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Feeling Separation from Krishna

by Sacinandana Swami

Feeling Separation from Krishna


Feeling Separation from Krishna

Under the Banyan Tree




yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitm

sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me

“O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, a moment feels like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.’ (Sri Siksastaka, Verse 7)

Inspirations

For devotees of Krishna, the world feels empty in the absence of their beloved Lord. In affairs of love there is no substitute for the beloved—no other person, toy, or material object can replace one’s beloved. Without Krishna the world seems like a playroom filled with meaningless toys—toys that hold no fascination. A devotee wants only Krishna.

Because the devotees desire Krishna intensely, they cry tears. There are two kinds of tears—hot, angry tears and cool, happy tears—but the tears devotees shed when crying for their Lord are of a different type. These tears have a special potency because they wash away whatever contaminations remain over the eyes that block them from seeing Krishna. These tears actually make the devotees’ eyes clear so that they can always see Krishna. So what are we to make of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s wonderful verse that he composed while experiencing the highest ecstasy? Will we forever close our ears and hearts to his urgent message, fearing that we will never ourselves be able to experience exclusive longing? While it is, of course, a mistake to imitate exalted Krishna-conscious states, it is certainly favorable when we hanker for the day when we too will enter the mood of separation from Krishna. When we feel separation in this world, we feel only abject misery. We feel forsaken, forlorn, depressed. But if we can feel separation from Krishna, this separation will create the highest ecstasy in us. How? If we think of Krishna, Krishna will be present. Thoughts of Krishna are identical with Him. If we can think only of Krishna, intensely, then Krishna will be with us intensely. Truly feeling separated from Him and wanting nothing except His association certainly qualifies as intense thoughts of the Lord. In his Padyavali Srila Rupa Goswami cites this verse:

“If I have to choose between union with Krishna and separation from Him, I would choose separation, because when I am with Krishna I see only one Krishna, but when I am separated from Him, then I see Krishna coming toward me from every corner of the universe.”

If while in this world we can actually awaken to the fact that we are now separated from Krishna, we will not feel relaxed about our state. Especially when we are chanting Hare Krishna with an awareness of how we are separated we will begin to feel a deep necessity to reconnect with Him.

In 1969 Srila Prabhupada instructed the devotees to cry prayerfully for Krishna while chanting His name:

“So we are addressing, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna: ’O the energy of the Lord, O the Lord, please accept me.’ That’s all. ’Please accept me.’ We have no other prayer. ’Please accept me.’ Lord Caitanya taught that we should simply cry, and we shall simply pray for accepting us. That’s all. So this vibration is simply a cry for addressing the Supreme Lord, requesting Him, ’Please accept me. Please accept me.’”

It is said that separation is the best mood in which to perform bhajan. Srila Prabhupada once said,

Actually, meeting Krishna is possible through the attitude of separation taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When the feeling of separation becomes very intense, one attains the stage of meeting Sri Krishna. (Caitanya Caritamrita. Adi 4.108, purport) Many of you know how difficult it is to instruct the mind to think something particular. It is just as difficult to instruct the emotions what to feel. When we are unable to feel separation from Krishna and we either think we are doing all right or we remain disturbed by our material problems – that is, we do not long for Krishna – we should know something’s wrong with us. Sri Krishna is the source of all life and happiness. Why don’t we hanker to attain Him? Even a tree feels thirst when it does not rain and an animal feels hunger when there is no food. Isn’t God more to the soul than the food and drink that sustain the gross body? Still, there is hope on the horizon. The realized words of the great acharyas form a stream of sweet water to refresh our tired hearts and awaken in us feelings of devotion. Let us eagerly listen to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his song Kabe ha’be bolo as he makes his appeal:

1. Please tell me, when, o when, will that day be mine when my offenses will come to an end and a taste for the pure holy name will be infused in my heart by the power of divine grace?

2. Feeling myself lower than a blade of grass, welcoming the quality of forbearance into my heart, giving honor to all living beings, and becoming free of false pride, when will I taste the essence of the liquid nectar of the holy name?

