Dharma
"The gopis then Krsna that his instructing them on religious principles, in which he is the ultimate authority, was appropriate...In stating this, the gopis implied that with regard to religious duty (dharma) two things must be considered: dharma must be learned and must be executed. In order to execute religious principles, one must learn about them from a guru. The guru and his service are thus the basis of dharma. Krsna was speaking correctly about dharma as an expert guru, and the gopis stated that as such he should be worshiped first and foremost. Without worshiping him, how could they possibly perform their religious duties, or even know about them?"
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 73
"Understanding the basis of religious life is more important than mindless execution of religious principles. Furthermore, the religious duties pertain for the most part to one's body, and only indirectly to one's soul. Successful execution of religious ritual, however, should culminate in an interest in the soul.Thus one who through religious ritual and duty develops interest in the soul and the supreme soul truly executes dharma."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p 74
"Dharma must have as its goal a pleasurable end in order for one to be motivated to execute it. The wise who know this understand dharma to be service to the inner self, which in a qualitative sense is one with God. Conversely, wise persons conclude that service to family members cannot be dharma of the self, for it only leads to suffering by way of perpetuating samsara. Service to family members cannot be dharma because it does not truly have a pleasurable result as its goal. If service to family members constituted true dharma, there would be no samsara."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 74-75
Spiritual Experience
"...beauty and spiritual experience are nonrational and trans-rational respectively. This is not to say that spiritual beauty is unreasonable, but rather that it picks up where reason leaves off. Because in this world we speak the language of logic, we are restricted when we speak about spiritual experience. Should we enter the spiritual reality, however, the language of logic will be of little utility, for in the spiritual plane the language is love."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta
Rasa-lila
"With all of its symbolism, rasa-lila is like a heart swollen with a tale to tell that escapes explanation. If we are fortunate to penetrate its philosophical message entwined in its story of love, and by the grace of Sri Guru fall in love with Krsna, we too can live in the ideal world of Radha-Krsna, the ultimate truth that is both beautiful and bewildering."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 47
Krsna's Name in Sanskrit
"The Sanskrit syllable krs, from which the name Krsna is derived, denotes existence. The suffix na suggests happiness. Thus "Krsna" indicates the most blissful existence. Krs also grammatically denotes "to draw near", and na to renounce. Krsna is that ultimate happiness, the beauty that draws all near to himself, causing us to leave the unhappiness of material attachment behind. Charming Krsna of sweet form, sweet flute, sweet play, and sweet love is the concrete form of beauty of which the abstract language of the Upanishads speak. He is the form of beauty without which the experience of beauty in transcendence is but half the truth."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 18
Krsna is not Sectarian
"In devotion to Krsna we do not encounter the fanaticism that holds to only one spiritual revelation, for Krsna includes all forms of the Godhead and thus all varieties of love of God. Nor do we encounter the abstract rationalism that evaporates the essence of religion into a fog of indeterminate concepts, fusing all religious forms into a formless, colorless, impotent generality or void."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p.18
"Krsna is not the sectarian God of a few but the Absolute, the ground of being, and more importantly the embodiment of the joy that all souls exist to taste."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 51
The True Fruit of Prescribed Rituals
"When, through the execution of prescribed rituals, one acquires the desired material result, faith in the Veda awakens. This faith is the true fruit of the ritual. As this faith develops in a person, he or she naturally looks more deep with the Veda, only to find its secret teaching. This secret teaching leads to liberation and the development of love of God. This is the sole purpose of the Veda."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 52-53
Separation and Union
"Separation and union are two banks of the river of love. Separation serves to accent union, and union holds within itself the fear of future separation. Thus, in the union of the gopis with Krsna, separation loomed....the separation of the gopis intensifies their devotion to him. When they feel transcendental suffering, it is because they know he cannot be fully happy without them."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 60
The Result of Meditating Upon Krsna
