By Sacinandana Swami
SB 1.1.2 … sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ‘tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat …As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.
Ref. VedaBase => SB 1.1.2
By the hearing process Krsna IMMEDIATELY (sadyo) is established in the heart.
Please note the word RAPT [attention, in the previous quote] – there is a consistency in the Bhagavatam methodology. One has to hear attentively.
The sadhana of hearing acc. to Upanisads goes through 3 stages:
1. Sravana – hearing the text (like putting food into mouth) 2. Mananam – reflecting (like chewing) 3. Nididhyasana – applying [with concentration] (like digesting)
Today we will go through an exercise applying these steps.
But the Vaisnavas add a 4th step to this Upanisadic process – praying. …
If you don’t get an effect after today’s exercise, you should never come again to a lecture by Sacinandana Swami!
We ended yesterday by describing the darkness and terrible attack – Indra in his anger rose like a fly to fight a lion, making a fool of himself.
And what did all the Vrajavasis do? “Krsna Krsna!” Yes:
krsna krsna maha-bhaga tvan-natham gokulam prabho tratum arhasi devan nah kupitad bhakta-vatsala
[The cowherd men and women addressed the Lord:] Krsna, Krsna, O most fortunate one, please deliver the cows from the wrath of Indra! O Lord, You are so affectionate to Your devotees. Please save us also. SB 10.25.13
And Krsna looked up with His lotus eyes and saw the black clouds with pillar-like rain torrents. Krsna thought, “This must be the work of Indra. I will free Indra of this terrible disease”.
“Since the demigods are endowed with the mode of goodness, the false pride of considering oneself the Lord should certainly not affect them. When I break the false prestige of those bereft of goodness, My purpose is to bring them relief.” Ref. VedaBase => SB 10.25.17
From this you may know the mind of God:
“When I break the pride My purpose is not to crush the person, but to give them relief from passion and ignorance, but without breaking them”.
“I must therefore protect the cowherd community by My transcendental potency, for I am their shelter, I am their master, and indeed they are My own family. After all, I have taken a vow to protect My devotees.” Ref. VedaBase => SB 10.25.18
Krsna protects not only His own people, but all entities. You may say, “What, even the karmis?” Listen to this: at the time of total annihilation, when all the jivas enter Maha-Visnu, He glows a little more and they wait for the next creation in the subtle forms.
By thinking, “I will protect my people and crush the pride of Indra without breaking him”, Krsna speaks very sweetly with affection: “There is no need to be afraid. Just like hunger after a big feast is not life-threatening. Anyone practicing devotional service can remove all anarthas [including fear]. For you I will perform a special pastime, breaking a mountain of pride of Indra”.
This was just was the Vrajavasis needed to hear. At this time Krsna’s samharika-sakti expanded to remove water so that not even a drop fell in Krsna’s turban.
Krsna could have done anything to defeat Indra, but He chose to honor Giriraj and used the mudra pointing with the little finger to the worshipable object.
Best is to ignore the insults. Ksna did not address Indra, “Come down, let us deal now”. No, Krsna used His sakti to do a special pastime. Without even tightening his cloth Krsna ran. However, there was an obstacle. Even God has obstacles – His sakhas held Him, “Don’to go, it is dangerous!”
Krsna said, “I will just lift Giriraj as an umbrella” – the boys laughed, “Your mother said You don’t know Your limits and now we see it is true”, – “Under which circumstances will you let Me go?” – “Show you power”.
Then Krsna twisted a big branch of a tree and the sakhas were impressed, “That was not bad, you can go now!”
There was a tunnel, and when Krsna lifted Giriraja there was a loud sound. Like this [-Ragini instrument-] Ananda-Vrndavana-Campu: /Many loud sounds echoed in all directions when the mountain rose into the air. The echoes sounded like a bunch of rowdy children yelling within its many caves. The lifting of Govardhana Hill produced an angry loud noise that crushed the pride of the elephants guarding the eight directions. That furious sound roamed around and around within the covering of the universe. The sound had enough intelligence to win a wager on whether it could break the long meditation of Brahma on Brahmaloka. That sound dared to interrupt the uproarious madhvika wine drinking festival of the old ladies on Patalaloka./
Now another perspective: /The flowers falling from the trees appeared to be the form of Giriraja’s ecstatic laughter due to being touched by Krsna’s lotus hand./
– have you ever been tickled?
