Dasha Mula Tattva 6 – The Absolute Truth delights and shares delights through three internal energies

Let's continue with our discussion on Vashimola Tattva. We discuss now the Tattva where we go into Bhakti now, from here onwards. Vashimola Tattva Vashimola Tattva Rasambodhau Magnou Rajrasabilasi Vijayate So, Vijayate, let that Lord be glorious who is Sawailadhenyash That same Lord talk about previous verse who had Vishishtis the absolute truths, three energies in the broad scope, the totality of three energies has been described.

Now, within his chit shakti, within his spiritual energies, three divisions are going to be described. sabai ladhinyaas cha pradaya vikrtir ladhanarathas So, ladhini shakti, that is one pradaya vikrtir, it is a transformation of his affection. It is ladhanarathas, it is filled with the activities that bring him delight, tatha samvid shakti, that is samvid shakti.

Samvid means knowledge, so samvid is a transformation of samvid. So one who gives complete knowledge or gives knowledge, shakti prakatita, that which is manifested, raho bhava rasitaha. So now that energy gives knowledge by which the bhava, by which the spiritual ocean can be experienced, shri sandhinya, sandhini shakti, krutavishad tad dhamani chahiye.

What does sandhini shakti do? It manifests his dham, in where all the pastimes take place. Rasa bodham magno, and in that, in the ocean of rasa, that lord is immersed. Vraja rasa vilasi, what kind of rasa? Vraja rasa vilasi, he is immersed in the rasa of lindavan, that lord vijayate, may he be victorious, may he be glorified.

The concept of God has been discussed by theologians in many different ways throughout history. And there has been two broad approaches. One is the approach of speculation, to try to understand God.

And the other is the approach of otherness or distancing. That means speculation is different people, God is like this, God is like that, God is like that. For example, contemporary Hinduism, we have many people who speculate that my guru is God, or this person is God, that person is God, God is like this, God is like that.

So there is speculations about the nature of God. And the other extreme is especially seen in the Abrahamic religions. The Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

All three of these except Abraham as one of his prominent prophets from whom all subsequent teachers have come. They call it Abrahamic religions, or sometimes they call it Semitic religions. But within these religions, God's otherness is stressed a lot.

Otherness means God is so great, God is so supreme, God is so infinite, that we can't know about him at all. And an unintentional consequence of the unknowability of God is his unlovability. If we can't know anyone at all, how can we really love that person? So in both these religions, Christianity and Islam, especially in Christianity, somehow Christians have come up with that, come up with Jesus as almost an equivalent substitute for God.

That means, although Jesus himself said that I am not the father, I have been sent by the father, I am the son. But after Jesus died, for four centuries, Christians while being persecuted by the Roman Empire at that time, and they also debated who was Jesus. And then the fourth century Nicene Creed was agreed upon by most Christians and anyone who didn't agree, they were called as deviants.

And according to that creed, they had the idea that Jesus was himself God. So they said the divinity of Christ was manifested by the humanity of Jesus. So basically, today, Christians consider Jesus as their solution to the unknowability of God.

He's not exactly God, God is a different person, but for all practical purposes, they consider him to be God. And they make him their object of worship. So, this is the result.

So, when we render God as entirely unknowable, then somehow or other, we need some surrogate. So, in the Islamic tradition, they revere Mohammed a lot. And to such an extent, but still that strand of otherness is so strong, that they not only say that Mohammed, not only Allah cannot be depicted, but even Mohammed should not be depicted.

So, just like there are movies made about Jesus, there are movies made about Mohammed. But if the movies are made in the Islamic world, the whole movie of Mohammed will be without any depiction of Mohammed. Because their idea is that as soon as you depict a person, then we start ascribing that person as a worshipable person.

Ascribing worshipable attributes to that person and we will start worshipping that person. So, anyway, the point is this two extremes of otherness and speculation, both of them create problems. The solution to this is to look for a divine revelation.

