Simplicity and Faith

[krsna]

Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

 

 

GOPAL AND THE SCHOOLBOY

 

A mother had a small six- or seven-year-old son. She wanted to admit him into primary school so that he could get some education, but the school was a little far away, half a mile from their house. Still she told the boy that he should go to school every morning.

 

So, the boy started going. On the path to school he had to pass through a jungle where there were some ferocious animals like tigers and snakes. Being a small child, he was afraid. He came to his mother and said, "Oh mother, when I was going through that jungle on the way to school I was very afraid. So many ferocious animals are there. I can't go any more."

 

His mother said, "Why are you afraid? Don't you know that your friend Gopal is there? Just call your friend, He will help you. You need not be afraid."

 

"Oh, my friend is there?"

 

"Yes. When you feel afraid you should call out,

'Oh my friend Gopal, I am in a fearful situation! Where are You? Please come!' You should say like that."

 

The child followed her instruction. When he was passing through the jungle and he felt afraid, he called out, "Friend Gopal! My brother Gopal! Where are You? I am in a fearful situation. Please come! Help me!"

 

Gopal appeared before him. "Yes, I am here. Why are you afraid?"

 

"I have to go through the jungle to go to school and it is full of ferocious animals."

 

"Don't fear. Come with Me!"

 

Gopal was helping him every day.

 

MILK FROM GOPAL

 

In Indian schools they perform ganesa-puja and sarasvati-puja to give the students knowledge. For these festivals, the teacher will collect some fees from the students. One day at school the teacher announced that they were going to have such a festival and that the students should all pay some fee. But the boy and his mother were very poor. There was nobody in that family, only the mother and the son, and they had no money.

 

The teacher told him, "You are poor, you don't have enough money, but you should at least bring fifty paisa - half of a rupee."

 

The child returned home and told his mother that the teacher said that he had to pay fifty paisa for the festival. But they had nothing, not even a single paisa. The mother said, "Tell the teacher that we have no money. We are very poor. But we will bring milk."

 

The child said, "Who will give us milk?"

 

"Oh, your friend Gopal will give us milk. He tends cows. He can supply as much milk as your teacher wants. Yes. You tell Gopal!"

 

The boy accepted what his mother said, "Yes, I must tell my friend Gopal."

 

So that day in the forest he called out to his friend, "O Gopal, where are You?"

 

"I am here." Gopal appeared. "What do you need?"

 

"My teacher has said that I have to pay fifty paisa, but we have no money. My mother said to ask You to give us some milk, because they need milk for the festival. So You must supply as much milk as they need."

 

"Oh yes, I must supply, I must help you. I am always here to help you."

 

On the puja day when he was passing through that jungle, he called his friend, "Gopal, today is the day. Please come!"

 

Gopal came with a small earthen pot filled with milk. "All right, take this milk. Give it to your teacher. This pot will give as much milk as they want. It will never be empty." The boy took it and gave it to the teacher.

 

Seeing the small pot, the teacher said, "Oh, this is just a small amount of milk. We need a large amount, ten buckets of milk. You have only brought a small pot."

 

"No, no, no. It will never be empty. You bring ten buckets and pour this pot out. All ten buckets will be filled."

 

The teacher did so, and, amazingly, ten buckets were filled. Then the teacher asked, "Where did you get such a pot?"

 

"My friend Gopal gave me."

 

"Your friend Gopal? Who is He?"

 

"Oh, He stays in the jungle. Every time I need, I call Him. My mother told me that whenever I am in a fearful situation I should call out, 'Gopal! Gopal! O brother! O my friend Gopal!' Then He appears. He helps me, protects me, and leads me to school. He gave this pot of milk. He says that He is a friend to one and all." Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita (5.29), suhrdam sarva-bhutanam - "I am the only well-wishing friend of all living entities."

 

"He says He is not only my friend, He is a friend to one and all. If one calls, He is there ready to help in time of danger, in time of need, in time of calamities."

 

WHY DOESN'T GOPAL COME TO YOU?

