Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.14

Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

nyarundhann udgalad bāṣpam autkaṅṭhyād devakī-sute niryāty agārān no 'bhadram iti syād bāndhava-striyaḥ [SB 1.10.14]

Prabhupāda: [interrupting chanting] You can practice this diacritic mark. English transliteration is there. It is not very difficult. Simply to practice twice, thrice, four times, it will come exactly, the pronunciation. You have to learn the diacritic mark. Then it will be all right. Word meaning.

Pradyumna: nyarundhan—checking with great difficulty; udgalat—overflowing; bāṣpam—tears; autkaṅṭhyāt—because of great anxiety; devakī-sute—unto the son of Devakī; niryāti—having come out; agārāt—from the palace; naḥ—not; abhadram—inauspiciousness; iti—thus; syāt—may happen; bāndhava—relative; striyaḥ—ladies.

[01:57]

Translation: "The female relatives, whose eyes were flooded with tears out of anxiety for Kṛṣṅa, came out of the palace. They could only stop their tears with great difficulty. They feared that tears would cause misfortune at the time of departure."

Prabhupāda: Ladies generally, they are very much apt to shed tears in ecstatic moment. So Kṛṣṅa was going from Hastināpura, and all of them, all the Pāṅḍavas—not only ladies, the men also—they were very, very much affected. We have already discussed in the previous verses. Especially the ladies, they could not check their tears forcibly coming out. But at the same time, they were thinking that "Kṛṣṅa is going. Everything must be auspicious. There may not be something inauspicious." So they were in a very perplexed position. Tears were coming by force, and they wanted to check it so that there may not be any inauspicity in the matter of Kṛṣṅa's departure. This is the picture.

So these are all symptoms of love for Kṛṣṅa. That is the highest perfection of life, to shed tears for Kṛṣṅa. Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṅa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us this method of worship in separation, vipralambha-sevā. Not that "Oh, I have seen yesterday. Last night, I have seen Kṛṣṅa. He was snatching my cloth." These are sahajiyās. Actually, our worship should be in separation.

The Gosvāmīs also taught us like that. He rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he kṛṣṅa kutaḥ [Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 8]. They, in the Vṛndāvana, remained authorized persons. They were also searching after Kṛṣṅa. They never said that "We have got Kṛṣṅa." Never said. He rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ śrī-govardhana-pādapa-tale kālindī-vane kutaḥ, ghoṣantāv iti khedair mahā-vihvalau. Simply khedair mahā-vihvalau. They were lamenting in separation. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.

So this is the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's worship. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was falling down on the water, "Oh, I could not see Kṛṣṅa." When He was gṛhastha, He was simply consulting with mother, "Mother, I could not realize Kṛṣṅa. What shall I do? Where shall I go?" Mother said, "My dear son, why You are impatient? Everything will be all right in due course." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was giving indication that "I must leave home." Mother was also understanding that "This boy wants to leave us." That was another perplexed position.

So that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching:

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṅa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me [Śikṣāṣṭaka 7]

[O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.]

Govinda-viraheṅa. "In separation from Govinda I am thinking one moment as twelve years." Some of you or all of us have got this experience. If we want something very, very eagerly, then every moment becomes a long time: "Oh, it is not yet received. It is not yet received. It is not yet done." Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṅa. Nimeṣa, a moment, a twinkling of an eye, that is called nimeṣa. That appears to be twelve years. The gopīs could not tolerate even twinkling of eyes. They were condemning the creator, that "Creator does not know the art of creating. Why he has created this twinkling of eyes so that it is disturbing us from seeing Kṛṣṅa?" Seeing Kṛṣṅa, and the twinkling of eyes, that is natural. So the gopīs did not like it, that "Why he has created this? He does not know the art of creation."

This is love. Yugāyi... Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu tasted the gopīs' feeling. Śrī-caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptam. Rādhā kṛṣṅa-praṅaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktiḥ [Cc Ādi 1.5]. Kṛṣṅa, when He wants to enjoy... He is the Absolute Supreme Person, spirit, Absolute, the Supreme Spirit. So for spiritual enjoyment in this material world, great saintly persons, sages, they give up all material enjoyment just to taste what is spiritual enjoyment, spiritual life. Brahmānubhūti. They give up everything. Tapasā brahmacaryeṅa [SB 6.1.13].

[To concentrate the mind, one must observe a life of celibacy and not fall down. One must undergo the austerity of voluntarily giving up sense enjoyment. One must then control the mind and senses, give charity, be truthful, clean and nonviolent, follow the regulative principles and regularly chant the holy name of the Lord. Thus a sober and faithful person who knows the religious principles is temporarily purified of all sins performed with his body, words and mind. These sins are like the dried leaves of creepers beneath a bamboo tree, which may be burned by fire although their roots remain to grow again at the first opportunity.]

By austerity, brahmacarya, yamena, niyamena, tyāgena, satya-śaucābhyām—so many processes they adopt for tasting a little brahmānubhūti. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena [SB 10.12.11].

