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AUGUST 2010 THE GAUDIYA
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THE
GAUDIYASpiritual Monthly
Vol. LIII AUGUST 2010 No. 12
MANGALCHARANAM
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May the Sportive God (Krishna) be glorified; Who is adornedwith the marks of musk and Capricorn which indicate a goodfortune for the three worlds and Whose Amorous Play is sweetenedby the lust of the laides of Vraja.
-Sri Leelshuka Bilvamangala
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Pithy Precepts of Srila PrabhupdAn annihilativespirit gets his final restwhen he considershimself quitesuccessful to havegained his aim. By thevery proposition hehas stopped hisiterance of animpersonal aspect ofthe Absolute, so no
lien can be traced of any other explanationto be offered in the quest of the AbsoluteKnowledge. All sorts of being-hood,unalloyed situation of Knowledge andincessant Bliss could have no operationagain on his speculation.
Before delineating the objects ofVedanta we should have a thorough relativeknowledge of being and non-being,knowledge and ignorance, happiness andpain; though these prove to have a temporal
mundane reference, still to evade an attackof the opposers, we must explain ourposition in transcendental region where nosuch opposition need be confronted. Theobject may have two-fold aspects -- theingredient or the Material Cause free frommundane association, and the existence ofthe Manifestative Nature of the EfficientCause. The two causes are paralysed inthe impersonal conception of theindistinctive or undifferentiative monistswhen they talk of the Absolute, whereas
the ontology of Vedanta will show as theEternal Manifestive Play of the Absolute.
The Transcendental Entities eternallyrepresented as the Fountain-head of thetwo causes will never be found in an indolentmood such as we find in insentient beingsvoid of animation but they will be united bythe tie of love for Eternal Manifestivepurposes to keep up their reciprocal eternal
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spotless activities. The PredominatingTranscendental Singular Actor will besuperimposed on the predominated pluralbeings who are associated to serve Him withAll-love.
Whenever we find a dissensionbetween the entities of predominatedingredients, they do not agree with the soleaim of loving the All-love. So they arerelieved from eternally working with the same
spirit for the Singular Predominating Entity.This dissension facilitates their welcoming avitiated field of work where they get temporalaffinity or apathetic feelings among them.The Vednta has taken the difficult taskof imparting instructions to relieve theserupturous tendencies among theignorant who are prone to succumb tothe tempting influence of the deludingPotency, My.
Question of Time: The Factor of Timeis an inseparable ingredient of every theme
on the qualitative plane. Every existence istraced in the units of Time and it will benatural to enquire when and from whichquarter and by whom this particular schoolof thought has been brought to light. Thisquestion dealt with by Vedanta has arisen inthe individual soul of man since his attainingpuberty of receiving Knowledge.So it hinges upon ascertaining the halcyondays of civilisation when human Knowledgedetermined mans real self. Critics havealready come forward with fixing the date
of Vedanta after the ritualistic activities ofthe Indian of early days, as Vedanta itselfdiscloses a rationalistic aspect apart fromattending to the homestead performances.
Scriptures of Yore and their ApparentlyContending Hymns: The Vedas arerecognised in some quarters as the oldest ofbooks, not only of India but of the wholeworld.
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Thus Spake Srila chryadeva
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But unless he doesso he is scientificallyspeaking, left withoutany ideal of conductlife. In this difficulty heis reduced to thenecessity of choosinghis own course with asmuch help from thedifferent Sciences ascan be accommodated
in a tolerable relationship of subservienceto his undefined instinctive purpose whichis felt to be located outside the scope ofany particular Science or gruoup ofSciences.
These considerations lead up to thequestion of the proper use of suchknowledge as is really supplied by thenatural Sciences. This knowledge is foundon examination to have a bearing which is
strictly limited to the immediate andtemporary requirements of our physical andmental existence. The further question asto what we are to do with our body andmind after their existence has been enrichedand safe-guarded, does not come within thepurview of any particular Science or groupof Sciences, they are all obcessed by theneedless assumption that the presentexistence, however, precarious andunsatisfactory, should be and ought to beembellished and perpetrated as far as
possible. The phrase struggle for existenceexpresses the driving motive behindscientific thought.
This struggle for mundane existence isa very pessimistic goal if it is to be thenature of our activities. Present consciousexistence is limited and, therefore, can bebut a section of the whole truth regardingourselves. It is also temporary. If we seek
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merely to live and value our mental andphysical activities for contributing to this end,we are pinned by our own consent withinthe vicious circle. But are not ourphilosophers and scientific men content tobe satisfied with this inconclusive pastime?But I fail to find anything definite and true oreven what is practically the same thing, areally worthy purpose behind the endeavourto acquire and the use that is made of suchknowledge. The rational side of our naturecannot be satisfied by being limited to theprospect of a sound mind in a sound body.
Our philosophers and scientific mendespair of obtaining a peep into the limitlessunknown that surrounds our little life onevery side. No garnishing of a lump of clayliving unto itself for short span of time,however, much it may appear to itsinsignificance to be the utmost that itdeserves, can make it other than an
unworthy ideal. It is absolutely necessaryto be able to make discoveries that will freeus from the strait jacket of this mundane lifebefore we leave this world for our unknowndestination.
It will not do to proceed by assumptionsthat do not really take us an inch on the pathof this definite quest. The theologicalsystems of the world should not be ignoredwithout a thorough examination of theirprofessed claims. They possess this specialvalue that they offer us the experiences of
mankind in their obstinate quest of theunknowable unknown. We should nothastily suppose that they could find noresponse to their questionings. Thetheological systems do not admit failure.There is no reason why we should remainreligiously confined to even our so-calledmost up to date methods, if they give usabsolutely no help in this matter.
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SRI GURU PRESHTHATHE BELOVED OF SRI GURUSripad B.S.Narayan Maharaj
(Contd. from July issue)
Within no time the debts grew beyondlimits and Sri Kunjada had to think aboutthe repayment. His meagre salary frompostal service was not enough even to settlea part of the debt. Also he had to see that
the mission may not earn any bad name dueto the debts. Thereafter he decided to goabroad to Basra in Iraq, which was thenunder the threat of war. The purpose ofhis Basra Voyage was to earn money torepay the debts. For proceeding to Basrahe left to Bombay, without informinganyone, and a telegram was sent to SrilaPrabhupada who was then staying at SriMayapur. Receiving that telegram, SrilaPrabhupada become dumb founded andbegan to shed tears by remembering the
magnanimous qualities of Sri Kunjada. Allother devotees too lamented bitterly. SrilaPrabhupad gave vent to his profoundemotions and grief in the letter which hewrote to Sri Kunjada. Latter on, SrilaPrabhupad arranged to fix a stone plaqueat the side wall of Bagh Bazar Gaudiya MathTemple by engraving on it the ten types ofspecial virtues of Kunjada. Unlike many ofhis god-brothers, Kunjada had no desirefor his own name and fame. All that hewanted was the propagation of Lord Sri
Chaitanyas message through the potentwords of Srila Prabhupad. The writings andexpressions of Srila Prabhupad indicate asto how much favourite was Sri Kunjada tohim.
