The greatest mystery
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 13 September 2013, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami)

Radharani has the potency to fully capture Krsna and fully satisfy Krsna but then comes the greatest mystery. The greatest mystery is that Krsna leaves Vrndavan, he leaves Srimati Radharani in separation. And she is in great separation of Krsna and Krsna is always promising to return from Mathura to Vrndavan but he doesn’t. He just leaves her in that condition of separation. So, how is this happening?

radha lamentsIt is stated that this mood of separation, of love and separation, is the greatest love, the highest love that one can experience for Krsna because it is said that when one is in separation from Krsna, the attachment to Krsna increases many, many times. The eagerness to be with Krsna, the remembrance of Krsna is even stronger than when it is in the presence of Krsna. So this is the most puzzling aspect of all of the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu which is the core of this movement, that ultimately, that love of God, which Srimati Radharani experiences for Krsna in a mood of separation, is the topmost experience of the love of God. It’s bewildering!

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur wrote a very nice, small book known as the Prema-Samputa. And basically, the book describes how Srimati Radharani is living in Yavat. At that time, she is married, although her husband is described to be like a shadow personality and is never really in any contact with his wife. It is said that Srimati Radharani, in that state in Yavat, is in the ultimate condition of separation of Krsna because then she is married, she had a mother-in-law who is always watching her, making it extremely difficult to meet with Krsna. And Krsna himself is described as not being faithful. Krsna is described as having many loving relationships with so many gopis, so many devotees. So, how is this?

So, one day in the courtyard of her house, appeared a very beautiful female form, more than just ordinary looking, practically looking like a goddess. Srimati Radharani immediately sent a servant to find out who this personality was but the personality would not speak, she would not say a word.

radharani1So Srimati Radharani finally went herself and said, “We can understand that you must be suffering from some great sadness and that is why you are not speaking but rest assured that you are in good company here of young girls who can understand your sorrows so it is a great relief to the heart when you speak. When you speak of your sorrows, you will feel some relief. So please tell us what is the cause of your sadness?”

At first, the goddess didn’t want to speak but eventually she spoke and she explained that indeed she was a goddess, a demi-goddess, who had appeared and who had come to see Srimati Radharani due to a great sadness in her heart and she wanted to express it now, upon Radharani’s request. And the sadness that the goddess was feeling in her heart was due to the way Krsna was treating Radharani. That was just too much, really. I mean how could Krsna, how could Krsna not be faithful when she was so dedicated in pure love. That was the point she was raising and that was the cause of her distress.

She said, “I cannot tolerate it any longer. We demi-gods, we are witnessing everything. Everything I saw, everything he did and I cannot tolerate it any longer, the way he is treating you by leaving you in separation.”

Then Srimati Radharani responded and said, “No, you are not understanding. No, no, no.” She said, “This is all external. Externally we are separated. When Krsna is leaving Vrndavan, then externally we are separated but actually in reality we are never separated. We are never separated.” She said, “Because we are one in mind, one in thought, one in heart, one in feeling. Our love is so intensely one. It is, therefore we are never separated even when we appear to be separated. We can only think of each other therefore we are never separated.”

The goddess was not so convinced. She said, “Hmmm. I don’t know what to make of this. Maybe this is your feeling. Maybe you feel like that because your love for Krsna is so pure and unadulterated that you cannot even think of him in a negative way so maybe your love for him is there, you are always thinking of him but how do you really know that his love for you is equal - totally, totally dedicated to you? I am not convinced. I am not sure.”

Radharani again repeated, “No. Definitely, definitely we are one. We are never separated for a moment.”

radha and krsnaThen the goddess said, “Hmmm, alright. I will believe it. I will believe it if you, if you by thinking of Krsna, can bring him here. Then I will understand that you are not separated and that your thought and his thought are one and that by your thought, immediately he will be aware of your desire and that he will be brought here.”

So Srimati Radharani agreed. “Okay, I will do it.”