Now, Prabhupada gives a simple logic. He says that you are saying Krishna, Prabhupada says, we give object to definition of God. What is the object to definition? He is all beautiful, he is all powerful, he is all wealthy, he is all knowledgeable, he is all renounced.

Now, after describing these, when you say that now no religious tradition will actually say that my God is ugly or my God is ignorant, my God is poverty stricken. So, no religion will disagree with these characteristics of God. Then Prabhupada would say, okay, we are presenting these characteristics and now we present a person.

Who has these characteristics? Now, if I say the Prime Minister of India has the power by which he presses one button and Indian Army will get galvanised, Indian Air Force will get galvanised, Indian Navy will get galvanised. If he says attack, they will all attack. And if I show you a person who has that powers, then I can say this is the Prime Minister of India.

So, like that Prabhupada says, here is the definition of God and here is the person who fits that definition. Now, if you have a better conception of God, provide us that conception. But they do not have a better conception of God.

One of Prabhupada's disciples was, I agree with him, he was an English professor in Ohio State University. So, he one time had the chodi called him and he said, Howard, Mr. Wheeler, the students have complained that you are ditching the strange conception of God in your classes. He said, Sir, what is your conception of God? He said, I don't have any conception of God.

If you don't have any conception of God, then how can you say my conception is strange? He said, but you are saying that God is black. That time there was the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King trying to get rights for the blacks. Most of the students in colleges will be white.

He said, God is black. He said, no, he is blue. He said, God is a cowboy.

You know these western movies with cowboys, who ride on horses and get back. He said, no, he is not a cowboy, he is a cowboy boy. So, the point is that there is an objective criteria of God, there is a person who is fitting that criteria.

Some Christians may argue that, but why don't you, if Jesus had said that, if Jesus had also been sent by Krishna, why did Jesus not reveal that God is Krishna? So, Prabhupada said that, you know, Jesus taught basic principle, thou shalt not kill. And for that he was only killed. So, of course, Jesus did not teach it, Jesus reinforced it.

The old commandment came first earlier from Moses, thou shalt not kill is one of the earlier commandments. But the point is that Jesus himself gave very basic teachings. And much of what goes on as Christian philosophy is actually not coming from Christianity, it is coming from Greco-Greek philosophy, which is integrated with Christianity by Saint Augustine.

So, the whole purpose of this discussion which we are doing right now is to illustrate this point that wherever knowledge of God is available, we should take that knowledge of God. Suppose, say a student studies engineering in some medical college, or not medical, engineering in some engineering college. Somebody studies in some engineering college in Mumbai.

Now, will that person say that, if the person is studying computer engineering in some Mumbai, in some college in Mumbai, and then the person says that, I want to forget, if you want to study computer engineering more, if you want to study computer engineering better, then you can go to MIT in America. That is the best college for computer science. Now I will study only in my college.

I will not go anywhere else. I will study computer engineering only in my college, Jai Gowd. Then a discerning person will ask, see are you interested in knowledge or are you interested in college? If you are interested in knowledge, then yes, you are grateful for which your college has given you knowledge.

But if you want to grow further, then you go to whichever college gives you further knowledge. So, if we see that Jesus, there will be no moral principle, without much philosophical knowledge about God. If you have more knowledge about God, why not explore other traditions? You will learn more about God thereby.

So here, among all the words in this tradition, the conception of Rasa and the conception of God is Rasa Raj, is a special conception. So I will talk about Rasa a little bit later in one of the future talks. But here, let us focus on this principle.

So here, we are getting a deeper conception of God. So look at the Dashamul Tattva. How is it beginning? It begins from a very broad scope.

How do you get knowledge? From the Vedas. Then what is the teaching of the Vedas? That is, Hari is the greatest. Then, if Hari is the greatest, then how does Hari relate to Brahma and how does Hari relate with the world? That is described.

Then, as the camera focusses more and more and more, who is Hari? So now, him and his internal energy, they are what are being talked about now. So that is the purpose that the internal energies are to be talked about. Then the question comes up, what are these internal energies? How are they related? So sometimes, these three energies are also called as the three modes of spiritual nature.

