Planet ISKCON

Vyas Puja Drama Iskcon London

To commemorate the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America, we shall sing and discuss the second poem that he wrote on the ship Jaladuta, after he arrived in the Boston harbor on September 17, 1965.

Poem [translation]:

1: My dear Lord Krsna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.

2: But I guess You have some business here. Otherwise, why would You bring me to such a terrible place?

3: Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. I do not know how they will be able to understand it.

4: But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible, because You are the most expert mystic.

5: How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.

6: All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion. I wish that You may deliver them.

7: I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore, if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.

8: The words of Srimad-Bhagavatam are Your incarnation, and if a sober person repeatedly receives them with submissive aural reception, then he will be able to understand Your message.

9: It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17-21): ‘Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses the desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. By regularly hearing the Bhagavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. At the time loving service is established in the heart, the modes of passion [rajas] and ignorance [tamas], and lust and desire [kama] disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness and he becomes happy. Thus established in the mode of goodness, the man rejuvenated by loving service to the Lord gains liberation from material association [mukti] and comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead. Thus the knot in the heart and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions [karma] is terminated when one sees the self as master.”

10: He will become liberated from the influence of the modes of ignorance and passion and thus all inauspicious things accumulated in the core of the heart will disappear.

11: How will I make them understand the message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.

12: Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as You like.

13: O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding.

14: Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life.

15: O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance. O Lord, make me dance as You like.

16: I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Krsna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now if You like You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.

Signed—the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,
on board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier,
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
dated 18th of September, 1965

 

Sri Prahlada dasa:

I shall read from the introduction:

“On September 17, 1965, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada arrived in Boston on board the ship Jaladuta, carrying within his heart the orders of his spiritual master to spread the teachings of Sri Caitanya beyond the borders of India throughout the entire world. As he looked upon Boston’s bleak and dirty skyline, he could understand the difficulty of this sacred mission and felt great compassion for those godless people. Thus, with perfect humility, he composed this historic prayer in Bengali, praying for the deliverance of the fallen souls.”

Verse 1: “My dear Lord Krsna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.”

Here, Srila Prabhupada is expressing very strong sentiments. First, Krsna is always very kind to His devotee. Srila Prabhupada, in his humility, is calling himself a useless soul and asking Krsna, “You are so kind, but if You are so kind, why have You brought me to this place? Obviously, You have some plan.”

It is interesting how Srila Prabhupada sees his coming to America as Krsna bringing him, although he himself made so much endeavor to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master and come to the West, such as cultivating Sumati Morarji to get her to sponsor his journey. He had to convince her; it wasn’t easy. She was reluctant because of Srila Prabhupada’s age and the fact that he didn’t have any friends or relatives in America. So he had to convince her, but still he is saying to Krsna, “I don’t know why You brought me here.” Srila Prabhupada is seeing that it was actually Krsna who made the arrangements and who brought him to the United States.

That is how the devotee sees any experience he has in life: he sees it as Krsna’s mercy. It is said that when Gaurakisora dasa Babaji would go about Navadvipa, if he saw a boy who was dark, he would think of him as Krsna, and if he saw a boy who was fair, he would think of him as Gaura. And if one of the boys would touch him, he would say, “Look, Yasoda Mayi, your Gopala has punched me!” or “Look, Saci Mata, your Gaura is making a face at me!” So, he was seeing Krsna everywhere. We might see rascal boys misbehaving and become angry at them and want to correct them, but Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja’s vision was completely transcendental.

The principle here is to see everything as Krsna’s arrangement. And we also have to try to develop that vision, to see Krsna’s plan in everything, to see Krsna’s arrangement in everything—that we have surrendered to Him and so He is taking care of us. Sometimes we may experience setbacks or disappointments, but actually Krsna has some reason for giving them to us. We should try to understand that, and if we do, we’ll never be disappointed in life. We’ll be always happy in Krsna’s mercy, even in adversity.

Srila Prabhupada says, “Why have You brought me here? Whatever the case, do with me as You like.” And this is very much the mood of this poem—Prabhupada’s complete surrender: “I am Your instrument. You can use me. You can engage me as You wish. I have no personal agenda. My agenda is whatever You desire. I am here to accept Your desire as my life and soul, to give everything to please You, to serve You.”

Verse 2: “But I guess You have some business here. Otherwise, why would You bring me to such a terrible place?”

This is an interesting perspective. In India everyone wants to go to America because it’s the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” But here Srila Prabhupada is arriving in America and calling it “a terrible place.” When he was staying in London, there was a famous presenter who had a very popular television show. He would invite different personalities and ask them difficult questions that embarrassed them on the set, and that’s why he was so popular. So, he invited Prabhupada. Knowing the man’s reputation and thinking that he would try to humiliate Prabhupada on screen, the devotees were reluctant to let Prabhupada go. They humbly advised him, “Srila Prabhupada, we don’t think you should go for this.” But Srila Prabhupada replied, “No, it is our duty. We must go.”

So Prabhupada went, and he sat comfortably in the chair, and then the interviewer, as usual, began with some casual question—just to make the guest comfortable before he brought in the punch. He asked Srila Prabhupada, “So, how do you like it here in London?” Generally everyone would give the same clichéd answer: “It’s wonderful. I really like it. I am really enjoying myself here. It’s so good to be in this great city.” That’s generally the expected response—be positive on screen. But Srila Prabhupada answered, “London? London is hell!”

The interviewer was shocked. He didn’t know how to continue. It wasn’t the expected response. Prabhupada had actually stumped him. There was a short period of silence. He had his plan, but this—“London is hell!”—wasn’t part of the script. So there were some moments of uncomfortable silence. Then Prabhupada saved the day. He said, “But it is a great credit to the British people that they have built such a beautiful city under such hellish conditions, with hellish weather.” And from then on, the interviewer was very respectful, and Prabhupada actually got to preach. Srila Prabhupada was so expert.

Prabhupada’s view was that this material world is hellish. Whether it is America or England, it’s all the material world and so it’s hellish.

In his poem he has just come from Sri Vrndavana-dhama, Radha-Damodara Mandira, and now he is arriving in Boston: “Why have you brought me to this terrible place?”

Another thing I remember here is Srila Prabhupada’s statement in Gainesville, Florida, while he was sitting on his vyasasana, after beholding a painting of Lord Caitanya and His associates in the temple room: “It is so nice to see so many young boys and girls here in this remote corner of the world, so far away from the birthplace of Lord Caitanya.” So, his perspective is that this is a terrible place, and that he is here only for Krsna’s work, only for Krsna’s pleasure, only to fulfill Krsna’s desire: to deliver the conditioned souls—to give them a spark of Krsna consciousness, a ray of bhakti.

