RE: [world-vedic] KRISHNA AS KAMA / EROS, AND OTHER THOUGHTS ON L OVE HERE AND HERE AFTER

[Guest guest]

Hari Bolo Bhakti Ananda Goswami Prabhu!

 

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All Glories to His Divine

Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

 

I absolutely agree with the sentiments you have expressed in your

recent posting. The concentration on Gopi-Bhava, and a whole lot of this

esoteric bickering that goes on in some Vaishnava circles strikes me to be

hardly any different then the "Pharisee" like legalistic posturing that

tends to have nothing to do with real spiritual maturity and more to do with

"look at me" narcissisms.

 

Sadly many devotees hardly understand the basic principles expressed

in the Bhagavad-Gita which is where I focus most of and study and what I use

to guide my daily activities.

 

Keep up your good work!

 

Hoping this finds you nicely engaged in the service of Lord Krishna.

 

Your Servant,

 

mayesvara dasa

AKA: william roberts

687 Villanova Road

Ojai, California 93023

(805) 640-0405 Home

(805) 228-0736 Work

robertswg (Every WorkDay 7:30-3:30pm)

mayesvara (About once every two weeks.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SRILA PRABHUPADA TAUGHT THAT WE SHOULD STUDY THE BHAGAVAD-GITA FIRST, THEN

SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM AND THEN CAITANYA-CARITAMRTA. HE CAUTIONED US NOT TO TRY

TO JUMP AHEAD TO THE ESOTERIC STUDY OF THE GOPI RASA, WITHOUT PROPER

SPIRITUAL PREPARATION BEFORE. HE ALSO EXPLAINED THAT THERE

ARE A VARIETY OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH SRI KRISHNA IN TRANSCENDENCE.

 

I HAVE TAKEN HIS INSTRUCTION IN THESE MATTERS VERY SERIOUSLY, AND

HAVE THUS FOCUSED MY OWN SADHANA APPROPRIATELY ACCORDING TO MY OWN

SPIRITUAL NATURE. BECAUSE OF THIS FOCUS, I HAVE DEVELOPED A

DEVOTIONAL DESIRE TO CULTIVATE LOVING RELATIONSHIPS IN A SIBLING-LIKE

MOOD OF FRIENDSHIP WITH MY GODBROTHERS AND GODSISTERS AND OTHER

BEINGS.

 

 

 

bhakti_eohn [bhakti.eohn]

Friday, February 22, 2002 4:02 AM

vediculture

[world-vedic] KRISHNA AS KAMA / EROS, AND OTHER THOUGHTS ON

LOVE HERE AND HERE AFTER

 

 

 

KRISHNA AS KAMA / EROS, AND OTHER THOUGHTS ON LOVE HERE AND

HERE AFTER

 

HARE KRISHNA !

 

DEAR FRIENDS,

 

I HAVE BEEN A SANNYASI SHIKSHA (INSTRUCTING)MASTER FOR TEN YEARS

NOW. SINCE I HAVE NEVER WANTED FOLLOWERS OR FANS, BY LORD

BALADEVA'S MERCY I HAVE AVOIDED THE WHOLE PATHOLOGY OF THE DISTORTED

MODERN GURU-DISCIPLE SYNDROME. INSTEAD I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH

FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD, AND I AM KNOWN FOR MY BHAKTI (LOVING

DEVOTION) IN THE BALADEVA SAKHYA-RASA OR CHIVALROUS PROTECTIVE FLAVOR

OF FRATERNAL LOVE. MANY OF MY FRIENDS RELATE TO ME AS AN OLDER

BROTHER OF SORTS, BUT I AM ALSO RESPECTED AS SOMEWHAT OF A KSHATRIYA

BY NATURE, FOR MY NATURAL PROTECTIVENESS AND MY STRONG AND

UNCOMPROMISING OPPOSITION TO UNTRUTHFULNESS, SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS

FRAUD AND DECEPTION, AND TO VARIOUS FORMS OF OPPRESSION AND

EXPLOITATION IN THE NAME OF GOD, RELIGION OR 'SPIRITUALITY'.

 

I READILY CONFESS THAT I AM NOT A BRAHMANA BY NATURE, AND THAT MY

PREDOMINANT DEVOTIONAL RASA IS NOT GOPI-BHAVA. THUS I AM NOT IN

COMPETITION WITH THE MANY OTHER GURUS IN OUR LINEAGE WHO PRESENT

THEMSELVES AS TEACHERS OF THE HIGHEST ESOTERIC SAKHI FLAVORED

DEVOTION. I AM CONTENT TO MEDITATE ON AND PREACH ABOUT SRI KRISHNA

AND LORD BALARAMA AND SRIMATE RADHARANI FROM A LESS EXAULTED

THEOLOGICAL AND EVEN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. SRILA PRABHUPADA

TAUGHT THAT WE SHOULD STUDY THE BHAGAVAD-GITA FIRST, THEN SRIMAD

BHAGAVATAM AND THEN CAITANYA-CARITAMRTA. HE CAUTIONED US NOT TO

TRY TO JUMP AHEAD TO THE ESOTERIC STUDY OF THE GOPI RASA, WITHOUT

PROPER SPIRITUAL PREPARATION BEFORE. HE ALSO EXPLAINED THAT THERE

ARE A VARIETY OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH SRI KRISHNA IN TRANSCENDENCE.

 

I HAVE TAKEN HIS INSTRUCTION IN THESE MATTERS VERY SERIOUSLY, AND

HAVE THUS FOCUSED MY OWN SADHANA APPROPRIATELY ACCORDING TO MY OWN

SPIRITUAL NATURE. BECAUSE OF THIS FOCUS, I HAVE DEVELOPED A

DEVOTIONAL DESIRE TO CULTIVATE LOVING RELATIONSHIPS IN A SIBLING-LIKE

MOOD OF FRIENDSHIP WITH MY GODBROTHERS AND GODSISTERS AND OTHER

BEINGS. RELATIVE TO THIS, MY PREACHING MINISTRY HAS A DIFFERENT

EMPHASIS THAN THAT OF OTHER GAUDIYA LINEAGE SANNYASIS. FROM MY

PERSPECTIVE, I SEE THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE NEGLECTING THE WORSHIP OF

LORD BALADEVA AND THUS IN GENERAL DO NOT KNOW HOW TO HAVE FRIENDLY

AND FAMILIAL RELATIONS. FOR THIS REASON, I THINK THAT IT IS

IMPORTANT FOR SUCH PEOPLE TO TRY TO LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE IN THE

FLAVOR OF FRIENDSHIP, BEFORE THEY TRY TO JUMP-AHEAD TO GOPI BHAVA.

ALSO, ONE SHOULD NOT ARTIFICIALLY ASPIRE TO ENTER THE CAMP OF THE

GOPIS, BECAUSE IT IS THE PLACE FOR THE 'HIGHEST' EXPERIANCE OF GOD.

WE ARE NOT ALL GOPIS IN TRANSCENDENCE, BUT WHATEVER WE ARE, WE ARE

PERFECTLY SATISFIED IN OUR LOVING RELATIONSHIP WITH GODHEAD. EVEN

IF WE DO BELONG IN THE ASSOCIATION OF THE EXHAULTED GOPIS, WE MUST

REALIZE THAT WHILE ALL OF THE GOPIS LOVE KRISHNA, THEY ALSO LOVE

SRIMATE RADHARANI AND EACHOTHER TOO ! THIS FRIENDSHIP ASPECT OF

THEIR DEVOTION NEEDS TO BE DEVELOPED WITHIN OUR SOCIETY, OR JEALOUSY

AND RIVALRY FOR SRI KRISHNA'S ATTENTION AND AFFECTION WILL DISTURB

THE LOVING RELATIONS IN OUR SOCIETY.

