Sri Krishna Kathamrita

Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathāmta tapta-jīvanam BBBiiinnndududu Issue No. 148 Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications 15 March 2007 Śrī Pāpa Vimocanī Ekādaśī, 12 Viu, 521 Gaurābda Circulation, 1,872

• A VOW TO SEE LORD RAMA His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada • SITA RAMA, THE IDEAL HUSBAND AND WIFE Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja • NOT ATTRACTED BY MERE BEAUTY Highlights Highlights Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada

A VOW TO SEE LORD RAMA still existingPAGE ONE in South TOP COLLUMN India. It is TWObeing worshiped from that time. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta — Lecture on the appearance day of Lord Swami Prabhupada Ramachandra. Hawaii. 27 March 1969. One citizen approached Lord Ramachandra and his brother, SITA RAMA Lakshman, and informed them, “While you were absent on your THE IDEAL HUSBAND AND WIFE tour for a fortnight or a month, Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja this brahmin has not eaten even A lecture on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.10.11 a drop of water during your ab- Lord Rama is maryādā-puruottama, the top- sence.” “Why?” “Because he comes here to see most example of and enjoyer of Vedic propriety. you, darshan.” His vow was that only after see- He never transgresses veda-maryādā, Vedic regu- ing Ramachandra and offering his obeisances lation and etiquette. He is ideal in every sphere. would he then go home and take his breakfast. He is the ideal husband, ideal father, ideal son, Because he could not see Lord Ramachandra ideal brother, ideal friend, and ideal king. Lord for a fortnight or a month while the Lord was Ramachandra taught both materially and out on political tour, he did not eat even. spiritually. He came to establish the ideal and to At that time there was a statue of teach the people in general. In this verse, the Ramachandra which had been worshiped in words “strī-sa ginā gatim” indicate that the the family from Maharaja Iksvaku. Maharaja Lord Himself showed the condition of a person Iksvaku, the son of Manu, happens to be the attached to a woman. Lord Ramachandra forefather of the family in which Ramachandra showed by his own example that a person who appeared. He was a devotee of Lord Rama, and is attached to a woman will suffer. If a lusty per- he was worshiping the statue of Lord Rama. son is very attached to women he must definitely That statue was worshiped by the family, one suffer. In his purport, Prabhupada has explained after another. But when Ramachandra was both the material side and the spiritual side. Re- actually present the Lord kept that statue in the garding the material side, he has written: closet of his room. When Ramachandra was According to moral instructions, ghe nārī informed by Lakshman how that brahmin was vivarjayet: when one goes on a tour, one should not so steady and strong in his vow, Ramachandra bring his wife. Formerly, men used to travel with- ordered that the statue be delivered to him, “so out conveyances. But still, as far as possible, when that in my absence he can offer respect to the one leaves home one should not take his wife with statue.” That statue, arca, of Ramachandra is him, especially if one is in such a condition as Lord next column ! ! Issue One hundred forty-eight, Page — 2 é[q k* ZLove be exploited by rākasas like Ravan.... The conclu- sion is that a woman should always be protected. Generally, those who are attached to a woman According to the Vedic rule, there is no scope for suffer. But spiritually, when there are feelings of a woman’s being independent (asamakam), for a separation between the Lord and the pleasure woman cannot protect herself independently. potency, the spiritual bliss of the Lord increases. Crest Jewel of Wives This is the spiritual side of this subject. In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada has just As the ideal man, Lord Rama acted as the hinted, just touched on it. He has quoted Swarup ideal husband. The demon Maricha came be- Damodar Goswami saying “rādhā-ka- fore Sita and Rama in the form of a golden deer. praaya-viktir hlādinī-śakti ”, but he has not Lord Rama knew that it was an illusory deer. explained it. Some explanation is required. It When Sita asked for that deer, Rama could have is a very deep and confidential subject. Srila told her, but he didn’t say anything. Rather, he Prabhupada deliberately did not explain it in ran behind the deer to catch it. Thus he set the depth because common people cannot under- example of an ideal husband who fulfills the stand it. If someone develops greed, he will demands of his wife. When he came back, Sita inquire about it. Srila Prabhupada is inspir- had been kidnapped by Ravan and Rama could ing the reader to develop greed for it. When not find