Madhyahna kalia lila - Mid-day worship – Worship with taste (Ruchi bhajan)

Just before that we have come upto nishta, fixation of mind, there should not be any other desire except service of Krishna. And after that, next progress, development is shown by Bhakti Vinod Thakur, Ruchi.

nāma sādhakera ahaituki kṛṣṇa bhakti binā anya kāmanā nahi

Nama sadhak has got no other desire except causeless devotion to Sri Krishna.

In the fourth Verse of Sikshastaka

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukḥ tvayi

‘O Supreme Lord, I do not desire wealth, followers, worldly knowledge, nor salvation (mukti) i.e. to merge myself with the Impersonal Formless Brahma. My only prayer is to get causeless one-pointed uninterrupted pure devotion to You birth after birth. This whole prayer we utter by our mouth. But among the people it is very difficult to find such a person who has no desires at all.

Sri Jagadananda Pandit has written ‘chit-kana jiva, krsna chinmaya bhaskara nitya-krsna dehi krsne karena adara. Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vanchha kare nikatastha maya tare japatiya dhare’(Sri Sri Prema Vivartha 6.1 & 2) (Translation: The soul is a spiritual spark, and Krsna is the spiritual Sun. Seeing eternal Krsna, the soul adores Him. When souls become averse to Krsna and desire enjoyment, nearby Maya seizes them.). Thus there is mutual love relationship between the soul and Krsna, and that is natural. But forgetting Krsna the soul turned towards maya and desired to enjoy, we are enveloped by the illusory energy maya and are hurled down in this material existence and suffer all kinds of misery. So how can such a conditioned soul who forgetting Krsna has come to this material world say I do not have any desire. So, how can a conditioned soul be completely desire-less?

So, there are examples. It is ok, you may have desires like Druva had desire in the beginning. He desired to possess kingdom greater than his father’s and for this desire his step-mother blamed him. But his mother pacified him and said like your stepmother told you to pray to Lord Hari, I also advise you the same. Worship Sri Hari, and you will attain a greater kingdom than your father’s. Sri Hari is ‘Sarva-kama’, He will fulfill your desire. Alright. But who is Hari? Hari is ‘Padma-palash-lochan’ lotus-eyed Lord. How can He be attained? You have to call Him taking His Name. So he resolved, I will call Lord’s names till I meet with Him or I leave my body. If I do not meet Lord, I will not return home. Suniti Devi saw his determination to please Sri Hari, but he was only five years old. So the thought that he will leave home never occurred to her, she thought he will remain at home and worship Hari. He said I will worship Hari with undivided attention and the mother said, you will attain all success. She said, let me tell you one more thing. ‘mamangalam tata paresu mamstha bhunkte jano yat para-duhkhadas tat’. (SB 4.8.17). Do not blame others for your sufferings. Whatever suffering you have inflicted upon others, you will have to accept yourself. But mother, I have not inflicted such pain to anyone. The Supreme Lord is All-knowing (Sarvajna) and All-powerful (Sarva-shaktiman). He is the controller of everyone and He know everything (Omniscient) and awards everyone the results of their past activities. He is always correct. Your suffering is due only to your own karma. Your stepmother is not responsible for this and she is not to be blamed. Do not be angry with her lest you will not please the Lord and you will not attain your objective. Druva had desire in his heart, but he accepted the advice of his mother in total. By calling Hari you will get. Hari has form, He form is Padma-palash-lochan Hari. But one condition, if you blame your step-mother for your suffering, or anybody on earth, then you will not get. The conditioned souls eat the fruits of their own actions, others are only instrumental, they are not the cause. This we hear often. But Druva accepted his mother’s words in total. He had those previous good impressions, otherwise it is not possible. Instantly he effaced from his heart all ill-feelings towards his stepmother, false pride (abhiman) he had on his father, and any hostile mentality towards anybody in this world. Can we do this? Then how can I satisfy Krsna? Can any of the conditioned souls do this? All the time we see defects in others and see qualities in us. But Druva did this, and because of it he got full concentration to Hari. If we think he is not correct, he is my enemy, then we have mental diversions automatically and then worship of the Lord, satisfaction of the Lord is not possible. In spite of material desires in the heart and even before meeting Narada Gos, Druva accepted whole-heartedly the words/instructions of his mother vartma-pradarshaka guru, and is calling the names of the Lord with full concentration, full engrossment of mind with the Object of Worship. There is no diversion. When you blame others, this person is enemy to me, that person is enemy to me, then you cannot concentrate. He effaced from the heart completely. It is ok if a conditioned soul has desires in his heart, you follow Druva’s conduct and you will achieve your goal. You have to have belief in this. By his one quality the Lord was pleased. ‘Where is Padma-palash-lochan Hari? Where is Padma-palash-lochan Hari?’ He is calling continuously. He is crying and calling with one-pointed attention. Because of his giving up all opposing feelings, his father’s mind got changed, his step-mother’s mind changed, and all the others’ minds changed and they started crying for him. He did not go to his step-mother to ask her why he spoke to him like that nor did he go to his father to ask why he did not respect him. They automatically started crying so much it seemed that even before Druva returned King Uttanapada would die of grief becoming lika a mad man. This is happening because Lord is pleased with Druva. All the seven islands changed, the favorable and the unfavorable people everyone’s heart changed and became favorable to Druva. Lord is residing in the hearts of all and when He is pleased everyone’s heart changed automatically. That is why when at first he was moving in the forest in search of Hari, Lord was protecting him, so no harm came upon him. ‘mare Hari to rahe ke, rakhe Hari to mare ke’. When Lord is protecting him who can harm him? So many wild animals are roaming in the forest and Lord sitting in their heart changed their nature and no body harmed him. Druva asked the animals, whomever he met, are you my Lord Hari? I do not know Hari. None of them harmed him. We have to have faith in this. We read Bhagavat, we should have faith in this.

