Separation

Feeling Separation is Essential for the Sadhaka

Jaya Gurudeva Jaya Gurudeva Gurudeva Jaya Gurudeva !!!
http://backtobhakti.com/2011/01/viraha-bhajan/

The True Spirit of Separation by Sri Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvami Maharaja

por Shanti Devi Dasi,

... I never had the good fortune to personally see Bhaktivinoda Thakura, though I did have the opportunity to hear of his superhuman glories directly from Srila Prabhupada, both through his spoken word and his writings. On the other hand, it is far beyond my finite capacities to adequately describe all the wonderful things that I heard and witnessed of Srila Prabhupadas glories during my personal association with him.


Those who have deep love for their spiritual master in the most personal way, now, however, in his absence, they are overwhelmed by most painful feelings of separation. The pain bursts out from their heart and tears flow from their eyes and onto their chest like the torrents of rain in the month of Sravana. Their minds are disturbed by the desire, never to be again fulfilled, of hearing their Guru speak the nectarean topics of Krishna. They repeatedly sing the verses written by Narottama dasa Thakura in which he reveals the depth of his loss at being separated from the company of the great Vaishnavas.


je anila prema-dhana karuna pracura
hena prabhu kotha gela vaishnava thakura


My lord, the worshipable Vaishnava brought us the wealth of love for Krishna out of his unlimited compassion. Alas, where has he gone?


How can any attachment or hatred for material objects find a place in the heart where attachment to the guru, the eternal associate of Srimati Radharani, has awakened? In such a heart, there is constant awareness of the absolute necessity of attaining the supreme goal of life, loving service to Sri Krishna. This alone is the ultimate purpose of life for every single living entity. Srila Prabhupada himself said: The ultimate object of our desires is to become specks of dust at the lotus feet of the followers of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Remain united in following the asraya-vigraha in order to satisfy the transcendental senses of the one, non-dual Supreme Truth... May we never under any circumstances become indifferent to the seventongued sacrificial flame of the Holy Name. If our attraction to it remains ever-increasing, we will achieve all perfection.


We pray that our commitment to these last instructions of his manifest presence in this world may be unfailing. May we never interpret these words to elicit secondary meanings that allow us to engage in sense gratification, but rather, single-mindedly dedicating all our energies and working together, aim for the pleasure of the senses of the one, non-dual Supreme Truth, making it the one and only goal of our lives. If we wish to show our love and faith for our spiritual master, it will be by following these teachings. However, rather than giving full attention to the desires of the spiritual master, we may focus on serving his body or the extensions of his body represented by temples and asramas. If we do so, we will never be free of the pitfall of seeing the guru in purely human terms (martyasad-dhih). The Lord can only be seen through the path of transcendental sound (srutekshita-pathah) and the spiritual master, being his manifest representative, is also perceptible through divine sound vibration....


... Raghunatha dasa lamented the disappearance of Srila Rupa Gosvami with such intensity that stones could have melted. In Rupas absence, he felt the entire land of Vraja to be completely empty: Govardhana was like a great python, Radha-kunda the wide open mouth of a tiger, and he felt his own self to be void of life. Can we, ordinary mortals, imitate the eternal associates of the Lord in their feelings of separation?



Srila Narottama dasa Thakura also cried and prayed fervently to his diksha-guru Srila Lokanatha dasa Gosvami to attain the lotus feet of Sri Rupa Gosvami, who had actualised Sriman Mahaprabhus heartfelt desires on this earth. Narottama dasa sang that Sri Rupa was the worshipable object of his devotion, the treasure of his life, his jewelled ornament, the very source of his life, the perfectionof his desire, the ocean of ecstatic feeling, his Vedic religion, his vow, his penance, his prayer and his duty. Srila Rupa Gosvami was everything to Narottama dasa Thakura, and therefore he almost went mad out of his feelings of separation, crying day and night in the hope of receiving his mercy. If we could even feel a millionth part of what he did, our lives would be perfect; we would attain the greatest fortune. I do not know how many more lifetimes I will have to wait for this good fortune to be mine. Devotion to the spiritual master is the only way to reach our Divine Lord. The spiritual master is the personal companion of Lord Krishna or Sri Gauranga; he is most dear to Him. Srila Krishna dasa Kaviraja writes:


diksha-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana

sei-kale krishna tare kare atma-sama

sei deha kare tara cid-ananda-maya

aprakrita-dehe tanra carana bhajaya


At the time of initiation, when a devotee surrenders to the spiritual master, Krishna makes him equal to Himself. He transforms the devotees body into spiritual substance; the devotee then worships the Lord in that spiritualized body. (CC Antya 4.192-193)



Krishna accepts us as a part of His own entourage to the extent that we surrender ourselves in body, mind and words to the spiritual master. He takes possession of us, transforms our bodies and makes them spiritual so that we will be able to serve Him directly. When asked how love for God develops, Prahlada Maharaja told the other boys in his school: guru-susrushaya bhaktya sarva-labdharpanena ca, through serving the guru, being devoted to him and by offering him all of ones gains. (SB 7.730) Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura comments on this verse as follows:


guroh susrushaya snapana-samvahanadikaya tatha


sarvesham labdhanam vastunam arpanena ca tac carpanam


bhaktyaiva, na tu pratishthadina hetuna

Service to the guru means serving him through such things as bathing and massaging him; offering the guru all of ones gains should be done with devotion and not out of personal motivations, such as the desire for personal prestige, etc.


