Tattva-viveka

Swami B. V Tripurari's East Coast Visit

Karnamrita Das - September 9, 2004 2:52 pm

Dear Prabhu's: Sorry for the delay in posting this. We didn't know until last week if we would be able to go to Balt/Washington. We are leaving for Baltimore/Washington Friday morning, the 10th of Sept. and returning on Sunday the 12th. You can do "Map Quest" or some similar service for directions. Here are the details:

Friday evening near Baltimore in Ellicott City:

Kirtana, prasadam, and lecture

6-9:30 PM

3507 N. Chattam Road

Ellicott City MD 21042

Saturday and Sunday near Washington DC:

13730 Town Line Road

Silver Spring, MD 20906

(301) 871-2577

Saturday morning

8-11 AM

Saturday evening 5:30 PM- 9 ish

5:30 PM arotik

6:00 Prasadum

7:00 Lecture

Sunday morning 10:00 AM

questions and answers

Here is the flyer for Prabhupada Village, or Sandy Ridge NC (27046) at our home:

Karnamrta dasa and Arcana-siddhi devi-dasi invite you to attend 3 days of Krishna conscious programs at their home at 1025 Krishna Road. Please call if you need more information at (336) 871-2374

His Holiness Tripurari Swami

will be speaking

this Monday the 13th, Tuesday the 14th, and Wednesday the 15th of September 2004 at the following times:

Monday morning discussion at 10AM

Monday evening from 5 PM to 9:30 ish

Kirtana: 5:00 PM

Arotik 5:30 PM

Full Prasadam 6:00 PM

Lecture 7:00 PM

Tuesday morning questions and answers at 10AM

Tuesday evening 5 PM to 9:30 ish

Kirtana: 5:00 PM

Arotik 5:30 PM

Lecture 6:00 PM

Light Prasadam served

Wednesday morning questions and answers at 10 AM

Wednesday evening 5 PM to 9:30 ish

Kirtana: 5:00 PM

Arotik 5:30 PM

Lecture 6:00 PM

Light Prasadam served

Caitanya-daya Dd - September 9, 2004 3:01 pm

Jaya Guru Maharaja! I have been pestering him about coming to the East Coast all year! :-)

A big thank you to Arcana-siddhi & Karnamrta Prabhus for hosting Guru Maharaja & the Audarya-vasis. See you all soon!

Radhanama Dasa - September 12, 2004 8:35 am

I wanted to write a short something about my time with Guru Maharaja and the Audarya-vasi's this weekend.

Well first I just wanted to thank Guru Maharaja and the Audarya-vasi's for coming. Also a great thanks to those that arranged for them to come, i am indebted. I must say these have been two of the best days i have had in many many years, and Saturday in particular, seemed to be the culmination of a lot of things for me.

I was particularly happy and somewhat suprised that, although i asked Guru Maharaja during darshan before the program about his purport to BG 4:34 where he states that the practitioners heart free from material clutter appears before him in the form of Sri Guru, Karnamrita Prabhu also brought up this exact topic down to the sentence during the evening talk. It was so wonderful. So on the day where Guru Maharaja blessed me so much by agreeing to give me initiation at Audarya on Gaura-purnima, i was also able to hear quite a bit about the guru disciple relationship.

That's all i am able to get out at the moment, I am still completely overwhelmed by these last couple days.

"It is love that forms the bond between guru and disciple, not law." -also from the BG 4:34 purport.

Vaisnava Kripa Ki Jaya!!

Guru Kripa Ki Jaya!!!

Yours in service,

-Chris

Babhru Das - September 15, 2004 8:09 pm

Some of us outlanders will be grateful to see some brief reports on the East Coast programs. Karnam? Archana? Chris?

Gopakumardas - September 16, 2004 4:41 pm

Those of us in Santa Rosa and San Francisco have been anxiously awaiting updates. Guru Maharaja will return today and it is likely that we will hear from him... but it would be nice to hear about all the programs!

