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Excerpts from Krishna Kathamritha Bindu
Mini-mag from Gopal Jiu Publications (Issue 25)
www.gopaljiu.org
Submitted by Krpa
Who Really Hears ?
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
Although many persons may come to hear Srimad Bhagavatam, who is actually hearing? To whose ears do these words penetrate and go deep into the heart? There are many that are posing to be hearing, but actually they are not hearing. The words are entering into one ear and going out the other. It never penetrates to the heart because they have no faith. They are crooked persons. They are not simple. This is the only reason. They have no faith in the revealed scripture. They are doubtful persons, so how can they get the result?
There was a village where Bhagavatparaya a was going on, recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam for seven days,saptaha. Many people from neighboring villages came to hear the recitation from seven o 'clock to nine o 'clock each evening. There were two women who were regularly coming. One was an old woman about seventy years old with gray hair. The other was a young girl sixteen years old. She was the daughter-in-law of the elderly woman.
One day in his lecture the speaker sang in Oriya,ananda bolo hari hari,hari karibe upaya- "Chant the name of Lord Hari with pleasure! Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari! That Lord Hari will enable you to cross over the dreadful ocean of material existence."
Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law heard the speaker, but from that very moment the daughter-in-law started chanting, "Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!" She put complete faith in those words. Although both of them heard, the mother-in-law did not sing the song.
Why is it that the daughter-in-law was able to put full faith in the words of Srimad Bhagavatam and start chanting,"Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!" from that very moment while the old experienced mother-in-law could not do so? Because the old lady was not simple, she was crooked. She had no faith in what she heard. This is a question of sa sayatma, doubt. She was a doubtful person. The young girl was very simple. She was not crooked, so immediately she put faith in what she heard and started chanting, "Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!"
When the recitation finished, the ladies had to return to their home. On the way there was a tidal river that they had to cross. When they had first come the water was knee-deep, but when they were returning it was neck-deep. The daughter-in-law was walking ahead and the mother-in-law was following her. Chanting,"Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!" while she was walking, the daughter-in-law easily crossed over the river and stood on the other bank. Meanwhile, the mother-in-law was drowning in the middle of the river. She shouted,"Oh! Oh! Daughter-in-law! You are there on the other bank! I am drowning here in the river!"
The young girl replied,"You should chant,'Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!'"
The mother-in-law replied,"You rascal! Are you my master? Are you teaching me? Iam your master! You are my daughter-in-law, Iam the mother-in-law!"
The young girl said, "Didn't you hear? That speaker said, ananda bolo hari hari,hari karibe upaya - 'Chant the name of Hari with pleasure. That Hari will enable you to cross over the dreadful ocean of material existence.' So what is this tiny river? Why will Lord Hari not be able to help you cross this small river?"
The mother-in-law got angry. This is a practical consideration of faith and simplicity. The young woman was simple, so immediately she was able to put faith in the speaker 's words and by chanting she easily crossed the river. The old woman was faithless and doubtful.
Although she was experienced and old, she was a crooked person. There was no simplicity in her heart. This is the point. The only thing required is to be simple. Give up all of your crookedness and put full faith in Krishna. Put full faith in His words, put full faith in the revealed scriptures, and put full faith in the words of acaryas, sadhus, and mahajanas. Then you will achieve success. This is most important. You should be as simple as a child. By nature a child is very simple. But when he grows up he becomes crooked. Why? Because of association with crooked persons.
Some people will say, "Oh,if we become so simple then we will be cheated. Therefore we
will not be simple,we will be crooked". But Krishna says,naya loko 'sti na paro na sukham sam sayatmanah -"If you have no faith then you cannot get any happiness, either in this life or in the next."[Bg.4.40 ]Why should you be crooked? Will it bring you some happiness? Will it keep you from being cheated? You are being cheated, and you are not getting happiness, why? Why not be simple and put faith in Krishna 's words and achieve success in life? Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu likes those who have simplicity. They are natural vaisnavas. Simplicity is vaisnavism.
Krishna, the sannyasi beggar
Srila Govinda Das
Although Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He relishes being subordinate to His devotees. Srimati Radharani is the topmost devotee of the Lord. Sometimes in Her loving dealings with Krishna She manifests transcendental anger toward Krishna and refuses to see Him. Krishna relishes Radharani's anger and becomes overwhelmed with ecstasy. Krishna has to devise some method to break Radharani's loving sulkiness, and this pastime is known as mana-bhanjana-lila, the pastime of breaking Srimati Radharani's anger. Regarding such pastimes, Srila Prabhupada has described:
Krishna wants to be controlled by Yasodamayi. Krishna wants to be defeated by His friends. Krishna wants to be refused Radharani's darsana. [When]Radharani is angry, she refuses [to allow Krishna to see Her]. She has ordered the sakhis ,"Don't allow Krishna to come here!" [Then]Krishna flatters [the sakhis],"Kindly let Me go." "No sir,you cannot go." This is Krishna. (Excerpt from a lecture on Nectar of Devotion, Bombay,10 Janurary 1973).
In the following song, Govinda Das describes a wonderful way in which Krishna once broke Radharani's angry mood. (Kamoda-raga)
1.Hearing the sound of a buffalo-horn,the cowherd people awakened. Bringing some alms, Jatila, the mother of Abhimanyu, Radharani's so-called husband, offered them to the beggar. Disguised as a beggar-yogi, Lord Krishna,the master of all yoga,was silent. He tilted His head. He would not accept the alms.
2.Jatila said: "What do You want,then?" The yogi said,"Your daughter-in-law should offer the alms with Her own hand. Only then will I accept them. Send for Her at once."
3."If I accept alms from you [and not from Srimati Radharani], then My yogi's vow will perish."Hearing these words,and the hairs of her body now standing erect,Jatila ran to the side of her daughter-in-law.
4.Jatila thought the supremely charming yogi at her door must be a great sage. With great effort she gathered up some offerings and placed them on a jewelled tray.
5.Hearing the commotion, beautiful Radha came."I will go to the yogi," she said. Jatila affirmed,"This yogi is not an ordinary man. Simply by seeing Him,one attains a great spiritual treasure."
6.On the tray was an offering of whole-wheat flour and a golden cup with some ghee in it. Taking the tray in Her hands, sighing with love and Her life 's breath trembling,Radha brought the offering to the yogi Krishna.
7.The yogi Krishna said,"I will not accept this offering yet. First I wish to hear a single word from Your mouth.I am Nanda's arrogant son. Say that You forgive Me,and then I will depart."
8.Hearing these words,beautiful Radha covered Her face with Her cloth. Then Krishna, the king of dancers, took the alms. Govinda Das says:
His heart 's mission accomplished, Lord Krishna,the crown jewel of all dancers,took His leave.
-Govinda Das Thakur Padavali song 122.Translator unknown.
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