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Greetings From Vrndavana

Greetings from Vrindavana, a collection of selected personal realizations by Dhanurdhara Swami from 2000 to 2004, is now available! This beautifully designed softbound book of 206 pages is sure to please both the experienced sadhaka and those new to the devotional path alike.

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What is Vaisnava Sanga?

Dhanurdhara Swami January 29th, 2008

January 29, 2008
Sri Vrindavan Dhama

What is Vaisnava Sanga?

I just returned from a very spiritual uplifting pilgrimage to Sri Jagannatha Puri. I felt I got a taste of gaura-lila, not just the bhava of the devotees towards the Lord, but the open spirited devotion between the devotees in gaura-lila themselves. In that sense, I think I can speak for everyone who attended. We realized that by intensely focusing on kirtan, gaura-katha, and mutual service to the sanga, we tasted a drop of what Sri Caitanya’s sanga in Puri must have been like. I’ll try to communicate that experience by discussing the realizations I gleaned about Vaisnava sanga from our sanga:

Vaisnava sanga is an assembly of devotees mutually dedicated to the assembly’s objective - the glorification of the Supreme Lord.

As all members of the Vaisnava sanga are focused on that objective, personal objectives become secondary.

Although the leaders and senior Vaisnavas may help guide the sanga, and are appropriately respected, all participating members are deeply and equally valued as essential members of the sanga.

Vaisnava sanga is spontaneous. As much as practical, hierarchical or corporate structures of authority are not externally imposed on the sanga, but manifest genuinely out of the feelings of natural attachment and respect for authority within the sanga.

The channel of relationships in a Vaisnava sanga is open due the trust among its members. Sanga members thus get the maximum benefit from each other’s insights, including the realizations of its more spiritually mature members.

As mercy flows so freely in a Vaisnava sanga, a Vaisnava sanga naturally inspires humility in its members, which is the natural response to mercy.

The activities (service) of a Vaisnava sanga are born from a humble mood of service and thus truly become seva, or devotional service.

As the members of the Vaisnava sanga are humble, they are constantly absorbed in nama-sankirtan.

A Vaisnava sanga is confident in the mercy it is experiencing within its sanga. The members welcome and value any visitor as long as they sincerely want to serve the sanga’s objectives.

A Vaisnava sanga does fear Vaisnava aparadha. Its members deal very carefully and respectfully with everyone.

A Vaisnava sanga is thus the yoga of association where members control their minds and lower impulses out of respect and appreciation for the association and kindness they are receiving within the sanga.

The duty of an acarya is to create Vaisnava sanga based on the six loving exchanges of a Vaisnava. To assist in its development is the best offering of service for his pleasure.

A Vaisnava sanga is most attractive. Sincere people will appreciate it. Pure devotees will naturally gravitate towards it. It is the basis of spreading Vaisnava dharma.

Japa Thoughts

Dhanurdhara Swami December 15th, 2007

December 13, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Post-Kartik Japa Thoughts:

At the end of Kartik, I asked Jayadvaita Swami about his Kartik vrata

“No newspapers,” he replied.

Really?

“No newspapers.”

His answer always seemed a bit impish. It was the same response he gave for the last three years whenever I asked him about his vrata. This time I get the impression that he was serious. I got an important message:

What is separating us from God is our false ego—the manner in this life in which we delimit consciousness to a particular conception of a non-devotee, an enjoyer based on the body. We choose and view mundane news and other frivolous activities according to our tastes and ego in this life. By absorbing ourselves in such activities, we only fortify the false ego, our artificial non-devotional identify for this life.

I also now made that vow*.  It really helps my chanting.  How? The basis of chanting is sambandha, a sense of relationship with Krishna. More and more we have to chant the holy name as our eternal relationship with Him A serious chanter thus has to give up, as much as practical, things fortifying the material identity, the sense of separateness from God. The web, except for occasional pertinent information, is simply swimming in the ocean of ahankara. At best it anchors us to an identity that prevent us from being a servant of God and relishing the holy name.  At worst it is a recipe for misery, encaging us deeply in the bodily concept of life.

* I skim the news once in a week. Otherwise I avoid the internet, except for email.

 

December 14, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Japa thought:

Yesterday I wrote:

“More and more we have to chant the holy name as our eternal relationship with Krishna.”

The holy name is Krishna. How can it also be our eternal relationship with Him? Serving Krishna by glorifying His name is the activity of one’s soul. It is thus our relationship with Krishna. I thus chant as a servant of Krishna feeling satisfaction that this is who I am—the devotee in relationship to Krishna, chanting His name.

Kartik Journal | Japa Thoughts And Kartik Ends

Dhanurdhara Swami November 24th, 2007

(I’m able to begin my writing again after a hectic mid-Kartik. Here are some thoughts from the last few days)

November 20, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Japa thought:

To focus on something, one has to value it. To increase my attentiveness on the holy name, I thus first meditate on its glories.

