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Manhã de Domingo ...
E o Leblon mais uma vez em festa...
Para celebrar a chegada da primavera .
Segundo a lenda, Jaganntha , seu irmão Baladeva e sua irmã Subhadra , saem do altar para concederem bêçãos a todos.
Seja bem vinda Flor!
E um belo fim de semana a todos
How To Deeply Perform Arati
Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja
Badger, California: 1997
You will have to add something in your sadhana-bhajana. Try to follow the instructions given in the book Hari-bhakti-vilasa, for all rules and regulations can be found there. Also, for arcana (formal deity worship), there is a book coming from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu through Sri Vakresvara Pandita and Sri Gopala-guru Gosvami, and after that through Gopala-guru Gosvami's disciple Sri Dhyanacandra Gosvami. This book is called Arcana Padhati.
There are two processes of Deity worship. One is called bhava-marga (the path of spontaneous devotion or raganuga-bhakti) and the other is called arcana-marga (the path of formal scriptural rules and regulations, or vaidhi-bhakti). Arcana-marga has existed since ancient times. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came especially to give bhava-marga, but He taught those who are not yet qualified to follow vaidhi-bhakti – and in vaidhi-bhakti arcana is also to be done.
Arcana is not performed by mental speculation or imagining, "This is good and this is bad." You will have to follow the injunctions in Hari-bhakti-vilasa and other authorized books. If you are performing arati, you must sing the kirtana of arati. If you are performing the arati of Gurudeva, you have to sing the arati song of Gurudeva. If you are performing the worship and arati of Mahaprabhu, you should sing Sri Gaura-Arati: "Jaya jaya goracandera aratiko sobha." If you are doing the arati of Radha-Krsna, you will have to sing the kirtana of Radha Krsna – Sri Yugala Arati: "Jaya jaya radha-krsna yugala milana." If you are not chanting these songs, there will be a lack in your worship.
This is required; it does not take a very long time, and I see that you used to spend over an hour in doing arati. You can adjust, if you like, and those who follow me should certainly do so.
Do you remember the kirtana: "Jaya jaya radha-krsna yugala milana"? Radha and Krsna are the divine couple there. "Arati koroye lalitadi sakhi-gana" You should see who is doing arati – it is Srimati Lalita-devi. Lalita-devi is performing the arati; Srimati Visakha-devi is behind her, waving a camara and also performing kirtana along with all the sakhis. Tungavidya is playing mrdanga, Citra or someone else is playing karatalas, someone is playing a vina, and thousands of very beautiful sakhis are standing there.
Tungavidya, Citra, and all the other sakhis are expert in their singing and playing the many instruments. What are they singing?
jaya jaya radha-krsna yugala milana
arati koroye lalitadi sakhi-gana
["All glories, all glories to the amorous rendezvous of Sri Radha and Krsna! All sakhis led by Lalita and her group perform arati for Their pleasure." (Sri Yugala-Arati verse 1)]
madana-mohana-rupa tri-bhanga sundara
pitambara sikhi-puccha-cuda manohara
["In His beautiful three-fold bending madana-mohana form, He is so attractive, even to cupid. With His yellow silk dhoti and crown decorated with peacock feathers, He captivates the minds of all." (verse 2) ]
Lord Sri Krsna is standing in ''tri-bhanga sundara." He is bending in three places and He looks very beautiful with His flute, peacock feather, and vana-mala (garland of forest flowers), and He is affectionately looking towards Srimati Radhika and smiling. "Madana-mohana." If anyone sees Him – even if Kamadeva will see him – he will be charmed. "Pitambara." We should try to give a pitambara (yellow chadder or shawl) to the Deity of Krsna.
