Appropriately, the book of Raas begins with the explanation of the number one obstacle called Maya, the illusive potency. It offers clear understandings regarding the nature of Maya and shows a way to win over its rule to attain Nijanand. A soul cannot step closer to her Lord without fully understanding the tools and techniques to deal with her biggest enemy. Interestingly, this challenging maya is the creation of the Lord's will.
Available eBooks to read online
Available eBooks to read online
- Shree Raas (With Meanings)- 187 pages
Bibliographic information
Title
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Shree Raas
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Author
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Sri
Prannathji
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Publisher
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Shri 5
Navtanpuri Dham, Jamnagar.
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ISBN
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n/a
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Length
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913 verses
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Descended at
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Habsa (jail),
Jamnagar in the year 1658AD
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Subjects
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Shri Kuljam
Swaroop, Shree Tartam Sagar
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Language Used
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Hindi
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About the author
Sri Prannathji
About the publisher
Shri 5 Navtanpuri Dham Khijda Mandir Trust-Jamnagar.
Copyright Notes
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 with the publisher.
To most Hindus, the word Raas reminds of joyful play of Lord Krishna, Radha, and Gopies in Brindavan. To others, it is just a reminder of the Raas Garba during the festival of Nav-Ratri. However, in reality, Raas exemplifies the intimacy of a soul (or an atman) and the Supreme Soul (or Parmatma) through the many different divine sports, which Ved Vyasji could not describe to Parikshita!
According to the Buddha Nish-kalanka avatar Sri Prannathji, the Maha Raas Lila described in the Holy Kuljam Swaroop did not really occur on this worldly platform. Its domain was eternal in nature. The Nitya Brindavan of Sri Raas was noori and Yogmayic. In Raas Lila, Consort Shyama, the Brahmn Srishti souls, and the Supreme Brahmn Aksharateet played the role of Radha, Gopies and Krishna, respectively. The bodies of these characters of Raas were not physical, astral or even causal in nature. They were noori and charged with the highest devotional love (Ishak) of Paramdham.Since the players of this Maha Raas Lila have descended in this period of Jagni among ordinary humans, Sri Prannathji begins His Wani with Raas–just to remind His darling souls of their past sports and their spiritual origin.
Spiritual journey is the journey that:
leads the jiva to freedom from the cycle of ‘aavagaman’ or birth and rebirth.
brings awareness about Paramdham and the divine sports therein among the Ishwari Srishtis.
enables the Brahmn Srishti atmans to reclaim their eternal blissful Home or the Aksharateet Paramdham.
Sri Rass is founded in divine love. Its every atom emits unparalleled love for the Supreme Brahmn. It strengthens the biblical truth: "God is love and love is God." And, this is the ultimate message of this holy book. For this reason, Sri Raas is also named Anjil, which is just another name for the holy Bible. In fact, it is the New Bible, because its’ content inspires one to walk on the path of devotional love but also fully defines what it really means when we say, " God is love and love is God." It perfects the meanings of the terms ‘God’ and ‘Love.’Out of the 913 verses of Sri Raas, most descended in the city of Jamnagar (Nautan Puri) when Sri Ji Sahebji was in Habsa (jail) in the year 1658AD. According to Bitak (Ch: 17/61), several Ramats of Raas descended when Sriji was in Merta (M.P., India). There are a total of 47 chapters in this book. The first five chapters of Raas descended later in the Port of Div to awaken the soul of a devotee sundersath named Jairam Kansara. Considering their significance, these five chapters dealing with Maya have been placed first in Sri Raas.
An Awakening Bitak Story of Jayram Bitak Saheb is the holy book of Prannathji (Sriji) next to Kuljam Swaroop. It is the most authentic first-hand account of the journey of Brahmn Srishti souls, Consort Shyama and Supreme Lord. In fact, it is the bridge to reach to the heart of Kuljam Swaroop. It teaches the way of life that a soul should live by. By learning about the key events that took place in the life of Devchandraji and Prannathji, the reader or listener soul can apply this to their practical life. Today, Nijanandi Sundersath seeks answers to their questions related to spiritual awakening from the Bitak Saheb.
The real-life story of Jayram Kansara in the holy Bitak sets the tone for an individual’s spiritual awakening (Jagni). It reminds us to check if we are qualified to enter the domain of Sri Raas Lila. In the year 1722, Prannathji arrived at the port of Div, India, to awaken Jayram. Jayram was initiated (had taken Tartam) form Dhani Sri Devchandraji. Prannathji saw in him the soul of Paramdham. But, he had become greedy and was engrossed in material pleasures. He had left Jamnagar since many years and was completely detached from the religious developments back home. Jayram had receded back in Maya, and had almost wasted his useful life like this without seriously considering Jagni as part of life.Looking at Jayram's situation, Prannathji says these awakening words, which are powerful enough to awaken our soul today: "Oh Jayram! Wake up from the deep sleep of Maya! Look at your body. Your eyes have sunk in, your teeth have fallen apart, your skin is hanging out and your bones are clearly visible. All your energy has been exhausted in the addiction of materialism. Rise up and recall your true identity. How long do you want to push yourself in the rat race of this life with this hammer (hathoda) and furnace (eahran)? Don't you see the time for the Great Return to Parmadham is very near?"
