Sri Sri Caitanya Siksamrta

The Nectarean Instructi ons Of Lord Cai tanya

Chapter One
Part One
Obeisances to their Lordships Radha and Krsna.
There are countless philosophies, which [al though attempting to reach the truth]
are all incomplete and mutuall y confl i ct i ng, due to thei r ori gi n i n bewi l derment .
All these philosophies find their perfection in Krsna bhakti . I begi n t hi s book by
offering my respects to Sri Krsna Cai tanya, the bestower of Krsna bhakti .
There are three objects in this uni verse: the Lord, conscious enti ties and matter.
Matter is that substance wi t hout vol i t i on; for example, earth, rock, water, fi re, air,
ether, house, forest, grain, cloth or a body. Men, ani mal s, i nsects, reptiles are
l iving entities, as they have the power to di scern and desire. Of t hese, man has
the greatest power of di scernment. For thi s reason some people call man the
master of all l i vi ng and non-l i vi ng enti t i es. The Lord i s the creator of all l i vi ng
and non-living enti ti es. Since he does not have a material body, we cannot see
him. He is the perfect, the compl ete form of pure consciousness. He i s our
creator, protector and control l er. By Hi s wi l l , we prosper; by His wi l l , we meet
with destruction. I n Hi s personal form, He is master of Vai kunt ha. He is the Lord
of all lords. By Hi s command, all the uni verses move.
As the Lord does not have the gross form of mat eri al obj ects, we cannot perceive
Him with our senses. In t hi s sense, He is called forml ess in the Vedas. However,
as all objects have their own form, the Lord also has Hi s form. Onl y mat eri al
objects have material form. Consci ous li ving enti ties have a conscious or spiri tual
form (cetana svarupa). Human bei ngs, though spi ri tual enti ti es, additi onally have
a material body. Thus our spi r i t ual f orm has become hi dden wi t hi n the materi al
form.
The Lord is pure consciousness or spirit. That i s, he has no form except Hi s
spiritual form. Thi s spi ri tual f orm i s Hi s body. We can see this form onl y wi t h
our pure, spiritual eyes. We cannot see it with material eyes.
Many unfortunate people do not bel i eve in God, for thei r eye of knowl edge is
closed. Because they cannot see the Lord' s form wi th t hei r mat erial eyes, they say
He does not exist. Just as bl ind men cannot underst and the nature of sunl i ght ,
atheists cannot believe in the existence of God . Though al l men, by thei r very
nature, believe in God, if they learn dupl i ci t ous l ogi c through bad association from
childhood, they graduall y become overcome by t hat bad infl uence and di sbelieve
i n the Lord s existence. That of course is thei r l oss; i t i s no l oss for the Lord.
One should not think t hat Vai kuntha i s material pl ace. Madr as, Bombay, Benares,
Calcutta, London, and Pari s are examples of material places. To go to those
places, one must traverse a great expanse of earth and many count ri es. Even i f
one travels by railway or ship, it may take a long ti me. The material body must be
moved. Vai kuntha is not such a pl ace; i t has a di f f erent nature, transcending the
material universes. It is consci ous, eternal and faul tl ess. It i s not perceived by the
eye, nor conceived of by the mi nd. The Supr eme Lord resi des in thi s
inconceivable place. If a person i s able to pl ease the Lord, he can go there and
serve the Lord eternally.
What is called happi ness in this worl d i s not eternal; it remains for a short ti me,
and then disappears. Everything of thi s worl d i s fi l l ed wi th suf f eri ng. Bi rt h i t sel f i s
difficult, a cause for sorrow. Af t er bi r t h, we must nour i sh the body wi t h f ood. I f
we have no food, we suffer. There is always some sort of affli cti on, such excessive
heat or cold. To ri d our sel ves of the suffering we have to undergo bodily sufferi ng
to earn money. I f we do not bui l d a house we do not have a place to stay. On
getting married, we have to raise children. When ol d age fi nall y approaches, it
seems we are left with nothi ng. Thr oughout l i fe, we suffer t hr ough argument and
disagreement with others. There is no such thing as pure happi ness in this worl d.
Therefore people accept that happiness is the momentary cessation of grief or
want. However, i t i s ver ydi f f i cul t t o l i vei n s uch a wor l d. I f one at t ai ns the
Lord's abode, he does not experience temporary happi ness and di st ress, but
rather attains unl i mi ted and eternal j oy. To t hi s end, we must try to sati sfy the
Lord.
Man s highest benefit starts when he begins to satisfy the Lord. But man begins
this practice only after pure knowl edge appears within hi m. Unf or t unat el y, most
people think t hat t hey can enj oy the worl d now and wor shi p the Lord i n ol d
age. That, however, is unacceptable, for time is a preci ous thing . We shoul d
begin to practice from the very day that we see its urgency. Man s l ife is i ndeed a
r are achievement, but it is also insecure, as we cannot say when we wil l di e. Thus
we should never think that we shoul d not wor shi p the Lord when we are
children. In hi st ory we see how Dhruva and Prahl ada received the Lord's mercy
when they were chi l dren. I s t here any doubt that any human bei ng, being
capacity of doing an activi ty, cannot, wi thout effort, achi eve it . As wel l , what i s
practiced from an early age gradually becomes a natural action.
Man attempts to please the Lord for f our reasons, according to hi s condi t i on of
l ife: from fear, for sati sfying material aspirati ons, f rom a sense of duty, and f rom
genuine attraction. Some people are i nspi red to worshi p the Lord because of
sickness, poverty, fear of hel l or f ear of deat h. Ot hers worshi p the Lor d,
praying for material happi ness, desiring greater material progress. These two types
of people, though begi nning thei r worshi p out of fear or material aspirati on, often
become attached to pure worship, si nce worshi p of the Lord produces genuine
j oy. Those who worship the Lord out of a feeling of grat i t ude are those mot i vat ed
by a sense of duty. Those people who naturally gain satisfaction in wor shi ppi ng
t he Lord, without mot i ves of fear, desire or duty, begin their worshi p wi t h
attraction (raga). Raga is defined as the tendency of the mind to become
spontaneously attracted to an object i mmedi at el y on seeing it, wi t hout
i ntellectual processing. A person who has developed this quality of attraction i n
his heart as soon as he thinks of the Lord is worshi pping the Lord according to
raga. Those who take to wor shi p of the Lord f rom fear, desire or duty are not on
such a pure level . Those who worshi p the Lord accordi ng to raga are real
worshippers.
The living entity and the Lord have a deep relationship. When raga appears, this
relationship becomes mani fest. This relati onship is eternal no doubt, but for the
materially bound up soul i t remains hi dden. Gi ven the ri ght opport uni ty, i t
appears. Just as fire appears by striking a match or a fl i nt, by sadhana or practi ce,
this relationship makes its appearance. Many persons have even achieved this
relationship t hr ough practice based on fear, desire and duty. Dhr uva f i r st
worshipped the Lord with a desire for a ki ngdom, but by sadhana there appeared
in his heart attraction, borne of a pure relati onship with the Lord. Thereafter he
refused to accept the benediction of material happi ness.
Fear and desire are extremely base. When a devotee's intelligence becomes clear,
he gives up fear and desi re; dut y or grat i t ude becomes his sole motive. And as
long as raga towards the Lord does not appear, the devotee should not give up
worship according to duty. From t he sense of duty two standards ari se: to
respect the rules (vi dhi ) and to avoi d breaking the rules (ni sedha). These rul es
for worship of the Lord wer e establ i shed by great devotees long ago and recorded
in the scriptures . Fol l owi ng the scri ptures and reverence for the rules arises from
the sense of duty.
On examining the hi stori cal records of all types of people around the worl d, i t wi l l
be obvious that faith i n God i s man s common and constant characteristic.
Uncivilized forest tribals survive, like animals, on ani mal fl esh, but they al so
worship the sun, the moon, huge mountai ns, large rivers and tall trees as their
benefactors and control l ers. Why do t hey do t hi s> Though the soul i s extremel y
bound up, his faith in the Lord, hi s nat ural qual ity as spirit soul , wi l l gr adual l y
manifest as the degree that the material covering is weakened. However , when
man becomes civilized and takes to vari ous types of knowl edge and educati on,
his faith becomes more covered due to materi al i stic logic. Then at hei sm, or
worse, voidism, takes hold of hi s mi nd. One shoul d understand that such bel i efs
are the symptoms of an unhealthy, weak soul .
There are three stages between the primi ti ve, unci vi l i zed state of mankind and the
devotional state. In these three stages, the diseases of atheism, materialism,
skepticism, and voidism affl ict many people. Act i ng as obstacles to their progress,
t hose philosophies bring them to a lamentable state. Of course, not all peopl e wi l l
be so afflicted. Those who are i nfected by the disease become bound up, and do
not progress to hi gher st ages of li fe. The unci vi l i zed tri bal , taking advantage of
the system of varnasrama and culti vating ci vi l i zed manners, proper conduct and
education, can qui ckl y attain the l ife of a devotee. This is the natural path of
progress for manki nd. But i f one becomes afflicted by the diseases of materialistic
philosophies, he falls i nto an unnatural state of existence.
Though men i n vari ous countri es, on vari ous conti nents, have a wide variety of
natures, the pri nci pal nat ure i s onl y one. Onl y the secondary characteristics are
many. But though the pri nci pal nature is one, t here wil l not be f ound any t wo
people in the world who have identi cal secondary quali ti es. As even twins born of
the same womb have some difference in form and qual i ty, one cannot expect that
people born in di fferent count r i es can ever have exactly the same qualities.
Different countries have different water, air, mountai ns, f orests, eatables and
clothing. Because of this, the people of these places have naturally developed
different physi ques, compl exi ons, customs, clothing and food. Si mi l arl y, the
peoples' mentality wil l di f f er. And thus var i ous peopl e's ideas of God, though
being basically similar, wil l di f fer i n detai ls. When men i n vari ous count r i es
surpass the uncivili zed stage and progress to the civil i zed stage, the scientific stage,
the moral stage and the devoti onal stage, they will develop di fferences, in
l anguage, dress, food, and mentali ty. Thi s gi ves rise to di fference i n the mode of
worship of God. Consi dering the matter obj ectively, there is no harm i n
secondary differences. If there is agreement concerning the essential nature of
God and His worshi p, there should be no obstacle in attaining the same result.
Thus Mahaprabhu has instructed t hat we shoul d i nst ruct everyone to wor shi p
the pure form of the Lord, but at the same time we should not cr i t i ci ze others'
modes of worship.
Because of the above reasons, we see the following di fferences amongst the
religions of different countri es.
1. difference of teachers or prophets
2. difference in worshi pper s mentality and consequent expression of reverence.
3. difference in procedures of worshi p
0. difference in conceptions of God
5. difference in God's name and statements due to di fference in language
Thus, people in India give respect to the rsis, in other countries t hey respect
prophets like Mohammed, i n ot her count ri es they respect Chri st, and in other
places the inhabitants give respect to various native sages. It i s i mper at i ve that
the people of the country give proper respect to the native sai nts, but, no one,
though he made hol d hi s parti cular bel ief to benefit his own progress, shoul d go
to other places and preach that what hi s teachers have taught is superior to al l
other teachings. Thi s gi ves no benefit at all to the worl d.
Concerning different expressions of reverence, in India, the worshi pper sits on an
asana, and after performi ng nyasa and pranayama he begins his worship. The
Muslim faces towards Mecca and worships f i ve ti mes a day by bowing down. The
Christian kneels down with f ol ded hands and with humi l i t y prai ses the Lord i n
either church or house. Each country has its parti cular rules concerni ng, proper
dress, food, purity and i mpuri t y.
I f one examines the different reli gi ons, one will see different ri tuals. One wi l l al so
different concepti ons concerning the obj ect of worship. Some people, overcome
with devotion in thei r hearts, establish the form of the Lord i n t hei r soul , i n thei r
mind and finally in the external world. Underst anding t hat the f orm i s non-
different from the Lord wi t hi n, t hey wor shi p t hat f orm. I n some rel i gi ons,
because the greater emphasis on logic, the worshi pper si mpl y f orms a concepti on
of God in the mi nd, and worships it. They do not accept an external form of God.
In reality, however, al l these conceptions are forms of the Lord.
According to language differences, di fferent rel i gi ons call God by di fferent names.
The religions have different names, and the l anguages used during worshi p are
also different.
Because of these five differences, it is only natural that vari ous reli gi ons wil l appear
quite different. However i t i s i mproper and detri mental to argue over these
differences. If one goes to someone else's place of worship one shoul d thi nk,
"The
people are worshipping my Lord, but i n a di f f erent way. Because of my di fferent
t raining, I cannot quite comprehend t hi s system of worship. However, through
t his experience, I can deepen my appreciation for my own system of worship. The
Lord is only one, not t wo. I of f er respect to the form I see here, and pray to the
Lord in this new form that he i ncrease my love for the Lor d i n Hi s accust omed
f orm." Those who do not f ol l ow t hi s procedure, but i nstead cri ti cize ot her
systems of worship and show hatred, vi ol ence and envy, are worthl ess and foolish.
The more they i ndul ge in usel ess quarreling, the more they betray the very goal of
their religion.
However, one should consider the fol l owing poi nt . Though i t i s wor t hl ess to
criticize a difference in rel i gi ous system, i f one sees a fault, one should not
tolerate it. I t i s benefi cial for the l i ving enti t i es if one at t empt s to correct the
fault in the proper way. Thus Mahabprabhu, i n di scussing with Buddhi sts, Jains
and impersonalists, led them to the proper path. The devotees of Lord Cai tanya
should always take the Lord' s behavior as the proper example to fol l ow.
The devotee does not accept those rel i gi ons which are fi l led with athei sm,
skepticism, materialism, pant heism and i mpersonal ism as real rel i gi ons. He
knows them to be false religions, anti-reli gi ous movements, perverted rel i gi ons,
and he understands that their fol l owers are unfortunate. The devotees must try to
protect the living enti ties from these false religions.
Pure love is the eternal function of the soul . Though t he above menti oned fi ve
differences may exist in a rel i gi on, t he r eal rel i gi on i s pure l ove. Thi s i s the fi nal
goal of religion. We shoul d not quarrel over ext ernal di f f erences. If the goal of a
religion is pure love, then all else is adjusted. At hei sm, skepti ci sm, pol ythei sm,
materialism, pantheism, and impersonalism are, by their very nature, contrary to
l ove. Thi s
will be shown later on.
Love of Krsna (Krsna prema) is that pure l ove. The qual i t y of l ove i s that i t takes
shelter of one entity and t akes another as its object. Prema cannot exist wi thout
(shelter, or subject) asraya and visaya (object). The shel ter of prema is the heart
of the soul. The obj ect of prema is Krsna alone. When perfect, pure prema ari ses,
the aspects of the Lord as Brahman, the control ler and Narayana ripen i nto the
form of Krsna.
On reading this book and understanding the concept of prema, this wil l be
understood. A person who ar gues j ust on hearing the name of Krsna is cheated of
the truth. Quarrel ing about names is of no value. The l i vi ng ent i ty shoul d search
out the object indi cated by the name. The sweet quali ties of Krsna as described in
the crown jewel of scriptures, Srimad Bhagavatam, were the personal realization of
Vyasadeva through hi s spi ri t ual vi si on. Thr ough t he i nst ruct i ons of Narada,
Vyasadeva obtained devotional trance and saw the form of Krsna. Vyasadeva
described tha sweet qualities of Krsna, for he realized that by devel oping devoti on
to that form of Krsna the ji vas coul d dri ve away all forms of l amentati on, i l l usi on
and fear.
On hearing or reading about Krsna and his sweet qualiti es, the living enti ti es
according to their nature understand hi m i n two di f f erent ways: understanding
through true knowl edge, and understanding wi thout knowl edge. Even when
Krsna is personally present and can be seen with mortal eyes, the two types of
people will see in these two di fferent ways. If a person desires to learn more about
these two types of percepti on, he may study the Sat Sandarbhas, Bhagavatamrta
and Sri Krsna Samhita under a competent aut hori ty. It i s i mpossi ble to elaborate
on this subject here. Briefly realization through true knowl edge (vi dvat prat i t i )
may be described as realization under vi dya sakti (knowl edge potency of the
Lord), and underst anding wi t hout knowl edge (avi dvat prati ti ) may be described
as an understanding of the Lord under i gnor ance.
If Krsna is understood through avi dvat prati ti , many controversies arise. If he is
understood through vi dvat pr at i ti , t here is no pl ace for disagreements. Those
i nterested in spiri tual development shoul d i mmedi atel y obt ai n vi dvat prat i t i .
What is the point in understanding through avi dvat prati ti , fal l ing i nto argument
and confusi on, and losing the goal of li fe. Some i dea about vi dvat pratiti has been
given. Vi dvat pratiti i s possi bl e for those persons who give up materi al
conceptions and can conceive of spi ri t. They can then perceive Krsna with thei r
spiritual eyes, hear his pastimes with thei r spi ri tual ear, and rel ish Krsna
completely with thei r spi ri t ual taste buds. Krsna s pastimes are compl etely non-
material. Though Krsna can by hi s i nconcei vable potency become the object for
the material eye, by nature he is not perceivable by mat erial senses. When Krsna
descends and reveals his pastimes to the material senses, only the person wi th
vidvat pratiti attains real contact with the Lord. Nor mal l y avi dvat pratiti operates.
Thus most people understand Krsna as temporary being, with bi rth, growth and
decay. By avi dvat pratiti a person thi nks that the i mpersonal state, devoid of
qualities, is truth and the personal state of God, with qual i ti es, i s materi al . They
conclude that Krsna is material since he has qualities.
Understanding the supreme truth i s not a matter of mundane l ogic. How can the
l imited intellect of man operate i n rel at i on to the unl i mi ted Lord> The Supreme
Truth can only be understood and reli shed by the devot i onal el ement which i s
present in the soul. Thi s devotion or bhakti i s the prel i mi nary stage of pure l ove,
prema. Vidvat pratiti arises only by Krsna's mercy, for only by Krsna' s mercy does
the vidya sakti hel p the j i vas.
Of all the conceptions of God exi sting in the worl d, the form of Krsna is the most
suitable for developing pure l ove. The conception of Al l ah i n the Koran is not
suitable for developing pure l ove. Even the Lord' s dear prophet coul d not see
Allah's form, for though the Lord i s fri endly, He remains at a distance from the
worshipper due to the conception of God as master. The god i n the Chri st i an
f aith is also some di stant ent i ty, what to speak of the i mpersonal Brahman. Even
Narayana is not the form by whi ch the soul can easily obtain pure l ove. Krsna
alone, who resides in the spiri tual abode of Vraja, is the object of pure l ove.
The abode of Krsna is full of bl i ss. Though maj esty also resides there in ful l ness,
i t does not predomi nate; rather sweetness and eternal bliss predomi nate. Hi s
wealth is its fruit, fl owers and twi gs. Hi s ci t i zens are the cows. Hi s f r i ends are
the cowherd boys and his associates are the gopis. Hi s food is butter, yogurt and
milk. Al l the groves and forests are filled with l ove of Krsna. The Yamuna Ri ver
i s engages in Krsna s service. Everything in nature serves Him. Though el sewhere
he is worshipped and revered by all as the Supreme Lord, here, as the life of all the
i nhabitants, he sometime descends to the worshi pper s level and someti mes
becomes his subordinate. If i t were not l i ke t hi s, coul d the l owl y l i vi ng ent i ty have
a relation of l ove wi th God. Can t he Lord, who i s fi l l ed wi t h the hi ghest sport,
endowed with free wi ll , and eager for the l ove of the soul, hanker for man' s
offering of worship or feel genuinely satisfied with it > Kr sna, the r eservoi r of
sweet pastimes, thus covers his maj estic aspect with sweetness, accepts equality
with or subordi nat i on to qual i fi ed souls in transcendental Vrndavana, and feels
bliss.
Can anyone who accepts pure love or prema as the highest goal accept anyone
other than Krsna as the obj ect of l ove> Though di fferent languages may not use
the same words to describe Krsna, Vrndavana, the gopas and gopis, the cows,
Yamuna and the kadamba trees, those persons interested in pure l ove must accept
the name, place, form and pastimes in some form, usi ng some words. Thus Krsna
alone is the obj ect of pure l ove.
Until pure attraction arises in the heart of the li ving enti ty, the devotee with a
sense of duty must carefull y cul t i vate Krsna consciousness by practicing the
primary and secondary rules of bhakti . One wil l see that t here are two ways of
cultivating Krsna consciousness: through rul e(vi dhi ) and t hrough attracti on
(raga).
Attraction
(raga) is rare. When raga develops, the path of vi dhi l oses its
effectiveness. But as l ong as raga does not devel op, one must take shelter of
vidhi. Thi s is i mperative for man. Theref ore, scriptures outl ine these two pat hs.
The path of raga is extremely independent or i ndi vi dual i stic; there are no set rules.
Only those who are most advanced and fortunate can practice raga. Therefore
only the rules for the path of vi dhi have been systematically presented in the
scriptures.
Those who unfortunately do not bel i eve in God, also formul ate rules for
maintaining their l i fe. These rules are called moral i ty. Those moral codes whi ch
do not include thought of God, cannot accompl ish any good for manki nd, even
though presented skillful ly. Such moral ity is materi ali stic. Moral codes whi ch
express bel ief in God and obl ige service to Him are fit for manki nd.
Rules are of two types: primary and secondary. Those rules which di rectl y l ead us
to serving and sati sfying the Lord are called pri mary rul es. Those rules of l i fe
which indi rectly support that goal are cal led secondary. Thi s wi l l become clear by
giving an example. Taking an early morning bath is a rule. By doi ng t hi s, the
body becomes fresh and disease free, and the mind as well becomes steady. If the
mind is steady, one can worship the Lord properly. Here, the goal, worship of the
Lord, is not the immedi ate i nt ent i on of the bath. The bath s direct result is bodi l y
comfort. If bodi l y comf or t i s accept edas the fi nal goal of t hebat h, t henwor shi p
of the Lord is not achieved at all. There are many possible intervening resul t s
between bathing and worshi pping God. Wi t h such i nt ervening agents there is
possibility of obst ruct i on.
The direct result of the pri mary rul es is worship of the Lord. There i s no
i ntervening results between the rul e and worshi p of the Lord. Chant i ng t he
Lord s name and hearing about Hi m are two pri mary rul es, because their di rect
result is worship of the Lord. Though we must al ways observe the primary rul es,
i f we do not observe the secondary rul es, we cannot mai ntain the body properl y,
nor our life. If we cannot mai nt ai n our l i fe, how can we fol low the pri mary rul es
of devotional service> The secondary rules are the ornament of man' s l i fe.
Material education, technol ogy, industry, ci vi l i zati on, order, perseverance, bodily,
mental and social rules are accepted, in that they may be used to bring manki nd t o
serve the feet of the Lord si ncerely. Bei ng servants of the pri mary rul es, by the
Lord s grace, they make the life of mankind bl i ssful both duri ng practice and
perfection.
Though there are many types of l i f e-pri mi t i ve l i fe, ci vi l i zed l i fe, life equi pped wi th
material sciences, atheistic moral l i fe, theistic moral l i fe, l ife endowed with vai dhi
bhakti, and life endowed with prema bhakti , real l ife of man begins with thei sti c
moral life. Wi t hout bel i ef i n God, human l i fe is no better than t hat of an ani mal ,
no matter how much ci vi l i zed or advanced in scienti fic knowl edge or moral
principles i t may be. Real human l ife operates when a person accepts the rules
and prohibiti ons of thei stic moral l i fe. Thus i n t hi s book the di scussion begins
from this stage of life. Ci vi l i t y, mor al i t y and material science are consi dered as
ornaments to this li fe. How the t hei sti c moral l ife cul mi nates in devoti onal l i fe
will be di scussed in this book. The real life of the l i ving entity i s called jaiva
dharma, the souls inherent nature. For t he human bei ng, j aiva dharma is called
manava dharma. Man' s dharma i s of two t ypes: secondary and pri mary, or
i ncidental and inherent. Secondary or inci dental dharma takes shelter of matter,
material qual i ties and material relati ons. The pri mary dharma takes shelter of the
pure soul. The primary dharma i s the real dharma of the soul . The secondary
dharma is of no value, being the transformation of the pri mary dharma under the
influence of material quali ti es.
When the material quali ties are removed the dharma of the soul exi sts purely as
the primary dharma. Secondary dharma is also cal led condi ti oned dharma.
When the material condi ti ons are removed, pri mary dharma remai ns. Secondary
rules and prohibi ti ons, pi ety and avoi dance of sins are incl uded in the secondary
dharma. The secondary dharma does not leave the soul but matures into the
primary dharma when the j i va is freed f rom the mat erial modes. The secondary
dharma appears in the condi ti oned state by an unnat ural transformation of the
primary dharma. By a posi tive transformation of the secondary dharma t he
primary dharma appears again. Af t er exami ni ng the secondary rules and
prohibitions, the pri mary r ul es and prohi bi t i ons and fi nall y the perfected stage of
the jiva, prema bhakti, wil l be di scussed.
I n this first section the words "Lord",
"God" and "Krsna" have all been used. The
reader should not think t hat t hese words refer to separate entities. Kr sna i s the
only form, the only obj ect of wor shi p by the soul . Kr sna i s the compl ete
revelation of sweetness in God. When we consi der Krsna in rel ation to other
objects and need to emphasize his lordship, we use the word "Lord. " That i s why
i n the beginning the word " Lord" was used i nstead of Krsna. Lor dshi p i s not hi ng
more than the natural cont rol t hat Krsna di spl ays t owards the obj ects of his
creation. In enumerati ng, the obj ects of existence, the word "Lord" i s thus used:
cit (conscious entity), acit (matter) and i svara (Lord, control ler of both).
By chance, two birds have made a nest together in the same tree. The two bi rds
are friends and re of a similar nature. One of t hem, however, is eating the fruits of
the tree, whereas the other, who does not eat the frui ts, is in a superior posi ti on
due to His potency. S.B.11.11.6
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, expanding His own pot ency, maya sakti,
created innumerable species of life to house the condi t i oned souls. Yet by
creating the forms of trees, reptiles, animals, birds, snakes and so on, the Lord was
not satisfied wi t hi n Hi s heart. Then He created human l i fe, which offers the
conditioned soul suffi ci ent i ntel l i gence to perceive the Absolute Trut h and
became pleased. S.B.11.9.28
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the creation, mai ntenance
and destruction of thi s uni verse, yet He has no pri or cause. He pervades the
various states of wakefulness, dreaming and unconsci ous deep sleep and also
exists beyond them. By ent eri ng the body of every li ving being as the Supersoul,
He enlivens the body, senses, life airs and mental activi ti es, and thus all the subtl e
and gross organs of the body begin their functi ons. My dear Ki ng, know t hat
Personality of Godhead t o be the Supreme. S.B.11.3.35
I worship Govi nda, the pri meval Lord, whose transcendental form is ful l of bl i ss,
truth, substantiality and i s t hus ful l of the most dazzl ing splendor. Each of the
l imbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Hi msel f the f ul l -fl edged functi ons
of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infi ni t e
universes, both spiritual and mundane. Br ahma Samhi ta 5.32
I worship Govi nda the pri meval Lord, who i s Syamasundara, Krsna himself wi th
inconceivable innumerable attri butes, whom the pure devotes see in their heart of
hearts with the eye of devotion ti nged with the salve of love. B.S.5.38
S.B.7.6.1
B.G.16.7-8
I worship that transcendental seat, known as Sveta Dvipa where as loving
consorts the Laksmis in their unal l oyed spi ri tual essence practice the amorous
service of the Supreme Lord Krsna as their only l over; where every tree is a
transcendental purpose-tree; where the soil is the purpose-gem, water is nectar,
every word is a song; every gait is a dance; the flute is the favorite attendant;
effulgence is full of transcendental bl i ss and the supreme spiri tual enti ties are all
enjoyable and tasty; where numberl ess milch-cows always emi t transcendental
oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, who i s
ever present and wi thout past or fut ure and hence is not subject to the qual ity of
passing away even for the durat i on of hal f a moment. That real m i s known as
Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world. Br ahma Samhi ta 5.56
One who is sufficiently i ntel l i gent shoul d use the human form of body from t he
very beginning of l ife in other words, from the t ender age of chi l dhood to
practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The
human body i s most rarely achieved, and although temporary l ike other bodi es, it
is meaningful because in human l ife one can perform devot i onal servi ce. Even a
slight amount of si ncere devotional service can give one compl ete perfection.
Therefore, while in material existence, a person fully competent to di sti ngui sh
wrong from ri ght must endeavor to achieve the hi ghest goal of life as long as the
body is stout and strong and is not embarrassed by dwi ndl i ng. S.B.7.6.5
After many, many bi rths and deaths one achieves the rare human form of l i f e,
which, although temporary, affords one the opport uni t y to at t ai n the hi ghest
perfection. Thus a sober human being shoul d qui ckl y endeavor for the ul t i mat e
perfection of l i f e as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not
fallen down and di ed. Af ter all , sense gratification is avai l able even in the most
abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a
human being.
After many, many bi rths and deaths one achieves the rare human form of l i f e,
which, although temporary, affords one the opport uni t y to at t ai n the hi ghest
perfection. Thus a sober human being shoul d qui ckl y endeavor for the ul t i mat e
perfection of l i f e as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not
fallen down and di ed. Af ter all , sense gratification is avai l able even in the most
abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a
human being.
S.B.11.9.29
S.B.11.9.29
Nothing is unobtainable for devotees who have satisfied the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, who is the cause of all causes, the ori gi nal source of everythi ng. The
Lord is the reservoir of unl i mi ted spi ri t ual qual i ti es. For devotee, therefore, who
are transcendental to the modes of material nature, what is the use of foll owi ng
the principles of religi on, economic development, sense gratification and
l iberation, which are all automati cally obtai nable under the infl uence of the modes
of nature> We devotees always glorify the l otus feet of the Lord, and therefore we
need not ask for anything in terms of dharma, kama, artha and moksa. S.B.7.6.25
Religion, economic development and sense gratification these are described in the
Vedas as trivarga, or three ways to sal vati on. wi t hi n t hese three categories are
education and self-realization; ri tual i stic ceremonies performed according to Vedi c
injunction; logic; the science of law and order; and the vari ous means of earning
one's livelihood. These are the external subj ect matters of study in the Vedas, and
therefore I consider them material However, I consi der surrender to the l otus feet
of Lord Visnu to be transcendental. S.B.7.6.26
The gopis by their lusty desires, Kamsa by his fear, Sisupala and other ki ngs by
envy, the Yadus by their fami l ial rel at i onshi p wi t h Krsna, you Pandavas by your
great affection for Krsna, and we, the general devotees by our devoti onal servi ce,
have obtained the mercy of Krsna. S.B. 7.1.31
There are two processes of practical devotional service. one is regulati ve
devotional service, and the other is spontaneous devoti onal service. Those who
have not attained the platform of spontaneous attachment in devoti onal service
render devoti onal service under the gui dance of a bona fide spiri tual master
according to the regulative pri nci ples menti oned in the revealed scriptures.
According to the revealed scriptures, this kind of devoti onal service is called vaidhi
bhakti. C.C.Madhya 22.108-109
Krsna has many types of devotees some are servants, some are friends, some are
parents, and some are conjugal lovers. Those who are si tuated in one of these
attitudes of spontaneous love according to their choice are considered to be on the
path of spontaneous loving service. C.C.Madhya 22.161
Devotees who receive such transcendental opul ences are never bereft of them;
neither weapons nor the change of time can destroy such opul ences. Because the
devotees accept Me as their friend, their rel ati ve, their son, preceptor, benefactor
and Supreme Deity, they cannot be deprived of their possessions at any time.
S.B.3.25.38 By t he i nfl uence of ti me, the transcendental sound of Vedi c
knowledge was lost at the time of anni hi l at i on. Ther ef ore, when the subsequent
creation took pl ace, I spoke the Vedic knowl edge to Brahma because I Myself am
the religious princi ples enunciated in the Vedas. Lord Brahma spoke this Vedi c
The devotee should not worshi p demi gods, nor shoul d he di srespect them.
Similarly, the devotee should not study or cr i t i ci ze other scri ptures. C.C.Madhya
One should have firm faith that he wil l achi eve all success in life by fol l owi ng
those scriptures that describe the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
At the same time, one should avoid bl aspheming other scri ptures. S.B. 11 3.26
22.116
A twice-born person should worshi p Me, hi s worshi pable Lord, wi t hout
duplicity, offering appropri ate paraphernalia in l i vi ng devot i on to My Dei ty f orm
or to a form of Me appearing upon the ground, i n fi re, in the sun, in water or
within the worshi per s own heart. ...The Deity form of the Lord i s sai d to appear
i n eight varieties stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mi nd or j ewel s.
S.B. 11.27.9,12
The Lord of Laksmi, the Lord of Si ta, is not di fferent from the Supersoul .
Therefore I worship the l otus-eyed rama as my very l i f e.
(statement of
Hanuman) Ther e are five branches of irrel i gi on, appropri ately known as
i rreligion, religi ous pri nci ples for which one is unfi t , pr et ent i ous rel i gi on,
analogical religion, and cheating religi on. One who i s aware of real religi ous li fe
must abandon these five as irrel i gi ous. Rel i gi ous pri nci ples that obstruct one
f rom following hi s own rel i gion are called vi dharma. Rel i gi ous pr i nci pl es
introduced by others are called para dharma. A new t ype of rel i gion created by on
who is falsely pruned and who opposes the pri nci ples of the Vedas is called
upadharma. And i nt erpretation by one' s jugglery of words is called chala dharma.
A pretentious religious system manufactured by one who wi l l f ul l y negl ects the
prescribed duties of his order of l ife i s cal led abhasa. But if one performs the
prescribed duties of his parti cular asrama or varna, why are they not suffi ci ent to
mitigate all material distresses> S.B.7.15.12-10
The occupational activi ties a man performs according to hi s own posi tion are
useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality
of Godhead. S.B.1.2.8
Simply by giving aural reception to thi s Vedic l i terature, the feeling for l ovi ng
devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts
up at once to extinguish the five of lamentati on, i l l usion and fearful ness. S. B.
1.7.7
The foolish with a poor fund of knowl edge cannot know the transcendental
nature of the forms, names and activities of the Lord, who i s pl aying l ike an actor
in a drama. nor can they express such things, neither in thei r speculati ons nor i n
their words. only those who render unreserved, uni nterrupted, favorable service
unto the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, who carries the wheel of the chariot in Hi s
hand, can know the creator of the uni verse in His ful l gl ory, power and
transcendence. S.B.1.3.37-38
0 Uddhava, both knowl edge and ignorance, being products of maya, are
expansions of My potency. Bot h knowl edge and i gnorance are beginningless and
perpetually award liberation and bondage to embodi ed l i vi ng bei ngs. 0 most
i ntelligent Uddhava, the living enti ty, called ji va, is part and parcel of Me, but due
t o ignorance he has been suffering in material bondage since time immemori al . By
knowledge, however, he can be liberated. S.B. 11.11.3-9
B.R.S. 1.11.9
The four princi ples of advancement in spi ri tual l ife dharma, artha, kama and
moksa all depend on the disposition of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore, my dear friends, follow i n the footsteps of devotees. Wi t hout desi re,
f ully depend upon the di sposi tion of the Supreme Lord, worshi p Hi m, t he
Supersoul, in devotional service. S.B.7.7.08
...You cannot please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by becoming perfect
brahmanas, demigods or great saints or by becomi ng perfectly good in eti quette or
vast learning. None of these qualifi cati ons can awaken the pleasure of the Lord.
Nor by chari ty, austerity, sacrifice, cleanliness or vows can one satisfy the Lord.
The Lord is pleased only if one has unfl i nchi ng, unal l oyed devotion to Hi m.
Without sincere devotional service, everything is simply a show. ...In the same
favorable way that one sees himself and takes care of himself, take to devoti onal
service to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who i s present everywhere
as the Supersoul of all li ving enti ti es. S. B. 7.7.51-53
Anyone whose work is not meant to el evate him to rel i gi ous l i fe, anyone whose
religious ritualistic performances do not rai se hi m to renunci ati on, and anyone
situated in renunci ation that does not lead him to devoti onal service to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, must be considered dead, although he is
breathing. S.B.3.23.56
Learned transcendentalists who know the Absol ute Truth cal l t hi s nondual
substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan. S.B.1.2.11
Part Two
The teachings of Lord Cai t anya
In order to understand the teachings of Lord Cai tanya, we must refer to the Sri
Caitanya Caritamrta. Lord Cai tanya hi mself di d not l eave any wri t ten works,
except the eight verses of the Siksastaka. There are few verses attributed to hi m i n
the Padyavali, but from those verses we cannot take any systematic instructi ons.
There is also a few very small books which some people claim were wri tten by
Lord Caitanya. After exami ning everythi ng, we must concl ude that these are all
false claims. From the many works whi ch the Goswami s wrote we can
thoroughly understand Lord Cai tanya's teachings, but they do no menti on any
works written by Lord Cai tanya Hi mself. Sri Caitanya Caritamrta is the
authoritative work. From t hi s work we can understand the Lord' s character and
teachings. These teachings are confirmed perfectly by the words of the Goswami s.
For this reason Sri Caitanya Caritamrta is given so much respect. Sri Krsna Dasa
Kaviraja appeared immediately after Lord Cai tanya. Mahaprabhu s di rect
disciples, Raghunatha Goswami, Rupa Goswami and many others assisted Krsna
Dasa in writing his work. Bef ore hi m Kavi Karnapura had wri t ten Sri Cai tanya
Candrodayanataka and Vrndavana das Thakura had wri tten Sri Cai tanya
Bhagavata. These works were a great help to Krsna Dasa Kaviraja. Consi dering al l
points we have had to depend upon Sri Cai tanya Caritamrta.
During his married l i fe, unti l the age of twenty-four, Cai tanya woul d preach the
glories of the Holy Name and the necessity of chanting the Lord' s name to all soul s
i n Srivasa's courtyard, on the bank of the Ganga, in his classroom, and on the road.
After taking sannyasa, the Lord instructed Sarvabhauma in Puri , Ramananda Raya
in Vidyanagara, Venkata Bhatta in the South, Rupa Goswami as well as Raghupati
Upadhyaya and Vallabha Bhatta (by tri ckery), in Prayaga, and Sanatana Goswami
and Prakasananda in Varanasi. From t hese instructi ons we can understand Lord
Caitanya s teachings as they are in truth. Af t er goi ng through al l these teachings
the principal poi nts of his phi l osophy have been presented here.
Displaying extraordinary mercy to the l i ving enti ti es, Mahaprabhu preached pure
vaisnava dharma or jaiva dharma all over India. He hi msel f went to some pl aces
and preached. To other pl aces he sent preachers to do the work. Gi vi ng t he
preachers unlimi ted spi ri tual power, he sent them out to al l pl aces, and impel l ed
by the prema He has bestowed on them, they took up the task wi t hout expectati on
of pay or reward, for only a preacher of pure heart can preach the pure dharma.
I n the present age, in various religi ons, people preach to earn a livi ng. Thi s
however cannot give the intended result.
I n the Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi Li la, 7th Chapter, it is wri t t en:
Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Hi s associates of the Panca
the universe, and thus the entire uni verse was thankful . Lord Cai tanya di spatched
the two generals Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami to Vrndavana to preach the
bhakti cult. As Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were sent toward Mathura,
so Nityananda Prabhu was sent to Bengal to preach extensively the cult of
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally went to South Indi a,
and He broadcast the holy name of Lord Krsna in every vi l l age and town. Thus
the Lord went to the southernmost ti p of the Indi an peni nsula, known as
Setubhanda. Everywhere He distri buted the bhakti cul t and l ove of Krsna, and in
this way he delivered everyone.
Mahaprabhu taught, in essence, that the eternal function of the l i vi ng entity i s
Krsna prema. The l i ving entity can never be separated from thi s dharma.
However, as a result of forgetful ness of Krsna, being deluded by maya, the l i vi ng
entity has attraction for other thi ngs, and thi s dharma is almost lost. It has
become concealed within the l i vi ng enti ty. Thus t he l i vi ng ent i ty fall s i nt o
material misery. If the l i vi ng enti ty again by good fortune remembers that he is
the eternal servant of Krsna, then this dharma again appears and the living enti ty
becomes healthy.
Faith in this truth i s the root of al l success. Faith appears in two ways. Some
people develop faith af ter developing a distaste for the material worl d after many
births of sukrti .
tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to i nvoke l ove of Godhead throughout
If by good fortune, a living entity devel ops faith in Krsna, he begins
C.C. Madhya 23.
to associate with devotees.
Another name for sraddha is visva .
By rendering transcendental loving service to Krsna, one
automatically performs all subsidiary activi ti es. Thi s conf i dent, firm fai t h,
favorable to the discharge of devotional service, is called sraddha.
C.C.Madhya
22.62
Faith means that by worshi ppi ng Krsna, al l the l i vi ng enti ty s duties are
accomplished. I After performance of sukrtis, the soul becomes satisfied, and from
the eternal function of the soul thi s natural sraddha appears.2 The person who
has developed faith, by practicing devoti onal activi ties in the association of
devotees, destroys his material attachments and gradually progresses through the
stages of steadiness, taste, attachment, bhava and prema.
If the natural, intri nsi c faith appears in an intense way, the devotee practices raga
marga.3 Not consi dering so much the rules of scripture, he can fearlessly progress
i n his practice on the path of i ntense attraction to Krsna. However i f the fai th
which has developed is weak, then the devotee must progress by taking the help of
good advice from the authori zed guru. As thi s faith usually starts from faith the
scripture and the instruction of the guru, normall y the gui dance of scripture is
very essential.
My dear sir, kindly hear the reason. My spi ri t ual master
considered Me a fool, and therefore he chastised Me.
"You are a fool," he said.
"You are not qualified to study Vedanta phi l osophy, and therefore You must
always chant the holy name of Krsna. Thi s i s the essence of all mantras or Vedic
hymns. Simply by chanting the hol y name of Krsna one can obtain freedom from
material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one wil l be
able to see the lotus feet of the Lord. I n t hi s age of Kali there is no other rel i gi ous
principle than the chanting of the hol y name, which i s the essence of all Vedic
hymns. Thi s is the purport of al l scri ptures. After describing the potency of the
Hare Krsna mahamantra, My spi ri tual master t aught Me another verse, advising
me to always keep the name withi n My t hr oat .
" In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is
no alternative for spiri tual progress than the holy name, the holy name, the hol y
name of the Lord."
Since I received this order from My spi ri t ual master, I
always chant the holy name, but I thi nk t hat by chanting and chanting the hol y
name I have been bewildered. Whil e chanting the hol y name of the Lord i n pure
ecstasy, I lose myself, and thus I laugh, cry, dance and sing just l ike a madman.
Collecting My pati ence, therefore, I began to consider that chanting the hol y name
of Krsna had covered all My spi ri tual knowl edge. I saw that I had become mad by
chanting the holy name, and I i mmedi ately submi tted thi s at the l otus feet of my
spiritual master.
"My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me> I have become mad
simply by chanting thi s mahamantra. Chant i ng the hol y name i n ecstasy causes
one to dance, laugh and cry."
When My spiri tual master heard all this, he smiled and then began to speak.
"It is the nature of the Hare Krsna maha mantra that anyone who chants it
i mmediately develops his loving ecstasy for Krsna. Rel i gi osi ty, economi c
development, sense gratification and l i beration are known as the four goals of li fe,
but before love of Godhead, the fifth and hi ghest goal, these appear as insignificant
as straw in the street."
C.C.Madhya 7.71-85
From the words,
"consider this verse and keep it around your neck," we can
understand that faith is nouri shed and grows by fol l owi ng scri pture. Accordi ng to
Mahaprabhu, scripture or Vedic scripture is the only authori t ative proof. Rul es of
logic and argument are no proof.
The self-evident Vedic li teratures are the highest evidence of all.
CC. Adi 7, 132
The conditioned soul cannot revive his Krsna consciousness by his own
effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Krsna compi led the Vedic l i terature and
its supplements, the Puranas.
I t is clear that there are two types of faith, komala sraddha (weak faith) and drdha
sraddha (firm fai th). Bhakti that ari ses from firm faith i s very strong and natural l y
intense. Mahaprabhu s views about this are expressed perfectly in the Sistastaka.
Concerning komala sraddha, Mahaprabhu said to Sanatana Goswami:
C.C.Madhya 20,122
If, by good fortune, a living entity devel ops faith in Krsna, he begins to
associate with devotees. When one i s encouraged in devoti onal service by the
association of devotees, one becomes free from all unwanted contami nation by
following the regulative pri nci ples and chanting and hearing. When one i s freed
f rom all unwanted contami nati on, he advances with firm fai th. When f i rm f ai t h i n
devotional service awakens, a taste for hearing and chanting also awakens. Aft er
taste is awakened, a deep attachment arises, and from that attachment the seed of
love of Krsna grows in the heart. When t hat ecstatic emoti onal stage intensifies, it
is called love of Godhead. Such l ove is life s ulti mate goal and the reservoir of all
pleasure.
C.C.Madhya 23.9-13
For a person with strong fai th, the scri ptural statements have no functi on, but for
a person of weak faith, there is not alternative but the scri pture and association of
devotees. For this class of faithful person i ni t i ation i s necessary. From the
authorized guru a devotee receives the conclusions of the scriptures and t he
mantra, and practices deity worship according the instructi ons of the guru. In thi s
way he progresses. For this type of person the dasa mula siksa (Ten Essential
Teachings) is important. One essential teaching is the authority or source of
knowledge, i.e. scripture. The ot her ni ne essentials are the conclusions stated by
the authority of scri pture.
The devotee with firm fai th, by chanting the Hol y Name wi th i nt r i nsi c fai th,
realizes spontaneously the ni ne essentials stated by the scriptures, by the mercy
of the Holy Name. I t i s not necessary for him to di gest the phi l osophi cal poi nts
raised in the scriptures. But those who have weak faith qui ckl y fal l from t he
devotional platform by bad association, if they do not have the backing of
scriptural authori ty. The Vedas, which di scuss brahman, are their source of
knowledge. As the Vedas, being vast in scope, have many prescripti ons for those
i nterested in frui tive action and i mpersonal realization, instructi ons for t he
devotee is not easy to extract. In order to cl early show the real meaning which i s
revealed here and there in the Vedas, the sattvika puranas have been given.
Among the sattvika puranas, the Srimad Bhagavatam is the best, most expli ci tl y
explaining the highest import of the Vedas.9 Thus the Bhagavatam and the
Pancaratra scriptures, which confirm the same conclusi ons, are counted as
authoritative knowl edge.
The Vedic literatures give information about the l i ving enti ty' s
eternal relationship with Krsna, which i s called sambandha. The l i vi ng enti ty s
understanding of this relati onship and acting accordingly is called abhi dheya.
Returning home, back to Godhead, is the ul ti mate goal of life and is called
prayojana. Devoti onal service, or sense activity for the satisfaction of the Lord, i s
called abhidheya because it can develop one s original love of Godhead, which i s
the goal of life. Thi s goal is the li ving entity s topmost i nterest and greatest wealth.
Thus one attains the platform of transcendental loving service unto the Lord.
C.C. Madhya 20, 129-
125
The relationship between the jiva, material nature and God is called 'sambandha' .
Actually Krsna is one, but he has two energies-material nature and the ji va. By a
t ransformation of the material energy the material worl d exi sts, and by
transformation of the j iva sakti, the ji vas exist. To again establish ones position as
the servant of Krsna is called fixing ones relationshi p.
In His original form the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of
transcendental opulences which are free from the contami nation of the materi al
world. It is to be understood that in all Vedi c l i terature the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is the ulti mate goal.
C.C.Adi 7.139
The Vedic literatures give information about the l i ving enti ty' s
C.C. Madhya 20. 129
eternal relationship with Krsna, which i s called sambandha.
In considering the relationship there are seven topics:
1. Krsna
2. Krsna's energies
W. jiva
5. jiva in the material realm
3. rasa
6. jiva in the liberated state
7. acintya bhedabheda
By thoroughly understanding these seven topics of scriptures, a person obtains
sambandha jnana.
By arrangement of sound is created a compositi on. The potency by which the
meaning of sound is grasped is called the abhidha potency of the sound or the
connotative power of the sound. By using the word "t en" wi t h "el ephants" we can
understand a certain number of elephants. Thi s di rect meaning is called
abhidheya. There i s another potency of words called "l aksana". In the phrase
"cowherds on the Ganga," since cowherds cannot stand on the surface of the
Ganga's water, by the l aksana sakti we understand that the cowherds are on the
bank of the Ganga. Wher e i t i s necessary to use the laksana sakti, the abhidha
sakti does not operate. Where the di rect meaning can be used, only the abhi dha
sakti functions.
In the Vedic literatures, the meaning taken by abhi dha, di rect connotati on, shoul d
be accepted. The di rect meaning of the Vedas is called abhidheya, that whi ch
should be known. Goi ng t hr ough al l the Vedas, the abhidheya the direct import-
of the Vedas is devotion to the Supreme Lord. Karma, j nana, and yoga have only
an indirect relation to the main purport of the Vedas. Therefore the main method
i ndicated in the scriptures for attaining the Lord is sadhana bhakti . Thi s i s the
eighth topic.
The means is directed towards a certain goal. Thi s goal is called the prayojana.
Krsna prema, the perfection of the j i va, i s the goal of bhakti and the ni nt h t opi c
discussed in the Vedas.
In teaching Sanatana, Mahaprabhu said,
I have described one s relation with Krsna in vari ous ways. Thi s i s
t he subject matter of all the Vedas. Krsna is the center of all activi ti es. Now I shal l
speak about the characteristics of devotional service, by which one can attain the
shelter of Krsna and His loving transcendental service.
C.C.Madhya 22.3-9
In this way, Mahaprabhu taught j aiva dharma, the consti tuti onal nature of the
soul, composed of sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana.
1 As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and
everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enl i vens the sense and limbs
of the body, simply worshi ppi ng the Supreme Personality of Godhead through
devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that
Supreme Personality.
2 If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and chanti ng
My glories, such a person, being neither very disgusted with nor attached to
S.B. 0.31.1%
material life, should achieve perfection through the path of l oving devotion to Me.
3 As long as one is not satiated by frui tive acti vity and has not awakened his taste
for devotional service by sravanam kirtanam vi snoh, one has to act according to
the regulative princi ples of the Vedic inj unct i ons. S.B.11.20.9
0 atho'yam brahma sutranam bharatartha vini rnayah
gayatri bhasyarupo'sau vedartha paribrmhi t ah
gratho'sthadasa sahasrahah srimad bhagavatabhidhah
sarvavedetihasaham saram saram samuddrtam
sarvavedanta saram hi sri bhagavatam isyate
tad rasamrta trptasya nanyatra syad ratih kvaci t
The Bhagavatam explains the meaning of Mahabharata and the brahma sutras. It i s
the natural commentary on the gayatri mantra and ful l of the i mport of the Vedas.
It composed of eighteen thousand verses. It is the essence of all the Vedas,
histories and the Vedanta. Satisfied with the nectarean taste of this work, one wi l l
have no attraction for anything el se. Ga r uda Pur ana
S.B.11.20.8
Part Three
Krsna, Krsna sakti and rasa
The eternal, blissful form of Krsna is the Supreme Lord. He is wi thout begi nni ng,
and He is the origin of all else. In the scri ptures He is called Govi nda. He i s the
cause of all causes.
0 Sanatana, please hear about the eternal form of Lord Krsna. He i s
Nanda Maharaja. Krsna is the ori gi nal source of everything and the sum total of
everything. He appears as the supreme youth, and His whol e body is composed of
spiritual bliss. He is the shelter of everything and master of everyone. The
original Supreme Personality of Godhead is Krsna. Hi s ori gi nal name is Govi nda.
He is full of all opul ences, and His eternal abode is known as Gol oka Vrndavana. 1
C.C.Madhya 20 .152-15%
It is possible for the jivas to realize the form of God, for God Hi msel f has given
man the ability to realize Him. By t hi s abi l i ty the el evated jivas can realize the
form of the Lord. Man has t hree means of realization: gross material organs of
knowledge, the subtle body or the mi nd' s comprehension power, and the abil ity of
the jiva to perceive spiritual matters.
The eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin are the five organs by which the external
world is understood. Thi s i s all material knowl edge. By contempl ati on,
remembrance, or meditation on obj ects of material knowl edge, only more materi al
knowledge, or at most, a perverted glimpse of spirit, i s possi ble. Thus two ways
of gathering knowl edge are material. I t i s not possi bl e to have realization of the
the Absolute Truth, devoid of dual ity but present in Vrndavana as the son of
form of the Lord, which i s purel y spi ri tual , by these bodily facul ti es. Unl ess a
person takes shelter of the faculties of the soul , spi ri tual vi sion of the Lord i s
i mpossible.2 People who try to see the form of the Lord by taking shel ter of the
material senses practice asana, pranayama, dhyana and dharana of the yoga system,
and by the process of negation, understand the Lord as the soul of the uni verse.
The final goal is a vision of the Paramatma. But by such acti vi ty, the perfect,
spiritual realization cannot be obtained. Al l t hat i s achi eved is fragmentary
r ealization based upon negation of material knowl edge. Those wi t h ext r eme
negativity consider material f orm as abomi nable and imagine a forml ess,
unchanging existence of God; they attempt to realize Brahman. But act ual l y thei r
vision of brahman is only a show. 3
Mahaprabhu said the Sanatana:
There are three kinds of spiri tual processes for understanding the
Absolute Truth the processes of speculative knowl edge, mystic yoga and bhakti
yoga. According to these three processes, the Absolute Trut h i s mani f ested as
Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan.
C.C.Madhya
20.157
When one accepts Vedic literature by interpretation or even by
dictionary meaning, directly or i ndi rectl y the ul t i mate declaration of Vedi c
knowledge points to Lord Krsna.
C.C. Madhya
20.106
Thus, when a jiva desires to see the Lord, according to hi s qual i fi cati on, he sees
the appropriate form of the Lord. Accordi ngl y as one practices karma yoga, jnana
yoga or bhakti yoga, one will see paramatma, brahman or bhagavan. The wise call
t he non-dual spiri tual entity "t at tva" or absol ute truth.0 But thi s absolute entity i s
perceived differently by di fferently qual i fied i nstruments. Brahman, paramatma
and bhagavan are actually one enti ty, but the person thi nks the obj ect whi ch he
perceives to be supreme.
Bhagavan is Sri Krsna. Those who di sregard Krsna, thi nking hi m to be an ordi nary
mortal performing material activi ti es, have very meager understanding of spi ri tual
t ruth. Mahaprabhu taught Sanatana about Krsna as bhagavan, quoting from the
Bhagavatam.5
Only by devotional activity can one understand the transcendental
form of the Lord, which i s perfect in all respects. Al t hough Hi s form i s one, he can
expand His form i nto unl i mi ted numbers by Hi s supreme wi ll . The Supreme
Personality of Godhead exists in three pri nci pal forms svayam rupa, tadekatma
rupa and avesa rupa. The original form of the Lord i s exhi bi ted in two f orms -
svayam rupa and svayam prakasa. In Hi s ori gi nal form as svayam rupa, Krsna is
observed as a cowherd boy in Vrndavana. In Hi s ori gi nal form, Krsna mani fests
Himself in two features prabhava and vaibhava.
C.C.Madhya 20. 160-167
There are six types of incarnations of Krsna. One i s the i ncarnati ons
of Visnu, and another is the incarnati ons meant for the performance of pastimes.
There are incarnations that control the material qual i ti es, incarnations of the
Manus, incarnations in di fferent mi l l enni ums, and i ncarnati ons of empowered
living entities.
C.C.Madhya 20.295-296
The conclusion is that Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are simply
devotee incarnations who carry out orders. However, Lord Vi snu, the mai ntai ner,
is the personal feature of Lord Krsna. 6
C.C.Madhya
20.317
The six opulences, or bhaga are complete wealth, compl ete courage, complete
fame, complete beauty, complete knowl edge and compl ete renunci ati on. That
person who has all these qualities is called bhagavan. Kr sna i s svayam bhagavan,
because He reveals most completely all the qual i ties by His very nature. There i s
no entity equal to or greater than Krsna. He resi des eternally in Hi s ori gi nal form
in Goloka. Hi s di rect expansions or tad ekatma rupa, perform thei r acti vi ties by
His will. Mahavi snu is Krsna s first purusavatara. He l ies on the Karana ocean.
His partial expansions are Garbodasayi and Ksirodasayi Visnu. The avataras such
as Rama and Nrsimha are expansions from them. But Kr sna i s svayam bhagavan,
the source of the purusavataras. Though Kr sna i s supreme, he appears in the
material world as the son of Nanda, by his inconceivable power.
The brahman which is menti oned in the Upani sads is but Hi s ef f ul gence. 7 The
paramatma which is menti oned in the Upani sads and the Yoga scriptures is one
part of Krsna8. There are many proofs for these two statements in the scriptures.
This cannot be understood by reasoning or l ogi cal rul es.
As the light spreads out from the sun, from Kr sna, endowed with al l wonderf ul
qualities, unlimi ted rays spread out in all di recti ons. Characteri zed by negative
attributes such as formlessness, those rays take the form of i mpersonal Brahman in
the hearts of men culti vating negation of material consciousness. Yogi s seek out
Paramatma, the expansion of Krsna, who creates and enters into the uni verse. The
object of worship for the less intell i gent men is but a transformation of materi al
sattva guna, which has qualities such as formlessness. Out of fear of contami nati on
by worship of human forms or material qual i ti es, the less intelligent resort to the
formless and unchanging concept, but by thi s they are deprived of Krsna prema.
By material conception, the pure dharma of the j iva becomes polluted. Those who
become attracted to Krsna's glories and beauty are saved from the negative,
i mpersonal mentality and see the kingdom of God. The j i va can by good fortune
attain this unl i mi ted happi ness, but a man whose i nt el l i gence is overcome by
material knowl edge cannot reach this spiri tual ki ngdom.
Though Krsna is eternally the l ord of Gol oka, by his i nconceivable power he
descends to the material worl d by hi s own wi l l al ong wi t h hi s resi dence, Vraja, and
yet carries out his activi ties in a pure, variegated way. The j iva can understand
these transcendental activities of the Lord by the pure vi si on of hi s soul , and not
by the material eye.9 Though Kr sna may become visible to the material eye by his
power, usually he remains invi si ble. As t he pasti mes of Krsna are eternal, not
polluted by material time and pl ace, they are visible only to the devoti onal eye of
the pure spirit soul, and held in the mi nd saturated with l ove. 10 As l ong as a
person tries to approach Krsna with pri de of material knowl edge, Krsna wil l
remain far away. When a person calls out to Krsna with a humbl e heart, he sees
Krsna and experiences the Lord s unl i mi ted bl i ss. Wi t h the appearance of genuine
faith, he loses his material pride and offensive nature. There is no room for caste,
birthright, material knowl edge, beauty, power, infl uence of material science,
position, wealth, or ki ngdom i n cul t i vat i ng Krsna consciousness. For t hi s reason
understanding of Krsna remains far away from those who are proud of thei r
material status. Thus i t i s easy to understand why Krsna is di sregarded in the
modern worl d.11
The unfortunate position of science is that it tries to know t ruths whi ch are
beyond is scope. Though it has no qual i fi cation for spi ri t ual matters, it tri es
recklessly to understand, and ends up with wort hl ess conclusi ons and a depraved
mentality. Krsna gi ves his mercy when a jiva shows humi l i ty born of association
with devotees. This is his qualifi cation for spi ri tual matters. It i s i mpossi ble to
gain spiritual knowl edge by material i nt el l ect.12
Krsna's energies
Krsna s energies are unlimi ted. The meager knowl edge of the jiva can not even
understand what energies exist in the vari ous parts of the unl i mi ted uni verse. I n
the spiritual world, across the Viraja, exists Vaikuntha and above that, Gol oka
Vraja. In Vai kuntha four armed Narayana displays all majesty. In Gol oka, wi t h
the predominance of sweetness, all majesty is hidden.13 Krsna is the possessor of
all energies. He has one great energy, which is called maya in many pl aces in the
scriptures. Maya means the external mani festation of Krsna, by the defi ni ti on
"miyate anaya," "that by which thi ngs are measured". Krsna cannot be
understood except through the agency of maya. Learned men di vide Krsna' s
energy into the superior, spiri tual energy (cit sakti ) and i nf eri or or mat eri al
energy (maya sakti). Act ual l y the superior energy is the inconceivable energy. The
i nferior energy is its shadow. That i nf er i or energy is the control ler of the
material universe. 1% The maya sakti which i s condemned i n spi ri t ual di scussions
is this inferior energy, not the spiri tual energy.
Lord Krsna naturally has three energetic transformati ons, and these
are known as the spiri tual potency, the li ving entity pot ency and the i l l usory
potency.
C.C.Madhya 20.111
Krsna has unlimi ted potencies, out of which three are chief-
willpower, the power of knowl edge and the creative energy.
C.C.Madhya
20.252
The Supreme Personality of Godhead in Hi s ori gi nal form i s ful l of
assumes three different forms. The t hree porti ons of the spi ri tual potency are
called hladini, sandhini and samvit. We accept knowl edge of these as full
knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The spi ri t ual potency of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead also appears in three phases internal, marginal
and external. These are all engaged in His devoti onal service in love.
eternity, knowl edge and bliss. The spi ri t ual potency in these three porti ons
C.C.Madhya 20. 158-160
This means that Krsna has one personal energy called svarupa sakti or para sakti.
This para sakti has three vibhavas, three prabhavas and three anubhavas by Krsna's
will. 15 The three vibhavas are the cit sakti, j i va sakti and maya sakti . The t hree
prabhavas are the iccha sakti, kriya sakti and jnana sakti. The three anubhavas are
sandhini, hladini and samvi t.
By the influence of the iccha sakti (Supreme Wi l l ), the ci t sakti mani fests Goloka,
Vaikuntha and other pl aces of the Lord' s pastimes, Krsna's names, the Lord' s
various two handed or four handed or six handed forms, the pastimes with hi s
associates in Goloka, Vrndavana, and Vaikuntha, and spi ri tual qual i ties such as
mercy, forgiveness, and generosity. By the infl uence of the j nana sakti, the ci t
sakti produces various perceptions: aisvarya, madhurya, and beauty of the spiri tual
world. Krsna al one possesses the iccha sakti. The control l er of the j nana sakti is
Vasudeva and the control ler of the kriya sakti is Baladeva, or Sankarsana. By the
i nfluence of the iccha sakti, jnana sakti and kriya sakti upon the j i va sakti , t he
forms of eternal associates, devatas, men, demons and raksasas appear. By the
influence of Krsna's kriya sakti, the Lord' s activi ties become manifest.
Within the cit sakti, the sandhi ni , samvit and hl adini sakti s combine to produce
t he distinctive ecstasies of prema. Thi s energy is unl i mi ted and endl ess. Al l t he
activities of the cit sakti are eternal.
Although there is no question of creation as far as the spiritual
of Sankarsana. The spiri tual worl d i s the abode of the pastimes of the eternal
spiritual energy.
world is concerned, the spiri tual worl d i s nonethel ess manifest by the supreme wil l
C.C.Madhya 20.257
By the agency of the material energy, this same Lord Sankarsana creates all
the universes. The dul l material energy known in modern l anguage as nature is
not the cause of the material uni verse. Wi t hout t he Supreme Personality of
Godhead's energy, dull matter cannot create the cosmic manifestation. It s power
does not arise from the material energy itself but is endowed by Sankarsana. Dul l
matter alone cannot create anything. The mat erial energy produces the creation by
the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I ron i t sel f has no power to
burn, but when i ron i s pl aced in fi re, it is empowered to burn.
C.C.Madhya 20.259-261
Another name of the shadow energy is material nature. The kr i ya sakti i s al so
called sankarsana sakti. The transi tory transformation of maya sakti is the material
world. The j i va sakti wi l l be more cl early del i neated in the next chapter.
Rasa
Krsna is the embodiment of rasa. That i s the statement of the Vedas. One can
appreciate the nature of rasa by consulting the seventh part of fi rst chapter. Words
are material and therefore whatever is said, even with great care, is bound to have
material connotati on. If the reader is endowed with faith however, the
transcendental rasa will appear in his heart. Thi s wi l l ari se through association
and good fortune. It cannot arise through reasoning. And by bad association, a
material conception of rasa ( as with sahajiyas), will l ead to the downfal l of the
inquisitive. The nature of rasa must be understood with great care.
Krsna Himself, endowed with si xty f our t ranscendental quali ti es, is the perfect
embodiment of cont i nuous rasa.16 Of these fifty qual i ties are present in small
amount in the ji vas. These fifty qual i ties and an addi ti onal five qual i ties are
present in Siva, Brahma, Ganesa, Surya and other devatas. For that reason, though
they are not God, they are also called isvara or Lord. These fifty-five quali ties and
an additional five are present in ful l ness in Narayana and the avataras. These sixty
qualities and an additi onal four extraordi nary qual i ties are present in Krsna. For
this reason Krsna is the Supreme Lord, the Supreme possessor of power.