lalita-madhava-bame vrsbhanu-kanya
nila-vasana gauri rupe gune dhanya
["To the left of the amorous and charming Sri Madhava is the beautiful daughter of King Vrsabhanu, Srimati Radhika, dressed in a sari the color of a blue lotus. Her complexion is the color of molten gold and Her beauty and qualities are matchless." (verse 3)]
"Vrsabhanu-kanya." Srimati Radhika is standing on the left side of Krsna. "Lalita-Madhava." This word has been explained in Sri Ujjvala-nilamani. Who is Madhava? He is lalita – extremely beautiful and playful. He never stands or sits with Srimati Radhika in the same way as He does with Yasoda-maiya, Nanda Baba, or the sakhas. Lalita-Madhava is there with Srimati Radhika, and at that time Srimati Radhika is called Madhavi – Lalita-Madhavi. There are many explanations of the word lalita. Krsna is the only lalita-nayaka or dhira-lalita (dhira-lalita is that playful Person who can keep His girlfriend always in subjugation by His different qualities).
Krsna in the form of Rama is not lalita, as Dvarakadhisa He is not lalita, as Vaikuntha-pati He is not lalita, as Subal-sakha He is not lalita, and as the son of Yasoda He is not lalita. Lalita is He who stands on the right side of Srimati Radhika, and nearby whom is Lalita-devi, Visakha, Citra, Campakalata, Indulekha, Rangadevi, Sudevi, Rupa Manjari, Rati Manjari, and Lavanga Manjari – there He can be lalita.
By singing this song, many thoughts and moods will come, and you will feel as if you are seeing Them – along with Lalita who is performing Their arati.
Why is Srimati Radhika addressed as Vrsabhanu-kanya? Why not Kirtika-kanya? This is because She is especially beloved to Her father, so much more than to Her mother. She did not come from the womb of Kirtika; rather She was floating on a lotus flower in theYamuna. She appears in different ways and different places in different kalpas (milleniums). In a different kalpa She appeared from Kirtika-devi's womb, but in any case Her father loves Her more than Her mother. As far as Sri Krsna is concerned, Mother Yasoda is more loving to Krsna than Nanda Baba. Nanda Baba also loves Him, but Yasoda loves Him so much more. With Srimati Radhika, on the other hand, it is somewhat opposite.
"Nila-vasana" means that Radhika has taken the color of Madana-mohana Krsna and has dressed Herself with that color.
nana-vidha alankara kore jhalamala
hari-mano-vimohana vadana ujjvala
["She is adorned with various sparkling, shimmering ornaments (alankaras), enchanting the mind of Hari with Her radiant face." (verse 4)]
She wears many varieties of ornaments, and She has been decorated by Krsna Himself. Lalita tells Krsna, "Oh, you don't know how to decorate Her!" and she lightly pushes Him away with her elbow. Krsna then says, "You don't know; I know more." They are quarreling, and Srimati is laughing.
"Hari-mano-vimohana." Srimati Radhika has such a mood and personality that Krsna gives His heart to Her. She takes His heart.
visakhadi sakhi-gana nana rage gaya
priya-narma-sakhi jata camara dhulaya
["Visakha leads all the sakhis in singing various ragas (melodious songs according to the appropriate time of day), as all the other priya-narma-sahkis soothe Sri Radha and Krsna with camara fans." (verse 5)]
Those who are singing and performing kirtana are Visakha, Citra, Champakalata, Rupa Manjari, Lavanga Manjari, Ananga Manjari, and so many others, with many various kinds of melodies.
Who are the priya-narma sakhis? Lalita, Visakha, after that Champakalata, and after that Citra, Tungavidya, and there are so many others. They are very beautifully, and humbly, waving their chamaras. Their postures are so marvelous that Krsna wants them to wave the camaras before Him.
sri radha-madhava-pada-sarasija-ase
bhakativinoda sakhi-pade sukhe bhase
["At the feet of the damsels of Vraja-dhama lies an ocean of joy. There Bhaktivinoda Thakura swims, hoping to attain the lotus feet of Sri Radhika and Madhava." (verse 6)]
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is singing this arati kirtana of Radha and Krsna, and he is praying, "sri radha-madhava-pada-sarasija ase." Sarasija means lotus. Radha and Madhava's feet are like lotuses, and he wants to serve their lotus-like feet. While arati is going on we can add these ideas – to improve our Krsna Consciousness.
