{"id":3867,"date":"2011-01-15T04:14:26","date_gmt":"2011-01-15T04:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/?p=3867"},"modified":"2023-04-13T09:15:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T03:45:43","slug":"makara-sankranti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/writings\/krishna-talk-articles\/srila-bhakti-raksaka-sridhara-deva-gosvami\/makara-sankranti\/","title":{"rendered":"Makara Sa\u1e45kr\u0101nti"},"content":{"rendered":"

On this day, early in the morning, Mah\u0101prabhu crossed the river by swimming at three o\u2019clock or so, and ran towards Katwa. It was winter season, but He had no care for the cold. There was so much heat in His body and mind \u2013 on one side by the viraha<\/em>, separation of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, and on another side by the duty of preaching to the world about devotion to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. The call of that duty actuated Him to get out of Navadv\u012bpa and to distribute to the public love of Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a throughout the length and breadth of the world. He cared for nothing else, He was simply running, feeling vipralambha<\/em> for K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. The call of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a made everything else tasteless.<\/p>\n

So much heat is created for the national cause. There are so many atomic bombs, so many soldiers ready to sacrifice their life for the national interest. How small is this mortal prosperity? What does it mean? It is trifling; it is nothing. What sort of energy should we collect for our eternal wealth? Such a high degree of welfare is to be distributed to all \u2013\u00a0to get back to their own home \u2013 to take these misguided people towards their sweet home. That call of duty arose in the mind of Mah\u0101prabhu, \u201cAll these vagabonds should be taken to their own home and their guardian.\u201d<\/p>\n

They all should be taken to their home. They are wandering like so many beasts in the jungle without knowing what is good and what is bad, always engaged in competition and biting one another. They say they are civilised? Jungle animals are biting one another and trying to live at the cost of other fellow members of the jungle \u2013\u00a0as humans, more efficiently, they are following the same program. At the cost of other nations, they want to fight. What is this? It is a civilised jungle! Then what is civilisation? Civilisation loses its meaning. Civil means gentle, but is this gentleness? They are proud that they are doing things as a body. If jungle habits can be performed in the name of nationalism, then it is justified. It is all foolishness.<\/p>\n

A half-truth is worse than a falsehood. Misguided help is much more dangerous. That means directing ones attention towards the wrong thing. Ve<\/em>d\u0101\u015braya<\/em> n\u0101stikya-v\u0101da bauddhake adhika<\/em> \u2013\u00a0if we preach atheism in the name of religion, that is more dangerous than an ordinary straight atheist. So in the name of civilisation, we are doing things that are shameful to an animal of the jungle. Is giving food, clothing and so-called education to the public a very good thing? No! It is more important to take them home. That is what is necessary. There is an expression, \u2018home comfort.\u2019 Home comfort is very sweet. Home means our mother, father and so many affectionate relatives \u2013\u00a0they know the real necessity of their child. The child may not know, but the home knows what is his real interest.<\/p>\n

Unconsciously the atmosphere will come render real help to us to guide us towards our home; back to God and back to home. We are all wanderers in the streets. It will collect us and to take us home. That was the duty of Mah\u0101prabhu.<\/p>\n

By hook or by crook, by any means, take them home. The child may not know. He may be crazy. He may run this way or that way but not towards home. And that is the problem. That makes the case complex. Otherwise it would be very simple. The responsibility is on the guide. And according to the guide’s capacity, the real effect comes to help him. That is a special capacity and also the delegation of the Lord, both combined makes the specific characteristic in the \u0101c\u0101rya<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Rank is but the guinea stamp, man is the gold.\u2019 The rank is one thing and the man is another. When his inner capacity and the delegation are combined, that is effective. The combination of the personal characteristic of the teacher and also the delegated power of the Lord produces the desired result. Mah\u0101prabhu recommended R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b to Svar\u016bpa D\u0101modara, \u201cHe is the fittest person to deal with the devotional scriptures. I have delegated My ability to him.\u201d He is requesting Svar\u016bpa D\u0101modara also, \u201cWhatever you have got, please transfer to him. He is a very worthy person. He can manage it and he can distribute it very well. He will produce it in a very befitting way and he will prepare and distribute this devotional scripture.”<\/p>\n

So this day of the year was the last day that Mah\u0101prabhu stayed with His family. In the afternoon He met many of His friends and appealed to them fervently to take to k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-n\u0101ma<\/em>. \u201cIn every engagement, try to take K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a always with you. Eating sleeping, working \u2013\u00a0whatever you are physically engaged in, go on with the consciousness of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a.<\/p>\n

Then, by the end of the night, He left Navadv\u012bpa. After five years He came back but did not enter His home. He only approached the front of His house and cast a glance towards the door. We are told that Vi\u1e63\u1e47upriy\u0101 Dev\u012b, wearing a very dirty cover around her body, fell flat at His feet. Mah\u0101prabhu \u015ar\u012b Caitanyadeva could understand that it must be her and He took off His sandals. \u201cTry to remove your pain of separation with the help of these two sandals.” Then He went away. Those wooden sandals, we are told, are still on the throne of this Vi\u1e63\u1e47upriy\u0101 temple here in Navadv\u012bpa. Those very old wooden sandals are still shown there and Vi\u1e63\u1e47upriy\u0101 Dev\u012b used to worship them, five years after He took sanny\u0101sa<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Then Mah\u0101prabhu moved towards V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana via R\u0101makeli, and after accepting R\u016bpa-San\u0101tana, He came back again to \u015a\u0101ntipura and from there traveled to Pur\u012b. From Pur\u012b He went via Benares to V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana.<\/p>\n

This month of Pau\u1e63a is extremely cold, but Mah\u0101prabhu passed the whole month in V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana, visiting different places of k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-lila<\/em>. Then at the beginning of the month of M\u0101gha, He came to take bath in Pray\u0101ga where he met Svarupa D\u0101modara and \u015ar\u012b R\u016bpa. For nearly a fortnight He stayed there and educated R\u016bpa in r\u0101ga-bhakti<\/em>. Then R\u016bpa asked to go to V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana and he was entrusted with some duties.<\/p>\n

Then Mah\u0101prabhu came to Benares and met San\u0101tana. For two months He lived there\u00a0and instructed San\u0101tana in an elaborate way. Benares was also the capital of the m\u0101y\u0101v\u0101d\u012bs<\/em>, and He met their leader and converted him. Then Mah\u0101prabhu went back to Pur\u012b.<\/p>\n

Twenty-four years of His life He was in Navadv\u012bpa, and for another six years He toured different parts of India and the other eighteen years He stayed in Pur\u012b. During the first six years in Pur\u012b He used to meet with so many devotees, and then during the last twelve years He almost cut off His connection with the public and engaged Himself deeply in the cultivation of the mood of separation \u2013 vipralambha<\/em>. For a full twelve years He engaged in the different mental stages of R\u0101dh\u0101r\u0101\u1e47\u012b \u2013\u00a0that deep and fiery separation was depicted for twelve years. R\u0101m\u0101nanda R\u0101ya and Svar\u016bpa D\u0101modara were His very close assistants. All day and night Svar\u016bpa D\u0101modara attended Him with some of His other friends. Sometimes Mah\u0101prabhu would rub His face on the wall, \u201cI cannot tolerate this separation!\u201d<\/p>\n

In this way, He would sometimes run to the sea, or He would sometimes jump into a thorny plain in intense restlessness due to the separation from K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. That was depicted in the last stages of His l\u012bl\u0101<\/em>. Gaura-haribol!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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