Request for a Beginner?

[Tirisilex]

Granted I'm not of your Faith. I'm a Buddhist. However the best way I've found for one to learn about a practice or belief is to immerse oneself in it. I do have many texts at home however I just dont know where to begin. So I'm asking where does a beginner begin? As far as I know there are no temples near my area of residence so that may be out of the question.

 

Tirisilex

[Guest guest]

I am a neophyte compared to the other devotees here, but a good starting point would be Srila Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita: As It Is"

 

http://www.asitis.com

 

-Mark

[Gauracandra]

My advice is that the easiest approach would be to go to a Hindu or Vaisnava temple. Just absorb the atmosphere. A lot of religion has to do with aesthetics and the only way to understand it is to experience it.

[spiritualsri]

As already stated, I too think that the best way is to read the bhagavad Gita. It is like a complete guide to becoming a complete human being. That is the best place to start with.

[Guest guest]

Haribol. All the vedic scriptures, all the texts of the west dealing with development of a personal relationship with the Supreme Lord, all the words ever written on the subject of god, all of these are meant to lead one to calling out the Name of the Supreme Lord, in helplessness, like a baby crying for the mother.

 

The process of bhakti yoga surpasses a lot of intensive study of scripture because the very first thing, prior to giving up any activity no matter how abonimiable, prior to any formal worship program, prior to associating extensively with devotees, prior to cleaning up, getting merciful toward others, becoming austere, or even being truthful, the very first thing is to utter the names of God and hear the Names of God. The Mahamantra, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is a full recitation of the names and energies of the Supreme Lord. In such a recitation it is understood that all Truth is contained in the Holy Names. This is agreed by all gurus, saints, incarnations of the Lord, saintly kings, etc. It costs nothing, no approval is needed, and even in a prison or a foxhole, this is simple.

 

When a Vaisnava beging his spiritual memory revival, the first thing is singing these Names. When all is said and done, the perfection of this life going back to the original position, (sanatana dharma), the Vaisnava is still singing the same Names of the Supreme Lord. Thus the samkirtana movement, the chanting of the holy names, is both the means and the ends of this philosophy.

 

Hare Krsna, thanks for such an intelligent inquiry, ys, mahaksadasa

[Guest guest]

Dear Tirislex

Please acceapt my respects!In the Krishna Consiousness understanding Lord Buddha and Lord Krishna are one and the same person.

 

They are both leading us away from material life and into spiritual pactise telling us that this world is a temporay place of suffering.

 

These sufferings are the pain of birth death desase and old age.

In the second chapter of Bhagavat Gita Lord Krishna explains to us the eternal nature of the self and the tempery nature of the body.

 

How we travel from one body to the next like we change clothes each day and how a self realizlie soul is not bilwildered by the changes of the body as he understands themself as diffrent from the body.

 

Lord Krishna also explains to what is our simlar nature to His in that we like Him are eternal and unborn undieing

have always exisited and will always exsit.

With the perfection to be prefected joined with Him in Loveing relationship which is delvoped by pure and untainted.

 

That process is refered to as Bhakti Yoga devotional service.

The highest perefection is to remenber Krishna and never forget Him but first we need to understand why this is so important.

So there is the process of Bhakti which is followed correctly under the bonidied guidaince we will at once taste the results.

 

And that is to first Chant the Maha Mantra

Hare Krishna-

Hare Krishna-

Krishna-Krishna

Hare -Hare-

Hare Rama-

Hare Rama-

Rama Rama-

Hare Hare

One beads is best one mala to start and we will get a taste of Happiness contained with the sound Vribration because Krishna and His Name are non diffrent.

 

We are all domintly Krishna Conscious beings from by our assoication with matter we have become forgetfull of this natural state.

The chanting of the Names of Hare Krishna and Rama will awaken our dormant sleeping natural nature and very quickly almost instantly we can feel the effects.

This effect will convince so one gets a practical realization even from the very start in Krishna Conscoiuness .

And by this effect one is drawn by the sweetness to prefection

Good Luck and welcome back home

your servant

Pita das

 

 

[ethos]

Trisilex, what I loved about the movie with Kenneau Reves playing Buddha was that Buddha noted and enunciated that the "middle ground" between gratification and abnegation was the "enlightened path".

 

If you can say something more on this I'd love to here it.

