WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN TORTUOUS

Chanting Hare Krishna

Most of the morning

Feeling very blissful.

Time to call customer service 

About a billing error

Immediately the material atmosphere

Flooding in.

Krishna? Krishna who? Krishna what?

Their company music playing on hold

tinny and static...

The customer service rep all day 

one complaint and dissatisfaction

after another.

Trying to make people happy

By resolving a material problem

With a material solution.

Googling Hare Krishna kirtan

clicking on the 

London Hare Krishna Album

There was Krishna like fresh air

The exhilarating Deity greeting

Govindam Adi Purusam.

The customer rep 

Could hear the chanting.

The Hare Krishna Sankirtan movement.

What could have been tortuous 

Billing errors, numbers, dollars 

When, where and how much.

Became an ecstatic exchange.

Two souls caught in the material energy 

doing the needful to deal with it 

and Krishna was there. 

Completely purified by the Holy Name. 

WE LONG FOR THAT

Marilyn has a life of responsibility

Elderly mother to care for, 

Grown children to guide and encourage, 

Teaching school during the week, 

Civic associations to attend. 

She manages to break free

To meet her boyfriend 

They enjoy riding together 

On his motorcycle 

The swift moving fresh air, 

The birds and trees, the sunshine 

The feeling of freedom from all cares. 

Material desires are actually spiritual desires

diverted by identification with material nature.

We long for this mood of loving service to the Lord.

Giving up preoccupation with duties and responsibilities 

Meeting Krishna in full freedom.

The gopis of Vrndavan have that. 

THE VALUE OF ASSOCIATION

     These are comments in response to an article I posted in SPEAKING TREE FORUM directly from scripture without my own comment or opportunity for discussion.

Manju Sharma  Hare Krishna....it would have been better if you had conveyed the Gopi bhav simply in a nut shell for the devotees of Lord Krishna...thanx. 

Balpallavi  Good reading. But try to be precise in your articles, in future, pls.

Meena Devi Dasi  Yes, from the comments I see you wanted to hear from me. My understanding, realization, devotion etc. Yes this is how it works. And when we don't change anything from the pure original source, but we simply speak the same as what we are hearing but from our own love and appreciation, our own realization, then we gain access to the life. The spiritual life of devotional to Krishna. We live it. The taste we are always hankering for. 
     If we stray and interject something non-devotional then by the mercy of the devotees we can be made aware of the deviation, whether it be lust or some tinge of impersonalsim. The great, great value of association of devotees. 
     We are in a great revival time. Jaya Sri Krishna Chaitanya.

SACRED CLAY

The following story from the Garga Samhita describes the wonderful glories of the sacred clay known as gopi-candana.

The Glories of Gopī-candana Tilaka
Śrī Garga Saṁhitā, Canto Six,
Chapter Fifteen
Translation by Kusakratha Dāsa

Text 15
yasya sravana-matrena
karma-bandhat pramucyate
gopinam yatra vaso 'bhut
tena gopi-bhuvah smrtah

Simply by hearing about Gopi-bhumi, which is so named because 
the gopīs resided there, one becomes free from the bondage of karma.

Text 16
gopy-angaraga-sambhutam
gopi-candanam uttamam
gopi-candana-liptango
ganga-snana-phalam labhet

In Gopi-bhumi gopi-candana was manifested from the gopīs' cosmetics. 
A person who marks his limbs with gopi-candana tilaka attains the result of bathing in the Ganga.

Text 17
maha-nadinam snanasya
punyam tasya dine dine
gopi-candana-mudrabhir
mudrito yah sadā bhavet

A person who daily wears gopi-candana tilaka attains the pious result of daily bathing in all sacred rivers.

Text 18
asvamedha-sahasrani
rajasuya-satani ca
sarveṣu tirtha-danani
vratani ca tathaiva ca
krtani tena nityaṁ vai
sa krtartho na samsayah

A person who daily wears gopi-candana tilaka attains the result of performing a 
thousand asvamedha-yajnas and a hundred rajasuya-yajnas. He attains the result 
of giving charity and following vows at all holy places. He attains the goal of life. Of this there is no doubt.

Text 19
ganga-mrd-dvi-gunam punyam
citrakuta-rajah smrtam
tasmād dasa-gunam punyam
rajah pancavati-bhavam

Twice as sacred as the mud of the Ganga is the dust of Citrakuta. 
Ten times more sacred than that is the dust of Pancavati-tirtha.

Text 20
tasmac chata-gunam punyam
gopi-candanakam rajah
gopi-candanakam viddhi
vrndavana-rajah-samam

A hundred times more sacred is the dust of gopi-candana. 
Please know that gopi-candana is equal to the dust of Vṛndāvana.

