RELIGION OF THE HEART
PART TWO : "Krishna's Four Super-excellent Qualities"

Chapter 3
Krishna's Transcendental Flute

trijagan-manasakarsi-murali-kala-kujitah

"He attracts the minds of all three worlds by the melodious vibration of His flute."

The third quality mentioned by Srila Rupa Goswami as belonging exclusively to Krsna and not to any other form of the Lord is that Krsna is the player of the transcendental flute: trijagan-manasakarsi-murali-kala-kujitah.

The transcendental sound that comes from Krsna's flute is so sweet it attracts all the universes; and there are millions and millions of universes in the sky. Everyone becomes half-mad and crazy when they hear the sweet sound of Krsna's flute. The courtyard looks like the ocean, and the ocean like the courtyard. No one can conceive where this very sweet sound vibration is coming from. Brahma and others, who are all expert about sabda, sound, are stunned to hear the miraculous sound of Krsna's flute.

Service attraction

The transcendental sound of Krsna's flute attracts His dear servitors' hearts according to their own service mood. From only one sound His various servitors get a variety of inspirations. Mother Yasoda hears, "O Mother, I am hungry. Give Me some milk and butter, etc." Yasoda sunye nani dei ma bale, haila gosthera bela sunaye rakhale. The cowherd boys hear, "Krsna wants to play with us. He wants our association." Radharani hears something else and others hear something different. Everyone hears the same sound of Krsna's flute according to their own service mood and everyone is simply astonished and amazed to hear the miraculous sound of Krsna's flute.

The original song is the sound of Krsna's flute

Once a lady from Russia asked me if it was alright to play music for Krsna. She was very creative but she said she never used the Name of Krsna in her music. She wanted to know if it is possible to make advancement in Krsna consciousness by playing music for Krsna even though she never mentioned Krsna's Name.

I told her in order to get the highest benefit of life it is necessary to make contact with the original sound vibration and that sound is the sound of Krsna's flute. I quoted the following sloka of Dhruva Maharaj:

sthanabhilasi tapasi sthito 'ham
tvam praptavan deva-munindra-guhyam
kacham vichinvann api divya-ratnam
svamin krtartho 'smi varam na yache

(Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, 7.28, quoted in Chaitanya-charitamrta, Madhya 22.42)

When Visnu asked Dhruva Maharaj to accept a boon from Him Dhruva Maharaj said, "Why should I accept a boon from You? You are like a jewel standing before me and I have come searching for a broken piece of glass. When I see You standing before me, You appear like a jewel. Why should I accept a broken piece of glass?"

This is the real song and this is the sound of Krsna's flute. All vibrations in this material world come from Krsna's flute and that vibration travels everywhere. It is not only in this world but it is in the transcendental world as well. All songs in this world are illuminated and activated by the sweet sound of Krsna's flute.

Illumination and activation

Through the effulgence of light we can see everything but we can't see the effulgence's source, the original light. When we are connected with the original light we automatically see the effulgence. It is not necessary to try and see only the effulgence separately from the original light. This idea is stated in another way in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.20.19):

na rarajodupas channah, sva-jyotsna-rajitair ghanaih
aham-matya bhasitaya, sva-bhasa puruso yatha

"When a cloud covers the moon we cannot see the moon but we see the cloud because of the effulgence of the moon."

The original sound is the sound of Krsna's flute in the transcendental world and because of this all songs in this world are illuminated and activated. Everything in this world is activated by the sound of Krsna's flute.

When we get a connection with the original sound, the sound of Krsna's flute, everything in this world becomes sach-chid-ananda-maya, perfect. Sometimes we try to get pleasure here through songs, and we may get ecstatic feelings, but they are nothing compared to the feelings that come from the transcendental song of Krsna's flute. Once we get that connection any song we sing must be for the glorification of Krsna, because the original song of everything comes from Krsna's flute.

Tansen's Guru

Once there was a famous singer in India named Tansen. When he sang, a cloud would form in the sky, fire would manifest and rain would fall. He was the king's musician and a great singer. His Guru was Haridas. King Akbar asked Tansen where he had learned to sing so nicely.

Tansen said he had not really learned anything but had only learned a small percentage from his Guru, Haridas. He said, "If you hear my Guru sing, you will never forget it."

