Nectar from Srimad Bhagavatam

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TEXT 8

TEXT

abhisandh€ya yo hiˆs€ˆ

dambhaˆ m€tsaryam eva v€

saˆrambh… bhinna-dg bh€vaˆ

mayi kury€t sa t€masaƒ

SYNONYMS

abhisandh€ya—having in view; yaƒ—he who; hiˆs€m—violence; dambham—pride;

m€tsaryam—envy; eva—indeed; v€—or; saˆrambh…—angry; bhinna—separate;

dk—whose vision; bh€vam—devotional service; mayi—to Me; kury€t—may do;

saƒ—he; t€masaƒ—in the mode of ignorance.

TRANSLATION

Devotional service executed by a person who is envious, proud, violent and

angry, and who is a separatist, is considered to be in the mode of darkness.

PURPORT

It has already been stated in the ®r…mad-Bh€gavatam, First Canto, Second

Chapter, that the highest, most glorious religion is the attainment of

causeless, unmotivated devotional service. In pure devotional service, the

only motive should be to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is

not actually a motive; that is the pure condition of the living entity. In

the conditioned stage, when one engages in devotional service, he should

follow the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master in full surrender.

The spiritual master is the manifested representation of the Supreme Lord

because he receives and presents the instructions of the Lord, as they are,

by disciplic succession. It is described in Bhagavad-g…t€ that the teachings

therein should be received by disciplic succession, otherwise there is

adulteration. To act under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master

with a motive to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pure

devotional service. But if one has a motive for personal sense

gratification, his devotional service is manifested differently. Such a man

may be violent, proud, envious and angry, and his interests are separate

from the Lord’s.

One who approaches the Supreme Lord to render devotional service, but who is

proud of his personality, envious of others or vengeful, is in the mode of

anger. He thinks that he is the best devotee. Devotional service executed in

this way is not pure; it is mixed and is of the lowest grade, t€masaƒ. ®r…la

Vivan€tha Cakravart… µh€kura advises that a VaiŠava who is not of good

character should be avoided. A VaiŠava is one who has taken the Supreme

Personality of Godhead as the ultimate goal of life, but if one is not pure

and still has motives, then he is not a VaiŠava of the first order of good

character. One may offer his respects to such a VaiŠava because he has

accepted the Supreme Lord as the ultimate goal of life, but one should not

keep company with a VaiŠava who is in the mode of ignorance.

SB 3.29.9

TEXT 9

TEXT

viay€n abhisandh€ya

yaa aivaryam eva v€

arc€d€v arcayed yo m€ˆ

pthag-bh€vaƒ sa r€jasaƒ

SYNONYMS

viay€n—sense objects; abhisandh€ya—aiming at; yaaƒ—fame;

aivaryam—opulence; eva—indeed; v€—or; arc€-€dau—in worship of the Deity and

so on; arcayet—may worship; yaƒ—he who; m€m—Me; pthak-bh€vaƒ—a separatist;

saƒ—he; r€jasaƒ—in the mode of passion.

TRANSLATION

The worship of Deities in the temple by a separatist, with a motive for

material enjoyment, fame and opulence, is devotion in the mode of passion.

PURPORT

The word “separatist” must be understood carefully. The Sanskrit words in

this connection are bhinna-dk and pthag-bh€vaƒ. A separatist is one who

sees his interest as separate from that of the Supreme Lord. Mixed devotees,

or devotees in the modes of passion and ignorance, think that the interest

of the Supreme Lord is supplying the orders of the devotee; the interest of

such devotees is to draw from the Lord as much as possible for their sense

gratification. This is the separatist mentality. Actually, pure devotion is

explained in the previous chapter: the mind of the Supreme Lord and the mind

of the devotee should be dovetailed. A devotee should not wish anything but

to execute the desire of the Supreme. That is oneness. When the devotee has

an interest or will different from the interest of the Supreme Lord, his

mentality is that of a separatist. When the so-called devotee desires

material enjoyment, without reference to the interest of the Supreme Lord,

or he wants to become famous or opulent by utilizing the mercy or grace of

the Supreme Lord, he is in the mode of passion.

M€y€v€d…s, however, interpret this word “separatist” in a different way.

They say that while worshiping the Lord, one should think himself one with

the Supreme Lord. This is another adulterated form of devotion within the

modes of material nature. The conception that the living entity is one with

the Supreme is in the mode of ignorance. Oneness is actually based on

oneness of interest. A pure devotee has no interest but to act on behalf of

the Supreme Lord. When one has even a tinge of personal interest, his

devotion is mixed with the three modes of material nature.

SB 3.29.10

TEXT 10

TEXT

karma-nirh€ram uddiya

parasmin v€ tad-arpaŠam

yajed ya˜avyam iti v€

pthag-bh€vaƒ sa s€ttvikaƒ

SYNONYMS

karma—fruitive activities; nirh€ram—freeing himself from; uddiya—with the

purpose of; parasmin—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; v€—or;

tat-arpaŠam—offering the result of activities; yajet—may worship;

ya˜avyam—to be worshiped; iti—thus; v€—or; pthak-bh€vaƒ—separatist;

saƒ—he; s€ttvikaƒ—in the mode of goodness.

TRANSLATION

When a devotee worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offers the

results of his activities in order to free himself from the inebrieties of

fruitive activities, his devotion is in the mode of goodness.

PURPORT

The br€hmaŠas, katriyas, vaiyas and ™dras, along with the brahmac€r…s,

ghasthas, v€naprasthas and sanny€s…s, are the members of the eight

divisions of varŠas and €ramas, and they have their respective duties to

perform for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When

such activities are performed and the results are offered to the Supreme

Lord, they are called karm€rpaŠam, duties performed for the satisfaction of

the Lord. If there is any inebriety or fault, it is atoned for by this

offering process. But if this offering process is in the mode of goodness

rather than in pure devotion, then the interest is different. The four

€ramas and the four varŠas act for some benefit in accordance with their

personal interests. Therefore such activities are in the mode of goodness;

they cannot be counted in the category of pure devotion. Pure devotional

service as described by R™pa Gosv€m… is free from all material desires.

Any€bhil€it€-™nyam [Madhya 19.167]. There can be no excuse for personal or

material interest. Devotional activities should be transcendental to

fruitive activities and empiric philosophical speculation. Pure devotional

service is transcendental to all material qualities.

Devotional service in the modes of ignorance, passion and goodness can be

divided into eighty-one categories. There are different devotional

activities, such as hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, offering

prayer, rendering service and surrendering everything, and each of them can

be divided into three qualitative categories. There is hearing in the mode

of passion, in the mode of ignorance and in the mode of goodness. Similarly,

there is chanting in the mode of ignorance, passion and goodness, etc. Three

multiplied by nine equals twenty-seven, and when again multiplied by three

it becomes eighty-one. One has to transcend all such mixed materialistic

devotional service in order to reach the standard of pure devotional

service, as explained in the next verses.

(Text 3290) ---------------

 

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