"The result of meditating upon Krsna is that one develops more and more devotion towards him, until one actually experiences the direct vision of Krsna and his lila and ultimately enters there, never to return to the world of duality. The devotee, that is, enters dynamic union in love with Absolute wherein he realizes oneness in purpose with Krsna."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 61
Pure Bhakti
"This is pure bhakti, in which the devotee has no motive (ahaituki). The devotee comes to Krsna out of love. Such devotees desire neither material gain nor liberation from samsara- they only want to love Krsna. This is the best reason for approaching God, and it was no doubt the gopi's mood.They came on his terms, answering to the clarion call of his enchanting flute. It was, although an invitation to all, heard only by a few."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 63
"His apparent rejection, however, did not affect their love in the slightest. This again is a symptom of real devotion, as is the fact that their passion for Krsna involved the loss of passion or desire for anything else. They were not about to turn back, even at the formidable obstacle presented at Krsna's apparent rejection and orders to return home."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 71
References to the Moon
"By mentioning the fullness of the moon, Krsna indicated that where there is fullness one should stay. Those who have only partial devotion, clinging to the world of illusion, can never be full and thus can never stay with him."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 67
Krsna as the Real Husband
"In telling the gopis that it is a woman's duty to serve her husband, Krsna was also instructing them to stay with him, for he alone is the real husband. Krsna said that the wife should serve her husband without duplicity. Yet the word amayaya also means without illusion. To serve the husband (bhartuh, the protector) without illusion is to serve Krsna."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 68
Krsna as the Real Husband
"In telling the gopis that it is a woman's duty to serve her husband, Krsna was also instructing them to stay with him, for he alone is the real husband. Krsna said that the wife should serve her husband without duplicity. Yet the word amayaya also means without illusion. To serve the husband (bhartuh, the protector) without illusion is to serve Krsna."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 68
Raga marga
"On the raga marga, the devotees adhere to scriptural injunctions, performing devotional activities such as hearing, chanting, viewing the temple deity and meditation, yet with the motivation to enter the circle of intimate, and even passionate, transcendental love. This was the gopis' chosen path, and one that should not be misconstrued to advocate mere physical proximity to Krsna."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 70
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 70
When Scripture Seems to Contradict Itself
"When the sacred literature seems to say something that is in contradiction to its own conclusions, we must seek a deeper meaning in those words. The words of the sacred texts must be taken seriously, but their inner meaning must be ascertained if we are to benefit from them. Often persons cite a text but do not understand its spirit. To be angered by so-called scriptural speech that is divorced from the spirit of sacred literature is a sign of devotion."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 72
Some of the Gopis declaring Themselves to Be Krsna
"Although some of the gopis declared themselves to be Krsna, they began searching for him at the same time. Thus they simultaneously experienced their qualitative oneness with the Absolute and their quantitative difference. They did not actually become Krsna, for if they had there would have been no further opportunity for rasa with him. Thus their feelings of oneness with him are described using the word vibhramah, mistaken. Theirs was a case of mistaken identity caused by love. Morever, vibhramah also means beauty. Thus this was merely a beautiful pastime, vibhramah-vilasa of the lover and his beloved."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 86
Kirtana
"The gopis sang loudly and in unison. Joining together in kirtana, song in praise of God, has been highly recommended by Sri Caitanya and his disciples. Kirtana's marginal characteristic is that it quickly cleanses the heart and affords liberation from birth and death. Its primary characteristic, however, is that it awakens the soul to the aesthetic experience (rasa) of Krsna in devotional love.
This chanting can be strengthened by the company of those who are spiritually advanced and by the good advice found in such company."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 87
Trees as Lords of the Forest
The gopis thus inquired from the trees who are vanaspatih, or lords of the forest. They are so because of their benevolent nature in providing shade and shelter, as well as abundance of nourishment for all who dwell there. The trees not only give all these things, but they do so without being asked. The trees are paradigms for ideal human behavior, that which are exemplified by the Vaisnavas, the devotees of Visnu.
