Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

टूटे हुए दिल की दवा केवल कृष्ण की भक्ति है

इस दुनिया में कोई दवा नहीं है जो टूटे हुए दिल को ठीक कर सके। केवल कृष्ण की भक्ति ही टूटे हुए दिल को ठीक करती है और कुछ नहीं।

हाल ही में एक परिवार ने मुझे अपने रिश्तेदार के घर आध्यात्मिक कार्यक्रम के लिए आमंत्रित किया। उनके रिश्तेदार की बेटी ने कुछ साल पहले आत्महत्या कर ली थी। उस दौरान भी हम उनके घर गए थे। हमने हरे कृष्ण कीर्तन किया और श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता पर चर्चा की। वे फिर से अपने घर पर ऐसा ही आध्यात्मिक कार्यक्रम चाहते थे।

आध्यात्मिक कार्यक्रम आयोजित करने का उनका उद्देश्य घर में शुभता पैदा करना और नकारात्मकता को दूर करना था। परिवार भौतिक रूप से समृद्ध है।

लेकिन उन्हें देखकर कोई भी आसानी से समझ सकता है कि ये अंदर से कितने दुखी हैं। जब मैं पहुंचा, तो उन्होंने “हरे कृष्ण” के साथ मेरा अभिवादन किया और जब मैं कार्यक्रम के बाद निकला तो उन्होंने कहा “हरे कृष्ण।” इसके अलावा उन्होंने और कुछ नहीं कहा। दो साल बीत चुके हैं लेकिन वे उस दुखद घटना से बाहर नहीं निकल पाए हैं।

शांति के लिए हरे कृष्ण कीर्तन

अनुरोध करने वाला भक्त चाहता था कि मैं लंबे समय तक कीर्तन करूं। इसलिए हमने लंबा कीर्तन किया। मैं एक अच्छा गायक नहीं हूं, लेकिन कृष्णा इतने दयालु हैं की, उनकी कृपा से मेरे जैसा बुरा गायक भी गा लेता है।

“भगवान का स्वरूप सच्चिदानन्द विग्रह है। मैं भगवान को प्रणाम करता हूं, जो गूंगे को वाक्पटु वक्ता बनाते हैं और लंगड़ों को पहाड़ों को पार करने में सक्षम बनाते हैं। ऐसी है प्रभु की कृपा।“ श्री चैतन्य चरितामृत, मध्य-लीला 17.80

तो कृष्ण की कृपा से हम सभी ने हरे कृष्ण महामंत्र का कीर्तन किया। यह महामंत्र है जो लोगों को आकर्षित करता है, न कि यह कितना अच्छा गाया जाता है। कुछ पेशेवर गायक हैं जिन्होंने महामंत्र गाया है, और हमें इसकी सराहना करनी चाहिए लेकिन भक्त का कीर्तन मुझे सबसे ज्यादा आकर्षित करता है। कृष्ण का कोई नया भक्त कीर्तन करता है तो वह भी मीठा होता है। सबसे अच्छा कीर्तन श्रील प्रभुपाद का है। उनका गायन सीधे दिल को छू जाता है।

कीर्तन के कई फायदे हैं। यह उत्तेजित मन को शांत करता है, हमें शांति प्रदान करता है और हमें प्रसन्न भी करता है। सभी भौतिक सीमाओं को भेदते हुए कृष्ण का पवित्र नाम हमारे हृदय तक पहुँचता है और हमारे हृदय को आनंद से भर देता है। यह हमें कृष्ण से जोड़ता है जो शांति और आनंद के स्रोत हैं। एक घंटे तक कीर्तन किया। भक्त पूरी तरह से कीर्तन में लीन थे।

संसार के क्षणिक सुख से हमारा मोह

बाद में मैंने संक्षेप में कृष्ण भावनामृत के महत्व के बारे में बताया। इस भौतिक दुनिया में, अगर हम भौतिक चेतना के साथ रहते हैं तो हम हमेशा दुखी रहेंगे । इस संसार में हमें जो थोड़ी सी खुशी मिलती है, वह क्षणिक है और यह शायद ही हमारे हृदय की तृप्ति करती है। लेकिन फिर भी हम इसके दीवाने हैं।

हममें से अधिकांश लोगों की यह धारणा है कि यदि हम अपने भौतिक जीवन को पूर्ण कर लें तो सब कुछ पूर्ण हो जाएगा, हमें सुख की प्राप्ति होगी। इसलिए, हम कृष्ण भावनामृत को एक तरफ रख देते हैं और अपनी भौतिक गतिविधियों पर ध्यान देना शुरू कर देते हैं। हम सोचते हैं कि एक बार जब हमारी सारी भौतिक या सांसारिक जिम्मेदारियाँ पूरी हो जाएगी, तो हम कृष्णभावनामृत के लिए समय निकालेंगे।

लेकिन सच्चाई यह है कि हमारी सांसारिक जिम्मेदारियां कभी खत्म नहीं होने वाली है। जैसे समुद्र में लहरें आती-जाती रहती है, वैसे ही भौतिक समस्याएं आती-जाती रहेंगी। क्या हम लहरों को रोक सकते हैं? नहीं। इसी तरह, हम भौतिक समस्याओं और भौतिक जिम्मेदारियों को नहीं रोक सकते।

मानव जीवन का सबसे महत्वपूर्ण उद्देश्य

मानव जीवन का सबसे महत्वपूर्ण या यों कहें कि एकमात्र उद्देश्य भौतिक चेतना से मुक्त होकर कृष्णभावनाभावित बनना है। अगर हम ऐसा नहीं कर रहे हैं तो हम अपना कीमती मानव जीवन बर्बाद कर रहे हैं। हममें से कोई नहीं जानता कि हम कब मरने वाले हैं। मरने वालों में से 99% लोग नहीं जानते कि वे मरने वाले हैं। केवल लाइलाज बीमारी से पीड़ित लोग ही जान सकते हैं कि वे कुछ दिनों या कुछ हफ्तों में मर सकते हैं।

एक हृदयविदारक घटना

मुझे एक घटना याद है। एक शख्स ने ऑफिस से अपनी पत्नी को फोन किया और रात के खाने के लिए कुछ खास बनाने की गुजारिश की। पत्नी तुरंत स्वादिष्ट रेसिपी बनाने लगी। खाना बनाते समय वह लगातार यही सोच रही थी कि आज वे दोनों साथ में डिनर का लुत्फ उठाएंगे। उसने वह खाना बनाया जो उसके पति को बहुत पसंद था और फिर वह उसका इंतजार करने लगती है।

वह काफी देर तक इंतजार करती है लेकिन उसका पति घर वापस नहीं आता है। वह उसका नंबर ट्राई करती है। लेकिन पति का मोबाइल नंबर कनेक्ट नहीं हो रहा है। वह सोचती है कि यह नेटवर्क की समस्या हो सकती है। वह दरवाजा खोलती है और अपने पति की प्रतीक्षा करने लगती है। कुछ देर बाद उसका फोन बजता है, वह तुरंत उठा लेती है। दूसरी ओर से कोई बताता है कि उसके पति का एक घातक एक्सीडेंट हो गया है और दुर्भाग्य से उसकी मृत्यु हो गई है। डाइनिंग टेबल पर पड़ा गरमा-गरम स्वादिष्ट डिनर धीरे-धीरे ठंडा हो जाता है।

