Aindra Prabhu's words and kirtan have nourished us all with the desperation to be back to our Divine Couple and all our Acharyas. However, in words I try, it would be impossible to convey the kripa (mercy) and the impact he has had on so many of us to take to kirtan and nama as only shelter.
This morning was inspired impromptu by Sri Vrindavan Dham to transcribe Aindra Prabhu's offering on Srila Prabhupada Vyas Puja in 1997 at ISKCON Mandir, Vrindavan.
I had got the clip that is publically available on the internet. The audio had noise and distortions which I tried to clean using software for better clarity. Have uploaded both versions here: Offering MP3 (with noise and distortion), Offering MP3 (Cleaned). You can download it for your reference if Sriji inspires.
I wasn't able to understand slokas and words in a few places. There, I have put a dotted line for reference.
Namo Om Vishnu Padaya Krishna Pristaya Bhutale
Srimate Bhaktivendata Swami Iti Namine
Namaste Saraswati Deve Gaur Vani Pracharine
Nirvishesya Sunyavadi Paschat Des Tarine
The book 'Demystifying The Mystical Vrindavan' is the essence and crux of this entire website.
If you are considering to dive into the final goal of our Vedic Scriptures and spiritual life, and if Radharani inspires you, do get a copy of the book .
I was sternly warned by Pancagauda Prabhu not to get too esoteric. I don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers but at the same time, I also feel that Vyas Puja is a time to speak from the heart, although by my appearance is the dirty bead bag, Aindra’s famous dirty bead bag.
Prabhupada said that Krishna Consciousness means a clean bead bag. So sometimes devotees wonder that why Aindra’s always keeping a dirty bead bag but actually, it is to remind me that I am not Krishna Conscious as I think I am.
Please forgive me this is my kind of madness but as a Vyas Puja offering, I would at least like to say Srila Prabhupada is the greatest revolutionary I have ever known.. is a revolutionary endeavoured in many ways to try to inspire us to accept this principle of eternal revolution.
Krishna Consciousness is a revolutional consciousness - the change of heart, although externally for preaching, things are also important that we have to manifest a certain preaching demeanour but at the same time, we should understand that in truth Krishna Consciousness is more of an internal cultivation of the reality of our eternal relationship with Krishna and that eternal relationship with Krishna often necessitates the step by step gradual realisation of our eternal relationship with our eternal spiritual master so although as Hari Sankirtan Prabhu was nicely pointing about that for most of us what is the antaranga swarup of Srila Prabhupada it may not be clear to others.
Prabhupada has told that disciple should not speculate about eternal rasa of the spiritual master. But he should serve the spiritual master as Acharya. He should see him as Acharya and follow him as example. We all know that Srila Prabhupada is called Rupanuga. We are Prabhupadanugas and Prabhupada always adamantly claimed himself to be Rupanuga.
So that means in our swarup deha we should follow in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Goswami. And it is essential that we uphold the standards of sadhana practices of devotional activites but it is also essential that we simultaneously yearn, hope for revelation of truth of internal swarup of Sri Rupa Goswami, our predecessor Acharyas and also our own spiritual master.
Interestingly enough it should be understood Krishna Consciousness is ...unclear voice... oneness in diversity. It is not all one. When we say Rupanuga it doesn't necessarily mean that we all be followers of Srimati Rupa Manjari per se. But because every individual soul wud be having individual relationship with Krishna. So that Krishna Shakti, it has it's diversed of age manifestation.
Just as Hari Sankirtan Prabhu was pointing out Prabhupada is seen as Saktyavesh Avatara, he is seen as Swami Ji, he is seen as Guru. and he is seen as Avatar, saktya vesh avatar.. but saktyavesh doesn't necessarily imply that there is one tattva involved. But there is multi-faceted tattva.
Guru is representative of Krishna and Krishna ...unclear voice... He can manifest and reciprocate the desires of various living entities or various disciples according to their capacity for service, their service attitude so Srila Prabhupada is also capable and fit, is most fit to manifest the swarup to the sincere disciple, according to disciples necessity.
We should aspire for this. It's not that we should be complacent with a hum drum type of going to party in our Krishna Consciousness that only to serve the preaching mission in external way ...unclear voice...