All the variety existing in the svarupa sakti become personified forms who assist in
the santa, dasya, vatsalya, sakhya and madhurya rasas. The embodi ment of
hladini, Radha, is the pri nci pal personali ty. Though thi s rasa is present in Gol oka
Vraja, by Krsna s will, yogamaya, the cit sakti, mani fests this same rasa perfectly in
the Vraja of the material world. But t hose whose intel l i gence cannot surpass
material qualities, not being able to appreciate or understand the transcendental
nature of rasa, will di sregard it.
As Srimad Bhagavatam says, those who are filled with faith and describe or hear
about rasa quickly attain prema, the perfect stage of devotion, and become freed
from the material disease afflicting the heart. 17 This is Mahaprabhu s highest
teaching.
1 Lowest of all is located Devi dhama, next above it is Mahesa dhama; above
Mahesa dhama is placed Hari dhama and above them all is located Krsna's own
realm named Goloka. I adore the Pri meval Lord Govi nda, who has allotted thei r
respective authorities to rul ers of those graded realms. B.S. 5.93
2 When a diseased eye is treated with medi ci nal oi ntment i t graduall y recovers its
power to see. Simil arly, as a conscious living entity cl eanses himself of material
contamination by hearing and chanting the pi ous narrati ons of My gl ori es, he
regains his ability to see me, the absolute truth, in My subtl e spi ri tual form. S.B.
11.19.26
3 Therefore, control your speaking, subdue the mi nd, conquer the l ife air, regulate
the senses and through puri fied i ntel l i gence bring your rati onal facul ties under
control. In t hi s way you wi l l never again fall onto the path of material exi stence.
A transcendentalist who does not compl etely control hi s words and mind by
superior intell i gence will find that hi s spi ri tual vows, austerities and charity fl ow
away just as water flows out of an unbaked clay pot. Bei ng surrendered to Me,
one should control the speech, mind and l ife air, and then through l ovi ng
devotional intell i gence one will compl etely ful fil l the mi ssion of l i fe. S.B.11.16.92-
0 Learned transcendentalists who know the Absol ute Truth cal l thi s nondual
substance Brahman, Paramatma or bhagavan. S.B.1.2.11
5 All the above mentioned incarnati ons are either plenary porti ons or port i ons of
the plenary porti ons of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krsna is the ori gi nal Personality of
Godhead. All of them appear on pl anets whenever there is a disturbance created
by the atheists. The Lord i ncarnates to protect the theists. S. B.1.3.28
6 By his will, I create, Lord Siva destroys, and He himself, in Hi s eternal form as
the Personality of Godhead, maintains everythi ng. He i s the powerful cont rol l er of
these three energies. S.B. 2.6.31
7 I worship Govi nda, the pri meval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the non-
differentiated Brahman menti oned in the Upani sads, being differentiated from the
i nfinity of gl ories of the mundane uni verse and which appears as the indivi si bl e,
infinite and li mi t l ess truth. B. S.5.%0
8 You should know Krsna to be the ori gi nal Soul of all l i ving enti t i es. For t he
benefit of the whole uni verse, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an
ordinary, human being. He has done this by the strength of Hi s i nternal potency.
9 0 Vyasadeva, your vision is compl etely perfect. Your good fame is spotless. You
are firm in vow and si tuated in trut hf ul ness. And t hus you can thi nk of t he
pastimes of the Lord in trance for the l i beration of the people in general from al l
material bondage. S.B.1.5.13
10 Thus he fixed his mi nd, perfectl y engaged it by l i nki ng i t i n devot i onal servi ce,
without any ti nge of materiali sm, and thus he saw the Absolute Personality of
Godhead along with hi s external energy, which was under ful l cont rol . S. B.1.7.0
11 The intelligence of cruel-mi nded persons is blinded by false pride based on
great wealth, opulence, prestigious family connecti ons, education, renunci ati on,
personal beauty, physical strength and successful performance of Vedic ri tual s.
Being intoxicated with thi s false pride, such cruel persons blaspheme the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and His devotees. S.B.11.5.9
12 My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your l otus feet,
he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But t hose who speculate to
understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even
though they conti nue to study the Vedas for many years. S.B.10.10.29
13 0 supreme great one! 0 Supreme Personality of Godhead! 0 Supersoul, master
of all mystic power. Your pasti mes are taking place conti nuously in these three
worlds, but who can estimate where, how and when You are empl oying Your
spiritual energy and performing these innumerable pastimes> No one can
understand the mystery of how Your spi ri t ual energy acts. S.B.10.19.21
S.B. 10. 10.55
10 0 Brahma, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is wi t hout rel ation to Me,
has no reality. Know i t as My i l l usory energy, that reflection whi ch appears to be
in darkness. S.B.2.9.33
15 My dear Lord, in Your i mpersonal mani festation of Brahman there are always
two opposing elements knowledge and ignorance. Your mul t i energies are
continually mani fest, but the i mpersonal Brahman, which is undi vi ded, ori gi nal ,
changeless, unlimited and bl i ssful, is the cause of the material mani festation.
Because You are the same impersonal Brahman, I offer my respectful obeisances
unto You. S.B.%.9.16
16 B.R.S.2.1
17 Anyone who faithfull y hears or describes the Lord's playful affairs with the
young gopis of Vrndavana will attain the Lord s pure devoti onal service. Thus he
will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart. S.B.10.33.39
77
Part Four
Jiva, Conditioned and Liberated States
Mahaprabhu has himself explained this to Sanatana Goswami:
Krsna is the nondual Absol ute Truth, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Al though He is one, He mai ntains di fferent personal expansions and
energies for His pastimes. Krsna expands Hi mself in many forms. Some of them
are personal expansions, and some are separate expansions. Thus He performs
pastimes in both the spiri tual and material worl ds. The spi ri t ual worl ds are the
Vaikuntha plnaets, and the material uni verses are brahmandas, gigantic globes
governed by Lord Brahma. The l i vi ng ent i tes are divi ded i nto two categories.
Some are eternally liberated, and others are eternally condi ti oned. Those who are
eternally liberated are always awake to Krsna consciousness, and they render
transcendental loving service at the feet of Lord Krsna. They are to be considered
eternal associates of Krsna, and they are eterally enjoying the transcendental bliss
of serving Krsna. Apart from the ever-l i berated devotees, there are the conditi oned
souls who always turn away from the service of the Lord. They are perpetually
conditioned in thi s material worl d and are subjected to the material tri bul ati ons
brought about by di fferent bodil y forms i n hel l i sh condi t i ons. Due to hi s bei ng
opposed to Krsna consciousness, the conditi oned soul is puni shed by the wi tch of
the external energy, maya. He is thus ready to suffer the threefold mi seris-miseris
brough about the body and mi nd, the i ni mi cal behavi our of other l i vi ng enti t i es
and natural disturbances caused by the demigods. In t hi s way the condi t i oned
soul becomes the servant of lusty desires, and when these are not ful fi l l ed, he
becomes a servant of anger and conti nues to be ki cked by ext ernal energy, maya.
Wandering and wandering throughout the uni verse, he may by chance get the
association of a devotee physician, whose instructi ons and hymns make the wi tch
of external energy flee. The condi t i oned soul thus gets into touch wi th t he
devotional service of Lord Krsna, and in thi s way he can approach nearer and
nearer to the Lord.
C.C.Madhya 22.7-15
It is the living enti ty' s constituti onal posi tion to be an eternal servant of
simultaneously one and di fferent from the Lord, l i ke a mol ecular parti cl e of
sunshine or fire.
Krsna because he is the marginal energy of Krsna and a manifestation
C.C.Madhya 20. 108-109
To Rupa Gosvami:
In this universe there are limi tl ess living enti ties in 8.%00,000 species, and
all are wandering wi thi n t hi s uni verse. The l ength and breadth of the l i ving enti ty
i s described as one ten- thousandth part of the ti p of a hair. 1 Thi s is the ori gi nal
subtle nature of the li ving enti ty.
C.C.Madhya 19.138-139
To Sarvabhauma:
The Lord is the master of the potencies, and the living entity i s the servant
of them. That is the di fference between the Lord and the l i ving enti ty. However,
you declare that the Lord and the l i ving enti ties are one and the same. In
Bhagavad gita the living entity is established as the marginal potency of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet you say that the li ving entity i s compl etel y
different from the Lord.
C.C.Madhya 9, 162-3
The meaning of these statements is that Krsna, who is endowed with i nconcei vabl e
energies, by His wi ll , t hr ough Hi s ci t sakti , enj oys in two ways through his
personal expansions or svamsa and through hi s separated parts, vibhi nnamsas. He
expands himself as the caturvyuha and innumerabl e avataras as svamsa forms; He
expands himself as the sum of all j i vas as His separated parts. The expansion of
his svamsa forms is the activity of the cit sakti . Al l t hese forms are visnu tattva,
endowed with all power. Al l t hese parts obtain compl ete power from the compl ete
Krsna. Though one great candle lights up i nnumerable candles, it does not lose
any power, and yet the innumerable candles have the same power as the original
candle.2 All these forms are supreme, and do not suffer the results of karma; yet
though like Krsna they are of independent wi ll , they are subordi nate to Krsna' s
will.
Infinitesimal parti cles of the cit sakti, in the form of separated parts, are the jivas.3
They are also called the tatastha sakti. The tatastha sakti lies between the ci t sakti
and the maya sakti. Though the maya sakti is not i nt ri nsi c i n the j i va, due to hi s
minute nature and consequent weakness, the jiva becomes attracted to maya. It i s
from Krsna s inconceivable power alone that such an energy as the jiva is manifest.
Its cause is but Krsna s independent wi ll . The separated parts, all the ji vas, are
liable to suffer the results of karma.W As long as the jivas stay fixed in the service
of Krsna by their choi ce, they are free of maya or karma, but when by mi suse of
their free will , t hey desire to enjoy for themselves and they forget their i nherent
service to Krsna, theybecome del uded bymaya and cont rol l ed bykar ma. When
they realize that service to Krsna is their i nherent nature, they become free from
the bondage of karma and the affli ction of maya.5 Because their bondage exists
before entry into the material uni verse, their bondage is called "anadi," wi t hout
beginning, and they are called eternally condi ti oned. Those who are not bound
like this are called eternally li berated.
From the above facts, one can see a great difference between the natures of the
Lord and the jivas. The Lord i s the control ler of maya and the j i va is attracted to
maya and finally become bound up.6 Consi dering that the j iva is but a part of the
complete form of Krsna, one must concl ude that the parti cle or j iva is a different
entity from Krsna. Yet the jiva, being an energy of the Lord, must be considered as
non-different as well. Therefore Mahaprabhu gave the jiva an identity of di ff erence
and non-difference and taught the pri nci pl e of acintya bhedabheda. Gi vi ng the
examples of the rays of the sun and sparks from the fire he concl uded that the j i vas
are eternally different, but yet i nt egral parts of the Lord.
It is not possible to conclude that the j i va i s the Supreme Brahman or God by
occasional statements of the Vedas, such as "aham brahmasmi". Kr sna or Vi snu
tattva is the only Supreme Brahman. Because the jiva is a type of spiri tual or
conscious entity he can be called brahman. The brahman, Krsna's effulgence,
expands as paramatma in the material uni verse and as the impersonal, forml ess,
i mperceptible, unattainable, inconceivable brahman outside the uni verse. As
Krsna s inconceivable vibhi nnamsas, the jivas take up a variety for forms, such as
devas, humans, yaksas, raksasas, beasts, birds, insects, reptiles, and ghosts.
Among all the forms, however, that of the human is considered the best, for it is
most suitable for practicing devoti onal service. But even in human form, the j i vas
suffer hellish existence or enjoy heavenly delights. Forgetting Krsna, the ji va,
under the control of maya, seeks to fulfil l hi s desires.
The minute conscious particle, the jiva, is by nature the servant of Krsna, the
complete conscious being. Service to Krsna is the nature of the ji va. Forgetti ng
this eternal nature, the jiva remains in bondage. When the j iva remembers his
eternal nature he attains freedom. The i nherent power or sakti of the l i vi ng,
conscious entity, is also present in the tiny consci ous ji va, but in mi nut e degree.
Therefore the jiva is almost wi thout power by hi s very nature. But i n the l i berated
state, the jiva gains the sakti from Krsna and to that degree becomes powerful .
Just by thinking hi msel f a spiri tual entity the j iva cannot obtain the power. Thi s
type of liberation is called ni rvana. By i denti f ying hi msel f as the servant of Krsna,
the jiva obtains power from Krsna and fi nall y at t ai ns eternal bl i ss. Fear, the by-
product of ill usi on, is removed compl etely.
The various forms that the condi ti oned j iva takes are but the result of i ndi vi dual
actions.7 The qualities of the material worl d are not the consti tution of the j i va. I f
one believes that the jiva is actually a product of maya, then one is a mayavadi.
The jiva is in reality a pure spiri tual enti ty, under the spi ri tual potency. But
because of the marginal nature of the ji va, the jiva has a tendency to become
bound by maya. But he i s onl y f orgetting the i nherent nature, service to Krsna;
the pure jiva s state, form and transformati ons are all spiri tua1.8 Bei ng of
infinitesimal nature, the jivas become bound by maya. First the subtle, mental
body covers the pure form, and then, when the time comes to act in the worl d, t he
gross body sui table to the action it deserves covers the subtle body. The subtl e
and gross forms are but abnormal condi ti ons i nduced by maya upon the pure
soul's form. There is thus some simi l arity between the two forms.
Earth, water, fire, air, and ether make up the gross body. Mi nd, i nt el l ect and fal se
ego make up the subtle body9. On removi ng these coverings, the jiva attains
l iberation from maya. Then the j i va s spiri tual form i s revealed. The l i berated ji va
performs his actions through the senses of the soul. Eati ng, recreation, sexual
activities with women, excretory f unct i ons, si ckness, inj ury, and suffering due to
want, as found in the material world, do not exist in the spi ri tual body. These
activities affect only the gross body, but by thi nki ng t hat he is the body, the j i va
accepts all these activities and experi ences material pleasure and pain. 10
Though a person may be liberated, if he mai ntains pride in material knowl edge or
remains attached to negation of material existence, then he cannot attain a
spiritual body suitable for service to Krsna in the spi ri tual worl d.11 Li berat i on
achieved through devoti onal association gives rise to such a spiri tual body.12
Liberation due to association with j nani s is only a pretense of liberation. For t he
j iva, this is an unfortunate positi on.13 In thi s chapter the j iva s pure form, hi s
conditioned form and form i n l i beration have been discussed. What the j i va
should do and not do wi l l be di scussed elsewhere.
1 balagra sata bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca
bhago jivah sa vijneyah sa canantaya kalpyate
2 The light of one candle being communi cated to other candles, although it burns
separately in them, is the same in its qual i ty. I adore the Pri meval Lord Govi nda
who exhibits Hi mself equally in the same mobile manner in hi s vari ous
manifestations. B.S.5.%6
3 Among subtle thi ngs I am spi ri t soul , and of thi ngs that are diffi cul t to conquer I
am the mind. S.B.11.16.11
0 The bird who does not eat the fruits of the tree is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who by His omni sci ence perfectly understands His own posi tion and
t hat of the condi ti oned l i ving enti ty, represented by the eating bi rd. That l i vi ng
entity, on the other hand, does not understand hi mself or the Lord. He i s covered
by ignorance and is thus called eternally condi ti oned, whereas the Personality of
Godhead, being full of perfect knowl edge, is eternally li berated. S.B.11.11.7
5 Fear arises when a living entity mi si denti fies hi mself as the material body
because of absorption in the external, il l usory energy of the Lord. When the l i vi ng
entity thus turns away from the Supreme Lord, he also forgets his own
constitutional posi tion as a servant of the Lord. Thi s bewi l deri ng, fearful
condition is effected by the potency for i l l usi on, called maya. Therefore, an
intelligent person should engage unfli nchi ngl y i n the unal l oyed devoti onal service
of the Lord, under the gui dance of a bona fide spiri tual master, whom he shoul d
Svetasvatara Upanisad 5.9.
accept as his worshipable deity and as his very life and soul .
6 My Lord, by Your unbroken transcendental glance You are the supreme wi tness
of all stages of intellectual activi ti es. You are eternally l i berated, Your existence is
situated in pure goodness, and You are existent in the Supersoul wi thout change.
You are the original Personality of Godhead, full wi th si x opul ences, and You are
eternally the master of the three modes of material nature. Thus, You are always
different from the ordi nary l i vi ng enti t i es. AS Lord Vi snu, You mai nt ai n al l the
affairs of the entire uni verse, and yet You stand aloof and are the enjoyer of the
results of all sacrifices.
S..B. 11.9. 15
7 The material mind of men is shaped by the reactions of frui tive work. Al ong
with the five senses, it travels from one material body to another. The spi ri t soul ,
although different from thi s mi nd, fol l ows it . S. B. 11. 22.37
8 Having achieved this human form of l i fe, whi ch affords one the opportuni ty to
realize Me, and being situated in My devoti onal service, one can achieve Me, the
reservoir of all pleasure and the Supreme Soul of all existence, residing wi thi n t he
heart of every living being. S.B.11.26.1
10 An unintell i gent mi nd, fai l ing to di sti nguish hi mself from material nature,
thinks nature to be real. By contact with i t he becomes compl etely bewi l dered and
enters the cycle of material existence. S.B.11.22.51
Just as one may imitate persons whom one sees dancing and singing, simi l arly the
soul, although never the doer of material activi ti es, becomes captivated by material
intelligence and is thus forced to i mi t ate its quali ti es. S. B. 11.22.53
The soul s material life, his experience of sense gratification, is actually false, 0
descendant of Dasarha, just like trees' appearance of quivering when the trees are
reflected in agitated water, or like the earth's appearance of spinning due to one' s
spinning his eyes around, or l ike the worl d of a fantasy or dream. For one who i s
meditating on sense gratification, material li fe, although l acking factual existence,
does not go away, just as the unpleasant experiences of a dream do not. S.B.11.22
9 B.G.7.0-5
5W-56
11 I regret that during thi s l i fetime you wi l l not be able to see Me anymore. Those
who are incompl ete in service and who are not compl etely free from all materi al
taints can hardly see Me. S.B.1.6.21
12 And so, 0 Brahmana Vyasadeva, in due course of time I, who was ful l y
absorbed in thi nking of Krsna and who therefore had no attachments, being
completely freed from all material tai nts, met with death, as lightning and
illumination occur si mul t aneously. Havi ng been awarded a transcendental body
befitting an associate of the Personality of godhead, I quit the body made of fi ve
material elements, and thus all acquired frui t i ve results of work stopped.
13 0 lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and
penance to achieve the highest position may think t hemsel ves liberated, their
i ntelligence is impure. They fall down from t hei r posi ti on of i magi ned superi ori ty
because they have no regard for Your l otus feet. S.B.10.2.32
S.B.1.6.27-28
Part Five
acintya bheda abheda tattva
Krsna, his energies, rasa, the jiva in condi ti oned and l i berated state have been
discussed in previous chapters. In this chapter acintya bhedabheda will be briefly
discussed. First, Mahaprabhu s instructi ons on thi s matter wil l be gi ven.
In his Vedanta sutra Srila Vyasadeva has described that everything is but a
transformation of the energy of the Lord.1 Sankaracarya, however, has misled the
world by commenting that Vyasadeva was mistaken. Thus he has raised great
opposition to theism throughout the entire worl d. Accordi ng to Sankaracarya, by
accepting the theory of the transformation of the energy of the Lord, one creates
an illusion by indi rectly accepting that the Absol ute Truth i s transformed.
Transformation of energy is a proven fact. It i s the false bodily conception of the
self that is an illusi on. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is opul ent in al l
respects. Therefore by His inconceivable energies He has transformed the material
cosmic manifestation.2 Usi ng the exampl e of a t ouchst one, which by its energy
turns iron to gold and yet remains the same, we can understand that although the
Supreme Personality of Godhead transforms his innumerable energies, He remains
unchanged. Al t hough t ouchst one produces many varieties of valuable jewels, it
nevertheless remains the same. It does not change its original form.
C.C.Adi 7.121-126
When we speak of the Supreme as impersonal, we deny His spiri tual
potencies. Logically, if you accept half of the truth, you cannot understand the
whole.
C.C. Adi 7.100
To Sarvabhauma:
Vedanta sutra is the summary of all the Upani sads; therefore whatever
direct meaning is there in the Upani sads is also recorded in the Vedanta sutra or
Vyasa sutra. For each verse the direct meaning must be accepted without
interpretation.
To the sannyasis Varanasi:
C.C.Madhya 6. 133-139
The Vedic sound vibration omkara, the pri nci pl e word i n the Vedi c
literatures, is the basis of all Vedic vibrati ons. Therefore one should accept
omkara as the sound representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
the reservoir of the cosmic mani festation. It is the purpose of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead to present pranava as the reservoir of all Vedic knowl edge.
The words "tat tvam asi" are only a partial expl anation of the Vedic knowl edge.
Pranava is the mahavakya in the Vedas. Sankaracarya's followers cover thi s to
stress without authority the mantra "tat tvam asi." 3
C.C.Adi 7.128-130
Vedanta philosophy consists of words, spoken by the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Narayana in the form of Vyasadeva. The material defects of mistakes,
i llusions, cheating and sensory ineffi ci ently do not exist in the words of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Absolute Truth i s described by the
Upanisads and Brahma sutra, but one must understand the verses as they are.
That is the supreme glory in understandi ng. Sr i pad Sankaracarya has described all
the Vedic literatures in terms of i ndi rect meani ngs. One who hears such
explanations is ruined. Sankaracarya is not at fault, for he has thus covered the
real purpose of the Vedas under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
According to di rect understandi ng, the Absol ute Truth i s the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who has all spiri tual opul ences. No one can be equal to
or greater than Him. Everyt hi ng about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
spiritual, incl uding Hi s body, opul ence and paraphernalia. Mayavada phi l osophy,
however, covering His spiri tual opul ence, advocates the theory of impersonalism.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of spi ri tual potenci es. Therefore His
body, name, fame and entourage are all spiri tual . The Mayavadi phi l osopher, due
to ignorance, says that these are all merely transformati ons of the material mode of
goodness. Sankaracarya, who is an incarnation of Lord Si va, is faultless because
he is a servant carrying out the orders of the Lord.W But those who fol low hi s
Mayavadi philosophy are doomed. They wil l l ose all their advancement in spi ri tual
knowledge.
C.C.Adi 7.106-110
Pranava or omkara is an indi rect name of Krsna, the ori gi nal sound of the Vedas,
sabda brahma. The noun "pranava" is formed from the verb pranu (to sound)
made from the prefix pra (very much) and t he verb nu (t o prai se). Theref ore
pranava or omkara is the sound incarnation of the Supreme Brahman, the person
worthy of our praise and worshi p.
From omkara all the Vedas have appeared. Prana is the seed of the Vedas, the
mahavakya or princi pal sound. Al l ot her parts of the Vedas are particular
statements of relative value. Sankaracarya, the formul ator of mayavada phil osophy,
minimized the promi nent posi tion of omkara and procl ai med four specialized
statements as mahavakya: 1. aham brahmasmi (I am brahman) 2. praj nanam
brahma (brahman is knowl edge) 3. tattvam asi (you are that brahman) 9. ekam eva
advitiyam (There is only one existent being.)
Seeing a need to hide pranava, the seed of the Vedas, because it proclaims pure
devotion, Sankaracarya took other statements as the essence of the Vedas and
preached exclusive monism. He t aught that the condi ti oned j iva is simpl y an
illusion produced by maya, that the brahman is subjected to maya, and that
l iberation for the j iva is the absence of maya. By thi s phi l osophy the pure rel ati on
of jiva with the Supreme brahman becomes hidden. The i mport of al l the Vedas
has not been considered. Thus, Madhvacarya took other Vedic statements and
established an opposing phi l osophy, dvaitavad. However, because he did not
consider all the Vedic statements, the full rel ation of the j iva to the Lord was not
revealed. Ramanujacarya as well, in his vi si stadvaita phil osophy, did not show the
complete relationship. Ni mbar ka Swami , propounder of Dvai tadvai ta, preached a
somewhat incompl ete doctri ne. Vi snu Swami al so, in hi s suddhadvaita doctri ne,
left some ambiguity. In order to establish the eternal nature of prema, Mahaprabhu
gave pure, complete teachings about the relationship of j iva with the Lord t hrough
t he doctrine of acintya bhedabheda, and in thi s way del i vered the worl d from t he
darkness of mental speculation.
Mahaprabhu said that the only mahavakya is pranava. Its meaning is evident in the
Upanisads. What the Upanisads teach is perfectly sanctioned by Vyasa in the
Vedanta Sutras. The commentary of the Vedanta sutras is the Srimad Bhagavatam.
The first sutra teaches that the princi pl e of transformation is the truth. yat o va
imani bhutani jayante (Tai ttriya Upani sad) also supports this. The Bhagavatam
also establishes this truth. Fearing that wi th the pri nci pl e of transformati on, the
brahman becomes changeable, Sankara established vivarta-vada, the theory of
i llusion. This vivarta-vad is the root of all faul ts.
Parinama-vada, transformation through the Lord' s energies, is approved by all
scriptures and is the pri nci pl e of pure exi stence. If the eternal existence of the
Lord's energies is not accepted in parinama-vada, then the defects of the Lord
falling under il l usion and deteri oration of the Lord appear. But i f the eternal ,
natural, superior energy of the Lord is accepted, then there is no fault in pari nama-
vada.
The transformations of the Lord s energy, which give rise to the material uni verse,
are factual, but the Lord does not change. By transformation of the Lord' s
energies, the material world and the j i vas take their exi stence. Though gol d i s
produced from the touchstone, the touchstone remains unaffected. In t hi s
example given by Mahaprabhu, it is clear that Krsna's energies perform the
creation, whereas Krsna s remains unaffected. It i s all the transformation of Hi s
energies. By transformation of the cit sakti , the Lord' s dhama, name, form,
qualities, pastimes and the jivas as minute transformati ons exist. By transformati on
of the maya sakti, the material worl d (f ourt een worl ds) and the subtle and gross
bodies of the jivas appear. Thi s par i nama-vada is found everywhere i n t he
Vedanta Sutras and the Upanisads. The gradual evolution of mahatattva, ahankara,
ether, fire. air, water and earth is also pari namavada.
After all the efforts of advaitavada, what is left is an imaginary j iva and i magi nary
world, but in pure pari nama-vada, by Krsna s will, the material worl d and the j i vas
exist as true enti ti es. 5 T he wo r l d i s not i l l usi on, but t emporary, si nce by
Krsna's will it may di ssolve. Al t hough the Lord creates the world and enters into
i t, he remains eternally independent in hi s form as Krsna served by his spiri tual
energies.6 Only those who can understand thi s remarkabl e feature of the Lord are
able to taste the Lord s opulence and sweetness. This is the rel ation of the j iva to
Krsna.
The jiva s relation with the temporary worl d i s l i ke that of a traveler at an inn.
Yukta vairagya, the proper way to deal with the worl d, ari ses from a correct
understanding of the relation between jiva and the material energy. As l ong as the
correct understanding of temporary and permanent does not arise, the bound j i va
cannot perform proper acti vi ti es. Accor di ng to Lord Cai t anya' s doctri ne, the jiva' s
i dentity and di fference from the Lord, and the worl d s di fference and identity wi t h
t he Lord are both established as truth. Si nce thi s cannot be adjusted by li mi t ed
human reasoning, this eternal di fference and non di fference is called acintya or
inconceivable. Though i t i s i nconcei vable, logic and reasoning are not dissatisfied,
for it is reasonable that God can have inconceivable power. What ever i s
established by the Lord's inconceivable power, can only be understood by the
Lord's mercy. 7 The anci ent sages have taught that logic cannot be applied to the
inconceivable, for in i nconceivable matters, logic cannot be accepted as a proof. 8
Those who cannot grasp this are most unfortunate.
1 The blazing fire is different from the fl ames, from the sparks and from the
smoke, although all are inti mately connected because they are born from the same
blazing wood. S..B.3.28.00
2 After the incarnation of the fi rst purusa, the mahat-tattva, or the pri nci ples of
material creation, take place, and then time is mani fested, and in course of ti me
the three qualities appear. Nature means the three qualitative appearances. They
transform into acti vi ti es. Material activi ties are caused by the mahat-tattva s being
agitated. At fi rst there is transformation of the modes of goodness and passion,
and later due to the mode of ignorance matter, its knowledge, and different
activities of material knowl edge come into pl ay. S.B.2.5.22-23
3 From the beginning of creation, the three words om tast sat were used to
indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth. B.G.17.23
0 Padma Purana Uttara Khanda Krsna orders Siva:
svagamaih kalpitais trsna janan mad vi mukhan kuru
mam ca gopaya tena syat srstir esottarottara
In the future you shoul d create scriptures by which people wil l turn f rom me. I
will become hidden.
Padma Purana:
mayavadam asacchastrat pracchannam bauddham eva ca
mayaiva vihitam devi kalau brahmana murti na
The Mayavada philosophy is incorrect. It is covered Buddhi sm. It wil l be created
by me through a Brahmana in Kali yuga.
5 My dear Lord, devoti onal service unto You is the best path for self realization. I f
someone gives up that path and engages in the culti vation of speculative
knowledge, he will si mpl y undergo a troubl esome process and will not achi eve his
desired result. As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain
one who simply speculates cannot achieve self-realization. Hi s onl y gai n i s
trouble. S.B.10.10.0
6 S.B.1.9.3%
7 S.B. 1.9.3 1
8 acintya khalu ye bhava na tams tarkena yojayet
prakrtibhyah ruvam (>) yacca tad acintyasya laksanam
That which is inconceivable cannot be subject to logic. Those thi ngs beyond our
material experience are considered inconceivable.
naisa tarkena matir apaneya
The goal cannot be reached by logic.
Vedic statements
Part Six
Sadhana Bhakti
Seven of the topics of discussion were concerning sambandha or relati onship. By
that knowledge a person can understand that having forgotten his relati onshi p
with Krsna, he has fallen into the material ocean and is experiencing mi sery. To
extinguish this suffering a person must reestablish thi s rel ati onship. Then al l
suffering is finished and he experiences bliss. The j iva is an eternally perfect
spiritual entity, with factual bondage or suffering. The suffering occurs because of
the illusory identi fi cation of the body wi th self. Mi st aki ng a rope for snake and sea
shell for silver are two examples of il l usion menti oned i n the Vedas. not
understanding these examples properly the mayavadis mistakenly believe that t he
existence of the jiva is an ill usion of brahman. When a j i va, by the mercy of an
authorized guru understands that these two examples do not refer to the i l l usory
existence of the jiva but rather to the i denti fi cation of self with subtl e and gross
bodies, he is on the right course.
This is the difference between parinama (transformati on) and vi varta (i l l usi on).
When an object undergoes a change of form, it is called parinam or vi kara.
changing milk to yogurt by addi ti on of aci d cul t ure is a transformati on. When an
object does not exist, but another obj ect is mi staken for it, that is called vivarta,
i llusion. Though the snake is not present, by mi stake a person may think a pi ece
of rope to be a snake. Though si l ver is not present, one can mistake a piece of sea
shell for silver. To mi st ake one thing for another is vi varta bhrama. The j i va is a
pure spiritual enti ty. He i s not actually bound by maya, but when the i l l usory
factor becomes strong enough to create the illusion that the body is the self vivarta
bhrama takes place.l
This conditioned state of the jiva is the state of vivarta. How l ong does this il l usi on
l ast> When a person take instruction from a bona fide guru and fi rml y i dent i f i es
himself as servant of Krsna, the i l l usi on ends.2 Theref ore if a person gives up the
motive of liberation and performs devoti onal service, this il l usion wil l easily be
removed. Wi t h a mot i ve for l i beration he does not achieve his real nature, but
rather cultivates negativi ty.3 Bhakti i s the onl y means. Uni nf ormed peopl e reject
bhakti and take karma or jnana as the practice.W Though karma and jnana can be
to some extent practiced in a mi nor way, they can never be the main practi ce.5
Mahaprabhu said to Sanatana,
Devotional service to Krsna is the chief function of the l i vi ng enti ty. Ther e
are different methods for the l i beration of the condi ti oned soul karma, jnana,
yoga and bhakti but all are dependent on bhakti . But for devot i onal service, all
other methods for spiri tual self-realization are weak and insi gni fi cant. Unl ess one
comes to the devotional service of Lord Krsna, jnana and yoga cannot give the
desired results. Specul at i ve knowl edge alone, wi thout devoti onal service, is not
able to give liberation. On the other hand, even wi thout knowl edge one can obtain
liberation if one engages in the Lord s devotional service.
has forgotten that he is eternally a servant of Krsna. If the condi t i oned soul
The living entity is bound around the neck by the chain of maya because he
engages in the service of the Lord and si mul t aneously carries out the orders of hi s
spiritual master and serves him he can get out of the cl utches of maya and become
eligible for shelter at Krsna's lotus feet.
of the four social orders and four spi ri tual orders. However, if one carries out the
regulative princi ples of the orders but does not render transcendental service to
Krsna, he falls into the hel l ish condi tion of material l i fe. There are many
philosophical speculators belonging to the Mayavada school who consi der
themselves liberated and call themselves Narayana. However, their i ntel l i gence is
not purified unl ess they engage in Krsna s devotional service.6
The followers of the varnasrama institution accept the regulative pri nci pl es
C.C.Madhya 22. 17-29
Though karma yoga and jnana are menti oned as the practice in vari ous scriptures,
the less intelligent people do not take the fi nal concl usion of all the scri ptures but
establish these processes as the main one. Though men are of many types, they
can be classed as either inclined to enj oyment or renunci ati on. I n or der to at tai n
the next higher level a person performs sadhana. However thi s sadhana is
secondary, and cannot be called the main sadhana or abhidheya. The results of
these sadhanas are only one further step in progress. Consi dering the vastness of
the subject, these results are insignificant. Karma, yoga, jnana and their
subordinate methods cannot even give any result wi t hout some trace of bhakti.7 If
they have bhakti as their fi nal goal, they can yield some secondary results-
liberation cannot be attained by jnana alone. Sambandha jnana which has as its
object bhakti gives liberation as its first result. Bhakti easily gives this mukti as an
i nsignificant, inci dental frui t .
Dharma consists of the activities allotted to the four varnas and asramas. It is also
called traivargika dharma (artha, kama and dharma). Thi s t rai vargika dharma is
discussed in the Second Part of this book. Mahaprabhu has taught that men wi t h
attachment for worl dl y enj oyment get strength from the practice of these rules to
carry on comfortably the mai ntenance of body and fami ly. Those wi th too much
attachment are advised to follow the rules of varnasrama, and this wil l qual i fy
t hem for bhakti . But t hose people who practice varnasrama without maki ng
bhakti the goal go to hell, even though they fol low thei r prescri bed duti es.
In the third part of thi s book sadhana bhakti wil l be more el aborately described.
When vaida sadhana bhakti becomes pure, i t becomes qualified for practice of
prema. The l ove of the j iva for the Lord i s the eternal natural dharma of the j i va.
This is the real goal of life what is to be attained by the ji va. But i f t hi s obj ect i s
(already) eternally perfected, then how is it something to be attained by the j i va>
My dear Sanatana, please now hear about the regulative pri nci ples for the
perfection of love of Godhead, which is the most desirable treasure. The spi ri t ual
execution of devoti onal service. By thi s process, one can attain the hi ghest
activities of hearing, chanti ng, remembering and so forth are the natural
characteristics of devotional service. The margi nal characteristic is that it awakens
pure love for Krsna. Pure l ove for Krsna is eternally established in the hearts of
l iving entities. If i s not something to be gained from another source. When t he
heart is purified by hearing and chanti ng, the l i ving entity naturall y awakens.
C.C.Madhya 22. 109-107
Prema is a perfect object. When the j i va is under i l l usi on, the prema appears in
marginal form, not in its ori gi nal (svarupa) form. Sadhana bhakti s main
characteristics are the activities of chanti ng, hearing and remembering Krsna s
name, qualities, forms and pastimes.8 By performi ng thi s sadhana gradually
prema appears in marginal form, l ike a hi dden fi re. When the j i va fi nall y gi ves up
his subtle body and attains a spiritual body, prema appears in its ori gi nal form
(svarupa). Thus, Krsna prema is a perfect object, which is not born from practi ce,
but rather it appears in the pure heart by hearing and ot her devoti onal acti vi ti es.
It will be noti ced that sadhana is very necessary.
Sadhana bhakti is of two types: vaidhi and raganuga.
There are two processes of practical devotional service. one is regulati ve
devotional service, and the other is spontaneous devotional service. Those who
have not attained the platform of spontaneous attachment in devoti onal service
render devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiri tual master
according to the regulative pri nci ples menti oned in the revealed scriptures.
According to the revealed scriptures, this kind of devoti onal service is called vaidhi
bhakti.
C.C.Madhya 22. 109-110
When bound ji vas have great attachment for everything except Krsna, they have
l ittle room for attachment for Krsna. There is no option f or such j i vas but to
f ollow the inj uncti ons of scri pture. Thi s pr ocess is called vaidhi bhakt i .
Performing activi ties from the perspective of what is forbi dden and prescribed,
taking the scriptural authority as absolute, is the first step on the path of good
fortune. At thi s stage the stimulus for performi ng devoti onal service is the faith of
the devotee in the words of scripture. Accordi ngl y as this faith is at fi rst, tender,
then firm and fi nally deep, results will be reaped. When thi s faith becomes deep
(uttama), it transforms into steadiness, taste, attachment and bhava, by the
practice of worship in association of the devotees. The practi ti oner can then
understand that Krsna alone is the object of remembrance, and that He shoul d
never be forgotten. He understand that all rul es, positive or negative, follow from
the principal of always remembering and never forgetting the Lord. At t hi s stage,
the devotee rejects fanatical adherence to the inj uncti ons and prohi bi t i ons, and,
according to his quali fi cati on, gives up some of the i nj unct i ons, and begins to
practice some of the (previ ous) prohi bi t i ons.9 Mahaprabhu has given a description
of sadhana bhakti in the Cai tanya Cari t amrt a.
1.0ne must accept a bona fide spiri tual master. 2. Accept ini ti ation from hi m. 3.
Serve him. 9. Receive instructi ons from the spi ri tual master and make inqui ri es in
order to learn devotional service. 5.Follow in the footsteps of the previ ous acaryas
and follow the di recti ons given by the spi ri tual master. 6. 0ne shoul d be
prepared to give up everything for Krsna' s satisfaction, and one should also accept
everything for Krsna s satisfaction. 7. One must l ive in a pl ace where Krsna is
present a city like Vrndavana or Mathura or a Krsna temple. 8. One shoul d
acquire a livelihood that is just suffi ci ent to keep body and soul together. 9. One
must fast on Ekadasi day. 10. One shoul d worshi p dhatri trees, banyan trees,
cows, brahmanas and devotees of Lord Vi snu. 11. One should avoid offenses
against devotional service and the holy name. 12. One must give up the company
of nondevotees. 13. One should not accept an unl i mi ted number of di sci pl es.
1%.0ne should not parti ally study many scri ptures just to be able to give references
and expand explanations. 15. The devotee should treat loss and gain equally. 16.
The devotee should not be overwhel med by l amentati on. 17. The devotee should
not worship demi gods, nor should he di srespect them. Si mi l arl y the devotee
should not study or cri ti cize other scriptures. 18. The devotee should not hear
Lord Visnu or Hi s devotee blasphemed. 19. The devotee should avoid reading or
hearing newspapers or mundane books that contain stories of love affairs between
men and women or subj ects palatable to the senses. 20. Neither by mind nor
words should the devotee cause anxiety to any li ving enti ty, regardless how
insignificant he may be. Af t er one i s established in devoti onal service, the
positive actions are 1. heari ng, 2. chanting 3. remembering 0. worshi pping 5.
praying 6. serving 7. accepting servitorship 8. becoming a f ri end and 9.
surrendering ful ly. One shoul d also 10. dance before the Deity 11. sing before the
deity, 12. open one s mind to the Deity 13. offer obeisances to the Deity 1%. stand
up before the deity and the spiri tual master just to show them respect 16. foll ow
the Deity or the spiri tual master 16. visit di f f erent pl aces of pilgri mage or go see
the Deity in the temple. 17.circumambul ate the temple 18. recite various prayers
19 recite scriptures 20. chant softly 21. chant congregationally 22. smell the
incense 23.smell the flower garland 20. smell the scents offered to the Lord 25. eat
the remnants of food offered to the Deity 26. attend arati 27. attend festivals 28.
see the Deity 29. present what is very dear to oneself to the Deity 30. medi tate on
the Lord 31.serve the objects used in Krsna' s pastimes 32. serve tulasi 33.serve
vaisnavas 3W serve Mathura 35. serve the Bhagavatam 36. 0ne shoul d perform al l
endeavors for Krsna 37. One should l ook forward to Hi s mercy 38. One shoul d
partake of various festivals 39 associate with devotees %0. One should surrender to
krsna in all respects %1.0ne should observe particular vows l ike kartika vrata. W2.
bathing during magha W3. vaisakha krtya
One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad
Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worshi p the deity with faith and venerati on.
These five limbs of devoti onal service are the best of all. Even a sl i ght
performance of these five awakens love for Krsna.
Amongst all the sixty four types of devoti onal service, the nine processes
beginning with hearing are the chief, and all others are their assistants. The fi rst
ten items act as the entrance door to bhakti . The second ten i t ems are acceptance
of favorable actions and rejection of unfavorable actions. Such t hi ngs as
respecting the dhatri tree, asvattha tree, the cow, and brahmana are necessary for
social stability, but as well, they are favorable for the fi rst stages of devotional
service. As sadhana bhakti becomes mature, the last five items become
prominent.
In the practice of bhakti, there is a secret. Spi ri tual realizati on, devotion and
detachment from everything material these three increase equally with progress.
Where the opposite tendencies become apparent, one should understand and that
there is fault at the very root of the practi ce of bhakti . 10 There wil l be i nevi tabl e
fall down except for the mercy of guru and the association of devotees.
The Lord has said:
When one is firmly fi xed i n devoti onal service, whether he executes one or
many processes of devotional service, the waves of love of Godhead will awaken.
C.C.Madhya 22.139
For practicing single items of bhakti , Pariksit is famous for heari ng; Sukadeva is
famous for chanting; Prahlada is famous for rememberi ng; Laksmi is famous for
serving the lotus feet; Prthu is famous for arcana; Akrura is famous for offeri ng
prayers; Hanuman is famous as a servant; Arjuna is famous as friend; and Bali is
famous for surrendering his soul . Ambari sa is famous for performing many i t ems.
As long as material desire is present in the heart, a person performing sadhana
bhakti should fol low the i nj unct i ons of varnasrama. But one who gi ves up
material desires and practices sadhana bhakti according to the i nj unct i ons is free
from the obligations of serving varnasrama rules. 11
If a person gives up all material desires sand completely engages in the
transcendental loving service of Krsna, as enjoined in revealed scriptures, he is
never indebted to demi gods, sages or forefathers.
C.C. Madhya 22. 190
When a person attains the stage of desireless practice, he can give up dependence
on the rules, and not be tempted by prohi bi ted acti ons: it is not possible for the
pure devotee to commit si nful acti ons. If by i nadvertence he commits a sinful
activity, atonement according to the karma khanda is not necessary.12
Some people think that one must cul ti vate knowl edge and detachment for progress
in devotion, but thi s is mi staken. The Lord has said,
The path of speculative knowl edge and renunci ation is not very essential
for devotional service. Indeed, good equalities such as nonvi ol ence and mind and
sense control automatically accompany a devotee of Lord Krsna.
C.C.Madhya 22.105
Bhakti is an independent process. Knowl edge and detachment are activities whi ch
only serve devotion at a distance. 13 Nonvi ol ence, sense control, and ot her
scriptural activities are the natural associates of bhakti. But i t i s not necessary to
cultivate any of these independently of bhakti .
My dear Sanatana, I have now in detail described devotional service
according to the regulative pri nci pl es. Now hear from Me about spontaneous
devotional service and its characteristics. The ori gi nal i nhabi tants of Vrndavana
are attached to Krsnas spontaneously in devoti onal service. Not hi ng can compare
to such spontaneous devotional service, which is called ragatmika bhakti . When a
devotee follows in the footsteps of the devotees of Vrndavana, his devotional
service is called raganuga bhakti. The pri mary characteristic of spontaneous love
i s deep attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Absorpt i on i n Hi m i s
a marginal characteristic.
Thus devotional service which consists of raga is called ragatmika,
spontaneous loving service. If a devotee covets such a position, he is considered to
be most fortunate. If one fol l ows i n the footsteps of the inhabi tants of Vrndavana
out of such transcendental covetousness, he does not care for the inj unct i ons or
reasoning of sastra. That is nature of raganuga.
There are two processes by which one may execute this raganuga bhakti -
external and internal . When sel f-realized, the advanced devotee externally remains
like neophyte and executes all the sastric inj uncti ons, especially hearing and
chanting. However, wi thi n hi s mi nd, i n hi s ori gi nal puri f i ed self-realized positi on,
he serves Krsna in Vrndavana in his parti cular way. He serves Krsna twenty-four
hours, all day and night.
Actually the inhabi tants of Vrndavana are very dear to Krsna. If one wants
Vrndavana and constantly engage in devoti onal service withi n hi s mi nd. Kr sna
has many types of devotees some are servants, some are friends, some are parents,
and some are conjugal lovers. Those who are situated in one of these attitudes of
spontaneous love according to their choi ce, are considered to be on the path of
spontaneous loving service.
t o engage in spontaneous loving service, he must fol low the i nhabi tants of
If one engages in spontaneous loving service to the Lord, his affection
(priti) at the lotus feet of Krsna gradually increases. In the seed of affection, there
is attachment which goes by two names-rati and bhava. The Supreme Personality
of Godhead comes under the control of such attachment.
C.C.Madhya 22. 108-165
After showing the di fference between vaidhi and raganuga sadhana bhakti, the
Lord concluded his discussion of sadhana. In the fourth section wil l be found a
discussion of raganuga.
Some unknowledgeable people think that sadhana bhakti is not necessary. Some
prefer varnasrama and others prefer to rel ish prema. But f rom seeing the
i nstructions concerning bhakti , a gradual process is recommended and frui tf ul .
First a person should attain steadiness in good conduct by practi cing varnasrama.
Then he must progress to vaidhi bhakti . Fi nal ly, with prema, he reaches
perfection.10 Accor di ng to the amount of qual i f i cation of the i ndi vi dual , thi s
S.B.3.27.2-3
form of advancement may slightly change .
Some people think that if thi s process is followed, civi l i zed l ife and mai ntenance
will disintegrate. However i t i s si mpl y a cheating notion to thi nk t hat t he goal of
life is for farmers, clerks, and brahmanas to elevate t hemsel ves gradually to
higher positions in varna and asrama.15 Such a conception of occupati onal duti es
is in terms of material advancement alone, which cannot produce any progress for
the soul.
Mahaprabhu has gi ven i nstructi ons for surpassing such mat erial concepti ons of
life and easily attaining pure spi ri tual l i fe. Pr act i ce of varnasrama is for the
maintenance of the body. Practice of yoga is for advancement of the mi nd.
Sadhana bhakti is for advancement of the soul. Though the devotee may not be
expert at farming, f i ght i ng, or any material occupati on, he is expert in terms of the
real life of the human bei ng. A ki ng s mi ni ster may not be able to f i re the gun
expertly, but he can stil l act as the advisor for the soldi ers and make expert
arrangements for the war. Those who can see the elevated position of the
devotees is actually intel l i gent, and can obtain the mercy of the Lord. 16
1 When the soul is under the spell of material nature and false ego, identifying hi s
body as the self, he becomes absorbed in material activi ti es, and by the infl uence of
false ego he thinks that he is the propri etor of everythi ng. The condi t i oned soul
therefore transmigrates i nto di f f erent species of life, higher and l ower, because of
this association with the modes of material nature. Unl ess he is relieved of
material activities, he has to accept this position because of his faulty work.
2 With steady intell i gence you should develop unal l oyed devoti onal service by
careful worship of the spi ri tual master, and with the sharpened ax of
transcendental knowl edge you should cut off the subtle material covering of the
soul. Upon real i zing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you should then gi ve
up that ax of analytic knowl edge. S.B.11.12.20
3 One who desires some material benefit in exchange for devoti onal service cannot
be your pure devotee. Indeed, he is no better than a merchant who wants profi t i n
exchange for service. S.B.7.10.0
0 My dear friends, 0 sons of the demons, you cannot pl ease the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by becoming perfect brahmanas, demigods or great saints
or by becoming perfectly good in eti quette or vast learning. None of these
qualifications can awaken the pleasure of the Lord. Not by chari ty, austeri ty,
sacrifice, cleanliness or vows can one satisfy the Lord. The Lord i s pl eased only if
one has unflinchi ng, unal l oyed devotion to Hi m. Wi t hout si ncere devoti onal
service, everything is simply a show. S.B.7.7.51-52
5 Devotional service unto Lord Krsna is attained by chari ty, strict vows, austerities
and fire sacrifices, by japa, study of Vedi c texts, observance of regulative
principles and indeed, by the performance of many other auspi ci ous practices.
6 If any of the members of the four varnas and four asramas fail to worshi p or
i ntentionally di srespect the Personality of Godhead, who is the source of their own
creation, they will fal l down f rom t hei r posi t i on i nt o a hel l ish state of li fe.
S.B.10.07.20
S.B.11.5.3
7 Ritualistic ceremonies, regulative princi pl es, austerities and the practice of yoga
are all meant to control the senses and mind, but even after one is able to control
t he sense and mind, if he does not come to the point of medi tation upon t he
Supreme Lord, all such activi ties are simply labor in frustrati on. S.B.7.15.28
8 Hearing, chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qual i ti es,
paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Vi snu, remembering them, serving the l otus
feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worshi p wi th si xt een types of
paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming Hi s servant, considering the
Lord one s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Hi m these nine
processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life
to the service of Krsna through these nine methods should be understood to be the
most learned person, for he has acquired compl ete knowl edge. S.B.7.5.23-20
9 It is firmly declared that the steady adherence of transcendentalists to their
respective spiritual posi ti ons consti tutes real piety and that sin occurs when a
transcendentalist neglects his prescribed duty. One who adopts thi s standard of
piety and sin, sincerely desiring to give up all past association with sense
gratification, is able to subdue materialistic activi ti es, which are by nature i mpure.
10 Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other
things these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and
relief from hunger come simul taneously and increasingly, with each bi te, for a
person engaged in eating. S.B.11.2.92
11 0 King, one who has given up all material duties and has taken full shel ter of
the lotus feet of Mukunda, who offers shelter to all, is not i ndebted to the
demigods, great sages, ordinary l i vi ng bei ngs, relatives, friends, mankind or even
one s forefathers who have passed away. Since all such classes of living enti ties are
put and parcel of the Supreme Lord, one who has surrendered to the Lord' s service
has no need to serve such persons separately. S.B.11.5.%1
12 One who has thus given up all other engagements and has taken full shelter at
the lotus feet of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is very dear to the
Lord. Indeed, if such a surrendered soul accidentally commits some sinful
activity, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated withi n everyone s
heart, immediately takes away the reaction to such sin. S.B.11.5.%2
13 Therefore, for a devotee engaged in my loving service, with mind f i xed on Me,
the cultivation of knowl edge and renunci ation is generally not the means of
achieving the highest perfection wi thi n t hi s worl d. S.B.11.20.31.
19 In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activi ties of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and
the heart. By cul ti vating such knowl edge one gradually becomes advanced on the
path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed,
then real devotion and devoti onal service begin. S.B.3.25.25
15 Because of their uncontrol led senses, person too addicted to materialistic li fe
make progress toward hellish condi ti ons, and repeatedly chew that which has
already been chewed. Thei r i ncl i nat i ons toward Krsna are never aroused, either by
t he instructions of others, by their own efforts or by a combi nation of both.
S.B. 11.20.26
S.B.7.5.30
16 When a person is fully engaged in devoti onal service, he is favored by Lord,
who bestows His causeless mercy. At such a ti me, the awakened devotee gives up
all material activities and ri tual i stic performances menti oned in the Vedas.
S.B.%.29.06
Those who are interested in reviving Krsna consciousness and increasing their l ove
of Godhead do not like to do anything that is not rel ated to Krsna. They are not
interested in mingl ing wi th peopl e who are busy mai ntai ning thei r bodi es, eating,
sleeping, mating and defending. They are not attached to their homes, although
they may be householders. Nor are they attached to wi ves, chi l dren, fri ends or
wealth. At the same ti me, they are not indi fferent to the execution of thei r dut i es.
Such people are interested in collecting only enough money to keep the body and
soul together. S.B.5.5.3
Part Seven
prayojana
Sri Krsna Caitanya spoke to Sanatana:
Now hear, 0 Sanatana, about the result of devoti onal service, which
description, he will be enl i ghtened in the transcendental mell ows of devoti onal
service (rasa). When af f ection for Krsna (rati ) becomes deeper, one attains love of
Godhead in devotional service (prema). Such a posi tion is called sthayi bhava,
permanent enjoyment of the mel l ows of devoti onal service to Krsna.
is love of Godhead (prema), life s ultimate goal (prayojana). If one hears this
C.C.Madhya 23.3-9
The meaning of the Lord' s words is this: devoti onal in its fi rst stage of sadhana is
called bhakti and later when the sadhana yields its results, it is called bhava, and
finally it matures as prema. Sadhana bhakti conti nues up til l bhava, which i s also
called rati or pri tyankura, the sprout of l ove.1 The di f f erence between vaidhi and
raganuga is that vaidhi proceeds somewhat slower to bhava. Practice of raganuga
very quickly leads to the level of bhava.2 Faith, having surpassed steadiness
(nistha), takes the form of ruci i n the heart of the raganuga bhakta. Thus there is
no delay for that to mature i nto bhava.3
When the devotee achieves bhava, the following qual i ties become vi si bl e.
If love for Krsna in a seedling state has fructified in one s heart, one is not
agitated by material thi ngs. Not a moment shoul d be l ost. Every moment shoul d
be utilized for Krsna or connected with Hi m. i n t he mat eri al fi eld, people are
i nterested in material enjoyment, mysti c power and sense gratification. However,
these things do not appeal to the devotee at all. al t hough a devotee's standard is
above all, he still considers himself to be in the l owest stage of life. A ful l y
surrendered devotee always hopes that Lord Krsna wil l be kind to hi m. Thi s hope
is very firm in hi m. Eagerness is chiefly characterized by an ardent desire to
associate with the Lord. Due to havi ng great relish for the hol y name, one is
inclined to chant the hare krsna mahamantra constantly. A devotee has awakened
the tendency to chant and describe the transcendental quali ties of the Lord. He has
attachment for this process. A devotee absorbed in ectatic emotion for Krsna
always resides in a place where Krsna's pastimes were performed.
C.C.Madhya 23.20-39
If one reads the Fifth Chapter, one can understand all these teachings of the Lord.
The characteristics of prema are extremely di ffi cul t to di scuss. Thus Mahaprabhu
has said:
These are the symptoms of a person who has developed attraction (bhava)
for Krsna. Now let me describe the symptoms of a person who is actually elevated
to love of Krsna (prema). 0 Sanatana, please hear this from Me. Even the most
l earned man cannot understand the words, activi ties and symptoms of a person
situated in love of Godhead.W
C.C.Madhya 23.38-39
Prema is of five types: santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhura. Amongst
these, madhura prema and madhura rasa are supreme. In the madhura rasa the
devotee experiences the maximum extent of Krsna' s sweetness. 5 The devotee
situated in madhura rasa attains the highest perfection of prema.6 All si xty four
qualities of Krsna are present in the madhura rasa of Vraja, and thus infi ni t e
sweetness is experienced by the devotee of Vraja.
Mahaprabhu has spoken of Radha, the topmost devotee in this way:
Srimati Radharani has unli mi ted transcendental quali ti es, of which twenty-
five qualities are principal . Sri Krsna is control led by these transcendental
qualities of Srimati Radharani.
C.C.Madhya 23.86
Those alone who are fortune to be quali fied for madhura rasa can taste this rasa.
No one can understand it by l ogi cal thought. Thus the Lord sai d:
The exchange between Krsna and different devotees situated in di fferent
transcendental mellows is not to be experienced by nondevotees. Advanced
devotees can understand and appreciate the different varieties of devotional service
reciprocated with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
C.C.Madhya 23.99
After teaching Sanatana all of this, the Lord taught about rej ection of dry
renunciation and acceptance of yukta vairagya.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then tol d Sanatana Gosvami about proper
renunciation according to a parti cular si tuati on, and the Lord forbade dry
renunciation and speculative knowl edge in all respects.
C.C.Madhya 23.105
By reasoning and by interpretation of ambi guous Vedic statements some people
conclude that we are spirit, but due to the contact with material energy we have
l ost consciousness of thi s fact. How to become freed from the material worl d>
The body, house, and food are all materi al . How can we become free from these
material obstacles. Thi nki ng i n t hi s way, they smear ashes on their bodi es, wear
kaupinas, eat dry food, renounce wife and chi l dren. To give the i mpression that
they are renounced they give up the household and wander in the forest or l ive in
the asrama. Not consi dering what value such actions wil l do them, they i ndul ge i n
dry speculation, being indi fferent to the fact that real deliverance is caused by a
relationship with the Lord. Though they become free from sin and pi ety and
concepts of "me" and "mi ne, " t hey cannot r eal l y understand what benefit they
have attained. They pass their time in studying the statements of the Vedanta.
When they die, a few associates come and break coconuts on thei r heads and bury
t hem in the ground. What i s achi eved> They have not attained the Lord. Al l t hey
get is brahman. Al t ernati vely, if a person pl aces the Lord in the center of his l i fe
while caring for his body and house, whil e eating and sleeping, then he gradual l y
i ncreases his devotion to the Lord through hi s devoti onal practi ce; finally,
definitely, he achieves prema.7 Thi s type of renunci ation is called yukta vai ragya.
Mahaprabhu forbade Sanatana from practi cing dry renunci ati on, and taught hi m
yukta vairagya. To Raghunatha Das he said:
Be patient and return home. Don' t be a crazy fell ow. By and by you wi l l be
able to cross the ocean of material existence. You shoul d not make yourself a
showbottle devotee and become a false renunciate. For the time bei ng, enjoy the
material world in a befi tting way and do not become attached to it. Wi t hi n your
heart, you should keep yourself very faithful , but externally you may behave like
an ordinary man. Thus Krsna wil l soon be very pl eased and deliver you from the
clutches of maya.
C ..C.Madhya 126.237-239
I f a person can carry on his household duties wi thout attachment and worshi p the
Lord with i nner steadiness, gradually the material worl d wi l l f al l away. By
devotion, the soul becomes stronger and establishes a relation with the Lord. 8
The alternative is to reject the gradual process and become a false renunciate, but
this leads to degradation of the soul . To accept necessary objects, means not to
accept objects for sense gratification or pl easure, but to accept them onl y for
establishing a relationship of the soul with the Lord. Bei ng merci f ul , these objects
themselves will release the non-material soul . The body, house and obj ects meant
for worship can all be used in yukta vai ragya. Al l t hat i s necessary is the internal
steadiness of the devotee to achieve success. An ext ernal show of steadiness is
only for others to see. If there is internal devotion and steadiness, very quickly the
bondage of the material worl d wi l l di sappear. Pure knowl edge and pure
detachment will certai nly i ncrease to the extent that devotion i ncreases.
Taking shelter of the holy name of Krsna is the ul ti mate practice for the real
devotee.9 Sri Caitanya spoke to Sanatana:
Among the ways of executing devoti onal service, the nine prescribed
ecstatic love for Him. Of the ni ne processes of devotional service, the most
i mportant is to always chant the holy name of the Lord. I f one does so, avoiding
the ten kinds of offenses, one very easily obtains the most valuable love of
Godhead.
methods are the best, for these processes have great potency to deliver Krsna and
C.C.Madhya Antya 9.70-71
Give up all your nonsensical desires, for they are unfavorable for getting
shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna. Engage yourself in chanting and heari ng. Then
you will soon achieve the shelter of Krsna wi thout a doubt . A per son born i n a
l ow family is not unfi t for di scharging devoti onal service to Lord Krsna, nor is one
fit for devotional service simply because he is born in an ari stocratic family of
brahmanas.10 Anyone who t akes to devoti onal service is exalted, whereas a
nondevotee is always condemned and abomi nable. Therefore in the di scharge of
devotional service to the Lord, there is no consideration of the status of one s
family. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna is always favorable to the
humble and meek, but aristocrats, learned scholars and the wealthy are always
proud of their posi ti ons.
C.C.Madhya Antya %.65-68
This means that if a person has faith in the Lord, he wil l t ake chant i ng the Lord s
name in association of devotees. He will not di stract his mind wi t h at t empts at
karma or jnana. He wi l l constantl y chant the si xteen names of Krsna whi l e
counting. He wi l l mai nt ai n body, house and society to the extent that they can be
favorable for cultivating the Name, and wil l of fer them all i n the service of Krsna
He will not labor in any other di recti on, and even here he wil l not overendeavor
He will not i ndul ge in pl easurable objects or delici ous food. He wi l l mai nt ai n hi s
body on sattvika food so that the senses, mind and internal mental facul ties will e
not be disturbed or destroyed.11 Not bei ng over ambi ti ous in hi s pl ans he wi l l
reside in a solitary place. Staying in association with those who can nurt ure
devotion, he carefully progresses. The purpose of all these activities is to attain
fixed chanting of the name, with no anxi eti es.12 This person wil l rej ect compl etely
association with women and persons who associate with women, and he wil l be
careful not to associate with materi ali sts. 13 He will give up useless discussion,
and consider himself as the most fallen. Being tol erant, he wil l endure everythi ng
and give benefit to the world. He i s not proud of hi s caste, wealth, foll owers,
beauty, strength, knowl edge or posi ti on, and he respects all others in a proper
way.19 Living in thi s way, he wil l constantly chant the Lord s name with devoti on
in this way, by Krsna's mercy he will attain pure prema. Dharma, artha, kama and
moksa will serve this devotee. 15
If there is some desire in the heart, then the devotee should conti nue hi s chanti ng
humbly recognizing it yet detesting it. I n a short t i me the Lord wi l l come i nt o t he
heart, purify it of all desire, and accept the devotee's love. 16
In Lord Caitanya's teachings there are only two concepts: taste for the name and
mercy to the jivas. A person is a devotee to the extent that these two qual i ties are
present. 17 It is not necessary to labor for any other qual i ti es. The quali ties of the
devotee spontaneously appear, 18and the devotee naturally reli shes acting for the
benefit of a11.19 When a jiva becomes the servant of Krsna, sorrow no l onger
exists.20 The devotee is careful to associate with the guru and others of the same
category at the appropri ate time.21 The l i fe of an advanced devotee is very pure.
His taste is always pure. 22 Mahaprabhu taught Raghunatha this briefly .
Smiling, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu tol d Raghunatha dasa,
"I have already
appointed Svarupa Damodara Gosvami as your instructor. You may l earn from
him what your duty i s and how to di scharge it. I do not know as much as he.
Nevertheless, if you want to take instructi ons from Me, wi th f ai th and l ove you
may ascertain your duties from the fol l owi ng words. Do not t al k l i ke peopl e i n
general or hear what they say. You shoul d not eat very palatable food, nor shoul d
you dress very nicely. Do not expect honor, but offer all respect to others. Al ways
chant the holy name of Lord Krsna, and wi thi n your mi nd render service to Radha
and Krsna in Vrndavana. I have bri efl y gi ven you My i nst ruct i ons. Now you wi l l
get all details about them from Svarupa Damodara.
C.C.Antya 6.233.238
In these instructions the Lord hi nt ed i n a covered way the mental worshi p of
Krsna at eight times of the day. El sewhere i nst ruct i ons t o Svarupa Damodara wi l l
be given, but the devotes should be careful to be quali fied for such teachings.
The mentality during vai dhi bhakti of excl usive cul ti vation of devotion wi t h t he
aim of achieving bhava bhakti, and the mental ity dur i ng bhava bhakti of i nt ense
cultivation wi t h the ai m of achi eving prema, is called nirbandhini mati or
undivided attenti on. I f such concentration exi ts, then very qui ckl y t he devot ee
attains perfection. In ot her words the devotee must make an effort
corresponding to the goal he wi shes to achieve. 23 From the very beginning of
practice, the devotee must adopt this concentrated attenti on, and shoul d beware of
giving it up due to i nattenti on.