/ Those falling flowers seemed to be Giriraja’s own celebrating the destruction of Indra’s fame. Growing higher and higher, the sharp peaks of Giriraja cut the ominous cloud cover to pieces. The row of trees along the peaks of Giriraja challenged the trees in Indra’s celestial forest. The lions living on top of Govardhana Hill mistook the hovering clouds for elephants. Using their powerful sharp claws, they ripped apart that cluster of elephant clouds. In fear, the clouds ran hither and thither./
All these Kavikarnapura’s descriptions show, “Don’t worry, the power of Vraja is higher than Indra’s”. … Now please reflect on what you have heard. Later we will also do a group exercise. …Thank you… “The Lord then addressed the cowherd community: O Mother, O Father, O residents of Vraja, if you wish you may now come under this hill with your cows.” Ref. VedaBase => SB 10.25.20
But the Vrajavasis, for whom Krsna is the jewel of their eyes, were surprised for a moment by Krsna’s aisvarya. But they could not place Him into a position of God. Their love did not permit it – you cannot stand close to God and smell His head [as parents do]. … [Giriraj felt bliss] This happens when you are in love. Even difficulties (which you undertake in your service to Krsna) become no difficulties at all, you don’t perceive them. I remember I talked to devotees in Sarajevo who were in the streets when Serbian snipers were shooting people down on the street – I was in Macedonia and saw this on so-called “reality TV” – but I was interviewing the devotees in Sarajevo – they were growing tomatos for distribution in their corridors, water was so valuable you used it all for drinking, whatever you could collect from rain. But the devotees said they were totally ecstatic. In the same way Giriraj felt ecstatic, touched by the hand of Krsna.
Life is difficult only without Krsna.
What is iccha-sakti? As soon as Krsna wills something, it happens. The first arrangement was that Sudarsana-cakra appeared and dried the water over the Govardhan. The second arrangement was that during lifting Giriraj the earth fell on the sides and became like a damb keeping the water out.
This convinced the Vrajavasis. … There were beautiful palaces for the Vrajavasis and barley fields for the cows, because the cows like it. But, peculiarly, they all just wanted to stare at Krsna.
You may want to know, every morning Krsna goes to the pasture grounds and they cannot see Him for what seems like a kalpa for them. So do you think that they went to their houses and admired the bathrooms and beds?:) They all looked at Krsna. THey opned their eyes wide – like you open the doors wide for dear guests – they opened their eyes wide to see Krsna. For 7 days and 7 nights they watched, Krsna did not move. One could not even hear the usual ankle-bells and bracelets. There was a reason for that. He looked at the beauty of the gopis. Just like devotees are stunned looking at the beauty of Krsna. … Just close your eyes, we will have a little meditation now [music changes]. … … There was a festival of bliss under the hill.
Only one person was in complete anxiety. She thought Krsna overworks. Krsna pacifies her, “Just see, the mountain floats itself, didn’t I tell I am just the instrument for his will”, – “O my child, only if the mountain flies above your finger, I will be pacified”.
Madhumangala said, “0 Queen of Vrndavana! Don’t you know that this great mountain is sitting on the lotus hand of Krsna by the strength of my mantras and special powers? Therefore my friend is not feeling any pain from holding Giriraja. This is natural because everyone is favorably disposed toward the Lord of their hearts.” Yasoda said, “O impudent one! What kind of nonsense are you speaking? I am burning in anxiety over my son. His tendency is to act independently without caring for any good instructions. And now you come here, make jokes, and laugh about it.”
As Krsna displays His attractive three-fold bending form, His left side stretches up broad and straight, without showing the three lines on His belly. His right heel is raised, and His left foot appears to be kissing the earth. His well-shaped left knee is slightly contracted, and His waist is gently curved. His garland and thin caddar are swinging to the left side. It is very pleasant to see His arm pit as He effortlessly holds His strong left arm aloft. … The pollen fell on His right cheek and He looked so beautiful! … Krsna smiled so kindly, and Vrajavasis just looked. But one thoughtful Vrajavasis said: The ankle-bells who warble like swans the whole day now are silent- I think they are absorbed in meditation. … Krsna has such a variety of moods — and all of a sudden here He takes the flute and makes the sound. Vrajavasis burst into laughter – He is making music now. Madhumangala only is worried, “It is no time for concert – concentrate on your work, otherwise Giriraj by hearing will melt and flow over your head. Because your flute mountains into rivers and rivers into stones.” … We could hear many more discussions about this. But I wanted to summarize why this lila has such a supreme place in Krsna’s pastimes. It is because all the devotees were together and could exchange their rasas with Krsna at the same time.
The parental devotees tried to support the hill with the sticks, boys were making jokes, intimate friends like Subal continuously enthused Krsna, like cheerleaders, “You can do it, You can do it”; servants like Raktak and Patrak were massaging His legs and arms. Only mother Yasods distressed at His not moving kept bringing prasadam, “O dear son, please stop playing the flute, it will not fill Your tummy, please eat some of the prasadam I have brought”.
Kavikarnapura says there were two storms raging on. One was the rain and wind and the other was the storm of affection. I am sometimes trying to write poetry, it is not good, but this might be good, because it is a stolen idea:) – when the storm of Vrajavasis’ love will rain into my eyes!
To understand the second storm we can describe the first storm. There was dark cloud above and the Mukunda cloud under the hill, and Krsna’s peacock feather was like a rainbow, Krsna’s beauty was like a constant stream of rain, beautiful gopis looked like steady streaks of lightening, the only difference was that in the rainstorm above Giriraj there was no sun, but in the storm of love under Giriraj there was Krsna’s Kaustubha gem which flooded the whole scene with a beautiful color. A better sun:)
You have heard now, but this is incomplete. Now please let us do the reflection and meditation. This is the Upanisadic tradition, if you don’t do it, it does not go in:). … … Here we have done this only briefly.
Please make it your practice to go through these 3 steps.
Comments