कृष्ण सभी विपदाओं से हमारी रक्षा करते हैं

बाकी सब कुछ प्रतीक्षा कर सकता है लेकिन कृष्ण भावनामृत नहीं। अपने व्यस्त कार्यक्रम के बावजूद हमें कृष्ण भक्ति के लिए समय निकालना चाहिए। कृष्ण की भक्ति का अर्थ है कृष्ण के पवित्र नामों यानी हरे कृष्ण महामंत्र का जप करना। और यह भी महत्वपूर्ण है कि हम कृष्ण के सच्चे भक्तों के साथ जुड़ें। क्योंकि उनकी संगति में हम कृष्ण की भक्ति में गंभीर और ईमानदार रहेंगे। साथ ही ऐसे भक्त कृष्णभावनाभावित यात्रा में हमारा सही मार्गदर्शन करते रहेंगे।

कृष्ण भावनामृत का अभ्यास करने का एक अद्भुत परिणाम यह है कि हमारा जीवन शुभ हो जाता है। वैसे तो इस दुनिया में बहुत दुख है लेकिन एक बार जब हम कृष्ण की शरण लेते हैं तो वह हमें जीवन की सभी दयनीय परिस्थितियों से बचाते हैं। साथ ही, कृष्ण हमारी चेतना को शुद्ध करते हैं और एक बार जब हम शुद्ध हो जाते हैं, तो हम किसी भी पापपूर्ण गतिविधियों में लिप्त नहीं होते हैं।

भगवान भक्त को उसके जीवन में आने वाली कठिन परिस्थितियों से निपटने के लिए बुद्धि और दृढ़ संकल्प देते हैं। और यदि कठिनाई को संभालना हमारी क्षमता से परे है, तो भगवान कृष्ण व्यक्तिगत रूप से हस्तक्षेप करते हैं और हमें बचाते हैं। एक बार जब हम कृष्ण की शरण लेते हैं, तब वे सभी विपदाओं से हमारी रक्षा करते हैं।

कृष्ण की भक्ति ही टूटे हुए दिल को ठीक करती है

अगर परिवार के सदस्य, जहां हमारा कार्यक्रम था, कृष्ण की भक्ति कर रहे होते, तो मुझे यकीन है कि परिवार की बेटी ने आत्महत्या नहीं की होती। मैं समझता हूं कि आत्महत्या करने वाला व्यक्ति अत्यधिक भावनात्मक पीड़ा से गुजरता है और उसी के कारण वह ऐसा कृत्य करता है।

अगर हम कृष्ण की भक्ति कर रहे हैं और भगवद गीता और श्रीमद्भागवतम जैसी किताबें पढ़ रहे हैं तो हमें अपने जीवन की सबसे कठिन परिस्थितियों से भी निपटने के लिए आंतरिक शक्ति और बुद्धि मिलती है।

मैं ऐसा इसलिए कह रहा हूं क्योंकि मैंने उन भक्तों की कहानियां सुनी हैं जिन्होंने एक बार आत्महत्या करने का फैसला किया था लेकिन किसी तरह वे भक्तों के संपर्क में आ गए और कृष्ण की भक्ति करने लगे। उन्होंने आत्महत्या करने का विचार त्याग दिया। उनके हृदय रोग को कोई भी ठीक नहीं कर सकता था लेकिन कृष्ण की भक्ति ने किया। यह सच कहा जाता है कि कृष्ण की भक्ति टूटे हुए दिल को ठीक करती है। अब वे खुशी-खुशी कृष्ण की भक्ति कर रहे हैं और हर जगह खुशियाँ फैला रहे हैं। भगवान श्रीकृष्ण ने उनके टूटे हुए दिल को पूरी तरह से ठीक कर दिया है।

Devotion to Krishna heals the broken heart

There is no medicine in this world which can heal a broken heart. Only devotion to Krishna heals the broken heart and nothing else.

Recently one family invited me for a spiritual program at their relative’s house. Their relative’s daughter had committed suicide couple of yeas back. During that time also we had gone to their house, and we had kirtan and discourse on Bhagavad Gita.

They wanted similar spiritual program at their house again. The purpose was to create auspiciousness in the house and remove negativity.  The family is materially well to do.  But by seeing their face, one can easily understand that how much torn apart they are internally.

When I arrived, they wished me “Hare Krishna” and when I left after the program they said “Hare Krishna.” Except that they did not say anything else.  Two years have passed but they are not able to come out of that tragic incident.

Kirtan for auspiciousness

The devotee who had requested for the program wanted to have kirtan for a long period of time.  So, we had a long kirtan. I am not a good singer, but Krishna is so merciful that he makes a terrible singer like me sing.

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead has the form of sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha — transcendental bliss, knowledge and eternity. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him, who turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains. Such is the mercy of the Lord.” Sri Chaitanya Charitamṛta, Madhya-lila 17.80

So, by Krishna’s mercy we all sang the beautiful Hare Krishna Mahamantra. It is the mantra which attracts people, not how nicely it is sung. There are some professional singers who have sung the Mahamantra, and we should appreciate it. But what attracts me the most is when it is sung by a devotee. Even if a new devotee who has just started practicing Krishna Consciousness sings, then that is also melodious. And the best kirtan is that which has been sung by Srila Prabhupada. His singing of the mantra directly touches the heart.

Kirtan has many benefits. It calms down the agitated mind, brings us at peace and also makes us happy. The holy name of Krishna pierces all material boundaries and directly touches our heart. It connects us to Krishna, the source of all auspiciousness and bliss.

We had kirtan for an hour and everyone was absorbed in singing the Hare Krishna mahamantra.

Our obsession with flickering happiness of this world

Later I spoke briefly about the importance of practicing Krishna Consciousness. In this material world, if we live with material consciousness then we will always be miserable. The little happiness we get in this world is flickering and it hardly satiates our heart. But still we are obsessed with it.

Most of us have this notion that if we perfect our material life then everything will become perfect, we will attain happiness. So, we put aside Krishna Consciousness and start focussing on our material activities. We think that once all our material or worldly responsibilities are properly taken care then we will take out time to practice Krishna consciousness.

But the truth is that our worldly responsibilities are never going to come to an end. Material problems will keep on coming and going just like the waves in the ocean keeps on coming and going. Can we stop the waves? No. Similarly, we cannot stop material problems and material responsibilities.

The most important purpose of human life

The most important purpose or rather the only purpose of human life is to free ourselves from material consciousness and start practicing Krishna consciousness. If we are not doing so, then we are just wasting our precious human life. None of us know when we are going to die. 99% of the people who die do not know they were going to die. Some people suffering from terminal disease may know that they may die in few days or few weeks.  

