Guardiões da Devoção
Dawn in the Land of Love
Vrndavan The Divine Civilization
by Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja
Student: By following the process of purification, I’ve been told we can experience the spiritual world in this lifetime. Does everyone who follows the instruction of Guru and shastra have that taste, does it come to everybody.
Srila Guru Maharaj: There is gradation, variety is there. Some are going on, some coming back, up, down, this way, that way. Some are running away, some are running to the goal. The individual traveller is responsible for his own progress and trouble, sometimes the environment is considered also. From that higher domain we must accept that decision which descends, still partiality may also be traced; whoever has the capacity to receive more, will be given more.
To live in that land of love is most judicious for us, for there our life is ensured. If in any way we can secure a place in that realm, we are home.
Disciple: Is duality only necessary for the conditioned soul?
Srila Guru Maharaj: Duality is relative term, but wherever there is gradation, there can’t but be duality, comparison, hierarchy. Yet the duality of the conditioned soul is different from that of the liberated soul. The nature of the Absolute is of an organic whole, it is dynamic, and within it there are so many different sections. Within the Krsna conception we find so much variety according to His temperament and satisfaction. Mallanam asinir nrnan naravarah srinam smaro murtinam. Different parties are getting a view of Him in so many different ways. Just as when Krsna enters Kamsa’s arena, they all perceive Him from different angles. Kamsa, the wrestlers, the parents, the yogis and the residents all have their unique angle of vision.
Learn to submit and through submission He will come to you. Don’t try to understand Him, but approach Him through faith.
yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijnatam bhavati
yasmin prapte sarvam idam praptam bhavatiIf I get Him I will get everything. You will be able to have Him as He wants to give Himself. The smallest drop will quench all of your thirst, so try to approach in the spirit of service. Your inner duty is towards that environment, you can’t ignore that.
Love your environment. Sincerely try to love one another and you will find yourself in Vrndavan, Chintamani Dham, the land of Krsna under His guidance.
Just try to find your sweet self within that domain, there you will live in sweetness where all movement is like dancing and speech is a song, the water is nectar and the trees are kalpataru – whatever you like they are giving to you. Your innermost self is entitled to live in that Divine civilization. And the king of that land with all His entourage and paraphernalia are also sweet to the extreme.
The lila (pastimes) of that world are all harmless. In His play, both parties, the victorious and the defeated are both blissful, no loss is possible, no death. Lila means the harmless movement necessary for pleasing, and our provincial interest prevents us from experiencing that absolute current of self-giving sacrifice. We shall be able to go and live in the land of the souls dream, not the mortal dreams of the mind in this sham world, where even good things are bad, but in His world, where even the bad things are good.
You are really a child of that soil, a child of nectar. So let us go to that ground where many more sweeter things are to be found. That home sweet homeland you must remember. Simply to listen to those Krsna lila pastimes in Vrndavan is all that is required.
One minute drop will satisfy all. He is so sweet and just a homeopathic taste won’t allow us to withdraw. Such a high kind of sweetness, never to be found in this mundane world.
adhuram madhuram vapur asya vibhar
madhuram madhuram vadhuram madhuram
madhu gandhi mridu smitam etad aho
madhuram, madhuram, madhuram, madhuramThis kind of sweetness by Bilvamangala Thakur is going on and on, it is Krsna nectar to the ears, that can capture all those fortunate souls with just a small taste for it.
Externally it may be like poison, but internally it makes life full of ecstasy. Such is the peculiar characteristic of the Divine love of Krsna. "The sweetest songs are those that tell of the saddest things.“ So painful yet still we can’t leave it.
So try not to approach Krsna directly, rather we are Radhadasya, try to enter that camp of Srimati Radharani and there to become adjusted in that particular line of service. Mainly, we are part of His potency, and the whole potency is represented by Srimati Thakurani in its fullest form, and the highest aim is to adjust with Her camp. This is mainly given through Guru Parampara and the mantra given by our Guru. The formula is there and by the formula, we shall give attention to the finest element of that formula. At the same time it is within me, my inner existence, true identity is to be found in this formula given by my Guru.
Who and what am I is all mentioned in the formula, given through the spiritual advice of the Guru Parampara. And we must reach that goal. Through following that line in a strict sense. If i take advantage of the incarrying current of dedication through Yogamaya, I can see Krsna everywhere. If I go with the outgoing current of exploitation, I will find myself in this material world of birth and death. Krsna is there, everywhere, behind everything. With a deeper vision, we will detect His hand in everything. Bhagavatam states that everything is positively good to you.
