Shyam Mukh Chhavi Lakhi Gai Balihar

Shyam mukh chhavi lakhi gai balihar.
One Braj Gopi says to another, “When I beheld Shri Krishna’s beautiful face, I completely surrendered my everything to Him.”

Lakhatahin banata sakhi mukh chhavi jab, hansat Shyam sarkar.
When Shri Krishna laughs, His glorious beauty is multiplied.

Dadim beej sarisa dashanana duti, damakani shveta nihar.
His dazzling white teeth are like the shining white seeds of a ripe pomegranate.

So duti adhara aruima te mili, shvetarun rangadhar.
When the whiteness of His teeth mingle with the redness of His lips, they appear to be reddish-white.

Puni shvetarun ranga me tanu ranga, neelo mili ik sar.
And when the bluish complexion of His face combines with these two…

Lakhi ‘Kripalu’ mukh rang triveni, vidhi hari har manhar.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says, “Then seeing the wonderful triveni of these three in Shri Krishna’s face, even Vishnu and Shiva surrender themselves at His lotus feet.” (The triveni is the confluence of the three divine rivers Ganga, Saraswati, and Yamuna near Allahabad. Here triveni refers to the divine confluence of the whiteness of Shri Krishna’s teeth, the redness of His lips and the bluish glow of His complexion.)

Listen to this pad kirtan:

(Excerpted from “Shri Krishna Dvadashapadi”, written and composed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.”)

© Radha Govind Samiti and Bhakti Bliss

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Anupam Neelo Tanu Sarkar

Anupam neelo tanu sarkar.
The beautiful blue-complexion of Shri Krishna’s divine body is unmatched anywhere.

Kou kaha indraneel mani sam kou, neela jalada anuhar.
Some Rasik Saints have compared it to a blue sapphire, others to a bluish rain-laden cloud.

Kou kaha neela kamala sama neelo, tanu chhavi Nanda-kumar.
Some Rasik Saints have said Krishna’s beautiful complexion is like a blue lotus.

In teenon ka prithak prithak hai, gun budha karahu vichar.
A sapphire, cloud and lotus all have different unique qualities. A sapphire is smooth with a sparkling blue radiance. A bluish cloud is soft and cool. A blue lotus is refreshing and fragrant.

Yate in tinon ke guna ka, mishrana kar taiyar.
If all of these unique qualities were mixed together,

Puni usamen mishran karu chinmaya, prem sudha ras-sar.
And then they were combined with the nectar of divine love, this would to some extent give an idea of the beauty of Shri Krishna’s blue complexion.

Kaha ‘Kripalu’ tanu upama as jas, tanu Vrishbhanu-dular.
According to Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, the transcendental divine form of Shri Krishna can only truly be compared to the divine form of Shri Radha. (Although Saints use material examples to help us visualise Shri Krishna’s divine form, in reality, it has no comparison to anything in the material world.)

Listen to this pad kirtan:

(Excerpted from “Shri Krishna Dvadashapadi”, written and composed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.”)

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Neelamani, Tanu Lakhi Gai Balihar

Neelamani, tanu lakhi gai balihar.
A Gopi of Braj describes the beautiful form of Shyamsundar (Krishna) to her friend, “I surrendered my body, mind and soul when I saw Neelamani’s (Shyamsundar’s) divine form.”

Tribhuvan sundar Kamdev aru, Rati hai uski nar.
The celestial god Kamdeva is the most beautiful being in our world and Rati, who is equally beautiful, is his wife.

Unte aganit gunit manohar, hain sundar sarkar.
Uncountable times greater than their combined beauty, is the unlimited divine beauty of Shyamsundar.

Unki sundarta unke hi, man ko mohanahar.
Shyamsundar’s beauty is so captivating and charming, that even He Himself is attracted by His own beauty.

Unki chinmaya tanu lakhi gyanihun, manat muktihin khar.
The jnani Saints who are fortunate to experience the limitless sweetness of Shyamsundar’s divine love find their nondual bliss of liberation to be bland and tasteless in comparison.

