SHYAMDAS 1953-2013 IN MEMORIAM

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that assailed Him in the forms of a heron, a calf and a donkey. He also rid the Yamuná River of that poisonous snake Káliya. How could such an amazing one be born amongst a group of simple cowherds like us?” Nanda Baba removed their doubts by relating the following story. “After Käüóa’s birth, the sage Garga explained to me that my son is the lord himself. The sage told me that the blessed one appears in different yugas, with various names and forms, and has now manifested as my son, úrà Käüóa. He assured me that ‘He will bring happiness to those who love Him.’ Garga also said to me, ‘Your son, úrà Käüóa is like Lord Náráyaóa in splendor, fame and glory.’” The cowherds were confused, because they did not understand how úrà Käüóa could maintain every virtue and still appear as a child. Nanda’s words made them understand that while úrà Käüóa is perfectly full of lordship, potency, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, He also does whatever He wants. That is how—although He is divine and beyond anything material—úrà Käüóa can also become a child. He is the lord of Lakümà, as well as the master of liberation. All of His manifestations are true and appear for the sake of His devotees. The blessed one can easily support all forms of contradiction. Hearing Nanda Baba’s words, all of the cowherds’ doubts were removed, and they honored both Nanda Baba and úrà Käüóa. Now they had not only heard about Hari’s glories, but had also witnessed them, gathering the final proof. second purpose of Hari’s A Govardhan Hill làlá was to remove Indra’s false pride. Although úrà Käüóa had established Indra in his rain-god position, Indra forgot this fact and imagined that he was lord of the world. After Gopal balanced the Govardhan Hill on a single finger for seven days, Indra was truly humbled and reflected, “I clearly am not the boss. úrà Käüóa is the lord of all gods. In my great ignorance, I tried to destroy Braja with my winds and torrents.” In this way, úrà Käüóa compassionately removed Indra’s conceit without destroying him. Indra then went to Braja with his 30 Special Issue • Shyamdas ~ In Memoriam divine, wish-fulfilling cow, Surabhà. He came before úrà Käüóa, who was sitting alone near the Govardhan Hill. Humbled and full of shame, Indra placed his head, adorned with a crown as bright as the sun, at úrà Käüóa’s lotus feet. He then praised the immortal lord in ten lines, and thereby purified his ten práóas, his vital breaths, which he had misappropriated for his own material gain. He finally understood that they should have been used in Hari’s divine service. Indra’s indiscretion had caused his práóas to lose their divine connection, and when he became blinded with arrogance, he could no longer see his true self. Indra humbly bowed and praised úrà Käüóa’s form and virtues, “You are pure essence, untouched by anything physical. úrà Käüóa, you are forever free from all forms of greed. You wield the rod of punishment, but are also the father, the guru, as well as the supreme ruler of all creations. For the good of the world, You play at will and curb the pride of the arrogant. O Lord, forgive me, immersed as I was in the pride of wealth and power. I was ignorant of your greatness. Although you are beyond sense perception, You are devoted to the welfare of those who are faithful to your lotus feet. Glories to you, inner controller of all! You embody pure consciousness and are the soul of all living beings. Now that my pride has been sundered, I seek you, supreme ruler, as my sole refuge.” úrà Käüóa heard Indra’s prayer, laughed, and replied, “Those who are blinded by pride will never take notice of me. I stopped your sacrifice to enable you to always remember me. My grace truly arises when I remove obstructing prosperity. Now return to your abode, and carry on your works according to your qualifications.” Surabhà, the celestial cow, then extolled úrà Käüóa, “O great yogi, soul of creation! We are favored by you, the true lord. Unlike Indra, you are continually absorbed in a single divine nectar. You are the supreme ruler and protector of the cows and bhaktas. Now, with a celestial bath of milk, we honor you as our king.” From that day, úrà Käüóa became known as Govinda, “Lord of the Cows.” Then Indra’s elephant, Airávata, brought the Gaïgá River down from the heavens, and with Indra’s assistance, they honored úrà Käüóa with a ceremonial bath. In the celebration that followed, the gods sang while the celestial dancers danced. Flowers showered from the heavens, and the entire world became drenched in supreme bliss. The earth overflowed with milk from the cows, and the rivers rushed with nectar. Trees oozed honey, and crops appeared on unplowed lands. Gems rose to the surface of mountains, and enemies became friends. úRÅ KÉûîA always forgives those who take His shelter. The penalties He administers are not for destruction, but to correct His people so that they will turn towards Him. úrà Käüóa is the Lord of all regions and fulfills the desires of the devotional heart. His blessings extend to all realms. Hari protects His bhaktas and subdues the false pride of His followers. But His lotus feet cannot be attained until we become humble. The beloved always responds to the devotee’s humility; it is the most important of all spiritual virtues. Wherever úrà Käüóa resides, there can be no anger. He is the supreme wealth. Not only does He reside within all beings, but He also is the single force behind every accomplishment. He inspires every heart, and those who take His shelter become like Him—totally exalted. úrà Käüóa is unimpeded and free from disparity. úrà Vallabhácárya praises Him, “Glories to úrà Käüóa, the doer of wonderful deeds, who played the world into existence by dividing form and name (ùástrártha nibandha).” Creation is His very form and is therefore sacred. As Vásudeva, He awards liberation, but when He becomes úrà Käüóa, He is both the means and the blessed reward—full of truth, consciousness and mostly bliss. He is wisdom personified. Hari plays to bring His bhaktas towards His blissful self. By simply playing with His devotees, Hari awarded them an independent, love-based devotion.
