Krishna Seva

[Kiran Java]

Jai Shri Krishna,

VERSE 5
Tathaa Nivedane chintaa tyajaa Shree
Purushottame, Viniyogepi saa tyajyaa samarthohi Harihi swatah …(5)

Translation:

In the same way, do not worry about whether Purushottama himself appropriates what we dedicate to Him. Because, he is by himself quite capable.

Commentary - by Indira Betiji Goswami:

God is flawless, while Man and Matter are flawful. Does flawless God accept or not accept flawful materials offered by flawful Man ? And if He does accept, does He or does He not appropriate them for himself ? We should give up such anxieties also. God has the capability to make the flawful man and materials flawless. We should have confidence in our mind that Brahma Sambandha removes all flaws. Just as the Ganga herself purifies the dirty gutter water fallen into her, in the same way God being all powerful makes flawful men and materials flawless.

Many a time we get an anxiety in our mind, as to whether Shriji Bawa accepts the samagri we offer to him.
Is it really used by Shriji ? Or does it get mislaid somewhere ? One should not worry like this. If God wishes to accept it , he will accept it anyhow.
We also worry about whether God does or does not accept the samagri we offer to the Thakorji of our home, and whether Thakorji does really eat in our home or does he remain hungry ? One should not worry like this. God accepts everything through the medium of Mahaprabhuji. In the story of Gorji Samrai it was revealed that Shri Damodar Prabhu ate everything invisibly.

Just as a king has the power to catch hold of the hand of a sinful woman wandering about on a lonely road and make her his queen, in the same way God has the power to accept a person full of an endless number of crimes. God accepts him with the power of His own Grace and not because of the power of the means used by man.

[jagdish]

Jai Shri Krishna

Many Thanks for continuing and sharing these vachanmruts.
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Best Wishes
Jagdish

[Kiran Java]

Jai Shri Krishna,

You are welcome Jagdishbhai,

VERSE 6

Loke swasthyam tathaa vede haristu na
Karishyati, Pustimaarga – sthitoyasmaa
Saakshino Bhavataa – Khlaahaa ……(6)

Translation

God does not allow ease to a being involved in worldly and Vaidic actions. Because, God is set on the path of grace. Be you all witnesses.

Commentary- by Indira Betiji Goswami:

When a person indulges in worldly and Vaidic actions with the expectation of material benefit, then God the embodiment of grace does not allow them to be successful. His mind gets upset through some worldly incident or other, and his Vaidic activities of sacrifices and other rituals remain incomplete. If a being engrossed in grace seeks to gain happiness through the medium of a worldly thing, he pushes those desires of happiness millions of miles away from God’s lotus feet.

When God himself wishes to confer His joy to him, He punishes him by making him experience pain in many ways. This experience of punishment and pain releases him from the attraction of the desire for worldly happiness.

When this sort of thing happens again and again, the self-dedicated devotee should reconcile in his mind that: “This is in fact the graceful gift from my God. God wishes to rescue me from the heap of worthless scraps of the dreams of shadowy happiness and to give me instead a gift of real happiness and bliss. Even in my worldly uneasiness there is God’s wish to do something good to me.”

In this verse there is an extremely beautiful directive: “Oh all Pushti beings! Be you yourselves silent witnesses of incidents occurring in your life. Be you the viewer, not the viewed, transcending the throbbing of pleasure and pain. Be you the leader, not the actor, exercising control over all the happenings in your life.” In order to acquire the attitude of the viewer, the self-dedicated devotee will have to train himself. Training of thoughts is the major instrument. Thoughts only save a person, and thoughts only kill them. If a thoughtful person thinks and contemplates deeply on every happening, he can become a silent witness and viewer who has transcended the throbbings of pleasure and pain. A thoughtful person can understand that in this world everybody’s nature in not identical.

In this world so many things happen which rob peace of mind and happiness of heart. Here a thoughtful person will think with a balanced attitude: “Does the power of robbing peace of mind and happiness of heart lie in external forces ? Is my fortress so weak and frail that it gets shattered ?” One who has trained his thoughts will get the answer: “No, this weakness has arisen out of my passion and ignorance. Let the people of diverse natures and diverse habits maintain whatever attitude and action they wish to maintain; it will not be able to create whirlpools in the pure and still water of my mind.” The thoughtful man knows: “Instead of maintaining the desire and expectation of changing someone else’s actions and habits I should change my own reactions.”

A happening that happens cannot be prevented from happening, but he keeps in his own hand the control of the extent to which he should allow it to have an impact on this mind and heart. It is better to improve one’s own reactions rather than other’s action: a strong attitude of this sort arises.

