Jagat

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)

śrī-vṛndāraṇya-śobhāmṛta-laharīḥ samālokato vihvalā me dṛṣṭir vā bhātu vṛndāvana-mahima-sudhā-vāridhau majjatād dhīḥ | śrī-vṛndāraṇya-bhūmau luṭhatu mama tanur vihvalānanda-pūraiḥ śrī-vṛndāraṇya-sattveṣv ahaha tata ito daṇḍavan me natiḥ syāt || May my eyes become filled with anxious desire on seeing the waves of Vrindavan’s nectarean splendor! May my intelligence dive deeply into the ambrosial ocean of Vrindavan’s glories! May my body, imbued with joy and spiritual desire, roll in the dust of Vrindavan! And may I fall down in prostrated obeisances to all of Vrindavan’s creatures in every direction! (1.14) Commentary The prayer to have all the senses engaged in devotional actions is frequently seen throughout the Bhagavatam. As a matter of fact, this is the month of Karttik when the Damodar lila is remembered. There, the two sons of Kubera, whose sense of entitlement and privilege as the sons of the Lord of Wealth had led them to forget the basic niceties of civili...