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bhaktajoy

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Posts posted by bhaktajoy


  1. Yes India is like that specially the state of UP and Bihar.This is the story.They are both extremely holy land but see.I am living in USA for 3 years now and here it's peaceful.It's good to take birth here because all material desires are easily fulfilled then one becomes unhappy and searches out for the absolute truth.It's also good to take birth in India because we become used to material miseries and no need for AC and high-tech life.Spiritual growth is fast.Harassment all over there--in schools,in public places,outside shops,etc.Teacher beat students with wooden rods.One teacher slapped me so hard I couldn't hear for 2 days.


  2. Path leading to hell is very easy anyone can go there,not at all difficult.Those going back home back to Godhead are constantly engaged in purifying themselves.Before entering spiritual world we must become God like.

     

     

     

    [This message has been edited by bhaktajoy (edited 06-11-2002).]


  3. Path leading to hell is very easy anyone can go there,not at all difficult.Those going back home back to Godhead are constantly engaged in purifying themselves.Before entering spiritual world we must become God like.

     

     

     

    [This message has been edited by bhaktajoy (edited 06-11-2002).]


  4. Only by God's grace do we get human form of life.We already have his grace.We should be happy.Why do we lament then?Even great personalities like Lord Jesus suffered.Life is hard,it is supposed to be.We can't blame God,it's our own undertaking,our karma,our past actions and desires.

     

    From SB

     

    The pure soul is pure consciousness and is never out of consciousness, either due to circumstances, time, situations, dreams or other causes. How then does he become engaged in nescience?

     

    The Lord, as the Supersoul, is situated in every living being's heart. Why then do the living entities' activities result in misfortune and misery?

     

    O great and learned one, my mind is greatly illusioned by the distress of this nescience, and I therefore request you to clear it up.

     

    Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, Maitreya, being thus agitated by the inquisitive Vidura, at first seemed astonished, but then he replied to him without hesitation, since he was fully God conscious.

     

    Sri Maitreya said: Certain conditioned souls put forward the theory that the Supreme Brahman, or the Personality of Godhead, is overcome by illusion, or maya, and at the same time they maintain that He is unconditioned. This is against all logic.

     

    The living entity is in distress regarding his self-identity. He has no factual background, like a man who dreams that he sees his head cut off.

     

    As the moon reflected on water appears to the seer to tremble due to being associated with the quality of the water, so the self associated with matter appears to be qualified as matter.

     

    But that misconception of self-identity can be diminished gradually by the mercy of the Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, through the process of devotional service to the Lord in the mode of detachment.

     

    When the senses are satisfied in the seer-Supersoul, the Personality of Godhead, and merge in Him, all miseries are completely vanquished, as after a sound sleep.

     

    Simply by chanting and hearing of the transcendental name, form, etc., of the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, one can achieve the cessation of unlimited miserable conditions. Therefore what to speak of those who have attained attraction for serving the flavor of the dust of the Lord's lotus feet?

     

    Vidura said: O powerful sage, my lord, all my doubts about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities have now been removed by your convincing words. My mind is now perfectly entering into them.

     

    O learned sage, your explanations are very good, as they should be. Disturbances to the conditioned soul have no other basis than the movement of the external energy of the Lord.

     

    Both the lowest of fools and he who is transcendental to all intelligence enjoy happiness, whereas persons between them suffer the material pangs.

     

    PURPORT

     

     

    The lowest of fools do not understand material miseries; they pass their lives merrily and do not inquire into the miseries of life. Such persons are almost on the level of the animals, who, although in the eyes of superiors are always miserable in life, are unaware of material distresses. A hog's life is degraded in its standard of happiness, which entails living in a filthy place, engaging in sex enjoyment at every opportune moment, and laboring hard in a struggle for existence, but this is unknown to the hog. Similarly, human beings who are unaware of the miseries of material existence and are happy in sex life and hard labor are the lowest of fools. Yet because they have no sense of miseries, they supposedly enjoy so-called happiness. The other class of men, those who are liberated and are situated in the transcendental position above intelligence, are really happy and are called paramahamsas. But persons who are neither like hogs and dogs nor on the level of the paramahamsas feel the material pangs, and for them inquiry about the Supreme Truth is necessary. The Vedanta-sutra states, athato brahma jijnasa: "Now one should inquire about Brahman." This inquiry is necessary for those who are between the paramahamsas and the fools who have forgotten the question of self-realization in the midst of life in sense gratification.

     

    But, my dear sir, I am obliged to you because now I can understand that this material manifestation is without substance, although it appears real. I am confident that by serving your feet it will be possible for me to give up the false idea.

     

    PURPORT

     

     

    The sufferings of the conditioned soul are superficial and have no intrinsic value, like the cutting off of one's head in a dream. Yet although this statement is theoretically very true, it is very difficult for the common man or the neophyte on the transcendental path to realize practically. However, by serving the feet of great transcendentalists like Maitreya Muni and by constantly associating with them, one is enabled to give up the false idea that the soul suffers from material pangs.

     

    TRANSLATION

     

     

    By serving the feet of the spiritual master, one is enabled to develop transcendental ecstasy in the service of the Personality of Godhead, who is the unchangeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose service vanquishes one's material distresses.

     

     

    PURPORT

     

     

    The association of a bona fide spiritual master like the sage Maitreya can be of absolute help in achieving transcendental attachment for the direct service of the Lord. The Lord is the enemy of the Madhu demon, or in other words He is the enemy of the suffering of His pure devotee. The word rati-rasah is significant in this verse. Service to the Lord is rendered in different transcendental mellows (relationships): neutral, active, friendly, parental and nuptial. A living entity in the liberated position of transcendental service to the Lord becomes attracted to one of the above-mentioned mellows, and when one is engaged in transcendental loving service to the Lord, one's service attachment in the material world is automatically vanquished. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.59), rasa-varjam raso 'py asya param drstva nivartate.

     

    TRANSLATION

     

     

    Persons whose austerity is meager can hardly obtain the service of the pure devotees who are progressing on the path back to the kingdom of Godhead, the Vaikunthas. Pure devotees engage one hundred percent in glorifying the Supreme Lord, who is the Lord of the demigods and the controller of all living entities.

     

     

    PURPORT

     

     

    The path of liberation, as recommended by all authorities, is to serve the mahatma transcendentalists. As far as Bhagavad-gita is concerned, the mahatmas are the pure devotees who are on the path to Vaikuntha, the kingdom of God, and who always chant and hear the glories of the Lord rather than talk of dry, profitless philosophy. This system of association has been recommended since time immemorial, but in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy it is especially recommended by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Even if one has no assets of favorable austerity, if he nevertheless takes shelter of the mahatmas, who are engaged in chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord, he is sure to make progress on the path back home, back to Godhead.

     

     

     

     

    [This message has been edited by bhaktajoy (edited 06-11-2002).]


  5. Only by God's grace do we get human form of life.We already have his grace.We should be happy.Why do we lament then?Even great personalities like Lord Jesus suffered.Life is hard,it is supposed to be.We can't blame God,it's our own undertaking,our karma,our past actions and desires.

     

    From SB

     

    The pure soul is pure consciousness and is never out of consciousness, either due to circumstances, time, situations, dreams or other causes. How then does he become engaged in nescience?

     

    The Lord, as the Supersoul, is situated in every living being's heart. Why then do the living entities' activities result in misfortune and misery?

     

    O great and learned one, my mind is greatly illusioned by the distress of this nescience, and I therefore request you to clear it up.

     

    Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, Maitreya, being thus agitated by the inquisitive Vidura, at first seemed astonished, but then he replied to him without hesitation, since he was fully God conscious.

     

    Sri Maitreya said: Certain conditioned souls put forward the theory that the Supreme Brahman, or the Personality of Godhead, is overcome by illusion, or maya, and at the same time they maintain that He is unconditioned. This is against all logic.

     

    The living entity is in distress regarding his self-identity. He has no factual background, like a man who dreams that he sees his head cut off.

     

    As the moon reflected on water appears to the seer to tremble due to being associated with the quality of the water, so the self associated with matter appears to be qualified as matter.

     

    But that misconception of self-identity can be diminished gradually by the mercy of the Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, through the process of devotional service to the Lord in the mode of detachment.

     

    When the senses are satisfied in the seer-Supersoul, the Personality of Godhead, and merge in Him, all miseries are completely vanquished, as after a sound sleep.

     

    Simply by chanting and hearing of the transcendental name, form, etc., of the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, one can achieve the cessation of unlimited miserable conditions. Therefore what to speak of those who have attained attraction for serving the flavor of the dust of the Lord's lotus feet?

     

    Vidura said: O powerful sage, my lord, all my doubts about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities have now been removed by your convincing words. My mind is now perfectly entering into them.

     

    O learned sage, your explanations are very good, as they should be. Disturbances to the conditioned soul have no other basis than the movement of the external energy of the Lord.

     

    Both the lowest of fools and he who is transcendental to all intelligence enjoy happiness, whereas persons between them suffer the material pangs.

     

    PURPORT

     

     

    The lowest of fools do not understand material miseries; they pass their lives merrily and do not inquire into the miseries of life. Such persons are almost on the level of the animals, who, although in the eyes of superiors are always miserable in life, are unaware of material distresses. A hog's life is degraded in its standard of happiness, which entails living in a filthy place, engaging in sex enjoyment at every opportune moment, and laboring hard in a struggle for existence, but this is unknown to the hog. Similarly, human beings who are unaware of the miseries of material existence and are happy in sex life and hard labor are the lowest of fools. Yet because they have no sense of miseries, they supposedly enjoy so-called happiness. The other class of men, those who are liberated and are situated in the transcendental position above intelligence, are really happy and are called paramahamsas. But persons who are neither like hogs and dogs nor on the level of the paramahamsas feel the material pangs, and for them inquiry about the Supreme Truth is necessary. The Vedanta-sutra states, athato brahma jijnasa: "Now one should inquire about Brahman." This inquiry is necessary for those who are between the paramahamsas and the fools who have forgotten the question of self-realization in the midst of life in sense gratification.

     

    But, my dear sir, I am obliged to you because now I can understand that this material manifestation is without substance, although it appears real. I am confident that by serving your feet it will be possible for me to give up the false idea.

     

    PURPORT

     

     

    The sufferings of the conditioned soul are superficial and have no intrinsic value, like the cutting off of one's head in a dream. Yet although this statement is theoretically very true, it is very difficult for the common man or the neophyte on the transcendental path to realize practically. However, by serving the feet of great transcendentalists like Maitreya Muni and by constantly associating with them, one is enabled to give up the false idea that the soul suffers from material pangs.

     

    TRANSLATION

     

     

    By serving the feet of the spiritual master, one is enabled to develop transcendental ecstasy in the service of the Personality of Godhead, who is the unchangeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose service vanquishes one's material distresses.

     

     

    PURPORT

     

     

    The association of a bona fide spiritual master like the sage Maitreya can be of absolute help in achieving transcendental attachment for the direct service of the Lord. The Lord is the enemy of the Madhu demon, or in other words He is the enemy of the suffering of His pure devotee. The word rati-rasah is significant in this verse. Service to the Lord is rendered in different transcendental mellows (relationships): neutral, active, friendly, parental and nuptial. A living entity in the liberated position of transcendental service to the Lord becomes attracted to one of the above-mentioned mellows, and when one is engaged in transcendental loving service to the Lord, one's service attachment in the material world is automatically vanquished. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.59), rasa-varjam raso 'py asya param drstva nivartate.

     

    TRANSLATION

     

     

    Persons whose austerity is meager can hardly obtain the service of the pure devotees who are progressing on the path back to the kingdom of Godhead, the Vaikunthas. Pure devotees engage one hundred percent in glorifying the Supreme Lord, who is the Lord of the demigods and the controller of all living entities.

     

     

    PURPORT

     

     

    The path of liberation, as recommended by all authorities, is to serve the mahatma transcendentalists. As far as Bhagavad-gita is concerned, the mahatmas are the pure devotees who are on the path to Vaikuntha, the kingdom of God, and who always chant and hear the glories of the Lord rather than talk of dry, profitless philosophy. This system of association has been recommended since time immemorial, but in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy it is especially recommended by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Even if one has no assets of favorable austerity, if he nevertheless takes shelter of the mahatmas, who are engaged in chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord, he is sure to make progress on the path back home, back to Godhead.

     

     

     

     

    [This message has been edited by bhaktajoy (edited 06-11-2002).]


  6. On April 30, 1976, Sandra Rogers put a gun to her heart and shot herself. Instead of the nothingness she sought from suicide, she had endured a near-death experience. A brilliant and loving Light, she identified as Christ, presented a review of her entire life and all the events that brought her to the point of her suicide attempt. This Light gave her access to unlimited knowledge. She was told that she could remain in the Light, provided she later is reincarnated to reexperience and overcome all that brought her to the point of suicide. Or she could be revived to live out rest of her life and overcome her problems here and now. Obviously, she chose not to stay in the Light so that she could resume her life and not have to face the same problems in a future life. She was allowed to take only as much knowledge as she needed to sustain her, and was told she would be given insights along the way as she finished out the rest of her life. When she asked why she could not take all the knowledge back with her, she was told that it would result in her appearing and being considered "abnormal" to the rest of society. She then realized that people such as the mentally retarded are special people who know much more than they are able to express. The following are more of the insights from her near-death experience from her book Lessons From The Light reprinted by permission.

    Listen to that small inner voice in your thoughts; it is the voice of God.

     

    Our soul is a part of God and God is a part of us; therefore, our souls are immortal and eternal.

     

    Hardships are necessary for the growth of our soul.

     

    Those born with mental or physical afflictions are more spiritually advanced than others, born to help others evolve spiritually.

     

    The physical body the spirit enters is chosen prior to birth.

     

    If an addiction isn't conquered before your physical death, it could keep your spirit earthbound.

     

    Earth is only one plane of learning; there are many.

     

    Hell is a state of being we create by being away from God until we choose to return to Him. It is a state totally devoid of love.

     

    All you do and think is known to God, and God understands everything perfectly, and loves everyone just the same.

     

    All pain we feel or cause is felt by God.

     

    In order to become one with God, work must be done to remember or find the truth. The truth is this: your true self is a spirit and your spirit is one with God.

     

    Love, being God, is too immense and profound to ever be fully understood or experienced in the physical world.

     

    The universe is God's cathedral.

     

    God created differences in religion because of the different lessons we all need to learn.

     

    When you do unto others, you do unto God and yourself.

     

    The beginning of all sin is seeing self as separate from others and God.

     

    There are only two "true" religions - the religion of love and the religion of fear.

     

    Communication in the spiritual world is telepathic. Your thoughts are answered as rapidly as your mind can send and receive them.

     

    When you die, everything you have said, thought, or done will be known by all.

     

    There are no secrets in the afterlife.

     

    Spirits with evil thoughts avoid the Light because they are too ashamed to have their life revealed.

     

    Spirits with like thoughts are drawn to each other in the afterlife.

     

    God's paradise for us is Love. We can create paradise again if we learn to love one another as ourselves.

     

    There is one God who is worshipped through many different teachings of many different religious faiths.

     

    The gods of one faith are the angels, saints, or supernatural beings of other faiths.

     

    In the search for truth and understanding, all paths lead to Love.

     

    God is Love, Light, and the energy in all. God is the source of perfect Love and all life.

     

    God loves and forgives you, and expects you to love and forgive others.

     

    The only thing that lives forever is Love.

     

     


  7. On April 30, 1976, Sandra Rogers put a gun to her heart and shot herself. Instead of the nothingness she sought from suicide, she had endured a near-death experience. A brilliant and loving Light, she identified as Christ, presented a review of her entire life and all the events that brought her to the point of her suicide attempt. This Light gave her access to unlimited knowledge. She was told that she could remain in the Light, provided she later is reincarnated to reexperience and overcome all that brought her to the point of suicide. Or she could be revived to live out rest of her life and overcome her problems here and now. Obviously, she chose not to stay in the Light so that she could resume her life and not have to face the same problems in a future life. She was allowed to take only as much knowledge as she needed to sustain her, and was told she would be given insights along the way as she finished out the rest of her life. When she asked why she could not take all the knowledge back with her, she was told that it would result in her appearing and being considered "abnormal" to the rest of society. She then realized that people such as the mentally retarded are special people who know much more than they are able to express. The following are more of the insights from her near-death experience from her book Lessons From The Light reprinted by permission.

    Listen to that small inner voice in your thoughts; it is the voice of God.

     

    Our soul is a part of God and God is a part of us; therefore, our souls are immortal and eternal.

     

    Hardships are necessary for the growth of our soul.

     

    Those born with mental or physical afflictions are more spiritually advanced than others, born to help others evolve spiritually.

     

    The physical body the spirit enters is chosen prior to birth.

     

    If an addiction isn't conquered before your physical death, it could keep your spirit earthbound.

     

    Earth is only one plane of learning; there are many.

     

    Hell is a state of being we create by being away from God until we choose to return to Him. It is a state totally devoid of love.

     

    All you do and think is known to God, and God understands everything perfectly, and loves everyone just the same.

     

    All pain we feel or cause is felt by God.

     

    In order to become one with God, work must be done to remember or find the truth. The truth is this: your true self is a spirit and your spirit is one with God.

     

    Love, being God, is too immense and profound to ever be fully understood or experienced in the physical world.

     

    The universe is God's cathedral.

     

    God created differences in religion because of the different lessons we all need to learn.

     

    When you do unto others, you do unto God and yourself.

     

    The beginning of all sin is seeing self as separate from others and God.

     

    There are only two "true" religions - the religion of love and the religion of fear.

     

    Communication in the spiritual world is telepathic. Your thoughts are answered as rapidly as your mind can send and receive them.

     

    When you die, everything you have said, thought, or done will be known by all.

     

    There are no secrets in the afterlife.

     

    Spirits with evil thoughts avoid the Light because they are too ashamed to have their life revealed.

     

    Spirits with like thoughts are drawn to each other in the afterlife.

     

    God's paradise for us is Love. We can create paradise again if we learn to love one another as ourselves.

     

    There is one God who is worshipped through many different teachings of many different religious faiths.

     

    The gods of one faith are the angels, saints, or supernatural beings of other faiths.

     

    In the search for truth and understanding, all paths lead to Love.

     

    God is Love, Light, and the energy in all. God is the source of perfect Love and all life.

     

    God loves and forgives you, and expects you to love and forgive others.

     

    The only thing that lives forever is Love.

     

     


  8. LIFE COMES FROM LIFE

     

     

     

     

    RABBI: There is a great controversy between the religionists and the scientists regarding the source of life. According to the entire first two chapters of Genesis of the Torah, God created everything, including all forms of plants, fish, mammals, birds, insects and human beings. There is no mention of any of the species of life arising from an inorganic source. The materialistic scientists' theories only give reasons for man to look away from God. They try to prove that life came from an inorganic source, which would imply that there is no God. The similarly inclined speculative philosophers then attempt to create philosophies to justify materialistic man's ultimate hope - for a life of unrestricted sense enjoyment without any accountability. If there were no God, then we would ultimately be unaccountable to anyone for our actions.

    DEVOTEE: Yes, this is our material disease, to want to act like there is no God or that we are God. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna says, "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." [bg. 10.8] Without understanding that God is the source or the fountainhead of everything two problems are created. First, we will justify our desire to be the center of existence - as both the enjoyers and controllers. Second, if we do not accept the existence of God, we will not be able to engage in loving transcendental service to the Lord. Both are artificial positions that will not bring us any true satisfaction or happiness, regardless of our success at material enjoyment. That is, the highest material enjoyment will not truly satisfy the soul. Certainly, our conviction that God is the source of creation is an essential building block for a spiritually progressive and happy human society.

    RABBI: Even with millions of people believing in principle that God is the source of everything, the world continues to become more materialistic. The more materialistic and atheistic it becomes, the more people will suffer. So it is of utmost importance that we become convinced that God is the source of everything and that we each have a perfect, transcendental, loving relationship with Him.

    Closely related to the discussion of the original source of life is whether all species of life were existing since the beginning of God's creation or if they developed over time such as in the Darwinian theory. Again, in the first two chapters of Genesis it is clearly stated that God created all the species of life. Additionally, it is not logical that so many complex changes could take place totally based on chance.

    DEVOTEE: I totally agree. It is said that not a blade of grass blows in the wind without the sanction of the Lord. There is nothing in the Lord's creation that happens by chance. If the sun deviated even slightly from it's path, the whole earth would either burn up or freeze. In either case, life as we know it would be destroyed on earth. Yet, for countless millions of years the sun has not gone off it's path.

    There is a kind of evolution however, but it is far removed from the atheistic Darwinian theory. This evolution is one of increasing consciousness, as the soul transmigrates from one species of life to another. The Vedas describe that there are innumerable species of life in the universe of which only a relatively small number are human beings. Only in the human form of life can a soul perfect himself through devotional service. To take a human birth is the greatest fortune and we should fully utilize this golden opportunity to cultivate devotion to God. If we misuse our human birth, dedicating our time and energy to gratifying our senses without interest in God, we will loose our human existence and again take birth in the lower species of life.