3. Wealth, followers, beautiful women as described in worldly poetry—I do not want these bodily pleasures. O Lord Gaurahari! Please give me unmotivated devotion to Your lotus feet birth after birth.

4. When, while articulating the divine name of Sri Krishna, will my body thrill with ecstatic rapture, my words choke with emotion, and my body lose color and tremble ecstatically? When will streams of tears flow constantly from my eyes?

5. When, in the land of Navadvipa, on the banks of the celestial Ganga, will I run about innocently calling out, “O Gaura! O Nityananda’? Dancing and singing, I will wander about like a madman, giving up all consideration of proper social behavior.

6. When will Lord Nityananda be merciful to me and release me from the illusion of worldliness? When will he give me the shade of his own lotus feet and bestow on me the qualification necessary to enter the marketplace of the holy name?

7. Somehow or other I shall buy or steal the mellows of the name of Lord Hari. Becoming thoroughly intoxicated by those liquid mellows I will become stunned. By touching the feet of those great souls who are expert in relishing those mellows I will be constantly immersed in the sweet nectar of the holy name.

8. When will there be an awakening in me of compassion for all fallen souls? Then this Bhaktivinoda will forget his own happiness, and with a meek heart he will set out to propagate by humble solicitation the sacred order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

I once met a devotee to whom I confessed the hard state of my heart: “I never feel any longing for Krishna. Rather, I feel satisfied with the present state of my life. What can you recommend so that I can enter the world of spiritual feeling?” The devotee’s answer surprised me: “If you cannot hanker for Krishna, then hanker that one day you will hanker for Krishna. If you cannot hanker for that day, then hanker for the day when one day you will hanker for Krishna.” He went on until his point was clear: start somewhere.

Sacinandana Swami

Under the Banyan Tree is a regular column featuring the writing of Sacinandana Swami.

Bhakticollective.com is an independent website with resources on bhakti-yoga. For more postings and articles visit The Bhakti Collective: Devotional Arts & Discussion

Leaving the Noise of the Ten Thousand Little Things

by Sacinandana Swami

Leaving the Noise of the Ten Thousand Little Things


The Power of Krishna in Thunder Storms

Under the Banyan Tree




The Art of “Retreating”

In this retreat I would like to go deep into myself, leaving all the different layers behind. I know that deep down in the very bottom of my heart a treasure is waiting for me. I can find it by the process of “spiritual archaeology.” I feel that this treasure will give me the strength required to deal with the compromises I make in my life that keep me in the so-called comfort zone. It is a dangerous zone that gets darker each time I act in a way contrary to what I know to be true.

Spiritual Archaeology

Once a boy only sixteen years old went to his two brothers. He said to them: “It is my desire to take you to a mysterious place, a place where you shall learn the truth about yourself.”

But his brothers were afraid. “Please, let´s stay home. We already have had enough adventures with you.”

But the young boy told them: “Either you come with me or I will never speak to you again.” In this way he forced them to come along. They walked for a long time and arrived later the same day. They found themselves at the side of a deep well.

The boy told his oldest brother: “I want to put a rope around your waist and lower you into the well. Look carefully at what you find at the bottom.” When the oldest brother was only one-third down the well he began to scream and cry. Fear to face the darkness and loneliness inside the well attacked him from all sides: “I’m dying! I’m dying!” Hearing his cries, the young boy pulled him out because he saw what kind of person his oldest brother was.

Next the middle brother was hoisted down into the well. He went halfway down and then he also began to scream, “Help! Help! Save me! Bring me up!” The youngest brother, seeing what kind of person his middle brother was, pulled him up. When the youngest brother’s turn came he said, “Listen. Even though I may cry and scream, don´t pull me up. Lower me down into the well until you feel there is no weight on the end of the rope— then you will know that I have reached the bottom.” His brothers pleaded with him: “You are our youngest brother. Why do you want to leave us?” But the boy was firm, and they lowered him by the rope until he reached the bottom of the well.

