Sr i K

it
Krris
ishhna K
Kaathamr
amrit
itaa

Bi n du

Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaJaqvNaMa(

tava kathmta tapta-jvanam

Issue No. 148

Highlights

15 March 2007

Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications

r Kmad Ekda, 26 Viu, 521 Gaurbda

Circulation, 1,872

A VOW TO SEE LORD RAMA

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

SITA RAMA, THE IDEAL HUSBAND AND WIFE

Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

NOT ATTRACTED BY MERE BEAUTY

Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada

A VOW TO SEE LORD RAMA

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada
One citizen approached Lord
Ramachandra and his brother,
Lakshman, and informed them,
While you were absent on your
tour for a fortnight or a month,
this brahmin has not eaten even
a drop of water during your absence. Why? Because he comes here to see
you, darshan. His vow was that only after seeing Ramachandra and offering his obeisances
would he then go home and take his breakfast.
Because he could not see Lord Ramachandra
for a fortnight or a month while the Lord was
out on political tour, he did not eat even.
At that time there was a statue of
Ramachandra which had been worshiped in
the family from Maharaja Iksvaku. Maharaja
Iksvaku, the son of Manu, happens to be the
forefather of the family in which Ramachandra
appeared. He was a devotee of Lord Rama, and
he was worshiping the statue of Lord Rama.
That statue was worshiped by the family, one
after another. But when Ramachandra was
actually present the Lord kept that statue in the
closet of his room. When Ramachandra was
informed by Lakshman how that brahmin was
so steady and strong in his vow, Ramachandra
ordered that the statue be delivered to him, so
that in my absence he can offer respect to the
statue. That statue, arca, of Ramachandra is
next column !

still existing
in South
India. It is TWO
being worshiped
PAGE ONE
TOP COLLUMN
from that time.

Lecture on the appearance day of Lord
Ramachandra. Hawaii. 27 March 1969.

SITA RAMA
THE IDEAL HUSBAND AND WIFE
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
A lecture on rmad Bhgavatam 9.10.11
Lord Rama is maryd-puruottama, the topmost example of and enjoyer of Vedic propriety.
He never transgresses veda-maryd, Vedic regulation and etiquette. He is ideal in every sphere.
He is the ideal husband, ideal father, ideal son,
ideal brother, ideal friend, and ideal king. Lord
Ramachandra taught both materially and
spiritually. He came to establish the ideal and to
teach the people in general. In this verse, the
words str-sa gin gatim indicate that the
Lord Himself showed the condition of a person
attached to a woman. Lord Ramachandra
showed by his own example that a person who
is attached to a woman will suffer. If a lusty person is very attached to women he must definitely
suffer. In his purport, Prabhupada has explained
both the material side and the spiritual side. Regarding the material side, he has written:
According to moral instructions, ghe nr
vivarjayet: when one goes on a tour, one should not
bring his wife. Formerly, men used to travel without conveyances. But still, as far as possible, when
one leaves home one should not take his wife with
him, especially if one is in such a condition as Lord
!

Issue One hundred forty-eight, Page 2

top left 2
Ramachandra when banished by the order
of His father.

Attachment to women will cause suffering,

crying, and hardship. It will definitely put one
into trouble. Lord Ramachandra showed that
material side. If one takes his wife with him
when he leaves home, he will suffer. Srila
Prabhupada describes here that there is no
question of independence for a woman:
A further understanding to be derived from this
example is that a woman, however powerful she
may be in the material world, must be given protection, for as soon as she is unprotected she will
be exploited by rkasas like Ravan.... The conclusion is that a woman should always be protected.
According to the Vedic rule, there is no scope for
a womans being independent (asamakam), for a
woman cannot protect herself independently.

