Image from Wikimedia Commons
Read and mark up the Krishna-Radha poetry pack, and then browse the internet for more great bhakti stuff. Starting today and certainly by 9/10, do two things: 1) post at least once in the Comments section below on Krishna-Radha. This post can be on the poetry pack (I suggest picking a few lines or a poem) or on other Krisha-Radha stuff you find. You may cite some other moving lines (give credit to your source), link to pics or videos, whatever.... 2) post in the Comments section above on bhakti devoted to any other Hindu deity. You may also include posts about bhakti itself, events happening in India today, historical notes, or whatever moves you. You will end up with two posts total, at least 100 words apiece.
I'd like to have us all start reading these as soon as they pop up this week.
There will also be a short quiz on Wednesday.
Posts
28 comments:
"But I had the hope of seeing you, none of it matteren,and now my terror seems far away...
When the sound of your flute reaches my ears
it compels me to leave my home, my friends, it draws me into the dark toward you."
these lines completely indicate how Radha's fear being smashed by her strong and endless love toward Krishna.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p51pM_A6XHw
the tale of krishna and radha
"I could not see the path...which path should I take?...But I had the hope of seeing you, none of it mattered, and now my terror seems far away" (from the packet of Radha Krishna poems). This poem and the quoted lines in general speak of the fear of people to travel the path to God. It speaks of how the path is dark and eldritch, as it is usually the path less traveled. I like the contrast in the poem of the speaker discussing the fear she encountered on the path and the peace she achieved once she was with God. She discusses the hardships of the snakes and rain that she encountered, which could be symbolic of the obstacles keeping us from God, and she also discusses how insignificant her worries seem now looking retrospectively on them from her position with God.
I found a whole lot of information on Lord Krishna and Radha on this website.
http://www.dollsofindia.com/radhakrishna.htm
On here I found the following sentences. "Radha's passion for Krishna symbolizes the soul's intense longing and willingness for the ultimate unification with God." and "Shri Krishna is not only the ultimate object of all love, but also is the topmost enjoyer of all loving relationships. Therefore, in the dynamic and expanding form of Krishna, He has unlimited desires to enjoy spiritual loving relationships or pastimes, known as leela. To do this, He expands Himself into the dual form of Krishna and Radha, His eternal consort and topmost devotee." I think that through these words, it can be said that their relationship this one of the unltimate ways to God because it says their love is the soul's intense willingness for God and since they are both one like the second quote says; that Krishna splits himself into the two forms and you can say if you find the love that is in yourself then you are finding the love that you have for God.
although walking alone during night time, being bothered by scary snakes, Radha's fear is suppressed by her eager for meeting Krishna. Her love is so strong and her fear towards everything seems to be minor. This is a nice contrast that reveals Radha's love perfectly.
“When the sound of your flute reaches my ears/ it compels me to leave my home, my friends, it draws me into the dark toward you.” p. 21 from In Praise of Krishna
I like this quote because it skillfully demonstrates the compelling feeling Radha has toward Krishna. The previous portion before the quote depicts a scared Radha walking alone in the dark forest. However, when Radha hears “the sound of [Krishna’s] flute”, she is not frightened anymore because Krishna’s presence pacifies her. Krishna’s influence coerces Radha to continue on her journey through the darkness toward Krishna. I think the darkness represents the unknown and unfamiliar, and Radha symbolizes different people on their path to moksha and Brahman. “The sound of [Krishna’s] flute” is God’s love and adoration for every person that they hear while wondering in the darkness. God repeatedly displays his love and adoration to people so they will be drawn into the unknown to find Him.
"Love is transformed, renewed, each moment. He has dwelt in my eyes all the days of my life, yet I am not sated with seeing... How many honeyed nights have I passed with him in love's bliss, yet my body wonders at his." pg. 21
This poem represents the love and the intimacy that Krishna has with each of his followers. In addition, there is a perfect example of the love that each of his followers should have for him. That love is extremely intimate, almost like the love shown between a man and his wife. Each of his devotees is to have the type of admiration and everlasting love for him that the Rhada shows here. Since desire is repeated so many times, it gives the poem a very intimate tone, and shows how simply loving Krishna is not enough. One must love him and desire him just like two lovers love each other. This poem is basically an example of the attitude that every devotee of Krishna should have. Additionally, I believe the poem's meaning can be expanded to include the type of attitude that everyone is to have toward each other, but maybe not quite as intimate.
“As water to sea creatures, moon nectar to chakora birds, companionable dark to the stars- my love is to Krishna.”
