Sri Radhika Prasad MaharajRasa NidhiKishori KunjConversations with NannaAudio & VideoPublications & Media
Brindavaneswari Sri Radha Sri Radha Sudha Nidhi    Sakhi Forum
 
Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3Volume 4Volume 5Volume 6Volume 7Volume 8
Volume 9Volume 10Volume 11Volume 12Volume 13Volume 14Volume 15Volume 16
 
 

An Endless Divine Continuity - Part 3

 
Our Association With Nanna - Part 3
   
*Nanna's words
*Mothers words of benediction
*Foreword by Author
 
 
1Greatest of the great
2See only Radha everywhere
3Love of Rasa
4State of separation and oneness with Mother
5Mother is with us every moment
6Single pointed devotion
7 I am God's man
8 Conquer the enemy within you
9 Mental shrine
10 Neither mother nor father
11 Sri Rasaguru's message
12 Sri Radha Sakhi Rasa Vani
   
 
THE MENTAL SHRINE

Though we visit Nanna everyday, it is always painful when we have to leave that day. All are equally great experiences - the pain and sorrow of separation, the anticipation of seeing him the next day, the seemingly endless wait till the next visit and the intense pleasure when we are finally in his presence again. Reading out the script of Brindavaneswari Sri Radha Devi; listening to his commentary; understanding the various incidents and examples cited by him and making necessary changes in the manuscript - time flies by. Thus we spend the time with the blended feeling of separation and reunion with Radhasakhi.

One day, Nanna explained the significance of giving 'Arthi' to Mother:


" It is a strong belief in Brindavan that if not several times, arthi must be given at least twice a day. If you enquire they will tell you about 'sayana arthi' (arthi before sleep). As soon as the Lord wakes up in the morning, you must first give him arthi. This is very important. When you give arthi, he will wake up and see the whole house. That is the significance. The second is 'sandhya arthi' (arthi in the evening). As we are doing in our ashram every evening, you also must give arthi in your house. The position of the Gods changes in the evening. Other Gods take their position but nobody welcomes them properly. When a temple is constructed, the Gods will definitely come. Now where is this shrine? You heart is that shrine! Heart is not simply an organ that beats and gives you life but it is a holy shrine. Our mind is a shrine! "


" 'Mana eva manushyanam karanam bandhamokshayah'. "


" Mind alone is responsible for your bondage and liberation. That's why it is known as 'mental shrine.' He who makes correct use of this shrine and sees God there at least once daily will never stoop down for ages to come. People think of temples nearby. They sit near God everyday and perform arthi at least twice, when the Lord wakes up and before his sleep. It is good to include a third arthi in the evening also. I many places in Brindavan, they perform sandhya arthi at sunset time, around 6 p.m. The Gods are generally present at that time. This is told by Maharshis who had visions. The Lords is said to awaken at around 4 a.m. This is also known as 'Brahma muhoortam' because Brahma wakes up when the Lord does! He salutes the Lord and prostrates before him. This is the daily ritual of Brahma. We too must wake up during Brahma muhoortam. That's why I made the practice of waking up at 4 a.m. in our ashram. That is the time when Lord Brahma and all Gods wake up and perform penance. That is the ideal time for morning arthi. The Lord will certainly be present at that time. A variation of 10-30 minutes does not matter. "


