1.

M. (to Antevasi) ­ What did you hear there?

Antevasi ­ First they sang songs of Vaishnava saints ­ they were all songs of Rasa Lila. He himself sang them with emotion.

M. ­ Do you remember any?

Antevasi ­ ‘Dance O Gaur, the avatara full of the joy of Rasa…’ etc.

M. ­ Anything else?

Antevasi ­ There was also the song on the sweetness of Vrindavan ­

"He said, ‘Everything of the Lord is sweet. The whole lila of Gaur is sweet. Sri Krishna and Sri Krishna Chaitanya are one and the same. Sri Krishna Chaitanya comprises both Sri Krishna and Sri Radha. His inside is Sri Krishna, the outside Radha. The yearning of Radha manifested itself as Sri Chaitanya."

M. ­ Beautifully said! Anything else?

Antevasi ­ Then there was recitation of the Shanti Patha of Veda ­ Madhu Shanti Patha.

"When one has attained the source of sweetness, the whole universe gets filled with sweetness.

"And he said, ‘The significance of the Rasa is subjugation of the pride of the god of desire. Madanmohan also means the same. Madan (the god of desire) enchanting all, makes them work. That Madan is enchanted by the Lord. Rasa is the stage for subjugating Kama Deva (the god of desire) and his pride. It is the cremation ground for Madan. The Chaitanya Charitamrita beautifully describes the significance of Madanmohan in the Antaleela. The Sri Govinda Leelamrita also describes it.

" ‘Why are people so fond of Kama deva? Because of the grandfather. There were celebrations in a house. The grandfather had been invited there, but he did couldn’t go as he was busy with some work. However, he sent his five year old daughter’s son with the manager. How much love and regard they showered on the boy! The chief host made him come down from the carriage by taking him in his arms. He also fed him seating him in his lap and then made him sit in the carriage holding him in his arms, talking so sweetly with him. There was no end to his love and regard for him. What is the reason for all this consideration? Because the grandfather was known to them.

" ‘Dada here stands for God, and the daughter’s son is Kama Deva. However, when you have attained the Dada, the grandson is not favoured so much’. "

M. ­ Anything else?

Antevasi ­ And he commented upon the views of Max Müller.

M. ­ Which views?

Antevasi ­ According to him, Max Müller does not have the right opinion on Panchagni Vidya (the knowledge of the five fires) of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. He criticised also the ‘Sacred Books of the East’. He said, ‘In these books edited by Max Müller, he was not able to give the Indian thought properly ­ he was not able to catch it. In the Panchagni Vidya (knowledge of the five fires), giving birth to a son is said to be making an ablution to God. But Max Müller has called it obscene. Max Müller could not reach the height of this idea of thought ­ that is the reason why he talked of it in this way. Edward Carpenter, the poet of democracy has criticised this irreverent view of Max Müller. In his famous poetical essay ‘Love’s coming of the age’ criticising him he says: The view of the rishis that giving birth to a son is an ablution to God is right. It is a beautiful idea, very highly conceived.’

M. ­ Did Kulada support it?

Antevasi ­ Yes, Sir. But, he also said, ‘You must do the first things first. Then alone you will be eligible for it. First things, that is to say the practice of self control etc. Without practising such discipline, it is just that i.e. giving birth to a son ­ it is not enough to call it ablution to God.’

M. ­ Will it be there tomorrow also?

Antevasi ­ Yes, Sir. The topic for tomorrow is ‘Vrindavan’.

M. ­ After attending it for some time, one should go to the Adi Brahmo Samaj. You should go there. It will be nice to hear all this. Otherwise, one turns a fanatic ­ it generates fanaticism. And there is another thing, one can appreciate the value of Thakur’s words much better when one hears all this from other people.

2.

M. (to the Bhaktas) ­ ‘Dance, O Gaur, the avatara full of the joy of the Rasa’ ­ this is said in one state of mind when the mind is rid of lust, when not a trace of it remains, when it vanishes completely, desire takes the form of prema, love of God. All this comes in this state. The Gopis came to Sri Krishna in the forest viewing him as a paramour. So long as this view persisted in their mind, there was no Rasa. It was only when the desire had been turned into prema in the company of Sri Krishna, the Rasa was enacted. Then uttering ‘Krishna, Krishna,’ they had become completely full of Krishna.

"So long as they thought of Krishna as a man, there was no Rasa. The touch of Sri Krishna made them realise that he was an incarnation of God. Then they were freed of desire. Their desire transformed itself into prema.

"Thakur said, ‘Those whose body consciousness is very strong, should not listen to all this and nobody should talk to them about it.’ Chaitanya Deva used to enjoy this story of the play of the Lord in the company of three and a half devotees. Rai Ramananda, Swarup Damodar Puri and Shikhi Maiti ­ these three plus Madhavi Devi, the old sister of Shikhi Maiti taken as half. With other bhaktas, Chaitanya used to carry out some other lila-kirtan of the Lord. And when the devotees of the outer circle came to him, he just used to sing the name of the Lord with them."

A Certain Bhakta ­ In the Phalashruti (the results of hearing) of the Rasa Lila, it is said that by listening to the story of the Lord’s Rasa Lila one’s desire is killed.

