MUNDO
VAISHNAVA
Amrita Varshini - SRI KRSNA'S SIXTY- FOUR DIVINE QUALITIES
Creado por juancas del 17 de Junio del 2012
CONTENIDO
- LOVE FOR THE LORD IS THE ETERNAL RELIGION
- SRI RUPA-CINTAMANI
- RADHIKA STUTI
- SRI KRSNA'S SIXTY- FOUR DIVINE QUALITIES
- QUALITIES OF SRIMATI RADHARANI
- SPIRITUAL NEED, PAIN AND CARE: RECOGNITION AND RESPONSE IN ISKCON
- YAMUNASHTAKAM
- SRIMATIJI IS THE EPITOME OF TRANSCENDENTAL MELLOWS
- PRAYERS TO THE QUEEN OF VRNDAVAN- SRILA RUPA GOSWAMI
- SELFLESS LOVE AND DEVOTION TO GOD
- LISTA de REPRODUCCIÓN
- CUADROS de VINCULOS
LOVE FOR THE LORD IS THE ETERNAL RELIGION
de Amrita Varshini, el jueves, 19 de noviembre de 2009 a la(s) 15:17 ·
[ Excerpts from Sri Caitanya-shikshamrita, CHAPTER ONE. First published in 1886, by Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakur. ]
Pure love is the eternal function of the soul. Though differences may exist that religion which aims at true love is the real religion. We should not quarrel over external differences. If the goal of a religion is pure love, then all else is adjusted. Atheism, skepticism, polytheism, materialism, pantheism, and impersonalism are by their nature contrary to love.
Krishna-prema and its Characteristics
Such pure love is love of Krishna. The characteristic of love is that it resides in one entity and takes another as its object. Prema cannot exist without ashraya, the abode of love, and visaya, the object of love. The abode of prema is the heart of the living entity. The object of prema is Krishna alone. When completely pure prema arises, then the aspects or qualities of the Lord that one worships such as brahma-tva, the all-pervasiveness of the Lord; ishvara-tva, the aspect of the Lord as the Supreme Controller; and narayana-tva, the aspect of the Lord as the Supreme shelter of all living entities, are seen in their completeness in sri-krishnera-svarupa - the form of Krishna. On reading this book and understanding the concept of prema, this will be understood.
A person who argues just on hearing the name of Krishna is cheated of the real truth. Quarrelling about names is of no value. A person will naturally obtain a name of God suitable for his purposes.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam Speaks of Eternal, True Religion
The sweet qualities of Krishna as described in the crown jewel of scriptures, Srimad-Bhagavatam, were the personal realization of Vyasadeva through his spiritual vision. By following the instructions of Narada, Vyasadeva obtained devotional trance and saw the form of Krishna. Vyasadeva then described the sweet qualities of Krishna, for he realized that by developing devotion to the form of Krishna the living entities could drive away all forms of lamentation, illusion and fear.
Perception in Knowledge and Perception in Ignorance
Upon hearing or reading about Krishna and His sweet qualities, living entities will come to understand Him in two different ways according to their nature:
1) vidvat-pratiti - understanding in knowledge;
2) avidvat-pratiti - understanding without knowledge.
Even when Krishna is personally present and can be seen with mortal eyes, these two types of people will see Him in two different ways. The avidvat-janas see Krishna with jada-buddhi, mundane intelligence, and the vidvat-janas see Him with knowledge. If a person desires to learn more about these two types of perception, he may study the Sat-sandarbhas, Bhagavatamrita, and Sri Krishna-samhita under a competent authority. It is impossible to elaborate on this subject here. Briefly, vidvat-pratiti, realization in knowledge, may be described as realization under vidya-shakti, the knowledge potency of the Lord, and avidvat-pratiti, understanding without knowledge, may be described as an understanding of the Lord under the influence of ignorance.
The Importance of Understanding With Knowledge
If someone tries to understand Krishna through avidvat-pratiti then many controversies will arise. But if Krishna is understood through vidvat-pratiti there is no chance of any disagreement. Those interested in spiritual development should unhesitatingly accept vidvat-pratiti. What is the point of understanding through avidvat-pratiti and thereby falling into argument and confusion? In this way one will lose sight of the goal of life.
Knowledge Brings Inner Happiness Whereas Ignorance Brings an Impersonal Conception
I have given some idea about vidvat-pratiti. Vidvat-pratiti is possible for those persons who can give up material conceptions and conceive of spirit. They can then perceive Krishna with their spiritual eyes, hear His pastimes with their spiritual ears, and relish Krishna completely with their spiritual taste buds.
Krishna's pastimes are completely non-material. Although Krishna can, by His inconceivable potency, become the object for the material eye, by nature He is not perceivable by material senses. Although during His manifest pastimes Krishna is perceived by the material senses, only those who have vidvat-pratiti obtain the genuine fruit of Krishna's association. Normally, avidvat-pratiti operates. Thus most people understand Krishna as a temporary being, subject to birth, growth and decay. By avidvat-pratiti a person thinks that nirvisesha, the impersonal state devoid of qualities, is truth, and the savisesha, the personal state of God with qualities, is material. They conclude that since Krishna has qualities He is therefore material.
Beyond Reason and Logic
Understanding the Supreme Truth is not a matter of mundane logic. How can the limited intellect of man operate in relation to the unlimited Lord? But in addition to the logical faculty the jiva also possesses an innate devotional element, and through devotion, bhakti, the supreme truth can be understood and relished. What is known as vimala-prema, pure love, is the first fruit of this bhakti, and achieving that Krishna bestows His mercy in the form of the vidya-sakti, revealing Himself through knowledge to the jiva (vidvat-pratiti).
The Form of Krishna is the Most Suitable Object for Pure Love
Of all the modes of worshipping God in the world, that mode which is directed toward the form of Krishna is the only mode ideally suited for pure love. Pure love cannot be employed for worshipping Allah according to the Muslim scriptures. Even the Lord's dear prophet could not see Allah's form, for although the Lord is friendly He remains at a distance from the worshipper due to the conception of God as master. The concept of God in the Christian faith is also a distant entity, what to speak of the impersonal Brahman? Even Narayana is not a form by which the jiva can easily obtain pure love. Krishna alone, who resides in the spiritual abode of Vraja, can be the object of pure love.
The Intimacy of Krishna's Abode
The abode of Krishna is full of bliss. Although majesty also resides there in fullness, it does not predominate. Rather, sweetness and eternal bliss predominate. The wealth in that abode is fruits, flowers and twigs. His citizens are the cows. His friends are the cowherd boys. His girl friends are the gopis. His food is butter, yogurt and milk. All the groves and forests are filled with love of Krishna. The Yamuna River is engaged in Krishna's service. Everything in nature serves Him. Although elsewhere He is worshipped and revered by all as the Supreme Lord, here, as the life of all the inhabitants, He sometimes comes down to the worshiper's level and sometimes even becomes subordinate.
Krishna is the Object of Sweet Love Free From Awe and Reverence
If it were not like this, then how could the low living entity have a relation of love with God? The Lord is the Supreme Truth. He performs the topmost pastimes. He is supremely independent and eager for the love of the living entities. Thus how can He hanker for man's offering of worship or feel genuinely satisfied with it? Krishna, the reservoir of sweet pastimes, thus covers His majestic aspect with sweetness, accepts equality with or subordination to qualified living entities in transcendental Vrindavana, and feels bliss.
Krishna is Full of Sweetness and is the Object of Love
Can anyone who accepts pure love or prema as the highest goal accept anyone other than Krishna as the object of love? Due to language differences found in different cultures, a person following the path of pure love may not use the words "Krishna", "Vrindavana", "gopa", "gopi", "cows", "Yamuna", and "kadamba". But such a pure practitioner will still necessarily have to adopt indirectly and through other words these same concepts of name, place, paraphernalia, form, and various pastimes. Thus, there is no other object of pure love except Krishna.
Rules to be Followed before the Appearance of Pure Attraction
Until raga, pure attraction, arises in the heart of the jiva, the devotee with a sense of duty, kartavya-buddhi, must carefully cultivate Krishna consciousness by practicing the primary and subsidiary rules of worship.
Regulated Worship of Krishna vs. Worship of Krishna with Attachment
One will see that there are two ways of cultivating Krishna consciousness: through following rules, vidhi, and through attraction, raga. Raga is rare. When raga develops, the rules no longer have any strength. As long as raga has not developed one must take shelter of regulations. This is imperative for man. But the scriptures have outlined these two paths. The path of raga is extremely independent and there are no set rules for it. Only those who are most advanced and fortunate can practice via this path. Therefore in the scriptures only the path of vidhi has been presented systematically
SRI RUPA-CINTAMANI
de Amrita Varshini, el Martes, 17 de noviembre de 2009 a la(s) 5:24 ·
By Srila Srila Vishvanath Cakravarti Thakura
Text 1
“I worship Lord Hari, whose feet are endowed with the 19 great opulences of, on the left foot, the halfmoon, water-pot, triangle, bow, sky, cow's hoofprint, fish, conch, and on the right foot, the eight-pointed star, svastika, wheel, parasol, barleycorn, elephant-goad, flag, thunderbolt, jambu fruit, ūrdhva-rekhā, and lotus.”
Text 2
“I worship Śri Rādhā, whose feet are endowed with the 19 great opulences of, on the left foot, the parasol, ari, flag, vine, flower, bracelet, lotus,ūrdhva-rekhā, elephant-goad, halfmoon, and barleycorn, and on the right foot, the śakti, club, chariot, altar, earrings, fish, mountain, and conchshell.”
