Of Love & Separation

Meditations on My Divine Master

B. P. Puri

• Publisher: Mandala Publishing
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781683832461
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Hinduism

A collection of holy writings that imparts the magic and divinity that is experienced through the real and untiring devotion of a disciple towards his guru. This book includes, poems, essays, and teachings that capture the hearts of all aspiring spiritual practitioners. These meditations by Swami B. P. Puri, on his spiritual teacher Saraswati Thakur give a look into the divine and profound relationship that these two masters shared. This book is also a collection of heartfelt prayers and inspiring glimpses into the divine life of Swami B. P. Puri. The articles contained in this book first appeared in the monthly journal, Chaitanya Väëé, the mouthpiece Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math.

Offerings of Love & Separation

by

His Divine Grace

Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami

Prabhupada’s Divine Appearance

ahaprabhu could not tolerate hearing anything that contradicted the pure spirit of devotion. For this reason, He always had Svarupa Damodar read everything before He Himself listened to it. For the very same reason, He arranged for Bhaktivinoda Thakur to take responsibility for the Jagannath temple in Puri for a period of five years (1871-1875). It was during this time that Srila Prabhupada took birth.

In the Bhagavad Gita (4.9), the Supreme Lord describes His own birth and activities while in the world as divine or divya. Both Ramanujacharya and Madhusudana Saraswati have commented on this word, defining it as “transcendental” (apräkåta). Sridhar Swami uses the word alaukika, or “supramundane,” while Visvanath Chakravarti holds that the two words ultimately mean the same thing. The worlds (loka) are created by nature (prakåti); therefore something that is “not of this world” (alaukika), is then “beyond nature” or transcendental (apräkåta). Thus, the essence of the Lord’s words is that His birth and activities are to be understood as being beyond the qualities or modes of material nature; as such, it is self-evident that they are eternal in nature.

In the Puruña-bodhiné Upaniñad, the following verse is found:

eko devo nitya-lélänurakto

bhakta-vyäpé bhakta-hådy antarätmä

“There is one Supreme Lord who is engaged in eternal pastimes. He pervades the hearts of His devotees as their innermost self.”

The word nitya or eternal appears frequently in the Båhad-bhägavatämåta.

Therefore, just as the appearance and activities of the Supreme Lord are divine, transcendental, supramundane and eternal, so too are the appearance and activities of the Lord’s manifest representative, the spiritual master.

Bhaktivinoda Thakur decided to name his son Bimala Prasad (Vimalä-prasäda) after the goddess Bimala, Lord Jagannath’s divine energy or Yogamaya potency. The word prasäda means mercy or blessing. Without Her mercy, it is impossible for anyone to enter into His holy dham or into the mysteries of His pastimes along with His name, form, qualities, associates and their special characteristics. Srila Prabhupada was the incarnation of that mercy.

In his Kalyäëa-kalpa-taru, Bhaktivinoda Thakur submits the following prayer to Yogamaya:

ämära samäna héna nähi e saàsäre

asthira hayechi paåi bhava-päräväre

“No one in this world is as lowly as myself. I am greatly disturbed at having fallen into this great ocean of matter.

kula-devé yogamäyä more kåpä kari

ävaraëa saàvaribe kae viçvodaré

“Yogamaya, you have been my family’s worshipable deity for generations. You hold this entire universe in your belly; please remove the illusion that covers me.

çunechi ägame vede mahimä tomära

çré-kåñëa-vimukhe bäìdhi karäo saàsära

“I have heard your glories in the Tantras and the Vedas. I have also heard there that you create the material world by turning us away from Krishna and binding us.

çré-kåñëa sammukhya jära bhägya-krame haya

täìre mukti diyä kara açoka abhaya

“You grant liberation to those who through some great fortune turn toward Krishna, making them fearless and free from lamentation.

e däse janani kari akaitava dayä

våndävane deha sthäna tumi yogamäyä

“O Mother! Give me, your servant, your unadulterated blessings. Give me a place in Vrindavan, where you are present as Yogamaya.

tomäke laìghiyä kothä jéve kåñëa päya

kåñëa räsa prakaöila tomära kåpäya

“What living being can attain Krishna by ignoring you? You are the one who made the räsa-lélä possible.

tumi kåñëa-sahacaré jagata-janané

tumi dekhäile more kåñëa-cintämaëi

“You are both the mother of the universe and Krishna’s close companion. You are the one who has shown me Krishna’s spiritual world.

niñkapaöa haye mätä cäo mora pane

vaiñëave viçväsa våddhi hauk pratikñaëe

“Mother, be direct with me. Look to me and give me increased faith in the Vaishnavas at every moment.

vaiñëava-caraëa vinä bhava-pärävära

bhaktivinoda näre haibäre pära

“Bhaktivinoda cannot cross over the material ocean without the blessings of the devotees.”

