In
Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life
by Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
In 1959, just after entering the renounced order of life, Srila Prabhubada
composed this naration. Likely to be his very first literary work after taking
sannyasa, In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life is a treasure most sublime.
The style of Srila Prabhupada's writing in this manuscript is revealing. In it,
he makes readers feel the urgency of
Pranams by the Author
1 - Varna and Asrama Jeopardized
Introduction
In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life was written by our Divine
Guide and Master, Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri
Srimad A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada just after his entering the
renounced order of life in the autumn of 1959. At that time, Srila Prabhupada
was living in Sri Vrndavana-dhama and would sometimes practice madhukari.
Madhukari means to collect a little food door to door for ones maintenance
just as the bee collects a little pollen flower to flower. Srila Prabhupada,
however, often requested the householders whom he called upon to give pen and
paper for his writing rather than the rice, dahl, and chapatis traditionally
sought by holy men practicing madhukari.
On those papers that he received as alms, Srila Prabhupada wrote page after
page, preparing his messages of Godhead for the world. Some of the manuscripts
he published in his Back to Godhead magazine, and others,
like Easy Journey to Other Planets, he printed as small booklets.
Although unable to publish everything he wrote, Srila Prabhupada nevertheless continued
to write and stockpile his manuscripts. Unfortunately, some of the early
writings of His Divine Grace were lost after Srila Prabhupada left Sri
Vrndavana-dhama to conduct his worldwide campaign of spreading Krsna
consciousness.
In 1977, just on the eve of our Divine Masters departure for the eternal
abode of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, I found a handwritten manuscript at the bottom of
an old metal trunk in the Radha-Damodara temple. The handwriting was easily
recognizable as Srila Prabhupadas. After the disappearance of His Divine
Grace, I carried the manuscript with me wherever I went, showing it to
interested devotees. On several occasions, my godbrothers suggested that I
publish the manuscript for wide-scale distribution.
The original manuscript of more than two hundred pages was entitled Lord
Caitanya: His Sannyasa and Sankirtana Movement. Unfortunately, 40 pages
were missing from the middle section. For several years, we searched for those
missing pages but were unable to find them. The manuscript was therefore
divided into two parts. The first part describes Lord Caitanyas traveling from
Navadvipa-dhama to Jagannatha Puri immediately after His accepting the sannyasa
order, the Lords visiting the temple of Ksiracora Gopinatha, the pastime of
the Gopinatha Deity stealing the offering of condensed milk to satisfy His pure
devotee Sripad Madhavendra Puri, and the pastime of
the Saksi Gopala Deity appearing as a witness to defeat the atheists. The
second part of the manuscript describes the talks between Lord Caitanya and
Ramananda Raya when the two met on the banks of the river
In the second part of the manuscript, Srila Prabhupada preaches very
enthusiasticallydiscussing the varnasrama system, chastising the materialists,
condemning the impersonalist conception, exposing the imitationists, praising
the virtues and characteristics of pure devotion, and entering into
confidential descriptions of the nature of rasa-tattva, the transcendental
mellowness of spontaneous love of Godhead.
Because the talks between Lord Caitanya and Ramananda Raya had already been
published by His Divine Grace in The Teachings of Lord Caitanya and his Caitanya-caritamrta
purports, we hesitated to publish the manuscript, thinking that Srila
Prabhupada had already published what he wanted to say on the subject. How-
ever, by the grace of Srila Prabhupada, I was inspired to read the manuscript
again and again until finally I realized that my beloved gurudeva had expanded
on some very confidential points in his original manuscript, which he did not
fully reveal in either The Teachings of Lord Caitanya or the Caitanya-caritamrta
purports.
The style of Srila Prabhupadas writing in the manuscript is revealing. His
Divine Grace makes his reader feel the urgency of Krsna consciousness, a
remarkable ability, which so much characterized his eminent position as a world
acarya. Taking his readers to the realm of divine love, Srila Prabhupada
extensively and freely reveals madhurya-premathe amorous love affairs
of Srimati Radharani and Her cowherd girlfriends with Sri Krsna, the absolute
King of Love, in the groves of Vrndavanaas the topmost platform of spontaneous
love of Godhead. Thus the manuscript not only illuminates Srila Prabhupadas
position as a world acarya, but reveals his position as an intimate
associate of both Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. Therefore,
although I am a most fallen soul, I still felt strongly that it would greatly
please Srila Prabhupada if I were to publish the second part of the manuscript
under a separate title, which he himself uses in the manuscript: In Search
of the Ultimate Goal of Life.
The talks between Lord Caitanya and Ramananda Raya constitute the acme of
all theistic conceptions, and thus are held in the highest regard by all
Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas. The conversation between Lord Caitanya and
Ramananda Raya reveals the most esoteric truth about Vaisnava philosophy,
allowing the reader to enter into the inner identity of the Lord and the
purpose of His appearance. These talks are an important topic of Gaudiya
Vaisnava siddhanta for all aspiring devotees. Srila Prabhupadas writing
on this topic just after his accepting sannyasa is evidence of the
special importance of these discussions for people in the renounced order of
life. That he did not venture to publish it immediately is further evidence of
the highly confidential and esoteric nature of this essay.
Because the topic is a highly confidential subject matter, one may ask,
"What is the need to publish it, thus making it available to even neophyte
devotees?" The answer is that although Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested
that Ramananda Raya not disclose this topic but keep it a secret, Srila
Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami in his Caitanya-caritamrta openly reveals the
details of the Lords talks with Ramananda and encourages all the devotees to
enter deeply into their inner meaning.
Srila Prabhupada calls the discussions between Lord Caitanya and Ramananda
Raya "In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life" and requests his
readers to enter into the essence of transcendental romance and pure love of
Godhead by sincerely hearing his humble narration. Therefore, we felt that if
we did not publish this manuscript, the worldwide community of devotees would
be deprived of a most valuable gift.
As far as possible, we have tried to present the words of His Divine Grace
in such a way as to preserve the original, charming mood of the author, but the
readers must take into account that at the time of writing his manuscript Srila
Prabhupada had very little formal training in English or extensive contact with
English-speaking people. Actually, His Divine Grace has simply allowed the
editors of this book to render some menial service to his lotus feet out of his
unlimited mercy, so we earnestly request that the readers try to grasp the
spirit of this book and kindly forgive any defects there may be in our attempt
to present it.
The devotees who have surrendered at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu and desire only to become the servants of the maidservants of Sri
Sri Radha-Krsna will surely become enlivened by this publication. Others, who
are not in the line of pure devotion, rupanuga-bhajana, will not be able
to understand the contents or the importance of this book. We humbly pray for
the mercy of our Divine Master and for the blessings of all the Vaisnavas that
we may always be engaged in the heartfelt service of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu
and His confidential associates as our life and soul.
Swami B.G. Narasingha
prabhupada pranams
First of all, I beg to submit
to the lotus feet of my spiritual master, prabhupada
Saraswati Goswami Maharaja,
who has opened my spiritual vision
and eradicated the darkness of ignorance
by his forceful message of the transcendental world.
It is only by the mercy of His Divine Grace
that I have been able to remove
the impersonal calamity.
I offer my most sincere obeisances
unto the lotus feet of the Lord of Lords,
who is the protector of all surrendered souls.
The Supreme Lord is always anxious to bestow
upon us the fortune of unalloyed love of God,
untouched by such deviating processes
as dry speculative empiric knowledge
or the unsatiated desire for fruitive activities
meant only to acquire temporary material gains.
He is the supreme leader of the chain of disciplic succession
in the line of Srila Ananda Tirtha.
He is worshiped by Sri Sriman Adwaita Prabhu
and Sri Sriman Haridasa Thakura,
who are incarnations of Maha-Visnu
and Brahma respectively.
He delivers His devotees, such as
the brahmana leper Vasudeva,
from all ailments.
He is the deliverer
of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya
and King Prataparudra,
who were suffering from the pangs
of material renunciation
and enjoyment respectively.
I offer my most sincere obeisances
unto the lotus feet of the Lord of Lords
who superficially accepted
the renounced life of a sannyasi
to make the brahmana's curse effective.
In the garb of a sannyasi, He initiated
the transcendental ecstasy of spontaneous love of God
as was felt by Srimati Radharani
in Her amorous desire to meet Sri Krsna.
In the quest of such spontaneous love of God,
the Lord relinquished the association
of His eternal consort Sri Laksmi Visnupriya Devi,
who was dearest to Him and whose mercy is most ardently
sought after by all true devotees of God
and even by the denizens of heaven.
The Lord accepted the renounced order of life
in accordance with the foretelling inculcated
in the Mahabharata, the Vedas, and the Srimad Bhagavatam
in order to bestow His causeless mercy upon us,
who are addicted to the false enjoyment of
fame, glory, the opposite sex, and wealth
in this material world.
While on tour of
"If a person performs the
prescribed duties of his social position, he awakens his original Krsna
consciousness."
Supporting his statement, Ramananda then cited a verse from the Visnu Purana
(3.8.9):
visnur
aradhyate pantha
nanyat tat-dosa-karanam
"The Personality of Godhead Lord Visnu is worshiped by the proper
performance of prescribed duties in the system of
Varna and Asrama Jeopardized
Hearing this statement from Ramananda Raya, Lord Caitanya replied that the
system of varnasrama-dharma was external and thus it was not acceptable. Lord
Caitanya also rejected the statement of Ramananda because the system of
varnasrama-dharma is now jeopardized by the influence of the present age of
Kali, the age of quarrel and fighting.
In the Bhagavad-gita, the Personality of Godhead declares that the
varnasrama system is created by Him, although He is aloof from such a system.
Because the varnasrama system is a creation of the Personality of Godhead, it is
not possible to do away with it. However, the nefarious activities of the
people of the age of Kali can jeopardize the varnasrama system. We have
purposely used the word jeopardized because the whole system still exists but
in a reflected form.
In the varnasrama system of social management, the aim of life is to attain
the favor of Lord Visnu, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead.
Unfortunately, at the present moment the aim of life is to displease the
all-pervading Godhead and thereby suffer perpetually under the laws of material
nature. The goal of the varnasrama system is to peacefully perform the
prescribed duties of humanity and thereby achieve the highest success, namely
the favor of Lord Visnu. But when the aim of life is the planned exploitation
of material nature, all life is jeopardized on account of the human race
fighting with the laws of nature.
The arrangement of nature is so strict that even a slight violation of the
laws of nature can do great harm to a conditioned human being. Human beings
must always consider themselves to be living under the stringent laws of
nature. They must always remember that their plans for breaking natures laws
will bring about tremendous hardship. Regrettably, human beings under the
deluding influence of material nature want to lord it over the laws of nature,
and, as such, they are more and more entangled in conditioned life. Foolish
human beings do not see the defect of their so-called advancement of knowledge.
The most difficult problems of life are birth, death, old age, and disease.