Akbar asked Tansen if he could bring his Guru to him but Tansen said his Guru would never come to a king's assembly because he did not live within the jurisdiction of a king. He lived within the Lord's jurisdiction.

Akbar was very intelligent and said, "I want to see your Guru at least one time. Can you take me to him?"

Tansen said, "You can see my Guru but you can't hear his song. His song is a transcendental song and you are not qualified to hear that song. His mercy has given me some power and through that everything is revealed to me."

Still, Akbar wanted to hear Haridas sing.

Haridas sang early in the morning. He glorified Krsna and lived in a thatched hut, so Akbar dressed in ordinary clothes and went to hear him sing. After Akbar heard Haridas sing he was stunned. He fell at Haridas' feet.

Later Haridas' Guru, Sivaji, gave his entire kingdom to Haridas. Haridas said he had taken his kingdom because he was Sivaji's disciple and Sivaji wanted him to take it. Haridas asked Akbar to try and protect everything nicely.

This is a long story but the meaning is that through the light of the transcendental sound vibration everything in this world is activated. All songs in this world are activated by the sound of Krsna's flute. All sounds are transmitted through ether, and ether is mundane. If we can connect our songs with the transcendental song, which means the transcendental sound vibration of Krsna's flute, our songs will become transcendental.

Sound: shadow and reality

It is said in the Vedic Scriptures that sound is sabda-brahma—it is a spiritual vibration. It exists on the borderline of Goloka. When sound in this world gets a connection with the spiritual world, it must go to Krsna. Here all sounds come through the flute of Krsna but they are shadow sounds. When the shadow takes form, it becomes reality. It has pure form. Since the mere shadow can give us so much pleasure, how much pleasure can the real song give us? Because of this we need to search for that reality.

It is also said in the Vedas that sound is the origin of the Vedas and that the Vedas are a transcendental sound vibration, not a mundane vibration. They are called sat-guna or veda-guna. Everything in this world comes through transcendental vibrations and everything here is activated by those vibrations which come from Krsna's flute.

Krsna's flute is the original song and the life of the whole creation. Song is good no doubt and if it is good here it must be even better there. We can say Krsna's flute song is the super-most excellent song.

Stunned by sound

Srila Rupa Goswami has composed many slokas glorifying the sound of Krsna's flute.

rundhann ambu-bhrtas chamatkrti-param kurvvan muhus tumburum
dhyanad antarayan sanandana-mukhan vismapayan vedhasam
autsukyavalibhir balim chatulayan bhogindram aghurnayan
bhindann anda-kataha-bhittim abhito babhrama vamsi-dhvanih

(Vidagdha-madhava 1.27)

"The sound of Krsna's flute travels throughout the entire transcendental and material worlds. It encompasses everything with joy, ecstasy, beauty and charm. Everything takes form from that wonderful sound. When Lord Brahma hears the sound of Krsna's flute, he wonders where it comes from. Everyone is astonished to hear the sound of Krsna's flute. Anantadev, who holds the Earth on his head, turns his head after hearing the sound of Krsna's flute."

Gayatri, the flute-song

When Lord Brahma took birth from the lotus flower born from the navel of Lord Visnu he saw everything was dark. He tried to remember who he was and where he had come from but he couldn't understand anything. Then he heard one sound and that was "tapa." He was awakened by that sound and began to search where it had come from and which sound he should meditate on. Then he heard the sound of Krsna's flute and that was the sound of the Gayatri Mantram.

Guru Maharaj said, Gayatri muralista-kirttana-dhanam Radhapadam dhimahi. The Gayatri Mantram is the original song of Krsna's flute. We should try and connect with that song. Songs are good here but if we are addicted to mundane songs we will be cheated. When we know that songs are very beautiful, tasteful and charming here we should try and connect with the original song.