A heart wrenching incident

I remember an incident. A man called his wife from the office and requested her to prepare something special for the dinner. Wife immediately started preparing the delicious recipe.  While cooking, she was constantly thinking that today they both will enjoy the dinner together. She cooked the food which her husband liked a lot and then she waits for him. Time passes by, but her husband is not back home. She tries his number. Mobile is not reachable.  She thinks it could be network issue.

She opens the door and waits for him. After some time, her phone rings, she picks it up. From the other side, someone informs that her husband met with a fatal accident, he is no more. The hot delicious dinner lying on the dining table slowly turns cold.

Krishna protect us from all calamities

Everything else can wait but not Krishna Consciousness. In spite of our busy schedule, we should take out time to practice devotion to Krishna. Devotion to Krishna means chanting the holy names of Krishna i.e. the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. And also it is important that we associate with sincere devotees of Krishna. Why?  Because in their association we will also become serious and sincere in our practice of Krishna Consciousness. Also, such devotees can also guide us in our Krishna conscious journey.

One of the wonderful results of practicing Krishna Consciousness is that our life becomes auspicious. Although in this world there are lots of suffering but once we take shelter of Krishna then he protects us from all miserable conditions of life. Also, Krishna purifies our consciousness and once we become pure, we do not indulge in any sinful activities. 

The Supreme Lord gives intelligence and determination to a devotee to deal with most difficult situations which may come in his or her life.  And if the situation is beyond our capacity to handle then Krishna, the Supreme Lord, personally intervenes and save us.  Once, we take his shelter, then he protects us from all calamities.

Only devotion to Krishna heals the broken heart and nothing else

If the family members, where we had program, would have been practicing Krishna Consciousness, then I am sure that the daughter of the family would have not committed suicide.  I understand that the person who decides to give up his/her life goes through tremendous emotional pain and because of that they commit such an act.

However, if we are practicing devotion to Krishna and reading books like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam then we get the inner strength and intelligence to deal with even the most difficult situations of our life.

I am saying this because I have heard the stories of devotees who had once decided to commit suicide but somehow, they got in touch with the devotees and started practicing Krishna consciousness and then they gave up the thought of ending their life. Nothing material could have cured the disease of their heart but devotion to Krishna did. So, it is verily said that devotion to Krishna heals the broken heart. Now they are happy and are spreading happiness everywhere. Krishna has completely healed their broken heart.

Can Krishna consciousness make this world a better place to live in?

Today this question that can Krishna consciousness make this world a better place to live in is quite relevant especially when there is war between Russia and Ukraine.  

Thousands of miles away from the battlefield of Europe, I am not the right person to comment on the Russia Ukraine war? Also, I am not a geopolitical expert to analyse the war which has caused massive humanitarian crisis.  If we believe just the west and the western media, then Russia or rather Putin is the culprit. But there are people quite good in number who believe that it is because of the policies of the western countries in Ukraine which provoked Russia to invade Ukraine, its immediate neighbour. Putting aside all these cacophonies, the truth is that people including the soldiers of both the countries are dying, children are becoming orphans, people are leaving their homes and fleeing to refugee camps. Everyone is suffering. No sane man can justify the war or Russian invasion.  

Currently the war is in Europe, but few months back it was in Afghanistan. Many wars on large scale or small scale are happening in different parts of the world. Some are extensively reported, and some are not.

Vedic scriptures describe the symptom of the present age we are living in

When I see the precarious situation of the world then my faith in the Vedic scriptures increases. Just read Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 12, entitled, The Age of deterioration. Its 2^nd Chapter, The Symptoms of Kali Yuga, gives a vivid description about the condition of the present age in which we are living.  What we are seeing today across the world is mentioned in this chapter.

The chapter says that “in this age the qualities of tolerance, mercy and truthfulness deteriorates. Law and justice are applied only on the basis of power. And the rulers are greedy and merciless.”

This is what is happening across the world. And we should remember that the period we are now living in is the beginning of Kali Yuga. The situation will become from bad to worse in future. Kali Yuga is also described as “the age of quarrel and hypocrisy.” People suffer a lot in this age – physically and mentally.  Srila Prabhupada writes, “In the modern age most countries have developed economically, but due to business exchanges, relationships seem to be strained. Finally wars are declared between nations, and as a result of these upheavals there is destruction all over the world, and people suffer heavily. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.13.13 purport)

Is there any solution?

So, is there any solution to this menace or we have to silently suffer?

Vedic scriptures not just talk about the problems we have to go through but also provides a tangible solution to these problems. 

The holy Vedas say that the period we are living in is bad, no doubt about it, but one good or rather great thing about this age is that in this age attaining the grace of God is easy. And how to attain that grace is revealed by God himself through the scriptures.

Lord Krishna appeared as Lord Chaitanya to teach us how to attain love of God. According to him in this age, if we just chant the names of Krishna then we will attain Krishna. So, easy! He asked us to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This great mantra will purify our heart of all the evil propensities and will take us towards Krishna. Lord Chaitanya deputed acharyas like Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami to spread the holy names of Krishna. Few decades back, Srila Prabhupada, a great devotee of Chaitanya, tried his best to make the world Krishna Conscious.

Can Krishna Consciousness stop Russia Ukraine war?

Now the question is how Krishna consciousness is relevant to Russia Ukraine war? Will chanting the names of Krishna stop all the conflicts in the world? And Can Krishna Consciousness stop Russia Ukraine war?

I don’t know. I do not have data to prove this. And also, I am not a pure devotee to confirm this.

However, based on some of my experiences I can say that Krishna Consciousness makes us a better human being, creates a better society, provided we are sincerely practicing it.

Two examples

One of the most famous statements which I heard again and again when I got introduced to Iskcon was “Prabhupada built a house in which the whole world could live happily.” Practically I saw this when I first went to Iskcon Mayapur. There I saw people of different nationalities, religion, race, gender living together peacefully and also blissfully. Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, blacks, whites all stay together there. No religious or racial discrimination. You can see them singing, dancing, laughing, joking, eating together. Devotees forgo all their material identities and come together to chant and glorify the Lord. Because while doing so they experience great satisfaction and happiness.

Another example, I remember is when I attended ISKCON Leicester Rath Yatra in UK. For the Rath yatra inauguration, devotees had invited one prominent UK government official. If I recollect correctly, he was the mayor of the city. While inaugurating the festival, he said a very interesting thing. He said that what surprises and inspires him the most about the festival is that he sees whites and blacks coming together to celebrate the festival.  There is no discrimination based on colour of the skin.

During this terrible Russia Ukraine war, there are several reports emerging which says that the people who are trying to flee Ukraine are being discriminated because of the colour of their skin.  There is separate queue for black and white at the border. And the blacks complain that they are not being treated well.

But if you visit any Iskcon temple in any part of the world, you won’t find any discrimination. Black, brown, white stand in the same queue, sit together and hold each other’s hand and dance for the pleasure of Krishna.

