Rough Draft Not for Circulation, Copying, Distributing, Eating, Quoting, Loathing or Defending Minding Monkey Rev. 1 March 2008 The Final Chapter in Occidental Psychology By Tom Brown Anjana Suta Academy He worked on all the problems which medieval philosophy was so keen on and of which our rational mind says, ‘That is all nonsense’. Such a statement only shows that we do not understand. They did understand; we are the fools, not they. C. G. Jung, Analytical Psychology, Its Theory and Practice, The Tavistock Lectures, Vintage Books, 1968, p 196 Table of Contents Chapter One - Tree Top Tell Ta(i)les Chapter Two - Relishing the Ring (Its Shapely Form) Chapter Three - Going Home? Chapter Four - Trijata Tales Chapter Five - Back to the Beginning Chapter Six - Before the Ring Chapter Seven - Sinhali Sinks Supraprata Chapter Eight – Sarama’s Questions Appendices Glossary Chapter One - Tree Top Tell Ta(i)les They say that Hanuman is still here on the earth. If that is so then wouldn’t he have all the BBT books of Srila Prabhupada, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami? He’s a great appreciator of Krsna Katha! Maybe he would react to them in the following manner. We are Wu Kong, the Novice, also know as Monkey, who later became the Victorious Fighting Buddha. Still we continue to tread the path of Dharma. A Journey to the West is not the end of everything. It is just the beginning for bigger things. Let us tell you another story. Oh, Venerable Mother, Supreme Goddess of the Universe, Original Mother of all Souls, Oh, Hara, on the order of the Divinely Gracious Bengal Vaisnava Monk, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, with the unlimited chorus of disciples under his lotus feet we have been engaged in this humble task of trying to reassure you that Lord Sri Krishna and Lord Sri Rama have not forgotten You and Your desires to serve Them, and plead You to be brave and continue to call upon Them to engage You in Their service. It would be presumptuous for us to even try to address you in this way if we did not do it from under His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada’s, lotus feet. We sit in front of his lotus feet in a temple in Vrindavana. He is on a high marble platform above us singing enlightened prayers with his kartals. Actually there are books in front of him on the bookstand, so it seems we can approach his lotus feet through his books. We have been engaged by him in the arduous task of traveling all over the world looking for You. We are trying to find where you have been sequestered by the evil captains of iron industry in this mechanistic society and return you to Rama. We have to travel light and the only book we can certainly carry with us, which we wish to deliver to you as proof that we are representatives of Sri Rama, is the Nectar of Instruction, Srila Prabhupada’s annotated edition of Srila Rupa Goswami’s 15th century classic, Upadesamrta, the Essence of all Wisdom. The Chinese philosophers were no fools. We think that the old people were fools, but they were as intelligent as we are. They were frightfully intelligent people, and psychology can learn no end from old civilizations, particularly from India and China. Ibid, p 76. George L. Harte, University of California A Rapid Sanskrit Method Motilal Banarsidass, Dehli, 1989 Preface “It [sanskrita]is, like Chinese, Arabic, Greek and Latin, one of the few languages which has been a carrier of a culture over a long period of time. Thus, the variety of writings in it, and the quantity of those writings are staggering. An incomplete list of subjects treated in Sanskrit, usually with great prolixity, is as follows: * The four Vedas * The Brahmanas and Aranyakas * The Upanisads * Grammar * Epic, puranic, literature - Including 18 major puranas, 18 minor puranas, and hundreds of sthalapuranas. * Works on Medicine * Logic * Astronomy & Astrology * Mathematics * Lawbooks * Architecture * Music… On most of these subjects, there is an immense literature still extant. Indeed, a rough estimate of the works which will be listed in The New Catalogus Catalogorum yields a total of about 160,000 works… many so difficult that it would take years of study to properly understand them. …Sanskrit does have its share of great writers: Kalidasa ranks with the greatest poets, Panini is without question the greatest pre-modern grammarian, the Mahabharata ranks with the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the Bhagavata-purana is among the finest works of devotion every written, being equaled in my opinion only by other works in Indian languages.” Oh Hara! Hare! We can only write this petition to you in little pieces. Our intelligence is like that. So, we also pray that you take it in that manner. First, of course, it is quite natural that you will doubt that we are actually servants of Sri R?ma. You have been so mercilessly tormented by so many false prophets trying to exploit your beauty which is meant only for the happiness of Your Lord. Let us therefore begin by narrating our coming in contact with the Lord, Sri R?ma-candra. We hope we can describe His form to You so that You will indeed understand that we are His auspicious messengers. ? We took this present body on Guam in the Marianas Islands in January of 1948. We graduated with first place honors in psychology with minor studies in biology and electrical engineering from the University of California in 1970. Then we traveled to the East and began our doctoral studies at Northwestern University in Chicago. That was as close to hell as we desire to come, but we had the good fortune to meet Professor Donald Campbell who was President of the American Psychological Association and one of the greatest geniuses of our times. We addressed him, “Professor?” He answered kindly, “Yes, idiot.” We continued, “In our rambles in this life, we have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology and now Psychology, and it seems to us from what we are learning of the East from the Vietnam-war, books and teachers of Yoga etc. that Western knowledge is extremely limited in some of these areas.” He replied, “I agree.... Take a break: M.A, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor. It’s a way to make money… Take a break and look around. Maybe go to the Orient and see what they have to offer. If you find anything, come back and tell me about it”. So we tightened up our belt, kissed our cat good-bye and headed East. We were and continue to be idiots. Our cat can confirm that, but God is good, God is great and we thank Him that He even fills our plate! * Understudy with the Second City in Chicago. Please, read Improvisation for the Theater by Viola Spolin. * First degree Black Belt in Okinawan Auto-Ryu karate. Please find a humble Aikido Master and learn to fly in the sky. * Novice, Senior and now joking to be a Professor Monk in Srila Prabhupada’s Brahma-Madhava Bengali order. Yes, we are lazy and self-indulgent but some how or other we have followed the Dharma of the pure monks: Celibate life; no wine; no meat, fish, eggs; up early and praying on rosary with our fellow monks; teaching and cleaning and working daily. Some honors have come to us from the world of Maya, but still we remain a unsatisfactory in the estimation of our cat. In every respect we have to conclude that you are superior to us. All we have to offer you are the words of our spiritual master. What we first heard from him and continue to rehearse again and again is from his book KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, a summary study of the aforementioned Bhagavata purana, in Professor Harte’s opinion, one of the finest works of devotion ever written. KRSNA Chapter Fifty-five The Story of the Syamantaka Jewel There was a king of the name Satrajit within the jurisdiction of Dvaraka dhama. He was a great devotee of the sun-god, who awarded him the benediction of a jewel known as Syamantaka. Because of this Syamantaka jewel, there was a