People of this world try to earntestimonials and recommendations throughvarious kinds of means. Politicians try togain easy popularity by wasting the tax-
payers money upon their vote banks.Some of the gurus engage their disciples andfollowers to glorify themselves. If we thinkabout the crux of this issue of earning fame,the following points will come to our minds.There may be many devotees who wouldlike to be known as the most beloved of
God. Now how to find who is dear toGod? If at all the Supreme Lord Himselfdeclares to the world that, so and so is Hisdearest devotee, that alone should be theforemost of all the testimonials. Among theinnumerable disciples of Prabhupad SrilaBhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, manymay claim themselves to be the most belovedof the holy Master. Whereas the fact is that,Guruji himself has declared that his mostbeloved and intimate disciple is SriKunjabehari Vidyabhushan, above all
others. Due to the undue publicity of theprint media and electronic media, manyignorant people become misguided aboutthe real facts. Whether you know it or not,whether you like it or not, the fact is a factforever. All other contrary versions arenothing but falsehood. Similarly, on theBrahma Sutra of Sri Veda Vyasa, manyAcharyas have written commentaries.Everyone of them claim their explanationsas superior, by undermining that of others.Among all the sages, Veda Vyasa is the
perfect knower of the Brahma Sutra, beingits very author. As a genuine commentaryof the Brahma Sutra, Sri Veda Vyasa haswritten Srimad Bhagavatam. Now, whatelse can be more authentic than SrimadBhagavatam in explaining the esotericmeaning of the Brahma Sutras? Forexposing the truth to the attentionof thedevotional society, Sri Paramananda
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(to beconted .....)
Vidyaratna Prabhu has written this small
booklet named Sri Guru Preshtha.In the year 1932, Srila Prabhupad
executed a Will and appointed three of hisdisciples as the Sevaits (Trustees) of themission. They are, -- (1) Maha-mahopadeshak Acharyatrika SrimadKunjabehari Vidyabhushan Bhagavataratna,Bhakti Shastri, (2) Upadeshak SrimatParamananda Vidyaratna Bhakti Shastri,Bhakti Kunjara, Sampradaya Vaibhav-acharya and (3) Mahamahopadeshak
Srimad Ananta Vasudeva Vidyabhushan.This shows that, the author of this book aswell as the person glorified by it, the bothare the most favourite disciples of SrilaPrabhupad. Apart from them, who else canbe competent of explaining about the sweetwill of Srila Prabhupad ?
After the demise of Srila SaraswatiThakur, there arose some controversy inthe mission, as the third trusty took oppositestand by the help of his rebellious followers.The unrest continued for some years, untill
by the Will of God, the whole affair gotsettled mysteriously. Due to the unrest thatoccured in the mission, some ignorant andill-informed people tend to blame even thegenuine devotees, by posing themselves asintelligent and clever. This type ofmisguidance and misbehaviour is at the rootof spiritual downfall.If such people sincerelydesire for their own real wellbeing, thisbooklet should be an eye-opener to them.An ignorant person can be enlightened byimparting the truth, whereas the one who
likes to remain ignorant can never beenlightened. Just as a sleeping person canbe awakened through a little effort, but theone who is pretending sleep can never beawakened with any amount of effort. OnlyGod should save such persons.
THE INTRUDCTION(By the Author)
It is my persistent supplication to all
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my respected God-brothers and kind-
hearted readers that, before reading thisarticle, you should remember the lotus feetof our holy Master (Prabhupad Srila BhaktiSiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur), thesuperb sanctity of his most ideal characterwhich you have realised through your ownheart and soul, by having firm faith in hissolemn words, without any kind of bias orpartiality towards anyone, by the help ofnatural root-meaning of the words. Byimpartially reading this article, you can learnabout the true facts regarding the Gaudiya
Mission, that shall save you from all kindsof misconceptions regarding the GaudiyaMission of Prabhupad Srila SaraswatiThakur and about his dearest disciple SriBhakti Vilas Tirtha Goswami Maharaj (thenknown as Sri Kunjabehari Vidyabhushan orKunjada).
The common masses like us, beingendowed with various kinds of tastes andtemperaments, when formulate different kindsof impressions or conclusions regarding anyobject or any person, out of our experience
and intelligence, most often they tend to beunreal due to the influence of varioussurrounding situations, associations, socialcultures, motivations etc. While determiningthe fact of reality, if we solely depend uponthe holy words of the eternally liberated andfully enlightened spiritual Master who hasdescended down from the divine abodeGoloka Vaikuntha, then we can become freefrom all kinds of misguidance and prejudice,as the spiritual Master is a divine personalityas well as free from all kinds of human errors.
All our thoughts should be dovetailed withthe advice and guidance provided by theabsolute-realised holy preceptor, becausesuch holy souls are totally free from envy,detached from the world, not covetinghonour-wealth-sense pleasure-selfprestigeetc. The one who begs for worldly favourscan never become the eternal servant of theSupreme Lord of absolute majesty.
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MAHBHRATASri M.C.Mahesh(Contd. from July issue)
The soul which departs by the first pathhas its consciousness detach itself from theperishable body in a rather sommthtransition. There is a supernal light guidingthis soul, and several celestial messengerscrowd around it to escort it to thigherworlds. From there only progression
occurs and the self passes on to more fineand more invisible worlds till it reaches theabode of Krishna. The self that travels bythe second path has its sentience detachitself from the perishable body in a rather
jerky transition. A celestial gloom envelopsthe soul and it wallows in this darkness ofignorance for a while. It acquires a newidentity after passing throught phases ofexperiences in heaven and hell, and isreborn again on earth. This transmigrationor metempsychosis ends only by the grace
of Krishna.
Those worshippers who propitiate themanes or the ancestral-spirits are reunitedwith them after death. The votaries of thegods of heaven reach their paradise afterdeath. Those who propitiate the demigodsattain to their position after shedding theirmortal coils. Foremost among them all arethe worshippers of Krishna who reach Himin the end. All the other votaries are alsooffering their prayers only to Krishna,
though they are not aware of it. Krishna isWho pervades the self of all gradations ofdivinities. Krishna is supremely pleasedwith whatever is offered to Him withdevotion--a holy leaf or a fruit or fragrantflowers or even water! Krishna hasvouchsafed the boon that His devotee neverperishes.
Listening on to these expositions in
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awe and wonder Arjuna was nowconvinced that Krishna is God. Herequested Krishna to enumerate Hismanifestations, and theLord gives a sampleof His manifold glories. He has taken birthas the seven sages and the four ancientManus who were the progenitors ofcreation. These patriarchs uphold thecosmic order and mete out just retributionon all creatures. A plethora of saints andgods and personages are then listed as partialincarnations of Godhead. Among thetwelve Adityas enumerated in the Vedas,Lord Krishna says that he is Vishnu. Vishnuis referred to as an Aditya since he was bornin the womb of Aditi, the mother of the gods,during his incarnation as Vamana. Amongthe eagles and vultures He is Garuda, thecarrier of Vishnu. Among the serpentsslithering around in the nether-worlds He is
Adisesha, the cosmic serpent who is thecouch of Vishnu. There were many warriorswho were incarnations of Vishnu and Rama,the archer, is foremost among them. To astartled Arjuna was revealed the mysterythat Krishna was the supreme VishnuHimself, now born on earth as a mereYadava. Among the Pandavas he hadchosen to take descent as Arjuna, who wasHis partial manifestation.
