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Prema-nma
r rmad
The Garland of
Prema-nma
The Garland of
Prema-nma
r rmad
TAT T VA V I C A R A P U B L I C AT I O N S
www.tvpbooks.com
www.gourgovindaswami.com
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The Garland of
Prema-nma
Parama vee
kapa diy krtana kare parama vee
pa hsite ise, n pya pravee
This ecstatic chanting was performed with the doors
closed so that non-believers who came to make fun could not
gain entrance. (Caitanya-caritmta, di-lil 17.35)
This is like a ml: nma and prema, the holy name and prema
woven together. That is nma-prema-ml. Gaurga Mahprabhu made a garland and garlanded the entire material world.
Rdh-Bhva Is Predominating
When there is union, when Rdh and Ka unite together,
there is some relishment of mellow; milannanda, pleasure. They
relish. But when there is separation, the acute pang of separation,
all cry. Rdhr cries, and that is predominating. In that bhva,
the acute pang of separation, vipralambha-bhva is predominating.
Rdh-bhva means vipralambha-bhva. Though there is the union
of two bhvas: sambhoga and vipralambha, union and separation
the mood of separation is predominating. Rdh-bhva is predominating. So Rdhr was always crying, feeling the acute
pang of separation from Ka. Similarly, Gaura was always crying, feeling the acute pang of separation from Ka, because He
is in rdh-bhva. That is mentioned in the Caitanya-caritmta.
rdhikra bhva yaiche uddhava-darane
sei bhve matta prabhu rahe rtri-dine
Causeless Love
Do you think this is one-sided? When the question of love
comes, there are two sides: the lover and the beloved, or the object of love and the abode of love. There are two sides. Ka is the
object of love, and the gops headed by Rdhr are the abode
of love. Because there are two sides there is loving reciprocation.
It is not just one sided. So we have developed love towards your
master Ka and He has also developed love towards us. It is not
one-sided. There are two sides. We love Ka and we have no
other desire. It is desireless, ahaituk. There is no hetu, no cause at
all. Then please tell us, O Uddhava, why has such cheating come
in this causeless love? Why has He cheated us? We have no other
desire at all. This is pure love. We love Ka and we are not expecting anything in return from Him. This is pure love, ahaituk,
causeless. Why has this cheating come? Please tell us Uddhava, O
messenger from Ka.
velop love towards Ka at all. This will take place. This gives
us too much pain. What will be more painful than that? Tell us,
Uddhava, tell us! Tell us, Uddhava, why has this taken place?
They gave up all their shyness and all shame. They were completely mad. They were completely forgetful of what is good or
bad. They were so overwhelmed with the thought of Ka; gata-vk-kya-mnas, that their minds, their bodies, their speech,
everything was overwhelmed with the thought of Ka.
Uddhava was a stranger, a newcomer. How could they act so
shamelessly before a newcomer? They had forgotten everything,
because they had become overwhelmed with the thought of
Ka. This is the result of ka-prema. Then piteously they cried
and cried, h ka! h vrajantha! h gopvallabha, rtinana! O
Ka! O master of Vrajabhmi! O husband of the gops! O destroyer of the distress of the gops! Calling out in this way, they
stood up and began to look in the direction of Mathur. Raising
their hands they called out loudly, O Vrajapra, life of the resi-
dents of Vrajabhmi! Please come just once and see the condition
of Vrajabhmi. From our very childhood we have developed love
towards You. We do not know anything but You. From our very
childhood we are all Yours. Now we are drowning in the ocean
of lamentation a very deep, unfathomable ocean. Please, come
just once to Vrajabhmi and give us Your lotus feet. They are our
life. Please let us get life! They were completely forgetful of all
shame.
Therefore ukadeva Gosvm says, tyakta-laukik, They have
given up all shame.
gyantya prya-karmi
rudantya ca gata-hriya
tasya sasmtya sasmtya
yni kaiora-blyayo
(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.47.10)
The gops were always thinking of the lls Ka performed
in His adolescence, and all the conjugal loving dealings they
had with Him in Vrajabhmi. Remembering those pastimes and
singing about them, the damsels of Vrajabhmi gave up all shyness
and became completely mad.
When Uddhava saw all this he became amazed, and thought
to himself, by coming to Vrajabhmi my life has become glorified.
vande nanda-vraja-str
pda-reum abhkaa
ys hari-kathodgta
punti bhuvana-trayam
(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.47.63)
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Rdhr told the crow, If you want to know what that bolt
is, this is the bolt: When He left Vrajabhmi, He told us, Ill
come back, Ill come back. But He is not coming back. This is the
very strong bolt. So let Him come and unbolt it. Only with this
hope, rgalam, are we surviving.
This is Rdhrs mood. While having feelings of acute separation from Ka, She is dying. The whole house the body is
on fire, and life is like a domestic animal that cannot get out.
There is a very strong bolt. Let Him come and unbolt it. This
means let Him withdraw His words.
yma-Nma
Then She became silent. After some time, looking at Her dear
girl companions, aa-sakhs, the eight intimate girl companions,
jamun tain kle, keli kadambera mle
more laye calalo tvarya
antimera bandhu haye, jamun-mrtik laye,
sakh mora lipa sarva-gye
yma-nma tad-upari, likha saba sahacar
tulas-majar diyo tya
mre beana kari, bala sabe hari hari
jakhana para bhirya
(Hari-kath Padval)
Rdhr said, O My dear girl companions, immediately take Me to the bank of the Yamun. Put Me underneath the
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Uddhava just stood there, gazing with dilated eyes, and heard
everything that Rdhr was saying out of madness. There are
various types of insane raving speech, udghr*. Uddhava could
understand that this must be Rdhik. This must be Rdhik! I
have heard many times from my friend Ka about Her. And
when Ka was sleeping, with every breath, that name was being
repeated by Him, Rdhe, Rdhe, Rdhe! I have heard all of this
in Mathur from My friend. This must definitely be Rdhik. He
recognised Her.
