If you want to advance in naam jap, avoid these things / King Parikshit's doubt and its resolution by Shri Shukadev Ji

Satsang of Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. To hear the full talk, watch the video above.

Full Discourse

Radha vallabh shri Harivansh Radha vallabh shri Harivansh Vrindavaneswari tav padarvindm prema makrand raso purnam hridpitam madhupte smarta mugam nirvai param shital mashryam param shital mayam param sacchidanand ghan Premanand swaroop navni nikunj mahmmahim param pavan shri Vrindavan dham

Radhavallabh Shri Harivansh, Radhavallabh Shri Harivansh. Vrindavaneshwari, at your lotus feet is the nectar of love, full and sweet. O Hridayapati, O Madhupati, remembering you… the supreme cool shelter, the supreme cool illusion, the supreme form of true consciousness and bliss, the form of the bliss of love, in the new and glorious Nikunj, the most exalted, supremely holy Shri Vrindavan Dham.

Beloved divine couple of Shri Vrindavan Dham, my life-worshipped, life-dear Shri Shyama Shyam. [sound of clearing throat] At the feet of all the sahachari vrind, the deer, animals, birds, trees and creepers, Yamuna, Ras Rani, Raj Rani, and all the Brajvasi parikar, a crore salutations, a crore bows, namaskar. The chain that binds the living being is pride (abhiman).

Any kind of pride binds us in the shackles of this world. Pride of wealth, pride of lineage, pride of learning, pride of beauty, pride of youth, special kinds of pride that exist in one's heart: where these are present, Bhakti Maharani does not shine. The light of bhakti lies in humility (dainya). The growth of bad qualities lies in ego. The more arrogant a person is, the more faults and misconduct he has; the more humble he is, the more virtues and good conduct he has.

Shripad Prabodhanand Ji Maharaj is saying:

kul dhanam vidya garv parvat durwaham samadhru haha kadavidya Vrindavan madhuri mudh hai hai

Alas, alas, these foolish ones who do not know the sweetness of Vrindavan carry the mountain-like pride of lineage, wealth and learning, which is so hard to bear.

Why don't these foolish people understand?

Uselessly, they carry the pride of lineage, the pride of wealth, the pride of learning, the pride of beauty. These pride-mountains are huge. How can bhakti shine in their hearts? How can Vrindavaneshwari's grace fall upon them? How can they attain the great sweetness of Maha Madhuri Ras? When there is pride inside them, how can they attain it?

Shri Bhagwat Rasik Ji Maharaj says in his vani:

vidya rup mahatva kul dhan Yavan abhiman takantak dekhe jahan rahe na bhakti nidan rahe na bhakt nidan swang sam nagar nar ke vishay hath bikae nahi rijwan bhatarik

Learning, beauty, status, lineage, wealth, the pride of youth: wherever these thorns are seen, bhakti does not remain, and the devotee does not remain. Like a pretense, the mind is sold into the hands of worldly objects.

In whose heart there are six big thorns, how can Bhakti Maharani bring her tender feet there?

Learning, beauty, status, lineage, wealth, youth: these six prides. These six prides are like huge thorns, which we have spread in our own hearts. So before our Priya-Lal come, Bhakti Maharani arrives. She makes the heart fit for Priya-Lal. When all the bhagavatic virtues have come, then Priya-Lal come and sit on the throne of the heart. So if we hold in our hearts the pride of learning, the pride of beauty, the pride of reputation and honour, the pride of wealth, the pride of youth, the pride of caste, then how can Bhakti Maharani come?

All of these are like mountains. When the thunderbolt of Guru's grace strikes, the mountain is crushed to dust. Likewise, in one who is a recipient of Guru's grace, pride is completely destroyed. Without shelter at the Guru's feet, whatever sadhana you do, pride only gets nourished; it is not destroyed. That is why it is said: durvaham samadhi rudham. As long as this pride exists, the immersion in bhagavat prem, the bliss of bhagavat, the leelas and characters of Priya-Lal, all of this is very far away. So give up this pride. Taking shelter at the feet of rasik mahapurush, bring the feeling of humility (dainya).

Humility is dear to Bhagwan. Where humility arises, Bhagwan's beloved, Prem Lakshana Bhakti Maharani, comes into that heart. Think and see: what pride do you carry? Did you create anything that is yours? Even your body is not something you made. Your intellect is not something you made either. Did you choose the house in which you were born? Who gave you the family and community you got? So when we think about it, pride does not last, because "I" am nowhere.

Everything is arranged by Bhagwan. According to the karma we performed in past lives, Bhagwan has arranged our auspicious circumstances. So what pride should we have? Did you create your beauty? Then why pride in beauty? Did you plan beforehand to be born in this caste? Then why the pride, "I am from a high lineage"? No, all of this is useless pride. Whatever intellect Bhagwan has given, whatever learning, whatever beauty, whatever status: all of it is given by Him.

So why do you take pride uselessly? Destruction of ego through discrimination (vivek vichar), and by completely following the words of the Gurudev, discrimination arises. This itself is satsang. Firm faith and trust in the Guru's words: the emergence of discrimination, and through discrimination, ego is destroyed.

Shripad is saying: Dhig ma kumati Vrindavan labdh chit ghanatmap vidbhand duraabhana phulo shlok mana dayat.

Shame on you, shame on your wicked intellect! You obtained a human body to attain the bhava of Bhagwan, which is pure bliss and consciousness, but in the human body you did not attain bhagavat bhava, and you are going toward sense objects.

You take pride in this body, in which a bag of filth is filled, a body that will be destroyed in a single moment. You take pride in relatives of this body. You take pride in wealth that will not be of any use to you. When the body leaves, everything remains here. You take pride in this. You take pride in learning that will not be of any use to you. After the body leaves, you will again have to learn the alphabet from the beginning. And if you take pride in being human, you take pride in that too. Shame on your intellect. Your intellect is wicked. Become humble.

Give up ego. Accept surrender to Bhagwat. Take refuge in Shri Shyama Shyam, the moon of Vrindavan, the Shyamsundar couple of Vrindavan. Why do you wander from country to country, in every direction, searching for happiness? If you want happiness, chant the name of Radha and see. All the happiness of this world and the next will be attained. What is the greatest happiness? Contentment.

jab ave santosh dhan sab dhan dhur saman.
When the wealth of contentment comes, all other wealth is like dust.

Yatha labh santosh: be content with whatever comes by itself. Never want anything from anyone. This state gives great happiness. Never stretch out your hand before anyone. We are content with whatever God has given us. This contentment comes through chanting naam. The ability to rise above whatever sorrowful or happy circumstances we are in comes through naam japa. And the pure knowledge that breaks the cycle of birth and death is obtained through naam japa. So why do you wander in every direction? Why do you keep running this way and that, thinking that someone in some direction will remove our sorrows and give us happiness?

