Posts
Dear Reader,
I am travelling in the USA in July and August, and my blog entries may be less frequent. If you are a regular reader, i apologize for this. If you wish to comment on anything from the blog or share your own observations,
feel free to write me. Although i wrote in yesterday’s commentary that we should not complain, i have one complaint: hardly anyone makes comments on my entries.
There is a place at the bottom of each entry for you to comment. Please use it; this blog is meant for dialogue. Alternatively, if you wish to write me privately, send it to jauvana@gmail.com
I will respond to all comments/emails.
Looking forward to hearing from you and wishing you much inspiration on your inner journey.
Nitai Gaura Haribol,
jauvana
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
No One Else!!!
Verse 8 of Sri Siksastakam
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.
In the blog, i’ve been exploring these 8 Divine Instructions, one by one. These verses contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee. Today, the final verse:
Sanskrit, Verse 8:
aslisya va pada ratam pinastu mam
adarsanan marma hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat prana nathas tu sa eva naparah
Translation & Commentary:
Krishna, You can embrace me with Your strong arms
or trample me under Your feet.
You may break my heart by disappearing from my sight.
You do whatever you like. All women belong to You.
But in agony or in ecstasy, i remain Yours.
You only are the lord of my life. No one else!!!
Sri Krishna is the divine autocrat. He is love, and love does not obey any law other than itself. Love is tied to mercy, to luck, to favor, not to justice. Krishna is independent of our efforts. He can appear, disappear, reward, punish or be indifferent to us. He can do anything at his whim. But he always acts from the position of love, because he is infinite love. He will never hurt us or destroy us with his love.
Pure love is above law and above rights. All rights reserved. Krishna’s love for us far exceeds our capacity to love him. Therefore he has all rights. We have only one right: the right to serve him. We cannot negotiate with him like a businessman. We are always looking for the fruit, the payoff, what’s in it for me? But true love offers us only sacrifice, self-forgetfulness, service. Why should we be attracted to such a proposition? We hesitate before such an extreme proposal.
If we want love that transcends life, love that takes us beyond this commercial world of win-lose, win-win, and lose-lose, then there is no alternative except to follow the path shown by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We will be happy when we realize our finite-ness in connection with the infinite. We will be joyful when we forget our self-importance and give all attention to Krishna. We will find ecstasy when we can feel exclusive devotion.
In our own journey there should be no complaint from our side. So many injustices will be seen by us, from the past and the present. We can observe them, comment on them and learn from them, but we should never take them too seriously. They are disturbances: some funny, some tragic, but merely distractions. Nothing is a catastrophe. The only disaster is our lack of love for Krishna.
How can we find our proper place in this world? It may not be possible, in a social sense. But if somehow or other, we can pass the exam and qualify for entering into that circle where everyone has real love for Krishna, then we shall be completely relieved of our restlessness.
mac-citta mad-gata-prana
bodhayantah parasparam
“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are devoted to Me, they preach amongst themselves and enjoy transcendental bliss talking about Me.” (Bhagavad gita 10.9)
And Krishna gives us another hint at the end of the Gita:
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
“I shall deliver you from all disturbances, all reactions. Do not fear.” (Bhagavad gita 18.66)
We are suffering from sinful reactions, from mixing with the modes of nature for an immeasurably long time. But Krishna says: don’t worry, I can deliver you. It’s not difficult for Me.
So we should not be afraid of what appears on the surface to be a frightening and terribly painful process of surrender. Externally it looks like that, but internally it is different. In Vrindavan, nothing is what it appears to be! We must be prepared to suspend our judgement and dive into the experience. It contains the greatest sweetness, beauty and pleasure.
This great experiment is being offered to us by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. With his words and with his life, he showed us the possibility. Of course, he is not a jiva soul; he is the original Personality of Godhead, in the role of a devotee. But he came to teach us, to demonstrate for us, the path to prema. It is our eternal benefit if we can learn to follow this path, not to imitate, but to very carefully and respectfully walk in the footprints of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers. Sri Sri Guru & Gauranga jayate!!
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.
In the blog, i’ve been exploring these 8 Divine Instructions, one by one. These verses contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee. Today, the final verse:
Sanskrit, Verse 8:
aslisya va pada ratam pinastu mam
adarsanan marma hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat prana nathas tu sa eva naparah
Translation & Commentary:
Krishna, You can embrace me with Your strong arms
or trample me under Your feet.
You may break my heart by disappearing from my sight.
You do whatever you like. All women belong to You.
But in agony or in ecstasy, i remain Yours.
You only are the lord of my life. No one else!!!
