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
   
 
STATE OF SEPARATION AND ONENESS WITH MOTHER
Brindavan ashram, 2.7.2001

We reached Brindavan with the 6th volume of Brindavaneswari Sri Radha. Nanna was very pleased that the 8th volume was complete. On 2nd morning I was reading out the chapter on Seva bhava (bhava of service). Hearing the title, Nanna said:


" Sakhi bhava is a complete and comprehensive bhava. All bhavas are present in sakhi bhava. "


'Is dasi bhava (servility) a part of sakhi bhava?'


" Yes. It is certainly a part of sakhi bhava. Actually it is interspersed in that bhava. Purushottamdasji said 'you are the confidential sakhi of Radhaji. What does confidential imply? "


'Intimate sakhi.'


" In what way can one be intimate? All bhavas are present in sakhi bhava. If someone is in sorrow, she approaches only a sakhi. Nobody else will know about it. Hanuman went near Sita with sakhi bhava. He was her sakhi (Charumati). Sita shared her sorrow with him. She even told him that a demon Kakasura physically hurt her and began to weep. Hanuman, who was in a state of sakhi bhava wept and became unconscious. Can you understand that intimacy? That is precisely why the Gods sent Hanuman to Lanka. They knew that she would share her problems with no one else."


" Sakhi is different; dasi is different. This must be clarified. "


'Nanna, you said that sakhi bhava is a comprehensive bhava and dasi bhava is only a part of sakhi bhava.'


" Excellent. That is enough. In which chapter will this point be included? "


'Seva bhava.'


" Is it not sakhi bhava? "


'All other services are listed and explained in this chapter; not only sakhi bhava and seva. It is a big chapter.'


" But I am not happy by merely saying sakhi bhava. Mother gives so much to the sakhis. "


'Shall we call it 'Seva bhava of sakhis?'


" As you like. I am not happy if dasi bhava is given more prominence than sakhi bhava. Dasi bhava is very minor. "


'Nanna, though they were so close to Mother...'


" It should be secured in the heart. It is not manifested. Dasi bhava is unmanifested. Even when sakhi is serving with sakhi bhava, she must feel that it not by her capacity. Otherwise she will become a prey to ego. Renunciation is the highest stage. Along with all your wealth you must also give up your ego and attachments. That is true renunciation. The sakhis are known for this. They gave up everything. They own nothing. "


'Sarvasanga parityagam'(sacrificing everything), 'Sekhar said.


" I feel like weeping by just thinking of sakhi bhava. In that bhava, sakhi addresses Mother as 'priya' (beloved). In the song I composed 'Na prana pranama... nanu veedake'. The sakhi says that Mother is the essence of her life and requests dear Mother not to leave her. How is Mother addressed in that song? Priya, my beloved. There is nothing wrong in addressing Her like when you are in sakhi bhava. However, it cannot be done in dasi bhava. That's why I stressed that sakhi bhava is superior to dasi bhava. "


'You said that sakhi bhava is higher. You also said that just because Mother has given so much liberty, they (sakhis) will not think of themselves as Her equal.'


" That feeling should be within. Dasi bhava is concealed deep within them. It is a feeling of submissiveness. They must serve Mother submissively so that they do not succumb to ego. When she is in sakhi bhava, sakhi fondly tells Mother 'Don't leave me'. The line 'Do not leave me' came to me instinctively; not intentionally. "


'The next line is 'bratukalene priya.- I cannot live without You, my beloved.'


" That line came due to feeling of equality, oneness with Her. That is why sakhi bhava is so great. "


I continued reading the book.

'Sakhi's form is different from the body containing the three gunas.'

'Nanna, maybe we must say beyond instead of different. We are saying that sakhi's bhava deha does not have the touch of the three gunas.'


" Sakhi bhava is different from this body which contains the three gunas. "


'Nanna, should it be beyond or different? We took this reference from the book 'Sudharma Bodhini.'


" ...sakhi has no connection with nature. This worldly nature is trash..Man must have a servile attitude and bhava towards Radha. They serve as an attendant initially and gradually progress to the state of a sakhi. It is very difficult to understand this. "


It is indeed difficult to understand. Nanna says sakhi bhava is different from this body, which contains the three gunas. Actually I wrote Sakhi's form is different. There is a lot of difference in both the expressions Sakhi bhava is not connected to this worldly related body. I was supposed to write about sakhi bhava not roopa. Nanna often said it is difficult to understand this subtle difference.

