Sri Krishna Kathamrita

tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanam

Bindu
Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications

Issue No. 414 Śrī Saphalā Ekādaśī 13 December 2017 Circulation 9,101

• Discrepencies are Expected in Neophytes

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

• Becoming Free From the Flaw of Envy (part one)

Highlights

Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode

• Nama-tattva: The Mantra for Attaining Prema

Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta 2.3.164

• Why is Gaura Crying?

by the medieval poet Basu Ghosh

• Will Death Wait?

Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛtam (13.21)

case and what the circumstances are, but kindly

forgive my beloved disciples for any unkindness
or indiscretion on their part. After all, to give up
one’s life completely for serving the Lord is not an
easy thing, and māyā, the illusory material energy,
tries especially hard to again entrap those who have
left her service to become devotees. Therefore, in
order to withstand the attack of māyā and remain
strong under all conditions of temptation, young
or inexperienced devotees in the neophyte stage of
devotional service will sometimes adopt an attitude
against those things or persons which may possibly
be harmful or threatening to their tender devotional
creepers. They may even overindulge in such feelings
just to protect themselves, and thus they will appear
to some nondevotees, who are perhaps themselves
still very much enamored by the material energy of
māyā, to be negative or pessimistic….
Discrepancies are bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
Expected in Neophytes vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ
His Divine Grace [Krishna says:] “After many births and deaths, he
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who is actually wise surrenders unto Me, knowing
Your complaint is that you have met two of my Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a
young disciples in California and they appeared to great soul is very rare.” (Bg. 7.19)
you to have, “a very negative outlook toward the Krishna uses the word mahātmā, great soul.
people they meet”. Of course, I do not know the Therefore, our devotees that you have met are

next column  
Issue Four Hundred Fourteen, Page — 2
not ordinary boys and girls. No. They are to be In the neophyte stage we may always expect some
considered actually wise, great souls because they discrepancies. Kindly see the thing in this light and
have experienced in many births the miserable forgive their small mistakes. The big thing is that they
disease of material life and have become disgusted. have given everything, even their lives, to Krishna —
Therefore, they are seeking higher knowledge — and that is never a mistake.
— Letter to Lynne Ludwig. 30 April 1973.
they are seeking something better — and when
they find Krishna and surrender unto him, they Becoming Free from
become mahātmās, who are actually situated in The Flaw Of Envy (part one)
knowledge. This material world is just like a prison
house; it is a punishing place meant to bring us to
Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode
that point of becoming disgusted, surrendering The word “envy” is applied in many places and is used
at last to Krishna, and going back to our original in connection with various things. Envy of another’s
nature of eternal life in bliss and complete good fortune, being disturbed at seeing the wealth of
knowledge. Therefore, it is to the credit of these others, jealousy, etc., are some of the various examples.
devotees that they have done what is sudurlabhaḥ, Wherever the word mātsarya, envy, has been explained
very rare among all men in human society.... in the vaiṣṇava scriptures, it is fully understood that
At present many of our students are young boys. its influence is the competitor of divine love (prema).
They are learning gradually, but the process is so dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ
effective, certain, and authorized that if they stick
“The path described in the Bhagavatam is entirely
to it they will come to the right point, as you say, devoid of any dishonest purpose. It is held in adoration
of loving. But that love is not material, so it should by those who are free of the flaw of envy.” (Bhāg.1.1.2)
not be judged on the false, sentimental platform
of ordinary, mundane dealings. That is our point. These words of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam reveal who is
Therefore, to say they are not loving may be true eligible to receive the highest conception of dharma.
from the materialists’ point of view. They have given
up affection for family, friends, wife, country, race,
and so on, which is all based upon the bodily concept
of life, or flickering sense gratification. They have Nāma-tattva
become a little detached from māyā’s love, or lust, and The Mantra for Attaining Prema
they want Krishna’s love, or endless, fully rewarding
Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta 2.3.164
love, but they have not yet developed to that point,
that’s all. We cannot expect that all of a sudden your nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ proktaṁ kṛṣṇasya prema-sampadi
countrymen, who are addicted to so many bad habits, baliṣṭhaṁ sādhanaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ paramākarṣa-mantra-vat
will give up eating flesh, taking intoxicants, having
The saṅkīrtana of Krishna’s names is praised as
illicit sex life, and so many other nasty things, and
the best and most powerful means to attain the
overnight become great, self-realized souls. That is
treasure of kṛṣṇa-prema. It is like a potent mantra
not possible. That is utopian. But just being initiated
that can attract precious objects from a distance.
as Krishna’s devotee puts one in the topmost category — Sanatan Goswami. Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta. Translated from
of human society. Sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ the original Sanskrit, with a summary of the author’s Dig-
darśinī commentary, by Gopiparanadhana Das. Bhaktivedanta
kṛtsna-karma-kṛt — “He is intelligent in human Book Trust. Los Angeles. 2002.
society. He is in the transcendental position, although
engaged in all sorts of activities.” [Bg. 4.18] And
although such a devotee may not yet have advanced
to the highest level of spiritual understanding, still
he is to be considered the most exalted personality,
regardless of any temporary frailties....
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Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Four Hundred Fourteen, Page — 3
In the scriptures it is indicated that prema-rasa is the tree of enviousness, and thereby the dharma of the
topmost dharma. One who is non-envious is eligible jīva, which is prema, remains unapproachable. There
to receive that. The quality of non-enviousness is is lust in anger, and in greed there is anger as well as
called nirmatsaratā. Although respected commentators lust. In illusion there is anger and lust. In madness
have explained mātsarya as feeling miserable at there is greed, anger and lust. In enviousness there
seeing the happiness of others and taking pleasure in is madness, illusion, greed, anger and lust. We may
the sufferings of others, nevertheless they have not understand that the word mada, insanity, refers
revealed the broader meaning of this word and the to the six types of bewilderment which includes
general populace cannot understand it. being intoxicated by one’s beauty, one’s caste, one’s
The ignorant baddha-jīvas are tightly bound in the education, etc. [To be continued.]
— From Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thākurera Prabandhāvali. Compiled by Sri
material world by six things — lust, anger, greed, Narahari Das. Published by Sri Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Maharaja,
illusion, madness and envy. These are said to be the Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti, Devananda Gaudiya Math. Nabadwip,
West Bengal. 1951. Unknown translator.
six categories. These are the transformations of the
fivefold afflications — ignorance, forgetfulness, self-
absorption, attachment and jealousy.
Absorption in material objects in relation to the
origin of lust has been explained in Śrīmad Bhagavad-
gītā (2.62-63):
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ
smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati

In association with material attachment, lust

develops. From lust, anger arises. From anger,
delusion appears. Delusion means unlawful material
greed. From material greed, moha, bewilderment of
memory, appears. From moha, intelligence is destroyed,
which means that one becomes mad and bereft of the
understanding of what is right and wrong. By madness

Unknown artist
the living entity becomes ruined by envy.

This instruction has also been mentioned in

Bhagavad-gītā 3.43:
evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā
jahi śatruṁ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam
Why is Gaura Crying?
by the medieval poet Basu Ghosh
“O mighty armed Arjuna, knowing that individual
unit of consciousness to be superior to the intelligence, gāndhāra-rāga
steady the mind with firm intelligence and conquer this hari hari gorā kene kānde
indomitable enemy in the form of lust.” nija sahacara-gaṇa pūcha-i kāraṇa
hera-i gorā mukha-cānde (refrain)
Considering the jīva as fully spiritual and beyond
intelligence, with determination and through proper “Hari Hari! Why does Gaura cry?” His close
siddhānta one must conquer the formidable enemy of associates ask each other the reason as they look at
lust by subduing the mind. his moon-like face.
From all of these instructions it can be understood aruṇita locana prema bhare bhela dūna
that this sprout of lust, arising due to the jhara jhara jhare prema-vāri
misconception of one’s own svarūpa, in due course yaichana śithila gāṁthala motima phala
of its development becomes transformed into the khasaye upari upari
 
 Issue Four Hundred Fourteen, Page — 4
tahi priya gadādhara, dhariyā karila kora
kahaye śravaṇe mukha diyā
punaḥ aṭṭa aṭṭa hāse, jaga-jana-mana toṣe
bāsu-ghoṣa maraye jhuriyā
Thereafter, dear Gadadhar places him on his lap
and utters something in his ears. Then, Gaura starts
laughing and laughing, thus bringing peace to the
mind of everyone. Seeing all this, Basu Ghosh, in a
Unknown artist

dying condition, simply weeps.

— Translated by Hari Parshad Das from Vaiṣṇava-padāvalī,
fourth edition, April 2010. Compiled and edited by Hare Krishna
Mukhopadhyay. Published by Shishu Sahitya Sansad Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata.

Will Death Wait?

His eyes are reddened and filled with love as tears flow Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s
down incessantly. These tears appear like suddenly- Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛtam 1.50
loosened stringed pearls that are rolling down. bhrātas te kim u niścayena viditaḥ svasyānta-kālaḥ kim u
soṅari vṛndāvana, niśvāsa-i puna puna tvaṁ jānāsi mahā-manuṁ balavato mṛtyor gati-stambhane
āpanāra aṅga nirakhiyā mṛtyus tvat-karaṇaṁ pratīkṣata iti tvaṁ vetsi kiṁ vā yato
dui hāta būke dhari, rāi rāi kari vāraṁ vāram aśaṅka eva calase vṛndāvanād anyataḥ
dharaṇī paḍaye mūrachiyā O Brother! Do you know for sure the exact
Remembering Vrindavan, he repeatedly heaves time of your death? Or have you perfected some
heavy sighs and looks at his own limbs. Then placing great mahā-mantra for the sake of preventing the
both his hands on his heart he cries out loudly, “Rai! advancement of powerful death? You think death
Rai!” and falls unconscious on the ground. will wait for you to finish all your tasks in life?
[I think that the answer to all these questions is
yes,] because you seem to confidently walk out of

Vrindavan again and again to go elsewhere.
— Translated by Hari Parshad Das from the Sanskrit available at
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Gaudiya Grantha Mandira (www.granthamandira.net).

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