sg 10: the thakura in puri the thakura in puri the thakura's family was in ranaghat, andin his absence a son named radhika prasad was born. while in dinajpur he had taken alaw examination but had not passed it. in champaran, however, he studied law very intentlyand after taking the examination in chapra,
bali pictures, he asked for a transfer to puri. he receivedit, and taking copies of the srimad-bhagavatam and the sri caitanya-caritamrta with him heduly proceeded there. he describes his going daily for darsana of lord jagannatha thus:"every day i went to see jagannatha at sri mandira. at the time of darsana i rememberedthe emotions of sri mahaprabhu, and i felt
very blissful." for a few months he was alonein puri, and then, after the puja season, he brought his family to a brick house herented there. while staying alone in puri, in 1871, the thakura composed a poem in contemplationof the samadhi (tomb) of srila haridasa thakura, the great professor of the holy name, theninth verse of which is especially well-known and is oft quoted by gaudiya vaisnavas. on haridas samadhi on haridas samadhi[a saragrahi vaishnava] o! born of moslem parents, haridas!and trained in youth in moslem creed, thy noble heart to vaishnava truth did pass!-thy holy acts thy candour plead!
is there a soul that cannot learn from theethat man must give up sect for god?- that thoughts of race and sect can ne'er agreewith what they call religion broad? thy love of god and brother soul alonebereft thyself of early friends -,thy softer feelings oft to kindness proneled on thyself for higher ends!! i weep to read that kazees and their menoft persecuted thee, alas! but thou didst nobly pray for th' wicked then!for thou wert vaishnava haridas!! and god is boundless grace to thee, o man!united thee to one who came to save the fallen souls from evil's planof taking human souls to shame. and he it was who led you all that camefor life eternal,-holy,-pure!
and gave you rest in heaven's enduring nameand sacred blessings ever sure! thy body rests upon the sacred sandsof swargadwar near the sea, oh! hundreds come to thee from distant landst' enjoy a holy, thrilling glee! the waters roar and storming winds assailthy ears in vain, ah! vaishnava soul! the charms of brindaban thy heart regale,unknown the wheel of time doth roll!! he reasons ill who tells that vaishnavas diewhen thou art living still in sound. the vaishnavas die to live and living tryto spread a holy life around! now let the candid man that seeks to livefollow thy way on shores of time, then posterity sure to him will givelike one song in simple rhyme!
it is clear from this wonderful poem thatthe inspiration the thakura derived from his arrival in puri was tremendous, and that hisheart was flooded with deep spiritual sentiments as he visited the sites of the sublime pastimesof lord caitanya and his eternal associates like srila haridasa thakura. meanwhile, mr. metcalf was so attached tothe thakura's coming to a place called matihari, where some of the thakura's household itemswere stored, (that place being his first planned residence before he got the opportunity ofbeing posted in puri), that he would not initially release the thakura's servant who had cometo fetch his effects. finally, a disappointed mr. metcalf relented and let the servant go.we get some idea from this incident just how
attractive the character of srila bhaktivinodathakura was, that whole towns would lament at his departure and that officers of thebritish government were beginning to fight over him. this is the attractive characterof great devotees: that they become dear to everyone, to the gentle and ruffians alike.of course, the thakura was an emblem of morality and was very expert in the execution of hisduties as well, and for this reason also he was much in demand and completely trustedby the government's officers. the thakura appears to have generally enjoyed very convivialrelations with the british government officials, although this sort of relationship was notuniversally enjoyed by educated indians. there were frequent incidents of contemptuous behaviortowards them, and indians often experienced
