r-r ikakam

The Eight Instructions of r Caitanya Mahprabhu

with the commentary of rdhkua mahnta paita r ananta dsa bbj mahrja

publisher: r ananta dsa bbj mahrja published from r ka caitanya stra mandira

this file is a sample of the book. the book in its entirety is available from www.krishnacaitanya.com.
publisher: r Ananta Dsa Bbj Mahrja copyright r Ananta Dsa Bbj Mahrja all rights reserved.

Translated by Advaita Dsa Printed in Rakmo Press, New Delhi

books with english commentaries of r ananta dsa bbj mahrja ri guru tattva vijna The Guru-principle ri bhakta tattva vijna The Devotee-principle mdhurya kdambin The Cloudbank of Sweetness prema bhakti candrik A Moonray of Prema-bhakti rga vartma candrik A Moonray on the Path of Rgnug-bhakti r-r ikakam The Eight Teachings of r Caitanya Mahprabhu website: www.krishnacaitanya.com e-mail: info@krishnacaitanya.com

books are available from: r ka caitanya stra mandira, vrajnanda ghera 281504 - Rdhkua, District Mathur, u.p. India saskta pusta bara 38. Vidhna Sara, 100006 - Calcutta kundevar book store Rdhkua Parikram Road

table of contents
verse one . . . ceto darpaa mrjanam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 verse two . . . nmnm kri bahudh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 verse three . . . td api suncena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 verse four . . . na dhana na jana na sundarm . . . . . . . . 47 verse five . . . ayi nanda-tanuja kikaram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 verse six . . . nayana galad aru dhray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 verse seven . . . yugyita nimeea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 verse eight . . . liya v padarat pinau mm . . . . . . . 119

r ikakam
of r Caitanya Mahprabhu ceto darpaa mrjana bhava mah davgni nirvpaa reya kairava candrik vitaraa vidy vadh jvanam nandmbudhi vardhana pratipada prmtsvdanam sarvtma snapana para vijayate r ka sakrtanam (1)

All glories to the congregational chanting of r Kas holy name, which cleanses the mirror of the heart and mind, which extinguishes the forest fire of material existence, which spreads moonlight on the white lotus of good fortune, which is the life of the bride named transcendental knowledge, which increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, which makes us relish full nectar at every step and which thus showers the whole self!

nmnm kri bahudh nija sarva aktis tatrrpit niyamita smarae na kla etd tava kp bhagavn mampi durdaivam dam ihjani nnurga (2)

O Lord! You have given us many names of Yours to chant, investing them with all Your transcendental power, and there are no strict regulations as to when to chant or remember these names. Such is Your mercy, O Lord, but I am so unfortunate that I have no taste for this chanting.
td api suncena taror iva sahiun amnin mnadena krtanya sad hari (3)

The holy name of Lord Hari should always be chanted in great humility. One should think oneself to be lower than a blade of grass, one should be as tolerant as a tree, one must offer all honour to others and one should never expect any honour for oneself.
na dhana na jana na sundar kavit v jagada kmaye mama janmani janmanvare bhavatd bhaktir ahaituk tvayi (4)

O Lord of the universe! I do not want wealth, followers or vain companions, a beautiful woman or the enjoyment of beautiful poetry! All I want is causeless devotion unto You, birth after birth!
ayi nanda-tanuja kikara patit m viame bhavmbudhau kpay tava pda pakaja sthita dhlsada vicintaya (5)

O Son of Mahrja Nanda (Ka)! I have fallen into the terrible ocean of material existence. Please consider me to be a speck of dust attached to Your lotus feet!
nayana galad aru dhray vadana gadgada ruddhay gir pulakair nicit vapu kad tava nmagrahae bhaviyati (6)

O Ka! When will tears of love stream from My eyes? When will My voice choke up and when will My body be studded with goosepimples of ecstasy when I chant Your holy name?
yugyita nimeea caku prvyitam nyyita jagad sarva govinda virahea me (7)

O Govinda! Out of separation from You, the whole world appears to be void. Tears are streaming from My eyes like showers of rain and a single moment appears to Me like a millennium.
liya v padarat pinau mm adarann marma-hat karotu v yath tath v vidadhtu lampao mat pranthas tu sa eva npara (8)

(r Rdh said:) Ka may embrace this girl, who is devoted to His lotus feet, or He may break Her heart by not showing Himself to Her. He can do whatever He wants. He is, after all, an independent womaniser. But still He, and no one else, is the Lord of My life!

verse 3
td api suncena taror iva sahiun amnin mnadena krtanya sad hari

td - than a blade of grass; api - even; suncena - being low; taro - as a tree; iva - just as; sahiun - being tolerant; amnin - not being proud; mnadena - by giving honour; krtanya - to be chanted; sad - always; hari - Hari. The holy name of Lord Hari should always be chanted in great humility. One should think oneself to be lower than a blade of grass, one should be as tolerant as a tree, one must offer all honour to others and one should never expect any honour for oneself. Before revealing this third verse of the ikakam, rman Mahprabhu, the descension who purifies the age of quarrel (kaliyuga pvanvatra), told r Svarpa Dmodara and Rmnanda Rya:
ye rpe loile nma prema upajya thra lakaa uno svarpa rma rya

O Svarpa and Rma Rya! Listen to the means by which the holy name can awaken prema! The holy name of Lord Hari should always be chanted in great humility. One should think oneself to be lower than a blade of grass, one should be as tolerant as a tree, one must offer all honour to others and one should never expect any hon-

