Confidential MEANING of Srila BV Svami Prabupada pranama mantra

[anadi]

THE confidential MEANING IN SRILA PRABHUPADA'S PRANAMA MANTRA

 

 

[Dear Maharajas, prabhus and didis.

 

Dandavat pranams. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.

 

In honor of Prabhupada's Disappearance Day on Oct 28, 2003, we are presenting the following puspanjali offering at his lotus feet. This offering of flowers is in the form of a lecture, given by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, in Alachua, Florida, on May 28,

2001.

 

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] What is the second sloka in the pranama mantra of your Gurudeva?

[Drstadyumna dasa:] namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani pracarine

nirvesesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] What is that gaura-vani he preached?

[Drstadyumna dasa:] There are four reasons for which Lord Caitanya came to this world. One was to establish the yuga-dharma of the chanting of the holy name, another was because Advaita Acarya had called Him to come, and…

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] I want to hear what was that gaura-vani of your Gurudeva.

[Drstadyumna dasa:] In simple words it was to chant Hare Krsna, and that meant to worship…

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] Sri Advaita Acarya may have given this. So many acaryas have given this. Even Maha-Visnu can give the chanting of the holy name, but He cannot give that gaura-vani.

[Drstadyumna dasa:] It was to give an understanding of the essence of the feelings and mood of Srimati Radharani and…

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] What is that gaura-vani he gave?

[Drstadyumna dasa:] Would it be the mood of the manjaris; service to the Divine Couple?

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] Was this his vani? I want to hear about that vani. What is that gaura-vani he preached throughout the world? It has been explained in the words of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has also explained it.

 

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam

ramya kascid upasana vraja-vadhu-varga-ya kalpita

srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam prema pumartho mahan

sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah

 

This is the special gaura-vani. Krsna is our highest worshipable Deity, but there are so many manifestations of Krsna. Dvarakadhisa Krsna is the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Is He our worshipable Deity? He may be for so

many others, and there is no harm in that. He is worshipable for them, and He should be. We do namaskara to Him,

but we worship that very Vrajendranandana who took birth from the womb of Yasodamaiya.

 

At the time of His birth, Vrajendranandana Krsna had no long hair, no decorations, and no ornaments. He appeared as a simple baby, weeping, "Kya, kya, kya!" All the Vrajabasis understood that He was born from the womb of Mother Yasoda. We worship that very Nandanandana.

 

You should know that Nandanandana is always nava-kisora natavara. He is eternally an ever-fresh cowherd youth, and Mother Yasoda thinks, "He is my son." We worship this very Krsna who was bound by His mother in Vrndavana.

She ran faster than Him, caught hold of Him, and bound Him. That is why He is called Damodara-Krsna. He killed Putana, who tried to take His life by poisoning Him, and He gave her a motherly position in Goloka.

 

We worship that Krsna who was playing in the courtyard of Nanda Baba and Mother Yasoda, and who was controlled by them with affection and love. We worship that Krsna who was always surrounded by His friends like Dama, Sridama,

Sudama, Vasudama, Stokakrsna, Lavanga, Arjuna, Subala, Madhumangala, and so on. They used to defeat that Krsna, and, being defeated, Krsna was very happy. That Krsna always played with the gopa-ramanis.

 

[anadi]

Aradya bhagavan. Although He is Bhagavan, His bhagavata (Godhood) has been

covered. All His opulences are covered by Yogamaya, and thus He has no

idea that He is Brahma, Parabrahma, or Bhagavan. That very Krsna is our

aradhya, our object of worship. Another manifestation of Krsna is the

husband of Rukmini and the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. He should be the

aradhya of the Mathuravasis and others. Let them worship Him in that way,

but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is saying, "Aradyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanaya tad

dhama vrndavanam." That Krsna is always in Vrndavana. He never gives up

Vrndavana. He never goes elsewhere. His manifestations may go to

Kuruksetra, to Dvaraka, and to Mathura. They can go, but that Krsna never

leaves Vrndavana.

 

From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

 

[anadi]

CC Madya lila Sanatana Sikza

 

"This is the middle meaning. Now please hear the confidential meaning. Lord Krsna has three places of residence, which are well known from revealed scriptures.

 

"The internal abode is called Goloka Vrndavana. It is there that Lord Krsna's personal friends, associates, father and mother live.

 

"Vrndavana is the storehouse of Krsna's mercy and the sweet opulences of conjugal love. That is where the spiritual energy, working as a maidservant, exhibits the rasa dance, the quintessence of all pastimes.

