Haridwar Kumbha Mela ☀*1974☼ Baba Sripadji, Sri Anandamayi Ma, Sadhus and Friends

                                 

                                          .¸¸.•*`*•.✽(¯`••´¯)
                                                           .*•.¸.•*★•.¸¸.•*`*• ☆
                                                   Haridwar Khumbh Mela 1974
                

                                           Maji at Kumbha Mela Haridwar 1974

 

Baba Sripadji

                                                           Babaji with Sant Dasji

L to R:  Sri Vishnu Dasji, 'Russi Radha' (Prof. Natalya Sazanova), Sri Bhanu Bhai,
Sri Radha Mohan and Sri Asim Krishna Dasji beside the Ganga at the Kumbha Mela  1974

                                                                   

                                             Swami Vishnu Dasji of Maharashtra

                                            Baba Sripadji with That mystical smile!
                                                     
                                              ☀*Haridwar Kumbha Mela 1974☼

The Divine 'Hariali Tij' *ღ☆¸.•°*♥

             Sri Shyamsunder and Sri Radhaji seated on the holy swing, 'Jhula'!

    The blissful mysterious, sacred rainy month of Sravan is observed in the incessent pouring forth of nectarean showers, filling the waters of Sri Jamunaji to overflowing ~ like the shower of Divine Grace!
     Ah, the bountiful clouds roaming in the vast heavens murmur their secret rejoicing in the resplendent beauty of the lush green groves amidst which Sri Radha & Sri Krishna are seated in a swing attended by their Sakhis.  The climax of this bhav merges in that occasion called 'Hariali Tij' when everywhere seems clothed in an immense and wonderful green robe, enhancing the enchanting sight of the Divine Couple swinging in the clustered retreats.
    On this day of 'Hariali Tij', Sri Bankey Bihari in the mood of enjoying this blissful month of showers bestows His gracious 'darshan' upon His devotees from His swing in the superbly decorated shrine.  His swinging into the heart of His devotees resembles the infinite eternity, beginningless, endless.  All thoughts leave the mind but that one which seeks to become His playmate on His swing.  In this way He transcends one across the limitations of the phenomenal world perception, beyond the three-fold veil of waking, dreaming and deep sleep states to behold His blissful swing, revolutionizing the life to its complete dedication to His sweet Divine will.
    In these days, the Ras Lila reaches its climax to the accompaniment of the songs composed by the saints and sung in the same harmony of the swing.
    And at present, as the life of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji unfolds day by day before the crowd of ardent devotees, the resounding cry of "Hari bol!" is pervading the hearts of all with the sublime ecstasy of Lord Gauranga.  Observing the ecstatic dance showers the fervour of Sri Chaitanya's consciousness, merging one in the bliss of his divine mood. The life of Mahaprabhuji increases the devotion to Sri Krishna who, accompanied by Sri Radha, has incarnated in this form as Sri Chaitanya.  From time to time to establish God-consciousness, He Himself incarnates on this earth, and the perennial inspiration of His Divine incarnations ceaselessly beckons the world unto His eternal Divinity.


From the letters of Baba Sripadji
Vrindavan,
August 1974

 

 

First Time Seeing Baba Sripadji

    Sripadji had said he would come and there was a lot of anticipation of that
coming. In these days of July 1971 my first visit I would simply sleep on a mat 
and Swamiji would stay upon his wooden bed. There was an Akhanda Jyot,
a small oil lamp, which was always lit inside his kutia. After lying down at
night to sleep the first time I vaguely woke-up, I saw Swamiji in that glowing
light sitting up in blissful meditation. I quickly sat up also to meditate, not to
miss an opportunity in this saint's presence. And it was so good!! When again
I opened my eyes I saw him lying flat on his back. I immediately lied down to
rest. This would happen four or five times a night  and my night sleep became
very subtle. I was extremely happy to have all these moments of silent
meditation with Swamiji. On about the 4th night suddenly Swamiji rose up
and in three steps was out of the kutia chanting Om! Om! I sat up and
waited, in the dim light I saw it was 5:00 am! After 10 mins. or so Swamiji
returned with a very beautiful and radiantly silent young sadhu. Swamiji said
that Balyogiji Sripad had been meditating outside for 2 and a half hours! I
vividly remember first seeing his feet, then he also sat on the floor in an even
more intense, vibrant silence. Yet there was so much communication! I never
had such an experience of energy and light before!! Swamiji was aglow
making tea.  But I was so ecstatic that tears ran down my cheeks! Words
all disappeared from the mind that seemed itself dizzily enchanted. Fully
charmed by the One totally in the Sublime Bhava of Sri Radha Krishna!! 
This state was always the case for me whenever I was in his company!



                                     'Vibhor, Vichitr, Vimohit Sri Krishna!'

