Gaura Purnima

Dear reader, today devotees all over the world celebrate the appearance day of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So here's an excerpt from "Golden Volcano." May this day find you absorbed in service to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

Golden Volcano of Divine Love 

by Bhakti Rakshak Shridhar Dev Goswami

The Golden Avatar

In the teachings of Karabhajana Rsi we find mention of the different incarnations for different ages  (yugavataras). In Dvapara-yuga, the yugavatara is mentioned as follows:

dvapare bhagavan syamah 

pita-vasa nijayudhah 

srivatsadibhir ankais ca 

laksanair upalaksitah

In Dvapara-yuga, Lord Krsna appears with the color of a dark rain cloud, wearing lightning-colored garments. He is decorated with beautiful ornaments. His chest bears the mark of Srivatsa, and He carries His own weapons.

After the description of the yugavatara of Dvapara-yuga, Karabhajana Rsi mentions the kali-yugavatara:

iti dvapara urv-isa 

stuvanti jagad-isvaram 

nana-tantra-vidhanena 

kalav api tatha srnu

He says, "O King, up to Dvapara-yuga, I have finished describing the incarnations for different ages who come to remind the people of the most appropriate duty for their age. They come and tell us, 'If you do this, you will get the greatest benefit.' O King, after the Dvapara age is finished, the age of Kali comes. The incarnation for the age of Kali has been mentioned in many places in the scriptures, and now I am just going to explain that information to you." (S.B. 11.5.31)

Then he says:

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam

sangopangastra parsadam

yajnaih sankirtana prayair

yajanti hi su-medhasah

In a suppressed way, this verse explains the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The ordinary meaning of krsna-varnam is "of a black color." But tvisakrsnam means "His luster is not black." Accompanied by His associates, He is worshiped by the process of sankirtana, the chanting of the holy name of Krsna, and those of sharp intellect will perform this kind of worship.

Golden Gift of the Golden Lord

Jiva Goswami explains the meaning of this verse in his own parallel verse:

antah krsnam bahir gauram

darsitangadi-vaibhavam

kalau ankirtanadyai sma

krsna-caitanyam asritah

"I take shelter of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is outwardly of a golden complexion, but is inwardly Krsna Himself. In this age of Kali, He displays His expansions while performing congregational chanting of the holy name of Krsna. That He is blackish within means that internally He is Krsna; that He is golden without means that He has accepted the mood of Srimati Radharani. In the age of Kali, that Golden Lord is seen accompanied by His expansions, associates, and intimate devotees performing sankirtana."

Someone may argue that the meaning of krsna-varnam is that His color is black and His luster is also black. But how is this possible? That would be redundant. The conjunction between the words tvisaand akrsnam mean that His color is krsna, black, but His luster is akrsna: not black. Then, someone might say, "Not black does not necessarily mean golden. Why should it mean golden?" The answer is found in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Once, Vasudeva sent the astrologer-priest Garga Rsi to Vrndavana to perform the name-giving ceremony for Krsna. At that time, Garga Rsi came to the house of Nanda Maharaja and explained that Vasudeva had sent him. He said, "Your child is now a little grown up and the name-giving ceremony must be performed." At that time, he spoke the following verse:

asan vamas trayo hy asya 

grhnato 'nuyugam tanuh

suklo raktas tatha pita

idanim krsnatam gatah

In past incarnations, this boy has appeared with different complexions: white, red, and gold, according to the particular age in which He appeared. Now He has assumed this blackish color."

He said, "Krsna comes in a white color in Satya-yuga, red in Treta-yuga, and He also comes with a golden complexion. Now in this Dvapara-yuga He has come in a black color." So the reference to the golden color (pita) is found here, because only that color has been left for this present age of Kali. There is another reference to this golden color in the Upanisads: yada pasya pasyate rukma varnam:"Krsna, the Supreme Brahman, appears in a golden form." Rukma varnam means golden. And here also, non-black means golden.