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our for oneself. At the end of the di-ll of r Caitanya Caritmta, rla Ka Dsa Kavirja Gosvm writes the following verse:
rdhva bhu kori uno sarva loka nma stre gthi poro kahe ei loka

Raise your arms, all you people, and listen: string this verse on a thread and wear it around your neck! When a speaker wants to reach people who are far away from him he speaks out loud with raised hands, so that everyone will notice him and pay attention. In this way rla Kavirja Gosvm says to all chanters that they should wear this verse around a neck just like ones neckbeads. If one does not follow this formula, it will be difficult to attain the results of nmasakrtana. In the previous verse it was discussed that there is nothing else but offenses that prevents the full power of the holy name to manifest itself. Here rman Mahprabhu teaches all the people of the world that the only way to protect oneself from offenses is to chant the holy name with great humility. When He instructed rla Rpa Gosvm, rman Mahprabhu compared offenses committed against the devotees to a mad elephant which uproots the tender vine of ones devotion from the heart. There is no other way than to fence off ones vine-ofdevotion with the shield of humility:
yadi vaiava apardha uhe hth mt upe v chie tra uki yy pt tte ml yatna kori kore varaa apardha hast yaiche n hoy udgama (r Caitanya Caritmta)

It is also said:

third verse
dnat mna dattdi ila kpta mahvti bhakti kalpa nbhi ply ravadymbu secanai

39

One should build a strong wall of humility and protect ones vine of devotion by giving honour to others around it, sprinkling the vine with the water of hearing and chanting. Humility means to naturally always consider oneself to be very unqualified. rmat Santana Gosvm defined humility as follows in his Bhad Bhgavatmta:
yensdharaaktdhama buddhi sadtmani sarvotkarvitepi syd budhais tad dainyam iyate yay vcehay dainya maty ca sthairyam eti tat t yatnena bhajed vidvs tad viruddhni varjayet

The wise men call humility that feeling which makes the most qualified person consider oneself to be low and unqualified. Intelligent practising devotees should follow in the footsteps of those in whose hearts this humility is fixed, with their words, activities and intelligence, and they should never act contrary to this. The abovementioned humility, which makes the most qualified person consider oneself to be low and unworthy, is not ordinary humility. It is the natural condition of a surrendered soul who has illuminated his spiritual self by returning to his constitutional position. When a fortunate person, who has surrendered to the Lords lotus feet by the mercy of a bonafide teacher, advances on the path of devotion, he will experience the authority of God more and more as the dense darkness of his false bodily consciousness vanishes and his real identification as Gods servant awakens. The practising devotee will ultimately give up all his own false authority, throwing it into the ocean of Gods authority by means of full surrender to the Lords feet, and thus becoming a liberated soul. As long as he is in his

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material body he will have to deal and speak with people of the world, but as soon as he senses even the slightest feeling of personal authority coming up in him, he feels greatly upset. An urge of humility will arise in his heart and he will at once give up his false feeling of authority. That is the natural humility of a devotee, and the valuable treasure of a devotees sdhana (spiritual practice). rmat Santana Gosvm says that there is not much difference between humility and devotion. Both are impetuses for each other. The holy name will be pleased with such humility of the devotee and in this way all offenses to the Vaiavas will vanish. Thus humility attracts the mercy of the holy name. Our eyes are very tender, yet they are the most important of the knowledge-aquiring senses, and because even the slightest thing can cause great damage to them, the Lord has created our eyelids to always protect them. If, by chance, a speck of dust falls on the eye, the fine nerves in the eye immediately produce water to drive the dust out of the eyes realm. In the same way, humility drives out the offenses that hamper our devotion and make our hearts free from them. With this verse td api suncena, rman Mahprabhu teaches the practising devotees how to observe the limit of humility. Humility is the very lifeforce of the chanting of the holy name. Chanting without humility is lifeless, therefore the chanter must become specifically aquainted with these great words of rman Mahprabhu. The Lord said: td api suncena The practising devotee should feel as humble as a blade of grass. A blade of grass is a very insignificant thing, but it is still very important since it serves the cows as foodstuff and through that the cows give milk with which the Lord can be served. Roofs of houses and temples can also be made with grass. But, the devotee should think, no service has ever been done through me. In this way

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he considers himself to be even lower than a blade of grass. The devotee should humbly think: When someone steps on a blade of grass, the grass will rise again after the foot has gone off him, but I never get up so unharmed and unoffended if someone kicks me with the foot. Certainly these feelings of humility must be developed by the practising devotee. As long as one does not realize ones lowness with ones heart and mind, and only feigns humility on the outside, verbally for instance, the perfection of this td api suncena-mood is not attained. Real humility is mental humility. There is no greater deceit than to feign humility through ones gestures and words and being actually filled with false pride within ones mind. Such false humility will never purify anyones heart. Then taror iva sahiu The devotee should be as tolerant as a tree. Even when the tree is cut down, he will not say anything, but will silently tolerate it. He will not consider the cutter to be his enemy, but will even serve him by shading him and offering him his fruits. Chettu prvagat chy nopasaharate druma. That is an example of the limit of humility. rmad Bhgavata mentions the story of the brhmaamendicant from Avantpura, and in Caitanya Bhgavata it is described how rla Haridsa hkura tolerated the beatings of the Muslims in twenty-two market places. When the Muslims tried to beat him to death, rla Haridsa hkura prayed to the Lord for their welfare:
e sab jvere ka koroho prasda mora drohe nahu e sabhra apardha

