How to be absorbed ...

[Patita Pavana das]

How to be absorbed in Hari katha

May 21, 2002, Saranagati Farm in Canada


By the causeless mercy of Sri Guru and Gauranga, we have come in contact with the movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came into this world, ‘sva-parsada sviya dhama saha avatari’, along with his associates-Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acarya, Gadadhara Pandit, Srivasa Thakura, Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda, Rupa and Sanatana-He inundated the world in the ocean of Krsna-prema. He was very powerful-if anyone would see Him, even from far away, they would begin to cry and tremble and fall to the ground, overwhelmed with estatic love.


If there is a place which is very dry, and the plants there are drying up, having no water, then everything is very desolate. But where there is an ocean with many waves, sometimes the spray comes into the air and the wind may blow and carry those vapors in the air to that dry place. Just by the touch of this very moist air carrying water, then all the plants there start to come alive. In the same way, the inundation of prema, which Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu brought to this world, is not very far away. By our Guru-paramapara, the very moist air from that ocean comes and touches us. When this touches our soul, we start to come alive. Our sufferings, worries and sorrows of this material world go away and we feel that some help is at hand. When, by the causeless mercy of Guru and Gauranga, we have this slight contact with this movement and we begin to become enlivened, finally beginning to wake up, it is very important to take complete shelter of Sri Guru and Vaisnavas. Under their guidance, we should try to become completely immersed in the sweet nectar that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to give.


It is said that Gaura-Nityananda Prabhu plundered the storehouse of love of God and distributed the fruit. What is that fruit? Krsna-nama, rupa, guna and lila. So when we get a touch of the fragrance of the movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we should not waste any time. At once make a very determined effort to become immersed in Krsna-nama, rupa, guna and lila, just as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates have shown to us by their own example.


You know, Duryodhana was very wicked. He wanted to take all the wealth and land from the Pandavas. He wanted the whole kingdom and did not want to give them anything. Krsna came to do yajna and he wanted to make a compromise, somehow or other, to avoid a conflict. “They are ksatriyas and have to perform their duty of ruling and managing the social administration. This is their dharma. So, if you will not give them their share of the kingdom, no harm. Just give them five villages.”


Duryodhana replied, “No, I will not give them enough land into which to drive the head of a pin.” So, from Duryodhana we learn a very good lesson. We can take gold from a filthy place-we can take a lesson from Duryodhana. What is that lesson? We should try to be so much absorbed in hearing, chanting and remembering the name, form and pastimes of Krsna and of Caitanya Mahaprabhu that we should not give enough space in our mind for the material energy to drive in one pin. Then realization will come. Duryodhana is a wicked fellow, but he has given us this example-don’t give any space for material ideas. Then, when one is absorbed, realization will come.


Srila Rupa Gosvamipada in his Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindu has given us some idea, some inspiration, for becoming absorbed in Krsna. It is called sadharani-karana. What does it mean? It means that we should start to hear Hari Katha. But everyone’s hearing is not the same. Sadharani-karana means that we should try to identify with one person in that Hari Katha, and become completely absorbed in the mood of that one person.


Srila Rupa Gosvamipada himself gives some examples of this. One day a sadhu came to a village where they arranged Rama katha, Rama-lila. One old man in the village was coming everyday and listening to the katha. This man had a special mood-he had a parental mood towards Lord Ramacandra. He was hearing all the katha, but he was especially attached to hearing about Dasaratha Maharaja-how Dasaratha Maharaja had such fatherly affection for Sri Ramacandra. Daily, the katha was going on, and the sadhu came to that part of the lila when Kaikeyi made some politics against Rama. She took a benediction from Dasaratha Maharaja that “your son, Ramacandra, should go to the forest for fourteen years and my son, Bharat, should sit on the throne and become yuvaraja.”