Texts 3 and 4
“Decorated with splendid jewel lotus petals, the youthful and fragrant divine couple is splendid as a monsoon cloud and lightning as They stand on a jeweled golden pavement under a tall kalpa-druma tree by the Yamunā in Vṛndāvana Forest. O mind, please always remember Their charming, gentle smile.”
Texts 5-10
“O mind, please remember Lord Hari's splendid crown decorated with peacock feathers and guñjā, His wavy locks of hair, His forehead splendid with tilaka, His eyebrows, eyes, nose, splendid cheeks, ears, glittering jewel earrings, red lips, flute, face, arching neck marked with three lines, soft shoulders, broad arms decorated with armlets and other ornaments, hands, fingers marked with wavy lines, chest decorated with kaustubha jewel and garlands of pearls and forest flowers and the splendid mark of the goddess of fortune, the line of hairs on His splendid abdomen, His lotus navel, slender waist, tinkling bells, yellow garments, large knees, ankles decorated with tinkling ankle-bells, lotus feet, graceful toes, pink toenails, the redness that extends across the soles of His feet up to His heels, and on His right foot: the barleycorn-mark at the base of His big toe, the ūrdhva-rekhā by His fore-toe, the curved lotus in the middle of His foot, the flag on the surface of His foot, the elephant-goad and thunderbolt at the base of His little-toe, the four svastikas, the jambus, and the eight-pointed star in the middle.”
Texts 11-16
“Please remember youthful Krsna's conchshell-mark at the base of His big-toe, beneath it the archer's bow without a bowstring, then the cow's hoofprint, the triangle, the four waterpots, the half-moon, and the fish, the soles of His feet anointed with red kuṅkuma, His pink toenails, soft red heels, feet decorated with anklets, splendid ankles and legs, garments as yellow as lightning, jewel bells, slender waist, deep lotus-navel, the line of hairs on His flower-petal abdomen, the kaustubha jewel, necklaces, and tulasi garland on His handsome chest, the mark of Brahmā and the three lines on the handsome neck that gives birth to melodious singing, the large,blossoming flowers on His splendid, broad chest, His armlet-decorated arms flooded with glory, His ankles, His reddish hands marked with auspicious lines and decorated with jewel ornaments, His fingers decorated with golden rings, His face, His splendid teeth, lips, eyes, and cheeks, His handsome nose, eyebrows, and forehead decorated with gorocanā tilaka, His ears decorated with swinging earrings, His wavy hair, His handsome crown decorated with peacock feathers, guñjā, and flowers, and His glittering, gentle smile.”
Text 17
“A charming couple, two mountainous oceans of the nectar of the love they bear for each other, shines in Vṛndāvana Forest. The young girl, whose splendor rebukes the lightning flash, hides a gentle smile under Her blue sari. Please remember that smile.”
Texts 18-25
“O mind, please meditate on Rādhā's fine, curly, braided hair, the jewel, golden leaf, tilaka, and curly hairs on Her forehead, Her eyebrows, mascara-anointed eyes, ears, the charming shark-shaped earings at Her cheeks, Her pearl-decorated nose, lips. splendid teeth, musk-dot-decorated chin, neck marked with three lines and decorated with many necklaces, gracefully sloping shoulders, armlet-decorated arms, elbows, lotus hands endowed with beautiful and auspicious lines and decorated with bracelets, jewel ūrmikās, rings, beautiful fingernails, breasts covered with a splendid red bodice, locket, flower-petal abdomen with a line of hairs, navel, slender waist marked with three lines, colorful undergarments, blue petticoat, thighs, knees, legs, ankles, anklets, ankle-bells, toe-ūrmikās, toe-rings, and toe-nails, the barleycorn and ari beneath Her left big-toe, the ūrdhva-rekhā beneath Her fore-toe, the small chariot nearby, the lotus, flag, flower, and vine in the middle, the elephant-goad beneath Her little-toe, beneath that a bracelet and parasol, on the heel a half-moon, on the heel of the other foot a fish, above that a flying mountain, on the sides a śakti and pada, under the big-toe a conchshell, under the little toe an altar, and beneath that an earring.”
Texts 26-31
“Please remember Rādhā's red soles and heels, Her jewel ūrmika ornaments, red toes and toenails, ankle-bells, beautiful ankles, legs, knees, thighs, hips, garments, sash, jewel belt, navel, flower-petal abdomen with a line of hairs, full breasts gracefully covered by a bodice, neck marked with three lines, necklaces of jewels and gold, sloping shoulders, beautiful arms decorated with armlets, elbows, wonderful jewel bracelets and ornaments, red lotus hands with delicate fingers, jewel ūrmikās, beautiful half-moon fingernails, musk-dot-decorated chin, lotus face, lips, wonderful cheeks, ears with earings glistening in the moonlight, nose decorated with pearls and jewels, eyes splendid with mascara, raised eyebrows, forehead with tilaka, golden-leaf-ornament, and moving locks of hair, line in the parted hair, wonderful jewel crown, braids wonderfully tied with flowers so they appear like the confluence of the Ganges, Yamunā, and Sarasvati, bālapaśyā ornament, and splendid, gentle smile.”
Text 32
“A peaceful devotee who, reading these verses, turns his heart two, three, or four times towards the cintamani jewel of the beauty of Śri Śri Rādhā-Mādhava, will quickly and easily come to see them directly.”
RADHIKA STUTI
"Beautiful Radhe is the queen and the origin of the rasa dance. She is the giver of pleasure to Krsna, who is the supersoul in the hearts of all. She is the lover of Krsna and is always situated upon the chest of the Lord."
"She is the presiding Deity of Krsna's very life, and She is the first of all persons, the energy of Lord Vishnu, the embodiment of truthfulness--eternal and ever-youthful."
"Her form is spiritual, therefore She is transcendental and beyond mundane qualities. She is divine energy and is unattached. O Radhe, in Vrndavana You are the leader of the gopis, and You reside on the banks of the Viraja River."
"She is a resident of Goloka Vrndavana and is a cowherd damsel. She is the queen of the gopis and the divine mother of the cowherd boys. She is joyful and always experiencing the highest bliss, and She incites desires in the heart of the son of Nanda.”
"Radhe is the daughter of Maharaja Vrshabhanu. She is very peaceful and lovely. She is completely contented and fulfilled, very pleasing and is the daughter of Kalavati. She is the purifier of the tirthas (holy places) and She is most auspicious and chaste to Lord Krsna."
"O Radhe, I have fallen into the horrible ocean of birth and death and am frightened, but I am seeking Your shelter. O queen of the demigods, please free me from all fears."
"O Radhe, please give me transcendental devotional service to Your lotus feet, which are worshiped by Lord Brahma and Laxmi, and which are served even by Lord Krsna."
"O Radhe, I offer my respects to You whose bodily complexion is like molten gold. O Goddess, You are the queen of Vrndavana. You are the daughter of King Vrshabhanu, and are very dear to Lord Krishna."
"O Radhe, You are the exalted form of mahabhava, therefore You are the most dear to Krisna. O Goddess, You alone are able to bestow pure love for the Supreme Lord; therefore I offer my humble obeisances unto You."
• "When Srimati Radharani smiles, waves of joy overtake Her cheeks, and Her arched eyebrows dance like the bow of Cupid. Her glance is so enchanting that it is like a dancing bumblebee, moving unsteadily due to intoxication. That bee has bitten the whorl of My heart." (Vidagdha-madhava 2.51)
SRI KRSNA'S SIXTY- FOUR DIVINE QUALITIES
"He is the crown-jewel of all lovers, Krishna - Bhagavan Himself; In Him, all great qualities manifest perpetually."
Excerpted from the Nectar of Devotion, Chapter Twenty-One, "Srila Rupa Goswami after consulting various scriptures, has enumerated the transcendental qualities of the Lord as follows: (1) beautiful features of the entire body; (2) marked with all auspicious characteristics; (3) extremely pleasing; (4) effulgent; (5) strong; (6) ever youthful; (7) wonderful linguist; (8) truthful; (9) talks pleasingly; (10) fluent; (11) highly learned; (12) highly intelligent; (13) genius; (14) artistic; (15) extremely clever; (16) expert; (17) grateful; (18) firmly determined; (19) an expert judge of time and circumstances; (20) sees and speaks on the authority of Vedas, or scriptures; (21) pure; (22) self-controlled; (23) steadfast; (24) forbearing; (25) forgiving; (26) grave; (27) self-satisfied; (28) possessing equilibrium; (29) magnanimous; (30) religious; (31) heroic; (32) compassionate; (33) respectful; (34) gentle; (35) liberal; (36) shy; (37) the protector of surrendered souls; (38) happy; (39) the well-wisher of devotees; (40) controlled by love; (41) all-auspicious; (42) most powerful; (43) all-famous; (44) popular; (45) partial to devotees; (46) very attractive to all women; (47) all-worshipable; (48) all-opulent; (49) all-honorable; (50) the supreme controller. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has all these fifty transcendental qualities in fullness as deep as the ocean. In other words, the extent of His qualities is inconceivable.
Besides all of the above-mentioned fifty qualities, Lord Krishna possesses five more, which are sometimes partially manifested in the persons of Lord Brahma or Lord Shiva. These transcendental qualities are as follows: (51) changeless; (52) all-cognizant; (53) ever fresh; (54) sac-cid-ananda (possessing an eternal blissful body); (55) possessing all mystic perfections.
Krishna also possesses five other qualities, which are manifest in the body of Narayana, and they are listed as follows. (56) He has inconceivable potency. (57) Uncountable universes generate from His body. (58) He is the original source of all incarnations. (59) He is the giver of salvation to the enemies whom He kills. (60) He is the attractor of liberated souls. All these transcendental qualities are manifest wonderfully in the personal feature of Lord Krishna.