Further Sriji says, "You have already spent a lot of time and energy in this false world. Do you know how many more days you have to live in this world? No one seems to be fully satisfied with this Maya. You are like a dog chewing a dry bone, which misunderstands the taste of his own blood for the taste of the bone being chewed! As a result, the dog's mouth begins to bleed, which later becomes painful for him. O Jayram! You are also like this foolish dog. At the expense of eternal happiness, you are wasting your golden human life in material greed. I can understand if the worldly Jivas run for sensual pleasures, but you are a Brahmn Srishti soul. Just look at your spiritual identity." --Bitak, ch: 20
Upon seeing such a heavy blow of Maya on this sundersath soul, there descended the first five chapters of Sri Raas through the lips of Sriji. These chapters are chiefly focused on first understanding, and then attacking the soul's number one enemy--Maya. These chapters arm the seeker so he can step forward with confidence on the path of eternal bliss.
Today, if we look at ourselves closely, we can also see the reflection of Jayram's attitude in our individual lives! We see a feminine of contentment and simplicity in our lives. To rise on the path to Nijanand, we must first put ourselves in the place of Jayram. Every day (may be every moment!), we must examine and evaluate our state of faith. Failing to do this, shall weaken our spiritual feet. Then, we won't be able to stand, walk, or run well on our spiritual path. Let's nourish our spirit, let's do some soul exercise, and strengthen our spiritual feet. Let's step firmly in Sri Raas so we can enjoy the eternal dance with our Lord.
Sri Raas: A Soul's Spiritual Feet (Charan) Can one walk normal without healthy feet? No. Similarly, without climbing the path of exclusive love exemplified by the Gopies of Brij and Raas, one cannot imagine attaining supreme eternal bliss. Sri Raas paves this path for the soul. In this sense, Sri Raas represents the feet of our spiritual wholeness. One cannot stand spiritually straight without the platform of Sri Raas. For this reason, in the book of Sundersath Seva Pooja, in an Aarti “Aarti anga chaturdus keri” Sri Raas is compared to feet (Charan). Wifely Relationship: A Prerequisite to Enter Sri Raas To qualify to enter the domain of Sri Raas, an individual soul must first accept the wifely relationship with the Lord. In Raas Lila, the Souls played as the Gopies and the Lord Aksharateet as Sri Krishna.
Here, one must take a clear exit from the gender-based thinking. The sports of Raas were played, and are being played even today in the eternal domain of the spiritual world called Yogmaya, where no gender--male or female--can reach. Only with this mind-set, one may enjoy the real taste of the book of Sri Raas. Otherwise, anyone lacking this understanding may misinterpret these divine sports between the Lord (the lover) and a soul (the beloved) as explicit in nature. Therefore, one must put aside all material and literal thinking.As Prannathji cautions in the Holy Book, a seeker must remember that even King Parikshita, who is known as the most sincere listener of spiritual knowledge, could not avoid this kind of material thinking. When Ved Vyasji began to describe the sports of Raas to him, he interjected Vyasji in his meditative revelations. As a result, both of them lost the unique opportunity to seep the taste of Sri Raas. In fact, the loving sports of Raas bring us a sense of intimacy and the level of attraction between the Brahmn Srishti Souls and the Par-Brahmn Aksharateet.
Akshar Brahmn wanted to experience this, so Sri Rajji (Aksharateet) showed him. Prannathji included these sports of Raas, which Ved Vyasji could not describe in Srimad Bhagvatam. This description of Raas Lila descended in the holy Kuljam Swaroop so the souls of Paramdham could become doubtless and recognize their Aksharateet Lord and their abode easily.
Sri Raas: NOT the Ultimate Attainment! Sri Raas is the key to spiritual awakening for the souls of all categories. For the Jiva Srishti souls, Raas may be the ultimate point. For Ishwari Srishti souls, it’s the blissful experience of the sports of the Paramdham, which Akshar Brahmn had requested. These souls (Ishwari Srishti) will just feel content with the love of Raas. However, for the Brahmn Srishti souls, Raas is just the first step to reach the ultimate goal of Mool Milawa. These souls (Brahmn Srishti) always strive for the ultimate ground, the twenty-five Pakshas of Paramdham, which is the highest of all spiritual attainments in this world. Thus, Raas is an essential instrument for all these souls who are lost in the jungle of Maya. The key of Raas opens up the doors to Love, love divine, higher divine, and for the Supreme Divine.