'The matter reached the peak in the 8th volume. As this is the last volume, it must contain that depth. This volume is being written with the assumption that they read all the previous volumes.'


" These eight sakhis are the bhava dehas of Radha. Naturally, they have a status of equality with Her. I don't want to bring down that status. Hence it is better to maintain that equality and say that they serve Her intimately. They are naturally sakhis. They are not made sakhis. To which age do they belong? "


'They have nothing to do with time. They are present ever since Mother is present.'


" Quite right. What does this mean? They are also a part of Mother's activities! "


'When we were discussing Volume 7, you did not agree to a few lines where we implied that sakhis are equal to Mother. You said that they can never be equal to Her.'


" Dasi bhava should always be present within them. This should be written very carefully. Otherwise the reader will feel that he and God are equal and that they have no God. This is a potential danger. They can say that if Mother and they are equal, what is Her greatness? It is a sensitive bhava and must be written very carefully. "


" This bhava is very sensitive. The sakhis are inherently a part of that bhava; they are not made a part of it later. We are being made a part of that bhava, but it is not so with sakhis. Sakhi is not only a sakhi but an attendant too. Again, sakhi is not an attendant but a sakhi. It is a state of separation and oneness. In a state of separation, she is an attendant. In a state of oneness she is a sakhi. The bhava of 'advaita' should not surface. If sakhi bhava is not explained correctly, it will tend to indicate advaita. I am afraid of that. "


See the care taken by Nanna, the attribute of sweetness of Radha's love. He said that if they do not understand this unconscious state of separation and oneness, they might consider themselves as God. He also added that we all are being made a part of that bhava. Nanna, who is constantly Sri Radha's partner in rasa came down from his highest stature, considered himself as one among us and said 'we must be careful'. Probably this is the sensitive sakhi bhava!

'Krishnena aradhyate iti Radha'. She is worshipped by Radha. Equality is one of the aspects of love.

'Neeve kada na prema sundarivi' - You are my loving beautiful one

We find dualism here. But immediately Nanna said "Neeve kada na pativi gativi " - You are my Master and my shelter. Here we find dasi bhava..


" Dasi is not an ordinary attendant. Radhaji never treats anyone as an ordinary attendant. Navaratna Brahmachari gave a saree to Radha dasi. What does this mean? Did he do this only because of dasi bhava? No, he acknowledged that state which is so close to Mother. This bhava should be developed. By giving a saree, he showed respect to sakhi. Here we find the separation and oneness of Mother and sakhi. This concept must be clearly understood. "


" Once, a devotee was committing a mistake. Mother spoke to him in my voice and said 'Leave him'. Who can do this? When She used my voice, She showed the bhava of oneness. Hence both separation and oneness exist. In another instance, a ghost attacked a devotee. He would have died, but She came there in my form and released him. The very fact that She came in my form indicates oneness. Thus Mother very delicately expresses the bhava. We too must express the bhava very delicately. That is separation and oneness! "


" Mother is displaying both these aspects through Her leelas. Even the leelas which are related to day to day life also express both these aspects. By inspiring him to offer a saree, She is actually telling them to convey their respects to sakhi. "


Radhaji used both Nanna's voice and form to protect the devotees. What does this mean? She is proclaiming that there is no difference between Herself and Her Sakhi (Nanna). Nanna used the expression 'past times related to day-to-day life'. Nanna the extraordinary one, the manifested form of Radhasakhi maintained contact with us- ordinary human beings and displayed so many loving leelas. In a few of these leelas, Nanna showed us a bhava of equality with him; just like Sri Radha Rani does!!


" When we forgot Mother (portrait) in Mathura railway station, I felt this life had no purpose and decided not to drink even a drop of water (till she was found). Now how can this bhava be defined? "


I could not perceive the depth of that bhava and remained silent.

Sekhar said,'it is a bhava of similarity, of oneness, of equality.'


" When I am saying that I cannot live without Mother, I shall die, how can it be? Is it a state of no difference? If it were so, how did the love evolve? It clearly indicates that there is a difference between Her and Sakhi. In one way it is dualism, in another way it is Unity. Both exist! "


" I cannot live without You. I will not drink till you drink- What is the bhava? That is why it is thoughtless and unconscious! 'I cannot live without you even for a moment!'. Which bhava is this? "


'It appears to be a bhava of equality Nanna', I said.