Babhru Das - September 16, 2004 11:32 pm

I actually came across some notes on one of Swami's talks in North Carolina on another site. They were posted by a disciple of Narayan Maharaja. Maybe I can ask her for permission to share them here. They actually end with a question whose answer she didn't hear because she was seriously distracted by the pineapple upside-down cake. I guess I could at least paraphrase that so that those who were present can help with his complete response.

Caitanya-daya Dd - September 17, 2004 4:05 pm

My dearest Prabhus, i unfortunately have the WORST memory in the world, otherwise i would divulge in all the nectar. I can give a brief low-down:

The first night Guru Maharaja was to talk in Ellicott City, which is right outside Baltimore, at the house of three devotees (still not clear whose house, really). It was the auspicious day of Ekadasi, so the devotees prepared a wonderful Ekadasi feast. We were meant to take prasadam at 6 p.m., but inot everyone was there--which actually included Guru Maharaja, Doyal Govinda, and Vrndaranya. This was to be expected--i believe it is a seven to eight hour drive from North Carolina!

I unfortunately don't remember anything at this moment about that evening's talk except that Guru Maharaja was rather surprised to see that i knew how to play mrdanga (that is another story).

Guru Maharaja et al came down to Silver Spring, Maryland, which is right outside Washington DC for the next two days--Saturday & Sunday. They stayed at IFAST, the Institute For Applied Spiritual Technology, which is more or less Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja's ashram, as well as the home of two of his kind disciples, Madhvacarya and Kunti-devi. For the morning class (Srimad-Bhagavatam, Second Canto), he spoke about guru and said many nice things about Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja. The evening talk and the next morning's talk were Q&A sessions. As I said, Guru Maharaja spoke a lot about the guru--affixing yourself to the proper teacher, instead of this hodge-podge that many people take of, "Oh, God is everywhere, God is in my heart--i do not need a guru."

As i said above, i have horrible memory--i seem to think while listening to Guru Maharaja that i'll remember what he says forever, and then when it gets down to it, i don't (pathetic Kali-yuga memory of mine --thank God for the CDs!). One thing i do remember well is Guru Maharaja speaking about the ideals we have in our hearts as devotees, and that the guru will judge the devotee by the heart, not necessarily by his/her shortcomings. He also spoke of the great impact Srila Prabhupada had on his life, and how after SP left, he never thought he could find someone else like him until Srila Sridhara Maharaja came to him. I think i remember these two points the most because they really entered into my heart on such a personal level.

Hey, things are coming back to me while i'm writing this! He also relayed some nice memories and experiences he had with Srila Prabhupada and being out on book distribution. We should be greedy to get the mercy and association of the spiritual master (Guru Maharaja said he would sneak into morning walks even though he wasn't invited, and Srila Prabhupada was always glad to see him).

I had a wonderful darshan with Guru Maharaja, which i remember quite well, but not something i'm necessarily going to share at the moment

Before Guru Maharaja left on Sunday, he had a small darshan outside while the devotees were taking prasadam. There were two young boys who were asking questions--one of them was Nrsimha, who was born to devotee parents, and the other was Bhakta Ben, who has been practicing for about a year. Ben is 19 or 20 years old and wants to drop out of college. Guru Maharaja asked various devotees who were also there what their opinions were on Ben staying in school. After hearing their input, Guru Maharaja said, "Now it's my turn to tell you what i think. I think you need a guru--you have no guidance." Apparently, Ben has not even really considered a guru. How can he even move forward? Again, Guru Maharaja took this opportunity to stress how important a guru is, how important the parampara is.

This is about as much as my puny brain can squeeze out at the moment after a week of absence (i.e., no longer fresh in my mind). To hear more, you will have to ask Vrndaranya (who has an amazing memory) and Doyal Govinda--and, of course, Guru Maharaja. Also, you'll have to wait for the CDs to come out :blink:

All glories to Guru Maharaja! All glories to Sri Sri Nitai-Gauranga!

Gopakumardas - September 17, 2004 4:16 pm

Thanks Caitanya Daya!

