Kirtana

[Guest guest]

Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.8.5:

 

"The sound incarnation of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Soul [i.e. Srimad

Bhagavatam], enters into the heart of a self-realized devotee, sits on the

lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of

material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like

autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water."

 

 

Purport

 

It is said that a single pure devotee of the Lord can deliver all the

fallen souls of the world. Thus one who is actually in the confidence of a

pure devotee like Narada or Sukadeva Gosvami and thus is empowered by one's

spiritual master, as Narada was by Brahmaji, can not only deliver himself

from the clutches of maya, or illusion, but can deliver the whole world by

his pure and empowered devotional strength. The comparison to the autumnal

rain that falls on muddy reservoirs of water is very appropriate. During

the rainy season, all the waters of the rivers become muddy, but in the

month of July-August, the autumn season, when there is a slight rainfall,

the muddy waters of the rivers all over the world become at once clear. By

addition of some chemical, a small reservoir of water like that of a

metropolitan waterworks tank can be cleared, but by such a tiny effort it

is not possible to clear up all the reservoirs of water like the rivers. A

powerful pure devotee of the Lord, however, can deliver not only his

personal self but also many others in his association.

In other words, the cleansing of the polluted heart by other methods

(like the culture of empiric knowledge or mystic gymnastics) can simply cleanse

one's own heart, but devotional service to the Lord is so powerful that it

can cleanse the hearts of the people in general, by the devotional service

of the pure, empowered devotee. A true representative of the Lord like

Narada, Sukadeva Gosvami, Lord Caitanya, the six Gosvamis and later Srila

Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, etc.,

can deliver all people by their empowered devotional service.

By sincere efforts to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam one realizes his

constitutional relationship with the Lord in the transcendental humor of

servitude, friendship, paternal affection or conjugal love, and by such

self-realization one becomes situated at once in the transcendental loving

service of the Lord. Not only were all the pure devotees like Narada

self-realized souls, but they were engaged in preaching work automatically

by spiritual impetus, and thus they delivered many poor souls entangled in

the material modes. They became so powerful because they sincerely

followed the Bhagavatam principles by regular hearing and worshiping. By

such actions the accumulated material lusts, etc., become cleansed by the

personal endeavor of the Lord within the heart. The Lord is always within

the heart of the living being, but He becomes manifested by ones

devotional service.

Purification of the heart by culture of knowledge or mystic yoga may

be all right for the time being for an individual person, but it is like the

cleansing of a small quantity of stagnant water by chemical processes.

Such clarification of water may stand for the time being and the sediments

settle down, but by a alight agitation everything becomes muddy. The idea

is that devotional service to the Lord is the only method of cleansing the

heart for good. Whereas other methods may be superficially good for the

time being, there is a risk of becoming muddy again due to agitation of

the mind. Devotional service to the Lord, with specific attention for

hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly and always, is the best recommended

method for liberation from the clutches of illusion.

 

MDd