By the causeless mercy of Guru Gauḍīya
(Edited by Srila Shyam Das Baba Maharaj)
Most famous among all Sātvata-pañcarātra, Sanat-kumāra-saṁhitā, Padma-purāṇa etc. in such books we can find all in detail about Aṣṭakāla-līlā. Those anartha mukta qualified devotees they have their right to hear all about such secret līlās from the Lotus mouth of Śrī Gurudeva by his permission. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī have compiled some ślokas relating to this Aṣṭakāla-līlā, (based on Śrī Govinda-līlāmrita, written by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī). This Aṣṭakāla-līlā is most impossible to understand. This is beyond the comprehension range of those literary men, poets, or materialistic men, who all are under the spell of kāma-krodha-lobha-etc., what to speak about them, even for those tapasvī-jñānīs of pure character, for them also this is most impossible to understand. The following śloka from the book Śrī Govinda līlāmrita, written by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, can give the direct evidence of the fact—
sri radha pranabandhoh charanakamalaoh keshsashadi agamya
ya saddhya premaseva brajacharita porairgada loullyikalavaya
sa sat prapta yaya tam prothoetum-adhuna manasim asyasebam
bhabyam gadadhapanthoirbrajamanu charitam naityokam dssay noumi
(Govinda Lilamrita 1st chapter vanadana)
The inner meaning of the śloka is—The heart friend (darling) of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the prema sevā of His Lotus Feet, which is most rare, even which is beyond the conception of Brahmā, Śiva, Ananta, etc. Mahāpuruṣas. This prema sevā is only possible to achieve by those ragatmik Brajavasis and their followers, who are having tremendous affinity to serve Kṛṣṇa that way (like Brajavasis), by the help of aprākṛta-manasi sevā of Adhokshaja Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the kind of manasi-sevā which can get manifested inside the memory without any artificiality by the guidance of śrī guru, by crossing over the range of thinking power to reach the platform of śuddha-cetana, in the form of the mode of kīrtana, where the characteristics of Kṛṣṇa is constantly nourished as a contemplated subject matter by those who are following rāgamārga.— I mean to sing about those nitty-līlā of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a very special way—I am going to pay namaskāra unto His Lotus Feet.
Oh! Reader you all can understand the great gravity of Aṣṭakāla-līlā. Those who are under the magic spell of anyābhilās, due to material desires always affected by kāma-krodha etc., defeated by the magic spell of material saṅkalpa-vikalpa, what to speak about those common people, even Ananta deva himself or Śiva or even Brahmā etc. Mahāpuruṣas, for them also this kind of secret līlā is beyond their imagination.
Those who are having a false ego to project themselves as rāgānugā devotees, whereas inside they are driven by the conception of bhoga (enjoyment) and tyāga (detachment), full of anarthas (or overpowered by anarthas), for them is the artificial way of Aṣṭakāla-līlā-smaraṇa drama nothing but a great aparādhā unto the Lotus Feet of Bhakti Devi and also this is for a dirty idealism gathering dirty garbage in this world. Those gentle readers seeking for attma maṅgal, they should think over and again about this point. Those who are going to spread the most secret rāgānugā bhajan topics here and there or in the name of anushilan (practice), they try to satisfy sense gratification (passive kāma), –they are surely prākṛta-sahajiyā. They can never get entry into kṛṣṇa-līlā. Like the case when honeybees trying to get in touch with honey kept inside a sealed transparent jar of glass to get the taste of that honey, but still, they cannot do so, but can at least imagine to be in touch with the honey. Similarly, by the help of artificial process those sahajiyās can imagine themselves to be full of rasa only to deprive themselves of aprākṛta-kṛṣṇa līlā-rasa forever. Their verbal tṛṇād-api-sunīcena-bhava to show the drama of prayer unto the Lotus Feet of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī can only prove their mood of enjoyment (due to passive kāma inside their heart) as the reaction of their dirty heart condition, which is nothing but their secret desire to collect false lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhā, that can close the door of bhakti in front of them forever.
Gaura Hari Hari Bol