THE DARK LORD LEADS US TO ULTIMATE LIGHT

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THE DARK LORD LEADS US TO ULTIMATE LIGHT

Sparkling lotus eyes, mesmerizing sidelong glance, enchanting curved eyebrows, rosy red lips, shining jasmine teeth, endearing gentle smile, silken curly blackish hair, peacock feather crown, effulgent yellow garment, sylvan flower garland, charming threefold bending form, silver flute at the lips, fingers deftly playing the spellbinding fifth note – Aesthetic beauty find its culmination in Krishna. Indeed the gopis, the divine consorts of Krishna, reprimanded the creator Brahma for having fashioned eyelids that blinked; the moment of blinking appeared like a millennium of separation to them as it interrupted their incessant drinking of the nectar of Krishna's beauty with their eyes.

Why is Krishna's complexion dark, not fair? Is this a defect in the paragon of beauty?

Form is the most attractive object in our experience, but it is limited and temporary. So some people feel that God being unlimited cannot have a form. But God's creation is replete with attractive forms and if He is devoid of form, then He will be less attractive than His creation, which is highly illogical. Form and formlessness are akin to the dialectic of thesis and antithesis employed in modern Hegelian philosophy. The final stage of synthesis logically necessitates the integration of form and the formless, a feat any materialistic mind would find absurd and paradoxical. But the resolution emerges when we dissolve an unexamined assumption – that all form including God's has to be material. Material form is limited, but claiming that God's form is also limited reflects a tendency to foist material conceptions on transcendence. What causes limitation is not form per se, but matter, which is always limited, whether it has form or not. For example, a building with form

occupies limited space, but its formless debris is also limited. God is unlimited and all-pervasive not because He is formless, but because He is spiritual. The Supreme Spirit is omnipresent, both with and without form. The impersonal formless brahmajyoti is all-pervasive, and so is Krishna. Krishna 's form, though seemingly localized, exists in omni-dimension and so is all-pervasive, not restricted by space or time. This extraordinary nature of Krishna's form is seen in many of His pastimes, especially His showing the universe in His mouth to his mother Yashoda and His showing the universal form to Arjuna and Duryodhana.

Krishna's complexion highlights the inconceivable nature of His form. A dark complexion is generally not considered attractive, yet spiritually, when manifest in the Supreme Transcendental Person, the same bluish-black fresh rain cloud color becomes Shyamsundara, the epitome of all attractiveness. The Bible states that God's form is not like any form seen on land, in air or in water. Krishna's form is unlike any seen anywhere in this world - black yet beautiful. Thus the darkness of Krishna's form is not a dushana (blemish), but a bhushana (ornament).

Krishna declares unequivocally in the Bhagavad-gita (11.53-54) that bhakti, not karma or jnana, is the only means to understand Him. Bhakti catapults us to the realm of diversity in unity, beyond the undifferentiated brahman effulgence to the variegated spiritual world, characterized by endless love between the singular bhagavan and the plural bhaktas. The dark yet delectable form of Krishna reminds us that love lies beyond logic and that the heart probes deeper than the brawn and the brain. Krishna descends from that world of spirit to this world of matter to attract us to His original eternal form. He plays on His flute to invite us to board the plane of bhakti and fly back to the world of immortal love with Him.

Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, who propagated Krishna-bhakti worldwide, expressed the profound philosophical truth of Krishna's complexion and form in a disarmingly sweet exchange. When an African asked him somewhat facetiously, "Do you worship a black god?" Srila Prabhupada replied, with no malice and full poise, "Yes. Krishna is black - but not like you."

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

JAYA JAGANNATHA!

 

Dear MasterJ,

 

Namaste.

 

Srila Prabhupada was not a Racist. He has initiated many black disciples,

and we have two Diksha Gurus in ISKCON who are black: Bhakti-tirtha Swami

(recently passed away) and Devamrita Swami. What he meant here in my

understanding was that Krishna's color is bluish black, which no mortals

possess. So He is different from all of us. Of course the self has no

color. But the spiritual body in the spiritual world has color, and

Krishna has all the different types of associates: black, red, white,

golden, green, blue, etc. The spiritual world is colorful!

 

As for the paths explained in the Gita, all are yogas. Karma-yoga,

Jnana-yoga, Dhyana-yoga and Bhakti-yoga being the most prominent.There is

a hierarchy amongst them, and Bhakti is on the top of the ladder.

