HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE 20 страница
Na mam duskritino mudhah prapadyante . . . But who are the mudhas? The term mudha does not exclusively portray the other guy. As much as we ourselves, like beasts of burden, continue to blunderingly bear the encumbering heaps and piles of corporeal egoism, material attachments, and misconceived notions about the recommended processes by which the ultimate philosophical conclusions of the Gaudiya-sampradaya’s teachings may be practically implemented and realized, that much we ourselves can be considered mudhas.
naham prakashah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavritah mudho 'yam nabhijanati loko mam ajam avyayam
“I am not manifest to everyone. Because I am concealed and guarded by My internal deluding potency (yoga-maya), dull- headed ass-like individuals cannot recognize Me as the unborn and inexhaustible Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Bg. 7.25)
Kaviraja Gosvami has stated in his Caitanya-caritamrita (adi 17.22), kali-kale nama-rupe Krishna avatara: in this Age of Kali, Krishna descends from His eternal abode in the form of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Paritranaya sadhunah – it is Shri Hari- nama Prabhu who descends to deliver the sadhus by augmenting their faith in the process of sankirtana-yajna while granting a profound taste for its performance, thus mitigating their pangs of separation. Vinashaya ca duskritam – it is Shri Hari-nama who annihilates the demonic anartha-congested mentality that generates the unfortunate reluctance, disregard, and sheer disinterest concerning the performance of nama- sankirtana. In Kali-yuga, not to engage one’s energies in the performance of yuga-dharma nama-sankirtana can be considered the primary form of irreligion. Whenever and wherever there is a decline in its performance – yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati – and a predominant rise in the negligence of such – abhyutthanam adharmasya – then, tada, at that time – dharma-samsthapanarthaya – it is only Shri Hari- nama, appearing through the lips of the Lord’s pure devotee, who can forcefully restore the jivas to their eternal occupation, shuddha-nama-sankirtana. So also, it is Shri Hari-nama who descends to graciously bestow unalloyed love for Himself through the culture of nama-sankirtana-yajna. Even so, Krishna- nama reserves the right to either expose or conceal Himself in response to an individual’s quality of faith. Regrettably, disoriented neophytes possessed of persistent mudha-like tendencies do not recognize the true nature of the Holy Name, who, though unborn, inconceivably takes birth from His mother, who takes the form of a pure devotee’s tongue. The beginning, middle, and culmination of sharanagati (surrender to the Lord’s shelter) as a practical expression of one’s level of shraddha are actualized in this age by surrendering to the service of the Holy Name. And the prime methodology for such surrender is the propagation of the current yuga-dharma, the congregational chanting of the Holy Name. This truth was profusely demonstrated by Shri Gauranga throughout His manifest earthly pastimes.
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Only prema-ruruksu devotees, who are considerably advanced on the path of pure devotion, can truly understand the power of the Holy Name and the need to wholeheartedly take shelter of the process of nama-sankirtana.
bhaktya tv ananyaya shakya aham evam-vidho 'rjuna jnatum drastum ca tattvena pravestum ca parantapa
“My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I [as nama-rupa avatara] be understood as I am, standing [dancing] before you [on your tongue], and can thus be seen directly [in the proper light]. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.” (Bg. 11.54) atah shri-Krishna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah
“No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality, and pastimes of Shri Krishna through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental names, forms, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.” (Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.234) Here again, in Kali-yuga, “transcendental service to the Lord” connotes primarily the congregational chanting of His Holy Name.
