Will we serve Sri or Stri ?

[Paramananda das]

Will we serve Sri or stri?

Sri refers to Sri Laxmidevi but really to Srimati Radharani She is the source of all Laxmis The Brahma gayatri mantra will excite us to be mindful about Srimati Radharani's lotus feet, to obey her orders."

"Radha-dasyam, the service of Srimati Radharani, is the ultimate meaning to be extracted from the Brahma gayatri mantra."

The Mantra

om bhur bhuva sva tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo na pracodayat om

om - the seed mantra which contains everything within it; bhur - the physical world; bhuva - the mental world; sva - the intellectual world; tat - that, the three planes of experience; savituh - the soul; varenyam - worshipable, venerable; bhargo - the supersubjective area, the svarupa-sakti; devasya - who is beautiful and playful, Krsna, Reality the Beautiful; dhimahi - come meditate; dhiyah - of meditation, of service; yo - who; na - us; pracodayat - enthuses our capacity;

Translation

"Above the three planes of mundane experience, bhu, bhuvah, svah is the soul, savitur, who shows us everything just like the sun. Above the soul is the supersubjective plane which is varenyam, most venerated and worshipable. That worshipable plane of existence is called bhargo, brilliant and illuminating. The supersubjective area, bhargo, is the plane known as the svarupa-sakti which is the internal pleasure potency of deva, Krishna, Reality the Beautiful. That bhargo is His own divine potency Srimati Radharani. Let us meditate upon the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani, whose extended self and essential nature, mahabhava, is the svarupa-sakti, and who enthuses our capacity of devotional service. Let us surrender unto Her divine service

IN ISKCON we learn that Brahma Gayatri is worship of Surya Narayana ,that is also true but a higher reality to Brahma Gayatri is to worship Sri Radha . There are many Gaytris there are also several Gayatri mantras of Sri Radha .So the question is will we serve Sri Radha, Sri or the material nature in the form of woman Stri ?

TEXT 8

puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ

tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ

ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair

janasya moho ’yam ahaṁ mameti

SYNONYMS

puṁsaḥ—of a male; striyāḥ—of a female; mithunī-bhāvam—attraction for sexual life; etam—this; tayoḥ—of both of them; mithaḥ—between one another; hṛdaya-granthim—the knot of the hearts; āhuḥ—they call; ataḥ—thereafter; gṛha—by home; kṣetra—field; suta—children; āpta—relatives; vittaiḥ—and by wealth; janasya—of the living being; mohaḥ—illusion; ayam—this; aham—I; mama—mine; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

The attraction between male and female is the basic principle of material existence. On the basis of this misconception, which ties together the hearts of the male and female, one becomes attracted to his body, home, property, children, relatives and wealth. In this way one increases life’s illusions and thinks in terms of “I and mine.”

PURPORT

Sex serves as the natural attraction between man and woman, and when they are married, their relationship becomes more involved. Due to the entangling relationship between man and woman, there is a sense of illusion whereby one thinks, “This man is my husband,” or “This woman is my wife.” This is called hṛdaya-granthi, “the hard knot in the heart.” This knot is very difficult to undo, even though a man and woman separate either for the principles of varṇāśrama or simply to get a divorce. In any case, the man always thinks of the woman, and the woman always thinks of the man. Thus a person becomes materially attached to family, property and children, although all of these are temporary. The possessor unfortunately identifies with his property and wealth. Sometimes, even after renunciation, one becomes attached to a temple or to the few things that constitute the property of a sannyāsī, but such attachment is not as strong as family attachment. The attachment to the family is the strongest illusion. In the Satya-saṁhitā, it is stated:

brahmādyā yājñavalkādyā

mucyante strī-sahāyinaḥ

bodhyante kecanaiteṣāṁ

viśeṣam ca vido viduḥ

Sometimes it is found among exalted personalities like Lord Brahmā that the wife and children are not a cause of bondage. On the contrary, the wife actually helps further spiritual life and liberation. Nonetheless, most people are bound by the knots of the marital relationship, and consequently they forget their relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

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