" The foremost requirement - wake up at 4 a.m. Next, pray in the temple. You are the temple, your heart and mind is the actual holy shrine. 'Mana eva..' The sole reason for your bondage and liberation is your mind. Develop and mould the mind, the holy shrine! That's why the Vedas also emphasise the significance of the mind. He who does not respect this shrine and insults it will go to hell. It is a holy shrine. We must realize and accept that this has been granted to us by the Lord and pray at least three times a day in our mind. This is mental shrine and mental penance. As soon as you wake up, pay homage to this shrine. Remember that folding your hands and offering homage (namaskar) it self is a penance. Lord Krishna said in the Bhagawata that if you cannot do anything else, atleast offer your homage to me -'Mama namaskuru'. This also a penance and by no means a small one! In namaskar we have na (nothing) and mama (mine). Nothing is mine! This is the secret of highest philosophy. You must pay homage with this bhava every morning. Krishna told us to pay homage to him. But we are not doing so. We are not fortunate enough to even pray. So the first thing that you should do in the morning is to pray to the Lord in the sacred shrine of your heart. You need not stand upright, you need not bathe, you need not follow any riles. That shrine exists in the cosmic form. It is self created. Just pay homage once saying 'nothing is mine. Everything is yours' and hand over your family to him. As soon as you wake up, you normally think of your family. To whom must you entrust the responsibility of your family? Not to yourself. You must not manage it yourself. Hand it over to Mother saying 'Mother, this is yours. Nothing is mine. I have handed over everything to you. You must look after them.' Once you cultivate this habit and adopt it regularly, Mother will certainly be a part of your family after a few days. That is the most important point. That's why you must wake up in the morning and pay your homage with the bhava that 'Mother. Nothing is mine. I have handed over the responsibility of my family to you. You only must look after them. I am here for name sake only.' Pay homage and perform arthi if it is convenient. Your arthi is for the lord only. You need not go out anywhere. The Lord is present in this shrine. Close your eyes, feel his presence, fold your hands and offer your homage. "


" The Lord wants bhava only. He is not interested in worldly offerings. Think with a pure mind that 'Mother is with me' and pray to Her. That is enough. When you pray, do so with the bhava that 'Nothing is mine. Everything is Yours. I handed over my family to You. Please correct me when I commit mistakes and direct me on the right path.' This is most important point. Before prayer, they offer savories and betel leaf in the temple, which they eat at night. "


" The Lord wants bhava only. He is not interested in worldly offerings. Think with a pure mind that 'Mother is with me' and pray to Her. That is enough. When you pray, do so with the bhava that 'Nothing is mine. Everything is Yours. I handed over my family to You. Please correct me when I commit mistakes and direct me on the right path.' This is most important point. Before prayer, they offer savories and betel leaf in the temple, which they eat at night. "


" I visited Tirupati when my eldest son was 6 years old. Thirty years ago, there was not so much crowd as today. The Manager who was in charge of the temple was proficient in administrative rules as well as Vedic mantras and possessed scientific knowledge also. At that time the manager was a scientist. When I went to his house, he told me not to visit the temple with an empty stomach. He said that we must take at least some milk before visiting the temple. This point is stressed in the Vedas also. During a thread ceremony, the boy is fed some food before initiation of Gayatri mantra. He should eat neither too much nor too less. That means he must have a light meal. Later, he is given a bath and Gayatri mantra is initiated. You also must remember that whenever we go to any temple, we must eat something before our visit. "


" When you offer something to the Lord, your offering will become his blessing to you. I was told that it is a custom in Tirupati to offer betel leaf to the Lord and his consort at bed time. That betel leaf is then given to the chief priest, the main among the 500-600 priests of the temple. It is not given to anyone else, even to any minister. "


" As usual, on that day also, the betel leaf was given to the chief priest. He came inside after completing his evening prayers with the betel leaf in his hand. 'The Lord gave me this blessing. But I do not want to accept it. Today I am not feeling like taking it. Some elite Brahmin is likely to come here today. I want to give this blessing to him.' We were about 9-10 people in our group. He looked at us and placed the sacred betel leaf in my hands saying 'I feel like giving this sacred betel leaf which is a part of the sanctimonious sleeping quarters of Lord Venkateswara.' I had some coffee earlier. So I accepted the betel leaf, paid my respects and ate it. As soon as I put it in my mouth, I felt as if the Lord said 'You are connected with our sleeping room. Otherwise we will not give you this betel leaf. This is a sacred arrangement made for us (Lord and his consort). Since you ate the betel leaf you must understand this. Only because you are connected to our sleeping premises you have been given this blessing.' Then the thought occurred to me that I have some connection with the Lord's room. When I come here next time, I may not receive the same treatment. I will be waiting somewhere in the long queue. I do not like that. A sakhi who is connected to the Lord's sleeping chamber, signifying intimacy with the lord, standing in some corner is an insult not to me but to the Lord. So I will not come here henceforth. 'My Lord. This is my last visit to this temple. I will not come back as long as I live. I can come but I will not receive this royal treatment'. I entered the temple from a special entrance, our accommodation was made in Minster's guest house, and the minister's wife accompanied us to the temple. We entered with such respect. I was given the sacred betel leaf from the sleeping chamber. .What a fortune! Can a person who is connected to the intimate sleeping chamber stand somewhere behind? No, this must not happen; it is an insult. I may not be this lucky next time. That's why, this is my last visit. Bless me my Lord. I cannot come to you again. Bless me. I prayed to the Lord and returned. This incident took place 65 years ago. Since then I have not visited Tirupati. Though many people invited me, I refused without stating any reason. This is the real reason! I am connected to the Lord's sleeping chamber. Now you can imagine which attendant the Lord will have in the sleeping chamber. Who can enter there where the Lord and his consort sleep? He must be someone who is important. Such an important person should not go back like an ordinary person! "


