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Month: April 2020
(The following is an excerpt from Srila Jagadananda Pandita’s ‘Sri Prema Vivarta’)
Srila Jagadananda Pandita writes –
O Gauranga! Leaving the shelter of Your feet, I am traveling to Sri Vrindavana. Considering that I would be able to see Your previous pastimes, I wished to go there.
Now I repent having thought like that. Not seeing You, my life has grown unendurable. I do not know what to do now.
Your reddish feet are the precious wealth of my life. Alas! I have deserted them on the sands by the sea-shore (in Jagannatha Puri). What have I come here to see? I have foolishly indulged my mind and now my bird-like heart is eager to fly away.
The More I walk, the more my mind refuses to accompany me. Yet I proceed stubbornly. The Transformations of love make me dance like a puppet. Being thoroughly perplexed, I feel like a lifeless man.
(The below is an excerpt from Srila Jagadananda Pandita’s ‘Sri Prema Vivarta‘ that explains the meaning of divine love and its exalted characteristics)
Enquiries of Sri Raghunatha Das Goswami
One day Sri Raghunatha asked Swaroop Damodara,” What is Divine Love? Please give me a general perception of it. I cannot comprehend the ecstatic divine love described by Vidyapati and Chandidasa.
Their words externally come across as nothing more than the ordinary love between a man and a woman.
Why is that love recognized as being spiritual? And why do they refer to this mundane lust as divine?
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu continually sings their songs with you, but I do not comprehend them.
The Lord has entrusted me in your hands and instructed you,’ Teach him (Raghunatha) the precious confidential truths’ “.
There are two types of renunciations – fake and appropriate.
One day Srila Sanatana Goswami enquired, ‘O Lord! Please describe Yukta Vairagya to me. The mayavadis (impersonalists) insist that if a sannyasi (renounced) knows anything material to be comparable to a crow’s stool, then such a sannyasi is the best amongst men.
I wish to learn the duties of a vaishnava. Mercifully instruct me O Lord. I shall hold Your instructions upon my head’.
The Lord replied,’ There are two kinds of renunciations – Phalgu (false) and Yukta (proper). I have taught the difference between these two several times’.
Phalgu Vairagya – False renunciation
‘Within the hearts of those fruitive workers (karmis) and dry speculators (jnanis) who resort to apathy towards material life, arise the wickedness of false renunciation (phalgu vairagya).
Considering material life to be insignificant, they start acting against the laws of nature.
Service to Krishna and service unto the sages are relishable to the soul. By simply acting against material nature, they end up completely disheartened.
The heart of such a Phalgu Vairagi (false renunciant) is always dry and devoid of any mellows. It is unfit for the Lord’s holy name, form, qualities or pastimes to reside’.
Worshipping Lord Gauranga with a sincere and a pure heart
Worship Gauranga ! Worship Gauranga ! Worship Gauranga ! O brother, Lord Gauranga is the original spiritual master of this entire creation.
If you want to worship Lord Gauranga, you need to possess a simple and a sincere heart.Giving up deceit and the tendency to criticize others, worship the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga.
Gauranga knows your innermost thoughts. So how can you possibly cheat Him ?
When your heart becomes pure and sincere, you shall come to understand His teachings.
In the process of satisfying the heart of others, you will only end up cheating yourself.
Lord Gauranga knows your thoughts. How can you hide your heart from Him ?
Lord Gauranga says, ‘Behave like Me and develop a character like Me. Follow my instructions, if you want the best for yourself’.
The holy name of the Lord does not manifest itself in bad association
In bad association, the holy name of Krishna never appears. The letters of the name might be uttered but the real name never manifests itself.
Sometimes a semblance of the pure holy name appears. One constantly commits offenses unto the holy name in such a bad association. O brother ! Please understand that all of these are obstacles on the path of devotional service to Krishna.
Jiva (Living entity) and Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
The living entity is a minute spiritual spark while Sri Krishna is like the great spiritual sun. Realizing that Krishna is eternal , the living entity lovingly adores Him.
The pangs of transformations of love ceaselessly dance like waves upon my mind. Everyday I get into some quarrel with Lord Gauranga.Thus I have come to be known as ‘Kundale Jagai’ (Quarrelsome Jagai).
I went to see Vrindavana and while staying at Sanatana’s place, I quarrelled with him. When he calmly came before me, wearing a (mayavada) sannyasi’s red cloth upon his head, i felt like beating him with a rice pot.
All glories to the nectar of the holy name of Sri Krishna ! Param vijayate Sri Krishna sankirtanam !!! Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu recites from Padma Purana, Swarga Khanda, Chapter forty-eight and cites the discussion between Narada Muni and Sanat Kumara, to describe the ten offenses to the holy name.
(Mahaprabhu quotes Narada muni)
Sri Narada muni said
‘Ke te paradhha vipendra namno bhagavatah krtah
Vinighnanti nrnang krtyang prakrtang hy-anayanti cha’
–
(Mahaprabhu paraphrases Narada’s words) ‘O Gurudeva Sanat Kumar, please enlighten me about the various offenses that can be committed against the holy name of the Lord.Chanting the holy name of the Lord is certainly the principal duty of the living entity. Please tell me about the offenses that rob the living entity of this chief duty.
Offenses make one take to the chanting of the holy name as a mundane activity and make one waste this auspicious practice for trivial mundane results’.
(Mahaprabhu quotes Sanat Kumar)
Sri Sanat Kumar uvacha
satang ninda namnah param aparadham vitanute
yatah khyating yatang katham u sahate tad-vigarham
sivasya sri-visnor ya iha guna-namadi-sakalang
dhiya bhinnang pasyet sa khalu hari-namahita-karah
–
(Mahaprabhu paraphrases Sanat Kumara’s words) ‘If you understand the ten offenses unto the holy name individually, you shall be able to overcome them.
This verse discusses two such offenses against the holy name. Avoid them and try to chant the holy name in an offenseless way’.
The Following is an excerpt from Srila Jagadananda Pandita’s ‘Sri Prema Vivarta‘
Once Lord Gauranga, sparkling like the moon, came onto the shore of the ocean, bringing along His associates. Sitting amid the assemblage of Vaishnavas, moon-like Gauranga spoke as follows.
Chanting the Holy Name is the best and the only means of perfection
Listen O devotees! In this age of Kali the only means of spiritual salvation is the chanting of Krishna’s holy name and glories (Sri-Krishna-Kirtana). No other activity surpasses the effectiveness of this.
The pursuit of fruitive activities, cultivation of knowledge, yoga, meditation are weak practices and not effective in attaining the transcendental wealth of absolute realization.
Prescribed religious duties, religious rites, penances, fire sacrifices are all mundane activities. They do not help one realize the transcendental truth.
The Sruti Scriptures proclaim that chanting, remembering or hearing the holy name of Krishna enables one to achieve spiritual perfection.
Esoteric truths about chanting the holy name are to be found across all scriptures. Simply by uttering the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one immediately enjoys spiritual bliss.