" But sakhi says she cannot live without Mother! Then how can there be equality? When you say that you cannot live without Her, does it indicate a higher or lower state? Hence go deep into the matter with bhava and see whether it is dualism or not. Sakhi thinks 'I am sakhi'. There are several nuances in sakhi bhava. Servility is one of them; sakhi bhava contains both aspects of Dasi as well as Swamini (Lord and attendant). "


" Mother does not take anything until she gives the sakhis. On that day I too declared similarly that I would not drink anything without Her. I would rather die. That is a bhava of affection (vatsalya bhava). "


Nanna was immersed in the myriad shades and hues of Sakhi bhava.

'Is this when chinnari's photo was forgotten in Mathura station?' I asked.


" Yes! That is dasi bhava (attending upon), vatsalya bhava (affection) and again Swamini bhava (sovereign) - hence sakhi bhava is an amalgamation of all bhavas. "


'Because Mother is Maha Bhava Swaroopini', Sekhar added.


" Yes that is known as Maha bhava. They (sakhis) have connection only with bhava. None have relation with maha bhava. In order to support all these bhavas She became Mahabhava. Mahabhava is only powerful and can support all other bhavas. She is the Swamini too! "


" Though sakhi displays all these bhavas, She (Radha) is always the Ruler (of the sakhi) because She is mahabhava's embodiment. This is how you must explain- She is the master who nurtures them (sakhis) and also guides them. If we do not express this feeling correctly, we are at fault."


" Once, one person in Brindavan did not obey Mother's order. His whole body was burnt and later he died. Mother never appeared before him thereafter. That is a big danger. He lost the dasya bhava and felt that he was equal to Mother. She will never agree to this. She holds the supreme pivotal position. She is the sovereign! Lord Krishna said: 'though I am the embodiment of 'sat, chit and anand', yet She is the one who takes care of me. In the Patna conference, they mentioned that Mother is Swamini of even Krishna. So don't reduce the state of Swamini even a little. What does Swamini mean? She is the master of the fully accomplished lord Krishna. Then how can She not be our Swamini? "


'Swamini has so many aspects. You are exhibiting Yourself as so many aspects in your sakhi who is constantly enjoying the bliss of communion with You. We are told that all aspects - servility, affection, sweetness and oneness with Swamini are present in sakhi. This fact is stating by none other than Nanna who is totally immersed in sakhi bhava. We all had the good fortune of seeing these aspects in Nanna whenever he spoke about rasa tattwa or Radhaji's leelas. On one occasion only I saw Nanna sulking on Radhaji and showed the aspect of Swamini. I am blessed.'

Glowing with the splendor of sakhi bhava, Nanna talked about Radha Swamini tattwa.


" Our penance is dhyana yoga. I am not connected with anything else. Sankeertan and archana are for propaganda. Or main means is dhyana. The rest is for propaganda. This is with two intentions - to propagate Mother's tattwa and to uplift ourselves. Only dhyana will help us to move higher. Sadhana, archana and dhyana help to share and distribute to others. We talk about dhyana.. "


'Then we must not say about nameless and formless.'


" Why not? I will convince you in three minutes. "


'Nanna, you say that temple and idol is for propaganda to others. But even they have to come into this dhyana at one stage or other.'


" Those are classes in propaganda. Dhyana is the higher stage. "


'We must explain this in the 8th volume. People feel that you are talking about nameless and formless whereas your ashram has photos and idols and you are performing religious rituals.'


" We have two intentions - you must be uplifted and you must uplift others. For the second intention, these rituals are needed. To be uplifted, you don't need anything. "


" For us to be uplifted, we follow the path of higher mediation. Don't forget that we abide by two aspects. First, the thought that Mother is always with me. Second, adopting a passive approach towards the world and yearning for oneness with Mother. Why should we be passive towards the world? There is a strong reason for this - the impressions formed on our mind. As long as we have these impressions, we can't have Mother's darshan. These impressions must disappear over the ages. We must do dhyana continuously till these impressions disappear. We must follow Gita and Bhagawata. You must develop yourself and uplift others. These are the duties of a sakhi. There are two conditions for our upliftment - Mother is with me and Mother is all pervading. Actually God is all pervading, beyond name and form. You must start from here. That is our dhyana. For dhyana to proceed successfully, you must view the world with passiveness. If we develop attachments here, they will form an impression. The mind will slowly be filled with these impressions. Then we can't see Mother. Once these impressions are erased, the mind will attain extraordinary powers. Even the Vedas said 'Mana yeva manushyanam karanam bandha mokshayoh' . The mind with impressions is bondage and without impressions is liberation. The mind has both these states. There will be no confusion if you act correctly. "


" How can you get this passive attitude? How can these impressions be erased? Try to understand how these impressions have come. I will tell you how to lose them. We must not feed them, that is enough. "


'Does it mean that we must not recollect them?'