Now Prabhupada describes why it is a terrible place:

Verse 3: “Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. I do not know how they will able to understand it.”

So this is why people cannot understand—because they are covered by ignorance and passion. The nature of passion is that we become feverish to enjoy material life. We hanker. We make schemes and plans, and then when they are not fulfilled we become disappointed and fall into ignorance, depression, apathy, bewilderment, madness. This is bhoga-tyaga, desire for enjoyment and then so-called renunciation, the “sour grapes” philosophy of the fox that couldn’t reach some grapes: “Anyway, they are sour. Who needs them? Who wants them?” First he is trying so hard to jump and catch them, but when he is not successful, he says, “What is it, anyway? They are sour.” He becomes very renounced. So that is our situation in material life, material conditioning. We are constantly fluctuating between these two states of bhoga and tyaga, the desire for enjoyment and false renunciation. And because of this, it is difficult to develop attachment or attraction to the transcendental message of Vasudeva. We are so absorbed in materialistic life that the message of Vasudeva has no appeal. And so Srila Prabhupada is wondering, “How will I be able to tell them of Krsna? How will I be able to tell them of Sri Vrndavana-dhama and devotional service?”

Not only is it very difficult, but it is almost impossible, and it is a miracle that Srila Prabhupada accomplished what he did. No one else could do it, not even all the other great acaryas who appeared in this world. They taught in Bharata-varsa, in India, where the Lord Himself made His appearance and where the Vedas are generally understood and respected. But that Prabhupada was able to come to this foreign land and instill this sraddha, this faith, within the hearts of the Westerners is a great miracle. Bhaktivinoda Thakura envisioned it and endeavored for it himself. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura spoke with Westerners (as did Bhaktivinoda Thakura) and personally sent his disciples to the West to try to do it, and he was maintaining them in London. But it was Srila Prabhupada who was actually successful in performing this miraculous feat. And by reading these songs, we can get a taste or a glimpse of how and why: it was by his surrender to Krsna, his humility, his absolute faith in the instruction of his spiritual master.

When we were in Bombay some years ago, some Sri Vaisnavas came to the Chowpatty Temple. They wanted to speak with somebody, and they were introduced to me. So, we sat in the temple room, and they said, “We have a very important question.”

“Yes—please. We are not very qualified, but we’ll try to answer.”

They asked, “Who is Prabhupada?”

“Prabhupada is our spiritual master. He took Krsna consciousness to the West and started . . .”

“No, no. We know that. We know about his life and his achievements. But who is he?”

It was a very esoteric question. I said, “You should explain a little more what you want to know.”

They explained, “Ramanujacarya—we know that he is Sesa, that he is Laksmana, that he is Balarama. We know. So, Ramanujacarya was able to teach Vaisnavism throughout India, though mainly in Southern India. But your Prabhupada took it all over the world. Who is he?”

I replied, “We can’t answer that question. Once Prabhupada was asked, ‘Who are you?’ and he said, ‘If I told you, you would faint.’ And that is as much as we know. Still, we can understand that he is such an intimate servitor of the Lord that he performed such an important and confidential service, fulfilling the vision of the acaryas and the plan of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who said, prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama: ‘In all the villages and towns of the world My name will be chanted.’ ”

Their next question was, “How did he do it?”

I answered, “You know, he went and chanted . . .”

But they interrupted, “No. That’s the external, but how actually did he do it?—because no one else was able to do it.”

I replied, “Well, this is also a difficult question to answer.” But I suggested that it was by his faith in the words of his spiritual master. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gave him the order, and he understood that it was the desire of his spiritual master and of the acaryas and of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and that because it was their desire, so it would be. Because of that faith and surrender, he was able to do the impossible.

Verse 5: “How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.”

 

Giriraj Swami:

Verse 6: “All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion. I wish that You may deliver them.”

Verse 7: “I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore, if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.”

In reply to the question “How?” Srila Prabhupada answers, “By Your mercy,” by Krsna’s mercy. But Krsna’s mercy is not the whole answer; it is actually by Srila Prabhupada’s appeal to Krsna for His mercy.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura discusses how the conditioned souls get bhakti. He proves with evidence from the scriptures that one cannot get bhakti by karma or jnana (by fruitive activities or mental speculation), or by austerities, charity, mystic perfections, or any other pious acts. He quotes from the Bhagavatam (11.3.31), bhaktya sanjataya bhaktya: bhakti comes from bhakti.

But how does bhakti comes from bhakti? What is the actual process? He says that someone may propose that one gets bhakti by the mercy of Krsna. But Krsna is equal to all. He is the supreme father of all living entities, so He must be equal to all. So we cannot simply say that the cause of bhakti is the mercy of Krsna, because Krsna would bestow bhakti equally on everyone, whereas we see that some get bhakti while others do not. Then Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says, “One could propose that one gets bhakti by the mercy of the devotee.” But again one might argue that the devotee, like the Lord, should be equal to everyone.

Here Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that the preacher, the madhyama-bhakta, by nature shows partiality or discretion in distributing mercy, as stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.46): prema-maitri-krpopeksa yah karoti sa madhyama—he gives his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, makes friendship with devotees, shows mercy to the innocent, and neglects the envious. Thus, giving mercy, specifically to the innocent, is the preacher’s function. Therefore, even though a maha-bhagavata such as Srila Prabhupada in the ultimate sense sees everyone equally, everyone as a servant of Krsna and therefore in no need of mercy, when he takes the position of a preacher and functions as a preacher, he does give mercy, especially to the innocent.

Now, how does he give the mercy? He prays to Krsna to give mercy, and thus it is said that the mercy of Krsna follows the mercy of the devotee.

Here I have my own experience: I met Srila Prabhupada in 1969 in Boston, and I was touched by him. I felt that he was the spiritual master I had been looking for. After about three months, the devotees there needed another pujari. In those days one could be a pujari after first initiation. They thought, “He has been here for awhile; why not recommend him?” So Satsvarupa Maharaja, as the temple president, recommended me. Srila Prabhupada was in Los Angeles at the time, so I suppose in one sense I was actually initiated in LA. From there Srila Prabhupada sent back a letter: “Your initiated name is Giriraj. Giriraj is a name for Govardhan Hill where Krsna used to tend His cows. Sometimes devotees take a stone from Govardhan Hill and worship it as Krsna. So I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krsna that this good soul may be aware of the importance of Krsna consciousness.”

