Sri Krrishhna Kathamrita
Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathāmta tapta-jīvanam BBBiiinnndududu Issue No. 91 Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications 22 November 2004 Śrī Utthānā Ekādaśī, 25 Damodara, 518 Gaurābda Circulation 1,675
• PARAMAHAMSA SRI GOUR KISHORE DAS BABAJI
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
• EXCERPTS FROM THE LIFE OF SRILA GOUR KISHORE DAS BABAJI INCLUDING: * Divine Madness * A a-kālīya-līlā * Unlawful Imitation and Wickedness PAGE ONE TOP COLLUMN TWO Highlights Highlights * Gour Kishore and Siddha Pranali
• ESSENTIAL INSTRUCTIONS OF SRILA GOUR KISHORE DAS BABAJI
PARAMAHAMSA SRI GOUR one to disturb him. So many people would come to him for darśana [visiting] and āśīrvāda KISHORE DAS BABAJI [blessings], and he did not like it. He did not From the Teachings of like to be disturbed by this āśīrvāda. [He His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta thought:] “They will not take any spiritual in- Swami Prabhupada struction. They are thinking that, ‘Here is a You’ll be surprised to know saintly person, and he’ll bless me that my one that my spiritual master’s spiri- thousand rupees will become ten thousand.’” tual master was illiterate. And Gour Kishore Das Babaji Maharaja did not my spiritual master was the like this botheration. He was sitting by the greatest learned scholar of his side of a municipal lavatory so that, “These age. My grand-spiritual master’s rascals will not come here because of the bad name was Gour Kishore Das Babaji Maha- smell. They will not disturb me.” raja. He was illiterate, but when you asked Maharaja Mahindranandi organized a him some intricate question of spiritual sig- sakīrtana festival. He came to Gour Kishore nificance, he would answer you immediately Das Babaji Maharaja to invite him. After and very nicely. That is realization. many requests, Gour Kishore Das Babaji Maharaja said, “Maharaja, you have many — Lecture in Los Angeles. 12 January 1968. tenants. You are Maharaja. Why are you are Gour Kishore Das Babaji remained trying to make me your tenant? As your ten- nikiñcana [possessionless]. His disciple, ants carry out your orders, so you also want Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, also remained me to do.” nikiñcana. Although he possessed so many “No, sir, no. You are my lord. Whatever you temples, nothing was for his personal plea- say, I shall carry it out.” sure. It was all for Krishna. “Will you carry out?” One may question, “Why was your Guru “Why not?” Maharaja sitting on the ground in a munici- Gour Kishore said, “Don’t go home. Sit down pal lavatory?” Because he did not want any- here. Chant Hare Krishna.” He fled away. So next column Issue Ninety-one, Page — 2 é[q k* ZMayapur. 6 October 1974. Although he wore his begging bowl as a hat, My Guru Maharaja was a very great did his worship in an outhouse, and would scholar, yet his Guru Maharaja, from a lit- beat with an umbrella vai avas who wanted erary point of view, could not even sign his initiation from him, he was greatly respected name, “Gour Kishore Das Babaji Maha- by the vai ava community for his detachment raja”. Bhaktivinoda Thakur asked and devotion. He spent thirty years in a state Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur to ac- of intense love for Krishna, roaming about the cept Gour Kishore Das Babaji Maharaja as various groves of the heavenly Vrindavan as his spiritual master: “You go and take your a confidante of Sri Radha. He became well initiation from Gour Kishore Das Babaji known as a perfected renunciant (siddha Maharaja.” He [Bhaktisiddhanta bābāji) and liberated soul (paramahasa) in Saraswati] thought, “I am a great scholar, Vraja and Nabadwip. and I am the son of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, He wandered for many years through the a magistrate and great vai ava. He [Gour villages in Vrindavan, continuously worship- Kishore Das Babaji] will be very much ing Krishna in the mood of rāgānuga bhajan pleased to accept me.” Of course, he was (spontaneous devotional love). very much pleased. But in the beginning he In the year 1894, Jagannath Das Baba or- refused [to accept Srila Bhaktisiddhanta]. dered him to leave Vraja and go to Bengal. He lived in Nabadwip from that year until Of course, that was only a show. his death. His behavior was considered un- Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati was not proud. usual in Nabadwip. He would beg dry foods He acted just to teach us. Bhaktisiddhanta from householders and offer it as ritual food Saraswati explained, “I was a little proud. to Bhagavan. He would cook in used and re- So I was thrice refused by my Guru Maha- jected clay pots and would cover himself with raja,” although he was his only disciple. So the clothing of corpses left on the banks of scholarship is not a qualification for becom- the Ganges. He ignored the opinion of others ing a devotee. That is Chaitanya (who felt this behavior to be impure) and Mahaprabhu’s teaching. Scholarship may would use rejected and unwanted things. help, but it is not necessary. The real neces- Sometimes he would wear a rosary of tulasī sity is that one should be humble and meek beads around his neck or have it in his hands and follow the instruction of the spiritual for counting the holy name; at other times he master. This is real qualification. would use a rosary (mālā) made of torn cloth — Lecture in Vrindavan. 