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The Divine Souls!

Today we're going to look at one shlok, a famous and important shlok by Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji which is also oft quoted by Jagadguru Shree Kripalu ji Maharaj. It has to do with remembering Radha Krishna and Their name all the time and developing deep feelings of humbleness. So, let us see what this shlok says and then we'll consider the practical application of it, because along with understanding the basic theory or knowledge, we have to know, in certain cases, the nuances of how to apply it in our life. So Mahaprabhuji says,

Tṛiṇādapi su-nīchen tarorapi iva sahiṣhṇunā. amāninā mān-den kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.

- Chaitanya Charitamrit: Adi 17.31

“A devotee, someone who wants to follow the path of bhakti and attain Radha Krishna in this life, they should be as humble as a blade of grass, as forbearing as a tree. They should not demand honor from others but give respect to other people and chant the name of Radhe Govind all the time.”

Being more humble than a blade of grass like the lawn out there you walk on It doesn't grumble. You put your foot on its head. It bends down. Then it pops back up. So be as humble as a blade of grass, Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji says, and as forbearing as a tree, ‘sahen shīlitā’, we say in Hindi. It means the ability to bear without lashing out. Why is the tree being used as an example? Because think of how generous and giving a tree is. The tree grows tall and provides shade from the sun, shelter from the rain, and wind; fruit for us to eat. And what does it bear? Oh, we plunder its fruit, we break its branches, cut its branches. We use everything and the tree just keeps giving and bearing everything without ever lashing out or getting grumpy. So, such forbearance is the example of ‘sahen shĩlitā’ is the tree.

And in the third quarter of the verse Mahaprabhuji says, “Amāni nā.” Don't demand mān. Mān means ‘respect’. We have that reaction, “Do you know who I am?” That kind of thing. “How dare you?” That type of bhao is opposite of what Mahaprabhuji is saying. Don't demand respect from others. Mān dena - give respect to others. Obviously this is a very high ideal. This is the topmost state of being that we're trying to achieve and it doesn't happen easily. This grows within us as we progress.

Many times people have asked Jagadguru Shree Kripalu ji Maharaj, “How do I know if I'm progressing on this path?” So, if you're progressing, your mind, your heart would be purifying, and the more pure your mind becomes the more it becomes infused with the grace of God and Guru, the more our ‘sahen shīlitā’ grows. Our forbearance grows. We become more like the tree, “Oh, it doesn't bother us. It's okay.” We become more like the grass. “Oh, it's good to be humble. I'm not looking for anybody's respect. I am the lowest of the low. It's okay. Everybody else can be respected. I don't need to be respected.” This is not like acting on the outside, but truly we become more and more like this on the inside. So, Shree Maharaj Ji says, “You want to know how much progress you're making? Measure how much sahen shīlitā has grown? How much dīnitā, how much humbleness has grown? Then there must have been some progress made, but how much you yourself can judge by how much this bhao has grown in your heart. Now practically living this… see, it's something that has to be practiced. Right?

On one hand simply by doing sadhana which we practice here, sitting and doing Roopdhyan of Radha Krishna with kirtan, that will purify your heart. And, doing seva to Guru; that will purify your heart. But along the