Gita Govinda - Bhaktivedanta Narayan

I just received a gift in the mail from Satyaraj Das, of Narayan Maharaj's Gita Govinda. It is very beautifully produced with some of Shyamarani Dasi's newest and most inspired work.

When in Vrindavan recently, I had occasion to meet Aranya Maharaj on a couple of occasions. He has done the English translation. I have not yet read the book through, and though the portions I have sampled are a little stiff, the commentaries will surely be welcomed by all.

I am in fact very impressed by this book. It is a glory to the Gita Govinda and to rasika Vaishnavism. I have little doubt that the Gaudiya Math's future lies in Narayan Maharaj, if this is the kind of thing we can expect from him and his disciples.

I now have four editions of GG here, plus the Prabodhananda commentary that I retrieved from Gadadhar Pran's place. I am chafing at the bit to go through these different editions and compare them. And yet it seems like a distant prize...

A quick comparison (2.1):

viharati vane rAdhA sAdhAraNa-praNaye harau
vigalita-nijotkarSAd IrSyA-vazena gatAnyataH
kvacid api latAkuJje guJjan-madhuvrata-maNDalI-
mukhara-zikhare lInA dInApy uvAca rahaH sakhIm

A pretty straightforward verse. In order of publication (and of course there were many both before and after.

Siegel (deliberately being literal rather than literary):

While Hari, loving them all equally, roams-for-pleasure in the forest, Radha, on account of jealousy because she was no lonoger his favourite-beloved, went in another direction; hiding somewhere in a grove of creepers which had crests that were noisy with circles of humming honey-bees, she was sad--she spoke privately to a friend.

Miller:

While Hari roamed in the forest
Making love to all the women,
Radha's hold on him loosened
And envy drove her away.
But anywhere she tried to retreat
In her thicket of wild vines,
Sounds of the bees buzzing circles over her head
Depressed her--
She told her friend the secret.

Gadadhar Pran:

Seeing Krishna sharing his love equally with every gopi triggers Radha's jealousy, however. After all, her position is unique and exaulted. Thus she leaves. But after walking for a while, she enters a secluded flower nikunja filled with buzzing bees. Forlorn Radha then addresses her sakhi as follows.

Desiraju Rao (http://www.geocities.com/giirvaani/gg/sarga2/gg_2_roman.htm)

Steeply slithered is Raadha's privilege, for Krishna's love is equipoise in respect of all other milkmaids and herself, and thus some grudge overtook her when he is pleasure-tripping with others, hence she has gone elsewhere, somewhere into a bower of tendrils, that which is noisy with spiralling swarms of honeybees' humming at its spire, and when she steeped into that bower she forlornly said this to her girlfriend, in solitude.

Aranya Maharaj:

When Radha saw Krishna enjoying affectionate exchanges with all the cowherd maidens in the groves of Vrindavan, she became indignant because he had not acknowledged her eminence. She immediately departed for another part of the forest and hid herself inside a shady bower that resounded with the drone of bumblebees. Feeling wretched, she began to disclose secrets to her intimate friends.

I think Miller scores the highest. The verse itself is meant as a bridge, giving a shell of narrative and introducing the song that will follow, so the poetic force (rasa) is not meant to be as high. So GP's almost prosaic rendition is justified. Aranya Maharaj has that Gaudiya Math bhava "affectionate exchanges" "eminence," etc.

viharati vane rAdhA sAdhAraNa-praNaye harau
vigalita-nijotkarSAd IrSyA-vazena gatAnyataH
kvacid api latAkuJje guJjan-madhuvrata-maNDalI-
mukhara-zikhare lInA dInApy uvAca rahaH sakhIm

Narayan Maharaj's commentary is fairly technical, based on Pujari Goswami's Bala bodhini tika. It gives information about the alankaras, etc., used. It is informative rather than preachy. So it seems like a very useful edition. I'll reserve a score for a fuller reading.

I have another assignment that I really have to finish first, and that is Graham Schweig's book on the rasa lila. I'll try to do that next week.

Let's have a picture to celebrate that...

[attachmentid=1506]

Jagadananda Das — Aranya Maharaj — myself — Govinda Dasi

Only two months ago and already so bittersweet.

Aranya Maharaj made a very favorable impression on me. I found him energetic, learned, enthusiastic in his pursuit of siddhanta and bhajan. He is a natural devotee and leader and has a great future in front of him.

