A DIVINE MESSAGE
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2015 Holi
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Philosophy
Purpose of Descent of Chaitanya MahaprabhuWhat was the unique purpose of Shri Radha-Krishna to appear together as Mahaprabhu Ji?
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Kripalu Leelamritam
Holi With Shri Maharaj Ji in Olden DaysKnow when God will bear all our burdens
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Kids Story
Misconceived NotionsA story of how our pre-conceived notions obscure the reality even if it is in front of our face.
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Philosophy
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s personality is extraordinary, inexplicable and incomprehensible. Yet, many have been impressed by His utmost humble nature and Divine teachings have tempted many and can't help but say something about Him. In the same vein, this insignificant soul is also inclined to describe precious teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in brief.
You already know that Shri Krishna is the Supreme God and even the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shankar, who possess infinite powers, are under Him. That same Shri Krishna descended in the form of Mahaprabhu Chaitanya in Kaliyug just 500 years ago.
God descends each time with a unique and particular purpose. For example,
There are three popular reasons stated for descension of God as stated in Gita -
You already know that Shri Krishna is the Supreme God and even the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shankar, who possess infinite powers, are under Him. That same Shri Krishna descended in the form of Mahaprabhu Chaitanya in Kaliyug just 500 years ago.
God descends each time with a unique and particular purpose. For example,
- Shri Ram descended to establish the ideology of modest life,
- Shri Krishna descended to bestow divine-love-bliss to the deserving souls,
- Lord Narsingh descended to prove that God is omnipresent, and
- Matsya – avtar (Fish incarnation) descension was for saving the saints and to impart Divine knowledge.
- But Chaitanya Dev descended 500 years ago with a very different inimitable reason from the other Avatars.
There are three popular reasons stated for descension of God as stated in Gita -
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परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥ गीता 4.8॥ |
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām।
dharmasaṃsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge ॥ gītā 4.8॥ |
- Protection of virtuous people.
- Destruction of demonic powers
- Establishment of Religion (righteous deeds).
In a nutshell, the purpose of all other decents was to reduce the sin on this earth and grace all the virtuous souls.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a descent of both Shri Radha and Shri Krishna since Shri Krishna descended with all the unique attributes of Shri Radha. So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu pledged to win and rectify the hearts of all the virtuous and sinful people only by love without picking up any weapon. He also resolved not to discriminate between deserving and undeserving souls in bestowing His love. When God kills demons, as he did in other descents, even though those demons positively obtain mukti from Maya, but they can never attain divine love of Shri Krishna. Therefore, in this incarnation Shri Krishna thought of not killing any demon, instead He decided to bestow His love on everyone.
Jagai and Madhai were the great sinners at the time of Mahaprabhu's avatar. Once, when His greatest devotees Nityanand Ji and Haridas Ji were chanting the divine names of God, Jagai and Madhai hit Nityanand Ji’s head with an earthen pot of alcoholic drink. He started bleeding profusely. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu got this message, He became furious and invoked His Chakra to kill Jagai and Madhai. God can tolerate any mistreatment for Himself, but He cannot tolerate any wrongdoing against His devotees. In that situation, he protects His devotee unconditionally, even ignoring His vow. That is why He is also called “achyut”. As He was about to use His Chakra to kill Jagai Madhai, Nityanand fell on the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu, pleading to forgive them and reminding Him of His vow of not using any weapon. As Tulasidas Ji asserts
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a descent of both Shri Radha and Shri Krishna since Shri Krishna descended with all the unique attributes of Shri Radha. So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu pledged to win and rectify the hearts of all the virtuous and sinful people only by love without picking up any weapon. He also resolved not to discriminate between deserving and undeserving souls in bestowing His love. When God kills demons, as he did in other descents, even though those demons positively obtain mukti from Maya, but they can never attain divine love of Shri Krishna. Therefore, in this incarnation Shri Krishna thought of not killing any demon, instead He decided to bestow His love on everyone.
Jagai and Madhai were the great sinners at the time of Mahaprabhu's avatar. Once, when His greatest devotees Nityanand Ji and Haridas Ji were chanting the divine names of God, Jagai and Madhai hit Nityanand Ji’s head with an earthen pot of alcoholic drink. He started bleeding profusely. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu got this message, He became furious and invoked His Chakra to kill Jagai and Madhai. God can tolerate any mistreatment for Himself, but He cannot tolerate any wrongdoing against His devotees. In that situation, he protects His devotee unconditionally, even ignoring His vow. That is why He is also called “achyut”. As He was about to use His Chakra to kill Jagai Madhai, Nityanand fell on the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu, pleading to forgive them and reminding Him of His vow of not using any weapon. As Tulasidas Ji asserts
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संत हृदय नवनीत समाना ।
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sant hrday navaneet samaana . kaha kavinh pai kah na aana .