misunderstanding between King Satrajit and the Yadu dynasty. Later the matter was settled when Satrajit voluntarily offered Krsna his daughter, Satyabhama, along with the jewel Syamantaka. Not only Satyabhama but also Jambavati, the daughter of Jambavan, was married to Krsna on account of the Syamantaka jewel. These two marriages took place before the appearance of Pradyumna, as described in the last chapter of Volume One. How King Satrajit offended the Yadu dynasty and how he later came to his senses and offered his daughter and the Syamantaka jewel to Krsna is described as follows. Since he was a great devotee of the sun-god, King Satrajit gradually entered into a very friendly relationship with him. The sun- god was pleased with him and delivered to him an exceptional jewel known as Syamantaka. When Satrajit wore this jewel in a locket around his neck, he appeared exactly like an imitation sun-god. Putting on this jewel, he would enter the city of Dvaraka, and people would think that the sun-god had come into the city to see Krsna. They knew that Krsna, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was sometimes visited by the demigods, so while Satrajit was visiting the city of Dvaraka all the inhabitants except Krsna took him to be the sun-god himself. Although King Satrajit was known to everyone, he could not be recognized because of the dazzling effulgence of the Syamantaka jewel. Once, mistaking Satrajit to be the sun-god, some of the important citizens of Dvaraka immediately went to Krsna to inform Him that the sun-god had arrived to see Him. At that time, Krsna was playing chess. One of the important residents of Dvaraka spoke thus: "My dear Lord Narayana, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Your plenary portion as Narayana, or Visnu, You have four hands with different symbols--the conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower. You are actually the owner of everything, but in spite of Your being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, You descended in Vrndavana to act as the child of Yasodamata, who sometimes used to tie You up with her ropes, and You are celebrated, therefore, by the name Damodara." That Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, as accepted by the citizens of Dvaraka, was later confirmed by the great Mayavadi philosophical leader Sankaracarya. By accepting the Lord as impersonal, he did not reject the Lord's personal form. Everything which has form in this material world is subject to creation, maintenance and annihilation, but because the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, does not have a material form subject to these limitations, Sankaracarya, to convince the less intelligent men who take Krsna to be an ordinary human being, said that God is impersonal. This impersonality means that He is not a person of this material condition. He is a transcendental personality without a material body. The citizens of Dvaraka addressed Lord Krsna not only as Damodara but also as Govinda, which indicates that Krsna is very affectionate to the cows and calves; and just to refer to their intimate connection with Krsna, they addressed Him as Yadunandana because He was born the son of Vasudeva in the Yadu dynasty. In this way, the citizens of Dvaraka concluded that they were addressing Krsna as the supreme master of the whole universe. They addressed Krsna in many different ways, proud of being citizens of Dvaraka who could see Krsna daily. When Satrajit was visiting the city of Dvaraka, the citizens felt great pride to think that although Krsna was living in Dvaraka like an ordinary human being, the demigods were coming to see Him. Thus they informed Lord Krsna that the sun-god, with his appealing bodily effulgence, was coming to see Him. The citizens of Dvaraka confirmed that the sun-god's coming into Dvaraka was not very wonderful, because people all over the universe who were searching after the Supreme Personality of Godhead knew that He had appeared in the family of the Yadu dynasty and was living in Dvaraka as one of the members of that family. Thus the citizens expressed their joy on this occasion. On hearing the statements of His citizens, the all-pervasive Personality of Godhead, Krsna, simply smiled. Being pleased with the citizens of Dvaraka, Krsna informed them that the person they described as the sun- god was actually King Satrajit, who had come to visit Dvaraka City to show his opulence in the form of the valuable jewel obtained from the sun-god. Satrajit, however, did not come to see Krsna; he was instead overwhelmed by the jewel Syamantaka. He installed the jewel in a temple to be worshiped by brahmanas he engaged for this purpose. This is an example of a less intelligent person worshiping a material thing. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that less intelligent persons, in order to get immediate results from their fruitive activities, worship the demigods created within this universe. The word materialist means one concerned with gratification of the senses within this material world. Although Krsna later asked for this Syamantaka jewel, King Satrajit did not deliver it; on the contrary, he installed the jewel for his purposes of worship. And who would not worship that jewel? The Syamantaka jewel was so powerful that daily it produced a large quantity of gold. A quantity of gold is counted by a measurement called a bhara. According to Vedic formulas, one bhara is equal to sixteen pounds of gold, and one mound equals eighty-two pounds. The jewel was producing about 170 pounds of gold every day. Besides that, it is learned from Vedic literature that in whatever part of the world this jewel was worshiped there was no possibility of famine, and wherever the jewel was present, there was no possibility of anything inauspicious, such as pestilence or disease. Lord Krsna wanted to teach the world that the best of everything should be offered to the ruling chief of the country. King Ugrasena was the overlord of many dynasties and happened to be the grandfather of Krsna, so Krsna asked Satrajit to present the Syamantaka jewel to King Ugrasena. Krsna pleaded that the best should be offered to the king. But Satrajit, being a worshiper of the demigods, had become too materialistic and, instead of accepting the request of Krsna, thought it wiser to worship the jewel to get the 170 pounds of gold every day. Materialistic persons who can achieve such huge quantities of gold are not interested in Krsna consciousness. Sometimes, therefore, to show special favor, Krsna takes away one's great accumulations of materialistic wealth and thus makes one a great devotee. But Satrajit refused to abide by the order of Krsna and did not deliver the jewel. After this incident, Satrajit's younger brother, in order to display the opulence of the family, took the jewel, put it on his neck and rode on horseback into the forest, making a show of his material opulence. While Satrajit's brother, who was known as Prasena, was moving here and there in the forest, a big lion attacked him, killing both him and the horse on which he was riding, and took away the jewel to his cave. News of this was received by the gorilla king. Jambavan, who then killed that lion in the cave and took away the jewel. Jambavan had been a great devotee of the Lord since the time of Lord Ramacandra, so he did not take the valuable jewel as something he very much needed. He gave it to his young son to play with as a toy. In the city, when Satrajit's younger brother Prasena did not return from the forest with the jewel, Satrajit became very upset. He did not know that his brother had been killed by a lion and that the lion had been killed by Jambavan. He thought instead that because Krsna wanted that jewel, which had not been delivered to Him, Krsna might have therefore taken the jewel from Prasena by force and killed him. This idea grew into a rumor, which Satrajit spread in every part of Dvaraka. The false rumor that