1 One should learn how to associate with the devotees of the Lord by gatheri ng
with them to chant the gl ories of the Lord. t hi s process is most puri fyi ng. As
devotees thus develop their loving fri endship, they feel mutual happi ness and
satisfaction. And by t hus encouraging one another they are able to give up
material sense gratification, which is the cause of all suffering. The devotees of the
Lord constantly discuss the glories of the Personality of Godhead among
themselves. Thus they constantly remember the Lord and remind one another of
His qualities and pastimes. In this way, by their devotion to the pri nci pl es of
bhakti yoga, the devotees please the Personality of Godhead, who takes away from
them everything inauspi ci ous. Being puri f i ed of all i mpedi ments, the devotees
awaken to pure love of God, and thus, even wi thi n thi s worl d, thei r spi ri t ual i zed
bodies exhibit symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, such as standing of the bodi l y
hairs on end. S.B.11.3.30-31
2 One who constantly hears and chants the holy name of the Lord and hears and
chants about His activi ties can very easily attain the pl atform of pure devoti onal
ceremonies. S.B.6.3.32
service, which can cleanse the dirt from one' s heart. One cannot achi eve such
purification merely by observing vows and performing Vedi c ri tual i sti c
3 The inhabitants of Vrndavana, incl uding the gopis, cows, unmoving creatures
such as the twin arj una trees, animals, living enti ties with stunted consciousness
such as bushes and thickets, and snakes such as Kaliya, all achieved the perfection
of life by unalloyed love for Me and thus very easily achieved Me. Even though one
engages with great endeavor in the mystic yoga system, phil osophi cal speculation,
charity, vows, penances, ritualistic sacrifices, teaching of Vedic mantras to others,
personal study of the Vedas, or the renounced order of l i fe, still one cannot achieve
0 Having achieved love of Godhead, the devotees sometimes cry out l oud,
absorbed in thought of the i nfal l i bl e Lord. Somet i mes they laugh, feel great
pleasure, speak out loud to the Lord, dance or sing. Such devotees, having
transcended material condi ti oned l i fe, sometimes imi tate the unborn Supreme by
acting out His pastimes. And someti mes, achieving His personal audience, they
remain peaceful and silent. S.B.11.3.32
5 0 King, the Supreme Lord is inexhausti ble and i mmeasurable, and He is
untouched by the material modes because He is their control l er. Hi s personal
appearance in this worl d is meant for bestowing the hi ghest benefit on humani t y.
Persons who constantly di rect their l ust, anger, fear, protective affection, feeling of
impersonal oneness or friendship toward Lord Hari are sure to become absorbed
in thought of Him. S. B.10.29.19-15
6 As chaste women bring their gentle husbands under control by servi ce, the pure
devotees, who are equal to everyone and compl etely attached to Me in the core of
the heart, bring Me under thei r ful l cont rol . S.B.9.9.66
7 Having awakened faith in the narrati ons of My gl ori es, being disgusted with al l
material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery, but sti l l
being unable to renounce all sense enjoyment, My devotee should remain happy
and worship Me with great faith and convi cti on. Even t hough he i s someti mes
engages in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to
a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activi ti es. When an i nt el l i gent
person engages constantly in worshi pping Me through l ovi ng devoti onal service as
described by Me, his heart becomes firmly si tuated in Me. Thus all material desires
within the heart are destroyed. The knot in the heart is pi erced, all mi sgivi ngs are
cut to pieces and the chain of frui t i ve acti ons is termi nated when I am seen as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. S.B.11.10.27.30
8 All occupational engagements are certainly meant for ul t i mate l i berati on. They
should never be performed for material gain. Fur t hermore, according to sages,
one who is engaged in the ul ti mate occupati onal service should never use material
gain to cultivate sense gratification. Life s desires should never be directed toward
sense gratification. One shoul d desire only a healthy l i fe, or self-preservation,
since a human being is meant for i nqui ry about the Absol ute Truth. Not hi ng el se
should be the goal of one's work. S.B.1.2.9-10
9 0 King, constant chanting of the hol y name of the Lord after the ways of the
great authorities is the doubtl ess and fearless way of success for all, incl udi ng
those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material
Me. S.B.11.12.8-9
enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental
knowledge.S.B.2.1. 11
10 To hell with our t hreefold bi rth, our vow of cel i bacy and our extensive
l earning. To hel l wi t h our ari st ocratic background and our expertise in the ri tual s
of sacrifice. These are all condemned because we were inimi cal to the
transcendental Personality of Godhead. S.B.10.23.90
11 A learned sage should take his satisfaction in the si mpl e mai ntenance of his
existence and should not seek satisfaction through grati fying the material senses.
In other words, one should care for the material body in such a way that one' s
higher knowl edge is not destroyed and so that one's speech and mind are not
deviated from self-realization. S.B.11.7.39
Food what is wholesome, pure and obtained wi thout di f f i cul ty i s i n the mode of
goodness, food that gives immedi ate pleasure to the sense is in the mode of
passion, and food that is uncl ean and causes distress is in the mode of ignorance.
Residence in the forest is in the mode of goodness, residence in a town is in the
mode of passion, residence in a gambling house displays the quality of i gnorance,
and residence in a place where I reside is transcendental. S.B.11.25.25
12 An intelligent person does not take interest in a place, even in the topmost
planetary system, if the pure Ganges of topics concerning the Supreme Lord' s
activities does not flow there, if there are not devotees engaged in service on the
banks of such a river of pi ety, or if there are no festivals of sankirtana yajna to
satisfy the Lord. S.B.5.19.20
13 Among all the attractions of material enjoyment, the attraction of ri ches
bewilders one s intelligence more than having beautiful bodil y features, taking
birth in an aristocratic fami ly, and being learned. When one i s uneducated but
falsely puffed up by weal th, the result is that one engages his wealth in enj oyi ng
wine, women and gambl i ng. Unabl e to control thei r senses, rascals who are falsely
proud of their ri ches or their bi rth i n ari stocratic fami l ies are so cruel that to
maintain their peri shable bodies, which they think wi l l never grow ol d or di e, they
kill poor animals wi thout mercy. l Someti mes they kil l ani mal s merely to enjoy an
S.B. 11.25.28
excursion.
S.B. 10. 10.8-9
1% Sistastaka 3
15 Krsna Karnamrta
16 Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma in everyone' s
heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material
enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear Hi s
messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.
S.B.1.2. 17
17 Sudama chose unshakable devotion for Krsna, the Supreme Soul of all
existence; friendship with Hi s devotees; and transcendental compassion for all
living beings. S.B.10.91.51
18 All the demigods and their exalted quali ti es, such as religion, knowl edge and
renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unall oyed
devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. S.B.5.18.12
19 It is the duty of every li ving being to perform wel fare activi ties for the benefit of
others with his li fe, wealth, i ntel l i gence and words. S.B.10.22.35
20 My dear Lord Krsna, unti l people become Your devotees, their material
attachments and desires remain thi eves, their homes remain pri sons, and their
affectionate feelings for their famil y members remain foot-shackles. S.B.10.19.36
How can persons completely under the shelter of Lord Krsna in devoti onal service
be put into mi series pertaining to the body, the mi nd, nat ure, and other men and
living creatures> S.B.3.22.37
21 One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and
death should never become a spi ri t ual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a
worshipable demigod. S.B.5.5.18
22 ...One should mold hi s l ife in such a way that he cannot l ive in peace without
drinking the nectar of the glori fi cation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Hari. One can be thus elevated by being disgusted with the taste for sense
enjoyment. S.B.<.22.23
23 sad dharmasyavabodhaya yesam nirbandhini mati h
acirad eve sarvarthah sidhyaty esam abhipsitah
Those who are anxious to awaken their spi ri tual consci ousness, who have
unflinching i ntel l i gence and who are not devi ated, certainly attain the desired goal.
Narada Purana, quoted in C.C.Madhya 20.170
Chapter Two
Secondary Rules
Part One
Introduction
The first section expl ai ned about bhakti , whi ch i s the abhi dheya or the onl y
means to attain prema. It was also shown that karma and j nana are not di rect
means, though they have a role to play. Karma and j nana may be designated as
secondary means, whereas hearing and chanting are primary means. Though
secondary, they may be called the means for those jivas deeply bound by maya.l
Jnana and karma are secondary means and bhakti is the pri nci pal means. Jnana
and karma help in the process of bhakti, and bhakti produces prema. The
relationship wil l be di scussed later. In as much as karma and jnana can make the
body, mind and envi ronment favorable for bhakti , they can be accepted as means;
otherwise they are condemned in the scri ptures as materialistic endeavors. Af t er
describing the secondary rul es, the conclusion wil l be presented.
The secondary rules are of three types: rules regarding self; rules regarding society;
rules regarding afterlife. Rules regarding the self are of two types: those for body
and those for mind. Those rul es to keep a man's body properly nouri shed so that
he can remain healthy are the bodily rul es.2 Such thi ngs as regulated dri nki ng,
eating, sleeping, exercise, and for sickness, prescriptions for cure, are bodily rul es.
If a person does not follow these rules he cannot pass through l ife smoothly. I f a
person does not follow the mental rul es, his power of realization, concentrati on,
i magination, contempl ation and j udgment wi l l be weak and wi l l not pr operl y
function. There wil l be no advancement in arts and sciences, and moreover one
will not be able to take the mind from mat erial thoughts and di rect it to thought s
of God. As a result, the mi nd wi l l be domi nated by si nful t houghts and atheisti c
attitude; finally man wil l become no better than beast. Therefore these bodily and
mental rules are very necessary for success in human l i fe.
Men live together in society. There are certain social rules prescribed for elevation
of the popul ace and avoidance of crimi nal mental i ty. An exampl e of a rul e for
social stability is the prescription of marri age. Wi thout rul es for marri age society
could not progress to the present state.3 Men used to wander around l ike ani mal s.
In the beginning there were no rul es for marri age, but as this created great social
problems, marriage customs were introduced. Gi ving up hi s freedom, a man takes
a woman with consent from others and the wi tness of God, and lays the
foundation for famil y l i fe. The parents are obl i gated to protect and teach the
children, and provide a means from them to make a li vi ng.
For the benefit of family l i fe, such concepts as mutual brotherhood, hel pi ng
others in diffi cul ty, earning a li vel i hood by honest means, speaking the truth, and
avoiding lying are established. The tendency towards social stability is a domi nant
characteristic of the human species. It i s vi si ble in all human races. As a society or
civilization advances, one will find a greater degree of rules for social stabili ty.
There is consensus that amongst all cil vi zati ons, the Aryans were the most
progressive.
There can be no doubt that among the Aryans, the people of
Bharata were the most advanced in knowl edge, intel l i gence and social
organization. One shoul d not l ose respect for the Aryan ci vi l i zation j ust because
with age, it has become weak and dependent on other cul tures. Because some
ignorant persons dispute the advanced state of the Aryan civi l i zati on, that does not
mean it loses its importance. If one reads the dharma sastra, he can understand
how much the Aryan ci vi l i zat i on of Bharata achieved in i mpl ementation of social
rules. In fact all serious, thoughtful men must accept that thi s ci vi l i zati on, through
t he guidance of sages, achieved the highest state of social regulation in the worl d.
They divided the social rules into two parts after thorough del i berati on: varna and
asrama. Men in such a society have two aspects: basic nature and stage of life.
Their nature is fixed by fol l owi ng the rul es for i ndi vi dual devel opment (mental
and bodily), and their stage of life is fixed according to the social rul es. As man
becomes more social, observance of rules for the self do not decrease, but rather
increases in significance. From an indi vi dual s nature arises the rules of varnas,
and from the progressive stages of life comes the asramas.
When man's bodily and mental tendencies gradually develop by cul ti vati on, t hey
attain a fixed stage, where one quality domi nates all others. That quality is a man s
nature. There are four natures: brahamana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra. These four
varnas have arisen on the basis of the positive quali ties of men. Wi t h t he di spl ay
of negative qualities, the outcast from the social system arises. For a per son i s
such a situation there is no alternative but to give up those negative qualities.W
From birth unti l the appearance of a predomi nate nature in the i ndi vi dual ,
environment and discipl ine are the factors which nourish the seed. The seed then
sprouts, grows and finally mani fests as ones nature. The authors of scri pture have
explained of course that the acti ons of previ ous l i ves is the ul ti mate cause of the
nature. The nat ure of the famil y i nto whi ch a chil d i s born determi nes the child s
qualities through heredi tary factors. Later by trai ning and envi ronment that
nature will i mprove or degrade. A man of sudra nature wil l produce offspring of
sudra nature and a man of brahmi ni cal nature wil l produce brahmi ni cal offspri ng.
That is the general rule, but not the absolute rul e.
The writers of scripture made arrangements for samskaras or puri fi catory ri tes
with the intention of fi xi ng the varna of a person after determi ning hi s nature.
However, with ti me, these rites have become corrupted. When the ri tes whi ch
determine the varna became lost, the country became degraded.5 However, there
can be no doubt that the rules of varna are the real rules for society.
The stages of life are four: brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. The
brahmacari is the person who before marri age gets education and is free to wander.
The grhastha is the person he gets married and takes up fami l y r esponsi bi l i t i es.
The person who upon aging gives up work and l i ves alone is a vanaprastha. One
who gives up all relations with hi s famil y and is free to wander is a sannyasi. The
system set up after working out the rel ation of the varnas and asramas is called
varnasrama dharma. Thi s dharma is the social code for the people of Bharata. If a
c ountry lacks this system of dharma, it cannot be called an advanced society. I n
the third part of thi s chapter these things will be di scussed in detail.
1 ...Because I desire that human bei ngs may achieve perfection, I have presented
three paths of advancement the path of knowl edge, the path of work and the path
of devotion. Besides these three there is absolutely no other means of elevation.
2 There is no possibility of one s becoming a yogi 0 Arj una, i f one eats too much
or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough. He who is regul ated in
his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mi t i gate all material pains
by practicing the yoga system. When the yogi, by practice of yoga, disciplines his
mental activities and becomes situated in transcendence devoid of all material
desires he is said to be well established in yoga. B.G.6.16-18
3 na grham grham ity ahur grhi ni r grham ucyate
taya hi sahitah sarvan purusarthan samasnute
The house is not a household wi thout a wi fe. The husband al ong with the wi f e
can attain all his goals. smrti >>
0 Dirtiness, dishonesty, thievery, faithlessness, useless quarrel, lust, anger and
hankering constitute the nature of those in the l owest position outside the
varnasrama system. S.B.11.17.20
5 If one shows the symptoms of being a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra, as
described above, even if he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted
according to those symptoms of classification. S.B.7.11.35
S.B. 11.20.6
Part Two
Punya karma Meritorious Action
Man s future life is determined according to hi s acti vi ti es. The person who
performs punya karma or pi ous activi ties in society attains a heavenly abode after
death, and the person who performs sinful acti vi ties suffers in hell . Act i vi t i es
which lead to heavenly enjoyment are called punya (pi ety) and acti vi ties whi ch
lead to hellish suffering are called papa (sin). The rules for accruing punya and
the rules for eradicating papa together make up the rules for determi ning after-l i fe.
In all the punyas and varnasrama activities there is the factor of faith of the
practitioner, which may be tamasika, rajasika or sattvika. That faith may be
i nclined either toward enj oyment of the worl d or t owards renunci ation of the
world. Those on the l owest stage are inclined to worl dl y enj oyment . Those
slightly more advanced are inclined both ways. Those most advanced dedicate
themselves to renunciation of the worl d. I Though t here are provi si ons for
worshipping numerous devatas, the sattvika person worships only Bhagavan. As
the vaisnava has no motive for sense gratification, he accepts only those actions
which lead to the spiri tual goal. 2 In the Gi ta, Krsna has said that the wise man
should accept only those actions favorable to devotion and rej ect those which are
unfavorable to devotion.3
In attempting to give a brief description and analysis of punya and papa is
extremely difficul t to cl assify them methodi cal ly. Some sages have classified papa
and punya according to bodi ly, mental , social and spiri tual emphasis. Ot hers have
classified them according to bodi l y, ver bal and mental i nvol vement. Others have
classified them as bodily, sensual and mental. However all these classifications are
l ess than perfect. Here they wil l si mpl y be di vi ded i nto two groups: const i t ut i onal
punyas (pertaining to the real nature of the ji va) and condi t i oned punyas (rel ati ng
to a relative bodily state).
Righteousness, truth, puri ty, fri endship, honesty and affection are punyas of the
first category, as they are found in the j i va' s real nature; they are the eternal
ornaments of the jiva. I n condi t i oned st ate of the j i va, as they become more
gross in nature, these natural quali ties of the soul are called punya. The rest of the
punyas are called conditi oned, because they arise only because of the condi ti oned
state of the jiva. In the l i berated state these punyas are not necessary to perform.
Sin is not a constituti onal factor of the j i va, but rather takes shelter of the jiva in
the conditioned state. Some acti ons or states are contradi ctory to the natural
qualities (punyas) of the ji va: hatred, lyi ng, cruel ty, lust, envy, inj usti ce. Al l ot her
sins are those contrary to the relative punyas. As the di scussion of papa and punya
will be very brief, the consti tuti onal and condi ti oned di vi si ons have not been
i ndicated. The papa and punyas have simply been enumerated with a l i t t l e
discussion. But having been given the gui del i nes above, the reader can easily make
the proper distincti ons.
There are ten kinds of punyas:
assistance to others
service to elders
charity
serving guests
cultivation of cleanliness
celebration of festivals
performance of vows
protection of animal s
increase of population
proper conduct
Assistance to others is of two ki nds: rel i eving others of di stress and helping ot hers
make progress. should help others as much as possible without di sti ngui shi ng
whether they are relatives or not. The same distress that befalls ourselves also
comes to others. When apersoni s i n di f f i cul ty, he thi nks t hat ot hers shoul d gi ve
him relief. Thus one shoul d try to rel i eve distress as if it were ones own. A person
must attempt to reli eve distress by putting aside ones own self interest, which may
prevent one from acting. One shoul d try to remove other peopl es' bodily, mental ,
social and spiritual di ffi cul t i es. Exampl es of bodil y di stress are sickness and
hunger. Examples of mental di stress are anxiety, envy, lamentati on, and fear.
Examples of social distress are inability to support the fami ly, i nabi l ity to gi ve
education to ones children, i nabi l i t y to get them marri ed, and lack of resources for
cremation. Examples of spiri tual di stress are lack of faith, atheism, and desire for
sinful acts. Just as one must relieve a person of distress, one should also try to
elevate him. One should help people progress physically, mentally socially and
spiritually by offering monetary, physical, and verbal assistance, and by engaging
that person's relatives as well.
There are three types of service to elders: protection of parents, protection of
teachers, and protection of other elders. One must f ol l ow the i nst ruct i ons of
parents and serve them as much as is possible. A person shoul d serve those who
have protected him as a helpless child; he should also service those who have
given knowledge, especially those who have given spiri tual knowl edge and
mantra.9 Those are considered superior who are bi gger in body, greater in age or
more experienced in knowl edge. One must respect and serve them all. One cannot
f ollow incorrect orders of a superior but one shoul d not show hosti l i ty t owards
him, using di srespectful or harsh words. One should put a stop to thei r i mproper
behavior or instructi ons by usi ng sweet words, humi l i ty, and gentl e reasoning at
the proper time.
Charity (dana) refers to giving money or materi als to a suitable person. Gi vi ng to
an undeserving person is a worthl ess expense, and is considered a sin. There are
twelve varieties of charity: making water bodies or wel ls, planting trees to give
shade and air, supplying l i ghts, di spensing medi ci nes, giving education, givi ng
food, building roads, buil ding ghatas, buil ding houses, giving materials, giving the
first portion of a meal, giving a daughter in marri age.5
One should give water to those who are thi rsty. I f a t hi rsty person comes to ones
house, one is obliged to give him dri nki ng wat er. Di ggi ng wel l s and ponds for
drinking water, after selecting a suitable place, is al so an act of punya. 6
Wherever water is necessary, for instance at tirthas where there is no ri ver or
water body, wel l s shoul d be dug. One shoul d pl ant huge trees such as asvattha
on the sides of the road or ri ver or at pl aces of relaxation. One shoul d also pl ant
tulasi and other holy trees in ones own house and at pure places. These trees
assist in bodily and spi ri tual heal th. Li ght s shoul d be i nstal led at ghatas, on roads
and narrow paths to assist night travelers when there is no moonl i ght . By gi vi ng
l ight in charity a person earns heaps of punya. Rai sing l i ghts during Kart i ka
month is for beauty but does not aid the traveler, as they are too high to l i ght the
path.
In giving medical relief, a person can go to the house and distri bute medi ci ne, or
can have the sick persons come to a designated shop and receive free medicine. A
person should perform thi s punya with si nceri ty. St udents may be given
education at ones expense. Educating chi l dren i s a very i mport ant servi ce. Food
distribution may be done at ones home or at designated place for the publ i c.
Roads should be constructed to pl aces diffi cul t to approach or to pl aces which are
i naccessible. Ghatas should be constructed on ri ver banks or the banks of other
water bodies for use by the general publ ic. If a person also constructs resting pl ace
at the ghata, or plants gardens, roof coverings or t empl es, he gains addition meri t .
Building a house for a person who has no money and nowhere to l ive i s a punya
karma. Gi ving materi als should be done to qual i fied or deserving persons. Before
taking ones own food in the house one shoul d offer the fi rst portion to another
person. One should give ones daughter along with ornaments to a suitable person
of the same varna.
A person should show hospi tal ity towards his guests and society as a whole. The
householder should take care to serve guests when they arrive at his house. In the
scriptures it is directed that after preparing food the househol der should go to hi s
door and call out three ti mes for persons who have not eaten. If anyone appears,
he should feed tha person first, and l ater eat along with hi s fami ly. There i s a rul e
that one should call out about an hour after noon, but i n modern t i mes it i s
difficult to remain wi t hout f ood t i l l t hen. Ther ef ore whenever the food is ready,
the householder should call out for hungry persons. This does not refer to feeding
professional beggars. Social hospitality is performed by acts beneficial to society in
general.
Purity refers to cl eaning the body, roads, ghatas, shops, cowsheds, temples, ones
house, forests, and going on pi l gri mage. Personal cl eanl i ness is both internal and
external. Internal cleanliness, purity of mi nd, i s accompl i shed by sinl ess actions
and punyas. One should also eat and drink i n regul ated amount f ood whi ch i s
sinless and easy to digest. By eating or dri nki ng f ood t ouched by al cohol ics or
other sinful people the mind becomes impure. Amongst al l the methods for
creating purity of mi nd, the chief is remembrance of Visnu. For pur i f yi ng t he
sinful mind there is prescription of prayascitta or atonement. By such atonements,
however, only the sinful reaction leaves the person. The root i s si nful desi re. If a
person performs atonement with genuine remorse, the sinful desire will be
removed, but the seed of all sin hostility to the Lord can be removed only by
remembrance of the Lord.7 Ot her books shoul d be consul ted for the many aspects
of atonement. The mi nd i s al so puri f i ed by bathing i n sacred rivers such as the
Ganga and by seeing the deity.
External cleanliness refers to maintaining puri ty of ones body, cl othi ng, and
house. This external cleanliness is maintained by bathing in fresh water, wearing
clean cloth and eating sattvika food. If the body touches contami nated objects, one
should wash that part of the body.
A person should not onl y cl ean his own house, ghata, road, cowshed temple and
yard, but the publi c roads, ghatas, shops, and temples in the town. If the town i s
l arge, the citizens should together raise funds and mai nt ai n the cl eanl i ness. These
acts generate punya. A person shoul d keep his pri vate gardens clean, and
contribute the cleanliness of public forests by the above menti oned method. By
going on pilgri mage men gain enormous puri ty. Though association with sai ntl y
people is the final goal of pilgrimage, by the act of pilgrimage sinful desire is
greatly reduced, and people feel purified.
Festivals are of three types: those centered on deity worship, those centered on
family affairs and those for publi c rej oi ci ng. Dei t y f est i vals are often observed,
and without doubt they generate punya, as they include a great gathering of
people, feasting, musical performances, shows, food distri bution of the needy, and
giving gifts to the learned. If a person is capable of holding such festivals but
avoids to do so, he is an offender. Especially when these festivals are permeated
with devotion to the Lord, they must not be avoi ded. The r e ar e many f ami l y
occasions for festivals, such birthdays, feeding grains, marriage, and sraddha rites
with sacrifices. A person is obliged to celebrate these functions to the best of his
ability. A person should also sponsor fairs where the popul ace can gather for
enjoyment. There are also many social festivals such harvest festivals,
pisthakotsava, sitalotsava, bhratrpuj a.
Vratas or vows are of three types: bodily, social and spiri tual . Earl y morni ng bat h,
parikrama, paying obeisances, which relate to exercising the body, are bodily
vows. When one element of the body becomes disturbed, a person falls ill . To
prevent this there are many vows such as fasting on the new and ful l moon day or
on Mondays. By fasting and refrai ning from normal acti vi ti es on the prescribed
days and controll ing the senses, a person is made to concentrate on the Lord.
When it is necessary to fast in this way, a person gains punya by fol l owi ng t he
prescribed procedures.
The samskara rites may be considered social vows. According to the varna, these
rites are performed with modi f i cati on. Ot her ri tes are prescribed for all men.
Marriage rites, in which one man marries a girl of the same varna, are prescribed
for all varnas. The vow of taking onl y one wife is essential, for any other marri age
i s simply due to lust. This tendency is exhi bi ted in persons of low nature. I n
exceptional cases, where there are no offspring, a second wife is allowed.
The monthly vows menti oned in Mahabharata and other simi lar vows such as the
twenty four ekadasi fasts and fasting on the six appearance days (jayanti) such
Janmastami are spiri tual vows. The sol e aim of these vratas is spiritual
advancement. These will be di scussed along with the t opi c of bhakti . Hari bhakt i
Vilasa describes these vratas in detail.
A person should strive for the upl i f t ment of ani mals. Wi t hout the hel p of ani mal s,
human life cannot go on properly. Care shoul d be taken to i mprove the form,
strength and nature of animals. By selective breeding this can be accomplished.
This particularly appl ies to the cow. Wi t h t hei r hel p agri cul t ure and t ransport
develop. Therefore strong and well formed bul l must be selected for mati ng; for
this reasons, during the sraddha ceremony young bull s are let loose. By freely
roaming, they become strong and big, and are able to produce good offspri ng.
Being of such service to the fami l y, cows shoul d be protected and nouri shed wi th
proper food and housi ng. Cow pr ot ecti on and rearing is well know i n I ndi a as
very pious activity.
As far as increasing the popul ation goes, this is a pious activity when the offspri ng
arise from legal marriage, when the offspring are raised and protected responsibly,
when the offspring are led into stable married li fe, and when they are given
spiritual education. After marrying a sui table person at a suitable age, a person
should affectionately raise a family, fol l owing the rules for mai ntai ning proper
health and mind.8 By provi dence, chi l dren are born; the parents should rai se
them with care, giving trai ning and educati on. When the chi l dren are ol der, they
are taught a means of livelihood, and when t hey are of sui table age, they are
married and take up family l i fe. Accor di ng to age, the chi l dren shoul d be taught
r ules for bodil y mai nt enance and cleanliness, morality and spi ri tual truth. The
most important teaching i s detachment from material l i fe. 9
The following are parts of ri ghteous conduct: forgi veness, gratitude, truthful ness,
honesty, not stealing, not accepting from others, mercy, detachment, respect for
the scriptures, travel to holy pl aces, proper judgment, courtesy, worship of the
Lord and being steadily situated in work according to abi l i ty. Gi v i ng up t he
desire to punish a person for commi t t i ng an offense is called forgiveness or
tolerance. It i s not wr ong to puni sh the offenders but forgi veness is an even
higher princi ple. Prahl ada and Hari dasa Thakura forgave their enemies and are
worshipped as great examples by all.
To recognize the help that another person has given is called gratitude. The Aryan
civilization has such gratitude that the chi l dren woul d serve the parents as long as
they lived, and when they di ed, they woul d undergo peri ods of austere restriction
(asauca), giving up sleeping and eating, and woul d observe the sraddha
ceremonies by giving food to others. To express their grati tude to their parents
they would yearly offer sraddha and tarpana. To show grati tude to all people is
also a punya karma.
Telling what one believes to be true is called truthful ness. Truthful peopl e are
respected by the whole world. Havi ng a di rect, sincere nature is called honesty.
The more honestly one lives his life, the more vi rtuous he is. Taki ng i l l egal l y
others belongings is called theft. A person has no ri ght to obj ects which he has
not earned through labor or as gift. Those who are lame or bl ind have a right to
beg, but others should receive goods only through honest work. Begging wi thout
right to do so is called parigraha. It shoul d be avoi ded. One shoul d show mercy
to all living beings. Real mercy is shown to those who deserve. The aspect of
mercy which is displayed in raga bhakti wil l be dealt with el sewhere. The i dea that
compassion should be shown to humans but not to ani mal s is wrong. One shoul d
try to relieve the suffering of others.
Attachment to material objects is reduced by control of mi nd (sama), control of
senses (dama), tolerance and abstinence. The practice of resisting the temptati on
of evil desires is called tolerance. Giving up the thi rst for material obj ects in
general is called abstinence. Detachment is a punya, for with detachment one is
free from sin. Det achment must be cul ti vated gradually in the begi nning stages,
but on the path of raga, detachment is attained very easily. Thi s wi l l be
discussed elsewhere. Practice of detachment is an act of punya. By repeatedly
enduring the hardships of caturmasya, fasting and staying awake on the new and
full moons, one becomes accustomed to renunci ati on. By fi rst gradually gi ving up
the desire for enjoyment of sleeping and eating, one can eventually give up desire
for all material enjoyments. When one becomes perfect at accepting only what i s
necessary for maintaining l i fe, one has attained detachment. Attai ning detachment,
a person is qualified for sannyasa.
All people should respect the scriptures. Scri pture refers to those works whi ch
distinguish right from wrong, spi ri t from mat t er, truth f rom i l l usi on. Those who
were properly quali fied revealed genuine scriptures. Unqual i fied persons who
have compiled works at t empt i ng to del i neate the goal of life and rul es to fol l ow,
have given the world false scriptures which mi sguide the world. Such athei sti c
works, which have ari sen from use of faulty l ogic, shoul d not be respected. As
one blind man leads another blind i nto the di t ch, so such authors of faulty works
l ead themselves and their fol l owers on the wrong path. Genui ne scri pt ure means
t he Vedas and those works which agree with the Vedic concl usi ons. To st udy
those works and teach those works is a punya.
By traveling to places of pilgri mage a person gains knowl edge and puri fies hi msel f
of sin.
A person should his power of di scri mi nation properly. The person who do not
consider question such as "What is the world, who am I, who created he worl d,
what is my duty in l i fe, and what do I achi eve>" is not to be considered a human
being. The di fference between man and animal is that man can consider these
questions whereas the animal cannot. The resul t of thi s i nqui ry i s self realization.
Courtesy is another punya. One shoul d fol l ow the conduct of the anci ent sages
and follow their i nstructi ons on the matter.10 In di f f erent ages sometimes the
conduct changes. for i nstance the animal sacrifices performed in Satya, Treta and
Dvapara yugas are forbidden in Kali yuga. Af ter exami ni ng wi t h i nt el l i gence all
the previous rules of conduct the proper mode of conduct shoul d be framed.
Proper respect should be given, considering the person s status. This is called
maryada. Not gi ving proper respect is considered a great faulty. One shoul d gi ve
respect to all human beings, but should give more respect to a man with posi ti on.
Most respect should be given to the devotee. The fol l owi ng i s the order: r espect
to humans, respect to those who are civil i zed, respect to position (ki ng), respect to
the educated (pandita), respect to a person with good qual i ties (especially the
brahmana, the sannyasi, and the vaisnava), respect according to varna
(brahmana), respect according to asrama (sannyasa) and respect to devotion
(devotee).
Worship of the Lord is considered a punya. Among al l rul es, worshi p of the Lord
i s the most important. However, the form of the Lord whi ch i s worshi pped wi l l
differ according to the level of consciousness of the indi vi dual .
Performance of good acts is punya, and performance of unauthori zed acts is sin.
There are three types of actions: karma, akarma and vikarma. Those acts whi ch
are beneficial are called karma, failure to do those acts which shoul d be done is
called akarma. Forbi dden action is called vikarma. Punya karmas are o three
types: daily (such as worship of the Lord), peri odi c ( such as tarpanas to pitrs) and
impelled by personal desire. Those i mpel led by personal desire should be avoided,
but the other two shoul d be performed.
1 According to the modes of nature acquired by the embodied soul, one's faith can
be of three kinds in goodness, in passion or in i gnorance. According to one s
existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular kind of fai th.
The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has
acquire. Men in the mode of goodness worship the demi gods; those in the mode of
passion worship the demons; and those in the mode of i gnorance worship ghosts
and spirits. B.G.17.2-9
One who is situated in his prescribed duty, free from si nful acti vi ties and cleansed
of material contaminati on, in thi s very l ife obtains transcendental knowl edge or,
by fortune, devotional service to me. S.B.11.20.11
2 Always remembering Me, one should perform al l hi s duti es for Me wi t hout
becoming impetuous. Wi t h mi nd and i nt el l i gence offered to Me, one should fi x
his mind in attraction to My devoti onal service. B.S.11.29.9
3 In intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Theref ore one should know
properly what action is, what forbi dden action is and what i naction is. One who
sees inaction in action and action in i naction i s i ntel l i gent among men, and he is in
the transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts of activi ti es. B.G.0.17-
0 One must conquer the modes of passion and ignorance by developing the, mode
of goodness, and then one must become detached from the mode of goodness by
promoting oneself to the platform of suddha sattva. Al l t hi s can be automati cally
done if one engages in the service of the spiri tual master with faith and devoti on.
I n this way one can conquer the infl uence of the modes of nature. The spi ri t ual
master should be considered to be directly the Supreme Lord because he gives
18
transcendental knowl edge for enli ghtenment. Consequently, for one who
maintains the material conception that the spi ri tual master is an ordi nary human
being, everything is frustrated. Hi s enl i ghtenment and hi s Vedic studies and
knowledge are like the bathing of an elephant. S.B.7.15.25-26
5 Charity, prescribed duti es, observance of major and mi nor regul ative pri nci pl es,
hearing from scripture, pi ous works and puri f yi ng vows all have as their final aim
the subduing of the mi nd. I ndeed, concentration of the mind on the Supreme is
the highest yoga. S.B.11.23.96
6 One who has executed sacrificial performances and pious works (benefi cial for
others) for my satisfaction, and who thus worships me with f i xed attenti on,
obtains unflinching devoti onal service unto Me. By the excell ent qual ity of hi s
service such a worshiper obtains realized knowl edge of Me. S.B.11.11.%7
7 Authorities who are learned scholars and sages have carefully ascertained that
one should atone for the heaviest sins by undergoing a heavy process of atonement
and one should atone for li ghter sins by undergoing l i ghter atonement. Al t hough
one may neutralize the reactions of sinful l ife through austeri ty, chari ty, vows and
other such methods, these pious activities cannot uproot the material desires in
one's heart. However, if one serves the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, he
is immediately freed from all such contami nati ons. S.B.6.2.16-17
8 One who desires to establish family l ife shoul d marry a wife of hi s own caste,
who is beyond reproach and younger in age....S.B.11.17.39
9 A householder should comfortably mai ntai n hi s dependents either with money
that comes of its own accord or with t hat gathered by honest execution of one' s
duties. According to one' s means, one should perform sacri fi ces and other
religious ceremonies. A householder taking care of many dependent fami l y
members should not become materially attached to them, nor shoul d he become
mentally unbalanced, considering hi mself to be the lord. An i nt el l i gent
householder should see that all possible future happi ness, just like that which he
has already experienced, is temporary. The association of chi l dren, wi fe, relatives
and friends is just like the brief meeting of travelers. Wi t h each change of body
one is separated from all such associates, just as one loses the objects one possesses
i n a dream when the dream is over. Deeply considering the actual situati on, a
liberated soul should l ive at home j ust l ike a guest, wi thout any sense of
proprietorship or false ego. In thi s way he wil l not be bound or entangled by
domestic affairs. A househol der devotee who Me by execution of hi s famil y dut i es
may remain at home, go to a holy pl ace, or, if he has a responsible son, take
sannyasa. S.B. 11. 17.51-55
10 One who foll ows the pri nci ples and i nst ruct i ons enj oi ned by the great sages of
the past can utilize these instructi ons for practi cal purposes. Such a person can
very easily enjoy life and pleasures. A fool ish person who manufactures his own
ways and means through mental speculation and does not recognize the authori ty
of the sages who lay down uni mpeachable directi ons is simply unsuccessful again
and again in his attempts. S.B.0.18.%-5
part Three
Qualification For Work And Varnas
I dentifying ones qualification is a very important i tem of conduct . Thi s
qualification is of two types: quali fi cation for a certain action and the extent of
qualification for acti on. Al l peopl e are not qual i fied for all types of punya
activities. Though a person may be able to perform a certain activi ty, he may not
be qualified to execute it i n such a way to produce the desi red auspicious result.
I f a person performs an action wi thout f i rst seeing his suitabil ity to do it, one
cannot say if the act wil l bri ng the i nt ended result. For t hat reason i t i s necessary
to consider ones qualification. As the performer cannot j udge his own
qualification, he must inquire from an authori ty or guru on t hi s mat t er. And i n
undertaking a particular ri te, a priest must decide on the suitable process. Thus
people must accept a qualified guru and a qual i fied pri est. The modern method of
accepting guru and pri est i s not the process envisaged by the wri ters of scripture.
Accepting guru and pri est as a matter of formal ity is si mpl y useless. One must
choose a qualified person. If such a person does not exist in the l ocal ity one must
search elsewhere. Gi ving an example wil l make thi s cl earer.
Digging ponds is a punya karma. If personally digging, one is qualified if he has
enough strength, tool s, a piece of land and assistance. If expenses are to be
incurred, money is also necessary. A person is quali fied for the act to the extent
t hat he has strength, tools, land, assistance and money. Wi t hout t hese items i n
sufficient quanti ty, t her e wi l l be no result, except loss of energy, time or money.
For marri age the quali fi cation is a healthy body, abil ity t o support a fami l y, and a
mentality suitable for li ving wi th a wi fe. I n desi ri ng to perform any act, a person
should see his qualification.
Qualification may be intri nsi c or ci rcumstanti al . Man has three di vi si ons of l i fe:
time of learning (educational period of l i f e), time of work and t i me of r ecreati on.
During education, the person studies books, associates with others, sees others
working, and receives instructi on. What tendency emerges prominently at thi s
time is the intri nsic nature of the person. Though a person usual l y gets
association, i nstruction and i nf ormat i on under infl uence of the famil y i n whi ch he
i s born, sometimes his instructi on, association and nature are different from that
of his family. Thus the person may have a different nature than that of hi s fami l y.
That nature which is perceived in a person after his education and before he takes
up work is his intri nsi c nature.
The wise have scientifically classified nature into four types: brahmana, ksatriya,
vaisya and sudra. Those who have sense control, mind control , tol erance, puri ty,
forgiveness, nondupli ci ty, cul ti vation of knowl edge and faith worshi p of the Lord
have brahmanical nature. Those who have valor, energy, determinati on, dexteri ty,
f earlessness in battle, charitable incl i nati on, abi l i t y to prot ect others and abil ity t o
control others have ksat ri ya nature. Those who are i ncl i ned to agri cul ture,
raising cows and trade have vaisya nature. Those who mai ntai n thei r l i fe by
serving others have sudra nature. I
Those who do not di sti nguish proper from i mpr oper acti on, have no incl i nati on
f or righteousness, are fond of argument, are extremely selfish, think onl y of f ood,
and are devoid of marri age rules, are called antyaja or outcast. Wi t hout gi vi ng up
such a nature, the real nature of a human being does not mani fest. Onl y f our
classes are admitted as human. Accordi ng to nature, a person possesses certain
qualities. According to those quali ties a person should accept work and duty. I f
one performs work contradi ctory to ones nature, i t wi l l not gi ve proper resul t.
It is hard to change a nature once matured. Therefore one should work and
worship according to ones nature.
According to these natures, the people of India were classed in four varnas. If
society is divided according to the varnas, all the work i n soci ety becomes
effective. This is beneficial for the whol e worl d. That soci ety whi ch has the varnas
has a scientific basis and is worshipable by all. Some people may question the
efficacy of the varnasrama system, since the countries of Europe attained great
feats and fame without having a varnasrama system. But such a doubt has no
substance, because these people are all recent. Due t o bei ng very bol d and
energetic, they have taken all the previ ous ski l ls, arts and sciences, and begun to
act. But gradually with t i me, these societies will f al l , because of lack of scienti fi c
organization of varnas. Th ough t he Ar yan ci vi l i zation i s much ol der, i t has
remained intact with the same characteri stics because of the varnasrama system.
The Roman and Greek civi l i zati ons were much more powerful than modern
European nations, but where are they now> Those peoples have become devoid
of their previous quali ties and taken up the qual i ties and life style of the modern
nations. They have become so transformed that they have no pride in thei r
previous glory. Though the Aryan ci vi l i zation is much more anci ent than that of
the Greeks and Romans, even now the people of Indi a take pride in thei r anci ent
heroes. Why is that> Because the varnasrama system remained strong, the
culture of the society was preserved and not lost. Though the ranas were defeated
by the Muslims, even today they identify themselves as the descendants from
Ramacandra's line. Though the people of Indi a may have declined to a decrepit
state with age, as long as the varnasrama system is practiced, the Aryan identi ty
will also remain. The Roman and ot her peopl es, who were of f shoots of Vedi c
civilization, declined as they mi xed wi t h the out cast cul tures such as Huns and
Vandals. If one examines modern European cul tures, one will not i ce that all i ts
remarkable features are due to preservation of varnas, based upon i nt r i nsi c nat ure
of the indivi dual . Those who have t he nat ure of mer chants prefer that
occupation, and by that profession obtain their progress. Those who have ksatriya
nature joi n the mi l i t ary. Those who are sudra in nature prefer to do meni al
service. Actually no society can exist wi thout a di vi sion of varnas. Even i n
matching for marri age, nature and occupational status have to be considered.
Though the European nat i ons i ncorporated some aspects of varnas, the varnas
were not systematically established there. Ci vi l i zat i on and knowl edge advance in
proportion to the degree of systemization of the varnas.
There are two methods of approach: systematic and unsystematic. Thi ngs work
i neffectively if a systematic method is not fol l owed. If we do not fol l ow a sci enti fi c
procedure for making a boat, then we have to use a primi tive craft for crossing the
water. In the same way, as long as the varnas are not scientifically i ncorporated,
society wil l cont i nue run on an unsci enti fi c basis. Except for Indi a, al l pl aces
remain with unsci enti fi c i ncor porat i on of varnas. That i s why I ndi a al one is
known as the pl ace of action, karma ksetra.
Is the system of varna in Indi a now i n a heal thy state> No, though the system was
established in a perfect way, it gradually deteri orated, and that is responsible for
the troubles and degradation of present India. If t hat were not the case, India
could have taken the role of an elder brother, who i n ol d age and reti rement, coul d
give good instruction to other nati ons. One shoul d deeply consi der the reason for
India s deteriorated state. The varnasrama system was established in Indi a at the
beginning of Treta Yuga, at which time the Aryans had advanced knowl edge.2 The
rule was established that each person took up a varna according to hi s nature, and
getting a qualification through that varna, he woul d carry out hi s dut i es and work
designated by the varna. By f ol l owi ng t hi s system of asrama and varna according
to nature, the work of soci ety went on smoot hl y. Varna was decided solely on the
basis of nature for those people whose father had no varna. Jabali , Gautama,
Janasruti and Citraratha are examples from Vedic hi story. For t hose whose father
had a varna, their varna was decided on the basis of both father's varna and
individual nature. From the ksatriya dynasty of Nari syanta, the great rsi
Jatukarna appeared, who started a famous brahmana lineage called Agnivesya. In
t he Aila dynasty, Jahnu, the son of Hotraka became a brahmana. From Ki ng
Vitatha of Bharadvaja's dynasty came Nara and others who were ksatriyas, and
Garga, who was a brahmana. I n Ki ng Bharmasva's ksatriya line were born
Satananda of the Maudagalya gotra and Krpacarya. There are many examples like
this in the scriptures, showing that bi rth i s not the onl y qual i f i cation for
occupation. When t he actual system was practiced, the glory of I ndi a was as
strong as the midday sun. Al l nat i ons worshi pped the i nhabi tants of Bharata as
rulers, administrators and teachers. Egypt , Chi na and other count ri es used to
take instruction from the people of Indi a with great reverence.
The varnasrama system continued purely for a l ong ti me, unti l Jamadagni and hi s
son Parasurama, of ksatriya nature, claimed themselves as brahmanas. By
following a varna contrary to thei r nature, out of self i nterest, they created fricti on
between the brahamana and ksatriya classes. Because of this seed of enmity
between the two classes, the procedure of j udging varna by bi rth became fixed. In
t ime, this system of varnas without reference to nature entered covertl y i n t he
Manu Samhita and other scriptures. Wi t hout possi bi l ity of attai ning a hi gher
varna, out of frustrati on, the ksatriyas created Buddhism to destroy the brahmana
varna. But for every action there is an equally strong reaction. Theref ore the class
distinction based on birth became even stronger. Wi t h the confl i ct between
exploitation of posi ti on, based on birth ( t he brahmanas), and di sl oyalty to ones
culture (ksatriyas), they gradually destroyed themselves. Those with no brahman
qualities, brahmanas in name only, began to wri t e scri ptures with thei r own
i nterest at heart, thus cheating the other classes. Ksatri yas, wi thout ksatri ya
qualities were defeated in battle. Wi t hout t hei r ki ngdoms, they began to support
Buddhism. Vai syas without vai sya nature began to preach Jainism. By thi s act,
the great mercantile community became weakened. Laborers wi thout sudra
nature, without qual i fi cation for works of speci fic nature, became thieves. Running
without any scriptural reference, the country came under the control of the
Muslims. Shi ppi ng companies entered. The concept of service vanished.
Gradually the infl uence of Kali deepened.3 The present pi ti ful condi t i on of I ndi a,
which was once the control ler and teacher of the whol e worl d, is not because of
old age, but because of the corruption of the varnasrama system. By the desire of
the Lord, the control ler of all l i vi ng bei ngs and rul es, may there arise again in
I ndia an empowered person who can establish the varnasrama system. The wri t er
of the puranas also expectantly awaits the action of Kal ki .
According to the scri pt ures, a person is qualified for action according to hi s varna.
I n this book it wil l be i mpossi ble to di scuss this in detail . A br ahmana i s
qualified for the fol l owing acti vi ti es: feeding guests, bathing three times a day,
deity worship, reading the Vedas, teaching, serving as priest, taking vows, leading
the life of a brahmacari and sannyasi.
The ksatriya is qualified for ri ghteous war, rul ing a ki ngdom, prot ecting the
citizens, works of charity and social relief. The vaisya is qualified for raising and
protecting animals, agriculture and commerce. The sudr a i s qual i f i ed for servi ng
the deity without mantras and serving the three higher varnas. Al l men and
women of all varnas are qualified for marri age rites, worship of the Lord, hel pi ng
others in distress, charity, service to guru, wel coming guests, purity of body and
mind, observing festivals, serving the cow, mai ntai ning the popul ation and proper
conduct. Women speci al qual i fi cation is serving the husband.
A person should do that work and fol l ow t hose rules of varna which are most
suitable to his nature. By honest judgment person can determine the work and
lifestyle most sui table to hi mself, and if he cannot do so, he should consult a
competent authori ty. Those Vaisnavas who woul d l i ke addi ti onal i nf ormat i on on
these matters should consult Gopala Bhatta Gosvami's Sat Kriya Sara Dipika.
1 Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, cleanliness, satisfaction, tolerance, simple
straightforwardness, devotion to me, mercy and truthf ul ness are the natural
qualities of the brahmanas. Dynamic power, bodil y strength, determi nati on,
heroism, tolerance, generosity, great endeavor, steadiness, devotion to the
brahmanas and leadership are the natural qual i ties of the ksatriyas. Faith in Vedi c
civilization, dedication to chari ty, Vedic ci vi l i zati on, dedi cation to chari ty, freedom
from hypocrisy, service to the brahmanas and perpetually desiring to accumul ate
more money are the natural qual i ties of the vaisyas. Service without dupl i ci ty t o
the brahmanas, cows, demigods and other worshi pable personalities, and compl ete
satisfaction with whatever income is obtained in such service, are the natural
qualities of sudras. S.B.11.17.16-19
Nonviolence, truthful ness, honesty, desire for the happi ness and welfare of all
others and freedom from l ust, anger and greed constitute duties for all members of
society. S.B.11.17.21
2 in the beginning, in Satya yuga, there is only one social class, called hamsa, to
which all human bei ngs belong. In t hat age all people are unalloyed devotees of
the Lord from bi rth, and thus l earned schol ars call this fi rst age Krta yuga, or the
age in which all rel i gi ous duties are perfectly ful fi l l ed. I n Satya yuga the Veda is
expressed by the syllable om, and I am the onl y obj ect of mental acti vi ti es. I
become manifest as the four-legged bull of rel i gi on, and thus the i nhabi tants of
Satya yuga, fixed in austerity and free from all si ns, worship Me as Lord Hamsa. 0
greatly fortunate one, at the beginning of Treta yuga Vedic knowl edge appeared
from My heart, which is the abode of the air of l i fe, in three di vi si ons- as Rg, Sama
And Yajur. Then from t hat knowl edge I appeared as threefold sacrifice. In Tret a
yuga the four social orders were manifested from the uni versal form of the
Personality of Godhead. The brahmanas appeared from the Lord' s face, the
ksatriyas from the Lord' s arms, the vaisyas from the Lord' s thi ghs and the sudras
from the legs of that mi ght form. Each social di vi sion was recognized by its
particular duties and behavior. S.B.11.17.10-13
3 It is abominable for a person li ving in the grhastha asrama to give up the
regulative princi pl es, for a brahmacari not to fol low the brahmacari vows whi l e
living under the care of the guru for the vanaprastha to live in the vi l l age and
engage in so-called social activities, or for the sannyasi to be addicted to sense
gratification. One who acts in thi s way is to be considered the lowest renegade.
Such a pretender is bewildered by the external energy of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, and one should ei ther reject him from any posi t i on, or taki ng
compassion upon him, teach him, i f possi ble, to resume his ori gi nal posi ti on.
S.B.7.15.38-39
Part Four
Asrama
Man s activity stems from his nature. Thi s acti vity i s si tuated in an asrama.
Taking shelter of that asrama a man performs his work. As varnas and asramas are
intimately related, karma is sometimes called varnasrama dharma. There are four
asramas: brahamacarya, grhasthya, varnaprastha and sannyasa.
Those of brahmini cal nature are qualified for brahmacarya. The brahmacari is of
controlled mi nd, proper, gentle conduct, accepts bodily austeriti es, and stays in
the gurukula unti l hi s studies are completed. Then, after giving the guru a
donation, with hi s permi ssi on, he may get marri ed. It is wri t ten i n the Cai tanya
Caritamrta, in praise of Murari Gupta s behavior:
endeavors.
All varnas are qualified for grhastha asrama. The brahmana enters household li fe
after his brahmacari education is fi ni shed; the ksatri ya, after studying the
scriptures to some extent, leaves the gurukul a and enters the grhastha asrama.
The vaisya studies those subjects relevant to cow protecti on, commerce and
agriculture. The sudras, when of proper age, simply get marri ed. The varna of a
person should be decided by father, family pri est, local communi ty at the time of
educating the chi ld. The chil d shoul d be pl aced in studies which sui t hi s
observed nature. Those who have no attraction for study, and are more incl i ned to
do service, will waste their time in studi es. If he is j udged t o be of sudra nature he
should be engaged in service.
In order to be a householder a person should fi rst have a means of earning hi s
He never accepted things from others, but mai ntai ned his family by hi s own
l iving. Thi s varies according to the di fferent varnas. The six acti vi ties of the
brahmana are: perform worshi p or sacri fi ce, perform thi s for others, studyi ng,
t eaching, giving charity and accepting chari ty. I n perf ormi ng wor shi p, st udyi ng
and giving charity he spends money, and in performing worshi p for ot hers,
teaching and accepting charity, he earns money. Ksatri yas support themselves by
taxes and revenues, and by use of weapons. The vai sya earns by raising cows,
agriculture and commerce, and the sudra earns by serving the three higher
varnas.I In emergency circumstances, the brahmanas can take up ksatriya and
vaisya occupations, but t he t hree hi gher varnas should not take up a sudra
occupation unless there is extreme circumstance.
The person should accept a wife according the scriptural rules and produce
children. The househol der shoul d express gratitude to his ancestors by offering
pinda; he should worship the devas with sacrifices, serve guests by offering food,
and respect all living beings by correct behavior. As t he sannyasi parivraj aka and
the brahmacari survive by the charity of the householder, the householder asrama
is considered the best.
When a man grows older he should leave his wife with the son, and take
varnaprastha. If there is no son, he may take his wife with hi m, and together they
go to the forest. Reducing needs, he sleeps on the earth, makes clothing of the bark
of trees, avoids shaving, observes a vow of silence, bathes three times a day, serves
guests as far as possible, eats forest fruits and roots, and worships the Lord i n a
solitary place. Al l varnas can take vanaprastha.
Sannyasa asrama is the fourth asrama.2 This person is called a bhiksu or
parivrajaka. When the brahamcari, grhasthi or vanaprasthi develops a keen sense
of renunciation, is devoid of attachment to famil y l i fe, is able to tol erate all
difficulties, has gained knowl edge of the truth, has no desire for worl dl y
friendship, develops equal vi sion of all l i vi ng bei ngs, is devoid of envy, has
compassion, has fixed his mind on the Lord, and is engaged in yoga, he is fit for
sannyasa. The sannyasi is always engaged in meditation on the Lord. He shoul d
not stay in a village more than one ni ght, except when observing caturmaysa vows.
In this first stage the sannyasi begs only from brahmanas. Onl y brahmanas are
allowed to accept this asrama. Those who are devoid of normal physi cal or
mental power (those who are mentally or physi cally di sabled, too young or too
old) are not qualified for any asrama, but exist at the mercy of the asramas. The
people of the asramas are obligated to assist them as much as possible.
Women are allowed to enter the grhastha asrama and vanaprastha asrama only.
Though some women, being exceptionally qual i fi ed, achieving high educati on,
expert understanding of scripture and great expertise, may become a brahmacari
or sannyasi, it is not the normal rul e, as women are usually of weaker body, faith
and discriminating power.
The household asrama may be considered the only asrama, since the other three
asramas depend on it. Most of soci ety takes up household l i fe. Those who are
specially qualified become brahmacari, vanaprasthi and sannyasi, but thei r
numbers are few. Wi t hout such di vi sion of asramas according to di fferent types of
activity, social consciousness will not be compl et e.
The rules for the household l ife are elaborately described in the twenty dharma
sastras and the Puranas. The manus, rsis, and prajapatis have wri tten in respective
scriptures what activi ties the householder should do and what act i vi t i es he shoul d
avoid, on a dai ly, fortni ght l y, mont hl y, semi annual and annual schedule. The
rules are many and should the subj ect of a separate work. Her e t hey have been
given only a brief treatment.
1 For a brahmana there are six occupational duti es. A ksatriya shoul d not accept
charity, but he may perform the other five of these duties. A ki ng or ksatriya i s
not allowed to levy taxes on brahmanas, but he may make his li vel i hood by l evyi ng
minimal taxes, customs duti es, and penalty fi nes upon hi s other subj ect. The
mercantile community shoul d al ways fol low the di recti ons of the brahmanas and
engage in such occupational duties as agriculture, trade, and protection of cows.
For the sudras the only duty is to accept a master from a hi gher social order and
engage in his service. S.B.7.11.19-15
If one acts in his profession according to his posi tion i n the modes of nature and
gradually gives up these activities, he attains the niskama state. S.B.7.11.32
2 One who desires to conquer the mind must l eave the company of hi s famil y and
l ive in a solitary place, free from contami nated association. To mai nt ai n the body
and soul together, he should beg as much as he needs for the bare necessities of
life. S.B.7.15.30
Part Five
Daily duties
Rising during the brahma muhurta, a person should fi x hi s mi nd by t hi nki ng of
the spiritual and worl dl y acti vi ties he must perform that day. Rel i eving hi mself i n
a place proper according to the scri ptural r ul es every morni ng, he shoul d cl ean
his face, mouth, arms, hands and other body organs. Bathing in pure fresh water,
he should dress in suitable cloth. Then he shoul d wor k by a met hod al l ot ted by
his varna. According to state of health he may bathe again at noon and offer
worship of the Lord and t arpanas to the pi tras. Af ter preparing meals, he should
put some aside for animals and destitute persons, and stand at his door front to
receive any guest. If a guest comes, he should feed him wi th at t enti on. He need
not feed people of his own town, but rather those who are from other pl aces,
without relatives, who have no money and are hungry. He shoul d not i nqui r e
about their family l i neage (gotra). He shoul d fi rst of al l feed a sinless brahman.
After feeding a pregnant woman, hi s own chi l dren, and the elders, he should
himself take his meal, while facing north or east. He shoul d eat onl y f ood whi ch
is fresh, pure, and whol esome, unt ouched by si nful people, from a pure pl ate, at a
regulated time. Af t er eating he shoul d contempl ate the Lord. Wi t hout bei ng l azy
he should do some light task, and in the l ast part of the day he should read or
discuss the scriptures. At t he sunset he should perform hi s sandhya ri tes wi th
great concentration, and then, as at noon, he shoul d serve any guests with food,
after which he should eat. At ni ght he shoul d offer a pl ace and bed for hi s guest
to sleep in. Then he shoul d sl eep in a clean bed wi t h head facing east or south, as
sleeping with head to the north or west causes sickness. He should not associate
with his wife against the rules of scripture.
I n other words, the householder should l ive hi s l ife by worki ng honestl y i n order
t o support hi s own f ami l y, guests and shelterless people, while fol l owing the
scriptural rules for puri fi cation of body and mi nd i n order to mai nt ai n a si nl ess
heart.
All the daily rules cannot be practiced perfectly in modern ti mes, due to the
influence of differing pol i ti cal and social trends. Si nce in modern states, the main
activities are reserved for mi dday, people eat fi rst, then work. Due to ti me, the
rules for keeping good health have also changed, and thus eating so late at night,
bathing three times a day and staying awake at night are not necessary. The
essential goal of these rules formul ated by the great rsis was to carry out the bodi l y
activities of eating, bathing and sleeping wi thout hi ndrance or sin. Thus t he
householder should perform hi s dail y acti vi ties with great faith after considering
his individual needs. I
Rules for daily acti vi ties incl ude rules for body, mi nd, soci ety and afterli fe. Such
bodily rules as rising early in the morni ng, cl eaning the body, suitable work,
bathing, eating at the proper ti me, choice of nouri shing food, dri nki ng fresh water,
strolling, wearing clean cloth, sleeping no more than eight hours, must be done
daily. For st eadi ness of mind a person must dai l y cul t i vate di fferent facets of
knowledge such as geography, astronomy, hi story, geometry, mathemati cs,
chemistry, physics, medicine, literature, phi l osophy of l ife s goals, meditation and
contemplation of the day's work. Dai l y he must also earn a living by l awful work,
r aise his family, and perform works benefi cial for society and the world. For
assuring good afterlife, he must daily perform ri tes at the sandhya. Most of the
activities are daily, but some are performed every two weeks, or monthl y, or every
six months, yearly, or i r r egul arly. The dai l y act i vi t i es are called nitya karma.
The others are called naimi ttika karma: some of these are performed at regular
intervals and some at irregular intervals. The househol der must al ways remain
free from sin and engage in beneficial work.
The previous descriptions were of the works whi ch yi el d benef i cial resul ts. Now,
in order
avoid sin, a description of the main si nful acti vi ties wil l be gi ven.2 There are
eleven principal sins: violence, cruelty, anger, wandering mi nd, l yi ng, di sobedi ence
to a superior, lust, selfishness, impuri ty, r ude conduct , and destructi veness.
Violence is of three sorts: against man, animal and devas. To ki l l anot her l i vi ng
being is called violence. It arises from hatred. At t achment to an obj ect is called
raga, and repulsion to an obj ect is called dvesa. Permitted attachment is considered
a beneficial act, a punya, but unauthori zed attachment is called lust. The opposi t e
tendency to attachment is repul si on. Permi t ted repul sion is considered a punya,
while unlawful repul sion is sin, the root of vi ol ence and hat red. I n soci et y,
people must treat others with affecti on; only the person invol ved in sin shows
violence and hatred to others. As violence is a great sin, all people must avoid i t.
Violence to humans is the greatest sin. The amount of reaction wil l be accordi ng
to the elevated qualities of the victim. Thus greater sin is respectively incurred
against the followi ng: br ahmana, a rel ative or parent, a woman, a vaisnava, a
guru.
Even killing ani mals is not an ordi nary sin. The ki l l ers of ani mals, showing thei r
animal nature, are controlled by their appeti tes and selfishness. Unless a person
gives up violence to animals, he cannot di spl ay hi s nature as a human being. The
purpose of animal sacrifices prescribed in the scriptures is for gradually restri cti ng
the lower nature of the sacrificer unti l he fi nall y gi ves it up.3 Vi ol ence to animal s
i s for animals, not for the human bei ng.
Violence to the devas is also a serious sin. Men in di fferent countries have different
methods of worship. The purpose is to gradually bring the per son worshi p of t he
Supreme Lord. Ignorant fanati cs, however, think thei r way is best and condemn
all others; they destroy someone else's temple or deity at any opportuni ty. As t he
Lord is only one, by such acts they commi t vi ol ence to God. Those who have
proper conduct must always avoid such unl awful and bestial actions.W
Cruelty may be di rected towards human bei ngs or animals. If a person acts
cruelly towards other men he creates a disturbance to the world. A wor l d devoi d
of mercy means a world fi l led with cruel ty. Such peopl e as Nero and Serajaddaulla
brought great problems to the world. If a person has that tendency in hi s mind he
must gradually replace it with a merci ful atti t ude and practice being merci ful to
others. Even i n some low rel i gi ons of the modern worl d, cruelty to ani mal s has
become a prescribed practi ce. Thi s onl y bri ngs i nfamy to its founders. I f a
compassionate person sees the way in which horse and bul l ock owners treat the
animals pulling their cart, he cannot help but feel pain. People must give up
treating animals with such cruel ty.
Hypocrisy is a sin. When a person acts deceitfully towards another by habit or
with self interest, it is called crooked dealing. When thi s decei tful nature becomes
extreme it becomes cruelty. A person who i s very attached to this sin is a
pretender.
Illusion5 is of four types: intoxi cati on, bei ng possessed by the six enemies,
atheism and laziness. Many pr obl ems of the worl d are caused byi nt oxi cati on. Al l
sins reside in intoxi cati ons. Al cohol , mari j uana, opi um, tobacco and betel nut
counted as intoxicants. Some of these disturb the mind and destroy the health.
Opium reduces a person's mental power and turns hi m i nt o an ani mal . Tobacco
has a similar effect, lowering man s nature and making hi m an addi ct. Dr i nki ng
alcohol is very dangerous. A real human being shoul d not contact an alcohol
drinker except to give him medi cal advi ce.
The six enemies are lust. anger, greed, pride, delusion and envy. If they take
control of the mi nd, man becomes sinful . To desire those items which are
necessary for mini mal daily exi stence is not lust, but to aspire for more than thi s i s
called lust. Fol l owi ng t hi s l ust puts us in vari ous di ffi cul t i es. If desi res are not
fulfilled, anger results. From anger comes quarreling, harsh words, fighti ng,
murder and all sorts of sinful acti ons. Greed overtakes us by degrees, until we
commit sinful acti vity to ful f i l l i t . Pr i de i s the tendency to think oneself great.
The human being actually attains gentle behavior when he begins to think of
himself as very insignifi cant. If we think of oursel ves as servants of God, pride wi l l
not possess us. Delusion means ignorance. Not being able to tol erate another
person s elevated position is called envy. I t i s the root of al l sin. I f a person i s
overcome by any of these six enemies he is said to be in il l usi on.
Atheism is of two types: convi ct i on t hat God does not exi st, an doubt t hat God
does exists. This is also a type of ill usion t hat we see repeatedly in thi s worl d.
Insane people are usually atheists as well. In a heal thy state, some people have
f aith, but when i nsanity stri kes they lose their fai th. When they become normal ,
they also regain their faith. Some i nsane person may chant day and ni ght, but
when asked about it, they say that they are God. Lazi ness is also considered a sin,
and must be avoided.
Falsehood consists of verbal lies, cheating religi on, cheating conduct and
prejudice. Lying i s forbi dden, and to tell a lie under oath is even more serious.
Therefore in no circumstance should a person tell a lie. Those who act falsely in
society lose their credibi l ity and become the object of contempt. Cheat i ng
religion is also a serious sin. Those who decorate themselves on the exterior wi th
t he signs of a pious person (ti l aka, mala, sacred thread, red or white cl oth), but
have no internal devotion to the Lord, are called religi ous pretenders. Those who
carry out deceitful dealings with others or who smil e wi t hout reveal ing their true
intentions, are called dupl i ci tous, and gain the hatred of all. Favori tism means to
support an unjust party rather than support the ri ghteous side for selfish reasons.