In the Bhagavatam, after telling Yudhishthira how to conquer over various character defects, Narada summarizes by saying:


etat sarvam gurau bhaktya


purusho hy anjasa jayet


We can conquer over all these defects by rendering devotional service to the spiritual master. (SB 7.15.25)


In other words, the only way to conquer over lust, anger, greed, fear, lamentation, bewilderment, pride, envy, the three miseries and the three modes of material nature is by surrendering to the spiritual master. But if a disciple thinks the spiritual master to be nothing more than an ordinary mortal, then all his spiritual practices and worship of the Lord are simple a wasted effort. Therefore, in the following two verses from the Vishnusmriti quoted in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, we are advised:


na guror apriyam kuryat

taditah pidito pi va

navamanyeta tad-vakyam

napriyam hi samacaret


Never do anything unpleasant to your spiritual master, even if you are humiliated and beaten. Never disregard his words, and never act in a way that is displeasing to him. (HBV 1.99, from Vishnu-smriti)


acaryasya priyam kuryat pranair api dhanair api karmana manasa vaca sa yati paramam gatim Do things that are pleasing to your spiritual master with your life and your wealth, with your work, your thoughts and your speech, and you will go to the supreme destination. (HBV 1.100, from Vishnu-smriti)


... If we take these instructions seriously and do everything we can to realize them, then we will one day become capable of giving the spiritual master the gift that he desires above all others. The spiritual master will be pleased and transmit unlimited power to the disciple with whom he is pleased. To the extent that we serve the spiritual master with sincerity and repeat his teachings, through the association with his words, our hearts will cry out with the desire for the good fortune to be associated with him by directly seeing, touching and serving him. Only then will we be able to understand the true spirit of separation.



We will then know that he is Radharanis personal associate who, in the form of Nayanamani Manjari has entered Radha and Govindas eternal pastimes and is there immersed in the ocean of service to the Divine Couple. When we feel this mood of separation, the desire to dedicate our lives for attaining this service will awaken. The spiritual master, who has given me the eyes to see the true purpose of life, is my master birth after birth. Cakshu-dana dila je, janme janme prabhu se. He is our lord and master lifetime after lifetime. We pray that he will be merciful and transform us, lowly creatures, by giving us the strength to put his message into practice and to preach that message, and then, when the time of death comes, he will take us back to his lotus feet, making us his own for eternity.


Being distanced from the spiritual master is a source of great pain. We pray that Srila Prabhupada will give us a place at his lotus feet even though we are the most unworthy servants of his servants, so that we may be able to render service to the Divine Couple according to his direction and by following his example. Our only authority to make such an audacious prayer is that we have taken the remnants of his servants food. We know that we have no right to make such a request of you, but to whom can we turn other than you, our spiritual master? By your grace, everything that would ordinarily be impossible becomes possible in a moment. Though today all our efforts are nothing but a joke, like those of a dwarf who tries to touch the moon, are your blessings not capable of effecting any miracle? Will they not give us a love for chanting the Holy Names without offense? Has Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura not sung of the power of the Holy Name to give us the realization of our eternal spiritual identity?


ishat vikasi punah dekhaya nija-rupa-guna

citta hari laya krishna pasa

purna vikasita hana vraje more jaya lana

dekhaya nija svarupa vilasa


When the Name is even slightly revealed, it shows me my own spiritual form and characteristics. It steals my mind and takes it to Krishnas side. When the Name is fully revealed, it takes me directly to Vraja, where it shows me my personal role in the eternal pastimes.


(Krishna-nama dhare kata bala? Saranagati)


Thus, by the blessing of the spiritual master, we will be able to receive the mercy of the Holy Name and then, all perfections will come through the Holy Name as Sriman Mahaprabhu Himself promised: iha haite sarva-siddhi haibe sabara.


Service to the guru in affection and love is possible both in this world and the next. The spiritual master is always participating in the eternally pure realm and is never under the thrall of birth and death in this world. One should never think of him as an ordinary mortal. By serving his teachings when he is no longer visible to our mundane eyes, we can get a vision of his transcendental form. Just like the Supreme Lord, the guru knows what is to be known, including all of us, but he is not known to anyone (sa vetti vedyam na ca tasyasti vetta). We cannot know him through our own power; it is only when he mercifully decides to reveal himself to us that we will achieve the great fortune of being able to see him. Therefore, the famous saying, guru-kripa hi kevalam (the spiritual masters blessings are our only salvation) is appropriate.


O Gurudeva, may my mind always repose in the shade of your lotus feet mama matir astam tava pada-kamale.


