HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE 8 страница
At this juncture, the parakiya influence displays another noteworthy facet. Unattainability on the basis of Radha’s dominion appreciably places the sadhana-siddha manjari in a much fairer light. Due to the inaccessibility of Radha’s maidservant, which generates an increased fascination within Krishna’s heart, the value of the infinitesimal becomes greatly magnified. Something easily obtained can be easily taken for granted or abandoned. Something rarely gained even after considerable struggle becomes highly treasured. Krishna can easily overlook, disregard, or cast aside the minute jiva. What is the appeal of an insignificant spark compared with that of an unlimited fire? Radha and Krishna are said to be like a single ghee lamp with two immaculate, brightly blazing, infinite love- flames. They are ontologically one soul, yet, inconceivably, They morphologically manifest as two, differentiated, synergistically infatuating and infatuated, limitlessly lovable supreme personalities. In the contest of Their infinitely sublime love- infatuations, neither admits defeat. Their absolute love-play is perfect and complete. Yet we see that They, in the course of Their lilas, from time to time make Themselves scarce, so as to augment each other’s worth before one another. Sometimes Krishna disappears to increase the gopis’ love for Himself, or at other times, when, for instance, She finds that Krishna has started the rasa-lila before Her arrival to the rasa-mandala, Radhika, unseen by anyone, indignantly goes into hiding across the Yamuna to mope a Mana-sarovara lake of tears. No one likes to be taken cheaply. Everyone likes to be appreciated. Why? Because the same psychology is originally there in the Absolute. If the infinite counterpart aspects of the Absolute see the need to actively expand each other’s estimation of one another’s worth, then how much more of such necessity exists for the relatively inconsequential vibhinnamsha-jivas in their approach to the Lord’s reciprocal relationship. The plight of the jiva is such that her finitude hardly adds up to very much in face of the unlimited fancy of the Absolute. Oversimplifying the matter, some would suggest that the unlimitedness of Krishna’s heart can certainly accommodate and magnify even the smallest-of- the-smallest spark of prema. Although that is not incorrect, still, it may be objectively observed that when the jiva spark becomes especially splendorous by dancing in proximity to Shri Radhika’s unlimitedly dazzling love-flame, Krishna’s appreciation of the jiva becomes extraordinarily enriched and distinctly sustainable. Do not bother yourself to become too much infatuated with Krishna. Rather, act in such a way that Lord Krishna may become ever more infatuated with you.
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In the realm of Vraja, parakiya-tattva glistens with yet another powerful radiance. Manjari-tattva, though commonly understood to be constituted of a singular mind-set, is in fact quite bejeweled with diversity. Just as there are left-wing (vama) and right-wing (daksina) yutheshvari-gopis and sakhis with many varieties of devotional dispositions, so also there are many varieties of left- and right-wing manjaris. Rati Manjari is daksina-mridvi by nature, right wing and very soft and sweet. As evidenced in Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami’s Vilapa- kusumanjali, Rati Manjari, from her right-wing vantage point, stands as perhaps the greatest exemplar of the mood of belonging to her yutheshvari, Shri Radhika. “I am Yours! I am Yours! I cannot live without You! O queen, please understand this and bring me to Your lotus feet.” Among the asta-manjaris, Shri Lavanga Manjari is also daksina-mridvi, and Shri Rasa Manjari has qualities similar to hers. However, Shri Rupa Manjari is vama-madhya (left wing and moderate), Shri Guna Manjari is daksina-prakhara (right wing and harsh), Shri Manjulali Manjari is vama-madhya like Rupa, Shri Vilasa Manjari is vama-mridvi (left wing and sweet), and Shri Kausturi Manjari is similarly vama-mridvi in nature. The famous Shri Ananga Manjari is also vama-madhya in temperament. As among countless snowflakes no two are exactly alike, so too are there untold varieties of manjari-bhava. It is, therefore, not at all astonishing that different manjaris are possessed of different cherished ambitions as well as different feelings toward their yutheshvari. Just as Radha’s madhu-sneha differs from the ghrita- sneha of Candravali in terms of owner and owned, as previously discussed with respect to Shri Krishna’s relationship, so the sakhi-sneha of the various manjaris also differ. Like Rati Manjari, many feel within themselves a deep sense of belonging to Radha. Others, however, boldly embrace the prominent sense of Radha’s belonging to them. And, as one might surmise, Radha mercifully reciprocates their feelings. Krishna belongs to Radha, but to whom does Radha belong? She does not belong to Krishna. Nor is She self-possessed. She undeniably belongs to another (parakiya). She belongs to Her manjari maidservant. Krishna, in response to Radhika’s bhava, again and again runs to give Himself to Her, but do you think He always finds it so easy? Certainly not! He’s at the mercy of the manjaris, who may not all be so kindly disposed toward His unabashed wicked licentiousness. He often finds Himself futilely begging at the feet of Radha’s relentless left-wing manjari maidservants who derisively keep Him at bay, playfully enhancing the effectiveness of the vipralambha-rasa, which greatly nourishes the Divine Couple’s mutually intensified emotional ecstasies at the ripest time of Their imminent union.