                                                         Sri Sripad Babaji
                                                       Mussoorie July1971

Baba Sripadji and I ~*~

At the Lotus Feet of the Master   .•*•. ♥                                          

 Shyama Gori, Nitya Kishori, Pritam Jori, Sri Radhe
Rasika Rasilo, Chaila Chabilo Guna Garbillo Sri Krishna

I will not come back
Oh mighty Excellence Thakurji
Whenever I meet you face to face
you prove my helplessness
                    
The ancient tales tell the story of your sweetness
The invitation to accept it
The compassionate relationship that heals wounds

What is the logic
That makes your every decision supreme
And my every prayer a helpless question

Have you seen the silvery  Himalayas
Making gestures of affection
Laughing at the life of the mundane world

Merging into that ambrosia I cannot invite you
You always prefer the river bank from where
You can cross over with Grace when the time comes

 You were so moody in Your  Excellence
When you believed to challenge the depths to surrender
You make your unseen beckoning hands

In this inner pondering whenever I  lost my consciousness
Sometimes I am so close to you to whom I might say Friend or Celestial
Ah! it is that state of merging

I could have returned to that wealth and affection the mundane world
But by the Grace of Your Transcendent Lila I am submerged
Slowly but surely It has bound me O long before


राधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधेराधे●राधे
Poem in a letter from Baba
Sri Vrindavan 1971

¸¸.•*`*•☆Baba Shripadji☆•*`*•.¸¸

  
      From the first day I met him, my life became a series of incredible events  The initial glimpse was classic; beneath a huge ancient tree that had been revered with a circular platform built up around it's base sat a lone man wrapped casually in hand loomed cloth, dread locks spread over his shoulders and he was surrounded by an air of deep contentment and peace.

      Shripad Babaji was a sadhu of the old school.  Once I had asked him what he had gotten from his Guru.  Without missing a beat he answered, "Vairag" ( total relinquishment).  This I found to be true.

      Until the day he left his mortal body, Babaji was true to himself and the sadhu tradition. He actually cared far too little for his own bodily existence.  He was full of care and also careless.  His own burning desire was to make anyone around him increase their love and complete attachment to God and nothing else.  Absolutely nothing else.  None were spared that came near.  It was not always easy, not ever initially easy to understand at the time, but his teachings by actual example and situation would unfold and their meaning would be revealed sometimes even several years later.  

      Babaji called it " the wholey man's workshop", (double meaning pun intended), the living teaching as handed down from preceptor to pupil for generations. Babaji's memorable teachings live on in his beloved's hearts.      

        Shantananda Bharti

        Dharamkot, Dharamsala
           June 3,2013

                                                        ☆¸.•°*♥ हरी ॐ *ღ☆¸.•°*

Young Baba Shripadji and the book~ *.✽In The Hours of Meditation*.✽

                                                                                                                                                                                                           
   "Work to thine utmost, and then to thine utmost be resigned."

"Regard all thy moods as mere body moods;  remain aloof, thou art the Soul."

"Be self-possessed and remain unattached. For what thou mayst  think and
feel today may not move thee on the morrow ... in thy real nature, thou art
independent of both idea and emotion."...

"In Love and in Realization there are no barriers."

Voice of Divinity-
   "There is a Love which knows no limits, which is everywhere, which is in the
presence of Death, and which is all tender even in the terrible. I am That Love.
There is a Love which is Unutterably Sweet, which welcomes all pain, which
welcomes all fear, which drives away all sadness, which is where so ever thou
dost search for it. I am That Love. Oh, I am the very Essence of That Love.
And O! My own self, I, That Love, am Thine Own Self, my nature is Love!"

                                                       ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ

       How sublimely prompted by the Divine this book came to us!  It was a
gift of Swami Jnananandaji and he told this story of Baba Shripadji.Swamiji
said that he used to roam with a young balyogi, who is a saint.  And now
I know so many stories of his life.  He could speak little English then, and
Swamiji knew only a little Hindi, but their language was mainly on a higher
Divine plane. One day, he said they were deep in a jungle, and out of Bal
Yogiji's mouth slowly came the words,"In The Hours of Meditation".
From a deep mood immersed in Divine Love, he made him understand
that there is a book ... in English, which most explains his own feelings.
Sometimes, Swamiji said, he felt he was in the presence of God Himself.
The bal  yogi was so tuned to the Infinite! Swamiji spent two years trying
to locate this book. Even as I read it I could feel the presence of the bal
yogiji. for I knew him through Swamiji, and his vibrations are clear. The
book is most Divinely inspired and I can see why and how Balyogi Sripadji
could catch it's name through the either.

       Knowingly or unknowingly we are constantly in search of the Source,
this beauteous attraction in all, so cleverly disguised. This is His game the
play of Life.  To those of good fortune He reveals Himself for a moments
bliss, a hint of His depth, a glimpse of Infinite height, that one may discover
Thine own Nature and dispel illusions hold. Thy Nature is Divine!
 Beyond the individual, which is just an idea that thou art confined to a
single form, thou art in truth Infinite! When you lose yourself, the idea
of being an individual, you shall be immersed again in God, you shall be One.
Indivisible! Like the rays of the Sun cannot be separated from the Sun,
so is the soul in God. .¸¸.•*`*•.✽

                                         In The Hours of Meditation  .¸¸.•*`*•.✽

A Tribute to Baba Shripadji

A Tribute to Sri Sripad Babaji Maharaj by Chandrika Shantananda

Babaji's lifetime was lived in the true tradition

of a vairagi sadhu, and on Dec. 31, 1996

he passed out of it in the same noble manner.