I first heard this story from my grandfather when I was a young boy of sixteen years, and I remember that I became intrigued. I wanted to know how the story would end. But my grandfather surprised me. He looked deep into my eyes and said,“It’s not just a nice story about someone else. It should become your story. What will you find, when you go down that well to the bottom of your heart?” Shortly afterward, I decided to move into a temple to seriously start my spiritual journey.

We have become expert at filling our lives with the noise of ten thousand little things. We are always surrounded by a hum of activity coming from our fast lives. Even if there is nothing going on around us, our psyche continues to vibrate from the joys and frustrations we experience. The modern person finds it very difficult, therefore, to be alone with himself. He always needs some diversion; some TV, some music, some talk, etc.

The French mathematician Blaise Pascal once wrote: “All man´s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.” That was the problem of the two brothers. They felt scared when they had to go deeper and separate themselves from the usual noise of their busy lives.

Our spiritual journey will bring us through lonely places—places we have never been to before. Sometimes these inner regions are so lonely that we may not immediately find recognizable sign posts to tell us which way to go. At that time, we have to struggle to orient ourselves and sometimes, even when we think we finally have found the sign posts, we might find that we can’t read them. When that happens, we have to turn to the Lord in all seriousness.

The Cave of the Heart

About ten years ago I went on a pilgrimage accompanied by three other devotees into the solitude of the Himalayas. We visited a place near Badrinatha and went to the historic cave in which King Muchukunda, after being awakened from his long sleep, met Lord Krishna. This cave is high in the mountains and we could only find it with the help of an experienced guide. When we arrived I immediately wanted to go inside but the guide warned us, “Don’t go there, there are dangerous snakes at the bottom of the cave.” This intrigued me even more (smile). So I told him we would find our way back to Badrinatha alone, gave him his money and sent him on his way. My temptation was hightened because I remembered the story of my grandfather and how he said, “Go deep and you will find your treasure.”

In Sanskrit the heart is sometimes metaphorically referred to as ´guha´, meaning a cavern, cave or a deep and secret place. With this in mind we turned to the cave and began our descent. One of us waited outside. King Muchukunda physically went into a cave in the Himalayas where he rested his battle-tired body and waited for the Lord to appear. After a long sleep he finally awoke to find Lord Krishna standing before him, illuminating the cave with His effulgence. Overwhelmed with gratitude Muchukunda prayed: “With your effulgence you dispel the darkness of this mountain cave, and with your jewel like knowledge you destroy the darkness of ignorance in my heart.” (Sharartha-darshini 10.51.29).

In much the same way, anyone who goes to the bottom of the heart-cave will meet the Lord there. He is described as “sitting unseen within the cave of the heart like the fire dormant within kindling wood” (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 11.37.10–11).

Although Krishna did not appear to us in his transcendental form in that Himalaya cave, we still felt we had been rewarded. At that holy place we held kirtana and read the pastime of Muchakunda from the Krishna Book. Also as we carefully directed the beam of our torchlight into that enormous cave we found Krishna’s footprints sculpted in marble. They had been installed there in the distant past.)

Krishna is the Supersoul who dwells within the heart of all living beings. Even though we cannot always see Him with our covered eyes and conditioned mind, He is there, hidden just like the fire within wood. And just like there is an ancient process for kindling fire from within wood there is an ancient process by which we can discover the Lord and experience His presence more and more in our hearts. The Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad tells us: atma va are drashtavyah shrotavyo mantavyo nididhyasitavyah

“One must see the Lord, hear about Him, think about Him and meditate upon Him with fixed concentration.” (Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad 4.5.6).

Shrila Vishvantha Chakravarti Thakur explains how we can see the Lord. “The idea here is that one should directly see the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” The means for achieving this are then explained by him. “One must first hear (shrutavyo) from a bona-fide guru and take the words of such a spiritual master into one´s heart by offering him humble service and striving in all ways to please him.

One should then continuously ponder (mantavyo) the divine message of the spiritual master with the aim of dispelling all one´s doubts and misconceptions.

Then one can proceed to meditate (nididhyasitavyah) on Sri Krishna´s lotus feet with total conviction and determination.” (Sharartha-darshini).

