Verse of the day 27. 02. 2009

Excerpt from Prabhupada lecture:

Uttama-sloka. Bhagavan's another name is Uttama-sloka. Uttama-sloka means selected prayers. Just like Brahmaji is offering prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead:

cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

There are so many prayers in the sastras. So therefore His name is Uttama-sloka. These prayers are composed by not ordinary rascal poet. They are composed by very, very stalwart, great personalities like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and others, Suta Gosvami, Sukadeva Gosvami, Vyasadeva. Therefore they are called uttama-sloka, selected poetry. Therefore Bhagavan's another name is Uttama-sloka. He is offered prayers by the great personalities with selected composition of poetry and prayers. So bhagavaty uttama-sloke. > Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.18 - Calcutta, September 26, 1974

Auszug von einem Vortrag von Srila Prabhupada:

Eine andere Bezeichnung von Bhagavan ist Uttamashloka – was soviel bedeutet wie erlesene Gebete. In Brahmas Gebete zum Beispiel, der in seiner Brahma-samhita den Höchsten Herrn lobpreist:

cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

Es gibt sehr viele Gebete in den shastras. Deshalb ist der Herr als Uttamashloka bekannt. Alle diese Gebete wurden nicht von närrischen Dichtern verfasst, sondern von hingegeben erhabenen Persönlichkeiten wie Brahma, Siva und anderen wie Suta Goswami, Sukadeva Goswami und Vyasadeva. Deshalb werden diese Schriften von ihnen, als Uttamashloka gerühmt. Dies ist auch der Grund wieso ein anderer Name von Bhagavan Uttamashloka ist, denn Er wird von erhabenen Persönlichkeiten durch deren auserwählten Schriften, in Form von Gedichten und Gebete gepriesen. Deshalb heisst es in einem Bhagavatam Vers bhagavaty uttama-sloke... (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.18 - Kalkutta, 26. September 1974)
 
Viraktir - dettachment

People are inclined to material enjoyment (bhukti), mystical perfections (siddhi). But all this things are not interresting for a devotee at all. And example is given: „King Bharata was very eager to attain the association of the Supreme Lord Krishna. He gave up the very difficult to give up and dear family and kingdom without looking back and regret.“ (SB 5.14.43)

Of course, if the family is favorable for his Krishna consciousness it should not be given up. The principle for a devotee is to accept everything favorable and reject that what is not favorable. Everyone has to see in himself were is the obstical and then give it up with determination and proper guide; otherwise one may fall on the nose. Real detachemnt starts in the heart and gradual work in this direction of full surrender. We may speak about full surrender every day; it sounds good; but is not easy. It is the most difficult. Mercy is needed. Without mecy of the Lord and His devotees, our attempt will be a failure. The holy name and the Lord‘s mercy is very powerful. That is our direction and aspiration.
 
kshantir avyartha-kalatvam,  viraktir mana-sunyata
asa-bandhah samutkantha,  nama-gane sada rucih
ashaktis tad-gunakhyane,  pritis tad-vasati-sthale
ity-adayo 'nubhavah syur,  jata-bhavankure jane

When the seed of ecstatic emotion (anubhava) for Krishna fructifies, the following nine symptoms manifest in one's behavior: forgiveness, concern that time should not be wasted, detachment, absence of false prestige, hope, eagerness, a taste for chanting the holy name, attachment to descriptions of the transcendental qualities of the Lord, and affection for those places where the Lord resides - a temple or a holy place like Vrindavana. These are all called anubhava, subordinate signs of ecstatic emotion. They are visible in a person in whose heart the seed of love of God has begun to fructify. (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu - CC Madhya 23.18-19)

Kshantir - forgiveness

If love to Krishna in a swelling state is fructified in one‘s heart, one is not agitated anymore by material things, this is exemplefied by Parikshit Maharaja:

„O Brahmanas, just accept me as a completely surrendered soul and let mother Ganga, the representative of the Lord also accept me in that way, for I have already taken the lotus feet of the Lord into my heart; now the snakebird  the brahmana boy created, may bite me at once, I only desire that you all continue singing the deeds about Lord Krishna.“ (SB 1.19.15)

Avyartha-kalatvam - not waisting time

A devotee doesen‘t waist his time, every moment is used in Krishna‘s service or in connection with Him. An example is given in the Haribhakti-sudhodaya and Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu: „The devotees continually praise the Lord with words, remember Him with their minds and offer respects with their bodies. Still they are not satuated; with tears flowing from their eyes, they offer their complete lives to the Lord.“
 
Mana-sunyata - absence of false prestige

Although a pure devotees position is very exalted he considers himself the lowest. Example is given: „Bharata Maharaja always carried affection for Krishna within his heart. Although he was the crest jewel of kings, he was still wandering about and begging alms in the city of his enemies. He even offered respects to an out-caste like a candala.“  (Padma Purana)

Lord Caitanya told, one should always carry the trinad api sunicena ... amaniya manadena ... verse on the neck - that‘s the secret of chanting the holy name constantly.