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Therefore Mahprabhu feels the same condition, the same vipralambha-bhva, the feelings of separation from Ka because
Mahprabhu is in rdh-bhva. And how is He crying?
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The purport is that if you can chant the pure name offencelessly, then all your anarthas are immediately destroyed. Otherwise
your anarthas will never be destroyed. Then after anartha-nivtti
comes nih, ruci, sakti and bhva, and then prema. The last attainment is prema, which is sdhya, the end. So through chanting
Hare Ka, the pure name, you will attain these stages one after
another and at last you will reach the topmost platform, the platform of prema, ka-prema. When that prema becomes more and
more condensed, then what will happen? Prema will develop from
sneha to mna, praaya, rga, anurga, bhva and mahbhva. The
topmost platform is mahbhva. This is how prema develops.
So unnatojjvala-rasa* is the essence of prema-bhakti. This is
the r of sdhya-bhakti, known as mdankhy-mahbhav. In
mahbhva we will also find divisions modankhy-mahbhva and mdankhy-mahbhva. And the personification of this
mdankhy-mahbhva is rmat Rdhr. Therefore She is
known as mdankhy-mahbhva-may.
So, now the question is, how is it that Gaura wove the sdhana-bhakti, which is nma-sakrtana, and prema into a garland?
What is the skill behind it? And who can understand this?
*unnatojjvala-rasa: the most elevated conjugal mellow.
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Prema-puruottama Gaurga is the father of prema-nma-sakrtana, not ordinary nma-sakrtana. This is not included
in sdhana-bhakti, which consists of ravana-krtana. It is beyond
that. This prema-nma-sakrtana is filled with prema. Whose
sakrtana is it? This is the krtana of mdankhy-mahbhva-may.
It is rmat Rdhrs sakrtana. Mdankhya-mahbhva-may
Rdhr, does this sakrtana. This is prema-nma-sakrtana.
This is the essence of prema-bhakti. This prema-nma-sakrtana is
the hidden treasure of Goloka Vndvana.
Nma-Sakrtana
Is Soaked with Rdhrs Pure Love
There is no difference between nma and nm. So nma feels
the acute pangs of separation from nm. Nm is Ka. rmat
Rdhr feels the acute pangs of separation from nm, Ka.
So this nma-sakrtana is soaked with Rdhrs pure love.
Therefore prema-nma-sakrtana is parama-sdhya, is the sdhya, end. The name Himself is nm. So rmn-nma, in this prema-nma-sakrtana expresses or manifests His topmost mrti, that
is filled with conjugal mellow. Those who are premika-bhaktas,
premi-bhaktas, they know this and they chant, they do prema-nma-sakrtana. Others cannot do it. So through the chanting of
prema-nma they offer this prema-bhakti-ml, the garland of prema-bhakti at the lotus feet of rmn-nma. The damsels of Vrajabhmi perform this prema-nma-sakrtana under the guidance
of Rdhr, when they feel the acute pangs of separation from
nm, Ka. At that time they chant hare ka hare ka ka
ka hare hare hare rma hare rma rma rma hare hare in vipralambha-bhva, feeling acute pangs of separation, and thereby they
decorate the nm-mrti with this garland.
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That means you should chant this holy name feeling acute pangs
of separation from Ka. Then your chanting will be offenceless
and the pure name will come out.
This is the most hidden topic in Goloka. It was not given at
any time before, but when Mahprabhu came He gave it, golokera
prema-dhana, hari-nma-sakrtana. It does not belong to this material world. It belongs to Goloka Vndvana.
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Prema-Nma-Sakrtana
Brings an Inundation of Love
There is a great festival in Goloka Vndvana when prema-nma-sakrtana goes on. That festival descended here in this material world when Mahprabhu came down and all His eternal
associates came down with Him. They started prema-nma-sakrtana. So the festival that is going on there in Goloka Vndvana,
descended here.
Though there is no difference between nma and nm, still
nma is more merciful than nm. One should understand this
and Gaurga Mahprabhu has shown it, He has tasted it and He
has distributed it. Because of this wonderful mercy of Gaurga
Mahprabhu, this prema-nma-sakrtana brings an inundation of
prema.
There is a flood here in this material world, thereby He is fulfilling His three desires through prema-nma-sakrtana. So this is
why it is said,
kapa diy krtana kare parama vee
pa hsite ise, n pya pravee
This chanting in a very high, ecstatic condition was performed with the doors closed so that non-believers who came
to make fun of it could not gain entrance.
(Caitanya-caritmta, di-ll 17.35)
In the purport therefore Prabhupda says, only bona fide chanters should be admitted. Others should not. Who can take part in
this prema-nma-sakrtana? Who are bona fide chanters? Those
who are chanting offenceless name, pure name, they are bona fide
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The Garland of
Prema-nma
TAT T VA V I C A R A P U B L I C AT I O N S
www.tvpbooks.com
www.gourgovindaswami.com