There are umpteen more mani-
festations--too numerous to retain us here.The Lord revealed that He was the
dismal and murky death that devours allcreatures. He is the beginning, themanifestation and the end of all beings.
Arjuna prayed to the all-encompassingLord that he be shown a vision of the cosmicform and Krishna graciously accepted toappear in His incomparable majesty. As
qu
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pointed out earlier the description of the
universal form is rather physical andunpolished in the Bhagavad Gita. TheBhagavata Purana does a far better job ofdelineating the spiritual essence of theuniversal form. If a thousand suns were toexplode simultaneously and suffuse thewelkin with their supernal glow, the grandspectacle might perhaps approximate theblinding dazzle of Krishnas divinity. Arjunasaw Krishna roar with an apocalyptic delightand the warriors of the Kuru army were
seemingly sucked into his gaping mouth.Krishna now prophesied a great doom
Even without your intervention the hostilearmies will perish on My mere Will. Fightwith them and be the apparent cause of theirdestruction--you are only an instrument toexecute My unfathomable Will...
The execution of a hundred thousandconventional sacrifices will not reveal thisgrandeur to an aspirant. The study of allMy canonical literature will not take the
scholar to My presence. The mystic whocontrols his psychiccurrents can never knowmy real nature. But you have unflinchingdevotion for me and have hence seen Myenigmatic and incomprehensible truth.
A bewildered Arjuna saw the Lordabandon His extra-terrestrial form andappear again as a blue human with exquisitelimbs.
Krishna spoke about the qualities thatHis devotees have and many of these
characteristics are the same as those of asthitaprajna. Then Krishna beautifullyportrays an interesting allegory that is foundin the Katha Upanishad. He likens thecosmos and its attractions to an Ashwatthatree. This tree has its roots in heaven wherethe performers of Vedic sacrifices go afterdeath. Burgeoning and spawning below onearth are its tentacled branches that trail on
the phenomenal cosmos. Its fruits and
flowers and buds are the merits of Vedicsacrifices: these are experienced on earthbelow when the sacrificer is still alive. Inone decisive stroke of renunciation the seerchops down the tree, thus freeing himself fromthe ambivalent mixture of nectarine pleasureand poisonous pain that both earth and heavenoffer. When this world-tree is cut down theseer attains to the Feet of Krishna.
Krishna concluded His preachings withthe blessings that He had spoken of these
things to Arjuna as he was dear to Him.Renouncing all conventional duties, Arjunais advised to take refuge in Krishnas celestialFeet. Freed from the grasping tentacles ofall sins he was sure to attain emancipation.Sanjaya horripilates in ecstatic joy as henarrates this wonderful discourse to the Kurumonarch. He prophesises that victory wouldfollow the divine combination of Krishna,the Master ofYoga, and Arjuna, the wielderof the divine bow Gandeeva.
Krishna lightly tapped the horses withHis whip and they trotted back to takeposition among the Pandava ranks. The longsermon had lasted a good part of the morningand the poet says that the first days battlecommenced just before noon.
Yudhishthira doffed his glittering armourand placed down his imperial coronet on theterrace of his chariot. He disarmed himselfand walked barefoot towards the Kuru armymuch to the consternation and dismay of hisbrothers.
The Kuru warriors split and made wayfor him in surprise and Yudhishthira bent lowbefore Bheeshma, genuflecting in sincererespect.
Master, it is a shame to battle with yourhoary self! However, I formally seekpermission to engage you in combat.
Child, if you had not followed this
ooSe
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etiquette I would have cursed you withdefeat. Now I am overwhelmed by yourgesture and I bless you with victory. I haveenjoyed the boundless wealth of the Kurusand am forced to fight for their despicablecause.
Yudhishthira now prostrated himselfbefore his preceptor Drona whose fleecyhair juxtaposed starkly on his swarthyvisage.
Drona smiled indulgently at hisrighteous disciple Where dharma is, thereis Krishna and where Krishna is, there isvictory.
Having obtained the benedictions ofKripa and Salya as well the eldest Pandavareturned to his camp.
In a loud voice that resonated with theboom of thunder Yudhishthira addressed theKuru warriors Is anybody willing to joinour just cause?
Yuyutsu heard on with a troubled
conscience. He communicated with hissuppressed subconscious and a shatteringsense of duty made his psyche transparentand glassy.
Riding towards the Pandava hostsYuyutsu joined ranks with the cause of
justice.
Yudhishthira welcomed him with agentle tone that was tinged with thebluntness of an apocalypse I am indeedglad that when my uncle Dhritarashtra
breathes his last, one of his sons will bealive to offer him the obsequies!
The two armies rushed headlong oneach other and were soon entangled in abloody melee. There was pandemoniumin the belligerent ranks as the fighters couldnot distinguish friend from foe as thecarnage progressed. There was adeafening cancophony as the raucous
trumpeting of war-elephants and the neighof the battle-chargers blurred themonotonous blare of conchshells and theboom of war-drums. The rules of war wereshamefully broken on the very first day:chariots scythed through infantrymen andelephants trampled soldiers underfoot. Eventhe drummers and conch-blowers and othernon-combatants were not spared. Ashower of arrows whizzed past the sky in ablinding dazzle and many were interceptedmidway by skilful archers.
On the very first day of the battleBheeshma decimated the Pandava hordesand wrought an unprecedented destructionin their ranks. With this silver bow bentalmost to a full circle the grandsire lookedlike the noonday sun scorching dry bladesof grass. Abhimanyu, a mere stripling whohad not outgrown his teens, rushed into thehopeless confusion and scattered thewarriors protecting Bheeshmas flanks. Sowonderfully did he wield the bow that the
gods assembled in the skies to watch himfight. He pulled his string taut and shot apointed arrow at the grandsires parasol.The palm-tree standard was cut in twain andfell ignominiously near the grandsires feet.An incensed Bheeshma retaliated withunremitting wrath and Abhimanyu swoonedfrom fatigue, pierced and bleeding.
Viratas son Uttara, who had nowblossomed into a hardy fighter, rode anelephant and came to Abhimanyus rescue.
Shalya intervened and accosted the princeof Matsya. Grasping a deadly javelin,Shalya hurled it with such force that it splitthe chest of Uttara. Uttara fell on the neckof his elephant but the loyal beast continuedthe battle and charged on Shalya. Shalyacut its trunk and maimed it so ruthlessly thatthe swarthy beast collapsed from loss ofblood.
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The first days battle came to an end
with a great destruction in the Pandavalegions. Duhshasana blew a shrill note onhis brass horn to announce the victory. Atsundown the armies wended their wearyway back to their sheltered tents to steal afresh lease of life.
On the next day the embattled hostswere drawn into battle-order and configuredinto intricate phalanxes. Arjuna checked theadvance of Bheeshma to prevent acatastrophe. There was a strange mixture
of indescribable charm and ruthless crueltyin this awesome spectacle. Their parasolswere enveloped by swarms of arrows andonly the tops of their fluttering pennants werevisible! Even Krishna was wounded in theduel and the crimson blood that flowed downhis golden armour gave the appearance of atree in full bloom.