Krishna Consciousness will make this world a better place to live in

So, as I said earlier that I do not know if Krishna Consciousness can stop war or solve the political issues of the world. But one thing it will do is that it will make us a civilized human being.  Devotion to Krishna purifies our consciousness, we then see others as our brothers and sisters. And none of us ever want to kill or even harm our brother and sisters, if we love them.

When Srila Prabhupada as a young man first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, in 1922 then his spiritual master told him that Krishna consciousness is emergency, it cannot wait for anything else. Because if people are not Krishna Conscious then they are in terrible consciousness. And such terrible people become enemy to the humanity. 

But if people seriously practice Krishna Consciousness, then they become a well-wishing friend of all and then the world will become a better place to live in.

Why did Krishna need a guru?

The question is pertinent that why did Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, need a guru? Why did he go to the gurukul of Sandipani Muni?

Vedas say that Krishna is not an ordinary person like you and me

The authentic Vedic Scriptures again and again say that Krishna is not an ordinary human being like you and me but he is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad Gita (7.7,10.8), Krishna himself says that everything what we see in this world and what we are not able to see with our material vision is created by him and when required is destroyed by him. Krishna further says that there is no truth superior to him. Even Arjuna, agrees with Krishna.

Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. Bhagavad Gita 10.12-13

Arjuna knew that the ignorants and the agnostics will disagree with him, so he requested Krishna to show his universal form. And Krishna revealed his gigantic universal form. In that universal form, virat swarupa, Arjuna saw all the great demigods like Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma, he saw the different gigantic planets, the sun, the moon, the stars within Krishna.

So, there is no doubt that Krishna is the Supreme Lord. Any sane man or woman with little intelligence will understand this.

So, why did Krishna, the Supreme Lord, need a guru?

If so, then why he needed a guru, a teacher, a guide? People like us approach a guru because we are ignorant so we want to learn something. But Krishna is the source of all the knowledge, he is the origin of the Vedas. In Bhagavad Gita 15.15, he says that the purpose of all Vedic literatures is to know him, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo.

But still Krishna along with his brother Balarama went to the gurukul of Sandipani Muni and like an ideal student he studied there.

Krishna enacts various pastimes in this world to teach people like us, the conditioned souls, how to ideally live in this world and perfect our lives. So, Krishna accepted a guru to teach us that we should also have a guru in our life. If we accept a bona fide guru and follow his instructions then we can live happily in this world and after leaving this world we can return back to the spiritual world where we will live happily forever with Krishna.

Who can be a guru?

In order to perfect our life, it is important that we seek the guidance of a guru. And who is a guru or who can be a guru?  The important qualifications of a guru is that he should be a sincere devotee of the Lord, should have understood the conclusion of all Vedic scriptures and should have complete control on their mind and senses. A guru not just leads by words but by his example. He leads his disciples to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.

A bona fide guru is never judged by his material education or social status. For example, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura was a great learned scholar, but he accepted Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja as his guru who was materially illiterate but he was a pure devotee of Krishna. Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja had no affinity for any material things of this world. The great devotee had no craving for name and fame. He spent every moment of his life in chanting the names of Krishna. He was a wandering mendicant and would think of nothing else other than Krishna. Such an exalted personality is qualified to become a guru.

How to be an ideal disciple?

The kind of love and respect we should be having for the Supreme Lord, the same love and respect we should be having for our guru, the spiritual master. Guru or the spiritual master is not the Supreme Lord, but he should be worshipped like the Supreme Lord because he comes in our life to give us the love of the Supreme Lord. He is not an ordinary person. Krishna personally sends a guru to a sincere seeker so that the seeker under the guidance of a bona fide guru can come back to him.

The disciple should sincerely serve the guru and follow all his instructions for his own good. If we are not able to show genuine respect to a guru then we won’t be able to show respect to the Supreme Lord. A genuine Guru is a dedicated devotee of the Supreme Lord. And the Lord of the entire creation makes him his ambassador to reclaim the conditioned souls from this miserable material world.

By serving the guru in a humble way and showing all respects to him we gain the mercy of the guru.  When we approach a guru then we should not have any false notion about our material education or material prowess. Our spiritual master, guru, is not interested in our worldly achievements.

Krishna and Balarama, the ideal disciples

Krishna and his elder brother Balaram through their personal examples have shown how to be an ideal disciple.

Srimad Bhagavatam describes that Krishna and Balaram served Sandipani Muni with great dedication and devotion. “Sāndīpani thought very highly of these two self-controlled disciples, whom he had obtained so fortuitously. By serving him as devotedly as one would serve the Supreme Lord Himself, They showed others an irreproachable example of how to worship the spiritual master.” Srimad Bhagavatam 10.45.32

Krishna and Balrama had performed many heroic deeds before they went to the gurukul of Sandipani Muni. But never once in the gurukul they tried to show their prowess and valour. They always remained humble. The Lord is teaching to us that in front of our spiritual master we should not try to boast about our material education or status in the society. The guru gets pleased only by our sincerity and submissive behaviour.

Guru gives us the shelter of the Supreme Lord

When the guru sees that the disciple is sincere and is eager to follow the principles of devotional service then he blesses him and imparts all confidential knowledge. Pleased by the sincerity of his disciple, the guru, the spiritual master, prays to the Lord to accept the disciple at his lotus feet and the Supreme Lord Krishna happily grants the shelter of his lotus feet to the sincere disciple.

Guru is not an ordinary person

He gives us the shelter of the Supreme Person

He has no interest in this mortal world

Because he always meditates on Krishna’s pastimes in the immortal world

Always be under the shelter of such a great guru

Who never leaves the shelter of Krishna, the Supreme guru

Kill the Ravana within before it kills us

Lord Rama, the Supreme Lord, did not have to personally appear in this world to kill the demon Ravana and free the world from his atrocity. The Supreme Lord creates this universe and also destroys this universe as per his will. So, he could have killed Ravana just by desiring to kill Ravana.

But he incarnated in this mortal world to reveal that he is so magnanimous that he is always willing to forgive the conditioned souls for even the greatest sin and is ready to give his shelter to anyone who seeks it.

In Ramayana we see that Lord Rama was willing to forgive Ravana for all his misdeeds. So, he gave the demon king several chances to rectify his mistakes and become his devotee. But sadly, overpowered by lust and false pride, Ravana refused to take shelter of Lord Rama who is celebrated as the Supreme shelter of the universe.

Lusty Ravana disregards godly advice

Vibhishana, a devotee of Rama, tried his best to counsel his brother but the arrogant Ravana rebuked Vibhishana and threw him out of his kingdom. Hanuman, one of the most celebrated devotees of Lord Rama, advised Ravana to return mother Sita but Ravana devoid of good sense tried to insult and torture Hanuman by setting his tail on fire. Hanuman showed his prowess by burning the entire golden city of Lanka with his tail which was put on fire by the foolish followers of Ravana. Just before the beginning of the battle Angada too had gone as peace messenger, requesting Ravana to follow the principles of dharma and return mother Sita.

