orissa review # may - 2008 -...

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Orissa Review # May - 2008

The Philosophy of the Gitagovinda

Prafulla Chandra Tripathy

God is the Chidatma and the AbsoluteConsciousness, whose mysterious existence canbe conceived at heart by the acquisition ofBrahmajnana through vedantic meditation.Brahmajnana is the source of wisdom andconsciousness. The Mahayogi knows, our innerfeeling is the cosmic power or Brahma and isalso the ultimate reality. He is also the protectorof His creation, the Dharma. He is the stainlessone, shining in peerless light and appearing in soul-bewitching wondrous form. He is known asGovinda. The collection of sweet and musicalslokas dedicated to Him is the Gitagovinda.

The scripture Gitagovinda of Jayadevacentres around the conjoined love episode ofRadha and Krsna. According to Shri RamaKrishna Paramahansa, "As a devotee cannot livewithout God, so also God cannot live without Hisdevotee. The devotee becomes the sweetnessand the God its enjoyer. The devotee becomesthe lotus and God, the bee. It is also the God-head that has become all these in order to enjoyits own Bliss. That is the significance of theepisode of Radha and Krsna". According to oneschool of Vaisnava religion, the supreme GodHimself became Radha and Krsna to enjoy thebliss of mutual union.

At the beginning of the scripture of theGitagovinda, it is described in the very first sloka

that due to all-pervading darkness in the denseforest caused by clouds, Krsna, the child, wasafraid and so Nanda asked Radha to lead the kidhome, but Radha on her way indulged in secretblissful union with Madhava, her beloved, in thegroves on the bank of the river Yamuna.

Due to excess of tama (darkness), jivaforgets God and there is not the slightest trace ofyearning in his heart for God-realisation. Thecreator is at a loss to observe this spiritualdegeneration in His creation. Though a part andparcel of the Supreme Self, Jiva forgets his innerself coming under the shell of world-bewitchingmaya or illusion which envelops him in completedarkness. The jiva can dispel this darkness ofignorance by kindling at heart the spirit of Radha,the pleasing consort of Madhava, by spiritualdiscipline at the dictates of conscience and enjoythe bliss of communion with the Supreme Self onthe bank of the river Yamuna at Vrindavana.

Devotion with dedication is the mainweapon to cut all the fetters that bind the Jiva toworldliness. The sages of the past have recordedeight shackles which obstruct the way to therealisation of God."Ghrna, sanka, bhayam, lajja, jugupsa cheti panchami,Kulam silam cha manam cha astu pasah prakrtitah"

( Bhairava Yamala quoted in Yogi Guru - P. 168)

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The eight shackles are hatred, apprehensions, fear,shame, jugupsa, high caste, rank and fame. Theseare brutal by nature and bind the human soul.

"Aetairbadha pasuh proktoMukta etah sadasivah"

(Bhairava Yamala quoted in Yogi Guru,P. 169)Knowledge based on spiritual

consciousness is not achieved easily, but it is theoutcome of God's grace to be obtained throughyogic austerities. Attachment to false and transientobjects of the world delude mankind life after lifeleading to ignorance.

"Janmantara sata vasta mithya samsara vasanaSa chirabhyasa yogena vina na ksayate kvachit"

(Muktikopanisad - 2 -15, quoted in Yogiguru, Page 169)

Futile is the human birth without theawakening of spiritual consciousness. So in orderto obtain divine knowledge based on spiritualstandards, the mind has to be controlled first fordiverting it away from the sensuous objects ofthe world by yogic austerities, discrimination andrenunciation till it is completely annihilated.Detailed discussion about Radha, the PrimalPower and beloved consort of Madhava, hasbeen made in the Lilatattva. On developing aconscientious mind, the spirit of Radha shallblossom in the heart and this will lead to blissfulunion with Madhava, the Supreme Self.

This very first sloka embodies in it the wholeof the essence of the Gitagovinda which has beengradually developed in latter cantos. Visnu Purancontains the following sloka.

"Vasha sarvanivasascha visvani yasya lomesu,Tasya deva Parambrahma Vasudeva iti ritah."

(Vishnu Puran, Pratham Ansa- 2nd chapterquoted in Sabdakalpadruma P.307 NagaPublications, Delhi 1987)

It is Vasudeva, who is omnipresent and isthe ultimate cause (Mahakarana) of the animate

and inanimate world. He is formless, beyondphysical perception and incomprehensible by thesenses whose omnipotence cannot be describedin words. How can the formless Brahma beconceived of indulging in blissful romantic inter-communion ? At the outset, the poet, in the thirdsloka of the Gitagovinda calls upon those whoare desirous of hearing to taste the sweetness ofthe sportive, romantic and divine love. In otherwords, through the thrilling love episode of Radhaand Krsna, the poet Jayadeva takes us stage bystage to the highest pitch of God consciousnessand God realisation.