Krsna wanted to come as the incarnation for this age of Kali, as well as to fulfill His promise in Vrndavana: "I shall chant the glory of the gopis, especially of Radharani. I shall chant Her name. Her glory, and roll in the dust of the earth!" But Radharani said, "\ won't allow Your body to roll in the dust of this earth. I shall cover You with My luster." Both the mood as well as the luster of Radharani capture Krsna when He comes here in Kali-yuga. And this does not occur in all Kali-yugas, but only in a special Kali-yuga.

In all the days of Brahma, in every yuga, the yugavatara comes, but Krsna appears only once in a day of Brahma, or once every 4.3 billion years. At that time, the Original Personality of Godhead (svayam bhagavan) appears along with His abodes, Vrndavana and Navadwipa. And Krsna and Mahaprabhu do not come here alone, but They come with Their paraphernalia and suitable companions.

Sweetness Tasting Itself

And in this age of Kali, He performs a double function: He preaches nama-sankirtana, and more important. He assumes the mood of Radharani to taste His own sweetness, rasa. He is rasa Himself. Krsna thinks, "What is the intensity of the finest rasa in Me? I would like to taste that." But only devotees can taste that, so He took the position of Radharani to taste Himself as Krsna, the central final and perfect abode of rasa. Only Radharani can taste the maximum rasa, so He has to take Her nature, Her mood and temperament to taste His own intrinsic ecstasy. For that reason He descended. His first duty was to spread nama-sankirtana, and the secondary, internal, private duty was to perform bhajana-vibhajan, to taste His own intrinsic ecstasy in the mood of Radharani. In Puri, with Ramananda Raya, Svarupa Damodara, and other intimate associates. He tasted that great ocean of union in separation continuously for twelve years. In His last twelve years. He passed His time only in the process of tasting that mellow.

That incarnation is generally worshiped by sankirtana. Without sankirtana, Gauranga and His paraphernalia cannot be worshiped. He is the propounder of sankirtana, He loves sankirtana, and He gets satisfaction only by sankirtana. Only those who have sufficient merit (sukrti-van), will worship Him by this process. The common mob cannot join this campaign. Those who have good guidance internally, good fortune, can catch the very gist of truth and engage in this process of nama-sankirtana.

Love is Supreme

A rubbish-brain cannot detect what is right or wrong, or how precious this is. He cannot understand or follow this higher line of thought. A man should be judged by his ideal, his aspiration for higher things. If the ideal is great, the man is great. What should be the highest ideal? Love. Love is the supreme thing. It is the most rare and precious thing. Divine love and beauty is the highest thing ever known to the world, and those who can catch this are really possessed of good intellect (su-medhasah). And one who possesses this highest ideal should be considered to be a man of higher order. He alone can understand and practice sankirtana. He alone can take to this path, this process of satisfying the Supreme Being by chanting the holy name of the Lord.

The Hidden Incarnation

This is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, as well as in the Mahdbharata and other Vedic scriptures. Karabha-jana Rsi, the last of the nine great yogis, has given us a clue to understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the special incarnation for the age. He has mentioned the incarnation for this age of Kali in a mystic way. We may think, why has this not been described very plainly? So manyavatdras are clearly described, but when Srimad-Bhagavatam describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the incarnation for the age of Kali, it is discussed in a mystic way. The answer is found in the teachings of Prahlada Maharaja, who says, "O Lord, one of Your names is Triyuga, meaning one who incarnates in three ages—Satya, Treta, and Dvapara—but not in Kali. And why? Because the incarnation for the age of Kali is in disguise (channah kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam)."

Here we find the key to this mystic way of representing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the fortunate and intelligent circle (su-med-hasah), that ordinary people may not have any clue.

dhyeyam sada paribhava-ghnam abhista-doham

tirthaspadam siva-virinci-nutam saranyam

bhrtyarti-ham pranata-pala bhavabdhi-potam

vande maha-purusa te caranaravindam

"O Mahaprabhu, Your lotus feet are the highest object of meditation, for they not only destroy the pain of material existence, but they bestow the greatest fulfillment to all souls who take shelter beneath them. Your lotus feet even purify all saintly persons and holy places. Lord Siva and Lord Brahma aspire to take shelter beneath Your lotus feet. 0 Mahaprabhu, You give shelter to all who simply bow down before You. You relieve all the miseries of Your surrendered servants. In the grand ship of Your lotus feet, we can cross over this ocean of material miseries. 0 Mahaprabhu, I bow down before Your lotus feet."