Srila Prabhupada in Chaitanya Caritamrta very clearly states in one purport that realisation of our eternal relationship with Krishna.. meaning our eternal rasa with Krishna is that will greatly enhance our preaching.
So everyone is preaching on how to enhance our preaching work but this much we should also take into consideration that how desperate are we for self-realisation. We want to represent our spiritual master. Earlier in the introductory reading about the meaning of ...unclear voice... there was given the idea that it is a holistic event, it is a holistic affair. I am assuming that what he really means to say that united we stand divided we fall.
Prabhupada gave example that this is one stick, it can easily be broken but if bound together like a bundle, then really difficult to break that bundle of sticks.
Yet even though this is correct still it should be understood that society of devotees is made up of individuals. We can never neglect this individual responsibility. Individual doesn't means independent ...unclear voice... in sense, we are independent of indication and instruction of the spiritual master but it means individually, personally thoughtful of our progress to ultimate goal of life which is Krishna Prema which has it's swarup.
We have to take it into consideration. When that day will come when our spiritual master will be so mercifully tied ...unclear voice... that he will reveal that swarup to us which is basically our eternal relationship with him.
So we should be very diligent to search it out upto this in all circumstances..
...Aindra Prabhu mentions a sloka...words not clear...
There should be no other goal to any of our activities day and night. Our every breath should be dedicated to the realisation of our eternal relationship with our spiritual master and in essence to realise that we go on quizzing on ...unclear voice... of our spiritual master as an instrument in hands of our predecessor Acharyas.
But it is so much imp that we don’t neglect the internal cultivation of our eternal relationship with Krishna. One time Srila Prabhupada told that it is not that we simply offer any damn flower to the deity. Sometimes we see that the Pujari, he just throws any damn bunch of flowers from the Arti tray.
If you are there for Mangal Arti, many times we see this. What you receive, we are happy to receive whatever little prasadam we can get but at the same time, our heart breaks to see that we are so thoughtless in our culture of devotional life. We have no bhav. If we have no bhav, then how can we expect that Krishna will reciprocate. Why not have this bhav? Bhav is not a difficult thing.
We think that it is very difficult. It progresses in stages from shradda to prema. Bhava is the preliminary stage of love of Godhead but just as ...unclear voice... Prabhu was saying.. whether or not we love our spiritual master, whether or not we have any love for Krishna, it has to have a beginning.
If we don’t start now to love our spiritual master, to love Krishna, to think in terms how to please Krishna, what will please Krishna the most, what will please our Guru the most and live our life on those terms? This is the essence of principle of jigyasa uttamam ...sloka...
This jiva tattva jigyasam.. brahma jigyasa.. ...sloka... to enquire about what is our eternal relationship with Krishna..
It begins jivera swarup hoye krishna nitya dasa.. but this is a vague concept. We have to deepen our understanding. Not that we offer any damn flower to Krishna, but with bhav. How about this that you pick up the most beautiful flower and think that how Krishna would be satisfied with the beautiful flower. This is bhav. Prabhupada says this is bhav. This is called Bhava Seva.
There is a difference between Seva and Puja. We should understand it clearly. Seva, this Seva Bhavna is the beginning of our love for Krishna, beginning of love for our spiritual master.
To serve Krishna nicely for the pleasure of our spiritual master. Not that it becomes a burden. Not that our spiritual master has left us with a burden. Now we have to drag upon this burden. No. But that our spiritual master has given us the acquaintance of the sweetness of the loving relationship of Krishna into the gradually realised increment if we start now.
If we don't start now (Note: I feel that some section of clip might be chopped here of the audio that I have. Will try to find the original clip from the kirtan department whenever Sriji inspires. You can listen at 14.22 to notice it)..
How if I am not feeling enthused in Krishna Consciousness, then maybe I should come and join such and such party on the other side of the town. So I had to say to him is there any reason why I shouldn't feel enthused in Krishna Consciousness? Krishna is always accessible. My guru is always accessible. The instructions of my spiritual master are always accessible.
Krishna is All-Attractive. Krishna’s Swarup Shakti is also all-attractive as Krishna is also All-Attractive. And as saktyavesh, my guru is also all-attractive. His instructions are all-attractive. There is no reason why I shouldn’t have everything at my disposal to be attracted to the Lotus Feet of Krishna. THIS ISKCON MOVEMENT IS COMPLETE. We should never neglect this point. We should never misunderstand under some illusion, bewilderment that we don’t have (crying and choking voice) all the facility for complete perfection at the feet of Srila Prabhupada in this ISKCON movement.