Ah, what an extra ordinary incident. What does it convey to the world? It emphasizes the fact that Nanna is a sakhi in the masculine form. The betel leaf that is not and should not be given to anyone was given to Nanna by the chief priest. This means the Lord personally invited Sri Radhasakhi. This incident took place in 1972. So the Lord declared to the world long ago that this Mahapurusha, who is seen in a man's form, actually belongs to the God's world and is infact a sakhi! Though Sri Radhasakhi tried to keep his identity as a secret, the Gods have been revealing his true identity occasionally since 35 years.

Lord Venkateswara is the attribute Sri Radhaji's hladini sakthi (power of ecstasy). Hladini means unique and unparalleled force of attraction. That's why innumerable devotees are drawn towards the Lord. Why did the lord give Nanna betel leaf only and not any other offering? Nanna told the inner meaning of this to one of his devotees (Sarada) recently in her dhyana:


" When any offering is eaten the taste and divinity are experienced only by the person who has eaten it. But the betel leaf offering is not so. As soon as you eat it, the lips and mouth become red. Though the person next to him does not know the taste, he can experience the luminous shine. By giving such a betel leaf as Her blessing, Mother instructed me to propagate the experience of rasa and rasa tattwa to the world.' "


Speaking about prayers in the mind, Nanna said:


" You think of God at night in your mind - this is mental prayer. It is very potent. Offer milk in a small silver glass along with candy and sugar. Light an incense stick. As soon as you wake up, drink the milk after acknowledging the Lord drank it. Instead of breakfast and coffee, it is better to take milk and betel leaf offered to the Lord. Paying homage to him and accepting his offering- this is the penance that you must do every morning. This is a great penance. You are accepting that nothing is yours and handed over everything to Her. This is total surrender to Her. "


" 'Sarva dharman parityajya mamekam saranam vraja' "


" Surrender to Krishna and seek his shelter. This is the mantra of self surrender: nothing is mine; everything is Yours. My family, my home, even my body is Yours.' If you pray like this, it is enough. There is no need to chant thousand names. This bhava is the main mantra. 'Nothing is mine. I have given everything to You. My sense organs are Yours. So I will not misuse them. This mind is Yours. I will make right use of it. I have given everything to You. I don't need anything. I ate the most significant betel leaf and drank the holy milk offered to You. What more do I need?' Can there be a more rigorous penance than this? That is what we are doing. Do not come out till you pray to the Lord like this every morning. From today onwards, pray to him, take his offering and only then step out of the house. "


" 'Easwaraha sarva bhootanam..' Where is the Lord present? 'Hriddese Arjuna tishtasi. He permanently resides in the heart. What about life force? The life forces that we claim as I or mine are the idols in this inner shrine. Pray in that shrine. It is not us but he, who has the real and complete control. Whenever we make the habit that everything that is ours belongs to him, then all your good and bad deeds also belong to him. That's why the Vedas preach this practice. Perform mental prayer and mental penance, dhyana for ten minutes. Thereafter come to this divine temple (ashram). Come here only after you become a shrine yourself and make your offering to the Lord. This is your duty. I trust that you will all act accordingly. Radhe Govinda. "


Nanna repeatedly emphasized the need to shed the thought of I and mine and totally surrender to Mother. We must install Mother in our house, in our mind, pray to Her, make our offering to Her and then only visit his temple. By telling us to meditate on Her for at least ten minutes, Nanna is reinforcing its importance. He said that once we consider that everything of ours belongs to him, then all our good and bad deeds belong to him. He is telling us to surrender ourselves in such a way that our good and bad belong to the Lord only.

