Nectar

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Dear Akruranath here's some nectar.

 

 

>From SB. 11.3.23

 

In the Garua Pur€Ša it is stated,

vieataƒ svottameu vin€ sa‰gaˆ na mucyate

sva-n…ceu tu deveu vin€ sa‰gaˆ na p™ryate

"One cannot be liberated without association with a pure devotee of the

Lord. And unless one shows mercy to those in an inferior position, one's

life will be superficial."

 

It is our practical experience in the KŠa consciousness movement that

those who are expanding their mercy by preaching the message of KŠa are

making rapid spiritual progress, and their life is filled with

transcendental bliss. Those who neglect the quality of mercy, being

uninterested in the missionary activities of the KŠa consciousness

movement, are not filled with transcendental pleasure as described here by

the word p™ryate. Not being filled with spiritual pleasure, surely such

persons attempt to fill their lives with material pleasure through sense

gratification and mental speculation, associating with women or reading

innumerable mundane novels, newspapers, newsmagazines, and so on. According

to rr… Caitanya Mah€prabhu the preaching activities of the KŠa

consciousness movement are €nand€mbudhi-vardhanam, the ever-increasing ocean

of bliss. Missionary activities are based on the principle of day€m, or

mercy to those who are fallen. Those who are actually preaching become

enlivened by associating with other preachers. This principle is called

maitr…m, or friendship among equals. The power to carry out such preaching

activities, as well as the proper guidance for distributing KŠa's message,

comes through the principle of prarayam, or humble service at the lotus

feet of spiritual authorities such as the spiritual master. If one preaches

KŠa consciousness sincerely under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual

master and in the company of fellow preachers, one is perfectly fulfilling

the statement of this verse of rr…mad-Bh€gavatam, and thus he will come to

the point of sarvato manaso 'sa‰gam, or complete detachment from the

illusory energy of the Lord. Caitanya Mah€prabhu has stated, lava-m€tra

s€dhu-sa‰ge sarva-siddhi haya [Cc. Madhya 22.54]. By becoming attached to

the devotees of the Lord, one will achieve all perfection in life, going

back home, back to Godhead.

If one neglects the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by engaging

in sinful life, he is certainly not merciful. One who ignores his eternal

status as part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and who instead covers himself

more and more with material illusions in the form of temporary

designations-"I am American,I am Russian,I am Indian,I am black,"

"I am white" and so on-is certainly a killer of his own soul and cannot be

considered merciful. Similarly, those who support animal slaughter by eating

meat, fish and eggs cannot be considered merciful. Sometimes the argument is

given that if one does not harm others he is perfectly religious. But

because we are now in a state of ignorance, we have no idea whatsoever of

the future reactions to our present activities. Ignorantly boasting that one

is not harming others, without an awareness of the subtle laws of nature,

does not make one a religious person. One becomes religious by surrendering

to the laws of God as they are stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-g…t€.

As long as a living entity is infatuated with his own mental speculations,

which carry him away like the waves of the ocean, he cannot understand the

process of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mental

speculations based on our experience of the variegated creations of the

Lord's illusory energy are incapable of bringing us to perfect knowledge.

One must give up materialistic association and make company with pure

devotees of the Lord, those who are engaged twenty-four hours a day in

perfectly pleasing the Supreme Lord.

One should cultivate association with those who are more advanced than

oneself in devotional service. One's advancement can be measured by one's

detachment from sense gratification and his ability to distribute KŠa

consciousness to others. In this connection rr…la Narottama d€sa µh€kura has

said, ch€iy€ vaiŠava-sev€, nist€ra p€yeche keb€: "Who can attain salvation

if he gives up the service of the VaiŠavas?" By serving the lotus feet of

pure devotees, one is immediately enlightened with spiritual knowledge. All

of the so-called pleasures of the material world, culminating in many

varieties of sexual fantasy and impersonal visions of oneself as God, become

useless to one who has achieved the mercy of the lotus feet of a pure

devotee of KŠa. The entire material creation is compared to an

insignificant bubble in the ocean. The material universe rests on the

spiritual potency of the Lord called brahmajyoti, just as an insignificant

bubble rests on the potency of the unlimited ocean. By serving the lotus

feet of a pure devotee one can enter the ocean of eternal happiness and

experience his constitutional position as a servant of KŠa. The mercy of

the VaiŠavas is unlimited, and one who has tasted that mercy becomes mad

after the lotus feet of KŠa, not caring for the hallucinations of

so-called material pleasure or mental speculation. The mercy of the

VaiŠavas is substantial and as powerful as KŠa Himself, whereas

impersonal speculations and hopeless dreams of society, friendship and love

merely constitute various means by which m€y€ cheats the conditioned souls

and keeps them in perpetual frustration.

 

SB 10.32.20

 

n€haˆ tu sakhyo bhajato 'pi jant™n bhaj€my am…€m anuvtti-vttaye

yath€dhano labdha-dhane vina˜e tac-cintay€nyan nibhto na veda

SYNONYMS

na-do not; aham-I; tu-on the other hand; sakhyaƒ-O friends;

bhajataƒ-worshiping; api-even; jant™n-with living beings;

bhaj€mi-reciprocate; am…€m-their; anuvtti-propensity (for pure love);

vttaye-in order to impel; yath€-just as; adhanaƒ-a poor man; labdha-having

obtained; dhane-wealth; vina˜e-and it being lost; tat-of that; cintay€-with

anxious thought; anyat-anything else; nibhtaƒ-filled; na veda-does not

know.

TRANSLATION

But the reason I do not immediately reciprocate the affection of living

beings even when they worship Me, O gop…s, is that I want to intensify their

loving devotion. They then become like a poor man who has gained some wealth

and then lost it, and who thus becomes so anxious about it that he can think

of nothing else.

