Category Archives: INSPIRATIONAL

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Shriyah Karam!

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL

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Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay
Shriyah-karam Shriyonaatham, Shridharam Shri-vara-pradam,
ShriVatsalDharam Saumya, Tam vande Shri Sureshvaram,
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay
Yogishvaram Yagnapatim, Yashodaanand-daayakam,
Yamuna-jal Kallolam, Tam vande YaduNaayakam,
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay
Shaaligramam Shila-shuddham, Shankh-chakrop-shobhitam,
Sur-asur-sada-sevyam, Tam Vande Saadhu-vallabham,
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay
Trivikramam Tapo-murti, Trividha-aghaugh-naashanam,
Tristhalam Teerth-raajendram, Tam vande Tulsi-priyam,
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay
Anantam Aadi-purusham, Achyutam Cha Vara-pradam,
Aanandam Cha Sadaa-aanandam, Tam vande Cha Agh-naashanam,
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay
Leelaya-adbhut-bhoobhaaram, Lok-satvaik-vanditam,
Lokeshvaram Cha Shrikaantam, Tam Vande Laxman-priyam,
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay
Harim Cha Harin-aaksham Cha, Harinaatham Haripriyam,
Halaayudham Sahaayam Cha, Tam Vande Hanumatpatim,
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay

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Like Radha, the beautiful gopi whom the Lord chose to symbolize His eternal love for us, other simple things can also receive His darshan by way of becoming symbols of His glories. And so it came to pass for a lowly but beautiful wall calendar to become a murthi, to be blessed in a frame heralding His Divine visage, celebrating the coming of a new era on the eve of a New Year…

I waltz through the food market, picking out the spices, nuts, dal,  and the fresh curry leaves and mini green chillies, which make my face break out in a sweat every time I eat food enhanced with them.  These are things which I can only find here, a little Indian grocery store which opened in the past year near to my home.  Clean and closer to my home, it lured me away from the other store I used to patronize and I have shopped here since.

I have come to know the people who work there, as there are only a few who are there all the time.  “Why not?” I think to myself as one man who I have also seen there before checks my groceries out for me.  “Maybe someone here can translate this Shriyah Karam for me!!!” I have found a bhajan which I want to learn and I cannot find the English translation for the Sanskrit words. It is online on Youtube and sung by Pandit Jasraj, at this address:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKjJPSbBZys. (Author’s note…See bottom of page for final version with the translation-Yes, I did finally find it!!!)

“Do you know any Sanskrit, I ask?”  “A little,” he says, as he looks at me with a mixture of surprise and perhaps a bit of skepticism.  “Wait right here.”  I run out to my car and grab the sheet of paper I have with the words on it.  I put it down on the counter and almost fall over the counter trying to show him the words I want to know about.  So far, I have asked online, looked online and asked around at puja one night, and so far, I have no translation. I want one and I will get one, word by word if necessary.

I scan the page.  I spot a word which appears numerous times, and ask him what that means…cha…”It means the word and.”  he tells me.  Oh, I like this. This is easy!  We peek at a few more words and then he expresses to me that he feels he cannot put the words into English equivalents for me.  Hey, I thought this was going just fine, but he has had enough and has customers to take care of.  Happy to get just a few thoughts from him, I thank him and start to leave when he turns behind him on an apparent impulse and offers me a large wall calendar, with a beautiful image of Lord Krishna. My eyes open wide as I see this because I have been thinking that I would like some larger images than what I print out from my computer but had let go of the idea for other more immediate thoughts.  And I was not sure what to look for…I prefer that these things come looking for me.

And there He is-looking at me, the beautiful colors and the riveting image of Him almost jumping off the page.  It is hard to believe this is a calendar.  Quite pleased with my new gift, I go home. Perfect. A beautiful calendar for my wall, satisfying my basic needs for a linear point of reference for everyday life and an endless ocean of compassion and love for my soul.  A calendar for the year 2009, heralding my Lord Krishna in His endless glory and transcendence.

Krishna murthi

Meanwhile, back at home, other developments are taking place.  I was thinking that I was done with video bhajans until my next kirtan. Then, just before Christmas, I somehow found my convoluted way to a gift from Him by way of another bhajan to learn, Jaya Radha Madhava by Bhaktinoda Thakura and offered by Shri Jagjit Singh, who is now my favorite male bhajan singer:-).  This one is easy as far as words to learn and there are some translations online so that is not my challenge.  My challenge is to learn it so I can video it and upload it for Him before the end of the year. Before the end of the year? Well, that does not give me much time!  Before I know it, I am creating my pujya for the singing of the bhajan. I am to wear a salwar suit which is peridot green, the color of my birthstone, given to me as a gift by one of my friends at Chimaya Mission so I would not have to drive to Edison to spend money and buy clothes!  And a backdrop comforter fabric from my linen closet which is deep turquoise blue.  It seems a strange color combination to my eye, but you guessed it…He wanted it, so He got it.

Tonight I will record the bhajan. I begin to work on the pujya. I realize that I want to use my new calendar as part of my pujya.  I fold the bottom section of the calendar backward so you cannot see the calendar, only the image. I secure it under the speaker and lean the image against against it, sure that it will not fall back on me.  So, what does He do?  As I work on arranging the flowers and candles and other items, the image keeps falling forward.  I lift it and put it back against its leaning post, and two minutes later, it flutters forward again.  This happens a few times as I work, before I finally get the point.  He does not like my setup and He has a much better idea.

And so pops into my head the memory of an old frame downstairs, with a print given to me by a family member moving some old items from the family storage.  It had a rather mundane print in it of a bowl of fruit, tasteful but understated in an almost boring way but the frame was nice so I kept it.  I had propped it up behind some items on the top of a book shelf, out of the way and fading into the backround until I found a use for it.  I run downstairs and grab it, taking it up with me.  A few cuts and snips later, my Lord Krishna is beautifully framed, looking His Divine Self, gracing my personal pujya and the calendar is chopped up on the floor looking forlorn without its Divine guest of honor. So much for my linear point of reference. Who needs it anyway?

The next morning I am thinking about the two men at the store, and laughing as I think of what I did with the calendar.  I began to marvel at the way in which banality had been replaced with royalty, and how it was just a mundane picture of a bowl of fruit.  I had left the print inside the frame behind Him.  A bowl of fruit??? A bowl of fruit!!! Now quietly hidden behind His Holy image is an offering of prasad, waiting there for who knows how many years until He came to bless it.  For a moment, I wonder why.  Mine is not to question why, so I leave that question immediately to instead respond to my little Divine nudge.  What about the flowers?  Flowers?  He also needs us to offer Him flowers from our hearts.  He needs?  Yes, He longs for our love and devotion as much as we long for His.

