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Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja\u2019s – Holland 1997<\/p>\nSrila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja\u2019s – Holland 1997<\/p>\n
Once, the great sage Narada Muni traveled to the abode of Lord Siva and began to glorify him, saying, \u201cYou are very near and dear to the Supreme Lord Krsna. Not only that, you are Krsna\u2019s manifestation; you are non-different from Him. You can give liberation and also krsna-prema, the rare jewel of transcendental love for Krsna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hearing Narada glorify him in numerous ways, Lord Siva became angry and said, \u201cYour glorification of me is false. I am not at all dear to Sri Krsna.\u201d Lord Siva is actually most dear to Sri Krsna, and therefore Krsna can give him services which He cannot give anyone else. When the demigods and demons were churning the Milk Ocean in order to obtain the nectar of immortality, the first substance produced was a powerful and dangerous poison, burning the entire world. The demigods appealed to Sri Krsna, and He advised them to request Lord Siva to drink the poison. Thus, they worshiped Lord Siva and prayed, \u201cPlease save us!<\/p>\n
Only you can protect us!\u201d Lord Siva collected the poison and took it in his mouth, but he hesitated to swallow it, considering, \u201cLord Krsna is in my heart. The poison will affect Him.\u201d He therefore kept the poison in his throat, which was burned, and his neck turned the color blue.<\/p>\n
Now, out of genuine humility, Lord Siva told Narada: \u201cI want to be His beloved devotee, but actually I am not. You know that I always wear ashes from the burial grounds, and a garland of skulls. All my associates are ghosts and witches, so I am not qualified to be Krsna\u2019s dear devotee. If I am so dear to Him, why would He have ordered me to engage with the mode of ignorance in the terrible function of destroying of the universe? If I am such a great recipient of His mercy, why would he have ordered me to become Sankaracarya and preach a philosophy that is adverse to Him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Actually, although he expressed otherwise, it was because Siva is so dear to Krsna that Krsna was able to give him the difficult task of appearing as Sankaracarya. Many people had been worshiping the Supreme Lord only to fulfill their selfish purposes, thinking, \u201cSimply by our worship of God, He will be pleased with us and satisfy all our worldly desires.\u201d They worshiped Him only so that He would rapidly arrange for all of their needs, not to please Him. Lord Krsna thought, \u201cThis is very dangerous.\u201d He called Lord Siva and instructed him, \u201cSuch false devotees will create great disturbances, so keep them far away from Me. Create a philosophy which teaches, \u2018brahma satyam jagan mithya \u2013 the Absolute is true, this world is false.\u2019 You should preach, \u2018All souls are Siva; all souls are Brahma; all are one. You are brahma, the impersonal Absolute. There is no need to worship any other God; you are the Supreme God.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Reluctant, Lord Siva asked Krsna, \u201cCan you please tell someone else to do this? I am not qualified for this service.\u201d Krsna replied, \u201cNo, you will have to do this. In the entire world, I see no one else who is as capable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Feeling ashamed, Lord Siva now told Narada, \u201cAt last, I had to agree to follow His order. Appearing as Sankaracarya I preached everywhere, \u2018You are brahma, you are brahma, you are the impersonal brahma. The entire world is false.\u2019 I am so much regretting this. I know I have committed a great offence by causing so many people to be averse to Lord Krsna. Still, to carry out His order I spread this doctrine. It is clear by the fact that He sometimes gives me such orders that I am not His dearest one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cheating the Cheaters<\/p>\n
Lord Siva also expressed to Narada his regret in having given benedictions to Lord Krsna\u2019s enemies. To fulfill his Lord\u2019s desires, he had given benedictions to demons like Ravana, Vrkasura, Salva and Jayadratha, and thus he had performed many activities that were seemingly opposed to Krsna and krsna-bhakti.<\/p>\n