Besides these sixty transcendental qualities, Krishna has four more, which are not manifest even in the Narayana form of Godhead, what to speak of the demigods or living entities. They are as follows. (61) He is the performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes (especially His childhood pastimes). (62) He is surrounded by devotees endowed with wonderful love of Godhead. (63) He can attract all living entities all over the universes by playing on His flute. (64) He has a wonderful excellence of beauty which cannot be rivaled anywhere in the creation.
Adding to the list these four exceptional qualities of Krishna, it is to be understood that the aggregate number of qualities of Krishna is sixty-four. Srila Rupa Gosvami has attempted to give evidences from various scriptures about all sixty-four qualities present in the person of the Supreme Lord." (Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta. (1970)`Nectar of Devotion', pp 155-57,BBT, Mumbai)
QUALITIES OF SRIMATI RADHARANI
As explained in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (Nectar of Devotion), Krishna possesses sixty-four transcendental qualities. Srimati Radharani has twenty-five transcendental qualities, but She can control even Krishna by them. Her transcendental qualities are as follows:
(1) She is sweetness personified;
(2) She is a fresh young girl;
(3) Her eyes are always moving;
(4) She is always brightly smiling;
(5) She possesses all auspicious marks on Her body;
(6) She can agitate Krishna by the flavor of Her person;
(7) She is expert in the art of singing;
(8) She can speak very nicely and sweetly;
(9) She is expert in presenting feminine attractions;
(10) She is modest and gentle;
(11) She is always very merciful;
(12) She is transcendentally cunning;
(13) She knows how to dress nicely;
(14) She is always shy;
(15) She is always respectful;
(16) She is always patient;
(17) She is very grave;
(18) She is enjoyed by Krishna;
(19) She is always situated on the highest devotional platform;
(20) She is the abode of love of the residents of Gokula;
(21) She can give shelter to all kinds of devotees;
(22) She is always affectionate to superiors and inferiors;
(23) She is always obliged by the dealings of Her associates,
(24) She is the greatest amongst Krishna's girl friends;
(25) She always keeps Krishna under Her control.
Krishna means 'all attractive', since He attracts every one to Him. But Srimati Radharani attracts even Krishna. Although Krishna says vedaham samatitani - "I know everything" - He fails to understand Radharani. Krishna is acyuta (inconceivable), but for Him Radharani is inconceivable. Radharani is so great. Krishna thought, "I am full. I am complete in every respect, but still I want to understand Radharani." This question obliged Krishna to accept the propensities of Radharani to understand Himself. So five hundred years ago Krishna appeared as Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the mood of Srimati Radharani and with Her golden complexion, as His own greatest devotee. Krishna did this to understand the depth of devotion of Srimati Radharani.
Skanda Purana corroborates the fact that Radhika is a part of the Supreme Soul:
atmatu radhika tasya taiva ramanat asau
"Radhika is part of thy Supreme Soul (atma) and You dally with her (atma saha ramati iti atmarama). He, therefore, is called Atmarama."
Radha, a part and parcel of the same Supreme Soul, is the 'principle of ecstasy'. She is not anybody else's wife, dallying with Krsna in an extramarital situation. She is His Atma.
SRIMATIJI'S KRIPA (MERCY)
Srimati Radharani is the ideal maha-bhagvat. As the greatest devotee, She is also the most compassionate. She is unable to bear the suffering of the souls trapped in the material world. The word "aradhaya" (prayers) is derived from "Radha" and means "worshippable". Similarly the word "aparadha" (offenses) means "against Radha". When one performs devotional service, one is pleasing Srimati Radharani and when commits Vaishnava aparadha against Krishna or His devotees, one is offending Radharani. Srimati Radharani is the guardian, the mentor and the benefactor of all aspiring devotees. When a soul starts to inquire about Krishna, Srimati Radharani is most pleased and takes charge of his devotional advancements. As one makes progress, one continues to invoke the mercy of Srimati Radharani and when She is pleased, Krishna is automatically pleased.
All glories to Srimati Radharani !!
SPIRITUAL NEED, PAIN AND CARE: RECOGNITION AND RESPONSE IN ISKCON
H.G. Haridhama Das Senior Disciple of HH Mukunda Gosvami
In this presentation, Hari-dhama dasa discusses an important social issue for the Society: that of providing care for the terminally ill in the movement. Since Vaisnavas hold very dear the hope of dying in the association of devotees and at a place of pilgrimage, ISKCON faces a challenging task in providing this facility and care for its members. The author argues that both spiritual care and medical care should be available to patients, be they in a secular hospice or in a religious institution. He goes on to present some possible methods of approach to both carers in ISKCON and the caring profession in general. The author is currently in the process of conducting further research into the needs for spiritual care specifically within the Vaisnava context.
Introduction
As ISKCON looks toward the twenty-first century it will face increased demands both from its members and from those outside the movement to address its social, political and economic fabric. It will have to recognise and provide more for the spiritual needs of its members, and this will also have to include preparation and support for those facing old age and death. For a devotee to leave his or her body in the company of other Vaishnava devotees is considered the mercy of the Lord, and to depart from the body at a place of pilgrimage is the fulfilment of life on earth. As yet, death, dying and bereavement amongst devotees around the world have not reached proportions where ISKCON has had to provide facilities common to the Society at large. Providing for the devotee with a terminal illness, taking care of the elderly and dying within ISKCON, and providing professional facilities for those in need of spiritual care will need to be an important component of its social development structure.
This paper is also addressed to lay and professional carers, advocating the need to include and develop spiritual care in their work if they are to provide holistic care to patients. Holistic care of the body, mind and spirit involves an appreciation of the term 'spirituality' and the knowledge of how to respond effectively to the spiritual needs of the individual. Vaishnavas will refer to the term ' spiritual' in a very specific sense; for them this refers to the eternal relationship between the individual and God, but for the purposes of this article the word will be used as understood in the western generic sense of the term.
As sentient beings, spirituality is a constitutional part of human life and for this reason, carers can not ignore the spiritual needs of patients in their care. Dying is more than a biological occurrence: it is a physical, social and spiritual event. The real challenge to the caring profession is the cultivation and expression of an increased quality of spirituality and spiritual care. Nurses, doctors and carers, due to their constant contact with the patient have a unique role when spiritual care presents itself at its most profound: when a person is preparing to face death. In those areas of the world where medical care has been shaped by sophisticated technologies and complicated health care delivery systems, efforts to humanise patient care are essential if the integrity of the human being is not to be obscured by the system. This is needed especially for individuals with chronic maladies, or those who are in the process of dying.
This paper will examine the need for ISKCON to provide professional care to the terminally ill who come to their centres for the sole purpose of passing their last days in the company of devotees. The following discussion of the responsibilities and training that professional carers should have are also applicable to those devotees that would like to enter, or are at present in the caring field. Issues raised in this article are intended to help in the formulation of a practical policy for taking care of the sick and dying in ISKCON's care.
Spirituality: what does it mean?
Spiritual care aims at bringing harmony and balance back into the life of a patient. Thus for a person to function as an integrated whole, the individual must experience harmony amongst mind, spirit and body. Spiritual care is therefore not restricted to patients with a terminal illness, but to all those who find themselves neglected in one or more aspect of their wholeness. This paper, however, will deal mainly with diagnosing and responding to the spiritual pain in patients.
The awareness and appreciation of a patient's individual spiritual orientation is essential to holistic care. Transcendence, or the striving for an existence apart from this world, is probably the most powerful way that one is restored to wholeness after an injury to their person, be it physical, emotional or spiritual. The sufferer is not isolated by pain, but is brought closer to a transcendental source of that meaning, and to the human community that shares these values. This paper will also address the diagnosing and response to spiritual pain as experienced by dying patients.
Spirituality and the carer:
Spirituality is concerned with the transcendental, inspirational and existential way to live one's life, and this could also include, in a fundamental and profound sense, the individual in relation to God. An individual's perception of spirituality and their spiritual need are normally heightened as the individual confronts spiritual pain and ultimately faces death. A holistic approach to patient and individual care implies care for the body, mind and spirit. Spirituality is often mistakenly equated to, or used synonymously with, institutionalised religion, therefore for the purpose of this article M. E. O'Brien's definition will be used: he has defined spirituality very broadly as 'that which inspires in one the desire to transcend the realm of the material.'[1] This definition is helpful as it is broad enough to include a religious understanding of the term, but yet is not specific to any one religion and allows for the inclusion of those that have a personal philosophy to the meaning of life.
The basis for determining the level of an individual's spiritual health or integrity can be ascertained in the following ways:
Stallwood[2] and Kreidler[3] recognise relational aspects within the concept of spirituality. The qualities of forgiveness, love, hope and trust can be experienced in relationship between two people as well as God. Relationships such as these bring meaning and fulfilment to life itself, providing a purpose for living.
Spirituality is an aspect of the total person that is related to and integrated with the functioning and expression of all other aspects of the person.
Spirituality can also be expressed through the relationships between the individual and others, and through a transcendental relationship with God or another realm where spirituality involves and produces behaviours and feelings which demonstrate the existence of love, faith, hope and trust, therein providing meaning to life and a reason for being.
Spiritual integrity is present when the person experiences wholeness within the self, with other human beings and living entities, and in transcendence with God. Spiritual integrity is furthermore demonstrated through such acts that show love, hope, humility, trust and forgiveness towards others.
