Jagat

yoga eva bhaved eṣa vicitraḥ ko'pi mādanaḥ | yad-vilāsā virājante nitya-līlāḥ sahasradhā || mādanasya gatiḥ suṣṭhu madanasyāpi durgamā | na nirvaktuṁ bhavec chakyā tenāsau munināpy ālam || In union, this  mādana - bh ā va might take extraordinary forms , whose manifold manifestations are particularly visible in the nitya- līlā . The workings of  mādana  are incomprehensible to Cupid himself, and it would be impossible for even the Muni to describe them. (UN 14.225-226) Madanasyeva . Vishwanath first glosses  mādana syeva , which seems unlikely to me. A possibility is madanasyaiva , which is what Jiva seems to be interpreting, even while reading iva . If we accept the madanasyeva reading, then what appears to be said is that Prema and Kama are different, but that both share a certain ineffable quailty. Muni is glossed as both Bharata and Shukadeva (Vishwanath says either, Jiva only Shuka, Vishnudas goes for Bharata). I would think Bharata was intended, as he is c...

I spoke at the meeting of SHEN to a group of about 40-50 people at the University of Waterloo on June 17. I used Powerpoint to help organize my ideas, many of which have previously been jotted down in these blog. It was nice to condense and clarify them in a public setting and the presentation was well received. I have tried to put it down here, but of course, it is still a condensation as many of the ideas are in need of elaboration. 1. Prema Prayojana The inspiration for this talk comes from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of divine love, who appeared in Bengal in the 15th century and inspired this movement of bhakti devotion. I have posted a statement attributed to him: সন্ন্যাস মোর কিবা কাজ, আমার প্রেম প্রয়োজন sannyāsa mora kibā kāja ? āmāra prema prayojana ! "What need have I of the renounced order of life? What I need is prema !" The expression prema prayojana really has a double meaning: On the one hand, perhaps Mahaprabhu was channeling ...

I was reflecting this morning on the little "interfaith seminar" I attended yesterday in Guelph. There were nine people altogether of various backgrounds--the two mature Indian men from the temple with whom I came, myself, a Lutheran couple, a Roman Catholic woman, a Unitarian Universalist woman, and a Buddhist couple of Jewish background. All the Christians, though, were to a greater or lesser extent influenced by New Age ideas. All looking for "spirituality." So there were no representatives of a "hard" tradition--no Baptist evangelicals or Sunni imams. I was very calm and detached throughout the whole meeting, which was centered on the subject of death. I was the second last person to speak, so I had the opportunity to hear everyone before saying anything. Most of it was heartfelt personal stories about experiences with other people dying, their own near-death experiences, etc. Everyone seemed to agree, more or less, that they were not afraid of death, ...

I got here after a nice smooth bus ride... more pleasant than a plane, even. This temple is Ram Dham. Is a pretty typical Hindu temple... all the main deities are there, but Ram is the main one. It is in the middle of a field. Looking out of my window I see wooden fences surrounding a verdant meadow. A country road, and a happily blue sky after a day of steely grey. It is still light at almost 9 o'clock. Temple founded by Brahmarshi Vishwatma Bawra Maharaj 's disciples, a Ma Chaitanya Jyoti . I will be speaking tomorrow on some devotional subject or another. I have Madhurya Kadambinis to sell. More news tomorrow. The flyer for this program: I am pleased to invite you to our regular satsang this coming Sunday from 11am to 1pm when learned scholar Swami Jagadanandji will give his talk on Bhaktimarg. We are living in an age when there is widespread confusion about spiritual life, and especially about ancient traditions. This applies especially to bhakti, primarily b...

From Dana-keli-kaumudi : Radha and the sakhis are approaching Govardhan, carrying fresh ghee for a sacrifice to be performed by Bhaguri Muni on behalf of Vasudeva, for the protection and well-being of Krishna and Balaram. Chitra Sakhi remarks that they are nearing the site of the Narayan deity, Hari Ray or Hari Deva, whose temple is on the hill. (Since this is Govinda Kund, this is quite likely a reference to Gopal or Srinathji.) This is Vrinda Devi's response: sakhi bahula-śirastve bhū-bhṛtau ceha sāmyaṁ dadhad api girir anchaty eṣa śeṣād viśeṣam | agharipur ayam aṅke mūrdhni yasyodare ca praṇayati rati-līlām adbhutām preyasībhiḥ ||23|| Kushakratha: Look look, Friend. Like Lord Shesha, this mountain has many heads. This mountain is better than Lord Sesha because, on its heads, chest and stomach, Lord Krishna enjoys pastimes with his beloveds. (Has hundred peaks, ergo many heads.) Surendranath Shastri: Behold, friend, this mountain, though in the matter of having numerous ...