Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Leave the scene:
Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
We all wish to have a peaceful atmosphere around us. But life in this material world is never a bed of roses. Infact it is like bed of thorns. Krishna Himself says in Gita that this place is dhukaalayam ashaasvatam. So being influenced by modes of nature we tend to have difference of opinion with others. Out of care, good-will, we sometimes tend to advice others. Even if we are telling advice out of well-wishing mood to others and have good intentions, if the recipient is not interested in hearing the same and is trying to retaliate us with insulting words, then what should be our reaction ?
Scriptures like Bhagavatam and Ramayana show us the example of two noble brothers - Vidura and Vibhishana who tried their best to give good advice for their evil-minded brothers Dhrtarashtra and Ravana respectively. Out of compassion, they genuinely attempted several times to make them understand what is virtue and what is vice and how Lord will always favour the path of virtuous people. But neither Dhrtarashtra nor Ravana were ready to accept the good advice of their brothers and only wanted war. Driven by greed and lust, they became blind by anger and released arrows of piercing words and insulted those great mahatmas. Srimad Bhagavatam verse 3.1.16 Sukadeva Goswami says
svayam dhanur dvaari nidhaaya maayaam
bhraatuh puro marmasu taadito 'pi
sa ittham atyulbana-karna-baanair
gata-vyatho 'yaad uru maanayaanah
"Thus being pierced by arrows through his ears and afflicted to the core of his heart, Vidura placed his bow on the door and quit his brother's palace. He was not sorry, for he considered the acts of the external energy to be supreme."
In his wonderful purport to the above verse Srila Prabhupada says, "In spite of being very strongly insulted by Duryodhana's words, Vidura could see that Duryodhana, under the influence of maya, the external energy, was making progress on the path toward his own ruination. He therefore considered the acts of the external energy to be supreme, yet he also saw how the internal energy of the Lord helped him in that particular situation. A devotee is always in a renounced temperament because the worldly attractions can never satisfy him. Vidura was never attracted by the royal palace of his brother. He was always ready to leave the place and devote himself completely to the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Now he got the opportunity by the grace of Duryodhana, and instead of being sorry at the strong words of insult, he thanked him from within because it gave him the chance to live alone in a holy place and fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord."
In Ramayana we find how Vibhishana also left the scene once he understood that there is no more role for him in Ravana's assembly. After Ravana and his son Indrajit rebuked him, Vibhisana says, "You who have addressed me with harsh words, O king, are deluded. Say what you will, for your intelligence is lost. Those speaking pleasant words can easily be found, O Ravana, but one who speaks unpalatable truth is rare. One fallen under Death’s Sway does not heed the words of wisdom offered by a well-wisher. I have tried my best, wishing to save you from certain destruction. Now be happy in my absence. I can no longer tolerate your abusive speech, even though you are my elder. Farewell. I shall now depart."
Vidura instead of participating in the horrible war, went on pilgrimage and Vibhisana left Lanka and took shelter of Lord Rama. Our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj insists that we should keep our baggages ready. This attitude will help us to handle all ups and downs in life in a mature manner. So let us learn this important lesson from these Mahatmas that when we are faced with such difficult situations, we should simply leave the place without conter-action. We should not try to force our opinion on others. Instead we should take shelter of Supreme Lord, pray for them and leave the scene.
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sudarshana devi dasi
Sri-vatsa mark:
Sri-vatsa is the unique curl of hair on the Lord's chest. It is the emblem of the goddess of fortune. It is described as golden curl or white curl at different places.
dvapare bhagavan syamah / pita-vasa nijayudhah
sri-vatsadibhir ankais ca / laksanair upalaksitah
Now, the incarnation of God in the Dvapara-yuga is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is pita-vasa nijayudhah. He has got His own wheel, His instrument, and He has many signs on His chest, sri-vatsa-adibhih. Krishna was accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by signs also. There are many signs on the sole, underneath the sole. There are many signs on His chest. And other characteristic of Krishna, incarnation of Krishna's presence, they are described in the sastras, in the scriptures. So learned men, sages, they understood that "Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SB 11.5.27
Srivatsa is a curl of white hair on the chest of the Lord which is a special sign of His being the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Vaikunthaloka or in Goloka Vrndavana, the inhabitants are exactly of the same form as the Personality of Godhead, but by this Srivatsa mark on the chest of the Lord He is distinguished from all others. SB3.19.15
The Lord is further described as having the mark of Srivatsa, or the sitting place of the goddess of fortune, and His bodily hue is deep bluish. The Lord is a person, He wears a garland of flowers, and He is eternally manifest with four hands, which hold [beginning from the lower left hand] a conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower. SB 4.8.47
In Vaikunthaloka the Supreme Personality of Godhead has four hands and decorations like the Srivatsa mark on His chest and the gem known as Kaustubha. These are special indications of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord's personal attendants and other devotees in Vaikuntha have the same features, except for the Srivatsa mark and the Kaustubha gem. SB 6.9.29-30
The Srivatsa mark is described by the Vaisnava-tosani as being a curl of fine yellow hair on the upper portion of the right side of Lord Visnu's chest. This mark is not for ordinary devotees. It is a special mark of Visnu or Krishna. SB 10.13.47-48
"On Krishna's chest are the ornaments of Srivatsa and the mark indicating the residence of the goddess of fortune. His chest, which is as broad as a plunderer's, attracts thousands upon thousands of damsels of Vraja, conquering their minds and breasts by force. Thus they all become maidservants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. C.c. Antya lila 15.74
One should worship, in order, the Lord's Sudarsana disc, His Pancajanya conchshell, His club, sword, bow, arrows and plow, His musala weapon, His Kaustubha gem, His flower garland and the Srivatsa curl of hair on His chest. SB 11.27.27
Why Srivatsa mark on the Chest of Visnu?
Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, has complete knowledge of Krishna’s opulences, but she could not achieve the association of Krishna by dint of such knowledge. The devotees in Vrndavana, however, actually enjoy the association of Krishna. C.c. Antya 7.29
“‘When Lord Sri Krishna was dancing with the gopis in the rasa-lila, the gopis were embraced around the neck by the Lord’s arms. This transcendental favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or the other consorts in the spiritual world. Nor was such a thing ever imagined by the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets, girls whose bodily luster and aroma resemble the beauty and fragrance of lotus flowers. And what to speak of worldly women, who may be very, very beautiful according to material estimation?’ C.c. Antya 7.30 and SB 10.47.60
Srila Rupa Gosvami, in his Laghu-bhagavatamrta, has quoted from the Padma Purana, where it is stated that Laksmi-devi, the goddess of fortune, after seeing the attractive features of Lord Krishna, was attracted to Him, and to get the favor of Lord Krishna she engaged herself in meditation.
When asked by Krishna why she engaged in meditation with austerity, Laksmi-devi answered, “I want to be one of Your associates like the gopis in Vrndavana.” Hearing this, Lord Sri Krishna replied that it was quite impossible. Laksmi-devi then said that she wanted to remain just like a golden line on the chest of the Lord. The Lord granted the request, and since then Laksmi has always been situated on the chest of Lord Krishna as a golden line.
The austerity and meditation of Laksmi-devi are also mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.16.36), where the Naga-patnis, the wives of the serpent Kaliya, in the course of their prayers to Krishna, said that the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, also wanted His association as a gopi and desired the dust of His lotus feet. C.c. Adi 5.223
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