12-03-09 CC Adi Lila 16-01 - Lord's Mercy flow towards the Humble - Radhanath Swami ISKCON Chowpatty Nectarine mercy flows downstream, just like river flows downstream, Lord Caitanya extends himself to the fallen . India has so many rivers, Europe has the Rhine, Thames, Danube so many songs about them, America has so many rivers- Mississippi, etc. Whatever happens in the world the river keeps flowing.
"The Old Man River must know something , for he keeps flowing along". So much of a greatness of a nnation is known but what happens near the river. Egyptian civilization nuilt near Nile River- so much history along the banks of the Jordan river. Last night, we were uptil quite late looking at the full moon- so many things change in this world- but when you look up you see the same moon that you saw in LCM's time.Somehow or the other human beings havent figured how to change the moon yet even when so many cities have changed.
...............................................Similarly the river
Minor aparadha and serious aparadha
Minor aparadha is when you touch a devotee with your toe or step over a devotee in class- we should not do it, avoid them- it is important to attune your consciousness in being respectful.
Real offenses is when we actually try to hurt some one due to envy or arrogance- that is serious- that Krsna cannot tolerate. If we speak words or perform actions that impede a person's progress in life- due to arrogance or envy that is called the mad elephant offense and the scriptures explain that so much of the suffering that people go through is due to past offense- offense to vaishnavas is considered a mad elephant.
I was wondering why they have these signs because what are you going to do if a mad elephant attacks. Then I was thinking they can chant the Holy Names while riving.
One time I was there at Gokul dham our farm in Gokul. They said the neighbors farm has fresh water.
At a certain point the neighbor did not allow the Ox cart with the water tank. At a certain point they started going with the ox cart. I asked them why? They said the neighbors farm is now destroyed by a mad elephant.
To keep the elephant out of your rice crop , you have to build very big thick and high walls- bared wires can just be taken out very easily.
They eat huge amounts of food. In days of history, it was a sign of great wealth that you can maintain an elephant because they eat so much. It eats all the rice when you are just ready to harvets the rice. When he is totally overeaten - then he lays on his left side and rolls around and destroys everything. In a matter of a few days they destroyed his entire crop of rice and some years he brings friends.
but because elephants bdies are so heavy they cant go fast downhill. The elephant had to go really slow downhill so they escaped
when I heard this story, I was thinking that is it- that is the philosophy of bhakti- that is the verse is talking about. If we want to overcome this mad elephant offense to the vaishnavas- there is only one way to do it- cannot ourrun it or overcome it -we have to humble ourselves to take a low position then we are protected from makinf offenses and we take a humble position then we can also overcome the offense. Just like Jagaai and Madhai they offended Nityanand aPrabhu - only when the fell at His feet and a genuinely humble and sincere heart they asked for forgiveness - to want to serve- then they were completely forgive. When Madhai asked Nityananda i hurt others also- but you forgave me what about the others - He said just serve them- clean the bathing ghats and whoever came before Madhai he would perform his prostrated obeisances, he would beg forgiveness and with all humility he would serve them- not just a vocal thing- he would build ghats for them, carry their clothes for them ,wash after them - he freed himself of all the apradhas he ever did trnad api sunicena and in that humble position chanting the Holy Names of Krishna. this is the secret of success and there is no other way- sincere serious humility in service- only way to overcome our aparadhas and prevent future aparadhas and its is the only way to call out the Lord's name in a way He takes us serious. Krishna will connect us with Himself in any way we chant His name. But h\He will take us seriously to revela Himself and really help us when we chant with great seriousness- which means humility with a desire to serve This is what Sri CM Himself demonstrated and this is what each one of His devotees personally demonstrated.
the Lord is like a river and the flow of the nectarean river of His mercy flows to them who feels himself to be low and humble- if you think you are something high- rivers do not flow up- have you seen a river flow upwards naturally. The nectarean mercy goes to those who feel themselevs lowly does not flow up to those who feel themselves great. Queen Kunti - those who are proud of high birth, High education,High wealth and High beauty they cannotcall your name with feeling. akincana Gocara- you are the property of the impoversihed
what is that impoversihed mean?It does not mean you have to be necassarily physically impoverished - it means you feel nothing is mine. after all the Gopis were supremely beautiful- but they were not proud of their beauty - it was only for Krishna's pleasure. Yudhisthira Maharaj was corontaed and became the richest king- but he wasnt proud- he thought all my wealth belong to Krishna. RG, SG, JG were the greatest scholars- but yet they were absolutely humble. When Lord CM called SG for lunch at the tota Gopinath temple- summer time, sun was blazing,noon, sand was scorchin Hot, impossible to walk on the sand. he did not have shoes, chappals and not even the wooden ones that Govinda Prabhu wears - he was barefoot- yet he walked on that sand- his feet were getting blistered and when he go there Lord caitanya had already eaten and was taking rest-servant Govinda gave Mahaprasad to SG. then Lord CM met SG - He asked how did you come? I came by the beach? Lord CM- why did you not come from the road from the Jagannath Temple. Sg did not say anything. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami is constantly reminding us about this principle of humility the culture of a Vaishnava - non-envious and humble. He is telling us what is in the mind of SG- he knows because he is there. SG was thining that I am so fallen and sinful - that if I go by the main road- pujaris aserving Jagaanath are always going in and out of the temple- if they touch me and ten go an serve the Deity- then it will be an offense- I cannot commit such an offense and neither implicate them in the offense.How many of us are so refined and sutle in our execution of humililty. Hari Bhakti Vilas many technilities and dos and donts- the purpose is to refine our consiounsess to become so sensitive to what is pleasing to the Lord- not to be callous, negligent, whimsical- these are detrimental platform to bhakti - to be here and now in that consciousness of what is the pleasing to the Lord - all the mudras, the entire archana process is to tune is in to what is pleasing to Krishna.
