Ocean of Nectar: Srila Prabhupada’S Causeless Mercy | His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Archives

1. SRILA PRABHUPADA’S CAUSELESS MERCY

This is the manifestation of Srila Prabhupada’s causeless mercy, it’s simply due to his causeless mercy that today we can get together on an occasion like this and speak about Srimati Radharani and Sri Krishna. Had we not have come into contact with Srila Prabhupada or ISKCON, this good fortune would have not been there for us. And actually, this is the highest spiritual understanding, there is nothing beyond that. Sometimes we tell people from other groups, other sampradayas that we are here to get the best so if you have something better than what I have found please give it to me I will take it. But at least in the last 37 years, I have not found anything greater than this and there is nothing greater than this.

These pastimes are like a drama on a stage

These pastimes are like a play or drama on a stage, it is being enacted. When the good actors play a role what happens? He forgets himself and becomes that role or character. So, in Vrindavan Krishna forgot He is God and He behaves like a cowherd boy and this is His pastimes? Krishna is anandamaya, the source of ananda, He, Himself is full of joy and He offers joy to everyone else. And that joy is experienced through these loving exchanges. Krishna is with His friends in a certain way. And as a result of that His friends become delighted, Krishna becomes delighted and those who are around also become delighted. So that is the lila, Krishna’s pastimes, that’s the purpose of Krishna’s pastimes, through these pastimes Krishna is drowning His devotees in an ocean of ecstasy. itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde, sva-gosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam. Krishna’s own pastimes, an ocean of joy, He drowns Them through His pastimes, He is enjoying and those who are involved in that pastime is submerged in an ocean of ecstasy. Now who is the central figure, the source of ALL, joy of Krishna?

All of Krishna’s joy is simply based on Srimati Radharani

Srimati Radharani is the reservoir of Krishna’s pleasure. Krishna is anandamaya and She is Krishna’s pleasure potency. All Krishna’s pleasure and all of Krishna’s joy is simply based on Srimati Radharani. Therefore, when you go to Vrindavan what is the principle consideration? The loving exchange between Radha and Krishna and everything else is around that relationship. Other Gopis are there supporting that loving exchange. The parents are there and the friends are there and they also are supporting that conjugal relationship between Radha and Krishna. Jayo Jayo Ujala jalras...braje te prachar...All glory all glory to that brilliant love which is the essence of all the mellows, what is that? Conjugal mellow. Conjugal can be of two types: sakya (husband and wife) and prakya (lover and beloved). Conjugal relationship means that between a man and women that between Radha and Krishna. The approval of social conformity is not there, no consideration of what people think of Them, Krishna does not give a damn. That is the difference between lila purusotam and mariyada purusotam. Lord Ramachandra mariyada purusotam, He is very concerned because He is establishing the principle of dharma therefore Ramachandra very careful how He behaves. He did not accept more than one wife. All the Ksatriya generally have many wives at least two. Even Narayana has two wives, formally Sridevi and Bhudevi. Ramachandra accepted only one wife Sitadevi. Ramachandra even banished Sitadevi because some people cast some doubt about her character so that is how Ramachandra’s pastimes are. But Krishna, what to speak of wives, Krishna did not even get married and was dancing with others wives, apparently it is immoral but where is the consideration of morality or immorality of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? He is the Supreme proprietor, when the proprietor enjoys somebody or something is there anything wrong? No. How He does it is His business and this is what He is doing through His lila. He kind of creates a situation where they feel if these girls were married to someone else, as if they do not belong to Krishna. It is said again by the Goswamis the loving exchange becomes most intensified when there are obstacles, the movement of love is crooked it’s not on a straight line. When the obstacles are there what happens? Obstacles you have to bypass it so that is how love moves. Obstacle bypass it, find a way around. The senior members of the family say don’t go meet that boy, the girl finds a way out and meets her lover quietly and that makes the love so exciting and that’s exactly what Krishna is doing, also the consideration is there whether it was moral or not.

Vrindavan is beyond anyone’s understanding

Jiva Goswami in Gopal Champu pointed out that Radha and Krishna did in fact get married, there is an elaborate description of how Krishna got married to Radharani. Another consideration is when Brahma stole the cowherd boys and the claves, Krishna expanded Himself to all the cowherd boys and the calves. At that time Krishna told Nanda Maharaja that this is a very good year for the girls to get married. So, who did they get married to? They got married to Krishna. It is also mentioned apparently although they were married, they could not even touch those girls. Even though there is four sampradayas like Abhimanyu could not even touch Srimati Radharani, apparently, he was more interested in his cows, he would spend more time with the cows and be more concerned with the cows. These are just apparent reasons for the sake of the pastimes to make it more joyful. Vrindavan is beyond anyone’s understanding. Although there are four sampradayas, they all authorised and bona fide but even they did not have any understanding of Vrindavan.

Mahabhava-svarupa sri radha-thakurani Srimati Radharani

What is Radharani’s mood? Mahabhava! Mahabhava-svarupa sri radha-thakurani Srimati Radharani is the embodiment of Mahabhava. Mahabhava is the highest form of devotion. Radharani is the personification of devotion to Krishna. She is the personified hladini-sakti and this hladini-sakti is the intense form of devotion for Krishna. Krishna came assuming the mood of Srimati Radharani that is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In simple words Krishna is actually playing the role of Srimati Radharani. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna acting like Radharani. Krishna displaying the mood of Radharani. Krishna is displaying devotion to Krishna in the mood of Srimati Radharani. Okay now you consider when you are following Caitanya Mahaprabhu who are you following? Srimati Radharani. Who is the greatest Ragat-mika-bhakta of Vrindavan? Srimati Radharani. When you are following Caitanya Mahaprabhu what kind of devotion are you executing? Raganuga-bhakti. The greatest Ragat-mika-bhakta is Srimati Radharani and following Srimati Radharani means Raganuga-bhakti. So now you see Vaidhi bhakti to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is automatically transformed into Raganuga-bhakti that is what Nityananda prabhu explained to Jiva Goswami. Same point being made by Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, just in one verse yatha yatha gaura padaravinde vindeta bhaktim krtapunya-rasih tatha tathotsarpati hrdy akasmad radha-padambhoja sudhambu-rasih. As one develops his attachment to the lotus feet of Gaura, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he develops his bhakti, his devotion to the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu due to heaps of pious activities accordingly springs forth the nectar that is flowing from the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani. And what is the nectar of the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani? Vraja bhakti. So, this is how we can see how perfectly Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave this process for all of us and how wonderfully Srila Prabhupada has presented it to us all over the world. Sometimes I see devotees get bewildered by some unscrupulous individuals who claim that Prabhupada did not give everything. Now to get everything we have to go to them claiming that Prabhupada did not give us Raganuga-bhakti so we have to go to them to get Raganuga-bhakti but what we end up getting some sahajiyas some other sampradayas teachings.

2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION

3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS

Had we not have come into contact with Srila Prabhupada or ISKCON, this good fortune would have not been there for us;
But at least in the last 37 years, I have not found anything greater than this and there is nothing greater than this; and
So, this is we can see how perfectly Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave this process for all of us and how wonderfully Srila Prabhupada has presented it to us all over the world.

(The content of this E-magazine is based on a Lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on 6 September 2013, ISKCON Lenasia, South Africa.)

(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Dasi)

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