Just like we have three modes of material nature, Sattva, Rajas, Tamas. Similarly, there are three modes of material nature. That is that we have Sat, Chit, Ananda.

Now, Sat, Chit, Ananda, what is this? Just as at the material level, everything in the material world is made of the three modes. Daivi, Eesha, Gunamayi. Gunamayi, this material energy, is made of three modes.

So everything in this world is made of, is comprised of various ingredients. But these ingredients have sprung from the modes. So the modes, just as they are the building blocks or the building ingredients, they are not blocks actually.

They are ingredients of the world. Similarly, Sat, Chit, Ananda is the building ingredient of the spiritual world. Of course, the spiritual world is never built in any sense.

It is eternal. But these are the ingredients of that world. So now this Sat, Chit, Ananda, they correlate with these three energies.

Sat correlates with Sandhini Shakti. Chit correlates with the Samvid Shakti. And Ananda correlates with the Laghini Shakti.

So Sat, Chit, Ananda in this way correlates with the Sandhini, Samvid and Laghini Shaktis. Now among these three energies, we see that the Sat, Chit, Ananda. Now how do we understand this? Let's take a simple example to first understand the role of these three energies.

So for example, now if say some of you are feeling hungry. And now you know that evening prasad is at 7 o'clock. So if the evening prasad is at 7 o'clock, there are three things.

First that is, if you are hungry and you want to mitigate the hunger. So first of all, we need knowledge. How do I go out to mitigate hunger? We have to go to the prasad mall.

That is not the level of knowledge. When the baby is first born, the baby does not even have the knowledge what to do. But a mother picks up the baby and a mother puts the baby's mouth on her breast and the baby starts suckling.

So how does the baby know how to suckle? It is actually the super soul in the heart, the super soul gives the knowledge. The mother may teach, but the baby also has the innate learning. But for doing any activity, some knowledge is required.

Whether it be taught knowledge or received knowledge, genetic knowledge. One of the differences, major defining difference between humans and animals. In animals, usually if you consider the knowledge that people have, there is genetic knowledge and there is acquired knowledge.

So the relative percentage between these two knowledges, in animals, major knowledge is genetic knowledge. And the learnable knowledge is very little. In humans, the learnable knowledge is a lot.

We also have a lot of genetic knowledge, but the learnable knowledge is a lot. So that is what actually is one characteristic of advanced intelligence or advanced consciousness that we human beings have. So suffice it to say, for doing any activity, we need knowledge.

Along with that, we also need a facility. So for example, to satisfy my hunger, I have to go to the Prasad Mahal. But that is not enough.

I will need a plate over there. And that plate is not enough. Prasad also has to be there.

If I go at a time when nobody has cooked the Prasad, he is going to the Prasad Mahal and will not provide me the Prasad. So along with the knowledge, for doing anything, facility is required. Without the particular resources that are required for doing that activity, the knowledge alone will not be enough.

And when there is the knowledge and there is the facility, when both of them are brought together, and when a person engages in that activity, then there is satisfaction. Eat food, the hunger goes away. That is the Lagini Shakti.

So that means, in the spiritual, just as in this world, there is knowledge, there is facility, and there is the result. The result of using the knowledge in the facility, the result can be, if I overeat, there will be frustration. If I fast, I may feel dissatisfaction.

But there is a particular result that comes. The same principles apply in the spiritual world. The whole of spiritual world is manifested by the Sandhini Shakti.

Started by the Sandhini Shakti. Sandhini, the word Sat, has many meanings. Normally what is the translation that Prabhupada gives Sat? Sat means? Eternal.

Eternal, that's how Prabhupada translates it. Another meaning of Sat is simply existence. So, exist, Sat means exist.

So, asato ma sad karma. That's what Mundaka Upanishad says. A Chandogya Upanishad says that, actually, it's one of the Upanishads.