[anadi]

A famous bhakta named Shrila Vishvanatha Cakravarti wrote:

One cannot practice bhakti without guru.

Bhakti is a vriti (function ) of the

svarupa shakti (the spiritual energy of the Lord).

Bhakti cannot manifest

in the body,

mind

and senses

of baddha (conditioned) jiva (soul)

which are unconscious.

 

Through the mercy of sad guru (the spiritual realized guru, who has seen the Highest Personality of Godhead face to face, by the power of his loving devotion obtained by the mercy of his own guru)

bhakti-vriti (the function of loving devotion) obtains

tad-atma with the material body and senses and acts through them.

 

Here is a material example for understanding tad-atma.

By long contact of iron with fire,

the fire obtains "tad-atma"with the iron

and so the fire acts through the iron.

 

Bhakti is a vriti (function ) of the

svarupa shakti (the spiritual energy of the Lord).

Bhakti cannot manifest

in the body,

mind

and senses

of baddha (conditioned) jiva (soul)

which are unconscious.

 

So one needs a guru.

But the kind of guru that one gets is according to his previous eternal pious deeds (which are not under the jurisdiction of karma).

These spiritual pious deeds are called sukriti.

 

Sometimes by the mercy of the sad-guru even the most unqualified people are accepted as disciples.

 

[anadi]

Also is important to know what is bhakti.

Generally when bhaktas say bhakti they refer to uttama bhakti, which is the highest bhakti or pure bhakti, which is also described as svarupa bhakti.

This needs more explanation.

 

There is a kind of bhakti which is called sanga-siddha bhakti.

This is not true bhakti

because is constituted of endeavours which are associated with bhakti,

and themselves are not part of bhakti,

but they are favourable to bhakti,

like cultivating compassion, friendliness, offering respect, cleanliness, austerity, tolerance, silence, study of the Vedas, simplicity, celibacy, non-violence, and so on.

When these endeavours are cultivated as associates of bhakti,

then they are called sanga siddha bhakti, otherwise not.

 

There is also a kind of bhakti which is called aropa-siddha bhakti,

which is not true bhakti,

because is constituted of endeavours

which are not purely constituted of bhakti,

but they are designated as bhakti,

due to their being offered to the Lord.

For example one offers flowers and other paraphernalia to the Lord, because one wants also to attain something material. Is almost the same as someone sings in a wonderful voice Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, which is the most offering, but one thinks look at me, look at me look at me. In both cases the motivation is material.

The action of offering can de designated (aropa) as bhakti, because it is not pure, but personally motivated.

If it would be pure, it would be bhakti.

 

[anadi]

From a lecture of Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

 

 

Suppose a person unfortunately took initiation from an unqualified guru who was not on the stage of a mahabhagavat. That guru was not realized in the established truths.

 

tasmad gurum prapadyeta

jijnasuh sreya uttamam

 

sabde pare ca nisnatam

 

brahmany upasamasrayam

 

["Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters." (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21).]

 

The word sabde means sastras, like the Vedas, Upanisads, and so on. It also means the holy name. Pare means Krsna. Suppose that guru had no realization of Krsna or His names or His glories, as told in sastra, and he was only on the level of kanistha-adhikari – and still he thought he was guru. He had many worldly desires, such as the the desire for name, fame, and wealth, and someone unfortunately took harinama and diksa from him. *[see Endnote 1]

 

Do the verses that glorify the qualifications of guru apply to that guru or not? Should the disciple obey that guru with the attitude of surrender ordered by all the sastras? Should he follow that guru totally or not? Can a person acquire pure cow milk from a male donkey? Can a person get sweet mangos from a thorn tree? What is the disciple's duty towards that kind of guru?

[syamarani dasi:] Srila Gurudeva has ordered me to reply this question: sastra speaks about the glories of guru and how one must surrender to guru. Should one surrender to a guru who is not pure and who does not have the qualities of a sad-guru?

 

The three main qualifications of the bona fide guru are given in the verse beginning tasmad gurum prapadyeta. The guru must have three qualities. He must have heard sabda-brahma, the transcendental sound, the holy names and the words of sastra, from his bona fide guru, and he must have realized it. He will be realizing, directly experiencing, the truths written in the sastra, and he will be realizing the holy name. He will not be chanting nama-aparadha or nama-abhasa. He will be chanting suddha-nama, and that means he will be a suddha-bhakta.