Preaching about Sri Radha philosophy the next day, Nanna said :


" Mother teaches us through Her leelas. Krishna taught through Vedas and She teaches through leelas! That is the difference. Her teaching can be easily understood by everybody through these leelas. There can be many commentaries for a leela. So it is important to know the right one. Sankara bhashya, Ramanuja bhashya and Madhwa bhashya - all are commentators in their own way! "


" Mother's body is different; our body is different. There is no mention of Her body in scientific literature. It is beyond science. I will tell you an example. One day I had a dream. A six year old girl came near me with a perfume bottle in Her hand and asked me to apply perfume and adorn Her. I don't know who She is. I agreed, took the perfume bottle and poured the oil on my palm. When I looked up the girl was not seen. I wondered how it happened that the little girl who was present a few minutes ago disappeared now. Anjani amma was also present at that time. We went a little further. The girl appeared and again disappeared. She desired to be adorned but I know nothing about such things. We have an idol in our ashram. So I invited some great persons in Brindavan to our ashram to decorate the idol. The next day She appeared in my dream and said that She was not satisfied. My Mother wanted to be adorned, but how? I understood that this was not the way She wanted. I wept 'My Mother. I do not know how to adorn You. What should I do?' That night one of Her sakhis appeared and said 'My son. Adorning Mother is not a small thing. The human beings on earth know only about skin beauty and decorating it using perfumes and colourful clothes. But adorning this body is not the path to scale the spiritual heights. The mind must be adorned. Unless you adorn the mind, you cannot go near God. Unless the bride is good and beautiful, the groom will not agree. You also must be beautiful but not in respect of external beauty. Ignore this transient beauty which will be present today and fade tomorrow. The body will also turn to ashes one day. So don't bother about skin beauty. Learn how to adorn your mind. If you go that place in Ravali where Mother stepped on earth at midnight, Her sakhis will be there. They will enlighten you about how Mother wants to be adorned. Learn to practice whatever they tell you.' "


" That night we went to Ravali. The devotee who works in the bank (Babu) also accompanied us. We decided to go and see Her sakhis. When we consulted many learned persons in Brindavan, they all said that the implication of Mother's words will be different. She does not want this temporary and worthless worldly decoration. Only She knows the real meaning of Her words. Neither the scholars nor the ignorant will know about it.' "


" We went to Ravali forest which is about 15 miles from Brindavan. Though some devotees accompanied me, the sakhis are not visible to everybody. They can be seen only by those who have divine sight. Since the others would not be able to see the sakhis, I asked them to wait at one place and proceeded into the forest alone. Her sakhis arrived and said 'Mother wants only inner beauty, beauty of the mind. Man's mind is so ugly; soiled and dirty. What is the use of external beauty? Even a prostitute decorates herself to appear attractive. But her mind is impure. Can that be called decoration? The person, whose mind is ugly and not adorned, cannot reach God in spite of performing homage and penance. The beauty has evolved from God's world, not in this world. If that beauty is not present here, it can never be obtained. "


" When I asked them how to adorn the mind, they told me four principles of this inner beauty. One should conduct his life by adopting these four principles. Only he who abides by these principles and moulds his life accordingly is truly beautiful. God chooses such beautiful persons. "


" Tatsukhene sukhitwam - (considering others happiness as yours). This is the principle adopted by Gopikas. Nobody other than them can understand this. Lord Krishna depicted a leela to show to the world that the gopikas follow this principle. Till today, this leela is enacted in Puri Jagannath temple. Once, Krishna was suffering from unbearable headache. All the gopikas competed with each other to give the dust from their feet when they were informed that this was the only remedy for his headache. They said 'we are ready even to go to hell. We don't want moksha. We want Krishna; his comfort and happiness.' That is Tatsukhene sukhitwam' "


" Devote your whole life for Her pleasure with the thought that 'Mother's happiness is my happiness'. That is the real beauty. Enhance your beauty in this way. Your whole life should be dedicated to Her. Consider Her likes as your likes and Her pleasure as yours. The person who cannot realize this fact performs penance mechanically. What is that penance for? That is not the right way; it is path of karma. The right way is to provide happiness to your Supreme deity. If your Swamini is not happy, then you must be happy even to die. Even if you go to hell, you must think only about Her happiness. You must live only for Her happiness. Your aim and goal are Her happiness, nothing else. "


