Bhagavatam-daily 268 – 11.13.1 – We need to come to goodness before acting in pure goodness

Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.13.1 Shri Bhagavan Vachur Sattvam Rajas Tamaiti Gunabuddhena Chaatmanah Sattvena Anyatamauhanya Sattvam Sattvena Chaivahin Sattvena Anyatamauhanya Krishna is telling to Arjuna over here this is the beginning of a new chapter in this chapter Krishna will quote the Hamsavata’s instructions to the sages later here he is continuing the theme from the previous chapter in the previous chapter it was stated that one can cut the axe of knowledge one can use knowledge to cut the tree of material existence and then one can renounce the axe of knowledge also the same theme will be elaborated through the framework of the three modes of material nature so according to Krishna states here that so Krishna says that by cultivating the mode of goodness one can give up one can break free from the influence of the lower modes and thereafter one can after one has come to goodness Sattvena Anyatamauhanya so by sattva one gives up the lower modes and then by the mode of goodness one can renounce the mode of goodness also that means by cultivating the mode of pure goodness one can renounce goodness also so two themes are there here first is as devote as devotee sadhakar we cannot attain pure goodness without striving for goodness we have influence of the lower modes right now and if we suddenly artificially try to act transcendental we will be fooling ourselves and we will be setting a bad example for others so vijayas essentially try to do this without following rules and regulations that bring them to the level of basic morality they try to imitate Krishna’s advanced pastimes and thus they end up doing immoral activities and claiming that those immoral activities are transcendental by practice by cultivating the mode of goodness we can we can circum the lower modes so cultivating the mode of goodness essentially means cultivating regulation the characteristic of the lower modes is that they impel us towards unregulated action but in goodness we can strive for regulation regulation is the key to elevation of course regulation alone is not the key to elevation regulation at the material level coupled with purification purification through the practice of devotion will lead to elevation but without regulation there cannot be any substantial purification Krishna gives a two step process for countering lust and there he says first in 3.41 the smart so in the beginning he says regulate the senses discipline the senses that essentially means that one needs to practice discipline so in the beginning so when we have the influence of the modes of material nature on us we need regulation and regulative principles help us to bring about such regulation like regulation although it may seem initially like deprivation but once we accept this ok I am not going to get into these forms of indulgences then that enables us to that acceptance ok I am not going to go in that form of indulgences that brings the peace of mind by which we can redirect our mind towards higher spiritual pursuits so cultivating the mode of goodness enables us to find the distracting and degrading tendencies that characterize the lower modes and thus the cultivation of goodness creates a foundation for our launching ourselves into transcendence someone may argue that bhakti itself is transcendental that so why does we need why can’t we directly attain transcendence the point is that bhakti is transcendental but we as performers of bhakti may not be transcendental in fact we are usually not transcendental and that’s why the bhagavatam also in Kapila’s teachings talks about bhakti in goodness, passion and ignorance that means externally one is doing the activities of bhakti one is living the life of bhakta but because of the internal consciousness still doing passion or ignorance, one is quarrelsome one is violent so the characteristics of the modes come in the way person performs bhakti and these lower characteristics they need to be curved and goodness offers us a solid curve for these lower tendencies and that’s why the bhagavatam also states that in Kapila’s teachings it stated that we need to come to the level of transcendental bhakti so we need that coming to the level of transcendental bhakti is not just a matter of imitating the activities of transcendental devotees but it is a matter of purifying our consciousness so that it becomes free from attraction to material things so that we can perform transcendental bhakti only when we are transcendental ourselves only when we have become purified ourselves of course bhakti is also the means for purification it’s not that we can perform bhakti only after we have become transcendental, no Krishna, while concluding the 14th chapter declares that we that so he says by practicing by determinately undividedly practicing bhakti practicing such bhakti we can we can attain the brahman platform Krishna also states later in the 18th chapter 54th verse that brahma bhuta prasannatma nishochati na kamshati samah sarveshu bhuteshu mad-bhaktim labhate para so if someone by some other process in the previous verses from 49 to 53 Krishna has described the process of jnana yoga so if somebody by jnana yoga comes to the process of comes to the level of brahman realization brahman platform then that person can practice para bhakti, pure bhakti because that person is no longer having any material contamination but that is a laborious process klesho dhikta raste shyam Krishna has stated in 12.5 so that is not required it is better that we practice bhakti to overcome the walls and then to first we practice bhakti to come to the level of goodness and then of course our intention is not to come to goodness our intention is ultimately to get Krishna but by practicing bhakti we regulate ourselves, we discipline ourselves we live a life in goodness conduct ourselves in goodness so that while the process of bhakti is working and purifying us which end us by the practice of bhakti we will attain goodness and eventually we will attain transcendence also so what this verse states that by sattva we can overcome the lower modes and by sattva we can ultimately conquer sattva also that can be done most efficaciously by the practice