It is God Himself, who appears in the formof man. The Nitya is the indivisibleSatchidananda, and the lila or play takes variousforms, such as lila of God, the lila as man and thelila as the Universe. The nitya comes down to theuniverse in form of lila to teach mankind and toperpetuate the creation. In fact this lila is going onsince the first day of creation and shall continuetill its end. The Gitagovinda of Jayadeva tends touplift the soul on the way to God realisation., stageby stage, by dispelling the darkness caused bymaya or illusion through the medium of selfless,fascinating and heavenly love of Radha andKrisna. To picture the inner most feelings of lovein a pleasing romantic and attractive mannertouching the heart of one and all is not possiblefor an average man without any divinemanifestation in him. That is why thecommentators have placed Jayadeva as anincarnation of 'Jagannatha' or the second'Vyasadeva'.

After the 4th sloka, begins the heart-touching vivid melodious description of the tenincarnations (Dasavatara) based on theevolutionary process of the creation anddevelopment of the animal world. According tothe Srimad Bhagavata Gita, when virtuesubsides and vice prevails, God manifests Himselfto establish righteousness. It is on this that thetheory of Incarnations of God based.

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MINA or FishAt first the whole of the creation was full of

water. Sages of the past say that the fish was thefirst aquatic developed creature created by God.Due to spark of Chidatma infused in it, itthrobbed into life, and it is considered to be theFish incarnation of God, who descended to earthto teach people and to preserve His creation. TheVedas were in danger. Assuming the Fishincarnation, He rescued the Vedas thereby settingforth an example for the jiva engrossed in mayadue to accumulation of evil and immoraltendencies. The goal is to control the mind fromthe beginning and focus it on knowledge ofBrahma, the ultimate Reality.KURMA or Tortoise

The animal creation on its evolutionaryprocess and development proceeded and therewas the Tortoise Incarnation (Kurma Avatara)of God. It was the first animal of its kind, anamphibian, which could move about both in waterand land. In course of gradual progress of thejiva on the spiritual path there is great rivalrybetween godly and brutal forces. In the midst ofthis the seed of devotion flung in the hearts of thedevotees germinates and the jiva longs to tastethe nectar of bliss. Through the insurmountablehurdles of life the jiva pines for bliss of God. Thegods and demons churned the sea with theMandara hill to obtain the nectar and God inshape of tortoise saved the earth by supporting iton His back as described in the SrimadBhagavata.VARAHA or Boar

The next incarnation is the Boar that is theVaraha incarnation of God which is verysignificant. The amphibian progresses to the stageof the mammal. Without cultivating purity of heartno aspirant can expect god-realisation. So the jivashould be purged of all impurities before aspiringfor God's grace. Man should free himself fromthe clutches of 'Woman' and 'Gold' which

constitute maya and delude mankind. Due to thedegenerating effect of the tama, man has forgottenhis own self and moves far away from God. TheBoar incarnation aims at reestablishing to purenature and goads jiva to Godhead by removingthe impurities of heart and thereby saving theworld from destruction.NARASINGHA or Man and Lion

By way of continuous development jivaassumes the joint form of man and animal whichrepresents the Narasingha (man and lion)incarnation of God. Knowledge and wisdomdowned in the man as a result of which evil forceswere crushed down. But jiva cannot completelyfree himself from 'I'ness or 'My'ness and brutaltendencies in spite of its partial elevation on thespiritual path. Brahma or God consciousnessshould be enkindled at heart with irondetermination. Consequently the demonHiranyaKasipu, the personified raja, and tama isvanquished. Without vanquishing raja and tama,no one can progress in the field of spiritualdiscipline.VAMANA or the Dwarf

The next incarnation is that of Vamana orDwarf. After overcoming the brutal forces, jivaassumes the short-stature body of man known asVamana Incarnation. On assuming a human body,he was influenced by sattva, raja and tama.Sattva always soars high in the spiritual plane andconsequently there was development of humanknowledge. This is the 5th step in the spiritualladder. When God consciousness blossoms withthe elevation of sattva, then raja and tama fleeaway. On gaining wisdom, jiva realises that incomparison with the vast creation he dwindlesinto insignificance. This humility and the spirit ofsurrender to the Creator infused in jiva a moraland spiritual force. In the Vamana incarnation,His two legs occupied the sky and the earth andthe third leg pushed Bali the embodiment of rajaand tama to the underground.

