Guest guest Posted May 8, 2004 Report Share Posted May 8, 2004 Sri Ramananda Raya. Sri Ramananda Raya's disappearance day. a lecture given by HH Giriraja Swami. ---------- RAMANANDA RAYA MEETS LORD CAITANYA Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter 8 Sri Ramananda Raya's Disappearance Festival Text 1 sancarya ramabhidha-bhakta-meghe sva-bhakti-siddhanta-cayamrtani gaurabdhir etair amuna vitirnais taj-jnatva-ratnalayatam prayati Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gauranga, is the ocean of all conclusive knowledge in devotional service. He empowered Sri Ramananda Raya, who may be likened to a cloud of devotional service. This cloud was filled with the water of all the conclusive purports of devotional service and was empowered by the ocean to spread this water over the sea of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. Thus the ocean of Caitanya Mahaprabhu became filled with the jewels of the knowledge of pure devotional service. LECTURE by Giriraj Swami Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, but He appeared in the mood of Srimati Radharani to experience Sri Radha's love for Him and the bliss She feels in such love. Lord Caitanya advented Himself in Sri Navadvipa-dhama and remained there for twenty-four years. He then took sannyasa and proceeded to Sri Purusottama-ksetra or Jagannatha Puri. At Puri, when He took darsana and had the audience of Lord Jagannatha, He saw Jagannath not as a statue or deity but as the Lord Himself, and He fainted in ecstatic love. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was the chief pandita in Jagannatha Puri and personal advisor to King Prataparudra. He could understand that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in a rare state of transcendental love. So he carried Him to his home, and eventually Lord Caitanya and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya became great friends. Ultimately Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya surrendered unto the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. When Lord Caitanya decided to tour South India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya requested Him to meet one learned devotee in Vidyanagara named Ramananda Raya. Although Ramananda Raya was governor of Madras and was considered a sudra, Sarvabhauma understood that Ramananda Raya was an exalted devotee and so requested the Lord to meet him. Now we shall discuss the meeting of Lord Caitanya and Ramananda Raya. Lord Caitanya took bath in the river Godavari, then walked some distance from the river and began to chant the holy names of Krishna. In the meantime, Ramananda Raya came: Text 14 - 21 At that time accompanied by the sounds of music, Ramananda Raya came there on a palanquin to take his bath. Many brahmanas following the Vedic principles accompanied Ramananda Raya. According to the Vedic rituals, Ramananda Raya took his bath and offered oblations to his forefathers. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu could understand that the person who had come to bathe in the river was Ramananda Raya. The Lord wanted so much to meet him that His mind immediately began running after him. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was running after him mentally, He patiently remained sitting. Ramananda Raya, seeing the wonderful sannyasi, then came to see Him. Srila Ramananda Raya then saw Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be as brilliant as a hundred suns. The Lord was covered by a saffron garment. He was large in body and very strongly built, and His eyes were like lotus petals. When Ramananda Raya saw the wonderful sannyasi, he was struck with wonder. He went to Him and immediately offered his respectful obeisances, falling down flat like a rod. The Lord stood up and asked Ramananda Raya to arise and chant the holy name of Krishna. Indeed, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very eager to embrace him. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then inquired whether he was Ramananda Raya, and he replied, "Yes, I am Your very low servant, and I belong to the sudra community." LECTURE Ramananda Raya was very humble and truthful. Often people, especially in the modern age of Kali, are absorbed in false prestige. If someone asks who the person is, the person may state himself to be more than he actually is. I met a lady last weekend who mentioned that her uncle was a tailor. But when he met people he wouldn't say he was a tailor, he would say he was a psychologist. Immediately Ramananda Raya said, "I am your very lowly servant, and I belong to the sudra community." Text 22 tabe tare kaila prabhu drdha alingana premavese prabhu-bhrtya donhe acetana Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then embraced Sri Ramananda Raya very firmly. Indeed, both the master and the servant almost lost consciousness due to ecstatic love. LECTURE Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was the master and Ramananda Raya the servant, in the ecstasy of love they became one and both almost became unconscious as they lost themselves in pure love. Text 23 svabhavika prema donhara udaya karila dunha alingiya dunhe bhumite padila Their natural love for each other was awakened in them both, and they embraced and fell to the ground. PURPORT By Srila Prabhupada Srila Ramananda Raya was an incarnation of the gopi Visakha. Since Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was Lord Krishna Himself, there was naturally an awakening of love between Visakha and Krishna. Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the combination of Srimati Radharani and Krishna, and the gopi Visakha is the principle gopi assisting Srimati Radharani. Thus the natural love between Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu awakened and they embraced. LECTURE When the Lord appears on earth, He comes with His associates from the spiritual world. When Krishna descended on earth, He was accompanied by His associates, who assisted Him in His pastimes. Similarly, when Lord Caitanya appeared, He was accompanied by His associates. But because Lord Caitanya is Krishna in the guise of a devotee, a brahmana and a sannyasi, most of His associates, who were also Krishna's associates in Vrindavana, also appeared in male bodies, mainly as brahmanas and sannyasis, though some as householders and even sudras. Srimati Radharani is the original pleasure potency of Sri Krishna and She expands Herself as various gopis who also serve Krishna in Vrindavana. She has eight immediate expansions, the eight principle gopis or asta-sakhis, and the first two are Lalita and Visakha. Visakha actually appears on the same day as Srimati Radharani and she has almost the same bodily features and personal qualities as Srimati Radharani. But although she is fully qualified in every respect, she prefers to assist Srimati Radharani in Her pastimes with Sri Krishna. The gopis take more pleasure in the meeting of Radha and Krishna than they take in their own meeting with Krishna. So there is great love between Srimati Radharani and Her girlfriends, and many of Her girlfriends, although they love Radha and Krishna equally, actually have more affection for Srimati Radharani than for Krishna Himself. Thus, when Visakha and Krishna met in the form of Ramananda Raya and Lord Caitanya, great ecstatic love awakened within them, because of Visakha's love for Krishna and Krishna's love for Visakha, and because of Visakha's love for Radha and Radharani's love for her beloved girlfriend Visakha. Srila Rupa Gosvami praises the love between Srimati Radharani and Her girlfriends in his song, Radhe Jaya Jaya Madhava-dayite, where he says Srimati Radharani attracts Lalita and Visakha by Her transcendental qualities (lalita-sakhi guna-ramita-visakhe). So both attractions existed simultaneously in Ramananda Raya - Visakha's attraction for Krishna and her perhaps even greater attraction for Srimati Radharani. And in Lord Caitanya's later days in Jagannatha Puri, when He was experiencing separation from Krishna in the mood of Srimati Radharani when Krishna left Vrindavana, Ramananda Raya used to sing songs and console Lord Caitanya just as Visakha used to console Srimati Radharani when She felt separation from Krishna. Text 24 - 27 When they embraced each other, ecstatic symptoms - paralysis, perspiration, tears, shivering, paleness and standing up of bodily hairs - appeared. The word "Krishna" came from their mouths falteringly. When the stereotyped, ritualistic brahmanas who were following the Vedic principles saw this ecstatic manifestation of love, they were struck with wonder. All these brahmanas began to reflect as follows. The brahmanas thought, "We can see that this sannyasi has a luster like the effulgence of Brahman, but how is it He is crying upon embracing a sudra, a member of the fourth caste in the social order?" They thought, "This Ramananda Raya is the Governor of Madras, a highly learned and grave person, a maha-pandita, but upon touching this sannyasi he has become restless like a madman." LECTURE They couldn't understand the ecstatic love between Lord Caitanya and Ramananda Raya. Text 28 ei-mata vipra-gana bhave mane mana vijatiya loka dekhi, prabhu kaila samvarana While the brahmanas were thinking in this way about the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw those outsiders and restrained His transcendental emotions. PURPORT Ramananda Raya was intimately related to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; therefore he can be accepted as a sajatiya, a person within the intimate circle of the Lord. The brahmanas, however, were followers of the Vedic rituals and were not able to have an intimate connection with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Consequently they are called vijatiya-loka. In other words, they are not pure devotees. One may be a highly learned brahmana, but if he is not a pure devotee, he is a vijatiya, an outcaste, one outside devotional service - in other words, a non-devotee. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya were embracing in ecstasy, the Lord restrained His transcendental emotions upon seeing the outsider brahmanas. LECTURE There are two words in Sanskrit: vijatiya, which means outsider, and sajatiya, which means someone who is confidential or in the inner circle of one's associates. In Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami has enumerated five most potent forms of devotional service. One is sadhu-sanga, or association with advanced devotees. Rupa Gosvami defines such powerful association as sajatiyasaye snigdhe, sadhau sangah svato vare: "One should associate with devotees who are more advanced than oneself and endowed with a similar type of affection for the Lord." He uses the word sajatiya, which one could say means like-minded. Sajatiyasaye, and snigdhe: the sadhu or saintly person should be affectionate. And svato vare: he should be more advanced than oneself. If we can associate with a sadhu who is like-minded, who is affectionate to us, and who is more advanced than we are, we can make great spiritual advancement. Although the brahmanas may have been knowledgeable in Vedic rituals, they were not pure devotees. Thus they could not understand the reciprocation between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Ramananda Raya. They were judging externally that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a sannyasi, so why should He cry by touching a sudra. Ramananda Raya is a governor, so why should he become like a madman by embracing a sannyasi. The brahmanas could not understand because they were preoccupied with the externals. Although they were brahmanas in the varnasrama system, they were not bhaktas, so they judged externally. Lord Caitanya understood they were outsiders who could not appreciate His pure reciprocation with His pure devotee, so He restrained His emotions. The brahmanas were already struck with wonder and they could have committed more offences if the Lord continued to exhibit His love for His devotee in the same way. So He restrained Himself. Text 29 - 32 When they regained their sanity, they both sat down, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled and began to speak as follows. "Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya spoke of your good qualities, and he made a great endeavor to convince Me to meet you. "Indeed, I have come here just to meet you. It is very good that even without making an effort I have gotten your interview here." Ramananda Raya replied, "Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya thinks of me as his servant. Even in my absence he is very careful to do me good. LECTURE The master always thinks of doing good for the servant. Text 33 - 36 "By his mercy I have received Your interview here. Consequently I consider that today I have become a successful human being. "I can see that You have bestowed special mercy upon Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. Therefore you have touched me, although I am untouchable. This is due only to his love for You. "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana Himself, and I am only a government servant interested in materialistic activities. Indeed, I am the lowest among men of the fourth caste. "You do not fear Vedic injunctions stating that You should not associate with a sudra. You were not contemptuous of my touch, although in the Vedas You are forbidden to associate with sudras. PURPORT In the Bhagavad-gita (9.32) the Lord says: mam hi partha vyapasritya ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te 'pi yanti param gatim "O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth - women, vaisyas (merchants), as well as sudras (workers) - can attain the supreme destination." The word papa-yonayah means "born of lower-caste women." The vaisyas are merchants, and the sudras or workers are servants. According to Vedic classifications, they belong to a lower social order. A low life means a life without Krishna consciousness. High and low positions in society were calculated by considering a person's Krishna consciousness. A brahmana is considered to be on the highest platform because he knows Brahman, the Absolute Truth. The second caste, the ksatriya caste, also know Brahman, but not as well as the brahmanas. The vaisyas and sudras do not clearly understand God consciousness, but if they take to Krishna consciousness by the mercy of Krishna and the spiritual master, they do not remain in the lower castes (papa-yonayah). It is clearly stated: te 'pi yanti param gatim. Unless one has attained the highest standard of life, one cannot return home, back to Godhead. One may be sudra, vaisya or woman, but if one is situated in the service of the Lord in Krishna consciousness, one should not be considered stri, sudra, vaisya or lower than sudra. Though a person may be from a low born family, if he is engaged in the Lord's service he should never be considered to belong to a lowborn family. The Padma Purana forbids, viksate jati samanyat sa yati narakam-dhruvam. A person goes to hell quickly when he considers a devotee of the Lord in terms of birth. Although Sri Ramananda Raya supposedly took birth in a sudra family, he is not to be considered a sudra, for he was a greatly advanced devotee. Indeed, he was on the transcendental platform. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore embraced him. Out of spiritual humility, Sri Ramananda Raya presented himself as a sudra (raja-sevi visayi sudradhama). Even though one may engage in government service or in any other pounds-shillings-pence business - in short, in materialistic life - he need only take to Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness is a very simple process. One need only chant the holy names of the Lord and strictly follow the principles forbidding sinful activity. In this way one can no longer be considered an untouchable, a visayi or a sudra. One who is advanced in spiritual life should not associate with nondevotees - namely men in government service and men engaged in materialistic activity for sense gratification or in the service of others. LECTURE Ramananda Raya was well aware of the scriptural injunctions that forbade Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu from touching him because he was considered a sudra. But Lord Caitanya did not see him as a sudra; He saw him as a devotee, and therefore He apparently violated the Vedic injunction. Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport that one may be considered to be lowborn, but low birth is calculated in lack of Krishna consciousness. If one becomes Krishna conscious, he is no longer considered to be lowborn. He or she should not be seen as stri, vaisya, sudra or whatever. Rather, the person should be seen as a devotee. We should also be careful in our association with each other not to place each other in material categories and judge each other by material standards. If someone is engaged in chanting the holy names of Krishna and following the regulative principles, then he or she is considered a devotee. We should not see him in terms of material designations. If we do, as Srila Prabhupada quotes from the Padma Purana, we shall go to hell quickly. And it doesn't just mean we go to hell physically, but mentally we can go to hell, though we appear to live in the same place. But our mentality becomes hellish, and we may not even notice it. We may think we are doing fine, but actually we are suffering in hell. Text 37 tomara krpaya tomaya karaya nindya-karma saksat isvara tumi, ke jane tomara marma "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself; therefore no one can understand Your purpose. By Your mercy You are touching me, although this is not sanctioned by the Vedas. PURPORT A sannyasi is strictly forbidden to see the visayis, the materialistic people. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of His boundless and causeless mercy, could show favor to anyone, regardless of birth or position. LECTURE Srila Prabhupada, following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, gave his mercy freely to anyone and everyone without considering material birth or material qualification or disqualification. Text 38 ama nistarite tomara ihan agamana parama-dayalu tumi patita-pavana "You have come here specifically to deliver me. You are so merciful that You alone can deliver all fallen souls. PURPORT Srila Narottama dasa Thakura sings in his Prarthana (39): sri krsna-caitanya-prabhu daya kara more, toma vina ke dayalu jagat-samsare patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara, mo sama patita prabhu na paibe ara "My dear Lord, please be merciful to me. Who can be more merciful than Your Lordship within these three worlds? You appear as an incarnation just to reclaim the conditioned, fallen souls, but I assure You that You will not find a soul more fallen than me." LECTURE The devotee's humility attracts the Lord's attention. The Lord is not impressed by a proud person who advertises his qualifications and achievements. Rather, He is attracted by a humble person who presents himself as lowly and fallen and thus worthy of the Lord's mercy. PURPORT Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's specific mission is to deliver fallen souls. Of course, in this age of Kali there is hardly anyone who is not fallen according to the calculations of Vedic behavior. In His instructions to Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu described the so-called followers of Vedic religion in this way (Madhya 19.146): veda-nistha-madhye ardheka veda 'mukhe'mane veda-nisiddha papa kare, dharma nahi gane So-called followers of Vedic principles simply accept the Vedas formally, but they act against Vedic principles. This is symptomatic of this Age of Kali. People claim to follow a certain type of religion, saying formally, "I am Hindu,I am Muslim,I am Christian,I am this or that," but actually no one follows the principles enunciated in religious scriptures. This is the disease of this age. Therefore the merciful Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has simply advised us to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. The Lord can deliver anyone and everyone, even though one may have fallen from the injunctions of the revealed scriptures. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's special mercy. Consequently He is known as patita-pavana, the deliverer of all fallen souls. LECTURE We see how Narottama dasa Thakura prayed to Lord Caitanya. Ramananda Raya also prayed to Lord Caitanya in a similar way. Srila Prabhupada has advised us how to offer prayers. Of course, the best prayers come from the heart. But when one devotee asked Srila Prabhupada how to offer a prayer, Srila Prabhupada replied that the prayer may include three elements: first, one states the glories of the person to whom one is praying; next, one states one's own disqualification; then, one asks for mercy. Here we see, sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu daya kara more, toma vina ke dayalu jagat-samsare: "You are the most merciful incarnation." First Narottama dasa glorifies the Lord. Then, mo sama patita prabhu na paibe ara: "I am the most fallen. You are the most merciful, and I am the most fallen." So he concludes: "Therefore you should be merciful and save me." Text 39 mahanta-svabhava ei tarite pamara nija karya nahi tabu yana tara ghara "It is the general practice of all saintly people to deliver the fallen. Therefore they go to people's houses, although they have no personal business there. PURPORT A sannyasi is supposed to beg from door to door. He does not beg simply because he is hungry. His real purpose is to enlighten the occupant of every house by preaching Krishna consciousness. A sannyasi does not abandon his superior position and become a beggar just for the sake of begging. Similarly, a person in householder life may be very important, but he may also voluntarily take to the mendicant way of life. Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were ministers, but they voluntarily accepted the mendicant's life in order to humbly preach Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message. It is said about them: tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau. Although the Gosvamis were very aristocratic, on the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu they became mendicants just to deliver the fallen souls. LECTURE Lord Caitanya gave different instructions to different devotees. He instructed some to remain in their positions and preach, and He advised others, like Ramananda Raya, to leave their positions and join Him. So the spiritual master gives different instructions to different disciples, but the success of the disciple is to follow the specific order given to him by his spiritual master. PURPORT One should also consider that those who engage in the missionary activities of the Krishna consciousness movement are under the guidance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They are not actually beggars; their real business is to deliver fallen souls. Therefore they may go from door to door just to introduce a book about Krishna consciousness so that people can be enlightened by reading. Formerly brahmacaris and sannyasis used to beg from door to door. At the present moment, especially in the Western countries, a person may be handed over to the police if he begs from door to door. In Western countries, begging is considered criminal. Members of the Krishna consciousness movement have no business begging. Instead, they work very hard to introduce some literatures about Krishna consciousness so that people can read them and be benefited. But if one gives some contribution to a Krishna conscious man, he never refuses it. LECTURE We don't really go from door to door to beg and get money. We actually go to give knowledge of Krishna. But at the same time, if someone wants to reciprocate and offer something, the devotee will accept the contribution and engage it in Krishna's service. But he doesn't go for the sake of money. Still, sometimes we may need a little impetus to go. Once at Juhu Srila Prabhupada told Tamal Krishna Goswami, "I can give you so many ideas how to make money at Hare Krishna Land, you can get whatever you need right here." Tamal Krishna Goswami replied, "Well, frankly, Srila Prabhupada, if we get all the money we need from the land, the devotees may not go out to preach." Srila Prabhupada replied, "Then better I don't tell you." Text 40 mahad-vicalanam nrnam grhinam dina-cetasam nihsreyasaya bhagavan nanyatha kalpate kvacit "My dear Lord, sometimes great saintly persons go to the homes of householders, although these householders are generally low-minded. When a saintly person visits their homes, one can understand that it is for no other purpose than to benefit the householders." PURPORT This verse is from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.8.4) LECTURE After the birth of Lord Krishna, Garga Muni visited the home of Nanda Maharaja, and Nanda Maharaja spoke the verse quoted. He appreciated Garga Muni, that Garga Muni had no reason to visit householders except to bestow mercy. Text 41 - 43 "Along with me there are about a thousand men - including the brahmanas - and all of them appear to have had their hearts melted simply by seeing You. "I hear everyone chanting the holy name of Krishna. Everyone's body is thrilled with ecstasy, and there are tears in everyone's eyes. "My dear Sir, according to Your behavior and bodily features, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is impossible for ordinary living beings to possess such transcendental qualities." PURPORT Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's bodily features were uncommon. Indeed, His body was extraordinary in its measurements. The measurement of His chest and the measurement of His forearms were the same. This is called nyagrodha-parimandala. As far as His nature is concerned, He was kind to everyone. Therefore the Lord's name is Krishna, "all-attractive." As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (14.4), Krishna is the kind father of everyone. In every species of life (sarva-yonisu), He is the original father, the seed-giver (bija-pradah pita). How, then, can He be unkind to any living entity? One may be a man, an animal or even a tree, but the Lord is kind to everyone. That is God's qualification. He also says in the Bhagavad-gita (9.29), samo 'ham sarva-bhutesu: "I am equally kind to everyone." And He advises, sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Give up all other engagements and simply surrender unto Me." This instruction is meant not only for Arjuna but for all living entities. Whoever takes advantage of this offer is immediately immune to all sinful activity and returns home, back to Godhead. While present on this planet, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu made the same offer. LECTURE The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the kind father of all living entities and He wants the living entities to become free from sinful actions and reactions and come back home, back to Godhead. Lord Caitanya came with the same mission as Lord Krishna, to induce fallen souls to surrender unto Him or to chant His holy names and so come back to Him. Once Srila Prabhupada visited some wealthy friends in Pune named the Malhotras. They were three brothers, but two in particular were well established in the family business and favorable to Krishna consciousness. Still, like many materialists, they questioned the value of spending so much money on temples rather than for other projects like hospitals. And as they were a wealthy business family, Srila Prabhupada gave an appropriate example. (I heard the story from one of the brothers.) Srila Prabhupada used the name of the richest man in India, Mr. Birla. Prabhupada said, "Suppose Mr. Birla invites me to his home for some days. I stay and take meals with him and his family, his children and grandchildren. Later I find his grandson living on the footpath in complete poverty, having run away from home. What should I do? Well, I can ignore him. Or I can give him some money to buy food. But after some time the money will be finished and he will be in the same position. Or I can stop and spend some time and talk with him and allow him to develop faith." Srila Prabhupada gave the example that he could take the boy home and bathe him, give him fresh clothes and nice prasada, and speak with him. "I saw you at your grandfather's house. What happened? What went wrong?" Then the boy may gradually open his heart and reveal what happened. And eventually, by developing an intimate relationship with the grandson, the grandson may agree to meet his grandfather. Then, as Mr. Malhotra related, Srila Prabhupada said, "You can phone Mr. Birla and say, 'Your grandson is here with me. You may come and get him.' And Mr. Birla himself will be pleased to come." Srila Prabhupada explained that we are all children or grandchildren of the supreme father, of the most opulent Supreme Personality of Godhead. But somehow something has gone wrong in our relationship with Him. So the devotee or spiritual master establishes relationships with the Lord's children who have run away from home. He will bring a child to his place, bathe the child, clothe the child, feed the child, and establish a relationship with the child so eventually the child will be prepared to go back home. That is the purpose of the asrama and temple: People can come and bathe, get clean clothes, take prasada, and establish some relationship with some devotee so ultimately the devotee can prepare the person to go back home, back to Godhead. And God Himself will be so eager and pleased, He will personally come and take the person back. That is the great value of the temple or asrama when properly used. And the value cannot be compared to the value of any mundane welfare work, which gives at most only temporary benefit. Srila Prabhupada often gave the example that the child may run away from home and forget the father, but the father never forgets the child. The father is always thinking, "When will my child come home?" The devotees of the Lord understand the purpose of the Lord, that He wants to get His lost children back, and therefore they try to establish relations with the fallen souls to help them return to their proper relationship with their eternal Lord, master and father. So the Lord is very kind and, directly or indirectly, He cares for all His children. [end] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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