यो ब्रह्म-रुद्र-शुक-नारद-भीष्ममुख्यै-
रालक्षितो न सहसा पुरुषस्य तस्य ।
सद्योवशीकरण-चूर्णमनन्तशक्तिं
तं राधिका-चरणरेणुमनुस्मरामि ॥ ४ ॥
yo brahma-rudra-śuka-nārada-bhīṣma-mukhyair
ālakṣito na sahasā puruṣasya tasya |
sadyo-vaśīkaraṇa-cūrṇam ananta-śaktiṁ
taṁ rādhikā-caraṇa-reṇum anusmarāmi || 4 ||
“I always meditate upon the dust from the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhikā. This dust is like some magical powder with boundless power, able to immediately subjugate even Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself, whose darśana is difficult to achieve for great devotees like Brahmā, Mahādeva, Śuka, Nārada and Bhīṣma.”
Śrī Rādhā's Foot-Dust
Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In this verse also, Śrīpāda sings the glories of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s foot-dust while absorbed in the mood of a sādhaka. After having described the astonishing power of this celebrated foot-dust in the previous verse, he now mentions its extraordinary capacity to control Śrī Kṛṣṇa. First of all, by singing the glories of the most exalted Vrajavihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is immediately subjugated by the power of Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust, he is confirming the supreme importance of that foot-dust. Vrajavilāsī Śrī Govinda* is not readily visible even to such great devotees as Brahmā, Mahādeva, Śuka, Nārada and Bhīṣma. One may ask if the word puruṣa in this verse might refer to Mahāviṣṇu or some other avatāra rather than Vrajavihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In reply it may be said that by the infallible touch of Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust, one obtains vraja-prema, and by that prema one obtains Vrajavihārī Śrī Govinda. Reference to any other form of God here would be unrelated to the topic at hand. Particularly, in the śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntaḥ parama-puruṣa verse of Śrī-Brahma-Saṁhitā, the word parama-puruṣa has been intended for Vrajavilāsī Śrī Kṛṣṇa, meaning that among Śrī Rādhā and his other lovers, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is devoted to his amorous sports, is the parama-puruṣa or supreme male. Here, the author means to say that even though Brahmā, Nārada and others sometimes see Śrī Kṛṣṇa engaged in his pastimes of childhood, youth and so on, they are never able to witness his confidential pastimes with the affectionate vraja-sundarīs. These pastimes are extremely difficult to see for either the siddha or sādhaka who regards himself as male. sabe eka sakhī-gaṇera ihā adhikāra. sakhī binā ei līlāya anyera nāhi gati (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.202, 204). “Only the sakhīs have this right. Without the sakhīs, there is no entrance into this līlā.” Specifically, Vraja’s type of worship is pure mādhurya. It is impossible for one in aiśvarya-bhāva to see the Lord of Vraja, the deity of mādhurya. aiśvarya-jñāne nāhi pāya braje brajendranandana. rāga-bhaktye braje svayaṁ bhagavān pāya, bidhi-bhaktye pārṣada-dehe baikuṇṭhe yāya (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.230, 24.85, 24.87). “A person in the aiśvarya mood does not attain Vrajendranandana in Vraja. By rāga-bhakti, one gets Bhagavān in Vraja; by vidhi-bhakti, one becomes a companion of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha.” Therefore, Śrī Govinda, the embodiment of mādhurya, is always difficult for aiśvarya-bhāva devotees such as Brahmā and Mahādeva to see. Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust is like a magical powder endowed with the unfailing power to immediately enchant Śrī Govinda.