Unfortunately, ass-like (bhara-v h…) externally absorbed kanistha-bhaktas of meager spiritual standing, though socially established through Gaudiya-religio-institutional affiliation, have very little if any true cognition of the eternality, infallibility, and omnipotence of Krishna’s self-same names, forms, qualities, and pastimes. Owing to residual sinful reactions, insufficient accumulation of piety in this and previous lifetimes, and a tendency to commit nama-aparadha, they are unable to worship the Holy Name with the determination required to gain much tangible experience of the efficacy of nama-sankirtana. On that account, their faith in and concomitant surrender to the direct prosecution of the yuga-dharma largely lacks firmness. For want of spiritual insight, they do not clearly ascertain what is and what is not to be done. Their pursuit of Krishna consciousness lacks proper prioritization. They disregard scriptural injunctions even while giving lip-service to the importance of following scriptural injunctions. They thus fail to submit to the prescribed process recommended in the scriptures for this age and so give little importance to the practice of congregational chanting and dancing. Hence, their degrees of faithlessness in the matter of congregationally chanting the Holy Name relegate their way of thinking to the domain of assorted mudha-isms. Shrimad Bhagavad-gita has it that four kinds of faithful neophyte devotees begin the process of devotional surrender with the hope of gaining the Lord’s favor – the distressed (artah), who are to some extent mukti-kami, hoping to get peace of mind by chanting the semblance of nama; the inquisitive (jijnasuh), who are curious about the effects of chanting the Holy Name; the fortune seekers (artha-arthi), who are to some extent bhukti- kami, hoping to fulfill desires for material gain by performing sankirtana; and the wise (jnani), who actually know things as they are and dutifully perform sankirtana of the Holy Name with an aspiration to pure devotional progress. All these people are considered to be more or less pious (sukritinah), eligible for elevation to the madhyama-adhikara through the association of pure devotees. Conversely, there are those of us who, even though posing as devotees, relentlessly decline to acknowledge the need to intently adhere to the process of nama-sankirtana. On the pretext of various other devotional engagements and institutional “responsibilities,” they platitudinously declare themselves to be exempt from the need to seriously prosecute the yuga-dharma. Due to miserly weakness under the influence of the Lord’s deluding potency, they are hard put to see the connection between the sankirtana performances and the fulfillment of all material and spiritual exigencies. To the extent that we fail to appreciate and earnestly actualize the propagation of nama-sankirtana, residues of the demonic tendencies persist in our hearts. Correspondingly, the terms duskritinah, mudhah, naradhamah, and mayayapahrita-jnanah found in the Gita also indicate our own individual and collective devotional shortcomings. So, who are the mudhas? We are the mudhas! Why? Because even though the truth of the importance of prosecuting the yuga-dharma as the only viable method by which the goal of life can be practically achieved is staring us in the face, we continue to ignore the obvious and attach ourselves to so many superfluous strategies. On the plea of various Krishna conscious pursuits, we are primed to die losers, without ever having truly understood or appropriately applied the science of self realization. Yo va etad aksaram gargy aviditvasma‡ lokat praiti sa kripanah. “He is a miserly man who does not solve the problems of life as a human and who thus quits this world like the cats and dogs, without understanding the science of self-realization.” (Brihad-aranyaka Upanisad 3.8.10) This very brief human form of life is a most valuable asset for allaying the tribulations of conditional existence, which revolve around the quest for ultimate happiness. Therefore, one who does not utilize this golden opportunity properly for the achievement of vraja-prema via the process of nama-sankirtana is a miser.
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Unless our lives uphold the performance of hari-nama- sankirtana, the end of all our endeavors will sport like ornaments on a lifeless aborted fetus or resound with the efficacy of a misfired blank bullet or a dud fire cracker. All other spiritual practices may be considered legitimate to the extent that they actually enhance the performance of hari-nama- sankirtana. As much as we engage our time in activities other than hari-nama-sankirtana or activities other than those that support, inspire, or facilitate the direct performance of hari- nama-sankirtana, that much our human form of life may be considered a devotional wasteland. The Krishna consciousness movement is not Lord Caitanya’s arcana movement. It is not Lord Caitanya’s “kitchen-religion” prasada-distribution movement. Neither is it Lord Caitanya’s management-meetings movement, nor is it Lord Caitanya’s varnashrama movement, nor is it a cow-protection movement. It is not Lord Caitanya’s money-scamming movement; nor Lord Caitanya’s computer- junkie; social-development; community-service; international- matchmaking; child-protection; or eating, sleeping, baby- buggying, and mutual back-scratching or backbiting movement. We would do very well to clearly mark that the Krishna consciousness movement happens to be Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement, please. A movement that does not primarily inspire, promote, and facilitate its members’ concerted absorption in kali-yuga-dharma hari-nama-sankirtana is hardly a sankirtana movement. Moreover, a sankirtana movement that neglects to purposely encourage the pursuit of raga-bhajana for the attainment of vraja-prema is not the sankirtana movement of Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this Kali- yuga, there’s no question of pleasing Lord Krishna without pleasing Lord Caitanya. Human beings with good brain substance (su-medhasah) intelligently recognize that Lord Caitanya is immensely pleased by the lobha-maya performance of sneha-samyukta-nama-sankirtana. There is no universally viable dharma in this age save the congregational chanting of the Holy Name.