YAMUNA’S STORY <strong>SHYAMDAS</strong> few years ago, I made a pilgrimage A to Yamnotri, the source of the Yamuna River high in the Himalayas. It is a wonderful spot, with thermal springs and enchanting forests, where it snows seven months of the year. From there, I appreciated the vision of Sri Yamunaji flowing from the nectarine heart of Narayan, the sun god. After she cascades brilliantly from the summit of Kalindi Mountain, she flows furiously towards Vrindavan, the abode of her beloved, Krishna. On the plains below the Himalayas, within the sacred lands of Braja, Sri Yamunaji’s most ardently devotional form can be seen. This is why I now choose to live by her banks in this sacred realm, in the small town of Gokul. I often wander these banks, reflecting on the nature of her divinity and on the perfect results of Hari’s creation. And by her waters, it becomes very clear that the world is not simply an illusion. Mayic illusion results from a false perception and conceals the true quality of the thing itself. Creation seen correctly becomes a divine play, a lila, and Sri Yamunaji is in charge of the lila arrangements wherein every virtue finds a place in her service. By her flowing current, all life seems to be especially alive. Sri Yamunaji has three forms: she is a river, seen by all; a purifier, known by her followers; and a grace goddess, seen by her blessed bhaktas. The river, the transformer and the personified grace goddess all exist within each other and are truly a single form. Not only is Sri Yamunaji Lord Krishna’s most beloved, but she also freely shares that sacred relationship with her bhaktas. When her waves lap her banks and spread their waters across the sands, at that moment is it possible to see shiny, pearly bangles adorning her hands and the high banks become her hips. This divine form of Sri Yamuna is held to be nirguna, that is she transcends every material virtue and is comprised solely of pure ananda, or bliss. She is Hari’s beloved and grants sacred relationship to her bhaktas. Sri Yamunaji takes on numerous forms to relate with each of her yearning bhaktas uniquely. Because she is a grace goddess and unlike other rivers that flow into the ocean, Sri Yamunaji flows directly into Sri Krishna’s bliss form, and like him, becomes replete with lordliness, potency, fame, beauty, wisdom and renunciation. By her banks, I have come to realize some of the differences between lawful practices and those that are grace-filled. Paths that follow particular rules and practices necessarily involve a review of our precision throughout, whereas the grace-filled path is different; it moves as an unrestricted flood of favor. Lawful practice is attained; grace is given. Just as India is the locus of various currents that converge both within her lands and within her devotees’ hearts, those who are on the path of grace revere the lawful flow only after it is mixed with grace, otherwise pride of practice may arise. God’s greatness may be established in scripture, but actually tasting Sri Hari’s essence is what it is all about. To bow towards Sri Krishna’s playground brings knowledge of his greatness, which is then followed by an awareness of our own sacred relationship. With this, our actions are transformed and become infused with wisdom. When thought and action blend into a single offering, a dedication to his pleasure arises. Desire, fear and hatred are usually obstructions to attainment, but with the power of grace, anything can be transformed. Kamsa merged with god through fear, while Shishupal arrived through hatred. And it was through their desires that the Gopis of Vrindavan found the supreme reward, a dance with Sri Krishna. Sri Yamunaji is the goddess of transformation, and her mere proximity makes souls like the Gopis beloved to Hari. Because his connection with the form and the lila is direct, Sri Vallabhacharya’s teachings on Sri Yamunaji are full of truth. He ends his “Yamunastkam,” the eight verses in praise of Yamuna, with the words: “All devotional powers are attained through you, and Sri Krishna is pleased. You transform the nature of your bhaktas, beloved of Hari.” This is the process of nirodha, that is, of becoming perfectly bound to God. It arises from an addiction that comes from love and attachment. Nirodha is the refined reward that brings the bhakta directly to god’s playground. It frees the practitioner from all constraints. Where there is nirodha, there is nothing else to attain. Every sense and every pore of the being is directed towards blissful brahman. Sri Yamunaji’s devotional empowerments are about nirodha, and there is no mantra, knowledge, meditation, prayer or holy ground that surpasses it. “Yamuna Maiya Ki Jai.” January <strong>2013</strong> 31
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Page 11 and 12: uge. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna s
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Page 35 and 36: joy of His own Being. And it was th

SHYAMDAS 1953-2013 IN MEMORIAM

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