Yogapitha Static Meditation - are thrones and jewels "aisvarya"?

I feel like a bull in a china shop for asking this, but does anyone else feel there is something incongruous about references to a "throne" and "jewelled palace" in relation to meditation on the Yogapitha? For instance, at Raganuga.org, it is written:


For me, these references to thrones and jewels imply a type of aisvarya or opulence that seems out of place for those aspiring to a raganuga path in a Vrindavan of simple village life amongst the cowherds and gopis. So why is it not recommended that one begins the process of astakaliya static meditatation on Radha-Govinda as they sit on the banks of a river, amongst flowers and trees...

If anyone has any thoughts on this or related topics, perhaps they would care to share them. ..

Kamala,

Good question. I'd like to hear more on this also.

The first point that is probably worth mentioning is that the throne being referenced--ratnAgAra-siMhAsana--comes from one of the most famous verses of our acaryas, so the idea isn't something "invented" by anyone at raganuga.com. This picture of Radha-Govinda appears in the mangalacaranam of the Chaitanya-caritamrta...and the ISKCON song book. (The idea of jewelled thrones isn't unique to Radha Krsna either. Bhaktivinode Thakur places Gaurachandra on a ratna-simhasan in his Gaura-arati.) Just thought I'd mention that in case it wasn't clear. Some people get accused of making all sorts of fabrications.

The second point would be to question why you think that aisvara can't be present in Vraja? I'm not sure where that idea originates but my guess is that in general the idea of aisvara or opulences being absent in Vraja has more to do with the quintessential opulences we hear about--the six opulences that Bhagavan has in full: knowledge, fame, renunciation, etc. The opulence of being God.

Of course, Krsna does prove himself adept at *growing* his own jewels so its no wonder that there are a lot of them around! But as with all jewels there, their value isn't based on a cartel like DeBeers but on their utility in the divine play of Radha and Krsna.

And jewels are, afterall, just stones produced from the earth. I have fossicked for gold before in the backcreeks of New Zealand and it is amazing to come across nuggets in the wild. With Giriraja-Govardhana supplying so many natural items to enhance the lila of Radha Govinda, it's not a stretch to imagine that some colored stones are also there. If they look good, why not use them?

That said, I have heard people in Vrindavan say that Nanda Maharaja--note, he is the King of Vraja--keeps his treasury on the outskirts of Vraja-mandala, at Kosi, so that the opulence doesn't interfere with the lila but I haven't verified that with anyone. Perhaps there is more to that idea than I've heard. I know that in my own puja I don't like to dress Giridhari with lots of jewels or fancy crowns so I share something of the same outlook, even subconsciously.

In this regard though, it is probably worth mentioning that raganuga-sadhana is about following the mood of the ragatmika Vrajavasis rather than a fixed concept of our own, whether pastoral idealism or whatever. And as with the Radha-Govindadeva verse--they are even referred to here as "deva"--the manner and ingredients are prescribed by sastra and our acaryas. Jewelled thrones are part of that. My understanding is that the Yogapith is also a quite specific or "formal" picture so it perhaps invites everyone being "decked out."

The concepts aizvarya and mAdhurya, when considered in the context of rasa-tattva, refer to the presence and absence of the devotee's perception of Krishna's godhood.

If mere lack of riches translated into mAdhurya, then we should all move to Bangladesh or Somalia.





This entire section of Caitanya Caritamrita is very instructive. Please go over it attentively. I would post more on this if I had better facility just now, however smooth internet access doesn't seem to be among the natural treasures of Vraja-dham at the moment, so what can I do.

My 2 paise from what I've heard over the years is that there is indeed unlimited oppulence in Vraja like Vaikuntha, the only difference is the aishvarya is subdued by, and always subordinate to the sweet mood of madhurya, that every fully concious feature of Vraja posseses.

In Vishvanath's Vraja-riti-chintamani he describes places in the forest of Vraja where the tree's fruits and flowers are made of emeralds, and other regions of the forest they are of rubies and they fall from the trees to form a blanket of jewels on the forest floor.
I have the book just not with me at the moment and I will post some relevant parts if anyone is interested.

In a an old Gaudiya Sakhya-rasa paddhati text I have, the manasa seva is performed to Krishna-Balaram on a throne made of forest branches and decorated with flowers. I don't have that with me at the moment either...

Dandavats. All glories to the Vaisnavas.

Interesting question. I think there is a distinction regarding aisvarya as a mood verse actual opulence. In that sense yogapitha seva doesn't resemble the mood of aisvarya. There is an intimacy and environment of sweetness as opposed to a majestic feel.