I resolve to make my offering complete.  There is another man who works in the store who was also there when I was seeking translations of Shriyah-karam. He has helped me find items a few times while I shop. I have a tendency to wander around the store singing to Him as I shop and he has commented to me once or twice about it and we have chatted a few times. I know from talking to him that Lord Krishna is his Lord. I am so excited by my new Krishna murthi that I decide to take the framed visage to the store with me to show them the beautiful blessing which flowed from their small gift to me. Although this man is not the one who actually gave me the calendar, for some reason I feel as if he should be the one to offer the flowers.

We will be offering bhajans this evening, New Year’s Eve, at the Chinmaya Mission. I go to a local place where I buy my flowers.  I buy several bouquets of flowers which I know will look beautiful with His image.  Then I drive to the grocery store with my framed murthi and flowers in hand.  The man who gave me the calendar is not there today. But my friend is there, working.  There is also a young woman I know from the Mission working today, which is a blessing, because his English is limited and he will need help to understand what I am asking him to do.  I tell her about this and I explain to her that I will be taking the image with me to Chinmaya Mission and arranging a little pujya area for the evening (I am sure Swamiji, who knows nothing about this at the moment, won’t mind if Lord Krishna shows up tonight, although he might be a bit surprised, since I have spent the last six years worshipping Him as Lord Shiva.)

The store is busy and there is a continuous flow of customers coming to the register.  I scan the front of the store and decide to go over to the side of the store where there is a counter for me to temporarily place my pujya.  I go to the back area and pick out some fruit for tonight.  I had brought several flowers in with me from my bouquets in the car outside.  While I wait, I pluck some petals for him to offer.  As I look at the back of the frame, it occurs to me that I do not want the flower petals to cause any damage to the print from the moisture that was in them seeping through to His image in the front.  I looked around for something to place under the flowers for this protection.  The young woman offered me a plastic bag, which I folded up and put down.  NO!  This will not do.  I look around me, searching,  and my eyes fall upon the wall behind the counter where I stand.  It is full of small decals and other symbolic images of Sanatana Dharma…the OM, the swastika…little feet…little feet…Lotus Feet!  That is what I will place there to receive and embrace the offering of the petals and protect the image.

So, in between a busy flow of customers, and with the young woman who works there to translate to him what I am trying to tell him, he washes his hands and gingerly places the flower petals on His symbolic Lotus Feet which have now been attached to the back of the prints.  We reclose the little metal flaps embedded into the back of the frame to secure the picture one by one, chanting together Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Hare Krishna!!!  Ok, I led and he followed, with a smile on his face 🙂  I left him with a smile still on his face, and his own flowers from which I had plucked the petals, and some fruit which I had just picked out from the store. He was told how I came to frame the image and why, and he should offer the flowers and the fruit on his own personal pujya and they would be blessed that evening by Lord Krishna.  How do I know this?  I just do.  Does this man think I am off my rocker?  Yes, he do!  But he did what I asked without questioning me because it honored Lord Krishna.

Hari Tum Haro

My next stop is the Mission, where I want to drop off the flowers and fruit I just bought as well as the framed murthi for tonight.  Fortunately for me, Swamiji has always welcomed me into the Chinmaya family and has encouraged me to come there to worship.  I come barreling in to the kitchen and put the murthi on the table for him to see.  I also give him two of the calendars which I had just requested at the store. He recognizes the store name where I purchased and tells me that the man who owns it is a member of Chinmaya Mission.  He must be the man who actually gave me the calendar and helped me with some translations that day.  Then, as Swamiji is looking at the calendar,  he exclaims…”Oh, this is 2009.”   I cannot contain myself.  I walk closer to the calendar on the table and place my hand on His Holy image. “No, Swamiji, THIS is 2009.”

As we move into this new year, I have seen several appeals for peace and understanding, and love and compassion in our world, a world which is literally teeming with confusion, violence, and hatred. Where should we look for the answers to our pleas for peace and love in this world?  There is no one who acts without His impetus, so why not appeal to the very Source?  Has He not promised to redeem us from our suffering and to maintain Sanatana Dharma?  He is a Keeper of His Promises. So let us appeal to His mercy and love to Grace us with that which He has always promised and vowed to do when we need it most…to make His presence felt as He manifests to uphold dharma.  Let us call upon Him as Shriyah-karam…the One who can only bestow blessings for the highest good

There is a beautiful Mirabai bhajan called Hari Tum Haro,  which I am slowly learning.  Up until now, as much as I loved it, I had a certain hesitation to sing it because Mira seemed to be asking Him for something.  I do not like to ask Him for anything, as this seems inconsistent with my surrender to His will.  Now, I have come to see that all she is asking Him to do is to relieve the suffering of the world by upholding dharma, just as He did in the examples she gives in her bhajan.  And so, my New Year’s appeal to Him through her, brought to us by the exquisitely beautiful MS Amma, who surely rests safely in His arms as I write… Shriyah-karam!!! Border_1

Click here for hari Tum haro

Hari Tum Haro Jan ki piir

Hari, please remove the suffering of the people
(jan – people, piir, pronounced bhir – suffering, haro – please remove)

draupadi ki lAj rAkhyo tum badhAyo ciir

You preserved Draupadi’s honor by increasing the
length of the garment that covered her.
(You preserved (rAkhyO)  Draupadi’s  honor (lAj)  increasing (badhAyO)  the length of her garment.
The last word is ‘chir’ [or ciir, pronounced cheer] which means cloth.
Krishna kept on increasing the length of Draupadi’s sari until Dushasan was exhausted and gave up.)*

bhkat kAran roop narahari dharyO Ap sharir

For the sake of your devotee, you took on the form of Nrsimhadeva
(Based on your devotee’s (bhakat)  request (kAran – also reason),
you(Ap) took(dharyO) on the form (roop) of a human (nara).

Harinakashyapa mAra leenhO dharyO nAhina dhir

To kill the demon Hiranyakashyap,
you took on the form of a beast.

bhoodathe gaja rAja rAkhyO liyO bAhar neer
You dragged the elephant king out of the water and saved him from the crocodile’s jaws.

dAsa meera lal giridhar dukh jahAn tahAn piir
Your servant (dAsa) Meera (the saint and composer) is always with you and finds no sorrow when I’m with you.