Yes Babru if no one else disagrees... please post that.

with affection,

Gopa

Caitanya-daya Dd - September 17, 2004 5:39 pm

another thing i remembered just now, which i really wish someone had taken a picture of or videotaped. Guru Maharaja was discussing Krsna and the gopis, separation and union. He said separation is higher. Then he paused ... no, union is higher. We also discussed feeling separation in union, which is higher (please, someone help me on this one, whoever was there--i'm flailing). One of Guru Maharaja's Godbrothers, Haridasa dasa, who is quite knowledgeable and scholarly, made a statement regarding this (Ugh ... again, my sluggish, constipated mind--i KNOW i'm not going to get this right :blink: ) but whatever it is that Haridasa said, it sent Guru Maharaja into a whole other state of consciousness. He closed his eyes and made a small "Hmm" noise ... and he didn't speak for several seconds. My heart was quite touched and awed at this display of ecstasy by Guru Maharaja. Again, i don't know why i'm mentioning this, esp since i can't even remember what Haridasa Prabhu said, but through my struggle to remember this, i am sending myself back there and wishing like anything i could convey this to everyone.

Babhru Das - September 17, 2004 8:29 pm

Here are the notes, just as she posted them on another board. I made a couple of changes in spelling or verb endings (I think she's Brazilian). She posted three installments, so I'll post them separately. Ramapriya has already seen this, and others may have as well. I anyone who attended sees something that needs to be added, clarified, or corrected, please feel free to do so.

First installment: I seem to have misplaced my notes so I will try to repeat whatever I can recall from memory. I apologize also for the late reply.

Tripurari Swami spoke on how Srila Sridhara Maharaja used to emphasize the magnanimity of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Sridhara Maharaja used to say that we must honor first the giver than the gift. Mahaprabhu’s lila is about giving, which involves sacrifice and renunciation. In Srimad Bhagavatam it is described how Krsna advents as different avatars, and with each advent He brings along with Him His entourage and weapons. In His advent as Gauranga Mahaprabhu His weapons are His arms, decorated by sandalwood bracelets and raised high accompanying His shouts of Haribol! Haribol! By freely distributing Krsna Prema through the chanting of Krsna’s names, Gauranga Mahaprabhu inaugurated the sankirtana movement becoming thus the most magnanimous incarnation of the Lord. Krisna’s names were invested with all His energies. And what are these names? They are unlimited, and each of Them is accompanied by or invested with a particular sakti. Thus the name Yasodanandana, for example, is invested with one of his saktis, Yasoda, and the corresponding rasa is invoked in such Name. Thus His unlimited names are available to awake that one constitutional rasa which is our desire to relate to Him. At first Lord Caitanya would congregationally relish His lila with His very intimate associates at Srivasaangan. There, He revealed that He is Krsna and His close associates began to realize one by one that they were consequently Krsna’s entourage, His associates in Vraja. Each one began to realize their own relationship with the Lord in Vraja, and relish such relationship. Then the Lord saw that there were those who were not qualified to come into His intimate circles of associates, but who were nevertheless humbly desiring to become intimate with Him. They would seat by the Ganges, discuss Gauranga’s encounters with His associates, and desire to enter there. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wished to make them and to the world a gift. He then began His lila of renounciation. His most intimate consort, the most submissive Vishnupriya then approached the Lord to confront Him. The confrontation was by body language: She stood in front of Him with eyes lowered and bent head, in silence. The Lord then inquired, “Is there something You wish to tell me? Is there something disturbing Your heart?” At this Vishnupryia began to shed silent, profuse tears. And then very painfully inquired, “Is it true that You are taking to renunciation?” The Lord then confirmed, “Yes my dear, as You are Lakshmi and I am Narayana, in this incarnation We are meant to take separate ways and cry…”

As a renunciate the Lord was able to extend His mercy, His gift of prema to one and all.

Babhru Das - September 17, 2004 8:30 pm

Second installment:Telling Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra to abandon all religion, Krsna utters the word Vraja, at which time He suddenly becomes stunned and then silent. He realizes that He needs to experience the love of the Gopis, and of Srimati Radharani specifically, to be complete. So He advents as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Not merely the scheduled yuga Vishnu avatara, but also Prem avatara.