[Courtesy: Meditations on My Divine Master]


http://bvml.org/SBPPG/ttsos.html

No Separation Between Us

Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
No Separation Between Us
June 14, 2010: Badger, California

After hearing from the gopis, and especially after hearing Brahmara-gita from Srimati Radhika, Uddhava was astonished. He was especially astonished to hear and see Srimati Radhika’s divyonmada, of which citra-jalpa is one of the features [*See endnote 1-3], and which is one of the symptoms of Her adhirudha-modana-mahabhava [*see endnote 3]. He had never before seen or heard anything like this.

Uddhava then began to convey Krsna’s message to the gopis, as Krsna had requested him to do. Sri Krsna told them: “You are never actually separated from Me, for I am the Soul of all creation. Just as the elements of nature ‒ ether, air, fire, water and earth ‒ are present in every created thing, so I am present within everyone's mind, life air and senses, and also within the physical elements and the modes of material nature.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.47.29)

In other words, Krsna is everywhere. Even if you want to be separated from Him, you cannot be separated.

Uddhava told the gopis about brahma-jnana, transcendental knowledge about the individual soul and the Supreme Soul; but the gopis did not like hearing it. The result of Uddhava’s speech was not that their mood of separation diminished. Rather, the fever of their mood of separation climaxed.

Uddhava then relayed to them that Krsna had said, “The gopis should close their eyes, and then they will see that I am there.” They closed their eyes and saw that Krsna was there with them, dancing and singing and performing all the activities of rasa. Seeing this, all the gopis became satisfied.

After this, Uddhava began to pray:

nayam sriyo 'nga u nitanta-rateh prasadah
svar-yositam nalina-gandha-rucam kuto ’nyah
rasotsave ’sya bhuja-danda-grhita-kantha-
labdhasisam ya udagad vraja-vallabhinam

[“When Lord Sri Krsna was dancing with the gopis in the rasa-lila, the gopis were embraced by the arms of the Lord. This transcendental favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or any other consorts in the spiritual world. Indeed, never was such a thing even imagined by the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets, whose bodily luster and aroma resemble the lotus flower; what to speak of worldly women who are very beautiful according to material estimation.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.47.60)]

Uddhava glorified the gopis, saying, “These gopis are so lucky that at the time of rasa-lila Krsna put His arms around their necks.” Why did He do this? He was showing them that He will never leave them. This kind of love and good fortune has never been experienced by the demigods’ wives or even by Laksmi-devi. No one in the world is as lucky as the gopis.

asam aho carana-renu-jusam aham syam
vrndavane kim api gulma-latausadhinam
ya dustyajam sva-janam arya-patham ca hitva
bhejur mukunda-padavim srutibhir vimrgyam

[“The gopis of Vrndavana have given up the association of their husbands, sons and other family members, who are very difficult to give up, and they have forsaken the path of chastity to take shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, Krsna, for which one should search by Vedic knowledge. Oh, let me be fortunate enough to be one of the bushes, creepers or herbs in Vrndavana because the gopis trample them and bless them with the dust of their lotus feet.” (Srimad-bhagavatam 10.47.61)]

How Uddhava glorifies the gopis! He prays, “Aho (Alas)! I want to be a thin blade of grass, or a creeper growing on the ground. In this way I will be blessed by the dust of the gopis’ lotus feet as they – their ornaments and clothing disarrayed, on the wrong parts of their bodies – run to meet with Krsna in rasa-lila. Even the Vedas and Srutis are not lucky enough to touch the foot-dust of those gopis.”

Uddhava is praying, “In my next birth I want to be the foot-dust of the gopis.” That is why, even today, in Uddhava-kunda in Govardhana, he is residing as grass and thinking, “When the gopis come, they will put their feet on my head.” If Uddhava had directly prayed to them, “Please put your foot-dust on my head,” the gopis would never have agreed. He therefore considered it better to ask to be a blade of grass, so that the gopis would place their lotus feet on him as they went to the rasa dance with Krsna.

ya vai sriyarcitam ajadibhir apta-kamair
yogesvarair api yad atmani rasa-gosthyam
krsnasya tad bhagavatah caranaravindam
nyastam stanesu vijahuh parirabhya tapam

[“The Goddess of Fortune herself, along with Lord Brahma and all the other demigods, who are masters of yogic perfection, can worship the lotus feet of Krsna only within their minds. But during the rasa dance, Lord Krsna placed His feet upon these gopis’ breasts, and by embracing those feet the gopis gave up all distress.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.47.62)]

Uddhava continued, “The gopis are so fortunate! Sri Laksmi-devi, who is worshipped by the entire world, as well as Brahma and others like him, also desire the dust of the lotus feet of Krsna upon their heads. Those very feet are directly placed by the gopis on their breasts during rasa, but this is impossible for others.”

vande nanda-vraja-strinam
pada-renum abhiksnasah
yasam hari-kathodgitam
punati bhuvana-trayam

[“I repeatedly offer my respects to the dust from the feet of the women of Nanda Maharaja’s cowherd village. When these gopis loudly chant the glories of Sri Krsna, the vibration purifies the three worlds.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.47.63)]