*The translation above is from the comments section of the video link…I have incorporated and edited the suggestions contained in the comments.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCzxL5RMjUA&feature=channel_page

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TRANSLATION OF SHRIYAH KARAM

The verses in the God Is Love- OM Namo Bhagavate video by Pandit Jasraj are actually the last eight verses of the Hari Nama Mala Stotram, which contains 20 full verses.  I actually stumbled upon them in translation in the Yahoo group Guruvayur when someone posted it in its entirety.  As I scrolled down to read it I noticed some repetition of the “tam vande” phrase and continued down until the verse beginning with Shriyah karam jumped out at me!  Jai Shri Krishna!!!

Hari Nama Mala Stotram
[Composed by King Mahabali]
Translated by P. R. Ramachander

Video of God Is Love-OM Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKjJPSbBZys

Sriyakkaram sriyonadham,
Sreedharam, Sreevaraprdham,
Sreevatsa lasitham soumyam,
Tham vande Sri Sureswaram. 12

I salute him, who is the lord of all devas,
Who grants all forms of wealth,
Who is the consort of goddess of wealth,
Who carries Goddess Lakshmi on his chest,
Who grants boons requesting wealth,
Who shines because of Sreevatsa,
And who is embodiment of tranquility.

Yogeeswaram yagnapathim,
Yasodananda dayakam,
Yamuna jala sachayam,
Tham vande yadunayagam. 13

I salute him, who is the lord of all yadavas,
Who is the god of all yogis,
Who is the lord of all yagnas,
Who is the source of happiness to Yasoda,
And who has the same luster as the water of Yamuna.

Saligrama sila shuddham,
Sanka chakropa shobitham,
Surasura sada sevyam,
Tham vande sadhu vallabham. 14

I salute him, who is the darling of all good people,
Who is as clear as the Saligrama stone,
Who shines holding the conch and the wheel,
And who is always worshipped by devas and asuras.

Trivikramam tapomurthim,
Trividhagouga nasanam,
Tristhalam theertha rajendram,
Tham vande thulasi priyam. 15
I salute him, who holds the thulasi as dear,
Who took the giant form of Trivikrama,
Who is the object of meditation,
Who destroys the three types of sins,
Who holds all the three worlds,
And who is the greatest sacred water.

Anantham aadhi purusham,Achyuthm cha vara pradham,
Aanandam cha sadanandam,
Tham vande chaga nasanam. 18

I salute him, who cannot be destroyed,
Who does not have an end,
Who is the primeval man,
Who is one without change,
Who is the giver of boons,
Who is happiness,
And who is ever lasting bliss.

Leelaya Dhootha Bhoobaram,
Loka sathwaika vanditham,
Lokeswaram cha Sree kantham,
Tham vande Lakshamana priyam. 19

I salute him, who is dear to Lakshmana,
Who decreased the load of the world by simple play,
Who is worshiped by good people of the world,
Who is the Lord of the world,
And who is the consort of Goddess of wealth.

Harischa harinaksham cha,
Harinadham Hari Priyam,
Halayudha sahayam cha,
Tham vande Hanmathpathim. 20

I salute him, who is the lord of Hanuman,
Who is lord Hari,
Who has deer like eyes,
Who is the Lord of Hari,
Who is the darling of Hari,
And who was assisted by Lord Balarama.

Full stotram and translation at the link below:

http://www.celextel.org/stotrasvishnu/harinamamalastotram.html

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Visit my channel on youtube for the Jai Radha Madhava video in this story

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Good Quotes From Famous People

. INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE . ,

I have been enjoying the quotes on this page collected by Professor Gabriel Robins for sometime now. Many of these are quite funny and insightful.

Here are just a few that I like. Go to the link below for more.

“Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.”
– Saint Augustine (354-430)

“I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better.”
– A. J. Liebling (1904-1963)

“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”
– Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

“Don’t stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed.”
– George Burns (1896-1996)

“In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is.”
– Yogi Berra

“I’m living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart.”
– e e cummings (1894-1962)

“Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.”
– Plato (427-347 B.C.)

I’ve had a wonderful time, but this wasn’t it.”
– Groucho Marx (1895-1977)

“The nice thing about being a celebrity is that if you bore people they think it’s their fault.”
– Henry Kissinger (1923-)

“Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.”
– Voltaire (1694-1778)

“Where are we going, and why am I in this hand basket?”
– Bumper Sticker

http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/quotes.html

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What is God’s Name? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , ,

Ramana Maharshi: “I am” is the name of God. Of all the definitions of God, none is indeed so well put as the Biblical statement “I am that I am” in Exodus (Chapter 3).

Words are used in various spiritual traditions to describe God or give God a name. Many people are convinced that their religion, their scriptures, and their way of worshipping God is the best way. Sometimes people argue and and fight over God as well. 

Our conception of God is to large extent a function of where we are born and in what religion. Our mental conditioning is often so strong that we are not able to see the diversity of perspectives in various spiritual traditions. Only the mystics in different religions, who have through self-reflections and meditation, gone beyond their mental conditioning offer a unified vision of God. 

Continue reading →

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What Is The Ultimate Truth? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL . , , , , ,

In discussions, we are often asked the question about the “Ultimate Truth”. It comes in different variations.

1. What is the ultimate Truth of Life

2. What is the ultimate Truth of Love?

3. What is the ultimate Truth of God?

4. What is the ultimate Truth of Bliss?

5. What is the ultimate Truth of Existence?

6. What is the ultimate Truth of the Universe?

I am sure there are other ways of framing similar questions.

Albert Einstein once suggested that sometimes a difficult problem or a question cannot be  answered at the  level that it is postulated. Indeed, there is a lot of support for that thought in mathematics and physics.

For example, to solve Fermat’s last theorem in geometry (for which  Fermat in 1637 claimed to have a simple proof) took over 350 years.  Many prominent mathematicians worked on it in their life times over several hundred years with no success.

Fermat’s Last Theorem

My own father worked on the Fermat’s theorem (off and on) most of his life and sent in his proof to various Math Journals. The referees found subtle flaws of logic in his papers.

In 1995, Andrew Wiles (Sir Andrew John Wiles), a British Mathematician and a Professor at Princeton released a lengthy and complex proof of Fermat’s theorem which withstood the analysis of the world’s best mathematicians.

Sir Andrew John Wiles

My father was very happy when finally the Fermat’s theorem was laid to rest.  He told me that he could not have solved it as the proof involved fields of mathematics with which he was not even familiar.

Andrew Wiles solution used very complex branches of mathematics that did not even exist when Fermat was alive and were developed hundreds of years after Fermat had passed away.  In a very real sense, the answer to Fermat’s theorem was discovered at a different level than it was proposed.

