HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE 6 страница
Compassion is defined as “pity inclining one to help or be merciful,” implying that one should presumably possess the capacity to do so. Obviously, one can only effectively help to the limits of one’s spiritual wherewithal. We vibhinnamsha souls, as minute parts and parcels of the pleasure potency of Krishna, are compassionate by nature; it is our intrinsic constitutional dharma. Arousal of one’s spontaneous, constitutional quality of benevolence toward others is therefore integral to the very substance of self-realization. There is, however, essentially no qualitative distinction between the pure devotional compassion displayed in terms of one’s participation in the internal supramundane pleasure dalliances of the spiritual realms of Gokula and Goloka and the pure devotional compassion expressed extensibly to the fallen souls of this world by a constituent of the acarya’s preaching mission. Both varieties of ministrative concern, whether existentially manifest (in practice or in perfection) as seva toward those who are ontologically superior or as daya toward subordinates, are really aspects of the same substance – the selfless service disposition, far beyond the bestial self-gratifying nescience of mundane egoism.
The intangible inverted reflection of a tree seen on the surface of a pool of water can have no existence without the original substantial prototype at the water’s edge. Similarly, miserable, selfish, and spiritually corrupt personal and extended sense gratification on the material platform, antithetical to its divine counter, exists only on the basis of the original ananda- maya tree of concentrated and extended selfless prema for Krishna and His devotees on the terrace of spiritual perfection. Censurable desire for gross and subtle personal sense gratification is at the root of the tree of material existence, whereas the varieties of lustfully extended sensory or emotional indulgences expand the tree’s downward spread of distressful material entanglement in terms of increased ephemeral bodily identification with mundane family, society, nationality, race, humanity, and so on. Correspondingly, with regard to Krishna’s nitya-lilas it should be clearly decided that personal concentrated premika appreciation and enthralling worship of Krishna’s supremely enchanting loveliness and lovableness is at the very root of the ever-expanding, all-entangling labyrinth of extended para-upakara premika fascinations, which are notably marked by a concerned ministering to others’ love-laden, deepest desires for the Lord’s loving association (a‰ga- sa‰ga). Without a doubt, these two tendencies – the trend toward solitary bhakti-bhajana-kriya and the predilection for the more gregarious devotional service characterized by outreaching sanga-kirtana – are natural and actually essential to every soul. This is quite so because both proclivities have originated from the absolute personalities of Radha-Krishna and Shri Gauranga as seen in Their madhurya and audarya-lilas respectively. As infinitesimal, eternally separated fragments of the Supreme, the vibhinnamsha-jivas are in their own minute way inherently ever possessed of both these relevant juxtapositional divisions of purely supra-mundane madhurya and audarya expression. It stands to reason, therefore, that one may without much difficulty justifiably deduce that if preaching to induce wayward souls to reunite with Krishna be akin to a gopi’s selfless service of gracefully canvassing to effectuate another gopi’s enhanced rapture of samprayoga (conjugal union with the Lord) in the context of the vraja-lilas, then the execution of solitary bhajana in this sphere should also sensibly correspond to its self-same essential substance seen in the Lord’s nitya-lilas in all purity. No one would blame Radharani for consenting to sport with Krishna in solitude for some interlude in the course of Her showering mercy upon the whole of Vraja. Similarly, solitary bhajana for any relative period in the progress of the eternal life of any elevated Vaishnava should not be misconstrued to be abhorrent to the high-grade pure devotional demeanor in that such may well prove to be integral to the complete whole, long-term, ongoing eternal maturation of the individual’s multi-aspected Krishna conscious experience. We must acknowledge that although solitary bhajana and sankirtana appear to be divergently constituted, the objective of both ways of worship is one – to please Krishna. It is nowhere indicated that progress in Krishna consciousness demands a unidimensional, one-sided approach to the Lord’s loving service. The sincere adoption of one mode of service or another is simply a question of pertinence with regard to personal requirements in consonance with the extent of the Lord’s mercy manifested in all variegatedness. In fact, today’s consummately introverted bhajananandi may very well be tomorrow’s empowered gosthy-anandi preacher, or vice versa.