rādhikā-caraṇa-reṇu, bhūṣaṇa kariyā tanu,
anāyāse pābe giridhārī |
rādhikā-caraṇāśraya, ye kare se mahāśaya,
tāre mui yāu balihārī ||
“One who adorns his body with the dust from Śrī Rādhikā’s lotus feet will easily get Śrī Giridhārī. Whoever takes shelter of Śrī Rādhikā’s lotus feet is a great soul. To him I say, ‘Bravo!’” (Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya)
Bhakti or prema is the only way to enchant Śrī Kṛṣṇa. bhakti-vaśaḥ puruṣaḥ (Śruti). “The Lord is obedient to love.” premā haite haya kṛṣṇa nija bhakta-baśa (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 7.145). “Kṛṣṇa becomes controlled by his bhakta’s love.” The highest level of that love is mahābhāva. prema krame bāḍi haya sneha māna praṇaya, rāga anurāga bhāba mahābhāba haya. premera parama-sāra mahābhāba jāni, sei mahābhāba-rūpā rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 19.178, 8.160). “Prema gradually increases through the stages of sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga, bhāva and mahābhāva. The quintessence of prema is mahābhāva, and the embodiment of that mahābhāva is Śrī Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī.” Because she is mahābhāva-svarūpiṇī, the nectar of mahābhāva flows from her lotus feet in an endless stream.** Therefore, because the dust from her lotus feet is infused with mahābhāva-rasa, its unfailing power to control Śrī Kṛṣṇa is self-evident. There is also a very powerful scriptural argument in support of this conclusion. It is the unanimous judgement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other śāstras that without honoring the foot-dust of the bhaktas, there is no means to attain bhakti.
naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ
spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ |
mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat ||
Prahlāda Mahāśaya said, “If one has not bathed in the foot-dust of the great devotees who are free from material attachments, devotion to the feet of Śrī Bhagavān, which relieves one of all anarthas, does not appear.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.32) Even though one may perform some laborious type of sādhana, without serving the foot-dust of the great devotees, knowledge of bhagavat-tattva or eagerness to serve Śrī Bhagavān will not arise. This has been expressed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.12.12, in Śrīla Bharata’s instructions to Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa:
rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti
na cejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā |
na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair
vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam ||
“O Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa! If one has not bathed in the foot-dust of a great devotee, then neither the practice of asceticism, performance of Vedic rituals, feeding and clothing others, building houses, philanthropy, study of the Vedas, worshipping the gods of water, fire or sun, nor any other sādhana will bring one knowledge of God.” And the greater the devotee, the more powerful is his foot-dust in subduing Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 187 Anuḥ, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda wrote, prema-tāratamyenaiva bhakta-mahat-tāratamyaṁ mukhyam. “The more love someone has, the greater a devotee she is.” In determining the greatness of a devotee, this is the principal characteristic. In the Ānanda-Candrikā commentary on Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi 5.6, it is written, sa ca premā jātyā ananto’pi kvāpi paramāṇu-mātraḥ kvāpi paramahān kvāpi mahān kvāpi āpekṣika-nyūnādhikyamaya iti catuḥ-parimāṇakaḥ. tatrādyo’jāta-ratikeṣu bhakteṣu teṣu premṇo durlakṣyatvāt bhagavato’dhīnatvam api durlakṣyam eva. dvitīyo vṛndāvaneśvaryām eva tatra premṇaḥ sampūrṇatamatvena adhīnatvam api sampūrṇatamatvam eva. ...atha tṛtīyo vrajaloka eva tatra premṇo mahattvena adhīnatvam api sampūrṇam eva na tu sampūrṇatamam. ...atha caturtho nāradādiṣu teṣu teṣu premānurūpam adhīnatvam. The meaning is that even though there are endless varieties of prema, in the matter of extent, there are four categories: aṇu (minute), parama-mahān (most powerful), mahān (powerful) and āpekṣika-nyūnādhikamaya (relatively more or less). In the sādhaka-bhakta, prema has only developed to a minute degree. Therefore, his capacity to charm Śrī Kṛṣṇa is also minute or difficult to discern. In Nārada and others, prema has developed relatively more or less and they have a proportionate capacity to charm Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the Vrajavāsīs, prema has developed to a great amount and their capacity to charm Śrī Kṛṣṇa is therefore complete. Only in Vṛṣabhānu-Nandinī Śrī Rādhā has prema become most powerful and, for this reason, her capacity to charm Śrī Kṛṣṇa is most complete. Following our previous logic, because prema in Śrī Rādhārāṇī is parama-mahān, the power of her foot-dust to always subdue Śrī Kṛṣṇa is also parama-mahān. Thus we have a solid argument that the power to always subdue Śrī Kṛṣṇa is stored in the dust of her lotus feet.