So can we answer the question about Truth at the level that it is raised? Indeed, if we investigate carefully, we are forced to instead examine assumptions implicit behind such a question. In order to answer the question of  “What is Truth?”, one has to inquire about the reality of the  level at which the question is raised.

We ask questions about the Ultimate Truth because our present condition is that of suffering. At some level, in every life, suffering is going on. There is suffering of the body, the suffering of the mind, suffering in emotions. Then there is the ultimate suffering of our not knowing where we come from, who we are, and where we are going. We are left only with the reality of our present moment to come to terms with. Running from this present moment is a futile attempt. The present moment follows us like our shadow because it is essentially our very existence.

My friends, Albert Einstein pointed out that sometimes the solution to a problem must take place at a different level than where the problem originated. Similarly, the problem of our suffering must be resolved at a different level than where the suffering originates.

We can all identify with the grief people feel and describe at the loss of their loved ones. Joy, grief, pleasure, pain, etc., are of the nature of  the body and hence unavoidable. If we meditate deeply on the nature of the Self, we can easily see that the conventional idea of Vairagya  (detachment or dispassion) has limitations.

Indeed, attempting to practice detachment from the world in a contrived way is highly problematic. Such efforts to be detached from everyday life can serve as resistance to that what is natural, and thus take our attention away from this, the present moment. Self is only found where you already are, in this very moment.

Suffering, if we can meet it without resistance, in a natural way, will have its effect but lose its power. One should be perfectly natural in self-awareness. That is the true meaning of Vairagya. Self as described in Advaita is by its very nature whole and complete and thus has nothing to attach to or detach from.

The body, on the other hand, has to go through its sorrows and joys and various experiences of pain and pleasure. One need not  judge oneself because of it. Too much judgment and self-criticism only adds another layer of suffering on top of everything else.

The state of the Self is referred to as  Sahaj or natural. Easy and natural. So if we are searching for the  truth, we are searching for that which is easy and natural.

Sri Ramana said to Paul Brunton that Sahaj Samadhi should be practiced from the very beginning by the aspirant. It means one should act and remain natural in self-awareness. All the virtues are hidden in self-awareness. The more we remain in the present moment with awareness, the separation between the perceiver and the perceived becomes thin. When Ahimsa (nonviolence) starts to dominate one’s being, the meaning of surrender to the Lord of the Heart becomes clear.

The fruit of Ahimsa with awareness is Self-Realization. It is actually only Self-Recognition. There is no new state to be realized or achieved. If Self is clearly recognized in the Heart as our own Being, we see that it is ever-new, ever full, perfect and clear stillness whose very nature is awareness that has nothing as its object.

In our natural state of wholeness, no questions or answers can arise. Hence the question of “What is Ultimate Truth?” becomes moot.

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Fait Accompli

. Advaita and Yoga, ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL

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Fait Accompli

As the dawn blooms into the light of day
And the petals of flowers open to pray
So open your heart

As the day surrenders to the cloak of the night
In the eternal cycle of change
So too must you

As each breath you take fills you with the energy of life
Sustaining the body in which you are clothed
So you must be inhaled

As the sun shines effulgent dissolving the ethers
And the fire consumes the veils
So die to the fires

As the moon glows luminous
Softly bathing the naked earth
So stand before her

As the rain falls upon the earth
Nourishment to the soil, boon to the harvest
So drink of the nectar

As the path you walk seems laden with strife
Lessons to be learned in life
So embrace your sorrow

As the wind carries the fallen leaves
to wherever it wills
So offer no resistance

Just keep walking into the light
Sivuda:gjna le:nide: chi:maina: kuttadu
For without Ishwara’s will, Even an ant will not bite.

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“You say you offer your body,
soul and all possessions to God.
Were they yours that you could offer them?
At best, you can only say, ‘I falsely imagined
till now that all these which are yours were mine.
Now I realize they are yours. I shall no more act as if they are mine.’
This knowledge that there is nothing but God or Self,
that I or mine don’t exist and that only the Self exists, is jnana.
Thus there is no difference between bhakti and jnana.
Bhakti is jnana mata or the mother of jnani).”

~ Ramana Maharshi~

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Body And The Universe: By Madathil Rajendran Nair

. Advaita and Yoga, ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL . ,

Close your eyes and still,
Feel your body
Part by part.

And, as you begin to drown
In slumber’s sweet hold,
Mountains pop up,
As do vales, waterfalls
Green trees, vast landscapes,
Stars and the Milky Way.

The body is all that,
Part by part!
The body is the Universe,
You are the body
And you are all!

A magnificent pulsation
Without parts and
Without a beyond!
Be just aware
And remain
Your own ecstatic self.

[Inspired by the poem “We Encountered The House Of Realization”  by Yunus Emre (1238 – 1320)]

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In His Grace

. Advaita and Yoga, ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL . ,

721guruvayurappan

Pahi Pahi Gopa Baala

ragam: anandabhairavi    thaalam: Aadi
Composer:  Shri  Sundara Narayana

Pahi Pahi gopa baala vaasudevaa Krishnaa
Krishnaa protect me protect me, cowherd boy son of Vasudeva

Dehi maam Kaarunyam Guruvayoorappa
Guruvayoorappa, Give me your blessing and be kind to me.

ahivara shayana viswapaala devaa Krishnaa
Krishna, who sleeps on the great snake,( Anantha )
and who takes care of the whole world,

vihara mama hrudi wisvaroopa Devaa
Reside in my heart oh Deva, the lord of the world.

mahithabaahu phalguna saarathi devaa Krishnaa
Krishna who is the charioteer of the great Arjuna,

vihasitha saarasamukha Deva devaa
Lord of Devas,who is always smiling and has a beautiful face like a lotus

suhsitha sundaraanana vaasudevaa krishnaa
Smiling baeutiful faced son of Vasudeva Krishnaa

mohansareera pahi neeradanga
Please protect me, Krishnaa who is smiling and beautiful
and who has blue coloured body like the cloud.

Paahi divya vaarijaksha vaasudevaa krishnaaa
Protect me, holy one, lotus eyed son of Vasudeva, Krishnaa

Dehi sharanam nityam bandhuraanga
Oh one who has a shining body,please give me protection always.

aadyantha rahitha sarva jeeva paala Krishnaa
Oh , Krishna, one who has no beginning or end,who is the protector of all lives,

Veda swaroopa paahi tham namaami
One who is the embodiment of Vedas, protect me. I bow to you.

Vaathagehey viraajitha vaasudevaa thava
Son of Vasudeva, who resides in Guruvayoor

paadamooley dehi mama anthimaalayam
Please give me my final abode under your feet.

Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa
“Pahi Pahi Gopa Baala,” our teacher sang. We followed the words as we learned the bhajan, “Pahi Pahi Gopa Baala”…  “Vasudeva Krishna”…. “Vasudeva  Krishna.”   She continues leading us as the class progresses and she sings all of the two verses which are on the page of this new bhajan in my new class, carnatic singing class.  We will go through the bhajan phrase by phrase, kind of like kirtan.  At the end of class, she always graciously sings it through  so I can record it, as much for the pronunciation as for the melody and rhythm. Ever since I began attending temple at the Chinamaya Mission, I have always been drawn to the music.  Music has always been in my heart and I studied classical  piano and violin for most  of my youth and young adulthood.  I even spent a good portion of my college years majoring in music education until I did a turnabout in my senior year, and switched to psychology. How I ended up in law school is another story.  But music never left me, bound together as we were. (In my adulthood, I also played electronic keyboards in a rock band playing music written by my ex-husband, a far cry from where I am now, but a learning experience in playing without the music written note by note for me! )   So, I was thrilled to be starting this new class, where I could learn devotional singing.

I look around me…there is one catch. I am the only adult in the class, surrounded by young girls and boys just beginning their study as well. Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa,  the syllabic equivalent to the western scale, Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do.   But this will not be the first or the last time I am the child with children, so I might as well get used to it.  After a bit, I stop feeling uncomfortable and the class becomes more comfortable with me.  After all, I do stand out a bit to them with my blond hair and blue eyes.  But the Lord knows no limits on His love and the Self  has no form, so here I am,  just where He wants me. And as we move on and the groups merge, there are a few adults in the new batch.

When I stopped taking classes to focus on kirtan I slowly began to pull out some of the bhajans I had learned in class.  I did not want to lose all of what I had studied so hard to learn and I decided that now since I did not have to study new bhajans, I would pull out the old ones I had learned and also learn to accompany myself on the harmonium. I could also slow down and really study them one by one, learning the raga and memorizing the words more fully.  Pahi Pahi was always one of my favorites. But something was missing…I had the words (sahityam) and the melody to the song (swara) , but no translation.  I have this thing about translation of the words I sing…I like to know what I am singing. I had looked online and elsewhere, seeking a translation of the words I had and had come up with a rough idea of the first two verses which I had, but did not get much further and wanted to be sure it was correct.

So, when I was invited to join a Krishna bhakta  devotee group early this year, specifically a group dedicated to Guruvayurappa, I decided to ask to see if anyone had any idea who wrote the bhajan, since it referenced Guruvayurappa, one of the manifestations of Lord Krishna.  That was all I knew about Him in this form.  Swamiji at the Mission had told me that the man who wrote Pahi Pahi was from South India, and had written many bhajans, and had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed.  So, I wrote to the list looking for both the name of the  composer and help with the translation to the words which I posted.  I don’t ask for much, do I?

In His Grace
Well,  The Lord does have His way of granting wishes, or does He have His way of implementing His wishes?   He wanted me to be in that group,  and my wish was granted, even more so than I could have imagined when I made my request…I have reproduced below a small excerpt from what I wrote to the list looking for the words and the composer…this was on January 6th…

“It is really a beautiful bhajan and I would like to have the translation. First and foremost, for myself, so I know what I am singing to Him:-), and for anyone who happens to be there, so they can read along and know what I am singing to Him. I understand that it was written by a gentlemen in South India who also wrote a number of other bhajans and then succumbed to a stroke which paralyzed him. If this is so, considering the beauty of the song, I can only believe that in his paralysis, he is in His Grace. If anyone knows his name, I would like to add it to the lyrics…and if anyone can help me translate some more of the words, I would be so very GRATEFUL… Jai Shri Krishna!!!

The very next day, January 7, not only did I get the name of the composer, I got the composer himself!  As it happened, his wife, Dr. Sreedeviji Menon, is a member of the group and read my email, and wrote to me on the list that it was her husband who had written the bhajan. She also shared that he suffered a stroke in 2003, as well as a major heart attack in 2006 and had to undergo triple bypass heart surgery in 2007. Says Shrideviji…

“At one point he was very critical for one week, ironically because of the indecision of the doctors on what to do. But he prayed to Guruvayurappan that he will write more songs in praise of HIM and then the doctors gave the right medicine and he improved!!  He is almost back to his usual self now and he wrote about 15songs since then. We completely surrender to HIM for whatever it is in store for us.  Though he was initially completely paralysed, with God’s Grace he is able to walk with a cane and is selfsufficient and able to travel with little help. “

And furthermore, there were more verses, which they were kind enough to later sent me along with a translation of all of the verses (the bhajan is in Sanskrit).  It is common to sing only parts of a bhajan and you will see this online in youtube videos quite frequently in carnatic and other devotional music.  I must say I was really touched by this wonderful synchronicity and I am 100% certain was a gift from the Lord so that this  music could be heard by more people, beautiful as it is. I must admit I cried quite a bit that day in gratitude.

The story of Shri Menon is another wonderful example of His Grace and how He operates in unexpected ways,  in this case through Shri Menon for all of us who are graced to hear His music as expressed through the blessed composer through whom He speaks… another excerpt from his Sreedeviji Menon is below…

My husband, Narayanankutty Menon had no knowledge of classical carnatic music,no special education in malayaam, and only high school education in sanskrit. He had never written a poem till the age of 60. He never used to go for any classical concert.  As everybody else from our native place he used to go to Guruvayur whenever possible. We used to hear carnatic songs while travelling in the car. He had a very good sense of thaalam [rhythm or time signature] which he found out when our daughter was learning bharatnatyam.  A few days after he was 60 years old, one night, he had a dream that he was singing classical music in the kizhakke nada [Eastern entrance]  of Guruvayur temple.  He told me about it the next day..I told him that is just a dream because I knew he could not sing one line even in sruthi!!  The next day, the dream repeated. He said that Guruvayurappan told him to write classical carnatic music about HIM in simple language so that ordinary people can understand. HE wanted these songs to be propagated among the devotees. The dream repeated a few times. So he asked our friend, a music teacher. She said jestingly to write Hari OM Narayana and let us see. He did it and in a few days, he was listening to a song, in raga, reethigowla, when he suddenly got one song in his mind and he wrote it down immediately. He asked the musician who is our friend to look into it. One line in anupallavi [a section of the bhajan form]  did not come out right , she said.  Anyway, he wrote 6 songs within two weeks. He wanted to get guidance from the Lord whether he should continue writing.  So he submitted this to melsanthi of Guruvayur temple through one of our friends in Guruvayur. The priest gave the papers back with prasadam inside. To his dismay, the line which was thought to be wrong had disappeared from the paper because of the prasadam!!  Suddenly he was able to correct it and our friend approved of it!