Sri Krishna is the divine autocrat. He is love, and love does not obey any law other than itself. Love is tied to mercy, to luck, to favor, not to justice. Krishna is independent of our efforts. He can appear, disappear, reward, punish or be indifferent to us. He can do anything at his whim. But he always acts from the position of love, because he is infinite love. He will never hurt us or destroy us with his love.
Pure love is above law and above rights. All rights reserved. Krishna’s love for us far exceeds our capacity to love him. Therefore he has all rights. We have only one right: the right to serve him. We cannot negotiate with him like a businessman. We are always looking for the fruit, the payoff, what’s in it for me? But true love offers us only sacrifice, self-forgetfulness, service. Why should we be attracted to such a proposition? We hesitate before such an extreme proposal.
If we want love that transcends life, love that takes us beyond this commercial world of win-lose, win-win, and lose-lose, then there is no alternative except to follow the path shown by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We will be happy when we realize our finite-ness in connection with the infinite. We will be joyful when we forget our self-importance and give all attention to Krishna. We will find ecstasy when we can feel exclusive devotion.
In our own journey there should be no complaint from our side. So many injustices will be seen by us, from the past and the present. We can observe them, comment on them and learn from them, but we should never take them too seriously. They are disturbances: some funny, some tragic, but merely distractions. Nothing is a catastrophe. The only disaster is our lack of love for Krishna.
How can we find our proper place in this world? It may not be possible, in a social sense. But if somehow or other, we can pass the exam and qualify for entering into that circle where everyone has real love for Krishna, then we shall be completely relieved of our restlessness.
mac-citta mad-gata-prana
bodhayantah parasparam
“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are devoted to Me, they preach amongst themselves and enjoy transcendental bliss talking about Me.” (Bhagavad gita 10.9)
And Krishna gives us another hint at the end of the Gita:
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
“I shall deliver you from all disturbances, all reactions. Do not fear.” (Bhagavad gita 18.66)
We are suffering from sinful reactions, from mixing with the modes of nature for an immeasurably long time. But Krishna says: don’t worry, I can deliver you. It’s not difficult for Me.
So we should not be afraid of what appears on the surface to be a frightening and terribly painful process of surrender. Externally it looks like that, but internally it is different. In Vrindavan, nothing is what it appears to be! We must be prepared to suspend our judgement and dive into the experience. It contains the greatest sweetness, beauty and pleasure.
This great experiment is being offered to us by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. With his words and with his life, he showed us the possibility. Of course, he is not a jiva soul; he is the original Personality of Godhead, in the role of a devotee. But he came to teach us, to demonstrate for us, the path to prema. It is our eternal benefit if we can learn to follow this path, not to imitate, but to very carefully and respectfully walk in the footprints of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers. Sri Sri Guru & Gauranga jayate!!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Burning in Separation
Verse 7 of Sri Siksastakam
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.
Here in the blog, i’m exploring these 8 Divine Instructions, one by one. These verses contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee.
Sanskrit, Verse 7:
yugayitam nimesena
caksusa pravrsayitam
sunyayitam jagat sarvam
govinda virahena me
Translation & Commentary:
Now one moment has become a thousand years.
My eyes have become the monsoon.
The whole world has become zero.
I'm burning in separation from my Govinda.
In this verse, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is describing perhaps the most esoteric of emotional states in divine love: separation from the Beloved.
We all have mundane experiences of separation in our own existence, but they are never nice. They bring us pain, anxiety, sometimes terror that is repressed, feelings of abandonment, loss, shame and many other
negative emotions.
But the separation being described here is transcendental, not within the parameters of a temporary and vitiated nature. This separation is not based on the subjective reality of “I, me and mine.” The false identity of over-lordship is not in play here. Rather, super-subjective feelings and spiritual emotions generate a strong sense of possessing and being possessed by the Ista-Deva, the Lord of one's heart.
The soul's longing for meeting the all attractive reservoir of beauty, the Soul of his soul, is a most sublime and unique emotional state. In this condition, the elevated yet humble soul strongly feels the presence of his Beloved, but cannot see Him. The closer he comes, the more the devotee finds that his Beloved is just out of reach.
The competition between the devotee’s desire to see Krishna and Krishna’s desire to remain hidden becomes intense. It produces in the devotee an exclusive concentration on Krishna that feels like a hopelessly burning fever, or like time standing still.
While this mood of separation seems like an unbearable poison on the surface, it is actually the container of immortal nectar-like bliss. Simultaneously, the saddest tone produces the sweetest overtones.
Just as when you strike a string on the guitar, the main tone may be an “A,” but there are many overtones within that "A" note that the ear hears at the same time. The overtones of vipralambha, love in deep separation, produce the most dazzling visions and ecstatic experiences of spiritual revelation. It is in this mystical condition of the soul in its extreme need, reaching out for the Beloved, that prema, divine love, makes her grand entrance.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.
