12. Danger at Every Step

2/26/17

It is Sunday and we are at home. Vraju and I get a chance to have some philosophical discussions. We’re all a bit too intellectual in the family, so the discussions help get away from the “what will be?” thoughts that are right at the surface. I remember a beautiful verse from Srimad Bhagavatam, discuss with the family and share on Facebook.

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām

This morning I'm remembering this beautiful verse from Srimad Bhagavatam. I memorized it one day with my sister Gaura when we were 15. We were walking back from the temple on the hilly roads of North Carolina. It was so enchanting to sing the Sanskrit words loudly, to hear them reverberate through the trees and down the massive hill, and to explain the meaning of each word to her, watching her big eyes fill with wonder, understand and remember them. Of course at that time, neither of us fully realized the true impact of this verse.

When I met Rupa Prabhu, I told him about it. Afterwards, every time we would hear a fire truck, we'd look at each other and say, padam padam vipadam.. "Every step is danger."

Then recently I was happily surprised when Gaura Vani Prabhu inserted it into one of his kirtans! Oohh he knows it too..

This verse today has become a dear friend, reminding me of my good fortune that we have Sri Krishna as our caretaker.

At times the pain of my boy's condition hits and quickly turns into full blown panic in my mind. But then with the advice of our elders, the loving words of our dear friends, and the shelter of the holy name, it diminishes. Everyone says it's natural to feel mother's pain.. But today, with all the love we're lucky to receive, we feel wrapped up in a warm safe blanket of the Krishna's protection and His devotees' care.

My understanding of the verse:

Oh my mind, please take shelter (ashrita) of the delicately soft lotus feet of Sri Krishna. (Pada pallava plavam means so soft are these lotuses that they get an indentation when only slightly touched). He is famous (yaso) as Murari, the killer of big demons. If you do this, these lotus feet become your boat to cross over the great scary ocean of the material world, (bhavambudhir) where there are cancers and tumors and repeated birth and death. And not only that, but the massive ocean of unending pain and fear will shrink immediately to become a teeny puddle of water contained in a calf's hoofprint (vatsa padam). that you can just basically step over.

And the last line? This world is completely a place where there is absolute danger at every step. Padam padam vipadam.

But..? Na tesam. Not for us. Haha 😝😛😀😎

So Vraju has surmised that he will climb on Krishna's feet, and that's how the material world ocean turns into a small puddle.. Because it's Krishna stepping and not him. That it's not actually the ocean of pain shrinking.. It stays the same. But because we're on the Supreme Personality of Godhead's lotus feet, it just becomes 'no big deal'.

Our perspective changes. Krishna is the one doing the stepping and we're going for the ride. That was his explanation.

Here's the actual translation from the Srimad Bhagavatam:

“For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.”

Have a lovely Sunday.