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"The heart of a saint is even softer than butter". (1)
Hence, Nityanand Ji repeatedly asked Mahaprabhu Ji to forgive them. On repetitive requests of Nityanand Ji, Mahaprabhu Ji came out of his trance and forgave Jagai and Madhai.
That is the reason why the descent of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is considered to be the greatest of all other descents of God.
The main purpose of His descent was to uplift even the most hopeless sinners. He propagated singing the glories of God, His names, His abodes, and His pastimes and stressed on contemplating on the Divine form of Guru and Lord while chanting. He spent most of His life preaching this philosophy.
Even though Mahaprabhu Ji performed the Leela of renunciation (sanyas), due to Prem Samadhi (a stage where the mind is entirely absorbed in the ocean of divine love bliss), He could not properly lead a life of a renunciate. He also prompted His devotees to follow the path of Divine Love.
The foremost teaching of Maharprabhu was to worship the Guru. The fruits of devotion to Guru yield the same fruit as devotion to God. The Padma- Puran says:
Hence, Nityanand Ji repeatedly asked Mahaprabhu Ji to forgive them. On repetitive requests of Nityanand Ji, Mahaprabhu Ji came out of his trance and forgave Jagai and Madhai.
That is the reason why the descent of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is considered to be the greatest of all other descents of God.
The main purpose of His descent was to uplift even the most hopeless sinners. He propagated singing the glories of God, His names, His abodes, and His pastimes and stressed on contemplating on the Divine form of Guru and Lord while chanting. He spent most of His life preaching this philosophy.
Even though Mahaprabhu Ji performed the Leela of renunciation (sanyas), due to Prem Samadhi (a stage where the mind is entirely absorbed in the ocean of divine love bliss), He could not properly lead a life of a renunciate. He also prompted His devotees to follow the path of Divine Love.
The foremost teaching of Maharprabhu was to worship the Guru. The fruits of devotion to Guru yield the same fruit as devotion to God. The Padma- Puran says:
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भक्तिर्यथा हरौ मेऽस्ति, तद्वरिष्ठा गुरौ यदि ।
ममास्ति तेन सत्येन, संदर्शयतु मे हरि: ॥ पद्म पुराण |
bhaktiryathā haraume'sti tadvariṣṭhā gurau yadi,
mamāsti tena satyena saṃdarśayatu me harih Padma Purāṇa |
"If my devotion towards my Guru is deeper than that of Shri Krishna, then on the basis of this reality, Lord Krishna should appear now.”
Shri Krishna’s bhakti is more difficult for us because we haven’t seen Him; we have only read or heard about His innumerable attributes. We are accustomed to love someone only with a personal form. As the Gita says in the 5th verse of 12th chapter
Shri Krishna’s bhakti is more difficult for us because we haven’t seen Him; we have only read or heard about His innumerable attributes. We are accustomed to love someone only with a personal form. As the Gita says in the 5th verse of 12th chapter
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क्लेषोऽधिकतरस्तेषां... देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥
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kleṣo'dhikatarasteṣāṃ... dehavadbhiravāpyate ॥ Gita 5.12
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Ved Vyas propounded a philosophy in Puranas for those who practice raganuga bhakti [2].
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गुरुर्यस्य भवेत्तुष्टस्तस्य तुष्टः हरिः स्वयम्।
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gururyasya bhavettuṣṭastasya tuṣṭaḥ hariḥ svayam।
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"If Guru is pleased with a devotee, God Himself becomes happy without putting in any additional effort".
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गुरुर्येन परित्यक्तस्तेन त्यक्तः पुरा हरिः ॥
ब्र.वै.पु. |
gururyena parityaktastena tyaktaḥ purā hariḥ ॥
bra.vai.pu. |
"God rejects that devotee before the devotee casts off his Guru."
Whatever spiritual rewards you get will be only due to worshiping your Guru [1][3][4]. Mahaprabhu emphasized a lot on this point.
A very dear disciple of Mahaprabhu, by the name of Chote Haridas was initiated in the order of sanyas and used to cook food for Mahaprabhu Ji. Sanyas is a discipline in Vedas with very strict rules and regulations. They wear saffron clothes, shave their heads, and carry a walking stick. A Sanyasi is not permitted to accept alms from a woman.