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 87-88
Perception of Neophyte Devotees v. Mature Devotees
"While the neophyte on the devotional path often thinks that he is a true devotee while others are not, the mature devotee feels that all others are serving Krsna, save and except for himself. As one approaches the Absolute, one's finite nature in relation to the infinite is felt. Thus, the closer one comes to the infinite, the further from it one feels, for such is the nature of the infinite, whose presence is humbling. yet reassuring."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 95
Some of the Markings on Krsna's Feet
"The flag on Krsna's foot symbolizes the assurance that his devotees will live without fear. The lotus flower increases his devotees' eagerness for him, for their minds are just like honeybees. The thunderbolt symbolizes Krsna's ability to cut down mountains of inauspicious karma for those who take shelter of him. The cakra stands for his protective nature. The elephant goad symbolizes Krsna's ability to conquer the elephant of one's mind, and the barleycorn indicates that his devotees will be famous."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 98
Prema
"Thus Krsna took pleasure in none other than his own soul, Sri Radha, and in doing so revealed the shallowness of male lovers and hard-heartedness of their female counterparts. Worldly lovers do not love at all, unaware as they are of their own selves. Sri Krsna revealed this through extolling Sri Radha's love above all others'. Although outwardly Sri Radha appeared selfish in wanting to have Krsna to her self, the truth of her heart is selfless love. Such is the nature of prema, or spiritual love. Prema is so pure and confidential that it hides itself in the guise of lust just to keep those possessed of lust from plundering her."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 101
"The gopis are described here as reflections of Brahman, through who he enjoys himself in eternity. Through the gopis, Krsna sees and experiences himself more fully. Although they are different from him, they are simultaneously nondifferent from him, being his saktis ( acintya-bhedabheda). Just as a person looking through a mirror sees himself as he otherwise could not, Krsna looking at the gopis sees himself through his sakti without the manifestation of such he could not experience himself as completely."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 150
Preaching of Bhaktivinoda Thakura
"Bhaktivinoda Thakura proceeded to write about, practice, and broadcast the divine message of raganuga-bhakti. It is to him and his followers that the world is most indebted for having received the good news of passionate love of Krsna. With the British empire, upon which at one time the sun never set, now shrunken to a cold island in the Atlantic, Christ forsaken for Krsna by many more in the West than Vaisnavas converted to Christianity, and Indologists now extolling the virtues of the Bhagavatam, the victory of raganuga-bhakti is a sweet one. Such was predicted by Sri Caitanya himself, a prediction that although beginning to manifest, is still in the process of unfolding."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 164
Raga for Krsna Will Cure the Roga (disease) of the Heart
"Sukadeva says, "Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord's playful affairs with the young gopis of Vrindavana will attain the Lord's pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart." The implication of this verse is that even the vilest person, if he hears with faith from the proper person about the lilas of Radha-Krsna, will attain bhakti, and his lust will be vanquished. Raga for Krsna will cure the roga (disease) of the heart."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 177
Raganuga-bhakti Does not Advocate Breaking or Forgoing Scriptural Injunctions
"Raganuga-bhakti does not advocate breaking or forgoing the scriptural injunctions; it advocates directly pleasing the person from whom their power is derived. Raganuga-bhakti is not a disregard for scripture, for it is indeed only from the scripture that we come to know of such a path, sastra-yonitvat. (Vs. 1.1.3)"
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 177
The Sadhaka-dehaAll of the devotional practices of ritualistic bhakti relative to the culture of passionate love are conducted in the sadhaka-deha, the external spiritualized body of the practitioner received at the time of initiation. The sadhaka-deha is not a material body, nor is it a perfected spiritual body. It is a material body in transformation to a spiritualized material body. Just as in appearance a gold-plated box functions as a gold box, similarly the sadhaka-deha gradually becomes spiritualized and thus functions spiritually. From the time of his initiation, the practitioner's body begins to take on a spiritual quality. Proportionate to the extent that his senses and mind are spiritually engaged in hearing, chanting, serving, and meditating, and so on, the practitioner's body is spiritualized.