Crest Jewel of Wives

As the ideal man, Lord Rama acted as the
ideal husband. The demon Maricha came before Sita and Rama in the form of a golden deer.
Lord Rama knew that it was an illusory deer.
When Sita asked for that deer, Rama could have
told her, but he didnt say anything. Rather, he
ran behind the deer to catch it. Thus he set the
example of an ideal husband who fulfills the
demands of his wife. When he came back, Sita
had been kidnapped by Ravan and Rama could
not find her. Rama cried and cried, O Sita! O
Sita! In this way str-sa gin gatim the
Lord himself showed the situation of a person
attached to a woman. If one is attached to a
woman he must suffer like that. He must cry.
When the wife is kidnapped, ones duty is to
rescue her. A fierce battle was fought between
Rama and Ravan, and then Rama rescued Sita.
He is the ideal husband, maryd-puruottama.
One question arises here: Ramas father ordered only Lord Rama to go to the forest. Why
did Sita go? As Ramachandra is the ideal husband, similarly, Sita is the ideal wife. She is satiromai-pati-vrat, the crest jewel of all devoted
chaste wives. She set the example that a devoted wife always stays with her husband and
serves him. When Ramachandra received the
order from his father to go to the forest, Sita
said, I will go with you. Rama said, Why
will you go? You have not been ordered. You
stay here in Ayodhya. You cannot go. In the
forest there are many dangers. The forest paths
are not nice roads. They are filled with thorns
!

Top right 2

[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu

and pebbles that will hurt your delicate feet.

You cannot walk barefoot. You cannot live in
the forest. Sita said, Yes, you have said that I
should stay in Ayodhya, but where is Ayodhya?
Where there is Rama, there is Ayodhya. Sita
was very intelligent. A chaste and devoted wife
has pure intelligence that comes from the Lord.
Yes, I will stay in Ayodhya. Where there is
Rama, there is Ayodhya, and without Rama
there is no Ayodhya. So I will stay with you.
So she went to the forest with Rama. And the
Lords ll took place there.

Transformation of Love
Generally, those who are attached to a woman
suffer. But spiritually, when there are feelings of
separation between the Lord and the pleasure
potency, the spiritual bliss of the Lord increases.
This is the spiritual side of this subject. In his
purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada has just
hinted, just touched on it. He has quoted Swarup
Damodar Goswami saying rdh-kapraaya-viktir hldin-akti
, but he has not
explained it. Some explanation is required. It
is a very deep and confidential subject. Srila
Prabhupada deliberately did not explain it in
depth because common people cannot understand it. If someone develops greed, he will
inquire about it. Srila Prabhupada is inspiring the reader to develop greed for it. When
one makes further advancement on the path
of devotion one will naturally inquire about
it. This is inquisitiveness, jijs.
This topic is explained in Caitanya-caritmta
(di 4.59-60, 68-69, 71):
rdhik hayena kera praaya-vikra
svarpa-aktihldin nma y hra
Srimati Radhika is the transformation of
Krishnas love. She is His internal energy called
hldin.
hldin karya ke nandsvdana
hldinra dvr kare bhaktera poaa
That hldin energy gives Krishna pleasure and
nourishes his devotees.
hldinra sra prema, prema-sra bhva
bhvera parama-kh, nmamah-bhva
The essence of the hldin potency is love of
God, the essence of love of God is emotion
[bhva], and the ultimate development of emotion is mahbhva.
mahbhva-svarp r-rdh-hkur
sarva-gua-khani ka-knt-iromai

S ri K
it
Krrisishhna-k
-kaathamr
amrit
itaa B
Biindu

Top left 3
Sri Radha Thakurani is the embodiment of
mahbhva. She is the repository of all good qualities and the crest jewel among all the lovely consorts of Lord Krishna.
ka-prema-bhvita y ra cittendriya-kya
ka-nija-akti rdh kr ra sahya
Her mind, senses and body are steeped in love
for Krishna. She is Krish
as own energy, and
she helps him in his pastimes.

