Pure Love

[Guruvani]

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 4.165

 

ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali 'kāma'

kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare 'prema' nāma

 

SYNONYMS

ātma-indriya-prīti — for the pleasure of one's own senses; vāñchā — desires; tāre — to that; bali — I say; kāma — lust; kṛṣṇa-indriya-prīti — for the pleasure of Lord Kṛṣṇa's senses; icchā — desire; dhare — holds; prema — love; nāma — the name.

 

 

TRANSLATION

The desire to gratify one's own senses is kāma [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Kṛṣṇa is prema [love].

 

 

PURPORT

The revealed scriptures describe pure love as follows:

 

 

sarvathā dhvaḿsa-rahitaḿ saty api dhvaḿsa-kāraṇe

yad bhāva-bandhanaḿ yūnoḥ sa premā parikīrtitaḥ

 

"If there is ample reason for the dissolution of a conjugal relationship and yet such a dissolution does not take place, such a relationship of intimate love is called pure."

 

 

The predominated gopīs were bound to Kṛṣṇa in such pure love. For them there was no question of sexual love based on sense gratification. Their only engagement in life was to see Kṛṣṇa happy in all respects, regardless of their own personal interests. They dedicated their souls only for the satisfaction of the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. There was not the slightest tinge of sexual love between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa.

The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta asserts with authority that sexual love is a matter of personal sense enjoyment. All the regulative principles in the Vedas pertaining to desires for popularity, fatherhood, wealth and so on are different phases of sense gratification. Acts of sense gratification may be performed under the cover of public welfare, nationalism, religion, altruism, ethical codes, Biblical codes, health directives, fruitive action, bashfulness, tolerance, personal comfort, liberation from material bondage, progress, family affection or fear of social ostracism or legal punishment, but all these categories are different subdivisions of one substance — sense gratification. All such good acts are performed basically for one's own sense gratification, for no one can sacrifice his personal interest while discharging these much-advertised moral and religious principles. But above all this is a transcendental stage in which one feels himself to be only an eternal servitor of Kṛṣṇa, the absolute Personality of Godhead. All acts performed in this sense of servitude are called pure love of God because they are performed for the absolute sense gratification of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. However, any act performed for the purpose of enjoying its fruits or results is an act of sense gratification. Such actions are visible sometimes in gross and sometimes in subtle forms.

 

[Guruvani]

What if one pretends to want to satisfy the senses of Krishna but in his own heart he really wants to gratify his own senses too?

Can Krishna be fooled?

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

What if one pretends to want to satisfy the senses of Krishna but in his own heart he really wants to gratify his own senses too?

Can Krishna be fooled?

 

If I'm part and parcel of Krishna, can't Krishna take gratification from my senses?

[Tirisilex]

I play miniature and roleplaying games.. I read about dovetailing.. I say a prayer before I play.. "May Krishna enjoy this game as much as we do."

Since I started doing this I found I had fun whether or not I was winning or losing. I try to picture Krishna being there enjoying himself along with us.

 

Is this bad?

[Beggar]

 

I play miniature and roleplaying games.. I read about dovetailing.. I say a prayer before I play.. "May Krishna enjoy this game as much as we do."

Since I started doing this I found I had fun whether or not I was winning or losing. I try to picture Krishna being there enjoying himself along with us.

 

Is this bad?

 

 

 

"O son of Kunti, Arjuna, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras. I am the sound in ether and ability in man." His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

Our present senses are blunt senses because it is covered by forgetfulness of Krsna, or maya. Therefore it has to be purified. Or the nature of forgetfulness has to be removed. That's all. This is the process. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. If you follow this process, that "Here is drinking water, the taste is Krsna," that means some percentage of your forgetfulness of Krsna is removed. Similarly, when you see the sunshine, the moonshine, or you chant omkara... There are other, so many ways prescribed in the later verses. So try to understand Krsna in this way. It doesn't require any advancement of education or Vedic knowledge. A simple thing.

 

[Shakti-Fan]

 

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: Who is qualified to hear and speak about the sweet pastimes of astakaliya-lila - the twenty-four-hour-a-day pastimes of Radha and Krsna? Those who are first practicing totally the principles of sravanam, kirtanam, visnu-smaranam, pada-sevanam, arcanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam atma-nivedanam, and also sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana. mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana. Mathura-vasa means always living at Radha Kunda, Syama Kunda, Giriraja Govardhana, Navadvipa, and also in Nilacala.

 

 

If one has even a little relationship with these five principles and he is not offending anyone, he will attain Vraja-prema. We should try to practice from the very beginning. If you are not practicing uttama-bhakti, how can you think that you are seeing naked Radha and Krsna and all these things? How can you tell everyone, "I am this" or "I am that", "He is this" or "He is that"? "I am Krsna", "I am Sivananda Sena", or "I am Rupa Gosvami or Sanatana Gosvami." This is a bogus idea. It is mayavada. We should first hear from our gurudeva. If gurudeva is qualified he will first tell us about uttama-bhakti.

 

 

anyabhilasita-sunyam

jnana-karmady-anavrtam

anukulyena krsnanu-

silanam bhaktir uttama

[CC Madhya 19.167]

 

 

Prema Prayojana Prabhu: Gurudeva has ordered me to give just the outline of this verse composed by Srila Rupa Gosvami by the inspiration of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In his Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu he is giving the most excellent definition of uttama-bhakti, transcendental bhakti. It is the continuous unbroken cultivation of all the endeavors of your body, mind, words, and internal spiritual sentiments, which are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Krsna, totally devoid of any desires other than the desire to serve Krsna, not covered or mixed with karma, jnana, dry renunciation, yoga, astrology, and all other kinds of philosophies which are not conducive to bhakti.