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Devotees who aspire after the Divine Couple’s eternal, transcendentally utopian realm of svakiya-mayi sambhoga-lilas (Ranga Mahal) generally think the parakiya-punctuated vipralambha-bhava to be antagonistic to the favorable fulfillment of Radha-Krishna’s desire for continuous relishment of sambhoga-rasa (nitya-nikunja-vihara). They argue that in the spiritual world, the ananda savored by the Divine Couple in the company of Their intimate associates ever-increasingly expands for eternity anyway, so why wish upon Them the distress of separation if the intention is to make Them happy? They are already ever-increasingly happy to be in each other’s company, so why disturb Them with the aim of increasing Their happiness? Just let Them be happy. This idea, which does not accommodate the interplay of the diverse rasas of Vraja Dhama, is, however, analogous to an immature neophyte disciple’s inability to understand the positive purpose of the guru’s chastisement. Shri Guru mercifully punishes a disciple simply to strengthen, upgrade, and intensify the disciple’s determination for spiritual progress. Yet the less intelligent neophyte prefers to be flattered than to bear the weight of the guru’s reprimand, which seems intolerable. It is certainly a fact that the ananda of the Lord and His eternal associates eternally expands without limit. Still, on closer examination it can be clearly observed that, corresponding to the diverse lila configurations prelimited to various sectors of Goloka, Krishna and His entourage know either eternally ever-increasing ananda, eternally ever- increasing more intensified ananda, or eternally ever-increasing most intensified ananda. The parakiya element in vraja-lila certainly intensifies in various ways the priti-bhajana of the Lord’s ragatmika associates. This enhances the Lord’s ananda- maya reciprocal dealings with them in a myriad of ways, making them the objects of His special consideration and affection. As Krishna becomes mad after the gopis, who are accomplished in their varieties of parakiya absorption, which overstep the regulative principles of the shastras, so also, by extension of His compassionate nature, Lord Krishna becomes very much inclined toward those sadhakas who, recognizing and aspiring after the super-excellence of the vraja-gopis’ parakiya loving sentiments, constantly drink deep of the ambrosial priti- saturated asta-kaliya-lilas of Vraja. He thus mercifully helps them by providing necessary intelligence (the ability to see things in proper perspective) and appropriate knowledge of the progressive path of madhurya-maya-vraja-bhakti-bhajana (jnana- dipena bhasvata), by which they themselves may ultimately achieve the perfectional platform of unalloyed priti for His absolute pleasure. In this way, Vrajendranandana Krishna kindly dissipates the darkness of ignorance (ajnana-jam tamah nashayami) that prompts a sadhaka’s attachment to any other objective.
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From the stage of basic anartha-nivritti, when guru and
Krishna will be satisfied with the intensity of our anxiety, our desperation, our ardent avidity for attaining our natural eternal mood of loving ecstasy, bhava-siddhi, there will certainly be further and further enlightenment by gradual revelation from both within and without. Then practical attainment of our authentic, eternal prayojana, our requisite premika relationship as an assistant of Shri Guru in his or her eternal services to Radha and Krishna, will be sure and solid by Their grace. At that stage only, fullest empowerment to act as an agent of Krishna’s compassion, both internally as a vraja-gopa or gopi serving in His nitya-lilas and externally as a preacher moving within this psycho-physical dimension, becomes possible – not otherwise.