Dasaratha Maharaja didn’t even answer. Why? Because he was following all maryada, rules and regulations. He had made a vow and given a benediction that Kaikeyi could ask for anything, so now he had to fulfill this. It was against his desire but on the other hand, his word was more important. It is better to give up one’s life than to break one’s word. Dasaratha Maharaja was setting maryada-proper standards of social etiquette, rules and regulations for good conduct and integrity. When Dasaratha Maharaja was asked for this benediction, he did not reply. In India they say, ‘maunam sammati laksanam’, silence is the symptom of agreement. So, even though he did not agree, he did not say ‘no’, he remained silent. Therefore it was taken that he was giving this benediction. It must be.


Then Ramacandra took the order indirectly coming from his father to leave, and very happily he left Ayodhya. And as he was leaving, Dasaratha Maharaja, who was so attached to his son, called out grief-stricken words in great distress, “Ha Rama! Ha Rama! Ha . . .,” and gave up his life in separation from his son. As the sadhu was telling this katha, that old person was sitting in the audience and listening. He had so much love in parental mood towards Ramacandra, and as the sadhu was saying “Ha Rama, Ha Rama,” he was also saying “Ha Rama, Ha Rama, Ha…” And that person, there and then, also left his body.


This is called sadaranikaran, how to be absorbed. All are hearing Hari katha, but according to our sambandha-jnana, our relation with Krsna. If one comes under the guidance of bona fide Guru and Vaisnavas, after some time they will come to understand what relation they have with Krsna-in santa, dasya, sakya, vatsalya or madhurya. In our line, santa has been discarded-there is no neutral mood. And among dasya, sakya, vatsalya and madhurya, most of those who come to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will be in sakya mood or madhurya mood. And among those, many are in madhurya mood because all of our acaryas-from Rupa Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Narottama dasa Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Prabhupada, my Gurudeva, all our acaryas-are in one mood. All serving the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika under the guidance of Sri Rupa Manjari. So, those who have this potential in their heart don’t know why, but somehow or other they are attracted to come into the Gaudiya line, the line of Rupa Gosvamipada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s line.


Srila Rupa Gosvami gives another example, also from Rama katha. A sadhu was explaining how Sita had been stolen away and Ramacandra was sending the monkeys, requesting them, “Please help find Sita devi.” So the monkeys were going here and there to find Her. Hanuman, wanting to search for her in Lanka, arrived at the shore of the ocean. So, just there and then, with one leap he jumped across the ocean to Lanka. Among those devotees who were hearing the Hari katha, one of them had dasya-bhava towards Lord Rama, servitor mood. Thus, he was very inspired by Hanuman’s mood. Hanuman is always ready to serve. If you see a picture of Hanuman, you will see that Hanuman is sitting with one knee up and one knee down. Why? From there, at any moment, he can jump up, stand up at once and do some seva. This is Hanuman’s mood-how to serve, how to serve-all the time! Seva-vritti-the service tendency is our heart’s treasure and the more this mood of service grows, the more we are progressing.


We may be learning so many things and reading so many books, but if our mood of service to Guru, Vaisnavas and especially to Radha and Krsna is not growing, then this indicates that we are not advancing. Everything depends on seva-vritti, service mood. So this man was very inspired by seeing Hanuman’s service mood. He also wanted to serve Rama like that. Hearing the katha, he was always absorbed in the mood of Hanuman. And when the sadhu said, “Then Hanuman jumped across the ocean,” by reflex, without thinking, that man jumped up in the audience. This is called sadaranikaran. This is very important. Why? If we will come in the association of the very powerful pure devotees, and will hear their Hari katha, some attachment for Krsna may come. However, if we have no intention, no fixed mood, this attachment is called svaccha-rati, clear. In other words, when we hear about how Mother Yasoda takes Krsna in her lap and feeds Him her breast milk, when we hear how Mother Yasoda tells Krsna bedtime stories, when we hear how Mother Yasoda sometimes chastises Krsna for His own good because otherwise, when He grows up, there is no telling what He may get into, so when we hear how Mother Yasoda loves Krsna and how she is relating to Krsna, then the heart will go there and think, “Oh, the love of Mother Yasoda is so good. I want to be like that.”