The meditation itself is based on the intimate relationships of all involved verse a formal worship of Krsna as God.

Maybe I am taking to question the worng way?

Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa

Here's a referance from Sri Dhyanacandra's Paddhati.

zrI nArada uvAca

vRnde zrInandaputrasya mAdhuryakridane katham/
aizvaryasya prakAzo'bhud-iti me chindhi saMsayam//

Narada said;

O Vrnde, How is it that Sri Nanda's son manifests this display of aisvarya, while yet engaged in madhurya krida ( sweet sports, love-making etc.)? I prithee, do sever this doubt that rises in me.

zrI vRndovAca

mune mAdhurya-maya asti lIlA zakti harer-dRdha/
tayA prthak-krtah krided-gopIkAbhih samaM harih//
rAdhayA saha rUpena nijena ramate svayam/
iti mAdhurya-lIlAyAh zakter nesatayA hereh//

Sri Vrnda replies, O contemplative sage, the very stuff of Hari's Lila sakti is replete with over-riding sweetness ( madhuryamaya), and by the incomprehensable power of the lila sakti, Hari manifests himself simultaneously and severally and holds amorous dallience with all the cowerd damsels.
Yet in his original form he remains with Radha and sports with her. Such is the sweetness of the lila sakti and none perceive Hari's aisvarya.

Fascinating and illuminating replies, all of them!

It has been pointed out that aisvarya can indicate the knowledge of the "godhood" of Krishna (by contrast to the sweetness or madhurya of seeing him as one's dear child, friend or lover), but when I wrote "aisvarya" I was thinking more of the aisvarya of the jewelled opulences of the yogapith setting (compared to the pastoral ideal of Vrindavan, e.g. flowers, forests, cowdust, riverbanks etc.).

I think Braja's comment that "raganuga-sadhana is about following the mood of the ragatmika Vrajavasis rather than a fixed concept of our own, whether pastoral idealism or whatever" to be a little more conservative or restrictive position than my own, for the following reasons:

Firstly, as my "pastoral idealism" is not a concept of my own but something which I absorbed from advanced sadhakas upon leaving my former "Western" conception of bhakti and coming into contact with Gaudiya Vaisnavas who were less concerned with collecting money to buy jewels for their deities, and more concerned to inculcate in their students a devotional attitude of lovingly offering their deities simple fruits and flowers.

Secondly, I do think pastoral idealism is an intrinsic part of Rupanuga Vrindavan sadhana in the footsteps of the ragatmika Vrajavasis, compared to the more opulent devotion of those inclined towards Krishna in the jewelled palaces of Dwaraka - and further along the opulence spectrum compared to those inclined towards super-opulent worship of Laxmi-Narayan in Vaikuntha.

So these two threads - my experience of (in my opinion) advanced devotees being focussed on the pastoral village life of Krishna, and my understanding of the Rupanuga tradition as being aimed towards an archetypal ideal of pure love in a simple village life - made me wonder about the jewels etc in the yogapith meditation.

Madhava suggested reading of Cc, around sections 2: 14: 218 onwards on the Vrindavan pastimes. My reading of that suggests that what is being said there is not that Vrindavan is literally more opulent than Viakuntha, but rather the opposite: namely, that the real wealth of Vrindavan is something entirely different from what we understand and value as opulence (e.g. jewels) in this world.

For instance, it seems significant to me that the ground is said to be made of jewels (which are therefore in the lowest position), also that the residents want nothing more than the fruits and flowers of the desire-trees, and the milk of the desire-cows (Cc 2: 14: 222-223). These verses seem quite esoteric to me, and seem to be pointing to their desire for Krishna as their real wealth. Indeed the next verse (225) specifically refers to "sahaja lokera katha" and "sahaja gamane" - in my ACBSP translation this indicates the "natural" speech and motion. So in some sense I feel these verses are saying the jewels are something of a red herring, so to speak, and the real wealth is the natural desire (raga) for Krishna of the residents of Vrindavan.

- and I just love the image of Srivas who, on hearing about the natural wealth of the Vrajavasis, laughs loudly and makes the "slapping the armpits with the hands" sound.

Also it is always the case that the value of jewels and gold is their scarcity and consequent use as a store of value or a mode of exhange for other commodities. But if there were jewels all over the ground, why would Radharani have to cross the river to sell milk, indeed why would Nanda Maharaj keep cows at all - he could just sell some jewels each month! So from this perspective I feel like jewels detract from the whole Vrindavan mood and that on some level they must be analogous or indirect references to something else!

