“Their Lotus Feet are my Life and Soul”

Srila Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

“O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer my humble pranama unto you and am praying from the core of my heart that, with the torchlight of divine knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance.”

Today, as I read the final chapter of Sri Siksastakam by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja Gurudeva, reading the commentary of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura and Gurudeva, I was struck by this beautiful prayer by Srila Bhaktivinode:

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura

“Sri Nanda-nandana, who plays the flute and steals the hearts of the entire universe, is graciously seated on a jewelled throne with Srîmatî Vrshabhånu-nandinî, at the seat of Their transcendental pastimes, surrounded by the eight principal sakhîs in a kadamba forest of transcendental Vrndåvana.

“The lotus feet of this eternally youthful Divine Couple are my life and soul. I have offered myself at Their lotus feet. I am Their maidservant (pålyadåsî) engaged in the service of Their lotus feet.Sometimes They take hold of my hands, and with sweet voices, They request tåmbüla and then eat it. Sometimes with great wonder, They take a garland from me and wear it. While at other times, They disappear from me on some pretext. O sakhî, happiness is found wherever They are found. I am a maidservant of Their lotus feet. Bliss obtained in Their company and torture endured in Their separation are all the same to me.

“In life and in death – at all times – Sri Sri Rådhå-Krsna are my very life. Bhaktivinoda knows no one else but Them. Falling at the lotus feet of Their dearmost sakhîs, I beg for one thing alone: that they accept me into the personal group of Srîmatî Rådhikå and engage me always in the service of the lotus feet of the Divine Couple.”

Sri Siksastakam Song 8-B, from Chapter 8 of Sri Siksastakam

Sri Sri Radha-Krishna with maidservants

I know that I said my next post would be a month out, and would reveal the 3 confidential reasons that Lord Krsna took the mood and complexion of His beloved Radha and appeared as Lord Gauranga/Sacinanda/Caitanya, but….this really struck me. So I just had to share it. And here is some beautiful art, too!

Srimati Radhika & Krsna – Trying to find out who the artist is!

Keep your eyes on the lookout for the next post, which WILL have those 3 secret reasons for His appearance!

Aspiring to serve,

C.S.

“Broken-hearted by not being present”

My Gurujis

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

“O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer my humble pranama unto you and am praying from the core of my heart that, with the torchlight of divine knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance.”

Dear friends, here I am again, writing on this blog. I surprise myself! Right now it is tough for me to upkeep this blog and another one I update daily, my writing and reading blog, plus life, work, etc. But, I would like to update this one on a more regular basis, too. For now, perhaps once a month. Soon, hopefully more often! It is all a question of balance and regulation, and how I can achieve that.

Today I am again sharing from the Sri Siksastakam, which I introduced in the previous post. These verses are the mood of the Lord Himself, Lord Krsna when He takes the mood and complexion of Srimati Radhika, His consort, our mistress and beloved Goddess. They are the only 8 instructions He gave during His manifest pastimes a mere 500+ years ago, on this very earth we walk on today.

Lord Caitanya, Sacinandana, Gauranga! Artist unknown

Before we dive into the verse I’m studying this week, due Monday, what are the reasons Krsna took the form and complexion of Radha and appeared as Lord Caitanya?

There are both confidential and external reasons He appeared as Lord Caitanya, also known as Gauranga, Sacinandana, etc. Today I’ll share the external reasons, and next post I’ll share the confidential ones. That way, we have a bit of a fun cliffhanger!

Here are those external reasons for His appearance:

To propagate the yuga-dharma, or the religious practice for the age. This is the congregational chanting of the holy names (shri-nama-sankirtana).

To distribute what had never been given before – unnatojjvala-prema, transcendental love in the elevated amorous mellow.

To respond to the entreaty of Shri Advaita Acharya, who was perturbed by the extremely irreligious state of the world at that time. Shri Advaita Acharya had wor-shipped Shri Krishna with Ganga water and tulasi leaves, and thus induced the Lord to appear.

from Sri Navadwip-Dham Parikrama, Chapter 1

And, here is verse 8, which I am studying this week:

āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām
adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā
yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo
mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ

I do not know anyone except Krishna as my Lord, and He shall always remain as such, even if He handles me roughly by His embrace; or He may make me broken-hearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, but He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

Sri Siksastakam, Verse 8, translated by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Let me know your thoughts on it.

Aspiring to serve,

C.S.