being treated as third-class citizens. whenthe ilbert bill was passed in 1883, and it was decreed that indian magistrates shouldbe allowed to try europeans brought before them, the british community was incensed,and the bill was amended so that the jury would have to be all white! sometimes racistremarks were passed off as jokes, as for example a newspaper advertisement which read: "wantedsweepers, punkah [fan] coolies, and bhisties [water carriers] for the residents of saidpur.none but educated bengali babus who have passed the university entrance examination need apply.ex-deputy magistrates (bengali) preferred." however, srila bhaktivinoda thakura nevercomplained of any such treatment in his autobiography, and it seems clear that his overwhelming competence,intelligence and purity generally defeated
even the thought of such odious behavior. it is also clear that the british government,who were not unaware of the spiritual significance the indians placed on puri, appreciated thethakura's ability to administer the law and to deal with the religious life of puri ontheir behalf without aggravating the local people. from the beginning of the britishpresence in orissa they had taken great pains not to disturb the faithful, and the governmentthus issued the following orders to the british officer who took charge of the town in 1803: "on your arrival in jagannath you will employevery possible precaution to preserve the respect due to the pagoda and to the religiousprejudices of the brahmins and pilgrims. you
will furnish the brahmins with such guardsas shall afford perfect security to their persons, rites and ceremonials, and to thesanctity of the religious edifices, and you will strictly enjoin those you command toobserve your orders on this important subject with the utmost degree of accuracy and vigilance... you will assure the brahmins at the pagoda of jagannath that they will not be requiredto pay any other revenue or tribute to the british government than that which they havehitherto been in the habit of paying to the maratha government, and that they will beprotected in the exercise of their religious duties." the thakura wrote another wonderful poem in1871 entitled saragrahi vaishnava, which details
the futility of attempts for sensory happiness,the eternality of the soul and the worthy struggle of the soul to achieve pure devotionand transcend material existence: saragrahi vaishnava alas, for those that spend their daysin festive mirth and joy! the dazzling deadly liquid formstheir heart for e'er employ!! the shining bottles charm their eyesand draw their hearts embrace! the slaves of wine can never risefrom what we call disgrace! was man intended to bea brute in work and heart? should man the lord of all aroundfrom common sense depart?
man's glory is in common sensedictating us the grace, that man is made to live and lovethe beauteous heaven's embrace! the flesh is not our own alas!the mortal frame a chain; the soul confined for former wrongsshould try to rise again!! why then this childish play in thatwhich cannot be our own, which falls within a hundred years,as if a rose ablown! our life is but a rosy hueto go ere long to nought! the soul alone would last for e'erwith good or evil frought!! how deep the thought of times to be?how grave the aspect looks?
and wrapt in awe become, oh! iwhen reading nature's books! man's life to him a problem dark!a screen both left and right! no soul hath come to tell us whatexists beyond our sight!! but then a voice, how deep and soft,within ourselves is left -,man! man! thou art immortal soul!thee death can never melt!! for thee thy sire on high has kepta store of bliss above, to end of time, thou art oh! hiswho wants but purest love. oh love! thy power and spell benignnow melt my soul to god! how can my earthly words describethat feeling soft and broad!!
enjoyment-sorrow,-what but lotsto which the flesh is heir? the soul that sleeps alone concludesin them it hath a share!! and then! my friends no more enjoynor weep!for all below;- the women, wine and flesh of beastsno love on thee bestow! but thine to love thy brother manand give thyself to god, and god doth know your wages fair;this fact is true and broad!! forget the past that sleeps, and ne'erthe future dream at all, but act in times that are with theeand progress thee shall call!! but tell me not in reasoning cold.the soul is made alone
by earth's mechanic, lifeless rulesand to destruction prone! my god who gave us life and allalone the soul can kill, or give it all the joys abovehis promise to fulfil! so push on thy onward march o soul!against an evil deed that stands with soldiers-hate and lust!a hero be indeed!! maintain thy post in spirit worldas firmly as you can, let never matter push thee down,o stand heroic man! o sharagrahi vaishnab soul!thou art an angel fair: lead, lead me on to vrindabanand spirit's power declare!!