But Haridas once asked for rice from an 80 year old woman. He then cooked rice and offered it to Mahaprabhu Ji. Mahaprabhu Ji asked, “where did this rice come from?” Haridas replied, ”Maharaj, I got it from an old lady for you”. Mahraprabhu Ji was infuriated, “You are not allowed to accept alms from women, why did you get it from a lady? Who gave you the permission to forsake the rules of sanyas for Me? Mahaprabhu Ji forsook Haridas for the rest of His life.
Think, in solitude, what will happen if any saint follows such elevated order of rules. For all intent and purpose, Haridas had not erred, but outwardly he had violated the instructions of his Guru. Disobeying your Guru’s command is an unforgivable spiritual transgression [5]. Having committed spiritual transgression, even if you were to shed tears till eternity, you still won’t attain anything. All the Shastras proclaims this philosophy.
Therefore, take the help of God’s name, form, and leela and consider Guru as the personal form of God and serve Him wholeheartedly.
The Vedas assert:
Whatever spiritual rewards you get will be only due to worshiping your Guru [1][3][4]. Mahaprabhu emphasized a lot on this point.
A very dear disciple of Mahaprabhu, by the name of Chote Haridas was initiated in the order of sanyas and used to cook food for Mahaprabhu Ji. Sanyas is a discipline in Vedas with very strict rules and regulations. They wear saffron clothes, shave their heads, and carry a walking stick. A Sanyasi is not permitted to accept alms from a woman.
But Haridas once asked for rice from an 80 year old woman. He then cooked rice and offered it to Mahaprabhu Ji. Mahaprabhu Ji asked, “where did this rice come from?” Haridas replied, ”Maharaj, I got it from an old lady for you”. Mahraprabhu Ji was infuriated, “You are not allowed to accept alms from women, why did you get it from a lady? Who gave you the permission to forsake the rules of sanyas for Me? Mahaprabhu Ji forsook Haridas for the rest of His life.
Think, in solitude, what will happen if any saint follows such elevated order of rules. For all intent and purpose, Haridas had not erred, but outwardly he had violated the instructions of his Guru. Disobeying your Guru’s command is an unforgivable spiritual transgression [5]. Having committed spiritual transgression, even if you were to shed tears till eternity, you still won’t attain anything. All the Shastras proclaims this philosophy.
Therefore, take the help of God’s name, form, and leela and consider Guru as the personal form of God and serve Him wholeheartedly.
The Vedas assert:
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यस्य देवे परा भक्तिर्यथा देवे तथा गुरौ।
तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः॥ श्वेता |
yasya deve parā bhaktiryathā deve tathā gurau।
tasyaite kathitā hyarthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ॥ śvetā॥ |
Only that devotee successfully attains the ultimate goal of life who worships his Guru precisely like God.
The Bhagavat Mahapuran also says the same in following verse.
The Bhagavat Mahapuran also says the same in following verse.
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आचार्यं मां विजानीयान्नावमन्येत कर्हिचित् ।
न मर्त्य बुद्ध्याऽ सूयेत सर्व देवमयो गुरु: ॥ भा. १.१७.२७ |
ācāryaṃ māṃ vijānīyānnāvamanyeta karhicit ।
na martya buddhyā' sūyeta sarva devamayo guru: ॥ bhā. 1.17.27 |
Mahaprabhu Ji enforced this proposition in all his disciples. By punishing Haridas He further forewarned all other devotees that violating Guru’s wishes is unforgivable [5]. Although Haridas had a motherly feeling for that lady, but seeing his example others could be encouraged to do the same in future. Even though Haridas did not knowingly commit any sin, but violating the rules established by Guru became his greatest sin.
Additionally, the mind should always be attached to God. Never think that you have done enough sadhana [6] and have shed so many tears. This pride alone can cause downfall of a devotee.
Additionally, the mind should always be attached to God. Never think that you have done enough sadhana [6] and have shed so many tears. This pride alone can cause downfall of a devotee.
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[5] Namaparadh
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Kripalu Leelamritam
A glimpse into the ever delightful pastimes of our beloved Gurudev, Jagadguru Swami Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj:
This leela transpired much before the time, when Shri Maharaj Ji was honoured with the title of Jagadguruttam. During this early phase of His divine descension, Shri Maharaj Ji was ever absorbed in the divine nectar of Shri Radha Krishna and would drench everyone in the same nectar of divine love bliss. Also, unlike recent times when Shri Maharaj Ji was always surrounded by thousands of devotees, at that time Shri Maharaj Ji had revealed himself only to a handful of deserving souls, with whom he lived and behaved more like a family member or a friend rather than a Guru. The devotees at that time were also very close to Him and did not necessarily follow any formal etiquette while communicating with Him. This leela is a depiction of His loving pastimes at that time.
