Bhakti Shastri (159) Nectar of Devotion Chapter 14 & 15

Podcast

Thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna.
Welcome back to the Bhakti Shastri course. We are in the nectar of devotion. We’ll just be completing the wave of nectar of devotion, which talks about Vaidhi Bhakti.
And then we’ll move on to Raga Anuga Bhakti. So, Vaidhi Bhakti and Raga Anuga Bhakti, both are parts of Sadhana Bhakti. And in Sadhana Bhakti, the 64 items were discussed.
And after discussing the 64 items, towards the end of the last chapter, the discussion was started about what is the relationship of Sadhana Bhakti or specifically Vaidhi Bhakti with other aspects. So, is Sadhana Bhakti dependent on Varanashram? Rupa Goswami has already discussed this initially, earlier only. And we discussed how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu rejected the self-identification with any of the Varanas or any of the Ashramas.
So, Bhakti is not dependent on Varana or Ashram. And we see some of the greatest devotees where where from the what was conventionally considered lower caste or even the outcastes. But they are all considered to be great devotees.
So, Bhakti is not dependent on Varanashram. Now, in this chapter, chapter 14, devotional qualifications. So, here the focus shifts on to Srila Prabhupada is going to discuss knowledge and renunciation.
Some scholars recommend that knowledge and renunciation are important factors for elevating oneself to devotional service. But Prabhupada immediately says actually that is not a fact. So, Jnana and Vairagya are not included in the 64 items of devotional service directly.
And we may say that how is this? Aren’t they important in the spiritual path? Yes, they may be important in the spiritual path. But we are not talking about a general spiritual path. We are talking about a devotional path, Bhakti Yoga.
And in Bhakti Yoga, Jnana and Vairagya are not integral elements. They can be helpful. But they are not always necessarily helpful.
So, and from the academic, from the perspective of the impersonalists, they consider the essence of spiritual advancement is to cultivate knowledge and to develop renunciation. So, the idea is we see even in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes, after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s older brother, Vishvarupa, takes sannyas, that his parents, his father especially, Jagannath Mishra says that let us stop the studies of Nimay. And what is the reason he gives? He says if he studies the Shastras, then he will realise how this world is a place of misery.
And then he will also want to renounce the world. And then we will lose him also. So, better let him not study the Shastras.
So, the idea is, in the traditional sense, Jnana will lead to Vairagya. Knowledge engenders renunciation because we understand how this world is temporary and how we need to go beyond this world. But in today’s culture, Jnana is not leading to Vairagya most of the time.
In fact, Jnana leads to Raga. In fact, Raga has got nothing to do with Raga Anugha Bhakti. That is an entirely different category which we will discuss later.
Raga here refers to attachment. Most knowledge today is concerned with how to enjoy the material world more. So, for example, very simple example, say somebody knows how to, has the knowledge of how to operate a computer and how to surf on the net.
Then with that knowledge, that person goes and starts surfing my nasty sites and contaminates one’s own mind. Now, to protect such a person, some internet filters may be put on the computer so that the person doesn’t go to any wrong sites. But if the person has a lot of Jnana, then the person may know how to bypass those filters and do whatever nonsense wants to do without being detected.
So, what is happening? The Jnana is being used for what? For Raga, for enjoying more emotionally. Prabhupada also states this in one of his letters. He says we are meant to use our intelligence to control the enjoying mentality, but our problem is that we are used to enjoying intelligently.
Actually, there is no such thing as intelligent enjoyment. Intelligent enjoyment is actually spiritual enjoyment. All material enjoyment is ignorant enjoyment.
But intelligent enjoyment Prabhupada uses to refer to the fact that we use our intelligence to further our enjoyment. And we see most of technology is used for that purpose. So, when there are computer screens which are displayed with very high clarity images and then what do people use it to see nasty images and contaminate their minds? So, basically, Jnana leads to Raga in today’s society.
Now, in the impersonalist part, the idea is if we get Jnana, then we get Vairagya. And then we get Jnana about Vairagya. So, Brahma, Satya, Jagan, Mithya.
So, their idea is the Jnana will help us understand how Brahma is Satya. And Vairagya, Jagan, Mithya will give it up. That is the idea.
Now, that is in one sense true, but the whole philosophical foundation is incomplete. This world is not false, it is temporary. And Brahma is not just an impersonal one, Brahma is a person.
