:
syamasundara sikhanda-sekhara
smera-hasa murali-manohara
radhika-rasika mam krpa-nidhe
sva-priya-carana-kinkarim kuru
“O Krsna, be merciful to me!” “What mercy do you want?” “I want to be the
dasi of Radharani.” Vitalacarya is the son and disciple of Vallabhacarya,
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but where did this mood come from? From Vallabhacarya, who was
initiated by Gadadhara Pandita in Yugala mantra—not publicly but secretly.
Those who are Gaudiya, those who are rupanuga, know Vedanta. Others
cannot know. And that Vedanta has been explained explicitly and deeply
in Srimad-Bhagavatam. I have given some external shape to the message
of Bhagavatam, but this subject is so deep. It cannot be explained in less
than seven days and nights continuously.
There is one more thing that I would like to say, because I think it would be
of great interest to you. You have an interest in the structure, or the way
that the Bhagavatam unfolds piece by piece. This also cannot be
understood by an ordinary person—Bhagavatam is transcendental. I would
like to give some examples. At the time of the Gopi Gita, when Krsna left
the gopis on the bank of Yamuna, the gopis were crying:
visa-jalapyayad vyala-raksasad varsa-marutad vaidyutanalat
vrsa-mayatmajad visvato bhayad, rsabha te vayam raksita muhuh
The gopis are saying, “O Krsna, you are a hypocrite. From our childhood
You saved us many times, and now You are killing us by this separation.
Why did You save us again and again, and now You are killing us? This
behavior is irrational and inconsistent.”
Why? Visa-jalapyayad—You saved us from the poisoned waters of the
Yamuna, Kaliya-naga. Vyala-raksasad—You saved us from the very
dangerous serpent, Agasura. Varsa-marutad—You saved us from the rain
sent by Indra, you saved us from Marutat, the wind sent by Trinavarta.
Vaidyutanalat—and from the thunderbolts of Indra. Vrsa-mayatmajad—You
saved us from Aristasura—and mayatmajat—from the son of Maya
Danava, that is, Vyomasura. You saved us so many times so why are You
killing us now? You are very inconsistent in Your behavior, You restless
boy.” In this way, the gopis are crying in Gopi Gita.
Know one thing—Krsna had not yet killed Aristasura and Vyomasura. They
had not yet come to Vrndavana, so how were the gopis crying and saying,
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“O Krsna, You killed Aristasura and Vyomasura”? I am bringing this up
because our topic is the structure of the Bhagavatam, the chronology and
how it unfolds. Don’t think that there is some fault in Bhagavatam, because
the gopis are saying Krsna killed these demons who had not yet come to
Vrndavana. In Vraja Paurnamasi, the grandmother of Madhumangala and
Nandi-mukhi, lives in Nandagaon by Uddhava Kyari. Paurnamasi knows all
Veda sastra. It was written in different Puranas that Krsna killed so many
demons, so she already knows what will happen. Sometimes she tells the
gopis pastimes that Krsna has not performed yet. Therefore, they know in
advance what will come to pass. So we can understand how it is possible
that the gopis criticize Him in this way. Unless one understands the internal
workings of this village, gramya katha (village talk), you cannot answer the
questions of Bhagavatam.
When Uddhava was about to leave Vrndavana, the gopis said to him,
“Don’t tell Krsna what you saw here. If you tell Him that we are crying and
fainting on the ground, it will break His heart.” The gopis have so much
love; they don’t want Krsna to feel any pain at all. So they ordered Uddhava
not to tell Krsna how they were feeling. The gopis said, “We know that
Krsna is doing very well there. He has married so many queens and has so
many children. Surrounded by so many family members, He is doing very
well, so don’t disturb Him.” Now just think, at this time when Uddhava came
to visit the gopis, where was Krsna? He was in Mathura. He had not
married yet.
He manifested Dvaraka when He got married, and then He had children
and everything. So how are the gopis saying this? How is it possible? At
the time of separation, by the influence of lila-sakti Yogamaya, all the
pastimes manifest in the hearts of the gopis—all previous pastimes, all the
present pastimes, and all the future pastimes. Therefore they are speaking
like this.
Our rupanuga acaryas have explained this verse in their commentaries.
There are many secrets in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam does not
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seem to be in any chronological order; it seems to move here and there,
especially the tenth canto. There is some chronology but not throughout.
The Mahabharata war and the meeting of the gopis and Krsna at
Kuruksetra do not come in chronological order. There is a reason for this.
Before speaking Bhagavatam, Suta Gosvami glorified his Gurudeva,
Sukadeva. Suta Gosvami, who was speaking to the sages of
Naimisaranya, heard the Bhagavatam directly from Sukadeva. He will not
speak anything without first giving pranama to his Gurudeva—this is edict.