This type of conduct must be avoided.
Disrespect to elders has three objects: parents, teachers, and other superiors. Even
i f the superior makes a mistake, he should not be di srespected. A person shoul d
be careful to please superiors with pol i te and gracious conduct. To di sobey t he
orders of superiors is also disrespect.
Lust manifests itself in relation to money, women and posi ti on. By i ndul gi ng i n
lust for wealth and goods, gradually desire increases to such an extent that
happiness is not possible. A person shoul d give up thi s l ust and l ive si mply, so
that even if he gains wealth and possessions, he does not develop such lust in the
heart. Lust for women i s a great sin. Rel ati ons with anther s wife or with a
prostitute is forbi dden. Even i n l i vi ng wi t h hi s wi fe, a person must observe
scriptural rules for physical and social benefit. To f al l under the control of a
woman is certain rui nati on.6 By i l l i ci t cont act with women a person weakens his
body; misuse of his sex organ creates unintell i gent, sickly, short-l i ved chi l dren. I n
India, sexual contact is forbi dden before the age of 16 for a woman and 21 for a
man. Lust for women shoul d be prevented by proper scriptural conduct . By
l usting for position a person becomes very selfish. Thi s type of l ust must be
avoided by following the rules in an unsel fish way.
Selfishness is a great sin. Though al l endeavors for gaining material assets in thi s
l ife or the next are for ones own benefit, t here is no i nj unct i on f orbi ddi ng pursui t
of those interests, for God has sancti oned personal and uni versal benefit to occur
simultaneously. But i f we i gnore God' s interest, we can do no good to the worl d.
That self-interest which l i ves at the expense of others' welfare is condemned.
From such selfishness arises undue miserliness towards ones family members,
reluctance to do chari ty, argument, theft, frustrati on, egoti sm, envy, vi ol ence, lust
and extravagance. According to the degree of sel fi shness in aperson, one can
measure his disservice to himself and the world. I f no at t empt i s made to remove
selfishness form the heart, the human being can not perform any benefi cial
activity.
Impurity is of two types: bodily and mental . Th ese have t hree subdi vi si ons:
i mpurity due to pl ace, time and utensil . By going to an i mpure pl ace to perform a
person becomes impure. Ther ef ore according t o the scri pt ures, if a person goes
to a foreign land he becomes impure. But t here is no i nj unct i on agai nst going to
foreign lands to free people from the hands of evil rul ers by battle or di pl omacy or
to preach the real dharma. But to l i ve i n f oreign pl aces i n order to l earn useless
sciences and morality has brought the rui nation of the Aryans. Whoever contacts
such impure places is supposed to perform acts of repentance to purify hi msel f.
According to karma kanda, ti mes like mala masa (intercalary month) are
considered impure, because works should onl y be performed at the scriptural l y
prescribed times. Addi t i onal months and the ti mes of great celestial events such as
eclipses are not considered as proper for performing regular ri tuals. To do
activities during thi s time is considered impure. There is i mpuri t y due to t i me
attached to sexual activity, eating and sleeping. By doing acti vi ties or maki ng
offerings to the deity on behalf of a sinful drunkard or l ust y person one also
develops impuri ty. If body, cl oth bed or house remains unclean, impurity al so
results. After passing nature it is necessary to purify the body by washing wi t h
water. I l l usi on and hat red pr oduce i mpuri t y of the heart.
Improper conduct is another sin. To di sregard the conduct whi ch has been
delineated by the saintly peopl e and take up conduct of f or ei gners is improper
conduct. Those who, by associating with forei gners for a ti me, gi ve up the pure
rules of varnasrama in favor of freedom from rul es, become fallen, acting against
the perfect, scientific rules of conduct. For pur i f i cat i on they must perform
penances.
There are five types of activities which are destructive to the worl d.: opposi tion to
good works, false renunciation, preaching irrel i gion i n the name of God, unj ust
war, and waste. By creating obstacles directly or i ndi r ectl y to those who are
engaged in beneficial work, the whol e worl d suffers. Detachment produced
through activities of devoti onal service and spiri tual knowl edge is best. To try to
produce detachment by ones own effort si mpl y produces disturbing effects. This is
f alse renunciation. Nor mal l y peopl e shoul d stay as householders and follow the
rules for grhastha asrama. When genuine detachment appears, a person should act
according to the rules of sannyasa. Otherwise he should graduall y decrease his
household duties while engaging more in the Lord s service. That is real
renunciation. It i s si nful to l eave the family si mpl y because of some problem or
because it seems difficul t t o manage. This is instant renunci ation wi t hout havi ng
t he proper qualificati on. Some peopl e wrongl y thi nk t hat t hey can put on t he
cloth of a renunciate and obtain devotion l ater. Such renunci ation does not arise
f rom their nature, but from a t emporary whi m. Havi ng ari sen onl y temporari l y,
that renunciation can throw hi m back i nt o si nful l i f e and sense gratification.
Having real qualities of renunci ation shoul d be the cause of taking such a rol e.
Proper conduct means to follow the acti ons prescribed in scri pture that are
suitable to ones qualities.7 If a person takes a role which is not sui table to hi s
qualities, he simply creates a disturbance to himself and the world. Taki ng on
activities for whi ch one does not have the capacity destroys the worl d.
Preaching irreligion in the name of rel i gion is very common. Nera, baul ,
kartabhaja, daravesa, kumbhapatiya, ativari, sveccacari and other such groups are
all harmful. The sin that they spread by their acti vi ties is destructive to the worl d.
The illicit sexual activi ties that pervade the sahajiyas, neras, baulas and kartabhajas
i s completely against the Vedic norms.
Wars for i ncreasing the size of a country are sinful and destructi ve. Onl y
unavoidable wars are allowed by scripture. A per son shoul d spend hi s ti me,
money, energy and materials correctly. By mi sspendi ng, he commits a sin.
According to the seriousness of the sin, it has various names such as papa, pataka,
atipataka, mahapataka. When si ns are commi t ted against the devotee and the
Lord they are called offenses, or aparadhas. These are the most serious sins and
should be avoided. In the next chapter these will be discussed.
In this book only a summary has been given of reli gion and i rrel i gi on, sin and
pious activity, rules and prohi bi t i ons. To know mor e about t hese topi cs, please
consult the twenty dharma sastras, Mahabharata and the Puranas.
Leading a life according the pri nci ples of God is the only thi ng of value in thi s
temporary world. One shoul d make all efforts to do thi s.8 Prescribed actions are
of two types: traivargika, which yi el d temporary, material results for oneself; and
apavargika, which yi el ds l i beration from the material worl d. However i n
performing devotion to Krsna, the best of the apavargika dharmas, there is no
need to strive for liberati on; devotion i tself is the end.
1 According to the Vedas, there are two ki nds of acti vi ties pravrtti and nivrtti .
Pravrtti activities involve raising oneself from a lower to a hi gher condi tion of
materialistic life, whereas nivrtti means the cessation of material desire. Through
pravrtti activi ties one suffers from material entanglement, but by ni vrtti acti vi t i es
one is purified and becomes fit to enjoy eternal, blissful l i fe. S.B.7.15.97
2 Theft, violence, speaking lies, dupli ci ty, l ust, anger, perplexi ty, pri de, quarrel i ng,
enmity, faithlessness, envy and the dangers caused by women, gambling and
intoxication are the fifteen undesirable qualities that contami nate men because of
greed for wealth. Al though these qualities are undesirable, men falsely ascribe
value to them. One desi ring to achi eve the real benefit of life should therefore
remain aloof from undesirable material wealth. S.B.11.23.18-19
3 In this material worl d the condi t i oned soul is always is incl i ned to sex, meat-
eating and intoxi cati on. Theref ore rel i gi ous scriptures never actually encourage
such activities. Although the scri ptural i nj unct i ons provide for sex sacred
marriage, for meat-eating through sacrifi cial offeri ngs and for i nt oxi cation through
t he acceptance of ritual cups of wi ne, such ceremonies are meant for the ul ti mat e
purpose of renunciati on. S.B.11.5.11
According to the Vedic inj unct i ons, when wine is offered in sacrifi cial ceremoni es
i t is later to be consumed by smell i ng, and not by dri nki ng. Si mi l arl y, the
sacrificial offering of animals is permi tted, but there is no provi sion for wi de-scale
animal slaughter. Rel i gi ous sex life is also permi tted, but onl y i n marri age for
begetting chi l dren, and not for sensuous expl oi tation of the body. Unf or t unat el y,
however, the less intelligent materialists cannot understand that their duti es in l i f e
should be performed purely on the spi ri tual pl atform. S.B.11.5.13
0 Those who have not achieved knowl edge of the Absolute Truth, yet who are stil l
beyond the darkness of compl ete ignorance, generally follow the threefold path of
pious material life, namely reli gi osi ty, economic development and sense
gratification. Not havi ng t i me to refl ect on any hi gher purpose, they become the
killers of their own soul . S.B.11.5.16
5 Maharaja Pariksit, thus being peti ti oned by the personality of Kali , gave him
permission to reside in pl aces where gambling, dri nki ng, prosti tut i on and ani mal
slaughter were performed. The personality of Kali asked for something more, and
because of his begging, the King gave him permi ssion to l ive where there is gold
because wherever there is gold there is also falsity, intoxi cati on, l ust, envy and
enmity. S.B.1. 17.38-39
6 If, therefore, the living entity again associates with the path of unri ght eousness,
i nfluenced by sensually mi nded people engaged in the pursui t of sexual enjoyment
and the gratification of the palate, he again goes to hell as before. He becomes
devoid of truthful ness, cleanliness, mercy, gravity, spiri tual i ntel l i gence, shyness,
austerity, fame, forgiveness, control of the mi nd, control of the senses, fortune and
all such opportuni ti es. S.B.31.32-33
7 Steadiness in one s own position is declared to be actual piety, whereas deviation
from one s is considered impi ety. In t hi s way the two are defi ni tely ascertained.
8 Those who are followers of this varnasrama system accept princi ples according
to authorized tradi ti ons of proper conduct. When such varnasrama duties are
dedicated to Me in loving service, they award the supreme perfection of l i fe.
S.B. 11.21.2
S.B. 11. 18.%7
Chapter Three
Vaidhi Bhakti
Part One
General characteristics of Vaidhi Bhakti
Those principles of religion whi ch arise from the rules of scripture are divi ded i nto
two types: mundane and spiri tual . The rul es for artha dharma and kama are
mundane dharma. Those rules are for well -being of body, mi nd, soci ety, moral i ty
and afterlife on svarga loka, which is temporary. Af ter enj oyi ng the happi ness of
svarga one must return to the earth pl anet. The varnasrama system described
previously is also mundane. I Dhar ma, artha and kama come in cycl i c
progression, and the soul never gets release from foll owing those rul es. The goal
of those rules is material acquisiti on, and thus they are all called mundane or
materia1.2 Whatever results are obtai ned by doing those activi ties are material.
Those material results lead to more action, which l ead to more material results.
The result after which there is no more chain of action is called spiri tual or
apavarga. Mat erial rel i gion may be either pol ythei sti c or monot hei stic. An
example will i l l ustrate the chain of action and resul t.
Marriage is an action; its goal is chil dren, who shoul d perform acti on, in the form
of offering ri tes when the parents die. When thi s goal is achieved and turns to
action of offering the pi ndas, the goal is to satisfy the pi tras. The satisfaction of the
pitras leads to the satisfaction of the chi l dren. The chi l dren then perform more
actions, which give more results, which l eads to more actions. The resul ts of al l
theses actions is temporary. Therefore the happiness ofbegetting chi l dren and
even the peace arising from l i beration and the bl iss of brahman are all wi thi n t he
chain of material action and material result . Wh e n t he bl i ss of brahman
matures to bliss of service to the Supreme Lord, the material chain ends and the
final result is achieved in the form of spi ri t ual l i fe. Thus apavarga has two
meanings: liberation and devoti on. When a person attains li beration from
material bondage he attains the eternal dharma of bhakti , devoti on.
As long as dharma aims at material goals, it is called material dharma or materi al
religion. It is also called morality or smarta dharma. When dharma ai ms at
spiritual goals, it is called spiri tual dharma or spi ri tual rel i gi on. When i t f ol l ows
the rules of scripture it is called sadhana bhakti . The so-called worship of the Lord
observed in smarta dharma (sandhya rites, deity worship, sacrifice, and prayers) is
not on the spiri tual l evel , because all those daily and occasional actions of worshi p
simply result in nour i shi ng t he wor shi pper' s material tendency or i mprovi ng the
social environment. Such worshi p can be clssed as karma because the end result is
material. For those fol l owing material dharma, worshi p of the Lord i s onl y one
rule amongst many. It i s not the eternal l oyalty to the Lord whi ch i s found i n real
spiritual dharma. Those acti ons which ai m at the well being of body, mind and
society are called naitika or moral i stic. Though actuall y not accepting the Lord as
real, the followers of material dharma accept worship of the Lord on the nai ti ka
level, as a means of purifi cati on. Even Compt e, an avoi ded atheist, accepted
worship of the Lord as a means of puri fi cation of mi nd. On the path of mundane
faith, all worship of the Lord i s of thi s type. The arrangements for medi ating on
f orms of the Lord found i n yoga scriptures is also of this type. But t he
prescriptions for devotion service according to rules (vai dhi bhakti ) f ound i n t he
devotional literatures is purely spiri tual rel i gion or apavarga dharma.
On deeply analyzing the matter, it wil l be found that there is great conceptual
difference between the rules of material dharma (smarta or nai ti ka) wi th mot i vat ed
worship, and the rules of spiri tual dharma which advocate constant dedication to
the Lord. Thi s di ff erence is not a di fference in activity or ri t ual , but rat her a
difference in consciousness. The faithless moralists and smartas, taking ethical
principles as the highest goal, limit rel i gi ous l ife to ful f i l ment of dharma, artha
and kama, whereas the devotees of vaidha bhakti i ncrease the limits of dharma,
artha and kama by linking them to spi ri t ual , totall y non-material goals. Thus the
mundane, moralistic dharma is incl uded wi t hi n the spi ri t ual dharma. When
naitika dharma develops and becomes complete, i t becomes spiri tual dharma.3
With the addition of dedi cation to the Lord to the mundane dharma, it bl ossoms
and becomes spiritual dharma.
Though a person situated in the worl d may accept spi ri t ual dharma, he does not
give up the rules of mundane dharma, for the rules of varnasrama stil l assist him
in supporting his body, mind and social envi ronment. Bei ng comf ortable as a
result of proper body, mind and surroundi ngs, he i s able to attain the eternal bli ss
of worshipping the Lord. The mundane dharma is called karma kanda and the
spiritual dharma is called sadhana bhakti. It is apparent that the secondary rules of
karma are one division of scri pture and the pri nci pal rules of bhakti are another
dsvssson.
There are two processes in attaining devoti on: the gradual pr ocess and the
sudden process. In the Cai tanya Caritamrta the Lord described to Sri Rupa
Goswami the gradually path.
The unlimi ted l i ving enti ties can be divi ded i nto two di vi si ons -those that can
move and those that cannot move. Among l i vi ng ent i t i es that can move, there are
birds, aquatics and animals. Al t hough the l i vi ng enti t i es known as human bei ngs
are very small in quanti ty, that di vi sion may be still furt her subdi vi ded, for there
are many uncultured human bei ngs like ml ecchas, pulindas, bauddhas and
sabaras. Among human bei ngs, those who are foll l owers of the Vedic pri nci pl es
are considired civil i zed. Among t hese, almost half simply give li p service whi l e
committing all ki nds of si nful acti vi ties against these princi pl es. Such people do
not care for the regulative pri nci pl es. Among the fol l owers of Vedic knowl edge,
most are following the process of frui tive activity and di sti ngui shing between good
and bad work. Out of many si uch si ncere frutive actors, there may be one who is
actually wise. Out of many mi l l i on so such wise men, one may actually become
liberated and out of many mi l l i ons of such l i berated persons, a pure devotee of
Lord Krsna is very diffi cul t to fi nd. Because a devotee of Lord Krsna is desreless,
he is peaceful. Frui t i ve workers desire material enjoyment, jnani s desire
liberation, and yogi desire material opul ence; therefore they are all lusty and
cannot be peaceful.
C.C.Madhya 19.100-109
The trees and other moti onl ess entities have covered consciousness. Reptiles,
aquatics and other animals have restricted consciousness. The pri mi t i ve peopl e
and civilized people with arts and sciences, but no varnasrama dharma, are devoid
of moral princi pl es. Buddhi st and other athei sti c groups have only moral cul t ure.
Those who accept the Vedas but do not practice strictly have morals with a
material conception of God. Those who act uall y practice dharma have bel ief in
God conditioned by moral cul t ure. Amongst those some peopl e di scover the real
truth, and amongst those, a few obtain li beration from material consciousness.
Amongst those, a few attain devotion to the Lord.
Those who accept material results, liberation, and powers of yoga attain no real
peace. Only the devotee is peaceful. Thus the human being may progress from
uncivilized to civi l i zed, to ethi cal, to thei stic dharma. Not being di stracted by
those results material enjoyment, liberation and powers of yoga a person then
progresses to devotional life. This is the process of gradual progress for the soul.
This is the prescription of all scri ptures and the path whi ch wi l l gi ve certai n
results.
Mahaprabhu described to Sanatana Goswami as follows:
There are unlimi ted condi ti oned souls who are bereft of Lord Krsna' s
service. Not knowi ng how to cross the ocean of necsience, they are scattered by
waves, time and tide. However, some are fortunate to contact devotees, and by
this contact they are delivered from the ocean of nescience, just as a log, floating
down a river, accidentally washes upon the bank.
C.C.Madhya 22.03
The sudden process is caused by the mercy of Krsna, the mercy of a devotee and
destruction of obstacles created to previous practice. Where the sudden process
operates, it supersedes the gradual process. Krsna, the creator of all rul es, is the
cause of this. It cannot be accommodated by reasoning power. The l ogi cal
contradiction between rule and mercy, which surpasses human intel l ect, can be
reconciled withi n the Lord, wi t hi n whom al l opposi tes coexist harmoni ousl y.
Thus by the mercy of Narada, the lawless hunter attained devoti onal l ife wi thout
having to take up a ci vi l i zed l ife and basic moral pri nci pl es. By the mercy of
Rama, Sabari, a tri bal , attai ned a high state of devoti on. Such persons did not
have to practice the many intervening stages of life. 0 I t shoul d be understood
that when a person attains devotional l i fe, all the good qual i ties of moral and
civilized life automatically appear as the ornaments of his li fe. But as this sudden
process is rare and unpredictable, one should not rely upon i t, but rather take
shelter of the gradual process. If the sudden process happens to appear, all the
better.
On the path of gradual development the person must t ake care to elevate himself
to a higher level, no matter on whi ch l evel he is situated. By good fortune it is the
nature of the soul that gradually it el evates itself, but there are obstacles such that
the soul may fail to reach the goal. Thus those who desire to reach a higher
standard must always be conscious of that fact. In progressing from one l evel of
l ife to another two thi ngs should be consi dered. A person shoul d be fi rml y f i xed
i n his present position in order to take a firm step forward. Then, in order to
advance to a higher level, when one foot gives up the previ ous place, that foot
must fix itself fi rml y i n the hi gher pl ace before the other foot can raise itself to the
same level. Simultaneously, the person must give up the l ower l evel and establish
himself firmly in the hi gher l evel . If he moves too qui ckly, he wil l fall . I f he
moves too slowly, the results will also come slowly. By progressing from tri bal
l ife, civilized life, moral l i fe, moral l ife with mat eri all y conceived God, moral l i fe
with acceptance of God, to devoti onal l ife in practice (sadhana bhakti), step by
step, the living entity can achieve the highest end, prema. If he hurri es too qui ckl y
to progres to one step, he will fall to the l ower step. If he del ays too long on one
step, he will become lazy and block hi s own progress. Understanding that both
excessively quick or slow movement is an obstacle, a person should elevate himself
gradually by fixing hi msel f fi rml y on one l evel, and then gi ving i t up when he has
attained firmness in the next hi gher l evel .
Some people lament that they have not attained devotion to Krsna but at the same
time they do not make any real attempt to raise themselves to the level of Krsna
bhakti. They remain bound to one of the l evels wi thout due cause, and do not
make any attempt to progress (niyamagraha).5 If a person stops at one step how
can he expect to progress to the top> Many devot ees on the l evel of vai dhi
bhakti make no attempt to progress to bhava bhakti, and lament that they have not
attained bhava. Many peopl e remain attached to the rules of varnasrama and are
indifferent to bhava and prema. This is an obstacle to their own advancement.
Those who are fortunate to receive the teachings of Lord Cai tanya, however, can
progress very quickly. I n a short l i f espan a person can easily progress from
varnasrama to the hi ghest level of prema.6 Those who have t aken shel ter of the
rules of gradual development do not have to wait for another bi rth to el evate
t hemselves. However, those who act like dead fish and simply fl oat on the
currents of fate in the ocean of material existence, advancing and retreating wi th
the ebb and flow of the ti de, can hardly attain the desired goal.
The general characteristic of either gradual or sudden devotion is found i n vai dhi
bhakti: i t i s f avorabl e cul ti vation of Krsna, with no desire other than the desire to
nourish devotion i tself, and i t i s uncont ami nated by j nana or karma.7 Cul t i vat i on
of Krsna is the essential part of bhakti . The cul ti vation of God can be found i n
karma marga but it is a secondary part of moral i ty. I t i s not devot i on, because
moral conduct is the master and worship of God is but a servant of moral i ty. On
the path of jnana, there is cultivation of pure knowl edge of Brahman. There,
knowledge is the master and worship of God is the servant. That also is not
bhakti. In bhakti , God i s the onl y obj ect of cul ti vati on.8 Thi s cul t i vat i on of the
Lord must always be in a favorable mood. Though cul t i vation or absorption can
also be unfavorable, that is not bhakti . One can cul t i vate bhakti favorably by
making ones life favorable to bhakti. Whi l e exi sting i n t hi s mat erial body,
performing actions related to the bodily needs (karma) and making di sti ncti ons of
time. S.B.11.10.26
material and non-material (j nana) are unavoi dable, but where that karma and
j nana cover the culti vation of bhakti , bhakti no l onger exi sts. Where dedi cation to
the Lord domi nates karma and jnana, bhakti may be said to exist.
Those following vai dhi bhakti shoul d thi nk of dedi cation to the Lord as thei r
principle work in l i fe. It i s a cul ti vation performed, not f rom f ear or hatred, but
with affection and love. That i s the meaning of favorable. Though i t i s necessary
to maintain the body by f ol l owi ng the rul es of varnasrama, the devotee never
allows those rules to overpower hi s devot i on of the Lord. Those rul es al ways
remain as followers of the cul ti vation of the Lord. What ever knowl edge is
necessary for realizing the soul beyond the material realm of experi ence, it always
remains as the servant of devotional cul ti vati on, and never supersedes the position
of devotion. Al l acti ons and all knowl edge are for the advancement of bhakti
alone. This is how the devotee of vaidhi bhakti l i ves his li fe.
1 Until his pi ous results are used up, the performer of sacrifice enjoys life in the
heavenly planets. When the pi ous results are exhausted, however, he falls down
from the pleasure gardens of, being moved against his desire by the force of eternal
2 One who desires to be absorbed in the i mpersonal brahmaj yoti efful gence should
worship the master of the Vedas, one who desires powerful sex should worshi p the
heavenly king, Indra, and one who desires good progeny should worshi p the great
progenitors called the Prajapatis. One who desi res good fortune should worshi p
Durgadevi, the superintendent of the material world. One desi ring to be very
powerful should worshi p fi re, and one who aspires only after money shoul d
worship the Vasus. One shoul d worshi p the Rudra i ncarnati ons of Lord Siva if he
wants to be a great hero. S.B.2.3.2-5
A person who has broader intel l i gence, whether he be full of all material desire,
without any material desire, or desiring li berati on, must by all means worship the
supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead. All the di fferent kind of worshi pers of
multidemigods can attain the hi ghest perfectional benedicti on, which i s
spontaneous attraction unfl i nchi ngl y f i xed upon the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, only by the association of the pure devotee of the Lord. S.B.2.3.10-11
In such a degraded body, he unfortunately conti nues to perform i nauspi ci ous
activities that greatly increase his future unhappi ness, and therefore he again
accepts a similar material body. What possi ble happi ness can there be for one who
engages in activities inevitably termi nating in death> In al l the pl anetary systems,
from the heavenly to the hel l i sh, and all of the great demigods who l ive for one
thousand yuga cycles, there is fear of Me in My form of t i me. Even Brahma, who
possesses the supreme life span of 311,00Q,QQQ,QQQ,QQQ years, is also afraid of Me.
3 0 best among the twi ce-born, it is therefore concluded that the hi ghest
perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own
occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to pl ease the
Personality of Godhead. S.B.1.2.13
0 In every yuga many li ving enti ties entangled in the modes of passion and
ignorance gained the association of My devotees. Thus, such l i ving enti ties as the
Daityas, Raksasas, birds, beasts, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Nagas, Siddhas, Caranas,
S.B. 11. 10-.29-30
Guhyakas and Vidyadharas, as well as such lower-class human beings as the
vaisyas, sudras, women and others, were able to achieve My supreme abode.
Vrtrasura, Prahlada Maharaja and others like them also achieved my abode by
association with My devotees, as did personalities such as Vrsaparva, Bali
Maharaja, Banasura, Maya, Vibhisana, Sugriva, Hanuman, Jambavan, Gajendra,
Jatayu, Tuladhara, Dharma-vyadha, Kubja, the gopis in Vrndavana and the wi ves
of the brahmanas who were performing sacrifi ce. These persons I have menti oned
did not undergo serious studies of the Vedic li terature, nor di d they worshi p great
saintly persons, nor did they execute severe vows or austerities. Si mpl y by
association with Me and My devotees, they achieved Me. S.B.11.12.3-7
5 Upadesamrta 3
6 0 son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of l ower bi rt h-
women, vaisyas and sudras can attain the supreme destination. How much more
this is so of the righteous brahmanas, the devotees and the saintly ki ngs.
Therefore, having come to this temporary, mi serable world, engage in lovi ng
7 When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all materi al
desires, knowledge obtained by moni sti c phi l osophy, anhd frui t i ve acti on. The
devotee must constantly serve Krsna favorably, as Krsna desires. B.S.1.1.11
8 The senses are symbolic representations of the demigods, and their natural
inclination is to work under the di rection of the Vedic i nj unct i ons. As the senses
are representatives of the demigods, so the mind is the representative of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. The mi nd' s natural duty i s to serve. When t hat
service spirit is engaged in devoti onal service to the Personality of Godhead,
without any moti ve, that is far better than salvation S.B.3.25.32
The manifestation of unadul terated devoti onal service is exhibi ted when one' s
mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and quali ties of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone s heart. Just as the
water of the Ganges flows naturally down t owards the ocean, such devoti onal
ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condi ti on, fl ows towards the Supreme Lord.
service unto Me. B.G.9.32-33
S.B.3.29.11-12
Part Two
The rules for Cultivating Bhakti
Following the rules of bhakti to attract the heart to the l otus feet of Krsna whi l e
simultaneously maintai ning the body through the rul es of varnasrama is called
bhakti yoga.l The cul t i vat i on of the Lord i s essential in thi s process. There are
five types of cultivati on: with body, mi nd, soul , matter and society.
There are seven types of bodily cul ti vation using the external senses:2 hearing,
chanting, smelling, seeing, touchi ng, tasting and moving l i mbs. Cul t i vat i on
through hearing may be hearing scriptures, the name of the Lord or songs about
the Lord, and lectures about the Lord. Heari ng scri ptures consists of hearing
topics on the phil osophi cal status of the Lord, descripti ons of the Lord s activi ti es,
stories of the lives of devotees, and puranic hi stories of the devotees dynastes.
Those works wri tten by devotees of the Lord shoul d be heard with the proper
conclusion; those which present non-devoti onal concl usi ons should be avoided.
The conclusion of all scri ptures is devotion to the Lord. Under st andi ng scri ptures
takes place through a sixfold process: upakrama, upasamhara, abhyasa, apurvata,
phala, arthavada and upapatti. Thr ough t hi s process, one can arrive at the
conclusion that devot i on to the Lord i s the i mport of al l scri pt ures.
The devotee will li sten to those songs which cul ti vate devotion by description of
the Lord's pastimes, rather than those songs which are merely for satisfying the
senses. He should stri ctly avoid those songs which i ncrease material attachment of
the mind. Prayers and instrumental musi c shoul d be heard whil e offering service
to the Lord.
Cultivation through chanting is extremely powerful . There are five types of
chanting: recitation of scri pture, recitation of the Lord s names and pastimes,
recitation of verses, submissive offerings and japa. Reci tation of the Lord s names
and pastimes may be done by song, narrati on, lecture or class. Submi ssive
offerings are of three types: prayer, admission of lowl i ness and longi ng. Japa refers
to soft chanting of mantra.
Cultivation of bhakti by using the sense of smell i s performed by smel l ing fl owers,
tulasi, sandalwood, incense, garlands, and camphor which have been offered to the
Lord. Smelling those items which have not been offered to the Lord onl y i ncrease
material sense attachment, and therefore must be avoided.
Cultivation of sight is performed by seeing the dei ty, the devotees, the holy
places, the temple, dramatic performances and pictures depicting the Lord. The
sense of sight focusing on material forms can t hrow a person i nto the wel l of
material life and thus seeing material forms must be avoided. Whatever a person
sees in the world, he must rel ate it to the Lord.
The devotee should become detached from sensation of touch rel ated to external
objects, and take joy at touching the form of the Lord. He can get satisfaction by
touching and embracing the devotees. The sense of touch is very powerful ,
l eading to sins such as illicit sexual activi ti es. The devotee must vow that under no
circumstances to touch anyone except devotees. Touch does not refer to bodi l y
contact as such but to bodil y contact which produces sense pleasure in the heart.
This principle should be applied not onl y the touch but to al l senses.
The devotee can engage the tongue in tasting food offered to the Lord and taki ng
the water used to wash the feet of the Lord. The devotee does not eat anythi ng
except prasadam from the Lord. By t asting material foods, material convi cti on
gradually becomes stronger. Remnants of the Lord and of the devotee may be
eaten; both nourish bhakti .
Moving the limbs refers to dancing, paying respects, rising i n respect, fol l owi ng
after the deity or devotee, going to the temple, pari krama, serving guru and
vaisnava, worshipping the Lord, bathing in hol y wat er, putt i ng on Vai snava
markings and putting the Lord' s name on the body. The Vai snava should pay
respects by lowering eight parts of his body. When seeing the deity or the devotee
approach, the devotee should rise to his feet. When the devotee or deity moves,
the devotee should follow behi nd. The devotee uses his legs to go to the templ e,
the holy places and the devotees' houses. Worship refers to offering items to the
deity. The devotee should bathe in the water of the Ganga and Yamuna, put on
t ilaka according to the di recti ons of the guru, and decorate his body with the
names of the Lord.
In this manner the devotee on the path of vai dhi bhakti must cul t i vate devotion to
the Lord by engaging the body. As the condi t i oned soul is bound by a body, and
must perform some necessary activities of the body, he should do them i n such a
way that he does not become materially affected. By mi xi ng al l t hose activi ti es
with devotion to the Lord, he is able to cul ti vate his relationship with the Lord.
In all the activities concerning the body, the mind i s also acting. However the
mind also has ability to act when the body is not. These are the activi ties referred
to as mental cultivati on, to di sti nguish them from bodi l y cul t i vat i on. The acti vi ti es
of the mind are memory, thought, conscience, emotion, inquiry and gathering of
knowledge. By t hese functi ons, five types of devotional cul ti vation take pl ace:
remembrance, meditation,3 surrender, servitude, and inqui ry.
Memory is of two types: remembering the names of the Lord and remembrance of
mantras of the Lord. Count i ng j apa on t ul asi mala is the first type. Repeating
mantras using the fingers to count is remembrance of mantras. The di f f erence
between remembrance and meditation is that in remembrance the appearance of
the Lord's name, mantra, form, qual i ties and pastimes occurs to a slight degree,
whereas in meditation the form, qual i ties and pastimes of the Lord are clearly
conceived. When medi tation cont i nues for a long time i t i s cal led dharana, and
when it is deep it is called ni di dhyasana. Medi t at i on encompasses both these
practices.
Surrendering to the Lord whi l e gi ving up al l ot her i nt erests is a type of bhakti .
Those on the level of vaidhi do not have such qual i fi cati on, but to be convi nced
that the Lord is the only shel ter is prescribed for them. Thi s i s cal l ed saranapatti.9
Such devotees do not have aspiration for karma or j nana. Servi tude refers to
understanding that one is the servant of the lord.5 Thi s is a mental atti tude. Those
on the level of vai dhi bhakt i cannot however taste compl etely the servitude whi ch
is included in the five major rasas.
Inquiry is an important act i vi t y for the devotees. When inquiry about the Lord
arises, a person surrenders to a guru, t akes i ni ti ation and then takes instructi on
on how to worship the Lord. How can the condi t i oned souls attain the ul ti mat e
good if they do not make i nquiry about the truth> Aski ng about the real actions of
t he soul (sad-dharma prccha) is an important l imb of devotion ment i oned i n the
devotional scriptures.
Cultivation of bhakti using the soul is of six types: friendship, surrender, maki ng
full efforts for the Lord, acceptance only of material necessities, rejecting personal
pleasure, and following the path of the previ ous devotees. The soul of the person
performing vaidhi bhakti i s not l i berated, but rather condi ti oned. The pure soul i s
free of false ego. The vaidhi bhakta is attempting to become free from the material
world, and though the bondage is somewhat loosened, traces of false ego remain.
I n such a state the devotee may still cul ti vates feel i ngs invol ving the soul . Fi r st ,
the devotee thinks of the Lord as a dear friend. Thi s feel ing is however di fferent
from the sakhya rasa, being but a seed of the later manifestation. The devotee,
thinking of hi mself as soul, also offers everything to the l otus feet of the Lord.
Thinking that he wil l of fer all hi s possession he has to the Lord, he does not care
about his own protecti on. Al l hi s ef f orts, whether of body or mi nd, he attempts to
dedicate to the Lord. He under st ands that hi s wi fe, chi l dren, house, animals,
wealth, possessions, body and mind are all meant fort the service of the Lord.
Everything is the Lord' s and he accepts only what is necessary as the Lord's mercy
in order to make him more qual i fied for the Lord' s service; all other thi ngs are
unnecessary. He is wi l l ing to sacri fice his enjoyment for the Lord, and he fi nds
out the correct process ascertained by the previous devotees and follows that to the
best of his ability.
However, the devotee is not fully satisfied with cul t i vating devotion wi th body
mind and soul, because he sees around him the material worl d as well . He sees his
body, and withi n the body the mind and soul , as a small part of the uni verse, and
t hinks that the worl d shoul d also be used to cul ti vate devotion to the Lord.
Infinite time6 and space7 and all the material forms may be used as ingredients for
the worship of the Lord. Thi nki ng i n t hi s way he uses place, time and matter in
t he cultivation of the Lord. Cul t i vat i on i nvol vi ng the material worl d i s of three
types: cultivation using pl ace, time and matter. Concerni ng pl ace, the devotee
may go to holy places (tirthas), to temples and to devotees' houses. Dvaraka, Puri ,
Kanci, Mathura mandala, Navadvipa are examples of tirthas. Having heard about
the Lord s pastimes in those places, and becoming fi l led with fai th, the devotees
goes to the tirthas or resides there. Wi t h f ai th he takes bath in the waters of t he
Ganga or Yamuna, which have washed the Lord' s feet. The devotees goes to those
places where the forms of the Lord are worshi pped. The devotee shoul d al ways
take shelter of the houses and vi l l ages of the great devotees. He vi sits the
birthplaces and residences of the associates of Lord Caitanya with fai th. By vi si t i ng
or residing in these places and hearing constantl y topi cs about the Lord and hi s
devotees, attraction for Krsna wil l ari se.
Time should also be used to culti vate service to the Lord. After worki ng i n t he
material world for two weeks, a person must cul ti vate the Lord by gi ving up
eating and sleeping on the ekadasi. The devotee should also observe the vows
during Damodara month, and observe the festivals commemorating the Lord' s
pastimes. He should also observe the significant days in the l i ves of great devotees.
There are many ways of engaging matter in the service of the Lord. Thus cert ai n
trees such as asvattha, dhatri and tul asi are used to serve the Lord. The i mages of
the Lord are material objects, but the devotee must worship them as non-di fferent
from the Lord, whose identical image resides in the heart of the pure devotee.
Among mountai ns, the devotee may worship Govardhana, among rivers he may
worship Ganga and Yamuna; among animals he may worship the cow and cal f.
Whatever is suitable for bodies in this worl d i s also fi t t o of fer to the Lord. Thus
there are rules for offering bed, cloth, scents, sandalwood and utensils to the dei ty.
If the devotee offers his favorite object to the Lord, hi s service becomes first cl ass.
The deities are of eight types.8
The devotee is happy that he can engage his body, mi nd, soul, pl ace, time and
matter in the service of he Lord, but something is lacking sti ll . I f he can engage
other people or society i n the Lord' s service he will be happy.9 Thus t here are
rules for cultivation of devotion ut i l i zi ng social tendencies: festive gatherings of
devotees, keeping proper standards of the vaisnavas, raising a vaisnava family, and
spreading vaisnava dharma to all souls.
The devotees should have festivals where they can live together, take prasada
t ogether, listen to topics about the Lord and sing the Lord' s name together. Those
amongst the devotees who are knowl edgeable about madhura rasa can relish the
meaning of the literatures such as Bhagavatam, which contain topics of rasa.
Two things should be understood about devotee association, in order that vaisnava
offenses are not commi tted. Sri Cai tanya has given warni ng i n t hi s regard. The
devotee should give up the association of the devotee pretender, understand him
to be a materialist.10 Towards those who are sincere, the devotee should offer
service and respect. Meet i ng a true vai snava, the devotee should associate with
him and serve him with hi s heart; to the ordi nary vai snava-incli ned people he
should show respect. Thi s respect is an external service.
These vaisnava-like people are of three types: those who full y accept the Vaisnava
conclusions but are not practi cing themselves; those who take up the vaisnava
signs and appearance, but are not real vaisnavas, though they have respect for the
vaisnavas; those who are born in the fami l ies of great vai snavas, and wear the
signs of a vaisnava but are not real vaisnavas.
A true vaisnava is measured by the degree of purity and depth of hi s devotion and
his capacity to inspire others. A person attains the status of a real vaisnava as
soon as a little pure devotion appears in his heart. If a person respects and takes
association of the non-vaisnava in the way that he respects the true vaisnava or the
ordinary vaisnava, his devotion wil l decrease.l l Thus amongst those who wear
the vaisnava marks and appear to be vaisnavas, certain ones should be avoided.
These people should be satisfied with the respect due to all human bei ngs whi ch
is part of the secondary rules, but they should not be accepted or respected as real
vaisnavas. If they happen to become pure devotees, then they are also qualified for
association with other pure devotees.
False vaisnavas are those who wear the vaisnava marks for cheating; those who
identify themselves as followers of the vaisnava acaryas, for the purpose of
introducing advaita phi l osophy to the vaisnavas; and those who advertise
themselves as vaisnavas to gain money, position or some other material enj oyment.
One should not di scuss topics of rasa with anyone except hi ghl y qual i f i ed persons
on the same level of spiri tual advancement.12
In producing a vaisnava population the devotee should only associate with
vaisnavas. The wife should be i ni ti ated and if possible taught the vaisnava
philosophy. By great fortune a person gets a vaisnava wife. By producing vai snava
population with a vai snava wife, materialism cannot exi st. The chi l dren shoul d be
understood to be servants of the Lord. The parents should feel satisfaction by
increasing the vaisnava populati on. The di f f erence between the materialistic and
devotional family is a di fference, not of external form, but of consci ousness. The
materialist also gets married, earns money, bui lds a house, and produces offspring,
but his goal is to increase the happiness of the world or hi s own i ndi vi dual
happiness. Though the vaisnava performs the same activities, he does not claim
the results as his own, but acts as a servant of the Lord. The vai snava obtains
satisfaction and peace, but the materialist, under the control of desire or anger
bred from high aspirati ons and expectation of enj oyment or freedom, becomes
disturbed. The vai snava progresses in his practice by the convi ction that
devotional cultivation wil l i ncrease through rai sing a devotee family.
As showing compassion to all li ving enti ti es is the ornament of the devotee, the
devotees devise various means of transforming the l i ving enti ti es i nto vai snavas.
According to the object, there are four types of relationship the devotee may have
with others. Towards the Lord he shows prema; towards pure devotees he shows
true friendship; towards immature devotees and ignorant people he shows
mercy.13 The devotee distributes unl i mi ted mercy t o t hose who have developed
qualification for bhakti through good association. He gives them spiri tual
instruction and delivers them through hi s di f fusion of hi s special energy. The
devotee avoids those unfortunate people who, due to some type of incompl ete
reasoning, refuse to admit the pri nci pl e of el evation of the soul .
1 A sincere disciple should learn to di ssociate the mind from everything materi al
and positively culti vate association with hi s spi ri tual master and other saintl y
devotees. He should be merciful to those in an i nferior posi tion to hi m, cul t i vat e
friendship with those on a equal level and meekly serve those in a higher spiri tual
position. Thus he shoul d l earn to deal properly with al l l i vi ng bei ngs. To serve the
spiritual master the disciple should learn cleanliness, austerity, tolerance, silence,
study of Vedic knowl edge, simpl i ci ty, celibacy, nonvi ol ence and equanimity i n t he
face of material dualities such as heat and cold, happiness and distress. One should
practice meditation by constantly seeing oneself to be an eternal cognizant spiri t
soul and seeing the Lord to be the absolute control ler of everythi ng. To i ncrease
one s meditation, one should l ive in a secluded place and give up false attachment
to one's home and household paraphernalia. Gi vi ng up the decorati ons of the
temporary material body, one should dress himself with scraps of cloth found i n
rejected places, or with the bark of trees. In t hi s way one shoul d l earn to be
satisfied in any material situati on. One should have firm faith that he wil l achi eve
all success in life by foll owing those scriptures that describe the glories of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan. At the same ti me, one should avoi d
blaspheming other scriptures. One shoul d ri gi dl y cont rol hi s mi nd, speech and
bodily activities, always speak the truth, and bring the mind and senses under full
control. One should hear, glorify and medi tate upon the wonderful transcendental
activities of the Lord. One shoul d speci fi cally become absorbed in the appearance,
activities, qualities and holy names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus
i nspired, one should perform al l of one s daily activi ties as an offering to the Lord.
One should perform sacrifi ce, charity and penance exclusively for the Lord' s
satisfaction. Si mi l arly, one should chant onl y those mantras which gl orify the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. And al l one s religi ous activi ties should be
performed as an offering to the Lord. What ever one fi nds pl easing or enjoyable he
should immedi ately offer to the Supreme Lord, and even his wi fe, chi l dren, home
and very life air he should offer at the feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
2 Firm faith in the bl i ssful narrati ons of My pasti mes, constant chanting of My
glories, unwavering attachment to ceremonial worshi p of Me, prai sing Me through
beautiful hymns, great respect for My devoti onal service, offering obeisances with
the entire body, performing fi rst-cl ass worship of My devotees, consciousness of
Me in all living enti ti es, offering of ordi nary, bodil y acti vi ties in My devoti onal
service, use of words to describe My qual i ti es, offering the mind to Me, rej ection of
all material desires, giving up wealth for My devoti onal service, renounci ng
material sense gratification and happi ness, and performing all desirable activiti es
such as charity, sacrifice, chanting, vows and austerities with the purpose of
achieving Me these constitute actual religious pri nci pl es, by which those human
beings who have actually surrendered themselves to Me automatically develop love
for Me. What other purpose or goal could remain for My devotee> S.B.11.19.20-20
3 Those who worship Me, gi ving up al l thei r acti vi ties unto Me and being devoted
to Me without devi ati on, engaged in devoti onal service and always meditating
upon Me, having fixed their mi nds upon Me, 0 son of Prtha for them I am the
swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death. B.G.12.6-7
0 Abandon all varieties of religion and j ust surrender unto Me. I shal l del i ver you
from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. B.G.18.66
5 Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage
unto Me. Thus you wi l l come to Me wi t hout f ai l . I pr omi se you t hi s because you
are My very dear friend. B.G.18.65
6 All of these seasonal times are considered extremely auspicious for humani ty. At
such times, one should perform all auspi ci ous activi ti es, for by such activi ties a
human being attains success in his short duration of l i fe. S.B.7.19.29
7 Now I shall describe the places where religious performances may be well
executed. Any pl ace where a Vaisnava is available is an excellent place for all
auspicious activities. S.B.7.10.27
8 The deity form of the Lord i s said to appear in eight vari eties stone, wood,
metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or j ewels. S.B.11.27.12
9 One who desires his ulti mate self-interest should cul ti vate fri endship with t hose
persons who have accepted Krsna as the Lord of their l i fe. One shoul d f urt her
develop an attitude of service toward all l i ving bei ngs. One shoul d especially try to
help those in the human form of l i fe and, among them, especially those who
accept the principles of religi ous behavior. Among rel i gi ous persons. One should
especially render service to the pure devotees of the Supreme Personality of
S.B.11.3.23-28
Godhead. S.B.11.3.29
10 An intelligent person should therefore reject all bad association and instead
take up the association of saintly devotees, whose words cut off the excessive
attachment of one's mind. S.B.11.26.26
11 One should mentally honor the devotee who chants the holy name of Lord
Krsna, one should offer humbl e obeisances to the devotee who has undergone
spiritual ini ti ation and is engaged in worshi pping the Dei ty, and one shoul d
associate with and faithfull y serve that pure devotee who is advanced in
undeviated devotional service and whose heart is compl etely devoid of the
propensity to cri ti cize others. Upadesamrta 5
12 One develops qualities similar to the those with whom one associates, like a
j ewel picking up col ors according to its surroundi ngs. The wise man wil l therefore
t ake shelter of those of superior qual i ti y i n order to raise his own qual i ti es. Hari
Bhakti Sudhodoya 8.51
13 An intermediate or second-class devotee, called madhyama adhikari, offers his
love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devotees
of the Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent and di sregards
those who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. S.B.11.2.96
Part Three
Avoiding obstacles in devotional service
The practitioner of vaidhi bhakti must perform al l the five types of cul ti vati on
explained in the previ ous section. In performing these activities there are certain
forbidden actions which create obstacles for his progress. These must be avoided.
There are ten types of forbi dden activi ty:1 association with materi al i sts,2
solicitation, attempting huge proj ects, spending t i me st udyi ng di f f erent works and
various philosophies, meanness,3 subjection to l amentati on,9 di srespect to
devatas,5 giving trouble to other l i ving enti ti es, seva and nama aparadha, and
tolerating criti cism of the Lord and hi s devotee.
Materialists are of six types: people devoid of faith in the Lord and wi t hout mor al
standards; people with morals but no faith i n God; peopl e with moral s and faith i n
God, but whose concept of God is subservient to moral i ty; pretenders;6
impersonalists; polytheists.
Those who have no respect for God or moral ity engage in sinful acti vi ti es. Wi thout
moral conduct they simpl y do whatever they wi sh. Such people, for sense pleasure
and personal gain, create havoc in the world. Those who accept moral ity but do
not accept God argue that moral conduct shoul d be fol l owed out of duty, wi t hout
fear of God. They forget that faith i n God i s a si gni fi cant el ement in moral
conduct. It wi l l be seen however, that if there is no respect for God, the moral
codes cannot be followed properly. Wil l not such peopl e sacri fice moral conduct
for their own benefit if an opport uni ty ari ses> By exami ning thei r character one
can discover the impractical nature of their phi l osophy. Wh er e sel f -i nt erest
arises, the moral codes will be vi ol ated.
The third level of people have belief in God, but that bel ief is subservient to thei r
morality. They are of two types. One type mai ntains that worshi p of God i s
important, but do not bel i eve in Hi s actual existence. They bel i eve there is no
harm in imagining a God and worshi pping hi m wi t h f ai th, and t hen abandoni ng
the worship when good conduct is achieved. The second type bel i eves that by
performing activi ties of worship of the Lord such as sandhya vandana, the heart
will become puri fied and br ahman r eal i zat i on wi l l be achi eved. At t hat poi nt
there are no more duties to anyone. This relationship with God i s l i ke a temporary
meeting of travelers at an inn. Both t hese types are averse to devotion.
The fourth type, also adverse to devotion, is the pretender. They may be classified
as cheaters and cheated. Though they do not accept the eternal nature of bhakti ,
they wear the dress and markings of a believer. They have their own mot i ves,
which any honest person woul d decry. Cheating everyone, they pave the way for a
world of sin. Undi scerning people, allured by their external appearance, take up
the same path, and end up rejecting God. They have beauti ful ti l aka and dress,
chant the name of Krsna, appear detached from the worl d and give attractive
speeches, bit secretly they harbor desire for wealth and women. Many such
groups are visible.
The fifth type is the impersonalist. According to these people, when the heart
becomes purified by bhakti , the truth wi l l be revealed. The hi ghest truth i s
liberation, destruction of the soul . As the di st i nct i on of soul i s destroyed,
everything becomes one undi fferenti ated state. Bhakti and God are temporary.
Acting as the servant of Lord i s a onl y a practi ce, not the goal. If the devotee does
not avoid them, his faith in the ont ol ogy of bhakti wi l l become weak.
Those who accept many gods have no dedication to one. By association with such
people the devotee will also lose his faith in bhakti .7 The devotee must avoid the
association of these six types of people. Association does not refer to being present
in the same meeting, riding in the same boat, bathing at the same place in the river
or buying goods in the same store. Association means dealing with them i n an
intimate mood.8 That type of association has to be avoided.
Unhealthy relationship is also forbi dden for the vai dha bhakta. There are four
types of unhealthy relations: with di sci pl es, with associates, with servants and wi th
friends. By taking unqual i fied people as disciples for wealth and power, great
disturbance is created in the sampradaya. The vaisnava will not i ni t i ate di sci ples if
there are no qualified persons. By taking association of those who are not
devotees, many types of sinful habits wil l appear. Therefore such association
should be given up. I t i s not benefi cial to take servants unl ess t hey are devotees.
In making fri endship as well the devotee should fi rst consider if that person is a
vaisnava.
The devotee should give up enthusiasm for big endeavors in three situati ons. I f
t he person has no funds i n the begi nning he shoul d not attempt the work. I f hi s
life is nearly fi ni shed he shoul d not start a big proj ect. If the work requi res a lot
of manpower and he has no way of getting assistance, then he should not attempt
the work. Such thi ngs create an obstacle in devoti on. If huge proj ects for templ e,
hall, or asrama are difficult to execute, then they should not be consi dered.
The devotees should learn the scriptures concerning devotion and those works
which conform to the concl usi ons, but for l ack of ti me, to read small parts of large
works and then leave them should not be done. The devotee should read a work
thoroughly, otherwise he will become uselessly opini onated, a professional
debater. There are some people who take pleasure in arguing with any statement
they hear, whether good or bad. Thi s i s forbi dden for the devotee.
Miserliness is very contaminating for the devotee. There is miserliness of
behavior, of wealth, and of effort. Wi t h t he vai snava, the devotee should stand up
when he approaches and care for him attenti vely. He shoul d give general respect
and gifts to the brahmanas. He should properly cl othe and shelter his dependents.
He should take items from others for a suitable pri ce. He shoul d pay taxes to the
king. He should show grati tude to benefactors, give food to the poor, medi cine to
the sick, and cloth to those suffering from col d weather. I f he t r eats anyone in the
world properly, then the fault of mi serl i ness will not ari se. I t i s even enough i f ,
having nothing else, he simply speaks nicely. By proper speech, by wealth, by his
own labor, he should behave generously with others. Lack of proper behavior is
forbidden for the devotee.
The devotee should not be control led by l amentation and other emoti ons, by bad
habits, by intoxi cati ons or by supersti ti on. There are thousands of circumstances
for feeling lamentation, gri ef, anger, fear, greed and illusi on, but the devotee does
not become affected when such circumstances arise. They weaken the mind and
obstruct the culti vation of bhakti . The devotee should always beware! Bad habi ts
such as sleeping during the day, sleeping during the morni ng, chewing betel ,
untimely eating and dri nki ng, unt i mel y cl eaning the body, sleeping on a luxuri ous
bed, and eating luxuri ous i tems, eventually become a disturbance to devoti on.
Taking only what is necessary to maintain l i fe, the devotee should not become
habituated to unnecessary items.
Taking intoxi cants gives rise to many faul ts, for by becoming addi cted to them,
devotion gets contaminated. Al cohol , mari j uana, opi um, and even tobacco must
be avoided by the vaisnava. They are prohibi ted in the vai snava scriptures. Just by
smoking a person becomes so much addi cted that he takes to sinful company to
enjoy the habit.9
To be controlled by superstition causes many probl ems. From supersti tion ari ses
prejudice; with prej udi ce, there is no respect for truth.10 Wearing the signs of the
v aisnava is one of the methods of cul ti vating devoti on, i nvol vi ng the body. But
to think that that is the di sti ngui shing characteristic of a vaisnava is a superstition
arising from sampradaya prejudi ce. Cont rol l ed by such false beliefs, a person may
not respect a real vaisnava who is not wearing those marks. If a devotee cannot
find good association wi thi n hi s own organi zation he wil l not vent ure to find good
association elsewhere if he has such prejudi ce. As wi t hout good association no
thing can be accomplished, the devotee falls into a dangerous positi on. Those who
are bound to the varnasrama system by prejudice also fail to develop a taste for the
higher level of bhakti . Somet i mes hatred, which is degrades a person even more,
may also appear.
The devotee should not di srespect the devatas.l l There are two types of devatas,
incarnations of the Lord and j i vas wi t h special qual i fi cati on. None of the Lord s
servants should be di srespected. Those souls who, by the mercy of the Lord have
attained positions to control and protect the world, are considered to be devata,
and are to be worshipped by all. The vaisnava should not out of envy di srespect
them. Giving them proper respect, the vaisnava may pray to them for the boon of
devotion to Krsna. The vai snava should not di srespect any living enti ty. Respect
should be gi ven to all the forms of the devatas which are being worshi pped in
various places, for by worshi pping those forms, the people on a lower level of
consciousness learn the prelimi naries to devoti onal service. By di srespecting
t hem, the devotee s pride will grow, and humi l i t y wi l l decrease. I n t hi s way t he
heart will no l onger be a suitable dwel l i ng pl ace for devoti on.
The devotee should not di sturb other l i vi ng enti t i es.12 One type of di sturbance is
to kill other li ving bei ngs for food. Tal king about others mi sdeeds, criti ci zi ng
others, quarreling, scolding, bearing false witness, taking advantage at others
expense, violence, theft, spending others' money, beating others, lusting after
others' wives these are all actions to disturb others. The devotee avoids these.
When a person takes shelter of bhakti, mercy towards all li ving enti ties is a natural
quality.13 Compassion does not have separate existence from bhakti . The qual i ty
which, when of f ered to the Lord, is called bhakti or prema, becomes friendship,
compassion and indi fference when di rected towards other li ving bei ngs. It is a
feeling which is inherent in the eternal nature of the soul . I n t he spi r i t ual real m
this quality mani fests only as friendship but i n the material worl d i t mani f ests as
friendship towards devotees, mercy towards the innocent and i ndi f f erence towards
t he offenders. These are but di fferent aspects of the same compassion. In t he
conditioned state this compassion is extremely stunted. It starts with ones own
body, then wi dens to i ncl ude ones household, then ones varna, then ones
countrymen. Expandi ng, i t i ncl udes the human bei ngs of the whol e worl d.
Compassion becomes complete when it is di rected towards all li ving enti ti es.
Patriotism is but an aspect of this sentiment in rel ation to ones country.
Philanthropy is compassion directed towards all humani ty. The vai snava should
not be limited by these sentiments. He is compassion for all l i ving enti t i es, not
wanting to cause harm to any of them.
The vaisnava should always be careful to avoid seva and nama aparadhas. The seva
aparadhas are of five types according to the Varaha and Padma Puranas: negligence
i n spite of abili ty, di srespect, impuri ty, l ack of det ermi nati on, and pri de. Al l t he
different offenses mentioned in he scriptures that can be commi tted against the
form of the Lord in the templ e f al l wi t hi n t hese five types. It is di ffi cul t to l i st al l
the offenses, but those mentioned in the Varaha and Padma Puranas will be briefly
described.
Among the first type of offense are the fol l owi ng: not to hol d the regular festivals
f or the deity, though there is money to do so; to worshi p the Lord wi t h i nf eri or
items, though ability is there to supply better; not t o of fer the seasonal fruits to
the Lord; to come before the Lord wi t hout of f eri ngs obeisances, prayers or verses
of praise; to enter the Lord' s temple wi thout l i ght i ng any l amp.
Disrespectful offenses are as follows: entering the deity room wi t h shoes or in a
vehicle; not paying respects to the deity; payi ng respects to the deity using one
hand; pointing at the deity with a fi nger; ci rcumabul ating someone in front of the
deity; spreading the feet before the deity; reciting prayers whil e sitting on a bed;
sleeping or eating before the deity; speaking l oudl y before the dei ty; gossiping
with someone in front of the dei ty; crying because of material affairs, quarrel i ng,
talking of others in front of the Lord; passing air before the Lord; gi ving part of an
i tem to someone before offering it to the Lord; si tting wi th ones back to the dei ty;
addressing or greeting ot hers before the deity; seei ng the deity at the wrong ti me.
Offenses of impurity are as follows: going to the temple with an uncl ean body; to
serve the deity with cl othi ng made of ani mal hair; spi tting whi l e servi ng the dei ty;
thinking of material thi ngs whil e serving the dei ty.
Offenses due to lack of determi nation are: to drink water before worshi pping the
Lord; to eat unoffered food, water; not daily seeing the Lord and hi s worship; not
offering ones favorite items, foods, and frui t to the Lord; not observing ekadasi
VOWS.
In serving the Lord the devotee thinks of hi mself as the Lord' s humbl e servant.
Otherwise the devotee will praise himself and thing that he is the best worshiper.
To think oneself great, offering many i tems with great pomp, is also pri de.
I n serving the Lord these five types of offenses should be avoided. 19 The
i nstaller of the dei ty, the puj ari , and the general devotees must all avoid them.
The nama aparadhas15 are: to criti cize devotees; to think that the devatas are
independent of the Lord; to di srespect the guru; to cri ti cize the Vedas and other
scriptures; to think the gl ori f i cation of the name are exaggerations; to interpret
t he name; to commit si nful acti vity on the strength of the Name; to think t hat
Name is life pious activi ti es; to teach the name to faithl ess people; not to have
attraction for the name in spite of hearing its glori es.
Even in the scriptures of moral dharma, cri ti ci zing others is a sin. But i n
considering the seriousness of sin, the scriptures dealing with devoti on, the
essence of dharma, consider criti ci zing the devotee to be the most serious of f ense.
Those who commit thi s offense cannot advance in devoti on, wi thout t he
association of devotees. By cri ti ci zing the devotee gradually devot i on wi l l
decrease in the heart day by day, like the waning of the moon.16 Though a person
may be well established in varnasrama dharma, wi thout devoti onal association and
with the commi tt i ng of thi s offense, devotion wil l di sappear from the heart. It i s
often seen that by this offense people situated in varnasrama dharma gradually fall
from their position and become atheistic moral i sts, and then fi nally become
amoral, living l ike ani mals. Therefore thi s offense must be avoided.
To think that the devatas are independent of the Lord, that they all have equality,
i s polytheism. Such people are not devotees. Understanding that Lord i s one i s
the correct understanding. Wi t hout t hi s understanding a person is ignorant, an
offender. In chanting the Lord' s name, the names of the devatas are included. The
devotee should understand that the devatas are all servants of the Lord. Someone
may object that Siva is the supreme and Visnu is his avatara, that Vishnu s name is
dependent on Siva's name. Such arguments between different groups does not
bear any good result. The real goal is to worshi p the Supreme Lord, and to that
end, it is necessary to stick to chanting the name of Vi snu or Krsna. The hi ghest
truth is without material qual i ti es. Al l the devatas, endowed with sattva, rajas and
t amas, should be regarded as the servants of the Lord, but wi t hout bei ng envi ous
of them, the devotee should worshi p the Lord si t uated in pure sattva, beyond the
modes of material nature. By giving up the path shown i n the Vedas and other
authorized scriptures and imagining other thi ngs, great di st urbance wil l take
place.
Those scriptures which i ndi cate worship of devatas like Siva, Durga, Ganesa, Surya
and Indra, think of that worshi p as a materialistic means (saguna) to attain the
pure (nirguna) realization of i mpersonal brahman. 17 I n t he vai snava scri pt ures
the Lord is defined as the highest form endowed with eterni ty, knowl edge and
bliss. The vaisnava does not serve the Lord to attain i mpersonal brahman.
Therefore it is improper to think t hat the i magi nary forms of devatas (being
material and therefore temporary) are the same as the highest truth. If a person
then tries to argue that the devatas are eternal spiritual forms, the phi l osophies of
both advaita and bhakti di sappear. Therefore the wise person maintains that the
devatas are devotees of the Lord, or gunavataras, and does not change the meaning
of scripture. Ot her wi se there wil l be offense against the Lord, the eternally perfect
form.
Disrespect to the guru is an serious offense. Wi t hout f ai th i n the guru t here can be
no faith in his instructi ons. Wi t hout f ai th, t here can be no devoti onal acti vi ti es.
Thus a devotee must have unshakable faith in the di ksa and siksa guru. Those
who have a strong tendency to surpass the guru commi t t hi s offense and cannot
develop attachment to the Lord.
The four Vedas (Rg, Sama, Yajur and Atharva), the Puranas, Mahabharata, the
twenty dharma sastras, and the Pancaratras, all glorify the chanting of the name of
t he Lord and devoti onal service. These are considered the real scriptures. By
criticizing them there can be no advancement in devoti on. Peopl e who do not
respect the scriptures and concoct a new form of worshi p become a burden on the
world.18 Looki ng at the phi l osophies of theosophy, brahma samaj, Buddhism and
Dattatreya, this becomes apparent. The essence is that there is one means to attain
the end. Thi s is seen everywhere. In di f f erent count ri es, di fferent languages and
different customs, the practice may differ a li ttl e but the essence is one. With an
analytical eye, one will not see difference. The Vedi c scri ptures are eternal. The
methods given there are also eternal. The methods given in the works fol l owi ng
the authority of the Vedas are approved methods. If a person out of pri de wants to
i nvent a new process, and offers some new phi l osophy, i t can onl y be val ued as
manifestation of pride and imagi nati on, wit h no subst ance. I t wi l l act as an
obstacle to development of that person's devotion.
There are many pious activi ti es, which do not bear permanent results, but these
results are glorified to encourage people with material propensi ty.19 By
glorification of the result, people are encouraged to perform the pi ous acti vi ty.
Many unfortunate people say that the glori fi cation of the hol y name is simi lar to
the empty glorifi cation of pi ous acti vi ti es. But the results of chanting the Name
are actual and eternal, and the scriptures cannot even enumerate the many results
of chanting. There are many di recti ves to worship the Lord, but the essence of the
worship is chanting the name. Those who thi nk t hat the gl ories of chanting gi ven
in the scriptures are simply exaggerated praises are offenders.
To speculate whimsically about the meaning of the name is an offense. Hari
means the personal form of Kr sna, endowed with eterni ty, knowl edge and bl i ss,
but a person who cannot understand that Krsna has as beautiful form wi l l t hi nk
that Hari indi cates impersonal brahman. For f ear that "hari " may i ndi cat e Krsna,
some people add extra words to "hari " such as "ni rakara". Thi s is i nterpreting the
name. Those who commi t t hi s of f ense become dry-hearted and gradually become
devoid of rasa.
I f a person dares to commit sin thi nki ng t hat the power of the name wil l nul l i f y
the reactions, he commits grave offense. Sin and attraction to material pl easure are
extinguished along with the development of attraction for the Lord. When a
person takes shelter of the name, naturally he wil l not have a taste for sinful
activities. But if someone always chants the name and secretly commits sins, it is
cheating of the worst type. Such a person whil e commi t t i ng si n wi l l t hi nk t hat by
later chanting the name he wil l cancel the effect of the sin. The devotee should
take shelter of the name, being free from thi s offense.
There are many pious activi ties such as sacrifices, austerities, yoga, study of Vedas,
following the rules of varnasrama dharma, and serving guests. Those engrossed in
materialism will thi nk t hat the chanting of the name is on the same level as these
pious activities. Thi s is a great offense. There is a great difference between pi ous
actions which yi eld temporary material results and the chanting of the Name
which brings eternal bliss.