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In the long run, practically tasting the sweetness of vraja- prema-bhakti-rasa itself becomes the true impetus for earnestly endeavoring to share the experience with others. It is not enough to merely distribute, distribute, distribute – superficially going through the motions on the basis of bare theoretical understanding without sufficiently developed internal devotional proficiency. With considerable preparatory foresight, one must also conscientiously endeavor to ascertain the truth of one’s ultimate nitya-dharma in terms of one’s eternal inner spiritual identity. It is imperative that one progressively come to the point of actually relishing transcendental rasa, self- manifested through the precise systematic culture of sthayi- bhava, which fosters the tangible increments of prema from sneha up to the stage of maha-bhava. Please bear in mind that these upper levels of prema are possible only upon the attainment of sampatti-dasha, otherwise known as vastu-siddhi, the ultimate perfection of gaining Krishna’s direct shelter upon achieving the actuation of one’s supra-substantial sac-cid- ananda siddha-deha (perfect spiritual body) in the bhauma-lilas of the Lord. Nothing happens automatically or blindly by chance. Everything must be cultivated scientifically and consciously for the absolute pleasure of guru and Krishna with a clear conception of deliberate cause and due consequence. One could hardly expect to achieve the supreme spiritual perfection by unapprisedly harboring anomalous devotional (what to speak of non-devotional) idiosyncrasies, which are not accommodated by the purest realm of Vraja.
To be sure, what one sees in the make-up of one’s sadhana is basically what one could prospectively see in one’s sadhya (outcome of spiritual practices). Vaidhi bhakti (fear-based, reverential devotion) alone can never in a million lifetimes lead to the stage of raga-bhakti (attraction-based, spontaneous loving devotion), which is essential for the attainment of Radha’s realm of sweetest intimacy. Sakala jagate more kare vidhi-bhakti / vidhi-bhaktye vraja-bhava paite nahi shakti. “Everywhere in the world people worship Me according to scriptural injunctions. But simply by following such regulative principles one cannot attain the loving sentiments of the devotees in Vraja-bhumi.” (Cc. adi 3.15) Only by the merciful arrangement of a rasika Vaishnava, wherein the regulative principles of vaidhi sadhana- bhakti are therapeutically directed toward the diverse madhurya elements of Vraja, is it at all possible for vidhi (rule) to attendantly promote the attraction and lobha (greed) essentially required to gain the adhikara (eligibility) for raga- marga-bhajana. Even still, one would have to possess sufficient faith, fortune, and spiritual acumen to actually recognize the need to progressively transition by stepping up onto the platform of raganuga sadhana-bhakti in order for the rule to be said to have effectively served its real purpose. Undoubtedly, the unqualified, irresolute anisthita-bhajana-kari novices on the plane of rudimentary devotion, due to insufficiently evolved greed for the Vrajavasis’ sweetest moods of selfless loving service, factually have no recourse but to rely heavily upon the force of pancaratrika rules and regulations in their attempt to rise above the material quagmire. However, simply sticking to the reverential process alone does not produce the superlative result, the highest satisfaction of the self. The bhava eventually attained with great effort through exclusive fear-based, reverential adherence to the regulative principles of vaidhi sadhana-bhakti and the bhava naturally awakened as an outcome of avidly following the course of raga-bhajana are not qualitatively one and the same. Bhagavata-dharma, or the cult of Shrimad-Bhagavatam, is specifically and purposely, if not exclusively, aimed at the progressive cultivation of raganuga- bhava. That is the opinion of Srila Vishvanatha Cakravartipada, whose judgment should not be overlooked in the slightest.
