Discussions on the doctrines of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Please place practical questions under the Miscellaneous forum and set this aside for the more theoretical side of it.
Identification Problem -
TarunGovindadas - Sun, 07 Mar 2004 16:27:27 +0530
Jay Sri Radhe.
Dandavats.
recently i thought a lot about the following:
lets say i desire to become an aspirant for manjari bhava, lets say i got diksha and later on siddha-pranali. so in my bhajan i can then meditate on my siddha-svarupa as a manjari.
now, a conflict arises in my foolish mind:
on the one side, i live in this material world, leading a life with my girlfriend (husband), with my job as a male teacher and maybe also with my role as a father.
how to balance these two identifications?
performing my duties as a soul with a male body in this world AND meditating on my svarupa as a spiritual female (manjari)?
please , anyone has an advice?
thank you
Tarunji
nabadip - Mon, 08 Mar 2004 00:11:51 +0530
There is not really any problem. You receive the diksha (most likely) from a Bengali speaking guru living in a Hindi-speaking environment being invaded by not completely English-speaking foreigners of all kinds, leading temporarily or permanently a life-style of village India mixed with low-high-tech advances. The cultural setting you adopt for your mental practice is situated a few thousand years ago in an ideal wonderland, where everyone speaks and acts exactly according to Rasa-shastra, recently developed, in Sanskrit or Bengali. As long as your manjari svarup does not develop the desire to drive your Mercedes or BMW to work, there is not really any problem. So nothing to worry really. Just watch who is driving your car.
Madhava - Mon, 08 Mar 2004 00:12:53 +0530
Bapuji - Sun, 21 Mar 2004 01:09:43 +0530
Should a conditioned soul who is still encumbered with Ahamkara try to contemplate siddha-deha while keeping a life of false designations?
Couldn't this disturb the equilibrium of both endeavors?
nabadip - Sun, 21 Mar 2004 01:34:03 +0530
Ahamkara is the principle of nature which keeps the five elements, senses, mind etc together and identifies them as this one being that you are. Ahamkara is nothing bad, as you do not want to be dissolved but rather live a life of a sadhaka, applying will-power, enjoying rasa, doing seva...
The conditioned being could never reach out into the unconditioned state, if conditioning meant a limitation only, and not also a stepping stone for further development. Our "false" designations help us to be bhaktas.
Others may answer the other part of the question, as my line does not advocate the development of siddha-deha.
Madhava - Sun, 21 Mar 2004 01:47:26 +0530
A stage of transition inevitably brings about disturbance in equilibrium. The sheer fact that one engages in acts of bhakti brings about turmoil in the equilibrium of our mundane awereness. In progress, disturbance is inevitable.
Radhapada - Sun, 21 Mar 2004 23:04:44 +0530
Meditating on the siddha deha, the transcendental aprakata dhama, the lila of the Lord--all is possible with the help of Sri Guru. Sri Guru gives the devotee entrance into worship which is otherwise impossible to accomplish. The diksa mantras, the holy names of Krsna, the tilak markings that one puts on ones body, the Murtis that are worshipped everyday--all part of the process to attain Sri Krishna. They are not separate things from raganuga bhajan whose main item is smaranam. It should be understood without no doubts that it is a practice.
One usually begins with a regulated sadhana as instructed by Sri Guru. One performs his bhajan in the morning while meditating that one is an eternal associate of the Lord in Vraja dhama. Then when it is time to go to work you shift to the world of work. While at work if you can remember at times your siddha deha, Krsna and His pastimes, great! If not, don't worry about it because you can do it when you get back from work and have some peaceful time.
Just because you have a siddha deha received from Sri Guru it doesn't mean that you stop fuctioning in this world of matter with the things related to the present material body. Many of Mahaprabhu's eternal associates were grhasthas with children hanging on their arms. Did that stop them from entering and relishing Vrndavan rasa with Sri Krishna through the mercy of Mahaprabhu? The mind is conjering things of a mundane nature that may not have nothing to do with the present reality of the physical body. But yet, we do things that need to be done as part of the bodies relations and needs. In a similar way, one can contemplate on transcendental spiritual bodies, emotions and activies if there is a practice and then later answer the needs and attentions of the body and its relations. I personally don't find it difficult sorting out the two worlds.
Satyabhama - Fri, 10 Sep 2004 23:32:02 +0530
admittedly, there is sometimes interference with concentration on everyday things. I wonder if others would agree. Anyway, I have this "friend"
who locked herself out of her house because her mind does not want to stay in this world, and she left her keys inside... she also cuts her fingers while cutting vegetables, and has become extremely "forgetful" with everyday things. Yes, it can be a problem. Just try try TRY to do your best to do all your duties in this world, even if you sometimes forget you are actually *in* this world...