In the above cited verse, Kaviraj Goswami

says, rdhik hayena kera praaya-vikra
Radharani is the transformation of the love of
Krishna, praaya-vikra. When we speak about
the love of Radha and Krishna, then the topic
of the gradual development of prema, rati,
sneha, mna, and praaya comes. The first rise
of prema is called rati. When it becomes condensed it is called prema. When it becomes
more condensed it becomes sneha. When even
more condensed it is called mna. When mna
becomes condensed then it becomes praaya.
Rati, prema, sneha, mna, and praaya. Praaya
is the fifth stage of development.

Manuscript in a Locked Box

In the purport to todays verse, Srila
Prabhupada quotes Swarup Damodar
Goswami, rdh-ka-praaya-viktir hldinakti
The loving affairs of Sri Radha and
Krishna are transcendental manifestations of
the Lords internal pleasure-giving potency.
Praaya-viktir means a transformation of love.
This subject of rati was discussed when
Mahaprabhu met Raya Ramananda. That discussion is known as rmnanda-savda and
appears in the eighth chapter of the madhyall of Caitanya-caritmta. Mahaprabhu asked
many questions and Raya Ramananda was
answering. In a purport to that conversation,
Srila Prabhupada wrote: Srimati Radharani
is the most important of all gops and her specific loving service is the highest expression of
mdhurya-prema. [Srila Prabhupadas In
Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life, first printing, p.62] And in the ninth canto purport under discussion, Srila Prabhupada says, The
hldin potency of the Lord belonging to the
 gra-rasa, mdhurya-rasa, the mellow of
conjugal love in the spiritual world...
Because this topic has come up I am speaking about it. Srila Prabhupada has just hinted
about the subject and I am just inspiring you
!

Issue One hundred forty-seven, Page 3

top right 3

to develop greed for it. Because you are gross

materialists you cannot understand it. You will
color it in a material way. That is very dangerous. When you make spiritual advancement you
will be able to understand. Otherwise not.
Prabhupada deliberately didnt discuss the topic
here. But he knows it and it is there in Caitanyacaritmta. He wrote all these things, but he kept
it hidden. He didnt bring it out. Now it is coming out. It is all mentioned here. This topic is
like a manuscript that was kept in a locked box.
There is some danger here that the neophytes
will give these topics some material color. Again
in his book, In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life,
p. 62-63, Srila Prabhupada has written:
Therefore it is better that the neophyte
practitioners in the devotional field not try to
understand the intimacies of Srimati
Radharanis confidential service. However,
expecting that submissive and bonafide
devotees will understand Srimati Radharanis
service in the future, these confidential
discussions are described by Srila Krishnadas
Kaviraj Goswami in Caitanya-caritmta.
Devotees who have been fortunate enough to
rise to the spontaneous service of Godhead,
rgnug-bhakti, and who have developed an
attraction for mdhurya-prema, may follow in the
footsteps of the confidential associates of
Srimati Radharani and their assistants called
the majars.

Srila Prabhupada continued:

The ecstasy that was felt by Srimati Radharani
when she met Uddhava in Vraja in her mournful
mood of separation from Sri Krishna is
personified in Lord Chaitanya.

Who is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? Radharanis

mournful mood of separation from Sri Krishna
is personified in Lord Chaitanya. No one should
imitate Lord Chaitanyas transcendental feelings, because it is impossible for a living being
to reach that stage. However, at the stage of
developed consciousness one may follow in his
footsteps. These are the hints given by experienced, self-realized devotees in the line of Srila
Rupa Goswami, who in ka-ll is Rupamanjari, a distinguished cowherd girl.

Fire Covered by Smoke

Ramananda Raya explained a loka from
Padma Pura: [This verse is from the Padma
Pura and is included in Srila Rupa Gosvamis
!