13 March 1974. with knots. He often roamed about naked or Thakur Bhaktivinode was not the official with his loincloth half untied. In his ecstatic moods (bhāvas), distasteful spiritual master of Gour Kisora Das Babaji foods became delicious to him. He would eat Maharaja. Gour Kisora Das Babaji Maharaja raw rice or other grains soaked in water or in was already in the renounced order, Ganges mud. Srimati Lalita Didi of paramahasa. But Thakur Bhaktivinode, even Radharamanbagh witnessed him at worship: while he was playing the part of a house- “One day he picked up an unripe eggplant holder, was treated by Gour Kisora Das from the market and sat down at the base of a Babaji Maharaja as preceptor, on account of jhao tree at Baganbari. He cut the eggplant into his highly elevated spiritual understanding. pieces and dipped them into Ganges water and The spiritual master is divided into two parts, put a tulasī leaf on them. He offered them to his śikā-guru and dīkā-guru. Officially, i a-devatā [personal deity] and sang a song of Bhaktivinode Thakur was like the śikā-guru offering: “bhaja patita uddhara a, śrī gaura hari.” of Gour Kisora Das Babaji Maharaja. [“I worship the deliverer of the fallen, Gaura — Letter to Dayananda Das. 1 May 1969. Hari.”] He then said, “I don’t know the right TopSri leftK r3is hna-kathamrita Bindu top right 3 Issue Ninety-one, Page — 3 method of cooking this, but please eat a little of building a high wooden platform, two sto- this food.” As soon as he said this his voice be- ries high. Then, after climbing to the top of came choked, and his body turned bright red the platform, they simply pass stool. So many and began to swell, while tears flowed from his people come to see me, but none of them are eyes in streams, soaking his face and chest. See- genuine. Before they can understand a a- ing these signs of love, Lalita-didi was amazed. kālīya-līlā, they will have to give up bad as- When the bhāva subsided nearly an hour later, sociation and continuously chant the holy he again sang a song. Putting Sri Gaura to sleep, name in the association of devotees. If they he ate the unripe eggplant. His faced showed attempt to whimsically perform solitary expressions of great pleasure and happiness, worship, they will be snared by the illusory more intense than one would make if tasting energy. The name, form, quality and pas- pañcāmta (nectar).” times of the Lord are manifested within the He would roam around Nabadwip with an association of the devotees. Wretched per- iron pot, begging for food. Often he wore the sons who do not have full faith in the chant- pot on his head. He went along the road say- ing of the holy name are creating an inaus- ing, “Jaya Rādhe!” and the local people thought picious situation for themselves by sepa- he acted like a madman. Little boys would run rately attempting to understand such things. along behind him, and he would play with Their attempt to worship the Lord is under- them: “When he saw a boy who was dark, he taken without proper intelligence.” would think of him as Krishna, and the fair boy — Page 48-52 of Babaji Maharaja — “Two Be- he thought of as Gaura. When the children yond Duality” by Sri Karnamrita Das. New would touch him, he would say, ‘Look Ma Jaipur Press. Washington MS, USA. 1990. Yasoda, your Gopal has punched me!’ or “Look Ma Saci, your Gaura is making a face at me!” Unlawful Imitation and Wickedness — The Madness of the Saints by Professor June There was no space in the latrine to accom- McDaniel. University of Chicago. Chicago. 1989. modate more than one person. Babaji Maha- raja used to bolt the door from the inside and A a-kālīya-līlā chant the holy name of the Lord. Adjoining A so-called Goswami approached Srila the privy was a dilapidated chamber. A man Babaji Maharaja to learn the intimate pas- named Madhu moved into that room, had times of the Lord called a a-kālīya-līlā (pas- the roof repaired with tin, and began to chant times pertaining to eight times of the day). in imitation of Babaji Maharaja. One day, The first time he came, Srila Babaji Maharaja Babaji Maharaja called out to him, saying, told him, “Just now I don’t have any leisure “What are you doing and what are you con- time. When I find the opportunity, I will ex- templating in that room with the door closed? plain it to you.” As many times as the so-called What are you thinking about in your secluded Goswami came, he received the same answer. state? He who does not chant the holy name Finally, the Goswami became disappointed of Hari in the association of devotees, free and stopped coming. Some time later, the from offense, is not in a position to see any- paramahasa remarked, “A person who be- thing but the four walls of a room. Are you comes distressed at the loss of a useless coin seeing the surroundings? Are you thinking cannot possibly learn the most intimate pas- about desirable women, fame or material times of the Lord. Just by reading a book about gain? If you remain in that room, then differ- the a a-kālīya-līlā, real understanding will not ent kinds of rubbish thoughts will assail you.” develop. One may theoretically understand Srila Gour Kishore, although physically it, but where will his spiritual body [for as- blind, then demonstrated his capacity for sisting the Lord in such pastimes] come from? seeing by disclosing Madhu’s hypocrisy. He The attempt to reveal the Lord’s pastimes in informed the hypocrite that he was cogni- ordinary literature has created havoc. When zant of all of his “secret” acts: how he had such things are written in ordinary books, stolen the money and food which was left such literature simply adds to a rubbish pile, for Babaji Maharaja by others, and how he which is already heaped high. Everyone is had gone to various places in Nabadwip to é[q k* ZBalarama Mandir National Highway No. 5, IRC Village hari-bhajan, then one will make an exter- Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, 751015 nal pretense of great renunciation and Phone: (0674) 2553250, 2557026 detachment, as well as a show of devo- Email: [email protected] tion and devotional activities. Such be- Website: www.gopaljiu.org havior is not genuine detachment or Subscriptions: [email protected] bhāva-bhakti. 7) So long as the consideration that one’s Gopal Jiu Publications is a branch of the Inter- body belongs to oneself, dehātma-bodha, national Society for Krishna Consciousness, Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. is present, then there is no question of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. surrender and no chance of getting mercy from Lord Hari. One’s dehātma- Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada bodha is expanded by attachment to ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. All other mate- women, children, etc. rials, unless specified, © ISKCON Bhubaneswar/Gopal Jiu Publications. All rights reserved. Blanket permission is — Translated by Sri Pradosh Sahoo from Śri given to redistribute Bindu in electronic or print form pro- Upadeśāmta, edited by H.H. Bhakti Ranjan vided no changes are made to the contents. Sagar Maharaja. Bengali. Published by Saraswat Gaudiya Asan. Kolkata. 1992.