 

BELOW IS A LETTER REGARDING SOME MORE OF MY THOUGHTS ON LOVE.

 

 

HARE KRISHNA ! SRI SRI GURU AND GAURANGA KI JAYA !

 

KRISHNA AS KAMA / EROS, AND LOVE IN THE FLAVOR OF FRIENDSHIP...God as

Love in Platonism, Friendship in "The Nectar of Devotion", and

Other Musings on Love Here and Here After

 

True Love is Divine, and raisies us up to the Transcendent Presence

of GODHEAD. Real Love engages us in God-Ess's eternal LILA of

relational play, in the bliss of Their Personal Beingness. Let us

contemplate THIS HOLY TRUE LOVE, and how we can live in the rarified

state of it both HERE and hereafter, through, with, in and by the

GRACE of God-Ess, Love's Ultimate Source and Object.

 

 

THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF LOVE

 

GOD IS LOVE. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN ? GOD HAS BEEN CALLED AGAPE,

AHABHA, KANA / KAMA, EROS, AND IDENTIFIED WITH PHILOS, AND CHARITAS.

HE HAS BEEN CALLED THE BRIDEGROOM OF ALL SOULS, AND THE

TRANSCENDENTAL CUPID. THE SPIRITUAL MASTER HAS BEEN LIKENED TO A

MATCH-MAKER BETWEEN SOULS AND GOD. THE MASTER, (LIKE THE

HELIOPOLITAN HIEROPHANT OF OLD), EVEN ARRANGES FOR THE PERFECTION OF

RADHA AND KRISHNAS' LOVING AFFAIRS WITHIN THE GROVES OF THE

TRANSCENDENTAL PARADISE OF VRINDAVANA !

 

PLATONIC TRANSCENDENTAL IDEALISM WAS CENTERED ON THE WORSHIP OF

HELIOS. THUS THE SUPREME GOD AS EROS IN PLATONISM IS KRISHNA, THE

KOUROS OR ORIGINAL FORM OF HELIOS. IN THIS LETTER I AM NOT GOING TO

GO INTO A LOT OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF THESE WORDS FOR LOVE WHICH

ARE ALSO NAMES OF GOD. INSTEAD I WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT GOD AS LOVE,

GOD'S LOVE AND THE LOVE OF GOD IN A MORE 'PASTORAL' WAY. I WANT TO

SHARE SOME ANCIENT WORDS ABOUT GOD AS LOVE, AND SOME OF MY OWN

THOUGHTS AND REALIZATIONS ON THE SUBJECT.

 

TO THE ALVAR SAINTS, SRI KRISHNA WAS KNOWN AS KANAN OR KANA. THIS

IS THE SAME SANSKRIT WORD AS KAMA, BUT THE ALVAR SAINTS' USE OF IT

SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH LEFT HAND TANTRISM AND THE TANTRIC "KAMA

SUTRA". INSTEAD, WE SHOULD REALIZE THAT THE ORIGINAL KAMADEVA LOVE-

GOD OF THE VEDIC AGE AND PRE-HISTORY WAS SRI KRISHNA. HE WAS AND IS

RASA RAJA, THE KING OF ALL RASAS OR FLAVORS OF TRUE LOVE ! IN THE

FOLLOWING HYMN FROM THE ATHARVA VEDA, KRISHNA KAMA IS INVOKED AS

SUPREME OVER ALL THE GODS. HE ALONE CAN FULFILL ALL DESIRES,

DESTROY ALL EVIL, ROUTE ALL ENEMIES AND GRANT ALL BLESSEDNESS ...

 

19. Kâma was born at first; him neither the gods, nor the Fathers,

nor men have equalled. To these art thou superior, and ever great; to

thee, O Kâma, do I verily offer reverence.

 

20. As great as are the heavens and earth in extent, as far as the

waters have swept, as far as fire; to these art thou superior, &c.

 

IN THIS VEDIC HYMN, WE SEE KRISHNA AS KAMA / LOVE , AS GREATER THAN

ALL OF THE GODS. BELOW THIS READING I HAVE QUOTED

PLATO'S "SYMPOSIUM" ON EROS / LOVE AS GREATER THAN ALL OF THE GODS.

 

(THE INTERNET SITE REFERENCE IS LISTED BELOW THE READING)

 

 

LOVE IN THE ATHARVAVEDA

 

IX, 2.

 

Prayer to Kâma (love), personified as a primordial power.

 

 

1. To the bull that slays the enemy, to Kâma, do I render tribute

with ghee, oblation, and (sacrificial) melted butter. Do thou, since

thou hast been extolled, hurl down my enemies by thy great might!

 

2. The evil dream which is offensive to my mind and eye, which

harasses and does not please me, that (dream) do I let loose upon my

enemy. Having praised Kâma may I prevail!

 

3,. Evil dreams, O Kâma, and misfortune, O Kâma, childlessness, ill-

health, and trouble, do thou, a strong lord, let loose upon him that

designs evil against us!

 

4. Drive them away, O Kâma, thrust them away, O Kâma; may they that

are my enemies fall into trouble! When they have been driven into the

nethermost darkness, do thou, O Agni, burn up their d welling- places!

 

5. That milch-cow, O Kâma, whom the sages call Vâk Virâg (ruling, or

resplendent speech), is said to be thy daughter; by her drive away my

enemies; breath, cattle, and life shall give them a wide birth!

 

6. With the strength of Kâma, Indra, king Varuna, and Vishnu, with

the impelling force (savena) of Savitar, with the priestly power of

Agni, do I drive forth the enemies, as a skilled steersman a boat.

 

7. My sturdy guardian, strong Kâma, shall procure for me full freedom

from enmity! May the gods collectively be my refuge, may all the gods

respond to this, my invocation!

 

8. Taking pleasure in this (sacrificial) melted butter, and ghee do

ye, (O gods), of whom Kâma is the highest, be joyful in this place,

procuring for me full freedom from enmity!

 

9. O Indra and Agni, and Kâma, having formed an alliance, do ye hurl

down my enemies; when they have fallen into the nethermost darkness,

do thou, O Agni, burn up after them their dwelling places!

 

10. Slay thou, O Kâma, those that are my enemies, hurl them down into

blind darkness. Devoid of vigour, Without sap let them all be; they

shall not live a single day!

 

11. Kâma has slain those that are my enemies, a broad space has he

furnished me to thrive in. May the four directions of space bow down

to me, and the six broad (regions) carry ghee to me!

 

12. They (the enemies) shall float down like a boat cut loose from

its moorings! There is no returning again for those who have been

struck by our missiles.

 

13. Agni is a defence, Indra a defence, Soma a defence. May the gods,

who by their defence ward off (the enemy), ward him off!

 

14. With his men reduced, driven out, the hated (enemy) shall go,

shunned by his own friends! And down upon the earth do the lightnings

alight; may the strong god crush your enemies!

 

15. This mighty lightning supports both moveable and immoveable

things, as well as all thunders. May the rising sun by his resources

and his majesty hurl down my enemies, lie the mighty one!

 

16. With that triple-armoured powerful covering of thine, O Kâma,

with the charm that has been made into an Invulnerate armour spread

(over thee), with that do thou drive away those who are my enemies;

may breath, cattle, and life give them a wide berth!

 

17. With the weapon with which the god drove forth the Asuras, with

which Indra led the Dasyus to the nethermost darkness, with that do

thou, O Kâma, drive forth far away from this world those who are my

enemies!

 

18. As the gods drove forth the Asuras, as Indra. forced the demons

into the nethermost darkness, thus do thou, O Kâma, drive forth far

away from this world those who are my enemies!