 

He will be learned in all the sastras. The three types of devotees are kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari, and uttama-adhikari. Even the madhyama-adhikari bhakta does not fully understand all the sastras. He knows something, but he does not know all the sastras thoroughly. Therefore, it is not he who is explained when that sad-guru is explained in this verse. One must be in full knowledge of the science of Krsna.

 

In the eleventh canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that the devotee who is one hundred percent fixed in the knowledge of sastra and can convince others is an uttama adhikari, and he is qualified to be sad-guru. * [see Endnote] It is also stated in Caitanya-caritamrta:

 

kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya

 

yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya

 

["Whether one is a brahmana, a sannyasi or a sudra—regardless of what he is—he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Krsna" (Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya-lila 8.128)]

 

One who is bound cannot untie the ropes of someone else who is bound. He himself must be unbound. He must be fully liberated. He will not only know sastra, but he must be fully detached from material life. This is the third symptom of guru described in the verse. He will have no anxieties and no desire for material happiness. He is called a vimala Vaisnava. Guru means vimala, or suddha (pure) Vaisnava. Only by the mercy of a suddha Vaisnava is all perfection in bhakti possible, and therefore, in his own prayers to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura teaches us how to pray for that mercy. In his song "Vimala Vaisnava", he prays, "kandiya kandiya – Living in this Godruma forest I am simply weeping. O Bhagavan, O Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I am only living to get this mercy from you." What mercy does he want?

 

hari hari kabe more ha'be hena dina, vimala vaisnave,

 

rati upajibe, vasana haibe ksina

 

["O Hari! O Mahaprabhu! When will the fortunate day come when rati, deep love and attachment, will come in my heart for the lotus feet of the pure-hearted Vaisnavas? At that time I will honor and serve them, and thus all my material desires and anarthas, especially lust and anger, will go." (Vimala Vaisnava, first verse).]

 

Please give me the mercy so that I will develop rati, strong love and attachment for vimala Vaisnava. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is praying to have love for that type of guru. Suppose one accepts a guru who is sincere but not self-realized, and then later on one meets a pure devotee and realizes that the guru from whom he took diksa is not pure and does not have all the qualities of sad guru. He will then go to his non self-realized guru and say, "I have found a pure devotee. Will you bless me that I can have his association?" If that guru replies, "Yes, go, and I will follow right behind you," then that disciple can honor him and at the same time go to that first class guru for complete shelter. On the other hand, if that guru says, "No, only follow me," then he should at once be rejected. In Bhakti-sandarbha (Anuccheda 238), Srila Jiva Gosvami has given the injunction that if one's guru is envious of an exalted Vaisnava one should immediately reject that guru and find a maha-bhagavat Vaisnava guru.

 

If the guru is a vimala Vaisnava, then "vasana haibe ksina" – by having affection for that suddha-bhakta, that vimala Vaisnava, all my material desires and all my anarthas will disappear. There are four kinds of anarthas – misconceptions, offences, thirst for material enjoyment, and weakness of heart in the form of envy, desire for name and fame, and evil-mindedness. This disappearance of anarthas occurs only by the mercy of that vimala Vaisnava, and only by having love and affection for him – by guru-devatatma – seeing him as more dear than our very atmas. Then what will take place?

 

antare-bahire, sama vyavahara amani manada ha'bo

 

krsna-sankirtane, sri-krsna-smarane, satata majiya ra'bo

 

["With a heart free from duplicity, my outer behavior will correspond to my inner feelings and thoughts. Seeing myself as completely insignificant, I will give all respect to others, seeking no honor in return. Always dancing and singing the holy names, I will remain constantly absorbed in remembering Sri Krsna's beautiful pastimes." (Vimala Vaisnava verse 2)]

 

When sastra orders one to be free of association of visayis, this does not only mean karmis or yogis. It also means devotees who are materialistic. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is instructing us to give up even that association and take shelter of the vimala Vaisnava. By that, we will be able to discriminate between different levels of devotees and respect them according to their capacity in bhakti. We will respect them without desiring any respect for ourselves. My bodily activities will then go on as a matter of habit and I will then be able to remember Krsna. While chanting Krsna's holy names, His pastimes will continuously come in my heart like a waterfall or a steady stream of honey poured from a jar.