His life intention was to awaken souls to

what he often referred to as the 'clarion call',

the Divine Flautist calling all to live in

conscious awareness.

       For thousands of people through India and in many countries abroad as
well, the year closed with significance and a greater transition than we could
have imagined by an event that will not only remain inscribed in our memories,
but in history as well.  On new year's eve of 1996, one of the most renowned
mystics of our time left his mortal coil and us behind.  The Hindi newspapers
reported it in a beautifully poetic manner as did the 'Jai' victory chants in the
funeral procession, hailing the liberation from the bodily encumbrance and
subsequent meeting with the divine.  With these words still echoing through
this numb body, I cannot help but feel only a deep sense of loss, along with
many others.  That hazy day in Vrindavan when he set out on the last journey,
there were few dry eyes to be found.
       He had been remembered as a child yogi, careless of even minimal
comforts and no personal attachments.  When he travelled, he went with
himself and no baggage.  He never used footwear except for once, I heard,
when he was travelling with a sannyasi he wore one sandal!   It seems that
on the way the sannyasi had left his sandals behind out of respect for Babaji.
Having understood the discomfort of the sannyansi, on both accounts, Baba
insisted upon wearing one sandal while the Sannyasi wore the other! Such
was the sense of compassion. Babaji's ways and means were most
extraordinary, and could not be comprehended by the ordinary mind. He
endeavored to pierce the intellectual function and mind set of those
associated with him that they may develop the intuitive faculty in what he
called the inner sanctum of the mind.
       Babaji never wore stitched clothing and preferred simple or hand-
loomed dhoties.  Even in the deep Himalayas, he could be found casually
draped in a shawl after a cold river bath.  His hair fell in naturally matted locks.  Babaji's unattachment to his own body came from inside.  It was not something to show to the world. It was an overflowing of his natural state of being.
       Babaji lived in a state of detachment and left the world that way.  The disciple who was with him for his last days told about the preparations he made for Mahasamadhi, although the student had not imagined it to be so at the time.  Babaji's leaving his body happened much the same way as a man who would get up from a chair quite willing to stretch his legs.  For several days, he had abandoned external activities; he had no interest in eating  or communicating, except for necessary instructions of the moment.  He remained for hours in a seated posture.  Clearly, he remained conscious in his one pointed concentration.  A doubting man approached him wondering about his quietude, and Babaji surprised the man, telling the man his own phone number and telling him that he would eventually understand!  After that he remained in silence until he joined his Beloved and blissful union.
       Babaji's sammadhi-postured body was then taken to Vrindavan, the place he cherished the most, and remained enshrined for two days while thousands passed through to pay a last homage at the Vraja Academy, where he was the founding acharya.  Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians all came to Babaji.  On the third day, the procession set out through the narrow streets he had loved, making brief stops along the way to Yamunaji.  A band playing devotional songs led the entourage of hundreds accompanying the heavily garlanded palanquin.  Winding through the lanes, to the background of continuous salutations, policemen cleared the way.  The procession stopped at all his favorite temples and pujaris; residents emerged from houses to offer flowers and cloth, many joining in the last pilgrimage. 
       Perhaps a quarter of the town's population gathered at the banks of the Yamuna along with devotees from as far off as America.  As Babaji was carried onto a boat, a dozen or so others set out, bowing low in the water as the crowds looked on.  Downstream at the shrine of Devaraha Babaji's, where he had taken jal samadhi too, just a few years back, Babaji went to the familiar waters where he had so often sat in meditation.  Vedic mantras were recited as the last rites were performed by disciples.  Babaji and Devaraha Babaji were soul companions, and both would have been honored to share this sacred space.
       Babaji's last journey through the holy village that he had reveled in for so many years was nothing less than remarkable and a fitting tribute to such a great soul.  During the procession itself several devotees received intuitive messages from Babaji.  It was an honor to share these last kilometers in the company of a great saint.  Many felt that Babaji was still guiding them in his playful way.
       Babaji's life intention was to awaken souls to what he often referred to as the clarion call, the Divine Flautist calling all to live a life of conscious awareness.  He was dedicated to the work of waking up sleepy minds and dormant bodies. And above all, instilling a burning love for God within one's heart.
       Babaji was no parable-speaking, soft-spoken saint to make anyone feel better about themselves.  In fact, he was a hard task-master who relentlessly exposed you to the depths of your demons, pushed all your buttons and poked holes in your boat, if you still persisted in taking the easy way rather than to confront the rapids of life.  No one was spared if they dared to stay more than twenty-four hours.  Some got it sooner.  He maintained a unique and special relationship with each and every one who came to him.  He took special joy acting as the mirror to people.
       Babaji loved the verses of the saint poets and told many stories about their lives.  When he would talk about a mahatma or his own deity, he would become so immersed in that reality that you knew he was living there.  He had that rare quality of evoking a divine mood at will, and he longed to share this ecstasy of divine love, so that we may also be infused with a passionate thirst and yearning for God.  Many of his stories seemed to come by chance, just at the need of the hour to answer a question.  Babaji would rarely give a direct reply to any intellect; his answers came in a more subtle, indirect way, that they may touch the depth of the soul. 
       He had a special interest in the preservation of the Indian culture and fusing the traditional with the new age of science. The subject most dear to his heart was the environmental protection of holy pilgrimage places, rivers and the Himalayas. 
       Babaji was a revered teacher, master, saint and yogi to many, and his extraordinary personality and spiritual guidance will be missed by them.  May the strength of his teaching be kept alive in their hearts!