 

19. Kâma was born at first; him neither the gods, nor the Fathers,

nor men have equalled. To these art thou superior, and ever great; to

thee, O Kâma, do I verily offer reverence.

 

20. As great as are the heavens and earth in extent, as far as the

waters have swept, as far as fire; to these art thou superior, &c.

 

21. Great as are the directions (of space) and the intermediate

direction on either side, great as are the regions and the vistas of

the sky; to these art thou superior, &c.

 

22. As many bees, bats, kurûru-worms, as many vaghas and tree-

serpents as there are; to these art thou superior, &c.

 

23. Superior art thou to all that winks (lives), superior to all that

stands still (is not alive), superior to the ocean art thou, O Kâma,

Manyu! To these art thou superior, &c.

 

24. Not, surely, does the wind equal Kâma, not the fire, not the sun,

and not the moon. To these art thou superior, &c.

 

25. With those auspicious and gracious forms of thine, O Kâma,

through which what thou wilst becometh reaL with these do thou enter

into us, and elsewhere send the evil thoughts!

 

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/atharvaveda.htm

 

 

LOVE AS EROS IN PLATONIC HELIOS WORSHIP

 

"Plato", Symposium, (page 187, 1969 Classics Club Edition) Walter J.

Black.

 

Excerpt from Agathon on Eros (GOD as LOVE)

 

"...I say of Love that he is the fairest and the best in himself, and

the cause of what is fairest and best in all other things...This is he

who empties men of disaffection and fills them with affection, who

makes them to meet together at banquets such as these: in sacrifices,

feasts, dances, he is our lord - who sends courtesy and sends away

discourtesy, who gives kindness ever and never gives unkindness; the

friend of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the

gods; desired by those who have no part in him, and precious to those

who have the better part in him; parent of delicacy, luxury, desire,

fondness, softness, grace; regardful of the good, regardless of evil:

in every word, work, wish, fear, - savior, pilot, comrade, helper;

glory of gods and men, leader best and brightest: in whose footsteps

let every man follow, sweetly singing in his honor and joining in

that sweet strain with which Love charms the souls of gods and men."

 

 

Some Considerations Regarding Love / Eros in the Writings of Plato

 

The first extensive modern analysis of the worship of Meghistos

Kouros (the Greatest Youth) and His Friends, was done by the famous

Classicist Jane Harrison, in her book "THEMIS A Study of the Social

Origins of Greek Religion". For a view into how Meghistos Kouros

was actually understood in circa 400BC Greece, I suggest reading

Plato's SYMPOSIUM (quoted above), in which LOVE is glorified as the

original and greatest of all the gods and spirits. In this dialogue,

various views of the SUPREME SPIRIT LOVE are expressed. One should

realize that the Platonists were Helios worshipers, and Helios was

ALWAYS WORSHIPED AS MEGHISTOS KOUROS (the Transcendent Ideal of

Youthful Beauty) in `Bridal Mysticism', as the Supreme Source and

Object of Love. Knowing this, it is clear that the Beloved Deity

EROS, The Supreme God and Spirit of the SYMPOSIUM dialogue is Kouros-

Eros as Krishna Kana. The ancients in fact identified Cupid with

Eros, and Eros with Kamadeva, however our modern ideas of Cupid, Eros

and Kama are pretty much all corrupt. In India Kama has become

associated with the "KAMA SUTRA", and in the west, Eros or Cupid is

now generally thought of as a fat little 'cherubic' infant with a bow

and arrows. To get past these nonsense corruptions to the earlier

traditions about God as Love, we need to know where to look.

 

First we can recognize that the Name EROS is related to KOUROS,

HORUS, KYRIOS and HELIOS. There are other clues to His identity,

like His bow. The arrow is the ray-shaft of the Sun and also

the 'weapon' of God, which he uses to wound a heart with Love. This

is why the late syncristic Apollo has a bow. He has inherited it

from Krishna Kana / Eros. Apollo has also inherited the Nymphs,

Muses, Graces etc. of Helios and the Psyche (soul) beloved of Eros /

Helios Kouros. To understand more about how the Helios worshiping

Greek Monotheists worshiped God (Helios Kouros) as LOVE, read "EROS

UNVEILED: Plato and the God of Love" by Catherine Osborne, Oxford:

Clarendon Press, 1994. The 1992 Lonergan's Lectures Perspectives

tape series by Prof. Bernard MCGinn (University of Chicago) is also

an excellent source for more understanding of the Platonic worship of

God as Love. These Lectures are entitled 1) God as Eros, 2) The

Transformations of Eros: Mystical Uses, 3) Topics of Desire, and 4)

Panel Discussion; Eros in Christian Theology and Mysticism.

 

Plato's SYMPOSIUM is the starting place for the Classical and

Platonist Christian dialogue on God as The Spirit of Love.

 

Some devotees may have difficulty with SYMPOSIUM, because of several

of the participants (which include homosexuals), and opinions in this

wide-ranging dialogue on love. For them, I recommend focusing on the

theology of the all-attractive BELOVED HIMSELF, expressed in the

exchange between Agathon and Socrates. It is the First Person of the

Godhead that Agathon describes as ALL ATTRACTIVE. At one point in the

dialogue, Agathon has raised the discussion up from the level of the

mundane analysis of love, to the contemplation of the SUPREME BELOVED

HIMSELF. However, in his typical fashion with questions, Socrates

challenges Agathon to explore the less obvious Form of Love as well.

The Personality of Love at first described by Agathon is EROS, Who is

the Lover of the always FEMININE SOUL, PSYCHE. As the Lover of

Psyche, He is also the Beloved of all beings. Thus we can easily see

the parallel to the Vaishnava theology of the jivatma as feminine in

relationship to Krishna, and Krishna as the Love Object of all

souls. Then Socrates challenges Agathon to consider Love in His

Unlovable Form. This is clearly to get Agathon and the others (and

us) to realize that True Love may forsake His own beauty and power,

even to the point of becoming a despised and rejected thing for His

beloved. Thus Socrates juxtaposes the all-desired Love / Eros with

the rejected and despised Personality of Love. If one realizes that

Socrates was a worshiper of Asclepius, this Christological Figure of

rejected Love is then understandable. Socrates was speaking of the

Human-Divine Second Person of the Godhead in the Heliopolitan

Tradition. Asclepius (Iasas / Jesus) even descended to the dead for

saving His beloved souls. Socrates himself would be condemned to

die for Love's sake, so he well understood the kind of sacrifice he

was describing. To understand the ancient worship of Krishna and

Balarama in the Mediterranean, amoung the Greek authors, one must

read Plato, and understand something about his Helios centered

Monotheism.

 

The problematic aspect of SYMPOSIUM, regarding the issue of possible

rasabhasa in same-sex friendships, needs to be considered in the

light of the following theological premise. To the Helios-Eros

worshiping Greeks, all souls / psyches were feminine in relationship

to God as Eros. The entire SYMPOSIUM discussion about Love referes to

the soul in the Feminine. This idea of the feminine soul pervaded

Greek society, and must be remembered when reading Plato and other

Greek writers of his time. In fact, 40 times the word 'psyche' is

translated as 'life' in the New Testament, and it is

translated 'soul' 58 times....all in the feminine gender. These

souls are to be the 'brides' of Christ. In both Platonism and the

Bible, Wisdom / Sophia (Hebrew Chokmah or Shekinah) was also

considered as a Feminine Being. The finite jivatma soul is always a

receiver (feminine) in Vaishnava Theology. Like Sophia, Sarasvati,

a Shakti of Vishnu, is the Patroness of wisdom and knowledge.

