Govinda Smaranam

C. V. Subba Reddy

ALL human beings have a bounden duty to hear about, glorify and remember Govinda always and in all conditions because He is the origin of all that exists in the universe. This article is the humblest attempt at describing some important characteristics of Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It also enlists the reasons for Govinda smaranam and provides very simple means of reaching the goal of our life, Sri Krishna.

Sri Krishna is Govinda : In Sanskrit 'go' means 'cow'. It also means 'senses' and 'Earth', 'vinda' means one who pleases. Therefore, 'Govinda' means one who attracts and protects cows and cowherds; one who pleases and controls our senses and one who bears and pleases the Earth. In fact 'Govinda' is the title given to Lord Krishna, when He lifted the Govardhana hill with the nail of His last finger and carried it for seven days and seven nights. Thus He protected the Yadavas from the wrath of Indra. Then, all demigods praised Sri Krishna with this title 'Govinda'. It is said that Sri Krishna becomes very happy and fully satisfied, when His devotees call him Govinda.

Sri Krishna is Supreme Godhead: -Only Sri Krishna is God. All others are His servants. Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva are also His devotees. They are only demigods and eternal servants of Sri Krishna. Similarly, we, from an ant to all human beings, are all eternal servitors of Sri Krishna. Lord Brahma praises Sri Krishna as 'Govinda' in his prayer. 'Krishna' means 'one who attracts everyone'. Sri Krishna is described as 'Sat-chit-ananda vigraha', an eternal spiritual form of all knowledge and bliss. He has no origin but He is the origin of all. Everything, material or spiritual, emanates from Him. He is the prime cause of all causes. He is the one without a - second. There is no one greater than or equal to Him. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything in the cosmos rests on His different energies. He is 'Isvarah paramah', the supreme controller of all universes-

Sri Krishna is Bhagavan:- 'Bhagavan' is one who possesses all the six opulences in abundance; beauty, fame, wealth, strength, knowledge and renunciation. In the "Srimad-Bhagavatam", Sri Krishna is defined as Bhagavan; 'Krishnas tu Bhagavan Svayam'. Sri Krishna possesses all the opulences more than any other demigod. For example, He has wealth to accommodate all His 16,108 wives in beautiful palaces decorated with transcendental gems. His beauty is matchless because His form is all spiritual. The flute he plays in Goloka Vrindavan attracts the hearts of all living beings with its transcendental music. His two eyes display unlimited splendour of His moon-like face. In fact His beauty is more enchanting than that of Cupid multiplied a million fold.

As regards His renunciation (Vairagya) Sri Krishna is so detached that, when the Yadavas incur the curse of extinction, He does not interfere and save His own race. His strength is so great that even as a child, He could kill Putana, a lady demon whose body extended to 6 miles, after her death. No other demigod can perform the Herculean tasks like dancing on the hoods of Kallya Serpent, and kill the demons like Kamsa and Chanura. Therefore, Sri Krishna is Bhagavan in all respects.

Sri Krishna is Jagad-Guru:- Knowledge has to be obtained only from a good teacher. For material knowledge, we have many schools, colleges, and universities. Many teachers, many professors are available to teach us Physical Sciences and Natural Sciences. But for spiritual Knowledge or Science of self-realization there are very few 'Gurukuls' or' Ashrams' and still less number of spiritual masters in the strict sense of the term.

However, it is our good fortune that we have the greatest spiritual master, Sri Krishna to teach us through His "Gita" all about spiritual knowledge. He taught it earlier to Vivaasvan, the sun god. The sun god taught it to Manu and Manu taught it to Iksvaku. As yugas passed, knowledge of the self became almost forgotten. Therefore, Sri Krishna taught it to Sri Arjuna, a representative of mankind. Through His "Gita" Sri Krishna explained the intricacies of the spirit souls, the material nature, the cosmos and their relation with Himself, the Supreme Lord. All problems, confronting the human race through ages, are solved in this great book of all times. The solutions in the "Bhagavadgita", if implemented in our lives, contribute to our peace within and peace without. Therefore, Sri Krishna is called Jagad-Guru, the spiritual master of all the worlds.

Sri Krishna. the Supreme Lover: -Sri Krishna is the supreme lover. He loves all the living beings. Therefore, he resides in the hearts of all living entities in the entire creation. We are all, originally, parts and parcels of Sri Krishna. Yet due to our disobedience and misuse of a little independence given to us by Him, we have fallen from Goloka Vrindavan and become conditioned souls, suffering life after life. We desired to enjoy ourselves independent of Him and lord over the material nature and therefore, Sri Krishna has provided opportunity to fulfill our material desires. He created this world only to reform us. This material world is only a prison-house for the purpose of punishment and reclamation of the fallen souls.

Though we disobeyed Sri Krishna, since He is the Supreme lover, He is kind enough to reside in our hearts in His Vishnu form. Residing in our hearts, He is guiding us and trying to refom us. Thus He is helping us to gain our lost transcendental situation. We are all originally His eternal servitors. Having forgotten this, we have started serving Maya, in our efforts to lord over material nature.

