Madhur rasa? Remember it is far better late than never (1st part)

All Glories to Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga

Madhur rasa? Remember it is far better late than never (1st part)

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda Paramahaṁsa- Jagad Guru said that— “While anarthas are there inside our heart, one cannot start hari-bhajana.” Really what a kind of revolting absolute siddhānta vichar it is! Which means that even hari-bhajan cannot start, then what to speak about prema bhakti which is beyond human comprehension. Śrīla Prabhupāda very often used to say that— “Oh! Devotees do not try to overlook the most basic differences existing in those following technical devotional terms available in śāstras like sādhana bhakti, bhāva bhakti, prema bhakti. 

From Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we can see the following śloka which can rectify our misconception regarding rasa-tattva––

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu

nityaṁ Bhāgavata-sevayā

Bhāgavaty uttama-śloke

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī                                   (ŚB 1.2.18)

By regular hearing the Bhāgavatam (Grantha Bhāgavatam) and by rendering daily sevā of the pure devotee (bhakta bhāgavat), I mean by serving both Grantha Bhāgavat and bhakta bhāgavat on daily basis (nitya sevā) all those anarthas (abhadra) almost can go disappeared and can help us to develop ‘naiṣṭhikī bhakti’ unto the lotus feet of uttama-śloka-bhagavān, this is a must. 

Naiṣṭikī bhakti means firmness in the striving for the unfolding of unalloyed bhakti. When obstacles of laya, vikṣepa, kaṣāya etc. all are almost removed from the path of bhakti of such a sādhaka who is willing to get pure bhakti. The steadiness that he (or she) then attains is called niṣṭhā. Actually anartha-nivṛtti means the cessation of those obstacles and those defects that can make a cloud around my honest bhakti effort. From the following bhāgavat śloka of rasa līlā last chapter we can see that––

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ

śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ

bhaktiṁ parāṁ Bhāgavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ

hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ                                         (ŚB 10.33.39)

A sober person (snigdha) who in the beginning faithfully and continuously hears from an authentic source like Sad Guru-Vaiṣṇava (paramahaṁsa maha-bhāgavat) about the absolute glories of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unprecedented rasa līlā with those Braja gopis and thereafter if feeling spontaneous inspiration to describe those aprākṛta līlā (pastimes) of Bhagavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then very soon he can attain para bhakti or prema bhakti unto the Lotus Feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhagavan—The Supreme Lord, and thus can become purified to dispel the heart disease of kāma (lust) very quickly, I mean before long.   

As per Śrīla Vishvanath Cakrabartypad’s commentary on this śloka we can see that—one can attain para bhakti even before the disappearances of anarthas by hearing and describing rasa līlā kathā with full faith.

Therefore, hearing such rasik kathā is one of the most powerful forms of sadhana bhakti, which can help us to dispel the heart disease of kāma very quickly. This is the overall meaning of the above śloka, but that doesn’t mean that anyone full of anarthas or kāmas can get the result that way, rather they should consider the śloka already quoted before in the beginning of this article–– “naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu……… bhaktir bhāvati naiṣṭhikī (ŚB 1.2.18)”. The word “dhīra” and the other word “śraddhānvito” both should be considered with full concentration under the guidance of paramahaṁsa Sad Guru to get entry into the inner meaning of the śloka. Those prākṛta sahajiyās they always try to overlook these two most vital points to jump into the ocean of rasa, nay into the ocean of fire. “Dhīra” means such a personality who is free of burning feeling of material enjoyment due to absolute guru ānugatya (enjoying guru kṛpā) now free of any anarthas. And the word “śraddhānvito” means who is completely decorated with full faith.

‘śraddhā’-śabde — viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya

kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya                                             (Cc Madhya 22.62)

“Śraddhā is full confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.”

And the word “anuśṛṇuyād” means strictly under the guidance of paramahaṁsa guru Vaiṣṇava one can hear to accept those aprākṛta līlā vilas siddhānta from heart and not fancifully like a crazy demon. From the following bhāgavat śloka already shown before we should get the appropriate guidance to realize the inner meaning  of the rasa līlā śloka – “vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir……”, “naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu……… bhaktir bhāvati naiṣṭhikī  (ŚB 1.2.18)” I mean, when ‘anartha almost gone, but whatever residue left can get vanished’ – this meaning is most practical and approved by all our Gauḍīya guru-varga, otherwise all foul dirty games can be found there in our Gauḍīya devotional world to destroy the dignity of rasa-līlā completely if it is open to all. Then in that case the excellent and absolute secret kṛṣṇa-līlā can become so cheap in our society, that those sahajiyās can take more and more undue advantage of this absolutely pure crystal jewel like rasa līlā.  

All our Gauḍīya guru-varga like Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmīpad, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpad, Śrīla Jiva Gosvāmīpad, Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinod Ṭhākura, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrīla Bhakti Pragyan Kesava Gosvāmī Mahārāj, Śrīla Bhakti Rakshak Śrīdhar Dev Gosvāmī Mahārāj or Śrīla Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvāmī Mahārāj etc. all they have given a very strict instruction about rasa tattva.

Śrīla Jiva  Gosvāmīpad has written the meaning of ‘dhīrāḥ’ in the commentary written by him in this śloka of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam— “vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir…..”  that ‘dhīrāḥ’ means who is full of patience to go for such kind of śravaṇa-kīrtana, which means the same which is already written in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta—

kṛṣṇa-bhakta — niṣkāma, ataeva ‘śānta’

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī — sakali ‘aśānta’                                      (Cc Madhya 19.149)

“Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore, they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful or dhīrāḥ.

Śrīla Vishvanatha Chakravartipad has written the meaning of ‘dhīrāḥ’ in his commentary in the śloka that–– “vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir….”  that ‘dhīrāḥ’ means ‘paṇḍit’. As per the explanation of Bhagavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava about the meaning of ‘paṇḍit’ in the śloka written below— ‘śrī guṇā nairapekṣyādyāḥ ………….paṇḍito bandha-mokṣa-vit’. (ŚB 11.19.40) is he––who is having clear conception and feeling about bondage and free stage condition. He further includes the following clarification that while having kāma disease inside heart who-how can get prema? In the answer to this question, he is writing that, who is having strong or full faith in Īśvara he is surely ‘dhīrāḥ’, I mean devoid of any ignorance, that means surely, he is decorated with full faith (śraddhānvito). Because surely Bhagavan cannot allow any prema to such a personality who has no faith in him, or who is bearing nāma-aparādha. 

Gaura Hari Hari Bol