Of course if others like literal jewels in their meditations, I won't be demanding that they should bury them underground and plant a grove of Ashoka trees instead.... or then again maybe I will......

But what do you think - is my idea that the jewels are mere analogies too far-fetched?

Thus subject must have come up before. I don't have Raga Vartma Candrika, but if I recall there is an in deapth analasys of the Aisvarya/Madhurya aspects of Sri Krsna svarupa.
In a discource of Sri Ananta das babaji, he relates how the cowherds came to Nanda baba after witnessing Gopal's lifting mount Govardhan. You've got to hear it. It's on Jaysriradhe.com
I get the idea that Sri Hari's aisvarya is ever present, but in Vraja lila ( pastoral sports) the madhurya overpowers and thus somehow conseals the sense of aisvarya; and without the undercurrent of aisvarya then it becomes too ordinary.
Something like that. Do you have Raga Vartma Candrika?
Or am I still missing the point?

No point to miss...just a lot of flowers around which all you kind souls are buzzling like bumblebees!

I don't yet have any traditional GV books, I am waiting for Braja to finishing cataloging his new delivery, then I plan to request some.

I was interested to read what Madanmohan wrote that "without the undercurrent of aisvarya then it becomes too ordinary" (on the meaning of "aisvarya as godhood", rather than "aisvarya as jewels"). At first I thought there was something objectionable about that statement - "how could Vrindavan become ordinary" but then I reconsidered and thought it was very perceptive.

We are told the prakata (earthly, manifest) Vrindavan is different from the aprakata realm - for instance, I have heard one example that there are real demons in the former, rather than just rumours of demons in the latter. I wonder if there is a different undercurrent of aiswarya also in those two realms. Possibly if Krishna is actually killing demons in the prakata lila, then that is a demonstration of aisvarya as godhood, and that seems to be absent in the aprakata lila.

I also heard that some bhaktas prefer the prospect of being with Krishna in the prakata lila (a sort of jamne jamne prabhu se in the travelling roadshow that is bhauma lila), maybe they like to see him in such pastimes? Or perhaps they just want to be in the realm of mercy which is the recruiting aspect of divinity (i.e. when he comes as avatar to "reestablish the principles of religion" - and that's a whole other topic: what does this phrase mean for traditional GV raganuga bhaktas, I would think it's obviously a lot more than "sanatan dharma" to them. Is the Gita relevant at all to raganuga?).

Anyway, I've got a day job so I'd best turn in now!

Please post more - I love to read what you all write on this! Maybe angrezi can locate the old Gaudiya Sakhya-rasa paddhati text he mentioned where the manasa seva is performed to Krishna-Balaram on a throne made of forest branches and decorated with flowers...

Madanmohanji,

Can you provide the exact link to the site you mentioned?
jaysriradhe.com and www.jaysriradhe.com returns error 400 "Can't locate server";
jayasriradhe.com and www.jayasriradhe.com asks for login and password, otherwise returning error 401 "Authorization requiered"...

Dandavats. All glories to the Vaisnavas.

Radhe Radhe!

First the website: http://www.jayasriradhe.com/. However it is a protected site for disciples and followers of Baba. I know that eventually there will be forums there for disciples of Baba to discuss specific aspects of sadhana. At that point at least the basic aspects of the site may be available to all and then just the other areas password protected. Regardless I believe we could link directly to this specific soundbite. Madanmohan das - which lecture was it (they only list by date)?

I really liked the way Madanmohan expressed "I get the idea that Sri Hari's aisvarya is ever present, but in Vraja lila ( pastoral sports) the madhurya overpowers and thus somehow conceals the sense of aisvarya; and without the undercurrent of aisvarya then it becomes too ordinary." Very well put. I would love to get my hands on Raga Vartma Candrika right now but I am on the road and didn't bring it out with me.

Before reading Madanmohan's post I was thinking of aisvarya being a subtle spice of the meal (Madhurya). It is a part of the context or landscape that cannot be forgotten or ignored yet it always stays in the background.

In relation to how these aspects of aisvarya play into ones sadhana and yogapitha seva meditation... I never really thought about it . Of course it is there as you described in the settings of our yogapitha seva. Still, at least for a simple chap like me, it blends into the experience. In the course of meditation especially upon entering I do think of the environment (i.e. landscape, surroundings, etc.) and the aspects which you contribute to aisvarya in a focused manner and they are indeed there yet it is almost a bit inconsequential as the mind is so focused on the more powerful aspects of the moment (i.e. the assembly of personalities and most importantly the essence of why everyone is there).

