SB:1.10.23:
Lord's transcendenatal form is perceived by those who have purified their mind of all material consciousness by dint of rigid devotional service and fully controlling their life and senses.
- Senses can't be artificially controlled. Eg: Vishvamitra Muni. They need engagement. Devotees, by engaging the active senses in the devotional service, prevent them from being allured by inferior engagements. BG also confirms : Senses can be controlled by only better engaements. This is the only and easiest means of sense control.
- Sense control is possible only when mind is freed from material desires arising from material consciousness. Anything engaged in devotional service is purified of material contamination. Material contamination is due to ignorance only. To one engaged in serving the Lord, by His grace all factual knowledge is revealed within the heart and thus, the darkness of ignorance is dissipated.
So devotional service not only necessitates engaging the senses in the service of the Lord but also purifies them of material nature. By serving Hrshikesa, the master of senses, senses are spiritualized and then one can attain liberation.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
For Your Pleasure
Krsna always contemplates on pleasing His devotees, that's why He is always blissful! HG RadheyShyam Pr, in a recent lecture, was discussing Lord's reciprocation with His pure devotee Bhishma Deva. He spoke of incidences where Lord is acting to bestow transcendental joy upon him.
After the battle of Kurukshetra, Yudhishthir Maharaj was lamenting for the massacre that took place in the battlefield and blaming himself. He was thinking that due to his greed to acquire the throne of Hastinapur, he has caused so many women go widows, children fatherless and old people have been rendered without any support. Lord personally tried to pacify him, great sages like Vyasa Deva spoke Shastras, but to no avail. Lord then desired that Yudhishthir Maharaj accompanied by brothers should visit their grand-father, Bhishma Deva because he was on his death bed. It was Lord's desire that Bhishma speak to Yudhishthir Maharaj about religious principles and pacify him. When Bhishma deva spoke to Pandavas, headed by Yudhishthir, he was immediately relieved of all his lamentation. Thus, Lord glorified the excellence of His devotee in subtle knowledge.
Before coming to meet Bhishma Lord asked Pandavas to dress themselves very opulently and ride on golden chariots. Although coronation ceremony had not been done yet but they all adorned beautiful crowns and came in front of their grand father. Bhishma Deva was most affectionate to the sons of Pandu and pained at heart to see them suffer terribly at the hands of envious Duryodhana. Understanding his desire to see them in royal attire at the last moments of his life, Lord instructed Pandavas thus.
Bhishma prayed to the Lord as he was lying on the bed of arrows and expressed his gratitude to the Lord for being present before him at those moments. Lord's devotees always want to behold His beautiful form. Bhishma Deva also desired to see His four handed Vishnu form. Fixing his eyes on the beautiful form of the Lord, he submerged his mind in continous remembrance of Lord's pastimes. Lord thus, fulfilled his heart's desire by being personally present before him.
Most of the prayers are glorifying the exchange of love between Lord and His devotee in chivalrous humor. Lord's body is transcendental. His body and soul are one and the same. However, on the battlefield, to reciprocate with the love of Bhishma Deva Lord manifests wounds and blood on His body. Lord breaks His own vow to protect Arjuna and fulfill the words of Bhishma Deva.
Krsna, to protect Arjuna, picks up the chariot wheel and runs towards Bhishma Deva thereby breaking His own vow. Lord has inconceivable potency. He could have protected Arjuna without breaking lifting that wheel. But Lord forsakes His own vow to fulfill the desires of Bhishma Deva. Moreover, Lord did not invoke Sudarshan rather picked up a chariot wheel just to intensify the rasa.
Bhishma Deva relished witnessing the beautiful Partha-Sarathi form of the Lord which even Arjuna could not witness because he was standing behind the Lord whereas Bhishma deva was in the front. SP writes, "..Bhīṣmadeva never forgot the beautiful feature of the Lord as Pārtha-sārathi, which even Arjuna could not see. Arjuna was behind the beautiful Pārtha-sārathi while Bhīṣmadeva was just in front of the Lord. As far as the military feature of the Lord is concerned, Bhīṣmadeva observed this with more relish than Arjuna..."
Joy of heart is derived from helping and pleasing others. When we contemplate on pleasing others then we'll be happy. There is the real juice. Attitude of pleasing others has been exemplified by Lord all the time. Krsna to please Vrajavasis went to the extent of becoming a small baby and being dragged by calves in the dust of Vrndavana. I can tell from personal experience, a life of selfishness, putting one's own needs infront of everybody else, is the most miserable life because we endeavor with a hope to be happy but it does not satisfy. Just frustrating. Therefore I find great inspiration from the following realization of HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj as he shares it in his book,
"To please others is not always easy, but it is part of my deepest nature to wish to do so."