These four problems are a permanent settlement for the conditioned soul. Human
beings want to lord it over the laws of nature but their so-called advancement
of scientific knowledge cannot solve these problems.
A continuous increase of world population to the proportion of three births
in every second has puzzled the brains of the leaders of society. To solve the
problem of birth, they put forward rascal plans of birth control under the name
of family planning, yet the problem is unsolved. By the laws of nature, the
population is ever-increasing in spite of all their scientific plans and
schemes. On the whole, the problem of birth has remained unsolved.
Mother
Natures Atom Bomb
The death problem is also not solved. None of the scientific knowledge of
the human being has solved the death problem. The advancement of material
knowledge can simply accelerate the problem of dying; nobody can save a person
from the cruel hands of death. The discovery of the atom bomb and similar other
great inventions of the fertile brain of the scientist has simply increased the
death problem. The foolish scientists do not know that the atom bomb is
actually the scheme of Mother Nature, who is sure to kill the demoniac
population when it increases disproportionately.
Modern economists also believe in the laws of nature and confirm that
unrestricted birth increases in the human population will certainly result in
famine, pestilence, epidemics, and war. So, the so-called civilized states
plan of killing human beings by atomic and hydrogen bombs is actually the plan
of Mother Nature to punish the foolish miscreants.
Everything is automatically executed by Mother Nature as soon as the human
being is in violation of her laws. However, foolish people, out of their undue
vanity, think that the plan is made by them. To execute her stringent
punishment, Mother Nature dictates to the human brain the ability to invent the
atomic bomb. Foolishly, the human being wants to take the credit for such
inventions, which are meant only for punishment. We learn this fact from the
Bhagavad-gita (3.27), wherein it is said that everything is done by prakrti or
Mother Nature. But the foolish living entity, puffed up by the vanity of
learning, falsely considers himself the Creator.
The
Problem Remains the Same
Without going further into the details of birth and death in terms of
modernized scientific plans, it can safely be said that the problem of birth
and death remains in its original proportion. Nothing has been done to increase
or decrease the problem.
The problem of old age and disease is also not solved. The more the
inventions of modernized science are made, the more relative diseases increase
proportionately.
We can again conclude that birth, death, old age, and disease are the sum
total of all the problems of material existence and can never be solved by any
plan made by human beings. If a human being wants to solve all the problems of
material existence, he must abide by the advice of Godhead that only by full
surrender unto Him can one be saved from the stringent conditions of the
material laws of nature.
Perverted
Castes
The system of varnasrama-dharma as it is mentioned in the scriptures aims at
achieving the favor of Lord Visnu. This is the only solution to the problem of
birth and death. The jeopardized system of varnasrama-dharma has produced a
perverted form, commonly known as the caste system. The caste system is now
represented by the political diplomats, the soldiers, the capitalists, and the
laborers. The politicians or the best planning brains of the human race have
taken the position of brahmanas. Surely the brahmana possesses the best brain
for solving the problems of human life, but the politicians are simply using
the best part of their brains for executing their own selfish plans. Avoiding
the orders of the Supreme Godhead, they only bring disorder to the society.
The military arrangement is a false representation of the ksatriyas, who are
meant to give protection to the public at large. However, the military leaders
of every country are sucking the blood of the masses by imposing heavy,
unbearable taxes, instead of giving any actual protection.
The capitalists, who represent vaisyas, instead of accumulating wealth for
carrying out the will of Lord Visnu, are amassing huge wealth for their own
sense gratification. As a result of this, many problems, such as political
policies that exploit the masses, have sprung up in all parts of the world. The
laborers are a per- verted representation of the sudras, who are serving the
capital- ists under the pressure of many obligations. They are always groaning
to make an adjustment to the labor problem by raising political issues.
The system of varnasrama-dharma has not been ostracized as some may wish,
but the whole system has now been pervertedly represented by politicians in the
position of brahmanas; military men in the position of the ksatriyas;
individual capitalists in the position of the vaisyas; and the ordinary
laborers in the position of the sudras. The whole system is perverted by the
lawbreaking attitude of mankind. This is spoiling the atmosphere of peaceful
progress in human life. At present, the system of perverted varnasrama-dharma
cannot in any way please the Supreme Godhead Visnu. Thus no one can escape the
police action of Mother Nature, regardless of how expert one may be in material
science.
Real
The varnasrama system, originated by the Personality of Godhead, is
spiritually significant because when all the varnas and asramas cooperate,
society facilitates deliverance from the clutches of maya or illusion. This is
done by all varnas and asramas carrying out the plan of Godhead. The brahmana
is considered the mouth of the virat-purusa (the cosmophysical feature of the
Personality of Godhead). The ksatriyas are the arms, the vaisyas are the
stomach, and the sudras are the legs. The functioning of the mouth is
recognized by sound. Therefore, the function of the brahmanas or sannyasis is
to transmit the transcendental sound of the Vedas so that every human being can
know what is what in relation to the Supreme. By transmission of transcendental
sound, human beings will know their actual identities as superior in nature to
matter. Thus they will know their eternal relationship with Godhead. Knowing
this, they will be engaged in carrying out the plan of Godhead, instead of
serving the deluding energy with a false notion of lording it over her.
Carrying out the plan of Godhead will help the conditioned soul get out of the
clutches of the deluding energy and enter into the
Every living being is struggling in this material world for eternal life,
knowledge, and bliss, but is bewildered by the deluding energy. The plan of
Godhead is so designed that in the human form of life one can get out of the
entanglement of material existence. Because the ksatriyas are the arms of the
virat-purusa, it is their duty to protect the whole body and cooperate with the
mouth, stomach, and legs. The system of varnasrama is a spiritual plan of
cooperation for mutual benefit, and therefore it is essential that it be
maintained in its original dignity. As it stands now, it is perverted and
diseased.
The so-called brahmanas have become detached from the body of the
virat-purusa because they do not transmit the transcendental sounds of the
Vedas. A head that is cut off from the body certainly cannot produce any sound.
Such a dead head, although called a brahmana, has no real value as a head.
Similarly, those brahmanas who simply claim to be so by a custom of hereditary
right also have no value as brahmanas, because they have no power to function
as the mouth of Godhead. In the same manner, whoever fails to carry out the
plan of Godhead as part and parcel of the virat-purusa must be considered
fallen and detached from his position. Such separated
parts are of no value as mouths, arms, stomachs, or legs.
Thus Lord Caitanya rejected Ramanandas proposal, because in the age of Kali
the varnasrama-dharma is so degraded that any attempt to restore it to its
original position will be hopeless. He also rejected varnasrama-dharma because
it has no value in relation to pure devotional service.
The second, more important consideration is that even if the varnasrama
system is observed strictly, it still cannot help one to rise to the highest
plane of transcendental service to Godhead. The virat-purusa is a material
conception of the Personality of Godhead and is just the beginning of spiritual
realization. The topmost spiritual realization is attraction for de- votional
service to the Personality of Godhead. Such attraction for devotional service
is the only necessity for the living being and it automatically brings a sense
of detachment from all other activities.
The Personality of Godhead is worshiped by pure devotional service and He
becomes available to His devotees through such devotion. Pure devotional
service is produced by cultivation of pure knowledge and activities under the
regulative principles of the scriptures. Thus the varnasrama system is
explained in relation to pure devotion by Bhagavan Purusa, the Personality of
Godhead Sri Krsna, who descended to this material world for the deliverance of
all fallen souls. The Bhagavad-gita (18.45-46) states:
sve
sve karmany abhiratah
samsiddhim labhate narah
sva-karma-niratah siddhim
yatha vindati tac chrnu
yatah
pravrttir bhutanam
yena sarvam idam tatam
sva-karmana tam abhyarcya
siddhim vindati manavah
"Every human being will attain the highest goal of life simply by
worshiping the Personality of Godhead, from whom all the living entities have
come into being and by whom the whole cosmos is generated and again
withdrawn."
Worshiping Godhead by prescribed duties is the beginning of devotional
service, and all the great sages like Taka, Dramida, Bharuci, Bodhayana,
Guhadeva, and Kapardi have approved of this system of gradual progress. All the
ancient authorities have commented upon the Vedas in accordance with this
principle. The authorities of the Ramanuja sect of Vaisnavas also affirm the
above:
The easiest way of attaining the Absolute Truth is
to culture knowledge about the Absolute Truth as it is described in the
scriptures while simultaneously performing ones prescribed duty. This process
is almost direct realization of the path of devotional service. Realization of
the Absolute Truth by proper observance of the varnasrama system does not mean
to accept only the renounced order of life sannyasa, but it means that everyone
can attain the highest goal by the performance of his own duties. Proper
performance does not necessarily mean to take sannyasa.
Ramananda Raya, after being asked by Lord Caitanya to define the highest
standard of perfection in human life, had taken up the cause of ordinary people
and supported the utility of varnasrama-dharma by quoting the Visnu Purana. He
said that the performance of duties according to varnasrama-dharma should be
taken as the highest perfection of life.
Yet because the varnasrama-dharma system is a problem within the material
world in the age of Kali, Lord Caitanya wanted to distinguish it from the
devotional activities, which are transcendental by nature. Taking into
consideration the transcendental nature of devotional service, which is the
highest perfection of life, Lord Caitanya declared the system of
varnasrama-dharma to be external. Lord Caitanya wanted human beings to make
further advancement in the process of spiritual realization than what is
possible by the performance of varnasrama-dharma.
Although the aim of varnasrama-dharma is to satisfy the all-pervading
Godhead Visnu, it does not explicitly mention devotional service rendered
directly to the Personality of Godhead. Without being specifically engaged in
devotional service, even the proper performance of varnasrama-dharma may lead
one to accept either the impersonal or personal feature of Godhead. Impersonal
realization of the Absolute Truth will mar the progress of devotional service.
Therefore, Lord Caitanya did not wish to risk the human life in that way, and
thus He rejected varnasrama-dharma as external.
Lord Caitanyas rejection of the value of varnasrama-dharma indicated that
Ramananda should suggest a more comprehensive process of self-realization.
Hodge-podge Impersonalism
Taking the hint from Lord Caitanya, Ramananda Raya quoted a verse from the
Bhagavad-gita (9.27) about the process of dedicating all ones karma (fruitive
actions) to Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead.
yat karosi
yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
yat kurusva mad-arpanam
"O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you
offer or give away, as well as all austerities that you perform, do as an
offering unto Me."
To give and take means one person giving and another person receiving. This
distinct feature of dealings between the living entity and the Personality of
Godhead is a more clear conception of ones proper relationship with the
Absolute Truth than that which is found in varnasrama-dharma.
The present age of Kali is almost fully surcharged with the imperfect idea
of the Absolute Truth being impersonal. The mayavada school has chiefly
fathered this impersonal idea of the Absolute Truth by systematic propaganda
since the time of Sripad Sakaracarya. People of
demoniac nature, who are now flourishing in all parts of the world, have
relished this hodge-podge impersonal idea of the Absolute Truth for their own
less than spiritual purposes.