What is our qualification? I think that if I look for my qualifications, I don’t find any. Our only qualification is that Srila Prabhupada took compassion on us and gave us his mercy: He prayed to Krsna for us, just as he says here in the poem.

Coming back to Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s discussion, someone could question, “Why should Krsna listen to the prayers of the devotee? So many people are praying to Krsna; why should He listen especially to the devotee? Is that not also partiality in Krsna?” Here Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that of all of Krsna’s qualities, the quality of being affectionate to His devotees, bhakta-vatsalya, is considered the supermost, the emperor that conquers over all the Lord’s other qualities and reconciles all contradictions. So being partial to His devotees is not a fault (dusanam) in Krsna but an ornament (bhusanam)—His most exalted quality. He really has no desire other than to please His devotees. Just as the devotees have no desire other than to please Krsna, Krsna really has no desire other than to please His devotees.

So when a devotee such as Srila Prabhupada prays to Krsna to give mercy to the fallen souls, or to a particular soul, Krsna readily does it—to please His devotee.

Years after my initiation, I found the verses that Srila Prabhupada paraphrased here in verses 6 and 7, in “The Prayers of the Personified Vedas” from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.87.14). The personified Vedas prayed to the Lord, “The fallen souls are under the control of maya, and maya is under Your control. Therefore, if you show them Your mercy, they can be released from the control of maya. We pray that You kindly do so.”

The same verse was quoted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Vasudeva Datta. Vasudeva Datta had prayed, “Let all the sinful reactions of all the living entities in the entire universe fall upon me,” and Lord Caitanya became overwhelmed with love for him. Lord Caitanya began to tremble and weep out of affection for Vasudeva Datta.

Generally, we wouldn’t accept the sinful reactions of even one living entity. There is the famous story of Valmiki. Valmiki was a thief, but he wasn’t stealing for himself. He was stealing for the sake of his family. Then Narada came and asked Valmiki’s wife, “Your husband is stealing for your sake, not for his sake. You are enjoying because he is stealing for you. Will you at least take some share of the sinful reactions?”

“No! Why should I? He is the one who is doing the stealing—not I.”

So, we don’t want to take anyone’s sinful reactions. Just our own sinful reactions are hard enough to tolerate. Yet here Vasudeva Datta is saying he will take the reactions for every living entity in the whole universe. We cannot even conceive of how much suffering he would have to undergo. “Let me suffer in a hellish condition perpetually,” he said. And he spoke without duplicity. Sometimes we may say things to sound good, to say the right thing, to sound like a pure devotee. But Vasudeva Datta was serious. Thus, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard what he said, His heart melted and He told Vasudeva Datta, “You need not suffer their sinful reactions. By your desire alone they can be liberated. Krsna fulfills the desires of His pure devotees. So by your desire He can liberate them without your accepting their sinful reactions.” And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu quoted the same verse from “The Prayers of the Personified Vedas”: “O Lord, kindly conquer the nescience of the living entities by Your grace.”

So from one point of view, this is the secret: In his sincere love and compassion, and in his intimate relationship with Krsna, Srila Prabhupada prayed for us, and Krsna reciprocated.

But again, what is the method by which we get the mercy? Srila Prabhupada wrote, “So I prayed to Krsna that this soul may be aware of the importance of Krsna consciousness.” In other words, we must become aware of the value of Krsna consciousness and then take to the process that Srila Prabhupada gave. Thus we come to the second part of Verse 7: “If You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.”

Many people heard Srila Prabhupada’s message, or Krsna’s message, but not all developed faith in the message. The beginning of bhakti is faith (adau sraddha). Thus, when we ask how one gets bhakti, we really mean, how does one get sraddha, which is bhakti in its initial stage.

Here “faith” means faith in the words of the scriptures and the words of the spiritual master that glorify and explain the process of bhakti. Therefore Prabhupada, in utter humility, prayed that Krsna make his words suitable, and he also prayed that Krsna enlighten us, or inspire us, with appreciation for His message. Thus Srila Prabhupada, in the mood of utter surrender, really saw that Krsna was doing everything: Krsna was inspiring him to speak, and Krsna was inspiring us to appreciate what he said.

Even we, as servants of Srila Prabhupada, had the same mood—though not to the same degree—when we tried to distribute books. We prayed, “Please empower me to approach this person; please inspire me to approach this person. Please make my words suitable.” We would pray to Krsna—especially while the person was looking at the book and considering whether or not to buy it—“Please inspire this person to take the book. Please inspire this person to do service.” That is the mood.

Of course, here Srila Prabhupada is speaking in the mood of compassion, praying for the sake of others, but we can pray even for our own protection. It is not wrong to pray for our own protection. Once, in a lecture at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Srila Prabhupada said, “All of you can fall down, but I cannot fall down.” After the lecture, Srila Prabhupada came before the Deities and was praying, and later one disciple asked him, “Srila Prabhupada, what were you praying?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “I was praying that I may never fall down.” The disciple, astonished, objected, “But Srila Prabhupada, you just said that you cannot fall down.” And Srila Prabhupada explained, “Yes, because I am always praying that I may never fall down, therefore I can never fall down.”

Verse 9 is actually a series of five verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam, and we shall read the translations:

Verse 9: “It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17): ‘Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses the desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes his messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.’ ”

Earlier Srila Prabhupada had said, “Because the population is absorbed in material enjoyment they cannot appreciate the message of Vasudeva.” And now he is saying, “If they hear the message of Vasudeva, the desire for material enjoyment will be cleansed from their hearts.” The idea here is similar to Rupa Gosvami’s verse that says that even though the sweet holy names, forms, qualities, and pastimes of Krsna may be bitter to the diseased conditioned souls, if they take the medicine of the holy names they will be cured of the disease, and then they will be able to relish the sweetness.

“By regularly hearing the Bhagavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.” (SB 1.2.18)

 

So both methods work—serving the person bhagavata and reading the book Bhagavata—and from the very beginning Srila Prabhupada engaged the devotees in service. One famous example was when a man walked into the storefront at 26 Second Avenue with some rolls of toilet paper and offered them to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada accepted them and said, “He has begun his devotional service.” Another time, someone came to the storefront in New York with some Mayavadi leaflets, and Srila Prabhupada accepted them too. Later, when the devotees were distributing prasada, he handed out those leaflets for the guests to use as paper plates. So Prabhupada knew the value of service, and he did whatever he could to engage anyone and everyone in devotional service.

“At that time loving service is established in the heart, and the modes of passion [rajas] and ignorance [tamas] and lust and desire [kama] disappear from the heart.” (SB 1.2.19)

Earlier, Prabhupada had prayed, “People are covered by passion and ignorance; how will they be able to understand Your message?” Now he says that by hearing the book bhagavata from the person bhagavata and rendering service to the person bhagavata, one will be freed from the lower modes and become established in goodness. Then he will be able to understand the message. “Then the devotee is established in goodness, and becomes happy.” (SB 1.2.19)

 

“Thus established in the mode of goodness, the person rejuvenated by loving service to the Lord gains liberation from material association [mukti] and comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead. Thus the knot in the heart and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions [karma] is terminated when one sees the Self as master.” (SB 1.2.20–21)

So, Srila Prabhupada prayed to Krsna to give His mercy to us, to make his words suitable and to make us appreciate his message. But then again, we also have to take up the process, and here I think of the example of a person fallen in a well. On his own, he cannot get out. But if someone comes and sends a rope down into the well, he can be delivered. Still, he has to make the effort and hold on to the rope. The mercy of the spiritual master is that he gives us proper instructions, and if we hold on to the instructions, he will lift us out of the well of material existence and deliver us to the lotus feet of Krsna.

Once, in Bombay, a disciple said to Srila Prabhupada, “Please give me your mercy that I may follow your instructions,” and Srila Prabhupada replied, “It is like you are in a well and I hand down a rope to lift you out and you are praying, ‘O Prabhupada! O Prabhupada! Please make my fingers curl around the rope and hold on.’ ” Srila Prabhupada explained, “My mercy is that I send down the rope, but you have to hold on to it.” So, Srila Prabhupada’s mercy is that he gives us the instructions and prays to Krsna that we can appreciate the instructions. But we also have to do our part. Therefore, because both are involved—mercy and effort—if someone was too far on one side, Srila Prabhupada would emphasize the other side to bring the person to the proper position.

Another time in Bombay, an Indian gentleman came to Srila Prabhupada and said, “Swamiji, Swamiji, please save me. Only you can save me. I am drowning in the ocean of material existence. Please save me. Only you can save me.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “I cannot save you. But I can give you the method by which you can save yourself. But you have to do the work.” So this is the combination that works: on the one side Srila Prabhupada’s mercy in the form of his instructions and his prayers to Krsna that we can appreciate His mercy and instructions, and on the other side our efforts. But of course, Srila Prabhupada also inspired us to make efforts, and he continues to do so today.

Sri Prahlada dasa:

We also have the example of Yasoda trying to bind Krsna with ropes but being unsuccessful. The ropes are always two inches too short. She is struggling, taking ropes from all over the house, tying them together, but still the ropes are two inches too short! When Krsna sees the perspiration on her forehead, when He sees that the flowers that were decorating her hair have fallen to the ground and that her hair has become disarrayed, and how she is working so hard to bind Him, He thinks, “Okay. Let her bind Me.” And so she finally ties that knot, and Krsna is bound. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that the two inches of rope that were missing represent two things: one is the endeavor of the devotee, and the other is Krsna’s mercy, Krsna’s agreement. When Krsna gives His mercy and the devotee endeavors to take that mercy, then we are successful in binding Krsna, or achieving Krsna. Of course, that mercy comes to us by Krsna’s grace.

Giriraj Swami:

Verse 10: “He will become liberated from the influence of the modes of ignorance and passion and thus all inauspicious things accumulated in the core of the heart will disappear.”

The three modes of material nature (sattva, rajas, and tamas) are the constituents of material nature, and the spiritual nature also has three constituents—samvit, sandini, hladini, or eternity, knowledge, and bliss (sac-cid-ananda). They translate in this material nature as goodness, passion, and ignorance. They are the opposite of transcendence. Because we are covered by these modes of material nature, we cannot appreciate the message of Vasudeva. However, by contacting the pure devotee and hearing that message, these troublesome things in the heart are cleaned away, and then we can appreciate the message of Vasudeva.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, ceto-darpana marjanam: the cetah, or the consciousness, which is also the heart, is cleaned of all the dust accumulated for years on it. When a mirror is covered with dust, you cannot see yourself in it. You cannot see who you are. But when that dust is cleaned away, you can see yourself. Similarly, when the mirror of the heart is cleaned, we can understand our nature as soul, as servant of Krsna.

Verse 11: “How will I make them understand the message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.”

It is not something mechanical or artificial; one has to become empowered by the Lord. One has to become saktyavesa, an empowered representative of the Lord, and then that dynamic is there. Certainly Srila Prabhupada was empowered by Krsna because of his full dedication, full faith, and full surrender. It is not a material phenomenon, that one can represent the Lord and transform the heart of the conditioned soul. It is a transcendental phenomenon.

Verse 16: “I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Krsna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now if You like You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.”

Bhakti means “devotion” and vedanta means “knowledge.” Actually, veda means “knowledge” and anta means “the end.” So vedanta means “the end of knowledge,” or “the conclusion of all knowledge.” Here Srila Prabhupada is saying, “I am designated as Bhaktivedanta, but I have no bhakti or vedanta. But if You like, You can make me Bhaktivedanta.” And so we come back to Srila Prabhupada’s secret. How did Srila Prabhupada succeed? He says, “I have strong faith in the holy name of Krsna.” Sri Prahlada mentioned Prabhupada’s faith in his spiritual master and in the previous acaryas, and along with such faith comes faith in the process of devotional service and especially in the holy names.

Srila Prabhupada had a godbrother named Akincana Krsnadasa Babaji Maharaja who was always absorbed in hari-nama. Srila Prabhupada said he was a paramahamsa, a liberated soul. I heard that Krsnadasa Babaji Maharaja met a godbrother . . .

(Now, before I continue with the story I want to give a little preamble about how we should deal with other Vaisnavas or Gaudiya Vaisnavas. We should treat them with respect. Obviously, if they directly or indirectly criticize Srila Prabhupada or Srila Prabhupada’s movement, or attack Srila Prabhupada or his movement, we have to defend Srila Prabhupada. But otherwise, our attitude should be respectful. We should appreciate their service, however big or small it may be. So I am telling the story just to illustrate Srila Prabhupada’s faith in the holy name and the secret of Srila Prabhupada’s success.)

So, Krsnadasa Babaji met another of Srila Prabhupada’s godbrothers, who had been sent by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to England to preach. Babaji Maharaja asked him, “You went to the West and Swami Maharaja (our Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja) also went to the West. You presented the teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he presented the teachings of Mahaprabhu. You chanted the holy name of Krsna, and he chanted the holy name of Krsna. Yet he was successful, and you were not. Why?” Then Babaji Maharaja himself gave the answer: “Because Swami Maharaja had full faith in the holy names, that if the Westerners just chanted the holy names of Krsna, gradually they would become Krsna conscious, they would become devotees.”

For some time in Calcutta the temple president somehow became absorbed in doing business, in making money for the temple, and the devotees in the temple were sort of neglected. Of course, we were poor—very poor. We couldn’t afford milk. And even if we could, we wouldn’t know what white liquid we might get. It seemed likely to be a combination of buffalo milk, water, and paper. Milkmen used to soak paper in watery milk to add bulk to the liquid.

So, there was a devotee there named Sudama Vipra. He had tattoos, and he was really strong. But even he was starving. We all were starving. So after the arati, he would get the ghee wicks and squeeze them to try to get a drop or two of ghee out.

We were all just waiting for Srila Prabhupada to come and save us. Srila Prabhupada did come, and different devotees met him and complained, and then he called a meeting. He listened very patiently and sympathetically to all the devotees’ complaints. At one point the GBC there said, “Srila Prabhupada, I was just trying to execute the will of Your Divine Grace.” And Srila Prabhupada said sarcastically, “Is it My Divine Grace’s will that all the devotees should be disturbed?”

So he was very sympathetic to the devotees. He said that we should have meetings every week and that we should record our resolutions in the minutes book and stick to the resolutions. He was very concerned.

But then Srila Prabhupada’s mood changed. He told us that we shouldn’t be too absorbed in these material matters, because the tendency of the conditioned souls is to become engrossed in material things, and if we get too preoccupied and just talk about material things, we’ll forget Krsna. We won’t talk about Krsna.

And then he told us, “My motto has always been ‘Everything for Krsna and nothing for myself.’ Therefore I never complained.” He said, “I suffered so much for the sake of this movement”—for our sake, really. “I had two heart attacks on the ship on the way to New York. Then in New York City I had a stroke.” And he confided, “Even otherwise, I had headaches and ringing in my ears. . . . You cannot conceive of how much I suffered, and I don’t want to discuss it. But my motto was always ‘Everything for Krsna and nothing for myself.’ ” And that is Prabhupada. That is Prabhupada.

Then: “Signed—the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.”

This poem was first published in Back to Godhead many years ago, by early 1971, which is when I first heard it. A few of us were living in the Sea Palace Hotel in Bombay. Srila Prabhupada had a friend from England named Ramchand Chhabria, who owned the hotel. He was vegetarian and the hotel was vegetarian, and we didn’t have any other place to stay, so he invited us to stay there. When the magazine came, there were just a few of us—Guru dasa Prabhu, Mother Yamuna, and myself. The first article was the poem. Mother Yamuna read it out loud. And when she came to this—“Signed—the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami”—she burst into tears. She just couldn’t contain herself.

So what can we say here?

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

 

[Giriraj Swami and Sri Prahlada dasa, September 28, 2002, Three Rivers, California]

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108 ::_::{.at.}::_:: gmail dot com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 September 2012, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami Lecture)

All of Vrndavana is serving Krsna but not only serving Krsna, Vrndavana is serving Radha and Krsna. It is said that love of God is manifest in five different rasas or five different types of relationships with the Supreme Lord. One is a neutral relationship, santa rasa. Santa rasa means that we are just offering prayers to the Supreme Lord, remembering his glorious eternal nature, how he is eternal, how he is all powerful and so on. It is said that santa rasa is not very much desired by devotees because in this relationship, one is not very active in the service of the Lord.

Dasya rasa, the relationship of being a servant, is different. Krsna has so many servants and these servants make so many arrangements for Krsna. They are very actively absorbed in making all the different arrangements for Krsna. But higher still is sakhya rasa, the relationship of friendship. Krsna has many cowherd friends who are close to Him, like Sridham and Madhumangal.

Then higher than sakhya rasa is the parental affection for Krsna, vatsalya rasa, because in parental affection, parents would give their own lives to protect their children. Their children are more dear to them than their own life, what to speak if Krsna is your child! So parental affection is even deeper than friendship. But the topmost is that madhurya rasa, the conjugal love.

The gopis do not care about anything but Krsna! When Krsna attracts them by playing his flute at Vamsi Vata, they leave home, which from a social point of view is a disaster! I mean, it would still be a bit frowned upon if young girls in the family, upon hearing a flute somewhere in the dark, suddenly go out but the gopis did not care at all – only Krsna!

This is kecit kevalaya bhakti vasudeva parayanah (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.15), this is the kind of bhakti that we are speaking about – unalloyed, pure devotional service with no compromise. So Radhastami is our day to contemplate, to look at Srimati Radharani as our example. She, who gives everything for Krsna. Once, Radharani had said, ‘Now that Krsna has left, I have given up sleeping because in sleeping, even I forget Krsna.’  Srimati Radharani has no attachment to anything in this world. There is nothing which can attract her, it is not possible. Her only source of attraction is Krsna. But not just Krsna, it is Krsna’s happiness that she desires.

Wednesday, September 9th, 2015
Brighton, Ontario

Nanda, Rajasuya, and I made the auto journey to where the big apple structure, off of highway 401 east, suggests you take at least a quick glance at its size and redness. From here we headed north on Road 25 to make our way to yet another family who have relocated to this area of rural loneliness. That makes three families now. There's rolling hills, a mix of fields and forest, and country homes.

The country home of Jai Chaitanya, Rasa and four children is a rustic century house. A nearby barn foundation will be reactivated. The old-post wood structure will be reincarnated soon. Jai plans to have a new one set atop the old stone foundation before winter sets in. The arrangement is to accommodate the animals they own, from bovine to sheep & goats.

It's real country life for this family and we just got a taste of it. Rasa's mother, Yasomati, who is world-renowned for co-ordinating kirtanis also present here and shows her quiet side, which is what rural life does to you. It tames you.

We made our way on foot along the property of sixty-five acres - of fresh air, dusty loam soil, and trees of different sorts. Brunch was great, all home-cooked. But time ran out. Our interest and the token encouragement coming from the three of us city slickers hardly made a dent into any spirit of apprehension for country life on their part. They are committed to stay.

We bulleted our way back to the city where everyone's back to the grind. Yes, school and work are in gear for everyone. The best I can get, that is, the most countryish I can be in the big city is to walk the streets. Running errands permitted me to go through the hustle-bustle and this made me feel like a country boy.

With the 50^th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in North America being observed on September 17th, and the 50^th of ISKCON’s incorporation coming up in July next year, Houston’s Hare Krishna Dham temple held a massive “ISKCON 50 Festival” to celebrate last weekend.

Music and video by Dr. Sahadeva Dasa.

A 53-year old man who spent six days in the coma, still has no memory of his former life and can only speak… in ancient Hebrew!

https://flic.kr/s/aHskkwrQVE

The post Scenes from the Bhakti-fest in Turkey appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Noticias.iskcon.org, ISKCON News’ Spanish language website, is back in action after beating off a hacker attack which targeted the site back on April 26^th. “I received an email from an unknown sender asking for money in exchange for solving problems on the website,” says managing editor Baladeva Das, who also serves as the Communications Director for ISKCON Argentina. “I thought it was spam and deleted it.”

Hare Krishna! Celebrating Prabhupada’s Arrival in Boston at Bhaktivedanta Manor
Prabhupada’s vyasasana (seat) was surrounded by flower displays and many garlands adorned him. The prayers he wrote on arrival were sung as devotees meditated on his profound humility and compassion. In a special talk, temple president Sruti Dharma Prabhu, spoke of the many gifts of Srila Prabhupada. The observance was both joyful and sobering, as feelings of both appreciation and awe were expressed reflecting on the sacrifice andhumble beginnings of Prabhupada.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19868

Kirtan Fest 2015 - 24 hours of kirtan in the City of Leicester, UK.
ISKCON Leicester will host Kirtan Fest, 24 hours of Kirtan on 26-27 September, 2015, in celebration of Holy Name Week. Hundreds of devotees from all over the UK will participate in the two-day festival at the Centre at 31 Granby Street, Leicester, 9am-11pm on Saturday, and 9am-7pm on Sunday. The cream of kirtan leaders from around Europe will be attending this year’s Kirtan Fest, including Ananda Monet, Caitanya Cintamani Devi Dasi, Nitai Kirtan Das, Hari Kirtan Das, Nimai Gadhvi, Jay Krishna, Birju and Kishori Jani, Ravi Pattni, and many others.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19865

The post Discussion with a member of Turkish congregation on the three modes of nature (Part 1) appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Hare Krishna! “I do” (video)
By ABC TV (Australia’s national broadcaster) Can you imagine not meeting your husband/wife before the wedding? Hare Krishnas Jayasri (Janet) and Pratapana’s (Tony) first words to each other were “I do”, when they met at the altar of their arranged marriage in 1981. See how they’ve kept their marriage going in For Better For Worse on Compass Sunday, 6.30pm. Presented by Geraldine Doogue, Compass explores faith, belief and values in Australia and around the globe
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19860

Hare Krishna! Where is My Free Will?
What is the meaning of this free-will? According to societal convention, it appears that a powerful person will be able to actualize his free will while a less privileged person in the society has less ability to actualize his/her free will. As per this convention, some have free will while others do not have. In another convention, what all I desire are expressions of my free will. Some are fulfilled while most of them remain unfulfilled. However, here is the contradiction. Something that is free – svatantra – cannot be subservient to any other extraneous situations.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19857

Grand Janmashtami Celebrations organized by ISKCON Mangalore , Kadri Tollgate
Janmashtami was done in Large Auditorium in heart of the city. About 5000 people participated in the Festival.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19854

Invitation for New Temple Inauguration at ISKCON Mira Road
I take great pleasure in inviting you and all the devotees in your temple for the Deity installation ceremony on Sept.23, 24, and 25.
Sri Sri Radhagiridhari Temple
Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg, Hare Krishna Dham,
Shristi, Sector 1, Near Royal Collage,
Mira Road (East), Thane 401107
Tel : 022-28453562, 9223183023
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19851

Hare Krishna! A Rain Of Mercy in the Gobi Desert (photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday was an historic day in the Mongolian yatra. We performed harinam samkirtan for the first time in the country since 1992. In the early morning, when the Gobi desert sun was still tolerable, we took to the streets of Sainshand, a town of 23,000 people, with mrdungas, kartalas and the sweet chanting of Krsna’s holy names.The people loved it and chanted and danced alongside us. In the afternoon we held the first Krsna conscious hall program in the town. Finally, in the cool air of the desert evening, we held a Hare Krsna concert in the town square. We pray that such pioneer preaching will satisfy Srila Prabhupada, who desired that the holy names be broadcast in every town and village of the world, in accordance with the will of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
See them here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19848

Hare Krishna! 50 Years Of The Hare Krishna Movement – One Man’s Journey To A Million Hearts
In the UK, Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in Boston will be celebrated by Bhaktivedanta Manor and ISKCON London, who are hosting a day of special educational talks and kirtan to commemorate this epic journey. In Boston, thousands will gather at the Commonwealth Pier where Srila Prabhupada disembarked the ship, to mark a full day of remembrance, contemplation and celebration. On Saturday 19th September, the day Srila Prabhupada reached New York, celebrations will continue at Bhaktivendanta Manor with a special film screening about his journey. In addition, ISKCON London will transform three London tour buses into a stage for hundreds of people of all ages to take part in a Hare Krishna music marathon across central London.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19844

The post Daily Darshan – September 17th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

HG Radha Govinda Mataji at ISKCON Mayapur on 2015-09-08, Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 06.14.30-40

Amala Bhakta Swami Initiation (Album with photos)
Amal Bhakta Swami still resides near the same temple in Los Angeles, teaching, counseling, and lecturing regularly, but he also travels extensively to other states and countries, performing similar services. He has also written the four published books displayed on this website, and has produced, directed, and narrated hundreds of hours of audio books, both dramatic and non-dramatic, mostly written by his spiritual master, for Krishna Productions. Amal Bhakta Swami’s books are about India’s divine incarnations and saints, and are designed to assist truth-seekers in viewing ideal devotees of God to model their lives around.
See them here: https://goo.gl/O59FYr

Hare Krishna! Join in the fantastic ISKCON 50th Anniversary from home through Mayapur.tv!
Some very special live broadcasts coming up on MayapurTV for the anniversary.
The main broadcast for Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA. will be from ISKCON Boston. With: H.H. Niranjana Swami , H.H. Jayadvaita Swami, H.H. Trivikrama Swami, H.H. Romapada Swami, H.H. Radhanath Swami, H.H. Bhaktimarga Swami, H.H. Janananda Goswami, H.H. Giriraja Swami, H.G. Guru Gauranga Prabhu, H.G. Malati Mataji, H.G. Rukmini Mataji, H.G. Anuttama Prabhu, H.G. Garuda Prabhu and others.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19839

Today marks the 50th anniversary of ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada’s arrival at Boston carrying the message of peace and goodwill of the Indian culture.
In his honor, for the first time the Indian Flag would be raised at Boston City Hall Plaza by Culture Chief Julie Burros in the presence of several leading dignitaries and Embassy officials. The nearly 1000 participants are expected to take part in this historic event.

Hare Krishna! ISKCON Prison Ministry – My Faith in Prabhupada and Krishna is Set in Stone
I have been helping some inmates here to learn about Krishna. I believe one has written to you, Mr. Van Peterson. He’s a recovering heroin addict and is only eighteen or nineteen years old. He is in my cell. I share books with him and taught him how to chant on a Catholic rosary I got from the chaplain. I have made arrangements with the chaplain for inmates here to be allowed to have japa malas for chanting rounds. My social worker here, Elizabeth, is very interested in Krishna Consciousness and I have given her some BTGs. I plan to leave the books you sent to me with her to use in her AODA groups. She feels it will relieve the high level of stress her inmates deal with. Elizabeth asked me to give a group presentation on Krishna Consciousness and the Hare Krishna mantra before I leave here.
(The drawing was made by inmate Bhakta Burl D., Coleman, Florida)
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19836

Hare Krishna! Sannyasa initiation ceremony for Amala Bhakta Prabhu now Amala Bhakta Swami
Today 17th Sept 2015, HH Radhanath Swami gave Sannyasa initiation ceremony for Amala Bhakta Prabhu, and now new name is Amala Bhakta Swami. Amala-bhakta Swami was born in New York City and attended New York University. He moved to Santa Monica, California in 1954 and worked in motion pictures for three years. Then, after an epiphany, he embarked on a journey to find the true purpose of life. On discovering it, he returned to New York in 1957 to study and then later teach the science of ashtanga yoga. In 1963 he directed a yoga center, gradually building it up from a few regular students to about 400. He also lectured regularly, wrote articles on yoga in national magazines, occasionally demonstrated yoga exercises on TV, and counseled students privately.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19833

Just hear the sound vibration - that's the best chanting of all. There are different levels of recommendations, but you will see as you advance that the best chanting is when you simply hear the holy name, which is Krsna. And that is service to Krsna.

Tamal Krishna Goswami
October 10, 1983
New Govardhana, Australia

“What benediction should I ask from you?” He said. “What would a wise person ask from a master who can fulfill any wish?”

Viṣṇu might suggest that he imagine the most wonderful thing in the world and ask for it, so Pṛthu explained, “I won’t ask for anything that exists in this world, for all such things are just transformations of the same material that the denizens of the hells experience.”

Viṣṇu might suggest that he ask for something beyond experience, so Pṛthu said, “You are the master of enlightenment, so maybe I should ask you to allow me to merge completely into consciousness itself, so that I never again experience anything except consciousness itself? But no, I do not want even that, my dear. I would never want to exist in a state in which I could not drink the experience of your lotus feet.”

Viṣṇu, in shyness, would run out of suggestions – so Pṛthu would speak his mind in all honesty. “The benediction I ask from you is this: give me infinite senses to experience you! Give me unlimited ears to hear what comes from the heart, through the mouth of the greatest souls.”

What sound comes from the heart of the greatest souls? Pṛthu explained, “The breeze of their breath carries the pollen of their love for you from the lotus of your feet, which they embrace in their hearts. It becomes honey as it passes through their vocal chords. The ear drinks this honey in the form of the supreme poetry. This nectar-honey grants every boon, even to we who are without spiritual discipline and have no idea about the paths of philosophy. Any other benediction is completely unnecessary!”

Viṣṇu might ask, “Wouldn’t you eventually become tired of drinking it? Even the sweetest honey eventually becomes tiresome. So, in the end, wouldn’t it be better to merge peacefully into pure consciousness?”

Pṛthu exclaimed, “If, somehow, someone even once winds up hearing attentively about your auspicious fame from those who really comprehend it, how would that person ever ‘get enough’ of it – unless they are like a dull animal who cannot appreciate the difference between fine food and common garbage? Even the Goddess of Fortune herself, Śrī, wants only this blessing!”

Viṣṇu might test Pṛthu by trying to discourage him. “You are a powerful man, emperor of the world! Why would you ask for the same thing that an emotional woman wants?”

Pṛthu declared, “I desire exactly what she wants! I want to become exactly like her, the Lotus-handed Goddess of Fortune! I want the same relationship with you that she has! I want to love you as the Supreme Male, the storehouse of all attractions and qualifications!”

Viṣṇu would test further. “I already have my wife! Taking you as a second might cause problems!”

Pṛthu explained, “She and I will not quarrel or compete over our shared husband – we will cooperate to serve your feet as one!”

Viṣṇu would ask, “But what if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

Pṛthu explained, “O Master of the Universe, I am dedicated to you, so I am not afraid of her! Even if the mother of the universe gets mad at me for my desire to share in her fortune by assisting her, I know that you will calm her down. I am nothing compared to her, but you especially love the lowly and you consider even their insignificant efforts to be great accomplishments.”

Viṣṇu was speechless. His heart stunned and bound in the ropes of emotion, he could not speak or wipe the tears that flowed from his beautiful eyes.

“By worshipping you,” Pṛthu concluded, “great souls dispel all confused fascination with the glamour of external existence. I know that they desire nothing from this worship except to constantly remember your All-Attractive feet.”

Then, in the great intimacy of love, Pṛthu chastised Viṣṇu. “When you say, ‘Ask me for a benediction,’ the whole world becomes deluded. Such words are like ropes that will only bind us to misery – for what can we possibly ask for except the ordinary, toilsome things that we are already so intoxicated with? We have divorced our identities from you and given ourselves to your external existence. We have no idea of our true identity. So, you should not ask us to choose our own benedictions! You should be like a father who does what he knows is best for his children.”

Tagged: Bhakti, Kamanuga, madhurya rasa, prthu, Raganuga, romantic divine love, Uttama Bhakti, Vishnu

“What benediction should I ask from you?” He said. “What would a wise person ask from a master who can fulfill any wish?”

Viṣṇu might suggest that he imagine the most wonderful thing in the world and ask for it, so Pṛthu explained, “I won’t ask for anything that exists in this world, for all such things are just transformations of the same material that the denizens of the hells experience.”

Viṣṇu might suggest that he ask for something beyond experience, so Pṛthu said, “You are the master of enlightenment, so maybe I should ask you to allow me to merge completely into consciousness itself, so that I never again experience anything except consciousness itself? But no, I do not want even that, my dear. I would never want to exist in a state in which I could not drink the experience of your lotus feet.”

Viṣṇu, in shyness, would run out of suggestions – so Pṛthu would speak his mind in all honesty. “The benediction I ask from you is this: give me infinite senses to experience you! Give me unlimited ears to hear what comes from the heart, through the mouth of the greatest souls.”

What sound comes from the heart of the greatest souls? Pṛthu explained, “The breeze of their breath carries the pollen of their love for you from the lotus of your feet, which they embrace in their hearts. It becomes honey as it passes through their vocal chords. The ear drinks this honey in the form of the supreme poetry. This nectar-honey grants every boon, even to we who are without spiritual discipline and have no idea about the paths of philosophy. Any other benediction is completely unnecessary!”

Viṣṇu might ask, “Wouldn’t you eventually become tired of drinking it? Even the sweetest honey eventually becomes tiresome. So, in the end, wouldn’t it be better to merge peacefully into pure consciousness?”

Pṛthu exclaimed, “If, somehow, someone even once winds up hearing attentively about your auspicious fame from those who really comprehend it, how would that person ever ‘get enough’ of it – unless they are like a dull animal who cannot appreciate the difference between fine food and common garbage? Even the Goddess of Fortune herself, Śrī, wants only this blessing!”

Viṣṇu might test Pṛthu by trying to discourage him. “You are a powerful man, emperor of the world! Why would you ask for the same thing that an emotional woman wants?”

Pṛthu declared, “I desire exactly what she wants! I want to become exactly like her, the Lotus-handed Goddess of Fortune! I want the same relationship with you that she has! I want to love you as the Supreme Male, the storehouse of all attractions and qualifications!”

Viṣṇu would test further. “I already have my wife! Taking you as a second might cause problems!”

Pṛthu explained, “She and I will not quarrel or compete over our shared husband – we will cooperate to serve your feet as one!”

Viṣṇu would ask, “But what if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

Pṛthu explained, “O Master of the Universe, I am dedicated to you, so I am not afraid of her! Even if the mother of the universe gets mad at me for my desire to share in her fortune by assisting her, I know that you will calm her down. I am nothing compared to her, but you especially love the lowly and you consider even their insignificant efforts to be great accomplishments.”

Viṣṇu was speechless. His heart stunned and bound in the ropes of emotion, he could not speak or wipe the tears that flowed from his beautiful eyes.

“By worshipping you,” Pṛthu concluded, “great souls dispel all confused fascination with the glamour of external existence. I know that they desire nothing from this worship except to constantly remember your All-Attractive feet.”

Then, in the great intimacy of love, Pṛthu chastised Viṣṇu. “When you say, ‘Ask me for a benediction,’ the whole world becomes deluded. Such words are like ropes that will only bind us to misery – for what can we possibly ask for except the ordinary, toilsome things that we are already so intoxicated with? We have divorced our identities from you and given ourselves to your external existence. We have no idea of our true identity. So, you should not ask us to choose our own benedictions! You should be like a father who does what he knows is best for his children.”

Tagged: Bhakti, Kamanuga, madhurya rasa, prthu, Raganuga, romantic divine love, Uttama Bhakti, Vishnu

About Rajasuya prabhu : 
Rajasuya prabhu is  one of the senior disciples of His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami. Prabhu and his spouse are  constantly serving in various capacities at ISKCON Brampton.  Prabhuji and Mataji are both an inspiration for all of us on how to maintain a Krsna Conscious family. 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 September 2012, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami Lecture)

Mother Yasoda wants only the best for her son so she grows very special grass which is fed to very special cows who then produce very special milk. Then early in the morning, she calls for Srimati Radharani. Srimati Radharani, at that time, is staying with her in-laws in the village of Yavat, some two kilometers away from Nandagrama, a little further from Varsana where her parents, Vrsabhanu and Kirtida, are still living.

Srimati Radharani, from the house of her in-laws, is brought to the house of Yasoda in the morning. Although Jatila, her mother-in-law, is not so eager to let her go, she is forced to do so by her elders. The elders were saying, ‘How can you disobey the queen of Vrndavana?’ And mother Yasoda wants Srimati Radharani to cook for Krsna because Srimati Radharani had pleased Durvasa Muni once and she got the benediction that whatever she cooks will provide long life to whoever eats it plus it will taste like nectar! So mother Yasoda is very eager that Krsna will get a long life because like any mother, she is always worried. That is the nature of mothers, they always need something to worry about; something can possibly go wrong and mother Yasoda is not any different. So she is reciting all kinds of different mantras on the body of Krsna and in different ways, trying to protect him from all possible dangers and she wants him to have a long life. Therefore, she insists that Radharani has to cook for Krsna.

So early in the morning, Srimati Radharani leaves home, carried in a palanquin by various gopi servants, who are carrying her along the pathway, fanning her and transporting her to the house of Yasoda. Rohini has already started the fire early in the morning and started some preparations and is cooking away when Radharani arrives. Then Radharani begins to prepare so many of Krsna’s favourite preparations! She is very expert in making various sweet preps like kheer and rasagula for the pleasure of Krsna, who is very fond of such sweets. That is the nature of Krsna and Radharani is there every day.

Early in the morning, Krsna rises and the very first thing that Krsna does, even before bathing, is to milk the cows because the udders of the cows are full in the morning and they cannot wait so that must be done first.

Then when Krsna takes his bath, it is a festival because the gopis are assisting in the bathing as well as the cowherd boys. In that way, the spiritual world resembles the deity worship which we are performing here in this world. Behind the altar, there is a whole crew of devotees who are preparing things for the worship of Krsna. So in the same way, that is going on also. The dressing of Krsna is done by many in the spiritual world. Krsna is not dressing Himself.

 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Toronto, Ontario



May the Source be with you!