While improving the world, one gets scratches on the self. Instead of doing this, it is better to reconcile with the self. A person who has achieved reconciliation with the self can achieve progress in the direction of development of the attitude of the viewer. Just as mud and water slip off the lotus leaf, similarly streams of pleasure and pain eject out of the heart of the person who has developed the attitude of the viewer.

One more thought needs to be contemplated in order to cultivate the attitude of the viewer. Some people try to camouflage unhappiness like ash camouflaging fire. Can the lava fluid boiling inside the earth be camouflaged by its upper crust ? This process is also called the process of endurance or sufferance (titiksha). It involves a kind of self-awareness: “I suffer a mot. I have to suffer a lot. My skin has become thick due to suffering.” This sort of self-awareness is really harshness of fraud exercised by the self with itself. It is a cure like the bandage on a wound.

The experience of the viewer’s feeling is, however, in every way quite the opposite. In it there is no sign of being beaten or wounded. Just as a person standing on the peak of the mountain is able to view all the happenings of the ground keeping them untouched from himself, similarly a man with the attitude of the viewer views and experiences everything without being involved in them.

Worldly talk, environment, thought, propaganda, attack – all approach to shackle him. But just as the sky does not become dirty by anything, similarly a man with the attitude of the viewer remains unattached, silent, unperturbed and unaffected from all the currents of life. One cannot stop currents flowing in the world, but surely one can cultivate the strength to stand firmly like the Himalayas in these currents. The personality of a person having the attitude of the viewer is like the personality of the Himalayas.

A person who drowns his self in trifling matters, who himself inflicts wounds on his mind and heart and who unnecessarily ruins his mind, thought and heart, he has forgotten God’s power as well as his own ability for dedication. To such a being Shri Vallabh remarks: “Come! Sit under my umbrella’s shadow. Dear Son! My hand is always placed on your head. Come out of these surrounding clouds. All this is in fact like ordinary itching. But you have unnecessarily inflicted upon yourself long and deep lacerations. Son! You have to be a seer: an unattached, desireless, peaceful, unperturbed, silent viewer.”

[Sital]

Jai Shree Krishna

Thanks Kiranji, I will continue with verse seven, found the book

Perform seva according to the insuctions of the guru, unless Hari has another plan. So keep the mind engaged in seva and be happy.

Commentary

Just as a married woman's duty is to serve her home and family, similarly, the person who has taken Brahma Sambandha's duty is to serve Shri Krishna. Everyone is God's servant from birth. His service or seva should be performed according to the guru's directions but sometimes when God gives a different command, the dedicated sould could become perplexed

God's commands are directly perceptible to the accomplished devotee. The ordinary devotee is given instructions through dreams, the word of accomplished souls or through some sort of inner inspiration. The devotee who receives a command that is contrary to the guru's advice should consider if what they received is, " for their hapiness or for God's." If it is only for the devotee's hapiness then he should disobey God's directive and obey the guru. But if it is for Shri Krishna's hapiness, the he may disobey the guru and follow the Lord's command.

For example, Shri Vallabhacharya had instructed that after making the food offerings, to allow the Lord to dine in privacy. If the Lord had advised you. " For your pleasure, observe Me while I partake of the offerings." You should follow the guru's instructions here and allow the Lord to eat in privacy because the Lord's command is only for the bhakta's pleasure. But, if Shri Krishna asked something for His Own pleasure like "Lovingly serve Me hot rotis one after another." Then it is quite appropriate for the devotee to feed Lord Krishna by sitting in front of Him. Here disobedience f the guru's command is not an offense.

The Blessed Path of Devotion is the path of the highest devotional love. The greatest concern is for the Lord's hapiness and everywhere the mood is, My happiness is your happiness."

JSK
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Madhurkomalkant padavali namami
Sital

[Sital]

Jai Shree Krishna

Please find below verse 8 typed by Kiranji who couldn’t post due to a technical fault:

VERSE 8
Chittodwegam Vidhaayaapi Harir – yad- Yad Karishyati, Tathaiv Tasya Leeleti Matvaa Chintaam drutam tyajet

….. (

Translation

Whatever God does even while creating trepidation in your mind, is also His play (lila) only. So thinking, you should expel anxieties with utmost swiftness.

