Today we are very lucky. We are in Vṛndāvana-dhāma, following Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī. Also, we are in the presence of the expansions of Guru-pāda-padma. As the sun rises, its rays go everywhere. When one stands in front of the sun, one receives light and heat. In Vṛndāvana-dhāma, all Vaiṣṇavas are present, as well as the Guru-varga. The darśana of Vaiṣṇavas is available here without any difficulty. One can easily receive their mercy. The Vaiṣṇavas kindly come and give us darśana. Darśana is not enough though. Children need sympathy, food, lodging, and so forth. The Vaiṣṇavas have vātsalya-sneha, parental affection, and they come and grace us with their presence and help. Śrīla Gurudeva knows his children are moving here and there, like orphans. He is very kind and has sent his expansions, Pūjyapāda Bhaktivedānta Nemi Mahārāja and Pūjyapāda Bhaktivedānta Vaikhānasa Mahārāja. They came here to distribute their love. One who seriously takes this will become qualified in bhakti. One who does not take anything from Guru and Vaiṣṇavas cannot achieve spiritual welfare. In this world, general people only distribute poison. Externally, this poison appears very sweet, but it is very dangerous, and spoils many lives. On the other hand, the gifts of Guru and Vaiṣṇavas deliver one from material bondage. By taking one drop, one’s life will be successful. This gives nourishment to the soul body. Ekādaśī is described as Mādhava-tithi and Bhakti-jananī. Kṛṣṇa promises to appear with Bhakti-devī on Ekādaśī day. Wherever one respects Ekādaśī-devī, Kṛṣṇa certainly appears there to help that person. Kṛṣṇa makes this vow. Each Ekādaśī has a different name, and gives different treatment to the conditioned soul. The devotees do not name the Ekādaśīs. Kṛṣṇa Himself names the various Ekādaśī days, for He arranges for a special thing to be given on each of these days. Today is Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī. Pāśa means a rope or thread, and aṅkuśa means a hook. Wherever the jīvas’ anarthas are hiding, in their many different forms and varieties, as well as their prārabdha and aprārabdha, pāpa, bīja, kuṭa, rāga, dveśa, abhineveśa, and so forth, which the jīvas have collected unknowingly over millions of lives in saṁsāra, this Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī-devī catches and binds these anarthas, and throws them far away, freeing the jīvas of this weight and bondage. Now, Dāmodara-vrata, Urjā-vrata, is coming. We have a balance of anarthas in many corners of our subtle and gross bodies. Until we are cleansed, it is very difficult, nigh impossible, to properly follow Dāmodara-vrata. Many Gauḍīya-maṭhas, as well as Bābājī sampradāyas, begin Urjā-vrata, Niyama-sevā, Kārtika-vrata, today. They end on Devotthānā Ekādaśī, and do not follow bhīṣma-pañcaka. Our Guru-varga, Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Param Gurudeva, and Śrīla Gurudeva, instruct us to follow B bhīṣma-pañcaka, and therefore we follow Kārtika from pūrṇimā to pūrṇimā. For Vaiṣṇavas, every day is a vrata. Their entire life is a vrata. Their lives are not wasted in idle time pass like those of ordinary people. Kṛṣṇa Himself comes and gives darśana, like the Vaiṣṇavas here, but then they run away. We have no love and respect, and do not properly offer ourselves. Kṛṣṇa is very clever. He is restless in Mathurā and Dvārakā, and does not stay in Vaikuṇṭha. He moves everywhere. But when He comes to Vṛndāvana, He is peaceful, very happy and never wants to leave. The Guru-varga and Vaiṣṇavas are always present with their company, absorbed in hari-bhajana. How can we bind them in our heart? If we are eager for ānukūla-anuśīlana, favorable service for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then they will accept us, and remain with us. On Mādhava-tithi, Kṛṣṇa comes and gives darśana, or looks at us. But He will not be permanently with us. Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī arranges a special program. Dāmodara means dāma-udara, Kṛṣṇa’s belly is tied with a rope by mother Yaśodā. Does this rope continuously bind Him? Or is He bound always by love? Love is the binding force. Nanda Bābā opened the knot tied by mother Yaśodā, but when the gopīs tie Kṛṣṇa with Rādhārānī, They are called Rādhā Dāmodara, and always stay together. This knot of love is the strongest, and can never be broken, and thus Kṛṣṇa can never go far from Śrīmatī Rādhārānī. Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī arranges by her mercy, to bind the jīvas with Kṛṣṇa, out of love, so that Kṛṣṇa will never leave them. Just as Vāmanadeva begged from Bali Mahārāja, and Bali gave himself. Bali Mahārāja then bound Vāmanadeva with his love, and kept Him in his abode, serving Him, so that He could never leave. Ekādaśī-devī gives this good chance. Very qualified devotees pray to Ekādaśī-devī and receive her blessings and treatment on this day. Aṅkuśa is not only a hook, it also represents service tendency. Yaśodā Mātā has love, and from dawn to dusk, and beyond, she is serving Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa runs to her, hides under her shawl in her lap, and drinks her breast milk. Kṛṣṇa has unending thirst and hunger for Yaśodā Mātā’s love, which manifests as her breast milk, and Yaśodā Mātā has a fathomless ocean of love for Kṛṣṇa. How much can Kṛṣṇa take? He cannot reach the bottom of her reservoir of love. With the gopīs, Kṛṣṇa says, “I am indebted.” This love is called an aṅkuśa. It is pure affection and pure attraction, and manifests outwardly as the tendency to serve. This love is very sweet, and is like a hook, which pulls the Supreme Lord Himself. Not only Kṛṣṇa, this love pulls Kṛṣṇa along with all His associates, the mañjarīs, sakhīs, and all Vrajavāsīs. We should follow the rules and regulations of bhakti, with a natural inclination, not only for show. We should not adopt false renunciation, like a monkey. markaṭa-vairāgya nā kara loka dekhāñā Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 16.238 [You should not make yourself a showbottle devotee and become a false renunciant.] People show themselves to be renounced outwardly, without possessions, cloth, or home, and they lay in the dust of the street, but do they really have love or not? Do they desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, Guru and Vaiṣṇavas, and the dhāma? When one has love, one will be nearby Kṛṣṇa and His associates. One will be in good association, and will continuously be engaged in kṛṣṇa-kathā, kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, kṛṣṇa-sevā, kṛṣṇa-darśana, and all the limbs of devotion. Such a place becomes Vṛndāvana. Vṛnda-vana, where the devotees are present, the bhakta-vṛnda, that place is avan, a garden, where the limbs of devotion are always blossoming like flowers from the heart of the devotees. Once, Param Gurudeva was asked at Devānanda Gauḍīya-maṭha, in Navadvīpa, “You have such a big temple, but there is no garden here.” “I have a large garden, can’t you see it? The flowers of devotional service are always blossoming here, and whoever comes is attracted by the scent and never wants to leave this garden.” Without the Guru-varga and Vaiṣṇavas, ordinary trees and plants do not make up a garden. The transcendental garden is where the Vaiṣṇavas are present, engaged in bhakti. We are very lucky to be here on Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī. Heartfully pray to her with respect and faith, “O Devī, you manifest from the eleven senses of Kṛṣṇa, thus your name is Ekādaśī. You are the embodiment of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Please shower a drop of your love in my heart. I will then become engaged in favorable service to Kṛṣṇa.” All people serve. One cannot escape service. From A to Z, all beings are engaged in service. But they serve ordinary people, in this world. They are not one-pointed in the service. People live in Vṛndāvana, but still, they do not serve Kṛṣṇa. Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhu wrote, “Follow uttamā-bhakti: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādhy anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir-uttamā Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11 [When bhakti is performed without any other desire than the aspiration to bring happiness to Kṛṣṇa; when it is not covered by the endeavor to accumulate dry knowledge, result-oriented work, or any other practice for attaining a goal unrelated to Him, and when it is cultivated solely with a favorable disposition towards Him and for His benefit, then it is uttama-bhakti, supremely pure devotion.] Also, it is described: sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.12 [Bhakti, or pure devotional service, means engaging all of one’s senses and mind in the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa with the sole purpose of pleasing Him. It is uncontaminated by speculative knowledge or fruitive activities. When the spirit soul, the jīva, renders service unto Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses, one’s senses become spiritualized and one is freed from all material designations.] How can we engage the hṛṣī, the eleven senses, in Kṛṣṇa’s service? If we do not use them for Kṛṣṇa’s service, the senses will certainly serve another, or accept another’s service. This generates a sense of love, and when misplaced, it causes bondage for the soul. One either serves, or accepts service, and this creates affection. Serve Kṛṣṇa, who is Hṛṣīkeśa, with your hṛṣī, senses. He is Nanda-nandana. Pray to Ekādaśī-devī today, and she will give you a good chance to serve, and will prepare you and make you strong, serious, hopeful, and ready to follow Urjā-vrata. How can we bind Dāmodara in our heart? We have place in our heart for so many people, and therefore our vratas are not successful. By praying to Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī-devī, and properly following this day, she will drag out the anarthas from our hearts, and bind Kṛṣṇa there with us, in a relationship of eternal love. Gaura Premānande! Śri Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī ki jaya
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 10:23:21 +0000
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