But then on another day we hear how Krsna’s friends are grazing cows with Him. Sometimes they are tired and Krsna massages their feet. They take prasadam, having a picnic on the bank of the Yamuna with Krsna, and taste the nice preparations cooked by their mothers. And when they find the best thing, they say, “O Krsna, this is so good,” and they put it in Krsna’s mouth. How they are so closely related to Him! Then hearing about the sweet love of Krsna’s friends, we think, “Oh, this friendship will be so nice,” and our heart goes this way.


Then one day we hears about the gopis of Vrindavan. In this way, our heart goes here and there. Therefore Rupa Gosvamipada is saying sadaranikaran, according to your relationship, when you hear Hari katha, try to follow the mood of one devotee who has the mood for which you are aspiring. So, in the association of sad-guru and pure Vaisnavas, we are given some indication of our sambandha-jnana. We should try to follow that. Then what will happen? Svaccha-rati will go away and ratyabhasa will come, the semblance of rati. This ratyabhasa will very gradually turn into suddha-rati, pure bhava. Therefore, Srila Rupa Gosvamipada gives us this good instruction in Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindu: hear Hari katha and try to follow one mood. This is very powerful.


Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given an instruction to devotees:


aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam

ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya-kalpita

srimad-bhagavatam pramanam amalam prema pumartho mahan

sri-caitanya-mahaprabhor matam idam tatradaro nah parah


The essence of all Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings have been collected together by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura in this sloka from Sri Caitanya Manjusa. There he is saying, “Who is our aradhya? Who is the object of our service and affection?” Radh means affection, priti. Aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas-the son of Nanda Maharaja. Tad-dhama vrndavanam-as He is the object of our affection, so is Vrindavan. This morning we were discussing the speciality of that Vrindavan, tadatmya-vaibhava Gokula, Vraja. That Vrindavan is also worshipable for us-every tree, every creeper, every flower, every bird-it is our worshipable deity. Ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya-kalpita. Among those who will do aradhana of Vrajendranandana Syamasundara in Vrindavan, that most super excellent method of service to Krsna is that method employed by vraja-vadu, the young brides or gopis of Vrindavan.


Is there any evidence for this? Yes, srimad-bhagavatam pramanam amalam-the immaculate and perfect evidence. If you want to find out in what way Braja-ramanis, the damsels of Vrindavan, love Krsna, then look no further than Srimad Bhagavatam. There you will find all moods everything has been explained by Sukadeva Gosvamipada. This is our evidence. Prema pumartho mahan-the only goal of life is this kind of prema. This is the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said, “And I have no respect for any other opinion. I have respect for everyone, but I do not have respect for everyone’s misguided opinions.” So, he is saying, “I like the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and I try to follow this in my life.” If you want to know about the method for loving Krsna, then the Hari katha that we need to hear is in Srimad-Bhagavatam.


One must taste the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam. How, by what method? One can read-this is OK. But this is not the anga of bhakti in regard to Srimad-Bhagavatam spoken of by Srila Rupa Gosvamipada. When Srila Rupa Gosvamipada said to take shelter of Srimad-Bhagavatam, he has not mentioned reading, though we should do it and it is very important. This anga of bhakti means: srimad-bhagavatarthanam asvado rasikaih saha (CC Madhya 22. 131). “One must taste the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the association of those who are rasika.” What does it mean? The first stage in bhakti is adau sraddha, faith. Then tatah sadhu sanga, association of pure devotees. Bhajana-krya, anartha-nivrtti, the heart is being cleared of all material attachments. Then nistha comes, thinking of Krsna all the time, not thinking of anything else, but doing this by some force because you know that this is the right thing. Anarthas are cleared now so the mind is not distracted. Sometimes it wanders, but by intelligence you bring it back-buddhipurvaka. Then, if one goes on hearing, chanting and remembering, ruci comes. In the stage of ruci, the mind runs to Krsna spontaneously. Then comes asakti, deep attachment. In the stage of asakti, the devotee can realize something of his svarupa-a sphurti of his identity comes in the heart. The sphurti, realization of one’s identity within the heart, is called sambandha-jnana.