Understanding such things about the Mediterranean Traditions can help

us to discuss difficult Vaishnava-Judeo-Catholic and Sufi comparative

issues more intelligently. The Nectar of Devotion does not shy-away

from discussing the difficult issues of rasabhasa, so we should not

be afraid to analyze them either. Such examination can help us to

better understand pure love, and to purify our own loving of any form

of rasbhasa.

 

 

RASA and Flavors of Love in Platonism

 

C. S. Lewis nicely describes the Greek Heliopolitan concept of the 4

primary flavors (rasas) of love, in THE FOUR LOVES. One of these

flavors is PHILOS, or friendship. In Kouros centric Platonism,

philos, friendly or brotherly love could be profound, passionate and

eternal. One form of such profound friendly love in late classical

Greece actually came to be called `Platonic love'. This is one of the

flavors of love described in the SYMPOSIUM. Such love is also there

in the chaste aesthetic adoration of God as the Eternal Youth and

Beauty. This parallels the Gopas' chaste appreciation of Krishna's

beauty and attractiveness. In SYMPOSIUM, ultimately Agathon and

Socrates (Plato's Master) raise the entire discussion of `love' up

from the lowest expressions of the physical to the contemplation of

GOD as the SPIRIT OF LOVE, the Transcendent Source and IdeaI Object

of Love. Symposium and the other Socratic dialogues and writings of

Plato and the other Helios worshiping Philosophers have had a

profound effect on Western Monotheism. The followers of Jewish,

Catholic, and Sufi Muslim Mystics, whose essential Platonism is

readily admitted, need to learn how their own sacred traditions are

related to Radha-Krishna and Balarama centric Vaishnavism through the

ancient Mediterranean regional Heliopolitan worship of Rhoda-Kouros

and Baal (Yahu) Dionysos .

 

HELIOS AND RHODAS' (EROS and PSYCHES' / God and the Feminine Souls')

conjugal flavor of love was epitomized by the transcendent Hierogamos

union of Kouros and Kore in the bu-colic BOUKOLION (compare Go-

Kula). Brotherly and sisterly or friendly PHILOS or PEER / PAL

love was epitomized by the love of KOUROS and His Kouroi, and Rhoda-

Kore and Her Korae. Just as Kouros Helios and Dionysos danced in the

circle Dance with the Korae (Also called Nymphs, Graces, Muses,

Horae, Nyads etc.), They also danced with the cowherd boy KOUROI.

As Leaders of these Divine Dances, They Both were called Choreagoes

(choreagrapher=leader of the dance) and Kouros was called KOURUALES,

meaning that He led the Sacred Dance with a FLUTE (AULOS).

 

Rhoda-Kore was also called Nymphia and Her expansions / girlfriends

were called Nymphs. Nymph means both Maiden and LOTUS in Greek. So as

NYMPHIA, Rhoda-Kore was LOTUS, which in Sanskrit is Sri or Lakshmi's

Name as PADMA / LOTUS. (Sometimes the principal Gopis are associated

with LOTUS PETALS.) The associates of Rhoda are called

HORAE `seasons' and HOURIS in some forms of Muslim Mysticism.

Sometimes they are likened to HOURS, and Rhoda to the MOON. Kouros

(Krishna) has 365 sacred white cows for days and sheep for nights,

which He herds with His `Older Brother' and Hierophant / High Priest,

Baal-Dionysos (Baladeva) and Their Kouroi (Gopa) friends. There are

12 Friends / Gopas to heard the sacred white cows.

(Circumnambulation / revolution and cosmic cycles are sometimes

associated with the cycle / kyklos / cakra dance of Helios.)

 

Relationships in the Dance

 

1) Helios Kouros dances the Carol Paradise Round with Rhoda-Kore and

Her Korae Nymphs (girl friends / expansions). This is

the 'Apollonian' or ascetic rite as commemorated at Delphi. The

ascetic (sattvic) Religious were admitted to these 'Mysteries'.

 

2) Dionysos also dances the Chorus Paradise Round with His Entourage

of Nymphs. These rites were both Apollonian / Delphic AND COMMON, or

practiced by the uninitiated. Thus, in the Greek world, the non-

ascetic or non-initiated mass of devotees, not admitted to the more

formal rites of Helios and Rhoda, were welcome in the popular common-

folks' rites of Dionysos. There was a distinct innocent but 'lawless'

flavor of love associated with the rites of Dionysos. Sadly abuse of

this is what led to its orgiastic 'Sahajiya' corruption and finally

being outlawed in many lands. Dionysos (Baladeva) is Kouros /

Krishna descending from His highest heaven and making Himself

available to all souls, even the wretched and fallen. Thus Baladeva

is also remembered as having His 'Rasa Dance'. The 'Brides of

Christ' in the heavenly Garden of Paradise have been chosen by Him

and prepared 'for the wedding feast' by His Grace. So too in some

Vaishnava schools of thought, there is an esoteric distinction

between the Gopis who Dance the 'Rasa Dance' with Lord Baladeva, and

Those in the ultimate 'original' circle of Radha and Krishna.

 

3) Kouros and Dionysos lead the Kouroi in the Paradise Round and

other divine dances (for instance pastoral and sporting / martial).

 

4) Rhoda leads Her Korae in the Paradise Round and other divine

dances.

 

I pray that I will someday get the time and energy to write something

in-depth on each of these four kinds of sacred dance accross

traditions. Parallels to these various dances and related doctrines,

songs and rites can be found throughout the world even to today. In

these sacred dances the variegated flavors of romantic, brotherly and

sisterly love are expressed and celebrated. Some dances are those of

reunion, and some of separation and rememberance. The dance party,

dancing inwards or outwards, sun-wise or counter-sun-wise, in the day

or night, in the full moon or new moon, in the various seasons, and

with different meters and steps, different costumes, masks, symbols,

songs and instruments....all had significant meaning in the sacred

dance. The challenge is to sort-out the sattvic forms of these

traditions, or elements of these traditions from the rajarshic and

tamasic ones. Corruption of these sattvic sacred traditions is what

has resulted in their abandonment and then cultural loss. To revive

these traditions, we must recover and restore their highest meaning

and sanctity.

 

Learning to Recognize and Avoid Rasabhasa

 

It is a deviation from the tradition of Dionysos-Baladeva, as The

Master of the Mysteries of Rhoda and Kouros, which became very

corrupted in the late Classical Period. This led to the separation of

the Maenad and Bacchae related Left-Hand Tantric false `Dionysian'

groups from pietistic / ascetic Heliopolitan Monotheism. The core

problem with the deviant groups was impersonalism, rasabhasa and

related worship in the ignorant mode of tamo guna. These corruptions

still exist in modern India and Europe as forms of so-called Left

Hand Tantrism. Pre-Christian Pagan Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and Jews

all outlawed these same corruptions, and Christianity merely

continued to resist and then to suppress them. However the tamasic

deviations have of course still continued to some extent, due to

fallen human nature in the age of Kali. Catholic and Vaishnava

Religious conservatism is due to a latent fear of these powerful

corruptions. Thus we see in Gaudiya Vaishnavism a strong conservative

stance in opposition to Sahajiya corruptions, Left Hand Tantrism and

liberalism in general. Gaudiya Vaishnava Rasa Theology has highly

refined the concept of rasabhasa. Vaishnava masters have hoped that

attention to avoiding rasabhasa will protect souls (and the

Tradition) from the offences of impersonalism and sahajiya.