November 21, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Japa thought:

Srila Madhvacarya said that each soul has shed enough tears since time immemorial to fill an ocean. Chanting is a thus a dynamic moment in the history of the soul - a real chance to finally stop the torrents of anguish. Chanting Hare Krishna - what a significant moment in this soul’s eternal history! My meditation today was simply, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

November 22, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Japa thought:

I visit a friend, a follower of Srila Prabhupada, and a good sadhaka. I share my thoughts on gratitude. He appreciates them. He shares his own realization:

“It is so important to appreciate the Lord’s associates and seek their mercy,” he explains, “that I prefer not to leave anyone out.”

Over the past twenty or thirty years he has collected verses describing all the main associates of Sri Caitanya. He feelingly repeats them daily, one for each of the Lord’s associates. It is sometimes almost two hours before he even picks up his beads!

What intrigue’s me most about his bhajan, is the prayers he recently added. He prays to all his god-siblings who are preachers. He even begs mercy from those who are “vipaksa”, somewhat “against” his mood of devotion, by meditating on their good qualities. It also helps him, he explained, to appreciate what mercy they have to give him.

His realization strikes me: To be a servant of the holy name we have to give up envy by offering all respects to others. It’s the mood of humility stressed in the third verse of Siksastakam.

Our tendency is so much to find fault and offend others, even those dedicated to spreading Krishna consciousness. I chant today to give up envy. I even manage to pray to a few god-brothers who are “vipaksa”, not so appreciative of my service. It doesn’t come easy, however.

November 23, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Japa thought:

A simple question: During japa, is it better to concentrate on hearing or chanting the mantra, or does one automatically do both when one does the other? I vote for hearing. If we hear carefully, we will also chant properly. If we concentrate on chanting, however, we may or may not hear. I chant today focusing intensively on hearing.

November 24, 2007
Sri Govardhana
Purnima (last day of Kartik)

Japa thought:

My cave-like room is pitch black and dead silent. Nothing can penetrate the senses, but the sound of the mantra. I listen carefully. I sense reality, only nam kirtan and the soul.

Kartik Journal | The Disappearance of Srila Prabhupada

Dhanurdhara Swami November 19th, 2007

(Many devotees come to Govardhana in the middle of Kartik, especially around Govardhana Puja. It was not possible for me to keep up the journal regularly during that time. Hopefully I can now continue it until the end of Kartik.)

November 10-13, 2007
Sri Govardhana

I have been receiving a lot of positive feedback about the journals. One devotee asked for clarification on the November 8th japa thought below:

“Spiritual life: Feeling good about feeling bad about one self.”

She asked: “As I am sure that your statement above should not be interpreted to mean that spiritual life is a self-pity party, would you please elaborate on what you actually did mean?”

Japa exposes the folly of false ego, the conception of being the controller and the enjoyer. One then feels bad that one harbors such foolishness. That repentance for false ego (feeling bad about one self) is the beginning, however, of spiritual life and one should be happy about that. Spiritual life is thus “feeling good about feeling bad about one self.” It is therefore not self pity, but healthy repentance.

November 14, 2007
Sri Govardhana
Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Festival

More devotees this year than previous years went from Govardhan to the big festival in Vrindavana. I wasn’t sure what the festival was going to be like here. An inspiring group of devotees, however, did remain. At our quaint festival I explained the disadvantage of larger gatherings such as Vrindavana (although they have natural advantages also) where each devotee is allowed at most to speak for five minutes. I reasoned that it takes at least that long just to open one’s heart, what to speak of sharing what’s in it. In Govardhana, however, the few senior devotees were free to express themselves to their heart’s content. I also suggested that there was time for them to also discuss guru-tattva in addition to any anecdotes they had about Srila Prabhupada’s life, if they wanted. A short summary of the four main talks:

Sriman Gopipranadhana Prabhu:

He described the importance of vani-seva, which he described as “living out the words of the spiritual master in one’s own life”. He commented how that service was even available after the disappearance of the spiritual master.

Srila Prabhupada wrote so many letters, on so many subjects, to such wide variety of disciples, Gopipranadhana explained, but there was one thing in common in all letters. They all end with “your ever-well wisher”, which is the English translation of “suhrd“, one of many terms used in Sanskirt for “friend”. Why did Srila Prabhupada choose specifically this word instead of “mitra“, for example, which means “companion”, he asked. “Suhrd“, he answered, literally means “one whose heart is disposed to another’s welfare”. It thus perfectly describes the mood of Srila Prabhupada towards his disciple’s.

The word “ever” in “your ever well wisher”, he continued, is a phrase not very much used anymore. It means perpetual. By using the word “ever” Srila Prabhupada was thus indicating that the spiritual master is present eternally as one’s benefactor. He is thus the most reliable benefactor as his kindness towards one is perpetual. It never changes.