Hearing his story, Dr. Omanakutty, a great devotee of Guruvayurappan kindly consented to sing these songs in Melpattur auditorium and make CDs. Now he has written more than 200 songs and a dance drama Manjulacharitham, which was performed in Melpattur auditorium by Noopura dance school in Calicut. Many of the listeners of these songs tell us they get mental peace and joy ,which gives us gratification. He still wonders if he is writing these songs!!  Guruvayurappan’s leelas are unfathomable !”

This is Sri Sundaranaraya’s website…he goes by this name, partly taken from his childhood nickname, Sundaran    www.gananjali.net

Go to this website and click on Krishna Bhajans section on the navigation bar on the left hand side for a traditional carnatic rendering of the bhajan with all of the lyrics above.   http://www.guruvayoor.com

You can also watch a video of my rendition of the first two verses during live kirtan.  Special thanks to Nancy on drums and Veo singing response vocals.

Click on the link  to watch the video…  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhphgUKxLlY

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OM NAMO NARAYANAYA!!!

In His Grace by Joyce Sweinberg

 

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Paradox Of The Mind: By Alan Jacobs

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , ,

“Oh Mind, do not waste your life in roaming outside, pursuing wonders and wallowing in enjoyments. To know the Self through grace and to abide in this way firmly in the Heart is alone worthwhile.” [1]

This relevant quotation leads us to consider that what we term ‘mind’ can be conceived as a great paradox. From one standpoint it is a benevolent friend but from another it is a malicious enemy. Continue reading →

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Wisdom and Action – No. 3 – by V. Ganesan

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL . , ,

This is  from a series of ‘sharings’ from V. Ganesan in Tiruvannamalai in the winder of 2008/2009.

Today, we are going to share on the third and fourth principles of what we have been sharing for the past few sessions. They are :

3. Sri Bhagavan said :“If one identifies oneself with the body, ‘Karma ’ [destiny] is inevitable and unavoidable (which means, that one is bound, one is in ‘bondage’ ). If one’s attention is turned inwards, one is always ‘free’ . One is ever a ‘Free Man’ .”

4. When asked whether His Direct Teaching could be put in a single word, Sri Bhagavan answered : “ ATTENTION ” [ “Ulladunar ” in Tamil, meaning, “Attention paying attention to ATTENTION.” ]

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( 1. In 1936, Paul Brunton asked the Maharshi : “Can a man of the world, viz.,one who is involved in worldly activities, practice this Jnana Marga or this Wisdom Path ?”

Sri Bhagavan’s cryptic answer was : “There is no contradiction between work and Wisdom.”

2. On another occasion, Sri Bhagavan said : “The only purpose of life is to realize the SELF. All other activities are a waste of time.” )

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There are two stories – like the two sides of the same coin – to elaborate on the “third principle”. We are all children in one way – each one’s heart is that of a child – and hence, throughout our living span of existence we are always absorbingly interested in listening to stories !

The First story to affirm that “if one identified with a body, destiny is inevitable” :

Major A.W. Chadwick was the first Westerner to settle permanently as a resident at the Ashram from 1938, till he dropped the body in the 1960s. He had adopted himself in such a harmonious traditional Ashram-way that viewers wondered over his way of life ! Once a devotee who was amazed looking at Chadwick, asked Sri Bhagavan as how it was possible for Chadwick to adopt himself to such a pious Hindu way of living.

Bhagavan gave the following reply : “Chadwick was with us. He had a great fascination for the Westerner way of life that he is born in the West. Now, he has come back to us !”

Paying attention outward of oneself and getting involved with activities outside of oneself traps one into the octopus grip of the ‘Law of Karma’ , giving effect to the series of birth and deaths !

The Second story confirms : ‘ If one’s attention is turned inwards, one is always ‘free’ . One is ever a ‘Free Man’. ’

Once a stranger from North India came to Sri Bhagavan and was firmly seated in the Hall. When almost all had left the Hall, he approached Bhagavan and pleaded, thus : “Bhagavan ! I had committed four murders in my life. I had escaped uncaught; not even my wife knows about it. Yet, my conscience now pricks me, very deeply too. Is there a redemption for me, my Lord ?”

Bhagavan gave him a Glance of Grace. After a few moments, slowly yet most assuredly he replied : “ Yes, there is redemption. Yes, there is redemption !

Give up the thought that you had murdered !” There ruled absolute silence.

The stranger shed profuse tears of joy and gratitude. He prostrated to

Sri Bhagavan and left. Many years after that, an old devotee, H.C. Khanna of Kanpur, happened to travel in the Himalayas. Bhagavan had already dropped the body. Khanna met a Swami with impressive countenance seated in a cave.

He introduced himself as a devotee of Bhagavan Ramana. The Swami got up and touched the feet of Khanna, saying : “You have come from Arunachala ! My God and Guru is Bhagavan Ramana. How fortunate and how blessed I feel in the proximity of a fellow-devotee of the Supreme Master ! “ He, then, narrated the whole story of “his Four Murders” and how there was no trace of affectation left in him; and, how following the commandment of Bhagavan, instantly released him from the grips of ‘Karma’ . After narrating this wonderful story to me, Khanna added : “Once, Bhagavan told me in the Hall : ‘ If one accepted the ‘Prarabdha Karma’ , it will start operating. And, if one refused to identify oneself with ‘Prarabdha Karma’ , operation of ‘Prarabdha Karma’ is totally nullified.’

Is it not clear that a true seeker should ever be a “dheera” [ bold & courageous ] ? How to deny the ‘Karma’ ? This will be the obvious next question ! Only by turning within and surrendering oneself to the Inner Guru.

Silence is the Inner Guru.

The fourth principle is of supreme importance : “Attention paying attention to ATTENTION.” Sri Bhagavan repeatedly guided us : “ Go within, Plunge within, Dive inwards.” To take one’s attention inwardly, one has to have a correct grasp of Bhagavan’s ‘Direct Teaching’ of “Wisdom Realistion”.

Read the following verses from Bhagavan’s “ Forty Verses on Reality ” :

Though the world and mind rise and fade together, the world shines by the light of the mind. The ground whence the world and mind arise, and wherein they set, that State of Perfection does not either rise or set, but ever shines supreme.

That is Reality.