Now he is established in sambandha-jnana. If anyone will chant Harinama with sambandha-jnana, visuddha-sattva-bhava comes. Then he enters the stage of bhava. When his bhava is mature, he comes in the stage of bhava-mayi-bhakti and then rasa-mayi-bhakti. Those who are in that stage are realizing bhakti-rasa, and they are called rasika. So Rupa Gosvamipada is giving you the instruction that if you want to know Srimad Bhagavatam, try to hear and taste the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the association of a rasika Vaisnava-that kind of Vaisnava. Then it will be the anga of bhakti, which is very powerful, called taking shelter of or hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam.


When we hear Srimad-Bhagavatam in the association of a rasika Vaisnava, at that time, following the instruction of Rupa Gosvami, we absorb ourselves in the mood of one Brijbasi or Brijbasis who have the mood for which we are aspiring. Then, by their causeless mercy, it may be that a very intense greed will come to follow in their footsteps. This is the eligibility for raganuga-bhakti. If one will only follow rules and regulations without greed, without spontaneous attachment, such bhakti will take one to Vaikuntha, but not to Vrindavan.


sakala jagate more kare vidhi-bhakti

vidhi-bhaktye vraja-bhava paite nahi sakti

(CC Adi 3.15)


Krsna Himself is telling in Caitanya Caritamrtam, “In this world everyone is following vaidhi bhakti, only observing rules and regulations because they know ‘this is good for me’. But this kind of devotional service has now power to take one to Vraja. So it is very essential, in the association of any Vraja rasika Vaisnava, hearing the sweet pastimes of Vrindavan and following one mood, then what will happen? A very wonderful phenomena may manifest in the heart of any devotee who is very sincere and unconditionally surrendered at the lotus feet of his Gurudeva. What?


ragatmikaika nistha ye

vrajavasi janadayah

tesam bhavaptaye lubdho

bhaved atradhikaravan

(BRS 1.2.291)


Rupa Gosvamipada is explaining that a nistha, a faith in ragatmika-jana, the associates of Radha and Krsna in that world, a very strong faith will come in them. This faith will turn into an obsession. Some people are prone to obsessive behavior. If it is connection with the material world, this is not very good. But if, being in a very good association, hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam or following one mood from a lila and having strong faith in that, the result will be what kind of obsessive behavior will come? That obsessive behavior is ‘tesam bhava upyate lubdha’. Lubdha means obsession. One will become obsessed with having a mood, a very deep emotion, just like that ragatmika jana, just like that associate. ‘Bhaved atradhikaravan-that is the adhikara, or the qualification, to enter into raga-marga, the path of raganuga-bhakti. This path will lead to transcendental Vraja, Vraja-dhama, Goloka Vrindavan, Vraja Gokula.


When we hear these things, a desire may come, “When can I go? Where can I find that place where Hari katha is going on? Where is Srimad-Bhagavatam being spoken? Such very attractive katha, full of rasa, full of mellow, full of the moods of the residents of Vrindavan.” And then the devotee will go anywhere, at any cost, quickly running there. He wants to find that place where pure devotees are speaking the sweet Hari katha of Srimad-Bhagavatam because he knows what prospect, what potential, is in that, how his life can be transformed. Oh, it doesn’t matter if one is fallen, if one is useless, if one is nonsense. Anyway, this katha and this association has that prospect, this potential. If we approach with expectation, it will be ours.


Sadhu sanga depends on expectation. If you come in the association of a pure devotee and you are thinking, “Yeah, Maharaja has come. A sadhu has come and sadhu can bless me so that I can make some sukrti.” If this is our expectation, this is what we will get. But if we are thinking, “Oh, I will take sadhu sanga and hear the Hari katha of suddha Vaisnavas, who have all power and all potency to awaken the rati, deep attachment, within my heart. They can instill in me that obsessive behavior to want to be just like the residents of Vrindavan.”