PURPORT

Lord KŠa states in Bhagavad-g…t€, ye yath€ m€ˆ prapadyante t€ˆs tathaiva

bhaj€my aham: [bg. 4.11] "As people approach Me, I reciprocate with them

accordingly." Yet even if the Lord is approached by someone with devotion,

to intensify the devotee's love the Lord may not immediately reciprocate

fully. In fact, the Lord is truly reciprocating. After all, a sincere

devotee always prays to the Lord, "Please help me to love You purely."

Therefore the Lord's so-called neglect is actually the fulfillment of the

devotee's prayer. Lord KŠa intensifies our love for Him by apparently

separating Himself from us, and the result is that we achieve what we really

wanted and prayed for: intense love for the Absolute Truth, KŠa. Thus Lord

KŠa's apparent negligence is actually His thoughtful reciprocation and the

fulfillment of our deepest and purest desire.

According to the €c€ryas, as Lord KŠa began to speak this verse the gop…s

looked at one another with squinting eyes, trying to hide the smiles

breaking out on their faces. Even as Lord KŠa was speaking, the gop…s had

begun to realize that He was bringing them to the highest perfection of

loving service.

 

SB 11.2.38

avidyam€no 'py avabh€ti hi dvayo dhy€tur dhiy€ svapna-manorathau yath€

tat karma-sa‰kalpa-vikalpakaˆ mano budho nirundhy€d abhayaˆ tataƒ sy€t

SYNONYMS

avidyam€naƒ-not present in reality; api-although; avabh€ti-is manifest;

hi-indeed; dvayaƒ-duality; dhy€tuƒ-of the person experiencing; dhiy€-by the

intelligence; svapna-a dream; manaƒ-rathau-or the conceiving of a desire;

yath€-as; tat-therefore; karma-of material activities;

sa‰kalpa-vikalpakam-having the functions of forming positive and negative

desires; manaƒ-the mind; budhaƒ-an intelligent person; nirundhy€t-should

bring under control; abhayam-fearlessness; tataƒ-in this way; sy€t-there may

be.

TRANSLATION

Although the duality of the material world does not ultimately exist, the

conditioned soul experiences it as real under the influence of his own

conditioned intelligence. This imaginary experience of a world separate from

KŠa can be compared to the acts of dreaming and desiring. When the

conditioned soul dreams at night of something desirable or horrible, or when

he daydreams of what he would like to have or avoid, he creates a reality

that has no existence beyond his own imagination. The tendency of the mind

is to accept and reject various activities based on sense gratification.

Therefore an intelligent person should control the mind, restricting it from

the illusion of seeing things separate from KŠa, and when the mind is thus

controlled he will experience actual fearlessness.

PURPORT

Although the conditioned mind is bewildered by the objects of sense

gratification offered by m€y€, illusion, if one takes to the unalloyed

devotional service of the Lord such material sense gratification gradually

dissipates, for it is merely a mental concoction of the conditioned soul.

rr…la rr…dhara Sv€m… has emphasized by the words avyabhic€riŠ… bhakti that

one cannot dissipate the illusion of material sense gratification unless one

takes to the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord. As rr…la R™pa Gosv€m…

has stated:

any€bhil€it€-™nyaˆ jñ€na-karm€dy-an€vtam

€nuk™lyena kŠ€nu- …lanaˆ bhaktir uttam€

[Cc. Madhya 19.167]

[bhakti-ras€mta-sindhu 1.1.11]

Unalloyed devotional service cannot be mixed with material sense

gratification or mental speculation. The servant must act only for the

satisfaction of the master. Similarly, Lord KŠa states in Bhagavad-g…t€,

m€m ekaˆ araŠaˆ vraja. One must see only KŠa everywhere and must act

exclusively for the satisfaction of Lord KŠa, the eternal master of every

living entity.

rr…la Madhv€c€rya has quoted several verses from the Hari-vaˆa illustrating

that the living entity bewildered by identifying with his material body,

home, family, friends and so on and thus entangled in the cycle of birth and

death accepts phantasmagoria as reality. According to rr…la J…va Gosv€m…,

ravaŠa-k…rtan€di-lakaŠa-m€tratvaˆ yato na vy€hanyeta: if one seriously

desires to vanquish the duality of material illusion, one must adopt the

process of chanting and hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord. rr…

Caitanya Mah€prabhu also cited the following Vedic reference:

harer n€ma harer n€ma harer n€maiva kevalam

kalau n€sty eva n€sty eva n€sty eva gatir anyath€

[Cc. šdi 17.21]

(Bhan-n€rad…ya Pur€Ša)

According to Vedic literatures the living entities of this Kali-yuga are

very feeble in their power to understand spiritual knowledge (mand€ƒ

sumanda-matayo manda-bh€gy€ hy upadrut€ƒ [sB 1.1.10]). Their minds are

always disturbed. and they are lazy and misguided by so many bogus leaders.

They are further described in the Bh€gavatam as niƒsattv€n (impatient and

impious). durmedh€n (possessed of weak intelligence) and hrasit€yuaƒ (very

short lived). Therefore one who seriously wants to overcome the ignorance of

material life must surrender to the process of chanting and hearing the holy

name of the Lord-Hare KŠa, Hare KŠa, KŠa KŠa, Hare Hare/ Hare R€ma,

Hare R€ma, R€ma R€ma, Hare Hare-as well as reciting and rendering submissive

aural reception to the transcendental literatures presented by the Lord,

such as Bhagavad-g…t€, rr…mad-Bh€gavatam and Caitanya-carit€mta. It should

be understood that the living entity is completely spiritual and never

actually becomes mixed with material energy (asa‰go hy ayaˆ puruaƒ).