The materialistic people of the world are practically all atheistic and
immoral due to the infectious conditions of Kali-yuga. The Kali-yuga is
predominated by illegitimate connection with the opposite sex, killing of
animals, intoxication, and gambling. The materialists are almost all notorious
for all these kinds of nefarious works in spite of their so-called education
and knowledge. They are, in the language of the Bhagavad-gita, duskrtina,
qualified in the wrong way. When a human beings activity is targeted towards
self-realization, it is right activity. Wrong activity means entangling oneself
more and more in the conditions of material nature. Krti means one who is
qualified and dus means the wrong way. So the combined word duskrtina means one
who is qualified in the wrong way.
Educated Means Atheist
The advancement of material education has produced many graduates,
postgraduates, professors, and many other so-called enlightened people in this
age of Kali, but most of them are being wrongly educated. The result is that
the more people are educated, the more they become immoral and atheistic.
Moreover, wrongly educated people have practically no faith in the scriptural
injunctions. They have no respect for the self-realized sages who have left behind
many valuable literary works, which are considered the treasure chest of
spiritual cultivation.
To further misguide these wrongly qualified persons, the pasandis or
atheists in the garb of spiritual instructors encourage them in the wrong
method of livelihood. This has been predicted in the Srimad-Bhagavatam
(12.4.43-44). Sukadeva Goswami addressed King Pariksit, "O my King, in the
age of Kali, almost all the people who are destined to die do not worship the
Absolute Personality of Godhead who is the Lord of the universe and is
respectfully obeyed by all the demigods such as Brahma, Mahadeva, Indra, and
others. Unfortunately, the people in the age of Kali worship pasandis, who
misrepresent the teachings of the Vedas by atheistic culture. These people, infected
by the sinful activities of Kali, do not worship the Personality of Godhead,
the remembrance of whose name onlyeven by a dying person, a person in trouble,
or a person who has fallen downcan deliver all from distress and sin, and lift
them to the highest goal of life."
The pasandis have most successfully misdirected the so-called enlightened
people of Kali-yuga. They have successfully produced or manufactured many
avataras or incarnations of Godhead of their own choice without any reference
to the sastras (scriptures) and propagated the false idea of impersonal
liberation as the highest achievement in life.
Sankara Astonished
These impersonalists of the present age declare themselves to be the
followers of Sripad Sankaracarya, but even if Sankaracarya himself happened to
appear, he would be astonished to see his so-called followers. In fact, these
impersonalists are all atheists and materialists. They have nothing to do
either with the actual brahmavada school of Sankaracarya or with the bhagavata
sampradaya represented by the Vaisnava acaryas.
The impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth, as propounded by the
so-called brahmavada school, falls short of spiritual progress from its first
step. Sankaracaryas impersonal conception of brahmavada had some meaning
because he emphasized renouncing material activities. His ideal example of
renunciation, as personally practiced and taught by him, has great significance
for the demoniac people of the age of Kali, but the present impersonalists do
not follow Sankaracarya or the sastra. They do, however, preach something that
is not only absurd from all spiritual points of view, but is the start of
material enjoyment, which they try to cover with the red garments of
renunciation. These so-called followers of Sripad Sankaracarya are condemned by
Sankaracarya himself, because they have taken the red dress simply for the
matter of filling their bellies.
The atheistic impersonalists have done tremendous harm to the potential for
spiritual advancement of the people in general. Therefore, the impersonalists
have become the principal target of reformation for the peaceful sakirtana movement of Lord Caitanya.
Absolute Truth is Personal
The Absolute Truth is ultimately a person who is supreme and all-powerful.
He is called Purusottama. Impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of His personal
body and localized Paramatma or the Supersoul is His plenary part. That is the
verdict of all the sastras, especially the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam,
and all other allied transcendental literatures. The whole sankirtana movement
of Lord Caitanya is aimed at giving importance to the Personality of Godhead
and His transcendental service. As such, Lord Caitanya always regarded the
impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth as detrimental to the path of
devotional activities. He considered the system of varnasrama-dharma to be
external because even if varnasrama-dharma is properly carried out, one still
cannot get a clear conception of the Personality of Godhead.
Ramanandas suggestion of the sloka from the Bhagavad-gita about offering
everything to Krsna definitely advances the conception of the Personality of
Godhead, but still the practice of this conception is not fully transcendental.
Thus the varnasrama-dharma conception can hardly help to raise the practitioner
to the transcendental spiritual plane. Lord Caitanya thus rejected this
material conception of the Personality of Godhead and called it external.
No Clear Idea
The grossly materialistic people cannot understand how it is possible to
give away the result of ones own work. It is impossible for grossly
materialistic people to part with their earnings that are made by their
personal effort. Such gross materialists can simply get information from the
suggestion that they have to give away the result of their personal labor to
the Personality of Godhead. But because they do not have a clear idea of the
Personality of Godhead or the process of giving the result of their earnings to
the Personality of Godhead, it is very difficult for them to practice this
conception.
When Lord Caitanya rejected Ramananda Rayas second suggestion of directly
offering the fruits of ones actions to God rather than indirectly through the
varnasrama system, Ramananda then made a third suggestion. He proposed that
ordinary people, who are fully engaged in the act of earning and enjoying,
improve their life by giving up the process of continuing to live in the
material world while offering the fruits of their labor to God. On the basis of
this improved idea, Ramananda quoted a sloka from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.11.32):
ajnayaivam
gunan dosan
mayadistan api svakan
dharman samtyajya yah sarvan
mam bhajet sa ca sattamah
In this sloka, the Personality of Godhead says, "Occupational duties
are described in the religious scriptures. If one analyzes them, one can fully
understand their qualities and faults and then give them up completely to
render service unto Me. Such a person is accepted as a
saint of the highest order."
This conception is based on the fact that ultimately the acceptance of the
devotional service of Godhead is the highest aim of religious perfection. By
performing religious duties, if we can reach pure devotion, we may be
considered first-class sadhus or saints.
Accept Sannyasa
Ramananda suggested that we give up practicing the rules of
varnasrama-dharma and take sannyasa. Acceptance of sannyasa means to renounce
materialistic life, and in doing so one has to engage fully in the devotional
service of Godhead. In support of this idea, Ramananda quoted the above sloka
from the Srimad-Bhagavatam. He also supported his suggestion with another sloka
from the Bhagavad-gita (18.66):
sarva-dharman
parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
Here, the Personality of Godhead desires that everyone give up all other
religious considerations and engage wholly and solely in following Him
exclusively. "I will protect you from all difficulties arising out of
renouncing all other engagements. You have nothing to fear."
Go Higher
An improved consciousness for the materialists is a desire to either retire
from material activities or stay at a place that is undisturbed by the uproar
of the modes of nature. The river Viraja is outside the boundary of the
material world where there is no disturbance from the three modes of nature.
The material world is the creation of the external energy of Godhead, and
Vaikuntha, the spiritual world, is the creation of the internal energy of
Godhead. Viraja is situated between the material world and the spiritual world.
It is outside the boundary of both the material and the spiritual world.
However, renunciation without any positive engagement is imperfect and cannot
give the candidate the desired result of love of God.
The aim of Lord Caitanya is to bring people to the spiritual world.
Therefore, this suggestion of Ramananda, which does not take one within the
boundary of Vaikuntha, was also rejected by the Lord. Negating the material
activities or becoming disinterested in material activities does not suggest
accepting positive spiritual activities. Spiritual activities completely depend
on spiritual understanding. People having no realization of the spiritual world
cannot sustain themselves by giving up all other activities. One must have a
positive transcendental engagement. Otherwise, simply negating the material
activities of religiosity will not help one the slightest bit in spiritual
realization. By such renunciation, one will simply feed a void in his life and
will again be attracted by the material activities for want of actual spiritual
engagements. This sort of spiritual realization is another type of impersonal
conception and is therefore not ultimately suitable for the prospective
devotee.
Mixed Devotion
Ramananda, having realized the desire of Lord Caitanya, then
suggested an improved process, called calculated devotion (jnana-misra-bhakti).
Driven by a false sense of oneness with the Absolute Truth, the empiric
philosopher tries to make an analytical study of the cosmic situation to find out
the Absolute Truth. When he has done so, he becomes cheerful on account of his
self-realization.
The symptoms of perfect realization of the Absolute Truth, which promote one
to the stage of pure devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, are described
in the Bhagavad-gita (18.54). This was quoted by Ramananda as a further
improvement on the suggestion of renunciation of karma:
brahma-bhutah
prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
"The practitioner who has realized the Absolute Truth as the
nondifferentiated impersonal Brahman does not lament over any material loss,
neither does he desire any material gain. He is equipoised towards all objects
of the material world, and these conditions make him fit to be promoted to the
pure devotional service of Godhead."
However, the brahma-bhutah state of consciousness is also not a fully
transcendental state of spiritual existence. The supramental consciousness, as
exists in the spiritual
Lord Caitanya wants the living entity to be free from every type of material
consciousness, including becoming unconcerned with empiric knowledge and
fruitive activities. One should stay in pure consciousness, as even a slight
tinge of material consciousness causes an impersonal conception of the Absolute
Truth. In all these different stages of material consciousness, only imaginary
arguments predominate over the Absolute Personality of Godhead. Imaginary
argumentative endeavors are detrimental to the pure devotional service of
Godhead, and, as such, even the liberated state as above mentioned is external.
This liberated state is something like the convalescent stage after relief from
a disease. If a convalescent person is not properly taken care of, a relapse of
the disease may mar the whole attempt at recovery.
In the brahma-bhuta liberated stage, one has not yet obtained a resting
place at the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead. As such, one is still
unsupported and thus runs the chance of falling down again into material
activities. It is therefore also external and thus the fourth suggestion of
Ramananda was rejected by Lord Caitanya.
Knowledge-free Devotion
Ramananda then suggested the beginning of pure devotional service
unconcerned with empiric knowledge or fruitive activity. To support this
suggestion, Ramananda quoted a statement of Brahma during his prayer of regret
before Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead:
jnane
prayasam udapasya namanta eva
jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam
stane stitah sruti-gatam tanu-va-manobhir
ye prayaso jita jito py asi tais tri-lokyam
"O my Lord, those devotees who completely give up the attempt to become
one with You by the culture of empiric knowledge and simply try to hear about
Your glories from the mouths of self-realized saints, and who live a virtuous
life, can easily achieve Your favor although You are unconquerable by anyone
within the three worlds."(Bhag. 10.14.3)
This stage of culturing devotional service directly was accepted by Lord
Caitanya. All the previously described stages of the culture of spiritual
realization were rejected by Lord Caitanya most logically. The Lord, however,
accepted the universal method of hearing the glories of the Personality of
Godhead in all circumstances from the mouths of self-realized souls and giving
up the attempt to become one with Godhead.