Sacinandana Swami

Under the Banyan Tree is a regular column featuring the writing of Sacinandana Swami.


Bhakticollective.com is an independent website with resources on bhakti-yoga. For more postings and articles visit The Bhakti Collective: Devotional Arts & Discussion

Five Lessons from a Pencil

by Sacinandana Swami

Five lessons from a pencil


The Power of Krishna in Thunder Storms

Under the Banyan Tree




When I was walking today, on the Island Mali Losinj, I felt my mind reach out over the blue sea to an island shimmering in the distance. When my mind returned, it brought a story with it, a story of spiritual instruction. Strange are the ways of inspiration.

Here is the story:

When Mohan returned from his journey to Jagannatha Puri, he was a changed man. Those who had never met him were impressed with his character, but those who had known him before were suspicious. Why was Mohan so clear-minded and suddenly so happy? There seemed to be no good reason, because while Mohan was on his way to Puri, his spiritual master, Gurudeva, had left his body.

Mohan had become Gurudeva's disciple while they were both in the Himalayas near Devaprayag. Mohan was a slow learner, and he had been too busy with his agricultural fields and his two cows to spend much time on spiritual practices. Still, he had a deep interest in the spiritual tradition of his fathers, so he had continued to go from time to time to learn from Gurudeva.

Then misfortune struck twice. First, Mohan's wife died from tuberculosis. Second, the cows, who were as good as dependent children, as the couple had none, were killed by a tiger one day. Mohan was grief-stricken to have lost so much within one year.

Then Gurudeva asked Mohan to accompany him to Puri. While inviting Mohan, Gurudeva had looked long into Mohan's eyes and said mysteriously, "There is an ocean at Puri. I feel that my ship will come and take me back to the land of my origin."

Mohan could not understand what that meant. He knew that Gurudeva was from South India, but why would he want to return to South India from Puri by ship? There were more comfortable ways to travel.

As Gurudeva and Mohan were walking to Puri, Gurudeva continued on occasion to mention the ship that would take him to the land of his birth and Mohan continued to think that Gurudeva would probably find it more convenient to travel by train. But he did not suggest this to his master; he did not think his guru's travel plans his business and did not want to be presumptuous.

When they finally reached the town of Puri, the aged guru showed Mohan many holy sites, but the most impressive among them was the Jagannatha temple, home of the Lord of the universe. They always entered the Lord's home through the eastern gate, the lion gate.

Two weeks after their arrival, Gurudeva contracted a fever that wracked his aged frame. It was then that Mohan finally understood what Gurudeva had been trying to tell him. The day after Ratha-yatra, Gurudeva called Mohan to his side. His feverish eyes were filled with joy as he said in a tremulous voice, “My ship has come, my son. Sing our Lord's names to create the wind that will carry me to my eternal home." Then Gurudeva himself lovingly called out “He Gopal!” and rode the receding wave back to the spiritual world.

Mohan helped carry his spiritual master's body to the Svarga-dvara, where he was cremated and his ashes were thrown into the sacred ocean. Then he returned to his home village near Devaprayaga.

People had heard the news of Gurudeva's departure, of course, and that's why they now suspected Mohan's happiness. Mohan had lost his wife, his two cows, and now his guru within one year. He had also lost his home; the land he had been working had not been his own, and he had only been able to pay the rent on it by selling the milk from his two cows.

Rumors began to circulate. The worst accused Mohan of poisoning his guru to take his money. Finally, two of the villagers confronted Mohan: “There is something you have not told us. The villagers have sent us to discover how you can be so happy in the face of so much traumatic loss.”

Mohan was grateful to have the opportunity to talk about what was inspiring him. His life had changed because of a lesson Gurudeva had given him just a week before his departure. Actually, Gurudeva had given him more than verbal instruction—he had given him a pencil.

The sun was beginning to set and the temperature was dropping. Mohan invited the two men into his cottage. With uncertainty, they followed him into his hut and took the seats he proffered them next to the fire. Then he began.

