Pure Bhakti Potency is a Great Mystery

[Guest guest]

 

from Srila Bhaktivinoda's

Harinam Cintamani:

 

 

One who has fully surrendered to Lord Krishna will naturally only chant Lord Krishna’s name. By the grace of the Lord, such a person is entitled to be called a sadhu. Only a devotee of Lord Krishna is eligible to be respected as a sadhu, and none other. One who proclaims himself a sadhu is but a charlatan and a braggart; one who humbly says he is a poor soul surrendered to Lord Krishna and who constantly chants Krishna’s name is a real sadhu. He, considering himself lower than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree, offers all respects to others without expecting any for himself. The holy name of Krishna grants such a sadhu pure love of Godhead.

 

The sadhu does not proclaim “I am a sadhu.” Rather, “I’m a lowly soul, surrendered to Krishna.” By this one understands that here is a sadhu.

 

A Vaishnava firmly fixed in the holy name is the real sadhu; criticizing him is nama-aparadha.

 

Hearing such a sadhu chant the holy name, one should offer him all respects, knowing him to be a perfect Vaishnava. A Vaishnava is the spiritual master of the world, a true friend of every being, and is always an ocean of compassion. Anyone who criticizes such a Vaishnava goes directly to hell and suffers untold pains birth after birth. The doors of bhakti are closed to such an offender because devotional service is the merciful gift of a Vaishnava to the living entities. The Vaishnava is an abode of Lord Krishna’s spiritual potencies; others receive Krishna-bhakti only by his confidential association.

 

This pure bhakti potency is distributed by a perfected pure devotee to the aspirant devotee, and that devotee, becoming perfect, distributes it to another aspirant. Thus the bhakti potency expands. The three great touchstones of bhakti shakti are the mercy of the pure devotee in the form of his eatable remnants, the water from his foot bath, and the dust from his lotus feet.

 

How a Vaishnava imbues his potency in others:

 

By remaining in the presence of a Vaishnava for some time, one absorbs the bhakti energy flowing from the body of that saintly person. If one is sufficiently faithful, he can bind that energy within his own heart and experience immediate ecstasy. By just a moment's association with a Vaishnava, bhakti is invoked in the heart of a pious person, who will immediately be inspired to chant Lord Krishna’s name; gradually, the holy name will award him all good qualities.

 

The final passage of this post is Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s own footnote to his above point:

 

The potency or shakti of pure devotion is a blend of hladini (Krishna's pleasure-giving potency) and samvit (Krishna's knowledge-giving potency). Bhakti reposes in the heart of the transcendentalist and uses him as a vehicle for further movement. When a jiva becomes free from envy and is inclined to devotional service, the bhakti potency is then transferred from the pure devotee's heart into that jiva's heart, where it takes shelter of his soul and achieves perfection there. This is a great mystery.

 

 

[Guest guest]

 

How a Vaishnava imbues his potency in others:

 

By remaining in the presence of a Vaishnava for some time, one absorbs the bhakti energy flowing from the body of that saintly person. If one is sufficiently faithful, he can bind that energy within his own heart and experience immediate ecstasy. By just a moment's association with a Vaishnava, bhakti is invoked in the heart of a pious person, who will immediately be inspired to chant Lord Krishna’s name; gradually, the holy name will award him all good qualities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

. By just a moment's association with a Vaishnava, bhakti is invoked in the heart of a pious person,

 

[Govindaram]

does this only mean physical association, not mental /images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Guest guest]

association means vani and vapu

[theist]

Prabhupada:....“Even a moment’s association with a pure devotee—all success.” Not necessarily that one has to acquire it previous, no. Generally it is so, but sädhu sanga has got its effect. Caitanya Mahäprabhu said, lavamatra sädhu sanga sarva siddhi haya. You have not read in the Sanätana-çikñä in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya?

 

Revaténandana: Does that also apply to reading the words of a pure devotee?

 

Prabhupäda: Yes.

Revaténandana: Even a little association with your books has the same effect?

Prabhupäda: Effect, of course, it requires both the things. One must be very eager to take it. Just like Mahäräja Parékñit heard Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and there are so many others. They are also reading Çrémad-Bhägavatam. So Mahäräja Parékñit was very serious. So both things should be serious. Just like the example: the husband and wife must be potent; then there is pregnancy. Otherwise there is no pregnancy. So sewing the seed, the field also must be fertile or receptive, then the seed will fructify. It is reciprocal.

[theist]

Paramahaàsa: There’s a verse in the Bhägavatam that says that one moment’s association with a pure devotee is greater than liberation from the material world or than innumerable...

 

Prabhupäda: Yes.

 

Paramahaàsa: ...years of enjoyment on heavenly planets.

Prabhupäda: Yes.

 

Paramahaàsa: My question is: A pure devotee, when he comments Bhagavad-gétä, someone who never sees him physically, but he just comes in contact with his commentary, explanation, is this the same thing?

 

Prabhupäda: Yes. You can associate with Krsna by reading Bhagavad-gétä. And these saintly persons, they have given their explanations, comments. So where is the difficulty? Everyone is helping you.