there rests my soul from matter freeupon my lover's arms, eternal peace and spirit's loveare all my chanting charms!! this great poem gives further indication ofthe thakura's feelings of devotion being stirred by his having the opportunity to live in thedhama of the lord. he produced an outpouring of intensely devotional writings in 1871,corresponding to his first year in puri, which marks the dawning of a preaching spirit thatis evidenced in an essay called to love god, published in a journal of tajpur on august25th, 1871. in this short essay the thakura analyzes the great commandment of jesus andcompares the precepts of vaisnavism to it, revealing the further evolution of christ'steaching promulgated by sri caitanya mahaprabhu:
"it was christ jesus who first said 'lovegod with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength,and love man as thy brother.' this is an absolute truth indeed; but different men put differentinterpretations to this noble expression. the expressions of all great men are nicebut somewhat mysterious-when understood they bring the truth nearest to the heart, otherwisethey remain mere letters that 'kill.' the reason of the mystery is that men, advancedin their inward approach to the deity, are in the habit of receiving revelations whichare but mysteries to those behind them. the stages of progress are very much the sameas the circles of spiritualism which, though not true themselves, explain a great dealabout the gradual development of the soul.
we have understood some spiritualists to maintainthat matter when sublimated converts itself to spirit. this theory is indeed against anyinward conviction. matter is matter, and spirit is spirit; one of them cannot form the other.spirit is certainly of a superior existence; though we cannot fully understand in our presentstate of material imprisonment, what relation spirit does exactly bear to matter, spaceand time. metaphysics apart, we decide that the human soul rises higher and higher andcan understand things of which we have no idea at present. subject to this importantrule, christ jesus of nazareth received and uttered the words quoted above. to readerswho are a little above the scale of ordinary men, these expressions of jesus teach, thatman should love god with all his heart, (meaning
the affections of the heart perceivable inall children as opposed to hate), with all his mind, (meaning the intellect which knowsas opposed to ignorance of good things) with all his soul, (meaning that principle of thehuman constitution which worships the almighty and feels its own immortality) and with allhis strength, (meaning all active work). "to the inspired, however, more things andbetter, and sublimer meanings appear beneath these holy words of the inspired jesus. heteaches man to love god and not to know, infer, hate, or think of god. he tell us that manin his absolute state is not the intellect or the body but is the pure soul itself. theessence of the soul is wisdom and its action is love absolute. the absolute condition ofman is his absolute relation to the deity
in pure love. love then alone is the religionof the soul and consequently of the whole man. the pupil asks here what have i to dowith the heart?-my heart loves to see the 'sun to smile', 'to eat the sweetest dishand see a dance'. jesus profoundly replies, 'yes, you must love god with all thy heart,your heart now runs to other things than god, but you must, as you train a bad horse, makeyour feelings run to the loving god.' this is one of the four principles of worship orwhat they call in vaishnava literature, shanta rasa. then the pupil says, 'my lord, the intellecttakes me elsewhere from god, i.e., it wants to take me to positivism; please instructme what am i to do?' 'yes,' replies jesus, 'you must love god with all your mind, i.e.when you perceive, conceive, remember, imagine
and reason, you must not allow yourself tobe a dry thinker but must love. love alone can soften the dryness of the intellect. youmust develop the intellect on all good and holy things by means of love of truth, spiritualbeauty and harmony.' this is the second phase of vaishnava development which passes by thename of dashya rasa. the pupil then enquires whether the development of the affectionsand the intellect is quite enough for him. then says the lord, 'you must love god withthy soul also, i.e., you must perceive yourself in spiritual communication with the deityand receive holy revelations in your sublimest hours of worship.' this is called the sakhyarasa of the vaishnavas,-the soul approaching the deity in holy and fearless service. thedisciple apprehends that he will be lost in