 

Such a simple child gets help from Krishna. But you are worrying, he is worrying, she is worrying, "What shall I do? What shall I do? I need so much money. How can I do it? I cannot collect. I have to do this thing. I have to do that thing. I have so many problems, so many hindrances, so many obstacles."

 

Why don't you ask Gopal? Gopal is ready to help you, but you are not asking Him. If you are asking, then why is Gopal not coming? You say, "Yes, yes. I am asking, 'O Krishna! O Krishna! Please help me, please help me!' But Krishna is not coming and helping me."

 

Gopal immediately appeared before that small child. Why can't you get Gopal's help? Why doesn't Gopal come to you? What is the difficulty? What is the reason? It's because you have no faith in Gopal, no faith in Krishna. It is a question of faith. That small child had strong faith. As soon as his mother told him he put strong unflinching faith in her words, and he got Krishna. But you do not have faith.

 

Now in America, many, many people have lost faith. In his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.4.15) Srila Rupa Goswami says, adau sraddha, the first thing is unflinching faith. Similarly, Krishna says in Gita (4.39):

 

sraddhaval labhate jnanam tat-parah samyatendriyah

jnanam labdhva param santim acirenadhigacchati

 

A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.

 

What do we mean by sraddha? Rupa Goswami says that the first thing is sraddha. Following that comes other things. Sraddha means strong, unflinching faith. Bhajante mam drdha-vratah - those who have faith, they do bhajana with determination. [bg. 7.28]. Strong faith in what? Sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya - faith in what sadhu says, what guru says, what sastra says - what Krishna says [Narottam Das Thakur's Prema-bhakti-candrika 1.10]. You should put strong unflinching faith in what Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. It is said:

 

visvasa mile krsna tarke bahu dura

 

If one has faith then he can easily obtain Krishna and arguments or doubts stay far away.

 

WHY DEPRESSED AND DISAPPOINTED?

 

If you have strong faith you will get Krishna. You have faith, but it is not strong. It is soft faith. At any time it can break and you feel yourself disappointed, depressed. Why such feelings? Why disappointed? Why depressed? Because you do not have strong faith in Krishna. You have no faith in sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya. You have lost faith, therefore you feel disappointed, and depressed.

 

Faith is the most important thing. It has been stressed in Bhagavad-gita, in Srimad Bhagavatam, and all of our acaryas have said it. Rupa Goswami says in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.4.15-16) that everything begins with sraddha:

 

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya

tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha rucis tatah

athasaktis tato bhavas tatah premabhyudancati

sadhakanam ayam premnah pradurbhave bhavet kramah

 

First comes sraddha, faith; next sadhu-sanga, association with saintly persons; after that bhajana-kriya, spiritual practices; then anartha-nivrtti, cessation of all offenses or obstacles; next nistha, firmness; which is followed by ruci, taste; after that asakti, attachment; then bhava; and then appears prema. These are the different stages leading to prema's appearance within the heart of a spiritual practitioner.

 

It is a gradual process. Mahaprabhu said the same thing:

 

ucca sankirtane kari sraddhara pracara

 

Loudly chant the holy names and preach with faith.

 

When my guru-maharaja came to the West, what did he have with him? Only strong faith in Krishna, strong faith in the words of his guru, strong faith in the holy name. He had nothing else. It is a question of strong faith in Gopal. But people are lacking faith. You have some faith, but not strong faith. You should develop strong faith. Caitanya-caritamrta (madhya 22.62) states:

 

'sraddha'-sabde -- visvasa kahe sudrdha niscaya

krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

 

"Sraddha" is defined as confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Krishna one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.

 

CHANT LOUDLY!

 

If you develop krsna-bhakti all of your duties and obligations are finished. You are thinking, "This is my duty, my responsibility, to look after the maintenance of my family, my wife and my children. But it is said, krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya - "All of your work is finished." Everyone says this, but they are only speaking from the lips. In their heart, 99.9% people have no faith. Therefore Gauranga Mahaprabhu has said, ucca sankirtane kari sraddhara pracara - "Chant loudly: hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare. Inculcate sraddha, faith, unto those people who have not developed sraddha."