" What a lesson! I read so much literature but never found this beauty. I am very happy. The gopikas gave the dust from their feet. Krishna put that dust in his mouth and immediately got relieved from headache. He blessed them that 'since my gopikas have provided me happiness, they should not face any troubles under any circumstances. May they always be immersed in happiness'. Hell vanished from that scene. They were redeemed from going to hell and obtained happiness. They were indeed blessed by Lord Krishna! "


" This is the first principle given by Sri Radharani to mankind. Tatsukhene sukhitwam - Mother's happiness only is my happiness. My happiness should come from Her happiness. If She does not like something, I must not do it. Though I would like to do something, I must not do it because She does not like it. I am not living for my happiness. Whether I construct a house or buy a car - it should be for Mother. It is unfortunate if someone cannot live for Mother's happiness. I do not like that. "


" This is the first principle. I will tell you about the second principle now. Though I have spoken about this earlier, it is always good to repeat such points just as is said to conduct as many Bhagawata saptahas (week long discourses on Bhagawata) as possible. They are so holy and pious. "


A few persons asked why the holy lives of rasika devotees like Rehman, Gulab Baba, King Kulachandra and Shyamananda were repeated in the volumes of Brindavaneswari Sri Radhadevi.' When I asked Nanna about this, he said in a state of bhava that 'we cannot assume that everybody will read all the eight volumes. The life of Kulachandra, Rehman and other rasika devotes should be known to all. They must not miss it. If they don't read in one volume, they will read in another volume. Moreover, their life is depicting Mother's leelas and love. Can we ever be satisfied even after writing sever times or reading innumerable times?'

We must understand the inner meaning of his reply. Moreover, on different occasions Nanna narrated those leelas while showering different bhavas of rasa. I once had the fortune of witnessing the intensity of bhava and also saw him totally immersed in rasa when he narrated the story of Kulachandra. Nanna narrated the scene of the British soldiers taking away the king and women of Manipura kingdom garlanding him as if he was witnessing the scene before his eyes at that moment. It is possible for Sri Radhasakhi only to describe that divine vision!

Talking about the second principle, Nanna said:


" The second principle is 'Ananya nishta' single pointed concentration. Krishna clearly stated in Bhagwad Gita: "


" 'Ananyaschintayantho mam ye janaha paryupasate tesham nityabhiyuktanam yoga kshemam mahamyaham' "


" 'I will serve those who worship me with single pointed devotion. I will always take care about their welfare. This is applicable only to those who have single pointed devotion towards me.' This ananya nishta is very necessary to attain Mother and other Gods. Many people do not know what this means. They think 'my God is the greatest. I don't want anyone else.' That is not correct. That is not ananya nishta. Radha is the deity of your worship. Look only at that Mother throughout your life. "


" 'Bahunam janmanam te gyanavan mam prapadyate Vasudeva sarvamithi sa Mahatma sudurlabhaha'. "


" He is a Mahatma who sees only Vasudeva everywhere. All others are for appearance only. You must see Mother everywhere. She is here and there also. Perform your penance while being in Her thoughts. How can you think of Her? It is very important and very difficult. You must worship Mother with single pointed devotion. Radhe Govinda. "


Nanna concluded his talk for the day. He said that we must adorn our mind with the four principles granted by Mother's sakhis and install Mother in that mental shrine. We must totally surrender ourselves to Her. This is the lesson of rasa taught by the sakhis.
 

 

 
 
Radha gandh se man ko sajao
Radha nam ka mala banao
Radha gal mein nivasit ho nit
Radha seva parayan satat
----
 
 

Adorn your mind with the fragrance of Radha. Prepare the garland of Her name and constantly be associated with Her devotees. Always remain in the service of Sri Radha

 
 

-Sri Radha Rasamadhuri 

 
 

Contact & Comments| Vocabulary Reference| Scriptural Reference| Share with friends
 
2004 © Copyright Sri Radha Mahalkshmi Ashram, Vrindaban, India. All rights reserved.