Bal Yogi Sripadji and Alice Boner

 

                            ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ

      To prepare one for any future stories, unusual tales if you 
will, of Baba Sripadji this one event shared with me very 
recently by Swami Jnananandaji must be kept in mind. 
      Swamiji said, ' Once when Sripadji was a very young Sadhu 
we were in Banaras sitting with Alice Boner, (Alice Boner,1889-1981,
was a Swiss artist and scholar of Indian art who had made Varanasi her home
from 1936 to 1978.) She asked Sripadji, 'What kind of Sadhu are you?"
 He casually pointed down the street and said, "See that dog there
walking with his master, he is a 'regular dog'. Now see that one 
over there, the street-dog, moving here and there, wherever and
whenever he likes.  He is an irregular dog! 
                                               I am an irregular sadhu!!"

      And this is what actually made Baba Sripadji so specially 
unique, heartfelt, inspiring and intense!   No matter which
form of God one adored he could connect with that individual
in a miraculous way touching the Soul!

                      ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ


     

Sant Gulab Singhji & Sripad Babaji

                                                          « ҉ »  श्री   « ҉ »

Bring back the one who left.
Lure him with music
or any irresistible pretext.

If he says, I will be there in a little while,
that is part of his beguiling,
his art that can tie strands of water into knots
and make weavings of the wind.

Do not accept those.
Bring the presence!

Sit down within that and live inside
what is beyond physical beauty,
beyond the sun's extravagance
or the handsomeness of human beings.

Yemen has the most exquisite rubies,
but the one I want to see
coming through the door
is the one who lives here. ~

                               ~ RUMI ~
                         
                                          ~ Translated by Coleman Barks

                                                          « ҉ »  श्री   « ҉ »

Badrinath ~ Dattatreya Rama Rao Parvatikarji Maharaj

 

  Swami Parvatikarji Maharaj  in Badrinath

Vina Maharajji

Vina Maharajji  Badrinath Dham

                      Swami Parvatikarji Maharaj and Baba Sripadji Sri Badrinathji c. 1975

    Swami Dattatreya Rama Rao Parvatikarji (1916-1990), is seen here
playing his 'Brahma Veena', as he called it, at the Badrinath Temple.
    He said it was the only one left in existence and that he had to help in the
making of it himself, getting several strings added to the lower side (like a
harp).  It had a truly mystical sound.  Swamiji would be here during the entire
season that the presiding deity resided in Badri Nath Dham. Because of an
 introduction letter from Babaji, I was able to stay as a guest with a family
of Swamiji's dear desciples, who succeeded in persuading me to stay on
one month instead of three days! He would daily sit in the temple compound
and would teach me the swaras, and when others would come we would all
sing kirtana lead by him. "Sriman Narayan, Narayan". Interesting was his
morning practice of first having bath in Tapt Kund, a natural hot mineral
spring, and then immediately having an ice cold bath in the grace-filled
river of Alakananda.  And after this he would do yogasanas in the sunshine
beside the river, ending them with Shishasana, headstand, and that alone for at
least 15 mins.
          
   Although Swamiji spent all his Spring and Summer days in Sri Badrinath
Dham, we were surprised to see that his own 'Ishtadev', form of worship
was Sri Narsinghji Bhagavan! That amazing image could be held in one
hand, and he was seated on a throne with the child Prahladji on one knee
and Sri Laxmi Devi on the other.
   Whenever I set with Swamiji in inside the temple area we would sing
and he would tell us amazing stories of the grace of Sri Badri Narayana,
and His devotees.  Only once did I see him in Sri Vrindavan, when there
was the special music festival there in Niddhi Van of Swami Hari Dasji
Samaro.
         Several times He has been on TV, the 'Door Darshan featured
 him playing his unique 'Brahma Veena' and singing beautiful bhajans.
          He is one of the very beautiful saints of India whose grace and
blessings I will always treasure.
                 
                                                          

                                                                Baba Sripadji in Badrinath
                                                                 

                                                                     Swami Vimalanandaji

                                                                               

                                                                               

                                                                             

Swami Vimalanandaji and Baba Sripadji at Badrinathji 

just before Deevali!!   

     

                                               
                                                                 
                                                        ~*~ Jai Jai Badri Vishal! ~*~    

Baba Sripadji and George Harrison

 

      This was in Jai Singh Gera, Vrindavan 1974, the morning after
 the walk at the Jamunaji, after an early music session of Raga
Bharavi by Pt. Ravi Shankarji on Sitar. Then we all set on the grass
here having refreshments. Babaji told us about George's new song,
'My Sweet Lord", and he had this same smile on his face as he spoke, 
I remember! George was telling me about his song 'I am missing you!'
... Oh, Krsna! Where are you?

