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* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu top left 2 Top right 2 Ramachandra when banished by the order and pebbles that will hurt your delicate feet. of His father. You cannot walk barefoot. You cannot live in Attachment to women will cause suffering, the forest.” Sita said, “Yes, you have said that I crying, and hardship. It will definitely put one should stay in Ayodhya, but where is Ayodhya? into trouble. Lord Ramachandra showed that Where there is Rama, there is Ayodhya.” Sita material side. If one takes his wife with him was very intelligent. A chaste and devoted wife when he leaves home, he will suffer. Srila has pure intelligence that comes from the Lord. Prabhupada describes here that there is no “Yes, I will stay in Ayodhya. Where there is question of independence for a woman: Rama, there is Ayodhya, and without Rama A further understanding to be derived from this there is no Ayodhya. So I will stay with you.” example is that a woman, however powerful she So she went to the forest with Rama. And the may be in the material world, must be given pro- Lord’s līlā took place there. tection, for as soon as she is unprotected she will Transformation of Love 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.