If you are worshiping Radha and Krsna and performing Their arati, and at that time if you sing the song of Narahari-rupa Lord Nrsimhadeva, "kesava dhrta-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare," what will be the use? Narahari cannot go to Vrndavana. Parama-pujapada Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja gave this mantra at first, before he had given the diksa-mantras of Radha and Krsna. He told his young disciples to do this, because he was thinking, "Somehow they should begin their worship." This is called 'gathering devotees.' It is for common persons, to gradually bring them to bhakti.
Those who are beginners should do this, but those who want to advance further should worship separately. Let it be done as it is going on in any temple, but you, your wife, your children and some rare devotees should try to follow these other principles. You will then see that everything is going on well.
Feel free to download in original size and use it.
I am uploading low res photos because of the bandwidth and upload limitations. If you need full size for any purpose please contact me . They are FREE.
Thank you very much. Hari Bol !!
- please watch the video
«Eternity is in sincerity…
But people’s lives fall like the autumns leaves… beneath,
Who’s to blame? Whose’s that caprice?
Death is not the end but transformation, metamorphosis,
Just catharsis of the many faced mystery.
Don’t be afraid, the roots of the fear are in disbelief…
We are not Gods but his atomic parts,
There is the movable fragile but ever connection between us,
To try to tear it - means to be broken apart…
What can I give you? My awkward tries
To become better? Or try to love and compassionate?
I forgot everything… My heart sleeps…
Please wake it, shake to awaken, stir it up…
For rapid impetuous rivers streaming from my heart
Like endless soul’s songs…
I’m so small and unimportant - I’m yours…
Make me the transparent, the conducting medium of your choice,
Save, inspire… by me…»
Translation of the lyrics from the song above…
Song is written and performed by Aleksey Myshkin («Odno no» music group) - odnono.ru
Photos in the movie are made by amazing person and photographer Aleksey Koshelev - gakus.ru
For artistic project «Another City»
The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower is a major landmark and popular meeting point in Leicester.
Today they are singing all about a bloke named Harry Krishna.
I met a young lady there in January 1991... we are still together now (along the way we seem to have collected 3 children, a dog and a Volvo estate).
The Clock Tower was "erected by public subscription, aided by the Corporation of this Borough, AD 1868, in memory of four benefactors of Leicester".
From the 12th century hay, straw and other agricultural produce were sold at the site where the Clock Tower now stands. Borough records of this area dated 1260 suggest that there was a mound known as 'Berehill', probably from a Saxon word for barley. In 1484 Berehill Cross stood on the mound and beneath it a set of stocks, pillory, and cage for the punishment of delinquents. Over the centuries the area acquired various names - Barrel Cross, Roundhill (corrupted to The Roundle), Gosewell Gate and Coal Hill.
An Assembly Room was built on the site in 1750, which was used for public dances, concerts, meetings and entertainments. When the new Assembly Rooms in Hotel Street opened in 1801, the old building was converted into separate shops and put to various other uses, including a hay and straw store and a furniture showroom. By 1867, horse-drawn traffic was causing chaos in this area.
The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower was built in 1868 to form a traffic island and pedestrian refuge, and as a memorial to four local benefactors whose statues stand on the corners of the Tower. A competition held to secure the best design was won by Joseph Goddard, the 28 year old son of prominent local architect, Henry Goddard.
The tower is constructed of Ketton stone with a base of Mountsorrel granite, and incorporating column shafts of polished Peterhead granite and serpentine. The statues are of Portland stone, and were sculpted by a local monumental mason, Samuel Barfield, under Goddard's supervision; Barfield's fee for each statue was £37 10s 0d (£37.50). The clock was supplied by Gillett and Bland of Croydon, and the mechanism of its four dials is connected by a single guide-rod. The Clock Tower is a grade 2 listed building.
The four benefactors depicted on the Clock Tower are:
Simon De Montfort (c.1208-1265). Earl of Leicester and credited with forming the first Parliament in 1265.
William Wyggeston (1467-1536), a wealthy wool merchant; twice mayor of Leicester; MP for Leicester 1504, founder of Wyggeston's Hospital.