Issue One hundred five, Page 4

Issue
Top
leftOne
4

Laghu-bhgavatmta (2.1.45). It also appears as

Cc. di 4.215, madhya 8.99, and madhya 18.8.]
yath rdh priy vios tasy
ku a priya tath
sarva-gopu saivaik vior atyanta-vallabh

Srimati Radharani is the most beloved

cowherd girl of Sri Krishna. Not only Srimati
Radharani, but also the lake known as Radhakunda is as dear to Sri Krishna as Srimati
Radharani herself.
The first rise of prema is called rati. In the rati
section of Ujjvala-nilamai [Chapter 14 verses 4558], you will find that rati has three categories.
They are sdhra, samajas, and samarth. An
example of sdhra-rati is Kubja. Surpanakha
in rma-ll became Kubja in her next birth.
Kubjas love is of the sdhra-rati category, and
it extends up to the level known as prema. After
rati comes prema, then sneha, then mna, and then
praaya. After praaya comes rga, anurga,
bhva, and it goes higher to mahbhava. Sdhrarati is a rare achievement, and is compared to a
jewel. Its condition is like fire covered with smoke.
Superior to sdhra-rati is samajas-rati.
The example of samajas-rati is the wedded
wives of Krishna in Dwarka, headed by
Rukmini. This is svakya-bhva. Sita comes
under the svakya category. Sitas love belongs
!

SRI KRISHNA KATHAMRITA BINDU

A free bi-monthly service provided by:
Gopal Jiu Publications
c/o Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir
National Highway No. 5, IRC Village
Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, 751015
Phone: (0674) 2553250, 2557026
Email: katha@gopaljiu.org
Website: www.gopaljiu.org
Subscriptions: minimag@gopaljiu.org
Gopal Jiu Publications is a branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness,
Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His
Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. All other materials, unless specified, ISKCON Bhubaneswar/Gopal
Jiu Publications. All rights reserved. Blanket permission is
given to redistribute Bindu in electronic or print form provided no changes are made to the contents.

Top right 4

[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu

to the category of samajas-rati. Samajasrati extends up to the level known as anurga

rati, prema, sneha, mna, praaya, rga,
anurga. This love is like a jewel, not an
ordinary mai, gem. It is very rare. Sdhranrati is like fire covered with smoke, whereas
samajas-rati is effulgent, ujjvalit-bhva.
The best and last type of rati is samarthrati. The example is the gops headed by
Srimati Radharani. Samarth-rati is topmost.
Its limit is the last limit, mahbhva. This rati
is compared to a kaustubha-mai. Kubjas rati,
sdhran, is like an ordinary mai, jewel. The
samajas-rati of the wedded wives of Krishna
headed by Rukmini, is like candraknta-mai,
but the samarth-rati of the gops is like
kaustubha-mai, and it is very, very, very rare.
No one can understand that love by dint of
their intelligence, knowledge, merit,
scholarship, nor through logic or argument.
There is no tinge of material lust in it.

From Mathura Meets Vrindavan. Gopal Jiu Publications.
Bhubaneswar. 2004. Chapter nine.

NOT ATTRACTED BY MERE BEAUTY

Srila Rupa Goswamis
Lalita-mdhava Nakam 5.116
Being requested by Rukmini to rescue her from a
forced marriage with Sisupal, Krishna arrived in
the city of Kundina with his friend Garuda. In honor
of the upcoming wedding, Rukminis brother had
organized a fire sacrifice for the goddess Durga in
her temple and had stationed many guards around
it to keep out unwanted persons. Krishna and
Garuda disguised themselves as dancers and gained
entrance to the temple. When Rukmini arrived,
Garuda pointed her out to Krishna, and told him
that Rukmini was far more beautiful than even
Lakshmi, the Goddess of fortune. Krishna replied:
sakhe bhavatu. kim etena, yad ea rpa-mtrea na
hryo hari
.

O my friend, your words are certainly true.

But it matters little, since Lord Hari is not
enchanted by beauty alone.

Bibliography
Rupa Goswami. r Lalita-mdhava akam. Sanskrit with
Bengali translation by Sri Rama Narayan Vidyaratna. Mahesh
Library. Calcutta. 1995.
Rupa Goswami. r Lalita-mdhava akam. English
translation by Kusakratha Das. Krishna Library. Culver City,
California. 1990.