Here in the blog, i’m exploring these 8 Divine Instructions, one by one. These verses contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee.
Sanskrit, Verse 7:
yugayitam nimesena
caksusa pravrsayitam
sunyayitam jagat sarvam
govinda virahena me
Translation & Commentary:
Now one moment has become a thousand years.
My eyes have become the monsoon.
The whole world has become zero.
I'm burning in separation from my Govinda.
In this verse, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is describing perhaps the most esoteric of emotional states in divine love: separation from the Beloved.
We all have mundane experiences of separation in our own existence, but they are never nice. They bring us pain, anxiety, sometimes terror that is repressed, feelings of abandonment, loss, shame and many other
negative emotions.
But the separation being described here is transcendental, not within the parameters of a temporary and vitiated nature. This separation is not based on the subjective reality of “I, me and mine.” The false identity of over-lordship is not in play here. Rather, super-subjective feelings and spiritual emotions generate a strong sense of possessing and being possessed by the Ista-Deva, the Lord of one's heart.
The soul's longing for meeting the all attractive reservoir of beauty, the Soul of his soul, is a most sublime and unique emotional state. In this condition, the elevated yet humble soul strongly feels the presence of his Beloved, but cannot see Him. The closer he comes, the more the devotee finds that his Beloved is just out of reach.
The competition between the devotee’s desire to see Krishna and Krishna’s desire to remain hidden becomes intense. It produces in the devotee an exclusive concentration on Krishna that feels like a hopelessly burning fever, or like time standing still.
While this mood of separation seems like an unbearable poison on the surface, it is actually the container of immortal nectar-like bliss. Simultaneously, the saddest tone produces the sweetest overtones.
Just as when you strike a string on the guitar, the main tone may be an “A,” but there are many overtones within that "A" note that the ear hears at the same time. The overtones of vipralambha, love in deep separation, produce the most dazzling visions and ecstatic experiences of spiritual revelation. It is in this mystical condition of the soul in its extreme need, reaching out for the Beloved, that prema, divine love, makes her grand entrance.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Tears of Love
Verse 6 of Sri Siksastakam
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.
Here in the blog, i’m exploring these 8 Divine Instructions, one by one. These verses contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee.
Sanskrit, Verse 6:
nayanam galad asru dharaya
vadanam gadgada ruddhaya gira
pulakair nicitam vapuh kada
tava nama grahane bhavisyati
Translation & Commentary:
When will tears of love
run madly down my cheeks like waves of ecstasy?
When will my voice tremble,
my words getting chocked up in my throat?
When will the hairs on my body stand up in rapture
as i chant Your Names?
After a devotee prays (in verses 4 and 5) to let go of all material attachments and be accepted as a servitor of the Lord, he/she gets more association—directly or indirectly— with saintly persons. Not with ordinary devotees, but with sadhus of the highest order. Those who have no concern with any material ambition: uttamas, situated in transcendence, far beyond the charm of this world. Protected and encouraged by this association, new feelings arise in the devotee's heart. He/she is inspired to experience intense spiritual emotions.
Spiritual emotions are pure and uncommon. They come only from intimacy and spontaneous attraction for Krishna. Only toward Krishna can the heart feel such deep, natural, spontaneous attraction. This is when sadhana bhakti (the routine practice of devotional service) transforms itself into raghanuga bhakti (spontaneous loving service).
As the reservoir of pleasure, Krishna captures the heart of the devotee. As Hari, he can steal anyone’s mind. And as Krishna, he takes over the heart with love and affection. The beauty Krishna shows his devotee is unequalled.
As a devotee begins to experience these feelings of affection in his/her heart, their hope increases. They think: “I want to be in an intimate relationship with You, Krishna. Before i could only think of being somehow connected to You as a servant, in a distant way, but now, i want to feel intimacy with You at every moment. I want to sing and dance ecstatically. I want to cry, lose control, feel rapture when remembering You. Routine chanting is not enough. My aspiration has changed. Now i want to become mad when i chant your Names!”
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.
Here in the blog, i’m exploring these 8 Divine Instructions, one by one. These verses contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee.
Sanskrit, Verse 6:
nayanam galad asru dharaya
vadanam gadgada ruddhaya gira
pulakair nicitam vapuh kada
tava nama grahane bhavisyati
Translation & Commentary:
When will tears of love
run madly down my cheeks like waves of ecstasy?
When will my voice tremble,
my words getting chocked up in my throat?
When will the hairs on my body stand up in rapture
as i chant Your Names?
