krsna Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 : The Nectar of Instruction 5 TRANSLATION One should mentally honor the devotee who chants the holy name of Lord Krsna, one should offer humble obeisances to the devotee who has undergone spiritual initiation [diksa and is engaged in worshiping the Deity, and one should associate with and faithfully serve that Pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated devotional service and whose heart is completely devoid of the propensity to criticize others. PURPORT In this verse Srila Rupa Gosvami advises the devotee to be intelligent enough to distinguish between the kanistha madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari .The devotee should also know his own position and should not try to imitate a devotee situated on a higher platform. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given some practical hints to the effect that an uttama-adhikari; Vaisnaava can be recognized by his ability to convert many fallen souls to Vaisnavism. One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari .A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance . Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krsna Posted May 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 The following is from Srila Bhaktivinoda's Harinam Cintamani (Ch. 15): QUOTE Sadhana of the Rasa The sadhana (practice) of rasa and the siddhi (perfection) lie very close together. Very soon, by sadhana of the rasa, one will attain ones spiritual body. By the mercy of Radha one receives the mercy of Krsna, and thus quickly ones material body will dissolve and one will attain pure spiritual body in Vraja. There are even higher stages than this, but these are not possible to describe by mere words. These things will be revealed by the mercy of Krsna. Cultivating the loving relation in conjugal rasa (srngara rasa), called the ujjvala rasa, is the highest practice, by which one will experience full Krsna prema. In order to perfect the experience in conjugal rasa one must accept a body of a gopi. A jiva thinking himself a male cannot enter the srngara rasa. To receive a spiritual body in conjugal rasa one must internally cultivate eleven specific items of ones identity: ones relationship, ones age, name, form membership in a particular group (yutha), dress, ones order, service, highest aspiration and palya dasa bhava. These items are perfected through practice in five stages: sravana dasa, varana dasa, smarana dasa, apana dasa and sampati dasa. Sravana Dasa, the stage of hearing Hearing the pastimes of Krsna, one develops an attraction for them. One then approaches a guru who has realized Krsna’s eternal pastimes and the eleven items in eternal service. From the guru, the devotee hears (sravana) the intricacies of the rasas (bhava tattva), which consists of the pastimes and the eleven elements of identity. On hearing the eight fold pastimes, the person will develop eagerness and inquire from the guru how to enter into those pastimes. Varana Dasa, the stage of accepting The guru, after perceiving the nature of the person, will then describe to him the eleven elements of his identity. He will give him his name, form, qualities and service, and his part in the pastimes, and tell him to enter into the pastimes. If the disciple finds that his natural taste coincides with this identity, he should approach the guru and inform him that it suits him. He will then vow to cultivate that identity as his life and soul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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