VNN Editorial - Nrsingha-lila: 'From Selfish Desire To The Spiritual World'

EDITORIAL May 4, 2001 VNN6723 Comment on this story

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Nrsingha-lila: 'From Selfish Desire To The Spiritual World'

BY SWAMI B.V. TRIPURARI

EDITORIAL, May 4 (VNN) — Sunday, May 6, Appearance of Lord Nrsinghadeva.

"Lord Nrsinghadeva's lila teaches us about pure devotion. Prahlada had no selfish desire. We must come to this platform to enter the spiritual world.

Those with selfish desires would do well to study carefully the lila of Nrsinghadeva."

Q&A discussion with Swami B.V. Tripurari.

Q. You mentioned in a previous Sanga that the worship of Lord Nrsinghadeva is Vaidhi bhakti (awe and reverence) and leads to Vaikuntha. Why then is Nrsinghadeva worshipped by the Gaudiya Vaisnavas who aspire for raganuga bhakti (spontaneous love) in Vrindavan?

A. Bhaktivinode Thakura initiated Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura with a Nrsingha mantra, and he in turn gave this mantra to some of his disciples.

However, Nrsinghadeva is not a raga marg deity. We should not worship him as our ista devata and aspire to attain Vaikuntha loka.

Nrsinghadeva plays a prominent role in Gaura lila, especially in relation to nama sankirtana. He is bhakti vighna vinasana, he who removes obstacles on the path of bhakti. So Nrsinghadeva is important to those whose path is blocked by anarthas. While we should not worship him with a view to attain Vaikuntha, we can worship Nrsinghadeva as a manifestation of Krsna who is particularly helpful in removing anarthas. It is worth noting that the ista devata of Prahlada was Krsna, who appeared before him in a form appropriate to the circumstances - Lord Nrsingha.

Raganuga bhakti is based primarily on the motivation with which one worships. With the proper motivation for raganuga bhakti in place, one can worship everyone. The gopis have a venerable attitude towards all Visnu tattva as well the demigods.

Sri Nrsinghadeva's lila with Prahlada teaches us about pure devotion.

Prahlada had no materially selfish desire. We must come to this platform to enter the spiritual world. Those with selfish desire would do well to study this lila carefully, whereas those who are advanced devotees on the raga marg may forgo formal worship of Nrsinghadeva, or engage in it to teach others what is important for them at their stage of development.

Eligibility for raganuga bhakti is not is not cheap. When one has greed for a particular bhava of Vraja and is no longer in need of human reasoning or scriptural proscriptions and prohibitions in order to be motivated in spiritual practice, he is eligible for raganuga sadhana. Conservatively speaking, greed for a particular bhava implies absence of greed for anything else. Still, raganuga sadhana can be either jata rati or ajata rati. Those who have not attained bhava bhakti (ajata rati bhaktas) can also practice raganuga sadhana, but their raganuga bhakti is not yet pure.

Ajati rati raganuga sadhana is mixed with vaidhi bhakti.

According to Bhaktivinode Thakura, this practice, which may very well involve the worship of Nrsinghadeva at some point, begets the jewel of raganuga bhakti. In his song Krsna-nama dhare kata bala, Bhaktivinode Thakura sings, 'vidhi-marga-rata-jane svadhinata-ratna-dane raga-marge karan pravesa,' "That person who is fixed in following vaidhi-bhakti attains the jewel of independence, by which he is placed on the path of raganuga bhakti." Here the Thakura is not saying that vaidhi marg begets Vraja bhava, but that vaidhi bhakti performed with a view to attain eligibility to tread the raga marg grants one that eligibility or independence from scriptural proscriptions and prohibitions in terms of their being a necessary motivational factor for sadhana.

Furthermore, in the same song Bhaktivinode Thakura clearly explains that acquaintance with one's internal spiritual form (svarupa) required for the culture of raganuga-bhakti proper is revealed by the grace of Krsna nama, 'isat vikaai punah dekhaya nija rapa guna citta hari laya krsna 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 Krsna's side. When the name is fully revealed, it takes me directly to Vraja, where it shows me my personal role in the eternal pastimes." Try to chant offenselessly and cultivate a worshipful attitude toward everyone. [Note: see program information about Sri Nrsinghadeva's Appearance Celebration at the end of this posting.]

Q. If Vaikuntha is not the prayojan (ultimate goal) of the Rupanuga sadhaka, why do we chant names of Visnu when putting on tilak?

A. Applying Visnu tilaka is recommended in Padma Purana. The verses found there in this regard were repeated by Mahaprabhu to Sri Sanatana Goswami through the pen of Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami in Caitanya Caritamrita.

Although the tilaka mantras are mentioned in the context of Mahaprabhu teaching Santana Prabhu sambandha jnana, raganuga sadhakas are also advised to chant them and apply tilaka in Sri Dhyanacandra Goswami's Paddhati, Sri Gaura Govinda Carana Smarana. This handbook's focus is on helping a sadhaka perform bhajana properly with a view to attain manjari bhava.

Dhyanacandra Goswami is a disciple of Gopal Guru Goswami, both of whom are eternal associates of Mahaprabhu, and both of whom are mentioned by Bhaktivinode Thakura in his Jaiva Dharma with regard to the practice of raganuga bhakti. Practices such as applying tilaka, circumabulation of the dhama, planting Tulasi, etc. are considered bhavanukula for raganuga sadhana. They are anukula (favorable) for the cultivation of Vraja bhava.

Q. Recently I heard it said that Mirabai was a disciple of Jiva Goswami and that her songs are good to sing for bhakti. Is this true?

A. Srila Prabhupada did not teach this. Prabupada had very little to say about her and seemed to take a neutral position at best. It is not possible for Jiva Goswami to have initiated Mirabai. In his famous book Sadhana-dipika, Radha Krishna Goswami clearly states that it is common knowledge that Jiva Goswami had no initiated mantra disciples. He further states that Jiva's successor at Radha Damodara temple, Krsna dasa pujari, was only his his siksa disciple, his student, to emphasize his point. Most biographers of Mirabai say that if she was initiated at all, she was initiated by Ravi dasa, who she mentions in her songs. None of her songs mention Jiva Goswami.

Furthermore, Mirabai lived from 1498-1546. During this period Jiva Goswami was not the leader of the sampradaya in Vraja, but rather a young man. It is likely that Jiva Goswami had not even arrived in Vridavana by the time Mira left the world. He would have been 33 at that time.

I also read recently where someone said that Mira attained the prema of a queen of Dvaraka and that this is mentioned in Cakravartipada's Ragavatma candrika. However, there is no mention of Mirabai in my edition of this book. According to Srila Sridhara Maharaja, Mirabai would have done well to associate with true devotees of Krsna and thus have had the chance to become one herself. Whatever her attainment was, it was not Vraja bhakti.

All Gaudiya Vaisnavas are in agreement with this.

Thus, in my opinion, it is better not to sing her songs, but to sing the songs of those who are properly motivated for attaining Vraja bhakti. When we sing the songs of these great souls we associate through sound with their inner feelings. This will help us to progress in the line of Rupa Goswami.

Questions or comments may be submitted at the Q&A Forum http://dailysanga.com/, or email editors@dailysanga.com.

Sri Nrsinghadeva 's Appearance Celebration
Visalia, California
Saturday, May 5th, 3:00 PM
Arotika, feast and pravachan.

Special guest speaker: Swami B.V. Tripurari
524 N.Velie, Visalia CA. 93292
For more information call (559) 734-4463

[Reprinted with permission from DailySanga 4/30/2001 http://dailysanga.com/]
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