Hare Krishna! Welcome to Day 4 of the Yatra. After beautiful darshan of Tota Gopinath at Mangala Aarti we had Guru Puja followed by a wonderful class by HG Vaisesika Prabhu.
Today our parikrama visited Gambhira - Radha Kanta Matha
Gambhira the small room in which Mahaprabhu lived during His eighteen years in Puri is about 5 mins walk from Jagannatha Mandir. This was the house of Sri Kasi Misra. He was the raja guru of the Puri king Prataparudra. The main deities appear immediately on the left as you enter the house. The main deities are named Radha-Kanta and are flanked by beautifully dancing Lalita-Sakhi and Srimati Radhika.
The word Gambhira means deep, inscrutable, hidden or secret. One has to pass through many doors and courtyards to reach this room. Here are Mahaprabhu's kamandalu(water pot), paduka (wooden shoes)and quilt of Mahaprabhu. It was here that the Govinda's massage pasttime was performed. Govinda used to massage Gauranga's legs after lunch prasadam. One day Gauranga was so tired that He was sleeping blocking the doorway. Govinda after repeatedly trying to ask Garanga to move so he could come in and do his service, Gauranga said, he didn't have the strength to move and asked him to do as he likes. So Govinda, put a chadar on Mahaprabhu's body and crossed over Him. Usually Govinda, after his service would go and take prasadam while Mahaprabhu slept. Today though as Mahaprabhu was sleeping Govinda thought it was a grave offense to cross over to have his prasadam. When Mahaprabhu woke up and saw Govinda still there, He was angry and asked him why he hadn't had prasadam. Govinda said he couldn't cross over Him, when Mahaprabhu asked him you could have crossed the same way you came in. Govinda thought in his mind I crossed earlier for serving you but I couldn't cross for my prasadam. Such was the elevated thoughts of Govida and Mahaprabhu to showcase these qualities performed these pastimes.
At the Gambhira we also learnt, that we need to have an external life but also very important to have an internal Gambhira room of our life, where we can sit and do our bhajan. We need to learn the art of living alone in a crowd. Both BSST and SP, taught us this - we stay in crowded places to preach and we aren't really there, we are not present there, but we are present in Vrindavan.
HG Madhavananda Prabhu, shared here that we should read these poems - Hymns for the Drowning by Nammalvar, A.K. Ramanujan. We shouldn't be external people, but we should be internal people. Preaching means when the glass becomes full and the milk starts overflowing. That overflow is preaching. When you vomit after you eat and fill your belly, that vomit is called preaching. When someone vomits you can tell what they have been eating. So, based on what we speak out that's what people know what we have been eating/hearing and putting into us.
So here Mahaprabhu showed very deep pastime. He wanted to do bhajan here because He couldn't understand the ecstasy of Radharani so he took help of the 2 associates of Radharani Lalitha and Vishaka as Swaroop Damodar and Ramananda Raya. So he engaged both of them to understand more and go deeper.
Devotees would lock Mahaprabhu and to make sure He doesn't get lost, but still Mahaprabhu escaped and was found at the Simha dwara with foam coming out, unconscious, hands and legs extended and loose. Then the devotees chanted loudly Hare Krsna Hare Krsna... and got Mahaprabhu back to consciousness, BUT Mahaprabhu said why did you bring me back here because I was just seeing Krsna and you brought me back. But why did Swaroop Damodar and Ramananda Raya kirtan bring them away from Krsna, but what was the mood of Radharanai - in separation. To help Mahaprabhu to feel that mood of separation Swaroop Damodar and Ramananda raya tried to give him separation from Krsna.
Mahaprabhu told his sakhis, please chant around me Krsna's name so I can leave my body in separation of Krsna. Let your own activities be your glory. He did the same kirtan which Radharani was experiencing. His kirtan was to dying in separation from Krsna, same feeling with Radharani is experiencing in Vraj.
We chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna and not Radhe Radhe, or Gauranga Gauranga because the mood of Radharani, Gauranga is to chant Hare Krsna because we want to serve them. We chant regularly the HK mantra but sometimes in ecstasy we can chant Radhe Radhe or Gauranga Gauranga.
Ra = syllable of Ra Krsna gets very attracted.
Dhe = becomes stunned in ecstacy.
If you chant the name of Radhe, Krsna comes running. We have a better program, chanting HK mantra so it pleases Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Pr, Radharani.
After that we went to the House of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya where they was beautiful Krsna Katha by HG Madhavananda Prabhu.
To know the mood of your acharya, Guru - observe them how they dress, how they eat, how they go about, how they act, how they practice. So we have to understand the mood of our acharyas, what was the mood of them, we are very unqualified but at the same time we have to look for it contemplate on it to understand the mood of the different places. We don't want to see what is Gurudeva seeing in the place, what is the mood. We serve the Gurudeva so intimately that we become One with the mood. One lesson in Puri we understand is the mood of Mahaprabhu. To understand the mood of Srila Prabhupada we have to read his books and Gurudeva has many many moods. We should try to find the person who knows Srila Prabhupada's mood. Understand the heart but don't give up your identity. Somebody can understand your Gurudeva through you.We are running behind our Guru because my Guru is running behind his Guru.