Vishnu is the purusha, and His energy, maya, is female. So when there is combination of male and female there is trouble (sic). When Vishnu glances over His maya the material world is created. And it is a troublesome world. There is drama and tragedy in human existence because of the perpetual principle of attraction between male and female. Krsna exhibits His naralila in this world to try and fix the trouble He caused with that glance. (This is not very clear to me so I am asking T Swami for further clarification possibly today).

Lord Caitanya sankirtana movement is about unity and distribution. Sankirtana means congregational chanting of the Lord’s special names by which one’s sadhaka deha will be achieved. The dynamics of sankirtana is not separated from the distribution of these names. Thus, one cannot achieve one’s utmost interest without making one’s heart available to others. In sankirtana, sadhu sanga is implied. So there is no question of achieving one’s goal without congregating and seeking each other’s benefit. Thus, Swami recommended that there should be unity among all Vaisnavas, specially Gaudiya Vaisnavas.

Babhru Das - September 17, 2004 8:31 pm

Third installment:We want to give pleasure to Bhagavan, so how do we know Bhagavan is pleased? yasad prasadam Bhagavat prasadam. We know He is pleased when Guru is pleased. According to Tripurari Maharaja, his embracing of this concept kept him firmly focused in book distribution in Iskcon for many years. When he met Srila Bhaktiraksaka Sridhara maharaja he was captured once again by Sri Guru. His godbrothers in Iskcon did not accept this and he had to leave his guru's mission. Srila Sridhara Maharaja said to him not to take anything from Iskcon, not even his personal copies of books so not to disturb the institution. Thus all by himself Tripurari Swami struggled for sometime to serve his gurus. Gradually some help came. He sees that Iskon has been steadily preaching to the mainstream West and so he is targeting a possible alternative audience. The time for vigorous book distribution is his good memories. Presently he sees great need for careful study of the books and also for writing. Thus he has set up a monastery for the cultivation of bhava. We must practice also through elements such as wearing Tulasi beads, putting on tilak, all such things. They are important because they carry the meaning that we are about the heart. Ours is a culture of the heart, of bhava. We will advertise, by our very presence, that we are expecting full fledged Love to come into our hearts. “The Greatest Show On Earth, Coming soon to a Heart Near You.” And so we invite others too to come, don’t miss the show.

Once Tripurari Swami took a trip along with Srila Prabhupada to Gita Nagari farm. This was Prabhupada Bhaktivedanta Swami’s first visit there. On arriving, Srila Prabhupada saw families, women, men, children, animals, a country aggregation to greet him as a big barn served for a backdrop. On inspecting this barn, Srila Prabhupada watched as a dog lay somewhere near while a cat walked by followed by a briskly little mouse on the run. As everyone looked on, Srila Prabhupada asked, “Did you see it?” No one answered, no one really though that the question called for an specific answer.

The next morning on being greeted by his gurudeva, Tripurari Maharaja again heard the question, “Did you see it? Did you see how everyone here is living together, peacefully and satisfied, even the animals. This is Vrindavana. Harmony in a simple setting, yet fully satisfying to the heart. This harmony is only possible in Vrindavana due to the presence of pure love. Vrindavana is the land of possibilities. That is where we should go.”

Saraswati Thakura also said this, that ours is a religion of adjustment.

So we all want that. We all follow the raganuga path because we all want to go to Vrindavana. It is our goal. Krsna has attracted us by talking about Vrindavana, aham sarvasya prabhavo. It all begins with the tattva of Vrindavana, of the nature of that place. Then it culminates with Rasaraja Krisna. Everything being possible in Vraja, there we can give not only our very self, but give to the pitch of self forgetfulness, such as the gopis actually do. We will give to the point of self forgetfulness, not because He is God, but because of love. All our acaryas have pointed this out. This is raganuga.

When I was a young man in Dvaraka, Los Angeles, a brahmana said to me, “After everything is said and done, most people go to Vaikuntha. Bas.” I was disappointed. Fortunately that kali yuga brahmana was wrong. If people wish to go somewhere other than Vraja, let them, Gaura is merciful and will let them go, but the gift that Gaura came to give is Vraja.

