gaudiya math chennai / the gaudiya january 2010

8/14/2019 gaudiya math chennai / The Gaudiya January 2010

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JANUARY 2010 THE GAUDIYA

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THE

GAUDIYASpiritual Monthly

Vol. LIII JANUARY 2010 No. 5

MANGALCHARANAM

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O Deva, accepting defeat from Your moon-like Face, the moonhas taken shelter at Your Foot, dividing itself into ten parts (at theten toes). Thereby it is gaining in a high degree a much greaterbeauty. This is due to a slight spread of Your grace.

-Sri Leelshuka Bilvamangala

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THE GAUDIYA JANUARY 2010

Pithy Precepts of Srila PrabhupdA comparativestudy scrutiny wouldcertainly give usknowledge ofadditional qualities justas we find in examiningether etc., there isaugmentation bysuccessive additionalattributes to reach the

climax with the association of the five inthe solid representation. The Personalityof Godhead can only be made to acceptour unalloyed loving service throughLove alone and not by reverentialprocedure. Shri Krishna being the veryFountain-head of all resorts ofRasa, He isever prepared to welcome every servitorwherever he may be and whatever hisserving procedure.

But if the Object is distorted like our

confusing Jehova with Moloch and Molochwith Jehova, we would certainly miss thekindly feelings of Krishna. This conceptionof scrutinising such matters will lead usastray from the true object. Our eternalfunctions and activities if misdirected willgive us troubles and if we fail to determineKrishna, Who is the Sole Attractor of theunalloyed entities of souls, we will certainlyfail to apprehend the process inculcated byRmnanda. Our erroneous promulgationwill never enable us to get the best benefitthat can be had by us, if we fail to singleout the loving tenor towards Krishna against

Dharma, Artha, Kma andMoksha, i.e.,against the limited propensity of limitedelevation and salvation.

Rmnanda, being further asked tosubjoin the Fullest Reciprocity of MadhuraRasa, proceeded to delineate the CounterReciprocal Moiety of the whole by fixing

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the Object in Shri Rdhik. The higheststep of devotion is displayed in theservice of the Pair and in utilising thefull independence of the servitor toespouse the cause of the PredominatingAspect of the counterwhole byassociating oneself in Her company.Rmnanda was found to describe thesituation of the Paraphernalia and thetranscendental duties congenial to the

confidential service of the attending maidsof Shri Rdhika which completed the fullnarration of the manifestive position of theAmorous Pair.

The exposition by Rai Rmnanda atthe behest of Sri Chaitanya deserves thehighest consideration. In effect he showedthat the devotees who are imbued with All-Love and Who walk in the footsteps of thespiritual maids of Vraja, alone attain to therealm of Goloka. The different locations of

the devotees in Goloka according to therespective differences in the nature of theirRasa i.e., mellow quality, are settled by theinconceivable power of Krishna.

The intellectualism of the sacred Indiais associated with the importance of VedntaPhilosophy which has been a much talkedof Subject among the erudite advocates oftranscendence. The derivation of the wordis traced to the highest pinnacle of spiritualknowledge in the Holy Scriptures known asthe Vedas. The ontological views of theVedas build up mansion of the unalloyedspirit purely based on transcendence beyondphenomena. Later on the theme of Vedntahas been cryptically presented in the form ofAphorisms ascribed to have been written bythe greatest sage of India KrishnaDwaipyana Vedavysa, utilising all sorts ofrationalistic cosmological metaphysic.


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Thus Spake Srila chryadeva

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So say Katha1.2.23 and MundakaIII.23. All mundanelearning is known inthe scripture asAvidya (want of truelearning). Srutidenounces thisavidyaas leading theblind to furtherblindness. Katha

Upanishat (1.25) and Mundaka (1.2.8)say Those who are within the domainofavidya, think themselves, to be wiseand very learned and they are misled roundseveral births like blind men guided by ablind leader. The next mantra in the formsays: Life beyond these does not appearto exist to a fool blinded by worldlyacquisition thinks that only this world istrue and that there is none other, and who

thus repeatedly comes under the clutchesofyama-raja who sends him to differentkinds of births according to the merits anddemerits of his acts. Such people, asSruti again-says, cannot know theexistence of the super-soul which is notrealised by discourses, keen intelligenceand by much hearing or study. It isaccessible only to him whom the Lordgrace with favour and to such a one theLord reveals His Personality (Katha1.2.23 and 3.2.3). Thus transcendental

wisdom can be had only by a devoteewho surrenders himself to God's Mercy.In the panegyric of Brahma to Krishna(Bh.X.14.29) we find: "O Lord, it is onlyhe who has been favoured with theslightest grace of pair of Your Lotus Feetthat can know Your glory, but none elsethat may make life-long researches."

It is the transcendental science

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approachable only by the spiritualisedserviceful attitude moistened by sentimentof love towards God. Knowledge withoutthis loving devotion towards the Almightyis misleading as it leads the man to thewrong directions. To acquire this God-knowledge, (Brahma-vidya) the aspirantis to approach, with submission to Guruwho will throw light on the mind of thedisciple about his own transcendental

realisation. One cannot be accepted as aGuru if he is not blessed with the virtue ofBhakti. Sri Chaitanya Mahprabhu toldRmnanda Roy:--

One who is spiritually endowed withthe Transcendental Love-lore of SriKrishna, the Lord of Love-Transcendentis really worthy to become a Guru and it isnot at all to be weighed upon by his stationof life or birth in particular community.

The worldly life is full of sorrows arising

from various difficulties, like that of walkingon foot over the sharp edge of a knife.Such working over the sharp edge of aknife is not altogether impossible. Thoughthe possibility is after going through muchado. Similarly the successful passing ofthe worldly life is not, at all, possiblewithout theBrahma-Vidya. The Sdhus,having transcendental knowledge, havedeclared that the efficiency to stop the flowof repeated births and deaths is acquirableat the cost of tremendous effort. In otherwords, it indicates that there is no way toby-pass the cycle of repeated births anddeaths except by adopting the propermethodBrahma-Vidya.

There is no other way to know Him.The "Vedanta Sr"says that man rushes towater when his brain burns. Similarly theman, afflicted by the worldly affairs like

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ALMANAC for the months of JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2010

15.01.2010 Fri Annualar Solar Eclipse. Starts at 9.35 a.m., ends at 3.38 p.m.20.01.2010 Wed Vasanta Panchami. Advent of Sri Vishnupriy Devi, Appearance of

Srila Pundarika Vidynidhi, Srila Raghuntha Ds Goswmi, SrilaRaghunandana Thkur, Disappearance of Srila ViswanthaChakravorty Thkur. Demise of Srimad Bhakti Vivek BhratiMaharj. Saraswati Puja.