Under whatever name or form we worship IT, IT leads us on to Wisdom of the Nameless, Formless Absolute. Yet, to see one’s true SELF as the Absolute, to subside into IT and be one with IT – this is the True Wisdom of Absolute Reality.

‘Twos’ and ‘Threes’ ** depend upon one thing — the ego. If one asks in one’s Heart, ‘What is this ego ?’ and finds it, they slip away. Only those who have found this, know the Absolute Reality. And, they will never be perplexed.”

[** ‘Twos’ = names & forms; ‘Threes’ = God,World,Jivas (beings) ]

There is no Wisdom without ignorance and without Wisdom. ignorance cannot be. To ask, ‘Whose is this Wisdom ? ‘Whose is this ignorance ?’ and thus to realize the Primal SELF – this alone is True Wisdom.

— “ FORTY VERSES ON REALITY “ , v. 7,8,9,10

Sri Bhagavan has sung : “Easy is Self-Wisdom; the easiest thing there is.”

Let us adhere to his guidance and boldly take a plunge ‘within’ NOW and be the SELF !

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Related posts:

Satsang with Ganesan
Self nature, Faith and Attention
Wisdom and Action (No. 1)
Wisdom and Action (No. 2)

V. Ganesan Bio

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Born in 1936, up to the age of 14 years old, Ganesan grew up in the presence and proximity of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. His sacred memory of the Great Master is rich in its content; and, even at that tender age he could see Sri Ramana as the greatest compassionate human being.

On April 14, 1950 – the day the Great Master chose to leave the body – the adolescent Ganesan stood near the entrance to the room where Sri Ramana was lying and was fortunate to witness the brilliant flash of Light that later moved towards the top of the Holy Hill – Arunachala.

Ganesan obtained a Master’s Degree in Philosophy; and, then came to stay permanently at “Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai” – the sacred abode of Sri Ramana Maharshi – taking care of the Old Devotees of Sri Ramana. He did it as his sole sadhana (spiritual practice). In that way, he collected the reminiscences of Sri Maharshi from those Old Devotees which have never before been recorded.

His close contacts with sages and saints, including Swami Ramdas, Mother Krishnabai, J. Krishnamurti, Nisargadatta Maharaj and Yogi Ramsuratkumar, he says, have deepened and widened his understanding of the ‘Direct Teaching’ of the Maharshi. However, he feels himself to be an insignificant ‘dust’ at the Holy Feet of Bhagavan Ramana.

He has traveled widely and spread the ‘Direct Teaching’ of Sri Ramana Maharshi, in its pristine purity, wherever he was invited to give talks.

He has authored a few books on the life and teaching of Bhagavan Ramana. Among others, “Purushothama Ramana”, “Be the Self”, “Moments Remembered”, “Direct Teaching of Bhagavan Ramana” and “Practising Self-Enquiry” , are very popular.

At the veranda of his cottage – “Ananda Ramana” – he meets earnest seekers, every Monday and Thursday, between 9.30 and 11 a.m., sharing with them the spiritual treasure entrusted with him by all these holy and sacred souls.

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Radhe’s Tears

. Advaita and Yoga, ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL . , ,

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Hear this! I Am the One
You will dance with in the end.
Isn’t that what you told me?
Come…join with me, Anand

Come…join with me
Fill me until I burst with Thee
Shower me with your nectar,
So sweet, my sweet Beloved

Come…join with me
Whisper beauty into my mind
Only you, nothing else will do,
So soft, my soft Beloved

Come…join with me
Sacred the initiation
Sacred the revelation

Come…join with me
Dance the dance
which has no End
Eternally, my sweet Anand

Come…join with me
Replace my tears of longing
With tears of joy again
Now it is my turn to say…

Come…join with me
Please…let me love You
Lord of my Heart
Hold me in your sweet Embrace

Come…join with me
Drown me in your ocean
Lost in your Holy Grace

Come…join with me
Please…let me love You
Nothing else I want to do

Just Dance the Eternal Dance
With You…One…Never Two

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Today is a very special day for us. I will come to you in a way I have not come to you before, and you will be transformed. Radhe listened to these words with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. While she longed for a return of the union with Him as she had known it before, that had not yet happened. There were reasons for this, and she knew she had to accept it and surrender to whatever He had in mind for her. So her feelings of anticipation stemmed from her hope that she would again know His love permeating her entire being, her entire physical body and soul and even beyond it, enveloping even the space around her physical presence.  Since He said He would come to her in a way that He had not come to her before, this prompted some apprehension that she, the nothing that she knew herself to be, would somehow fall short in His glorious presence. He assured her this would not be so.

And so, the day passed with little preparations, including a trip to the flower store where she bought her flowers. Get whatever you want today…this is a special day. So she wandered around the flower display several times, picking out bouquets to put together into vases, more than she would usually buy. There was a lovely and unusual bouquet of one dozen roses, which she passed up because the price was a little high compared to the others she had chosen. Radhe chatted with a woman who was also looking at the flowers, and took her to the bouquet, saying, “Isn’t this beautiful? But I am not going to buy it!” The other woman agreed that it was beautiful and they both continued their search.

Once Radhe had all the flowers she wanted, she carried her bouquets over to the produce section to look for the Italian bread with a nice and thick crust they had fresh everyday and which she loved.  As she stood in line, she saw the woman with whom she had been chatting and to whom she had shown the lovely roses, standing in line. She was looking inhto her wallet and declaring to Radhe that she had forgotten to bring enough money with her. Radhe had been in the same situation, having forgotten cash, or worse, not having any money to spend on such things as flowers. This place was cash and carry, so she offered to give her a few dollars to buy what she wanted from the flower section. The woman politely refused her offer.

Radhe came to the front of the line. One last loaf, and she grabbed it! As she walked away with it, He told her to get the roses which she had passed up.  So she went over and picked them up.  As she did so, she also realized that she had more flowers than she needed now and there was a reason for it. She looked into her bunch of bouquets and spotted a pretty bouquet of spray roses which were close in the crimson color to the roses she had just picked up, but not the lovely mix streaked with yellow that her large roses had. She went to the flower counter and bought all of her flowers.

She pulled the bouquet of crimson spray roses out from her collection, and ran over to the woman who was still standing in the line. First, she showed her the dozen roses she had just bought, all crimson with yellow streaks in them. “I lied” she laughed, as she and the other woman smiled at each other at her giving in and buying them anyway. Then she held out the crimson spray roses to the other woman and said, “These are for you.”  The other woman did not decline them, as a big smile crept across her face, and she exclaimed as she hugged her gift, “Thank you so much. Today is my birthday.” Radhe could not have felt better, having given this woman an unexpected gift, and on her birthday, from Him. “Happy Birthday!” she exclaimed and ran out the door with her purchases.

