MADHU BINDAVAH

UPADESA

Essential spiritual advice given in song form.

By Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur

 

Sri Kalyana-kalpa-taru

 

Upadesa 11

rupera gaurava kena bhai ?
anitya e kalevara kabhu nahi sthiratara
samana aile kichhu nai
e anga sitala habe akhi spanda-hina rabe
chitara agune habe chhai [1]

Brother! Why are you proud of your body? The body is temporary. It never lasts forever. When Death arrives, the body is nothing. It becomes cold, its eyes become motionless, and it is reduced to ashes in a funeral pyre.

ye mukha-saundarya hera darpanete nirantara
sva-sivara ha-ibe bhojana
ye vastre adara kara’ yeba abharana para’
kotha saba rahibe takhana ? [2]

This body, whose face and beauty you constantly look at in the mirror, will become food for dogs and jackals. Where will you keep the garments you adorn this body with and the ornaments you decorate it with then?

dara suta bandhu sabe smasane tomare labe
dagdha kari’ grhete asibe
tumi ka’ra ke tomara ebe bujhi’ dekha sara
deha-nasa avasya ghatibe [3]

Your wife, children, and friends will take you to the crematorium, burn you, and then return home. To whom do you belong? Who belongs to you? Now understand this and see the truth. The body will certainly be destroyed.

sunitya-sambala chao hari-guna sada gao
hari-nama japaha sadai
kutarka chhadiya mana kara krsna aradhana
vinodera asraya tahai [4]

You should desire true, eternal fortune, constantly sing the Lord’s glories, and always chant the Lord’s Name. O mind! Give up your misconceptions and worship Krishna. He alone is Vinod’s shelter.

References

yesam sa esa bhagavan dayayed anantah
sarvatmanasrita-pado yadi nirvyalikam
te dustaram atitaranti cha deva-mayam
naisam mamaham iti dhih sva-srgala-bhaksye
(Srimad Bhagavatam: 2.7.42)

“‘If those whom the Lord blesses take shelter of His feet in all respects without duplicity, then they transcend the Lord’s insurmountable maya. Such souls have no conception of a jackal or dog’s food (the body) to be ‘me’ or ‘mine’.

kim etair atmanas tuchchhaih saha dehena nasvaraih
anarthair artha-sankasair nityananda-rasodadheh
(Srimad Bhagavatam: 7.7.45)

[Prahlad Maharaj instructs his classmates:] “What is the use of all of these insignificant things (children, wives, residences, wealth, treasuries, animals, ministers, servants, relatives, and so on), which are perishable like the body and only apparently valuable, to a soul immersed in the ocean of eternal, ecstatic rasa?”

Upadesa 12

mana re, dhana-mada nitanta asara
dhana jana vitta yata e dehera anugata
deha gele se sakala chhara [1]

O mind! The pride produced by wealth is extremely troublesome. Wealth, companions, and property follow this body, and when the body dies, they all become meaningless.

vidyara yateka chesta chikitsaka upadesta
keha deha rakhibare nare
ajapa ha-ile sesa deha-matra avasesa
jiva nahi thakena adhare [2]

No doctor or any of his remedies can save the body. When the life-air expires, only the body remains. The soul does not remain within the carcass.

dhane yadi prana dita dhani raja na marita
dharamara ha-ita ravana
dhane nahi rakhe deha deha gele nahe keha
ataeva ki karibe dhana [3]

If wealth gave life, then a wealthy king would never die. Ravana would have become an immortal on the earth. Wealth does not save the body, and when the body dies, no one remains. So, what does wealth do for us?

yadi thake bahu dhana nije habe akinchana
vaisnavera kara upakara
jive daya anuksana radha-krsna aradhana
kara sada haye sadachara [4]

If you have great wealth, consider yourself possessionless and serve the devotees. Always be kind to everyone, worship Radha and Krishna, and follow the practices of the sadhus.

Reference

tomara kanakabhogera janaka
kanakera dvare sevaha madhava
(Vaisnava ke?: 3)

“Your wealth is a means to enjoyment, so with it serve Krishna.”

Upadesa 14

mana, tumi tirthe sada rata
ayodhya, mathura, maya, kasi, kanchi, avantiya,
dvaravati ara achhe yata [1]

O mind, you are always attached to holy places like Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridvar, Kasi, Kanchi, Avanti, and Dvaraka.

tumi chaha bhramibare e sakala bare bare
mukti-labha karibara tare
se sakala tava bhrama nirarthaka parisrama
chitta sthira tirthe nahi kare [2]

You want visit all of these holy places again and again to attain liberation. All such travelling is one of your fantasies and is simply useless labour. Holy places do not make your heart steady.

tirtha-phala sadhu-sanga sadhu-sange antaranga
sri-krsna-bhajana manohara
yatha sadhu, tatha tirtha sthira kari’ nija chitta
sadhu-sanga kara nirantara [3]

The purpose of visiting holy places is associating with sadhus. Closely associate with sadhus and beautifully serve Sri Krishna. Wherever sadhus are present is a holy place. Steady your heart and constantly associate with sadhus.