Good analysis.
I do have this book by BV but having read the original as well as some better commentaries I didn't feel like reading it
Of course we'd all enjoy Sri Prabodhananda commentary!



-'Women Saints - East and West' published by Sri Ramakrishna Mission

Having a foot in several camps, I find these posts very encouraging.

I propose a root beer toast: May we Rupanugas of all walks of life set aside our differences, recognize our brothers and live in harmony forever.

R das

I'm afraid setting aside all our differences is a bit utopian to ask, given the fundamentality of some of them.

At any rate, we did open a line of dialogue there, a gesture from their side. I had pleasant talks with both BV Aranya and BV Bhaktisar. I would only hope they would follow up on this better. I have been waiting to write something on this, but have been hoping to have something more concrete to report beyond good ideas.

You mean fundamentalism, not fundamentality, right?

Well, a bit of both I suppose!

What about the CD? Did you get an audio CD with the text sung to musical accompaniment? I heard it comes included. I have another translation by Durgadas Mukhopadhyay; it's quite good too, mostly remenicent of Miller's.
Actually I was surprised that the Gaudiya Math of any branch would publish it; pleasantly surprised indeed, and look foreward to getting a copy myself.
Vaisnava carane dandavat.

Lovely foto, shame the sri mukhas of two are hidden by beards

I hear from BV Bhaktisar that many of them were anticipating a good deal of controversy over it... Let's see.

Here's Mukherji's

Hari was making love to any maiden
without distinction, in the woodland.
Radha's pride was shattered.
Thinking herself to be humiliated
she, with broken pride and jealousy
hides in her bower
with it's swarm of humming bees.
She sat depressed
and told her friend the secret.

rAse harimiha vihita vilAsaM smarati mano mama kRtaparihAsam.....

Oh, my old associate Dhristadhyumna Swami.
Sorry, I left all these people 20 years ago, and I ain't going back no more! 'Brotherhood'? Not a chance. Especially when they always start at the Top, over the heads of us lackeys. Even after they drop out again and again, still it's 'Maharaj' the instant they're back.
Nope, don't come knocking on this door.

"pleasant talks"? Yeah I've done that with them, but from my experience I feel they're just looking for an angle, friends. A crack to go in like a needle and out like a plow. Nothing matters except 'preaching'.


*(Sorry for that outburst. I've modified it a bit to tone it down. Obviously I have some unresolved issues with certain people. If I mention that a couple of good friends committed suicide and I hold certain attitudes and maybe certain people responsible, then you'll perhaps sympathise.)

Don't worry. Still Gita Govinda is the thing. I'm more keen on the audio CD as I've been told it is good. pranam

Wasn't it actually released early last year or so, around April? I thought by now they might have produced a free downloadable version of it on their site!

Listen to this Jayadeva Astapadi - sA virahe tava dInA... at:

http://www.telugufm.com/modules/music/Movi....aspx?MID=10308
and the first song melodiously describing 'Maharaas' in Telugu

also 'Candana carcita...' at:

http://www.telugufm.com/modules/music/Movi....aspx?MID=10277

Very nice multimedia also available from the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts.

Great Mp3z from a great singer; Ghantasala. I love 'Pravisa Radhe' and 'Radhika Krsna Radhika'.

Wonderful, thanks GS
more here given earlier
but links from 'musicindiaonline' are not useful now

The discussions mainly dealt with endeavors to bring down some of the worst rhethoric in the cyberspace. We agreed to work towards establishing a line of communication and trying to eliminate at least unwarranted critique that isn't based on the actual positions held by either group.

With this in mind, BV Bhaktisar has had the site taken down where BV Tirtha passed some unsavory remarks concerning Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj. This has been done with the confirmation of BV Narayan Maharaja, and BV Tirtha has been rebuked for the same. There was some discussion about their coming up with a statement concerning that, however they seem to be a bit slow on communicating just now.

We are working towards clarifying the situation with the infamous "Boycott the Sahajiya Babajis" lecture that still goes around. However since I understand this is the words of Narayan Maharaja himself, the more reconciliatory among them feel a bit on shaky grounds since it'd involve addressing something their guru has said. There is regardless a need to clarify the factual objects of Maharaja's critique, that certainly isn't all attributable to single individuals or groups.

Also, the word "sahajiya" is at the core of the tense relations. I have mentioned in person and sent in a proposal requesting a single, clear definition or multiple, distinct definitions specified when it's used to avoid the making of injust statements.