“I offer vandana (prayers) to the gopis who live in the village of Nandagaon, who glorify Krsna by their singing and weeping. The hari-katha (narrations of the glories of Sri Krsna) emanating from their mouths as they weep purifies the entire universe.” For example, when Krsna disappeared from them during rasa-lila, the gopis sang:

gopya ucuh
jayati te ’dhikam janmana vrajah
srayata indira sasvad atra hi
dayita drsyatam diksu tavakas
tvayi dhrtasavas tvam vicinvate

[The gopis say, “O most beloved, because of Your birth in this land of Vraja, the entire area has become more glorious than Vaikuntha and other planets. It is for this reason that Laksmi, the goddess of beauty and wealth, eternally decorates it with her presence. O beloved, in this blissful land of Vraja, it is only we gopis who are not happy. We maintain our lives solely for Your sake, being extremely anguished in separation from You, and are wandering from forest to separation in search of You. Therefore, please appear before us now.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.31.1)]

No one before them has ever given such hari-katha; no one can do so now, and no one will be able to do so in the future. The gopis’ hari-katha purifies the entire world.

Uddhava lived with the gopis for three months. He went with them to Nandagaon, Varsana, Govardhana, Ter-kadamba and many places, and pacified the them. Weeping, the gopis spoke the hari-katha of each place.

After the three months were over, Uddhava said, “Oh Nanda Baba, Mother Yasoda, and all of you Vrajavasis, I want to return to Mathura to tell Krsna of all I have seen and heard here.” The gopis warned him, “Don’t tell all of this to Krsna in one day, otherwise His heart – which is very soft – will break. Please tell it to Him gradually – little, by little, by little.”

When Uddhava was seated on his chariot as he was leaing Vrndavana to return to Mathura, Nanda Baba came to him with all the utensils that Krsna had previously used, including His flute and His ornaments.

“What is the use of keeping all of these things here?” Nanda Baba said in a mood of great separation as he handed the items to Uddhava. “We know that Krsna will not return here, so please take these things and give them to Krsna. Tell Him that I have heard from many people, such and Paurnamasi and Gangacarya, that His qualities are like those of Narayana. I pray to Lord
Narayana that He be merciful to me. Wherever we take birth, may all of our existence be an offering to Krsna.”

Neither Nanda Baba, nor Mother Yasoda, nor any of the Vrajavasis believe that Krsna is God, the Lord of lords. By this statement of Nanda Baba's it seems that his madhurya-bhava has dissipated somewhat, but that is not the case. Sometimes thoughts, which appear to indicate that the Vrajavasis have a conception of Krsna’s Godhood, surface during their moments of sadness and suffering , but this is not their true thinking. Nanda Baba's madhurya-bhava is indicated by his mentioning that he had heard this from others. Also, there is some sarcasm in his mood. He is in a state of suffering, which is why he spoke as he did; but when he was okay, he never did so.
In this way, we have finished Uddhava-samvada.

Gaura-premanande!

*Endnote 1:
[“It is virtually only within the princess of Vrndavana that the ecstasy of bewilderment arises. She has attained to a special stage of this bewilderment, a wonderful state that resembles delusions, known as divyonmada. Divyonmada has many aspects, which come and go unsteadily, and one of these manifestations is citra-jalpa (talking like a mad person). This talk, induced by Her seeing Her beloved's friend, is filled with covered anger and comprises many different ecstasies. It culminates in Her intense, anxious eagerness.” (Ujjvala-nilamani, by Srila Rupa Gosvami)]

*Endnote 2:
[“When one is highly elevated in love (adhirudha) of Krsna, he becomes transcendentally mad (divyonmada) and talks like a madman (citra-jalpa).” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 14.15)]

*Endnote 3:

[“Only in the conjugal mellow are there two ecstatic symptoms called rudha and adhirudha . The advanced ecstasies are found among the queens of Dvaraka, and the highly advanced ecstasies are found among the gopis. Highly advanced ecstasy is divided into two categories ? madana and mohana. Meeting together is called madana, and separation is called mohana. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 23.57-58)]

[“The situations known as rudha and adhirudha are possible in the conjugal love relationship. Conjugal love exhibited by the queens at Dvaraka is called rudha, and conjugal love exhibited at Vrndavana by the damsels of Vraja is called adhirudha. The highest perfection of adhirudha, affection in conjugal love, involves meeting (madana) and separation (mohana). In the ecstasy of madana (meeting), there is kissing, and in the ecstasy of mohana (separation), there is udghurna (ecstatic unsteadiness and incoherence) and citra-jalpa. As far as citra-jalpa is concerned, in Srimad-Bhagavatam, there is a portion known as Bhramara-gita in which various kinds of citra-jalpa are mentioned. (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 14)]