Krsna had killed Prasena and taken away the jewel spread everywhere like wildfire. Krsna did not like to be defamed in that way, and therefore He decided that He would go to the forest and find the Syamantaka jewel. Taking with Him some of the important inhabitants of Dvaraka, Krsna went to search out Prasena, the brother of Satrajit, and found him dead, killed by the lion. At the same time, Krsna also found the lion killed by Jambavan, who is generally called Rksa. It was found that the lion had been killed by the hand of Rksa without the assistance of any weapon. Krsna and the citizens of Dvaraka then found in the forest a great tunnel, said to be the path to Rksa's house. Krsna knew that the inhabitants of Dvaraka would be afraid to enter the tunnel; therefore He asked them to remain outside, and HeHimself entered the dark tunnel alone to find Rksa, Jambavan. After entering the tunnel, Krsna saw that the valuable jewel known as Syamantaka had been given to the son of Rksa as a toy. To take the jewel from the child, Krsna approached and stood before him. When the nurse taking care of Rksa's child saw Krsna standing before her, she was afraid, thinking He might take away the valuable Syamantaka jewel, and she began to cry loudly out of fear. Hearing the nurse crying, Jambavan appeared on the scene in a very angry mood. Jambavan was actually a great devotee of Lord Krsna, but because he was angry he could not recognize his master and thought Him to be an ordinary man. This brings to mind the statement of the Bhagavad-gita in which the Lord advises Arjuna to get free from anger, greed and lust in order to rise to the spiritual platform. Lust, anger and greed run parallel in the heart and check one's progress on the spiritual path. Not recognizing his master, Jambavan first challenged Him to fight. There was then a great fight between Krsna and Jambavan, in which they fought like two opposing vultures. Whenever there is an eatable corpse the vultures fight heartily over the prey. Krsna and Jambavan first of all began fighting with weapons, then with stones, then with big trees, then hand to hand, until at last they were hitting one another with their fists, their blows like the striking of thunderbolts. Each expected victory over the other, but the fighting continued for days, both in daytime and at night, without stopping. In this way the fighting continued for twenty-eight days. Although Jambavan was the strongest living entity of that time, practically all the joints of his bodily limbs became slackened and his strength reduced to practically nil, for he was struck constantly by the fists of Sri Krsna. Feeling very tired, with perspiration all over his body, Jambavan was astonished. Who was this opponent who was weakening him? Jambavan was quite aware of his own superhuman bodily strength, but when he felt tired from being struck by Krsna, he could understand that Krsna was no one else but his worshipable Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This incident has special significance for devotees. In the beginning, Jambavan could not understand Krsna because his vision was obscured by material attachment. He was attached to his boy and to the greatly valuable Syamantaka jewel, which he did not want to spare for Krsna. In fact, when Krsna came there he was angry, thinking that Krsna had come to take away the jewel. This is the material position; although one is very strong in body, that cannot help him understand Krsna. In a sporting attitude, Krsna wanted to engage in a mock fight with His devotee. As we have experienced from the pages of the Srimad- Bhagavatam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the propensities and instincts of a human being. Sometimes, in a sportive spirit, He wishes to fight to make a show of bodily strength, and when He so desires, He selects one of His suitable devotees to give Him that pleasure. Krsna desired this pleasure of mock fighting with Jambavan. Although Jambavan was a devotee by nature, he was without knowledge of Krsna while giving service to the Lord by his bodily strength. But as soon as Krsna was pleased by the fighting, Jambavan immediately understood that his opponent was none other than the Supreme Lord Himself. The conclusion is that he could understand Krsna by his service, for Krsna is sometimes satisfied by fighting also. Jambavan therefore said to the Lord, "My dear Lord, I can now understand who You are. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, the source of everyone's strength, wealth, reputation, beauty, wisdom and renunciation." This statement of Jambavan's is confirmed by the Vedanta-sutra, wherein the Supreme Lord is declared to be the source of everything. Jambavan identified Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality, Lord Visnu: "My dear Lord, You are the creator of the creators of the universal affairs." This statement is very instructive to the ordinary man, who is amazed by the activities of a person with an exceptional brain. The ordinary man is surprised to see the inventions of a great scientist, but the statement of Jambavan confirms that although a scientist may be a creator of many wonderful things, Krsna is the creator of the scientist. He is the creator of not only one scientist, but of millions and trillions, all over the universe. Jambavan said further, "Not only are You the creator of the creators, but You are also the creator of the material elements which the so- called creators manipulate." Scientists utilize the physical elements or laws of material nature to do something wonderful, but actually such laws and elements are also the creation of Krsna. This is actual scientific understanding. Less intelligent men do not try to understand who created the brain of the scientist; they are satisfied simply to see the wonderful creation or invention of the scientist. Jambavan continued: "My dear Lord, the time factor, which combines all the physical elements, is also Your representative. You are the supreme time factor, in which all creation takes place, is maintained, and is finally annihilated. And beyond the physical elements and the time factor, the persons who manipulate the ingredients and advantages of creation are part and parcel of You. The living entity is not, therefore, an independent creator. By studying all factors in the right perspective, one can see that You are the supreme controller and Lord of everything. My dear Lord, I can therefore understand that You are the same Supreme Personality of Godhead whom I worship as Lord Ramacandra. My Lord Ramacandra wanted to construct a bridge over the ocean, and I saw personally how the ocean became agitated simply by my Lord's glancing over it. And when the whole ocean became agitated, the living entities like the whales, alligators and timingila fish all became perturbed. [The timingila fish in the ocean can swallow big aquatics like whales in one gulp.] In this way the ocean was forced to give way and allow Ramacandra to cross to the island known as Lanka [now supposed to be Ceylon]. This construction of a bridge over the ocean from Cape Comorin to Ceylon is still well known to everyone. After the construction of the bridge, a fire was set all over the kingdom of Ravana. During the fighting with Ravana, every part of Ravana's limbs was slashed to pieces by Your sharp arrows, and his head fell to the face of the earth. Now I can understand that You are none other than my Lord Ramacandra. No one else has such immeasurable strength; no one else could defeat me in this way." Lord Krsna was satisfied by the prayers and statements of Jambavan, and to mitigate Jambavan's pain, He began to stroke the lotus palm of His hand all over Jambavan's body. Thus Jambavan at once felt relieved from the fatigue of the great fight. Lord Krsna then addressed him as King Jambavan because he, and not the lion, was actually the king of the forest, having killed the lion with his naked hand, without a weapon. Krsna informed