To be honest these aspects are probably less of a meditative focal point for two reasons. The first is that one is so attentive and anxious for the experience of what is taking place and most importantly what lies ahead. The second, at least in my experience, is that it is such an overwhelming experience that if one where to be able to take in the entire aspect their head, or maybe the heart?, would explode.

So in wrapping up how this aspect of yogapitha seva applies to my experience I would again say that it is a subtle yet ill replaceable part of the meal itself. Does that make any sense to anyone but me?

Radhe Radhe!

Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa

I like that Rasaraj.

Krsna was the son of a King - hence jewels, etc.

Sorry, it was the last or second to last of the lectures with Madhu mati as interpretor. Are these lectures not available outside the imediate following?
I am not sure what the score is there. They should be. Well maybe that's not up to me.
Sri Visvanatha Cakravary analyses the varying repsonces of the Sri Yasoda and Sri Arjuna when they were both made to see the Visva rupa ( Cosmic form)

But in the lectures Sri Ananta das babaji describes how the Vraja basis react to Gopal's lifting mount Govardhan for seven days, like an ordinary infant picking up a mushroom.
He also relates the Vraja basis responce to Uddhava Mahasoy's teacings. Sri Nanda and Yasoda think he is not so well informed as them about Krsna.

Very nicely expressed, Madanmohanji!

This reminds me of hearing from Puri Maharaj's lecture that in Vraja-lIlA it is aizvarya-pradhAn mAdhurya while in gaura-lIlA is audArya-pradhAn mAdhurya.

I have to find that lecture to give you more in detail.

Has anybody heard of these expressions?

It sounds a bit like the idea of Rama as Maryada Purusottam, Krsna as Lila Purusottam and Gaura as Audarya Purusottama. But I never heard that Vraja was Aisvarya pradhan madhurya.

My memory failed me, the throne of branches is made during a mid-day lila involving the sakhas in which they pretend Krsna and Balaram are kings and worship them as such on a throne of branches and flowers, performing an abhishek. The Sakha Yoga-pith is described in much the same language as that of Radha and Krsna, golden platforms encrusted with jewels etc.

I would tend to agree with Braja's comment about 'pastoral idealism'. Conditioned beings in the iron age (or should we say the age of plastic and asphalt?) can hardly judge what is to be considered oppulent (in terms of the surroundings, trees, asanas, buildings etc.) in the aprakat realm and what is not. We do not neccessarily have the faculty to evaluate shastric information about that realm of Vraja, jewels and all, and should rather take it as it is presented, since almost all accounts tend to agree with one another.

The translation I have of Ragavartma Chandrikam is suspect with no Bengali text given, but what from what I can gather Vishvanath differentiates between aisvarya-jnana and madhurya-jnana, saying that the bhava of the paricular devotee, (whether of Vraja, Mathura, or Dvaraka) will be molded according to the degree their perception (or jnana) is focused on either the aisvarya or madhurya aspects of lila. The devotees of Vraja will have their bhava uneffected by Krsna's display of aisvarya (e.g Yashoda Ma), the devotees of Mathura affected a somewhat (e.g. Devaki), and so forth.

It doesn't have anything to do it seems with the actual chit substance of Vraja such as the jewels, golden platforms, buildings of coral and lapis etc. which some may term as aisvarya. It seems in English we tend to use the word aisvarya to simply mean 'oppulence' but it is only one facet of the meaning.

The special characteristic of Vrindavan is munificence predominated by sweetness, which means that externally the sweet pastimes of romantic love and intimacy are immediately visible, while the Lord’s munificence towards the world is hidden within them. On the other hand, Nabadwip’s special characteristic is sweetness predominated by munificence, meaning that the Lord’s magnanimity is immediately visible, but the same intimate pastimes displayed by Krishna are present at their heart.

That means in Vraja-lIlA it is mAdhurya-pradhAn audArya instead of Aizvarya-pradhAn mAdhurya.

Dear Kamala,

Dandavats. All glories to the Vaisnavas.

This evening I was reading from Manjari Svarupa Nirupana and thought that this was a particularly good book for you to read to further clarify the subject of Manjari bhava. If you are interested please let me know.

Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa

Many thanks for explanations, dear Rasarajaji! Time to get some initiation...