 

In the RASA THEOLOGY of GAUDIYA VAISHNAVISM there is an extensive in-

depth analysis of the primary flavors of love, and which are

compatible, in what proportions. For example, although the `peer' /

sibling (brotherly-sisterly) flavor of love is compatible as a sub-

dominant rasa within a conjugal relationship, the conjugal flavor is

not compatible within a dominant sibling / friendship rasa. Such

incompatibility is called rasabhasa. It is a mixing of flavors of

love in 'BAD TASTE'. Bhakti religious traditions typically have some

systematized theology of rasa or the flavors of love, or

relationships, which is expressed in their moral law. For instance,

sacramental monogamous marriage and forbidding the marriage of

siblings are both derived from the ancient REVEALED rasa theology of

the Sattvic Bhakti Traditions. So, while lovers may be and should

be `best friends', siblings should not be lovers. In the sibling-like

love flavor of friendship, sex violates the mood of the predominant

rasa, and therefore is rasabhasa or `in bad taste'. Contrary to

popular opinion, genetics has nothing to do with the near universal

prohibition on sibling marriage. Rasabhasa relationships are

forbidden because they violate the spiritual essence of a particular

kind of love. They violate one form of love with another, thus

spoiling it. Some mixtures of relational dynamics are essentially

incompatible. This is what makes them 'forbidden', not some

arbitrary edict by a remote but jealous deity ! To be good,

healthy, even divine, love must not be in violation of itself. This

is the first principle. For example, true love requires free will.

Therefore force or coersion is a violation. True love is faithful,

therefore betrayal is a violation. Where dependance and trust exist

and protection is required, abuse and exploitation are abominable.

Each flavor of relationship has its essence, and whatever violates or

corrupts / compromises that essence / flavor of love is rasabhasa.

 

The Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology of Friendly Love

 

The Krishna centric Vaishnava Tradition has minutely analyzed the

spiritual science and art of love, producing a complex, detailed,

systematized theology of love unique in the history of religion.

Within this theology, the love of Krishna and Balarama and the Boys,

Radha and the Gopis, and the peer relationships of the `elder' Gopas

and Gopis in Goloka Vrindavan exemplify FRIENDSHIP. Of course

friendship exists as a sub-dominant flavor of love in the

relationship between Radha and Krishna as well. Friendship is

compatible as a sub-dominant flavor of love within a conjugal

relationship.

 

The relationship between Krishna and Arjuna, the Pandava Brothers,

Sridama Brahmana and Draupadi is also fraternal or friendly. In

Chaitanya Lila, the Gopis' love for Radha-Krishna is embodied in the

Girlfriend-flavored devotion of some of the intimate Sakhi-mood

Associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus for souls devoted in the

mood of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the Gopis, constant meditation

on Srimate Radharani and Her Girlfriends' devotion to Krishna is

recommended. Chaitanyaite Vaishnavism is especially known for its

unique emphasis on the Gopis' devotion to Radha-Krishna.

 

For those souls devoted to Krishna in the fraternal flavor of love

exemplified by Sri Nityananda Rama, ( my own predisposition),

meditation on the Cowherd Boys' play with Krishna and Balaram is

recommended. Actually there are specific, very sweet examples of

loving devotion in the various flavors, given in Bhakti-rasamrta-

sindhu "THE NECTAR OF DEVOTION", Srila Rupa Goswami's classic

treatise on divine love. Below I quote from the 1970 BBT Edition of

this work, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

In "Nectar..." Part Three 41, "Fraternal Devotion" describes the

vayasyas (friends) of Krishna. SRI CAITANYA-CARITAMRTA also

describes the expansions / associates of Sri Nityananda Balarama in

Chapter 11 "The Expansions of Lord Nityananda". Both of these

Shastras are wonderful sources for contemplation of Divine Love in

the flavors of Sakhya and Sakhi friendship. Of course the Srimad

Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Harivamsa and other original Vaishnava

sources, like the writings of the followers of Sri Caitanya, other

Vaishnava Masters, and traditional Vaishnava hymns are endless

treasure-troves of information about Krishna, Balarama, Radha and the

Gopis. For meditation on Sakhi or sisterly / girlfriend flavored

love, study the numerous passages in these sources regarding the

little girl Gopis (the Manjaris), the older Gopis of Radharani's Age,

and the loving relations between the 'elder Gopis' of Mother

Yasoda's age.

 

 

Contemplating True Love in the Flavor of Friendship

 

Since I find the DIVINE ORIGIN and NATURE OF GOD'S MULTI-FLAVORED

LOVE an infinitely more important and attractive subject than the

shape of the universe, the age of the human race, channeling

esoteric 'ascended masters' , speculating about UFOs or the 'hollow

earth theory', or analyzing the mechanisms of reincarnation, karma

and other such subjects, I am leaving those things up to the many

Vaishnavas who can talk endlessly about them. I want to consider

the reality of the presence of God's Love in this world. Let us

therefore think for a few moments about His Love, distinguishing the

flavor (rasa) of love that we call `friendship'. In this spiritual

exercize, I would like to invite everyone to chose one sentence or

short paragraph, one question, verse or lyric on the subject of

sisterly, brotherly, `peer' or other sibling-like or friendly love,

that seems important or inspiring to them. Remember that friendship

also exists as an sub-dominant element of conjugal and parental love

as well. Please share your question, or realization, or a favorite

idea or example from the Scriptures or another respected source with

someone that you consider a friend. Please everyone read THE NECTAR

OF DEVOTION on love in the flavor of friendship. This unparalleled

text is a wonderful guide. Try to understand the concept of

rasabhasa, so that you can grow your friendships in a strong,

healthy, pure and holy way. When selecting specific things to

share, imagine that you are cooking for a great holy day offering.

Be thoughtful about selecting the ingredients for your offering, and

how to prepare it, and you will avoid rasabhasa. Before

communicating with your friend, begin your meditation with a reading

about friendship from The Nectar of Devotion, or other Scripture or

spiritual classic. Learn to identify the signs and symptoms of

friendly love, as demonstrated in the lilas of Goloka Vrndavan. Then

draw examples from the other Lilas in our Vaishnava Bhakti Shastra,

other scriptures and from the writings of the saints, other sources

and your own experience. 'Get into the WORD OF GOD' as some

Christians say. The object of this thematic study is to enrich your

appreciation of GOD AS LOVE, THE OBJECT, ORIGIN, END and MEANS OF

LOVE IN THE FLAVOR OF FRIENDSHIP. Contemplate God as Love in the

Flavor of Friendship, then begin your own little 'symposium' on love

with your friend(s). If you don't have any friends, BEFRIEND

SOMEONE. Nursing homes are full of friendless people, in fact they

are not at all hard to find, they are everywhere. Find someone to

love and start loving them. For God's sake, don't wait until someone

comes looking for you ! Contemplate the flavor of friendship. Most

people today are not ready for conjugal love, because they don't even

know how to be a friend yet. What we want to do, is to raise our

experience of friendship up to the contemplation of its Transcendent

Source in GODHEAD, The Supreme Personality of Friendship. In this

way, our friendly love of God and souls will develope, drawing us

together, and together as sisters and brothers in Divine Love, we can

begin to build a healthy and inspiring community of faith. Srila

Prabhupada wanted us to be a true community of faith, a family bound

together through God and Guru's grace in Divine Love and trust. If

we don't know how to love and trust, then we must go back and start

at the beginning.

 

In our Vaishnava Bhakti Shastra, Fraternal or Sisterly Love is

described various ways, but the sentiments of SPONTENEITY, TRUST,

INTIMACY and EQUALITY are some of the features of such Friendly Love.

What are some of Friendly Love's other characteristic or possible

features? Is spontaneous attraction always a feature of friendship?

