Sri Krishna Kathamrita

Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa(

tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanam
Bindu
Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications

Issue No. 306 Śrī Kāmikā Ekādaśī 02 August 2013 Circulation 6,520
• The Kama-Gayatri
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
• Don’t Disturb Gaura’s Mood
Highlights

Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

• The Service of Srila Narottam Das Thakur
Adapted from Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakur’s Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara
• Humility
Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode
• God’s Idiots
A Poetic Translation of a Song by Namalwar

The Kama-Gayatri
His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Lord Krishna is worshiped by the gāyatrī mantra,
and the specific mantra by which He is worshiped
is called kāma-gāyatrī. Vedic literatures explain that
that sound vibration which can elevate one from
mental concoction is called gāyatrī. The kāma-gāyatrī
mantra is composed of 24½ syllables thus — klīṁ
kāma-devāya vidmahe puṣpa-bāṇāya dhīmahi tan no
‘naṅgaḥ pracodayāt.
This kāma-gāyatrī is received from the spiritual master
when the disciple is advanced in chanting hare kṛṣṇa
hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma
rāma hare hare. In other words, this kāma-gāyatrī mantra
and saṁskāra, or reformation of a perfect brāhmaṇa,
are offered by the spiritual master when he sees that
his disciple is advanced in spiritual knowledge. Even
then, the kāma-gāyatrī is not uttered under certain His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
circumstances. In any case, the chanting of Hare Krishna
is sufficient to elevate one to the highest spiritual half transcendental syllables. The mantra depicted in
platform. (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, chapter 31.) letters is also Krishna, and the mantra rises just like
The kāma-gāyatrī mantra is just like a Vedic hymn, the moon. Due to this, there is a perverted reflection of
but it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead himself. desire in human society and among all kinds of living
There is no difference between the kāma-gāyatrī and entities. In the mantra klīṁ kāma-devāya vidmahe puṣpa-
Krishna. Both are composed of twenty-four and a bāṇāya dhīmahi tan no ’naṅgaḥ pracodayāt, Krishna is
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called kāma-deva, puṣpa-bāṇa and anaṅga. Kāma-deva then how can he cry? “Oh, I am Krishna? I cannot cry
is madana-mohana, the deity who establishes our now.” (Embankment of Separation, pocket edition, p. 110.)
relationship with Krishna; puṣpa-bāṇa (“he who
carries an arrow made of flowers”) is Govinda, the
Personality of Godhead who accepts our devotional
service; and anaṅga is gopījana-vallabha, who
satisfies all the gopīs and is the ultimate goal of life.
This kāma-gāyatrī simply does not belong to this
material world. When one is advanced in spiritual
understanding he can worship the Supreme
Personality of Godhead with his spiritually purified
senses and fulfill the desires of the Lord. (Purport
to Caitanya Caritāmṛta, madhya 3.138.)

Don’t Disturb Gaura’s Mood

Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
Can you put a flute on Gaura? Although he is Krishna,
you cannot put a flute on Gaura. Similarly, how can you
put a peacock feather on he who is crying for Krishna like
Radharani? His mood will be disturbed. Although he is
Krishna, Gaura’s mood is different. Therefore Prabhupada
has said, “Don’t disturb the mood of Gauranga.”
It is very painful to Gaura. Our service is meant to

Photo by Madhavananda Das

Deity of Mahaprabhu in Dhaneswar village
Orissa, installed by Srila Narottam Das Thakur
Photo by Madhavananda Das

Krishna incarnated himself in Nabadwip, assuming

the mood and complexion of Radharani — tāṅra kānti
aṅgera bhūṣana (Srila Narottam Das Thakur’s Prema-
bhakti-candrikā 9.13). That is Gauranga Mahaprabhu.
His mood is mostly that of Radharani, not Krishna.
If you are a pūjarī worshiping deities of Chaitanya
Deities of Nityananda, Mahaprabhu and Advaita Acharya
Mahaprabhu and Nityananda, don’t dress Chaitanya
installed by Srila Jiva Goswami in Ramakeli, West Bengal Mahaprabhu as Krishna. Don’t put a peacock feather
on his head. No. That is not pleasing to him. He thinks
give him pleasure, not pain. We are servants and we of himself as Radharani. A pūjāri should know all these
must render service to please him, not for our own things. Mahaprabhu thinks of himself as Radha. He
pleasure. He is to be pleased. If we say, “Oh Gaura, a says, “This is rādhā-aṅga, the body of Radharani. Only
peacock feather is on your head. You are Krishna,” Krishna, gopendra-suta, can touch this body. No one else
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can touch this body.” Rādhā-bhāva is the predominating śrī narottamera yaiche mānasa-bhāvanā
mood in Gaura, not the bhāva of Krishna. No. tāhā vistāriyā vā kahibe kon janā?
Gauranga Mahaprabhu has expressed his mood: Who can properly describe the devotional service
kva nanda-kula-candramāḥ kva śikhi-candrakālaṅkṛtiḥ Narottam performed in meditation? (176)
kva mandra-muralī-ravaḥ kva nu surendra-nīla-dyutiḥ
In his meditation, Narottam Das always wandered
kva rāsa-rasa-tāṇḍavī kva sakhi jīva-rakṣauṣadhir
nidhir mama suhṛt-tamaḥ kva bata hanta hā dhig vidhim in Navadwip and Vrindavan. In the company of
Srinivas Acharya, he was overcome with bliss.
Where is Krishna? Where is that moon rising from the
Bibliography
ocean of Maharaja Nanda’s dynasty? Where is he whose
head is decorated with a peacock feather? Where is Krishna, — Srila Narahari Chakravarti. Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara. English translation
by Kusakratha Das. Published by Krishna Library. Alachua, Florida.
whose flute produces such a deep sound? Where is Krishna,
— Srila Narahari Chakravarti. Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara. Gaudiya Mission.
who is so expert in dancing in the rāsa dance? Where is that Calcutta. 501 Gaurabda. Bengali.
Krishna, who is the medicine that can save my life?