Jambavan that He had come to ask for the Syamantaka jewelbecause since the Syamantaka jewel had been stolen His name had been defamed by the less intelligent. Krsna plainly informed him that He had come there to ask for the jewel in order to be free from this defamation. Jambavan understood the whole situation, and to satisfy the Lord he immediately delivered not only the Syamantaka jewel but also his daughter Jambavati, who was of marriageable age, and presented her to Lord Krsna. The episode of Jambavati's marriage with Krsna and the delivery of the jewel known as Syamantaka was finished within the mountain cave. Although the fighting between Krsna and Jambavan went on for twenty- eight days, the inhabitants of Dvaraka waited outside the tunnel for twelve days, and after that they decided that something undesirable must have happened. They could not understand for certain what had actually happened, and being very sorry and tired they returned to the city of Dvaraka. All the members of the family, namely Krsna's mother, Devaki, His father, Vasudeva, and His chief wife, Rukmini, along with all other friends, relatives and residents of the palace, were very sorry when the citizens returned home without Krsna. Because of their natural affection for Krsna, they began to call Satrajit ill names, for he was the cause of Krsna's disappearance. They went to worship the goddess Candrabhaga, praying for the return of Krsna. The goddess was satisfied by the prayers of the citizens of Dvaraka, and she immediately offered them her benediction. Simultaneously, Krsna appeared on the scene, accompanied by His new wife, Jambavati, and all the inhabitants of Dvaraka and relatives of Krsna became joyful. The inhabitants of Dvaraka were as joyful as someone receiving a dear relative back from the dead. They had concluded that Krsna had been put into great difficulties due to the fighting; therefore, they had become almost hopeless of His return. But when they saw that Krsna had actually returned, not alone but with a new wife, Jambavati, they immediately performed another ceremony of celebration. King Ugrasena then called for a meeting of all important kings and chiefs. He also invited Satrajit, and Krsna explained before the whole assembly the incident of the recovery of the jewel from Jambavan. Krsna wanted to return the valuable jewel to King Satrajit. Satrajit, however, was ashamed because he had unnecessarily defamed Krsna. He accepted the jewel in his hand, but he remained silent, bending his head downwards, and without saying anything in the assembly of the kings and chiefs, he returned home with the jewel. Then he thought about how he could clear himself of the abominable act he had performed by defaming Krsna. He was conscious that he had offended Krsna very grievously and that he had to find a remedial measure so that Krsna would again be pleased with him. King Satrajit was eager to get relief from the anxiety he had foolishly created due to being attracted by a material thing, specifically the Syamantaka jewel. Truly afflicted by the offense he had committed against Krsna, he sincerely wanted to rectify it. From within, Krsna gave him good intelligence, and Satrajit decided to hand over to Krsna both the jewel and his beautiful daughter, Satyabhama. There was no alternative for mitigating the situation, and therefore he arranged the marriage ceremony of Krsna and his daughter. He gave in charity both the jewel and his daughter to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Satyabhama was so beautiful and qualified that Satrajit, in spite of being asked for her hand by many princes, was waiting to find a suitableson-in-law. By the grace of Krsna he decided to hand his daughter over to Him. Lord Krsna, being pleased with Satrajit, informed him that He did not have any need of the Syamantaka jewel. "It is better to let it remain in the temple as you have kept it," He said, "and every one of us will derive benefit from the jewel. Because of the jewel's presence in the city of Dvaraka, there will be no more famines or disturbances created by pestilence or excessive heat and cold." Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-fifth Chapter of Krsna, "The Story of the Syamantaka Jewel." ? We read the KRSNA book for one year, then visited the Hare-Krishna Temple in San Francisco at 455 Valencia Street (also for one year). It had been a mortuary before the devotees took it over. Then we moved in and after six months got initiated. Wow! So many things happened during those years. Things that we would have to introduce to you after long preparation of background events. Deep experiences, even for a psychologist. But after 30-years of following this Yoga (same root word as “religion”), and someone asked us this a few days ago, “After 30-years of this Yoga, how would you summarize everything in just a few words?” “Yes, Siree Bob, My Golly Gosh,” we said, Get up early and get your rounds done! Of course, we know that you are probably wondering what are “rounds” and how early is "early". But we also suspect that you might think this is probably good advice and if you are and American Goddess you might remember the famous comment of Benjamin Franklin: Early to bed and early to rise and you will become healthy, wealthy and wise. Of course, if you are really American then you might also know Alfred E. Newman’s equally profound dictum: Early to bed and early to rise and your girl goes out with other guys. (One man’s poison is another man’s milk.) Of course, as we mentioned before Srila Prabhupada’s annotated Upadesamrta is right at hand and in his notes on Text Three he instructs that, “In this Krsna consciousness movement we require everyone to rise early in the morning, by four AM, and attend mangala-arati, then read Srimad Bhagavatam, perform kirtana, so forth.” So, get up at least 1-1/2 hours before sunrise. We get up at 2AM, drink a glass of water and chant sixteen times around 108-Indian rosary beads (japa beads), thus 1,728 Mantras: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and it is very nice. And that is how we have come to know, Sri Rama, Sri Krsna, and even Your compassionate self. Please take the Signet Ring. Please take the Nectar of Instruction. It's available under BOOKS at: www.krishna.com. When you read it we feel that you will find it self-evident. God and His gifts must be of the same nature. God is self-evident and so any authorized literature coming from Him must also be self-evident, cannot and need not be substantiated by any other source. What do you think of it? Chapter Two Relishing the Ring Its Shapely Form Hara: O.K. You've got my interest but I want to see a lot more evidence before I accept that the messenger of the All Pervading Transcendence is an ape. Let's put descriptions of the Lord aside for the moment and go to the physical evidence, Rama's ring. Monkey: Do you want to see it (edges closer). Hara: Not yet (backs away), first just describe it. Monkey: For months, years, while looking for You, we’ve pulled out Rama's ring, by the side of the path, under a tree, together at night. It has so many facets. So, many. Describing just a few. 1) DENSE MATTER: His Ring, The Nectar of Instruction, is complete in eleven Verses, annotated, and a Preface. It is too, too dense to read in one sitting, in one lifetime. It is so concentrated that one can meditate on a single sentence for an hour, a day. It is an extraction from BRS, SB, BG etc. etc. 2) FREEDOM: It immediately puts one beyond all anxiety - hunger, cold, humiliation. These go far, far away. From the very beginning it dictates: You go at our own pace. Don’t be pushed. Dedicate yourself to meticulous service, a part of the team. All obstacles that your opponents can put in front of you will only serve as opportunities for more profit. ... All is quiet in the Asokavan. The birds flutter and cheap. Sita stares at Hanuman with ferocious gaze, The golden Tigress crouches to leap. ... Monkey, amazed at the sudden intensity of Sita’s glance belched. He staggered on to say, “In the first Text Srila Rupa Goswami says, vaco vegam, manasa-krodha vegam..., one who can control the Six Pushes, which all start with the tongue, is qualified to become guru and make disciples all over the world. He looked at Hara's feet, burr-dened by Her gaze. "Go on”, She said. He breathed: In the eleven Texts we feel that Rupa Goswami discusses two principal topics: Association, and Process. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, Sangat sanjayate kamah, One's desires and ambitions develope from the company he keeps. So in Text One Srila Rupa Goswami presents the thesis statement. He later presents the same one as the cornerstone of His opus magnum, Bhakti-rasa-amrta-sindhu, (also published as a Summary Study by Srila Prabhupada as The Nectar of Devotion [Available at www.Krishna.com]). sarvopadhi vinir muktam tatparatvena nirmalam hrisikesa hriskena sevanam bhaktir ucyate Real bhakti, love for Krsna, means to get free from the tyranny of all material designations: I am black, I am white, I am rich, poor, smart, dumb, and engage the senses in the service of the Master of the senses. Vaco vegam, manasa-krodha vegam... Text One and its annotation tells us how to conquer the senses by engaging them in the service of Krsna. Texts Two and Three explain six things will hinder this and six things that will help this. Four, Five and Six focus on Association, Azoziation, A – A - Association: How do we associate with others, Santa Clause, our employer, different levels of devotees. Six - Association with the highest class of devotees, uttama-adhikaris. Texts 7 & 8 go back to the process: Chant Hare Krsna, worship Sri Icon, read the Krsna book etc. This will detach you from matter and attach you Krsna, Text Seven, sambandha; and be your tool to reawaken your position in spiritual life after you are attached to Krsna, abhidheya, raga-anuga, Text Eight. Part of this is to live in Gokula, Vrndavana, 90km south of Dehli, at least in your mind. Hara: Higgle-dee, Piggle-dee Pop. Monkey: (Sweat, sweat) Yesss. So, Text Nine delineates the hierarchical geography of Vrndavana: * The Twelve Forests are more intense than Mathura in general, * Govardhana higher than they and… Text Ten, back to Association, pirates to angels. Finally, finishing in Your association. Hara: Hmmph. Monkey: And it all finishes in the round, with Your glories and Radha-kunda, because You are never separated from Radha-kunda. It’s the pinnacle of all of Krsna’s play places. Jaya Radhe! Jaya Krsna! Jaya Vrndavana! Sri Govinda, Gopinatha, Madana-mohana. 1, 2, 3 = Engage your senses. 4, 5, 6 = Association. 7, 8 = Process. 9 = Geography of Vraja. 10 = Association of all Types. 11 = Highest Geography and Association. Hara: May I see the Ring? Monkey pulled it from his cloth and raised it in front of Her. She just looked at it making no effort at first to touch it. Tears dripped slowly from Her eyes. He felt like they were infinitely perfect, little, liquid pearls hardly bearable to the Earth as they landed upon Her. … She took the NOI and read the translations only. Three Minutes with a Genius thought Monkey. Then She read them again and again, 1, 2, 3 and 4, 5, 6 and … She repeated the last line of Sanskrit, Text Eight, several times: tisthan vraje tad anuragi, jana anugami. Then They sat silently for a while. Mata Hara held the NIO in Her lap. To Monkey’s perception it was changing form. Sometimes it was soft-bound, sometimes it was hard-bound, sometimes wide and narrow, sometimes tall and narrow. The letters expanded so big that each word was a headline. Whoop! Whooop! Whoooooop! Monkey: Do you want to know which verse Srila Prabhupada quotes the most?? Hara: Yes. Monkey: I think its number Three, six things that guarantee the complete success of pure devotional service. Hara: Oh. Monkey: Yeah! And you can use it for a Vaisnava Verse Book. You can just go through the pages and chant and memorize the verses that Srila Prabhupada quotes for other sources. And the second half of each Text is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s commentary on the NIO, his Anu-vrtti. Hara: Oh. Monkey: And, and, and…. We put in Section Titles in pencil, because Srila Prabhupada talks about different things here and there and it helps to title them and… Hara: Have you made a song out of it. Monkey: … not yet. Its really hard to read. Mostly we have just been carrying it for you and then we just open it anywhere and carefully try to read one line or a paragraph and if we get authorized then we chant more. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Chapter Three Going Home? Monkey: If you get on my back I can carry you back to Rama. Hara: No, that would blemish His honor. He has to defeat Ravana and take me back. Monkey: O.K. But let me go, “harass” Ravana’s soldiers a bit and see just how strong they are and get a little exercise also. Hara: O.K. But please tell me more about Rama’s form and take this jewel of mine, a check for a full-set of Srimad Bhagavatam (available at www.krishna.com), back to Rama (the BBT) and tell Him I haven’t got much time so come quick. Hanuman talked with Sita about Rama for some time longer. Then he attacked the soldiers of Ravana: Higgle-dee, Piggle-dee Pop, and after kick’n their butts for some time even met Ravana. Etc. etc. etc. You gotta read the Ramayana to catch the whole tale (available at WWW.Torchlight.com) but the he came back and talked to Sita one more time before he jumped back across the ocean, joined his mates and went back with the news for Rama. SITA STAYS BEHIND Spackled by the brilliant sun, Monkey heads back home to Rama. Srila Prabhupada’s NOI remains with Hara, She takes it as a Song. It’s every word a jewel to Her. She keeps it near Her heart. She learns it verses carefully, Recites the Purports of each part. Vaco vegam, manasa-krodha vegam… The form of Rama is like the Sun, To bright for mortal eyes. But His voice is soft as Moonbeams pale, That accent Hara’s sighs. The Ring reminds Her of those nights, Beneath the starry sky. Summer nights both warm and dark, Where the Time god dared not fly. They played at Radha-Krsna, In the groves of Kamyavan, The cowherd Boys and Maidens, Monkeys just to come along. Hare krsna, hare rama, hare krsna, hare rama. Dancing is the Age of Fun. It grabs our words, it makes them run. If Radha-Krsna get a chance They dance, First left, then right, First left then right. You cannot measure this with sight. You must dance yourself to see what’s right! First left, then right, First left, them right, Maha-mantra gives you sight. Become the clump of grass, Where Radha steps to tune. In Vraja even grass can join, The Dance beneath the Moon. Chapter Four Trijata Tales There was one old Raksasi named Trijata amongst those whom Ravana had employed to guard Sita devi. She reminds us a lot of our own Mentality. After Hanuman left she asked so many questions of Mother Sita. She had to struggle with a demonic mentality. She had been born in that kind of body, that kind of nation. She was a Raksasi after all. I think they are called Trolls in Europe. They can change their shape and have a taste for man. But she was afraid of where her baser tastes would lead her and so she sought the yoga life, mind control, instead. --- Trijta asked, “Princess, might I see the Ring that the noble Hanuman brought to You from your Husband”. Sita holds it in Her hand and passes it gently to Trijata. Trijata opens it, the NOI, and reads some lines at the end of the first Purport: In his book Prema-vivarta, Chapter Seven, Çré Jagadänanda Paëòita says: vairägé bhäi grämya-kathä nä çunibe käne grämya-värtä nä kahibe yabe milibe äne svapane o nä kara bhäi stré-sambhäñaëa gåhe stré chäòiyä bhäi äsiyächa vana yadi cäha praëaya räkhite gauräìgera sane choöa haridäsera kathä thäke yena mane bhäla nä khäibe ära bhäla nä paribe hådayete rädhä-kåñëa sarvadä sevibe “My dear brother, you are in the