What I know is nothing. What He knows is everything.
If this is the case then what is the chance to know Him? By chance.
My greatest obstacle is to always refer to my experience and knowledge of which I am so proud. "I know I have been around long enough to have some say to consult others...I am a preacher." The fact of the matter is that to know something about something and to know the thing are two different things. Śrila Govinda Maharaj used to say "everyone thinks he is a teacher, but not every one is."
Here Śrila Guru Maharaj mentioned Rupa Goswami's śloka: kleśagni śubhada moksa laghuta krit, sudurlabha.... in our devotional journey to the land of service we will experience removal of disturbances from inside and manifestation of auspiciousness around, then sense of liberation will easily appear on the horizon like a hope but actually it will be so insignificant against the prospect of devotion to Śri Krishna. And then we will realize that it is very difficult to achieve, almost unattainable. But subhada viśesaatma,"if some how we have a chance to get in connection with that supreme reality, we will find some fundamental awakenment that infinite happiness is approaching us."
Let me repeat - 'a chance'. So we are hoping for that chance. Our all life is focused on that chance which may or may not come. The Grace. We will sacrify all our life for that unknown Infinite Affection of the Autocrat. We are still to understand the nature of that independent Grace. But we will never stop because śri krisna kaśinicha sah - "He is embodiment of all types of ecstasy." Then if we properly proceed further "He will come to us in the conception of Krishna consciousness."
Have I realized the magnitude of this process yet? If I did I can start diving deep in to reality, thinking out of the box beyond time, space & any dimension.
We are owed nothing. We deserve nothing. If we are blessed by the mercy of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga then perhaps we will be given that chance, and still there is no guarantee. We are, at best, beggars.
ReplyDeleteIf often feel like a crazy person buying a lottery ticket hoping to win big. I keep losing and yet I still keep buying lottery tickets (figuratively speaking). Einstein defined "insanity" as repeating an action over and over, expecting a different result. We must be insane for Sri Krsna. We must be insane for Sri Krsna.
So this blog is being run by two insane people. Einstein meant people who live of an imaginary hope. We live of a drop of taste of the ocean of ecstasy.
ReplyDeleteAnd we still going on... next day, next week, next month. But Gurudevw was joking once: "...and the next day passed.... what have we done today?" We live in the forest fire. We need the sense of urgency to get out of it. samsara davanalaliddha loka praprasya karunya gunarnavasya.... by eager prayer we move no.
ReplyDeleteSo, not only are we insane, but we are lazy as well. Not a good combination. In fact, this solidifies the idea that advancement can ONLY come from the mercy of others. Chance, chance, chance.
ReplyDeleteHe, he... smart humorist.
ReplyDeleteI hinted laulyam - eagerness to the point of limits. To be desperate. Once Swami Maharaj Prabhupada was crossing Ganges by boat with his disciples. It was noon and all muslim passengers started bowing down for prayer time oblivious to circumstances. Prabhuapda remarked that we should be like that in our pursuit of Krishna consciousness. No matter what.
We have missed that mood somewhere "in translation". Our greatest enemy is complacency, which comes from self-deceit.
But we are told that even laulyam is no guarantee. When we think in terms of a guarantee than we have "made a deal" and we are "deserving" of a result. Only in the absence of a guarantee can true surrender occur, true unconditional devotion. This concept is very hard to accept.
ReplyDeleteYes not guarantee. Nothing is guarantee. Swami Maharaj Prabhupada wrote in his commentary to Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu of Rupa Goswmaipada, and I remarked it as very significant at that time. I just joined Big Society. He wrote, after explaining all process of regulated devotional service, (par): "Actually there is no process to obtain Krishna Prema. The only thing that can get us there is laulyam." And at the same time there is no guarantee to obtain such sentiment. But there is a whole environment that we need to try to create within us, as if to echo that "no matter what"... or "die to live" or "dive deep into reality" principle (if you can call it a principle). It is more than that.
ReplyDeleteAny ways I am now realizing that to talk about it is good prelude for the actual devotional life. jiv jago jiva jago gaura chandra bole kota nidra jao maya pisachira kole ... I am sleeping on the lap of witch maya, but Mahaprabhu calls me to wake up... but what am I doing? I am thinking to myself "Oh, such a nice calling. Mahaprabhu kirtan is so beautiful. Later, later... I am now in comfortable position, my wake up should be natural," not realizing that this sleep has no end. That's why Bhaktivinode calls her a witch, maya pisachi. Our sleep is a spell and I know it. That is my duplicity right there. So yes, it is all by chance and unconditional mercy, but are we really want it? Those who do not play a lottery will never win a prize.
Nicely put.
ReplyDelete