Birth IS DIVINE
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Sum and Substance, Part 1 of 4 by Jnanadas AdhikaryDiscovering Srila Prabhupada's Instructions on Spontaneous Devotional Service ..read on
A personal realisation By Devarsirat das Adhikary ( ACBSP 1974)Many years ago in 1974 when I still lived in Germany I had my first encounter with Srila Prabhupada. But it was not as you might think a physical meeting, but a Full StoryTHE LION ACARYAA Brief Biography of Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. (The first sannyasa disciple of Srila Bhaktisidhanta Prabhupada. Co-founder in 1943 (with Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samhiti.Most widely known as the diksa guru of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaja and as the sannyasa-guru ofSrila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja). Nitya-lila-pravista om visnupada 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja appeared on January 1, 1898 (Krsna-tritiya-tithi) in the Full BiographyVyasa-puja Offering January 17th, 1999Causeless mercy's breath divineOver loves ocean wide and deepBlows breezes, mingling and combinesTo scent the lotus of your feet.Like rainshowers on a fire fallingMy broken heart your mercies mend,Oh take me where my heart is ... Full Poem
Peace: The Enemy of Devotionby Swami B.K. Giri Exclusive dedication to Radha-dasyam in the line of Sri Rupa Goswami is the quintessential feature of Gaudiya Vaisnavism that distinguishes it from all other theistic conceptions. Due to this feature there exists a natural antagonistic relationship with other forms of theism. Atheists and neophytes find it abhorrent that there is fighting between differentreligions. They consider religion a means of... Full Story
After Kartika. A determined vow : by Vishakha dasi . Bhajan in Separation from GurudevThe first time I met Gurudev, I stayed in the Math for a few months, and it was really incredible. Gurudev was very affectionate and gave me a lot of instruction. After those few months I came back to the West, and I found it very difficult to continue in the way that I had been when I was with him in the Math. I realised then ....Full story
Brahma-muhurta by Vishakha dasi Gurudev has stressed the importance of being awake at the time of brahma-muhurta. He said, "At least you should be awake during the time just before the sun rises. Even if it means that you wake up for those hours and have to sleep again afterwards, no...read on
Aerial initiation..by Bhudhara dasWe departed Amsterdam and had been airborne for about an hour and half. The flight attendants were preparing lunch for everyone and Navin prabhu began to prepare Srila Gurudeva's lunch. As always his ambrosial cooking scented the air with a transcendental, inviting aroma. A pleasant... Full story
Dont criticize !! An adapted excerpt from Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja’s istagosthis on A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s book The Nectar of Instruction, in Badger, California, June 1997. Once there were two Vaisnavas who both went to live in the same town. One took ....Read on
Don’t Waste This Human Life A lecture given at the Ty Glyn Davis Centre, Ciliau Aeron, West Wales on 9th May 1998 by Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, Prema-prayojana dasa & Pundarika dasa brahmacaris.
Srila Narayana Maharaja: In this world we are very happy if we have children, a husband or a wife, if we are eating, sleeping and mating nicely, and able to support and nourish our children. Sometimes we enjoy making merry having taken some wine, and we may feel so much pleasure. Sometimes we (human life) may become the president of a country, or a Prime Minister. We may have a very beautiful wife and good ...continued
My Beloved Gurudeva A Poem by Francis Quarles (1592 ~ 1644) Long did I toil and knew no earthly rest, Far did I rove and found no certain home, At last I sought them in his sheltering breast; Who opens his ..more
Faith & Mercy By Syamasundara dasa. My letter was now five days late. Acarya Ratna dasa prabhu had received his and Govinda Bhakata dasa prabhu assured me he had sent them both off together. I was in anxiety; "Not even a blade of grass moves without Krishna’s sanction.", had I in some way displeased my Gurudeva? Where was my letter? Full Story
Narada’s Pride An excerpt from the Austral-Asia tour reports 1998 Edited by Sridam Sakha dasa. Narada Muni is never touched by Maya, Srila Maharaja said, but he played the part of a nitya baddha for our instruction.
While once doing meditation, some beautiful apsaras from the heavenly planets came down to his asrama in an attempt to seduce him. However, Narada was so absorbed in spiritual consciousness that he was quite unaffected. Although they had tried to make him fall down, he did not curse them, but..Full Story
When will such auspicious days be mine? An excerpt from Kalyana Kalpa-Taruby Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura. When. oh when will my foolish ass-like mind finally attain a place to rest at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, rejecting all other meditations? When will I finally understand my own worthlessness? Actually there is no other soul who is lower than me. When will I offer my respectful obeisances to all the untouchables? Submitting prayers unto them, I will humbly beg for a drop of devotion to Lord Krishna. And when will I finally exhibit....Read on
Powerful & Powerless By Madan Mohan das "You have nothing to worry about" was the clear and forthright message of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja to all those fortunate souls aspiring to follow the process of krishna-bhakti as prescribed by the acaryas in the line of Sri Rupa Gosvami. This was his response to the numerous inquiries made during this year's U.K. visit concerning the current spate of world-war and Earth-change catastrophe predictions. Bhakti is the most powerful force in existence and anyone practicing faithfully under bona-fide guidance will be ... Full Story
Vande Guroh Sri Caranaravindam by Gaura priya dasi Vande Guroh Sri Caranaravindam by Gaura priya dasiIn January of 1978 I was invited by a friend to attend a Sunday Feast program at the Los Angeles Hare Krishna Temple. Since I was a vegetarian, my friend wanted to introduce me to the taste of prasadam. When he said a whole community of people practiced vegetarianism, frankly, I had a....Full story
http://members.fortunecity.com/dev3/RKP.htm
Love Is My Form,
Truth Is Breath,
Bliss Is My Food;
My Life Is My Message;
Expansion Is My Life.
No Reason For Love;
No Season For Love;
No Birth, No Death.
A mere five - minute inquiry will convince you that you are not the body, or the senses, the mind or the intelligence, name or the form, but that you are the Atma Itself, the same Atma that appears as all this variety.
Once you get a glimpse of this truth, hold on to it; do not allow it to slip. Make it your permanent possession.
Do not calculate the length of time you have spent in the company of the Lord's Name, and exult. Calculate rather the length of time you have wasted, away from that contact, and repent. Have that Name ever in your thoughts and you can brave any calamity.
A strong will is the best tonic; the will becomes strong when you know that you are a child of immortality or a person who has earned the Grace of the Lord.
Spirit can only be awakened and realised through individual discipline and the Grace of God. These two can be won through Love, Purity and Service to others.
Past is past, it can't be recalled, Future, you are not sure of... The given moment is now (Present). This Present is Omnipresent.
You might have heard people talk of the 'miracles' ; of May 'making' this, and 'giving' that, of my fulfilling your wants, of My curing your illnesses. Of course I confer on you these boons of health and prosperity, but only so that you might, with greater enthusiasm and with less interruption, proceed with spiritual sadhna.
The Eternal has no birth and death, no beginning, no middle nor end; it does not die, it is not born, it can never be destroyed; it is witness, the Self, the Atma.
Wholesome happiness arises only from the fullness of love; Truth, Peace, Charity, Fortitude... these can fructify only in that atmosphere of love ... sathya Sai. Men yearn for good times, high status, power, good life; But seldom do they yearn for good thoughts, wisdom, and virtue. What better advice can Sai give.
Death is sense-less projection of matter.
From ashes emerges vegetation; And oasis emerges in sand dunes, Pedestal of life stands on decaying forms Whose roots are embedded in insensate life.
The Lesser the number of your Wants, The Greater is your Freedom and the Richer you are; The Greater the Number of your Wants, The Lesser is your Freedom and the Power you are.
All Life is one, My Dears, be Alike to Everyone.
Difficulties are created to increase the yearning and to sift the sincere devotee from the rest.
Learn to speak little and to speak softly. That will reduce the chances of getting angry. Seek the good in others and the evil in yourself.
Your heart should be filled with compassion towards all living beings. You should fill the suffering hearts with prema (love). You should radiate thoughts that can generate aananda (blissful peace).
Give up the company of the worldly minded, the association with those infected by aasuric (evil) qualities.
Keep away from every type of wrong doing. Seek always the company of the wise, the good. Take refuge in Narayana (God); He the Pure One, is the Embodiment of peace, of happiness and knowledge.
Prayer must emanate from the heart, where God resides, and not from the head where doctrines and doubts clash.
Prayer has great efficacy. The Vedic seers prayed for the peace and happiness of all mankind, of all animate and inanimate things. Cultivate that Universal vision.
We do not get what we desire,
We get what we deserve.
God is the seed, the universe is the tree.
The feeling of friendship must activate every nerve, permeate every blood cell, and purify every emotional wave. It has no place for the slightest trace of egoism. You cannot elevate the companionship which seeks to exploit or fleece for personal benefit, into the noble quality of friendship. Perhaps, the only friend who can pass this rigorous test is God.
You Prayed for Something Good, I Overheard it, Be Praying, Don't Stop, Until you get the Boon.
The mind is like a lake. When the water is calm, the rays of the sun are reflected on the surface of water, like those on a mirror. But if the water is disturbed because the wind is blowing, then there is very little reflection. Man must learn to control his mind. Man is Divine, and if only he could remember that, he would see life so very differently; he would cease to be affected by so much of what goes on in the world.
Life with no expectation of return.
I am 'yes'' to those who say 'yes', I am 'no' to those who say 'no'; 'No' and 'Yes' are words you speak.
From Sai is always 'yes', 'yes', 'yes'.
Dedication is different from service; in service, there is the element of ego. "I serve, He is the master, He acquires my service, for Him". "I am necessary for Him".
But, in dedication, the I is wiped out. There is no desire for the fruit; the joy consists in the act being done. To cultivate that attitude of dedication, everyone must think of God, remember the Name of God and deepen faith in God.
After long searches, here and there, in temples and in churches, in earths and in heavens, at last you come back, Completing the circle from where you started, to your own soul, and find that He, for whom you have been seeking all over the world, for whom you have been weeping and praying in churches and temples, on whom you were looking as the mystery of all mysteries, shrouded in the clouds, in the nearest of the near, is your own self, the reality of your life, body and soul.
Love lives by giving and forgiving; self lives by getting and forgetting.
Give each problem the attention it deserves; but do not allow it to overpower you. Anxiety will not solve any difficulties; coolness comes from detachment. Above all, believe in God and the efficacy of prayer; the Lord has said that he who does good, think good and speak good will not come to harm. That is the way to get equanimity, shaanthi.
This Sai has come in order to achieve the supreme task of uniting the entire mankind as one family. through the bond of brotherhood; of affirming and illumining the inner reality of each being in order to reveal the divine which is the basis on which the entire cosmos rests; and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal and rise into the divine which is his goal!
To achieve release, man kneels before a million Gods, in frantic pain. If he but blasts the ego within, the goal is reached, he is freed indeed!
Cleanse your mind of the temptations and tenets of ignorance; make it free from duct, so that God may be reflect therein.
It is unnecessary to go round the World in Search of God. God is in search of genuine Devotees.