So there is a system to this. There are tatastha, peripheral characteristics in ruci. We don’t want any other thing but raga. Therefore our acaryas recommend vaidhi before raga. Ajata ruci raga. Na dhanam, na janam, na sundarim. Therefore we cultivate vaidhi before raga. But what of Vaikuntha then, where the cultivation of vaidhi leads one to? Our acaryas give the meaning that now our bhakti is dominated by fear and calculation. We want out of fear and bewilderment but must want only out of love, taste, bhava. So it will be raga proper. If not by fear of some sort, raga that is not mature can be also motivated by reason.

(This seems to be getting too long, so I am stopping here. More may be posted upon request and with approval from the moderation. I wrapped up my notes at the point where I had to ask whether I had indeed heard clear that, “qualification for bhakti is sradha, saranagati.” I then asked why then sastrically it is said that qualification for bhakti is rather lobha? Swami replied well into the meaning of the adau sradha based argument but I must confess I got distracted by the large piece of pineapple upside down with whipped cream cake that was served to me at that time. So I actually missed most of his answer, for which I apologize.)

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 17, 2004 10:54 pm

Here is my installment about the programs. They were so full of nectar that this meager post does little to convey what they were like. Sorry for any repetition. I wrote this before seeing the other posts on this thread.

Guru Maharaja gave lectures in two areas: Baltimore/DC and six hours away in Sandy Ridge, N.C. The programs in the DC area came first. They were attended primarily by disciples of Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja and Satsvarupa Maharaja. We stayed in the house and preaching center of two of Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja’s leading disciples, Madhvacarya dasa and Kunti devi dasi, who are avid appreciators of Guru Maharaja’s Sanga and lectures.

The first night the lecture was at the house of disciples of Satvarupa Maharaja who have been siksa disciples of Guru Maharaja since he began going to Baltimore several years ago. One of the devotees brought several members of her band who were new to Krsna consciousness. The class was a brilliant example of Guru Maharaja’s ability to give a lecture that is enlivening to new people and older devotees simultaneously. The topics covered were who is a mahatma, Ekadasi, the importance of initiation, and an esoteric understanding of what a temple is: a real temple manifests in the heart of a sadhu and then manifests outside.

The next lecture was at Madhvacarya dasa’s house, as were all the remaining lectures in the DC area. The mood of Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja’s disciples is so sweet, reflecting wonderfully on Maharaja himself. It is said that you can understand the position of the guru by meeting his disciples. Maharaja’s disciples are not fettered by the sectarianism and philosophical rigidness that so plagues devotees today. Recently Maharaja’s disciples were dealt a heavy blow with the news that Maharaja has an advanced form of cancer.

The lecture was on the verse ayur harati vai pumsam (By the rising and the setting of the sun, the duration of everyone’s life is decreased, except one who utilizes time by discussing topics of uttama-sloka.) This was a wonderful class that drove home the message, “Don’t waste time.” Time is the most valuable asset, because no amount of money can buy back even a second. Guru Maharaja stressed that we must take full advantage of our Guru’s presence because before we know it he will be gone. He gave the example of his own life, in which he had less than six years with Srila Prabhupada. This lecture brought out so many practical and deep points that I can’t do it justice here.

The next lecture, inspired by a question from the audience, was about Sri Guru: our ideal coming before us. Question and answer classes really show the depth of Guru Maharaja’s knowledge and realization, because without preparation he can unfold a comprehensive and spell-binding lecture that surpasses the classes of even those who take hours to prepare.

I was planning to go over all of the classes, but I’m realizing that I had better start summarizing because I’m running out of time. The next block of classes was in Sandy Ridge (Prabhupada Village). We were not entirely sure how these classes would go, because Sandy Ridge tends to be a very conservative community. In fact, it began as a ritvik community.