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To reiterate as well as emphasize a point briefly mentioned in Chapter Two, it should be doubly re-affirmed that in this Age of Kali the success of any other limb of devotional service – not excluding the execution of bhagavata-shravana-kirtana, of which transcendental book distribution (brihat-kirtana) is an extension
– largely depends upon one’s isochronous absorption in the direct practice of nama-sankirtana. It is seen, with reference to acarya-vani, that the most highly elevated, self-surrendering devotees doubtlessly prefer to exclusively embrace the congregational singing of the Holy Name rather than rely on other devotional processes for the evolvement of prema. In the bhakti-shastras the efficacy of nama-sankirtana is well established above all other angas of bhakti. In fact, nama- sankirtana stands alone as the greatest devotional practice (maha-sadhana) and therefore reigns supreme as the only infallible means of attaining love of Godhead (vraja-prema). It is not that other forms of devotional service are as good as nama- sankirtana, but somehow or other nama-sankirtana is not really good enough (financially viable or whatever), obliging us not to highlight its performance in any way. If we are to propose that nama-sankirtana is not good enough to merit our concern, then any engagement allegedly “as good as” nama-sankirtana should also be equally ignored. Beyond that, the proposition that any devotional activity is in any way better than prosecuting the yuga-dharma should be deemed sheer madness. Any other anga of sadhana-bhakti deserves to be lauded as sadhana only if it in some way facilitates one’s active absorption in nama-sankirtana- rasa. Further, any sadhana that fails to promote but rather tends to detract from one’s progressive attachment to the process of nama-sankirtana is simply an anartha, an impediment on the path of ultimate perfection – even if in the broader sense it is computed to be some sort of sankirtana. As one covets a particular mellow of loving relationship with Krishna (nami), so also one’s reciprocal rasa in rapport with Hari-nama will manifest. Krishna’s name is the living embodiment of all transcendental rasas (caitanya-rasa-vigraha). As Krishna is bhava-grahi janardana, so too is Shri Hari-nama. The madhurya-bhaktas will cherish a conjugal attitude toward the Holy Name, the vatsalya-bhaktas will serve the Holy Name in light of their parental affection, the sakhya-bhaktas will befriend the Holy Name as they would their best friend, Krishna, and so on. Merciful Shri Hari-nama Prabhu will appropriately answer to each individual devotee’s unique approach. Knowledge of vrajendra-nandana-Krishna-sambandha-tattva, vraja-bhakti- abhidheya-tattva, and vraja-prema-prayojana-tattva along with vraja-lila-vicara and so forth, as taught through the shastras, is essentially required to give shape to one’s worship of the Holy Name. It is supplementary information, facilitating the unobstructed attainment of one’s constitutional internal devotional mood (bhava-siddhi). Although not reliant upon the force of scriptural injunctions, even one prompted by a spiritual greed (lobha) for the attainment of the moods of Vraja naturally seeks favorable guidance, inspiration, and nourishment from relevant scriptural information. As stated in the Bhagavatam (11.14.26): “The more one’s heart becomes purified by hearing and chanting about My beautiful pastimes, the more one can ably discern the subtle reality of the Absolute Truth (vastu) . . .” The words tatha tatha pashyati vastu suksmam in this Bhagavatam verse are significant in that they refer not only to a proportionately realized perception of the non-material, eternally substantial existence of the absolute, infinite Godhead and His infinite integrated counterpart internal spiritual potencies, but also to the simultaneous, gradual identification of the svarupa of the sac-cid-ananda-siddha-deha eternal spiritual body of the integrally existing infinitesimal part-and-parcel living entity. God-realization and self-realization go hand in hand just as the sun’s appearance in the firmament simultaneously facilitates one’s seeing both the body of the sun and one’s own body. As such, this important instruction spoken by Lord Krishna to Uddhava undeniably indicates the feasibility of gradual self-discovery (understanding and perfectly realizing one’s vraja-svarupa) by internal revelation through the purifying processes of hearing and chanting, without which vraja- lokanusaratah (following the moods of the Vrajavasis) and qualified lila-smarana could hardly be achievable.