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/inconveniences-for-pleasing-others/personal-inconveniences-pleasing
SB:1.9.34: "On the battlefield [where Śrī Kṛṣṇa attended Arjuna out of friendship], the flowing hair of Lord Kṛṣṇa turned ashen due to the dust raised by the hoofs of the horses. And because of His labor, beads of sweat wetted His face. All these decorations, intensified by the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows, were enjoyed by Him. Let my mind thus go unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa."
After the battle of Kurukshetra, Yudhishthir Maharaj was lamenting for the massacre that took place in the battlefield and blaming himself. He was thinking that due to his greed to acquire the throne of Hastinapur, he has caused so many women go widows, children fatherless and old people have been rendered without any support. Lord personally tried to pacify him, great sages like Vyasa Deva spoke Shastras, but to no avail. Lord then desired that Yudhishthir Maharaj accompanied by brothers should visit their grand-father, Bhishma Deva because he was on his death bed. It was Lord's desire that Bhishma speak to Yudhishthir Maharaj about religious principles and pacify him. When Bhishma deva spoke to Pandavas, headed by Yudhishthir, he was immediately relieved of all his lamentation. Thus, Lord glorified the excellence of His devotee in subtle knowledge.
Before coming to meet Bhishma Lord asked Pandavas to dress themselves very opulently and ride on golden chariots. Although coronation ceremony had not been done yet but they all adorned beautiful crowns and came in front of their grand father. Bhishma Deva was most affectionate to the sons of Pandu and pained at heart to see them suffer terribly at the hands of envious Duryodhana. Understanding his desire to see them in royal attire at the last moments of his life, Lord instructed Pandavas thus.
Bhishma prayed to the Lord as he was lying on the bed of arrows and expressed his gratitude to the Lord for being present before him at those moments. Lord's devotees always want to behold His beautiful form. Bhishma Deva also desired to see His four handed Vishnu form. Fixing his eyes on the beautiful form of the Lord, he submerged his mind in continous remembrance of Lord's pastimes. Lord thus, fulfilled his heart's desire by being personally present before him.
Most of the prayers are glorifying the exchange of love between Lord and His devotee in chivalrous humor. Lord's body is transcendental. His body and soul are one and the same. However, on the battlefield, to reciprocate with the love of Bhishma Deva Lord manifests wounds and blood on His body. Lord breaks His own vow to protect Arjuna and fulfill the words of Bhishma Deva.
Krsna, to protect Arjuna, picks up the chariot wheel and runs towards Bhishma Deva thereby breaking His own vow. Lord has inconceivable potency. He could have protected Arjuna without breaking lifting that wheel. But Lord forsakes His own vow to fulfill the desires of Bhishma Deva. Moreover, Lord did not invoke Sudarshan rather picked up a chariot wheel just to intensify the rasa.
Bhishma Deva relished witnessing the beautiful Partha-Sarathi form of the Lord which even Arjuna could not witness because he was standing behind the Lord whereas Bhishma deva was in the front. SP writes, "..Bhīṣmadeva never forgot the beautiful feature of the Lord as Pārtha-sārathi, which even Arjuna could not see. Arjuna was behind the beautiful Pārtha-sārathi while Bhīṣmadeva was just in front of the Lord. As far as the military feature of the Lord is concerned, Bhīṣmadeva observed this with more relish than Arjuna..."
Joy of heart is derived from helping and pleasing others. When we contemplate on pleasing others then we'll be happy. There is the real juice. Attitude of pleasing others has been exemplified by Lord all the time. Krsna to please Vrajavasis went to the extent of becoming a small baby and being dragged by calves in the dust of Vrndavana. I can tell from personal experience, a life of selfishness, putting one's own needs infront of everybody else, is the most miserable life because we endeavor with a hope to be happy but it does not satisfy. Just frustrating. Therefore I find great inspiration from the following realization of HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj as he shares it in his book,
"To please others is not always easy, but it is part of my deepest nature to wish to do so."
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/inconveniences-for-pleasing-others/personal-inconveniences-pleasing
SB:1.9.34: "On the battlefield [where Śrī Kṛṣṇa attended Arjuna out of friendship], the flowing hair of Lord Kṛṣṇa turned ashen due to the dust raised by the hoofs of the horses. And because of His labor, beads of sweat wetted His face. All these decorations, intensified by the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows, were enjoyed by Him. Let my mind thus go unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa."
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