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 190-191
The Siddha-deha
The siddha-deha is not a perfected material body, but a spiritual one in every respect. The practitioner's perfected body is the body in which he eternally participates in Krsna-lila. It is a body made up of Krsna's internal potency, svarupa-sakti. The inner spiritual body is revealed to the disciple by the guru when the guru perceives the mature eagerness to receive it. Just as the inheritance of a youth may be withheld by his elders until his eagerness to spend it meets with a mature understanding of its value, the guru withholds this revelation until he sees mature eagerness in his disciple. Such eagerness is characterized by the practitioner's ability to meditate continually upon the siddha-deha while engaging externally in the practices of ritualistic bhakti relative to the culture of raganuga-bhakti. This generally occurs in the final stages of practicing life (asakti).
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 191-192
Prema
"The advanced practitioner enters into bhava-bhakti, which is the sprouting (premankura) of the tree of prema-bhakti. He experiences a ray of the sun of prema under the influence of the internal spiritual energy of Krsna. Finally he realizes prema, pure love of Krsna. Not caring for anything other than the intensification of prema, he sometimes appears as if mad. His behavior can be as bewildering as the beauty of krsna-lila itself. It is said that krsna-prema on the outside appears to be like poison, while on the inside it is ecstatic and beautiful. This is its wonderful and mysterious characteristic, one that is just the opposite of the characteristic of material life. While material life looks appealing on the outside, it is rotten at the core."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 207
Sri Caitanya's Transformations of Ecstasy
"Sri Caitanya in the mood of Radha exhibited extraordinary bodily symptoms of ecstasy that would be disconcerting for the uninformed. His feelings of separation from Krsna in the ecstasy of Sri Radha teach us that union in love with Krsna is possible through intense yearning. His transformations of ecstasy also teach us that the practitioner's present body, the sadhaka-deha cannot contain the intensification of prema."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 207-208
Judging a Person By His Ideal"Passionate love of Krsna is truth that is beautiful and bewildering. To embark upon it requires only that we cherish as our ideal the depths of the ocean of love of Krsna. This is so because it is a person's ideal that he will become. And it is the generous opinion of Sri Caitanya that we should judge a person not by his past, nor even by the limits of his present. We should judge him by his ideal, for that he will become."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 209
Some Encouragement for the Practitioner
"As leaves fall naturally from the tree when the season changes from summer to fall, so that which impedes us from practicing the path of passionate love at present will fall away in due course. In our material lives, we inevitably become disenchanted with that for which we have striven. If that disenchantment is met with the inner ideal of passionate love of Krsna, one day we will roam the cow pastures and forests along the banks of the Yamuna, answering to the clarion call of Krsna's sweet flute."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 210
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 72
Some of the Gopis declaring Themselves to Be Krsna
"Although some of the gopis declared themselves to be Krsna, they began searching for him at the same time. Thus they simultaneously experienced their qualitative oneness with the Absolute and their quantitative difference. They did not actually become Krsna, for if they had there would have been no further opportunity for rasa with him. Thus their feelings of oneness with him are described using the word vibhramah, mistaken. Theirs was a case of mistaken identity caused by love. Morever, vibhramah also means beauty. Thus this was merely a beautiful pastime, vibhramah-vilasa of the lover and his beloved."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 86
Kirtana
"The gopis sang loudly and in unison. Joining together in kirtana, song in praise of God, has been highly recommended by Sri Caitanya and his disciples. Kirtana's marginal characteristic is that it quickly cleanses the heart and affords liberation from birth and death. Its primary characteristic, however, is that it awakens the soul to the aesthetic experience (rasa) of Krsna in devotional love.
This chanting can be strengthened by the company of those who are spiritually advanced and by the good advice found in such company."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 87
Trees as Lords of the Forest
The gopis thus inquired from the trees who are vanaspatih, or lords of the forest. They are so because of their benevolent nature in providing shade and shelter, as well as abundance of nourishment for all who dwell there. The trees not only give all these things, but they do so without being asked. The trees are paradigms for ideal human behavior, that which are exemplified by the Vaisnavas, the devotees of Visnu.