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It is enjoined in the shastras that the guru, upon giving panca-samskara initiation, bestow a spiritual name upon the disciple to help instrumentally dismantle or at least distance the disciple’s previous falsely designated mundane bodily identity based on material relativities (sarva-upadhi-vinirmuktam) and establish a very basic, non-specific concept of being a servant of the Absolute Godhead (krisnera ’nitya-dasa). The spiritual name conferred at the time of diksa may not directly correspond to the disciple’s eternal spiritual identity and so would not, therefore, necessarily be considered the disciple’s name eternally. Nevertheless, it is spiritually useful in so far as it functions to push the novice disciple’s mind-set in the right direction. So similarly, it is indeed very useful, from the stage of purified hearing (krama-shuddha-shravana-dasha) after achieving a considerable degree of anartha-nivritti, to culture via artha-pravritti the internally conceived siddha-deha in terms of the ekadasha-bhava under the guidance of Shri Guru or rasika Vaishnavas. Such internal contemplation effectively enables the eligible intermediate devotee to easily overcome various latent false egoisms, by positively fostering a conceptually graspable, unambiguous, cogently personal, spiritual identity, well beyond the external bodily notion of what it supposedly means to be a devotee. Particularly for the madhurya devotee cherishing the mood of being Radha’s dasy-anudasi, even the conception of being dasanudasa would be a false egoism, an upadhi, a matter of external appellation only.
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It is well established that those aspects of vaidhi sadhana- bhakti which prove to be antagonistic to the culture of a sadhaka’s desired vraja-bhava must certainly be rejected when pursuing the path of raga. Similarly, certain features of the internal raganuga-sadhana may naturally and necessarily have to be discarded if ascertained to be no longer relevant at the stage of spontaneous realization (svarupa-siddhi). Even so, the sincerely embraced “close enough for starters” ekadasha-bhava conceptualization dynamically serves to further dissolve the material bodily conception of the self and swiftly move the guileless aspirant toward perfection (bhava-siddhi) by generating a very powerful and inspirational spiritually congruent virtual vraja-svarupa image within the heart of the disciple. It is insufficient simply to know by negation that “I am not ‘this’ [illusory material] body.” At a certain point, a seriously inquisitive individual must inevitably ask, “If I am not ‘this’ body, then what body am I?” The rather nondescript “eternal servant of Krishna” idea of being a spiritual entity beyond the presently acquired psycho-physical tabernacle may be quite theoretically ingrained upon the brain, yet merely understanding “I am not ‘this’ body” without cultivating a superior internal spiritual bodily concept of life tends to render the self an internally unsatisfying formless (nirakara) spiritual no-body vulnerable to nostalgic “something is better than nothing” emotional or corporeal egoisms and the return to gross or subtle mundane rasas. Two areas of knowledge and realization need be clearly established in the matter of a sadhaka’s resolve to solidly implement the practice and perfection of vraja-bhakti-bhajana. One must precisely comprehend the principles of rasa-tattva as well as the object of rasa and worship (upasya-pariskriti), Shri Krishna, and one must also be aware of the intrinsic constitutional role and nature of the worshiper (upasaka-pariskriti), pertinent to which is the understanding of the individual’s ekadasha-bhava. Incompetent neophytes who lack pure devotional lobha-maya-shraddha characterized by the appurtenant sharanagati or disposition of selfless surrender and who have yet to surpass the stage of krama-hina-shravana-dasha (unqualified hearing) should never be directly instructed about the esoteric intricacies of the internal culture of raganuga-bhajana, lest they misconstrue everything and make a mockery of the whole affair. If, on the other hand, a worthy and spiritually eligible disciple, for whatever reason, does not get the facility of receiving essential and relevant instructions regarding the positive configuration of the appropriate internal vraja-svarupa when actually required for further progress, then there is every danger that the inexperienced, unguided, or spiritually obstructed practitioner will unfortunately relapse into a life of anarthas, as has been regrettably evidenced time and again in contemporary Vaishnava society.
