Archive for October, 2002

Govardhana Arrived from Vrindavan to

Dhanurdhara Swami October 17th, 2002

Govardhana

Arrived from Vrindavan to Govardhana.

The holy dhama, especially Govardhana, is potent. It seems that obstacles to spiritual life are removed by just living here, but without offense.

Being in the presence of Govardhana humbles me, but I feel satisfied in my insignificance, which makes life so easy, because that’s what I am–insignificant.

Only when we are satisfied with the present can we be free from passion, which casts us to the future, and from ignorance, which projects us to the past. Of course, I am not satisfied. How can one so far from Krishna, with so many impurities, be satisfied? But I am content that what I need to become successful as a devotee is here, this instant, at Govardhana, independent of my destiny, past, or future.

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami is here for the winter, also living in one of the five turrets of the palace renovated into small single room dwellings for prayer.
He looks quite thin, but healthy–down nearly 40 pounds from his visit to the US last spring! We meet in the afternoon and I inquire about his austere diet. He talks about a permanent change, for his health and spirituality, of a simpler renounced life. He repeatedly quotes from “his new mission statement,” the direct instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Raghunatha dasa Gosvami on the duties of the renounced order:

“Do not talk like people in general or hear what they have to say. You should not eat palatable food, nor should you dress very nicely. Do not expect honor, but you should offer all respects to others. Always chant the holy name of Krishna, and within your mind render service to Radha-Krishna in Vrindaban.”

Of course, Maharaja has always been an ideal sannaysi, pushing on the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at great personal sacrifice. His preaching will still remain as vigorous as ever, but age, health, and the personal fruit of his preaching–attachment to the holy name–is dictating a more simple and traditional lifestyle. He speaks with conviction and I am convinced by the power of his words and the purity of his presence. I must also be more determined to represent the legacy of tridandi-sannyasa. I hope he has won a convert.

Vasant Falls, New York Taking

Dhanurdhara Swami October 5th, 2002

Vasant Falls, New York

Taking the mood of the spiritual master
Disciple means one who takes the mood of his guru. A friend of mine recently told me a story concerning His Grace Aindra Prabhu that took place 10 years ago, when they were practically the only devotees left in Vrindaban during the summer for the 24-hour kirtan. He related how, one evening, Aindra came into his room and threw his japa beads on the bed, groaning with sincere self-disparagement, “363 rounds behind! I have no taste for chanting!”

My friend thought to himself. “No taste for chanting? He is chanting day and night in the temple kirtan, practically without rest. No wonder he is behind in his japa!” My friend was relating this story to me to show how different spiritually advanced disciples of Srila Prabhupada have diverse tastes for service. He then used the example of His Holiness Mahanidhi Swami, another Vrindaban sadhu, who was fully immersed in japa meditation, in contrast to Aindra who was so deep in kirtan. I added that His Holiness Niranjana Swami is constantly traveling and preaching about the holy name, His Holiness Radhanatha Swami leads ecstatic nocturnal kirtans, and His Grace Bhurijana Prabhu is absorbed in the Bhagavatam, but all are sincerely serving their spiritual master and becoming attached the holy name. If we see a quality or devotional proclivity in the spiritual master, then certainly we can imbibe that, but more important is to absorb their core mood of surrender to the mission of Srila Prabhupada. Today I want to clearly outline what that core mission is so that my disciples may meditate on it clearly, for often our conception of his mission becomes skewed by our own attachments. The outline I am presenting, one I feel distinctly represents Srila Prabhupada’s mission and thus, obviously, mine, was not, however, written by him. It is the upadeshavali, the mission statement, of his Godbrother and sannyasa-guru, Srila Bhaktipranjan Kesava Maharaja. When I read it, however, I am confident that it will resonate in your hearts as a thoughtful and clear exposition of the mission of our acaryas as exemplified by Srila Prabhupada. I am not giving his full mission statement but a few salient points. I have also edited them.

  • Pure devotion is attained by intimate service to the lotus feet of Sri Guru.
  • Actual guru-seva means service to the spiritual master, Sri Hari, and the Vaishnavas.
  • The anga (item) of bhakti known as kirtan is the best and most complete practice of devotional service.
  • Only through the medium of kirtan are the other limbs of bhakti accomplished.
  • Preaching hari-katha, always and everywhere, is the best kirtan.
  • In doing so, one should never give pain to any living entity in body, mind, or words.
  • Rendering service to Vraja Krishna, the possessor of all sakti and the origin of all avataras, is the primary duty of all living entities; all other activities are secondary.
  • Final message: The essence of devotional service: Take the mission of the spiritual master as one’s life and soul!

