The Last Limit of Bhakti

[krsna 3]

 

A lecture on Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, Adi-lila 10.114

by Sri Srimad Gour-Govinda Swami Maharaja

01-07-1993 in Bhubaneswar, India

 

 

In the Adi-Lila, Tenth Chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Kaviraja Gosvami has given a description of the many expansions of the Caitanya tree, the branches and the sub-branches. So all these very dear, intimate devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu they know Gauranga mahaprabhu and they know Krsna. It is given in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika how most of them were in Krsna-lila, Vraja-lila. Most of them were sakhis, manjaris and some were in sakhya-rasa, friendship, like this Abhirama. They have all taken part in both krsna-lila and Gaura-lila. They are the associates of Krsna and the associates of Gaura, because there is no difference between Gaura and Krsna. Is there any difference? No. Krsna is Gaura and Gaura is Krsna, so Krsna-lila is Gaura-lila and Gaura-lila is Krsna-lila. In tattva they are the same. But... only one difference is there. In Gaura the two bodies of Radha and Krsna are combined together, that is the only thing, nothing else.

 

radha-purna-sakti, krsna-purna-saktiman

dui vastu bheda nai, sastra-paramana

radha-krsna aiche sadaeka-i svarupa

lila-rasa asvadite dhare dui-rupa

(Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 4.96,98)

 

There is no difference between the energy and the energetic, sakti-saktiman abhina. Therefore there is no difference between Radha and Krsna. Radha is purna-sakti and Krsna is purna-saktiman, so there is no difference, but, lila-rasa asvadite dhare dui-rupa, to relish the mellow of pastimes two bodies are there, Radha and Krsna, otherwise they are one. So in Vraja-lila there are two bodies, Radha and Krsna, visaya and asraya. But in the form of Gauranga They are one. Radha and Krsna combined together. Krsna assuming the mood and complexion of Radharani appears and that is Gauranga. This is the tattva, and that is a very deep and confidential tattva. Narahari Sarkara has said:

 

caitanya bhakti-naipunya

krsnas tu bhagavan svayam

tayo prakasa dekatra

krsna-caitanya ucyate

 

Caitanya is Krsna and Krsna is Caitanya, there is no difference. But in Caitanya one thing is added - that is bhakti-naipunya. When Krsna comes assuming the mood of a bhakta, He is Caitanya. But without the mood of a bhakta that is Krsna. So Caitanya means, caitanya bhakti-naipunya. Krsna is the Absolute Truth, advaya-jnana-tattva, the Supreme Truth, parama tattva. And so is Caitanya, also advaya-tattva. But one addition is there, that is bhakti naipunya, The last limit of bhakti - prema-bhakti. If prema bhakti is added to Krsna, that is Caitanya. Therefore Sacinandana Gauranga is the Supreme Absolute Truth, parama tattva - Bhagavan, but with bhakti-naipunya added to it. That is Gauranga, and in the Gauranga form you will find two things combined together. What are those? Sambhoga and vipralambha. These two things combined together that is Gauranga. And that is bhakti-naipunya - The last limit of bhakti.

 

So the sadhya, the end - that is prema, and that is bhakti naipunya, it means prema-bhakti. If that prema-bhakti is added to Krsna, that is Gauranga, nothing else. And in that Gauranga form you will find these two opposite things placed together. That sambhoga and vipralambha. We say viruddhita - opposite things placed together. This you will only find in the combined form of Radha and Krsna. That is Gauranga. Otherwise you will never find it anywhere else, it is only in Gauranga.

 

But in Vraja, will you find these two things combined? No, not possible at all, because in Vraja-lila two bodies are there, Krsna and Radha. And in Vraja-lila, the flow of that lila is like the flow of a river. As a river has two embankments, similarly the flow of Vraja-lila has two embankments. That is sambhoga and vipralambha. The embankment of union and the embankment of separation. Try to understand. So on the embankment of union both Radha and Krsna relish the mellow of union. On the embankment of separation both Radha and Krsna relish the mellow of separation. It is mentioned in the Ujjvala-nilamani that on the embankment of separation the relishment of this mellow, viraha-rasa, that is of four types. Purva-raga, mana, prema-vaicchitya and pravasa. These specific words. Just hear it, when you will get to read or hear Ujjvala-nilamani you can see that Rupapada has given elaborate explanations. So four types of relishment are there, and similarly on the embankment of union there are also four types of relishment. That is samhksipa, sankirna, sampanya and samriddhimana. This Caitanya-caritamrta is the postgraduate study so everything will come up - Ujjvala- nilamani, Vidagdhamadhava, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, all these books will come up.

 

So samksipa, sankirna, sampanya and samriddhimana - this is on the embankment of union, and it has connection with the other embankment. First comes samksipa. That is relished after the first type of that in viraha-tattva, that is purva-raga. First viraha and then milana, sambhoga, and similarly sankirna is relished after mana-viraha. Then sampanya is relished after prema-vaicchitya-viraha. And samriddhimana is relished after pravasa-viraha. This is just to have an idea of the four types of relishment on each embankment. These are two opposite things, sambhoga and vipralambha, union and separation. And these two are required otherwise there will be no question of the flow of these transcendental loving conjugal pastimes. They are always there, and they are required otherwise if these two were not there how will there be flow, how will there be movement.

 

You have two legs, a right leg and a left leg, and then you are moving as the bird has two wings, right wing and left wing and flies. So similarly two are there - sambhoga and vipralambha, two embankments, so the flow of lila in Vraja is there.