The poison of attempting to become one with Godhead kills the nucleus of
devotional service. Anyone actually desiring to be engaged in the
transcendental loving service of Godhead must definitely give up this idea for
good. In the Caitanya-caritamrta, it is said that the idea of being one with
Godhead is the topmost type of pretension, and even a slight development of
this idea will completely eliminate the prospect for devotional service. This
is the most dangerous misconception in spiritual life and one should at once
give up the idea.
Hear From Self-realized Souls
A pure living entity, being always subservient to the Almighty Godhead Sri
Krsna, should reverentially give an aural reception to the transcendental sound
emanating from the mouth of a self-realized soul describing the glories of the
Personality of Godhead. Only a self-realized soul can produce the powerful
effect of transcendental sound. Devotees must live thoroughly honest lives in
all respects by their body, mind, and words. These are the simple methods of
culturing spiritual realization to its zenith.
Lord Caitanya approved of this simple method for all classes of people
without any distinction of caste, creed, color, or education. The only
qualification of the practitioners that is essential for this spiritual culture
is that they at once give up the idea of becoming one with Godhead. This idea
of becoming one with Godhead is generally only acquired by the empiric
philosopher, but otherwise every human being naturally feels that God is
greater than himself and that he is always subservient to all His wishes. Even
a great personality like Mahatma Gandhi always spoke in terms of "God is
great." Gandhi often said, "Not a blade of grass moves without the
sanction of God."
Therefore, the imaginary idea of becoming one with Godhead is a mental
creation of the empiric philosopher as a result of his material vanity.
Otherwise, the idea has no substance. The idea of becoming one with Godhead is
artificial and a simple-hearted person is always against such an idea.
Rejecting the idea of becoming one with Godhead is always natural for everyone
and nobody has to make any special attempt to dismiss this foolishness.
The next qualification is to become gentle and humble when hearing from a
self-realized soul. The Bhagavad-gita is the direct transcendental message of
Godhead, and the prospective devotee must receive this message with all
gentleness and humility from a self-realized soul.
The method of receiving the message of Godhead, as mentioned in the fourth
chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, is to hear from the chain of disciplic
succession. It is said there that the system of spiritual realization was first
disclosed to Vivasvan, the sun-god, who transmitted the message to Manu, the
father of mankind. Manu then transmitted the subject to his son Iksvaku. By the
transcendental method of disciplic succession, the system was realized by all
the rajarsis, saintly kings. Unfortunately, the chain was broken and the
message had to again be revived beginning with Arjuna, the friend and devotee
of Sri Krsna.
The prospective devotees qualification of hearing the transcendental
message will not depend on birth, heritage, education, caste, creed, color, or
nationality, but will depend on humility and finding the proper source for
receiving the transcendental message. The mystery of the message as mentioned
in the Bhagavad-gita must therefore be understood in terms of the realization
of Arjuna and nobody else. The realization of Arjuna is also mentioned in the
Bhagavad-gita, and whoever speaks in the line of that realization is to be considered
a self-realized soul. The message of Bhagavad-gita is to be heard from a
self-realized soul and not from anyone speculating on dry subjects with
imaginary meanings. The un-bona-fide attempt at hearing will simply be a waste
of time. The devotee must always be careful that the speaker is in the
transcendental line of disciplic succession called the parampara. The
qualification of the prospective devotee should be that he must live an honest
life by his body, mind, and words, which will all depend on the mercy of
Godhead.
Spontaneous Love of Godhead
Thus the preliminary stage of culturing devotional service without any touch
of speculative knowledge was accepted by Lord Caitanya who then asked Ramananda
Raya to proceed further in developing the service sentiment to higher and
higher stages of love of Godhead until the highest stage was reached. To this
Ramananda answered that the progress in this line will end in the loving
service of Godhead. Every living entity has within his heart a dormant and eternal
love of Godhead. Spiritual culture is the attempt to revive that eternal love
of Godhead to its spontan- ous stage, and the beginning of that attempt is
receiving the transcendental message of Godhead from the right source a
self-realized soul. After receiving the transcendental message, this conception
has to be developed to the spontaneous stage of love of Godhead. Ramananda
describes the process in the following words:
nanopacara-krta-pujanam
arta-bandhoh
premnaiva bhakta-hrdayam sukha-vidrutam syat
yavat ksud asti jathare jaratha pipasa
tavat sukhaya bhavato nanu bhaksya-peye
"As long as there is acute hunger in the stomach, there is pleasure
in eating and drinking. Similarly, as long as ecstatic spontaneous love of God
is aroused in the mind of a devotee, the worship of Godhead with all kinds of
paraphernalia becomes the real cause of happiness." (Padyavali 13)
The purport of this statement is that hunger is the cause of pleasure in
taking foodstuffs. Similarly, spontaneous love of Godhead is the cause of all
pleasure in spiritual culture.Sri Ramananda Raya quoted another sloka as
follows:
krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita
matih
kriyatam yadi kuto 'pi labhyate
tatra laulyam api mulyam ekalam
janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate
"The intelligence for achieving the loving service of Godhead may be
purchased from anywhere it is available. The price for such a purchase is a
strong desire for achieving such a stage of life. Such a strong desire for
rendering loving service unto the Personality of Godhead is very, very rare
because it is developed by accumulating the results of many virtuous purifying
acts in thousands and thousands of lives." (Padyavali 14)
The desire for rendering loving service unto the Personality of Godhead is
an invaluable desire and it brings the highest spiritual perfection. It is very
rarely seen in the ordinary course of life. Lord Caitanya, being the most
magnanimous incarnation of the Personality of Godhead, out of His kindness and
causeless mercy upon the fallen souls of this age of Kali, is prepared to
bestow the highest benefit of life by the simple method of hearing and chanting
the glories of the Personality of Godhead. This is the beginning of the
transcendental method, gradually reaching to the stage of spontaneous love of
Godhead.
Dasya-Prema
To develop the conception, Lord Caitanya asked Ramananda to go further. As
such, Ramananda first suggested the devotional service called dasya-prema or
the mellow of transcendental servitude. He quoted a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam
that was uttered by Durvasa Muni. Durvasa Muni, with the pride of a caste brah-
mana, envied the pure devotee Maharaja Ambarisa, who happened to be a
householder king and by caste a ksatriya. Durvasa Muni wanted to put Maharaja
Ambarisa in trouble by the strength of his mystic prowess.
When Ambarisa Maharaja was put into trouble, the disc weapon of Lord Visnu,
sudarsana cakra, appeared to rescue Maharaja Ambarisa and attack Durvasa for
his nefarious deed of troubling a pure Vaisnava devotee. As Durvasa was being
harassed by the sudarsana cakra of Lord Visnu, he came to his senses and
understood that he was mistaken in considering a pure devotee to be less
qualified than a mystic like himself. In the end, Durvasa was excused by
Maharaja Ambarisa, who was naturally always forgiving to everyone. Durvasa
Muni, being relieved from his misconception of caste predominance, praised the
Personality of Godhead and His sweet relationship with His pure devotee. He
said, "Nothing is impossible for a pure devotee of the Personality of
Godhead because simply by hearing His transcendental name, a person becomes
purified of all vices." The purport is that if a person can become
purified of all sins simply by hearing the Holy Name of Godhead, what is impossible
for His servant who is constantly engaged in His service? Durvasa Muni
acknowledged the supremacy of a servant of Godhead over any kind of yogi, what
to speak of a jnani or karmi (empiric philosopher or fruitive worker).
The transcendental bliss that is enjoyed by a servant of the Personality of
Godhead has been described by Sri Yamunacarya. He said, "O my Lord, when
shall I feel myself to be Your absolutely faithful, bona fide servant, and live
in transcendental cheerfulness by constantly obeying Your orders after being
completely freed from all mental speculative desires?"
Sakhya-Prema
Lord Caitanya was satisfied by Ramanandas explanation of transcendental
servitude to the Personality of Godhead, and He asked Ramananda to go still
further. Ramananda then explained spontaneous loving service rendered by a
friend of the Personality of Godhead. This is called sakhya-prema or the
transcendental rasa of friendship with the Personality of Godhead.
raya
kahe"sakhya-premasarva-sadhya-sara
"Sakhya-prema is superior to dasya-prema in the following
respect: Although in dasya-prema there is a transcendental relationship with
Godhead as master and servant, it includes the sense that "God is my
maker."
Thus in dasya-prema there is an awareness of the greatness of the Personality
of Godhead, and as such dasya-prema is mixed with a sense of fear and reverence
for Him.
In sakhya-prema, the sense of fear and reverence is completely absent. On
the contrary, a sense of equality prevails in the sakhya-prema. This sense of
equality is an advance over the dasya-prema. Here is a quotation from
Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.12.11) on the subject of sakhya-prema:
ittham
satam brahma-sukhanubhutya
dasyam gatanam para-daivatena
mayasritanam nara-darakena
sardham vijahruh krta-punya-punjah
"The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, who is experienced by the
empiric philosophers as an impersonal feeling of transcendental bliss, who is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead to the devotees related with Him as master
and servant, and who is an ordinary human child to the people under the
illusion of the external energy, was playing in the rasa of friendship with the
cowherd boys of Vraja who obtained that stage of life after many, many virtuous
acts accumulated in many, many lives."
Vatsalya-Prema
Lord Caitanya approved of this advance and asked Ramananda to go still
further in the development of transcendental relationships. Sakhya-prema is an
advance in transcendental mellowness over dasya-prema, but vatsalya-prema,
parental affection, is still more advanced than sakhya-prema.Ramananda Raya
thus described a stanza from Srimad-Bhagavatam wherein the excellence of
vatsalya-prema is described.
nandah
kim akarod brahman
sreya evam mahodayam
yasoda va maha-bhaga
papau yasyah stanam harih
"O brahmana, it is puzzling to try to understand what virtuous acts
Nanda Maharaja performed that he could have Hari (Sri Krsna) as his son. It is
also puzzling to try to understand about Yasodadevi, who was addressed by the
Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna as Mother and whose breast He sucked in
filial affection."
Here is another quote from the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.9.20):
nemam
virinco na bhavo
na srir apy anga-samsraya
prasadam lebhire gopi
yat tat prapa vimuktidat
"Thus the blessing of the Personality of Godhead Sr Krsna, which
was gained by the cowherd lady Yasodadevi, was never expected by the demigods
like Brahma or Siva or even by Laksmidevi, who is the constant consort of the
Personality of Godhead Narayana."
This means that Srimati Yasodadevi and Nanda Maharaja worshiped the
Personality of Godhead with the conception of the sonhood of Godhead. In
Christianity the fatherhood of Godhead is accepted, and in Hinduism there is
worship of Sakti, the external energy of Godhead, the motherhood of Godhead.