[Vijaya: “Kindly explain in detail the bhava par excellence, adhirudha-bhava.”
Gosvami: “When the anubhavas of rudha-bhava reach their climax and sparkle with extraordinary splendor, then the loving emotions enter the realm of adhirudha-bhava.”
Vijaya: “How many kinds of adhirudha-bhava are there?”
Gosvami: “This wonderful bhava is of two hues: modana and madana.”
Vijaya: “What is modana-adhirudha-bhava?”
Gosvami: “In maha-bhava, when the entire spectrum of sattvika-bhavas being exchanged between the nayika and nayaka, Sri Radha and Sri Krsna, scintillates exceptionally, higher even than the uddipta, blazing level, then this is called modana-adhirudha-bhava. In modana-adhirudha-bhava, both Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna are overcome with anxiety and discontent. Furthermore, in modana-adhirudha-bhava, the love of Srimati Radhika touches heights of ecstasy unknown to all the other gopis.”
Vijaya: “Gurudeva, I am eager to learn about some particulars of modana-adhirudha-bhava. For instance, in whom does this bhava reside?”
Gosvami: “Modana-bhava is only present in the yutha of Srimati Radhika, nowhere else. Modana is the favorite pleasure arena of the hladini- sakti. At a certain stage, in viraha-dasa, the anguish of separation, modana converts to mohana and then, as viraha-dasa becomes all-encompassing, all the magnificent sattvika-bhavas radiate at the level of suddipta, greatest brilliance.”
Vijaya: “What are the anubhavas in the state of mohana?”
Gosvami: “Some of the symptoms are that Sri Krsna swoons unconscious in the embrace of a nayika who is not Srimati Radhika. For example, this may occur in Dvaraka when He is in the embrace of Queen Rukmini and remembers His amorous pastimes with Srimati Radhika in the leafy bowers of Vrndavana. Srimati Radhika accepts the severest hardship and grief in the pain of separation, and yet wishes only for Krsna to be happy. Yearning for union with Krsna brings such a pang of separation to the heart of Srimati Radhika that the entire material creation and even Vaikuntha are plunged into the deepest sorrow. Even birds and beasts shed tears as Srimati Radhika expresses to Her intimate sakhis that Her heart-pangs may cause Her death, and if this were to happen then Her body should be covered with earth so that the burial spot may bring consolation to Her beloved, Sri Krsna. Only Srimati Radhika, the Queen of Vrndavana, is embellished with the infinite depth of these anubhavas of mohana-adhirudha-bhava. Furthermore, the super-excellent splendor of the sancari-bhavas of mohana-adhirudha-bhava is fully manifested in Srimati Radhika alone.”
Vijaya: “Prabhu, if you consider it appropriate, kindly elucidate the divya-unmada-laksana, symptoms of spiritual madness, which you have just briefly described.”
Gosvami: “When mohana-adhirudha-bhava enters its zenith, an amazing and inexplicable condition of the mind known as divya-unmada is created, which is a mental state very similar to bhrama, or delusion. Divya-unmada is of many different varieties, two of which are udghurna and citra-jalpa.”
Vijaya: “What is udghurna?”
Gosvami: “When many astonishing but helpless endeavors are made in divya-unmada, this is known as udghurna, ecstatic unsteadiness and incoherence. Srimati Radhika was in the grip of udghurna after Krsna had left for Mathura, Her mind benumbed by the pangs of separation. At times, She thought that Krsna was on His way back, and She hurriedly arranged everything in the kunja. Sometimes, like an outraged wife, She chastised the black clouds for infidelity, mistaking them for Krsna. Sometimes, in the darkness of night, She secretly hurried to an imagined rendezvous with Krsna.”
Vijaya: “Kindly explain citra-jalpa.”
Gosvami: “When the nayika meets the intimate friend of the nayaka, feeling the acute pangs of separation, she unburdens her love-laden heart by discussing many confidential matters that may go through a whole range of emotions from garva, awed respect towards the beloved, to utkantha, excessive eagerness for union. The term for such conversations is citra-jalpa, varieties of mad emotional talks.”
Vijaya: “What are the variations in citra-jalpa?”
Gosvami: “The ten limbs of citra-jalpa have been delineated in the Bhramara-gita section of the tenth canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. They are prajalpa, parijalpa, vijalpa, ujjalpa, sanjalpa, avajalpa, abhijalpa, ajalpa, pratijalpa, and sujalpa.”
Vijaya: “Kindly explain prajalpa.”
Gosvami: “On account of the innumerable and wonderful inflections in the amazing range of bhavas, citra-jalpa is very personal and difficult to fully describe, but some of its aspects can be expressed.
To narrate insultingly with gesticulations induced by feelings of malice, envy, and pride, about the tactless inappropriate behavior of one's beloved is defined as prajalpa.”
Vijaya: “What is parijalpita?”
Gosvami: “In the madness of love, to expertly point out the personal faults of one's beloved, Krsna ? such as cruelty, treachery, fickleness, heartlessness, and ingratitude ? is called parijalpita.”
Vijaya: “What is vijalpa?”
Gosvami: “Within Her heart the nayika feels deep love for Krsna, but externally She uses harsh and cutting remarks towards Him. These are symptoms of vijalpa.”
Vijaya: “What is ujjalpa?”
Gosvami: “When with offended pride and feeling both jealousy and respect, the nayika angrily slanders Krsna for his cheating ways in the art of love, it is known as ujjalpa.”
Vijaya: “What is sanjalpa?”
Gosvami: “Feeling deep resentment, the nayika exposes Krsna's ungratefulness in love with many cryptic and humorous words of derision. This is called sanjalpa.”
Vijaya: “What is avajalpa?”
Gosvami: “In the anger of avajalpa, Krsna is declared to be hard-hearted, lusty, and sly, and therefore one is fearful that one's hopeless attachment to Him may prove to be self-destructive.”
Vijaya: “What is abhijalpa?”
Gosvami: “Lamenting and making witticisms such as: ‘When Krsna causes the pain of separation even to innocent birds such as His pet parrot and peacocks, it is certainly futile to become attached to Him,’ is defined as abhijalpa.”
Vijaya: “What is ajalpa?”
Gosvami: “Feeling despondency, the nayika professes apathy towards Krsna because of His deceitful and merciless ways in love that bring only distress to Her. She suggests how pleasurable it would be to forget Him and pay attention to something else. These are the symptoms of ajalpa.”
Vijaya: “What is pratijalpa?”
Gosvami: “In pratijalpa, the nayika soliloquizes about Krsna's libidinous desires being more befitting a pirate or the like. Therefore, if She were to meet with Him, that would certainly be rash and foolhardy when He is already romancing so many other women ? but pretending to be interested in Her alone. This message is given by the nayika to the awaiting messenger sent by Krsna.”
Vijaya: “What is sujalpa?”
Gosvami: “When the nayika is grave, humble, and listless because of pangs of the heart, but straightforwardly and repeatedly enquires about Krsna with unrestrained eagerness in love, this is called sujalpa. This completes the list of citra-jalpa.” (Jaiva-dharma, Chapter 36)]
 