After mentioning the incarnation of Godhead for the age of Kali, Srimad-Bhdgavatam suddenly begins this song in praise of that great yugavatara, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. With a grand voice theBhagavatam has come to sing the praise of that guide for Kali-yuga. This follows the verse which hints at the avatara of Kali-yuga. Krsna-varnam means one who is always describing Krsna, who always has on his lips the words "Krsna, Krsna, Krsna." Another meaning of this expression is "One who is Krsna Himself, but whose luster is not black." If we look deeply, we shall find that hidden beneath His golden luster is the blackish body of Krsna. With His own paraphernalia He has come to this plane, and service to Him is performed only by sankirtana, divine sound in mass prayer. By that symptom we can recognize His divine position.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a hidden incarnation; He comes in disguise. Such an avatara is worshiped by the divinely intellectual. In this way, the Srimad-Bhagavatam first describes that uncommon, extraordinary personality, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in a mystic way and then proclaims His nobility and His greatness.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam explains, "That same personality who came as Ramacandra and Krsna has again appeared. He has come to direct you to the real fulfillment of life. He is drawing the sweetest nectar from above for the sake of everyone. Only meditate on Him and all your troubles will be finished. He is the agent purifying all the holy places of pilgrimage and great saintly persons by His touch, by His sankirtana, by His drawing the highest things down from the highest plane. And even Brahma and Siva, puzzled by His noble gift, will begin to praise Him. They will eagerly aspire to take shelter under His lotus feet in surrender. The pains of all who come to serve Him will be removed, and their inner necessities will be fulfilled. 

And He will take care of those who take shelter of Him; they will be given protection as well as everything they may need. In this world where mortality rules, where we are continually experiencing the undesirable changes of repeated birth and dea th, in this area where no one wants to live, a great ship will come for us and take us within and carry us away from this unpleasant position. Let us fall at the feet of that great personality who comes to give the highest nectar." The Srimad-Bhagavatam continues:

tyaktvasu-dustyaja-surepsita-rajya-laksmim

dharmistha arya-vacasa yad agad aranyam

maya-mrgam dayitayepsitam anvadhavad

vande maha-purusa te caranaravindam

"O Supreme Lord, You gave up the goddess of fortune and Her great opulence, which is most difficult to abandon, and is sought after even by the gods. In order to perfectly establish the principles of religion. You left for the forest to honor the brahmana's curse. To deliver the sinful souls who chase illusory pleasures. You search after them and award them Your devotional service. At the same rime. You are engaged in search of Yourself, in search for Sri Krsna: reality the beautiful."

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given his explanation that although it seems that this verse applies to Lord Ramacandra, who left His kingdom and went with Sitadevi to the forest to discharge the duties designed by His father, this also applies to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. 

Visvanatha has drawn out the internal meaning of this verse and applied it in the case of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Tyakva su-dustyaja-surepsita-raj ya-laksmim means He left imperial prosperity which is hard to abandon. Generally we find this in the case ot Lord Ramacandra, but Visvanatha Cakravarh Thakura says that surepsita-rajya-laksmim means the valuable devotional company of Visnupriya-devi. 

That may not appear to be a materially big thing, but the dedication that Visnupriya has shown in Her heart for Sriman Mahaprabhu is greater than any imperial standard. And He had to leave that behind. Such a standard of sacrifice and service is never found even among the great society of the gods. For the sake of the public welfare He had to ignore the serving, loving attitude of Visnupriya.

The Curse of a Brahmana

This verse mentions the curse of a brahmana. That brahmana told Sriman Mahaprabhu, "I want to participate in Your nocturnal kirtanas in which You taste krsna-lila, but the doors are closed." When Sriman Mahaprabhu used to perform kirtana and taste the vraja-lila of Krsna, He did so behind closed doors in deep night. But this brahmana thought himself a very qualified, religious person because he lived by only drinking milk and nothing else, so he said, "\ must have entrance into that kirtana. I do not eat anything but milk; why should I not be allowed?" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "Milk drinking is no qualification for entering into Krsna consciousness." 