Sit and do naam japa. Wherever you are and however you are, belong to the Lord. Do naam japa; everything will be well through naam japa. Chant for a long time, even for two or four days, and then consider whether you have gained anything. The gain is there, but it will not be visible. It is like someone who has been hungry for many days: if you feed them two or four morsels and then stop, their hunger burns even more. So when you begin naam, the lustful and corrupt defects inside you will come out. Now you must chant naam with full force, so that every impure feeling is destroyed and the anarthas are removed. Then you will see; bliss will come. Radha, the life of Shri Ladli, Shri Lalju Maharaj, the life of Lalju, and Shri Ladli Ji Maharaj, who is personally seated in Vrindavan.

Take refuge in them and do abundant bhajan. Pujyapad Shri Udiya Baba Ji Maharaj, a great soul established in Brahma-bodh, every single word of whom is the supreme truth. Six kinds of purity. Purity of the mind: do not let the mind dwell on the objects of sense enjoyment; contemplate God. By this one thing alone the mind becomes pure. Pujya Baba is saying: how do we purify the mind? The mind will become pure through contemplation of God. Radha, Radha, Radha. Sense-object contemplation is happening on the side. Do not be attracted to it, and do not be upset by it. It will delete itself and be destroyed.

Through constant contemplation of God, Radha, Radha, Radha, the mind becomes pure. Second, purity of speech: speak the truth, speak sweetly, and speak beneficial words. Do not speak words that pierce or hurt, that are harsh or obscene. Do not use such words. Through speech, sing the glories of the Lord's leelas and do naam kirtan. This will purify your speech. Purity of food: for a sadhu, food is obtained through akasha vritti, meaning what God provides unasked, or through alms for sustenance. If a householder performs his duties righteously and sustains himself by the livelihood that comes from his work, then his food becomes pure.

Purity of the hands: by not accepting charity, by serving others with the feeling of doing good, by performing auspicious deeds. Through devotional service, service to saints, service to society, and service to animals and birds, your body and hands become pure. Kaksha shuddhi, purity of the inner dwelling, comes through protecting brahmacharya. Purity of the generative organ comes through protecting brahmacharya. As far as possible, pray to God to grant you such a pure intellect that you understand there is no happiness in sense enjoyments, and that you never let your brahmacharya be destroyed in any way. Be careful every day, the way a miser guards his wealth.

Such a sadhak protects his brahmacharya. The destruction of brahmacharya drops one down from spiritual life. Try to pray to God, because this is a very great battle, not a small or minor one. Those who do not know this subject think it is a joke. Remaining celibate always is a very great thing. Purity, control of the mind, control of the senses, no contemplation of sense objects, and constant contemplation of God: these are very difficult things. Very difficult things. But every difficulty can be overcome by the strength of God. Only the strength of God will work here.

Physical strength or intellectual strength will not work in this. What is the worth of your intellect? Even the intellect of the learned, which Maya forcibly drags into sense objects, is called Maya.

gyani naam chet devi Bhagwati hisa balada krish mohay Mahamaya prakshati
Even the minds of the wise, the Goddess Bhagavati forcibly draws away; she is Mahamaya, who bewilders.

It can be overcome by the strength of God, by the strength of Priya. Only by the strength of Vrindavan Rani, Radha, can this pure life be lived. Otherwise it is very difficult. Very difficult. This is no joke. This is not a game. So kachha shuddhi: protecting virya (vital energy), staying away from the eight kinds of sexual indulgence, a pure life, pure food, and pure thoughts. Then your brahmacharya will remain intact.

Kriya shuddhi: whatever action is performed with a pure, sincere, guileless feeling, for the sake of serving God, that action becomes pure. Whether it is farming, business, or a job, whatever it is, do not misuse your position. Perform your duty. If you do not keep a wealth-dominant intellect, every one of your actions will be considered worship. Whether you are a doctor, a teacher, or anything else; a lawyer, a judge, or anything else; perform your duty with devotion. If the intellect that prioritizes wealth does not come, and fear does not come, then all your duties become worship.

Take this as a true statement. Do naam jap and carry out your duty. Through this alone, the attainment of God will happen. Surrender to God's refuge takes place when either love for God awakens or fear of the world arises. Surrender is strengthened in these two ways: either love for God is awakened, or fear of the world comes upon you.

jo sabhi awa sharnai rakhiyo tai pran ki nai

Whoever comes seeking Your refuge, keep them as dear as your own life.

The Lord says that love is very difficult. It is more common among us to go to the Lord's refuge out of fear. When we speak of love for the Lord, it is mostly to be saved from disease, from suffering, from the cycle of birth and death, and from all kinds of calamities, troubles and wicked thoughts. So we take refuge in the Lord and chant the Lord's naam for these reasons.

When your mind turns toward God, it will automatically withdraw from sense objects. Don't worry about removing sense objects. Worry about becoming absorbed in God. Just as, once the next step is firmly placed, there is no difficulty in lifting the back foot, the next step should be bhajan. Let us try to fix our minds on bhajan. The thinking about worldly objects will be left behind on its own. When love for naam jap begins, then no material thing seems good to you, no pride or respect seems good, and no status or prestige seems good. Only this seems right: do naam jap.

A good sadhak was saying that when we do bhajan at home, family members, relatives, or neighbours come and sit down and start chatting idly. We feel very bad. But what should we do? How should we handle it? This situation can happen to almost everyone, because there is society. So one should keep silence and also put on a little leela. If you are doing mental japa like this, keep a mala with you. Whenever such people come, take out the mala and show it to them. If they keep talking, tell them politely that you have to complete your count.

You have to fulfil your guru's command. It is now our bhajan time. Please go. No matter who it is, you should not be afraid to do bhajan. See, someone is coming, so close your eyes. No matter how much they say "Radhe Shyam" or how much they talk to you, do not open your eyes. Third, let the respected person speak. You remain silent and do naam jap. Practice like this: the other person is talking, so say "ji, ji, haan, haan, theek hai, I am doing naam jap." Keep doing naam jap again and again, and they will get bored. Don't say much. They will get bored on their own. Don't pay attention. When they start talking, just say "haan ji," and they will understand that you are not giving them your attention, and they will leave. If you keep a lot of malas and make a show of it, those who have plenty of time but don't do bhajan will come and create worldly chatter. A bhajananandi has been called wise.

Rām bhajate chatur nar

Wise people are those who worship Ram.

He is talking about how to avoid such people. When we see that they are not being given attention, and they ask something, they will not dare to ask again. And if you cast your bhajan-filled eyes on someone, they will get up and leave on their own. Keep your naam going steadily. The moment you look at them like this, they will say, "Ah, he is busy." There is a power in bhajan. Don't be afraid. "Here he comes, now we will have to talk to him," and then our bhajan will be lost. No, we should remain joyful. Don't let bhajan be interrupted. Once you have begun naam, do not meet their eyes. Don't give them your eyes. Just say a word or two, "ji haan, ji haan," and they will get up and leave on their own.