Spirituality is a quality that goes beyond religious affiliation. Spirituality inspires one to strive for inspirations, reverence, awe, meaning and purpose even in those who do not believe in a God - applying equally to the needs of believers and non-believers. Spiritual beliefs and practices permeate the life of a person, whether in health or illness. The influence of spirituality is manifested in our relationship with others, life styles and habits, required and prohibited behaviours, and the general frame during our spiritual development and growth. Religious affiliation may foster attention on, or hinder spiritual issues. We should understand that patients and family are in a vulnerable state when dealing with terminal illness, and it should be the needs of the patient that dictate the role of religious representatives and not vice versa.
How is spirituality expressed?:
The expression of spirituality is shaped by the accepted practices and beliefs of a particular culture and this may be expressed in some cases by the practices and beliefs of an institutionalised religion. Spiritual needs are fulfilled through such avenues as prayers, rituals, religious communities and worship. The institution codifies and provides pathways for the expression of beliefs and values held by the person. It provides meaning to life, and sustains the person through personal hardships such as illness, pain and personal difficulties. It also provides an avenue for celebration when hardships are overcome.
Mystical experiences can also bring about a sense of peaceful calm and stability in the turmoil of those experiencing personal calamities. These experiences are often described as another reality and provide hope, faith in a future, and a sense of love and meaning to life. Here the physical and the emotional interact with the spiritual to change the focus in the person's life. Meaningful and purposeful work, or creative expression, is often an expression of spirituality. The person may feel a need to communicate experiences of feelings which relate to the ' other worldly' aspects of life.
Another manner in which the spirituality of the person may be recognised is through behaviour or feelings that convey an altered spiritual integrity. O'Brien has listed seven common human experiences under the general category of altered spiritual integrity.[4] These experiences include spiritual pain, alienation, anxiety, guilt, anger, loss and despair. Let us examine spiritual pain, as this is an area of care in which both carer and sufferer find the greatest difficulty.
How can spiritual pain be recognised?
Spiritual pain can be defined as an individual's perception of hurt or suffering associated with that part of his or her person that seeks to transcend the realm of the material; it is manifested by a deep sense of hurt stemming from feelings of loss or separation from one's God or deity, a sense of personal inadequacy before God and humanity, or a lasting condition of loneliness of spirit. Kim et al defines spiritual pain as ' a disruption in the life principle that pervades a person's entire being and that integrates and transcends one's biological and psycho-social nature.' [5]
Although spiritual pain has achieved comparable recognition to physical and emotional pain in the care of patients with terminal disease, it is less well recognised in those who are not terminally ill. When comparing the assessment of spiritual pain to physical pain, there are few guidelines that can be utilised. It is mainly the lack of objective symptoms of spiritual pain that hinder the diagnostic process.
On the other hand, friends and family may be a resource for eliciting suffering from a patient. As with physical pain, there are some patients who feel the need to suffer from spiritual pain for specific reasons. We must appreciate that for them pain is not a ' problem' in our sense of the word. Spiritual pain represents the agony of an unmet need, whether it is psychological, emotional, mental or physical. Dame Cecily Saunders, founder of the modern day hospice movement, writes: 'The realisation that life is likely to end soon may well give rise to feelings of the unfairness of what is happening, and at much of what has gone before, and above all a desolate feeling of meaninglessness. Here lies, I believe the essence of spiritual pain.' [6] This is echoed by the Austrian psychologist V. Frankl, that 'Man is not destroyed by suffering, he is destroyed by suffering without meaning.' [7]
Spiritual pain can be the result of an experience which completely shattered a previously held view of life for an individual, taking the meaning and focus out of their existence, leaving them desolate and helpless. This experience may be an illness, or an accident, or some catastrophic event in their life. During these traumatic events the individual's assumptions about life, trust and love, may be found to be misplaced, leaving them with nothing to hold onto for hope and security in the present and the foreseeable future. In these situations suicide often seems the only way out 'I feel empty and shattered' or 'There is nothing left for me' .
It is important to recognise that there is often a level of pain far deeper than the pain of a particular loss. That deeper pain is often associated with something totally destroyed at the centre of the individual's being. This 'something' can be described as the person's view of life, their relationship with God, a map or picture of what life is about for them, or the values and principles they hold dear in their lives. An individual's response to any event in life partly arises from the view of life that lies at his or her centre. It is because this shattering of a person's view of life leads to a loss of a sense of meaning to existence, that meaninglessness is often seen as the centre of spiritual pain. It is often expressed as 'Why?' or 'Why me?' Spiritual pain can also be recognised in the individual's perception of life. When this fundamental perception has been radically changed, impaired or broken by some event, spiritual pain is at its most profound; this is often expressed as, ' I can't see any meaning in anything' , 'Nothing adds up any more', or 'My world is in pieces and I am lost and lonely.'
The management of spiritual pain:
Spiritual pain is managed not only by professionals, but more often through relationships amongst the individual and their friends and family. It is a normal human activity which takes place on various levels: anything from a hug, holding a hand, empathic listening, a prayer, a gift or even a massage, may be a valuable part of spiritual pain management.
Professionally, spiritual care could include therapy, counselling and medication. Whilst we care for the body and mind by means of medication we can treat the spirit by means of non-medication based therapy; this would include alternative and complementary therapies such as art therapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, reflexology, music therapy and so on, these should be combined with excellent inter-personal communication and counselling skills. Both the medication and non-medication approach work hand-in-hand towards the ultimate goal of spiritual care: providing quality of life when facing death. They are both parallel and complementary if need be. Carers should acknowledge that that they have a responsibility for the spiritual well-being of the patient, and should not avoid providing this level of care.
As we assess physical pain on a continuous basis, spiritual pain requires the same frequency of assessment; it is not just a matter of ticking a box on the patient's admission form that asks about their religious affiliation. As a lack of homeostasis may manifest itself as physical pain, spiritual pain also represents a lack of balance or adjustment to one's immediate self; (this would be the result of something that had happened very recently rather than from something in the patient's long-term personal history). Consequently, an evaluation of a patient's spiritual orientation seems appropriate in order to diagnose spiritual pain.
With spiritual pain one cannot simply point a finger to exactly where it hurts. Feifel stresses that it is not necessary to understand fully a patient's spiritual orientation when creating an environment to offer nurturing. However, studies have shown that carers are less than willing to provide such care. Those caring for the terminally ill complained that too much was being asked of their own spiritual orientation, with them being unwilling to provide this care as one of their functions. [8] It seems reasonable to conclude that some health professionals may be holding back this nurturing ability in order to be perceived as credible health care practitioners. Offering 'spiritual care' may not be seen as part of their role. Yet, spiritual care need not trigger inferences of faith healing or hocus-pocus. The essence of spiritual care-giving is not administering religious doctrine or dogma, but the capacity to enter into the world of others and to respond with feeling.
This fundamental capacity involves touching another at a level that is deeper than ideological or doctrinal differences. In this capacity it is essential that carers are willing to address their own spiritual orientation in relation to the needs of their patients without influencing the patient's right to receive the type of spiritual support that they desire. Carers must examine their own personal belief system. Self examination will enable them to understand and empathise with the need of the patient on a spiritual level. Burnard supports this when he asks, ' If we do not clarify our own spiritual beliefs or lack of them, how can we help those in our care to clarify theirs?' [9] If carers fail to address their own spirituality and the meaning behind it, they will fail those who depend on us for making their passage through death less painful. It is the responsibility of those caring for the spiritually needy to add the spiritual dimension to their care, irrespective of being theistically, atheistically or agnostically inclined.
Carers can help by being with the person suffering spiritual pain and offering their support according to their capabilities. In this capacity it is important to avoid easy optimism: 'You'll be all right', hasty analysis of the situation (there may be deeper levels of pain than the obvious) or, too early affirmation or comfort (stopping the sufferer going deeper into the pain).
Another common mistake that carers make when dealing with patients is allowing their own anxieties to dictate their course of action. This is commonly manifested by talking unnecessarily (the best form of communication in some situations may be silence), or providing uninvited sharing of the carer's own experience (one should avoid saying, 'I understand', as this factually may not be the case). It is more important to be a good listener than someone who has all the answers for solving a patient's pain. Each person has to bear his or her own pain and find their own way through it; the carer can only be a support in this process, as Ainsworth-Smith and Speck write: 'we must all grieve our own grief so we must do our own dying, and face the possibility and reality of our own mortality, and others should enable us to do this in our own way.' [10]
During times of crises, a person or patient may have the resources of his or her own religion as a support. Nevertheless, I have found in my experience as a carer and counsellor that although religious faith may help people bear spiritual pain, it seldom takes it away. To help someone with religious needs we do not necessarily have to share that faith, but we can help by being more understanding and respectful toward their chosen faith and try and ensure that their religious needs are met. Spiritual care requires an understanding of the patient's unique philosophical or religious views. It requires respect and understanding for the patient's belief and practices even though they are different to those providing the care. In order to attain this level of understanding, the carer must establish rapport and trust which allows the patient to disclose those beliefs. The carer should also be willing to recognise limitations in their understanding of these beliefs and seek outside help as necessary.
Spiritual Needs: what is to be understood?
Spiritual needs can be broadly categorised as the need for meaning and purpose in life, the need for love and harmonious relationships with humans, living entities and God, the need for forgiveness, the need for a source of hope and strength, the need for trust, the need for expression of personal beliefs and values, and the need for spiritual practices, expression of an understanding of God and/or a deity and creation.
Meaning in the context of spirituality can be defined as the reason given to a particular life experience by the individual, bringing about a sense of purpose from their life and illness. There is evidence to suggest that patients struggle with finding a source of meaning and purpose in their lives. It is also suggested that people with a sense of meaning and purpose survive more readily in difficult circumstances. The experience of suffering can bring about meaning and purpose to our lives. It is interesting to note that there is a distinction between the religious and the apparently non-religious person in the way they approach spirituality. A non-religious person's spiritual needs are more often focused around themselves and others. The religious person experiences their spirituality more around their relationship with a deity or God. However, those who have strong religious convictions and sense of God, may still need encouragement to adapt to unexpected changes when they are facing death.