Believe firmly that the body is the residence of God, that the food you eat is the offering you make to your Deity; that the bath you take is the ceremonial bathing of the Divine Spirit is you; the ground you walk upon is His domain; the joy you derive is His gift; the grief you experience is His lesson that you tread the path more carefully. Remember Him ever, in sun and shade, day and night, awake or sleep.
See no evil - See what is good
Hear no evil - Hear what is good
Talk no evil - Talk what is good
Think no evil - Think what is good
Do no evil - Do what is good
This is the way to God.
Love your religion, so that you may practice it with greater faith. And when each one practices his religion with faith, there can be no hatred in the world, for all religions are build on universal love.
Be attached under all conditions to the source, substance and sum total of all the power, The Lord ... Then you can draw from that source all that you need.
This attachment is called Bhakti.
Peace; It can come only from the foundation of Peace within.
Gain inner peace, inner joy; that can be done only when you act without an eye on the gain. The act must be its own reward; or rather, the act must be according to the prompting of God within, so that its consequences is left to Him. Practice this attitude consistently and you will find greater Peace welling within you and around you.
Real meditation is being absorbed in thought of God all the time. God only, only God. Think God, breathe God, see Good, hear God, live God, Love God.
When worship is rendered with a view to fulfilling desires and realising wishes, the precious prize will be lost. Worship must cleanse the heart, so that the indwelling God may shine in all His Glory; but desires tarnish, instead of cleaning.
Everyone is eager to be happy; everyone thinks that wanting more and working less to earn the things wanted, is the quickest way to be happy. No one tries the other method, wanting less and working more.
Bhakti cannot come into man from outside him; it has to be grown from within by an effort to cleanse the mind, to know the nature and origin of man and the universe, to grasp the relation of man with all the external objects which now fascinate and fail him.
The moment you realize that you are not the body, that very instant all the attachments and delusions will disappear.
If there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in character;
If there is beauty in character, there is harmony in the home;
If there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation;
If there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.
Freedom is independence from externals. Perfect freedom is not given to any man on earth. Lesser the number of wants, the greater is the freedom. Hence perfect freedom is absolute desirelessness.
Reawakening of man is at hand. Reawakening to the knowledge that man himself is God. The human body is not you, it simply houses the soul or spark of Divinity within, for God dwells in the heart of every man and that dwelling spark of the divine is you - yourself. All else is illusion.
Discriminating before you develop attachment. If you have attachment towards wife and children, land and buildings, bank accounts and balances and when these decline, you will come to grief. Develop attachment towards the Universal, and you too will grow in love and splendor.
There is only one language,
the language of the heart.
"The real and unreal are not two distinct things; one is the absence of the other, that is all... There is only One appearing as two ... The pure mind reflects the Reality clearly - God, that is the basis of Self as well as the objective world. God is immanent in every particle in the universe. The clear vision can experience Him everywhere at all time, and that vision confers immeasurable, inexpressible bliss."
Falsehood looks easy and profitable, but it binds you and pushes you into perdition.
"Whoever you are, you are Mine. I will not give you up. Wherever you are, you are near Me; you cannot go beyond My reach."
You will understand Me only through My work, that is why sometimes in order to reveal who I am, I Myself show you My 'Visiting Card', something that you call a miracle.
Nourish your aged parents; revere them.
Health is wealth look after it.
Expansion is Life.
Contraction is Death.
"See God in everyone you meet. See God in everything you handle. His majesty is immanent in all that is material and nonmaterial. This whole creation is an expression of His majesty. God has his hands in all handiwork, His feet at all heights. His eyes beyond all horizons, His face before every form."
Where there is faith, there is love.
Where there is love, there is peace.
Where there is peace, there is God.
And where there is God, there is bliss.
Whenever I appear to be angry, remember, it is only love in another form. For, I have not even an iota of anger in Me.
Never be afraid of death.
Never forget God,
Never take this World as real.
"If you develop Love, you do not need to develop anything else."
To discover one's reality and to dwell in the Divine peace, one need not give up the world and take to asceticism.
Is there anything sweeter than all things sweet, more auspicious than all auspicious things, holier than all holy objects; verily, it is the name of the Lord or the Lord Himself.
Loving God means surrendering to His will. By such total surrender, man becomes a channel of God's Love.
You must come to me for a Darshan to fill your heart joy and ask forgiveness. The Darshan enables you, to re-charge your mental battery when it becomes weak.
There is no prayer more fruitful than seva.
Duty without love is deplorable;
Duty with love is desirable,
Love without duty is Divine.
"Individual effort and Divine Grace are interdependent. Without effort, there will be no conferment of Grace. Without Grace, there can be no gain from the effort. To win Grace, you need only have faith and virtue... Knock, the doors of Grace will open, Open the door, the sun's rays waiting outside will flow in and fill the room with light."
If you honor your father, The Father of all Beings will guard you.
The lotus, born in slime and mud, rises up through the water and lifts its head high above the water; it refuses to get wet though water is the element which gives it life!
To earn the goodwill of the Master, there is one recipe; obey His order without murmur. Grace is showered on all who obey instructions and follow order.
Before one's birth, one has no relationship with the world and its material objects. After death, they and all kith and kin disappear. This sojourn is just a game played in the interval.
Face the Six Foes - They are Lust, Anger, Attachment, Pride, Hatred and Greed.
An evil eye sees evil in other.
As you remove the husk that covers the rice, so the ignorance that adheres to the mind has to be removed by the frequent application of the abrasive soul inquiry.
"The Lord does not weigh the status or caste of an individual before bestowing His grace. He is all merciful and His grace falls like rain or moonlight on all the people."
God is neither distant not distinct from you.
I am aware why you suffer and how you can escape suffering.
"It is part of human nature that man desires to reach the presence of the Almighty to see Him and be ever with Him, for deep within the human heart is the urge to reach the place from which he has come, to attain the joy he has lost, the glory which he has missed. Man is himself divine and so it is a matter of the deep calling unto the deep, of the part calling for the Whole ..."
The end of knowledge is Love.
The end of education is character.
The human being is a composite of man and beast and God, and in the inevitable struggle among three for ascending, You must ensure that God wins; suppressing the merely human and the lowly beast.
Cut the 'I' feeling clean across and let your ego die on the Cross, to endow on you Eternity.
Ego gets and Forgets,
Love gives and Forgives.
God is the doctor, seek him, rely diseases on him, you will be free from diseases.
"Seen through the eyes of Love, all beings are beautiful, all deeds are dedicated, all thoughts are beneficial, and the world is one vast family."
I My affection and love for you is that of a thousand mothers.
Man's distance from Divinity is the same as his distance from himself.
Mother is Love. Worship the mother as God.
Listen to the primeval Pranava AUM resounding in your heart as well as in the heart of the Universe.
Father is Truth. Worship Father as God.
Removal of Immorality is the only way to Immortality.
Each one from ego takes his birth and clad in ego dies and comes and goes,
gives and receives and earns and spends,
and deals in lies or speaks the truth,
in ego all the while ...
Those who do away with their ego attain salavation.
Remove the roots of egoism from the field of your heart.
That is enough ...
Love is God, God is Love. Where there is Love there God is certainly evident. Love more and more people, love them more and more intensely; transform the love into service, transform the service into worship; that is the highest saadhana.
All the joy you crave for, is in you; but, like a man who has vast riches in the iron chest, but who has no idea where the key is, you suffer. With proper direction, dwelling upon them in the silence of meditation, it is possible to secure the key, open the chest and be rich in Joy.
Life is just a chance to see for yourself your beginning and your end.
"You are My forms al., When I Love you I Love Myself; When, you Love yourselves, you Love Me. I have separated Myself from Myself so that I may Love Myself."
Get the flower, and you have its beauty and fragrance.
In colour see harmony, in light see joy.
In outward form and in the depth of things, behold your Self.
You are the Truth.
Have faith in his Grace, and lead a virtuous life, a life devoted to the service of the weak, a life spent in the thought, about the might and glory of God.
Pray that you may carry out your duty well. God will certainly answer your prayers.
There is in this world no austerity higher than fortitude, no happiness greater than contentment, no punya (good deeds) holier than mercy, no weapon more effective than patience.
Man is born to share and serve, not to grab and grieve.
God is the Doer, You are the instrument.
To light a fire, strike one match to start;
To light your life, take one word to heart.
"The wealth you earn is not true wealth!
True wealth is the grace of God."
"God has a million names ... a million forms. Select any name of His that appeals to you. Choose any form of His. Every day when you awaken to the call of the brightening East, recite the Name, meditate on the Form. Keep the Name and Form as your companion, guide, and guardian throughout the waking hours. When you retire for the night, offer grateful homage to God in that Form, with that Name - for being with you, by you, beside you, before you, behind you, all day long. Know that within the many forms and many names, God is present is all of them. The inner being is, in reality, only One."
When the Name is pronounced by the tongue, and the image is adored by the mind, these should not degenerate into mechanical routine; the meaning of the Name and the content of the Form, must, at the same time, inspire and illumine the Consciousness.
Brahma was in existence well before mind and intelligence came into existence.
Brahma cannot be understood be one's mind or intelligence.
Be in the World But let not the World be in you.
Look upon joy and grief as teachers of hardihood and balance.
Grief is a friendly reminder, a good taskmaster; ever a better teacher than joy.
God gives both protection and punishment; for how can He be the Lord if he does not insist on strict accounting and strict obedience?
It is easy to conquer anger through love, attachment through reasoning, falsehood through truth, bad thoughts through good and greed through charity.
Pain is a gap between two moments of happiness.
Happiness is an interval between two moments of pain.
An educated man must realise that he has more obligations than privileges, more duty than right.
You need offer only two things:
pure love And self - less service.
No one has a right to advise others unless he is already practicing what he preaches.
"From the Form to the Formless, from the Formless to the Form - both processes are possible and progressive. The personal God is an expression, a symbol, a representation of the impersonal God. The impersonal does become personal and assumes form and attributes. This is the very nature of the Divine."
Sorrow and pain are caused desire.
The cure is to used the same desire, and turn it to God, too desire God.
Science is below the mind
Spirituality is beyond the mind.
Friendship is the expression of unshakeable love,
Love that is noble, pure, free from desire or egoism.
God is Truth,
Truth is Goodness,
Goodness is Beauty,
Truth, Goodness, Beauty,
Sathyam, Shivam, Sundaram
is yourself.
be yourself.
"Service is the most difficult of the nine steps to Inner Reality ...
It is basically action arising out of the yearning to win the grace of God ...
It is the most important step to erase the ego ...
Through service alone can man attain mastery of the ... senses, the passions and the predilections, and through that reach Divinity Itself ...
I have come to teach you the proper attitude of service - for Love express as service, and God is Love ...
Service of man leads to the discovery of man as God."
The mind pf a person not engaged in Seva is a Devil's Workshop.
Truth has no fear;
Untruth shivers at every shadow.
Hardship keeps one always alert and in trim.
They reveal hidden resources of skill and intelligence;
they toughen fortitude and deepen the roots of Faith.