 

My guru-maharaja did that. When he first arrived here he came with only a pair of karatalas. He simply went to a park and chanted Hare Krishna. The hippies were rolling on the ground, half-naked, taking strong drugs like LSD and marijuana, and becoming mad. My guru-maharaja just played karatalas and chanted, and thereby he inculcated sraddha in them. Cora-vesya-satha - the thieves, the prostitutes, and the cheaters - sadhu is able to inculcate sraddha even into them. That is Mahaprabhu's instruction: agre sraddha diya - "First inculcate sraddha unto them." Then when they are sraddhavan, when they have developed sraddha, strong faith in the holy name, strong faith in Krishna, and sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, then they are eligible to be initiated. There is the offense to the holy name known as sraddha-hina-jane namopadesa "don't give someone nama-upadesa, instructions on chanting, if they are lacking in sraddha." So agre-sraddha first one must have sraddha.

 

How can one develop sraddha? That is another question - for this reason we perform loud sankirtana. By doing so you can develop sraddha. Don't feel depressed or disappointed; Mahaprabhu is there, Krishna is there, Srila Prabhupada is there. Chant loudly and fill the atmosphere with transcendental sound vibration! You should have full complete faith in the holy name, in Gopal, in Krishna and Mahaprabhu. Don't feel desperate at any time, under any circumstances. There is no question of pessimism in Mahaprabhu's movement. There is all optimism. I have seen during my tour that now this pessimism is widespread amongst the devotees in America. Seeing that, I feel very sorry. I am crying in my heart. What has happened? My guru-maharaja came here first. He sowed the seed here. Now what has happened? They have lost faith - such a sorry state of affairs.

 

How is it that a small boy immediately developed faith and got Krishna? He cried out, "O Gopal! Where are You? My mother has said to call you!" And immediately Gopal appeared.

 

THE DETERMINATION OF DHRUVA

 

Dhruva Maharaja was also only a child, a five-year-old boy. When he inquired from his mother Suniti, she told him, "Narayan is there. If you get the mercy of Lord Narayan then all of your desires will be fulfilled."

 

Dhruva said, "Yes! Lord Narayan. Where is He?"

 

Suniti said, "I have heard that saints and sages go to the forest to get Him."

 

Dhruva said, "Oh I must go! I must go and get Him!" He was only a five-year-old boy, but he had such determination.

 

Later, Narada Muni told him, "The forest is a very dangerous place. There are many fearful, ferocious animals here - tigers, lions, and snakes. You are a small boy, what can you do here?"

 

Dhruva said, "No! No! My mother said that Narayan is there. I must go and find Him. Dhruva wouldn't hear any dissuasion. He was so strong and determined! Therefore his name is Dhruva. "Dhruva" means "determined". His determination never shakes. Rupa Goswami therefore says in Upadesamrta (text 3):

 

utsahan niscayad dhairyat tat-tat-karma-pravartanat

sanga-tyagat sato vrtteh sadbhir bhaktih prasidhyati

 

One can execute the process of bhakti-yoga successfully with full-hearted enthusiasm, perseverance, and determination, by following the prescribed duties in the association of devotees and by engaging completely in activities of goodness.

 

Rupa Goswami, mahajana-acarya, says one must have utsahan, enthusiasm, and niscayad, determination. "Yes, I am determined to achieve this thing. I must achieve it." Dhruva had that kind of determination. But also dhairyat, you must have patience. Don't lose patience. This strong determination and strong faith is most important. Nothing is impossible. Krishna is always there to help you. He is there in your heart. He will test how strong your faith is in Him. Your faith is shaking; it is not strong. How determined are you? Krishna creates everything. His will is supreme. By His mere desire creation, maintenance, and destruction take place. We are completely dependent on His will. Bhaktivinode says in Saranagati (3.4.7), tomara icchaya achi nirbhara koriya - "I am completely dependent on Your will, O Krishna." So Krishna says, "Okay, I will test your faith, to see if you are really completely dependent on My will." But you are lacking faith, and Krishna knows, "Oh, he has no faith. He only speaks from the lips. In his heart he has no faith."