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Lord Jagannatha is termed in the Puranasas 'Vamana'. The saints of the past say that onhaving the darsana of Lord Jagannatha in thechariot, man escapes the painful cycle of life anddeath.

"Rathe tu Vamana drstva punarjanma navidyate"

The Yogis compare the human body witha chariot. Just as the chariot has three parts,similarly the human body comprises mainly of threeparts, namely 'Sahasrara (head) 'Anahata'(heart) and 'Muladhara (lower part). At thetopmost portion of the chariot Lord Jagannathaexists. It is the heart of the devotee which is theplayground or drawing room of God. At themuladhara chakra (chakra is the centre of forcein the body) the lower tendencies like lust etc.are located. The moment Lord Jagannathaascends the chariot as Vamana, there is anoutburst of spontaneous devotional andunfathomable joy in the congregated mass whichis carried away to a supernatural sphere. Onhearing the devotional songs and the sankirtana,the evil tendencies leave the mind. Sattva, rajaand tama are the cords pulling the chariot of thehuman body. The Yogis believe that if an aspirantcan realise and see in Lord Jagannatha at thesahasrara chakra of his body, he shall not be bornagain in this world.PARASURAMA

Though the jiva was influenced by the threegunas, namely; sattva, raja and tama, the facultyof sattva prompted him to cultivate love,brotherhood and this led for formation of humansociety. But in course of time the rajas and tamasre-establish their hold on jiva and men againindulged in sensual pleasures, attachment toworldly objects, envy, vices etc. going astray fromthe path of spiritual discipline. Most of theKsatriyas who were the ruling chiefs of the countrywere despots and did not care for the welfare ofthe people. They practised all sorts of cruelties.They did not care for the counsel of the wise, the

sages and the saints. In order to save His creationfrom disaster God again incarnated Himself asParasurama and after eliminating these Ksatriyas.He restored peace and order on the earth.Though man tries to achieve progress on thespiritual path stage by stage, he has to facerepeated falls due to dominance of rajas andtamas. The incarnation of Parasurama signifies thatone should cut asunder by the axe of conscienceshackles that bind the human soul to worldlyobjects, and reestablish the domain of sattva.RAMA

The incarnation of Rama shows the victoryof virtue over vice by way of contrast betweenmoral, spiritual and godly forces on one handand rajasika, tamasika and asurika forces on theother. Due to the predominance of sattvikaqualities, Ramarajya exhibited the higheststandard of kinghood, parental regard, brotherlyaffection, devotion to superiors, sages andBrahmins, selfless heavenly love, love for loweranimals and heroism and valour to combat theevil forces. The way to God realisation was madeclear, Ravana, the personification of rajas, tamasand all other asurika-forces was vanquished. Theincarnation of God as Rama taught the world tocontrol the mind, subdue the lower base physicaltendencies and to concentrate upon truth, non-violence and spiritualisation which chisels intoshape the marble of life.BALARAMA or HALADHARA (Ploughman)

The next incarnation of God is Haladhara,the ploughman. This incarnation contains asignificant message to the human society. Theplough is the symbol of agriculture, the main sourceof subsistence of the human society. In otherwords men were taught the value of dignity oflabour and to utilise the strength for improvementof agriculture and to direct the mind for spiritualpursuits. Agriculture was the first non-violent wayof procuring food and earning a livelihood forman. Haladhara incarnation stood for this.

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BUDDHADue to vedic complex mode of worship to

God, the rigidness of the caste system and othersuperstitions prevalent in the society, people weresubjected to great oppression and ill-treatment.Animal sacrifice in the yajna and many othercruelties were practised in the name of God. Toeradicate this blemish from the human society,God incarnated Himself as Buddha and taughtpeople the rare virtues of Truth and Non-violence.

Jiva gains wisdom by maturity ofknowledge. At this stage he begins to hate theearth polluted with envy and other vices. This leadsan aspirant to the final stage of emancipation thatis the merging of the soul with the Brahma,attaining Nirvana.KALKI

On gaining wisdom, the liberated soul seesthe Lord in samadhi and waits for being mergedwith Him when Mahakala (the death) destroyshis physical frame. Mahakala signifies the Kalkiincarnation of God.

Days gone by shall never come back again.Like a river flowing down to meet the sea, lifemoves in a fast pace to reach the last syllable ofrecorded time and meets death or Mahakala, theinevitable.