Both of these shadows of vatsalya-prema are material or a product of the
external energy. They are a sort of perverted representation of the real
vatsalya-prema, because by such a material conception of fatherhood or
motherhood of Godhead, the worshipers aim is to extract service from the
Almighty.
The spirit of enjoyment and the spirit of renunciation are the predominant
factors of material existence. The enjoying spirit is cultivated by the karmis,
people engaged in fruitive activities, and the spirit of renunciation is
cultivated by the jnanis, empiric philosophers, who have become baffled by
their engagement in fruitive activities. Both the karmis and jnanis are
therefore materialists because both of them maintain the spirit of being served
by the Absolute Truth. To satisfy their own conceptions, both of them demand
something from the Absolute Truth.
The Absolute Truth is meant to be served by all living entities. He is not
meant to serve the living entities. The living entities are mentioned in the
Bhagavad-gita as the parts and parcels of the Absolute Truth. The parts and
parcels are meant to render service to the whole. It is absurd for the parts
and parcels to think of becoming one with the whole or to extract service from
the whole. The part and parcel living entity, when unfit to render service, is
detached from the whole. Therefore, the spirit of demanding service from the
Absolute Whole is a symptom of being detached from the Absolute Whole, or, in
other words, of being in the domain of the external energy of Godhead. Such a
demanding policy of the materialists, through the conception of the
fatherhood or motherhood of Godhead, is a slight attempt to revive their
eternal relationships with Godhead; however, these conceptions are far from the
conception of the sonhood of Godhead as shown by Nanda and Yasoda.
The conception of the sonhood of Godhead is a cent percent spiritually
pure transcendental rasa. There was no demand made by Nanda and Yasoda on the
Personality of Godhead. They offered pure and simple service to the Personality
of Godhead by nursing Him as a baby. Under the influence of yogamaya, the
internal energy of Godhead, they thought of Sri Krsna as nothing more or less
than their affectionate and dependent son. The service of parents for a
dependent son is always spontaneous and unalloyed.
Madhurya-Prema
Lord Caitanya admitted the superiority of vatsalya-prema over sakhya-prema,
but He asked Ramananda to go still further in the realm of transcendental
mellowness. Lord Caitanya said:
prabhu
kahe"eho uttama, age kaha ara"
raya kahe, "kanta-prema sarva-sadhya-sara"
"So far, you have certainly explained the gradual development of
transcendental, eternal relationships with the Personality of Godhead very
well. But above this conception of vatsalya-prema there is a supreme
transcendental rasa, which is the topmost transcendental service." Upon
hearing this suggestion of Lord Caitanya, Ramananda declared that a
transcendental conjugal relationship with Godhead is the highest form of loving
service rendered to the Personality of Godhead.
The process of developing a transcendental relationship with Godhead is
understood gradually. By simply accepting the glories of the Personality of
Godhead and establishing service to Him in the transcendental rasa of calmness,
santa-prema, the sentiment of love for Godhead as ones personal master is not
developed. Santa-prema is a stage of peaceful appreciation of the glories of
the Personality of Godhead.
In dasya-prema or transcendental servitude to Godhead, a sense of intimacy
with Godhead is not developed. In both sakhya-prema, transcendental friendship
with Godhead, and vatsalya-prema, parental affection, the sense of unrestricted
approach for loving service is not developed. As such, the complete perfection
of transcendental relationships is not found. The fullness of service,
unchecked by all conventional restrictions, is only developed in
madhurya-prema, transcendental loving service in conjugal love.
Thus, on the order of Lord Caitanya, Ramananda began to explain the nature
of madhurya-prema. Ramananda quoted a verse from the Srimad-Bhagavatam wherein
Uddhava spoke of the fortune of Krsnas cowherd girlfriends, who melted away in
ecstasy when they heard Uddhava describe the activities of Sri Krsna. Uddhava
said,
nayam
sriyo 'nga u nitanta-rateh prasadah
svar-yositam nalina-gandha-rucam kuto 'nyah
rasotsave sya bhuja-danda-grhita-kantha
labdhasisam ya udagad-vraja-sundarinam
"The transcendental happiness that was bestowed upon the beautiful
damsels of Vraja, who got the opportunity to be embraced by the strong hands of
Sri Krsna on the occasion of performing the rasa-lila, was never experienced
even by Laksmi, who resides on the chest of the Personality of Godhead
Narayana. Neither was such pleasure ever felt by the angels of heaven whose
bodies emanate the smell of lotus flowers. What to speak then
of ordinary beauties?" (Bhag. 10.47.60)
Quoting another passage from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.82.2), Ramananda said,
tasam
avirabhuc chaurih
smayamana-mukhambujah
pitambara-dharah sragvi
saksan manmatha-manmathah
"Sri Krsna, who is the enchanter of Cupid, dressed in yellow, wore a
garland of flowers, and all of a sudden appeared in His eternal smiling form in
the midst of the cowherd girls, who were mourning in separation from Him after
the pastime of the rasa-lila."
Thus Ramananda Raya summarized all of the different transcendental
relationships with Godhead. He said that all of these are means of gaining the
favor of Sri Krsna. A devotee in a particular relationship with Godhead will
consider that relationship the highest of all, but when all the transcendental
relationships are scrutinized and compared from a neutral angle of vision, the
difference of intensity can be estimated.
Upstarts
Presently, a class of asuras (ungodly people who
are demoniac in nature) have ventured to become preachers of spiritual
realization by propagating a novel theory that the Absolute Truth is a matter
of personal realization and the particular type of realization one has does not
matter. This idea has sprung up from demoniac thinking that directly denies any
particular cause of the creation. A description of such asuras is given in the
sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. The asuras do not believe in the
existence of the Personality of Godhead, under whose direction the creation
takes place.
According to the asuras, everything in the world is a matter of chance and
there is no truth in the belief that God has created the universe. The
different philosophical theories about the creation, put forward by atheists,
are speculative gymnastic feats. Because they say that determining the Absolute
Truth is a matter of personal realization, the so-called favor of Godhead can
be achieved by any means that may be conceived of by a simple speculator. They
say that there are as many ways of realizing God or the Absolute Truth as there
are speculators in the world.
Ramananda Raya is certainly not one of these speculators, and his mention of
"various means of gaining the favor of Godhead" does not suggest that
the transcendental favor of Godhead can be achieved by any speculative method
of the empiric philosopher or the upstarts of spiritual fervor.
In the name of Lord Caitanyas cult of devotion, many speculators of the
above nature have already sprung up. The "various means" as suggested
by Ramananda is not an adjustment of the false means of achieving the favor of
Godhead adopted by the imitation Caitanyaites. "Various means" are
mentioned in connection with the perfect mellows of love, namely santa-prema,
dasya-prema, sakhya-prema, vatsalya-prema, and madhurya-prema.
The five transcendental rasas of loving service are possible only after one
has transcended the stage of material impediments known as anarthas (unwanted
things in the heart). Those who have no access to the transcendental service of
Godhead wrongly think that manufactured processes are equal to the
above-mentioned self-realized stages of love of Godhead. This misconception of
the upstarts is but a sign of their misfortune.
Mellow of Sweetness
The analysis of the above-mentioned five transcendental rasas is also made
in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. It is said there that the transcendental rasas
are experienced in five progressive ways. Yet at a certain point, one rasa is
experienced as the sweetest of all.
A practical analysis has been made by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami in
the following example: "Ether, air, fire, water, and earth are five
different elements. Sound is experienced in ether. Sound and touch are
experienced in air. Sound, touch, and form are experienced in fire. Sound,
touch, form, and taste are experienced in water. And sound, touch, form, taste,
and smell are experienced in earth. Earth has the qualities of all the
elements. The analysis is that each elemental quality is developed through the
other by gradual development, but the last one, namely earth, possesses all the
qualities."
In the same way, the transcendental mellowness experienced in the stage of
santa-prema is developed in the stage of dasya-prema and then sakhya-prema. It
is further developed in vatsalya-prema, and lastly the complete development is
manifested in the stage of madhurya-prema, for madhurya-prema includes all the
rasas experienced in all the other devotional stages.
According to the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.82.45), the Personality of Godhead is
completely obliged by the transcendental loving service rendered in the mood of
madhurya-prema:
mayi
bhaktir hi bhutanam
amrtatvaya kalpate
distya yad asin mat-sneho
bhavatinam mad-apanah
The Personality of Godhead said, "Loving devotional service unto Me is itself the eternal life of the living entity. My dear
cowherd girls, the affection that you have in your hearts for Me is the only cause of achieving My favor."
In the Bhagavad-gita (4.11) it is said,
ye
yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manusyah partha sarvasah
The Personality of Godhead declares that He is experienced in proportion to
the degree of ones surrender. The Lord reciprocates in His different
manifestations with the particular feelings of His devotees.
Quacks of Spiritual Science
The materialistic philosophers of this world, by way of mental speculation,
have decided that God is approachable by any means of spiritual cultivation.
According to them, it does not matter whether the method is fruitive action,
empiric philosophical speculation, mystic yoga, meditation, penance, or any
other method; all of them will ultimately lead to the highest goal. The example
that they generally put forward in support of their theory goes like this:
"There may be several thoroughfares, and if any one of them is followed,
surely one will reach the desired destination." More explicitly, they say
that God is represented in various forms such as Lord Ramacandra, the
impersonal Brahman, Goddess Kali, Durga, Mahadeva, Ganesa, and many others, and
as such any one of them can be worshiped with equal value.
Another example they use in this connection is that a man may have many
names and if he is called by any one of them, he replies to the call. These
statements of the quacks of spiritual science are like the indistinct vocal
attempt of a spiritual baby. The indistinct voice of a baby may be very sweet
to the ear of mental speculators, but the bona fide spiritualists reject it as
a foolish childs babbling.
Attachment for Demigods
The Bhagavad-gita (9.25) states:
yanti
deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutani yanti bhutejya
yanti mad-yajinopi mam
The worshipers of the demigods such as Ganesa, Surya, and Indra will
ultimately reach the abodes of such gods. They will go to the planets of those
demigods respectively according to their worship, while only the devotee of Sri
Krsna will reach the abode of Sri Krsna. Thus the mundaners avoid the
Bhagavad-gita. They forget that they are under the influence of the conditions
of the external energy. As such, they worship the demigods motivated by a
desire for material gain and develop an illusory attachment for such de- migods
and thereby are thrown from the real path of progress reaching the Personality
of Godhead. Being attached thus, the worshipers of different demigods are
forced to circumambulate the different spheres of the material world and
undergo the rigors of repeated birth and death.