Although recognized as a principal feature of raganuga- sadhana, lila-smarana, particularly in Kali-yuga, is nevertheless inescapably dependent on kirtana. Endeavoring to separately practice asta-kaliya-lila-smarana without doing kirtana is simply an inane attempt to besmear oneself with the hog stool of worldly illustriousness before the Vaishnava community. Of all types of kirtana (nama, rupa, guna, and lila), nama-kirtana, the loud singing of the Holy Name, is said to be primary and most efficacious. Furthermore, among the varieties of nama-kirtana, hari-nama-maha-mantra-sankirtana is esteemed as the most potent. The thirty-two-syllable maha-mantra – Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare – is affirmed by the shastras to be the approved taraka-brahma kirtana-mantra for this Age of Kali. The taraka-brahma kirtana-mantras prescribed for the previous yugas (Satya, Treta, and Dvapara) are aishvarya- or mixed aishvarya/madhurya-maya mantras bestowing the attainment of the Lord’s majestic realms as their fruit. The Hare Krishna maha-mantra, however, is a kevala-madhurya-maya radha- Krishna-yugala mantra, which integrates both taraka and paraka potencies, granting to the lobha-maya-shraddhavan jana liberation from material existence and, beyond that, the sweetest fruit of vraja-prema and the attainment of the eternal realm of Vraja. It is not at all fortuitous that the taraka-brahma kirtana-mantra corresponding to the present age, in which the most munificent Lord Gauranga advented to broadcast the sweetest of all the madhurya mellows of Vraja (radha-dasyam), be absolutely in consonance with the very thrust of His mission. Much stress is therefore given to Hare Krishna maha-mantra sankirtana. In truth, Lord Gauranga, cutting to the point, inaugurated the yuga-dharma for the present age, the congregational chanting of the Holy Name (primarily the Hare Krishna maha-mantra), which, unlike the dharmas established in other yugas by Visnu avataras, is the eternal occupation (jaiva- dharma) of the soul, inherently possessed of the capacity to culture the moods of Vraja. In this age everyone, upon invoking the mercy of the Panca-tattva (shri-Krishna-caitanya prabhu- nityananda shri-advaita gadadhara shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta- vrinda) by the grace of sat-parampara, can best access the course of concentrated vraja-bhakti-bhajana through the medium of Hare Krishna maha-mantra-sankirtana, which easily and powerfully promotes vibrant, all-round nama, rupa, guna, and lila absorption in Krishna consciousness. ns a husband is the life and soul of his wife (vadhu), so hari-nama-sankirtana performed with a greed to taste the nectar (vraja-bhakti-rasa) for which we are always anxious is, in fact, vidya-vadhu-jivanam, the very life and soul of all transcendental knowledge found in the scriptures. What is the validity of a wife (adhyatma-vidya) without her husband (nama-sankirtana)? We read about it. We (armchair) philosophize about it. We distribute millions and billions of books about it. But to what extent are we actually living it? Let us take account; how much of it do we actually do? Consider another point: although Krishna-nama-rupa-guna-
lila-kathamrita is relished by the Lord’s devotees both here and in the spiritual world, any form of preaching to reclaim wayward, corporeally engrossed jivas is only done in this material world, which is sometimes manifested and sometimes not. Just as Paramatma, the Supersoul, is a temporarily manifested feature of the Lord, appearing only occasionally with the creation of the cosmos, so also, Shri Guru’s function as external representative of the Supersoul is a temporary manifestation. Similarly, preaching cannot really be said to be an eternal occupation of the Lord and His devotees. The function of Shri Guru as pertaining to the eternal abode (sanatana-dhama) as well as the activities or pastimes of the spiritual world are in the true sense nitya or eternal, whereas, although regularly resumed again and again with each successive cosmic creation, the pastimes unique to this realm, such as the birth of the Lord, the actual killing of demons, and even preaching to deliver the fallen conditioned souls, should for all intents and purposes be seen as naimittika or occasional lilas. Preaching through the medium of mass transcendental book distribution as we have seen in recent years does not exist in the spiritual world. It has temporarily manifested in this material world with the aid of the recently invented printing press and will continue only as long as “high-tech” accoutrements grace the face of our so-called “modern” technological civilization. The performance of prema-rasa-maya- nama-sankirtana for the Lord’s pleasure, however, is an eternal function of the soul and is ever featured in the highest realm of Goloka. It should be noted with utmost interest and deference that it is this most powerful, eternal aspect of devotional service which has directly descended from Goloka Dhama as the yuga- dharma for this terribly fallen age. Only when prema-nama- sankirtana descends to this dark material world does that eternal golden sankirtana principle appear to assume a preaching demeanor as hari-nama-pracara. By such divine appearance of the loudly broadcasted raga-maya-maha-mantra, the brightest Holy Name and the darkest Kali-yuga display an extraordinary contrast, unseen within this world during previous ages. Thus this Age of Kali and the Holy Name enhance each other’s value. Actually, however, it is the rasika relishment of nama-sankirtana which is the eternal occupation of the jiva. The highest preaching demeanor of nama-sankirtana is circumstantially (temporarily) manifest according to time (Kali- yuga) and place (the material world). Mass transcendental book distribution is not the eternal occupation of the living entity, though when done in full Krishna consciousness, it in every respect perfectly accords with the essential sankirtana principle of pure devotional surrender, in keeping with its ultimately realizable internal nitya-lila countertype.
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