 

Another thing is there. On the embankment of sambhoga there is sukha, happiness. Union means happiness. On the embankment of vipralambha, viraha, there is accute pain - the pangs of separation. Intense heat is there and vilapa, crying is also there. And these two separate things are eternally there in Vraja. But they are not in one container, they are on two separate embankments. But in Navadvipa-lila or Gaura-lila these two are contained in one pot. Union and separation. Because Gaura is the combination, union of Radha and Krsna, and He also at the same time accepts vipralambha bhava, feeling the pangs of separation from Krsna. Two opposites are in one container, this is the tattva here. Asraya and visaya. Krsna is the visaya and Radha is the asraya, and in Vraja They are eternally visaya and Asraya. Thus the flow of lila is going on. But in Gaura, asraya and visaya are combined together. Two opposites - union and separation combined in one container, and this is the tattva. In one container, ekadi karana, two opposites together. It is abicintya - inconceivable. We cannot conceive of it.

 

But one question is there. In Vraja-lila, these union and separation cannot be placed together, they are separately taking place, not together. But in Gaura-lila you will find it together - two opposites are there. This is wonderful and very mysterious, but Rupapada says, "It is not a fact that in Vraja-vilasa these two are never placed together. It is there, but not always, and not everywhere. In some special cases for a fleeting moment, a very temporary period, it is there." Rupapada has given that, and such devotees they relish it. Rupa Gosvami has given this thing in the Vidagdha madhava and the Lalita-madhava dramas. It is prema vaicchitya, that means one feels the separation in union. If one feels separation in union, that becomes prema vaicchitya, and you will find this prema-vaicchitya in Vidagdha-madhava and Lalita-madhava. These two opposites are there. Union is there and the feeling of separation is also there, for a very short moment.

 

I am giving one example from the Vidagdha-madhava. On the embankment of the Yamuna, both Radha and Govinda are there, and they are playing on the bank of the Yamuna. Then Vrndadevi came with two lotuses in her hands to decorate Radharani's ears. So Vrndadevi came with these two ornaments for the ears and gave them to Krsna. Krsna took them with much pleasure, with a smiling face, and He was going to put them on the two ears of Radharani. At that time it was noticed that, pundarika kose canchorika vartate. This is the language of Rupapada in that drama Vidagdha-mãdhava. A black bumblebee was there in the whorl of the lotus. Then when Krsna was going to put these two lotuses on the two ears of Radharani, Radharani noticed this thing. Then Radharani said, "Hey bumblebee, get out!" Then that bumblebee, coming out of the lotus, thinking the face of Radharani to be another lotus, went there. Radharani says "Hey get out, get out!" moving Her hand. Then the bumblebee thinks as another lotus, the palm of Radharani's hand, and Radharani says "“This stupid bumblebee, shameless debauchee is not going away. Get out, get out!” With the corner of Her sari She tries to drive him out. And Radharani is also frightened that it is not going away.

 

At that time Madhumangala came and drove him out with a stick to a far distance. Then he came back and said, “ma hu su ana.” Madhumangala said it in this specific language. Unless you understand this language you cannot taste it. Madhusudhana means what? Madhusudhana has two meanings. One meaning is bumblebee and the other meaning is Krsna. And so what Madhumangala said means bumblebee, but Radharani understood it as Krsna. Try to follow the language. This is a wonderful thing. Otherwise you cannot relish it.You cannot relish it unless you understand this language.

 

Ma hu su ana - madhusudhana - tira hade - has disappeared. So Madhumangala points out the bumblebee - "That bumblebee has gone." But what RadharaniI understood is that Krsna has gone. Madhusadhana means Krsna also, “Krsna has gone.” And as soon as Radharani heard it She said “Handi handi, kahin kadana madhusudhana.” Radharani said like that, this is the drama.

“Alas, alas! Where goes Madhusudhana, Krsna? Ooh!” Krsna is there, but She started crying, weeping, “O where goes Madhusudhana? Why has that lotus-eyed Krsna left Me alone here in the forest of Vrndavana on the bank of the Yamuna? Why He does so? Alas!” And She started weeping, crying although Krsna is there. This is the very wonderful prema-vaicchitya-viraha. The lover and beloved are both there but they are feeling the pangs of separation. This is prema-vaicchitya. Then Krsna says “Sarvani baja smitan karoti” and He drove them all out - Vrndadevi and Madhumangala - and smiled. He just smiled and said, “Radhe Oh!”

 

This is the very wonderful prema-vaicchitya-viraha and it is in Vidagdha-madhava. Many instances are there. In Lalita-madhava you will find candravali-labhah, and also another one, nava-vrndavana-sangamah. Also purnamanarathah, so many things are there in Lalita-madhava. And Rupapada has written about this prema-vaicchityaviraha. It means though Rãdhã and Krsna are there, They are feeling the pangs of separation for a short time. And that is only on special occasions, not always, and not everywhere. That cannot be there in Vraja, but in Gauralila it is always there. The two opposite things are placed in one container. That is Gaura. Vipralambha and sambhoga. A very mysterious lila, the tattva of Gaura-lila. Otherwise you cannot find it anywhere else that these opposites are placed together. Such wonderful lilas, very mysterious and inconceivable.

 

This Gaura-tattva is a very deep and confidential tattva. It is the highest and very, very confidential. Therefore it is said to be the postgraduate study, and only the students of that postgraduate class can understand, otherwise nobody can understand it. So this course is there, and two lectures are there every week. Anyone can come and hear, just hear. But if he is not a student of that postgraduate class he cannot understand it. Anyway sit and let it touch your ear, then that is beneficial. The time will come that you can understand it, and in your heart you should cry for that - kabe ha'be bolo se-dina amar. "When will that auspicious day come in my life that I can understand this thing, so that I can relish it? I can become ecstatic, dance and roll and shed tears and be overwhelmed with that bhava, drowned and intoxicated." You should feel like that, cry, cry! Therefore we speak these things, just to put you in such a condition of crying.