Truth, Righteousness, Peace and Love ..
These are the four pillars on which the mansion of happiness, here and hereafter, is built.
"The message of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, which Jesus Christ proclaimed two thousand years ago, should become a living faith for the achievement of real peace and the unity of mankind. The oneness of creation, affirmed by the ancient seers and sages, can only be expressed in a transcendental love which embraces all people, regardless of creed, community, or language."
The play is His,
The role is His,
The lines are written by Him,
He directs,
He designs the dress and decoration,
the gesture and the tone,
the entrance and exit.
You have to act well the part and receive His approbation when the curtain falls.
Do not contemplate on death;
it is just an incident in life - contemplate on God,
who is the master of all life;
beware of Him all through life.
"Falsely identifying oneself with the body, man suffers in the coil of attachment towards mother, father, wife, children, relatives, and friends.
He does not realise that he has neither the body nor the senses, but that he is Brahma Itself."
The ego has to sacrifice itself so that man's divine nature can manifest itself. "Mine" is death;
'not mine' is immortality. Renunciation results in peace. The golden key of non - attachment opens the lock which keeps the door to heaven shut.
"Really, if only you have faith in the Name, you need not struggle to secure the chance to detail to Me your desires and wants. I will fulfill them even without your telling Me."
The term Bhagwan means the one who is capable of lighting the divine effulgence, the illumination of wisdom, the eternal inner light of the soul. Can there be anything greater than earning the Love of such an omniscient, omnipotent Lord? There is nothing on earth or beyond it which is equal to Divine Love. To make all endeavors to earn that Love. is the whole purpose and meaning of Human existence.
The secret of liberation lies not in the mystic formula that is whispered in the ear and rotated on the Rosary. It lies in the stepping out into action, the walking forward in practice.
I bring tears of joy into your eyes and I wipe the tears of grief.
Don not come to me with your hands full of trash, for how can I fill them with Grace when they are already full. Come with empty hands, and carry away My Treasure, My Love.
At first, name and form are essential, that is the reason who Avatars come, so that God can be loved, adored, worshipped, listened to and followed, and finally realised as nameless and formless.
See God installed in everyone; every body is a temple, where the Omnipresent God is to be adored and worshipped by your service.
A Pure Thought from a Pure Heart is better than a Mantra.
Give the Guru your mind as you would entrust Gold to the Goldsmith.
The Guru may need to melt, mould or beat your mind, But do not worry, as he will return to you a precious Jewel.
Do not say Swami give me peace, but do not give me pain, as Swami may need to inflict pain before the process of purification is complete.
My hand stretches out for receiving only when a pure heart full of prema is offered. On other occasions it gives, never takes.
Make your life a rose that speaks silently in the Language of fragrance.
I am always guarding you and guiding you, march on; have no fear.
Close your eyes, withdraw your indriyas (Senses) from then sensual objects. search Him in the heart with one - pointed mind, devotion and pure Love. You will surely find Him, He is waiting there with outstretched aims to embrace you. If you cannot find Him there. You cannot find Him anywhere else.
You may say that progress is possible only through My Grace, but though My Heart is soft as butter, it melts only when there is some warmth in your Prayer.
Prayer is the very breath of religion; For it brings man and God together and with every sigh, nearer and nearer.
You ask from Me a thousand things of the world, but rarely do you ask for Me.
I require from each of you no other gift, no more valuable offering than the Heart I have endowed you with. Give me that heart, as pure as when I gave it to you, full of the nectar of Love I filled it with.
The Lord is understood only by His bhakta - The bhakta is understood only by His Lord.
May the pure and the righteous rejoice! The wicked and the false, the cowardly and the cruel may also rejoice, for He in His mercy will lead them back onto the Holy path. If I close the door against the sinful, the fallen and the Renegade, where else can they go?
Wherever your faith meets my Love, There is a cure.
The desire to know God, love God and be loved by God is not desire that binds.
No person can dream of Swami, unless Swami Himself desires it so.
To Eliminate the ego, strengthen the belief that all objects belong to God, and you are holding them on trust. This would prevent pride; is also the Truth.
Our good conduct is our true wealth.
Whatever you speak, He hears;
Whatever you do, He witnesses;
Whatever you think, He weighs.
The heart with compassion is the Temple of God.
Happiness is Awareness.
If you live on the level of the body and the individual, you will be entangled in food, entertainment, and frivolity, in ease, envy and pride. Forget it, ignore it, overcome it - you will have Peace, Joy and Calm.
On the divine path, there is no chance of failure; it is a path on which every milestone is a Monument for Victory. It is the Path of Love.
When troubles come, look beyond the mountains to the Blue Skies. See that you are witnessing My play. See that your life is as temporary as the dancing clouds. Your coming and your going is just part of your performance. Take God alone seriously, and play the parts you are given by Me with Love. I will grieve should you misunderstand your roles. You are the Spirit within you; you are your blessed self. My Kingdom that is within you is your real home.
source. http://sathyasaibaba1.tripod.com/sayings.htm
SAI BABA
THE LIGHT FROM ABOVE
Sri Sathya Sai Baba has, on several occasions, made certain pronouncements about himself which not only clarify the nature and mystery of his divine advent, but also deepen the mystery a thousand fold and leave us wondering if he is the Eternal Absolute, the one God or sarvadevata startup who has descended on earth like Rama, Krishna, Jesus Christ and Buddha, in the fullness of an avatar to lead mankind to discover divinity and attain self-realization or mukti or liberation. One of his epoch making declarations is contained in his statement during the world conference of Sri Sathya Sai Seva organization in Bombay on May 17, 1968 'Why I incarnate? and 'My Reality'. He has given a firm, concrete and tangible expression of his advent and mission as an avatar. The announcements and their contents are too well known to require a fresh recital. On another occasion he has said: 'I am infinite, I am immeasurable, I am unique, I am incomparable. Equal to myself, I am my own measure, witness and authority.' And further he states his true identity when he says: 'I am the Satashya Sathyam, the Truth of truths. Why has truth come on earth in human form? To plant in the heart of man the yearning for Truth, to place man on the road to Truth, to help man to reach Truth by loving instruction and by the final gift of illumination.’
These are truly gems of pronouncements made by the avatar, which are self-sufficient, autonomous and complete and can hardly be glossed over. But the problem is how can the finite, the limited human entity, understand the infinite, unique and incomparable Godhead? Baba says:
You cannot understand my reality either today or even after thousands of years of austerity or inquiry, even if all mankind join in that effort. But, very soon, you will be aware of the bliss showered by the divine principle, which has taken upon itself this body and this name.
And he declares his unity with every sentient thing in the universe and his identity as the one God:
I am not Sathya Sai Baba. This is the name by which you know me today. All names are mine. I am the one God who answers the prayers that rise in human hearts in all languages from all hands, addressed to all forms of deity.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba has come from the beyond, the high heavens above to pitch his tent on this temporal and time-bound earth of ceaseless flux and change in order to restore India and the world to its spiritual glory and carry the message of spirituality through the evangel of love, truth, peace and ahimsa. He further says that the labours of the avatar in his mission will not fail and in the end of this manifestation, the earth's age will begin anew and the golden years return. Many who believe in Baba believe in the divine pledge and its certainty and inevitability. Professor V.K. Gokak has put it very nicely and in emphatic terms when he says:
I am one of those who believe in him and the surety of his pledge. The question may be asked: why? On what grounds? My one answer to that question is: I believe in Baba and the surety of his pledge, not because I am what I am, but because Baba is what he is.
It follows from this that it is all a question of faith and belief. If one believes in the divinity of Baba or has experienced it at first hand, all doubts and questionings end and it becomes a lot easier to surrender to Baba as the ultimate and supreme reality. Still the crux of the problem remains in this age of rank scepticism crass materialism and lost dimension of religion to develop the supreme continence of affirmation that helps one recognize the indwelling God in one's heart. It is through the process of devotion and continual meditation that light dawns upon one's consciousness and faith breaks in life. The name and thought of God is the lantern that illuminates the dark recesses of the heart and soul and leads one to the summit of the hill from where the resplendent face of God is seen.
Commonly speaking, the concept of incarnation is a difficult metaphysical formulation, which is familiar mostly to the East, that too in Hindu religion. Lord Krishna has said to Prince Arjuna in the battle-field at Kurukshetra :
Every time virtue wanes in the world and vice and injustice are victorious, I become visible and thus I appear from age to age for the salvation of the righteous, the destruction of the wicked and the re-establishment of virtue.
And Sri Sathya Sai Baba echoes the same truth when he says:
For the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of evildoers and for the establishment of righteousness on a firm footing, I incarnate from age to age. Whenever ashanthi or disharmony overwhelms the world, the Lord will incarnate in human form to establish the modes of earning prashanthi (peace) and to re-educate the human community in the paths of peace.
At the present time, strife and discord have robbed peace and unity from the family, the school, the community, the society, villages, the cities and the state. The arrival of the Lord is also anxiously awaited by saints and sages. Sadhus prayed and I have come. My main tasks are fostering of the Vedas and fostering of the devotees. Your virtue, your self-control, your detachment, your faith, your steadfastness, these are the signs by which people read of my glory.
The one-to-one correspondence between what Krishna meant and what Sai Baba means is very surprising indeed. For the first time nearly five thousand years after the time of Krishna's death on February 20, 3102 B.C. when Kaliyuga commenced that Sri Sathya Sai Baba has appeared as a poorna avatar. It is not possible for human beings to grasp the full significance of the descent of an avatar in the phenomenal world for guiding individuals and societies towards spiritual regeneration.Although much has been written about the concept of the avatar, there is still a good deal of confusion, incoherence and doubt about the manifestation of the ultimate and eternal Absolute in human form at crucial and critical junctures of human civilization and history. Whereas in the perennial religions of the East specially sanatan dharma and the Hindu and Buddhistic thought and tradition, it is accepted as essential and natural phenomenon for the maintenance and preservation of the moral and spiritual order of the universe and the laws of the cosmos. The eternal laws of nature, the revolution of constellation, the dance of the elements, the cycle of seasons, time and flux are sustained by divine will and the direct manifestation of the supreme Godhead in phenomenal world. As Professor Gokak has rightly observed,
But these laws of Nature can be transcended whenever a ray, direct from the Supreme penetrates the universe. This ray is power, will, thought and feeling combined in a solar flash. The Word, which is at the very root of creation, is a complex seed symphony of Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Love, Delight and Power ... When does the Ray descend? As the Gita says, whenever righteousness is at low ebb and the unrighteous ride on the crest of the wave, the Ray takes the human form to establish the reign of Truth again, to protect the good and punish the wicked.
