Lalita Saptami

Super auspicious day today – Śrī Lalitā Saptami. As we heard from Lavanika, Saptami means the seventh day. Tomorrow is Rādhāṣṭamī, means the eighth day in the month. And this is a favourite day of our Śrīla Gurudev. Some of us had a great fortune being with him on this day for many years year after year and we’ve heard him say how Lalitā Saptami was in his personal opinion more exclusive than Rādhāṣṭamī, more specific. We are in the line of Lalitā Devī and anyone who has connection to Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj and his Mission and through Śrīla Gurudev and our Āchāryas, we will automatically go to the service group to Lalitā Devī. Gurudev has given so many glories, spoken so beautifully on that occasion. It’s a very exclusive day, that we observe with care and attention, some cautiousness.

Lalitā Devī was an exclusive personal servitor in the most highest madhura-rasa-līlā and we take our Gurudev’s lotus feet on our head and try to remember the glories he’s shared with us and pray not to make any offence on the attempt.

And we are trying to glorify Lalitā Devī, who’s, in Gurudev’s language, the chief super-guardian of the service and the Pastimes of Rādhā and Govinda. There are so many wonderful qualities he’s described. There is a very famous verse by Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī that Śrīla Gurudev always quotes on this day.

When Lalitā Devī finds a drop of perspiration at the feet of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, she furiously engages herself to remove it. She says, “How has it come there? We are circumambulating Them to see that not the least bit of pain can enter this domain to trouble Them. But how without our notice has this perspiration appeared? Perspiration, perspiration! So she is furiously chastising herself, and wants to immediately take birth one lakh (100,000) times – with that force she comes to remove that drop of perspiration from the lotus feet of either of the Divine Couple. If the least difficulty is seen in the serving area, the Lord’s associates can’t tolerate it in any way, and such eagerness, self-abuse and earnestness is found in them.

So, that is a verse by Rūpa Goswāmī describing Lalitā Devī, her intense mood of service, not wanting any trouble to enter and willing to sacrifice infinitely to remove even a drop of sweat from their lotus feet.

Gurudev says, “Without her mercy no-one can get service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. She also has a very magnanimous nature. Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj described on her appearance day [that] she goes out into the streets and converses right and left, “Everyone, who wants the service of Rādhā and Govinda just sign up, I’ll enlist you.” So, she has a very merciful nature. Gurudev says, “She is the super guardian for the service of Pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.” Sometimes she is even teaching and chastising Rādhā and Govinda, so their Pastimes can go on in a satisfactory way. She can ask Rādhārāṇī, “Why have you done that, you’ve discouraged Kṛṣṇa from doing this and that.” And saying to Kṛṣṇa [that] he has done wrong, he’s insulted Rādhārāṇī and never to do like that. Gurudev says [that] this type of mood is called vāma-bhāva. Vāma is like contrary, opposing contrary mood that she has. She can be a little controversial, aggressive and by her grace and by the grace of our Guru-varga we will aspire for entry into that service plane. Śrīla Gurudev has described how Rūpa Mañjarī works under Lalitā Devī. The mañjarī group is controlled by Lalitā Devī, she sends the mañjarīs in to do the confidential services. That is where our line, our ultimate aspiration goes, to that service camp.

We’ve also heard from Śrīla Gurudev how when he was a new devotee, newly initiated, he joined the Maṭh in 1947, so in 1950 Śrīdhar Mahārāj took him on parikramā in Vṛndāvan. They went to all the holy places together. At that time also it was just Gurudev and Param Guru Mahārāj together on parikramā, sometimes Kṛṣṇadās Bābājī Mahārāj would join. And after they’ve completed the parikramā Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj asked to Gurudev, “Which was your favourite place?” And Gurudev answered that Uchagrām, which is the birth place of Lalitā Devī, where her home is, that’s his favourite place. And Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārājwas very happy to hear that, so he explained, “You have some special connection, blessings from her.”

And we remember hearing Gurudev’s reservation to return there, that it wouldn’t be the same experience as it was when he went with Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj. [He told], that it was such a wonderful experience and extraordinary that he had wanted to always remember it in that way and [he] never went back.

And he explains here little bit about that:

[From the talk of Śrīla B.S. Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj on the Lalitā Devī’s Appearance Day, 1996]

Lalitā Devī’s house is in Uchagrām. When I went with Guru Maharaj there it was very peaceful. Only one pūjārī lived there.

Near to Śyāma-kuṇḍa and Rādhā-kuṇḍa we will see there is still the Lalitā-kuṇḍa. And for her remembrance there is also one small temple. In Vṛndāvan Dhām, rāsa-sthalī, when rasa-līlā with the gopīs is organised, Lalitā Devī gives guidance to all the gopīs.

All the beautiful and special qualities are full within Lalitā Devī. And tomorrow also is Rādhāṣṭamī day. All our Maṭhs are observing one-month festival in this time, including Lalitā Devī’s appearance.

Lalitā Devī has taken the whole service charge of the sakhīs and mañjarīs to the service of Rādhā Kṛṣṇa. And Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu in the form of Rūpa Mañjarī is serving Rādhā-Govinda very exclusively. And the exclusive service to Rādhā-Govinda is arranged by Lalitā Devī for Rūpa Goswāmī/Rūpa Mañjarī. When Rādhā and Govinda are in their private room there the sakhīs don’t enter, but if there is any important service necessary, by the order of Lalitā Devī Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and her associates are attending.

Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa are both respecting Lalitā Devī as Their head-servitor. And why she is head? That little explanation is given in the first śloka by Rūpa Goswāmī.

“She is always ready to serve with her thousand times of energy through her associates and her own self for the satisfaction of Rādhā-Govinda. Even when They are playing as couple, paramour couple, if at that time one drop of sweat comes in Their lotus-feet Lalitā Devī wants to immediately take one lakh of forms only to remove that quickly.” She has that type of service eagerness and capacity. For that she is the general chief and super-guardian of all the sakhīs and mañjarīs. Lalitā Devī is one year older than Rādhārāṇī.

Everyone respects her personality. All that group of sakhīs and mañjarīs they are respecting her as their guardian for the service to Rādhā-Govinda. Even if Kṛṣṇa Himself doesn’t know if He is hungry or not, Lalitā Devī knows it. And what kind of Pastimes today will be for service to Kṛṣṇa, what kind of līlā , that arrangement also by the order and inspiration of Lalitā Devī Yogamāyā is then arranging. Even Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa are waiting for Lalitā Devī, what kind of enjoyment do They need. It is very difficult to understand within this mundane environment and for that it is not mentioned in the scriptures so much. But in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and also Garga-saṁhitā, Hari-vamsa, like that many places the Pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are explained. And our Guru-varga they indicated for that service-world something, but they did not explain so much.

All the good qualities exist within Lalitā Devī and her service. She is arranging smoothly everything in favour of Pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. For the service sometimes she is showing like the guardian. And for that Rūpa Goswāmī explained in this śloka, she is sometimes also chastising Rādhārāṇī and Govinda, that is her extreme affection for Their Lordships. For the pastimes of Rādhā-Govinda she is sometimes creating varieties of tasteful situation.

Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī have 8 principle sakhīs as Their girl-friends. Lalitā is first, then Viśākhā second, then Chitrā, Champakalatikā, Tuṅga-vidyā, Indūrekhā, Sūdevī, and Raṅgadevī. When we are chanting the beads, there is one indication separating 8 beads from 108, that’s because 8 are for the rememberance of that principle sakhīs.

Lalitā Devī’s mind is very free for the service to Rādhā-Giridhari. Rādhārāṇī has one group for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, but there is an ‘anti-group’, the group of Chandrāvalī. It is the Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, if there is not any ‘anti-party’ it will not be so tasteful. For that another group of servants of Kṛṣṇa are existing, and both parties are playing very intelligently to take Kṛṣṇa to their kuñjas. And there Lalitā Devī is arranging very cleverly to take Kṛṣṇa into Rādhārāṇī’s group always. It is manifested by Rādhārāṇī’s śakti for the Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.

Bhakti Lalitā: So, like this Gurudev has spoken so much on this holy day and [he] has much attachment and devotion for her lotus feet, we know that’s where our line goes. And she has such and extraordinary form, qualities, pastimes. We can only carefully remember these things we’ve heard and try to share them without offence [and] pray for grace.

Jay Lalitā Saptami ki jay!

[Does] anyone want to comment or anything?

Question: May I question you? We understand that something about audārya is given by our Gurus and Śrīman Mahāprabhu and also Hari-nām and the way of serving these Divine Pastimes ultimately, cause that’s where they’re taking us… But what is the proper way for us to think of serving if that’s very high in our current state.

Bhakti Lalitā: Just as I’ve been trying to keep everything connected to Gurudev. Everything we’ve heard and what’s coming from him and his instructions – that’s our only hope through Guru and Vaiṣṇavas, through their service and keeping in mind all their teachings and instructions and being very careful, not to make an offence – in this way you can tangibly serve that plane and aspire for the entry to that plane. And while we are here in this plane we can practice and we have the opportunity to practice and try to preach and distribute, become pleasing to them. Did that answer your question?

Audience: Of course we don’t expect that we will see such Pastimes, but we can hear from them about such Pastimes and then we’ll have their instructions, their guidance.

Bhakti Lalitā: And these special holy days come every year and we’ve heard so much from our Gurudev, most of us have had access to be with him personally or hearing his recordings and our books. And we are allowed on these days to hear such special topics, that are extraordinary and very carefully we can hear them, worship them, aspire for such things.

Question: I had a question. We hear that Gadādhar Paṇḍit is an incarnation of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, so, who is Lalitā Devī in Gaura-līlā?

Bhakti Lalitā: We’ve heard that Svarūp Dāmodar, who was the secretary of Mahāprabhu. Do you want to say something Prabhu?

Audience: I’m just going to repeat that śloka which you used.
Bhakti Lalitā: Yes, please. Say it properly.

Audience: That divine personality is very eager to take one hundred thousand forms to take care of one drop. That is the intensity.
Bhakti Lalitā: Yes. Rūpa Goswāmī chose that quality when he composed it. I believe that it is her praṇām mantra. We can imagine such a mentality in this world of exploitation. We have to cross so many stages to become purified and free from anarthas to really appreciate and understand a bit of this. But we had our shining examples [and we] still do. Even though we may feel so fallen and unqualified and that we’ll never be able to understand, if we can just please the devotees, just something to continue our practicing lives without offence, then there is hope.