Devotion in Separation - Part 1

Date: 2015-03-07 Author: Manohar Suvarna

Hare Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev!

1. Pain of Separation: Lord Sri Krishna lived in Hastinapur for few months after the great war of to pacify His sister and relatives. Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 and Chapter 10 records departure of Lord Sri Krishna from Hastinapur to Dwaraka. Lord sought permission from King Yudhishtir and bowed down to Him just to show us how we should be respectful to elders. Lord's close relatives , , , and many others could not bear the news of Lord's departure that they almost fainted. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.11 and 12 verse talks about pain of separation from Lord.

sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgo hātuṁ notsahate budhaḥ kīrtyamānaṁ yaśo yasya sakṛd ākarṇya rocanam tasmin nyasta-dhiyaḥ pārthāḥ saheran virahaṁ katham darśana-sparśa-saṁlāpa- śayanāsana-bhojanaiḥ

The intelligent, who have understood the Supreme Lord in association with pure devotees and have become freed from bad materialistic association, can never avoid hearing the glories of the Lord, even though they have heard them only once. How then could the tolerate His separation, for they had been intimately associated with His person, seeing Him face to face, touching Him, conversing with Him, and sleeping, sitting and dining with Him?

In this material world, unfortunately, those who are materially opulent are called intelligent. However, Sukadeva Goswami calls one who has understood Lord in association with pure devotee as intelligent. Having understood Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, devotees are freed from suffering and will never miss an opportunity to hear the glories of Lord. In case of Pandavas, they had a very personal relationship with the Lord. So naturally Pandavas were disturbed. They looked at Lord without blinking their eyes, and they moved hither and thither in perplexity. Female relatives were full of tears out of anxiety for Krishna. They could stop the tears with great difficulty.

Srila Prabhupada says in the purport, "It is said that Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is so transcendentally attractive that even those who are self-satisfied by self-realization and are factually liberated from all material bondage also become devotees of the Lord. Under the circumstances it is easily understood what must have been the position of the Pandavas, who were constant companions of the Lord. They could not even think of separation from Sri Krishna since the attraction was more intense for them because of continuous personal contact. His remembrance by His form, quality, name, fame, pastimes, etc., is also attractive for the pure devotee, so much so that he forgets all forms, quality, name, fame and activities of the mundane world, and due to his mature association with pure devotees he is not out of contact with the Lord for a moment."

Let us become intelligent by remembering glories of Lord with the help of pure devotees and become from suffering and anxieties. We take everything for granted. We do not realize the significance of Krishna in our life. Pandavas knew and therefore, they felt the pain of separation. Gopis loved Krishna unconditionally, gave up everything they possessed and hence, experienced the intensity of pain of separation. Let us keep Krishna in our daily life at all moments, depend on Him for all guidance. Let us plead Him not to leave us alone in this dangerous material world where we are assaulted from all sides, by our own body and mind.

Krishna willing, we will continue to meditate more on this topic in the next offering.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Manohar Suvarna Abu Dhabi. Devotion in Separation - Part 2

Date: 2015-03-24 Author: Manohar Suvarna

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev!

This is in continuation of previous offering titled, "Devotion in Separation", wherein we saw how Pandavas felt the pain of separation as Lord Sri Krishna was leaving Hastinapur. Today, we will see the glorification of Lord Sri Krishna by ladies of Hastinapur at the time of departure of Lord to Dwaraka.

2. Purify Existence: When Lord Krishna was leaving Hastinapur, all types of drums were played to honour Him. Flowers were showered on Lord, out of love, by royal ladies who were gathered on the terrace. Absorbed in the thought of the transcendental qualities of the Lord, ladies on the roofs of all the houses began to talk about Sri Krishna. Amazingly, the ladies of the houses of Hastinapur speak like sages who have experienced Lord Krishna, and His glorious activities. Ladies said that Krishna is original Personality of Godhead who existed before the creation and living entities are His part and parcel. They say that the living entities were all created by His Supreme will and were put under the influence of the material nature. Ladies wonderfully glorify Lord Sri Krishna in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.10.23,

sa vā ayaṁ yat padam atra sūrayo jitendriyā nirjita-mātariśvanaḥ paśyanti bhakty-utkalitāmalātmanā nanv eṣa sattvaṁ parimārṣṭum arhati

Here is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead whose transcendental form is experienced by the great devotees who are completely cleansed of material consciousness by dint of rigid devotional service and full control of life and the senses. And that is the only way to purify existence.

Every moment, we are living with full of anxieties, fear and lamentation because of contaminated consciousness. Unless it is cleaned, we cannot experience Krishna. Ladies of Hastinapur say that Krishna can be realised only by rigid devotional service. The word 'rigid' indicates the determination and faith which are required in devotional service. However, this task is easier said than done because we are driven by our senses. Our senses instead of being under our control, gets dragged hither and thither. However, nothing is impossible when we attempt to do it remembering Krishna. Ladies say that is the only way to purify existence.