Through every incident, Krsna’s will is approaching you. With sincere attention you try to read your environment like this. All transaction is with Krsna, all affection, no bitterness. Always search for service to Krsna, the heart satisfying Lord and you will find He is by your side. He is waiting with His hankering heart for everyone. It’s only imitation love we find here, like Romeo and Juliet, unfortunately, we are mad for that. But how beautiful and desirable the centre and source of all real love must be. Love is personified, how beautiful and attractive He must be. Just as the dogs cannot understand human society, so we cannot see that world, from our maladjusted consciousness.
Vrndavan is where everything is beautiful and all are loving. Vrndavan is where our soul can experience the happiest environment. The deepest conception of our soul we shall find in that soil, and ist highest utility can be practiced in the land of love and beauty, where God is called by the Name Krsna. So dive deep to find the plane of reality, leave this dream world, and find that most fundamental reality within you.
Once when Krsna was a guest at Vidura’s house, Vidura was out begging but Vidura’s wife was there. Then Krsna came in unexpected while Vidura’s wife was taking bath, perhaps she could catch His voice. Their lifestyle was very austere, having no cloth even, and at that time she was forgetful of her position. When she came out Krsna had to throw His own cloth over her body and then wrapping herself with that cloth she came to krsna. After giving Krsna a seat somewhere, she was thinking how can I serve Him, but all she had in the room was a plantain fruit. So she took the plantain fruit and peeled it and gave the peel instead of the fruit. Krsna proceeded to eat the peel anyway.
Just at that time Vidura and Narada arrived home to find this scenario. Then Vidura cried aloud,"What are you doing, you are leaving the fruit and giving the peel to Krsna and he is eating it.“ But she wasn’t conscious of that. Then Narada remarked, "She is forgetful of her own self through the joy of suddenly finding Krsna in her house. She is overwhelmed and lost all her senses. Don’t blame her, but our Lord is eating the peel. Why couldn’t He suggest to give Him the fruit and not the peel. I don’t blame the devotee, but the Lord.“ Then Krsna remarked to Narada, "I am neither eating the fruit nor the peel, I am eating the devotional sentiment that it is offered with." In this way we should ascertain what is what.
patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah"If one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, flower, water or fruit, I will accept it. What is offered does not matter, but if it is offered to Me with devotion and love, I will accept it. I only take that regard towards Me. I eat that, not the outer representation.“
Sincerity is everything, the sincere souls will never be really troubled. By coming to a genuine Guru we can learn who we are, where we are, who is our guardian, who can save me, who is my own and what I want from my inner heart. Why I am imperfect, why I am uneasy, and why I feel no comfort. For all these answers you must cry out for that, search yourself and you will find help is coming to you through ghose agents from the plane of Truth. They will come and interfere with your mundane predicament saying,"Don’t dig your own grave and enter it, you are our own brother, come back home with us.“ This kind of search is helping your own search, eliminating all other proposals that come to take you away from that highest campaign.
Mahaprabhu upon returning from Vrndavan once encountered Raghupati Upadhyaya at Allahabad. The Lord requested of him,"Who is the destination of our serving line.“ He replied,
srotim apare smrtim itare
bharatam anye bhajantu bhava-bhitah
aham iha nandam vande
yasyalinde param brahma"According to my consideration those that wish to extract something from the Sruti, the revealed Truth, being afraid of mortal life, they run after the Vedic scriptures for a solution. But I am not concerned with that, they just want liberation from this normality. Rather my inner thirst is to have the service of Nanda Maharaj. For Parabrahman is there in Braja Dham crawling in the compound of Nanda. I just want to take his feetdust. I am not satisfied at all with this proposal of Sruti, Smriti, Mahabharata, etc.“ And then there is this further development.
kam prati kathayitam ise
samprati ko va pratitam ayatu
go-pati-tanaya-kunje
gopa-vadhuti-vitam brahma"People are so earnestly searching after parabrahman, but who will believe me when I tell them that Supreme Truth is searching, hunting after the love of the damsels of Braja, who shall I speak it to? It is the most astonishing thing. All are searching for the Absolute Truth, but He is searching for these simple girls of Vrndavan. The impossible has come to be a fact here in Vrndavan. This is my finding Lord.“ This, Raghupati told to Mahaprabhu, only a fraction of this type of sukrti can take us directly to the centre, eliminating everything else from the list of my search. So that formula from sukrti to sraddha, sadhu sanga, bhajana kriya, anartha nivritti, then nistha and ruchi, asakti, bhava. When we reach the stage of bhava bhakti then we can have some glimpse. But only then can we be lifted to that plane of prema where we can see Krsna through the eyes of Divine Love and then we may enter raga, anu-raga, bhava, mahabhava. Through these progressive stages we must pass, if we wish to live in His Divine civilization.