So today we are exploring the Servitude stage of Love of God (Dasya-rasa) as explained in chapter 36 of “The Nectar of Devotion”.
Each soul, according to its constitutional nature, possesses a unique loving relationship with Krishna in one of five principal categories. When devotees return to the spiritual world, they engage in direct loving devotional service to Krishna in their particular rasa.
Devotees engaged in servitude are attached to Krishna in the affection of reverence. Some of the inhabitants of Gokula (Vrindavan) as exhibited on earth) are attached to Krishna on this platform of affection in reverence. The inhabitants of Vrindavan used to say, “Kṛṣṇa is always manifest before us with a complexion like a blackish cloud. He holds His wonderful flute in His lotus hands. He is dressed in yellow silks and bedecked with a peacock feather on His head. When Krishna walks near Govardhan Hill with these personal features, all the inhabitants of the heavenly planets, as well as the inhabitants of this earth, feel transcendental bliss and consider themselves the eternal servants of the Lord.”
Today we are exploring the Neutral stage of Love of God, (santa-rasa), as explained in chapter 35 of “The Nectar of Devotion”.
“When the yogi sees the eternal form of Visnu and appreciates the Lord’s beauty in awe and veneration, he is situated in the neutral stage of love of God.”
…Some great sages have attained this neutral position by practicing austerity, penance and meditation to control the senses. Such sages are generally called mystic yogīs, and in most cases they are inclined to appreciate the spiritual pleasure of the impersonal feature of the absolute truth. They are practically unaware of the transcendental pleasure derived from personal contact with the Supreme Godhead.
When some great saintly persons who had undergone penances and austerities saw the four-handed transcendental form of Visnu, they began to remark as follows: “This four-handed form of the Lord, manifested in a bluish color, is the reservoir of all pleasure and the center of our living force. Actually, when we see this eternal form of Visnu, we, along with many other paramahaṁsas, become immediately captivated by the beauty of the Lord.” This appreciation of Lord Visnu by saintly persons is an instance of situation in santa-rasa, or the neutral stage of devotional service. In the beginning, those who are aspiring for salvation try to get out of the material entanglement by performing painful austerities and penances, and ultimately they come to the impersonal status of spiritual realization. At this brahma-bhuta [SB 4.30.20] stage of liberation from the material entanglement, the symptoms, as explained in the Bhagavad-gita, are that one becomes joyous beyond any hankering or lamentation and gains a universal vision. When the devotee is situated in the santa-rasa, or neutral stage of devotional service, he appreciates the Visnu form of the Lord.
Today as most of the Western World celebrates Easter Sunday, we thought we word honor the life of Lord Jesus Christ with some select writings by our spiritual master A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states that any bona fide preacher of God consciousness must have the qualities of titikṣā (tolerance) and karuṇā (compassion). In the character of Lord Jesus Christ we find both these qualities. He was so tolerant that even while he was being crucified, he didn’t condemn anyone. And he was so compassionate that he prayed to God to forgive the very persons who were trying to kill him. (Of course, they could not actually kill him. But they were thinking that he could be killed, so they were committing a great offense.) As Christ was being crucified he prayed, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they are doing.”
…Of course, the message that Christ preached was just according to his particular time, place, and country, and just suited for a particular group of people. But certainly he is the representative of God. Therefore we adore Lord Jesus Christ and offer our obeisances to him.
Once, in Melbourne, a group of Christian ministers came to visit me. They asked, “What is your idea of Jesus Christ?” I told them, “He is our guru. He is preaching God consciousness, so he is our spiritual master.” The ministers very much appreciated that.
Actually, anyone who is preaching God’s glories must be accepted as a guru. Jesus Christ is one such great personality. We should not think of him as an ordinary human being. The scriptures say that anyone who considers the spiritual master to be an ordinary man has a hellish mentality. If Jesus Christ were an ordinary man, then he could not have delivered God consciousness. (Science of Self Realization, Chapter 4, “Understanding Krsna and Christ)
We are currently in Vrindavan, India, at the Krsna Balaram Mandir, with the most beautiful Radha Shyam. All the deities looked so gorgeous this morning, in their black outfits.
Have been doing the parikaram of the twelve forests of Vrindavan, and it has been amazing, and feel exceptional fortune, at being here, and experiencing so much devotional nectar.