This incident took place at the time of Holi in the house of Mr. Mahabani in Pratapgarh. Mr Mahabani’s youngest daughter, Shakti, was 5 years old at that time. On the day of Holi, Shakti woke up early in the morning and was all set to play Holi. But to her disappointment, Shri Maharaj Ji was leading a satsang session with the devotees who had come to Pratapgarh to celebrate Holi with Him. And as per the tradition, Holi was always played with water color in the open. Much against her wish, Shakti was not allowed to play with color while satsang was in progress inside the satsang-hall.
During the break, a vendor came to sell dholak (Drum) at Shri Mahabani’s house. Mahabani Ji selected one dholak and requested Maharaj Ji to come out and examine if it was good for Him. As Shri Maharaj Ji came out of the satsang hall, Shakti got very excited, as in her innocent wisdom, it was now time to start playing Holi. She ran to fill her pichkari (Water Gun) with colored water stored in a drum in the courtyard. In those days the color used to be made at home by boiling a lot of tesu flowers (an orange color flower that blooms in spring) and then filtering out the flower remains. She snuck in unnoticed and emptied her pichkari on Maharaj Ji, catching Him unawares. By this time, all other satsangis had also come out and assembled in the courtyard.
After spraying colored water on Shri Maharaj Ji, she ran out into the courtyard to refill her pichkari with color water. She went out from one door and came inside from another, thinking that she will outsmart Shri Maharaj Ji and again catch Him unawares, as he would be expecting her to come in from the same door from where she went out. But, Shri Maharaj Ji was not to be fooled. He also decided to come out from the same door as she had decided to come in from. As Shri Maharaj Ji and her paths crossed, He picked her up and dropped her in the large container full of colored water. Hearing her screams, some satsangis rushed forward and pulled her out. Shri Maharaj Ji threw her back inside the drum. The satsangis took her out yet again. This is how the Holi play started that year.
Maharaj Ji had a very enigmatic, yet child-like nature in His young age. Every year in Holi play, He’d play all alone against the entire group of satsangis. His swiftness was spectacular. Nobody could ever defeat Him in this play. Whoever tried to defeat Maharaj Ji, could be assured of being thrown into murk. Sometimes Shri Maharaj Ji would throw colored water on satsangis with so much pressure that they would not even get a chance to open their eyes. And at other times, he would run with a Gujhiya (a homemade sweet specially prepared for holi-occasion) in His hand and would be chased by all the young boys, striving hard to snatch it from His hand or mouth. Sometimes, he would throw Gujhiyas in the air for satsangis to catch.
Thus, the festival of Holi used to be the most fun filled festival with Shri Maharaj, giving His devotees a vivid glimpse of the leelas of Natkhat Shyamsundar.
Moral:
Shakti received her first lesson in discipline and never took liberties with Shri Maharaj Ji in the game of Holi. That 5 year old child grew up to be a meritorious student and after having worked as a Sanskrit lecturer in a degree college for couple of years, was chosen by Shri Maharaj Ji to become a preacher and spread His divine teachings. Shri Maharaj Ji gave her the name Braj Banchary and inspired her to take His teachings and philosophy to the western world. Lovingly known as Didi Ji, she is currently based in Canada and is one of the most senior preachers of Shri Maharaj Ji.
This leela transpired much before the time, when Shri Maharaj Ji was honoured with the title of Jagadguruttam. During this early phase of His divine descension, Shri Maharaj Ji was ever absorbed in the divine nectar of Shri Radha Krishna and would drench everyone in the same nectar of divine love bliss. Also, unlike recent times when Shri Maharaj Ji was always surrounded by thousands of devotees, at that time Shri Maharaj Ji had revealed himself only to a handful of deserving souls, with whom he lived and behaved more like a family member or a friend rather than a Guru. The devotees at that time were also very close to Him and did not necessarily follow any formal etiquette while communicating with Him. This leela is a depiction of His loving pastimes at that time.
This incident took place at the time of Holi in the house of Mr. Mahabani in Pratapgarh. Mr Mahabani’s youngest daughter, Shakti, was 5 years old at that time. On the day of Holi, Shakti woke up early in the morning and was all set to play Holi. But to her disappointment, Shri Maharaj Ji was leading a satsang session with the devotees who had come to Pratapgarh to celebrate Holi with Him. And as per the tradition, Holi was always played with water color in the open. Much against her wish, Shakti was not allowed to play with color while satsang was in progress inside the satsang-hall.