It is true that at a point in time after the disappearance of Lord Gauranga a number of sampradayic charlatans posing as heirs to the legacies of their siddha-rasika-Vaishnava Acaryas’ successions trended to indiscriminately bestow what came to be termed as “siddha-pranali-diksa” upon ineligible, materially engrossed, imitative disciples without caring to notice their so- called disciples’ obviously inadequate degrees of lobha-maya- shraddha. It should not surprise anyone that stalwart maha- bhagavata devotees of the Lord like Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada would take objection to such malpractice. Among other adjustments, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati saw fit to de-emphasize the revelation of ekadasha- bhava for the general mass of his followers, in deference to the all-purifying process of nama-sankirtana and is in fact known to have bestowed the ekadasha-bhava system of internal vraja- svarupa conceptualization upon only a very deserving few. Contemporary disciplic successors, however, appear to be hard- pressed to muster up the empowerment required to feasibly implement the imparting of ekadasha-bhava to anyone at all, almost as if to suggest a heretofore future probability of an all- around internal devotional incompetence among the ensuing generations of gurus and disciples alike. Although the absolute dependency upon siddha-pranali-diksa as such for the evolvement of raganuga-sadhana is denied in the Sarasvata doctrine, timely instruction (shiksa) concerning the internally conceived siddha-deha is nevertheless essential. If members of the Krishna consciousness movement could not come to the position of having sufficient qualification, sincerity, and determination to merit receiving such esoteric instruction, then what might be suspected of the purificatory power and efficacy of the devotional process we follow? Just because untrained, ineligible, cheap, or hypocritical monkey-like individuals devoid of regulative devotional proprieties should not be esoterically instructed beyond their actual level of spiritual competence, as is currently being done by certain overly lenient gurus, it doesn’t mean that all the disciples of highly qualified gurus should be deemed lifetime devotional bambinos, altogether denying them access to such an invaluable internal devotional facility. Would we not be conveniently throwing poor little baby out with the bath water on the plea of ensured institutional sanctity? The king wears clothes. The king is a fool. Therefore, everyone who wears clothes is a fool! Not very logical. That money tends to get misspent by irresponsible people doesn’t mean money should never be spent by those who are truly accountable.
It is certainly admissible that realization of one’s siddha- svarupa while still corporeally embodied and the ultimate attainment of one’s siddha-deha upon achieving the Lord’s vraja- lilas can be had by the mercy of the fully blossomed Holy Name who in due course gives everything to the sincere devotee. More siddha-deha diya . . . (Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Sharanagati – Shri Nama Mahatmya). Also, as stated in Shri Caitanya-caritamrita (adi-lila 1.96), tattva-vastu – Krishna, Krishna-bhakti, prema-rupa
/ nama-sankirtana – saba ananda-svarupa. “The Absolute Truth is Shri Krishna, and loving devotion to Shri Krishna in the form of [vraja-]prema is achieved through congregational chanting of the Holy Name, which is the essence of all bliss.” Again in the Caitanya Bhagavata (Madh. 23.76-79):
hare Krishna hare Krishna Krishna Krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
prabhu kahe kahilam ei mahamantra iha japa giya sabe kariya nirbandha iha haite sarva-siddhi haibe sabara sarva-ksana bala’ithe vidhi nahi ara
“The Lord said, ‘Regularly chant japa of this maha-mantra. In this way you will attain all perfections. Chant at any time and in any circumstance. There are no other rules for chanting. Gather together, five or ten, in your own homes, clap hands or play cymbals and sing kirtana of these holy names.’”