As the Holy Kuljam Swaroop says:
Raas is the purport of Srimad Bhagvatam,
Tartam is the purport of Raas, and
Jagni is the purport of Tartam, which enables the soul to experience the highest eternal joy in the Paramdham of Aksharateet Par-Brahmn.
"Bhagvat no saar thayo Raas, ….":
The Four Categories of Raas Lila: In the book of Sri Raas, Prannathji explains four categories of Raas Lila. All sundersath devotees know that Ishak Rabad (the Talk of Divine Love between the Supreme Lord and His souls) is the root cause of the original sports of Maha Raas. As a result of this Maha Raas Lila, in light of Tartam knowledge, we find three other categories of Raas Lila. They are mirror image of the Maha Raas; however, the real players (playing the role of Krishna, Radha, and Gopies) in each one of them represent different spiritual origins (Kshar, Akshar and Aksharateet).
Many great devotees of Lord Shree Krishna, and also the three godheads--Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh, sought to experience the eternal Raas in Yogmaya. But, how can this happen without the Tartam Knowledge and the divine grace of Aksharateet that the scriptures had announced to descend in the 28th Kaliyuga? The Tartam Knowledge brings the following four categories of Raas to light. Often, the sundersath devotees get confused in these distinctions, and as a result, they lack in total realization of Aksharateet Lord Sri Prannathji:
1. Vastavik (Maha) Raas Lila
This was played in the domain of Yogmaya, particularly, in the intellectual domain (Keval) of Akshar Brahmn. In this Lila, Aksharateet Shri Rajji, accompanied by the soul of Akshar Brahmn, played the role of Sri Krishna. Bliss part Shyamaji played the role of Sri Radha. And, the Brahmn Srishti souls, each accompanied by two Ishwari Srishti souls, played the role of the Gopies. The book of Sri Raas in the holy Kuljam Swaroop describes this Maha Raas, which was intended to fulfill Akshar Brahmn's request to experience the glimpse of the blissful sports of Paramdham.
2. Pratibhasiki Raas Lila
In Maha Raas Lila, Brahmn Srishti souls could not tolerate even a very brief separation from their Dhani. So, they requested Sri Rajji to take them to that abode where He can never separate from them. To fulfill this request, Sri Rajji, Shyamaji, and the Brahmn Srishti souls returned to Paramdham. However, Akshar Brahmn, who was also playing with them, requested Sri Rajji to make it eternal so he can continue to enjoy Raas Lila. Through Sri Rajji's Hukum, the Raas Lila received eternity in Akshar's Chitta, the Sablik Brahmn. This is called Pratibhasiki Raas Lila.
3. Pratibimb Raas Lila
The reflection of Pratibhasiki Raas Lila, which falls upon Akshar Brahmn's mind (Avyakrit Brahmn), is called Pratibimb Raas Lila.
4. Vyavhariki Raas Lila
When the Ved Ruchas in Gaulok (the domain of Avyakrit Brahmn) saw the Pratibimb Raas Lila, they asked their Gauloki Lord to show them similar sports of Raas. The Gauloki Lord fulfilled his promise when he descended on this Mrityu Loka (mortal world) by playing the Raas Lila. In light of Tartam Knowledge, now we know that Srimad Bhagvatam describes this Vyavhariki Raas Lila, which took place in Brindavan (near Delhi, India) of this world. The world doesn't know this secret in absence of the Brahmn Vidya. For this very reason, this Raas or this Brindavan holds very minimal spiritual significance for a Nijanandi sundersath devotee.
It is important to note that the Pratibimb and Pratibhasiki Raas Lilas are eternal because they are in the eternal cosmos of Yogmaya. On the other hand, the Vyavahariki Raas Lila, being Kalmayic, ended. Obviously, the later is insignificant for the seekers of eternity. This understanding comes only through the Tartam Knowledge and Sri Rajji's divine grace.
From Maha Raas to Jagni: After eleven years and fifty-two days, when Shri Rajji, Shyamaji, and the Souls left Brij for the Maha Raas Lila, that universe of Kaalmaya (the previous one) underwent dissolution or Pralaya. This present universe, in which we all live today, is new. Also, it is the exact copy of the previous one, and has been put into continuation in such a way that no one can know the difference between the old and the new creation!
After this Vyavhariki Raas Lila (in this present creation of Kalmaya), Sri Krishna left Gokul and Brindavan to rule Mathura. Consequently, the Ved Ruchas experienced a great pain in his separation. Uddhav, a devotee of Sri Krishna, tried to preach his wisdom to these Ved Ruchas. But, they rejected his advice up-front since they knew that the Gauloki Lord's power had already departed from the person of Krishna to his abode--the Gaulok. The Gopies already knew that only Lord Vishnu's power (Kshar) had remained in the person of Sri Krishna. The name Sri Krishna didn't change, but the invisible spiritual powers within Sri Krishna changed. This knowledge is the unique gift to the entire present world.Today, more than five thousand years have passed since the Vyavahariki Raas Lila. After that, many great seers and prophets descended to this earth. They brought different messages through their respective scriptures. Since the Brahmn Srishti Souls were about to visit this world, the Par-Brahmn Lord Sri Rajji inspired these seers and prophets to write down some very critical secrets.