If we will come with that expectation, by hearing Hari katha attentively with one mood, then:


tvam bhakti-yoga-paribhavita-hrt-saroja

assa sruteksita-patho nanu natha pumsam

(SB 3.9.11)


Then I may get a glimpse of Krsna. One can see Krsna through the ears by hearing with great taste in Hari katha. If one will come with an expectation like this, then he will also get this. It depends upon our expectation. This is a very important point.


Mahaprabhu used to cry in the Gambhira and He would tell Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramaananda, “In my heart I have become a kapalika yogi.” Kapalika yogi is a very dangerous kind of tantric. They wander here and there, performing severe austerities. They wear a dirty cloth and one ivory earring. So Mahaprabhu said, “In my heart I have become a kapalika yogi. I am only wandering here and there and wearing one earring which was manufactured by the master craftsman, Sukadeva Gosvami. That earring is rasa-lila. Adorning My ear with the earing of rasa, and wearing the dirty torn cloth of anxiety, being very worried in my heart, like a kapalic yogi, in My hand I carry a gourd. It is dried and the middle has been cut out, so it has become like a begging bowl and I am carrying that. That is the begging bowl of my aspirations. And I have ten disciples-the ten senses-whom I have sent out to do biksa. Like a Guru’s diciples, they are going door to door doing biksa, begging something which they bring back to Me. What are they bringing back? Hari katha-they are bringing back some nama, rupa, guna and lila of Krsna.”


So when we come into sadhu sanga, in our heart we should be like that, like kapalika yogi, very skinny and desperate, dressed in the torn cloth of anxiety. “How will I attain the service of Radha and Krsna?” We should wear an an earring, meaning the greed to hear, that greed which has been made by the mastercraftsman, Sukadeva Gosvami-Rasa Pancadhyayi-and holding in our hands the carved-out gourd of our aspiration, “Please give me something,” all senses coming out to collect any little piece of news of Vrindavan and bringing back and feeding in my mouth. In this way, we should come into sadhu sanga.


The Rasa Pancadhyayi of Srimad Bhagavatam is very high class, but I am not qualified to speak, although I know that you are qualified to hear. So we want to tell a little pastime from Srimad Bhagavatam which may be helpful four your spiritual development. But we should hear in what method? Sadaranikaran, identification.


Now, don’t be in Canada. Leave this place by your heart. You can park your body and your life here in the carpark of Kulekshekara’s temple. You park your body and mind there and only by heart, come with me now to Vrindavan. Vrindavan is very very beautiful. Krsna is like a young boy. Now He is six years old and all Brijbasis day and night can not forget Him. They have some obsessive behavior. We want to be like them. They always remember how Krsna smiles, how He walks, how He talks, how He plays upon His flute, how He is grazing His cows, and on and on. We should be always eager for this, and chanting and remembering His names. Govinda Damodara Madhaveti. Hey Govinda! Hey Damodara! Hey Madhava! The Brijbasis pass their days like this and their love is always increasing moment by moment. Even the very small gopis of Vrindavan, when they are only like one or two years old, saw how Mother Yasoda was binding Krsna for his acts of thievery. At that time, seeing Krsna crying and His kajal running down on His face, they felt so much sympathy in their hearts. This mood of sympathy was awakened-it is called sneha, affection. Why is Krsna crying? Because Mother Yasoda has bound Him. Why did she bind Him? Because He was stealing. Why is He stealing? Because he was hungry. OK, we will make very nice things, nice butter and we will feed Krsna and then He will not be hungry. Then He will not go stealing, His mother will not catch Him, she will not bind Him and He will not cry.


