Paratma-nistha by Tridandi Svami Bhakti Vijnana Giri

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

'Paratma-nistha'

by Tridandi Svami Bhakti Vijnana Giri

KRSNA TALK 36

--------------------

 

In the eleventh Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, we find the instructive

story of the brahmana of Avantipura who had previously been a miserly

businessman. He was so cantankerous and prone to anger that his wife,

children, relatives and servants all despised him. In due course, the

avariciousness of the brahmana bore its fateful fruit. All his wealth and

possessions were stolen by thieves and covetous relatives. Seeing his

impoverished position, his wife and children also abandoned him. Soon a

genuine feeling of renunciation awoke in the brahmana and he meditated

on the temporary nature of wealth and the unnecessary problems in

accumulating it such as fear, theft, violence, lying, lust, deception,

anger, distrust, etc. He then concluded that he was, in fact, the fortunate

recipient of the Lord's mercy and thus formally accepted the renounced

order of tridandi-sannyasa.

 

In his 'Bhiksu-gita' (The Song of the Mendicant), the brahmana chanted

the following verse:

 

etam sa asthaya paratma-nistham adhyasitam purvamatair maharsibhih

aham tarisyami duranta param tamo mukundanghri nisevayaiva

 

"I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of material existence by

being fixed in rendering devotional service unto the lotus feet of Lord

Mukunda and by taking complete refuge in Him. This path has been

approved by the great sages who were steady in devotion to the Supreme Lord."

(Bhag.11.23.57).

 

This verse was chanted continuously by Sriman Mahaprabhu immediately

after accepting sannyasa from Sri Kesava Bharati. With the intention of

going to Vrndavana, the Lord ran from Katwa while chanting this verse in

divine ecstasy over and over again. So intense was the mood of

Mahaprabhu that it has been explained by Srila Kavi Karnapura in his

Caitanya-candrodaya Natakam that while reciting this verse the Lord's body became

like a ball (pinda-bhavam). In other words, out of divine love for Sri

Krsna, the Lord's limbs contracted into His body.

 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu greatly approved of this verse, as has been

explained by Srila Kaviraja Gosvami.

 

prabhu kahe - sadhu ei bhiksura vacana

mukunda sevana-vrata kaila nirdharana

paratma-nistha-matra vesa-dharana

mukunda-sevaya haya samsara-tarana

sei vesa kaila, ebe vrndavana giya

krsna-nisevana kari nibhrte vasiya

 

"Sri Caitanya approved of the purport of the verse (etam sa asthaya)

due to the determination of the sannyasi to engage in the service of Lord

Mukunda. He approved of the verse saying that it was excellent. The

actual purpose of sannyasa is to dedicate one's life in the service of the

lotus feet of Mukunda and by serving Him one will be liberated from the

bondage of the material world." (Cc. Madhya 3.7-9)

 

To dedicate one's life completely in the service of Mukunda is the

ultimate goal of all Gaudiya Vaisnavas. In particular it is the goal of the

tridandi-sannyasis who completely surrendered their mind, body and

words in the service of the Lord. In fact, the tridanda (triple staff) that

is awarded to the Gaudiya Vaisnava sannyasis, signifies the subjugation

and surrender of these three faculties.

 

vagdado'tha mano-dandah kaya-danda-stathaiva ca

yasyaite nihita-buddhau tridanditi sa ucyate

 

"One who accepts in his mind the rod of chastisement for his speech,

body and mind is known as a tridandi - one who has accepted the triple

staff of chastisement." (Manu-samhita 12.10)

 

tridandinam etan niksipya sarva-bhutesu manavah

kama-krodhau tu samyamya tatah siddhim niyacchati

 

"One who disciplines the mind, speech and body and controls his lust

and anger towards other living creatures and thus gives up those bad

qualities is a tridandi and attains liberation." (Manu-samhita 12.11)

 

In this regard Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada writes as

follows:

 

"About the tridandi sannyasa accepted by the brahmana of Avantipura.

Indirectly He (Sri Caitanya) declared that within the eka-danda, four

dandas existed as one. Accepting eka-danda sannyasa without paratma-nistha

(devotional service to Krsna) is not acceptable to Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu. In addition, according to the exact regulative principles, one

should add the jiva-danda to the tridanda. These four dandas, bound

together as one, are symbolic of unalloyed devotional service to the Lord.

Because the eka-danda sannyasis of the Mayavada school are not devoted to

the service of Krsna, they try to merge into the Brahman effulgence,

which is a marginal position between material and spiritual existence.

They accept impersonal position as liberation. Mayavada sannyasis not

knowing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a tridandi think of Him as an

eka-dandi sannyasi. This is due to their vivarta, bewilderment. In Srimad

Bhagavatam, there is no such thing as ekadandi sannyasa; indeed, the

tridandi sannyasi is accepted as the symbolic representation of the

sannyasa order. By citing this verse from Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu accepted the sannyasa order recommended in Srimad Bhagavatam.

The mayavadi sannyasis, who are enamored of the external energy of the

Lord, cannot understand the mind of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu." (Cc.

Madhya 3.6)

 

It is significant that after accepting sannyasa, Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu chanted this verse as He ran towards Vrndavana. In order to actually

enter the realm of Vrndavana, one must surrender cent-per-cent to Lord

Mukunda. This is the meaning of sannyasa and this is the meaning of

paratma-nistham, or being fixed in devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

When one is firmly situated in one's resolve to take refuge in Krsna

and serve Him, one's attention cannot be diverted by any material

temptation of this mundane world. This is also known as ekagrata, or

one-pointed determination to engage in devotional service to Vrajendra-nandana

Krsna.

