Tag Archive for: Rupa Goswami

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Sri Lalitastakam

Çré Lalitäñöakam

Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé

(sing like Brahma-samhita)

rädhä-mukunda-pada-sambhava-gharma-bindu

nirmaïchanopakaraëé-kåta-deha-lakñäm

uttuìga-sauhåda-viçeña-vaçät pragalbhäà

devéà guëaiù sulalitäà lalitäà namämi (1)

I offer praëäma unto the haughty Çré Lalitä-devé who is charmingly endowed with

many beautiful, sweet qualities (sulalitä). She has natural expertise in all arts (lalitä),

thus her sevä self-manifests. She wipes away the glittering drops of perspiration which appear upon the lotus feet of Çré Rädhä and Mädhava when They meet; and she is perpetually immersed in the most elevated mellow of sauhåda-rasa, or undivided absorption in fulfilling the heart’s desire of her intimate friend Çrématé Rädhikä.

räkä-sudhä-kiraëa-maëòala-känti-daëòi

vaktra-çriyaà cakita-cäru-camüru-neträm

rädhä-prasädhana-vidhäna-kalä-prasiddhäà

devéà guëaiù sulalitäà lalitäà namämi (2)

I offer praëäma unto Çré Lalitä-devé whose beautiful face mocks the brilliance of the full moon, whose eyes are ever-restless like those of a startled doe, who is famous for her extraordinary expertise in the art of dressing Çrématé Rädhikä, and who is the treasure-house of unlimited feminine qualities.

läsyollasad-bhujaga-çatru-patatra-citra

paööäàçukäbharaëa-kaïculikäïcitäìgém

gorocanä-ruci-vigarhaëa-gaurimäëaà

devéà guëaiù sulalitäà lalitäà namämi (3)

I offer praëäma unto Çré Lalitä-devé whose body is adorned with a splendid säré as brilliant as the multi-coloured tail-feathers of an ecstatically dancing peacock, whose breast is covered with an exceedingly attractive blouse (kaïculi), whose hair part is decorated with shimmering red vermilion, and who wears various necklaces and other jeweled ornaments. Her golden complexion defeats that of even gorocanä bright golden pigment that comes when rain-water from svati-nakçatra hits the head of a qualified cow and she possesses innumerable good qualities.

dhürte vrajendra-tanaye tanu suñöhu-vämyaà

mä dakñiëä bhava kalaìkini läghaväya

rädhe giraà çåëu hitäm iti çikñayantéà

devéà guëaiù sulalitäà lalitäà namämi (4)

I offer praëäma unto Çré Lalitä-devé, the charming treasure-house of all good qualities, who instructs Çrématé Rädhikä in this way: “O Kalaìkini (unchaste one)! Rädhe! Listen to my good instructions which are favorable for you! Vrajendra-nandana is very crafty (dhürta). Don’t display Your mood of gentle submission (dakñiëä bhäva) to Him; instead, in all circumstances be contrary.”

rädhäm abhi vraja-pateù kåtam ätmajena

küöaà manäg api vilokya vilohitäkñém

väg-bhaìgibhis tam acireëa vilajjayantéà

devéà guëaiù sulalitäà lalitäà namämi (5)

I offer praëäma unto the abode of all good qualities, the supremely charming Çré Lalitä-devé, who, upon hearing Çré Kåñëa speak even a few sly words to Çrématé Rädhikä, immediately becomes furious and shames Kåñëa with her biting, sarcastic remarks, “You are so truthful and simple-hearted, and such a chaste lover!”

vätsalya-vånda-vasatià paçupäla-räjïyäù

sakhyänuçikñaëa-kaläsu guruà sakhénäm

rädhä-balävaraja-jévita-nirviçeñäà

devéà guëaiù sulalitäà lalitäà namämi (6)

I offer praëäma unto the supremely charming Çré Lalitä-devé, who possesses all divine qualities; who is also the recipient of Yaçodä-devé’s parental affection; the guru of all the sakhés, instructing them in the art of friendship; and the very life of both Çrématé Rädhikä and the younger brother of Baladeva.

