Bhagavatam-daily 25 – 11.07.15 – Bhakti makes the dushkara sulabha and su-sukham

Thank you especially for those who you are the soul of everyone Abhakteir iti me matihi for those who have no devotion so Vishwanath Chakravartha explains in his commentary that Buddha is saying actually giving up material desires is difficult even for devotees and what to speak of those who are not devotees it is difficult all the more so especially for those who are So, in the previous verse, while recapping, rephrasing, rewording the Lord’s teaching says that, O Lord, you have taught me the path of renunciation and this verse is saying that the path of renunciation is very difficult to follow for those who are attached, especially if they are without devotion to Lord Hari.
Now, normally, devotees are not concerned with materialistic things. That does not mean that they deliberately leave power to the poor, but they are not overly concerned about materialistic things. They, whatever they can acquire by doing their prescribed duty, they are happy about that.
They don’t keep craving for more and more material improvement. Why is that? Because they have got a spiritual purpose to their life. They know the purpose of life is to go back to Krishna and more than a spiritual purpose, the process of devotion also gives spiritual taste and that makes it easier to give up sense gratification.
On the other hand, for those who are non-devotees, they don’t have any higher taste. All that they have is the repeated test which comes from having desires which one is not supposed to indulge in. So, the lower desires keep coming and saying no to desires remains a constant test for the impersonals.
Now, of course, it is a test for devotees also, but devotees can actually immediately absorb their minds in Krishna, although it’s not easy, but certainly there are so many accessible and relishable manifestations of Krishna and any one of them we can absorb ourselves and if we absorb ourselves, then the torment of desires which we mistake as my own longing, my own craving for them, that causes our, that takes away our concentration and prevents us from focusing on Krishna. So, often when we study scripture at one level, it seems very relishable. Oh, there are so many wonderful verses, so many illuminating explanations of those verses in the archaic commentaries and by the learned Vaishnavas in our community, learned realized Vaishnavas, that what do I need anything else for? So, these are the times when, here in Katha is one example, there is Kirtan also, there is Deities also and there are so many other ways in which Krishna offers the higher taste and through the path of devotion, we can tap that higher taste and move on towards Him.
But the problem is that although Krishna is the higher taste and the worldly sense objects are the lower taste, so even for devotees, it may be Tushkara if the focus is just on leaving the lower taste. The focus even for devotees has to be on attaining the higher taste and staying connected with Krishna at all times. When we give up our connection with Krishna or when we slacken our connection with Krishna, we never give up it in terms of stopping the practices of devotional service or giving up the regulations of bhakti entirely.
Actually, we need to focus on holding on to Krishna more and more. When we hold on to Krishna, material things will not be able to hold on to us long enough. Yes, because of the mind’s conditionings, there’ll be some attachments, there’ll be some distractions, there’ll be some temptations, but it is our choices that determine the length of the temptation, the depth of the penetration of the temptation.
That means, what do you mean length and depth? Length means how long does the temptation stay and how deep does it enter into our consciousness. That is determined by our attitude. When the temptations come to us, at that time, though we may not immediately be able to summon the conviction to say no to them.
We may start considering them. Maybe I can do this. Maybe not now, certainly not in public, but maybe later on in private.
Now, as long as we entertain the temptation, the torment caused by the temptation will go on. And not only that, also we will face the temptation’s greater penetration into our consciousness. That means it will occupy more space in our consciousness and it will demand more attention and also then financial penalization and other messy things come up.
So, rather than giving in to the temptation in terms of considering it, we can not just when we are tempted, but even when we are not tempted, create a rigid program, not rigid in the sense of absolute rules and regulations, but appropriate in terms of our social culture position. We decide that, okay, these are the ways in which I can absorb myself in Krishna. These are the ways in which I can absorb myself in constructive things.
And that’s how I can avoid these destructive desires. With this attitude in mind, we turn towards Krishna and try to absorb ourselves in Him. So, if we focus primarily on connecting ourselves with Krishna, then that Dushkara will become a Sukara and not only Sukara, it will become Sulabha.
Dushkara means non-doable practically, very difficult to do. Sukara means doable. Sulabha means easily, joyfully doable.
Krishna uses the two words to describe Bhakti in Bhagavad Gita. One is Sulabha and the other is Susukham. Sulabha is that which is easily obtained and Susukham is with immense joy.
Sukham itself is joy. Susukham is with great joy. So, actually Bhakti makes Krishna accessible and Bhakti makes the spiritual path joyful.
So, how does this happen? We have to find out how we can serve Krishna according to our nature, according to our inclinations, according to our interests. We find out how we can serve Krishna and establish that one connection with Krishna. And as we keep practicing Bhakti more and more, through that one connection, we will get some taste in that particular service with Krishna and that taste will seep deep into our consciousness and that will enable us to taste Krishna in other devotional activities also in which we were not able to taste Krishna earlier.
And thus we will develop our relationship with Krishna and the more our relationship with Krishna develops, the more Bhakti will become Sulabha and Susukham. So, yes, the spiritual path is difficult. Even the devotional path has its difficulties because the mind, even when getting the higher taste, stays attached to the lower taste.
But if you find the activity where we can get steady higher taste, at least at some basic level and we strengthen ourselves intellectually and spiritually by studying scripture, then we will be able to fight off the temptations whenever they come. We will hold them back and drive them out and we will be able to stay fixed and strong in our devotion on the way to Krishna. And that is what in response to Krishna, Uddhava’s questions, Krishna will ultimately tell in this Uddhava Gita, which we discuss in our future classes.
Thank you.