There are many people who love idle chatter. They waste hours sitting around, wasting their own time and the sadhak's time too. Some people have such an addiction to talking that they need someone to talk to. They need someone, and as long as they find someone, they must talk. Some people have this addiction. So stay away from these addicts who pour worldly gossip into our ears. They talk about worldly matters. It is the nature of the jiva to love. If it does not love the Lord, it will love the body and love pleasures. So love the Lord. On the day you gather your attachment and love from everywhere and surrender them at the Lord's feet, that very day the Lord will begin to shine in your eyes.

When pride came into the Gopis a little, the Sarkar disappeared. As long as there is any ego, direct realization of God does not happen. It is the nature of the jiva to love. It will love. If not God, it will love a woman, love the body, love pleasures, love a man. Apply this love in the right place in its many forms. Apply it to God's naam, form, leela and dham. The love of a jnani is for the Self, self-love. The devotee's love is for God, and the lustful person's love is for pleasures. The jiva, bound by bodily identification and body-consciousness, must therefore be very careful, so that our love, which lies in the heart, does not get placed in the wrong place. A young brother came to me once. He was in deep depression. He said, "I loved someone, and I was betrayed. Now I feel like giving up my body."

Wow, brother, you have taken your body too lightly. You loved, and it was your mistake. You loved in the wrong place. Now love in the right place, and you will become immortal, imperishable, which means you will attain your own true nature. This is love for perishable people. On the day someone better than you comes along, no one will even look at you. This is the principle of the world. It is only rare that someone is there who follows dharma and thinks, "My duty is this, so I will carry it out, whether it brings me happiness or sorrow." Only a rare person is like that.

Otherwise, the moment they see that you can spend ₹100, and someone else can spend ₹1,000, they will go to the one who spends ₹1,000. This is certain. So never be sad. If someone deceives you, because deception is all there is here,

paye jaan jagat mein sab jan kapti kutila kalyugi tanchu

Know that in this world all people are deceitful and crooked, people of the Kali age.

Shri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu is saying this. Most people's hearts are full of deceit and cunning. Pure love can be found only in God or in the great souls who are devoted to God. And since you do not recognise pure love, you will think, "They don't love us." People prefer the drama of love. We love you very much.

We cannot live without you. Just accept it, without you. And this is something you have already said to thousands of people. How would you know this? Shri Bhagavan and the bhakt mahatmas do not say "we love you," but they do love. We only need to understand their love. They do not love your body. They love you. They love your swaroop. Whoever loves the body is ignorant. Bhagavat-premi mahatmas and gyani jan love neither their own body nor another's.

So the deha-abhimani jiva cannot understand that they love us, because he looks for the signs of love. Look at us, meet us, talk to us. These are not the signs of love. The sign of love is inner, inner. No one should be able to tell that we love you. Our love keeps lifting you up every moment and carries you to where we are. This is called love. It is the nature of the jiva to love. If he does not love Bhagavan, he will love the objects of the senses. The gyani loves the Atma.

The bhakt loves Bhagavan. The vishayi loves vishays. The worldly person should gather that same love and place it at the feet of Bhagavan, and Bhagavat-prapti will surely happen. When knowledge arises, ignorance is destroyed. Whoever has that knowledge also conducts himself in practice in a Bhagavat-swaroop way. Even in daily life, the gyani, the viveki purush, does sadhana in the world. If one gives up the nature of the asuri sampada, the daivi sampada awakens on its own. But one who gives up Bhagavat bhajan, shastra swadhyay, naam jap and the like, and keeps his intellect independent, only contemplates vishays. The life of one who contemplates vishays becomes trapped very badly.

As we see, so the feeling forms. If one watches films and cinema, one learns only this: wear nice clothes, decorate your face, get caught up in attraction to one another. This is the teaching one receives. India is India. This is a religious country. If we talk about the old times, the elders wore such a ghunghat. What is this? Wear stitched clothing up to here. You cannot even see the toenails of the feet. The lower ghaghra is so long, and above it.. In such elders' homes, people knew when an elder was coming. Everyone had their maryada, and there was purity: purity of the body, purity of the antahkaran, purity of speech. These supreme purities lead to Bhagavan. Now everything is becoming impure. Believe me, this is satsang going on, yet an atmosphere is forming in which all impurity is spreading.

Bhagavan has shown great grace upon you all, that you are sitting and listening to satsang. Otherwise, Kaliyug has such a hold that people sleep until 10 or 11 o'clock and act as they please. All day they just somehow fill the stomach and indulge the senses. Only this aim remains: indulgence of the senses, luxury and enjoyment.

When Maharaja Yayati took Devayani's hand and lifted her out of the well like this, she said, "Now you have become my husband." He said, "You are the daughter of Bhagwan Shukracharya. We also forbid you to say this, because you are worthy of worship." She said, "No. In Arya dharma, once someone has held the hand, that hand cannot belong to anyone else." Believe me, the bad influence of Kaliyug is spreading so much that the foundation is being spoiled.

The words of the mahapurushas, the ability to hear them and to hold them, are all being destroyed by the bad influence of Kaliyug. One who gives up auspicious karma and contemplates vishays will have his intellect destroyed, meaning it will no longer make right decisions. The karma of a vichaarvan purush is very pure. The aviveki, the one without reflection, decides in a moment and simply acts. Do not decide just like that. Reflect: what will be the result of the action we are about to take? Reflect: is this action we are about to perform sanctioned by the shastras and by the sants, or not?

One who wants to see Bhagavan, who wants to be freed from the bonds of worldly existence, has very pure conduct. Conduct that is not pure is corrupt conduct. Merely memorising words is not enough. A brother once came to me in private. There is a shloka of Atmanand. He sang that shloka and asked, "How is this state to be attained?" I said, "Brother, you have memorised a shloka about a very high state and come to ask me? You have no indriya-nigraha, no mano-nigraha, and your antahkaran is not pure. So you have memorised a shloka about the jivanmukta state. Arre, first chant Ram Ram. Set your habits right. First learn the basic practice of sadhana. Then talk about PhD."

One who wants Bhagavat-darshan, who wants Bhagavat-prapti and wants to be freed from the bonds of samsara, has pure conduct. Conduct has been greatly corrupted. Whoever always keeps his mind on enjoyments will not attain Bhagavat-prapti. If there is even a little attachment to sound, touch, form, taste and smell, then there will be no attachment to the worship of Bhagavan. Therefore the upasak must first engage in chanting naam. Leave aside questions like "What is Bhagavan? What is Brahman? What is the world?" First, come and chant: Radha, Radha, Radha, Radha, Radha, Radha. In Bengal there is a saying: "Jaisa man, waisa Bhagavan." As your mind is, so will your experience of Bhagavan be. First purify the mind through naam, through much naam jap, and make it pure. Faith, devotion, humility, enthusiasm, patience, moderation in eating, pure conduct, a pure body, pure clothes, and a pure home where you live. Sat-chintan, self-control, giving up bad thoughts, giving up bad company: these are the marks of mahapurushas.