Text 21
gopi-candana-liptangam
yadi papa-satair yutam
tam netum na yamah sakto
yama-dutah kutah punah

Even if in the past he has committed hundreds of sins, if a person wears gopi-candana tilaka, 
then Yamarāja cannot take him away. How, then, can Yamarāja’s messengers touch him?

Text 22
nityaṁ karoti yah pāpī
gopi-candana-dharanam
sa prayati harer dhāma
golokam prakrteh param

A sinner who daily wears gopi-candana tilaka goes to Lord Kṛṣṇa's supreme abode, Goloka, 
which is beyond the world of matter.

Text 23
sindhu-desasya rajabhud
dirghabahur iti srutah
anyaya-varti dustatma
vesya-sanga-ratah sadā

In Sindhu-desa there was a king named Dirghabahu. 
He was cruel and sinful and he was addicted to visiting prostitutes.

Text 24
tena vai bharate varse
brahma-hatya-satam krtam
dāsa garbhavati-hatyah
krtas tena duratmana

While he was on the earth this cruel sinner murdered 
a hundred brāhmaṇas and ten pregnant women.

Text 25
mrgayayam tu banaughaih
kapila-go-vadhah krtah
saindhavam hayam aruhya
mrgayarthi gato 'bhavat

One day he mounted a sindhu horse and went hunting. 
With a flood of arrows he accidentally killed a brown cow in that hunt.

Text 26
ekada rajya-lobhena
mantri kruddho maha-khalam
jaghanaranya-dese tam
tiksna-dharena casina

One day, greedy to get his kingdom, with a sharp 
sword his angry minister killed him in the forest.

Text 27
bhu-tale patitam mrtyu-
gatam viksya yamanugah
baddhva yama-purim ninyur
harsayantah parasparam

Seeing him fallen to the ground and dead, the Yamadutas came, 
bound him, and, joking as they went, took him to the city of Yamarāja.

Text 28
sammukhe 'vasthitam viksya
papinam yama-rad bali
citraguptam praha turnam
ka yogya yanatasya vai

Seeing this sinner brought before him, powerful Yamarāja said to 
his scribe Citragupta, "What is the proper punishment for him?"

Text 29
sri-citragupta uvāca
catur-asiti-laksesu
narakesu nipatyatam
nihsandeham mahā-raja
yavac candra-divakarau

Śrī Citragupta said: O great king, he should be thrown into eight million 
four hundred thousand hells for as long as the sun and the moon shine in the sky.

Text 30
anena bharate varse
ksanam na su-krtam krtam
dasa-garbhavati-ghatah
kapila-go-vadhah krtah

On the earth he did not perform a single pious deed. 
He killed ten pregnant women. He killed a brown cow.

Text 31
tathā vana-mrganam ca
kṛtvā hatyah sahasrasah
tasmād ayam maha-papi
devata-dvija-nindakah

He killed thousands of deer in the forest. He offended the
demigods and the brāhmaṇas. He is a great sinner.

Texts 32 and 33
sri-narada uvāca
tada yamajnaya duta
nitva tam papa-rupinam
sahasra-yojanayame
tapta-taile maha-khale
sphurad aty-ucchalat-phene
kumbhipake nyapatayan
pralayagni-samo vahnih
sadyah sitalatam gatah

Sri Nārada said: Then, by Yamarāja’s order, the Yamadutas took that sinner and threw him into a terrible, eight-thousand mile wide cauldron of bubbling boiling oil in the hell of Kumbhipaka. The moment that sinner came to it, the boiling oil, which was as hot as the great fires at the time of cosmic devastation, suddenly became cool.

Text 34
Vaideha tan-nipatanat
prahlada-ksepanad yathā
tadaiva citram acakhyur
yama-duta mahatmane

O king of Videha, as Prahlāda was unhurt in the same situation, that sinner was not hurt by the boiling oil. Then the Yamadutas described that great wonder to noble-hearted Yamarāja.

Text 35
anena su-krtam bhumau
ksanavan na kṛtam kvacit
citraguptena satataṁ
dharma-rajo vyacintayat

Yamarāja and Citragupta carefully reviewed the sinner's case and concluded that while he was on the earth the sinner had not for a moment performed even a single pious deed.

Text 36
sabhayam agatam vyasam
sampujya vidhivan nrpa
natva papraccha dharmatma
dharma-rajo maha-matih

Then Vyasadeva arrived in that assembly. Bowing down before Him, and carefully worshiping Him, saintly and noble-hearted Yamaraja asked Vyasadeva the following question.

