śrī śrī guru gaurāṅga jayataḥ!
Year 11,Special Edition
Posted: 29 December 2018
Dedicated to
nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Inspired by and under the guidance of
nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Śrī Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Grace
Lord Śrī Caitanyacandra, the incarnation of love and generous magnanimity, distributes His grace among the fortunate jīvas in three ways:
(1) Jīvas distressed by the privations of the world try to remove them by several means, but they fail therein. God’s grace is not available through the attempts of jīvas. But when the fragrance of the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa arises in their hearts through divine grace, the dust of mental agonies easily flies away and the heart becomes free from all dirt. The highest bliss is then awakened, which grows from service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The conflicts arising in the mind from the different interpretations of the scriptures give rise to controversies and disputes.
(2) On receipt of divine grace, the recipient’s heart becomes intoxicated with the tasty succulence of the love of God. And that intoxicating taste, too, owes its growth to the self-same divine grace. Consequently, all scriptural disputes are set to rest. The limit of the sweetness of love then gives those awakened jīvas constant rest at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s feet and, fortunate as they are, they attain true satisfaction with unadulterated devotional love. Kṛṣṇa’s grace is free from all dirt. It gives a tasty succulence and is replete with divine intoxication.
When the heart becomes pure with Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace, the dirt of vexation due to wants does not linger any longer. When, through His grace, the tasty sweetness of love grows, the settled decision about bhakti becomes strongly firm, all scriptural contests having been overcome.
(3) Consequently, the mind becomes intoxicated with love for Kṛṣṇa. Acquiring tranquility through His grace, one becomes constantly immersed with a feeling of excessive bliss in the glorious snare of the love of Kṛṣṇa.
The jīvas in this world are at first affected by attachment to the objects of enjoyment due to their being averse to God. Then they become inquisitive about God, and finally they engage themselves in service to Him. In the first stage, they become rid of the mischief of worldliness by divine grace. As a result the heart becomes clean and clear, and as a consequence thereof, the pleasurable sensation of attachment to Kṛṣṇa is awakened. In the second stage, they are established in the firm conviction of devotion to God and that through His grace, the tasty sweetness of love, leading to love intoxication, is obtained. In the final stage, through God’s grace, the strongest attachment to bhakti is achieved and consequently, one’s perception is awakened of the divine sports everywhere, from which the culmination of extreme sweetness is available.
With Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace, the jīvas’ worldly desires may desist and the jīvas may thus be liberated. They may secure their abstinence from anything other than Kṛṣṇa through Kṛṣṇa kīrtana. And even when they are desirous of emancipation, they may give up such desire by taking this antidote against worldliness. They may have perception of God, and when desire for worldly enjoyments arise, they may stand with pure devotion after giving up such desire by Kṛṣṇa’s grace and by repeating what they have carefully heard about Śrī Hari’s glories. Those glories are pleasing, both to the ear and the mind. Thus it is the divine grace that should be adopted as our shelter and protection, under all circumstances.
Adapted from The Gauḍīya, Volume 8, Number 9-10
by the Rays of The Harmonist Team
