English
27 January 2024
Developing attachment for the Lord
Speaker: HG Vedanta Chaitanya Prabhu
Today we will discuss the prayers given to us by Srila Gopal Guru Goswami. He has given us 16 prayers. Even Guru Maharaj has discussed them many times with us. One prayer out of them is "Please Oh! Krsna attract my consciousness towards you!!". Though Krsna is very attractive naturally and also it's natural for the living entities to get attracted to him, one who attracts us in every possible way is Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada in one lecture explained, How Krsna is all attractive(sarva akarshati iti Krsna). He said Parasar Muni has commented the meaning of the word Bhagavan. And he says one who possesses all the 6 opulences in full then only we can call him Bhagavan - all beauty, all renunciation, all Knowledge, all Wisdom, all strength and all wealth. Krsna possesses all of them in full quantity. Only Krsna can claim himself to be the possessor of all wealth, no one else. Some might have wealth to a great extent but they are not fully opulent. That's why he is all attractive. And he claims it in Bhagavad Gita also.
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati (BG 5.29)
Translation: A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.
Krsna is all attractive and we are not getting attracted to him still,Why?? Somebody may claim that I am attracted to Krsna but to what extent. That one gets to know when you chant the Holy names of Krsna. The place where you have your attention and attachment, to that place your mind will run itself. Nobody can stop it.
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12)
Translation: Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.
For example you are attracted to Hot Pakodas. So when we get honoured Pakodas, do you need to pull your mind back. It's natural to be focused on Prasadam when you have your favourite dish in your hand. When I was very new to Krsna consciousness, I remember, being very focused while watching the movie and television serial that I would not even hear my mother calling out for me. And I wouldn't have any clue unless she would come and switch off the television.
So we have the ability to focus. But we are unable to do it due to Lack of interest. Our centre of attraction is something else. Thus all of us have the ability to focus or concentrate. We have to bring Krsna in the centre instead of any other object. So we got to know that Krsna is all attractive. And it's my fault that I am not feeling that attraction.
So Krsna is all attractive and Krsna is the best object of attraction for a Jiva. Then why are you not feeling that attraction? We can see that iron is very naturally attracted to magnet. But sometimes it is not attracted to magnet, why? Because the piece of iron is rusted. So it's not the fault of the magnet, It's the fault of iron, that it's rusted. And to cure that, we need to rub this iron so that the rust gets removed.
So what should we do to remove the rusted part of our heart. In the same lecture Srila Prabhupada said, "I have never visited California, I have no clue how California is". But if I get to know more about California, then I may develop a desire to visit California. If we want to develop our attraction to go to California then we need to hear more about it.
Similarly if we want to develop attraction for Krsna then we should hear about Krsna. Then only we can develop the attraction for him. Also we learn this from Mother Rukmini's pastimes. She used to hear about Krsna, and by hearing about him, she gradually developed an intense desire to marry Krsna.
So much so that she requested Krsna to come and kidnap her. Similarly by hearing about Krsna we can develop such an attraction to Krsna that Krsna will come to steal you one day.
shri radhikaya hridayasya cauram
navambuda-shyamala-kanti-cauram
padashritanam ca samasta-cauram
cauragraganyam purusham namami (Chaurashtakam 2)
Translation: I offer pranama to the foremost of thieves – who steals Shrimati Radhika’s heart, who steals the dark luster of a fresh raincloud, and who steals all the sins and sufferings of those who take shelter of His feet.
One of Krsna's name is Hari. When Krsna makes a plan then those plans are mostly successful. Sometimes they would fail, for example in the case of Gopis. Sometimes when he would go to Gopis house to steal butter but, he would not find any butter. And then he would curse those Gopis. So Gopis had the potency to fail his plans but we don't.
When Lord Rama was in the forest, Mother Sita would serve him very nicely. And many Rishis and Munis would appreciate that mood of serving Lord Rama. And they would desire to serve the Lord with the same mood. Similarly when we would observe the Pure devotees of the Lord serving Krsna then by observing them, we can develop attraction for the service of the Lord. When Rishis and Munis desires couldn't be satisfied in that life, So Krsna allowed them to serve them in his avatar as Krsna.
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām (BG 2.41)
Translation:
Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.
Another way is to make investment. We can invest time, money etc in the service of the Lord. For example, newly married couple develop a deep attachment for each other as the time proceeds. The bigger is the investment that we make, the faster we may see the results. When our efforts are distributed in different directions and not directed towards one direction then the result takes time. The time of chanting is exam hours, if we sit unprepared, we shall certainly fail. May you all give your exam attentively daily. Hare Krsna!