Dhrishtadyumna rushed on Drona andthe master fearlessly welcomed his nemesis!But the prince of Panchala lost all his arms
and his charioteer and steeds. Bheemarushed to his rescue and saved him from thedeadly grip of Drona. The fighting meltedinto a general melee which is referred to assankula yuddha by the poet. In this generalconfusion Satyaki shot down Bheeshmasdriver and the horses of the Kuru veteranbolted, carrying him away from the field.There was panic and desperation in the Kuruhosts at this setback and Arjuna followedup the advantage with such vigour that allwas lost till sundown.
The war was renewed at sunrise andall was not well for the Kurus duringforenoon. Riding towards his agedgeneralissimo Duryodhana gave vent to hisfrustration.
You are letting me down very badlyin the midst of a catastrophe! Why did youprevent Karna from fighting this
disheartening battle! He would have
certainly turned the tide in my favour. Evennow it would be better if you relinquishcommand and let Karna lead our desperatehosts!
Bheeshmas hoary eyes settled into aglassy stare as he answered the haughtyprince.
Not all the warriors on earth and thegods of the heavens above can now save youfrom disaster. Are you not reaping theconsequences of your own numberless
misdeeds? I am an old man and am doingmy best in battle.
Like an elephant cruelly prodded on bya mahout the grandsire plunged into thephalanx of his foes and scattered them allaround. Pierced by his shafts the soldierswere rolling in the mud. Krishna broughtArjunas chariot to the scene of the carnageand Arjuna brought down Bheeshmas bow.The patriarch rearmed himself and went onwith his destruction regardless of Arjunas
presence.
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in
Krishna perceived that Arjuna was
unduly soft in hitting Bheeshma and decidedto kill the grandsire himself, breaking hisoath of not taking part in battle. With adetermined stare he flung down his whipand loosened his hold on the reins of hishorses. Brandishing the razor-sharpSudarshana Chakra in his right arm Krishnarushed on Bheeshma. His raven-lockswere tossing about His neck and the spikeddiscus was whirling on His finger.
Bheeshma was overcome with joy at
the prospect of an eternal release from thesorrows of the cosmos. He let his bow fallclattering down and hymned his favouritegod.
Have You broken your vow to saveme from an origin and a dissolution! Slainby You my self will become an observerthat watches the play of appearance anddisappearance as a fleeting phantas-magoria.
Arjuna lept down from his chariot and
rolled on the mud, dragging Krishna by HisFeet.
I beseech You, do not tarnish yourreputation by breaking Your pledge. Iswear in the name of my brothers and mycharming son Abhimanyu that I will slay allmy foes in battle.
Krishna smiled condescendingly andthe discus vanished into an unknown mist.The grandsire picked up his bow in the utterfrustration of having lost the chance of a
cosmic redemption. The third days battlecame to an end with a determined Arjunabeating back a cluster of hardy opponents.
The battle was commenced at sunriseand Duryodhana sent a large army ofswarthy mammoths to obstruct theunimpeded progress of Bheema. It wasBheemas favourite task to kill powerfulelephants and he descended from his chariot
brandishing a heavy club in his hand. He
pummelled the tuskers with his heavy blowsand grappled with their uplifted trunks. Theelephants lay in pools of blood and many ofthem ran away, thumping the battlegroundwith their feet. Several Kuru soldiers werecrushed to death by these maddenedelephants that were trampling their own menunderfoot in their desperate retreat.
Seeing the pandemonium and chaos inhis ranks Duryodhana came to the front andaccosted Bheema. Duryodhanas armour
was pierced and he was bleeding, and hebarely escaped with life. Seeing Duryodhanalimp with loss of blood several of his brotherscame to his rescue. Remembering the greatvow he had taken in the hall of gamesBheema rushed on to annihilate as many ofthem as possible. Eight brothers ofDuryodhana succumbed to Bheemasvigorous attack and the rest retreated inpanic.
Seated on his majestic elephant king
Bhagadatta of Pragjyotisha came to the frontto save his fellowmen. Bheema had drunkthe elixir of the serpents when he was ateenager and had acquired the strength ofseveral thousand elephants. However,Bhagadattas elephant was even morepowerful than Bheema and the intrepidBhagadatta made Bheema faint in theencounter. Ghatotkacha came to his fathersrescue and cast a magical spell onBhagadatta and his supporters. They weremesmerised by the demoniac spells andwere left dumbfounded and powerless.
Bheeshma turned to the astute warriorDrona and assessed the situation as anyprudent generalissimo would It is nowtwilight and the whole world knows thatthe estrength of demons increases with theonset of night. We cannot hope to tackleGhatotkacha as this unearthly hour--let us
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withdraw our forces for the day.
During the course of the battleDuryodhana would complain every night toBheeshma whenever his brothers perishedin the fray. Bheeshma would replymoralistically, postulating that the Pandavaswere protected by the benign deity Krishnasince they always strove for the cause of
justice. On many nights Bheeshma wouldgive soothing medicated drinks toDuryodhana that would relieve him of thepain caused by Bheemas wounds. He
would also apply healing balms onDuryodhanas wounds. The poet of theMahabharata has portrayed a very humaneand moving picture of these nightly rests.The tired and wounded warriors would listento refreshing music and the mellifluousstrummings of musical instruments. Someof them would dream of trees that weremade of gold and the poet says that thiswas a premonition of approaching doom.Many such predictive forebodings are listed
at various places in the epic.The battle went on without respite day
after day. Every day, the commanders ofboth the armies would array their troops intypical configurations: sometimes the armylooked like a great bird with outspreadwings, and on other occasions it wouldresemble various creatures like a turtle or acrocodile or even weird things like an oceanwith heaving billows.
On the fifth day of the war there was
a tempestuous confrontation between thearch-rivals Satyaki and Bhurishravas. Theirfamily vendetta culminated in a grotesqueduel and now the contenders clashed withtheir swords and shields. Bhurishravas wasan unrivalled swordsman and Satyaki hadto give up the duel much to his shame anddisgrace. On the next day, Bheema plungedheadlong into the enemy lines of war on foot
in a rash fit of impetuosity. Dhrishtadyumna
rushed to his rescue and the two of them heldthe opposing Kuru warriors at bay.Dhrishtadyumna shot the weapon of stuporand the Kurus fell yawning and slumberingon the plain. However, this weapon was notas powerful as the missile used by Arjunaduring the attack on Viratas city. Drona wasnot overpowered by this illusion and hereleased the weapon of consciousness. Theinsentient Kurus came back to life and thewar went on. On the seventh day of this
protracted tussle several duels were foughtsimultaneously between the leading chieftainsat various points of the field. Towards theend of the day the Pandavas and Shikhandicrowded around Bheeshma and hemmed himin all sides. Seeing Shikhandi in front of himthe grandsire fought shy of encountering himand turned his attentions elsewhere.
Shikhandi smiled enigmatically at hispredestined victim.