True wisdom blossoms in an aspirant innirvikalpa samadhi. To him all appear to bemanifestations of Brahma and this is what is knownas Brahma Jnana. Everything in the physicalworld is unreal transitory and an illusion. TheAdvaita conception of Brahma is only real.According to the great yogi Nigamananda, thisAdvaita conception is termed as philosophy oflife, Paramatma and Bhagavana. But,achievement of Advaita jnana is not possible forthe average man. Bhagavan Sankaracharya, thefounder of Advaita philosophy, Sadguru Nanak,Maharaj, Sumeru Das, Thakur Nigamananda,Ramakrsna Paramhansa etc. had realised Brahmain Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

The liberated soul shall enjoy the perpetualbliss in the kingdom of heaven and taste the nectarof His peerless beauty and lila.

After describing the ten incarnations, theliberated soul in communion with Brahma hasgone mad with divine bliss and rapture " Sritakamala kucha mandala, dhrta kundala, kalita lalitavanamala etc."

At the end of the salutations to Brahma,begins the sportive eternal communion withSatchidananda. This is transformed to Radha-Krsna lila, the love episode of Radha and Krsnawhich is otherwise indescribable.

In the heart of the aspirant, on eightthousand petalled lotus, Brahma in form ofMadhava or Purusottam indulges in everlastingblissful union with Prakrti (nature) Para Saktior the primal power. On realisation of Hisexistence, the soul can easily escape maya orillusion of the world and merge with Brahma, theSupreme Self. This eight petalled lotus representsthe eight sakhis of Radha participating in thesportive union at Vrndavana. The thousand petalsof lotus symbolise the thousand Gopis and SrimatiRadhika is Mahamaya or the the Primal Power.

These refer to the plane of spiritualdiscipline. A lover of poetry may be fascinatedby the art of love as represented in the melodiousverses of the Gitagovinda. But for realisation ofHari in the self, a separate angle of vision isconsidered necessary.The Theory of Incarnation :

Sri Ramakrsna says, "He who is Brahmais the Adyasakti, the Primal Energy. Wheninactive, he is Brahma, the Purusa. He is calledSakti, or Prakrti, when engaged in creation,preservation and destruction. These are twoaspects of Reality - Purusa and Prakrti. He,who is Purusa is also the Prakrti. Both areembodiment of Bliss. Brahma or God is beyondsense perception and incomprehensible. He is

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nirguna or formless. But He assumes form andbecomes saguna for the sake of his devotee. Thisis the incarnation of God. For the sake of creationthe saguna brahma incarnated Himself andassumed the trinity form of Brahma, Visnu andMahesvar. There are manifestations of His powernot only in Trimurti but also in different godsinstalled and worshipped. These incarnations weremeant for assisting the aspirants to achieveprogress on the spiritual path and to teach thesoul to proceed step by step towards God-realisation. God is one but His names are many.Fire is one, but it assumes different forms andnames at different places. Similarly, there aremanifestations of God in different forms andnames.

Govinda, who is the Mahakarana, causeof causes is also Satchidananda who is Purusa orthe ultimate Reality that only existed beforecreation. Though He was the Creator andChidatma, He would have been unaware of Hisexistence but for chitsakti. The link between thecreator and His creation is maya or illusion. Thisphenomenal world is created by His infinitepower. By forces of maya, He has accepted thelimits of time, action and the nature. This is whatis known as the first stage of the creation.

After the first stage of the creation, the basicprinciples (elements) were created. Though Godwas the creator of all these principles (elements),there in conjuction with each other created bythemselves men and other animals. This is knownas the second stage of creation. This infinitepower divided itself into ten componentsaccording to knowledge, will and action.

When every soul appears in the mother'swomb, there is manifestation of godly power inthe Jivatma. This is what is known as the thirdstage of creation.Gunavatara :

Sattva, raja and tama are known asGunavataras of God. In the first stage of the

creation these exist as the cause, in the secondstage as the perception and in the third stage asthe mind, intellect and ego. Again, these gunasare also known as Brahma, Visnu and Mahesvara.He who creates the world by conjoining Purusaand Prakrti is known as Brahma. He who underthe spell of maya lends body consciousness tothe Jivatma and goals it on the path of God-realisation is known as Visnu. Again, he whotransforms or even destroys this universeaccording to need is known as Siva. But theyare only partial manifestations of that one and onlyInfinite power. The prayers and worship whichpeople offer to these gods, ultimately reach Him.

