Jagat

The very moment that the obstacles to worship are overcome, the devotee discovers the Name, in all its divine splendor, dancing on his tongue. From then on, he cannot stop drinking the streams of its nectar, and he dances in unbound ecstasy from divine intoxication. (May 14)

Explanations of the Maha Mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare (1) The Lord’s divine qualities revealed in the Maha Mantra harati tri-vidhaṁ tāpaṁ janma-koṭi-śatodbhavam pāpaṁ ca smaratāṁ yasmāt tasmād dharir iti smṛtaḥ The Lord is known as Hari because, for those who remember Him, He takes away the sins and three types of suffering accumulated over millions of births. kṛṣi bhūr-vācakaḥ śabdo ṇaś ca nirvṛti-sūcakaḥ tayor aikyaṁ paraṁ brahma kṛṣṇa ity abhidhīyate The root kṛṣ indicates the supreme attractiveness of the Lord, the suffix ṇa indicates supreme joy. Thus, the name Krishna indicates the Supreme Brahman who is the sum total of these two characteristics. ramante yogino’nante saty ānanda-cid-ātmani iti rāma-padenāsau para-brahmābhidhīyate Yogis take pleasure in the Supreme Self, which is existence, knowledge and bliss absolute. Therefore that truth, known as the Param Brahman is also called Rama...

Since I am currently in the birthplace of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, in this beautiful environment, I have been paying more attention to learning songs he wrote. That will be one of the main thrusts of my next six weeks before I return to Vrindavan in September. This translation is basically that of Dasharatha Suta Das, with a few changes. ======================== কৃষ্ণ-নাম ধরে কত বল ? kṛṣṇa nāma dhare kato bala? How much power is there in the Holy Name? বিষয় বাসনানলে মোর চিত্ত সদা জ্ৱলে রবিতপ্ত মরুভূমি সম । কর্ণরন্ধ্রপথ দিয়া হৃদি মাঝে প্রবেশিয়া বরিষয় সুধা অনুপম ॥১॥ biṣaẏa bāsanānale mora citta sadā jvale rabi tapta maru bhūmi sama | karṇa randhra patha diẏā hṛdi mājhe prabeśiẏā bariṣaẏa sudhā anupama ||1|| In the flames of my desire to enjoy, my heart is always burning like a desert under the burning sun. Through the holes of my ears, the Name enters my heart, and rains down incomparable nectar. হৃদয় হৈতে বলে জিহ্বার অগ্রেতে চলে শব্দরূপে নাচে অনুক্ষণ । কণ্ঠ...

Christiaan sent a question on the Karpatriji thread , which rather than continuing there, I decided to answer in a separate post. Actually, I will divide my answer in two, as there are really two questions. Is modern psychology compatible with the RK-Lila concept? I recently heard that someone who suffered from a severe obsessive compulsive disorder got treated rather succesfully, but in his therapy chanting was considered a symptom of his disorder rather then a solution to it. He gave up on it (the chanting). Rituals seem to dovetail OCD's. In a way most rituals have much in common with OCD's. Then the phenomenon of chaotic/catatonic schizophrenia. Most of the symptoms correspond with what are called symptoms of ecstatic trance in India, or possession. In Italy they hallucinate about Mary, in Turkey about Fatima and in India about... With regard to your question about whether Radha and Krishna is compatible with modern psychology. The short answer is "which psychology?...

I am still working on those grey areas, which will hopefully be made a little more clear soon. But for starters, a friend sent me the URL of a book of talks given by Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhar Maharaj called Heart and Halo . At the risk of offending devotees who admire Sridhar Maharaj and are unconditional supporters of the Gaudiya Math, I am afraid that I shall repeat some of the opinions that caused so much consternation a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, when Sridhar Maharaj says openly, "So they have got their hated position in society; the general society has got great hate for them, those bābājīs" and "[The sahajīyā s] are the worst enemies," then we certainly must give him the respect he deserves and examine his arguments thoroughly and see how and why he justifies such vehement opposition. I have to say right off the bat that there is much in this book that is interesting and valuable. I am, and I have said it before, someone who admires Sridhar Maharaj and res...