Shiva, Shuka, Janaka, Sanaka tanu chhavi lakhi, det samadhi visar.
Great jnani Saints like Shiva, Shukadeva, Janak and Sanak and others forget the bliss of their samadhi (nondual transcendence) seeing the overwhelming splendour of Krishna’s divine form.

Rama, Brahmani, Vani, lakhi nahin pativratadhar.
Divine Goddesses such as Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati can’t maintain their marital vows of fidelity to their husbands once they see the all-attracting beauty of Shyamsundar.

Unke rom rom te santata, bah braj ras ki dhar.
The nectar of divine bliss is continuously flowing from each and every pore of Shyamsundar’s divine body.

Kaha Kripalu un tanu ras chakhat, bhal Vrishbhanu-dular.
Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj says, “It is only Radha Rani who fully experiences the sweetness of the divine love bliss of Shyamsundar’s divine form.”

Listen to the audio:

(Excerpted from “Shri Krishna Dvadashapadi”, written and composed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.”)

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The Two Kinds of Souls

Tu to hai sada se hi Govinda Radhey,
Kaal ras ab ras kaal bana dey.

(Synopsis of a talk given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 30, 2011, in Shyama Shyam Dham, Orissa, India, explaining this new kirtan verse)

There are two types of souls. The first are called swansh, and the second are called vibhinnansh. Those who are swansh include Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Saints like Narada and the divine Gopis of Golok. They are all eternally liberated from Maya. They have never been under the control of Maya. The word swansh is made up of “swa” or personal and “ansh” or part. This means these souls are an eternal part of God’s own personal power.

If you fill a pot with ocean water, the water inside the pot is a part of the ocean. The qualities of the water in the pot will be the same as the water in the ocean. If you were to drink a few drops of the ocean of amrit, the nectar that bestows immortality, you would receive the same qualities as the ocean of amrit. So a part has all the qualities of the whole to which it is related. Because swansh have eternally been personal parts of God, they have all the qualities of God.

The second type of soul is called vibhinnansh. “Vibhinna” means separated, so these are parts of God that are separated from God. If these parts belong to God, then why are they described as separated? They are referred to as separated because they have eternally remained turned away from God. What happens when you are turned away from God? Maya controls you. As a result of this, you forget your true identity as a part of God and that God alone is your everything. Such a person is identified with his body and he is attached to those who are related to his body. Due to this attachment, he forgets God.

When someone is turned away from God, he comes under the control of Maya. While under the control of Maya, he sins. After all, he is now overpowered by ignorance. Now he performs actions and is further bound by their consequences, and as a result, he remains stuck in the cycle of birth and death.

What is the solution for this? The one who is turned away from God has to turn towards God. Then what happens is the ignorance that makes you identify yourself as the body is dispelled and it is replaced with the knowledge that you are the soul.

Soul can’t have relationships with one another in the material world. For example, although waves keep on arising on the ocean, their permanent relationship is only with the ocean itself, not to each other. In this way, the souls are only eternally related to God.

Sometimes two waves meet, then one subsides. In other words, wave-to-wave relationships are temporary. The relationship between individual embodied souls, whether between a parent and child or a husband and wife is perishable.

Even if the roof of a house collapsed and all the members of a family died together, what would happen to each of them after death? All of them will go to separate destinations because the actions they performed during their lifetimes were all different. Each will receive a consequence in accordance with those actions. It is not that they will get the same parents, spouse or children again. Due to their different consequences, someone will become a dog, someone a donkey, someone will go do to the celestial abodes – all according to their past actions. There they will meet a new mother, a new father, have a new spouse, produce new sons and daughters. Again at the time of death, all these relations will be separated from each other and each will receive a new birth in accordance with their own past actions.

A train is going from your hometown to Delhi. On board are many different passengers. Each will get off at the station that is their final destination. Not everyone goes to Delhi. Even if they were all to get off at Delhi, they will all go to their respective homes in different neighborhoods and be separated. The world is just like this.