This great soul will make you into one. Faith, devotion, humility, enthusiasm in naam jap, the patience to bear every sorrow, a moderate diet (mitahar), pure conduct, a pure body, pure clothes, a pure room where you live, good contemplation, giving up bad thoughts, and giving up bad company. All of these are the marks of a mahapurush. Such a great soul will make you into one.

Do not do unnecessary actions. Do not speak unnecessary words. Do not look at unnecessary things. You have strength. Restrain your eyes. Looking again and again wastes the power of your restless mind. Restrain your speech. Useless talk wastes the power of speech.

Stop the body from useless efforts and useless deeds. Restrain it, and practise pure conduct, conduct that accords with the scriptures. Have faith: every second you are doing something, whether bad or good, its fruit will surely come. There is an accounting for every single second. Do not think that no one is watching. Whether you do bad or good, the Supreme Lord is watching. There is no place where his sight does not reach. When you were born, you cried as soon as you were born. Now do such a deed that you leave here laughing. That is the attainment of Bhagwan.

mero man anand kab mari ho kab bhat ho purn parmanand marne se sab jag dara mero man anand
My mind is in bliss. When shall I die, when shall I meet [Him], in complete supreme bliss? The whole world fears death. My mind is in bliss.

Pujya Baba says: when you came, you cried. Now do such a deed that when you go, you go smiling, to the abode of Bhagwan. If a person, whenever he gets time, makes it his intoxication to say, "I must sit with a mahatma," then whatever sadhana he does not do, he will still come near to the attainment of Bhagwan. Whenever you get time, do sant sang; whenever you get time, do satsang. Sant sang will lift him up and bring him to the stage of spirituality.

But there is one more thing. Yesterday a parshad of Giriraj Ji came and said, "Baba, I don't know what it is. Whenever we think of going to Baba, some danger arises. Today too, when we came, we got an injury to our rib. When we think of going to Baba's place, what meaning have you drawn from this?"

He said, "It is the result of our own karma. Parshad of Bhagwan, do not draw a negative meaning. Whoever wishes for the darshan of a saint, giving up maya and pride, every step forward is equal to countless yagyas." Whatever you have resolved, that to have the darshan of a saint, your bad prarabdh will be destroyed. How will it be destroyed? Suppose a hand was going to break, and you got an injury instead. A big event was meant to happen to you, and it was settled in a small event. A great loss was meant to happen to you, and only a small loss happened. You then think, "I put my foot on the path of Bhagwan, and I have suffered."

taj maya abhiman jo pag age badhe kotin yagya saman
Whoever steps forward, giving up maya and pride, earns the merit of countless yagyas.

One more thing. Yesterday, in a private meeting, someone asked a question: "I feel that since I started walking the path of Bhagwan, everything has been going against me." He was told, "No, this is not so. This is a new crop. It is not that you will get the fruit of today's effort today itself. This is the fruit of past actions. We are telling you this so that you walk patiently. Suppose we have just started on the path of paramarth from today. It may be that our bad prarabdh strikes from today and keeps crushing us for several months. Then you will feel that from the day we went to Vrindavan and began bhajan, our condition became like this. No, this is your past prarabdh."

It may be that you start badly today, or that good begins from today. So this is not the fruit of bad karma. This is the past merit catching up with you. For many months, you may keep getting happiness, while you commit a lot of sin. That does not mean the result of what you are doing is this. The result of what you have already done is this, and what you are doing now you will have to suffer later. A great deal of discernment is needed.

Let us proceed to the Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapuran. Sachchidanand Bhagwan appeared to calm the anguish of the gopis, and Bhagwan performed the mahARAS.

tato dund bhyo ne nipat pushp vrishtaya jagur gandharv patya sasta ko malam
Then the kettledrums sounded, and a shower of flowers fell. The lords of the gandharvas sang, with their wives.

At that very time, the cymbals, mridanga, pang, veena and flute all began to play, and there was a rain of flowers. On the vast, sacred bank of the Yamuna, in the middle of the rasa mandal, Shri Shyama Shyam stood, and around them, one gopi, one Shri Krishna, one gopi, one Shri Krishna, thus the rasa was played. A verse of the Das ji was sung: Shri Priya-Pritam are in the middle, and all around, in a circle, one gopi and one Shri Krishna are seated. Playing the rasa, the delight and ornament of Braj, the young women..

khelt raas rasik braj mandan jubte nayan diye bhuj dandan
Playing the rasa, the delight and ornament of Braj, the young women (embrace) with their arms.

[sound of singing]

khelt raas rasik braj mandan hans diye bhuj
Playing the rasa, the delight and ornament of Braj, the young women..

[sound of singing]

shrad Vimal nav chandra viraj madhur madhur Murli kal baje
The clear autumn moon, the new moon, shines. The sweet, sweet flute plays.

[sound of singing]

Radha shrad Vimal nav chandra viraje madhur madhur Murli kal baje
Radha: the clear autumn moon, the new moon shines. The sweet, sweet flute plays.

[sound of singing]

shrad Vimal nav chandra viraj madhur madhur Murli
The clear autumn moon, the new moon, shines. The sweet flute..

[sound of singing]

kal baje ati rajas
The flute plays, and there is great radiance.

[sound of singing]

rasik braj mandan yuvti
The delight and ornament of Braj, the young women..

[sound of singing]

nas diye bhuj dandan
(They) embrace with their arms.

[sound of singing]

kel raas rasik braj man
Playing rasa, the delight of Braj..

[sound of singing]

jubte diye bhoj da ati rajat Ghanshyam tamala kanchan beli
The young women.. Shyam shines brightly like a dark tamal tree entwined with a golden creeper.

bani braj bala ati rajat ghan Shyam kamala kanchan beli bali braj mala
The maidens of Braj are adorned, shining like a dark cloud and a lotus; a golden creeper, a garland of Braj.

bajat taal mridang upanga dan math man koti ananga
Cymbals, mridanga and upanga play; they churn the minds of millions of Cupids.

[sound of singing]

madang upanga
Mridanga, upanga..

[sound of singing]

mat man koti anangas
They churn the minds of millions of Cupids.

[sound of singing]

rasik braj mandan jubat nas
The delight and ornament of Braj, the young women..

[sound of singing]

diye bhuj dandan
(They) embrace with their arms.

khelt raas rasik braj mandan jo
Playing rasa, the delight and ornament of Braj..

[sound of singing]

nand bhuj nandan bhushan bahut vivid rang sari ang sudhang dikhavat nari
The son of Nanda, the ornament of arms. The women show their bodies in many-coloured saris and ornaments.

bhushan bahut vivid rang sari ang sung dikhavat nari
Many ornaments, many-coloured saris; the women show their bodies.

parsat kusum mudit surash suniyat dulghar sat mur yosa suniy
(Caption unclear.) Touching the flowers, joyfully.. Listen.

shri hit Harivansh magan man shyama Radha raman sakal sukh dhama jai shri Harivansh
Shri Hit Harivansh, absorbed in mind, beloved of Shyama Radha, the abode of all happiness. Jai Shri Harivansh.

magan man shyama Radha raman sakal sukh dhaas
Absorbed in mind, beloved of Shyama Radha, the abode of all happiness.

