Hari-katha inspired by the Guru-varga.
Today is Baladeva Prabhu’s rasa-yatra. In Caitanya-caritamrta and Srimad-Bhagavatam the rasa-yatra of Baladeva Pradhu is explained. Krsna performed rasa, as well as Baladeva Prabhu. But people do not understand why Baladeva Prabhu performed rasa. They do not know the meaning of rasa. They think it is dancing, singing, kissing, and enjoying. They do not understand the meaning of rasa.
In this world, mundane jivas take the gifts of maya and then some jada-rasa comes to them. Rasa means some taste. Having collected these material tastes, they think jada-rasa is the same as the rasa in the spiritual world. They do not understand anything about the spiritual world. Guru-pada-padma is the expansion of Baladeva Prabhu, sandhini-sakti. He endeavors to give the jivas transcendental rasa.
In Allahabad, at Prayaga, Mahaprabhu told Rupa Gosvami, “Bhakti-rasa is an endless, fathomless ocean, but I am giving you one drop of that transcendental ocean to taste.”
Did Mahaprabhu give any presentation of this material world? No. He connected Rupa Gosvami Prabhu to the spiritual world. When the soul takes the rasa from the transcendental world, then he becomes satisfied. In this world we receive rasa from mundane things, but we misuse it all, therefore we suffer.
In Vraja-mandala, all the Vrajavasis were suffering from vipralambha after Krsna disappeared. This is also one rasa. If you don’t taste this, you cannot understand it.
Baladeva Prabhu came by the desire of Krsna to Vraja-dhama. But He was not alone. He is sandhini-sakti; He expands His form as Krsna’s body and all His paraphernalia, as well as the forms of the Vrajavasis. In Vraja-dhama, everything is His expansion. From Baladeva Prabhu comes cit-satta, the spiritual worlds, and also jada-satta, the material worlds.
Without Guru-pada-padma one cannot attain krsna-bhakti or relationship with Krsna. One cannot independently please Krsna. Therefore Krsna arranged this pastime. Baladeva Prabhu was in Vraja-dhama. All the Vrajavasis wanted to steal Krsna’s heart and to keep Him with them by their love and service. But it is not possible for any and everyone. The nitya-siddhas can do so. But the sadhana-siddhas cannot cross Baladeva Prabhu.
During rasa-lila with Krsna, some of the gopis disrespected Srimati Radharani. They were dancing and playing with Krsna, and they began to think that they were equal to Srimati Radharani. This is because they had not taken shelter of Baladeva Prabhu, who is Guru-pada-padma. Then Krsna disappeared along with Srimati Radharani.
Without Baladeva Prabhu’s mercy, one cannot achieve Krsna. Krsna soon left Vraja and went far away to Mathura and then to Dvaraka. Krsna later sent Baladeva Prabhu, Sri Guru, to Vraja, to prepare the Vrajavasis for His own coming. Krsna did not come for a hundred years. But Baladeva Prabhu came. He met with Nanda Maharaja, Yasoda Mata, and the sakhas and sakhis. When Baladeva Prabhu came the Vrajavasis were rejuvenated. Baladeva Prabhu is not independent. He carried Krsna in His heart. Krsna came with Baladeva Prabhu, but He was hiding inside Baladeva. Guru teaches, gives training, and enables one to understand and serve the Absolute Truth. But disciples can easily become proud. Krsna was thus disturbed when the gopis did not properly respect Srimati Radharani.
In an asrama, many followers come to Sri Guru. Guru is displeased if his disciples compete with each other and do not respect each other. Sometimes disciples collect knowledge and good qualities from Guru and then become proud and disrespect Guru and say that he is foolish and has made mistakes, like Sankaracarya said Vyasadeva was wrong and mistaken in some of his writings. Similarly, Dvivida respected Lord Rama but disrespected guru-tattva, Laksmana. Later he attacked Baladeva Prabhu. Gurudeva teaches us to respect all Vaisnavas and that then real love and respect will awaken for him.