O Ka! Be merciful upon all these people, so that they will not offend You by torturing me like this! Even if a tree dries up and dies because nobody sprinkles him with water, he will not ask anyone for water. Rather, he

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will serve everyone with his fruits, wood, leaves and resin. The tree patiently tolerates the scorching sunrays in the summer, the pouring rain in the monsoon-time and the freezing cold in the winter. In the same way, the devotees should practise tolerance similar to that of the tree, serving even those who harrass, hurt and insult them without being angry with anyone. The devotee never asks anything from anyone, but rather donates whatever he can give to others, patiently tolerating all the pain they may give to him. Amnin mnadena The devotee never expects any honour from anyone but he honours all other living entities at all times, knowing that his beloved Lord dwells in all of them. There is no-one in the world that he should disrespect. rmad Bhgavata states:
antar deheu bhtnm tmas te harir vara sarva taddhiyam kadhvam eva vas toito hy asau

Lord Hari dwells in the hearts of all living beings as their Supreme Self, and as they are His dwelling place, they should also be satisfied. Each body is the temple of Hari, because He dwells in everyone, therefore everyone is respectable for a devotee. The temple may be broken, misformed, uncultured or dirty, but it is still worshipable for the devotee. In the same way, according to worldy view some people are low or unimportant, but they are still respectable for the devotee. Therefore rmad Bhgavata (11.29.16) states: praamed daavad bhmv ava cala go kharam One should offer prostrated obeisances even to the horses, the outcastes, the cows and the donkeys, knowing that the Supreme Self dwells in them. Brhmadi cala kukkura anta kori, daavat koribek bahu mnya dhari (Caitanya Bhgavata) One should offer prostrated obeisances to the

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brhmaas, the outcastes and the dogs, giving them great honour. In such a humble state a devotee should always do hari krtana. Such chanting will destroy all offenses committed in this life and in previous lives and will swiftly bless the devotee with the treasure of prema. krtanya sad hari. One may ask here: Is it possible for any neophyte to be lower than a blade of grass and more tolerant as a tree? Why did Mahprabhu mention such a difficult condition, whereas His path of devotion is supposed to be so easily practised? Certainly such a critical question may be asked, but we must consider that the goal of the path of devotion is only attainable by mercy. When the neophyte anxiously takes shelter of the holy name, in order to chant without offenses, then he will become qualified in all respects, simply by the grace of the holy name. In this regard we have heard a true story from our most worshipable r Gurudeva, which occurred in Vraja. We could not control the desire to write that story down here on this occasion. Long ago one highly educated person came from Bengal to Vndvana, desiring to live in Vraja and to receive instructions and initiation from a genuine Guru. He used to come regularly to a famous bhajannand mahtma, (a great saint who loves to worship God) who understood from speaking with him that the aspirant was inwardly proud of his learning. Although the aspirant had asked him for initiation and instruction, the mahtma did not lend an ear to the request. One day, when the aspirant came to him blubbering about initiation, the mahtma told him that he could get initiated if he brought him within seven days a person or an object that was in all respects inferior to him (the aspirant). At first the aspirant thought: O, whats so difficult about that? Almost everyone in this world is inferior to me! I can bring anyone along with me to my guru! But by the grace of

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that mahtma the aspirant became more and more aware of his own faults and others qualities. After all, all of Lord Brahms creatures are a mixture of qualities and faults! Thinking like this, the aspirant could not find any human being inferior to himself. Then he began to look for an inferior being within the animal- and bird-world, but there also he was unsuccessful, because each animal and bird has some qualities which even human beings dont have! Finally he searched amongst the trees and vines, but there he was also unsuccessful, because Mahprabhu had instructed the Vaiavas to be as tolerant as a tree (so trees were definitely superior to him). In this way he spent six days searching. There was only one day left, and if he could not find anyone inferior to him today, then he would not get initiated. In the morning of the seventh day, the aspirant went out into the field to pass stool with a very agitated mind. It was, after all, his initiation-day. While he was passing stool, he thought: Aw, this stool is inferior to me in all respects! Let me tell that to my Guru! But by the grace of his teacher his intelligence had become so much trained in seeing others qualities and his own faults that he began to think: Brother, just see! You say that this stool is inferior to you, but before this substance came in contact with you, it was divine prasda offered to the deity. Now, because you wanted to stay alive and you wanted to feed your body, it has become such a disgusting substance! Is there anybody lower than he who gives himself such a nice substance for feeding his own body and turns it into something so bad? Thinking like this, the aspirant became startled and thought to himself: No, no! This substance is also much better than me! Meanwhile a worm crawled into the stool and the aspirant thought: Now I have it! This worm in the stool is inferior to me in every respect! But then he began to think about the worm, saying to himself: Brother! You have turned

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the Lords prasda into this stool and you cannot make it pure anymore, but this worm will ultimately make this stool merge with the earth again, and even that you cannot do! In that respect you are inferior! Although rla Ka Dsa Kavirja Gosvm is praiseworthy by the whole world, when he described the mercy of rla Nitynanda Prabhu in Caitanya Caritmta, he said:
jagi mdhi hoite mui se ppiha purera ka hoite mui se laghiha mora nma une yei, tara puya-kaya mora nma loy yei, tra ppa hoy emon nirgha more keb kp kore eka nitynanda vinu jagata bhitore?