By loving Sri Krishna and serving Him through devotional activities, we can regain our original transcendental position in Goloka Vrindavan and enjoy eternal happiness in the company of Sri Krishna. Let us reciprocate Lord Krishna's love.

Sri Krishna. the Omnipresent and the Omniscient: -There is no place where Sri Krishna is not present. There is nothing that does not belong to Him. He is the supreme master and proprietor of every thing in all the worlds. The omnipresence of Sri Krishna is indescribable. Yet the example of the Sun god can illustrate it. The all pervading light of the Sun can be compared with Brahman aspect of Sri Krishna. The reflection of the Sun is comparable with the localized Brahman or Paramatma aspect of Sri Krishna, who is personally present in every living being. The original Planet of the Sun god can be compared with the Goloka Vrindavan, the abode of Sri Krishna. Just as the Sun god remains in and rules over his own planet, Sri Krishna remains eternally in Goloka and enjoys Himself playing with His associates, His pure devotees. Just as the Sunlight warms up all parts of the universe, the Brahman expansion of Sri Krishna enlivens all the 84,000,00 species of life in the cosmos. Thus Sri Krishna is present every where. Besides, just as the spirit soul keeps all cells in the body alive and conscious, Sri Krishna, the supreme consciousness, keeps all the universes in order. That is why in the "Bhagavadgita", Sri Krishna says that the material nature is directed and maintained by Him only. Since Sri Krishna is omnipresent, He is omniscient as well. Residing in our hearts, Sri Krishna witnesses all our activities. Therefore Sri Krishna says, "I know every thing that has happened". Being a constant witness of all our activities, Sri Krishna rewards or punishes us according to our thoughts and deeds. Thus He is the real judge of us all.

Sri Krishna is 'Mayadhisa' :- This materiel world is a manifestation of Sri Krishna's external energy. It is full of illusion. The illusory energy of nature is called Maya. Due to this energy of nature, we identify ourselves with physical bodies and suffer a lot, whenever there is some danger or discomfort either to our own bodies or to those of our kith and kin. Unless we realize ourselves as spirit souls there is no peace or happiness in our lives.

The human life is the manifestation of full consciousness among the 84,000,00 species of living beings. Unless one is able to enjoy the completeness of his self as part and parcel of sat-cit-ananda Vigraha of Sri Krishna, one is sure to get into the cycle of birth and death and thus lose his chance of getting liberation. If man does not reestablish his relation with Sri Krishna, he will fall a prey to the enticing tricks of Maya. Once we take to Krishna consciousness, and take shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, Sri Krishna will dispel the effects of Maya and keep us eternally happy and peaceful, because He is the master of Maya or 'Mayadhisa'. Otherwise none can surpass the power of Maya, since it is also the external energy of Sri Krishna.

Sri Krishna. the Suprerne Enjoyer :- Sri Krishna is the concentrated figure of all consciousness. As explained earlier, Sri Krishna is present in us both as atma and paramatrna. As a spirit soul, Krishna keeps us conscious. He says in the "Gita" that only due to His presence in us that we get knowledge, remembrance and forgetfulness about everything. Sri Krishna is seated in the lake of the heart of living entities in His Narayana or Vishnu form with four hands, carrying the disc, the conchshell, the lotus and the club. This is His paramatma expansion. Both as a spirit soul and paramatma, Sri Krishna is the real enjoyer in us all. But we falsely think that we are enjoying ourselves. In the "Bhagavadgita" Sri Krishna declares that He is the supreme enjoyer of the results of our fruitive activities like yajnas and tapas. He also declares that He is the master of all material and spiritual worlds. He is the seed-giving father of all-..species of life. He further declares that He is the best friend of all living beings. Residing in our hearts, He is guiding us, helping us and directing all our activities from within us. He is controlling our senses as 'Hrishikesa' and all the universes as 'Paramesa'. Attracting us all towards Him, He is the real enjoyer and the supreme controller. We are only participants in His enjoyment of nature. When we realize this truth we attain to peace and happiness.

Our Suprerme Dharma :- The word 'Dharma' is very difficult to define. It is, in one sense, discharging one's own occupational duties i.e., a Ksatriya should protect the people, a Brahmana should impart spiritual knowledge, a Vaisya should take care of cows, produce foodstuffs and supply commodities to people at a profit and a Sudra should serve all these sections of society. But in a higher sense, 'Dharrna' means something, which can not be separated from one's original nature. For example, the dharma of water is to flow and that of air is to blow.

In this broader sense, the dharma of the spirit soul is to love and serve Sri Krishna eternally. We all serve, either our wife and children or our master always, in the material world. But this is serving Maya, the illusory energy of material nature. Constitutionally, we are parts and parcels of Sri Krishna and, therefore, we have to serve the whole, Sri Krishna, if we wish to be happy. If we forget this supreme dharrna and serve the material nature and our blood relations, Maya will overtake us. Maya leads us to a miserable life with its allurements and causes our sufferings, life after life. Therefore let us serve Sri Krishna with all our hearts.

