Dangers Of Better Birth

suchandra · June 5, 2007

Since it became a widespread fashion for so many western Vaishnavas to consider it as advancement of spiritual live to have your own house in sunny Florida/California/Hawaii, etc. - the example of Srila Bilvamangala Thakura as narrated by Srila Prabhupada to Allen Ginsberg illustrates how slightest material attachment of a devotee easily leads to further complicated chain reaction of material entanglement.

Although in previous live already elevated to the stage of bhava, "but someway or other couldnt finish", Srila Bilvamangala Thakura (14th century A.D.) was born again in a nice and rich brahmana family.

Prabhupāda: Bilvamangala Thākura, in his previous life, he elevated himself to the loving stage of Krsna. Not exactly, just previous, bhāva. It is called bhāva, ecstasy. But some way or other, he could not finish, so according to the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, he was given birth to a nice brāhmana family. So very rich. Śucīnām śrīmatām gehe, in that way. Rich family, at the same time, brāhmana family. But richness, generally, sometimes glide down to wine, women, and intoxication. So by bad company he became woman-hunter, prostitute-hunter. So he was too much addicted to one woman, Cintāmani. So his father died, and he was… He did not marry. In your country it is called girlfriend, and in our country it is called prostitute. So he was that about that prostitute, Cintāmani. So he was performing the rituals, but he was thinking of his girlfriend, that Cintāmani, “When I shall go there?” Bilvamangala Thākura? Yes. So he asked his servants, “Give me some food. I shall go to Cintāmai.”

So anyway, he performed… Did not perform. His mind was there. He took some nice foodstuff, and when he went, there was a big river, and it was raining heavily, and the river was flooded. So he thought,“How shall I go the other side?” So one dead body was floating. So he thought, “It is a log,” and he took the help of the log and went the other side. And it was heavy raining. And then, when he reached that Cintāmani’s home, he saw the door is locked already. Blocked. So he jumped over the wall, taking the tail of a serpent, and when he reached inside, he knocked the door, and Cintāmani was astonished.

“How did you come? So heavy rain. You had to cross the river.” He said everything, that “Oh, I cannot stay without you.” So she was much inquisitive: “How did you come? How did you jump over this wall?” And so he showed everything, that there was a big snake, and so he thought it as rope and jumped it. And then, when he went to the riverside, he saw that was a dead body. So at that time Cintāmaṇi thought, “Oh, this man is so much addicted to me.” So she told, “Oh, this much attraction if you would have with Krsna, oh, how nice your life would have been.” So immediately he came to his senses because he was lifted to that position in his previous life. So immediately he left and was going alone to Vrndāvana. And on the way he saw another beautiful woman. So his business was to be attracted by woman. So he again became attracted. So he was following. So this woman, after entering, she told her husband, “Just see, this man is following from a distant place.” So he asked him, “Oh, come on.” He saw he is nice gentleman. He was a rich man, brāhmana. “What is this?” He said plainly, “Oh, I have been attracted by your wife, by the beauty of your wife.” “All right, come on. What is that?” You enjoy my wife. You are brāhmana. You are…” So he was received well. And at night, when he was given place, then he asked that woman, “Mother, will you give me your hair pin?” He took the hair pin and pushed in the eyes: “Oh, these eyes are my enemy.”

Since then he became blind. And in that blindness he was worshiping Krsna, and Krsna was coming to him. And he would not touch. He’ll sing, dance, and He’ll supply milk and go away. So this Bilvamangala Thākura wrote one book, Krsna-karnāmrta. It is very valuable book. That is very highly estimated by Lord Caitanya.

Allen Ginsberg: What century is that?

Full conversation:

http://causelessmercy.com/t/t/690513rc.col.htm?i=1969

June 5, 2007

Sounds like someone is jealous of people living in Florida or California....

If these are not great then what about the cravings for heavenly abode?