But the ten headed Ravana was so full of ego, arrogance and pride that he thought that he will be able to enjoy with mother Sita by killing her husband, the Supreme Lord, Rama. Ravana’s stubbornness did not just cause his own death but his sons, brothers, ministers and uncountable soldiers were also killed.

In Lanka, women became widow, children orphans and elderly parents had to suffer the agony of the death of their sons and witness the suffering of their daughter in laws and grandchildren.

Lust is the gateway to hell

In Bhagavad Gita 16.21, Lord Krishna says that lust, anger and greed is the gateway to hell. Ravana is a symbol of lust. From Ravana’s life we can understand how dangerous lust is and how it completely ruins one’s life.

As soon as one develops lustful thoughts and starts acting on it, his or her misery begins. Ravana’s suffering and humiliation began as soon as he desired to enjoy mother Sita and started acting on his lustful propensity.  Although he succeeded in kidnapping Sita, but he was not even able to go close to her. He foolishly thought that Sita, the eternal consort of Lord Rama, will be captivated by his heroic deeds and vast wealth and kingdom. For his lust he was rebuked by his near and dear ones constantly. In fact, he had become a laughingstock. Even his sons had advised him to return Sita. 

Just imagine in today’s era if a Prime Minister of a country who is already married, has grown up children, kidnaps someone else’s wife and tries to marry her but the lady constantly refuses his proposal then what will be his image among the people.

From the life of Ravana, we should learn that we should never have any lusty thoughts about opposite sex. And even if such thoughts come to our mind because of our past conditionings, we should never try to fulfill it. It will ruin our life. 

Lord Rama helps his devotee to kill the Ravana within

Lord Rama killed Ravana several centuries back but the demon as lust still resides in our heart forcing us to indulge in sinful activities which brings misfortune in our life. Lust is our biggest enemy, and we should put in our best efforts to free ourselves from all lusty thoughts. As Lord Rama gave many chances to Ravana to reform, similarly the merciful Lord also has given us opportunities to kill the Ravana within us.

We contemplate on lustful thoughts and act on it because we think that it is the highest pleasure we can get. And we do not want to deprive ourselves of that pleasure. But if we analyse our own life, we will see that lust may give some temporary feeling of happiness but ultimately it brings misery. If we study the life of great spiritual personalities in Ramayana, we find that instead of engaging their mind and senses in lusty thoughts and activities, they engaged it in serving Lord Rama and experienced great bliss.

The monkeys are considered inferior to human race but by assisting Lord Rama in his mission they became so glorious that today great scriptures and great devotees of Lord Rama sing their glories.  While serving Lord Rama the monkey warriors enjoyed every moment of their life and thus perfected their lives.  

Happiness one experiences in serving the Lord is trillion times greater than any material happiness  including the happiness of enjoying with opposite gender.  That transcendental joy which is everlasting can be achieved if with determination and courage we give up the shelter of Ravana like Vibhishana.  The all-loving Lord will happily accept us like he accepted Vibhishana.

Chant cleanses the heart of lust

One of the best ways to take shelter of the Supreme Lord is by chanting his holy names like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. In Siksastakam verse 1, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that chanting is so potent that it cleanses the heart of all the impurities which we have accumulated life after life. Once one starts developing taste in chanting the holy names of the Lord, one starts losing interest in satisfying any material desire.

Sri Yamunacarya, a great devotee of Lord Krishna who is none other than Lord Rama says, “Since I have been engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, realizing ever-new pleasure in Him, whenever I think of sex pleasure I spit at the thought, and my lips curl with distaste.” Bhagavad Gita 5.21 purport

The fire of lust will destroy our life but love for Lord Rama will purify our life. Let us kill the Ravana within before it kills us by becoming a sincere devotee of Lord Rama and by engaging our mind and senses in his constant devotional service. The Supreme Lord who conquered mighty Ravana will help us to conquer lust which is a great destructive force.

It will open the gateway to unlimited transcendental happiness

Krishna’s love is selfless and everyone else love has selfish motive

If you observe carefully, you will find that even the person who loves you the most may have some selfish motive. Only Krishna’s love is selfless devoid of all selfish motives.

Our heart has an innate longing to love and be loved. Just as fish cannot live without water, similarly we cannot live without being loved. A lonely heart is a miserable heart. But loving relationship with fellow human beings of this world almost always gives frustration. Either the person whom we love does not reciprocate with our love or even if we experience love it has to end when we have to leave this world.

Love between parents & children is also not perfect

Parents have great attachment for their children (own children) because they feel that their children belong to them. So, they do everything for their children. But when the children grow up, they develop attachment for someone else – to their spouse or to their own children.

Generally, it is seen that children’s love for their parents is not as strong as parents love for their children. It is also seen that in spiritually uncultured society, children throw their parents to old age homes considering them to be a burden.

Does husband & wife love each other selflessly?

A man and woman get attracted to each other and develop strong bonding with each other. But the attraction and attachment are not selfless. A man is attracted to woman’s beauty and woman is attracted to man’s money-making ability. So, if a woman loses her beauty which happens for sure as time passes by, the man may start looking for beauty somewhere else. And if the man’s bank balance starts depleting, woman’s love for man too starts decreasing, she may begin looking for some wealthy paramour.

In India a husband and wife may not leave each other for someone else because family culture and values are still intact to some extent here. But in western countries, it does happen.  However as the influence of western or atheistic culture is growing, we see that divorce rate is also increasing in India especially in big cities. 

But even if husband and wife do not separate, they start losing affinity for each other if their needs or desires are not taken care by each other. And in their mind, they fret marrying a wrong person.  If God would have given us the power to read other’s mind, then almost everyone in this world would be heartbroken! But, the Lord, knew our heart, so did not gift us this ability.

Read: Whom do you love more – Krishna or your husband?

We see that some people become so frustrated because of betrayal by their partners that they keep dogs in their house as life partners. They share their joys and sorrows with their four-legged partner. But as human beings, we need other human beings to take care of our emotional needs.

Any relationship ultimately frustrate in this world

None of the relationship in this world is perfect and purely selfless. Each one looks what is in it for me. No one wants to sacrifice for others’ happiness, but everyone wants others to sacrifice for their happiness.

And suppose that we are extremely fortunate that we get a partner who loves us a lot, is ready to sacrifice everything for us but still the destructive time takes that special one away from us. And then we are terribly lonely.

Relationship in this world ultimately frustrates us, and this is the reason that in this world every soul eventually suffers. 

This is why Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that this world is temporary and miserable. It is not just that this world gets destroyed, so it is temporary, but the relationship also ends abruptly here. The world is miserable because it does not just give us physical pain but most of the time it gives us emotional pain and makes us heartbroken.

Our great longing to love and be loved can never be satisfied by the lesser mortals of this world. Those who understand this and realize this start looking for that love, which is selfless, fulfilling, everlasting and exists even after we die.

Pure selfless love is possible only with Krishna

That pure selfless love is possible only with Krishna. The fortunate souls who have thoroughly understood this reality give up all pain giving relationship of this world and work hard to develop strong relationship with Krishna, the Lord of our heart. Since Krishna is supremely pure, so our love for him does not manifest completely unless we become completely pure. But even if in our impure state we start developing love for Krishna, Krishna starts reciprocating. Those who try this will agree with me.