yäà käm api vraja-kule våñabhänu-jäyäù

prekñya sva-pakña-padavém anurudhyamänäm

sadyas tad-iñöa-ghaöanena kåtärthayantéà

devéà guëaiù sulalitäà lalitäà namämi (7)

I offer praëäma unto the supremely charming Çré Lalitä-devé, the treasure-house of all good qualities. Upon seeing any young maiden anywhere in Vraja and discerning that she is inclined towards her priya-sakhé Çrématé Rädhikä, Lalitä immediately tells Rädhä that She must accept this person in Her own party (sva-pakña). Rädhä obeys Lalitä, who thus fulfills that maiden’s desires.

rädhä-vrajendra-suta-saìgama-raìga-caryäà

varyäà viniçcitavatém akhilotsavebhyaù

täà gokula-priya-sakhé-nikuramba-mukhyäà

devéà guëaiù sulalitäà lalitäà namämi (8)

I offer praëäma unto Çré Lalitä-devé, the embodiment of all divine virtues and the foremost of all the favorite sakhés of Gokula. Her primary task is providing pleasure for Çré Rädhä-Govinda by arranging Their meetings – this delightful sevä surpasses the enjoyment of all the best festivals combined together.

nandann amüni lalitä-guëa-lälitäni

padyäni yaù paöhati nirmala-dåñöir añöau

prétyä vikarñati janaà nija-vånda-madhye

taà kértidä-pati-kulojjvala-kalpa-vallé (9)

If a person with a cheerful and pure heart recites this añöaka in praise of Lalitä-devé, he will be affectionately brought into Çrématé Rädhikä’s own group of sakhés. Lalitädevé is superbly ornamented with beauty, grace and charm, and, along with Çrématé Rädhikä, is the effulgent wish-fulfilling creeper (kalpa-vallé) of Våñabhänu Mahäräja’s family that winds around the kalpa-våkña of Kåñëa.

Om Tat Sat

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Pure Love Only By Mercy

Mahanidhi Swami

To Srila Rupa Goswamipada, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spoke a very beautiful verse describing the relation between mercy and love divine. Let’s look at it and dive into the ocean of truth:

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva,
guru krishna prasade PAYA bhakti lata bija

“All living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.” (Caitanya-caritamrta 2.19.151; trans. Srila Prabhupada)

Comment: Please clearly read this most important verse, a main pillar in the house of Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada translates the Bengali verb paya as receive. The word paya means to receive or to get something, which means that that something IS NOT INSIDE OF ONE.

The word PAYA clearly means, as Srila Prabhupada states, that something is received or gotten from an outside source. In this case it means one receives or gets the seed of bhakti or pure love of God, Krishna prema, from an outside source, namely Bhagavan Sri Krishna or Sri Guru, or a combination both as Srila Prabhupada states. In other words, neither Krishna bhakti nor its development to bhava or its culmination as Krishna prema is within the heart of any conditioned soul in this material world.

The conclusion is that if a jiva is very fortunate, however, he may RECEIVE OR GET BHAKTI FROM SRI KRISHNA OR SRI GURU. Then by purely hearing, chanting and remembering Sri Krishna’s beautiful sweet names, forms, qualities and pastimes that seed of bhakti will sprout, and grow into the tree of bhava producing the sweet tasty fruits of Krishna prema.

In other words, mercy gives bhakti, and that bhakti grows and develops by more mercy. Then by a rare and extraordinary ingress of mercy that bhakti becomes bhava and then quickly blossoms into prema, pure love of Krishna.

From this essential verse of Krishna consciousness we can understand the absolute importance and necessity of Sri Guru in our lives and the supreme role of mercy. Thus without the mercy of Sri Krishna and Sri Guru no one in the entire universe can ever attain pure love of Krishna, the sweetly fulfilling taste of Krishna prema.

Jai Jai Sri Radhe!

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Aham, Mam and Nama

By: Mahanidhi Swami

Is attachment to “I and Mine” (aham, mameti) preventing us from chanting shuddha nama, the pure Holy Name of Bhagavan Sri Krishna? In the Padmna Purana’s list of the ten offenses against Krishna’s Holy Name (nama aparadhas), the last one addresses attachment, which like a ghost haunting even the most sincere sadhakas.