I like this part of the poem because I really feel like it shows how much in love they really are. I feel like Radha doesn’t think that she could live with out Krishna because she says that sea creatures can not live without water, she must feel the same way about her and Krishna. She doesn’t think that there would be any point living without eachother and then through out the rest of the poem talks about some of their memories and how she only has one love, though Krishna has many.
Chakora birds in Hindu myths feed only on moonlight.
How are you reacting to this God-us = boyfriend-girlfriend imagery?
We are Krishna's flute. When we empty ourselves of ego, He plays through us.
"As if a day when no sun came up
and no color came to the earth-
that's how it is in my heart when he goes away." (p. 17)
I like this passage, because it feels as it Radha can't live without Krishna. Krishna puts the color into her world. She's empty without him. "As water to sea creatures... companionable dark to the stars..." Sea creatures won't survive inless their in water, and stars won't come out inless it's night. Radha can't survive without Krishna. She needs him, like we need God.
" Dress me in your own yellow robes, smooth my disheveled hair, wind round my throat your garland of forest flowers."
I really liked this line fomr the poem on page 24 becuase it is obvious in the way Rhada talks about Krishna that she wants nothing more than to be exactly like him. She wants to embody everything about him down to his material characteristics such as his clothes. Rhada's bhakti toward Krishna in the love they share doesnt stop at just obsession but a strong desire to be exactly like the other.
"As the mirror of my hand, the flower in my hair, the kohl to my eyes,...."
How I perceived this poem is that we praise and love God but do we really know we God is. Are we just abiding by our culture? or Are we just following family tradition? As I continued to read other poems, I kind of discovered the answer. Most of us are willing to find out who God is but one thing stops us fear; we are contented with fear. So fear robs us the chance of knowing God because we are to afraid to know him. This leads us back to why Krishna tells Arjuna that until a man is unmoved to any physical sensation then he is one with his atman.By finding your atman you find God.
The first stanza to the poem on page 15...
As the mirror to my hand,
the flowers to my hair,
kohl to my eyes,
tambul to my mouth,
musk to my breast,
necklace to my throat,
ecstacy to my flesh,
heart to my home-
First of all sorry for posting the whole stanza but I didn't think the lines were as powerful without the rest to surround them.
This stanza, used as one big simile, especially caught my attention because anyone who knows what love is can easily relate this the feelings represented here with a relationship to God. Whether their personnal relationship is a physical, conditional, or unconditional love the poet can be easily understood and their purpose perfectly illustrated. I feel like everyone including myself has someone who is their everything, something or someone who completes them and makes heir every day better just by existing just as God should do for the reader.
"My body hungers for his as mirror image hungers for twin of flesh." page 17 Radha talking about how much she want Krishna. I think it's interesting how open she is to talking about how much she wants Krishna and I was surprised at how the poem talked about them making love and how Radha repeatedly talks so openly about wanting Krishna's body.
Rada explains her fear of being alone and searching for Krishna, and how dark and empty the world seems to be without him. but when she realizes that he will always be there for her, and that all she needs to do is look for him, she realizes that there is nothing in the world to be afraid of. Rada, like all other followers and lovers of Krishna will always be with him, and they should not fear. i like this idea because it can be applied to basically any god in any religion and it is a concept that can be found in most popular religions too. i understand how comforting it is to know that there is someone near you always who loves for you and cares for you as Rada does Krishna.
“http://www.poetseers.org/the_poetseers/mirabai/poems/nothing/”
This is a poem by Mirabai entitled “Nothing is really mine.” This poem was really cool and interesting because it really hit on the idea of you can only be truly happy if you are with god and a part of your god. In this poem, Mirabai says that “in the world he only weeps.” This line is particularly powerful because he says that no matter where he looks and no matter how hard he tried, he can’t find anything that is on the same level as the love he has with Krishna. At the same time though, he says that he is not accepted because of the love with “holy men” he is trying to find. This leads me to believe that he is a strong worshiper.
I found this picture to depict Radha and Krishna’s love perfectly (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/polymorphic/krishna-radha.jpg)
This is JBF09 i forgot my password, sorry.
The Prathama milan, the first meeting of Radha and Krishna honestly makes me laugh. For a couple that goes down in history as the ideal pair it sounds like Krishna was about to rape Radha. There was certainly some suggestive themes and the metaphore "he hovered like a bee round a lotus in a painting" could possibly suggest that he did have sex with her. what i found rather humerousayings was the comment at the end by Govinda-dasa who said "Krishna's lust was changed" when it would seem that Krishna is just horny and has been from the beginning.
