(2/3) Spiritual Gradation

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Tarakeshwar, Sri Rama-Navami,
14 April 2019, evening part 2
Translated from Bengali

There are five spiritual relationships with the Lord: santa-rasa (neutrality), dasya-rasa (serving the Lord as a servant), sakhya-rasa (serving the Lord as a friend), vatsalya-rasa (serving the Lord as a parent), madhura-rasa (serving the Lord as a beloved). You can find all these relationships only in the pastimes of Lord Krishna. You will not find them in Rama-lila. You can also see most of them in the pastimes of Lord Gauranga: there is santa-rasa, dasya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vatsalya-rasa, but there is only no madhura-rasa. Madhura-rasa is present in the madhurya-lila (pastimes of paramour sweetness), but in Gauranga's pastimes, those pastimes take the form of audarya. In other words, instead of enjoying His sweet paramour pastimes, the Lord garbs Himself into magnanimity and distributes Krishna-prema to others. He also does not kill anybody in these pastimes. So, you can find all divine relationships with the Lord in Dvapar-yuga, but you will not see them in the pastimes of Lord Rama or any other incarnation of the Lord. Those relationships are manifest only when Lord Krishna comes in Dvapar-yuga.

In the pastimes of Lord Rama, you can mostly find dasya-rasa. Hanuman is the example of this relationship. He considered himself Lord Rama's loyal servant, and he even tore his chest apart to show that Rama and Sita were seated in his heart. Together with Sugriva and other monkeys, Hanuman assists in the Lord's pastimes of destroying Lanka and finishing off Ravana and his clan. He also helped to build the bridge of Lanka. If you go to Ayodhya, you can see the places of some of those pastimes.

Krishna performed His pastimes in the company of His friends: Sudam, Sridam, Vasudam, Balaram and others. When they played, He would climb on their shoulders, and He would also let His friends climb His shoulders. They would carry each other like that. This is sakhya-rasa. You will not find this in Rama-lila.

As for vatsalya-rasa, Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaj always thought of Krishna as their son – they did not care whether He was born from Devaki and Vasudev or from them; for them, Krishna was their son Gopal. You will not find so much parental love in Rama-lila. There is some vatsalya-rasa there, but it is hidden. When Dasarath was very sick, Kaikeyi served him very much, so Dasarath wanted to thank her and told her to ask him for a boon. Kaikeyi's servant Manthana told her to wait, not to ask now. Later, when Dasarath was going to enthrone Rama, Manthana told Kaikeyi, 'Now is your time! Ask for a boon now.' What did she ask for? She asked her son Bharath to be enthroned instead and to exile Kausalya's son Rama for fourteen years (Rama had to go to the forest and live there incognito for fourteen years). This is what Kaikeyi asked Dasarath for. When Dasarath heard it, he was benumbed, 'What have I done? Why did I have to promise her to fulfil any wish of hers?' To help His father keep his word, to make His father happy and to make sure that His father would not face any trouble, Ramachandra willingly went to live in the forest. Sita Devi went with him, and Laksman also decided to join them – he said, 'Brother, I will go with You.' So, Rama, Laksman and Sita Devi went to live in the forest for the sake of Rama's father. Before they left, Bharath spoke to Ramachandra. He said, 'Brother, Father feels obliged to please my mother – he is bound to keep his word. I refuse to be a party to that.' Bharath took Rama's sandals and kept them on the throne instead of Him. He did not seat on Rama's throne. So, here vatsalya-rasa is internal, in Dasarath's heart. He felt much pain for His son, 'Kaikeyi asked me for a boon at this time, and she has asked for such a boon... I have no way out, I have to keep my word... But oh!' He felt very bad about it, but all this pain and parental affection was inside, in his heart. But Mother Yasoda could pull Krishna's ear, she could slap Him, she cleaned His stool, she would make curd and butter for Gopal, she could bind Him with a rope. Vatsalya-rasa is present here in its full form. In Gaura-lila also, Sachi Mata and Jagannath Misra showed such pastimes, but you will not find such parental love and service in Rama-lila in Treta-yuga. There is no sakhya-rasa, there is no vatsalya-rasa. There is only full dasya-rasa, as shown by Hanuman. But where do all spiritual relationships exist? Only in Krishna-lila and Gaura-lila. That is why Krishna is called svayam-bhagavan: the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the sarvesvar: the Lord of all Lords. Lord Rama is the Lord, but He is only an incarnation of Lord Krishna. You must remember all this well.

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 17 Mb
Length: 36 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Rama and Krishna Are Not Same
2) Spiritual Gradation
3) Devotees' Devotion