In his pranama to his Gurudeva, he said:
yah svanubhavam akhila-sruti-saram ekam
adhyatma-dipam atititirsatam tamo ’ndham
samsarinam karunayaha purana-guhyam
tam vyasa-sunum upayami gurum munina
(SB 1.2.3)
“I offer my pramana to the Guru of all the munis, that is, my Guru Sukadeva
Gosvami. He spoke this essence of all the Vedas, Srimad-Bhagavatam,
which is like a light that gives all transcendental knowledge.” He said:
samsarinam karunayaha purna-guhyam. “This confidential Purana was
spoken by him due to krpa-sakti.” The meaning is this—if someone has not
seen the pastimes of Krsna, how can he explain it? Apani na koilo dharma
sikhana na yaya: you cannot preach what you do not practice, so unless
you have seen Krsna, how can you describe Him? You are disqualified.
And those who have seen Krsna, how can they tell hari-katha? Because if
they have seen Him, when they go to speak about Him, they becoem
overwhelmed with emotion—nayanam galad-asru-dharaya vadana
gadgada-ruddhaya gira—their throat will be choked, and they will not be
able to speak.
Thus, those who have not seen cannot speak, and those who have seen
cannot speak, so how will hari-katha manifest in this world?
Only when Krsna’s krpa-sakti goes into the heart of the devotee who has
seen Krsna, and is now speaking about Him in separation. That krpa-sakti
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enters his heart and acts as dharya-dharana-sakti—the power to hold his
patience, the power to steady his heart from trembling, the power to stop
him from fainting in separation.
Only then hari-katha comes into this world; otherwise no hari-katha can
come here. The words of those who are not realized are like blank bullets.
Bang! A sound comes, but no bullet comes out; it has no effect. The words
of those who are realized are live amunition, but those who are realized
cannot speak unless the krpa-sakti comes in their heart. This gives them
the power to control their bhavas so they will not faint.
It is asked, “Why did Sukadeva Gosvami not take the name of Radharani in
Bhagavatam?” Sukadeva is Radharani’s parrot; he misses Her so much. If
he will chant “Radhe, Radhe, Radhe,” what will happen? Sanmasik
murcchita bhavet—he will faint for six months. Pariksit Maharaja only had
seven days left to live, so if Sukadeva would faint for six months, what
would happen to Pariksit Maharaja? Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami did not
openly, not directly, chant the name of his Guru, Radharani, in the
Bhagavatam. But indirectly he has described Her in so many places.
Only when the krpa-sakti came in the heart of Sukadeva Gosvami could his
bhavas be controlled so that he would not faint while describing Srimad-
Bhagavatam. Therfore, we see a strange order in the verses, because
when his mood was going too high, then the krpa-sakti diverted his mind,
and took him into another topic so that he would not faint. Our acaryas like
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura have explained this.
In Bhramara Gita, Sukadeva Gosvami is explaining how Radharani is
speaking with the bumblebee. This Bhramara Gita is not just ten verses—it
is hundreds of verses—but as Sukadeva Gosvami was speaking, his
bhava was going higher and higher and higher, and when he had spoken
ten verses, he was about to faint in ecstasy. At once, in order that the rest
of Bhagavatam could be manifest in this world, and Pariksit Maharaja
could be saved, the krpa-sakti came into Sukadeva Gosvami’s heart and
diverted his attention. At this point, he had only spoken ten verses of
Bhramara Gita, when all of a sudden he started talking about Kubja in
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Mathura, with no rasa at all. She has only sadarani rati—there is no prema
rasa at all in Kubja. Why did his mood suddenly go high and then come
right down again? Because if he had continued on, he would have fainted,
but the krpa-sakti diverted his attention so that he could carry on
speaking—samsarinam karunayaha purna-guhyam.
In the beginning of Bhagavatam, Suta Gosvami explains how this
Bhagavatam came by the influence krpa-sakti.
Why? He had to tell about Krsna’s pastimes in Mathura and Dvaraka.
Some people think that the love of Rukmini and Satyabhama is superior to
the love of the gopis, because He married them and had children by them.
The love of the queens is legitimate, and the gopis’ love is illegitimate.
Don’t think like this. The gopis’ love is highest, so he had to tell the
pastimes of Dvaraka to prove this. At the time of the solar eclipse, the
queens of Dvaraka came to Kuruksetra, and the gopis also came there.
When the queens of Dvaraka saw the love of the gopis, they were struck
dumb. The flow of a river is powerful and cannot be checked, but when the
rivers meet the ocean, they begin to spin here and there. In the same way,
when the love of the queens of Dvaraka, who were only like rivers, met with
the ocean of the love of the gopis, their heads began to spin. And what did
the queens say to Draupadi?
kamayamaha etasya
srimat-pada-rajah sriyah
kuca-kunkuma-gandhadhyam
murdhna vodhum gada-bhrtah
(SB 10.83.42)
“O chaste lady, we don’t want liberation. We don’t want to be the king of
heaven. We don’t want to be like Brahma. We don’t want to live in
Vaikuntha. We only want to carry upon our heads the dust the feet of Krsna
when it is mixed with the kunkuma from the breast of Radharani.” So the
Vrndavana-lila was described, but then afterwards the Dvaraka-lila had to
be described to show that even the queens are praying for the dust of
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Krsna’s lotus feet when it is mixed with the kunkuma from the breast of
Radharani. This is Vedanta, the conclusion of all the Vedas.