 

-- From an evening program in Lansing, Michigan, USA, 28 October 1991

[krsna]

 

 

Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, Adi-lila 10.114

by Srila Gour-Govinda Swami

January 7th 1993 at Bhubaneswar, India

 

In the Adi-Lila, Tenth Chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Kaviraja Gosvami has given a description of the many expansions of the Caitanya tree, the branches and the sub-branches. So all these very dear, intimate devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu they know Gauranga mahaprabhu and they know Krsna. It is given in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika how most of them were in Krsna-lila, Vraja-lila. Most of them were sakhis, manjaris and some were in sakhya-rasa, friendship, like this Abhirama. They have all taken part in both krsna-lila and Gaura-lila. They are the associates of Krsna and the associates of Gaura, because there is no difference between Gaura and Krsna. Is there any difference? No. Krsna is Gaura and Gaura is Krsna, so Krsna-lila is Gaura-lila and Gaura-lila is Krsna-lila. In tattva they are the same. But... only one difference is there. In Gaura the two bodies of Radha and Krsna are combined together, that is the only thing, nothing else.

 

radha-purna-sakti, krsna-purna-saktiman

dui vastu bheda nai, sastra-paramana

radha-krsna aiche sadaeka-i svarupa

lila-rasa asvadite dhare dui-rupa

(Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 4.96,98)

 

There is no difference between the energy and the energetic, sakti-saktiman abhina. Therefore there is no difference between Radha and Krsna. Radha is purna-sakti and Krsna is purna-saktiman, so there is no difference, but, lila-rasa asvadite dhare dui-rupa, to relish the mellow of pastimes two bodies are there, Radha and Krsna, otherwise they are one. So in Vraja-lila there are two bodies, Radha and Krsna, visaya and asraya. But in the form of Gauranga They are one. Radha and Krsna combined together. Krsna assuming the mood and complexion of Radharani appears and that is Gauranga. This is the tattva, and that is a very deep and confidential tattva. Narahari Sarkara has said:

 

caitanya bhakti-naipunya

krsnas tu bhagavan svayam

tayo prakasa dekatra

krsna-caitanya ucyate

 

Caitanya is Krsna and Krsna is Caitanya, there is no difference. But in Caitanya one thing is added - that is bhakti-naipunya. When Krsna comes assuming the mood of a bhakta, He is Caitanya. But without the mood of a bhakta that is Krsna. So Caitanya means, caitanya bhakti-naipunya. Krsna is the Absolute Truth, advaya-jnana-tattva, the Supreme Truth, parama tattva. And so is Caitanya, also advaya-tattva. But one addition is there, that is bhakti naipunya, The last limit of bhakti - prema-bhakti. If prema bhakti is added to Krsna, that is Caitanya. Therefore Sacinandana Gauranga is the Supreme Absolute Truth, parama tattva - Bhagavan, but with bhakti-naipunya added to it. That is Gauranga, and in the Gauranga form you will find two things combined together. What are those? Sambhoga and vipralambha. These two things combined together that is Gauranga. And that is bhakti-naipunya - The last limit of bhakti.

 

So the sadhya, the end - that is prema, and that is bhakti naipunya, it means prema-bhakti. If that prema-bhakti is added to Krsna, that is Gauranga, nothing else. And in that Gauranga form you will find these two opposite things placed together. That sambhoga and vipralambha. We say viruddhita - opposite things placed together. This you will only find in the combined form of Radha and Krsna. That is Gauranga. Otherwise you will never find it anywhere else, it is only in Gauranga.