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 87-88
Perception of Neophyte Devotees v. Mature Devotees
"While the neophyte on the devotional path often thinks that he is a true devotee while others are not, the mature devotee feels that all others are serving Krsna, save and except for himself. As one approaches the Absolute, one's finite nature in relation to the infinite is felt. Thus, the closer one comes to the infinite, the further from it one feels, for such is the nature of the infinite, whose presence is humbling. yet reassuring."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 95
Some of the Markings on Krsna's Feet
"The flag on Krsna's foot symbolizes the assurance that his devotees will live without fear. The lotus flower increases his devotees' eagerness for him, for their minds are just like honeybees. The thunderbolt symbolizes Krsna's ability to cut down mountains of inauspicious karma for those who take shelter of him. The cakra stands for his protective nature. The elephant goad symbolizes Krsna's ability to conquer the elephant of one's mind, and the barleycorn indicates that his devotees will be famous."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 98
Prema
"Thus Krsna took pleasure in none other than his own soul, Sri Radha, and in doing so revealed the shallowness of male lovers and hard-heartedness of their female counterparts. Worldly lovers do not love at all, unaware as they are of their own selves. Sri Krsna revealed this through extolling Sri Radha's love above all others'. Although outwardly Sri Radha appeared selfish in wanting to have Krsna to her self, the truth of her heart is selfless love. Such is the nature of prema, or spiritual love. Prema is so pure and confidential that it hides itself in the guise of lust just to keep those possessed of lust from plundering her."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 101
Krsna's name Govinda
"Krsna is known as Govinda, he who gives pleasure to the cows, and thus his abode moves out of love for his devotees and their love for him. From this, we can understand something of the nature of eternal Vraja, the land of transcendental love. It is not fixed and static, but dynamic in its eternal flow. It is roaming in search of the Absolute, with a passion like that of the Vraja gopis."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 107
"Krsna is known as Govinda, he who gives pleasure to the cows, and thus his abode moves out of love for his devotees and their love for him. From this, we can understand something of the nature of eternal Vraja, the land of transcendental love. It is not fixed and static, but dynamic in its eternal flow. It is roaming in search of the Absolute, with a passion like that of the Vraja gopis."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 107
Demons Killed by Krsna Representing Anarthas
"Many demons lie within our hearts and prevent us from progressing spiritually. The incidents describing Krsna's slaying of demons referred to by the gopis can be meditated on to destroy the practitioner's inner demons. Each of the demons who caused difficulty to the inhabitants of Vraja exemplifies a particular anartha, or impediment to entering the spiritual life of Vraja. Only when these anarthas are eradicated can one enter the rasa-lila."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 109
Fruitlessness of Taking up Other Paths Prior to Pursuing Krsna
"It would be fruitless to take up another path to first cleanse the heart, and then proceed to approach Krsna with passionate love as our ideal, for no one is more capable of cleansing our hearts than him, and his demon killing lilas attest to this in no small measure. He is the bull, rsabba, and by extension, the husband or protector (bhatr) of all who surrender to Him."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 110
Partiality of Bhagavan
"While the Paramatma feature of God is characterized by impartiality, the Bhagavan feature is ornamented by partiality toward his devotees. Ordinarily, partiality is a defect, especially in relation to spiritual life. God, it is thought, must be impartial, but as Krsna he is partial to those who love him, an opportunity open to all. It is partiality devoid of ignorance that fuels the spiritual world. It is the partiality of bhava, spiritual emotion that manifests only after one has crossed beyond the world of enemies and friends."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 111-112
Krsna's Lotus Feet on the Breasts of the Gopis
"The gopis' contrast between love and lust is striking. The gopis' desire to place Krsna's feet on their breasts appears very much like lust. Yet the gopis, although requesting Krsna to touch their breasts with his feet, desire him to do so only because they are the softest thing they possess. Pained by the thought of Krsna's tender feet being pricked by the forest terrain, they are simultaneously pained at the thought of how rough their breasts are in comparison to Krsna's lotus feet. Only for the lack of something softer do they offer their breasts, not to enjoy him through their senses, but to please his senses."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 130-131
Hankering for Krsna
"Spiritual life is characterized by an absence of hankering, for hankering is symptomatic of those who are unfulfilled. What then is the hankering of the gopis? Hankering for Krsna is realized when one hankers for nothing other than the highest truth, when one cannot live another moment without true love. This hankering is said to be the only price for the soul's union in love with Krsna."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 131-132
The Highest Knowledge
As the Vedas are eternal, every time Krsna appears within the world they manifest, and the deities presiding over them in each manifestation ultimately attain Krsna's love, acquiring transcendental bodies as gopis. In this way, both theoretically and by practical example, the Vedas instruct human society about their conclusion: Love beyond knowledge is itself the highest knowledge.