[sound of singing]

rasik braj mandan yuvati nayas diye bhuj
The delight and ornament of Braj, the young women.. (embrace) with their arms.

[sound of singing] Dandan khelat na rasik Braj [sound of singing] Mandan jun diye [sound of singing] Bhoj valaya naam na purana kini naam chota siya mabh shabd tum lo ra. In the mandal, in Maharashtra, all the gopis are dancing with their beloved Shyamsundar. One gopi, one Shyamsundar. The bangles on everyone's wrists and the anklets on the Shri Charans, and the tiny ghunghroos of the waist-belt, are ringing in rhythm. The gopis were countless, beyond counting. Countless gopis, countless Krishnas, because for as many gopis, there are as many Shri Krishnas.

A very sweet sound: anklets, bangles, the waist-belt, with the rhythm of mridang, upang, veena and venu. On the Raman Reti of Yamuna Ji, in the midst of the Braj sundaris, Lord Shri Krishna's splendour was unique. It seemed as though, among countless bright yellow, gleaming gold gems, a luminous sapphire was shining. During the dance, the gopis moved in many ways: sometimes they bounced their steps and moved their feet forward, sometimes pulled them back, sometimes placed them slowly to match the tempo, and sometimes very swiftly. Sometimes they spun around like a wheel, sometimes raised their hands to show expressions, sometimes smiled with great artistry, and sometimes arched their eyebrows. While dancing, their splendour in bending, sitting, rising and walking was such that their kurtis moved, and the earrings swayed and fell onto their cheeks.

From the exertion of dancing, drops of sweat appeared on their faces, and the Lord wiped them with his pitambar (yellow cloth). The braids of every gopi's hair came loose. The supreme beloved of Natwar Nandlal, the gopis, were dancing with the Lord and singing. In the middle were Priya Pritam, Radha and Krishna, at the peak of the intoxication of joy. This raas is the supreme joy of the couple, love without hesitation, playing. This is the form of love's intoxication. One in whose heart love has not awakened, how can they know the raas? At that time, it seemed as though many Shri Krishnas were dark, dark clouds, and between them the fair gopis shone like lightning.

Boundless splendour. The life of the gopis is the Lord's love. Clinging close to Lord Shri Krishna, dancing and singing sweetly in a high voice, and receiving Shri Krishna's touch, they were immersed in joy. Such alaap, such singing of ragas and raginis: "Bajat mrid mridang, nachat sab sudhang," fills Vrindavan. One gopi was matching her voice to the Lord's voice, while another gopi began singing a raga-alaap in a higher pitch than Lord Shri Krishna's. Hearing her unique and excellent raga, the Lord was very pleased and said:

Wah wah wah! Another gopi sang the same raga in dhrupad, and the Lord also honoured her greatly. One gopi, tired from dancing, saw her bangles and the bela flowers in her braids begin to slip. Shyamsundar Bhagwan held her steady. What fortune the gopis have, which even Lakshmi Ji did not get! Lord Shri Krishna had placed one hand on another gopi's shoulder. So tender, so fragrant, so joy-giving is the Lord's lotus hand. That gopi was sinking into the samadhi of gopi-bhaav. Receiving the touch of the Lord's lotus hand, every pore of her body thrilled with joy.

One gopi was dancing, and her earrings were swaying from the dance; their movement made her cheeks shine even more. Taking into her mouth the betel leaf that Lord Shri Krishna had chewed, the gopi thrilled with joy. This is a fortune that even the great Brahma-rishis do not have, but the gopi has it. The gopi consumes the Lord's prasadi, the betel chewed by the Lord's mouth. Another gopi, jingling the ghunghroos of her anklets and waist-belt, dances and sings. When she is very tired, she places the cool lotus hands of Shyamsundar Bhagwan, who is standing right beside her, upon her heart.

Parikshit, this fortune that the gopis received, even Lakshmi Ji did not get, said Shri Sukhdev Ji. Although Lakshmi Ji's supreme beloved, the one devoted to her alone, is Lord Shri Krishna, the happiness the gopis got, Lakshmi Ji did not get. Lord Shri Krishna has held their necks in his arms. At that time the gopis had an incomparable splendour. The beauty of their faces was unique, with drops of sweat glistening on them. They were dancing with Lord Shri Krishna in the raas-mandal, and the sound of their bangles and anklets was ringing.

Bees were humming, matching their tune to the rhythm and the pitch, and the flowers woven into their braids and at their joints kept falling. Parikshit asked, how did the Lord play with them? It was said:

bole evam parisang kara kshan vilashas re ramesho braj sundari yatharabh ka swa pratibimb vibhram

Just as a small child plays with its own reflection, without any agitation, so Ramesh, the Lord, played with the Braj sundaris. Lord Shri Krishna sometimes held them to his heart, sometimes touched their bodies, and sometimes looked at them with loving sideways glances.

Sometimes, in play, they burst into loud laughter. In this way the Lord performed the maharaas with the beauties of Braj. Having received the touch of the Lord's limbs, all the gopis are overcome with love and joy. Seeing Shri Krishna's maharaas play, the goddesses of heaven were enchanted. Along with the stars and planets, the moon was amazed and astonished.

dekht Madhukra keli mohe khag mrig beli mohe mrig dhenu sahit sur sundar prem magan pat chhute udwan chakit thkit sash mandal koti Madan man lute adhar pan paribhan ati ras anand magan saheli jaisi hit Harivansh rasik sachu pavat dekht Madhukra keli
Seeing the play of the bees, the birds, deer and vines are enchanted. The deer, cows and lovely gods, drowned in love, lose their garments. The moon and its stars stand stunned and still, and the minds of countless Madans are plundered. Drinking the nectar of the lips, immersed in supreme delight like a dear companion, Hit Harivansh, the connoisseur, rejoices in seeing the play of the bees.

The celestial goddesses, seated in their vehicles, were enchanted on seeing Shri Krishna Chandra's maharaas. They thought, "Where in our fortune is such happiness, that the Lord of countless crores of universes would place his arms around our necks?" The Lord stood in a circle, arm in arm, with each gopi close by, and Shri Radha and Krishna at the centre. O Parikshit, the goddesses were bewitched by desire.

vam muni munir sun nar vit bh kahat nahi banat kachu bhed yati taal ko main jo mohan suno venu gopal ko shravan kundal chhurit rut kuntal lalit ruchir kasturi chandan tilak bhaal ko chand gati mand bhai nirakh chavi kam gayi dekh Harivansh sahit bhash nand lal ko
The sages and women cannot describe the measure and rhythm of it. I hear Mohan playing Gopal's flute. Ear-rings swaying, curling locks, lovely musk and sandal tilak on the forehead. The moon's motion slowed on seeing his beauty, and desire fled. Seeing Nanda's son, Harivansh is absorbed.