At this stage, it may be fair to have an idea of the ultimate Absolute that chooses out of his own Will to descend as a Ray from the reservoir of cosmic power and energy and take on a temporary habitation on earth. It is the destiny of mankind, the individual souls and atma to merge in the universal atma either through jnana (flawless knowledge) or through meditation or intense bhakti (devotion) leading to total surrender and identification with the Supreme Lord who is both formless and with tangible form. Who is this Supreme Being? All round we see everything in a state of flux and change. Behind these ever changing phenomena there must be a permanent base, as the changes cannot take place in a changing background. The permanent base also must be something eternal. The stars, planets and elements follow various rules, which must ultimately be unified and controlled by some power. This is an eternal and omnipresent power. The ancient rishis called it as sat. It must have some purpose and must be leading the universe to some goal and consciously direct the universe. So, another aspect of this principle would be the consciousness of everything past, present and future. This rishis called cit. We all recognize suffering and pain as essential part of the human condition and yearn for ananda or joy continually. Unless the eternal Absolute itself is bliss unalloyed, it cannot lead others towards bliss. Thus, we can infer that the supreme principle is sat (pure existence), cit (pure consciousness) and ananda (absolute bliss). This is all information that the sages and seers of the past have handed down to us about God or the Eternal Absolute.
How does one relate oneself to the eternal absolute who is satchidananda - Being, Awareness and Bliss. The devotion of the bhakta does not merely confer boons affecting material life; it can also compel the formless Godhead to manifest itself. In the words of C. Balasingham,
The supreme divine power is present everywhere, very much like gravity, as the invisible supporter and controller of the manifested universe. The various shrines are like substations connected to a vast power grid and we can tap the divine power from any substation. The nature and extent of the use of that power depends on the individual his preparedness and state of development. Where the devotee prays to the Supreme earnestly in a particular form for a direct vision, God manifests himself in that particular form.
Thus the idea of a personal God is very convenient and helpful for the purposes of pointed, intense and total concentration on God in a particular name and form.
In addition to transient manifestations of the Eternal Absolute for brief periods, we also have avatars or manifestations lasting several years, when God walks the earth in human form. Says Mr. Balasingham,
The Avatar is only a convenient focus for the operation of the divine power in a human and tangible way. There have been several avatars in the past. Krishna, Christ ... Buddha are really a few that come readily to mind. In our times, we have divinity living and moving with us in human form as Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba.
Balasingham goes on to say:
When we say God or divinity is walking the earth in human form, what exactly do we mean? We have seen that Absolute or divinity is vast power that which envelops, permeates and controls the universe, if we imagine the Absolute as a vast power grid then Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba is a substation from which that power flows and operates in a visible form. The physical body of Bhagwan Baba is only an instrument through which divine power operates. The real Sai Baba is this power and this is the one to which he refers when he uses the word 1. Baba himself made a distinction between his body and his power on the Christmas day in 1970: 'My body like all other bodies is a temporary habitation; but my Power is eternal, all-pervasive and ever dominate.'
Explaining the point further, Balasingham says:
The relationship between the general divine power and this substation needs elucidation. In the first place, there is no exclusiveness; there were, are and will continue to be, other substations through which this vast power of the Absolute operates. Lourdes, for instance, continues to be a place where miraculous cures occur even after Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba started his miraculous cures. The difference is that in Lourdes there is no visible source, no tangible output through which the power operates. On the other hand, Sai Baba is a visible, moving, talking substation ... Everyone of us, according to Hindu philosophy, is a focal point of this Absolute consciousness. It may be asked what is the difference between Us and Sai Baba? In him the power flows out unhindered and with full force and power. In us that power is almost completely muted.
This is a good and plausible explanation of the manifestation of the divine in human form. Since each one of us is the spark of the same eternal Absolute, the divine power which is muffled and snuffed out in oneself on account of the veil of maya and ignorance of the real self, has to be realized through constant and continual sadhana.
Returning to the image of the light or the Ray from the Supreme, the eternal sunbeam, we find it to be the most appropriate and functional imagery for the definition of God. Most religious poets have used the imagery of sunlight, the elemental sunbeam, to express what is inexpressible. Dante in the last canto of The Divine Comedy describes his feeling of supreme bliss and ineffable ecstasy when he sees the ultimate reality as a single flame. The light and fire imagery occurs with great frequency in Four Quartets of T.S. Eliot, culminating in the last section of Little Gidding: 'The fire and the rose are one.' In the works of all mystic poets, Vaughan, Rumi and others, the obsessive imagery is that of light. In the holy Bible, light is described as the synonym of God. The descent of the divine principle on earth is like the coming of the transcendent sunbeam to scatter the darkness and gloom on our planet. Sri Sathya Sai Baba himself says:
Generally, an avatar is described as coming down from a higher status to a lower one. But no, when the baby in the cradle weeps, wails and clamours for help, the mother stoops and takes it over in her arms. Her stoop is not described as coming down.
When asked by a devotee if the idea of descent of God on earth and the ascent of man to God are different, Baba replied that both are the same. The one for whom the light descends would inevitably move from darkness to light, from falsehood to truth, from mortality to immortality. The light in this sense is redemptive, a sure means of taking mankind to the path of selfrealization. Apart from being the transcendent eternal sunbeam, an avatar is sweetness and light. In the words of Professor Gokak,
The avatar moves like a Colossus among men. The past, present and future lie open to his gaze. What is more, he has the power of grace. An avatar has sixteen kalas or phases. Five of these he shares with human beings the five doors of perception sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. Another four he shares with human beings-mind, heart, intelligence, turyavastha or transcendence of intuitive experience. The seven phases that follow are characteristic of a poornavatar, an integral avatar: grace, Anugrah or special grace, the power to create a new order of life in society, new states of consciousness in individuals or new objects, the power to support and sustain what is inherently good, which may happen to be defenceless, the power to destroy what is evil ... The Divine itself is a supreme paradox. He is the One in the many, Spirit and Matter at the same time. Himself transcendental, the divine has become the universe itself. He is Infinity which can crowd itself into a little room. Immortality itself; it is also Death. He is both Time and Eternity. He is Love, but this Love is red in tooth and claw. Formless, yet the divine is father of all forms.
An Avatar has the four essential attributes of Godhead omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence and omni felicity. Thus an avatar comes to usher in a new age for humanity and take mankind along the path of self realization and evolution of consciousness.
Sri Sathya Sai, like Krishna, is a full Avatar with all the sixteen kalas. He is also the Avatar of Love and Truth who has come in order to light the camp of Love and Truth‑a light from above, perfected in the triumphant symbol of Love. Baba prescribes the way in which the Avatar can be used by mankind: The way in which an Avatar is used for one's liberation and uplift is: watch his every step, observe his actions and activities, follow the guiding principle of which his life is an elaboration. Mark his love, his compassion, his wisdom; try to bring them into your own life.
As for the avowed role of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, he has, time and again, reiterated his purpose in no uncertain terms. Long time ago, Lord Krishna came to foster the forces of peace and love and he had to use the surgery of war in order to safeguard the dharmic way of life. The battle of Kurukshetra removed the cancer threatening to wipe out righteousness, peace and harmony as a powerful and aggressive military caste had grown arrogant and aggressive. To put an end to their tyranny and flagrant violation of justice and right action, the Lord himself offered to become the charioteer of Arjuna, the Pandava prince. And when Arjuna the mighty warrior and archer and Krishna the eternal charioteer worked together in unison, there was nothing that could not be achieved. All this happened in the Dwapar yuga. Even before that in the Tretha yuga, Lord Rama was forced to fight the demons and the demon king Ravana who symbolized the unrighteous way of life.
In the present age, when we are living in an age of crisis, at the edge of a precipice and a nuclear doom looks so very close and distinctly in the realm of possibility, one may ask what kind of surgery would Sai Baba take resort to. He says: 'There is a cancer in the body which must be removed.' The world is the body of God. Sai Baba who has descended as light from above proposes to employ a gentler therapy for the purpose. In other words, can the power of light dispel the black pall and scatter the darkening gloom? In his famous interview with John Hislop, R.K. Karanjia and a few others, Baba has categorically assured that the present avatar had come to prevent such a catastrophe. He has further said that there will not be general or all-pervasive world war though there might be small wars or skirmishes here and there. He even told Howard Murphet, if the Governments stood in the way, the Governments would have to be changed. During the past decade, the end of the cold war between the two power blocs and agreements about nuclear disarmament are proofs enough, if proofs are needed, that the Avatar has kept his promise. Baba has also very succinctly prophesied that early in the next century, the promised millennium or spiritual regeneration will get under way and become a living reality. Baba uses a different metaphor when he says, 'White ants are in the tree again. In ancient times, the tree was cut down. Now we try to save it.' This is another instance of the Lord's infinite compassion and love for humanity. Baba's another crucial declaration is:
I have come in order to repair the ancient highway, leading man to God. Become sincere, skilful engineers, overseers and workmen, and join me ... and I have come to sow the seeds of faith, of religion. I have come in response to prayers of sages, saints and seekers for the restoration of dharma.
Thus, the authenticity of Sri Sathya Sai Baba as the 'lawn of blue light', to use a phrase from a poem by Professor Gokak, seems to be hundred per cent true. Millions in India and in faraway countries regard him as a major avatar. What is more, many regard him as an incarnation of Love, Truth and Purity. Now the impression is growing fast in Christian countries that Baba is Jesus Christ come again as prophesied by none other than Christ himself. Most often, he is regarded as an avatar of Shiva Sakti, that is, the male and feminine aspect of Godhead. This has gained credence mainly because Sai Baba himself chose to reveal the reality of a myth and a legend concerning sage Bhardwaj. And then there is evidence of Sri Sathya Sai Baba's complete identification as an avatar of that mendicant fakir who lived at Shirdi, Maharashtra, and is believed to be the incarnation of Shiva. The third Sai Avatar according to Baba's own testimony and enforced by the boon given to sage Bhardwaj that Sakti would incarnate as Prema Sai in the state of Karnataka after Sri Sathya Sai Baba attains mahasamadhi at the age of ninety-six. So every available evidence supplements the view that Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the Ray from the Supreme come to fulfil his self‑chosen Avataric role and that the whole humanity would bathe itself in the effulgence of his love. When the ray from the divine, absolute centre descends on earth, it sheds its luster and glory the way it likes that suits his overall plan and mission. Since it is the coming down of light from above it has no restriction. It is in itself a free agent,
Omnipresent and omnipotent always and at all times. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has said that he has incarnated as a human being in response to the prayer of saints and sages. He has further elaborated:
I have chosen my mother. This is the prerogative of an avatar to choose his parents. The mother is the recipient of the first grace of the divine principle. The father earns the privilege, name and fame for being the father. For ordinary human beings, the parentage, place and region of birth is predetermined by the karma, merits and demerits of past lives.
Then, there is the difficult and obvious question of what is called immaculate conception. If the avatar takes human birth out of his own volition or sankalpa, the normal biological and genetic laws of biology or procreation do not hold good. In the immortal epic The Ramayan, it is mentioned that Vishnu or Narayan decided to incarnate on earth in response to the plaints and prayers of saints and sages and assured them that he would live on earth for vishwakalyan or the good of the world and humanity. After making this declaration, he started thinking where to incarnate and ultimately, choosing King Dasrath as his father, he appeared as Rama, the eldest son of the king. Rama knew that he was not only the offspring of an earthly king, but also the omnipotent, universal, the one without a second, creator, preserver and destroyer, the eternal Absolute. In the case of Lord Krishna also, the sankalpa or the resolve to manifest in human form was voluntary. Moved by the great sorrow of the mother earth and her wailing lament as also by the steep decline and eclipse of dharma Narayan manifested himself as Krishna, the full avatar for the protection of the good and the virtuous and destruction of the evil. He was born to Devaki, the consort of Basudeva, after she had given birth to seven off springs, all of them were killed, one after the other, by the demon king Kansha.