her. Rama cried and cried, “O Sita! O one makes further advancement on the path Sita!” In this way — strī-sa ginā gatim — the of devotion one will naturally inquire about Lord himself showed the situation of a person it. This is inquisitiveness, jijñāsā. attached to a woman. If one is attached to a This topic is explained in Caitanya-caritāmta woman he must suffer like that. He must cry. (ādi 4.59-60, 68-69, 71): When the wife is kidnapped, one’s duty is to rescue her. A fierce battle was fought between rādhikā hayena kera praaya-vikāra svarūpa-śakti——‘hlādinī’ nāma yā hāra Rama and Ravan, and then Rama rescued Sita. He is the ideal husband, maryādā-puruottama. Srimati Radhika is the transformation of One question arises here: Rama’s father or- Krishna’s love. She is His internal energy called hlādinī. dered only Lord Rama to go to the forest. Why did Sita go? As Ramachandra is the ideal hus- hlādinī karāya ke ānandāsvādana band, similarly, Sita is the ideal wife. She is satī- hlādinīra dvārā kare bhaktera poaa śiromai-pati-vratā, the crest jewel of all devoted That hlādinī energy gives Krishna pleasure and chaste wives. She set the example that a de- nourishes his devotees. voted wife always stays with her husband and hlādinīra sāra ‘prema’, prema-sāra ‘bhāva’ serves him. When Ramachandra received the bhāvera parama-kā hā, nāma——‘mahā-bhāva’ order from his father to go to the forest, Sita The essence of the hlādinī potency is love of said, “I will go with you.” Rama said, “Why God, the essence of love of God is emotion will you go? You have not been ordered. You [bhāva], and the ultimate development of emo- stay here in Ayodhya. You cannot go. In the tion is mahābhāva. forest there are many dangers. The forest paths mahābhāva-svarūpā śrī-rādhā- hākurāī are not nice roads. They are filled with thorns sarva-gua-khani ka-kāntā-śiromai ! ! TopSri leftKr 3ishna-kathamrita Bindu top rightIssue 3 One hundred forty-seven, Page — 3 Sri Radha Thakurani is the embodiment of to develop greed for it. Because you are gross mahābhāva. She is the repository of all good quali- materialists you cannot understand it. You will ties and the crest jewel among all the lovely con- color it in a material way. That is very danger- sorts of Lord Krishna. ous. When you make spiritual advancement you ka-prema-bhāvita yā ra cittendriya-kāya will be able to understand. Otherwise not. ka-nija-śakti rādhā krī āra sahāya Prabhupada deliberately didn’t discuss the topic Her mind, senses and body are steeped in love here. But he knows it and it is there in Caitanya- for Krishna. She is Krisha’s own energy, and caritāmta. He wrote all these things, but he kept she helps him in his pastimes. it hidden. He didn’t bring it out. Now it is com- In the above cited verse, Kaviraj Goswami ing out. It is all mentioned here. This topic is says, rādhikā hayena kera praaya-vikāra — like a manuscript that was kept in a locked box. Radharani is the transformation of the love of There is some danger here that the neophytes Krishna, praaya-vikāra. When we speak about will give these topics some material color. Again the love of Radha and Krishna, then the topic in his book, In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life, of the gradual development of prema, rati, p. 62-63, Srila Prabhupada has written: sneha, māna, praaya and comes. The first rise Therefore it is better that the neophyte of prema is called rati. When it becomes con- practitioners in the devotional field not try to densed it is called prema. When it becomes understand the intimacies of Srimati more condensed it becomes sneha. When even Radharani’s confidential service. However, more condensed it is called māna. When māna expecting that submissive and bonafide becomes condensed then it becomes praaya. devotees will understand Srimati Radharani’s Rati, prema, sneha, māna, and praaya. Praaya service in the future, these confidential is the fifth stage of development. discussions are described by Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami in Caitanya-caritāmta. Manuscript in a Locked Box Devotees who have been fortunate enough to In the purport to today’s verse, Srila rise to the spontaneous service of Godhead, Prabhupada quotes Swarup Damodar rāgānugā-bhakti, and who have developed an Goswami, rādhā-ka-praaya-viktir hlādinī- attraction for mādhurya-prema, may follow in the śakti — “The loving affairs of Sri Radha and footsteps of the confidential associates of Krishna are transcendental manifestations of Srimati Radharani and their assistants called the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency.” the mañjarīs. Praaya-viktir means a transformation of love. Srila Prabhupada continued: This subject of rati was discussed when The ecstasy that was felt by Srimati Radharani Mahaprabhu met Raya Ramananda. That dis- when she met Uddhava in Vraja in her mournful cussion is known