Sunshine of Love

[krsna]

SUNSHINE OF LOVE

 

In Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu the state of being in love with the Godhead is compared to the sunshine emanating from the sun; this shining makes the devotee's heart more and more lovely. The heart of such a devotee is situated in a transcendental position beyond even the mode of goodness. The process for making the heart even more sterilized by the sunshine of love is called bhava. A description of bhava is given by Rupa Goswami. Bhava is called the permanent characteristic of the living entity, and the crucial point of progress for bhava is called the marginal state of love of Godhead. When the bhava state becomes deeper and deeper, learned devotees call it love of Godhead. As stated in the Narada-pancharatra:

"When one is firmly convinced that Vishnu is the only object of love and worship and that there is no one else-not even a demigod-worthy of receiving devotional service, one feels intimacy in his love relationship with God, and this is approved by such personalities as Bhima, Prahlada, Uddhava and Narada."

 

If, due to some righteous activities which provoke devotional service, one is influenced by the service attitude and takes shelter of the good association of pure devotees, he develops attachment for hearing and chanting. By developing chanting and hearing, one can advance further and further in regulative devotional service to the Supreme Lord. As one so advances, his misgivings about devotional service and his attraction for the material world proportionately diminish. By advancing in hearing and chanting, a devotee becomes more firmly fixed in his faith, and gradually his initial faith develops into a taste for devotional service, and that taste gradually develops into attachment. When attachment becomes pure, it exhibits the two characteristics of bhava and rati. When rati increases, it is called love of Godhead, and love of Godhead is the ultimate goal of human life. (Teachings of Lord Caitanya ch.13)

[Guest guest]

Very nice!

[krsna]

WHAT IS PURITY?

 

Devotee: Swamiji, someone approached me and we were discussing about Krsna consciousness. And I said to approach Krsna one must be pure, but he said, “What is purity?” Could you explain that technically? What is purity?

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Purity means standing on the spiritual platform. That is purity. In the material platform there is no purity. So according to Bhagavad-gita, "One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." That standard of purity is called brahma-bhuta. How one can attain that platform of purity? Krsna says that “One who is engaged in devotional service to Me without any deviation,” that means twenty-four hours in Krsna consciousness, “he is pure.” If you can keep yourself constantly in Krsna consciousness, always thinking of Krsna, then you are pure. Just like if you keep always in touch with fire you are warm—there is no possibility of being cold—similarly, some way or other if you always keep yourself in Krsna consciousness or God consciousness, then you are pure. Therefore we advise our students, “Chant Hare Krsna.” As soon as you chant this sound, Krsna, immediately you are in touch with Krsna. Therefore you keep yourself pure. Is that clear? So try to keep yourself in Krsna consciousness without any deviation. Then you remain pure.

 

It is very difficult to get out of the clutches of this maya, contamination. Very difficult. “But one who keeps touch with Me, with full surrender, he’s out of these clutches of maya.” So just like there is vaccination, to keep yourself free from contamination. Similarly, if you keep yourself always in the spiritual understanding of Krsna consciousness, you remain pure.

 

In human life one is meant to undergo austerity to purify one’s existence. Because of contamination by the modes of material nature, one continues in the cycle of birth and death.Therefore the purpose of human life is to purify oneself of this contamination so that one can regain his spiritual form and not undergo this cycle of birth and death. The recommended process of decontamination is devotional service to the Lord. There are various processes for self-realization, such as karma, Jnana and yoga, but none of them is equal to the process of devotional service.

[krsna]

 

 

 

ASSOCIATION IS EVERYTHING

Svabhava, or one’s own nature, is formed according to the association of the material qualities. One’s higher or lower nature is formed by association with the different qualities, namely sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna. (Goodness, passion and ignorance) We should gradually come to the sattva-guna, so that we may avoid the two lower gunas. This can be done if we regularly discuss Srimad-Bhagavatam and hear about Krsna's activities. All the activities of Krsna described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, beginning even with the pastimes concerning Putana, are transcendental. Therefore, by hearing and discussing Srimad-Bhagavatam, the rajo-guna and tamo-guna are subdued, so that only sattva-guna remains. Then rajo-guna and tamo-guna cannot do us any harm.