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This material world will be repeatedly vyakta and avyakta (manifest and unmanifest) for the rest of eternity. It is not that this insignificant point on the eternal time continuum is the all- important consideration. For all of eternity there will be innumerable fallen conditioned souls who will need to be delivered to the supreme perfection by the influence of someone’s highly qualified and most capable, fully self-realized, super-consciously empowered preaching efforts. Furthermore, a most profound truth is that Krishna, being an extremely witty connoisseur, very often requests the emancipated jiva who has in the sac-cid-ananda spiritual body attained His pleasure pastimes at His abode of Goloka to return in the acarya-svarupa to this material cosmos as a nitya-muktavatara. Such a mukta- jiva may then act as the greatest emissary of the Lord’s compassion to the baddha-jivas bound by the network of Maha Maya’s allurements. Having become the recipient of the fullest extent of Krishna’s mercy, only the said emancipated jiva, as a fully enlightened gopa or gopi, has the most splendid, incomparably beatific experience of the brightest absorbing prema contrasted against the black background of previous material existence characterized by abject forgetfulness of the Lord. The nitya-siddha-jivas as well as Krishna’s divine svarupa- shakti-tattva counterparts, and even Shri Krishna Himself, being always transcendentally situated and ever free from the influence of the modes of material nature, can never have such an extremely enhanced contrastive experience of the extent of the Lord’s compassion. Only the emancipated jiva fully evolved to the acme of individually achievable trancendency can most perfectly empathize with the plight of the conditioned soul. And only such a thoroughly unfettered devotee, having perfectly completed the progressive course of vraja-bhakti-bhajana, can bring about in Krishna an enhanced appreciation of His own golden quality of benevolence – an appreciation otherwise unfeasible in the spiritual world. It is only the emancipated jiva, therefore, who truly realizes what bliss is in store for the conditioned soul upon achieving the highest perfection, and as such, the emancipated jiva is the fittest instrument to deliver the fallen souls to the highest end. Having the fully actuated sac- cid-ananda-siddha-deha, the emancipated jiva remains ever beyond the degrading influence of the modes of material nature. He or she may, therefore, remain perpetually within the material world if required for assisting the Lord’s preaching mission, apparently descending to the second-class or madhyama- adhikari devotional status without running the risk of falling down to the material platform. Every disciple wants Guruji to be such a fully empowered parama-maha-bhagavata-avatara, coming down from the spiritual world to deliver discipleji to the lotus feet of Krishna. We will have the rest of eternity to collect the thousands and millions of disciples, if that’s what Krishna wants. Not that we push the panic button, childishly play makeshift lifeguard guru jumping into the ocean of material existence to “save” the “drowning” souls, become overwhelmed by the tidal wave of maya, and heroically get ourselves drowned in the process.
It’s nice that we in all our spiritual infantility intelligently rely on the power of our guru’s fully self-realized purports in the matter of serving to assist his preaching mission through the medium of transcendental book distribution. That is, no doubt, a tremendous credit. In the end, however, it would surely be preposterous to expect the books to be fully Krishna conscious for us, wouldn’t it? Transcendental book distribution certainly serves to puissantly inculcate ideal spiritual standards upon humanity. That is the mercy of the acarya-parampara – to give us some meaningful engagement along the way. Nevertheless, we should not idiotically ignore the obvious implication that it is we who have to personally learn and gradually realize the full gamut of progressive pure devotional experience. This must necessarily be accomplished by the practical application of appropriate, authoritatively approved internal rupanuga methodologies, which are notably illustrated in the writings of Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami and Vishvanatha Cakravartipada. The point is that practically every one of us at some juncture was on the receiving end of the book distribution effort. “Book distribution effort” means that the books were distributed to someone, and we happened to be the “someones” to whom the books were distributed. Why were the books distributed to us? The idea should be that the books were distributed to us to induce us to go to the highest end of realizing our eternal relationship with Krishna in one of the vraja-bhavas. Unless and until we actually go to that end, the purpose of the book distribution that was done to enable us to receive the book won’t be perfectly fulfilled. Therefore we have to go to that end to make the book distribution effort a complete success. Any intelligent and thoughtful book distributor should deeply consider, understand, appreciate, and in due course apply this principle in practical life. Otherwise, what is the meaning of the whole affair? How can we deem our transcendental book distribution a complete success unless the “someone” becomes fully absorbed in relishing the vraja-bhavas as a result of having gained an attraction and greed for them? “Someone” – Who? – The we “someones.” “Work now; samadhi later.” That’s all right. But how much later? How later does later have to be before later can be considered later enough? Later after some future God-knows how many births?