Those who are atheistic, extremely bound up to moral rul es or duties of karma
cannot take up chanting the name unl ess they first purify thei r hearts. To gi ve
such unqualified and faithl ess people the teachings of the name is as useless as
sowing seeds on barren ground. Those who gi ve out the name moti vated by
receiving good donations are selling the name. They reduce the pri cel ess jewel to
nothing in exchange for insi gni fi cant thi ngs, and fall from the path of devoti on.
A person is unfortunate if, even after hearing the glories of the Name, his sense of
possessiveness and attachment are so strong that he does not develop an
attachment for the name. He i s i n a hopel ess positi on, and is considered an
offender.
Being free from these ten offenses the devotee should practice his worship. The
devotee should not consent to or assist in cri ti cism of the Lord or Hi s devote. I f
he hears such words, he should if possible counter them. I f he hears such words
from his own guru, then he shoul d humbl y warn hi m. I f t he guru becomes a hater
of vaisnavas he should reject him and take shelter of a real guru. 20
Giving up the ten detri mental acti vi ti es, the vai dha bhakta carefull y tend to the
development of his devotion through the five types of cul ti vati on.
1 Literature that is a useless waste of time in other words literature wi thout
spiritual benefit should be rejected. One shoul d not become a professional
teacher as a means of earning one s livelihood, nor shoul d one i ndul ge i n
arguments and counterarguments. Nor shoul d one take shelter of any cause or
faction. A sannyasi must not present all urements of material benefits to gather
many disciples, nor should he unnecessarily read many books or give discourses as
means of livelihood. He must never attempt to i ncrease material opul ences
unnecessarily. S.B.7. 13. 7-8
2 A grhastha must associate again and again with saintly persons, and with great
respect he must hear the nectar of the activi ties of the Supreme Lord and Hi s
incarnations as these activities are described in Srimad Bhagavatam and other
Puranas. Thus one should gradually become detached from affection for hi s wi f e
and children, exactly like a man awakening from a dream. S.B.7.19.3-9
3 My dear Lord, 0 i nf al l i bl e one, my posi tion i s l ike that of a person who has
many wives, all trying to attract him i n t hei r own way. For exampl e, the tongue is
attracted to palatable dishes, the genitals to sex with an attractive woman, and the
sense of touch to contact with soft thi ngs. The bel ly, al though fi l l ed, still wants to
eat more, and the ear, not attempting to hear about You, is generally attracted to
cinema songs. The sense of smell is attracted to yet another side, the restless eyes
are attracted to scenes of sense gratification, and the active senses are attracted
elsewhere. In thi s way I am certai nly embarrassed. S.B.7.9.90
0 How can one whose mind is affl i cted by l amentation and other materi al
disturbances ever see Mukunda. B.R.S.1.2.115
5 Those who are serious liberation are certainly nonenvi ous, and they respect all.
Yet they reject the horri bl e and ghastly forms of the demi gods and worship onl y
the all-blissful forms of Lord Vi snu and Hi s pl enary porti ons. S.B.1.2.26
6 Hari Bhakti Sudhodaya 12.59-58
7 As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and
everything else, and as supply food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of
the body, simply worshi pping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through
devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that
Supreme Personality. S.B.%.31.1%
8 Offering gifts in chari ty, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one s mind in
S.B. 11.5. 1%
confidence, inquiring confi denti al ly, accepting prasada and offering prasada are
the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another. Upadesamrta 0 (To
carry on similar activi ties with a materi al ist is asat sanga.)
9 In this material worl d the condi t i oned soul is always incl i ned to sex, meat-eating
and intoxication. Theref ore rel i gi ous scriptures never actually encourage such
activities. Al though the scri ptural i nj unct i ons provi de for sex through sacred
marriage, for meat-eating through sacrifi cial offeri ngs and for i nt oxi cation through
t he acceptance of ri tual cups of wi ne, such ceremonies are meant for the ul ti mat e
purpose of renunciati on. S.B.11.5.11
Those sinful person who are ignorant of actual reli gi ous pri nci pl es, yet consider
themselves to be completely pi ous, wi thout compunct i on commi t vi ol ence against
i nnocent animals who are fully trusting i n them. I n t hei r next l i ves, such sinful
persons will be eaten by the same creatures they have killed in thi s worl d.
10 The killers of the soul are never peaceful, because they consider that human
i ntelligence, is ultimately meant for expanding material l i fe. Thus negl ecting thei r
real, spiritual duti es, they are always in distress. They are filled with great hopes
and dreams, but unfortunately these are always destroyed by the inevitable march
o f time. S.B. 1 1.5. 17
11 The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indi rectly associated with the
three modes of material nature, namely, passion, goodness and ignorance, and just
for the material worl d' s creation, mai ntenance and destruction he accepts the three
qualitative forms of Brahma, Visnu and Siva. Of t hese three, all human bei ngs can
derive ultimate benefit from Vi snu, the form of the qual ity of goodness. S.B.1.2.23
Those who are serious about liberation are certainly nonenvi ous, and they respect
all. Yet they reject the horri bl e and ghastly forms of the demi gods and worshi p
only the all-blissful forms of Lord Vi snu and hi s pl enary porti ons. Those who are
i n the modes of passion and ignorance worship the forefathers, other li ving bei ngs
and the demigods who are in charge of cosmic activi ti es, for they are urged by a
desire to be materially benefited with women, weal th, power and progeny.
12 If a human being is engaged in sinful, i rrel i gi ous activi ti es, either because of
bad association or because of his failure to control hi s senses, then such a person
will certainly develop a personality ful l of material desires. He thus becomes
miserly toward others, greedy and always anxious to expl oi t the bodies of women.
When the mind is so pol l uted one becomes violent and aggressive and without the
authority of Vedic i nj unct i ons slaughters innocent animals for sense gratification.
Worshipping ghosts and spiri ts, the bewi l dered person falls fully i nto the gri p of
unauthorized activities and thus goes to hell, where he receives a material body
infected by the darkest modes of nature. S.B.11.10.27-28
13 Therefore, my dear young fri ends born of demons, please act in such a way that
the Supreme Lord, who is beyond the conception of material knowl edge, will be
satisfied. Give up your demoni ac nature and act wi thout enmi ty or dual i ty. Show
mercy to all living enti ties by enli ghtening them i n devoti onal service, thus
becoming their wel l -wi sher. S.B.7.6.29
19 One who commits all offenses can be relieved of effects by taking shelter of
Hari, but if one commits offense to Hari, that is very serious. If however, one takes
shelter of the name, he can overcome the effects. But he who commi t s offense
S.B.1.2.25-26
against the name, which the fri end of all , must f al l down. Padma Purana
15 Padma Purana
16 Due to the mercy of the devotee a person may suddenly attain a relfection of
bhava. Due to offense against the devotee of the Lord, that reflection of bhava wi l l
gradually disappear like the waning of the moon. B. R.S.
17 Those who are devotees of other gods and who worshi p them wi t h f ai t h
actually worship onl y Me, 0 son of Kunti , but t hey do so in a wrong way. B.G.9.23
18Steadiness in devotion arises from either taste or respect for scriptural rul es, but
that arising from taste is rare. Therefore one must rely upon respect for rules in
order to advance to steadiness. A person who makes a show of steadiness, without
having followed the rules is therefore a proud i mpostor. Thi s does not however
apply to the person who has advanced by taste. Bhakti Sandarbha 312
19 By executing wi thout attachment the regul ated activi ties prescribed in the
Vedas, offering the results of such work to the Supreme Lord, one attains the
perfection of freedom from the bondage of material work. The material frui t i ve
results offered in the revealed scriptures are not the actual goal of Vedi c
knowledge, but are meant for sti mul ating the i nterest of the performer. S.B.11.3.96
20 One should reject a guru who has become arrogant, cannot di sti nguish ri ght
and wrong conduct, or who has taken up an i ncorrect phi l osophy. Anyone who
hears such a guru teaching wrong pri nci pl es and the guru who teaches such thi ngs
both go to hell for unl i mi t ed t i me. Far f rom bei ng worshi pped such a guru
should be given up, especially if he becomes envious of vaisnavas. One goes to
hell with a mantra given by a non-vaisnava. Therefore, according to the rul es, one
should again accept a guru, who is a vaisnava. Bhakti Sandarbha 238
Part Four
Relationship between secondary and primary rules
What is the difference between karma kanda and vaidhi bhakti > Ther e i s a great
difference. Those who develop indi fference to the objects of the material worl d
become qualified for j nana yoga and sannyasa. Those who still have mat eri al
desires are qualified for karma yoga. Those who have developed faith in the
supreme position of the Lord and have developed detachment f rom mat eri al l ife to
a good degree are qualified for bhakti.1 Li vi ng l i f e by rul es desi gnated according
to qualities, the nine stages of transformation of the body2 and social activi ties are
prescribed both in karma kanda and bhakti . But i n karma kanda there are also
many elements which are contrary to the pri nci pl es of bhakti , such as fulfi l l i ng
sense desires by worshi pping many devatas, giving material respect, some types of
violence to animals, and respect to persons based on birth. Service to one Lord
alone, attraction for onl y spi ri t ual obj ects, service to vaisnavas and brahmanas
based on quality, not caste, compassion and non-vi ol ence to all creatures are some
of the prominent characteristics of bhakti .
What is the relation of varnasrama, which was previously di scussed, with vai dhi
bhakti> Should a person take shelter of vaidhi bhakti and give up the rules of
varnasrama dharma, or should he practice vaidhi bhakti for devel oping devoti on,
while still fol l owing the varnasrama rules and duti es> It was previ ously stated that
t he purport of varnasrama dharma is to mai ntain the body, develop the mi nd,
perform good works for society and learn spiri tual topi cs, all wi t h the goal of
developing pure bhakti.3 I n t hat man i s bound by a material body, he must fol l ow
the varnasrama rules. That cannot be deni ed, for wi thout the devel opment of
body, mind, soci ety and spi rit, man s life becomes degraded. The rules of
varnasrama are suitable for this purpose, and therefore they should be fol l owed.
However varnasrama is not the fi nal goal. Wi t h the assistance of varnasrama
dharma, a person should cul ti vate bhakti . I t i s also necessary to follow the rules of
varnasrama in the culti vation of bhakti .
But by following the rules of varnasrama, which are time consumi ng, a person may
not have any time left to cul ti vate bhakti.0 Furthermore, where there is some
conflict of pri nci pl es, what should be done. Fi r st , i t shoul d be said that wi t hout
t aking proper care of body, mi nd, society and spirit, a person cannot perform the
more elevated activities of bhakti. How can the seed of devoti on, fai th, awaken in
the heart if a person dies prematurely, develops mental probl ems and never learns
anything about spirit> And i f a person gi ves up the rules of varnasrama and acts as
he pleases, his physical and mental actions wil l be l ike those of a madman. He wi l l
be engaged in the worst sins. No si gn of bhakti wi l l be vi si bl e.
Thus, though varnasrama dharma is somewhat engaging, it must be fol l owed as an
assistant to bhakti, and, with the cul t i vation of bhakti , its consumption of t i me
will decrease. 5 Its vari ous activi ties will transform i nto devoti onal acti ons. Fi r st
a person should practice the five types of devotional activi ties to the utmost, as
directed by Lord Caitanya, whil e si mul taneously being meti cul ous in observance
of varnasrama duties, which may take too much ti me. He shoul d gradually rej ect
those varnasrama duties which are against devotional pri nci pl es. Fi nal l y, bei ng
purified by bhakti , varnasrama duties will become the servant of sadhana bhakti .
Acting it this way, t here wil l be no confl i ct between the duties of varnasrama and
bhakti. By the cul ti vation of bhakti , the l ife of a brahmana and the life of a sudra,
both purified by bhakti , become equalized. The sudra, being il l umi ned by hi s state
of servitude to the Lord and to the devotees, becomes equal to the selfless
brahmana. The purity of vai snava brot herhood wi l l enl i ghten the l i ves of the four
varnas so much that the worl d wi l l seem to be Vai kunt ha. By removal of the
obstacles arising from identi fi cation wi th body, real equality of the souls is
possible. 6
Just as atheistic moral dharma merges with thei stic moral l i fe, varnasrama dharma,
so theistic moral life transforms itself and becomes devoid of its previ ous faults in
the life of a devotee. In varnasrama dharma the worship of the Lord i s onl y one
among many rules. When t hi s dharma is i ncorporated in the l ife of a devotee, all
the rules becomes subordinate to the worship of the Lord. Al t hough t hi s change
may seem very general, when faith becomes strong, the whole l ife of the person
becomes transformed. The l i ves of a varnasrama foll ower and a devotee are
completely different.
According to the scriptures, every human being has a qualification for performi ng
bhakti.7 As devotion is the natural propensity of the soul, all attention shoul d be
paid to this matter. Thus al l persons in the four varnas and asramas are qualified
for bhakti. Of cour se, as people outside the varnas are also counted as human
beings, they have a right to devotion as well, but the opport uni t i es are less.
Because their birth, association, actions and nature are all wi thout proper
regulation, they are extremely attached to the material modes, and live li ke
animals. Just to fill thei r stomach, they become selfish, violent towards others and
devoid of compassion. Because their hearts are hard, bhakti becomes diffi cul t for
them to appreciate.8 Examples like Hari das Thakura, the hunter saved by Narada,
and story of Jesus and Paul, show that such people do have qualifi cation for
devotion. By exami ning thei r l i ves however, it wil l be found that they endured
many hardships in taking up the path of devoti on, so much so that thei r l i fespans
were considerably shortened.
Though all humans have a right to practice bhakti , those who fol low the
regulations of varnasrama have a much easier time. But even though the
qualification and opportuni ty i s there, many varnasrama foll owers do not take to
bhakti.9 The r eason i s t hat man' s l ife takes the form of ascending steps. Those
outside the varnasrama are on the lowest step. At hei sti c moral i sts are on the
second step. Theistic moralists are on the third step. Vai dha bhaktas are on the
fourth step, and raganuga bhaktas are on the fifth step. It i s the nature of the soul
to ascend to the next hi gher step, but he should not ascend prematurely or too
quickly. Only after being fi rml y established on one step is it possible to ascend to
the next step . That is why being qual i fied with steadiness on each level has been
emphasized. When a person is qualified to ascend to the next step, he must also
give up attachment to the old step. The tendency to cl ing to the ol d stage is called
niyamagraha, clinging to outmoded rul es. Because of this, the outcasts have no
respect for the atheistic morali sts; the atheistic moral i sts have no respect for the
pseudo-theistic moralists; the pseudo-theists have no respect for the t hei sti c
moralists; the theistic moral i sts have no respect for the vaidha bhaktas; and the
vaidha bhaktas have no respect for ragatmika bhakti . Because of such habit, the
followers of varnasrama often do not respect the vaidha bhaktas.10 Thi s does not
affect bhakti itself, but is as misfortune for those who do not take up i nt erest in
their own advancement. Those at a higher stage naturally have compassion for
those at a lower stage, but until the l ower-si tuated people are fortunate, they
cannot give up their stage and develop a taste for the higher stage.
When the consciousness of those situated in varnasrama matures i nto devoti onal
sentiment they take up the l ife of a devotee, but as long as they do not, they must
still be said to be practicing karma. Karma is not an i ntegral part (anga) of bhakti .
When karma matures fully, i t t akes the form of devoti onal acti on, and thi s i s
called bhakti, not karma. The moment t hat real faith in the Lord ari ses, a person
transcends karma. The sandhya rites are obligatory activi ties arising out of the
r ules of moral dharma. They are not acti vi ties of bhakti ari sing from fai th. Wh en
faith in the Lord arises, all the activi ti es, being centered on the Lord, are given
respect according to their contri but i on to the goal, bhakti . Thus, if a devotee is
l istening to a devotional lecture in the evening, he does not like to i nterrupt t hat
to perform his sandhya rites. The devotee understands that there is no necessity
for giving up an activity whi ch i s al ready ful fi l l i ng the goal of sandhya ri tes.
Like karma, jnana and vairagya are also not integral parts ofbhakti , because they
make the heart hard, which is against the pri nci pl e of bhakti . Before a person
takes up bhakti, jnana and vairagya may sometimes be helpful in practi ce.11 They
may also help slightly when a person fi rst starts bhakti. The relati onship of bhakti
to jnana and vairagya will be shown separately.
In Hari Bhakti Vi l asa many angas of vaidhi bhakti are discussed. In Bhakti
Sandarbha all the angas are classified nicely into nine types of bhakti . I n Bhakt i
Rasamrta Sindhu, sixty-four angas of vaidhi bhakti are menti oned. Among t hose,
five angas are considered as chief: attachment to serving the dei ty; reli shing the
meaning of Bhagavatam with devotees; affection for devotees of the same level and
association (hearing and serving) with t hose of hi gher caliber; chanting the Lord' s
name; residing in Vraja. The devotee should parti cul arly perform that anga f or
which he has a stronger taste, but he should be careful that thi s does not lead to a
distaste for other angas. The essence of these angas of bhakti is twofold: al ways
remember the Lord and never forget him. What ever acti vity encourages his
remembrance becomes a rule of engagement, and whatever activity makes hi m
forget the Lord is forbi dden. By keepi ng t hese two rules in mi nd, the devotee
may at one time follow a rul e stri ctly, but l ater may give it up, being unattached to
rules for rules' sake.
The vaidha bhaktas are practitioners. They are of t hree types: t hose with fai th
(faith); those with steadiness (nistha); those with taste (ruci). Those who are
faithful take shelter of a guru, take ini ti ati on, and perform devoti onal acti vi ti es.
Performing devotional activi ties in association with devotees, the anarthas
disappear. When i mpur i t i es di sappear,12 faith becomes steadiness; thi s,
i ntensified with spi ri tual desire, becomes taste. This is the li mi t of sadhana bhakti .
Taste becomes attachment and then bhava. This wil l be di scussed later.
1 Among these three paths, jnana yoga, the path of phi l osophi cal speculation, is
recommended for those who are disgusted with material l ife and are thus detached
from ordinary, frui tive acti vi ti es. Those who are not di sgusted with material l i fe,
having many desires yet to ful fi ll , shoul d seek perfection through the path of
karma yoga. If somehow or other by good fort une one develops faith in heari ng
and chanting My gl ori es, such a person, being neither very disgusted with nor
attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of l ovi ng
devotion to Me. S.B.11.20.7-8
2 Impregnation, gestation, birth, i nfancy, chi l dhood, youth, mi ddl e age, old age
and death are the nine ages of the body. S B 11 22.97
3 0 Brahmana Vyasadeva, it is decided by the learned that the best remedial
measure for removing all troubles and mi series is to dedicate one's activities to the
service of the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead. 0 good soul , does not a
thing, applied therapeutically, cure a disease which was caused by that very same
thing> Thus when all a man' s activi ties are dedicated to the service of the Lord,
those very activities which caused his perpetual bondage become the destroyer of
the tree of work. Whatever work i s done here in thi s l ife for the satisfaction of the
mission of the Lord is called bhakt i -yoga, or transcendental loving service of the
B.G.18.%7
S.B.1.5.32-36
Lord, and what is called knowl edge becomes a concomitant factor. Whi l e
performing duties according to the order of Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, one constantly remembers Him, Hi s names and His qual i ti es.
0 ...There is no end to the innumerable Vedic prescripti ons for executing dei ty
worship; so I shall explain thi s topi c to you bri efly, one step at a time. S.B.11.27.6
5 It is better to engage in one's own occupati on, even though one may perform i t
i mperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and perform i t perfectly. Duti es
prescribed according to one's nature are never affected by sinful reactions.
6 Such a man sees equally the brahmana and the outcaste, the thief and the
charitable promoter of brahmi ni cal cul t ure, the sun and the tiny sparks of fi re, the
gentle and the cruel. S.B.11.29.19
The humble sages, by virtue of true knowl edge, see with equal vision a learned and
gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater. B.G.5.18
7 My dear sons of demons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, is the
original Supersoul, the father of all l i ving enti ti es. Consequently, there are no
i mpediments to pleasing Him or worshi ppi ng Hi m under any condi t i ons, whether
one be a child or an old man. The rel ati onshi p between the li ving enti ties and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is always a fact, and therefore there is no
difficulty in pl easing the Lord. S.B.7.6.19
8 My dear friends born of demoniac fami l i es, the happiness perceived with
reference to the sense objects by contact with the body can be obtained in any
form of life, according to one s past frui tive activi ti es. Such happi ness is
automatically obtained wi thout endeavor, just as we obtain di stress. Endeavors
merely for sense gratification or material happi ness through economi c
development are not to be performed, for they result only i n a l oss of time and
energy, with no actual profit. I f one' s endeavors are directed toward Krsna
consciousness, one can surely attain the spiri tual pl atform of sel f-realization.
There is no such benefit from engaging oneself in economic development.
9 Terrified, about to die, a man coll apses on his bed. Al t hough hi s voice is
faltering and he is hardly conscious of what he is saying, if he utters the holy name
of the Supreme Lord he can be freed from the reactions of his frui t i ve work and
achieve the supreme destination. But st il l peopl e in the age of Kali wil l not
worship the Supreme Lord. S.B.12.3.99
10 If a brahmana has all twelve of the brahmi ni cal qual i fi cati ons but is not a
devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is certainly l ower than a
devotee who is a dog-eater but who has dedicated everything mind, words,
activities, wealth and life to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee is better than such
a brahmana because the devotee can purify his whol e fami ly, whereas the so-called
brahmana in a position of false prestige cannot purify even hi mself. S.B.7.9.10
11 Knowledge and renunciation are not qual i f i cati ons for entering devoti onal
service. Though they may be of some use in the beginni ng, t hey are not
considered angas of bhakti. B.R.S.
12 Surrendered souls, even from groups leading sinful l i ves, such as women, the
laborer class, the mountaineers and the Siberians, or even the birds and beasts, can
also know about the science of Godhead and become liberated from the cl utches of
S.B.7.6.3-%
the illusory energy by surrendering unto the pure devotees of the Lord and by
following in thei r footsteps in devoti onal service. S.B.2.7.06
Chapter four
Raganuga Bhakti
There is another type of sadhana bhakti besides vaidhi bhakti . I t i s cal led raganuga
bhakti. Previ ously it was said that there are two ways of pleasing the Lord by
following rules and by attracti on. I t i s necessary to differenti ate between these
two. That system of worshi p of the Lord whi ch i s executed through a sense of
duty is called vaidhi bhakti . Rul es whi ch are executed through consi deration of a
sense of duty are called "vi dhi ". The t endency whi ch operates through a natural
taste is called "raga". To be compl etely and spontaneously absorbed in some
object is called "raga".1 The obj ect pursued by raga is called the desired object.
In the activities of raga there is no necessity of consi deration nor del i beration of
what to do or not do. Raga is a natural propensi ty. The r aga exhi bi ted by the soul
i n a conditioned state is a perversion due to the false bodily identi fi cation and
accepts material things as its desired objects. Di recting thi s raga towards flowers,
food, drink, i ntoxi cants, clothi ng, shelter, or lover, the li ving enti ties end up in a
world of il l usi ons. For t hi s reason the condi ti oned souls are situated far apart
f rom raga directed to the Lord. Bhakti i nst i gated by raga is thus very rare. It i s
then necessary to consider carefully what is beneficial and detri mental in
worshipping the Lord. From thi s consi deration arises rules or vidhi . The rul es
monitor the state of raga. Rules are not an opposing party to raga. Rules may be
called ritual and raga may be called spontaneous attachment. Though they are
different conceptions, i n the pure state they are one. Rules in their pure state are
assistant to raga. Pure raga follows the rules which are the wil l of the Lord. For
the Lord, the rules predomi nate, and for the j i vas, raga predominates. The
opposition of raga and vidhi seen in the material worl d i s due to the unheal thy
condition of raga. When raga recuperates, vidhi, having ful fi l l ed its functi on,
retreats. Therefore in the healthy state, raga predominates for the ji va. As much
as raga for material thi ngs leads to degradation, so raga for the Lord becomes the
highest condition of exi stence. The rel at i on of raga with vi dhi i s l i ke the rel ati on
of body to medicine. Raga has many functi ons, but vi dhi s function i s to prot ect
and nourish raga. When r aga i s thoroughl y nouri shed, it does not depend on
vidhi any longer.
Pure raga for the Lord takes shelter of only the pure soul, a soul whi ch has been
l iberated from material contami nati on. That pure raga is called ragatmika bhakti .
Only pure souls, who parti ci pate in the Lord s pastimes, are qualified for ragatmi ka
bhakti; none except the i nhabi tants of Vraja are qualifi ed. When condi t i oned
souls, by hearing the descripti ons in the scri ptures, develop a desire to fol l ow after
t he inhabitants of Vraja who offer ragatmika bhakti to Krsna, the bhakti whi ch
results is called raganuga.2 The i nspi rat i on for t hi s bhakti i s greed for its obj ect,
not rules or scriptural gui del i nes.3 The rul es, by vari ous methods, attempt to
stimulate the nature of the soul . When gr eed becomes the impetus for those
rules, it is no longer called vaidhi bhakti , but raganuga bhakti. Thus there are two
types of sadhana bhakti, vaidhi and raganuga. Vai dhi sadhana was discussed
previously. Now raganuga wil l be di scussed.
That person who becomes greedy to attain the emoti onal state in which the
ragatmika devotees serve Krsna is qualified for raganuga bhakti . Raganuga bhakti
includes all the same angas as vaidhi bhakti, but the devotee of raganuga bhakti
performs those activities with a spontaneous mood rather than by r ul e.W The
conditioned soul li ving i n the worl d must necessarily carry out physi cal, mental
and social activities to maintain hi s body. Those rules menti oned in the di scussion
of vaidhi bhakti, which serve to keep the devotee on the path of devot i on and
prevent him from becoming materi ally contami nated, must also be fol l owed by
the practitioners of raganuga bhakti . The practice of raganuga is internal, so what
external rules should the person fol l ow> I f the person does not accept all the
necessary rules of vaidhi bhakti whi ch serve to make him fi t for practi ci ng
internally, he will fi ni sh hi s l ife unt i mel y or revert to material l i fe, and reduce his
propensity for raga. I f t he manner of cul t i vating devotion is not accepted in ful l ,
internal practice cannot be maintai ned or grow. Though i nt erest in raganuga may
grow, the angas of bhakti, such as hearing and chanting should not be gi ven up.
Just as, in vaidhi bhakti , the rules of nai tika dharma mature and change shape, so
also, in raganuga bhakti , t he r ul es of vai dhi bhakti change slightly in emot i onal
content and display some independent qual i ti es. In some circumstances the rules
change slightly, and in other cases, they transform enti rely. Thi s wil l be apparent
from observing the conduct of the devotee. These changes do not arise from
scripture, but according to the taste of the indi vi dual , and thus examples are hard
t o give. Examples can only be given for vai dhi bhakti .
The divisions and relations of ragatmika bhakti appl y equally to raganuga bhakti .
These will be discussed later. Here it shoul d onl y be menti oned that, l i ke
ragatmika bhakti, raganuga bhakti has two types: kamarupa5 and sambandha
rupa.6 Kama signi fies a thirst to enjoy an obj ect . For t he condi t i oned soul thi s
means objects of the senses. Thus, kama means thirst for material enj oyment.
When The Lord becomes the object, this is called prema. Kama and prema are
essentially not di fferent; only the obj ect di ffers. The prema of the Vraja gopis,
eternally perfected souls, having no obj ect other t hat Krsna, is called kama,
because there is no di fference between the two in the spi ri tual worl d. Thei r
ragatmika bhakti is called kama rupa. The bhakt i of r aganuga bhaktas who
follow after them is also called kama rupa. Where there is no other rel at i onshi p
between the devot ee and Krsna except one of thi rst for the obj ect, like thi rst for
water, it is not called sambandha, but kama rupa. In kama rupa raganuga bhakti
there is no interest except Krsna s pleasure.7 Sambandha rupa ragatmika bhakti i s
based on four chief relationshi ps: master-servant, father-son, friend-fri end, and
husband-wife. I n sadhana bhakti , si mi l ar sambandha rupa bhakti is found i n t he
raganuga bhaktas who are following after the respective ragatmika devotees.8
A sadhana bhakta who develops a greed for the emoti ons l ike those of a parti cul ar
i nhabitant of Vraja, he should fi x hi msel f as a servant of that person and wi th
complete dedication to hi m or her, i nt er nal l y perform service in a suitabl e
spiritual body. He shoul d practice al l the agreeable angas of vaidhi bhakti
externally as long as he has not reached the beginning stages of prema. He should
follow the rules of scripture which are favorable to his mood; he should serve wi th
faith Krsna and his devotees; he should discuss about Krsna and the devotees; and
he should live in a place where the Lord performed his pastimes, or live in Vraj a
mentally.
The cause for vaidhi bhakti is scri pture and the rules for perf ormance of bhakti .
The cause of raganuga bhakti is Krsna and the devotees of Krsna. As vaidhi bhakti
i s the reverential form of prema bhakti , i t i s someti mes called the path of maryada
(respect). As raganuga bhakti nouri shes prema bhakti it i s also called the path of
pusti (nouri shment). Vai dhi bhakti i s al ways fi l led with knowl edge of the Lord s
power, whereas raganuga bhakti is devoid of thi s.9 Someti mes however the
raganuga bhaktas will resort to vai dhi consci ousness. The qual i ties of the devotees
following raga will be di scussed in the next chapter.
1 B.R.S.1.2.272
2 B.R.S.1.2.197
3 B.R.S.1.2.198
0 B.R.S.1.2.109-152
5 B.R.S.1.2.183-187
6 B.R.S.1.2.188
7 B.R.S.1.2.297-302
8 B.R.S.1.2.303, 305-306
9 B.R.S.1.2.288
Chapter Five
Part One
bhava bhakti
Prema bhakti is the result of sadhana bhakti . Prema has two stages: a preliminary
stage called bhava and prema.l Pr ema i s l i ke the sun and bhava is like a ray of
the sun. Bhava is essentially visuddha sattva, and makes the heart soft with taste.
When the cultivation of Krsna whi ch was described previously in the di scussion
of bhakti's general characteristics becomes pure sattva and makes the heart soft
with taste, it becomes bhava.2 When bhava appears in the mi nd i t t akes
possession of the mind. Actually bhava is self revealing, but taking shelter of the
mind, it appears to have been manifested from it. Anot her name for bhava is rati
(attraction). Rati i s i t sel f taste incarnate, but appears as the cause of taste of
Krsna. It shoul d be noted here that rati is a spiri tual enti ty, having no connecti on
with the material world. The at t raction that condi t i oned souls have for material
objects is but a perverse material transformation of the spi ri tual rati . Wh en a
person cultivates devotion to the Lord i n the material worl d, rati , a portion of the
samvit sakti from the spi ri tual worl d, becomes the cause of taste for all objects
related to the Lord. At that time al so, a portion of the hl adini sakti bestows
genuine bliss to the devotee. Rati is the seed of the desire tree of prema. When
various other elements (bhavas) appear to assist rati , rati combi nes with these
elements and gives rise to the tree of prema. Specific examples will be given later
in the discussion of rasa.
Rati is the smallest divisible portion of prema, beyond which di vi si on i s
impossible. Just as the number 100 has a hundred small i ndi vi si bl e uni ts, so prema
has small indivisible parts called rati. All the states that are experienced in sadhana
bhakti, such as faith, ruci, and asakti, are but fragments of one uni t of rati .
Though the faith and ruci whi ch arise due to devoti onal association may be
fragmented, they are reflective of true spiri tual el ements. However, for those
people who are opposed to any moral l aws, the fragments of rati are very distorted
i n form. In the peopl e who fol l ow moral i ty, the f orms of rati are somewhat
ordered. In the thei stic, moral peopl e, the form i s even more ordered, but sti l l
distorted. In the devotee practicing sadhana bhakti there is no di storti on, but they
remain fragmented pieces, not a complete unit. When the devotee advances, rati,
one unit of prema, appears, and when all the units of rati are present, the soul
reaches perfection. Unti l the person who has achieved rati leaves his material
body, he is still in contact with the material elements. At t achment to matter is the
cause of perversion of rati . But i f he establishes rati towards the Lord, he is freed
from that perversion of rati, and is situated in his real nature.
Rati or bhava is of two types: due to sadhana and due to mercy. Bhava due to
sadhana is of two types: due to vaidha sadhana and due raganuga sadhana.3 A
faithful devotee by careful practice gradually develops ruci or taste for the Lord.
By further practice that ruci becomes asakti, then rati or bhava. Those are the
successive stages of sadhana bhakti . Narada is an example of achieving bhava
through vaidha sadhana bhakti . The woman who at t ai ned bhava menti oned in the
Padma Purana is an example of bhava developed through raganuga.9
Bhava due to mercy is of two types: from mercy of Krsna and mercy of the devotee.
Mercy from Krsna may be by word, by si ght or by emoti onal i mpression.5 When
the Lord is pleased with a person he may give pleasure to the devotee through
speaking. Or he may give mercy by showing hi s form. Or he may cr eate an
extraordinary sensation in the heart of the devotee. By the mercy of devotees such
as Narada, many souls have attained bhava.6 The devotees of the Lord develop
i mmense powers; and, being merciful , t hey can spread that power to other soul s.
Prahlada and the hunter obtai ned genuine bhava by Narada's mercy.
Concerning the bestowal of devoti onal energy by the mercy of the devotee
something shoul d be menti oned. The power of the prema bhakta is unl i mi t ed,
and thus the prema bhakta, if he is merci ful , can transfer his power to any type of
person. The bhava bhakta, being merci ful , can instil l power i n the sadhana
bhaktas so that they can assume a position simi lar to hi s own; and by the strength
of his personality, the bhava bhakta can raise materialistic people who have gai ned
some qualification due to previ ous deeds to the level of ruci. Vai dhi and raganuga
sadhana bhaktas can instil l faith i n mat eri al i sti c people who have attained
qualification by previ ous deeds, by dint of thei r teaching and exampl e.
Usually bhava is attained by sadhana and bhava due to mercy is very rare.
However, even persons of lowest qualifi cation can attain bhava by mercy. The
cause is the Lord s inconceivable power and Hi s mastery of all of Hi s rul es. No
one should think that thi s di stri but i on of mercy i s unf ai r, for Krsna, being
i ndependent, has the ri ght to do thi s as master. What is ri ght . The Supreme
Lord s will is ri ght. Fol l owi ng the rul es which stem from that wi l l i s normal l y
considered proper. However, for the person with i ndependent wi l l , the rul es are
i nsignificant and dependent on Hi mself. Krsna is above the standards of humani ty,
which determine material ri ght and wrong.
Rati may be of five types according to the type of devotee,7 but these will taken up
in the discussion of rasa.
When bhava sprouts in the heart, the life of the devotee becomes extremely pure,
so when bhava arises in the vaidha bhakta, his life-style will naturall y change. The
bond of rules becomes slackened, and conduct becomes to a small degree
unpredictable. The change from vai dhi l i fe to bhava is not abrupt, but t he
activities of the bhava bhakta appear to be independent of the rul es, for f ul l ,
natural rati becomes the regulator of all hi s acti vi ti es.8 Though the bhava bhakta
may be independent in acti on, that cannot cause any obstacle to his progress. He
has no taste for pious activi ties or sin, and has no interest to perform obl i gatory
works. He has no incl i nation to i mi t ate others. Because of previous practice, all
the activities for preservation of body, mi nd, society and soul are accompli shed
without effort. Having contempt even for pi ous activi ty, there is no question of hi s
performing sinful acti vi ty. Whi l e engaged in hi s l ife of bhava he may at ti mes
perform acts incongruent with vai dha standards, but the vaidha bhaktas should
not show any ill feeling toward hi m because of that. He has reached true success in
life,9 so to offend him wi l l l ead to gradual di ssipation of the vai dha bhakta s
accumulated devoti on. The acti vi t i es of the bhava bhakta are very similar to those
of a sadhana bhakta, but certain new characteristics in the bhava bhakta shoul d be
carefully noted.
1 B.R.S.1.1.
2 B.R.S.1.3
3 B.R.S.1.3
0 A young girl who danced with joy al l ni ght i nvoked the mercy of the Lord.
Padma Purana.
5 B.R.S.1.3
6 Who could list the i nnumerable transcendental quali ties of Prahlada Maharaja>
He had unflinching faith i n Vasudeva, Lord Krsna, and unal l oyed devotion to Hi m.
His attachment to Lord Krsna was natural because of his previous devotional
service. Although hi s good qual i ties cannot be enumerated, they prove that he was
a great soul. S.B.7.%.36
7 B.R.S.1.3.20
8 Having achieved love of Godhead, the devotees sometimes cry out l oud,
absorbed in thought of the i nfal l i bl e Lord. Somet i mes they laugh, feel great
pleasure, speak out loud to the Lord, dance or sing. Such devotees, having
transcended material, condi ti oned l i fe, sometimes imi tate the unborn Supreme by
acting out His pastimes. And someti mes, achieving his personal audience, they
remain peaceful and silent. S.B.11.3.32
An intelligent person who has control led hi s mind and conquered fear should gi ve
up all attachment to material obj ects such as wife, family and nation and shoul d
wander freely without embarrassment, hearing and chanting the hol y names of the
Lord, the bearer of the chariot wheel. S.B.11.2.39
Sometimes, upon seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Prahlada Maharaja
would loudly call in ful l anxi ety. He somet i mes lost his shyness in jubi l ation and
began dancing in ecstasy, and sometimes, being fully absorbed in thoughts of
Krsna, he felt oneness and imitated the pastimes of the Lord. Sometimes, feeling
the touch of the Lord s lotus hands, he became spiritually j ubi l ant and remai ned
silent, his hairs standing on end and tears gliding down from hi s hal f-cl osed eyes
because of his love for the Lord. S.B.7.9.90
9 B.R.S.1.3.59
Part two
Qualities of the bhava bhakta
Among the qualities of the bhava bhakta the fol l owing ni ne are promi nent : 1
tolerance, not wasting ti me, detachment, pri del essness, optimism, eagerness for
Krsna, constant relishing the Name, attachment to the descripti ons of Krsna' s
qualities, and attachment to pl aces of Krsna's pastimes.
Though there is cause for disturbance, the bhava bhakta does not become
disturbed.2 If someone becomes his enemy, if a relative suffers or dies, if wealth is
l ost, if some family problem ari ses, if there is ill ness, he may be invol ved with t he
immediate affair, but his heart is not di sturbed, as it is fixed on the l otus feet of the
Lord. Di sturbances of the heart refers to anger, lust, greed, fear, aspiration,
l amentation and il l usi on.
The bhava bhakta culti vates all his service with eagerness in such a way that ti mes
i s not wasted. In doing any activity he remembers a sui table pastime of the Lord,
so that in all cases he experiences bhava. In al l acti vi ties he identi fies himself as a
servant of the Lord.3
When there is a natural distaste for all objects of the senses it is called
detachment.W With the appearance of bhava this detachment becomes promi nent;
he develops a distaste for sense pleasure. If he senses are directed to the Lord
however he is very pleased. There is a sect of babajis who called themselves
viraktas. They dress like babajis and think they are renounced, but it is mi staken
to believe that a name will produce vi rakti . If vi rakti does not naturall y appear
with the attainment of bhava, they should not accept the dress of a babaji. Babaji
means to have developed virakti through bhava, by which al l aspects of materi al
life become distasteful. Those who f i nd the worl d and fami l y l i fe unf avorable for
cultivation of devotion shoul d restrict thei r needs, wear simply cl oth and eat food
obtained by begging which is offered to the Lord.5 Thi s l i f est yl e wi l l gr adual l y
become natural. When the transformation of character is examined by guru and
judged in accordance with scri ptural standards, and found to be qual i fi ed, that is
real attainment of babaji status. The present custom is extremely dangerous.
What to speak of the development of bhava, many people, wi thout being steady in
vaidhi bhakti, whi msi cally or by temporary renunci ati on, accept babaji for the
purpose of making a l i vi ng. Tempor ary renunci ation refers to the di staste for the
world which arises from quarrel between man and wi fe, suffering in famil y l i f e,
i nability to get marri ed, satiation with prosti t ut es, or the infl uence of i ntoxi cants.
With this sense of renunciation i mmat ure people bol dly approach a babaji or
gosvami and offer some donation to get a kaupina and cl oth. The result is that in a
short time the renunci ation wears off and the man or woman, bei ng cont rol l ed by
their senses, fall into i l l egi t i mate famil y l i fe, or secretly satisfy their senses. They
do not get spiritual benefit from thi s at all . The vai snavas community wi l l deri ve
no benefit unti l t hi s t ype of babaji is compl etely eradicated. In the di scussion of
varnasrama, the destructive nature of false renunciation was shown. I t i s a si n
relating to the sannyasa asrama. Here the false renunciation is a great offense to
devotional life. I n t he appendi x of Sat Kriya Sara Dipi ka, this has been delineated.
Among those who identify themselves as vaisnava renunciates, those who have
attained detachment through bhakti are actually very rare. They shoul d be gi ven
full respect. The false renunciates are divided into four cl asses: monkey
renunciates, false renunciates, unsteady renunciates, and imi tative renunci ates.
Those with no sense of renunciati on, but who t ake on the cl oth of a renunci ate,
travel around and commi t si nful acti ons through thei r uncont rol l ed senses are
called monkey renunci ates.6 Those who t ake up the dress of the babajis so that
they can eat with the vaisnavas during festivals, get funeral ri tes performed by the
vaisnavas when they pass away, and get donations from househol ders to enjoy
food, ganja, and tobacco, are called false renunci ates. 7 Those who t ake up
babaji dress due to temporary inspi ration from sufferi ng, poverty, sickness, failure
of marriage, and quarrel are called unsteady renunciates. Thei r renunci ation does
not last; they very qui ckly become false renunciates. Those who, due to
addiction to intoxi cants, fail in married l ife and put on an act of devotion whi l e
i ntoxicated, or learn how to act as a devotee with false symptoms, or try to i mi t at e
the stage of bhava by material emoti ons, are called imi tative renunci ates. All these
t ypes of renunciates are low, sinful and unbenefi cial for the worl d.
The renunciation arising from bhakti i s the beauty of devoti onal l i fe. To become
renounced and then search out bhakti is unnatural and in most cases disastrous.
Renunciation or detachment is the special ornament of the person who has
attained bhava. It is not an anga of bhakti but a symptom of bhakt i .
To have no pretensions in spite of being elevated in quali fi cation is called
manasunyata or pridelessness. However a person may have no pride simpl y
because he has nothing to be proud of qual i fi cati on. Such pri del essness cannot be
considered as an ornament of devoti onal l i fe. 8
When the bhava bhakta becomes convinced that he can attain the Lord, i t i s cal l ed
asabandha. At that time no doubts arising from material l ogic remai n.
Great yearning to attain ones desired object is called samutkantha, eagerness. The
only desired object for the bhava bhakta is Krsna; samutkantha mani fests itself
strongly at this stage.9
The devotee at the stage of bhava always have a taste for singing the name of the
Lord. He does not want anything el se. 10 He also shows strong attachment to
reciting the qualities of the Lord.11 When t aste (ruci ) becomes deeper is call ed
attachment (asakti). When i t becomes deepest, it is called rati or bhava.
Affection for the pl aces of the Lord is a symptom of the bhava bhakta. These places
are of two types: those located in the worl d and t hose beyond the worl d
(transcendental). Those pl aces in the worl d are the pl aces where the Lord
performed his pastimes. Wi t h eyes of devoti on, those places become repl i cas of
the transcendental places, located in the spiri tual worl d. The spi ri tual worl d i s of
two types: the pure spiri tual worl d and the spi ri tual worl d wi t hi n the mat eri al
world. The pure spi ri tual worl d i s on the other side of the Vi raja. There the Lord
is eternally present, in forms suitable for the di fferent rasas in separate places most
suitable for the parti cular rasas, along with pure souls who act as ingredients of
respective rasas. When a condi ti oned soul develops an attraction for the rasa
which manifests in a particular pl ace in the spiri tual worl d, t he Lord mani f ests
himself in the spiri tual porti on of the l i vi ng entity in his purified heart. Thus the
spiritual world and the heart of the devotee are both t ranscendental abodes of the
Lord. Both the places where the Lord enacts hi s pasti mes on the earth and the
places where the devotees live are beyond the material realm. Pl aces of the Lord' s
pastimes like Vrndavana, Navadvipa, pl aces of great devotees such as
Naimisaranya, the bank of the Ganga, the place were tulasi grows, the places where
the pastimes of the Lord are recited, the places where the forms of the Lord are
installed, are all dwell ing pl aces of the Lord. 12 The bhava bhakta l oves to reside
in all these places.
1 B.R.S.1.3.25-26
2 B.R.S. 1.3.27
3 The devotees of the Lord, praising the Lord wi th words, remembering Hi m i n hi s
mind, offering respects, with tears in their eyes, not being satisfied wi thout the
Lord, offer their whol e l i ves to the Lord. Hari Bhakti Sudhodaya
While in the prime of l i fe, the great Maharaja Bharata gave up everything because
he was fond of serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Uttamasloka. He
gave up his beautiful wi fe, nice chi l dren, great friends and an enormous empi re.
"Although these things were very diffi cul t to give up, Maharaja Bharata was so
exalted that he gave them up just as one gives up stool after evacuating. Such was
0 B.R.S.1.3.3Q
the greatness of His Majesty. S.B.5.1%.03
5 If the sannyasi desires to wear something besides a mere kaupina, he may use
another cloth around hi s waist and hips to cover the kaupi na. Ot herwi se, if there
is no emergency, he should not accept anything besides his danda and waterpot. A
saintly person should step or pl ace his foot on the ground onl y after veri fying wi t h
his eyes that there are no living creatures, such as insects, who mi ght be i nj ured by
his foot. He shoul d dri nk water onl y after fi l tering i t through a port i on of hi s
cloth and he should speak only words that possess the purity of truth. Si mi l arl y,
he should perform onl y those activi ties his mind has carefully ascertained to be
pure. S.B.11.18.15-16
Without any material attachment, with senses fully control l ed, remai ni ng
enthusiastic, and satisfied in realization of the Supreme Lord and hi s own self, the
saintly person should travel about the earth alone. Havi ng equal vi si on
everywhere, he should be steady on the spiri tual pl atform. S.B.11.18.20
By steady knowledge a sage should clearly ascertain the nature of the soul ' s
bondage and liberation. Bondage occurs when the senses are deviated to sense
gratification, and compl ete control of the senses constitutes liberation.
A learned transcendentalist dedicated to the cul ti vation of knowl edge and thus
detached from external objects, or My devotee who is detached even from desire
for liberation both neglect those duties based on external ri tuals or paraphernalia.
Thus their conduct is beyond the range of rules and regulations. Al though most
wise, the paramahamsa should enjoy l ife l ike a chi ld, obl i vi ous to honor and
dishonor; although most expert, he should behave like a stunted, incompetent
person; although most learned, he should speak like an insane person; and
although a scholar learned in Vedic regulati ons, he should behave in an
unrestricted manner. A devot ee shoul d never engage in the frui tive ri tual s
mentioned in the karma kanda section of the Vedas, nor should he become
atheistic, acting or speaking in opposi tion to Vedi c i nj unct i ons. si mi l arl y, he
should never speak like a mere logician or skeptic or take any side whatsoever in
useless arguments. A saintly person should never let others fri ghten or di sturb hi m
and, similarly, should never fri ghten or di sturb other people. He shoul d t ol erate
the insults of others and should never hi mself beli ttl e anyone. He shoul d never
create hostility with anyone for the sake of the material body, for he woul d t hus be
no better than an animal. If at ti mes one does not obtain proper food one shoul d
not be depressed, and when one obtains sumptuous food one should not rej oi ce.
Being fixed in determi nati on, one should understand both si tuati ons to be under
the control of God. If requi red, one should endeavor to get suffi ci ent foodstuffs,
because it is always necessary and proper to mai ntain one' s health. When t he
senses, mind and life air are fit, one can contempl ate spiri tual truth, and by
understanding the truth one is l i berated. A sage should accept the food, clothi ng
and bedding be they of excellent or inferior qual ity that come of their own
accord. S.B.11.18.28-35
6 There are many persons with l i t tl e i n thei r possession who accept the renounced
order of life like monkeys. They go here and there engaging in sense gratification
and speaking inti mately with women. C.C.Antya 2.120
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,
"My mind is not under My cont rol . I t does not l i ke
t o see anyone in the renounced order who talks i nt i mately wi th women. "
SB 11 1822
C.C.Antya 2.12%
7 Narottama das Thakura describes the false renunciate (kapata vairagi): Becoming
the servant of maya, I develop many material desires and forget to remember You.
Aspiring for wealth, I put on the dress of the vaisnava and wander f rom house to
house.
8 B.R.S.1.3.32-33
9 B.R.S.1.3.36
10 B.R.S.1.3.38
11 Persons who are very expert and most i ntel l i gent in understanding thi ngs as
they are engage in hearing narrati ons of the auspicious activi ties and pastimes of
the Lord, which are worth chanting and worth heari ng. Such persons do not care
even for the highest material benedicti on, namely l i berati on, to say nothing of
other less important benedicti ons like the material happi ness of the heavenly
kingdom. S.B.3.15.%8
12 How pious are the tracts of land in Vraja, for there the pri meval Personality of
Godhead, disguising Himself with human t rai ts, wanders about, enacting His many
pastimes! Adorned with wonderf ul l y vari egated forest garlands, He whose feet are
worshipped by Lord Siva and goddess Rama vibrates His flute as He tends the cows
in the company of Balarama. S.B.10.99.13
Part 3 MISSING
Part four
Rati
Whether bhava bhakti arises from sadhana bhakti or from the mercy of the Lord or
His devotee, in any case, it is nouri shed only by the association of Krsna s
devotees.l If t hat bhava bhakta happens to commi t offense against the devotee,
the priceless treasure of rati gradually decreases and disappears, or takes on
inferior quali ti es. Thi s is very unfort unate. Therefore it is very essential that the
bhava bhakta or the any bhakta is careful to associate with devotees in love and
avoid committing offenses against them. By that association anartha ni vrtti takes
place in sadhana bhakti, and bhava is nouri shed in bhava bhakti .
Sometimes it seems that the pri celess treasure of rati is visible in persons other
than devotees of the Lord. Pure rati of the Lord' s devotee must be understood
properly. Not to speak badly of other persons or groups, for the satisfaction of
devotees who have asked this question, reply is here given. Unavoi dably, what i s
said here will be contrary to the practi ces of some groups. Please excuse us. By
great fortune, the jiva attains rati at the stage of pure devoti on. I t i s i mpossi bl e to
teach rati to others through wri t i ng books, and thus thi s book was wri t ten for
those with faith i n pur e bhakti . I f by chance other groups read this it is not our
fault. If by good fort une, they agree with the concl usi ons, then it is all the better.
If they disagree, then they should give the book to someone else, and not be
offended with us.
According to the abheda brahmavadis, brahman is wi thout qual i t i es. For worshi p,
t hey must take support of some form, as it cannot be worshi pped di rectly. The
i ndividual soul is endowed with qual i t i es, so he cannot help but perform worshi p
i nvolving quali ti es. Because of this, at the first stage the person, being infl uenced
by qualities, shoul d worshi p an i magi nary form. Gr adual l y the mi nd becomes
fixed, and then he can uti l ize jnana and vairagya to search out the qual i ti l ess
brahman. Sankaracarya, the main proponent of abheda brahmavada has in his
book Aparoksanubhuti advi sed that if a person practices the nine pri nci ples of
detachment, discernment, control of mi nd, cont rol of senses, indifference,
tolerance, faith, conclusion and desire for li berati on, and del i berates deeply, he
will attain knowl edge of what to do. To master these ni ne practi ces he advises
that following the duties of ones varna and asrama, practicing austerity and
pleasing Hari are the three activi ties which wil l qual i fy hi m for the ni ne practi ces
mentioned above. Pleasing Hari means worshi pping devatas endowed wi th
material qualities. Prakrti , Surya, Ganesa, Siva and Visnu are the five types of
devatas endowed with material qual i ti es.2 As the five devatas are worshipped
differently, tantras giving the met hod of worshi ppi ng each were wri tten. Thei r
i mport is that by worshi pping these devatas the mind develops concentrati on. By
practice, this concentration can be done wi thout an obj ect, and it fi nall y yi elds a
realization of non di sti nction (ni rvi sesa). When thi s realization becomes deeper,
there is realization that the self is brahman.
The advaita vadis say that brahman is the only substance or reality. Everyt hi ng
else is insubstantial, unreal. The devatas who are the object of worship duri ng
sadhana are also unreal. In the fi nal stage of nirvi sesa, these devatas do not exist.
The devatas are imaginary, mental creations only. The deity forms as wel l are
i maginary. Thus Kal i , Surya, Ganesa, Siva and Visnu are all imaginary. Ast anga
yogis and those who worship the five forms are of the same ideology; they are all
brahma vadis and take liberation as the final goal . Though t hey understand that
the devata they worship are false and imaginary, they still worshi p them. The
symptoms of rati or bhava that they di splay during worshi p they call rati . Dur i ng
festivals they shiver, sweat, change color, shed tears and dance in ecstasy. Though
these are symptoms of rati, it is not the unmot i vated rati and faith that has been
described previously in thi s book.3
How many types of rati are there> Five types are seen: pure rati, shadow rati ,
reflected rati, material rati, and fake rati. Pure rati i s called atma rati, bhagavati
rati, cid rati, and bhava in the scriptures. That funct i on by whi ch the soul i n i t s
pure state is connected with the Lord i s called rati . At t hat stage there is rati
towards no other object except the Lord. The qual ity of rati is its exclusive
devotion. Softness, smoothness, joy, taste, attachment are but di fferent states of
rati.
The slight appearance of this pure rati is called shadow rati.W Because of its
meagerness, it is described as inferior, and it remains l ike thi s as long as the
situation persists. But i t creates happiness and removes sorrow. Thi s chaya rati is
experienced in association of devotees and while engaged in sadhana bhakti. It i s
not fixed, but fi ckle. Through association with devotees even common people may
experience chaya rati. By good fortune, this shadow of pure rati appears in the
heart of the indi vi dual , for once this has occurred, the person can experience
higher and higher stages. This is not real bhava but a resemblance. By the mercy
of the pure devotees, very quickly thi s chaya rati can become real rati or bhava.
but if there is offense against the devotees, this chaya rati di sappears.
Due to association with devotees, the rati in the heart of the devotee gets reflected
in the heart of the abheda brahmavadis and the worshi pers of imaginary devatas.
The ecstatic symptoms that the seekers of liberation di spl ay duri ng ki rt ana or
f estivals after seeing the ecstasy of the devotees is called reflected. The symptoms
of rati in these devata worshipers usuall y occurs in thi s way: experi encing that
the goal of liberation is too di ffi cul t t o at t ai n by the met hods given by thei r
spiritual leaders, they express their diffi cul ties to their i magi nary devatas by
showing signs of rati. From t hi s t hey experi ence the enjoyment of the thei r fi nal
goal, a small portion of happi ness of liberati on. Both shadow rati and refl ected rati
are but resemblances of rati (ratyabhasa); they are not pure rati . Pur e rat i wi l l
only appear in the person who has accepted the eternal form of the Lord, and
practices real devotion. As the worshi pers of imagi nary devatas do not believe the
soul is itself eternal, there is no receptacle or shelter for rati. For them there is
ultimately no parti cular form for the Lord, because their final goal is non
difference from God, where there is no object to which r at i i s di rected. Thus thei r
rati may be called a reflection of pure rati,5 or may be a form of material rati, or
even false rati.
Where the shelter of rati, the indi vi dual soul , is considered to be temporary, and
the object of rati, the Supreme Lord, is considered to be wi thout parti cular i denti ty
or formless, the rati must also be temporary, a name sake, false, material or
reflected. If the worshi pers of five dei ties realize, by chance, or by understanding
the import of the teachers' words, or by development of ruci , that the obj ect of
worship is an eternal form and that the soul is his eternal servant, there will be a
partial manifestation of rati. The rati of worshi pers of Vi snu, Siva, and Ganesa
gradually becomes directed towards real knowl edge and finally di rects itself to
Krsna. By medi tation on the sun, the rati di rected towards the sun gradually
attains shelter of Narayan situated in the sun. The rati of worshi pers of prakrti ,
gradually transcending the medi tation on sakti , takes shelter of the Lord
endowed with all powers. Krsna says in the Bhagavad Gita that t hose people who
worship the devatas are actually worshi pping Krsna but wi t hout f ol l owi ng t he
proper rules.6 At l ast they attain Krsna. The i mport i s that as l ong as there is
some conflicting element pertaining to the asraya of rati or the subject of rati, rati
does not manifest fully. Af ter rati graduall y develops through cul ti vation over
many births, the discordant elements regarding soul and the Lord di sappear. At
that point it is possible to attain bhakti to Krsna. Of course, association wi th
devotees is the cause of this development.
There are many examples of material rati in the worl d, parti cul arl y i n t hose peopl e
addicted to liquor, women, assets and food. When Urvasi l eaves, King Yayati gives
up his li fe. Romeo gi ves up his l ife for Juli et. Many examples like this may be
f ound in ficti on. These are signs of rati, but what kind of rati . When t he spi ri t ual
soul becomes conditioned and thi nks hi msel f materi al, his svadharma, rati to the
Lord, becomes distorted along with the soul . Gi vi ng up the Lord as obj ect of rati ,
the person takes matter as the object of rati , and then di spl ays symptoms of rati .
The forms used by the worshi pers of imaginary devatas amongst the
impersonalists are also all material. The effect that arises from material rati
towards the material object hold good for the rati di rected to the i magi nary
devatas. In hearing about Gul l i ver s adventures, the reader identi fies with hi m,
experiences the happiness and sorrow the Gul l i ver feels, and show symptoms of
rati. It is not surpri sing then that the worshi pers, on hearing the pastimes of their
devata, also exhibit symptoms of rati . One ol d woman l i st ening to the Ramayana
became overwhelmed with grief on hearing of Rama's departure for the forest.
When others asked her the reason she repl i ed that her goat had wandered into
the forest and never returned. On hearing the story of Rama she remembered her
goat and began to weep. Therefore understand that none of the people that cry in
the name of worshipping the Lord have pure rati, and among them, many are
acting out of material rati. Thi s material rati may in special cases be a reflection of
pure rati in whi ch t he br ahmavadi s and the worshi pers of imagi nary devatas then
manifest all sympt oms of rati .
The above four types of rati may also be decei tful . The unf ai t hful wi f e may show
signs of material rati to avoi d maki ng her husband suspici ous. Wi t h a desi re to
enjoy the offerings of the deity, especially goat meat, many low worshi pers wi l l
display signs of rati . Thi s i s an exampl e of deceitful rati , or cheati ng. With t he
desire for favors from guru, fame among the devotees, faith from the common
people, or to receive respect at large gatherings, many people pretend to have rati
for the Lord, and exhi bi t danci ng, sweating, tears, choking of voi ce, shivering and
occasionally the symptoms of bhava. But i n t hei r heart there is no sattvika vi kara
(transformations due to puri fied exi stence).7
Those who do not give proper respect to real rati for the Lord, due to the fact that
there are many other types of rati in the worl d, are in a lamentable state. It is
possible however that wi thout performi ng any sadhana, a person may suddenly
develop rati for the Lord. I n t hi s case, it should be understood that in many
previous lives he performed sadhana but due to some obstacle rati did not appear.
When the obstacle is removed, the covering on rati is removed and it then
suddenly appears. At that time the devotee develops appreciation for the Lord and
detachment for all else. 8
1 By serving the feet of the spiri tual master, one is enabled to develop
transcendental ecstasy in the service of the Personality of Godhead, who is the
unchangeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose service vanquishes one's
material distresses. S.B.3.7.19
2 Hari Bhakti Sudhodaya
3 B.R.S.1.3.%1-03
0 B.R.S.1.3.%9-56
5 B.R.S.1.3.%6-08
6 Those who are devotees of other gods and who worshi p them wi t h f ai th actual l y
worship only Me, 0 son of Kunti , but t hey do so in a wrong way. B.G.9.23
7 Certainly that heart is steel-framed whi ch, in spite of one s chanting the hol y
name of the Lord with concentrati on, does not change when ecstasy takes place,
tears fill the eyes and the hairs stand on end. S.B.2.3.29
8 B.R.S.1.3.57
Chapter Six
Part One
Prema bhakti
When bhava or rati attains depth or thi ckness it is called prema.l When pr ema
appears, the heart becomes tender or soft, and moreover there arises exclusive
possessiveness of the Lord. When rati develops quali fi cation for enj oying pasti mes
with the Lord, it can be called prema. At the stage of rati there is also
possessiveness, but this possessiveness does not have the mood of exclusiveness.2
Pure rati also has the Lord as the subject, but it is not reached the stage where only
the Lord and nothing else is the subject. When such a condi tion ari ses, that rati
takes on a form suitable for enjoying Krsna s pastimes. Rati whi ch i s sui table for
rasa is prema. The rati previ ously menti oned is the seedling of prema, but it is not
suitable for rasa because it does not have exclusive possessiveness of Krsna.3 Rati
when it matures as prema becomes a fixed mood (sthayi bhava). Wi t hout st hayi
bhava, rasa is not possible. If rasa is called prema, it is only the beginning stage of
prema.
Prema has two types. When bhava, by constant i nternal service using vari ous
angas of bhakti ascends to the highest level, is called prema generated from
bhava.W The internal elements of bhava were previously shown. When pr ema
arises simply from associating with the Lord s form, i t i s called prema due to
mercy. Prema derived from bhava has two types: prema from vai dha bhava5 and
prema from raganuga bhava.6 Prema due to mercy has two sources: from the
association of the Lord, and f r om associ ation with a devotee fixed in prema,
which brings the person to bhava, after which he achieves the association of Krsna
or serves the different angas of bhakti to achi eve prema. The pr ema that resul ts
from mercy has two types: prema endowed with the awareness of the majesty of
God (mahatmya jnana yukta prema), and unalloyed prema (kevala prema).
Prema which arises by following the path of rul es and regulati ons is endowed wi th
awareness of the majesty of God (mahima j nana yukta prema).7 Some peopl e
called it sneha bhakti.8 By t hi s prema, the soul attains sarsti, sarupya, samipya
and salokya, types of liberation. But even being l i berated, the soul serves the Lord
in those particular states. The prema arising from sadhana of raganuga usuallly
brings about exclusiveness to the Lord (kevala prema),9 but if duri ng practice of
raganuga, there is still some attachment to the vai dha (rul es) i t does not become
kevala prema. However, if during practice of raganuga a tinge of vaidha remains
due to habit rather than attachment, then that develops into kevala prema.
When the soul attains prema, he has fulfi l led his ful l pot enti al , and has full
satisfaction.10 All contami nation of evil is fi ni shed. There is no hi gher attai nment
than prema for the soul . Compared to prema, l i beration is small and temporary.
Amongst all the various by-products of prema, liberation is one of them. Though
prema arises after being in contact with mat ter for so l ong, there is no l onger any
consciousness of matter. The l i fe of the prema bhakta is devoid of materi al
contamination and full y Kr sna consci ous. Rul es, l i ke gl owworms when the sun
arises, become hidden with the daybreak of prema. For the prema bhakta, even
t he material world appears as Vaikuntha, the spiri tual worl d.
1 B.R.S.1.%.1
2 An exclusive attachment to Vi snu a mi xt ur e of possessiveness and love, is
called bhakti by Bhi sma, Prahlada, uddhava and Narada. Panc a r at r a
3 B.R.S. 1.%.3-%
0 B.R.S.1.%.5
5 By chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one comes to the stage of love
of Godhead. Then the devotee is fixed in hi s vow as an eternal servant of the Lord,
and he gradually becomes very much attached to a particular name and form of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. As hi s heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs
very loudly or cries or shouts. Someti mes he sings and dances like a madman, for
he is indifferent to publi c opi ni on. S.B.11.2.90
6 Padma Purana
7 B.R.S.1.%.15
8 Pancaratra
9 B.R.S.1.9.19
10 B.R.S.1.9.17
Part Two
Stages in the Development of Prema
It is necessary to know the stages of development from practice to the fi nal
achievement of human l i fe. The gr adual devel opment has nine stages: faith,
association, devotional action, puri fi cati on, steadiness, taste, attachment, bhava
and prema.1
A life without moral ity i s ani mal l i fe. Li f e whi ch i ncreases sense happiness by
progress in material science and mechanics through i ntel l ectual power is demoni c.
All is temporary and insi gni fi cant. Though the moral peopl e fol low rul es for
controlling body and mi nd, because it is devoid of t hought s of fut ure l i fe and
devotion to God, their l ife is worthl ess and unful fi l i ng for the soul . I n moral l i f e
with theism, though there are thoughts of after life and worshi p of God, those
activities are impure, mi nor and unsati sfyi ng. The soul cannot remain bound t o
that stage of existence. The life of the impersonalist is very repul sive and
misdirected. Devoti onal l ife is the only l i fe.2
The Supreme Lord is everythi ng, the creator of all, and control ler of all . It i s
beneficial to have an attachment to Him. What ever else is beneficial is dependent
on this attachment. I ndependent efforts or knowl edge are very small and li mi t ed.
