Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita is a religious scriptural conversation between Shri Krishna and His disciple – Arjuna. It appears in chapters 23–40 of the 6th book of Mahabharata. Krishna had to instruct Arjuna to fight the great battle at Kurukshetra called Mahabharata and thus He devised these instructions to be followed in its totality. Bhagavad means realated to Bhagvan (God) and Gita means song.
It can be broadly divided in to 3 sections:
1. Chapter 1 to 6 on Meditation and the popular word ‘Yoga’
2. Chapter 7 to 12 on Devotion and Love of God
3. Chapter 13 to 18 on Existence and Components of Creation
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder acharya of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), had trifurcated the BhaktiVedanta into 3 categories if executed and applied in daily practical life – Bhagavad Gita as preliminary studies, Shrimad Bhagavatam as intermediate studies and Chaitanya Charitramitra/Ujjvala-Nilamani as advanced studies for the current yuga (era).
Other direct words of Krishna are found in Uddhav Gita, Uttara Gita, Anu Gita and in Shrimad Bhagavatam Canto 10.
Srimad Bhagavatam
Srimad Bhagavatam was born out of bountiful compassion of Srila Vyasa (Bhagavad Gita verse 10.37 at https://asitis.com/10/37) for the population of current era. Srila Vyasa was not getting the “real taste” or rasa (love of Godhead) even after compiling Mahabharata, dividing the Vedas into 4 parts and composing other scriptures. Thus, His Holiness compiled narrations/stories of The Supreme God, the Father of various Messengers, in His various avatars, incarnations and personalities which God executes from time to time and in every yuga (era) to protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of religion. Srimad means glorious and Bhagavatam means related to Bhagvan (God) or glorious deeds of God.
It is stated in Vishnu Purana :
“The supreme goal which was attained in Satya-yuga by years of prolonged meditation; in Treta-yuga by performing extensive yajnas; in Dvapara-yuga by opulent and scrupulous Deity worship; in Kali-yuga the same results are easily had simply by the chanting of the holy names of Kesava (Krsna).”
It is stated in Srimad Bhagavatam (Verse 1.3.40):
“This Srimad Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of God, and it is compiled by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the incarnation of God. It is meant for the ultimate good of all people, and it is all-successful, all-blissful and all-perfect.”
Hence, the names & pastimes of God and the narrations of related stories makes Srimad Bhagavatam a rasa/blissful sastra.
There are many speakers of Srimad Bhagavatam out of which following 3 are primitive:
1) The knowledge was revealed to Brahma, the progenitor of Brahma Sampraday with its current-yuga affiliation to Gaudiya Vaisnavism which was blessed with Svayambhu incarnation of The Supreme God, but as a devotee cristened Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (intrinsic potency of The Supreme Personality of Godhead – Krishna called Radha) in a mood of loving separation from God or how it feels to be in footsteps of His foremost devotee called Radha, in the heart. Brahma spoke to Narada and Narada spoke to Veda Vyasa.
2) Lord Shiva, the progenitor of Rudra Sampraday, also spoke to Paravati in the cave of Amarnath and it was heard by Sukadeva the son of Veda Vyasa.
3) The Four Kumaras, the progenitors of Nimbarka Sampraday where Radha is said to have a wedded-madhurya mood towards Krishna, heard it from Lord Sankarshan (Ananta/Sheshnaag ). The Four Kumaras spoke to Sankhyana rishi then Sankhyayan rishi spoke to Parashar muni – father of Śrīla Vyāsadeva.
4) Sri or Lakshmi, the progenitor of Sri Sampradaya, and a consort of Lord Narayana Himself.
Srimad Bhagavatam is considered to be the essence of all the Vedas. It is giving the highest knowledge and experience of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the reciprocation of loving exchanges between Him and His devotees.