22.01.2010 Fri Advent of Srila Advaita Achrya.24.01.2010 Sun Disappearance of Srila Madhvchrya.25.01.2010 Mon Disappearance of Srila Rmnujchrya.26.01.2010 Tue Bhaimi Ekdashi and Advent of Lord Varha Deva Fasting. Next

day Prana between 6.24 and 10.01 a.m.28.01.2010 Thu Sri Nityananda Trayodashi - Advent of Lord Sri Nitynanda

Fasting. Next day Prana between 6.23 and 10.01 a.m. Demise ofSrila Nimnanda Prabhu.

30.01.2010 Sat Appearance of Srila Narottama Thkur, Demise of Srimad BhaktiVaibhava Govinda Maharj. Mghi Poornima.

03.02.2010 Wed Sri Vyasa Puja, Appearance ofSrila Prabhupd Bhakti SiddhntaSaraswati Goswmi Thkur, the illustrious Founder Achrya of SriChaitanya Math and its branches Sri Gaudiya Maths. Disappearanceof Srila Purushottama Thkur.

08.02.2010 Mon Demise of Sripad Bhakti Bhushan Bhgavat Maharj.10.02.2010 Wed Pakshavardhini Mahdwdashi Fasting. Next day Prana

between 6.17 and 9.59 a.m.

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the sorrows of deaths and births, goes to aGuru, who is well versed in the Vedas anddedicated to Brahman. Sri ChaitanyaCharitmrita says:-

"WhenJivtma, forgets Krishna, he isencased in two coils of mayic bodies andsuffers from the worldly afflictions under theinfluence ofmy. But running about inthis cycle of births and deaths , a fortunate

jiv luckily may get by the grace of Guruand Krishna, the Transcendental seed of theBhakti-creeper.

He is the good preceptor whose mind isnot distrubed, not only by the worldlysorrows but also by the worldly elation. Sothe Bhagavatam has added another epithetto the preceptor namely, Upasham-

shrayam, meaning thereby the Kma-krodha-lobha-moha-mada-mtsaryacannot create any disturbance in him mind.Such Guru leads the disciple to theproximity of theBhagavn.

He is the Guru who is adept in thetattwas, who has connection with theGod, who moves about in thetranscendental sphere (AdhokshajaKshetra) which is beyond the sphere ofthe sense knowledge and also beyond thesphere of the inductive knowledge.

What is ment by the word Diksha(initiation) ? According to the usual notionand customary practice in our countrydiksha means uttering some mantra bythe social Guru, to the ear of the disciple.

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UNIQUE, UNIVERSAL AND SUPER EXCELLENTSRI KRISHNA BHAKTI

THE SEED OF SRIMAD BHAGAVATAMSripad B.S.Narayan Maharaj

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BHAKTI IS UNPARALLELED:'Bhakti', 'Bhakta' and 'Bhagavn'

(devotion, devotee and Divinity) alone arethe permanent principles in this cosmic

universe. The sum total of worthyknowledge presented by the innumerablerevealed scriptures essentially rally aroundthese threefold divine principles.Bhaktiorthe pure devotion is the absolute and eternalspiritual function of the unfetteredjivasoulstowards the Supreme Lord, beyond thescope of mundane time and space. Fromtime immemorial people follow variouspaths like karma, jnna, yoga, smkhya,penance, charity, sacrifice, piety, scripturalstudy etc. for achieving the fulfilment of the

human life. Among all these paths, LordKrishna has held pure devotion alone as tobe competent of reaching Him. The mostesoteric purport of the revealedscriptures is that, absolute Lovetowards the Supreme Lord is theultimate goal of human life. Observationof the various organs of devotion inassociation with the pure devotees of theLord Krishna is known as the Sdhana

Bhakti. The devotional performances

when become matured, it brings the Lordand the devotee closer to each other, enablethe devotee to visualise the Lord and makesthe Lord subjugated to the devotional loveof the devotee. This pure devotion aloneis, -- unique, universal and thesuperexcellent principle in the entire cosmicuniverse. It is capable of bestowing thehighest divine joy and eternal bliss to the

entire humanity. Bereft of KrishnaBhakti,the entire cosmic universe is just like agrainless husk or like a waterless mirage.Sri Jiva Goswami has explained in his

glorious treatise Sri Bhakti Sandarbha(114 verse), that, this pure devotionmentioned in the fourth verse of the chatuhsloki Bhgavatam, is verily the seed ofSrimad Bhgavatam. Krishna Premabeing self-evident and eternal, neither it canbe generated, nor destroyed. Sdhana

Bhakti is the process which uncovers thisfaculty of Divine Love and makes itmanifested brilliantly in the heart of thedevotees. Sincerely observing the rules ofdevotion with submission and serving mood

makes the devotee eligible for the grace ofthe Lord andVaishnavas. This divine graceis followed by the devotional potency(Bhakti Shakti), which in turn providesGod-realisation and detachment fromworldliness. This is the method of achievingdevotional success. As Bhakti is not acommodity of this mundane world, oneshould have clear understanding about thisunique virtue. All being, all intelligence andall bliss is the essential nature of the Supreme

Lord. Therefore, He is known asSatchidnanda. In accordance with thesethree prime aspects of the Supreme, Hisinternal Potency too assumes triple natureknown as Sandhini (manifestive energy),Samvit(cognitive potency) andHldini(exhilarating potency). The combination oftheHldini andSamvitaspect of the Lordis verily theBhakti Shaktior the devotional

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potency. Now it is clear thatBhakti is fullytranscendental. Therefore, no amount ofworldly endeavours or mundane merit arecapable of generating this devotion, whichis the transcendental wealth of Divine StoreHouse. When Lord Sri Chaitanya impartedenlightening instructions to Sri RupaGoswmi and to Sri Santana Goswmi, atthe end He graced them specially by infusingPrema Bhakti in their hearts. This act isknown as Shakti Samchra. Therefore,one can acquire thisBhakti, only from a

competentBhaktawho has received it fromthe disciplic succession that verily starts withthe Supreme Lord Himself. In this context,all the revealed scriptures declare that, thereis nothing equal to Divine Name andDevotion in this entire universe.

THE CARDINAL ADVICE OF THESCRIPTURES:

'Sambandha ' (relationship),'Abhidheya' (means) and 'Prayojana' (the

end) are the three chief subject matters dealtby the revealed scriptures. Sambandhajnna is the knowledge that reveals thebasic relationship between the individualsouls with Creator Lord. Most of thedeluded and misguided scholars haveprofessed defective dogmas such aselevationism, salvationism, monism,pantheism, atheism, nihilism, agnosticism,fanaticism etc., which confuse theirfollowers and prevent them from reachingGod. Accordingly, their goals too become

multifarious like mundane enjoyment,celestial happiness, becoming one with God,mixing with viod, imaginary gains, occultpowers etc. Lord Sri Chaitanya hasunequivocally established that, all the livingentities are constitutionally the eternalservants of the Supreme Lord. The ultimategoal of their existence is Krishna Premaor Divine Love. Forgetfulness of the

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(to be continued)