Indraloka is fantasy and USA is reality...enjoy this if you got this and dont be jealous if you dont have it,work for it and you might get it,not sitting on your butt and chanting mantra,nothing happens that way...

suchandra · June 5, 2007

Sounds like someone is jealous of people living in Florida or California....
If these are not great then what about the cravings for heavenly abode?

Indraloka is fantasy and USA is reality...enjoy this if you got this and dont be jealous if you dont have it,work for it and you might get it,not sitting on your butt and chanting mantra,nothing happens that way...

Dear guest thanks for surfing through here, your question is perfectly answered by NAVA JAUVANA PRABHU who writes:

Garlands of Reality

BY: NAVA JAUVANA DASA

Jun 5, INDIA (SUN) —

"hara boliya, galaya parili

shamana kinkara sapa....'

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'Death is like a snake, it can come at anytime. But thinking it to be a flower garland, you wear it around your neck.'

These are the biting words of Locan Das Thakur, the great 16th century vaisnava poet, from his song: Avatara Sara. The Thakur cries out to us: 'why are you so attracted to the garlands of karma and jnana that you're wearing? They are actually snakes around your neck, not garlands, and they can kill you at any moment! But you proudly wear them. Brothers, why can't you give up this illusion and just worship the essence of all avatars, Sri Gauranga?'

Money, friends, social prestige, approval, control over others, fame. We're busy in this world desiring these garlands, acquiring them at any cost, and then proudly wearing them! But these garlands are only external decorations for the soul. None of them give us real beauty, real charm, real life. They actually bring us closer to death. Short of prema bhakti, all the opulence we acquire here, gross and subtle, are simply garlands of repeated birth and death.

In our early days in Krishna consciousness we used to demonize the 'karmis' for their materialistic careers, bank balances and family ties. That was immature on our part. But now we see that some of the sannyasis and gurus who used to criticize the karmis for their attachments, now own $100,000 cars, live in large villas, trade stocks, go to universities to get PhDs, or write novels about sex life, while continuing to accept the worship of their disciples and to remain silent about the mistakes they made as leaders of Iskcon, which caused so much suffering to so many devotees. Are these the activities of liberated souls, or are these men living in illusion, wearing some of maya's most subtle, dangerous garlands? It is not our business to judge others, lest we be judged. But neither should we be blind or mix too closely with those who compromise.

The path of spiritual life is not a wide highway of mixed interests and selfish intentions. The path to freedom starts as a narrow lane of inner focus. If we want reality, we need to turn off the public freeway of popular votes and acceptance. We must not follow the common flow of social life, but take the side road of sacrifice and truth telling. The previous acaryas give us the wisdom, mercy and courage to follow them on this road that leads to freedom. We have only ourselves to blame if we get misled.

Pure devotees who worship the Lord wholeheartedly, without interruption or material ambition, know the road to freedom. They are truly liberated and spontaneous because they know, without any doubt, that it is Braj Kishore who wears the vaijayanti garland of five colors. They know that the source of beauty and energy and life is not their egos, but Krishna. 'Vasudevah sarvam iti: one who realizes that everything is dependent on me, Vasudeva, surrenders to me. Such a great soul is extremely rare.' (Bhagavad-gita 7.19)

A great soul is very rare. We cannot imitate his activities by some show. We came to this material world because we wanted to imitate God. To get out of this world we need to follow a rare devotee, not imitate one. It's a practice and it's not easy. It requires all the humility and perseverance of a baby learning to walk. We have fallen countless times and will continue to fall for sure. Our friends or family members will fall or fail us. Some of our closest friends may appear to leave the scene completely. Others may disappoint us by putting on false garlands and abusing us or making a show of the practice. But we should not become discouraged. We should never stop picking ourselves up, despite our own obvious weaknesses. Never giving up, and never giving in to the temptation to imitate.

Then, one day, by the mercy of a pure devotee, either in this life or in another, we will actually start walking. We'll be naked of illusion and free from the garlands of death hanging around our necks. Our attachment to this false world will be gone and we'll cry and dance in ecstasy, worshipping the essence of all avatars, Sri Gaurasundar, to our heart's content.

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