Jagat

There is certainly an unexpected symmetry to these memories--a crossing over of multiple synchronicities. There are ideas that recurrently trouble us, were troubling us then and they also seem likely to continue to trouble us recurrently to arbitrary unconscious triggers like, in this case, the coincidence of dates.  The similarities, the synchronicities and so on, are only so if we notice them. Non-observation of any kind, whether it is the non-observation of scripture, the non-sensual imperception of things, the things that happen but are so far from consciousness that they do not even ruffle a hair of our heads as they pass by, equal the non-existence of synchronicity. It is just another name for a meaningful memory. An uddīpana if you will.  At any rate, the "guru issue" appears to be a recurrent preoccupation.

So we start the last of the chapters ( khaṇḍas ) of Śrī-kṛṣṇa-kīrtana , called Rādhā-viraha . I have already discussed this chapter to some extent in a previous article . That article is from two years ago, so it really shows how long I have been doing this... I have reposted some of the quotes from that here again, but will give a more detailed summary. As we have already mentioned, the last few pages (how many we don’t know) are missing from the manuscript. The most valuable introductory and concluding portions of the work are both lost and this is deeply frustrating, for reasons that will be evident. Rādhā-viraha is the second longest portion of the book, with 68 extant songs and who knows how many went missing with the last pages? As was stated with regards to the dāna-keli chapter, the length likely reflects the popularity of the theme itself. And indeed, the theme of Radha’s separation from Krishna is one that continues to influence Bengali Vaishnavism in ways that other fo...

Divine Madness The reference to mahā-bhāva made by Kaviraja Goswami is particularly worth noting (quoted in Part I ). The principal characteristic, I believe, is the idea of a particular eternal moment or snapshot, containing all these different conflicting reactions to one particularly confusing situation. In the mahā-bhāva , as described in UN 14, Radha experiences both the ecstasies of union and separation simultaneously. Here, something similar is happening. As we go through the sthāyi-bhāvas described in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi , what becomes evident to the observer is that we are watching a progression of madness in love--a disorientation that progresses to the point of a complete loss of touch with reality: e.g., attributing properties to lifeless objects and even being angry and envious of them, hallucinations, seeing the beloved where he is not, etc. If, as the Gītā (2.69) says, the sage sees day where the materialistic person sees night, and vice versa, it follows that what is...

Let us continue our exploration of the Gopāla-vijaya . One of the novel details in the GPVJ version of the Krishna story is the gopis' worship of Kamadeva. This fits into the pūrva-rāga stage, i.e., prior to Radha and Krishna's first meeting. Gopis worship other gods The gopis are often pictured worshiping other gods. This is, first of all, the Katyayani Puja, which is a powerful addition to the Krishna cycle found in the Bhagavatam and derived originally from Alwar sources. But, in general, as I may already have mentioned, Devakinandan and the Gaudiyas separate the married gopis from the unmarried, and Radha is said to not have been present amongst the Katyayani-worshiping gopis. Nevertheless, there are some parallels between Katyayani Puja and Madana Puja, as we shall see below. The Goswamis seem to consistently depict Radha and her sakhis as worshipers of Surya, while Chandravali and her sakhis worship a form of the Goddess Durga or Chandi. Radha's relationship ...

I am enjoying Gopala-vijaya more and more as I read it--and that is slowing me down. I still haven't been able to get through to the Dāna-līlā section because each little bit that I reads sets me off into a chain reaction of delight and realization. Today, I was simply trying to get through chapter 34, where Radha and Krishna's pūrva-rāga is starting to get quite intense. Neither Radha nor Madhava are able to find peace as they contemplate each other in their minds. As much pleasure as it brings them to think of the other, it causes them an anguish that is thousands of times greater. Radha is boxed in by her in-laws and so unable to openly express anything of what she is undergoing to anyone. So powerful is her feeling, it seems as if a potter's furnace is burning inside her. Krishna too is undergoing the exact same thing. kāhnāi se khena hoite āna nāhi mane dekhite se rādhā-maa dekhe vṛndāvane From that moment on, Krishna was unable to think of anything else. Lo...

We got as far as the beginning of chapter 30. The previous chapter contained the gopis' reactions to Krishna's beauty. Note the difference to SKK where Krishna is described as lust-mad and Radha's pūrva-rāga is totally ignored. Since GPVJ follows the Radha-is-older-than-Krishna (O God I am going to use this word!) meme, it is hard to talk about a classical pūrva-rāga format. Nevertheless, Rupa Goswami presents what is the classical position in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi : api mādhava-rāgasya prāthamye sambhavaty api | ādau rāge mṛgākṣīṇāṁ prokte syāt cārutādhikā || Although it is possible that Krishna’s love can come first, there is more charm in describing the love of the doe-eyed gopis first. (UN 15.16) ādau rāgaḥ striyā vācyaḥ paścāt puṁsas tad-ingitaiḥ First one should describe the love the woman has for the man, and the man’s love should follow on cue. (SD 3.195) A full verse, which is similar to this one, is also quoted in Vishnudas's commentary to UN 15.16: ...

Some observations: I remember the first time I read Śrī-kṛṣṇa-kīrtana , I immediately sensed the discomfort that Gaudiya Vaishnavas post-Rupa Goswami would have felt with some aspects of the story. But I also recognized what they would have liked, and that is really what this whole reading of the book is about. Here are some preliminary observations: First of all, Rupa Goswami states in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi that the pūrva-rāga of the nāyikā is usually described first. Here it is Krishna who is overcome with desire and Radha who resists. In Vidagdha-mādhava , for instance, it is Radha who is affected and she sends sakhīs to Krishna, who refuses her. This gives an opportunity to describe Radha's disillusionment and distress... the intensity of her love. In the second chapter we will learn that Radha is only 11 years old. We don't know how old Krishna is, but he sounds like a real brat, with very little redeeming about his character. He is full of lust and when he gets turned ...