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Radhe! Pasya! Vimuchyatam smaragruhemanam tanaroodhitam
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Deyam twatpada dasyaraja padaveem kainkarya simhasanam
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Preetya srothumidham rasadhipatina samprardhitaikalanam
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Vrinda goodha nikunja keli janitham icchami Radhe sada
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Radha, look at me. Please give up your sulking, which is due some mistake on my part. I am at your service. I am your servile attendant. Serving You is indeed a royal position. That is my throne. Sakhi, kindly grant me such a service oriented position, servile throne and coronate me into the kingdom of Your service. Radhe, I am yearning to listen with delight to such pranks when Lord Krishna pleads with you in the secret nikunj in Brindavan which is filled will rasa.
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-Sri Radha -sakhi - Rasamadhuri
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Ah! The greatest of the great, the complete man, The God himself, the embodiment of rasa - Sri Krishna worshiping and pleading for the fortune of serving Sri Radha. Her service is a prestigious royal position for the leader of bhava loka and self surrender is his throne. The guru of the world who is eager to serve Sri Radha is exemplary for the Rasopasakas (who practice rasa).
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I was reading aloud the 7th volume of Brindavaneswari Sri Radha Devi' while Nanna was deeply immersed in rasa. As he listened to the material extracted from Druvadasji's literature, Nanna said:
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The mind wanders here and there like a monkey. The human being is lured by some pleasure and moves that way. This is nothing but our karma. We cannot see Mother properly. When the flow of bhava stops suddenly, it means that you have strayed away. Then Mother also moves away from us. Therefore it is very essential that we must maintain continuity of bhava so that we do not lose Mother. It is very difficult. It is the duty of the poet to ensure that man has this bhava continuously.
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'But Nanna, Druvadasji did not say so.'
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If he did not say so it is wrong, he might have forgotten to mention. It is the poet's duty to explain in a detailed manner.
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Talking about the leelas of Radha and Krishna, Nanna said:
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That is 'Mano Brindavanam' also known as 'Man Brindavan'. Beyond this lies Bhava Brindavan. That is very deep and intense. It appears that Druvadasji did not have a vision of the leelas in Bhava Brindavan.
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'May we mention Bhava Brindavan?'
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We must not mention Bhava Brindavan. He reached only upto Mano Brindavan. Bhava Brindavan is beyond the reach of words and mind. It is so deep that the mind cannot reach there; one must become immersed in bhava. What is beyond words and mind implies it is bhava.
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When I read that some of the Sakhis are on Krishna's side, Nanna said:
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Did they (Sakhis) not come towards Mother's side?
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'They will come later. Right now they are on Krishna's side. As soon they come to Mother's side, golden rays will shine on them. All of them including Krishna will transform into that colour.'
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Didn't anyone come still? You must mention that since he he did not come to Mother's side, he is dark complexioned.
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'Nanna, leelas take place when there are two groups.'
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We must clearly mention when and why there are two groups. Otherwise how will the reader understand? You must indicate in what state they are at present.
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While listening to the books Nanna would give his comments. At the same time he would also observe each and everyone present there. Suddenly he asked one lady who was doing dhyana
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Where are you?
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'I am here Nanna. I am near Mother in dhyana.'
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My dear child, you are not doing it correctly. In dhyana, from which corner of the eyes are the tears falling?
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'The tears are coming from the inner edges Nanna.'
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That is not good. The depth of bhava is not enough. You did not attain that depth yet.
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'What should I do Nanna?'
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Pointing out to the outer edges of his eyes he said:
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The tears should come here. That's what I wanted to know from you. You can leave now.
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Nanna came back to the discussion on Brindavaneswari Sri Radha Devi.
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When there is only one Radhaji for all the worlds, it not correct to specify the number of Sakhis as 10 or 12. If you have to serve crores of people how many cooks would you need?
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'Thousands'
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So also the sakhis.
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Some people say that formlessness is vacuum, so Mother does not exist there. In reality, formlessness does not mean vacuum. It means infinity; infinite knowledge. Then how can it become vacuum?
