Shikshashtakam series at alachua

1. 1
Shikshashtakam
1. Thesix-prongedflame
ofKirtan-yajna

2. Overview
Antya of Antya Lila: More reflections than
instructions
The Lord lives on through his ecstatic
instructions
1-5: Sambandha
6: Prayojana
All 8 texts: Abhidheya

3. 3
Shikshashtakam
1. Thesix-prongedflame
ofKirtan-yajna

4. Overview
1-5: Vaidhi Bhakti
6: Raganuga Bhakti
7: Bhava Bhakti
8: Raganuga Bhakti

5. ceto darpana marjanam
 The mind as a window
 The mind as a TV screen
 The mind as a mirror
 Cit (Cons. as feature of the soul)
vs Citta (Embodied cons.)

6. ceto darpana marjanam
 The mind that is clean is serene
Gita 06.27
 Clean mind like pure water –
free from impurities: desires
other than the desire to serve
Krishna

7. kairava candrika vitaranam
White lotus blossoms in moonlight
Lotus: Our cons.
Holy name: Moonlight
Blossomed lotus: Krishna cons

8. kairava candrika vitaranam
Blossoming of cons.: Progress in
selflessness from self-absorption to
Krishna-absorption

9. Vidya vadhu jivanam
Vidya – Krishna’s internal potency
– enlivened in our heart by the
presence of her Lord
Gita 10.10

10. Anandambudhi vardhanam
Ocean of Lord Hari’s glories is
ever-expanding
Let me dive into this and be free
from the desert of material
existence

11. Purnamrita
Gita 18.38: Initial nectar, eventual
poison
Gita 18.37: Initial poison, eventual
nectar
Pure holy name: Just nectar

12.  Varnavada: Power in letters eg
formula, Vedic mantras
 Sphotavada: Power in meaning
eg. Proverb, Puranic lila
 Krishna’s omnipotence

13. Ontological reality
Our subjective realization
Eg Deity

14.  Extraordinary demonstrations of
mercy are meant to inspire us to
follow the standard process for
getting mercy, not excuses for
avoiding the standard process

15.  Gita 13.8-12 p: “to not be anxious to have
the satisfaction of being honored by
others”
 To not let our ego interfere with our
purpose
 To accept honor, but to not expect honor

16.  Self-pity is not humility; it is
negative self-absorption, whereas
humility is the launching pad to
freedom from self-absorption
 The cure for pride is not suppression
of talent, but purification of intent

17.  Self-pity is not humility; it is
negative self-absorption, whereas
humility is the launching pad to
freedom from self-absorption
 Focus on Krishna’s greatness, not
one’s own smallness

18.  “One’s greatness is estimated by the
ability to tolerate provoking
situations”
 Tolerance means to call off our war
with reality

19.  Not passivity, but ability to keep
small things small and focus on big
things. Eg Gita 2.14 vs 11.33
 If we let everything that happens
matter, we don’t let what matters
happen

20. Karma romanticizes the
world
Jnana demonizes the world
Bhakti utilizes the world

21. Aversion to commitment is
not detachment
Sadhana-bhakti is not about
attachment & detachment,
but about commitment

22.  Conscience is the dog that barks
when the thief of sin comes to
steal our bhakti
 The bark of conscience is guilt

23.  We may not be able to avoid
falling down, but we can avoid
staying fallen

24.  Karma & Jnana: Endeavor is
primary
 Bhakti: Grace is primary

25.  Prabhupada, “If we are not
determined, even the Supreme
Personality of Godhead can’t help
us.”
 Let determination be an expression
of devotion, not of willpower

26.  In bhakti, our strengths can be our
weaknesses, and our weaknesses can
be our strengths
 We may win against temptation and
not go close to Krishna; or we may
lose and go close to Krishna

27.  We are unqualified, but we are
never disqualified
 Our endeavor doesn’t generate
mercy, but it attracts mercy

28.  Partial – he favors his devotees
 Impartial – he opens the doors of
devotion to everyone

29.  Sentiments: ornaments of life
 Rama-Lakshmana dialogue
 Sentimentality: sentiments are the
only deciders of our actions and
level

30.  Let reason direct emotion
 Let emotion animate reason
 Reason w/o emotion:
Impersonalism
 Emotion w/o reason: Sahajiyaism

31. Krishna Maya
Materialists Detached Attached
Sahajiyas Attached Attached
Impersonlists Detached Detached
Bhaktas Attached Detached

32.  Opposite of sentimentality is
judgmentality eg. Unfeeling
imposition of standards on others
 Be transcendental – not sentimental
or judgmental

33.  Spiritual emotion is the fruit of
purification
 Sentimentality is sentiments without
purification and often with impure
consequences

34.  Krishna consciousness sadhana – feeling
the presence of Krishna in his absence
 What we miss reflects what we value
 Start with whatever uddipana works at
our stage

35.  For materialists, Krishna has no value
without the world. Eg Duryodhana
 For devotees, the world has no value
without Krishna eg Arjuna

36.  Material memories are automatically
preserved; devotional memories
need to conscientiously preserved
 Separation is to love what wind is to
fire

37.  Purification means to change our
default definition of happiness
 Our desires are not just linear, they
are also triangular

38. Love with reciprocation
Love without reciprocation
Love with (apparent)
rejection

39. Love with reciprocation
Love without reciprocation
Love with (apparent)
rejection

40.  Baby elephant shackled – realizes its
strength internally and expresses it
externally on pulling
 Similarly, love realized & expressed
in the presence of opposition

41.  Krishna reciprocates in his own way
– returns to Vrindavana and re-
unites with the gopis

42.  Articles, lectures, question answers and short
talks come as daily feeds.

43.  Articles, lectures, question answers and short
talks come as daily feeds.