 

But in Vraja, will you find these two things combined? No, not possible at all, because in Vraja-lila two bodies are there, Krsna and Radha. And in Vraja-lila, the flow of that lila is like the flow of a river. As a river has two embankments, similarly the flow of Vraja-lila has two embankments. That is sambhoga and vipralambha. The embankment of union and the embankment of separation. Try to understand. So on the embankment of union both Radha and Krsna relish the mellow of union. On the embankment of separation both Radha and Krsna relish the mellow of separation. It is mentioned in the Ujjvala-nilamani that on the embankment of separation the relishment of this mellow, viraha-rasa, that is of four types. Purva-raga, mana, prema-vaicchitya and pravasa. These specific words. Just hear it, when you will get to read or hear Ujjvala-nilamani you can see that Rupapada has given elaborate explanations. So four types of relishment are there, and similarly on the embankment of union there are also four types of relishment. That is samhksipa, sankirna, sampanya and samriddhimana. This Caitanya-caritamrta is the postgraduate study so everything will come up - Ujjvala- nilamani, Vidagdhamadhava, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, all these books will come up.

 

So samksipa, sankirna, sampanya and samriddhimana - this is on the embankment of union, and it has connection with the other embankment. First comes samksipa. That is relished after the first type of that in viraha-tattva, that is purva-raga. First viraha and then milana, sambhoga, and similarly sankirna is relished after mana-viraha. Then sampanya is relished after prema-vaicchitya-viraha. And samriddhimana is relished after pravasa-viraha. This is just to have an idea of the four types of relishment on each embankment. These are two opposite things, sambhoga and vipralambha, union and separation. And these two are required otherwise there will be no question of the flow of these transcendental loving conjugal pastimes. They are always there, and they are required otherwise if these two were not there how will there be flow, how will there be movement.

 

You have two legs, a right leg and a left leg, and then you are moving as the bird has two wings, right wing and left wing and flies. So similarly two are there - sambhoga and vipralambha, two embankments, so the flow of lila in Vraja is there.

 

Another thing is there. On the embankment of sambhoga there is sukha, happiness. Union means happiness. On the embankment of vipralambha, viraha, there is accute pain - the pangs of separation. Intense heat is there and vilapa, crying is also there. And these two separate things are eternally there in Vraja. But they are not in one container, they are on two separate embankments. But in Navadvipa-lila or Gaura-lila these two are contained in one pot. Union and separation. Because Gaura is the combination, union of Radha and Krsna, and He also at the same time accepts vipralambha bhava, feeling the pangs of separation from Krsna. Two opposites are in one container, this is the tattva here. Asraya and visaya. Krsna is the visaya and Radha is the asraya, and in Vraja They are eternally visaya and Asraya. Thus the flow of lila is going on. But in Gaura, asraya and visaya are combined together. Two opposites - union and separation combined in one container, and this is the tattva. In one container, ekadi karana, two opposites together. It is abicintya - inconceivable. We cannot conceive of it.

 

But one question is there. In Vraja-lila, these union and separation cannot be placed together, they are separately taking place, not together. But in Gaura-lila you will find it together - two opposites are there. This is wonderful and very mysterious, but Rupapada says, "It is not a fact that in Vraja-vilasa these two are never placed together. It is there, but not always, and not everywhere. In some special cases for a fleeting moment, a very temporary period, it is there." Rupapada has given that, and such devotees they relish it. Rupa Gosvami has given this thing in the Vidagdha madhava and the Lalita-madhava dramas. It is prema vaicchitya, that means one feels the separation in union. If one feels separation in union, that becomes prema vaicchitya, and you will find this prema-vaicchitya in Vidagdha-madhava and Lalita-madhava. These two opposites are there. Union is there and the feeling of separation is also there, for a very short moment.