 

In this verse, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is teaching us how to pray, and what to pray for. He says, "I am only living for that. By having love and affection for such a guru, I will automatically know what to give up and what to accept. I will automatically accept the right things and I will automatically give up that which is bad for me. Then at the time of death, I will leave this body very happily remembering Krsna." Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura concludes this song by saying, "O Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I am living only so that you will give me this mercy – that I can have love for such a vimala Vaisnava."

 

bhakativinoda, ei asa kori, bosiya godruma-bane

 

prabhu-krpa lagi, vyakula antare, sada kande sangopane

 

["Residing alone in the forest of Godruma and continuously weeping, Bhaktivinoda anxiously prays, 'I am living only with the hope that Mahaprabhu will bestow his mercy on me.'" (Vimala Vaisnava, verse 5)]

 

[srila Narayana Maharaja:] But we must consider that the presence of uttama-adhikari (mahabhagavata), madhyama-uttama-adhikari (those approaching the stage of bhava), and even madhyama-madhyama-adhikari (those at the stage of asakti) devotees are very rare in this world. It is very rare, therefore, to have a guru of this caliber. What should we do under these circumstances? We will have to take a guru. If a guru is not "sabde pare ca nisnatam", if he has not realized the established truths delineated in the Vedas, Upanisads and other sastras, but he has very strong faith in his pure guru and is sincerely following him, then, even if he is a madhyama-adhikari – or even kanistha-madhyama – do not reject that guru. If he is always serving his own mahabhagavat guru and is obedient both internally and externally to him, then do not reject him. We can give up our guru only with the consideration given by Srila Sanatana Gosvami in his Hari-bhakti-vilasa:

 

avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam

 

sravanam naiva kartavyam sarpocchistam yatha payah

 

["One should not hear anything about Krsna from a non-vaisnava. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about Krsna given by a non-vaisnava are also poisonous."]

 

If a guru is not serving his own gurudeva, he has left the process given by him, and his guru is not satisfied by his behavior – only in that case can we reject him. However, if the guru is a madhyama-adhikari and sincere, if he is very obedient and following the footsteps of his guru, then he will gradually become uttama-adhikari. So we should not reject him. At the same time, if he is not perfect and thus cannot remove all our doubts about Krsna Consciousness, what should we do?

 

We should offer pranama to him and ask his permission to have the association of a mahabhagavata devotee: A disciple may ask, "May I go to Srila Jiva Gosvami"? or "May I go to Srila Rupa Gosvami?" or, "May I go to a high class of Vaisnava?" If the guru says, "No, you cannot go," you should give him up. On the other hand, if he says, "Certainly you can go, and I will also come," then he is a real guru. In fact, a guru who sends his disciple to a superior guru for instruction may also be an uttama-mahabhagavata, as there are various stages of mahabhagavata, and that guru is certainly not to be rejected. For example, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura was a disciple of Srila Lokanatha dasa Gosvami, but he took permission from him to take shelter of Srila Jiva Gosvami; and Srila Syamananda prabhu also took permission from Srila Hrdaya-caitanya dasa Gosvami for that same shelter of Srila Jiva Gosvami.

 

There are three levels of devotees who can act as sad-guru, and they are: 1) bhagavat-parsada-deha-prapt, 2) nirdhuta-kasaya, and 3) murcchita kasaya.* [see Endnote 3] This human life is so rare, so do not waste your time in this regard.

 

labdhva sudurlabham idam bahu-sambhavante

 

manusyam arthadam anityam apiha dhirah

 

turnam yateta na pated anumrtyu yavan

 

nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat

 

["After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a human being." (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.9.29)]

 

Try to follow all these principles, and gradually you will develop your Krsna consciousness.

 

Gaura Premanande

 

 

[* Endnote 1 – "That religious undertaking which bestows divya-jnana or transcendental knowledge and destroys papa (sin), papa-bija (the seed of sin), and avidya (ignorance) to the root is called diksa by learned authorities in the absolute truth." (Hari-bhakti-vilasa, 2.9) Di means transcendental realization of ones relationship with Krsna, and ksa means destruction of the abovementioned obstacles. Therefore, unless one gets initiated from a mahabhavat devotee, he is not receiving diksa in the real sense.]