After a devotee prays (in verses 4 and 5) to let go of all material attachments and be accepted as a servitor of the Lord, he/she gets more association—directly or indirectly— with saintly persons. Not with ordinary devotees, but with sadhus of the highest order. Those who have no concern with any material ambition: uttamas, situated in transcendence, far beyond the charm of this world. Protected and encouraged by this association, new feelings arise in the devotee's heart. He/she is inspired to experience intense spiritual emotions.
Spiritual emotions are pure and uncommon. They come only from intimacy and spontaneous attraction for Krishna. Only toward Krishna can the heart feel such deep, natural, spontaneous attraction. This is when sadhana bhakti (the routine practice of devotional service) transforms itself into raghanuga bhakti (spontaneous loving service).
As the reservoir of pleasure, Krishna captures the heart of the devotee. As Hari, he can steal anyone’s mind. And as Krishna, he takes over the heart with love and affection. The beauty Krishna shows his devotee is unequalled.
As a devotee begins to experience these feelings of affection in his/her heart, their hope increases. They think: “I want to be in an intimate relationship with You, Krishna. Before i could only think of being somehow connected to You as a servant, in a distant way, but now, i want to feel intimacy with You at every moment. I want to sing and dance ecstatically. I want to cry, lose control, feel rapture when remembering You. Routine chanting is not enough. My aspiration has changed. Now i want to become mad when i chant your Names!”
Sunday, June 24, 2007
"As One of Your Own"
Verse 5 of Sri Siksastakam
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.
Here in the blog, i present one verse per day over the next eight days. Feel free to comment on these verses. They contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee.
ayi nanda tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam visame bhavambudhau
krpaya tava pada pankaja
sthita dhuli sadrsam vicintaya
Translation:
Dear son of Nanda, i am your insignificant follower.
Somehow i fell into this ferocious ocean of illusion
known as the 'material world.'
I can’t save myself, so please show your mercy and rescue me.
Think of me as a tiny speck of dust
on the bottom of your reddish lotus feet.
Commentary:
In great humility, a devotee feels practically helpless against the forces of nature. The strongest force in nature is the attraction of the jiva to enjoy matter while remaining in ignorance. It is the force of illusion covering the natural identity and bliss of the soul. Recognizing this almost insurmountable force, and his/her own vulnerability, the devotee asks the Lord to rescue him from the ocean of illusion with the rope of His mercy.
Addressing the Lord now as the son of Maharaj Nanda, the devotee no longer prays to Krishna as the universal controller. He/she wants to go beyond arguments and philosophy and wants to surrender directly to the transcendental youthful cowherd, Braj Kishore. He/she wishes to give up independence even as a great scholar or king and be accepted as a humble servant.
“If you consider me like a piece of dust and place me on the bottom of your lotus feet, then i can take my proper position and be peaceful and secure. There i will find freedom and joyfulness to the fullest degree. This is my prayer: Accept me in any position, but accept me as one of Your own.”
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the golden avatar of Lord Sri Krishna, appeared on this earth just 520 years ago, and displayed his pastimes as a devotee, one madly searching after Himself.
He instructed his disciples and followers to write hundreds of volumes of books on philosophy. But He Himself left only Eight Beautiful
Verses of Instruction.
Here in the blog, i present one verse per day over the next eight days. Feel free to comment on these verses. They contain the complete theory and practice of pure love for God, from the lips of Sri Krishna Caitanya, God in the role of His own devotee.
ayi nanda tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam visame bhavambudhau
krpaya tava pada pankaja
sthita dhuli sadrsam vicintaya
Translation:
Dear son of Nanda, i am your insignificant follower.
Somehow i fell into this ferocious ocean of illusion
known as the 'material world.'
I can’t save myself, so please show your mercy and rescue me.
Think of me as a tiny speck of dust
on the bottom of your reddish lotus feet.
Commentary:
In great humility, a devotee feels practically helpless against the forces of nature. The strongest force in nature is the attraction of the jiva to enjoy matter while remaining in ignorance. It is the force of illusion covering the natural identity and bliss of the soul. Recognizing this almost insurmountable force, and his/her own vulnerability, the devotee asks the Lord to rescue him from the ocean of illusion with the rope of His mercy.
Addressing the Lord now as the son of Maharaj Nanda, the devotee no longer prays to Krishna as the universal controller. He/she wants to go beyond arguments and philosophy and wants to surrender directly to the transcendental youthful cowherd, Braj Kishore. He/she wishes to give up independence even as a great scholar or king and be accepted as a humble servant.
“If you consider me like a piece of dust and place me on the bottom of your lotus feet, then i can take my proper position and be peaceful and secure. There i will find freedom and joyfulness to the fullest degree. This is my prayer: Accept me in any position, but accept me as one of Your own.”
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