I am more sinful than Jagi and Mdhi and i am lower than a worm in stool. Anyone who hears my name loses his pious merit and anyone who pronounces my name commits a sin. Which non-envious person in the world other than Lord Nitynanda would bestow mercy on such a disgusting person? How can such a person, who is praised by the whole world, experience that he is inferior to a worm in stool? And if he only spoke humble words, and was not really humble within his heart, wouldnt that be the greatest deceit? Therefore, this experience can only come to a great saint or to a fortunate soul who has received the mercy of a great soul. This can never be experienced by anyone else. Anyway, the aspirant finished his bath and went to his master. The master asked him: And, did you bring that which is inferior to you in all respects? The aspirant offered his prostrated obeisances and said: O master! By your mercy I have seen within these seven days that if there is any thoroughly low creature or substance in this world, then it is me! There is no

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lower creature in the whole world than me! The mahtma laughed and embraced the candidate, saying: You have brought yourself here after giving up your pride and accepting a humble mood. Now there is no more obstacle to your initiation! By the mercy of that saint, the aspirant was then blessed with a life full of tasteful bhajana. rman Mahprabhu Himself explained this verse as follows:
uttama hoiy panke mne tdhama dui prakre sahiuta kore vka sama vka yeno k-leo kichu n boloy ukhiy moile kre pni n mgoy yei ye mgoye tre deya pana dhana gharma vi sohe, nere koroye rakaa uttama hoiy vaiava hobe nirabhimna jve sammna dibe jni ka adhihna ei mata hoiy yei ka nma loy r ka carae tara prema upajoy

Although the devotee is the most elevated person, he considers himself to be lower than a blade of grass, and he tolerates everything in two ways, just like a tree. Even when a tree is cut, he does not say anything, and even when he dries up and dies, he does not ask anyone for water. Nevertheless, he gives his own wealth for free to anyone who may ask for it, protecting others while tolerating heat and rain. Although the Vaiava is the greatest personality, he is devoid of pride and he honours all living beings, knowing that Ka dwells in them. Whoever chants the name of Ka in this way will attain love for r Kas lotus feet.

verse 7
yugyita nimeea caku prvyitam nyyita jagad sarva govinda virahea me

yugyita - becoming an age; nimeea - with a second; caku - with the eye; prvyitam - becoming the rainy season; nyyitam - becoming void; jagad - the world; sarva - all; govinda - O Govinda!; virahea - with separation; me - my. O Govinda! Out of separation from You, the whole world appears to be void. Tears are streaming from My eyes like showers of rain and a single moment appears to Me like a millennium. The Lord now leaves His sdhaka-consciousness and shows His mahbhva-condition by speaking this verse. rla Kavirja Gosvm depicts it as follows:
rasntarvee hoilo viyoga sphuraa udvega vida dainye kore pralapana

When the Lord entered another mood (rasa) He felt separation and He uttered this verse in an agitated and humble state of mind. The sdhaka-condition of the Lord disappeared and He entered into His usual mood of rmati Rdhrs love-in-separation as He felt it while staying at Pur. The waves of agitation, lamentation, and humility, which are sacr-bhvas in the ocean

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of mahbhva that is in the Lords heart, began to come up when He spoke this seventh verse. The highest love in Vraja, epecially that of the gops, is love in separation from r Ka. Separation is one of the reasons why the love of the gops is so great and glorious. Love has two bodies: one is called meeting and the other is called separation. If prema is the ingredient of separation, then everyone must accept that there is as much bliss and astonishment invested in it as in union. Thats why viraha has been called a rasa and the Gosvms have said that the taste of separation is even more astonishing than the taste of meeting. rmat Santana Gosvm writes in his Bhad Bhgavatmta (1.7.125-128):
prg yady api premaktt priy viccheda dvnala vegatonta santpa jtena duranta ok-veena gha bhavatva dukham tathpi sambhoga sukhd api stuta sa kopy anirvcyatamo manorama pramoda ri parimato dhruva tatra sphuret tad rasikaika vedya tac choka dukoparamasya pacc citta yata pratay prasannam samprpta sambhoga mah sukhena sampannavat tihati sarvadaiva icchet punas tdam eva bhva kliam kathacit tad abhvata yat ye na bhtti matepi te ghopakr smtida priym

r Ka told Devari Nrada: O Divine sage! Although separation may at first burn severely like a forestfire in the remembrance of the beloved and may cause sorrow and pain, still this misery is ultimately the topmost ecstasy, which is even more praiseworthy than the bliss of meeting the lover. It manifests itself as an indescribable abundance of joy, because it is a transformation of transcendental love. Only the rasikas (transcendental connoisseurs) know this. After the misery of separation has ceased, the heart is immersed in the exquisite ecstasy of meeting the beloved. In this way, the heart and mind will always be fully pleased when one is always conscious of