Introduction to 12 cantos:
Canto 1: How to prepare for death (Reference : Bhagavad Gita verse 9.19)
Canto 2: Outline of dasha-avatars
Canto 3: Outline of Narasimha, Varah and Kapila ‘truths’ (Reference : Bhagavad Gita verse 7.17)
Canto 4: Dhruv’s ‘truth’
Canto 5: Creation (Reference : Uttara Gita)
Canto 6: Importance of chanting the holy names in kaliyuga
Canto 7: Narasimha avatar
Canto 8: Vaman and Kurma avatars
Canto 9: Birth of Krishna
Canto 10: Activities of Krishna in His 125 years on Earth which gives him the title – The Supreme Personality of Godhead. It presents this intimate relationship with God as the highest goal of human existence
Canto 11: Krishna’s ascent to Vaikuntha (Reference : Bhagavad Gita verse 15.6 and ISKCON Goloka Chart)
Canto 12: Personality sketch of kaliyuga population and Sage Markandeya’s ‘truth’.
Sri Chaitanya Charitrmrta
It is the current-yuga (kaliyuga) dharma describing the activities of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Swayambhu incarnation of God as a devotee, who incarnated as per schedule to establish congregational chanting (sankirtan) of Krishna’s names and the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra as the primary mode of worship in kaliyuga. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu loved Krishna from the point of view of God’s/Krishna’s foremost and topmost devotee – Radha, in the taste (rasa) of separation and paramour mood.
He came to experience the love She feels for Him, and to show by example how to fully surrender to Krishna (application of all verses in direct words of Krishna as found in Bhagavad Gita, Uttara Gita, Uddhav Gita and Anu Gita in sentiments of Love). He exhibited symptoms of love of God to the highest degree, and emphasized chanting the holy names of Krishna as the best means to attain love of God.
Lord Krishna in His form of Lord Chaitanya most generously distributes love of God to the fallen people of the age of Kali. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu bestows what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love through His own personal demonstration which is documented as a scientific-art in Sri Ujjvala-Nilamani (part 2 of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu) by Srila Rupa Gosvami of Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) who is counted as His the foremost intimate disciple along with the Panchtattwas of Nabadwip (West Bengal) and intimate associates of Puri (Odisha).
Charitramrta means charitra (character, deeds, biography) and amrita (nectar) or nectar of pastimes of Sri Caitanya which delivers one to Moksha, Nirvana through Love of Godhead.
Uttara Gita
Uttara Gita is a song (dialogue) between Krishna and His disciple – Arjuna. It has 3 chapters and 118 verses which are detailed explanation of several verses from Bhagavad Gita, for example, those appearing in Chapter 6, Chapter 13 and Chapter 15. Uttara means superior and Gita means song.
Anu Gita:
After the battle of Mahabharatha was over, Arjuna (the devotee of Bhagavad Gita) approached Sri Krishna, in a palace-field, to remunerate the principles he was told at the battle-field. Sri Krishna, out of his infinite sat-cit-ananda (eternality, consciousness, bliss) spoke those principles again but in an outlined manner. Anu means small and Gita means song.
Excerpts from Anugîtâ, an exposé on sâmkhya and yoga doctrines in the Mahâbhârata by Guy Vincent is as follows:
The Anugîtâ doesn’t take place in the same setting: Arjuna has a rest in his palace, and confesses he has forgotten what Krishna has taught him. Finally, it will be noted that the Anugîtâ remains centred on the human means of salvation.
The Anugîtâ, based on the sacrifice’s rules, is more qualified for giving a practical method of progression (describing stages) than the Bhagavadgîtâ that develops asceticism and divine revelation in what they have of ecstatic.
The first discussion is about rebirth and the way to final emancipation. But Kashyapa’s descendant wants to know, how the soul leaves the body and how it grows heavy with the weight of the acts.
The second discussion takes its origin in a Brahman’s wife worrying about her lot hereafter. What kind of salvation is waiting for her? The Brahman then reminds that the Absolute is inside everybody. From there come the five breaths. The five breaths argue also between themselves (among the five, which one is the most important?); the discussion concerns the life to be lead and the difficulty to understand within the forest of the knowledge.
The discussion ends on the fact that there isn’t an single way to final emancipation, but a myriad of them. Krishna then reveals to Arjuna that his mind (manas) is the Brahman and his intelligence (buddhi) the Brahman’s wife. All the truths are not understandable by the intelligence only.