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Listening to this conversation Anjani Amma said, 'only that person who has detachment with the world and yearning for oneness with God can understand the leelas of Radha and Krishna and narrated the story of Puri Jagannath.
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Nanna closed his eyes and went into a state of bhava. After a while he asked me to continue reading. I was saying 'He is unable to listen for a long time..' Nanna interrupted and said,
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they may curse me.
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I became very worried and anxiously asked him repeatedly why he said so.
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Cursing does mean what you are thinking. You know only one meaning. The poets know only one meaning for a word but we know ten meanings.
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'You are a bhavuka(one immersed in bhava)', Anjani amma said.
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It is natural for Nanna's to be in a state of Radha have each and every moment as he is Rasika Siromani. With grace towards human beings he comes out of this state occasionally for a while to find out their welfare. Listening to the tales of Sri Radha he again slips into that state. Explaining the infinite, endless Radha tattwa he enjoys the bliss of Mother's presence in silence. Unable to realize this I thought that he was not able to listen continuously. In a way, this is a mistake. In order to prevent the effect of this mistake he said "they may curse me". He made me experience the effect of my mistake through the worry, anxiety and fear that I went through and freed me from any ill effects (dosham). Nanna is the personification of love. In order to remove any fear still remaining in my mind, he even diluted the word curse and converted it into a blessing saying 'you know only one meaning for a word but we know ten meanings'. Nanna, the attribute of sweetness of Sri Radha's love knows only to love!
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I told you that I heard melodious music, so melodious; what a recital.
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'You asked all of us to listen to the music that day but we did not hear anything. Only you could hear the music that day' Anjani amma said.
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Did I not tell you about the music?
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'Yes Nanna, you told us.'
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It was divine music. I sat upright. All of the (sakhis) woke up. I wept in ecstasy. Ah what melody. I never heard such music since I was born. I heard this music for an hour or so, I don't even know from where it originated.
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'Nanna heard the music of eminent musicians like Chembur Vaidyanath..'
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But this bliss was not there.
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I continued reading the leela witnessed by Dhruvadasji.
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'The eyes were continuously shedding tears of joy.'
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That's what I told you. The eyes are always shedding tears. That indicates the depth of bhava. As bhava deepens, the eyes shed tears. He will weep continuously. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was always weeping in this way. He used to constantly recollect something, see in his vision and weep.
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Thus Nanna wonderfully explained Sri Radha tattwa that is present even in the sub atomic level in a formless way as bhava.
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With the hope of listening about Radha tattwa from him again, I requested him to repeat what he said again.
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After listening to entire Bhagawad Gita Arjuna asked Krishna to repeat saying 'my memory is limited; I forgot it; I am foolish; please repeat.' Krishna said' I was in a state of Yoga when I told you last time. How can I repeat the same now?'
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Oh, I don't know what I told you because it was not me spoke. It is just as the saying goes - you are speaking Bhagawata but it is Rama who is making you speak. I don't even know what I spoke.
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After remaining silent for a while he said in a choked voice:
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Though it is happening before our eyes, we don't know. Thinking of it now and then.. what a unique power You possess my Mother. We cannot explain.
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Nanna is the eternal Sakhi who is constantly with Mother. When such a sakhi is saying that it is not possible to describe Mother, then is it possible for the human mind to comprehend who She is and what Her infinite power is? Once Nanna said
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I am an eternal sakhi who is always in the service of Mother irrespective of day and night. It is a state of 'Tatsukhena sukhitwam' (in your happiness lies my happiness).
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Owing to the fortune of our association with the eternal sakhi, we were able to listen about Sri Raseswari's world about rasa, which is unattainable even by Brahma and other Gods. This fortune cannot be compared with anything else in the world.
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Synchronisation of the form and formless is a unique combination!
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'Nanna, you told us that once Mother asked you 'Mujhe alankar karo' (Adorn me). Is that related to the form and formless?'
