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EDITORIAL August 11, 1999 VNN4479 Comment on this story Affection Personified BY MADHURA KRSNA DAS  EDITORIAL, Aug 11 (VNN) — "I am Krsna. I am attracting you beyond your consciousness. The very substance that attracts everything to give help. I am that living attraction." You know of gravitation, attraction, affection, that is the physical form of affection then Krishna is affection personified. " If I withdraw, it will all turn into desert, that is possible. All are searching for Me, but unknowingly and non-methodically." Everyone wants pleasure, all are searching after happiness. But they do not even know how to search for that happiness properly. And what is that pleasure? A scientific understanding of pleasure, joy, will ultimately find Krsnanusandhana. The search brings us to Him, the emporium of all rasas. Santa-rasa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhura-rasa. The combination of all different types of that pleasing substance which alone can supply ecstasy within us. Our soul's food. Wordsworth once stated, "Human nature's daily food, " meaning the mind and the person within can't be satisfied with bread alone and in the higher sense, human nature's daily food can be found only in this Krsna conception, wholesale satisfaction is there. In that wonderful statement, "every atom of our body is hankering to be united with the corresponding atoms of His world, " what to speak of us, we are being attracted there wholesale. Every atom there is attracting every corresponding atom here in our body and saying, "Come here, get your satisfaction, if you join with this world you will feel satisfaction." Krsna is such. He is attracting everything and giving satisfaction to everyone. That is food for the hungry mind, heart and also the soul, wholesale. Our minds are running here, there and everywhere for satisfaction but always coming back disappointed. The mind is very fickle, running this way and that, but can only find true satisfaction with the connection of Akhila-rasamrita murti, that nectarean figure, and his true representative, the combination of all classes of satisfaction, all harmonized respectively. We are given that in the Krsna conception of Godhead. Home Sweet Home I may not care to look after my own interest but my real family in my real home is always trying to satisfy me. When they are in my consciousness, that is my real home. Those members are trying to supply my fulfillment, all wishing well of me. Home means causeless affection from the mother's side, father's side, wife's side, husband's wide. In the family all are thinking good of each other. The very atmosphere is eager to supply welfare to me and everyone else. Every atom is thinking good of me and trying to give that goodness to me. We may not know what is good for us, we are not conscious for that by which we will be satisfied, but they know. The mother knows how to satisfy the child unbeknown to the child, so go to that higher existence of good will. Like so many prostitutes, sense pleasure is calling us for temporary satisfaction and then reaction comes from that. That sort of offer is coming from the superficial surface of the world. Das Goswami said that, "Without Krsna all the tidings, all the causes of this surface nature are like so many prostitutes." Taking our energy but still frustration remains. Krsna - Servant of Gauranga Disciple: We have heard that Krsna is doing Gaura seva. Is that correct? Guru Maharaj: Krsna is serving Gauranga? Yes, we can think like this. Krsna is charmed by His own parallel existence of Gauranga. Charmed by Him because Gauranga means Radha and Krsna. Gauranga is the combination of Radha and Krsna. And Gauranga is prepared to distribute the love for Krsna to one and all, extending the market of service that is more magnanimous when Krsna comes in the mood of Radha, i.e. both combined, and comes to distribute Their inner wealth to one and all for the public's benefit, that Krsna is Gauranga. Krsna in the mood of Radha engaged in the distribution of His own wealth to the jivas in the external world. So for us Krsna is more valuable when He is Gauranga because there we get our heart's satisfaction. That Gauranga is higher than Krsna. The most merciful engaged in distributing Himself causelessly to us, that is the most benefit for all humanity. In Vrndavan lila they were two-divided, and in Gaura lila-united, they are both eternally existing. One lila combined, and the other in separate forms and mood. All into one becomes Gauranga, not impersonal Brahman, rather the whole shakti potency and the owner of the potency combined. The Mayavardis and jnanis say, it is non-differentiated Brahman, but to us union means Gauranga searching for Himself to take the service mood of Sri Radha. Radha-Krsna, the potency and the owner of the potency combine together in one wholesale Absolute, then He is searching for Himself and giving the golden Gift of Radhas' loving example of perfect servitude to us in this world. In Prema Dhama Deva Stotram, I have written, atma-siddha-savalila-purna-saukhya-laksanam svanubhava-matta-nrtya-kirtanatma-vantanam The sign of the perfectly full absolute personality will be this - that He is dancing because He is overjoyed in His inner satisfaction. He is fully satisfied with Himself, with nowhere outside to search for His satisfaction, He will dance. The dancing attitude is showing that He is full in Himself and the kirttan, chanting, distributing that to others, we find in Gauranga and this is self-evident and a sign of the fullest substance of the highest absolute. That is mentioned in one stanza, in Prema Dhama Deva Stotram. Purna-sakhya-laksanam - The satisfaction of anandam, ecstasy, in its fullest conception will have such symptoms. When He is chanting and dancing in Himself for the joy of the whole environment that is the highest ideal of absolute happiness and that we find only in Gauranga. Do you follow? I tried to express that idea in that stanza. And Swarup Damodar asks, who is Radharani? She is the love and affection of Krnsa in a particular form. The object of Krsnas love. Solely belonging to Krsna, so