Srila Prabhupada in his purport to above verse says "Devotional service is not inaction. Anything done in the service of the Lord becomes at once purified of its material nature. The material conception is due to ignorance only.? There is nothing beyond Vasudeva. The Vasudeva conception gradually develops in the heart of the learned after a prolonged acceleration of the receptive organs. But the process ends in the knowledge of accepting Vasudeva as all in all. In the case of devotional service, this very same method is accepted from the very beginning, and by the grace of the Lord all factual knowledge becomes revealed in the heart of a devotee due to dictation by the Lord from within. Therefore controlling the senses by devotional service is the only and easiest means."

Srila Prabhupada gives the example of how even yogic process followed by Vishvamitra also failed to help him keep his senses under control. Only by relishing the higher taste of bhakti, we will be able to get rid of lower tastes. Namacharya Srila Haridas Thakura, Ambarish Maharaj are examples of pure devotees of the Lord, who could keep their senses in control and this was possible only because of their rigid devotional service. Let us also engage our senses in service of the master of senses. Krishna willing, we will learn more about what the ladies of Hastinapur say about Lord Sri Krishna in the next offering.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Manohar Suvarna Abu Dhabi. Devotion in Separation - Part 3

Date: 2015-04-02 Author: Manohar Suvarna

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev!

This is the concluding part of previous offering titled, "Devotion in Separation", wherein we saw glorification of Lord Sri Krishna by ladies of Hastinapur at the time of departure of Lord to Dwaraka. Today, we will see further glorification of Lord.

We are just trustees and not the owners: Ladies of Hastinapur discussed about Lord Krishna with great affection in thoughtful words in Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.24 and 25:

sa vā ayaṁ sakhy anugīta-sat-katho vedeṣu guhyeṣu ca guhya-vādibhiḥ ya eka īśo jagad-ātma-līlayā sṛjaty avaty atti na tatra sajjate yadā hy adharmeṇa tamo-dhiyo nṛpā jīvanti tatraiṣa hi sattvataḥ kila dhatte bhagaṁ satyam ṛtaṁ dayāṁ yaśo bhavāya rūpāṇi dadhad yuge yuge

O dear friends, here is that very Personality of Godhead whose attractive and confidential pastimes are described in the confidential parts of Vedic literature by His great devotees. It is He only who creates, maintains and annihilates the material world and yet remains unaffected. Whenever there are kings and administrators living like animals in the lowest modes of existence, the Lord in His transcendental form manifests His supreme power, the Truth Positive, shows special mercy to the faithful, performs wonderful activities and manifests various transcendental forms as is necessary in different periods and ages.

The ladies of Hastinapur are indeed very great devotees for they could understand the transcendental nature of Lord and His activities. They knew that Krishna is the Supreme controller, who creates, maintains and destroys the entire cosmic manifestation. But when people of the world fail to understand His supremacy and begin to trouble or ill-treat others, considering themselves as superior, then according to time, place and circumstances and as per His sweet will, the Lord appears in different forms to punish the miscreants.

Today we heard a short story about a rich, old, rice merchant who gave an opportunity to a poor beggar to take care of his rice business. Amazed by the offer he got, the beggar had tears of joy. He thanked the old man and accepted the offer. When the beggar asked the old man, how much money he would get as salary, the old man said that beggar can take 90% of the profit and just give back only 10% to him. The beggar was again shocked and asked him if the old man was really willing to take only 10%. The old man smiled and said, "You cannot conceive how rich I am. So don't worry. I can just take 10%". But soon after the business began and the beggar started to earn lot of profit, he started thinking that since he is only doing all the running around job, he deserves to take 100% of the profit and there was no need for him to give anything to the old man."

Many a times we also don't realise that Lord's opulence and potency are inconceivable.

Just like how the beggar forgot the mercy of the rich rice merchant and ungratefully claimed full share on the profit, many a times we also fail to realise that whatever we are, whatever we have is all Lord's mercy. We are just trustees. So we should always be grateful to Krishna who is the real owner of everything. But we enjoy the opulences provided by Krishna and thereafter, falsely claim proprietorship over the same, leave alone the gratitude. Our greed for sense enjoyment does not stop there. We have a great tendency to grab others' properties too. This is not good.

Srila Prabhupada says in the purport to verse 1.10.25 of Srimad Bhagavatam, "The cosmic creation is the property of the Supreme Lord. No one should encroach upon the property of the Supreme Lord. One should accept only what is kindly awarded by Him."

May we always remember this and always engage in serving the Lord with gratitude.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Manohar Suvarna Abu Dhabi.