The flute sings the glories of Sri Radha

The extreme explanation of Krsna's flute is given by Om Visnupada Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. He said, "Everything comes from the flute of Krsna. All mantras including the whole Gayatri Mantram come from Krsna's flute. Gayatri muralista-kirttana-dhanam Radhapadam dhimahi. What is the heart of the sound of Krsna's flute? The heart of that sound is Radharani because without Radharani Krsna cannot think of anything.

raya kahe—krsna haya 'dhira-lalita'
nirantara kama-krida—yanhara charita

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, Madhya 8.187)

Krsna is always playing with Radharani, so without Radharani, He cannot think of anything. Therefore Srila Guru Maharaj said, "If you want to meditate on the Gayatri Mantra, take shelter of the lotus feet of Radharani. You need to meditate on the Gayatri Mantra to fulfill your spiritual desires. You will be supremely benefited if you try to understand the meaning of the Gayatri Mantra."

Gayatri muralista-kirttana-dhanam. Murali means "flute," and ista means "what one wants to express," and that is the glories of Radharani, the beauty of Radharani and everything concerning Radharani. Everything about Radharani has come from the flute-song of Krsna. The Gayatri Mantra has simultaneously come from the sound of Krsna's flute. The whole Gayatri Mantra has given us this inspiration.

Prachodayat means: what you meditate on must go to the lotus feet of Radharani. Go there. Go where you will get gold and diamonds. Go to the gold mine for gold. Go to the diamond mine for diamonds. Don't go to the coal mine to search for gold. If you want gold, go to the gold mine. You won't get it in the market. It is in a special and protected area guarded by Srila Jiva Goswami and others.

Srila Guru Maharaj said:

sri-gauranumatam svarupa-viditam rupagrajenadrtam
rupadyaih parivesitam raghu-ganair asvaditam sevitam
jivadyair abhiraksitam suka-siva-brahmadi-sammanitam
sri-radha-pada-sevanamrtam aho tad datum iso bhavan

(Srimad Bhaktivinod-viraha Dasakam—Prayers in Separation of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

If you want the property of service to Lord Krsna, service to your lover Krsna, surrender to Radharani and go there.

How to approach Srimati Radharani

When Krsna would enter the forest of Vrndavan playing His flute He would beautify it with the marks of His footprints. He had a peacock feather ornament on His head, blue karnikara flowers on His ears, a yellow garment as brilliant as gold and a garland made of Vrndavan wild flowers.

As He would play His flute birds would rise to the top of the trees, stop their singing and simply listen to Him playing His flute.

prayo batamba vihaga munayo vane 'smin
krsneksitam tad-uditam kala-venu-gitam
aruhya ye druma-bhujan ruchira-pravalan
srnvanti milita-drso vigatanya-vachah

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.21.14)

When I first came to the Math I would sometimes do exercises as I had a lot of energy. Guru Maharaj told me it wasn't necessary to do exercises. He said if I took a shovel and worked in the garden I would get plenty of exercise.

I planted many fruit trees—mango, guava, papaya, jackfruit, fig, chico and many banana trees. Then so many birds came and they are still there. There are so many different varieties and they are always singing beautiful songs. I can see them all day long from my veranda. They play happily all day and live in the peaceful environment of the Math. They never quarrel and even sometimes they are completely silent. I think this is all the mercy of Guru Maharaj.

As Krsna would wander, the gopis would lament that the bamboo flute was enjoying the nectar of Krsna's lips, which was meant for them, gopyah kim acharad ayam kusalam sma venur, Damodaradhara-sudham api gopikanam (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.21.9) and the peacocks would dance madly when they heard the sound of Krsna's flute.

vrndavanam sakhi bhuvo vitanoti kirtim
yad devaki-suta-padambuja-labdha-laksmi

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.21.10)

The deer would come and worship Krsna when they would hear the sweet sound of His flute.

dhanyah sma mudha-gatayo 'pi harinya eta
ya nanda-nandanam upatta-vichitra-vesam

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.21.11)

And the cows and calves would drink the nectar flowing out of Krsna's flute.

gavas cha krsna-mukha-nirgata-venu-gita,
piyusam uttabhita-karna-putaih pibantyah

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.21.13)

nadyas tada tad upadharya mukunda-gitam
avarta-laksita-manobhava-bhagna-vegah
alingana-sthagitam urmi-bhujair murarer
grhnanti pada-yugalam kamalopaharah

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.21.15)

When the rivers of Vrndavan would hear Krsna's flute their minds would become agitated and the flow of their currents would break. Their water would rush in whirlpools, and with outstretched arms they would try to embrace Krsna's lotus feet with offerings of lotus flowers.