It is important for carers to understand the fundamental needs of individuals. The need for love and harmonious relationships go hand in hand with a need for meaning and purpose. Unconditional love[11] is usually the prime requirement for a person suffering from spiritual pain. The symptoms of the need for unconditional love are self-pity, depression, insecurity, isolation and fear. Unconditional love transforms these symptoms into feelings of self-worth, joy, security, belonging, hope and courage.
One of the most effective processes that can release a patient from suffering is forgiveness, and carers can be part of this healing process by gently encouraging this process in an individual. Nothing clutters a life more than resentment, remorse and recrimination. These three emotional responses to life are based on anger, guilt and hostility. Untreated, these can manifest themselves in physical illness. When held in the mind and in the heart, they occupy a fearsome amount of space, colouring our perception of reality to an alarmingly large degree. Forgiveness allows the individual to neutralise the toxic emotional investment. The process of forgiveness requires the individual to examine the reasons for their negative emotions and to deal with them, thus freeing them from self-destructive emotions.
The consequences of not forgiving are high. The person who carries anger and hate carries a toxic attitude of resentment into his or her relationships with others and ultimately themselves.
I have only touched upon some of the fundamental needs of individuals, and the ways in which carers can help those who are spiritually distressed. Suffice to say that the spiritually distressed person needs an environment that conveys this trust. Such an environment is one that demonstrates that carers make themselves accessible to others, both physically and emotionally. Trusting is the ability to place confidence in the trustworthiness of others and this is essential for spiritual health.
How is spiritual care administered?
Any interpretation of the word 'spiritual' can present confusion when discussed outside the framework of religion or beyond one's personal belief systems. Likewise, the concepts of spiritual care become even more elusive when a non-dogmatic approach to spirituality attempts to explain a dimension of health care that is provided by a variety of professional disciplines and lay people. The terms 'religious care' and 'spiritual care' are frequently used synonymously. Religious care can be spiritual care but spiritual care is not necessarily religious care. Out of the five types of pain: physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual, religious suffering comes under the last category.
From my work with dying patients in a hospice environment, I developed a typology of five religious preferences. It is interesting that the majority of these classifications are devoid of religious doctrine: atheism, metaphysics, personal religion, personal religion combined with institutional religion, and institutional religion alone.[12] This separation of doctrine from religion, but not from personal faith, may serve as a first step in distinguishing religiosity from spiritual orientation.
How is spiritual care to be evaluated?
The patient, who experiences spiritual integrity and demonstrates this integrity through reality-based tranquillity or peace, or through the development of meaningful, purposeful behaviour, displays a restored sense of spiritual integrity. The overall evaluation of spiritual care should establish the degree to which spiritual pain was relieved. The patient's communication and interaction may also indicate spiritual growth through greater understanding of life or an acceptance and creativity within a particular situation.
Spiritual care enables carers to provide more holistic care for patients, as Cousins points out, ' Death and dying are not the ultimate tragedy of life. The ultimate tragedy of life is depersonalisation, separated from the spiritual nourishment . . .'[13] The ability to address spiritual issues is no longer a matter of choice, but rather it is fundamental to providing holistic medical care to the terminally ill.
What is the role of the interdisciplinary team?
As hospice care attempts to provide holistic care to persons nearing the end of their life, there is a wide agreement that this care ought to include a dimension that is best described as 'spiritual'.[14] Though few agree on the commonalties of the spiritual dimension, many caregivers in my experience profess ability and a satisfaction in providing such care.
The continued lack of clarity in understanding what is meant by 'spiritual care' however, prevents the development of meaningful criteria upon which to base a measurement. Inevitably, attitudes concerning the role of spiritual care rarely achieve conformity. If it is the aim of a hospice to provide holistic care, its potential to achieve this rests on the ability of caregivers to assist patients and families in finding hope and reconciliation during the last days of life. Carers need to be prepared for this role.
In delivering physical, psycho-social and spiritual patient care, caregivers must recognise their strengths and limitations. In Highfield and Cason's study of spiritual needs in cancer patients, it was reported that the only problems that the respondents confidently associated with a spiritual dimension were concerned with the meaning of suffering, death or God.[15] The nurses' inability to distinguish spiritual problems from psycho-social ones led to inappropriate interventions that implied that the needs of these patients were not met. This data clearly demonstrates that carers must be trained to recognise the various types of care a patient will need. When facing terminal illness they cannot abdicate their responsibility to treat an individual's spiritual needs to the chaplain, any more than they can abdicate their responsibility for a patient's physical care to the physician. These requirements for a hospice nurse are not unrealistic. Various studies have reported, such as Amenta, (1984), Chariboga et al. (1983) and Vincent and Peace (1986), that hospice nurses tend to posses stronger beliefs in a life after death, and were frequently characterised as being more assertive, imaginative and independent than nurses working in more structured environments. [16]
What does this mean for ISKCON?
As ISKCON prepares to provide care for the terminally ill at major places of pilgrimage, such as Mayapura and Vrndavana, it would be useful for the Social Development Ministry, the Health and Welfare Ministry and the Ministry for Education to consider the issues raised in this article. An earlier attempt in 1995-6 to provide informal 'hospice care' for dying devotees in Vrndavan, India, accentuated the need for such specialised care to form part of our social development and health and welfare programmes. In the past devotees with a terminal diagnosis have been brought to Vrindavana, under the impression that they could comfortably prepare to spend their last days at this place of pilgrimage. However, those who were offering this care (with the best intentions) were unfortunately ill equipped both medically, psychologically and spiritually to deal with the many challenges a carer has to face when dealing with the inevitable trauma of death.
We as a Society need to examine our attitude towards the care that we need to provide the terminally ill in our midst. Our scriptures teach us that spiritual pain is ultimately a symptom of the individual's forgetfulness of, and subsequent separation from, God. Therefore, the Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam recommend spiritual care as a process of devotional service to God, with chanting His names as the primary practice.[17] We need to become more sensitive and better equipped to deal with the need of terminally ill devotees and more realistic in our care approach. A devotee who has come to a holy land to prepare for and face death may have spent many years preparing for this event through their spiritual practices, however, this does not necessarily mean they will be able to face death without the necessary medical, emotional and psychological support from suitably trained devotees. Experience shows me that it is imperative that, unless devotees are trained in palliative, terminal and hospice care, dying devotees are best cared for by medical professionals outside of ISKCON. This care can be provided in consultation and co-operation with the dying devotee's loved ones. Suitably trained devotees can be active in the capacity of pastoral support, together with friends and family.
To achieve these goals it would be prudent to introduce a training programme in palliative and spiritual care. Such a programme has the potential to empower devotees with the relevant qualifications to mindfully administer, help and support those devotees in need of spiritual care, living or dying. Until such an internal educational programme is set up, it would be wise for those devotees who wish to serve the Society by taking care of the dying, to take advantage of the training opportunities outside of ISKCON.
ISKCON already has a wealth of devotees trained, qualified and experienced in subjects directly and indirectly related to spiritual care. It would be a very useful resource if the various Ministries compile a database of devotees qualified and experienced in this field to bring their resources together. It is recommended that even these devotees broaden their existing knowledge base by gaining further education in palliative and terminal care.
ISKCON has already taken some steps in the right direction. There is a planned hospice and residential home in Vrndavana, India and concrete progress has been made with the founding of Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mumbai, India. Holistic care, and this includes spiritual care, is embraced in the hospital's mission statement: ' With love and devotion we will offer everyone a modern, scientific, holistic health care service, based on true awareness and understanding of the needs of the body, mind and soul.' This project has confirmed plans for its own palliative care unit being set-up in co-operation with medical institutes in London, England and this is an encouraging sign that we are beginning to respond to the need for systematic and professional palliative and spiritual care in our Society.
Footnotes
[1] O'Brien, M. E., 'The Need for Spiritual Integrity', in Yura, H. & Walsh, M. B. (Des) Human needs and the nursing process, Norwalk, Connecticut: H. Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1982, pp. 85-95
[2] Stallwood, J., 'Spiritual dimensions of nursing practice', in Beland, I. L. & J.Y. Passods (eds.), in Clinical Nursing: Patho-physiological and psychological approaches, London: Macmillan, p. 37
[3] Kreidler, M.C., Meaning in Suffering: A Nursing Dilemma, unpublished
Ph.D. dissertation, Teacher College, Columbia University, New York. p.83
[4] O'Brien, 'The need for spiritual integrity', pp. 85-95
[5] Kim M.J. et al., Pocket Guide to Nursing Diagnosis, St Louis: C.V. Mosby, p. 118
[6] Saunders, C., 'Spiritual Pain', Hospital Chaplain, 102, (1988), pp. 30-39
[7] Franklin , V., Man's Search for Meaning, Seven Oaks: Hodder and Stoughton,
1962, pp. 23-7
[8] Feifel, H., 'The Overlap Between Humanism, Spirituality, Religion and
Philosophy', paper presented at the Sixth World Congress on the Care of The Terminally Ill. Montreal, 1986.
[9] Burnard, P., 'Searching for Meaning', Nursing Times, 84 (1988), pp. 34-37
[10] Ainsworth-Smith, A. & Speck, D., Letting Go, London: SPCK, 1982, pp. 47-51
[11] Unconditional love is a love that is given freely, without expecting anything in return. It is both unselfish and non-judgmental. Among Vaisnavas and members of ISKCON the epitomy of love is that between the Lord and His devotees.