 

"Vrndavana-dhama is very soft due to the mercy of the Supreme Lord, and it is especially opulent due to conjugal love. The transcendental glories of the son of Maharaja Nanda are exhibited here. Under the circumstances, not the least anxiety is awakened within us.

and other innumerable expansions of Krsna.

 

"The unlimited potencies of Krsna are just like an ocean of nectar. Since one cannot bathe within that ocean, I have only touched a drop of it."

 

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu described the opulences and spiritual potencies of Krsna in this way, there was an awakening of love of Krsna within Him. His mind was immersed in the sweetness of conjugal love, and He quoted the following verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam.

 

" 'To exhibit the strength of His own spiritual potency, Lord Krsna manifested a suitable form just for His pastimes in the material world. This form was wonderful even for Him and was the supreme abode of the wealth of good fortune. Its limbs were so beautiful that they increased the beauty of the ornaments worn on different parts of His body.'

 

krsnera yateka khela, sarvottama nara-lila,

nara-vapu tahara svarupa

gopa-vesa, venu-kara, nava-kisora, nata-vara,

nara-lilara haya anurupa

 

"Lord Krsna has many pastimes, of which His pastimes as a human being are the best. His form as a human being is the supreme transcendental form. In this form He is a cowherd boy. He carries a flute in His hand, and His youth is new. He is also an expert dancer. All this is just suitable for His pastimes as a human being.

 

"My dear Sanatana, the sweet, attractive transcendental form of Krsna is so nice. Just try to understand it. Even a fractional understanding of Krsna's beauty can merge all three worlds in the ocean of love. He attracts all the living entities within the three worlds.

[anadi]

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam

ramya kascid upasana vraja-vadhu -varga-ya kalpita

srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam prema pumartho mahan

sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah

 

Ramya karcit upasanam vrajavadhu . The process of serving Krsna that was

adopted by all the gopis to please Krsna, especially by Radha and Her

group, is the highest. They can even place their feet on His head. They

can chastise Him - to please Him. They can order Him to do so many things,

and He will very happily carry out their orders. He does not feel so much

happiness by hearing the prayers of Brahma, Sankara, and all others like

them, but He wants the gopis to chastise Him and call Him 'thief.'

[anadi]

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam

ramya kascid upasana vraja-vadhu -varga-ya kalpita

srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam prema pumartho mahan

sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah

 

Srimad bhagavatam pramanam amalam The way and the process by which the

gopis pleased Krsna cannot be attained by anyone else, and to understand

this, Srimad Bhagavatam is the highest evidence among all sastras. Only in

Srimad Bhagavatam can you see all these truths. Caitanya Mahaprabhu offers

pranama to the Upanisads and all other scriptures because they are all the

breathing of Krsna, but He particularly glorifies Srimad Bhagavatam. In

Srimad Bhagavatam, Krsna Himself told the gopis, "Na paraye 'ham

niravadya-samyujam. I cannot repay you, My dear gopis. I cannot repay you

in thousands of thousands of births. Be pleased, therefore, by your own

bhakti to Me. Be merciful to Me." Srimad Bhagavatam is revealing all this.

This truth has been told there, but you can only realize it by the

commentaries of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, and Srila

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

 

From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

[anadi]

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam

ramya kascid upasana vraja-vadhu -varga-ya kalpita

srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam prema pumartho mahan

sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah

 

Prema pumartha mahan . Prema is the ultimate goal, and the prema in the

heart of Radhika is supermost. Hanuman also has prema, Dhruva Maharaja

also has prema, and Prahlada Maharaja also has some love and affection.

The Pandavas and Uddhava also have some prema, and all the queens of

Dvaraka have so much love and affection. The sakhas and sakhis of

Vrndavana, and Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja all have prema, but no one

has that prema of Srimati Radhika. Hers is the highest love and affection

towards Krsna.

Her love is in the heart of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He Himself is telling about it. <font color="blue">

This is gaura-vani </font color>.

 

This vani (message or teaching) is the vani of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

No one ever preached this before Him.

Only <font color="blue"> "You should do nama-sankirtana" </font color>was preached.

So many acaryas in Kali-yuga have told us that we should perform kirtana, but no

one gave that love and affection given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He

preached love and affection, Vraja-prema, through nama-sankirtan. This is

His vani.

[anadi]

ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-mahadavagni-nirvapanam

sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidyavadhu-jivanam

anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam

sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri krsnanama-kirtanam

 

This is gaura-vani.