Scriptures say that Krishna always loves us whether we love him or not. This is the reason that as Paramatma or Supersoul, he always lives with us in our heart. Uddhava puts it beautifully, “He [Supersoul] is present in the hearts of all living beings, just as fire lies dormant in wood.

Krishna does not leave us even for a moment. He is even there in the heart of an atheists who hates him.  His love for you and me is not based on any selfish motive, it is purely selfless.

In this world we see that parents love their children because they expect that their children will take care of them when they are old. A wife loves her husband because he provides her financial security. And a husband loves his wife because she fulfills his physical needs.

But Krishna does not expect anything from us. He has no ulterior motives. In spite of our shortcomings and imperfections, he loves us without any expectation. But we the unfortunate souls look for love from someone else who love themselves and not us. And so, we suffer again and again.

Hearts longing to love & be loved is satisfied only by Krishna

When we go through the pages of Bhagavad Gita, we come to know what is there in Krishna’s heart. In this epic transcendental treatise, Krishna, who is celebrated as the Supreme Lord by all the authorized Vedic scriptures, tirelessly tries hard to tell us that do not suffer in this world but come to me, I will fill your life with love and happiness.

“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.” Bhagavad Gita 8.15

Great spiritual personalities rejected all so-called flickering material relationship and only focused on developing loving relationship with Krishna. They attained complete perfection and their heart’s longing to love and be loved completely got satisfied. When love for Krishna completely manifests in the heart, the soul joyful floats in the ocean of transcendental bliss.

Who is Lord Nityananda and what was his mission?

A girl on her deathbed finds peace in Hare Krishna Mahamantra

A Polish girl suffering from cancer finds peace when she begins chanting and hearing the Hare Krishna Mahamantra

Dying peacefully

HH Indradumnya Maharaj writes about her in his diary.

“The girl was 16 when she discovered that she has cancer & the cancer had already spread all over her body. The girl was undergoing through tremendous physical pain but fortunately she had discovered a medicine which would help her to bear the unbearable pain. She would find solace & comfort in singing the Hare Krishna kirtan (song). Slowly her condition deteriorated further & it became impossible for her to even speak. Then she requested her brother to sing the kirtan for her.

Her brother who was studying in a college used to phone her and sing the kirtan for her everyday from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. It continued for 2 months. And one fateful night the girl left this world while her brother was singing the kirtan for her. Her brother was not aware that his sister has already died. He continued singing the Mahamantra. His mother who was with his sister during her last moments picked up the phone and informed him that his sister is no more. Controlling her tears, she thanked her son for singing the Mahamantra and said, “Your sister died peacefully.” (Reference: travelingmonk.com, I-never-Cry, Volume 11, Chapter 10, Oct 11, 2010).”

The girl was able to withstand tremendous physical pain because she was able to raise her consciousness from material to spiritual. No doubt, her physical body was suffering but her soul was experiencing peace and happiness when she chanted or heard the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

When can we transcend physical pain?

Our real identity is that we are spirit souls, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Just like our dress covers our body, similarly our physical body covers our soul. The dress we wear does not last forever, similarly the body we wear goes through wear and tear before it makes it final journey to the graveyard. When we give up our old dress, we wear the new one. Similarly, our soul takes up new physical body when our present body becomes unsuitable for living.

If you and me can understand that we are souls and as souls, we are eternal then physical pain and unpleasant material circumstances won’t trouble us much. We will transcend all the pains.

Why don’t we experience we are souls?

But the problem is that we do not experience that we are souls?

Just like we feel that we are sitting inside a car, similarly why don’t we feel that as souls we are sitting inside our body?

Scriptures say that it is because our consciousness is contaminated in this world. It is covered with the impurities of lust, greed, pride, anger, envy, illusion, false ego.

If you make a person wear glasses covered with thick layer of mud, then he won’t be able to see anything. For him everything will look same i.e. black.

Similarly, since we are engrossed in matter, and our consciousness is covered with multiple layers of impurities, so we cannot distinguish between matter and spirit. They look same to us and so we always identify ourselves with our physical body.

Now, if the person cleans the mud from his glasses, then he can see things clearly. Similarly, if we remove the impurities which is blinding our consciousness then we will be able to see ourselves as souls residing in temporary physical body.

Is it possible to clean the impurities? If yes, then how?

Cleaning the impurities is a difficult task, but it is not impossible. Merely by thinking or by verbally saying that we are not this body, but spirit souls will not make us realize that we are spirit souls.

For this, we will have to make conscious efforts. Scriptures have given us a process to remove these impurities.  The holy books say that in the present age, chanting the names of God is the most potent way to clean the heart of all the vices. But what mantra to chant? All the authorized mantras of the Lord are great, but the best is the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

When we start cleaning our heart, we slowly begin to differentiate ourselves from the physical body and physical world. In the beginning our understanding is at preliminary stage but gradually our vision becomes clearer and when we become completely pure, we clearly see that we are souls sitting inside the body.

As souls we belong to Krishna. The greatest benefit of chanting is that it not just purifies our heart, but it also helps to re-establish our relationship with Krishna, our Supreme Father.

When an orphan child reunites with his father, his joy is unlimited. Similarly, when we reconnect to Krishna, we experience incalculable bliss. As soon as we start the process of reconnecting with Krishna, happiness starts manifesting in our heart.

What happens when heart is completely cleansed of all the impurities?

At the onset of dawn there is some glimpses of sunlight, but darkness is also there. Similarly, when we start the process of Krishna Consciousness by chanting the names of Krishna then slowly darkness caused by impurities from our heart starts dissipating. Transcendental happiness starts appearing in our heart but because the impurities are still not completely purged so we do not experience complete joy. So, we suffer too.

When sun appears completely in the eastern horizon then darkness is completely gone. Similarly, when by our sincere chanting, Krishna’s love illuminates our heart then our heart is cleansed of all the impurities. In that spiritual light our consciousness awakens, we forgo all our physical and material attachment and joyfully swim in the ocean of transcendental bliss.

Conscious efforts to connect to Krishna

The fortunate young Polish girl was able to minimize her suffering because she intelligently took the medicine of the holy name. She could not do much about her physical pain. But she uplifted her consciousness by making conscious effort to connect to Krishna. She found joy in hearing the kirtan of Krishna because chanting and hearing nourished her soul.

Physical pain and pleasure are flickering. It comes and go. But spiritual joy is eternal and unlimited. So, we should make conscious efforts to connect to Krishna by chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, it will bring peace and happiness.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught how to overcome our suffering?

Most of us do not know how not to suffer. So, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came and taught us how to overcome our suffering?

Who does not want freedom from suffering? Is it not true that none of us want to suffer in this world? Have you seen or met anyone who desperately want to become miserable? No sane man would even think of it. But we suffer. Whether we want it or not some unfortunate things happen in our life.

