Govindanukku Aatpatta Kudumbamamma… #7 (Family beholden to Govinda!)
(The fortune of satsanga is the greatest fortune in life. Should not we, who have obtained that great fortune, feel pride in being immensely blessed, think again and again of the grace showered by Guru-Hari, melt again and again with love combined with gratitude, and live blissfully? This Madhurageetham has come to us, to enable us to reminisce our utmost fortune with gratitude. Let us taste more of this sweetness; let us remember more and more the fortune that Govinda has blessed us with; let us immerse ourselves more and more in bliss…)
When we say we are “Govinda’s family”, our satsang is not the kind to dislike the world, remove themselves from society and go live in some forest. To show that we are also like the Gopa and Gopis of Gokula who lived with their family and children, we saw that this Madhurageetham began with the words “illaratthil irundhiDuvOm” (we shall live with our families) right at the outset.
What bliss it is once we join Govinda’s family through ‘satsangam’? Daily, drawing kolam in the morning, beautifully lighting a lamp, making garlands for Krishna-Radha, chanting Bhagavata stutis in the mornings, singing Bhagavata Gitams in the evenings, serving and spending time with Radha-Krishna from prabodhanam in the morning to dolotsavam in the night – as husband and wife together do this bhakti, it is indeed blissful isn’t it? And, with Krishna’s grace, if one or two children also join? How beautiful it will be!
(We shall live with our children, we shall bring them up teaching them to do good We shall get them used to leading a life in Bhagavata Dharma, which is without hypocrisy)
When we realize suddenly, “Oh there are no betel leaves for dolotsavam!” – to have a son who can run and get some; or when we sing for dolotsavam – to have a little son or daughter to sing more sweetly than us… if such children also join us in this life of bhakti, it is even more blissful isn’t it?
Don’t we need a lineage to lovingly take care of our Radha-Krishna as long as the sun and moon exist? Hence “piLLai kuTTiyuDan vAzhndiDuvOm” (we will live with our children)… and being parents who live by dharma, they will impart the right ways of living to their children also, in a disciplined way with sweet words and a caring heart. How? Is it by saying “Speak sweetly! Only then you will get ahead in life!”? Or is it by saying “Do Tulasi pooja. That punya will protect you in the future!”? Or by saying, “Don’t ask questions. Do as I say”? Not at all.
The way our satsang families impart right ways of living to their children is indeed unique!
Don’t we have madhurageethams to teach right living in a sweet (madhuram) manner!
“Child, do tulasi puja, serve cows, speak sweetly, work hard without being lazy… if you do all this, our Kitta will be happy. Do good deeds for that!”
Does this madhurageetham need an explanation? This is how we will teach our children the right way to live (nallarangaL solli vaLarthiDuvom).
This is also the path shown by Srimad Bhagavatam.
At the very outset doesn’t Srimad Bhagavatam say “dharma prOjjita kaitava…”?
Kaitavam means hypocrisy. Only Bhagavata dharma is without hypocrisy. If something is done with a selfish end in mind, it is not Bhagavata dharma.
The dharma that is done with the thought that it will please Govinda is only Bhagavata dharma without hypocrisy. Without doing good for name, fame or self-interest, the parents of our Govinda’s family do good deeds because “Our Gurunatha will like it; our Thakurji who is Govinda will approve of this; our Swamini Madhuri Sakhi will also be pleased by this” and also teach their children this way!
Doing good deeds is itself noble. That too, doing it not for punya, name, fame or to show off to the world, but only for the pleasure of Govinda, is indeed the noblest of the noble.
To be born in such a family is the greatest fortune of all.