During the break, a vendor came to sell dholak (Drum) at Shri Mahabani’s house. Mahabani Ji selected one dholak and requested Maharaj Ji to come out and examine if it was good for Him. As Shri Maharaj Ji came out of the satsang hall, Shakti got very excited, as in her innocent wisdom, it was now time to start playing Holi. She ran to fill her pichkari (Water Gun) with colored water stored in a drum in the courtyard. In those days the color used to be made at home by boiling a lot of tesu flowers (an orange color flower that blooms in spring) and then filtering out the flower remains. She snuck in unnoticed and emptied her pichkari on Maharaj Ji, catching Him unawares. By this time, all other satsangis had also come out and assembled in the courtyard.
After spraying colored water on Shri Maharaj Ji, she ran out into the courtyard to refill her pichkari with color water. She went out from one door and came inside from another, thinking that she will outsmart Shri Maharaj Ji and again catch Him unawares, as he would be expecting her to come in from the same door from where she went out. But, Shri Maharaj Ji was not to be fooled. He also decided to come out from the same door as she had decided to come in from. As Shri Maharaj Ji and her paths crossed, He picked her up and dropped her in the large container full of colored water. Hearing her screams, some satsangis rushed forward and pulled her out. Shri Maharaj Ji threw her back inside the drum. The satsangis took her out yet again. This is how the Holi play started that year.
Maharaj Ji had a very enigmatic, yet child-like nature in His young age. Every year in Holi play, He’d play all alone against the entire group of satsangis. His swiftness was spectacular. Nobody could ever defeat Him in this play. Whoever tried to defeat Maharaj Ji, could be assured of being thrown into murk. Sometimes Shri Maharaj Ji would throw colored water on satsangis with so much pressure that they would not even get a chance to open their eyes. And at other times, he would run with a Gujhiya (a homemade sweet specially prepared for holi-occasion) in His hand and would be chased by all the young boys, striving hard to snatch it from His hand or mouth. Sometimes, he would throw Gujhiyas in the air for satsangis to catch.
Thus, the festival of Holi used to be the most fun filled festival with Shri Maharaj, giving His devotees a vivid glimpse of the leelas of Natkhat Shyamsundar.
Moral:
Shakti received her first lesson in discipline and never took liberties with Shri Maharaj Ji in the game of Holi. That 5 year old child grew up to be a meritorious student and after having worked as a Sanskrit lecturer in a degree college for couple of years, was chosen by Shri Maharaj Ji to become a preacher and spread His divine teachings. Shri Maharaj Ji gave her the name Braj Banchary and inspired her to take His teachings and philosophy to the western world. Lovingly known as Didi Ji, she is currently based in Canada and is one of the most senior preachers of Shri Maharaj Ji.
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Kid's Story
A young widower, who was very much attached to his five year old son, was away on business trip when bandits came and burned down the whole village and abducted his son. When the man returned, he saw the ruins and became very disturbed. He took the scorched corpse of a child, thinking it to be his own son and cried uncontrollably. He organized a cremation ceremony, collected the ashes and put them in a beautiful little bag which he always kept with him.
Soon afterwards, his real son escaped from the bandits and found his way home. He arrived at his father's new cottage at midnight and knocked on the door. The father, still grieving asked: "Who is it?" The child answered, "It's me papa, open the door!" But in his agitated state of mind he was fully convinced that his son was dead. The father thought that some young boy was making fun of him. He asked him to leave and continued to cry. After some time, his dejected child left. Father and son didn’t see each other ever again.
After narrating this story, Buddha said: "Sometime you take something to be true. If you cling onto it too much, then when the real truth comes and knocks on your door, you will not open it."
Moral: We keep searching for happiness in this world. We have so firmly convinced ourselves of illusory happiness in this world that when God, veritable Happiness incarnate, descends on earth we shun Him away and continue to be unhappy.
Soon afterwards, his real son escaped from the bandits and found his way home. He arrived at his father's new cottage at midnight and knocked on the door. The father, still grieving asked: "Who is it?" The child answered, "It's me papa, open the door!" But in his agitated state of mind he was fully convinced that his son was dead. The father thought that some young boy was making fun of him. He asked him to leave and continued to cry. After some time, his dejected child left. Father and son didn’t see each other ever again.
After narrating this story, Buddha said: "Sometime you take something to be true. If you cling onto it too much, then when the real truth comes and knocks on your door, you will not open it."
Moral: We keep searching for happiness in this world. We have so firmly convinced ourselves of illusory happiness in this world that when God, veritable Happiness incarnate, descends on earth we shun Him away and continue to be unhappy.
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