The tenth offense mentioned in the Padma P. (Brahma-khanda 25.15-18) is:

shrutvapi nama mahatmyam yah preeti rahito dhamah

aham mamadi paramo namni so ‘py aparadha krt

“If one has heard the glories of Krishna’s divine name (shrute nama mahatmye), but still thinks in terms of “I and Mine” (aham mamadi), and does not show love for the Holy Name (preeti rahito dhamah), that is an offense (aparadha krt).”

Unfortunately, the ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ mentality runs very deep within all of us. Even the best hearted Krishna bhaktas, who are supposed to fully identify themselves as spiritual beings, Krishna dasa and Radhika dasi, Sri Krishna’s eternal loving servants, are guilty of this mundane mentality.

Despite all our sadhana and chanting, we still think “I am this body, and people and things related to my body are mine.” Minds move fast; but consciousness moves and changes very slowly. Due to the lingering mental embrace of material consciousness, we are still seeking sense pleasures, gain, adoration and distinction.

To show how the “I and Mine” mentality touches all of us, let’s examine Srila Sanatana Goswamipada’s tika to the verse above which he discusses in his Hari-bhakti vilasa #11 v. 524. He describes how the deadly enemy of false pride, which is what the 10th offense is all about, manifests within different types of devotee chanters.

  1. First, Srila Sanatana Goswamipada addresses the solitary chanters saying, aham bahutara nama kirtaka, which means to think “I am chanting more than you” or to think “I am the greatest in connection with the Holy Name”. And this is the 10th offence.”

One often meets such “advanced devotees” who approach and ask, “How many rounds are you chanting?” Then to assert their supremacy they announce how many lacs of nama (multiples of 64 rounds) they are chanting to insinuate that your chanting is not up to the mark. But your bhajana is not their business. Shastra advises that one’s guru, diksa mantras and sadhana should be kept secret.

Once a “bhajananandi sadhu” approached another saintly person, asking how many lacs of nama he was chanting. The sadhu humbly replied, “What bhajana am I doing? I am only eating and sleeping.”

  1. Secondly, Srila Sanatana Goswamipada addresses the preacher devotee saying, itas tato nama kirtanam ca mat pravartitam eva, maya samo nama kirtana paro anyah kah, which means [this is also the 10th offense to think], “Only I am spreading the chanting of the Holy Name all over the world. Who is equal to me in dedication to nama kirtana?”

One often meets such “messiah bhaktas” who openly criticize devotees who are trying to please Sri Hari and Sri Guru by concentrating on bhakti bhajana instead of preaching. Hence they are guilty of false pride, and the offense of “I and mine” mentality; the 10th nama-aparadha.

III. Thirdly, Srila Sanatana Goswamipada addresses the proud chanter, saying, madiya jihva dhinam eva namety adikam eva paramam pradhanam, “My tongue is the greatest chanter of the Holy Name. Chanting is under the control of my tongue, and I am chanting the Holy Name myself.”

Such pride contradicts Srila Rupa Goswamipada’s Bhakti rasamrta sindhu (1.2.234), which says that Sri Krishna’s Holy Name will never manifest through one’s material senses. But if one has a service attitude, then the Holy Name WILL APPEAR first in the tongue and other senses. The reality is that “I” am not chanting so many rounds of japa. But out of His mercy, Sri Nama Prabhu is appearing within me due to my humility, pridelessness and sincere service attitude.

To conclude this article, we will quote Srila Sanatana Goswamipada’s closing remarks on the 10th offense to the Holy Name: nama kirtanam ca kadacit sidhyati na va yasya tatha bhuto yah so piti. ata evadistam bhagavata: trnad api sunicena, taror api sahisnuna, amanina manadena, kirtaniyah sada harih:

“Such a proud aham, mameti devotee rarely ever even does kirtana. For Sri Krishna has taught that one should be lower than a blade of grass, tolerant as a tree, not want honor and give all honor to others. This is how the Holy Name of Lord Hari should always be glorified.” Otherwise the Holy Name will not bestow its desired fruit. (HBV. tika trans. and concept from Sri Advaita dasji)

Sri Hari Nama Prabhu ki jai! Shuddha Hari Nama Japa & Kirtana ki jai!

Jai Jai Sri Radhe!