March 8 th, 2011
A devotee wrote a very inspiring letter to me after Lord Nityananda’s appearance day festival. What she said was relevant to all of us, and she agreed to let me share it with you:
“I would like to share with you an experience I had, both deep and strange to me, during Lord Nityananda’s festival. I had been preparing the Deities bath all afternoon. Then a devotee asked me to help decorate the altar. I’ve told you before about my problem with the Deities of any religion. When the bathing ceremony began, I tried to do what had been requested: not allow my senses to be occupied in anything else except the Deity.
And the sound of the conch shell began, and the Deities came down and I could feel what was there. Every time I remember, I cry against my will. It’s a strange blend of weird sensations, and a joy that lasted for days; even now when I chant there’s something different, more direct. It’s difficult to put in words. My mind keeps thinking the same about the Deities, but my heart doesn’t agree any more.”
This devotee’s experience reminds me of my first transcendental encounter with the holy name. The philosophy had sounded good to me. And the devotees were great, what to speak of the prasad. The chanting was fun as well. But still I was very attached to the band I played in, for our music was more special to me than anything else in the world. It was my vehicle to what I considered to be transcendence. In fact, once while I was talking with one of my friends who had joined the temple, he enthusiastically exclaimed to me “You know there is absolutely nothing like chanting the Holy Name!” His words jolted my ego, and I immediately retorted, “Hey, you have your chanting, I have my music.” He remained silent, realizing the extent of my attachment and the futility of dealing with it. But one Sunday a few weeks later, Krsna had a big surprise for me. I had been helping in the kitchen all day and was taking part in the feast kirtan when Krsna revealed Himself as His name in a way that will remain forever imprinted in my heart. From then on I became convinced beyond any doubt that what my friend had said was actually true: there was indeed absolutely nothing like chanting the Holy Name, and my music was really nothing in comparison.
Krsna’s manifesting Himself to us as the Deity, in His name, in His words, and through our service are not rare occurrences amongst Vaishnavas. Krsna wants to reveal Himself and will do so to all those who try to approach Him with some sincerity. During those transcendental moments, however brief, we are given the happiness, realization, and faith that sustain us in our spiritual lives, even for years to come.
The following is a beautiful verse further explaining how Krsna slices through our layers of conditioning and doubt and transforms our consciousness.
satam prasangan mama virya-samvido
bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah
taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani
sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati
TRANSLATION
In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin.
Here Krsna katha is being referred to as a very special type of medicine, a rasayana, or powerful tonic. There is a rasayana for all parts of our body. So the rasayana mentioned here is for two particular organs, hrt and karna, the heart and the ear. The ear is the first to benefit, because the tonic is applied aurally, and its effect is most soothing and pleasant. But nevertheless, the mind might stubbornly resist. Try as it will, though, it cannot counteract the effect of the rasayana of hearing, for this tonic bypasses the mind and proceeds directly to the heart. And when the heart softens, we become helpless in Krsna’s association. He is the greatest seducer, attracting us in spite of all our stubbornness, as the mataji who wrote me has attested. Seeing how Krsna’s divine touch is transforming us and the world, the devotees very loudly, enthusiastically, and thankfully call out:
“Glory to the Sri Krishna sankirtan, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtan movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.”