Sir Thomas White (1492-1567). A native of Reading, he endowed various Midlands towns, including Leicester, with £40, to be used for interest free loans to young men to establish themselves in business. These funds having greatly appreciated since the 16th century, loans are still administered by local trustees.
Alderman Gabriel Newton (1683-1762), woolcomber, mayor of Leicester in 1732. After the death of his only son, he used much of his wealth to provide educational facilities for the poorer children of the town.
Photo © Tristan Savatier - All Rights Reserved - License this photo on www.loupiote.com/10618884446
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If you can identify this ceremony or the Hindu Deity, please post a Comment or email me.I think those are Hare Krishna devotees dancing in a procession.
Photo taken at the Kumbh Mela 2013 Hindu festival near Allahabad (India)
Kumbh Mela is the largest festival on Earth, taking place once every 12 years, with more than 50 million Hindu pilgrims gathering to pray and bathe in the holy Ganges river.
For more photos and info about the Kumbh Mela festival, read the album description.
If you like this photo, follow me on instagram (tristan_sf) and don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me.
La devoción de los Hare Krishna se está expandiendo por todos los rincones de Colombia. Registro de la visita de Srila Bhakti Aloka Paramadwaiti Swami al municipio de Pamplonita. Allí se encontró con su colega espiritual Lwntana Nakoggi.
La devoción de los Hare Krishna se está expandiendo por todos los rincones de Colombia. Registro de la visita de Srila Bhakti Aloka Paramadwaiti Swami al municipio de Pamplonita. Allí se encontró con su colega espiritual Lwntana Nakoggi.
New Vrindaban, West Virginia
October 17, 2014
Autumn leaves at their dazzling yellow peak. Backroads of West Virginia, foothills of the mountains. Appalachia. Ascending on a steep, curving, packed-gravel road, past fracking camps and vistas of marble-sized pumpkins of the fields below...
Then, out of the forest, the sky opens up over New Vrindaban, a Hare Krishna community at the peak of a mountain. A small lake adorned by a swan boat and with two huge statues upon the shore. Peacocks everywhere. And a cow pasture. A vegetarian restaurant.
A temple with incense and a family kneeling and bowed on prayer mats, devoting to deities set in a mulitude of lavish, gilded niches.
The centerpiece of New Vrindaban is the Palace of Gold, built by disciples as the home of Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. After his passing in 1977, it became a memorial shrine to him - many of its amenities, like the kitchen, study, and bathroom, are maintained in their original form - some with wax statues depicting his likeness in various states of divine activity.
No photography is allowed in the Palace - but the Indian style architecture within is extravagant beyond belief, considering what part of the world it is in. It is especially jarring considering the gap between the vast expense of materials, and the free labor performed by resident disciples who have eschewed worldly possessions. The explanation of the tour guide was that all is transitory in this world, and so such adornment was irrelevant beyond creative pursuit.
New Vrindaban has had a checkered history filled with the general controversies associated with the Krishna Consciousness movement, and the darker 1980's allegations of child abuse and murder conspiracy against an expelled guru.
It would take more than one visit to begin to understand the tangle of severe spirituality, non-chalant worldliness, social isolation, and natural beauty that exist here.
La devoción de los Hare Krishna se está expandiendo por todos los rincones de Colombia. Registro de la visita de Srila Bhakti Aloka Paramadwaiti Swami al municipio de Pamplonita. Allí se encontró con su colega espiritual Lwntana Nakoggi.
La devoción de los Hare Krishna se está expandiendo por todos los rincones de Colombia. Registro de la visita de Srila Bhakti Aloka Paramadwaiti Swami al municipio de Pamplonita. Allí se encontró con su colega espiritual Lwntana Nakoggi.
For the less enlightened,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_krishna
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
We were talking
About the love we all could share
When we find it
To try our best to hold it there
With our love, with our love
We could save the world, if they only knew
Try to realize it's all within yourself
No one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you
We were talking
About the love that's gone so cold
And the people
Who gain the world and lose their soul
They don't know
They can't see
Are you one of them
When you've seen beyond yourself
Then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come when you see we're all one
And life flows on within you and without you
a small trip down memory lane when everything seemed so simple and easy. here's a NEW YEARS WISH for all my friends that we could somehow, someway return to the simplicity and innocence we all shared but may have lost along the way...