“Please listen carefully to what Gurudeva taught me. It has changed my life. I thank you for allowing me to speak about it. After you have had the chance to hear and think about what I am about to tell you, please explain it to the other villagers. The gift of a pencil can change everyone's life here.

“Gurudeva noticed quite early in our relationship that I was a slow learner. Although the Lord had taken everything from me, I remained attached to my material plans. Only when Gurudeva invited me to accompany him to Puri, where he said a ship awaited him, was I prepared to leave our village and experience something new. I felt he needed help on his journey, and since I had nothing left here, I thought, 'Why shouldn't I carry his bag?'

“But he became ill in Puri. He was preparing for his 'ship journey' home. Not long before he died he gave me an envelope and said, 'Open this only after I have boarded my ship.'

“After his death I opened the envelope and found a pencil and a handwritten message. I will read this message to you; Gurudeva wrote it with his own hand and probably with this pencil: ‘My dear disciple, I feel I can best tell you what you need to know in life by way of an analogy. You have not been the quickest of my students, but you have a good heart and I feel you will learn what you need to learn if you think deeply about this pencil.

“'The pencil teaches you to stop from time to time to sharpen your tools, meaning your mind, body, and spirit. Just as a pencil needs to be sharpened, so we need to sharpen ourselves by spiritual practice. Only then can we become one-pointed enough to give full attention to the Lord.

“'Second lesson: Don't be afraid to be yourself. Learn to make your own contribution in life with joy. Each pencil has its particular line to draw. This line will become words—specific words—and these words form a unique mission, your own life story. Never be afraid to draw your specific line, live your life.

“'Third: The pencil teaches you that what is inside is more important than what is outside—in other words, that the soul is more important than the body. When we have a pencil we value the graphite at its center more than the dead wood that surrounds it. Never forget that you are an eternal soul inhabiting a temporary body, just as the graphite and the message it can create inhabit the wood.

“'Fourth: Whenever you make a mistake, correct it immediately. Every good pencil —and this one is no exception—has an eraser at the end. Whenever one makes a mistake with one end of the pencil, one can immediately erase it with the other end. Learn from the pencil that it is not dishonorable to correct mistakes. No, correcting your mistakes is actually your duty. It should be done as soon as you notice the mistake. Truthfully, it is not only a duty to correct mistakes but an honor.

“'Fifth: You may do big things in life, but never forget the hand that guides you. Just as the pencil is never proud, thinking how it has written a book, so we should always give credit to God and strive to become humble and willing instruments by surrendering to His plan.

“'My dear disciple, think daily about my gift to you—the five lessons of the pencil. As you apply these teachings, you will see their wisdom unfolding more and more. Ultimately, you will be guided to much greater teachings than the ones the pencil can give you. At that time you might like to make a gift of the pencil to another spiritual learner who is slow but who has a good heart.

“'Always your well-wisher,
Jagannatha-nandana Swami, whom you know as Gurudeva.'”

Mohan looked up from the piece of paper on which Gurudeva had written his simple message. “Now you know why I am so happy,” he said in a voice trembling with emotion. “I am practicing Gurudeva's teachings and am making new discoveries every day. If the villagers have questions, they are welcome to ask me.”

From that day on several villagers a day came to Mohan's cottage and asked for spiritual advice. Somehow, Mohan was able to give them realized answers. He had made it a point to sharpen his tools of body, mind, and spirit by regularly chanting God's holy names and reading holy books. But the simple lessons of the pencil worked wonders for everyone in the village.

Soon, one of the mountain people wrote down these five lessons, showed his work to Mohan, and asked him to make any necessary corrections. On his next visit to Haridwar, this man asked a friend who owned a simple hand-printing shop to print them.

These five lessons contain nothing less than the profound wisdom of the ancient Vedic culture, offered in a format that is simple to apply and that gives immediate benefits. Therefore, these quaint slips of paper were copied and recopied, and those who applied them saw their lives miraculously uplifted.

Here are the five lessons of the pencil for you:

· Lesson 1: Regenerate regularly—physically, mentally and spiritually. Live in sattva.