A wondrous rain of great bliss, O Parikshit. The moon was astonished, stunned and amazed.

The Lord is Atmaram. Why is this said again and again? So that no one misses it. As said above, Atmaram sports with the beauties of Braj:

reme ramesho braj sundar yatharabh ka sva pratibimb vibhrama
He sported with the beauties of Braj, as a small child plays with his own reflection.

Like a small child who plays innocently with his own reflection, the Sachchidanand Lord is Atmaram. He needs nothing from anyone. He is in all forms, and there is nothing apart from him. Yet he took on as many forms as there were gopis, and in play he performed a wondrous raas with them. The gopis grew tired from singing and dancing for a long time.

Then the compassionate Lord Shri Krishna, with great love, himself wipes everyone's face with his own gentle lotus hands. With his yellow silk garment, he wipes the face of every gopi. What good fortune is this, and who attains it? The Lord is beside every gopi. Touched by the Lord's lotus hands, the gopis sink into a trance of love. His loving glance and smile, sweeter than nectar, give happiness to all.

After this, the Lord took all the gopis along with Priyaji (Shri Radha) and played in the water of the Yamuna. At that time, the Lord's vanamala was somewhat crushed by the rubbing of the gopis' limbs.

Bees hummed all around that vanamala, as if the king of the Gandharvas were following behind, singing the glory of the Lord. In the waters of the Yamuna, the gopis placed the Lord in the middle and splashed water with cupped handfuls. Celestial beings seated in their vehicles showered flowers and offered praise. Great sages in the sky watched the water-play of Atmaram Shri Krishna. After this, Shri Krishna went to a grove on the bank of the Yamuna, surrounded by the young women of Braj and a swarm of bees.

That place was extremely delightful. All around, on land and in water, beautiful flowers of fragrant scent had bloomed. A gentle breeze was blowing, carrying their fragrance. The Lord moved about like a great elephant in rut, roaming with his herd. O Parikshit, that autumn night was made up of many nights gathered together. Many nights had become a single night. All around, the moon's lovely moonlight was spreading. It was endowed with every element of autumn described in the poems. Shri Krishna, with his beloved gopis, performed the raas on the sands of the Yamuna. The water-play in the Yamuna and the forest sport in Vrindavan all happen by the Lord's divine resolve.

This is the transcendent leela of the Lord's transcendent resolve. Worldly, natural emotions do not enter this leela. King Parikshit asked, and asked again. Perhaps some subject may raise such a question in his mind, because the king is the symbol of the subjects. The chakravarti emperor, Maharaj Parikshit, asked: "Bhagavan, Shri Krishna is the sole lord of the world. Why, then:"

sansthapnay dharmasya prasay tars avteerno hi bhagwan sen jagdeeshwara sa katham dharm setu naam vakta karta Rakshita prateep ma brahm param aap kamo yap kripya na sanshrat
For the establishment of dharma and the subduing of adharma, the Lord, the lord of the universe, descended. How could he, the speaker, maker and protector of the bridges of dharma, O brahmin, engage in what is contrary, touching another's wife?

Maharaj, the avatar is for establishing dharma and destroying adharma, and for this the Lord takes an avatar. The Lord is the bridge of dharma, its speaker, its maker and its protector. Then why did Parikshit ask such a question? The Lord's avatar, the protection of dharma, the destruction of adharma, and the Lord who makes dharma, teaches dharma, protects dharma and practises dharma.

Maharaj, I have a doubt. Why is this so? One Shri Krishna, one gopi, one Shri Krishna, one gopi. I believe it, and I also know it. You say the Lord is āptakāma, complete in desire, with no wish at all. Then with what purpose did he do this? He is the supreme brahmachari, the lord of sages. Please destroy my doubt at once. Here the raas stops. If this question had not been asked, perhaps Paramahamsa Shukdev would have kept on singing. Here, a question from King Parikshit halts the Lord's beautiful and divine raas leela. Such a question was asked by King Parikshit: the avatar of the Lord is for the establishment of dharma and the destruction of adharma.

The Lord creates dharma. He protects it. He expounds it. He is also the speaker. Then why did he do this? Perhaps Parikshit wanted Shri Sukhdev Ji to answer the questions of those with negative attitudes, which is why he asked such a question, and the answer was given with great force.

dharm vyatikramo drisht ishwar naam sahsam teji dosh va sarwabhaj net samach jato manasa vinatyachran myaa tatha rudro dhajam visham
Transgression of dharma and audacity are seen in the powerful. For the mighty it is no fault, just as fire consumes everything without blemish. So too, Rudra drank the poison born of the ocean.

First, understanding the actions of the great is not within the scope of a small intellect. God is not bound by any limit.

So sometimes their actions appear to be such that one wonders, "Has dharma been violated?" But no one knows the great purpose of those radiant souls. Look, put sandalwood into fire or put filth into it, and the fire will reduce everything to ash and give it its own form. The fire is not affected by what is put into it. Whether you put filth, sandalwood, or even iron, it makes all of them its own form. Those who do not have the capacity should never even think such things in the mind, let alone do them with the body. If someone out of foolishness does such a deed, he will be destroyed. Just as when Lord Shankar drank the halahal poison, if anyone else drinks it to see, he will be burnt to ash. Therefore, follow the words of God, of Shankar, and of the great souls. You do not have the capacity to imitate their conduct.

When the Lord performed the rasa, he also lifted Shri Giriraj Ji. Keep a 100-gram weight on your finger like this for seven days, a 100-gram weight for seven days and seven nights. So that is the practical answer. A wise person should accept only that conduct which is taught by the teaching of the great souls, not all conduct. O Parikshit, powerful great souls are free of ego. Doing auspicious deeds brings them no gain, and when inauspicious deeds happen, they suffer no loss. There is no inauspiciousness for them, because they are free of ego. So this point is settled.

They are above self-interest and harm. If this is so regarding their relationship, then Lord Shri Krishna is the sole master and supreme Lord of all moving and unmoving beings, including animals, birds, humans, and gods. How can human notions of good and bad be connected with him? So far this has been the practical answer. Now he says:

yad pankaj parag nish tapta yog prabhav vidhta khil karm bandha swam charti mun manas tas chhaya push kutev bandha
Those sages whose satisfaction comes from serving the pollen of His lotus feet, and whose karmic bonds are wholly shattered by the power of yoga, wander freely, unbound.

gopi naam tatpati naam cha sarve deh naam yantaksha kreedne neh de bhag
He who dwells within all the gopis, their husbands, and all embodied beings as the inner witness, enjoys play here, having taken a body.

anugrah bhuta naam manusham de masthita bhajte tadshi krida yatwa tatparo bhavet
For the grace of living beings, He takes on a human form and performs such pastimes that, hearing them, one becomes devoted to Him.

