Realising Krishna in Kali-Yuga - Part 1
Realising Krishna in Kali-yuga - Part 1
Date: 2017-08-05 Author: Uma Prathap
Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
When Kardama Muni was commanded by Lord Brahma to beget children, Kardama Muni practised penance for ten thousand years to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead and pray to Him for a wife of like disposition. The Lord being pleased showed Himself to Kardama Muni in His beautiful transcendental form. In Srimad Bhagavatam verses 3.21.7 and 8, Maitreya Muni while explaining the glories of Kardama Muni to Vidurji says,
tataḥ samādhi-yuktena kriyā-yogena kardamaḥ samprapede hariṁ bhaktyā prapanna-varadāśuṣam
tāvat prasanno bhagavān puṣkarākṣaḥ kṛte yuge darśayām āsa taṁ kṣattaḥ śābdaṁ brahma dadhad vapuḥ
During that period of penance, the sage Kardama, by worship through devotional service in trance, propitiated the Personality of Godhead, who is the quick bestower of all blessings upon those who flee to Him for protection. Then, in the Satya-yuga, the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead, being pleased, showed Himself to that Kardama Muni and displayed His transcendental form, which can be understood only through the Vedas.
Thus we can see that the culmination of his ten thousand years of penance was the realization of the beautiful form of the Lord and this perfection of all his penance and yoga practice was reached through bhakti or devotion. Srila Prabhupada says in the purport of SB 3.21.7 that, "Without devotion, nothing can be perfect." Thinking of Krishna is the essence of all yoga practices. In the sixth chapter of Bhagavad Gita, Krishna details out how one must practice dhyana yoga. He explains how to sit with body erect, with eyes half closed, gazing at the tip of the nose, in a secluded place and with constant control of body, mind and activities. When Arjuna hears this explanation, he honestly replies in Bhagavad Gita verses 6.33 and 6.34 as to how that yoga system is not practical for him as his mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong and to subdue it is more difficult than controlling the mind.
After ten thousand years of meditating on the lotus feet of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared before Kardama Muni. We have to see how practical it is for us living in Kali yuga to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this age, practicing meditational yoga following the example of Kardama Muni is impossible because of the following reasons:
1. We do not have the luxury of ten thousand years like Kardama Muni to meditate on the Lord. 2. The meditational system of yoga is very difficult even to such an exalted advanced devotee and intimate friend of Krishna in Dvapar yuga, then what chance do we have, who are in a material circumstance wherein at every moment our mind is subject to agitation?
The solution is in chanting the holy names of the Lord. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 12.3.52, Sukadev Goswami gives this solution to Parikshit Maharaj. He says,
kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
Whatever result was obtained in Satya yuga by meditating on Vishnu, in Treta yuga by performing sacrifices and in Dvapara yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can be obtained in Kali yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra .
Krishna willing we shall continue to meditate more on this topic in the subsequent offering.
Hare Krishna.
Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev, Uma Prathap Abu Dhabi. Realising Krishna in Kali-yuga - Part 2
Date: 2017-08-06 Author: Uma Prathap
Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.
This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Realising Krishna in Kali-Yuga". In the previous offering we saw how Srimad Bhagavatam verse 12.3.52 recommends that chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the dharma in Kali-yuga. Now we shall see further.
In Satya yuga people were living for hundred thousand years and it was possible for them to execute meditational yoga for thousands of years. But for us in Kali yuga, where the life span is reduced to even less than one hundred years, Srimad Bhagavatam verse 12.3.52 says that simply chanting the names of the Lord, can give us the perfection of yoga achieved by ten thousand or more years of meditative yoga in Satya yuga. In other words, all the perfection of yoga, culminating in realizing the transcendental form of the Supreme Lord, face to face, can be achieved in the present age by bhakti yoga, by glorification of Sri Krishna through the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra,
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Lord Krishna concludes the sixth chapter of Bhagavad Gita by stating that the culmination of all yogas lies in bhakti yoga, the rendering of devotional service unto Krishna. Actually all the yogas described in Bhagavad Gita end on the same note, Krishna is the ultimate destination for all yoga systems. And if we see, Kardama Muni also was meditating on Lord Krishna in trance for ten thousand years and achieved success. In Bhagavad Gita verse 6.47, Lord Krishna says that, "of all the yogis, the one with great faith, who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself and renders transcendental loving service to Me – he is the most intimately linked with Me in yoga and is the highest of all." So it is concluded that the topmost yogi is he who is always thinking of Krishna within himself.