Baladeva Prabhu came to Vraja-mandala and taught the Vrajavasis how to please Krsna and how to be respectful to each other. He taught them not to insult anyone and not to think that they were great or superior to each other. Without training from Guru-pada-padma and Vaisnavas we cannot understand how to serve Krsna in the transcendental world.
The sadhana-siddhas came to Vraja but did not understand the nitya-siddhas’ glories. New people come and see seniors chanting and doing bhajana and they think, “They do nothing.” But what did we hear from Gurudeva? He would ask, “Who is doing parikrama? Who is arranging everything?” He would reply, “Nityananda Prabhu and my Guru Maharaja are maintaining everything.
Many sadhana-siddhas came to bhauma-vrndavana. When Baladeva Prabhu came for six months to Vraja He gave them training how to serve Krsna. Yamuna-devi had some doubt in Baladeva, therefore Baladeva Prabhu pulled her with His plow, and said, “Come see My pastimes.” People have doubt in Guru and Vaisnavas. They think, “Many boys and girls are with this sadhu, he must perform some wrong business with them.” Dvivida the gorilla also thought Baladeva Prabhu had bad character. He came and disrespected Baladeva Prabhu and the gopis. Baladeva Prabhu then smashed Dvivida with His club. Sastra describes:They give a chance for sadhakas to serve; they mercifully engage them as students, but without sakti from the Guru-varga no one can do anything. The sakti is working. When a sadhaka understands that all his spiritual power is coming from his Gurudeva, then he can progress.”
harau ruste gurus trata gurau ruste na kascana tasmat sarva prayatnena gurum eva prasadayet
[If Hari is angry with someone, Guru can protect that person, but if Guru is angry with that same person, then even Hari cannot save one.] In Vraja-mandala, Baladeva Prabhu gave everyone rasa. By which process can you be with Krsna and can you serve and please Krsna without trying to control Him? Baladeva Prabhu taught this. People come to asramas and try to control Guru and Vaisnavas; they cannot be controlled by conditioned souls. They mercifully accept your service and try to engage you in Krsna’s service. Our sadhana and ideas are not perfect, therefore we should be humble and follow the guidance of advanced Vaisnavas and have faith in them. Sandhini-sakti akhanda Guru-tattva appeared as Sri Laksmana in Lord Rama’s pastimes during treta-yuga. Sita-devi, Maha-Laksmi’s expansion, disobeyed, disrespected, and had doubt in Baladeva as Laksmana. Ravana was thus able to kidnap her. Even when she returned to Ayodhya, Rama soon sent her to the forest and had Laksmana leave her nearby the asrama of Valmiki. He would not accept her after she had so harshly abused Laksmana and doubted his character and love for Rama. Therefore don’t try to cross beyond Guru. Wherever you go, guru-bhakti is essential. If you have desire for guru-seva, then wherever you go you will be successful in your endeavors. Sri Guru will then train you how to serve in Vraja-dhama with transcendental rasa. Sattvika, vyabhicari, anubhava, and vibhava; these four combine into rasa. Baladeva Prabhu came to give this rasa to the Vrajavasis and Vraja-devis. When they were trained in this, then they sang and danced with Krsna. Krsna appeared there and they played and danced with Krsna. Baladeva Prabhu watched and was very pleased. In this way, Sri Guru gives krsna-seva-vasana, the process and desire to serve Krsna. Krsna is saktiman and all others are sakti. The spiritual svarupa of a jiva may be as a sakha, or an animal, or any other form, but no matter one’s external form, all jivas are eternally the expansions of sakti, the enjoyed, and only Krsna is saktiman, the Supreme Enjoyer. The external figure is not the most important thing. In Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes, His associates took male forms, but they are still Krsna’s sakti. In the Madhu and Madhava months the Vraja-devis took training from Baladeva Prabhu and He gave them relation with Krsna. Then they entered antara-dasa, internal consciousness. People do sadhana and God appears in their hearts. But they want God to appear before them. However, then they do not know what to do with God. By Guru’s mercy, we can understand the process how to serve Bhagavan. We may then be in our physical bodies, but we will always be absorbed in krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita-matih, pure