¸. *ღ☆¸.•°*♥  हरी ॐ !․☆¨´`'*°☆.¸.☆¨´`'*°☆ ․☆¨´`'*°☆.¸.☆¨´`'*°☆
                                                           இڿڰۣڿڰღ

Swami Mukund Hariji Maharaj and Sri Asim Krishna Dasji

    
      Swami Mukund Hari Maharajji is one of the first Saints I met with Baba
Sripadji when I came to Vrindavan, in 1971 and I stayed in his Ashrama,
Sri Hari Nikunj. Totally Delightful and full of Loving kindness was he.
Radha Dasi, Asim Krsna Das and I would often have tea with him in the
afternoon and he would make us laugh with his stories and questions!!
Once on a Christmas Eve he asked us to sing Christmas Carols for him and
we did to his joy, and specially, ours! He was always full of bliss and blessings
whenever I met him!!
     It was a little later that I was to attend his amazing Kirtanas in Delhi and
Chandigarh where hundreds joined, and I came to then understand why he
was known in India by the title of 'Sankirtan Samrat'.
     Years later Asim K Das told me how he first met Swamiji. He said coming
to India then was a traveling adventure for him only and  when he came across
the border into Bhatinda, for some reason further traveling was restricted and
he had to spend some unexpected time there. So he asked the crowd of people
around him, "What is there to do here in your city?" They said there is nothing
entertaining and special to do here and all shook their heads. Then one man
spoke up and said,  "We do have something special here, we have a saint!"
And Asim said, "Oh, that's amazing! The only saints we have in the West are
dead saints!!  Please take me to see him just now!"
      At the end of that first meeting of Asim with Swamiji, after the evening
kirtana, and when all was ended in the wonderful nights at the Bhatinda
Ashrama; Swamiji gave Asim a note and said, " Now, when you go around
seeing India, see also this wonderful person in a place called Vrindavan."
There was written an address and Asim, from New York City, did go there
to meet Sri Krsna and ended spending most the rest of his life at the beloved
feet of the Lord. "Hare Bol!"

             Sri Asim Krishna Das with Baba Sripadji at Vraj Acadamy in Vrindavan

Time with Baba Sripadji discribed by George Harrison

 

                          Beatle George Harrison's tribute to Baba Sripad Maharajji
                              From his book entitled ' Me Mine ':

"India and in particular my experiences in Brindaban (Vrindavan) inspired me to write 'It Is He'.We went to Brindaban where Krishna lived 4,000 years ago. It is one of the holiest cities in India - the whole town is Krishna conscious - everyone, everywhere was chanting 'Hare Krishna' and various permutations on that.It was my most fantastic experience; going to that place was great; Ravi Shankar had arranged somehow that we were to meet Sripad (His Holiness) Maharaj, an ascetic, who spoke some English and who was going to show us around.We arrived there as it was becoming dusk and somebody ran off to try and find him. It's all so ancient, all these little streets and old temples. A girl came back and said 'come with us' and we went down to where the river Jamuna used to flow, but now it's changed its course so it's a dry bed. It was an old Goswami (a spiritual master; one who is in full control of his mind ands senses - Swami means 'teacher' and Go means 'the mind and the senses')'s house we went to. We sat there and had tea and then left after dark.We went off with this man and I didn't know who he was, and we were walking and the more we walked, the more I thought 'God this guy is incredible', everybody was coming up to him, all the time, and touching his feet. He looked like an old beggar; real matted long hair and he wore an old sack robe and had bare feet and all these Swamis with shaved heads and saffron robes were coming and bowing to him and touching his feet.He took us round to every temple in Brindaban and he was known in all of them. I was a stiff Westerner when we started off, but there was a moment when the atmosphere of the place got to me, melting all the bullshit away. I thought about this man a great deal as it became a fantastic, blissful experience for me.Later, they gave us some rooms and we slept for just a few hours until he came and got us at 4 am to go for the morning Puja (literally means an offering. It can also mean a temple service as it does here) in the temple. We'd probably only slept for 3 hours but it was the deepest sleep I ever had in my life and all through the sleep I could hear choirs singing. I still don't know to this day - I don't think it was temples I could hear - I think it was something else - all through the sleep I was hearing huge heavenly choirs - it was a fantastic experience.The next day we went to the garden called Sevakunj famous for Krishna's 'Lila'. Lila is a pastime, a transcendental activity. (maybe you've seen the pictures of all the Gopis (cowherd girl), the girls, and there's a big ring of them and they've all got a Krishna each and are dancing in a circle) Krishna always played there; this was the place where he would hang out and dance.They close this park at sunset until sunrise and nobody's allowed in there at night. The only people who have been in during that time, it has been said, have gone mad or have been found dead. All the birds and animals leave as soon as it's sunset.Inside there is a temple with a big brass bed on the altar, and as each of the different temples depicts a different aspect of Krishna, at this one (because he's been up all night dancing with the Gopis and doesn't get up early), they don't open till about 10am for morning Puja. All the trees, which are so ancient, bow down and the branches touch the ground. Just to walk in that place is incredible.That morning when we came back from the temple at about 5am, it was still dark, and we sat in a room. Sripad started singing a Bhajan ( a devotional song) to which we all sang the answering part, repeating it over and over. I got blissed out with my eyes shut, and didn't want it to stop, even when I felt I was going to stop, we would keep it going on. In the end when it eventually stopped, the sun was so high; it must have been 9 or 10 in the morning - the time had flown by - fantastic.And so he said to me 'why don't you make that into a song? 'So what I did was take that old chant 'Jai Krishna, Jai Krishna, Krishna, Jai Krishna, Jai Sri Krishna, Jai Radhe, Jai Radhe, Radhe, Jai Radhe, Jai Sri Radhe... and then wrote the English words in between the verses.
          'It Is He' was for Sripad Maharaj, a wonderful, humble, Holy man."

