Jagat

Though one cannot really say that any anuccheda is more or less important, certain ones such as this stand out. In the last anuccheda , Sri Jiva concluded by defining vaidhī bhakti and the following section is the beginning of the explanation of the development of  bhakti sadhana . Here, further explanation of faith ( śraddhā ) is needed. Though faith was discussed in Anuccheda 204-205 , Sri Jiva here discusses the process of surrender as the external sign of faith.  " According to Rūpa Gosvāmī, the act of surrender takes place to the guru who is the physical manifestation of Bhagavān (BRS 1.2.74). This is also stated by sage Prabuddha to King Nimi (11.3.21). Surrender is not easy for the ego because the very basis of its existence is not surrendering. Therefore, if one does not surrender to a living guru, it is not certain that one has actually surrendered to Bhagavān. The mind is material and functions on the basis of past saṁskāras that are related to...

premautkyena vicintyatāṁ viluṭhanaiḥ sarvāṅgam āyojyatāṁ dehasyāsya samarpaṇena sudṛḍha-premā samāsthīyatām| rādhājānir upāsyatāṁ sthiracara-prāṇīha santoṣyatāṁ śrī-vṛndāvanam eva sarva-paramaṁ sarvātmanāśrīyatām|| Think of Vrindavan with loving longing! Engage your every limb by rolling in its dust, Be fixed unshakably in divine love by offering up your body to the Dham. Worship Radha’s lover and give full satisfaction to every creature here, moving or unmoving. Vrindavan alone is the supreme destination, take shelter of it with your entire being. (1.5) Commentary After briefly glorifying Vrindavan, Prabodhananda for the first time gives the basics of Braja-vāsa-sādhanā . Surrender and taking shelter are the essence of this practice. tavāsmīti vadan vācā tathaiva manasā vidan |  tat-sthānam āśritas tanvā modate śaraṇāgataḥ || One who has taken shelter ( śaraṇāgati ) leads a life of happiness, for with his words says, "I am yours, O Lord....

When I got up this morning, as is often the case, a couple of verses were rattling in my brain. One was from Mucukunda's prayers-- bhavapavargo bhramato yada bhavej janasya tarhy acyuta sat-samagamah sat-sangamo yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau paravarese tvayi jayate matih O Achyuta, when the time comes for the jiva soul to be freed from the whirlpool of samsara, he is brought into contact with the saintly. And where there is association with devotees, there arises devotion to the Supreme Lord, the destination of the pure. (SB 10.51.53) The other one is Krishna speaking to Uddhava: martyo yada tyakta-samasta-karma niveditatma vicikirsito me tadamrtatvam pratipadyamano mayatma-bhuyaya ca kalpate vai A person who gives up all fruitive activities and offers himself entirely unto me, eagerly desiring to render service unto me, achieves liberation from birth and death and is promoted to the status of sharing my own opulences. (11.29.34) Prabhupada's translation: The living enti...

Here it is, Radhe, your birthday. And here am I--infinity + 10,000 miles away from you and your kund. Since last night, I have been looking around in different books, trying to find something to say, something that took me out of theory and into the real world of your devotion and love. But my heart is so dry that none of the things I read, nectar though they were, seemed able to quench its thirst. Finally, this morning I turned to Ananta Das's Vilapa-kusumanjali , which opened spontaneously on verse 96-- तवैवास्मि तवैवास्मि न जीवामि त्वया विना । इति विज्ञाय राधे त्वं नय मां चरणान्तिके ॥ tavaivaasmi tavaivaasmi na jiivaami tvayaa vinaa । iti vijnaaya raadhe tvam naya maam charanaantike ॥ Oh Radhe ! I am yours alone. I am yours alone. I cannot live without you. You know this full well, Oh Radhe, so give me a place at your lotus feet. This verse is the heart and soul of the Vilapa-kusumanjali . It is as if all the meditations on Radha's lila and the heartfelt prayers for service ...

(I was rummaging around in Gaudiya Discussions and came across this, which I though was worth preserving here. I was surprised a little to see myself using vocabulary and themes that I am still hammering away at. Some of the points might require a little bit of revision.) Rāgānugā bhakti means imagining yourself as a part of Radha and Krishna's world, and doing all sadhana in that consciousness. Vidhi bhakti is primarily conducted only in the sadhaka deha--hearing, chanting, etc., are all there, but the goal of being with God (in whatever form) is left in his hands. "Give me whatever service YOU want." Rāgānugā bhakti  begins with the prayer, "I want specifically THIS in Radha Krishna's world." The  rāgānugā bhakta  's sadhana is mystical participation in the divine realm. Through  rāgānugā bhakti , one quickly ceases all prayers for liberation because one practically loses all consciousness of being a sadhaka. This colors his perception of and pa...

This is the section that precedes the verses already quoted. These verses are found in Bhagiratha Jha's commentary to Gopāla-tāpanī 1.14-- klīm ity etad ādāv ādāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya gopījana-vallabhāyeti bṛhad-bhānavyā sakṛd uccared yo’sau gatis tasyāsti maṅkṣu nānyā gatiḥ syāt Whoever utters even once the seed klīṁ , following it with kṛṣṇāya, govindāya and gopī-jana-vallabhāya , and then concludes with svāhā , will attain the supreme destination. For him, there is no other destination. Śaraṇāgati has, as is well known, six elements: accepting the favorable to the devotional life, rejecting the unfavorable, having faith in God the protector, and choosing him as provider, giving oneself to him, and humility. atha tubhyaṁ prapannānāṁ dharmān vakṣyāmi nārada yān āsthāya gamiṣyanti hari-dhāma-narāḥ kalau 22 itthaṁ guror labdha-mantro guru-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ sevamāno guruṁ nityaṁ tat-kṛpāṁ bhāvayet sudhīḥ 23 satāṁ dharmāṁs tataḥ śikṣet prapannānāṁ viśeṣataḥ sveṣṭa-dev...

Some nice saranagati verses from the Padma Purana. I have a friend, who now keeps himself at a distance from me, who says with unfailing consistency that he is not a devotee, even though to me, he proves his single-minded devotion to Radha despite his neglect of external forms. His decision to give up my company is perhaps because I do not surrender sufficiently to the Atma, the Soul of my soul. Which I guess was my reproach to him, also. What can be a greater source of pain that to reject the voice of your soul's Soul--and to do so consistently, protesting weakness? This friend says, "I will just suffer in this life, O Radhe. I cannot do what you ask of me. All I ask is that you give me the appropriate body, senses and association in my next life that I can become your devotee." If only surrender would be made easier "next time." It looks easy when we sing the gopis' glories. They abandoned everything for Krishna. Was it easy? It looks easy, but if it ...