 

[*Endnote 2 – "It should be understood that a madhyama-adhikari, a second-class devotee, is fully convinced of Krsna consciousness but cannot support his convictions with sastric reference. A neophyte may fall down by associating with non-devotees because he is not firmly convinced and strongly situated. The second-class devotee, even though he cannot support his position with sastric reference, can gradually become a first-class devotee by studying the sastras and associating with a first-class devotee. However, if the second-class devotee does not advance himself by associating with a first-class devotee, he makes no progress. There is no possibility that a first-class devotee will fall down, even though he may mix with non-devotees to preach. Conviction and faith gradually increase to make one an uttama-adhikari, a first-class devotee."(Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 22.71 purp.)]

 

[*Endnote 3 – "Bhagavat-parsada-deha-prapta – After giving up the gross material body, those who have perfected themselves through the practice of bhakti obtain sac-cit-ananda spiritual forms which are just suitable for the service of the Lord as associates (parsadas). Such persons are the best of all uttama-bhagavatas.

 

"Nirdhuta-kasaya – Those who, although still residing within the gross material body made of five elements, have no trace of material desire (vasana) nor any material impressions (samskaras) within their hearts are called nirdhuta-kasaya (who have thrown off all material impurities). They belong to the intermediate class of uttama-bhagavatas.

 

"Murcchita-kasaya – Those siddha-mahapurusas pursuing the path of bhakti in whose hearts there remains a trace of desire (vasana) and impressions (samskaras) based on the material mode of goodness are known as murcchita-kasaya. Due to influence of their bhakti-yoga, these vasanas and samskaras remain in a dormant or unconscious state. As soon as there is a favorable opportunity, their worshipful object, Sri Bhagavan, somehow causes their desire to be consumed and attracts them to His lotus feet. Such elevated souls belong to the preliminary stage (kanistha) of uttama-bhagavatas. (Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu)]

 

 

 

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[anadi]

Also is important to know what is bhakti.

Generally when bhaktas say bhakti they refer to uttama bhakti, which is the highest bhakti or pure bhakti, which is also described as svarupa bhakti.

 

First the definition of bhakti, as given by Srila Rupa Gosvami:

 

anyabhilashita shunyam

jnana karmady anavritam

anukulyena krishnanu

shilanam bhaktir uttama

 

The cultivation of ACTIVITIES

-- WHICH are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Sri Krishna,

or in other words the uninterrupted flow of LOVING SEERVICE to Sri Krsna,

-----performed through all ENDEAVOURS (of the body, mind and speech)

-----which are accompanied by various spiritual sentiments (bhavas)

--WHICH are not covered by

-----jnana (knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation)

-----karma (reward-seeking activities)

--WHICH are devoid of material desires,

or any other desires except the aspiration to bring happiness to Sri Krishna

is called uttama-bhakti (pure devotional service).

 

The name Krishna indicates Vrajendrana nandana Sri Krisna,

the adi purusha

(the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, which lives in the spiritual Vraja)

and all His avataras.

 

 

There is a kind of bhakti which is called sanga-siddha bhakti;

and

there is also a kind of bhakti which is called aropa-siddha bhakti.

I talked about them previously.

 

 

 

[anadi]

Let us now talk about the symptoms of uttama bhakti as given by S.V. Cakravarti Thakur.

There are two kinds of symptoms:

1. svarup lakshana - intrinsic symptoms

2. tatashta lakshana - extrinsic symptoms

 

The intrinsic symptoms are given in the last two verses of the definition of bhakti

 

anukulyena Krishna ANU

SHILANAM bhaktir uttama

 

The definition of bhakti begins with anu shilanam (the cultivation of activities);

and the verbal root of the word shilana(m) has two meanings:

1. cesta rupa - the form of activity

2. bhava rupa - the sentiments accompanying the action

 

1.cesta rupa - the form of activity has two stages

----a)SADHANA RUPA - endeavours leading to the manifestation of bhava, which is the stage of manifestation of the first -------------------rays of love of Krishna in the heart of the practitioner

----------- SADHANA RUPA has two parts:

-------------------pravriti mulaka - endeavours for positive actions like the 64

-------limbs of bhakti

-------------------nivriti mulaka - avoidance of negative actions like offences

---- against devotional service (seva aparadha)

---- against the Holy Name (nama aparadha)

---- against the Holy Places (dhama aparadha)

---- against the devotees (vaishnava aparadha)

---------------- These aparadhas (offences) destroy ones endeavours in bhakti

---------------- and pushes one on the material platform.