The third discussion takes its origin in a very brief question a disciple asks his Master: « The best, what is it?. The answer gets organised on the theme of the components of the human being, the three tendencies (guna), which act inside ourselves: Virtue (sattva), Desire (rajas) and Instinct (tamas).
The discussion then continues, taking up typical notions of sâmkhya, explaining how the world is built from the Unmanifested (avyakta) to the Great Soul (mahat), then to the self-awareness (ahamkara), then to the material and subtle elements. The Sâmkhya is a dualistic system, separating the mind from the matter : the matter spreads in order that, at the end, the mind does no more need it, and discovers its profound independence.
Finally the discussion ends by an invitation to meditate.
Uddhava Gita
Uddhava Gita is a conversation on Truth/Reality between Shri Krishna and His disciple – Uddhava. It appears in Canto 11 of Srimad Bhagvatam. Krishna instructed Uddhava to proceed to Badrinath, a Himalayan-field and thus He devised these instructions to be followed in its totality. Uddhav is the name of disciple who is at the stature of Canto 11 of Srimad Bhagvatam and Gita means song.
Meditative-Travelogues
Sri Krishna Chaitanya was a Bengali Hindu mystic, saint, and the chief proponent of the Achintya Bheda Abheda action (inconecivable and simultaneous difference and oneness) and Gaudiya tradition. He expounded the Vaishnava school of Bhakti yoga (meaning loving devotion to God), based on Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita. He is Krishna in the mood of a devotee. His followers, Gaudiya Vaishnavas, revere him as a Krishna with the mood and complexion of his source of inspiration Radha.
Nabadwip is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born here, for whose sake, this place has turned into an important center of pilgrimage for the Vaishnavas worldwide. Many devotees who adhere to the Gaudiya Vaishnavism come to Nabadwip for pilgrimage and for various festivals in relation to Leelas of Shri Mahaprabhu. ‘Nabadwip’ means nine islands, namely Antardwip, Simantadwip, Rudradwip, Madhyadwip, Godrumdwip, Ritudwip, Jahnudwip, Modadrumdwip and Koladwip but in general, the entire ‘Gauda desh’ which was blessed by the presence of God incarnation for Kaliyuga – Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The travelouge has several sites, places and events associated with God incarnate while His early stay in Nabadwip.
Puri is a city and a Municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. Puri is the seat of learning for Kaliyuga where Sri Krishna Caitanya stayed for latter part of his life, immersed in deep loving moods and sentiments of Sri Radha’s separation from Krishna as the couple in Braj area of Dwaparyuga. Sri Krishna Caitanya connected to Braj Dham through the idol of Sri Jagannatha at Sri Jagannatha Temple. The travelouge has several sites, places and events associated with God incarnate while His latter stay in Puri.
Braj also known as Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in Uttar Pradesh of India, encircling and including Mathura-Vrindavan. God Incarnate of Dwaparyuga – Krishna took birth here around 5000 years back. Krishna performed his numerous popularly called lilas in the 137 sacred forests, at the 1000 Kunds, on the numerous holy hills and on the banks of the river Yamuna. Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, though physically in Nabadwip or in Puri, was always mentally in Braj Dham of Dwaparyuga in mood of Radha – the top most Lover of God making Her God Herself, through worship modus operandi of Love in action.
The travelogue has several sites, places and physically present events associated with both God (BG 7.24 at https://asitis.com/7/24) incarnates – Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu of Kaliyuga and Krishna of Dwaparyuga. However, there are numerous events and places in Braj which were visited by Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu mentally while His stay in Puri, particularly in Gambhira which are not explicitly documented in the available texts.
Readers are advised to SEE THE REAL DHAM while accessing the travelouge and also while they visit the three holy places physically.
On Radha:
Radha is the intrinsic and feminine potency of God – Sri Krishna. She is the shakti which makes Creation happen. Thus, She is the top most lover of God as no particle in the universe, whatever size, is bereft of His presence. It is said that Sri Krishna is the only male and the ONLY object of worship for all devotees who are taken as females, relatively, for the sake of easier understanding. An example of Radha from Bhagavad Gita verse 7.9 at https://asitis.com/7/9:
“I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.”
