VMA 1.48 :: Never leave Vrindavan



bhrātas tiṣṭha tale tale viṭapināṁ grāmeṣu bhikṣām aṭa
svacchandaṁ piba yāmunaṁ jalam alaṁ cīraiḥ sukanthāṁ kuru |
saṁmānaṁ kalayātighora-garalaṁ nīcāpamānaṁ sudhāṁ
śrī-rādhā-muralīdharau bhaja rasād vṛndāvanaṁ mā tyaja ||

O Brother! Stay each night at the foot of a different tree.
Beg for food in the villages.
Freely drink the Yamuna waters.
Make yourself a nice shawl
from torn and discarded cloth. 
Consider praise to be a most horrible poisonous cup,
and lowly condemnation to be nectar.
Worship Radha and the Player of the Flute with relish.
Never leave Vrindavan. (1.48)

Commentary

One of the dominant moods in the line of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is that of renunciation, especially where Vrindavan is concerned. To this day, the followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Braj are dominated by that spirit. Krishnadas Kaviraj promoted the example of asceticism given by the six Goswamis and though that high standard is rarely met, it is considered the bar that a sincere follower of the path of devotion in Braj should aim for.

Kaviraj Goswami says,

mahāprabhura bhakta-gaṇera vairāgya pradhāna
jāhā dekhi prīta hana gaura bhagavān

Renunciation is prominent in all of Mahaprabhu’s devotees, seeing which Lord Gauranga is pleased. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta 3.6.220)

Prabodhananda himself confirms this in his Caitanya-candrāmṛta,

kva tāvad vairāgyaṁ kva ca viṣaya-vārtāsu narakeṣv
ivodvegaḥ kvāsau vinaya-bhara-mādhurya-laharī |
kva tat-tejo vālaukikam atha mahā-bhakti-padavī
kva sā vā sambhāvyā yad avakalitaṁ gaura-gatiṣu ||

"Where can such asceticism be found 
as was in those who made Gaura the goal of their lives? 
Or where could you find anyone who felt as much distress 
in hearing the hellish topics of sense gratification? 
And where else were there such waves of sweetness 
combined with such mildness and modesty? 
And where else such otherworldly vitality, 
or such great devotional achievement? (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 50)

Prabodhananda’s descriptions of such renunciation is further confirmed in Kaviraj Goswami’s summary of Mahaprabhu’s instructions to Raghunath Das Goswami:

vairāgī karibe sadā nāma saṅkīrtana
māgiyā khāñā kare jīvana rakṣaṇa
vairāgī hañā yebā kare parāpekṣā
kārya siddhi nahe kṛṣṇa karena upekṣā
vairāgī hañā kare jihvāra lālasa
paramārtha yāya āra haya rasera vaśa
vairāgīra kṛtya sadā nāma saṅkīrtana
śāka patra phala mūle udara bharaṇa
jihvāra lālase jebā iti uti dhāya
śiśnodara parāyaṇa kṛṣṇa nāhi pāya

"An ascetic should always be engaged in repeating the names of the Lord and should keep his body and soul together through begging. Anyone who takes the renounced order and then becomes dependent on others cannot achieve his ends and Krishna will ignore him. One who becomes a renouncer and then lusts for tasty foods will never attain his spiritual goal, and will simply become the slave of his taste buds. A vairāgī’s duty is to always chant the names of Lord Krishna and fill his belly with spinach leaves, fruits and roots. One who runs here and there looking for good things to eat becomes attached to his sex organs and his belly and will never attain Krishna. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta 3.6.222-7)

grāmya-kathā nā śunibe grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe
bhālo nā khāibe āra bhālo nā paribe
amānī mānada hañā kṛṣṇa nāma labe
vraje rādhā kṛṣṇa sevā mānase karibe

"Do not listen to gossip nor engage in gossip yourself. You should not eat very palatable food, nor should you dress very nicely. Always chant the holy name of Lord Krishna without any expectation of honor, offering all respect to others. Mentally render service to Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta 3.6.236-7)

Anandi, in his commentary to the Caitanya-candrāmṛta verse quoted above, says that vairāgya means special love or attachment for Krishna (viśiṣṭe śrī-kṛṣṇe rāgo mano-lagnatā yasya virāgas tasya bhāvo vairāgyaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇānuraktatā). Though externally the Vaishnavas show such great disinterest in worldly things, it is the consequence of their great attachment to Krishna and service to him. As a matter of fact, any renunciation that is primarily based in a negation of the world without the requisite attachment to Krishna is actually a negative where bhakti is concerned.

phalgu-vairāgya-nirdagdhāḥ śuṣka-jñānāś ca haitukāḥ |
mīmāṁsakā viśeṣeṇa bhakty-āsvāda-bahirmukhāḥ ||

Those who have been burned to a crisp by false renunciation, who are attached to dry knowledge, who are argumentative and especially those who follow the mīmāṁsā system are all indifferent to relishing the flavors of bhakti. (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 2.5.112)

So this is the main principle of Vrindavan: attach yourself to the Divine Couple who are the full manifestation of the Absolute Truth as rasa. When one captures that taste, it will become easy to see through the phantom pleasures of the world.

viṣayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ |
rasa-varjaṁ raso’py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartante ||

Although a person of gross corporeal consciousness may avoid sense objects by external renunciation, his eagerness for sense enjoyment remains within. However, inner attachment to sense objects is spontaneously renounced by the person of properly adjusted intelligence, due to his having had a glimpse of the all-attractive beauty of the Supreme Truth. (Bhagavad Gītā, 2.59)

But in the early stages of devotional practice, one may have to demonstrate his determination to achieve the goal. Therefore Prabodhananda says, “Never leave Vrindavan.”

The memorable lines of this verse are "Consider praise to be a most horrible poisonous cup,
and lowly condemnation to be nectar." (saṁmānaṁ kalayātighora-garalaṁ nīcāpamānaṁ sudhāṁ) There is perhaps no more valuable advice for the aspiring ekāntin, for nothing can so discourage one as criticism, and nothing be more poisonous than the desire for praise. There is a nice little story with this verse as one of the stars here.

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
VMA 1.40 :: Only after lifetimes of piety can one live in Vrindavan
VMA 1.39 : May Vrindavan protect and transform me.
VMA 1.38 : Vrindavan can destroy the seed of sin.




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