I wish to share some from the Preface to the”Nectar of Devotion” By A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami:
The basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone else. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an animal like a tiger has this loving propensity at least in a dormant stage, and it is certainly present in the human beings. The missing point, however, is where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy. At the present moment the human society teaches one to love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing point is Krsna, and The Nectar of Devotion teaches us how to stimulate our original love for Krsna and how to be situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life.
Those who are followers of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and read from his books with faith and conviction, are receiving Transcendental Knowledgethrough the disciplic succession.Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. (Bhagavad-gīta, 4.2)
…”Your time is so valuable that you cannot get back your life, one day of your life or one moment of your life, by paying millions of dollars. (Srila Prabhupada lectureSB 1.2.19 New Vrindaban)
I have been thinking lately about about my life. I am 70 years old, or to break it down; 25,550 days, 613,200 hours, 36,792,000 minutes, 2,207,520.000 seconds. How much of my life have I wasted? When I wasn’t thinking about Krsna, when I was not engaged in devotional service. How many hours did I spend sleeping, or engaged in fruitive labor, intoxication or sense gratification? Really, I have wasted so much valuable time, and can never get that back.
“If such valuable time you simply waste, then just estimate it what is your loss, practically, from monetary point. One moment of your life cannot be returned by millions of dollars.
Therefore our Rūpa Gosvāmī also teaches, avyartha-kālatvam (CC Madhya 23.18). A Kṛṣṇa conscious person should see, “Whether my time has become wasted? Whether I am utilizing my time, the short duration of my life, properly?” All Kṛṣṇa conscious persons should be vigilant to see that the time is not wasted. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore advises, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.
tṛṇād api sunīcenataror api sahiṣṇunāamāninā mānadenakīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31)
We have therefore introduced chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours. I am glad to see all the devotees, they are carrying the beads, that this is nice practice. It must be. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, for twenty-four hours: while working, even in sleeping. If you practice, in sleep also you will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is possible. It is not impossible, it is fact.” (lecture SB 1.2.19 New Vrindaban)
..”So we should be very much careful in discharging the duty. The devotee should be so much careful that he’ll always see, “Whether this moment is spoiled or utilized?”Avyartha-kālatvam (CC Madhya 23.18). Avyartha-kālatvam, that “My time may not be wasted.” He should be so careful, “Whether my time is being wasted?” And time wasted, the time we engage for our bodily necessities, that is wasted. Generally, conditioned souls, they are simply wasting their time. Only the period which we are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is utilized. So we should be very much careful whether time is being wasted or being utilized.”… (Morning walk San Francisco, 1968)
This morning I just happened to open this small book entitled “Life comes from Life”, which has been sitting quietly on our bookshelf for many, many years. For some reason today, I opened it and began to read. It is based on morning walk conversations with Srila Prabhupada and his disciples on the origins of life, and is very interesting. We are posting the first chapter as well as a free pdf download of entire book, that you can read or save to your computer.
This is such a beautiful song, it is a meditation in itself.
Krishna is very pleased when we call on Him by His Names, which are associated with His devotees, qualities and pastimes. This song by Bhaktivinoda Thakura is composed of the Nanes of Krsna in different aspects. (from the Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas)
Śrī Nāma-kīrtana Chanting of the Holy Names by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
yaśomatī-nandana–Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beloved son of mother Yaśodā; vraja-vara-nāgara–most beloved of the inhabitants of Vraja; gokularañjana–the attractor of the people of Gokula; kāna–(an intimate nickname); gopī-parāṇa-dhana–the wealth of the lives of the gopīs; madana-manohara–who can attract even the mind of Cupid; kāliyadamana-vidhāna–the chastiser of the Kāliya serpent.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beloved son of mother Yaśodā; the transcendental lover in the land of Vraja; the delight of Gokula; Kāna [a nickname of Kṛṣṇa]; the wealth of the lives of the gopīs. He steals the mind of even Cupid and punishes the Kāliya serpent.
amala harinām amiya-vilāsā vipina-purandara, navīna nāgara-bora, baṁśī-badana suvāsā
amala harinām–these pure holy names; amiya vilāsā–are full of sweet, nectarean pastimes; vipina-purandara–He is the monarch of the garden groves; navīna nāgara-bora–He is the best of youthful lovers; vaḿśīvadana–He is seen with His flute placed to His lips; suvāsā–He is an excellent dresser.