So, that means go from the temporary to the eternal. Also, it means go from the illusive to the real, go from the non-existent to the existent. So, that means that Sat has many meanings.

So, Sat is that which brings about existence and maintains the existence for all of eternity. So, the Sandhini Shakti manifests the whole spiritual world. And within that spiritual world, after all the resources are manifested, then there is the Samvid Shakti.

The Samvid Shakti gives the knowledge of what is to be done. How the leela is to be performed. What should be done so that Krishna is pleased the most.

So, for example, when Radharani is cooking, or when the Sakhis are assisting Radharani in cooking. So, how Krishna wants things to be. How should we spice this? What should we cook? How should we cook? What all should be done? All the knowledge for certain Krishna is provided by the Samvid Shakti.

And then, using the resources provided by the Sandhini Shakti, using the knowledge provided by the Samvid Shakti, when Seva is performed, at that time, there is the result, that is Ladini Shakti manifests. And that Ladini Shakti provides happiness. That ecstasy that comes in the heart when we perform Bhakti, that is the manifestation of the Ladini Shakti in the heart.

So now, here, again, I will discuss this more in detail when we go later. But suffice it to say, one of the distinctive features of Gaurav Vaishnavism is a deeper appreciation of Bhakti. I have got a whole seminar on this.

Again, I won't go into that. That what is the conception of Bhakti in say, Madhu Sampradaya, in the Sri Sampradaya, in the Vallabh Sampradaya, in the various Sampradayas like that, and what is the conception of Bhakti in the Gaurav Vaishnav Sampradaya. And how the Gaurav Vaishnav Sampradaya has the most evolved conception of Bhakti.

See, prior to the Gaurav Vaishnav Sampradaya, the primary understanding of Bhakti is that it is a matter of our disposition. For example, Ramacharya says Bhakti means it is intense remembrance of God, of Hari, with affection. I am just approximating the Sanskrit definition which he has given.

Or, Madhavacharya may say that it is recollection with reverence. So, there are different definitions of Bhakti that may be given by different Sampradayas. But each of these, the focus is on us.

It is the more, it is our disposition. How we are recollecting? Recollect intensely, recollect reverently. Recollect with great affection.

Remember with great affection. That is the conception of Bhakti. But the Gaurav Vaishnav Sampradaya explains that Bhakti is not just a matter of our disposition.

Yes, our disposition is definitely required. But Bhakti is essentially a matter of divine dispensation. Divine dispensation means there is Nadi Shakti.

And when we cultivate a devotional disposition, when we try to remember Krishna with whatever affection we have, then that Nadi Shakti manifests in our heart. So, to explain how this works, suppose, say we have a radio. We have FM radio on our cell phones nowadays.

So now, when the FM radio is being tuned, if at a particular frequency there is no signal over there, then even if I come to that frequency, nothing happens. Now, when I tune my radio to a particular frequency, and suddenly, maybe the Bhagavatam class is going on, I expect the Bhagavatam class broadcast starts coming over there. So, my tuning has not caused the Bhagavatam class.

My tuning has simply made my mobile receptive to the Bhagavatam class. Bhagavatam class, sound vibrations come from somewhere else. My tuning has simply made me receptive.

So, like that, the Gaudiya Vishnu understanding is Bhakti is not just a matter of tuning our consciousness. Yes, we have to tune our consciousness, but when we do the right tuning of our consciousness, it is the Nadi Shakti that manifests. And when the Nadi Shakti manifests, that is when we get the rich experience of Bhakti.

That's why we have, what is the first? Nashta Prayeshu Bandreshu Tityam Bhagavata Sevaya Bhagavati Uttama Shloke No, sorry, it was before that. Which is the Prayam. Nashta Prayeshu Bandreshu So, here it is said, Nashta Prayeshu Bandreshu Abhadra, Prayam means most of it.

Not all of it. Just when we subject ourselves to spiritual sound vibration, to devotional sound vibration, at that time, that exposure itself purifies us. That exposure itself removes many of the Anarthas.