The 100 % depth, surrender, tolerance, determination and intensity out of Love of God (so deep that it equals God himself) of fragrance, heat (or cold-ness), life and penance (energy) is Radha.
Introduction to Rasas (taste):
Emotions or Bhavas in Bhakti (From https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/emotions-or-bhavas-in-bhakti-235033)
Bhakti is Love for God. First we learn to love God as He fulfils our desires. We present to Him a daily wish list and when He fulfils some or most of them, our love for Him grows. God is a great fisherman. He knows how to hook and reel the souls in. He first fulfils a few desires, and then when we learn to love Him, He fulfils more desires and our love grows for Him as He is a daily wish fulfiller. Our desires are endless and we increase our love and prayers to Him. We get glimpses of His love, peace and bliss and want them. Then we get hooked and slowly He reels us in with His eternal Love and Bliss. We finally learn to love God for Himself.
As our love for God grows, we call out to God in a special way, we get immersed in the love of God and there is self forgetfulness. This is called Bhava. Bhava establishes the relationship between us and God. Our love for God grows into great love and the bhava becomes mahabhava. Mahabhava is great and intense love for God where we have our being and existence in God. This is Supreme Love for God.
These Bhavas or feelings are natural to human beings and so these are easy to practice. We must practice the Bhava which suits our temperament. The five bhavas are Shanta, Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya and Madhurya.
Shanta means peaceful. In Shanta Bhava, the devotee is Shanta or peaceful. He does not jump and dance. He is not highly emotional. His heart is filled with love and joy. Bhishma Maha Pita of Mahabharata was a Shanta Bhakta.
Dasya means the attitude of servant towards the Master. Hanuman was a Dasya Bhakta. He served Lord Rama devotedly. He pleased his Master in all possible ways. He found joy and bliss in the service of his Master.
Sakhya means friend. In Sakhya Bhava, God is a friend of the devotee. The devotee moves with the Lord on equal terms. Arjun had the Sakhya Bhava to Sri Krishna. Arjuna and SriKrishna used to sit, eat, talk and walk together as intimate friends.
Vatsal means a child. In Vatsalya Bhava, the devotee loves God as his child. Yasoda had this Bhava with Lord Krishna. There is no fear in this Bhava, because God is your pet child. The devotee serves, feeds, and looks upon God as a mother does in the case of her child.
Madhura means sweetness. Madhurya Bhava or Kanta Bhava is the highest form of Bhakti. The devotee sees God as his lover. Many devotees had this great love for God. Radha, Meerabai, Andal, Gauranga, Jayadeva – all had this bhava towards God. This is offering of self and soul to God. This is called Atma Samarpana. The bhakta and God maintain a line of separation from each other to enjoy the bliss of conjoining and love but always are one with each other. This love for God is not an earthly relationship as in between man and woman. The earthly conjoining is selfish and full of lust. Each partner is concerned about his own satisfaction. The Divine Love is born out of Sattva or Purity. The Earthy Lust is full of Rajas or Activity and has attachment to bodies. Ego is the governing quality of earthy conjoining but there is a total absence of Ego in the love between bhakta and God in Madhuraya Bhava. Earthly love and Divine love are like darkness and light. Divine love cannot be understood by man living a material life. When a man transforms into the divine, the true love for God begins.
An Introduction to Madhurya Rasa as exhibted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and documented by His intimate associates and deovotees:
Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu has left just 8 verses called Sikshashtkam (at https://iskcondesiretree.com/page/sri-sri-siksha-ashtakam) to be followed in its totality while doing Bhakti, Bhajan, beginning with the steps of Navda bhakti (at http://www.harekrishnatemple.com/chapter24.html) thus developing and enhancing one’s Love of God quotient finally leading to exhibitions of ashta (eight) satvik (goodness, pure) bhaavs (emotions) in one’s body through Purity. Ashta satvik bhaavs (at https://www.shri-kripalu-kunj-ashram.org/asht-sattvik-bhav.html) which were unseen and unheard of, which are developed only by Love and which no other incarnation of God has shown before Sri Caitnaya Mahaprabhu who is incarnation of God himself for Kaliyuga and thus was able to exhibit the Ashta satvik bhaavs in their entirety and not just glimpses .