M. ­ This too is not meant for ordinary men. It is only for those whose mind has climbed to very high spiritual heights. Veda Vyasa taught about the Gopi-lila to Sukadeva, his son, the image of concentrated jnana. It is so high! That’s why, just at the mention of the Gopis, Thakur would bow down and offer them his pranam. He used to say, ‘Just a grain of the prema of the Gopis, if it enters a person, turns everything topsy-turvy.’

"Sukadeva only was eligible to narrate the story of the prema of Gopis and the only eligible listener was Parikshit. When did he narrate it to Parikshit? When Parikshit was about to die at the bank of the Ganga in the presence of rishis and munis. In the beginning, Parikshit did not possess the capability of understanding it. So, he had some doubts. Even when it was explained to him twice, he couldn’t be rid of his doubt. It was only when it was narrated to him a third time that he was freed from his doubt.

"The last doubt that Parikshit had was: Why did Sri Krishna enact his lila with the Gopis, though he was God himself? Sri Krishna was a friend and protector of his family. Even so, the scorn for this play had taken firm roots in the mind of Parikshit so much so that there was no way to get rid of it.

"Sukadeva said to Parikshit, ‘tejaseeyam na doshaya vanheh sarvabhujoh yatha.’ The fire consumes both sandalwood and excreta with equanimity when they are dropped in it.’ Similarly, those who have realised the Self, those whose sense of ‘I’ has become one with that of God have the power.

"Parikshit had the social view point. So, he could not accept this elucidation. His doubt persisted. His idea was that what is bad, is bad for everybody. Apparently, this appears to be correct.

"Sukadeva tried to explain it to him a second time. This time he tried to awaken Parikshit’s scriptural insight. He said, ‘All the acts of the spiritually great are not to be imitated. There are so many of their deeds which they perform themselves, but don’t ask others to imitate. And there are so many which they perform and ask others to do likewise. Only these acts are the ones that can be imitated by others. Sri Krishna’s Rasa Lila was performed with another man’s wife, but he never asked others to do so.’

"This argument also could not remove the doubt from Parikshit’s mind. He was inclined to take Sri Krishna as the ideal man. All his acts should be imitated and put into one’s conduct. Nevertheless, it is a contemptible act to meet another man’s wife alone. In what way could this act of Sri Krishna be considered unimpeachable?

"Parikshit’s death was near. So, on seeing him possessed by such an innocent yearning, Sukadeva opened the door of his spiritual insight by his grace. Said he, ‘Parikshit, Sri Krishna was not merely an ideal man, he was Parama-Brahman absolute. It is by His will that the universe is created, preserved and dissolved. In the form of Ishwara (Lord), he himself becomes man or woman, and the twenty four elements. He was himself the Gopis and himself Krishna. He was enacting his sport with the Self.’ How? Like a child playing with his own reflections in the mirror. He who was Gopis was also Krishna ­ Gopi-Krishna."

3.

M. (to Antevasi) ­ Come here, tell me what happened there.

Antevasi ­ The same thing said in different ways. It’s substance is that one cannot attain shreya (God) if one also wants preya (the world). If you ask for money, name and fame ­ if you want all these worldly things, you cannot attain God. All these comprise preya. The darshan of God is the same thing as attaining Vrindavan ... and so on.

A Devotee ­ One has to imagine a lot to be able to understand their elucidation of dharma. While imagining so much, one forgets the original thing itself. It is rather more dogmatic than rational.

M. ­ How can there be sameness in everything? One should take that which conforms. How can one digest if one takes everything? Thakur used to say, ‘Sand is mixed with sugar. Become an ant and bring only the grains of sugar.’ And then, where is the time to read and hear more than that?

"Thakur used to say, ‘The musical notation has to be brought to the fingers. What is the use of merely speaking it?’ Thakur had just this to say, ‘Do something.’ Everything about him is practical. He used to say that one should do it eighty five percent or ninety five percent, bring it to the hand and the rest five or fifteen percent one should listen.

"Thakur used to say, ‘As soon as you put your faith in the words heard from the guru’s mouth and act upon it, He himself comes and tells what is to be done first.’ He may talk to you perhaps through your mind in the form of intellect. Or, he may send somebody to go and tell you. He comes and tells you.

"Thakur’s one instruction is: Take to tapasya, practice sadhana."

M. (to Dr. Akshay) ­ Everything well at home?

Akshay ­ No, Sir. One of the daughters has given up her body.

M. (consoling him) ­ So Thakur used to say, ‘I can see that family life is a burning fire. How can I ask you to enter it?’

"Oh! The son of a bhakta had died. When Thakur heard of it, he cried. Why not? He comes as an avatara when he is overwhelmed by the sorrow of the jiva. So long as there is the body, there is no escape from sorrows. Even so, if by His grace, the mind remains in Him, there is some safety. So Thakur came and repeated it again and again, ‘Only God is ours. The duty of man is to know Him.’ He himself came and said, ‘Hold Me, I will protect you all from attachment and grief?’ But who listens?"

Morton School, Calcutta,

Wednesday, 3rd December, 1924,

18th of Agrahayana, 1331 (B.Y.),

The sixth day of the bright fortnight,

6 Dandas.