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Sri Caitanya Caritamrta

• Subject: Sri Caitanya Caritamrta
• From: Lars M
• Date: Fri Jun 23 10:58:19 1995
• Message-Id: id529

Dear Lars Mulvad,

Hare Krishna!

>No I haven't read Caitanya-caritamrta, but I've heard bits of it in the
>radio. It seems that the devotees are having a good time and laugh while
>listening to the person reading from it.

Yes its a very nice book... I posted it yesterday to you so it should arrive in a
few weeks. I'm sure you will like it.

>
>>
>> The Gaudiya Viasnavas [us] worship Krishna in this same vipralamba seva
>> [mood of separation]. It is simultaneously painful and ecstatic. It has been
>> described like drinking hot sugercane juce. In India they boil down the
>> sugercane juce to make sugar so while this is going on there are big pots of
>> boiling hot sugar water... It is very sweet to taste, but it is very hot and
>> it burns your mouth....
>
>Right now I feel only the burning, there's no sweetness and I miss it very
>much, perhaps that is why devotees are living a simple life, better put to
>put an effort in Krsna consciousness and not beeing disturbed by a lot of
>tings that really doesn't matter that much. I've also noticed that this
>ecstasy has been draining all my power away I couldn't do anything else
>but thinking of Krsna all day long (I was so tired but it was so nice). I
>still think of the Lord quite much but with an intensity only a fraction
>of what it was two days ago.

Spiritual life is practical really. Particularly in the beginning. We should
engage our senses in the service of Krishna. We have to keep busy doing something
practical for Krishna, otherwise we'll get into maya... Sometimes the ecstasy is
there but not always. Sometimes it is hard to serve Krishna too, but if we are
serious we will serve Krishna all the time, when it's ecstatic and when it's
difficult as well.

>
>         karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
>         prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah
>         yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me
>         sisyas te'ham saddhi mam tvam prapannam
>         (bhagavad-gita 2,7)
>

"Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because
of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for
certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul
surrendered unto You. Please instruct me."

>

>I don't think that what Arjuna said needs any further comments from my
>hand.

Yes. This is how to accept a spiritual master. Arjuna was bewildered so he
surrendered to Krishna. Then Krishna instructed the Bhagavad-gita and Arjuna was
no longer bewildered... [His instructions are still there in the Bhagavad-gita,
you can still read them...]

>
>>
>> I am sending [by the mail] one volume of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta to your
>> address today [it will probably take 4-5 weeks to get there], it is about
>> the appearance of Lord Caitanya and it is very, very nice.
>>
>
>Thank you so much! If you want me to take the book as a gift I will
>accept that but in order to proceed printing books I will gladly pay for
>the book.

If you like to send some donation [my address is on the package] I would be happy
to accept it, but it is a gift, you don't have to. I'll just be happy when you
read it.

>> That is the sign of its greatness. Nobody is purer then Her love. But its
>> behavior is always perverse and crooked.
>
>How?[But its behavior is always perverse and crooked] If that is that is
>the nature of the souls how can that love to Krsnas be "perverse and
>crooked"? You don't say that a lion that is cruel just because it is
>killing other animals, it is its nature!

No. Devotees are not "perverse and crooked" but Krishna's pastimes with the gopis
are not easy to understand. Actually they are very confidential and one can only
understand them after becoming quite advanced in Krishna consciousness.... But the
gopis don't know Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If they knew their
behavior with Him would be very formal... But Krishna wants to associate with them
as His friends... So the love of Radharani is pure, but sometimes She has
arguments with Krishna, sometimes She is angry with Krishna, but Krishna enjoys
this anger of Srimati Radharani very much... That's what it means by "perverse and
crooked"...

>
>It certainly is and it gives me much comfort but chanting His holy names
>has become like a whip to me and I loose my concentration. Anyway, it's
>probably well deserved!

Yes. Sometimes it's hard to concentrate... But we have to try and concentrate and
hear the holy name... Do you chant a regular number of rounds?

>Sometimes life becomes more complicated than nescesary, sleep, eat, have
>sex (to get children) and defending our selves are all we need, the rest
>of the time we can worship the Lords Lotus Feet ... this is what I call a
>simple life! The people who are surrounding me doesn't feel the same as I
>do they are constantly devoted to the needs of their bodies and their
>minds, you tell me that I should offer them prasadam when they come around
>so they, at least, can get a little purified but they are by certain NOT
>vegetarians (Krsnatarians) and I wouldn't dare sacrificing meat to the
>Supreme Personality of Godhead.

No. Krishna doesn't eat it anyhow. He wouldn't accept it...

If you cook nice prasadam even the meat-eaters will love it! The won't miss the
meat...

> Sometimes I think:"If I was left at a
>place where the only thing to eat was the animals which lived there I'll
>starve to death because I just can't kill an animal, on the other hand
>buying meat in a shop is not the same. It's much easier, it's like hireing
>a hitman but the punishment will all be the same" with this in mind I
>happyly buy meat


You should give it up... But you have to cook then for Krishna. You can't give up
the meat without having nice hearty vegetarian food to replace it. Can you cook?
Do you have a Hare Krishna cook book...

(and cigarettes, I'm smoking like a chimney), the latter
>one will kill myself, it's no wonder that I'm loosing the grip of what
>I've just got but I need the strength to break with my old life.

The strength is in the chanting. But we have to want to give up, and then we have
to be determined to do it. It may not be easy in the beginning...

>
>Krsna says:
>
>              sarva-dharman parityajya
>              mam ekam saranam vraja
>              aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
>              moksayisyami ma succah
>              (bhagavad-gita 18,66)

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto. Me. I
shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."
>
>This phrase (What is the english word?) gives me much comfort because the
>Lord promises that there is nothing to fear just surrender to Him and
>every thing will be all right. Of course, the soul is eternal what
>happens to the body doesn't happen to the soul. We are the souls and we
>don't die actually we don't do anything just sit there and wait for quite
>a while until the souls body finds out that it's best to surrender to the
>Lord, what is there to fear? It's just marerialists like me that finds it
>hard to beleive that tthere is nothing to fear.

We can fear being out of Krishna consciousness. We can always be bewildered by
maya. Maya is very strong...


                          daivi hy esa guna-mayi
                            mama maya duratyaya
                          mam eva ye prapadyante
                           mayam etam taranti te


"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is
difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross
beyond it." (Bhagavad-gita 7.14)


Chant Hare Krishna and be Happy!

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