According to rr…la J…va Gosv€m…, tasmin uddhe 'pi kalpyate: although the

living entity is uddha, pure spirit soul, he imagines that he is a material

creation and thus entangles himself in the network of illusion called

deh€patya-kalatr€di.

rr…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura has used the word m€nasa-pratyaka to

describe the experience of material life. M€nasa-pratyaka means "that which

is experienced only within the mind." The actual pratyaka is described in

Bhagavad-g…t€ (9.2):

r€ja-vidy€ r€ja-guhyaˆ pavitram idam uttamam

pratyak€vagamaˆ dharmyaˆ susukhaˆ kartum avyayam

When one submissively hears the instructions given by the Lord Himself in

Bhagavad-g…t€, which constitute the king of all knowledge (r€ja-vidy€) and

the most confidential of all information (r€ja-guhyam), by associating with

such spotless spiritual knowledge (pavitram idam uttamam) one can directly

experience one's eternal nature (pratyak€vagamam). By experiencing one's

eternal nature, one becomes thoroughly religious (dharmyam), blissful

(susukham) and eternally engaged in the devotional service of the Lord

(kartum avyayam).

rr…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura has quoted the following ruti-mantra in

this connection: vijita-h…ka-v€yubhir ad€nta-manas turagam. "By the very

senses and life air one has conquered, the uncurbed mind will again drag one

away." According to rr…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura the meaning of this

verse is samavah€ya guro caraŠam: if one rejects the lotus feet of one's

spiritual master, all of one's previous spiritual advancement becomes null

and void. This has already been indicated in the previous verse by the words

guru-devat€tm€. Unless one accepts a bona fide spiritual master in the

authorized parampar€ as one's worshipable deity and life and soul, there is

no question of overcoming the duality of material life.

rr…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura has made the following comments on

this verse. "Control of the mind is a result of living a life of devotional

service to the Lord. By the influence of fixed devotional service, the

accepting and rejecting mind can stop its thirst for sensory enjoyment apart

from KŠa. In transcendental KŠa consciousness there is no contradiction,

pettiness or lack of ecstasy. In other words, it is not like a material

object, which always proves temporary and constantly miserable. Having

forgotten KŠa, the conditioned living entity is suffering the misdirection

and perversion of his own so-called intelligence. The living entities are

fragmental parts of the supreme shelter, KŠa, but have fallen from KŠa's

kingdom of spiritual pastimes. Because of forgetting the Supreme Lord, they

become prone to sinful life and turn their attention to dangerous material

objects, which fill them with constant fear. If one desires to subdue the

mind, which is constantly engaged in the duality of mental concoction, one

must take to the devotional service of Lord KŠa."

SB 11.2.39

Švan su-bhadr€Ši rath€‰ga-p€Šer janm€ni karm€Ši ca y€ni loke

g…t€ni n€m€ni tad-arthak€ni g€yan vilajjo vicared asa‰gaƒ

SYNONYMS

Švan-hearing; su-bhadr€Ši-all-auspicious; ratha-a‰ga-p€Šeƒ-of the Supreme

Lord, who holds a chariot wheel in His hand (in His pastime of fighting with

grandfather Bh…ma); janm€ni-the appearances; karm€Ši-activities; ca-and;

y€ni-which; loke-in this world; g…t€ni-are chanted; n€m€ni-names;

tat-arthak€ni-signifying these appearances and activities; g€yan-singing;

vilajjaƒ-free from embarrassment; vicaret-one should wander; asa‰gaƒ-without

material association.

TRANSLATION

An intelligent person who has controlled his mind and conquered fear should

give up all attachment to material objects such as wife, family and nation

and should wander freely without embarrassment, hearing and chanting the

holy names of the Lord, the bearer of the chariot wheel. The holy names of

KŠa are all-auspicious because they describe His transcendental birth and

activities, which He performs within this world for the salvation of the

conditioned souls. Thus the holy names of the Lord are sung throughout the

world.

PURPORT

Since the holy names, forms and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead are unlimited, no one can hear or chant about all of them. Therefore

the word loke indicates that one should chant the holy names of the Lord

that are well known on this particular planet. Within this world, Lord R€ma

and Lord KŠa are very famous. Their books, R€m€yaŠa and Bhagavad-g…t€, are

studied and relished all over the world. Similarly, Caitanya Mah€prabhu is

gradually becoming famous all over the world, as He Himself predicted.

Pthiv…te €che yata nagar€di gr€ma/ sarvatra prac€ra haibe mora n€ma: "In

every town and village on this earth the glories of My name will be

chanted." Therefore in conformity with the authorized statement of this

verse of rr…mad-Bh€gavatam, the KŠa consciousness movement emphasizes the

mah€-mantra-Hare KŠa, Hare KŠa, KŠa KŠa, Hare Hare/ Hare R€ma, Hare

R€ma, R€ma R€ma, Hare Hare-along with the Pañca-tattva

mah€-mantra-r…-kŠa-caitanya prabhu-nity€nanda r…-advaita gad€dhara

r…v€s€di-gaura-bhakta-vnda.

According to rr…la rr…dhara Sv€m…, this blissful process of chanting the

holy names of the Lord without any material conception is called sugamaˆ

m€rgam, a very enjoyable path. Similarly, Lord KŠa has described the

process of bhakti-yoga as susukhaˆ kartum, very joyfully performed, and

rr…la Locana d€sa µh€kura has sung, saba avat€ra s€ra iromaŠi kevala

€nanda-k€Ša. Caitanya Mah€prabhu's process for worshiping KŠa is kevala

€nanda-k€Ša, simply joyful. In this connection rr…la Prabhup€da has stated

that people in any part of the world can assemble, chant the Hare KŠa

mantra, read from authorized books such as Bhagavad-g…t€ As It Is, and

accept kŠa-pras€dam sumptuously, just as Caitanya Mah€prabhu did in

Navadv…pa.

