VMA 1.51 The intelligence of recognizing Vrindavan

Rathayatra in Vrindavan, July 6, 2019. P.C. Jagannath Poddar

śrī-vṛndākhyam ananya-bhakti-rasadaṁ govinda-pādāmbuja-
dvandve manda-dhiyo vidanti nahi tad vāsaṁ ca nāśāsate |
sāndrānanda-rasāmbudhir niravadhir yatrāvirasti dhruvaṁ
no majjanti kubuddhayo bata samudvignāḥ suduḥkhair api ||
People of feeble intelligence
do not know that Vrindavan gives a taste
for exclusive devotion to Govinda’s lotus feet,
and so they do not aspire to live there.

Those of distorted intelligence
even though disturbed by great suffering
do not immerse themselves in Vrindavan,
where the ocean of the essence of intense joy
appears constantly and in permanence. (1.51)

Commentary

It has already been stated that faith is the basis of the devotional life. In spiritual life, intelligence is faith.

Intelligence means the ability to discriminate and to make decisions for action on that basis. In the Gītā, Krishna gives a discourse on intelligence that is the basis for the entire yogic world view. After telling Arjuna that the vision of the insightful individual is to focus on Reality, which is beyond the body and the world of duality in which it is based, he says that one must be focused on that Reality in all one's actions. This is intelligence, and the failure of intelligence is symptomized by its dispersal into many directions.

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo'vyavasāyinām
The resolute intelligence of those on this path is singular, O scion of the Kuru dysnasty. The intelligences of the irresolute are many branched. (Gītā 2.41)
Radhakrishnan says, "Human life finds its fulfillment through self-devotion to a commanding end and not in the unfettered pursuit of endless possibilities." This is the general understanding on which all yogis, regardless of their particular discipline, are agreed. But the exact nature of the Absolute is not perceived in the same way by everyone.

The Vaishnavas, Prabodhananda Saraswati included, believe that recognizing the personal nature of the Absolute, is also a matter of intelligence. When personality and all that it has achieved are the highest manifestation of Creation, how could these features not be present in the Creator? And in the hierarchy of understanding, this insight leads to belief in the Absolute as the acme of Love, and the lilas of Love manifest in their perfection in his world of Love, Vrindavan.

Only the most fortunate can be blessed by the grace of this understanding, the height of spiritual insight.

The vyavasāyātmikā buddhi is also called niṣṭhā. When a student of spiritual life is initiated his specific path is determined. When he recognizes this grace, he becomes fixed in his determination on the particular path he was assigned by that union with the guru. When one recognizes the goal, one has to engage in the appropriate action, which in this case is bhakti.

The path of bhakti is long and as one's perception deepens, one's practice also broadens. The five principal devotional activities culminate in residence in Braja.

śraddhā viśeṣataḥ prītiḥ śrī-mūrter aṅghri-sevane |
śrīmad-bhāgavatārthānām āsvādo rasikaiḥ saha ||
sajātīyāśaye snigdhe sādhau saṅgaḥ svato vare |
nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ śrī-mathurā-maṇḍale sthitiḥ ||

"(1) Faith and affection for serving the Lord in his deity form; (2) relishing the topics of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in the association of rasika devotees; (3) keeping the company of saintly persons who share the same spiritual mood, who are affectionate and more advanced than oneself; (4) chanting the names of the Lord, and finally, (5) residing in the region of Mathura." (BRS 1.2.90-91)

Prabodhananda here asks how can the intelligence of one who has not understood the benefits of living in Vrindavan, who cannot understand that the highest perfection of spiritual life comes of residing there, be considered adequate to the purpose of human life? And if one refuses to recognize it even when facing the conditions of suffering that are our lot in life, is that not further evidence of our lack of intelligence?


VMA 1.50 : “Do you know the secret of defeating death?”
VMA 1.49 : Even while in Vrindavan, you wander about in externals!
VMA 1.48 : Never leave Vrindavan
VMA 1.47 : What can Vrindavan give you?
VMA 1.46 : Vrindavan: The ripe fulfillment of Krishna prema
VMA 1.45 :: Vrindavan, worshiped by munis, gods and divine beings
VMA 1.43 :: Those who die in Vrindavan are the greatest Vaishnavas
VMA 1.42 :: The Abode of the King of Rasa
VMA 1.41 :: The treasure house of the flavors of devotion

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

O Mind! Meditate on Radha's Breasts

Image
Flickr As I go through the dāna-līlā episode of Chandi Das's Śrī Kṛṣṇa Kīrtana , there are many songs in which Krishna describes Radha's beauty, and a regular feature of that includes descriptions of her breasts. In fact, breasts are a subject that is prominent in all Sanskrit poetry, and is even standard in prayers to goddesses. There does not seem to have been any inhibition in talking about breasts in the ancient Indian culture, even though I dare say, there is more of one in the modern society, in spite of Bollywood. There is, however, an apparent restriction in talking about genitals, male or female, in the so-called erotic poetry of India--Sanskrit or vernacular--even when lovemaking etc., is described. Such descriptions would automatically fall into some other genre. In Radha and Krishna descriptions, I cannot recall ever seeing or hearing a passage that mentioned genitals or overt sexual activity. It is nearly always spoken of somewhat euphemistically. I remember ...
Read more

Swami Vishwananda's Bhakti Marga and Parampara

Image
It has been a little strange here at Jiva these past few days. Swami Vishwananda is here with his troupe of disciples, of whom there are a goodly number, perhaps 80 or so. When I arrived in Vrindavan already a couple of weeks back, almost the first thing I noticed at the corner of Mathura Road and the Parikrama Marg was a big billboard with Swami Vishwananda’s charming smile and glowing tilak staring charismatically out at the world and announcing that he would be giving darshan on March 8 at the Jiva Institute. Below him, in a smaller frame was Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji, who besides being his host will be speaking on the Bhāgavatam at the darshan event. This is not the first time that Vishwananda and his group have been at Jiva. Satyanarayana Dasaji calls Vishwananda a friend, and indeed the relations between the two are very cordial. Vishwananda's group is mostly young and enthusiastic, predominantly European (German and points east), who are very enthusiastic about...
Read more

Erotic sculptures on Jagannath temple

Image
This was written on the basis of Sundarananda Vidyavinode's Sri Kshetra and intended for a devotee audience, as it was done on a commission by disciples of Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaj. It has never been published. I decided to put this on line since there was a discussion on Facebook on the subject and I thought I would revisit what I wrote here nearly twenty years ago. This is from chapter ten on temple renovations. Please note that I have removed the images that I had found of some of the sculptures. I have been blocked from posting links to this blog on Facebook for some infringement of its "community standards". The only thing I can think of on this blog that might have offended some prudish person in cyberspace is this. I do not have much hope for redemption as it has been over six months since my ban is "under review" and there has been no sign of action. Needless to say, I find this heavy-handed action on the part of Facebook dangerously authoritar...
Read more