     

     

     


  9. LIFE COMES FROM LIFE

     

     

     

     

    RABBI: There is a great controversy between the religionists and the scientists regarding the source of life. According to the entire first two chapters of Genesis of the Torah, God created everything, including all forms of plants, fish, mammals, birds, insects and human beings. There is no mention of any of the species of life arising from an inorganic source. The materialistic scientists' theories only give reasons for man to look away from God. They try to prove that life came from an inorganic source, which would imply that there is no God. The similarly inclined speculative philosophers then attempt to create philosophies to justify materialistic man's ultimate hope - for a life of unrestricted sense enjoyment without any accountability. If there were no God, then we would ultimately be unaccountable to anyone for our actions.

    DEVOTEE: Yes, this is our material disease, to want to act like there is no God or that we are God. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna says, "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." [bg. 10.8] Without understanding that God is the source or the fountainhead of everything two problems are created. First, we will justify our desire to be the center of existence - as both the enjoyers and controllers. Second, if we do not accept the existence of God, we will not be able to engage in loving transcendental service to the Lord. Both are artificial positions that will not bring us any true satisfaction or happiness, regardless of our success at material enjoyment. That is, the highest material enjoyment will not truly satisfy the soul. Certainly, our conviction that God is the source of creation is an essential building block for a spiritually progressive and happy human society.

    RABBI: Even with millions of people believing in principle that God is the source of everything, the world continues to become more materialistic. The more materialistic and atheistic it becomes, the more people will suffer. So it is of utmost importance that we become convinced that God is the source of everything and that we each have a perfect, transcendental, loving relationship with Him.

    Closely related to the discussion of the original source of life is whether all species of life were existing since the beginning of God's creation or if they developed over time such as in the Darwinian theory. Again, in the first two chapters of Genesis it is clearly stated that God created all the species of life. Additionally, it is not logical that so many complex changes could take place totally based on chance.

    DEVOTEE: I totally agree. It is said that not a blade of grass blows in the wind without the sanction of the Lord. There is nothing in the Lord's creation that happens by chance. If the sun deviated even slightly from it's path, the whole earth would either burn up or freeze. In either case, life as we know it would be destroyed on earth. Yet, for countless millions of years the sun has not gone off it's path.

    There is a kind of evolution however, but it is far removed from the atheistic Darwinian theory. This evolution is one of increasing consciousness, as the soul transmigrates from one species of life to another. The Vedas describe that there are innumerable species of life in the universe of which only a relatively small number are human beings. Only in the human form of life can a soul perfect himself through devotional service. To take a human birth is the greatest fortune and we should fully utilize this golden opportunity to cultivate devotion to God. If we misuse our human birth, dedicating our time and energy to gratifying our senses without interest in God, we will loose our human existence and again take birth in the lower species of life.

     

     

     


  10. II never went to Vrndavan.I lived in lucknow and even in the capital the conditions are filthy then what to speak of dhama.Government officials are all corrupt and lack of management is all over the place.I am glad BVI maharaja you are doing something.God bless u.


  11. The beginning of consciousness

     

    Science might categorize the secret teachings as metaphysical, meaning "beyond the known laws and observations of physics." Religion might refer to them as mystical, meaning that they belong to a collection of thought considered too mysterious to consider or of dubious origin.

     

    It’s interesting to note that the great religions have sects that know of and ascribe to some or all of the secret teachings. In Islam it would be the Sufis; in Judaism, the Kabbalists; in early Christianity, the Gnostics and later, from the Middle Ages through the Reformation to even modern times, the many Christian mystics.

     

    Science, too, has had its adherents to concepts held by the secret teachings. Many quantum physicists have written about theories of life beyond the physically observable. Medicine has found that patients, who have been declared dead and later revived, have near-death experiences that confirm many of the concepts found in the secret teachings.

     

    According to the secret teachings, the universe was not first created in matter, but existed prior to material creation in spirit. Imagine a consciousness similar to our own, except that this first consciousness was boundless, a Universal Consciousness. This is God. At some point, the Universal Consciousness desired to express itself. It began to conceive, to imagine, and express Its inner prompting. And so the creation began – light, sound ... eventually stars, galaxies, trees, and rivers. This point in creation is still prior to the physical creation of the universe that science records. This is a realm of thought; no physical forms exist, only thoughts in the consciousness of the Universe. The physical universe had not yet been created.

     

    According to the secret teachings, there came a point in this creation where the Creator’s Consciousness desired to bring forth companions, creatures like unto Itself that would share in this expression of life. In order for the creatures to be more than creations, they had to possess individual consciousness and freedom, so that they could choose to be companions. Otherwise, they would only have been servants of the Original Consciousness. So within the One Universal Consciousness many individual points of consciousness were awakened and given freedom.

     

    It’s important for us to realize that at this point in our existence we did not have physical bodies. All of what has just been described occurred within the Mind of God. Consequently, its "form" resembled that of thought rather than physical objects. In the very beginning we were individual points of consciousness within the one great Universal Consciousness.

     

    At first we were quiet, our wills content to observe the wonders of the spiritual creation as they flowed from the Mind of God. In these early periods we were so much a part of the Creator’s Consciousness that we were one with It, virtually indistinguishable from It. However, it wasn’t long before some of us began to use our wills and express ourselves. At first, we simply imitated the Creator, but eventually we gained experience, and with experience came knowledge and confidence. Then, we truly began to create on our own, adding new dimensions to the spiritual creation, much like a second voice adds to a song by singing harmony with the main melody.

     

    This was exactly why we had been created – to share in and contribute to the great expression of Life and to be Its companions. To fulfill this purpose we were created in the image of the Creator: consciousness with freedom, capable of conceiving, perceiving, and remembering; capable of communicating directly with the Creator and the other companions.

     

    Consciousness and free will were the greatest qualities given any creation, but they came with equally great responsibility for their use or misuse. Of course, the all-knowing Universal One knew the potential dangers in giving beings complete freedom to do as they desired. However, the potential joy of sharing life with true companions, not servants, was deemed worth the risk. Therefore, each of these new free-willed beings would simply have to learn to take charge of themselves and to subdue harmful desires in order to live in harmony with the other companions and the Creator. To do otherwise would only bring chaos, suffering, and separation.

     

    Unfortunately, chaos came. As we continued to use our godly powers, we became more fascinated with them. We began to focus more and more on our own creations and became less concerned with and attentive to their harmony with the Creator, with the Whole. The more we thought of just ourselves and our own desires with less regard for the Whole, the more self-centered we became, eventually perceiving ourselves as separate from the Whole.

     

    Of course, this sense of separation was all in our minds, so to speak, because there really was no way we could exist outside of the Whole because everything was of spirit. It was more a result of our sustained focus of attention on ourselves and our self-interests that resulted in a heightened sense of a distinct and separate self.

     

    This was the beginning of trouble. It led to a very long fall for us. A fall that eventually left us feeling alone and separated from the rest of life, even to the point that we, who were actually companions and co-creators with the Universal Creator, today come to think of ourselves as little more than dustlike creatures, descendants of apes and inhabitants of a planet on the outskirts of a typical galaxy in the endless and diverse universe.

     

    This chaos occurred in spirit when no physical universe existed. To know ourselves and yet be one with the Whole was the ideal condition, but the centering of awareness on self alone resulted in a sense of separation from the Whole. The more we exercised our individual consciousness and free will for self-interest, self-gratification, self-glorification, and self-consciousness, the more we heightened our sense of self apart from the Whole.

     

    The resulting loss of contact with the Source of our life and the purpose for our existence was the beginning of darkness and evil, which is ignorance. Without a clear sense of our relationship to the rest of life, many of us began to use free will in ways that were never meant to be. Others simply let themselves be carried along with the current of life, abdicating their free will to the will of others. In both cases, these were things that would make it very difficult for us to be companions to the Creator.

     

    However, the Creator foresaw this potential and, prior to creating companions, It created a Universal Law: Whatever one did with its free will, it must experience. The law was not intended as punishment or retribution for offenses, but as a tool for education and enlightenment. Thus, as we used our freedom, we experienced the effects. In this we came to understand and learn.

     

    Interestingly, science and religion recognize this law. In science it is often stated, "For every action there is a equal and opposing reaction." Its religious counterpart is, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"; "As you sow, so shall you reap"; and "As you do unto others, it will be done unto you." Even common knowledge expresses this principle in saying, "What goes around, comes around."

     

    This is the law of karma, of cause and effect. It is the great teacher of the companions-to-be and it is an integral part of the secret teachings. Once this law was established, the Creator conceived and freed countless independent points of consciousness within Its own infinite consciousness and the companions came into being, each conscious and free. What a trembling wonder it must have been in those first moments!

     

    Again, it’s important to realize that the companions were not physical bodies. They were like "ideas" in the mind of the Creator that were given freedom to be independently conscious. As they used their freedom, they developed into unique points of thought, feeling, desire, expression, and memory. Each was slightly different from the other by virtue of its different vantage point within the Universal Consciousness. Each companion had a spirit, mind, and a soul. Spirit is the essence of life. Remember the condition of the Creator before the creation; alive yet still. This is Spirit. It is the living stillness in the midst of activity. So often we identify life with motion, but the essence of life was there before the motion. Spirit is the essence of life.

     

    Life in motion, or the power to move and shape ideas and even physical forms out of spirit, is mind. Mind is the sculptor, the builder who conceives, imagines, and shapes ideas out of the essence of life. Spirit is life; Mind is the power to use it.

     

    Each of the companions had spirit and mind. As they used their life forces, they developed experiences, memories, desires, fears, etc. This caused them to become unique from one another – each having its own collection of experiences and aspirations; each its own story. This individual aspect of the companion is its soul. Soul is the sum total of all that the companion had done with its free-will consciousness. It’s the companion’s story, its complex of memories. All of the companions have spirit and mind, but each developed a unique soul, because each built a different collection of memories and experiences, resulting in different desires, hopes, and attitudes about life. Thus, spirit is the life force, mind is the power to use it, and soul is the being that develops. All are one in consciousness.

     

     

    The division of consciousness

     

    The creation then progressed from essence to thought, thought into thought-form, and from thought-form into particle-form or atomic-form; in other words, matter. There are many dimensions to life. One of these dimensions is the third dimension – physical form, as we know it today.

     

    The companions, filled with their newfound consciousness and freedom, went out into the vast universe to experience life and to learn about themselves, the Creator, and their relationship to it. In their travels through the cosmos, some of the companions entered the three-dimensional influences of the planet Earth where they entered into physical form for the first time. Here they became so encapsulated in the physical that they began to identify themselves more with their form than with their consciousness. They began to think of themselves as physical entities rather than free, living consciousness. Incredibly, we began to think we were only terrestrial beings and our celestial origins began to be forgotten. Form was so substantial, so captivating that it was difficult to hold on to the more delicate reality of spirit-thoughts, pure point of consciousness in a Universal Consciousness.

     

    To have an individual body was also the ultimate in self-identity, self-expression. It had the power of separating one from the Whole and the formless spirit-thoughts of higher dimensions.

     

    Strong identification with the physical made the companions subject to the laws of Nature, and, of course, a part of Nature’s cycle was death. The body would come to life according to the laws of Nature, live for a time, and then die. In their original state, the companions were continually alive, but those that began to strongly identify with their physical bodies were now affected by death. Since they thought they were their bodies, they considered themselves dead when their bodies died.

     

    This was a serious confusion, and when the companions who had not become involved in the material universe saw what had happened to the others, they decided to help those in the flesh regain their former state. However, it was not going to be easy.

     

    In addition to the influences of the physical dimension, the souls were building reaction patterns (karmic patterns) with their willful activities in the physical universe. According to the universal law, these actions had to be met – properly met in the physical universe where they had been initiated. The more one acted in the physical dimension, the more one built debts that had to be met in the physical. Death changed nothing except those with karmic debts yet to pay had to pay them by incarnating into another physical body. The result of this was reincarnation.

     

    Another effect of entering the physical dimension was the division of consciousness. According to the secret teachings, as an individual entered deeper into the physical, its consciousness separated into three divisions of awareness. Two of these divisions we acknowledge today: the conscious and subconscious. The first entails the physical realm where the human body required a three-dimensional consciousness to function. It has become the part of our consciousness we are most familiar with, what we have come to call the conscious mind. Many of us would consider it to actually be the "I" or "me" of ourselves. It is within this part of consciousness that we experience physical life, and our personalities are developed.

     

    The second part of consciousness is shadowlike while one is incarnate in the physical dimension. It lives life as a shadow, always there, listening, watching, remembering, and only occasionally making its profound and sometimes frightening presence known. We have come to call this part of our consciousness the subconscious mind. From out of this area come dreams, intuitions, unseen motivations, and deepest memories.

     

    According to many teachings, the subconscious is the realm of the soul that uses the conscious mind as a mechanism for manifesting in the physical plane through the five senses. Often the thoughts and interests of the conscious mind, combined with the desires of the body, become so strong and dominant that only its activities seem important and real; the subconscious seems illusionary and unrelated to outer life. But in truth, the real life is occurring in the subconscious.

     

    The third area of the now divided consciousness is the most universal. It is the part we can perceive and commune with the Universal Consciousness. We have different names for it: the Collective Mind, the Universal Mind, the Collective Unconsciousness, and the Superconsciousness.

     

    The more one’s attention moves into the conscious mind, the more narrow and limited the focus and awareness becomes. The more one moves toward the superconsciousness, the more one becomes aware of the Whole, the Universal Forces, the Creator.

     

    It may be more difficult to perceive the infinite when one is grossly involved in the finite, but the Universal Consciousness and the potential for attuning oneself to It remains. Curiously, the access is through the inner consciousness of the incarnate individual and not outside of it, making it a very mysterious passage for a physical being.

     

    In time, however, the companions trapped in the physical dimension could again become aware of the difference between terrestrial and celestial life. They could again come to know their original state and purpose, and regain their celestial birthright of companionship with the Creator. In time they could again come to realize that the conditions in their present physical life were the result of their free-will actions and choices before the present life.

     

    If the companions trapped in the physical dimension could genuinely begin to believe that the physical cannot possibly be all there is to life, they could begin the long journey back from form to spirit, a very difficult journey. In many ways we, as human beings, are no longer spirit. Flesh has become very much a part of us, not just physically but mentally as well. Even when we are out of the body (through death, deep sleep, or some altered state such as meditation), bodily manifestation is still very much a part of us. Otherwise, there would certainly be no reincarnation. We would simply leave the physical dimension and never return.

     

    The great paradox of humankind is that we are now both spirit and flesh. That’s like saying we are a combination of oil and water, two substances which do not combine. The mystical analogy would more properly be fire and water; these, too, don’t combine. How can anything be made up of two substances that are impossible to combine? Yet, such is the nature of humanity. We are constantly forced to reconcile the seemingly unreconcilable: mercy with justice, cooperation with independence, unity with diversity, tradition with change, feeling with thought, love with truth, and on and on.

     

    The consequences of the division

     

    In order to fully appreciate the secret teachings, we need to understand how the Universal law of cause and effect works. It’s easy to say that the experiences in one’s life are the result of past activities, but the forces of this law are greater than we may first imagine.

     

    Every action, every thought, every idle word sets up reactions, according to the Universal law. When one thinks a thought, that thought makes an impression on the Universal Consciousness. Nothing is lost or done in secret. Everything is done within the Universal Consciousness, and the Whole is affected by it (as well as all others within the Whole).

     

    This isn’t easy for us to believe, living in our own little worlds. Secret, private, alone, and separate are active words in our vocabulary. This is due to our current separation in consciousness from the Whole. In the higher realms of consciousness, there is no space. Things and people are not separate, but part of a Whole. All is actually One. All is within the Whole. By increasing the focus on self, we have created the illusion of a self separated from the rest of life, but it just isn’t so. Our individual actions and thoughts make an impact on the Mind of the Universal One (the Whole).

     

    Thoughts are things. Thoughts are real.

     

    Reactions to past thoughts and actions become our fate, destiny, and karma. An individual’s fate is simply the rebounding effects of previous choices remembered by its soul. The reason the effects of these previous choices often seem unfair to the conscious mind is because the personality doesn’t see beyond its own life for sources of current conditions.

     

    As companions of God, we are free to live and choose and grow almost as we desire, but not without being subject to the Universal, Spiritual law. Through meeting our thoughts, actions, and words we learn to discern wisdom from folly, lasting strength from weakness, and true life from illusion. In turn we become more able to fulfill our ultimate purpose for existing: to be a companion to the Universal Creator. The law is actually a magnificent tool for perfect learning. It is completely impersonal – everyone experiences it equally and for the purpose of enlightenment.

     

    The law of karma is not some fierce god in the sky keeping track of everything so that it can zap people when they least expect it. Most karmic reactions in fact come from the individual’s own deep memory of what it has done.

     

    Karma has been described as memory. Karma is memory coming to consciousness again. What has occurred in the past is recalled and has an effect on the present. Now, the recollection may not surface to the conscious level; the personality may have no awareness of the memory, in fact. Yet, it exists at the deeper, soul level. Nevertheless, the soul sees through the same eyes as the personality and is reminded of its past use of free will and consciousness. Naturally, some of these memories will be compatible with the Universal and some will not. Memory is an important concept in understanding how the law of karma works.

     

    As a soul draws closer to the Universal Mind, it becomes aware that some of its memories are not compatible with the Creator, and since its ultimate purpose for being is companionship with the Creator, it seeks out opportunities to resolve these incompatible memories.

     

    Suppose a soul criticizes another soul among its peers and behind its back. As it becomes more aware of its true nature, it will recall this wrong and, because of its incompatibility with the Creator, will seek to correct it. Now, the resolution could take many forms. The soul might seek out an opportunity to work closely with the injured soul as a supporter, assistant, publicist, agent, or the like. Or perhaps it would seek to re-create the original scene – putting itself in a position to criticize the other soul again in front of the same peers. The test would be to see if the soul would choose not to criticize this time, even if it meant a certain loss of position for itself. Throughout all this the soul grows wiser and more compatible with the Creator.

     

    If, however, a soul has gotten so far away from its true nature that it has no conscience, then the law of karma can become a formidable obstacle to any further free-will action. Such a soul becomes surrounded by its karma; everywhere it turns, it meets the terrible effects of its previous action and thoughts. Yet, even a soul who has gotten in this pathetic situation can return to perfection because there is no total condemnation from the Creator or the law. If the soul turns away from its self-centeredness and begins acting, reacting, thinking, and speaking like a companion to the Universe, then the law is just as perfect as it is with error; and the reactions begin to build and establish a new destiny for that soul.

     

    Karma is memory. As one recalls or relives situations, one meets self again, and a new decision point or crossroads is presented to the soul. In life, "good" would be equated with compatible, harmonious actions and thoughts which consider the needs and desires of others along with self’s needs and desires. "Evil" would be equated with actions and thoughts that are motivated by a self-orientation that pays little or no attention to the needs and desires of others and the Whole. Metaphysically speaking, good results in oneness, and evil results in a sense of separation. Decisions in one’s life could be approached by evaluating which choices promote greater oneness and which promote separation.

     

    One must meet every bit of one’s karma. However, there is a way that it can be modified, softened, even ameliorated. If a soul, knowing another soul has wronged it, forgives that soul and holds no lingering resentment – perhaps has even forgotten the wrong in the depths of its forgiveness and understanding – then it begins to take hold of the power of forgiveness. The more it forgives, the more it perceives and understands forgiveness. Then, when it approaches the Universal Consciousness and realizes it possesses memories that are incompatible with It, forgiveness is much more viable, removing the barrier of separation. The law is so precise (what one gives one receives; no exceptions) that if one begins having mercy on and forgiveness of others, one begins to receive mercy and forgiveness upon oneself. Unless, of course, one refuses to forgive oneself.

     

    All has to be met. And yet, no soul is given more than it can bear to carry – this is the paradoxical blessing hidden in the limitations of time and space. A soul is given the time it needs to turn away from its selfish ways and, like the prodigal son, return home to a feast of joy and welcome from our Creator. Reincarnation is not a way to avoid judgment and responsibility; it is a way to allow the soul enough time to correct its mistakes and develop itself.

     

     

     


  12. I didn't follow this thread Posted Image didn't know seriousness of mataji's illness.Prayer does wonders I believe in the power of mind(concentration).Ask and you will receive.

     

    Jrdd mataji please don't worry.Good things are in store for you.I have no faith in my faith but faith in Krsna.He is gonna take care of you.Where is hopelessness? Posted Image my heart goes out to you,plz be assured,our love and prayers will not go away in vain.Krsna is so mercifull...

     

    Ever tried Reiki energy healing?It activates all 7 chakras and prana energy flows through the affected parts.It is wonderful!I know of some web sites which offer free distant karuna reiki.I will provide url if you want.

     

    My friend from today I am going to pray hard for you.God bless u.Get well...few months together isn't enough!

    PS don't mind my crappy english.


  13. Srimad Bhagavatam

    - the natural commentary on Vedanta-sutra

     

    "Srimad Bhagavatam - the natural commentary on Vedanta-sutra", given by His Divine Grace Srila Suhotra Swami in Sri Mayapura Dhama , India, in March, 1994.

