In2-MeC

ISKCON Salem, Tamil Nadu, India
21 March 2004

 

Dear Suhotra Maharaja.

Please accept my most humble obeisances to the dust of your feet.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I am reading your papers continuously and I enjoy them much indeed. I value them very high and I wanted to say it to you and to tell you thank you for that articles.

I do have one question, too: Is it possible, in advance stage, to let the body and senses work, even the tasks which require full concentration of the mind and at the same time be fully and deliberately surrender to Krsna? I mean if it is possible to let the body make the work which is demanding and challenging and now make the conscious mind lovingly fix just Krsna.

Thanks for your kind reply.

Your servant,
Manohari dasa.

Dear Manohari Prabhu,

Please accept my respects. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Your question is answered in this verse and purport (Bhag. 1.6.18):

prematibhara-nirbhinna-
pulakango 'tinirvrtah
ananda-samplave lino
napasyam ubhayam mune

O Vyasadeva, at that time, being exceedingly overpowered by feelings of happiness, every part of my body became separately enlivened. Being absorbed in an ocean of ecstasy, I could not see both myself and the Lord.

Spiritual feelings of happiness and intense ecstasies have no mundane comparison. Therefore it is very difficult to give expression to such feelings. We can just have a glimpse of such ecstasy in the words of Sri Narada Muni. Each and every part of the body or senses has its particular function. After seeing the Lord, all the senses become fully awakened to render service unto the Lord because in the liberated state the senses are fully efficient in serving the Lord. As such, in that transcendental ecstasy it so happened that the senses became separately enlivened to serve the Lord. This being so, Narada Muni lost himself in seeing both himself and the Lord simultaneously.

"Separately enlivened" means that the purified senses energized by Krsna-prema engage as a natural function in service to the Lord. In the gross bodily conception the material senses also display separate enlivenment, as for example when a hungry person cannot stop his body from consuming an excess of rich food that he knows is not good for him. The purified senses similarly "lose control" but only in engagements that satisfy Krsna. We see above that Narada Muni's self-awareness was lost in the absorption of ecstatic Krsna consciousness. At the same time his senses, as Srila Prabhupada describes them, were "fully efficient in serving the Lord." This means that Narada's senses were totally occupied in devotional service according to a comprehensive program though he was not attending to them.

Hare Krishna Suhotra Maharaja Prabhu,

Please accept my fallen obesiences. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. I felt compelled to write in thanks for your on-line journal. I feel blessed with the association of a wonderful devotee simply by reading through your journal entries.

Your posting of March 18th, 2004 addressed my tragi-comic situation as a fallen soul always struggling with the modes of nature. I am interested in your insights into gradual progress for those living outside the temple. The mentality of all or nothing bears resemblance to the mental state of accepting and rejecting (i.e. "if I cannot live as my spiritual master's personal servant continually [surrendered completely], then I simply avoid the association of devotees because it is obvious that the transcendental position involves complete surrender to the orders of the spiritual master and anything short of complete surrender is simply mundane piety."), whereas to recognize the fluctuations of the mind as such and to make practical arrangement to situate ones mind in the mode of goodness by adopting work more in the mode of goodness and to make regular association with devotees seems the estutely progressive path for gradual advancement.

On occasion, while reading Chaitanya Charitamrita by some special mercy appreciation arises of who Lord Chaitanya is and of how fortunate I have been to have gained even a moment's association with devotees, and my heart seems to melt. In those moments there seems to be nothing gradual about receiving.

And yet, I recognize my own spiritual immaturity as symptomatic of a complete neophyte. Recognizing my own genuinely fallen condition, rather than avoid the devotees I take straw in my teeth, seek some honest means to sustain myself that is more mode of goodness than not, and look for association in various forms both in person, through Vaisnava literature, and by your mercy and others' (such as Indradyumna Swami) through on-line accounts of advanced devotees' thoughts and deeds.

Just recently having discovered your web-journal, I read through the account of the devotee's "pre-krsna consciousness experiences" finding it fascinating. When the account ended with his taking initiation I found myself wishing the account could continue; as well, I could not help wondering how his sense of irony and insightful intuition played as a surrendered soul... of the author's intuitive sense reflected on the institutions of Iskcon.

Having recently relocated to the New York area, I made the rounds to various devotees in the area and found myself drawn to the Iskcon devotees of 26 2nd Avenue not because they are "right" by some philosophical measure (I don't think) but rather because I sense from them a spiritual maturity in that they engage each other with a depth that to me goes beyond the "Jai Prabhu" superficiality that at times seemed common in the years when I did live in a temple (78-83). To me this genuineness must be a reflection of their own introspective natures; and, even though the Rtviks' prasadam was tastier (they use ghee), the sweetness of the devotees at 26 2nd Avenue draws me back to their wisdom. That makes me believe that what Iskcon has to offer is the depth of affections and continuing relationships with devotees, Srila Prabhupada, and Lord Chaitanya above anything else.

I do not believe I am looking for approval from you, but rather hoping for your continued honesty that lays bare my soul. I suspect my writing stems from my need to confide in a devotee as true to your Guru and Iskcon as you seem (yet who is not my initiating guru who I still fear will rip open my heart and leave me twitching again). I don't expect a reply and thank you for your time if you have read this... if so, likely my mind has been purified having made pilgrimage to the holy dhama of your mind.

warm regards,

a fallen soul

Hare Krsna and thank you much for your thoughtful letter. You wrote,

I am interested in your insights into gradual progress for those living outside the temple. The mentality of all or nothing bears resemblance to the mental state of accepting and rejecting (i.e."if I cannot live as my spiritual master's personal servant continually [surrendered completely], then I simply avoid the association of devotees because it is obvious that the transcendental position involves complete surrender to the orders of the spiritual master and anything short of complete surrender is simply mundane piety.")...

This state of mind described by you is dominated by "what I want." And therefore it leads to bewilderment. Once a brahmacari disciple asked Srila Prabhupada if he could engage in composing and performing music as his devotional service, since formerly he had been a musician. Srila Prabhupada told him he could do that, but it would involve him in karma. So the brahmacari changed his mind about music; but he added that he found it difficult to live under the institutional conditions of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada told him he could live outside of the institution while keeping the four regulative principles. This suggestion closed with His Divine Grace's remark, "Of course, if you did that, you would not be part of our movement." So then the brahmacari began speaking about marriage. "Yes, you could do that," was all Srila Prabhupada said.

The next day this brahmacari approached Srila Prabhupada for clarification. He wanted to know whether his spiritual master had given him a carte blanche to choose for himself either to take up music again, or live outside the temple as a brahmacari, or get married.

"Why are you asking so many stupid questions?", Srila Prabhupada replied. "If you do not know what the spiritual master wants, how do you expect to have his blessings?"

 

Photos from 20 March

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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