fonte; harikatha@​harikatha.c​om


jay giriraja govardhana !

Preparing Us For A Separation Mood

 

Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
Preparing Us For A Separation Mood
Badger June 11, 2010

[At the beginning of his class, Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja requested Radha dasi to make an announcement encouraging devotees to purchase books from the book stall or sponsor books so that others can distribute them, after which he spoke on the same subject:]

Book distribution is one of the chief supporting factors of preaching. In a couple of days Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja preached all over the world by the medium of books, and I desire my books be distributed just as his were. I have written not less than one hundred books. So many books are being translated into different languages, and I want all these books to go from door to door.

There is a small book stall here, and I request that in a day or two not a single book remains there. All the books should be taken and distributed everywhere. There are calendars, and also the posters of Syamarani didi, and so many other things you can take.

[Srila Maharaja then began his discourse on separation:]

We know from Srimad-Bhagavatam that Akrura went to Vrndavana and invited Krsna and Balarama to come to Mathura. He told Krsna, “Your father and mother, Vasudeva and Devaki, are being tortured. You must go to Mathura.” Moreover before this, after Krsna performed His rasa-lila pastimes, Sri Narada had approached Him and said, “Prabhu, I want to see all of Your sweet pastimes, not only those in Vrndavana. Why not perform pastimes in Mathura; and after Mathura, why not in Dvaraka? One of the main causes of Your appearance in this world is to relieve the burden of the Earth, so You will have to go there.”

Vrndavana is the place of love and affection, and therefore it is not possible for Krsna to give it up. The gopis, Nanda Baba, and Mother Yasoda love Krsna from the core of their hearts, so how can Krsna give them up and go to Mathura and Dvaraka? Why would He go there?

Krsna is described in the Vedic scriptures as satya-sankalpa, which means that whatever He promises He fulfills; His words come true. When Krsna left Vrndavana and went to Mathura, He sent a messenger with the promise, “I must return, I must return, I must return. After killing Kamsa, I will return to Vrndavana; no one will be able to check Me.” For someone to be described as satya-sankalpa, there can be no discrepancy between his words and his actions. Krsna's promise to return to Vrndavana, therefore, must have been fulfilled; so how did He fulfill it?

In his commentary to this section of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura asks the question, “Was the purpose of Krsna's promise – sent through the messenger –
only to pacify the residents of Vrndavana?” If so, He is not satya-sankalpa.”

Let us see how Krsna fulfilled His promise to return to Vrndavana.

Kamsa had been thinking, “If Krsna remains in Vrndavana, it is not possible for me to kill Him,” and for that reason he sent Akrura to bring Krsna to Mathura. Sri Krsna and Balarama thus went to Mathura, where They killed the elephant Kuvalyapida and broke into three pieces the worshipable bow of Sankara.

And then what happened? Sri Krsna and Balarama killed the demonic wrestlers Canura and Mustika. Then, when Krsna looked up at Kamsa sitting on the high platform, He became very angry, thinking, “Oh, you wanted to kill My mother, Devaki. All right, now I will see to you.” He very quickly jumped up onto the platform where Kamsa was sitting, and without giving him any chance to fight, grabbed him by the hair, threw him on the ground, jumped on his chest, and finished him.

