Gopis Go on Strike

by Tirtha das

Spiritual World in Turmoil as Picket Lines Spread

In an unprecedented turn of events, Lord Krishna’s Gopis have gone on strike, declaring, “No pay, no work.” When asked where they got the notion for such strange behavior, one Gopi who asked to remain anonymous replied, “We saw how our counterparts in ISKCON were conducting their affairs. I mean, if they can claim to be devotees and demand to get paid for every little service they perform, well…. Some of us got together and decided maybe we should get paid, too. Krishna has all the money, fame, beauty, etc., so why not have a little profit sharing? Selfless service is okay, we’re not knocking it. But some of us have bills to pay. Lord knows we have an image to keep up, our cell phones, new Vaikuntha cars, priceless ornaments, ever fresh garlands, silk saris, and clothes for the kids don’t come cheap. Besides, somebody has to feed these Surabhi cows.”

This might be a laughing matter if it wasn’t so serious. To give some clarity to this issue, we reference one purport in Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 12.135), wherein Srila Prabhupada comments:

“In commenting on the cleansing of the Gundica temple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the world leader, was personally giving instructions on how one should receive Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, within one’s cleansed and pacified heart. If one wants to see Krishna seated in his heart, he must first cleanse the heart as prescribed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastaka: ceto-darpana-marjanan.

"In this age, everyone’s heart is especially unclean, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam: hrdy antah-stho hy anhadrani. To wash away all dirty things accumulated within the heart, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised everyone to chant the Hare Krishna mantra. The first result will be that the heart is cleansed (ceto-darpana-marjanam).

"Similarly, Srimad Bhagavatam (1.2.17) confirms this statement: ‘Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma (Supersoul) in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desires for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His message, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.’

“If a devotee at all wants to cleanse his heart, he must chant and hear the glories of the Lord, Sri Krishna. This is a simple process. Krishna Himself will help cleanse the heart because He is already seated there. Krishna wants to continue living within the heart, and the Lord wants to give directions, but one has to keep his heart as clean as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu kept the Gundica temple. The devotee therefore has to cleanse his heart just as the Lord cleansed the Gundica temple. In this way one can be pacified and enriched in devotional service.

"If the heart is filled with straw, grains of sand, weeds or dust, one cannot enthrone the Supreme Personality of Godhead there. The heart must be cleansed of all material motives brought through fruitive work, speculative knowledge, the mystic yoga system, and so many other forms of so-called meditation. The heart must be cleansed without ulterior motive…

"One should not attempt material upliftment, understanding the Supreme by speculative knowledge, fruitive activity, severe austerity and penance, and so on. All these activities are against the natural growth of spontaneous love of Godhead. As soon as these are present in the heart, the heart should be understood to be unclean, therefore unfit to serve as Krishna’s sitting place. We cannot perceive the Lord’s presence in our hearts unless our hearts are clean.

“A material desire is explained as a desire to enjoy the material world to its fullest extent. In modern language this is called economic development. An inordinate desire for economic development is considered to be like straws and grains of sand within the heart. If one is overly engaged in material activity, the heart will always remain disturbed…. In other words, endeavor for material opulence is against the principle of devotional service. Material enjoyment includes activities such as great sacrifices for auspicious activity, charity, austerity, elevation to the higher planetary systems, and even living happily within the material world.

“Modernized material benefits are like the dust of material contamination. When this dust is agitated by the whirlwind of fruitive activity, it overcomes the heart. Thus the mirror of the heart is covered with dust. There are many desires to perform auspicious and inauspicious activities, but people do not know how life after life they are keeping their hearts unclean. One who cannot give up the desire for fruitive activity is understood to be covered by the dust of material contamination….

"To give us practical instructions, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu cleansed the temple twice. His second cleansing was more thorough. The idea was to throw away all the stumbling blocks on the path of devotional service. He cleansed the temple with firm conviction, as is evident from His using His own personal garment for cleaning. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to see that the temple was thoroughly cleansed to the standard of clean marble. Clean marble gives cooling effect. Devotional service means attaining peace from all disturbances caused by material contamination. In other words, it is the process by which the mind is cooled. The mind can be peaceful and thoroughly cleansed when one no longer desires anything but devotional service.

“Even though all dirty things may be cleansed away, sometimes subtle desires remain in the mind for impersonalism, monism, success and the four principles of religious activity (religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation). All these are like spots on clean cloth. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also wanted to cleanse all these away.

“By his practical activity, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu informed us how to cleanse our hearts. Once the heart is cleansed, we should invite Krishna to sit down, and we should observe the festival of distributing prasadam and chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to teach every devotee by His personal behavior. Everyone who spreads the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepts a similar responsibility.

"The Lord was personally chastising and praising individuals on the course of the cleaning, and those who are engaged as acaryas must learn from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu how to train devotees by personal example. The Lord was very pleased with those who could cleanse the temple by taking out undesirable things accumulated within. This is called anartha-nivrtti, cleansing the heart of all unwanted things. Thus the cleansing of the Gundica-mandira was conducted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to let us know how the heart should be cleansed and soothed to receive Lord Sri Krishna and enable Him to sit within the heart without disturbance.”

In a very practical way, we can perceive how our chanting of Krishna’s holy names cleanses the heart of all unwanted things. Just as we were all once great sinners and covered over by heaps of material contamination, the process of chanting Krishna’s holy names brings us complete and total relief from all previous material contamination. Moreover, the holy name acts to insulate and protect us from further contamination. Thus the holy name is declared as all auspicious, being prophylactic and antiseptic. Its prophylactic potency protects us from further contamination entering our hearts, and antiseptic in how it cleanses all dirty things from the core of one’s heart.