They do not make the Lord satisfied. Selfless devotion to the Lord is necessary.
The soul is the eternal servant of the Lord. Associ ation wi th mat ter i s the
degradation of the soul. Thi s association has arisen because of incompetence. The
cause of this misfortune is disrespect for the Lord. The soul hi mself is the maker of
this bondage. The Lord is the soul' s creator. The worl d i s not fal se; though true i t
i s not eternal. The worl d serves as a prison for puni shing the i ncompetent soul s.
But the Lord is ki nd. To del i ver the soul from the suffering he experiences, the
Lord repeated tries to take him out of hi s mi serable condi ti on. He i s anxi ous to
see the soul make personal efforts to qualify hi mself, so that He can bestow to Hi m
the sweet nectar of His eternal pastimes. If the Lord desi red, He could del i ver
everyone, but, as His inconceivable pastime, He desires and wills that the soul
strives for devotion. The f at her can give the undeserving son all his weal th, but
he derives more pleasure from making the son qual i fied and then gi ving hi m t he
wealth. Thi s is the result of the Lord' s affection. To be the servant of the Lord i s
most beneficial for the soul . I t i s t he best.
This conviction is called sraddha or faith. When t here appears firm faith i n t he
Lord and devotion, and faith in the i ndi vi dual s weakness, such statements as
mentioned above flow from the mouth of the fai thful person. I n anal yzi ng fai th, i t
will be apparent that al l ot her types of f ai th di scussed before are included wi thi n
resolute faith in the Lord. Cai tanya Mahaprabhu has called this faith the seed of
the creeper of bhakti . Exami ni ng the l i ves of devotees, it will be found that some
have developed faith by studying the scri ptures imparti al ly. Many have developed
faith by association with devotees and hearing their teachings. Others have
developed faith in bhakti after performing dut i es according to varnasrama and
developing a repulsion to taking material results. Others have developed faith
through disgust for speculative knowl edge. Ot hers have developed faith suddenl y.
There is no specific rule for the development of fai th. Fai th, the seed of the
creeper of bhakti, is above the rules. Therefore it was said that faith develops in
the fortunate soul. The end of action according to varnasrama duties (karma) and
the appearance of faith are simul taneous.3
When faith has arisen, the person becomes anxious. By habi t he i s control l ed by
evil. Thi nki ng of how to di ssi pate the evil, he takes shelter of the feet of the
devotees. He begins to search out devotees with great longi ng, and by Krsna' s
mercy he attains their association. This is the fi rst sign of devel opment of prema.
In that association he beings to carry out devoti onal acti vi ties such as hearing and
singing the glories of the Lord, and remembering the form, qual i ties and pastimes
of the Lord. Wi t h pr act i ce of bhakti according the f i ve di vi si ons menti oned
previously, the root of the probl em, sense pleasure and desire, becomes
submissive to bhakti . Though the sins still remain i n the body, desire is given up.
This is the second stage in attaining prema.5 By culti vating devoti on, graduall y
attachment to material pleasure, sinful conduct, vi ol ence, greed and other material
habits decrease; he becomes free of material desire. Thi s the third stage, clearing
t he sins (anartha nivrtti ).
In this state all other attachments cease. Faith becomes faith in the Lord. As l ong
as the sins remain, faith cannot be steady. To the extent that sins are
extinguished, faith turns i nto steadiness (nistha). This is the fourth stage in
attaining prema.
Attaining steadiness, he performs his devoti onal activi ties and takes association
with more care. By this, the sins are further reduced and steadiness turns to joy.
This is called taste or ruci.6 Thi s i s the fi fth step. With taste for Krsna established,
everything else becomes tasteless.
When ruci becomes more intense, along with greater destruction of sin, asakti
appears. Asakti is still wi t hi n sadhana bhakti . Sadhana has become perfect. The
person feels successful. This is the sixth stage.
When asakti becomes full it is called bhava, rati or the seedling of prema. The
heart becomes soft. Thi s is the seventh stage. 7
When bhava attains exclusive possessiveness of Krsna it is called prema. It is a
state of permanent emotion sui table for rasa.8
The devotees performing sadhana bhakti shoul d al ways be attentive to the
condition of their devoti on, perceiving the state yesterday and the improvement
made today. If he perceives that after some days no progress has been made
according to the stages given above, he must understand that some offense must
have been committed. Havi ng di agnosed that offense, he should give up that
offense and correct the harm done by association of devotees. Conti nuousl y
cultivating bhakti and praying to Krsna, he shoul d be careful t hat the offense
does not occur again. Those who do not care to examine their progress will
advance very slowly due to the unseen obstacles they have created. Devotees, take
special precaution in thi s matter!
1 B.R.S.1.9.15-16
2 And when the hogi engages himself with si ncere endeavor in making furt her
progress, being washed of all contami nati ons, then ul ti mately, achieving perfection
after many, many births of practi ce, he attains the supreme goal. A yogi is greater
t han the ascetic, greater than the empi ri cist and greater than the frui t ive worker.
Therefore, 0 Arj una, in al l ci rcumstances, be a yogi. And of all yogis, the one wi th
great faith who always abides in Me, thi nks of Me wi t hi n hi msel f, and renders
transcendental loving service to Me he is the most intimately uni ted with Me i n
yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opi ni on. B.G.6.95-97
I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all . But whoever renders
service unto Me in devotion is a fri end, is in Me, and I am also a friend to hi m.
Even if one commits the most abomi nable action, if he is engaged in devoti onal
service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in hi s
determination. He qui ckl y becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. 0 son of
Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes. 0 son of Prtha, those who
take shelter in Me, though they be of l ower bi rth women, vaisyas and sudras can
attain the supreme destination. How much mor e t hi s i s so of the ri ghteous
brahmanas, the devotees and the saintly ki ngs. Therefore, having come to thi s
temporary, miserable world, engage in loving service unto Me. B.G. 29-33
A person who executes his occupational duty properl y for one hundred bi rt hs
becomes qualified to occupy the post of Brahma, and if he becomes more quali fi ed,
he can approach Lord Siva. A person who i s di rectly surrendered to Lord Krsna,
or Visnu, in unal l oyed devoti onal service is immedi ately promoted to the spi ri tual
planets. Lord Siva and other demi gods attain these planets after the destruction of
this material world. S.B.9.29.29
My dear Uddhava, the unalloyed devoti onal service rendered to Me by My devotees
brings Me under their control . I cannot be thus control led by those engaged in
mystic yoga, Sankhya philosophy, pi ous work, Vedi c study, austerity or
3 As long as one is not satiated by frui tive acti vity and has not awakened his taste
for devotional service by sravanam kirtanam vi snoh, one has to act according to
the regulative princi ples of the Vedic inj unct i ons. S.B.11.20.9
0 In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activi ties of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and
the heart. By cul ti vating such knowl edge one gradually becomes advanced on the
path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed.
Then real devotion and devotional service begin.S.B.3.25.25
5 0 twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all
vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the
messages of Vasudeva. Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the
Paramatma in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses,
desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the
urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard
and chanted. S.B.1.2.16-17
6 ..Thus being engaged, I became purified in heart, and at that time the very nature
of the transcendentalist became attractive to me. 0 Vyasadeva, in that association
and by the mercy of those great Vedantists, I could hear them describe the
attractive activities of Lord Krsna. And t hus l i stening attenti vely, my taste for
hearing of the Personality of Godhead increased at every step. S.B.1.5.25-26
7 Thus during two seasons the rainy season and autumn I had the opportuni ty
to hear these great-souled sages constantly chant the unadul terated glories of the
Lord Hari. As the flow of my devot i onal service began, the coverings of the modes
of passion and ignorance vanished. S.B.1.5.28
As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of
nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankeri ng,
disappear from the heart. Then t he devotee is established i n goodness, and he
becomes completely happy. S.B. 1.2.19
8 raso vai sah rasam hy evayam labdhanandi bhavati
The Lord is rasa. Attai ning the rasa, the jiva becomes blissful.
Taittiriya Upanisad
renunciation. S.B.11.19.20
Part Three
Chanting the name in aspiring for Prema
Prema is the goal of the soul. By nouri shi ng bhava, prema mani fests. The soul ,
fixed in favorable attitude towards Krsna, elevates himself gradually and fi nal l y
approaches the temple of prema. Prema has two stages: aspiring for prema and
attainment of prema. Havi ng at t ai ned prema there is no further attai nment.
There is only Krsna rasa, and nothing else at that stage. In the aspiring stage there
are two types of devotees: those who derive bliss from fol l owi ng the proper
conduct and those who derive bliss from preaching. Some derive bliss from both
activities.I Proper conduct refers to li stening about the Lord; preaching prefers to
glorifying the Lord' s name.
In the aspiring stage, the prema bhakta is dedicated solely to Krsna. Hi s general
symptom is compl ete surrender (saranagati).2 I n t he Bhagavatam and the Gi ta
there is profuse glorification of the surrendered soul. Wi t hout such excl usi ve
surrender, what to speak of prema, even bhava does not appear. Thi s surrender
accepts only those things favorable to prema bhakti . The devotee avoids those
things unfavorable for prema. The devotee thi nks of Krsna as his only protector.
He does not seek protection by any other means, or through any other person. He
has faith nowhere else. Krsna is his sole maintainer. Of t hat he has no doubt. He
also sincerely feels himself to be very fallen. He i s convi nced that he can do
nothing; no one can do anything except if Krsna desires.3
The fully surrendered devotee exclusively takes shelter of the Lord' s name, though
there are many other angas of bhakti . He deri ves satisfaction from hearing and
remembering the name. No t ype of worshi p i s so pure and di rectly spi ri tual as the
name. In the Hari Bhakti Vi l asa, among all the devoti onal activi ti es, there is most
glorification of the chanting and remembering the Lord s name. It is stated in
scriptures that there is no di fference between Krsna and His name, for the name is
spiritual by nature. The full spi ri t ual form of Krsna endowed with al l rasa appears
in the name.W
Whoever wants to receive realization of Krsna's form and the name's form, must
strive to understand their spi ri tual nature. As l ong as he does not understand thei r
spiritual nature, he cannot become expert in worshi p of the Lord. Then how can
he attain the goal of his sadhana> Realization of spiri tual nature (svarupa) of
Krsna and his energies is the only cause of advancement in worshi p.5 Let us
consider at littl e.
It has already been explained, and supported with scri ptural evi dence, that the
soul is a spiritual parti cle, the abode of Krsna is spiri tual, and Krsna is the spiri tual
sun, Krsna bhakti is the spiri tual nature of the soul, and Krsna s name is spiritual
rasa incarnate. Here wi l l be di scussed the spiri tual reali ties in relation to the
aspirants of prema. By performance of devoti onal activi ti es, spiri tual bl iss wi l l
appear in the heart. Brahma j nana, a realization of pure spi rit, has no attracti on
because there is absence of pleasure derived from spi ri tual enti ties and spiri tual
activities. 6
The Vedas, the incarnation of the Lord for del i vering the fallen people of Kal i
yuga, are considered to be proof (pramana). I n the Vedas nine topics are
presented as fact (prameya). Thi s subj ect has been el aborated on in the
Bhagavatam. It is stated conclusively in the Vedas that the soul is a spiri tual
particle, like a particle of sunl i ght i n rel ation to the sun, the Supreme Lord.7
Krsna and the soul are both spi ri tual but Krsna is the i ndependent being, like the
sun, and the soul is his dependent, like the parti cle of li ght. Kr sna i s the Supreme
Lord. The soul is his eternal servant. Krsna lives in the spiri tual worl d, Gol oka,
which is purely spiri tual . Thi s spi ri t ual worl d i s cal led Vai kunt ha.8 In the
Vajasaneya Upanisad, the pure spiri tual qual ity of Krsna s form is shown.9 That
the Supreme Lord or Supreme Brahman Krsna is endowed with energies or powers
(sakti) is described in the Svetasvatara Upanisad.10 Bhakt i as spi r i t ual taste has
been described in the Mundaka Upani sad. There i t st ates that those who
understand Krsna as the life of all enti ties give up dry speculation and pursui t of
knowledge and enjoy the pastimes of God (atmakri da). 11
Knowing the Lord by pure knowl edge, the wise man cul t i vates pure bhakti
(prajnam). Whoever acts in thi s manner is called brahmana. Whoever does not
know this and di es is worthy of l amentati on. Whoever knows thi s is a brahmana,
or in other words, a Krsna bhakta or vaisnava.12 The real nature of bhakti has
been described in thi s way.
Oh Maitreya, the atma is to be seen, heard, meditated on, concentrated on. When
the atma is seen, heard, meditated on and realized, all else is known. Thi s atma or
Krsna, is dearer that sons and wealth because this Lord i s dwel l i ng wi t hi n al l
beings. However attached we are to material objects, whatever they may be, we do
not hold affection for them i n themsel ves. Al l obj ects are dear onl y because of
attachment to the spirit, the Lord, wi t hi n t hem. 13
Brhad Aranyaka 9.5.6,8
The eternal relationship of the soul with atma, Krsna, i s cal led prema, love.
Prema is a pure spiritual reali ty.
What is the relation between the phenomenal worl d and spi ri t ual real i ty> If t here
i s proper knowl edge, then true devoti onal wi sdom prevai ls. But of t en, by tryi ng to
search out the true nature of spirit, man goes astray. By a parti cular process of
l ogic one may conclude that the spiri tual realm must be exactly opposite of the
material world. By further use of logic, rejecting spiri tual form, one may i magi ne
t hat the supreme is some ambiguous, imperfect semi-spiri tual substance. Thi s
brahman, without form, wi t hout change, wi thout mot i on, wi t hout qual i t i es,
without love, is an indescribable substance, like a flower in the sky. Unabl e to
know the name, form, activi ties and quali ties of this spiri tual thi ng, a person
becomes inactive. In t hi s way, dry speculative knowl edge has created a great
obstacle for the souls. Thi s is known f rom the di scussion between Vyasa and
Narada in the Bhagavatam.19
Limited by a realization of the supreme as a shining spiri tual substance which is
but a dim shadow of pure spi ri tual real i ty, i t i s certai n that a person cannot know
the enjoyable spiritual pastimes of the Supreme Spirit. Brother, please advance
f urther! Pierce the spiri tual efful gence and enter the spiri tual worl d! Ther e you
can see the Supreme Brahman and his spiri tual acti vi ti es. Tast e the sweetness of
t he indivisible Lord. Do not treat spi ri t l i ke a dry pi ece of wood. Mundaka
Upanisad says that people knowl edgeable of spirit know t hat the pure Supreme
Brahman, untouched by the mode of passion, resides in a pure spiri tual (gol den)
abode.15 By transcendental light, surpassing the material li ght, the Lord' s name,
form, qualities and activities are revealed. The sun, moon, stars, lightening and fi re
of this world are not sui table for that worl d. A spi r i t ual l i ght reveals that spiri tual
world. Though we t hi nk of the sun and moon as i l l umi nat ors, they are only dul l
reflections of the spiri tual l i ght. Thi s i s extensi vely expl ai ned the descri ption of
Brahmapura in the Chandogya Upanisad. The spiri tual worl d i l l umi ned by
spiritual light is the model for the material world. I t i s not an i nf eri or model , i t i s
a pure ideal. Everything there excels in giving happi ness. The i nferior refl ection of
the spiritual worl d i s the material world. The spi ri t ual l i ght i s refl ected grossly as
the material illumi nat ors l ike the sun and subtl y as the l i ght of materi al
knowledge of the mi nd, i ntel l i gence and false ego. The material sun is perceived by
the gross senses as light. And t he mat er i al knowl edge is appreciated by the
astanga yoga process, revealed through the subtle mi nd, i nt el l ectual and false ego
purified through astanga yoga. All these are the instinctive acts of vision by t he
soul in bondage.
By Narada s instruction, Vyasa adopted spiri tual vi sion through hi s soul and was
able to see perfectly the name, form, qual i t i es and pastimes of the Supreme
Lord.16 He could understand as well the shadow of the superior energy, maya. He
could understand how maya throws the soul i nto i l l usi on, and thereby corrupt s
the intrinsic spiri tual nat ure of the soul . He understood that the soul coul d
achieve his own pure identity by di rect spi ri tual vi sion devel oped through bhakti .
Then he wrote the Srimad Bhagavatam to reveal the spiri tual acti vi ties of the Lord.
The corruption of the soul is twofold: mi staken i dentity of the soul and mi staken
identity of Krsna. By these mi st akes, the soul becomes adverse to Krsna and
enters the path of action and reaction in the endl ess cycle of illusi on. Thi s
produces a world of happi ness and distress. When al l the material attempts of
l ogic born from material knowl edge, through practice of astanga yoga (karma
marga) and sankhya yoga (jnana marga) cease and the soul takes shelter of pure
bhakti yoga, all truths become il l umi ned by the l i ght of pure knowl edge revealed
through the spiri tual vi sion of the soul . The soul then regards all material
happiness as useless, and Krsna prema appears. Krsna, the spiri tual sun, bestows
his mercy. Except for thi s mercy, there is no way to destroy the mi sconcepti ons
and attain elevation of the sou1.17
Faith is the root cause of spiritual vi sion on the path of pure bhakti . At t he pr oper
auspicious time, Vyasa began to doubt the efficacy of karma kanda and dry
speculative knowl edge. Vyasa then asked his guru,
"I have understood all the
knowledge given by you, but why i s my soul stil l unsati sfi ed. Son of Brahma,
please tell me what is the cause of this condi ti on> I n great anxi ety I am aski ng
you this question." 18
Narada replied,
"Oh Vyasa, with the same clarity that you have explained the four
goals of artha, dharma, kama and moksa in the Puranas, Vedanta Sutra, and
Mahabharata, you have not attempted to expl ain the spotless spiritual pastimes of
t he Supreme Lord. Because of this you are not feel ing satisfaction. You have
made a great mistake in overemphasizing varnasrama dharma as the duty of the
conditioned soul. If a person gi ves up his material dharma and worships the Lord
in devotion, and then falls from that posi ti on, what is the l oss. I f a person stays
steady in his dharma but does not worshi p the Lord, what does he really gain>"19
From this instruction i t may be understood that there is no other method than
worshipping the Supreme Lord in devoti on. By worshi ppi ng the Lord who i s the
shelter of the name, the soul achieves everything. 20
Vyasadeva attained spiritual perception through bhakti yoga. Thi s samadhi i s
called "natural" because for the spirit soul devotion to Krsna is very easy and
natural. Because it is the eternal nature of the soul, it is called the soul's natural
dharma. The process is as follows.
The indi vi dual fi nall y real i zes that he can never attain service to Krsna, his real
nature, by fol l owi ng the path of karma, ei ther through the ei ghteen types of
sacrifice or through the subtle sacrifice of astanga yoga. And he realizes that he
cannot attain it through ei ther the feeble knowl edge which aims at a vague
spiritual substance or material knowl edge gained by efforts of the mi nd.21 Seei ng
no alternative, he cries for the mercy of the devotees,
"Oh Krsna, deliverer of the
fallen souls! I am your eternal servant, I have fallen in the material ocean, and am
suffering. Oh Lord, be merci ful and give me the shelter of the dust of your l ot us
feet." At t hat moment the merci ful Lord pl aces him at his feet and comforts hi m.
Constantly heari ng, chanting and remembering the Lord s name, with tears in hi s
eyes, he attains the stage of bhava. Kr sna, si tting i n the heart, removes all
obstacles and material desires, purifies the heart, and then merci full y offers the
devotee his own prema. At t hi s poi nt i f the person has no mood of surrender
(saranagati), he may proudly make hi s own attempts to attai n the goal and in the
process dry up his heart. In t hi s way he is depri ved of prema. The devotee should
be careful to bring Krsna into hi s heart with humi l i t y and f ul l surrender. At t hat
time, attempts at material logic become wiped out compl etely, the spiri tual eye
opens, and he sees the Lord as He is. I f he avoi ds bad association and takes good
association by further devoti onal acti vi ties his mind becomes fixed, and fol l owi ng
the progression from steadiness (nistha) he attains bhava. The person of crooked
heart wil l go the opposite way.22
The person in the stage of attaining prema wi t h a si ncere heart constantly chants
Krsna's name in the association of devotees. He does not have any taste for any
other anga of bhakti. Because the name quickly produces an intense
concentration of the mi nd, all the results of yama, niyama, pranayama, dhyana,
dharana and pratyahara are achieved. Wi t hout per f or mi ng the stages of astanga
yoga, by the mercy of the name, the mind achi eves compl ete stil l ness, which is
the goal of yoga. As the mind becomes puri fi ed, the splendors of the spiri tual
world gradually being to appear. He experiences such happi ness that all other
happiness achieved by any other process becomes just a drop in compari son wi t h
the ocean of prema. He desires no other wealth than the mercy of Krsna. 23
The name of Krsna is a spiritual substance. There is no knowl edge, austerity,
meditation, fruit, renunci ati on, sense control, pi ous act, or goal as great as that of
the name. The name is the supreme liberation. The name is the supreme
destination. The name is supreme peace. The name i s the supreme situati on.
The name is supreme devotion. The name is supreme intel l i gence. The name is
supreme love. The name is the supreme remembrance. Thi s the devotee believes
with convicti on. The name is the soul s reason for existence. The name is the
Lord of the soul. The name is the most worshi pable object. The name is the
supreme guru.29
In the Vedic scriptures the spiri tual nature of the name and its supreme position i s
described.
Oh Lord, we worship you, knowi ng your name is supreme. In worshi ppi ng t he
name, there is no rules. The name is superior to all ri tual i sti c acti vi ti es. It is a
spiritual substance. It i s self-i l l umi nat i ng. From the name of the Lord arose all
the Vedas. We can perform expert worshi p of the name, which is none other than
t he supreme brahman. The name is easier to understand than the soul . The name
i s the excellence of knowl edge. It is practice (sadhana) and the goal of practi ce
(sadhya). You and your l otus feet are worshipable. We bow down to your l ot us
feet. For attaining the hi ghest benefit the devotees take up the name, discuss it and
glorify it loudly. They know your name i s compl etely spi ri tual . On heari ng your
name being glorifi ed, the devotees take up the si nging your name, and become
purified. The name i s eternal . The name is the mother of the Vedas, a
concentration of eterni ty, bl iss and knowl edge. Oh Vi snu, as we are able to
glorify you by the mercy of the name, we wil l worshi p onl y the name. 25
Caitanya Mahaprabhu has glori fied the name in hi s Sistastaka. The progressive
steps in chanting the name are given in those verses. When the devotee gives up
offenses and chants the name, he has the symptoms described in the third verse.
Chanting the name wi th unmot i vated devotion is described in the next verse.
Confession to the Lord is presented in the next verse. The l ast two verses indicate
how the devotee as a resident of Vraja must worshi p as a foll ower of Radha in the
mood of meeting and separation. There is so much gl ori f i cation of the name in the
scriptures that if they were all to be i ncl uded i n thi s book, i t woul d expand to the
size of Hari Bhakti Vi l asa. Therefore with out saying more about the gl ories of the
name, the procedure for intensive chanting the name wil l be described.
However the persons on the stage of aspiring for prema shoul d remember a few
things before engaging in intensive chanti ng. He shoul d be convi nced that
Krsna s form, his name, his service, and his associates are all eternally pure and
spiritual. Kr sna, hi s abode, his associates for pastimes are all free of material
energy and spiritual . There is nothi ng material in performi ng service to Krsna.
Krsna's throne, house, garden, forest, the Yamuna, and all other obj ects are
spiritual, non-mat eri al . They shoul d know t hat t hi s faith i s not the bl ind faith of
S.B. 11. 12. 15
Padma Purana
Padma Purana
the material world, but the supreme, eternal t ruth. The t rue i dent i ty of al l these
things do not actually appear in thi s worl d, but rather reside in the heart of the
pure devotee.
In this world, the result of sadhana of the name is realization of the real nature of
the spiritual worl d (svarupa siddhi). Whoever realizes this quickly gi ves up the
body and attains the spiri tual worl d (vastu si ddhi ) by the grace of Krsna. I n t hi s
world, onl y a shadow of that stage of existence can be experienced. The
preliminary stage is liberation,26 and the fi nal stage is prema.
1 Some behave very well but do not preach the cult of Krsna consciousness,
whereas others preach but do not behave properly. You si mul t aneously perform
both duties in relation to the hol y name by your personal behavior and by your
preaching. Therefore you are the spiri tual master of the entire worl d, for you are
the most advanced devotee in the world. C.C.Antya %.102-103
2 Abandon all varieties of religion and j ust surrender unto Me. I shall del i ver you
from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. B.G.18.66
Simply take shelter of Me alone, for I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
situated within the heart of all condi t i oned souls. Take shel ter of me
wholeheartedly, and by My grace be free from fear in all ci rcumstances.
3 anukulasya sankalpah pratikulya vi varj anam
raksisyatiti visvaso goptrtve varanam tatha
atma niksepa karpanye sad vidah saranagatih.
0 nama cintamani krsna caitanya rasavigrahah
purnah suddho ni tya mukt o' bhi nnatvan nama nami noh
5 Liberation is easily attainable by knowl edge and enjoyment is easily available by
performance of pious activi ties like sacrifice. However bhakti i s very di ffi cul t to
achieve by thousands of such practices. Padma Purana
6 My Lord, the transcendental bliss derived from medi tating upon Your l otus feet
or hearing about Your gl ories from pure devotees is so unli mi ted that it i s far
beyond the stage of brahmananda, wherein one thi nks hi msel f merged in the
impersonal Brahmana as one with the Supreme. Since brahmananda is also
defeated by the transcendental bliss derived from devoti onal service, then what to
speak of the temporary blissfulness of elevating oneself to the heavenly planets,
which is ended by the separating sword of ti me> Al t hough one may be elevated to
the heavenly planets, he falls down in due course of ti me. S.B.9.9.10
7 yathagneh ksudra visphl i nga vyuccaranti evam evasmad atmanah sarvani
bhutani vyucccaranti. tasya va etasya purusasya dve eva sthane bhavatah, idam ca
paraloka sthanam ca sandhyam tri ti yam svapna sthanam.
As small sparks emanate from a fire, so all the souls emanate from the Supreme
Soul. The souls have two places, this world and the spi ri t ual worl d, and a thi rd
place the border between them.
8 divye pure hy esa samvyomny atma prati sthatah
The Lord is situated in a spiri tual city i n the sky.
Mundaka Upanisad 2.7
Brhad Aranyaka Upanisad 2.1.20
9 Such a person must factually know the greatest of all, who is unembodi ed,
omniscient, beyond reproach, wi thout vei ns, pure and uncontami nated, the self-
sufficient phil osopher who has been ful fi l l ing everyone's desire since time
immemorial. Isopanisad 8
nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko bahunam yo vi dadhati kaman
He is the eternal among all eternals; he is the chief consciousness among all
consciousnesses. He is the chief among many, who ful f i l l s the desires of the livi ng
entities. Katha Upanisad
10 parasya saktir vivi dhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana bala kriya ca
There are various natural energies of the Supreme Lord such as jnana, bala and
kriya.
Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8
11 prano hy esa yah sarva bhutair vi bhati vi j anan vi dvan bhavate nativadi
atma krida atma ratih kri yavan esu brahma vidam vari sthah
The Lord is the life of all l i ving bei ngs. The wi se man who knows thi s Lord does
not speak of other thi ngs. he is absorbed in the pastimes of the Lord. He i s the
best among the knowers of Brahman.
Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.%
12 tam eva dhiro vij naya prajnam kurvi ta brahmanah et ad aksaram gargy
avidiva'smal lokat praiti sa krpano' tha ya etad aksaram gargi vidi tva' smal lokat
praiti sa brahmanah
The wise man, having this praj nam i s a brahmanah. Not knowi ng t he
indestructible Lord, if a person passes from this world, he is a miser. If he passes
from the world knowi ng t hi s, he is a brahmana.
Brhad Aranyaka 3.8.%
atma
Brhad Aranyaka %.5.6,8
13 atma va are drastavyah srotavya mantavyo ni di dhyasitavyo mai treyyatmani
khandare drste srute mate vijnate idam sarvam vi di tam.
tad etat preyah putrat sreyo vittat preyo' dyasmat sarvasmat antarataram yad ayam
na va are sarvasya kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati. atamanas tu kamaya sarvam
priyah bhavati
19 Knowledge of self-realization, even though free from all material affi ni ty, does
not look well if devoi d of a conception of the Infal l i ble. What , t hen i s the use of
fruitive activiti es, which are naturally pai nful from the very begi nning and
transient by nature, if they are not uti l i zed for the devoti onal service of the Lord>
15 hiranmaye pare kose virajam brahma ni skalam
taccubhram jyotisam jyoti s tadvad atma vido vi duh
S.B.1.5. 12
na tatra suryo bhati na candra tarakam na vi dyut o bhanti kut o' yam agni h
tam eva bhantam anubhati sarvam tasya bhasa sarvam idam vibhati
That place is situated in a golden covering. It i s the most effful gent of all shi ni ng
things. Those who know the Lord know t hi s. In t hat pl ace there is no sun, no
moon, no stars, no lightening and no fi re. Everyt hi ng shi nes because of the light
of brahman.
16 Thus he fixed him mi nd, perfectly engaging it by l i nki ng i t i n devot i onal
service, without any ti nge of materiali sm, and thus he saw the Absolute Personality
of Godhead along with Hi s external energy, which was under ful l cont rol . Due to
this external energy, the living enti ty, al though transcendental to the three modes
of material nature, thi nks of hi mself as a material product and thus undergoes the
reactions of material miseries. The material mi series of the li ving enti ty, whi ch are
superfluous to him, can be directly mi t i gated by the l i nki ng process of devotional
service. But the mass of people do not know t hi s, and therefore the learned
Vyasadeva compiled this Vedic li terature, which is in rel ation to the Supreme
Truth. S.B.1.7.0-6
17 nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na bahuna srutena
yam evaisa vrnute tena labhyas tasyaiva atma vi vrnute tanum svam
The Lord cannot be understood by speaking, nor by heari ng. One can attain Hi m
when the Lord hi mself chooses. He chooses him as his own person.
Mundaka 3.2.3
18 All you have said about me is perfectly correct. Despite all this, I am not
pacified. I therefore question you about the root cause of my di ssatisfaction, for
you are a man of unl i mi ted knowl edge due to your being the offspring of one who
is self-born. S.B.1.5.5
19 One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devoti onal
service of the Lord may someti mes fall down whi l e i n an i mmat ure stage, yet there
is no danger of his begin unsuccessful. On the ot her hand, a nondevotee, though
fully engaged in occupational duti es, does not gain anythi ng. S.B.1.5.17
20 0 King, constant chanting of the hol y name of the Lord after the ways of the
great authorities is the doubtl ess and fearless way of success for all, incl udi ng
those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material
enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental
knowledge. S.B.2.1.11
Devotional service, beginning with the chanting of the hol y name of the Lord, i s
the ultimate religious pri nci pl e for the l i vi ng entity i n human soci ety. S.B.6.3.20
21 tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet samit panih srotri yam brahma
nistham
Carrying fuel wood in ones hands, one must approach a guru fi xed in the Lord,
conversant with the scri ptures and well behaved, in order to gain knowl edge of
God.
22 ..The Lord can be easily pleased by spotless devotees who resort exclusively to
Him for protecti on, though the unri ght eous man fi nds it di f f i cul t to propi t i at e
Those of crooked heart cannot conti nue the course of bhakti , whereas those who
have imperfect worship but are sincere cannot have success. Bhakti Sandarbha
Mundaka 3.9. 10-11
Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12
Him. S.B. 3.19.36
153
23 Persons who are actually intel l i gent and phi l osophi cally i ncl i ned shoul d
endeavor only for that purposeful end which i s not obtai nable even by wanderi ng
from the topmost pl anet down to the l owest pl anet. As far as happiness derived
from sense enjoyment i s concerned, it can be obtained automati cally in course of
time, just as in course of time we obtain mi series even though we do not desi re
them. S.B. 1.5.18
29 Agni Purana
25 om asysa jananto nama cid vivi ktena mahas te visno sumatim bhaj amahe om tat
om padam devasya namasa vyastah sravasyavasrava apannamrttam namani ci d
dadhire yajniyani bhadrayas te ranayas tam samdrstau
om tam ustotarah purvam yathav ida rtasya gartam manusa pipartan asya jananto
nama cid vivktena mahas te visno sumatim bhaj amahe sruti
26 Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the l i vi ng entity after he
gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies. S.B.2.10.6
sat
Part Four
System for cultivating the name
Understanding the real nature of the compl ete spiri tual realm is called svarupa
siddhi, or realization of rel ati onship, sambandha jnana. If the relationship i s
realized, the process of cultivating prema and goal, prema itself, can be obtained.
Krsna s spiritual abode, name, qualities, and pastimes are all particular aspects of
realization withi n prema. I n the Pr asna Upani sad the process of cultivating the
name is described.1 Krsna appears in this worl d through hi s name. Though t he
name is made of a serious of syllables, by the power of the name, the syl l abl es
become Krsna himself.2 The name and the person designated by the name being
non-different, Krsna descends from Gol oka Vrndavana in the form of the name.
Thus the name of Krsna is the first knowl edge that a person can have of Krsna. If
a person is determined to attain Krsna, he should then take shelter of the name.
Gopala Guru Goswami, the dear disciple of Svarupa Damodara Goswami, has
written concerning the name in Hari Namartha Ni rnaya.
In the Agni Purana i t says:
Whoever chants the words "Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare" even
negligently will achi eve the goal wi thout doubt .
In the Brahmanda Purana it says:
Whoever chants "Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Hare Hare" is free from all si n.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu has combined these together. Issuing from hi s l i ps the
words "hare krsna" drown the worl d i n prema. By the Lord' s order, may those
words be ever victorious.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the Cai tanya Caritamrta and Caitanya Bhagavat has
taught his foll owers to chant these sixteen words "Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna
Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare." Gopal Gur u
Goswami has also explained the meaning of these sixteen words.
By chanting the name Hari all the sins are destroyed (harati). Just as fire burns
even if touched by accident, i f by acci dent a person chants the name "Hari " al l si n
is burned up. This name reveals the real form of the Lord wi t h al l hi s bl iss and
knowledge, and destroys i gnorance and its effects. Thi s i s the meaning of the
word "Hari". Or the word "Hari " can mean he who takes away (harati) the three
miseries of material existence from all l i ving enti ti es. Or i t can mean he who
attracts (harati) the mi nds of all l i ving enti ti es through hearing and speaking about
his transcendental qualiti es. Or i t can mean he who attracts the mi nds of al l the
avataras and people by his sweetness and beauty whi ch i s greater than that of a
million cupi ds. The word "Hari " becomes "Hare" in the vocative case, the form of
address. Or according to Brahma Samhita, the person who attracts the mind of the
Lord by ideal love, Radha, is called "Hara". In the vocat i ve case this also becomes
" hare". According the agamas the root ' krs" and the suffi x "na" f or m t he wor d
"krsna", which means the person who attracts, who is personi fi cation of bl i ss. He
i s the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Lord.
"Krsna" has the same form "Krsna"
in the vocative case. I n t he agamas it is also stated that by the utterance of the
syllable "ra" all sins are driven away and in order to prevent them from ret urni ng
the syllable "ma" is added, as if closing the door. Al so the puranas it is stated that
the person who enjoys with Radha eternally is called Rama. This refers to Krsna.
The meanings of these names will be discussed again later.
The devotee at the stage of aspiring for prema performs chanting and
remembering, while counti ng. He cul t i vates the spiri tual form i n the name
through the meaning of the words whil e chanti ng. By const ant chanti ng, very
quickly all sins will di sappear and the heart wil l become spotless. By constant
chanting in namabhasa the transcendental name will appear naturally in the
purified heart.3
There are two types of chanters, those practicing (sadhaka) and those who have
attained perfection (siddha). The practi ti oners are again of two types, the
preliminary and conti nuous. The prel i mi nary practi ti oner starts to increase his
chanting, until he constantl y chants wi t hout break. When t hat i s attai ned, it i s
called continuous. The prel i mi nary devotee does not have a taste for chanting
because of the bitter contami nation of i gnorance, but by constantly chanti ng
rounds on tulasi beads, the devotee attains the conti nuous stage, where respect for
the name grows. At that stage, the person does not want to give up chanting the
name. By constantly chanting with respect, a taste for the name is born. At t hat
time, sin, the seed of sin or desire, and the root, ignorance, are destroyed.
During the preli mi nary stage the devotee must eagerly strive to chant wi thout
offenses. It is absolutely necessary. This will happen onl y by avoi ding bad
association and taking instructi ons from the devotees.W When the prel i mi ary stage
i s past, with constant chanti ng, taste for the name and compassion for the l i vi ng
entities increases. There is no need of assistance from karma, jnana or yoga. If thei r
effects are still strong, they help the practi ti oner in mai nt ai ni ng hi s bodi l y
existence. By chanting the name with concentrated mind i n association of
devotees, in a short time the heart becomes pure and ignorance is destroyed. As
much as ignorance is destroyed, yukta vairagya and sambandha jnana make their
appearance, and make the heart even more pure. Thi s has been veri f i ed again and
again by the learned devotees.
By chanting the name whil e understanding its meaning and praying to Krsna wi th
tears in the eyes, gradually, by Krsna's mercy, the chanting wil l advance. If thi s
method is not fol l owed, it wil l t ake many l i f eti mes to reach perfection, as with
karma and jnana.
Those who chant are of two types: bhara vahi (l oad bearer) and sara grahi (essence
drinker). Those who are attached to the material world, to bhukt i and mukt i ,
become taxed with the heavy burden of trying to attain dharma, artha, kama, and
moksa. They do not know about the essence which is prema. Thus these people,
though they labor hard, do not become spiri tual elevated by the chanti ng. Those
who understand the essence aim for prema and very qui ckl y attain thei r desired
end. These are the devotees aspiring for prema. They wi l l very qui ckl y attai n
prema and become natural paramahamsas, drinking the nectar conti nuously. I f
the load-bearer learns to appreciate the essence, then he too can qui ckly become
an aspirant of prema.5
On the strength of performing many acti ons favorable to devotion over many
l ifetimes, faith in the process of bhakti eventually arises. Thi s fai th, through
association of devotees, yields taste (ruci). By chanting in the association of pure
devotees, sadhana bhakti directed towards prema arises. If, by the mercy of those
pure devotees, he accepts the correct practice of chanti ng, very qui ckl y he comes
to the stage of aspiring for prema.
If however, he takes i nstruction from a mi xed devotee or a semi-devotee, it will be
difficult for hi m to attai n prema. He cannot become a fully surrendered devotee.
As sinful impressions still infl uence him, he does not appreciate the pure
devotees; crookedness appears and his heart becomes deceptive. In t hi s condi t i on
the practitioner must spend many bi rths as a neophyte, a kanisthadhi kari .
Though the kanisthadhi kari has faith, it is very tender, swayed often by
temptations. The devotees and guru with whom he associates are of the same
type. In order to remove the fi ckl eness from the heart he must learn the process
of deity worship from an authori zed guru. By perf ormi ng t hi s deity worshi p a
long time, faith in the name wil l devel op. When f ai t h i n the name devel ops, he
starts chanting the name in good association.6
There is a different process for those fortunate souls who have exclusive faith in
the name of Krsna from the beginning of l i fe. By Krsna' s mercy they take shelter
of a guru fully experi enced with the pot enci es of the name.7 Cai t anya
Mahaprabhu has defined the quali ties of such as guru.8 Al t hough t here is no
absolute necessity of a diksa guru for l earning about the name,9 havi ng some
one who can teach the name is also natural. The syl l ables of the name can be
obtained from anywhere, but the deep truths about the name are revealed by the
mercy of a pure devotee guru. By the mercy of guru, a devotee can surpass the
stage of namabhasa and protect himself from offenses.
He who take up chanting seriously is, from the beginni ng, a madhyamadhi kari , as
he has understood the real spiri tual nat ure of the name. He practically has no
namabhasa, and may be consi dered an aspirant from prema. He expr esses prema
to Krsna, friendship with the pure devotees, mercy to the new devotees, and
indifference to those who are ini mi cal to the Lord or hi s deity form. Because the
kanisthadhikari cannot j udge the comparative quali fi cation of devotees, he is in a
pitiable conditi on. The madhyama adhi kari aspi ring for prema, by treating three
types of vaisnavas in three different ways, very qui ckl y comes to the stage of
having achieved prema (premarudha).10 The madhyamadhi kari is worthy of
association.
The madhyamadhikari i ncreases his chanting day and ni ght til l he chants 179
rounds a day. The chanting gi ves him such bl iss that he cannot exist wi thout i t .
Though he cannot count hi s rounds whi l e sl eeping and performing other bodi l y
functions, he chants at those times wi thout count i ng. He medi ates on the
meaning of the names as described by Gopala Guru Goswami , and graduall y al l
the sinful tendencies of man become subdued. Then he experi ences the name's
true nature, filled with supreme bl i ss.11 When the name' s nature becomes clear,
Krsna's spiritual form appears along with the name. Wi t h the presence of the pure
name in his chanting, along with Krsna s presence, the material modes are
vanquished and pure sattva, that is, all Krsna s non-material qual i ties appear.
According to the purity of the chanti ng, and the appearance Krsna's form, and
qualities together with the name,
the Lord's pastimes will appear by the Lord' s
mercy in the pure heart of the devotee who has awakened his natural spiri tual
vision. When the tongue gl ori fies the Lord with counted or uncounted names, the
mind sees Krsna's form, the heart perceives Krsna's qualities and the soul in trance
sees Krsna's pastimes.12
There are five states of advancement for the practi ti oner of the name: sravana dasa,
varana dasa, smarana dasa, apana dasa and prapana dasa.13 Sravana dasa is that
blissful stage when a person hears from a quali fied guru about sadhana and
sadhya. At that time the devotee hears about how to chant wi t hout of f ense,19
how to chant for achieving perfection, and how to become qual i fied for the name.
At this stage the devotee develops continuous chanting of the name.
When the devotee becomes qualified to receive the set ofbeads strung with prema
derived from chanting the name, when the di sci ple with gr eat satisfaction receives
from the lotus feet of the guru the pure process of chanting and worshi ppi ng, and
when the guru imparts his spiri tual energy into hi m, he i s sai d to have come to
the varana dasa.
The activities of remembering the name are five: smarana (remembering, dhyana
(concentration), dharana (medi tati on), dhruvanusmrti (absorpti on) and samadhi
(trance). This constitutes smarana dasa. When remembrance of the name,
concentration on the form, medi tation on the qual i ti es, absorption in the pasti mes
and finall y ent rance i nto the pastimes with taste of Krsna rasa in a trance-like
state, are allaccompl i shed the person reaches apana dasa. In the stages of
smarana and apana the devotee practices remembrance of Krsna's pastimes which
recur daily in eight parts of the day. When he becomes deeply absorbed in this, he
attains svarupa siddhi, attainment of hi s spi ri tual form.15 These devotees are
called natural paramahamsas.
By the mercy of Krsna when the devotee leaves his material body he becomes an
associate in Vraja pastimes in his spiri tual body. That i s cal led vastu siddhi . Thi s
is the final result of chanting the name. It i s cal led prapana dasa.
Should all the aspirants for prema (premaruruksu) l eave family l ife and take
sannyasa> A person should accept whatever asrama he judges as favorable for
practice leading to prema i t may grhastha, vanaprastha or sannaysa asrama. If one
asrama is unfavorable he should give that up.16 Exampl es of househol ders among
Lord Caitanya s associates are Srivas Pandita, Pundarika Vi dyani dhi , and
Ramananda Raya. At the same time they were natural paramahamsas. In more
ancient times also, there are many examples of householders, such as Rbhu, who
were paramahamsas. However, Ramanuja Acarya, Svarupa Damodara Goswami,
Madhavendra Puri, Hari Dasa Thakura, Sanatana Goswami and Raghunatha dasa
Goswami, finding grhastha asrama unfavorable for chanti ng, gave it up and
accepted sannyasa asrama.
i
rgbhir etam yajurbhi r antari ksam
samabhir yat tat kavayo vedayante
tam omkarenaivayatanenanveti vidvan
yat tac cantam ajaram amrtam abhayam param ceti
tesu satyam pratisthitam brahmano nama satyam
The wise men know the Lord through the rg, yajur and sama verses. The learned
man attains the Supreme Lord, the abode of peace, without ol d age, death or fear,
by syllable "om", which i s a the base and shelter of the Lord. The absolute truth i s
situated in these things. The name of brahman is identi cal to the absolute truth.
Prasnopanisad 5.7.
2 Omkara is everything. Omkara pervades everything. Medi t at i ng on omkara the
wise man does not lament. He is a muni who knows omkara, not others.
Omkara is the avatara of the Supreme Lord in the form of sound. Thi s means that
the name of the Lord and the Lord are non-di fferent. in the: surety is says: The
name "om" is nearest to the Lord. Si nce the person who chants this name
surpasses fear of material existence i t i s cal l ed "tara".
Bhagavat Sandarbha 98
3 The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Krsna are all
transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Al t hough the tongue of one affl i cted by
the jaundice of avidya cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that si mpl y by
carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens wi thi n
his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root. Upadesamrta 7
0 Nevertheless, until by fi rml y practi cing devoti onal service to Me one has
completely eliminated from hi s mi nd al l cont ami nation of material passion, one
must very carefully avoid associating with the material modes, which are produced
by My illusory energy. S.B.11.28.27
Self-controlled persons who are attached to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna can all of a
sudden give up the worl d of material attachment, incl uding the gross body and
subtle mind, and go away to attain the hi ghest perfection of the renounced order
of life, by which nonvi ol ence and renunci ation are consequential. S.B.1.18.22
5 Surrendered souls, even from groups leading sinful l i ves, such as women, the
laborer class, the mountaineers and the Siberians or even the birds and beasts, can
also know about the science of Godhead and become liberated from the cl utches of
the illusory energy by surrendering unto the pure devotees of the Lord and by
following in t hei r f oot steps in devoti onal service. S.B.2.7.06
6 Mantras are actually composed of the names of the Supreme Lord. Mantras are
distinct from the name because they i ncl ude the word ' namah' and have special
powers which are given by the rsis and the Lord Hi mself. However, the names of
the Lord in themselves, being independent, are even able to bestow the hi ghest
goal of existence, Krsna prema. Thus the names are more sui t abl e than mantras.
Bhakti Sandarbha 280
7 The devotee of Visnu or Krsna who bestows knowl edge is guru. He i s worthy of
worship like Vi snu Hi mself. Being knowl edgeable of scripture, he should be
worshipped by body mind and words. If he teaches just one verse about the Lord,
His spiritual name, quali ties and pastimes, he is worshipable. Narada Pancaratra,
Bhakti Sandarbha 710
8 Whether one is a brahmana, sannyasi or a sudra regardless of what he is he can
become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Krsna. C.C.Madhya 8.127
9 na diksam na ca satkriyam na ca purascaryam manag iksate
mantro'yam rasanaspg eva phalati sri krsna namatmakah
Mantras composed of Krsna's names give results without di ksa, and other
purificatory ri tes required for receiving mantras.
10 A devotee who faithfull y engages in the worship of the Deity in the templ e but
does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a
prakrta bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the l owest
position. S.B.11.2.07
An intermediate or second-class devotee called madhyama adhikari offers his love
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the
Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent and di sregards those who
are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. S.B.11.2.96
One should mentally honor the devotee who chants the holy name of Lord Krsna,
one should offer humbl e obeisances to the devotee who has undergone spiri tual
initiation and is engaged in worshi pping the Dei ty, and one should associate with
and faithfully serve that pure devotee who is advanced in undevi ating devoti onal
service and whose heart is compl etely devoid of the propensity to cri ti cize others.
Upadesamrta 5
11 Yat tattvam sri vigraha rupena caksuradav udayate tad eva nama rupena
vagadav iti sthitam tasman nama nami noh svarupabhedena tat saksatkare tat
Sridhara Swami
saksatkara eva
The devotee realizes through the name by the voice etc. whatever he real i zes of
the Lord in the form of the deity wi th hi s eyes. The name and Krsna are
understood to be the same.
Bhakti Sandarbha 101
12 First one must purify the heart by hearing the name. Af ter puri f i cati on, t her e
will arise the form of the Lord by hearing of the form of Krsna. When the f orm
manifests itself, then quali ties of Krsna mani fest. After the name, form and
qualities have manifested, the pastimes of the Lord also mani fest.
Bhakti Sandarbha 256
13 Dhyanacandra
19 When a diseased eye is treated with medi ci nal oi ntment i t graduall y recovers its
power to see. Similarly, as a conscious living entity cl eanses himself of material
contamination by hearing and chanting the pi ous narrati ons of My gl ori es, he
regains his ability to see Me, the Absolute Truth, i n My subtl e spi ri tual form.
15 A person who gives up all frui t i ve acti vi ties and offers himself enti rely unto Me,
eagerly desiring to render service unto Me, achieves liberation from bi rth and
death and is promoted to the status of sharing My own opul ences. S.B.11.29.3%
Unalloyed devotees, who have no desire other than to serve the Lord, worshi p Hi m
in full surrender and always hear and chant about Hi s acti vi ti es, which are most
wonderful and auspicious. S.B.8.3.2Q
16 Even if one is liberated, he nevertheless accepts the body he has received
according to his past karma. Wi t hout mi sconcepti ons, however, he regards his
enjoyment and suffering due to that karma the way an awakened person regards a
dream he had while sleeping. He thus remains steadfast and never works to
achieve another material body under the infl uence of the three modes of material
S.B. 11. 19.26
nature. S.B.5.1.16
Part Five
The goal of the devotee aspiring for Prema
When the devotee, by the mercy of guru and Krsna, obtains the seed of the
devotional creeper, or faith i n the pri nci pl es of bhakti , he shoul d wi th great care
see that the creeper bears fruit. Mahaprabhu used one simil e to teach this to Rupa
Goswami at Prayaga.l The per son perf ormi ng sadhana or practice plants the seed
of bhakti in his own heart. Hi s heart is described as a field. Before planting a seed
i n the field, it is necessary first plough the fi eld to make sui t abl e for sowing and
raising the plant. The f ort unate soul receives from the true guru i nstructi ons to
give up the quest for material enjoyment, l i beration and yogi c powers. By
following the instructi ons carefully the devotee cleans the field. Thi s i s the resul t
of association of devotees. He wil l consi der hi mself l ower than a bl ade of grass and
become more tol erant than a tree. Wi thout pri de, he gives respect to all li vi ng
entities. Having developed this nature, he is qualified for the name.2 This practi ce
is like preparing the field for pl anti ng. As i f subdui ng a wil d horse, the devotee
must trick the mind i nt o submi ssi on.3 Thi s is called yukta vairagya. Thi s i s
helpful in gaining advancement in chanti ng; dry renunci ation is not useful .
The creeper of devotion gradually grows by the watering process of hearing,
chanting, remembering and ot her devot i onal acti vi ti es. The spiri tual nature of the
creeper is that it cannot be li mi ted to the material world. I n an i nst ant, the creeper
transcends the fourteen material realms, crosses the Viraja, pierces the effulgence
of brahman and arrives in the spiri tual worl d. The nat ure of a spi ri tual substance
is that it transcends the material realm. When the devotee achieves real
knowledge of the spiri tual worl d and hi s own i dent i ty by overall effort and
eagerness, that knowledge leads the soul and the creeper to the spiri tual realm
beyond matter, and then to Gol oka Vrndavana, in the upper portion of the
spiritual sky. At t ai ni ng the desire tree of Krsna s lotus feet, the creeper spreads out
and bears the fruits of prema. In t hi s pl ace the gardener conti nuously waters the
plant with hearing and chanti ng. Once the creeper has crossed over the Viraja
there is no fear of it decaying. As l ong as the creeper is bound in the materi al
world made of prakrti , mahattattva, ahankara, form, taste, smell, touch, sound, the
five knowledge gathering senses, the five senses of action, the mi nd, earth, water,
fire air ether, goodness, passion and ignorance, there are obstacles to its growth.
When it attains the spiri tual worl d, by the strength of its own nature, it cannot be
broken or cut, and it ascend higher.
As long as it is in the material realm, the gardener must be careful of two thi ngs.
Firstly he must be careful to avoid offense to vaisnavas, for, like an el ephant i n
t he garden, it will squash the creeper.9 To prevent thi s he must buil d a wal l bui l t
of strong chanting apart from the worl dl y peopl e and shelter of devotees. Thi s
menace will be prevented by a association of pure devotees. Secondly, the bigger
t he plant grows, the more the li kel i hood that weeds will spring up al ong wi th t he
creeper due to bad association. Desire for enj oyment, desire for li berati on,
committing sinful acti vi ti es, dupl i ci ty, deceit, cheating, viol ence, self acquisition,
desire for respect, desire for position and many other weeds may grow in the
garden.5 By the water of hearing and chanti ng, these weeds may grow in size and
stunt the growth of the creeper of devoti on. Al l these weeds start from association
with people incl i ned to material enj oyment and l i berati on. It is commonl y seen
that the devotee falls from his posi tion due to bad association. Therefore the
gardener according to the i nst ruct i ons of the guru, must cut down al l such weeds
as soon as they grow up. By doi ng t hi s the mai n pl ant, the creeper of bhakti wi l l
quickly grow and enter the spiri tual worl d Vrndavana. Ther e the frui t of prema
ripens and there the gardener remains and relishes the fruit. Taki ng support of
this creeper the particle spirit soul gardener attains the desire tree of the lotus feet
of Krsna. Serving that desire tree, the gardener tastes the fruit of prema, the goal
of human life.
The aspirant for prema fol l owing the above method of chanti ng, hearing and
r emembering the name, becomes pure in heart and attains bhava. Al ong wi t h t he
appearance of bhava, the devotee becomes qualified for rasa. In Krsna' s pastimes
all rasas are supremely sweet. Santa, dasya, sakhya and vatsalya all have their
particular excellence. Corresponding to thei r di ff erent qual i ti es, the devotees enter
a particular rasa. According to Mahaprabhu, madhura rasa is most worshi pabl e.
For this rasa, there must be loyalty to Radha, otherwise there will be no taste. The
form of eternity, knowl edge and bl i ss is the supreme enti ty. Kr sna i s the form of
eternity and knowl edge and Radha is the form bl i ss. Radha and Krsna are thus one
entity, but to di stri bute rasa they take two forms. Radha and Candravali are the
best among all the gopis and Radha is the best of a11.6
It was observed in the discussion about raganuga sadhana bhakti that the person
who is greedy for the mood of the i nhabi tants of Vraja performs his sadhana
following after them with devoti on. Thus the aspi rant for prema must l earn the
process for gaining entrance to the eternal pastimes of Radha and Krsna by the
mercy of his guru. The devotee aspiring for madhura rasa, by medi tating on hi s
i dentity as a gopi, attains entrance to the entourage of Radha. One shoul d not
think that it is i mpossible that a person performing sadhana with a male body can
be a gopi in his medi tati on. Al l soul s are the marginal energy of Krsna. Mal e and
female of the gross body are illusory concepti ons, which ori gi nate in the subtl e
body. The et ernal pure body of the soul is spi ri tual , wi t hout a di sti nction of mal e
or female.7 Thi s spi ri tual body has free will , and is i mpel led by pure desire.
When a particular spiri tual senti ment ari ses in relation to Krsna, i t pr oduces a
male or female body for the soul . I n santa rasa, the bodyi s neuter. I n madhur a
rasa all the souls have pure female forms, who worshi p one male, Krsna.
Which rasa the soul has is determined by the soul's innermost tendency of taste.
When faith in the chanting process arises, according to his taste he will gravi tate to
his own rasa. Determining that rasa, the guru wil l give hi m sui t abl e i ni ti ation for
carrying out his worshi p.
Prema predominated by madhura rasa is described in the Brhad Aranyaka
Upanisad.8 Krsna is the all in all of madhura rasa, but only by the mercy of Radha
can a person attain relationship with Krsna i n thi s rasa. Having attai ned the mercy
of guru, if the devotee remembers the pastimes of Radha and Krsna whi l e
recollecting the mood of Cai tanya Mahaprabhu, the feeling of madhurya wi l l
appear. Even though the conti nuous sadhaka dwells in a material body in the
material world, by i nt ernal process he will medi tate on his eternal spiri tual body
by the mercy of guru. Thr ough cont i nuous medi t ation on serving Radha Krsna in
t heir daily eightfold pastimes, he will fi nall y i dentify compl etely with t hat spi ri t ual
body.9 That i s cal l ed svarupa siddhi, attai nment of spi ri tual body.
The aspirant should medi tate as follows: I am a fol l ower of Lal ita in the entourage
of Radha; I am the foll ower of Rupa Manj ari ; I l ive in Yavat grama, with a
wonderful body ful l of knowl edge and bl i ss, impelled by strong desire, overflowi ng
with rasa; my compl exion is bri ght gold; a youthful servant of Radha and Krsna.
For practicing thi s medi t at i on on spi ri t ual form t here are eleven items of identi ty:
name, form, age, cloth, relationship, entourage, order, service, parakastha,
palyadasi and abode.10 The devotee should conti nuousl y medi tate on hi s
spiritual form endowed with t hese eleven particular details, until he achi eves
complete identity with i t . From t hi s i dent i ty wi l l ari se a clear realization of hi s
eternal service. Li vi ng i n the mat erial worl d cont i nues only by habit, and onl y
until death. He wi l l consi der protecti on, mai ntenance and nouri shment of hi s
body only insofar as they are favorable for his practi ce.
When the devotee has a greed for practicing raganuga, he should request his guru.
The guru, after examining the devotee s taste, will determine his parti cular type of
worship and instruct hi m al l about hi s spi ri tual body. Accor di ng t o t hi s
revelation, the devotee aspiring for prema, should l ive near the guru in order to
obtain all knowl edge of the subject, and then, residing in hi s own pl ace, he should
with great effort and eagerness, practice his worship. By cont i nuousl y
remembering the identity equi pped with name and form gi ven by the guru, he
will attain identity wi th i t . Thi s i dent i t y i s cal led svarupa siddhi or atma j nana.
The stages of glorifying and remembering Krsna s name, form, qual i ties and
pastimes which were menti oned becomes at this time full y mani fest. The purpose
of all these practices is enter into the eternal name, form, qual i ties and pastimes of
Radha and Krsna by forming a relati onship with t hem, through medi t ation on
ones own spiritual identi ty.
When the creeper of devotion crosses the Viraja, pierces the brahman and ascends
t o the lotus feet of Krsna in Gol oka Vrndavana at the top of the spi ri tual worl d,
the devotee, gardener, climbing that creeper ofbhakti also enters into the spi ri tual
world. Some devotee writers have said that svarupa siddhi means taking bi rth i n
t he house of a cowherd in Vraja, before the compl etion of sadhana. Thi s i s not
untrue. Thi s is understood to be the second birth before the fi nal attai nment of
vastu siddhi by the devotee. At t ai ni ng i n t hi s way a body of a gopi, the devotee
attains pure second birth, or apana dasa. When the devotee at this stage gives up
the material body, the devotee progresses from svarupa siddhi to vastu siddhi .
With the full bl ossoming of remembrance of Krsna's name, form, qual i ties and
pastimes, the devotee attains eternal Vrndavana. The subtl e di fference between
the manifest Vrndavan on earth and Gol oka Vrndavana,11 can be understood from
Sanatana Gosvami's Brhad Bhagavatamrta.
It has been described that in the transcendental worl d there are no modes of
passion or ignorance, or goodness mixed with them. There is no passage of time.
There is no influence of maya.12 Krsna and hi s associates live there eternally.
How can this be> We see that though Krsna's abode is situated above brahman, it
is the place of eternal pastimes taking place during eight parts of the day.
Distinctions, place and time are present there. How astoundi ng. From the Vedas
and Puranas, it is understood that whatever exists in the material worl d exi sts as
well eternally in the spi ri tual worl d, but wi t hout any bl emi sh. The material worl d
i s but a reflection of the spi ri tual worl d. In t hi s worl d everything i s contami nated
by the touch of maya. But in the spi ri tual worl d, because maya and the modes of
nature do not exists, everything is faul tl ess. Everything there is in the pure mode
of goodness. Time and pl ace have this quali ty. Krsna s activities are beyond maya,
beyond the three modes of nature, nirguna. To nouri sh the rasa of the pastimes
t here is faultless time, place, space, water and other elements. Thus i n t hat
spiritual time, wi thout the infl uence of mat erial ti me, Krsna performs pastimes in
eight periods of the day: at the end of ni ght, in the early morni ng, i n l ate morni ng,
at noon, in the afternoon, at dusk, in the eveni ng, and in the ni ght . The
succession of Krsna's pastimes taking place during peri ods of day and ni ght
nourish the unbroken rasa.
Whatever pastimes occur by Krsna's eternal will i n Gokul a Vrndavana (on earth)
also occur in Gol oka Vrndavana. In the Padma Purana it is wri t ten that Nar ada
asked his guru Sadasiva,
"Oh Lord, I have heard everything that I wanted to know,
but now I wish to hear about the supreme path of bhava." Lord Siva said,
"Oh
Narada, all of Krsna's servants, friends, mother and father, and his beloved gopis
possess all good qualities. They are all eternal. What ever pastimes of the spiri tual
world have been described in the Puranas are also present eternally in Vrndavana
on earth within the cycle of material ti me. Going to and coming f rom t he f orests
or pastures and herding cows with hi s fri ends are the same in both pl aces. But the
killing of demons that occurs in the earthly pastimes is present in the spi ri tual
world only as a conception for nouri shing the rasas. That thought takes an active
form of kil l ing demons in the pastimes of the material world. Krsna s gopis give
pleasure to Krsna in secret with the bel ief that they are the wi ves of someone else.
Those who want to serve Krsna as the gopis do must think of t hemsel ves as having
similar form and qual i ti es.
Narada said,
" How do those who have not realized the spiri tual pastimes serve the
Lord in that way>" Sadasiva replied,
" Oh Narada, in truth, I do not know t hose
pastimes. My conception of having a male body is an obstacle. If you go to Vrnda
devi, she will tell you Vr nda devi l i ves near Kesi ti rtha al ong with many gopi
servants of Krsna." Narada went to her and asked,
"Oh Devi, If I am qual i fi ed,
please tell me about Krsna's daily pastimes."
Siva has here taught how the practi ti oner shoul d medi tate.
1 C.C.Madhya 19.151-168
2 Sistastaka 3, Upadesamrta 1
3 Whenever the mind, being concentrated on the spiri tual pl atform, is suddenl y
deviated from its spiri tual posi ti on, one shoul d carefully bring i t under the control
of the self by following the prescribed means. S.B.11.20.19
0 Being situated in his ori gi nal Krsna conscious positi on, a pure devotee does not
identify with the body. Such a devotee should not be seen from a materialisti c
point of view. Indeed, one should overl ook a devotee's having a body born in a l ow
family, a body with a bad compl exi on, a deformed body, or a diseased or infi rm
body. According to ordi nary vi si on, such i mperfecti ons may seem promi nent i n
the body of a pure devotee, but despite such seeming effects, the body of a pure
devotee cannot be polluted. It i s exactly l ike the waters of the Ganges, which
sometimes drought in the rainy season are full of bubbl es, foam and mud. The
Ganges waters do not become poll uted. Those who are advanced in spiri tual
understanding will bathe in the Ganges without consi dering the condi tion of the
water. Upadesamrta 6
(It is vaisnava aparadha if a person sees fault i n the pure devotee due to low bi rt h,
previous mistakes, accidental mistakes, bodily di sfi gurement, the infl uence of
previous mistakes, conduct contrary to smarta rul es, improper conduct, ol d age or
sickness.)
5 Mana siksa, Raghunatha Gosvami
6 tatrapi sarvatha sresthe radha candravality ubhe
tayor api ubhayor madhye radhika sarvathadhika
Ujjvala Nimalamani
7 balagra sata bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca
bhago jivah sah vijneyah sa canantaya kalpate
naiva stri na puman esa na caivayam napumsaka
yad yac chariram adatte tena tena sa raksyate
If one divides a tip of hair i nto a hundred parts and again into a hundred parts he
can understand the size of the jiva. The j i va is not woman, nor man, nor neut er,
but covered by various material bodies.
Svetasvatara Upanisad 5.9.10
Covered by the mode of ignorance in material nature, the li ving entity i s
sometimes a male, sometimes a female, sometimes a eunuch, sometimes a human
being, sometimes a demigod, sometimes a bird, an animal and so on. In thi s way
he is wandering wi thi n the material worl d. Hi s acceptance of different types of
bodies is brought about by hi s acti vi ties under the infl uence of the modes of
nature. S.B.%.29.29
8 tad yatha priyaya striya samparisvakto na bahyam ki ncana veda nantaram
evayam purusah
prajnanenatmana samparisvakto na bahyam ki nca veda nantaram
As a man embraced by a woman loses consciousness of outside and inside, so a
person embraced by the Lord l oses consciousness of outside and inside.