Supreme Lord is the root cause of all theworldly sufferings. As soon as the humanbeings engage in the faithful service of theLord, all their sufferings shall begin to vanish.Now the most important factor of human lifeis the adoption of the perfect means to realiseGod. This performative process acertainedby the revealed scriptures is known asAbhidheya as the revealed scripturesemphatically advise the aspirants to followthe path ofHari Bhakti in association withGod-realised souls, by avoiding all kinds of

evils. Among the ten fold subjects dealt bySrimad Bhagavatam, the seventh topicManvantara indicates about the righteouspath (saddharma) followed by the prominentdevotees of that duration, who are speciallyblessed by the Supreme Lord (Bh.II.10.4).These accounts constitute the organs of

Bhgavata Dharma, which has beensynthesised into the book form of SrimadBhgavatam by Sri Krishna DvaipyanaVeda Vysa, as advised by his preceptor

Devarshi Sri Nrada. In the originalBhagavatam of four verses also this puredevotion alone is explained as the essentialpurport of all the revealed scriptures.(Bh.II.9.35)

THE ORIGINAL BHAGAVATAM:In the beginning of the cosmic creation,

the creator god Brahma finding himselfincapable of accomplishing the act ofcreation, surrendered to the Lord and beingprompted by the cognitive potency of the

Lord, conducted profound spiritual penanceby turning his senses inward to please theSupreme Lord. Being pleased by therigourous penance of the creator, LordNryana, the Supreme, appeared beforehim and imparted the four versedBhgavatam along with two introductory andone concluding verses. The gist of Lord's


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MAHBHRATASri M.C.Mahesh(Contd. from December issue)

Perhaps, the heavens desired thevictory of their favourite Arjuna.

Keechaka, the stentorian giant, wasthe brother of Sudeshna and thecommander-in-chief of Matsya. He wasthe real power behind the throne and oldVirata, who doted on his prowess, was a

mere puppet in his hands. One day,Keechaka was rambling in the picturesqueand verdant gardens of Matsya and hehappened to see Draupadi resting under abower. Her face was as blue as thetranslucent sky, and her long dark tressesfell loosely on her back. She wascaptivating and the lusty and wickedKeechaka fell in for her feminine charms.He approached her and learnt that she wasserving his sister.

Keechaka lecherously proposed toher, and a startled Draupadi cautioned himand bade him leave her, saying that she waswedded to five powerful gandharvas.These celestials would make short workof him as they jealously gaurded her, shesaid.

Keechaka did not give up, andpromised her all his bullions and sovereignsof gold and untold wealth. He begged ofher to accept him and have all his wives as

slaves, and virtually rule over prosperouskingdom of Matsya. Draupadi lookeddaggers at him and left in a huff, leavinghim love-lorn and infatuated.

Keechaka went to his sister andimplored her to give him Sairandhri, but acautious Sudeshna warned him that it wouldonly spell his death. Five powerfulcelestials were her husbands and were

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protecting her unseen. But when she foundthat Keechaka was insistent, she promisedto send Sairandhri to his inner chambers.

Calling Draupadi, Sudeshna spoke toher.

"Keechaka has brought rare wines andliquors during his conquests. I am extremelythirsty -- go and fetch some wine from him."

Draupadi was startled by Sudeshna'scallousness.

"But he tried to molest me once! Heleers indecently at me and is shameless tothe core. Please send somebody else-- myhonour is at stake."

Sudeshna's royal brows furrowed inanger.

"It is a command! Keechaka knowsdharma and will not ill-treat his maids!"

Draupadi fervently prayed to godSurya for protection and the sun-god,unknown to her, commissioned an invisiblespirit to protect her. Reaching Keechaka'sinner apartments, she hesitatingly repeatedthe queen's commands, and asked for wine.With a sinister look on his face the lustfulKeechaka ran after her to force her to hiswill, and a helpless Draupadi scurried interror to Virata's august assembly.

Virata was playing dice with

Yudhishthira, and Bheema was standingnearby in attendance.Overtaking the terrified Draupadi,

Keechaka kicked her inhumanely. Just thenthe spirit sent by Surya gave Keechaka apowerful blow, and the wretch could notsee who had thus checked him. Keechakastepped back in fright, and went back tohis chamber in disgust.

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Bheema began to uproot a pillar fromthe hall to deal with the wretch.Yudhishthira saw this hasty action, and

knew that their disguise would be broken ifBheema exhibited his extraordinary strength.He checked Bheema commandingly:

"Cook Ballava, please restrainyourself. Go back to your kitchen--and ifyou want dry wood as fuel, wait for fifteenmore days!"

Bheema remembered that the tenure

of their exile would be complete in afortnight. He could then rattle Keechakalike a shaking tree.

Draupadi beseeched the protection ofVirata and cried for justice.

Virata shifted uneasily in his chair, andmumbled incoherently I do not know thereal cause of the conflict.... perhaps youcould have triggered Keechaka's ire...

Yudhishthira remorsefully sought toassuage Draupadi's chagrin Sairandhri,please go back to your quarters. Do notembarrass us by your exaggeratedbehaviour.

Draupadi's look would have almostburnt Yudhishthira "Because my eldesthusband is a habitual gambler and the othersare spineless dependants, I forever have tosuffer."

Draupadi did not sleep that harrowingnight. She tiptoed furtively to the royal

kitchen and woke up Bheema."Look at the consequences ofYudhisthira's gambling! I am forever at themercy of lustful wretches. First it wasDuhshasana, and luckily divine interventionsaved me. Then came Jayadratha, and nowit is Keechaka .... If Keechaka does notperish tomorrow, I will drink poison and killmyself."

Bheema lifted up a sobbing Draupadiand promised her "Tomorrow night, askKeechaka to come to the dancing hall. Lethim come unescorted, believing in a promisedunion with you."

Next morning, Draupadi met Keechakaand seductively beguiled him into believingthat she had fallen for him. He was to cometo the dancing hall that night, and all wouldbe well.

That night Bheema sngly lay in a soft

and luxurious bed in the dancing hall,disguised as a woman. The chandeliers wereglowing dully, and nothing determinate wasvisible. Keechaka entered the hall, dressedexquisitely like a donkey draped in tapestries,and walked up to the couch. Bheemaremoved the cloth covering the couch, andgrowled at the offender And so you daredto lay hands on Sairandhri! I am one of hergandharva husbands.

Bheema and Keechaka grappled in the

dark, pummelling each other with heavyblows. They crushed each others sinews,and squeezed each others limbs.Keechakas muscular arms were pinionedby Bheema, and Bheema now brought downhis opponent with a heavy thud. Keechakawas strangled to death, and Bheema poundedhis body into a shapeless mass of flesh.

Day dawned, and Draupadi summonedSudeshna and Virata and all their servitorsand followers and showed them Keechaka's

corpse, which was unrecognisable with alllimbs tucked into the torso. This is the workof my celestial consort she said and thiswicked giant has got his due.

The king and queen of Matsya withdrewin great fear.