renounced order of life and should not listen to talk about ordinary worldly things, nor should you talk about worldly things when you meet with others. Do not think of women even in dreams. You have accepted the renounced order of life with a vow that forbids you to associate with women. If you wish to associate with Caitanya Mahäprabhu, you must always remember the incident of Choöa Haridäsa and how he was rejected by the Lord. Do not eat luxurious dishes or dress in fine garments, but always remain humble and serve Their Lordships Çré Çré Rädhä-Kåñëa in your heart of hearts.” She handed it gently back to Mother Sita. “Princess,” she said, “since the time I was a little girl I have always dreaded my birth amongst the Raksasas. I am more like the pious Vibhisana than our great King Ravana. Since I was a little girl I have always been inclined to hear the life of great brahmacarinis, celibate Yoginis and their accomplishments”. Sita devi enquired, “Then Trijata you have never been married nor had any children.” Laughed, Trijata, “No Mataji, I have always felt there are already enough ugly Raksasas in this world. Why should I be responsible for bringing more into existence. I have always sought the advice of Vibhisana and his good wife. Might I try to memorize this poem?” Sita assented, “Certainly, there are these verses and many more wonderfully verses cited by Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and the previous Acharyas that illuminate the fundamental verses of the Upadesamrta. Hare Krsna! It would be very pleasant if we could sit sometimes and you could recite them to Me. Trijata thanked Sita and looked at Rama’s ring some more. Then she asked, “Princess, who is Jagad-ananda Pandita?” Sita laughed softly, “Ho, ho, ho. In my husbands incarnation as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu he was a great renunciant and scholar so that he could associate with the Lord when he was in the role of a Sannyasi, but when our Lord was manifest as Sri Krsna, Jagandananda was a Gopi named Radha, and when our Lord was in Dvaraka he was a Princess named Satyabhama.” “Oh,” murmured Trijata distractedly and began to wander off chanting the Prema-vivarta verses. … “How do you ‘always worship Their Lordships Çré Çré Rädhä-Kåñëa in your heart of hearts’”, asked Sinhali, who was Trijata’s friend. “For Princess Sita it seems like something so natural. You know, I don’t think She is a human being”, proffered Trijata, “but for me it’s a challenge. Maybe something to do with Yoga. I mean, would you not like to keep the ikon of some divinity in your heart and in that interior space always be intoning exalted prayers illuminating your ista-devata: Om! Hare krsna, hare krsna / Om! Hare rama, hare rama? “I think the most important thing is to sit properly. Sit up straight. Fold your legs, left heel on the right thigh. Don’t eat late at night, be celibate, give up meat or killing animals. There is fruit, nuts, milk etc.. Yes, eat frugally. If your senses are little hungry they will try to pull food from the sky, the land, the refrigerator, your heart! Yes, pull the energy from your heart. Renounce looking grand in this world. When you are half interior in your consciousness you will be a little irrational in terms of the external world, willing to die any day, any moment. In the beginning I find my heart is full of ignorance, like someone who has been neglecting his body suddenly coming to gymnasium, but as we strengthen, stimulate our heart by eating attentively, chanting attentively, always placing the form of our ikon in our heart attentively, then little by little, by effort and our Lord’s mercy, reading the Upadesamrta, the strength and demands of our ikon will become as real and demanding and controlling as our the sensations of our bellies now. “Just chant, chant, chant. Learn mostly by doing. Don’t eat much at night. Get up early, 2AM and wash you hands, feet and mouth and start to chant. Finish a glass of water or so. … The next morning Sinhali woke up early and decided to go and sit with Trijata. Trijata was not far from where mother Sita was sitting and was chanting the brahma taraka nama on beads: Hare krsna, Hare krsna, Krsna krsna, Hare hare / Hare rama, Hare rama, Rama rama, Hare hare. Sinhali just listened and leaned on Trajata’s big body and nodded off from time to time, but actually it as really ecstatic. She wanted to be just like Tijata. Especially since Princess Sita seemed to really appreciate Trijata’s japa, rosary. Sinhali, “Trijata, when I try to chant my attention always goes to my belly and stuff.” Trijata, “Sit up straight and try to say the mantra from your heart. Hare krsna, hare krsna…” Sinhali, “ Then so many plans come into my head.” Trijata, “In the Nectar of Instruction it says the mind can be controlled by chanting Hare Krsna or by making plans how to serve Krsna, but Krta-akarma told me that he heard a lecture from Srila Prabhupada where he said, ‘so, you can make plans for serving Krsna, but better just to chant Hare Krsna’. I try to let the thoughts in my head, belly and genitals just come and go as the Maha-mantra dictates. They are guests, servants, of the Maha-mantra. If the plans develop, if strong enough feelings about them develop and there is willing to do them, then O.K. That is all because they are favored by the Maha-mantra.” Sinhali, “Trijata…” Trijata, “Just chant.” Sinhali, “Hare Krsna….. Rama….” They just chanted, watched Mother Sita offer Mangala-arati and saw the sun come up and Ravana visit and try to seduce Sita-devi. (picture of japa beads) Chapter Five Back to the Beginning Trijata and Princess Sita, along with Sinhali and Vibhisana’s good wife, Sarama, where sitting under the Simhsa tree. Sita was always hankering to be in the company of Rama, but She got relief from these ladies during the wait. She had made a little altar from leaves and other things where She sometimes set Rama’s Ring and worshipped it and sang for it. She asked the Trijata if she also had and altar. Trijata blushed a little and said that she was just a gross, low-class girl, not at all like Sita and Sarama. She recited: We Worship Our Japa Beads Smooth as 108 Saligrama-silas, Serving Krsna in all of His Lilas, Though made of wood, one-hundred and eight, They are so great. We dance for Them, sing for Them, offer Them lunch. Collect five kinds of flowers and give Them a bunch. What are They? Who are They? Does anyone know? Cows or bright Gopis, Upanishads strung in a row? Wash out Their bead-bag, it’s Their temple quite grand, Keep Them hung round you neck when you walk run or stand. Sita said, “Trijata, you life is very simple. You don’t have too many things”. Trijata blushed again and said, “No, if I have to go some place I just make sure I have my Japa beads and a copy of Rama’s Ring (Upadesamrta) to study and a few more simple things.” “What else,” asked Sita? “Well I have my Sri Lanka driver’s license to satisfy the King, Ravana, and …”, started Tijata. “But 108 is so many beads,” interrupted Sinhali, whinning. “But we can divide Them into groups,” replied Trijata quickly looking at Sita for approval. Sita nodded. “Krishna has his thousands of cows divided into 108 groups. There are four groups with twenty-five sub-divisions each based on the four primary colors. Then there are eight special groups, like the eight special Gopis”, continued Trijata. “What are Their names, the eight principle Gopi friends of Radharani,” asked Sarama. “Sudevi, Ranga-devi, Indulekha, Visakha, Lalita, Campaka-lata, Citra and Tungavidya”, replied Trijata, about to burst with pride, “and if you look at each bead while you are chanting you can see that each bead is different. I hope that some day they tell me Their names, each one. I try to massage them, each one, so that they feel good. I try to install the Brahma-taraka-nama, the Maha-mantra, in each one so that later in the day it will be there and save me from hell.” “But you are trying to worship Sri Sri Radha-krsna