To be successful in this program, however, Locana d€sa µh€kura has warned,

viaya ch€iy€: one must give up material sense gratification. If one

indulges in material sense gratification, surely he will be in the bodily

concept of life. One who is in the bodily concept of life will undoubtedly

have a materialistic understanding of the pastimes of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Thus, by considering the Lord's pastimes mundane,

one will come within the category of M€y€v€da, or impersonalism, in which

one considers the transcendental body of the Lord to be a creation of

material nature. Therefore the word asa‰gaƒ in this verse is very

significant. One must chant the holy name of the Lord without mental

speculation. One must accept Lord KŠa as He presents Himself in

Bhagavad-g…t€, wherein He states that He alone is Puruottama, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, and that His transcendental form is eternal (ajo 'pi

sann avyay€tm€).

rr…la J…va Gosv€m… has emphasized, y€ni €stra-dv€r€ sat-parampar€-dv€r€ ca

loke g…t€ni janm€ni karm€Ši ca, t€ni Švan g€yaˆ ca: if one wants to be

successful in chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, one must adopt

the process as it is coming down in the sat-parampar€, the transcendental

disciplic succession. And the sat-parampar€ can be identified by reference

to bona fide Vedic scriptures. Contrary to the opinion of uninformed

critics, the followers of KŠa consciousness are not mindless or fanatical.

They intelligently follow the system of checks and balances called guru,

s€dhu and €stra. That is, one must accept a bona fide spiritual master, who

must in turn be confirmed by the opinion of great saintly persons and

revealed scriptures. If one accepts a bona fide spiritual master, follows

the example of great saintly persons and becomes conversant with authorized

literature such as Bhagavad-g…t€ As It Is and rr…mad-Bh€gavatam, one's

program of chanting the holy names of the Lord and hearing about the Lord's

pastimes will be completely successful. As KŠa states in Bhagavad-g…t€

(4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam evaˆ yo vetti tattvataƒ

tyaktv€ dehaˆ punar janma naiti m€m eti so 'rjuna

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities

does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in the material world,

but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna."

rr…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura has stated that throughout the world the

Supreme Lord is known by many names, some of them expressed in vernacular

language, but any name used to indicate the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

who is one without a second, beyond the influence of material nature, can be

accepted as a holy name of God, according to this verse. That is indicated

by the word loke.

One should not misinterpret the word vicaret, "one should wander," to mean

that while chanting the holy names of KŠa one may go anywhere or engage in

any activity without discrimination. Therefore it is stated, vicared

asa‰gaƒ: one may wander freely, but at the same time one must strictly avoid

the association of those who are not interested in KŠa consciousness or

who are engaged in sinful life. rr… Caitanya Mah€prabhu has stated,

asat-sa‰ga-ty€ga-ei vaiŠava €c€ra (Cc. Madhya 22.87): a VaiŠava is known

by his complete avoidance of all mundane association. If in the course of

traveling and chanting the glories of the Lord a VaiŠava preacher finds a

submissive nondevotee who is willing to hear about KŠa, the preacher will

always give his merciful association to such a person. But a VaiŠava should

strictly avoid those who are not interested in hearing about KŠa.

According to rr…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura, those who do not

engage in hearing the astonishing pastimes and holy names of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and who do not relish the Lord's pastimes are simply

executing mundane, illusory activities or indulging in false, materialistic

renunciation. Frustrated living entities sometimes take to dry impersonalism

and avoid the descriptions of the Supreme Lord's eternal name, form,

qualities, entourage and pastimes. But if one gains the association of a

pure devotee, one gives up the path of dry speculative argument and becomes

situated on the actual Vedic path of devotional service to the Lord.

rr…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura says that the word dvaita, or

"duality," expresses the false understanding that some object has a

substantial existence independent of KŠa. The M€y€v€da conception of

advaita, which lacks any spiritual distinctions, is simply another

manifestation of the mind's function of acceptance and rejection. The

eternal appearance and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead never

contradict the concept of advaya-jñ€na, or transcendental knowledge beyond

duality.

SB 11.2.40

evaˆ-vrataƒ sva-priya-n€ma-k…rty€ j€t€nur€go druta-citta uccaiƒ

hasaty atho roditi rauti g€yaty unm€da-van ntyati loka-b€hyaƒ

SYNONYMS

evam-vrataƒ-when one thus engages in the vow to chant and dance; sva-own;

priya-very dear; n€ma-holy name; k…rtya-by chanting; j€ta-in this way

develops; anur€gaƒ-attachment; druta-cittaƒ-with a melted heart;

uccaiƒ-loudly; hasati-laughs; atho-also; roditi-cries; rauti-becomes

agitated; g€yati-chants; unm€da-vat-like a madman; ntyati-dancing;

loka-b€hyaƒ-without caring for outsiders.

TRANSLATION

By chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one comes to the stage of

love of Godhead. Then the devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal servant

of the Lord, and he gradually becomes very much attached to a particular

name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart melts with

ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings

and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.

PURPORT

In this verse, pure love of God is being described. rr…la rr…dhara Sv€m… has

described this spiritual situation as sampr€pta-prema-lakana-bhakti-yogasya

saˆs€ra-dharm€t…t€ˆ gatim, or the perfectional stage of life in which one's

devotional service to the Supreme Lord is enriched by ecstatic love. At that

time, one's spiritual duties are entirely beyond the scope of worldly

affairs.

In rr… Caitanya-carit€mta (šdi 7.78), there is the following statement by

rr… Caitanya Mah€prabhu:

dhairya dharite n€ri, hail€ma unmatta

h€si, k€ndi, n€ci, g€i, yaiche mada-matta

"While chanting the holy name of the Lord in pure ecstasy, I lose myself,

and thus I laugh, cry, dance and sing just like a madman." Caitanya

Mah€prabhu immediately approached His spiritual master to ask him why He had

apparently become mad by chanting the holy name of KŠa. His guru replied:

kŠa-n€ma-mah€-mantrera ei ta ' svabh€va

yei jape, t€ra kŠe upajaye bh€va

"It is the nature of the Hare KŠa mah€-mantra that anyone who chants it

immediately develops his loving ecstasy for KŠa." (Cc. šdi 7.83) In this

connection rr…la Prabhup€da has commented, "These symptoms are very

prominently manifest in the body of a pure devotee. Sometimes when our

students of the KŠa consciousness movement chant and dance, even in India

people are astonished to see how these foreigners have learned to chant and

dance in this ecstatic fashion. As explained by Caitanya Mah€prabhu,

however, actually this is not due to practice, for without extra endeavor

these symptoms become manifest in anyone who sincerely chants the Hare KŠa

mah€-mantra."