(to be continued)
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Prof. Sri Nishi Kanta Sanyal
(Contd. from July issue)
Of course it is left to us to adopt anycourse we like. But if reason is allowed avoice in our choice it will declare to us onthe grounds set forth above that the search
of the village of Mayapur will tend to leadto the discovery of the geographical hamletwhile the quest of Sridham Mayapur, theeternal dwelling-place of the Divinity, willtend to result in the discovery of the realmof the truth. The method as well as theobject of seekers bound on the differentquests, differ radically from one another.Those who are really seekers of SridhamMayapur can never expect to find It byfollowing the lead of the votaries of the
village of our experience. Under such leadthey will always arrive at the geographicalvillage and remain at the same distance fromthe Absolute after this discovery of the saidvillage as they happened to be before theyreached the destination.
Those who are content withspeculation for its own sake are likely toobject to the truth the actual appearanceof which is bound to put an end to allnecessity for speculation itself is the truthor, at any rate, the service or quest of thetruth. They should be scandalised to knowthat speculation is neither itself the truth norit is the quest of the truth. Speculation is abarren pastime of the mind with its delusiveexperience. It is mental dissipation just asactivities to which the senses are addictedby their nature are physical dissipation.They form respectively the paths ofknowledge and work which primise to lead
their victims to salvation and elevationrespectively. But as a matter of fact theyalways make them move ina vicious circleand engage them in a perpetual wild-goosechase. The speculationist, however, is a
willing victim. He has no intention of ceasingto speculate. He is under the impressionthat it is his duty to seek but seek in such amanner that he may never have to cease toseek. This is plausible if the quest is reallyprogressive. But when speculationdefinitrely makes up is mind to moveperpetually in the blind grove of experiencewhich is by its nature limited can it in thesame breath claim to be a seeker of thereal Truth if that is free from all limitation?The quest of the limited can never, nor isintended to, lead to the real truth but onlyto itself.
We on the contrary believe and wanteveryone, who is rational and not dogmatic,to believe that the real truth is attainable hereand now by all who really seek for it. Thisis the only dogma to which we want ourreaders to subscribe.
It would appear that the Absolute orreal Truth is not attainable by the inductiveor deductive methods of search directedto experience. True, the laws of PhysicalNature have been actually discovered asthe result of progressive empiric enquiry andby the genuine of a band of specially giftedpersons. The proposition that two and twomake four and every other similar law may,indeed, impose upon the imagination asbeing the real Truth but they do not certainlydeceive even the thinkers themselves who
Sridham MayapurThe Holy Birth-Place ofThe Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
i
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offer them for our acceptance as the truth.
We are not sure that they hold good or areadmitted by the inhabitants of even the nextplanet where all the conditions, mental andphisical, may differ. The real Truth musthave its own substantive and unconditionalexistence like the everlasting hills of thelegends. The empiric attempt of the mind toaccommodate the universe into a numberof assumptions is neccessitated by thelimited and local nature of our presentorgans of sense which are in fact not a help
and must be always a hindrance in anyserious quest of the real Truth. By theirvery nature they can only distort and neverestablish the truth. The badness of themedium is responsible for our presenthallucination.
A perfect medium would enable us toobtain the correct vision of the truth whichdoes not require any other help but its ownfor its existence or communication.
Those who are content, under the
leaad of the empiric philosophers, to wandermechanically and endlessly in the labyrinthof the fictious, speculative quest of the so-called truth are apt to object to these all-important basic considerations. They doso on the ground that such a policy wouldrender all search of the truth imposible bypreventing all speculation on the subject. Inother words they suppose that if we onceadmit the search of the truth to be the objectof our activities we necessarily cease tofunction. They have really no love for the
Truth but a great desire for remainingperpetually and actively ignorant.
If they have really any love for theTruth, as fortunately they always profess tohave, we have a right to claim their attentionfor considering seriously a method which isnot based on experience of the defectivesenses nor regulated by the limited powersof the mind and is capable of meeting every
out
demand of our limited reason, as a substitute
for the admittedly futile methods, in the questof the Truth.
In empiric epistemology the knower,the object of knowledge and the processof knowing are each of them limited andchanging entities. The observer is whollyseparate from the observed and the gulfbetween the two is bridged over by aprocess which is also distinct from either andwhich has its temporary existence only whenand just so long as, the observer is in touch
with the observed directly or indirectlythrough the medium of the senses belongingto the observer. This contact is establishedon the physical and the mental planes. Theuncertain nature of our knowledge is due tothe perpetually shifting character of all theconstituent factors viz. the observer, theobserved and the medium of observation:unless these conditions are changed it willnever be possible to know the Absolute. Thecondition that requires to be fulfilled if theAbsoulte is to be realised is that all the three
factors must also be themselves absolute.In other words if the observer and theobserved are not subject to change of anykind it is possible for the knowledge or therealtionship between them to be absolutealso. In absolute knowledge the observer,observed and the process of observationare, therefore, categorically different fromwhat they are in empiric knowledge. Iftherefore, we are to engage in any seriousinvestigation of the Absolute it is necessary
to adopt the modification of the empiricepistemology.
Sridham Mayapur, the observer ofSridham Mayapur and the observation ofSridham Mayapur are all of themcategorically different from the villageMayapur, the observer of village Mayapurand the observation of the Bengal hamlet.
(to be contd.)
14
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AUGUST 2010 THE GAUDIYA 15
z| z| z|{ Nz@N{ nz nz nz Tuos @@
Haris Name, Haris Name It is theName of Hari alone: In this Iron Age, thereis no other way at all, none at all, none atall. Having heard this mandate, I took the
Name incessently, and, as I did so, incourse of time my mind got loose from itsbonds. I could not control myself butbecame mad outright.
I laughed and wept and danced andsang like a mad man. Recovering control Ithought within my mind that the Name ofKrishna had overpowered my intellect andthat I had gone mad and could not restrainmyself. Thus revolving in my mind I madethis humble submission at the feet of mypreceptor, Master, what a mantra youhave given me! What mysterious powersit has got! As I go on reciting it, it makesme mad; it makes me laugh, dance andweep. On this my spiritual preceptor saidto me, It is the nature of the great mantraof the Name of Krishna that natural aptitudetowards Krishna is aroused in him whorepeats it. Love for Krishna is the ultimategoal of a person. The four greatacquisitions are as straws in comparison.
We gather one thing from what the
Lord said. When He says, Recite andponder, He means that Shraddha or faithis developed by a discussion of theScriptures with a view to understand them.In the opinion of the Lord, the confirmationof the Scriptures or, rather, the Vedas aloneis the only true test. The science of polemicsis of no avail. In Chaitanya Charitamria,Adi (First Part), Ch-7, in His instruction for
2
Si
m
Teaching Method of Sri ChaitanyaPrabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur
(Contd. from July issue) the guidance of the ascetics He says, Theself-revealing Veda is the crowningevidence.
