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WORLD April 1, 1999 VNN3479 Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja Visits Murwillimbah (3) BY SRIDAM SAKHA DASA  AUSTRALIA, Apr 1 (VNN) — Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja Visits Murwillimbah, Part 3 Wednesday, December 30, 1998 The next morning, Srila Maharaja told the story of how Pradyumna misra approached Srila Ramananda Raya for instruction by the recommendation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: "Yesterday I was reading from Caitanya caritamrta about the dialogue between Pradyumna Misra who wanted to associate with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Pradyumna Misra was a brahmacari and a very learned person. One day he came to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and said: 'I want to hear some Hari katha from you, some lilas of Krsna.' In a very natural way Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said: 'I don't know any Hari katha. But if you really want to hear very sweet katha, then go to that person from whom I have heard it and am hearing still. I don't know these subjects like him.' This person was Ramananda Raya. "Accepting the advice of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Pradyumna Misra went to the house of Srila Ramananda Raya the next day at 8:00 or 9:00 am. Srila Ramananda Raya was not in his council at that time, but in his garden in a very sacred place. When Pradyumna Misra asked Srila Ramananda Raya's servant if he could meet with his master, the servant showed him so much honour. Firstly Pradyumna Misra was in red cloth, and secondly he was a brahmana. In India everyone has so much respect for a brahmana what to speak of a brahmacari. The servant told him: 'You'll have to wait. He is with some young girls, devi dasis in a solitary place and he's teaching them Vallabha Nataka which he's composed himself, a drama for Jagannath.' There are so many sweet songs in it, and it contains very high siddhanta. So Srila Ramananda Raya was teaching them to dance. First he was bathing them and then decorating them and applying perfumes. He was also giving them massage, dressing them, and plaiting their hair, as if he were a lady teacher. He was giving them training in what is called hava bhava. At this time this was not known to anyone, but it was later given in Ujjvala Nilamani by Srila Rupa gosvami. If any young girl, quite innocent, never before charmed by any boy glances at Krsna for the first time, Who is so beautiful and qualified, then the first sprout of prema will come in her heart. Her neck turned, she will look at Krsna with crooked glances. How very beautiful it is. Srila Ramananda Raya was teaching this to the deva dasis. He would tell them: 'When you dance for Jagannath you should see Him as Krsna. He is there as very beautiful Nanda Nandana, playing flute, with a greed to meet you. But you should pose as though you don't like Him. Then He will try to charm you more and more. If He tries to give you a garland tell Him: "Oh I don't want it!" In this way you can charm Krsna and He will become so attracted.' "So Srila Ramananda Raya was teaching them how to do this. A gopi will have a mood to share love with Krsna, but externally she will pretend to be angry with Him, saying: 'You should go from here!' But although she is saying this, her heart is feeling the opposite. There are so many moods but we cannot express all of them. If Krsna stops any gopi and says: 'You should remain here. I won't let you go' then her mood is called kila-kincita bhava. She becomes angry, tears come from her eyes, but she is also so glad that Krsna is touching her, so she smiles and laughs also. Srila Ramananda Raya was teaching the dancing girls how to pose like this, how to hold their hands and feet in different ways and to show so many moods. "He was completely unaffected by his intimate association with them. Just as if he was a female teacher he was decorating their hair, their cheeks, putting kajal on their eyes and serving them in so many ways with his own hands, such as giving them Jagannath prasada. He considered them to be worshipable by himself, because they were the most beloved of Jagannath. So Srila Ramananda Raya was serving the devi dasis in this mood. "When training for the day was finished, he took off all their sringar (bodily ornaments) and took them to their homes in his chariot. Srila Ramananda Raya heard from his servant that up till now Pradyumna Misra had been waiting there. He at once went and begged forgiveness from Pradyumna Misra, saying: 'No-one told me you were here. How can I serve you?' Pradyumna Misra told him that he would come again on another day. "That evening he went to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. All devotees were present except for Srila Ramananda Raya. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Pradyumna Misra if he had been to see Srila Ramananda Raya that day, so Pradyumna Misra told Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that Srila Ramananda Raya had been too busy to see him. Pradyumna Misra also told Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu what Srila Ramananda Raya had been doing as he had been told by the servant. "Pradyumna Misra knew all the teachings of Srimad Bhagavatam which state that if one wants to serve Krsna one should not have close connection with ladies. One should not joke and laugh with them, not even if they are one's own sister or mother, otherwise it is better to die. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew that Pradyumna Misra had some doubt about Srila Ramananda Raya, and that he didn't want to visit his house again. Therefore, to remove Pradyumna Misra's doubts, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him that Srila Ramananda Raya was so high a class of vaisnava that He completely considered Srila Ramananda Raya to be His own teacher. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said of Himself that He would even become attracted to a wooden form of a woman. He told Pradyumna Misra how he once became attracted to a woman's singing and ran towards it, and how Govinda saved him just in time. But, He said, Srila Ramananda Raya was completely transcendental to all this. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said that whatever He knew, He had learnt it from Srila Ramananda Raya. "Hearing all this from the Lord, Pradyumna Misra immediately went to see Srila Ramananda Raya. When he arrived, Srila Ramananda Raya offered his dandavat pranams to him, begging forgiveness. But Pradyumna Misra begged Srila Ramananda Raya not to deceive him, but to tell him the same Hari katha which Srila Ramananda Raya had spoken to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Ramananda Raya started to speak at about 8:00 am and in no time it had reached 3:00 in the afternoon. They had become so absorbed in discussing this sweet and nectarean katha as did Pariksit Maharaja and Sukadeva Gosvami, that they were not aware of the passing of time. Pradyumna Misra was dumbstruck, he had never heard anything like this in all his life. At last Srila Ramananda Raya's servant came to them, saying: 'The sun is going to set soon, please be merciful and take Jagannath prasada.' Before Pradyumna Misra left, Srila Ramananda Raya said to him: 'I do not know even the "ABC's" of rasa tattva. I don't know anything about these subjects. What I have spoken to you was all inspired in my heart from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I am just like a flute which by itself can do nothing, but when played by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has produced very beautiful melodies. I am just His puppet, and He has made me dance. But do not reveal these confidential truths to anyone else.' "That evening, weeping and with melted heart, Pradyumna Misra prostrated himself before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, saying: 'For the first time my life has become successful. I have heard and realized from Srila Ramananda Raya all those truths which he spoke to You. He has showered his causeless mercy upon me. Although I am completely unqualified, You have been so kind to send me to him.' "This is called association. I have only come to sprinkle these things of Srila Ramananda Raya and Srila Svarupa Damodara. So what I'm telling is not mine, but it is inspired by Srila Ramananda Raya and Srila Svarupa Damodara especially, Lord Nityananda and all my gurus. But you're not so qualified. So you should try to be like Pradyumna Misra, asking very politely like an ignorant person, forgetting worldly things and leaving them completely aside. Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja also came to give all these sweet rasas, but there was a jungle, so how could he? While the jungle was there he could not, so he began to cut it all down. He wanted to make our hearts fertile. In some cases he was successful, for those who were qualified, but most were not. He wrote everything in his books, but some things he also did not reveal. If he was alive now then so much more he would have given. I am only the insignificant dust of his lotus feet. "When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came out of the gambhira He was seeing everywhere as Vrndavana. If He would see any banyan tree, then it would appear to Him to be the same banyan tree at Vamsi vata from where Krsna called all the gopis to come for rasa dance. When He would see the ocean He would think it was the Yamuna, and those who were bathing in it to be cowherd boys and girls. This is sraddha. We have two kinds of hearts, senses, mind and intelligence, one material and one spiritual. But at the moment our transcendental nature only exists in its seed form. But if suddha sattva will come from our guru's heart then that transcendental nature will start to sprout. In a seed the whole tree is there, but to grow it must have air, light and water, especially. In this world we see so many seeds may be lying in the earth. But if they have no water then they cannot grow. Although all seeds have a different potential, it will still manifest by the same rain, light and air. This jivatma is a special kind of seed, and the potency for it to grow comes by association from Goloka. So we should try to hear like Pradyumna Misra did. Srila Svarupa Damodara knew even more than Srila Ramananda Raya. If you know all these glories, then your heart will be charmed. Don't come to me to tell me all your problems: 'My wife has left me, this person has cheated me...' There is only one problem. Srimati Radharani also has this problem: 'I have not seen Krsna, I have not served Him.' While in Murwillumbah, Srila Maharaja spoke on fascinating topics which most of us had not heard before. As I found them to be quite technical and involved I am only giving a very brief outline of them here. Srila Maharaja explained how Srimati Radharani exists in three features. Her original and eternally present form in Vraja is known as "Vrsabhanu Nandini". However, at the time when She experiences deep separation from Krsna when He leaves for Mathura, she is known as "samyogini ". And when She leaves Vrndavana to travel with the Vrajavasis to Kuruksetra for the ostensible purpose of observing a solar eclipse where She meets Krsna for the first time in many years She is known as "viyogini". Srila Maharaja went on to relate how these different manifestations of Srimati Radharani relate to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. --end-- All of the tours completed to date are archived at the following site: http://www.igvp.com/tours Comment on this Story This story URL: http://vaishnava-news-network.org/world/WD9904/WD01-3479.html
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