 

Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda confirms this in Bhakti Tattva Viveka as

follows:

 

"The danger of disease remains up until the tender Sraddha-devi becomes

free from the influence of anarthas and transforms into nistha from

being nurtured by the affectionate mother of the association of genuine

devotees and from taking the medicine of bhajana. Once she has reached

the stage of nistha, no anartha whatsoever can easily harm her."

 

As the verse of the Avantipura brahmana explains, "I shall cross over

the insurmountable ocean of material existence and become fixed in

rendering devotional service unto the lotus feet of Lord Mukunda and take

complete refuge in Him." Other processes such as jnana, karma or yoga

cannot help a sadhaka cross over the ocean of material nescience.

 

anyabhilasita sunyam, jnana-karmady-anavrtam

anukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttamam

 

"Pure devotional service is the favorable cultivation of

Krsna-consciousness free from all traces of ulterior motives, such as karma, jnana

and so on."(Bhakti-rasmrta Sindhu 1.1.11)

 

 

anyabhilasa chadi, jnana-karma parihara

kayamane kariva bhajana

sadhu-sange krsna seva, na pujibo devi-deva,

ei bhakti parama-karana

 

"Rejecting all other desires and abandoning jnana and karma, in the

company of devotees I will serve Krsna and never worship any demigoddess

or demigod. Devotional service is my all in all." (Srila Narottama Dasa

Thakura)

 

Devotional service diluted by philosophical speculation and fruitive

activity (jnana-misra bhakti and karma-misra bhakti) are not accepted as

real devotion. In other words, only by paratma-nistham in pure

devotional service (uttama-bhakti) can one cross over the insurmountable ocean

of material existence; and attain the lotus feet of the Lord of

Vrndavana. This is the opinion of the previous acaryas and great sages who

were 'fixed in devotion to the Supreme Lord.'

 

bhava-jaladhim agadham dustaram nistareyam

katham aham iti ceto ma sma-gah kataratvam

sarasvija-drsi deve taraki bhaktir eva

naraka-bhidi nisanna tarayisyaty-avasyam

 

"Dear mind, do not bewilder yourself by anxiously thinking, 'How can I

cross this fathomless and impassable ocean of material existence?'

There is one person who can save you - Devotion. If you offer Her to the

lotus-eyed Lord, the killer of Narakasura, She will carry you across this

ocean without fail." (Sri Kulasekhara Alvar, Mukunda-mala 12)

 

Although it can be said that the stage of paratma-nistha is not limited

to the sannyasa-asrama alone, factually it is the members of the

tridandi-sannyasa order of life that have actually dedicated their entire

lives in serving the Supreme Lord. Paratma-nistha is the sole purpose of

the sannyasa-asrama - not changing the color of one's cloth,

over-endeavoring to become erudite in scriptural knowledge, or accumulating many

disciples and followers. Such peripheral enterprises do not constitute

the true meaning of sannyasa.

 

Those who truly wish to attain paratma-nistham must be devoid of any

sense of duplicity and expectation of reward. One who is fully

surrendered can make no demand and must be prepared to relinquish all rights. He

must willingly become a slave to Mukunda - to accept whatever

circumstances He places before him. In actuality, one who has genuinely sold

himself fully to the Lord does not even care for any rights. This is the

opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the final verse of Sri Siksastaka.

 

aslisya va pada ratam pinastu mam

adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va

yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato

mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah

 

"Let that debauchee embrace me in love or trample me under His feet, He

may break my heart by hiding Himself from me. Let Him do whatever He

likes for He will always be the Lord of my life unconditionally." (Sri

Siksastaka 8)

 

This verse is elaborated upon by Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda in

Gitavali:

 

bandhu-gana! sunoha vacana mora

bhavete vibhora, thakiye jakhana

dekha deya citta-cora

vicaksana kari', dekhite cahile

hoya ankhi-agocara

punah nahi dekhi', kandaye para?a

duhkhera nahi thake ora

jagatera bandhu sei kabhu more laya satha

jatha tatha rakhu more amara sei prana-natha

darsana-ananda-dane, sukha deya mora prane

bole more pranaya-vacana

punah adarsana diya, dagdha kare mora hiya

prane mora mare prana-dhana

jahe ta'ra sukha haya sei sukha mama

nije sukhe duhkhe mora sarvadai sama

bhakativinoda, samyoge viyoge

tahe jane pranesvara

ta'ra sukhe sukhi, sei prana-natha

se kabhu na haya para

 

"O friends, please hear my words. When I am agitated with ecstatic

love, the thief of my heart shows Himself to me. Suddenly my eyes see Him

no longer. I yearn to see Him. I weep. I cannot keep this life of

suffering. Will He who is the friend of the whole world ever accept me as one

of His companions? He may do what He likes to me. He is always the

master of my life. Allowing me to see Him, He brings bliss to my life. Then

He speaks words of love. Then, becoming invisible again, He sets my

heart on fire. In this way He who is the treasure of my life kills me. His

happiness is my happiness. To me my own happiness and suffering are

both the same. In meeting or in separation, Bhaktivinoda knows Krsna is

the master of his life. Krsna's happiness is his happiness. Krsna is the

master of his life. There will never be anyone else."

 

Such is the mentality of the devotee who is fixed in rendering

devotional service to the Supreme Lord.