Not always. Sometimes people gradually grow to profoundly respect and

love each other. What about `like attracting like' ? Isn't it also

true that `opposites attract' ? Some religious traditions teach that

we are spiritually emanated or created in batches of spirit-souls,

and thus always exist in a particularly close relationship to certain

beings. Allied to this is the idea of the `soul mate', something

found in both Jewish and Platonic mysticism. Does synchronicity or

co-incidence have anything to do with being `soul mates', or in other

hidden spiritual relationships? Some devotees are pathologically

preoccupied with these kinds of questions, and want some esoteric

answer about their 'karma' or 'past lives' to help them decide when

and who to love ! While these may be interesting questions, they

are not something that we must know or understand to SIMPLY LOVE. So

please DON'T GET BOGGED DOWN IN KARMIC ANALYSIS PARALYSIS about co-

incidences etc. Don't stray from pure bhakti into preoccupation with

karmic mechanisms. To do so means to miss the essence, the

experiance of actually loving, while trying to impose some mundane

regulation or condition on who to love. Do we want to be like bees

crawling on the outside of a jar, or do we want to taste the honey of

love WITHIN IT ? Remember, we are aspiring practitioners of BHAKTI

YOGA, so we want to avoid the gnostic / jnani tendency to reduce

everything to mental-platform logic, structures, organization and

mechanisms. Lets not get mundane analysis paralysis over ultimately

usless inconsequential things like the mechanisms of reincarnation or

how far away the moon is. learning about LOVE from its masters, the

saints, is an entirely different order of endeavour than

useless 'gnostic' speculation. We could master all the mundane

knowledge in the universe, but without learning how to LOVE it would

just be a waste. So, together, let us take up the challenge of

learning to love in the flavor of friendship, trying to stay focused

on GodEss and Their Friends, as the Transcendent Source of our Love.

If we are successful in building true, lasting God-centered

friendships, we will automatically be successful in serving Srila

Prabhupada, and other beings. We will become conduits of God's Love

into a world of souls desperately lonely for their Most Dear Friends.

 

A Short Historical and Theological Description of the Place of

Friendly Love in the context of ancient Radha-Krishna centric

Monotheism......About Divine Friendship in the History and Theology

of Some Vaishnava-related Bhakti Traditions

 

Just for some spiritual linguistic fun think of the word FRIEND. It

is related to the Sanskrit root PRI meaning to LOVE, and by

association to the Sanskrit BHR for Brother or Frater. In Greek the

word Philos is related to brotherly love. Krishna's Cowherd

boyfriends are the GO (COW) PALAS. English PAL for FRIEND has

connections to Sanskrit PALA through the words PEER, FRA and Gypsy

(Roma) PAL ! May Krishna-Balarama and Their PALS protect us and

bring us all safe back to home, back to Godhead ! It is great to

have PALS isn't it? God likes pals so much that He has surrounded

Himself with them in Eternity!

Radha has Her retinue of Go-PIS and Krishna has His retinue of Go-

PALAS. Together, Radha and Krishna reign over the play of all their

pals / friends in the eternal abode of Goloka Vrindavan. There,

Baladeva, as the `Older Brother' of Krishna, embodies the chi-VAL-

rous and protective / guiding semi-parental flavor of Fraternal Love,

as the Protector and Maintainer of all devotees and the Supreme Abode

itself ! As the Servitor Lord, Sri Baladeva pleases Krishna by His

powerful, providential and protective nature. Esoterically Sri

Baladeva is even considered the Origin of Nanda Maharaja, the

Transcendental Embodiment of Fatherly Love. Srila Prabhupada has

written about Sri Baladeva's CHIVALRY, and it is fun to note that the

root of VALOUR, (English VAL from Latin) is linguistically related to

the Sanskrit BALA as in BALARAMA ! BALA DEVA IS THE SOURCE OF ALL

VALOROUS LOVE.

 

VALorous BALaram is the Leader of Krishna's older friends, whose

fraternal love is eternally tinged with a little bit of parental

affection. Within Gokula, Krishna's vayasyas / friends are generally

divided into 4 groups. His older well-wisher friends are the ones who

exhibit some protective, parental-like affection. Krishna's same-age

friends do not have this element of parental love in their affection,

and His younger friends look up to the boys Krishna's `age'. The

Manjaris, or younger Gopis' love for Radha and Krishna has a uniquely

innocent flavor, admitting them to the most intimate service of Radha-

Govinda. Thus, the different groups of friends share specific flavors

and fine nuances of devotion. In rasa theology revelation, such

spiritual commonality IS THE ULTIMATE BASIS OF THE FLAVOR OF LOVE IN

WHICH LIKE ATTRACTS LIKE. Sri Krishna's same-age friends enjoyed

the same places, decorations, activities and possessions as their

Lord. Thus we see that in similar age groups, the kouroi in Greek

society formed self-governing child hood fraternities and elected

their favorite kouros to lead them through a lifetime of

friendship. This natural impetus is so strong, that in every

culture there is some version of this. Children spontaneously chose a

favorite child to imitate, and create a fraternity or sorority around

that most popular child. If the child is a God centered good

person, then such devotion is a good thing. They will learn to be

virtuous by imitating their dearmost friend. Of course the opposite

is true too. Bad leaders make bad followers. In Platonic

Idealism, Kouros and Kore were always the Ideal. Thus it was hoped

that children would grow in imitation of their Transcendent Ideal.

Persons with the same TASTES are attracted the same ways, and respond

the same ways. Finding many important likes and dislikes in common,

such persons naturally feel comfortable, appreciated and encouraged

in each other's approving association. `As Above, So Below'. In

Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and historically related Platonic Idealism

(which is at the heart of Jewish, Catholic and Sufi Mysticism), holy

relationships of love in the material world reflect the Divinely

Revealed perfection of the eternal and transcendent IDEAL IN GODHEAD.

In the case of fraternity or sorority, the bond involves certain

shared attractions and attributes. Thus the Gopas and Gopis are

divided into camps, or sup-groups according to `age' lila, attributes

and desire. Each group epitomizes the perfection of a specific nuance

in their friendly or sibling flavor of Divine Love.

 

Now I would like to share with you some of my favorite "Nectar of

Devotion" passages about friendship.

 

"THE NECTAR OF DEVOTION", 1970 BBT Edition, by HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta

Swami Srila Prabhupada

 

Part Three.42

 

Fraternal Love, page 337

 

"At this age Krsna was garlanded with various kinds of flowers. He

used to put on a silk dress, colored with various kinds of dye. Such

beautiful decorations are considered cosmetics for Krsna. Krsna would

wear this dress when He used to go into the forest to tend the cows.

Sometimes He would wrestle there with His different friends, and

sometimes they would dance all together in the forest. These are some

of the specific activities of the pauganda age." [pauganda is from

six to ten years of age]

 

"The cowherd friends of Krsna were so happy in His company that they

expressed their transcendental feelings within themselves thus: 'My

dear Krsna, You are always busy tending the cows, which are scattered

all over beautiful Vrndavana. You have a beautiful garland, a small

conchshell, a peacock feather on Your turban, yellow-colored silk

cloth, decorations of karnikara flowers on Your ears and a mallika

flower garland on Your chest. Appearing so beautiful, when You

pretend, just like an actor, to be fighting with us, You give us

unlimited transcendental bliss.'"

 

Pauganda Krsna and His Friends ki jaya!

 

Page 346

 

"The friendly relationship of the cowherd boys with Krsna is a

particular type of spiritual ecstacy almost similar to the ecstacy of

conjugal love. It is very difficult to explain this ecstacy of loving

affairs between the cowherd boys and Krsna. Great expert devotees

like Rupa Gosvami and others express their astonishment at the

inconceivable feelings which are in Krsna and His cowherd boy

friends."

 

May we be astonished by the Transcendent Love of little Krsna and His

Friends today !