Shastric evidence such as this, however, in no way poses to preclude the sadhaka’s need to be esoterically instructed. Sambandha-abhidheya-prayojana-tattva-vicara demands the consideration of each individual’s specific internal devotional requirements. It is not meant to remain a general discussion devoid of any concern for the individual disciple’s personal spiritual objective. After all, the ascent to prema is a personal affair involving the delicate unfolding of personal sentiments based on personal desires to personally please the particular Personality of Godhead whom one considers to be one’s personal ista-deva. We must always remember that we are persons. Krishna is a person, the Holy Name is a person, and we are all unique individual persons who need to personally conceptualize the unique personal goal of our chanting before we can expect our chanting of the Holy Name to yield the superlative personalized fruit of love for Krishna we personally require to be all we can personally be to be personally satisfied that Krishna is personally satisfied with our personal attempts to please Him in all personified personal sweetness. Chanting with specific wrong conceptions bears specific wrong results, chanting with no specific conception bears no specific result, chanting with specific inferior conceptions yields specific inferior results, and, unsurprisingly, as one might reasonably gather, chanting the Holy Name with specific superexcellent conceptions yields specific superexcellent results. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham... It’s not all one. The obvious implication of the above Caitanya-caritamrita verse is as follows: Srila Rupa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasamrita- sindhu clearly delineates two basic levels of devotion – sadhana- bhakti (bhakti in practice done by ajata-rati sadhaka-bhaktas) and sadhya-bhakti (bhakti in perfection done by jata-rati bhavukas and siddha-bhaktas). Sadhana-bhakti includes two distinct paths – vaidhi-marga and raga-marga – correspondingly leading to two distinct types of perfection – maryada-prema (reverential love) and kevala-madhurya-prema (unadulterated sweetest intimate love). Raga-marga-sadhana is not to be equated with spontaneous devotional service; rather, it is deemed spontaneous devotional service in practice wherein a sadhaka covetously endeavors to internally emulate the perfect spontaneous mood of one of Krishna’s intimate eternal ragatmika associates. Only fortunate practitioners adequately endowed with lobha-maya-shraddha may legitimately take up this path. To the extent that one has not gained steadfastness in the pursuit of raga-bhajana, to that extent one is obliged to allow shastra-vidhi to prompt one’s adherence to the external practices of devotional service. As one’s affinity for bhajana prevails, lobha itself becomes the driving force, and the need to rely on shastra-vidhi becomes relatively superfluous. Likewise, sadhya-bhakti is divided into two progressive levels – bhava (preliminary love of Godhead) and prema (advanced love of Godhead). The stage of relishing prema-rasa, realized at the highest level of purity, comes only after the arousal of sthayii- bhava by the influence of vibhava, anubhava, sattvika, and vyabhicari, generated from the fragrance of the flower of rati or bhava. Prema never appears before svarupa-siddhi, which is realized at the stage of bhava. The stage of bhava and apana- dasha are basically synonomous. Bhavapana-dasha is the sadhya, or outcome of intensified sadhana, which progresses through the stages of shravana-dasha, varana-dasha, and smarana-dasha culminating in bhakti-samadhi. As previously indicated, shravana-dasha appears in two phases – krama-hina- shravana-dasha (haphazardous or unqualified hearing without aspiration to a particular rasa) and krama-shuddha-shravana- dasha (systematic, offenseless hearing with the ultimate aim of pleasing Krishna). If as a kanistha-adhikari shraddhavan jana one hears Krishna-lila in an unfocused way without having undergone sufficient purification via advanced devotional association, clouds of anarthas will obstruct the discernment of one’s natural inclination toward a particular rasa. Such hearing designated as krama-hina-shravana may in fact retard the arousal of one’s latent proclivity for raganuga-bhakti if one does not scientifically endeavor to improve one’s approach to the hearing process. However, when faithful upper class neophytes who are antarmukha (looking inward in the spirit of self- discovery) attentively and methodically hear (nityam bhagavata-sevaya) about Krishna’s nitya-lilas and naimittika-lilas under the wholesome guidance of experienced raganuga- sadhakas and rasika Vaishnavas, they, by such krama-shuddha- shravana, swiftly and without difficulty dissipate the clouds of anarthas (nasta-prayesu abhadresu) and come to the nistha platform (bhaktir bhavati naisthiki). Purposeful krama-shuddha- shravana appreciably manifests the enchanting sweetness of the Lord’s pastimes, spontaneously arousing the hearer’s latent predilection for raganuga-bhakti. As anarthas (material lust and greed) decrease in the course of extensive hearing (ceta etair anaviddham), one gradually recognizes within oneself a special natural appreciation for particular pastimes of the Lord enacted with a particular ragatmika associate endowed with a specific rasa. This indicates one’s natural constitutional inclination toward a particular rasa. The awakening of a basic yet firm eagerness to attain a kind of relationship with the Lord similar to that of one’s esteemed ragatmika archetype constitutes one’s specific innate lobha.
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