All we can say is that the advent of an avatar is outside the purview of all logic or the known material laws of nature. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has said that he alone is the symbol of all those incarnations who have manifested in time. He represents the Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, the quintessence of all divinity.
The advent of Lord Buddha is an exemplar of supernormal and miraculous manifestation. Before incarnating the divine principle latent in him resolved: 'I would take birth as an offspring of a Chandrabanshi Kshatriya family whose kingdom is in the snow-covered regions of the Himalayas. Queen Mahamaya, the consort of king Shuddodhana, dreamt on the night of her confinement that a constellation which was resplendent and shining, of the colour of a rose-pearl sailed in the night sky, stationed on a milk-pure white elephant and subtly entered her bosom and prince Siddartha fashioned his body right there like a full-blown moon and appeared on the earth as an avatar.
The example of the advent of Jesus Christ fully supports the theory of Immaculate Conception and divine birth. Gabriel, an angel sent by the Heavens, appeared before Mary who was betrothed to Joseph of the tribe of David. The angel told Mary not to worry or fear over anything because she has already received the grace of God. The angel further told her that she would conceive soon and give birth to a son who will be called Jesus. Mary, very upset over the news, voiced her apprehension, 'How could this be possible? I do not know any man.' 'Do not harbour such thoughts. You will be ravished by the Holy Ghost himself and you will give birth to a holy child who will be described as the Son of God.’
Ramakrishna Paramhansa who had revealed to his closest disciple, Narendra or Vivekananda that the absolute Ishwar who had appeared as Rama and Krishna has now incarnated and his tangible concrete presence could be visualised in him. Ramkrishna Paramhansa had chosen his mother and place of birth. Khudiram Bhattacharya, who is known as the father of Ramkrishna, gained the distinction of being the father of Ramkrishna only in name. While visiting a temple at Gaya where he had gone to offer pinddan to his ancestors, he saw a dream and heard a voice from the sky telling him that Narayan will be born in his family and offer him the proud privilege of being called the father of an avatar. Since Khudiram Bhattacharya had already attained three score years, he prayed to the powers that be: 'Both my house and my heart are too modest and small to house the Lord of the universe., But the voice of the oracle proved true. When Khudiram Bhattacharya reached home the first thing his wife Chandramani Devi told him was that while he had gone to the temple for darshan, she experienced a strange phenomenon: a luminous, bright and resplendent ray entered her bosom and filled her with infinite joy and spread through every vein and bloodstream and plunged her in perpetual ecstasy.
Finally, the advent of Sri Sathya Sai Baba on earth as poornavatar conforms to the self-same pattern and we have the evidence of none other than the chosen mother of the avatar, Ishwaramma. N. Kasturi records:
One evening Swami was sitting in a circle, surrounded by some close devotees. One of the devotees was a scholar conversant with the knowledge of Shastras and Purans. He put a plain and direct question: 'Swami, was your birth a delivery or an entry?' Everyone was stunned by the question. But Swami, turning towards Ishwaramma, said, 'Tell Ram Sharma what happened on that day near the well where you had gone even after being cautioned by your mother-in-law.' Ishwaramma said, 'My mother-in-law has had a dream in which she saw Sathya Narayan in very clear and concrete visualization. She warned me not to move about in the village. On that day when I was near the well to fetch water, I saw a dazzling column of light in the sky moving fast in the direction where I was. It seemed to me as though the moving column of that celestial light gracefully entered my bosom.' Swami cast his glance over the bewildered face of Sri Ram Sharma, smiled serenely and said: 'This is the answer to your question. My advent was not delivery in the normal sense of the term. It was an entrance.'
All this substantiates the view that the advent of an avatar defies all logic and notions of cause and effect, conception and developing embryo, confinement and delivery. It is a mystique, a supranatural event and rightly so, because the divine principle, the ultimate Absolute decides to incarnate from time to time. The light from above dawns on earth and assumes the form of a full-blown lotus. The advent of the avatar is an epochal event of great significance and it is suffused with mystery and awe. When the Lord decides to incarnate and walk the earth for the fulfillment of the mission to redeem mankind, he takes on the splendour and the beauty of both the human and divine essence, which is his nature. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has pointed out clearly:
Since I move about with you, eat like you and talk with you, you are deluded into belief that this is just an instance of common humanity. Be warned against this mistake. I am also deluding you by my talking with you, by engaging myself in activities with you. But, any moment, my divinity may reveal itself to you. You have to be ready, prepared for the moment. Since the divine is enveloped by humaneness you must endeavour to overcome maya that hides it from your eyes.
We can say in conclusion with a fair amount of certainty that the advent of the Divine principle has the element of the supernatural, the mysterious and the miraculous, which the limited and finite consciousness of man cannot comprehend. Perhaps such a state of consciousness is described by T.S. Eliot in his poem Gerontion where the feeling of religious awe is transmitted through one of the richest and most evocative symbols of Christ, the tiger, who comes after the present withering of values in a calamitous age, suggesting spiritual regeneration:
Signs are taken for wonders, we would see a sign,The word within Word, unable to speak a word Swaddled with darkness, in the juvescence of the year Came Christ the tiger.
At another place in Burnt Norton, the same poet attempts an imaginative and emotional reconstruction of the state of beatitude associated with the rising of the lotus in the dry concrete pool filled with water out of sunlight from which the lotus rose quietly. The lotus obviously stands for Vishnu incarnating himself. This is a consummated symbol of the act of creation itself. This special configuration suggests the permanence of the timeless reality. So, Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the ray serene, the light, the blazing knot of fire merged into his personality. Baba himself puts it admirably when he says: No one can understand my mystery. The best thing you can do is to get immersed into it. There is no use arguing about pros and cons; dive and know the depth, eat and know the taste. Then you can discuss me to your heart's content. Develop truth and love and then you need not even pray to be granted this and that. Everything will be added unto you unasked. Source. http://www.indiangyan.com/books/otherbooks/sai_baba/Index.shtml
Aesthetic Vedanta
The Sacret Path of Passionate Love
Bhaktivedanta Tripurari Maharaj
Swami B.V. Tripurari illuminates the classic Sanskrit poem Rasa-lila interpersed with original poetry and renderings of mediavle verse of several Hindu mystics, these books reveals the means to access the spiritual realities of India's herotic mysticism.
Hardbound, 237 pages
5" x 7 3/4"A ray of Visnu
A vaisnava Harmonium Method
Affectionately Yours
A Historical Perspective
Bhakti Bhavana Visnu Maharaj
The author brings to ligh the actual history of a shoking period in contemparory gaudiya vaisnavism. Svami Visnu sets the scene by jumping back in time to the late 1930's a few years after the departure from the mortal vision of Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, the guru of two of the most prominent saints of the century. These two god brothers A.C. Bhákti Vedanta Svami and Srila Sridhar Maharaj and their transcendental relationship.
Gaudiya Vedanta Publicazion
Softbound, 85 pagesAgha the Terrible Demon
Based on the Bhagawata Purana tenth canto. This beautiful illustrated children's book tells the story of how Krishna defeated the terrible serpent demon.
Bala Books
paper, 32 pages
10.75" x 8.25"Ancient Wisdom for Modern Ignorance
Svami B.V. Tripurari Maharaj
The esseys in this book were written with a view to address the quality of our life. The draw heavily on India's ancient spiritual heritage of the theistic Vedanta, interfacing India's ancient and culture wisdom and devotional heart with our time.
Clario Call Publisher
paper 170 pages
5.5" x 8.25Apasampradayas
Deviant Vaisnava Sects
Suhotra Svami
The book describes the different groups of pseudo followers of Mahaprabhu like Jata Gosañi, Atibari, Smarthas, Prakrita Sahajyas and their deviated conception.
Photocopies, Spiral Binding
paper 72 pagesAppreciating Navadwipa Dham
Mahanidhi Svami
Describes the beauty, identity and power of the Lord's abode. The merciful teachings of Mahaprabhu contained here will help devotees advance on the path of devotional service and quickly obtain Krishna Prema.
Mahaniddhi Swami, Iskcon Vrindavan
Hardbound, 284 pagesAppreciating Sri Vrindavan Dham
Mahanidhi Svami
The book contains a collection of quotes from authorised transcendental scriptures written by pure devotees. One will definitely increase his understanding and perseption of Sri Vrindavan Dham by submissively hearing the statements presented here.
Mahaniddhi Swami, Iskcon Vrindavan
Softbound, 265 pagesAscarya Rasa Prabandha
An amazing account of the Rasa Dance intrigue
A composition into 284 Sanskrit verses describes one night's extraordinary pastimes performed by Sri Sri Radhika-Madhava during their ecstatic maha-rasa-lila.
75 pages, photocopies
Spiral BindingBabaji Maharaj
Back to Godhead
1944-1960, the pioneer years
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
A collection of Back to Godhead magazines published between 1944-1960 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada, the founder of Iskcon.
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Hardbound,234 pagesBaul Sangit
Songs of the Mad man
Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Baul Sangit was composed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in 1893, is a collection of twelve songs in Bengali verses. These pieces describes the various forms of cheating bauls exposing the deceptive hypocrisy and finally proposed in the correct way for devotees to become purify from the deviation of materialistic tendencies.
Nectar Books
Softbound, 27 pagesBhagavat-Gita, As it is
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami
Is the essence of India's Vedic Wisdom and one of the great spiritual and philosophical classics of the world. Comes in the form of a battlefield dialogue between Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna, whom He instruct in the science of self realization.
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Hardbound, 1067 pages
32 colour illustrationBhagavat Gita, As it is
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami
Is the essence of India's Vedic Wisdom and one of the great spiritual and philosophical classics of the world. Comes in the form of a battlefield dialogue between Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna, whom He instruct in the science of self realization.
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Softbound, 1047 pages
32 colour illustrationsBhagavat-Gita, As it is
30 key verses
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami
compiled by ajamila Das and Rohini-nandan Das
This booklet is a compilation to help the devotees learn some of the conclusive verses often quoted by Srila Prabhupada. The verses are presented with Roman transliteration, English equivalents, English translation and a main point excerpted from the corresponding purport.
Bhaktivedanta Books Ltd.
Softbound, 32 pagesBhagavat, the
It's philosophy, it's ethics and it's theology
Bhaktivinoda Thakura
The subject matter of this book is a lecture on Srimad Bhagawatam by Srila Thakur Bhakti Vinod in a big congregation of public consisting of the men of letter, of religion and culture of various nationalities, was held in the year 1869 at the town of Dinajpur, West Bengal.