 

 

SOME OF SRI KRISHNA'S OLDER ATTRACTIVE FEATURES

 

Part Three.41, Page 326

 

" Sometimes the different names, forms, paraphernalia and

transcendental qualities provoke fraternal love: For instance,

Krsna's nice dress, the all-auspicious symptoms on His body, His

strongly-built body, His knowledge of different languages, His

learned teachings in the Bhagavad-gita, His uncommon genius in all

fields of endeavor, His exhibition of expert knowledge, His mercy,

His chivalry, His behavior as a conjugal lover, His intelligence, His

forgiveness, His attraction for all kinds of men, His opulence and

His happiness - all provoke fraternal love."

 

 

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF 'ECSTACY IN SEPARATION'

 

Part Three.42, Page 345

 

"There is also an example of madness caused by separation from Krsna.

When Krsna was absent from Vrndavan, all the cowherd boys became

bewildered, and having given up all kinds of activities, they

appeared to be mad and forgot all their regular business. They were

sometimes lying down on the ground, sometimes rolling in the dust,

sometimes laughing and sometimes running very swiftly. All of these

symptoms gave them the appearance of madmen. One friend of Krsna's

criticized Him by saying, 'My dear Lord, You have become the King of

Mathura after killing Kamsa, and that is very good news for us. But

at Vrndavana all the residents have become blind from their

continuous crying over Your absence. They are full only of anxieties

and are not cheered at all by Your becoming the King of Mathura.'"

 

May the Residents of Vrndavana bless us all with Their tears of

desire for GOD today !

 

 

 

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE FOR FRIENDSHIP EXPRESSED THROUGH CHIVALROUS LOVE

 

Page 343

 

"...according to the prevailing rules of chivalry one's chariot

driver should never be attacked by the enemy. But Asvatthama behaved

heinously in so many ways that he did not hesitate to attack Krsna's

body, although Krsna was acting only as a charioteer for Arjuna. When

Arjuna saw that Asvatthama was releasing various kinds of arrows to

hurt Krsna, he immediately stood in front of Krsna to intercept all

of them. At that time, although Arjuna was being harmed by those

arrows, he felt ecstatic love for Krsna, and the arrows appeared to

him like showers of flowers."

 

May our love for Krishna and all His Devotees be as chivalrous and

heroic as Arjuna's ! May we not hesitate when the time comes to

accept wounding or even death for the sake of Divine Love. MAY WE

ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT "Perfect love casts out fear". May we learn to

love fearlessly, and prefere rather to surrender our bodies to a

shower of arrows, than to betray Divine Love ! May we know the

ecstacy of complete surrender in the cause of love, and when we are

in pain, may we all remember the ecstacy of Arjuna in his

woundedness !

 

May we all aspire to love as bravely as Arjuna.

 

ARJUNA's LOVE KI JAYA !

 

 

 

FRATERNAL LOVE AMONG THE SAINTS

 

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE WRITINGS OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI.

 

The following words are from a letter written by St Francis Of Assisi

to a minister, probably before 1223 A D. This instruction on showing

the Lord's mercy to sinners reveals why Francis was known as the

friend of the most fallen.

 

"FRANCIS AND CLARE...THE COMPLETE WORKS"

1982, Paulist Press ( from the Classics in Western Spirituality

Series).

 

Page 75

 

"And by this I wish to know if you love the Lord God and me, his

servant and yours.....if you have acted in this manner: that is,

there should not be any brother in the world who has sinned, however

much he may have possibly sinned, who, after he has looked into your

eyes, would go away without having received your mercy, if he is

looking for mercy. And if he were not to seek mercy, you should ask

him if he wants mercy. And if he should sin thereafter a thousand

times before your very eyes, love him more than me so that you may

draw him back to the Lord. Always be merciful to such as these. And

announce this to the guardians, as you can, that on your part you are

resolved to act this way."

 

St. Francis, Friend of the fallen ki jaya !

 

May we always be mindful of the constant intercession of our gurus

and all the saints, who are our truest friends in this world and the

world to come. May we all receive and give Their Mercy today !

 

 

Holy Love in the flavor of friendship is one of Sri Krishna's

manifestations of beauty, truth and goodness. It is only accessible

to us through the CAUSELESS MERCY AND GRACE OF SRI BALADEVA AND

SRIMATI RADHARANI. Sri Krishna transcendentally pours His Grace out

to us through Balarama and Radharani, and in this 'saha' world of

suffering, the Spiritual Masters the Saints mediate Their Love and

Grace to us. They teach us how to dwell in Godhead's Love, by

dwelling on GOD. It is dwelling on SRI KRISHNA the TRUE, the GOOD,

the BEAUTIFUL, the SWEET, the COMPASSIONATE, the FORGIVING, the

PLAYFUL...and on His activities with His loving associates and even

with His adversaries, that is the nourishment we need for the revival

of our souls. Krishna is present here and now, and His presence is

what CAN make us more true, good, sweet, benevolent, compassionate

etc. but we must EXPERIANCE HIS PRESENCE TO BENEFIT FROM IT. WE

CANNOT BE NOURISHED BY FOOD IF WE ONLY LOOK AT IT. We must 'take' it

in and make it part of our being, for it to have its life-giving

effect. We must not stay on the outside of the jar. We must

cultivate the habit of experiancing the REAL PRESENCE OF GOD. We

must try to focus on where Krishna IS, to develope the habit of

seeing Him and His devotees everywhere. Then for us, this world will

reveal itself as a place of Krishna's Lila too. We need to see that

this world as pervaded by His Love for us and the Saints Love for

Him. But, we must also remember that real Love comes in many flavors,

some of them sharp and bitter. Some of the flavors of Love require

aquiring a taste for appreciating them. Whatever the flavor,

Krishna's Love and Love of Krishna is always nourishing to the soul.

Even a little of it is good for us. We must hanker after it and take

it from wherever we can find it, whether it is bitter or sweet.

 

 

SOMETIMES IT IS SAID THAT THERE IS NO REAL LOVE IN THIS WORLD

 

Getting Past Negative Aversion to Positive Love

 

This is my particular realization about Sri Krishna being everywhere.

He is in HISTORY and in His Books, but HE IS NOT A PRISONER OF THE

PAST OR AN OBJECT. HE IS PRESENT HERE AND NOW. RIGHT NOW. NOW.

NOW. AND ALL OF THE MOMENTS IN BETWEEN. However, if we refuse to

acknowledge His Presence, if we don't accept His Love, His Self-

Revelation from the past and the present too, these can't change us,

they cannot become part of us. We may be able to quote a lot of

verses, but we will still be outside of the jar. (How is that for a

mixed metaphor?) We may be adverse to the fallen 'material' world

of sin, but we will not be filled with Krishna's Love. Emptying out

the false selfish 'love' of the fallen world is only required so that

we can be filled with Krishna's True Love. There are a lot of

devotees / religionists around who are just empty. This is why they

can continue to be negative and abusive after so many years of

sadhana / religious discipline. They are just stuck in the

rejecting, emptying aversion mode, and have not internalized, taken

in the life-giving nourishment that will fill-them-up and make them

positive, loving, forgiving, compassionate, kind people. They have

become adverse to the world, often by practicing unnessary and

artificial renunciation, but have not learned anything at all about

loving mere sinners (like themselves) or allowing themselves to be

loved. Such people often hide their profound bitterness and

impersonalism behind a facade of 'holy detachment'. Such people hate

sin, or the 'material' world, but that is not the same as loving God.

Theravadin Buddhists, Mayavadi Hindus and Gnostic Impersonalists etc.

also have disdain for this world, but they have no goal of developing

love for God or other beings. Their via-negativa of neti neti

rejection and aversion is not the path of BHAKTI YOGA.