Videos:
Today our parikrama visited Gambhira - Radha Kanta Matha
Gambhira the small room in which Mahaprabhu lived during His eighteen years in Puri is about 5 mins walk from Jagannatha Mandir. This was the house of Sri Kasi Misra. He was the raja guru of the Puri king Prataparudra. The main deities appear immediately on the left as you enter the house. The main deities are named Radha-Kanta and are flanked by beautifully dancing Lalita-Sakhi and Srimati Radhika.
The word Gambhira means deep, inscrutable, hidden or secret. One has to pass through many doors and courtyards to reach this room. Here are Mahaprabhu's kamandalu(water pot), paduka (wooden shoes)and quilt of Mahaprabhu. It was here that the Govinda's massage pasttime was performed. Govinda used to massage Gauranga's legs after lunch prasadam. One day Gauranga was so tired that He was sleeping blocking the doorway. Govinda after repeatedly trying to ask Garanga to move so he could come in and do his service, Gauranga said, he didn't have the strength to move and asked him to do as he likes. So Govinda, put a chadar on Mahaprabhu's body and crossed over Him. Usually Govinda, after his service would go and take prasadam while Mahaprabhu slept. Today though as Mahaprabhu was sleeping Govinda thought it was a grave offense to cross over to have his prasadam. When Mahaprabhu woke up and saw Govinda still there, He was angry and asked him why he hadn't had prasadam. Govinda said he couldn't cross over Him, when Mahaprabhu asked him you could have crossed the same way you came in. Govinda thought in his mind I crossed earlier for serving you but I couldn't cross for my prasadam. Such was the elevated thoughts of Govida and Mahaprabhu to showcase these qualities performed these pastimes.
At the Gambhira we also learnt, that we need to have an external life but also very important to have an internal Gambhira room of our life, where we can sit and do our bhajan. We need to learn the art of living alone in a crowd. Both BSST and SP, taught us this - we stay in crowded places to preach and we aren't really there, we are not present there, but we are present in Vrindavan.
HG Madhavananda Prabhu, shared here that we should read these poems - Hymns for the Drowning by Nammalvar, A.K. Ramanujan. We shouldn't be external people, but we should be internal people. Preaching means when the glass becomes full and the milk starts overflowing. That overflow is preaching. When you vomit after you eat and fill your belly, that vomit is called preaching. When someone vomits you can tell what they have been eating. So, based on what we speak out that's what people know what we have been eating/hearing and putting into us.
So here Mahaprabhu showed very deep pastime. He wanted to do bhajan here because He couldn't understand the ecstasy of Radharani so he took help of the 2 associates of Radharani Lalitha and Vishaka as Swaroop Damodar and Ramananda Raya. So he engaged both of them to understand more and go deeper.
Devotees would lock Mahaprabhu and to make sure He doesn't get lost, but still Mahaprabhu escaped and was found at the Simha dwara with foam coming out, unconscious, hands and legs extended and loose. Then the devotees chanted loudly Hare Krsna Hare Krsna... and got Mahaprabhu back to consciousness, BUT Mahaprabhu said why did you bring me back here because I was just seeing Krsna and you brought me back. But why did Swaroop Damodar and Ramananda Raya kirtan bring them away from Krsna, but what was the mood of Radharanai - in separation. To help Mahaprabhu to feel that mood of separation Swaroop Damodar and Ramananda raya tried to give him separation from Krsna.
Mahaprabhu told his sakhis, please chant around me Krsna's name so I can leave my body in separation of Krsna. Let your own activities be your glory. He did the same kirtan which Radharani was experiencing. His kirtan was to dying in separation from Krsna, same feeling with Radharani is experiencing in Vraj.
We chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna and not Radhe Radhe, or Gauranga Gauranga because the mood of Radharani, Gauranga is to chant Hare Krsna because we want to serve them. We chant regularly the HK mantra but sometimes in ecstasy we can chant Radhe Radhe or Gauranga Gauranga.
Ra = syllable of Ra Krsna gets very attracted.
Dhe = becomes stunned in ecstacy.
If you chant the name of Radhe, Krsna comes running. We have a better program, chanting HK mantra so it pleases Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Pr, Radharani.
After that we went to the House of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya where they was beautiful Krsna Katha by HG Madhavananda Prabhu.
To know the mood of your acharya, Guru - observe them how they dress, how they eat, how they go about, how they act, how they practice. So we have to understand the mood of our acharyas, what was the mood of them, we are very unqualified but at the same time we have to look for it contemplate on it to understand the mood of the different places. We don't want to see what is Gurudeva seeing in the place, what is the mood. We serve the Gurudeva so intimately that we become One with the mood. One lesson in Puri we understand is the mood of Mahaprabhu. To understand the mood of Srila Prabhupada we have to read his books and Gurudeva has many many moods. We should try to find the person who knows Srila Prabhupada's mood. Understand the heart but don't give up your identity. Somebody can understand your Gurudeva through you.We are running behind our Guru because my Guru is running behind his Guru.
Videos:
- Guru Puja
- CC Class Adi 1.12-13 followed by Guru Puja
- Katha at Gambhira
- Katha at Sarvabhuma Bhattacarya's house
- Evening Session
Tomorrow's praikrama - Dandabhanga Village and Book Distribution on the way
Some pictures from today:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.