 

trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna

amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

 

 

No one ever explained this before. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became very

happy when, by His order and inspiration, Sri Rupa Gosvami explained the

glory of the name:

 

tunde tandavini ratim vitanute tundavali-labdhaye

karna-kroda-kadambini ghatayate karnarbudebhyah sprham

cetah-prangana-sangini vijayate sarvendriyanam krtim

no jane janita kiyadbhir amrtaih krsneti varna-dvaya

 

 

"I do not know how much nectar the two syllables 'Krs-na' have produced.

When the holy name of Krsna is chanted, it appears to dance within the

mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes

of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name

dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the

mind, and therefore all the senses become inert." (Caitanya-caritamrta,

Antya-lila 1.99)

 

Hearing this verse, Srila Haridasa Thakura began to jump, laugh, and

chant, "Hari Bol! Hari Bol!"

 

From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

 

[anadi]

Give up all worldly sense gratification. Don't pray for a very good wife,

good family, salvation, or anything else. Only pray for causeless bhakti,

<font color="blue"> the bhakti that is in the heart of Srimati Radhika .</font color>

That bhakti is

established when hladini and samvit manifest in ones heart, on the

platform of sandini.

 

 

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is telling us who we are.

 

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram

patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

krpaya tavapada-pankaja-

sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

 

We always want to be a particle of dust at the lotus feet of the son of Nanda Maharaja. No one had ever told all this before.

 

<font color="blue"> From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.</font color>

 

According one's progress one may accept and be attracted to some statements of the Sastra and reject or dislike other, or just because he was told like this, and his discrimination power is as his realization.

This can become dangerous when it is monitored from managerial levels, (due to lack of understanding dito realization).

[anadi]

Especially, no one had previously told:

 

nayanam galad asru dharaya

vadanam gadgada ruddhaya gira

pulakair nicitam vapuh kada

tava nama grahane bhavisyati

 

(O my Lord!) tava nama-grahaNe;at the time of chanting Your

holy name; (mama my); nayanam eyes; galad aSru dharaya

flooded by a stream of tears; vadanAM my throat; gadgada

stammering; ruddhaya gira with a choked voice; vapu and

all the limbs of my body; pulakaI nicItam pervaded by rows of

hair standing erect due to ecstacy; kada bhaviSyati when will

this take place?

 

“O Prabhu! When will my eyes be filled with a stream of

tears? When will my voice choke up? And when will the

hairs of my body stand erect in ecstacy as I chant Your holy

name.”

 

Hairs standing on end, voice choked, and all kinds of asta-sattvika-bhavas

were present in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When will a day come that I can

chant like this: weeping, with my bodily hairs standing on end, and my

heart melting? No one had ever seen all these symptoms before Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu exhibited them. Valmiki had some symptoms, and Dhruva Maharaja

and Prahlada Maharaja also had some, but not like this. This wonderful

<font color="blue"> thing was taught by Mahaprabhu </font color> .

 

From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

[anadi]

yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitam

sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda virahena me

 

 

 

There are hardly any qualified persons to realize all the truths in this

verse. If a rare person realizes this, he will give up his body - because

the material body cannot tolerate the emotions of prema.

 

From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

 

 

[anadi]

Moreover:

 

<font color="blue"> aslisya va padaratam pinastu mam

adarsanän marma-hatam karotu va

yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato

mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah</font color>

 

"Lord Krsna, who is the lover of many devotees (women), may embrace this

fully surrendered maidservant or may trample me with His feet. Or, He may

render me brokenhearted by not being present before me for a long duration

of time. Still, He is nothing less than the absolute lord of my heart."

 

 

 

The transcendental emotions revealed in this verse cannot be found in this

world. This is only found in Goloka Vrndavana-dhama. We should pray that a

day will come that we can serve under the guidance of the gopis,

especially being the maidservant of Srimati Radhika, under the guidance of

Lalita, Visakha, and Rupa-manjari. This is gaura-vani.

 

 

 

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja preached this, but in the beginning he

had to cut so many jungles of mayavada, nirvesesa, and sahajiya

philosophies. He saw that in order to make the land of the world fertile,

it would take a long time. He therefore put all these truths in his

transcendental literatures. He thought that if any of his disciples would

be qualified to go deep into those truths, all this vani would be taught

there. He wanted to preach it also, but it was rare to find a student who

could go so deep. Most of his students could not follow him, and that is

why so many fell down even from sannyasa. They made many offenses to him,

and they are now burning in hell.