Those who aspire to reach the Personality of Godhead and thereby worship Him
by loving service will certainly reach Him. The real explanation is that one
gets the result of the quality of their worship, and all the results are not
the same, as conceived by the mundane speculators. Those who aspire after the
results of their religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and
endeavors for salvation cannot expect to reach the same destination as the pure
transcendental devotees. The result of religiosity is temporary happiness in
the human life. The result of economic development is increased facility for
sense gratification. And the result of sense gratification is frustration,
which leads to the desire for liberation. The result of salvation is merging
into the impersonal Brahman. But the result for the devotee of Sri Krsna is the
attainment of the eternal service of the Personality of Godhead. The gulf of
difference between these diverse results cannot be understood by the mundaners.
Mahamaya and Yogamaya
Mahamaya, the mother or source of this material world, and the delegated
demigods are but diverse external energies or agencies of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Under the direction of the Personality of Godhead,
these agencies perform their respective functions in the administration of the
universal laws. That is the information we have from the Bhagavad-gita, in
which the Personality of Godhead declares that only under His direction does
the material energy produce the material world, and the whole administration of
the universes is thus controlled, ultimately by Him.
The internal energy of Godhead is different. That is also explained in the
Bhagavad-gitathere is another permanent energy of Godhead that is never
destroyed, even after the annihilation of the whole cosmic manifestation. That
internal energy is different from mahamaya and she is called yogamaya.
The permanent universe is the creation of yogamaya. Those who want unalloyed
loving service to the Personality of Godhead must ask for the mercy of
yogamaya. Those who want to satisfy their own senses or those who desire to
become one with the impersonal Brahman because of being baffled by the pursuit
of sense gratification worship mahamaya or the predominating demigods
respectively.
The damsels of Vraja worshiped yogamaya to get the son of the King of Vraja
as their husband or lover, while others within the system of material
varnasrama-dharma worship mahamaya, the superintending Deity of the material
world, to alleviate distress. There is a gulf of difference between the results
of these two varieties of worship, and the attempt to equalize such
diametrically opposed activities is like the jaundiced eye seeing everything as
yellow. Such is the vision of the diseased person in ignorance.
The Name is Absolute
Sometimes a homely man is named "Cupid." In such a case, the name
is without any significance. But this is never the case with the Personality of
Godhead. Being the Absolute, all His different features are also absolute.
There is no difference between Him, His names, and His features. He is known by
different names. He is known as the impersonal Brahman, Paramatma, the Almighty
Creator, Narayana, Gopinatha, Krsna, Govinda, and many other such names.
Although every name of the Absolute is absolute in itself, the worshiper of
God as the Creator of the Universe cannot relish the same bliss as those who
worship God as Narayana. "The Creator of the Universe" is the name
preferred by materialistic people, as it is suitable for their sense
gratification. The conception of Creator does not fully represent the
conception of Godhead. The creation is a function of Godheads external energy.
If He is conceived of as the impersonal Brahman, we cannot get information
about all of His potencies. His transcendental bliss, knowledge, qualities, and
form are not fully represented in His impersonal feature. Paramatma is also not
fully representative of the conception of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gita
(18.61), Paramatma is described as localized Godhead in the heart of all living
beings; He is only a partial representation of the Personality of Godhead,
Narayana. Then again, the worshiper of Narayana also cannot relish the
transcendental bliss experienced in the service of Sri Krsna.
Rasabhasa
The pure devotees of Sri Krsna do not wish to worship Narayana, in whose
personality the transcendental mellowness of Sri Krsna is somewhat covered. The
cowherd girls never address- ed Sri Krsna as "the
husband of Rukmini." That would be intolerable for them. Rukmini-ramana
and Sri Krsna may be the same Personality of Godhead in the opinion of the
mundaners, but They cannot be equally relished. If
someone mixes up both of the above out of sheer ignorance, that is a defect in
relishing transcendental mellowness called rasabhasa. People who have some
sense of the delicate transcendental nature of Godhead do not commit the
mistake of rasabhasa like those who form the society of ignorant people.
Not Possible to Reciprocate
Although the Personality of Godhead reciprocates accordingly with the
dealings of His different devotees in different stages of loving service, He
has declared His inability to reciprocate with the dealings of the gopis, the
damsels of Vraja who serve Him in the capacity of madhurya-prema. Addressing
the damsels of Vraja, the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna said,
na
paraye 'ham niravadya-samyujam
sva-sadhu-krtyam vibudhayusapi vah
ya mabhajan durjaya-geha-srnkhalah
samvrscya tad vah pratiyatu sadhuna
"My dear cowherd girls, your love for Me is
spotlessly pure and it will not be possible for Me to reciprocate with the
noble service you render to Me, not even in many future lives, because you have
completely sacrificed the shackles of family life to come to Me. I am therefore
unable to repay the debts I have incurred in accepting your love. You must
therefore kindly be satisfied by your own deeds." (Bhag. 10.32.21)
The beauty of Sri Krsna increases in the association of the cowherd girls of
Vraja, although Sri Krsna Himself is the last word in all beauty. This is
confirmed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.33.6):
tatratisusubhe
tabhir
bhagavan devaki-sutah
madhye maninam haimanam
maha-marakato yatha
"Although the Personality of Godhead who is the son of Devaki is the
last word in beauty, when He is in the midst of the cowherd girls of Vraja, He
appears like the most valuable jewel set within a network of golden
filigree."
Lord Caitanya was now completely satisfied by the statement of Ramananda
Raya about madhurya-prema, which is the culmination of transcendental loving
service relationships with the Personality of Godhead. Still, He expected
something more from Ramananda and asked him to go still further. At this most
extraordinary request of Lord Caitanya, Ramananda was astonished. He knew no
devotee who could know more than this. But as expert as he was, Ramananda began to go still further by the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
The Topmost Servitor
Having already discussed the superexcellent qualities of the transcendental
mellowness known as madhurya-prema and Sri Krsnas inability to repay the
service of the spotlessly pure-hearted cowherd girls of Vraja, Ramananda then
proceeded further in the same line in an attempt to discuss the service
rendered by Srimati Radharani, the topmost servitor among all the cowherd
girls.
Sri Krsna, the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the full-fledged
ananda-cinmoya-rasa-ujjvala-vigraha: His eternal form fully displays
transcendental existence, knowledge, and bliss by His own internal potency
called the hladini-sakti. Srimati Radharani is the controlling Deity of that
joyous energy of Godhead. The joyous nature of Sri Krsnas energy and Sri Krsna
Himself are identical, but They appear separately for
the purpose of enjoying each other. Therefore, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna are two component parts of the same divine entity. Without
Srimati Radharani, Krsna is incomplete; and without Sri Krsna, Radharani is
incomplete. Thus these two cannot be separated from one another. They combine
as one in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to fulfill this transcendental truth.
Most Magnanimous
It is very difficult to understand the lila of Sri
Sri Radha-Krsna, but Lord Caitanya is the most liberal, magnanimous, merciful,
and willing benedictor of all living beings in this age of Kali. He is readily
distributing the highest secret of the spiritual world and only requires that
we accept it.
Lord Caitanya has provided us with the easiest way to receive His topmost
gift. The first qualification is that one should at once discard the idea of
sayujya-mukti or becoming one with the impersonal Brahman. The second
qualification is that one should simply hear all these transcendental messages
in a fully submissive mood from a person who is a bona fide devotee in the line
of Srila Rupa Goswamis disciplic succession. And the third and last
qualification is that one be very pure in all ones dealings in life, remaining
unaffected by the infectious influence of the age of Kali.
A person who has all of these three simple qualifications will have
phenomenal success in entering into the plane of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhus
unbounded mercy. Any deviation from the above-mentioned three qualities will
completely close the door of entrance, regardless of how one may try to
understand Him by the strength of ones mundane acquisitions. Without the above
three qualifications nobody can enter into Lord Caitanyas lila.
Those who have tried to enter into it neglecting the necessary qualities are
known as aula, baula, karttabhaja, neda, sakhi-bheki, daravesa, sani, sahajiya,
smarta, caste goswamis, ativadi, cudadhari, gauraga-nagari, and many others.
Such persons may be considered worthless imitators of Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhus lila. Unfortunately, they are misleading
the ignorant masses who are already condemned by the influence of Kali-yuga.
Not For Ordinary People
Srimati Radharani is the most important of all the gopis, and Her specific loving service is the highest expression of
madhurya-prema. Therefore, it is better that the neophyte practitioners in the
devotional field not try to understand the intimacies of Srimati Radharanis
confidential service. However, expecting that submissive and bona fide devotees
will understand Srimati Radharanis service in the future, these confidential
discussions are described by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami in his
Caitanya-caritamrta.
Devotees who have been fortunate enough to rise to the spontaneous service
of Godhead, raganuga-bhakti, and who have developed an attraction for
madhurya-prema, may follow in the footsteps of the confidential associates of
Srimati Radharani and their assistants called the manjaris.
The ecstasy that was felt by Srimati Radharani when She
met Uddhava in Vraja in Her mournful mood of separation from Sri Krsna is
personified in Lord Caitanya. Nobody should imitate Lord Caitanyas
transcendental feelings because it is impossible for a living being to reach
that stage. However, at a stage of developed consciousness one can simply follow
in His footsteps. These are the hints given by experienced and self-realized
devotees in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami.
Distinguished Cowherd Girl
Ramananda Raya then explained a sloka from the Padma Purana:
yatha
radha priya visnos
tasyah kundam priyam tatha
sarva-gopisu saivaika
visnor atyanta-vallabha
"Srimati Radharani is the most beloved cowherd girl of Sri Krsna.
Not only Srimati Radharani, but the lake known as Sri Radha-kunda is as dear to
Sri Krsna as Srimati Radharani Herself."
Ramananda Raya then quoted another sloka from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.30.28):
anayaradhito
nunam
bhagavan harir isvarah
yan no vihaya govindah
prito yam anayad rahah
"My dear friends, the cowherd girl who has just been
taken in privacy by Sri Krsna. leaving us all
aside, must have rendered more valuable service to Him than ourselves."
Sri Radha is the specific name of the distinguished cowherd girl who has
rendered the most obliging services to Sri Krsna. On hearing these two
statements by Ramananda, Lord Caitanya felt an ecstasy of His own and said to
Ramananda:
prabhu
kaheage kaha, sunite pai sukhe
apurvamrta-nadi vahe tomara mukhe
"Please continue. I am feeling too much happiness by your mode of
explanation. It is something like a transcendental river of bliss flowing from
your tongue." Lord Caitanya added:
curi
kari' radhake nila gopi-ganera dare
anyapeksa haile premera gadhata na sphure
"Sri Krsna stole away Srimati Radharani because the nature of love that
He had for Her was disturbed in the presence of the
other gopis. If Krsna can give up the company of all other gopis for the sake
of Srimati Radharani, I know that He is expecially attached to Her love."