Narada Muni said, \u201cMaster, please don\u2019t try to mislead me. I know that whatever you do is to please Lord Krsna and to assist Him in His pastimes, for the benefit of all beings. You told me that you have many times given benedictions to His enemies. I know that His enemies, as well as the enemies of His devoted cousins, the Pandavas, worship you for ill-motivated benedictions. I also know that you grant them benedictions. But those benedictions are not foolproof; they always have some loophole. Actually, you cheat these beneficiaries in order to please Lord Krsna. You are undoubtedly His dearest friend.\u201d Siva and Narada continued to discuss some historical incidents which, according to Siva, proved that he was not dear to Krsna \u2013 but according to Narada, proved the opposite.<\/p>\n
A Loophole<\/p>\n
The great epic Mahabharata tells of King Jayadratha, one of the many demons who received such a clever benediction from Lord Siva. Duryodhana, the paternal cousin of the five Pandava brothers, had given his sister Dushala in marriage to King Jayadratha, and therefore the king had also become like a brother-in-law of the Pandavas. Once, Jayadratha tried to kidnap the Pandavas\u2019 wife, Draupadi, desiring strongly to make her his own wife. As he forced her onto his chariot, she admonished him, crying, \u201cI am the wife of the Pandavas. When they catch you, they will punish you and kill you!\u201d<\/p>\n
Jayadratha\u2019s arrogance prevented him from hearing her, and he continued his abduction. Meanwhile, the sage Narada approached the Pandavas and informed them, \u201cOh, I saw Jayadratha taking away Draupadi, and she was weeping!\u201d Two of the Pandavas, Bhima and Arjuna, immediately chased after Jayadratha. Bhima dismounted his chariot and ran faster than Jayadratha\u2019s horses. With his bow and arrows, Arjuna created a fire that surrounded the chariot of Jayadratha, who was then captured and could not move. Severely beaten by Bhima and arrested by Arjuna, Jayadratha was bound to the chariot and taken to where Yudhisthira Maharaja had been staying with Draupadi. Bhima and Arjuna spoke to Yudhisthira, their respected senior brother. Bhima urged him, \u201cI want to kill Jayadratha. Please order me to kill him.\u201d In support of Bhima, Arjuna said, \u201cJayadratha has performed a heinous act and should be killed.\u201d King Yudhisthira replied, \u201cThe offense was committed against Draupadi. We should take the case to her, and we will do whatever she orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Jayadratha was brought at the feet of Draupadi, she mercifully told her husbands, \u201cDon\u2019t kill him; forgive him. He is our brother-in-law. If you kill him, your cousin-sister will be widowed and she will weep for the rest of her life.\u201d Bhima and Arjuna then approached Lord Krsna and appealed to Him: \u201cWhat should we do? We have vowed to kill Jayadratha, and now Draupadi tells us to forgive him.\u201d Krsna replied, \u201cFor one who has been honored, dishonor is worse than death.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arjuna then shaved King Jayadratha\u2019s head, leaving five patches of hair, and he shaved one side of his face, leaving the other side unshaven. Jayadratha felt humiliated, and after being released by Bhima and Arjuna he considered it better to have died. He thought, \u201cI will somehow take revenge.\u201d Thus absorbed, he went to Gangotri in the Himalayas and undertook a severe type of penance to please Lord Siva.<\/p>\n
After some months he gave up all food, water, and bodily activities, and was about to die. At this point Lord Siva came before him and asked what boon he wanted as a result of his austerity. Jayadratha replied, \u201cI want revenge against the Pandavas. I want to defeat and kill all of them.\u201d Lord Siva told him, \u201cYou can defeat the Pandavas, but only Yudhisthira, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva; not Arjuna.\u201d Jayadratha said, \u201cIf you cannot benedict me to my full satisfaction, then please grant that neither Arjuna nor anyone else will be able to kill me.