Details of madhurya Rasa/divine love, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bore towards Krishna in the mood of Radha, are seen in writings of Rupa Goswami like Bhakti-rasa-amrita sindhu and Ujjvala Nilamani and holds its derivative to one’s ability to execute and follow all the Verses of all 4 Gitas which are direct words of God Himself.
- Edited version of https://www.facebook.com/WorldwideMissionOfShriRadhaKrishnBhakti/posts/1673571662740852
Shri Radha
Shri Radha the love-potency of Shri Krishn, descended on this planet at the end of Dwapar in the month of August. She blessed Vrishbhanu, the King of Barsana (a village of Mathura City in U.P. India) and Mother Kirti as Her parents. Shri Radha is the Supreme entity. There is none beyond Her.
The sovereign divine ladies Uma, Rama and Brahmani are the embodiment of just one power of Shri Radha.
Shri Krishn Himself says for Her- “Shri Krishn says I perceive Shri Radha alone, in each and every particle of the entire world.”
Sat meaning Sentient and Chit meaning Knowledge are two adjectives of Anand. That is why God is referred to as Sachidanand i.e Anand that is eternally sentient, personified and full of knowledge. The essence of Anand is “Hladini Shakti” (Power of Bliss). By the power of Hladini Shakti, God remains full of bliss, all the times, in all situations.
We, the material beings with a family of merely 4-5 people remain tensed and stressed about some matter or the other. God on the other hand has an infinitely big family consisting of uncountable children and hardly any of them listen to and obey Him. Still He is always blissful. This is due to the power of Hladini Shakti.
By the grace of this power, God bestows bliss on his devotees and experiences his own bliss through them. Owing to His special power ‘Hladini Shakti’, He becomes the object of bliss and also enjoyer of divine bliss (AaSvadk). The essence of this Hladini Shakti is Love. Love is a divine entity and cannot be found in worldly objects. What is found in this world is attachment to material beings and objects and accomplishment of material desires. True Love is an exclusive desire of unselfish love towards Shri Krishn. Such Love is bestowed on rare fortunate souls by the grace of a Saint who has already attained that Love.
Based on its depth and intensity, Love can be divided into 8 levels – Prem, Sneh, Maan, Pranay, Raag, Anurag, Bhaavesh and Mahabhav, each one being greater in magnitude than the previous one.
All powers of God are sentient and personified. All powers naturally remain under the control of the source of power. But the power of Love is so strange that it does not remain under the control of its Almighty Master, rather it controls its master God Himself. As stated earlier the first stage of the commencement of true divine love is Prem. When someone attains even this level of Love (Prem), God gets enslaved by that fortunate devotee so much so, that He says that “I walk behind my devotee like a servant, in the anticipation of purifying myself by their foot dust falling on my head.”
There are two types of Mahabhav Roodh and Adhiroodh. Roodh Mahabhav can only be found in the Gopis of Braj. It is for these fortunate Gopis, that the Bhagavat . Blessed are those Gopis who have Roodh Mahabhav towards Shri Krishn-the master of all creations. At this level of love there is
no trace of selfishness or the desire of self happiness. Even Rukmini, the wife consort of Shri Krishna and incarnation of Goddess Mahalaxmi, could not attain that state. She could only reach up to the sixth stage of Anurag. The Gopis, who reached up to Mahabhav had no desires except that of pleasing Shri Radha Krishn. They were oblivious to their own happiness and comfort.
Chaitanya mahaprabhu says Adhiroodh Mahabhav is superior to Roodh Mahabhav. Roodh Mahabhav is of two types – Modan and Madan.