Published by Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Math
Gaudiya Mission
Softbound, 100 pagesBhagavatamrita Kana, Sri
A Drop of Nectar from the Beautiful Bhagavatam
Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura
This essey has been specially composed for all those readers who have not studied Sanskrit, yet are eager to achieve the deep devotion of Lord Krishna. It describes the different incarnations and avataras of the Lord.
Vrinda Book store
Softbound,14 pagesBhajana Rahasya
Bhaktivinoda Thakura
In the form of this book Srila Bhaktivinoda has given a hint of his own method of Bhajan. So that his sincere followers may have a guideline. While revealing the secrets of Bhajan, it has been narrated here that in the process of arcana there more or less remains a connection with the gross and subtle body but in the realm of bhajan the soul is directly ingaged in the service of the supreme lord.
Pundarika Vidhynidhi Das
Softbound, 113 pagesBhakti Aloka
Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
Srila Bhaktivinoda has written 12 esseys on the six items favourables and six items unfavourables for devotional service from the second and third verses of the Upadesamrita. These esseys appear in the Sajjana Toshani magazines. Now they are presented in the form of this book.
Braja Raj Press
Softbound, 166 pagesBhakti Rasamrita Sindhu Bindu
A Drop of the Nectarean ocean of the Bhakti Rasa
Viswanath Cakravarti Thakura
Commentary by B.V. Narayan Mj.
It is a brief summary of the essential topics from Sri Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, consist of 27 Slokas some of which were taken from the original book and some of them were written by Sri Visvanatha. The translation and commentary is called Sri Bindu Vikasini vrti, and is composed by Sri B.V. Narayan Maharaj.
Gaudiya Vedanta Publiction
Softbound, 285 pagesBhakti Rasayan
The Nectar-Tonic of pure Devotion
B. V. Narayan Mj.
This volume contains lectures with Srila Narayana Mj. spoke originally in Hindi, comprises his commentary on 28 verses which are the very essence of the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagawatam.
Gaudiya Vedanta Publiction
Softbound, 200 pages Bhakti Tattva Vivek
Blissful Gospels
Brahma Samhita, Sri
Quintessence of Reality the Beautiful
As a scripture embodying perfect trust this book has no equal, it is the best of all holy books proclaiming the glories of the supreme lord Govinda. With elaborate commentary and translation by the great pioneer of pure devotion in the present age Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur.
Sri Caitanya Saraswat Math
Softbound, 201pages
Brahma Samhita, Sri
As a scripture embodying perfect trust this book has no equal, it is the best of all holy books proclaiming the glories of the supreme lord Govinda. With a commentary of Srila Jiva Goswami and translation by Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati.
Sri Gaudiya Math
Softbound, 152 pages
Brihat Bhagawatamrita, sri
Sanatan Goswami
It deals with intricate questions and elaborations of the various incarnations of Krishna and his entourage, bhakti, prema, devotees and so on, in its two volumes each of which consists of seven chapters.
Sri Gaudiya Math
Softbound, 339 pagesCaitanya Bhagawata,Sri
Caitanya Chitra Sangraha
Bhakti Viveka Paramhamsa Maharaj
Sri Caitanya Concept of Vedanta, Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jangannatha Puri, Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu Life and Precepts, Sri
Bhakti Vinoda Thakur
The object of this little book is to bring the holy life of Sri Caitanya and his precepts to the notice of the educated and religious people. It mentions all the anecdotes of life of Mahaprabhu and his teachings as related in Sri Caitanya Caritamrita.
Sri Gaudiya Math
Softbound, 66 PagesCaitanya Mahaprabhu Life and Precepts, Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri
Sambidananda Das Bhakti Shastri
Presents a short life of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in a way which will be intelligible to all persons. The world needs a practical religion which will help us in adjustment of our selves in the world and help us to realization of God. This book will help in that respect.
Sri Gaudiya Math
Softbound, 259 pagesCaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri
Caitanya Mangala, Sri
Caitanya Movement, The
Caitanya Panjika, Sri
Caitanya Teachings, Sri
Calendar 99
Cassettes Atmaram Das
Cassettes Bengali Bhajan
CD's Hare Krishna Mahamantra
Centenary Anthology
Chamatkara Candrika, Sri
Chintamani Dham
Coming Back
Damodara Colouring Books
Densification Theory of Human Evolution
Dictionary English Bengali
Dictionary Bengali English
Diksha
Divine Discourses
Divine Outpouring
Divine Name, The
Dusta Man
Early History of the Vaisnava Faith....
Earth Voice Magazines
Easy journey to other Planets
Embankment of Separation
Evolution of Theism
Facets of Truth, The
Few words on Vedanta
Flow of Nectar, The
Form of Beauty (Text from Tripurari Maharaj)
Fundamentals of Gaudiya Vaisnava Darshan
Garuda Purana (3vol.)
Gaudiya Festival (Calendar)
Gaudiya Kanthahar,Sri
Gaudiya Math, The
Gaudiya Samadhis in Vrindavan
Gaudiya Giti Guccha
Gaudiya Vedanta Magazines
Gauranga Lilamrita Sri
Gayatri Mahima Madhuri, Sri
Gems of Truth
Gita Darshan and Bhakti Yoga
Gita for America
Gita Mahatmya and Tulasi Mahatmya
Gitavali
Godruma Candra Bhajan Upadesha
Godruma Kalpataru,Sri
Going Beyond Vaikuntha
Golden Sayings
Golden Volcano of Divine Love
Golden Volcano of Divine Love
Goloka Joke Book, The
Guru Govinda Smara Paddhati, Sri
Great Vegetarian Dishes
Guardian of Devotion
Guru & His Grace, Sri
Guru Vandana, Sri
Hanuman Chalisa
Hare Krishna Challenge, The
Hari Bhakti Sudodaya and Narada Bhakti Sutras
Harinam
Harinam (Kirtan Guide)
Heart & Halo
Heart of Krishna, The
Heart of Krishna, The
Hidden Treasure of Sweet....(Bhagawat Gita)
Histories of Krishna
Hitopadesa
Holy Engagement
Holy Name, The
Holy Places & Temples in India
Home Comfort
Honour Thy Mother & Thy Father (Children)
In search of Ultimate Goal of Life
In Vaikuntha not Even the Leaves Fall
Inner Fulfilment
Inner Fulfilment (U.S.A. edition)
Jaiva Dharma
Jamuna Devi
Joy of Soul, The
Kumbha Mela
Kumbha Mela
Kirtan Guide
Krishna Art
Krishna (Magazines)
Krishna Karnamrita & Camatkari Candrika)
Krishna Kathamritam (Magazines)
Krishna Lila Summary
Krishna Pastimes
Krishna Prema Bhkti
Krishna Samhita, Sri
Krishna's Names in Gita, Sri
Last Limit of Bhakti, The
Laws of Manu, The
Letters from America
Life and Time of Lord Caitanya, The
Life Divine
Life Force (News Magazines)
Life History of Mayavada (Vaisnava Vijay)
Life History of Mayavada (Vaisnava Vijay)
Light of Bhagawata, The
Light of Bhagawata, The
Lord Sri Caitanya and His Mission
Lord Sri Jagannatha
Lord's Topics, The
Loving Search for the Lost Servent, The
Madhurya Dham
Madhurya Kadambini
Mahabharata, The (12vol.)
Mahabharata, The (4vol.)
Mahabharata,The (1vol)
Mahabharata, The (1vol)small yellow
Maharshi Durvasha
Manah Siksha, Sri
Mandala Media Catalogue
Mantrartha Dipika
Mathura Mandala Parikrama
Meaning of the Sannyasa Ashrama, Thes
Mukta Carita, Sri
My Lectures in England & Germany
Nam Bhajana
Narada Bhakti Sutra
Narada Bhakti Sutras
Navadwipa Dham Parikrama, Sri
Navadwipa Bhava Taranga
Navadwipa Bhajana Madhuri
Navadwipa Madhurya, Sri
Nectar of Govinda Lila, The
Nectar of Instruction, The
Nectar Sprinkles in Australia
Our Affectionate Guardians
Our Family the Gaudiya Math
Pada Sevanam
Padma Purana (10vol.)
Pancaratra Pradipa (2vol.)
Path of Blessedness
Path of Perfection, The
Path of Eternal Peace, The
Path to God Realization
Perfection of Yoga, The
Pinnacle of Devotion
Poetry of Mahaprabhu, The
Posters Mandala (New Big)
Posters Mandala (New Small)
Posters Mandala (Old Big)
Posters Mandala (Old small)
Prabandhavali, Sri
Prabhupada at Radha Damodadra
Prabhupada Gold Vyasa-Puja
Prabhupada Nectar
Prabhupada Srila Saraswati Thakur
Prapanna Jivanamrita,Sri
Pratistha Vidhi
Preaching is the Essence
Prema Pradipa
Prema Samputa, Sri (the Love Locket)
Prema Dhama Deva Stotram, Sri-Sri
Prabhupada Saraswati Thakur
The Life and Precepts of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
A Biography of Substance, Following his descends from the Spiritual domain into this world, His founding fo Sri Gaudiya Math and the subsquent world wide preaching mission. Include his views on kirtan, sahajiyaism, babajis, holy places of India. Excerpts from His greatest speeches and much more. Lavishly illustrated with vintage photographs individually varnished and digitally restored.
Mandala Media Publishing Group
Hardbound, 164 Pages
11" x 14"Form of Beauty
The Krishna Art of B.G. Sharma
Text by B.V. Tripurari Mj.
In this book, the debuts of his life time collection of Krishna Art in this Stunning, the deludes volumes. The Pastimes of Krishna are brought to Life with the Beauty and charm that only charms unique style can portrait. Excerpts from Classics from Bhagavata Purana and Gopala Campu accompany 108 paintings illuminated by swami Tripurari's poetic and captivating narrative.
Mandala Media Publishing Group
Hardbound, 208 pages
13" x 12.5"Illuminations from the Bhagavat Gita
Kim and Chris Murray
A selection of essential verses each lavishly illustrated, incorporated both Easter and Western Classical illumination styles. The authors worked on the illustraations for over 5 yrs. inspired by the timeless wisdom of Gita and their personal association of Svami A.C. Bhaktivedanta. The traslator of the book's verses.
Mandala Media Publishing Group
cloth, 40 colour plates,
50 B. & W., 96 pages
10" x 14"Bhakti Rakshaka Bhajana Madhuri
A Glimpse into the Heart of Guru Maharaj
Bhakti Nandan Svami
In this book you will have a unique glimpse into the mellows of loving exchange between the Supreme Lord and a pure devotees, this book of high devotional thoughts and sentiments will certainly be of great value and interest to all aspirant of pure devotional life.
Mandala Media Publishing Group
Softbound, 112 pages
6" x 9"Journey to Unknown India
Walter Eidlitz
The Fascinating true story of the Spiritual Journey of Austrian born Walter Eidlitz from world war II Europe to the Himalayas in search of Truths. After an incredible journey of extraordinary events, Eidlitz found his spiritual master when he was inprisioned in a British 'allien enemies' camp in Calcutta. An informative, enjoyable, and uplifting story.