\u201d Lord Siva replied, \u201cI can grant you this: if your head is severed and falls on the ground, the person who caused this will die immediately. Your life will be saved and your head will rejoin your body. You may be \u2018killed\u2019 hundreds of thousands of times, but you will not die. On the other hand, if your severed head falls into your father\u2019s hands and he throws it on the ground, then you will die.\u201d Jayadratha was satisfied, thinking, \u201cMy father would never do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the battle of Kuruksetra began, Jayadratha took the side of the Pandavas\u2019 enemy, Duryodhana. One evening during the battle, as the sun was setting, Jayadratha\u2019s father was absorbed in prayer and making an offering of water to the Sun-god. Arjuna saw this opportune moment. With the skillful release of an arrow, he severed Jayadratha\u2019s head from his body and caused it to fall into the hands of his meditating father. Startled and without thought, Jayadratha\u2019s father tossed the head on the ground. Then, opening his eyes he exclaimed, \u201cWhat was that wet thing?\u201d Seeing that he had just thrown his son\u2019s head, he began to cry, \u201cOh my son! Oh my son! You are dead now!\u201d<\/p>\n
A Clever Benediction<\/p>\n
Envious of Krsna and with a desire for the strength to destroy him, the demon Salva also took shelter of Lord Siva. He performed a severe type of austerity and ate no more than a handful of ashes daily. After one year, Lord Siva became pleased with him and asked him to beg for a boon. Salva begged from Lord Siva the gift of an airplane, saying, \u201cThis airplane should perform as I wish; it should be operated by my mind. On my order it should go to heaven or anywhere I desire. In summer it should be air-conditioned. If there are only two men, there should only be two seats, and if I want to travel with hundreds of thousands of persons, many seats should manifest. It should never crash due to mechanical difficulty, and it should be equipped with all varieties of weapons. It should be dangerous and fearful to the Yadus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lord Siva agreed, and Salva was helped by the demon Maya Danava to manufacture a mystical airplane that began to destroy Dvaraka, Lord Krsna\u2019s abode. Salva personally attacked from above, and his soldiers attacked on the ground. Headed by Pradyumna, the Yadu dynasty warriors fought with Salva and his army, but they could not defeat him. Finally, Lord Krsna personally appeared on the battlefield, and after much intense fighting on both sides and many mystic displays by Salva, the Lord took up His disc, cut off the demon\u2019s head, and gave him liberation.<\/p>\n
In this way, the benedictions given by Lord Siva to the enemies of Lord Krsna always have a weak point \u2013 a loophole. Lord Siva is extremely clever, and he is always serving his Lord, Sri Krsna. Narada knew this fact, and he wanted to publicize Lord Siva\u2019s glories. Siva is very near and dear to Krsna, and non-different from Him. Try to always honor him, for he is Krsna\u2019s greatest devotee.<\/p>\n
nimna-ganam yatha ganga
\ndevanam acyuto yatha
\nvaisnavanam yatha sambhuh
\npurananam idam tatha<\/p>\n
[\u201cJust as the Ganga is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Sambhu [Siva] the greatest of Vaisnavas, so Srimad-Bhagavatam is the greatest of all Puranas.\u201d(Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.16)]<\/p>\n
The Principle of Siva<\/p>\n
The principle of Siva \u2013 Siva-tattva \u2013 is extremely complex. The principle of Brahma is not as complicated, because Lord Brahma is always a jiva, a finite spirit soul. Sometimes, when there is no qualified jiva, Lord Visnu (Krsna\u2019s expansion) personally takes the post of Brahma, but that is rare. Lord Siva is not like that; he is not a finite soul. After passing through the eight material coverings, and after crossing the Viraja (the river that divides the material world and the spiritual world) and the planet of Lord Brahma (the highest material planet), one comes to the planet of Siva. There he is known as Sadasiva, a manifestation of Lord Visnu.<\/p>\n