 

Varnashrama-dharma, therefore, is essential, for it can bring people to sattva-guna. Tamo-guna and rajo-guna increase lust and greed, which implicate a living entity in such a way that he must exist in this material world in many, many forms. That is very dangerous. One should therefore be brought to sattva-guna by the establishment of varnashrama-dharma and should develop the brahminical qualifications of being very neat and clean, rising early in the morning and seeing mangala-artika, and so on. In this way, one should stay in sattva-guna, and then one cannot be influenced by tamo-guna and rajo-guna. The opportunity for this purification is the special feature of human life; in other lives, this is not possible. Such purification can be achieved very easily by radha-krsna-bhajana, devotional service rendered to Radha and Krsna, By engagement in the service of Vasudeva, one very quickly renounces material life. The members of the Krsna consciousness movement, for example, being engaged in vasudeva-bhakti, very quickly come to the stage of being nice Vaisnavas, so much so that people are surprised that mlecchas and yavanas are able to come to this stage.

The time factor agitates the modes of material nature, and svabhava is the result of association with these modes. If one associates with bhaktas, then one’s svabhava, or nature, will change. Our Krsna consciousness movement is meant to give people good association so that this change may take place, and we actually see that by this method people all over the world are gradually becoming devotees.

 

By good association one develops good habits, and habit becomes second nature. Therefore, let people have the chance to live with bhaktas. Then their habits will change. We are therefore trying to save human society from degradation and actually elevate people to the higher nature.

 

As for kama and karma—desires and activities—if one engages in devotional service, one develops a different nature than if one engages in activities of sense gratification, and of course the result is also different. According to the association of different natures, one receives a particular type of body. Therefore we should always seek good association, the association of devotees. Then our life will be successful. A man is known by his company. If one has the chance to live in the good association of devotees, one is able to cultivate knowledge, and naturally one’s character or nature will change for one’s eternal benefit.

 

(SB 10.13.53)

Mind, body, family, whatever may be mine, I surrender at Your lotus feet, O youthful son of Nanda! If it is Your will that I be born again, then may it be in the home of Your devotee. May I be born again even as a worm, as long as I remain Your devotee. I have no desire to be born a Brahma averse to You. I yearn for the company of that devotee who is completely devoid of all desire for worldly enjoyment or liberation.

 

 

(Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

[krsna]

 

Just see how all the devotees are happy,simple and totally blissful

 

All Glories to His Divine Grace

[krsna]

 

 

Intimate loving service

Basking in the sunshine of love

[krsna]

 

[krsna]

Srila Prabhupada and Poet Allen Ginsberg

 

 

 

(May 12, 1969)

 

 

 

Excerpts from conversation:

 

 

 

Ginsberg: "I think you'd better speak. You're more eloquent on the subject, and you might not like what I say."

 

 

 

Prabhupada: "So, tell about what you're experiencing. And I will also speak. You have Krishna's blessing upon you. You are not an ordinary man."

 

 

 

Ginsberg: "But what do you do when different religious groups claim to be the center?

 

 

 

Prabhupada: "We don't decry any religion. Our point is love of Godhead. Krishna is love, all-attractive, and we want to be attracted by Krishna, just as iron is attracted to some magnetic force. That is the test of true religion -- how much you have enhanced your love of God. Call Him Krishna or something else. What you call Him doesn't matter."

 

Excerpts from evening lecture:

 

 

 

Ginsberg: "I have known Swami Bhaktivedanta for about three years, since he settled in the Lower East Side, New York, which is my neighborhood. It seemed to me like a stroke of great intelligence for him to come, and not as un uptown swami, but as a real down-home street swami, and make it on the street in the Lower East Side, and also open a branch on Frederick Street in San Francisco, right in the center of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood."

 

 

 

Prabhupada: "Om ajnana timirandhasya... I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him."

 

 

 

"My dear boys and girls. I thank you very much for coming here and participating in this sankirtan function, or, as it is called, sankirtan-yajna, sacrifice. In this kali-yuga age, as poet Ginsberg has explained to you, everything is very degraded from the spiritual point of view. And from the material point of view also, people are reduced in their duration of life, in their merciful tendencies, strength and stature."