The brahmana said, "Then I curse You to lose your family life!" "All right," Mahaprabhu said and accepted the curse. And later He tooksannyasa and chased after those who were misguided by Mayadevi in order to save them. At the same time , although He is Krsna, He accepted the mood of Sriman Radharani. For these two reasons. He left His apparently worldly life: He acted for the welfare of the public and, after finishing that work, spent the next twelve years tasting the very inner aspiration of Sriman Radharani and searching after His own inner sweetness. This was what he came to show to the world. In this mystic way, Srimad-Bhagavatam has proclaimed the magnanimous appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Mexican Pyramid in Cambodia

Here is a brief out-take from the film we were working on in Cambodia: We visit a Mexican Pyramid in the Jungles of Cambodia. Actually this is an ancient Vishnu or Shiva temple, but it resembles a Mexican Pyramid.

Every Wave is Favorable

THE PAṆḌAVAS MOURN

There by the banks of the holy river Ganges sat the noble Yudhiṣthira. He gazed down the river which had given birth to his grandfather Bhiṣma, so many generations past. Gandhari was seated there along with the blind king Dhirtarastra who lamented greatly the horrors of war. The mighty Arjuna was seated there as well, along with his wife and his brothers.

The lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa, watching from his chariot, smiled. The great forest sages had gathered by the banks of the river to sanctify the peace after the great war. Then Kṛṣṇa spoke to pacify the hearts of the gathered mourners. He said, “The jealous Duryodhana did his best to steal the kingdom that was rightfully Yudhiṣthira’s, but now his time has past. His clever plots bore ill fruit; his envy did not reign.

“The kings who sought to destroy righteousness are resting quietly, their ashes born by the sacred river Ganges to their fate. All scores were settled. With the reign of Yudhisthira, dharma shall be restored.  It is time I depart.”

Indian Miniature Painting, Krishna on chariot, releases the defeated Rukmi

The gathered Paṇḍavas along with Draupadī prepared to say farewell to their intimate friend and ally Krishna, who had seen them through so many hardships. Krishna was ready to return to his rule in the kingdom of Dwaraka.  

KUNTĪ’S PRAYER

But as Krishna mounted his chariot was ready to depart, the mother of the Paṇḍavas,  Kuntī, raised her head and broke her silence.  

Having  offered Ganges water to the dead, Kuntī was mourning.  Wiping tears from her cheeks she turned to her nephew, the lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa and smiled. 

“Nephew." She said.

"You are my family. You were my brother's son. But, you are so much more than just a nephew to me, Kṛṣṇa." She said. "My father, you know, was the great king Kuntibhoja. But you spent so much time in Vrindaban, I used to think you were just a humble country boy. Now, you're all grown up. Look at you. And I can see your divine nature. Now I see you that you are much more than the boy from Vrindaban. You are greater than the greatest King. You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as you revealed yourself to my son, Arjuna."

“But even as King of Kings you always present yourself very humbly. You are King of Dwaraka, yet you drive the chariot of Arjuna as if you were only a horse trainer."

"But now I know you are God Himself, come to right the wrongs of this world. It is said that whenever dharma goes astray you appear."

"You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You exist within and without everything. Your true divine nature is  transcendental and beyond human understanding."

“And so, before you go, I bow to you. I am your old auntie Kunti. But let me kneel to you. You are my brother Vasudev's  child, You  were born in Mathura. Devaki, your mother, always loved you. But my brother took you to Vrindaban where you were adopted by Nanda. It was only to protect you from the cruel King, Kamsa. He put your mother in jail just to kill her babies. There was a prophecy that the child of Devaki would kill the king, so Kamsa killed her children. We had to protect you. That's why Vasudeva took you across the Yamuna river to Vrindaban. Vasudeva is my brother. So I was always your aunt, even before your sister Subhadra married my son Arjuna. She's a good girl. Arjuna will good care of her.

