Sri Krishna Kathamrita Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathāmta tapta-jīvanam BBBiiinnndududu Issue No. 147 Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications 27 February 2007 Śrī Aparā Ekādaśī, 25 Govinda, 520 Gaurābda Circulation 1,866 • LORD CHAITANYA’S GREATEST GIFT His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada • PURE DEVOTEES AND INTERNAL DEVOTEES Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja • PUSKAR TIRTHA AND NABADWIP Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakur Highlights Highlights • BEAUTIFUL GAURASUNDAR Ray Shekhar PAGE ONE TOP COLLUMN TWO LORD CHAITANYA’S GREATEST GIFT actually be developed can be learned from the vaiava philosophy. Theoretical knowledge of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta love of God can be found in many places and Swami Prabhupada in many scriptures, but what that love of Lord Chaitanya’s greatest gift was his teaching Godhead actually is and how it is developed that Krishna can be actually treated as one’s can be found in vaiava literatures. It is the lover. In this relationship the Lord is so much unique and highest development of love of God attached that he expresses his that is given by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. inability to reciprocate. Krishna Even in this material world we can have a was so obliged to the gopis, the little sense of love. How is this possible? It is cowherd girls of Vrindavan, that due to the love that is found in the Godhead. he felt unable to return their love. Whatever we find within our experience “I cannot repay your love,” he within this conditional life is situated in the told them. “I have no more assets Supreme Lord, who is the ultimate source of to return.” Thus, devotional service is performed everything. In our original relationship with on this excellent platform, and Chaitanya the Supreme Lord there is real love, and that Mahaprabhu gave knowledge of the devotee’s love is reflected pervertedly through material relationship to Krishna as lover and beloved. No conditions. Our real love is continuous and previous incarnation or ācārya ever gave it. Rupa unending, but because that love is reflected Goswami wrote of Chaitanya: “Devotional pervertedly in this material world, it lacks service itself is the highest platform, the glorious continuity and is inebriating. If we want real platform which you have contributed. You are transcendental love, we have to transfer our Krishna in a yellow complexion, and you are love to the supreme lovable object — the Sachinandana, the son of mother Sachi. Those Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the who hear Caitanya-caritāmta will keep you in basic principle of Krishna consciousness. their hearts. It will be easy to understand Krishna In material consciousness we are trying to love through you.” Thus Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that which is not at all lovable. We give our love came to deliver Krishna. His method of to dogs and cats, running the risk that at the deliverance was not meditation, fruitive activities, time of death we may think of them and or scriptural study, but love. consequently take birth in a family of dogs or We have often heard the phrase “love of cats. Thus love that does not have Krishna as Godhead.” How far this love of Godhead can its object leads downward. It is not that Krishna next column ! ! Issue One hundred forty-seven, Page — 2 é[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu top left 2 Top right 2 or God is something obscure or something that gadādhara-pa itādi prabhura ‘śakti’-avatāra only a few chosen people can attain. Chaitanya ‘antara ga-bhakta’ kari’ gaana yā hāra Mahaprabhu informs us that in every country The devotees headed by Gadadhar Pandit are to and in every scripture there is some hint of love be considered incarnations of the internal potency of Godhead. Unfortunately, no one knows what of the Lord. They are confidential devotees engaged love of Godhead actually is. The Vedic in the service of the Lord. — Cc. ādi 7.14-17 scriptures, however, are different in that they Here Kaviraj Goswami speaks about the can direct the individual in the proper way to pañca-tattva, gradually developing the narrative love God. Other scriptures do not give to describe the relative positions of the information on how one can love God, nor do antara ga-bhaktas, very confidential devotees, they actually define or describe what or who the and the śuddha-bhaktas, pure devotees. What is Godhead actually is. Although they officially the difference between a śuddha-bhakta and an promote love of Godhead, they have no idea antara ga-bhakta? There are five principle rasas how to execute it. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu — śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. gives a practical demonstration of how to love The devotees in these mellows are all śuddha- God in a conjugal relationship. Taking the part bhaktas, but they cannot all be called antara ga- of Radharani, Chaitanya tries to love Krishna bhaktas, confidential devotees. Antara ga- as Radharani loved him. Krishna was always bhaktas are in mādhurya-rasa. This is the amazed by Radharani’s love. “How does difference between the śuddha-bhakta and the Radharani give me such pleasure?” he would antara ga-bhakta. Gadadhar Pandit is in ask. In order to study Radharani, Krishna lived mādhurya-rasa, while the other devotees of in her role and tried to understand himself. This Gauranga Mahaprabhu headed by Srivas are is the secret of Lord Chaitanya’s incarnation. śuddha-bhaktas, pure devotees. Their rasa may Chaitanya is Krishna, but he has taken the be in the categories of dāsya, sakhya, or vātsalya, mode or role of Radharani to show us how to but not mādhurya. But if those devotees develop love Krishna. Thus he is addressed: “I offer my their attraction to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord they will be elevated to the category of who is absorbed in Radharani’s thoughts.” antara ga-bhaktas, internal devotees. When they — From the introduction to Teachings of Lord Caitanya. develop that kāntā-bhāva, the mood of a consort, they will come to mādhurya-rasa and think of PURE DEVOTEES themselves as gopīs, with Krishna, Gopinath, AND INTERNAL DEVOTEES Gopikanta, as their only husband. With such pure love they may be elevated to mādhurya- Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja rasa. Unless they are elevated to that level, they eka mahāprabhu, āra prabhu duijana can never be categorized as antara ga-bhaktas. dui prabhu seve mahāprabhura caraa This is the difference between śuddha bhakta and [Referring to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, antara ga bhakta. Here [referring to the above Nityananda and Adwaita Prabhus:] One of them verses] it is stated that the devotees of is mahāprabhu, and the other two are prabhus. These Nityananda Prabhu or Adwaita Prabhu are two prabhus serve the lotus feet of mahāprabhu. śuddha bhaktas — they may be in one of the rasas ei tina tattva,—’sarvārādhya’ kari māni such as dāsya, sakhya, or vātsalya, but not in caturtha ye bhakta-tattva,—’ārādhaka’ jāni mādhurya. Although there are five rasas: śānta, The three predominators [Chaitanya dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, and mādhurya, Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Adwaita Mahaprabhu discouraged śānta rasa in his Prabhu] are worshipable by all living entities, teachings. He said in the Caitanya-caritāmta (ādi and the fourth principle [Sri Gadadhar Prabhu] 3.19), cāri bhāva-bhakti diyā nācāmu bhuvana — is to be understood as their worshiper. “I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, śrīvāsādi yata ko i ko i bhakta-gaa realizing the four mellows of loving devotional ‘śuddha-bhakta’-tattva-madhye tā -sabāra gaana service.” He only gave these four rasas — dāsya, There are innumerable pure devotees of the Lord, sakhya, vātsalya, and mādhurya. There is no headed by Srivas Thakur, who are known as śānta-rasa in Mahaprabhu‘s teaching. Why? unalloyed devotees. Mahaprabhu said, (Cc. madhya 19.218): ! ! TopSri leftKr 3ishna-kathamrita Bindu top rightIssue 3 One hundred forty-seven, Page — 3 śāntera svabhāva — ke mamatā-gandha-hīna Ray then said that prema-bhakti is the ‘para-brahma’-’paramātmā’-jñāna pravīa topmost goal — sarva-sādhya-sāra. It is the nature of śānta-rasa that not even the smallest Mahaprabhu replied, “This is certainly the intimacy exists. Rather, knowledge of impersonal limit of perfection, but please be merciful to Brahman and localized Paramatma is prominent. me and speak more if there is more.” Then Why did Mahaprabhu discourage śānta- Ray gradually developed his explanation up rasa? Because śānta-rasa is neutral, nirapeka- to mādhurya-rasa. bhāva, a mood of indifference. In śānta-rasa, This is very important. One who is related to jñāna-bhāva, knowledge of the Lord as para- the Supreme Lord Krishna in mādhurya-rasa brahma, the supreme truth, and paramātmā, is an antara ga-bhakta, a most confidential the all-pervading supersoul, are prominent — devotee. Devotees who are related to Krishna not attraction toward Krishna. in dāsya, sakhya or vātsalya may be categorized In his conversation with Ray Ramananda, as suddha-bhaktas, but only one who is related to Krishna in mādhurya-rasa and is all these rasas are elaborately described. experiencing kāntā-bhāva like the gopīs is Mahaprabhu was asking questions and Ray antara ga. That is the conclusion. Ray Ramananda was answering. This is found in Ramananda will continue to speak, developing the madhya-līlā, chapter eight, of Śrī Caitanya- the mellow from dāsya, sakhya, and vātsalya caritāmta. Text 57 there states: to mādhurya. prabhu kahe, — “pa a śloka sādhyera niraya” We should chant Hare Krishna with the rāya kahe ,— “sva-dharmācarae viu-bhakti haya” same feeling of separation from Krishna as Mahaprabhu asked Ray Ramananda: Radharani was feeling. This is most important.