16. Awakening Love of God (Part 2) Meditation on Krsnas Form If one chants the holy name of God -- Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare -- eventually he will see Krsnas form, realize Krsnas qualities, and remember Krsnas pastimes. That is the effect of the pure chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura comments that the chanting of the holy name of the Lord has special significance that distinguishes it from the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies of atonement for severe, more severe, or most severe sins. There are twenty types of religious scriptures called dharma-sastras, beginning with the Manu-samhita and Parasara-samhita, but herein it is stressed that although one may become free from the reactions of the most sinful activities by following the religious principles of these scriptures, this cannot promote a sinful man to the stage of loving service to the Lord. On the other hand, chanting the holy name of the Lord even once not only frees one immediately from the reactions of the greatest sins, but also begins to raise one to the platform of rendering loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus one serves the Lord by remembering His form, attributes, and pastimes. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti explains that it is because of the Lords omnipotence that this is all possible simply by chanting His holy name. What cannot be achieved through the performance of Vedic rituals can easily be achieved through the chanting of the Lords holy name. To chant the holy name and dance in ecstasy is so easy, sublime, and effective that one can readily achieve all the benefits of spiritual life simply by following this process. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu declares, param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam: All glories to the congregational chanting of Lord Krsnas holy name! The sankirtana movement we have started offers the best process for immediately becoming purified of all sinful reactions and coming to the platform of spiritual life. Although Ajamila became fallen in his later days, in his youth he was a brahmacari and was properly trained by his father. He knew the name, form, and pastimes of Narayana, but by bad association he forgot them. However, as soon as he chanted the name of Lord Narayana on his deathbed, he again remembered all his past pious activities, and therefore he was saved. That chanting and hearing the Lords name and glories is the best means of purifying the heart of sinful propensities is confirmed at the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17): srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani vidhunoti suhrt satam Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul in everyones heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. It is the special mercy of the Supreme Lord that as soon as He sees a person glorifying His name, form, and pastimes, He personally cleanses the dirt from that persons heart. Even if one does not understand the meaning of the Lords name, form, and pastimes, one is purified simply by hearing or chanting them. Ones main purpose in human life should be to purify ones existence and achieve liberation. As long as one has a material body, one is understood to be impure. In such an impure, material condition, one cannot enjoy a truly blissful life, although everyone seeks it. Therefore everyone requires purification. As Lord Rsabhadeva says in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.1), tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam: My dear sons, you must perform tapasya, austerity, to purify your existence; then you will come to the spiritual platform and enjoy unending spiritual happiness. The tapasya of chanting and glorifying the name, form, and pastimes of the Lord is a very easy purifying process by which everyone can become happy. Therefore everyone who desires the ultimate cleansing of his heart must adopt this process. Other processes, such as karma, jnana, and yoga, cannot cleanse the heart absolutely. Mayavadis, or impersonalists, cannot glorify the name, form, and pastimes of the Lord because they think that God has no form and that His pastimes are maya, illusory. Why should God not have a form? We have a form because our father has a form. So why should the supreme father not have a form? In the Bhagavad-gita (14.4) Krsna says, aham bija-pradah pita: I am the seed-giving father of all beings. The Christians also believe that God is the supreme father. If the sons all have forms, how is it that the father has no form? We cannot be born of a father who is formless. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: Krsna is the supreme controller and the cause of all causes, and He possesses an eternal form of knowledge and bliss. (Bs. 5.1) Vigraha means form. If God is the cause of all causes, the creator, and He is creating all these forms, how can He be formless? God has a form, but it is not a form like ours. His form is sac-cid-ananda, but ours is just the opposite. Gods form is sat, eternally existing, while mans form is asat, temporary. Gods form is cit, full of knowledge, but ours is acit, full of ignorance. And His form is full of ananda, bliss, but ours is full of nirananda, misery. It is only because we cannot conceive of a form so different from ours that sometimes it is said God is nirakara, without form. Gods form is transcendental. That means His body is not material but spiritual. His form is of a different nature than that to which we are accustomed. In the Vedas it is said that God sees but that He has no eyes. This means that Gods eyes are unlike ours -- they are spiritual, not material. We can see only so far, whereas God can see everything because He has eyes everywhere. His eyes, His form, His hands and legs are of a different nature than ours. Unlike our knowledge, Krsnas knowledge is unlimited. As He says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.26), I know past, present, future -- everything. Earlier (Bhagavad-gita 4.5) He reminds Arjuna, Both you and I have taken many births. I remember them all, but you have forgotten them. Thus there is no limit to His knowledge. His knowledge, His body, and His happiness are completely different from our knowledge, body, and happiness. Therefore it is only out of ignorance that some people say the Absolute Truth is nirakara, formless. Thinking that God has no form is just imagination. It is material thought. We have a form, so He must have a form, though not a form like ours. Only fools think God is ultimately formless. Krsna declares this in the Bhagavad-gita (7.24): avyaktam vyaktim apannam manyante mam abuddhayah. Unintelligent men think that I was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality. In another place in the Bhagavad-gita, those who deride the personal form of God are called mudhas, or asses. God certainly has a form, but His form is entirely different from ours. That is the real understanding of nirakara. And just as Krsnas form is not like our material forms, so His pastimes are also not of this material nature. Anyone who knows this is immediately liberated. Krsna confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9), janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so rjuna One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains my eternal abode. Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna purely, one can come to understand the pastimes of the Supreme Lord and thus become liberated. Chanting is easy and sublime. One who offenselessly chants Hare Krsna will always remember Krsnas form, pastimes, qualities, and entourage, and that remembrance will liberate him from all sinful reactions and all material bondage. The Visnudutas here declare that although there are many methods prescribed in the Vedas for attaining liberation from sinful reactions, these methods are all insufficient, because they cannot elevate a person to the standard of absolute purity. Those who practice other methods of purification mentioned in the Vedas generally desire some material benefit, such as elevation to the heavenly kingdom. But a devotee does not care for elevation to the heavenly planets. A devotee doesnt care a fig for any planet in this material world, because he knows that the benefit of entering into the heavenly kingdom is temporary. We may live for thousands of years on a higher planet and enjoy a very high standard of life, complete with beautiful wife, abundant wealth, and the finest wine, but there is no permanent benefit. For a devotee, such a life is hellish, because he does not wish to live without Krsna. That is genuine spiritual realization. We simply care for Krsna and how Krsna will be happy. That is real happiness. We try to please Krsna. Kamsa was also Krsna conscious, insofar as he was always thinking of Krsna, but his meditation was unfavorable. His meditation was on how to kill Krsna. He was thinking of Krsna, but he thought of Him as his enemy. That is certainly not bhakti, or devotion. Thinking of Krsna but being opposed to His desire, opposed to satisfying Him, is not bhakti. One must act favorably in Krsna consciousness. Arjuna was a devotee because he acted favorably, for the satisfaction of Krsna. Materially speaking, Arjunas actions appear unfavorable, but they were favorable as far as Krsna was concerned. Therefore they were perfect and free from all sin. >>> Ref. VedaBase => SC 16: Awakening Love of God
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 18:12:06 +0000
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