 

----b)KARYA RUPA - activities that manifest as effects of attaining bhava like

----------satvika bhavas such as crying and standing the hairs on end

----------anu bhavas such as singing and dancing which arise from the pure mind

 

2.bhava rupa - the sentiments accompanying the action

----------------- which are the heart of bhakti, are of two types

-----------a) STAYI - BHAVA- RUPA which is priti or love, which refers to the MANIFESTATION of the permanent sentiment of ------------------love of God in one of the primary relationships

-------------------------shanta - neutrality

-------------------------dasya - transcendental loving service

-------------------------sakhya - transcendental loving friendship

-------------------------vatsalya - transcendental loving parenthood (where the bhakta is the parent and the Lord surrenders --------to the love and care of His beloved devotee)

-------------------------madhura - transcendental amorous love; the most intimate and sweet

-----------b) SANCHARI -BHAVA- RUPA which is vishada or despondency has 2 forms:

-----------------------prema ankura - the sprout of prema (pure love of God) called also bhava or rati

-----------------------prema - the fully blossomed pure love of God developed through the stages of sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga, bhava, mahabhava.

 

The sanchary-bhavas arise like waves in the ocean of stayi- bhava.

 

These are intrinsic symptoms of UTTAMA BHAKTI .

 

 

 

[mark]

Hi Tirisilex. I have some other suggestions of very interesting books to read so that you may learn a little more about Hinduism. The main books by Srila Prbhupada, as suggested by the others, are all great places to start. But another great place to start would be to get a hold of some of the books put out by the Vedanta Society. The desciples and subsequent followers of this area of Hinduism follow the teachings of a 19th century Indian saint named Sri Ramakrishna. The website is www.vedanta.org . Hope you find what you're looking for.

 

Your Humble Servant,

Mark

[anadi]

Hare Krsna Trisilex,

-the extrinsic symptoms (tatashta lakshana) of pure bhakti.

The descriptions can be found in Bhakti rasa-amrita sindhu bindhu from S.V. Cakravarti Thakur.

The extrinsic symptoms of pure bhakti are taken from the definition of bhakti, as given by Srila Rupa Gosvami:

 

anyabhilashita shunyam

jnana karmady anavritam

 

One prays naturally for all kinds of things related to the body and mind,

because one has two major illness: one wants to be the controller of his environment and second, one wishes to enjoy his life in the highest degree.

So the first injunction is to empty these desires: anyabhilashita shunyam

 

The first word ANYABHILASH - ITA means

desire for other objects than pure love for Krishna, IN NORMAL CONDITION.

It means that in extraordinary conditions one can desire something else

than pure love for Krishna.

For example Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandavas was in danger of being undressed in public by Dushasan, and she began to pray He Govinda, he Govinda please save me, but Krsna did not come because she also put her faith in her husbands, but they also could not help, and she put her faith in HERSELF and kept her sari with the hands and the teeth, but had no chance against Dushasan, who had the power of 1000 elephants. The moment she understood, she will get naked she prayed in her heart Ha Govinda if you don t come my life is gone. Praying in that mood is not detrimental to bhakti.

 

Otherwise if Srila Rupa Gosvami had written ANYABHILASH shunyam it would have meant that

desire for other objects in any condition should be empty (shunyam).

 

[anadi]

Hare Krsna Trisilex,

Here there are the extrinsic symptoms of pure bhakti second part

 

jnana karmady anavritam

 

It means the knowledge (jnana) and the activities (karma) should not be covered (anavritam).

What means the knowledge should not be covered?

It means that sambhanda - jnana, the knowledge about

bhagavan (the Lord),

jiva (the living entity - the soul),

maha maya (the external energy of the Lord),

yoga-maya (the internal energy of the Lord) and

their relations,

should not be covered by

1. the knowledge of the impersonalists - jiva brahma aikya jnana which says that

- when the ignorance is dispelled jiva (the soul) become identical with the svarupa of brahman, and at that time jiva lose his identity dissolving in brahman.

this knowledge also known as nirvi-shesha jnana is opposed to bhakti

---nirvi-shesha means without qualities and it refers to the Absolute Truth Brahman proclaiming that Brahman has no -------qualities whatsoever.