Gayatri Mantram, the original song of Krsna's flute

This morning when I went down to attend arati I saw our Math's logo written on the Temple. I noticed how nicely it was decorating the Temple. In the center is a lotus flower (the disciple) which is sheltered in the water of Sri Gurudev from the shining sun of Om, or Krsna. Below is the flute of Krsna with its divine sound, the song of liberation, descending into this world. Around the outside there is one line from Srila Guru Maharaj's explanation of the Gayatri Mantra: Gayatri muralista kirttana-dhanam Radhapadam-dhimahi.

Singing, dancing, liberation

Gayatri means ganat trayate iti Gayatri, which means a type of song which if you sing you will get liberation. This is such a nice process. Simply by singing and dancing you will get liberation! This is the Gayatri Mantra and this is the original sound, the sound of Krsna's flute: ganat trayate.

Nowhere else in the material world has anyone ever given such a nice explanation of the transcendental sound vibration coming from Krsna's flute. No religion can make this statement: simply chant and dance and you will get liberation!

Gayatri: Radha-dasyam

What is the form of the Gayatri Mantra? Guru Maharaj said, muralista kirttana-dhanam. Murali means the flute of Krsna. Krsna's flute is for singing. It is not for blasting or for making violence. It is for making the heart peaceful—and a very sweet sound has come from Krsna's flute.

What does Krsna's flute sing? If you sing you must have a purpose, a target, a meter or a regulated flow and that target is the Name of Radharani. No other sound comes from Krsna's flute, only "Radhe, Radhe, Radhe, Radhe, Radhe;" and that sound comes in a variety of different ways.

We can conceive something about the character of Krsna's flute from Raghunath Das Goswami's character. Every day in Vrndavan he sang:

radhe vrndavana-vilasini radhe radhe
radhe kanu-mano mohini radhe radhe
radhe asta-sakhira siromani radhe radhe

Vrndavana-vilasini Radhe Radhe, Radhe kanu-mano mohini, Radhe Radhe. The last words are Radhe, Radhe. Every day in the Radha-Damodar Temple in Vrndavan they sing this song. Every day while walking on the road or sitting at his bhajan place Srila Gaura Kisor Das Babaji Maharaj would sing this song. This sound is the only sound that comes from Krsna's flute and it has manifested itself and spread itself all over the transcendental and material worlds. We get this information from the Rasa-lila of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

The original call of Krsna's flute is a call for everyone

When Krsna wants to begin the Rasa Dance He first calls the gopis by playing His flute. Only one call comes from Krsna's flute and that is a clarion call.

Once a Vaisnava used the term "Clarion Call." What does this term mean?

Devotee: It was a term used in the Middle Ages to wake the troops up for battle. It isn't used much anymore. It also means a loud and clear call. Any call that is loud and clear is a clarion call.

Srila Govinda Maharaj: Very good! What is its origin?

Devotee: It comes from the Christian tradition.

Srila Govinda Maharaj: That is very nice but it is not their father's property. It is the property of all the jiva-souls. It is not the property of Hindus or Christians, or anyone. It is the property of all the jiva-souls. The original clarion call of Krsna's flute is a call for everyone.

How can we understand this? We understand this through Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. Bhaktivinod Thakur wrote in one song, jiv jago, jiv jago, Gaurachanda bole. Is this the clarion call or not? Kota nidra jao maya-pisachira kole. We are asleep and the clarion call comes and says, "Wake up, wake up you sleeping soul! You are sleeping in the lap of illusion."

The Upanisads also say, uttisthata jagrata prapya varan nibodhata, "Wake up, arise and search for Sri Krsna, Reality the Beautiful, where you will get love for Krsna!"

The Upanisads, Bhaktivinod Thakur and Krsna's flute, all—the gist of that sound is muralista kirttana-dhanam. Krsna is attracted only by His Divine Potency. She is Radharani. She is serving Krsna wholeheartedly and very extensively with Her associates, therefore Krsna is always thinking of Her.