And she then meditated on Krsna in a deep thought, with a deep desire for Krsna to come and in the cause of her concentration, she closed her eyes. It was at that moment that the demi-goddess changed her form back to the original form of Krsna and when Srimati Radharani opened her eyes, Krsna stood there in front of her. In this way, Krsna was testing, he was testing the love of Srimati Radharani to see how much she actually was fully dedicated to him and, even though she was in separation, that her love was in no way diminished by this feeling of separation.

So Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, in this way, sheds some light on that great mystery of separation and how actually the devotee in separation from Krsna is experiencing the greatest love because when one is loving Krsna, the slightest moment, the slightest moment of not being with Krsna becomes overwhelming. For us it is like, “Yeah, nice Krsna. Radha Radhanath, very nice. Maha-mantra, very nice. Swamis talking about Radha and Krsna, very nice. And what’s next?” The mind gets restless. Three swamis speaking, restless minds.

”How long is this gonna go on?”
“Forever!”

So our eagerness is not there, that Srimati Radharani experiences such eagerness that as soon as Krsna’s not there, there is that separation. But immediately, her remembrance of Krsna is so intense, so intense, so absorbed that there is actually no separation at all. Difficult to understand, difficult to understand for us but if for a moment, if we contemplate on the explanation of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, maybe we  can understand a little better.

 

 

 

 

Concentrate On Hearing The Sound
→ Japa Group

Concentrate on hearing the sound of the holy names.

As you chant, pronounce the names clearly and distinctly, addressing Krishna in a prayerful mood.

When your mind wanders, bring it back to the sound of the Lord's names.

Chanting is a prayer to Krishna that means "O energy of the Lord, Hare, O all-attractive Lord Krishna, O Supreme Enjoyer Rama, please engage me in Your service."

The more attentively and sincerely you chant these names of God, the more spiritual progress you will make.

Govinda Swami

The Mood of Ratha-yatra, October 13, Laguna Beach, California
Giriraj Swami

10.13.13_1.Laguna 10.13.13_Laguna——————————-
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhaya-lila, beginning with verse 52.

“You can feel separation from something only if you have attachment to it. If you know someone and develop an affectionate relationship with the person and then are separated from him (or her), you will experience the mood of separation. The mood of separation makes you want to be with the person. And if you are serious about it and are ready to act upon it, you will take whatever steps are required in order to be united with the person. So, we conditioned souls in the material world have somehow become separated from Krishna. Generally, we have forgotten our relationship with Krishna, and we may even forget—or deny—that God exists. But by hearing about Krishna from devotees, one’s recollection of Krishna is revived. Srila Prabhupada, our spiritual master, gave the example that if you receive a phone call from someone and the person just says his or her name— ’This is So and so’—then immediately you remember everything about the person—because you have a relationship with the person. So, when we hear the holy name of Krishna, that serves to awaken our remembrance of our eternal, loving relationship with Him. It is very powerful.”

Laguna Beach Ratha-yatra talk

Scenes from a regular Sunday program at ISKCON Alachua (New Raman Reti) (318 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

New Raman Reti is a spiritual community based on the principles of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), located in Alachua, north Florida, USA. Situated on a rural 127-acre property surrounding a tranquil, marble-floored temple, New Raman Reti is a devotional refuge from the material world.The temple deities are the most merciful Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama, and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. Read more ›

24 Hour Kartik Kirtan in New Vrindaban
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

24 Hr Kartik Kirtan

24 Hr Kartik Kirtan

New Vrindaban will have its Kartika 24 hour kirtan, one of the devotees’ and guests’ favorite festivals of the year on Sat. Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to Sun. Oct 20 at 11 a.m. There will be continuous chanting of the Lord’s Holy Names for 24 hours. Many talented and devoted kirtaniyers will take turns leading the chanting.

At New Vrindaban’s summer kirtan in June, one guest remarked, “The atmosphere was electric!” This Kartik 24 hour kirtan on Sat. Oct. 19 is another opportunity to leave your worldly cares behind, and come join in the kirtan for 24 minutes, 24 hours, or as long as you’d like.

(A small donation will be requested to cover the costs of prasadam meals.)