Krsna consciousness. When you do real sadhana, you will comprehend this. Your eyes will be open, but you will not see anything of this world. You will be absorbed in internal service and you will weep feeling you are unqualified. Antara-dasa: in this internal state one feels himself to be unqualified. If you continue on this path with steadfast determination, you will soon enter this stage of bhajana. I would ask Gurudeva, “How can I perform bhajan.” “Don’t worry,” he replied, “if you continue your services with faith and respect, then everything will happen naturally in due course. You will become so absorbed in your service in your internal state that your external body will become just like a statue that you are hardly aware of.” Vaisnavas in this stage are always engaged in bhakti and if anyone approaches them, they engage that person in bhakti as well. Any activity such a Vaisnava performs is successful and executed without difficulty. The Vaisnavas become like trees. They are neutral but if anyone comes to them, they help. Just like if a person shakes a tree laden with fruits, those fruits will fall down and can be taken. Similarly, Vaisnavas give freely even to those who are antagonistic. These Vaisnavas will not waste any time in gossip and frivolity. Ordinary people cannot stop talking. But bhajana-nistha Vaisnavas are always engaged in their internal service. Krsna’s glories are always flowing in their hearts.syamam hiranya-paridhim vanamalya-barha- dhatu-pravala-nata-vesam anavratamse vinyasta-hastam itarena dhunanam abjam karnotpalalaka-kapola-mukhabja-hasam
Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.23.22
[Krsna’s complexion is dark blue and His garment is golden. Wearing a peacock feather, colored minerals, sprigs of flower buds, and a garland of forest flowers and leaves, He is dressed just like a dramatic dancer. He rests one hand upon the shoulder of a friend and with the other twirls a lotus. Lilies grace His ears, His hair hangs down over His cheeks, and His lotus-like face is smiling.] Guru and Vaisnavas are always peaceful and they do not waste a moment in idle talk. If you ask them a question, they may say something, but they will glorify Krsna and His bhaktas. Otherwise they will say, “I am busy.” But ordinary people think, “Why does he say he is busy? He is just sitting in his room doing nothing.” In Vrndavan, Baladeva Prabhu engaged the Vrajavasis externally in all services just as when Krsna was directly present in Vraja. He diminished their sadness in separation and made them related to Krsna through antara-dasa. He thus nourished them with krsna-bhakti-rasa. Baladeva Prabhu is guru and knows how to satisfy everyone with bhakti-rasa. In Navadvipa-dhama, Saci Mata would cook and offer bhoga to Mahaprabhu’s murti, and He would come there and accept everything. When she would return to the temple room, she would see that all the plates that she offered on were empty and she thought, “Did I forget to cook?” But then going back to the kitchen, she saw that the pots were full of preparations, so she again offered everything, thinking that she had forgotten to fill the plates that she offered on. Mahaprabhu sent news back to Saci Mata with His bhaktas, saying, “Every day I take what you cook. Do not doubt.” In the same way, Krsna would come to Vraja-mandala and perform pastimes with the Vrajavasis and accept everything from them. When Gurudeva is not with us, we should not become dumb, lazy, and crazy. Guru-pada-padma is with us and he trains us, therefore everything goes on without any difficulty. We should realize these different stages, and become connected to the transcendental rasa. Service is a medium to be connected. If you stop serving, and only chant mantras, you will become nirvikara and get brahma-sakti and brahma mood, but no kriya-sakti, active service tendency, and no connection to Srimati Radharani. When you are connected to Srimati Radharani then you will always be engaged in service. Baladeva Prabhu taught how to be connected to this kriya-sakti. Gurudeva teaches us this process. Today is Baladeva rasa-yatra. He taught everyone in Vraja-mandala and made them full of rasa. Don’t think Guru-pada-padma is not present. Take shelter of Gurudeva and Baladeva Prabhu and then you can be engaged in krsna-seva. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Hari-katha spoken by Sripada Premananda Prabhu; rendition by Rasik Mohan Das