rr…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura has warned us in this regard about

the ungodly sahajiy€s who imitate the pastimes of the Supreme Lord in an

unauthorized way, neglecting the standard injunctions of Vedic scriptures,

foolishly trying to take the position of KŠa as Puruottama, and thus

making a cheap farce of the exalted pastimes of the Lord. Their so-called

ecstatic symptoms like crying, shivering and falling on the ground are not

to be confused with the advanced features of devotional service described by

rr…dhara Sv€m… as sampr€pta-prema-lakaŠa-bhakti-yoga. rr…la Prabhup€da

comments in this regard, "One who has attained this bh€va stage is no longer

under the clutches of the illusory energy." Similarly, KŠad€sa Kavir€ja

states:

pañcama puru€rtha-prem€nand€mta-sindhu

mok€di €nanda y€ra nahe eka bindu

"For a devotee who has actually developed bh€va [love of Godhead], the

pleasure derived from dharma, artha, k€ma and moka appears like a drop in

the presence of the sea." (Cc. šdi 7.85) As already stated in the previous

verse of this chapter, g€yan vilajjo vicared asa‰gaƒ: one exhibits the

ecstatic symptoms of love of Godhead when he is asa‰ga, free from all

attachment to material sense gratification.

The word loka-b€hyaƒ in this verse indicates that a pure devotee on the

platform of prema, love of Godhead, is not at all concerned with ridicule,

praise, respect or criticism from ordinary people in the bodily concept of

life. KŠa is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and

when He reveals Himself to a surrendered servant, all doubt and speculation

about the nature of the Absolute are vanquished forever.

In this connection rr…p€da Madhv€c€rya has quoted a verse from the Var€ha

Pur€Ša:

kecid unm€da-vad bhakt€ b€hya-li‰ga-pradarak€ƒ

kecid €ntara-bhakt€ƒ syuƒ kecic caivobhay€tmak€ƒ

mukha-pras€d€d d€rhy€c ca bhaktir jñey€ na c€nyataƒ

"Some devotees of the Lord exhibit external symptoms, acting like madmen,

others are introspective devotees, and still others partake of both natures.

It is by one's steadfastness and by the merciful vibrations emanating from

one's mouth that one's devotion can be judged, not otherwise."

rr…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura has given a very nice example to

illustrate ecstatic laughing and other symptoms of love of Godhead: 'Oh,

that thief KŠa, the son of Yaod€, has entered the house to steal the

fresh butter. Grab Him! Keep Him away!' Hearing these menacing words spoken

by the elderly gop… Jarat…, KŠa immediately prepares to leave the house.

The devotee to whom this transcendental pastime is revealed laughs in

ecstasy. But suddenly he can no longer see KŠa. He then cries in great

lamentation, 'Oh! I achieved the greatest fortune in the world, and now it

has suddenly slipped from my hands!' Thus the devotee cries loudly, 'So my

Lord! Where are You? Give me Your answer!' The Lord answers, 'My dear

devotee, I heard your loud complaint, and so I have again come before you.'

Upon seeing Lord KŠa again, the devotee begins to sing, 'Today my life has

become perfect.' Thus overwhelmed with transcendental bliss, he begins to

dance like a madman."

rr…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura also notes that the word druta-cittaƒ or

"with a melted heart," indicates that one's heart, melted by the fire of

anxiety to see the Lord, becomes like Jamb™nad…, a river of roseapple juice.

The €c€rya further points out, n€ma-k…rtanasya sarvotkaram: the present and

previous verse clearly distinguish the exalted position of ravaŠaˆ k…rtanaˆ

viŠoƒ [sB 7.5.23], chanting and hearing the name and glories of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Caitanya Mah€prabhu also emphasized this by quoting:

harer n€ma harer n€ma harer n€maiva kevalam

kalau n€sty eva n€sty eva n€sty eva gatir anyath€

[Cc. šdi 17.21]

"In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there

is no alternative for spiritual progress but the holy name, the holy name,

the holy name of the Lord." In his purports to Caitanya-carit€mta (šdi

7.76), rr…la Prabhup€da has given an elaborate explanation of this verse.

rr…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura recommends that we study the

following verse in this connection:

parivadatu jano yath€ tath€ v€ nanu mukharo na vayaˆ vic€ray€maƒ

hari-rasa-madir€-mad€ti-matt€ bhuvi vilu˜h€mo na˜€mo nirvi€maƒ

"Let the garrulous populace say whatever they like; we shall pay them no

regard. Thoroughly maddened by the ecstasy of the intoxicating beverage of

love for KŠa, we shall enjoy life running about, rolling on the ground and

dancing in ecstasy." (Pady€val… 73)

SB 11.2.41

khaˆ v€yum agniˆ salilaˆ mah…ˆ ca jyot…ˆi sattv€ni dio drum€d…n

sarit-samudr€ˆ ca hareƒ ar…raˆ yat kiˆ ca bh™taˆ praŠamed ananyaƒ

SYNONYMS

kham-ether; v€yum-air; agnim-fire; salilam-water; mah…m-earth; ca-and;

jyot…ˆi-the sun, moon and other celestial luminaries; sattv€ni-all living

beings; diaƒ-the directions; druma-€d…n-trees and other immovable

creatures; sarit-the rivers; samudr€n-and oceans; ca-also; hareƒ-of the

Supreme Lord, Hari; ar…ram-the body; yat kim ca-whatever; bh™tam-in created

existence; praŠamet-one should bow to; ananyaƒ-thinking nothing to be

separate from the Lord.

TRANSLATION

A devotee should not see anything as being separate from the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, KŠa. Ether, fire, air, water, earth, the sun and

other luminaries, all living beings, the directions, trees and other plants,

the rivers and oceans-whatever a devotee experiences he should consider to

be an expansion of KŠa. Thus seeing everything that exists within creation

as the body of the Supreme Lord, Hari, the devotee should offer his sincere

respects to the entire expansion of the Lord's body.

PURPORT

rr…la J…va Gosv€m… has given this example from the Pur€Šas: yat payati, tat

tv anur€g€tiayena "jagad dhana-mayaˆ lubdh€ƒ k€muk€ƒ k€min…-mayam" iti-vat

hareƒ ar…ram. "Because of a greedy person's obsession with money, wherever

he goes he sees an opportunity for acquiring wealth. Similarly a very lusty

man notices women everywhere." In the same way, a pure devotee should see

the transcendental form of the Lord within everything, since everything is

an expansion of the Lord. It is our practical experience that a greedy man

will see money everywhere. If he goes to the forest he will immediately

consider whether it would be profitable to purchase the forest land and sell

the trees to a paper mill. Similarly, if a lusty man goes to the same forest

he will look everywhere for beautiful women tourists who might happen to be

there. And if a devotee goes to the same forest he will see KŠa there,

knowing correctly that the entire forest, as well as the sky canopy above,

is the inferior energy of the Lord. KŠa is supremely sacred, being the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, and since everything that exists expands

directly or indirectly from the body of the Lord, everything is sacred when

seen through the eyes of a self-realized person. Therefore as stated in this

verse, praŠamet: one should offer one's sincere respects to everything.

rr…la J…va Gosv€m… has mentioned that we should see the personal form of

KŠa everywhere.

This verse does not approve of the impersonal, atheistic philosophy that

everything is God. In this regard, rr…la Madhv€c€rya has quoted from the

Hari-vaˆa:

sarvaˆ harer vaatvena ar…raˆ tasya bhaŠyate

anany€dhipatitv€c ca tad ananyam ud…ryate

na c€py abhedo jagat€ˆ viŠoƒ p™rŠa-guŠasya tu

"Because everything is under the control of the Supreme Lord, Hari,

everything is considered to be His body. He is the original source and

master of everything, and therefore nothing should be seen as different from

Him. Nonetheless, one should not foolishly conclude that there is absolutely

no difference between the material universe and Lord ViŠu, who is full of

His own unique spiritual qualities."

The example is often given of the sun and the sun's rays. The sunshine is

nothing but an expansion of the sun globe, and therefore there is no

qualitative difference between the sun and its rays. But although the

sunshine is situated everywhere and although everything is a transformation

of the sun's energy, the sun globe itself, the source of the sunshine, is

not everywhere, but is situated in a particular place in the vast sky and

has its own specific form.

If we penetrate further into the sun globe we shall find the sun-god,

Vivasv€n. Although pseudointellectuals of the modern age who are incapable

of even counting the hairs on their own heads will consider the sun-god a

mythological figure, it is actually the foolish mythology of modern men to

think that such a sophisticated apparatus as the sun, which provides heat

and light for the entire universe, can function without intelligent

administration. Transformations of solar energy make life possible on earth,

and thus the earth can be understood to consist of an endless variety of

secondary manifestations of all-pervading solar energy.

So within the sun planet is the personality Vivasv€n, the chief

administrator of the solar functions; the sun globe itself is localized; and

the sun's rays expand everywhere. Similarly rr… KŠa, ry€masundara, is the

original Personality of Godhead (bhagav€n svayam); He expands Himself as the

localized Supersoul (Param€tm€) in everyone's heart; and finally He expands

His potency by His personal bodily glow, the all-pervading spiritual

effulgence called the brahmajyoti. The entire material manifestation floats

within the rays of this brahmajyoti. Just as all life on earth is a

transformation of the all-pervading rays of the sun, the entire cosmic

manifestation is a transformation of the spiritual rays of the brahmajyoti.

As stated in the Brahma-saˆhit€ (5.40):

yasya prabh€ prabhavato jagad-aŠa-ko˜i- ko˜iv aea-vasudh€di

vibh™ti-bhinnam

tad brahma nikalam anantam aea-bh™taˆ govindam €di-puruaˆ tam ahaˆ

bhaj€mi

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great power. The

glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman,

which is absolute, complete and unlimited and which displays the varieties

of countless planets, with their different opulences, in millions and

millions of universes." Therefore, the brahmajyoti is the spiritual light

that emanates directly from the body of the Lord. This universe is a

transformation of that spiritual energy, and therefore everything that

exists is in one sense connected directly with the personal body of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead.

It is emphasized here that we should offer respect to everything that

exists, recognizing it to be the energy of the Lord. The example may be

given that if a man is important his property is also important. The

president of a country is the most important person in the country, and

therefore everyone must respect his property. Similarly, everything that

exists is an expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and should be

respected accordingly. If we fail to see everything that exists as the

energy of the Lord, we risk the danger of drifting into the M€y€v€da

philosophy, which according to Caitanya Mah€prabhu is the most deadly poison

for one trying to advance in actual spiritual life. M€y€v€di-bh€ya unile

haya sarva-n€a (Cc. Madhya 6.169). If we try to understand KŠa alone,

without the expansion of His potency, we shall not understand such

statements in Bhagavad-g…t€ as v€sudevaƒ sarvam and ahaˆ sarvasya prabhavaƒ

[bg. 10.8].

As already explained in this chapter, bhayaˆ dvitiy€bhiniveataƒ sy€t: fear

or illusion arises from thinking that there is something not dependent upon

the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now, in this verse, the specific process

for overcoming this fearful illusion is given. One must train one's mind to

see everything that exists as an expansion of the potency of the Supreme

Lord. By offering respects to everything and meditating upon everything as

part of the body of the Lord, one will become free from fear. As stated in

Bhagavad-g…t€ (5.29), suhdaˆ sarva-bh™t€n€m: KŠa is the well-wishing

friend of every living being. As soon as one understands that everything

that exists is under the powerful control of one's most beloved friend, one

comes to the stage in which the whole universe becomes a blissful abode

(vivaˆ p™rŠa-sukh€yate), because he sees KŠa everywhere.