Vasant Falls, New York Chanting

Dhanurdhara Swami October 4th, 2002

Vasant Falls, New York

Chanting the Holy Name
I have a friend who is an older Irish Catholic priest. We occasionally discuss spirituality. He laments that his congregation sees God as just an order supplier. He has recently invited me to come to his church to give a sermon on adoration, the devotional side of religion. Speaking with him concerned me that, unless we focus more on the holy name in our own Krishna conscious life, we will become just another religion rather than a mystical or internal process of self-realization. I realize that I also need to speak more about this to the devotees, that we are not just church-goers, but yogis–at least for a small part of the day.

Obviously this is too vast a subject to speak about properly in such a short time. The day after Vyasa-puja, I will hold a short seminar on the topic for some of my disciples. Next year, I plan to hold a small retreat dedicated to the holy name for all those interested. It is difficult to internally develop our Krishna consciousness in the midst of a culture surcharged with opposition to our values, especially while struggling with the problems of family, work, and social life. Perhaps some devotees residing in vibrant congregations like 2nd Avenue or Towaco can do this, but I think it is also necessary to make times of the year specifically for our internal development–times like our Mayapur/Vrindaban pilgrimage, our visits to Gita-nagari or New Vrindaban, or maybe small retreats dedicated to making observable spiritual advancement based on japa meditation and kirtan.

I’ll just say a few words on the holy name.

I am your harinam guru. Thus, the basis of our relationship is the holy name. Yes, we discuss other things. I guide you, befriend you, and serve you, but a disciple should see all his interactions with guru for the purpose of bringing one gradually to the platform of pure chanting. I will be leaving for Govardhan in three days for my yearly japa retreat. More and more I am dedicating my life to krishna-kirtan. I implore you to take our process seriously and invite you to approach me to discuss chanting the holy name.

Just two suggestions here; one on the method of chanting and one on the mood of chanting:

Understand the term samskara. Samskara means the impressions in our consciousness from past experiences. Because we generally have not grown up very religiously, most of our samskaras are for sense gratification, proper and sinful, subtle and gross. As soon as such impressions enter the consciousness, they push to be filled with the same stimuli that created them. Therefore if we chant in an atmosphere that is not protected from such stimuli, our mind will be inevitably drawn toward our past samskaras, and attentive chanting will become impossible. Create a place and time in your home, free from distraction and reserved exclusively for japa meditation. A small temple room is best.

A message to parents, especially mothers. It is your duty to create the proper samskaras in your children so that, in the future, they will be spontaneously drawn to spiritual life. How fortunate is that child who grows up in a loving and caring home where the parents, especially the mother, worships the Supreme Lord, the Vaishnavas, and the holy name with regularity and devotion?

Krishna is nondifferent from His name, but the degree to which He manifests depends on our attitude.

The proper mood of chanting is one of faith in and surrender. Faith comes from association with those attached to the holy name, which means hearing from them and serving them. I have spent time preparing this talk for the festival only because of the opportunity it avails to foster faith but, in fact, there are so many opportunities throughout the year for sadhu-sanga–especially if you make sadhu-sanga a priority. If you want a taste for the holy name, pray for sadhu-sanga.

Our mood in chanting should be sarangati. The mood of saranagati is the firm vow to accept that which is favorable and reject that which is unfavorable to the holy name. Our full faith must be that Krishna is my only protector and maintainer, our firm commitment must be to the ideal that our only duty is His desire, and we must develop a happy resignation to ourinsignificance before God.

Especially, we need to be humble. Humility comes from selfless service. Is there any dearth of opportunity to attract Krishna’s mercy by serving others? We don’t have to be learned, austere, cultured, or fine to advance in spiritual life–only humble enough to realize our need for refuge and intelligent enough to turn to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord for shelter.