Billy
La devoción de los Hare Krishna se está expandiendo por todos los rincones de Colombia. Registro de la visita de Srila Bhakti Aloka Paramadwaiti Swami al municipio de Pamplonita. Allí se encontró con su colega espiritual Lwntana Nakoggi.
Feel free to download in original size and use it.
I am uploading low res photos because of the bandwidth and upload limitations. If you need full size for any purpose please contact me . They are FREE.
Thank you very much. Hari Bol !!
Taken in 1972.
In the 1970s, Hare Krishnas seemed to be everywhere -- in every bus terminal, every train station, every public square, not to mention every busy street corner. Some would chant and dance while others offered literature, as is happening here, on Boston's Tremont Street, outside the Park Street subway station.
Kirtanananda's Winnebego, where the "incident" happened. Kirtanananda was spotted through the curtains by the driver, engaging in illicit homosex with a young Malaysian man.
How Deep is the Mountain?
[In 1993, in Srila Prabhupada’s quarters at the ISKCON Juhu Beach temple in Bombay, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja spoke to an audience of 200 devotees. He had been requested at that time to share something of his relationship with Srila Prabhupada, to describe some of the services he rendered to Prabhupada in the past, and some of the services he has been rendering to him since his divine disappearance in 1977. The following is a transcription of his discourse:]
At the time of his divine departure from this world, Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja ordered me, “You should serve me in my taking samadhi.” He knew the meaning and significance of entering samadhi, and what should be done at that time.
Samadhi is a Sanskrit word consisting of the two syllables: sama-dhi. Sama means ‘the same’ and dhi means ‘intelligence.’ It means that the pure devotee who is departing from the vision of this world is entering the same level, same position, and same mood as the personal associates of his worshipful deity – with equal intelligence, equal beauty and equal qualities. He is serving properly according to his own svarupa (constitutional form). Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja’s worshipful Deity is Srimati Radhika, and he is serving Her under the guidance of Her personal associates, the manjaris, headed by Sri Rupa Manjari.
He has preached about Lord Jagannatha-deva, Krsna-Balarama and other manifestations of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, but from what I have understood from his writings, books, and personal darsanas, I am determined in the fact that his worshipful Deity is Srimati Radhika and he sees Sri Krsna as Radhika’s beloved.
His desire was to assist Srimati Radhika in Her desire to serve Sri Krsna in many various ways. He wanted at that time to be one with the mood of Her maidservants, and in that very place where She renders Her service. And he wanted my service at that time.
Sri Rupa Manjari serves Srimati Radhika when Radhika wants to meet Krsna. For example, in the night, when it is dark, she dresses Her in black clothes and ties Her ankle-bells so they will not make any sound. She gives so much uddipana (stimuli) to Srimati Radhika’s bhava. For example, at the time of dressing Her, she may put on a necklace which has as its centerpiece the syamantaka jewel. At that time she will say, “This jewel is the friend of Krsna’s Kaustubha jewel.” In this way she reminds Srimati Radhika of Her pastimes with Krsna, and Radhika bestows upon her all Her mercy.
If one can serve his Gurudeva in this mood, that is, in his Gurudeva’s service to Sri Rupa Manjari or Sri Radhika, this is the best service to Gurudeva.
I do not know why he gave me so much mercy that he chose me to give him some uddipana as he entered his samadhi. I performed this service by decorating him with tilaka and writing certain sacred mantras on his chest with sandalwood paste – indicating his services to his worshipful Deity, Srimati Radhika.
Just before his departure from this world, he requested me to sing Sri Rupa-Manjari-Pada* (See Endnote 1):
sri rupa manari-pada, sei more sampada,
sei mora bhajana-pujana
[“The lotus feet of Sri Rupa Manjari are my dearmost treasure. They are the topmost object of my worship and inner devotional practices.”]
sei more prana-dhana, sei more abharana
sei mora jivanera jivana
[“Her lotus feet are my most cherished wealth, more dear than my own life. They are the exquisite ornament of my life, and indeed are the very essence of my existence.”]