These pure, holy names of Lord Hari are full of sweet, nectarean pastimes. Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of the twelve forests of Vraja, He is ever-youthful and is the best of lovers. He is always playing on a flute, and He is an excellent dresser.
braja-jana-pālana–the protector of the inhabitants of Vraja; asura-kula-nāśana–the destroyer of demonic dynasties; nanda-godhana-rākhaoyālā– the keeper of Nanda Mahārāja’s valuable cows; govinda–the giver of pleasure to the cows; mādhava–the husband of the goddess of fortune; navanīta-taskara–the butter thief; sundara nanda-gopālā–the beautiful cowherd son of Nanda Mahārāja.
Kṛṣṇa is the protector of the inhabitants of Vraja; the destroyer of various demoniac dynasties; the keeper and tender of Nanda Mahārāja’s cows; the giver of pleasure to the cows, land, and spiritual senses; the husband of the goddess of fortune; the butter thief; and the beautiful cowherd boy of Nanda Mahārāja.
yāmuna-taṭa-cara–He wanders along the banks of the river Yamunā; gopī-vasana-hara–He steals the garments of the gopīs; rāsa-rasika–He delights in the mellows of the rāsa dance; kṛpāmoya–He is very merciful; śrī-rādhā-vallabha–the most beloved of Srīmatī Rādhāraṇī vṛndāvananaṭabara–the great dancer of Vṛndāvana; bhakativinod-āśraya–the shelter of Bhaktivinoda
Kṛṣṇa wanders along the banks of the River Yamunā. He stole the garments of the young damsels of Vraja who were bathing there. He delights in the mellows of the rāsa dance; He is very merciful; the lover and beloved of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; the great dancer of Vṛndāvana; and the shelter and only refuge of Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda.
I remember years ago when I was just a young new devotee, and we were asked to go out and distribute books, we were asked so many questions by people we met. One question I will never forget; “What does the mantra mean?” How to explain this to someone who has never heard of Krishna? So I replied; “O Lord please engage me in Your loving devotional service”. Even as a new devotee I knew there was more I could have said, but I left it at that.
But that basic question always stayed with me.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Another definition I discovered is;
Hare– Srimati Radharini (the divine energy of the Lord)
Krishna– The All Attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead
Rama– Name of Lord Krishna who is the reservoir of pleasure. (as in Radha-Ramana, the giver of pleasure to Srimati Radharani) The name Rama also means Lord Ramacandra, and Lord Balarama.
But for me, I like this verse I discovered in my reading;
“O Srimati Radharani, O All Attractive Reservoir of Pleasure, Lord Sri Krishna, please engage me in your loving devotional service”
This picture hangs in our temple room, not only is this one of my most favorite pictures from the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, but this is one of the most nectarian chapters as well. I always marvel at how fortunate this Ramananda Raya is.
After embracing Rāmānanda Rāya, the Lord pacified him, informing him, “But for you, no one has ever seen this form.”
“I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency [yogamāyā], and so they do not know Me, who am unborn and infallible.”
The Lord always reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone. The devotees, however, are always engaged in the service of the Lord, serving with the tongue by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and tasting mahā-prasāda. Gradually the sincere devotee pleases the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Supreme Lord reveals Himself. One cannot see the Supreme Lord by making personal efforts. Rather, when the Lord is pleased by the service of a devotee, He reveals Himself.
This is a continuation from our previous post Drops of Nectar, and includes texts 279-289 from chapter eight of the Madhya-lila entitled “Talks Between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya”.
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure, and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the personification of ecstatic love of Godhead. These two forms has combined as one in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This being the case, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu revealed His real form to Rāmānanda Rāya.
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta 1975 Edition By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Madhya-līlā, Chapter 8, Text 279-289
This morning I was reading from the “Nectar of Devotion”, about devotional service. Srila Prabhupada was explaining the nine processes of performing devotional service and referenced the “Teachings of Lord Kapila”, which was a book I have not read for such a long time, so I thought I would share a chapter with you today. And also this very important verse from the Srimad Bhagavtam.