Who can think of Krishna all the time? One who has developed love of Krishna, can think of Him constantly. As stated in Brahma Samhita verse 5.38 - premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti - Whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love. This stage of pure unadulterated love can be attained by the simple method of Hari-kirtana. In Caitanya Caritamrta Antya lila verse 20.11, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu assures us:
nāma-saṅkīrtana haite sarvānartha-nāśa sarva-śubhodaya, kṛṣṇa-premera ullāsa
Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Krishna, one can be freed from all undesirable habits. This is the means of awakening all good fortune and initiating the flow of waves of love for Krishna.
Further in Caitanya Caritamrta Antya lila verse 20.14, He declares,
kṛṣṇa-premodgama, premāmṛta-āsvādana kṛṣṇa-prāpti, sevāmṛta-samudre majjana
The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Krishna and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately, one attains the association of Krishna and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love. Krishna willing we shall continue to meditate more on this topic in the subsequent offering.
Hare Krishna.
Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev, Uma Prathap Abu Dhabi. Realising Krishna in Kali-yuga - Part 3
Date: 2017-08-07 Author: Uma Prathap
Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.
This is in conclusion of the previous offering titled, "Realising Krishna in Kali-Yuga". In the previous offering we saw how Srimad Bhagavatam verse 12.3.52 and Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommend that chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the dharma in Kali-yuga. Now we shall see further.
Srila Haridasa Thakura, was a Mohammedan by birth and yet he could reach the state of Namacarya by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. He was blessed to leave his body fixing his eyes, "like two bumblebees", on the lotus face of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So chanting the Hare Krishna and becoming highly elevated in Krishna consciousness is very simple and sublime process prescribed for this age. Without difficulty one can sit down anywhere, plant a tulasi tree, and before the tulasi, chant the Hare Krishna mantra undisturbed. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu further teaches us how to chant. He says,
tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā amāninā māna-dena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
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 be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the name of the Lord constantly. sadā means always. Haridasa Thakura says, nirantara nama lao - chant the Hare Krishna mantra without stopping. Thus by always chanting the holy name without offenses and with the mood recommended by Lord Caitanya, one awakens his ecstatic love for the lotus feet of Krishna, as confirmed by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Caitanya Caritamrta Antya lila 20.26,
ei-mata hañā yei kṛṣṇa-nāma laya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇe tāṅra prema upajaya
If one chants the holy name of Lord Krishna in this manner, he will certainly awaken his dormant love for Krishna’s lotus feet.
The stage of pure chanting: In Srila Prabupada Lilamrita, it is said that, "the purification of one's chanting hari-nama means as soon as you chant the holy name (nama) of Krishna, you will see the form (rupa) of Krishna, realize the qualities (guna) of Krishna, remember the pastimes (lila) of Krishna. That is pure chanting of Hare Krishna mantra. Srila Jiva Goswami says that a pure devotee who chants Hare Krishna mantra immediately realizes the nama, rupa, guna, lila everything about Krishna, simply by chanting the names. And this is Samadhi." Though we may not be in that stage yet, we can take courage of the fact that irrespective of the level of purity in our chanting, even our sincere efforts to chant purely is always being watched by Krishna.
I sincerely pray at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the most munificent Lord, who personally tasted the nectar of ecstatic love for Krishna and then instructed the world how to taste it. May He shower His mercy upon me that I strive to follow His instructions and chant the holy names of the Lord offenselessly and constantly, in a humble state of mind and manifest the beautiful form of Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara within my heart! Hare Krishna.
Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev, Uma Prathap Abu Dhabi.
Moderator's Note: Today is the most auspicious occasion of Balaram Poornima and our prayers unto the lotus feet of Lord Balaram to bless all of us with spiritual strength and help us in our journey back home, back to Godhead.