Apparently some of their inspiration towards inviting me over have been my reviews of some of Narayan Maharaja's critiques that have also been doing their rounds, and amidst a rather large audience it seems. Just a few days prior to our meeting, again someone who had decided to become an ex-follower of Narayan Maharaja sent his secretary a rather unsavory "eat this" message proclaiming how he should read the attached essays "if at all he is serious about his spiritual life".



Well, I'm afraid the flow of people between the groups seems to be somewhat of a one-way alley... I think the ratio in / out vis-a-vis NM's group is somewhere in the range of 1/15, with even that one being someone who originally came from there to begin with. So, I don't think there are that much aspirations towards actually hoping to turn us into a preaching field, I believe this is more oriented towards an attempt to minimize casualties, especially in a fragile situation they have now with Narayan Maharaja inevitably preparing to leave the world, and the internal politics of the group getting wilder and wilder.

No, you must be confusing that with something else. They were still editing it when I met them in early February. I saw one brahmachari working on the text, and he had the diacritics in ramA miswritten as rAma. I told him to fix it, but he wouldn't respond; I think he suspected I was trying to infiltrate the work with a sahajiya-idea or something.

Though I do not know anything about Narayan Maharaja, but hearing the news "Narayan Maharaja inevitably preparing to leave the world" I feel sad. Could anyone be kind enough to let me know what happened with him. Is he suffering from illness, incurable? What is the case.

I don't know any specifics on that, but I think he just pretty much announced it. It shouldn't come to anyone as a surprise since he's well in his eighties now and has had a heart operation or two over the years.

It will be interesting to see how it unfolds after Maharaja passes away, it seems Aranya and Bhaktisar are the prime candidates in line for leadership there, they have become something of a 'dynamic duo' it seems these days...

namaskar,

jijaji

Dhrstadhyumna? Is he the one who has a young son named Balarama?

Krishna Balaram, or "KB" for short. Yes. He's now 16 or something like that.

Ah, yes. I met Dhrstadyumna and his son in Vrndavana. Dhrstadyumna was friendly and nice. I also saw Aranya (I never spoke to him).

DD is an absolute charmer, and persuaded lots of people to surrender all to what they thought was Krishna Consciousness. There is no doubt that he is a good-hearted sincere and very cultured and intelligent person (he had a patrician education and background). He is also very talented as a musician and public speaker. But he is primarily practical, not philosophical. He doesn't want to be bothered with the contradictions and problems. Public success, to him, is proof enough. Like any charismatic popular figure, then, he has left a trail of unintended destruction behind him. From what I can see he remains unaware of his ultimately ambivalent impact on people, failing to see beyond superficial successes.

Thanks Madhava for clarifying your discussions. They do indeed sound productive and helpful.

I would be very surprised if any western-born person ever succeeded to leadership of a Gaudiya Math, though I know a few have had aspirations.

In my talks with Aranya Maharaj--admittedly brief--he strained to show how Narayan Maharaj is different from most GMs. He has apparently been rather turned off by the post-Vamana Maharaj changes in the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. Though he was not booted out, he was nowhere considered for the post of acharya. It may be possible that Keshava Maharaj himself put some kind of succession system in place that made Narayan Maharaj's natural accession to the position impossible, but the overall result was that Narayan Maharaj more or less had to dissociate himself from the GVS, with the result that there were various claims problems that are still unsettled--Mathura, Vrindavan, and elsewhere. Narayan Maharaj's followers are now purchasing or have already purchased property in Nabadwip and elsewhere.

However, according to Aranya, Narayan Maharaj is resisting creating a "math" of any sort, not only in India, but in the West. He has stated openly to his disciples that he will name no successors. There are only one or two properties that are trusts, others, like Ananda Dham, are privately owned and simply being given to Narayan Maharaj and his disciples for use. Aranya Maharaj tells me that some disciples approached him and asked for specific succession plans and he refused openly. Being insisted upon, he said, "OK, you become acharya. You are my successor." That looks like fun. When pressed by disciples to institute communal centers, he advised against it, citing Iskcon's bad example. He said, "Live separately and come together for programs. Familiarity breeds contempt. You live apart and then see each other for festivals, you will not commit aparadh."

Seemed like a rather interesting and novel approach, certainly not typical of your Gaudiya Math.