Every soul of the animal world is a partand parcel of the Brahma, the Supreme One. Soevery living animal, man and woman is themanifestation of God. The Purusavatara andGunavatara are needed for preserving thecreation. But sometimes for specific missions Godappears on the earth through incarnations. Whenvirtue subsides and vice prevails, God appearson earth to establish righteousness and protectsthe creation from the demonic forces. This isknown as Naimitika Avatar. The Yugavatara,Manvantara Avatara, Avesavatara,Lilavatara and Jnanavatara are included in it.Yugavatara :

When raja and tama gunas predominatein human mind, man is subjected to evil forcesand goes astray. As a result, the creation tendstowards destruction. At this crucial time, throughthe infinite grace of God, the sattva guna isenkindled in the human mind which growsstronger and stronger and by this the creation issaved from destruction. This is known as theYugavatara of God. The ten incarnations of Godas depicted in the Gitagovinda by Sri Jayadevaare considered Yugavataras of God. Of theseten incarnations, four assume the shape of thelower animals. But, on analysis, it will be seen

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that they contain great significance in theevolutionary process of animal development aswell as a medium to impart spiritual momentumby eradicating lower base tendencies.Manvantara Avatara :

The holy saints and sages are manifestationof godly power who came down to the earthwith a mission to teach humanity the gospels oftruth, non violence and spiritualism by kindlingsattvik quality in soul and developing it for thesake of God-realisation. They are known asManvantara Avataras of God. Sages likeKaundilya, Rsabha, Dhruva, Prahlada, Vyasa,Gautama etc. belong to this class.Avesavatara :

For specific purposes there is migration ofgodly power in soul. This is known asAvesavatara.Lilavatara :

The creator out of his love for the creationassumes human forms with godly powers to sportin the universe as a man, to enjoy his lila and alsoto set up the religious and spiritual ideals for thehuman society. As this incarnation is the outcomeof the divine will to indulge in lila, this is known asthe Lilavatara. The playful activities of God arebeyond sense perception. It is Srikrsna who wasthe Lilavatara. There has been no secondLilavatara by now. Srikrsna was the fullestmanifestation of God's power. The Avatari (godwho assumes the form of Avatara in differentages) himself came as Lilavatara.Jnanavatara :

God incarnates himself in human form todevelop in human society the sattva quality andto let the jiva to go on spiritual path. This is knownas 'Jnanavatara. Mahavira, Buddha,Sankaracharya, Sri Chaitanya, Sadguru BhagbanNanak, Mahatma Sumeru Das, Sivananda,Nigamananda, Brahmananda, Ramkrsna, SirdiSai, Satyasai belong to this type of incarnation.

It is foolish on the part of an ordinary manto go for gauging the depth of power of God inthe different incarnations which is beyond theconception of sages and saints.

The Chidatma and the Chitsakti are toobserve and converse of the same coin that is theAbsolute Reality or Brahma. When void of anyaction it is Brahma, and when engaged in creation,preservation and destruction by the help of thethree gunas, sattva, raja and tama, it is theAdyasakti or primal power. Brahma is Purusa andhis power is Prakrti. So Prakrti is the dynamicmanifestation of Brahma in shape of thephenomenal creation with everything that belongsto it. At times, Brahma is conjunction with hisprimal power, the Adyasakti or yogamayaincarnations in dual form to save the creation fromasurika forces. Such an incarnation was Radha -Krsna, essentially one incarnation but in twoforms.

Srikrsna is the Parama Purusa and SrimatiRadhika, his loving consort is the Prakrti. She istermed as Para Prakrti. In Sanskrit as well as inOriya, 'Para' means 'another' or 'other'.According to our scriptures the word 'Para' alsorefers to Srestha or Supreme Chief which isPurusa. So Prakrti is always at work to pleasePurusa. She has completely surrendered her heartand soul for the satisfaction of Purusa. But Purusa,though feigning indifference, is pleased at heartand charmed at the selfless love and restlessnessof Prakrti to please Him. The whole creation isimmersed in everlasting joy at this sweet selflessand blissful intercourse between the Purusa andPrakrti. Prakrti is always eager to execute thelonging of her beloved in the phenomenal worldfor which she is very swift, agile and always on ather heels. Though enjoying the full bliss of beingmerged with Nirguna Purusa, she does not havethe slightest trace of desire. She mergescompletely with Purusa. The whole creation istransformed to Vrndavana, the place of sportiveunion of Radha and Krsna. Prakrti goes intosamadhi while in communion with Purusa. The

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playful and loving activities of Prakrti move herbeloved counterpart Purusa who is overwhelmedwith intensity of divine love and forgetting hisconsciousness entreats Radha, the Prakrti, withthe expression "Dehi pada pallavamudaram".

