Transcription (with minor edits) of an informal talk given by
Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj
Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj
Srila Sridhar Maharaj on the veranda, talking about Absolute Harmony |
Harmony, how the
things of opposite types can be harmonized by higher principles.
To harmonize things of
a particular plane, energy of the higher plane is necessary. Thesis, antithesis — synthesis!
Anything — and there must be something anti that. This cannot but be.
Some opposition, some opposite conception. Any statement, some
opposition, and to harmonize that. Hegel says that this is the process of
progress. Progress means this. Whatever there would be — some opposite
conception, some opposition, possibility. The possibility of opposition.
And then, to do away with the opposition some greater harmony is necessary. The highest type of harmony is so. The
diversity ultimately helps it.
The opposition helps
the main flow. Not only is it harmonized, but it enhances the beauty of the
harmony. When harmony is successful, then it becomes the necessity of
beauty.
The necessity of
beauty.
Beauty and harmony are
the same thing. Harmony is used in the sound-world, and beauty in the
eye-world.
So the opposition
enhances the beauty. If there would not be any diversity, then beauty was
not possible.
Different things will
be, and they will be harmonized, and that is beauty — vilasa. Otherwise
it would be jumbled together, and this is Brahman.*
So Krishna represents
beauty, and His harmonizing capacity supercedes everything.
Even stealing is beautiful, lying is beautiful — whatever He does. His
wickedness is also beautiful. The conception of the
greatest harmony is that you can harmonize anything and everything. Nothing can be there which He cannot
harmonize.
So the opposition
which is very objectionable — the stealing, the lying, debauchery so to say —
is inconceivable in Him. All is harmonized, all is harmonized, so sweet.
No enemy. Enemy
also becomes friend in harmony.
Beauty means that.
Harmony means that.
Not afraid — advaya
jnana. The origin of fear
only comes from the lack of harmony.
Fear is born from
disappointment of harmony. Otherwise there is no place of any fear.
Undesirability in
Sanskrit is bhayam. Bhaya means apprehension. Apprehension, fear, originates from lack of
harmony. Of second interest.
Common interest — one
interest. If we can reduce many
interests into one interest, as parts of one interest, then there is harmony —
no fear. There is only fear from
separate interests. Clash between separate interests. But if that can be linked
in common interest — no fear.
The first stage is
that we are afraid, we have got apprehension. Why? We are suffering from
the mania of second interest, separate interest. So, we are afraid, we have got
apprehension.
When does it come to
take place, this apprehension? When we deviate from
the common Master, from the idea of a common Master, common Controller, common
Guardian. Then only do we suffer from apprehension. The disease of apprehension arises only when
we separate ourselves from the common Controller, the common Guardian of all.
Isa apetasya, the Master consciousness — that we have got
a Master, we have got a Controller, and He is common to all. And He is our interest represented there. That
common Master, Isa.
Isa jnana. I have got my Master, and He is to look
after that. And He is the Master
of all. So no apprehension.
So the deviation from
the consciousness of a common Master, common Guardian, is how the apprehension
comes to rise. And then, when deviated, he is minus of the common Guardian.
Then he comes in very unfavourable circumstances. Losing that Master consciousness, he comes in
a very dreadful position, and forgets. He is puzzled and forgets his own self,
his real self. And self interest he also loses. He is beside himself.
Then it is if he can
come to knowledge somehow by the help of the external sadhu. But he sees maya. Who can control the maya? He does not go to fight with maya — illusion, misconception, the forgetfulness of the Center, the
forgetfulness of his Guardian.
Then he appeals to the
Guardian, the Guardian Himself.
If we fall on the ground, with the help of the ground we stand again.
If we fall on the ground, with the help of the ground we stand again.
So, our forgetfulness
of our Guardian, that is the cause of all the disaster in which we find
ourselves. And again, the only way to get out of it, is to be reinstated in
that idea of a Guardian, a common Guardianship. And that is effected by the sadhus, that are normal, that are not deviated from
God consciousness. With their help we have to appeal to that All-controlling
Agency, and then we can again be reinstated in that Isa-jnana, that
I have got my Master. I have got my Master,
at whose holy feet I am to take shelter. I am to surrender to my
Master. The life of surrender again comes. We take to surrender. We take,
and everything is there. Only we should always
be conscious of our Guardian, the highest Harmonizer.