Some persons the audience were wondering if Kamsa was alive or dead. Therefore, to make it clear that Kamsa was dead, Krsna dragged him across the floor. Everyone began crying, “Alas, Alas! The King is dead!” and Kamsa's wives wept bitterly. Krsna Himself performed the funeral ceremony of Kamsa Maharaja, and then also arranged the subsequent events. When the Yadus, who had been forced to scatter here and there due to Kamsa’s atrocities, heard that Kamsa had been killed, all of them came together and congregated in Mathura.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s commentary to this section of Srimad-Bhagavatam takes the form of purva-paksa, which means that he himself is presenting the questions and also giving the answers. Why? He is doing this because it is not possible for ordinary persons like us to reconcile this inconceivable pastime that is full of apparent contradictions.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura raises the question: A person will always stay where he gets the most affection. Although it is true that Vasudeva and Devaki have immense prema for Sri Krsna, their prema cannot equal or supersede the prema of Nanda and Yasoda, what to speak of the prema of the Vraja-gopis. Considering this, how is it possible that Krsna left Vrndavana and went to Mathura? How could He leave the place where He receives the most prema?

Another question is this: At the time of leaving Vrndavana and going to Mathura, Krsna promised the Vrajavasis, “I will come back. I will definitely come back. I promise I will come back.” If Krsna had fulfilled His word and gone back to Vrndavana, that would be okay. But it seems that He did not. It seems that there is a discrepancy between Krsna's words and His actions. This raises another doubt.

Another question: If in one night Krsna transferred all the residents of Mathura to Dvaraka, why could He not bring the gopis from Vrndavana to Mathura? After all, He is Bhagavan and nothing is impossible for Him; so why did He not do so?

After Krsna and Balarama killed Kamsa, They approached Vasudeva and Devaki, who were wondering how it had been possible for Krsna to kill such a powerful hero like Kamsa. They considered He could not be an ordinary human being, but that He must be the Supreme Lord Himself. Thus they became filled with feelings of awe and reverence; they could not even bow to the ground; they simply stood with their hands joined and prayed to Krsna.

Krsna was thinking, “They cannot give Me full affection, because they think I am Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord.” Being slightly dissatisfied with this, He called His yogamaya potency, which made Vasudeva and Devaki forget that Krsna was the Supreme Lord.

Krsna then told them, “A mother and father give so much affection to their child, and by so doing, they get great happiness. But, alas, because We went to Vrndavana We denied you that happiness.” Because Krsna's yogamaya potency enabled Vasudeva and Devaki to forget their feelings of awe and reverence for Sri Krsna, and now being filled with a new mood of parental affection, they took Krsna and Balarama on their laps and began talking to Them with great affection.

After Krsna killed Kamsa, the residents of Mathura began saying that Krsna and Balarama were actually the sons of Vasudeva and Devaki, and that Nanda and Yasoda were simply step-parents. The Mathuravasis all began telling Krsna and Balarama, “You are really the sons of Vasudeva and Devaki. Because Kamsa was causing so much disturbance to your parents, and because they loved You so much, they sent You to Vrndavana where You were put under the very affectionate care of Nanda and Yasoda. But Nanda and Yasoda are not Your real parents. Your real parents are Devaki and Vasudeva.”

On that same day, Sri Krsna told his maternal grandfather, Kamsa’s father, Ugrasena, “Because I have come in the Yadu dynasty, I cannot become the king. [Because of the ancient curse of Yayati,] no one in our dynasty can become king. I will thus establish you as king.” When Ugrasena objected and said, “I am old and weak; I have no power to be king,” Krsna replied, “He to whom I am paying obeisances, all the demigods will also worship. Don’t be worried that anyone will disobey you. Because even I will follow your instructions, all the demigods in the universe will pay you tribute.” In this way, in only one day, Krsna established Ugrasena as the king.

This political arrangement transpired while Nanda Baba was waiting at his camp outside the city and weeping, thinking, “When will Krsna and Balarama come back to me? They have not yet come.” Finally, on the next night Krsna and Balarama came back to Nanda Baba. Embracing Them, he took Them both on his lap and began speaking to Them with great affection. “Oh, I have been waiting so long for You.”

Krsna is very tricky. When He was with Devaki and Vasudeva, He had told them, “I am your son;” and when He was with Nanda Baba He said, “O Father, I am definitely your son.”

As Krsna and Balarama sat on the lap of Nanda Baba, Krsna said, “Father, Vasudeva and Devaki are saying to Me, 'You are our son. You are our son.' And all the Mathuravasis are saying likewise. I wanted to come to you earlier, but all the residents of Mathura obstructed Me from coming to meet you.”

Balarama said, “Listen, Father, those parents who give up their baby cannot be called real parents. Rather, those persons who look after the child, like the eye-lids protect the eyes, are the real parents. One who merely gives birth is not the real parent, but one who protects and nourishes like a parent is the real parent. You are certainly My real father, and Yasoda is My real mother.”

In the course of the conversation, Nanda Baba said, “What do You want? What is Your decision?”