It would be nice to know how they've rendered cAruzile I don't think you can better most accomplished beauty for it. As in priye cAruzile munca mayi mAnamanidAnam.... most beloved and accomplished beauty, forego your unreasonable mAn towards me.
Does anyone know how to get a copy?
I remember Bhaktisara Maharaja very well. He was as you all know Dhrstadyumna Swami. I must say he made an impression on many including myself, to take to joining the temple and all that. Now he's more mature perhaps and can do alot of good by swelling the fold as it were; the more people there are to talk about Krsna katha the better huh.

Yes, copies are available at www.BhaktiStore.com Its a really beautiful book In addition to the artwork mentioned by Jagat there are many exquisite line drawings.
Onlly 1000 copies have been printed so I wouldn't wait too long to get one

Rad

Is there a UK distributor?

I only know about the distributor in California. By the way, there's a new edition of Sri Narayana Maharaja's Navadwipa Dham book with color photos of all the holy places on every page.

Madanmohan das ji

According to the www.purebhakti.com website there is a regional distributor in the UK you may want to check with:
Gour Govinda Gaudiya Math
32 Handsworth Rd.
Birmingham B20 2Ds, UK
Attn Jiva Pavana Dasa Phone: (44) 121 682 9159 email: gourgovinda@hotmail.com

radhe krsna govinda gopala nandadulala yasodadulala jaya jaya deva hari

Many thanks. I shall certainly make my order there.

I just ordered the package "BOOK & CDs" (5hours mp3, the whole Gita Govinda).
So check it out....

I just got it.
Very nice.

By the way, in the spirit of some "togetherness".

Yesterday I went to a program given by HH Srila Bon Maharaja, one of the leading sannyas-disciples of Srila Narayana Maharaja. It was a courageous thing to do, since I left their company to take shelter of Baba Mahasaya...

Especially HH Bon Maharaja was very critical about Baba when I spoke to him in spring 2000. But yesterday he confessed that although he never met Baba he nevertheless knows him and about him and he showed quite some respect towards Baba and I could not sense a feeling of dishonesty. Sure he also said that the methods of worship are different, but not a word of critizism.
He was very friendly to me.
His lecture was brilliant and after the program he came to me and embraced me to say "Good-bye". And this in front of the confused eyes of the die-hard followers of SNM who knew about my new "identity"

A really pleasurable exchange. Lets see what the future brings...

You are fortunate indeed, I could not get a copy yet. I do have quite a bit of Gita Govinda already on audio CD MD and WMF, and if I only knew how to upload them, I'm sure you'd like them. Particularly I have an abridged version with dramatised English translation. It gives a wonderful over-view of the book as a whole. But remember;

rAgamArge pathika haibA jei jana/
nitya lIlA smaraNe parama kAraNa//
zrI gIta-govinda nAma grantha mahAsAra/
sakalera nAhi ithe zravaNa adhikAra//
kevala rasika bhakta ithe adhikAri/
ati gUDa kunjalIlA jAnibe vicAri//
zrIjayadeva kAvya paDe zune jei jana/
avazya milaye tAre kRSNa prema dhana//

For those who would traverse the path of raga
contemplation of nitya lila is the highest means.
The book Gita Govinda is quintessential, but
not all are worthy or have the right to hear;
only rasika voteries have the qualification
to percieve and deliberate the extreemly secret kunja lila.
But for the worthies who recite and listen
to the exquisit poetry of Sri Jayadeva, certainly
they attain the wealth of Krsna prema.

Or as the English bard hath said, " To your ears divinity, to all others profanation"
Twelfth Night

ps Jivapavana dasji said he only has his own copy which he kindly offered to lend me, but maybe it will be available elsewhere? I'll keep my eye open.

I’m glade that in the name of Sadhu-Sanga things like that is happening. I have been there; good memories, but some frustrations as well. Looks like a new light is enlightening the path for the East-West Raganuga-Connections.

Let’s pray for the very best!

Well I have'nt got the book yet, but somebody leant me the CD. Unfortunately my PC could only play it, but not copy it. Still I made a copy to MD and wow! It's absolutely fantastic. Having heard it a few times now I'm learning the tunes and realised you can sing Sangita Madhava with the same tunes. Especially check out Sakhi he Kesimathanam udaram... , beautiful. aha aha! I'm looking forward to getting the book soon, but I've got my own editions; particularly I have one with Bengali payar which further illucidates the songs and the wonderful slokas in between them. mrdu madhura smita bhAsitaya aha aha!
Another thing I like about the CD is the gaps in the verses with little flute phrases so you can close your eyes and sway a little from side to side and contemplate the verse just sung.

Sorry 'bout that

No sorry!


The book AND the CD are great!