Sri Krishna Madhuri

[Guest guest]

The Charm of Sri Krishna's Beauty

 

Who can properly describe the transcendent charm of Sri Krishna's

beauty? On whomsoever He cast even a single love-laden glance, on him

He showered the nectar of Love which has made him immortal; he would

remove all his attraction for the world, and plant him into the

region of His love. Says Sri Jagannath, the celebrated Sanskrit poet

of the Moghul period:

O my Self! in your own interest I give you this warning. Never make

the mistake of cultivating friendship with that child, the cowherd of

Brindaban, who possesses the hue of a newly-formed cloud; bewitching

you by His playfal smile which showers nectar in the form of an

ethereal beanty, He will rob you in no time of all your beloved

objects of the world.

 

Even Madhusudana Saraswati, the celebrated author of the Advaita-

Siddhi (which contains a masterly exposition of Advaita philosophy),

had to fall from his high pedestal of Self-sovereignty (the state of

Jivanmukti, living freedom from worldly bondage) fascinated by the

transcendent glow of that unearthly beauty. He says:

 

Respected and adored by the followers of the path of Advaita and

having obtained a passport to ascend the throne of Self-sovereignty,

I was made to surrender my all (though much against my will) at the

feet of that urchin who constantly follows the footsteps of the

cowherd-maids (of Brindaban).

 

Afraid of the bewitching beauty of the child Krishna, the famous

devotee Lilashuka warns people against His magic in the following

words:

 

O Wayfarer! Do not go that way. That lane is a terrible lane. The

naked child standing there resting His hands on His hips, possessing

a hue similar to that of the Tamala leaves, only appears like an

ascetic; in truth He is a great robber who robs every traveller

passing that way of his heart.

 

Entering into the spirit of the Gopis, Sah Kundanlal, under the

assumed name of Lalitakishori, says:

 

I make an offering of these eyes to His moon-like face, as the

Chakora bird (famous for its love for the moon) offers itself to the

moon.

 

I offer life itself to the sweet smile and beautiful teeth of the

darling to His slanting glances and the corners of His eyes. I offer

the mind to the beautiful Forms of Shyama and Shyama (the Eternal

Pair), to their meeting in the inner chamber, and the rapid movement

created by the rhythm of their Rasa-dance.

 

Supremest Beauty shines in the Form of this Darling with three curves

in the Body. I offer my all to the beautiful bend of His neck.

 

Even though all that the devotee possesses is offered to Him, yet He

will continue to inflict wounds on a loving devotee through the spear

of His oblique glances. And stealing Looks at him, again and again,

He goes on sprinkling salt on the wound by His sweet smile.

 

Lalitakishori further says:

 

Look here, friend, this wayward lad of Nanda goes hurling His darts

in the shape of His obique glances. Seeing me wounded, cruel-hearted,

He merrily smiles. Says Lalitakishori, He sprinkles salt on the wound

of my heart.

 

This wound of the devotee's heart inflicted by the oblique glances of

Shyama never dries up. It remains ever green, and the acute pain he

feels every moment gives him greater joy than even the bliss of

absorption in Brahman. This wound was very deep in the hearts of the

Gopis. They are, indeed, supremely lucky who get this wound which

goes on gaping more and more as the days pass and which does not heal

up even when the swarthy-complexioned Lord appears in person and

offers His services as a surgeon. The sight of the Blue Beauty,

instead of healing the wound, makes it greener, but His disappearance

also becomes unbearable. He is the only doctor who can heal the

wound; but instead of healing it He makes it greener than ever. It is

pleasanter to have this wound ever green: Hence to suffer acutely

from the pain of this wound and repeatedly to do things which may

cause it to grow becomes a part of the daily life of the devotee

following the path of Love. He derives supreme joy even from this

suffering.

 

Source: "Gopis' Love For Sri Krishna"

 

By Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar

 

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!

[Guest guest]

THE ULTIMATE REWARD

 

O friends, we know that the reward

Of beholding the sons of Nanda,

Balaram and Krishna as they

Play their flutes and

Herd their cows through Vrindavan forests.

It is the fruit of having eyes.

It is the endowment of the senses.

 

Having experienced this we now have no use

For any other enlightenment or liberation.

 

(Bhagavat 10/18/7)

 

 

"We experience Krishna with our eyes,

we feel Him through all of our senses.

Hari is the desire, the festival of our hearts.

To imbibe Krishna's form is the ultimate reward.

 

To have conversations with God,

To behold Him, to embrace Him

Is what we live for.

To please Him,

To serve Him,

To touch Him,

To taste the nectar of His lips.

We need to thoroughly enjoy Hari

Until every hair on our bodies

Stands erect with bliss.

 

"We have heard the nectar of His flute and now savor His fragrance

everywhere. We approach Krishna directly and stand in His joyful

proximity. We integrate all of these bhavas continually into our

devotion. Understand us. We know that the fruit of attaining human

form is to use God-given senses to experience God. To join them in

Hari's pleasure."

 

To behold Him with eyes.

Or better yet, with all senses.

To imbibe His form, His divine essence.

For us, that alone is the reward.

 

"We have no use for that liberation of merging into Brahman where the

ability to taste and discern Him is annihilated. We Svaminis of Braja

know that Krishna is Brahman and have been blessed with the ability

to know Him through all of our senses."

 

"Senses have the power to experience divinity and those who deny this

truth are trapped in a totally dark room and claim, "Our eyes are

useless."

 

"To them we say, `Open the door, let in the lila-light.

 

Allow the fruit of vision to emerge. Don't deny your eyes and

senses

the reward of beholding Shri Krishna.'"