This is the best sankirtana of Sri Rupa Manjari, who can lead us to Radhika’s service. While I sang this I saw that his face was sometimes colored with one transcendental mood and sometimes with another. I had requested my brahmacari Sesaya to perform kirtana, and I personally performed this kirtana for him – just as I did for my Gurudeva. There were many similarities between my Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja. I did what Srila Svami Maharaja ordered me to do for him and I feel so fortunate that he gave me this service; and I did the same for my Gurudeva at the time of his entering samadhi.
Just before his departure, Srila Svami Maharaja told me, “You should advise and help my disciples and all devotees connected with me.” I did not think I could help them at that time, for I considered them higher in rank than myself. I thought, “They have so much guru-nistha, faith in the lotus feet of their Gurudeva, and they are far more advanced than me. They know, better than I, the conclusive truths of the Krsna Consciousness philosophy (tattva-siddhanta). How can I help them?” But my siksa-guru gave some inspiration in my heart.
It is sometimes thought that Srila Svami Maharaja is only in sakhya-rasa – that is, in his constitutional spiritual form he is a cowherd friend of Krsna. When I hear this I experience pain in my heart, for the complete conception of him is that he is in madhurya-rasa.* [See endnote 2] Sakhya-rasa is included within madhurya-rasa, so sakhya-bhava is also within him, but he is in madhurya-rasa.* [See endnote 3]
There are two ways to see our Gurudeva, and an analogy can be given in this connection of the HimalayanMountains. How high the Himalayas are is one thing – and how deep is another. We can somewhat see its height, but we cannot see what is hidden deep within the ground. We saw that Parama-pujyapada Srila Svami Maharaja collected a large number of disciples throughout the world in practically no time. We saw all varieties of his height. He loved everyone, and everyone knew, “He loves me so much;” and we saw this in our Guru Maharaja also.
How deep Sri Guru is, however, we cannot know. Srila Svami Maharaja used to sing Sri Gurvastakam with a profound mood and with tears in his eyes – in samadhi. He did not see who was looking at him and who was not, who was taking part and who was not. He was simply absorbed in singing and playing his karatalas.
The first to fourth verses of Sri Gurvastakam contain very high subject matters that we can realize and see, but there are two verses that we cannot:
sri-radhika-madhavayor apara-
madhurya-lila-guna-rupa-namnam
prati-ksanasvadana-lolupasya
vande guroh sri caranaravindam (5)
[“At every moment Sri Gurudeva is experiencing intense greed in his heart to taste the unlimited sweetness of the holy names, forms, qualities, and pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava in Vrndavana. I offer my prayers unto the lotus feet of Sri Gurudeva.”]
nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai
ya yalibhir yuktir apeksaniya
tatrati-daksyad ati-vallabhasya
vande guroh sri caranaravindam (6)
[“Sri Gurudeva is always present with the sakhis, planning the arrangements for the perfection of yugala-kisora’s amorous pastimes (rati-keli) within the kunjas of Vrndavana. Because he is so expert in making these tasteful arrangements for Their pleasure, he is very dear to Sri Radha and Krsna. I offer prayers unto the lotus feet of Sri Gurudeva.”]
Only one who is equal to his self-realized Guru can understand how deep he is. A kanistha-adhikari, neophyte, and a madhyama-adhikari, middle class devotee, cannot guess how deep are his feelings – what are the fathomless moods of krsna-prema and radha-prema in his heart. Without being an uttama-adhikari, a topmost pure devotee, one cannot understand.
Kanistha and madhyama-adhikari devotees can see his height, his aisvarya (opulence) – that he collected disciples and very quickly preached all over the world – but it is more valuable to see his depth. Ultimately he has not collected disciples to experience his height. He did that also, but he ultimately brought us only to give us his deep thoughts. This will take time, of course; it could take many births to realize something of this. When I see him and remember his orders, I become moved – knowing that he is engaged in nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai.