such a position and will be unable to act.then the saviour tells him these words, 'you must love god with all thy strength or will,-youare wrong in concluding that you will lose your active existence-you will get it themore. work for god and work to god, proceeding from no interested views but from a holy freewill (which is alone the strength of man) and identifying itself with pure love, willfully engross your attention.' this description is of bhakti in general. then jesus proceedsto tell us, 'you must love man as thy brother.' from this is inferred the fourth phase oflove which is a feeling that all men are brothers and god is their common father. this is batsalyarasa in its first stage of development. "bhakti (love) is thus perceived in the veryfirst development of the man in the shape
of heart, then in the shape of mind, thenin the shape of soul and lastly in the shape of will. these shapes do not destroy eachother but beautifully harmonize themselves into a pure construction of what we call thespiritual man or the ekanta of vaishnava literature. but there is another sublimer truth behindthe fact which is revealed to a few that are prepared for it. we mean the spiritual conversionof the soul into a woman. it is in that sublime and lofty state in which the soul can tastethe sweets of an indissoluble marriage with god of love. the fifth or the highest stageof vaishnava development is this, which we call madhura rasa, and on this alone the mostbeautiful portion of the vaishnava literature so ably expatiates. this phase of human life,mysterious as it is, is not attainable by
all, nay, we should say, by any but 'god'sown.' it is so very beyond the reach of common men that the rationalists and even the ordinarytheists cannot understand it, nay, they go so far as to sneer at it as something unnatural.oh god! reveal thy most valuable truths to all so that your own may not be numbered withthe fanatics and the crazed and that the whole of mankind may be admitted as 'your own.'" the thakura invokes this beautiful prayerto the lord: that he will reveal the topmost spiritual fortune to all of humanity and thathis devotees may not be misunderstood, but seen as his dearmost servitors. this prayerexemplifies the compassionate mood that characterized jesus christ's preaching, the same compassionthat was exhibited by haridasa thakura even
as he was beaten by the mohammedans, and thesame compassion that prahlada maharaja exhibited in praying for the deliverance of his murderous,father and all conditioned souls.
sg 10: the thakura in puri the thakura in puri the thakura's family was in ranaghat, andin his absence a son named radhika prasad was born. while in dinajpur he had taken alaw examination but had not passed it. in champaran, however, he studied law very intentlyand after taking the examination in chapra,
bali pictures, he asked for a transfer to puri. he receivedit, and taking copies of the srimad-bhagavatam and the sri caitanya-caritamrta with him heduly proceeded there. he describes his going daily for darsana of lord jagannatha thus:"every day i went to see jagannatha at sri mandira. at the time of darsana i rememberedthe emotions of sri mahaprabhu, and i felt
very blissful." for a few months he was alonein puri, and then, after the puja season, he brought his family to a brick house herented there. while staying alone in puri, in 1871, the thakura composed a poem in contemplationof the samadhi (tomb) of srila haridasa thakura, the great professor of the holy name, theninth verse of which is especially well-known and is oft quoted by gaudiya vaisnavas. on haridas samadhi on haridas samadhi[a saragrahi vaishnava] o! born of moslem parents, haridas!and trained in youth in moslem creed, thy noble heart to vaishnava truth did pass!-thy holy acts thy candour plead!
is there a soul that cannot learn from theethat man must give up sect for god?- that thoughts of race and sect can ne'er agreewith what they call religion broad? thy love of god and brother soul alonebereft thyself of early friends -,thy softer feelings oft to kindness proneled on thyself for higher ends!! i weep to read that kazees and their menoft persecuted thee, alas! but thou didst nobly pray for th' wicked then!for thou wert vaishnava haridas!! and god is boundless grace to thee, o man!united thee to one who came to save the fallen souls from evil's planof taking human souls to shame. and he it was who led you all that camefor life eternal,-holy,-pure!
