Service finally

Finally after the mercy of Lord Vrahadev in the form of the flu(as HG Sridama prabhu put it), i was able to go the deity worship seva today. I was able to serve with HG Gadadhar Prabhu and HG Gauraharo Prabhu, both my seniors and both such wonder full loving vasihnava teachers to me.

Today i could serve the Chota Radha Krishna Deities, I could put Mother Vrinda devi(tulasi) and Srila Prabhupada to rest, and also help with putting Their Lordships to rest.

Serve but do not expect to be served in return

Vaishnavas are generally very reluctant to accept service, from other Vaishnavas for themselves, if it is not in turn directly connected in some way to service of The Lord.

Also the shining instruction of Lord Chainatya Mahaprabhu is(*)
Sri Siksastakam Verse 3
trinad api sunichena
taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

"One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others and expect none in return. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly."

A Vaishnava should be ready to offer all respect to others and expect none in return.

There was a dinner at the temple for those who donated some laxmi the year around. Not all those who donate laxmi, know about being a vaishnava.

So they naturally do not yet know the essence of bhakti. I guess today they felt ok, if vaishnavas were serving them. One day when they understand bhakti they will also just ask for more service instead of being served themselves

The other side of the coin is, Vaishnavas themselves always want to serve anyone that helps in any way shape or form in the service of the Lord.

The real fact is that by accepting laxmi from these people for The Lords service, the temple is helping these people get eternal benefit, other wise they would not have gotten this great chance in this lifetime.

So i was feeling that attitude of temple is filled with such humility, helping people get connected to the Lord and then also thanking the very same people ...

It is something like giving a gift to someone and then thanking them for accepting that gift.

Srila Prabhupada example of genuine humility

The thought came to me about Srila Prabhupada and his example of humility.

Srila Prabhupada used to say that he has not done much, it is all his disciples who are doing so much for the society.

He gave all of the credit to his disciples and His own Spiritual master Om Vishnupada Paramhansa Parivakarachya Sri Srimad Bhakti Sidhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada.

But the truth was without Srila Prabhupada's unlimited love, unlimited mercy, unlimited kindness, unlimited guidance, unlimited personal examples, unlimited personal teachings, huge volumes of books, etc.. there would no ISKCON as we know today.

Srila Prabhupada's disciples openly admit that it is *ONLY* the mercy of Srila Prabhupada that they are made of.

In the same way today's generation of Vaishnava's are also ultimately made of *ONLY* the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and His Disciples and His Grand Discsiples.

And it is a fact that we can *NEVER* ever, repay our debt to Srila Prabhupada. Why ?

Because what Srila Prabhupada is giving us is priceless. "The Spiritual World along with the Service of the Supreme Lord Himself" .

* The above verse is verse 3 from Sri Siksastakam
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu 500 years ago in Bengal and in the form of Krsna's devotee in the mood of Srimati Radharani. He left only 8 slokas (verses) of his instructions in writing, and they describe the glories of the Holy Names of the Lord and the mood one must have to chant and to be a devotee.

Who is Sri Krishna, does He need anything from any mortal ?

Sri Krishna is not poor. He is himself The Husband of the Goddess of fortune!

He certainly does not need anything from this world of birth and death.

Lord Bhramha himself explains thus: @ http://vedabase.net/bs/5/29/en2 and http://vedabase.net/bs/5/30/en2

Chapter 5: Hymn to the Absolute Truth
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Brahma-samhita 5.29
cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

SYNONYMS

cintamani -- touchstone; prakara -- groups made of; sadmasu -- in abodes; kalpa-vrksa -- of desire trees; laksa -- by millions; avrtesu -- surrounded; surabhih -- surabhi cows; abhipalayantam -- tending; laksmi -- of goddesses of fortune; sahasra -- of thousands; sata -- by hundreds; sambhrama -- with great respect; sevyamanam -- being served; govindam -- Govinda; adi-purusam -- the original person; tam -- Him; aham -- I; bhajami -- worship.

TRANSLATION

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of laksmis or gopis.