So, is there any way by which we can free ourselves from all suffering?

The answer is yes.

God does not want us to suffer. So, he gave us Vedic scriptures. This transcendental literature teaches us how to live happily in this world. But in spite of that we disregard the teachings of the scriptures. So, the Supreme Lord personally appears in this world to teach us how to lead a pure life so that we attain complete freedom from all suffering.

In this age of Kali Yuga the Supreme Lord appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and he taught us how to overcome all our suffering. Before discussing further, let us know who Lord Chaitanya is?

Knowing Lord Chaitanya

Lord Chaitanya is the Supreme Lord. He is Lord Krishna and He is Lord Jagannath. So, Vasudeva Gosh while extolling the glories of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sings, “jei gaura sei kṛṣṇa sei jagannāth.” Lord Chaitanya appeared around 500 years ago in Mayapur.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura elaborately explains it, “Caitanya Mahāprabhu [Lord Chaitanya] was born in Māyāpur, in the town of Nadia, just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phālguna, 1407 Śakābda, answering to the 18th of February 1486, of the Christian Era.” Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Prologue by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was unhappy when he saw his unfortunate children, you and me, suffering in this world.

Why you & me suffer?

We the people of Kali Yuga are unfortunate. We are unfortunate because we have chosen to be unfortunate. Intentionally, we disregard the teachings of the Vedic scriptures given to us by the Lord. Instead, we like to live independently or rather whimsically. We explore all means to enjoy in this ephemeral material world with our temporary material body and constantly flickering senses. In our pursuit of enjoyment, we fail again and again. In fact, instead of enjoyment we mostly get suffering, but the saddest part is that sometimes we do not even realize that we are suffering.

Even the greatest material accomplishment cannot satiate our heart and is taken away from us at the time of our death. 

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, our creator, our father, was sorry to see the plight of his children. So, he came.

Most important reason for suffering

We have forgotten our true spiritual identity that we are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. We have forgotten that we are spiritual beings and not material beings. And because of this ignorance, we get entangled in this material world. We try our best to gratify our material body and material senses hoping that it will give us joy. We even indulge in sinful activities. Sinful activities mean those actions which are prohibited by the scriptures. Sin causes suffering.

Many times, we become so habituated to commit sinful activities that in spite of knowing that our action is bringing misery we continue committing it. It increases our suffering, we become helpless and slowly hopeless. Everything starts with ignorance, ignorance of not understanding our relationship with the Supreme Lord.

Attaining freedom from never ending suffering

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in this age of downfall to deliver us, the unfortunate souls of Kaliyuga, from our never-ending suffering. He gave us the medicine of the holy names of Krishna, the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, which has the potency to give us freedom from all our suffering. He asked everyone to sincerely and attentively chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Chanting the Mahamantra not just frees us from suffering, but it also fills our heart with unlimited bliss.  

Glory of Hare Krishna Mahamantra

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu extols the glories of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra beautifully in his Siksastakam Prayers, “Glory to the Sri-Krsna-Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon.”

Just as sun appears darkness disappears. Similarly, as soon as the holy names of Krishna, appears in our heart by our sincere chanting, our ignorance disappears which is the root cause of our suffering. When our ignorance starts disappearing, we start understanding that we are souls eternally related to Lord Chaitanya. When this understanding dawns upon us, we start putting our best efforts to re-establish our relationship with the Lord.

With determination we try not to indulge in any sinful activities. Slowly because of the mercy of the holy name, our heart gets purified of all sinful desires and proclivities. And what about our past sins? It gets burnt to ashes. So, just by chanting the names of Krishna, our life becomes all auspicious. We attain love of Krishna and even become qualified to return back to the spiritual world, our original home. This is the greatest gift of Lord Chaitanya to us, to the entire human civilization. 

Srila Rupa Goswami, a great Vaisnava acharya, glorifies Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in these beautiful words, “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is more magnanimous than any other avatāra, even Kṛṣṇa Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given — pure love of Kṛṣṇa.” Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya Lila 14.16”

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s greatest gift

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gifted us the holy name and taught us that just by chanting these transcendental names of Krishna we can overcome all suffering and can attain Krishna.

So, if we should sincerely take up this process of mantra meditation. Anyone can chant this great mantra – Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, men, women, young, old, Indians, non- Indians. For chanting no qualification is required, we just need to have sincere desire to chant in our heart. We can chant at anytime and at any place.

Although best is to chant early in the morning and at a place where there is no distraction. But if we are not able to chant in the morning then we can chant at any time of the day which is suitable for us. And even if we do not find any quiet place still we can chant at public place quietly without disturbing others.

Whenever and wherever we are chanting we should sincerely try to absorb ourselves in holy name. This will make our life auspicious and as promised by the Supreme Lord, will grant us freedom from all suffering.

In Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī writes,”In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”

What is raganuga bhakti & who is qualified to practice it?

Raganuga sadhana bhakti is a devotional practice wherein an advanced devotee develops a genuine desire to serve Krishna just like the eternal residents of Vrindavan. So, the advanced devotee endeavours to cultivate the mood of a brajvasis of Goloka Vrindavan.  Raganuga sadhana bhakta’s desire and attraction to serve Krishna is natural and spontaneous. This stage is achieved only when one has developed deep love and attachment for Krishna. And also is free from all material contaminations.

Raganuga Bhakti Explained

Raganuga bhakti cannot be practiced artificially. In Raganuga bhakti, an advanced devotee tries to serve Krishna by following the footsteps of an eternal associate of Krishna in Vrindavan. One may follow the footsteps of Nanda or Yashoda or Krishna’s cowherd friends or gopis. By serving Krishna following the footsteps of Krishna’s eternal associate, a devotee will also eventually get qualified to serve Krishna in that rasa in the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada explains, “There is a gradual development of the ambition to become like a particular devotee, and this activity is called raganuga.” Nectar of Devotion, Chapter Sixteen. So, Raganuga bhakti develops gradually.

Srila Prabhupada elaborately explains in the purport of Sri Chaitanya Charitamṛta, Madhya Lila 22.153. “Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Ṭhakura says that a devotee is attracted by the service of the inhabitants of Vrindavana — namely the cowherd men, Maharaja Nanda, mother Yashoda, Radharaṇi, the gopis and the cows and calves. An advanced devotee is attracted by the service rendered by an eternal servitor of the Lord. This attraction is called spontaneous attraction. Technically it is called svarupa-upalabdhi. This stage is not achieved in the beginning. In the beginning one has to render service strictly according to the regulative principles set forth by the revealed scriptures and the spiritual master. By continuously rendering service through the process of vaidhi bhakti, one’s natural inclination is gradually awakened. That is called spontaneous attraction, or raganuga bhakti.”

Difference between Ragatmika-bhakti and Raganuga bhakti

There are two terminologies – Ragatmika-bhakti and Raganuga bhakti. Ragatmika-bhakti is practiced by the eternal residents of Vrindavan who are perfected devotees. Raganuga bhakti is means following the footsteps of ragatmika bhaktas. For example, Nanda Maharaj and mother Yashoda are practicing ragatmika bhakti. Now, if an advanced devotee develops a desire to serve Krishna like a parent in Vrindavan then he will follow the footsteps of either Nanda Maharaj or Mother Yashoda. This practice will be called as raganuga bhakti.