 

 

Such endeavors should be like honey flowing from a jar. When we pour honey from a jar it does not come out in drops. It comes out in one think steam. When citta-vrtti, the tendency of the heart, along with the activities of the body, mind, and words, are flowing without any break in the service of Krsna, this is called uttama-bhakti.

 

 

Syamarani didi: As Sripada Prema Prayojana Prabhu mentioned, this verse is written in Srila Rupa Gosvami's Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu, but where did he first get it? He heard it from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. Mahaprabhu had given him instructions for ten days at Prayaga. Uttama-bhakti is the uninterrupted flow of all activities performed with the body, mind, intelligence, all the activities of the senses, and the spiritualized sentiments towards Krsna. It is only for the purpose of pleasing Krsna, without knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation, and without being covered by the desire to enjoy the fruit of our activities.

 

 

Karma must be there, activities must be there, but those activities should be under the influence of bhakti - not covering bhakti. In aropa-siddha bhakti, karma covers bhakti: "I like arts and crafts, I like to make pretty clothing. I worship the Deity so that I can be satisfied with the way in which I am designing clothing." This is not pure bhakti, because the devotee has some personal desire. He is superimposing the word bhakti on an activity that he wants to do for his own happiness.

 

 

Srila Rupa Gosvami and Caitanya Mahaprabhu are saying, 'jnana karmadi anavrtam.' Avrtam means covered. Bhakti should be uncovered. It should be the controller of our karma and our jnana. Even jnana, the knowledge that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gradually has to be changed to some relationship with Krsna in one of the five rasas - like that of the residents of Vrndavana - in order to come to the highest platform of uttama-bhakti.

 

 

Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe and the first spiritual master in our line, has stated that ultimately one has to give up jnana, the knowledge that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by hearing about His sweet pastimes from a pure devotee who has realized Krsna.

 

 

Our Guru Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada, has said that there are three stages. The first is 'under-knowledge'; less than knowledge, and that is atheism and mayavadism. Then there is the 'knowledge' that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When I have that faith by the association of a self realized soul, then I gradually come to the stage 'above knowledge', the stage where I realize my relationship with Krsna as my friend, as my master, as my son, or my beloved.

 

 

Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam anukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama. Anusilanam means cultivation - of the physical, mental, intellectual, and sentimental activities - only for the pleasure of Krsna. Canura, and Mustika, the wrestlers in Mathura, were giving Krsna pleasure, because by their fighting they were giving Him a sense of heroism, and that made Him happy. But their activities were not bhakti. They wanted to kill Krsna. Bhakti depends on the motivation. In uttama-bhakti, not only does Krsna get pleasure, but the motivation is to give Krsna pleasure. The wrestlers gave Krsna pleasure, and mother Yasoda made Krsna cry, but she is the topmost uttama-bhakta. Why? Because her motive is, "I should punish Krsna so He won't be a thief and steal everyone's butter, and so that He'll grow up to have very good character."

Srila Narayana Maharaja: Has anyone any question about this? Have you understood the meaning?

 

 

Devotee: In krsna-lila, when the cowherd boys were in the forest fire and they asked Krsna, "O Krsna, Krsna save us, Balarama save us." was this just their lila? Is this going against uttama-bhakti?

 

 

Srila Narayana Maharaja: No, they are beyond uttama-bhakti. You cannot imagine their position. They are beyond uttama-bhakti. They are manifestations of Krsna Himself, and they are eternal associates. They came to this world only to fulfill the desires of Krsna. They are playing like ordinary boys to teach us. They are above our consideration.

 

 

The gopis, gopas, and all the associates of Goloka Vrndavana are above our consideration. They are like Krsna.

 

[realist]

OH! JAYA RADHA JAYA RAMANA -c-1994-mahaksadasa

 

 

For no apparent reason, Prabhupada comes to deliver.

This Prophet of Gopala, the great gift giver.

From the mud and mire of Babylon we can rise above.

For the gift of His Love, we must give Him love.

Oh! Jaya Radha Jaya Ramana.

To the voice of the mind: "Sing Radha Ramana!"

To the one always singing the song of Harinama.

To the one who gives us life, living in Sri Vrndavana.

To the one showing freedom from the chains of Babylon.

Oh! Jaya Radha Jaya Ramana.

To the thunder in the night, the flame within my heart.

To the wrinkles on the head, the signal for the time to start.

To the life of the Sun so we nevah stay in the dark.

To the Great Blazing Fiyeh from which we are but a spark.

Oh! Jaya Radha Jaya Ramana.

To the one who grants us peace, what we are all looking for.

To the one who holds the key to lock out all the world of War.

To the one who is so obvious, always knocking at my door.

To the One I need to ask, always kindly giving more.

Oh! Jaya Radha Jaya Ramana For no apparent reason, Prabhupada comes to deliver.

[mahak]

I couldnt have said it better. Gotta find that one for murali. Way, "hole in the fiyeh" brah.

 

mahak

[realist]

 

I couldnt have said it better. Gotta find that one for murali. Way, "hole in the fiyeh" brah.

 

mahak

 

 

 

Hari bol!!