PURPORT

By the word cintamani is meant "transcendental gem." Just as Maya builds this mundane universe with the five material elements, so the spiritual (cit) potency has built the spiritual world of transcendental gems. The cintamani which serves as material in the building of the abode of the Supreme Lord of Goloka, is a far rarer and more agreeable entity than the philosopher's stone. The purpose tree yields only the fruits of piety. wealth, fulfillment of desire and liberation; but the purpose trees in the abode of Krsna bestow innumerable fruits in the shape of checkered divine love. Kama-dhenus (cows yielding the fulfillment of desire) give milk when they are milked; but the kama-dhenus of Goloka pour forth oceans of milk in the shape of the fountain of love showering transcendental bliss that does away with the hunger and thirst of all pure devotees. The words laksa and sahasra-sata signify endless numbers. The word sambhrama or sadara indicates "being saturated with love." Here laksmi denotes gopi. Adi-purusa means, "He who is the primeval Lord."

Chapter 5: Hymn to the Absolute Truth
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Brahma-samhita 5.30
venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam-
barhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangam
kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-visesa-sobham
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

SYNONYMS

venum -- the flute; kvanantam -- playing; aravinda-dala -- (like) lotus petals; ayata -- blooming; aksam -- whose eyes; barha -- a peacock's feather; avatamsam -- whose ornament on the head; asita-ambuda -- (tinged with the hue of) blue clouds; sundara -- beautiful; angam -- whose figure; kandarpa -- of Cupids; koti -- millions; kamaniya -- charming; visesa -- unique; sobham -- whose loveliness; govindam -- Govinda; adi-purusam -- the original person; tam -- Him; aham -- I; bhajami -- worship.

TRANSLATION

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.

PURPORT

The matchless beauty of Krsna, the Supreme Lord of Goloka, is being described. Krsna, the all-pervading cognition, has a spiritual form of His own. The form of Krsna is not a fanciful creation of imagination formed after visualizing the beautiful things of the world. What Brahma saw in his ecstatic trance of pure devotion, is being described. Krsna is engaged in playing upon His flute. That flute by his enchanting musical sound attracts the hearts of all living beings. Just as a lotus petal produces a pleasant sight, so the two beautiful eyes of Krsna who causes the manifestation of our spiritual vision, display the unlimited splendor and beauty of His moonlike face. The loveliness that adorns His head with peacock feather figures, the corresponding feature of the spiritual beauty of Krsna. Just as a mass of blue clouds offers a specifically soothing, pleasant view, the complexion of Krsna is analogously tinged with a spiritual dark-blue color. The beauty and loveliness of Krsna is far more enchanting that that of Cupid multiplied a millionfold.

How The Vaishnava sees Sri Krishna

The vaishnava has only bhakti to offer Sri Krishna , and with that Bhakti he is able to see Sri Krishna

Lord Bhramha himself explains thus: @ http://vedabase.net/bs/5/38/en2 and http://vedabase.net/bs/5/33/en2

Chapter 5: Hymn to the Absolute Truth
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Brahma-samhita 5.38
premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti
yam syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

SYNONYMS

prema -- of love; anjana -- with the salve; churita -- tinged; bhakti -- of devotion; vilocanena -- with the eye; santah -- the pure devotees; sada -- always; eva -- indeed; hrdayesu -- in their hearts; vilokayanti -- see; yam -- whom; syama -- dark blue; sundaram -- beautiful; acintya -- inconceivable; guna -- with attributes; svarupam -- whose nature is endowed; govindam -- Govinda; adi-purusam -- the original person; tam -- Him; aham -- I; bhajami -- worship.

TRANSLATION

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Syamasundara, Krsna Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.

