Krishna Bhakti, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Mahamantra and Mukti
- Veerendra Ekbote
The Supreme Personality of Godhead - Krishna is Satchidanand (full of eternity, bliss and knowledge) and is known as the Super Soul or Swamsha.
The eternally existing Jivatmas - the individual Spirit Souls are his Amsha or the infinitesimal part and parcels of the Super Soul the Swamsha.
The individual Spirit Soul enjoys the same independence and free will due to being qualitatively equal but quantitatively different from the Supreme Lord and hence has the choice to either associate or remain independent from the Supreme Lord – Krishna in the Spiritual world.
This free will and independence of the individual Spirit Soul (Jivatma) makes him rebellious in nature and forgetful of his real identity to eternally remain surrender in loving service to the Supreme Lord Krishna in the spiritual world.
The Supreme Lord Krishna then punishes the rebellious individual Spirit Soul to take birth in one of his innumerably created temporary material universes whose existence and annihilation is governed by the Supreme Lord’s eternal time factor (Kala) and by his illusory material energy – Maya.
The influence of Lord Krishna’s eternal time factor – Kala and the illusory material energy - Maya punishes the individual Spirit Soul to take birth in one of the 84,00,00 species which makes him forgetful of his Self and of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord and leads the Spirit Soul to be embodied in various types of temporary material bodies – Kaya.
The individual Spirit Soul (Atma) in all his lifetimes being forgetful about the eternal guiding force, the Super Soul (Parmatma) present within him makes him conditioned under the 3 modes of material nature that leads him to falsely identify with his temporary material body under the influence of False Ego (Ahankara) in the material creation – Maya.
The conditioned Soul under the influence of False Ego remains ignorant on his path of Self realization which leads him to perform various activities of sense gratification under the illusory energy of material creation - Maya.
Thus the Super Soul being constantly present within the individual Soul in all his lifetimes as the representative of Lord Krishna neutrally guides all the activities of the individual Spirit Soul (Atma) and leads him to the path of Self-realization wherein the individual Soul remembers the Supreme Lord by the process of Yoga that helps him to transcend the modes of material nature and get himself rid from the clutches of the Lord’s illusory energy - Maya.
However most of the conditioned individual Souls by performing various types of Karma (actions) in the material world and not surrendering its fruit to the Supreme Lord are bound by the Laws of Karma become entangled in the cycle of reincarnation in which they accept many types of material bodies as per the fruits of their actions (Karma) and their reactions in the repeated cycle of birth and death.
The Supreme Lord Krishna then out of his causeless mercy and seeing the plight of the fallen conditioned Souls personally descends from the Spiritual world and instructs to all mankind and his dear most friend Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra his eternal transcendental message the Bhagvad Gita or the Song of God by following which one can escape the repeated cycle of birth and death.
The Supreme Lord Krishna instructs in his transcendental eternal message that those who are desirous of leading an eternal life in the Spiritual world should follow the process of devotional love (Bhaktiyoga) and be in the mode of goodness and surrender everything to him in loving service (Sharangati).
The Supreme Lord explains to Arjuna that Bhaktiyoga is the only path of Self realization and for getting liberation (Mukti) from the miseries of material world. The Supreme Lord Krishna advises all his devotees in his eternal message on the path of devotional service to first accept a bonafide Guru (Spiritual Master) and eventually surrender onto his lotus feet by sincerely practicing the nine limbs of devotional service (Bhaktiyoga) in the material world.
The devotees (Bhakta) on the path of devotional service (Bhakti) and self realization are aware of their separation from the Supreme Lord (Bhagvan) and the eternal Spiritual world.
The devotees thus practice the principles of Bhaktiyoga which states that a devotee (Bhakta) who performs loving devotional service (PremBhakti) without any offenses under the guidance of a bonafide Spiritual master – Guru in the material world attracts the love and mercy of the Supreme Lord (Bhagvan) and is eligible to enter the eternal Spiritual world.
The Bhaktiyoga process is sublime to perform as it establishes an eternal link between a devotee (Bhakta) and the omnipresent Supreme Lord (Bhagvan) through complete faith and loving devotional service (Bhakti).
In Bhaktiyoga the devotee’s loving relationship (Bhava) with the Supreme Lord is established and revived by the performance of deity worship with full faith and loving devotion (Bhakti).
The chanting of holy names of Lord Krishna through the process of meditation in devotional servitude (Seva) also revives the devotee’s original eternal loving relationship (Bhava) with the Supreme Lord who showers his causeless mercy by bestowing liberation and the devotee then eternally associates with the Supreme Lord Krishna as per his devotional loving service (Bhava) in the Spiritual world.
The 16 word Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the only relief and refuge for all the fallen souls of Kaliyuga as it is the only shelter to get rid from the miseries of material nature and the illusory clutches of Maya.
The conditioned Souls are all distressed to whom the eternal divine transcendental names of Harinaam are the only solace.
The Supreme Lord has invested all his energies and potencies in the 16 word Hare Krishna Mahamantra which is made up of the holy names of Krishna! Rama! and Hare! which are of the same quality as like his name, fame, pastimes and paraphernalia.
The word Hare in the Mahamantra is of special significance as it is the internal spiritual potency (Radharani) of the Supreme Lord.
Lord Bramha thus proclaimed to Sage Narada in the Kali Santarana Upanishad that in order to get relief from the temporary miserable material creation the conditioned Souls of Kaliyuga should chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra with complete faith and devotion.
The chanting of the holy names is the Yugdharma of Kaliyuga which should be performed with utmost fervor by a devotee to gain the mercy of the Supreme Lord as it bestows eternal life to a devotee in the Spiritual world and gives him a chance to serve the Supreme Lord in loving faith and devotion as per the devotee’s inclination - Bhava.
This Kali-udharak Hare Krishna Mahamantra of supreme deliverance was given to us by none other than Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – the Golden avatar who appeared as a devotee of Lord Krishna in the mood of Radharani and spread the chanting of holy names (Harinaam) by inundating the world with Krishna consciousness as he was known as Krishna Chaitanya – one who revives the lost Krishna consciousness amongst the fallen conditioned Souls by establishing devotion (Bhakti) towards Krishna.
So a devotee’s foremost duty is to chant the prescribed rounds of Hare Krishna Mahamantra daily by understanding Lord Krishna’s message in the Bhagvad Gita from a bonafide spiritual master in the association of devotees by performing Vaidhi Bhakti or the 9 limbs of devotional service in one’s lifetime. Eventually, the Supreme Lord Krishna will get attracted by our devotional service (Bhakti) and bestow his causeless mercy upon us by enabling us to transcend the modes of material nature to be in his eternal association in the Spiritual world which should be the final goal of all devotees in the material world to gain liberation - (Mukti).
|| Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare |
Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare ||
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