In this way, Mahaprabhu was crying. As Radharani

was crying, similarly Mahaprabhu was crying. So
rādhā-bhāva is predominating in him. Not the bhāva
of Krishna. So don’t dress Gauranga Mahaprabhu as
Humility
Krishna. No. He’ll never be pleased. Though he is
non-different from Krishna, still he is in Radharani’s Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode
mood. This is pleasing to Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Bhaktivinoda-vāṇī-vaibhava is a collection of the
(Lecture, Bhubaneswar, 27 April 1989.) teachings of Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode compiled by Sri
Sundarananda Vidyavinode, a prominent disciple of Srila
The Service of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and published in 1938.
Narottam Das Thakur The book is in the form of a series of questions composed by the
Adapted from chapter 6 of Srila Narahari compiler, with answers extracted from Thakur Bhaktivinode’s
Chakravarti Thakur’s Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara teachings. The following are some extracts from chapter 90.
One day Narottam Das Thakur sat down and began What mentality should a devotee maintain?
to meditate on Radha and Krishna. In the eye of his A devotee should always maintain humility
heart, Narottam saw the divine couple in a secluded within his heart. (Śrī Bhāgavātarka Marīci Mālā)
grove in Vrindavan accompanied by their gopī friends What is humility?
enjoying pastimes with great bliss and love. I am a servant of Krishna. I am poor and do not
Radharani told one of her sakhīs, “Quickly bring a possess anything. Krishna is my all-in-all. This is
great quantity of food.” Lalita and the gopīs joyfully humility. (Jaiva Dharma, chapter 8)
brought many preparations.
What type of devotional service helps us directly
Narottam took on the form of a gopī maidservant. On
cultivate Krishna consciousness?
the signal of one of the sakhīs, the maidservant Narottam
When one's humility is strong, one certainly attains
began to prepare some milk. Seeing the boiling milk about
Krishna’s mercy. As a result, any debauchery or
to overflow, Narottam quickly took the milk-pot from
any desire for profit, adoration, and distinction are
the fire with his bare hands. The pot burned his hands,
immediately destroyed. This helps one to directly
but Narottam didn’t notice. He gave the milk to a gopī.
cultivate Krishna consciousness. This process is
Radha and Krishna blissfully enjoyed the milk, and
naturally confidential, and one must learn how
Narottam took the remnants they left behind. Then
to practice it from a bona fide spiritual master.
Narottam returned to external consciousness.
(Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta 6.6)
dagdha hasta dṛṣṭa mātre kailā saṅgopana
jānilena marma antaraṅga kon jana How is actual humility expressed?
Seeing that his hand was actually burned, Narottam
I am a pure spirit soul. Due to my previous
quickly hid it. Still, someone else understood the secret misdeeds, I am suffering from various material
of those pastimes. (175) miseries. I am a proper candidate for punishment.
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Even though I am Krishna’s eternal servant, due to As soon as I see a vaiṣṇava, I will hang a cloth on
my forgetfulness of his lotus feet I have become my neck. With folded hands and taking a straw in
trapped on the wheel of karma. Now I have to suffer my mouth, I will stand before him without duplicity.
so much misery! Thus, who is more unfortunate I will relate to him my miserable condition and
than me? I am the most fallen, wretched, and poor cry and beg for respite from the fire of material
person. (Sajjana Toṣaṇī 4.9) existence. (Kalyāna Kalpataru, Prārthanā, song 1)
What is the spontaneous prayer of the pure — Bhaktivinoda Vāṇī Vaibhava, Translated by Bhumipati Das.
Published by Iswara Das and Touchstone Media. Vrindavan. 2003.
devotee?
This ocean is full of fearful crocodiles in the form
of material sense objects. The waves of lusty desires
always agitate me. My mind is restless because I do not
see any captain. (Kalyāna Kalpataru, Prārthanā, Song 3)
What humble prayer should a pure devotee offer
to the Goswamis, headed by Sri Rupa and Sanatan? God’s Idiots
When will Sri Rupa Goswami bestow his A Poetic Translation of a Song by Namalwar
mercy on me and deliver me by imparting the Mumbling and prattling the many names,
principles of true renunciation? When will Sri while onlookers say, “They’re crazy!”
Sanatan Goswami, out of compassion, remove my Entering and not entering cities,
attachment for sense gratification and offer me standing still or swaying
at the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu? When before a laughing world,
will Sri Jiva Goswami extinguish the blazing fire they dance, they leap,
of my arguments by pouring on them the water undone by feeling.
of scriptural conclusions? My heart is constantly
burning. (Kalyāna Kalpataru, Prārthanā, Song 4) And the gods bow down
How should one offer honest and humble prayers before them.
— Composed by A. K. Ramanujan. From Hymns for the Drowning.
to the vaiṣṇavas? Penguin Books India. 2005.

Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu

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