Restoration of one’s constitutional topmost vraja-prema- saturated quality of para-duhkha-duhkhi compassion toward others, following in the wake of the immaculate moods of the gopas and gopis of Vrindavana, and achievement of full-blown self realization in terms of the jiva’s highest potential are in effect one substance. Prema and compassion are essentially tantamount in that prema deliberately expresses itself as the service endeavor to facilitate the happiness and relieve the distress of Krishna and His devotees, not excluding the fallen potential devotees of this prison world of threefold sufferings. Particularly in the higher vraja-rasas – shringara, vatsalya, and some varieties of sakhya – a natural, supramundane sense of superiority in relation to Krishna as a lover, son, or friend may be noticed, wherein the devotee is seen to rightfully manifest daya-bhava (mercy) as a consequence of karuna (pathos) toward the Lord. Such occurs in response to suitable uddipanas (stimuli) due to the intoxicating nature of intensified rati for the visaya-alambana (object of affection), which naturally covers a raga-bhakta’s knowledge of Radha-Krishna’s omnipotence. This is not very astonishing. As the highest features of prema exhibited in the stages of sneha, mana, raga, anuraga, bhava, and maha-bhava are unachievable in the present material body (sadhaka-deha), it is no laughing matter that one progressively attend to the internal culture of the moods of Vraja, for without doing so, one could never hope to manifest the suitable eternal spiritual body (siddha-deha) essentially required for prema’s maximum expression. Actually, the highest premika compassion evincible by any jiva can only be gained in the company of Krishna’s eternal retinue after joining His manifest earthly lilas in this material world. When that degree of prema brims over to compassionately inundate the rotting lives of this world’s doleful detinue, then only can topmost empowered preaching be done by anyone. As such, it would behoove any aspiring preacher who wants to realize his or her highest preaching potential to go to that end, even if it demands a concentrated, purposeful dedication of considerable time and energy in this lifetime to preparatory antaranga-bhajana with that long-term aim in view.
Greed-induced multi-aspected absorption in ananda-maya- vraja-bhakti-bhajana, both internal and external, could never in its real light be discerned by a deepest intellect to be a selfish or self-centered affair. It should never be confounded with the egoistical approach of the Himalayan forest-dwelling liberationist referred to by Prahlada in his prayers to Lord Nrisimhadeva, as recounted in Shrimad-Bhagavatam. If it were, it could hardly be accepted as vraja-bhakti, because by definition, at its very core, the exclusively selfless, self-giving service attitude, far above petty concerns for mitigating personal pangs of material bondage or for private spiritual satisfaction, is meticulously cultured for the absolute pleasures of the Lord and His devotees. Lalasamayi, the intense desire for being reinstated in one’s eternal, constitutional, perfect spiritual body (siddha-deha) as an eternal resident of Vraja, should in no way be presupposed by anyone to be any sort of gross or subtle material or spiritual sense gratification. A surrendered devotee harbors no ambition separate from the interest of the Lord. Such a devotee’s only business is to recognize and sensibly submit to Krishna’s desire to have us back with Him – to serve Him, play with Him, and dance with Him in the eternal sky of Krishnaloka. In as much as it honors the Lord’s wishes, a sincere sadhaka will nobly do the needful, pursuing the favorable internal cultivation by which His desire may ever be fulfilled. Not to do so would be utter conceit. This attainment of the Lord’s nitya-lilas at Vraja-bhumi and onward to Goloka is coveted only for the purpose of achieving the otherwise unachievable highest expressible form of pleasure-giving prema. A true Vrajavasi does not consider personal happiness and distress independent of Theirs (Radha-Krishna’s) to be in any way a compelling factor for his or her actions. That is the speciality of the Vrajavasis’ standard of devotion, which distinguishes their excellence, far surpassing that of the best devotees of any other realm. Although in vraja-bhakti liberation and beatific delight are naturally consequential, as in any other pure devotional approach, they could never be seen as crucial elements in a Vrajavasi’s decision-making process, though they should not necessarily be altogether eschewed or despised.
To say that the genuine, pure-hearted vraja-bhakti- bhajananandi is selfishly bent on his own bliss, personal benefit, or comfort zone would be akin to declaring that the gosthy- anandi preacher is primarily engaged as such to secure for himself either the spiritual beatitude; the ego-gratifying daksina, honor, and reputation; or the sheer adventure personally plundered from his burlesque preaching extravaganzas. One might exhaustively harp and harp about the hypocritical, cheap, imitative imposters of either ilk, but that should never ascribe any improbity to the truly sincere. Negation of the nonessential in no way suggests a need to negate the essential. In either authentic case, we should be prepared to acknowledge the primary focus on the actual sincere service endeavor as distinct from its pleasurable or remunerative side effects – “eating to live” as opposed to “living to eat.”
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