"But even though Vasudeva and Devaki were your parents, you were always Nanda's boy. Nanda and Yashoda. I am your royal aunt. But I bow to you,

 O lotus born, with lotus eyes and lotus feet. You have saved us all from so much suffering. Your mother was imprisoned by the cruel Kaṁsa, yet you saved her. And you have saved me again and again. You have saved my children from constant danger again and again, so I, sometimes I pray for danger, that I might see you and think of you again and again. When Duryodhana and his gang tried to kill my little Bhīma with a poisoned birthday cake, you were there. “

“When our house was set on fire, you were there. When we were chased by cannibals, you were there. You were there during our exile in the forest, and you were there when war was declared. And when the great battle was fought, you were there. And now you have saved us from the wrath of Droṇa’s son. O lotus-eyed you saved us from poison, from fire, from murderers and cannibals and also from the wrath of war. Sometimes I pray that fire may come close, that danger may threaten us, because I know that you will be there. I wish that all these troubles may come that we could only see you again. Therefore do not leave us now, but stay.”

Notes:

Once again I'm using a section from the Bhagavat Purana or Srimad Bhagavatam to draw out the meaning of the story of Mahabharata. This verse especially expresses the inner sense of Vaishnavism.

vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat

tatra tatra jagad-guro

bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād

apunar bhava-darśanam

SB 1.8.25

All these 

I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.25)

ca·lam·i·ty

kəˈlamədē/

noun

plural noun: calamities

1. an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.

   synonyms:

   disaster, catastrophe, tragedy, cataclysm, adversity, tribulation, affliction,misfortune, misadventure "she has survived more calamities in the past three months than most people experience in a lifetime"

Kunti says that bad news is good, because when there's bad news she remembers Krishna. 

Shridhara Maharaja comments on bad news:

"from all directions only good news is coming to me - no bad or unfavorable news. All favorable news will come to me if I can be on that level, that plane, if my ego can take a stand there. In that universal wave, every vibration will only carry favorable news to me."

"Not only is the environment not my enemy but we shall find out that this is the grace of the Lord. Whatever is coming to me like an enemy, this is the grace of the Lord. I can't see this. The dirt is on my eye. Rather, I see the opposite. But everything is divine. Such a searching attitude is necessary. All is the grace of the Lord. Really it is so but the disease is in my eye, the disease is in my feeling, the disease is in my ear. I am diseased and if that disease is cured I shall find I am in the midst of the graceful world, I am a member of the gracious world. Only the cover is deceiving me from having the real estimation of the world."

Here, Kunti is saying that even negative things are favorable, since they remind us of a higher power and the need for prayer. They bring us closer to God and Krishna. When we consider our eternal nature, we can understand that this world is temporary. With dedication on the eternal plane we will see that every wave is favorable. 

Once again, Shridhar Maharaja:

         tat te' nukampam susamiksamano

        bhunjana evatma-kritam vipakam

        hrid-vag-vapurbhir vidhan namas te

        jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

        (SB 10:14:8)

With the help of the guru, the scriptures, and the previous experienced persons, I shall try to stand the test, that "Yes, because the bile is so, everything is tasting bitter. But this process will remove the bile. I shall have to wait for some time, and when the bile is gone, I shall taste sugar candy as sweet." 

When normal, I will be able to feel that so many sweet waves are coming from all around to me. Maya santusta manasah sarvvah sukhamaya disah (SB 11:14:12). "For one who is satisfied with Me, then all the directions, all the four directions will bring only good news to him." All waves will carry only welfare to that person who is satisfied with God only and nothing else. "I want God, and His interests are my interest. He is the loving father, guardian, or friend of everyone." 