Text 37
sri-yama uvaca
anena papina purvam
na krtam su-krtam kvacit
sphurad-agny-ucchalat-phene
kumbhipake maha-khale
asya ksepanato vahnih
sadyah sitalatam gatah
iti sandehatas cetah
khidyate me na samsayah

Sri Yamaraja said: When a certain sinner, who had never performed even a single pious deed, was thrown into the terrible boiling oil of Kumbhipaka, the oil suddenly became cool. Because of this my mind is now tortured with doubts.

Text 39
sri-vyasa uvaca
suksma gatir maha-raja
vidita papa-punyayoh
tatha brahma-gatih prajnaih
sarva-sastra-vidam varaih

Sri Vyasadeva said: O great king, the intelligent sages, who have studied all the scriptures, know that the ways of piety, sin, and spiritual progress are very subtle and difficult to understand.

Text 40
daiva-yogad asya punyam
praptam vai svayam arthavat
yena punyena suddho 'sau
tac chrnu tvam maha-mate

Somehow or other, by destiny, this sinner did perform a pious deed, and by that deed he became purified. O noble-hearted one, please hear the story of this.

Text 41
kasyapi hastato yatra
patita dvaraka-mrdah
tatraivayam mrtah papi
suddho 'bhut tat-prabhavatah

That sinner died in a place where from someone's hand some gopi-candana from Dvaraka had accidentally fallen. Dying in gopi-candana, that sinner became purified.

Text 42
gopi-candana-liptango
naro narayano bhavet
etasya darsanat sadyo
brahma-hatya pramucyate

A person who wears gopi-candana tilaka attains a spiritual form like that of Lord Narayana. Simply by seeing him one becomes free of the sin of killing a brahmana.

Texts 43 and 44
sri-narada uvaca
iti srutva dharma-rajas
tam aniya visesatah
vimane kama-ge sthapya
vaikuntham prakrteh param
presayam asa sahasa
gopi-candana-kirti-vit
evam te kathitam rajan
gopi-candanakam yasah

Sri Narada said: Hearing this, Yamaraja, who understands the glories of gopi-candana, took the sinner, placed him on an airplane that goes anywhere one wishes, and sent him to Vaikuntha, which is above the worlds of matter. O king, thus I have described to you the glories of gopi-candana.

Text 45
gopi-candana-mahatmyam
yah srnoti narottamah
sa yati paramam dhama
sri-krsnasya mahatmanah

One who hears this account of gopi-candana's glories becomes exalted. He goes to the supreme abode of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

IMAGINED RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD OR REAL?

1. This is from the comments section on an earlier article WE TEND TO FORGET THE HUMAN.
2. 1. 1. 
         William ZoddaOctober 1, 2013 at 4:42 AM

         Hi Meena. How are you doing? Interesting conversation here. It makes me consider though how much of the vaishnava path emphasizes what another person experiences or philosophizing which I used to do a lot of, and not ones own personal developing relationship with God. Like the ritviks always quoting what SP Said without any personal realization about their developing relaitonship with God, or Gurus also quoting prabhupada nd scripture without reporting almost nothing of ones personal relationship God and what God is revealing to them personally. To me this is a sign of only a imagined relationship with God and missing the real mark of having a genuine dynamic spiritual life which come through a true relationship with God. This is what blows my mind about coming to God through Jesus. I and others who come to God through faith in Christ, the door to God is opened immediately and ones relationship with the true God begins to develop on the foundation of Jesus Christ. I really see he was true to his word that, he is the true vine connected with the true God.

         ReplyDelete
      2. 
         William ZoddaOctober 1, 2013 at 4:49 AM

         To add to the last comment. A tree is known by its fruit. So this is how we are to judge. In regards to a path in spiritual life everyone can ask themselves is this tree a good tree with good fruit regardless of how externally beautiful and shimmering it looks on the outside? Is it producing the fruit of soul fullfilling right and true relationship with God. Is God just apparently talking to the
         guru and leaving me out of the relationship?

         ReplyDelete
         Replies

         1. 
            Meena devi dasiOctober 1, 2013 at 7:43 PM

            God is within the heart of everyone. When we surrender in devotional service (hearing,chanting, remembering, offering prayers, serving, worshiping, serving the Lord's Feet, making friends with and offering everything) He is attracted to that servant and reveals Himself. God is absolute and is non different from His Name. Form, activities.... He is fully manifest inside the heart and body of His pure representative who is surrendered to Him in love and devotion. Of all devotional service hearing and chanting are the most important.