· Lesson 2: Discover and execute your unique mission and purpose. Live your dharma.

· Lesson 3: Always remain connected with your deepest self, the soul. Live in the atma.

· Lesson 4: Listen to your conscience and correct mistakes. Stay with the higher connection, guided by the paramatma.

· Lesson 5: Develop your love for God. Live in bhakti.

Epilogue

My own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, gave me a “pencil”—simple instructions by which I could change my life. Three years before he passed away, he called me into his room and gave me the opportunity to serve him in a menial way. At that time he told me, “You should be a good disciple, a good teacher, a servant who helps others in their spiritual development, and you should be autonomous in your spiritual life—fully dependent on Krsna.”

I pray these instructions form my life forever.

Sacinandana Swami

Under the Banyan Tree is a regular column featuring the writing of Sacinandana Swami.

Bhakticollective.com is an independent website with resources on bhakti-yoga. For more postings and articles visit The Bhakti Collective: Devotional Arts & Discussion

Podcast: As Kindred Spirits

by Kaustubha das

Podcast: As Kindred Spirits

AKS cover

He Gopal (Yasomatinandana)
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From the CD Nectar of Devotion, Hey Gopal (Yasomati-nandana)

On this track As Kindred Spirits blend the traditional chant “Krishna, Govinda, Govinda, Gopal, Nandulal” with the bhajan Sri Nama Kirtan (Yasomati-Nandana) composed by Vaishnava theologian and songwriter Bhaktivinode Thakura. In Sri Nama Kirtan Bhaktivinode Thakura employs a lyrical device wherein nearly the entire song consists of Krishna’s names, each of which serve to rouse remembrance or meditation of the Lords many lilas (pastimes). You can find the translation below.

Kaustubha das

From the CD’s liner notes:

“Adapted from a melody performed at the world famous Radha Ramana Temple in Vrindavan, this song is composed of names of Lord Sri Krishna. Vaisnavas love to sing the names of Krishna – amala harinam amiya-vilasa. ‘These pure, holy names of Lord Hari (Krishna) are full of sweet, nectarean pastimes.’ If you know what to listen for, you’ll also hear a riff from one of the sweetest devotional Indian movies ever made, called, Sita Swayamvara.”

More Information on As Kindred Spirits

Purchase the CD

Gaura Vani: Lead vocal, Harmonium arrangements and recording engineer
Sandeep Mody: Tabla, Sarod, Violin, arrangements, and backing vocals.

Sridhama, Bhakti, Tuka, Radhika, Ani, Rombhoru, Ketu, Radha Madhava, Nandu, Sunanda, Jayananda, Jagannath Chandan, Bali, Mitrasena, Shyam, Sita and Krpa: All vocal and instrumental accompaniment.

Bada Haridas, Bhakta Jim Sater: Sound mastering, mixing, and additional technical assistance.

Sri Nama-Kirtana

 

(by Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

(1)
yashomati-nandana, braja-baro-nagara
gokula-ranjana kana
gopi-parana-dhana, madana-manohara

kaliya-damana-vidhana

(2)
amala harinam amiya-vilasa
vipina-purandara, navina nagara-bora
bamshi-badana suvasa

(3)
braja-jana-palana, asura-kula-nashana
nanda-godhana-rakhowala

govinda madhava, navanita-taskara
sundara nanda-gopala

(4)
jamuna-tata-chara, gopi-basana-hara
rasa-rasika kripamoya
shri-radha-vallabha, brindabana-natabara
bhakativinod-ashraya

 

Translation

(1) Krishna is the beloved son of Mother Yashoda; the transcendental lover in the land of Vraja; the delight of Gokula; Kana [a nickname of Krishna]; the wealth of the lives of the gopis. He steals the mind of even Cupid and punishes the serpent Kaliya.

(2) These pure, holy names of Lord Hari are full of sweet, nectarean pastimes. Krishna is the Lord of the twelve forests of Vraja. He is ever-youthful and is the best of lovers. He is always playing on a flute, and He is an excellent dresser.

