Meditation begins at Krsnas Lotus Feet
September 21, 2017 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa
Hare Krsna-below we have some verses/purports by Srila Prabhupada describing how the devotee should begin to meditate upon the Lord which begins with His Lotus Feet and corresponds to studying the first and second cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam. He also mentions (at the end) how if we are not free of gross sex life, then we should restrict our study of Srimad Bhagavatam to the first and second cantos, only. Third offense to chanting is to disobey the instructions of the spiritual master.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
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SB 4.24.52 purport–Lord Śiva has thus described the bodily features of the Lord authoritatively. Now he wants to see the lotus feet of the Lord. When a devotee wants to see the transcendental form of the Lord, he begins his meditation on the Lord’s body by first looking at the feet of the Lord. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is considered to be the transcendental sound form of the Lord, and the twelve cantos are divided in accordance with the transcendental form of the Lord. The First and Second Cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are called the two lotus feet of the Lord. It is therefore suggested by Lord Śiva that one should first try to see the lotus feet of the Lord. This also means that if one is serious about reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he must begin by seriously studying the First and Second Cantos.
The beauty of the lotus feet of the Lord is compared to the petals of a lotus flower which grows in the autumn season. By nature’s law, in autumn the dirty or muddy waters of rivers and lakes become very clean. At that time the lotus flowers growing in the lakes appear very bright and beautiful. The lotus flower itself is compared to the lotus feet of the Lord, and the petals are compared to the nails of the feet of the Lord. The nails of the feet of the Lord are very bright, as Brahma-saṁhitā testifies. Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya: [Bs 5.32] every limb of the transcendental body of the Lord is made of ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala. In other words, everyone serious about understanding the transcendental science and seeing the transcendental form of the Lord must first of all attempt to see the lotus feet of the Lord by studying the First and Second Cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. When one sees the lotus feet of the Lord, all kinds of doubts and fears within the heart are vanquished.
Nov 4 1974 Vrndavana lecture
So therefore Vyāsadeva has taken so much trouble to establish the Bhāgavata life in Twelve Cantos. One has to go, one after another, one after another, one after another. Not jumping. Daśama-skandha, the Tenth Canto is the face of Kṛṣṇa. So worshiping Kṛṣṇa means one should offer tulasī on the, on His lotus feet first of all. Not jump over to the mouth or to the face. So the First and Second cantos are the two lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. One should begin worshiping Bhāgavatam, or the sound representation of Kṛṣṇa, by worshiping the First Canto and Second Cantos. We are reading the First Canto. We are just worshiping one lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Then the other. Then the thighs. Gradually, you have to rise to the face. The Tenth Canto is the face of Kṛṣṇa. Don’t jump over immediately. Read it. But try to understand from the very beginning.
SB 3.28.21–text
“The devotee should first concentrate his mind on the Lord’s lotus feet, which are adorned with the marks of a thunderbolt, a goad, a banner and a lotus. The splendor of their beautiful ruby nails resembles the orb of the moon and dispels the thick gloom of one’s heart.”
(during his lecture on this verse)… This is the beginning of meditation, sañcintayet. ..First of all meditate on the lotus feet,caraṇāravindam, lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. And if you minutely see, then you will find the symptoms are there.Our feet and Kṛṣṇa’s feet, there is difference. Why difference? Because on the sole these marks are there. What is that? Vajra aṅkuśa, dhvaja, saroruha. Four things are there: thunderbolt, mark of thunderbolt; and kuśa, the mark of… What is that instrument which controls the elephant?
.. So aṅkuśa; vajra, thunderbolt; then aṅkuśa; then dhvaja, flag; and saroruha, lotus—these four things are there. You have seen. Sometimes Viṣṇu lotus feet is painted and these signs are there. So sañcintayet. What about, sañcintayet? These things, minutely, that “Here is the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and on the sole, upon the sole, these marks are painted.” Lāñchanāḍhyam, deriving. It is very brilliant, beautiful. Kṛṣṇa’s everything is beautiful. Uttuṅga-rakta-vilasan-nakha-cakravāla. This is the special significance of Kṛṣṇa’s hand, that these nails are raised and reddish, uttuṅga-rakta-vilasan-nakha-cakravāla. It is just like cakravāla bird. Jyotsnābhiḥ. And from the effulgence of the nails, jyotsnābhiḥ, āhata, if you see the brilliance and effulgence of the nails of Kṛṣṇa, nails in the finger of Kṛṣṇa, then the result will be that āhata-mahad-dhṛdayāndhakāram.
…Kṛṣṇa’s body is bluish or blackish; therefore you see the sky bluish because the rays in the spiritual world is effulgence, bluish effulgence, and that is being reflected through the sky. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koti [Bs. 5.40]. His bodily light is being reflected in millions and trillions of universes.
He’ll give you intelligence. He is within you. Therefore I was saying, “First of all become fit. First of all deserve. Then desire.” Why foolishly you desire something for which you do not deserve? That is your fault. That is misuse. Don’t desire something without being deserving. So these are the process given how to think, how to meditate upon Kṛṣṇa. So practice it. Become qualified. Then you’ll see everything. Without being qualified, why you want to see? This devotional service means practicing how to become qualified.
SB 2.2.12 purport–
Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura clearly defines the import of purification as cessation from sex indulgence. He says, yathā yathā dhīś ca śudhyati viṣaya-lāmpaṭyaṁ tyajati, tathā tathā dhārayed iti citta-śuddhi-tāratamyenaiva dhyāna-tāratamyam uktam. And as one gets free from the intoxication of sex indulgence by purification of intelligence, one should step forward for the next meditation, or in other words, the progress of meditation on the different limbs of the transcendental body of the Lord should be enhanced in proportion to the progress of purification of the heart. The conclusion is that those who are still entrapped by sex indulgence should never progress to meditation above the feet of the Lord; therefore recital of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by them should be restricted to the First and Second Cantos of the great literature. One must complete the purificatory process by assimilating the contents of the first nine cantos.Then one should be admitted into the realm of the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