When the transcendental pastime of rasa-lila continued, Sri Krsna thought
that in the presence of all the gopis, confidential and secluded love affairs
with Srimati Radharani would not be possible. He thought that in the presence
of others the intensity of private love affairs could not be relished. For this
reason, Sri Krsna abducted Srimati Radharani from within the assembly of all
the other gopis and became separated from them all.
The Search of Sri Krsna
Ramananda Raya said that there is no comparison to Srimati Radharani's love
within the universe. Srimati Radharani did not like to be equal with all the
other gopis. Thus in a mood of erotic anger, She left the arena of the
rasa-lila. It was the desire of Sri Krsna that Srimati Radharani fulfill His
necessity for rasa-lila, but when She went away, Sri
Krsna became disturbed and in a mood of moroseness He left the rasa-lila arena
to search for Srimati Radharani. Ramananda Raya quoted two other slokas from
the Gita-govinda (3.1,2):
kamsarir
api samsara-
vasana-baddha-srnkhalam
radham adhaya hrdaye
tatyaja vraja-sundarih
itas-tatas
tam anusrtya radhikam
ananga-vana-vrana-khinna-manasah
krtanutapah sa kalinda-nandini
tatanta-kunje visasada madhavah
"The enemy of Kamsa (Sri Krsna) became afflicted with the desire to
liberate His parents Vasudeva and Devaki from imprisonment in
"Being afflicted by the arrow of Cupid and unhappily regretting His
mistreating Radharani, Madhava (Sri Krsna) began to search for Srimati
Radharani along the banks of the Yamuna River. When He failed to find Her, he entered the bushes and began to lament.
All the above statements are of a very, very high standard of transcendental
pastimes of the Personality of Godhead and may appear to be like the ordinary
stories of a hero and heroine. The whole activity may also appear like the
lusty behavior of ordinary men and women, but this is the foolishness of the
mundane conception. The complete picture is of transcendental loving service to
the Personality of Godhead by the pure senses, completely freed from mundane
designations and cleansed of all mundane affairs. Only the highest devotee, who
is absolutely purified by the regulative principles of devotional service and
who has attained the stage of realizing the degraded nature of mundane erotic
activities, can relish these supramundane affairs, although they are described
in language that is understandable to the general populace.
The cheerfulness of Lord Caitanya in relishing the above statements by
Ramananda Raya is the proof that they are the highest standard of
transcendental expression. Therefore, readers should be careful not to bring
these topics down to a level of mundane affairs.Ramananda Raya continued to
explain that by a critical study of the above two slokas we can know that the
rasa-lila is performed in the company of innumerable cowherd girls, but, in
spite of this, the Personality of Godhead prefers to remain specifically with
Srimati Radharani. Knowing this, a devotees heart becomes swollen with transcendental
joy, which may be compared to a mine of nectar.
Hearing about all these transcendental love affairs, the hearts of
experienced devotees are filled with an inexplicable supramun- dane joy. They feel that Sri Krsna is equally fond of all
the gopis, but He is specifically attracted by the clever and often
contradictory dealings of Srimati Radharani. Thus She
contributes the most to the rasa-lila.
By Srimati Radharanis Side
It is understood from the authoritative literatures, which describe the
transcendental pastimes of Godhead, that in the arena of the rasa-lila dance,
Sri Krsna distributed Himself in His innumerable prakasa expansions by keeping
Himself between each of the cowherd girls. He also kept Himself by the side of
Srimati Radharani. The prakasa expansions of His transcendental body are all
identical, but the personality by the side of Srimati Radharani is His original
form, svayam-rupa. Sri Krsna is equal to everyone in His general dealings, but
due to the conflicting ecstatic love of Srimati Radharani there were opposing
elements. This is described in the Ujjvala-nilamani as follows:
aher
iva gatih premnah
svabhava-kutila bhavet
ato hetor ahetos ca
yunor mana udancati
"The curved ways of progressive love affairs appear like the movement
of a snake. Further, two different kinds of anger, anger with a cause and anger
without a cause, arise within the dealings of a young man and a young
woman."
In pursuance of the above principles, Srimati Radharani in a mood of erotic
anger left the arena of the rasa-lila with a feeling of devout attachment. Thus
Sri Hari also became mad after Her and perturbed in
His mind out of anger without cause. Sri Krsnas desire was to enjoy the
transcendental pastime of the rasa-lila in its fullness and the cornerstone of
its whole construction was Srimati Radharani. Without Her presence, the
rasa-lila is upset. Therefore, the absence of Srimati Radharani caused Sri
Krsna to leave the arena and go in search of Her.
When Sri Krsna was unable to find Srimati Radharani after searching here and
there, He became overwhelmingly afflicted by Cupids arrow and began to deeply
lament on account of Her absence. This fact proves
that the transcendental heart of Sri Krsna is not satiated even by His
enjoyment in the midst of so many millions of other cowherd girls. As such, the
intensity of His love for Srimati Radharani is impossible to describe.
All the above statements regarding the transcendental lila
of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna profusely delighted Lord Caitanya and He became
completely satisfied by His meeting with Ramananda Raya.
prabhu kaheye lagi ailama
toma-sthane
sei saba tattva-vastu haila mora jnane
ebe se janilun sadhya-sadhana-nirnaya
age ara ache kichu, sunite mana haya
krsnera svarupa' kaha 'radhara svarupa'
rasa kon tattva, premakon tattva-rupa
krpa kari ei tattva kaha ta amare
toma-vina keha iha nirupite nare
Lord Caitanya said to Ramananda, "I have now come to know the truth
of the lila of Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani for
which I approached you. I have understood the truth of the highest goal to be
attained and also the means to attain it. Therefore, please explain the divine
nature of Sri Krsna and also that of Srimati Radharani. Please also let me know
the truth of the mellowness of supramundane love affairs. Nobody can explain
all these except your good self. Therefore, I request you to do me this favor
by your unbounded mercy."
Guru of Lord Caitanya
The method of approach and the manner of humility exhibited by Lord Caitanya
to Ramananda is the ideal for approaching a bona fide tattva-darsi or a master
of transcendental knowledge. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (4.34):
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
In the Bhagavad-gita, it is recommended that one approach the spiritual
master for supramundane knowledge under the protection of service and surrender
accompanied by relevant inquiries. Lord Caitanya, as the ideal teacher and
practical demonstrator of the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita, teaches us by His
approach to Ramananda Raya. He shows that a person desirous of knowing the
transcendental science must not be proud of his material acquisitions of
education and wealth, which are very insignificant to the transcendentally
situated spiritual master from whom we should be very keen to understand the
science of devotion.
If somebody approaches the bona fide spiritual master with the vanity of
mundane pride in respect to his heredity, wealth, education, or personal beauty
and without the necessary qualifications of surrender, service, and relevant
inquiry, surely such a person will be honored outwardly by the spiritual master,
but the spiritual master will decline to bestow transcendental knowledge upon
the student who by his attitude of mundane vanity is rendered unqualified. Such
a proud student is actually a sudra and he has no
access to spiritual knowledge for want of the necessary qualifications
mentioned above. Thus the sudra student, instead of
availing himself to the mercy of the spiritual master, goes to hell as a result
of his mundane vanity.
Ramananda Raya was born in the family of a sudra
and was also a grhasta in terms of the system of varnasrama-dharma. Lord
Caitanya appeared in the family of a highly cultured brahmana of Navadvipa and
was in the topmost rank of the sannyasa asrama. Therefore, in terms of the
varnasrama system, Ramananda Raya was in the lowest status while Lord Caitanya
was in the highest status; yet, because Ramananda was a master in the art of
transcendental knowledge, Lord Caitanya approached him as one should approach a
guru. He did so for the benefit of us all.
True Student of Truth
Lord Caitanya descended into this mortal world as the ideal spiritual
master, and thus His teaching is very significant. The students who really
desire spiritual upliftment may carefully note all these dealings.
Ramananda Raya, as a true Vaisnava, always possessed natural humility, and
thus when he was asked by Lord Caitanya he said,
raya
kaheiha ami kichui na jani
tumi yei kahao, sei kahi ami vani
tomara siksaya padi yena suka-patha
saksat isvara tumi, ke bujhe tomara nata
hrdaye prerana kara, jihvaya kahao vani
ki kahiye bhala-manda, kichui na jani
"My Lord, I have no information of the transcendental world but I
can simply speak that which You inspire me to utter. I
am just like a parrot and I can repeat only that which You
direct me to say. You are Yourself the Personality of
Godhead and it is very difficult to understand what You do and how You play.
The inspiration that You create in me and the
vocabulary that You cause to come out of my mouth are known to You. I do not
know myself what I speak and what I think."
Lord Caitanya, again in His mood of a true student of truth, replied to
Ramananda Raya,
prabhu kahemayavadi ami ta
sannyasi
bhakti-tattva nahi jani, mayavade bhasi
sarvabhauma-sange mora mana nirmala ha-ila
krsna-bhakti-tattva kaha, tanhare puchila
tenho kaheami nahi jani krsna-katha
sabe ramananda jane, tenho nahi etha
tomara thani ailana tomara mahima suniya
tumi more stuti kara sannyasi janiya
kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya
sannyasi baliya more na kariha vancana
krsna-radha-tattva kahi purna kara mana;
"I am a mayavadi sannyasi who is an atheist by nature. As such, I
always float on My theory of maya and Brahman without
any entrance into devotional science. By the association of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya,
I was lucky enough to get My heart purified. When I
asked him to speak about the transcendental topics of the lila
of Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani, he asked Me to see you. He recommended you
as the best among those who know this science and he regretted your absence at
Puri. I have therefore come to you after hearing your glories from him. You are
now praising Me because I am a sannyasi, but it does
not matter whether a person is a brahmana, a sannyasi, or a sudra. A person is
thoroughly competent to become a bona fide spiritual master provided he knows
the transcendental art and science of devotional activities. Therefore please
do not try to avoid Me because I am a sannyasi. Kindly
fulfill My desire by fully describing the glories of
the lila performed by Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani."
Beyond Varna and Asrama
In the teachings of Lord Caitanya, especially in this perverted age of Kali,
the passage mentioned above, wherein it says that it does not matter whether a
person is a brahmana, sannyasi, or a sudra, is
important. The qualification for a spiritual master is that he must be
thoroughly conversant in the art and science of devotional service. This is
revolutionary to the stereotyped, so-called spiritual mastership prevailing
among the masses in India. The exploitative method is herein dealt a deadly
blow and this truth is established by the devout followers of Sri Caitanya
Maha- prabhus conception.
The fact is that a person who is thoroughly conversant about Sri Krsna can
become a spiritual master either as an initiator or an instructor. It does not
matter whether such a person is a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya,
or a sudra. Nor does it matter whether he is a brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha,
or a sannyasi. The only qualification of a spiritual master is his knowledge of
the truth about Sri Krsna. The qualification certainly does not rest on his
particular situation in terms of the system of varnasrama-dharma.