But the sound of Krsna's flute is not only meant for madhura-rasa, where the chief is Radharani, but for all the other rasas as well. All other rasas are maintained by madhura-rasa, and maintaining means preserving, so the sound of Krsna's flute is preserving and maintaining all the other rasas.

Kirttana-dhanam—the real wealth of our life

Generally we refer to the Hare Krsna Mahamantra, or any devotional song, as either kirttan or sankirttan. We use these terms interchangeably but there is a little difference between them.

Kirttan means when one person is glorifying the Lord, and sankirttan means, bahubhir militva yat kirttanam, tad eva sankirttanam. Tad eva sankirttanam means: when a group of devotees gather together for kirttan, what comes from their melted hearts, that is sankirttan. Sankirttan is congregational chanting with the mood of tolerance, humility and giving honor to others.

But here our Srila Guru Maharaj has specifically mentioned kirttana-dhanam. It is a very particular word. Kirttan is not only meant for everyone, but kirttana-dhanam means it is the "wealth of our life." Through kirttan we will get everything. Through kirttan we will get full and complete entrance into the Rasa-lila where Krsna is playing and chanting and dancing with the Vraja-gopis. This is the real wealth of our life and this is the wealth for all the liberated jiva-souls as well. This is why Srila Guru Maharaj said not only kirttan, but "kirttana-dhanam," when he gave his explanation of the Gayatri Mantra. Kirttan is the wealth of our life.

Krsna's flute has its own freedom

Then Guru Maharaj said, Gayatri murali. Krsna's flute is not only a bamboo stick. It is not just made of metal but it has its own life. It is chetan—it has a conscious form. It is a conscious living being.

Krsna's flute has its own desire and its own freedom for the service to Him. Everyone has freedom. Krsna has given freedom to everyone, so Krsna's murali has ista kirttana-dhanam. Ista kirttan means a desirable kirttan. His flute has freedom to perform its own kirttan and this is how Krsna's flute will be happy.

sakhi murali visala-chchhidra-jalena purna
laghur atikathina tvam granthila nirasasi
tad api bhajasi sasvach chumbanananda-sandram
hari-kara-parirambham kena punyodayena

(Vidagdha-madhava, 4.7)

This sloka of Srila Rupa Goswami praises Krsna's murali because Krsna's murali has its own life. It is performing its own ista kirttan. Ista kirttan means a desirable and palatable song and I can see this everywhere. I can see this in everyone's eyes.

Sri Garga-samhita fully describes the glories of Radharani. Whenever I open the Garga-samhita I immediately see this, and I am sure this must be the mercy of Srila Guru Maharaj. When I stand in the arati ceremony and see Gayatri muralista kirttana dhanam written in our Math logo, my brain is working.

The word dhimahi in Gayatri is very famous in Sanskrit literature. Two words are present most in Gayatri Mantrams: dhimahi and prachodayat. The last word of the meditation is prachodayat. It's not that we will only meditate, but the Mantram will pressure us to serve Srimati Radharani.

We need to know the spiritual regulations and injunctions, chodanam—pratichodanam. That scriptural advice is found in the Vedas, Upanisads, Bhagavad-gita, Mahabharat, etc.

Sruti and smrti: Bhagavad-gita is smrti, and sruti is Vedanta, Upanisads, etc. But here chodanam means prerana, inspiration. What kind of inspiration? Forceful inspiration—inspiring forcefully. The Mantram's nature is like that: to capture the jiva-soul's mind through inspiration and forcefully engage one in the service of Radharani. This is the extraordinary meaning Srila Guru Maharaj has given of the Gayatri Mantra: Gayatri muralista-kirttana dhanam Radhapadam dhimahi.

Srimati Radharani's hidden glories

The glories of Radharani are fully expressed and exposed in the Garga-samhita. I have seen this in Sri Garga-samhita at least a thousand times.