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the beloved. The heart that is afflicted by feelings of separation will always desire to be fixed in moods of great sorrow and will be very sad if there can be no moments in which there is no eagerness and sorrow because of separation. Even those who have no taste for the sorrow of separation will consider feelings of separation to be very helpful in giving them intense remembrance of the beloved. rla Santana Gosvm praises the ecstasy of separation from Ka here as being greater than the ecstasy of meeting. He personally comments on his own words kopy anirvcatamo in verse 126 as follows: brahmnandonirvcyas tasmd apy dhikyena bhajannando nirvcatara tatra ca premnando nirvcyatama tatrpi virahrti dvr jta san paramntyakh viea prptya parama mahnirvcyatama ity artha The bliss of brahman is called indescribable in the Upaniads (with the words yato vco nivartanta aprpya manas saha: words return when they are sent there and it can also not be attained by the mind). The bliss of bhajana is attracting even the minds of the brahmnands, and is therefore called more indescribable. When bhajannanda becomes very intense it is called premnanda and this is called most indescribable. This premnanda again reaches its extreme limits in the ecstasy of painful separation from ones beloved deity and is therefore called the utmost indescribable. Although the pain of separation externally appears as misery, it is actually the pinnacle of transcendental bliss. rpda Santana Gosvm gives another example of this in his commentary on the abovementioned verses: yathgni pratiyogi ghana himdi sparena pddy ageu jyamna parama mah jyasya jvalad agra sparavad abhija syt. tatra hi yathgra spara prattir mithy parama mah jyam eva satyam. tathtrpi dukhasya pratter mithytvam eva sukhasyaiva satyatva

vijeyam. A block of ice which has been in touch with fire feels hot to the hands and feet, although it is very cold. The touch of fire is a complete imagination, actually the substance is very cold. In the same way the misery the pure devotee feels when he is separated from God is a complete imagination, it is actually the pinnacle of transcendental bliss. rla Rpa Gosvm quotes in his Padyval:
sagama viraha vikalpe varam iha viraho na sagamas tasy sage saiva tathaika tribhuvanam api tanmaya virahe

r Rdhik said: When I consider the difference between union and separation, I think that separation is better. When I am together with Ka I see Him only at one place, but when He is away from Me I see all the three worlds filled with Him! When one is separated from someone in the material world one feels just misery, only separation from Ka is the pinnacle of bliss. How can someone who has never cried while saying Ka know how blissful that is?
ei prema yra mone, tra vikrama sei jne, yeno vimte ekatra milana bahir via jvl hoy, antara nandamoy, ka premra adbhuta carita (Caitanya Caritmta, Madhya-ll, chapter 2)

Only a person who has this prema (in his mind) can know its power. It is like the meeting of poison and nectar. Externally it burns like poison, but internally it is full of bliss. How wonderful is the nature of love for Ka! While He was at Pur, Mahprabhu was fixed (sthyi-bhva) in r Rdhs feelings of separation from Ka. The Lord would show the agony that sprang forth from the depth of His heart only to the sensitive Svarpa Dmodara and Rmnanda

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Rya, holding His arms around their necks and lamenting to them while He stayed in the Gambhr. How many nights and days did He spend in this way? He thought of them as His (Her) girlfriends while He clasped their necks, and said: Sakhi! Where has My Prantha r Ka gone, neglecting Me? What has happened? Everywhere I see only darkness, and a moment appears like hundreds of ages to Me! Sakhi! Tell Me how can I spend My time in this intolerable fire of separation? Sometimes He would look for Ka in the sky and sing:
tomra darana vine, adhanya ei rtri dine, ei kla n yya kno. tumi anthera bandhu, apra karu sindhu, kp kori deho daraana (Caitanya Caritmta)

Without You, these days and nights are miserable and the time simply wont pass. You are the friend of the helpless, the boundless ocean of mercy! Please show Yourself to Me! In this verse the Lord says yugyita nimeea: Out of separation from Govinda a moment appears to be like an age to Me. This is a sign of mahbhva. The definition of rha (advanced) mahbhva is:
nimesahatsanna janat hd viloanam kalpa kaatva khinnatva tat saukhyepy rti akay mohdy abhvepy tmdi sarva vismaraa sad kaasya kalpatetydy yatra yoga viyogayo

Whether one is in a state of separation or union, mahbhva is intolerable for even a moment. It agitates the heart, it makes one experience an age to be like a moment (during union) and it makes the lover emaciated and worried about Kas happiness although He is perfectly happy. The lover always forgets

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everything, although he is not under the influence of (ordinary) illusion, and he considers a moment to be like an age (during separation). Adhirha mahbhva is even more exalted than this. When the Lord was at Pur, He relished the sweetness of the highest phase of r Rdhs divine madness called adhirhamahbhva, so all the symptoms of this mahbhva were manifest in Him to the utmost. Even in this material world we experience the miserable moments to last longer than the joyful ones. When we suffer from some very painful disease then the nights seem to last like ages. It seems as if we can not pass those nights. The burning separation from Ka in mahbhva is so unlimited that even a split second seems to last like a long millennium. The unlimited happiness of meeting Ka and the unlimited sorrow of being separated from Him cannot be compared to any worldly experience. All other comparisons a forest fire, a slowfire or the burning sensation of fresh poison are insignificant and utterly useless. rla Rpa Gosvm writes in his Lalita Mdhava Nakam (Act 3):
uttpi pua pkatopi garala grmd api kobhano dambholer api dusaha kaur alam hn magna alyd api tvra prauha viscik nicayatopy uccair mamya bal marmy adya bhinatti gokulapater vilea janm jvara

r Rdhr told Lalit: Sakhi! The burning sensation of separation from the Lord of Gokula is breaking My heart! It feels hotter than pua pka (a scale in which pigments are melted), it is more troubling than poison, more intolerable than Indras thunderbolt, more sharp than a spear plunged into the heart and more horrible than cholera! This greatly burning condition makes the slightest moment seem to be like an intolerable age for the loving devotee.