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 137-138
"From the Vedas one can get all knowledge. Srimad-Bhagavatam represents the utmost knowledge one can get from this tree, the highest aspiration of the soul. Knowledge is as valuable as that which it affords us the capacity to do. All action requires some knowledge. That knowledge which affords us the capacity to love the Absolute is the highest knowledge. That love is a prospect so high that God himself bows to it. Its attainment fully satisfies the Absolute. While most are concerned with being satisfied by the Absolute, the Srimad-Bhagavatam proposes the opposite: a path whose goal is to comprehensively satisfy the Absolute. This satisfaction of the Absolute is possible trough the utter selflessness of the path of passionate love. Absolute love is the ideal of the Bhagavatam, the fruit of the highest knowledge. Its poetry is a description of the land of love, wherein all things are possible.
If truth is love and beauty, it is reasonable that it be represented in poetry, wherein all things are possible. In poetry, land can turn into water and water into land, as it does in the Bhagavatam when Krsna plays his flute. Love resolves all contradictions, for in love our lover's faults become ornaments."
~Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 205-206
The Glory of the Gopis' Love
What type of lover was he? He was a lover in the true sense of the term, a connoisseur of love, rasa-raja. He loved only for the sake of love's increase, and because he witnessed their love to be beyond all comparison, he loved their love and desired that love himself.
Thus Krsna revealed the glory of the gopis' love, which he himself bowed to. Althought it is the promise of Krsna in Gitopanisad that he will reciprocate in love proportionate to his devotees loving surrender, the gopis had exhausted his capacity to reciprocate. Their love is thus beyond the reach of the Veda itself. Conquired by their love, Krsna, the supreme Vedantist, admitted that their love is more worshipable than even him. The attainment of such love is thus the zenith of transcendental culture.
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 143
The Gopis as Reflections of Brahman
"Many demons lie within our hearts and prevent us from progressing spiritually. The incidents describing Krsna's slaying of demons referred to by the gopis can be meditated on to destroy the practitioner's inner demons. Each of the demons who caused difficulty to the inhabitants of Vraja exemplifies a particular anartha, or impediment to entering the spiritual life of Vraja. Only when these anarthas are eradicated can one enter the rasa-lila."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 109
Fruitlessness of Taking up Other Paths Prior to Pursuing Krsna
"It would be fruitless to take up another path to first cleanse the heart, and then proceed to approach Krsna with passionate love as our ideal, for no one is more capable of cleansing our hearts than him, and his demon killing lilas attest to this in no small measure. He is the bull, rsabba, and by extension, the husband or protector (bhatr) of all who surrender to Him."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 110
Partiality of Bhagavan
"While the Paramatma feature of God is characterized by impartiality, the Bhagavan feature is ornamented by partiality toward his devotees. Ordinarily, partiality is a defect, especially in relation to spiritual life. God, it is thought, must be impartial, but as Krsna he is partial to those who love him, an opportunity open to all. It is partiality devoid of ignorance that fuels the spiritual world. It is the partiality of bhava, spiritual emotion that manifests only after one has crossed beyond the world of enemies and friends."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 111-112
Krsna's Lotus Feet on the Breasts of the Gopis
"The gopis' contrast between love and lust is striking. The gopis' desire to place Krsna's feet on their breasts appears very much like lust. Yet the gopis, although requesting Krsna to touch their breasts with his feet, desire him to do so only because they are the softest thing they possess. Pained by the thought of Krsna's tender feet being pricked by the forest terrain, they are simultaneously pained at the thought of how rough their breasts are in comparison to Krsna's lotus feet. Only for the lack of something softer do they offer their breasts, not to enjoy him through their senses, but to please his senses."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 130-131
Hankering for Krsna
"Spiritual life is characterized by an absence of hankering, for hankering is symptomatic of those who are unfulfilled. What then is the hankering of the gopis? Hankering for Krsna is realized when one hankers for nothing other than the highest truth, when one cannot live another moment without true love. This hankering is said to be the only price for the soul's union in love with Krsna."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 131-132
The Highest Knowledge
As the Vedas are eternal, every time Krsna appears within the world they manifest, and the deities presiding over them in each manifestation ultimately attain Krsna's love, acquiring transcendental bodies as gopis. In this way, both theoretically and by practical example, the Vedas instruct human society about their conclusion: Love beyond knowledge is itself the highest knowledge.