Sri Garga-samhita was written by the great sage Garga Rsi who is the Guru of the Yadu-kula (Yadu dynasty, Krsna's dynasty), and a friend of Parasurama as well as of many other big exponents of Vedic mantras such as Atri, Chyavana, Saradvan, Aristanemi, Bhrgu, Vasistha, Parasara, Visvamitra, Angira, Dvaipayan Vyasa and Bhagavan Narada. All these old rsis were present when the Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken to Pariksit Maharaj. Vedavyasa himself said this.

atrir vasisthas chyavanah saradvan
aristanemir bhrgur angiras cha
parasaro gadhi-suto 'tha rama
utathya indrapramadedhmavahau

medhatithir devala arstiseno
bharadvajo gautamah pippaladah
maitreya aurvah kavasah kumbhayonir
dvaipayano bhagavan naradas cha

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.19.9-10)

Even though all these senior rsis were present at the meeting of Maharaj Pariksit when the Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken, Sukadev Goswami did not fully expose Goloka Vrndavan and the glories of Radharani. They were all friends of Garga Rsi but Vedavyasa didn't expose very much of Radharani's glories. He only exposed a small amount of Her glories. He didn't give Her glories the way Mahaprabhu did.

Sri Garga-samhita

I was very surprised when I opened the Garga-samhita and found the word "Radhapati". I have never seen this word anywhere except in the Garga-samhita. We have heard many stories of Krsna-lila from our childhood and now I see they have all originated from the Garga-samhita. Some other Puranas have presented some stories but most of the stories of Krsna-lila originated from the Garga-samhita.

Actually I was inspired by Sripad Madhusudan Maharaj, who is a Godbrother and sannyasi disciple of Srila Guru Maharaj, to publish the Garga-samhita. He had been searching for a Bengali edition of this book throughout all of India but failed to find one. He was very excited when he noticed there was one available in my cupboard. I was taken by surprise that he knew it was in my cupboard as I myself had not noticed it. It was then I first read a little bit of the contents and found Garga Rsi had fully mentioned everything that would be impossible for us to relate.

When we try to conceive what Vyasadev looks like we picture him as someone with at least a four or five foot long beard, but when I opened the Garga-samhita I was surprised to see Garga Rsi's expression of Vedavyasa's pranam mantra as "vadara-vana-biharah satyavatyah kumarah." This expression satyavatyah kumarah or vadara-vana-biharah will not come to our mind but his pranam mantra came as a realization to me that I am only recognizing Vedavyasa's form in his old age and not remembering his childhood as Satyavatyah Kumar, the son of Satyavati.

Rupa Goswami Prabhu followed this process very nicely. In every pranam mantra of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu he refers to Him as Sachinandan, the son of Sachidevi. Sachinandan. In the Pastimes of Mahaprabhu, Sachidevi is always mentioned first within the pranam mantra and we are habituated with this but we have not considered the same process with Vedavyasa as Satyavatyah Kumar or vadara-vana-biharah. When I read this I was very impressed. I read a few pages and thought, if Madhusudan Maharaj cannot print it I shall try to print it with the help of our devotees. Finally I feel Garga Rsi chose me to publish the Garga-samhita as I asked Sripad Sagar Maharaj to do it and he was able to do it.

The full-fledged theism that was given to us by our Guru Maharaj is fully mentioned in the Garga-samhita. Vrndavan-lila's virtual place and position has originated from the Garga-samhita. Vedavyasa has mentioned everything in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, but very cautiously.

Sukadev Goswami was just a sixteen-year-old boy so how much could he express in front of the older rsis? Even though they were all highly qualified in madhura-rasa they could not taste what Sukadev Goswami had given. Vedavyasa himself commented about Sukadev Goswami that after hearing the Pastimes of Krsna-lila he became mad with ecstasy and then went back to his father to hear the rest of Krsna-lila he had not presented in full.

What is given in Srimad-Bhagavatam is the gist of Krsna-lila and it is sufficient. No other Scripture can cross over the prestige of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Vedavyasa himself as well as other rsis have mentioned in other Puranas that it is a full manifestation of Sri Krsna. We can see the glorification of Srimad-Bhagavatam in this way, so we cannot deny the highest prestige of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sukadev Goswami has given the gist of what he hesitated to reveal in full in that assembly and in that way has fulfilled the desire of Lord Krsna and Radharani.

