Post by niscala on Feb 10, 2016 23:58:05 GMT -5
In the commentary to BRS 1.2.37, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that a sadhaka in raganuga desiring a relationship with Krsna in one of the four rasas, should think of the Deity of Krsna not as God, but as His son, friend, lover etc.
"The Skanda Purana offers proof that one should perform service following the sadhaka bhaktas, using one's sadhaka-deha (physical body). He installed the Deity form of Krsna, the son of Nanda. His service to the Deity indicates that he did not meditate on the service and mood of Nanda, but performed physical service using his sadhaka deha, thinking that the Deity was directly Krsna, not to a Deity form. Therefore, the sadhaka should perform service to the Deity form since he does not have direct contact with the Lord. It should be understood that the aged carpenter performed service to the Deity as his son, following after other great sadhakas..."
This is clearly different from Srila Prabhupada's instruction that we worship Radha Krsna actually as Laxmi Narayan- because we are, or should be, aware that here is God, and God's consort. If we were, in the beginning stages, to consider the Deity our son, friend etc, not God, then being not God to us, how could He appear in stone? It makes no sense at all. But after being convinced by logical arguments given in the sastra, that God can indeed appear as arcana vigraha, in due course, when we want a personal loving relationship with Krsna in one of the five rasas, and when we have decided our attraction for Krsna and the love of the simple villagers in the forest of Vraja far surpasses any attraction to the opulent majestic Lord of Vaikuntha, then we may start to see, treat and pray to the Krsna Diety in the mood of being His loving mother, friend, girlfriend, etc, according to how we want Him to be.
We will then not make offerings to the Deity because that is prescribed in sastra, but because Krsna might be getting hungry (vatsalya) or because Krsna, Radha and the gopis need some refreshments in the kunja (madhurya) etc. If we are worshipping Radha and Krsna, we will see Her as our beloved girlfriend and dramatic mistress, whose kindness and other qualities have made us swear allegiance to Her. We may dress Her for Her rendezvous with Krsna, rather than because it is part of Deity worship. In Lalita Madhava, it is described that Lalita, as Jambavati, was enraptured with always playing with Her Deities of Radha and Krsna, talking to Them, scolding Them, dressing Them, etc. So, we can follow in Her footsteps. It would seem as these loving absorptions take over, a devotee's performance of arcana may become unrecognizable- less structured and more spontaneous. Others might see her or him as unstable, perhaps even offensive.
Another aspect is that when there is absorption in asta-kaliya lila, it is possible that our seva will reflect our meditation on the particular pastimes involved. That is something to look forward to, but in the meantime, according to VCT, because we don't have direct contact with the Lord, we can view the Deity as we would like to view Krsna in our desired rasa as His parent, lover, etc.
"The Skanda Purana offers proof that one should perform service following the sadhaka bhaktas, using one's sadhaka-deha (physical body). He installed the Deity form of Krsna, the son of Nanda. His service to the Deity indicates that he did not meditate on the service and mood of Nanda, but performed physical service using his sadhaka deha, thinking that the Deity was directly Krsna, not to a Deity form. Therefore, the sadhaka should perform service to the Deity form since he does not have direct contact with the Lord. It should be understood that the aged carpenter performed service to the Deity as his son, following after other great sadhakas..."
This is clearly different from Srila Prabhupada's instruction that we worship Radha Krsna actually as Laxmi Narayan- because we are, or should be, aware that here is God, and God's consort. If we were, in the beginning stages, to consider the Deity our son, friend etc, not God, then being not God to us, how could He appear in stone? It makes no sense at all. But after being convinced by logical arguments given in the sastra, that God can indeed appear as arcana vigraha, in due course, when we want a personal loving relationship with Krsna in one of the five rasas, and when we have decided our attraction for Krsna and the love of the simple villagers in the forest of Vraja far surpasses any attraction to the opulent majestic Lord of Vaikuntha, then we may start to see, treat and pray to the Krsna Diety in the mood of being His loving mother, friend, girlfriend, etc, according to how we want Him to be.
We will then not make offerings to the Deity because that is prescribed in sastra, but because Krsna might be getting hungry (vatsalya) or because Krsna, Radha and the gopis need some refreshments in the kunja (madhurya) etc. If we are worshipping Radha and Krsna, we will see Her as our beloved girlfriend and dramatic mistress, whose kindness and other qualities have made us swear allegiance to Her. We may dress Her for Her rendezvous with Krsna, rather than because it is part of Deity worship. In Lalita Madhava, it is described that Lalita, as Jambavati, was enraptured with always playing with Her Deities of Radha and Krsna, talking to Them, scolding Them, dressing Them, etc. So, we can follow in Her footsteps. It would seem as these loving absorptions take over, a devotee's performance of arcana may become unrecognizable- less structured and more spontaneous. Others might see her or him as unstable, perhaps even offensive.
Another aspect is that when there is absorption in asta-kaliya lila, it is possible that our seva will reflect our meditation on the particular pastimes involved. That is something to look forward to, but in the meantime, according to VCT, because we don't have direct contact with the Lord, we can view the Deity as we would like to view Krsna in our desired rasa as His parent, lover, etc.