“Hearing, chanting and remembering the holy name, form, pastimes, qualities and entourage of the Lord, offering service according to the time, place and performer, worshiping the Deity, offering prayers, always considering oneself the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, making friends with Him and dedicating everything unto Him—these are the nine processes of devotional service.” (Bhāg. 7.5.23)
There are nine basic processes of devotional service—hearing and chanting about the Supreme Lord, remembering Him, serving His lotus feet, worshiping Him, offering prayers to the Lord, acting as His servant, becoming His friend, and surrendering everything to Him. The beginning is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting. One must be very eager to hear and chant.
Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahūti By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Chapter Three, Text 3
Lord Krsna appears in every millennium, in various incarnations, to annihilate the demons, protect the devotees and reestablish the principles of religion. From upper left-hand corner: Lord Matsya, the fish incarnation; Lord Kurma, the tortoise incarnation; Lord Varaha, the boar incarnation; Lord Nrsimhadeva, the man-lion incarnation; Lord Vamana, the dwarf-brahmana incarnation; Lord Parasurama, the warrior incarnation; Lord Ramacandra; Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama; Lord Buddha; and Lord Kalki, who destroys all demons at the end of the millennium.
In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium. (Bhagavada-gita As It Is 4.8)
Last night was the Full Moon (Purnima), and as I saw it appear over the Eastern Horizon, I was reminded of the chapter of the Bhagavad-gita entitled: “The Opulence of the Absolute”. And this verse came to mind.
“Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.”
PURPORT
Any glorious or beautiful existence should be understood to be but a fragmental manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s opulence, whether it be in the spiritual or material world. Anything extraordinarily opulent should be considered to represent Kṛṣṇa’s opulence.” (Bg. 10.41)
In another verse Krishna states: “…of lights I am the radiant sun, … and among the stars I am the moon.” (Bg. 10.21)
So really Krishna Consciousness is not so difficult. Every time we see the sun, or moon, we can be reminded of Krishna.
“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” (Bg. 10.8)
The Spiritual Master is present wherever his sincere disciple is trying to serve his instructions. This is possible by the mercy of Krishna.
In your attempts to serve me, and in all your sincere devotional sentiments, I am with you, as my Guru Maharaja is with me. Remember this always…I shall never leave you. You are my disciple and I am your Spiritual Master, so there is no question, as long as you follow my instructions, that I shall never leave you.
Who is that smiling women in the middle? Why its Lady Subhadra!
Subhadra : Daughter of Vasudeva and sister of Lord Śrī Krsna. She was not only a very dear daughter of Vasudeva, but also a very dear sister to both Krsna and Baladeva. The two brothers and sister are represented in the famous Jagannatha temple of Puri, and the temple is still visited by thousands of pilgrims daily. This temple is in remembrance of the Lord’s visit at Kuruksetra during an occasion of solar eclipse and His subsequent meeting with the residents of Vrndavana. The meeting of Radha and Krsna during this occasion is a very pathetic story, and Lord Śrī Caitanya, in the ecstasy of Rādhārāṇī, always pined for Lord Śrī Krsna at Jagannatha Puri. While Arjuna was at Dvaraka, he wanted to have Subhadra as his queen, and he expressed his desire to Lord Krsna. Śrī Krsna knew that His elder brother, Lord Baladeva, was arranging her marriage elsewhere, and since He did not dare to go against the arrangement of Baladeva, He advised Arjuna to kidnap Subhadra. So when all of them were on a pleasure trip on the Raivata Hill, Arjuna managed to kidnap Subhadra according to the plan of Śrī Krsna. Śrī Baladeva was very angry at Arjuna, and He wanted to kill him, but Lord Krsna implored His brother to excuse Arjuna. Then Subhadra was duly married with Arjuna, and Abhimanyu was born of Subhadra. At the premature death of Abhumanyu, Subhadra was very mortified, but on the birth of Pariksit she was happy and solaced. (from purport to SB 1.13.3-4)
This morning I was looking through my bookshelf and I saw a book I didn’t recognize. But when I opened it, I saw my name was written on the first page. I must have purchased it on one of our trips. I had completely forgotten about it, and it was still brand new. I love a new book, so I was overjoyed to discover what was inside. Thousands of quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s many books on the Nectar of the Holy Name. So today I am posting just a few of them that jumped out at me, but I am also including the entire book as a free PDF at bottom of post.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked, “What should all living entities constantly remember?” Ramananda Raya replied, “The chief object of remembrance is always the holy name of the Lord, His qualities and pastimes.” (Sri Caitanya−caritamrta Madhya−lila 8.252)
krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih dvapare paricaryayam kalau tad dhari−kirtanat [Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit]:
“Whatever result was obtained in Satya−yuga by meditating on Visnu, in Treta−yuga by performing sacrifices and in Dvapara−yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can also be obtained in Kali−yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha−mantra.” (Srimad−Bhagavatam 12.3.52)
The Holy Name Is the Universal and Supreme Religion for this Age
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha (Sri Caitanya−caritamrta Adi 17.21)
“In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress than the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.”