9 B.R.S. 1.22.93, Bhajana Paddhati by Dhyanacandra
10 One should take the name of a manj ari . One shoul d t ake a form whi ch i s
suitable for serving Radha, that is an attractive body of a gopi. The age may vary,
but the gopis during the kai sora age, thirteen years, is famous. According the body,
the gopi should have attractive colored cloth such as blue and vari ous ornaments.
The relationship is that of the served and the servitor. The gopi is always
subservient to the group she identi fies wi th. the orders are those given by the
leader of the group. The service may be waving camara, fan etc.
Bhajana Paddhati Dhyanacandra
11 yatha kridati tad bhumau gol oke'pi tathaiva sah
adah urdhvataya bhedor anayoh kalpita kevalam
The Lord enacts his pastimes on this earth as He does in Gol oka. The di fferences
of the two pastimes are due to the natures of the material and spiri tual worl ds.
Brhad Bhagavatamrtam
12 In that personal abode of the Lord, the material modes of ignorance and
passion do not prevail, nor is there any of their infl uence in goodness. There is no
predominance of the infl uence of ti me, so what to speak of the il l usory, external
energy; it cannot enter that region. Wi t hout di scri mi nat i on, both the demi gods
and the demons worship the Lord as devotees. S.B.2.9.10
Brhad Aranyaka
Part Six
Description of the 8 fold pastimes
(The proper faith in these activities menti oned in the scri ptures cannot be created
through modern translati on. As the words of the Purana are simple, the reader
will not have diffi culty i n understandi ng. By reading them regul arly the devotee
will derive great benefit. Therefore the descripti ons from the Padma Purana Patala
Khanda are given here in sanskrt. For many reasons translation is not gi ven.)
Not everyone is qualified to read the daily pastimes of Radha and Krsna. It i s
esoteric knowledge of great wonder which must be kept secret. The devotee
should not let those who are not qual i fied hear these topics. As l ong as the soul
has not attained greed for the spiri tual worl d on the path of raga, the description
of these pastimes must be kept hi dden from hi m. As l ong as the person has no
realization of the pure spiri tual nature of the transcendental name, form, qual i ti es
and pastimes of Krsna, he has no qualifi cation for hearing these pastimes.
Hearing these pastimes, the unquali fied person wil l si mpl y medi t ate on materi al
relationships of male and female, under the infl uence of maya, and by this he wi l l
become degraded. The reader, with great care should attain i ni t i ation i nt o t he
srngara rasa like Narada, and then he can enter the pastimes. Otherwise material
logic will cast the heart into darkness. Those who are qual i fied shoul d read and
meditate on the descripti ons of the pastimes daily. Thi s wi l l remove all sin and
bestow the spiritual mood. The pastimes are human-l i ke, but t hough t hey appear
worldly, they are amazingly spiri tual for the person possessing all power and all
good qualities.
Using these pastimes, Govinda Lil amrta and many other works have been wri tten.
The qualified person, on reading them, experi ences bliss. By understand the
srngara rasa which is discussed in the next chapter the raganuga devotee,
meditating on the excellent pastimes, performs hi s eternal service to the Lord.
This constitutes his daily worship. Cai t anya Mahaprabhu has instructed that the
devotee should consider carefully the fol l owi ng verse from five chapters on rasa
l ila from the Bhagavatam. The word f ai th here means faith in non-materi al
objects.
Anyone who faithfull y hears or describes the Lord's playful affairs with the young
gopis of Vrndavana will attain the Lord s pure devoti onal service. Thus he wi l l
quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.
S.B.10.10.33
Krsna s activities are of two types: daily and occasional. In Gol oka al l the ei ghtfol d
pastimes unfold daily. In the earthly pasti mes, occasional pastimes are joined to
the eightfold pastimes. Krsna s coming to and going from Vraj a and hi s ki l l i ng of
the demons are occasional pastimes. They are unavoi dable for the devotee sti l l
living in the material world. Those occasional pastimes are present in Gol oka in
an indirect way, but are actually present onl y i n the material worl d. These
occasional pastimes, which are unfavorable for the practice of medi tating on the
daily pastimes, are given a symbolic signi fi cance . By remembering those pastimes
t he devotee aspires to destroy his own si nful conduct .
Putana represents the fake guru who teaches bhukti and mukti , mat eri al
enjoyment and liberati on. Devotees attached to bhukti and mukt i are l i ke Putana.
Being merciful to the pure devotees, Krsna as a baby, killed Putana to protect the
devotees' newly appearing affection for hi m.
The cart represents the load produced by old and recently acqui red bad habits, by
laxity and by pri de. The mood created by thi nki ng of baby Krsna breaks the cart,
or removes this evil.
The whirlwind demon represents pride in being learned, and the consequent use
of faulty arguments and dry l ogic, the quest for li berati on, and association wi th
such people. Thi s i ncl udes all types atheists believing in material causality. Bei ng
merciful on seeing the affection for the devotee to Him baby Krsna ki ll s that
whirlwind and removes the obstacles to worship.
Pride stemming from i nt oxi cation wi th weal th, whi ch breeds viol ence, illi ci t sex
and addiction to wi ne, and fi nall y l oose speaking and shameless brutality to other
l iving beings, is represented by the Yamala Arjuna trees. Krsna, being merci ful ,
removes this sin in breaking the Yamala Arj una trees.
Being controlled by greed and the sinful acti vi ties caused by it are represented by
Vatsasura. By Krsna's mercy this fault is vanqui shed.
False dealing due to deceit and cheating are represented by Bakasura. Wi t hout
eliminating this, pure bhakti does not appear.
The sinful ment al i ty to do vi ol ence to others is represented by Aghasura. Thi s
tendency must be removed. It i s one of the offenses.
Skepticism due to practicing jnana and karma and di sregard for the sweetness of
Krsna from attachment to the Lord' s majestic aspect are presented by Brahma
when he was put into i l l usion by Krsna.
Complete ignorance of spiri tual truth, ori gi nating from mat erial i ntel l i gence, lack
of spiritual intui t i on and fool i shness, which is contrary to spi ri tual knowl edge, is
represented by Dhenuka.
Pride, deceit, harming others, cruelty, represented by Kaliya must be given up by
the devotee.
Any type of conflict such as argument, disagreement with other sampradayas,
malice to devatas, fighting are represented by the forest fire.
Pralambasura represents lust for women, greed, desire for worship and posi ti on.
These must also be given up.
The forest fire which Krsna swall owed represents the obstacles that atheists create
against dharma and preachers of dharma.
The brahmanas performing yajna represent i ndi f f erence to Krsna caused by
i dentity with varnasrama or absorption i n karma khanda.
Worship of Indra signi fies worship of many gods, or worshi p of self as God.
Varuna symbolizes intoxi cants. Some peopl e mi stakenly think t hat l i quor wi l l
i ncrease spiritual bliss. Such thi nki ng must be gi ven up.
The snake which attempted to swallow Nanda Maharaj a represents Mayavada and
similar philosophies which try to swal low up the real nature of bhakti . Mayavada
association must be avoided.
Sankhacuda symbolizes desire for fame and desire for women.
Aristasura the bull demon symbol i zes disregard for bhakti and attraction for
cheating religion.
The illusion of being a great devotee or acarya, is represented by Kesi. Lording i t
over others and material pride must be given up.
Vyomasura represents thieves and fake devotees.
In the Eighth Chapter of Sri Krsna Samhita from the thi rt eenth verse to the end of
the chapter, the eighteen anarthas whi ch are obstacles to Vraja bhajana have been
mentioned. Addi ng t o t hi s the pri de of wealth represented by the Yamala arjuna
trees and the pride of performance of karma represented by the brahmanas, it
becomes twenty obstacles. These twenty are unfavorable for Vraja bhajana. The
serious chanter should fi rst address the Lord and pray to hi m for the power to gi ve
up these unfavorable items. By doing this the heart becomes puri fi ed. If the
devotee prays humbly to Krsna to remove all the obstacles in the heart whi ch are
represented by the demons He ki l l ed, He wil l cer t ai nl y do so. Al l t he obst acl es
represented by the demons whom Balarama ki l led can be removed by the efforts of
the devotee himself.
Here is the secret of Vraja bhajana. Dhenukasura represents the bad mentality
which carries heavy loads. Pralamba represents lust for women, greed and desire
for worship and posi ti on. The devotee must remove these obstacles by his own
efforts with the mercy of Krsna. Dhenukasura means i gnorance of ones own
spiritual identity (svarupa), the identity of the Name and the i dentity of Krsna.
With great endeavor the devotee himself removes these obstacles. Pralamba
represents lust for man or woman, greed for material objects, endeavor for material
enjoyment, pride, desire for worship and posi ti on. Underst anding these to be very
detrimental to progress, the devotee should make great effort to remove them. I f
his humility is true, certainly Krsna wil l be merci ful . Then Bal adeva will make hi s
appearance, and all the obstacles will be destroyed in a second. Then, step by step,
progress in cultivation of bhakti wi l l t ake pl ace. As thi s process is by nature very
esoteric, the devotee, being spotless in character, should learn it from a qual i fi ed
guru.
Chapter 7
Part One
Rasa
What is rasa. Rasa is bliss. Rasa is an indestructi ble substance, an eternal
substance. But the question arises, how can it be eternal, because if it appears by
cultivation of bhava, then it wil l have no exi stence before the culti vati on, and i f
the cultivation is broken, then the rasa will not remain. How can i t be cal l ed
continuous. The conclusion is that the rasa under consideration is wi thout
beginning and wi thout end. The i ngredi ents of rasa sthayi bhava, vibhava,
anubhava and sancari bhava are all eternal. Thei r rel ati onshi p is also eternal.
All spiritual obj ects have eternal rasa. As much as the Lord, the soul and
paikuntha are eternal, rasa is also eternal. Thus the Upani sad says that the
supreme object is the embodiment of rasa; the soul, on attaining rasa, attains
b]iss.l The rasa that the soul attains on achieving prema i s the eternal compani on
of prema. But it onl y appears in certain souls. It appears when the soul di scovers
i ts eternal relationship with the Lord.
Ordinary literary scholars also mention a type of rasa What i s t hat rasa7 i t i s
material rasa. The subtle body that the soul accepts in the material condi tion has
separate functions of false ego, intelligence, heart and mi nd. By false ego a person
thinks of himself in a material relati onship as man or woman; by i nt el l i gence he
thinks of advantages and disadvantages. By heart he experiences happiness and
distress. By mind he gains knowl edge of material objects and becomes attached to
them. Are these new acquisiti ons for the soul when he comes into bondage> Or
did the seed of these functions exist already in the soul ~ The answer is that these
are not new, for the soul in hi s spi ri tual form wi t h i ndi vi dual di st i nct i on t hi nks of
himself as a certain servant of the Lord. Thi s i dent i ty t akes shelter of the pure
spiritual form or ego i n the soul . The i nt el l i gence also takes shelter of the
spiritual form; and the heart, functi oning to experi ence spiri tual bl i ss, also takes
shelter of the spiri tual form. The mi nd, whi ch bri ngs awareness of other objects,
other souls and the Supreme Lord in the spi ri tual worl d, and fi x hi s attention on
them also exists in his spiri tual form. When the soul becomes condi ti oned, these
spiritual functi ons transform i nto the subtl e and gross counterparts due to material
contact, and manifest as impure, material functi ons. Thus what ever rasa exists in
t he spiritual realm, exists in perverted form i n the material worl d. Thi s i s t he
subject of the material scholars. Rasa is one substance, but in the eternal world, i t
takes an eternal blissful form, and in the material worl d, i t mani f ests as material
happiness and grief. The names, relationships, actions, process and results that are
seen in the material rasas and classified by the scholars have their pure form i n t he
spiritual rasa. The di fference lies not in the vari eties of rasas but in the very
natures of the material and spiri tual rasas. Spiri tual rasa is eternal, material rasa is
temporary. Spi ri tual rasa is excellent, material rasa is despicable. The spi ri tual
rasa's subject is Krsna and its shelter is the soul; material rasa's subject is beauty or
ugliness of a material body, and the shelter is the contami nated material heart. The
very nature of spiri tual rasa is bliss, and the nature of material rasa is happiness
and sorrow.2
In describing rasa it is not necessary to resort to metaphori cal usage of words. The
direct meaning of words can accomplish the task. If t hat were not so, the Srimad
Bhagavatam would not have been able to describe the supreme rasa in the form of
Krsna s pastimes. Rasa displays its characteristics, necessary ingredients, and rul es
of operation to the condi ti oned soul t hr ough the di st ort ed, i mpure refl ection of
rasa discussed by the scholars, taking the f orm of rel ati onships and exchanges
between hero and heroine, father and son, fri end and fri end, and master and
servant If a sel f-revealing object does not reveal itself, then what can7 Though the
supreme blissful essence is distorted, the essential qualities and signs are all
evident even in the material world. Thus i t i s not di f f i cul t to use the di rect i mport
of words to describe rasa. Those who hear about rasa and desire to develop thei r
own rasa should just remember that they should not al low the despicable nature of
material rasa to enter into their practi ces. Some groups, under the guise produci ng
spiritual rasa resort to material rasa, and consequently deviate from the correct
path. 3 In t hi s way the soul can fall from hi s posi ti on. Rasa can onl y be
produced in the spiri tual body of the soul , and can never be produced from the
material body of a condi ti oned soul .
Those who try to i nduce the experi ence of madhura rasa by association wi th
women are simply creating their own path to hell . They do t hat whi ch i s not at al l
spiritual, and ul ti mately fall from thei r posi ti on. Those who are cul ti vating rasa
must be very careful of such people. They shoul d not l i sten to the advice of
pretenders fond of pl easure. Those who have attained the level of prema and are
completely detached from worl dl y pl easure are qualified for rasa. Those who have
not attained pure rati and sense control make fut i l e attempts to become quali fi ed
for rasa by practicing rasa. That t aste which ari ses naturally in a person on the
l evel of prema is called rasa. The di scussion of rasa is only a description of how
the various elements combine in the di fferent rasas; it is not a part of sadhana.
Therefore, if anyone says that he will teach you the sadhana of rasa, he is an
impostor or a fool .
There are five distinct elements in rasa: sthayi bhava, vibhava, anubhava, sattvika
bhava and sancari or vyabhicari bhava. St hayi bhava is the root of rasa, vi bhava is
the cause of rasa, anubhava is the effect of rasa, sattvika bhavas are special effects,
and sancari bhavas are assistants to rasa. Vi bhava, anubhava, sattvika bhava and
vyabhicari bhava bring the sthayi bhava to the state of rel i shabi l i l ty and thus gi ve
it the status of rasa.W These subjects will be revealed more elaborately and
precisely, but only to the degree that the sadhaka or practi ti oner t astes or
experiences the rasas directly wi l l he be abl e to appreci ate what is presented.
Rasa is not a matter of understandi ng, but a matter of tasting. The two prel i mi nary
stages of knowledge are inquiry and recepti on. I f t hese are not compl eted, the
f inal stage of knowl edge, experiencing or tasting, wil l not ari se.5 What i s
commonly called knowl edge is either inquiry or recepti on, but not tasti ng. Ther e
i s no manifestation of rasas wi thout tasti ng.
Sthayi bhava (permanent, or constant emoti onal state) wil l be exami ned fi rst.
That emotional state, which in operati on, hol d al l ot her st ates under its control ,
i s called sthayi bhava.6 When a per son devel ops to the stage of bhava, and rati
becomes exclusively possessive of Krsna, and becomes to some extent deep, i t
becomes sthayi bhava, which is suitable for rasa. Thi s st hayi bhava is li mi ted to
one dominant emoti onal mood. Even when i t surpasses this l i mi t at i on and
enters the realm of prema it wil l stil l be cal led rati , as prema i s di st i ngui shabl e
f rom rati by being beyond l i mi ts i n al l cases. Prema s nature is to appropri ate t he
excellence of rasa for itself. Rati , as it el evates itself, becomes sthayi bhava.
Whether a person who has developed rati is a sadhaka or a siddha, he is qual i fi ed
for tasting rasa. A sadhaka for prema ( an aspi rant for prema, premaruruksu) i s a
person who has developed rati but stil l has an obstacle to surpass. By
progressing through ni stha, ruci and asakti, the anarthas have gradually been
dissolved. The mat erial attachment is also gone, but as long as the subtle body
remains, he still has contact with mat t er. That wi l l be very qui ckl y removed by
Krsna's mercy. That contact with mat ter is called an obstacle. As l ong as that
obstacle remains, the soul cannot attain vastu siddhi , hi s real spiri tual form.
However, when a person with rati advances to prema, he is qualified for obtai ni ng
rasa (even possessing a material body), and that attai nment is called svarupa
siddhi.
Rati, in order to bring about a state of taste by mixing wi th the four el ements of
vibhava, anubhava, sattvika bhava and vyabhicari bhava, accepts one of five ki nds
of svabhavas available in vibhava. These are: santa svabhava, dasya svabhava,
sakhya svabhava, vatsalya svabhava and madhurya svabhava. These svabhavas
reside ini ti all y i n vi bhava. The subj ect and obj ect, bet ween which rati operat es,
are the two divisions of alambana or foundati on. These svabhavas link the subj ect
and object. Rat i accepts one of these svabhavas in order to bring about rasa or
t aste. By the parti cular prowess of the Lord called hi s i nconcei vable energy, the
five svabhavas become linked to the subj ect and object and create the variegated
flavor of rasa. In t aki ng on f i ve svabhavas, rati then becomes santa rati, dasya or
priti rati, sakha or preya rati, vatsalya or anukampa rati and kanta (pri yata) or
madhura rati.
According to the di fferent svabhavas available in vibhava, rati takes on five
varieties. In rasa, vibhava is the pri nci pal i ngredi ent. and t hese f i ve t ype of rat i
are called principal ratis.7 The sancari bhavas are known as secondary ingredients
of rasa, which assist the rasa. Sancari bhavas include seven additi onal svabhavas.
When these seven svabhavas of sancari bhava enter the svabhavas of rati and alter
that rati, seven addi ti onal types of rati appear from those secondary svabhavas.8
Hasya svabhava produces hasa rati (comedy) adbhuta svabhava produces vismaya
rati (dismay), vi ra svabhava produces utsaha rati (forti t ude), karuna svabhava
produces soka rati (lamentati on), rudra svabhava produces krodha rati (anger),
bhayanaka svabhava produces bhaya rati (fear), vi bhatsa svabhava produces
jugupsa rati (disgust).
Actually, the main svabhavas of rati are only fi ve. In order to assist in the
variegated action of the chief svabhavas, the seven ratis act i n a subordi nate way.
Where a primary bhakti rasa operates, one or more of the secondary rasas also
operate. Though the secondary rasas have no independent existence, i n
analyzing them, theyhave the same characteristics as the i ndependent rasas.
Thus in all these secondary rasas there is a taste evolved by mi xing of sthayi bhava,
vibhava, anubhava and sancaribhava. Though l i t erary schol ars describe these as
primary rasas, in the spi ri tual worl d t hese rasas take on secondary importance. In
the material world it i s natural that they become promi nent. I n Bhakt i Rasamrta
Sindu s south and north di vi si ons thei r condi t i on and acti ons are described ful l y.
In Krsna's bhakti rasa these seven types of secondary rasa are spotless and
praiseworthy, because they amplify the rasa of Krsna's pastimes. The seven rasa
are included amongst the spiri tual rasa of Krsna as part of the sancari bhavas.
Appearing at suitable time, like waves in the ocean of rasa, they create further
beauty and substance of the rasa. Those who cannot understand the non-
material nature of rasa may obj ect that t hough some of the secondary rasas such
as hasya, vismaya and utsaha may be acceptable, how i s it possi ble for soka,
krodha, bhaya and j ugupsa to exist if rasa shoul d have no l amentati on, no fear
and no disgust. By gi vi ng t hem a pl ace, the rasa becomes material.
However, it can be answered that all the varieties found in spi ri t ual r asa are
productive of bliss.9 Not hi ng produces sorrow. Wher e i n f act do the condemned
material states of lamentation, anger, fear and disgust come from> They are not
independent states of the material worl d but are rather refl ecti ons of elements of
the spiritual world. The obj ects, emoti ons and actions of the spiri tual worl d are
pure and auspicious, but their refl ecti ons in the material worl d are all
inauspicious. Those qual i ties which produce et ernal suspi ci ousness directly in
the devotees in the spiri tual worl d are reflected in the material worl d as punya, or
materially auspicious quali ti es. Those qual i ties in the spi ri tual worl d whi ch
produce suspiciousness indirectly are refl ected in the material worl d as producers
of inauspiciousness, and are called sin. Thus f ear and l amentation i n the spi ri t ual
world i mmedi ately produce an indescribable joy in rel ation to Krsna and nouri sh
the blissful nature of the rasas, whil e in the material worl d the same elements
produce suffering for the soul s.10
In the spiritual worl d Krsna is the only end of
all quali ties or states . In the material worl d i ndi vi dual sense gratification is the
objective of all the reflected states. Such a goal wil l produce onl y di sastrous
and temporary consequences. That which produces happiness in the spiri tual
world by its contrary mood produces di rect sorrow i n t hi s worl d . Those whose
realization of spiri tual i dentity i s stil l sl eeping cannot easily comprehend t hese
matters.l l Her e t he t opi c of secondary rasa finishes and the topi c of pr i mar y
rasas begins.
When the soul has attained pure rati after enjoying and suffering i n the mat eri al
world, and ext i ngui shes the tendency to sin, he attains relief at havi ng
transcended such a fearful, dangerous place. When the soul experi ences such
peace he is said to have santi rati.12 When t hi s r at i becomes combi ned with a
sense of exclusive possessiveness of the Lord, i t becomes dasya or priti rati .13
Thinking of the Lord as his master, the devotee thinks of hi mself as the Lord s
eternal servant. There are two types of dasya rati: rati deri ved from sambhrama
and rati derived from gaurava. In sambhrama (r everence mi xed with submi ssi on)
derived dasya the devotee thinks of hi mself as the recipient of the Lord s mercy,
whereas in gaurava (respect) derived dasya the devotee thinks of hi mself as the
fondled offspring of the Lord. Ser vant s are the shelter of sambhrama derived
dasya. Krsna's sons are the shelter of gaurava derived dasya. In dasya rasa, the
sthayi bhava is prema. In ot her words, rati , being nouri shed by possessiveness,
becomes prema. Theref ore in dasya the characteristics of rati and prema are
prominent. There are also traces of sneha (tenderness) and raga (passion).
The sthayi bhava of sakhya rasa or preya bhakti rasa is pranaya (affection).10 Rati
and prema also exist there. The sambhrama or gaurava of dasya rasa matures i nt o
visvrambha (famili ari ty, with no respect) or i mmovabl e fai th. I n t hat st ate, rati ,
prema, and pranaya, are strong, and sneha and raga are trace elements. In vatsalya
rasa, visrambha matures into anukampa (pity or compassion), and rati, prema,
pranaya and sneha are very strong.15 Raga is also present. I n madhura rasa
desirability becomes predominant, subsuming all other states such as sambhrama,
gaurava, visrambha and anukampa. The st hayi bhava is called priyata rati. As
well, prema, pranaya, sneha, raga are all present, and bhava and mahabhava also
appear.
Rati appears according to the desire culti vated during sadhana.16 Al l t he
differences in rati which have been analyzed will not be di scussed, here, since that
is not the goal of this book. Basi c i nf ormat i on to give an i dea of rasa is here being
presented.
Vibhava (causal elements) has two di vi si ons, alambana (foundati on) and uddi pana
(stimulus).17 The f oundat i on has two parts: subject (asraya) and object (visaya).
The person in whom rati resi des is called the subject or asraya. The person to
whom rati di rects itself is called the object or visaya. The soul i s the subj ect or
asraya, and Krsna is the object or visaya. The rati under di scussion may thus be
called Krsna rati. When t he rati attains the state of rasa it is called Krsna bhakti
rasa. The sti mul i (uddi pana) for rasa are Krsna s qualities, his age, his
attractiveness, his beauty, his form, his actions, hi s cl ot hi ng, hi s ornaments, hi s
smile, his fragrance, his flute, his conch, hi s foot pri nts, hi s trees and his
devotees.18
The outward actions by which the presence of rasa is detected is called
anubhava.19 There are thi rteen anubhavas: dancing, jumpi ng, si ngi ng, anger,
stretching the body, calling out l oudl y, yawni ng, breathing heavily, di sregarding
others, drooling, laughing l oudly, moani ng, hi ccoughi ng, Al l t hese sympt oms do
not have to appear together. One or more of these anubhavas will appear
according to the nature of operation of t he rasa wi t hi n.
There are eight sattvika bhavas: being stunned, sweating, hair standing on end,
broken voice, shivering, change of color, tears, and fai nti ng, They appear i n t hree
forms each, snigdha (moist), digdha (oily)and ruksa (dry).20 Some people
i nclude these in the anubhavas. The di f f erence is however that the thi rteen
anubhavas take shelter of one organ of the body, whereas the sattvika changes
possess the whole exi stence of the devotee and then mani fest in the body.
Sattvika bhavas may be said to have two states, interior and ext eri or. Accor di ng
t o circumstance the sattvika bhavas appear as di m, gl owi ng, br i ght and
dazzling.
Although simi lar bodil y sympt oms may be seen in many people, those symptoms
should not be called sattvika bhava. They shoul d be called rati abhasa, sattva
bhasa, nihsatta or pratipa. The t ears of those people who worshi p the Lord for
l iberation arise from rati abhasa, or a dim representation of rati . T ho s e who ar e
hard on the exterior but soft wi t hi n experi ence moods of joy and sorrow i n t he
heart without cause. These are abhasas (dim representation) of spi ri tual
emotions (sattva). The bodi l y changes that occur are due to sattva abhasa .
Those who seem soft on the exterior but are hard hearted may practice symptoms
of ecstasy such as crying, being stunned or having goose bumps. Si nce they have
no real emotions at all, those symptoms are called nihsattva. 21 Those who hol d
animosity towards the Lord (hi s enemi es) sometimes display symptoms l i ke t hose
of sattvika bhava. These are called pratipa (contrary symptoms). These are al l
insignificant, but have been describe so that a person can disti nguish between the
genuine and bogus. Otherwi se they are of no use.
There are thirty-one vyabhicari or sancari bhavas (transitory symptoms).22
Appearing alone or with others, they help the sthayi bhava in the creation of rasa.
Using voice, existence and organs of the body, they nourish both the secondary as
well as primary ratis. The sancari bhavas are as follows: self-criti ci sm, despair,
l owliness, weakness, fatigue, intoxi cati on, pri de, doubt, apprehension, intense
emotion, madness, forgetfulness, disease, fainting, death, laziness, inertness,
bashfulness, concealment, remembrance, argumentiveness, anxiety,
thoughtfulness, endurance, happiness, eagerness, ferocity, intol erance, envy,
fickleness, sleep, alertness, dreaming.
Both the soul and the Lord are the tasters of rasa. When the soul is the taster, the
Lord is the tasted. When the Lord i s the taster, the soul is the tasted. Moreover,
rasa itself is tasted. The action of rasa is to taste, and the conscious entities are the
tasters. Rasa is eternal, unbroken, i nconceivable, and the very form of supreme
bliss. The pr ogr ession from pure rati to mahabhava is its upward movement .
The downward movement si nks from pure rati t o i l l usi on i n the mat erial wor l d.
People of pure intell i gence can realize this subject. I t cannot be real i zed by
material logic.23 What t o speak of spi ri t ual rasas, even material rasas cannot be
analyzed by logic.
By the suitable combination of vi bhava, anubhava, sattvika bhavas and vyabhicari
bhavas with sthayi bhava, rasa makes its appearance. Those who are qual i fied wi l l
be able to understand about rasa; t hose i nvol ved i n mat erial rasa are not
qualified for the supreme rasa.
Part Two
worship as rasa
Those who worship the Lord shoul d consi der the nature of their worship. I s i t
material, is it spiri tual> What kind of act i vi t y i s it > Though some peopl e take
shelter of material concepts in their worshi p i t i s better than gross material
pursuit.
But how can that be > Thei r t hought s cannot go beyond the mat eri al
realm. If t hough i s consi dered worship, then worshi p must be nothing i magi nary
concepts bred of materialism. I f wor shi p i s nei t her material nor mental , t hen
what is it. I n nor mal human exi st ence, there is nothing except matter and mi nd.
I f that is so, then a person must become an atheist or an i mpersonal i st . The st at e
in direct opposition to matter and material thought i s the i ndi sti ngui shable state,
nivisesa. On taking shelter of that and accepting brahmavad with no rasas at all,
a person will next take shelter of pure athei sm. Let t here be no worship. That
f or which all souls are so eager, has become as false as flower in the sky. How
unfortunate!
Rejecting the states of matt er, mat eri al mi nd and t hei r opposi te nirvisesa,
please search out the real pl at form of exi stence for the soul . These concepti ons
must be rejected because they have captured the soul and covered up his real
i dentity. I f t hese are not pi erced how can a person become free from them> I f
you have three blinkers on your eyes which obstruct your vi si on, then i n order to
see you should pierce them. The pur e exi stence of the soul is like the eye. It i s
covered by matter, material thought and t hei r negati on. Remove t hese and the
eye will be normal . When t he soul ' s real eye is revealed, there wil l be no more
worship of matter, worship of mental products or worshi p of negative t hought
processes; there will be only spi ri t ual worshi p. Thi s spi r i t ual worshi p i s cal l ed
rasa. Those who worshi p are actually cul ti vating rasa.2% Fact ual l y however,
the persons qualified for rasa are rare, and therefore it is considered a secret
topic.25
There are two types of worshi ppers: those with knowl edge of rasa and those
without knowl edge of rasa. Those wi t hout knowl edge of rasa also experience a
slight degree of rasa. Bei ng i gnorant of the truth, they call it medi tati on,
concentration, absorpti on, trance, prayer, or worship. When t he person becomes
absorbed in prayer or worship, l ike l i ght eni ng, an experi ence rises from his i nner
soul, shakes the mind, and affects the outer body. He real i zes that if he coul d
r emain in that state constantly there woul d be no more sufferi ng. What i s t hat
state> Is it material, mental or something opposite of materi al > Sear chi ng t he
whole universe, nothing can be found to compare to thi s experi ence. I t cannot be
counted among the subtle side effects of material energy such as electricity or
magnetism. Ex ami ni ng mi nd, i t cannot be found t here ei ther. I n t he negat i on
of material thought as well there is nothing comparable. Fr om wher e has thi s
experience come> Exami ni ng careful ly, it may be found that i t i s coming from t he
pure existence of the soul, which is presently covered by matter. When engaged
i n the act of worship thi s state is experienced, but it is not anal yzed in detail . Let
us examine it more closely.
This indescribable state is a particular qual i ty or f unct i on. The f unct i on must
have a subject or asraya. The pure soul, which i s covered by the material body and
material mind, is the shelter of that functi on. On r eal i zi ng t hat the soul i s smal l
and dependent on a higher power, t hi s f unct i on suddenl y reveals itself, like the
flame the appears on striking a match. The t hi ng t o whi ch the f unct i on moves is
i ts only object, visaya. By proxi mi t y t o the obj ect through the process of worshi p,
the function can emerge from the asraya, the soul, and fl ow t owards the obj ect,
visaya. Thi s f unct i on i s the sthayi vi bhava. The pr act i t i oner i s the asraya and
God is the visaya. The qual i t i es of God are the sti mul i , uddi pana. When t he
function i s combi ned wi t h the subj ect and the obj ect, immedi ately anubhavas or
external symptoms appear in the subject. One or mor e of the t hi rt een anubhavas
will certainly appear in the person. Some of the thi rt y-one vyabhi cari bhavas will
also assist in the external mani festation of the experience. Some persons wil l al so
experience some of the sattvika bhavas. Now consi der, what is worship. Af t er
analyzing all the parts of worship it may be understood that wor shi p i s not hi ng
but rasa. Wor shi p i s at t ai nment of a state of experience stemming from a basi c
state of consciousness assisted by vibhava, anubhavas, sattvika bhavas and
vyabhicari bhavas. So wor shi p i s rasa. Mat eri al acti on, material thought and
nirvisesa anti-material thought are not worship. These are all wi thout rasa. Al l
groups of worshipers depend on the actions of rasa, but being ignorant of process
of rasa, they cannot be made to understand r asa i n a sci enti fi c way. Thi s i s due
to the infl uence of previ ous bad association.
Worship as rasa is of three forms: restricted, slightl y reveal ed, and full y revealed.
Some people, experiencing rasa in a restricted way, cannot f eel i t after leaving the
activity of worship. The r eason i s that t hey are enj oyi ng mat erial rasa . As no
one can live without rasa, t he l i ves of these people are full of material rasa.
Spiritual rasa is a temporary t hi ng, l i ke fl ash of l i ght eni ng i n t hei r l i fe. By
association of devotees and guru, this condi tion becomes elevated and gradual l y
begins to open slightly, but by l ack of good association and teachings from atheists
or impersonalists, this worship becomes gradually more restri cted, ext remel y
restricted, and then al most l ost . Thi s i s very unf or t unate for the soul .
I n the slightly opened state, worship penetrates into the l ife of the person. The
person gravitates towards places where he can hear topics of rasa.
He is
i ndifferent to atheists and impersonalists. I n t he f ul l y opened state, rasa i s ful l y
realized. Bei ng r eal i zed, i t act s cont i nuousl y. I n t he opened state, rasa is
revealed in the forms of santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhura., but those
qualified for sakhya, vatsalya and madhura rasa are very few. Onl y by gr eat
fortune can the soul develop a taste for them.
I raso vai sah rasam hy evayam labdhanandi bhavati
Taittiriya Upanisad
2 As the moon reflected on water appears to the seer to tremble due to being
associated with the qual ity of the water, so the self associated with matter appears
to be qualified as matter. S.B.3.7.11
An unintell i gent person situated wi thi n the body created by his previ ous frui ti ve
activities thinks,
"I am the performer of acti on. Bewi l dered by false ego, such a
foolish person is therefore bound up by frui t i ve acti vi ti es, which are in fact carried
out by the modes of nature. S.B.11.11.10
The living enti ty, in whatever species of life he appears, finds a particular type of
satisfaction in that species, and he is never averse to begin situated in such a
condition. S.B.3.30.0
Thus the man, who engaged with uncont rol l ed senses in mai nt ai ni ng a fami l y,
dies in great grief, seeing his relatives crying. He di es most pathetically, in great
pain and without consci ousness. S.B.3.3Q.18
(Such conditions are the subject of material rasa.)
3 Being conscious of the eternal self, one should give up association with women
and those intimately associated with women. Si t t i ng fearl essly in a solitary pl ace,
one should concentrate the mind on me wi th great attenti on. S.B.11.1%.29
On who aspires to reach the culmi nation of yoga and has realized his self by
rendering service unto Me, should never associate with an attractive woman, for
such a woman is declared in the scripture to be the gateway to hell for the
advancing devotee. S.B.3.31.39
One should not associate wit a coarse fool who is bereft of the knowl edge of self-
realization and who is no more than a dancing dog in the hands of a woman.
S.B.3.31.3%
0 B.R.S.2.1.5
5 jijnasasvadanavadhih
Tattva Sutra
6 B.R.S.2.2.5
7 B.R.S.2.5.115
8 B.R.S.2.5.22
9 B.R.S.2.5.92
10 B.R.S.2.5.110
11 acintyah khalu ye bhava na tams tarkena yojayet
prakrtibhyah param yac ca tad acintyasya laksanam
Mahabharata
12 B.R.S. 2.5.17-18
13 B.R.S. 2.5.27-28
19 B.R.S.2.5.16
15 B.R.S. 2.5.19-20
16 B.R.S.2.5.21
17 B.R.S.2.1.5
18 B.R.S. 2.1.15%
19 B.R.S. 2.2.1
20 B.R.S. 2.3.1-9, 2.3.15-16, 2.3.56, 2.3.63, 2.3.82-83
21 B.R.S.2.3.52, 2.3.55
22 B.R.S.2.0.106
23 B.R.S.2.5.108-109
29 B.R.S.2.5.112,123
25 B.R.S.2.5.119-133
Part Three
Santa Rasa
The object of worship is not i ndi sti ngui shable (ni rvi sesa), but rather personal
(savisesa). Convi ction i n t hi s f act i s cal led sama. When person who has sama
develops rati, that rati is called santa rati. The asraya of santa rati is the soul who
has attained such peace. The vi saya for that rati i s a personal God. Such a
person is free from any material conception of God.
His worship takes the form
of yoga practice aiming at the joy of pure consci ousness. Gi ving up desire for
enjoyment of the material world, he is situated in personal bliss. The obj ect of
his rati (vi saya) is Krsna i n the form of paramatma or a sl i ghtl y per sonal i zed
realization of brahman. He has no at traction for medi t at i on on absol ute
nirvisesa brahman. For hi m Br ahman i s somewhat personalized, but at that same
time he does not have complete conviction i n t he et ernal personalized nature of
God. Thus sometimes he real i zed a four-armed form, someti mes a maj estic form
of Krsna, and somet i mes paramatma. The sages such as Sanaka, Sanatana,
Sananda, and Sanatkumar are examples of santa rati bhaktas.1
As these devotees do not have conviction in the Lord' s eternal forms, they do not
have possessiveness towards Krsna. Possessiveness is a mood necessarily attached
to the personal form. Ther ef ore the rati of the santa bhaktas, due to its absence
of relation, remains in a pure state. The vi saya i s t he Lord endowed wi th a
form of eternity, knowl edge and bliss, the goal of the atma ramas, paramatma,
parabrahma, bestower of goals, the merci ful , the great. The asraya is the atma
rama (seeker of spiri tual bl i ss) or performer of austeri ti es. The st hayi bhava is
rati towards the gi ver of l i berati on, Mukunda, who i s beyond the material modes,
beyond the senses, self revealing, and f ul l of knowl edge. The st i mul i ( uddi pana
) are hearing the pri nci pal Upani sads, l i vi ng i n special pl aces, i nner revelati ons,
meditation onphi l osophi cal truth, i nfl uence of knowl edge, seeing theuni versal
form, association with knowl edgeable devotees, and discussion of the meaning of
the Brahma Sutras and Upani sads with l i ke- mi nded persons.
The anubhavas or general symptoms of this realization are looking at the ti p of the
nose, acting like an avadhuta, keeping the eyes focused eight feet in front whi l e
walking, showi ng the j nana mudra ( hol di ng the t humb and f orefi nger together),
lack of hat red t owards those ini mi cal to God, general respect to devotees, great
respect for destruction of mat eri al attachment and at t ai nment of l i ber at i on,
indifference, purity, egol essness, and practi cing vows of sil ence.
All the sattivika bhavas such as hair standing on end are present except fai nt i ng.
However these sattvika bhavas mani fest in a di m condi t i on si nce the person is
devoid of bodily i dent i ty. Occasi onall y the symptoms become glowi ng, but never
reach the condition of bri ght or dazzl i ng. Somet i mes the sancari bhavas such as
patience, fortitude, joy, thoughtful ness, and remembrance,
manifest in santa rasa.
Because it has such parti cul ars, santa rasa is counted among the rasas. However
in the description of the spi ri tual rasa of Vraja lila, santa rasa does not appear
because it does not have a particular f orm of t he Lord as its obj ect. Ther efor i t
lacks the intensity of possessiveness. By great fortune, the soul can attain
possessiveness of the form of the Lord. When t hi s occurs, suddha rati grows i nto
prema, and prita bhakti rasa (dasya) appears.
1 B.R.S.3.1
Part Four
Prita Bhakti Rasa
Prita bhakti rasa is called dasya rasa by many. Thi s rasa is however of two t ypes:
with a mood of sambhrama and wi t h a mood of gaurava.l Sambhr ama pr i t a rasa
is called dasya rasa. Gaurava prita rasa is called gaurava prita bhakti rasa., not
dasya rasa. Worshi p devoi d of sambhrama (reverence) i s not commonl y
discussed. Thus it is by good fortune of the soul that he at t ains rati for Krsna
without reverence that is with famil i arity (sakhya rasa), pi ty (vatsalya rasa) or
i ntense desire (madhura rasa). These are all menti oned in the scri ptures but t hei r
devotees do not concern themselves with scri pture, as their nature is thei r
scripture. Though i t i s not the case that all persons who have attained rati ignore
scripture, the subj ects of rasa that are being explained for the general devotees to
guide them on the correct path are suppl ied onl y up to sambhrama rati . To go
much beyond that is not in accordance with the aim of thi s book.
I n prita bhakti rasa, the personality of God is accepted. He has two forms:
majestic and sweet. Speaking anal yt i cal ly, the sweet form can onl y be Krsna.
In the form of Krsna al l maj esty i s i ncl uded, but by the prevalence of sweetness,
madhurya, the maj estic aspect is almost lost. As the case arises, it may sometimes
manifest in a non-contradi ctory way. To consi der thi s i n more detail the reader
should consult Sri Jiva Gosvami s Sat Sandarbhas and Sri Krsna Samhita. Ther e
can be nothing as sweet as the rel ation wi t h Kr sna. Ther ef ore the subj ect here
will be dasya in relation to Krsna of Vraj a.
When dasya to Krsna arises, the person thi nks hi mself to be favored by Krsna.
There is a love of Krsna domi nated by respect, and understanding oneself as the
servant. The obj ect of dasya rasa is the supreme form of Krsna, who i s hol di ng
within hi s pores the uni verses, who is the ocean of mercy, the Lord endowed wi th
inconceivable energies, who is worshi pped by all perfecti ons, who i s the seed of
all avataras, who attracts the hearts of the atma ramas, who is the lord of l or ds,
the most worshipable, the most determi ned, the most forgi vi ng, the protector of
t hose surrendered to him, the most graceful, the embodi ment of truth, the
controller of karma, the most powerful , the pure, the just, the fri end of the
devotee, the generous, the most infl uenti al , possessing all strength, the most
glorified, most grateful and control led by l ove.
The asrayas or subjects are adhi kr t as, asrita, parisad, and anugas.2 These four
types of servants are the asraya of rasa; they are qualified souls. Brahma, Siva, and
Indra, who by the Lord' s mercy have been given certain powers, are the adhikrta
dasas. Asrita dasas are of three types: saranya, jnanicara and sevanistha. Kal i ya,
Jarasandha and the impri soned ki ngs are of the first category. Saunaka and the
other rsis when they gave up the desire for li beration are of the second type.
Those who are naturally attached to worship of the Lord, such as Harihara,
Bahulasva, Iksvaku, Srutadeva, and Pundarika are of the third category. The
parisads (retinue), who somet i mes personally serve the Lord, are devotees such as
Uddhava, Daruka, Nanda, Upananda and Bhadraka. An uga dasas, who al ways
serve the Lord personally are of two types: pura-stha (situated the city) and Vraj a-
stha (situated in Vraj a). Sacandra, Mandana, Stambha, Sutamba are pura-stha
anuga dasas. Raktaka, Patraka, Patri, Madhukantha, Madhuvrata, Rasala, Suvilasa,
Premakanda, Maranda, Asanda, Candrahasa, Payoda,Vakula, Rasada and Sarada are
Vraja-stha anuga dasas.
All these servants are humbl e mi nded, t hi nki ng t hemsel ves as objects of the
Lord's mercy; they are ready to carry out hi s orders, are faithful and recognize the
Lord as master. Some are dhurya dasa, some are dhira das and some are vira dasa.
Among the four types, the asrita, parisads and anugas may be either ni tya siddha
(eternal associates), siddha (perfected souls situated in the spi ri tual worl d) or
sadhaka (perfected but in thi s worl d) .
The usual stimuli3 for thi s rasa are the sound of Krsna's flute, the sound of hi s
horn, gl ancing at the devotee while smi l i ng, hearing Krsna s qualities, his lotus,
his footprints, new cl ouds, and the fragrance of his body. Speci al sti mul i are the
mercy of Krsna, the tulasi on His feet, and the food remnants and foot water of
Krsna. These are the vibhavas.
Besides the thirteen anubhavas previ ousl y menti oned, t here are a few more
symptoms visible in the dasa bhaktas:0 always obeying the Lord' s orders
thoroughly, f ri endshi p wi t h ot her servants of Krsna, absence of even a drop of
envy in serving the Lord, and being fi xed i n servi t ude to the Lord. I n dasya
rasa, the eight sattvika bhavas, such as being stunned, also appear.
The sancari
bhavas of joy, pride, remembrance, dismay, meekness, worry, anxiety,
thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, fickl eness, argumentativeness, disturbance,
bashfulness, inertness, illusion, madness, concealment, attentiveness, dreaming,
fatigue, sickness and death are vi si bl e.
In this rasa, because of the awareness of the Lord as master, there is reverence
coupled with an anxi ety of how to perf orm the service properly. Thi s i s cal l ed
sambhrama. Thi s mood, combi ni ng wi t h prema, becomes the sthayi bhava for thi s
rasa. 5 T h i s st hayi bhava ari ses gradually through the previ ously di scusssed
methods of practice for the asrita dasas. For the parisads and anuga dasas, this
rati is stimulated by previ ous i mpressions. These remembrances are awakened by
hearing about or seeing the Lord. I n dasya rasa, prema, sneha, and raga are also
seen.6
The rasas are progressively superior, attractive and amazing. If the sadhaka has
greed, then he develops qualification for these rasas. What ever rasa the devotee
develops an attraction for duri ng practice becomes his eternal rasa. Bhakt i
which possesses rasa is called ragatmika bhakti . Raganuga bhakti whi ch was
d ealt while describing sadhana bhakti f ol l ows after thi s ragatmika bhakti . Th e
raganuga bhakta imitates the behavior and qual i ties of the perfected devotees in
these rasas. The devotee imi tates whi chever rasa he accepts as his life and
considers supreme. He wi l l at t ai n t hat f or m of l i f e when he reaches perfection.
This is the limit of sambhrama pri ti .
Thinking of the Lord as superior due to f ami l y rel ati onshi p i s called gaurava.
Gaurava priti is love based on understanding of the Lord as ones father. As t hi s
has been discussed in Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu, not hi ng more need be said here.
Part Five
Sakhya rasa Preya bhakti rasa
When sakhya sthayi bhava becomes nourished by vi bhavas, anubhavas, sattvika
bhavas and sancari bhavas, it becomes sakhya rasa. Krsna and hi s fri ends are the
foundation of thi s rasa. Two-armed Krsna is the visaya. He is well dressed,
endowed with all good qual i ti es, ski l l ful i n vari ous amazing languages, strongl y
built, eloquent, l earned, geni us, ski l l f ul , compassi onate, ski l l ful at fi ght i ng,
playful, i nt el l i gent, t ol erant , at t ract ive to others, prosperous, devoi d of sorr ow,
the best of the best. Krsna s friends are all si mi l ar to hi m ( i n qual i t i es, dress etc.),
unrestricted, and endowed with fami l i ari ty. Some of t he f ri ends reside in the ci ty
and others in Vraja. Ci ty f ri ends are Arj una, Bhi masena, Draupadi, Sridama
brahmana. Of these, Arjuna is the best. The f r i ends i n Vraj a become grief-
stricken on not seeing Krsna even for a moment; t hey al ways play with Krsna; and
they take Krsna as their very li fe. Thus t hey are considered the chief fri ends of
Krsna.
There are four types of friends who eternally serve Krsna in Vraja: suhrd, sakha,
priya sakha and priya narma sakha. Surhds have a mi xt ure of parental affection;
they are slightly older than Krsna; they try to prot ect Krsna with thei r weapons
from attacks of the demons. Subhadra, Mandal i bhadra, Bhadravardhana,
Gobhata, Yaksa, Indrabhata, Bhadranga, Mahaguna, Virabhadra, Vijaya and
Balabhadra are some of the suhrds. Those who are younger than Krsna, whose
mood is slightly mi xed wi th dasya are called sakhas. Visala, Vrsabha, Ojasvi,
Devaprastha, Varuthapa, Maranda, Kusumapi da, Manibandha and Karandama are
some of the sakhas. Of t hese Devaprastha is the best. Sri dama, Sudama, Dama,
Vasudama, Kinki ni , Stokakrnsa, Amsu, Bhadrasena,Vilasi, Pundarika, Vi tanka and
Kalavinka are amongst the priya sakhas (equal in age with pure sakhya). They
please Krsna by playing and fighting (using hands and sticks). The priya narma
sakhas are the best of all, because of their strong confi dential fri endship wi t h
Krsna. Subala, Arjuna, Gandharva, Vasanta and Ujjvala are their names. Among
t hem Subala and Ujjvala are promi nent . Uj j val a i s very ski l l ful at j oki ng.
The friends are di vi ded i nt o t hree types; those who are nitya siddhas, those who
are devatas and those who are sadhana siddhas. Some of them are naturally sober
and serve Krsna as ministers. Others are frivol ous and comi cal . Others by thei r
upright conduct bring pl easure to Krsna. Ot hers astonish Krsna by their crooked
ways. Some i mpudentl y argue with Krsna and others with sweet words pl ease
Krsna. All the fri ends create vari egated moods i n the pasti mes through thei r pure
but sweet friendship with Krsna.
The stimuli for sakhya rasa are Krsna s age, his form, his horn, hi s fl ute, hi s conch,
his joking, his quali ties such as prowess, his dear fol l owers, and i mi t at i ng the
actions of the ki ng, the devatas and avataras. The kaumara, pauganda and
kaisora ages are all present in sakhya rasa. In Vraja, kaumara, pauganda and
kaisora ages are seen; in Mathura and Dvaraka only kai sora is seen. The kaumara
age is most suitable for vatsalya (parental) rasa. Pauganda is divi ded i nto t hr ee
parts, of which the mi ddl e is most sui table for sakhya. The beginning of kai sora
age is most suitable for madhurya rasa.
The common anubhavas of this rasa are fist fighti ng, bal l games, pl aying di ce,
carrying Krsna on their shoul ders pl easing Krsna by stick fi ghti ng, sleeping
t ogether on the same bed, si tting wi th Krsna on a seat or swi ng, j oki ng and
playing in the water, sing and dancing with Krsna. The anubhavas of the suhrds
are giving counsel on what to do and what not to do, to start beneficial activi ti es,
to proceed first in any activi ty. The anubhavas of the sakhas are putting betel in
Krsna s mouth, putting ti l aka on Hi m, smearing his body with sandal wood, and
drawing pictures on his face. The pr i ya sakhas anubhavas are being defeated by
Krsna, stealing his clothing whi l e dressing, snatching fl owers from hi m, bei ng
decorated by Krsna, and scuffl ing wi t h hi m. The anubhavas of the priya narma
sakhas are to act as messengers for the gopis, to i nt roduce the gopis love to Krsna,
to side with Krsna in the gopis presence, and to side with the gopi s in Krsna s
presence, whispering pri vately. All the different types of fri ends also help the
servants (dasas) in decorating Krsna with forest fl owers and jeweled ornaments,
dancing and singing before him, herdi ng the cows, massaging His body, stringi ng
garlands and fanning Krsna.
All the sancari bhavas except feroci ty, apprehension, and laziness appear in
sakhya rasa. In separati on, al l the rest of the sancari bhavas except intoxi cati on,
joy, pride, sleep, fortitude appear. And in meeting all the rest of the sancari bhavas
except death, fatigue, sickness, forgetfulness and humi l ity appear. Rati wi t hout
reverence and with strong faith in Krsna is the sthayi bhava: strong faith wi t hout
the obstacle of reverence is called visrambha (fami l i ari ty). I n sakhya rati there i s
an increase from pranaya, to prema, to sneha, and to raga. When there i s
qualification for sambhrama but i t i s not at all present the love is called pranaya.
In the pastimes on earth, in sakhya rasa there is also separation, but actual l y
Krsna is never separated from the i nhabi tants Vraj a.
In this rasa there is an indescribable emoti on i n the heart created by the fact that
the sweet love between Krsna and his devotee are of the same type, whereas in
dasya rasa and vatsalya rasa, Krsna and the devotee have different emot i ons.
Thus the devotees in sakhya rasa (preya bhakti rasa) realize that this rasa is the
best (preyan).
Part Six
Vatsala bhakti rasa.
When vatsalya rati is nouri shed by the vi bhavas, anubhavas, sattvika bhavas and
sancari bhavas it is called vatsala bhakti rasa. Kr sna and the el ders are the
foundation (alambana). Kr sna ( as vi saya ) is dark i n col or, beauti ful , having al l
good qualities, soft, speaking cute words, ki nd, bashful, gentle, respectful , and
As a son, Krsna does not manifest power and becomes the object of care by hi s
parents. The asrayas are the superi ors to Krsna, those who rear and t each Hi m.
Nanda, Yasoda, Rohini, the mot hers of the cowherd boys, Devaki , her co-wi ves,
Kunti, Vasudeva, and Sandipani Muni are Krsna s superiors. Thei r or der of
superiority starts from Nanda and Yasoda, who are the best. The st i mul i ar e
Krsna s age, form, cloth, hi s naught i ness, his sweet words, Hi s smil e and Hi s
playing. The kaumara age is divided i nto three parts. Kr sna has a pearl in hi s
nose, in his hand He is hol ding butter and around Hi s waist He has small bells
during the mi ddl e peri od. At the end of kaumara age His waist is somewhat thi n,
His chest is broad and Hi s head has black hair. He herds the calves in the nearby
woods, He plays with his fri ends, He pl ays on Hi s small fl ute and bl ows Hi s horn
at the end of the kaumara age.
The general anubhavas are smelling Krsna s head in affection, rubbing Hi s body,
giving Him bl essings, giving Hi m orders, caring for Hi m (bat hi ng hi m et c. ),
protecting Him, and gi vi ng good i nstructi on. ki ssi ng, embraci ng, calling Hi s
name, arguing with fri ends are the general activities. The ei ght sattvika bhavas
and additionally, mil k fl owi ng f rom the breast, make nine sattvika bhavas in
vatsala bhakti rasa. . The sancari bhavas are the same as for dasya rasa with the
addition of forgetful ness.
Showing loving compassion to a person i n need wi t hout reverence is called
vatsala. Vatsalya is the sthayi bhava. The vat salya rati of Yasoda and Nanda is by
nature very deep. Somet i mes it is on the l evel of prema, sometimes on the level of
sneha, and sometimes on the level of raga.
Though there is the possibility of many sympt oms of sancari bhava in separation
from Krsna, anxi ety, l amentati on, i ndi f f erence, inertness, meagerness, fickleness,
madness and illusion are seen. Because it gi ves such i ndescri bable bliss, l earned
men have designated thi s rasa, in whi ch the sthayi bhava is parental affection
and the object of affection is t hei r son, as the chief rasa. Wher e af f ect i onate
response from Krsna is not apparent, prita (dasya) rasa is weakened, and sakhya
r asa disappears. However vatsalya rasa is not disturbed i n t hi s condi t i on. T h i s i s
the superiority of vatsalya rasa.
The three wondrous rasas-dasya, sakhya and vatsala sometimes mi x t ogether in
one personality. Bal adeva has sakhya mixed with vatsalya. Yudhi sthi ra has vestal
mixed with sakhya. Ahuka has dasya mixed with vatsalya. The ol d abhi ras have
vatsalya mixed with sakhya. Nakul a, Sahadeva and Narada have sakhya mixed
generous.
with dasya. Siva, Garuda and Uddhava have dasya mixed with sakhya.
Aniruddha and other grandsons of Krsna also have mixed rasa. Thus many
devotees are seen to have mixed states. Those who are fi xed i n the three
respective rasas understand their own rasa as supreme. However madhura rasa i s
the main rasa and by its help these three rasas operate.
1 B.R.S. 3.2.3-7, 11-15
2 B..R.S.3.2
3 B.R.S.3.2.59
0 B.R.S.3.2.61
5 B.R.S.3.2.63, 59-71
6 B.R.S.3.2.76-78, 81, 87
Part Seven
Madhura bhakti rasa
Here a glorification of the madhura rasa will be given for the benefit of those
qualified for this subject. The next par agraphs are taken from Jaiva Dharma s
Thirty- first Chapter in whi ch Vi j aya and Guru Gopal a Gosvami di scuss these
topics. The qual i fied readers, consi dering these topics with deep attenti on, may
enter this rasa.
Among the main rasas, madhura rasa is said to be the most di ffi cul t to understand.
There can be no doubt about the superi ority of thi s rasa when i t i s understood
that all the qualities of santa, dasya, sakhya and vatsalya rasas are eternally
present wi thi n i t , and whatever is excellence is lacking in them i s perfectly
existing in madhura rasa. However, thi s rasa is not attractive to those persons
cultivating liberati on, because of the dryness in their hearts resulting from thei r
sadhana. It is di ffi cul t for the person attracted to material enjoyment as well t o
appreciate a process completely different from anything i n the mat eri al wor l d.
Since the madhura rasa of Vraja is completely di fferent in qual ity from the l ovi ng
relationships in the material worl d i t i s not qui ckl y underst ood. How i s i t t hat
this wondrous rasa is so similar to the material relation between man and woman>
One should understand t hat al l mat eri al vari ety is but a reflection of the vari ety in
t he spiritual worl dl . The mat eri al worl d i s a refl ect i on of the spi ri tual worl d. I t
is a mysterious pri nci pl e that the refl ected i mage takes on quali ties opposite of
the original. What i s supreme in the ori gi nal becomes the lowest in the reflecti on.
What is lowest in the ori gi nal becomes highest in the reflecti on. Thi s can be
understood by looking at the reflection of a body i n the mi rr or: t he l i mbs of t he
body reverse their position in the mi rror . The supr eme obj ect, by the power of
the inconceivable energy, becomes reflected in the shadow of thi s energy, mat eri al
existence. Thi s t r ansf ormation i s perfect, and thus the attri butes of the supreme
object are perceived in the opposite way in the material wor l d. Thus t he most
wonderful rasa of the supreme object takes on opposite quali ti es, becoming t he
most abominable rasa in the material world. Th e wonder f ul var i ety of joy i n t he
supreme object constitute its rasa. As thi s rasa has its counterpart in the materi al
world, the condi ti oned soul begins to speculate that the supreme must be wi thout
quality, without exi stence, since quality and variety belong to matter. Taki ng
shelter of material logic it is easy to reach this conclusi on. I n real i ty however, the
supreme object is endowed with the qual ity of rasa; there are amazing varieties in
t he supreme object. Thi s vari ety i s refl ected in the material rasas. Thus, by
observing the variety in the material rasas, one can infer the presence of spiritual
rasa. Whatever variety exists the spiri tual rasas also exists in the material rasas.
At the very bottom of the spi ri tual realm is the abode of Siva, the brahman devoi d
of quality, endowed with santa rasa, the quality of peace. Above that i s dasya
rasa, in Vaikuntha. Above that i s sakhya rasa in Gol oka. Above t hat i s vatsalya
r asa, which mani fests i n the house of Nanda and Yasoda in Gol oka. On t he t op
is the madhura rasa which mani fests in the pl aces of pastimes of the gopis.
Madhura rasa by inversion becomes the lowest in the material realm. Above that i s
parental affection, then fri endship, and above that service. On t op i s peace, santa
rasa. Basing thei r standards on the material condi t i on, peopl e concl ude that
madhura rasa is low, shameful and sinful . However, i n the spi ri t ual worl d t hi s
r asa is pure, spotless and filled with astoundi ng, perfect, sweet bliss. I n t he
spiritual world, Krsna and the exchanges between Krsna and the gopis, which are
arranged through hi s vari ous energies, are extremely pure, being the pri nci pl e of
existence. The behavi or refl ected in the material worl d i s shameful for soci ety.
Actually it is not contrary to dharma that Krsna is the only enj oyer, the male, and
the inhabitants of the spiri tual realm are the enjoyed (f emale) el ements in
madhura rasa. In the mat erial worl d, of course, if one indi vi dual acts as the
enjoyer and another i ndi vi dual acts as the enjoyed, it is contrary to natural
principles and is considered shameful or detestable, for one soul should not enj oy
or exploit another soul . Al l the soul s are to be enjoyed and Krsna is the only
enjoyer. In ot her words, anything contrary to the eternal nature of the souls is
necessarily shameful and despicable. Keepi ng i n mi nd the exampl e of the obj ect
and its reflection, there must be a very good resemblance between the relations of
man and woman in the material worl d and the spotl ess pastimes of Krsna and the
gopis. However, one is very low and the other i s most excel l ent .
Such an explanation has made my faith very strong. Al l my doubt s are fi ni shed. I
have been able to understand the condi tion of the madhura rasa of the spiri tual
world. The wonderful experi ence of bliss is as sweet as the very sound of the
word madhura. Those who deri ve bl iss from santa rasa while there is madhura
rasa must be very unfortunate. I am very eager to understand the foundation of
this rasa.
Readers, please understand the spiri tual beauty of madhura rasa as Vijaya Kumara
did, and have deep faith. By l i st eni ng to the Vraj a pastimes with such fai th, thi s
madhura rasa will mani fest in you as well .
Krsna is the visaya and the gopis, beloved of Krsna, are the asraya.2 Thi s Krsna i s
the color of a new monsoon cl oud, pl easant, sweet, endowed with al l good
qualities, strongly bui lt, adol escent, a good speaker, powerful , pl easing to hear,
i ntelligent, geni us, mi l d, wi t t y, crafty, happy, grateful, ski l l f ul , control l ed by
l ove, grave, excellent, glorious, at tractive to women, eternally fresh, perf ormer of
wonderful activi ti es, most dear, and pl ayer of the fl ute. Al l the qual i t i es of cupi d
are defeated by a glimmer from Hi s foot. Hi s si de-l ong gl ance bewitches the
hearts of all. He is the ocean of wonderful pasti mes for young women. Kr sna,
with transcendental quali ties and form, is the only hero, the onl y obj ect of l ove.
This Krsna will become visible in the heart puri f i ed by devoti on.
What is the difference between pure sattva and mixed sattva> Whatever exits has
existence, satta. An obj ect that has location, form, qual ity and action is called
sattva. Such an object, when i t has no begi nning (anadi), no end (ananta),
existing ever the same, i ndependent of the past and present divi si ons of ti me, and
f ull of excel l ent qual i ties i s cal led suddha sattva. I t i s mani f ested from the pure
cit sakti of the Lord. The shadow energy of the cit sakti , the mat erial energy, is
subject to the transformati ons of past and future ti me. Anyt hi ng exi st ing (sattva)
which is dependent on thi s material energy has a beginning and, under the
influence of passion and ignorance, has an end. Thi s type of exi stence is called
mixed sattva. The pure soul i s suddha sattva.3 Hi s form, qual i t i es and activi ti es
are also suddha sattva. The condi ti oned soul is mi xed wi th passion and i gnorance.
How does the soul heart become transformed by suddha sattva> As l ong as the
soul remains in the material world, the pure, suddha sattva condi tion does not
arise. The soul attains his own i denti ty when the transformation takes place.
This cannot result from performance of pi ous activi ties or cul ti vation of
knowledge. Di r t cannot be removed from the body by scrubbing it wi t h mor e
dirt. Mat eri al action is the di rt, so how can it cl ean the soul . Negat i ve
knowledge, like fire, when appl ied to the di rt, anni hi l ates even the object it i s
supposed to clean. How can t hat give happi ness> Onl y bhakti , created by the
mercy of guru, Krsna, and the devotees, can produce this state of suddha sattva.
This suddha sattva state makes the heart bright.
Now, how many types of hero are there> Kr sna reveals himself as four types of
hero: dhirodatta, dhira lali ta, dhira santa and dhi roddhata. Someti mes he acts as
pati and sometimes as upapati.W What are pat i ( mar r i ed l over) and upapati
(unmarried lover) > It is a very great secret; it is a secret jewel in the spi ri tual
world. Parakiya rasa is the kaustubha jewel amongst all the j ewels. By taking up
a conception of the Lord as forml ess and devoi d of qual i ty, no rasa results. The
Vedic statement ' raso' vai sah' becomes meaningless. By extreme negation of bl i ss,
such nirvisesa conception becomes devoi d of excel l ence. When a personal
conception arises, then rasa also arises. Rasa should be regarded as the essence. A
slightly personal conception endowed with maj esty is superior to the i mpersonal
conception. But the cl ear conception of the Lord as master in dasya rasa is
superior to santa rasa. Sakhya rasa is superior to that . Vat sal ya i s even better.
And madhura rasa is the best. I n t he same manner of succeeding excellence,
parakiya madhura rasa is superior to svakiya madhura rasa.
Self and other are two pri nci pl es. From establ i shing the sense of self arises self-
enjoyment. This is an eternal quality in Krsna; the qual i ty of gi vi ng enj oyment t o
t he other in pastimes is also eternal in Krsna. It is natural for the Supreme Lord t o
be capable of harmonize all confl i ct i ng qual i ti es.5 On one si de is Krsna s self-
enjoyment expressed in svakiya rasa, and on the other side is the giving enj oyment
to others in the supreme form of parakiya rasa. When the l over and bel oved meet
through attraction, being extremely bent on gi ving pl easure to the other party, thi s
parakiya rasa arises. If the rasa moves towards self-enjoyment, then rasa dries up.