According to our own past deeds, God places us in the wombs of different mothers. God doesn’t force someone to be the son of a king and another to be the son of a beggar. He doesn’t force someone into the womb of a dog and make someone else a tree. God is not doing this whimsically. God grants to each of us a different birth based on our own individual past actions.

Even in human births there are great differences. If you are born to the wife of a meat-eating, alcoholic criminal, there is a good chance you will be like him. Your father will teach you his ways. “Son, why work for someone or have your own business? Rob a bank like me and you can become a millionaire overnight!” Another person is born to the wife of a Saint and starts saying God’s name from his very birth. Another person is born to rich parents and is pridefully intoxicated by this wealth. He laughs at the very mention of God. In this way, the type of rebirth we receive is according to our own individual past actions.

But when a person turns towards God, then Maya runs away from him. Then all of Maya’s relatives – lust, anger, greed, infatuation and so on – they all tie up their bedrolls at once and run away with Maya. This is like the way darkness runs away at the coming of light. No one is able to see it go; it just goes away. Similarly, once Maya goes away, these qualities will leave you forever. They can never return.

Once a person becomes God’s by fully turning towards Him, he becomes united with God. He doesn’t remain separated. Veda Vyas put all this philosophy into a single verse in the Bhagwatam,

“Bhayam dvitiya-viniveshatahsya-dishadapetasya-virparyayo smritih.”

(Bhagwatam 11/2/37) Turn towards God and Guru. Surrender to them completely and then Maya will leave. If you remain turned away from God, your mind will have a reversed understanding. You will identify yourself with the body and then have to  suffer the consequences.

Both God and the soul reside in one place in the heart.

“Dwa suparna sayuja sakhaya samanam vriksham parikasvajatey.”

(Shvetashvatara Upanishad 4/6) But we do not receive His divine qualities even though both are in exactly the same place. God is actually seated within us.

“Ya atmani tishthati.”

(Vedas) Rather it could be said that He permeates us.

“Tailum tileshu kashteshu…”
(Vasudev Upanishad 1/1) God permeates the soul just as oil permeates a sesame seed, as fire permeates wood, as clarified butter permeates milk, as fragrance permeates a flower. God permeates the soul in a similar manner, but we are not benefiting from this. Why is that? Because we are turned away from Him.

God is telling us from within, “Child, come to Me. Don’t go in that direction.” But we respond, “No, I will go towards the world. Everyone is surrendering to Maya, so I will too. If there are a few Saints in the world saying to go towards God, the statements of a few could hardly be taken seriously.”

This is the mistake we have made since eternity. Don’t ask the question, “When did I turn away from God?” People use the logic that Maya overpowered them at some point because they turned away from God. They ask, “Why and when did I turn away from Him?” This didn’t happen on a particular day. Maya has had you in its grip since eternity.

However, if you but once turn towards God completely, that is, if you surrender to Him completely, Maya will leave you and never return. It will never control you again. This is the detailed meaning of this verse.

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Use every precious moment of your life

Rato re man! Chhin chhin Radhey nam.
Oh my mind! Use each and every precious moment of life to lovingly chant Shri Radha’s name.

Brahmadik ki kaun bat jehi,
ratat brahm Ghanshyam.
Shri Radha’s name is chanted not only by the three spiritual governors of this world (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), but also by the supreme Lord, Shri Krishna, Himself.

Jehi rati maharas-ras payo,
Shankar dhari tanu bam.
It was through the chanting Shri Radha’s name that Lord Shiva was able to assume the form of a Gopi during the age of Dwapar Yuga and experience the nectar of divine love bliss in the pastime of mahārāsa.

Nigam-agam nidhi rasikan deeni, binuhin mol binu dam.
The rasika Saints, through their causeless grace, have made available to you the treasure of the name, ‘Shri Radhey’, which is unattainable even through the Vedas.

Radhey nam pukarat aarat, bhajati taji nij dham.
No sooner does a devotee in distress call out to Her, saying ‘Radhey!’ from the bottom of his heart, than Shri Radha leaves Her divine abode and comes running to him with a deep longing to grace him.