Siva-tattva can be understood by the analogy of yogurt and milk. Yogurt is nothing but a transformation of milk. Milk can become yogurt, but yogurt cannot become milk. This analogy is found in Sri Brahma-Samhita and elucidated in Srila Jiva Gosvami\u2019s commentary: \u201cJust as milk is transformed into yogurt by contact with a transforming agent, Sri Govinda, Lord Sri Krsna, similarly accepts the form of Sambhu (Siva) in order to accomplish a specific purpose. The example of yogurt is actually given in order to convey the idea of cause and effect, not the idea of transformation. Sri Krsna is reality and cannot be transformed, so it is not possible for Him to undergo any kind of distortion. A wish-fulfilling gem manifests many things according to one\u2019s desire, yet its constitutional nature remains untransformed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramesvara Mahadeva<\/p>\n
When Sri Ramacandra was making the bridge to Lanka, he established a Siva-linga (deity form of Siva) called Ramesvara. All the common people began glorifying Lord Siva, shouting, \u201cRamesvara ki jaya! You are Rama\u2019s isvara: you are the lord of Rama.\u201d The demigods were unsatisfied by this and announced through an aerial voice, \u201cRamas ca asau isvarah: Rama is God, and Sankara is also God; they are the same.\u201d Hearing this, the Siva-linga broke. Lord Siva emerged from the linga and told them all, \u201cYou are all foolish; you do not know my tattva, the established truths regarding my identity. Rama is my beloved and my God, and that is why I am called Ramesvara.\u201d<\/p>\n
Granting Perfect Love<\/p>\n
Lord Siva eternally resides in Lord Krsna\u2019s abode, Vrndavana, where he manifests many forms to render devotional services to Him. The form of Gopisvara Mahadeva was manifested by Lord Krsna\u2019s desire. When Krsna desired to perform His rasa dance, Srimati Radhika, the embodiment of His pleasure potency, manifested from His left side and Gopisvara Mahadeva manifested from His right side. The form of Siva who lives in Kasi or Kailasa in the material world is a partial manifestation of the original Sadasiva in Vrndavana. The many other commonly worshiped forms of Lord Siva are expansions of Sadasiva. They are not the original. Partial expansions such as Pippalesvara Mahadeva, Bhutesvara Mahadeva, Rangesvara Mahadeva and so on cannot award the benediction that can be attained by the mercy of Gopisvara \u2013 the highest perfection of love, namely vraja-prema.<\/p>\n
Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami has composed a prayer in his Vraja-vilasa-stava:<\/p>\n
muda gopendrasyatmaja bhuja parisranga nidhaye
\nsphurad gopirvrndair yam iha bhagavatam pranayibhih
\nbhajadbhistair bhaktyas vamabhilasitam praptam acirad
\nyamitire gopisvaram anudinam tam kila bhaje<\/p>\n
[\u201cI daily worship Gopisvara Mahadeva, who is situated on the bank of Yamuna. That very Gopisvara was worshipped with deep devotion by the gopis, and he quickly fulfilled their desire to attain a supremely precious jewel in the form of the embrace of the son of Nanda Maharaja .\u201d]<\/p>\n
Srila Sanatana Gosvami, the great Vaisnava saint who resided in Vrndavana near the old Sri Madana-Mohana temple, would go daily to see Sri Gopisvara Mahadeva at his temple. Once, in his older years, Sanatana Gosvami had a dream wherein Gopisvara Mahadeva appeared and instructed him: \u201cNow that you are old, please do not go through so much trouble to see me.\u201d Sanatana Gosvami replied, \u201cI will continue to come. I cannot change this habit.\u201d Gopisvara Mahadeva said, \u201cThen I will come and stay very near to your residence, manifesting in Bankhandi.\u201d The very next day, Sri Gopisvara Mahadeva appeared in Bankhandi, halfway between his original temple and Srila Sanatana Gosvami\u2019s residence. Seeing this, Sanatana Gosvami became overwhelmed with transcendental ecstasy, and from that day on he visited Bankhandi Mahadeva every day.<\/p>\n
Wherever he was, Srila Sanatana Gosvami could not live without his beloved Lord Siva \u2013 Gopisvara Mahadeva and Bankhandi Mahadeva in Vrndavana, and Kamesvara Mahadeva in Kamyavana forest. In Govardhana he would stay near his very dear friend, Cakresvara Mahadeva, who acquired the name when he served Govardhana Hill and the Vrajavasis by holding up his trident like a cakra, protecting them from the torrential deluge sent by King Indra.<\/p>\n
Prior to this, Lord Siva had asked Sri Krsna for the boon to witness His childhood pastimes. Krsna ordered him to situate himself in Nandagaon in the form of a hill. Siva followed this order and became Nandisvara Hill, and he thus became known as Nandisvara. (Lord Brahma became Brahma-parvata, the mountain in Srimati Radhika\u2019s birthplace, Varsana. Because Brahma is so near to Radhika, he is also our Gurudeva.)<\/p>\n
