What is Association ?

[Guest guest]

By---------

Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode

 

What is association and giving up association?

Many people have doubts about this.

Doubts may be there, because if just by coming

close to a materialist or material object is

consider associating with them, then there is

no way to give up this association. As long as

the material body is there, how can one give

up the proximity of these things? How can a

grhastha vaisnava give up his family members?

Even if one is a renunciate, still one cannot

give up the association of deceitful persons.

One will have to come across materialists in

one’s life, whether one is a grhastha or a

renunciate. Therefore the limit for giving up

the association of materialists is prescribed in

Œri Upadeœamta as follows:

dadati pratighati guhyam akhyati pcchati

bhu,kte bhojayate caiva -vidha priti-lakaam

Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing

one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially,

accepting prasada, and offering prasada are the six

symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.

O sadhakas! One must accept proximity

with both bad and good people as one passes

his life. This equally applies to householders

and renunciates. Proximity must be there,

nevertheless one should not engage in bad

association. Giving in charity, accepting charity,

revealing one’s mind, hearing one’s mind,

accepting foods, and giving foods — if done

with love are called sanga, association. Giving

some foodstuffs to a hungry person or accepting

some charity from a pious man are

done out of duty, not out of love. Even if they

are materialists, this type of engagement is

not considered association. But if they are

pure devotees then such activities should be

performed out of love. When acts are performed

out of love, then it is association. Giving

charity to pure vaisnavas and accepting

items or wealth from them becomes sat-sanga.

Thus, giving charity to or accepting charity

from a materialist, if done out of love, becomes

asat-sanga. When a materialist approaches

you, whatever is required to be done

should be done only out of duty. One should

[Guest guest]

Haribol,

 

Where is the rest of this post... it seems to end in an odd way...

 

[Guest guest]

not speak confidentially with a materialist.

Generally there is some love involved in confidential

speaking, therefore it is association.

While meeting a materialistic friend one

should speak only what is extremely necessary.

At that time it is better not to exhibit

heartfelt love. But if that friend is a proper

vaisnava then one should accept his association

by speaking to him with love. This type

of behavior with relatives and friends creates

no hostility. There is no association in ordinary

talk. One should behave with ordinary

people as one externally behaves with a

stranger while buying something in the market.

The same dealings with a pure devotee

of the Lord should be done out of love. If one

is obliged to feed hungry people, needy

people, and teachers, he should do so as a

host dutifully cares for his guest, there is no

need to exhibit love. Care for them, but not

out of love. One should feed pure vaisnavas

with love, and when required accept the remnants

given by them with love. If one can

behave in this way while giving in charity,

accepting charity, speaking confidentially,

hearing confidentially, feeding, and accepting

food with one’s wife, children, servants,

maidservants, strangers, and whoever else

one meets, there will no unholy association,

only good association. There is no hope of

achieving devotion to Krishna until one gives

up unholy association in this way. A

renunciate vaisnava should accept whatever

alms he receives by madhukari, begging at the

houses of honest householders with the above

mentioned consideration. He should always

remember the difference between gross begging

and madhukari;. A grhastha vaisnava

should accept prasada grains and drinks in

the house of another grhastha who has pure

character. One should always be cautious

about taking prasada in the house of a nondevotee

or someone with bad character.

There is no need to speak further about this.

Due to their pious activities, those who have

developed faith in devotional service have a

little intelligence by the mercy of Krishna. Due

to that intelligence they can easily understand

the essence of the acaryas’ instructions. Therefore

only a few words are needed to instruct

them. Those who have no pious credits have

no faith. Even if they are given volumes of

instruction they will not understand a thing.

Therefore Srila Rupa Goswami has given only

a few words of instruction in Sri Upadesamrta.

— Commentary on Srila Rupa Goswami’s Sri Upadesamrta

verse three, sanga-tyaga. Translation by Sriman Bhumipati Prabhu.

Edited and published by Pundarik Vidyanidhi Prabhu. Available from

Vrajraj Press, c/o ISKCON Vrindavan. 1996.

[theist]

 

Due to their pious activities, those who have

developed faith in devotional service have a

little intelligence by the mercy of Krishna. Due

to that intelligence they can easily understand

the essence of the acaryas’ instructions. Therefore

only a few words are needed to instruct

them.

 

 

 

Figuratively the queen is supposed to be the disciple of the king; thus when the mortal body of the spiritual master expires, his disciples should cry exactly as the queen cries when the king leaves his body. However, the disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. This is called the association of väni (words). Physical presence is called vapuù. As long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciple should serve the physical body of the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual master.

SB 4.28.47