Milyo Kripalu ratan amolak, kaha jagat son kam.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Jisays, “Since finding the priceless gem in the form of the name ‘Shri Radhey’ through the grace of the rasika Saints, now I have no concern with this material world.”

(Pad kirtan excerpted from the Siddhant Madhuri section of Prem Ras Madira, written and composed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj)

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The True Givers – Part 2

Hari Guru Do Hi Data Govinda Radhey,
Shesh sansar to bhikari bata dey.

(Synopsis of a talk given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 18, 2011, in Bhakti Dham, Mangadh, India, explaining this new kirtan verse)

The ones who can truly give are those who possess premanand, divine love – God and the Saints who have realised God. These two possess true wealth. They don’t desire anything beyond this because there is nothing greater to attain. What will they do now? Nothing. Because any action that a person performs is done to to attain something.

A person is sitting with closed eyes. Now he opens them. Why did he do that? There must be a reason, because no action is performed without a reason. First we have some kind of aim and then we act. But all aims end for the one who attains God, which means his actions also come to an end. But what will the Saint now do? He will perform charitable actions that bestow ananda, true happiness. But who could he give this to? The souls do not have a worthy vessel to hold it, and the vessels that a few do possess are full of holes, making that ananda leak out.

We have met Saints uncountable times who have given us that happiness. But after receiving it, we threw it away. Our vessel, the mind, is dirty. Our intellect is mayic, material. For these reasons whenever we met a true Saint, we asked, “Why is he dressing like that? Why is he acting like that? Why is he looking around like that?” and so on. By doing so, we just added to our stock of sin. Instead of gaining, we lost.

Our puny intellect doesn’t let anyone escape its analysis – not even God or Saints. It is constantly evaluating what is good or bad and right or wrong. The proof of what is wrong with us is the wrong we see in others.

So God and Guru are the true givers. But in spite of seeing God in uncountable descensions and after having met innumerable Saints since time immemorial, we did not fully accept them. If we did, it was only for short time. Why? This was due to the intellect’s decision. We thought, “God and Saints are performing the same kinds of actions as me.” We never understood the difference between their actions and ours.

For example, you are eating a ras gulla and enjoying its sweetness and flavor. A Saint is also eating a ras gulla, but he is savoring only God’s bliss. Yet, both appear to be performing the same action. A Saint has children and so do you. In fact, 99.9% of all Saints have had children and lived in family life. The only difference is they had no emotional attachment.

Once Prahlad’s son Virochana and the son of Prahlad’s Guru became infatuated with the same girl. They were both in competition for her. Virochana said, “I am the king’s son. I am better than you.” The other boy said, “I am the king’s Guru’s son, so I am better.” So both of them made a bet and wagered their lives, “If I am greater than you, then I can take your life. If you are greater than me, then my life is in your hands.” But who would be the judge?

The Guru’s son said to Virochana, “Your father should judge this.” Virochana said, “What if you say my father is being partial?” The Guru’s son said, “No, my father said that Prahlad is a Saint and he has absolutely no emotional attachment.” Otherwise, there is no judge who could be impartial in giving a judgement to his own son.

Prahlad decided that the Guru’s son was greater. With no qualms, he peacefully told Virochana, who was his only child, “Alright son, get ready. Place your head in the noose.” But the Guru’s son stopped him and said, “Wait, I have a question. Why am I greater?” Prahlad said, “Virochan is the son of a demon, but you are the son of a brahmin and my Guru.” Then the Guru’s son said, “Then that means you have to follow my orders.” Prahlad said, “Of course.” So the Guru’s son said, “Let Virochana go.” Prahlad just as peacefully removed the noose from his son’s neck. This is the difference that sets God and Saints apart from us.

We are emotionally attached to each and everything in the world, thinking, “This is mine!” You feel this way about your mother and father, but your parents have changed innumerable times in previous lifetimes. However many dogs, cats, donkeys and even flies there are, those souls have all been your mother and father at one time or another. After all, the human form is only received occasionally. We have wandered in lower births for millions of years.