as rāmānanda-savāda and mood of separation from Sri Krishna is appears in the eighth chapter of the madhya- personified in Lord Chaitanya. līlā of Caitanya-caritāmta. Mahaprabhu asked Who is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? Radharani’s many questions and Raya Ramananda was mournful mood of separation from Sri Krishna answering. In a purport to that conversation, is personified in Lord Chaitanya. No one should Srila Prabhupada wrote: “Srimati Radharani imitate Lord Chaitanya’s transcendental feel- is the most important of all gopīs and her spe- ings, because it is impossible for a living being cific loving service is the highest expression of to reach that stage. However, at the stage of mādhurya-prema.” [Srila Prabhupada’s In developed consciousness one may follow in his Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life, first print- footsteps. These are the hints given by experi- ing, p.62] And in the ninth canto purport un- enced, self-realized devotees in the line of Srila der discussion, Srila Prabhupada says, “The Rupa Goswami, who in ka-līlā is Rupa- hlādinī potency of the Lord belonging to the manjari, a distinguished cowherd girl. ś gāra-rasa, mādhurya-rasa, the mellow of conjugal love in the spiritual world...” Fire Covered by Smoke Because this topic has come up I am speak- Ramananda Raya explained a śloka from ing about it. Srila Prabhupada has just hinted Padma Purāa: [This verse is from the Padma about the subject and I am just inspiring you Purāa and is included in Srila Rupa Gosvami’s ! ! é[q k* Zkaustubha-mai. Kubja’s rati, 58], you will find that rati has three categories. sādhāranī, is like an ordinary mai, jewel. The They are sādhāraī, samañjasā, and samarthā. An samañjasā-rati of the wedded wives of Krishna example of sādhāraī-rati is Kubja. Surpanakha headed by Rukmini, is like candrakānta-mai, in rāma-līlā became Kubja in her next birth. but the samarthā-rati of the gopīs is like Kubja’s love is of the sādhāraī-rati category, and kaustubha-mai, and it is very, very, very rare. it extends up to the level known as prema. After No one can understand that love by dint of rati comes prema, then sneha, then māna, and then their intelligence, knowledge, merit, scholarship, nor through logic or argument. praaya. After praaya comes rāga, anurāga, There is no tinge of material lust in it. bhāva, and it goes higher to mahābhava. Sādhāraī- — From Mathura Meets Vrindavan. Gopal Jiu Publications. rati is a rare achievement, and is compared to a Bhubaneswar. 2004. Chapter nine. jewel. Its condition is like fire covered with smoke. Superior to sādhāraī-rati is samañjasā-rati. NOT ATTRACTED BY MERE BEAUTY The example of samañjasā-rati is the wedded Srila Rupa Goswami’s wives of Krishna in Dwarka, headed by Lalita-mādhava Nāakam 5.116 Rukmini. This is svakīya-bhāva. Sita comes Being requested by Rukmini to rescue her from a under the svakīya category. Sita’s love belongs forced marriage with Sisupal, Krishna arrived in ! the city of Kundina with his friend Garuda. In honor of the upcoming wedding, Rukmini’s brother had SRI KRISHNA KATHAMRITA BINDU organized a fire sacrifice for the goddess Durga in A free bi-monthly service provided by: her temple and had stationed many guards around Gopal Jiu Publications it to keep out unwanted persons. Krishna and c/o Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir Garuda disguised themselves as dancers and gained National Highway No. 5, IRC Village entrance to the temple. When Rukmini arrived, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, 751015 Garuda pointed her out to Krishna, and told him Phone: (0674) 2553250, 2557026 that Rukmini was far more beautiful than even Email: [email protected] Lakshmi, the Goddess of fortune. Krishna replied: Website: www.gopaljiu.org Subscriptions: [email protected] sakhe bhavatu. kim etena, yad ea rūpa-mātrea na hāryo hari . Gopal Jiu Publications is a branch of the Inter- “O my friend, your words are certainly true. national Society for Krishna Consciousness, Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. But it matters little, since Lord Hari is not Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. enchanted by beauty alone.” Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Bibliography Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada — Rupa Goswami. Śrī Lalita-mādhava ā akam. Sanskrit with ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. All other mate- Bengali translation by Sri Rama Narayan Vidyaratna. Mahesh rials, unless specified, © ISKCON Bhubaneswar/Gopal Library. Calcutta. 1995. Jiu Publications. All rights reserved. Blanket permission is given to redistribute Bindu in electronic or print form pro- — Rupa Goswami. Śrī Lalita-mādhava ā akam. English vided no changes are made to the contents. translation by Kusakratha Das. Krishna Library. Culver City, California. 1990.