By: Babhru Dasa
In the nitya-lila of Vraja, Sri Sri Radhe-Shyamasundar’s pastimes go on eternally in such a wonderful way. The mundane time factor that we experience here on earth is nowhere to be found in Goloka Vrindavan. That place is called the eternal realmafter all. However, for a few purposes, there is still a transcendental time factor in Vraja. It is a very difficult thing for a conditioned soul of this earthly realm to understand. But yes, spiritual time exists there. In order to propel the variety of divine pastimes forward each day and night. In one sense, time guides the unfolding of the divine lila.
The movement of time gives each individual siddha-bhakta (perfected devotee) the chance to interact with Sri Krsna and enjoy wonderful divine pastimes with Him.
According to the time of day, these exalted divine personalities taste so many wonderful mellows in connection with either sambhoga (union with Krsna) or vipralambha (separation from Him) at any given time.
That is just a very brief understanding of transcendental time and to go further into detail would be beyond the scope of this essay. What has been said should be sufficient for our purposes in this essay.
The reason for this brief overview is because in this short article we will try to fluff out one explanation of the seventh verse of the ever-famous Sikshastakam, in which Sriman Mahaprabhu specifically brings up the time factor in regards to His feelings of separation (vipralambha-bhava) from Krsna. It also has to be totally understood that in this mood of extremely intense viraha-bhava, He is speaking from the vantage point of Srimati Radhika, when She has lost the association of Her most beloved Sri Krsna. Here is the verse,
yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me
“My Lord Govinda, because of separation from You, I consider even a moment a great millennium. Tears flow from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I see the entire world as void.
So in this verse, Sriman Mahaprabhu has declared that even a fraction of a moment in separation from Sri Govinda-dev is felt as if billions of years have gone by. This is a very wonderful but heart-wrenching statement. Of course it should be known that when Mahaprabhu is referring to a figure of time in this verse, He is basically just trying to convey a point, as we already explained, there is no real comparison (between material and spiritual time.) In this way we can see even a fraction of a moment in separation from Sri Krsna is felt as a very, very, very long time.
So in this way we should understand that even a fraction of a “spiritual moment” there, is greater than even the vastest amount of physical time here on earth. Spiritual time is infinite, and material time is finite. In one sense, trying to describe the infinite will always have shortcomings, but a discerning sober person can certainly realize the purport of such discussions.
Another aspect to consider is that in the rapturous union of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, spiritual “time” (which even one moment of is to be considered as unlimitedly more than billions of material years) is passing by, yet is not felt at all by Srimati Radhika. This is a symptom of completely “absorbing oneself in the moment” with Krsna. The reason for such a feeling is that in this most ecstatic divine union, Sri Radha is only cognizant of Sri Krsna and the sweet love they are sharing. This is called Samadhi. Her being is completey absorbed in satisfying Krsna in that pastime of prema. How could it be possible for her to be conscious of anything else? Such an experience is always transcendental and infinite. This beautiful meeting (sambhoga) is of such a nature.
Keeping this in mind, when Srimati Radhika inevitably becomes separated from Her Beloved Krsna, She then sees time as Her enemy, that there was not enough time with Her Krsna, and that Her union with Him was impossibly short lived. She then experiences this spiritual “time” factor as an insurmountable quantity, causing Her so much distress. Because, outside of that sambhoga with Krsna, every “fraction of a moment in spiritual time” seems like a “great millennium” or more. Sriman Mahaprabhu describes this in His spoken verse.
In other words, when Sri Radha is separated from Krsna, the time factor is “visible” and is seen as an aggressor. In one sense, time is the only thing keeping her from Her Krsna. Where-as, in union with Krsna, time is unperceived and is seemingly friendly to the situation. Time is being kind to Her, bringing Her to this situation, and then humbly becoming unseen.
This also shows how the time factor in the spiritual realm is very different in nature than material time. Spiritual time has the potency to contract and expand according to the will of yogamaya-devi and thus serve different purposes. In other words, the ecstatic time factor becomes a means for Sri Radha-Krsna to taste different moods and ecstasies.
So in this mood Sri Caitanya-dev is exclaiming that He feels such a vast figure of time is going by, even in the slightest moment, when separated from Krsna. And to make it even more intense, in Sri Caitanya’s desperation to meet with Krsna, the time seems to move even slower. That is a natural function of waiting for a deeply hankered after point in time to come (i.e meeting with Krsna again.)
Even though all these topics are completely transcendental and practically impossible to grasp within the mundane intellect of man, still in order to help the advancing devotees, Sriman Mahaprabhu has given some indication of what genuine hankering for Krsna feels like. And also what genuine absorption in Sri Krsna’s existence feels like.
By meditating on these topics, one can surely make heaps of advancement. This is described by many great saints. That by meditating on the mood of separation from Krsna, one will attract Krsna faster and faster. The simple metaphor is given; just as a negatively charged magnet attracts the positively charged magnet in accordance with its own strength. May we all be graced with that mood soon!
Vrindavaneswari Sri Radhe ki jai!
Vrindavan-bihari nandalal Sri Krsna ki jai!
Nitai-Gaurasundar-dev ki jai!