We honor Lord Siva as a great Vaisnava and as Guru. We do not worship him separately. We observe Siva-ratri, Lord Siva\u2019s appearance day, and we glorify him in connection to his relationship with Sri Krsna. Srila Sanatana Gosvami has written in his Hari-bhakti-vilasa that all Vaisnavas should observe Siva-caturdasi (Siva-ratri). Lord Siva, in whom all good qualities reside, should certainly be honored by the observance of this day.<\/p>\n
We offer obeisance to Lord Siva with prayers like this:<\/p>\n
vrndavanavani-pate! jaya soma soma-maule
\nsanaka-sanandana-sanatana-naradedya
\ngopisvara! vraja-vilasi-yuganghri-padme
\nprema prayaccha nirupadhi namo namas te
\n(Sankalpa-kalpadruma 103)<\/p>\n
O Gatekeeper of Vrndavana! O Soma, all glories to you! O you whose forehead is decorated with the moon, and who is worshipable by the sages headed by Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Narada! O Gopisvara! Desiring that you bestow upon me prema for the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, who perform joyous pastimes in Vrajadhama, I offer obeisances unto you time and again.<\/p>\n
By Siva\u2019s Benediction<\/p>\n
A brahmana in Kasi Varanasi once prayed to Lord Siva, \u201cI want to give my daughter in marriage, but I have no money. Please give me money.\u201d Lord Siva told him, \u201cGo to Vrndavana and meet with Srila Sanatana Gosvami. You can ask him to give you some wealth for your daughter\u2019s marriage.\u201d The brahmana went to Vrndavana, by foot, and there he asked the villagers there for the whereabouts of a person named Sanatana Gosvami. As they all knew him, they pointed out his residence.<\/p>\n
Srila Sanatana Gosvami was practicing bhajana near the Yamuna River at Kaliya-hrada, the former abode of the very poisonous snake named Kaliya. Kaliya-hrada was close to the Yamuna, and therefore its surrounding area was full of sand. Srila Sanatana Gosvami wore only a loincloth. He used to go begging door-to-door for a small amount of prasada (Krsna\u2019s food remnants), and would take as his meal only one dry chapatti (flat bread), with no salt.<\/p>\n
The brahmana arrived at his cottage and told him, \u201cI went to Sankara Mahadeva, Lord Siva, and he told me to meet you. He said you will give me some wealth for my daughter\u2019s marriage.\u201d Sanatana Gosvami replied, \u201cI have no possessions. You can see that I have nothing but a loincloth.\u201d Then he thought, \u201cOh, Siva cannot tell a lie. He is my bosom friend.\u201d Thinking of Lord Siva and contemplating further, he remembered a touchstone he had once discarded and then forgotten. Now he told the brahmana, \u201cGo to the Yamuna and remove some of the sand, and there you will find a touchstone. It is somewhere in the sand, though I don\u2019t remember where.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brahmana found the jewel, touched it to iron, and the iron turned into gold. He was very, very happy that Lord Siva had told him to come to Vrndavana, and thought with gratitude, \u201cMy prayer has been answered by him.\u201d On the way home, however, his greed for money increased and he began thinking, \u201cWhy did Sanatana Gosvami keep the touchstone in the sand? It had no use there. He must have still more valuable jewels.\u201d<\/p>\n
He thus returned, and Sanatana Gosvami asked him, \u201cWhy have you come back?\u201d He replied, \u201cI\u2019ve come because I know that you have more valuable jewels than this.\u201d Sanatana Gosvami then said, \u201cGo and throw the touchstone in the Yamuna. The brahmana did so with all his power, and then Sanatana Gosvami told him, \u201cCome here. Come here.\u201d He gave him the mantra, \u201cHare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare\u201d and said, \u201cI do not have worldly jewels, but I have transcendental jewels. The jewel of Lord Krsna and Sri Radha will come to you in a very short time. So remain here. Your daughter\u2019s marriage will take place automatically. Stay here and chant Hare Krsna.\u201d That brahmana followed his instruction and became a very elevated saint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"