 

You should know all this vani, and be very strong in preaching and in

glorifying your Prabhupada. Gaura-vani-pracarine. Krsna has sent him for

this.

 

From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

 

[anadi]

After our Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, and Srila Raghunatha

dasa Gosvami came, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Syamananda prabhu

came, and after that Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Srila Baladeva

Vidyabhusana, Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktivinoda

Thakura, Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and then our

Gurudeva and so many associates of Srila Prabhupada. One of Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's hands was Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami

Maharaja, who came to the western countries, and in a couple of years

preached everywhere. We should try to know his glories. Gaura-vani has so

much deep meaning, but the meaning is very hidden. Don't think there is no

reason for the word 'gaura-vani.'

 

From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

 

[anadi]

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is described in his pranama mantra to be

gaura-vani murti. [Namaste gaura-vani sri murtaye dina-tarine.] Murti

means embodiment. He is the embodiment of gaura-vani, and Srila Swami

Maharaja, your Prabhupada, is in the same line. He is not different from

Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. The term

'Prabhupadanuga' is a wrong idea. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja and

Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura are both followers of

Srila Rupa Gosvami, and therefore they are rupanuga. Following them, we

are all rupanuga.

 

From the same lecture by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja.

 

[anadi]

We have now told in brief about the vani of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila

Bhaktivinoda Thakura has also, in a brief form, collected gaura-vani in

his Dasa-mula siksa. You should note it very carefully in your heart.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote down that vani in his Jaiva-dharma, his

last and best book. It is an authentic literature, and is the essence of

all the Vedas, Upanisads, Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta, and all the

books of our Gosvamis. The essence of all sastra is there in Jaiva-dharma.

 

[Guest guest]

nama om visnupadaya krsna-presthaya bhutale

svami sri bhaktivedanta prabhupadaya te namah

gurvajnam sirasi-dharyam saktyavesa sva-rupine

hare-krsneti mantrena pascatya-pracya-tarine

visvacarya prabaryaya divya karunya murtaye

sri-bhagavat-madhurya-gita-jnana-pradayine

gaura-sri-rupa-siddhanta-saraswati nisevine

radha-krsna-padambhoja-bhrngaya gurave namah

 

"I offer my humble obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna on this Earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Taking the order of his guru on his head, be became empowered by Nityananda Prabhu to act as a saktyavesa-avatara. He distributed the Hare Krsna mantra all over the Eastern and Western world, delivering and uplifting all fallen souls. He is the best of millions of jagat-gurus, because he is the personification of divine mercy. He has distributed the sweet nectar of Srimad Bhagavatam and the transcendental knowledge of Bhagavad-gita all over the world. He is constantly engaged in exclusive devotional service to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, Srila Rupa Goswami, and Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. I offer my humble obeisances unto Srila Prabhupada, who is like a bumblebee always tasting the nectar of the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda." (pranam-mantra composed by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaja upon Srila Prabhupada's personal request)

 

 

http://www.gosai.com/krishna-talk/guru-radharani.html

[Tarun]

Yes. Om Tat Sat, Thanks Alot. As we clearly explained on VNN long ago, ZrIla Bhaktisundara Govinda Mhrj's Prayers to ACBSP r far superior both qualitatively & quantitatively than those with which some still busy themselves.

No harm, of course. It's a gradual process. bahunAm janmanAm ante...

Finer sentiments have their place on each & every progressive level.

[Guest guest]

Tarun,

 

I particularly like the line about the bumblebee:

 

I offer my humble obeisances unto Srila Prabhupada, who is like a bumblebee always tasting the nectar of the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda.

 

- Muralidhar

[anadi]

caitanya-candra mama hRt-kumudaM vikASya

hRdyaM vidhehi nija-cintana-bhRNga-raNgaiH

kiNcAparAdha-timiraM nibiDaM vidhUya

pAdAmRtaM sadaya pAyaya durgataM mMm (3)

 

(Sri StavAvali, AbhIZTa-sUcanam 11, RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmi)

 

O Caitanya-candra, I implore You to please make the lotus flower of my heart bloom

so that it will first attract and then enclose the bumblebee of remembrance of You.

O merciful Lord, my second request is that after destroying the dense darkness of my

offences, please make this miserable person drink the nectar of Your feet.

[Guest guest]

***Nityananda Prabhu to act as a saktyavesa-avatara

 

No it is no truth. He is avatara Lord Caitanya.