What is the kunkuma from the breast of Radharani? Do you think it is iron
oxide? What is it? Kunkuma comes from flowers but now they make it from
iron oxide, but it actually comes from flowers. No, this kunkuma is
Radharani’s anuraga.
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami describes in his sastra, also Jayadeva
Gosvami in the beginning of Gita Govinda: vyaktyanuragam iva khelad
ananga kedaih. “The anuraga in the heart of Radharani has manifest as the
kunkuma on Her breast.”
Here the queens are praying, “We want to have a love like the gopis of
Vrndavana. We don’t want anything else.” Srimad-Bhagavatam is giving
this conclusion, but only those who come in the line of Rupa Gosvami can
understand this. Bhagavatam itself said (12.13.18):
srimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam yad vaisnavanam priyam
yasmin paramahamsyam ekam amalam jnanam param giyate
tatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam naiskarmyam aviskrtam
tac chrnvan su-pathan vicarana-paro bhaktya vimucyen narah
This Bhagavatam is not dear to the Saivites or to the Brahmavadis. To
whom is it dear? Only the Vaisnavas Padma Purana explains that
Vaisnavas come in four sampradayas: sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te
nisphala matah. In Kali-yuga there are only four sampradayas, so first of all
for whom is Bhagavatam meant?
Not for anyone, only for Vaisnavas, and among Vaisnavas there are four
sampradayas, and among four sampradayas, only those in Mahaprabhu’s
line, and the line of Rupa Gosvami, can know this conclusion, because the
pratipadya visaya, the subject established by Bhagavatam, is only the
prema of Radharani. Only the rupanuga sampradaya is dedicated to
serving the lotus feet of Radhika in manjari-bhava.
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So you are very lucky, very fortunate to come in contact with the line of
Rupa Gosvami. Therefore, some door is open for you, but you will
have to walk through the door. Krsna may also send someone to hold your
hand, and take you through.
Gaura Premanande!!
http://www.be-pure.info/files/Articles/Article51.html
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Druva Maharaja, sakama-bhakti (bhakti with a material desire) Prahlada Maharaja (did not serve Narasimha, only got darshan) Ambarisa Maharaja (Stage of sadhaka) Citraketu (later became Vrtrasura) dasyam – gopi bhavam Hanuman (9th Canto) dasya bhavam Pandavas, Arjuna – sakhyam Uddhava Gopis Radharani
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Krishna and Rasa leela.
http://www.krishnamrutam.net/rasaleela.php
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The gopis of Brindavan were highly evolved Rishis in their previous births. They
longed for the union of God. To satisfy them, during Krishna avatar, Rasalila was
enacted. Shri Krishna was hardly seven years old. The Rishis were born as Gopis.
By dancing with each Gopi as a separate Krishna, he fulfilled their desires of
previous birth. In fact, the Love and longings of Gopis towards Shri Krishna was
not a physical affinity. It was the longing for the individual soul to the Supersoul.
But, the worldly minded people imagine according to their own views and treat
Krishna as One with a body consciousness and criticize him in a vulgar manner. In
fact, Jayadeva's Gita Govindam is a depiction that sans any sensuality. But the
ordinary people who read those verses imagine those Divine Verses as though they
pertain to the ordinary Human beings. It has been clarified this aspect in one of His
discourses. Let us not commit the sin of equating of Divine Love with that of
ordinary mortals.
Gopikas (Great female devotees of God) were the sages who were trying to cut the
worldly bonds from the past three Yugas. By the end of the third Yuga, they have
become all mot successful in their spiritual efforts.
They requested Lord Rama to give final salvation from all the worldly bonds.
They were having still the effect of three bonds viz., caste, sex and knowledge. To
remove these three effects, they were born as illiterate women in the backward
caste as Gopikas by the will of Lord. The six strong worldly bonds (Eshanas) are
with body (Deheshana), life (Prashena), life-partner (Dareshana), children
(Putreshana), wealth (Dhaneshana) and traditional justice (Dharmeshana).
1. By saluting Lord in naked condition, they have cut the bond with body.
2. After Krishna, they jumped into fire and thus could cut the bond with life.
3. They left their husbands to dance with Krishna and thus could cut the bond
with life-partners.
4. They even left their Stree-dharma to be with Krishna and thus could cut the
bond with traditional justice.