Devotional Service : As explained already, the dharma of the spirit soul is to serve Sri Krishna. Devotional service is the highest perfection of human life. The goal of our life should be to understand Sri Krishna, to realize ourselves as spirit souls and re-establish our relationship with the supreme spirit, Sri Krishna. To achieve this goal, devotional service to Sri Krishna is the best way. For each age, a specific way of linking oneself with Sri Krishna is prescribed by the rishis of yore. For this Kaliyuga, the easiest but very sure way of spiritual progress is prescribed in the "Brihannaradiya Puranam" as follows.

           'Hare nama, harer nama harer namaivakevalam
           kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha'

In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress than the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord. Out of the nine ways of devotional service to Sri Krishna, hearing and chanting of the maha mantra.

           "Harer Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare "
           Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare"

is the most effective one, because these 16 names of the Lord destroy the impurities of Kaliyuga.

Surrender unto Sri Krishna : In the "Bhagavadgita", Sri Krishna dwells at length on the nature of the three kinds of His energy; material, marginal and spiritual, the three modes of material nature; Sattva, Rajas and Tamas; the original and the fallen condition of the spirit souls; the relation between atma and Himself and the Maya of material nature. After a long discourse on one's religious duties through 'Varna-Ashrama-Dhanna', Sri Krishna ultimately orders Sri Arjuna to give up all kinds of so called religion and just surrender only unto Him. He promises Sri Arjuna that He would save him from all kinds of sinful reactions. But one should be confident that in all circumstances, Krishna will protect him from all difficulties and dangers. One should always think himself helpless and consider Sri Krishna as the only basis for his progress in life. Then only' Saranagathi ' is complete.

Govinda Smaranam: 'Smaranam' means remem-bering. 'Govinda Smaranam', therefore, means remembering Sri Krishna. Remembering is also a kind of meditation. It is the third stage in the development of one's spiritual progress. Hearing, either from spiritual masters or from the sincere devotees, about the glories of Sri Krishna, is the first stage. After constant hearing, one likes to chant the holy names of the Lord because the holy names of Sri Krishna are attractive. His name is His sound representation. It is not different from Sri Krishna, the person. Similarly the "Gita" is a song representation and Srimad Bhagavatam is a literary representation of Sri Krishna. Therefore a devotee can remember Sri Krishna either by reading the "Gita" regularly or just by uttering the word 'Govinda'. Even illiterate devotees can easily utter this transcendental sound 'Govinda' and be liberated, by constantly remembering Sri Krishna, while awake or working or sleeping. Sri Krishna is so kind to us that He makes Himself available in the deity form in a temple or a sound form on our tongue. It is said that Sri Krishna dances on our tongue, when we repeat His holy name in all conditions, at all times. Govinda smaranam removes all the impurities accumulated in our minds and makes us eligible for liberation. Only Govinda or Mukunda can grant us 'Mukti', none else. So let us remember Sri Krishna at all times.

Sri Venkateswara is Govinda: In the present age Sri Krishna is worshipped as Govinda. We all utter 'Govinda, Govinda' at all Vaisnava temples. Even when we wish to express some loss, we say 'Govinda'. To express our joy on viewing any Vishnu form of Krishna we say 'Govinda, Govinda' .Surprisingly, to indicate the death of some one, we say 'Govinda, Govinda' .All these instances denote that Govinda is everything and everything is Govinda. Sri Venkateswara Swamy at Tirumala Hills is called as Govinda. Therefore, we hear the transcendental sound vibration of 'Govinda, Govinda, Govinda' inside and outside the temple of Lord Balaji. As we all know, Sri Venkateswara Swamy is the most worshipful deity in the world today. The reason for this is that all the desires of people are fulfilled by Sri Venkateswara. By calling Him Govinda, we are all indirectly worshipping Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of the Godhead. Thus Sri Krishna and Sri Venkateswara are one and the same.

Even the idol in the temple of Lord Balaji is unique. In all other Vaisnava temples, Lord Visnu shows His 'Varada hasta' indicating His protection and promising to fulfil the desires of His devotees. But, here, at Tirumala, the idol of Lord Venkateswara shows His lotus feet to the devotees with His right hand. With the left hand, He indicates His knee. By this, He shows that the ocean of' Samsara is knee-deep' for the surrendered souls. Taken as a whole, the deity at Tirumala, perhaps, appears to assure us, "Hey, My devotees, do not worry about your problems of life. This world is only an ocean of nescience, full of sorrows and struggle for existence. Yet, if you just surrender unto Me and take shelter at My lotus feet, I will save you from this material world and grant you liberation. Do not fear". This message is similar to that of Sri Krishna in the "Gita", "Sarva Dharman parityajya mamekam Saranam Vraja".

To sum up, constant Govinda smaranam by any means is the right path for the conditioned souls of Kaliyuga to reach Sri Krishna and be eternally happy.