4BEWILDEREDO king, the Gopis then began to praise Shri Krishna,But when they remembered His activities,The swell of love bewildered their mindsTo such an extent that they wereUnable to continue their song. (Bhagavat 10/18/4)/Each expression of the Svaminis is part of a lila progression that culminates in their being able to freely praise Krishna and enter into His lila. Now they are unable to praise their experience of Shri Krishna’s form and His flute playing.They can no longer sing of the divine activity,Its cause nor the reward.They are unable to contain the flow of their own desires awakened by Shri Krishna’s remembrance. They are bewildered. It is only in the next act that Shri Krishna is able to restrain their flood of desire by appearing to them through the avenue of sound. It enters their ears and then their hearts.Only when Shri Krishna enriches their devotion with insight are they able to clearly hear, comprehend and sing of His glories. Then they will experience Krishna as non-different from His call. The Gopis reflect not only upon how Krishna’s flute effects them, but also contemplate and explain to us the divine reaction that the call had upon all of Vrindavan.It causes rivers to stop their flow and puts even the birds into a state of profound contemplation. The cause of this great pleasure is Shri Krishna Himself.The Svaminis know of no greater reward for thoseEndowed with eyes, then to behold Krishna and BalaramPlaying their flutes and herding the cows.Krishna’s bliss form blesses His favored flute; its sound evokes spiritual distress in the Svaminis. They are jealous of that flute. It imbibes the nectar of Shri Krishna’s lips and whatever is left over it passes to the trees that have all become blissful and start to exude nectar. The Svamini’s reward is to have the direct experience of Shri Krishna as He returns home from his day of wandering the forests with the cows.This lila was originally told to a king, a ruler of men, established in dharma who had controlled his senses. Although he insulted a sage, he was able to attain liberation through realizing the meaning of Sukadeva’s discourse.Because the Svaminis of Vrindavan were unable to express in word or song the glory of their beloved Hari due to the force of His overwhelming love, Shri Shukadevaji, the enlightened narrator, revealed the lilas of their hearts to the attentive king Parikshit. He speaks of Krishna’s entrance into Vrindavan. Hari’s movement and attire contain many meanings. Sukadevaji explains…5ACTOR-HUSBANDKrishna is adorned with a peacock feather andHis ears are graced with flowers,Krishna’s clothes are the color of bright gold.He wears a Vaiyanti forest garlandAnd appears as the actor-husband.He is the Svaminis choice,Their Lord and husband.He fills the holes of His fluteWith the nectar from His lips.The song of His praise soundsAs He enters VrindavanSurrounded by His cowlad friends.His lotus feet appear splendidAnd create dalliance whereverThey touch the ground. (Bhagavat 10/18/5)Shri Sukadeva uses words to describe this lila. The Svaminis are too spellbound by Krishna’s charm to describe, at this point, what they have experienced, so Shri Sukadevaji steps in and speaks of:Krishna’s form,The sound of His magic fluteAs well as the nature of Hari’s lilaAs He enters Vrindavan.When Krishna’s form, music and lila mingle, something incredible happens. Although beyond words, speech is now used to describe the lila;Hari has taken on a body.He fills the holes of His fluteWith His essence, His breath.His passage into VrindavanIs with a body and it isEmbellished with attributes.Perfect Brahman is sporting, making lila.Now Krishna is dancing like a peacock because peacocks dance when they are filled with nectar, when they are thrilled. Since Hari is ecstatic with His own lila, He becomes a peacock -dancer.He is indicating to His bhaktas that He is comprised of pure bliss. Everything about Krishna reflects in different ways the nectarous aspect of His being. Krishna is the perfect ras, sheer nectar, its manifest form. He has allowed the Swaminis of Braja a glimpse of His glory, a taste of the priceless elixir, but they have become powerless and remain in a state of total awe. As they are speechless, Sukadevaji begins to explain how Krishna appears as the greatest actor:Krishna is the best, the chosen One, the Husband.Krishna is two-fold as is His loving nectar.The mood of love embraces both union and separation. The movement between union and separation with the Lover supports, nourishes and heightens the ras.Understand the petal of separation by relating to the well-known experience of drama. When you watch a play, you are a witness. You have no direct physical involvement with the actors. The gestures of the actor create a response in you. Everything is observed and then processed internally. The experience of drama is distinct. What we mean by separation can be understood through the example of drama.Good drama creates an intense inner feeling.It is isolated, one pointed, a meditationWhere you forget everything elseExcept the performance.When Sukadeva calls Krishna an "actor", he is referring to the divine condition of separation. He is speaking about the Svaminis’ inner experience of Shri Krishna. Viprayoga can be translated as separation, but the meaning is really more extensive. Separation is not dependent on manifest reality.It is felt and created