Mandala Media Publishing Group
Paper, 208 pages
5.5" x 8.5"The Search for Sri Krishna
Reality the Beautifull
B.R. Sridhar Maharaj
Srila Sridhar M. explores the levels of divine awarness, from Christian mystecism and Vedanta to the devocional ecstasies of the Goswamis. Reaveals the secrets of transcendents through the medium of divine sound. A provocative guide for your jourey inward.
Paper,23 illustration
153 pages
5 1/2 " x 8 1/2"Sri Guru & His Grace
B.R. Sridhar Maharaj
Explained the universal conception of Guru and shitters the mindless fanaticism of personality cults. Described both traditional and modern conceptions of Guru according to different schools of Indian theism and explains the meaning of differnt mantras, their importants and effects. Exposed the great hoix of modern times.
photocopies, spiral binding
160 pages
5 1/2 " x 8 1/2"Loving Search for the Lost Servant
B.R. Sridhar Maharaj
The author presents the highest concepion of divinity in his most merciful menifesttion as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord is earnestly seaching for his servents. Svami Sridhar give us the divine vision to see he Lord's grace within our environment and beyoned.
Paper, 104 pages
7" x91/4"Subjectve Evolution of Consciousness
The play of the sweet absolute
B.R. Sridhar Maharaj
The author tracis the developmnt of consciosness from the orgin of the species to various theistic and scientific postulites and takes and expected aiscent into the plain of ecstacies. The 21st centuries theism at its best.
Guardian of Devotion Press
Hard bound, 25 illustration,
168 pages
7 3/4" x9 1/8"Subjectve Evolution of Consciousness
The play of the sweet absolute
B.R. Sridhar Maharaj
The author traces the developmnt of consciosness from the orgin of the species to various theistic and scientific postulites and takes and expected aiscent into the plain of ecstacies. The 21st. centuries theism at its best.
Sri Caitanya Saraswath Math
Softbound,181 pagesVrindaban Dham ki Jay
A Pictural Guide to the land of Krishna. This is a photographic essay on the holy places of Vrindavan, India. The author has carefully chronicaled the sacred places, artifacts deitie and temples of Vrindavan in this lovely eulogy to the most sacred place in the earth; the place of Lord Krishna's Pastimes.
Entourage Publishing International
Hardbound, 83 pages,
116 colour plates, 3 maps,
5 3/4" x 8 3/4"Light of the Bhagawata
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Present a clear and tangible illustration of purpose and significance of nature and its origin based upon illuminations of text from the Srimad Bhagavatam by the same author. Illustrated with 48 original paintings by reknowned Chinese Artist, madam, Le-Yuen Sheng of the Gongbi school. Are rare example of Chinese art style, depicting Krishna lila.
Iskcon Malasya
Hardbound, paper,
153 pages
11" x 8 1/2 "Sri Kirtan Mañjusa
The treasure chest of the divine Kirtanas
B. R. Sridhara Mj.
Original Sanskrit compositions of Srila Sridhar Maharaj, glorifying the predecessor Acaryas. Contains the entire texts of Prema Dhama Stotram, a lyrical rendering of the essence of the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta.
paper 103 pages
6 1/2" x 9 1/4"Navadwipa
The Hidden Treasure of the Holy Dham
Bhaktivinoda Thakura
In this composition Bhaktivinoda Thakura chronicles the revelation of the hidden glories of Navadwipa given by Nityananda Prabhu to Jiva Goswami. Reveals the nine islands of Navadwipa, the pastimes that occured there and their spiritual significance.
Ananta Printing & Publishing
Mandala Media Publishing Group
paper 159 pages
8 1/2"x 5 1/4"Kumbha Mela
The Worlds largest act of faith
Kumbha Mela is a study of the Indian festival which occured once in every 12 years. Attended by millions of pilgrims from around the world, this festival is sacred bathing rite at the banks of the holy Ganges river. The supporting text by the authors enlightens the readers about this ancient and magnificient spiritual celebration.
Hardbound, paper, 112pages,
83 colour plates
11" x8 1/2"Great Vegetarian Dishes
A full colour compendium of the best Italian, French, Chinese, Thai and Indian vegetarian recipes. The author spends several years testing and refining the hundred of intrnational recipes presented in this most practical book.
Hardbound, 240 recipes,
180 pages
8 3/4" x 10 3/4"Agha the Terrible Demon
Based on the Bhagawat Purana 10th Canto. This beautifully illustrated children's book tell the history of how Krishna defeated the terrible serpent demon.
Mandala Media Publishing Group
Paper 32 pages,
10 7/8" x 8 1/8"Gopal The Infalliable
When the village of Vrindavan is inundated with torrential rains sent by the furious king of heaven Indra, Gopal displays his divinity by lifting the Goverdhan Hill and saving the cows and all of the inhabitants of Vrindavan. Indra is humble and offered prayers to Gopal accepting him as Supreme Person.
Mandala Media Publishing Group
Hardbound 48 pages
8" x11 1/4"Miraculous Gopal
This tale recounts the pastimes of Gopal
Vrinda's Sukamrita / The Inbound School of Yoga / Sadhu-Sanga and Memories / Vaisnava Academy / Vrinda Projects / Relief Work / Keeping Contact / Darshan ?
The Exchange of Love in the Rasa Lilaby Premananda das
Kartika is the most sacred month on the Vaishnava calendar. It begins with the commemoration of the rasa lila dance, in which Krishna called the gopis of Vrindavana to associate with Him as their husband.
One year prior, the gopis had performed a Katyayani vrata, worshipping the goddess Durga for the benediction to have Krishna as their husband. Though the gopis kept their monthly long vigil a secret, Krishna knew of it, and as the gopis were completing their vrata, told them that He would fulfill their desire.
Of all of Krishna's pastimes, the rasa lila dance is the one that draws the most controversy. Many mundane moralists accuse Krishna of adultery - dancing with other men's wives late at night in the forest. Such people do not understand that Krishna is not a human being. Therefore, He is not obligated to abide by human morality (Brahma-samhita, invocation):
isvarah paramah krsnahsac-cid-ananda-vigrahahanadir adir govindasarva-karana-karanam
"Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His form is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. He has no beginning for He is the beginning of everything and He is the cause of all causes."
Morality and ethics is meant for the gradual upliftment of the human being's lower nature. As Sri Bhagavan, Krishna requires neither purification nor upliftment. He is atmarama, therefore He has no duties to perform (Bg 3.17):
yas tv atma-ratir eva syadatma-trptas ca manavahatmany eva ca santustastasya karyam na vidyate
"But for one who takes pleasure in the self, whose human life is one of self-realization, and who is satisfied in the self only, fully satiated-for him there is no duty."
(Bg 3.22)na me parthasti kartavyamtrisu lokesu kincanananavaptam avaptavyamvarta eva ca karmani
"O son of Påthä, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary systems. Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I a need to obtain anything-and yet I am engaged in prescribed duties."
Krishna has His own set of activities, but they are confusing to us. Sometimes He acted like a vaisya, herding cows. Sometimes He played like the Prince of Dvaraka and fought as a ksatriya. Sometimes He spoke philosophy like the best of brahmanas, such as the Bhagavad-gita. Human dharma is meant to regulate relationships for peaceful social exchange and bring people to understanding their eternal position as God's servant (SB 1.2.8):
dharmah svanusthitah pumsamvisvaksena-kathäsu yahnotpadayed yadi ratimsrama eva hi kevalam
"The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead."
Krishna is God, so naturally He has no duties to perform to realize His relationship with Himself. Still, Krishna does have a code of conduct in regard to others. It is one that He formulated Himself and voluntarily abides by (Bg 4.11):
ye yatha mam prapadyantetams tathaiva bhajamy ahammama vartmanuvartantemanuñyah partha sarvasah
"As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha."
Krishna responds to each individual personally. As the jivas want to relate to Him, He responds. He appears non-existent to the atheists; aloof to the agnostics; and He reciprocates with the voluntary spirit of devotion of the theists.
This is how Krishna interacts with the jivas. He determines how He will respond. He awards Himself to each soul. Morality and ethics do not dictate to Krishna how He acts in any given situation. In other words, we cannot impose our own understanding of human morality and ethics upon Krishna. It simply does not apply to Him. Nor would it apply to non-humans. Dogs and cats are not accountable to human morality, nor even are the devas. The Mahabharata describes an encounter between Urvashi, the foremost of the celestial Apsaras, and Arjuna. Indra arranged for Urvashi to meet Arjuna one night. Arjuna was caught off guard by Urvashi's romantic intentions. He had never refused to give a woman shelter before, but he could not do so with Urvashi, as she had been the wife of Pururava Maharaja, a forefather of the Pandava dynasty. Arjuna respected Urvashi as a mother. Urvashi explained, "O son of Indra, we of the heavenly realms are not fettered by human morality. You need not see me as a superior. I have sported with other sons and grandsons of the Puru dynasty without incurring sin."
Human morality is meant for humans. We cannot judge inferior or superior beings by the same code of conduct. When Srila Prabhupada was once confronted by a man regarding what he considered to be Krishna's adulterous act with the gopis during the rasa lila, Srila Prabhupada fired back, "You're the adulterer! All women belong to Krishna!"
Such people as the man who criticized Krishna's behavior do not understand the spiritual emotions of the rasa lila. If we read Srimad Bhagavatam carefully and ponder the implications, we will understand that neither Krishna nor the gopis are governed by kama, or lust.
Lust is very dangerous. Krishna states in the Gita,
sri-bhagavan uvacakama esa krodha esarajo-guna-samudbhavahmahasano maha-papmaviddhy enam iha vairinam
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world."
As conditioned souls, we must exercise great caution to contain and purify ourselves of lust. Therefore, we are given systems of morality and ethics to control our lustful propensities, and systems of spiritual practice to purify us.
Krishna establishes the purity of the gopis' intentions in the rasa lila. While the gopis were dancing with Krishna, they all became somewhat proud that Krishna was dancing with them. Pride obscures the beauty of bhakti, and, Krishna, detecting this pride, felt inclined to leave. He disappeared from the circle. The gopis began looking everywhere for Him. In their transcendental anxiety, they asked the animals and trees in the forest, "Did Krishna pass by here? Have you seen the son of Nanda Maharaja? Which direction did He go?"
Krishna was enjoying this immensely. He disguised Himself in His four-armed form of Vishnu and arose from some bushes nearby. The gopis saw the Lord, offered their pranams and also asked Him, "Have you seen Krishna? Which way did He go?"
Darshan of Narayana Relieves the Pious of AnxietyIt is worth pausing here to consider the profound theological lesson being demonstrated. Lord Narayana is the presiding Deity of Vaikuntha, the spiritual abode where there is no anxiety. When the pious see the Lord Narayana, they are relieved of anxiety and lust.