PURPORT

The Syamasundara form of Krsna is His inconceivable simultaneous personal and impersonal self-contradictory form. True devotees see that form in their purified hearts under the influence of devotional trance. The form Syama is not the blue color visible in the mundane world but is the transcendental variegated color affording eternal bliss, and is not visible to the mortal eye. On a consideration of the trance of Vyasadeva as in the sloka, bhakti-yogena manasi etc., it will be clear that the form of Sri Krsna is the full Personality of Godhead and can only be visible in the heart of a true devotee, which is the only true seat in the state of trance under the influence of devotion. When Krsna manifested Himself in Vraja, both the devotees and nondevotees saw Him with this very eye; but only the devotees cherished Him, eternally present in Vraja, as the priceless jewel of their heart. Nowadays also the devotees see Him in Vraja in their hearts, saturated with devotion although they do not see Him with their eyes. The eye of devotion is nothing but the eye of the pure unalloyed spiritual self of the jiva. The form of Krsna is visible to that eye in proportion to its purification by the practice of devotion. When the devotion of the neophyte reaches the stage of bhava-bhakti the pure eye of that devotee is tinged with the salve of love by the grace of Krsna, which enables him to see Krsna face to face. The phrase "in their hearts" means Krsna is visible in proportion as their hearts are purified by the practice of devotion. The sum and substance of this sloka is that the form of Krsna, who is Syamasundara, Natavara (Best Dancer), Muralidhara (Holder of the Flute) and Tribhanga (Triple-bending), is not a mental concoction but is transcendental, and is visible with the eye of the soul of the devotee under trance.

Chapter 5: Hymn to the Absolute Truth
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Brahma-samhita 5.33
advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam
adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca
vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

SYNONYMS

advaitam -- without a second; acyutam -- without decay; anadim -- without a beginning; ananta-rupam -- whose form is endless, or who possesses unlimited forms; adyam -- the beginning; purana-purusam -- the most ancient person; nava-yauvanam -- a blooming youth; ca -- also; vedesu -- through the Vedas; durlabham -- inaccessible; adurlabham -- not difficult to obtain; atma-bhaktau -- through pure devotion of the soul; govindam -- Govinda; adi-purusam -- the original person; tam -- Him; aham -- I; bhajami -- worship.

TRANSLATION

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal purusa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.

PURPORT

Advaita means "indivisible truth who is knowledge absolute." Brahman, the infinite, emanates from Him as His effulgence and God-immanent (Paramatma) as His constituent; but nevertheless He remains one and indivisible. Acyuta means that though myriads of avataras emanate from Him as subjective portions and millions of jivas as separated spiritual particles, still He remains intact as the undivided whole of fullest perfection. Though He indulges in exhibiting the pastimes of births, etc., still He is without a beginning. Though He disappears after the pastimes of His appearance, still He is eternal. Though without origin, yet He is with an origin in His pastime of appearance; and although eternal in essence, He is still a person in the full bloom of youth. The sum and substance of it is that though He possesses diverse and apparently mutually contradictory qualities, still they are in universal harmonious concordance by dint of His unthinkable potency. This is what is meant by cid-dharma (transcendental nature) as distinguished from the material. His graceful threefold-bending form with flute in hand, possesses eternal blooming youth and is above all unwholesomeness that is to be found in limited time and space. In the transcendental realm there is no past and future but only the unalloyed and immutable present time. In the transcendental sphere there is no distinction between the object and its qualities and no such identity as is found in the limited mundane region. Hence those qualities that seem to be apparently contradictory in the light of mundane conception limited by time and space, exist in agreeable and dainty concordance in the spiritual realm. How can the jiva realize such unprecedented existence? The limited intellectual function of the jiva is always contaminated by the influence of time and space and is, therefore, not in a position to shake off this limitedness. If the potency of cognitive function does not extend to the realization of the transcendental, what else can? In reply. Brahma says that the transcendental Absolute is beyond the reach of the Vedas. The Vedas originate in sound and sound originates in the mundane ether. So the Vedas cannot present before us a direct view of the transcendental world (Goloka). It is only when the Vedas are imbued with the cit potency that they are enabled to deal with the transcendental. But Goloka reveals itself to every jiva-soul when he is under the influence of the spiritual cognitive potency joined to the essence of ecstatic energy. The ecstatic function of devotion is boundless and is surcharged with unalloyed transcendental knowledge. That knowledge reveals goloka-tattva (the principle of the highest transcendental) in unison with devotion, without asserting itself separately but as a subsidiary to unalloyed devotion.


Inspired by the mercy of His Holiness Radhanath Swami
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