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Mother's coming near me is form. She asked me to adorn Her. That is formless. We can adorn the physical body. Mother has no connection with the body. Her decoration is formless. Only when we decorate our mind in a formless manner, it is real pooja (prayer) and seva (service). That is what Mother also told me in the forest one night. No scholar could tell me the meaning of Mother's words. Finally the sakhis told me its significance. The real secret of this world is the synchronization of the form and formless. This is the secret of human life, the secret of everything. That is Mother!
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'Nanna, even though we do abundant japa and tapa (religious rituals) and dhyana can we attain Mother without ananya nishta (single pointed devotion)?'
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No, not even with single pointed devotion alone. There is one shloka in the Gita - 'Bahunam janmanamthegnyanavan mam prapadyate; Vasudeva sarvamithi sa Mahatma sudurlabhaha' - Only he who sees God everywhere is a Mahatma."; "Even a Mahatma has no respect.
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What is Nanna implying by saying that a Mahatma has no respect? A Mahatma is one who sees the all pervading Mother in the microscopic level in all the fourteen worlds. Nanna is one such Mahatma. In this present kaliyuga, spirituality has become a façade. Many sadhus who attained small siddhis (powers) deceive the people. Yet the devotees diligently believe and follow these sadhus. Then how can they realize the real mahatma who came to the earth only for the welfare of mankind? Nanna highlighted this fact by saying that a Mahatma has no respect.
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Whoever can see Mother everywhere.... (Nanna could not continue as his voice was choked with emotion). You must see only Mother everywhere. We are unable to see the all pervading Mother. Prahlada's father asked him 'You are always mentioning Hari. Who is he? I will kill him. Can you show him to me?' Then he replied 'He is present here and there. There is no doubt about where he is present because he is all pervading.' My Mother is present here. This is a fact, it is the truth. She is present here right now watching us, listening to us. We don't have the eyes to see Her. She is present here. We must be in the bhava that She is present though She is not seen! She may not be present for others but She is certainly present here for you. That is Mother!
Radhe Radhe Govinda.
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We must be with Mother every moment. We must never leave Her. She too cannot leave us even for a moment; She is within us, along with our breath.
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Dharma Rakshati Rakshitaha' - Those who protect dharma are surely protected by dharma. When Rama requested Sita to stay near Kausalyadevi, she said that he was asking her to do something, which is contradictory to dharma because her dharma as a devoted wife is to be with her husband.
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The Vedas say that Radhaji is our 'husband'. The ignorant ones think that Radhaji is a woman. That is sheer ignorance. Mother is both man and woman. This is stated over and over in the Vedas.
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'Krishnena aradhyate iti Radha' - She is Radha because She is constantly worshipped by radha. This is what the Vedas proclaim. Due to Krishna's worship (aradhana) She became Radha. Krishna, the Purushottama (Superior of Gods) himself worships Her. Radha is described in the masculine in several instances in the Vedas. The Purushottama Krishna is constantly worshipping Radha. She is the Purushottama of the Purushottama. She is my 'Swamini'. She is not Swami; She is Swamini! Such is our Mother!
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We must not live even for a moment without Her. She is visible yet not seen? What does this mean? Whether you open your eyelids or not; whether you open and close your eyelids - it is dhyana. In dhyana, you may open and close your eyes. You close your eyes when She disappears. When She is seen we again wake up (open our eyes). So our daily life is dhyana indeed! We are born to do dhyana. We forgot the purpose of coming to earth and became engaged in many other activities. It is everyone's prime duty to be in dhyana constantly. By not doing dhyana, you are committing a serious mistake towards God. Doing dhyana is our duty. Don't leave dhyana even for a moment. That is the reason why Sita told Rama 'you are asking me do what is contradictory to nature. My dharma not towards husband only; my real dharma is dhyana. . I close and open my eyes. Don't ask me to go back. I will not go back because it will be a big mistake on my part. I will come along with you.' Rama then agreed to her accompanying him.