krsna−varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra−parsadam yajnaih sankirtana−prayair yajanti hi su−medhasah
“The pious results derived from chanting the thousand holy names of Visnu three times can be attained by only one repetition of the holy name of Krsna.” ( Sri Caitanya−caritamrta Madhya−lila 9.33)
trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”
Recently I have been cleaning out the warehouse, organizing things, moving boxes, and I realized that I still have many box’s of small books. What to do with so many small books??? My book distribution days are for the most part over. I mean I can still drop off books in the mail, but pounding the streets with a book bag days are over. So I decided to open the treasure chest of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy and offer any of our readers Free Books!
Anyone can write to me at: theharekrishnamovement@gmail.com and request free books. I no longer have any Bhagavad-gita’s left but I do have so many of the others. You can request specific books or just a random assortment, and I will mail them out to you.
Book distributors can write and a larger package can be arranged.
I request anyone who does not already have Srila Prabhupada’s books to feel free to write, or anyone wanting to add to their collection. Maybe you just want to give them to your friends or family, this is, after all, the season of gift giving. Hare Krishna!
I have been reading the Krsna Book lately, and just yesterday we were reading chapter 14 “Prayers Offered by Lord Brahma to Lord Krsna”, and I was reminded this was the last chapter Srila Prabhupada was working on in the Srimad Bhagavatam series before his passing. So I had another look at the Tenth Canto, part 3, and thought it a good idea to share it with all our readers.
This is the final Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam volume translated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, before his untimely departure. We share it with you as a free PDF download. You can click on the above link to view the complete volume or save it to your computer.
Foward
This is the final Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam volume translated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is smaller than the earlier volumes because it ends where the renowned author stopped translating just before his departure from this mortal world on November 14, 1977, at the Krsna-Balarama Mandira in Vrndavana, India.
Recently I have had this image of Visnu in my mind. I find that my mind often goes back to the days when we went out on book distribution every day and passed out books, magazines, and Spiritual Sky incense. I guess because I had distributed hundreds of BTG magazines, I have a clear memory of the magazine covers. I forgot most of what I learned in school, but I can still recall those early days of Sankirtan, and the joy I felt when someone took a book or magazine, or said Hare Krishna for the first time. Actually, being out there on the streets was a real education in human nature. And I fondly remember so many of the magazine covers.
ON THE COVER
Sri Visnu the maitainer of the universe and goal of the yogis’ meditation.
We often say “Chant and be Happy”, but there are offences to be considered. If we want to feel the full ecastscy derived from chanting the Holy names, we need to avoid them.
There are offenses to be considered while chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. Therefore simply by chanting Hare Krsna one does not become ecstatic. ( Cc. Adi-lila 8.24) 1) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord. 2) To consider the names of demigods like Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma to be equal to or independent of the name of the Lord Vishnu. 3) To disobey the orders of the spiritual master. 4) To blaspheme the vedic scriptures or scriptures in pursuance to the vedic version. 5) To consider the glories of chanting Hare Krishna to be an imagination. 6) To give some interpretations to the holy name of the Lord. 7) To commit sinful activities on the strength of the holy name. 8) To consider the chanting of Hare Krishna as one of the auspicious ritualistic activities which are offered in the Vedas as frutive activities (Karma kanda). 9) To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name
10) To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy name and to maintain material attachments, even after understanding so many instructions on this matter. It is also an offense to be inattentive while chanting.
Every devotee who claims to be Vaishnava must guard against these offenses in order to quickly achieve the desired successKRISHNA PREMA!!!
The Hare Krishna Movement 