Bindu
tava kathämåtaà tapta-jévanam
Highlights
page one top collumn two
• Always Enthusiastic hk
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
• Mahaprabhu’s Supreme Gift - Part Two
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
Issue No. 221 Çré Ämalaké-vrata Ekädaçé 25 February 2010 Circulation 2,812
next column
Always Enthusiastic
His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
I am so pleased to hear from you that the book distribution
has increased five times than before! Similarly,
I have heard from Chicago and other places also that
they are increasing five times than before. That is very
encouraging to me. You are, I can understand, very
enthusiastic to endeavor for big things on Krishna’s
behalf, and all of the new students there at our Boston
center are also feeling enthusiasm from your example.
That is the business of a leader: He must always be
enthusiastic and inspire others to be always enthusiastic.
Then he is a real leader. And that enthusiastic
mood is maintained when everyone is always without
fail chanting sixteen rounds daily, rising early for
maìgala-ärati, reading books, preaching — in this
way, by observing strictly the regulative principles of
devotional life, that enthusiasm or great eagerness to
have Krishna will come out. So if you are very serious
to remain tightly there in our Boston center
and develop it fully, I am very pleased with you
for this. Advancement in Krishna Consciousness
means to stick tightly to the desire or orders of
the spiritual master. Because my Guru Maharaja
ordered it, and I am also ordering it: Go on preaching!
Spread this Krishna Consciousness all over the
world! If you are taking up responsibility to work
cool-headedly in this way, then you understand the
point of giving our energy to Krishna without any
personal consideration. Try to develop the Boston
temple to be the most first-class temple in your
country. — Why only in your country, in the entire
world! Recruit some educated men from the
colleges and schools in Boston and train them up
for our preaching mission. In this way develop
the quality of your men to be surrendered servants
of Krishna. That will please Krishna, and
you will also feel yourself becoming happier in
perfecting your life. ·
— Letter to Trai Das. 27 December 1972.
Drawing by Anuradha Dasi
His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Issue Two Hundred Twenty-one, Page — 2 é[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu
top left 2 Top right 2
Mahaprabhu’s Supreme Gift
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami
(concluded from the last issue)
Krishna has many forms:
avatärä hy asaìkhyeyä hareù sattva-nidher dvijäù
athävidäsinaù kulyäù sarasaù syuù sahasraçaù
The incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets
flowing from inexhaustible sources of water. [Bhäg. 1.3.26]
In Brahma-saàhitä 5.46 it is said,
dépärcir eva hi daçäntaram abhyupetya
dépäyate vivåta-hetu-samäna-dharmä
yas tädåg eva hi ca viñëutayä vibhäti
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
From one original lamp many other lamps may be
lit, and they will all give the same light. There is no
difference in their potencies. Similarly, there is no
difference between avatära and avatäré. Krishna
is the one original lamp, müla-dépa-eka, and his
avatäras are asaìkhya, innumerable. Krishna is
avatäré, the source of all incarnations.
rämädi-mürtiñu kalä-niyamena tiñöhan
nänävatäram akarod bhuvaneñu kintu
kåñëaù svayaà samabhavat paramaù pumän yo
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda,
who is always situated in various incarnations such as
Rama, Nrsimha and also many sub-incarnations, but who
is the original personality of Godhead known as Krishna,
who also incarnates personally. [Brahma-saàhitä 5.39]
Rama, Nrsimha and Vamana are kalä, plenary portions
of the portion of Krishna. They are giving equal light,
but still one is the original lamp. There is no other difference.
The devotees worship the form they are most
attracted to. Räma-bhaktas are attracted to the form of
Rama. Nåsiàha-bhaktas, like Prahlada, are attracted to
the form of Lord Nrsimha. Those who are kåñëa-bhaktas
are attracted to the all-beautiful form of Krishna. Hanuman
is a devotee of Rama. He has developed unalloyed
devotion to the form of Lord Rama.
Goswami Tulasi Das was a great devotee of Lord
Rama. Like Hanuman, he only wanted to see the beautiful
form of Lord Rama. He didn’t want to see the form
of Krishna. Once he went to a Krishna temple and
prayed to the deity, “Please, give up your flute and
hold a bow and arrow. Show me your form as Lord
Rama. Then I will bow down to you.” The deity
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Painting by Gurudas
immediately changed and he saw the beautiful form
of Lord Rama. Then he bowed down.