This human form is granted to us only time to time by God. While we were still in the womb of such a birth, we prayed to God, “Please take me out of this intolerable hell! Now I will only worship you!” After taking birth, our mother taught us through attachment to her that God doesn’t exist, “I am your only mother.” As we grew older, we developed many more attachments – a wife, a husband, children, your children’s children – everywhere we are surrounded by attachments to everything.

Someone has a high fever, someone else has been hurt in an accident. We cry for all of them, and on top of that is our own personal pain. It is quite surprising that a human being remains alive despite tolerating so much suffering. But if you were to place your hands around the neck of such a suffering person and pretend to strangle him to help take him out of his misery, he would say, “Hey! What are you doing?! I don’t want to die!” “But you are suffering so much.” “So what! Let me suffer.” This is the state of our ignorance.

So the true givers of happiness are God and the Saint. All else are beggars. The one who surrenders to God and Saint and ends his faith that happiness will come from his worldly attachments becomes divinely gratified.

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Bali Jaun Ladli Lal Ki

Bali jaun Ladli Lal ki.
I surrender myself again and again to Shri Radha Krishna.

Garbahin deeney dou viharat,
kunja-latan tamal ki.
Through flowering bowers and groves,
They stroll lovingly with Their arms around each other.

Kirti kunvari gaur tanu it, ut,
shyamal Yashumati-bal ki.
On one side is the golden-complexioned daughter of Kirti, Shri Radha, and on the other side, the blue-complexioned son of Yashoda, Shri Krishna.

Chhavi sorah singar itai ut,
nat vapu vesh rasal ki.
I offer my everything to Shri Radha, who is adorned with sixteen embellishments, and to Shri Krishna, who is dressed beautifully in a country style.

Prem divane, manmane dou, lajavat chal maral ki.
Lost in the ecstasy of divine love, Their free and intoxicating gait is putting even a swan to shame.

Yadapi ‘Kripalu’ ek dou Swamini, Swamini tadapi Gupal ki.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says, “Although both Shri Radha and Shri Krishna are one, from the point of view of the rasikas, Shri Radha is the Swamini of Shri Krishna.

(Pad kirtan excerpted from Yugal Madhuri section of Prem Ras Madira, written and composed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj)

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Worshiping Radha Krishna – Part 5

Ishton men Radha Krishna Govinda Radhey,
Bhavon men madhurya shreshta bata dey.

(Part 5– Synopsis of a talk given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 17, 2011, in Bhakti Dham, Mangadh, India, explaining this new kirtan verse.)

What is selflessness or niskhamata? To desire your beloved’s happiness, not your own. A little selflessness is seen in the world when a baby is born. A mother and father serve their child even though their child does nothing in return for them – everything is done by them for the baby. How many dirty and messy things the mother has to do, and if another baby is born within the year she undergoes even more hardship. She keeps on running back and forth changing diapers, keeping them warm, feeding them, holding them when they are crying. How can she sleep? Her husband, who is also woken up every night, is convinced at this point, “There is only suffering in this world!”

So some selflessness is seen in the relationship of a parent and child, but within this there is a hidden desire. “When my baby grows up he’ll get a good job and make a lot of money. Then he’ll take care of me in my old age…” This is the hidden planning that is going on in the parents’ mind. “The scriptures say that my child will enable me to cross over to the next world after death…” So there are many hidden desires like this, but only one desire is missing – that the child should find God. In its place are only worldly desires.

If some selflessness is seen in the world, it is found wherever there is love. Someone loved his father selflessly and that father, who was an alcoholic, died. As a consequence of his debauched lifestyle, the father was reborn as a dog. Due to his attachment, that child will also have to be reborn to his father, regardless of what form his father has taken. Whoever we love, we will have to follow them wherever they go.

This doesn’t refer to just ordinary souls, it also applies to great renounced paramhansas such as Jadbharat. He raised and had great affection for a baby deer. At the time of his death, his last thoughts were of the baby deer. As a result, he had to be reborn as a deer. You all may be familiar with this story from the Bhagwatam.