An example

Skanda Purana tells the story of a man who was living in Hastinapur. He developed a desire to serve Lord Krishna as his son. Sage Narada explained him that to serve Krishna like a parent, he should follow the footsteps of Nanda Maharaj. He followed the instruction of the sage and achieved desired result. Here it should be noted that the man did not want to become Nanda Maharaj. But he wanted to serve like Nanda Maharaj.

So, an advanced devotee does not want to become Yashoda, Nanda or Lalita sakhi in Vrindavan. Instead, they follow their footsteps, perfect their lives and become qualified to serve like them eternally in Vrindavan.

Who is eligible to practice raganuga bhakti?

“ When an advanced, realized devotee hears about the affairs of the devotees of Vrindavana — in the mellows of santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya — he becomes inclined in one of these ways, and his intelligence becomes attracted. Indeed, he begins to covet that particular type of devotion. When such covetousness is awakened, one’s intelligence no longer depends on the instructions of śāstra [revealed scripture] or on logic and argument.”

So, one of the most important requirements is to have intense longing to serve Krishna like a particular resident of Vrindavan. When one develops that deep genuine craving then one starts following the footsteps of Krishna’s eternal associate of Vrindavan.

Freedom from anartha nivritti is must

Raganuga bhakti can be practiced by only those devotees who are very advanced and pure. In the nine stages of bhakti there is a stage called anartha nivritti. It is the stage where devotees have to struggle the most. It is not easy to get free from anarthas like lust, greed, pride, anger, envy, illusion.  But after determined practice of bhakti, one is able to pass the stage of anartha nivritti.

One cannot even think of practicing raganuga bhakti unless one has crossed the stage of anartha nivritti. For raganuga bhakti, freedom from all material contamination is a must. Practicing devotees like us still have desire to enjoy this material world. We are still struggling with anarthas, so we cannot serve Krishna spontaneously. So, it is recommended that we practice bhakti as per the direction of the spiritual master and the scriptures.

However, an advanced devotee can practice raganuga bhakti, but Srila Prabhupada cautions that even if one has become completely pure and is eligible to practice raganuga bhakti still he should follow the principles of sadhana bhakti. At our stage we should not think that we have become qualified to practice raganuga bhakti and foolishly try to imitate Krishna’s eternal associates in Vrindavan.  

Srila Prabhupada on siddha pranali

There are certain people residing in Vrindavan who follow a process call siddha pranali. In siddha pranali they imagine that eternally they are gopis or gopas of Vrindavan.  Or they think that be imitating goipis and gopas or eternal residents of Vrindavan they will become like them. And so, they start imitating their behaviour externally. Since they are not pure, their activities create disturbance in the society.  Sometimes we see that some people start claiming that it is revealed to them that they are gopis of Vrindavan. Not just women, even men start claiming. So, men dress like gopis. They wear saris, nose rings, earrings and decorate themselves like gopis. None of the Vaisnava acharyas have approved this.

There are some pseudo gurus in Vrindavan who claim that they can reveal the eternal swarupa (identity) of a person in Vrindavan or can train a person to become a gopi or gopa. There are instances that some Iskcon devotees too get carried away by the unscrupulous teachings of such unauthorized gurus and start imitating the footsteps of eternal associates of Krishna.

An Example

For example, one of the devotees who had come to Vrindavan with Srila Prabhupada, one day started making the sound of a peacock and started behaving like a peacock.

When he was asked why he is doing so then the devotee said that one of the guru’s in Vrindavan told him that his real identity is of a peacock in Vrindavan. And so he should practice becoming a peacock in this life. When Srila Prabhupada heard, he disapproved this and said this is nonsense.

As a practicing devotee we should first practice the regulative principles of sadhana bhakti diligently and get free from all the anarthas. 

Iskcon devotees should never give up sadhana bhakti

In fact, the acharyas have said that even if one has become pure and is completely qualified for raganuga bhakti, still he should follow the principles of sadhana bhakti. Srila Prabhupada gives following guidelines to advanced devotees, “….he should always continue to act as a neophyte devotee as long as his material body is there. Activities in devotional service under regulative principles must be followed even by the pure devotee.”

So, for all the devotees of Iskcon irrespective of their number of years of practice, Srila Prabhupada has instructed that they should follow the regulative principles of sadhana bhakti given in the scriptures. This is why we see many Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, Iskcon Sannyasis although are very advanced but they still practice vaidhi sadhana bhakti. They attend mangal arati, Narasimha arati, Tulasi arati, darshana, arati, guru puja and chant 16 rounds of Hare Krishna Mahamantra daily. They do not neglect any guideline laid down by Srila Prabhupada.  

Referring to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Ṭhakura’s explanation to Sri Chaitanya Charitamṛta, Madhya Lila 22.165, Srila Prabhupada says, “Externally a devotee performs all the items of devotional service in nine different ways, beginning with sravaṇa and kirtana, and within his mind he always thinks of his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa and follows in the footsteps of the devotees of Vṛndavana.”

Importance of attachment to nine process of devotional service

Prahlada Maharaja says that there are nine process of devotional service – sravanam (hearing), kirtanam(chanting), visnu smaranam (remembering), pada sevanam (serving the lotus of the Lord), arcanam (deity worship), vandanam (praying), dasyam (serving the Lord as a servant), sakhyam (serving as a friend) and atma nivedanam (surrendering everything to the Lord).

There are examples of devotees who attained complete perfection by following one of these processes

• sravanam (hearing),- Maharaj Parikshit
• kirtanam(chanting)- Sukhadeva Goswami
• visnu smaranam (remembering): Prahlad Maharaja
• pada sevanam (serving the lotus of the Lord): Lakshmi
• arcanam (deity worship): Prithu Maharaj
• vandanam (praying): Akrura
• dasyam (serving the Lord as a servant): Hanuman
• sakhyam (serving as a friend): Arjuna
• atma nivedanam (surrendering everything to the Lord): Bali Maharaj

Maharaj Ambarisa followed all the process and attained perfection. 

Srila Prabhupada says that among these nine process a devotee should chose the one which he likes the most. And then earnestly follow that process of devotional service. In this way he can become a pure and perfected devotee.

Conclusion

Raganuga bhakti is an advanced stage of devotional practice. Two most important qualification to practice raganuga bhakti are:

1. Intense craving to serve Krishna in a particular relationship like the eternal residents of Vrindavan
2. Freedom from all material contaminations.

One cannot practice raganuga bhakti artificially. Srila Prabhupada and great Vaisnava acharyas have said that even if someone is qualified to practice raganuga bhakti, still he should not give up the principles of Vaidhi bhakti. So, we see that many advanced devotees of Iskcon who have been sincerely practicing bhakti for than 50 years follows all the rules and regulations of vaidhi sadhana bhakti.