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tas ta kapa prehatamena nt mayaiva vndvana gocarena kardhavat ta punar aga ts hn may kalpasama vabhvu (rmad Bhgavata, 11.12.11)

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r Ka said: O Uddhava! When I was the beloved of the gops in Vraja, they thought the nights they spent with Me went by like a flash and the nights that they were separated from Me lasted like ages! Then the Lord says caku prvyita When I am separated from You tears stream from My eyes like monsoonrains! The same thing happens with all the loving devotees when they feel separation from r Ka. Their eyes are like clouds that constantly pour down torrents of rain. There is no other way for them but to cry like this to become free from the burden that weighs on their hearts, but although they constantly cry hot tears like the rains in the monsoon-season, they cannot reach the limits of their heartbreaking lamentations. Virahi (Rdh, Who is separated from Govinda) embraces Her girlfriends and says:
unalahu mthura colobo murri calatahi pekhalu nayana pasri plai nehrite hm raha heri nahi mandire yalu pheri dekho sakhi nilaja jvana eya piriti jnyata aba ghana roya so kusumita vana kuja kuira so yamun jala malaya samra so himakara heri lgaye caka knu vine jvana kevala kalaka

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eto dine jnalu vacanaka anta capala prema thira jvana duranta the ati durajana a ki pa samvdi n yata govinda dsa

I heard that Murr is going to Mathur, I have stared at Him as He left. I stood there for a moment looking and then I returned to My empty home. Look, O sakhi, how I maintain My shameless life! Now I am loudly crying to announce My great love for Him! Here is the cottage in the grove in the flowergarden, here is the water of the Yamun, here the southern winds are blowing, and here the sight of the moonlight frightens Me! Without Ka My life is simply a stain! All these days I knew My words would end (my days were counted). Love is capricious and a steady life is unruly. In it there are the rope-like desires of the wicked. Words do not come to Govinda Dsa. No matter how much it rains in the monsoon, new clouds are coming again and again to bring more rainwater. In the same way, devotees who are separated from Ka simply never stop crying. The gops feel intolerable heartaches when they see the natural beauty of Kas sweet pastime-places in Vraja, because it reminds them of their bygone pastimes with Ka. Even plans to commit suicide are useless, because they cannot stop hoping for another meeting with Ka and another chance to serve Him. Another fresh cloud of separation appears in the sky of their hearts and another endless stream of tears flows from their eyes. These tears alone can keep their bodies and souls together and the springfountain of all these tears is r Rdh, the crownjewel of gops, whose mood was accepted by Mahprabhu! Then the Lord says: nyyita jagad sarva govinda virahea me O Govinda! The whole world seems empty to

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Me when I am separated from You! Not any material or spiritual attainment can fill up that void other than the attainment of Govinda Himself. Any deficiency in material life can be filled up with the attainment of some insignificant enjoyment, but when a person starts missing the Greatest Thing there is, then that Greatest Thing Itself is the only thing that can fill up that void. Not even the audience of any other form of God can fill up that void, since Govinda is the embodiment of transcendental sweetness, what to speak of the attainment of some insignificant material object? rla Rpa Gosvm writes in his Lalita Mdhava Nakam (7.6):
yasyottasa sphurati cikure keki picha prato hra kahe viluhati kta sthla gujvalbhi veur vaktre racayati ruci hanta cetas tato me rpa vivottaram api harer nnyad agkaroti

r Rdh tells Bakul in the new Vndvana-garden: Sakhi! My heart cannot accept any other form of Hari, no matter how extraordinary, than the form whose hair is beautified by a crown made of peacockfeathers, who wears a string of big guj-beads around the neck and who keeps a flute to His beautiful mouth! r Caitanya Caritmta states (di-ll, chapter 17):
gopik bhvera ei sudha nicoyvrajendra nandana vin anyatra n hoy ymasundara ikhipicha guja vibhaa gopavea tribhagima mural vadana iha chi ka yadi hoy anykra gopbhva nhi yy nikae thra

The mood of the gops is that they are fixed in their love for the prince of Vraja and for no-one else. If Ka assumes another

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form than His usual beautiful blackish form with the peacock feather-crown, the guj-bead decorations, the cowherders dress and the threefold bending form which holds the flute to the mouth, the gops will not go near Him. Such is their mood towards Him. For Mahprabhu, who accepted the feelings of r Rdh, the crownjewel of all the gops, the world is void without Ka. rla Vidypati hkura sings:
ab mathur pura mdhava gelo gokula mika ko hari nelo gokule uchalalo karuka rol nayanaka jole dekho bohoye hilol na bhelo mandira, na bhelo nagar na bhelo daa dia na bhelo sagar kaisane yobo yamun tra kaise nihrabo kuja kura sahacar saie korolo phulavri kaise jyabo ham thi nihri vidypati kohe koro avadhna kautuke chpi tahi rahu kna (Pada Kalpataru)

Now Mdhava has gone to Mathur. Who has stolen the jewel of Gokula? A cry of pity is rising in Gokula and tears are flowing there in waves. The houses have become empty and the villages have become empty. The ten directions have become empty and everything has become empty. How can I go to the bank of the Yamun now, how can I look now at the cottage in the love-grove? How can Kas girlfriends tolerate Cupids arrows, and how can I survive while witnessing all this? Vidypati says: Watch out! Happiness is lost wherever Ka stays!

