25 Nov 2024 morning – Attaining Perfection (English translation) | Bhuj, India | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
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0:01:54 – How a sadhaka progresses in bhajan and sadhana: until we have realization of the atma, we cannot see our transcendental body. When we serve our inner ishtadeva (chosen Deity), it is called bhajan. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur says that during sadhana, by performing the practice, the sadaka attains perfection.
0:03:45 – The 28 tattvas (truths). Baladeva Vidyabhushana Prabhu describes the 28 tattvas. Some acharyas say there are 27 tattvas. The book Siddhanta-tattva describes 28 elements.
0:07:09 – The goal is to serve the Ishtadeva. We must hear about these 28 tattvas; then our mind will become fixed. How can we attain the transcendental goal if we do not know the elementary things? We need to immerse our mind in philosophy. What is the body? Srila Prabhupada said it is like a horse in an enclosure – it can both urinate and eat there. People separate all these things. A person who performs sadhana but does not follow the rules, all their efforts will be useless and bear no fruit. If you perform vaidhi-bhakti, you will gradually jump to raga-marg; you must follow the rules and regulations.
0:12:40 – Sat (eternal existence), Chit (transcendental knowledge), Ananda (bliss). This is the personification of the Hladini-shakti (pleasure potency). A description of this world as the inverted reflection of the spiritual world. Srila Jiva Gosvamipada describes this in his commentary on the Brahma-samhita.
0:16:00 – In the spiritual world, everything is transcendental, even the dust; everything serves Krishna. Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami says this in his verse: even the grass, the creepers – everything is favorable for service. Even if something appears unfavorable, it is all for Krishna’s benefit (spiders, scorpions).
0:18:21 – Once, Radhika was walking in the middle of the night and was frightened by a snake. In the spiritual world, there is no death. Here snakes bite, but there they do not. Srimati Radhika was in jealous anger, she became frightened and ran to Krishna.
0:20:34 – Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami explains in this verse: all this is favorable for Krishna’s lilas. Brahma and other demigods dream of attaining this bhava (spiritual emotion).
0:21:20 – Brahma himself says: “I must take birth in Vrindavana as a stone on the threshold where the Vrajavasis wipe their feet.”
0:23:21 – To obtain the dust from the gopis’ feet, Uddhava prays to be born as a blade of grass. When the gopis walk on this grass, the dust will remain on me. Thus, the dust from the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani will remain on my head. He also prays to become a creeper.
0:25:00 – The nature of creepers; they are plants that entwine trees.
0:29:27 – Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami explains that when you are on Govardhana parikrama, you can see many creepers.
0:29:50 – Devotees ask: in the transcendental world, do the creepers draw energy from the sky or not?
0:31:00 – The gopis abandon everything absolutely and run to Krishna. In Srimad-Bhagavatam, this is explained by the gopis who served their husbands, left their homes, and run to Krishna. This is described in the Gopi-gita. The gopis say: “You play Your flute and call us to meet You; we have left everything.”
0:32:47 – One gopi was preparing roti for her husband; hearing the sound of the flute, she dropped everything and ran towards the sound. Krishna calls each gopi, and each gopi hears only her own name.
0:33:59 – Srila Shukadeva Gosvamipada explains: prema is hidden; when Krishna plays His flute, the prema is revealed.
0:34:54 – Kumbhakarna slept for 6 months, and no one could wake him. He smelled fragrant food and then woke up.
0:35:56 – In this way, Krishna awakens the prema in the gopis’ hearts through His flute. And what do the gopis say? “Now You are leaving us, why did You call us?” Actually, the gopis do not have children of their own; these are their sisters’ children. Yogamaya will not allow a gopi who has children to enter the rasa dance; their relatives would stop them.
0:39:40 – In astrology, there are planets that are positioned behind.
0:40:00 – Question: How to make them be in front? It all depends on your karma, where Saturn is in your chart; this determines your material well-being. Actually, if you perform bhakti, all the planets will follow you. One who performs shuddha-bhakti will certainly attain wealth.
0:42:20 – One who performs bhakti and does not attain wealth has received the Lord’s special mercy.
0:43:10 – This verse says: “I give mercy and gradually take everything away from him.”
0:43:18 – A story of how Krishna and Narada Rishi went begging for alms as sadhus. How Krishna showed mercy by taking away an old woman’s cow. Krishna said, “She gave Me 80% and the cow 20%. If there is no cow, she will come to Me.”
0:49:19 – Yogamaya stopped one gopi because she did not associate with the nitya-siddha gopis (eternally perfected gopis). The nitya-siddha gopis are the most exalted gopis. One who does not associate with them cannot enter the rasa dance.
0:50:40 – The Pulindi girls, who lived in the forest, exchanged dialogues. Early in the morning, outside the kunja (bower), seeing kunkuma on the grass, they placed it on their breasts because they associated with the nitya-siddha gopis, the eternal associates of Krishna.
0:53:00 – The Venu-gita describes how all this manifested in their hearts because they associated with the nitya-siddha gopis. This is sadhu-sanga (association with saints): “dadati pratigrhnati” – to give gifts and accept gifts; to ask about confidential topics and speak about confidential topics, like Parikshit Maharaja.
0:55:20 – When Krishna killed Shishupala; Krishna sent His Sudarshana chakra.
0:56:34 – How the gopis attained Krishna through transcendental desire (lamentation in separation). How Kamsa attained – by constantly remembering Him (albeit with hatred). The Pandavas – through affection (sneha). Narada Rishi – through devotional service. The most important thing is absorption.
0:59:12 – The thirst for water; an example.
0:59:33 – Yogamaya stopped such gopis: 1) Those who have children; 2) Those not mature enough for association with the nitya-siddha gopis.
1:01:20 – The first signs of anuraga (deep attachment): darshan (seeing), parasparan (mutual exchange), sneha (affection), atriptata (insatiable longing).
1:07:00 – Those gopis who were locked in their rooms had transcendental bodies, but their anuraga was not mature.
1:12:55 – Why must one repeatedly chant the holy names? So that all anarthas (unwanted desires) go away. The glory of the holy name; namabhasa (the dim reflection of the name). The example of Ajamila.
1:14:50 – Darshan-atriptata (insatiable longing for sight), parasparana (mutual exchange), sneha (affection), and anubandhana (deep attachment).
1:17:22 – Yajnapatni, a question: did they lack prema?