within.Supremely blissful, it can beExperienced everywhereWith great passion and does not requireAny physical contact.When Krishna is an actor, there is separation, when He is the husband, there is union. Krishna is "nat-var", "the actor-husband". In union, Krishna is in one place and in separation He is found everywhere.Now understand Krishna’s nectar-like union. In the blessed state of union, He is the best husband, He is the supreme choice.In union He appears in the world.The Svaminis behold Him with their senses.He becomes their Lord of enjoyment.Then everything is arranged in the world for the delightful occasion of union-lila.In union Hari is apparent.His lila of loveIs rich with outer form.He emanates it within the worldWith all the necessary divine ingredients and partners.The ras of union and separation forever resides within Hari, the master of ceremonies, the "Nat-var", the Actor-Husband. As an Actor, Hari is experienced within. As a Husband, He comes to the world and is perceived with divine senses. Hari always delights in what is novel.When Hari resides within the Svaminis’ heart, the Svaminis are like yogis absorbed in meditative trance, but because that state lacks the outward experience of Hari, they are not satisfied. They need Shri Krishna to appear to them in their world.Only then is ras for themBalanced and replete.To perfect the experience of ras, Hari appeared in a body. Without a vessel, the nectar is lost. It needs to be contained or it will spill. When Krishna becomes a concentrated pure form, the Svaminijis taste His ras.His body is the vesselFrom where they drink.To see Hari you must understand His form. Krishna’s ears are adorned with flowers. They exhibit His two-fold nature of union and separation. They are Hari’s natural adornments. When He puts flowers behind His ears or in His hair, He indicates to the blessed Svaminis that He is the complete ras, the total nectar.Lila-ras is independent.It is not tasted with practice,It arrives on its own accord.It is concealed.It resides and develops in the realms of utmost secrecy. When it is too revealed, improperly displayed, or unguarded, it vanishes. To protect this delicate devotional elixir, Krishna wears cloth as brilliant as gold. It baffles and bedazzles.Hari’s golden shawl is as brilliant as the sun and confusing like maya. Even the Svaminis cannot always penetrate the splendour of it. Its shimmering effect makes it very difficult to know, penetrate or understand what is underneath it. His clothes are similar to gold, they infatuate the mind. Hari’s golden shawl envelopes His bliss form, it is a divine protector:It guards the nectar andKeeps it from spillingAnd trickling towards the unqualified ones.What is profound cannot be inappropriately displayed. For this reason Hari uses maya to veil His own glory. When His golden shawl, His "pitambar" is so radiant that it is impossible to gaze at, then what to speak of the ras that surges behind it in the form of Shri Krishna!Hari wears a forest garland. It is threaded with fresh flowers that grow wild in the Vrindavan bowers. This garland not only safeguards His excellence, but increases His fame. When this victorious garland rests upon Hari, it awakens within the Svaminis of Braja, the bhavas of union and separation.It heightens their amorous mood.And transmits spiritual victory.When Shri Krishna wears the victorious garland He shows how He conceals the nectar.This is what afflictsHis Vrindavan lovers.The lila of Hari’s name, was brought forth when He played the flute. Krishna’s flute has seven openings. When He fills those holes with His essence, a threefold elixir arises."Devabhoga"A ras that is experienced by the gods."Bhagavatbhogya"A ras that is experienced by Krishna."Sarvabogya"A ras enjoyed by none."Devabhoga" is the nectar that is enjoyed by the divinities of Vrindavan. The gods are the cows and cowlads as well as the other blessed residents of Vrindavan. They reside within the lila abode and join in the games."Bhagavatbhogya" is the nectar that Hari Himself enjoys. He can only take pleasure in the flavor of Vrindavan after the sound of His flute enters the Svaminis’ ears and fills their hearts. This makes them worthy of being enjoyed by God. The call of the flute made everything in Vrindavan divine, then it was tasted by Shri Krishna."Sarvabhogya", what is enjoyed by none, has a special meaning. The call of the flute is fluid and enabled Hari’s form to pass easily through the channels of the flute into the ears of the Svaminis. Then it pervaded their hearts and senses and made them aware of His presence. Although that nectar was directly enjoyed by none, it transformed the Svaminis and made them worthy.These three types of nectar arose due to the presence of Krishna’s yearning lip upon the flute. Although it appears that the flute was between the Svaminis and Hari, they experienced Him directly. That ras was not a leftover already enjoyed by another. The Svaminis are qualified to hear the call directly. Whoever heard the call became spiritually accomplished or, lila-ready. They became bhaktas and bliss arose and flowed through them, all around them.They became overjoyedAnd experienced somethingBeyond liberation.The bliss they savoredWas essential-The source of all rapture.This ras is unattainable through any discipline. In order to join them with Brahman and His sound, the flute appeared and through its holes poured Krishna devoid of form. He became a current of sound and filled Vrindavan with His wonder. It was all accomplished through those seven holes and the breath of Hari.For that song to appear, Krishna did not even have to touch the flute. The nectar was transferred directly from Him to the Svaminis. The flute only appeared as the medium. The connection was from Hari to their ears and then into their hearts. The song enabled them to sing of His excellence. It was an empowerment, transforming them and making them lila- worthy.To be enjoyed by HimThey attained divine form, forKrishna only likesWhat is sublime and delightful.It is only whenRas completely engulfs the soulThat the blessed oneCan come face to face with Hari.The Svaminis of Braja have been brought to this blessed position and are now able to be enjoyed by Hari. They are deserving of His delight. These Svaminis are so close to Him that they can see Him. Now hear their Krishna song. This lila entrance allows them the perfection of "nirodha", which is,A divine state of consciousnessWhere the bhakta becomesOblivious to the worldAnd totally attached to God.Hari has transported them there, into the state of "nirodha" where nothing besides God is recognized. Everything else has come to a standstill.Hari has constrainedThe Gopis and Gopas.He has retained themIn His perfect world.Only those who live thereCan understand Hari’s ras.No other taste can compare."Nirodha" only arises after the emergence of devotion. Then there is lila and Krishna enjoys the soul. After "nirodha", the bhakta is forever liberated and rests in Hari’s refuge. If liberation and refuge did not arise from Hari’s enjoyment of the soul, then His entire ras creation would lose meaning. If that would happen then Hari’s play would have no objective. Hence the divine order:"Nirodha" is to be restrained by HariIn the realm of elixir.Then the soul becomes liberated.And rests in His perfect shelter.This is what happened to the Svaminis of Braja, the gurus of the bhakti path. The divine Lakshmi understands the nature of that joy and she delights in it. The lila ras is the unsurpassed reward. Before there is lila entrance, one must understand as Shri Lakshmi does, that Brahman is also:Infinite beyond time and space,Beyond all worldly form.Imperishable, the source of creation andThe formless abode of liberation.When this is taken to heart, the bhakta rises to lila, to unbounded, perfect and total bliss. The Svaminis of Vrindavan are manifestations of Shri Laxshmi. She is the Supreme Goddess. The Svaminis’ attainment of the nectar that Laxshmi revels in was a gradual procedure. They first came to know Krishna as God and then desired Him as their husband. For this they underwent a spiritual training and fully realized Him in the lila dance.Hari’s dance with the Svaminis is known as the "rasa lila", a collection of ras. It is all part of "nirodha", the great reward. In the state of "nirodha", there is total absorption into lila- consciousness where Shri Krishna is exposed. "Nirodha" allows this realization.The sage Sukadeva is explaining to us the devotional nature of the Svaminis of Braja who have left everything for Hari. They are the bhakti experts and are accomplished.First Krishna enjoyed them.Then Krishna was enjoyed.In the surge of graceThe roles reversed.The Svaminis enjoyed KrishnaThe way He enjoyed them.The Svaminis are the God-enjoyers. They are the best women. The Svaminis we speak of here are called the "Agni Kumars", the "fire virgins". They enjoyed only Shri Krishna and could only be enjoyed by Him. They were unmarried and attached solely to Him.They knew the Absolute.They tasted it, the supreme flavor.The source of these teachings is the Bhagavat which removes all suffering, endows wisdom and brings forth the reward. When the Svaminis attained insight, they prayed to have Hari as their husbands. Krishna then brought them totally under His control. He gave them the nectar of His lips and engaged them in uninhibited lila.When Krishna is surrounded by His cowlad friends, this gathering has deep significance. They are gods who have incarnated to play with Krishna. The Svamini’s entrance into the perfect abode of Vrindavan is only with Hari. Shri Krishna’s penetration into the Vrindavan forests is really His entrance into the Svamini’s bower of love-play.The Svamini’s inner VrindavanIs unknown to even to the cowlads.Their union with HimKnows no boundaries.If you ask, "What does all of this have to do with devotion?" The answer is everything:Krishna’s lotus feet, the very form of devotion, purify. They have appeared not only for play, but to establish bhakti in Hari’s people. Krishna plants dharma with His cowlad associates when they sing of His glories. At that moment, all worthy pursuits are attained. Their song of Krishna contains His substance. Yet, in the Path of Grace, the esoteric core teachings are found in the Svamini bhava.Hari appeared as KrishnaHis essence is His love,His feeling, His bhava for Svamini.This is the true meaning ofBlissful Krishna.It is also the secret essential teachingOf the Blessed Path.The Gopis ecstatic praise began when they heard the flute.After imbibing its sound, all other pursuits appeared trivial.The sage Sukadeva, the forever liberated one, continues to explain the amazing lila to the attentive King Parikshit.
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