If KŠa's personality were not the source of everything and if everything

were not connected to KŠa, one might be proper in concluding that KŠa's

personality is a material manifestation of some impersonal truth. As stated

in Ved€nta-s™tra, janm€dy asya yataƒ: [sB 1.1.1] the Absolute Truth is that

from which everything emanates. Similarly, KŠa says, ahaˆ sarvasya

prabhavaƒ: [bg. 10.8] "I am the source of everything." If we see anything

totally disconnected from the personal body of KŠa, we may doubt whether

KŠa's personality is actually the absolute source described in

Ved€nta-s™tra. As soon as one feels this way, he becomes fearful and should

be understood to be under the control of the Lord's illusory energy.

rr…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura has warned us that if we do not see

everything as a manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we

shall become victims of phalgu-vair€gya, or immature renunciation. Whatever

we see as disconnected from KŠa will have in our mind no relationship to

KŠa's service. But if we see everything as connected to KŠa, we shall

use everything for KŠa's satisfaction. This is called yukta-vair€gya.

According to rr…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura, "One who has

experienced his own true identity understands that all things exist as

paraphernalia for giving ecstatic pleasure to the Supreme Lord. Thus one

becomes free from the separatist vision in which one sees the world as

existing for one's own enjoyment. In the transcendental state, whatever a

devotee sees reminds him of KŠa, and thus his transcendental knowledge and

bliss increase." Because the impersonalist philosophers fail to see

everything as belonging to the personal form of KŠa, they reject this

world as having no true existence (jagan mithy€). But since the material

world is an emanation from the supreme reality, KŠa, it does in fact

exist. Its nonexistence is simply a creation of the imagination, and one

cannot possibly act on such an imaginary platform. Therefore, having

proposed an illusory theory and being unable actually to live on such a

platform, the impersonalist comes back to the material platform for

altruistic or gross sense gratificatory activities. Since the impersonalist

does not accept the personal proprietorship of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, he does not know how or for whom to engage the things of this

world, and since it is impossible to reject this world totally while living

within it, he runs the risk of again becoming entangled in material fruitive

activities. Therefore as stated in Bhagavad-g…t€ (12.5), kleo 'dhikataras

te€m: the impersonal path of imaginary philosophy is very painful to

follow.

The conclusion is that this verse is spoken to help the devotee of the

Supreme Lord advance in KŠa consciousness. It can be understood from the

previous verses of this chapter that the ultimate goal is pure devotional

service to Lord KŠa. If one falsely interprets this verse to sanction the

imaginary M€y€v€da philosophy that everything is God, one will simply become

bewildered and fall from the path of spiritual advancement.

SB 11.2.42

bhaktiƒ pare€nubhavo viraktir anyatra caia trika eka-k€laƒ

prapadyam€nasya yath€nataƒ syus tu˜iƒ pu˜iƒ kud-ap€yo 'nu-gh€sam

SYNONYMS

bhaktiƒ-devotion; para-…a-of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;

anubhavaƒ-direct perception; viraktiƒ-detachment; anyatra-from everything

else; ca-and; eaƒ-this; trikaƒ-group of three; eka-k€laƒ-simultaneously;

prapadyam€nasya-for one in the process of taking shelter of the Supreme

Lord; yath€-in the same way as; anataƒ-for one engaged in eating; syuƒ-they

occur; tu˜iƒ-satisfaction; pu˜iƒ-nourishment; kut-ap€yaƒ-eradication of

hunger; anu-gh€sam-increasingly with each morsel.

TRANSLATION

Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other

things-these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment

and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite,

for a person engaged in eating.

PURPORT

rr…la J…va Gosv€m… has explained this analogy as follows: Bhakti, or

devotion, may be compared to tu˜i (satisfaction) because they both take the

form of pleasure. Pare€nubhava (experience of the Supreme Lord) and pu˜i

(nourishment) are analogous because both sustain one's life. Finally,

virakti (detachment) and kud-ap€ya (cessation of hunger) may be compared

because both free one from further hankering so that one may experience

€nti, or peace.

A person who is eating not only becomes uninterested in other activities but

increasingly becomes uninterested in the food itself, according to his

satisfaction. On the other hand, according to rr…la J…va Gosv€m…, although

one who is experiencing the blissful Personality of Godhead, KŠa, becomes

uninterested in anything other than KŠa, his attachment to KŠa increases

at every moment. Therefore it is to be understood that the transcendental

beauty and qualities of the Supreme Lord are not material, since one never

becomes satiated by relishing the bliss of the Supreme Lord.

The word viraktiƒ is very significant in this verse. Virakti means

"detachment," whereas ty€ga means "renunciation." According to rr…la

Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura, the word renunciation can be used in a

situation in which one considers giving up an enjoyable object. But by

considering everything to be potential paraphernalia in the service of Lord

KŠa, as described in the previous verse, one need not give thought to

renunciation, for one uses everything in the proper way in the service of

the Lord. Yukta-vair€gyam ucyate.

The very pleasant analogy of a good meal is given in this verse. A hungry

man busily consuming a sumptuous plate of food is not interested in anything

else happening around him. In fact, he considers any other topic or activity

a disturbance to his concentration on the delicious meal. Similarly, as one

advances in KŠa consciousness one considers anything unrelated to the

devotional service of KŠa an obnoxious disturbance. Such concentrated love

of Godhead has been described in the Second Canto of the Bh€gavatam by the

words t…vreŠa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruaˆ param (SB 2.3.10). One should not

make an artificial show of renouncing the material world; rather, one should

systematically train the mind to see everything as an expansion of the

opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just as a hungry

materialistic man, upon seeing sumptuous food, immediately desires to put it

in his mouth, an advanced devotee of KŠa, upon seeing a material object,

immediately becomes eager to use it for the pleasure of KŠa. Without the

spontaneous hunger to engage everything in the service of KŠa and to dive

deeper and deeper into the ocean of love of KŠa, so-called realization of

God or loose talk about so-called religious life is irrelevant to the actual

experience of entering the kingdom of God.