Very soon, the hundred and five half-brothers of Keechaka, who were well-

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JANUARY 2010 THE GAUDIYA 9

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known as the Upakeechakas, boundDraupadi head to foot and dragged herbehind Keechakas bier. They planned toburn her alive with their brother's body.Draupadi screamed for help, and Bheemaheard her plaintive cry. Disguising himselflike a gandharva, Bheema intercepted theUpakeechakas near the crematorium.

Fall back! This deadly husband ofSairandhri is here! --- there waspandemonium in that wicked crowd, andthey scattered before Bheema. Bheematook on his opponents many at a time, andannihilated them mercilessly. Thecrematorium was strewn with the corpsesof the hundred and five desperadoes.Undoing the cords of hemp and jute thatbound Draupadi, Bheema rescued her.

A terrified Sudeshna summoned hercharming handmaiden Sairandhri, pleaseleave --- the king himself is afraid of you.

Draupadi answered tremulously Give

me thirteen days more, and I will beeternally grateful to you.Sudeshna accepted rather unwillingly,

for she was afraid to antagonise thepowerful gandharvas.

Duryodhana was sitting at courtsurrounded by all his nobles and elders andfollowers. Susharma, the wily king ofTrigarta, had come to meet his old friendand was also present in the gathering. Thespies sent by Duryodhana to unmask the

identity of the Pandavas returned, andaddressed the haughty young prince.We have failed to discover the

whereabouts of the Pandavas. However,we do have some interesting news fromMatsya. A young woman joined serviceas a handmaiden about an year back.People say that she is wedded to fivepowerful gandharva husbands. Keechaka

fell in love with her and harassed her toaccept him, but was squeezed to death onenight by one of these gandharvas....

The perceptive Duryodhanainterrupted the narrative.

Keechaka is dead! But there are onlyfour wrestlers on earth who could meet himin combat -- one is myself, and the othersare Balarama, Bheema and Shalya...

I have an inkling that Bheema hascrushed the erring Keechaka to death.

Draupadi is a beautiful woman no doubt,and the unfortunate Keechaka must havebeen infatuated by her charms. Who elseon earth have five husbands?"

Duryodhana now addressed theassembled courtiers in a rhetoric flourish thatwas so characteristic of him.

The Pandavas and Draupadi aredisguised as menials in Matsya. We willinvade Matsya with all our followers, andthe Pandavas will certainly come out to

defend the city in debt of gratitude to theold king who has given them shelter. Thustheir presence will be exposed and we cansend them to the jungles again for twelveyears....

Perhaps we might fail in our endeavour,but we can atleast loot the cattle-wealth ofMatsya.

The wicked Duhshasana and Karna,impatient for war, endorsed the command.

Susharma now rose up from his royaldias and spoke.

It is well known that I have had along-standing quarrel with Virata, but theredoubtable Keechaka has checked all myadvances in the past. I will accompany youall with my army now.

Duryodhana decided that Susharmawould invade Matsya from the south on the

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eighth day after the new moon and plunder

and ransack the cattle-ranches and drivethe cows away from their pens. On the nextday, the Kaurava cohorts would march onthe city from the north, pillaging the rancheson the way. Cattle-lifting was an ancientmartial exercise in Vedic India, and thereare many referenes even in a text as earlyas Rig Veda that refer to robbers stealingthe cattle of the gods.

Pouring out of the three forts thatconstituted their kingdom, the soldiers of

Susharma travelled south as planned earlier.Accompanied by his brothers likeDuhshasana and Vikarna, and his uncleShakuni and comrade Karna, Duryodhanaled the Kuru battalions to war. Followinghim were Bheeshma and the twopreceptors, Drona and Kripa and theregenerate warrior Ashwatthama. Thesefour did not approve of the hasty action ofthe impudent prince, and would have ratherliked a peaceful settlement with the

Pandavas. However, their sense ofgratitude forced them to fight under theumbrella of the Kuru house.

News reached the court of Virata thathis cowherds were rolling in the dust,pierced by the arrows and lances ofSusharma of Tigarta. Hundreds of the cowshad been driven away from their ranchesand were now mooing in fear. Keechakawas now dead, but Virata was a hardykshatriya and he rose up to meet his foes

in battle. Yudhishthira felt that thehospitality of the king deserved to be repaid,just as the wily Duryodhana had predicted.He rose up to speak and offered help tothe old Virata Among my manyaccomplishments fighting is one, and I canhelp you in this battle. Your cook Ballavais a good wrestler and he can assist us too.I have also heard that your stable-boy

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Dhamagranthi and your cowherd Tantripala

are good warriors. You have given succourto the four of us for months, and we wouldlike to prove our mettle.

Virata was delighted to get this timelyassistance and the four Pandavas, clad inhardy breastplates and riding battle-wagons,followed the old king in his expedition. UttaraKumara, the adolescent son of Virata, wasleft behind to guard the city and womenfolk.

Towards the southern borders ofMatsya, the forces of Virata and Susharmaclashed and got entangled in a melee thatresembled the break of a thunderstorm. Allday long the scuffle went on, and now it wastwilight. Susharma and Virata were lockedin a duel and the powerful ruler of Trigartaimprisoned the old monarch of Matsya andtook him away in his chariot. Yudhishthiraurged Bheema to rescue the hostage, andBheema fell upon the plundering suzerain ofTrigarta and overpowered him in sheerphysical combat. (to be continued)

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THE SECRET OF LONG LIFESri Jatindra Mohan Ghose

It is a very patent fact that human lifeis very short, and that too, most uncertain.The man who walks about with full vigour,hopes, and forms expectations of future,and without the least suspicion of any blast,breathes his last the very next moment. Hestops for a good while on his legs as it were.Such occurrences are quite common. Yet

they arre hardly taken proper notice of,except a passing one. They seem to leaveno impression on the minds of the people,as would appear from their usual course oflife and modes of activites. Of course, lifewould, indeed, be miserable andimpossible if the horror of death was tohaunt the mind at all hours. So ourChanakya said, -- 'one should think of themeans of acquiring learning and wealth freefrom all thoughts of infirmity and death.Learning and wealth are no doubt two of

the ends of life which can not altogether beover-looked, for ensuring a happy worldlylife on this side of existence even by thosewho consider the present life as the onlylife and end of all existence. But the sagesof India--and also her people -- have neverbeen so shortsighted. They have theperspective of an existence beyond the kenof the present life, -- of the true and eternallife -- the end and ideal of whichsubstantially and greatly differ from thoseof this short life. So while advocating thosetwo ends of our present, temporary,mundane life Chanakya did not lose sightof the ultimate one, nor forget to remindand advise at the same breath, -- 'that oneshould practise Dharma (i.e., lead areligious life for truth) caught hold of by hair,as it were, by death'.