Over the course of the classes at Prabhupada Village, I really came to appreciate that Guru Maharaja is the kind of guru at whose feet other gurus sit. In other words, he can give inspiration to even those who have taken the position of guru. In fact, advanced devotees are the ones who can most appreciate Guru Maharaja’s remarkable degree of insight. They can take his insights and share them with their disciples. Although Guru Maharaja can give a wonderful class for even new devotees, he really shines in classes rich with philosophy and Gaudiya siddhanta. The way that he can weave things together and make subtle and profound points is spell-binding to someone familiar with Gaudiya siddhanta. A beginning or less philosophical devotee can become somewhat lost, not able to mine the full import of what he is saying, but everyone has to stand in awe of his vast knowledge.

In Sandy Ridge, where the audience was primarily older devotees who are disciples of Srila Prabhupada, devotees were literally (and unexpectedly) blown away by Guru Maharaja’s classes. To put it frankly, one just doesn’t come across that kind of realization in classes these days. Several devotees made public apologies to Guru Maharaja for misconceptions that had about him in the past. CDs and books started going like hot cakes. The last two classes went for two and a half hours each. The last class gave a wonderful and charming account of Guru Maharaja’s personal history.

All of the nine classes during this tour are essential listening, without a doubt. I highly recommend that everyone purchase the MP3 CD of the classes, which is only $15. If you don’t have an MP3 player, one can be downloaded for free for your computer, or else MP3 players are relatively cheap these days. Not in the MP3 format, these classes would fill up more than 20 CDs and cost around $200, so the $15 MP3 disk is really a bargain. Preorders can be sent to Dayal Govinda (dayalgovinda@swami.org).

Guru Maharaja ki jaya!!!

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:18 am

Guru Maharaja giving the lecture in Baltimore.

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:20 am

Some of the devotees at the program.

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:24 am

Guru Maharaja in DC, adding extra sparkle with graceful hand movements. :rolleyes:

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:26 am

What point was he illustrating here? Perhaps that cows are the greatest givers...

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:33 am

In one lecture, Guru Maharaja explained that we have to understand certain statements philosophically. "For example," he said, "it is said that the guru has lotus feet; however, the guru's feet don't actually look like a lotus."

We had to disagree.

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:35 am

The setting for the DC programs.

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:37 am

We found out that Caitanya-daya has hidden musical talents. Not only does she play harmonium and mrdanga, she also has a beautiful voice.

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:41 am

A program at Karnamrta and Arcana-siddhi Prabhus' beautiful new home in Prabhupada Village, across the street from the Bhaktivedanta Archives.

Vrindaranya Dasi - September 18, 2004 12:46 am

Ekanatha and Ranjit Prabhus give Guru Maharaja a tour of the Bhaktivedanta Archives. When Guru Maharaja was leaving, they presented him with a deluxe edition of The Art of Transcendence and a bhajan CD.

Babhru Das - September 18, 2004 2:43 am

Thank you for your notes and for the wonderful pictures.

Karnam and Archana, your new place certainly looks beautiful. Our home is quite humble, but I wish we could find a way to decorate it with the dust from Swami's--and your--feet.

Caitanya-daya Dd - September 19, 2004 1:13 am

Thank you, Vrndaranya Prabhu, for the beautiful pictures. And the feet! vande guroh sri caranaravindam!

BTW, that beautiful garland that Guru Maharaja is wearing in the picture from DC--he gave it to me :rolleyes:

Jason - September 20, 2004 3:47 pm

Hare Krsna!

Such nice pictures. I would love to see a close up of the couple's home altar. From a distance it looks stunning. Is this the same Arcana Siddhi devi dasi who is a therapist and writes occassionally for BTG? If so, she's a great writer!

Thanks again.

Jason

Ken - September 21, 2004 2:43 am

Yes, Jason, it is the same Arcana-siddhi d.d., and I will vouch for the fact that she is a kind, lovely, compassionate devotee -- who, along with her husband, Karnamrita das, make for wonderful hosts. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of attending a lecture by Tripurari Maharaja at their former home in Baltimore. They had (and probably still have) a stunning home altar, replete with beautiful deities and a picture of Guru Maharaj.

I shall never forget the experience. And yes, I agree, Mother Arcana-siddhi is a great writer!

Ys,

Ken