“You were saying that I should stay here in Mathura alone, without Krsna, but that is completely impossible,” Balarama replied. “Even if Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, comes to Me thousands of times with the instruction, ‘Be without Krsna. Be without Krsna,’ I cannot be without Him.”

“And there is another problem,” said Nanda Baba. “Vasudeva and Devaki were tortured by King Kamsa for so many years.”

Nanda Baba never thought of Krsna as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. He was thinking, “No one will ever criticize me for taking my own son away from here. However, if I take Balarama as well, I will be considered very selfish for taking Vasudeva and Devaki's son. I will be considered very unfair.”

[At this time, Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja requested that Radhika dasi lead a kirtana that would be appropriate to the mood he wanted the devotees to imbibe – the mood of separation. If you like, you can listen to that kirtana (Tuhu Se Rohili Madhupura) here:
http://sbnmcd.org/extradisk/20100611_Badger_bhajan.wmv]

The essence of this pastime is very difficult to understand, and most confidential. Externally, Srimad-Bhagavatam describes that after hearing the arguments of Krsna and Balarama, Nanda Baba was pacified by Them. They gave him many of their golden ornaments, and Nanda Baba, with tears of affection in his eyes, returned to Vrndavana.

But how could this have possibly happened? Did Nanda Baba sell Krsna and Balarama? Did he travel all the way from Vraja to Mathura to collect wealth? This is quite impossible, because prema, pure devotion, never takes; it always gives. Therefore, the hidden meaning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam statements, as revealed to us in the commentary of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, should also be understood.

Krsna had promised at the time of going with Akrura from Vrndavana to Mathura that He would definitely return. Sri Krsna is satya-sankalpa; He always speaks the truth. However, we cannot see any direct evidence in Srimad-Bhagavatam that Krsna did indeed return to Vrndavana. We hear that Balarama returned for two months, but we don't hear that Sri Krsna ever returned.
Srimad-Bhagavatam describes that many years later, at the time of the solar eclipse, Krsna went to Kuruksetra with His sixteen thousand one hundred and eight queens, and He met the Vrajavasis there. The Bhagavatam describes only that Sri Krsna went back to Vrndavana by being carried in the minds of the Vraja-gopis, but not that He Himself directly returned. So, was Krsna's promise broken?

There is a Padma Purana reference, which we accept as true, which states that after Krsna killed Dantavakra, when there were no more enemies of Krsna left on the Earth planet, Krsna took all the Vrajavasis back to Goloka Vrndavana, but that He simultaneously stayed on Earth in His form as Dvarakadisa-Krsna, the Lord of Dvaraka. But this Padma Purana reference does not prove Krsna's words true – that He honored His promise – because it does not say that He personally returned to Vraja. Therefore the question remains: Was Krsna's promise broken?

How are we to reconcile this? Krsna is the Supreme Lord. Everything is possible for Him. He performs all His pastimes under the direct shelter of His yogamaya potency, His trancendental spiritual deluding potency. So how should we understand this pastime?

What the Bhagavatam describes must be true – that Krsna and Balarama came at night to meet Nanda Baba, who, after converstions with Them, took the golden ornaments from Them; and, weeping and weeping, returned alone to Vraja, leaving Krsna and Balarama in Mathura.
But Krsna and Balarama each manifested two forms, and thus there were two prakosts, or chambers, of Their pastimes. Like two different rooms in a house, there were two different sections of Their pastimes. In another prakost, another section or manifestation of Their pastimes, They accompanied Nanda Baba back to Vrndavana on the bullock cart, in great ecstasy.

Two manifestations were in play at that time; that is how we understand this pastime. Both these pastimes happened simultaneously. In this way, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has reconciled the apparent inconsistency.

In truth, Krsna cannot give up Vrndavana for even a moment, as it is said in sastra: Vrndavanam parityajya padam ekam na gacchati. He never takes one step out of Vrndavana; He is always there. This being so, who went to Mathura and Dvaraka? In one prakost – as Vasudeva-nandana – Krsna went there; Vrajendra-nandana Sri Krsna did not go.

Here is another, very important point which supports Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s explanations: When Krsna instructed Uddhava to go to Vrndavana to console Nanda Baba, Mother Yasoda, and the gopis, Uddhava asked Him, "How can I live without You? I cannot live without You.” Krsna replied, “I am partly here in Mathura, but I am always fully in Vrndavana.”

When Uddhava entered Vrndavana, he saw some bulls fighting over some cows; and he saw that the gopis had burnt ghee lamps emanating a very beautiful fragrance. He saw Krsna herding the cows, and he saw that the cows’ hooves had kicked up the Vrndavana dust which now covered his golden chariot. It was as if Krsna was fully there in Vrndavana.

Thus, in one pastime manifestation Nanda Baba returned to Vraja alone and weeping; and in another, overjoyed, he returned to Vraja with Krsna and Balarama. In this way Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has reconciled the apparent contradictions and revealed the hidden pastimes.

Gaura premanande!

[Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja sometimes spoke in English and sometimes in his mother tongue, Hindi. After each Hindi segment, he called upon Sripad Damodara Maharaja to translate his words.]