(Sharad Purnima)

            एकोऽहं बहु स्याम् ।. “I am One. May I become many.” The way one dreamer becomes many in the dream, the same way one Supreme Lord manifests into many forms. The same Existence of the Supreme Lord gives nourishment to all trees, plants and seeds on earth. Every particle of the earth is charged with the blissful Supreme Self, every drop of water contains the taste of Existence and every breeze of the wind is permeated by the Existence of Sachchidananda. Lord Krishna says in the seventh verse of chapter eight:

प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययोः ।

            ‘I am the light in the moon and the sun.’

पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ।

            “I nourish all herbs by becoming Soma (the savoury moon) which is the repository of all savours.” (The Bhagavad Gita: 15.13)

            The Soma that comes to the Lunar region from the realm of Chandra (moon) nourishes the trees, plants, foods, and herbs on the earth. Our body gets nourishment from foods and plants and our mind shines forth with the power of that. How joyous is the Lila of the blissful Lord! He, the same Blissful 
            Supreme Lord, assumes a form and descends on earth as Love-incarnate Lord Krishna to awaken the dormant blissful nature of His Bhaktas (devotees).

            All the earthly pleasures of smell, taste, sight, hearing and touch are sensual pleasures. Lord Shrikrishna decided to give the transcendental (free from passions) joy on the full moon night of ‘Sharad Punam’: “I will play on my flute, and those who are deserving, will get to listen to the blissful sound of the Beej mantra- ‘Klim’”.

            The virtuous great souls, Gopis hurriedly rushed to the forest. It is the autumnal full moon night (of Sharad Punam) and the atmosphere is pure and calm. Already being omniscient, Lord Krishna admonished the Gopis for the sake of religious teaching, “What is the purpose of your coming to this forest at this time? Have you all come to see the forest full of creepers in bloom, laden with multicoloured flowers, plants and trees illuminated by the bright shining of the full moon on the night of Sharad Punam? All right! So having seen it already, now you return to your homes and serve your children, husbands, in-laws etc.”

            Gopis are not ordinary souls. Even Sage Narada, Uddhava and Arujuna learnt devotional love from these Gopis.

            Gopis say, “Oh divine Instructor! We have come here to enjoy transcendental bliss. All customs and manners and religious duties have their limitations; and the goal of all duties is to become a liberated soul, blessed soul, by attaining the Prasada of the Sachchidananda nature of Supreme Self. Keshav, who you are! We know that, and if you wish to send us back to our homes then we say to you that we have actually come here to our home only. The real home of the Jiva (Soul) is God. Home and family, practice of dharma and Anushthanas all are meant for developing dispassion, and the goal of dispassion is Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Dhyana Yoga. Now you are teaching us to go back! Madhava! The one who has been captivated by your divine nectar of Shabda Brahman, of transcendental bliss (lit. lips overflowing with nectar); has lost all attraction for material enjoyments.”

            Hearing the piteous appeal of the Gopis, Lord Krishna- the Master of all Yogas, dressed in yellow silk, wearing a flower garland around his neck, smiled gently within the cheeks and all of a sudden emerged in many numbers among every pair of Gopis standing in a circle, appearing as one Krishna standing by each and every Gopi! Thousands of Gopis, each one having Krishna with her, participated in the divine Raasa Dance. Heavenly divine trumpets began to play on their own. Heavenly flowers began to shower. God incarnates in the form of a human being only to shower His grace on His devotees. And He performs such Lilas, that by seeing or listening to them, the Jivas become averse to carnal pleasures and turn to divine joy.

            King Parikshit asked Shukadevaji: “Gopis considered Lord Krishna to be their supreme beloved paramour. They did not know His real nature as the Supreme Brahman, as Antaryamin, (the Inner Ruler).  Then how was it possible for them to be freed from the Samsara and attain transcendental bliss?”

            Shri Shukadevaji says: “Shishupala, the king of Chedi, was enviously connected with the Lord while Gopis were connected with the love of a paramour, Kansa was connected with feelings of enmity and fear. Someone is connected through love, another with some different Bhava (emotion); but all are connected with the same Supreme Brahman, Supreme Self. When modifications of the mind are connected with God, they become divine.”

            Who you are, and with what sort of sentiments you are attached with the Lord is of no importance. The all important factor is to whom you are connected. With whatever sentiments you become attached to God, you will invariably get divine joy. Absolute peace and bliss cannot be attained without divine joy. No doubt Japa, meditation and remembrance are helpful in attaining That, but the full moon night of the Sharad Punam enhances it tremendously. On such an auspicious night, you too surrender yourself to the divine Existence by doing some Japa-meditation and thus become immersed in the Supreme Lord to arouse divine joy and happiness within.

Take benefits of the Nectarine Kheer

            Sattvic rays of the moon fall on the earth in the night of Sharad Punam. You all must avail yourselves of its benefits. Prepare Kheer during night. Add 200 gm of cooked rice to 1 litre of milk and boil it till it effervesces 2-4 times. The Kheer is ready. Do not add cashews, almonds or pistachios; otherwise, it will put an undesirable load on the kidneys. Add 1-2 seeds of black pepper per person into the milk and boil it so that the Vayu Dosha of the milk is neutralized. Put the Kheer in the moonlight from 8:30 to 10-11 p.m. (around 2-3 hours), and eat only a small quantity thereof. Eat rest of the Kheer in the morning, because more the night advances, the milder becomes the digestive fire. While eating Kheer, make a gesture of offering a little to me too: “Have it! Babaji!” Saints and God are hungry for your Bhava. That moment, your heart will be purified with divine feelings and the Kheer will turn into Prasada.

            Deshi cow’s milk is considered as nectar on the earth; but to condense it or adding dry fruits thereto, renders the Kheer heavy to digest, making it a spoiled food. The more condensed the milk, the more difficult it is to digest. Eventually the undigested milk turns into Aama (undigested food) which may cause many diseases, tumours and even cancer.

Get Health Benefits during Sharad Purnima

            During the days after Vijaya Dashmi, from ekadashi till the full moon night, special types of rays are reflected from the moon, which nourish the plants, and also increase joy and health. During these days, moon-gazing is especially beneficial. If possible, thread a needle in the moonlight. This improves the eyesight. If the moonlight falls on the navel of a pregnant woman, the foetus in the womb becomes more influential and cheerful.

            Prepare a mixture of Deshi cow’s ghee, honey and triphala powder and put it under the moon light for the entire night. Store it in a glass jar in the morning. Take 10 gm twice a day- morning and evening. I consumed it for 60 days and I got rid of my spectacles!

            Those who wish to prepare Triphala Rasayana should prepare that, those wishing to prepare Kheer should do that and have it as the nectarine Prasada, those willing to improve their eye sight should do Trataka (looking with fixed gaze) on the moon; but all of you must get sanctified in the Self-effulgence, in the auspicious, blissful peace, devotion and love of the bliss personified Lord by contemplating on Him.