in your heart of hearts, so why do you keep so much emphasis on a deity made of material elements,” examined Sarama. “But even the Maha-mantra is made of material elements,” replied Trijata slyly. “What do you mean,” enquired Sarama? “Well, whether you worship the Deity in the form of stone, wood, bronze, picture or sound they are all material elements. I mean the Name Allah is venerable, correct?” Trijata. “Yes,” replied Sarama. “So, the Lord always incarnates so that we have access to Him, otherwise it would be hopeless. My Japa beads are associates of the Lord of my heart,” Tijata. “Who is He,” enquired Sita devi. Trijata just blushed and wouldn’t say. She changed the subject, “Do you know Vibhisana’s Uncle?” Sarama said with a little surprise, “You mean the Uncle Gismo, the Magician?” “Yes,” said Trijata, “When he discovered I was doing Visnu Japa he told me a very instructive story. He said that once there was a devotee of Visnu who would finish his prescribed 16-rounds on his Japa beads every day, Hare Krsna, Hare Rama, but he had a wicked mind so he tried to finish them quickly, and would not pronounce clearly with attention, intelligence, intention, love. Eventually he died and in some ways quite amazing he went to the spiritual world. And when he got there he saw a very ugly, misshapen Deity of Krsna. In some horror he asked, ‘Who are You’, and the Diety replied, ‘I am “Here Kitty, Kitty, Here Kitty Kitty…” and you have been calling my Holy Name all you life and now you have to stay with me for ever.’ The lazy Brahmacari devotee howled!”. Sinhali laughed so hard she snorted and covered her face. All laugh. Al nodded. Trijata continued, “That’s when he explained to me that it doesn’t matter if the Ikon is silver brass, thought, wood or sound. It is still an authorized form. He told me, “Chant the Mantra very carefully,” because I was constructing a Diety and if it was ugly I would be stuck with it forever. I was frightened.” “Ooof”, said Sinhali, who then got up to go finish her rounds a few paces from the group. She was chanting 25-rounds a day and had only finished eighteen and it was already 4:58PM. But she just went a little bit away and walked back and forth. None of them wanted to leave Sita alone unless the Princess wanted it. Get up early and get your rounds done! Chapter Six Before the Ring Rama’s Ring, the Upadesamrta, is complete in eleven verses. We outlined them before. Verse one is the basic theme, occupy your senses in the service of Krsna. Then in Texts Two and Three Srila Rupa Goswami gives six things that will hinder this and six things that will help this. Before all this, however, is the Preface. In a writer’s guide to literature we found the explanation that a Preface of a book should include the aim of the book, the qualifications of the author, the qualifications expected of the reader and the circumstances under which the book was written. For example, “This current book on Calculus was written in academic year 2003-2004 when myself and my fellow teachers at Mudge High School decided that there was no good High School textbook for introductory Calculus. It is expected that the student will have finished Analytical Geometry before beginning to study this text”. The Preface to the NOI is very short, one page, and actually includes an Introduction as well. We see that it prefaces the NOI by stating its disciplic succession as is common in many Bhaktivedanta books. * Krishna * Radharani * Gopis * Sri Caitanya Maha-prabhu * Gaudiya-vaisanavas * Rupa Goswami * Six Goswamis: Rupa, Sanatana, Bhatta Raghunatha, Gopal Bhatta, Dasa Raghunatha, Srila Jiva Goswami * Narottama Das Thakura * Krishna Consciousness Movement * You and Me. Did we forget anybody? Then the content is introduced starting with the first verse, control your senses. It also puts the Upadesamrta in the same group as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Siksastaka and at the beginning of a list of Rupa Goswami’s books that we have seen other places in Srila Prabhuapada’s books: Upadesamrta (Nectar of Instruction) Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (Nectar of Devotion) Vidagdha and Lalita-madhava A summary, the complete science of Bhakti-yoga and a demonstration in two dramas. Let’s study all these references cited by Srila Prabhupada, Siksastakam, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Vidagdha and Lalita, songs of Narottama Dasa Thakura. Why not take NOI as a study guide to the Bhaktivedanta Library? ! Well, whatever, unless we chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna all the time there is no meaning to anything else. We are attacked by all these superficial aches and pains and worrisome thoughts. Ooooof! But when we chant with meaning, meaning from the KRSNA Book or Nectar of Instruction et al, we can feel an intense ecstasy in our heart as it begins to wake up, grumbles, cries. Preface and Introduction to Text One. We are following Narottama Das Thakur, the Six Goswamis. See them all on the Internet. Chapter Seven Sinhali Sinks Supraprata Sinhali had a friend named Supraprata. They were both the same age, something like teen-agers. Supra came to see Sinha one day when she was in the Asokavan guarding Sita-devi. Supra – Hey Sinhali, how’s the life. Sinhali- Haw! Haw! Haw! Can’t complain and you? Su – O.K. but you still a No-Man-Eater? Sin – Haw! Haw! Haw! No-Man-Eater! I given up all kinds of meat. Su - ????!?!^%%!?? Sinhali – Yeah, and then I gave up bread and beans!? Su-!@#$%^&*(!!?? Sinhali – Now a real wicked meal for me is Crunchy P-Nut butter and Strawberry Jam. Su – But you’ll die! I’m gonna tell Trijata. Sin - Haw! Haw! Haw! It’s her idea. What kind of pump do I need. Mother Sita’s not gonna kick us in the brisket and then run for it. We are cultivating our internal conduct. We gonna see the fairies fly’n in the sky. Su – That’s just crazy: No Men, Fish, No Eggs, No Beans, No Bacon, No bread, No Tamales, No Pizza and now just Fruit, Milk and Nutz, and baked carrots and potatoes on a good day. Si – Try this Supraprata, dear. Su – Drinking a few mouthfuls of Sinhalis Gorillla Glop and wiping her chin, “Ooom, not bad. What is it?” Si – One avocado or banana, big glop of organic p-nut butter, few toasted almonds, two handfuls of raisins and then some odd fruit like pears or mangos or apples or grapes. Put it all in the blender with enough milk to make it liquid and offer the results to Trijata. She offers it to her deitys and then we take the remnants. Su – Pretty good. To hell with Human Flesh, move over. Who are her deities? Si – Don’t tell anybody but I think They are Sita and Her husband. Su – Well, maybe our King Ravana will change his ways and give Sita back to Rama. Pass the G. Glop. * * * Sinhali’s wisdom: Vidya-vadu-jivanam (Remember the Siksastaka mentioned in the Preface of the NIO? You can find the whole thing in the last Chaper of the Caitanya-caritamrta at www.krishna.com) In the first of the Siksastakam’s eight verses this phrase appears. Vidya-vadu-jivanam, this Nama-japa, Hare Krsna, Hare Rama, is the life and wife of all knowledge. I mean if you are chanting and you don’t know what to do or think, that’s the way it supposed to be. Don’t strive for knowledge. That will enter your head and heart automatically if you are chanting continuously. Do you know what I mean? Actually this whole Minding Monkey is being written by that process. The Author just chants and the ideas come and the fingers fly … over the key-board, over the pie! Pie for Sri Rama. Chapter Eight Sarama’s Questions Sarama – What did Hanuman discuss with Sita when he was here? Trijata – Three things. He first attracted Her attention and got Her preliminary confidence with the Light of the Bhagavata (KRSNA book). Then he really showed his bona-fides with the Nectar of Instruction. After he had engulfed Lanka in flames and before he left to report to Rama, Princess Sita asked him to please stay for a little while longer and talk with Her about the Lord. Sarama – Please don’t stop your discussions of Light of the Bhagavata nor the Upadesamrta, but please tell us what They discussed before Hanuman again jumped across the ocean. Follows Trijata’s discussion but let us interject here that we, Monkey, the Novice, Hanuman, the Victorious Fighting Buddha did return to Kishkinda and were making our report to Sri Rama about this time. We described the scene with great detail for our Lord. Purnaprajna das rwcarol@montramail.com describes some of this so nicely in his telling fo the Ramayana. “Finding Sita to be adamant [in rejecting Ravana’s advances], the Rakshasis picked up spears, axes and knives and began to threaten her as they surrounded her. One of them shouted, “You are young, soft and tender. I will eat your heart, liver and spleen this very moment if you do not submit to Ravana.” Others exclaimed, “I will savor your succulent thighs!” “I will drink you hot blood!”