Jagat

alakṣyāḥ śrī-lakṣmyā api ca bhagavatyā bhagavataḥ sadā vakṣaḥ-sthāyā madhura-madhurāḥ kecana rasāḥ | aho yad dāsībhiḥ satatam anubhūyanta ūrubhiḥ prakārais tāṁ rādhāṁ bhaja dayita vṛndāvane vane || There are some sweeter than sweet tastes that are beyond even the glorious Lakshmi Devi, the Supreme Goddess, who constantly resides on the Lord's chest. Ah but those same rasas are experienced by Radha's maidservants in so many ways. So, dear friend, please worship Radha in the Vrindavan forest. (1.85) Commentary This commentary follows on from the previous verse . A frequently stated trope in all glorifications of the madhura-rasa of Vrindavan is to state that Lakshmi Devi, who is eternally situated on Lord Narayan's chest, still hankers to have the loving mood of the gopis, but cannot have it because she cannot shake her feelings of reverence for her husband, that is, her awareness of his being the supreme deity. Ramananda Raya, in his conversations...

I have been appreciating Babaji's morning chanting of hymns, which I happily participate in each morning. He has a teacher who has given him a number of striking tunes for these Sanskrit verses, which make my "chanting of Sanskrit mantras" in need of updating. I was also inspired to make a few spontaneous recordings, using those tunes and on my SoundCloud page I have also added a few recordings of Babaji also. Most Gaudiya Vaishnavas tend to chant songs in Bengali or common Sanskrit hymns like Rādhā-kṛpā-kaṭākṣa-stotram , but Babaji has chosen to select notable hymns or passages from the Bhagavatam itself, which is a testament to his devotion to our main shastra. The following verses are Uddhava's famous panegyric glorifying the gopis in 10.47. These verses are unique because there is no other such praise dedicated to any devotee by another devotee found there. After staying in Vrindavan in the association of the cowherd folk, Uddhava is so impressed by ...

Bhajana Rahasya 8.5: The spiritual identity of this perfected devotee This is described by Prabodhananda Saraswati in the Rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhi (53)— dukūlaṁ bibhrāṇam atha kuca-taṭe kañcuka-paṭaṁ prasādaṁ svāminyāḥ sva-kara-tala-dattaṁ praṇayataḥ sthitāṁ nityaṁ pārśve vividha-paricaryaika-caturāṁ kiśorīm ātmānaṁ caṭula-parakīyāṁ nu kalaye When will I see myself as an adolescent girl, excited by the mood of being married to someone else, expert in all varieties of personal service, standing beside the Divine Couple, wearing a dress and blouse formerly worn by my own mistress Radharani and affectionately given me by Her personally. Extended translation: How sweet it is to think "I am Radha's maidservant!" How tender and delicious is the remembrance of one's siddha svarupa! Srimad Jīva Goswami said in Bhakti Sandarbha (304), "Even if one does not perform any other spiritual practice, one can attain perfection simply by having the attitude that ‘I ...

Ah, this chapter five. So Bhaktivinoda Thakur has very expertly taken us through the first four chapters and now we are at ruchi. So this is the stage where one starts thinking about the siddha deha. But first one follows in the footsteps of the gopis by hearing their mood and being affected by their words. I have been through BR before many times, but going through it fairly rapidly from beginning to end like this is revealing the overall path of bhajan very nicely. Bhaktivinoda Thakur did an excellent job, I must say. I should add that Satyanarayan Dasji started me on a program of daily chanting these verses from the Bhagavatam (i.e. the gopis response to Krishna's testing of their love when he sent them back to their husbands and families. I did a recording of it when we first started, but I think now that I have these verses memorized, i can meditate on them better and also sing them with more feeling than I did then. I am thinking of recording it again. The Bhagavatam is r...

Lord Krishna is the only enjoyer. The living entity is constitutionally the object of the Lord’s enjoyment. Therefore, as one worships the Lord more profoundly, he begins to feel a strong desire for the service of Srimati Radharani. This means that he begins to develop the mood of a gopi. Here is how the gopis pleaded with Krishna after He told them to return home— tan naḥ prasīda vṛjinārdana te’ṅghri-mūlaṁ prāptā visṛjya vasatīs tvad-upāsanāśāḥ tvat-sundara-smita- nirīkṣaṇa-tīvra-kāma- taptātmanāṁ puruṣa-bhūṣaṇa dehi dāsyam Therefore, O vanquisher of all distress, please be merciful to us. We have abandoned our families and homes to come here in the hope of serving Your lotus feet. O jewel among men, our hearts are burning with intense desires aroused by Your beautiful smiling glances, so please allow us to serve You. (10.29.38) Expanded translation: We have abandoned our homes and families and come to You, seeking Your service, just like Narayan’s devotees who renounce...