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 137-138
"From the Vedas one can get all knowledge. Srimad-Bhagavatam represents the utmost knowledge one can get from this tree, the highest aspiration of the soul. Knowledge is as valuable as that which it affords us the capacity to do. All action requires some knowledge. That knowledge which affords us the capacity to love the Absolute is the highest knowledge. That love is a prospect so high that God himself bows to it. Its attainment fully satisfies the Absolute. While most are concerned with being satisfied by the Absolute, the Srimad-Bhagavatam proposes the opposite: a path whose goal is to comprehensively satisfy the Absolute. This satisfaction of the Absolute is possible trough the utter selflessness of the path of passionate love. Absolute love is the ideal of the Bhagavatam, the fruit of the highest knowledge. Its poetry is a description of the land of love, wherein all things are possible.
If truth is love and beauty, it is reasonable that it be represented in poetry, wherein all things are possible. In poetry, land can turn into water and water into land, as it does in the Bhagavatam when Krsna plays his flute. Love resolves all contradictions, for in love our lover's faults become ornaments."
~Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 205-206
The Glory of the Gopis' Love
What type of lover was he? He was a lover in the true sense of the term, a connoisseur of love, rasa-raja. He loved only for the sake of love's increase, and because he witnessed their love to be beyond all comparison, he loved their love and desired that love himself.
Thus Krsna revealed the glory of the gopis' love, which he himself bowed to. Althought it is the promise of Krsna in Gitopanisad that he will reciprocate in love proportionate to his devotees loving surrender, the gopis had exhausted his capacity to reciprocate. Their love is thus beyond the reach of the Veda itself. Conquired by their love, Krsna, the supreme Vedantist, admitted that their love is more worshipable than even him. The attainment of such love is thus the zenith of transcendental culture.
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 143
The Gopis as Reflections of Brahman
"The gopis are described here as reflections of Brahman, through who he enjoys himself in eternity. Through the gopis, Krsna sees and experiences himself more fully. Although they are different from him, they are simultaneously nondifferent from him, being his saktis ( acintya-bhedabheda). Just as a person looking through a mirror sees himself as he otherwise could not, Krsna looking at the gopis sees himself through his sakti without the manifestation of such he could not experience himself as completely."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 150
Preaching of Bhaktivinoda Thakura
"Bhaktivinoda Thakura proceeded to write about, practice, and broadcast the divine message of raganuga-bhakti. It is to him and his followers that the world is most indebted for having received the good news of passionate love of Krsna. With the British empire, upon which at one time the sun never set, now shrunken to a cold island in the Atlantic, Christ forsaken for Krsna by many more in the West than Vaisnavas converted to Christianity, and Indologists now extolling the virtues of the Bhagavatam, the victory of raganuga-bhakti is a sweet one. Such was predicted by Sri Caitanya himself, a prediction that although beginning to manifest, is still in the process of unfolding."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 164
Raga for Krsna Will Cure the Roga (disease) of the Heart
"Sukadeva says, "Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord's playful affairs with the young gopis of Vrindavana will attain the Lord's pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart." The implication of this verse is that even the vilest person, if he hears with faith from the proper person about the lilas of Radha-Krsna, will attain bhakti, and his lust will be vanquished. Raga for Krsna will cure the roga (disease) of the heart."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 177
Raganuga-bhakti Does not Advocate Breaking or Forgoing Scriptural Injunctions
"Raganuga-bhakti does not advocate breaking or forgoing the scriptural injunctions; it advocates directly pleasing the person from whom their power is derived. Raganuga-bhakti is not a disregard for scripture, for it is indeed only from the scripture that we come to know of such a path, sastra-yonitvat. (Vs. 1.1.3)"