RAga-Vartma CandrikA does indeed discuss this topic in detail, all the way through Chapter 2 Verses 3 - 6. PaNDit Ananta dAs BAbAjI's commentary on these verses is deliciously extensive. Is there anything specific anyone would like to know from it, since I felt I was unable to choose an appropriate quote for this discussion?

Radhe! Radhe!
as you've got Raga Vartmika handy, we could digress a little onto the subject of Sri Bhagavan's simultaneous omniscience and bewilderment as it touches a bit on what Advitiya is saying.
Can you find that part? It's in the second Difision I think.

Yes, Madanmohanji! I have it too. I'm looking into it. It will take some time.

* ~ * RAga-vartma-candrikA 2.1 * ~ *

nanu,
na hAniM na glAniM na nija-gRha-kRtyaM vyasanitaM
na ghoraM nodghUrNaM na kila kadanaM vetti kim api |
varAGgIbhiH svAGgIkRta-suhRd-anaGgAbhir abhito
harir vRndaraNye parama nizam uccair viharati ||

ity Adibhya eva zrI-vRndavanezvary-Adi-prema-vilAsa-mugdhasya zrI-vrajendra-sUnor na kvApi anyatrAvadhAna-sambhava ity avasIyate | tathA sati nAnA-dig-deza-vartibhir ananta-rAgAnugIya-bhaktaiH kriyamANaM paricaryAdikaM kena svIkartavyaM vijJApti-stava-paThAdikaM ca kena zrotavyam | tad-aMzena paramAtmA naivAMzAMzinor aikyAd iti cet samAdhir ayaM samyag Adhir eva tadRza-kRSNAnurAgi-bhaktAnAm | tarhi kA gatiH? sAkSAt zrImad-uddhavoktir eva | sA ca yathA—

mantreSu mAM vA upahUya yat tvam
akuNThitAkhaNDa-sadAtma-bodhaH |
pRccheH prabho mugdha ivApramattas
tan no mano mohayatIva deva || [BhAg. 3.4.17]

asyArthaH-mantreSu jarAsandha-vadha-rAjasUyAdy-artha-gamana-vicArAdiSu prastuteSu mAM vai nizcitam upahUya yat pRccheH--uddhava tvam atra kiM kartavyaM, tad brUhi ity apRcchaH | akuNThitaH kalAdinA akhaNDaH paripUrNaH sadA sArvadika eva Atmano bodhaH saMvic-chaktir yasya sa mugdha iva yathAnyo mugdho janaH pRcchati tathety arthaH | tat tava yugapad eva maugdhyaM sArvajJyaM ca mohayatIva mohayaty eva | atra mugdha iva tvaM na tu mugdha iti | mohayatIva na tu mohayatIti vyAkhyAyAM saGgaty-abhAvAt | asaGgatyeSu karmaNy anIhasya bhAvo’bhAvasyety Adi-vAkyeSu madhye etad-vAkyasyopanyAso vyarthaH syAd ity atas tathA na vyAkhyeyam | tataz ca dvArakA-lIlAyAM saty api sArvajJye yathA maugdhyaM tathaiva vRndAvana-lIlAyAm api saty api maugdhye sArvajJyaM tasyAcintya-zakti-siddham eva mantavyam | ata eva varNitaM zrI-lIlA-zuka-caraNaiH—sArvajJyatve ca maugdhye ca sArvabhaumam idaM mahaH iti ||1||

ZrI ZyAmasundara is always so absorbed in His pastimes with the beautiful girls of Vraja, who have accepted Cupid as their heart's friend, that He is not aware of any loss, exhaustion, household duties, danger, fear, worry or defeat by His enemies. From all these statements, we can understand that ZrI Vrajendranandana has no chance to think of anyone else but VRndAvanezvarI and the others, since He is enchanted by His loving pastimes with them. Who will then accept the service rendered to Him by the countless rAgAnugIya bhaktas, who come to Him from different directions and from different countries? Who will listen to all of their various prayers, praises and so forth? One may offer the solution that ZrI Vrajendranandana's expansion in the form of the Supersoul, who lives in everyone's heart, listens and that the expansion and the origin are actually one, but that would very much hurt the devotees who are attached to KRSNa. What, then, is the solution? The answer can be found in the words of Uddhava MahAzaya himself. He says: "O Master! O Divine One! When You considered whether or not it was proper to kill JarAsandha and go to the RAjasUya-sacrifice, You called me to You and asked for my advice, 'O Uddhava! What should I do in this situation?', like a bewildered person. You bewildered me at that time, acting like an ignorant, yet omniscient man who needed advice from a counsellor, although You are not conditioned by time and space and You are full of causeless eternal knowledge that can never be deluded or lost." In this situation, if someone says, "You seem bewildered, but in truth You were not, and I seemed bewildered, but in truth I was not," it is not appropriate. The idea being, "Your activities are without endeavour and Your birth is birthless" - amidst all these unbefitting words, this argument is also worthless: therefore such words should not be said. We must accept that just as KRSNa is sometimes bewildered in His DvArakA-pastimes, although He is omniscient there, similarly by His inconceivable potency, He is sometimes omniscient in His VRndAvana-pastimes, although He is bewildered there. We must therefore accept the words of ZrIpAd LIlAzuka: "In all his pastimes the effulgent Lord is simultaneously bewildered and omniscient."