[12] Dom, H.T., The Hospice as an Extended Provider or Post-Modern
Spirituality, M.Phil. dissertation, University of Cape Town, 1995
[13] Cousins, N., Anatomy of Illness, New York: Norton, 1979, pp. 78-82
[14] Addington-Hall, J. M. & McCarthy, M., 'Dying From Cancer: Results of a National Population-based Investigation', Palliative Medicine, 9 (1995), pp. 95-305
[15] Highfield, M. & Cason, C., 'Spiritual Needs of Patients: Are They Recognised?', Cancer Nursing, 6 (1983), pp.187-92
[16] Fallon, Marie & O'Neill, Bill (eds.) ABC of Pallitive Care, London: BJM Books, 1998, p. 63
[17] See the following references:-Bhaktivedantat Swami, A. C., Srimad Bhagavatam, Los Angeles, CA: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1994, 6.3.22; -Bhaktivedanta Swami, A. C., Bhagavad-gita, Los Angeles, CA: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1994, 8.13
Back to Vol. 6, No. 2 Contents
YAMUNASHTAKAM
By Srila Rupa Goswami
Text 1
bhrAtur antakasya pattane ’bhipatti-hAriNI
prekSayAti-pApino ’pi pApa-sindhu-tAriNI
nIra-mAdhurIbhir apy azeSa-citta-bandhinI
mAM punAtu sarvadAravinda-bandhu-nandinI
May Sri Yamuna, the daughter of Suryadeva, who saves one from having to enter the city of her brother Yamaraja, the sight of whom enables the most sinful persons to cross the ocean of sin, and the sweetness of whose water charms the hearts of everyone, always purify me.
Text 2
hAri-vAri-dhArayAbhimaNDitoru-khANDavA
puNDarIka-maNDalodyad-aNDajAli-tANDavA
snAna-kAma-pAmarogra-pApa-sampad-andhinI
mAM punAtu sarvadAravinda-bandhu-nandinI
May Sri Yamuna, the daughter of Suryadeva, who decorates the great Khandava forest with a stream of pleasant waters, who is filled with lotus flowers and dancing birds, and who blinds the terrible sins of they who desire to bathe in her, always purify me.
Text 3
zIkarAbhimRSTa-jantu-durvipAka-mardinI
nanda-nandanAntaraGga-bhakti-pUra-vardhinI
tIra-saGgamAbhilASi-maGgalAnubandhinI
mAM punAtu sarvadAravinda-bandhu-nandinI
May Sri Yamuna, the daughter of Suryadeva, a drop of whose water destroys the sinful reactions of the people, who creates a great flood of confidential pure devotional service to Sri Nandananadana, and who brings auspiciousness to those who desire to live on her shore, always purify me.
Text 4
dvIpa-cakravAla-juSTa-sapta-sindhu-bhedinI
zrI-mukunda-nirmitoru-divya-keli-vedinI
kAnti-kandalIbhir indranIla-vRnda-nindinI
mAM punAtu sarvadAravinda-bandhu-nandinI
May Sri Yamuna, the daughter of Suryadeva, who divides the seven oceans and seven continents, who witnessed many of Sri Mukunda's transcendental pastimes, and whose splendor rebukes a host of sapphires always purify me.
Text 5
mAthureNa maNDalena cAruNAbhimaNDitA
prema-naddha-vaiSNavAdhva-vardhanAya paNDitA
Urmi-dor-vilAsa-padmanAbha-pAda-vandinI
mAM punAtu sarvadAravinda-bandhu-nandinI
May Sri Yamuna, the daughter of Suryadeva, who is decorated by the beautiful district of Mathura, who expertly protects those who follow the path of loving devotional service, and who with the playful motions of the waves that are her arms offers respectful obeisances to Lord Padmanabha's feet, always purify me.
Text 6
ramya-tIra-rambhamANa-go-kadamba-bhUSitA
divya-gandha-bhAk-kadamba-puSpa-rAji-rUSitA
nanda-sUnu-bhakta-saGgha-saGgamAbhinandinI
mAM punAtu sarvadAravinda-bandhu-nandinI
May Sri Yamuna, the daughter of Suryadeva, whose charming shores are decorated with many lowing cows, who is filled with many splendid and fragrant kadamba flowers, and who is delighted to have the company of Sri Krishna’s devotees, always purify me.
Text 7
phulla-pakSa-mallikAkSa-haMsa-lakSa-kUjitA
bhakti-viddha-deva-siddha-kinnarAli-pUjitA
tIra-gandhavAha-gandha-janma-bandha-randhinI
mAM punAtu sarvadAravinda-bandhu-nandinI
May Sri Yamuna, the daughter of Suryadeva, who is filled with the warblings of thousands of joyful mallikaksa swans, who is worshiped by the Vaisnavas, devas, siddhas, and kinnaras, and the slightest scent of the fragrant breeze moving on whose shores stops the cycle of repeated birth and death, always purify me.
Text 8
cid-vilAsa-vAri-pUra-bhUr-bhuvaH-svar-ApinI
kIrtitApi durmadoru-pApa-marma-tApinI
ballavendra-nandanAGgarAga-bhaGga-gandhinI
mAM punAtu sarvadAravinda-bandhu-nandinI
May Sri Yamuna, the daughter of Suryadeva, who is the famous splendid spiritual river flowing through the Bhuh Bhuvah and Svah planets, who burns away the greatest sins, and who is fragrant with scented ointments from Lord Krishna’s transcendental body, always purify me.
Text 9
tuSTa-buddhir aSTakena nirmalormi-ceSTitAM
tvAm anena bhAnu-putri! sarva-deva-veSTitAm
yaHstavIti vardhayasva sarva-pApa-mocane
bhakti-pUram asya devi! puNDarIka-locane
O lotus-eyed one, O daughter of Suryadeva, O rescuer from all sins, please flood with pure devotional service that person who, reciting these eight prayers with a cheerful heart, glorifies you, whose waves are pure and splendid, and who is accompanied by all the demigods.
SRIMATIJI IS THE EPITOME OF TRANSCENDENTAL MELLOWS
de Amrita Varshini, el miércoles, 4 de noviembre de 2009 a la(s) 7:36 ·
Srimati Radhika, who is the quintessence of transcendental rasa resides in Goloka-dham in the company of Sri Govinda – the Saravavyapak-Sarvagya-Saktiman—the all pervading Bhagavan who exists within the hearts of all.
ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
(Brahma-samhita 5.37/ CC.Adi 4.72)
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes (sakhis), embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.
Purport by Srila Prabhupada
This verse indicates that Krishna and His entourage are of the same spiritual potency (ananda-cinmaya-rasa). Krishna's father, His mother, His friends the cowherd boys, and the cows are all expansions of Krishna, as will be explained in the brahma-vimohana-lila. When Brahma took away Krishna's associates to test the supremacy of Lord Krishna, the Lord expanded Himself again in the forms of the many cowherd boys and calves, all of whom, as Brahma saw, were vishnu-murtis. Devaki is also an expansion of Krishna, and therefore this verse says, devakyam deva-rupinyam vishnuh sarva-guha-sayah.
At the time for the Lord's appearance, the great sages and the demigods, being pleased, began to shower flowers. At the seashore, there was the sound of mild waves, and above the sea there were clouds in the sky which began to thunder very pleasingly.
When things were adjusted like this, Lord Vishnu, who is residing within the heart of every living entity, appeared in the darkness of night as the Supreme Personality of Godhead before Devaki, who appeared as one of the demigoddesses. The appearance of Lord Vishnu at that time could be compared to the rising of the full moon in the sky on the eastern horizon. The objection may be raised that since Lord Krishna appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon, there could be no rising of the full moon. In answer to this it may be said that Lord Krishna appeared in the dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the moon; therefore, although the moon was incomplete on that night, because of the Lord's appearance in the dynasty wherein the moon is himself the original person, the moon was in an overjoyous condition, so by the grace of Krishna he could appear as a full moon. To welcome the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the waning moon became a full moon in jubilation.
Instead of deva-rupinyam, some texts of Srimad-Bhagavatam clearly say vishnu-rupinyam. In either case, the meaning is that Devaki has the same spiritual form as the Lord. The Lord is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], and Devaki is also sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Therefore no one can find any fault in the way the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, appeared from the womb of Devaki.
Those who are not in full knowledge that the appearance and disappearance of the Lord are transcendental (janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]) are sometimes surprised that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can take birth like an ordinary child. Actually, however, the Lord's birth is never ordinary. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is already situated within the core of everyone's heart as antaryami, the Supersoul. Thus because He was present in full potency in Devaki's heart, He was also able to appear outside her body.
One of the twelve great personalities is Bhishmadeva (svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh prahlada, janako bhishmah [SB 6.3.20]). In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.9.42), Bhishma, a great authority to be followed by devotees, says that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in the core of everyone's heart, just as the sun may be on everyone's head. Yet although the sun may be on the heads of millions and millions of people, this does not mean that the sun is variously situated. Similarly, because the Supreme Personality of Godhead has inconceivable potencies, He can be within everyone's heart and yet not be situated variously. Ekatvam anupasyatah (Isopanishad 7).