In the Närada-païcarätra, in the course of the conversations between the personified Upanishads and Vidya Devi, the following verse is found:

ekeyaà prema-sarvasva-

svabhävä gokuleçvaré

asyä ävarikä çaktir

mahämäyäkhileçvaré

“Anaàçä is the name of the mistress of Gokula. She is unique and Her nature is to be full of divine love. The potency that covers Her and is mistress of the entire material world is called Mahamaya. Yogamaya is beyond the three qualities of matter, while Mahamaya is the mistress of these three qualities.”

The Supreme Lord is the master of His energy, known as Maya. Maya is of two types: She either enchants those who turn toward Krishna or bewilders those who have turned away from Him. As the enchantress of the devotees, She is the goddess of Gokula; She is Krishna’s spiritual energy or cic-chakti and is known as Yogamaya. Her partial expansion is the material energy, which bewilders those reluctant to serve the Lord. She is also known as Mahamaya and She is the goddess of the limitless material worlds.

viñëor mäyä bhagavaté

yayä sammohitaà jagat

ädiñöäù prabhuëäàçena

käryärthe sambhaviñyati

“The Lord’s own potency, the goddess Vishnumaya, enchants both the material and spiritual universes. She has been requested by the Lord to appear with Her partial expansion, the external energy Mahamaya, in order to execute some specific tasks for Him.”

(SB 10.1.25)

The specific tasks of Maya referred to are explained as follows: As the internal potency, Yogamaya, she was to transfer Devaki’s seventh fetus from her womb to that of Rohini. She also placed Yashoda under a spell of deep sleep so that Vasudeva could bring the baby Krishna to her for protection from Kamsa. At the same time, the bewildering potency of Mahamaya kept Kamsa and his henchmen under the spell of ignorance, unable to find or recognize Krishna for who He was.

In the Gita (7.25), Krishna says that He is not visible to everyone because He is hidden by His Yogamaya potency (nähaà prakäçaù sarvasya yogamäyä-samävåtaù). Baladeva Vidyabhushan explains the usage of the word yogamäyä here as in fact meaning the external energy. The word yoga in this case refers to the yogic power of bewildering the non-devotees. The Supreme Lord is always visible to His devotees whose eyes are smeared with the unguent of love, while remaining hidden to those who have no interest in Him. Krishna is brilliant like the sun; there is not a single thing or person that has the power to conceal Him. The sun is more than a million times larger than the earth, so how can a tiny cloud cover the sun? It is our perception of the sun that is disrupted by the presence of the cloud, but we say that the cloud has covered it. Similarly, it is our vision of Krishna that is affected by the cloud of His illusory potency and keeps us unable to see or serve Him. For this reason, the Supreme Lord Himself, the object of everyone’s service, appears as the guru, the exemplary servant—guru-rüpe kåñëa kåpä karena bhakti gaëe.

The spiritual master is the embodiment of the Supreme Lord’s compassionate energy. By his own exemplary character, the spiritual master establishes the appropriate devotional behavior in others. The same was said of Mahaprabhu:

äpani äcari dharma jévere çikhäya

äpane nä kaile dharma çikhäno nä jäya

“The Lord practiced the religion of devotion and taught it to others, for unless one practices religious principles oneself, he cannot instill them in others.”

By taking shelter of the spiritual master, accepting his directions and worshiping Lord Krishna, through his blessings one becomes free from the coverings of Maya and capable of receiving the blessings of Krishna Himself.

täte kåñëa bhaje kare gurura sevana

mäyä-jäla chuöe päya kåñëera caraëa

“Upon receiving direction from the spiritual master] the disciple worships Krishna and serves his spiritual master. As a result, he escapes the power of Maya and attains Krishna’s lotus feet.”

The conditioned soul is forgetful of Krishna. Out of compassion for the conditioned souls, the Lord reveals Himself in scriptures like the Vedas and Puranas. He furthermore appears as the great devotee, spiritual master or siksha guru in order to explain the meaning of the scriptures. The Lord furthermore manifests as the interior guru or caittya-guru by which He gives the aspiring devotee the intelligence to understand the meaning of the scriptures.

It is thus stated in Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad (6.23):

yasya deve parä bhaktir

yathä deve tathä gurau

tasyaite kathitä hy arthäù

prakäçante mahätmanaù

“The inner meaning of the Upanishadic teachings are revealed to the great soul who has great devotion for the Lord, and in equal measure for the spiritual master.”

Whatever spiritual practice we engage in must have the spiritual master at its center. Narottama Das Thakur sang the following:

ki rüpe päiba sevä mui duräcära

çré-guru-vaiñëave rati nä hala ämära

“How will an evil person like myself ever attain service to the Divine Couple? I have never felt the slightest attachment for my spiritual master or the Vaishnavas.” (Prärthanä)

çré-guru-caraëa-padma kevala bhakati-sadma

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