Commentary – by Pujya Indirabetiji Goswami

A Pushti-bhakta’s way of viewing the universe is quite distinctive. Whatever happens in life and in the world he understands it as God’s play (lila) only. Just as a child plays diverse games purposelessly, the same way God plays His games in the world. This play of God’s, going on perpetually in the world, is lila only. Every moment the self-dedicated person will think: “O Lord! I am also a toy which has just dropped into your play.” Even though a toy is beaten, twisted and broken by the play-master, it remains under His command. Similarly, a self-dedicated person also remains under God’s command. Sometimes such incidents take place, such happenings occur, or such atmosphere is created that the self-dedicated devotee’s mind gets crepitated and uprooted; it becomes a spring of fire of endless agony;

Burning continuously in the flames of anguish it turns into ash. At that time Sadguru Shri Vallabh showers like a pleasant, small, rain-bearing cloud:

My dear son! Do you know to whom do you belong? You belong to me Shri Vallabh. This agony, this anguish does not befit you. Come, my lad, come out. Hold my hand for support to come out of these flames. Come out of the shadows of the dark cloudy night. Read the golden letters inscribed on the sky of fresh rosy dawn. “Whatever is happening or occurring in your life is God’s play (lila) only.

You have to play the way God, the resort of play, makes you play. God is the director of play. You are only an instrument for playing the play.” Cogitating over these words of mine, throw away the agony of your mind with utmost swiftness.

Anxiety is the fire which destroys peace, bliss and happiness. Come out before you get burnt to ashes in the flames of this fire. And see with intent eyes how God is involved in wonderful play everywhere. Hence get rid of anxiety with utmost swiftness. Do not waste time in getting rid of agony and anguish. Collecting whatever God-given courage and adventurousness you have, extinguish the spark of anxiety with utmost speed. Take a dive into the spring of the nectar of prem-bhakti before the spark of anguish burns you. And flood your body and soul with beautiful tunes of music.
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Madhurkomalkant padavali namami
Sital

[Sital]

Jai Shree Krishna

Verse Nine

By Shree Indira Betiji

Therefore, it is my opinion that you should continually say with all you’re being, “Shri Krishna is my refuge.” (Shree Krushna Sharanam Mama)

Commentary

Shri Vallabhacharya has shown many ways of eliminating distress. If a person’s weakness keeps him from becoming free from anxiety, then Shri Vallabh has shown the foolproof method; dedicate everything to Shri Krishna, know that He is within all souls and continuously chant, “Shri Krishna is my refuge.” (Shree Krushna Sharanam Mama)

“Shri Krishna is my refuge” (Shree Krushna Sharanam Mama) is a supreme mantra. It can be repeated silently in the mind or chanted loudly. When the mind is aggravated and unable to concentrate, chant it loudly. When speaking of this mantra, Shri Vallabhacharya says, “vadda” which means we should speak or chant it. By chanting this mantra loudly, the fury of anxiety calms down like boiling milk after it is taken off the stove. The compelling power of the mantra soothes the burning heart. Like natural respiration, the mantra can be constantly repeated. If you repeat the mantra while eating, drinking, or while involved in any activity, the mind is automatically stilled.

In the purification process through the medium of this mantra, loving devotion begins to sprout. By merely repeating the mantra horripulation occurs and the eyes well with tears. It feels like currents have permeated every pore of the body. Our concerns with the past, future, our relations with man matter and environment are all washed away. By chanting this mantra, one can feel the touch of God and joy permeates the inner being and elevates the soul to the supreme summit of bliss. The exalted soul can experience this state by constantly the mantra while the ordinary person who chants “Shri Krishna is my refuge” eradicates his anxiety and anguish.

Whenever there is anxiety or anguish, either repeat the mantra silently or chant it loudly. Waves of anxiety can obstruct your contemplation and mantra recitation. You may feel the threads of your contemplation broken or scattered. Gather them together and repose your faith with Shri Vallabhacharya’s words. Connect yourself with them continually. In this age of struggle, Krishna’s refuge is our only support

JSK
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Madhurkomalkant padavali namami
Sital

[zankhana]

Jai Shri Krushna

Thanks heaps Sitalji and Kiranji for sharing these wondeful vachanamruts.
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Sarvada sarva bhaven bhajanio vrajadhipah

Jai Shri Krishna
Zankhana

[Vasant Punjabi]

Jai Shri Krishna,

Thnaks Sitalji and Kiranji for the update and completion of the granth.

Hope, will start a new one.
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Vasant Punjabi.

"Shri Vallabh Shri Vithal Sukh-kari naa-me nishpap thai nur-nari,
------Nitya Lila nitya nautam shruti na pame par."----

[Vraj]

I am currently experiencing lockik difficulties but reading this account has enlightened me and given me strength. Thank you my fellow Vaishnavas.
Jai Shree Krishna !!