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When Ka has gone to Mathur, r Rdh feels separation from Him (mthura virahi ri) and thinks that the house, the village, the ten directions, nay the whole world is empty. But then again She remembers r Hari whenever She looks at anything in Vraja. The feeling of voidness becomes stronger as She remembers r Hari while looking all around Her. Each object in Vndvana is studded with the remembrance of r Hari. Her breath is choking and it is hard for Her to stay alive, but still She must stay alive so that She can serve Ka. King Daaratha committed suicide when he was separated from his son Rmacandra, but Nanda Mahrja could not even think of such a thing. No matter how much he suffered of separation from Ka, he had to stay alive. After all, how much misery would his Gopla have to go through otherwise as an orphan? How wonderfully the beautiful girls of Vraja were serving Ka with their bodies! They thought that perhaps Ka could also not stay alive if He were to be separated from them! r Ka sings in r Caitanya Caritmta (Madhya-ll, 13.152):
priy priya saga hn, priya priy saga vin, nhi jye e satya prama. mora da une yabe, tra ei da hobe, ei bhaye dohe rkhe pra

When the lover is separated from the beloved and the beloved is separated from the lover, neither of them can live, that is a fact. When She (Rdh) hears that this is My condition (that I died out of separation from Her), She will also attain that condition. With this fear both Rdh and Ka keep Themselves alive. Thus the heart burns in a slowfire, unable to stay alive because of separation, and also unable to die. In this difficult dilemma each second seems to last like an age, the eyes are like clouds that shower torrents of rain-like tears and the whole world

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seems to be empty. Only the devotees who actually feel this separation can know how this love is burning on the surface, but at the same time causes great ecstasy within the heart. The Lord, accepting the mood of r Rdh, is always floating in the ocean of this wonderful suffering.
eimata dine dine, svarpa rmnanda sane, nija bhva korena vidita. bhye via jvl hoy, bhitore nandamoy, ka premra adbhuta carita

In this way the Lord revealed His feelings to Svarpa Dmodara and Rmnanda Rya each day. Externally He was burning from the poison of separation, but inwardly He felt blissful. How amazing is the nature of love of Ka!
ei premra svdana, tapta iku carvaa, mukha jvale, n yy tyajana. sei prem yra mone, tra vikrama se-i jne, vimte ekatra milana. (Caitanya Caritmta, Madhya-ll, chapter 2)

This prema tastes just like boiling sugarcane juice: it burns the mouth, but still it is too sweet to resist. Anyone who has this prema in his mind (heart) knows its power. Its like the meeting of poison and nectar in one place! pane kori svdane, ikhilo bhaktagaa (Caitanya Caritmta). The Lord tasted this sweet love-in-separation of Vraja and also expertly taught it to the devotees who surrendered to His lotus feet, the Gauya Vaiava-cryas. The six Gosvms, headed by rla Rpa Gosvm and rla Raghuntha Dsa Gosvm, also gave perfect examples of love-in-separation. That can be clearly seen in rla Rpa Gosvms prayer Utkalik Vallari and rla Raghuntha Dsa Gosvms prayer Vilpa Kusumjali.

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rla Rpa Gosvm opens his Utkalik Vallari with the following verse:
prapadya vndvana madhyam eka kroann asv utkalikkultm udghaymi jvalata kahor vpasya mudr hdi mudritasya

O merciful Rdhe! O merciful Ka! I have taken shelter of Vndvana, and I am crying there anxiously. Now I will open my heart and show You the burning marks My tears of misery have made there! You can both see now how much the heart of Your Rpa is burning! A person who does not have the wealth of bhajana cannot possibly understand these burning feelings of separation. Evernew waves of anxious desire to see ones beloved deity rise on the ocean-like heart of the devotee who suffers from this separation, breaking the bondage of his patience. rla Baladeva Vidybhaa comments as follows on the abovementioned verse: iyam avasth khalu bhaktajanasya pururtha-dtr This condition is certainly bestowing the highest good of human life to the devotee (anxious love-in-separation). These feelings of separation are an even greater bhva sampad (wealth of emotions) than the joy of meeting the Lord. rla Raghuntha Dsa Gosvm has similarly revealed his pain of separation in his prayer Vilpa Kusumjali:
aty utkaena nitar virahnalena dandahyamna hday kila kpi ds h svmini kaam iha praayena gham krandanena vidhur vilapmi padyai

O Svmini (my queen Rdhri)! I am Your miserable maidservant and I am burning in the severe fire of separation from

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You, anxiously crying. Now I have given up all other activities and Im simply sitting on the bank of r Rdhkua, at the base of Govardhana Hill, lamenting out of love with these verses!
devi dukha kula sgarodare dyamnam ati durgata janam tva kp prabala naukaydbhuta prpaya sva pada pakajlayam

O Playful goddess! This miserable maidservant has fallen into an ocean of sorrow and feels helpless and miserable! Please take her across this ocean on the strong boat of Your mercy and bring her to the abode of Your lotus feet!
tvad alokana klhi daair eva mta janam tvat pdbja milal lk bheajair devi jvaya

O Devi! This person has died from the bites of the black snake of separation from You. Please revive her with the medicine of the lac that has anointed Your lotus-like footsoles! The depth of this ocean of misery, the terrifying severeness of the snakebites and the heat of the forest fire of separation are inconceivable to ordinary people. The renunciation of the Gosvms is identical with this pain separation and is a natural manifestation of it. The poet Rdh Vallabha Dsa describes rla Raghuntha Dsa Gosvms renunciation as follows:
rdh ka viyoge, chilo sakala bhoge, ukha rukha anna mtra sra gaurgera viyoge, anna chi dilo ge, phala gavya korilo hra

Out of separation from Rdh-Ka he gave up all enjoyment and ate only dry, stale food. Out of separation from Lord