At the advent of spring, Prakrti in form ofnature throbs with new life and inspires the wholecreation. She has assumed this inspiring form forthe pleasure and happiness of Purusa. In thewords of the poet Prakrti is "RtunamKusumakarah". Having adorned the bosom of theblue-coloured Lord with all that is best andpleasing, the every playful Prakrti merges herselfwith Purusa and it is this blissful conjoined unionof Purusa and Prakrti which has been transformedinto the heavenly inter-communion of Radha andMadhava. The Vasanta Lila as described in theGitagovinda is only a spark of the eternal lila ofRadha and Madhava going on infinitely. On theinfinite powers of God the main three are : 1 .Maya, 2. Svarupa, 3. Tatastha. By his MayasaktiGod has created the world, Svarupa Sakti is thatwith which he rests in the eternal lila and by his'tatastha' power the universe is regulated andgoverned.

The Svarupa Sakti again can be dividedinto three composites i.e. sat, chit and ananda.The term 'sat' means real and existing for ever,meaning, he who always exists. The entire worldis His manifestation. God being the ultimate sourceof power lends a spark to others and createsthem. This is what is known as sandhini power ofGod. 'chit' means intellect knowledge, wisdomand consciousness. From the continuous flow ofhis wisdom or consciousness, a particle ofconsciousness has come down to this worldmaking it aware of itself conscious. He is theSupreme of all consciousness. He makes othersconscious by His own power. This is known assambit power of God. Lastly God is ananda orbliss incarnate. Ananda means joy, delight andbliss. All bliss owe their origin to God. The animateworld feels pleasure or Ananda only through His

grace. The power with which He delights others,is known as the alhadini sakti or the pleasingpower. As the soul is in constant communion withGod, he feels the pleasure and there lurks in hismind a thirst for enjoying the bliss of life. But dueto spell of maya or illusion, he forgets. It is Godwho feels the pleasure and pain in the creation inform of man. By reaching Brahma, theembodiment of permanent bliss the thirst of soulfor real joy and happiness is quenched. So theUpanisads say "Rasovaisati, rasam habyamlabdhanti bhavati" . In other words soul enjoysthe fullness of heavenly joy by obtaining the graceof God, the source of permanent bliss.

Every jiva or soul pines for testing thepleasures of life. But to taste the bliss of life, oneshould intensify his feelings for divine love of God.When the feelings for love of God are intensifiedthis is known as bhava. Unless bhava is awakenedat heart, it is not possible to realise God and Hisbliss. The permanent joy and happiness which onederives by communion with God is termed asnectar and is far above the so called happinessand material comforts of the material world. Whenbhava grows intense it turns into mahabhava whichlinks the self with the Supreme Self of God. Wecannot hope for the grace of God for ensuringthe fulfilment of our worldly desires. But on theother hand we should be prepared to sacrifice allwe have in a selfless spirit to gain Him. Love ofGod should be cultivated at heart for the sake ofGod and not for any ulterior motive. The greatpoet Jayadeva has mentioned in the Gitagovinda :

" Hariravimani rajaniridani miyamapijativiramKurumamavachanam sattvara rachanam

purayasri hmadhuripukamam"(Gitagovinda -11-7)

It is Krsna who is Madhuripu. His will isthe only truth. The jiva or soul should exert himselfheart and soul to fit into His divine will. One whois deeply engrossed in the material comforts of

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the world can hardly think of God. So the jiva orsoul should proceed cautiously on the path ofspiritual discipline, and sing and hear the gloriouslila or activities of God with a purified heart freefrom worldliness and then obtain His grace.

Love is supernatural and God is loveincarnate and the only source of Divine joy. Thisworld has been designed by God, as a universalschool of Love. Love is divinely bestowed uponman. Out of ignorance the jiva or soul cannotrealise that feelings of Love are the gifts of Godwhich lead him to the kingdom of heaven. Loveis the essence of His creation. The Lord orPurusottama appears as the universe with thenectar of divine love and his loving manifestationin every object of this phenomenal world turns itto a paradise.