Mahaprabhu came to give the glories of Radharani

Mahaprabhu came to give the glories of Radharani. He came to give honor to what was not given in this material world before.

anarpita-charim chirat karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah
sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah sachi-nandanah

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, Adi 1.4)

And not only did Mahaprabhu give what was not given before, He gave what was not given in any material universe as well, and there are millions of material universes in the sky. Nowhere were the glories of Radharani given before Mahaprabhu came, and this is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

But Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur said clearly, if you will search for evidential records of this you will be considered foolish because the Srimad-Bhagavatam is the junior-most Scripture but with the senior-most thought.

Srimad-Bhagavatam—highest reality

After all the Scriptures were written Vyasadev was not happy. His Guru, Narada Muni, came to see him and gave him instructions. He gave him a mantra and instructed Vedavyasa to meditate on that mantra, and after meditating he saw the complete spiritual and material worlds. Then he composed the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Therefore it is the junior-most Scripture. Yet, no other Scripture had given such complete knowledge of the spiritual and material worlds before.

In his mature meditation Vedavyasa saw all the senior-most beautiful theories of the highest reality and presented them in a well-organized way and gave them to the jiva-chaitanya. This is Guru Maharaj's expression, jiva-chaitanya. The conscious jiva-souls may be in the material atmosphere, but still this world is a conscious world because everything exists in consciousness.

Secret of the Bhagavat

Sometimes a little suspicion may come to the mind of a pure devotee as to why Radharani's Name is not mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Guru Maharaj has given us this theory in one of his original slokas:

yadamiya-mahima-sri bhagavatyam kathayam
pratipadam anubhutam apyalabdhabhidheya
tadakhila-rasa-murteh syama-lila valamvam
madhura-rasadhi-radha-padapadmam prapadye

In every letter and every sloka of the Srimad-Bhagavatam the Name of Radharani is glorified, but we cannot see Her particular form there. The play of the Sweet Absolute takes place in the Srimad-Bhagavatam so it is not possible that Radharani's Name is not mentioned there. Everywhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam Radharani is glorified, but we can't see Her full form there because Sukadev Goswami is hiding Her a little bit.

It is like the marriage system in India. When an Indian girl is married she always covers her head with a cloth. When a senior honorable person comes, she pulls the cloth over her head a little more. This is also the style of Srimad-Bhagavatam: to conceal Radharani yet reveal Her. Such idea is included in that sloka of Srila Guru Maharaj.

Without Radharani's association Krsna is nothing! The Sweet Absolute's play in Goloka Vrndavan depends on Radharani. Only She can fully exchange rasa with Krsna.

Krsna is the emporium of all rasas, akhila-rasamrta murti. But where is that nectar stored? It is stored in the pot of Radharani. So Krsna keeps all His wealth in the pot of Radharani and He tastes Her mood of devotion. Otherwise everything will be spoiled.

Srila Guru Maharaj has given this extraordinary explanation of the Gayatri Mantra, which is the sound of Krsna's flute. No one in this material conscious world has ever given an explanation like this before. In the last part of Srila Guru Maharaj's life, Guru Maharaj was always discovering many things. Actually everything was within him but he had not found the proper person to explain everything to.

Srila Guru Maharaj's original Gayatri Mantram explanation

Srila Guru Maharaj's original Gayatri Mantra explanation is written in eleven lines published in our Sri Gaudiya Gitanjali, the Bengali song-book.

bhvades tat savitur varenya-vihitam ksetrajna-sevyarthakam
bhargo vai vrsabhanu-jatma-vibhavaikaradhana-sripuram
(bhargo jyotir achintya-lilana sudhaikaradhana-sripuram)
(bhargo dhama-taranga-khelana-sudhaikaradhana sripuram)
(bhargo dhama-sada nirasta-kuhakam prajnana-lila-puram)
(devasyamrta-rupa-lila-rasadheraradha-dhih prerinah)
(devasyamrta-rupa-lila-purusasyaradha-dhih presinah)
devasya dyuti-sundaraika-purusasyaradha-dhih presinah
gayatri muralista kirttana-dhanam radha-padam dhimahi
(gayatri-gaditam mahaprabhu-matam radha-padam dhimahi)
(dhiraradhanam-eva nanyad iti tad radha-padam dhimahi)

I took four lines from this explanation (the ones not in brackets) to make the Gayatri Mantra sloka. I put this sloka on Srila Guru Maharaj's Samadhi Mandir. I asked Srila Guru Maharaj permission to take these four lines and he gave his permission.