 

I am giving one example from the Vidagdha-madhava. On the embankment of the Yamuna, both Radha and Govinda are there, and they are playing on the bank of the Yamuna. Then Vrndadevi came with two lotuses in her hands to decorate Radharani's ears. So Vrndadevi came with these two ornaments for the ears and gave them to Krsna. Krsna took them with much pleasure, with a smiling face, and He was going to put them on the two ears of Radharani. At that time it was noticed that, pundarika kose canchorika vartate. This is the language of Rupapada in that drama Vidagdha-mãdhava. A black bumblebee was there in the whorl of the lotus. Then when Krsna was going to put these two lotuses on the two ears of Radharani, Radharani noticed this thing. Then Radharani said, "Hey bumblebee, get out!" Then that bumblebee, coming out of the lotus, thinking the face of Radharani to be another lotus, went there. Radharani says "Hey get out, get out!" moving Her hand. Then the bumblebee thinks as another lotus, the palm of Radharani's hand, and Radharani says "“This stupid bumblebee, shameless debauchee is not going away. Get out, get out!” With the corner of Her sari She tries to drive him out. And Radharani is also frightened that it is not going away.

 

At that time Madhumangala came and drove him out with a stick to a far distance. Then he came back and said, “ma hu su ana.” Madhumangala said it in this specific language. Unless you understand this language you cannot taste it. Madhusudhana means what? Madhusudhana has two meanings. One meaning is bumblebee and the other meaning is Krsna. And so what Madhumangala said means bumblebee, but Radharani understood it as Krsna. Try to follow the language. This is a wonderful thing. Otherwise you cannot relish it.You cannot relish it unless you understand this language.

 

Ma hu su ana - madhusudhana - tira hade - has disappeared. So Madhumangala points out the bumblebee - "That bumblebee has gone." But what RadharaniI understood is that Krsna has gone. Madhusadhana means Krsna also, “Krsna has gone.” And as soon as Radharani heard it She said “Handi handi, kahin kadana madhusudhana.” Radharani said like that, this is the drama.

“Alas, alas! Where goes Madhusudhana, Krsna? Ooh!” Krsna is there, but She started crying, weeping, “O where goes Madhusudhana? Why has that lotus-eyed Krsna left Me alone here in the forest of Vrndavana on the bank of the Yamuna? Why He does so? Alas!” And She started weeping, crying although Krsna is there. This is the very wonderful prema-vaicchitya-viraha. The lover and beloved are both there but they are feeling the pangs of separation. This is prema-vaicchitya. Then Krsna says “Sarvani baja smitan karoti” and He drove them all out - Vrndadevi and Madhumangala - and smiled. He just smiled and said, “Radhe Oh!”

 

This is the very wonderful prema-vaicchitya-viraha and it is in Vidagdha-madhava. Many instances are there. In Lalita-madhava you will find candravali-labhah, and also another one, nava-vrndavana-sangamah. Also purnamanarathah, so many things are there in Lalita-madhava. And Rupapada has written about this prema-vaicchityaviraha. It means though Rãdhã and Krsna are there, They are feeling the pangs of separation for a short time. And that is only on special occasions, not always, and not everywhere. That cannot be there in Vraja, but in Gauralila it is always there. The two opposite things are placed in one container. That is Gaura. Vipralambha and sambhoga. A very mysterious lila, the tattva of Gaura-lila. Otherwise you cannot find it anywhere else that these opposites are placed together. Such wonderful lilas, very mysterious and inconceivable.

 

This Gaura-tattva is a very deep and confidential tattva. It is the highest and very, very confidential. Therefore it is said to be the postgraduate study, and only the students of that postgraduate class can understand, otherwise nobody can understand it. So this course is there, and two lectures are there every week. Anyone can come and hear, just hear. But if he is not a student of that postgraduate class he cannot understand it. Anyway sit and let it touch your ear, then that is beneficial. The time will come that you can understand it, and in your heart you should cry for that - kabe ha'be bolo se-dina amar. "When will that auspicious day come in my life that I can understand this thing, so that I can relish it? I can become ecstatic, dance and roll and shed tears and be overwhelmed with that bhava, drowned and intoxicated." You should feel like that, cry, cry! Therefore we speak these things, just to put you in such a condition of crying.