KRpA-KaNikA VyAkhyA

In the first illumination of RAga-vartma-candrikA, the blessed author has described the nature of both vaidhi and rAgAnugA-bhakti and the varieties of rAgAnugA-bhakti, and in this second diffusion he will ascertain the nature of ZrI KRSNa's prowess and sweetness. The special feature of rAgAnugA-bhakti is that the rAgAnugA-upAsaka is blessed with the sweet relish of the form, qualities and pastimes of the embodiment of sweetness, ZrI Vrajendranandana. Mainly, the Lord's Godhead can be experienced in prowess (aizvarya) and sweetness (mAdhurya). His form as the embodiment of supreme bliss and natural, unrivalled and endless lordship constitute His aizvarya and the beauty of His all-enchanting pastimes, qualities, and form all constitute His mAdhurya. His form as brahman can be experienced through the practice of jJAna, His prowess can be experienced through the practice of vaidhi-bhakti, which is endowed with an awareness of His prowess, while His sweetness can be experienced through the practice of pure Vraja-bhakti or rAgA-bhakti. Without practising any of these above three sAdhanas, nothing can be understood of the sweetness and prowess of the Lord, who is the aggregate of transcendental truths. Before the Vraja-devotee, the high unsurpassable waves of the great sweetness of ZrI KRSNa, who is the embodiment of sweetness, surge up. The great loving devotee forgets about his body and his home and becomes immersed in this great ocean of sweetness. This is the supreme culmination of the practice of Vraja-rasa. This is also the limit of God-experience, since sweetness is the essence of Godhead.

The truth on mAdhurya is hard to enter into and hard to understand, hence the blessed author has submitted the distinction between the perfection attained in mAdhurya and aizvarya here, so that the rAgAnugIya bhaktas will understand it.

The Lord is controlled by bhakti, which is the essence of His own innate energy (svarUpa-zakti). This is the constitutional nature of bhakti. ZrI KRSNa is wholly subdued by the pure sweetness of Vraja-bhakti. ZrI KRSNa, who is the transcendental youthful Cupid, is especially taken beyond Himself in all respects by the culmination of mahAbhAva reached by the Vraja-devIs, and most of all by the mAdana-rAsa of ZrI VRndAvanezvarI ZrI RAdhArANI. ZrI RAdhA's complete love swallows ZrI KRSNa's heart and mind in such a way that He forgets everything and becomes absorbed in His completely playful mellows with ZrImatI, day and night. He does not find time to concentrate on anything or any other place anymore. If that is so, then who will accept the services rendered to Him by the rAgAnugIya bhaktas who worship him in different countries of the world, and who will hear their prayers and praises? It is natural that such a question arises.

When one says to this that ZrI KRSNa accepts all devotional service and hears all the devotees' prayers in the form of the ParamAtmA, His partial prowess (aMza-vibhava) who resides in the hearts of all innumerable living entities, and that He can accept and hear everything because there is no difference between the expansion and its original, then the zrI-kRSNAnurAgI vraja-rasa-upAsakas will feel great heartache, because each devotee exclusively yearns to attain the grace of that particular form or feature of the Lord whom he worships, and the devotion in his heart awakens a desire in the heart of the worshipped deity to attain the devotees' loving service. Particularly the Vraja-devotees practise the worship of pure sweetness and their hearts cannot be satisfied by attaining the mercy of anyone else but their worshipable ZrI Vrajendranandana. In ZrI BRhad BhAgavatAmRta, it is described that even though ZrI NArAyaNa assumed the form of ZrI KRSNa in VaikuNTha, ZrI GopakumAra, who worshipped in the fraternal mood of Vraja, could not become happy with it. When the Lord finally showed GopakumAra his beloved gocAraNa-lIlA (KRSNa's pastime of cowherding) in a garden of VaikuNTha, GopakumAra could still not feel fulfilled, because he wanted to see the gocAraNa-lIlA in the purely sweet environment of ZrI VRndAvana. Therefore the Vraja-worshippers cannot even imagine that Vrajendranandana would hear their prayers in His monitor ParamAtmA-feature. Then how is this problem solved? The blessed author says: The answer lies in a verse that ZrIla Uddhava MahAzaya spoke to ZrI KRSNa. This statement runs as follows:[/align]

