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



.

You must always, day and night, hear the nectarian glories of the Lord Krishna

by

Shanti Devi Dasi:

Srila Bhaktivaibhava Puri Gosvami Maharaja

Our sastras or the revealed scriptures caution us to hear only such spiritual topics as narrated, composed or approved by great realised devotees. Ancient or modern - any composition, maybe on Godhead, from the pen of worldly minded people does not provide us with the desired result. They say things in their mental mode, and give often an entirely new form or even a wrong shape. It is beneficial, preferable, compulsory to hear spiritual discourses from persons who have realised God, and whose lives are living examples of this same valuable teachings. Of all kinds of sacred books prescribed for the purpose of hearing, sravana, they establish listening to Srimad-Bhagavata. It is spoken of as the best. In it we get the combination of both aforesaid qualifications. It is composed by the great Krishna-dvaipayana Vedavyasa one of our manifested Lords, and narrated by great bhaktas like Sukadeva and Suta Goswami and others. It contains the quintessence of all the sastras of the world. It is the essence of all the sastras, all the revealed scriptures of the world.

Rasika devotees belonging to the any of the 5 important spiritual rasas of santa rasa, dasya rasa, sakhya rasa, vatsalya rasa and madhura rasa, and that bhavukas in whom the spontaneous love for bhagavan has made its manifestation drink deep this nectarine rasa till they are completely saturated with devotion, everlasting bliss.

Srimad Bhagavata is the fully ripened fruit of the wish-yielding treeslike Vedas.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam

It is the wish-yielding tree - Vedas. And Srimad Bhagavatam is fully ripened fruit of that wish-yielding tree.

The fruit has dropped down from the tree to the earth. From the holy mouth of the great sage Sukadeva. This fruit is unlike other fruits as it is free from any waste substance. Nothing can be thrown away. All the fruit we use - you can throw the bark or inside-outside you can throw it - but in this fruit nothing should be thrown. Every atomic form of that fruit is useful. That's why the skin, fibre, seed, etc. cannot be thrown. And it contains rasa itself, the most marvellous and captivating transcendental pastimes of this Nama, qualities from the nectarine content of this incomparable fruit.

It is imperatively necessary to verify the authenticity of what we have heard, and yet to be fully convinced of it. Before starting with any course of spiritual procedure we must be through with its theoretical side. Theoretical side you must hear. That are the sastras, the pure sastras. Sravana occupies a first place in the limbs of devotional practices.

There are nine devotional practices. Out of it sravana, hearing. You must hear from a bonfide, pure, realised mahatma, sadhu, bhakta, bhagavata.

And hear it says: "the act of listening is thread forth by many devotees even after realising Bhagavan."

Listening. A man can listen till he realises the Lord. But even after realising the Lord also the devotee never forgets listening to the glories of the Lord. Always. They have prayed to Bhagavan to bless them incessantly with the benefit of hearing his transcendental glories....

....Those who are desirous of crossing this terrible ocean of triple afflictions, extremely difficult to cross, this terrible ocean. They have no other vessel than hearing. They must occupy a vessel. There they must carefully sit. Then they will be driven by a well-versed driver. And he will make them cross the ocean. Like that - enjoying the nectarine narrative of the glorious deeds of the Supreme Lord Krishna. What is that boat? That boat is only the narration of the glories of the Lord Krishna. And those glories, the sadhus who have already surrendered to Krishna, they always repeat the same stories. Always. There is nothing more that they should hear or talk of. Sri Krishna, the eternal benefactor of those sadhus, hearing and chanting whose name is great purifying factor. If we hear his name or chant his name Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. If we hear or if we chant or if one chants.

"Oh, very good, he is chanting."

So he appreciated. And one who remembers:

"Oh. On that day we had gone there. I had heard about Krishna nama."

Remembers.

They will be benefited. Their benefit is only pure devotion. They don't want to take anything in return from Krishna. So they say: transcendental glories uproot the evil propensities in their hearts - as their indwelling guide. Here, the Lord is there, chaitya guru, indwelling guide.

Isvara sarva-bhutanam hrid-dese arjuna tistahati

He is inside. He is guiding.

If I hear the glories of the Lord he will guide me in a proper way. I may not be mislead. Misleading is not there if we hear from a proper person, from a sincere person, from an honest, pure sadhu. If he repeats then the result will be the devotion. And who hears that, then he also wants to serve the Lord, but not to take anything from him. But here, those who drink in the narrations of nectar-like glorious deeds of the Lord who is light of the devotees, and pour them into the cavities of their ears through the bhaktas, purify their hearts which are awfully contaminated by the thoughts of the senses and sense objects, and attain his lotus feet.

Because

srinvatah sraddhaya nityam grinatas ca sva-cestitam
kalena natidirghena bhagavan visate hridi

If one repeats the nama, or hears the nama, all the glories of the Lord he may think of, or if any devotee is singing and he hears - then definitely it purifies his heart. This heart is impure due to senses and sense objects. Our hands, our eyes, our ears, our tongues, our noses and our bodies. All these, they are anxious to enjoy. And that makes him heavy and he cannot purify himself through these sense objects. He goes to a fancy market. He travels to the market. He sees so many varieties of articles. He wants to purchase them. He wants to purchase. Though he has no money, he wants to purchase. To purchase he borrows or steals. Like that everything. Beauty. He is charmed by the beauty. Beauties of these lifeless objects (inaudible).