and gave you rest in heaven's enduring nameand sacred blessings ever sure! thy body rests upon the sacred sandsof swargadwar near the sea, oh! hundreds come to thee from distant landst' enjoy a holy, thrilling glee! the waters roar and storming winds assailthy ears in vain, ah! vaishnava soul! the charms of brindaban thy heart regale,unknown the wheel of time doth roll!! he reasons ill who tells that vaishnavas diewhen thou art living still in sound. the vaishnavas die to live and living tryto spread a holy life around! now let the candid man that seeks to livefollow thy way on shores of time, then posterity sure to him will givelike one song in simple rhyme!
it is clear from this wonderful poem thatthe inspiration the thakura derived from his arrival in puri was tremendous, and that hisheart was flooded with deep spiritual sentiments as he visited the sites of the sublime pastimesof lord caitanya and his eternal associates like srila haridasa thakura. meanwhile, mr. metcalf was so attached tothe thakura's coming to a place called matihari, where some of the thakura's household itemswere stored, (that place being his first planned residence before he got the opportunity ofbeing posted in puri), that he would not initially release the thakura's servant who had cometo fetch his effects. finally, a disappointed mr. metcalf relented and let the servant go.we get some idea from this incident just how
attractive the character of srila bhaktivinodathakura was, that whole towns would lament at his departure and that officers of thebritish government were beginning to fight over him. this is the attractive characterof great devotees: that they become dear to everyone, to the gentle and ruffians alike.of course, the thakura was an emblem of morality and was very expert in the execution of hisduties as well, and for this reason also he was much in demand and completely trustedby the government's officers. the thakura appears to have generally enjoyed very convivialrelations with the british government officials, although this sort of relationship was notuniversally enjoyed by educated indians. there were frequent incidents of contemptuous behaviortowards them, and indians often experienced
being treated as third-class citizens. whenthe ilbert bill was passed in 1883, and it was decreed that indian magistrates shouldbe allowed to try europeans brought before them, the british community was incensed,and the bill was amended so that the jury would have to be all white! sometimes racistremarks were passed off as jokes, as for example a newspaper advertisement which read: "wantedsweepers, punkah [fan] coolies, and bhisties [water carriers] for the residents of saidpur.none but educated bengali babus who have passed the university entrance examination need apply.ex-deputy magistrates (bengali) preferred." however, srila bhaktivinoda thakura nevercomplained of any such treatment in his autobiography, and it seems clear that his overwhelming competence,intelligence and purity generally defeated
even the thought of such odious behavior. it is also clear that the british government,who were not unaware of the spiritual significance the indians placed on puri, appreciated thethakura's ability to administer the law and to deal with the religious life of puri ontheir behalf without aggravating the local people. from the beginning of the britishpresence in orissa they had taken great pains not to disturb the faithful, and the governmentthus issued the following orders to the british officer who took charge of the town in 1803: "on your arrival in jagannath you will employevery possible precaution to preserve the respect due to the pagoda and to the religiousprejudices of the brahmins and pilgrims. you
will furnish the brahmins with such guardsas shall afford perfect security to their persons, rites and ceremonials, and to thesanctity of the religious edifices, and you will strictly enjoin those you command toobserve your orders on this important subject with the utmost degree of accuracy and vigilance... you will assure the brahmins at the pagoda of jagannath that they will not be requiredto pay any other revenue or tribute to the british government than that which they havehitherto been in the habit of paying to the maratha government, and that they will beprotected in the exercise of their religious duties." the thakura wrote another wonderful poem in1871 entitled saragrahi vaishnava, which details
the futility of attempts for sensory happiness,the eternality of the soul and the worthy struggle of the soul to achieve pure devotionand transcend material existence: saragrahi vaishnava alas, for those that spend their daysin festive mirth and joy! the dazzling deadly liquid formstheir heart for e'er employ!! the shining bottles charm their eyesand draw their hearts embrace! the slaves of wine can never risefrom what we call disgrace! was man intended to bea brute in work and heart? should man the lord of all aroundfrom common sense depart?
