Transcedental Gem

by

Shanti Devi Dasi

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/notes/shanti-devi-dasi/transcedental-gem/10150189060740584


Srila Bhaktivaibhava Puri Gosvami Maharaja

We are moving in this world

punar api jananam punar api maranam
punar api janani jathare shayanam
iha samsare bahu dustare kripaya pare pahi murare *1

Where can we really enjoy? We are running after enjoyment. It is only deluding potency which is deluding us. Really we want happiness, we want enjoyment through our senses. We want to see and be happy. We want to hear and be happy. And we want to taste and be happy. And we also want to enjoy happiness and realize that happiness for which we are traveling since so many decades, so many centuries, so many innumerable millions of births. But, why do we take birth and die? Only for enjoyment. We could not able to have the satisfaction and enjoyment. So, dissatisfied we lose this body, enter into another body and there we enjoy, but no satisfaction. Like this hundred, thousands, millions of births we had. But actually, nowhere we really enjoyed happiness or peace. We are without wants? No. Everybody has got some want. We are after want. Those wants have no end. If one goes, another comes. We are not satisfied with it. Whatever we have we are not satisfied. In order to improve our position we work hard. We struggle hard. We travel by train. We travel by airplane. We travel by more faster vehicles for the pleasures. And for what purpose? Only to satisfy ourselves. That is our want. There are many wants. No want actually we posses can give us real happiness. That we do not know. We are only running after temporary happiness. It is illusory. It is not really happiness. It's illusory. And that illusory happiness we are spending our valuable lives on. And when occasion comes, then we were fortunate when we could get the association of a realized vaisnava or a sadhu.

mamottamasloka janesu sakhyam
samsara-cakre bhramatah sva-karmabhih
tvan-mayayatmatmaja-dara-gehesv
asakta-cittasya na natha bhuyat (S. Bhag 6.11.7) *2

Citraketu, a great devotee of the Lord Vishnu. He praised the Lord:

"Oh Lord, I don't want anything in this world."

na naka-prstham na ca paramesthyam
na sarva-bhaumam na rasadhipatyam
na yoga-siddhir apunar-bhavam va
samanjasa tva virahayya kankse ( S. Bhag.6.11.25) *3

"Oh Lord, I don't want the throne of Indra or throne of Brahma. I don't want to be the master or the ruler of the whole world. Though it is offered to me I won't accept. And all mystic siddhis also I don't want"

And:

"What do you want?"

"I don't want even freedom from birth and death."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you. You are my wealth. You are the wealth. And if you bless me I will be happy. My happiness comes to an end when I see you, when I talk to you, when I do your service. Then you will be pleased and if you are pleased I will really enjoy the happiness for which I was traveling from one life to another life. Another life to another life. I had no satisfaction. I could not be fully satisfied. Now, when I could see you Lord, and when I approach you, and through your grace, and your pleasing look at this soul. My heart is burning. Now, the heart will become cold. Just like you see the hard day, in the night when you see the moonlight then your heart becomes cold."

Likewise, here in this world we are suffering. Always suffering, suffering, suffering. Nobody can say that I am not suffering. Suffering 1%, 200% and 1000%. There is no limit in suffering. Only we forget that suffering when the reaction comes and for a second we feel happy. But again we have to be dissatisfied. So, real satisfaction comes to us, real happiness comes to us through the association of a sadhu. Sadhus are, real sadhus, they don't want anything of this world. No luxuries they want. They never travel throughout the world to enjoy happiness or enjoy more and freely travel in air. No. What do they want? They want the link with the Supreme Power, Supreme Lord. So, those desires of the sincere devotees can be fulfilled through the association of a sadhu. Sadhus are like gems. If you touch the iron piece with that gem then the iron becomes gold. How is it? You see, the Lord says that... A story about a person, great scholar. And he approached Mahadeva at Benares and begged him. And he, without food. He was fasting. And begging to bless him. And Mahadeva asked:

"What do you want?"

"Sir, I am suffering. You please remove my suffering."

"Yes. You can have it. You go to Vrindavan. There is a Mahatma. A great soul. And he has got a touching stone. For some money it can. Tell him that I ordered him to deliver that money-gem to you. So, all you troubles, all your sufferings will be cleared."

Then he thought that:

"Definitely that touching stone will give me multimillions of rupees. I can able to obtain and get happiness."

So, went there and requested that saint:

"Sir, you have got that gem. I was informed by Mahadeva and I have come to you, beg you. As he ordered me to reach you, and I, please, can you accept my prayers?"

Then he said:

"Yes, yes. Gem is there, but I don't remember where it is."

Then he thought:

"Yes, I am unfortunate. Though my Lord Siva gave me the gem, but I am not fortunate enough to have it my hand. What shall I do?"