(3) Krishna is the protector of the inhabitants of Vraja; the destroyer of various demoniac dynasties; the keeper and tender of Nanda Maharaja’s cows; the giver of pleasure to the cows, land, and spiritual senses; the husband of the goddess of fortune; the butter thief; and the beautiful cowherd boy of Nanda Maharaja.

(4) Krishna wanders along the banks of the River Yamuna. He stole the garments of the young damsels of Vraja who were bathing there. He delights in the mellows of the rasa dance; He is very merciful; the lover and beloved of Srimati Radharani; the great dancer of Vrindavana; and the shelter and only refuge of Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Bhakticollective.com is an independent website with resources on bhakti-yoga. For more postings and articles visit The Bhakti Collective: Devotional Arts & Discussion

The Lila of the Bewilderment of Brahma

Complexity: 
Medium

by Kaustubha das

The Lila of the Bewilderment of Brahma

Brahma-vimohan front

Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are sung by you personally and by your pure devotees, certainly conquer your Lordship, although you are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds. (Lord Brahma’s Prayers to Lord Krishna, Srimad-bhagavatam 10.14.3)

Today I’ve posted a painting Brahma Honors Krishna and an excerpt from its commentary from the book Intimate Worlds: Indian Paintings from the Alvin O. Bellak Collection. The commentary, by art historian John Seyller, briefly tells the Brahma-vimohan lila (the pastime of the bewilderment of Brahma). Some nice details about the painting’s design are included.

The hearing of, and contemplation upon the lilas of Krishna, (especially as found in Srimad-bhagavatam) comprise what is widely considered an essential limb in the practice of bhakti-yoga. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll try to delve a little deeper into the Brahma-vimohan lila. Besides posting more art, I will be sharing some of Brahma’s prayers and my thoughts on them. There is much to discuss in terms of theology, Vedanta philosophy, yoga and rasa (in this context, an experience a particular relationship with God). I’ll be calling on some of The Bhakti Collective’s contributing writers to share insights and I invite readers to chime in as well.

Thanks.
Kaustubha das

Brahma Honors Krishna

Page from a dispersed series of the Bhagavata Purana
Northern India, probably Delhi-Agra region, c. 1525-40
Opaque watercolor and ink on paper
7 1/8 x 9 1/2 inches (18.1 x 24.1 cm)

This painting, which falls at the beginning of the fourteenth chapter, marks the culmination of an episode that leads the god Brahma to acknowledge Krishna’s limitless existence. Having witnessed Krishna perform one supernatural feat after another, Brahma tests him once more, this time by employing magic to abduct a group of cowherds and their kine from Krishna’s presence. Krishna recognizes Brahma’s handiwork when he is unable to locate the missing cows and cowherds, and simple multiplies himself to replicate each one. The replacements resemble the original cows and cowherds in every detail, but they so strongly embody the divine presence that their mothers’ affection for them grows exponentially. This remarkable development and Brahma’s subsequent vision of each figure being transformed into Krishna in all his splendor move him first to marvel at Krishna’s ability to transcend his own deception and then to recognize the deity’s omnipresence with this, he dismounts his swan vehicle and prostrates himself before Krishna. Raising himself to his feet, Brahma joins his hands together in veneration, and begins a long hymn of praise to Krishna.

The artist pays tribute to the momentousness of the revelation by isolating each of the deities within a separate colored field. The stout, four-headed Brahma appears against a cool green background; Krishna, the object of his devotion stands opposite, his superiority indicated not only by his receptive gesture, but also by the brilliant red rectangle positioned immediately and exclusively behind him. Krishna’s theological advantage is carried through even to the trees that bracket and divide the two figures. Whereas Krishna stands erect on one leg between two trees with absolutely straight trunks, Brahma is backed by a date tree whose trunk bends close to him and his vehicle as if in imitation of his earlier prostration. A black sky and un undulating band of clouds set off the trees’ luxurious foliage and a flowering creeper, which entwine in the upper reaches of the composition to bind the two halves together. The result is a painting whose masterful design matches its religious eloquence. JS

Brahma-vimohan detail

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