But this last advice a man will hardlylisten to, although he takes readily to thefirst one as being conducive to a life of

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sensuous pleasures. It appears from themanner of his spoiling the precious momentsof life, as if he counts upon an endless tenureof life. He never cares, however mis-spenthis time may be. In his eagerness forenjoyment of the pleasures of life he growsrather impatient and seems to think everymoment that time moves very slowly. A

boy would be eager to leave behind hisboyhood as early as possible in order tolive the free youthful life of his elder brothersbeyond the tutelage of his parents. A youthwould aspire after the active life of a grown-up man occupying a position of honour insociety. A grown-up man again would lookforward to reach the old age full of ripeexperience, commanding respect from all,to enjoy a life of retirement and inactivity.A usurer is busy counting the days andwatching the expiry of the terms when

interests will up his pockets. To anaffianced the day of marriage would appearas too far off. A maiden lover wouldconsider the appointed hour of meeting afull year off, and so on. So every bodyconsiders his time, and part of life asunnecessarily long--although he wouldconsider the life as a whole to be too short.

This is the way of the world. But willanybody stop for a moment and ponder, -- what are these activities and eagernessfor? They are for momentary sensuous

pleasures, -- for trash, which would leavenothing permanent, no trace, -- behind. Ifso, are not so much time and energyaltogether wasted? But most people donot, and can not, realise this waste, for theyare short-sighted and have no conceptionof the truer and higher life. It does notbehove us, -- rational human beings, -- tobe bind and waste the precious momentsof life; we should turn every moment into


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account and live a true life full of worth.We boast of our wisdom in all matters, butit is a pity that we are ignorant of what atrue and real life is, and how to live it.

Such an assertion will no doubtappear to many -- to almost all--as a bold,arrogant and meaningless one; for there aremany great men who have made the worldwhat it is, and have left foot prints for othersto follow. Far from being ignorant of themeaning of life and the art of living it, it israther they who have shown what a life isand should be. To damn them with ignoranceof the idea of a true life is surelypreposterous.

Yes, such an assertion is a very boldone, -- but none the less true. And thebuilders of the world are all great and wisemen--no doubt, but in matters worldly only.In spiritual matters beyond the range of

Maya or sense-ex-perience, they are all asignorant as any -- so declares the SrimadBhagavatam, the Lord of all the Puranas,the purest and highest authority in

transcendental matters, and the fountain-head of all pure and unadulteratedknowledge. The knowledge of thegreatmen of the world was confined to thismaterial world, and centred round theirconception of the soul as being identicalwith the material body; they had noconception of their real selves (their souls)except and beyond the physicalencasement. They were altogether blind inregard to matters of Vaikuntha, thetranscendental world, lying beyond and

above the range of material experience ofmind and body. So with all difference totheir wisdom let us for once turn and listento the words of the Srimad Bhagavatam ---

A truly wise man should strive withoutany delay after nihshreyas, the surest andhighest good of life, till death comes uponhim; for he has now obtained the life of ahuman being after innumerable births as

inferior creatures a life which is very, very

difficult of attinment, yet transitory anduncertain; but only in which the supremegood is attainable; material objects ofenjoyment can be had in the life of all andany other creature.

We are human beings and the pick ofthe creation. And our present life is the bestand highest of all lives. Hence it is butrational and our bounden duty, to live it trulyand attain the proper end of it. Our life ismuch more than mere animal life and weshould not waste it away in animalenjoyments, viz., in eating, sleeping, sexualand other forms of sensuous enjoyment. Toeat, drink and be merry is not, and shouldnot be end of a human life.

And what is the span of human life?Not more than a hundred years or so at thelongest, and that too is quite uncertain. Sowe can not afford to let slip this opportunityof living and realising the true life scorningbase worldly enjoyment available to inferiorcreatures.

(to be contd.)


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The Special Characteristics of the AcharyaProf. Sri Nishi Kanta Sanyal

(Contd. from December issue)Whenever the guru is conceived in a

secondary or subordinate way, orwhenever the presence of a desire ofbecoming too great (ati badi) bysurpassing the guru himself is detected thelotus feet of the Divine preceptor does notmanifest itself but in its stead there appears

only the riotous dance of the trivial orcounterfeit principle or laghu.

In the learned societies of the presentage the term Vedanta had been used todenote exclusively works devoted to theexposition of the principle of undifferentialknowledge. But this great Acharya by theextraordinary genius of his transcendentalscholarship has informed the whole worldthat devotion is the one subject treated bythe Vedanta to the exclusion of all others,

that the nectarine performances of SriChaitanyadeva are the only genuine and un-adulterated essence of the Vedanta, that thedoings of Sri Chaitanyadeva and Hisassociate devotees and of the whole galaxyof devotees in the line of disciplic descentfrom Sri Krishna Chaitanya constitute as itwere the living form of the Brahmasutra withits commentaries, or the Vedanta in the formwhich alone is really ineligible to the peopleof this world. We are not aware that anyone else with the exception of this world-

teacher of the present Age had announcedanything like this so clearly and resulting insuch exquisite satisfaction for all.

In the learned societies of the presentAge it is the opinion of most scholars thatthe subjects and relligin sought to beestablished by Purana works like theSrimad Bhagavat are of comparativelyrecent origin in as much as those works are

proved to have been promulgated in theirpresent form at a period subsequent to theAge of the Vedas. But it is the great Acharyaof the Age who has proclaimed in thisgeneration to the whole body of scholarsthat the subjects as well as the religiontreated in the series of the spiritual Puranasheaded by the Srimad Bhagavat have beencurrent as eternal truths from a period whichis anterior to the Age of the oldest booksextant such as the Vedic Samhitas. He hasshown that the topics treated in Mahabharatand the Puranas headed by SrimadBhagavat belong to an Age that is much olderthan the time of the promulgation of the RikSamhita the oldest extant book of the world.The original works composed in the Vedicdialect which formed the sources of theexisting Puranas have mostly disappeared

with the lapse of time. These works havingfallen into neglect since after the compilationof the classical Puranas the original sourcebooks of the ancient history of India haveceased to be available.

The promulgation of the supremeexcellence of the Srimad Bhagavat over allother Shastras, in this Age which is so averseto the Bhagavat is one of the specialcharacteristics of the teachings of this greatAcharya. In order to safeguard the uniqueposition of the Bhagavat he has not spreadto belabour with his deadly club themalafides of the professionals who offendunder the guise of serving at the feet of theBhagavat. It isthis Acharya alone who hasmade it clear that the hireling is never adevotee. The Srimad Bhagavat cannot bemade to serve any body. It is one's duty tosplit the nut for feeding Lord Shalagram. Butone must abstain from making Lord


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Shalagram into an instrument for crackingthe nut which is to be enjoyed by himself.

The Divine Acharya appears terribleas death to the view of the whole race ofpsilanthropists; he appears as the unerringGandiva bow to the hypocrites, as theholder of the rod of punishment to thosewho seek other things than Krishna, -- likethe visible form of the Sudarsan Chakra tothe votaries of a false philosophy, as wantingin the quality of mellowness to persons of abad moral character, -- as a dry intellectualist

to transgressors against pure taste andspiritual principles, as arrogant to thepseudo-Vaishnavas the only disinterestedsympathetic sharer of the riefs of others themanifestation of the power of the non-evilproducing-mercy of supremelymagnanimous Sri Chaitanyadeva, -- and theonly shelter of weak distressed jivas.

