by Jyoti Pahuja on Friday, August 6, 2010 at 2:20am
In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, there is a story. Not story but Fact.
It is described there that one brahmana -- he was a great devotee -- he wanted to offer very brilliant service, arcana, in the temple worship. But he had no money. But some day he was sitting in a Bhagavata class and he heard that Krsna can be worshipped even within the mind. So he took this opportunity because he was thinking since a long time how to worship Krsna very gorgeously, but he had no money.
So he, when he got this point, that one can worship Krsna within the mind, so after taking bath in the Godavari River, he was sitting underneath a tree and within his mind he was constructing very gorgeous simhasana, throne, bedecked with jewels and keeping the Deity on the throne, he was bathing the Deity with water of Ganges, Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada, Kaveri. Then he was dressing the Deity very nicely, then offering worship with flower, garland.
Then he was cooking very nicely, and he was cooking paramanna, sweet rice. So he wanted to taste it, whether it was very hot. Because paramanna is taken cold. Paramanna is no taken very hot. So he put his finger on the paramanna and his finger burned down. Then his meditation broke. Simply within his mind he was doing everything. But he saw that his finger was burnt. So he was astonished.
In this way, Narayana from Vaikuntha, He was smiling. Laksmiji asked, "Why you are smiling?" "One of My devotee is worshipping like this. So send My men to bring him immediately to Vaikuntha."
So bhakti-yoga is so nice that even if you have no means to offer the Deity gorgeous worship, you can do it within the mind. That is also possible. Therefore it is said that ahaituky apratihata. In any position of life you can engage yourself in bhakti-yoga system. But this doesn’t mean that if we have all the means to offer and still if we say “No, I’ll do within the mind.” That is cheating.
But the prime or the topmost perfection of bhakti-yoga is sravanam kirtanam, sravanam kirtanam, fully absorbed in the thought of Krsna. This is the simplest process. You have to practice always thinking of Krsna. That is also, Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65].
Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
It is described there that one brahmana -- he was a great devotee -- he wanted to offer very brilliant service, arcana, in the temple worship. But he had no money. But some day he was sitting in a Bhagavata class and he heard that Krsna can be worshipped even within the mind. So he took this opportunity because he was thinking since a long time how to worship Krsna very gorgeously, but he had no money.
So he, when he got this point, that one can worship Krsna within the mind, so after taking bath in the Godavari River, he was sitting underneath a tree and within his mind he was constructing very gorgeous simhasana, throne, bedecked with jewels and keeping the Deity on the throne, he was bathing the Deity with water of Ganges, Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada, Kaveri. Then he was dressing the Deity very nicely, then offering worship with flower, garland.
Then he was cooking very nicely, and he was cooking paramanna, sweet rice. So he wanted to taste it, whether it was very hot. Because paramanna is taken cold. Paramanna is no taken very hot. So he put his finger on the paramanna and his finger burned down. Then his meditation broke. Simply within his mind he was doing everything. But he saw that his finger was burnt. So he was astonished.
In this way, Narayana from Vaikuntha, He was smiling. Laksmiji asked, "Why you are smiling?" "One of My devotee is worshipping like this. So send My men to bring him immediately to Vaikuntha."
So bhakti-yoga is so nice that even if you have no means to offer the Deity gorgeous worship, you can do it within the mind. That is also possible. Therefore it is said that ahaituky apratihata. In any position of life you can engage yourself in bhakti-yoga system. But this doesn’t mean that if we have all the means to offer and still if we say “No, I’ll do within the mind.” That is cheating.
But the prime or the topmost perfection of bhakti-yoga is sravanam kirtanam, sravanam kirtanam, fully absorbed in the thought of Krsna. This is the simplest process. You have to practice always thinking of Krsna. That is also, Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65].
Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
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