Arjuna was relieved of anxiety. He was petrified by the sight of the Universal Form. He specifically requested Krishna to reveal His four-armed form of Narayana to pacify him. Krishna tells Arjuna (Bg 11.49):
ma te vyatha ma ca vimudha-bhavodrsöva rupam ghoram idrn mamedamvyapeta-bhih prita-manah punas tvamtad eva me rupam idam prapasya
"You have been perturbed and bewildered by seeing this horrible feature of Mine. Now let it be finished. My devotee, be free again from all disturbances. With a peaceful mind you can now see the form you desire."
Krishna then revealed His two-armed form once again, to Arjuna's delight (11.51):
drsövedam manusam rupamtava saumyam janardanaidanim asmi samvrttahsa-cetah prakrtim gatah
"When Arjuna thus saw Kåñëa in His original form, he said: O Janardana, seeing this humanlike form, so very beautiful, I am now composed in mind, and I am restored to my original nature."
Krishna explains that the devas, who generally worship Narayana for protection, are always aspiring to see this original, two-handed form, which is more difficult to attain: su-durdarsam idam rupamdrstavan asi yan mamadeva apy asya rupasyanityam darsana-kanksinah
Darshan of Narayana Relieves the Pious of LustIn numerous places in the Bhagavatam, we hear of pious devotees approaching the Supreme Lord with a material motivation, but being freed of such mundane lust simply by having the darshan of the Lord. Dhruva Maharaja is a prime example. As a mere boy, he desired - out of spite - to acquire a kingdom more vast than Lord Brahma's. Narada Muni gave Dhruva a mantra on which to meditate, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Dhruva performed the most demanding physical austerities for months in the forest of Madhuvan in Vrindavan while perfecting his meditational practice. For the first month, he ate fruits and berries only every third day; during the second month he ate only dry leaves and grass every six days; in the third month he drank only water every nine days; in the fourth month, he ate nothing and breathed only every twelfth day; in the fifth month he stood only on leg, having completely controlled his breathing.
All this for a kingdom! Lust for respect and anger had driven him to such lengths. But when the Supreme Lord appeared before him and asked Dhruva to request a benediction, the boy forgot all about the kingdom. He was completely pacified by the Lord's personal presence. He had no hankering or lamentation. He was vaikuntha, without lust or anxiety. Dhruva felt ashamed for worshipping the Lord with such a lustful motive (SB 4.9.9):
nunam vimusta-matayas tava mayaya teye tvam bhavapyaya-vimoksanam anya-hetoharcanti kalpaka-tarum kunapopabhogyamicchanti yat sparsajam niraye 'pi nrnam
"Persons who worship You simply for the sense gratification of this bag of skin are certainly influenced by Your illusory energy. In spite of having You, who are like a desire tree and are the cause of liberation from birth and death, foolish persons, such as me, desire benedictions from You for sense gratification, which is available even for those who live in hellish conditions."
The Gopis' Emotions in the Rasa LilaDhruva was ashamed of his lust before the Lord. The gopis were very pious, yet they unabashedly asked Lord Narayana about Krishna's whereabouts. Seeing Him did not dissipate their anxiety to find Krishna. Nor did they feel any shame in asking Narayana to help them. Lord Narayana relieves the pious of their lust, but the gopis were not swayed from their search for Krishna. The gopis were pious, therefore, we must conclude that the gopis' feelings for Krishna were not lusty. Rather, Lord Caitanya, the most strict of celibate sanyassis, declares their feelings of love for Krishna to be the pinnacle of selfless love of God (Cc, Adi 4.162):
gopi-ganera premera 'rudha-bhava' namavisuddha nirmala prema, kabhu nahe kama
The love of the gopis is called rudha-bhava. It is pure and spotless. It is not at any time lust."
Krsnadasa Kaviraja explains the difference between lust and love in Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 4.165, 172):
atmendriya-priti-vancha--tare bali 'kama'krsnendriya-priti-iccha dhare 'prema' nama
ataeva gopi-ganera nahi kama-gandhakrsna-sukha lagi matra, krsna se sambandha
"The desire to gratify one's own senses is kama [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Krishna is prema [love]. Thus there is not the slightest taint of lust in the gopis' love. Their relationship with Krishna is only for the sake of His enjoyment."
Krishna's Feelings in the Rasa LilaBut one may think, "All right, maybe the gopis are not possessed by lust. But that doesn't answer the earlier objection about Krishna's intentions. How does one answer the claim that Krishna is a lusty adulterer?"
ye yatha mam prapadyantetams tathaiva bhajamy aham
Krishna feels obliged to reciprocate with the love of His devotees. He not only receives their love, He reciprocates with it. That means He adopts a role that is conducive to the devotee's expression of their love for Him. Mother Yasoda wants to love the Lord as a parent loves a child, so Krishna plays the role of a child. He never compromises His Godhood in this role, but He allows Yasoda to care for Him, cook for Him, worry about Him, etc. Arjuna loves Krishna as a friend, so Krishna shares meals, rooms and adventures with Arjuna as equals. The great self-controlled sages of Dandakaranya Forest felt conjugal love arise in their hearts when they saw Lord Ramacandra in exile. The sages had renounced married life and worldly love. They were free of lust. Lord Ramacandra, however, due to His strict adherence to human dharma, was not able to fulfill the desires of the sages. So the Lord gave them the benediction that they would take birth as gopis in Vrindavana when He appeared there. Then, He would reciprocate with their loving feelings.
As this benediction was awarded by Lord Ramacandra Himself, who was most strict in the observation of dharma, we should think twice before criticizing Krishna's intentions. Lord Ramacandra would never perform or sanction an irreligious act. Those who criticize Sri Krishna's pastimes with the gopis also criticize Sri Rama. Lord Ramacandra sanctioned the rasa lila. Those who accept Lord Rama but reject Lord Krishna also reject Lord Rama.
Furthermore, Krishna showed His detachment by leaving the rasa dance when the gopis became proud. Even Srimati Radharani became proud after Krishna took Her away with Him when He left the other gopis. Sri Radha also found Herself plopped onto a stone as Krishna left Her alone.
When Krishna reappeared some time later, the gopis questioned Him (SB 10.32.16):
sri-gopya ucuhbhajato 'nubhajanty ekaeka etad-viparyayamnobhayams ca bhajanty ekaetan no bruhi sadhu bhoh
"The gopis said: Some people reciprocate the affection only of those who are affectionate toward them, while others show affection even to those who are indifferent or inimical. And yet others will not show affection toward anyone. Dear Krishna, please properly explain this matter to us."
sri-bhagavan uvacamitho bhajanti ye sakhyaùsvarthaikantodyama hi tena tatra sauhådam dharmahsvarthartham tad dhi nanyatha
bhajanty abhajato ye vaikarunah pitarau yathadharmo nirapavado 'trasauhådam ca su-madhyamah
bhajato 'pi na vai kecidbhajanty abhajatah kutahatmarama hy apta-kamaakrta-jna guru-druhah
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: So-culled friends who show affection for each other only to benefit themselves are actually selfish. They have no true friendship, nor are they following the true principles of religion. Indeed, if they did not expect benefit for themselves, they would not reciprocate. My dear slender-waisted gopis, some people are genuinely merciful or, like parents, naturally affectionate. Such persons, who devotedly serve even those who fail to reciprocate with them, are following the true, faultless path of religion, and they are true well-wishers. Then there are those individuals who are spiritually self-satisfied, materially fulfilled or by nature ungrateful or simply envious of superiors. Such persons will not love even those who love them, what to speak of those who are inimical."
Then Krishna explained the reason for His disappearance. It was to increase the love of the gopis. Rather than simply take advantage of them while He could (a sure sign of lust), He withdrew from them to draw out even greater love. "But the reason I do not immediately reciprocate the affection of living beings even when they worship Me, O gopés, is that I want to intensify their loving devotion. They then become like a poor man who has gained some wealth and then lost it, and who thus becomes so anxious about it that he can think of nothing else. My dear girls, understanding that simply for My sake you had rejected the authority of worldly opinion, of the Vedas and of your relatives, I acted as I did only to increase your attachment to Me. Even when I removed Myself from your sight by suddenly disappearing, I never stopped loving you. Therefore, My beloved gopés, please do not harbor any bad feelings toward Me, your beloved."
Furthermore, we see in Krishna's dealings with Kubja, a society girl in Mathura, that Krishna is not interested in affairs of lust. Kubja had been a hunchback maidservant of King Kamsa. When Krishna and Balarama arrived in the city at Kamsa's invitation, Kubja met Them on the street. Her routine service was to provide Kamsa with sandalwood. On this day, she gave it to Krishna and Balarama instead, smearing it on the Lords' bodies. Krishna was pleased with her simple devotion and transformed the hunchback into a tall, slender bright-faced woman. Kubja was very grateful, and very eager to reciprocate with the handsome Krishna. She shamelessly grabbed onto the fold in His dhoti and invited Him back to her place right in front of Balarama and Krishna's gopa friends. It was an awkward situation. Krishna placated Kubja with kind words and explained He'd take her up on the offer after He finished His business in Mathura.
When the time came for Krishna to visit Kubja, she received Him with great affection. She invited Him into her bedroom. He took a seat on her bed, but He did not take advantage of her lusty intentions. Simply by smelling the aroma of the Lord's lotus feet, Kubja became free of lust and became a liberated soul. Still, she requested that the Lord stay with her only. This was not possible, of course, because the Supreme Personality of Godhead reciprocates with the love of all His devotees. No devotee has exclusive right to His madhurya lila. Thus the Lord left Kubja without consumating the relationship.
It's not that Krishna is fearful of committing Himself to a long-term relationship, rather He selflessly commits Himself to eternal relationships with all devotees, per their selfless desire to love Him.
Thus the exchange of emotions between Krishna and the gopis in the rasa lila dance has nothing to do with selfish lust. The gopis are only interested in Krishna's pleasure, and Krishna is so detached that He does not accept even a trace of pride mixed with their love. He gives of Himself without any selfishness - He even sets aside His position as the self-satisfied Supreme Lord - giving up His categorical superiority as the source of all beings. When we consider the rasa lila in its appropriate spiritual context, free from human moral judgment, we can gain entrance into the interplay of divine love between the Lord and His devotees. Such divine love should not be criticized or copied. It should be respected and worshipped. The entire month of Kartika is dedicated to the extraordinary intimacy of Lord Krishna and the residents of Vrindavana. Each of these pastimes and relationships is sacred. We will benefit by hearing of them with a receptive, attentive and intelligent heart.
Krishna revealed the rasa lila after killing so many powerful demons, whom even the devas feared. He also bewildered Lord Brahma and defeated the strength of Indra, King of Heaven before dancing with the gopis. Thus, He demonstrated His unrivaled supreme power before revealing His unrivaled supreme intimacy. The exchanges between the Lord and His devotees are pure, beyond the influence of lust. The entire month of Kartika is dedicated to the extraordinary intimacy of Lord Krishna and the residents of Vrindavana. Each of these pastimes and relationships is sacred. We will benefit by hearing of them with a receptive, attentive and intelligent heart. posted by Ganga Das at 11/16/2001 01:46:10 PM