The meaning of the word ‘Modan’ is Epitome of happiness. When Modan Mahabhav manifests, all 8 symptoms of Love (Sattvik Bhav) manifest in the body of the devotee. The 8 symptoms of Love are:
- Physical Stiffness like a pillar;
- Sweating;
- standing of body-hair out of ecstasy or extreme joy;
- Change of voice;
- Quivering;
- Change of complexion;
- Tears;
- Swooning.
All 8 Saatvik Bhav are revealed only in the Divine body of Shri Radha. In the state of Modan Mahabhav both Shri Radha and Krishn get thoroughly drenched in the unlimited ocean of Divine Love. Modan Mahabhav can be found in Shri Radha, Krishn and her 8 intimate friends Lalita, Vishakha, Chitra, Champaklata, Rangdevi, Sudevi, Tungvidya and Indulekha, only by the grace of Shri Radha.
The same Modan Mahabhav turns into more obscure form in separation and that state of ecstasy is called Mohan Mahabhav. In this incomprehensible state of love the 8 sattvik bhav disappear and only the feeling of separation stays. This feeling is so strong that even in presence of beloved Shri Krishn, Shri Radha experiences unbearable pangs of separation. Above and beyond all these stages of love, is Madan Mahabhav. In this state of divine love, there is no trace of separation. In this state, there is a strange ecstasy of intoxication .From Rati to Mahabhav all stages of ecstasy appear in full bloom in this stage.
Madan Mahabhav appears only in Shri Radha. Gopis can go to Roodh, Shri Krishn and MahaSakhis can go to Adhiroodh, but only Shri Radha can go to Madan mahabhav. This state is perpetual in Shri Radha. Sometimes She reveals this state and sometimes she hides it in Her Being. In other words, it can be said that Shri Radha is the embodiment of Madan Mahabhav.
The power of love is the most important amongst the other innumerous divine powers of God. The essence of this power is Mahabhav and the highest state of Mahabhav is Madan Mahabhav. And Radha Rani is an embodiment of Madan Mahabhav. So Radha Rani is a power of Shri Krishn. Power and the master of power cannot be separated from each other. But to perform a leela and to teach the practical form of divine love, He appeared in two forms. Thus Radha and Krishn are absolutely one entity.
But just to exhibit the highest love – pastimes of ‘Madhurya Bhav’ for the benefit, and pleasure of His devotees He had to reveal Himself in male and female forms. The female form of Shri Krishn is Shri Radha. He worshipped Shri Radha and Shri Radha worshipped Shri Krishn to show how selfless the real love is.
Since “bhav” has been used several times in this article, let us understand its true meaning. The state of true love is called bhav. In this stage one has to forget about everything except one concept that “I have to please my beloved”. One does not worry about sin or virtue, fame or notoriety, good or bad etc. One’s exclusive goal of life is to please beloved Shyam Sundar. This kind of selfless love is called bhav. Love is His power. But when He reveals His power of love in the form of Radha, then all qualities of love go into Shri Radha. Highest quality of love is Madanakhya Mahabhav. And because Shri Radha is its embodiment, He cannot reach there, even though He is the master of all powers.
When He does not reveal Shri Radha then power resides inside Him. When Shri Radha appears in a separate form, all these characteristics of Shri Radha appear only in Her. At that time those unique attributes are not present in Him. Just like Anand is God i.e. there is no other happiness anywhere else. When we say prem then the highest expression of Divine Love is Shri Radha. Then why do we consider Shri Radha separate from Shri Krishn? When you wish to understand the depth of this abstruse philosophy of love, then you have to surrender to a saint of that caliber. Only one, who has achieved at least the state of love of Gopis, can grant this knowledge. One who has not attained it cannot give it either. A guru can only grant the love equal to or lesser than what he has already attained.
There are three classes in Madhurya Bhao:
Samarthaa Rati, Samanjasaa Rati, Saadhaarani Rati.
The Gopis belonged to Samarthaa Rati. Absolute selflessness. Every action of theirs was done with the motive to please Sri Shyamsundar. That’s why, there is no one more venerable than the gopis in the spiritual world.