This order of Lord Caitanya, although apparently revolutionary to the
non-progressive opportunists, is not at all against the injunctions of the
scriptures. Following this principle, Lord Caitanya Himself took initiation
from Sripad svara Puri, and Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu took
initiation from Sripad Madhavendra Puri Goswami. Rasikananda Prabhu took
initiation from Srila Shyamananda Prabhu, who appeared in the family of a
non-brahmana, and Sri Ganga Narayana Cakravarti and Sri Ramakrsna Bhattacarya
took initiation from Srila Narottama dasa hakura,
who also happened to appear in the family of a non-brahmana. In the ancient
literatures, it is written that there are no hereditary considerations for
becoming a spiritual master.
In the Mahabharata and other historical literatures, there are innumerable
examples of non-hereditary gurus and determination of caste by quality and
action rather than by birth. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.11.35), it is said
that a person should be classified as belonging to a particular varna or caste in terms of his qualification:
yasya
yal-laksanam proktam
pumso varnabhivyanjakam
yad anyatrapi drsyeta
tat tenaiva vinirdiset
According to Bhagavad-gita, a really qualified brahmana possesses nine
qualities, a ksatriya seven qualities, a vaisya three
qualities, and a sudra only one quality. So, wherever the particular qualities
are found or developed, the person possessing these particular qualities should
be regarded as such. Accepting this formula from the scriptures, the Vaisnava
accepts a spiritual master upon his becoming conversant in the knowledge of Sri
Krsna. The qualities of a brahmana appear naturally, and, as such, a thoroughly
conversant spiritual master cannot be anything but a qualified brahmana. The
false notion that without being a caste brahmana a person cannot become a
spiritual master is therefore a misconception. A person born in the family of a
sudra can become a spiritual master if he has acquired
the necessary knowledge about Sri Krsna.
Sometimes it is seen that a pure Vaisnava does not undergo the formalities
of the system of varnasrama-dharma by accepting the regulative principles
thereof, but that does not mean that he is not a brahmana or a bona fide
spiritual master. The Vaisnavas determine the varna
and asrama of a person simply by their symptoms and not by their birth. Foolish
people are unable to recognize such qualified Vaisnavas, and as such Lord
Caitanya distinctly emphasizes all the above mentioned points. There is no
difference in essence between the regulative principles found in the
Hari-bhakti-vilasa and the statements of Lord Caitanya. The difference is
concocted by the mental speculations of ignorant men.
Who is an Acarya
Some foolish students have accepted the statements of Lord Caitanya
conditionally. According to them, the spiritual master fully conversant with
the science of Krsna, yet not born in a brahmana family, can be an instructing
spiritual master, but not an initiating spiritual master. They do not know that
there is hardly any difference between the two classes of spiritual masters.
According to them, a caste initiator or caste goswami, by dint of his
hereditary blood lineage, becomes the real spiritual master, while a person
knowing all about Sri Krsna can only become an instructor. They foolishly think
that the position of the initiating spiritual master is greater than that of
the instructing spiritual master. However, the matter is very clearly and
conclusively discussed in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi-lila 1.47):
siksa-guruke
ta jani krsnera svarupa
antaryami, bhakta-sresthaei dui rupa
"One should know the instructing spiritual master to be the
Personality of Krsna. Sri Krsna manifests Himself as the Supersoul and as the
greatest devotee of the Lord."
In the Manu-samhita, the qualification of an acarya is described as follows:
"A spiritual master is a twice-born brahmana able to train his disciple to
instruct others on the Vedas." In the Vayu Purana, the acarya is described
as follows: "One who knows the essence of the scriptures, establishes the
truth of them, and conducts his activities according to the regulative
principles of the scriptures is thus known as an acarya."
The acarya or spiritual master is an empowered incarnation of the
Personality of Godhead. He is not to be considered a plenary portion of
Godhead, but at the same time the spiritual master is certainly very near and
dear to Godhead. The acarya appears before the disciple as the bona fide
representative of Godhead. Such an acarya has no duty other than to serve the
Personality of Godhead and give shelter to the willing disciple on Godheads
behalf.
If a person becomes a so-called spiritual master without being engaged
wholly in the service of the Personality of Godhead, nobody should accept him
as guru and his activity should not be recognized. A gurus character must be
fully representative of the Personality of Godhead, and this will be
demonstrated by his full-time engagement in the service of Godhead. A real acarya
is sometimes envied by the sense-gratifying masses. However, the acarya is a
nondifferent extension of the transcendental body of the Personality of
Godhead. Anyone envying such a spiritual master will certainly suffer the
consequence of being bereft of the Personality of Godheads blessings.
The spiritual master, although the eternal servitor of
Lord Caitanya, is always to be respected as much as Lord Caitanya. The
spiritual master is the personality who exhibits the nature of Lord Caitanya.
It should never be concluded that the spiritual master is exactly one and the
same with Godhead as the mayavadi philosophers think. The Vaisnavas accept the
spiritual master in terms of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, simultaneously one with
and different from the Personality of Godhead.
Siksa and Diksa
A spiritual master who gives instruction about the regulative principles of
devotional service is called the siksa-guru or the instructing spiritual
master. A person who is not engaged in the service of the Personality of
Godhead and is addicted to ill habits cannot be a spiritual master. The
instructing spiritual master is of two kinds. They are: (1) a self-realized
soul constantly engaged in the service of the Personality of Godhead, and (2) a
soul in pure consciousness who is constantly offering helpful directions
favorable to the service of Godhead. Instruction in the service of the Lord is
also of two kinds: (1) instruction on the object of service, and (2)
instruction on the regulative principles of service.
The spiritual master who connects the living entity with the Personality of
Godhead Sri Krsna by initiation is called the diksa-guru or the initiating
spiritual master. There is no difference between the initiating spiritual
master and the instructing spiritual master. Both are the object of shelter for
the disciple and both are asraya vigraha or the personality under whose shelter
the eternal relationship with Godhead is established and the process of
approaching Godhead by service is learned. To think of one spiritual master as
purer than the other is offensive. The symbolic initiating spiritual master is
Srila Sanatana Goswami, who initiates the devotees into their service to
Madana-mohana. Srila Rupa Goswami is the instructing spiritual master, who
instructs the devotee with his verses in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu regarding
the service of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. Nobody should therefore think of Sanatana
Goswami as being greater than Rupa Goswami or vice versa. Both of them are our
spiritual masters and engage us in the transcendental loving service of
Godhead. When Lord Caitanya mentioned the word guru, spiritual master, He meant
both the siksa-guru and the diksa-guru and not just one of them.
Not a VaisnavaNot a Guru
According to Hari-bhakti-vilasa, a pure devotee of Godhead is never a sudra. On the other hand, one who is not engaged in the
service of the Personality of Godhead is definitely a sudra,
even though such a person may be born in the family of any
Ramananda Raya, being always conscious of his transcendental task, is never
subjected to the deluding energy of Godhead. He could understand the feelings
of Lord Caitanya, and by His will, Ramananda wanted to proceed further. He
said,
aya
kaheaminata, tumisutra-dhara
yei mata nacao, taiche cahi nacibara
mora jihvavina-yantra, tumivina-dhari
tomara mane yei uthe, tahai uccari
"My Lord, I am a dancing doll and You are
the wire-puller. Let me dance as you wish. My tongue is like the vina (a
stringed musical instrument) and You are playing upon
it. Kindly let me vibrate the sound that You desire to
produce."
Ramananda continued:
parama isvara krsnasvayam
bhagavan
sarva-avatari, sarva-karana-pradhana
ananta vaikuntha, ara ananta avatara
ananta brahmanda ihansabara adhara
sac-cid-ananda-tanu, vrajendra-nandana
sarvaisvarya-sarvasakti-sarvarasa-purna
isvarah paramah krsnah, sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah, sarva-karana-karanam
vrndavane 'aprakrta navina madana'
kama-gayatri kama-bije yanra upasana
"Sri Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all
causes. He expands Himself in His innumerable plenary portions known as
incarnations. He is the fountainhead of innumerable Vaikuntha planets,
innumerable incarnations, and innumerable universes. He is the eternal form of
transcendental existence, knowledge, and bliss. He is known as the son of the
King of Vraja. He is complete in Himself with all opulences, all powers, and
all divine rasas. He is, as stated in the Brahma-samhita, the Supreme Primeval
Lord and the cause of all causes. Sri Krsna is the transcendental Cupid and the
resident of Sri Vrndavana. He is worshiped by the transcendental sounds
produced by the pure utterances of kama-gayatri and kama-bija."
Vrndavana Eternal
Vrndavana, the residence of Sri Krsna, is described in the Brahma-samhita
(5.56):
sriyah
kantah kantah parama-purusah kalpa-taravo
druma bhumis cintamani-gana-mayi toyam amrtam
katha ganam natyam gamanam api vamsi priya-sakhi
cid-anandam jyotih param api tad asvadyam api ca
sa yatra ksirabdhih sravati surabhibhyas ca sumahan
nimesardhakhyo va vrajati na hi yatrapi samayah
bhaje sveta-dvipam tam aham iha golokam iti yam
vidantas te santah ksiti-virala-carah katipaye
Everything is cognizant in the transcendental abode of Vrndavana. Although
appearing in the material world, it exists eternally, even after the
annihilation of the material world. The Bhagavad-gita (8.20) confirms this
statement. In Vrndavana, the cowherd girls are all enjoyed by Sri Krsna, and He
is the only enjoyer there because He is the Supreme Person. The trees in
Vrndavana are all desire trees and the land is made of cintamani,
desire-fulfilling touchstones. The water of Vrndavana is nectar, the words of
conversation are themselves sweet songs, walking in Vrndavana
is a dance, and the flute is eternally the constant companion of Sri
Krsna. The luminaries in the sky are transcendental and blissful. With this in
mind, we should always try to understand Vrndavana. In Vrndavana, even a moment
is never lost because no moment passes away, and, as such, there is not a
limited conception of the future either.
The Vrndavana-dhama that we can experience in this mortal world is therefore
a subject of deep study, and the significance of Vrndavana is known only to the
purest devotees. Let us therefore worship Sri Vrndavana.
The Vrndavana-dhama that manifests in the material world is not realized by
our material senses, which are always prone to enjoy matter. When we are
inspired by the proper attitude of transcendental service to Madana-mohana, we
can know the actual Vrndavana. Because it is very difficult to understand,
Srila Narottama dasa hakura
taught us by his actions to cry for the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. By the
mercy of Lord Nityananda, we can be free from the consciousness of trying to
enjoy this material world. This enjoying spirit is known as samsara-vasana.
When one is freed from the samsara-vasana, one is freed from focusing entirely
on eating, sleeping, fearing, and other sense-gratifying habits. When this is
done, the mind of the devotee is purified from all infections of matter, and in
such a state of mind one can see the true Vrndavana- dhama situated in this
mortal world.
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