 

 

 

"When we chant Hare Krishna, our original consciousness, Krishna consciousness and its joyfulness, begins. When we come to the platform of pure, spiritual consciousness, we become joyful, brahmabhuta. This transmigration of the soul, these repeated births and deaths, is a diseased condition of the spirit soul. That you do not know. In our educational system, there is no department of knowledge teaching what the soul is, what is after death or what was before birth. There is no science. It is very lamentable. Education in the name of simply eating, sleeping and mating is not education, not if my bodily condition continues. Because you cannot see it, you are concluding that there is no soul. That is ignorance. There is soul, and this body has developed on that platform. That soul is transmigrating from one body to another, and that is called real, spiritual evolution, and that evolutionary process is going through 8,400,000 species of life."

 

 

 

"So, don't commit suicide. Take to this chanting of Hare Krishna mantra, and all real knowledge will be revealed. We are not bluffing you, saying, 'I shall give you some secret mantra and charge you fifty dollars.' No. It is open for everyone. Please take it. That is our request. We are begging you -- don't spoil your life. Please take this mantra and chant it wherever you like. There are no hard and fast rules you have to follow. Wherever and whenever you like, chant, and you'll feel ecstasy."

 

 

 

"Just become meek and humble and try to receive the message from authorized sources. You don't have to change your work or conditions. Just hear. Then a day will come when you will be able to conquer the Supreme Lord, who is unconquerable. God is great. Nobody can conquer Him. But if you simply follow this process and try to hear about God from authorized sources, then one day you will be able to conquer the Supreme Lord. As Brahma-Samhita confirms, you cannot find God by merely reading and speculating on sastra, scripture. You have to conquer Him by your love. This is our path -- Krishna consciousness. The path of happiness."

 

 

 

(The Hare Krishna Explosion, Chapter 17)

 

[krsna]

 

(by Deena Bandhu dasa)

 

 

 

Nectar 9 from

New Vraja Dhama

One time the late Kartikeya Prabhu who was Prabhupada's servant at the time personally told me the following story.

 

Prabhupada was staying in Hawaii at the time. One day, Govinda Dasi brought some wheat germ from the market. I thought that the next time Srila Prabhupada asks for halava, I'll make it from wheat germ and he'll be so pleased.

 

One day it was a rainy day. Sometimes when it rained or was cold, Prabhupada asked for halava since the grains and ghee heated up the body. So this particular day he called me and asked me to make halava. I was very excited and went to the kitchen and got the wheat germ and started to make halava.

 

The whole time I was cooking, I was thinking how pleased Srila Prabhupada would be with this wheat germ halava. This was my whole meditation, how Srila Prabhupada would be so pleased.

 

Then I offered it and brought it to Srila Prabhupada in his room. I was waiting to see how he would like it. He looked up with a very sour look on his face and said, "Halava means suji (cream of wheat)." With his left hand he motioned saying, "Take this away." When someone rejects something with his left hand, it is very heavy. So broken heartedly, I took the bowl of halava out of the room.

 

I was very upset and didn't know what to do. So I went into the temple and sat in front of the altar before the pictures of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. Crying, I began to pray to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, "I was just trying to please your spiritual son, but somehow he is upset with me. I don't know what to do. I really only wanted to please him."

Suddenly, I heard Srila Prabhupada's voice calling from his room, "Kartikeya! Kartikeya!" I came running and he told me to bring the halava. I immediately brought the bowl of halava and Prabhupada began to eat it with great gusto and relish. Then he said, "Bring more." I brought more and again when he finished he requested more. In this way, he finished off the whole pot.

 

Kartikeya told me that from this he could understand that the whole disciplic succession is there behind Srila Prabhupada to pull us out of this deep dark well of material existence. My understanding is that just as Srila Prabhupada always told us, the grandfather is more merciful than the father. My own practical experience was that my grandfather owned what would now be called a convenience store. On one side there was the candy counter. We would always go over there, but our father would tell us not to take so much candy. But our grandfather behind his back would always slip us something.

 

So many times young devotees tell me that you were so fortunate, you got to have darshan of Srila Prabhupada. We're very unfortunate, we could never see him. But I tell them that they are more fortunate than us Prabhupada disciples because they have Srila Prabhupada as their grandfather spiritual master. He will be more merciful to you than to us. And I see practically, that so many of the second generation, despite so many troubles, are making wonderful advancement in Krishna Consciousness. It can only be the mercy of their grandfather spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.

 

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

 

In service of Sri Sri Krishna Balarama,

 

Deena Bandhu dasa