Again, in the 20th Chapter of the middlepart of Chaitanya Charitamrita we have thefollowing instructions to Sanatana Goswami,a creature labouring under illusionremembers not Krishna. So Krishna kindly
created the Veda and Puranas.It is but evident that there are two
degrees of faith: mild faith and strong faith.The reverence that arises in us out of strongfaith is also strong and, by nature, has thecharacter ofbhava. Our Supreme LordsEight Teachings (Shikshashtakam) deal withthem in a comprehensive manner. He thusspoke of mild faith to Sanatana (ChaitanyaCharitamrita, Middle Part, Chapter 23) Ifa man has the grace to feel Shraddha, heconsorts with pious men, from whichcompanionship result the hearing andchanting of Krishnas Name. From theattainment of Bhakti, all his troubles areremoved, and as a consequence of the latter,his faith becomes constant, which gives hima taste for the listening and hymning ofKrishnas Name. From taste (ruchi) comesstrong inclination (asakti), which gives birthto the sprout of passion for Krishna in thesoul. When this emotion is deepened, ittakes the name of love (prema). That love
is the (ultimate) end and the source of everybliss.
Where Shraddha is strong the ritualsof the Shastras are not necessary; men ofmild Shraddha must follow the Shastrasand associate with pious men; diksha orinitiation is absolutely necessary for them.We shold learn the shastras and takemantra from a holy preceptor and worhsip
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the Holy Images, in the way shown by him.
All these will facilitate his spiritualdevelopment. This isDashamulashiksha(Ten Cardinal Principles). Proof is one ofthe principles while Prameyas or things thatare to be proved are nine in number.
A devotee having strongShraddhahasan innate faith in chanting the Name whichfacilitates the understanding of thePrameyas only by thegrace of the HolyName. He has not to bother himself aboutPraman (proof).
A man having mild Shraddha, if hedoes not take recourse to Praman (proof),slips his foothold through evil company. TheVedas are the only authoritative proof(Praman). The Vedas are voluminous andcontain a good deal of provisions for thekarmins andjnanins; hence it becomesdifficult to pick out those portions that aremeant solely for the suddha-bhaktas (thosewho have devotion unadulterated byKarma orJnana). The Sattvika Puranashave this function only, they explain clearlythe basic principles of the Vedas which arescattered here and there as the Abhidheyaof the Vedas. Of all the Sattvik PuranasSrimad Bhagavata is the greatest and mostuseful in mastering the true meaning of theVedas. Therefore, the Bhagavata and theTantras such as Pancharatra are alsoauthoritative proofs.
In His teaching to Sanatana, He says,the Vedas treat ofSambandha (relation),
Abhidheya (means) andPrayojana (need).
That relation is the attaining of Krishna; faithis the means of that attainment, the meansare His Names; love is the (supreme) need,the most precious treasure and the highestachievement of humanity.
Relation Chit (jiva), achit andBhagavan are related to one another. Thisis relation. It is true that Krishna is Onewithout a second. He has two powers,
achitandjiva. The achitpower is resolved
into the material world; whileJiva powertransforms itself into theJaiva (animate)world. If you reason about relation you findthat the regaining of the status of servitudeto Krishna is the establishment of therelationship. In his teaching to Sarvabhauma,He says that in essence He is the Masterand has not the slightest tinge of illusion inHim. In all the Vedas Bhagavan is the onlyObject of relationship.
Again in His teachings to Sanatana, we
find that the attaining of Krishna is the relation,andBhakti (devotional service) is the meansof the attainment.
In this reasoning about the relationshipthere are seven subjects for discussion, --(a) reasoning about Krishna, (b) discussionabout Krishnas powers, (c) Rasatatva, (d)Jiva, (e) his worldly bondage, (f) redemptionof the soul, (g) Achintyabhedabheda --inconceivable simultaneous distinction andnon-distinction. The knowledge of thisrelationship is based on a thorough
discussion of each of the above sevenPrameyas or things to be demonstrated.
The means--Words are arranged in awritten composition. The force of a sentenceas indicated by the ordinary literal meaningof each of the words is theAbhidha Shakti ,e.g., ten elephants means elephantsnumbering ten. This is the literal meaning orabhidha.
There is another force of wordslakshana or implication, not the literal
meaning; as for example, Ghosha-Palli
onthe Ganges. There can be no villageGhosha-Palli in water. It implies that thevillage stands on the bank of the Ganges.This is lakshana. Abhidha or the literalmeaning does not operate where lakshanaor an implied meaning is necessary. Wherethe sense follows easily and naturally
Abhidha is operative.
(continued on page.20)
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The English equivalent of the wordYajna is Sacrifice. In the PauranicKarmaKanda any havana-ceremony or a fire-offering goes by the name of Yajna. Butthe word Yajna means more than what isordinarily understood by it. In its esotericmeaning as sanctioned by the Bhakti-
kanda it means anything that a Bhakta or adevotee, out of love, offers unto his Lord,Krishna. Krishna is the sole recipient ofthe sacrifice, and hence He has beendesignated in the scripture as Yajneswar orthe Lord of Sacrifice.
The purity of love, that prompts thesacrifice determines the character of thelatter. The best sacrifice is that whichmanifests itself as the fundamental functionof the soul. When the soul perceives hisLord and embraces Him, his all things
become automatically offered to Him. Hiswhole life is then a life of sacrifice. The realsacrifice begins with the dedication of onesown self for His service. Without suchdedication the sacrifice loses its divinebeauty and grandeur, and is degraded intoa mere religious rite.
Different people live up to differentideals. Consequently the sacrifice whichtheir ideals, for their fulfilment, require ofthem varies in its character. We have seen
a mother giving up her life to save that ofher dear son. We have seen a patriotembracing a scaffold fo the cause of hiscountry. We have seen a soldier marchinginto the jaws of sure death at the commandof his general. But the life of sacrifice, whicha God-loving lives, is the greatest and mostbeautiful of all. It is a life of pure,disinterested lovelove for God which
THE SPIRIT OF YAJNASri Nimananda Sevatirtha
includes every good thing.The souls fundamental function being
to serve Krishna, a Krishna bhaktas life isa life of expressiona life of perfectexpression. He thinks for Him, he talks forHim, he cooks for Him, he sleeps for Him,he works for Him and does everything for
Him. In one word he lives unto Him. Helives if life is required of him and dies if deathis required of him. Life loses its charm anddeath its terror and become equallywelcome by him, if by them he can serveKrishna, his Lord. Thus dying he lives andliving he dies. Whereas the others who liveunto themselves never live at all and are onlydead even while they seem to be living.