RADHA BHAV IN VRINDAVAN

      When the manifestation of the sacred land of Vraj is established
in one's physical being, Vrindavan centralizes itself in the body
as a lotus having innumerable petals, each representing a different
mood of the Lila of the Supreme Lord and his Beloved.  This
Vrindavan exists in the heart.  However, this heart is distinct from
the physical heart, being the universal heart of the microcosm
of this world and within it, and of the macrocosm and outside it.
This is the heart which contains all Grace, all Glory, and all Joy.
And from this heart everything has its existence in the phenomenal,
mundane world.  Every joy one may see, or feel, perceive, or realize
is the very semblance and glance from within the heart.  It is there,
where the spell of Reality wherein the Love and Ecstasy of God 
is established, that the Transcendental Sport of Sri Vrindavan ever
continues.

      When one is treading the path towards the existence of Vrindavan,
as the consciousness of love, suddenly one realizes the presence
of Sri Yamuna flowing nearby. Yamuna signifies the existing manifestation
of Radha and Krishna's splendour as the liquid flow which washes
all deeds, all sins, and even all merits, clean as the very purity of the
Beloved's heart.  For this reason, Srimad Bhagvat relates  how the
Gopies made the vow of bathing daily in the Yamuna in the cold
Winter month of Kartika.  Becoming purified by the efforts of their
penance, their clothes were stolen bu their Beloved Lord.  This action
is metaphorically the stealing of their body-consciousness by which
they became eligible to participate in his Maharas, the Divine Dance,
in which each Gopi found her partner in Lord Krishna.

CONCLUSION

       At the foundation of Sri Vrindavan exists Radha Bhav
within whose silent mutation all hearts, all beings, and all
the universe discover the Divine Realization of the Love
Supreme of Sri Krishna and the Grace Supreme of Sri Radha.
It is within the consciousness of Radha Bhav that the cycle
of thought and deed through its creation, preservation, and
destruction culminates in the innocent, inactive, yet ever
creative Love of Radha-Krishna.  This is the Glory
consummated in the majestic manifestation of Barsana,
to be discovered in the heart as the Love-enlightened
Grace of Sri Radha.

                                              Sri Baba Sripadji

                   

RADHA BHAV IN VRAJ

        The area of eighty-four 'kos' (168 miles) of Vraj, which has been
discovered by realized saints in their visions, contains the holy forest
in which the lakes and trees and all of the vegetable kingdom, and the
cows and the birds and all of the animal kingdom, are manifestations
of the enchanting sport of the Lord.  Here Krishna, as a cowherd,
grazed his cattle to the sweet accompaniment of his flute while wandering
through the luxurious landscapes of Vraj.  In this area which signifies
the blissful sports of Radha-Krishna, he himself plays with his glorious
realization to fulfill his divine ecstasy.  And thus, the area of Vraj is
surcharged with his divinity.  To those saints who in their time realized
this divine glory, all which was previously hidden was revealed.

      The physical realm of Vraj has its supernatural counterpart which
is established in the heart and body, and in one's entire being, when
one realizes all the sweet moods of the lovely pass times which are
played, even now, by the Supreme Krishna and the Supreme Radha.





                                                                  .¸¸.•*`*•.✽

                                                                  Baba Sripadji

RADHA BHAV IN BARSANA

  

 

                               Sri Radha Vrishabhanu-Nandini

  In this blessed abode of Radha, the nature created here by Brahma

is unlike the nature of his other gross creations for, in Barsana, the creation

exists by Radha's sweet desire, by her realization.  According to scriptures, 

Sri Radhaby her grace, to fulfill the joy of the Supreme, manifested herself as 

  Vrishabhanu Nandani in the village of Barsana, thereby blessing the family 

  of her father Vrisha bhanu and her mother Kirti.

 The glory of Radha which exists in the symbolic significance 

 of this village and in her remembrance by its residents is a very rare 

 phenomenon.  Each person of the village of Barsana has some special

 feeling towards Radha which is so inborn, so strong and so spontaneous

in its understanding of hidden spiritual mysteries, that those who are not

spiritually aware are unable to grasp the nature of this special insight.  

While small children may realize themselves as her sister, and young

boys may realize themselves as her brother, older women realize 

themselves as her mother, while men realize themselves as her father.  

These sentiments have no relation with their physical families, but exists

and depend entirely on Radha's Grace which has so drenched her 

village of Barsana.