So the problem is one
– there is only one problem: that we deviate from the consciousness of our
Guardian. And the only way to get out of the trouble is to become conscious of
our common Guardian. That is God
consciousness — Krishna consciousness. Back to God, back to Home, back to
Godhead.
The only one problem is that we are deviated from Godhead, and we shall try to go towards Godhead. We shall go back to Godhead. That is the only one work that is necessary — back to Godhead, back to Home.
The only one problem is that we are deviated from Godhead, and we shall try to go towards Godhead. We shall go back to Godhead. That is the only one work that is necessary — back to Godhead, back to Home.
Back to God, back to
Home.
The general problem is
this. And by serving in variegated ways, that is to be promoted. But the main
thing is this.
Krishna consciousness —
the center of highest harmony. Highest harmony.
And harmony is
sweetness, harmony is beautiful.
Harmony is Krishna,
harmony is our Guardian. Harmony is our Mother, Guardian — harmony is our
Master.
That is sweetness,
that is love.
No enemy. No enemy. No
apprehension that I will be devoured by the inauspicious elements around.
Devotee: How practically to understand the principle of harmony?
SSM: What is the meaning of harmony? What is
harmony?
Devotee: Strictly speaking it is a musical term and it refers to
different musical tones that are in balance, and they sound nice.
SSM: So different sounds are tuned to one — that
is harmony. Different instruments,
different tones, from different men — many, plural, which are connected with
one, and on the whole giving some sweet and soothing feeling or sentiment —
that is harmony.
There must be
different things, different kinds of sounds from different kinds of
instruments, and different kinds of voices. That is harmony.
The Earth and the
planets, they are moving in their own way, and again, they are connected with
another movement, another force.
The moon is moving
around the Earth. There are so many sub-planets that are moving around another
planet. They are moving in their own way. And with all those movements, the
Earth is moving around the sun. In this way, in one year the Earth is
circumambulating the sun. Again there is a time when everyone can complete
his one-year movement.
LCN mathematics —
to find the Lowest Common Nominator. A common. So many figures will
meet their common, divided. Some five times, some hundred times — they will
meet at one point. In this way, in variety, variety meets at one point. It
represents in One.
All meet in One. That
is harmony. Variety, meeting,
unity. In different planes. In the plane of sound, in the plane of colour,
in the plane of movement. It may be of different phases, but many meets
one, in one point. That is harmony.
Just as there are so
many branches of the tree – they meet in the trunk. The trunk harmonizes so many branches. The
tree harmonizes so many leaves. In this way.
The beauty, the
harmony, the unity, and many similar words that can represent. The Master, the
Guardian, the Controller, the Well-wisher — in different phases it may be
applied.
And many in
one. Many represented in one point.
An interest of the
many, represented in one place.
Devotee: So in the Absolute, even discord
brings harmony?
SSM: Yes. In the Highest Absolute there is room for
the accomodation of anything and everything. Otherwise it can not be absolute.
If something is outside, it is not absolute. Absolute: one. One accomodates everything.
The enemy is no enemy
to Him. All is relative. Absolute means
absolute good.
Everything will have
got its fullest representation. Still, the Absolute Whole is so great that It
can accomodate them. They are in full
swing. All the parts, they have got their full interest. And
the Controller, the General, is so high and tactful that He can control the
soldiers.
...They are so brave,
that suicidal squad.
The suicidal squad
soldiers, they must be very brave.
And the general of that squad must be very, very brave [chuckles].
The bold and the brave
and the desperate soldiers also can be
harmonized in a particular army. They can be controlled.
There's such bravery
and such genius that must be, as to become their General.
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* Note:
“Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan are well known Vedantic terms referring to the Absolute — terms that are often considered synonymous. However, while Gaudiya Vaishnavas agree that Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan are different names for the Absolute, they emphasize that the three are, at the same time, not synonymous. They are God’s effulgence, his manifestation as the oversoul of the world, and his form for lila in the world beyond, respectively. The Gaudiyas further contend that the former two manifestations arise from the latter.” — Swami B. V. Tripurari, from “Existing to love”.
Brahman is the impersonal aspect of God (partial), realized as Oneness. — Sd
_______________________
Selected Posts on Krishna Consciousness
(1) The Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra (Srila Prabhupada)
(2) Begin by engaging the tongue (Srila Prabhupada)
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