This mood of sympathy comes for Krsna. Krsna is like a naked baby and the gopis are also very small, naked babies. They don’t know anything about boys and girls-they make no discrimination at that age. From the beginning of their life they only love Krsna. And as they are growing, even while they are very young, the Brijbasis arrange their marriages, but not to Krsna. In India, in Vedic culture, which is in this world the reflection of the transcendental aprakrta Vraja-dhama, the young girls’ marriages are arranged at a very young age. At that time they cannot understand what it means to be married. But anyway, it is fixed.


That year when Lord Brahma stole all the calves and cows, Bhaguri Rsi announced that this was a very good time for marriage, and the marriages were arranged. In this way, all of the gopis were married to the cowherd boys. But who were those cowherd boys? They were all Krsna, because when Brahmaji had stolen all the cowherd boys, every cowherd boy was Krsna. So in this way, the gopis were arranged to be married to Krsna, but they did not know. Why? Because this is Krsna’s nature. It is the same for any noble, charitable person-when they give charity, they do it in such a way that others will not know. Even in the Bible Jesus said that when you give charity, you should give it in such a way that your right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. It is that secret.


So Krsna made the arrangement, “Oh, I am yours. I want to marry you. My relationship is with you.” But only secretly. Even they didn’t know. This is the character of a generous and noble person. But, He is not satisfied with this. Also, they are not satisfied. Gradually, gradually, their love is increasing, more and more, day by day. At first, just by Krsna’s glancing at them, His form came in their hearts. Then they are thinking about Him, and gradually they become attached. Then they think, “Oh, I have to make a plan to meet with Krsna.” Even they cannot sleep at night. They cannot eat, they lose their appetite and they start to become a little bit crazy. This is the development of the first awakenings of love. Don’t think this is only in the gopis of Vrindavan. Krsna also feels the same, but they feel it first.


So they are very desirous to meet each other, but they have not plucked up the courage yet to get together because this is against Vedic culture. But this love is strong, very powerful-one day it must break all boundries. This stage is called purva raga, deep attachment which comes before a meeting. At that time, some of the gopis of Vrindavan, these who are not nitya-siddha but are sadhana-siddha, decided, “We want Krsna to accept us. What can we do? We can worship the devatas-demigods are powerful. If we will fix our nistha in one devata and worship and serve him, then soon our desire will be fulfilled.”


So they made a plan. They did not say for what purpose they were worshiping. These young girls were very young, and the Brijbasis were thinking, “Soon they will have to go to the houses of their husbands.” Young girls like to do puja of devatas so that their husband will be happy, healthy and prosperous, but this was not their intention. They had only one intention.


Now, we have come to that part in the lila where it is time for sadaranikaran. These gopis are very young, but they have fixed their mind now. They don’t want anything else-only that Krsna should accept them. They told their relatives and parents, “Now Kartika month is over and Hemanta, winter season, is coming. We have heard that if anyone will take bath in the very early morning before sunrise in the Yamuna and worship Katyayani Devi, then their desires will be fulfilled.” When their parent and others heard about this, they became somewhat dismayed. “Oh, you are very young and your bodies are so soft. Why are you making some vow that you will not be able to keep? It is very difficult.”


But upon hearing these discouraging words, what happened to them? Their determination increased more; their determination became stronger and stronger. With the beginning of Hemanta season, very happily, they started their vrata. For this vrata, they will have to give up so many things. They stopped taking tambula. Before, their lips were reddish, but now, natural color is there, natural beauty. They are not taking oil massage any more, so now their skin is becoming dry with cold season. They’re not putting any oil in their hair, so their hair is also becoming very dry. But their natural beauty is coming out. They have decided to eat only once a day, so their bodies are becoming thin.


Seeing them, all the Brijbasis have so much pity in their hearts. They feel so sorry for them, but these young girls don’t care. Why? They have a determination. They want their desire to be fulfilled. So they are waking up early in the morning before sunrise, even though it is very cold at that time. They are coming out from their homes and calling to each other. With so much hope in their hearts, they happily meet and embrace each other. They catch each other by the hands, and singing and dancing, they come down to the bank of the Yamuna, doing kirtana together: Govinda, Damodara, Madhaveti.