The Lord is one, but He can appear in everyone's heart by His inconceivable potency. Thus although the Lord was within the heart of Devaki, He appeared as her child. According to the Vishnu Purana, therefore, as quoted in the Vaishnava-toshani, the Lord appeared like the sun (anugrahasaya). The Brahma-samhita (5.35) confirms that the Lord is situated even within the atom (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). He is situated in Mathura, in Vaikuntha and in the core of the heart. Therefore one should clearly understand that He did not live like an ordinary child in the heart or the womb of Devaki. Nor did He appear like an ordinary human child, although He seemed to do so in order to bewilder asuras like Kamsa. I he asuras wrongly think that Krishna took birth like an ordinary child and passed away from this world like an ordinary man. Such asuric conceptions are rejected by persons in knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ajo 'pi sann avyayatma bhutanam isvaro 'pi san (Bg. 4.6). As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the Lord is aja, unborn, and He is the supreme controller of everything. Nonetheless, He appeared as the child of Devaki. This verse describes the inconceivable potency of the Lord, who appeared like the full moon. Understanding the special significance of the appearance of the Supreme Godhead, one should never regard Him as having taken birth like an ordinary child. SB.10.3.7-8
Srimatiji is the personified embodiment of transcendental consciousness and rasa.
hladinira sara `prema’, prema-sara `bhava’
bhavera parama-ksatha, nama – `maha-bhava’ CC Adi 4.68
The essence of the hladini potency is love of God, the essence of love of God is emotion (bhava), and the ultimate development of emotion is mahabhava.
Purport by Srila Prabhupada
The product of hladini sakti is the love of Godhead, which has two divisions-namely, pure love of Godhead and adulterated love of Godhead. Only when the hladini sakti emanates from Sri Krsna and is bestowed upon the living being to attract Him does the living being become a pure lover of God. But when the same hladini sakti is adulterated by the external material energy and emanates from the living being, it does not attract Krsna; on the contrary, the living being becomes attracted by the glamour of the material energy. At that time instead of becoming mad with love of Godhead, the living being becomes mad after material sense enjoyment, and because of his association with the qualitative modes of material nature, he is captivated by its interactions of distressful, unhappy feelings.
mahabhava-svarupa sri-radha-thakurani
sarvva-guna-khani krsna-kanta-siromani CC Adi 4.69
Sri Radha Thakurani is the embodiment of mahabhava. She is the repository of all good qualities and the crest jewel among all the lovely consorts of Lord Krsna.
Purport by Srila Prabhupada
The unadulterated action of the hladini sakti is displayed in the dealings of the damsels of Vraja and Srimati Radharani, who is the topmost participant in that transcendental group. The essence of the hladini sakti is love of Godhead, the essence of love of Godhead is bhava, or transcendental sentiment, and the highest pitch of that bhava is called mahabhava. Srimati Radharani is the personified embodiment of these three aspects of transcendental consciousness. She is therefore the highest principle in love of Godhead and is the supreme lovable object of Sri Krsna.
PRAYERS TO THE QUEEN OF VRNDAVAN- SRILA RUPA GOSWAMI
de Amrita Varshini, el jueves, 5 de noviembre de 2009 a la(s) 4:43 ·
Sri Prarthana-paddhati [Stavamala]
Srila Rupa Goswami prays:
"O Queen of Vrndavana, O Radharani, Your complexion is like molten gold, Your doe-like eyes are captivatingly restless, a million full and brilliant moons wane before Your lustrous countenance, and a blue sari, having stolen the hue of a fresh rain-laden cloud, has enwrapped Your exquisite form. O Radha, You are the crest-jewel of all the dallying damsels of Vrndavana, fragrant and pristine like a budding jasmine flower. Your sublime form is adorned with priceless jewelry, and you are the best of all the charming and intelligent gopis. You are decorated with all wonderful excellences and surrounded by eight dedicated and beloved cowherd girls known as the asta-sakhis."
"The ambrosia of Your beautiful lips, red as the bimba fruit, is life-giving syrup to Krsna. O Radha, I am rolling on the banks of the Yamuna, my poor heart filled with anticipation, praying to You with all humility. I am guilty of being an offender, a rascal, a useless wretch--yet I beg You to kindly engage me in even the smallest service to Your lotus feet. O most merciful Lady, it will not become You to ignore this most distressed soul, for Your heart is always overflowing with compassion and love."
SELFLESS LOVE AND DEVOTION TO GOD
de Amrita Varshini, el Martes, 3 de noviembre de 2009 a la(s) 6:21 ·
HH Mata Amritanandamayi Mata....The Hugging Saint AMMA
"There is love and Love. You love your family — your father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife, etc. But you do not love your neighbour. You love your son or daughter, but you do not love all children. You love your father and mother, but you do not love everyone the way you love your father and mother. You love your religion, but you do not love all religions. Likewise, you have love for your country, but you do not love all countries. Hence, this is not Love; it is only love. Transformation of this love to Love is the goal of spirituality. In the fullness of Love blossoms the beautiful, fragrant flower of compassion."
"Children, love can accomplish anything and everything. Love can cure diseases. Love can heal wounded hearts and transform human minds. Through love one can overcome all obstacles. Love can help us renounce all physical, mental and intellectual tensions and thereby bring peace and happiness."
"If we penetrate deeply into all aspects and all areas of life, we will find that hidden behind everything is love. We will discover that love is the force, the power and inspiration behind every word and every action. This applies to all people, irrespective of race, caste, creed, sect, religion or of what work people do."
"Do your work and perform your duties with all your heart. Try to work selflessly with love. Pour yourself into whatever you do. Then you will feel and experience beauty and love in every field of work. Love and beauty are within you. Try to express them through your actions and you will definitely touch the very source of bliss."
Instead of "I love you," say "I am love"
"The common expression is 'I love you.' But instead of 'I love you,' it would be better to say, 'I am love — I am the embodiment of pure love.' Remove the I and you, and you will find that there is only love. It is as if love is imprisoned between the I and you. Remove the I and you, for they are unreal; they are self-imposed walls that don't exist. The gulf between I and you is the ego. When the ego is removed the distance disappears and the I and you also disappear. They merge to become one — and that is love. You lend the I and you their reality. Withdraw your support and they will disappear. Then you will realise, not that 'I love you,' but that 'I am that all-embracing love.'"
"Pure love transcends the body. It is between hearts. It has nothing to do with bodies."
"Bhakti is love — loving God, loving your own Self, and loving all beings. The small heart should become bigger and bigger and, eventually, totally expansive. A spark can become a forest fire. So to have only a spark is enough, for the spark is also fire. Keep blowing on it, fanning it. Sooner or later it will burn like a forest fire, sending out long tongues of flame."
Love is beyond Logic
"Love just happens. Nobody thinks about how to love, or when and where to love. Nobody is rational about love. Rational thought hinders love. Love is a sudden rising in the heart. Love is an unavoidable, unobstructable longing for oneness. There is no logic in this. It is beyond logic. So do not try to be rational about love. It is like trying to give reasons for the river to flow, for the breeze to be cool and gentle, for the moon to glow, for the sky to be expansive, for the ocean to be vast and deep, or for the flower to be fragrant and beautiful.
Rationalisation kills the beauty and charm of these things. They are to be enjoyed, experienced, loved and felt. If you rationalise about them, you will miss the beauty and charm and the feelings they evoke. Sit by the seashore. Look at it. Feel its vastness. Feel the rising up and down of the waves. Feel and be amazed at the creation and the creator of such magnificence. What good will it do you to rationalise about the ocean?"
Compassion
Question: Amma, are love and compassion one and the same, or are they different?
Amma: When love becomes divine love, compassion also fills the heart. Love is the inner feeling and compassion is its expression. Compassion is expressing your heartfelt concern for someone — for a suffering human being. Therefore, love and compassion are two sides of the same coin; they coexist.
"True worship of God is rendering help to those who are suffering."
"There are three types of people in this world. There are those who have nothing; then there are those who are just scraping by; and the third type are those who have far more than they need. Now, if those who belong to the third category don't do anything to help those of the first two categories, then Amma would say that those who belong to the third category, who are supposed to be rich, are, in fact, the poorest of the poor. Those who have far more than they need should have eyes with which to see the suffering of others; they should have ears to hear the distressed calls for help; they should have a loving heart with which to feel compassion towards those who suffer, and they should have willing hands with which to lend their assistance to those in need."
"Compassion is Consciousness expressed through your actions and words. Compassion is the art of non-hurting. Compassion cannot hurt. Compassion cannot hurt anyone because compassion is Consciousness manifested. Consciousness cannot hurt anyone. Just as the sky cannot hurt anyone and space cannot hurt anyone, the manifestation of Consciousness, compassion, cannot hurt anyone. One who has compassion can only be compassionate."
"Compassion does not see the faults of others. It does not see the weaknesses of people. It makes no distinction between good and bad people. Compassion cannot draw a line between two countries, two faiths or two religions. Compassion has no ego; thus there is no fear, lust or passion. Compassion simply forgives and forgets. Compassion is like a passage. Everything passes through it. Nothing can stay there. Compassion is love expressed in all its fullness."
"To be able to put oneself in another's position, to be able to see and to feel as another person does, this is the rare gift of an earnest spiritual seeker."
"A spiritual person finds happiness in being loving and compassionate towards everyone, even towards those who are against him. He is like a tree that gives shade even to those who are in the act of cutting it down."
"There is a difference between buying medicines for a wound on one's own hand, and going out to get medicine for someone else's pain. The latter shows that one has a loving heart. This is what a spiritual seeker needs; it is what his spiritual practices are for. Sadhana shouldn't be done for one's own liberation, but for the sake of becoming loving, compassionate and understanding enough to remove the suffering of the world. There's no benefit to be derived from just sitting somewhere with our eyes closed and doing nothing else. We have to become so large-hearted that we experience the suffering of others as our own, and work to alleviate their suffering."
Prema Bhakti
"Anyone who has tasted prema bhakti — devotion with supreme love — even for a second, will never waver from it. But such devotion does not arise in everyone. Not everyone who enters a lottery gets first prize. That only goes to one person among millions. True devotion is like that; only one in a million will experience it."