At first Lord came in the form of Narada Gosvami to Uttanapada and did not go to Druva whom He is protecting already and there is no worry about him. But before that it seemed Uttanapada would breathe his last. He has appeared in the family of Brahma. All the other citizens say our King’s elder son left home because his pride was hurt and now our King is crying for him, his step-mother spoke harsh words and being attached to her father did not show any affection to him, and such a young boy went to the forest and thinking he might have been eaten up some wild animal there King is becoming almost mad in his pain and distress, thinking I am bound for hell and nobody can rescue me. Then Lord sent Narada Goswami. Seeing Narada Gosvami Uttanapada offered his pranams and then cried loudly, my child is no more, he is not at fault, he left us and went away, I did not show him any affection, there is no man more condemnable than me in the whole world, I am not fit to even get a place in hell, he might have died without food, or has been devoured by a tiger or another ferocious animal. Narada Gosvami said, ‘I have come. Your son has gone to worship Supreme Lord. He is protected by the Lord. There is no one in this world who can kill him, I say this to you. I assure you very soon you will witness his return. A son may die before the father or a father before his son. But there is no one who can kill him. Your son will return to you soon. There is no cause for worry.’ So, this is very important. We see faults in others, blame others. This is the greatest defect for which we are not eligible to get Supreme Lord. How much ever we endeavor we will not get the result, fruit. If there is desire for material enjoyment, so let it be, for this reason we are in this world. But we should know, no body else is the cause for my unhappiness, I myself am the cause. Others are only instrumental, they are not the cause. When we hear this we think we understood, but when we go out we forget it and want to slap the person who blames us and result is opposite. So this is very difficult.

gṛha dravya śiṣya paśu dhānya ādi dhana
strī putra dāsa dāsī kuṭumbādi jana
kāvya alaṅkāra ādi sundarī kavitā
pārthiva-viṣaya madhye e saba vāratā
ei saba pāibāra āśā nāhi kari
śuddha-bhakti deha more kṛṣṇa kṛpā kari

The prayer should be to attain pure devotion and Lord is Kalpataru, wish-fulfilling tree and as per our desire He will bestow fruit. We nurture material desires within heart but externally say bestow me pure devotion. Outside we say so much, bestow me pure devotion and inside desire for wealth, man-power, He will bestow fruit according to our inner desire. Our worshipable deity is Radhavallabh ji, I will worship You, even more opulently. But I am facing some difficulties in business. I offer You One thousand rupees and if You bestow me Five lakhs of rupees, then I will continue to worship You forever. Is it not? I will worship or simply pass time. If we become of the Supreme Lord, then the whole world will be ours, we will become the child of the Lord and have relation with Him. Lord is the Owner of infinite universes, and the Vaikunta planets. Then will there be any need for us to beg Him for anything separately? Our Pujyapad Swami Maharaj says (to a person who begs Lord for material things) absolutely Fool No.1, Stupid No.1.

