Priya Kunj Ras

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Līlā Tatva: Mākhan Chori Lilā

Krishna performs His Lilas to relish Ānanda and give Ānanda to His devotees. These Ānanda Lilas are full of a variety of moods, events and details of Rasa called Vaichitri. All the pastimes of God are completely blissful, but through Lila Vaichitri, Ānanda is relished in various forms. Just like how boiling milk swells up, though it does not increase in volume, Ānanda swells up (or expands) through Lila Vaichitri. In Vrindavan Lilas, Krishna and Radharani are Mugdha. They are not omniscient. The Lord of the infinite universes, who is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, willingly gets veiled by Yogamaya and forgets His Lordship. He considers Himself as an ordinary person. He engages in an eternal drama with His devotees. The Director and Producer of this drama is His internal potency, Yogamaya. She not only creates each pastime of Radha Krishna but also makes it happen flawlessly. There are three potencies of Krishna: Swarupa Shakti (internal potency), Jiva/Tatasthā Shakti (margin

Līlā Tatva: Introduction

God appears on Earth like an ordinary person, but in truth, He is without birth (He doesn’t have a beginning or an end; He is infinite). How can He take birth on Earth? “Ajo 'pi sann avyayātma bhutānām isvaro 'pi san prakrtim svām adhisthāya sambhavāmy ātma-māyaya .” (Bhagavat Geeta 4.6) Meaning: Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form. Although He is without birth and death, omnipresent in all beings, the ocean of nectarine bliss and the omnipotent Lord of the infinite universes, He appears on Earth and performs pastimes like an ordinary person. Why does God perform His pastimes? “Janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktvā deham punar janma naiti mām eti so 'rjuna.” (Bhagavat Geeta 4.9) Meaning: One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take hi

Mādhurya Upāsanā: Vātsalya Prema Part 3

In Vātsalya Prema, there is the mood of service like Dāsya Prema, unhesitant behaviour like Sakhya Prema and along with that, there is the mood of being Krishna’s guardian. Such devotees of Vātsalya Prema consider themselves elders of Krishna and consider Krishna as their beloved little child who needs their care and guidance. In order to guide Krishna, they discipline, reproach and punish Krishna when He is naughty. In Sakhya Prema, except the older Suhrit Sakhas who have some Vātsalya mixed with Sakhya Prema, the devotees do not discipline or punish Krishna. As equals, they do not have the right to do so. But in Vātsalya Prema, the devotees think that if they do not discipline Krishna, He will go astray or become an insolent person. Therefore, as elders and guardians, it is important to discipline Krishna. We have already discussed how Mother Yashoda never accepted Krishna as God although He showed the infinite universes in His little mouth. Instead, she prayed to Narayan to protec

Mādhurya Upāsanā: Vātsalya Prema Part 2

The Vātsalya Prema of Vraja Dham is pure Mādhurya Rasa, untouched by the Aishwarya mood of Bhakti. One day, the little child Krishna was playing with His Sakhas. Suddenly, He ate a handful of the dust of Vrindavan. The Sakhas saw this and said, “Kanhaiya! We will tell mother Yashoda what you have done! You ate mud!” Kanhaiya was quite afraid that mother Yashoda might beat Him with her stick today. Nonetheless, all the Sakhas took Kanhaiya to mother Yashoda and told her everything. The Sakhas thought that if they didn’t inform this to mother Yashoda, she would reprimand them later when He would fall sick or develop a stomach pain. “Mother Yashoda, Kanhaiya ate mud!” they said. Mother Yashoda became angry. “Kanhaiya! Did you eat mud?” she asked Kanhaiya. But Kanhaiya didn’t say anything since there was mud in His mouth and as soon as He would speak, mother Yashoda would see the mud. He just shook his head to say no. “Why don’t you speak? Say yes or no,” said mother Yashoda. But Kanhaiya