O Parikshit, you ask about the Lord. Y pad pankaj parag nish tapta yog prabhav vidhta kil karm bandha
Those whose satisfaction comes from the pollen of whose lotus feet, whose karmic bonds are shattered by the power of yoga.

By serving the dust of whose lotus feet, devotees become satisfied.

All karmic bonds are shattered. Through attaining union with him, and by the power of that yoga, yogis are freed from the cycle of coming and going. Thoughtful, wise people, by serving the dust of his feet, become one with the true nature of the Lord. Freed from all karmic bonds, they wander freely. That very Lord has taken on a transcendent form to fulfill the wishes of his devotees. How can any notion of physical touch be applied to him? When a devotee has this feeling, the Lord becomes his son. When a devotee has this feeling, the Lord becomes his friend.

And when devotees have the feeling that the Lord is their beloved, and all of them come in the form of gopis, then the Lord gives them the joy of a beloved. The Lord is giving joy to his devotees. Here there is no man or woman. There is the Lord of transcendent bliss, Sachchidanand Bhagwan Shri Krishna, and the great devotees who are immersed in his bhaav and have become gopis. O Parikshit, the same Paramatma who dwells as the Atma in the inner heart of all embodied beings, the gopis and their husbands alike, is playing here. He who is the witness of all and the supreme Lord himself is performing leela by manifesting his divine, transcendent Shri form.

The Lord manifests himself in human form only to show grace to living beings, and he performs such leelas that whoever sings and hears them attains the Lord and becomes devoted to him. O Parikshit, the cowherds of Braj never had the slightest sense of fault in Shri Krishna. They felt that their wives were with them. These were not wives; these are all bhaav. The Lord is playing with the gopi bhaav. The gopi bodies are with their own husbands. How will this be understood? The Lord says, "I am playing with My beloved ones." And the gopis, in their own homes, as Shri Sukhdev Ji Maharaj says, experience that their wives are beside them. So who went? The gopi bhaav went. Just as this body will remain here, the sahachari bhaav goes to Shri Ji. Carrying the sahachari bhaav, the atma-tattva goes, and attains the chidanand sahachari form.

The rasa of the Lord is taking place with the chidanand gopis, while the embodied gopis are with their own husbands. The night that was equal to one night of Brahma, in which the mahārās took place, passed. All the Brajvasis are seeing this, believing that their daughters and wives are sitting beside them. Their bodies are there, and all of this is in the divine bhaav-deh of the Lord. There is nothing impure or distorted in this divine bhaav. The night equal to one night of Brahma passed, and Brahma muhurta came. Although none of the gopis had any wish to return, still, by Shri Krishna's command, they all went back.

When they returned, they woke up, and those beside them also woke. This was the chidanand leela of the Lord, and no one could know it. No one could understand the rasa. Then everyone went back to their own work as before. The rasa took place with the Lord through the bhaav-deh, not through the five-element physical body.

O Parikshit, when a steady person asked whether the rasa panchadhyayi was finished or whether it went on further, Paramhans Ji (Shukadev) wrapped it up, saying, "No, no, no. When even the kings cannot understand it, what will the common people understand?" So, concluding the rasa, he says:

vikritam brajwadh bhadam cha Vishnu shraddhito ya dath varn bhakti param Bhagwati pratibh kammam khas baat hridag mas pahno chare dheera
Whoever with faith hears or recounts this sport of Vishnu with the cowherd maidens attains supreme devotion to the Lord, and the steady one soon casts off the disease of the heart, which is lust.

Whoever, with faith, repeatedly sings and hears this transcendent rasa-vilas of Shri Krishna with the young women of Braj will attain the Lord's supreme devotion, prem-lakshana bhakti. The disease of kaam, the disorder of lust in his heart, will be destroyed, and he will become free of desire forever.

This Rasa is the fruit of the Rasa Panchadhyayi. It is the most intimate leela of Lord Shri Krishna. Outwardly, each gopi is at home, just as the elders appear near you in the outer body. But in the bhav deh, they are with Priyaji. How will you know this? You will say, "But they were laughing with us." Yet at that very moment they were joking with Priyaji, and at that very moment they were in Priyaji's service. How can you know this? This is the supreme, most intimate leela of Lord Shri Krishna, the divine and wondrous play with His own intrinsic gopis and Maharani Ji, which is described in the Rasa Panchadhyayi.

The root meaning of the word "Rasa" is rasa, and Rasaghan Mohan Murti, the wondrous one, the festive and playful one, is Shri Krishna Himself. Rasa is that divine play in which the one Rasa, appearing as many rasas, tastes infinite rasa. That is called Rasa. Who is the one Rasa? Shri Krishna. The very one who became Kishori is the one who became the gopi, and the one who became the beauty of Vrindavan. He becomes everything. The play in which the One, in many forms, tastes infinite rasa is called Rasa. Understand this: who is called rasa? Lord Shri Krishna. What is the meaning of Rasa?

Rasa. Who is called rasa? Lord Shri Krishna. So Maharas is when the one Rasa reveals itself in infinite forms and plays with itself, within itself. That is called Rasa. If you mock the Lord's leela, you will go to hell. The chidananda, chinmay, intimate leela that takes place with His own intrinsic gopis and with Priyaji is called Rasa. This divine leela of the Lord takes place divinely in the Lord's divine abode. By the Lord's special grace, it sometimes happens in the hearts of loving sadhaks.

Loving sadhaks, and those who are qualified, enter this Rasa. Think for a while, think carefully. Imagine Mahayogeshwar Lord Shiva longing to enter the Rasa as a gopi, and entering it. What would that Rasa be? Think about it. It would be the Rasa where the Lord of the gopis, the Gopeshwar, became a gopi himself, parted his hair, and wore his garland of skulls and garland of serpents, his matted locks, ash and ghosts. That beautiful Lord bathes in the Yamuna, makes a braid of his matted locks, parts them in the middle, and wears a chunari and ghagra. What would the Rasa be in which he enters like this, where Tripura Sundari Bhagvati sits on his left side?

That Shiva, who keeps teaching the Sanakadi, what would the rasa be for which he became a gopi? Over time, the mind too keeps turning. Today's society does not have inner vision; it has only outer vision. This is Kali Yuga, when people have begun to doubt even the Lord's divine leelas, let alone the Lord's existence. Bhai Ji is writing this. In such a situation, if people do not understand the secret of this divine Rasa leela and express all sorts of doubts, it is no surprise. This Rasa leela is understood through inner vision, by the Lord's grace, and after attaining the bhav deh.

