As part of our evening program in Carpinteria during Kartik, we are reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9, “Mother Yasoda Binds Lord Krsna,” and tonight one verse and purport struck me as especially instructive:
TEXT 5
tam ankam arudham apayayat stanam
sneha-snutam sa-smitam iksati mukham
atrptam utsrjya javena sa yayav
utsicyamane payasi tv adhisrite
TRANSLATION
Mother Yasoda then embraced Krsna, allowed Him to sit down on her lap, and began to look upon the face of the Lord with great love and affection. Because of her intense affection, milk was flowing from her breast. But when she saw that the milk pan on the oven was boiling over, she immediately left her son to take care of the overflowing milk, although the child was not yet fully satisfied with drinking the milk of His mother’s breast.
PURPORT
Everything in the household affairs of Mother Yasoda was meant for Krsna. Although Krsna was drinking the breast milk of Mother Yasoda, when she saw that the milk pan in the kitchen was overflowing, she had to take care of it immediately, and thus she left her son, who then became very angry, not having been fully satisfied with drinking the milk of her breast. Sometimes one must take care of more than one item of important business for the same purpose. Therefore Mother Yasoda was not unjust when she left her son to take care of the overflowing milk. On the platform of love and affection, it is the duty of the devotee to do one thing first and other things later. The proper intuition by which to do this is given by Krsna.
tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te
(Gita 10.10)
In Krsna consciousness, everything is dynamic. Krsna guides the devotee in what to do first and what to do next on the platform of absolute truth.
After reading this purport, I prayed that I may always be situated on the platform of absolute truth and be guided in what to do and when—by Srila Prabhupada and Lord Sri Krishna’s grace.
Hare Krishna.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami
Appearing as the son of a king, Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura (Shri Thakura Mahasaya) showed all the bodily symptoms of a mahapurusha (an exalted divine person). He had long arms, a deep navel, golden-complexion, beautiful eyes shaped like the lotus petals. In school, he was a sruti dhara (able to memorize whatever he hears) Although he quickly mastered Sanskrit and the Vedas, he hankered to serve Krishna. He was a lifelong brahmachari. By the mercy of the Holy Name Gaura-Nitai, Narottama became detached, left his opulent family, and ran to Vrindavana. He took diksha from Shri Lokanatha Goswami and siksha in Gaudiya philosophy from Shri Jiva Goswami.
Giriraj Swami: How Narottama dasa’s conch came to Carpinteria
The effect of chanting the names of Radha and Krishna is beyond material conception. We cannot describe it satisfactorily. Krishna is so compassionate that if anyone calls His name even once, He destroys innumerable sinful reactions in their heart. So kind is He that even if someone speaks his name accidentally, or even unwillingly, Krishna purifies them from millions of years of conditioning.
Every evening there was a programme in the villages that included sandhya-arati and darsana, kirtana, lectures by senior devotees, a Hare Krishna movie, classical dance, drama, and at the end sumptuous prasadam – a blissful experience for guests and devotees alike. We distributed a total of 1041 copies of Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental books and prasadam to everyone on the roads and in the villages. Vrindavana dasa was so pleased he instructed us to hold at least two padayatras a year, and Murtiman prabhu invited us to arrange a padayatra for ISKCON Varachha.
Adult Education At The Temple
By Vijaya Dasa