Then he sat for hours. Several hours. No reply. Then he said:

"I am unfortunate. So, I will take leave and go"

When he was going away then Sanatana Goswami has come out.

"Yes, you go and there kilometer the 10th, there is one tree. You see on east side of the tree if you dig hard 6 inches you will get that gem there."

He went there and at a particular spot he opened and saw the gem dazzling like sun.

"Oh!?"

Now he tested. A piece of iron he touched, he touched gem. Immediately it become gold.

"Oh, that's correct. This is correct. Mahadeva's boon is correct. Now, I lost my sufferings. I have no sufferings!"

He thought:

"In exchange I will get gold and all the suffering must go."

So, carefully in his cloth he kept it and walking to his village. On the way, he is thinking about:

"Such a valuable article this gem. How this saint? He has no cottage, he has no cloth. He is nakedlike with one kaupina. No, not even a glass, anything for water, no glass is there, nothing is with him. Then he is suffering. Then he is master of that gem. Why should he suffer like this? In cold wind. In cold season. No carpet. No kambl."

He asked:

"How he is suffering? Why he is suffering? Is he ignorant? Why he is suffering? When such a valuable gem is there why should he suffer?"

Then he could reconcile that:

"No. There must be some valuable, than this gem must be there with him. So, with that gem he forgot this gem which can give us happiness. He forgot that. He is more happy with that gem. Why should he take care of this material gem?"

Then he returned back to him.

"Sir , I beg you that having in possession such a valuable gem you are nakedlike. You have no cottage, no hut, nothing. You have no shelter. You are sitting under a tree. When you possess such gem which can help you to construct a skyscraper, a hundred stories building. There sufficient luxuries you can enjoy. Why, this luck was thrown? And when I asked "I don't remember where it is" he said. Now after all he gave correct information. I could get the gem, real gem. It is not a mockery. It is not. Actually I am not deceived. Mahadeva never deceived and you never deceived. You have given me that gem. But, I think that in this gem I should enjoy happiness. But in this gem you had no happiness. This gem was thrown at the shade of a tree. It is like a stone. You have treated this like a stone. And why should I kept that. You have got much more valuable stone with you. That stone you please give. We are blessed. Let me sir, give me that stone."

Then he said:

"Do you want that stone? You throw this in Yamuna."

So, immediately he threw that in Yamuna. Then, he gave:

cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpavrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami (Brahma Samhita 5.29) *4

He gave in his loan Krishna, Krishna. When he serve Krishna, when he served Krishna, when Krishna came totally in his hands then all his desires of this material gem, all his desires for material enjoyment, happiness, all evaporated.

"I have, I am free from the world's bondage. I am free. By your grace I am free. Because my life, thought could reach my Lord Krishna."

There is nothing superior to Lord Krishna and nothing superior to the blessing of Lord Krishna. No one can have that blessing except who unconditionally surrenders to the Lord. ..... there to approach blessing to the Lord is to unconditionally surrender to Him. If one surrenders, Lord will destroy all his sufferings. He will, every second, every moment he will enjoy....(Tivoli, Slovenia 24. 6. 1999.)

*****
slokas:

*1 Shankaracarya has sung:
punar api jananam punar api maranam,
punar api janani jatare sayanam
iha samsare bahu dustare kripaya pare pahi murare
"O Murari, Lord Krishna, I am repeatedly tossed in the waves of birth and death. I am forced to be born again and again and forced to die again and again. In this way I have been occupying the wombs of millions of mothers. Please kindly shower your merciful glance upon me and deliver me from this ocean of nescience."


*2 mamottamasloka-janeshu sakhyam
samsara-cakre bhramatah sva-karmabhih
tvan-mayayatmatmaja-dara-geheshv
asakta-cittasya na natha bhuyat SB 6.11.27

"O my Lord, my master, I am wandering throughout this material world as a result of my fruitive activities. Therefore I simply seek friendship in the association of Your pious and enlightened devotees. My attachment to my body, wife, children and home is continuing by the spell of Your external energy, but I wish to be attached to them no longer. Let my mind, my consciousness and everything I have be attached only to You."


*3 na naka-prishtham na ca parameshthyam
na sarva-bhaumam na rasadhipatyam
na yoga-siddhir apunar-bhavam va
samanjasa tva virahayya kankshe (S. Bhag 6.11.25)

"O my Lord, source of all opportunities, I do not desire to enjoy in Dhruvaloka, the heavenly planets or the planet where Lord Brahma resides, nor do I want to be the supreme ruler of all the earthly planets or the lower planetary systems. I do not desire to be master of the powers of mystic yoga, nor do I want liberation if I have to give up Your lotus feet."

*5 cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vriksha-
lakshavriteshu surabhir abhipalayantam
lakshmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakshmis or gopis."


Srila Bhaktivaibhava Puri Gosvami Maharaja ki Jaya



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