Another favorite story: I’ve always appreciated the intimate relationship that His Holiness Giriraja Swami had with Srila Prabhupada, who seemed to love Giriraja as a son. I asked Giriraja Swami his secret in becoming such an object of Prabhupada’s mercy. In his slow, deliberate, but sweet manner, he replied, “I am just a mercy case!” What a wonderful process of self realization, where shortcomings become assets simply by realizing them. This was nicely explained in a short text by His Holiness Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Swami:

“If we truly feel ourselves to be low and in want, then the supply of mercy will come from a higher plane. Everything moves according to Krishna’s sweet will. Our problem is to draw his attention. This will be possible only by increasing our negative tendency, by proving to Krishna, in a bona fide way, that I am the most needy.” (Subjective evolution.)

Message: Make a place and time in your life, free from distraction, for attentive chanting. Take guidance from the spiritual master and the Vaishnavas on how to make a practical plan to deepen your internal spiritual life.

Vasant Falls, New York Worshiping

Dhanurdhara Swami October 3rd, 2002

Vasant Falls, New York

Worshiping the Deities
I think there is a common misconception about Deity worship in reference to Srila Prabhupada’s statement that beginners can have the Deity of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai in their home because Their Lordships do not accept our offenses. The term aparadha, offense, literally means “actions that distance us from God.” Did Srila Prabhupada mean that we can be neglectful and careless in our worship of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and it won’t affect our spiritual life? I don’t think so.

When Karl and Kelly asked His Holiness Bhaktividya Purna Maharaja if they should get simple home deities, he replied that they should consider the matter very soberly as Krishna is there in the form of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and all His Deity manifestations. The Deity should never be neglected, just as we cannot forget to feed our own children or greet our best friend. Maharaja’s advice suits my New York City sense of logic. I think I’ve told many of you the story of when I took a wrong turn while driving–I think it was in Queens–and wound up at the entrance to the Queens Midtown Tunnel. There, the toll collector responded in disgust to my polite inquiry (”Sir, I think I am lost!”) with the declarative statement, “You are either lost or you’re not lost!”

So Krishna is either there or He is not there in His Deity form, and if He is there, He cannot be neglected without risk to our development in devotion.

Of course, Gaura-Nitai is unlimitedly merciful and you will not get the severity of reaction as when you neglect the worship of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, but still, if after inviting the Lord to your home you neglect Him, it will certainly hinder your progress in realizing His presence–whether it is His Deity, His dhama or His holy name.

Message: Gaura-Nitai is unlimitedly merciful and the minimum standard for His worship is very simple, but it must still be done with regularity, care, and devotion.

Vasant Falls, New York Serving

Dhanurdhara Swami October 2nd, 2002

Vasant Falls, New York

Serving a Devotee
Our process of self-realization is to continuously chant and hear about Krishna; it’s not an easy thing. In several places in Srimad Bhagavatam this process is outlined in detail, the most prominent being Suta Goswami’s analysis in the First Canto. After strongly affirming that the best way of enlightenment is to “always (nityada) and with one-pointed attention (ekena manasa) hear about, glorify, remember, and worship the Personality of Godhead” (Bhag. 1.2.14), Suta Goswami raises a doubt. If our process of self-realization requires such a profound attraction for chanting, won’t such a demand discourage people from taking up the process–even many devotees? If one has no taste, then how to attain one? He immediately responds to this query:
Serve the devotees!

“O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely free from vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vasudeva.” (Bhag. 1.2.16)

Our process is so nice. It allows us to advance from our current stage of spiritual life, provided that we are humble, take shelter of devotees, and seek their guidance. Let me share with you just a few sentences from Srila Prabhupada’s purport on this verse.

“The servants of God come to propagate God consciousness and intelligent people should cooperate with them in every respect. By serving the servants of God one can please God more that by directly serving the Lord. The Lord is more pleased when He sees that His servants are properly respected because such servants risk everything for the service of the Lord and so are very dear to the Lord. The Lord declares in the Bhagavad-gita that no one is dearer to Him than one who risks everything to preach His glory. By serving the servants of the Lord, one gradually gets the quality of such servants, and thus one becomes qualified to hear the glories of God. The eagerness to hear about God is the first qualification of a devotee eligible for entering the kingdom of God [emphasis added].”

Message: Our advancement is marked by our attraction to hearing the Lord’s glories. One qualifies to hear by serving the devotees. We are fortunate that Srila Prabhupada gave us a mission to serve.

« Prev - Next »