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 177
The Sadhaka-dehaAll of the devotional practices of ritualistic bhakti relative to the culture of passionate love are conducted in the sadhaka-deha, the external spiritualized body of the practitioner received at the time of initiation. The sadhaka-deha is not a material body, nor is it a perfected spiritual body. It is a material body in transformation to a spiritualized material body. Just as in appearance a gold-plated box functions as a gold box, similarly the sadhaka-deha gradually becomes spiritualized and thus functions spiritually. From the time of his initiation, the practitioner's body begins to take on a spiritual quality. Proportionate to the extent that his senses and mind are spiritually engaged in hearing, chanting, serving, and meditating, and so on, the practitioner's body is spiritualized.
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 190-191
The Siddha-deha
The siddha-deha is not a perfected material body, but a spiritual one in every respect. The practitioner's perfected body is the body in which he eternally participates in Krsna-lila. It is a body made up of Krsna's internal potency, svarupa-sakti. The inner spiritual body is revealed to the disciple by the guru when the guru perceives the mature eagerness to receive it. Just as the inheritance of a youth may be withheld by his elders until his eagerness to spend it meets with a mature understanding of its value, the guru withholds this revelation until he sees mature eagerness in his disciple. Such eagerness is characterized by the practitioner's ability to meditate continually upon the siddha-deha while engaging externally in the practices of ritualistic bhakti relative to the culture of raganuga-bhakti. This generally occurs in the final stages of practicing life (asakti).
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 191-192
Prema
"The advanced practitioner enters into bhava-bhakti, which is the sprouting (premankura) of the tree of prema-bhakti. He experiences a ray of the sun of prema under the influence of the internal spiritual energy of Krsna. Finally he realizes prema, pure love of Krsna. Not caring for anything other than the intensification of prema, he sometimes appears as if mad. His behavior can be as bewildering as the beauty of krsna-lila itself. It is said that krsna-prema on the outside appears to be like poison, while on the inside it is ecstatic and beautiful. This is its wonderful and mysterious characteristic, one that is just the opposite of the characteristic of material life. While material life looks appealing on the outside, it is rotten at the core."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 207
Sri Caitanya's Transformations of Ecstasy
"Sri Caitanya in the mood of Radha exhibited extraordinary bodily symptoms of ecstasy that would be disconcerting for the uninformed. His feelings of separation from Krsna in the ecstasy of Sri Radha teach us that union in love with Krsna is possible through intense yearning. His transformations of ecstasy also teach us that the practitioner's present body, the sadhaka-deha cannot contain the intensification of prema."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 207-208
Judging a Person By His Ideal"Passionate love of Krsna is truth that is beautiful and bewildering. To embark upon it requires only that we cherish as our ideal the depths of the ocean of love of Krsna. This is so because it is a person's ideal that he will become. And it is the generous opinion of Sri Caitanya that we should judge a person not by his past, nor even by the limits of his present. We should judge him by his ideal, for that he will become."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 209
Some Encouragement for the Practitioner
"As leaves fall naturally from the tree when the season changes from summer to fall, so that which impedes us from practicing the path of passionate love at present will fall away in due course. In our material lives, we inevitably become disenchanted with that for which we have striven. If that disenchantment is met with the inner ideal of passionate love of Krsna, one day we will roam the cow pastures and forests along the banks of the Yamuna, answering to the clarion call of Krsna's sweet flute."
~ Swami Tripurari, Aesthetic Vedanta, p. 210
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