Raghava Pandit-Lord CM was praising him in Panihati because he always wanted to bring the best of the best for is deity of madan gopal. Better coconut growing ata distant place- he got some , giving them to the Deity - fist give whole coconut so Deity could drink the water --- pujari who was bringing it in the pujari touched the ceiling- Raghava Oandit threw them away - saying it is not offerable as the ceiling is full of dust from the floor.it is not clean for the deity. He discarded those great coconuts
SP says- you may think this person who has a cleanse phobia- always worried about erms- he was just so tuned into making things perfect for Krishna. This was SG feeling - that a pujari of Jagananath may touch me and them touch Jagannath - rather than take this very very extended remote chance- he chose to walk on the blazing sand and his feet were terribly blistered.
But he wouldnt tell Lord CM his reason but Lord CM understood his heart- he is a symbol of humility. It wasnt that Lod CM was impressed by his blistered feet- but it was his heart. People may perfomr tapasya with ego- but the Lord does not accept that. The Lord showered his mercy on SG. SG said I dont know who I am, who is God, why material existence is the way it is- still people call me a pandit a scholar, please tell me who am I , what is my goal Lord CM said stop speaking like that your humility is breaking my heart. Yoru character, knowledge and qualities- you are fit of my Guru- but for the sake of strictness you are speaking like this- he is all good character but thinking himself most fallen- nectarean river of Lord CM's mercy is flowing, unrestrictedly and profoundly and inundating his heart - the river will not reach the heart that feel its high.
This si spiritual geology. NDT - SP quotes him - pativata pavan hetu -- when we listen to this verse - how it should syrike it our heart- he is praying to CM- sri krsna caitanya prabhu doya karo moy- My dear Lord you are most merciful- patitva pavana- especially inclinde to those who are most fallen., you can examine the entire creation and will not find anyone more fallen than me- therefore the first claim in mine.
they mean it. It is not that they are depressed unlike what the people of the world think. You go to a psychologist and quote these things and they will start injecting you with anti depressants. They will start counselling you. This is umility of a spiitual nature- this humility does not make you depressed - it makes you empowered- because it access the inundation of the river of the Lord's mercy. Material inferiority complex is when you have a big ego and it is not getting fulfilled and it makes you depressed and you feel inferior. But humility is means without ego- without false ego- TOTAL difference- vaishnava humility does not mean to be depressed when our ego is smashed - it means to be elated because of our ego is being liberatedthat our real ego is emerging over the false ego. That is humility - where we are connecting with the infinite grace of God to connect with us. That grace flows downstream- the sea level is a lowest place and thats where the river finds its destination- similarly the Lord;s mercy will find its destination when our heart is in a humble state. Sri CM is all about this. SBB thought he was a great scholar but Sri CM very experly humbled him that he knew nothing and teh river of that mercy inundated his life and situated him in PDS> Devananad Pandit was a great scholar- association with Vakreshwar pandit he realized he knew nothing. Pratap Rudra- was king of orissa- his army, his palace, his donations did not impress the Lord- what impressed the Lord is him becoming a humble sweeper and h came before God as a common mendicant devotee. What role did he take- he came to massage the Lord';s feet and he had already massaged the feet of the devotees and he was reciting on RR and SBB advise he was reciting Gopi Gita- CM asked him to continue reciting- then he came to tava kathamritam ........you are the munifect. Lord CM you have come to give me so much nectar - who are you - just a few hrs ago he did not want to meet Lord CM- he was dancing in ecstacy and fell in Pratap Rudra's arms- then He looked at him with disgust and said I have been touched by a materialist.
when LOrd CM asks who are you - cant tell a lie to the Absolute truth and get away with it he has to tell the truth- cannot say Kig Pratap Rudra and cannot lie and say he is somebody else.- he spoke with his heart of hearts- wasnt thinking I am Pratap Rudra.- I ma a servant of the servant of the servant and my only aspiration is to remain the servant of the servant of Your servants. that is actually what his heart wants. The river of teh Lord' nectarine mercy inundated his heart- he was in teh highest position but considering himself low. SP was the highets paramhamsa in the world on the Jala duta- he said you have given me the name Bhaktivedanta - but no bhakti ornot vednata only You can give me bhakti or devotion.
