Sri Krishna Kathamrita

Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaJaqvNaMa(

tava kathmta tapta-jvanam

Bindu

Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications

Issue No. 345

r malak-vrata Ekda

1 March 2015

Circulation 7,610

Chanting on the Typewriter

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Highlights

Why are we not Making Advancement?

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada

The First Attraction Part 11

From Srila Jiva Goswamis Gopla-prva-camp
Hari and Harinama
From the Bhagavan-nma-mhtmya-sagraha
The Glories of Srivas Pandit
The Poet Premadas

Chanting on the Typewriter

His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
When the composer machine is purchased, you will
be engaged from 11 till 3 PM and from 7 till 10 PM.
That means seven hours a day. When you are typing
you should know that it is as good as chanting because
the work is also on the matter of Krishna. Chanting on
the beads and chanting on the typewriter composer
machine are both transcendental sounds of Krishna.
Krishnas name, his fame, his qualities all of them
are on the absolute platform and therefore there is
no difference between one and another. So do not
be misled that you are typing and not chanting.
Letter to Arundhati. 16 June 1969.

Why are we not Making

Advancement?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada

Devotee: Why are our obstacles not destroyed and

our desires not fulfilled?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati: Because we
think that the spiritual master, who is non-different
from the supreme lord, is a mortal being, our current
vision is full of faults. That is why we are unable to
next column

His Divine Grace

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

sincerely surrender to his lotus feet. We find ourselves

in our present pathetic condition because we have
transgressed the words of the Vedas, the Supreme
Lord, and the Bhagavad-gt by considering the
spiritual master as a mortal being, the vaiavas as
belonging to a particular caste, or the supreme lord as
made of material elements stone, wood or clay.
From Amrta Vani, p. 44. Touchstone Media. Mumbai. 2004.

Issue Three Hundred Forty-five, Page 2

[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNdu

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me and quickly went away! Thinking like this, Krishna
somehow drove away his sadness, but still he remained
as motionless as a painting on the wall. Moreover:

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The First Attraction Part 11

From Srila Jiva Goswamis
Gopla-prva-campu, 15th praa

The brothers Madhukantha and Snigdhakantha continue

their narrative in front of Radha Krishna and their friends.
The feelings of Sri Radha [who was kept confined
within her home] were as follows:
yte keti abde ruti-patham amtd apy atisvda-yukte
va-vdye ca avan manasi sapadi ya sphrtim pnoti so yam
janmbhysa-hno py atisuparicita-prya eveti bhti
prpti-vyvttitas tu prasabham acirato neyati pra-vargam
When the sound of the word Krishna or the sound
of the flute enters into the pathway of my ears, a
certain personality immediately manifests within my
mind. This personality appears to be very familiar,
even though hes been away for a lifetime. I think
that if I am not able to attain him soon he will take
away my life force.

Then, she spoke as if she were having a conversation

with herself, saying, O Radha! Why are you feeling
agitated at heart? Focus your attention if youre
distracted, and listen:
ravy svda-sra rutir anumanute yat tu yad v sudhbdher
manthl labdha rasaj sukha-hdija-sukha citta-vttir yad eva

rdh-ke kvacana gaake nntikd varyamne

dv rdh ghaayati jane sajana svasya drt
rdh-gehn mdula-pavane vti nsmri tat tat
kensmin punar alam asau sasmare saiva rdh
Whenever any astrologer in Vrindavan speaks about the
constellation named Radha; whenever someone having
seen Radha expresses affection for her; whenever a gentle breeze blows from Radhas home towards Krishna at
all these times Krishna doesnt think about these things.
Instead, in all these incidents he only remembers Radha.

[Translators Note: Madhukantha and Snigdhakantha have thus described the feelings of Radha and
Krishna when they could not see each other due
to being married off in different homes. Now they
narrate how even after their marriage to the other
cowherd boys, the gops and Srimati Radharani got
to see Krishna without any obstruction.]
In this way the great festival of the unhampered sight
of Krishna had not yet occurred [for the eyes of the
gops]. However, the opportunity [to see Krishna free
from all restrictions] did occur later during the episode
of Kaliya. At that time [of apparent crisis], all fetters
were shattered as all the residents of Vraja rushed

kintat keti vara-dvayam ayam athav ka-vara-dyutnm

jvya ko pi avat sphurati nava-yuvety hay mohitsmi
[The name of Krishna] is the essence of all sounds. It
can only be understood by the ear. [His name is] the
essence of the flavor of the nectar churned from the
milk ocean, and this flavor can only be understood by
the tongue. [His name produces a joy in the heart] and
this joy can be understood only by the consciousness.
Now tell me [O Radha], is the source of all these various sensations the name Krishna or is it the person
who is constantly manifesting in my heart who has a
dark (ka) hue? Thinking in this way, I am becoming
bewildered.

[Madhukantha continued]: Similarly, now listen to

the mood of Krishna, who was eager to be enlightened by the glorifiable qualities of Radha:
nmni rotra sadana-saraau netram moda-pre
ghra phe vapur api gue sktam s madyam
m projjhysd drutam iti hari svya-doa vicrt
pratykhyya sphuam anusara tatra citryate sma

Nma-tattva

Hari and Harinama

From the Bhagavan-nma-mhtmya-sagraha
hari-nma haris tatra harer nmtiricyate
nmvimya-phala-da vimya-phalado hari

Among the holy name of Lord Hari and Lord

Hari himself, the holy name stands out as
superior. This is because the holy name gives love
of Hari without any consideration, whereas Hari
gives his love only after various considerations.
Translated by Hari Parshad Das from Bhagavan-nmamhtmya-sagraha, verse 233. Princess of Wales Saraswati
Bhavana Text No. 56. Edited by Mahamahopadhyaya Gopi Natha
Kaviraja. Printed at Vidya Vilasa Press, Benares City. 1934.