ye tirthe vaisnava nai’ se tirthete nahi yai
ki labha hatiya dura-desa
yathaya vaisnava-gana sei sthana vrndavana
sei sthane ananda asesa [4]

Do not go to ‘holy places’ where Vaisnavas are not present. What is the benefit of walking to such distant places? Wherever Vaisnavas are present is Vrndavan and is an abode of unlimited joy.

krsna-bhakti yei sthane mukti-dasi seikhane
salila tathaya mandakini
giri tatha govardhana bhumi tatha vrndavana
avirbhuta apani hladini [5]

Wherever devotion to Krishna is present, liberation is present as a maidservant. There the water is Ganges water, the mountains are Govardhan, and the land is Vrndavan. There the hladini-sakti is personally present.

vinoda kahichhe bhai bhramiya ki phala pai
vaisnava-sevana mora vrata [6]

Vinod says, “Brother, what benefit is there in travelling? My vow is to serve the Vaisnavas.”

Upadesa 18

ki ara baliba tore mana
mukhe bala prema prema vastutah tyajiya hema
sunya-granthi anchale bandhana [1]

“O mind, what more shall I say to you? You say aloud, ‘Prema prema’, but in reality you throw away gold and tie an empty knot in your cloth.

abhyasiya asru-pata lampha jhampha akasmat
murchchha-praya thakaha padiya
e loka vanchite ranga prachariya asat-sanga
kamini-kanchana labha giya [2]

“You practise shedding tears, jumping about, and fainting on cue. Performing this act to cheat people, you obtain women, wealth, and bad association.

premera sadhana bhakti tate naila anurakti’
suddha prema kemane milibe?
dasa-aparadha tyaji’ nirantara nama bhaji’
krpa hale suprema paibe [3]

“O mind, the means to attain divine love is devotion. If you have no attachment to that, how will you attain pure divine love? When you avoid the ten offences, constantly serve the Name, and receive mercy, then you will attain true divine love.

na manile subhajana sadhu-sange sankirtana
na karile nirjane smarana
na uthiya vrksopari tanatani phala dhari’
dusta-phala karile arjana [4]

“If you do not follow the proper practice of chanting in the association of the sadhus and do not remember the Lord while in solitude—if you do not climb the tree and pick its fruits—then you will only acquire rotten fruit.

akaitava krsna-prema yena suvimala hema
ei phala nrloke durlabha
kaitave vanchana matra hao age yogya-patra
tabe prema haibe sulabha [5]

“Genuine divine love for Krishna, like pure gold, is very rarely found in human society. By deceiving others, you simply cheat yourself. First become a fit recipient, and then you will easily attain divine love for Krishna.

kame preme dekha bhai laksanete bheda nai
tabu kama prema nahi haya
tumi ta varile kama mithya tahe prema-nama
aropile kise subha haya [6]

“Brother, look! There is no difference between the appearances of lust and love, yet lust is never love. If you choose lust (instead of love) and falsely consider it love, how will you ever attain good fortune?”

Upadesa 19

kena mana kamere nachao prema-praya ?
charma-mamsa-maya kama jada-sukha avirama
jada-visayete sada dhaya [1]

“O mind, why does lust make you dance as though you have divine love? Lust, unending desire for material happiness, relates only to flesh and blood. Under its influence, you constantly run after material objects.

jivera svarupa dharma chit-svarupe prema-marma
tahara visaya matra hari
kama-avarane haya prema ebe supta-praya
prema jagao kama dura kari’ [2]

“The soul’s natural function, in its spiritual form, is in essence divine love, and its sole object is the Lord. Alas! Covered by lust, that love is now nearly asleep. So, awaken your love, and drive lust away!

sraddha haite sadhu-sange bhajanera kriya range
nistha-ruchi-asakti udaya
asakti ha-ite bhava tahe prema pradurbhava
ei krame prema upajaya [3]

“From faith, association with sadhus, and the practice of devotion, constancy, taste, and attachment develop. From attachment, ecstasy and divine love manifest. Divine love develops in these stages.

ihate yatana yara sei paya prema-sara
krama-tyage prema nahi jage
e krama sadhane bhaya kena kara durasaya
kame prema kabhu nahi lage [4]

“One who endeavours according to this path attains true divine love. If one does not follow this path, divine love does not awaken. O mind, why do you fear these stages of practice and behave wickedly? Divine love never manifests from lust.

natakabhinaya praya sa-kapata prema bhaya
tahe matra indriya-santosa
indriya-tosana chhara sada kara parihara
chhada bhai aparadha-dosa [5]

“Like the make-believe of an actor, your deceitful show of divine love is simply sense gratification; it’s worthless. Brother, give it up forever! Give up your sins and offences.”

Reference

atmendriya-priti-vanchha—tare bali ‘kama’
krishnendriya-priti-ichchha dhare ‘prema’ nama
ataeva kama-preme bahuta antara
kama—andha-tamah, prema—nirmala bhaskara
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta: Adi-lila, 4.165 and 4.171)

“The desire to gratify one’s own senses is called kama. The desire to gratify Krishna’s senses is called prema. Thus there is a vast difference between kama and prema: kama is like blinding darkness, and prema is like the pure sun.”