Now the gretaer is the spontaneity ofthe heart in making these offerings, thenobler is the sacrifice. Offerings can be
expeted to be spontaneous only when oursoul, in pursuit of its function without anyreference to our mndane existence, makesthem to Him. It is for this reason that SrimanMahaprabhu was not at al satisfied whenSri Ramananda Roy, in answer to His queryas to which is the greatest sacrifice that adevotee can make unto Lord Krishna, toldHim in the language of Geeta --
Whatever you do, eat, offer as sacrifice
unto Me,
Or practise as austerities, do them for Me.In sacrifices like this the devotee retains
fully his mundane egotism and goes to makethe offerings in mere obedience to sacredlaw and duty. The soul is never fully gratifiedin such a sacrifice which it cannot fullyrecognise as its own. He was satisfied onlywhen Sri Ramananda referred to thesacrifice that naturally follows from the
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divine activities of the soul, functioning
independently of the two mundaneappendages-the body and the mind thathitherto kept it bewildered. The real sacrificemanifests itself only when the soul is enabledto function in its own plane of pureconsciousness. A beginnning of it can bemade even in our world consciousness, ifwe, giving up all our empiric activities, settleto receive the light of the glorious gospelwhich in a book form is the form of GodHimself visible to us, through the proper
channel. We walk by faith and not bysight. Guru or the spiritual guide is thechannel who is to be believed. Acting up tothe dictation of the Guru Who is ever activein souls consciousness, we becomeconfident that our spiritual labours areaccepted by Him. The Sacrifice begins byself denial which attains competion andmanifests in full glory in the transcendentalamorous activities of Sri Radhika, Whowhen deserted by Her Lord, Krishna, wassubjected to the greatest agony to which,She thousand times preferred death, but wasyet afraid to die, lest her death might be acause of grief to Him.
The devotee, in pleasure to serve hisLord, does not mind such sufferings. Sowhat is self-sacrifice in the eye of the worldis but self-expression in the spiritual eye. Inthe life of a devotee the self-expression isthe greatest. We may take up a few suchlives for our study.
Prahlada, a boy of five yers, was
ordered by his father Hiranyakashipu to giveup worshipping Krishna. He boldly defiedhis order, in consequence whereof he wasordered to be most cruelly done to death.He was made to drink poison, thrown downfrom a mountain-peak, thrown down at thefeet of a mad elephant, caused to bedrowned with a heavy stone tied to his bodyand so on. Each time he most cheerfully
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(to be continued)
embraced death praying all the while for his
father. When his father failed to put an endto his life, he turned his thoughs to Krishna,Who appeared before him in the form ofNarasimha (Man-Lion) and killed him.Prahlada was still found to pray to Him notfor his pardon alone but for his salvation.
Haridas, a young boy, is another mostextraordinary character. He was amahomedan by birth but through the graceof the Vaishnavas became attached to SriChaitanya. He was summoned before a
mahomedan Kazee who asked him to giveup chanting the Name of Krishna. He, inreply, said to the Kazee
If my body be chopped and my life expires,
Still I stop not chanting Lord Krishsnas Name.
He was forthwith ordered to be beatento death. He was to be whipped in twenty-two market-places in such a way that hewould succumb.
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Questions and AnswersSri Gopal Das
(Contd. from June issue)
Question: Are you getting angry withyour anger?
Answer: One should get angry withones anger, especially for one who is in thedevotional path. By getting angry one losesmental balance and causes disturbance in
ones spiritual progress. So avoid gettingangry. Before getting angry with some oneor when somebody gets angry with you, afew seconds of delay in getting angry withsome one will help in cooling down andgetting over anger. If some one gets angrywith you, think, how best to reply him, sothat he will feel ashamed for getting angrywith me. That few seconds will enable oneto get back his mental balance and avoidgetting angry.
Q: An Ounce of practice is better than
a ton of theory. What do you mean by that?A: To get the maximum benefit of
hearing something, you should try to put itinto practice during your life time. Apracticing doctor is better than a student.A practicing laweyer is better than a student.So put it into practice whatever good thingsyou hear, especially in the devotional path.
Q: What is the great obstacle in thehuman birth ?
A: Getting a human birth itself is a rare.
Rarer still is the person who lives for thepurpose for which he is born, because onehas to get over maya, the deluding potencyof Lord Krishna.
Q: What is the poetic word for sleep?
A: Death is the poetic word for sleep.so even though the human being is alivethroughtout ones life time of 60 years, 30years he spends in sleeping, as Bhakta
Prahlad says. What colossal waste of timeafter getting the coveted human birth. Whata pity !
Q: What a miracle, the soul remains inthe body till the appointed time of onesdeath ?
A: The soul can leave the body at itswill and pleasure, but does not do so. It
stays till the appointed time of ones death.It is a miracle. It is all due to Lords grace.
Q: Why does man identify himself withthe body ?
A: Is it not ridiculous for man to identifyhimself with the body, when he himself is aprisoner in the body? He does not possessthe body. He is possessed by the body.
Revered readers for the present, I amconcluding the series of Questions and
Answers.It is only due to the blessings of my
beloved Guruji, Swamy Raghava ChaitanyaDas, of Sri Gaudiya Lineage and blessingsof all, I have been able to write this series.My beloved Guruji being a God realised soulhas written the following in his diary for thebenefit of humanity.
After ransacking the whole range ofScriptures and repeatedly, reflecting on thetruths contained therein, the final conclusion
arrived at is that Lord Krishna shold beconstantly meditaded upon.
Sage Naradji in his famous NaradaBhakti Sutra has mentioned the definitionof Bhakti as The constant flow of onesthought currents towards God is known asBhakti.
This does not mean one should sit in asecluded spot and meditate. All Devotees
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identify themselves with the soul residing inthe body, which is always awake. So themore and more we get identified with thesoul, we must practice chanting the SacredNames of the Lord at the same timeremembering His Glories and Lilas, evenwhile walking or sitting, while eating ordrinking and practice conscious sleep.
After waking up from sleep we areable to remember all that had happened inour dream, because our subconscious mindis awake. Similarly by rigorous practice we
will be conscious of the chanting, if wepractice chanting even during sleep. Bhaktiis a constant process going on day and night.
All this is our birth right, because bynature everyone is an eternal servant of LordKrishna.
The Sacred and enlightened Gopis ofSacred Vraja Bhumi, were doing likewisethat is why Lord Krishna was very fond ofthem.
Even though we have to take up someprofession to earn our livelihood, we mustalways remind ourselves, we are all part andparcel of Krishna and the purpose of gettingthis human birth is to evolve our soul and go
back to Gods Kingdom and get eternalhappiness by serving in any menial way inSacred Golok Dham.
The literal meaning of the contents ofthe Vedas is to be accepted. We shouldlearn to know Abhidheya or the real meaning
of the Vedas. If we scrutinize all the Vedasproperly we find that unalloyed devotion toGodhead is theAbhidheya of them all, whileKarma, Jnana and Yoga are of secondaryimportance in comparison. They cannot beheld to be of primary importance. Hencethe principal highroad for the attainment ofKrishna as indicated by them is the means-Sadhana Bhakti. This is one of thesubjects to be demonstrated.
Prayojana is the end for the
attainment of which means are to beadopted. The attainment of love is anotherPrameya. Now we get nine Prameyas.
We find in His instructions toSanatana, In the Vedas Krishna is the onlyObject related to us. Now, hear what isconnoted by Abhidheya which is the meansof attaining Krishna and the treasure of thelove for Krishna.