If it moves towards giving enjoyment to the other, then the rasa increases.
Where Krsna is the only master, parakiya cannot become the object of cri t i ci sm.
When an ordinary person takes the role of the enjoyer, then i mmedi ately there is
consideration of ri ght and wrong, and parakiya becomes despicable. Rel ati ons
between a man and a woman married to someone else is considered very l ow
class. Rupa Gosvami says that the low posi tion gi ven to the unmarri ed l over as
hero in literary cri ti ci sm, is reserved for the material hero, not i n rel at i on to
Krsna, who is beyond material consi derati on, and acts as He does to taste the
essence of rasa. The person who marri es a woman is called pati, or husband.6
The person who transgresses the rules of dharma and marri age etiquette due to
strong attraction i n or der t o obt ai n a marri ed woman, and i n whom t hat l ove
becomes the principle of his l i fe, is called upapati.7 The women who i gnor es
conventional dharma and marri age rules and offers herself to some man is called
parakiya. She may be either married or unmarri ed.8 The woman who accepts a
husband by marriage rites, who is eager to follow her husbands orders and i s
faithful to ful fi l l i ng her dut i es as a wife i s cal led svakiya. Krsna s lovers in
Dvaraka are all svakiya. Hi s l overs in Vraj a are al l paraki ya.
(Excerpts have been taken from the conversation between Vij aya and Gopala
Guru. Here the excerpts end. )
The condition of the transcendental pastimes of the svakiya and parakiya women
with Krsna will now be described. These pastimes are eternal in Gol oka. Just as
there are daily pastimes in the earthly Vraja, so there are also daily pastimes in
Goloka. Whoever is in the spi ri tual worl d can see the pastimes there since they
have spiritual eyes to see. Those same pastimes occur on the earth, but t hose
who observe with eyes covered with material qual i t i es can see onl y thi ngs
i nfluenced by maya. They see the eternal parakiya of the spiri tual worl d as
material dealings. Kr sna s pastimes have no material low qual i ti es, but mat eri al
senses must see only material low qual i ti es. Kr sna showed thi s truth to the gopas
who appeared with hi m i n the mat erial worl d.9 There i s no faul t or shame in the
parakiya pastimes of the gopis because material condemnation of such women
cannot apply in thi s case. The parakiya rasa which the gopis, eternal energies of
the Lord, taste in Gol oka i s most prai seworthy. I s t here any faul t i n the fact that
Krsna, in order to bring the taste of rasa to the material world, also bri ngs the
gopis from Gol oka> Kr sna i s not a material hero, and the pastimes are only for
the benefit of the souls in thi s worl d. If they cannot see these pastimes, how can
they taste that excellent madhura rasa and become fit to attain the hi ghest rasa>
It is necessary that the devotee becomes a gopi to experi ence t hi s madhura rasa.
To attempt to become Krsna and enjoy the rasa will end in di saster. Cheat i ng
pretenders commit thi s offense.10
Amongst mill i ons of l i berated souls, to f i nd a devotee of the Lord is very rare.
Even the devotee interested in the majestic aspect of the Lord cannot see Goloka.
They attain service to the majestic form of the Lord i n Vai kunt ha, after getting
l iberation. Amongst those who wor shi p Krsna i n t he rasa of Vraja, onl y t hose to
whom Krsan bestows mercy ar e abl e to see Goloka. By t he mercy of Krsna the
vastu siddha bhakta i s brought to Gol oka. Those who ar e svarupa si ddhas
remain in this worl d wi t h the i dent i ty of a gopi . Those who are covered by the
mode of ignorance, see only the material world, even when performing thei r
worship. Those covered by the mode of passion can see a little better. Those
devotees in sattva mode real ize a reflection of Gol oka when they see the earthy
Gokula. The devotees beyond the modes of nat ure very qui ckl y obt ai n a body of
a gopi in Goloka, the spiri tual worl d, by the mercy of Krsna. Gol oka becomes
realized to the extent of the removal of maya. Yasoda' s gi ving bi rth, Krsna' s birth
i n the prison, the marri age of eternal gopis with Abhi manyu and ot hers whi ch
gives rise to the mood of parakiya appear to be very material in the earthl y Vr aj a.
But these events all occur by the infl uence of yoga maya with specific spiri tual
i ntentions behind them. They are not fal se, but are the perfect replica of Gol oka.
But they appear material in Vraja due to the material vi sion of the seer. I n
Goloka those same events are eternally present in the form of bel i efs, whi ch
nourish the rasas. Those who are aspirants for service of the eightfold pastimes by
t aking the form of gopi s must take support of earthly Vraja. Accor di ng to t he
amount of mercy from Krsna, they obtain puri ty i n t hei r servi ce.
Will Vraja pastimes continue during the fi nal devastation> At t hat t i me al l t he
pastimes remain in Gol oka. Thr ough pr act i ce dur i ng ei ght t i mes of the day, a
person realizes the eternal nature of the dail y pasti mes of Krsna. Duri ng t he
duration of uni verses, the Vraja pastimes rotate from one uni verse to another. At
the time of final devastation, the pastimes remain in Gol oka. Though Kr sna may
disappear from the earth, Vraj a and Mathura do not di sappear, but remain for the
benefit of the devotees performing sadhana.
Krsna is the only lover. He i s perfect in Dvaraka, more perfect in Mathura and
most perfect in Vraja. As he takes the forms of pati and upapati in the three
places, he takes on six forms. Consi deri ng the four types starting with dhi rodat t a,
he then appears in twenty-four forms. Consi deri ng hi s nat ure as anukul a
(favorable), daksina (expert), satha (deceitful) and dhrstha (impertinent), his
forms become multi pl ied by four, so the total is ni nety six. There are twenty four
forms in svakiya rasa and twenty four forms i n parakiya rasa. The twenty four
forms of parakiya in Vraj a are eterna1.11
There are five types of assistants to the lover; attendants (ceta), compani ons (vi ta),
buffoons (vidhusaka), masseurs (pitha mardakas) and dearest friends (priya narma
sakhas).12 They are all ski l l ful at speaking pl easant words, they have deep
attachment, they are good judges of time and ci rcumstance, they are ski l l ful at
pleasing the gopis and giving good advice.
The attendants such as Bhangura
and Bhrngara are skillful at searching, carrying out secret work, and very smart.
Krsna's compani ons such as Kadara and Bharatibandha are sly, skill ful at
dressing, at conversation, and at bri ngi ng others under thei r control . The
buffoons, such as Madhumangala and Vasanta among the gopas, are fond of
eating, fond of argui ng, fond of gest uri ng, ski l l ful wi t h wor ds, and t hey dr ess
i n a comical way. The pita mardakas such as Sridama, though having qual i ti es
similar to Krsna, serve Him obedi ently. The most conf i dential of fri ends, Arj una
and Subala, priya narma sakhis, understand the mood of the gopis and know thei r
most intimate secrets. The assistants are in dasya rasa. The masseurs are in vira
rasa and the others are in sakhya rasa. The assistants are servants, and the other
four types are friends.
The female messengers are also assistants to the hero; they are of two types:
svayam duti (natural) and apta duti (appoi nt ed). Gl ances and the sound of the
flute are the natural messengers; Vira, who is ski l l ful at speaking and Vrnda,
expert at flattery, are the apta dutis. Regular messengers are Lingini, Daivajna and
Silpakarini.
The gopis are the asraya. They are ei ther svakiya or parakiya. Svakiya is not very
evident in Vraj a, but parakiya is very evident there. Most of t he gopi s are in
parakiya rasa because madhura rasa does not display its splendor otherwi se. The
rasa of Krsna s wives in Dvaraka is restricted. Rasa established through desire
alone is unrestricted, and gives more pleasure to Krsna. Si va, knowl edgeable of
this rasa, has said that the beauty of a woman and di ffi culty of attai ning her due to
the obstacles which must be removed, are the strongest weapons of cupi d.
Visnugupta has said the same. When the marri ed women of Vraj a desire to give
enjoyment to Krsna, t hei r l ove become decorated with all good qual i ties and a
splendor which defeats all else. The sweetness of rasa does not increase to this
extent with Laksmi and other energies.
There are three types of gopis: sadhanapara, devi and nityapri ya. Sadhana pri ya
gopis (those who attained their posi tion by sadhana) are of two types: yautika and
ayautika. The muni s and the Upani sads, who are attached to a group or yuta are
called yautiki . Those muni s who were worshi ppers of Krsna but coul d not attai n
their desire d on seeing Rama's beauty became inspired to attain the status of
gopis, finally attained birth as gopis in Vraja through thei r sadhana. The
Upanisads also by sadhana attained birth as gopis.
The female inhabitants of svarga who took bi rth i n Vraj a to serve Krsna by t he
order of Brahma, and the female he demigods who served Krsna when he appeared
i n the heavenly planets as part i al i ncarnati on, are cal led devi . They are count ed
among Radha's prana sakhis. Gayat ri , mot her of the Vedas, took bi rt h as a gopi
in the form of Kama gayatri to take Krsna's association.
Everything created in Vraja on earth by the Lord s energy is wi thout fault, as it is
not made of material energy, but is the creation of the Lord s yogamaya spiritual
energy. Thus the ni tya siddhas, coming from the spi ri tual worl d, are not
contaminated. Al ong wi t h the ni tya si ddhas, the Upanisads, Gayatri and the
f emale inhabitants of svarga in gopi forms all served Krsna in parakiya mood.
Among the nitya siddhas, Radha and Candravali are the chief gopis. Al l t he gopi s,
l ike Krsna, are endowed with qual i ties like beauty and pl easing speech. These
gopis appear as individual ized porti ons of the hl adini sakti when the bl iss porti on
of the Lord agi tates the cit por t i on. 13,
, Krsna performs his eternal pastimes in
Goloka with those gopis endowed with the si xty four arts produced from hi s own
form. Some of the gopis menti oned in the Skanda Purana and Prahlada Samhita as
well as other scriptures are Radha, Candravali, Visakha, Lalita, Syama, Padma,
Saivya, Bhadrika, Tara, Vicitra, Gopali, Dhani shta, and Pali.1% Candravali is also
called Somabha. Radha is also called Gandharva. Khanj anaksi, Manorama,
Mangala, Vimala, Lila, Krsna, Sari, Visarada, Taravali, Cakoraksi, Sankari and
Kumkuma are also well known. Th ese are l eaders of groups (yuthesvari).
There are hundreds of groups. The t otal number of gopi s i n al l the groups is
hundreds of thousands. Vi sakha, Lali ta, Padma and Saibya are famous as being
especially excellent. Among t he l eaders of the groups, Radha and the ei ght
principal gopis are chief, being equipped with al l suspi ci ousness. Though
Visakha, Lalita, Padma and Saibya are qualified as group l eaders, being absorbed
i n the mood of bl iss of Radha. Vi sakha and Lal i ta become the obedi ent
companions of Radha and Padma and Saibya become obedient to Candravali .
Among all the leaders, Radha is supreme. Many of t he gopi s i n her group are
followers of Lalita. Some are fol l owers of Vi sakha. by great fortune a soul can
gain entrance to Lalita's group.
Between Radha and Candravali, Radha is the very form of mahabhava, being most
excellent in all qual i ti es. The gl ory of Radha Madhava is celebrated in the Gopala
Tapani Upanisad and the Rk Parisistha. Radha is the essence of the hladini sakti ,
the epitome of love, splendid with si xteen types of decoration and twelve types of
ornaments. But she is so beautiful that she does not need decoration or ornament.
She has well curled hair, shining face, long eyes, splendid breasts, thin wai st, well
formed shoulders, and jewel like fi ngernai ls. There i s no such combi nation of
wonderful quali ties in the three worl ds. The si xt een beauties of her body are her
bath, the sparkle of the jewel in her nose, her blue dress, her sash, her earrings,
her braid, the sandalwood on her body, the fl owers in her hair, garl and around
her throat, a l otus in her hand, betel in her mouth, kast uri on her chi n, kajal on
her eyes, colored cheeks, lac on her feet, and til aka on her forehead. The t wel ve
ornaments that beautify her are the jewel in her hair, the silver earrings, the bel t
on her hips, the gol d l ocket around her neck, the gol d pi n i n her ear, the
bracelets on her wrists, throat ornaments, rings on her f i ngers, neckl ace around
her neck, armbands, jeweled anklets and rings on her toes. Li ke Kr sna she i s
endowed with unl i mi ted good qual i ti es. Fi f t een qual i t i es are promi nent.
She is sweet in appearance, adolescent, fi ckl e in gl ance, bliss-giving smile, wi t h
auspicious marks on the hands and feet, a fragrance that dri ves Krsna mad,
knowledgeable of music, sweet speech, ski l l ful at j oki ng, obedi ent, compassionate,
witty, effi ci ent, bashful , r espectful , pati ent, grave, playful, shows symptoms of
mahabhava, the residence of love in Gokula, whose fame is spread through
unlimited uni verses, obj ect of affection for el ders, dependent on the l ove of her
friends, most dear to Krsna, makes Krsna obedi ent to her orders.
The Varaha samhita, Jyotisa sastram, Kasi Khanda and Mat ysa and Garuda
Puranas described the auspicious marks.
Left foot
barley corn at the base of the big toe
cakra on the mount,
l otus on the mount of the mi ddl e toe,
f lagstaff on the mount of the third t oe, fl ag,
an upward line on the mi ddl e foot,
goad on the mount of the l i t tl e toe.
On the right foot
conch at the base of the big toe,
fish on the heel
altar on the mount of the l i t tl e toe,
a ratha above the fish,
hill, circle, club and tri dent
Left hand
l ine staring below the i ndex fi nger and extending to the l i t tl e fi nger
l ine below this running paral lel t o the space between the i ndex and thumb
a line from the wrist to the space between the index fi nger and thumb
cakras on the five fingers in a special form called nandyavarta
elephant below the ring fi nger
horse below the heart line
bull below the head l i ne
ankusa below the li ttl e fi nger
fan, tree, post, arrow, club, garl and
right hand:
same three lines
five conches on the tips of the fi ngers
camara below the index fi nger
ankusa below the li ttl e fi nger
palace, drum, thunder bol t cart , bow, sword, vase
Seven marks on the left foot, eight marks on the ri ght foot, ei ghteen marks on the
l eft hand and seventeen marks on the ri ght hand make fi fty auspi ci ous marks.
The individual souls have all these qualities in a very small degree. The devatas
have these qualities to slightly greater degree. Radha has all the qual i ties in ful l ,
all being spiritual as well . Gaur i and ot hers do not have these qualities wi t h t he
same purity or ful l ness. Radha i s the zenith of all wonderful qual i t i es.
Radha's group is supreme. Al l t he members of her group are full of al l good
qualities, and al l t hei r gestures attract Madhava. Radha has five types of
companions (sakhi s): sakhi, ni tya sakhi, prana sakhi, priya sakhi and parama
prestha sakhi.15 The famous sakhis are Kusumi ka, Vrnda, Dhani stha.. Kasturi
and Manimanjuli are ni tya sakhis. Pr ana sakhi s l ike Sasimukhi , Vasanti, and
Lasika, almost have the same appearance as Radha. Kur angaksi , Sumadhya,
Madanalasa, Kamala, Madhuri, Manj ukesi , Kandarpasundari, Madhavi, Mal ati ,
Kamalata, Sasikala are priya sakhis. The ei ght maj or sakhis, the parama prestha
sakhis are Lalita, Visakha, Citra, Campakalata, Tungavidya, Indurekha, Rangadevi,
and Sudevi. At cer t ai n t i mes, for the perfection of l ove or Radha and Krsna,
they show more love for Krsna and at ot her t i mes they show more l ove for Radha.
There are also internal divi si ons (gana) i n each group (yut ha) of sakhi s.
I n Vraja pastimes there is no place for the insi gni fi cant l aws of marri age whi ch are
characteristic of the material world. Ther e i s not pl ace for cri ti cism of the
parakiya of the gopis as material parakiya since Krsna br i ngs hi s spi ri t ual
parakiya rasa to Gokul a i n the material worl d.
The gopis have the most
i ntense love for Krsna, and for Krsna alone. The ocean of i nt ense emoti ons that
appear due to their attachment for Krsna i s such that not onl y the non-devotees,
but even the vaidha bhaktas, cannot understand. Even Krsna coul d not mai nt ai n
his four-armed form in the presence of the gopis' intense love.
The heroine is of three types: svakiya, parakiya and samanya. The svaki ya and
parakiya lovers of Krsna have already been discussed. Samanya or common l over
is defined by the material scholars as a prostitute, who has only selfish interest at
heart. She does not show di sl ike of a hero l acking good qual i t i es, nor does she
show any attraction for a lover endowed with good qual i ti es.. The l ove of such a
woman is actually def ect i ve conj ugal l ove. Though Kubj a s r el at i on was of
this type (samanaya), her l ove may be cl assed as a low form of parakiya because
of small amount of attraction for Krsna. On seei ng Krsna' s form she desired to
put sandalwood on his body. But her at traction or rati was i nferior to that of the
queens of Dvaraka.
The svakiya and parakiya types are divided into three types
each: mugdha, madhya and pragal bha. Taki ng al l the vari eties of Krsna' s lovers
together, there are fifteen types.
There are eight condi ti ons of the fi fteen types of gopis: abhisarika, vasakasajja,
utkanthita, khandi ta, vi pral adbha, kal ahantari ta, prositabhartrka and
svadhinabhartrka. When a gopi under the spell of l ove for Krsna cannot give hi m
up for a moment, svadhinabhartrka i s cal led madhavi . When the gopi s fall under
the condition of svadhinabhatrka, vasakasajja and abhisarika, they decorate
themselves with ornaments. Under t he condi t i ons of khandi ta, vi pral abdha,
utkanthita, prositabhatrka and kalahantakarita the gopis l eave their ornaments
aside and placing their left hand on thei r cheek, they lament and gri eve. In l ove of
Krsna, such grief is part of the wonderful vari ety found i n the hi ghest spiri tual
bliss. Accor di ng t o the degree of intensity of l ove, the gopis are also classed as
superior, medium and or di nary. Accor di ng to the i nt ensity of the l ove of the
gopis, Krsna responds with si mi lar i nt ensi ty. The superi or gopi wi l l gi ve up al l
activity in order to create a moment s happiness for Krsna. At hear i ng about t he
suffering of Krsna, such a gopi s heart will break. The medium gopi , on hearing of
Krsna's suffering will become somewhat moved. The or di nary gopi f ears some
obstacle in meeting Krsna.
The total variety of lovers is three hundred and sixty. The f i f t een types mul t i pl i ed
by the eight condi ti ons becomes one hundred and twenty. When t hi s i s mul t i pl i ed
by the three grades of gopis it becomes three hundred and sixty. These are the
various emotional moods of the gopis serving Krsna.
The behavior of the leaders of the groups may be classified as svapaksa
(congenial), vipaksa (antagonistic) and tatastha (neutral). To hel p out the gopi s
who are thirsting for si ght of Krsna, there are two types of match makers. The
svayam duti expr esses the love directly t o Kr sna.. Accusati ons against Krsna
may be through bodily gesture, voice or glances. Mockery i s the vocal effort,
using direct words and indi rect meani ngs. The mockery i s made di rectly or
indirectly to Krsna. The r equest i s ei t her representing one self or representing
another gopi.
Those who are faithful, eloquent and affectionate are called apta duti. The apta
dutis are of three types: amitartha, nisrstartha and patrahari. Arti sts, fortune
tellers, renunci ates, servants, nurses, the presiding deity of the forest and sakhis
are counted among the dutis. The ar t i sts by pi ctures and the fortune tel l ers by
i nterpreting astrological charts bri ng about meeti ngs of Krsna and a certain gopi .
Paurnamasi, wearing the dress of a mendicant, is an example of a lingini dut i .
Lavanga Manjari and Bhanumati , pari carika dut i s, also become dhatreyi duti s of
Radha. Vanadevi i s the presiding deity of Vrndavana. The sakhis use direct and
i ndirect mockery and al l types of suggestions, praise and indi fference . If Krsna
makes a proposal to them when they are alone, they refuse.
The sakhis have sixteen types of service, which they perform wi th ut most
1. Th e y p ra i se t he Kr sna and the bel oved in front of each other.
2. Th e y i n c r ease the mut ual at t achment of the Krsna and beloved.
3. Th e y d e c or at e Krsna and bel oved.
They offer the beloved to Krsna.
attenti on.
5. T h ey j oke.
6. Th e y g i ve consol at i on.
7. Th e y p r epar e t hei r costumes for meeti ng.
8 Th ey e x p r ess the l ove of one for the other.
9. Th e y h i de t he f aul t s of Krsna and the bel oved.
10. They hel p t o deceive the husband of the gopi .
11. They gi ve i nst r uct i on so that Krsna can meet the gopi at the ri ght ti me.
12. They f an and wave camara.
13. They cr i t i ci ze Krsna at certain ti mes.
1%. They cr i t i ci ze the gopi at certain ti mes.
15. They s end messages.
16. They pr ot ect t he l i f e of the bel oved gopi .
Those sakhis who bear equal love for Radha and Krsna but are loyal adherents of
Radha are considered the best. They are called the priya sakhis and parama
prestha sakhis. The sakhis are classified as bel ongi ng to the same party, to a
friendly party, to a neutral party or t o an ant agoni stic party. Thi s nouri shes the
rasa. The pride and hatred that is mani fest in rel ation to the antagonistic party is
for the intensification of rasa. They ar e al l parts of the i ndi vi si bl e l ove of Krsna
and the gopis. These topics are more elaborately described in Uj j val a Ni l amani
and Jaiva Dharma. By consul ting those books the quali fied person can realize
their nature. For fear of of f ense by unqual i fied persons not hi ng more wi l l be sai d
here.
The stimuli or uddi panas for madhura rasa are the qualities, names, character,
decorations, related objects and neutral objects of Krsna and the gopis. The
qualities may be mental, vocal or bodi ly. The anubhavas of this rasa are called
alankara (ornaments), udbhasvara, and vacika (vocal). Al ankaras are of twenty
types, such as bhava and hava. When the emot i on of the heart appears in the
body, it is called udbhasvara. There are twenty types of vacika anubhava, such as
alapa and vilapa. The ei ght sattvika bhavas are also present in this rasa. Al l t he
sancari bhavas except for ferocity and laziness are present.
Madhura rati is the sthayi bhava of this rasa. Thi s rati ari ses through thi ngs
r elated to accusation, pri de, anal ogy, special i t ems of Krsna, and nature. That
madhura rati which ari ses from nature is the best. That qual ity whi ch reveals itself
without wai ting for any ot her cause is called the nature of an i ndi vi dual . That
nature may be either ni sarga or svarupa. A nat ure whi ch results due to
determined practice over many bi rt hs, due to hearing about the qual i t i es and
form of the Lord is called nisarga. That nature which i s wi t hout ori gi n or cause,
being innate is called svarupa. I t may be di r ected towards Krsna, t owards certain
gopis, or towards both.
The rati for Krsna displayed by the eternal gopis
svarupa, whereas the rati of those who have attained perfection in thei r pr esent
bodies due to practice is ni sarga. The rat i of the pr act i t i oner i s aroused due to
accusation, pride, analogy etc. Af ter the devotee attains nisarga rati, he can then
attain svarupa rati of the gopi s.
There are three varieties of rati: sadharani (ordi nary), samanjasa (consistent) and
samartha (powerful). The rati of the gopi s of Gokul a is samartha. The r at i of
the queens in Dvaraka is samanjasa. Kubja s rati is sadharani. Rat i becomes
samartha when it has the power to overcomes everything else. I t i s endowed wi t h
the power to forget everything else. When i t becomes firm enough to wi t hst and
all contrary moods, it becomes prema. When pr ema gradually reveals its
sweetness is takes the forms of sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga and bhava.
Just as sugar cane becomes juice, unrefined sugar, coarse sugar, granul ated sugar
and refined sugar, the one element of love for Krsna passes through many stages:
rati, prema sneha mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga and bhava. Bhava here denotes
mahabhava. Krsna responds with the same type of love that the devotee possesses.
In madhura rasa, prema denotes such strong attraction between Krsna and the
gopi that i t endures even if t here appears to be cause for breaking the
relationship. Prema itself has three levels: praudha (deep), madhya (medium)
and manda (inferior).
When prema achieves the quality of i l l umi nat i ng the consci ousness and melts the
heart, it is called sneha. It has two vari eti es: ghrta sneha and madhu sneha. That
sneha which is extremely di gni fied is called ghrta sneha. That sneha which i s
extremely possessive it is called madhu sneha. Rati has two types: I am hi s and
he is mine. Madhu sneha has the form of "He is mi ne". Radha has such rati .
When sneha begins to show dupl i ci ty i t becomes mana. Mana has t wo f or ms:
udatta and lalita. When mana becomes confi dential with constant regard for
Krsna it is called pranaya. Somet i mes pr anaya ari ses directly from sneha and
then proceeds to mana. In ot her cases, sneha leads to mana and then pranaya.
When extreme sorrow and joy become experienced in pranaya, it becomes raga.
I t has two types: nilima and rakti ma.
In sthayi bhava there are thirty-three sancari bhavas and seven secondary
svabhavas (humor etc.) t ot al i ng f ort y one. Raga whi ch gi ves newer and newer
attraction to the object of l ove t hr ough newer mi xt ures of the forty-one bhavas is
called anuraga. In thi s state, when t he l over becomes subjugated by the partner,
prema takes on immense varieties, and gives rise to the desire to take birth as a
nonsentient object. When pangs of separation from Kr sna give rise to Krsna s
appearance, anuraga becomes advanced. Separation is part of the variety in
spiritual love. When anur aga reaches the stages of yavadasraya, and samvedya, it
is called mahabhava. The ul t i mate amount of anuraga is r eached i n Radha as
asraya and as Krsna as visaya. The st hayi bhava as anuraga, when i t reaches its
maximum, is called yavad asraya vritti . I n t he st ate of vedya (uni on), when t he
asraya and visaya become combined in such a way that they think t hey are one
rather than two, the sattvika bhavas become even more intense. Thi s i s cal l ed
mahabhava.
In svakiya rasas mahabhava is very rare, but i t i s i nt ri nsi c to the gopis of Vraj a.
Mahabhava has two states; rudha and adhi rudha. I nabi l i t y t o t ol erant the passing
of a second, agitation of the heart at the approach of anyone, t i me passing
quickly, forgetting even the self i n the absence of Krsna, f eel ing onemoment as
a kalpa these are some of the symptoms or anubhavas in meeting and separation .
There are two types of adhirudha: mohana and madana. From mohana comes
spiritual insanity, in whi ch state the person has symptoms of udghurna and
citrajalpa. These states arise in separation from Krsna. There are ten types of
citrajalpa: prajalpa, parijalpa, vijalpa, ujjalpa, samjalpa, avajalpa, abhijalpa,ajalpa,
pratijalpa and sujalpa. When pr ema, the essence of the hl adini sakti , becomes
bright with the appearance of all ecstatic symptoms, i t r eaches its hi ghest state,
madana. Thi s madana is residing in Radha eternally.
Krsan is rasa. He has unli mi ted knowl edge and unl i mi ted powers. For hi m
nothing is impossible to accompli sh. By hi s i nconcei vable power whi ch
reconciles contrary elements, he is eternally one rasa and many rasas. As one rasa
he enjoys by encompassing everything as his own. I n t hat st ate, nothing has
separate existence as rasa other than himself. But he i s si mul t aneously many
r asas. Thus other thanhi s personal rasa, there is rasa of ot hers and t he
combination of his rasa and others' rasas. Experience of these last two produces
the bliss of the pastimes. Rasa for the pleasure others reaches its climax in
parakiya rasa. In Vr ndavana this reaches its fully bl ossomed state. Parakiya,
combined with enj oyment of hi s own rasa, reaches the fi nal stage of madana,
which yields the highest form of bl i ss. Thi s exi sts i n i t s pure form i n Gol oka, and
descends to Vraja in the material world, where it may be perceived as material by
the material eye.
Devotees aspiring for prema, you have by practi cing vai dha bhakti attai ned l ove of
God and surpassed the fourteen levels of material existence. Above the fourteen
worlds exi sts the subtle realm of Hara dhama, the abode of Lord Siva. Leave the
four levels of thi s exi stence and proceed higher. Pi er ce t hr ough the two l evels of
visuddha sattva (Brahman and Vai kunt ha) i n t he f or m of the Vi raj a and approach
the border of Goloka Vrndavana. In Gol oka there are five levels of personal
experience.:santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhura. comi ng to the l evel of
madhura, take up a spi ri tual body of a gopi and enter the group of Radha as a
follower of Lalita. by the mercy of Rupa Manj ari . Raise the sthayi bhava to rasa
by mixing it wit h vi bhava anubhava, sattvika bhavas and sancari bhavas. Bei ng
experienced in rasa and attached to the Name, and having earned the treasure of
prema to the level of mahabhava, you wil l have reached perfection. At t ai n t he
highest stage by deciding your present qual i fi cati on, practi cing yukta vai ragya and
constantly chanting the name. I have not suppl i ed many scri ptural references in
the discussion of madhura rasa, because those who are quali fied wil l fi nd al l of
this in Ujjvala Ni l amani and Jaiva Dharma. Af ter understanding the topi c of rasa
and taking support of the acti vi ty, service and mood sui table to the self, the
devotee should enter the medi tation on the ei ghtfol d pasti mes. Then very easily
he will attain vastu siddhi. By practi cing yukta vai ragya the devotee can easily
remain a paramahamsa till the end of hi s material li fe.
People who have strong attraction for gross material pleasure and cannot
understand these topics should not read, think of or di scuss these topics of rasa,
because they will t hi nk t hat t hese are all material activi ties and cri ti cize them. I f
they do appreciate them at all, they wil l become degraded as sahajiyas..
Jayadeva Goswami has written in Gita Govi nda:
and if the person is desirous of hearing about the hi ghest pastimes of the Lord,
please listen to the sweet love songs of Jayadeva.
The Bhagavatam says:
of ruling personalities, even mentally. If out of f ool i shness an ordinary person
does imitate such behavior, he will si mpl y destroy hi mself, just as a person who is
not Rudra would destroy hi mself if he tried to drink an ocean of poi son.
Mahaprabhu has instructed t hat t he devotee should l i sten carefully to the
pastimes of the Lord described in the Bhagavatam. By this, the supreme rasa will
manifest. The last verse of the four essential verses of Bhagavatam says:
Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to t hi s, i n al l
circumstances, in all space and time, and both di rectly and i ndi rectl y.
If the mind absorbed in rasa is fixed in remembrance of the Lord,
One who is not a great control ler shoul d never i mi t ate the behavior
S.B. 10.33.30
A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the
S.B.2.9.36
matters.
fruit of the desire tree of Vedic li teratures. It emanated from the l ips of Sri
The highest knowl edge is prema. Thi s i s revealed in two ways in the acti vi ties of
Krsna. Directly it is obtai ned t hr ough the dail y pasti mes, ei ght fol d pasti mes.
Indirectly it is obtained t hr ough the pasti mes of ki l l i ng the demons, from the
killing of Putana to the ki l l i ng of Kamsa. These pasti mes exist symbol i cally in
Vraja and only as i mpressi ons in Gol oka. Act ual l y t hey are not found there, and
cannot exist there. Reading the i ndi rect pasti mes, the devotee can purify hi msel f;
being purified, he can taste the direct pastimes and perceive Gol oka. If t he
aspirant for prema very carefully cul ti vates in this way he wil l understand all these
Expert and thoughtful men rel ish Srimad Bhagavatam, the mature
Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this frui t has become even more tasteful, although
its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, incl uding l i berated souls.
V.s long as it is necessary to cultivate indi rectl y for pur i f i cat i on, the devotee
cannot absorb himself in rasa. When the i ndi rect cul ti vation bears fruit, the pure
rasa of Goloka will mani fest. At t hat t i me he shoul d cul t i vate both di rect and
indirect pastimes. Hearing the daily pastimes the devotee will taste rasa and
hearing the indirect pastimes he will be able to destroy the obstacles to tasting the
rasa. As a result, t he mat eri al gunas wil l di sappear and the devotee will easily be
S.B.1.13
able to see and attain Gol oka.
1 syamacchabalam prapadye sabalaccyamam prapadye
asva iva romani vidhuyam papa candra iva rahor mukhat pramuchya dhutva
sariram akrtam kr t atma brahma l okam abhi sambhavamity abhisambahvamiti
I attain the variegated world l eaving the worl d of the Lord. . I at t ai n the worl d of
the Lord leaving the worl d of vari ety. Having ful fi l l ed al l dut i es, I attain the
eternal spiritual worl d, shaki ng off the body, j ust as the moon frees itself from the
mouth of Rahu and shaking off sin as the horse shakes his hair.
Chandogya Upanisad 8
Just as there is a sky in this external world, there is a similar sky in the mi dst of
the heart. In that sky, there is heaven and earth, fire and air, sun and moon,
l ightening and stars. What ever is in thi s external worl d and even what is lacki ng
here is existent in that spi ri tual pl ace. ...This Brahmapura is indestructi ble and is
the abode of complete satisfastion. Chandogya upani sad 8.1.3
2 Ujjvala Nilamani 1. 9
3 I am always engaged in offering obeisances to Lord Vasudeva in pure Krsna
consciousness,. Krsnas consciousness is always pure consciousness, in which the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Vasudeva is revealed without any
covering. S.B.%.3.23
0 U.N.1.10, B. R. S.2.1.226, 233,236.
5 Expanding hi mself as many ti mes as there were cowherd women to associate
with, the Supreme Lord, though self-satisfied, playfully enj oyed their company.
S..B. 120.33. 19
6 U.N. 1.11
7 U.N. 1.19, 19, 21
8 U.N. 3.19
9 Thus deeply considering the situati on, the all -merci ful Supreme Personality of
Godhead Hari revealed to the cowherd men Hi s abode, which is beyond materi al
darkness. Lord Krsna, revealed the indestructi ble spiri tual efful gence, which i s
unlimited, conscious and eternal. Sages see that spiritual existence in trance,
when their consciousness is free of the modes of material nature. S.B.10.28.19-15
10 When the Lord assumes a humanl ike body to show mercy to Hi s devotees, He
engages in such pastimes as will attract those who hear about them to become
dedicated to Him. S. . B. 10. 33. 38
The gopis of Vrndavana have given up the association oif their husbands, sons and
other family members, who are very di ffi cul t to gei up, and they have forsaken the
path of chastity to take shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, Krsna, which one
should search for by Vedic knowl edge. Oh, let me be fortunate enough to be one
of the bushes, creepers or herbs in Vrndavana, because the gopis trample them and
bless them with the dust of thei r l otus feet. S. B. 10.97.61
U.N.3.2%
11 U.N.1.23
12 U.N.1.92-93, 2.1-2, 2.16
13 I worship Govi nda, the Primeval Lord, residing in Hi s own realm, Gol oka, wi th
Radha, resembling His own spi ri tual frgure, the embodi ment of the ecstatic
potency possessed of the sixty-four arti stic activi ti es, in the company of her
confidantes, embodiments of the extensions of her bodil y form, permeated and
vitalized by His ever blissful spiri tual rasa. Brahma Samhita 63
1% U.N.3.56,57,61 0 . 1. , 3- 7
15 U.N.0.50
Summary
This book i s meant to del i neate vai snava phi l osophy and t heol ogy, not to
convey the experience of bhakti and rasa.1 I n t hat case it woul d si mpl y suf f ice to
describe the pastimes of Radha and Krsna, the embodiment of madhura rasa.
There are plenty of books wri tten on t hese matters, but the subject of those books
is a matter of tasting.2
The learned have concluded that there are five components i n del i berati on:
subject, doubt, reconcili ati on, opposi t i on and concl usi on.3 What i s the subj ect
of this book> The subj ect of del i beration is the l ife of the spi ri t soul . What i s t he
doubt> The doubt i s " What i s l i f e and what i s l i fe' s goal>" The r econci l i at i on i s
as follows. Li f e i s of two t ypes: pure l ife and condi ti onal l i fe. Pure l i fe exi sts in
the pure spiritual world. It i s eternal, pure and ful l of bl i ss. There is no defi ci ency,
no lamentation, no fear and no death. Condi t i onal l i fe exi sts in the materi al
world. I t has two t ypes: gr ossl y material (bahir mukha) and spi r i t ual l y i ncl i ned
(antar mukha). Gr ossl y material l i f e does not take i nterest in the spi ri tual real m,
but rather turns in the opposite di recti on. Spi ri t ual l y i ncl i ned l i f e appears simil ar
t o grossly material life, but gives direct respect to the spiri tual real m.
Grossly material condi ti oned souls are of four types:
without moral ity and wi t hout bel i ef i n God
with morality and wi t hout bel ief in God
with morality and with bel ief in God
with belief in an i mpersonal God
Life without moral ity or God has two di vi si ons: non-human l i fe and human l i f e.
Animals, birds and fish consti tute non-human forms. I n t hose non-human f orms
of life power of i nt el l i gence is almost absent.
In the human forms wi t hout moral i ty or God, i nt el l i gence is also almost absent.
This may be represented by pri mi t i ve forest tri bes, whi ch, l i ke ani mals, carry out
action according to i mmedi ate desire. Impel l ed by fear and desire, they t ake
various gl i ttering obj ects such as the sun and moon as their gods. There is no
moral code and no real belief in God. The qual ity of bhakti , present in the perfect
state of the soul, is almost absent, being represented only by possession of the
human form. When man gai ns knowl edge of mat ter and mat eri al energy, he
can progress in arts and sciences using his intel l i gence. By thi s he creates
happiness for his senses, but he has no respect for moral ity or God. He i s t he
second type of i mmoral , athei stic human bei ng, having no regard for ethics or
God.
When the human being then develops regard for moral l aws, he reaches the
second stage of human li fe. When thi s l ife becomes combi ned wi th f ai th i n God,
man attains the third stage of life. However, since the obligation to God i s
subservient to his moral codes, that faith does not remove hi s mat erial t endency.
When man attains the stage of thinking of the goal in terms of i mpersonal
l iberation, and mol ds hi s l ife on thi s concept, he l oses mor al i ty, and gradual l y
faith in God turns i nto faith i n absol ute moni sm. Thi s st age, material exi stence
based on distorted concepts of impersonalism, is the fourth stage of condi ti onal
life.
When man accepts the Supreme Lord as the all in all of l i fe, makes all science, arts,
morality, thoughts and phi l osophies of God subordi nate to devotion to the Lord,
t hough still mat eri all y condi t i oned, he i s cal led spiri tuall y i ncl i ned. Li vi ng i n t hi s
way he is called a sadhana bhakta.
The final goal of life is to be situated in spi ri tual rasa i n ones own pure nature
after the destruction of endl ess material bondage. That is the result of spi ri t ual l y
inclined life.
Hearing this reconciliati on, people situated i n each of the four stages of material
life will raise their respective objections. Act ual ly, each of t hese types of people,
utilizing their i ntel l i gence, have considered a subject, doubt, reconci l i ati on, and
objection, and come to their i ndi vi dual concl usi ons. Those concl usi ons are raised
here as the opponent s view, or obj ecti on. The pr i nci pl e operating here is that
each stage of life will defeat the objections raised by the next l ower stage and
establish a new conclusion. By ment i oni ng the new concl usi on, i t i s understood
that the previous conclusion has been defeated. The work here is to defeat the
views of life which are considered inferi or. The var i ous concl usi ons of these life
styles have been presented in the book, but they wil l now be summari zed and
reviewed again.
The man without moral s thi nks i n the fol l owi ng way.
"The variegated universe is
formed by the union and separation of atoms, according to the beginni ngl ess laws
of material nature. There is no creat or. Any f ai t h i n the Lord i s si mpl y
superstition. I f t here were a necessity of some form of great creator, then that
creator would also need to have a creator. Ther ef ore bel i ef i n a creator has no
foundation. I nt el l i gence arises by the working of the material brain in the materi al
body. When t hi s acti ons stops, the intel l i gence no longer exists. Bel ief in a soul
i s but blind fai th. When the body di es, existence ends or merges into pri mal
matter. A person shoul d therefore try to enjoy hi msel f as much as possible as long
as the body is alive, remembering as well to avoid those acts which wil l gi ve future
trouble in this l ife itself. These troubles are impri sonment, execut i on, death of
other living enti ties (war), mutual ani mosi ty, si ckness, and i nfamy. Bodi l y
pleasure is necessary because there is nothing beyond that. I n or der to i ncrease
physical pleasure, everyone should make physical and mental efforts to make as
much progress as possible in arts, sciences, and industry. Leave aside the forest
l ife and i ncrease the glamour of body, furni t ure, house and clothi ng. Enj oy mor e
by creating del i ci ous food, f r agr ant perf umes and cosmeti cs, sweet soundi ng
musical instruments, vehicles, beautiful art works and enti cing beds. I ncr ease
beautyby bui l di ng at t ractive palaces and ride i n a vari ety of aut omobi l es. The
excellence of man is his sophistication. Col l ate hi story for the benefit of l i vi ng
now. All the di scoveries made by research must be preserved. Do not bel i eve i n
anything extraordi nary or i l l ogi cal . Wher e t here is a confl ict between general
happiness and indivi dual happi ness, sacrifice general happiness for ones own
benefit."
On hearing such strong statements, the uncivi l i zed and i nnocent pri mi t i ve peopl es
give up their previ ous mode of action and begin to i mprove thei r l i fe. Bel i ef i n t he
power of the sun and moon, mai ntai ning themselves by hunti ng, and spendi ng
t heir time in the f orest l ike ani mals becomes forgotten. In t hi s way the i mmor al
intelligent materialist becomes proud. Car vaka and Sardeneplasa are examples of
people who advocate a life of sense pleasure.
The moral materiali st, being more i ntel l i gent, can easily defeat i mmor al
materialist. He says: " Oh brother, I respect what you say but I cannot accept your
self motivated actions. They are not at all good. You are seeking out happi ness in
l ife, but without moral s how can there be happiness> Do not t hi nk t hat your l i f e
is everything. Consi der society as well. Rules which can increase the happiness of
t he human being i n soci et y ar e advi sable. That i s cal led moral i ty. Gai ni ng
happiness through moral ity makes man superior to ani mals. I t i s necessary for
man to accept indivi dual suffering where it wil l gi ve happi ness to society. That i s
called selfless morality, and it is the onl y pat h for man. You must cul t i vate all the
positive sentiments such as love, friendship and compassion in order to i ncrease
the over-all happiness of society. By doing thi s, vi ol ence, hatred and other evil
tendencies will not be able to contami nate the heart. Uni versal love is uni versal
happiness. Take up ways of increasing this happi ness."
Positivists such as Compte and Mi ll , and socialists such as Herbert Spencer as
well as lay Buddhists and atheists fi rml y bel i eve this phi l osophy.
Moralists worshipping a f i ct i t i ous God accept the same phi l osophy, but add,
"
Belief in God is also a pri nci pal moral duty. Mor al i t y can never be perfect unti l
man has faith in God. Bel i ef in God cl early contri butes to moral standards in the
following ways.
1. Even with a strong sense of morali ty, someti mes the attraction of sense objects
is so strong that even great moralists are defeated. If the opportuni ty ari ses to
enjoy immorally in secret, belief in God wil l act as a preventative measure. God
can see what man cannot. If man t hi nks l i ke t hat, then he wil l not be able to
perform acts contrary to moral ity i n secret.
2. By having belief in God, man can die peacefully due to happi ness born of hi s
faith.
3. Everyone will accept that faith in God produces greater tendency to perform
pious acts than morality al one.
9. The life of a moralist with faith i n God i s more peaceful than that of a person
with morals alone.
5. If God actually does exist, then by faith in Hi m so much i s gai ned. I f he does
not exist, then there is still no harm i n bel i evi ng. On the ot her hand, i f God does
exist, it is detri mental not to have faith in Hi m. Ther ef ore a true mor al i st must
have faith in God.
6. There is happiness in worshi pping the Lord and t hat happi ness is purer than
any other happiness. There is always some disturbance in material happi ness, but
the happiness derived from worshi p of the Lord i s devoid of di sturbance.
7. By belief in God, t he t endency towards ri ghteousness in the mind grows very
quickly.
8. By faith in God, compassion and tol erance become stronger.
9. By belief in God, t here is more eagerness to perform sel fl ess action.
10. By belief in God, acceptance of afterlife arises. When thi s ari ses, man cannot
be disappointed by any event in l i f e.
Oh brother, even if God does not exist, for the above reasons and many others as
well, it is necessary to believe in some form of God. "
Seeing all the direct results of worship of God, the atheist is defeated by the
pseudo-theist, and like Compte, they accept some worshi ppable object. Though
there are differences between Jaimini's karma kanda, Patanjali's meditation on God
and Compte s fi cti ti ous worship, the result is the same. Compt e has expressed
himself clearly on t hese poi nts whereas Jaimini and other proponents of karma are
more cautious, and do not reveal their mi nds.
When the pseudo theist becomes strong, the genuine theist comes forward and
challenges him.
"Oh brother, do not t hi nk t hat God i s si mpl y an i magi nary
device. He actually exists. Consi der the fol l owi ng reasons.
1. Because of the perfect laws observed in the uni verse, there can be no doubt t hat
a supreme intelligence has created it and is maintai ning it. The power of reasoning
i s the best quality in man. When t hat power of reasoning is operating correctly,
truth is discovered.
Sometimes, by neglecting details, error occurs. In operation of l ogic, proper
concomitance is necessary. Wi thout t hat l ogi c cannot proceed very far. I n
trying to come to a conclusi on, two el ements of the syll ogism (process of
reasoning) must be valid. For i nst ance, a person may concl ude there is a fire on
the mountain, on seeing smoke there. Fi r st , the statement "where there is smoke,
there is fire" must be valid. Secondl y what appears to be smoke, must be real
smoke. If these two el ements of the syll ogism are correct, the concl usi on, t hat
there is fire on the mountain, must be true. Thi s i s the process i n l ogi cal
inference.
"Beauty and perfect arrangement are observed in the worki ngs of the uni verse" is
one element. The ot her el ement i s " What ever occurs by chance does not have
perfect arrangement. Perfection can only be produced by a conscious entity wi t h
intelligence." From t hese two el ements it may be correctly concl uded "Some great
conscious entity has created this uni verse."
2. No activity occurs wi thout a doer. Someone may pr opose that that doer must
also have a source. However this argument is valid onl y i n rel ation to mat t er. A
f orm is conceived by the intel l ect and this is transformed i nto action i n the
material world. The or i gi nal doer or mover of matter is a conscious entity. As we
do not see any mover of i ntel l ect beyond t hi s, what is the necessity of insisting on
another doer. By i ncor r ect concomi t ance produced through the habi t of materi al
vision, a person searches for a doer behind the conscious enti ty. Gi ve up t hi s bad
habit and with pure l ogi c take faith in the Lord.
3. If consciousness arises by some special process through combi nation of atoms,
t here should be some evidence of this somewhere in the uni verse. There shoul d
be some example of this in human hi st ory. Man i s produced from the womb of a
mother. Nowhere is any other process observed. In spite of the growth of sci ence,
nothing otherwise has yet been observed. Someone may argue that man has
arisen by chance combination of matter, and later man has adopted t hi s parti cul ar
process of birth from the womb. However, the succeeding events shoul d be
similar to the first event. Even now we shoul d observe at least a few conscious
entities arising by chance combi nation of matter. Theref ore it can onl y be
l ogically concluded that t he f i rst mot her and father must have arisen from t he
supreme consciousness.
9. Wherever man exists, belief in God also exists. Therefore belief in God is a
basic attribute in the character of man. Someone may obj ect that f ai th i n God
exists in the pri mi tive stage ofhuman l i fe, and by the advancement of knowl edge
this is eradicated. Er ror i s not of one vari ety, but truth i s al ways one. For
instance, ten plus ten equals twenty. Thi s i s the same in all count ri es and all
places, because it is a truth. The statement "Ten plus ten equals twenty fi ve",
being a false total, is not common to the whol e worl d. Bel i ef i n God exi sts even
i n the inhabitants of the most remote i sl ands. Obj ect i on to t hi s uni versal
phenomenon, which ari ses simply from t he pr ej udi ces of mat erial educati on,
cannot be considered.
5. It is absolutely necessary for man to accept God and afterlife if he wants to rai se
his position as a human being. I f a man has onl y a few days to li ve, he cannot
have much hope and aspiration. Man f ul f i l l s hi s hi gher aspirati ons, hopes and
ambitious goals to the degree that faith in God naturall y mani fests in his character.
Men devoid of faith in God have insi gni fi cant purpose in l i fe.
6. If faith in God based on sound reasoning and grati tude in the form of fol l owi ng
his orders is absent, then real worship of the Lord, whi ch i s the mai n i tem of
morality, also becomes absent. By t hi s absence, the life of man becomes
imperfect, and i n t he absence of basic obligations life becomes sinful.
By logically deriving concl usi ons in thi s way, knowl edge wil l i ncrease and in the
shelter of this knowl edge, l i fe wi l l advance in the spheres of sci ence, arts,
morality and faith in God, and the whol e worl d wi l l benefit . Thi s wi l l gi ve you
peace and happiness after death. Those processes which reject the existence of
God cannot offer you happi ness after death. Oh brother, you have offered your
hopes to an imaginary God, but a real God can of fer you benefi t t housands of
times greater.
I t is necessary to cultivate knowl edge of science, arts, morality and God, but thi s
cultivation is of two types: improper and proper. I mpr oper cul t i vat i on refers to
cultivation performed at the wrong t i me and i n the wrong way, wi t hout
considering ones own qual i fi cati on. A person shoul d practice according to hi s
qualification. If he does more or less, the proper result wil l not mani f est.
Qualification is according to ones nature. Nature arises due to origi nal
circumstance, teachings and association. When you t ake support of the sci enti fi c
system of varnasrama of Bharata after discerning your qual i fi cati on, you wi l l
perfect your activi ties and attai n the fi nal goal. Please understand that your soul
i s deathless, through logic and i nt r i nsi c fai th. Then your l i f e i n vai dha bhakti wi l l
be perfect in all respects. Though you appear to have arisen from your mot her' s
womb, by transcendental logic and advanced methods, raise and embellish that
self to higher existence. You existed before this birth, and after this l ife you wi l l
exist. Wi thout such convi cti on, your faith i n God wi l l not be pure.
Some person, being born in a famil y of devotees naturally becomes a devotee.
Another person, taki ng bi rth i n mat er i al i st s fami ly, wi l l l i kel y be a materi al i st.
Thereafter, the teachings and association may be favorable or unfavorable. When
t he person attains full i ntel l ectual capacity, his nature becomes fixed. Accor di ng
to that nature, the person does his activi ti es. Si nce in one l i fetime all results of
action must be received0, one person will go to heaven and another to hell . I s t hi s
t he proper work of the all merci ful , all di scerning Lord> Those r el i gi ons whi ch
accept one life-span for all act i vi ty are i mperfect and unreasonable. Do not be
l imited by these religions; recognize the elevated nature of the soul . Taki ng
shelter of varnasrama dharma you wil l be happy.
I t is necessary to perform work according to the scri ptural i nj unct i ons. Thi s
work is of two types: with desire and wi thout desi re. You shoul d not be attracted
to work which di rectl y st rengt hens the senses for enjoyment. Desi rel ess work is
obligatory. In doing such work, there is no desire, even if it yi elds sense pleasure,
for desire refers to self interest. In per f or mi ng work as a matter of duty t here i s
no desire or kama. By t hi s work, the Lord i s satisfied. When the Lord i s
satisfied, both material satisfaction and li beration are possible.
With this solid reasoning a person should establish hi mself in varnasrama dharma
and live a life of theistic moral i ty. At t hi s stage he begins the serious attempt to
discover the goal of human l i fe. He begins to consider the relation of soul and
God. After coming to a concl usion however, the real question is not yet solved,
and the person then asks,
"Who am I> What is my rel ation to the worl d> What i s
my relation to God> What i s my f i nal posi ti on>"
There are three types of reconciliation to the doubt rai sed: action for ones own
happiness; annihilation ones self interest in i mpersonal knowl edge; and bhakti , the
cultivation of the soul' s i nherent nature.
The theistic moralist supporting the fi rst sol ution wi l l say: I am an i nf i ni t esi mal
soul, control led by dharma and adharma, and always desiring happi ness. I have a
relation with the uni verse as enj oyer of the enj oyed. Ther e i s one port i on of t he
material world which i s the essence of pure enj oyment . I wi l l go t here and attai n
perfect happiness. My rel ation to the Lord i s this: the Lord i s the creator, I am
the created; the Lord is the bestower, I am the receiver; the Lord is the mai ntai ner,
I am the maintained; the Lord i s the protector, I am the protected; the Lord i s t he
powerful, am weak; the Lord is destroyer, I cam be destroyed; the Lord is the
l awmaker, I am the fol l ower of the l aws; the Lord is the j udge, I am the j udged. I f
the Lord is pleased, my suffering di sappears and I have the possibility of attai ni ng
happiness. Performance of yoga is also incl uded in thi s sol uti on. Samadhi i s
the goal and the yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, dhyana, dharana are its
constituents steps. Pratyahara is the mode for attaining resul ts. Samadhi is the
destroyer of suffering and the cause of happiness.
In the second soluti on, a person gi ves up thei stic moral ity and progresses to
i mpersonal conceptions. I am a knowi ng obj ect, brahman is a knowi ng obj ect. I
am a portion of brahman. Anyt hi ng mat erial must be avoided. Mat ter i s the
opposite of brahman. I am brahman but by i l l usi on I am t hi nki ng t hat I am an
individual soul. There is nothi ng except brahman. What ever I see as matter is due
to ignorance. By thi nki ng of mysel f as brahman, I wil l attai n i mper sonal
l iberation. Thi s i s the fi nal goal of the i ndi vi dual .
I n the third soluti on, the thei stic moral ist says: I am actually spi ri tual , but onl y a
particle of spirit. The Lord i s the Supreme Spirit. The mat erial worl d i s not fal se
or illusory. The concept of "I" whi ch I hol d i n t hi s worl d i s due t o my weakness
of knowledge. I am eternally the servant of the Lord. My r el at i on wi t h the worl d
i s temporary. Thi s rel ation has arisen due to the desire of the Lord. As I decrease
my opposition to the Lord my at t r act i on for the spi ri tual realm wil l grow. My r eal
eternal posi tion is to realize myself as the servant of the Lord. By cul t i vat i ng thi s
relationship, as a secondary result, I attain l i beration from the material worl d, and
as a primary, eternal result, I attain prema. My et er nal rel ati onshi p wi th the Lord
i s that of servant and served.
Whoever becomes bound to the fi rst sol ution t akes karma as the chief means
and established the Lord a l i mb of karma. The r esul t has no eternal qual i ti es.
That solution is not wi t hout f aul ts. There i s no di splay of the i ndependence of the
Lord in their l i fe. Dependence on rule predomi nates. Such persons are called
karmis.
Whoever becomes bound by the second soluti on, ai ms at destruction of the self
and performs false renunciati on. He nei t her establish hi mself in thi s worl d nor
does he finally attain a stable non-material positi on. By accept i ng negati ve
thought patterns he renders his life useless. Such persons are called jnana kandi s.
Those who are bound by the fi rst sol ution (sangati) wil l accept the third sol ut i on
as the opponents view (purvapaksa).
" Taking shelter of bhakti, you regard al l
material happi ness as insignificant, and our goal of at t ai ni ng happi ness on
svarga or elsewhere as detestable. By renouncing everything from brahma to the
i mmovable entities you give up worki ng for the progress of the world. You rej ect
the world altogether. But t hi s worl d i s our fi el d of acti vi ty. By perf ormi ng acts
dear to the Lord, I at t ai n happi ness in thi s l ife and the next. By negating all of
this, you i mpede the attai nment of everyone's happiness.
The devotee replies as follows and suppl ies the conclusi on.
"Oh brother, though
there is nothing of parti cular i mport ance for the soul to attain in thi s worl d, i f you
examine the life of the devotee you wil l see that what ever good i s possi bl e for
this worl d i s attai ned only by the act i ons of the devotee. Do what ever you can in
the realms of science, art, crafts and morali ty. I do not obj ect to t hose activi ti es,
rather such things also provi ded facility for the cul ti vation of bhakti . The devotees
are not dry renunci ates, but rather enj oyers of bli ss. I accept al l acti ons whi ch
are pleasing to the Lord. Pl ease do not perf orm action wi t h the mot i ve of selfish
happiness, which only a secondary result, but performs all acti ons for i ncreasing
devotion to the Lord. There i s onl y a sli ght di fference between you and I in the
matter of action. The di f f er ence is however that you perform work wi t h a sense
of duty and I perform work wi t h a f eel i ng of servi ng the Lord. I may r educe
some of those actions as they are not suitable, but t hi s i s not the same as
negligence to perform action in your mode of l i fe. You may st op your dut i es f or
no good reason, but I negl ect t hose duties because of devotion to the Lord. For
you, the world is a field of acti vi ty, but for me i t i s a fi el d of performi ng act s of
devotion. I under st and that all your acti ons are actually mat eri al . You are
theistic moralist karmi ; I am cal led a devotee, servant of God.
The actions of a devotee and a theistic moral ist are in many pl aces identical but
according to the faith, the nature of the acti ons is different. As the acti ons of the
theistic moralist are not aiming at anything beyond mat t er t hey are despicable.
Though he respects the Lord, he does not accept the spiri tual form of the Lord or
the final destination of the soul . He cannot get del i verance from the wheel of
karma. When t he t hei sti c moral ist real i zes the insigni fi cance of the material
world and tri es to attain l i beration from the bondage of karma, he sees three
possible ways to accomplish thi s.
1. One should gradually give up attraction for material karma and become fixed in
spiritual truth.
2. One should offer all action for material results to Vi snu, the Supreme Spirit. I n
performing karmas one shoul d thi nk of the pl easure of Visnu. Af ter perf ormi ng
the karma, offer the results to Krsna.
3. All obligatory karma should be done with devotion to Krsna. Those dut i es
which, not performi ng, in no way obstruct normal exi stence, shoul d be rej ected.
Those who accept the first path are yogis or ascetics. The ascetics try to l oosen
the knot of karma by undergoi ng great di f f i cul t i es. Thi s Vedi c process includes
panca agni vidya and ni di dhyasana. Di f f erent types of yoga like astanga yoga,
sadanga yoga, dattatreya yoga, and goraksanathi yoga have been prescribed.
Among them hatha yoga and Patanjala's raja yoga are highly esteemed in the
world. The astanga yoga of Patanjala is chief. The person must f i rst pr act i ce
yama:
non violence, truth, no stealing, celibacy, and not accepting from ot hers.
Then he practices niyama: cleanliness, satisfaction, austerity, study, medi tation on
God. By doi ng thi s he gi ves up all bad actions and becomes habituated to good
actions. He t hen practi ces postures, and then breath control . Havi ng cont rol l ed
his breath, he concentrates on a form of Vi snu and then fi x the mi nd steadily on
Visnu. Before the medi tation however, the mi nd must be wi t hdrawn f rom al l
sense objects. When the mi nd has become moti onl ess, samadhi is attained. The
main intent of this process it to become free of karma by practi cing rej ecti on.
However it is a slow process and has many obstacles.W
Those who maintain the second method think t hat what ever material thing a
person desires should be dedicated to the pleasure of Vi snu and then offered to
Krsna. However thi s act is contrary to nature.5 Can a heart moved by materi al
pleasure naturally decide to pl ease Visnu> I f he does thi s for show then i t cannot
be regarded as a sincere attempt. I t i s onl y meant to deceive the mi nd. The
devotion for Vi snu of al l the women who worshi p anna purna in order to have
enough food in future l i ves is simply words. I t goes wi thout saying that it is not
possible to attain liberation from material bondage by such offerings.
The third means is correct, because it invol ves action whi ch i s correspond to what
attracts the mind. If a person is attracted to delici ous food, he can eat food whi ch
has been offered to the Lord. By doi ng t hi s si mul t aneously he wil l cul t i vate hi s
attraction to the Lord and sat i sfy hi s material attachment. By tasting the hi gher
pleasure, very quickl y the l ower taste wil l transform i nto the hi gher taste. Thi s i s
classed as secondary bhakti but is stil l di sti nct from karma. Al t hough karma i s
present in the desire for result, it is still possible to destroy karma i tself i n t hi s
process. When al l bodi l y and mental acti ons act according to thi s secondary
devotion, then t hey become subordi nate to secondary bhakti and t hen serve real
bhakti. Those t hei sti c moral i sts who have this incl i nation become devot i onal l y
inclined. Al l ot her t hei sti c moral i sts are stil l mat eri all y engaged."6
In defeating all the opposing vi ews (purvapaksa), bhakti becomes established as
the only pract i cal method. Bhakt i i s the hi ghest attainment for man. I t does not
contradict the progress of society or the welfare of the l i vi ng enti t i es. It bestows
t he inherent eternal peace and bliss to the soul . Bhakt i i s the way of l i fe for the
human being. I t i s perf ect and all auspi ci ous. I t i s the onl y spi r i t ual t hi ng i n t he
material world.7 By cul t i vat i ng sadhana bhakti the devotee attains the stage of
bhava, and finally prema. Then the sweet and majestic Lord, the abode of Laksmi ,
opens his storehouse of rasa and says,
"Oh friend, I have been carefully holding
this storehouse you. You al one have ri ghts to it. Rejecting me, you fell under the
spell of my energy of i l l usi on. Cont i nuousl y I have shown great regard for you.
As you have attained this by your own efforts, I am extremely pl eased. Serve my
ever fresh pleasurable form and pl ay wi t h me i n the endl ess ocean of bliss. Do
not fear, do not lament, for you have attained eternal life of bl i ss. For me, you
have cut all chains of material attachment. I wi l l not be abl e to repay the debt of
love you have shown. Be naturall y satisfied in your servi ce."
To those who rejects the nectarean instructi ons of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and
t akes up other teachings, Rsabha deva has give the following i nstructi ons in the
Fifth Canto of Bhagavatam, 5th Chapter. Keep thi s i nstruction i n your mi nd.
One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and
death should never become a spiri tual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a
worshipable demigod.
1 I offer my obeisances unto the feet of all who hear or read this di scourse. Ki ndl y
hear with attention the concl usion of all these statements. A si ncere student
should not neglect di scussion of such concl usi ons, considering them
controversial, for such discussions strengthen the mi nd. Thus one s mi nd
becomes attached to Sri Krsna. C. C. . Adi . 2. 116-117
Study Srimad Bhagavatam very scruti ni zi ngly. Then you wi l l understand the
actual meaning of Brahma sutra. C. C. Madhya 25.153
2 Tenth Canto, Bhagavatam, Gita Govinda of Jayadeva, Krsna Karnamrta of
Bilvamangala, Lalita Madhava and Vidagdha Madhava by:Rupa Gosvami
3 khalu visaya samsaya purvapaksa siddhanta sangati bhedat panca nyayangani
Baladeva, Vedanta Sutra
0 It is that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get
relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but thi s is not suffi ci ent to gi ve
satisfaction to the soul, for thi s is derived from devoti onal service to the
Personality of Godhead. S.B.1.6.35%
5 If varnasrasma dhkaram is to be established again, the faults that have arisen
the present system must be given up. Those who wi sh to benefi t thei r nati on
should institute the fol l owing i nstruct i ons, otherwise he cannot benefit the nati on.
Having completed brahmacari li fe, opne should becomea grhastha. Havi ng
become a grhastha one should become a vanaprastha. Having become a
vanaprastha one should become a sannyasi. But a brahmacari or a grhastha may
also become a sannyasi. Jabala Upanisad
Thus when all a man s activities are dedicated to the service of the Lord, those very
activities which caused his perpetual bondage become the destroyer of the tree of
work. What ever work i s done here in thi s l ife for the satisfaction of the mi ssion
of the Lord is called bhakti yoga, or transcendental loving service to the Lord, and
what is called knowl edge becomes a concomitant factor S.B.1.5.39-35
If one acts in his profession according to his posi tion i n the modes of nature and
S.B.5.5.18
gradually gives up these activities, he attains the niskama stage. If one shows the
symptoms of being a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra, as described above, even
i f he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted according to those
symptoms of classification. S.B.7.11.32,35
6 If one worships the Lord, what is the necessity of austerities> If one does not
worship the Lord, what is accompl i shed by austerities> If the Lord i s realized
within and wi thout, then what can austerity accompl i sh> If the Lord cannot be
realized within or wi t hout , what can austeri ties accomplish> Nar ada Pancaratra
7 Remembrance of Lord Krsna's lotus feet destroys everything inauspi ci ous and
awards the greatest good fortune. It pur i f i es the heart and bestows devotion for
the Supreme Soul, along with knowl edge enri ched with real i zation and
renunciation. S.B.12.12.55