… Finally, Sita could no longer bear to hear these ghastely remarks so she burst into tears. While violently trembling with fear she cried out, again and again, “O Rama! O Laksmana!” While shedding incessant tears, Sita lamented, “Why doesn’t Rama come here and save me?... Desiring to end her lige, Sita took the string that bound her hari, and after knotting it tightly around her neck she began to tie the other end to a branch of the Asoka tree that She was sitting under… All the while, Hanuman had remained listening to Sita and the Rakshasis. Now, he considered the situation as follow…” Now, we understand one meaning of the Maha-mantra to be like that: Oh, Hara, please do not despair. Krsna and Rama, Rama and Laksmana, are always thinking about you and contriving the means to free you. Please call upon Their Names, Krsna! Rama!, and ask Them to find some way to engage you in Their service once again! … Meanwhile the discussions between Sarama, the wife of Vibhisana, Trijata and Simhali continue. Trijata – Sita and Hanuman discussed the glories of Sri Rama’s lotus feet, the first two Canos of Srimad Bhagavatam . Sarama – Do you remember what They discussed? Tell us. Trijata – My Lady, it was so much. They had hundreds of mouths, levels of meanings. I can remember some but the Parrots were there. They were listening. I’ve already been bribing them with grapes so that they will remember and repeat it all little by little! (Better than i-pods.) I hope they are smart enough to keep their mouths shut when our King is around though. Sarama – So what do you remember now? Trijata - 1) We don’t need to know anything, remember in the head, organize any thing in the head by rules of Euclidean Geometry, about SB. Hearing, explaining and contemplating SB is too associate with the Lord, to get free from our long-standing taste for selfish, material sense gratification, and then to be able to inspire others in the same way, especially through the practical media of book distribution. We must base it all on chanting the Brahma-taraka-nama under the shelter of Srila Prabhupada. Sarama – Quite a book. Trijata – 2) I guess later I could explain what I understood about how the SB fits into the whole library of books that Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami will give to the Western world, the Bhaktivedanta Library. 3) Then also, Sita and Hanuman discussed how the first two Cantos, Pada-padma, fit into the all 12-cantos, SB Summary, and finally they made a Canto 1 & 2 Summary. Sarama – Little by little. little by little, but we shan’t dally. But, we can worship Rama with our intelligence. It will say so in the BG As It Is. So, what should we know about the first two Cantos. Trijata – I am no one to instruct anybody, but it seems to me that one should know them in Summary. He should know the titles of all 30-Chapters/Introduction . And have them divided into groups according to topics. Sarama – Such as. Trijata - Canto One, Chapters One-Three are the SB as spoken by Suta to the Sages, and Four to Six are Narada to Vyasa. It is all in Their Summary. We should know that like we know that Krsna has ten toes and maybe Their Names. Sarama – Seems one should have her own Notes. Trijata – Certain it would seem like: 1) Form of the organization of all 30-Chapters, 2) Groups of Verses within each Chapter, like verses 1-22 talk about this, and verses 23-27 talk about this, and then 3) a Topical Index. That should be so that you can find and show people where to find answers to their questions. Sarama - Very nice. For example, I have heard that the Lord will incarnate in a marvelous incarnation as the son of Mother Saci in the next Kali-yuga. Will there be any place in the BBT SB where we can find that? Trijata – Yes, in the Introduction, there will be a 30-page biography of this Lord, Caitanya. Sarama – Just the right size. But this system of Varna and Ashrama is so essential for we who are not pure devotees. It is good way to organize service in this world. It is good example for the non-devotees. Will there be like a two or three page summary of the complete Vedic Social Philosophy in the BBT SB. Trijata – (About to burst and explode) Yes, yes, in the Chapter, the Disappearance of Bhismadeva, there will be two Purports with just that. Sarama – Some day I would like to see your Notes. Trijata – I think the BBT SB will also have an good Index. Sarama – “A” good Index. Trijata – “A” good Index. Sarama – Twelve Canto Summary. Two Canto Summary. Individual Chapter Summaries. Personal Index by Topics and…. Trijata – We should Memorize more and more, maybe thirty essential Verses, the whole book, but always because they answer specific preaching questions. If we have all these tools we can give lectures and lectures and lectures on SB, and discuss it with enlightened audiences like Sri Hanuman was able to do with Princess Sita. Sarama – He remembered all these things? Trijata – A lot. Especially for a Monkey! But … Simhali – Captain Beauphat says that Lord Siva is the greatest god. Will there be a verse that talks about that. Trijata – I was talking with Mataji! Sarama – No, no it’s a good question/ Trijata – I can remember: eta camsa sakal pumsam, krsnas tu bhagavana svayam. The list of incarnations that Suta Goswami will give in Chapter Three include Sri Krsna, but then he says this verse. All the other incarnations are portions or portions of portions of the original form of the Supreme Lord, but the Supreme Lord is Krsna. Simhalli – Why is that. Sarama – Because He is so beautiful. It takes the whole book, 10-Cantos to show this. Trijata - Where was I… Oh, Hanuman’s memory. He remembered a lot, but he also had really nice jewels. One that he pulled off an arm-band on his left bicep had all his notes stored down. (Kind of like a Thumb Drive/Memory Stick). Simhali – And make it all into movies and dances so that we can just watch. Sita – Boo! Bop! Shee! Bop! Rama Raghava, Rama Raghava…. They hadn’t seen Her coming next to them and listening so they quickly offered obeisances. Evening had come and Sinhali had some rounds to finish so she asked if she could walk back and forth at a little distance and Sita said, “Of course, Pumpkin, why do you even ask? I will just sit here with Trijata and Sarama”. Simhali – Blushed. She wondered if Princess Sita just liked her and that’s why She called her, “Pumpkin”, or if she we getting fat. Sita and Trijata and Sarama discussed more holy scripture but that that will be for us later. There will be time. But not too much for by now Sri Hanuman has already reached Kishkinda with his fellows and informed Rama of the results of the search. Very soon they will be marching on Lanka. Reader – Can you also write about the Search, how Hanuman and the Vanaras found Sita? How we can help? Writer – That’s our second book, no????? %%%Appendix Glossary Lila – Sports, pastimes. Saligram Silas – See Wikipedia. Briefly self manifesting stones that are incarnations of Visnu, God. Upanishads – The highly philosophical parts of the Vedas. See Wikepedia. 43