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This was the Supreme Lords methodof teaching Jaivadharma or the religion ofthe soul.
dddddddd
(Contd. from page 16 )
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bybette th
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(Contd. from July issue)
y y T T{W{ \o:
SRIMAD BHAGAVADGITAyTyo
ufioyzD: CHAPTER-III
N|zT:KARMA YOGA
Persons who attained the highest
object of life by doing non attachedaction
N|m{ u uuuso \Nt: @zNWTzu No||u @@20@@
Karmanaiva hi samsiddhim-sthith janakdayah |
lokasamgrahamevpisampashyankartumarhasi || 20
\Nt: = Janaka and other greatsouls, Euso: = realised,uu = Bhakti
or unalloyed devotion to the Supreme LordSri Krishna,N|m{ u = only by performingactions favourable to the realisation of thatend, E|u= you should,No| L = thoughyou are knower of Absolute Truth, shoulddo actions (favourable to unalloyeddevotion), Eu = more overconsidering,zNT:= the good of thepeople of this world, because, ignorantpeople, following your example, wouldreject action and fall down.
Janka and other great souls realisedBhakti or unalloyed devotion to theSupreme Lord Sri Krishna only byperforming action favourable to therealisation of that end. You should, thoughyou are knower of Absolute Truth, shoulddo actions (favourable to unalloyeddevotion). More over, considering the goodof the people of this world, because,
ignorant people, following your (My)example, would reject action and falldown.
What the best of men do is followed
by others and actions of universal goodlead to the maintanance of the world
tYuo zeonotzzoz \: @ nm N oz zNoto|oz @@21@@
Yadyadcharati shreshtha-stattadevetaro janah |
sa yatpramnam kurutelokastadanuvartate || 21
oo= Whatever; zb:= great man,EYuo = does; oooo L = that only;
Fo z\: = common people followunquestioningly or unreservedly;nm =whatever standard or principle of life;:=he;Noz = sets up;zN: = the commonrun of people; Eo|oz= follow;oo= that.
Whatever great man does that onlycommon people follow unquestioningly orunreservedly. Whatever standard orprinciple of life he sets up, the common runof people follow that.
Thus the meaning here is that the best
actions authorised by scriptures should beperformed by the inferior person whodesires auspiciousness.
Refer Srimad Bhagavatam VI.2.4;V.4.14; II.8.25. 21
The Lord lays emphasis on theperformance of duty by citing His ownexample
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(to be contd...)
z s|uo No| ufi zNz uN`Y @oo o| L Y N|um @@22@@
Na me prthsti kartavyamtrishu lokeshu kinchana |
nnavptamavptavyam
varta eva cha karmani || 22
s| = O Arjuna (son of Pritha),uN`Y = nothing, Euo = is,No| = to bedone,z = by me,ufi zNz = in the threeworlds, as I am the Supreme Lord and
hence far beyond the mundane laws. I, theLord of all, dedicated to Truth, Whoseevery wish is automatically fulfilled, Who isfilled with Bliss, have no duties to perform,
Eo= nothing is to obtained, Eo= and which is not been obtained so far
(since everything is Mine),Y = even then,oz| = I am always engagedN|um L = inaction (for the good of the world).
O Arjuna, son of Pritha ! Nothing isto be done by Me in the three worlds, as I
am the Supreme Lord and hence far beyondthe mundane laws (I, the Lord of all,dedicated toTruth,Whose every wish isautomatically fulfilled, Who is filled withBliss, have no duties to perform.). Nothingis to be obtained and which is not beenobtained so far (since everything is Mine).Even then I am always engaged in action(for the good of the world). 22
ut oz| \o N|louto: @
n|o|oz : s| |: @@23@@Ydi hyayam na varteyamjtu karmanyatandritah |
mama vartmnuvartante
manushyh prtha sarvashah|| 23
s| = O Arjuna, son of Pritha;ut =if; E u= I; o|z = be not engaged; \o= at any time;N|um = in work; Eouto:
= without being lazy; : = people;Eo|oz=will follow; = My;n| =ways;|:= by all means.
O Arjuna, son of Pritha, if I, be notengaged at any time in work without beinglazy, people will follow My ways by allmeans. (I, the Lord of all, though full in allrespects, appearing in the Yadu Dynasty,failed to perform attentively actionsprescribed by the scriptures, people takingMy example, would follow My ways, as I
am their Leader. That would lead them todownfall). 23
Gnytzuz zN N N| Yzt@WN Y No| u: \: @@24@@
Utseedeurime lokna kurym karma chedaham |
sankrasya cha kart sy-mupahanymimh prajh || 24
Yzo= If; E = I; N| = do not do;N| = prescribed duties(dharma);Fz =these; zN: = people;Gnztz: = will beruined;= then I will become;No|= thecause of;WN Y = mixed castes orconfusion of castes (which will strike at the
root of pure and ordered growth of the
world);G = (and in this way) shall bedestroying;F: = these;\: = people.
If I do not do prescribed duties(dharma) these people will be ruined. ThenI will become the cause of mixed castes or
confusion of castes (which will strike at theroot of pure and ordered growth of theworld) and (in this way) shall be destroyingthese people.
Refer Ch.Up. IV.4.22 and SrimadBhagavatam X.33.30,31. 24
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AUGUST 2010 THE GAUDIYA 23
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THE GAUDIYA AUGUST 2010
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INDEX TO THE GAUDIYA Vol. LIII - 1 to 12(September 2009 to August 2010 )
Name of the Article Issue No. Page No.
AAesthetic Culture 2-6 19 in every
issue
BBalanced Abnegation.... 2- 4 17 in every
issueBlind leaders and blind followers 4 5
DDaily life 10 16Dashavatara 9 22Do good to others 2-4 11 in every
issue
EEnergy of Godhead 4,5 15,15
GGodess Radha: The ....... 1 107
M
Mahabharata 2-12 7 in everyissue
Mangalacharanam 1, 2-12 65, 1in every
issueMutual Relationship between .. 1 73
OOur Lord Sri Krishna 11 17
PPhilosophy of Sri Krishna.... 1 88Pithy Precepts of Srila Prabhupad 2-12 2 in every
issue
QQuestions and Answers 2,3,
5-10,12
Name of the Article Issue No. Page No.
SSatsanga 1 94Sri Gurupreshtha 11,12 5,5Sri Krishna Bhakti 5-10 5 in every
issueSri Krishna Chaitanya .... 1 78Sri Krishna is the Ultimate ... 5,7 17,16Sri Krishna Tattva 8,9 15,15
Sridham Mayapur 11,12 13,13Srimad Bhagavad Gita an .. 2,3 5,5Srima Bhagavadgita 2-12 21 in every
issueStudent life 6,7 15,14
TTeaching Method of Chaitanya 11,12 15,15The Fortunate soul 2,3 15,15The Individual soul 1 111The proces of Initiation 10 6The real Acharya and our duty 8,9 13,13The secret of long life 5,6 11,11The service of the Transcend.. 8,-10 17,17,13
The Special Characteristics... 2-7 13 in everyissueThe Spirit of Yajna 12 17The Vishnuswami Sampradaya 1 83Thus Spake Srila Acharyadeva 2-12 3 in every issueThe World Peace 11 19
VVipralambhat Krishnapraptih 1 67
WWeariness of flesh 4 16
16,16,16,17,18,19,19,19,19
Innumerable are Your Glories and their astounding effects!Constantly remembering You with unflinching love,
is the highest of religious methods that is accessible to one and all.There is no wonder that by sporting in multifarious ways,
You redeem all from the sufferings of the world.
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