Now our sense objects. We must be free from sense objects. When we have the lotus flower. You see, yesterday a big lotus flower was given to me. Some devotee gave it to me. It is so beautiful. All were astonished to see that - this flower. The lotus feet of the Lord are more beautiful and more attractive. They can attract whole universe. They can attract. The flower can attract only few. So we see. But that has the capacity to attract. And that nectar by hearing, by seeing, by smelling, by tasting and touching - through our organs - we can have that nectar.

Sravana. Hearing. If you hear the nectarian glories of the Lord then you will feel happy. Nectarian. You will never want to leave that. You must always, day and night you must hear that nectarian glories.... Zagreb, Croatia 29. 6. 1999.


Srila Bhaktivaibhava Puri Gosvami Maharaja ki Jaya !!!

.

Through sankirtan you can understand this prema

BY :

Shanti Devi Dasi

http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/shanti-devi-dasi/through-sankirtan-you-can-understand-this-prema/10150187917660584

Srila Bhaktivaibhava Puri Gosvami Maharaja

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when he took initiation from Iswara Puri at Gaya. When he returned from there he was a great scholar, he was a teacher of several thousands students. And everybody, there are so many thousands schools, but they teach sanskrit and scholars are many, yet everybody is anxious to reach Chaitanya Prabhu. He is called Nimai Pandit. His name was Nimai Pandit then. So, giving up all the pundits they used to come to Nimai. And whatever they learned after ten years, Mahaprabhu used to tell them in two years. He was great because he is the Lord. Now, these students, when Mahaprabhu returned from Gaya, Mahaprabhu told all the students:

"You have studied. I am not going to teach you the same subject again. I will teach you about the Supreme Lord. That subject you have to hear."

vidya bhagavata avati

Now, you have become great devotees. Now, you must try to know the transcendental science. I will teach you that transcendental science. You should learn this. Many who are after worldly learning, they went to different pundits. And Mahaprabhu, very few with, was very eager to be with Mahaprabhu only. So Mahaprabhu he was preaching about devotion. The devotion. Because till then he was a great scholar. Everybody, he used to defeat them, questioning about philosophical and grammatical aspects, used to fight with them. But now he gave it up. He wants to reveal himself that he has come to this world to spread this devotion. Unconditional devotion and pure devotion. And the devotion, devotional gem he wants to:

krishna prema pradaya te

He distributed that devotional love to all without distinction of caste, creed or wealth or knowledge. One may have knowledge, one may have no knowledge. One may have wealth, one may have no wealth. One belongs to high class, one belongs to poor class. Whoever he may be if he comes in his view, whenever he sees him, he delivers that prema, that wealth, that spiritual wealth to all. Then after some time he looks at the world. He thought:

"The world is free from influence of kama. Now flooded with prema. They are floating on prema, Krishna prema."

So now, these people who were suffering birth after birth, birth after birth due to their ambitions, greed for happiness and wealth and enjoyment. Now, by the grace of Lord Chaitanya, they are free from greed, free from anger, free from all these qualities which distract a person from devotional thoughts. They are now happy. All these people of Navadvip, they were very happy. Because they have got transcendental love. That love is what we want. We are loving the material objects here. We are loving the nature. We are loving the trees. We are loving the valuable articles. We love golden ornaments. We love buildings. We love dogs. We love cats. We love our social friends. But, we do not know wherefrom in this world love has come. The love is, the origin of this love is Krishna. Between Krishna and his servant. There are four stages of love. That dasya rasa, sakhya rasa, vatsalya rasa and sringara....


... Through sankirtan you can understand this subject. This love. The love you can understand through sankirtan. If you repeat namam without offense, without offense if you go on repeating namam then you can clear your heart. Now it is enveloped by all this ignorance and all that dirt. Now we must surrender to the Lord and repeat their namam and repeat. After surrender we repeat the namam through his blessings. Then he will bless you to destroy your ignorance. Then you will be free from influence of maya. Your heart will be pure. In that pure heart, in that pure mirror you can see who am I. I am eternal servant of my Lord Krishna. You can see your face. Now, your face is glooming. Because it is not wrong thing. Because the mirror through which you see your reflection. It is covered with all dirt. Now, our mind, if it is in pure state, if I am in the pure state then I will be always happy. And to make my heart purified, to make my heart mirror purified I must perform sankirtan. Mahaprabhu says, Krishna:

"You do kirtan. If the kirtan... You must perform kirtan."

ceto darpanam marjanam bhava maha davagni nirvapanam
sreyah kairava candrika-vitaranam vidya vadhu jivanam
anandambudhi vardanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri krsna sankirtanam

We will be drown in the ocean of sankirtan. We'll forget ourself, forget the world, forget our kits and kins, forget the enjoyment for we are day and night struggling to have that enjoyment. Purified through sankirtan. Hari kirtan, hari kirtan, hari kirtan. So you give up all your offenses and repeat sankirtan. Today we are happy to be with you. You are all Vaisnavas.

vaisnava sangete mana
anandita anuksana
sada hoy krsna parasanga

The Vaisnava doesn't want anything of this world. Luxuries or opulence. They want only Lord Krishna. They want always to sing the Lord. They want the Absolute Truth. Worldly attachment, worldly enjoyment, this is not Absolute Truth. Not that thing. It is only dazzling like. But actually the glitters, all that glitters is not gold. The gold is not. Always we seek. Seeing the glitter, we cannot accept it it is gold... (Tivoli, Slovenia 24. 6. 1999. )

Srila Bhaktivaibhava Puri Gosvami Maharaja Ki Jay !