Another of his special characteristicsmanifests itself in this that he has announcedpropositions that appear so novel to thisAge of empiricism that the whole body ofscholars disposed to an inveteratesuperficiality being struck dumb withbewilderment are trying vainly to find thebounds of the majestic current sweepingdown from the himalayan birth-place of thesacred Ganges. This Gangetic flow issuingfrom the lofty source of the lotus feet of SriKrishna has spread over the plains of thisworld in every direction on order to effectthe deliverance of all fallen souls. By divingin its water the jiva scorched in every limb

with the fire of the triple miseries areinstantly relieved by its deliciously cooltouch. And by drinking of its water withthe joined palms of the ear the clue to theessence of the nectarian sweetness of thefavour of Krishna is attained. It is this proesswhich is preached by this Acharya as thepath of listening to the transmittedtranscendental sound, or the process of

o u t

descent of the Truth, as the method to befollowed for attaining the sameshroutapantha.

Another characteristic of this Acharyawhich is also deserving of special notice isthis that however high the reputation forerudition and power of controversy of aperson appearing before him may be he isunable to go astray on the wrong trackastride the truths enunciated by the Acharyaif only he agrees to abide by the conditionsof rational discussion in regard to the

propositions which he seeks to establish byhis truthful arguments. But those who throughfear of impending defeat by the truth of hisreasoning corroborated by the Shastras tryto seek the help of any nefarious method bygiving up the path of honest and reasonablediscussion are sure to stumble ignominiouslyinto the blind hole of absurdity being off thetrack of the Truth. Many a personpossessing the reputation of widest empiricscholarship have made the unreservedconfession that no one possesses the powerof holing his ground in honest discussionagainst this Acharya. The fragrance ofarguments resembling the odour of sweet-smelling flowers, issuing from the pure lipsof this great Acharya augments the joy of alllovers of the Truth.

This Age so hostile to Vishnu from thetips of its finger nails to the points of its hairhas raised everywhere, in imitation of the realTruth Vishnu, after the precedent set by thefallen angels a perennial crop of novel

Incarnations of sinfulness. It is this lion of aloyal teacher of unalloyed Truth who alonein this sad predicament has been echoingwith a voice even more powerful than thatof Thakur Brindavan Das the protest hurledby the latter against the whole gang ofpseudo-Avataras in words that still continueto ring the note of warning into the ears ofthe unwary. (to be contd.)

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ENERGY OF GOD-HEADPrabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur(Contd. from December issue)

So all energies in Him are notcontending with one another, but serving asfriendly dependents of the SupremeAuthority. but the case is otherwise inmundane phenomena. The qualities proveto be contending with one another in orderto keep up their respective properties.

The school of Pantheists differs fromthe Devotional School, when it cannotdistinguish between the energies found inphenomena and different phases of eternalenergies that create, transform and conductthe material world with that of his ownwhere Harmonising Power brings all inmonistic order. This monopoly of God-headis wrongly viewed by the fiendish spirits whorevolt against the Fountain-head of allharmony. They ignore the Exisence, PerectKnowledge and Harmony of God-head and

try their level best to accomodate the AllEnergetic Personality into their cavity offinite but wrong observations. They areprone to reconcile the different tracks oftheism and atheism into agnosticism andscepticism. Their attempts fail when theywant to justify to identify the mundaneenergy with the transcendental in as muchas the latter--the subject of their inspectionis not covered up in their presentpredicament.

Even a most thoughtful reader is foundto err when he states that even associatedconterparts are in the same category withthat of fettered souls. His clear idea ofdifferent energies of God-head cannot butagree with our view when we are confidentof different phases of energies and theirmanifestations. The erring aptitude canequally chalk out his path of confounding

2

Krishna withKarshna when he can acquainthimself with the distinctive phases ofmanifestations due to the Energetic God-head and His energies.

If we compare the erotic principle andunalloyed devotion in the estimation ofEnergy and their different graduation, weshould never be led to mistake in our

attempts to compare the different associatedcounterparts of One Integer, the PersonalGod-head. The amatory love towardsGod-head has no doubt, got a higher placethan filial love, friendly love, love betweenthe principal master and dependents as wellas a love of cherishing a face of neutrality.

We are so much averse to render ourservice to the All-knowing Over-soul thatwe claim our existence in an atmospheresurcharged with common errors. The veryexpression 'Absolute Truth' is sometimes

followed by a pronoun indicating the neuterconception of Godhead in lieu of Hisunlimited Power of initiative organisation.The word Absolute Truth when used inneuter gender in our present-dayatmosphere, is meant for the mundanebibliography and not intended for SpiritualRealm. In the case of Absolute Truth, thepronoun he or who should be used,instead of 'it' or which, as we must notdeviate from the Eternal Existence ofPersonal God-head and His Spiritualmanifestation void of any mundanediscrepanices. If we ignore the Power ofAll-mightiness in God-head, we wouldprove ourselves to be aloof from the ever-existence, ever-manifested SpiritualKingdom.

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Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita has thefollowing transmitted word (amnaya)regarding Sri Krishna (Madhya.20/146), --- The Vedas everywhere expoundKrishna only, sometimes directly,sometimesindirectly, in some parts by the synthetic orpositive method elsewhere by the differentialor negative method, -- but they always

expound Krishna. And again (Adi 2--106,65,24-26), Krishna is GodheadHimself. Krishna is the support of all.Krishna is the declaration of the Shastras.In His own proper self Krishna is non-bifurcial (avidya) knowledge and also theEntity that is the Object of knowledge.Brahma (the Great), the supreme soul(paramatma) and Bhagavan (God asPossessor of supreme power and majesty)are His three different forms. The Vedas,Bhagavat, Upanishad and Agama declareHim to be the complete Object ofKnowledge, Who has no equal, Who isseen by devotees by the process of lovingservice in the same manner as the suns ownform, as distict from its rays and the luminousball, is visible to the devas. Those whoworship Krishna by the methods of yogaand empiric knowldge realize Him as theSupreme Soul (paramatma) andBrahma

(the undifferentiated Great One)respectively.

The following texts of the shastras bearout the above statements of the SriChaitanya Charitamrita regarding thecharacteristics of the Supreme Lord. TheSvetasvatar Upanishad (5.4 mantra) saysthat He is worshipped by all. He is present

Sri Krishna is the Ultimate Principle (Para-tattva)as the supporter of existence of every entitythat has birth. Whence in the Bhagavat(I.3.28) we have it that the Avataras whoseactivities have heretofore been described aresome of them fractional parts of Maha-Vishnu Who reposes in the causal Ocean(karanabdi), while the others aremanifestations by Divine superimposition.