 

"Why forbid senses the right to perceive? Why look at perception as

some sort of disturbance? Why consider the world to be impermanent or

mayic? Can't you digest cognition?

 

Liberation for those who know

How to employ the senses

In Shri Krishna's pleasure

Appears to us as pure bondage.

 

"The enlightened devotional state will never arise if perceptions and

feelings that are Hari-connected are considered as obstacles. The

only obstructions we see are those that keep us from experiencing

Krishna's nectar.

 

You need to leave behind only one thing:

That which is not for His pleasure.

 

"Not even the liberation of the aspiring Yogi can compare to our

reward. We taste Krishna, we behold Him with eyes and senses. If we

merged with Hari, we would not be allowed the opportunity to

experience Him. If you wonder what the Srutis, the holy scriptures,

the authorities on the subject of liberation have to say about all of

this:

 

We Svaminis (Gopis) are the those Srutis!

We are the experts on the nature of the Divine Reward.

"We have come to Vrindavan as dairy-maids,

but we embody the highest insights of the Upanisads.

What we expound upon in our scriptural word

form can never contradict true spiritual experience.

 

"Some aspirants realize Brahman only

from the inner recesses of their soul.

They disregard that same Brahman

when He appeals to their senses.

They may sever their worldly ties but:

 

The reward for those who experience

Krishna Bliss within and without

Through all channels of perception,

Stands far above those

Who know Him merely as impersonal Brahman,

Devoid of all attire.

 

"We have come to this decision as a group. Before we incarnated here

with Hari, we were the words and lines of the scriptures. Once, we

were blessed with the sight of Vrindavan and requested Hari to have a

part in His lila. Our gathering here in Vrindavan encompasses a vast

body of sacred lore. Our teachings on the subject of liberation are

most elevated.

 

These are the teachings of the congregated Svaminis (Gopis).

 

We are the various incarnations of scripture,

Our findings span the breath of divine word.

O friends, we are of one mind and heart.

 

"We are united in our obsession with Krishna.

What we reveal to you are the undiluted ras teachings.

We have experienced them.

 

"We observe Krishna as He enters and

wanders through the Vrindavan groves.

He is accompanied by His band of joyful cowlads.

They have gathered together to herd their cows.

We behold with purified eyes and senses Krishna and

his older brother Balaram leading the group.

 

Blessed are those who can see Him.

Even more blessed are those

Who can savor Hari ras

With all of their senses.

 

"Those cowlads who are with Krishna are not as blessed as we

Svaminis. They herd cows with Krishna, they have His friendship, but

are not connaisseurs of the refined mood.

 

The forests they roam not are the glades of the Svaminis romance.

Although their bhava is totally pure, they do not have access to

the "nirguna-lila", the amorous Krishna-Svamini lila.

 

That space is reserved for us

And is beyond anything material.

 

"Krishna uses time; it is one of His instruments. The forest lila,

His cowlads and everything in Vrindavan appears within its

boundaries. Krishna has come with His friends.

 

They are in Krishna's time

And are Krishna's age.

 

"They appeared for the causeless sake of lila. They walk with Him

behind the cows and help other herders who occasionally become too

tired to track down strays."

 

The Svaminis observe this entire lila.

Balaram and Krishna are together, but

Krishna's bhava and beauty overshadows Balaram's

And the Svaminis see only Krishna's face.

 

"Our love is one-pointed,

We see the beloved's face everywhere.

All forms have become His expansions.

Our love for Hari is whole."

 

 

[An excerpt from the translation of 'Venu Gita' - Srimad Bhagavatam,

by Sri Shyamdas of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacarya's Pushti Marga]

 

--------------

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!

[Guest guest]

Namaste _/\_ all.

 

Soul-stirring kirtana by Sri Annamacharya in

'Telugu' language with my English translation:

 

itaDokaDe sarvezvaruDu

sita kamalAkSuDu zrI venkaTezuDu

 

He is known as Sri Venktesa,

the One and Only Lord, Sri Hari,

the Lord of all, with big,

beautiful eyes as the white-lotuses.

 

parama yogulaku bhAva-nidhAnamu

arayan indrAdulaku aizvaryamu

garima golletala kaugiti saukhyamu

sirulosage yI zrI venkaTezudDu

 

The benefactor of boons, Sri Venkatesa,

is the treasure of Divine ecstasy for

the highly advanced monks in meditation and

great opulence for the king of heavenly gods.

But for the highly elevated Cowherdesses, the same Lord is

enjoyed as the Supreme pleasure through His loving embraces.

 

kaligi yazodaku kanna mANikamu

talacina ndarikini tagu dikku

ala draupadikini ApadbandhuDu

celaregina yI zrI venkaTezuDu

 

The magnificent glorious Lord Venkatesa alone

is the precious Gem produced by Mother Yasoda,

and the eternal shelter for all whoever

sincerely think of Him in desperate need.

For the Queen Draupadi He proved to be the

kindest, intimate Relative in great calamities.

 

tagilina munulaku tapamula satphalamu

muguru velpulaku mUlamu

pogin alamelmanga komarina pati itaDu

digimincina yI zrI venkaTezuDu

 

The Supreme Lord Venkatesa is the Divine reward

of severe penance performed by the great sages

and the Origin of holy Trinity and Their Consorts.

Now He has graciously appeared as the adorable

Divine Spouse of Beloved Devi, Alamelu Manga!

 

(translation by dr.jaya)

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!

 

 

, pyari_h <no_reply> wrote:

 

> Here is a 'pada' composed by Jagadguru Sri Kripaluji Maharaj from

> 'Prema Rasa Madira - Wine of Divine Love':

>

> 'rasika rangeelo shyaam hamaaro....'