JESUS AND SALVATION / KRISHNA AND DEVOTIONAL SERVICE

     About __________ prabhu. It is instructive for us to see what happened to him:
     He lost his faith in Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya's sankirtana movement because he didn't see "miracles."
He sent me this video so I could see what kind of miracles he had expected from Hare Krishna but didn't see:
      LIFE WITHOUT LIMBS
     Indeed the man in the video is a miracle. He has spiritual strength and has been able to become detached from identifying himself with the body. His faith in a Pure devotee, Jesus, has allowed him to realize the Lord within the heart. He is spirit filled. This is real. And those that make that connection with Jesus will also become spirit filled. That is the preaching of Jesus. Very simple and direct. Offering liberation. Salvation. This is attractive to people since people are suffering so much from identification with the material body and mind and are unable to access the Lord within their own heart. It is a miracle.
     Beyond the miracle of salvation is devotional service. Actually salvation is a by product of devotional service and can be automatically achieved by becoming conscious of Krishna. Becoming conscious of Krishna offers infinitely more than liberation or salvation alone. After salvation what are the eternal activities? What is the spiritual world like? Who is there in the spiritual world with God? What is God like? etc. These are available in Krishna consciousness with salvation as a by-product. 
     In either case, Jesus or Krishna consciousness, the path is only available by the mercy of a Pure devotee... Either Jesus or the pure representative of the disciplic succession coming directly from Krishna. In either case the living representative is there. The enlightened spirit-filled followers of Jesus who carry the message of salvation and lberation by living example, or the followers in line of disciplic succession from Krishna who are living representatives of Krishna due their being filled with the spirit of pure devotion. 
     So Holy Ghost or Divine Spirit of Devotion. Both are good. Of the two the Divine Spirit of Devotion is the Lord's personal pleasure energy. Therefore there are an infinity of loving moods and exchanges available. Eternal unlimited bliss not just for the devotee like the concept of heavenly delight for one's own pleasure alone but for Krishna and the devotees together to share in ecstasy.
     The pure devotees have put their realizations into writing. "Bhagavad gita", "Srimad Bhagavatam", "Chaitanya Charitamrta" are especially for us now. But to unlock the devotional potency that is in them requires the mercy of a pure devotee. 
     A pure devotee is someone in whom Krishna is fully manifest. Paramatma is there in the heart of everyone but in the heart of the pure devotee that Paramatma is expanded into Krishna Himself who is attracted by the pure love and devotion of that devotee. Krishna is fully manifest there inside the pure devotee. 
     Jesus is a servant of the Lord. He has a specific service. Offer salvation. He does not give devotional service. God Himself remains somewhat of a mystery and loving relationship with God is limited to a vague idea of a Father who supplies everything.
     Lord Chaitanya is the most recent incarnation of the Lord Himself and is giving the highest mood of loving exchange. Person to person. Eye to eye. Cheek to cheek. So to speak. The Personality of Godhead. Salvation is automatically included. 
     Of all devotional service hearing and chanting are the most important. The Mahamantra is the sound incarnation of Krishna. But also reading the writings left for us by the pure devotees and repeating what we are reading. It is not for just mental learning. Hearing and chanting is itself devotional service and pleases the Lord within the heart. 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

WHAT IS RIGHT COMPANY FOR BHAKTI?

Meera Panigrahi  Very true. It is necessary for us to be in the right company all the time till we have become stable in Love. 

Meena Devi Dasi replies to Meera Panigrahi
We take association from those more advanced in devotional service, share friendship with those more or less on the same level of advancement as ourselves and give association to those less advanced. What I meant by "looking for good association" was trying to recognize those who are more advanced than ourselves so we can be helped along.

Meera Panigrahi Replies to Meera Panigrahi
Right.

Prakash Bagga replies to Meera Panigrahi  
It is not easy for any human being to judge what is the right company for Bhaktee. There is an example SADNAA 
(A Buthcher bt profession) happened to be true Bhakt of THE LORD PRABHu.

Meena Devi Dasi replies to Prakash Bagga
Yes. Sincerity is the only qualification. Bhakti is not confined to social restrictions.
Nice story to illustrate:
There was a brahman who liked to meditate and study and chant under a tree on a hill overlooking a main road with a lot of foot traffic to and from the market area. He would go there everyday for several hours. At the same time there was a woman who earned her livelihood by prostitution who used pass along the road below. 
When the brahman would see her he would recoil in disgust. When she would see the brahman she would pray to the Lord how wonderful it was that there were pure people who were studying the Vedas and worshiping and serving God directly. And how unfortunate she was that by force of circumstance she had such a lowly life. 
At the time of death the brahman did not go back Home back to Godhead but the prostitute did. 
We will be able to recognize if we are sincere. 
If a person is actually asleep he can be awakened. But if he is pretending to be asleep how will he be awakened? A person may pretend to be asleep because he doesn't really want to wake up.