 

Bhakti is derived from the root Bhaj (to worship). So krishna gives the

following statement in the 47th verse of the 6th chapter:

 

yoginam api sarvesham

mad-gatenantar-atmana

shraddhavan bhajate yo mam

sa me yuktatamo matah

 

"And of all yogés, the one with great faith who always abides in Me,

thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to

Me—he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of

all. That is My opinion."

 

Yours,

 

Gauranga Das

 

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 08:17:28 +0200, MasterJ <rivolena .sg> wrote:

 

> Dear Haresh,

> The last sentence supposedly attributed to Srila Prabhupada smacks of

> racism and ignorance..." He is black but not like you..".Seems like he

> could not see beyond skin colour and yet talks of bhatki. What is the

> colour of Self ?

> Additionally, Krishna spoke about Yoga, Karma and Jhana as valid paths

> in the Gita. But it seems that for ISKON, salvation is only possible

> through Bhakti towards Krishna, Talk about being narrow minded.

> This email is an insult to Krishna in my opinion.

> J

> Gauranga Das <gaurangad > wrote:

> JAYA JAGANNATHA!

>

> Dear Haresh,

>

> Namaste.

>

> Thank you for the beautiful description. Reading this email is an Upaya

> in

> itself.

>

> Yours,

>

> Gauranga Das

>

 

 

 

--

Gauranga Das Vedic Astrologer

& Ayurvedic Consultant

Tel: +36309140839

www.brihaspati.net

www.atmacenter.hu

Skype: gauranga_das

[Guest guest]

Dear Gauranga,

I think u hv not read the last line properly. When Prabhupada had gone to the western world to preach Krishna Conciousness, the people over their were concious of one's appearence. Prabhupad was a Spiritual Master, and only a Spiritual Master can make this kind of statement because he wants everyone who is associating with the Guru to get liberated. This is in no way an insult to the Lord as Spiritual Master represents the Supreme Lord and he knows what is good for everyone.

Harry

 

MasterJ <rivolena .sg> wrote:

Dear Haresh,

 

The last sentence supposedly attributed to Srila Prabhupada smacks of racism and ignorance..." He is black but not like you..".Seems like he could not see beyond skin colour and yet talks of bhatki. What is the colour of Self ?

Additionally, Krishna spoke about Yoga, Karma and Jhana as valid paths in the Gita. But it seems that for ISKON, salvation is only possible through Bhakti towards Krishna, Talk about being narrow minded.

This email is an insult to Krishna in my opinion.

 

J

 

 

Gauranga Das <gaurangad > wrote:

JAYA JAGANNATHA!

 

Dear Haresh,

 

Namaste.

 

Thank you for the beautiful description. Reading this email is an Upaya in

itself.

 

Yours,

 

Gauranga Das

 

--

Gauranga Das Vedic Astrologer

& Ayurvedic Consultant

Tel: +36309140839

www.brihaspati.net

www.atmacenter.hu

Skype: gauranga_das

 

On Sun, 20 Aug 2006 13:48:15 +0200, Haresh (Harry) Nathani

<haresh1405 > wrote:

 

> THE DARK LORD LEADS US TO ULTIMATE LIGHT

> Sparkling lotus eyes, mesmerizing sidelong glance, enchanting curved

> eyebrows, rosy red lips, shining jasmine teeth, endearing gentle smile,

> silken curly blackish hair, peacock feather crown, effulgent yellow

> garment, sylvan flower garland, charming threefold bending form, silver

> flute at the lips, fingers deftly playing the spellbinding fifth note –

> Aesthetic beauty find its culmination in Krishna. Indeed the gopis, the

> divine consorts of Krishna, reprimanded the creator Brahma for having

> fashioned eyelids that blinked; the moment of blinking appeared like a

> millennium of separation to them as it interrupted their incessant

> drinking of the nectar of Krishna's beauty with their eyes.

> Why is Krishna's complexion dark, not fair? Is this a defect in the

> paragon of beauty?

