Sunday, April 30, 2023

Blissful Trickery

 




Blissful Trickery

[A song in barāḍi-rāga composed by Śrī Harivallabha Dāsa a.k.a. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura]

[Intro: Śrī Rādhā is afraid of getting out of her home at night, because the transcendental trickster Krishna may trouble her. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura in his perfected body as her sakhi speaks reassuring words to her as follows.]
কাহে ডরসি ধনি! চলু হাম সঙ্গ ।
মাধব নাহি পরশিব তুযা অঙ্গ ॥
kāhe ḍarasi dhani! calu hāma saṅga |
mādhava nāhi paraśiba tuyā aṅga ||
O Dhani (Rādhā)! Why are you afraid? Come with me. Do not worry! That Mādhava will never ever be able to touch any part of your body.
[Note: This is merely a trick. Śrī Rādhā innocently believes this sakhi, and the sakhi takes her deep within the forest. Now that Śrī Rādhā is in the forest, this sakhi starts saying something else.]
এ রজনী ফুল-কানন-মাঝ ।
কো এক ফিরত সাজি বহু সাজ ॥
কুসুমকো ঘোর ধনুক ধরি পানি ।
মারত শর বালাজন জানি ॥
e rajanī phula-kānana-mājha |
ko eka phirata sāji bahu sāja ||
kusumako ghora dhanuka dhari pāni |
mārata śara, bālā-jana jāni ||
Sakhi! Please be aware. In this dense, flowery forest, an unknown dangerous person roams around, fully decorated with weapons. He carries a deadly flower bow in his hands, and as soon as he sees an innocent girl, he mercilessly shoots her down with his arrows.
[Note: Śrī Rādhā's anxiety is increasing. In desperation, she asks this sakhi what to do. The sakhi now advises her as follows.]
অত এ চলহ সখি! ভিতর কুঞ্জ ।
যহি হরি রহত মহাবল পুঞ্জ ॥
এত কহি আনল ধনী হরিপাশ ।
পূরল বল্লভসুখ অভিলাষ ॥
ata e calaha sakhi! bhitara kuñja |
yahi hari rahata , mahābala puñja ||
eta kahi, ānala dhanī, hari-pāśa |
pūrala vallabha-sukha abhilāṣa ||
"Therefore O Sakhi! Please come with me inside this Kuñja, where a particular Hari [= Lion (hidden meaning: Krishna) ] stays. This Hari is a storehouse of great strength [and thus, you will be safe from the hunter who targets innocent girls]".
Saying this, Dhani (Rādhā) was taken near Hari. In this way, the blissful desire of Vallabha (Harivallabha Dāsa a.k.a. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī) was finally fulfilled. 😊
— Song taken from Kṣaṇadā-gīta-cintāmaṇi. Translated by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa. 01-May-2023.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Enigmatic Repetitions


A newly composed verse in glorification of Śrī Rādhā. This verse employs the alaṅkāra (poetic ornament/figure of speech) named — Lāṭa-anuprāsa. In this poetic ornament, an entire sentence is repeated, each repetition having a different meaning. The verse is as follows:
महानर्थो महानर्थो राधिकाऽज्ञानतो भवेत् ।
महानर्थो महानर्थो राधिकाज्ञानतो भवेत् ॥
mahānartho mahānartho
rādhikā'jñānato bhavet
mahānartho mahānartho
rādhikājñānato bhavet
Translation:
By exhibiting rādhikājñāna (rādhikā + ajñāna i.e. ignorance regarding Śrī-Rādhā), a mahānarthaḥ (mahān + arthaḥ — great fortune) turns into mahānarthaḥ (mahā + anarthaḥ — great misfortune).
Similarly, by exhibiting rādhikājñāna (rādhikā + jñāna i.e. knowledge pertaining to Śrī-Rādhā), a mahānarthaḥ (mahā + anarthaḥ — great misfortune) turns into mahānarthaḥ (mahān + arthaḥ — great fortune).
— Composed and Translated by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa. 20 March 2023.