But Krishna, the Son of Nanda is the God-head Himself. The Geeta (VII.7, XV.15)says, Oh Dhanamjaya, there is no onehigher than Myself. I am the Object ofknowledge of all the Vedas. SriGopalatapani Upanishad (Purvatapanimantra 21) declares that, therefore SriKrishna alone is the Supreme Lord. Suchis Sri Krishna. Meditate on Krishna, chantonly His Name, serve and worship Himalone. Krishna Who is all-pervasive, is theLord of all, should alone be worshipped byall. Although He is one yet He manifestsHimself in many Forms such as the fish,Tortoise etc., Vasudeva, Samkarshana etc.the Purusha of the Ocean of cause, He ofthe ocean of conception etc. Those equablepersonages, like Sukadeva, who worhsipGods holy Image resident in His properrealm are alone enabled to attain the stateof eternal bliss. None of those who worship

Brahma (the Great) or Paramatma (SupremeSoul) obtain such bliss. This is still furtherexplained by the Karika, Sri Krishna aloneis the only Lord of all lords. The Supremesoul is a fractional part of Him. Brahma isthe glow of His body. Narayana, the Lordof para-vyoma, is the manifestation of HisMajesty as the Sovereign paramount. There


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is not the least doubt regarding this as it isspecifically declared by the Vedas and theshastras. The Taittiriya Upanishad containsthe following (2/1), -- Brahma is theTruthItself, the spiritual and limitless principle. TheParamatma is the Entity that always abidesin the innermost recess of the heart as seerof the heart. Narayana is located inparavyoma or Vaikuntha (i.e. thetranscendental realm). One who knows thisattains all blessing in the presence of

Vipaschit (possessed of superiorknowledge) Brahma {i.e. Sri KrishnaWhois the superior (or, literally, versed in theDivine lore, erudite) Brahma.} Thispossession of superior knowledge orlearning is one of the principal of the sixty-four qualities of Sri Krishna. This list of Hisqualities is given below (Bhakti RasamritaSindhu: D.B.1Lahari, 11-17):

The Hero Krishna is (1) of a most

pleasing appearance, (2) possessed of allauspicious features, (3) very beautiful, (4)possessed of force of personality, (5) strong,(6) in the first bloom of youth, (7) versed invarious and strange lauguages, (8) truthful,(9) agreeable in speech, (10) skilled inspeech, (11) a good scholar, (12) intelligent,(13) possessed of genius, (14) full ofhumour, (15) clever, (16) skilful, (17)grateful, (18) very firm of resolve, (19)acquainted with the nature of the place, timeand person, (20) possessed of the shastricvision, (21) pure, (22) the master of Hissenses, (23) calm, (24) self-controlled, (25)forgiving, (26) profound (reserved), (27)patient (persevering), (28) impartial, (29)generous, (30) pious, (31) heroic, (32)merciful, (33) ready to honour others, (34)open-handed, (35) gentle, (36) bashful,

(37) the supporter of His dependents, (38)happy, (39) friend of His devotees, (40) liableto be won by love, (41) the promoter of thehappiness of all, (42) awe-inspiring, (43)possessed 2of fame, (44) beloved of thepeople, (45) partial to the good, (46) winnerof the hearts of females, (47) worshippedby all, (48) opulent, (49) superior to all, and(50) possessed of kingly magnificence.

The above qualities are found in Krishnain vast measure. Rarely they are also found

to exist in jivas but in a very very smalldegree. All of them are fully manifest inKrishna. There are five other qualities whichare found in Shiva and others who possesspartially Divine natures, in addition to theabove fifty.

(to be contd.)


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AESTHETIC CULTUREPrabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur

Man is in love with certain aspects ofthe manifestations of colour, smell, sound,taste, touch and locomotion in Nature. Hesupposes by a kind of argument from design,that the world has been made for thegratification of his senses. He also supposesthat his only legitimate function is to seek to

augment and diversify the sensuouspleasures of life by compelling Nature toyield all her treasures for his enjoyment. Itis also supposed that this ideal of happinessis being realised by man with the help of thedifferent branches of the Arts and Sciences.

Any person, who questions thewisdom of following a course for theconvenient reason that it happens to presentitself when we choose to seek for it, is oftenhastily regarded as speculative and wantingin the practical sense. He is reminded ofthe achievements of modern civilizationproduced by the systematic pursuit of suchmethod, and to compare the present stateof the affairs of man all over the world withthe past. Should one still persist in supposingthat it is all misleading, useless and wicked?

Let us take the case of modern painting.The spirit of the Age is sought to be faithfullymirrored therein. What more can Art dofor us? Should it not be the function ofcreative Art to try to invest our present life

with imaginery charms for pandering to oursensuous satisfaction? If the painter givesus something, whcih does not point the wayfor the gratification of our aggravatedappetite for earthly enjoyment, how shouldhe be supposed to possess the true artisticinsight? If he understands the needs of ournatures, he should give us what we reallywant. It is not his business to give us what

we should desire to have.We are in earnest about the living

present and want to enjoy this life as fully asits brief span and questionable resources willpermit. We want to do so by means of allour senses. We also want Art to help us inthis matter. The senses stand in need of bothgross and refined pleasures. Both varieties

have to be supplied in abundance by the Artsand Sciences to meet this demand of ournature. The propriety of following thiscourse is supposed to be self-evident. Atany rate, no state or society would last for aday, if it chooses to follow a different path.Every existing institution is and must needsbe a contrivance for increasing the scope ofgratification of man's senses. The hope ofman points to the prospect that Nature willbe available to be fully enjoyed by man bymeans of these institutions, at no distant date.

The gratification of the senses is thegiven legitimate purpose of life. The mind isled by the senses. The mind is set over thesenses for serving them. The mind enablesthe senses to follow the path of their commoninterest. The mental function is fulfilled byserving the activities of the senses. The testof good painting for instance, should consistin this that it satisfies the senses directly orindirectly. If it fails to gratify the senses, themind should at once busy itself for finding a

way to pacify the offended senses. Thesenses dominate the whole scheme.

It has been held by the Shastras thatman is the slave of his senses in this world,and that all his activities spring from the desirefor gratifying his senses. This is equally trueof the activities of the savage, as of the mosthighly civilized modern person. It is also trueof every other animal. The difference

(Contd. from December issue)


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KYygvsswq e a fgszxaAvfkc f a*tewq

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n20

between man and lower animals consists inthis that man is endowed with greaterintelligence and foresight, and with theinestimable gift of human speech. He isenabled by these special circumstances inhis favour to acquire and store up knowledgederived from experience, and to progresstowards the state of realisation of greaterand more varied pleasure. There is no otherdifference between man and the loweranimals, from the point of view of the Artsand Sciences.

In this matter the Science of Aestheticis in the same boat with all the rest of theempiric Sciences. If it seeks to separateitself from the immediate needs of life, itstultifies itself. It is, therefore, a boldproposal to recommend the substitution ofany radically different purpose, or even anyunsympathetic modification of the objectiveof the present empiric science of Aesthetics.

The spiritual quest ever manifests itselfas the real turning away from the purposesand methods of the sensuous life that is beingled by the average person in this world. Aslong as one does not feel utterly dissatisfiedwith this normal worldly life, he is notsupposed to feel the need for the quest ofthe Truth. Man wants to be happy. Hecan, therefore, also want knowledge only ifit will make him really happy. Byhappiness man at present understandsonly the attainment of the gross andrefined pleasures of the senses.