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Thus Nanna explained Sita's dharma and said that it is the prime duty of every human being to do dhyana constantly. He also explained how and on whom we must do dhyana. Our daily should be dhyana on Sri Radha, the Purushottama of Purushottama. Nanna said that 'such a Mother cannot be away from us even for a moment, She is within us along with our breath. Whether we close or open our eyes, it is dhyana. 'We close our eyes when She disappears'. In other words, our mind deviated from Mother and is wandering elsewhere. 'When we see Her, we wake up.' This means moving from the external world towards inwardness; towards the Mother within you. You must realize that not doing dhyana is a sin. Dhyana is your duty. We, the devotees of Sri Radhasakhi should think of none other than Mother. Only when we totally surrender to Her, we can fructify the love that Nanna showered on us.
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Radha Baba had a vision in which Mother was talking to two birds. Even the birds become Her sakhis. She was telling them 'so far I have chanted the name of Krishna. But he is weeping for Me. So you must chant the name of Radha.' These birds are Her sakhis. They have such powers of listening to Her though they are birds. In that dham, the powers of Her sakhis are unique, not big or small. It may appear big for us, but is very small for them. I believe that they are endowed with all powers. We shall not say more than this.
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Mother is powerful; Krishna is powerful; everything and everyone is powerful there. So we must not think that something is possible and something is not! Everything is possible. That's all. We must only learn to see and enjoy that bliss.
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Mother gave a betel leaf to Sri Hitaharivamsaji as Her blessing on an Ekadasi day. This matter went to court. Gopalakrishnaswamy, the President of the court listened to the entire episode and said 'He is a single pointed devotee. Even if it is Krishna it is all right but not others. Infact, nothing is wrong for single pointed devotees because they take an oath that they will not bow before anybody except Mother.
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Form or tattwa! People who opt for tattawa follow one path while the single pointed devotees of the form follow another path. Roopa Radha and Tattwa Radha are different. Tattwa Radha is much greater than Roopa Radha. Yet they forgive the devotees who have devotion for Roopa Radha.
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'Who will forgive the devotees, Nanna?'
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Mother will forgive depending on the state of devotion. Tattwa Radha is very great. Both Tattwa Radha and Roopa Radha exist. I did not accept Roopa Radha, I opted for Tattawa Radha. Wherever there is Radha Tattwa, I surrender and weep.
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Brindavan! Brindavan does not mean trees! There must be an association with the sadhus here. Without this, it is not Brindavan. They (Mahatmas) actually make this place into Brindavan.
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Listening to this, Adjani mama said, 'In one of your songs you mentioned that 'when those who are residing in Rasa and deeply immersed in rasa bhava praise You, I also become one among them and become immersed in that bhava.''Immediately Nanna sang another song,' Mother who is your equivalent on earth?' He explained "when you stress on the word 'Your' in the song, Mother will be pleased. You must weep while stressing on 'our'. Infact you will fell like though we tried so many times we are unable to stress on 'our'. Nanna laughed and said,
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What is the song which I will sing when I go near Mother? It is Her song. I will directly dedicate the song to Her when I go to Her divine dham.
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Immediately Anjani amma and I began to sing that song 'Na prana pranama', His voice dripping with rasa bhava, Nanna sang 'kshanamaina ninu vidichi...'
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She came down to the world as a sakhi. There is no other form. She remained as a sakhi.
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True indeed! Sri Radha the Swamini came down as Her attribute of sweetness of love as Nanna. She remained on earth as a sakhi and distributed Sri Radha rasa.
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Speaking about Sri Radha's birthday celebrations he said, we will spend 100,000 rupees for this celebration. We will feed so many people. Still that is not enough. Though we are celebrating once a year grandly by arranging archana, sankeertana and dhyana, it doesn't seem enough. I am not satisfied. We are constructing many rooms. Then instead of once a year, we will have dhyana regularly. Mother's name will be chanted all the time in this pious ashram. Constant service, constant contemplation on Mother and constant festivities should happen continuously throughout the year. |
She was worshipped by Krishna and became Radha. The scriptures say that every Krishna leela begins with Her. She will visualize the leela first and then only it will be enacted. This is how it happens in that dham.
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The Swamini who became Radha after being worshipped by Krishna is the Purushottama of Purushottama. Nanna granted us the royal path of incessant dhyana yoga to lead us to the holy feet of Radha Devi.
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