Fwd: [granthraj] Prayer Means Glorification - Part 2
Dr Satish Gosain (Sri Krishna Hari Das)
From: <jayk...@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 5:05 PM
Subject: [granthraj] Prayer Means Glorification - Part 2
To: gran...@yahoogroups.com
Dear Prabhujis and Mathajis, Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev! This is in continuation of the previous mail highlighting some of the points from the wonderful class of H.G. Devakinandan prabhu, our beloved God brother in Singapore who visited Chennai in May 2010 and gave very instructive and practical explanations on the following verse from Srimad Bhagavatam 3.9.23. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 3.9.23, Lord Brahma prays as follows esha prapanna-varado ramayaatma-shaktyaa "The Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, is always the benefactor of the surrendered souls. His activities are always enacted through His internal potency, Ramaa, or the goddess of fortune. I pray only to engage in His service in the creation of the material world, and I pray that I not be materially affected by my works, for thus I may be able to give up the false prestige of being the creator. 2. What should be our actual prayer ?
In the last mail it was mentioned that all of us in the deepest and darkest recesses of our hearts, have our prayers. The good thing is that we should direct all prayers to Krishna. Sukadeva goswami instructs us in this regard in Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.10 akaamah sarva-kaamo vaa / moksha-kaama udaara-dhih "A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead." But these prayers directed to the Supreme Lord must have one qualification, and that is the word ‘tivrena bhakti yogena’. They must be focussed only on Krishna and if they are relly focussed on Krishna, then the motives behind the prayers must give way to glorificaton of Krishna, because if we are really approaching Krishna as Brahmaji is approaching , then we have to approach Krishna through His internal potency. Krishna is attracted to us on the basis of our bhakti. If we mix that bhakti with material intentions, then even though we open the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavatam does not reveal itself to us. Sukadev goswami makes it a point to explain this at the very start of this manual so that no one can turn around and question later how come you did not explain this. The very first verse of Srimad Bhagavatam establishes the supremacy of Krishna. Janmaadyasya yatah.. There is no one else except Krishna. Krishna is the all in all for us. But immediately in the second verse, he makes it very very clear that in order for us to approach and understand the supremacy of Krishna, there is only one way in which we can accept Bhagavatam into our lives and that is by dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsaraanaam sataam "Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart." We must reject any semblance of the material fruitive intentions in our study of Srimad Bhagavatam and devotional service. The moment there is a thread running through, it will cause us disturbance. The reason for the disturbance is that we are not approaching Srimad Bhagavatam in the correct way. So we do not have to blame anyone. The blame game stops with us. Otherwise we have thousands of reasons to tell why we are not coming to Srimad Bhagavatam. The question we have to ask ourselves is whether we are rejecting everything else to come to Srimad Bhagavatam. If we try to do that withourt material intentions, then three things happen when we sit dowm to read Srimad Bhagavatam. That is mentioned in SB 4.30.35 yatredyante kathaa mrshtaah / trshnaayaah prashamo yatah "Whenever pure topics of the transcendental world are discussed, the members of the audience forget all kinds of material hankerings, at least for the time being. Not only that, but they are no longer envious of one another, nor do they suffer from anxiety or fear. When we come together to glorify Krishna, then if Krishna is pleased, three things will happen to us. Trshnaayaah prashamo yatah: We forget all kinds of material hankerings. Nirvairam yatra bhuteshu: We are no longer envious of one another. Imagine if the function was a wedding or an engagement, everyone will be looking at everyone to see what clothes or jewellery they are wearing. But in a gathering where we are trying to hear Srimad Bhagavatam, nobody is looking at each other. Frankly nobody is bothered how each other looks. Nodvego yatra kashcana: there is no anxiety or fear. The challenge is to keep these things going after we leave this room. How are we going to do that? Brahmaji is giving the answer. This is the beauty of Bhagavatam that for every Bhagavatam statement, there is a devotee who shows us his behaviour. It is our duty to follow in the footsteps of that devotee. Not to make a statement but to live that statement. This is Bhagavatam. Otherwise we will always remain on theoretical level. Then we wonder why I am chanting for ten years and there is no taste. Why there is so much anxiety? Why is it a struggle to get up for mangala arathi? While I know that life is short term, why I am making so many long term plans? So let us try to understand and follow the mood of Lord Brahmaji in not taking credit for anything knowing that we are only instruments in the hands of the Supreme Lord. Krishna willing, Devaki prabhu’s explanation on this shall be posted in the ensuing mail. Thank you very much.
yad yat karishyati grheeta-gunaavataarah
tasmin sva-vikramam idam srjato ’pi ceto
yunjeeta karma-shamalam ca yathaa vijahyaam
tivrena bhakti-yogena / yajeta purusham param
nirvairam yatra bhuteshu / nodvego yatra kashcana
Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev,
Vaijayanthimala devi dasi,
Abudhabi.
--
Yours Servant
Sri Krishna Hari Das
(Dr Satish Gosain MBBS DNB i Med)
Congregational Preacher, ISKCON, Delhi, NCR & Gurgaon.
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