Garuda Meets Hanuman
In Dwarka, Krishna once sent for Garuda and told him,
“Go and call Hanuman.” So Garuda went to Hanuman and
told him, “Lord Krishna is calling you to Dwarka.” Hanuman
was busy chanting räma-näma, “Rama, Rama, Rama,
Rama.” He didn’t pay any attention to Garuda. Garuda
repeated himself two or three times, “I have come from
Dwarka. Lord Krishna has sent me. He is calling you. Please
come.” Hanuman didn’t listen. Garuda kept repeating himself
until finally Hanuman gave a great lash with his tail and
Garuda was thrown into the air and fell down in Dwarka
in front of Krishna. Hanuman wouldn’t listen to Garuda.
Garuda was morose. But Krishna could understand what
had happened. Lord Krishna said, “Why did you say that
Krishna was calling him? Go again. This time tell him that
Lord Rama is calling.” Again Garuda went there and told
Hanuman, “Lord Rama is calling you. Please come.” “Oh, my
master is calling? All right, I will go immediately.” Garuda said,
“Please, sit on my shoulders. I will fly you there in a moment.”
Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu Issue Two Hundred Twenty-one, Page — 3 Top left 3
top right 3
“No. You go ahead. I am going. I won’t sit on your shoulders.”
Garuda went back. Before Garuda reached there
Hanuman had already arrived. Garuda saw that Krishna
had assumed the form of Lord Rama, Balaram had assumed
the form of Laksman, and Rukmini had assumed the form
of Sitadevi. Hanuman was sitting there with folded hands.
Krishna thought his dear devotee wants to see this form of
mine, so he showed him the form of Lord Rama.
The Supreme Form
During his travels in South India, Mahaprabhu
had some discussion with the tattva-vädis in Udupi.
Although he didn’t agree with the tattva-vädis,
Mahaprabhu accepted the Madhva sampradäya,
which is known as the tattva-vädi sampradäya.
Why did he accept it?
sabe, eka guëa dekhi tomära sampradäye
satya-vigraha kari’ éçvare karaha niçcaye
[Cc. madhya 9.277]
Mahaprabhu told them, “You are tattva-vädis. All
of your philosophies are detrimental to pure devotion,
çuddha-bhakti, because they stress on karma.
Still, satya-vigraha kari’ éçvare karaha niçcaye, I find
one good quality in your sampradäya. You have accepted
the all-beautiful form of Krishna.” In Udupi, the
Madhva-sampradäya worships the deity of Gopal. In
one hand Gopal has a rope, and in the other hand is
a manthara-daëòa, a churning stick. Mahaprabhu
said, “My grand guru Madhavendra Puri has accepted
this sampradäya, so I accept it.”
Vipralambha-bhäva-bhajana, worship in
separation, began from Madhavendra Puri. In the
Madhva-sampradäya up to Lakshmipati, the guru
of Madhavendra Puri, this mood was not there. It
came with Madhavendra Puri. So Mahaprabhu accepted
this sampradäya.
The Conclusions of Mahaprabhu
ärädhyo bhagavän vrajeça-tanayas tad-dhäma
våndävanaà
ramyä käcid-upäsanä vrajavadhü-vargeëa yä
kalpitä
çrémad-bhägavatam pramäëam-amalaà premä
pumartho mahän
çré caitanya mahäprabhur-matam-idaà
taträdaro naù paraù
It is the conclusive opinion of Lord Chaitanya that the
most worshipable form of the Lord is that of Sri Krishna,
the son of Nanda Maharaja. Vrindavan-dhäma is the
topmost worshipable abode. The highest and most
pleasing type of worship of Krishna is done by the Vraja
gopés. Srimad-bhägavatam is the spotless authority on
everything. And kåñëa-prema is the fifth and highest
goal of life. [Caitanya-matta-maïjuñä commentary on
Çrémad-Bhägavatam by Srinath Chakravarti]
This is the opinion of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and is
most important. Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja
— vrajeça-tanaya, gokuleça-tanaya — is to be worshiped.
Not vasudeva-tanaya. Why is that? Väsudeva is
a four-handed form. He is a portion of Krishna. Krishna
in Dwarka is complete, pürëa. Krishna in Mathurä is
more complete, pürëataraù; and Krishna in Vrajabhumi
is most complete, pürëatamaù. There is the positive
degree, the comparative degree and the superlative
degree — complete, more complete and most complete.
Vrajeça-tanaya is the most complete form of Krishna.
Mahaprabhu says that Krishna is to be worshiped,
ärädhyo bhagavän vrajeça-tanayaù. That form is ten or
twelve years old, kiçora-kåñëa. Dwarkadish, Krishna in
Dwarka, is a king. He has so many wives and so much
opulence. But it is kiçora-kåñëa, ten to twelve year-old
Krishna in Vrajabhumi, that is the most beautiful form of
Krishna. He is very simple, gopa-veça, naöa-vara — he
is dressed as a cowherd boy and is the best of dancers.
