The Dust Holds One Accountable

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The Dust Holds One Accountable

 

Q & A with Swami B. V. Tripurari

 

"The dust holds one accountable for offenses not because it is

vindictive but because this gives offenders an opportunity to cleanse

themselves regardless of whether the offended devotee is still with us

or not. Only when one is cleansed of the effects of sadhu ninda will

one be truly free to make spiritual advancement."

 

Q. How does one actually attain bhava (love of Krsna)?

 

A. Bhava is attained by either ardent spiritual practice or grace.

Bhava attained by grace is of two kinds: the grace of Bhagavan or the

grace of a bhakta. Attaining bhava by practice is the norm and

attaining by grace is by far the exception. When bhava is attained by

grace, however, it exceeds in excellence that bhava which is attained

by sadhana (at least at first), for bhava resulting from sadhana is

attained gradually. This is the opinion of Srila Rupa Goswami found in

his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu.

 

Q. We often hear that the guru must be spiritually qualified, but I

would like to know how important it is for a guru to understand the

psychology of his or her students?

 

A. This is a very important issue that progressive Gaudiya Vaisnava

preachers must deal with. While spiritual qualification on the part of

the guru is foremost, there is something to the statement found in

Hari-bhakti-vilasa that recommends that a brahmana should have a

brahmana guru, a vaisya should have a vaisya guru, a ksatriya should

have a ksatriya guru, and a sudra should have a sudra guru. This

statement indicates that a person should accept a guru from a similar

cultural background because the extent to which qualified gurus

understand the psychology of their students will have considerable

bearing on their ability to convey the essence of the tradition to

them. When there is psychological and cultural compatibility between

the guru and disciple and the guru is highly spiritually qualified, you

have the best of both worlds.

 

Q. Most Gaudiya Vaisnava temples in India do not adorn the Deity of

Caitanya Mahaprabhu with a peacock feather as this decoration is

reserved for the Deity of Krsna. Therefore why did Srila Prabhupada

install Deities of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai adorned with peacock feathers on

their heads?

 

A. Perhaps Srila Prabhupada sometimes envisioned them as Krsna and

Balarama, as Bhaktivinoda sometimes envisioned his Gaura-Gadadhara

Deity as Radha-Krsna and dressed them accordingly. After all, in Nadiya

Mahaprabhu vacillated between the bhavas of Bhagavan and bhakta. As

Bhagavan he is Krsna and sometimes his devotees saw him as such.

Sacidevi in particular would sometimes see Gaura and Nityananda as

Krsna and Balarama. Otherwise, I do not think that Prabhupada

instructed his disciples to dress Gaura Nitai this way, but sometimes

they did, and when he saw them dressed in this way he did not object.

Overall, it would seem that his Deities were pleased with his service,

so who are we to complain about such things as if on their behalf?

 

Q. I've been told that the first verse of the Bhagavatam secretly

speaks of sankirtana, congregational chanting of the holy name of

Krsna. Can you explain this?

 

A. The concluding words of the Bhagavata's opening stanza, satyam param

dhimahi, speak of Krsna sankirtana because the word "dhimahi" is

plural. While meditation is a solitary affair, sankirtana is usually

performed in a group. Thus satyam param dhimahi speaks to us of

meditation in unison (dhimahi) on the supreme truth (satyam param).

 

The word "dhimahi" is also used later in the Bhagavatam as "dhyeyam" in

relation to Sri Caitanya. In 11.5.33 Mahaprabhu is described as one

whose lotus feet should be constantly meditated on (dheyama sada . . .

te caranaravrindam). Constant meditation is that which can be done

under any circumstances. Thus dhyeyam sada refers to sankirtana, which

is not bound by the rules governing ordinary meditation. As Mahaprabhu

has personally taught, it can be performed anywhere, at any time, and

there are no rules for doing so. Indeed, sankirtana is the recommended

means of absorbing one's mind in God in the present age.

 

When Mahaprabhu speaks in his Siksastakam of how Sri Krsna sankirtana

can be performed under any circumstances, he uses the word smaranam

(smarane), which means meditation. Practically he is merging the two--

kirtanam and smaranam--together. The illustrious Bhaktisiddhanta

Saraswati Thakura has done the same when he writes, kirtana prabhave

smarana svabhave: "Engaging in kirtanam enables one to meditate on

one's true nature (svarupa)." This is also the verdict of

Brhad-bhagavatamrta, which states:

 

bhayantarasesa-hrsika-calakam vag-indriyam syad yadi samyatam sada

cittam sthiram sad-bhagavat-smrtau tada samyak pravateta tatah smrtih

phalam

 

"If the sense of speech, which sets all the external and internal

senses in motion, is brought under control, then the mind becomes

stable and can properly engage in transcendental remembrance of the

Lord. Remembrance thus develops as the fruit of chanting."

 

Real smaranam is the fruit of kirtanam. Furthermore,

 

sankirtanad dhyana-sukham vivardhate dhyanac ca

sankirtana-madhuri-sukam anyonya-samvardhaka-tanu-bhuyate 'smabhis

tayos tad dvayam ekam eva tat

 

"Sankirtana expands the joy of meditation, and meditation expands the

sweet joy of sankirtana. In our experience the two methods fortify one

another and are therefore actually one (spoken by the inhabitants of

Vaikuntha)."

 

Thus the word dhimahi in the first verse of the Bhagavatam can be

construed to be an advocacy of sankirtana.

 

Q. What does it mean when we hear that the Vaisnava forgives but the

dust of his lotus feet does not? And is there any difference for the

offender?

 

A. The idea comes from this verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam:

 

nascaryam etad yad asatsu sarvada mahad-vininda kunapatma-vadisu

sersyam mahaparusa-pada-pamsubhir nirasta-tejahsu tad eva sobhanam

 

"It is not out of the ordinary for evil persons who always think of the

transient material body as the self to regularly deride great souls.

Appropriately such envy on the part of materialistic persons causes

them to become diminished in stature by the influence of the dust of

the feet of great personalities (mahapurusa-pada-pamsubhir)." (SB.

4.4.13)

 

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura draws on this verse in his

Madhurya-Kadambini. Therein he discusses sadhu ninda (blaspheming

devotees) in relation to anarthas arising from offenses to Nama Prabhu,

the holy name of Krsna. The Thakura explains that great devotees

(maha-bhagavatas) do not take offense because they are indifferent to

honor and dishonor. However, should one who has offended a

maha-bhagavata think that because of this fact an offender does not

need to approach the maha-bhagavata's feet for forgiveness, one should

think again. Why? Although maha-bhagavatas do not take offense, the

dust of their feet does hold offenders accountable. Thus the spirit

behind this statement is that one who has offended a great soul must

approach that soul for forgiveness. Don't think otherwise.

 

Certainly the Lord takes offense when his devotees are vilified. Why

then is the dust mentioned? What is the dust? The Lord is not the dust

at the feet of his devotees. Although he would like to be, the Lord's

devotees will never allow this. This dust represents the servants of

the maha-bhagavata, who are fulfilling the Lord's most cherished desire

to serve his dear devotees. Although his great devotees will never take

service from the Lord, they mercifully accept service from others on

his behalf and in doing so their bodily necessities and other needs are

met. Thus it is through the servants of the great devotees that the

Lord's desire to see his devotees personally served and glorified is

fulfilled. In this sense the Lord is present in these servants, and

when they take offense it also indicates that the Lord is offended.

 

Q. What should offenders do if the sadhu they offended has left the

world and they have not taken steps to rectify the situation when the

sadhu was present?

 

A. To rectify an offense one has made to a devotee who is no longer

present, one must approach his or her representative and apologize. The

context in which the Bhagavata verse under discussion was spoken

involves Daksa's offense to Lord Siva. It was Sati, the wife and

disciple of Siva, who took offense when her father Daksa had offended

her husband (a maha-bhagavata).

 

Siva did not take offense because he is aloof from matters of the

world, but Parvati held her father Daksa accountable. In love this is

natural and appropriate. However, this does not mean that disciples

will never forgive offenders, just that disciples will hold offenders

accountable. Thus the only course for offenders is to approach the

devotee they offended and ask for forgiveness. When they do so, the

dust of the devotee's feet is satisfied. As I mentioned, offenders are

not allowed to think that because the devotee they offended has not

acknowledged the offense or that because the devotee is no longer with

us that they are off the hook. No. The dust of the devotee's feet has

noticed on behalf of Krsna and scripture says that Krsna will not

tolerate offenses to his devotees.

 

However, anyone who takes this understanding to be a license for

vindictiveness directed toward another person or devotee has no idea

what Gaudiya Vaisnavism is really all about. Gaudiya Vaisnavism is

about chanting the holy name and kindness to everyone (jiva daya).

Everything that devotees do is based on kindness. The dust holds one

accountable for offenses not because it is vindictive, but because this

gives offenders an opportunity to cleanse themselves regardless of

whether the offended devotee is still with us or not. Only when one is

cleansed of the effects of sadhu ninda will one be truly free to make

spiritual advancement.

 

Questions or comments may be submitted at the Q&A Forum

http://www.swami.org/sanga/ or email sangaeditor (AT) swami (DOT) org.

 

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Saturday, March, 12, 2005, Vol. VII, No. 4

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