Service
Leaving aside questions of the eternity of the soul, the afterlife and everything else that people take "on faith," the question is, "Why must I serve?" and then, "What [or whom] must I serve?" This is an existential question about the here and now. (Facebook, April 13, 2010)
Jagannath Misra Das
Kalau sudra sambhavam... all are born sudras in the kali Yuga, and sudras have this "service mentality" they need a master and a physical task to occupy the vacancy of their distempered minds. Follow the example of Gauranga in Puri, listen to the Gita Govinda and the Bhagavat Puranam and enjoy nama, rupa, guna, lila, etc., of Hari.
This is really the field whereupon the whole spectrum of Sanatana Dharma understanding lies.
Everyone must serve the yajna at every level of existence, conditioned or liberated.Service does not mean bondage. Service to the Truth, conceived at whatever level of adhikāra, will still remains service, which is the price for living. You only have value as a result of service.
And the most intimate forms of service, which enhance your human value tremendously, can only grow out of a conscience that is mature in dāsya, sakhya and vātsalya.
Madhura-rasa at its most advanced level is the perfection of all the rasas, because it includes the others. And when one is on the level of a sādhaka, then one has to cultivate the other rasas just by virtue of living in this world and entering into relations with it.
The secret about sthāyi-bhāva is that you cannot cultivate it on some purely fairy tale level. It has to be supported by experience. And the only place you are going to get that experience is in this world.
And in this world, one lives in the midst of all the rasas. The secret of bhakti is that they are all to be practiced as sevā to Kr̥ṣṇa, who is playing the role of everybody but you.
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candala ‘candala’ nahe—yadi ‘krsna’ bale vipra ‘vipra’ nahe,—yadi asatpathe cale ॥197॥
A caṇḍāla is not of the caṇḍāla [lowest class] if he recites the name of Kṛṣṇa; and a Brahmin is not a Brahmin if he walks upon the path of low birth.
Verse 2.1.197, Chapter 1 (The Beginning of the Lord’s Manifestation and His Instructions on Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana), Chaitanya Bhagavata.
शोच्य-देशे, शोच्य-कुले आपन-समान जन्माइया वैष्णवे, सबारे करे त्राण ॥४९॥
socya-dese, socya-kule apana-samana janmaiya vaisnave, sabare kare trana ॥49॥
"Born into a condemned family living in a condemned place [makes no difference]; the [all-pervading] Viṣṇu does deliver protection to everyone."
Verse 1.2.49, Chapter 2 (The Lord’s Appearance), Chaitanya Bhagavata.
Apology, previous should read:
"Born into a condemned family or living in a condemned place [makes no difference]; the [all-pervading] Viṣṇu does deliver protection to everyone."
सद्-योगीन्द्र-सुदृश्य-सान्द्र-रसदानन्दैक-सन्मूर्तयः
सर्वेऽप्यद्भुत-सन्महिम्नि मधुरे वृन्दावने सङ्गताः ।
sad-yogīndra-sudṛśya-sāndra-rasadānandaika-san-mūrtayaḥ
sarve'py adbhuta-san-mahimni madhure vṛndāvane saṅgatāḥ |
In the sweet groves of Vrindavan, where the great yogis gather, their divine forms are the embodiment of the intense nectar of bliss, revered by all.
ये क्रूरा अपि पापिनो न च सतां सम्भाष्य-दृश्याश् च ये
सर्वान् वस्तुतया निरीक्ष्य परम-स्वाराध्य-बुद्धिर् मम ||
ye krūrā api pāpino na ca satāṁ sambhāṣya-dṛśyāś ca ye
sarvān vastutayā nirīkṣya parama-svārādhya-buddhir mama ||
Even those who are the most cruel and sinful, unseen and unspoken to by the virtuous, once examined in truth, my intellect deems them to be supremely worthy of worship.
Thank you for your reply to my message.
I sent you a message on Facebook Messenger, as you told me to contact you there.
My name on Messenger is ‘Jaya Radhe Shyama’.
Thank you again.
Tors in service,
Atmarama Dasa