     

     

    Sixth lecture

    "The Vedic path of liberation"

    Today we are going to look at the Bhagavatam description of the path of elevation and liberation, which is the Vedic path. The Vedic path is a path of elevation for all human beings and that path is one. It is called, as you see here, arciradi-vartmana in the Upanisads, in Vedanta sutra and also in Srimad Bhagavatam. The Srimad Bhagavatam verse I can refer you to with explanation of this term arciradi-vartmana is from 8th Canto, 5. 36:

     

     

    yac-caksur asit taranir deva-yanam

    trayimayo brahmana esa dhisnyam

    dvaram ca mukter amrtam ca mrtyuh

    prasidatam nah sa maha-vibhutih

    ...which means: "The sun god marks the path of liberation which is called arciradi-vartma. He is the chief source of understanding of the Vedas. He is the abode where the Absolute Truth can be worshipped. He is the gateway to liberation and he is the source of eternal life as well as the cause of death. The sun god is the eye of the Lord. May that Supreme Lord, Who is supremely opulent be pleased with us".

     

    So this path of liberation which is marked out by arcis, arcis means the rays of the sun, is referred to by Krsna in the Eighth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. He speaks there of actually two paths. One is called sukla and the other is called krsna, or the path of light and the path of darkness. Specifically now - the difference between these two is that in the sukla-vartma, the path of light, the sun is in the bright fortnight and in the krsna, darkness, the sun is travelling in the dark fortnight. So now we will explain, as we go on, what this all means. But first of all I want to ask from you remembering Lord Krsna's presentation of these two paths. I think most of you can remember from the Eight Chapter the Lord speaks of two paths of elevation. So he makes a distinction between the two. He says those who follow the path of light attain one thing and those who follow the path of dark - something else happens to them. So can someone tell me what is the difference? (Devotee : One has to come back.) Yes, one has to come back. Who? (Devotee: Who is following the dark) Those who follow the path of dark, the krsna path. Now of course this krsna does not mean Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is another sense of the term krsna, which means dark or black. So those who leave their body in the dark fortnight, Krsna says, they ascend to certain level and then they return. Those who leave the body in the bright fortnight, they do not return to this mortal world. But both are following this path which is chalked out by the rays of the sun. So what is being referred to is a mystic process. Now the two paths, which are called in Bhagavad-gita sukla and krsna, are referred to in Srimad Bhagavatam as devayana and pitryana. So the reference I can give you for devayana and pitryana paths - you can look in 7th Canto, 15th Chapter, 54,55 - this will tell you about the devayana path. 7.15.50,51 will inform you of the pitryana path. So in short, the devayana path is a gradual step-by-step process which takes one up to the Brahmaloka and then finally through the layers of the universe, into the spiritual realm. This is a gradual mystical process. And the means of ascend of the soul is actually by way of the rays of the sun. You may remember from Nectar of Devotion, in which Srila Prabhupada speaks of the laghima-siddhi, the mystic perfection by which a yogi becomes so light that he can move on the rays of the sun. These rays become for him just like a stairway. So this is the method of elevation - in devayana as well as in pitryana. But the pitryana path does not go so far. So now the distinction between the two paths is very important. We will be talking about that in a moment. One thing I want to say is that there are those, you may have heard, some persons who are coming out from the so-called new age movement, these modern spiritual groups. They accept reincarnation of the soul. But very often their believe is that the soul is always making progress. Automatically the soul must go up. Practically they say no matter what a person does. It is the arrangement of this universe that the soul will go upward into higher and higher regions. Sometimes they say, the worst that might happened is that the soul will get stuck in one place for time. But the soul will never go back. There is a group called the theosophists, which was started by one madam Blavatski. So this is one of the... again using this word archetype, archetypical new age group. Actually it is not so new - it was started about a hundred years ago or more. But anyway they propagate this idea that the soul is always being promoted and since that time many, many other groups are coming out, mystical groups and philosophical groups and so on who dabble in the Vedas and psychic phenomena and things like that. They have this idea that the soul is always moving upwards. Now this idea is actually very, very old, because this idea is mentioned in the Vedanta sutra as what is known as purva-paksa. Purva-paksa means a false argument. So because this false argument appears in Vedanta sutra we can understand that in the Vedic spiritual culture there has always been a class who have misunderstood in this way.

     

    So the source of this misunderstanding is from the Upanisads, a wrong purport or wrong explanation of an Upanisad called the Kausitaki Upanisad, verse 2 of the first chapter. This verse says that all who depart the human body go to the moon. So the moon is a heavenly planet. So from this statement has come a wrong explanation which says 'Yes, all souls leaving the human body will go upward on this arciradi-vartmana'. But this is wrong. What this actually means is all souls who are following the Vedic culture they will be promoted either by the devayana or pitryana path. What is the difference between the two? We touched on that. That the pitryana, those who follow that path don't go so far. They go as far as the moon or the Pitrloka. This is the path that is followed by the karma-kandiyas, who worship the forefathers and they worship the demigods with the purpose of entering the moon or the Pitrloka. Sometimes you will find that these two are said to be the same. Or that the Pitrloka is a department in the moon. But anyway the moon planet and the Pitrloka planet are heavenly places where the karma-kandiyas go and there they receive, if they enter the moon, a body which is called a soma-raja or a body of nectar, a body that is meant for tasting heavenly nectar. There is an interesting purport in Second Canto in which Srila Prabhupada explains that in this human body the genital organs are endowed with this ability to experience the same nectar. That's the only place on the human body. So therefore human beings are very inclined to enjoy sex life. But if one goes to the moon then one's whole body is endowed with the facility for tasting that nectar. So anyway, you can just imagine. To attain such birth on moon or Pitrloka is very interesting for those who are lusty, inclined to sense gratification. So this is the goal of materialistic persons. But materialistic persons, who are pious enough, intelligent enough to follow the Vedic injunctions here on earth. So they don't want liberation, they want elevation to a high status of sense gratification. So they follow this krsna-paksa or this pitryana path. So what this entails is that they are... I will read the verse and purport, 7.15.50,51: /transl/ "My dear King Yudhisthira, an oblations of ghee and food grains like barley and sesame are offered in sacrifice, they turn into celestial smoke, which carries one to successively higher planetary systems like the kingdoms of Dhuma, Ratri, Krsnapaksa, Daksinam and ultimately the moon. Then, however, the performers of sacrifice, descend again to earth, to become herbs, creepers, vegetables and food grains. These are eaten by different living entities and turn into semen, which is injected into female bodies. Thus one takes birth again and again."

     

    So from the Purport: "This is explained in Bhagavad-gita (9.21):

     

     

    te tam bhuktva svarga-lokam visalam

    ksinye punye martya-lokam visanti

    evam trayi-dharmam anuprapanna

    gata gatam kama-kama labhante

    "When those who follow the pravrtti-marga have enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus, through the Vedic principles, they achieve only flickering happiness".

     

    Following the pravrtti-marga, the living entity who desires to be promoted to the higher planetary systems performs sacrifices regularly, and how he goes up and comes down again is described here in Srimad Bhagavatam as well as in Bhagavad-gita. It is also said, trai-gunya-visaya vedah: "The Vedas deal mainly with the three modes of material nature". The Vedas, especially three Vedas, namely Sama, Yajur and Rk, vividly describe this process of ascending to the higher planets and returning. But Krsna advises Arjuna, trai-gunya-visaya veda / nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna: one has to transcend these three modes of material nature, and then one will be released from the cycle of birth and death. Otherwise, although one may be promoted to a higher planetary system, such as Candraloka, one must again come down (ksinye punye martya-lokam visanti). After one's enjoyment due to pious activities is finished, one must return to this planet in rainfall and first take birth as a plant or creeper, which is eaten by various animals, including human beings, and turned to seen. This semen is injected into the female body, and thus the living entity takes birth. Those who return to earth in this way take birth especially in higher families like those of brahmanas."

     

    So this karma-kandiya path is also called pravrtti-marga. Who knows the meaning of this pravrtti-marga as opposed to nivrtti-marga? (Devotee...sense gratification...) Yes, pravrtti-marga means a path of sense gratification. So one can become elevated by pravrtti-marga, or karma-kandiya, as far as Candraloka, but then one has to come back. Nivrtti-marga means the path of renounciation. So one following nivrtti-marga or the path of renunciation, liberation, he goes upward also and he also reaches the moon but he goes beyond. So let us hear from Srimad Bhagavatam 7.15.54,55 (SSS mentions aside: It's the day before Gaura Purnima so... Also another thing I discovered is a nest of snakes under the seat. So maybe that's also the problem. Anyway...) This is the path... again, the devayana path or the path of liberation:

    "On his path of ascent the progressive living entity enters the different worlds of fire, the sun, the day, the end of the day, the bright fortnight, the full moon, and the passing of the sun in the north, along with their presiding demigods. When he enters Brahmaloka, he enjoys life for many millions of years, and finally his material designation comes to an end. He then comes to a subtle designation, from which he attains the casual designation, witnessing all previous states. Upon the annihilation of this causal state, he attains his pure state, in which he identifies with the Supersoul. In this way the living entity becomes transcendental".

     

    And the next verse, 55, reads: "This gradual process of elevation for self-realization is meant for those who are truly aware of the Absolute Truth. After repeated birth on this path, which is known as deva-yana, one attains these consecutive stages. One who is completely free from all material desires, being situated in the self, need not traverse the path of repeated birth and death."

     

    So this path described here - the devayana or the nivrtti-marga is the path of jnana yoga. So in this path of jnana yoga there is also worship of demigods, but the goal is different, the goal is not to enjoy. The goal is to go higher and higher. These stages, which are also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita - the fire, the sun, the day, the end of the day, the bright fortnight, the full moon - this is actually referring to various Deities, which mark the path of arcirada-vartma, the path of elevation. So in the jnana yoga process as well as the other, the karma yoga, one worships these demigods, but in jnana yoga the goal is liberation, to enter Brahman. And when one is successful in devayana, then he never comes back to this world of birth and death.

     

    So going back to this question of the Kausitaki Upanisad, that all who leave this human body enter the moon, what this Upanisad is referring to, are all souls who follow the Vedic culture whether they be karma yogis or jnana yogis or as we shall see momentarily also the bhakti yogis, because the devotees also follow the same path. We will explain this in a moment. So this is important to understand because I think in preaching it is very likely... I think many of you devotees come from Eastern Europe, but in Eastern Europe I have also heard the same question that why do you say the human being may take birth in a lower species when we have heard from madam Blavatski that the soul is always going higher and higher and higher? That is very interesting to note that this misconception is coming out of Vedanta controversy, a philosophical argument over the Upanisads. It's very, very ancient. But Vedanta sutra... Srila Vyasadeva, as we said on the first day, it is his code for understanding the Upanisads, he refutes this argument. He says this is a purva-paksa or a wrong argument. And in his commentary, in Srimad Bhagavatam , he is explaining this two paths and also, he is explaining, there is another path, a third path for those who do not follow any Vedic injunction. Who are neither karma yogis, jnana yogis or bhakti yogis either, in other words - for those who are sinful. So what happens to them? Do they go to the moon? No, they go to hell! So here we see explained in Srimad Bhagavatam 3.30.33-34 the explanation of how one goes to hell:

     

    Translation: "Therefore person who is very eager to maintain his family and kinsmen simply by black methods..." In other words sinful methods - adharmena - the word is used, by irreligious activities. "...he certainly goes to the darkest region of hell, which is known as Andha-tamisra."

     

    Now there is also an argument mentioned, another purva-paksa argument or wrong argument, which says: 'All right, so he goes to hell but then after he is punished in hell, then he goes to heaven, then he goes up higher and higher'. No, from 3.30.34 we learn, this is what happens:

     

    "Having gone through all the miserable, hellish conditions and having passed in a regular order through the lowest forms of animal life prior to human birth, and having thus been purged of his sins, one is reborn again as a human being on this earth."

     

    So you see, after having spent time in hell, then one comes up through the lower species, by these repeated births in lower species one's sins are relieved and finally one comes to the human form again and there one has the choice whether he will follow karma yoga, jnana yoga, bhakti yoga or follow adharma again, sinful activities. And on that choice depends what happens with him next, whether he is elevated on this arciradi-vartma or whether he again goes to hell.

     

    So now let's speak more on this arciradi-vartma. The Upanisads and the Vedanta sutra speak of the heart as the sitting place of the soul and when the time for death comes upon the soul then according to the soul's karma a particular nadi... nadi means a channel, a subtle channel in the subtle body, the astral body, this channel is illuminated by the Supersoul. So, again, if that soul is sinful, Supersoul will illuminate a path downwards to go to hell via that path. But... or actually we hear that the Jamadutas come and pull him out of the body. But that path to hell , that is illuminated by the Supersoul for him. The Jamadutas are carrying him by that path down to hell. But if one goes upwards, then there is a particular nadi, which is called Susumna, which is illuminated. The Susumna-nadi. And this is mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.24:

     

    "O King, when such a mystic passes over the Milky Way by the illuminating Susumna to reach the highest planet, Brahmaloka, he goes first to Vaisvanara, the planet of the deity of the fire, wherein he becomes completely cleansed of all contaminations, and thereafter he goes still higher, to the circle of Sisumara, to relate with Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead."

     

    So this Susumna is mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam. So through this Susumna nadi, this illuminated channel, he then passes into the region, called arcis, which is this region of the sun's rays. And that does not actually refer to just the sky above where we see the sunshine. But it is actually referring to a subtle manifestation of solar energy such as that which is seen in the subtle body. Around everyone there is an aura, you may know this from your reading of mystical books, that everyone has an aura around. So that aura is constructed of these arcis, these subtle sun rays or mystical rays of the sun. So the soul passes into this region of the aura and then, travelling on this aura, he can go higher. Actually when he reaches that region, he meets a guide, called the Arcisdeva, a luminous being, which conducts him higher and then he meets successive devas, successive Deities who take him higher and higher and higher and finally on the devayana path he comes to the Brahmaloka. So again, in your reading, perhaps before you became devotees you read some mystical book and you read some things like this about guarding angels, about guides, luminous beings that take one higher. So this is all there in the Vedic literature is explained.

     

    Now for the followers of the pitryana, those who worship the forefathers, the guides are the forefathers or their representatives. Therefore you see even in modern times some people when they have what is called NDE, near-death experience, they clinically died in hospital, on operation and then after 5-10 minutes they came back to life. Sometimes they have memories, actually very startling memories of first being in a dark place, then seeing a channel or tunnel that is lid by a very wonderful light and they floated up to that channel and they came into another world and then there they saw their forefathers, maybe they saw their father or grandfather. So this is an experience of those who are on the pitryana path that their forefathers conduct them into heaven and there they enjoy. So the jnana yogis, those on the devayana path they are conducted by other beings until they reach Brahmaloka. So who conducts the devotee? Because the devotees also traverse the same path, path of elevation, till they reach... /break/

     

    ...and they told Dhruva Maharaja in Canto 4.12.24-25 that : "We are representatives of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the creator of the whole universe, Who carries in His hand the bow named Sarnga. We have been specifically deputed to take you to the spiritual world".

     

    Verse 25: "To achieve Visnuloka is very difficult, but by your austerity you have conquered. Even the great rsis and demigods cannot achieve this position".

     

    Now here the Visnudutas are referring, when they say 'the rsis', they are referring to those who follow the devayana path, who go as far as Brahmaloka or who may attain impersonal Brahman. And when they speak of the demigods, they are referring to those who enter the heavenly planets to enjoy. So here the Visnudutas, they are saying that 'we are going to take you beyond that, beyond what is reached by the demigods and also the sages'.

     

    /verse 25 continuing/ "Simply to see the supreme abode (the Visnu planet) the sun and moon and all the other planets, stars, lunar mansions and solar systems are circumambulating it. Now please, come: you are welcome to go there".

     

    So from the Purport Srila Prabhupada writes: "Even in this material world the so called scientists, philosophers and mental speculators strive to merge into the spiritual sky, but they can never go there. But a devotee, by executing devotional service, not only realizes what the spiritual world actually is, but factually goes there to live an eternal life of bliss and knowledge. The Krsna consciousness movement is so potent that by adopting these principles of life and developing love of God one can very easily go back home, back to Godhead. Here the practical example is the case of Dhruva Maharaja. While the scientist and philosopher go to the moon but are disappointed in their attempts to stay there and live, the devotee makes an easy journey to other planets and ultimately goes back to Godhead. Devotees have no interest in seeing other planets, but while going back to Godhead, they see all of them as passing phases just as one who is going on a distant place passes through many small stations."

     

    So here you see the devotee is also traversing that same path, pitryana, devayana, he is seeing all these places flash by, but he is not interested in them. Now, if he is interested in them, you see, if he still has some interest for sense gratification, somewhere in his heart, then he is going to see a place that will captivate him and he will tell the Visnudutas: "Ah, hmm, I think I would like to stop here. Looks very nice". So then he remains within the material world. That's why Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita that those who are not perfect in devotional service they go to the planets of demigods and then they come back to earth, but there they get another chance to take up devotional service. They should have gone back to Godhead but because in the heart there were some hidden desires for sense gratification then seeing all these places go by, they saw that place: "Oh, I didn't the material world could be like this. Well, hmm...looks very nice". So that's why Srila Prabhupada always warned us that even you have a slight tinge of desire for sense gratification you cannot leave this material world, you cannot enter the spiritual world, because Maya will show you just that place which suits your particular, very subtle material desire. And you will become captivated. So therefore we should really try in this human form of life now that we have it and we have this opportunity to perform devotional service, we should really try to rid ourselves by strict practice of sadhana-bhakti, bhakti yoga, we should really try to rid ourselves certainly of all gross, but as well as all subtle fine desires for sense gratification and mental speculation. Mental speculation means the Muni-lokas like the Jnana-loka, Tapoloka and finally Brahmaloka. I think I mentioned before, Srila Prabhupada said there is no sense gratification in these regions, but there is mental speculation, that is the material happiness. There are great sages, they like to think about Vedic knowledge, discuss among themselves, speculate. In this way they remain in the material world.

     

    So the devotee is conducted to the Brahmaloka and then beyond. So here, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.28-30 we hear: "After reaching Satyaloka...", the planet of Brahma, in other words, "...the devotee is specifically able to be incorporated fearlessly by the subtle body in an identity similar to that of the gross body, and one after another he gradually attains stages of existence from earthly to watery, fiery, glowing and airy until he reaches the ethereal stage."

     

    So what is being referred to here, as mentioned in this Purport, Purport to this verse, as Srila Prabhupada writes: "One who attains the place...", means the Brahmaloka, "...by dint of devotional service is specifically mentioned here in relation to how he can penetrate into the different coverings of the universe and thus ultimately disclose his spiritual identity in the absolute atmosphere of supreme existence."

     

    Verse 29: "The devotee thus surpasses the subtle objects of the different senses like aroma by smelling, the palate by tasting, vision by seeing forms, touch by contacting, the vibrations of the ear by ethereal identification, and the sense organs by material activities."

     

    Verse 30: "The devotee thus surpassing the gross and the subtle forms of coverings, enters the plane of egoism. And in that status he merges the material modes of nature (ignorance and passion) in this point of neutralization and thus reaches egoism in goodness. After this all egoism is merged in the mahat-tattva, and he comes to the point of pure self-realization."

     

    So he passes through the acit-sakti - all of these layers of the universe and egoism in ignorance, passion and goodness is called in Srimad Bhagavatam acit-sakti. This is mentioned in Canto 7.3.34 - acit-sakti is the material energy of Krsna. So the devotee passes through that and he attains his own spiritual identity.

     

    Now comes the next question from the mayavadis' side. The mayavadis they refer to the Upanisads, like for instance Gopala-tapani Upanisad says that when one attains the spiritual destination, when one becomes fully illumined by spiritual knowledge, then he should think "so 'ham", he should think "I am He" or "I am the Lord". So the mayavadis take that to mean that you merge in the existence of the Lord, but actually this sense of "so 'ham" is referring... thinking "I am He" is not referring to merging, becoming one with God but it is actually referring to transcendental ecstasy, ecstasy of devotional love of Krsna, such as that , which is seen in the gopis of Vrndavan. And here is the reference, as I have been saying all along, Srimad Bhagavatam is commentary on Vedanta-sutra so all of these questions that are raised in the Vedanta and the Upanisads and so on, are answered in Srimad Bhagavatam. So from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10.30.3 we learn:

     

    "Because the beloved gopis were absorbed in thoughts of their beloved Krsna their bodies imitated His way of moving and smiling, His way of beholding them, His speech and His other distinctive features. Deeply immersed in thinking of Him and maddened by remembering His pastimes they declared to one another: 'I am Krsna!'".

     

    So, you know, when Krsna left for Mathura the gopis of Vraja were alone without His association, then the ecstasy of vipralambha or separation, which Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught is the highest ecstasy of love of Godhead, they begun to enact Krsna's pastimes. This was their Krsna consciousness. They were remembering Krsna's pastimes to such a degree that they were acting them out for one another and thus they were declaring 'I am Krsna' by imitating His pastimes. So this is the Bhagavata explanation of those Upanisadic references, which say the goal is "so 'ham", to think of oneself... yes, you can think of oneself as being Krsna but in the mood of the gopis, in the mood of ecstatic loving separation. That is proper. Not in the mood of the impersonalists. So Bhagavatam explains... that... I have several verses. Bhagavatam explains that when one attains the spiritual world, one attains liberation, then he attains his eternal relationship, loving relationship with Krsna. That is a relationship of devotional service. So the references are, for instance Canto 6.16.25; Canto 9.4 63,64; Canto 9.4.68:

     

    /SB 6.16.25/ "Oh, transcendental Lord, who are situated in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Your two lotus feet are always massaged by a multitude of the best devotees with lotus-bud hands. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, complete in six opulences. You are the supreme person mentioned in the Purusa-sukta prayers. You are the most perfect, self-realized master of all mystic power. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You."

     

    So here it is very clearly described that the Supreme Lord lives on the topmost planet Goloka Vrndavana and the devotees who attain them here do not merge in Him but they are engaged in rendering service, for instance they are massaging His lotus feet with their lotus-bud-like hands, or spiritual hands. This similarity between the Lord's lotus feet and the devotees' lotus-bud-like hands are indicating the similarity of their forms. Lord Krsna has His spiritual form and so also do Krsna's devotees. This is very interesting. The Chandogya Upanisad... The Upanisads are very much loved by the mayavadis because the Upanisads are written in language, which is easy to interpret sometimes in different ways. So the Upanisads, Chandogya Upanisad speaks of how the soul rises up... having left the last material body the soul rises up into light, into the jyoti, to the spiritual light and attains its svarupa. So such descriptions are very appealing to the mayavadis, but then that same Chandogya Upanisad goes on to say that in that spiritual realm the soul meets other liberated souls and together with them he enjoys. And different activities are mentioned like laughing and singing and so on. So then this becomes very confusing for the mayavadis. Why do the Upanisads say such things as this? So why - it is clearly said here in Srimad Bhagavatam, clearly explained so that there is no doubt that these liberated souls they are attaining their svarupa in the spiritual world of Krsna, they are receiving a spiritual form and in Krsna's association they are enjoying together. In fact the Lord says, He told the yogi Durvasa, when Durvasa came to the Svetadvipa planet to beg lord Visnu to call off His Sudarsana cakra, so the Lord explained that "Sudarsana is pursuing you because you have offended my devotee and there is really nothing that I can do about that. Because I'm not independent from My devotee, so therefore neither is My Sudarsan cakra. You have offended My devotee so the Sudarsana automatically acts in this way". So the Lord told Durvasa Muni /9.4.63/ that:

     

    "I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotees, even those who are devotees of My devotees are very dear to Me".

     

    Sadhubhir grasta-hrdayo / bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyah. So this last line - bhaktair bhakta-jana- priyah - is indicating for all of our benefit, how anyone of us can become successful in attaining the supreme goal of life - one should just become dear to the devotees of the Lord. Because the Lord says: "My devotees are so dear to Me, I cannot be separated from them. I sit in the cores of their heart and indeed whoever is dear to My devotees they are also dear to Me". So He accepts the bhakta-jana, the followers of devotees, as His own devotees also. So Srila Prabhupada said it is a very rear thing to become a Vaisnava. So therefore we should try to be servants of the Vaisnavas and then for us this exalted path of liberation, of going back home back to Godhead is opened. Then the Lord goes on to say /9.4.64/:

     

    "O best of the brahmanas, without saintly persons for whom I am the only destination, I do not desire to enjoy My transcendental bliss and My supreme opulences".

     

    So the Lord does not... He does not find even the spiritual world attractive if there would be no devotees there. That is actually why there is a spiritual world - so that the Lord can receive the service of His devotees there. Otherwise without devotees Krsna has no interest in opulence, His spiritual opulence. And this is also very interesting because, as we have been telling, we have been explaining from Srimad Bhagavatam what is the material world, what is the material energy - it is simply the Lord's spiritual energy but devoid of devotion. The material world is a place where the non-devotees go. So therefore Krsna is not very much interested here. So actually the difference between the spiritual world and material world is simply the difference between where Krsna is enjoying and where He is not enjoying. So the spiritual world is also here, wherever the devotees are serving Krsna and adding to His transcendental pleasure by their service. Then Krsna is present... just like this holy dhama of Mayapur, this is the spiritual world. Why? Because here the devotees of the Lord serve Him, give pleasure to His senses. That is why this is the spiritual world. No other reason.

     

    So I think, now you can all understand why Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita and why it is also stated in Srimad Bhagavatam, that the devotees are not bewildered by these two paths, the paths that are followed by the pravrtti-margis and the nivrtti-margis. I think now that becomes clear. The devotee he is also traversing that same path but he is not interested in any of the stops on the way that attract the pravrtti-margis, or karma-kandis, and the nivrtti-margis, or the jnana-kandis. Therefore he is not bewildered by these two paths, that is the sense of this word. And this is also why devotees do not worship demigods. This is also why Krsna explains to Arjuna yanti deva-vrata devan - those who worship the demigods they go the demigods, but those who worship Me... He says those who worship the pitrs they go to the pitrs, those who worship the ghosts go to the ghosts, those who worship Me come to Me. The devotees don't worship the demigods because the devotees don't want to end up on some Devaloka, somewhere. They worship only Krsna Himself or Krsna's representatives, the Yamadutas... I'm sorry (aside: These snakes again...)... the Visnudhutas they come to personally conduct the devotee back home back to Godhead. So are there any questions? Yes?

     

    (Devotee: Could you clarify what happens at the time of death to persons who live in the holy dhama but are not good devotees and are engaged in smoking bidi and this and that? What happens to those who are not devotees?)

     

    The thing is that everyone who lives in the holy dhama is a devotee of some kind or other. They may not be such good devotees but they couldn't be here if they were not devotees. So they are devotees. All those who live here, even the Muslims, they know who is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So that means they are very, very exalted souls. They know who is Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they know what is Hare Krsna Maha-mantra, they know what is sankirtana. They may not practice but they know. They have known from their very birth. So how much more exalted they are than people from countries outside India who don't know anything. Or even areas in India outside of this holy dhama. They don't know who is Lord Caitanya. But still they are engaged in materialistic activities therefore they have to take birth in the dhama again as animals. And then after that birth as animals they are liberated they go back home back to Godhead. Yes?

     

    (Devotee: In Bhagavad-gita it is described that by karma yoga and jnana yoga it is possible to achieve the Supersoul. So how to achieve the Brahman realization is easy to understand but what exactly is the step from Brahman realization to Paramatma realization?)

     

    Yes, so, for those who follow karma kanda they are worshiping Visnu but as the universal form. Therefore they are interested in ascending up through planetary systems. They are interested in the sense gratification that is available in the Visvarupa. So their conception of Vsnu is Visnu as Visvarupa, universal form. And on the jnana yoga path... well, actually to attain impersonal Brahman, since the Brahman is the effulgence of the Supersoul, in that way they also attain the Supersoul. But more advanced than brahmajnanis or the brahmavadis are the paramatma-vadis, who actually meditate upon the form of the Lord in the heart. This is the higher stage of jnana yoga - the mystic yoga system. So they are interested in mystic powers or they are interested in isvara-sayuja, it is called, to actually merge into the form of Supersoul. This is also not devotional service. It's a mystical process.

     

    (Devotee: Is it right to say that to meditate about the inner spiritual atmosphere, the self, is also worship of the Supersoul because the service (.............?). Therefore they have achieved the Supersoul. Is this that like step between because the jnana yogis (.............?) Brahman realization then he goes further to Supersoul?)

     

    Well, the via media are the rays of Brahman because these rays emanate from the Supersoul so they first of all meditate upon that - the light - and also you will see in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lord Caitanya is explaining in His explanations of the atmarama verse that in santa-rasa there is some thirteen stages, He explains. The lowest platform are those who just merge in the light of brahmajyoti and the highest platform are those who have penetrated the light and have realized the form of the Lord. All of this is santa-rasa. And the santa-rasa is the highest stage attainable by the jnanis. So there are these different levels. So the santa-rasa, that neutral relationship with the Lord, is also seen in those who just entered the brahmajyoti. That also turns a kind of santa-rasa - lowest stage. So the jnanis, you know, they may be on different stages of advancement in the santa-rasa.

     

    (Devotee: When one begins to worship the Supersoul he begins to enter in dasya-rasa...)

     

    Yes, but this will only be possible by the association of pure devotees. He learns that from the devotees. Otherwise by this mystic process he may approach the Supersoul but his motivation again is for mystic powers or for liberation. And that the Lord will give him... It is said - the Lord gives this very easily. Of course He gives that very easily after they have performed so many hard austerities. Once they have attained His darsan then they very easily they can get all mystic powers or they can merge into Him. But what is so special about merging in Visnu when we all do that at the end of the cosmic manifestation anyway, so that's not a very great thing. Yes?

     

    (Devotee: You told about (.............?)arguments used by Blavatska. From where they took these arguments?)

     

    I think you are talking about their belief in the continual elevation of the soul, that's what I was referring to. They believe that after the human being dies, his soul must be promoted upwards automatically. (Devotee: From where is this idea?) Yes, as I said, this is based on a verse from a Upanisad, Kausitaki Upanisad which says all those who depart the human body they attain the moon, they will reach the moon. But I explained what this meant. "All those" means all those who are following the Vedic path, either karma, jnana or even bhakti paths, they will attain the moon. Of course the jnanis and the bhaktas will go beyond. The karmis will stay there. So that's the reference. All those who are practicing Vedic dharma but those who are not - they will go downward, they will fall down. This is the mistake they make. Nowadays people are engaged in sinful activities but these 'new age', you know, mystic psychics, whatever they are, misleaders, they say: "Oh, doesn't matter what you do because automatically after you die your soul will be promoted". There is talk of the next stage, the next platform, the next dimension or whatever.

     

    (Devotee: There is misunderstanding of this verse?) But this is very ancient misunderstanding. Yes?

     

    (Devotee: It is said a devotee can get the mercy of Lord Caitanya in the time of death. He takes...)

     

    Well, you see, to enter Krsna's pastimes one must be trained. So one actually passes through all that but one attains Krsna, association of Krsna, in the universe where He is displaying His lila. One takes birth there... /break/ ....give up their bodies in anxiety of separation. What that means is that they are held back from joining Krsna by certain very subtle attachments. What are these attachments? These are actually attachments to piety. Because they are women, they are at home with their husbands so they have what is called stri-dharma, a dharma of pious womanhood, which they are attached to, which holds them back. Krsna says sarva dharman parityaja - you have to give up all dharmas to be with Me. So even piety you have to give up , material piety. So in this way that attachment is burnt up because although the body is held back, out of anxiety to be with Krsna, they leave that body and then they join Krsna in a spiritual body. So in this way they are trained up in that, we can say, final birth, in giving up even the most subtle, subtle, subtle, fine attachments and thus they associate with Krsna without any reservation. And then they go to Goloka with Krsna from there. (Devotee...) Yeah, because they have to leave this universe to go to the universe... in whichever universe Krsna is. So they are passing the same path. Yes?

     

    (Devotee: The spiritual masters have their different many disciples. If these disciples have different rasas, what is their relationship with the spiritual master? Or perhaps the answer is that all these disciples have the same rasa as their spiritual master?)

     

    So the answer is that the spiritual master is Krsna's representative and Krsna empowers him to teach his disciple how to serve Krsna no matter what his rasa is. So therefore we find in Bhaktivinoda Thakura's book Jaiva-dharma that a spiritual master had two disciples of two different rasas and the same spiritual master appeared to these disciples when they were liberated in the form of their rasa - in the form of cowherd boy and in the form of gopi. The same spiritual master to the one disciple who had rasa of cowherd bow the spiritual master appeared as cowherd boy and to the disciple who had rasa as gopi that same spiritual master appeared to him as gopi. So it doesn't matter. The spiritual master is empowered by Krsna to instruct his disciples, he is given full power. So regardless of what the spiritual master's own rasa may be, he can instruct his disciples in any rasa and get them situated. Because he is Krsna's representative. Yes?

     

    (Devotee...) No, there is no contradiction - the Supersoul illuminates the path to hell, that's all you need to understand. That path to hell is illuminated and he is dragged along that path by the Yamadutas. Just like for the devotees the path to Brahmaloka and beyond is illuminated and he is conducted along the path by the Visnudutas. Yes?

     

    (Devotee: It is said that the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple is eternal. What does it mean because eternal also means without beginning?)

     

    Yes, the answer to that question is very easy. In Bhagavad-gita Purport Srila Prabhupada says that Krsna is the real spiritual master. So your relationship with Krsna is eternal, without beginning and the spiritual master who comes to save you he is sent by Krsna, he is Krsna's representative. So it is stated jive saksad nahi tata guru caitya rupa - the guru is actually within the heart but the jiva in maya cannot understand him therefore siksa guru haite habe mahanta-svarupa, therefore the siksa guru comes in the form of mahanta, devotee. So in that sense your relationship with the mahant, devotee, has its beginning. Brahmanda brahmite kona bhagyavan jiva / guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija - there is a time when you are bhagyavan, fortunate to have the association of a pure devotee. And that has its beginning in time. But who is that devotee - he is just a representative of Krsna and your relationship with Krsna, the caitya-guru, the Lord in the heart, is eternal. Therefore... and also another point is since Krsna and Krsna's devotee cannot be separate therefore your relationship with Krsna's devotee is also eternal. But there is one time when Krsna's devotee comes to you and says: "All right, stop this nonsense, let's go back home, back to Godhead, Krsna is waiting for you now". Yes?

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    Well, the thing was that in the case of Ajamila, because he chanted the holy name of the Lord... you see, that he has been taken off by the Yamadutas , that is the automatic reaction of his sinful activities, that is the result of his sinful activities, in other words, that is the working of Maya. But because he chanted the holy name of Narayana therefore this machinery of the material nature was suddenly stopped by the appearance of the Visnudutas. And they told Ajamila that 'Because you have chanted the holy name therefore it is not your time to leave your body'. This was the result, not that any path was illuminated. The Yamadutas thought 'Oh, we should take him'. But the Visnudutas said: "No, he has chanted the holy name of Lord". And they told Ajamila: "Now you stay in your body some time longer. Now you should become a proper devotee so that when you leave your body at the proper time in the future then you can go back home back to Godhead". So after that time Ajamila became very serious and he practiced Krsna consciousness nicely, became pure devotee and then went back home, back to Godhead. Yes?

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    No, the sinful reactions or desires are there in the heart, but what has been purified, what has been relieved of, are the very heavy, gross reactions to them. But the seeds of material desires are there. It's like this, like from a seed a plant grows, then winter comes and the plant withers, all the leaves fall off. It seems the plant has died, some flowers they completely wither away, but then when the spring comes, from the same seed the flower grows new. So like that, from a sinful desire a sinful reaction grows up and then it can be cut gradually, withered away or cut away by suffering reactions as one must do when one passes through the species of life. So then the reaction seems to have gone. But the seed is still there and it can grow up again in that human form.

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    Yes, what happens is all the matter of association, if you associate only with sinful people, then by that association the sinful desire-seeds are watered and they grow. But if you associate with the pure devotee then the bhakti-lata-bija, the seed of devotional service is planted in the heart and by association and practice that is watered and the devotional creeper grows.

     

    (Devotee: When one descends from the celestial, the higher planets does one immediately attain a human form of life or one can enter animal species?)

     

    Well, we have heard that the soul actually enters first of all the bodies of plants. And then these plants are eaten by different living entities and then the soul in this way passes from the male into the womb of the female and receives a body. So plants are also eaten by lower creatures too. So there is some possibility that one may fall down from heaven and then end up in the womb of a mother cow or horse or something else. The chance is there. It's all adjusted by, again, his residual pious or impious activities. Even when he goes to heaven and comes back, there is some residual, subtle pious / impious reactions. So depending on what is there he may take birth as human or also as animal. Yes?

     

    (Devotee: In the material world devotees have positions of high and low, like spiritual master, temple president and so on. So when we go in the spiritual world will we find the same kind of high and low positions?)

     

    Srila Prabhupada said that we will have our ISKCON in the spiritual world so everything will be the same. What we have to see, what we have to learn here is that actually there is no high or low. Everything in Krsna consciousness is absolute, everyone is connected with Krsna through devotional service. Therefore this sense of high and low is actually only a mundane idea. There are different positions in the spiritual world, the devotees have different relationships with Krsna but all are Krsna conscious, all are serving and loving Krsna and Krsna is reciprocating with all of them according to their love. So therefore Srila Prabhupada he was very displeased when he saw that some of his disciples in Los Angeles were studying Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the prayers of the gopis to Krsna, the descriptions of the gopis' lila, madhurya-lila, with Krsna, they were only reading this and they were trying to cultivate some gopi-bhava, they called it, some ecstasy of the gopis. And Prabhupada was very displeased with this. He said: "Oh, they think that by becoming gopis then they will be better than mother Yasoda". This is a material conception. Just like in the material world one wants to be promoted, he gets job in some company and he is thinking: "Let me work, work, work and get promoted to higher salary, higher position, higher, higher, higher!". So it is not like that. Whether one becomes gopi or Krsna's mother or friend of Krsna, it is simply according to love, the flavour of love, it has nothing to do with higher or lower. And that flavour of love you will find, whatever it may be, absolutely satisfying to you because Krsna will relate with you, you will relate with Krsna in just the way that you feel most natural. Of course in Vrndavan, in Goloka Vrndavan, the devotees they even change their rasa according to the need but this is very esoteric, but Prabhupada referred to this. There is also a story in account in the literature of the Goswamis how one cowherd boy... because Krsna wanted to take bath in the Yamuna river, but Yamuna river was far away so this cowherd boy took the form of a river so that Krsna could bathe in him. And then when Krsna came out of that river, Krsna needed to dry Himself, so the cowherd boy took the form of a towel so that Krsna could dry Himself. So these things are going on. The relationship with Krsna in Goloka Vrndavana is spontaneous. The devotees there are looking for the opportunities to serve Krsna so in this way the rasas change but every devotee has one principle rasa that he likes best. So the fact is whatever that rasa is that is what you... you like that best because you can associate and serve Krsna in the way that you like best. So there is no question of someone who is in a cowherd boy-rasa thinking: "Oh, this is boring, I'm tired of taking lunch with Krsna. I want to dance with Krsna in rasa-lila. So I want to be a gopi.". The devotees never think like that, they don't think this way. They only think 'What does Krsna want from me? So Krsna wants me to be cowherd boy, yes, I feel that's best, because I find by serving Krsna this way that is my natural position'. Or Krsna wants me to be gopi, or Krsna wants me to be something else. And even then sometimes the opportunity is there to be something else: "Oh, now Krsna wants this. All right there is none else with that rasa right now, all right, so I'll do it". Just like in ISKCON, you mentioned temple president or guru, but sometimes they also are cleaning the floor because it's Krsna's service. You see, when Krsna's temple has to be cleaned we don't call for the (bangies?), you know, this class of sweepers who are considered very low class. We don't have some (bangie?) class standing by, untouchable class: "Hey, you, now clean the temple.". The devotees clean the temple. We don't think this is low. This is Krsna's service, everything is absolute. Yes?

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    It's the same - a fivefold sacrifice which is mentioned in the Upanisads. Sacrifice which conducts one... This is the pitryana process, fivefold sacrifice, fivefold offerings, by which one leaves this human body, attains the heavenly world, enjoys there, comes back down and attains a human birth in Varnasrama culture. (Devotee...) Well, they come down by the way of the rain and the rain is of course generated by sacrifice, by the sacrifice of the persons on earth.

    All right, a few more questions.

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    I have never been in a library in Jagannatha Puri. There is Vrndavana Research Institute in Vrndavana where they are keeping all the books of the Goswamis but the major books, the major writings of the Goswamis are available, of course in Sanskrit and Bengali, but they are preserved in this Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya and some are being translated by the BBT. BBT has a... now a plan for translating some important philosophical works of the Goswamis. Other devotees have also translated but I cannot recommend their accuracy although they are there, there is the Krsna Institute from Los Angeles, there are many volumes of books, Goswamis' literature, but as I said, the accuracy may not be that good. Yes?

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    But as we've heard, we read a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam, they come up to lower species until they achieve human birth and then in the human form of life they have choice if they follow Vedic injunctions, either karma-khanda, jnana-khanda or bhakti yoga, they will be promoted. If they neglect Vedic injunctions and again are sinful they will again fall down to hell. Yeah?

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    Yes. So the subtle body contains the subtle elements and these subtle elements are actually referring to the... they are also seen in the covering of the universe, these are subtle elements. So for the subtle body, or for the soul rather, to pass through the layers of the universe then he has to relinquish bit by bit these aspects of his subtle body. They are merged into each layer, all the elements are seen in these layers. (Devotee: It's simultaneously by going through?) Yes, by going through, otherwise he cannot go through. So within every layer there is a Deity also. This is described in Brhad Bhagavatamrta. The presiding Deity of the watery layer is Matsya and there is a presiding Deity of the fiery and so on, mind, all of the presiding Deities are form of Visnu. So passing beyond for a devotee simply means to worship these forms and get Their blessings. So they bless the devotee by removing attachment for that element so that he can go beyond. Yes, mataji?

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    I haven't understood the complete question because I didn't hear everything you said.

     

    Yes...

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    ...yes...

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    ...yes, one who is liberated within the body is called jivan-mukta. So jivan-mukta, as explained by Baladeva Vidyabhusana, that is a liberated Vaisnava. A pure devotee of the Lord lives within this body to serve Krsna only. So he is not in any way...his consciousness is not in any way confined by this body, he is not attached to it. Actually within his heart he is in the spiritual world, he is with Krsna. And he is seeing Krsna's eternal pastimes within his heart. So he is not actually in the material world. But he has a body by which he preaches. So he is called jivan-mukta. And the other kind of moksa or mukti which is attained by one who is becoming liberated from the body, that's called videha-mukti. That means giving up the body, the conditioned body, giving it up. So this jivan-mukta is only available to Vaisnavas. The mayavadis or the impersonalists, the jnana yogis, they strive for liberation but it's only this videha-mukti. Because to them to have a material body means...you know, if you have a body that means you are conditioned. Because they have no idea about the transcendental purpose of this body. That this body can be engaged here in Krsna's service. Understand? Yes?

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    He wants to know if there is any correlation between the presiding Deities in the layers of the universe and the incarnations or Deities described in the tenth Cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam. Well, there is... you cannot make a correlation from Canto to layer like that: First Canto - first layer, Second Canto - second...That's speculation. But of course the Deity forms of the Lord are described in the various Cantos of Bhagavatam and how to serve them is described. So a devotee he knows when he sees the Lord how to worship the Lord and receive the Lord's blessing. So that's what you learn from Srimad Bhagavatam. (Devotee...) But he is doing that automatically, he sees the form of the Lord or the Lord's pure devotee because some... in some layers like in pradhan there is mula-prakrti, Durga devi, Durga devi as the acit-sakti, we mentioned, the Lord's own potency of acit, ignorance. But she is a devotee, so he respects, the devotee respects Durga devi as Vaisnavi and then she is satisfied: "OK, you can go". And then after he meets Lord Siva, Lord Siva in the realm of Brahman and when Lord Siva sees that this person who is now coming is not a mayavadi, is not a yogi but is a devotee he is very happy and he begins to chant and dance: "OK, you go, go on to Vaikuntha. Don't stay here". He will actually tell the devotee, as Sanatana Goswami describes in Brhad Bhagavatamrta, he'll tell the devotee: "This place is not for you. Go on." Yes? (Devotee...) Yes, but Matsya... Matsya has, as it is explained by Srila Prabhupada in a letter to Ekayani dd in 1970, he said these forms as Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, they assume these forms as fish, tortoise, boar in the material world as their lila but in the spiritual world.../break/

     

    So in the spiritual world we are speaking of the Personality of Godhead, Visnu, one Personality of Godhead in different manifestations. Here in the material world these forms of the Lord expand in His particular pastime forms as a fish, as a boar and so on, for some particular lila but these are expansions of the Lila-purusottama, Prabhupada says, Krsna in His different pastime-forms. That's what Prabhupada said in this letter.

     

    It's getting late... Four minutes left... Whose question is most important? (laughs) He says his question is more important than your. So all right, we will listen to your question.

     

    (Devotee: It's stated that if a devotee attains success in his devotional service then fourteen generations of his...)

     

    Descendants.

     

    (Devotee: Yeah...and ...)

     

    Ancestors.

     

    (Devotee:...they also attain liberation. Does it regard...)

     

    What a question! You call this important? (Devotee: I'm asking in regard of my Grandfather...)

     

    Obviously it means on the both sides.

     

    (Devotee...)

     

    Anyway (laughs). Yes, in another place Srila Prabhupada says ten generations back, ten generations forth, instead of fourteen. You can ask so many questions like this but the main thing is that those who are... Krsna consciousness is so powerful that those who are linked by karma to that devotee and so 'linked by karma' means on mother's side as well as father's side. There is karmic chain. So those who are linked then the both chains of karma are purified. Whether ten generations or fourteen, or this, or that... That's the point you must understand.

    All right, I'm not convinced that there are anymore important questions. And it's one minute to twelve, so we will stop. And the snakes are starting to move (laugh). So we will stop now.

     

    Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

    Srimad Bhagavatam ki jaya!

    Gaura-premanande Hari-haribol !

     

     


  14. More wisdom given on Pure Bhakti :

     

    We CANNOT COMPREHEND the PURE DIVINELOVE,PREMA BHAKTI that is ATTAINED through GOD'S GRACE because IT IS DIVINE, and therfore it is

    AN INDEFINABLE POWER OF LORD.

     

    First examine the word 'Bhakti'.

    One origin is

    'bhajanaM bhaktiH'

    this is meant to say about 'PERFECT DEVOTION' or 'siddha bhakti',

    and the other origin is,

    'bhajayate bhaktiH',this is preliminary or

    PREPARATORY DEVOTION' or 'sadhana bhakti'.

     

    Let us understand the characterstics of 'Preliminary Devotion'.

     

    "anyAbhilASitA zUnyaM

    jnAna karmAdyanAvRtam,

    AnukUlyEna kRSNAnu zIlanaM bhaktir uttamA"

     

    (Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu)

     

    "guNarahitaM kAmanArahitaM

    pratikSaNa vardhamAnam"

     

    (Narada Bhakti Sutra- 54)

     

    "sarvOpAdhi virirmuktaM

    tat paratvena nirmalam,

    hRSikeNa hRSikeza sevanaM

    bhaktir ucyate"

     

    (Narada Panca Ratram)

     

    "ahaituky avyavahitA yA

    bhaktiH puruSOttame"

     

    (Bhagavatam 3.29.12)

     

    There are THREE main points to be grasped.

     

    Firstly,

    one should be DEVOID of ALL DESIRES.

     

    Secondly,

    'Bhakti' should NOT be DILUTED by KARMA(ritualistic and obligatory actions),JNANA ( doctrines of subtle knowedge and philosophies),tapa(penance,austerity),etc.

     

    Thirdly,

    one should ACTIVELY LOVE and SERVE Lord (Krishna)in a PLEASING WAY,

    through RELATIONSHIPS of SANTA(peaceful neutral tranquility),DASYA(humble eternal servitude),SAKHYA (eternal friendship),VATSALYA (eternal parent-hood) and MADHURYA (passionate amorous-love of eternal bride).

     

    Let us discuss the first REQUIREMENT in detail,because in my opinion,it is the REASON for the individual soul's FAILURE to practise SADHANA,and is the GREATEST IMPEDIMENT that BLOCKS our PROGRESS in Devotional Practice.

    Once this condition is GRASPED,the PATH of Bhakti will be SMOOTH,and we will speedily progress towards OUR GOAL.

     

    Devotion is POSSIBLE ONLY when ALL kinds of DESIRES are ABANDONED.

    In reality,it is the MIND that has to be ENGAGED in Devotion because the MIND is the CAUSE of the BONDAGE and LIBERATION.

     

    If the MIND is PREOCCUPIED with worldly or celestial DESIRES,then

    HOW CAN WE USE IT IN DEVOTION?

    You have ONLY ONE MIND.

    You can FILL it with DESIRES for MATERIAL ATTAINMENTS,or with the DESIRE for DIVINE ATTAINMENT.

    It is totally IMPOSSIBLE to have BOTH KINDS OF DESIRES IN ONE MIND.

     

    Most people WHO believe in GOD NEVER seriously CONTEMPLATE this fact,though it definitely NEEDS DEEP REFLECTION.

     

    The first condition of Preparatory Devotion is to ABANDON ALL kinds of DESIRES.

    What do we mean by ALL kinds of desires?

     

    The simplest and most SATISFACTORY answer to this question is that ANY DESIRE APART FROM THE DESIRE FOR THE LORD IS TO BE RENOUNCED.

    The desires that HAVE TO BE RENOUNCED are of FOUR KINDS:

    Dharma(pious conduct and righteousness),

    Artha(material wealth),

    Kama(sensual pleasures),and

    Moksha(liberation).

     

    First THREE,viz.dharma,artha,and kama together are also referred as 'BHUKTI'because they RELATE TO MATERIAL REALM.

    In short it amounts to RENUNCIATION of TWO KINDS of DESIRES,

    'BHUKTI' and 'MUKTI'(liberation).

     

    Some may find the RENUNCIATION of the second kind of DESIRE,MUKTI,to be puzzling.

    To renounce ALL MATERIAL desires upto the Heavenly Abode of Lord Brahma is COMPREHENSIBLE,but to RENOUNCE MUKTI or LIBERATION seems QUITE a STRANGE CONDITION.

     

    (Continued)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/5/01 11:23 PM 2 out of 44

    (continued)

     

    Listen to what the SAINTS declare-

     

    "bhukti muktispRhA yAvat pizAcI hRdi vartate

    tAvad bhakti sukhasyAtra katham abhyudayO bhavet"

     

    (Sri Roopa Goswami)

     

    "So long as the TWO WITCHES in the form of 'bhukti' and 'mukti' reside in the HEART of the individual soul,the GODDESS of DEVOTION CANNOT MANIFEST HERSELF."

     

    Between the two,'bhukti' and 'mukti',the witch called 'bhukti' is not as dangerous as the witch called 'mukti',because it is POSSIBLE to be FREE OF IT.

    If a FORUNATE SOUL happens to MEET a REALIZED SAINT,SURRENDERS TO HIM and practises DEVOTION,he CAN TASTE the NECTAR OF PERFECT DEVOTION.

    On the other hand,if anyone haunted by the witch named 'mukti',attains LIBERATION and MERGES into GOD,there is ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE of DRINKING the DIVINE NECTAR of DEVOTION,because liberation once ATTAINED is ETERNAL.

    There is NO question of EXPERIENCING DUALITY again.

     

    There are many examples of Paramahamsas such as Sanaka,Sanandana,Janaka etc.,who did ATTAIN the Bliss of Divine Love.

    But that was possible because they HADNOT YET ATTAINED COMPLETE UNION with God.

    As long as Paramahamsa has the consciousness of individuality,he has not attained UNION with God.It is only when the individuality is totally renounced,that he merges into God.

    Thereafter he cannot assume individual form of consciousness and without conscious form,it is IMPOSSIBLE to experience the Nectar of Divine Love.

     

    Thus the witch mukti is obviously worse than bhukti.

     

    Coming to 'BHUKTI',that is desire for material gain,it must be noted that devotion to Lord with these DESIRES in mind has many dangers.

     

    First,it IMPLIES that YOU HAVE NOT YET UNDERSTOOD whether there is HAPPINESS in the WORLD or in the SPRITUAL REALM.

     

    If you still THINK there is HAPPINESS in the WORLD,then WHAT IS THE NEED OF GOD???

     

    And if YOU BELIEVE that GOD ALONE IS BLISS and the SOURCE of HAPPINESS,then WHY HARBOUR DESIRES for FLEETING MATERIAL OBJECTS and SUBJECTS?

     

    MAYA,in the form of the TRANSIENT ILLUSORY WORLD,and ETERNAL BLISSFUL GOD,are mutually OPPOSITE ENTITIES.

    To accept GOD ALONE as the SOURCE of HAPPINESS and to yet DESIRE MATERIAL WORLD is like a person who says,

     

    "I WANT to go NEAR FIRE to GET COOLNESS from it!"

     

    If we desire ONLY HAPPINESS,then to LEAVE the TRUE SOURCE of HAPPINESS,GOD,and desire FULFILLAMENT in the WORLD,which is ONLY a SOURCE OF SORROW and DISTRESS,

    implies that WE STILL BELIEVE the WORLD to be a SOURCE of PERFECT,UNLIMITED HAPPINESS!

     

    God is in REALITY the TRUE Source of EVERLASTING HAPPINESS,yet people WORSHIP HIM not for Divine BLISS,but for ACQUIRING TEMPORARY WORLDLY PLEASURES.

     

    This clearly REVEALS their IGNORANCE,because they BELIEVE that with GOD'S HELP,they can ATTAIN UNLIMITED ETERNAL HAPPINESS in the material WORLD,which in truth is ONLY a SOURCE of MISERY and REBIRTH.

     

    When the AIM itself IS WRONG,HOW CAN WE PRACTISE DEVOTION?

     

    The POSSIBILITY of attaining PERFECTION in such a case,is TOTALLY out of the question.

     

    Worldly objects and personalities only RESULT in MULTIPLYING DESIRES and BONDAGE.

    Their attainment leads to growth of PRIDE and GREED.

    Remember,this PRIDE and EGOISM IS THE MAIN CAUSE that MAKES ONE AVERSE TO GOD!!!

     

    (continued...)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/5/01 11:27 PM 3 out of 44

    (continued...)

     

    The second point to REMEMBER is that,when material possessions are ACQUIRED by people ACCORDING to their SANSKARAS or potential tendencies in their destiny,they PROCLAIM it to be due to the Grace of God.

     

    And when they DO NOT receive these possessions owing to their Samskaras,they CLAIM it to be a result of God's ANGER!

    Thus a person will be BELIEVER (theist),so long as he or she acquires worldly favors,and when he or she is DEPRIVED of them, he or she will BECOME an ATHEIST.

    Therefore it is best for a Sadhaka(spiritual aspirant) to TOTALLY RENOUNCE all DESIRES for material benefits.

     

    The third point is that God does NOT break His law by granting FAVORS contrary to WHAT IS DESTINED for each individual.

     

    If someone CLAIMS that God always LISTENS to his SELFISH PRAYERS and FULFILLS them,then WHY DOES HE NOT ASK God for 'GOD',once and for all,so that the DESIRE TO ASK again and again comes to an END.

     

    To REPEATEDLY ask for the WORLD,

    where there is NO HAPPINESS,

    where fulfillment of desires RESULTS in the birth of MORE FORMIDABLE CRAVINGS,

    ONLY brings about harm.

     

    It is only when WE ASK FOR GOD OR DIVINE LOVE that the ROOT OF DESIRE itself will be DESTROYED,and the individual soul will become CONTENTED FOREVER.

     

    However,this CLAIM of people that God fulfills their every desire is actually A DECEPTION,a LIE.

     

    The IGNORANT soul thinks the benefit received due to SANSKARAS,to be Divine Grace!

    There is some MERIT in this belief because the individual ACCEPTS God's Grace on this basis.

     

    But the DREADFUL future of this BELIEF is that WHEN there is AN ABSENCE of MATERIAL GAIN and FAVOR,this FAITH will IMMEDIATELY DISAPPEAR!

     

    The fourth point is that the Scriptures refer to God as Omniscient.

    Whatever HE DOES,IS FOR OUR BENEFIT.

     

    When we UNDERSTAND this,then WHY DO WE INTERFERE HIS JUDGEMENT and ASK HIM for OTHER THINGS?

     

    Being IGNORANT ,WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEST FOR US.

     

    Therefore,we SHOULD REMEMBER that HE is ALL-KNOWING and LEAVE EVERYTHING TO HIM ALONE!

     

    In this way the disease of ASKING will NEVER be born!

     

    The fifth point is that the Scriptures declare that each individual is in the BONDAGE OF KARMA.

    Whatever PLEASURE or SORROW is DESTINED for each one ACCORDING to one's Prarabdha (part of past actions referred to as fate in the present life),will be given to that one.

     

    We read in the Scriptures about the death of Dasaratha,the father of the All-powerful,Almighty Personality,Lord Rama,yet Lord Rama DID NOT SAVE him!

     

    Abhimanyu,the nephew of Lord Krishna and son of Arjuna,could NOT be SAVED from his death,by BOTH of these GREAT Personalities put together!

     

    Then WHY DO WE EXPECT that the UNBREAKABLE DIVINE LAW will be broken for OUR SAKE???

     

    The sixth point is that we must FIRMLY UNDERSTAND that the ABSENCE of MATERIAL PROSPERITY is an INDICATION of God's Grace.

    In this STATE,there is NO INTOXICATING PRIDE due to worldly success.

     

    Therefore we should desire ONLY SUCH SITUATION.

     

    What is the USE of wanting a STATE WHERE THERE WILL BE NO REMEMBRANCE OF GOD?

    The GREATEST IGNORANCE is to ASK for such a state from God Himself!

     

    Besides these,there are a number of other LOSSES which will PREVENT the soul from PRACTISING SADHANA,or SURRENDERING to a SAINT.

    Hence,ALL desires INCLUDING the desire for LIBERATION or Mukti or Moksha must be RENOUNCED.

     

    The TRUE GOAL of EVERY SOUL is ATTAIMENT OF SELFLESS DIVINE LOVE.

     

    Saint Sri Tulasidasa states -

     

    "svArtha sAGca jIva kara ehA

    mana krama vacana rAma pada nehA"

     

    The HIGHEST Goal of EACH and EVERY soul is to DEVELOP LOVE for the SUPREME LORD, with all his HEART,with all his MIND and with all his faculties of EXPRESSION.

     

    Our TRUE SELF-INTEREST lies in PLEASING,LOVING and SERVING GOD ALONE.

    In reality,this is the PUREST FORM OF DIVINE LOVE.

     

    (Source- Chapter 12,Book 'Prema-Rasa-Siddhant' )

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/5/01 11:43 PM 4 out of 44

    Selfish mundane love (Kama) and Selfless Divine Love,Prema Bhakti are two TOTALLY OPPOSITE feelings.

     

    The desire to constantly RECEIVE is selfish love,Kama or lust,

    to CONSTANTLY GIVE is Pure LOVE,and the process of GIVE AND TAKE IS BUSINESS.

     

    Wherever there is ANY desire to BEG from ONE'S BELOVED,IT IS NOT LOVE.

     

    Wherever there is EVER-INCREASING DESIRE TO GIVE,EVEN after HAVING GIVEN EVERYTHING,

    THAT IS LOVE !!!

     

    Hence,NO man in the world can LOVE in the TRUE SENSE of the TERM,because each and everyone is SELFISH.

     

    Each one desires happiness of the SELF,therefore there is ALWAYS a CONSTANT LONGING to RECEIVE and NOT GIVE.

     

    When both sides are intent on TAKING,how long can a relationship last?

     

    This is the reason why there are arguements between wife,husband,father,son,etc.,several times a day.

     

    Wherever both parties are SET UPON RECEIVING,CLASHES are INEVITABLE,

    and wherever there is a clash,the DECEITFUL SELFISH LOVE comes to AN END.

     

    Worldly love that includes lust CONSTANTLY DECREASES,whilst DIVINE LOVE constantly INCREASES.

     

    Lust is a form of DARKNESS,and LOVE is the form of LIGHT.

     

    The Caitanya Caritamrita gives a BEAUTIFUL DEFINITION of lust and Love.

     

    "kAmera tAtparya nija sambhOga kevala,

    kRSNa sukha tAtparya prema tO prabala.

     

    lOka-dharma,veda-dharma,deha-dharma karma,

    lajjA dhairya deha-sukha Atma-sukha marma

     

    sarvatyAga kare kare kRSNera bhajana,

    kRSNa-sukha hetu kare premera sevana

     

    ataeva kAme preme bahuta antara

    kAma andhatama prema nirmala bhAskara."

     

    'Giving up all,

    the prescribed righteous conduct,rules and regulations of Vedic scriptures,

    renouncing even one's own bodily duties,shame,arrogance,conceit,

    along with the comforts of the body,mind and soul,

    the devotee should adore and serve Beloved Krishna.

     

    Seva in Divine Love is done only for the sake of pleasing Beloved Lord Krishna,while satisfying ones'own senses is the strong motive in worldly love.

     

    The desire for one's own happiness is LUST and is compared to DARKNESS,

    while the DESIRE to PLEASE ONE'S BELOVED GOD ALONE IS LOVE and is compared to PURE and CLEAR SUNSHINE !'

     

    (an excerpt from the book, 'Prema-Rasa-Siddhant')

    Jaya Sri Radhey!

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/5/01 11:49 PM 5 out of 44

    Let us observe the Cataka , a bird that lives only on the rain water

    that comes from the Svati constellation.

     

    This bird is a beautiful example of selfless Love.

     

    It loves its beloved all year round, whereas

    we the worldy people run to temples and Saints only when we are in trouble.

    And the moment are worldy desires are fulfilled, we never think of going again.

     

    We are too pre-occupied with material pleasures to even think of God.

    If someone asks you ,

    'Why have you stopped going to the temples or the Saints? '

     

    you arrogantly reply,

     

    'I have no need of all that external show. I attain everything from within my self.'

     

    The reality is that we are actually worshippers of worldly desires.

    We have not yet understood anything about the subject of God.

    We should learn a lesson from the cataka.

     

    We to must love God constantly , and our every desire should be centralized in pleasing Him alone.

     

    When ever there is love in the world there is always an inherent

    selfishness.

    The moment that self interest is harmed ,the love comes to an end and even results in enmity.

     

    But the love of cataka is different.

    It is unselfish.

     

    Tulasidass wrote that the beloved of the cataka bird is very

    cruel hearted.

    The cataka begs for a few rain drops but his beloved makes thunder and lightning fall upon him,insults and teases him instead.

     

    But the cataka never resents this cruel behaviour , nor is he angered by it,in fact he never thinks about the imperfectness of his beloved ,but derives pleasure in his every action.

     

    This should be the state of a true devotee.

     

    we should never be upset or angry when any worldly calamity befalls us.

     

    It was a hot summer day. The cataka began to feel dizzy from thirst.

    He flew to a tree to rest in its shade.

     

    When he regained his senses , he realised his mistake.

     

    'This tree under whose shade I am sitting , has been nourished by the underground water which I never drink.

     

    To take rest in its shade means infidelity and is a direct insult to my beloved.

     

    The scorching heat of the sun is better than the shade of this tree'.

     

    With these thoughts the cataka left the tree, and flew around in the heat of the sun.

    But how long could he bare the heat, in that thirsty state?

     

    He again felt dizzy and sat on the branch of the

    another tree, which was on the banks of the river Ganges.

     

    Coincidently , a hunter was sitting under that very tree waiting for a target.

    When he saw the cataka ,he immediately shot him with his arrow.

    The wounded bird fell in the river below.

     

    In his last moments he opened his beak to quench his thirst ,with the thought that he would attain mukti [liberation]by drinking the water of the ganges.

     

    But before he drank even a drop ,it struck him that it would be disloyal ,and a disgrace to his true love to drink the water of the Ganges,and accept liberation.

     

    He immediately turned his beak upwards lest the water of the Ganges should enter his mouth ,

    and died at that very moment.

     

    Thus the true love of the cataka remained unblemished to the very end.

     

    In spite of the suffering he stuck to his deal,and did not aspire even for salvation,as it would mean disloyalty to his beloved.

     

    We too must not loose the supreme ecstasy of the Divine Love by falling into the trap of liberation or any material desires.

     

    Like the cataka bird,our ULTIMATE aim should be EXCLUSIVE,EVER-STEADY DEVOTION of the MIND and HEART to SRI KRISHNA.

    Our INTENSE LOVE and SEVA (service) to HIM,should be ENTIRELY for the sake of PLEASING HIM.

    LOVE should ONLY be for LOVE'S SAKE.

    (contd..)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/5/01 11:54 PM 6 out of 44

    (contd..)

     

    A devotee should take DELIGHT in EVERY ACTION of His BELOVED,and ACCEPT His GRACE in EVERY GESTURE.

     

    "krodho'pi te'nugraha eva saMmataH"

     

    (Bhagavatam)

     

    His anger,His indifference,and His Love are ALL ASPECTS of His GRACE.

    True Love is UNCONDITIONAL.One of the verses in Lord Sri Caitanya's 'Astapadi' contains the most beautiful expression of SELFLESS DIVINE LOVE.

     

    "AzliSya vA pAdaratAM pinaSTu mAm

    adarzanAn marmahatAM karotu vA

    yathA tathA vA vidadhAtu lampaTo

    mat prANa nAthas tu sa eva nAparaH"

     

    "Whether My BELOVED (Lord Krishna),lovingly EMBRACES me,or TRAMPLES

    me under His feet,or TORMENTS me by His indifference,

     

    GRATIFYING HIS AMOURS IN WHATEVER WAY HE DESIRES,

    there will be NO ABATEMENT IN MY LOVE FOR HIM,

     

    because

     

    HE,and HE ALONE,IS THE LORD OF MY LIFE!!!" It is also said by Sri Veda Vyasa in the Scriptures,

     

    "yad durlabhaM yad aprApyaM manasoyann agocaram

    tadpy aprArthito dhyAto dadAti madhu sUdanaH"

     

    "That Divine Love,which is RARE,that is UNATTAINABLE,and that of which the MIND CANNOT EVEN PERCIEVE,

    IS AQUIRED WITHOUT ASKING,THROUGH HIS DIVINE GRACE."

     

    In Ramayana,Sri Tulasi Dasji also stresses how to receive the Treasure of Devotion (Prema Bhakti) to Lord -

     

    "mana krama vacana chAMDi caturAyI

    bhatahiM kRpA karata raghurAyI "

     

    "Abandoning all the craftiness of mind, egoism,deceitful desires & deeds,and intellectual arrogance,

    if ONE should PRACTICE DEVOTION (Sadhana Bhakti) with body,mind and heart,then ONE WILL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE GOD'S GRACE,by which is ATTAINED THE ESSENCE OF HLADINI SAKTI,i.e.PREMA BHAKTI."

     

    "avirala bhakti visuddha tava zruti purANa jehi gAva

    jehi khojata yogIza muni prabhu prasAda kovu pAva

    ....dehu dayA kari rAma"

     

    "The Pure Divine Love(Prema Bhakti) is SELFLESS and SPOTLESS.

    All the Scriptures HIGHLY acclaim the VIRTUES of PREMA BHAKTI!

     

    All Saints,Sages,Sadhakas are searching out and SEEKING that same TREASURE of DEVOTION and a FEW fortunate SOULS ATTAIN THROUGH HIS DIVINE GRACE!"

     

    " O Lord! If You desire to give me SOMETHING,then ALL I ASK FOR IS PREMA BHAKTI"

     

    Obviously,the Lord is HESITANT to GRANT DEVOTION.

     

    What is the reason for this reluctance?

     

    The answer is that God BECOMES ETERNALLY BOUND BY this PREMA BHAKTI and SERVES the PURE DEVOTEE who has tied HIM with the UNBREAKABLE BONDS OF DIVINE LOVE.

     

    (An excerpt from the book - 'Prema Rasa Siddhant')

     

    Jaya Sri Radhey!

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/6/01 12:04 AM 7 out of 44

    The Essentials of Bhakti are the Surrender and Grace.

     

    "yo brahmANaM vidadhAti pUrvaM

    yovai vedAMz ca prahiNoti tasmai

    taM 'ha devam Atmabuddhi prakAzaM

    mumukSurvai zaraNamahaM prapadye"

     

    (Svetasvataropanishad 6.18)

     

    Desirous of the Ultimate Beatitude,I seek refuge in that Effulgent Being,

    Whose Light reveals the knowledge of Atman and Who bestowed this Supreme knowledge to the first created Cosmic Soul of Lord Brahma.

     

    "tapaH prabhAvah deva prasAdAcca"

    (Veda)

     

    "tameva zaranaM gaccha sarva bhAvena bhArata

    tat prasAdAt parAM zAntiM sthAnaM prApsyasi zAzvatam"

     

    (Gita 18.62)

     

    "O Arjuna! First SURRENDER TO THE LORD,then you shall ATTAIN HIS GRACE.

     

    IT IS THROUGH HIS GRACE THAT YOU can attain Supreme Peace and DIVINE ABODE."

     

    "daivI hyeSA guNa mayI mama mAyA duratyayA

    mAmeva ye prapadyante mAyAmetAM taranti te"

     

    (Gita 7.14)

     

    "The Cosmic Power of MINE called Maya,consisting of the three modes,

    CAN ONLY BE CROSSED BY ONE WHO SURRENDERS TO ME."

     

    Sri Veda Vyasa says in the WORDS of Sri Krishna -

     

    "tasmAt tvamuddhavot sRjya codanAM prati codanAm,

    pravRttaM ca nivRttaM c zrotavyaM zRtameva ca."

     

    (Bhagavatam 11.12.14)

     

    "mAmekam eva zaraNam AtmAnaM sarva dehinAm"

     

    (Bhagavatam 11.12.15)

     

    "O Uddhava!

    Abandon all MUNDANE AFFAIRS and COME TO ME ALONE FOR SHELTER,because I AM THE SUPREME SOUL,the Soul of all souls.

     

    You can fearlessly be liberated from ALL MATERIAL BONDAGE."

     

    "mana krama vacana chAmDi caturAyI

    bhajatahim kRpA karahim raghurAyI"

     

    (Sri Tulasi Ramayan)

     

    All Scriptural evidence implies that we must SURRENDER to God.

     

    God's GRACE is dependent on THIS SELF SURRENDER.

    Those who have not surrendered,have not

    attained His Grace,and thus deprived of Divine Bliss,revolve endlessly in the cycle of 8.4 million species of living beings in the bondage of time,actions,their own nature and the three modes of Maya-

     

    "phirata sadA kara prerA

    kAla karma svabhAva guNa ghErA"

     

    (Tulasi Ramayan)

     

    Now,a question likely to arise is that,THE ACT OF DOING SOMETHING IN ORDER TO ATTAIN GOD'S GRACE,is like worldly business transaction of give and take.

    But to hold such a view is naive,because SURRENDER actually means COMING TO SUCH A STATE OF DOING NOTHING.

     

    As long as a new born baby does nothing,the mother does every thing for the baby.

    When the child starts doing things on his own,the mother lessens her responsibilities to the same extent.

    When the child begins to do every thing,then the mother does nothing.

    This example is enough to explain WHAT SURRENDER IS.

     

    AS LONG AS WE SUFFER FROM THE PRIDE OF DOING,WE WILL REMAIN IN THE BONDAGE OF ACTION,BECAUSE WE ARE DECLARED TO BE THE DOERS OF ACTIONS.

    WHEN WE CEASE TO FEEL THAT "I AM THE DOER" and SURRENDER,WE WILL BE CONSIDERED NON-DOERS.

    IT IS THEN LORD WILL TAKE COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR US.

     

    " teSAM nityAbhi yuktAnAM

    yoga kSemaM vahAmyaham"

     

    Gita 9.22

     

    According to this verse from Gita,the Supreme Lord becomes RESPONSIBLE for THE WELFARE AND LIBERATION OF THE SURRENDERED SOULS and

    showers His Divine Bliss upon one WHO SURRENDERS IN THE FORM OF NON-DOING.

     

    "sarva dharmAn parityajya mAmekaM

    zaraNaM vraja"

     

    Gita 18.66

     

    "O Arjuna! Abandon all thoughts of religion and irreligion and come to ME ALONE FOR SHELTER.

    It is then,that I,Who am a Judge to all,will cease to judge in your case, and will instead pardon your countless past sins of past lives,THROUGH MY GRACE."

     

    Isn't the GRACE OF GOD IMMEASURABLE?

     

    Now let us consider WHAT HAS TO BE SURRENDERED.

     

    We possess a body,sense organs,

    mind,intellect,ego etc.,

     

    It is stated that -

     

    "mana yeva manuSyAnAM karaNaM bandha mokSayah"

    (Pancadazi-Sri Vidyaranya Swami)

     

    MIND ALONE IS THE CAUSE OF BONDAGE AND LIBERATION.

     

    (contd..)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/6/01 12:08 AM 8 out of 44

    "cetaH khalvasya bandhAya muktaye cAtmano matam,

    guNeSu saktaM bandhAya rataM vA puMsi muktaye"

     

    Bhagavatam 3.25.15

     

    The cause of bondage and freedom is the MIND.

    Hence the MIND alone that HAS TO BE SURRENDERED TO GOD.

    SURRENDER OF THE MIND AMOUNTS TO SURRENDER OF EVERYTHING.

    WHAT usually happens is that we worship GOD PHYSICALLY and SURRENDER THE MIND TO THE MATERIAL WORLD.

     

    Our attainments are always in accordance to the ATTACHMENT OF THE MIND.

    If we perform just physical actions with the body,but DO NOTHING WITH THE MIND,EXCEPT SURRENDER TO GOD,then we will not be rewarded for our PHYSICAL ACTIONS,but will instead attain SPIRITUAL BENEFIT.

     

    SURRENDER OF THE MIND IS ACTUAL SURRENDER.

     

    Just as it is impossible to run with the feet tied,or talk with the mouth closed,

    IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DEVOTE ONESELF TO GOD WITH MIND ATTACHED ELSEWHERE.

     

    In reality,IT IS ONLY THE ATTACHMENT OF THE MIND IS REFERRED TO AS DEVOTION IN SPIRITUAL REALM(UPASANA).

    But this same attachment directed to the material world, is infatuation(Asakti).

     

    It is impossible to manage both attachment to the world and devotion to God simultaneously,because the MIND CAN ONLY BE ATTACHED TO ONE AREA AT ONE TIME.

     

    Besides,the material and spiritual are totally opposite worlds.

    Whatever worship we perform,we will find ourselves bound to the material world,

     

    IF THE MIND IS ATTACHED TO WEALTH,SPOUSE,FAMILY,SOCIAL STATUS,NAME,FAME,PRESTIGE and so on.

     

    The Gopis expressed their DEVOTIONAL CONDITION TO Uddhavaji very beautifully in the following lines-

     

    "UdhO! mana na bhayE dasa bIsa

    Eka hutO sO gayO zyAma sanga kO avarAdhE Iza"

     

    "O Uddhava!We have ONLY ONE MIND AND THAT TOO IS WITH SYAMA SUNDAR(KRISHNA).

     

    IF WE HAD TEN OR TWENTY MINDS,THEN WE COULD HAVE USED EACH ONE IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS,AND MANAGED BOTH DEVOTION TO GOD AND THE WORLD."

     

    But God is aware of the fact that

    IF EACH INDIVIDUAL IS TO BE GIVEN TWO MINDS,THEN NO ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FULFILL THE CONDITION OF

     

    "mAmekaM zaraNaM vraja",i.e.SURRENDER TO GOd ALONE.

     

    To conclude,SURRENDER OF MIND alone IS TRUE SURRENDER to God,whatever the physical actions be.

     

    Now the question is,what is the DIFFICULTY IN SURRENDER OF THE MIND?

     

    The only difficulty is that THE MIND IS ATTACHED TO THE MATERIAL WORLD SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL AND THIS ATTACHMENT HAS BECOME VERY FIRM.

    Had the mind been not attached to the world,surrender to God would have been effortless.

    Hence the first step is TO DETACH THE MIND;this can be achieved through an understanding of the(NON) REALITY OF THE WORLD.

    Only then will true surrender to God be possible.

     

    ANOTHER IMPORTANT characterstic of TRUE SURRENDER OF MIND TO GOD is -

     

    "ANANYATA",EXCLUSIVENESS, of none other than God.

    Loving and surrendering only to Lord Krishna is ANANYATA.

     

    If any other subject apart from LORD enters the mind of surrendering devotee,Ananyata is obstructed and deprives the devotee from attaining His Beloved.

     

    This is the secret behind the SURRENDER.

     

    (contd..)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/6/01 12:19 AM 9 out of 44

    (contd..)This is demonstrated well during the rescue of Queen Draupadi sati.

     

    When Duhssasana dragged Draupadi devi into the assembly hall in order to insult her in the presence of thousands of kings,it was a moment of greatest embarrassment for her.

     

    She first sought help from her FIVE WARRIOR HUSBANDS,but there was no response.

     

    She then frantically turned to the great preceptors and elders,Bhishma deva,

    Dronacarya etc., for protection.

    But they too remained silent.

    Draupadi sati's hopes of help from the world dissolved before her very eyes,she decided to use her own strength to protect herself.

     

    She clenched her saree between her teeth and AT THE SAME TIME CALLED OUT TO THE LORD FOR HELP.

     

    At that time Lord Krishna was at Dwaraka.

    Forseeing the calamity that had befallen on His devotee,HE SAT MOTIONLESS.

    When His consort Queen Rukmini saw Him in His strange stance,she asked Him what the matter was.

    The Lord replied,

    "A devotee of mine is in trouble."

    "Well then,why don't you go and save that soul."

    "I cannot because I AM BOUND BY MY OWN LAW-

     

    "ananyAzintayanto mAM

    ye janAh paryupAsate

    teSAM nityAbhiyuktAnAM

    yogakSemaM vahAmyaham"

     

    Gita.9.22

     

    I TAKE COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY ONLY OF ONE

    WHO IS EXCLUSIVELY SURRENDERD TO ME,

    but this devotee STILL HAS CONFIDENCE IN HER OWN STRENGTH,SO I CANNOT PROTECT HER."

     

    But what strength could a helpless woman have,and how long could she face the mighty Duhssasana,who had the strength of ten thousand elephants?

    When the wicked Duhssasana gave one jerk,the saree slipped from between her teeth,and Draupadi sati was helpless.

     

    SHE NOW ABANDONED ALL FAITH IN HER OWN STRENGTH,AND DEPENDED ENTIRELY UPON LORD KRISHNA.

    THIS WAS THE MOMENT OF COMPLETE,UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,

    AND LORD IMMEDIATELY CAME TO HER RESCUE.

     

    In other words,she CAME TO A STATE OF DOING NOTHING.IT WAS ONLY WHEN SHE CEASED TO THINK PROTECTION FROM OTHER SOURCES,THAT SHE WAS SAVED.

     

    Now the Duhssasana pulled her robes,they SEEMED TO BE NEVER ENDING.

    He finally gave up in COMPLETE EXHAUSTION.

     

    Thus "ANANYATA" or EXCLUSIVE SURRENDER TO GOD,is the VERY FOUNDATION OF STEADFAST DEVOTION.

     

    The Lord states in Gita-

     

    "sarva dharmAn parityjya mAmekaM zaraNaM vraja "

    "O Arjuna,ABANDON ALL THOUGHTS OF RELIGION AND IRRELIGION.

    'COME TO ME ALONE FOR SHELTER.'

    It is then,that I,Who am a JUDGE TO ALL,will cease to JUDGE in your case and will instead pardon your innumerable past sins of countless past lives,THROUGH MY GRACE!!!"

     

    [An excerpt from the book-

    "Prema-Rasa-Siddhant.]

     

    Jaya,Jaya Sri Radhey!

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/7/01 7:00 PM 10 out of 44

    This song now helps us to understand HOW TO USE OUR MINDS in Raga BHAKTI sadhana.

     

    The Rasik-Saint-Poet Maharaj Ji has explained well how it can be ACCOMPLISHED SUCCESSFULLY!

     

    "calo mana sri vrindAvan dhAm

    jahan viharata nit syAmA-syAm" (1)

     

    O My MIND,please go to the Divine Abode, Vrindavan,

    where my Lordships are ever engaged in the Blissful pastimes.

     

    Comment- The devotee is telling his or her MIND to CONTEMPLATE upon the Sacred land,

     

    which is the place of Eternal Lila of Radha and Krishna.

     

    Why mind?

     

    MIND ALONE IS ESSENTIAL for Raganuga Bhakti Sadhana.

    If we CAN bring along the body and senses,

    that is FINE too,but MIND IS A MUST!

     

    That is WHY Lord Krishna said so MANY times in Gita and

    other scriptures,STRESSING on the words like,

     

    "man,chetah,chitta,buddhi."

     

    "tasmAt sarveSu kAleSu

    mAmanusmara yudhya ca

    mayyarpita mano buddhir

    mAme vaishyasi asaMzayaH"

     

    Gita 8.7

     

    "Therefore think of Me at all times and do your action of fighting.

    There is no doubt that by giving your MIND,HEART and INTELLECT to Me,

    you will SURELY attain Me."

     

    "ananya cetAH satataM

    yo mAM smarati nityazaH

    tasyAhaM sulabhaH pArtha

    nitya yuktasya yoginaH"

     

    Gita 8.14

     

    "O Son of PrthA,(Arjuna)one who, having single MINDED love and attention,REMEMBERS Me uninterruptedly throughout his life,

     

    to that devotee,(raganuga-yogi) of constant devotion and concentration,

     

    I am EASILY attainable."

     

    "syAmA-syAm sung brijabhAm

    nit nava rasa barasat nija dhAm (2)

     

    Sri Radha and Krishna together with Their Gopi friends,

    showering the ever new rasa,

    Bliss in Their Native Land of Braj,

    twenty four hours of the day.

    (asta kaliya seva)

     

    "Ananda cinmaya rasa pratibhAvitAbhis

    tAbhir ya eva nija rUpatayA kalAbhiH

    goloka eva nivasaty akhilAtma bhUto

    govindamAdi puruSaM tamahaM bhajAmi"

     

    Brahma-samhita.37

     

    "I worship Govinda,the Original Lord,residing in His Own realm,Goloka,with RadhA,His Own Spiritual Form,

    the Embodiment of the ecstatic potencies,

    in the company of Her Sakhis

    (female playmates), Embodiments and Extensions of Her Own Personality ,

    permeated and drenched with ever Blissful Transcendental Rasa.

     

    "mere thAkur syAmA-syAm

    mohi na cAhe vaikuMthani dhAm" (3)

     

    My worshippable Lords are,Radha-Krishna ONLY!

     

    I do not wish the opulence of Vaikuntha abode,

    where Lord is worshipped in Santa Rasa, predominately or

    through the four fold muktis-like sayujya,samipya,salokya and saroopya .

     

    Some dasya rasa may exist but no sakhya,vatsalya or madhurya is relished there.

     

    For Raganuga devotee,the distant worship of his Lord is not relishable.

     

    God is approached with MORE intimacy,for personal service as,either a master, or a friend, or a child or a lover.

     

    Vaidhi-bhakti worship of Lord Narayana or Vishnu consists of many rules and regulations according to Narada pancharatra and other sastras.

     

    The RELATIONAL FEELING,the bhAva is the MAIN SUPPORT for the devotee's Raganuga Prema bhaki, NOT the Sastric injunctions.

     

    (contd..)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/7/01 7:01 PM 11 out of 44

    (contd..)

     

    "mere hai gayi lAdili-lAl

    saba vidhi hon bhai mAlAmAl" (4)

     

    By loving Them with Raga-bhakti,

    Lali-Lal,pet names for Radha-Krishna,

    Lali means dearest girl-child and

    Lal meaning dearest boy-child,

    have BECOME the property of the devotee.

     

    Here the devotee NO LONGER calls Them,Lordships,but with more COSER,RELATIONAL,AFFECTIONATE Names.

     

    Lord also says He comes under the CONTROL of His LOVING devotees,and reciprocates in exactly SAME way as the devotee surrenders to Him and

    that is His very OWN TRANSCENDENTAL Nature and can NEVER be changed.

     

    "ye yathA mAm prapadyante

    tAm stathaiva bhajAmyahaM"

    Gita 4.11

     

    According to the manner in which they approach Me,I favor them in that very SAME manner.

     

    "The devotees are My heart,and I am the heart of My devotees.

    My devotees do not know anyone but Me;

    Similarly I do not know anyone but My devotees."

    (Bhagavatham 9.4.68)

     

    "aham bhakta parAdhino hyasvataMtra iva dvija"

     

    I have NO independence as I am UNDER the control of my loving devotees.

     

    (Bhagvatam 9.4.63)

     

    "chalo,man,gahavar kunja latAn

    jahan lAli caran cApat bhagavan" (5)

     

    O My MIND,please GO to the secret flowery bower of Gahavar van,

    where the All Blissful,All Mighty,Absolute Reality,

    the Supreme Person,Bhagavan Lord Krishna is serving His Soul Radha,

     

    by gently massaging Her Lotus feet.

     

    Engrossing yourself in the Madhurya Lila of Radh-Krishna,O My MIND,

    attain the PERFECTION of your existence.

     

    Finally,the devotee evolved through Raganuga sadhana to Madhurya Bhakti,

    has to MEDITATE upon the INTIMATE lilas of Beloved Divine Couple.

     

    Here the Lord forgets that He is Bhagavan.

     

    The devotee in Madhurya bhava forgets he or she is an insignificant soul.

    This is accomplished by the UNTHINKABLE,UNIMAGINABLE POWER of AMAZING Grace,Who influences Yogamaya.

     

    "sakhi ! he Kesi mathanam udAraM"

     

    (G.G.2.11)

     

    "O Friend,the slayer of Kesi demon (Lord Krishna)is INDEED, Kind,Noble and Sublime! "

     

    Lord's Svaroopa sakti,is Bhakti in its Purest Essence.

    He ENJOYS serving His own Soul,Radha.

     

    "hlAdini sAra aMZa tAra prema nAma"

     

    This is a matter of experiencing-

    'anubhava vedya'.

    No amount of words CAN explain, like,

     

    'mookAsvAdanam'(Narada bhakti sutra)- as

     

    sweetness relished by the MUTE!

     

    When this pada(song) is rendered to melodious music by the Master of Music,

    when sung by dedicated devotees with choked voices,

    when accompanied by the tears of love together with the throbbig sounds of mridanga and harmonium,

     

    I have personally witnessed sadhakas and pure devotees thrown into fits and entering Ecstatic Trance for hours.

     

    "satataM kIrtayanto mAM

    yatantazca dRDha vratAH

    namasyantaz ca mAM bhaktyA

    nitya yuktA upAsate"

     

    (Gita 9.14)

     

    "Always glorifying Me and striving firm in their vows

    (bhakti sadhana) and paying respects to Me,and

    always remaining imbued with love and devotion(Prema bhakti) to Me, they worship Me."

     

    Jaya,Jaya,Sri Radhey !

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/12/01 11:15 AM 12 out of 44

    Namaste all.

    This 'pada' is from the SIDDHANTA MADHURI of Prema Bhakti -

     

    "sunO sub jIva hamArI bAt,

     

    'yamevaiSa vRNute'mama vANI,vizva vidita vikhyAt,

    yAko artha,zaraNa hvai jOyi bhja,soyi mOhi pAyi sakAt,

    'guhyAd guhyatamam' gItA mE,kahyO gupta mata tAt,tAkO artha ihai mun budhi dai,bhajahu mOhi din-rAt,

    karahu 'kRpAlu' bhjana tum nizi-din,dEhu tarka dhari pAt. "

     

    Siddha Mahapurusha and Bhagavan both give the souls of the world same instructions regarding Bhakti.

     

    "Dear aspiring jivatmas, please listen to my kind words!

     

    The world famous scriptural declaration of the Lord,

    Kathopanishad 1.2.23 says-

     

    'nAyamAtma pravacanena labhyo

    na medhayA na bahunA zrutena,

    yame vaiSa vRNute tena labhya-

    stasyaiSa AtmA vivRNute tanUM svAm.'

     

    God is NOT KNOWN through the study of Scriptures,nor through subtlety of the intellect nor through much extensive learning.

    WHOM THE LORD CHOOSES (OUT OF HIS CAUSELESS GRACE)BY HIM ALONE IS GOD ATTAINED,VERILY UNTO HIM DOES THE SUPREME REVEAL HIS TRUE BEING.

    No one can buy God with spiritual practices.

    THOSE GREAT SOULS WHO HAVE ATTAINED GOD DECLARE TO US THAT DIVINE ILLUMINATION AND ENLIGHTENMENT COMES,

    "ONLY THROUGH HIS DIVINE GRACE."

    Lord is not partial.His GRACE FALLS UPON SAINTS AND SINNER ALIKE.

    JUST AS RAIN FALL ON ALL OR THE SUN SHINES FOR EVERYONE.

     

    'Izvara parama kRSNa saccidAnanda vigraha

    anAdirAdi govinda sarvakaraNa kAraNam.'

     

    Just as God has NO cause,HIS GRACE is also causeless.

    Every attribute of God is CAUSELESS.

    HE HIMSELF IS GRACE.

    HIS SAINTS ARE ALSO THE MANIFESTATIONS OF HIS DIVINE GRACE,HIS SVARUPA SAKTI.

     

    'sarvedhikariNoh yatraH sarvadharma bahirbutaH sarvapAparatastathA....'

     

    This is said to be the 'supariNama'of Lord's 'akAraNa kRpa'.

     

    All realzed souls have praised the Lord's

    'akAraNa karuNa','adhama uddhraNa''patita pavana' and prayed to Him,

     

    'he kRSNa! karuNA sindho! dIna bandho!

    jagat pate!'

     

    His Grace is also called by devotees as

    Anugraha,Prasada,Karunya,Kripa,Udarata and Daya.

     

    'anugraha'-(1)

     

    'anugrahAya bhUtAnAM mAnuSaM dehamAsthitaH....' (Bhagavatam 10.33.37.)

     

    'paramaM taddhi nirvANaM mad anugraha bhavet'

     

    'dhanyo'haM kRta kRtyo'haM vimukto'haM

    tad anugraha hetuke naiva vijnAnena mokSa siddiH'

    (Sri SankaracArya)

     

    'prasAda'- (2)

     

    'naSto moham smRtir labdhA tvat prasAdAn'-Gita 18.73.

     

    'tat prasAda parAM zAntiM sthAnaM prApsyasi zAzvatam'

     

    'guru kRSNa prasAda paya bhakti latA bIja'

    (C.C.)

     

    'avirala bhakti vizuddha tava zruti purANa jehi gAva,

    jehi khojat yogIza muni,prabhu prasAda kovu pAva.'

    (Sri Tulasi Ramayan)

     

    'kAruNya'-(3)

     

    'mikhyaM tasyahi kAruNyaM'

    (Sandilya Bhakti Sutra)

     

    'kRSNa tad bhakta kAruNya mAtra lAbhaika hetukA

    pushti mArgatayA kaizcidiyaM rAgAnugocyate'

    ( Bhakti Rasmrita Sindhu )

     

    'parama kAruNiko na bhavatparaH

    paramazocyatamo na ca matparaH'

    (Padyavali-Sri Roopa Goswami )

     

    'kRpa'- (4)

     

    'mukhyatastu mahatkRpaiva bhagavatkRpAlezAd vA'

    (Narada bhakti Sutra.38)

     

    'labhyatep'i tat kRpayaiva'

     

    (Naradabhakti Sutra.40)

     

    (contd..)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/12/01 11:25 AM 13 out of 44

    'udArata'

    Sri Radhaji also says in Gita Govindam of Sri Jayadeva-

    'sakhI,he! kezimathanam udAraM..."

    and'daya'(6)

    'aho bakIyaM ....kaM vA dayAluM zaraNam vrajema'

    (Bhagavatam 3.2.23)

    Rasik Saints further explain Lord's Causeless Grace-

     

    'jimi ho zIta nivRtta tin,jin dig agni sidhAr

    timi ho kRpA tinahi jin,mun jAye hari dwAr'

    (Sri Kripaluji's Bhakti Satak.30)

     

    Just as one experiences the warmth as soon as one reaches near the fire,the approached mind and heart recieves HIS GRACE.

    As said before,Lord' Grace is by nature Causeless.

    Why only certain souls are capable of benefiting from His Grace?

    The nature of fire is only to give heat and warmth.

    The fire does not have any cause in giving out its heat.

    The fire does not ask the shivering souls to pay any price in return for giving out its heat.

    The fire equally distributes its heat to good and bad persons,not depending on any cause.

    That is causelessness.

    To receive Lord' Grace one should let one's mind and heart approach Him.

    Open the sail so that ever blowing wind can take the boat to the shore.

    Open wide the windows and let the Sunshine in.

    Open up the heart,Grace rushes through.

     

    Actually the meaning of 'upAsana'-(upa+As+lyuc)coming close.

    When one who has money,gives out to the poor in charity,the act is called-kripa.

     

    'tadapy aprArthito dadAti madhusUdanaH'

     

    But Lord Madusudana blesses the devotees even without praying for it.

    As soon as the heart reaches the Stealer of Hearts, through His Grace, Lord fills it with Divine Love.

    The Ocean of Grace exists for the fallen souls.

    God HIMSELF is Grace. Keep no more doubts about it.

    Without His Grace NO ONE CAN REALIZE HIM.

     

    'Give us this day our daily bread'-Holy Bible.

     

    Our daily bread here means the Bread of Divine Grace!

    The seekers should always be praying that HIS Grace may be revealed to them,this moment and forever.

    God's will is whatever will LEADS HIS SOULS TO HIM.

    A true devotee prays,

     

    "Lord! I do not know what Your will is,but GUIDE me so that I MAY DO IT.

    May I be a tool in Your Hand!"

    'Lord, Thy will be done,not mine.'

    This is surrender.

     

    Remember God's Grace is always upon everyone.

    But only the soul that surrenders to Him whole heartedly will experience and realize Divine Grace.

    He could reveal Himself to that surrenderd soul any time.

    Without Surrendering to the Power of Divine Grace, bhakti can not be cultivated.

    The secret,the hidden essence of Gita is the absolute Surrender and Grace.

     

    "sarva guhyatamaM bhUyah zruNu me paramaM vacaH" Gita 18.64

     

    'Listen to My supreme word,the profoundest of ALL.'

    'Fix your MIND upon ME.

    Be devoted to ME.

    Sarifice every thing for ME.

    Prostrate before Me.

    So shall you come to Me.

    THIS IS MY PLEDGE TO YOU,FOR YOU ARE DEAR TO ME.'

    (Gita 18.65)

    "How does a devotee behold the Lord?

     

    He beholds HIM AS HIS OWN,even as the GOPIS of Brindavan beheld Lord Krishna.

    Those milkmaids CARED NOT FOR THE COSMIC POWERS OF THAT GREAT SUPREME BEING.

    Krishna was their DARLING and They were SATISFIED with that!

    To the Prema Bhakta,the Lord is his dearmost,innermost intimate BELOVED and he or she is always absorbed in that loving feeling."

    (Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa)

    (contd..)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/12/01 11:34 AM 14 out of 44

    In the last verse Poet-Saint Kripaluji requests the blessed souls to throw away all their mundane,vain ARGUEMENTS,faithless hesitations to SURRENDER to the Lord and also to destroy the doubts about HIS DIVINE GRACE.

    Bhgavatam also warns about the fate of those aspiring souls,who have neglected Divine Grace and self surrender-

     

    'yenyAravindAkSa vimukta mAnina styayyasta

    bhAvAdi vizuddha buddhayaH,

    ArUhya kRccheNa paraM padaM tataH

    patanti adho nA dRta yuSmadaMghrayaH.'

    (Bhagavatam 10.2.32)

     

    Another Rasika Paramahamsa says-

     

    'na vadAmi na duSkRtaM mayAkRtam ityuktimi mAM tu me

    zruNu mamabhIti manInazad vibho patitoddhAraka nAma tAvakaM.'

     

    'O Lord! I have committed innumerable sins and offenses.

    Of all those sins ,my GREATEST offenese is the Namaparadha that I HAVE NEVER PUT FAITH IN YOUR GRACE AND NEVER BELIEVED YOU BEING 'PATITA UDDHARAKA'- THE SAVIOR OF THE FALLEN AND FORLORN!' "

     

    'GLORIFYING ME always,striving,firm in faith,prosrating before Me,they worship Me with spontaneous love and devotion,ever steadfast.'

    (Gita 9.14)

     

    Mind takes the cloring of what it GLORIFIES.

    By glorifying God,godly qualities come to it.

     

    Further,mind gets to know more of the field in which it strives.

    Venturing in Divine Pursuit,it imbibes the Personality of Godhead increasingly.

     

    By prosrating before God,one gives oneself over to Him.

    By worshipping Him with love and devotion,one's individuality gets merged in the Consciousness of His Beloved.

     

    Because of these multiple ways of creating attachment and link with the Lord,the devotees are said to be ever steadfast.'

     

    Jaya,Jaya Sri Radhey!

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/14/01 12:11 PM 15 out of 44

    Namaste dear sincere seekers of Bhakti-Yoga.

    This 'pada' from the 'Siddhanta-Madhuri' of 'Prema Rasa Madira' gives the ESSENCE OF THE VEDAS.

     

    "sunO mana!yaha vEdana kO sAr,"

     

    "kahata 'rasO vai saH' yaha vEdana,yA pur kariya vicAr," (1)

     

    "rasika zirOmaNi,brahma zyAma binu rasa na pAvu saMsAr," (2)

     

    "'upAsate puruSaM' yehi zruti kO,ihai artha ura dhAr," (3)

     

    "sakala kAmanA hIna,dIna bani,bhajiyE nanda-kumAr," (4)

     

    "taba 'kRpAlu'tum pAvu prEma-rasa,basa gOlOka majhAr." (5)

     

    Prema Rasa Acarya is instructing the minds of smart devotees to grasp the essential truths given in the Scriptures.

     

    The declaration of Vedas is that- (1)

     

    "raso vai saH rasaM hyevAyaM labdvA' 'nandI bhavati"

    (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.7.2)

     

    "According to these Vedic hymns, the Supreme GOD HIMSELF IS BLISS.IT IS ONLY BY REALIZING HIM THAT THE INDIVIDUAL CAN BECOME BLISSFUL."

     

    "Ananda vAdhastAt,Ananda upariSTAt,AnandaH

    purastAt,AnandaH pazcAt,Ananda uttarataH Anando daKSiNataH Ananda evedaM sarvam."

    (Candogya Upanishad)

     

    "THERE IS NOTHING BUT Bliss below Him,above Him,to His east,to His west,to His north,to His south,outside Him and inside Him!"

     

    "tameva viditvAti mRtyumeti nAnyaH paMthA vidyate 'yanAya"

    (Svetasvatara Upanishad 3.8)

     

    "Only by KNOWING HIM can the invidual soul overcome material afflictions, and attain happiness. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! " (2)

     

    "Anando brahmeti vyajanAt,AnandAd yeva khalvimAni bhUtAni jAyante,

    Anandena jAtAni jIvanti,AnandadaM prayantyabhi saMvizaMtIti."

    (Taittiriya Upanishad 3.6.1.)

     

    'Know that Bliss as Brahman;for Bliss,indeed,all these beings originate;having been born,they are sustained by Bliss;they move ultimately towards and merge in Bliss.'

     

    "duHkha trayAghAtAt jijnAsA tadabhighAtake hetau"

    (Samkhya Darsana)

     

    "Freedom from material afflictions is the ULTIMATE AIM of the individual soul.

    This material suffering or unhappiness is of three kinds-

     

    1.Adhyatmika 2.Adhi bhautika 3,Adhi daivika."

     

    "kutrApi ko' 'pi sukhI tadapi duHkha zabalamiti

    duHkha paKSe niHKSepaMte vivecakAH"

    (Samkhya Darsana)

     

    "THERE IS NO HAPPINESS IN THIS WORLD.

    If 'happiness' is percieved anywhere,it is ONLY ILLUSION.

    The reason is that worldly happiness is MOMENTARY,LIMITED,AND PERISHABLE! "

     

    "yo vai bhUmA tatsukham"

    (Chamdogya Upanishad 7.23.1)

     

    "TRUE HAPPINESS IS ALWAYS UNLIMITED.It is never of a limited quantity and nothing is beyond it. Once perfect happiness is attained,unhappiness or misery can never overshadow it."

     

    "jnA jnau dvAvajA vIzanIzAvajA hyekA bhoktR bhogyArtha yuktA

    anaMtazcAtmA vizvarUpohy akartAtrayaM yadAviMdate brahmame tat"

    (Svetasvatara Upanishad 1.1.9)

     

    "Every soul is ETERNAL,without a BEGINING."

     

    Hence -Gita says-

     

    "nAsato vidyate bhAvonAbhAvo vidyate sataH

    ubhayorapi dRSTo'Mtastvanayostatva darzibhiH"

    (Gita 2.16)

     

    According to this verse of Gita,that which exists can not cease to be.

     

    "All individual souls are ETERNAL,IMMORTAL,AND UNBORN." (Gita.2.20)

     

    "Izvara aMza jIva avinAzI,cEtan amala sahaja sukha rAzI"

    -Sri Tulasi Ramayan

     

    "mama ivAMzo jivaloke jIvabhUtaH sanAtanAH"

    (Gita 15.7)

    "Every individual soul is eternal PART OF BRAHMAN."

     

    (contd...)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/14/01 12:12 PM 16 out of 44

    Since every soul is being an eternal part of God,WHO IS BLISS HIMSELF,desires ONLY HIS BLISS.

     

    ONLY BY KNOWING GOD CAN THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL OVERCOME MATERIAL AFFLICTIONS.

    IT IS ONLY BY REALIZING HIM THAT THE SOUL CAN BECOME ETERNALLY BLISSFUL,THERE IS NO OTHER WAY."

     

    Bhagavatam also says-

     

    "yatpRthi vyAM vrIhi yavaM hiraNyaM pazavaH striyaH

    nAlame kasya paryAptam tasmAt tRSNAM parityajet."

    (Bhagavatam 9.19.13)

     

    Similarly in Tulasi Ramayan-

    "jyo prati lAbha lobha adhikAyI"

     

    "Even if a man acquires ALL THE WEALTH AND POSSESSIONS OF THE WORLD with ease,THE DISCEASE OF DESIRE will go on MULTIPLYING!!!"

     

    Therefore it is ridiculous to aim for satisfaction of desires through ordinary material objects and subjects."

     

    Now Knowing your real nature as a spiritual soul and the sole source of True happiness is in the Supreme Spirit, All Blissful,God,

    O wise mind ! please develop attachment to the Supreme Lord ,the Connoisseur of Love and Bliss,Sri Krishna!

     

    Also remember this-

     

    "upAsate puruSaM hy akAmAste zukrametadati vartaMti dhIrAH" (3)

    (Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.1)

     

    "ONE WHO DOES NOT ATTACH MIND TO ANY MATERIAL OBJECT ,EXCEPT TO GOD IN DEVOTION,ATTAINS FREEDOM FROM MAYA."

     

    In the Gita Lord says to Arjuna-

     

    "vihAya kAmAnyaH sarvAn.......zAMtim adhigacchati"

     

    "ONE WHOSE MIND IS NOT ATTACHED TO ANY MATERIAL OBJECT ALONE DESRVES TO ATTAIN SUPREME PEACE."

     

    B.R.S. also has given-

     

    "anyAbhilASitA zUnyaM ....."

     

    "bhukti mukti spRhA yAvat..."

     

    "So long as the TWO WITCES IN THE FORM OF BHUKTI ,MATERIAL ENJOYMENT AND MUKTI,LIBERATION,RESIDE IN THE HEART OF THE INDIVIDUAL ,THE GODDESS OF DEVOTION CAN NOT MANIFEST HERSELF."

     

    After renouncing all worldly desires including the desire for liberation,O fortunate mind! try to become humble, surrendering yourself to the Lotus Feet of Your Eternal Divine Beloved. (4)

     

    Give up your arrogance and pride of philosophical learning,renounce your false prestige of worldly accomplishments too!

     

    Sincerely pray to Beloved Lord with all the humility of your distressed heart.

    Take refuge in Him alone!

     

    "tRNAdapi sunIcena tarorapi sahiSNu nA...kIrtanIyaH sadA hariH"

     

    "yat karoSi yadaznAsi yajjahosi dadAsi yat

    yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruSva madarpaNam"

     

    Lord Krishna asks for -

     

    "What ever you do,what ever you eat,whatever sacrifice you perform,whatever you give in charity,

    DO IT FOR ME ALONE!!

    YOUR MIND ATTACHED TO ME ,THEN YOUR ACTIONS WILL NOT BIND YOU!"

     

    "sva karmaNA tamabhyarcya siddhim vindati mAnavaH"

    "One WHO WORSHIPS GOD THROUGH LOVING DEVOTIONAL SERVICE,ATTAINS SUPREME PERFECTION."

     

    So the path of Bhakti has been unanimously accliamed by all Scriptures.

     

    "AloDya sarvazAstrAni vicArya ca punaH punaH

    idam ekaM suniSpannaM dhyeyo nArAyaNo hariH."

    (Veda Vyasa-Bhagavatam)

     

    "tri satyasya bhaktireva garIyasI,bhaktireva garIyasI."

    (Narada Bhakti Sutra.)