man's glory is in common sensedictating us the grace, that man is made to live and lovethe beauteous heaven's embrace! the flesh is not our own alas!the mortal frame a chain; the soul confined for former wrongsshould try to rise again!! why then this childish play in thatwhich cannot be our own, which falls within a hundred years,as if a rose ablown! our life is but a rosy hueto go ere long to nought! the soul alone would last for e'erwith good or evil frought!! how deep the thought of times to be?how grave the aspect looks?
and wrapt in awe become, oh! iwhen reading nature's books! man's life to him a problem dark!a screen both left and right! no soul hath come to tell us whatexists beyond our sight!! but then a voice, how deep and soft,within ourselves is left -,man! man! thou art immortal soul!thee death can never melt!! for thee thy sire on high has kepta store of bliss above, to end of time, thou art oh! hiswho wants but purest love. oh love! thy power and spell benignnow melt my soul to god! how can my earthly words describethat feeling soft and broad!!
enjoyment-sorrow,-what but lotsto which the flesh is heir? the soul that sleeps alone concludesin them it hath a share!! and then! my friends no more enjoynor weep!for all below;- the women, wine and flesh of beastsno love on thee bestow! but thine to love thy brother manand give thyself to god, and god doth know your wages fair;this fact is true and broad!! forget the past that sleeps, and ne'erthe future dream at all, but act in times that are with theeand progress thee shall call!! but tell me not in reasoning cold.the soul is made alone
by earth's mechanic, lifeless rulesand to destruction prone! my god who gave us life and allalone the soul can kill, or give it all the joys abovehis promise to fulfil! so push on thy onward march o soul!against an evil deed that stands with soldiers-hate and lust!a hero be indeed!! maintain thy post in spirit worldas firmly as you can, let never matter push thee down,o stand heroic man! o sharagrahi vaishnab soul!thou art an angel fair: lead, lead me on to vrindabanand spirit's power declare!!
there rests my soul from matter freeupon my lover's arms, eternal peace and spirit's loveare all my chanting charms!! this great poem gives further indication ofthe thakura's feelings of devotion being stirred by his having the opportunity to live in thedhama of the lord. he produced an outpouring of intensely devotional writings in 1871,corresponding to his first year in puri, which marks the dawning of a preaching spirit thatis evidenced in an essay called to love god, published in a journal of tajpur on august25th, 1871. in this short essay the thakura analyzes the great commandment of jesus andcompares the precepts of vaisnavism to it, revealing the further evolution of christ'steaching promulgated by sri caitanya mahaprabhu:
"it was christ jesus who first said 'lovegod with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength,and love man as thy brother.' this is an absolute truth indeed; but different men put differentinterpretations to this noble expression. the expressions of all great men are nicebut somewhat mysterious-when understood they bring the truth nearest to the heart, otherwisethey remain mere letters that 'kill.' the reason of the mystery is that men, advancedin their inward approach to the deity, are in the habit of receiving revelations whichare but mysteries to those behind them. the stages of progress are very much the sameas the circles of spiritualism which, though not true themselves, explain a great dealabout the gradual development of the soul.