But not all of the Anarthas. So, Prabhupada writes in his purports over there, that even the mechanical engagement in Bhakti, in the devotional activities, is beneficial. But it is not completely transformation.

By the mechanical activities, gradually we become purified and eventually when we are purified, fully then, at that time, this is actually, if we see, 1.2.6 to 22, this is the Bhagavatam, the sequence of verses are described. So, this is in the initial series, Nashta Prayeshu Bandreshu. But, before the whole sequence itself.

But later on, in the advanced version, it says, that at that time, Tadah Jastamubhava Kamalobha Dayasya Jaya Chetai Tenna Vidyam Siddham Sattve Prasidhati And then afterwards it is described, Rahu Rajyoguna Tamoguna Go, Kamaloba Go And then, Binduteyudaya Vyvantis Chidyante Sarvasanksheha Kshiyante Chasya Karmani Drishyateva Atmanishvare At that time, everything is destroyed. The attachments are destroyed. Binduteyudaya Vyvantis All the attachments in the heart are destroyed.

Chidyante Sarvasanksheha All the doubts are dissipated. Kshiyante Chasya Karmani And the karmic bondage ends. At that time, Drishyateva Atmanishvare The understanding that the soul is different from the body, is beyond the body.

The soul is a part of the Supreme Soul. So, all this understanding emerges later. And it emerges as a result of the practise of Bhakti.

So, initially itself, Nashtra, Prahari, Eshwapada Not completely. Most of it gets over. So, the point I was making is that Bhakti is not just a matter of our disposition.

By cultivating a devotional disposition, we make ourselves receptive for the channel of Laghani Shakti to manifest within us. And when Laghani Shakti manifests within us, that is the time when we start experiencing devotional ecstasy. So, we do put in effort to tune our consciousness.

But it is not the tuning of our consciousness that leads to the ecstasy of Bhakti. It is the manifestation of Laghani Shakti which leads to the experience of spiritual fulfilment, spiritual bliss. So, Krishna He is in the spiritual world and through these Shaktis Rasambodhamagano Prajarasamilasi He rejoices Rasa in Vrindavan.

So, what happens in Vrindavan? Let's consider one simple pastime. We will discuss more of this in future classes. But say now Radharani is cooking for Krishna.

So, everyday Radharani comes to Pavan Sarovar. This of course happens before her marriage. So, she comes to Pavan Sarovar.

It is just because Radharani is still unmarried at that time and Krishna is also a young boy. So, when Yashodamayi requests Radharani is cooking. It is a beautiful pastime which goes in the background.

I won't go into that right now. But once when the Maharaj and Yashodamayi and the whole family had been invited to the house of Vrishabhan Maharaj for food at that time Radharani cooks for them. And Krishna is delighted by the cooking.

Krishna eats a lot. Madhamangal is also there. Madhamangal says that eating this food has produced both ecstasy and anxiety in me.

Krishna looks at him. He says I have never tasted food like this before. That's why I am in ecstasy.

But I am in anxiety thinking that after having tasted food like this how will I be satisfied with any other food. So, that's why I am in anxiety. Yashodamayi after they have taken their food Yashodamayi meets Radharani.

At that time Yashodamayi meets Kirtida. She says yes. Madhamangal is a joker.

It's true. I have never seen Krishna eat with so much relish. I think your Radha they don't refer to Radharani as Rani.

She is Radha. She is younger to them. She says that your Radha cooks so nicely.

Krishna is eating with such joy. So, I have a request. Please send Radha to cook for Krishna to my house.

So, Kirtida says yes, it's an honour that you are you are our queen. It's an honour for us that you are asking Radha to come to cook for Krishna. But still people will talk.

She is an unmarried girl. Krishna is an unmarried boy. How can she come to her house to cook? He says okay.

I agree with you. So, what you can do is you need not come in our house. Near our house there is Pavan Sarovar.

I will arrange stoves and everything. I will make a kitchen over there. Let Radha come and cook over there.

And she needn't serve Krishna. Others can serve Krishna. So, now at all level Radharani is disappointed.