"Fear is completely absent only when love is present in all its fullness. This kind of love is found only in a devotee who has surrendered completely to God. Such a devotee lives in love; he has drowned in the ocean of love. Fully consumed by divine love, his individual existence is lost, for he has merged with the totality of love. He becomes love. He becomes an offering to his Lord. Like a drop of water, which falls into the sea and merges with its vast expanse, the devotee dives into the ocean of bliss as he offers himself to existence. In that state, all fear, all worries, all attachments and sorrows disappear."
Real Love
"Real love is the complete absence of any negative feelings towards anyone."
"Real love is experienced when there are no conditions. To have conditions is to force. But where love is present, nothing can be forced. Conditions exist only where there is division. Force is used where there is duality, a sense of 'you and I.' You use force because you perceive the other to be different from you. But force cannot take place when there is only one. The very idea of force disappears in that state. Then you simply are. The universal life force flows through you; you become an open passage. You let the Supreme Consciousness take charge of you. You remove whatever has been obstructing the flow; you remove the self-created bund allowing the river of all-embracing love to run its course."
The Path of Love
"The spirit of worldly love is not constant. Its rhythm fluctuates; it comes and goes. The beginning is always beautiful and enthusiastic, but slowly it gets less beautiful and less exciting until it ends up being shallow. In most cases, it ends up finally in upset, hatred and deep sorrow. Spiritual love is different. The beginning is beautiful and peaceful. Shortly after this peaceful beginning comes the agony of longing. Through the middle period, the agony will continue to grow stronger and stronger, more and more unbearable. Excruciating pain will ensue, and this pain of love will prevail until just before it leads up to unity with the beloved. This unity is beautiful, even more inexpressibly beautiful than the beginning of love. The beauty and peace of this unity in love remains forever and ever. Love of this kind never dries up or diminishes. Always alive, both within and without, it is constant, and each moment you live in love. Love will swallow you; eat you up completely until there is no 'you,' only love. Your whole being will be transformed into love. Spiritual love culminates in unity, in oneness. Sometimes a relationship between two people, if it is pure, can reach that union."
The Lover and the Beloved
In the ultimate state of oneness, even if the lover and beloved retain their bodies, that is, even if they exist as two bodies, deep in the depths of their love they are one whole. It is like two banks of the river. The banks are different; they are two as we as we see from the outside, but deep down they are one, one united in the depths. The same is the case with genuine lovers. Though they appear as two persons externally, deep within they are one, united in love."
"In the final stage of love, the lover and the beloved become one. Even beyond this, there comes a state where there is no love, lover or beloved. That state is beyond expression. That is where the Master finally takes you."
Love and Detachment
"Desire for anything will not rise up once love of God arises. Attachment to other things will automatically decrease. If intense love for God comes, then that love is like one who is suffering from fever. A feverish person will not feel any appetite at all. He will not feel anything if he sees food, however delicious it may be."
"Without feeling love for God within, we cannot fasten our minds on Him. Once someone has that love, his mind will not stray again towards worldly things. To him, worldly pleasures are like dog excreta. Little babies will pick up mud and dirt and put it in their mouths. Will they be tempted to do so, even a little bit, once they grow up and develop some discrimination?"
"In pure love there is no burden. Nothing can be a burden to pure desireless love. Real love can carry the entire universe without feeling any weight. Compassion can shoulder the suffering of the entire world without feeling the slightest bit of pain."
"Only a person who is completely detached can love others without any expectations. Attachment is not an aspect of real love. In real love not only the bodies but also the souls will be united. There will always be the knowledge of the changing or perishable nature of the body and the eternal nature of the Self. Attachment binds and destroys the person who is attached and the person to whom he is attached. Due to this attachment, discrimination fails and discipline will be absent."
Love for the Guru vs. Worldly Love
"Is the love we get from our relatives, wife, husband or children real? Is it not for fulfilling their selfish ends that men love women, and women love men? What will happen if she or he runs away with another man or woman? Then the attitude becomes just the opposite. You will be ready even to kill her or him. Is this love?"
"No one loves anyone more than they love themselves. Behind everyone's love is a selfish search for their own happiness. When we don't get the happiness we expect from a friend, our friend becomes our enemy. This is what can be seen in the world. Only God loves us selflessly. And it is only through loving Him that we can love and serve others selflessly."
"All quests for worldly love end in tears. That is the story of our lives at present. Real love cannot be found anywhere; there is only artificial love. It is like the lights used by a fisherman. He casts the net, turns on the bright lights, and waits. The fish come, attracted by the lights. Soon the net is full, and the fisherman fills his basket. Everyone loves another from a selfish point of view."
Love cannot Contain Two
"Love cannot contain two. It can contain only one. Love is purnam; it is fullness. In Love's constant and devoted remembrance, 'you' and 'I' dissolve and disappear. Love alone remains. The entire universe is contained in that pure, undivided love. Love is endless; nothing can be excluded from it. Love is all-pervasive."
If You Love Amma...
"If you children love Mother, you should love and serve all living beings. Then only can it be said that you children love Mother."
Amma is with You
"Where there is love there is no distance or separation. It is your love for Amma that keeps you close to Her. Whether or not you love Her, whether or not you're able to feel Her love, Amma loves you and She is with you. But you will feel Her closeness or presence only when you love Her."
"Love and freedom are not two; they are one. They are interdependent. Without love there can be no freedom; and without freedom there can be no love. Eternal freedom can happen only when all your negativity has been uprooted. Only in the state of love will the beautiful, fragrant flower of freedom and supreme bliss unfold its petals and bloom."
"Love is of two kinds. Love towards the world and worldly objects is love of a lower nature. Love towards God is devotion, love of the highest kind; that is pure love. Everyone has love within him but it fully manifests only when it is directed towards God."
"People are bound by the past and the future; that is why it is so difficult to find true love in the world."
"A true relationship, or true love, is based on the amount of identification one has with someone. However, it isn't something that can be measured, for it is a deep feeling, something that happens within. As the identification intensifies, that sense of oneness becomes manifest externally as well. Your heart overflows with love and expresses itself through your words and actions. At its peak, even your bodies will bear a close resemblance. This rarely happens in worldly relationships. In a spiritual relationship, however, it happens in a clear, profound way. It happens, for example, to a disciple who has completely surrendered to his spiritual Master, and whose heart is filled with love and devotion towards his Master."
"Children, listen to the desperate calls for help! No one's pain is insignificant. In order to really hear their sorrow-stricken words you need to have a compassionate heart, a heart that enables you to see and to feel the suffering of others as if it were your own. Try to come down to their level and feel the vibrations of their aching hearts. If you cannot do this, then all the spiritual practices you do are a useless waste."
"Children, our duty towards God is compassion and love towards the poor and needy. When somebody is suffering we should sympathise and take pity on him. That alone is not enough; we should be ready to help him because God is everywhere, in everything. When we develop compassion and love for ailing people, His grace will spontaneously flow into us."
"Children, whenever you go through a difficult time in life, think to yourselves: 'I don't expect any love from others, because I am not someone who needs to be loved by others. I am love itself. I am an inexhaustible source of love, who will always give love, and nothing but love, to everyone who comes to me."
"Children, you should love all. Only then will God love you. The state of equanimity is the real God."
"If we pour water at the root of a tree, it will reach all the branches. But if we pour water on the branches, the tree does not get the benefit, and our effort is wasted. If we love God, it is equal to loving everyone. It benefits everyone, because the same God dwells within everyone. Through loving Him, we love all. Forming bonds only with individuals, however, just leads to sorrow."
"Life in the world cannot be an obstacle once God is enshrined in your heart. So bind Him with the rope of love."
"No one but God loves you selflessly. Hold on tightly to Him. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't love others. See God in everyone and love that God. Then you won't succumb to grief if anyone's love disappears."
"We must be able to love without expecting anything from anyone."
"A person who really loves God is like someone suffering from a fever. He won't have any taste for food. He won't savour salty or sour dishes; even sweet dishes will taste bitter to him. He won't be very interested in food at all. But it is very unusual for a seeker to feel this kind of love in the beginning. Therefore, in the beginning one should try to control one's various habits with shraddha. Especially in the matter of food. If the mind wanders off to external things, one should bring it back, again and again, to the thought of God. Not a single moment should be wasted."
"At present, love is like a spark within us. Constantly blow on it, using the fan of the divine name, japa and meditation. You may perspire, sneeze and cough, but do not stop. Your body may become hot; tears may fill your eyes; you may want to faint. But do not stop. If you perspire, you sneeze and cough, persist in your efforts, and be assured then that you are heading towards the goal. Soon you will become love itself. This is the reward of your love."
"God has given us the necessary faculties to become like Him. Love, beauty and all divine qualities exist within us. We should make use of our faculties to express these divine qualities in our lives. Don't be lazy. Don't idle away your time. Life is a precious gift. This human body is a rare gift. Work with love while you are still healthy. Do not be a burden to others. God may not have provided you with money, but if you are endowed with a healthy body, work and do it with all your heart."
"If you choose love and selflessness as your goal, you need to be watchful. Watch your mind constantly, because the mind won't let you do anything selflessly. The mind doesn't want you to be selfless— -its one and only aim is to drive you along the path of selfishness, because the mind is selfish. As long as you dwell in the mind you can only be selfish. You have to be free of the mind to be selfless."
Question: What should be done to develop love?
Amma: When the divine name is chanted constantly, spiritual hunger will come. Consequently, a taste for the name will arise followed by love for God. We are saved if love is obtained.
"The ability to grow in love and compassion has almost been forgotten. By not making use of this rare gift, you are rejecting God, going against God and denying His gift. This is the worst thing that can happen to you."
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Conceptos Hinduistas (2919)SK
Conceptos Hinduistas (2592)SK
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1 comentario:
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