Now we are distracted and have many different interests, but if we can put God's interest in the center, then we shall be able to find, to read, that from all directions only good news is coming to me - no bad or unfavorable news. All favorable news will come to me if I can be on that level, that plane, if my ego can take a stand there. In that universal wave, every vibration will only carry favorable news to me. Maya santusta manasah, "He who is satisfied with Me alone, sarvvah sukhamaya disah, he will see that all the directions are only carrying happy news to him, cent-per-cent good news". So a readjustment is necessary, and religion means proper adjustment. We are now incorrectly adjusted and are concerned with different types of separate interests; that is the difficulty. We have to change and find out the universal interest. That universal wave is the most fundamental current. 

The Curse of Ashvatthama

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

Sanskrit version of Mahabharata inscribed on palm leaves

ASHVATTHAMA EXILED

Then Kṛṣṇa spoke saying “So be it.  Mercy is above  justice. But his crimes must not go unpunished. Arjuna?”

            With a nod from Yudhiṣthira and Bhīma, the mighty Arjuna withdrew his razor-sharp sword. He cut the sacred jewel from the forehead of Aśvatthāmā and shaved his brahminical top-knot. Thit this, that son of a brahmaṇa lost all luster and mystic power. His humiliation was worse than death.

Now, the lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa held his sudarṣana-chakra and fixed the wretched son of Droṇa with his glance and said:

“As for you: sinful wretch. Killer of children.  Coward. The rules of war forbid such awful murder. No warrior kills a child or sleeping foe. You do deserve to die for your foul crimes. And still the fire-born Draupadī pleads your cause. Enough blood has been shed. So to your sentence: For your foul deeds, slaying men and children in their sleep, let all men know you for a coward. May your name, Aśvatthāmā, be a synonym for coward, monster and wretch. “

And Krishna cursed him, saying,  “May you wander the planet for 3,000 years alone and hated by all. O wretch, you shall have no home, no comfort. The stench of blood and pus shall emanate from your vile body forever. Dark forests and parched deserts shall be your abode. You are exiled to wander the earth, O sinner, cursed by plagues and misfortunes.”

Bas Relief of Mahabharat War, Angkor Wat

And with this the foul Aśvatthāmā, whose jewel had been sundered from his head by the powerful Arjuna - was cursed to walk the earth in exile for thousands of years. Driven from the battlefield, powerless and impotent, by both vultures and vermin. Even Rakshasas recoiled at his foul smell as he vainly sought refuge in the dark forests.

The mighty Bhīmasena gave Draupadī the gem plucked from the head of the cruel Ashvatthama and said, “This jewel is yours, my lady. Rise, O black-eyed lady of Panchala, and leave your grieving. Now, Duryodhana has been slain, and all the kings who opposed our cause have been laid to rest. The envious princes who tormented the earth with their arms lie dead on these plains, their souls dispatched to heaven or hell. And the hope of the dynasty, Parikṣit, is safe in the womb of  Uttara. Behold we have torn this gem from the sinful head of Droṇa’s son.” And so saying, he handed the shining jewel to Draupadī.

Kurukshetra War. Traditional Painting, Rajasthan

Then Draupadī, rising from her grief turned to her husband, the noble Yudhiṣthira, and said: “This gem was torn from the head of Droṇa’s son, for he was unworthy. But Droṇa was your guru, your master. He taught you the use of weapons and how to rule. And so it is fitting that you take this jewel upon your head, my Lord, for it has great mystic power. My vow of vengeance is satisfied. I want no more blood.”

Draupadi insulted

And so saying, Draupadī returned the gem to her husband Yudhisthira the king, fixing it on his brow, where it began to glow a deep green.

The Pandavas watched as the cursed Aśvatthāmā wandered away from the battlefield, and slowly entered the forest to live out his exile.

And finally, the lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa, seated on his war chariot decked in gold spoke to the lady Uttara as follows:

“Your child, the heroic Parikṣit, attaining to age and a knowledge of the Vedas as well as the practice of pious vows, shall obtain all weapons from the son of Sharadvata. This righteous king shall rule for sixty years, and shall hear the knowledge of the Bhagavata from Shukadeva, the son of Vyāsa. This boy shall become the mighty-armed king of the Kurus. He shall be known as Parikṣit, who passed the test of fire.

Pariksit Maharaj hearing Bhagavat from Shukadev