This ISKCON movement is complete because everything is here. If you want it, if you want to have complete perfection you can have it because Srila Prabhupada is dying to give us that thing. He wants to give us that thing. But he wants to see who is receptive. Who wants to get that thing? Who wants eternal relationship with Krishna or who wants to be satisfied here with lobha, puja and pratistha and various other grosser manifestations of material consciousness in the name of Krishna Consciousness?
You can have all perfection. There is no doubt. Srila Prabhupada would give you all perfection. From him, everything is coming. It is not limited to words written in the book. It is a hearts affair between the sincere disciple and spiritual master.
When the spiritual master is satisfied with the service attitude of the disciple, never mind what service. He may be the lowest ...voice unclear... he may be the biggest Guru or GBC man, these are all menial services at the feet of our spiritual master. There is no higher or lower service on the absolute platform. They are all menial services.
When he thinks that we have actually taken the menial service attitude, and understands that we have actually come to the realisation of krishner nitya dasa, then he reveals more than the vague concept of things. He becomes satisfied and by that satisfaction of the spiritual master from heart to heart he reveals everything to him. There’s no doubt.
It is quite possible. It is question of desire. By desire, we come into this material world and by desire, we get out of material world. if you have pinch of desire for material gratification however subtle it may be, Krishna is so kind, Srila Prabhupada says, that He will give your another chance to fulfil that material desire by awarding you another material body with which to pursue that sense gratification.
Krishna says that you value this pinch of material desire so much you cannot give it up.. for someone is as beautiful and wonderful as me.. Srila Prabhupada is saying practically the same thing. You cannot surrender the pinch of material desire to have an eternal relationship with me in the association of Krishna, His nitya parikar? You want that pinch of material desire so badly. It is ok. So you can have it. I am not so cheap that I give myself so easily.
Just like the gopis. I am not going to go too esoteric. Just like the gopis, they went through painstaking ...unclear voice... practices of raganuga sadana bhakti in their previous lives. Some of them sages of Naimisaranya.. You know the story. Everyone knows. 5 kalpas it took them to be finally be granted admittance into the bhauma lila of Krishna by taking their birth from womb of gopis, yet still, although they had attained swarup siddhi in their previous lifetimes, still, not all of them had sufficient adhikar to enter into the rasa mandal and dance with Krishna in the rasa dance.
They did not had sufficient purva raga. You know what is purva raga? Purva raga means the anxiety, the anticipation, the hope, the intense greed to meet with Krishna. The intense desire to go to meet with Krishna. They did not have that sufficiently. They were not awarded their vastu siddhi, they did not have spiritual bodies yet. Some of them. Some of them had. They were able to go. Because this point is an individual affair. Some of them were locked into their rooms and some of them were able to go.
The point is that in the ultimate issue everyone has to fly his own plane. That doesn’t mean we don’t take advantage while we are on the ground of the association of our godbrothers. We don’t take shiskha, we don't take good advices, good instruction to help us to gather streak and to get direction in our cultivation of Krishna Consiousness.
But at the time of death, when we are flying in formation, no other plane can help you. You have to know how to fly your plane. It's not enough that we pan off, we pass the buck of responsibility to the rest of the society that the society will save us. But individually we all have to become Krishna Consious. Individually we all have to take responsibilities and individually we all have to be prepared for revolution. We have to be prepared for change.
So my only request is that my basic underline just of all of this, please forgive me if I have taken too much of time or if I have said anything which appears to be against the Siddhanta of our predecessor Acharyas, but my only request is that maybe that we have to individually... so we individually do it together... we require good association... It's not enough to blame the others for being bad association. Anyone can do that. Blame the others for being bad association.
Prabhupada told that we cannot blame anyone except ourselves for lack in advancement in Krishna Consiousness. There is no excuse for not being advanced in Krishna Consiousness (laughs).
It is our duty to be advanced association for benefit of others. So at least we should try for it to our utmost for the satisfaction of Srila Prabhupada.
So let that be my Vyas Puja offering.
(Devotees shouting Haribooooll)....
(Clap)...