“By regularly rendering devotional service, one gradually becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When that attachment is intensified, it becomes love of Godhead.”

(Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 19.177)

Srila Prabhupada comments:

“The process of devotional service, beginning with chanting and hearing, is called sadhana-bhakti. This includes the regulative principles that are intended to awaken one to devotional service. Devotional service is always dormant in everyone’s heart, and by the offenseless chanting of the holy names of the Lord, one’s original dormant Krishna consciousness is awakened. This awakening to Krishna consciousness is the beginning of sadhana-bhakti.

"This can be divided into many different parts, including faith, association with devotees, initiation by the spiritual master, engagement in devotional service under the guidance of a spiritual master, steadiness in devotional service and the awakening of a taste for devotional service. In this way, one can become attached to Krishna and His service, and when this attachment is intensified, it results in ecstatic love for Krishna.”

Likewise, Sri Caitanya-bhagavata (Antya-khanda 2.6.141) affirms:

“O Gaurahari, I further pray that even after gaining Lord Nityananda’s association I may never forget Your lotus feet.”

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains:

“Nityananda is sri-guru-tattva. It is not proper for the Lord’s devotees to have any relationship with those who associate with any atheist envious of Nityananda, whose body is nondifferent from Krishna. The qualification to serve the lotus feet of the spiritual master diminishes by the influence of bad association. A so-called devotee and a devotee have completely opposite characteristics. That is why it is very unfortunate to consider those who indulge in materialistic association as members of a spiritual society.

"When one invites his own destruction, he becomes deprived of spiritual life and considers the spiritual master, who is nondifferent from Nityananda, as separate from Sri Nityananda, the prakasa-vigraha of Sri Krishna Caitanya. Such people can never attain the service of Sri Gaurasundara. They suffer perpetually because of disrespecting their guru.”

In Krishna consciousness we must either advance or regress. There is no possibility of floating in equilibrium across time. Our mindset becomes our destination. So long as we take shelter of the devotees, serving them in a mood of love and trust, we can check our offenses and remain on the progressive path. But if we see the devotees in our midst merely as facilitators for our selfish, material desires, we will misuse their association. 

To truly advance in Krishna consciousness we must also grow in humility. Our spiritual advancement and humility follow a parallel course. As we grow in Krishna consciousness it means that our chanting is becoming purified, without offense. Automatically we will gain a deeper understanding of the Krishna conscious philosophy. Our inner attitudes will become manifest in our outward actions. People will naturally become drawn to us because of our sincere, humble deposition. It is a fact that truly advanced devotees always regard themselves as the most fallen of men. They never seek fame or self glorification, but instead always give all respect and praise to others. They remain fully dependent on Krishna, deeply appreciative of everything Krishna sends their way.

If we are truly humble we can associate with devotees in many loving ways. Yet for us to feel that we are lower than the straw in the street takes great courage. Such a humble, honest assessment of one’s self implies great inner character. Lord Caitanya explains that we would become humble like the grass and tolerant like the tree, without expecting any honor or respect but giving all honor and respect to others. In such a state of mind one can then chant Krishna’s holy names constantly. This really gets to the heart of the matter.

Everything we do is to facilitate our chanting. We don’t want to become humble devotees just to help us become good people. Undoubtedly we will be, but our pure ambition is to surrender fully to the plans of guru and Krishna. In this humble submissive state we gain real freedom; freedom from material anxiety and all misfortune.

Humility also implies that we are disciplined. Following the regulative principles and chanting attentive rounds of japa requires self discipline. When we first start out in Krishna consciousness we may stumble along and still make advancement. However, after some time our progress will be checked if we do not develop the requisite discipline of purpose and practice. Our purpose requires knowledge and practice requires determination.

Of course the maha-mantra will act upon us even if we do not understand its exalted potency. The maha-mantra is complete in itself. By our sincere chanting transcendental knowledge and detachment automatically become manifest in our hearts. Still, we require so many explanations to fully understand the what and why of our spiritual practice. To this end the acaryas have left us many volumes of books to study. If we are fully determined to make the pursuit of Krishna consciousness our life and soul, Krishna will reveal Himself to that degree.

In a similar way, our real angst and pain comes from our separation from Krishna and not engaging in His devotional service. The material energy only offers small, temporary remedies for our painful condition, and to gain relief, we mistakenly seek greater and greater doses of material gratification laced with passion and ignorance. This only compounds our situation. Not only do we feel lost without our service connection to Krishna and His devotees, but we grow increasingly insane, unable to distinguish from what is proper and improper or to discern what our actual remedy should be. It is only by the grace of the Vaisnavas that we are finally awakened to our true purpose in life. They humbly and mercifully offer us the opportunity to reestablish our loving relationship with the Supreme Lord.

These attitudes take time to develop. Because of our material conditioning we are accustomed to act selfishly in a tense competitive society where exploitation is the norm. The realization of the devotee is completely opposite to this. While we work hard and may acquire certain facilities, the difference is that we use everything in the service of Krishna. The humble, selfless devotee keeps his requirements to a bare minimum, knowing well to whom all things belong.

Our strength comes to us through the disciplic succession of other great Vaisnavas. Our intimate connection to these exalted souls rests upon our sincere chanting and following the four regulative principles. If we firmly resolve within our hearts to faithfully adhere to these principles our success in this life is assured. The four principles of protection and the maha-mantra combine to empower us to assist those in our midst.

In this way, everything rests on our desire to chant the holy names of God. The potency of the maha-mantra is ever fresh, always relevant. Therefore, our humble request to everyone is to please chant:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Please chant this Hare Krishna maha-mantra and make your life sublime.