God exists both within and without theanimate world. The primary stage of Divine Loveis bhakti or intensive yearning and restlessnessfor God which ultimately leads the jiva to thebosom of God. By His will this universe is oceanof love. This instinct of Love which God hasbestowed on his creation, should be fully utilisedby the jiva to reach the summit of God-realisationand enjoy perpetual Love. The aspirant who ismad for this Divine Love shall consider thematerial world as vile dust polluted with the mostdisagreeable stuff. In order to achieve the God inhimself one should practise Karmayoga,Jnanayoga and Bhaktiyoga. For this, many saintsand sages in the past had to undergo most severeyogic penance and austerities to be blessed withLove of God. It is a pity that some others do nothave the rudimentary conception of God and theDivine Love. They equate love with carnal desire.God has created this world for His lila. As longas there is the creation this continuous flow ofDivine Love will enliven the heart of every livingbeing wherein the seed of love shall germinate.

Unless the desires of the mind arecompletely annihilated, love of God can never be

acquired. Spiritual austerity is the only way to puta stop to the desires of the mind. Desirelessnessleads to acquisition of Love of God which in courseof time is transformed to mahabhava that mergesthe soul with the Supreme Self or Brahma. TheGopis had gained this desirelessness of mindthrough varied modes of spiritual discipline andpenance as a result of which they were blessedwith co-union with God. It is very difficult todiscriminate between one's desire and the will ofGod without purification of heart. Many believetheir own desires to be those of the Lord whichonly exposes their foolishness. One can hope torealise the will of God if he reaches the level ofthe Gopis in the plane of selfless love for Godand to enjoy the bliss of Gods' grace even withoutany spiritual penance. This is the real samadhiwhich is possible only due to passionate andintense love for God.

The Rasalila of God marks the climax ofDivine Love. It is this love which has beentransformed to ananda or eternal bliss. To loveGod and His creation is what is known as premaor Divine Love. Attachment to sensual objects ofthis material world is Kama or lust whereasattachment to God is termed as Love. Kama orlust leads the jiva to darkness of ignorancewhereas love for God shines out like the sundispelling darkness. In the Rasalila of vrndavana,lust or carnal delight was controlled and divertedto blissful eternal love of God. In the scripturesMadana is considered to be the god of Love. Ashe originates from mind, he is known as Manasija.Mind is always fickle which sways between realand unreal tendencies. In the ordinary sense kamaor lust that is physical intercourse and real love assome say cannot be conceived separately in thisworld. Instead of curbing Madana, the god ofLove, his blessings are to be invoked for divertingthe lust towards inter-communion with God toattain perfection in life. It is Rasalila itself which isLove incarnate free from any sexual tendency.This represents the very soul of the Bhagavataand the Vedanta.

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The essence and the principles underlyingthe conception of Radha and Krsna should bestudied first before coming to the lila itself. In orderto understand and assimilate the lila of Radha andKrsna as described in the Gitagovinda, one shouldfirst try to conceive at heart the philosophy of lifein the context of self and the supreme self and theconnective link in between. It is difficult to followthe importance of the lila without a purified heart.So this is known as Achintya Bhedabheda.

Srikrsna who is omnipotent andomnipresent is the sole guide of this creation. Hispeerless blue-coloured body resembling the blackclouds embodies numberless stars and planetswhich are governed by His direction. Can anybody expect to conceive Him or win Him who isso powerful ? Yes, He can be conceived and wonover only by love or selfless and passionateyearning for Him. Unlike the sages who underwentgreat spiritual penance and physical privations, adevotee can attract Him by virtue of intensity ofbhava or mahabhava termed as prema, the highestspiritual stage. Srimati Radhika, the primal poweror the Adyasakti is the most perfect illustration ofsuch selfless intense love for her beloved Srikrsna.Brahma is nirguna and formless. But he has thelonging to taste his own bliss, through this creationwhich is known as love. He incarnates himself inthe world to enjoy the love and devotion of hisdevotees. Prakrti in form of Srimati Radhika isable to quench his thirst for infinite and selflesslove.

On reaching the highest stage of knowledgeone enters into the kingdom of bhakti whichintensifies to bhava, the inner feelings of the heart.Every atom of the creation is changed with loveof God. A spark of consciousness descends formGod which constitutes the soul. The formless Godis to be meditated in the Lotus of the heart of adevotee with intensified feelings of bhava. It isdifficult for the average man to conceive at heartthe formless God without a concrete shape tomeditate upon which serves as a medium and this

leads to image worship of God. In the process ofspiritual meditation, an aspirant has to proceedfrom the gross to the subtle by the help of an imageof God in a form according to his own fancy andliking.

Without this, meditation becomes verydifficult. This is the basis of Idol or Image worshipadopted by the Hindus. The Gopis belong to thekingdom of Love who won the Love of Godthrough passionate yearning and restlessness andSrimati Radhika was the central figure among themand also the most glorifying illustration of this sortof love for God. By entertaining at heart the imageand spirit of Srimati Radhika, the aspirant canachieve success and realise God.