My ears became focused on the sound of her names; my

eyes became riveted on the path leading to her home;
my nose became fixed on her various joyous aromas; my
entire body became immersed in following her; and my
voice was engaged in glorifying her. Still, [Sri Radha] left

Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu

Issue Three Hundred Forty-five, Page 3

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Unknown artist. Vintage calendaar print.

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Hearing the sound of Krishna's flute, Radharani pictures him in her mind.

[to the banks of the Yamuna] bringing Radha and the

gops with them. Krishna delayed the task of punishing Kaliya [and instead appeared to be within Kaliyas
grips] for that purpose [of giving Radha and the gops
an unhampered vision of himself]. Still, even though
Radha and the gops had reached the spot in time [to see
Krishna], their love could not reach its fullest expression in this world due to the immaturity of their age
and due to the scene of lamentation generated at the
banks of Yamuna that day. Instead, this incident only
resulted in the generation of extreme attachment and
love [but not yet any higher level of ecstasy].
[Translators Note: In other words, all the symptoms
of ecstasy were not manifest simultaneously due to
the above-mentioned factors. Madhukantha and
Snigdhakantha now describe Radha and the gops
condition in three verses.]
yad dre ntya phai-irasi cakre muraripus
tad tbhi skd araci sa itda nahi m
tathpy s blyd bahujana-samjd api ucvter bhvo naiva sva-rasa-mayatm av api yayau

When Murari danced on the heads of Kaliya, it is a fact

that the gops along with Radha saw him directly. Still,
due to their childishness, due to the presence of many
people, and due to the general lamentation at that
scene, their feelings could not attain the highest level.
yad klyasya hrada-valayata so yam uditas
tad rdh-mukhy prathama-kaland eva patit
bahir-jna nsd yad api tad api sphrti-valit
na mrcch nmrcch yayur ahaha rtrindivam anu
When Krishna rose suddenly from Kaliyas lake, Radha
and the other gops, seeing him for the first time, instantly fell to the ground as if they had fainted. Ahh!
Although due to some strength they remained conscious, for days and nights they were in a state of mental
stupefaction [unable to think or act purposefully].
yady api kas ts kaland antar-vikramsanna
tad api ca samayntaraj cakra gambhrat araam
Although when Krishna saw the gops he felt agitated
within his mind, he took shelter of the soberness that
had helped him in all other times.

When morning came, the gops and Radha

were somehow carried back to Vraja on carts,

Issue
Three Hundred Forty-five, Page 4
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where they regained health and consciousness

after great effort. [To be continued.]

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[q k* Z<ak QaaMa*Ta ibNd

Translated by Hari Parshad Das from the Gopla-prva-camp.

Published by Sri Nityasvarup Brahmachari. 1912 AD.
Photo by Pulkit Khurana

The Glories of Srivas Pandit

The Poet Premadas
saptadvpa dpta kari
obhe navadvpa pur

yhe vivambhara devarja
the tra bhakta yata
thte rvsa khyta

r-ka krtana yra kja

The earth with its seven islands is illumined by the

presence of Nabadwip Dham, where Vishwambhar is
the Lord. Among his devotees, Srivas is famous. His
sole duty is to sing the krtana of Sri Krishna.
jaya jaya hkura paita!
yra kplea mtra
haya gaura prema ptra
anupma sakala caritra

All glories, all glories to Thakur Pandit [Srivas]! By

a fraction of his mercy, one becomes fit to receive
Gaura prema. His character is extraordinary.
gaurgera sev vine
deva-dev nhi jne
cri-bhi dsa-dsi laye
satata krtana rage
gaura gaura-bhakta sage

aharnii preme matta haye

Neither Srivas, nor his four brothers, nor his

servants, knew any activity other than the service of
Gauranga. They remained mad with prema, day and

Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu

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Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A.
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Deities at the home of Srivas Thakur in Mayapur

night, while absorbed in colorful pastimes of krtana

with Gaura and Gauras devotees.
yra bhry r-mlin
pati-vrat iromani
yre prabhu kahate janan
nitynanda rahe ghare
putra-sama sneha kare
stana jhare netre bahe pn

Srivas consort Sri Malini is the crest jewel of chaste

wives. Mahaprabhu addresses her as Mother.
Nityananda Prabhu lives in the house of Srivas, and
Malini loves him as a son. Seeing him, milk flows from
her breasts and tears run down her eyes.
kabhu v vara jne
nti kare r carae
kabhu kole karaye plana
prabhura nitya bhanga lgi mta putra oka tygi

uni prabhu karaye rodana

Sometimes Srivas knows Mahaprabhu as the Lord

and bows to his feet. Sometimes he takes Nimai on
his lap to look after him. Once during krtana, the
son of Srivas died. Fearing that it would disturb
Mahaprabhus happiness, Srivas gave up his own
lamentation. Hearing the news of the death of Srivas
son, Mahaprabhu cried.
bhrt-sut nryan
vaiava manale dhvani
yra putra vndvana dsa
dhaniy caitanya ll
tribhuvana uddhril
premadsa kare yra a

Srivas niece [his brothers daughter] was Narayani.

She was famous amongst all the vaiavas. Her
son was Vrindavan Das [the author of r Caitanyabhgavata]. The glorious descriptions of Caitanyas
pastimes deliver all the three worlds. Prema Das
eagerly awaits the vision of such pastimes.
Translated from Kishori Das Babajis r Gaurga-pradavargera-scaka-krtana, rvsa paitera mahim. Vaishnava Research
Institute. Halisahar, West Bengal. 2005. Bengali. Page 14.