they are one, still for the pastimes in Dwarapa yuga, they became divided in Vrindavan lila when They became two parties. One predominating and the other predominated. They parted with Their own paraphernalia and began Their sweet unique pastimes in different ways, this is Their Divine play. And again they combined together and become Gauranga and so He began to distribute Himself to the public automatically by nature. Nityananda's Plea Come take me, I am your object. In the mood of Radharani, Their own treasure, both parties allowed to be looted by the public. So Gauranga is our greater shelter. If you can secure an admission card from Gauranga you will find automatically you are present in the harem of Krsna. The admission card is issued from here and you are accepted in the confidential circle of service there in Radharani's group. "Anyway you can connect yourself with Gauranga. For the fallen souls, it is free to get this connection with Gauranga just the sinsere desire to have it is your admission, automatically everything will come to you for your inner heart's satisfaction." So Nityananda Prabhu tried his best canvassing from door to door. "Take a connection to Gauranga and you will be the richest of the rich." Bhaja Gauranga kaha Gauranga laha Gauranga nama - he began to roll on the doorstep of his customers, "Take to Gauranga worship Gauranga, chant the glories of Gauranga." With tears in his eyes, he would roll on their doorsteps begging. "Accept Gauranga, you don't know what is passing away from your door, chant Gauranga's name." So try to have the grace of Nityananda, he can give Gauranga, and if you have got Gauranga you have got everything, the consent, and Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. So through Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu all are invited and accepted. So generous is Their attempt, but still at the same time if we feel They can take us to the highest stage of life, then we shall have to consider Their process. The Stairway to Reality So many classes of imitationists are there, it is very difficult to understand from this jungle of different conceptions of imitationists. So to find the genuine thing is very difficult. Hence the process, the steps of progress that should not be omitted. It is given to us how you are to enquire, how you have to serve the method by a scientific investigation. Step by step we come to a conclusion, but if we omit the middle steps, the answer may be wrong. Correct steps should be followed very carefully, particularly sukrti, sraddha, sadhu-sanga, bhajana-kriya, anartha-nivritti, nista, ruchi, asakti, bhava, and prema. In this way we have to be very careful and particular about these steps by which we are to go to reach the summit of our desirable aspiration. Sraddha - a Firm Foundation For us to advance first we have to learn sraddha, that comes from sukrti (pious merit). What is the definition of sraddha? Generally on the surface it means, "There is One, by knowing which everything is known. By getting One you will get everything." If one can accept this, "Yes it is possible" one has a firm foundation. Some will say, "It is impossible by knowing one, you can know everything. This is mad man's talk." Then he has no faith, his attempt is sure to fail. So sraddha to start with must be our true foundation and what kind of faith will also determine our goal and the party of service I enter, some are having faith in that sahajiya spirit which looks akin to Prema bhakti but that will only leave us ultimately bankrupt, like imitation anything it will be found wanting, also it is not recommended to make a show of faith to the faithless or they will eventually feel deceived by illusion and turn away from the real process and goal. Agents of Divinity Then we have to make progress through sadhu-sanga, that is association with those agents of divinity. The company of a genuine sadhu is absolutely necessary. Much stress has been given on the association of the genuine saint. Bhajana-kriya - What is given, recommended for us by the sadhu, we must strictly observe that instruction to reach the next higher stage. Anartha nivritti - The ulterior demand of our superficial nature will disappear and the heart will be purified of all undesirable habits, with a pure heart and will we can then find some consistency. Nista - When all aspirations become steady and there is only a continuous conception of Krsna. No other conception is entering the heart, twenty-four hours continual experience, thinking of Krsna and His own no breaks in our conciouness of Krsna. That is nista. Ruchi - Ruchi means taste. Only at this stage the taste will come, not before. With so many gaps we have been thinking. Some times we are thinking about Krsna, sometimes other thoughts and desires about this world and we may find some sort of taste within us for them, but that is not the required taste. It is not to be considered a proper taste. When after a continuous flow of Krsna concsciousness we can eliminate all mundane thoughts, captured wholesale by Krsna, then ruchi will come out of that and then that will increase to asakti where we cannot tolerate any separation from that particular Truth. Bhava-bhakti - So many signs and genuine devotional symptoms are given when bhava bhakti comes. A superior connection with reality. Then ultimately prema-bhakti when we enter reality. And that positive participation into reality will create so many things in us. So step by step we have to go without omitting the process in the middle. If we think we have ruchi for Krsna, that we have got much love and affinity for Krsna, thinking we have begun the highest stage, this can be imitation. Thereby we commit many offences and we are hurtled down, so we must be very careful. Sadhana is the means to the end, self-determination, realization. The but the process of elimination and acceptance is there and what is real to us at present it is not imagination. The sense-experience world will evaporate and we will be found in the midst of the inner world., Like a yogi or a deep scientific scholar engaged in their search for for attainment of the Truth. That is a meagre example, but