Saturday, March 18, 2023

A Vaiṣṇava Glorifies Śiva-pārvatī


A rare bengali pada (song) glorifying ardha-nārīśvara-rūpa (the combined form of Śiva and Pārvatī). Composed by the renowned medieval vaiṣṇava poet Govinda Dāsa — the author of many famous bengali vaiṣṇava padas viz. bhajahu re mana.
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Rāga: Tathā-rāga
hema-hima-giri, dui tanu chiri
ādha nara ādha nārī
ādha ujara, ādha kājara
tina-i locana-dhārī
Their bodies carry the beauty of a bluish ice mountain and a golden mountain respectively. Half of the body is masculine, and half feminine. Half the body is bright, and half of it is bluish dark. This beautiful form (of Ardha-nārīśvara) has three eyes.
dekha dekha duhuṁ milita eka gāta
bhakata nandita, bhuvana vandita
bhuvana mātari-tāta
Just see! Just see! Two bodies have combined into one. Joyous for the devotees, and praised by the three worlds — these are the mother and father of the entire universe.
ādha phaṇi-maya, ādha maṇi-maya
hṛdaye ujara hāra
ādha bāghāmbara, ādha paṭṭāmbara
pindhana duhuṁ ujiyāra
Half of the body is replete with phaṇi (snakes) and half of it is replete with maṇi (jewels). Brilliant necklaces decorate their necks. Half the body wears a tiger-skin and half of it wears a silk saree. Both these clothings appear exceedingly brilliant.
nā devī kāminī, nā deva kāmuka
kevala prema prakāśa
śrī-gaurī-śaṅkara, caraṇa-kiṅkara
kaha-i govinda-dāsa
Neither the devī (Pārvatī) nor the deva (Śiva) are affected by the slightest tinge of lust. This divine form is merely a manifestation of their pure love. Govinda Dāsa says that he is a servant of the lotus feet of this combined form of Śrī-Gaurī-śaṅkara.
— (Translated by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa from the Vaiṣṇava-padāvalī compilation by Hare Krishna Mukhopadhyaya. 20 March 2023.

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Glorifying Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī

 




श्रीरूपस्य पदास्वादः श्रीरूपस्य पदैरिह ।

भवत्येव सदा तस्मात् श्रीरूपस्य पदं श्रये ॥
śrī-rūpasya padāsvādaḥ
śrī-rūpasya padair iha
bhavaty eva sadā tasmāt
śrī-rūpasya padaṁ śraye
Translation: In this world, the constant sweet experience of śrī-rūpa-pada (the feet of the beautiful looking Krishna) happens certainly through śrī-rūpa-pada (the wonderful poetry of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī).
Therefore, I take shelter of śrī-rūpa-pada (the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī).
— (Composed by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa. 10-March-2023.) 🙂🙏

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

A Composition Glorifying Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī


 


चित्तेरिणं कृतं येन प्रेमवर्षै रसाप्लुतम् ।

तं गौरार्णवसम्पुष्टं वन्दे रूपघनाघनम् ॥
citteriṇaṁ kṛtaṁ yena
prema-varṣai rasāplutam
taṁ gaurārṇava-sampuṣṭaṁ
vande rūpa-ghanāghanam
Translation: By manifesting showers of prema, he inundated the barren soil of the heart with rasa. I offer my humble obeisances to that raincloud named Śrī Rūpa, who has been well nourished by an ocean named Gaura.
— (Composed and Translated by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa, 26 January 2023) 🙂🙏🏻

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Deity Service and other Sevās during Sūtaka



According to dharma-śāstras, sūtaka refers to the ritual impurity that occurs when someone dies in the family. Traditionally, the entire family that is within the sūtaka period decides to voluntarily quarantine itself for a few days, and thus they stop activities viz. visiting temples, performing sevā of deities etc. Hearing this, vaiṣṇavas too sometimes have queries regarding sūtaka. Here are some answers from our
guru-paramparā:

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Pramāṇa 1:
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sūtakādau bhagavat-pūjā na kāryety āyātam, kintu yasya vaiṣṇavasya nitya-pūjā-niyamas tena tatrāpi pūjā kartavyā
Translation: In sūtaka etc., usually one does not perform deity worship. However, for an initiated vaiṣṇava who has a vow of nitya-vigraha-sevā (daily deity worship), this restriction is not applicable. Such vaiṣṇavas should continue to carry out deity worship even in sūtaka. — (Dig-darśinī Commentary on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 12.65 - 68)
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Pramāṇa 2
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pratiṣṭhitārcā na tyājyā
yāvaj-jīvaṁ samarcayet
varaṁ prāṇasya vā tyāgaḥ
śiraso vāpi karttanam
Translation: Service of a deity that has been installed should never be given up (by an initiated vaiṣṇava). One should continue to worship the deity as long as one lives. Rather than giving up such service, one should give up one's life, or cut one's head. — (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.266)
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Pramāṇa 3
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viṣṇu-parāyaṇair iti tad-doṣā nirastāḥ — "All faults pertaining to sūtaka are driven away in the case of those who are exclusively dedicated to Lord Viṣṇu." — (Dig-darśinī Commentary on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 12.65 - 68)
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It is thus clear that the nitya-bhajana-kriyā (daily limbs of devotional service) viz. japa, vigraha-sevā etc. should continue unhindered for initiated vaiṣṇavas even during times of sūtaka, as confirmed by the previous authorities. One may optionally decide not to go to the temple *as a visitor* during such a period, but if one has a fixed sevā of the vigrahas at the temple, then one should go and perform such sevā. Those who are not initiated by a guru however should follow all restrictions, except for japa, kīrtana and one's personal smaraṇa. These activities should never be restricted, even if one is not initiated. 🙏🏻
— (Compiled and Translated by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa. 06-Jan-2023)

Friday, December 2, 2022

Committing Abominable Acts on the Strength of Bhakti

 





[An Excerpt from Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī's Bhakti-sandarbha, Anuccheda 172]

nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir
na vidyate tasya yamair hi śuddhiḥ
iti pādme nāmāparādha-bhañjana-stotrādau hari-bhakti-balenāpi tat-pravṛttāv aparādhāpātāc ca |
Translation: In the Padma-purāṇa section dealing with offenses against hari-nāma and their remedies, the seventh offense is listed as follows — "A person who commits sinful acts on the strength of hari-nāma cannot be purified even after being disciplined by multiple Yamarājas."
[Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī]: One should know that this offense applies NOT ONLY when committing sinful acts on the strength of hari-nāma, but ALSO on committing such abominable acts on the strength of ANY LIMB of bhakti.
api cet sudurācāraḥ [gītā 9.30] iti tu tad-anādara-doṣa-para eva, na tu durācāratā-vidhāna-paraḥ | kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā [gītā 9.31] ity anantara-vākye durācāratāpagamasya śreyastva-nirdeśād iti |
[Doubt]: But the Bhagavad-gītā (9.30) verse says — api cet sudurācāraḥ — "Even if one commits the most abominable action...."
[Reply by Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī]: That verse of the Gītā is meant exclusively for highlighting the fault of criticizing a person who has become a 100% sādhu free of all previous sinful tendencies and has become one-pointed in bhajana, having given up everything else. That verse is not meant to encourage or justify the commitment of abominable acts by anyone.
Just see the immediate next verse of the Gītā (9.31) — kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac chāntiṁ nigacchati — "He attains lasting peace only after becoming a dharmātmā — a saintly soul purified of all past abominable tendencies". (End of Translation)
[Note by HPD: In other words, such a person affected by abominable activities is not expected to attain peace internally as well as externally until he reclaims his position as a dharmātmā-sādhu — a saintly soul completely free from his previous tendencies and engaged one-pointedly in bhajana, free of all other distractions.
Only after becoming such a dharmātmā-sādhu will the "api cet sudurācāro" verse of the Bhagavad-gītā (9.30) apply. Who will decide whether he has truly become a dharmātmā? Bhagavān will decide that, and it will show externally in his deep, one-pointed, distraction-free bhajana replete with remorse and humility. Meanwhile, the society in general may judge him for his past (just as the society harshly judged the Avantī-brāhmaṇa for his past misdeeds, as described in the 11th Canto of Śrīmad-bhāgavatam). However, if someone from the society harshly judges a person who has truly become a dharmātmā-sādhu as described above, then such a critic too runs the risk of becoming engulfed in an offense against hari-nāma.]
— Excerpted from Bhakti-sandarbha, Anuccheda 172. Translation and comments by Hari Pārṣada Dāsa.
(Image: Rāvaṇa — the great devotee of Bhagavān Śiva who later committed many sinful acts on the strength of such devotion. Harshly judged by the society even today, even though he has gone back to the spiritual world in his original form as Jaya — the gatekeeper of Vaikuṇṭha)

Blissful Trickery

  Blissful Trickery [A song in barāḍi-rāga composed by Śrī Harivallabha Dāsa a.k.a. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura] ​ ​ [Intro: Śrī Rād...