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Gaurga, he gave up eating grains and ate only fruits and milkproducts.
santanera adarane, th chi sei dine, kevala koroye jalapna rpera viccheda yabe, jala chi dilo tabe, rdh-ka boli rkhe pra

When Santana Gosvm disappeared from earth, he gave up eating fruits and milk and drank only water, and when he became separated from Rpa Gosvm, he gave up also water and kept himself alive by saying: Rdh-Ka.
r rpera adarane, na dekhi thra gae, virahe vykula hoiy knde ka kath lpana, na uniy ravaa, uccasvare ke rtande

When r Rpa disappeared and Raghuntha Dsa could also not see his (Rpas) friends anymore, he anxiously cried out of separation. His ears could not hear talks about Ka anymore, he was just crying out loudly.
h h rdh-ka koth, koth vikh lalit, kp kori deho daraana h caitanya mahprabhu, h svarpa mora prabhu, h h prabhu rpa santana! knde gosi rtri dine, pui jy tanu mone, kae aga dhlya dhsora caku andha anhra, panra deha bhra, virahe hoilo jarajara

Day and night Raghuntha Dsa Gosvm cried: O RdhKa! Where are You? O Lalit and Vikh! Where are You! Please show yourselves to me! O Caitanya Mahprabhu! O my

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lord Svarpa Dmodara! O masters Rpa and Santana! His mind and body were burning and sometimes he greyed his body by rolling in the dust. He became blind from fasting and his body felt like a heavy burden because of the intolerable misery of separation.
rdhkua tae poi, saghane nivsa chi, mukhe vkya n hoy sphuraa. manda manda jihv noe, prema aru netre poe, mone ka koroye smaraa.

He fell on the bank of Rdhkua, breathing out deeply. Words could not be heard from his mouth. His tongue was vibrating slowly and tears of love trickled from his eyes as he remembered Ka within his mind.
sei raghuntha dsa, prho monera a, ei mora boo che sdha. e rdh vallabha dsa, mone boo abhila, prabhu more koro parasda

May that Raghuntha Dsa fulfill my desires! This Rdh Vallabha dsa has one great desire on his mind: O Lord, be merciful unto me! The essential thing that we can learn from the pastimes of rman Mahprabhu and the Gauya Vaiava-cryas, which were filled with the flavours of love-in-separation, is that some of this feeling of want, of deficiency must be awakened within the hearts and minds of the practising devotees for Vraja-bhva as well. How much deficiency of money, friends, followers, profit, adoration and distinction I feel, but I never miss my beloved deity! I am living in the same Vraja-dhma that the cryas took shelter of, swimming in a terrible ocean of love-in-separation day and night, but Im thinking to myself: I have my food,

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my sleep, Im having fun here, everything is all right, and in this way my hearing, chanting, remembering and worship of the deity continues in a mechanical way! I should be ashamed of myself, being in such a low condition as a sdhaka! The devotee should condemn himself in this way and repent. One should pray with an anxious heart and an anxious voice, mixed with anurga for such a devotional life, feeling the absence of the Lord, by reciting the prayers of the cryas, which are most powerful.
hari hari ! kobe mora hoibe sudina ? phala mla vndvane, khbo div avasne, bhramibo hoiy udsna

Hari! Hari! When will that blessed day be mine? When will I wander around in Vndvana completely detached, eating only some fruits and roots at the end of the day?
tala yamun jole, snna kori kuthole, premvee nandita hoiy bhu pora bhu tuli, vndvane kuli kuli, ka boli bebo kdiy

When will I eagerly bathe in the cool Yamun-water in loving ecstasy? When will I wander around in Vndvana, raising my arms and crying out Ka! ?
dekhibo saketa sthna, jube tpita pra, premvee gagai dibo kh rdh prevari, kh girivaradhri, kh ntha boliy kibo

I will soothe my heart by seeing Rdh and Kas trystingplace and I will roll around there in loving ecstasy, crying out :O Rdhe! O Queen of my heart! O Girivaradhri, lifter of Govardhana Hill! O Lord! Where are You?

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mdhav kujerapori, sukhe bosi uka sr, gibek rdh-ka rasa. taru mle bosi th, uni juibe hiy, kobe sukhe gobo divasa

When I blissfully sit in a grove of Mdhav-trees I hear the male and female parrots singing romantic songs about RdhKa. When will I blissfully spend my days sitting at the foot of a tree, soothing my heart by hearing these beautiful songs?
r govinda r gopntha, rmat rdhik stha, dekhibo ratana sihsane. dna narottama dsa, koroye durlabha a, emati hoibe koto dine

The fallen Narottama Dsa has a very ambitious desire: I like to see r Govinda Gopntha sitting on a jewelled throne with rmat Rdhik! When will that day be mine? This is a sweet picture of an anxious aspirant who lives in Vraja, suffering of separation from Rdh-Ka. By acting according to these anxious prayers of the cryas, the neophyte devotees will become purified and will gradually feel that God is missing in their lives. Mahprabhu personally gave the following summary of this loka:
udvege divasa n yy, kaa hoilo yuga sama varra megha prya aru varise nayana govinda virahe nya hoilo tribhuvana tunale poe yeno n yy jvana (Caitanya Caritmta)

Because of My agitation the day will not pass, a second appears to be like an age to Me and My eyes are like monsoonclouds that shower tears. Out of separation from Govinda the three

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worlds seem to be empty. I am burning in a slowfire and My life will not leave Me!