According to rr…la Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura, the path of bhakti-yoga is

so joyful and practical that even in the stage of s€dhana-bhakti, in which

one follows rules and regulations without an advanced understanding, one can

perceive the ultimate result. As stated by rr…la R™pa Gosv€m…

(Bhakti-ras€mta-sindhu 1.2.187),

…h€ yasya harer d€sye karmaŠ€ manas€ gir€

nikhil€sv apy avasth€su j…van-muktaƒ sa ucyate

As soon as one surrenders to the Supreme Lord, KŠa (prapadyam€nasya),

giving up all other activities (viraktir anyatra ca), one is immediately to

be considered a liberated soul (j…van-muktaƒ). The Supreme Lord, KŠa, is

so merciful that when a living entity understands that the personality KŠa

is the source of everything and surrenders to the Lord, KŠa personally

takes charge of him and reveals to him within his heart that he is under the

Lord's full protection. Thus devotion, direct experience of the Personality

of Godhead, and detachment from other objects become manifest even in the

beginning stage of bhakti-yoga, since bhakti-yoga begins at the point of

liberation. Other processes have as their final goal salvation or

liberation, but according to Bhagavad-g…t€ (18.66),

sarva-dharm€n parityajya m€m ekaˆ araŠaˆ vraja

ahaˆ tv€ˆ sarva-p€pebhyo mokayiy€mi m€ ucaƒ

If one surrenders to KŠa one is immediately liberated and thus begins his

career as a transcendental devotee with complete confidence in the Lord's

protection.

SB 11.2.43

ity acyut€‰ghriˆ bhajato 'nuvtty€ bhaktir viraktir bhagavat-prabodhaƒ

bhavanti vai bh€gavatasya r€jaˆs tataƒ par€ˆ €ntim upaiti s€k€t

SYNONYMS

iti-thus; acyuta-of the infallible Supreme Lord; a‰ghrim-the feet;

bhajataƒ-for one who is worshiping; anuvtty€-by constant practice;

bhaktiƒ-devotion; viraktiƒ-detachment; bhagavat-prabodhaƒ-knowledge of the

Personality of Godhead; bhavanti-they manifest; vai-indeed; bh€gavatasya-for

the devotee; r€jan-O King Nimi; tataƒ-then; par€m €ntim-supreme peace;

upaiti-he attains; s€k€t-directly.

TRANSLATION

My dear King, the devotee who worships the lotus feet of the infallible

Personality of Godhead with constant endeavor thus achieves unflinching

devotion, detachment and experienced knowledge of the Personality of

Godhead. In this way the successful devotee of the Lord achieves supreme

spiritual peace.

PURPORT

As stated in Bhagavad-g…t€ (2.71):

vih€ya k€m€n yaƒ sarv€n pum€ˆ carati niƒsphaƒ

nirmamo niraha‰k€raƒ sa €ntim adhigacchati

"A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives

free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and who is

devoid of false ego-he alone can attain real peace." rr…la Prabhup€da

comments, "To become desireless means not to desire anything for sense

gratification. In other words, desire for becoming KŠa conscious is

actually desirelessness." There is a similar statement in the

Caitanya-carit€mta (Madhya 19.149):

kŠa-bhakta-nik€ma, ataeva '€nta'

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-k€m… sakali 'a€nta'

"Because a devotee of Lord KŠa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive

workers desire material enjoyment, jñ€n…s desire liberation, and yog…s

desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be

peaceful."

Generally there are three classes of living entities afflicted with selfish

desire. These are the bhukti-k€m…, mukti-k€mi and siddhi-k€mi. Bhukti-k€m…

refers to those ordinary persons who desire money and everything money can

buy. Such a primitive mentality is based on the desire to enjoy money, sex

and social prestige. When a living being becomes frustrated with this

hallucination, he takes to the path of speculative philosophy and

analytically tries to track down the source of illusion. Such a person is

called mukti-k€m… because he desires to negate material illusion and merge

into an impersonal spiritual state, free from anxiety. The mukti-k€m… is

also motivated by personal desire, although the desire is somewhat more

elevated. Similarly the siddhi-k€m…, or the mystic yog… who desires the

spectacular powers of mystic yoga, such as reaching one's hand across the

world or making oneself smaller than the smallest or lighter than the

lightest, is also infected by material or selfish desire. Therefore it is

said, sakali 'a€nta.' If one has any personal desire, whether it be

material, philosophical or mystic, he will be a€nta, or ultimately

frustrated, because he will see himself as the central object of

satisfaction. This egocentric concept is in itself illusory and therefore

ultimately frustrating.

On the other hand, kŠa-bhakta nik€ma, ataeva '€nta': a devotee of Lord

KŠa is nik€ma; he has no personal desire. His only desire is to please

KŠa. Lord riva himself has praised this outstanding quality of the pure

devotees of the Lord by stating,

n€r€yaŠa-par€ƒ sarve na kutacana bibhyati

svarg€pavarga-narakev api tuly€rtha-darinaƒ

"A person who is devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, N€r€yaŠa, is

not afraid of anything. Elevation to the heavenly kingdom, condemnation to

hell and liberation from material bondage all appear the same to a devotee."

(SB 6.17.28) Although the impersonalist philosopher proposes that everything

is one, the devotee of the Lord is actually tuly€rtha-dar…, or empowered

with the vision of oneness. The devotee sees everything as the potency of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead and therefore desires to engage

everything in the service of the Lord, for the Lord's satisfaction. Since

the devotee does not see anything as dvit…ya, or outside the scope of the

Lord's potency, he is happy in any situation. Having no personal desire, the

devotee of KŠa is actually €nta, or peaceful, because he has achieved the

perfection of life, love of KŠa. He is actually situated in his eternal

constitutional position under the direct shelter and protection of the

omnipotent Paramevara, KŠa.

According to Sr…la Bhaktisiddh€nta Sarasvat… µh€kura, this verse ends the

answer given by the first of the nine Yogendras, Kavi, to Mah€r€ja Nimi's

first question, "What is the highest good?"