Her heart is filled with the desire to serve Krishna more and more. But she says at least something is better than nothing. So, from that day onwards, from next day onwards Radha starts coming to Pavan Sarovar to cook for Krishna.

So, now what is happening here? Now at the Pavan Sarovar, Yashodamayi and others, they all arrange by Sandhya Shakti, they arrange all the cook, all the stoves and everything. It is said that sometimes Radharani is so much ecstatic. Simultaneously she is cooking in 50 stoves.

This item here, this item here, this item here, this item here. She cooks everything. She is in great anxiety while cooking.

She wants to cook everything perfectly for Krishna. And then there are the elderly gopis and Krishna is still young and Radharani doesn't serve. There are other gopis who serve.

So, Radharani is watching from the window whether Krishna likes the food or not. Krishna knows that Radharani is watching. So, Krishna decides to tease her.

So, when the food is served Radharani Krishna Krishna picks up the food makes a twisted face and he pushes it away. Radharani's heart starts shattering. What happened? What went wrong? And then he pushes the plate away Madhubangal thinks, delicious Madhubangal started eating.

So, Radharani gets angry at Krishna. And Krishna is teasing me. So, in this way in the past times happened so, by the Sandhini Shakti Radharani has provided the facilities for cooking.

And by the Samudra Shakti, Radharani she is just a small girl but she knows how to cook. And she cooks newer and newer items or same items with new flavours, new combinations. And he cooks for Krishna and then when the service is performed and she says Krishna is happy with the food she herself experiences ecstasy.

So, in this way, Sandhvi, Sandhini and Radharani all of them play a part in any service that is rendered to Krishna. And even when we render service to Krishna in the material here also the only difference is that the resources here are not eternal. But the same principle applies.

The spiritual master takes on the Sandhini Shakti and provides us the knowledge of how to serve Krishna. Then it is by Krishna's arrangement that we get the resources. Prabhupada started with that 40 rupees only.

But then he got resources. By his pure desire, Krishna sent resources. Prabhupada had the knowledge and Prabhupada gave the knowledge and they preached.

And the more they shared Krishna consciousness with others the more they experienced ecstasy. So, this dynamic when we say that Mrudanga should be treated very reverentially or the Deity paraphernalia should be treated very reverentially that is not just a matter of disposition. Understand that they are now a part of the arrangement provided by the Sandhini Shakti.

And that's why we need to treat them carefully. So, Sandhvi, Sandhini and Radharani in this way they all work together and the end result is the devotee becomes increasingly absorbed in loving service to Krishna and experiencing greater and greater ecstasy in Krishna's service. So, we discussed about how people have speculative conceptions of God where they start making human beings into God or they stress God otherness where God becomes unknowable and unloveable and then they have to put somebody as almost at a God like pedestal to have somebody to worship but among various conceptions of God that are there in the world the Gaudiya Vaishnava conception is very vivid, very appealing very personable and what is this conception of God? This conception is that first now is it a sectarian conception? No.

Prabhupada explained that we give objective definition of God and then we present a person who fulfils that objective definition. So, if you don't agree then produce some other conception. No other conception is available actually.

Then within this we discussed God resides in the spiritual world and just as we have three boards of matrimonial nature here there are three boards of spiritual nature Sat, Chit, Ananda which correspond with Sandhini, Samvid and Ladhini Shaktis and for serving Krishna the Sandhini Shakti manifests as the spiritual world with all its paraphernalia the Samvid Shakti provides very good knowledge for serving Krishna and the Ladhini Shakti provides an ecstasy and satisfaction when we serve him and these three energies can also be deployed here in the material world when we try to serve Krishna and to the extent our heart becomes pure to that extent we also experience more and more the spiritual joy of Ladhini Shakti So, the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya explains we will discuss this later that devotion is not just a matter of disposition it is a matter of divine grace our disposition makes the reception for Ladhini Shakti to enter in our heart and thereby flood us with spiritual ecstasy.