There are four classes of attachment. If you love a sattvik being, you will enter swarga, the celestial abodes. After staying there for some time, you will return to this earth plane – not in a human form, but in a lower form of life. If you love a rajas being, after your death you will return to this earthly plane and receive a human form. If you love a tamas being. you will enter naraka, the hellish abodes after death. If you love God and Guru, who are divine, you will enter the divine world. No matter with what feeling you love someone, if you are mentally attached, you will go wherever he has gone after your death.

So whether one has selfish or selfless love for a material being dominated by satvik, rajas or tamas, the consequence is always mayic or material and binds the soul in the cycle of birth and death. But if one has selfless or even selfish love for God, he will enter the divine world.

However, Saints advise against selfish devotion. Selfishness in devotion means that before God realisation, you asked God to fufill your devotional desire. What
will happen if your desire is unfulfilled?

For example, someone desires to see God, to have His divine darshan. But his mind has not become completely purified, there is still 10% more to go. So he will not receive God’s swaroopa shakti that will divinise his senses, mind and intellect. Therefore he won’t be able to perceive God’s divine form. But his desire was, “I will see God within a year!” But two years have passed and still he hasn’t had God’s darshan. At this point he may start thinking, “This is all useless!” He does an about turn and leaves his devotional practice. If this person does not have a Guru, who will tell him that he is purifying the sins of uncountable lifetimes and that he still has a little farther to go?

When a person is digging a well for water, first he encounters some damp soil and feels excited, “I’ll find water soon!” As he continues to dig, he finds big rocks. He is surprised, “Why are these here? I thought I would find water!” If an experienced well-digger is nearby, he will say, “Don’t worry. You have to dig out the rocks first. Water is definitely there.” He takes out the rocks and finds a layer of pebbles and small stones. “Hey! What is this?” Again that experienced well-digger says, “Just keep digging.” He does and he finally finds water.

If a person gives up digging after finding rocks, he will spend his whole life digging wells in different places and never finding water. This is what happens to the person who has selfish devotion. Someone tells him, “Why are you practicing devotion to Krishna? Worship Lord Shiva instead. He is so easily pleased. He will grace you immediately! You just have to sprinkle a little water on Him and give Him some bel leaves and He will be happy.” He feels swayed by this and leaves his practice of Krishna devotion. After some time another person comes and says, “Why aren’t you practicing devotion to Mother Durga? She is so gracious!” Like this, innocent practioners pass their whole lives going from here to there until their death. They don’t attain anything.

If they had met a true Saint who understood scriptural philosophy and was also a practical knower of God, and if that Saint had explained to them the difference between selfish and selfless devotion, and how to practice selfless devotion, then they could continue their practice unperturbed, “So what if I don’t attain God realisation in one birth? I’ll attain it in my next birth.” They wouldn’t give up.

Just see, when a child is learning to walk, at this stage he can’t even talk or understand what is said to him. He uses the wall for support, then a nearby couch or bed, then he holds onto his mother. He takes a few steps and then falls. This fall hurts his tender body. But again he stands up, takes a few steps and falls down. But he doesn’t give up.

You all went through this stage. You just don’t remember. No one was ever born who could start running right away. You first tried day and night and then you learned to turn over, and from there you progressed. Now if an athlete has an operation and must be confined to bed for one week, he becomes extremely restless and unhappy. But a newborn is confined to not only being bed, but remaining in the same position. This changes only if his mother holds him for
some time. After this he is again confined to his bed. This is his condition at the start.

So this is the essence of the secret of selfishness and selflessness. Using these guideliness, form desires for God and Guru, not the world. Render service to them, make their desire your desire and give them happiness. This is selfless devotion.

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Worshiping Radha Krishna – Part 4

Ishton men Radha Krishna Govinda Radhey,
Bhavon men madhurya shreshta bata dey.

(Part 4 – Synopsis of a talk given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 17, 2011, in Bhakti Dham, Mangadh, India, explaining this new kirtan verse)

After God realisation one does not continue to have material desires.