> Form is the most attractive object in our experience, but it is

> limited and temporary. So some people feel that God being unlimited

> cannot have a form. But God's creation is replete with attractive forms

> and if He is devoid of form, then He will be less attractive than His

> creation, which is highly illogical. Form and formlessness are akin to

> the dialectic of thesis and antithesis employed in modern Hegelian

> philosophy. The final stage of synthesis logically necessitates the

> integration of form and the formless, a feat any materialistic mind

> would find absurd and paradoxical. But the resolution emerges when we

> dissolve an unexamined assumption – that all form including God's has to

> be material. Material form is limited, but claiming that God's form is

> also limited reflects a tendency to foist material conceptions on

> transcendence. What causes limitation is not form per se, but matter,

> which is always limited, whether it has form or not. For example, a

> building with form

> occupies limited space, but its formless debris is also limited. God is

> unlimited and all-pervasive not because He is formless, but because He

> is spiritual. The Supreme Spirit is omnipresent, both with and without

> form. The impersonal formless brahmajyoti is all-pervasive, and so is

> Krishna. Krishna 's form, though seemingly localized, exists in

> omni-dimension and so is all-pervasive, not restricted by space or

> time. This extraordinary nature of Krishna's form is seen in many of His

> pastimes, especially His showing the universe in His mouth to his mother

> Yashoda and His showing the universal form to Arjuna and Duryodhana.

> Krishna's complexion highlights the inconceivable nature of His form.

> A dark complexion is generally not considered attractive, yet

> spiritually, when manifest in the Supreme Transcendental Person, the

> same bluish-black fresh rain cloud color becomes Shyamsundara, the

> epitome of all attractiveness. The Bible states that God's form is not

> like any form seen on land, in air or in water. Krishna's form is unlike

> any seen anywhere in this world - black yet beautiful. Thus the darkness

> of Krishna's form is not a dushana (blemish), but a bhushana (ornament).

> Krishna declares unequivocally in the Bhagavad-gita (11.53-54) that

> bhakti, not karma or jnana, is the only means to understand Him. Bhakti

> catapults us to the realm of diversity in unity, beyond the

> undifferentiated brahman effulgence to the variegated spiritual world,

> characterized by endless love between the singular bhagavan and the

> plural bhaktas. The dark yet delectable form of Krishna reminds us that

> love lies beyond logic and that the heart probes deeper than the brawn

> and the brain. Krishna descends from that world of spirit to this world

> of matter to attract us to His original eternal form. He plays on His

> flute to invite us to board the plane of bhakti and fly back to the

> world of immortal love with Him.

> Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, who propagated Krishna-bhakti

> worldwide, expressed the profound philosophical truth of Krishna's

> complexion and form in a disarmingly sweet exchange. When an African

> asked him somewhat facetiously, "Do you worship a black god?" Srila

> Prabhupada replied, with no malice and full poise, "Yes. Krishna is

> black - but not like you."

>

>

>

> Get your email and more, right on the new .com

>

>

[Guest guest]

JAYA JAGANNATHA!

 

Dear Harry,

 

Namaste.

 

I think you have confused me with MasterJ. I was in favor of your email

and he was against. I just reacted to what he said as I cannot tolerate

insults against the Lord and His devotees.

 

Yours,

 

Gauranga Das

 

--

Gauranga Das Vedic Astrologer

& Ayurvedic Consultant

Tel: +36309140839

www.brihaspati.net

www.atmacenter.hu

Skype: gauranga_das

 

 

On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 14:32:38 +0200, Haresh (Harry) Nathani

<haresh1405 > wrote:

 

> Dear Gauranga,

> I think u hv not read the last line properly. When Prabhupada had gone

> to the western world to preach Krishna Conciousness, the people over

> their were concious of one's appearence. Prabhupad was a Spiritual

> Master, and only a Spiritual Master can make this kind of statement

> because he wants everyone who is associating with the Guru to get

> liberated. This is in no way an insult to the Lord as Spiritual Master

> represents the Supreme Lord and he knows what is good for everyone.

> Harry

>

> MasterJ <rivolena .sg> wrote:

> Dear Haresh,

>

> The last sentence supposedly attributed to Srila Prabhupada smacks of

> racism and ignorance..." He is black but not like you..".Seems like he

> could not see beyond skin colour and yet talks of bhatki. What is the

> colour of Self ?

> Additionally, Krishna spoke about Yoga, Karma and Jhana as valid paths

> in the Gita. But it seems that for ISKON, salvation is only possible

> through Bhakti towards Krishna, Talk about being narrow minded.

> This email is an insult to Krishna in my opinion.

>

> J

>

>

> Gauranga Das <gaurangad > wrote:

> JAYA JAGANNATHA!

>

> Dear Haresh,

>

> Namaste.

>

> Thank you for the beautiful description. Reading this email is an Upaya

> in

> itself.

>

> Yours,

>

> Gauranga Das

>

 

 

 

--

Gauranga Das Vedic Astrologer

& Ayurvedic Consultant

Tel: +36309140839

www.brihaspati.net

www.atmacenter.hu

Skype: gauranga_das