Countless Brahmas, Vishnus and Rudras yearn for their foot-dust. This bhakti crosses the stages of Prema, Sneha, Maan, Pranay, Raag, Anuraag, Bhao and up to Mahabhao bhakti – the pinnacle of all liberated conditions.
The Queens of Dwarika were not like that; they belonged to Samanjasaa Rati. They loved Krsna 50–50. 50% for their own happiness and 50% for their Husband’s happiness. They had the feeling that Krsna belongs to Them. Whereas, the gopis didn’t consider themselves to have any right over Krsna. The Queens can go up to Anuraag bhakti.
Kubja and co. were in the category of Saadhaarani Rati. They love Shyamsundar with the goal of satisfying their own senses. They cannot cross Prema bhakti due to their selfish nature of love. Forever, they remain limited to Prema bhakti – which is awesome, seeing as how it is more saras, or enjoyable, than trillions of brahmananandas. But it’s not the highest. These kinds of souls are selfish – much like the gyani, who asks the Lord for liberation, and yearns for kaivalya, so that he can become happy. He doesn’t care about the happiness of the Lord.
Nevertheless, however, she is still venerable even to the vedas, because she has achieved Prema.
…So Chant/Meditate and get your own Personal Realizations…
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https://youtu.be/js3od5ArvPs (Refer Saints of Braj/Bengal by OBL Kapoor)
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https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxiIoZYo01hr4ti54GOQUCsvbrz1Tvy-FY
= Uddhav Gita 12.12 (Dear Uddhava, just as great sages in yoga trance merge into self-realization, like rivers merging into the ocean, and are thus not aware of material names and forms, similarly, the Gopis of Vrindavan were so completely attached to me within their minds that they could not think of their (1). own bodies, or (2). of this world, or (3). of their future lives. (4). Their entire consciousness was simply bound up in ME).
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Practise of Asht-anga Yog:
1. YAMA – Restraints, moral disciplines or moral vows (At Wikipedia, Bhagvad Gita Ch. 16)
2. NIYAMA – Positive duties or observances (At Wikipedia, Bhagvad Gita Ch. 16 and Bhagvad Gita 13.8-12)
3. ASANA – Posture (Light on Asana by BKS Iyengar, Bhagvad Gita Ch. 6.13-14)
4. PRANAYAMA – Breathing Techniques (Light on Pranayama by BKS Iyengar, Bhagvad Gita Ch. 4.27)
5. PRATYAHARA – Sense withdrawal (Sudarshan Kriya by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Bhagvad Gita Ch. 4.29)
6. DHARANA – Focused Concentration (Om Swami Meditation Techniques and Books, in Anu Gita search for ‘Concentration of Mind ‘)
7. DHYANA – Meditative Absorption (Kriya Yoga by Prajnana Mission/Bhagvad Gita 8.12, Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhnath, Isha Kriya by Sadguru/Bhagvad Gita 5.27+8.10, Heartfulness by Daaji/Bhagvad Gita 6.14, Sahaj Yoga by Shri Nirmala Mataji/Uddhav Gita 14.34, Mohanji Meditations, Om Swami Black Lotus App Meditations, Vipassana at Bhagvad Gita 2.55-72)
8. SAMADHI – Bliss or Enlightenment (Broadcasts by Mooji on YouTube Rishikesh playlists, Bhagvad Gita 3.17 and in Anu Gita search for ‘Human ‘).
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Practise the below sequentially as in order in a single sitting of 24/7, after in-person learning at respective centers/main ashram of duration 2-3 days each/on weekends:
Heartfulness Daaji app, 3 YouTube videos as Masterclasses
Vipassana in app (10 Day course at Pagoda)
Art Of Living follow-up centers of Sudarshan Kriya
Isha Kriya at follow-up centers and in app
Prajnana Mission at follow-up centers
Sahaj yoga at follow-up centers and in app
Reiki symbols as learnt in-person and in app
Pranic Healing and Twin Hearts Meditation
Om Swami ji Meditation in Black Lotus App
Mohanji Meditation in app and website
Yogiraj SatGurunath Siddhnath Kriya Yog In-Person with SatGurunath Himself
Soulfulness Mooji Rishikesh videos