Jagat

Saraswatipada continues to describe a hierarchy of good fortune, finally arriving at the superlative "one who is most fortunate of the fortunate" ( dhanya-dhanyaḥ ). It is not easy to renounce, and often it seems unnecessary, especially when one has a wife or husband who is decorated with all the virtues beginning with devotion. But Prabodhananda gives so much importance to the Dham that he would even sacrifice a devotional life outside of Vrindavan for one there, even if it were to be in the company of those speaking mundane subject matters. 

Can't wait to get back to Vrindavan to take my own photos. At least VT needs a good photographer. bhrātar bhogāḥ subhuktāḥ ka iha na bhavatā nāpi saṁsāra-madhye vidyā-dānādhvarādyaiḥ kati kati jagati khyāti-pūjādy-alabdhāḥ | adyāhāre'pi yādṛcchika uru-guṇavān apy aho saṁvṛtātmā śrīmad-vṛndāvane'smin satatam aṭa sakhe sarvato mukta-saṅgaḥ || O brother! What enjoyments have you not already fully experienced here in this world? And what fame and adoration have you not had in the midst of this repeated birth and death through your learning, charity and sacrifice? My friend! From today on, in matters of eating, accept whatever comes unsought; even if you have all good qualities, keep yourself hidden and wander constantly, completely free from all attachments, in this beautiful forest of Vrindavan. Commentary Prabodhananda Saraswatipada returns again from his meditation on the eternal Vrindavan to instruct his mind to adhere to an absolute comm...

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 si...

kara-nihita-kapolo nityam aśrūṇi muñcan parihṛta-jana-saṅgo’rocamānānuyānaḥ | pratipada-bahulārtyā rādhikā-kṛṣṇa-dāsye vasati parama-dhanyaḥ ko’pi vṛndāvane’smin || Resting his cheek upon his hand while constantly releasing tears, abandoning the company of non-devotees, without any taste for keeping servants or followers, and with intense emotion at every moment performing service to Radhika and Krishna, some most fortunate person resides here in this Vrindavan. Commentary Many of the verses in Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta with ambiguous references to “some person” are thought to refer to Hit Harivams, the founder of the Radha Vallabha sampradāya and close associate of Prabodhananda Saraswati in Vrindavan. He could also be making a reference to himself. In either case, he is presenting the ideal resident of Vrindavan, in keeping with those same principles of indifference to material honor and dishonor, etc., that have been mentioned in the last few verses, but comb...

kadā śrīmad-vṛndāvanam iha mṛṣā sneha-nigaḍaṁ samucchidya svānāṁ śaraṇam upayāsyāmi vikalaḥ | kvacit svāntaḥ-śalyoddharaṇam abhipaśyan na hi manāg api śraute vartmany akhila-vidusām anumate ||1.98|| When will I cut off the chains of false affection of my family and loved ones, and approach Vrindavan for shelter in this world? I see no other means for extracting the spike of suffering from my heart, not even by following the path of the Shrutis, accepted and taught by all the wise. Commentary Prabodhananda continues to speak of his desperation in worldly life. It feels like he is in the midst of a conflagration that burns in whichever direction he turns. The love my family and friends show towards me is false, he declares. After all, this is one of the fundamental realizations of the Upanishads. In particular I speak of this passage in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka (2.4.5): Truly, it is not due to love of the husband that the husband is dear, but due to one's love of ...

nirvidya kṛtyādy-akhilāt kadāhaṁ cchittvā samastāś ca jagaty apekṣāḥ | praviśya vṛndāvanam atyasaṅgas tad-īśa-vārtābhir ahāni neṣye ||1.97|| When, losing all hope in the efficacy of all works, cutting off all expectations and responsibilities in the world, and entering Vrindavan with absolutely no attachments, will I pass my days in talk of Vrindavan's king and queen? Commentary As Prabodhananda comes closer to concluding his first century, he bounces back from his sphūrtis of Radha and Krishna's eternal erotic love games into the real-life situation of external consciousness. And so he makes this samutkaṇṭhā prayer of longing. samutkaṇṭhā nijābhīṣṭa-lābhāya guru-lubdhatā || "Longing" means a deep greed to attain that which one desires. (BRS 1.3.36) . One of the 64 bhakti-aṅgas described in BRS is called vijñapti , which basically means speaking or revealing one's mind to Krishna. This vijñapti then takes three forms: praying for som...

Crossposted from Vrindavan Today . sādho śaknoṣi no cet sakalam api haṭhāt svapna-kalpaṁ vihātuṁ tarhi tvaṁ dhyāya vṛndāvanam aniśam athopāsya vṛndāvaneśau | tan-nāmāny eva nityaṁ japa satatam atho tat kathāṁ saṁśṛṇuṣva śrīmad-vṛndāvana-sthān atha paricara bho bhojanācchādanādyaiḥ || O sadhu! If you cannot immediately abandon everything as if it were a dream, then meditate constantly on Vrindavan, even as you worship the Divine Couple of Vrindavan.   Do japa of their names without cessation, listen to talk of their pastimes, and serve the residents of Vrindavan with food, clothing and other gifts.  Commentary The strict renunciate view is the absolute commitment to a Reality distinct from that of the visible world. One gives up one's entire life as nothing more than an illusion, a dream. This awareness is called jñāna . ahaṁ cātmātmajāgāra-dārārtha-svajanādiṣu bhramāmi svapna-kalpeṣu mūḍhaḥ satya-dhiyā vibho I too am deluded in this way, O...

One of the many projects that I have on my desk right now is a translation of a French book on Krishna's teachings in the Bhagavad-gita by a longtime and very worthy Prabhupada disciple named Vishnurata Das. Practically speaking, it is a simplification of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, seen through the eyes of the author. I recently went through his sixth chapter, which as you know is the one on rāja-yoga . According to Madhusudana and Vishwanath, this is the last chapter of the first set of six, which deal with karma-yoga . In Vishnurata's version, the instructions on mind control, etc., have been reduced to practically nothing more than the merest skeleton, and the bulk of the chapter is focused on the impracticability of the practices described in the age of Kali. This is coupled with frequent references to the superiority of bhakti-yoga . Yoga is seen as an exercise in mind and sense-control, but since there is no practical engagement of the mind and senses in the medit...