If a branch of study can supply man

with food, that is both pleasing to his palateas well as capable of nourishing his body,he feels that there can be no reason fordoubting the usefulness of such study. Manwants to estimate the value of his activityby its capacity for satisfying his patentphysical needs. The mental needs are notindependent of the physical wants. Thesenses clamour to be gratified. It does not

make any spiritual difference if the sensesare trained or untrained. A trained ear willnot be sufficiently gratified by theperformances of an untrained musician. Thatis all the difference that is made by so-calledaesthetic culture. The civilized man is only aclever savage. The innate nature of both isthe same. The equality of man, the dreamof the political and social philosopher, is onthe plane of eating and drinking.

The Gaudiya Math has set itself againstthe sensuous ideal of human life. It is

objectionable, because it is miserable, ugly,wicked, and opposed to goodness, beautyand joy. Human life in this world is ugly,notwithstanding the fact that its ugliness isproclaimed to be its beauty by a so-calledScience of Aesthetics. The misfortune ofman has been codified into the deludinggeneralisations of scientific knowledge whichis vain enough to fancy that it is possible toattain to the Truth by leaving out the enquiryinto the proper requirements of our realselves and all reference to the LivingPersonality and Merciful Initiative of the All-beautiful.

The Beauty of the Absolute Truth is theCentre of attraction of all individual souls intheir natural state of uneclipsed cognition.Real beauty is envisaged in immaculategoodness, everlasting unmixed bliss andtransparent cognition. It is not obscured byany gross or subtle material constituents.Nothing in this world can convey to anyrational person even the faintest idea of the

reality. The charms of Vrindavana whollytranscend the beauties of Nature,notwithstanding the fact that they bear to bedescribed by the mundane vocabulary byreason of their inconceivable resemblanceto the conditions of life in this world. Butthe spiritual body of the unconditioned soulis neither male, female nor neuter of ourworldly experience. (to be contd.)


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y y T T{W{ \o:

SRIMAD BHAGAVADGITAyTyo

uoyzD: CHAPTER-II

PzT:SMKHYA YOGA

bybette th

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b

(Contd. from December issue)

Bhagavan Sri Krishna said,O Arjuna!When (one) relinquishes (able to give upthese desires because they belong to themind. They are not the intrinsic quality ofthe soul. If they were the intrinsic quality ofthe soul they could not be given up, just asfire never gives up heat) all desires of themind and having withdrawn itself frommaterial desires is satisfied by the soul whosevery nature is bliss. Then he is called well-founded in wisdom. 55

t:QzutS: Qz uTow: @ yoTNz: usoy|uXoz @@ 56

Duhkheshvanudvignamanh

sukheshu vigatasprihah |

veetargabhayakrodhah

sthitadheermuniruchyate || 56

GXoz = (He is) called , u: = selfcontrolled sage,uooy: = a truely wise,:

=who has his mind,EutS = unperturbed(if asked who says simply that this sufferingis his prarabdha karma which he mustunavoidably endure, hence he is not agitatedwith suffering) , t:Qz = by painfulhappenings (by dhytmika sufferings, inthe form of hunger, thirst, fever or headachei.e. physical and mental sufferings, by the

dhibhautika sufferings coming from snakesor tigers or evil persons i.e. sufferings fromother creatures, or by dhidaivika

sufferings arising from extremes of nature),uTow: = (and) free from desire (whenhe gets the occasions of happiness, he iswithout desire and feels that it is also his

prrabdha karma which he cannot avoidand so to talarate, Qz = for all kinds ofpleasures, yoTNz: = and he is freefrom attachment, fear and anger (devoid ofattachment to enjoyment, devoid of fear fromany situation of triple afflictions and devoid

of anger on anybody who is responsible forhis present suffering -- for example, ParamaBhagavata Mahatma (Jada) Bharata, in frontof the Goddess Durga, did not show fear oranger towrds the robbers who wanted tokill him).

He is called self controlled sage, a trulywise who has his mind, unperturbed (if askedwho says simply that this suffering is his

prarabdha karma which he must

unavoidably endure, hence he is not agitatedwith suffering) by painful happenings (byadhyatmika sufferings in the form of hunger,thirst, fever or headache, i.e. physical andmental sufferings; by the adhibhautikasufferings coming from snakes or tigers orevil persons i.e. sufferings from othercreatures; or by dhidaivika sufferings

u n

f f

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and te

o

ea

arising from extremes of nature) and freefro desire (when he gets the occasion ofhappiness, he is without desire and feels itis also hisprrabdha karma which he cannot avoid and so to accept) for all kinds ofpleasures and he is free from attachment,fear and anger (devoid of attachment toenjoyment, devoid of fear from anysituations of triple afflictions and devoid ofanger on anybody who is responsible forhis present suffering --- for example,

Parama Bhagavat Mahatma (Jada)Bharata, in front of the Goddess Durga,did not show any fear or anger towardsthe robbers who wanted to kill him).

: |fiuzonon @utuo zzub o r uoueo @@ 57Yah sarvatranabhisnehah

tattatprpya shubhshubham |

nbhinandati na dveshtitasya prajn pratishthit || 57

o = His , r = wisdom (is),uoueo = situated in Samadhi (Samdhimprati sthita), : = who, Euz: = iswithout love or attachment to (withoutaffections which are subject to conditions.Unconditional affection out of mercifulnesshowever should remain to some degree.He is fixed in those qualities),|fi =anymundane object (every where), Eutuo= He does not rejoice (He does not say,'oh, you are so religious, serving a greatdevotee. I bless you with happiness'),tzub = nor does he hate (nor does he cursethe disrespectful persons saying, 'go to hell,you sinful creature), = having come

in contact with,oooo= whatever, =

favourable to himself through respect orfeeding for instance, he does not approve ,E= and receiving disrespect such as apunch of the fist, he does not disapprove.

His wisdom is 'situated in Samadhi'(samdhim prati sthita), who is withoutlove or attachment to (without affectionswhich are subject to conditions.Unconditional affection out of mercifulnesshowever should remain to some degree. He

is fixed in those qualities) any mundaneobject (everywhere). He does not rejoice(he does not say, 'oh, you are so religious,serving a great devotee. I bless you withhappiness'), nor does he hate (nor does hecurse the disrespectful person saying, 'go tohell, you sinful creature. Having come incontact with whatever favourable to himselfthrough respect or feeding for instance, hedoes not approve; and receiving disrespect

such as a punch of the fist, he does notdisapprove. 57

Six verses now answer the question

'how does he sit?' (How does he remain,

suppressing his senses?)

t oz Y Nz|DWTy |: @Futmyutsz|o r uoubo @@ 58

Yad samharate chyamkurmo-angneeva sarvasah |

indriyneendriyrthebhyah

tasya prajn pratishtit || 58

t = When, E= the wise man,oz= withdraws (stopping the movement

22

(Cont. in page 24)


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