[All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys blew their flutes, and others blew bugles made of horn. Some imitated the buzzing of the bumblebees, and others imitated the voice of the cuckoo. Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the birds' shadows on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks.

Some boys attracted young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, and others jumped from one branch to another. Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water they would laugh. They would also condemn the sounds of their own echoes.

In this way, all the cowherd boys used to play with Kṛṣṅa, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence for jñānīs desiring to merge into that effulgence, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for devotees who have accepted eternal servitorship, and who for ordinary persons is but another ordinary child. The cowherd boys, having accumulated the results of pious activities for many lives, were able to associate in this way with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one explain their great fortune?]

So Śukadeva Gosvāmī said that "Here, the Kṛṣṅa, here is playing with the cowherds boys. Who is He?" Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā: "The great sages, saintly person, who are trying to taste the spiritual realization, that is here. He is playing as cowherd boy." Dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena: "And those who are devotees, for them He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṅa: "And those who are māyāśrita, they are thinking, 'This Kṛṣṅa is ordinary human child.' " Sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṅya-puñjāḥ [SB 10.12.11]: "So with this boy, transcendental Kṛṣṅa, cowherd boy, the other boys who are playing, they are not ordinary men." Kṛta-puṅya-puñjāḥ. "They accumulated pious activities life after life for many, many thousands and millions of lives. Now they have got the opportunity to play with Kṛṣṅa."

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is very serious and important. Here are the sign, how they love Kṛṣṅa. One side, they are..., they cannot check the tears coming out, "Kṛṣṅa is going away." Another side, "Oh, if I shed tears, then there may be inauspicity." How much perplexity, this two sides. Dilemma. "Between the horns of Scylla and Charybdis." That is the position. The lover, intense love creates such situation, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited.

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṅa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me [Śikṣāṣṭaka 7]

"Without seeing Govinda, the whole world is vacant." This is love. "Let me try to become Kṛṣṅa conscious. If it is done, all right. If it is not done, I shall remain in my position. What is the loss?" Not like that. One must be so eager that without Kṛṣṅa consciousness one should become mad. One should become mad. That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching—separation, not direct contact.

Direct contact is not possible. Neither that is the way of worshiping by the method of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That is sahajiyā-vāda. "I am talking with Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is snatching my cloth." There is a book, one lady has written his [her] experience, that Kṛṣṅa comes, He talks with her and snatches her cloth. She has written openly. But this is not Caitanya Mahāprabhu's way.

There is one gentleman, Mr. Raya, in Poona, and she [he] has got also woman. Everyone must have a woman, parakīyā. This is sahajiyā-vāda. This is sahajiyā-vāda. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never said, "This is the parakīyā-rasa: one should have one woman." No. He observed complete sannyāsa life. Rather, there was very, very severe, rigid restriction about women. But now, these sahajiyās, they are going on in the name of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: āula, bāula, karttā-bhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāṅi sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, like that, so many. They are apa-sampradāya.

Real Caitanya Mahāprabhu sampradāya is that he should be feeling like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, separation. Not sambhoga. Vipralambha. Vipralambha-sevā: "Oh, I am so wretched, I could not serve Kṛṣṅa. How I can see Kṛṣṅa? It is not possible." In this way. That is the teaching of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. "But even though I do not see Him, neither it is possible for me to see Him..." Means: "What I am? I am insignificant person. Why Kṛṣṅa come and see me?" This is right. "Why shall I aspire after seeing Kṛṣṅa? What qualification I have got?" This is bhajana. This is bhajana. Why should I be proud that "Now I shall see Kṛṣṅa"? What I am?

That is the teaching of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu māṁ marma-hatāṁ karotu vā adarśanāt [Cc Antya 20.47].

[Let Kṛṣṅa tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but still He alone, and no one else, is the worshipable Lord of My heart.]

Adarśana. "Without giving me audience, You kill me, You break my heart; still, You are my Lord, You are my worshipable Lord, nobody else." This is love. This is love. Āsena kṛṣṅa galāya diba nā hale bejāra thākaba.

[If Kṛṣṅa comes, I will embrace Him, and if He does not, I will get upset.]

Not like that. "Kṛṣṅa may not come. I may not see Kṛṣṅa for thousands and thousands of life. I may rot in the hellish condition of life for many, many births. That doesn't matter. Still, I cannot give up Kṛṣṅa consciousness." This is required. I may be sent to hell, heaven; it doesn't matter. What qualification I have got that I want to see back to home, back to Godhead? It is not so easy thing. So why should I be sorry for that? I should be happy even in the hell, simply by thinking of Kṛṣṅa. That is wanted. That is wanted. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness.

So here is the example. Tears by force are coming out: "Oh, Kṛṣṅa is going away." At the same time, they want to check: "There may not be any inauspicity for Kṛṣṅa." They're thinking Kṛṣṅa, for Kṛṣṅa, not for personal self. "Oh, I am now crying. I have become very much fortunate. I am crying for Kṛṣṅa." No. "My crying will create inauspicity to Kṛṣṅa. I must check it." This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [devotees offer obeisances] [end]