The sannyasi and vanaprasta have to have this above described humility of feeling himself the lowest and see no enemy and friends anymore. Otherwise better don‘t become sannyasi paramahamsa - just out of false honor and prestige. Devotees have to be honest and simple. Then you can stay in any statues of life and be happy in Krishna consciousness. Vyasadeva Himself was Grihastha and had to make distinction; but His son Sukadeva, was completely dettached of any external awareness. Of course Vyasa is transcendental like His son, otherwise He could not write such a wonderful book like the Bhagavatam. He acted, like many other Avatar‘s as example, so that others can follow. Great Acaryas like Bhaktivinoda Thakur went begging house to house, even to those houses where his oppenents were living, not for his own purpose, but for the sake of his mission - to build a nice temple at Lord Caitanyas birth place. He was Grihastha. Prabhupada also came as a beggar, to beg us all: please chante Hare Krishna. He was begging for land, to build temples for the Lord and for the sake of spreading Krishna consciousness. He begges us to distribute his books and preach; assisting him, in his service to his Guru Maharaja. That‘s his mercy. Otherwise, if the acarya would not beg us we would be umemployed like many. Therefore, if a great devotee comes, he accepts a humble mood. He is selfless and humble, although very great. He is Krishnas man, serving the greatest. Only unfortunate ones will not feel gratitude and don‘t accept the simple but sublime process given by him - due to proudness.

Asa-bandha - great hope

A surrendered devotee always has the firm  hope that Lord Krishna will be kind to him. An example is given in the Bhakti-rasmarita-sindhu: „O my Lord, I do not have any prema for You, nor am I qualified for discharching devotional service - following the process of sravanam and kirtanam - , nor do I possess the mystic power of a Vaishnava, nor do I have any knowledge or pious activities and I do not belong to a high family - where I could learn all this qualifications. On the whole, I do not possess any qualification. Still, Gopi-jana-vallabha beloved of the gopis, because You bestow Your mercy on the most fallen, I have an unbreakable hope that is constantly burning in my heart; that hope gives me great pain.“
(Sri Sanatana Goswami)

A pure devotee prays in this spirit because of his extreme humility. This mood and all the other moods mentioned here in these verses are on the level of anu-bhava - intensive attachment to Krishna and devotional service to Him. But we should not wait until we are on this level and in the meantime stay stupid and proud, engaging in all kinds of activities not related to Krishna. We have to endevor in this direction and try the best to engage in sravanam kirtanam etc. - and hope and pray for the mercy, to stay fixed on the path given by our spiritual master. Staying in his line and mood is the perfection; everything else only increases our false ego - I am an advanced devotee, I am in this mood or that mood... Here we see the perfect example of our great Acarya Srila Sanatana Goswami.

Samutkantha - intensive eagerness

This eagerness is chiefly characterized by an ardent desire to associate with the Lord. This is described Sri Bilvamangala Thakur in Krishna-karnamrita:

O Attractive flute-player, the sweetness of Your childhood pastimes are the most  wonderful within these three worlds. You know My unsteadiness and I know Yours; no one else knows about this. I want to see Your beautiful, attractive face somewhere in a solitary place, but how can this be accomplished?’

I long to see that boy who enchants the entiere universe with His bent black eye-brows, His thick eye lashes, His attractive shifty eyes, His pleasant words which melts ones heart, with His sweet red lips and His intoxicating sound, emanating from His vamshi-flute.

Yesterday on the snana-yatra we had this topic. The Jagannatha culture as teached by the example of Sri Caitanya, is in the mood of great separation and intense eagerness to see the Lord of the Universe with His attractive smile, eyes, eye-brows etc. Lord Caitanya in the mood of mahabhava - His own ecstasy as the greatest devotee Srimati Radharani, was so strong, that He always run with great eagerness in the temple to see His beloved prana-natha. Sometimes the temple room was so croudet that many eager devotees could not see the Lord. Mahaprabhu was very toll and could see His Lord from a distance from the Garuda stampa, with tears in His eyes. One old lady, in her ecstasy, stepped on the Lord, so that she could see Lord Jagannatha. His servants wanted to rip her down, but the Mahaprabhu stopped them and told, that He would be fortunate to have such a great greed to see the Lord, like this lady.

And we are fortunate now to see the Lord every day in the temple; but, are we realy eager from the heart to go and see Him, absorbed in thoughts about Krishna? This is the price to pay, to attain krishna-prema. This price is called laulyam or samutkantha.