Her Grace Srimati devi:

She suggested that Srila Prabhupada was successful as preacher not just because of the philosophical content of his message, but due to the emotion in which he communicated his convictions. To demonstrate her point, she read Srila Prabhupada’s famous Vyasa Puja offering to his spiritual master in 1961. My favorite lines:

“But a festival of flowers and fruits is not the real worship:
One who serves the guru’s message really worships him.”

“Our master has said to preach;
Let the neophytes go in the temples to do nothing but ring bells.”

His Holiness Bhakti Gaurava Narayan Maharaja:

He described how he came to Krishna-consciousness. Maharaja was from a brahmana family in Puri working as a professor of Hindi literature at the university there. He was constantly searching for a spiritual group to join, but could not find an authentic mission that touched his heart until he received Srila Prabhupada’s books. He was impressed that Srila Prabhupada was promoting the four regulative principles for his society and thus decided to dedicate his life to preaching Krishna consciousness. He shared his realizations from twenty five years of preaching in India about how Srila Prabhupada’s books were transforming so many people’s lives.

Myself, I talked about gratitude. To help describe the depth of the culture of gratitude, I quoted a verse from the Bhagavatam where Draupadi argued that the life of Asvatthama should be spared even though he murdered her five sons. She says “siksito yad anugrahat“, “by his father’s (Dronacarya’s) mercy you have learned.” In other words, gratitude is so imperative, especially towards those by whose mercy one has learned, that Draupadi was arguing to spare the killer of her children simply because he was the son of their teacher!

How indebted, then, we should be to Srila Prabhupada for the gifts of knowledge he has given us. I also discussed those gifts, especially the ones that must effected me this year.

When I had initially arrived at the Bhaktivedanta Ashram for today’s program, I was surprised to see Srimati devi pulling up in a car. When I inquired why she had left Vrindavana on Srila Prabupada disappearance to come here, she mirrored something that was on my mind, “Srila Prabhupada was put into samadhi in Vrindavana, but he lives here now.” It was exactly the point that I wanted discuss later when I spoke.

I described during my lecture that during ones life one is naturally hesitant to reveal, especially publicly, ones intimate thoughts. At the end of life, however, intimate thoughts are more likely to be shared. This natural psychology is discussed in a commentary on the story of Putuna. She was posing externally as a beautiful nurse, but when dying at the hands of Krishna she naturally revealed her true nature as a witch.

Similarly, Srila Prabhupada was hesitant to express his inner desires during his life. For obvious reasons he never told us his specific relationship with Krishna, for example. I thought it was very significant therefore that at the end of his life, and I was there in the room, he told the devotees, “I want to go to Govardhana. Take me to Govardhana.” To my recollection that expression was one of the most intimate and specific spiritual desires that he ever expressed. Practically all of our guru parampara in their perfected spiritual forms have some form residence in Govardhana (which includes Radha Kunda), at least during the daytime pastimes. Considering that, and the fact of Srila Prabhupada’s expressed desire at the end of his life, a good argument could be made that in his perfected form Srila Prabhupada is residing in Govardhana. I thus encouraged the devotees to consider the significance of their stay in Govardhana on this auspicious day.

Kartik Journal

Dhanurdhara Swami November 11th, 2007

November 6, 2007
Sri Govardhana

A lesson and a thought:

This morning I took a devotee on parikrama who has never been to the dhama. We stop at a quaint favorite temple of mine. I give a substantial donation, at least for such a small temple, and place it on the altar in front of the pujari. Following my lead, my parikrama companion pulls out his wallet to follow suit reaching for some big bills. I stop him:

“No need,” I explain discreetly, “I gave more than enough.”

The pujari, however, notices:

“Please do not mind. I do not care for the money, but it is an offense to interfere with charity to the Deity. Remember the story of Bali Maharaja. His guru, Sukracarya advised him to not accede to Vamana’s request for charity, but his counsel was condemned as offense to Visnu.”

I turn to my companion, “He’s right. Leave a donation.”

Japa thought:

Offenses can often be subtle. It’s only possible to avoid them all when our consciousness is imbued with devotion and thus by nature respectful to everyone and everything. That’s exclusively achievable by the mercy of the holy name. I chant for sensitivity towards the devotees, the deities, the holy name and all living entities, to avoid offense at all cost.

November 7, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Japa thought:

Chanting begins with humility. I search my heart, but don’t feel humble. What to do? Can I simply think humble? It’s not a mental conception, however. Then how to begin my bhajan? Pray hard enough and you are humble. Prayer is humility.

November 8, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Japa thought:

Spiritual life: Feeling good about feeling bad about one self.

November 9, 2007
Sri Govardhana

Japa thought:

The obstacles to pure chanting seem insurmountable. I admit my helplessness. The only hope for success; complete dependence on Krishna.

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