Vedas, Puranas and many other scriptures came among the Hindus. Among non-Hindus, prophets such as Moses, David, Isha, and Muhammad came. Scriptures such as the Torah, Bible, and Koran descended through them. Later, Saint Kabir and Guru Nanak Dev came in India with a great deal of wisdom. This way, the worldly stage was fully prepared with all necessary testimonies to awaken the Brahmn Srishti Souls.
The Book of Raas Explains…
The nature of this creation (mohjal or bhavsagar) to the souls (ch.1).
How to be vigilant towards the Maya and stay awake towards Rajji--the Supreme Brahmn (ch.2).
The in-depth process of awakening the Jiva (ch.3).
How to love our Dhani while living in this world (ch.4).
How the souls should abandon this material world upon listening to the sweet sound of the Lord's loving flute (through the example of Gopies).
The divine beauty of Sri Rajji, Shyamaji, and the souls.
The sports (Ramats) of Raas, and
The facts about the Supreme Heaven Paramdham. Sri Raas: Wani Manthan One question is very common among the sundersath devotees, when it comes to Raas: "If Raas is not the supreme domain of eternal bliss (Nijanand), why does the Wani (KS: Prakash Hi: 3/5) prescribes that the souls of Paramdham should never forget Raas as long as they are in this world (Maya)? Jab lag toom raho Maya mein, jin khin chhodo raasji |"
Proper Wani Manthan resolves this question permanently. First, let me give you an example of a doctor. We know that the doctors write prescriptions based on their diagnosis and symptoms. If we don't take the medications according to the recommendations, the illness will not be cured.Similarly, the medication of Raas produces love for the divine that helps a soul to break the bondage with Maya. No doubt, compared to Navdha Bhakti, this love is the most effective agent. While we take the medication of Raas, we must also take the booster dose of a stronger medication to cure the root problem, i.e., awakening in Mool Milawa. However, if we forget to take the medication for the main disease, it will not be cured.
Note the fact that Prem is the basic tool, which is sharpened in Sri Raas. It prepares the Brahmn Srishti souls to be as aggressive as the Gopies who united with their Lord to play Raas without allowing any worldly obstacles to prevent them from doing that.
Panth hovey kot kalap, prem pohonchavey miney palak |
Jab aatam prem saun laagi, drushta antar tabhi jaagi ||
Jab chadhey prem key ras, tab hueah dham dhani bas |
Jab upjeh prem ke tarang, tab huaah dham dhani saun sang ||
(Kuljam Swaroop: Parikarma 1/53, 56)
Ananya Prem is the only tool that enables a soul to meet her Lord Aksharateet in a fraction of a moment. There may be billions of paths, but the path of love is supreme, fastest, easiest, and the most direct. This is a very important lesson that anyone with the confidence and faith of a Brahmn Srishti must learn and live by from Raas.
In summary:
Raas enables us to understand the distinction between the love for Maya and the love for the Lord, the meaning of Maya, and our true identity.
Raas directs us to eternal bliss by reminding us of the Ishak Rabad and Akshar Brahmn's demand to experience the blissful sports of Paramdham from our Lord Sri Rajji.
The sports of Raas are just a few samples of the blissful sports of Paramdham. The blissful sports of Paramdham are manifested as different Ramats (plays) in Raas Lila to fulfill the desire of Akshar Brahmn.
Once we understand this, it becomes clear to us that the blissful sports of Paramdham, which are described in the holy Kuljam Swaroop (particularly in the books of Sagar, Singar, Parikrama and Khilwat), are the true sports which sundersath should meditate.
In this period of Jagni, we all should understand and know that we played with our Lord in Rass Lila simply to satisfy Akshar Brahmn's demand--not to meditate that. Raas Lila represents only a fraction of the total blissful sports of Paramdham.
Today, in the period of Jagni, Raas Lila reminds us of one solid direction: The direction in which we stepped forward in the past when we met our Lord by rushing from the world of Kaalmaya to the eternal world of Yogmaya. We have to recognize our Lord NOW in the same way, and awake in our Paramdham. This is what it means when the Wani says, "Eaney rey pagley aapan chhaliye…." Rajji says, "remove yourself from yourself." Kill your entire worldly ego. Let Rajji's ego be born within you. Just follow the footsteps of the Gopies. Show your exclusive love for the Supreme Divine.
References:
http://www.nijanand.org/new/ShriRaas.html
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