Blessed are those fortunate and great souls who have received the Lord's grace and inner vision through the bhav deh and experienced this. By the power of the dust of their feet, the three worlds are blessed. This must be understood at the outset: the body of Lord Shri Krishna is not a five-elemental, material body bound by karma, like that of a jiva. Matter has existence only in the state of the jiva. The form of the Lord's limbs is of the nature of the Self. It is chidanandamay. Now, the introduction to chidananda is like this: our atma is separate and this body is separate, meaning the "I" that we are is separate from the body. The Lord is of the nature of the Self. Even the Lord's nail is atma, the Lord's hair is atma, and the Lord's gaze is atma. Here, of the nature of the Self, there is no distinction between body and atma. That distinction arises in the realm of prakriti, not in the realm of the Lord. The trees of Vrindavan and the soil of Vrindavan are all chinmay and chidanandamay. They are not prakriti. Everything is chinmay, and chid vilas is taking place there. For the fulfilment of the Lord's leela, everything has manifested in the form of the Self. This play of Rasa is far removed from the imaginations, conceptions, and actions of those who have not destroyed their desires and who still regard the material body as "I."

Once, Pujya Shri Bal Krishna Das Ji of Ben Vinod Kunj, a great mahapurush of Braj, was sitting in seclusion discussing gopi bhava. As soon as he saw that a saint had arrived, he stopped. Filled with feeling, he said, "Prabhu, we are in your refuge. If you take so much of the outer as real, how can we move forward on this path?" Nobody said anything. After many days, slowly, the discussion began again. This great, secluded rasa belongs to the realm of the Lord. There is no distinction here between woman and man, or between inert and conscious. No gopi is there who is not sachchidanandamay.

The sachchidanandamay gopi is not a body of sadhana's vision. This is the siddha bapu, the gopi bapu. It is beyond the gross body, the subtle body, the causal body, heaven, kaivalya, moksha, and hell. It is a chidanandamay body, like the Lord's. The gopis are only chidananda swarup. Shri Krishna is chidananda swarup, Vrindavan is chidananda swarup, the moon is chidananda swarup, the sand is chidananda swarup, the Yamuna is chidananda swarup, and the gopis are all chidananda vilas taking place. In the alaukik state, the gross body, its memory, and the imagined physical union and contact related to it are not present. None of that exists in chidananda.

Translation of the Hindi text

Radha Radha. Whatever you imagine, you imagine with bodily intellect. How will you recognize the gopis? Only when you place the dust of Vrindavan on your forehead and follow some rasik mahapurush of Vrindavan, and act according to his command, while remaining in humble spirit, will you understand something. Do not think of Vrindavan's leela as a mere spectacle; do not take the Guru lightly. Here, sages and seers have grown weary, yet they keep chanting "Radhe Radhe." Brahma, Shankar and Uddhav worshipped with gopi bhav in order to know this rasa. Only when they desired to place the dust of the gopis' feet on their foreheads could they begin to understand what the gopis are. To regard the divine bhav of the gopis as the feeling of ordinary men and women is a very great offence. It becomes a great offence against the gopis, against Bhagwan, against Vrindavan, and against the lovers of Bhagwan. To be saved from this offence, sing the divine leelas of Bhagwan, listen to them abundantly, and then you will understand.

Bhagwan's chidanand body is divine. Bhagwan is unborn. He is imperishable. He is the eternal, primordial, pure form of Bhagwan. These gopis are not of this world; they belong to the world of bhav. They are the intimate powers that are essential to Bhagwan's own form. This is the leela of the highest bhav. A prakrit body is formed by the union of three bodies: the gross, the subtle and the causal. As long as the causal body remains, the jiva does not get freedom from the cycle of coming and going. The causal body refers to those impressions of past karmas that are the cause of the formation of the body. On the basis of this causal body, the jiva has to keep falling into the cycle of birth and death again and again.

And when this causal body wears away, then one becomes jivanmukta. Because of this karmic bondage, one receives the five-element gross body. The five-element body consists of blood, flesh, bone, fat and marrow, covered by skin, and all the transformations of the realm of prakriti are present in it. And it is formed through the union of yoni and bindu: through the union of rajas and bindu, however big one may be, through the sexually motivated activity of coition, and through the union of rajas and bindu, this gross body is formed. The great soul who is urdhvareta, whose bindu does not flow downward, whether through the supreme coitus of duty, or through touch of the navel, heart, throat, ears, eyes, head or forehead, or merely through sight, or through resolve, all these creations, both with and without coitus, are considered to arise from the union of yoni and bindu.

This is prakrit. Whether it arises through resolve, or through yajna, or in whatever manner, as Draupadi came forth from a yajna, her body too was a five-element body; it was not chidanand at all. All these are prakrit bodies. Similarly, the nirmaan kaaya created by a yogi is somewhat purer than these prakrit bodies. He can enter mountains, assume many forms, and be present in many places at one time through the power of yoga siddhi. But he is not chidanand. He is subtler and purer than this prakrit body, but he is not chidanand.

But the gopis have a chidanand form, which has a body just like Bhagwan Shri Krishna's. Even the devas cannot match this, because deva bodies are not made of blood, flesh, fat and bone; yet they too are certainly prakrit, belonging to maya. Bhagwan Shri Krishna has a Bhagwat swaroop, which is chidanandmay, free from the distinction between soul and body. Roop and roopi, naam and naami, leela and Leela Purushottam are not different. Each limb of Shri Krishna is Shri Krishna. Just as Shri Krishna's face is complete Shri Krishna, so too Shri Krishna's foot is complete Shri Krishna.

All of Shri Krishna's limbs are complete. We can see only with our eyes, but Shri Krishna can see with his ears. His eyes can hear, his nose can touch, his tongue can smell, and his skin can taste, because everything is full of Shri Krishna. It is said: "Binu pag chal, sun binu kaan" (without feet he walks, without ears he hears). This means that Shri Krishna, without ears, hears; without feet, walks; without eyes, sees; without speech, his words are spoken. In short, he can walk with his eyes and see with his hands. Everything of Shri Krishna is Shri Krishna, chidanandmay, the great wondrous and marvellous form. This is the gopi swaroop.

In the Vrindavan vihar, the cows, deer, trees and creepers are all not prakrit; they are chidanandmay. Therefore, by separating your mindset from the prakrit man-woman bhav, understand the gopi as a chidanand swaroop, a Bhagwat swaroop. And this rasa-leela is the great leela of prem. Giving up great worldly pleasures, giving up possessions, becoming a sant, and consuming the rasa of Vrindavan, with the fully strong hope of attaining this rasa, the gopi bhav was then attained through the grace of some elders. The whole life passed in weeping. If even the slightest impurity were present in the gopi bhav of the saints here, then many wealthy and respected saints would not have given up all the pleasures of splendour and become saints.

Nagaridas ji was a prince, yet he wore only a loincloth. Renouncing everything, on this path of prem of Bhagwan, some have the sakhi bhav, some the sakha bhav; these bhavs are the body of bhav. Your imagination cannot reach these bhavs of the body. Therefore never hold any impure thought about this. For this reason, Pujya Bhai ji has indicated here that the leela of the chidanandmay body is taking place. Just listen and sing, and then your heart will become pure and fit for contemplation. For the rest of the discussion: Jai to Shri Radha Vallabh Lal.

This text is taken from the video's auto-generated subtitles and may contain word errors. Please listen to the video for the authentic words.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)