Such 'Apophatic' so-called spirituality is essentially a kind of

covered atheism. It is iconoclastic and loveless. It denies the

INCARNATION, God's Salvific Grace, and the REAL PRESENCE OF GOD-WHO-

IS-LOVE in this world. Opposed to this pseudo-spirituality of

negation, impersonalism and voidism, THE BHAKTI YOGA PATH IS THAT OF

POSTIVE PERSONALISM, THE PATH OF DIVINE LOVE, available through God's

Grace in His Chivalrous Second Person, the SAVING SERVITOR LORD. We

must go past mere aversion to sin and 'the world' to LOVE OF GODHEAD,

AND TAKE HOLD OF THE MERCY OF GOD, otherwise we are still stuck in a

form maya consciousness. It may be anti-maya consciousness, but it

is still a focus on maya instead of Krishna.

 

RECENTLY SOMEONE AGAIN ASKED ME "IS THERE ANY REAL LOVE HERE?"

 

 

To answer this question, I would like to request everyone to read the

Great I AM verses of the Bhagavad Gita, in Chapters 10 and 11.

 

In Chapter 10, text 17, Arjuna asks Sri Krishna, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead

 

"How should I meditate on You? In what various forms are You to be

contemplated, O Blessed Lord?"

 

Krishna then replies with the GREAT I AM verses and manifests His

Universal Form in an astounding Theophany that overwhelms Arjuna so

much, that he begs Sri Krishna to conceal it again.

 

In this Theophany Sri Krishna reveals Himself as the Beginning,

Middle and End of all existances. Everything exists from, through,

with, in and by HIM. He is the Supreme Self in the heart of all

beings, the strength of the strong, virtue of the virtuous, even the

daring /gambling / risk taking of the cheats. THE DEVAS, and finally

Death Itself are all manifestations of Sri Krishna. All that is in

the universe springs from but a spark of His splendor. This THEOPHANY

of Sri Krishna is one of the two central revelations of the Bhagavad-

gita. The other of course is that simple Bhakti Devotion to the

Person of Sri Krishna, the Original Supreme Personality of Godhead is

recommended over all other practices of yoga.

 

Now if we reflect on all the ways that Krishna has revealed Himself

in the Scriptures, it should start to dawn on us that the ESSENCE OF

THE BEINGNESS OF SRI KRISHNA IS DIVINE LOVE, AND THAT THE MOST

CONFIDENTIAL KNOWLEDGE OF HIM IS KNOWLEDGE OF HIS LOVABLENESS and

LOVINGNESS, AND HOW ALL WORLDS ARE SIMPLY PERVADED BY HIS LOVE. If

even the daring gambling of the cheats manifests one of His all-

pervasive opulences, and the most essential 'part' of HIs Being is

LOVE, then how can we imagine that HIS LOVE DOES NOT PERVADE ALL THE

WORLDS ? Is there any little manifestation of REAL LOVE (LOBHA),

attraction or desire anywhere that does NOT have Sri Krishna as its

ULTIMATE CAUSE? Krishna is ULTIMATELY REVEALED AS THE ALL ATTRACTIVE

ONE. This is THE SUPREME LORD OF ALL HEARTS WHO REVEALED HIMSELF TO

ARJUNA. Is there any flavor of True Love anywhere that does NOT

have Sri Krishna and His associates as its Ultimate Cause ? If we

actually understand Sri Krishna's instruction to Arjuna in the Gita,

we will begin to recognize the LOVING PERSONAL PRESENCE OF THE

PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD PERVADING HIS ENTIRE CREATION. IN THIS WAY,

EVERYTHING WILL BEGIN TO REMIND US OF SRI KRISHNA AS ITS ULTIMATE

CAUSE AND END. IF WE ACTUALLY REALIZE KRISHNA'S OMNIPRESENCE, WE WILL

EXPERIANCE HIS LOVE EVERYWHERE.

 

So rather than thinking 'there is no Divine Love here', once we begin

to practice Bhakti Yoga, we should begin to see how Sri Krishna, the

All Lovable and All Loving Personality of Godhead is pervading

everything here with but a spark of His Splendor and single drop of

His nourishing, life giving Love ! When we begin to see all beings /

souls in relationship to Krishna, we will begin to experiance their

unique lovableness too. And, when we recognize that Krishna's

creations are pervaded with HIS LOVE FOR US, AND HIS ASSOCIATES' LOVE

FOR HIM IN ALL FLAVORS, then we will start to experiance this

omnipresent love ourselves, and to see the Lord and Our Lady's Divine

Love affair everywhere, spread throughout the cosmic manifestation.

ALL THAT IS HAPPENING HERE OR IN ANY OTHER WORLD IS GIVING AND

RECEIVING, AND SRI KRISHNA IS REVEALED AS THE ORIGINAL AND ULTIMATE

PURUSHA / GIVER AND SRI RADHA AS THE ORIGINAL AND ULTIMATE RECEIVER.

What They are giving and receiving is only LOVE. When we begin to see

like this, the loveless world of Maha Maya will then miraculously

disappear, and we will find ourselves in the care of YOGA MAYA,

practicing the simultaneous means-and-end of Bhakti Yoga.

PRACTICING BHAKTI YOGA MEANS CONNECTING TO THE SOURCE, AND TRYING NOT

TO IMPEDE THE FLOW OF DIVINE LOVE IN THE WORLD.

 

Bhakti Yoga is at once the means and the end. Once having truely

entered upon the path of Bhakti Yoga, one has already arrived at

one's destination, because loving devotion is both the simultaneous

means and end. Through Bhakti Yoga, we get more Bhakti Yoga ! There

is not some other, higher goal, thing or state to be attained. THE

GOAL OF LOVE'S SERVICE IS MORE SERVICE. WE MUST NEVER DESIRE TO

WORK OURSELVES OUT OF THE JOB. The greatest devotees don't even

care about their own personal salvation...only developing

unconditional love for Godhead and Sri Radhe ! The ultimate goal of

the Bhakti Yogi is not to 'merge into God', or to even acheive some

moksha or 'liberation'. The Saint of Bhakti Yoga only desires to

continue to serve God, and in so doing, to be perfected in their love

in relationship with Him and His associates throughout eternity.

 

Krishna desires that we perfect loving Him, through serving His

servants. Therefore, where ever there are His servants, there must be

Bhakti Yoga, and real, divine love. We must ourselves accept the gift

of Yoga Maya's love-anointed eyes, to see Sri Krishna, Radharani and

Their Associates and Their Divine Love all around us !

 

Let us meditate on how being 'Krishna Conscious' means to be

conscious of GOD-WHO-IS-LOVE all around us !

Remember, everything is from but a spark of His splendor ! This

means all flavors and manifestations of REAL LOVE IN ALL WORLDS

TOO. IF KRISHNA PERVADES THE WORLDS, THEN THERE IS REAL LOVE HERE.

 

May Krishna Kana, the Loveable and Loving, reveal Himself to us

today ! May Sri Radhe, the Archetypal Soul, Divine Wisdom and

Beloved of GOD-WHO-IS-LOVE bless us with Her service at the feet of

Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga ! May Lord Baladeva (JESUS), the Servitor

Lord and Savior of all worlds, engage us in His salvific service of

unconditional Loving today !

 

Sri Sri Radha-Krishna ki jaya !

Lord Baladeva ki jaya !

 

Trying to learn something about LOVE,

 

your aspiring servant, Bhakti Ananda Goswami

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an information resource and discussion group for people interested

in the World's Ancient Vedic Culture, with a focus on its historical,

archeological and scientific aspects. Also topics about India, Hinduism,

God, and other aspects of World Culture are welcome.

Remember, Vedic Culture is not an artificial imposition, but is the natural

state of a society that is in harmony with God and the environment.Om

Shantih, Harih Om

 

 

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