He is not a king. He wears a peacock feather, holds a
flute, and plays with the cowherd boys. He is tré-bhaìgalalita,
curved in three places.
Not Interested in Narayan
How is he to be worshiped? Mahaprabhu says, ramyä
käcid-upäsanä vrajavadhü-vargeëa yä kalpitä — He is to
be worshiped with pure love in the mood of the damsels of
Vrajabhumi. That is the best process of worship. That is Mahaprabhu’s
teaching and Mahaprabhu’s opinion. The gopés
only see that kiçora form of Krishna, ten to twelve years old
Krishna, gopa-veça, naöa-vara, veëu-kara — cowherd boy
dress, playing a flute and dancing — a very beautiful form.
They never want to see any other form. They met Krishna
in Kurukshetra on the solar eclipse day. Krishna had come
from Dwarka. He was dressed as an opulent king. The gopés
dragged him to Gopapur, saying, “We don’t like this form
and this opulent dress. Gopapur, Vrajabhumi is there. The
jungle of Vrindavan is there. The Yamuna river is there.
All the kuïjas are there. The cows and calves are there.
The cowherd boys are there. Please come.” Then they
dragged Krishna’s cart. This is ratha-yäträ. They said “We
don’t want to see you in this form as a king.”
Issue Two Hundred Twenty-one, Page — 4 é[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNd
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu
A free bi-monthly service provided by:
Gopal Jiu Publications
c/o Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir
National Highway No. 5, IRC Village
Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, 751015
Phone: (0674) 2553250, 2557026
Email: katha@gopaljiu.org
Website: www.gopaljiu.org
Subscriptions: minimag@gopaljiu.org
Gopal Jiu Publications is a branch of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness, Founder-
Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada.
Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktivedanta
Book Trust International. All other materials, unless specified,
© ISKCON Bhubaneswar/Gopal Jiu Publications. All rights
reserved. Blanket permission is given to redistribute Bindu in
electronic or print form provided no changes are made to the
contents.
Top left 4 Top right 4
For a joke, Krishna once manifested his fourhanded
form of Narayan in one of the kuïjas. When
the gopés who were searching for Krishna saw him,
their love became shrunken. They thought, “Oh, it’s
Narayan. Let’s go. We don’t want to see him.” They
only wanted to see kiçora-kåñëa, the two-handed
form that is curved in three places, with flute in
hand, gopa-veça, the cowherd boy, the extraordinarily
beautiful Krishna. Srila Rupa Goswami has
mentioned this in Lalita-mädhava:
gopénäà paçupendra-nandana-juño bhävasya kas täà krté
vijïätuà kñamate durüha-padavé-saïcäriëaù rakriyäm
äviñkurvati vaiñëavém api tanuà tasmin bhujair jiñëubhir
yäsäà hanta caturbhir adbhuta-rucià rägodayaù kuïcati
Once Sri Krishna playfully manifested himself as
Narayan, with four victorious hands and a very
beautiful form. When the gopés saw this exalted
form, however, their ecstatic feelings were crippled.
A learned scholar, therefore, cannot understand the
gopés’ ecstatic feelings, which are firmly fixed upon
the original form of Lord Krishna as the son of Nanda
Maharaja. The wonderful feelings of the gopés in ecstatic
parama-rasa with Krishna constitute the greatest
mystery in spiritual life. [Srila Rupa Goswami’s
Lalita-mädhava 6.54, quoted in Cc. ädi 17.281.]
Rama and Mahaprabhu
With Lord Rama there is prema, there is love, but the
highest love as manifest by the gopés is not there. Hanuman
had no such prema. It is quite absent between Lord
Rama and his associates. Rama is maryädä-puruñottama
— he very strictly followed Vedic etiquette. He refused to
accept the munis of Dandakaranya. When they requested
that he accept them as his wives, Lord Rama refused.
“No. That cannot be. In this incarnation I have this vow,
eka-patni-vrata. I cannot accept more than one wife.
And if you all accept me you will be burned to ashes
by the curse of Sitadevi. Wait for the next incarnation.”
Mahaprabhu gave this highest understanding.
Krishna as gopé-jana-vallabhä, gopénätha, gopékänta.
Mahaprabhu is giving the highest love — ärädhyo
bhagavän vrajeça-tanayas tad-dhäma våndävanaà,
ramyä käcid-upäsanä vrajavadhü-vargeëa
yä kalpitä. He is giving gopé-prema, rädhä-prema.
Mahaprabhu has assumed the sentiment of Radharani,
gopé-bhäva. Therefore he is giving that prema. ·
— Darshan. Mayapur. February 1991.
For a joke, Krishna once manifested
himself in his form as Narayan before the gopés.
Drawing by Anuradha Dasi
Comments