     

    In the concluding verse, (5)

    Siddha Mahapurusha,Sri Kripaluji promises the surrendered soul, who thus ever engages in His Loving Devotion that

    Lord Beloved,Nanda Kumar will bestow the ALMS OF HIS CAUSELESS GRACE-PREMA-RASA upon the BLESSED DEVOTEE along with His Eternal Association in Divine Goloka Dhama.

     

    "tameva zaraNaM gaccha sarva bhAvena bhArata,

    tat prasAdAt parAM zAntiM sthAnaM prApsyasi zAzvatam"

    (Gita 18.62)

     

    "O Arjuna,take refuge in Supreme Lord alone,with all your heart,mind and soul!

    Then you shall attain His Grace.

    It is through His Divine Grace that you can attain Supreme peace,happiness and Divine Abode."

     

    Jaya Sri Radhey!

     

    Dear lovers of Lord Krishna,

     

    Another song of the Rasik Saint Suradasji,glorifying Prema Bhakti,the Spontaneous Love and attachment to Lord Krishna, from the translation of John S.Hawley.

     

    "Shyam is SOLELY the PATRON OF THE POOR.

     

    Our Lord is THE ONE WHO FENDS FOR THE WRETCHED,

    WHO ANSWERS THE NEEDS OF THOSE WHOSE LOVE IS TRUE.

     

    Take Vidur:what high-caste status was his?

    Or the hunchback(Kubja);YET HARI WAS DRAWN TO HER CHARMS.

     

    What sort of splendor graced the Pandava house

    that HE should VOLUNTEER AS ARJUNA'S CHARIOTEER?

     

    And what storehouse of wealth did SUDAMA possess?

     

    NO,HARI SEEKS GENUINE AFFECTION INSTEAD.

     

    SING THEN,says SUR,A SONG TO HIM,THE LORD

    WHO BURNS AWAY THE TRIALS OF THE LOW. "

     

    **********************************

     

    Lord Krishna's friend Uddhavaji returns to Mathura,praising the Prema Bhakti of the Women of Vraja,

    with a sense of uselessness of all the other sadhanas like the specialzed austerities and subtle Vedic knowledge.

    This 'pada' is of Saint Sura Das,from the book by John S.Hawley.

     

    "MADHAVA,GIVE EAR TO WHAT LOVE IS IN BRAJ.

     

    I've studied it now for fully half a year,

    the milkmaids' WAY OF LIFE,

     

    And all the time,Syam,You and Balaram

    REFUSE TO VACATE THEIR HEARTS.

     

    THEIR TEARS ARE A TORRENT OF HOLY OBLATIONS,

    their windblown saris the cooling WHISK;

     

    For OFFERING VESSELS they tender their breasts,

    their hands bear VOTIVE LOTUSES,

     

    AND THEIR LIPS ARE ALIVE WITH HYMNS THAT RECALL

    THE PLAYFUL DEEDS YOU DISPLAYED

     

    THEIR HOMES AND EMOTIONS,THEIR PHYSICAL FRAMES

    THEY OFFER TO YOUR LOTUSLIKE EYES.

     

    SUR SAYS, ONE LOOK AT LOVE LIKE THEIRS

    AND HOW TASTELESS IT SEEMS TO BE WISE."

     

    Jaya Sri Radhey!

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/22/01 1:11 PM 18 out of 44

    Namaste all.

    I like to share the forwarded message which explains some more aspects of Prema Bhakti - Divine Love.

    from Sat Sandesh

    June 2000

    The Arrow of Love

    Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

     

    The love of God has pierced my heart like an arrow.

    -Guru Ram Das

     

    The soul's innate quality is to look for union with God.

    At first it makes vain efforts to locate God in the games and shows of the world, in

    various shapes and forms, in sensual gratification or in intellectual pursuits.

     

    But it finds not the peace it looks for and turns away in disgust.

     

    If our search is earnest, God arranges an encounter with one who has solved this

    mystery;

    we arrive at our place of rest and our search ends.

     

    Guru Ram Das says this yearning for God is like an arrow of love whose barbed point has entered his heart.

     

    It is impossible to pull out such an arrow.

     

    Deep is the longing and desire that possess him.

    This love is a desire that can never be cured.

     

    My burning heart yearns for a vision of my Lord,

    Like the parched man thirsting for water.

     

    Guru Ram Das's mind is in great agitation because he cannot see God.

     

    Unless a thirsty man is able to quench his thirst, how can he be calm and restful?

     

    Wherever he goes, he is always looking for water.

    Similarly, in his longing for God, even his breathing is fitful.

     

    God is love and the soul being of the

    same essence is also love.

    Love is inherent in the soul, and it is

    love's nature to attach itself to something.

     

    But we unfortunately are attached

    to our family, friends, riches, and possessions.

     

    And such things perish or change.

    One day it is bound to happen:

    Such enjoyments will be over.

     

    Guru Arjan says:

     

    We love only what our eyes can look upon;

    How then can we meet that eternal God who remains hidden?

     

    Our attachment is fixed on material objects that can be seen, smelled and touched, but these are transitory.

    How then can we develop love for God

    who remains unaltered and beyond death?

    All our sense faculties are turned outward, and we look for pleasure and enjoyment in what we see around us,things of ephemeral duration.

     

    The saints declare:

     

    Those who seek eternal peace must find refuge in God.

     

    God is He who permeates every part of, and extends throughout, the whole creation.

    He is the one true ground of reality.

    Saints worship Him alone.

     

    They seek to attach humanity to that One and not to themselves.

    People benefit from their presence and receive a direction.

     

    Kabir Sahib says:

     

    I am as of nothing-

    Only the will of God prevails.

     

    All saints give praise to God.

    Struck by the arrow of love, Guru Ram Das

    says

    that his heart is lacerated, and only those whose hearts are similarly wounded can sympathize with him in his pain.

     

    My Divine Lover has made His bed at the point of a stake;

    How should I join Him there?

     

    He feels irresistibly drawn.

     

    Either he should rise up to God, or God

    should descend to meet him.

    They should have eyes only for each other.

     

    Amir Khusro gives expression to a similar feeling:

     

    "Live in my eyes, O God, so that the

    world may not cast its eyes on You, nor should You see aught else.

    I should see none other than You, and You also should look on me alone."

     

    Kabir Sahib echoes this feeling:

     

    In the chamber of my eyes I hold Him;

    My pupils are His bed,

    The eyelashes curtain the bedroom-

    Thus I woo my Beloved.

     

    Love of God overwhelms him.

     

    (continued..)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/22/01 1:11 PM 19 out of 44

    Such persons-call them saints, Gurus or

    great souls-are the overflowing vessels of godly love.

     

    Contact with them infects you with love, and you begin to receive the hue of their dye.

     

    They act as a leaven, and even if you do not begin to perceive God directly, you enter

    His sphere of influence and are changed.

     

    Without love we cannot draw near God.

     

    The branches of religion, the recitation of sacred books and acts of adoration are intended to arouse this feeling.

     

    However, if our religious ceremonies and observances are mere acrobatics, our heart remains untouched and the effort is wasted.

     

    A hundred years you may worship,

    And yet your prayers may ring hollow.

     

    Unless imbued by love,

    God's secret is not known.

     

    Unless the flame of divine love becomes a conflagration, the secret of God-knowledge is not realized.

     

    Love is a raging fire wherein all but the

    Beloved is consumed.

    The Koran says that love is a consuming fire-do not seek the world in its flames.

     

    When love appears, all else disappears,like

    sparrows before a hawk.

    Nothing can put out this fire.

     

    Guru Gobind Singh says:

     

    Hear ye all, I tell you the truth:

    God can only be realized by those who love.

     

    Mira Bai says that only God or a heart that has suffered love's wound can understand the pain of a lover.

     

    I remember that in 1914, due partly to

    the impressions of my past and partly to favorable circumstances, I reached

    a stage in which my eyes would spontaneously fill with tears, and those tears

    would fall copiously on the papers I was working on in the office.

     

    My papers would get spoiled. I would ask,

     

    "O God, what is happening?"

     

    I had been recently transferred to another station, so my people thought I wept because

    I had been transferred.

     

    When the thought of solving the mystery of life takes hold of you, ultimately a solution offers itself.

     

    If your conduct in life is pure, you begin to see into things, but I had not yet understood the true nature of death.

     

    Once I sat by the bedside of a dying person and wondered:

    "Something in her is leaving and yet still resides in me.

    What is it? Why can't I distinguish

    it?

    What is it that is working in everyone and yet leaves a dying person?"

     

    The dying person called the members of her family and, after seeking forgiveness for any wrong, closed her eyes and was gone.

     

    That person left the world while I looked on.

    "How astonishing!" I thought.

    We then took the body to the place of cremation.

    On the way I was opening my eyes wide,

    looking for that animating force which was everywhere except in the corpse.

     

    My friend had died young. I remember that when the body was laid on the pyre, next to it was the burning pyre of an old man.

    I saw that the young and the old die;

    death makes no distinction.

     

    My heart was deeply affected with the realization that there is no escape

    from this death for any one of us.

    I knew I had to solve its mystery.

    To find the answers I would study books day and night.

    Some gave conflicting instructions and some quoted the saints' injunction to die while

    living-all very arcane-without letting one in on the practical aspect.

     

    (continued...)

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/22/01 1:13 PM 20 out of 44

    It is a question of analyzing the self, of separating the soul from the body, which you

    can learn at the feet of a Master who gives you this experience and puts you on the way.

     

    Your faculties develop from day to day.

    This I understood when I reached the lotus feet of the holy Master, Baba Sawan Singh Ji.

     

    So, as I described, the longing in my heart made me weep profusely, but the people thought it was all on account of a transfer in my office.

    The tears we shed so often for the world keep us confined to this side of death,to

    the dying world.

     

    Nobody cries for God. But study the life of the saints-you will find in them this restless burning.

     

    Their tears herald the appearance

    of God, just as clouds are precursors of rain.

    When a tree puts forth blossoms you have expectation of fruit.

     

    Your tears provide the boost towards God;

    these are the advance party of God's coming.

     

    Those of the world have little understanding of this.

     

    Guru Ram Das says elsewhere:

     

    My Lord and Master, one second without You seems like fifty years.

     

    A poet once asked a man of mathematics whether,

    with all his skill in calculation, he could measure the duration of a single night of

    separation from the Beloved.

     

    The worldly weep for the world at night, and the godly weep all the time for God.

     

    He was found only by those who wept.

     

    If He could be met through laughter and frolic, Would anyone be without Him?

     

    The karmic impressions of previous lives can be washed clean only by tears.

     

    Maulana Rumi said that if you want to go on a Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca) you must go by the

    "waters of the sea, for the road by dry land will never take one there."

     

    It is the pearl-like tears you shed which are the waterways for your pilgrimage. . . .

     

    Guru Arjan said:

     

    O how I long to find one who would unite me with my Lord;

    For such a one I would sell everything and become his slave.

     

    He says he is prepared to enslave himself for life to one who unites him with God.

    There is no question whether this person belongs to a particular religion or country.

     

    If drunkards belonging to different communities can sit together, why cannot seekers of God unite and have mutual love?

     

    If there is no love amongst them, it surely is proof that love of God has not touched

    their hearts and they have failed to realize that there is one and the same God inhabiting all.

     

    Love for humanity is the first step in spirituality.

     

    Ever since I associated with the saints,

    No longer was anyone seen as an enemy or a stranger;

     

    I have developed love for all.

     

    Saints have love for all. They do not advise rejecting your religion.

     

    They teach that God is present in every heart regardless of the differences

    of religion, sect or nationality.

     

    "The Satguru is one who unites all."§

     

    Source:

    spiritualawakenig

     

    jayasriradhey

    5/30/01 11:05 PM 21 out of 44

    Namaste all.

     

    I like to share this excerpt on Prapatti in relation to Bhakti Yoga.

     

    The Doctrine of Prapaptti

     

    The relation between BHAKTI and PRAPATTI was left obscure in Ramanujacarya's teaching, for it immediately formed a subject of bitter division between the two schools which claim to follow his teaching - the Vadagalai (northern school) which used Sanskrit as its medium of teaching and the Tenkalai (southern school), which resorted to the vernacular, thus continuing the tradition of the Alvars.

     

    The Northern school reflects more closely the temper of Ramanuja in its conservatism and restraint.

     

    PRAPATTI consists in

    the resolution to submit, to yield (AnukUlyasya saGkalpa);

    avoidance of opposition (prAtikUlyasya varjanm),

    a faith that God will protect (rakSsyatIti vizvAzo); the choosing of God as the savior or praying to Him to save (gopRtva varaNam tathA), and

    sense of helplessness resulting in placing oneself at His disposal (Atma nikSepa) and

    the consciousness of utter abasement (kArpaNye SadvidhA zaraNAgatiH).

     

    Thus there are six constituents of PRAPATTI.

     

    In other words Prapatti means self-surrender to God's protection and grace which precludes all kinds of religious obligations on the part of a Prapanna, the surrendered.

     

    The essential difference between the two school is brought out by the different illustrations that they give of the connection between God's grace and man's effort in bringing about final deliverance.

     

    The illustration given by the former school (Vadagalai) is that of a monkey and her cub (called Monkey doctrine = markaTa kizora nyAya).

    The idea is that the cub is to hold fast to its mother to be carried to a safe place.

     

    The latter school (Tenkalai) uses the illustration of the cat and its kitten, without any effort on its part, and takes it to a place of safety.

     

    In the first school the doctrine is that the process of deliverance must begin with an act of a person seeking it.

    According to the second school, on the other hand, the process begins with God Himself.

    In keeping with this distinction is the idea of PRAPATTI held by the two schools.

     

    The first maintains that Prapatti is one of the ways, not the only way, and that it should be resorted to by the devotee only when it was found impossible to attain the desired result by the other modes.

     

    Morover, the found in it essentially an element of human action in that it demanded a distinct effort on the part of the PRAPANNA, resulting from the effect of his sense of submission.

     

    The southern school, on the contrary, holds that PRAPATTI was the only way of salvation, that it is a frame of mind which characterizes all those who seek absolution and reject all other ways in favour of this; that it excludes any action on the part of the devotee; action emanating from God alone, and that the sense of yielding was the outcome of Prapatti, not the means of producing it.

     

    Those who resort to other ways have not arrived at the right mood which leads to


  15. Jnâna-Yoga is a path oriented towards realizing the eternal in its transcendent aspect. The emphasis of Jnâna-Yoga is on the discernment of pure awareness from nature and all temporal phenomenon. The jnâna-yogin seeks to uncover his true Self, the âtman, in its state separate from body or mind. He believes that anything which undergoes change is not his Self, and should be transcended. Shankara and Ramana Maharshi are two of the best known exponents of this path, and the principal texts are the Brahma-Sûtra and some of the Upanishads.

     

    The sâdhana of the jnâna-yogin consists in the practice of applying the maxim neti neti, "not this, not this," to anything which is not eternal. By denying what is transient, he hopes to abide in the eternal. He seeks not so much to grow towards a spiritual goal, but to transcend all modifications of nature, that which has the potential for growth or decay.

     

    The advantage of Jnâna-Yoga is that it provides a strong focus on the goal of Self-realization. Because the jnâna-yogin seeks the transcendent, he can remain detached from the emotional traumas, physical problems, and the desire for the fruits of Yoga practice (such as siddhis or paranormal powers) that plague aspirants on other paths. The disadvantage of Jnâna-Yoga is that it can easily draw the aspirant into a deluded mental condition. It is easy for the inexperienced aspirant to confuse the elevated state of transcendence of body and mind with his own psychological condition of dissociation from body and personality. The former is a state of enlightenment, the latter is closer to autism. Immature jnâna-yogins often fail to recognize that God has two aspects: eternal stillness and eternal activity.

     

    By falling down on one side of the fence, by focusing solely on being, they fail to realize the joy of doing, the aspect of God in activity. Râja-Yoga, literally "kingly Yoga," is that branch of Yoga which focuses primarily on meditation. The goal of Râja-Yoga is the attainment of samadhi, a state of God awareness accessible to the still, contemplating practitioner. The râja-yogin seeks to quiet all aspects of his body and mind, and enter into a transcendent state beyond nature. Some schools define the highest samâdhi as taking place when the breath has stopped, obviously necessitating that the body be in an immobile posture. Patanjali is generally recognized as the foremost exponent of Râja-Yoga, and his Yoga-Sûtra are the primary text of this discipline.

     

    The advantage of Râja-Yoga is that it is a very precise system which is accessible to anyone, regardless of current spiritual status. Râja-Yoga is a science, in which each stage of accomplishment brings an increasing degree of peace and wisdom. Any beginner can grab hold of the ladder of Râja-Yoga and undertake practices which will eventually lead to the summit of samâdhi. In addition, Râja-Yoga has been so well explored that its system has been mapped very clearly, making it possible for the aspirant to work within a contextual framework in which he can understand his accomplishments and obstacles.

     

    The disadvantage of Râja-Yoga is that to truly climb its summit one would do well to live a rather isolated existence. Râja-Yoga requires great periods of time for meditation in a form which is best done in seclusion. It also demands extensive sâdhanas for which the contemporary aspirant likely does not have the time.

     

    Hatha-Yoga is a branch of Yoga that requires the aspirant to devote colossal amounts of time to physical processes, such as prânâyâma (breath and energy exercises), and âsanas (physical exercises). Hatha-Yoga attempts to purify the nervous system and strengthen the body to such a degree that the hatha-yogin attains a state of freedom from heat or cold, pain and pleasure, even hunger and thirst. Accomplished hatha-yogin can remain without food or water for periods of time unreachable by the untrained human being. The Hatha-Yoga tradition also claims that its adherents can attain great siddhis, such as the ability to walk on water or fly in the air. Two of the most renowned texts of this tradition are the Hatha-Yoga-Pradîpikâ and the Gheranda-Samhitâ.

     

    The advantage of Hatha-Yoga practice is that it transforms the ordinary human body into a powerful vessel capable of great vitality and long life. In this way, the aspirant is not delayed in his sâdhana by illness or physical discomfort. In addition, by extending the period of life the aspirant will, in theory, have enough time to complete his course of spiritual practice. Some schools even seek to create a physical, or super-physical body capable of corporeal immortality.

     

    The disadvantage of Hatha-Yoga practice is, like Râja-Yoga, a matter of quantity rather than quality. Hatha-Yoga can certainly bring a person to enlightenment, but its demands are unsuited to all but those who are ready to commit themselves to severe discipline. The true hatha-yogin must live in isolation from ordinary society and undertake radical practices requiring fasting and potentially dangerous austerities. His sâdhanas will take most of his day and night, leaving little time for other activities. If the Hatha-Yoga tradition is still being practiced in its authentic form, it is taking place in remote regions of wild areas, inaccessible to the curious or mildly determined.

     

    Karma-Yoga is the Yoga of service to others and to God. It is a suitable orientation for those of an active nature, those who wish to work for the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The main thrust of the practice is the renunciation of fruits of action. That is, activities are undertaken for their own sake, the results being left to God. Activities are assumed for the benefit of the greater good, without concern for personal benefit. The path of Karma-Yoga is described in detail in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ.

     

    The advantage of Karma-Yoga is that it transforms activity from selfish, goal based-action that results in binding karma, to selfless, ego-free action which produces no karma. In addition, Karma-Yoga is suitable for everyone. As Shri Krishna points out in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ, no one is free from action for even a moment. Life in a body is based on action, and even the most reclusive hermit is constantly involved in some form of activity, no matter how subtle. The applicability of Karma-Yoga for the busy modern person, whose responsibilities certainly exceed those of the hermit, is thus apparent.

     

    The disadvantage of Karma-Yoga is that it can quickly become a slippery slope of workaholism in the guise of spiritual endeavor. The world is always going to need healing. If one were to work at service twenty-three hours a day, when he laid his head down to rest on the twenty-fourth hour there would still exist a multitude of uncompleted tasks and projects. Shankara's objection to Karma-Yoga was that no amount of activity can produce spiritual growth because spiritual growth is the result of wisdom born of inner stillness. If this stillness is lost to an outer focus, regardless of good intentions, then Karma-Yoga becomes a force of positive social action, but nothing more profound.

     

    Bhakti-Yoga is the path of love and devotion. The beauty of Bhakti-Yoga is that it is so accessible to anyone, regardless of spiritual development, because the aspirant is free to establish a relationship with God in any form that he finds attractive. In addition, it satisfies the primal craving inherent in the soul of all beings — the desire for love. Bhakti-Yoga satisfies this urge within a spiritual context, permitting love and devotion to be cultivated and directed in a healthy manner. The Nârada's Bhakti-Sûtra and portions of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ outline this path.

     

     

     

    [This message has been edited by bhaktajoy (edited 06-02-2002).]


  16.  

    Originally posted by bhaktajoy:

    Jeera - Cumin (Jiraka)

     

    An important spice used by Indians to season curries, pickles and breads. It is beneficial in digestion, gastric troubles, dysentery and diarrhoea when roasted and consumed. It is also used to make gripe water for infants and is also beneficial for pregnant women and nursing mothers (it increases lactation). It forms an important ingredient in food preparations which are cooling, appetising, protect against indigestion and a lot of water borne diseases.

     

    To increase lactation, mix 1 tsp of cumin with 1 tsp sugar and drink with warm milk each evening.

     

    Those devoted to spiritual growth usually avoid garlic for general consumption, as it is considered Räjasic/Tämasic.

     

     

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