------------------( The Absolute Truth has no MATERIAL qualities.

------------------All His qualities are pure, above maha maya, and all the material qualities are but perverted reflections of the pure, spiritual ones.)

2. the knowledge of the atheists which aim to control maha maya and enjoy it thorough their subtle and gross senses. They are restless in taking control over maha maya, and because themselves identify with maha maya ( they identify with their bodies and their minds, -which are made of maha maya) they are restless to control each other by any mean and so the escalation of conflicts is unavoidable.

 

to be continued

 

[anadi]

Let us speak about

sambhanda - jnana, the knowledge about

bhagavan (the Lord),

jiva (the living entity - the soul),

maha maya (the external energy of the Lord),

yoga-maya (the internal energy of the Lord) and

their relations,

 

1. The knowledge about bhagavan – tat padartha jnana;

- He is sarva karana karanam – the cause of all causes

- He is Anadir adir govinda – the one that has no beginning and is the primeval protector and lover of the gopis (cow heard girls), gopas (cow heard boys) and cow heard community

- In His govinda aspect he is the repository of all sweetness (madurya) and lives on the spiritual planet called goloka- vridavan

- He is Acintya sarva shaktiman – the inconceivable possessor of all energies

- In His most merciful aspect as Sri Caitanya Mahapravhu appears once in 1000 eve-cycles to give what no other of His Forms can give, namely the most sweetest pure love of God – the manjari prema

- He is the repository of all aishvarya – opulence and majesty in His innumerable Narayan forms in the spiritual planets, where from innumerable avataras descends in the material worlds

- He has no prakrita guna (material qualities)

- He has all the aprakrita gunas (spiritual qualities)

- He is the repository of the energies sat (existence) cit (knowledge) ananda bliss

- He is the abode of all rasas (transcendental mellows of loving relationships)

- He enjoys rasa in the company of His devotees.

 

 

[anadi]

bhaktya sruta-grhitaya

 

This means that bhakti is acquired from Vedic knowledge. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.12)

 

Tac chraddadhanah munayah.

Devotees who are actually serious

attain bhakti,

scientific devotional service,

by HEARING the Vedic scriptures (bhaktya sruta-grhitaya).

It is not that one should create something out of sentimentality,

(Source CC Madya-lila 1.34 Purport)

 

Hearing is very important.

And the source of hearing too.

The sad-guru is the source of transcendetal sound.

 

[anadi]

sambhanda – jnana

tvam padartha jnana (read ghiana) knowledge about the identity of jiva

 

When an object (vastu) is formed by the desire of Sri Krsna

a particular nature (sva-bhava), namely its eternal function,

is build into that structure.

 

The eternal function is called NITYA DHARMA

 

That object (vastu) is that which has existence by itself and can be

- vastav – eternally existing (spiritual)

- avastav – temporary existing (material)

 

What is the eternal function (nitya dharma) of the soul (jiva )?

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says:

 

jivera svarupa hoya krsnera nitya dasa

krsnera tatastha sakti bedhabeda prakasa

 

jivera svarupa – the internal form of the jiva is

krsna nitya dasa – an eternal servant of krsna and

 

In this verse we find the eternal function (nitya dharma) of the jiva (soul) namely

Jiva is the eternal servant of the Lord.

 

 

[anadi]

1. Sri Krsna is brihat cit vastu (infinit, cognizant object)

2. Maha maya (external energy Krsnas) is acit vastu (the object of ignorance)

3. Jiva is anu cit vastu (infinitesimal, cognizant object) but because jiva (soul)

belongs to tatashta shakti (the marginal energy), jiva upholds both the properties

of brihat vastu and acit vastu

4. The defect in the jiva (soul) is that jiva is infinitesimal and without the backing from

the hladini shakti (the bliss loving energy of Krsna) whose presiding deity is Srimati Radhika, jiva is prone to fall in the maha maya.

5. Only through uttama bhakti jiva get the protection of the hladini shakti; any other kind

of liberation is no guaranty for not falling in maha maya (the material worlds).

6. Jiva is distinct from the Lord but jiva is not separated from the Lord.

7. Jiva separate from the Lord makes no sense, therefore when jiva has this conception, jiva lands in the nonsense world.