Coming to Yamuna, they remove their cloth, while shivering and also laughing a little. They offer pranama quickly to Yamuna and dunk in the water. Then they quickly come running out from the water, because it is very cold. But they are very pleased with themselves. Why? “Oh, today we were so courageous. We have bathed in the cold water.” They quickly dry themselves and get dressed. Then they begin their puja. On the bank of Yamuna, they take the sand and they mafe a deity of Katyayani Devi. You know Katyayani? In Bhagavatam, she is also called Bhadra Kali, one form of Durga, it seems. But there is some mystery in this.


So they made a very beautiful deity of Bhadra Kali on the bank of the Yamuna in the sand. Sitting down on an asana of kusha grass to do their puja, they did acamana and called out to Katyayani Devi, “O Katyayani Devi, please come. Be merciful to us. Please come and sit here.” But as they were calling her and making their offerings, in every offering, they are compounding their desire deeper and deeper. “O Katyayani Devi, please come here and bring Krsna very, very near to us.” They offered madhuparka, in which there is honey. “O Katyayani Devi, please accept this madhuparka. Accept this honey,” but in their hearts they were thinking, “Oh, Krsna’s lips are sweet like honey. We are giving you this taste of madhuparka, so you please give us the taste of Krsna’s honey.”


Then they are offering oil. By mind, they are smearing the oil on the body of Katyayani and thinking, “As this oil is smeared on your body, may our body also be smeared on the body of Krsna Candra, the son of Nanda Maharaja.” Next they are taking udvartana. Do you know what is udvartana? It is a slightly coarse and very fragrant powder that is rubbed on the body after an oil massage. This powder removes the oil and all impurities from the skin. So they are offering this udbhartan to Katyayani Devi and praying in their hearts, “Oh, please remove our separation. Please remove our sorrow by giving us a chance to meet with Syamasundara, the son of Nanda Maharaja.”


After the udvartana, they offer some some scents to Kaytayani Devi, and as they are offering, they are saying, “We are offering this very fragant substance for you to smell, and in turn, you should offer us the fragrance of Krsna.” Then they are taking kunda flowers. Kunda flowers are white, like Krsna’s teeth. So they are offering the kunda flowers in worship of Katyayani Devi. “Hey Katyayani Devi, we are worshiping you with kunda flowers. Please arrange that Krsna will worship us by His teeth.”


Next they offer ghee wicks-ghee wicks are illumination. “Hey Katyayani Devi, we are offering you ghee wicks, this illumination. We want that in return that you offer us some illumination. Our vaksa-sthala (breast) should be illuminated by the Kaustuba-mani of Krsna.” Then the gopis are taking the naivedya. They made so many preparations, including amrta keli, grains and fruits. They offer bhoga to Katyayani Devi and chant the mantra:


katyayani maha-maye maha-yoginy adhisvari

nanda-gopa-sutah devi patim me kuru te namah

(SB 10.22.4)


“O Katyayani Devi, you are Mahamaya, very powerful energy. You are Maha-yogini, you have mystic power. Adhisvari, you control this whole world. Therefore we are taking shelter of you. We are offering our hearts to you, namah, giving up our false ego, everything. We are offering only our heart at your lotus feet and we are begging you, ‘Nanda-gopa-sutam devi, patim me kuru te namah’. Oh please, let the son of Nanda Maharaja become our pati.” Here the word pati used. Pati means husband. But actually, their marriages had already been arranged. Yet “He should be our pati.” Gurudeva said they said, ‘Upapati’. They whispered, ‘Upa’, and said, ‘Pati’. “He should be our beloved.” This is parikiya mood, very pathetic. Though they are young and though they are soft, but what hardships and difficulties they are undergoing. How much aspiration they have, such much and one-pointed. Their only hope is to become the beloveds of Sri Krsna.