This is the main reason he came – to give this service. He came to obey the orders of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. But he had to spend a great deal of time laying the groundwork by preaching vaidhi-bhakti.
Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has said, “I came to give some valuable conceptions in raganuga-bhava – but I could not do so. Most of my life was spent in sweeping and cutting jungles.” Preaching is like this – and it is also so essential. Without preaching vaidhi-bhakti, that main thing cannot be given. Srila Sarasvati Thakura used to say that when the mayavada philosophy (becoming one in all respects with an impersonal God) is present, there can be no preaching of bhakti – so we will have to cut the jungles of atheism, mayavada, sahajiyism and other non-Vedic philosophies. We will have to spend time defeating their arguments.
I think that I have some very little role in this – to obey his orders. If I can give raganuga-bhakti in the hearts of devotees, I will see that I have fulfilled the orders he has given me. This is the best service I can render to his lotus feet. When you are situated in raganuga-bhakti, you will be able to factually see that his relationship with Sri Sri Radha and Krsna is in gopi-bhava. Then you can deeply think of his services to the Divine Couple in nikunja yuno rati keli siddhyai.
He used to sing daily:
jaya radha-madhava jaya kunja-bihari
gopi-jana-vallabha jaya giri-vara-dhari
yasoda-nandana, braja-jana-ranjana
yamuna-tira-vanacari
[“All glories to Sri Radha-Madhava! All glories to Kunja-bihari, who is the gopis dearmost beloved. He lifted Govardhana Hill and is the darling son of Yasoda-maiya. He wanders in the forests along the banks of the Yamuna, where He enjoys with the many different gopis in their own groves.”]
He has so much transcendental greed to serve Kunja-bihari. A sakha does not have the sentiments and thoughts of these exalted conceptions. The name Gopijana-vallabha in this song is also in our gopala-mantra. Srila Svami Maharaja desired to give the service performed by the gopis to Gopi-jana-vallabha, but he saw that there were only a few in this world who were qualified for this – the number could be counted on ones fingers. In order to gradually bring his audiences to a level wherein they could understand, he preached about Lord Jaganatha-deva and established deities of Sri Sita-Rama and Sri Krsna-Balarama.
The gopis have spoken about Rama-Krsna (Balarama is sometimes called Rama) in Srimad-Bhagavatam, but they were not actually referring to Rama meaning Balarama. They were indicating Ramaniya-Krsna; that is, Krsna, the enjoyer of Sri Radha. Their Rama is Krsna Himself. Qualified devotees – those who have received the mercy of their Gurudeva – will actually realize this; and others who desire to do so will realize it after some time.
If I can render this service to his lotus feet – to give an atom of the feelings of these exalted conceptions to his disciples and followers, I will render him the best service.
[*Endnote 1. He very much liked, “Hari Haraye Namah Krsna Yadava Namah,” “Jaya Radhe, Jaya Krsna, Jaya Vrndavana.” and “Sri Rupa Manjari-Pada,” and used to request me to sing these kirtanas. (UK Visit to Srila Prabhupada’s Room at Bhaktivedanta Manor 1996 May 17)
2. To explain the topmost quality of conjugal love, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami gives the example of the material elements – sky, air, fire, water and earth. In the sky (space) there is the quality of sound. Similarly, in air there are the qualities of sound and touch. In fire, there are three qualities – sound, touch and form. In water there are four qualities—sound, touch, form and taste. Finally, in earth there are all five qualities – sound, touch, form, taste and also smell. Now, one can see that the quality of the sky is in all – namely in air, fire, water and earth. In earth we can find all the qualities of material nature. The same can be applied to the rasa known as madhurya-rasa, or conjugal love. In conjugal love there are the qualities of neutrality, servitorship, fraternity and parental affection, as well as those of conjugal love itself. The conclusion is that through conjugal love the Lord is completely satisfied.
3. Conjugal love (madhurya-rasa) is also known as srngara-rasa. It is the conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam that in the complete combination of loving service to the Lord – namely in conjugal love – the Supreme Lord fully agrees to be under the control of the devotee. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila, 8.88)]