8. Only by the mercy of Bhagavan (the Lord) jiva gets His association and the embodiment of the mercy of Bhagavan is the sat guru. Uttama bhakti by which jiva gets the protection of the hladini shakti, is obtained by the association with the devotees of the Lord, and the association with the saintly realized person (sat – guru)

Is obtained by accumulated eternal pious activities (sukriti) over many lifetimes.

9. Jiva is made of pure consciousness, and consciousness means attachment

10. Pure consciousness means attachment for Bhagavan (in seed form in the jiva).

11. Attachment for Bhagavan is the eternal nature (nitya dharma) of the jiva

12. This attachment for Bhagavan is called prema – divine love

13. The form of prema is loving devotional service – bhakti

14. Pure service (shuddha bhakti) is only for the satisfaction of Bhagavan and oblige Bhagavan to reciprocate, so that rasa (loving relation) come into being.

15. rasa is the svarupa of the jiva.

 

 

[anadi]

Creation 1

The source of the material world is to be found in the world of absolute.

In the spiritual world Maha Vishnu,

which is an expansion Maha Shankarshan

which is an expansion Shankarshan

which is an expansion of Sri Balarama

which is the direct expansion of Sri Krsna,

accomplish the first part of creation.

He let water from His body,

and this so called water is called karana jala, the causal ocean,

which is also called the viraj river,

who separate the spiritual world from the material one.

 

As principle of material world in its primordial unagitated feature

the causal ocean is known under the name of pradhan.

 

As Maha Vishnu enter the causal ocean and stir it with His glance

the pradhana becomes maha tattva,

and by that agitation of pradhan emerged the three gunas (modes of material nature)

As Maha Vishnu glance upon the gunas and agitate them

the material subtle elements were created :

- from tama guna (the mode of ignorance) emerged ahankar (the false ego)

- from raja guna (the mode of passion) emerged buddhi (the intelligence)

- from sattva guna (the mode of goodness) emerged mana (the mind).

 

 

[anadi]

Beside the three inner senses,

false ego, mind and intelligence

there is a fourth one the consciousness (cittam)

which is the substance of the jiva.

The consciousness is the place of attachment.

The four inner senses are shaktis of the cathur viyuha,

the quadruple expansion of Sri Krsna in Vaikuntha.

In other words They are the presiding spiritual deities over these shaktis.

 

Vasudeva is the spiritual deity which grant pure Consciousness

Shankarshan is the Supreme Personality who grant liberation from false ego.

Anirudha is the Supreme Personality who grant pure mind.

Pradiumna is the Supreme Personality who grant a powerful intelligence.

 

[anadi]

The three modes of the material nature are the pilars that sustain the material world.

The Presiding Deity of the three modes of nature is the Maha Maya.

[anadi]

Creation 4

Than were created the

sense objects and

the senses.

 

By the glance of Maha Vishnu

the sense objects were obtained as a so called mixture (transformation) of the false ego (ahankar)

in the material mode of ignorance (tama gun)

in other words

the sense objects are a transformation of egoism in ignorance.

So one who is on the level of enjoing the sense objects, should understand

that FIRST one is in the position of egoism in ignorance.

 

But not only that,

the senses are a transformation of the false ego in the material mode of passion (raja gun)

So one who is on the level of enjoing the sense objects, should understand

that secondly one is in the position of egoism in passion.

 

The more one try to enjoy the sense object through one s senses

one will be strongly under the influence of the false ego and externally

controlled by the material modes of ignorance and passion.

 

[anadi]

Creation 5 Sound and the hearing sense

1.1 The first created sense object was the material sound

as a transformation of ahankar through tama guna and the sexual energy of Maha Vishnu.

The sound is the origin of all material objects of property.

The form of the sound is the Ether.

The Ether make available the Space, the field of activity of the life air, mind and all senses.

1.2. The Hearing Sense is created from the transformation of Ether in raja guna.

The Hearing Sense is the most important sense to acquire knowledge

 

The material existence can be disintegrated through the sound.

Liberation through the sound (anavriti shabda) or

Liberation at the root: Mantra

Special Mercy: Maha Mantra.

Hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare.

 

 

 

[anadi]

Creation 6

1.3 Prana (the principle of lifetime)

was created by the agitation of the sound

through the false ego mixed with tama guna

The form of prana is the air

full of sound and the principle of lifetime

1.4 The sense of touch

is created by the transformation of air through raja guna