"I was alone, a woman; the night was so dark, the forest so dense and gloomy, and I had so far to go. The rain was pouring down-which path sould I take? My feet were muddy and burning where thorns had scratched them. But I had the hope of seeing you, none of it mattered, and now my terror seems far away... When the sound of your flute reaches my ears it compels me to leave my home, my friends, it draws me into the dark toward you.(in praise of Krishna)" This poem describes a woman going on a hard and lonely journey to approach to Krishna. The relationship between god and human is like lovers; the woman who miss her lover and rely on the flute sound, gives up everything for Krishna and tries to answer to his attractable calling with great desires.
"Through all the ages he has been clasped to my breast, yet my desire never abates." pg.18
This shows the never ending love people have for Krishna. Krishna is eternal. The love that Radha shows is for that of a God. Her love for him, unlike that of any human crush, is naturally instated in her. She does not have to wait to see him or talk to him. The love for God exist at birth and does not end at death. A person's love for God never dulls. Sometimes we doubt his existence, but only because our love for him is so strong that it is hard to believe it exist.
"Her slender body like a flash of lightning, her feet, ... " P. 8
I like this part a lot because it carries a kind of mystic methaphor within it. As I look closer at the description throughout the passage, the author describes the woman as mystical but also beautiful person that seems to be everywhere. But still he doesnt know who she is. So she reminds me a lot of a female Hindu god just like Radha. And of course it is her, but through this she also shows that although we might not know where and who she is all the time she is still there. The most amazing part for me though although the author doesnt know anything he still feels very attracted to her, just like the love some people or religions show towards their god.
"Love, I take on splendor in your splendor,grace and gentleness are mine because of your beauty." p. 16
I like these lines because they basically say that all our "splendor, grace and gentleness" is merely a reflection of the gods. The only way for us to truly attain qualities such as these is through surrendering ourselves entirely to the gods. This passage can serve as a reminder not to become vain and self-absorbed, because any splendor we may have actually comes from the gods, not ourselves. The moment we focus on ourselves, not the gods, we lose this splendor. This passage can also be interpreted as a description of our atman, the part of us that is god.
"The Mind-stealing One, like the chataka bird, is wanton he misses no chance to gratify his thirst: I was to him a pool of raindrops." p. 27
I like this line because of the metaphor that the author uses. The author says that Radha is just a pool of raindrops. Krishna is just like a thirsty bird, and when he gets his chance to quench his desire, he takes the first chance. This poem and especially this line is a good reminder to not let someone convince you to do something you don not want to do because most likely you will regret listening to that person. Radha believes that because she made love to Krishna he does not love her any more. Before they made love Krishna seems infatuated with Radha. He needs her to be a part of his life. He then almost forces her to love him back which forces Radha to give herself to Krishna. Radha instantly regrets this, and hates how Krishna has power over her.
"with the last..."
p27
This poem is about how Radha feels used after she sleeps with Krishna. She wants him so badly, yet when it's over, she feel like she was nothing to him but "a pool of raindrops" for him to drink when he was thirsty. However, I think that this is a really cool aspect of the story because so many people, especially women, can relate to it. If Radha feels like insecure about this and their relationship represents ultimate love, what does that say about sex? Maybe not for all couples, but for so many, it causes anxiety about the relationship - at least some of the time.
"Others have many loves, I have only one, dearer to me than life."(pg 16)
This is the sentence that really stood out to me throughout the whole packet of readings. These words describe the passionate love that Radha and Krishna have for one another. They love each other so much, that without the other, the world is empty, not worth living. Their love is the ultimate love. There is no state of love higher than the love they have. There love is extraordinary, beautiful, passionate, and immovable.
"Her slender body like a flash of lightning, her fett, color of dawn, stepping swiftly among the other lotus petals...Friend, tell me who she is! She plays among her friends, plays with my heart."p.8
Even through krishna and radha have know each other since they were both young children, Krishna does not recognize her in their young adult life. Thus symbolizing a renewed relationship with God, evn if we have been with him before, in the process of growning up, we might forget him until we are joined again.
Pg. 17 "As Water To Sea Creatures"
This poem expresses how one should feel when worshiping a god. Having complete and utter love for him and never losing sight of it. Also at the end of the poem the author says that any day that Krishna goes away he is lost like there is no sun or color in the earth. If one can see god and have full faith and love for that god, he or she can then see all the power in the world a different and more exciting way. In the stanza: "His life cuts into my life" the author shows how when someone has a relationship with god, he or she is one with that god in love and affection.
"My body hungers for his as mirror image hungers for twin of flesh." (pg. 17)
In this passage radha is describing the depth of her love. This line reminds me of the concept of man and woman once being combined until they were split in two and placed randomly all over the world, so for the rest of eternity they searched for their other half to be complete again. This imagery gives the intensity in passion of finding the one true sould mate that makes one another complete.
-felicia
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