Śrīpāda says taṁ rādhikā-caraṇa-reṇum anusmarāmi: “I always meditate upon the dust from Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s lotus feet.” By mentioning his constant remembrance of Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust, he also implies that he meditates upon her aṣṭa-kālīna-līlā (eightfold daily pastimes). Smaraṇa is the principal component of rāga-bhajana. manera smaraṇa prāṇa, madhura madhura dhāma, yugala-bilāsa smṛti-sāra (Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura Mahāśaya). “Remembering the pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is my life. This is the sweetest state of mind and the cream of all meditation.” Without remembering God, the mind is lifeless. The jackals and dogs of desire, anger and so on attack and feed upon it at will. Moreover, among types of meditation, contemplation of the sweet pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is the apex. The significance of the words madhura madhura dhāma is that the sādhaka devoted to līlā-smaraṇa should be careful that he does not become like a machine ardently obedient to rules and miss out on tasting the sweetness. While meditating, the mind should be blessed with the experience of Śrī Yugala’s sweetness. The ultimate aim of sādhana is for the soul to taste the sweetness of its beloved. Specifically, a sādhaka eager to taste mādhurya is referred to as a rāga-sādhaka. Concerning Govardhana resident and Guṭikā compiler Siddha Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, it is said that one day a certain Vaiṣṇava mahātmā arrived at his abode and, without saying a word, began to weep. After Bābājī Mahāśaya asked why he was crying, the Vaiṣṇava replied, “I’m not able to do any bhajana today. After placing an ornament on Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s right hand this morning, my mind sank so deeply into the beauty of her hand that I was unable to think of anything else all day.” Siddha Bābā replied, “Today you have done real bhajana.” While meditating on līlā, the mind of a genuine rāga-sādhaka is spontaneously submerged in Śrī Yugala’s mādhurya-rasa. Then, after stopping the meditation, his mind is unable to go anywhere else. This is called anusmaraṇa. This condition gradually appears as a result of the devoted sādhaka’s regular practice of smaraṇa. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has said, sādhana smaraṇa līlā, ihāte nā kara helā, kāya-mane kariyā susāra. “Do not neglect to perform līlā-smaraṇa as part of your sādhana. Success comes from using both body and mind.”
In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, two streams of sādhana flow simultaneously. Along with hearing, chanting and other types of bhajana performed in the external body, the devotee also contemplates his mentally conceived siddha-deha and his service in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eightfold daily pastimes.
bāhya antara ihāra duita sādhana |
bāhye sādhaka-dehe kare śrabaṇa kīrtana ||
mane nija-siddha-deha kariya bhābana |
rātri-dina cinte braje kṛṣṇera sebana ||
“There are two kinds of sādhana: external and internal. Externally, in the sādhaka-deha, one engages in hearing and chanting. Mentally, one contemplates his own siddha-deha, thinking day and night of his service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vraja.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.156-157)
After taking shelter of the lotus feet of a guru, the sādhaka obtains the particulars about his young male form suitable for serving Śrīman Mahāprabhu in navadvīpa-līlā, as well as about his mañjarī form, suitable for serving Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda in vraja-līlā. He meditates on his sevā in both forms, in both līlās. As a result of deep meditation, the sādhaka abandons his absorption in the external body and attains absolute absorption in both siddha-svarūpas. At the maturity of his sādhana, he is simultaneously blessed with the privilege of service in both līlās. hethā gauracandra pāba, sethā rādhā-kṛṣṇa (Ṭhākura Mahāśaya). “Here, he gets Gauracandra; there, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.” This practice of meditation epitomizes the highest spiritual psychology and reveals within the sādhaka the highest manifestation of Bhagavān’s mahāmādhurya-rasa! This is the highest level that the jīva-śakti can attain on the path of bhakti.
*Vrajavihārī and Vrajavilāsī both mean one who sports in Vraja.
** sāndrānanda-ghanānurāga-laharī-nisyanda-pādāmbuja-dvandve śrī-vṛṣabhānu-nandinī sadā vande tava śrī-padam (Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 94). “O Śrī Vṛṣabhānu-Nandinī! I forever praise your beautiful lotus feet, from which waves of intense, joyful love continuously flow.”
1 comment:
রাধে রাধে
Post a Comment