age old traditions and not entering the temple

[Guest guest]

Dear Sir,

 

These are not to be taken to the letter. These apply to exceptional

cases with conditions beyond one's control, for istance, when a person

is in a war-front, or is sick in the hospital, or at some other place

where he is not in a position to be externally clean by taking a bath,

etc. That does not mean that a person living in his house with all

comforts,,in the middle of the city can perform a ritual quoting this

sloka, taking protection under this and without taking bath.

 

Krishna has said in Bhagavad gita, " Patram, pushpam, phalam, thoyam, yo

me bhakthya prayacchathi " . Does it mean that one should give Him only

water? It only means that one can offer anything to god with Bhakti.

He will accept it. One can offer even water if one has nothing else to

offer. The accent is on Bhakti. Without Bhakti, offering anything,

has no value. Kuchela offered Him a few grains of beaten rice with

Bhakti and He gladly accepted it.

 

Kindly access my web-site www.narayaneeyam.com and read the commentary

of four chapters of the great epic, Narayaneeyam, which is nothing but

an epitome of Srimad Bhagavatam.

 

Regards

K.V. Gopalakrishna, webmaster, www.narayaneeyam.com

 

 

 

 

Jai Simman R. Rangasamy wrote:

 

>Dear Devotees,

>

>Hare Krishna.

>Please accept my humble obeisances.

>All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

>

>I have been following this thread for awhile.

>

>My humble points are as follows:-

>

>There is a mantra that devotees regularly chant and

>which features during the performance of yajnas: -

>

>om apavitra pavitra va

>sarvavastham gato 'pi va

>yah smaret pundarikaksham

>sa bahyabhyantarah sucih

>

> " Whether impure or pure, or having passed through all

>different conditions of life, if one remembers the

>lotus-eyed Krishna he becomes both internally and

>externally clean. " (Garuda Purana)

>

>Let us kindly note the phrase " internally and

>externally clean " here(sa bahyabhyantarah sucih).

>

>The emphasis is on both internal and external

>purification. It is not that merely following

>externals while not cultivating the necessary internal

>mood or principle of self-introspection, makes for

>spiritual life. However, the reverse is also true. Any

>claim to sincerity, honesty, etc. that relegates or

>disregards external purification is an equally bogus

>proposition. It is a lazy type of sentiment, i.e.

>emotionalism. Many lazy people, not wanting to

>undertake the external efforts, presently claim the

>latter for reasons of convenience. It is the nature of

>a conditioned soul to take the easy way out and yet

>look morally justified. Once a person is exposed to

>knowledge that certain fundamental practices are

>needed for spiritual growth, be they external or

>internal, one has no reason to feign ignorance and

>speak of a sense of self-righteousness devoid of

>these. If one does not know, then he/she may be

>excused and his/her positive mood taken into

>consideration. Srila Prabhupada tolerated many things

>that his new disciples did in the 1960s but later on,

>he made things stricter and would call them " rascals "

>for doing those same things. One should not

>perpetually remain a rascal in the name of a claim to

> " sincerity is all that matters " . Self-growth and

>progressiveness are vital aspects of sincerity. That

>much we have to keep in view.

>

>This is why Srila Rupa Goswami has made it very clear

>thus: -

>

>Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu:

>

>sruti-smrti-puranadi-pancaratra-vidhim vina

>aikantiki harer bhaktir utpatayaiva kalpate

>

> " Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the

>authorized Vedic literatures like the Upanisads,

>Puranas, Narada-pancaratra, etc., is simply an

>unnecessary disturbance in society. "

>

>And we have many such havoc situations created by both

>the external-vadis and internal-vadis today.

>

>Historical examples of sincere devotees who did not

>observe the externals are often cited to run away from

>the need to follow the latter. However, let us view

>these examples with an unexploitative mind. Persons

>like Kannappa who offered meat and ultimately his eyes

>to the Shivalinga or other Vaishnava personalities who

>performed acts similar for Sri Ramachandra's or Sri

>Krishna's pleasure did so out of a sense of

>spontaneous love, not by way of consciously relegating

>externals once in knowledge of them. In other words,

>they did not entertain any sense of haughtiness in

>favour of one side or the other in such debates. Their

>concern was totally something else, that is at the

>root of both external and internal observances.

>

>Let us ask ourselves very honestly - ARE WE ON THE

>PLATFORM OF THESE PERSONALITIES ? If that be, then we

>may make such claims after gauging out our eyes for

>the Lord.

>

>These devotees did not do so on the basis of

>relegating the externals to their moods. Rather in

>terms of the pastimes, they were devotees who were

>natural in their affection and who were not very

>formally trained in achara or external observances.

>Had they been trained, they would have most willingly

>accepted that part of worship as equally important,

>being lovers of the Lord and His devotees, which

>naturally would imply the code of conduct, worship

>sanctity, etc. One cannot love in disregard.

>

>Love means that when one knows that a certain aspect

>is to be accomplished as per the instructions of Guru,

>Sadhu and Shastra, he/she would willingly do it. These

>examples are not meant to show an insistence of

>internals over externals or vice versa. They are meant

>to show that haughtiness or self-righteousness on the

>part of those who emphasise one over the other, does

>not bring one to the Lord.

>

>So, why not follow the externals with the proper

>internal mood? Why not practice the internal with the

>proper external process? Why make binary opposites and

>always dwell on which is more important than the

>other? Why always automatically conclude that simply

>externals won't do and that internals are more

>important or that internals are not important and that

>only externals matter ? A conditioned soul is a

>composite of body, mind and heart and both are equally

>vital for purification. Upholding one and relegating

>the other is hallucination based on our own sense

>gratification. And the moment we are made known that

>something external has to be done as per shastra to

>worship the Lord, who is that sincere loving devotee

>who will speak against such a proposition and start

>employing ranking systems to debate ?

>

>The examples we cite must be located in proper context

>and understood in terms of the actual message that is

>intended to be conveyed, not our own speculation. And

>there are very many village-type or cinematic shoddy

>accounts that somehow keep attacking external

>purification owing to casteist social upheavals, etc.

>in preference for some " heart " thing that no one can

>verify or check and ascertain, an emotional curtain

>behind which common men hide all their laziness and

>sense gratification.

>

>So, we have to be careful of this.

>

>Apologies if any offence has been committed but the

>posting is meant to highlight some pitfalls we need to

>avoid when reasoning.

>

>

>Your servant,

>

>R. Jai Simman,

>Singapore.

>

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