mantreSu mAM vA upahUya yat tvam
akuNThitAkhaNDa-sadAtma-bodhaH |
pRccheH prabho mugdha ivApramattas
tan no mano mohayatIva deva || (BhAg. 3.4.17)

"O Lord! Your complete knowledge is never bewildered or decreased, and You are Yourself always aware, nevertheless You called me to Yourself to consult me and question me like an ignorant person. This bewilders my mind."

The blessed author has explained the meaning of this verse himself. The kings who were imprisoned by JarAsandha took shelter of ZrI KRSNa's lotus feet and sent a messenger to Him, and right at the same time ZrI YudhiSTira MahAzaya sent DevaRSi NArada to Him to invite Him to attend the RAjasUya sacrifice. Zri KRSNa was simultaneously attracted to His attribute of protecting the surrendered souls and His attribute of affection towards His devotees. He could not ignore the kings who had taken shelter of Him, nor could He ignore the invitation of YudhiSTira, who had given his heart to KRSNa. Having fallen into this dilemma, He became bewildered about what to do and this called for ZrI Uddhava MahAzaya to seek his advice. When ZrI KRSNa disappeared from this world, ZrI Uddhava MahAzaya remembered this and said: "O Lord! Although You are endowed with full, unchecked eternal knowledge, You inquired from me like a bewildered person, 'O friend Uddhava! Tell Me what I should do now!' Just like an ordinary bewildered person, who does not know what to do anymore, seeks advice from a wise counsellor, similarly You bewilder me by simultaneously appearing bewildered and omniscient."

In the quoted verse, the words mugdha iva and mohayati iva are used. If someone thinks the words iva imply that "You were as if bewildered, but actually You were not bewildered", and "You are acting as if you are bewildering Me, but actually I am not bewildered", then that explanation cannot beaccepted, because, if the Lord is just acting as if bewildered, although He is actually omniscient, and if that bewilderment is not real, then it would nto have been possible for a person like ZrI Uddhava, who is the very embodiment of transcendental knowledge, to become bewildered. Therefore the word iva should be explained here as "like another bewildered person". If ZrI Uddhava MahAzaya was not actually bewildered and just acted as if he was, then there would have been no reason form him to bring forward this point in this verse. What actually bewildered ZrI Uddhava MahAzaya was ZrI KRSNa's simultaneous bewilderment and omniscience, His bewilderment despite His omniscience. He also said in the previous verse:

karmANyanIhasya bhave 'bhavasya te
durgAzrayo 'thAribhayAt palAyanam
kAlAtmano yat pramadAyutAzramaH
svAtman rate khidyati dhIr vidAm iha (Bhag. 3.4.16)

"O Lord! Your activities are without activity, and Your birth is birthless. Although You are time personified, You flee into a fortress out of fear of Your enemies, and although You are self-satisfied, You remain in household life with many wives - all these facts torment the wise and the learned with doubts."

In all these inconceivable statements it is useless to find an juxtaposition, therefore it is not proper to explain Uddhava's words to mean that ZrI KRSNa was "as if bewildered, but not actually bewildered".

All these statements will make us accept that KRSNa was sometimes bewildered in DvArakA, though he is usually omniscient there, and in the same way it is to be accepted that ZrI KRSNa can also be omniscient in His VRndAvana-lIlA, although He is usually bewildered there. These contradictions bring ZrI KRSNa's inconceivable potency to perfection. The bewilderment of the omniscient person, the defeat, fear and fleeing away of the invincible, the all-worshipable Supreme Truth offering obeisances unto the feet of ZrI Nanda and Yazomati, the hunger, thirst, theft and the adultery of the self-blissful and self-satisfied one with the housewives of Vraja are all the great sweetnesses and mellows of Vraja-lIlA.