Real, Personal Understanding vs. Answering by Route
→ The Enquirer

Tape recorder ZK140

What an extremely interesting śloka I had the good fortune to study this morning! Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 2, Chapter 8, text 25. King Parīkṣit just finished presenting an exhaustive list of detailed questions to Śukadeva. Śuka’s initial reply (revealed by Śrīla Viśvanātha’s commentary):

These are excellent questions, but you know that they have already been asked and answered many times by many people. Why ask me to answer them again?

The King replies:

In these matters, you are as authoritative as the supreme, self-born divinity. You have the deepest comprehension because you personally understand the answers. Others merely repeat  what they have learned from those who have come before them.

Do you see how interesting this is!?

The general theme usually presented is that the best way to answer a question is to repeat the answer you have heard previously given by someone who has deeply realized the subject. But this śloka goes a little bit further and adds something a bit revolutionary and awfully interesting.

First let me explain the value of repeating.

I don’t know anything special about motorcycles, but my uncle is an expert – he takes them apart, puts them back together and build custom bikes. If you ask me some question about a spark plug or whatever, there is no way I can answer – because I don’t personally know anything about the subject. But I have two options, (1) I can remember if I ever heard my uncle say anything that would pertain to your question, (2) I can refer you to my uncle.

This is honest and provides sound knowledge. The knowledge will come only from people who actually know – by personal experience – what they are talking about.

Similarly, if you ask me about something that is beyond the grasp of empirically based logic, I can only answer in so far as I have personal, direct experience of the supra-empirical reality. If that is not a whole not, then I have two options (1) I can remember if I every heard “my uncle” (sages with lots of supra-empirical experience) say anything that relates to your question. And for this, I would need to regularly study the recorded material of what those sages have related (sacred texts, for example); or (2) I can refer you to a person with more supra-empirical experience.

This great system is called paramparā (successive) – the information comes from a valid source with actual personal experience of the answer. Even if the questioner cannot directly ask the valid source other agents (people without as much actual personal experience) can hand the answer over to the questioner.

The problem is in the act of handing it over. Invariably our fingerprints get onto the message we transmit – we shape it.

So there are two remedies, (1) wash your hands – get as few fingerprints as possible on the package you are transmitting, (2) become self-realized yourself – so that you have direct personal experience of the answer, and your fingerprints won’t smear the original ink, thy will decorate and enhance it instead.

Of the two, the first is somewhat hopeless. If the second is not implemented at least every few generations, dharmasya-glanir results – the original transmission gets too distorted by being transmitted through greasy hands.

Śuka was a person who put in the effort to become directly, personally self-realized. So King Parīkṣit had heard many other sages answer his questions before – and these were not just run of the mill Joe Shmoes. He had heard from the likes of Vyāsa and so on. But Śuka’s realization of reality was so special and sweet that he wanted to hear his answers to the questions.

 


GENTLE WARRIOR
→ Gita Coaching

Who is a Gentle Warrior? A devotee, a brahmana, a trusted authority, a sankirtan devotee (both book distributor and harinama devotee), a Gita Coach. He or she fights his fight with the help of the holy name, with Srila Prabhupada's books, with preaching and helping devotees and others succeed on their journey to Krsna. His traits are great faith in Krsna and unbreakable determination. He is

One Has To Chant With One’s Heart
→ Japa Group

Why is it that we are chanting and hearing and still experiencing material miseries?...because we are not actually chanting and hearing in a right way. Of course, we understand about the offences, that is a negative thing, what not to do. But we do not understand what to do.

What to do is more than just chanting with the lips. Bhaktivinod Thakur says that Hare Krishna mantra does not appear simply by chanting with the lips, moving the vocal cords but one has to chant with one's heart. One has to hear with one's heart and that is a very difficult thing to do.

 Bir Krsna Goswami

Sita’s Wedding
→ travelingmonk.com

In Vedic culture sannyasis [ monks in the renounced order ] did not conduct weddings. But our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, did in order to encourage his young disciples and help pioneer his fledgling Krsna consciousness movement in the early days. Following in his footsteps I performed the wedding ceremony of my Macedonian disciple, Sita-carana [...]

Spiritual Solutions to Material Problems, October 6, Dallas
Giriraj Swami

10.06.13_DallasGiriraj Swami discussed spiritual topics with an Iranian professor and students from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“You can’t eliminate war. You can’t eliminate anything—eating, sleeping, or anything else. What you can do is regulate it and adjust it so it is favorable for Krishna consciousness. As far as different parties within the material world, we generally don’t get directly involved—because generally the parties are ignorant of the real values of life. In that sense, all the parties are the same. In the sixties there were many protests against the war in Vietnam, for example. There were young men who wanted to avoid the draft to go into the army, and they would take shelter in churches, and there would be protests. In Boston, Satsvarupa Maharaja asked Srila Prabhupada if we should take part—because naturally our sentiment was for the young people and against the war. But Srila Prabhupada said, ‘No, because when it comes to meat-eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex, all the parties agree; they are all for it.’ Srila Prabhupada wrote: ‘Although everything is included in Krishna consciousness, we do not wish to take part directly in controversial politics. We can take part in politics only which is sanctioned by Krishna. This political struggle by the students is different. It is a reaction of karma. Because both the opposing parties, namely the students who have taken shelter in the churches, and the Government force which is coming to arrest them, are in the same category, because on the question of meat-eating, or supporting the slaughterhouse, both of them will agree. So the present situation is the reaction of a man’s sinful activities. We especially recommend restraining from four kinds of primary sinful activities, namely illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. But all these fighting parties are addicted to all these habits. If they are serious for mitigating the unpalatable situation of the society, they must agree to accept Krishna consciousness, otherwise there is no possibility of peace in the world. Anyway, the situation in Boston as you have described is not very much favorable for preaching our Krishna consciousness, but if there is possibility of selling our Back to Godheads, that is very nice. You can take advantage.’ That is one example. But there could be another kind of example: given a choice between a government that is repressive of Krishna consciousness, and one that allows the practice and preaching of Krishna consciousness, the latter would be better. But it is very tricky, because mundane politics always change.”

Discussion with professor and students from Tulsa, Oklahoma

Conquering the spiritual master – Part II
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 September 2013, Cape Town, South Africa)

 

sp collectionI had this dream and in this dream, my spiritual master had forgotten my name and he said, “What’s your name?”

Oh my God! What if he forgets our name because we haven’t conquered him? We should conquer the spiritual master. We should, somehow or other, understand what he really wants and we should do it. That is how it works.

Spiritual life is personal; it is not mechanical, not like getting a pin-up button (badge), “Do you have a guru?”

“Ya, I do!” Pull out your bead bag, “See, pin-up button.”

Okay, you have pin-up button guru, but that’s not all that it is. If we try our level best in this life to conquer our spiritual master then something magic is going to happen. These are the things that we need to develop – how to conquer our spiritual master? It is not so easy.

kks queensday 2013aWhen I became a spiritual master myself then I started to think of one point. It is said that one must please the spiritual master. Ok, I’m a spiritual master now what is it? Should I be really pleased? Or should I just sort of act pleased when someone has come up to an acceptable level. Or must I be really pleased in the heart? Or is it, well you know, someone comes to sixteen rounds then I must just be pleased.

Well sometimes I am and sometimes, I’m not! I’m pleased, yes, but sometimes I’m not really pleased! What can I do because we are persons! Krsna is the same. Krsna is also such a person. It is not just that Krsna gives the mercy, all at the same time, to everyone. Some have to do a lot more sacrifice and then Krsna gives. Others, they do not do so much and they get the mercy because Krsna is pleased within the heart.

So ultimately, we should try to really please the spiritual master, to the point where he is pleased. And if you have a spiritual master that is hard to please then, too bad! (Laughter) Tough! What to do! Then it is like that.

It is not cheap. It is not automatic. It is not just about belonging to a group and getting approved by the temple president and getting the stamp. You get the beads and the name and everything is great – not exactly. You still have to conquer! We have to conquer our spiritual master!