In the Upanisads the Bliss of God isconsidered to be the Brahma Itself. The universeowes its creation and destruction to fulfillment ofthis bliss of God. It is this bliss of God or Brahmawhich was incarnated as Nandanandana (son ofNanda) Srikrsna. The most arduous penancemade by the sages in the dense forest culminatedin the Vrndavana Lila of God. The yogis and thesages eagerly waiting for ages together for theirunion with that heavenly form of peerless beauty,plunged at last in the ocean of Nitya Lila atVrndavan and obtained blissful contentment bytesting the nectar thereof. The sakti which createsthis Nitya Lila of God is his pleasing counterpartknown as Alhadini Sakti or Srimati Radhika. Onehas to shelter himself under a true preceptorwithout which it is not possible to obtain the graceof Srimati Radhika, the blessful power and theembodiment of mahabhava, the most intensifiedform of Bhakti.

The jiva cannot taste the divine love ofVrndavana Lila without enkindling at heart thespirit of Radha. This intense love for God ispossible only when the jiva is free form the worldlyattachments. In the heart of the emancipated soulthe formless Divine Love blossoms and it is

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considered to be Vrndavana. The pleasingcounterpart Srimati Radhika is the goddess ofVrndavana. The jiva eagers to obtain its spirit,runs after Srimati Radhika who is always on eternalquest for her beloved Madhava. There is blissfulunion of Radha and Madhava after pangs ofseparation. This process of hide and seekbetween the lover and the beloved shall continueas long as the creation exists.

To realise the God-consciousness it isnecessary to purify the heart. For this the aspirantshould surrender his heart and soul at the lotusfeet of God. Purusa, the beloved of Prakrti is theobject of love and devotion of an aspirant. Theprinciple of Purusottama of Sri Aurovindo isbased on this. After reaching the highest stage ofspiritual enlightment, the jiva merges with Brahmaand becomes soham according to AdvaitaPhilosophy. It is only by selfless love and intenseyearning at heart that a deovtee can haverealisation of God. One may enter to rigid andsevere Yogic discipline and penance for obtaininggrace of God, but it is easier to realise Him byvirtue of pure and stainless love. A true devoteealways thinks of God, weeps for him and his hairsstand at the end, the moment he utters or hearsthe name of God. By considering God to be hisown, the aspirant feels a divine impulse in his heartand sees in it the reflection of blissful communionof jiva and Brahma. God resides in the heart ofthe devotee in the nitya Lila place which isVrndavana. Entering into the kingdom of love anddevotion the jiva shall merge into perpetual blissand reach the climax of Divine love. Intense lovefor God is based on Bhava or innermost feelingsof the heart which gains intensity and terms intomahabhava. Srimati Radhika was thepersonification of mahabhava. So the ultimate goalof a devotee is to cultivate and assimilate the spiritof Radha for the sake of achieving the God-head.

There is manifestation of the power of Godin the minutest particles of the world and the animalworld. That is why the whole creation appears

beautiful. An elastic mind with child like simplicityis required to appreciate and realise this heavenlybeauty.

In the Kaliyuga, the path of Bhakti has beenrecommended by the sages as the easiest meansto realise God. But this has been pictured in sucha way that an average man cannot comprehendit. The human society has in course of theevolutionary process reached the present stageof its development. The mysterious secretsunderlying the spiritual sphere shall be unfoldedand people will realise their greatness in promotingreligious development.

The heavenly saints of God in their missionto enlighten mankind on the spiritual path and topreach their gospels on the divinity of the creationappear in human society in shape of incarnationsof God or holy preceptors to acquaint mankindwith the mysterious and playful activities of thecreation of God and enkindle the light of God inthe heart of purified liberated soul thus fulfillingtheir mission. They do not aim at emancipation oftheir own souls by spiritual discipline, but theirchief mission is to bring about a super-humantransformation of the world. The power of thesoul is to be rejuvenated and this awakening ofthe soul shall in communion with the supreme selfbe greatest achievement of a spiritual aspirant.This spiritual odour shall spread from the individualto the society taking refuge in the lotus feet of theLord and the society shall be that of the Yogis orspiritual aspirants. Jayadeva was one of suchheavenly saints with a mission. It was a differentmission - not to preach and sermonise, but toteach and entertain. It was entertainment with adivine purpose of God-realization.

Prafulla Chandra Tripathy lives at Plot No.1181,Govindaprasad, Bomikhal, Bhubaneswar.

orissa review # may - 2008 -...

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