" Suppose there are so many plants in a garden and water flows from one direction and the plants survived. If you obstruct the flow of water...The stream implies something. Don't develop a yearning for anyone or anything in this world. Not even family members. I have no attachments and yearning for anything. I am happy that I left everything behind. You also must develop such a life of solitude. "


While telling us to meditate on the all pervading tattwa which is beyond name, form and gunas, Nanna agreed for idols and rituals in the ashram. This was not understood by many people. Some of them including me asked Nanna about this.


" People of various categories A-Z come near me. If I explain to a person who is spiritually at LKG level at MA level, he will not understand anything and will never come back to me. I will not give up anyone who comes to me. As I speak to the person, I see the consciousness within him. I speak to that consciousness. Depending on his level, I tell about Mother in a suitable way. It is not possible to tell everyone to meditate on the infinite and formless tattwa. The devotee should be gradually elevated to that level. Till that time, he needs idols, prayers, songs and books. Sometime or other he must cross all these stages and meditate on the all pervading Tattwa of Mother. That is the only way to reach Her holy feet. It is sakhi's duty to be uplifted and also uplift those who seek her shelter. "


Nanna's life exemplifies how one has oneness with Mother in higher meditation and becomes detached with the world. He stated that he has no attachments in the world and advised us also to develop such a life of solitude.You are great Nanna.

Speaking about a practice in Christianity known as 'tithe', Nanna said:


" Set aside some money every month. Give that amount once a year. There will be no burden on you. You must maintain a fund. If mine is in lakhs, yours can be in hundreds. That fund must be used only for service. Contribute Rs 5 or even Re1, there is no objection. Develop the thought that 'we have Mother's fund in our house. We will not touch this.' "


" One person set a basket aside. He asked people to put one handful of rice in that basket every day. I also contributed rice. We don't need baskets. You can maintain a separate fund - mother's fund. Start with Rs 10. Add some money now and then. Utilize that amount once a year. This ashram needs to be maintained. We need money for Mother's functions, sankeertan etc. We will use this contribute money for such purposes. Thus we need not ask anyone for money. "


" Contribute Re1. In this way if hundred people give Rs100 each, we will get Rs 1000. That man kept a basket, we will keep separate Mother's fund. Even starting with Rs10 it will become Rs300 within a year. It is not difficult to contribute Rs 10 daily. It will accrue to thousands for the ashram. "


" We deposited Rs 1 million. That is not enough. Bank interest rates have slashed down. So if hundred people have separate accounts and contribute even Rs 100 a year, it will amount to Rs 10000. "


" No one should be burdened. At the same time, there must be an increase every year. This practice is known as tithe. It is prevailing in Christians all over the world. They receive millions every year. This money is utilized for churches, schools, colleges and religious preaching. "


'The churches are becoming wealthy.'


" That's not possible. The money is being utilized. So many people do penance in churches. They feed so many people. All this certainly costs them.. "


Radhasakhi is molding people on the path of rasa and thereby enjoying the bliss of serving Radha. The sakhi has chosen to uplift human beings as a means of serving Mother. Writing books, organizing celebrations, arranging sankeertan, teaching practice of incessant dhyana..All these efforts of the sakhi require huge amount of money. But Nanna vowed that he would not ask even Mother for money though it is for Her job only. Such a Nanna unexpectedly told us about Mother's fund and gave us a boon. He was careful to stress that no one should be burdened, so the easiest way is to contribute a nominal amount each day.

Nanna, please grant us the fortune of being a tiny part of the loving service that you are doing to mankind and thereby to Mother.

We are lucky if we can do at least a small thing, which will please the sakhi who is always in a state of unconscious separation and oneness with Mother.
 

 

 
 
Sakhi Radharas mein rahati
Jagat mein nit Shyama ras bharti
Niravadhi Shyama dhyan sikhavat
Shyama chintan ras ko pilavat
----
 
 

Sakhi is always immersed in Radha rasa and fills the world with this rasa. She teaches incessant dhyana and makes us taste the divine rasa of cntemplation on Sri Radha

 
 

-Sri Radha Sudha Nidhi 

 
 

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