Sri Krishna Kathamrita

Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathämåtaà tapta-jévanam BinduBindu Issue No. 190 Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications 23 November 2008 Çré Utpannä Ekädaçé, 10 Keçava, 522 Gauräbda Circulation 2,402

• MEDITATION ON THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Sripad Shankaracharya

• NAMA-TATTVA: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NAME AND THE FORM Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur Highlights Highlights • WHEN WILL NITAI BE MERCIFUL TO ME? Prema Das

PAGE ONE TOP COLLUMN TWO MEDITATION ON THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Thou showerest upon man Sripad Shankaracharya’s Géta-dhyäna The immortal nectar Introduction, translation and commentary Of the wisdom of the Absolute. by His Divine Grace A.C. O blessed Gétä, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada By Thee, Lord Krishna Himself Versification by Hayagriva Das Adhikari Enlightened Arjun. Afterward, the ancient sage Vyas Sri Shankaracharya — or Shankar — is Included Thee in the Mahäbhärata. considered to be an incarnation of Lord O loving mother, Shiva, as the Padma Puräëa testifies. Ap- Destroyer of man’s rebirth pearing in India in the 6th cen- Into the darkness of this mortal world, tury A.D., he single-handedly Upon Thee I meditate. (Text 1) drove the Buddhist philosophy out of India and reestablished namo 'stu te vyäsa viçäla-buddhe Vedic culture, all in his short phulläravindäyata-patra-netra lifetime of 32 years. Although yena tvayä bhärata-taila-pürëaù prajvälito jïänamayaù pradépaù he took up the impersonalist guise to better battle the Buddhists — im- Salutations to thee, O Vyas, personalism is much akin to Buddhism Thou art of mighty intellect, — the commentary rendered below as And shine eyes well as other writings reveal him to be a Are large as the petals devotee of Krishna, the Supreme Person- Of the full-blown lotus. ality of Godhead. Shankar’s most famous It was thou treatise is Viveka-cüòämaëi, and his other Who brightened this lamp of wisdom, works include Çäréraka-bhäñya and Prayers Filling it with the oil for Krishna. Of the Mahäbhärata. (Text 2) oà pärthäya pratibodhitäà bhagavatä näräyaëena svayaà PURPORT: Srimad Shankaracharya was vyäsena grathitäm puräëa muninä madhye mahä-bhärate an impersonalist from the materialist point advaitämåta-varñiëéà bhagavatäm añöädaçädhyäyiëém of view. But he never denied the spiritual amba! tväm anusandadhämi bhagavad-géte bhavad-veñiëém form known as sac-cid-änanda-vigraha or O Bhagavad-gétä, the eternal all-blissful form of knowledge Through Thy eighteen chapters which existed before the material creation. next column F F Issue One hundred ninety, Page — 2 é[q k* ZBrahman as im- The thumb touching the tip personal, he did not mean that the Lord’s Of Thy forefinger, sac-cid-änanda form was to be confused Indicating divine knowledge. with a material conception of personality. Salutations to Thee, O Supreme Lord, In the very beginning of his commentary For Thou art the milker on the Gétä, he maintains that Narayan, the Of the ambrosia of the Gétä. (Text 3) Supreme Lord, is transcendental to the ma- PURPORT: Srimad Shankaracharya explic- terial creation. The Lord existed before the itly says, ”You fools, just worship Govinda creation as the transcendental personality, and that Bhagavad-gétä spoken by Narayan and he has nothing to do with material per- himself,” yet foolish people still conduct their sonality. Lord Krishna is the same Supreme research work to find out Narayan; conse- Personality, and he has no connection with quently they are wretched and they waste their a material body. He descends in his spiritu- time for nothing. Narayan is never wretched al eternal form, but foolish people mistake nor daridra [poor]; rather, he is worshiped by his body to be like unto ours. Shankar’s the goddess of fortune, Lakshmi, as well as preaching of impersonalism is especially all living entities. Shankar declared himself meant for teaching foolish persons who to be ”Brahman,” but he admits Narayan or consider Krishna to be an ordinary man Krishna to be the Supreme Personality who composed of matter. is beyond the material creation. He offers his No one would care to read the Gétä if it respects to Krishna as the Supreme Brahman had been spoken by a material man, and certainly Vyasadev wouldn’t have both- ered to incorporate it into the history of the Mahäbhärata. According to the above verses, Mahäbhärata is the history of the Näma-tattva ancient world, and Vyasadev is the writer of this great epic. Bhagavad-gétä is iden- DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE tical with Krishna; and because Krishna is the Absolute Supreme Personality of NAME AND THE FORM Godhead, there is no difference between Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode’s Krishna and his words. Therefore the From Jaiva Dharma chapter 23 Bhagavad-gétä is as worshipable as Lord Vijaya: "Are there any distinctions Krishna himself, both being absolute. One between kåñëa-näma and kåñëa-svarüpa, who hears Bhagavad-gétä ”as is” actually Krishna’s name and Krishna’s form?" hears the words directly from the lotus Raghunath Das Babaji: "No, there are no lips of the Lord. But unfortunate persons differences whatsoever. However, there say that the Gétä is too antiquated for the is one unique, even mystical feature in modern man, who wants to find out God this subject: Harinäma is more merciful by speculation or meditation. than kåñëa-svarüpa. Offences committed prapanna-pärijätäya-totra-vetraika-päëaye against kåñëa-svarüpa are never forgiven by jïänamudräya kåñëäya gétämåta-duhe namaù Krishna; however, offences against either kåñëa-svarüpa or kåñëa-näma are both kindly I salute Thee, O Krishna, absolved by the mercy of harinäma. There- O Thou who art the refuge fore, one should understand and commit Of ocean-born Lakshmi to memory the ten offenses to harinäma. And all who take refuge Then, one must meticulously avoid per- At Thy lotus feet. petrating these offenses, because one must Thou art indeed rise above nämäparädha in order to chant The wish-fulfilling tree çuddha-harinäma. · For Thy devotee. — Adapted from the edition translated by Sri Sarvabhavana Thy one hand holds a staff Das. Published by Brhat Mrdanga Press. Vrindavan. 2003. For driving cows, And Thy other hand is raised — F F Issue One hundred ninety, Page — 2 é[q k* Zvasudeva-sutaà devaà kaàsa-cäëüra-mardanam stand what Bhagavad-gétä is (though they devaké-paramänandaà kåñëaà vande jagad-gurum make commentaries on it) say, ”It is not the Thou son of Vasudev, personal Krishna to whom we have to sur- Destroyer of the demons Kamsa and Canura, render ourselves utterly, but to the unborn, Thou supreme bliss of Mother Devaki, beginningless eternal who speaks through O Thou guru of the universe, Krishna.” Fools rush in where angels fear Teacher of the worlds, to tread. Whereas Shankar, the greatest of Thee, O Krishna, I salute. (Text 5) the impersonalists, offers his due respects to Krishna and his book Bhagavad-gétä, the PURPORT: Shankar describes him as the foolish say that ”it is not to the personal son of Vasudev and Devaki. Does he mean Krishna.” Such unenlightened people do thereby that he is worshiping an ordinary not know that Krishna is absolute and that material man? He worships Krishna be- there is no difference between his inside cause he knows that Krishna’s birth and and outside. The difference of inside and activities are all supernatural. As stated in outside is experienced in the dual mate- the Bhagavad-gétä (4th chapter), Krishna’s rial world. In the absolute world there is birth and activities are mysterious and tran- no such difference, because in the absolute scendental and therefore only the devotees everything is spiritual (sac-cid-änanda), and of Krishna can know them perfectly. Shan- Narayan or Krishna belongs to the absolute kar was not such a fool that he would accept world. In the absolute world there is only Krishna as an ordinary man and at the same the factual personality, and there is no dis- time offer him all devotional obeisances, tinction between body and soul. knowing him as the son of Devaki and Va- sarvopaniñado gävo dogdhä gopäla nandanaù sudev. According to Bhagavad-gétä, only by pärtho vatsaù sudhir bhoktä dugdhaà gétämåtaà mahat knowing the transcendental birth and ac- tivities of Krishna can one attain liberation The Upanishads by acquiring a spiritual form like Krishna. Are as a herd of cows, There are five different kinds of liberations. Lord Krishna, son of a cowherd, One who merges into the spiritual auras Is their milker, of Krishna, known as impersonal Brahman Arjun is the calf, effulgence, does not fully develop his spiri- The supreme nectar of the Gétä tual body. But one who fully develops his Is the milk, spiritual existence becomes an associate of And the wise man Narayan or Krishna in different spiritual Of purified intellect abodes. One who enters into the abode of Is the drinker. (Text 4) Narayan develops a spiritual form exactly PURPORT: Unless one understands spiri- like Narayan (four-handed), and one who tual variegatedness, one cannot understand enters into the highest spiritual abode of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. In Krishna, known as Goloka