                                                                  .๑۩۩๑

                                                                    

                                                                 Baba Sripadji

                                                                   .๑۩۩๑ 

MAHA BHAV AS RADHA BHAV

        When love is completely directed towards the Supreme Being
as Krishna, that love conceals itself in the heart of the Gopi.  Thus,
the mystery of the Unknown is hidden in the hearts of the Gopies
and is enlightened in the maturity of realization of the illumination
of love, when each movement of thought and breath has become
Krishna.  In this way, the Gopies have realized Krishna, thereby
dispelling the mystery of the Unknown.

       Beyond the love of the Gopies and Krishna exists the manifestation
of  Sri Radha.  This love is the immovable existence wherein occurs
the silent mutation of love between the lover and the beloved.  It may
be likened to the river that flows between two banks;  the banks can
never meet because they exist within the limitations of their nature,
but the river is in continual contact with both, right from its source to
its culmination.  Existing within their respective dimensions of time
and space are the Atma and the Paramatma, the Supreme Spirit;
the two banks of the river of devotion.  The flow of Grace of this river
of devotion unites, through its touch, the dormant state of the individual
existence with the enlightened state of the Supreme.  Between every
thought and breath of each being, and between the immovable
consciousness of the earth and the consciousness of the entire creation,
and between the microcosm and the macrocosm, Grace flows.

       Within this concept, the Gopi signifies the incessant and creative
urge of 'sadhna' towards the supreme, while Krishna signifies the
treasury of all blissful propensities.  In their relation to each other,
each is essential to the existence of the other.  As the Gopi exists
in the thought of Krishna, so Krishna exists in the thought of the Gopi.
Therefore, when the longing in one's heart for realizing the Supreme
is established, that Supreme also realizes the longing of his burning
awareness in the heart.  In the silent mutation of Radha Bhav,
the individual spirit exists in relation to the Supreme, from the very
commencement of  'sadhna' for the realization of each other to its
fulfillment.  When the individual spirit realizes its union with the
Supreme where the Supreme is Krishna, this realization is Radha Bhav. 
Radha is the personification of love towards Krishna in the mood
of the Gopi and, as the joy-potency of the Supreme, she is the adored
deity of those who crave only for the love of the beloved Radha-krishna.  
It is only by the ambrosial sweetness and beauty of the love of Radha
that Krishna is forever attained. In Her Graceful Existence, She embodies
Maha Bhav.


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                                                                     Baba Sripadji

PREM-AHLADINI SRI RADHA Personification of Mahabhav

                                                                    « ҉ »  श्री   « ҉ » 

INTRODUCTION
      The ancient knowledge of the Vedas is distilled in the wisdom of the
Upanishads. In these philosophical treaties, the nature of the universe,
the human soul, and the relation to each other has been probed. In the
search for answers to questions about the nature of the universe they
developed the idea of Brahman, whose existence was realized through
enquiry, austerity, and samadhi.

      Brahman, the universal spirit, cannot be precisely defined, and neither
can Atman, the individual spirit. The Upanishads describe the spirit only
in general terms as the Divine Essence "hidden in all beings, all-pervading,
eternal..." It exist, but it cannot be captured ; life proceeds from it, yet it 

has no tangible reality. These themes conceived by sages in the Upanshads
were, however, in time expanded. The essential principals laid in these 

works were developed by seers of extraordinary insight into six schools 

of philosophy: Sankhya, Vaisheshik, Nyay, Yog, Poorva-Meemansa, and

Uttar-Meemansa. Religious thought became a multifarous and elusive 

complex.

      From this vast tradition, it took one of no lesser stature then Maharishi
Veda Vyas, who had masterly comprehended the Vedas, the six systems of
philosophy, the Smriti, and all the other existing philosophical scriptures
known to the memory of mankind, to make his knowledge comprehensible
to all. And since nothing then ever needed to be written down, all teachings
were taught by the graceful speech of the Rishis alone. Vyas conceived the
Mahabharat as a vehicle for expounding such lofty themes as Sri Krishna,
an Avatar of Vishnu; dharma; varnashram; valour; love and grief. Despite
its majestic conception, Veda Vyas remained unsatisfied with his efforts,
and only at the intervention of Devrishi Narad was the cause of his
unfulfilment disclosed that the Supreme Lord was not yet satisfied that his
glory had been sufficiently revealed. By Sri Narad's inspiration, Vyas then
turned his efforts from feeding crows the carrion of learning, to extracting
nectar, in the form of stories relating to the Divine Pastimes of Sri Krishna,
for the swans of the Mansarovar Lake to sip.

      Taking Sri Ganapati, the remover of obstacles, as his scribe,Veda Vyas
unfolded the mystery of the manifestation of Brahman through the
incarnations of Vishnu.  In Srimad Bhagavat is found the description of
these incarnations of the Lord : Sanatkumar, Sanandan, Sanatan and
Sanak ; Varah, the Divine Boar ; Devrishi Narad ; Nara-Narayan ; Swami
Kapil ; Dattatrey ; Yagya ; Rsabhdev ; King Prithu ; Matsya, the Divine
Fish ; Kachhap, the Divine Tortoise ; Dhanvantri, the Celestial Physician ;
Mohini, the Enchantress of the demons ; Narsinha, the Man-Lion ; Vamana,
the Divine Dwarf ; Parashurama ; Rama, Bharata, Lakshman, and
Shatrughna ; Vyas ; Krishna and Balaram ; Buddha ; and Kalki, whom is
yet to come.