[align=justify]ZrIpAda LIlAzuka BilvamaGgala ThAkura has also said in his ZrI KRSNa KarNAmRta (83): sarvajJatve ca maugdhe ca sArvabhaumam idaM mahaH - There is no doubt about it that when ZrI KRSNa's pastimes all show Him simultaneously omniscient and bewildered, this is the perfection of His inconceivable potency. That is because Godhead is the shelter of all contradictions. This bewilderment is also the very soul of the Lord's blissful pastimes, that are the essence of the transcendental potency. It is not something that exceeds KRSNa's constitutional position.

If your going to make it more poetical that would be even better, but if I might say, don't worry too much about ryming words but more on the measure,ie, how many feet in a line. But whatever, do what like
there's a verse to that effect;

I too, transported by the mode*, offend,
And, while I mean to praise thee, must commend,
Thy verse, created, like thy theme sublime,
In number, weight, and measure, needs not rime.

*the fashion of ryme.

whoops that meant to go with the Caitanya Bhagavat thread

I had a rememberance today of something kind of related to the original question. One of Ananta Das Baba's disciples, Dina Das, is a living example of sadachar. I often saw him bending down to scoop flower petals off the ground if any fell from a prasadi garland. Many of us probably wouldn't have noticed nor have taken the time to do so--at least, that's how I am. When I was staying at the Krsna Balarama Mandir, I had the "opulence" of having access to all the flower sellers at the front gate, where they are loaded up with fragrant roses, early-season kadamba flowers, tiny closed lotus flowers, etc. Having that easy access and also seeing the throngs of wealthy visitors from Delhi and other places, paying their 20 or 50 rupees for a garland, created a different mood towards a garland--"I bought it," "there are plently more where they came from," etc. Having ample resources can obviously be detrimental.

(I don't mean to suggest that Dina Das would be different elsewhere, just that I saw my how my own mentality was adversely affected by easy access.)

I guess a comparison could also be made to food and that call of many a frustrated parent--"There are kids starving in Africa..." We also sponsored a child thru Vrindavan Food for Life, which makes the situation more real when your kids know that a very real person is hungry or cold. And it also worked for us as we had a "reason" to cancel our cable TV subscription!

Anyways, guess that is pretty OT now.

Another example came to mind. I ended up in China for a short period of time, smuggling books over the border and secretly meeting devotees--all exciting clandestine stuff. I was amazed to meet these people who had taken to Vaisnavism and adopted the ISKCON practices, such as 16 rounds, but who had done so with minimal access to all of the devotional items that we had. Many of them only have a single book or two, whereas our temples in the West were almost littered with books (often unread, of course).

Baba said that some lectures we shouldn't make openly publicly available, as the topics concern our Radha-Krishna bhajana and manjari-seva, confidential topics. However you may PM Yugal Kishor and make your case, I'm sure he'll let you in.

Regarding the presence of opulence and why Nanda Maharaja would need to keep cows if he had that many diamonds all over the place, there are several things to consider.

First of all, Nanda Maharaja is a very dutiful and religious person, and his God-given dharma as a vaishya is to raise cows and cultivate land for the well-being of the society. After all, if as the leader of the cowherd community he was slack in his duties, what would come of it? Did not his son once travel to a far-away place to warn the people of the world of the same? And well he learned it from his father.

Gems, jewels and so forth are very common in Vraja-dhama. You'll find forests of emerald trees, you'll find trees with golden leaves. Most utensils are actually made of gold. However, if everybody just laid back and traded diamonds with each other, who would grow the grains on the fields, and who would milk the cows?

Now, where is there a need for such opulence? Does it not disturb the sweetness of the moods of Vraja? Ha! What opulence could possibly stand in comparison even to the minutest degree with the splendor of the beauty of Radharani? Are her lips not shining millions of rubies, are her teeth not like rows of the finest of pearls, and does her compexion not outshine the combined lustre of the sun, the lightning and an ocean of molten gold?

Then what will the Vrajavasis, who behold these two as a daily matter, think of the opulence of some stones? Nothing at all!

Regarding yogapitha, I should note that that is not by any means the only place in Vraja where such wonders of nature are to be found. Throughout the narrations of aSTakAlIya-lIlA one will find such depictions, virtually everywhere.

What we, residents of this fallen age, consider opulent was once common-place natural beauty. In due course of time, someone might object to our common countryside as being excessively opulent.

Radhe Radhe!

Yes, that Yugal Kishor is a rather merciful soul!

Rasaraja dasa

This verse in Sri Jiva's Krishna-sandarbha (172) cited from Narada-pancharatra, the last in a series depicting Vrindavan's beauty, fits in this topic rather well: