DROPS OF NECTAR

(Into your inbox on the auspicious eve of Sri Krsna Caitanya’s

sankirtan movement)

• Ever satisfied nature

• The King’s finger
• The Glorious holy name
• Vaisnavi

“Ever Satisfied Nature”

Self-satisfaction actually means the satisfaction of serving
and loving Kåñëa,
the Supreme Self.

INTRODUCTION:
What takes place when one lacks satisfaction in Kåñëa consciousness?

The word “satisfied” derives a meaning of “being fully content and thus in the state of
bilss.
In Bhagavad- Gita, where Arjuna asking about the symptoms of a person who is in
bliss? Krsna is answering as follows:

prasäde sarva-duùkhänäà
hänir asyopajäyate
prasanna-cetaso hy äçu
buddhiù paryavatiñöhate
TRANSLATION
For one thus satisfied [in Kåñëa consciousness], the threefold miseries of material
existence exist no longer; in such satisfied consciousness, one's intelligence is soon
well established.

Srila Prabhupada further explaining the real satisfaction is “A soul connected to Kåñëa
through Kåñëa consciousness is free from material attractions and aversions and is
fully satisfied. He experiences no misery, for his intelligence, being “well-established,”
is fixed on Kåñëa (mat-paraù). Without bhakti, regardless of what one possesses or
what one does, no one is satisfied.” He Gives the example of Çréla Vyäsadeva, who
compiled the Vedas, added the Puräëas and composed the Mahäbhärata, yet because
he had not emphasized bhakti, he remained dissatisfied in mind.

Çréla Prabhupäda giving the practical example of America, where there is sufficient
production of everything, yet the young men is becoming hippies. They are
dissatisfied, confused. Man is not meant simply for eating. He has mental necessities,
intellectual necessities, and spiritual necessities.
A classless society is possible only when Kåñëa is in the center. For the satisfaction of
Kåñëa, the intellectual can work in his own way, the administrator can work in his way,
the merchant can work in his way, and the laborer can work in his way—and they can
all be perfectly satisfied in their own position. This is truly a classless society.

The service which we offer to somebody, that somebody is not satisfied; and you are
not satisfied with him. This is called mäyä. Just like in our country Gandhi, whole life he
engaged himself to the service of the country, but he was killed by his countrymen.
This is called mäyä, that you offer service somebody—he is not satisfied; you are not
satisfied. Nobody is satisfied. Therefore one should be intelligent, that "Why I am
wasting my time in this way, where there is no satisfaction? Therefore I must render
service to Kåñëa. If I render service to Kåñëa, then Kåñëa will be satisfied and
everyone will be satisfied. And I shall be satisfied because I am also part and parcel of
Kåñëa." The same example: If you supply foodstuff to the stomach, then stomach is
Kåñëa. Then you are satisfied. Suppose you mean individual parts. This hand is
supplying sweet balls to the stomach. So this hand is satisfied; this hand also satisfied.
And this head is also satisfied; the leg is also satisfied. You see? Similarly, anyone who
serves Kåñëa, Kåñëa, being satisfied...
 tasmin tuñöe jagat tuñöam.

Just (like) I pour water on the root. The branches, the leaves, the flowers, the fruits and
everything, they will immediately... Pay tax to the government, central government.
The tax is distributed—the education department, municipal department, this
department, that department. Therefore the people are missing the center. They are
trying to satisfy one another, but nobody is satisfied. And as soon as I am engaged in
Kåñëa's service, then I will be satisfied, Kåñëa will be satisfied, and the whole world
will be satisfied.
But here we can see from the Gétä that Kåñëa was not satisfied when Arjuna wanted
just to sit on the chariot. Although Kåñëa was Arjuna’s dear friend, Arjuna did not say,
“Kåñëa, You are my friend, so You do the fighting while I sit here.” Instead, Kåñëa
preached vigorously to Arjuna, inciting him to take action against the enemy. Arjuna
satisfied Kåñëa, and the Lord was pleased to defeat the vast armies of Dhåtaräñöra.
Kåñëa actually did the killing, but Arjuna got the credit, because he exerted his full will
and effort in the service of the Lord.

So one should take the mission of trying to satisfy the Supreme Lord as per the
process mentioned by Lord Krsna Himself:

yas tu ätma-ratir eva syät.

“One who is, however, taking pleasure in the self, who is illumined in the self”
Just like these Gosvämés at Våndävana who were actually mandala patih “leaders of
great society” but living underneath a tree, one night, and next night another tree
remain self satisfied because they were always absorbed in thoughts of Kåñëa, his
name, form and pastimes.

Now the ätma-rati, "self satisfaction” Lord Caitanya introduced as chanting of the:

Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa Kåñëa Kåñëa Hare Hare

Hare Räma Hare Räma Räma Räma Hare Hare

If this movement is spread, then people will be self-satisfied. There will be no more
hankering for any artificial thing. As soon as he goes on realizing the transcendental
nature of

Hare Kåñëa Hare Kåñëa Kåñëa Kåñëa Hare Hare

Hare Räma Hare Räma Räma Räma Hare Hare

Oh, he will feel himself fully satisfied. Nothing can enchant him, nothing can drag him
from this platform. And for him there is nothing to do thus freed from miseries
prasade sarva dukhanam

So that is the stage.

THE GLORIOUS HOLY NAME

 näma cintämaëiù kåñëaç
caitanya-rasa-vigrahaù
pürëaù çuddho nitya-mukto
'bhinnatvän näma-näminoù

The holy name of Kåñëa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual

benedictions, for it is Kåñëa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kåñëa's name
is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material
name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kåñëa Himself. Since
Kåñëa's name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no
question of its being involved with mäyä. Kåñëa's name is always liberated and
spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because
the name of Kåñëa and Kåñëa Himself are identical.
—Padma Puräëa

In the material concept of life we are busy in the matter of sense gratification,
as if we were in the lower, animal stage. A little elevated from this status of
sense gratification, one is engaged in mental speculation for the purpose of
getting out of the material clutches. A little elevated from this speculative
status, when one is intelligent enough, one tries to find out the supreme cause
of all causes-within and without. And when one is factually on the plane of
spiritual understanding, surpassing the stages of sense, mind, and intelligence,
he is then on the transcendental plane. This chanting of the Hare Kåñëa mantra
is enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses
all lower strata of consciousness-namely sensual, mental, and intellectual.
There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is
there any need for mental speculation nor any intellectual adjustment for
chanting this mahä-mantra. It is automatic, coming from the spiritual platform,
and as such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous
qualification. In a more advanced stage, of course, one is not expected to
commit offenses on the grounds of spiritual understanding.

But there is no doubt that chanting takes one immediately to the spiritual
platform, and one shows the first symptom of this in the urge to dance along
with the chanting of the mantra.

The word Harä is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words
Kåñëa and Räma are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Kåñëa and
Räma mean "the supreme pleasure," and Harä is the supreme pleasure energy
of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of
the Lord helps us to reach the Lord.

VedicStories
The King’s Finger
Retold by Ananta Çakti Däsa
ONCE UPON A TIME there lived a king and his minister. The king, though strong
and generous, possessed a short temper. His minister was wise, patient, and
devoted to God. In everyday affairs the king usually thought he was the one
making everything happen. The minister, however, saw the hand of God
everywhere. Despite these differences, the king appreciated the minister, and
they were firm friends.
To protect his citizens from dangerous beasts, the king, armed with bow and
arrow, would often ride into the forest with a small party of men. His minister
would always go with them.
One day while they were out hunting, the king proudly charged through a
thicket on his fine steed. But a large cobra slithered in front of the horse,
spitting poison from its fangs. The frightened horse kicked up violently, hurtling
the king through the air. The king crashed to the ground beside the snake. The
snake promptly sank its fangs into the king’s finger, and then slithered back into
the undergrowth.
The king realized that unless his finger was quickly removed, the poison would
travel through his body, reach his heart, and kill him. Without hesitating, he
unsheathed his sharp sword and chopped off his finger.
The king’s minister bandaged his hand and tried to pacify him with wise words.
“Take this as simply the mercy of the Lord. Accept it as part of His plan.”
The king, shaken and upset, did not appreciate the minister’s view.
“Be quiet!” he snapped.
But the minister continued to speak of the Lord’s mercy.
This enraged the king so much that he ordered his men, “Take this foolish
minister back to the city and cast him in the dungeon.”
Determined not to change his hunting plan for the day, the king, his hand neatly
bandaged, continued alone through the forest searching for wild beasts.
A short while later he was ambushed by a gang of bandits. They captured and
bound him. Their leader, grinning broadly, spoke in a gruff voice.
“This is your lucky day; I am going to sacrifice you to the Goddess Kälé.* It’s not
every day she enjoys royal blood!”
* Goddess Kälé, the controller of the material energy, neither wants nor accepts
human sacrifices. Unfortunately, uncivilized, wicked persons sometimes concoct
such a method of “worship.”
The king, however, considered himself most unlucky. Bound with ropes, he had
no way of saving himself from a bloody death on Kälé’s altar.
Pointing at the king, the leader ordered his men, “Our human offering should be
stripped, washed, and wrapped in a new cloth.”
As the men stripped him, one cried out, “Look, there’s a finger missing.”
Inspecting the king’s hand, the leader of the gang was disappointed.
“We cannot possibly offer an incomplete human to Kälé,” he grunted. “Release
him, you fools, and find someone else.”
Unexpectedly freed from his bonds, the king mounted his horse and sped back
to the city. Going straight to the dungeons, he ordered the release of the
minister. Embracing his friend, the king apologized.
“By the mercy of the Lord I lost a finger. And as a result I had my life spared!”
After explaining the incredible incident to his minister, the king paused
thoughtfully.
“I’m still a little puzzled. If everything that happens is the mercy of the Lord,
what is the point in your being thrown in the dungeon?”
With a knowing twinkle in his eye, the minister replied, “If you hadn’t ordered
me to be thrown in the dungeon, I would have been with you when you were
captured. Finding me with no parts missing, the gang would undoubtedly have
used me as the human offering.”
The king and his minister laughed loudly, tears streaming down their faces. Glad
to be alive, they agreed that it certainly was all¬¬ the mercy of the Lord.
VAISNAVI
Vedic society emphasizes the role of women in all spheres. The Vedas designate an
ideal woman as
Aditi - as she is not dependant
Brhat - for she is large hearted
Candra - for she is happy
Devakama - since she is pious
Ksama - for she is tolerant
SarasvatI - for she is scholarly
Sumangali - for she is auspicious
Visruta - for she is glorious
Yoga - for she is intermingled with man, she is not
separate; she is the ardhanginu
There are many more qualities imbibed in women
mentioned in the Vedic scriptures.
She is the core of the society; the pivot around
whom the whole family revolves. Families form so-
ciety, which form the nation and the nations join to form the world. She is the
caretaker of the new gen¬eration. The coming generation lies completely in her
hands, under her guidance. She is the first guru, a spiritual guide to her
children. The Vedic scriptures inform about Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada
Maharaja, who followed the words of their mothers and became the most
fortunate ones to have 'darsana of the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna, just at the
tender age of five and seven respectively.

As an ideal we should try to adopt the nature of woman in Krsna Consciousness.

Mother Sita who was not only was powerful, but any woman who follows in the
footsteps of mother Sétä can also become similarly powerful. There are many
instances of this in the history of Vedic literature. Whenever we find a
description of ideal chaste women, mother Sétä is among them. Mandodaré, the
wife of Rävaëa, was also very chaste. Similarly, Draupadé was one of five
exalted chaste women. As a man must follow great personalities like Brahmä
and Närada, a woman must follow the path of such ideal women as Sétä,
Mandodaré and Draupadé.

By staying chaste and faithful,

a woman enriches herself with supernatural
power.