Bhidyate hridayagranthish-chidyante sarva sanshayah.
Ksheeyante chasya karmani tasmin drishte paravare.

This verse is found in the Mundak Upanishad 2/2/8, Yogashika Upanishad 5/45, Saraswati-darshan Upanishad 32, Bhagwatam 1/2/21 and 11/20/30. It says that after God realisation, one’s mayic ignorance is destroyed. As a result, all of one’s material desires are eliminated. Really, after experiencing such great divine bliss, why would one continue to have material desires? God’s bliss is unlimited. Worldly happiness has no comparison to this.

So there can be nothing more foolish than to ask God to fulfill your material desires. To say one’s desires were fulfilled by God is utter nonsense. If they were  fulfilled, this was bound to happen anyway according to one’s karmic destiny. We wrongly give God the credit for this.

Further, if we have material desires, this only means we have not yet understood the ABCs of spiritual philosophy. We are still confused about whether happiness is in the world or in God. This is the very first stage of understanding. And if one realises that there is no happiness in the world  including up to Brahma’s abode, then why would we ask God for the world? Why don’t we pray to God to realise God?

Urvashi

Once God went to the celestial abodes. Indra welcomed Him with great respect, “God has come to my kingdom!” When He was leaving, God said to Indra, “Son, ask for a boon.” Indra said, “Please give me such a woman whose beauty has never been equalled in the past nor will be in the future.” God smiled and thought, “I can’t believe what a foolish request this is. What does he lack here in the celestial abodes? The most beautiful maidens are already here.” Celestial gods have so much power they could  produce thousands of such maidens simply by thought.

But to fulfill Indra’s desire, God produced thousands of extraordinarily beautiful women and said, “Choose one from among these.” Indra only saw the very first maiden and said, “I choose that one.” Her name was Urvashi. Indra took her to his Guru, Brihaspati. Brihaspati said to Indra, “Who have you brought with you? This isn’t Indrani, your wife.” Indra sheepishly said, “Oh, well, God appeared today… and… He said I could ask for something…” Brihaspati said, “What? You have given your Guru a bad name! You asked for this from God?”

So when the emperor of the celestial abodes can make this kind of mistake, how much more foolish are those who go to the temple and pray to God for the fulfillment of their material desires?

The defeat of Abhimanyu

Even if God Himself where to appear before you, He will not fulfill such prayers. What is it that God could give? Take a look at history.

Even Abhimanyu, who was sinless, had to die. Although Veda Vyas, a descension of God, performed Abhimanyu’s marriange, and Abhimanyu’s uncle was Lord Krishna, who was supreme God, and his father was Arjuna, a true saint, decension of Nar-Narayana and knower of the Bhagavad Gita, no one could save him. Why not? What is death to God? Is anything impossible for Him to do? Surely He could have saved him.

Yet, when Arjuna was weeping after Abhimanyu’s death, He asked Lord Krishna, “Please let me see him just once.” Even at that time, Lord Krishna couldn’t bring him back. He said, “One’s time of death is determined by the destiny created by one’s actions. I do not interfere in this.”

So unlike Abhimanyu, when you have no relationship with Lord Krishna, what will you receive by asking Him to fulfill your desires?

Even Lord Ram’s father, Dasharath, had to die. Lord Ram Ram did not save him, even though He saved thousands of monkeys killed in the battle of Lanka. This is because when one’s destined time of death has come, he must go. We can’t do anything to alter this. Then why do we hope that merely by asking God to fulfill our material demands He will do so?

Material desires are only a source of suffering, and to ask God to fulfill these is outright foolishness. This is also pure selfishness, sakamata. What is selflessness, niskhamata, will be described next.

(Continued in part 5)

© Radha Govinda Samiti and Bhakti Bliss

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Worshiping Radha Krishna – Part 3

Ishton men Radha Krishna Govinda Radhey,
Bhavon men madhurya shreshta bata dey.

