R-s 3a 🔬 Zooming IN

❧ Cc Madhya 19.139–141 ❧

This week, the verse  that I think is most important to learn is also quite long and difficult. There’s so much in it and it’s been taking me quite some time to be able to  understand it. So in order to not put too much pressure on you (or on me!), we’re going to remember a verse before it, which is a lot easier and also a good one to know.

I published a video where we go through and memorize this more simple verse. I’m still studying the long, difficult one and I’m hoping I’ll be able to publish a video for it tomorrow. 🤞

Upcoming Zoom session

Would you like to join us to recite this week’s śloka on Sunday (or Saturday in some countries)? If so, click the button below for the Zoom links and timings in different countries:

No one showed up in the second Zoom session last time. It seems like the first Zoom session is the time that works best for everyone. I'm going to still keep the second Zoom session open this time and if no one shows up, then maybe I'll cancel it and we'll just have the one time.

Revision of the previous verses

Text 135

ei-mata daśa dina prayāge rahiyā
In this way, for ten days Śrīman Mahāprabhu stayed at Prayāga [and]

śrī-rūpe śikṣā dilô śakti sañcāriyā
instructed Rūpa Gosvāmī, thus empowering him.

Text 136

prabhu kahe, — śunô, rūp, bhakti-raser lakṣaṇa
Śrīman Mahāprabhu said, “Listen, O Rūpa, bhakti-rasa’s symptoms...

sūtra-rūpe kahi, vistār nā ĵāya varṇana
in sūtra form I will tell. In full, it is not possible to describe.

Text 137

pārāpāra-śūnya gabhīr bhakti-rasa-sindhu
Shoreless and deep is the ocean of bhakti-rasa.

tomāy cākhāite tāra kahi eka ‘bindu’
To give you a taste of it, I am describing one drop.

Text 138

ei-mata brahmāṇḍa bhari’ ananta jīva-gaṇa
In this way, the universe is filled with countless living entities.

caurāśī-lakṣa yonite karaye bhramaṇa
In 84 lakhs (8.4 million) species, they rotate.

In this last verse, we zoomed out and saw how in this universe there are unlimited jīvas perpetually rotating up and down in the universe. Now, in the next three verses, we’re going to zoom in on one of these jīvas.

(As always, the verse in the box is the one we’re memorizing.)

This week's verses (last two verses coming tomorrow)

Text 139

keśāgra-śateka-bhāga punaḥ śatāṁśa kari
The tip of a hair divided into a hundred (bhāga) parts, pieces, and [one of those parts] again divided into a hundred parts—

tāra sama sūkṣma jīver ‘svarūpa’ vicāri
the same as this, I consider (vicāri) the tiny jīva’s form

Text 140

keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya
The tip of a hair divided into one hundred parts

śatāṁśa-sadṛśātmakaḥ
and a hundredth of that (one of those parts) is equal to

jivaḥ sūkṣma-svarūpo ’yaṁ
[the size of] the jīva’s infinitesimal form. The jīvas are...

saṅkhyātīto hi cit-kaṇaḥ
innumerable and are particles of spirit.

In these verses, Mahāprabhu is describing to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī how the jīva is aṇu, atomic, and sūkṣma, very fine and subtle. This tiny soul resides in the region of the heart and he pervades whatever form he is present in. Due to being of  atomic nature, he can come under the control of māyā, as described in Jaiva-dharma, Chapter 15:

Vrajanātha: Is there any illusory material component in the jīva’s original constitution?

Bābājī: No, the jīva is created solely from the cit-śakti (spiritual potency). He can be defeated, or covered by māyā, because he is minute by nature and lacks spiritual power. But there is not even a scent of māyā in the jīva’s existence.❞

The next two verses of Rūpa-śikṣā, which I’ll (hopefully) send out tomorrow, Mahāprabhu quotes verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about the position of these tiny jīvas in relation to Bhagavān.

On that note, I’ll end this post with a beautiful excerpt from Prabhupāder Upadeśamṛta, a book containing the nectarean instructions of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, which was published in Rays of The Harmonist, 2010 Gaura Pūrṇimā edition:

By the mercy of śrī gurudeva, we, the atomic sparks of consciousness (aṇu-caitanya), will approach the Supreme, Infinite Consciousness (vibhu-caitanya). We will relinquish the association of other ordinary fellows and approach our eternal Lord. Though śrī gurudeva considers himself to be an insignificant servant of Bhagavān, I consider him to be my eternal friend and well-wisher and the only one who can help me approach Bhagavān. I consider śrī gurudeva to be both identical to Bhagavān and also the beloved of Bhagavān. I will surrender myself completely unto his lotus feet. Without any selfish interest, I will dovetail all my endeavours exclusively to serve him. Only then shall I achieve all perfection.

Aspiring to please Śrīla Gurudeva and the Vaiṣṇavas,

-Madhukar das