       While each Avatar was worshiped as the Lord, still, in his fullness, he
was yet in process, finally reaching the descent of Bhagwan Rama, whom is
the Supreme Person in complete form. His descent was to establish
righteousness, (dharma) and to dispel unrighteousness (adharma) ; to
protect the good (sat) and to destroy the evil (asat). Rama is known as
Maryada-Purushottam, whom has lived according to all correct rules and
decorum. But even this incarnation, where the prevailing spirit behind the
universe has embodied Himself to assist man in his course through life,
cannot fulfill declaration of the Upanishads that the Absolute Brahman is
'Raso Vai Sah'. God, remaining one with creation is not impassive ; he
is a personal God who loves man and desires love in return. To demonstrate
this aspect of the nature of the Supreme Being, Sri Krishna manifested
himself, and as Lila-Purushottam performs his pastimes before the eyes of
the world. It is this subject which has been so gracefully expounded by Vyas
in the tenth Skandh of the Srimad Bhagavat, which forms the heart of the
work.

      However, philosophic speculation cannot end here, for the question
arises about the nature of the spiritual bliss the realized soul experiences in
merging the trinity in the monad Brahman, whom is said to contain Truth,
Consciousness and Bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda). Brahman has become
personified as Krishna who is defined thus in the Bhagvat : 'Krishnastu
Bhagvan Swayam', (the Absolute of the Absolute), and the static 'anand'
enfolded in the nature of Brahman has become personified as Krishna's
Ahladini Shakti, his blissful potency, who is the source of all joy to the
Supreme Lord. Who can dare to define that delightful beauty who charms
Shyam Sundar and brings him to his knees begging even a glance from her
fascinating eyes? She is the Divine Aspect of his divinity, the Beloved of his
Love, the possessor of that joy which fulfills his desire for joy - Sri Radha.


SIGNIFICANCE OF RADHA BHAV

      The most secret, the most auspicious, and the most divine spiritual
awareness of Radha is projected in the physical manifestation of her village
of Barsana. Here, upon the majestic hill in which Brahma has embodied
himself, stands the abode of Sri Radha, who is the ecstasy and inner
blessedness of the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna.

       Contained in this mystical image lies the revelation of Radha Bhav.
Within the all-pervading, all-powerful source of Brahma arises the three-
sided manifestation of the cosmos, with Brahma personifying its creative
principal; Vishnu, its maintaining principal; and Shiva, its distructive
principal. By the movement of the creative principal in thought and its
culmination in action, the universal cycle of creation, preservation, and
destruction veils the Supreme from man and holds him within the bondage
of this movement of the world. When he comes to the discovery of that
which has to be dispelled in thought or in action, man lays the foundation
of 'sadhana' which terminates the thought-creation underlying action
carried over from previous actions of the life into the present. Thus, at
last, the full cycle of cause and effect is destroyed and he crosses the
threshold of the effortless 'sadhana' of love (prem). In order to attain this
state based on the establishment of grace, he has to disconnect himself
from the creation of Brahma, diverting all efforts with whatever means
are available and with fervent love to the path of 'sadhana'. Those who
have already traveled this path of the Divine, enlighten the way; until all
the accumulation of past thoughts and actions are effaced, the heart
becomes like a transparent , heavenly-clear crystal, unimaginable in its
purity. From this point, the 'sadhana' of complete unconditional surrender
to the feet of the Lord Supreme begins. Thus, the hill of Barsana contains
the significance of the illumination of Love to the Love-personification
of  Sri Radha, the Joy- potency of the Supreme, and the creation of love
leading to the destruction of all desires.

      When this love is created in the heart, or in the thoughts, the source
of all inspiration, which was hidden through countless lives in the journey
towards the wondrous Supreme, is disclosed to the person who is
completely dedicated by heart, thought and action, who has given himself
up to the feet of the Supreme from within and without. The most sublime
sentiments of 'bhakti' spontaneously arise in him who walks on this path,
manifesting in him the highest aspects of devotion. The holy scriptures 
have described these sentiments which climax the potency of mood and
are the very source of inspiration when they occur by their own Grace.

      These sentiments, Bhav, may appear in such ways: by chanting the
sweet names of the Lord in 'sankirtan' the presence of the Divine Glory
is experienced in such a way that the flow of love, which springs from
the heart, comes as an out pour of tears; the devotee cannot speak a
word about worldly relations and the throat is choked; the whole body
is thrilled in ecstatic joy; the body-consciousness may vanish completely;
the enchanting glory of the Lila of Radha-Krishna is fully revealed in the
heart; all the Divinity of their transcendental sport is revealed as ever-new;
every moment is completely recognised in Their Grace; and finally the
epitome of all these various sentiments is when the knowledge of what
They wish to play in Lila sport is spontaneously realized in the heart.

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                                                              Baba Sripadji