But it was especially my desire that I shall take this one line: Dhiraradhanam-eva nanyad iti tad Radha-padam dhimahi. Dhi comes from the root word buddhi which means intelligence. Where should buddhi go? Our intelligence should go for the service of the Lord. Without one's intelligence going for the service of the Lord, no other conception can exist. This is Guru Maharaj's explanation.

There are two kinds of intelligence. One is para and another is apara. Para intelligence is always serving the Lord. Then, dhira radhanam-eva nanyad iti, without one's intelligence going to serve the Lord, no other conception can exist. This is Srila Guru Maharaj's explanation.

But sometimes for my explanation I have taken the next to the last line, Gayatri-gaditam Mahaprabhu-matam, because this line is hiding Radharani, Radha-padam dhimahi, a little bit.

The Rg Veda mantra

Srila Guru Maharaj also gave an explanation of the Rg Veda mantra. The original Rg Veda mantra is:

om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti surayah
diviva chaksur atatam visnor yat paramam padam

But Srila Guru Maharaj expanded the Rg mantra:

om tat visnoh paramam padam srutimatam muhyanti yat surayah
drasta chaksur iva prasarita-maha-suryeva divya tatam
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param sabditam
jyotih priti-tanum hiranya-purusam pasyanti tam surayah

The last line is especially significant: jyotih priti-tanum hiranya-purusam. Jyotih means effulgence and love and this has taken its form as the heart and halo of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Here is Guru Maharaj's miracle. So many pandits can understand the Sanskrit language but they cannot understand the gist of the ecstasy inside the Sanskrit language. This is a fact.

The Upanisads very clearly say, nayam atma bala-hinena labhyo, nayam atma pravachanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna srutena. "You may know so many things, and you may have much intelligence, medhaya, but without the grace of Nityananda Prabhu, and Baladev, you cannot understand anything."

But, yam evaisa vrnute tena labhyas, "When Krsna in the form of Sri Gurudev will give you the Gayatri Mantram and you meditate on it with your full existence, you will understand it." Here there is no question. Everywhere there are many questions and everywhere there are many difficulties, but this fact is very clear, tasyaisa atma vivrnute tanum svam.

If you do not have the ability to see—like owls do not like to see the sun—how will you see? How will a man with no eyes see? Andhi bhuta chaksu yara visaya dhulite kemane se para-tattva paibe dekhite. How will one whose eyes are blinded by the dust of material conceptions see?

We need the eyes to see

In Srila Guru Maharaj's explanation of the Rg Veda mantra he used the word surayah. Guru Maharaj used it only to give honor to the Vedas, especially the Upanisads. Surayah means the demigods but Guru Maharaj did not explain the meaning that way. He gave this meaning: "The demigods can see but they can never see the hiranya-purusam (the Golden Lord, Mahaprabhu) without the mercy of jyotih priti-tanum. Without the mercy of Mahaprabhu and without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, surayah, the demigods, can never see. Without Their mercy they cannot see."

This is a fact and Lord Brahma himself said it:

jananta eva janantu kim bahuktya na me prabho
manaso vapuso vacho vaibhavam tava gocharah

(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.14.38)

"Whoever will say they know Krsna's Pastimes can say that. But I say I cannot understand even a small amount of Your unlimited glories. My whole existence is blind without Your mercy. Therefore I am misguided. I don't want to say too much. The only thing I can say is I do not want to say too much because I cannot understand mentally, verbally or bodily Your unlimited Pastimes."

Kim bahuktya na me means, "It is not necessary to say many things, only that I cannot understand Your unlimited Pastimes."

CONTENTS:

Part One: The Glories of Devotional Service
1 The Service of Vrndavan
2 The Lord is not Impersonal
3 Evidence of the Conception of a Personal God in the Scriptures of India
4 Preparing to Understand Krsna's Transcendental Pastimes

Part Two: Krishna's Four Super-excellent Qualities
1 Krishna's Sweet Pastimes
2 Krishna's Wonderful Associates
3 Krishna's Transcendental Flute
4 Krishna's Unparalleled Beauty and Opulence