we have understood some spiritualists to maintainthat matter when sublimated converts itself to spirit. this theory is indeed against anyinward conviction. matter is matter, and spirit is spirit; one of them cannot form the other.spirit is certainly of a superior existence; though we cannot fully understand in our presentstate of material imprisonment, what relation spirit does exactly bear to matter, spaceand time. metaphysics apart, we decide that the human soul rises higher and higher andcan understand things of which we have no idea at present. subject to this importantrule, christ jesus of nazareth received and uttered the words quoted above. to readerswho are a little above the scale of ordinary men, these expressions of jesus teach, thatman should love god with all his heart, (meaning
the affections of the heart perceivable inall children as opposed to hate), with all his mind, (meaning the intellect which knowsas opposed to ignorance of good things) with all his soul, (meaning that principle of thehuman constitution which worships the almighty and feels its own immortality) and with allhis strength, (meaning all active work). "to the inspired, however, more things andbetter, and sublimer meanings appear beneath these holy words of the inspired jesus. heteaches man to love god and not to know, infer, hate, or think of god. he tell us that manin his absolute state is not the intellect or the body but is the pure soul itself. theessence of the soul is wisdom and its action is love absolute. the absolute condition ofman is his absolute relation to the deity
in pure love. love then alone is the religionof the soul and consequently of the whole man. the pupil asks here what have i to dowith the heart?-my heart loves to see the 'sun to smile', 'to eat the sweetest dishand see a dance'. jesus profoundly replies, 'yes, you must love god with all thy heart,your heart now runs to other things than god, but you must, as you train a bad horse, makeyour feelings run to the loving god.' this is one of the four principles of worship orwhat they call in vaishnava literature, shanta rasa. then the pupil says, 'my lord, the intellecttakes me elsewhere from god, i.e., it wants to take me to positivism; please instructme what am i to do?' 'yes,' replies jesus, 'you must love god with all your mind, i.e.when you perceive, conceive, remember, imagine
and reason, you must not allow yourself tobe a dry thinker but must love. love alone can soften the dryness of the intellect. youmust develop the intellect on all good and holy things by means of love of truth, spiritualbeauty and harmony.' this is the second phase of vaishnava development which passes by thename of dashya rasa. the pupil then enquires whether the development of the affectionsand the intellect is quite enough for him. then says the lord, 'you must love god withthy soul also, i.e., you must perceive yourself in spiritual communication with the deityand receive holy revelations in your sublimest hours of worship.' this is called the sakhyarasa of the vaishnavas,-the soul approaching the deity in holy and fearless service. thedisciple apprehends that he will be lost in
such a position and will be unable to act.then the saviour tells him these words, 'you must love god with all thy strength or will,-youare wrong in concluding that you will lose your active existence-you will get it themore. work for god and work to god, proceeding from no interested views but from a holy freewill (which is alone the strength of man) and identifying itself with pure love, willfully engross your attention.' this description is of bhakti in general. then jesus proceedsto tell us, 'you must love man as thy brother.' from this is inferred the fourth phase oflove which is a feeling that all men are brothers and god is their common father. this is batsalyarasa in its first stage of development. "bhakti (love) is thus perceived in the veryfirst development of the man in the shape
of heart, then in the shape of mind, thenin the shape of soul and lastly in the shape of will. these shapes do not destroy eachother but beautifully harmonize themselves into a pure construction of what we call thespiritual man or the ekanta of vaishnava literature. but there is another sublimer truth behindthe fact which is revealed to a few that are prepared for it. we mean the spiritual conversionof the soul into a woman. it is in that sublime and lofty state in which the soul can tastethe sweets of an indissoluble marriage with god of love. the fifth or the highest stageof vaishnava development is this, which we call madhura rasa, and on this alone the mostbeautiful portion of the vaishnava literature so ably expatiates. this phase of human life,mysterious as it is, is not attainable by
all, nay, we should say, by any but 'god'sown.' it is so very beyond the reach of common men that the rationalists and even the ordinarytheists cannot understand it, nay, they go so far as to sneer at it as something unnatural.oh god! reveal thy most valuable truths to all so that your own may not be numbered withthe fanatics and the crazed and that the whole of mankind may be admitted as 'your own.'" the thakura invokes this beautiful prayerto the lord: that he will reveal the topmost spiritual fortune to all of humanity and thathis devotees may not be misunderstood, but seen as his dearmost servitors. this prayerexemplifies the compassionate mood that characterized jesus christ's preaching, the same compassionthat was exhibited by haridasa thakura even
as he was beaten by the mohammedans, and thesame compassion that prahlada maharaja exhibited in praying for the deliverance of his murderous,father and all conditioned souls.