Vrindavan, de- the Brahma-saàhitä it is said that Krishna’s velops a spiritual form of two hands like name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage and Krishna. Shankar, as an incarnation of Lord paraphernalia are all änanda-cinmaya-rasa Shiva, knows all these spiritual existences, — in short, everything of his transcendental but he did not disclose them to his then Bud- association is of the same composition of dhist followers because it was impossible for spiritual bliss, knowledge and eternity. There them to know about the spiritual world. Lord is no end to his name, form, etc., unlike the Buddha preached that void is the ultimate material world where all things have their goal, so how could his followers understand end. As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, only fools spiritual variegatedness? Therefore Shankar deride him, whereas it is Shankar, the greatest said brahma satya jagat mithyä, or material var- impersonalist, who worships him, his cows, iegatedness is false but spiritual variegatedness F F é[q k* ZHari! Hari! When will Lord Nitai be merciful? admitted that he had to preach the philoso- When will material desires flee far away from phy of mäyä or illusion in the Kali-yuga as me? another edition of the ”void” philosophy of kabe vä käìgäla-veçe våndävane yäba Buddha. He had to do this by the order of çyäma-kuëòa rädhä-kuëòa nayane heriba the Lord for specific reasons. He, however, disclosed his real mind by recommending When, wearing the garments of a beggar, will that people worship Krishna, for no one I live in Vrindavan? When will I see Shyama can be saved simply by mental speculations Kund and Radha Kund with my own eyes? composed of word jugglery and grammati- vaàçé-vaöera chäyäya giyä jévana juòäba cal maneuvers. Shankar instructs further: kabe govardhana-müle gaòägaòi diba bhaja govindaà bhaja govindaà bhaja govin- When, attaining the shade of the Vamsi Vata daà müòha-mate, präpte sannihite käle na hi tree, will I feel my life filled with cooling bliss? na hi rakñati òukåï karaëe. ”You intellectual When at the foot of Govardhan Hill will I roll fools, just worship Govinda, just worship on the ground? Govinda, just worship Govinda. Your gram- matical knowledge and word jugglery will mäyä-moha puruña-deha kabe vä chäòiba not save you at the time of death. ” sakhéra anugä haiyä caraëa seviba (To be concluded in the next issue.) When will I give up this human body made of mäyä’s illusions? When, attaining the form WHEN WILL NITAI BE MERCIFUL? of a follower of the gopés, will I serve the feet Prema Das of the divine couple? For more information about the poet Prema Das, çré-rüpa-maïjaré-sakhira äçraya la-iba see Bindus 122 and 169. väma-päçe rahi aìge cämara òhuläba (Baräòé-räga) When will I take shelter of Sri Rupa Manjari? When, standing at her side, will I fan the divine hari hari nitäi kabe karuëä karibe couple with a camara whisk? saàsära-väsanä mora kabe düra habe ekäsane yugala-kiçora vasäiba F eka mälä duhuì gale kabe vä paräba When will I give the divine couple a sitting SRI KRISHNA KATHAMRITA BINDU place on a single throne? When will I place a single flower garland around their necks? A free bi-monthly service provided by: Gopal Jiu Publications käìgäla haiyä vraje giyä kabe vä bhramiba c/o Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir ghare ghare mädhukuri bhikñä mägi khäba National Highway No. 5, IRC Village When, becoming a beggar, will I wander in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, 751015 Phone: (0674) 2553250, 2557026 Vrindavan? When will I eat by begging from Email: [email protected] house to house? Website: www.gopaljiu.org prema däsa kahe kabe hena bhägya habe Subscriptions: [email protected] gauräìga balite mora päpa präëa yäbe Gopal Jiu Publications is a branch of the Inter- Prema Das asks when he will become for- national Society for Krishna Consciousness, tunate in these ways, and when, calling out Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. “Gauranga!”, will he leave his body made of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. sins? · Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktive- Bibliography danta Book Trust International. All other materials, unless — Jagadbandhu Bhadra (editor). Gaura-pada-taraìgiëé. Sri Gau- specified, © ISKCON Bhubaneswar/Gopal Jiu Publications. ranga Press. Calcutta. 1931. Bengali. All rights reserved. Blanket permission is given to redistrib- ute Bindu in electronic or print form provided no changes — Kusakratha Das (editor and translator). The Acaryas Songs are made to the contents. and Poems Glorifying Lord Gauranga and Lord Govinda. Un- published manuscript.