Indication of Midday Pastimes of Radha-Krsna

A glimpse of idea is given here about the mid-day pastimes of Radha-Krsna.

madhyāhne ‘nyonya saṁgodita vividha-vikārādi-bhūṣāpramugdhau
vāmyotkaṇṭhātilolau smaramakha lalitā dyāli-narmāptaśātau
dolāraṇyāmbu-vaṁśī-hṛti-rati-madhupānārka-pūjādi-līlau
rādhā-kṛṣṇau satṛṣṇau parijana-ghaṭayā sevyamānau smarāmi
(Sri Govinda-lilamrta)

The midday pastimes of Radha-Krsna at Radha-kunda is the highest when They are united by the endeavors of gopis and manifest all ecstatic feelings of highest order including Astasattvik-vikar – eight principal ecstatic feelings and thirty three kinds of other subordinate ecstatic feelings called sanchari. It is stated in the scriptures during Rasa-lila with gopis, whose love for Krsna is of the highest order and among whom Srimati Radharani is the topmost. When Krsna disappears from the scene the gopis could not bear the separation from Him and it was so severe that they would give up their bodies. But then how do they live?

tava kathāmṛtaḿ tapta-jīvanaḿ
kavibhir īḍitaḿ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-mańgalaḿ śrīmad ātataḿ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāh
(SB 10.31.9)

(Translation: Nectarine discussions about You give life to those who are suffering. The transcendentalists have glorified them, for they destroy all of one’s sins. They are auspiciousness for the ears, for they bring the fortune of love for Krishna. Those who are most munificent of benefactors distribute these wonderful words throughout the world.)

Gopis say the glories of Your nectarine Name, form, qualities and pastimes are our life and soul. This applies to gopis who have strong loving relation with the Lord. But here we do not have it, for conditioned souls suffer from threefold afflictions and this is destroyed by performing Krsna-kirtan. We suffer threefold afflictions (tritapa) but gopis feel extreme separation grief (viraha). The realised souls (brahma purush) have glorified them, and they destroy all of one’s sins. Kalmasha are sins and are committed by conditioned souls, but gopis do not have even the scent of sins. By Krsna kirtan their separation grief is vanquished. Krsna katha when heard from the lips of pure devotees with serving ears brings all auspiciousness. Just like Lord is Sarva-shaktiman, His katha is also All-powerful, Sarva-shaktimati Radharani’s arrangement(vidhana). Those who distribute the nectarine Krsna katha throughout the world through kirtans are the most munificent of benefactors.

Here gopis endeavor for the union of Sri Radha-Krsna.Who are their worshipable Lords. And Radha-Krsna by Their mutual meeting not only please Themselves but also gave bliss to the gopis who are all the expansions of Radharani. Such happiness they never experience at any other times. All their endeavors are for giving pleasure to Krsna and not for themselves. In this matter they are engrossed in various pastimes like pleasant strolling in the forest (vana vihar), water sports in ponds and rivers(jala keli), stealing of flute (vamsi haran) etc, but the purpose is to please Krsna. And as regards worship of Sun-God(Surya puja) Krsna Himself tells Radharani if you are to tell your worshipable deity is Me, your mother-in-law Jatila will not allow you to go. Materialistic persons of the world like to perform devi-devata puja as they find it more beneficial for material gains, so you say I will go to perform Surya puja and you will easily get her permission. Thus in the name of Surya puja she comes to worship Krsna. When Jatila learns that Radharani is worshiping Krsna instead of Surya, she rushes there to check but finds Radharani engrossed in Surya puja. So, was it a lie? Her pastime is transcendental, it is not material. She is performing Surya puja. When non-devotees arrive there they are not able to have real darshan. So, to give happiness to the devotees, to protect the devotees, to nourish them, Krsna makes all arrangements. Jatila comes back and retorts to the informer, I went and checked, you are speaking a lie. Such sweet pastimes occur there and they cannot be comprehended by the people of this material world. Sri Radha-Krsna are our only Worshipable Lords, and only gopis perform their service and no body else have any qualifications to serve Them. So, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur advised us to perform kirtans and along with it remember Radha Krsna. The Mahamantra we have obtained is Radha-Krsna Themselves.