in divinity our deeper interest we will find there. We are living in the cover over the surface of the world, and the inner substance we don't care to know. Leaving the cover we shall try to dive into that deeper consciousness of reality, the Causal Truth. The sankirttan movement of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performed here over 500 years ago is still flowing and it may be possible to find somewhere in a corner of the solar system. That eternal sound is still flowing there with His figure and all His paraphernalia, the cause of all causes. This flow of vision that came here 500 years ago is also emanating, moving away. So with adjustment, greater speed, we can follow, we can find that Gaura-Nitya lila. Generally we cannot understand how the lila is nitya. From this standpoint we can see the lila to be eternal. Just as the earth is moving everywherre there is morning. Here the sun is rising, then a mile off perhaps one minute after, the sun is still rising in another place, in this way the sun is always rising. If it were possible to catch a supersonic jet we could live in the constant rising of the sun, transforming our relative concept of the sun and time. So all the morning, noon afternoon and evening, the sun is still rising here or somewhere else, so lila is also like that. It is coming here and passing away. That bhajan lila, finished here but in yet another place is beginning, and was previously extended from another quarter, simultaneously it is never ending in the Absolute sense. So everywhere, somewhere or other, every lila is eternally unfolding. Some are meditating on Krsna being born in Mathura, another devotee is worshiping Krsna with His mates keeping the cows in the jungle while others also have their relationships with Him in so many moods of devotion. If such thinking is possible in the heart of the devotee, it is all Krsna's potency to reciprocate with all of his devotees eternally. So He is there in every moment at the centre of every atom, ever existent. His lila is of such infinite nature, He can express Himself everywhere in every mood in every possible aspect. It cannot be finalised, it cannot come under limitation. That is the characteristic of the infinite. Not only Krsna lila is nectar, but every part of Krsna lila is nectar. The fundamental conception of the infinite is such, it is not static it is dynamic. It is flowing and time and space cannot limit it. We are under time and space, but time and space all come from Him. He is above time and space and forms everything in this way. So Krsna lila is eternally flowing not only wholesale, but every part of His lila also. That is difficult to understand, . His pastimes are eternal, we may understand it in that way. But every part of lila that is also eternal and co-existing. Janma lila here, another lila there, in this way everywhere at every time, every one can have conception of any part. So we are given to understand the unlimited in our limited position by the grace of those agents of divinity, it is very peculiar. Adhoksaja means transcendental and aprakrta is very similar to the mundane but not mundane. Very similar to the material conception of the world, but still that is eternal. Adhoksaja means a particular type of consciousness which pushes down all the knowledge of our previous experience, a quite new thing, transcendental. It is super-subjective. Out of His sweet will He can enter your consciousness and you may feel, "Oh some new experience I am having within my consciousness and when He withdraws it, "Oh where did that go? I cannot find it, but I liked it very much, it was very sweet and made me exceptionally happy." That is adhoksaja. It is absolute good. Coming in His connection nothing can remain atheist. There is another conception of the highest truth and that is said to be the full-fledged theism. Goloka means a solid circle, not a plain circle but a solid circle, harmonising anything and everything. The centre is personally of the highest character, absolute good. And in Krsna lila He may lie He may steal, but everything belongs to Him, so where is the question of stealing? Whatever He says that cannot but exist. That is His position. So lying is impossible and stealing also impossible, but it is couched in such a way. How can He steal when all belongs to Him. Gaura lila is not only in a part of history occurring once, it is not like that. At a certain time in the day of the Brahma the creator, in every kali-yuga there comes the yuga-avatara to preach the name only. Then once in the day of Brahma in the 28th yuga, there is a selected time in Nabadwip for Gauranga to approach, and when in Vrndavan it is Swayam Bhagavan, Krsna coming. So what comes to us if we can enter with that particular part of our self, that can really appreciate and understand its affinity with His play, that is eternal lila. If we can enter into that we will find that grace of such infinite value. To appreciate the value of the treasure being given we must try to understand the environment of everything by qualitative reference. The standard of examining things that is very important for us. Some will say, "Oh this is just another story, Gaura lila, history, by some chance came once. There are many who belittle Gaura lila and there are some who are highly appreciative of His advent. So many sections are there in the name of the Lord. So although Mahaprabhu is most magnanimous this does not mean that everyone reaches there. But many have some connection gradually in time, any day they may reach but still there is a process. Of course there are such cases that get special grant. They may do anything and everything independent, absolute independence can be there, immediate transformation is possible but that is not general. In particular cases it may be possible, but we should not be so foolish as to think that "I have that platform, I have that certain charm." So the scripture is there, measurement is there and the different stages of sadhu. All these are there and we have to accept the genuine ones help. Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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