Later that day, she had scheduled a much needed massage for her achy muscles, which had been bothering even more recently. Even though there were things going on at the Temple that night, she had planned this massage because in her mind, she had a date with Him tonight, as He had already indicated to her earlier in the week that this was a day for them. Before the massage began, the woman who was about to massage her, named Tricia whom she had known for years, asked her what her intentions were for the massage that evening. Radhe hesitated a moment, and said., “Ask me when you come back in.” Her thought had been that she just wanted to be pampered and feel loved. He interrupted that thought to ask her to surrender to His request that her intention would be to allow Him to express His love for her through Tricia’s hands. So she made that her intention and the massage was especially beautiful, as she lost herself in the love that she envisioned coming her way from Him, a prelude to the evening ahead. After the massage, she said to Tricia, “You never asked me my intention.” Tricia looked surprised for a moment, and then said, “I forgot to ask you.” Radhe told her, “You do not have to ever ask me again as my intention will always be the same.” She then told her that her intention would always be to allow God to express His love through her (Tricia’s) hands.

She went home feeling content, but now the uncertainty resurfaced again, as the evening became night and now it was nearing the time. She took a bath, and placed the three yellow carnations He chose into the bath with her. When her bath was done, she took the carnations and placed them at her pujya to Him, offerings in anticipation.

When it was time to go to bed, He instructed her to just lay quietly, one of the yellow carnations in her hand, and wait for Him to come to her. Then He told her to place the carnation on the pillow next to hers. She waited, and she waited. Then He came to her, but not in any way near to what she might have hoped for.  How was this any different from what it had been since He returned?  Oh, yes, He talked to her in her head, but nothing happened as He witheld Himself from her in much the same way it had been since His return to her life only recently after years of realtive absence. Only now, there was even an element as if He were playing with her emotions, as He said, “Enjoy my divine yoga,” but nothing happened to her, not the overwhelming presence which had enveloped her entire being before, so long ago now it seemed. She lay there, tears now streaming down her face as she realized that this was just going to be another night of broken promises to come to her, something which had been happening since His return to her. She clutched the yellow carnation into her hand, and fell asleep.

The next morning she woke up to the realization of what had not happened, and began to cry again. As the tears flowed, so too did the anger which rose from her pain. “I do not ever want to see Him again,” she said to herself, knowing she did not mean it but needing to say it anyway. The pain of his betrayal of his promise is even worse than the pain of her longing for Him. “Why does He do this?”  He is supposed to be the keeper of his promises, yet he does not always keep His promise to come to her. She was not even asking for that in the first place.

All she wants is to love him. So as her tears flow, she cries to him, “I do not understand why you do this to me. It is MERCILESS! You are not merciless, so why do you act this way? This behavior of yours goes completely against everything I believe you to be. You are supposed to be karuna sagara…this is not karuna sagara… this is callous to my feelings and my tears.”  Stomping her foot to the ground in anger, she continues, “I am not asking for these things so why do you promise them to me in a way that makes me anticipate them because you promised it…then you do not keep your promise? Why do you make the promise in the first place? What purpose could it possibly serve when all is does is hurt me and make me cry? And if you do not keep this promise, how can I know you won’t also break your other promises to me? I so want to trust you and now I am afraid to trust you and let you hurt me again.” Her tears continue to flow as her heart is breaking from the pain she feels for Him, combined with her longing to not be angry with Him, and her feelings of abandonment, her whole world of devotion to Him falling apart. She runs downstairs without looking back.

And so He calls to her to come to Him, acting as if nothing is wrong and all should be forgotten. Well, she is not forgetting and turns away in her anger and pain. He calls to her to come to Him again, as she had been doing, to her pujya to Him, all she has of Him. But she refuses. He relents, giving her time to calm down. She busies herself in the kitchen and thinks about the evening which has just passed. She cannot stand the pain she feels and cries bitter tears of betrayal and feeling more separate from Him, when all she wants to do is to love Him. Conflicted by her feelings, she is even more distraught as she stands her ground in her refusal to go to Him as He waits quietly. But as always, her love for Him, grounded in the love He gave so freely to her in what seems now like an eternity ago, wins over her anger, and she thinks to herself that she has to eventually go back up to her pujya and to Him.

Then He jokes to her, “Well, maybe now I don’t want you to come to me since you do not want to.” In spite of herself, she has to laugh at his gentle humor and all her anger vanishes. In an effort to soothe her and make it all go away, He says, “ I would like to explain it to you, dear Radhe, if you will just listen.” So she goes upstairs and kneels before Him, tears streaming down her face yet again.

“It is not about my promises which are not kept. This is about teaching you so you understand and can explain to others by your own example, the forgiveness you show me is the same forgiveness I show the devotee, who claims to be mine in words, but in action never comes to me as promised. And sometimes, this happens again and again with the same devotee, making the promise, pledging life and love to me, and then returning to the material world, forgetting about me completely. The pain you feel matches the pain I feel when this happens. I do not want to hurt you and all the tears you cry pierce my heart like a knife and I cry with you for the pain I have caused you. But it is your dharma in service to me to be the eternal example of unselfish love and devotion to me. In that devotion, you indeed become me, now able to teach by your example, the devotion and love I feel for my devotees. That no matter how many times they tell me they are mine, yet walk away from the promise so many times, the pain I feel in that betrayal of the promise of devotion is like yours now.  But like you I cannot be angry with them and I will wait for them to keep the promise they make. After all, I have eternity to wait. Do you understand now?”

Radhe is silenced by His words to her, her anger completely drained. She never thought of Him this way before. She is almost dumfounded by what He had just said to her and needs to absorb it. He had indeed come to her in a way He had never done before. She had been transformed, but not in the way she had expected.

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Oh! Arjuna!
There is a way easier than all these paths that have been spoken by ME.
And that is surrendering unto ME!”
‘Surrender unto ME, totally!’
If you would only surrender unto ME totally
there is no need for dhyãna, karma, bhakti or Jnãna.’

http://www.madhuramurali.org/swamigal/essay/ji_sharanagati.html

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Author’s comments…Special thanks to Shri Vinodji for finding the image in this post, one which I had found and misplaced.  At my request, he went online and searched for me, finding this image and sending it to me.  More special thanks to him for posting the following article, one which helps explain the eternal RadhaKrishna.     http://www.stephen-knapp.com/radharani.htm

Dandavat pranams to you, Vinodji!

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama Rama, Hare Hare.