(Part 3 – Synopsis of a talk given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 17, 2011, in Bhakti Dham, Mangadh, India, explaining this new kirtan verse.)

What is the nature of selfless devotion? People are very confused about this, including those who are supposedly learned. There are two areas – Maya’s area and God’s area. For this reason there are two kinds of desires – desires for material things related to the world and desires related to God. Therefore selflessness or niskhamata is of two kinds. One kind is directed towards the world and the other kind is directed towards God.

To have worldly desires is only natural. We perceive the world before us and so we form worldly desires thinking that by fulfilling them we will attain happiness. If clarified butter is poured on a fire, the flames reduce as if the fire is being extinguished, but then they rise up again. Similarly, when we fulfill worldly desires, these desires don’t come to an end, they only grow stronger. The Ved says,

Na jatu kamah kamanam mupabhogena shyamyati... Narad Parivrajak Upanishad, 3/37.

This verse is also in the Bhagwatam, the Vishnu Purana and the Padma Purana. Worldly desires don’t come to end when they are fulfilled; they grow stronger.

A poor person thinks, “If only I could have $100,000.” After attaining this, he starts thinking, “$100,000 is nothing. I want $200,000!” Desires keep on growing like this. The greatest billionaires feel distressed that in the coming year someone else’s wealth will surpass theirs. Even in an ordinary family it is seen that if one person is more financially successful than the others, those who have less feel jealous. This is also seen in the celestial abodes,

Surapatir brahmam padam yachatey.

Indra is the emperor of the celestial abodes. All the other celestial gods like Varuna, Kuber, Yamaraj and others are under his command. Even so, he is not satisfied with his own abode; he desires the abode of Brahma. He feels restless and has no peace of mind.

Remember this: Desires only increase when you fulfill them. This is where everyone is stuck. There are five kinds of desires of the five senses – to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, and to touch. Whatever kind of desire you have, it will either be fulfilled or not. We feel happy when a desire is fulfilled. But after this, that desire grows stronger. This is the double danger with worldly desires.

If someone says he will pray to God to fulfill his material desires, what will happen? Nothing. Why? Because God only listens to His devotees. If one hundred people go to the temple and pray to God to make them prime minister the next day – how is this possible?

Imagine that you are standing on the side of the road and you must reach Allahabad. You flag down an approaching car. The driver wonders, “Who is that person? Why is he trying to stop me?” But he does stop and you tell him, “I must go to Allahabad.” The passenger refuses and as he drives away he thinks,”That person is absolutely crazy. I have no idea who he is but he wants me to take him to Allahabad?!”

But if that driver’s relative were standing by the side of the road or if his Guru suddenly appeared there, he would immediately stop and ask, “Why are you standing here?” “My car broke down.” “Oh! Please come with me.” Without even asking, that person is invited into the car. This is because there is a relationship between the driver and that person. There is a feeling of love and devotion and that is why he stopped.

Similarly, great Saints such as Tulsi, Meera, Sur, Kabir, Nanak, Tukaram asked for something from God, and God had to fulfill their desire, even if that meant making the impossible possible. But what about the other requests that people make? Nowadays people rush to pilgrimage places like Vaishno Devi or a particular Shankar Temple, Ganesha Temple or Durga Temple to ask God for something. What is this? Fruitless effort. God will not listen to even 1% of such requests. Why not?

You had a desire so you went to Vaishno Devi and prayed, “Bless me with a son.” By chance you had a son. You believed, “Vaishno Devi performed a miracle for me!” You went to Vaishno Devi a second time. When you returned home you learned your son had died. Now you believe, “This is all a deception! There is no God. My neighbour had five children and he just had a sixth. But I had just one child and he died!”

If you believe your worldly acquisitions are the result of the grace of God or Guru, when these acquisitions are lost or destroyed, you will blame Him, lose faith in Him and act adversely towards Him. Thus, as long as you haven’t attained God realisation, do not ask God, even by mistake, to fulfill your worldly desires.

(Continued in part 4)

© Radha Govind Samiti and Bhakti Bliss

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