And you have to develop love for that person. So, we cannot approach Krishna merely through knowledge. Earlier, we discussed the example of analytical and aesthetic approach towards the flower.
So, the Jnani approach is like the analytical approach towards the absolute truth. But it might lead to some passive meditation in the absolute truth, but it doesn’t lead to active attraction. So, for active attraction, we need an aesthetic appreciation.
Now, we appreciate Krishna as a person, as a person who loves and who loves to be loved. Krishna loves us and He loves to be loved by us. He is Bhavagrahi, He is Bhakta Vatsala, He is hungry for the devotion of His devotees.
And He wants us to love Him and we express our love through serving Him. So, this requires not just analytical understanding, but an aesthetic appreciation, which is expressed through devotion and through service. So, for the path of Bhakti, Gyan and Vairagya are definitely not necessary and they are not always Anukul.
Why not always Anukul? Because when we have Gyan and Vairagya, too much analysis will make us see the absolute truth as primarily an object of analysis, not an object of devotion. And if we have too much Vairagya, if we just say no, no, no to emotions, then not only do we say no to material emotions, but we end up saying no to spiritual emotions also. So, actually we want to be detached, but detached from Maya, not from Krishna.
In fact, our problem, many people think that our problem is attachment. But actually our problem is not attachment, our problem is detachment. Our problem is not attachment to Maya, our problem is detachment from Krishna.
Because we are detached from Krishna, that’s why our pleasure-seeking propensity makes us look for alternative sources of pleasure other than Krishna, and then we become attracted to Maya, and then we fall into illusion and the temptations that illusion presents us. So, to correct this situation, what we need is not detachment, but attachment. We need attachment to Krishna.
And of course, along with attachment to Krishna, we also need detachment from matter. We have discussed in an earlier Rishikesh class these four categories of people, if you remember. Those who are attached to matter, and detached from Krishna.
Attached to Maya, detached from Krishna, they are the materialists. Those who are detached from matter and attached to Krishna, they are the devotees. The materialists and the devotees, they are the extreme.
So, one, devotees are detached from matter and attached to Krishna. But actually, apart from these two categories, not two extremes, they are the two situations, we can say. Materialists and devotees.
But in between, there are those who are attached to matter and attached to Krishna. They are the sahajiyas. So, they are not really authentic devotees.
On the other hand, we also have those who are detached from matter and detached from Krishna also. They are the impersonalists. For them, there is no rasa.
So, jnana and vairagya often takes a person towards the impersonal orientation, where a person is detached from matter and detached from Krishna also. That kind of heart is not very suited for devotion to Krishna. It is not very suited for feelings, for experiencing and relishing emotions in relationship with Krishna.
So, of course, Jivu Goswami, in his commentary to the Bhakti Sahaja Samudra, Durgamsangam, he explains how there is bhakti-anukul gyan and there is bhakti-pratikul gyan. So, in intention, in constitution and in destination. Intention means what is the goal.
In constitution means what is it made up of. And destination is where it takes one. So, in intention, constitution and destination, the bhakti-anukul gyan is different from the bhakti-pratikul gyan.
Bhakti-pratikul gyan, in intention, the goal is to minimise the difference between us and God. Because that is Brahma. I am Brahma.
So, in intention, the idea is to focus on our oneness with God. In constitution, that knowledge leads to the drying up of the heart because there is no difference between us and God. There is no need for relationship.
There is no need for emotions. And in destination, that takes one towards impersonal Brahman. And that is definitely not favourable for bhakti.
For a devotee, liberation is like hell. Now, as contrasted with that, there is bhakti-anukul gyan. This is in intention, constitution and destination different.
In intention, this knowledge focusses on the difference between us and Krishna so that we understand how wonderfully lovable Krishna is. So, we understand, we are tiny. We are Anu.
Krishna is Vibhu. We are Maya Dheem. Krishna is Maya Dheesh.
We are controlled by Maya. Krishna is the controller of Maya. So, this knowledge, which is bhakti-anukul, focusses on the glory of Krishna and thereby it attracts us to love Him.
So, in intention, it is not to minimise the difference, but it is to highlight the difference. And then, in constitution, it consists not of impersonal Brahman, it consists of the pastimes and the qualities and the glories of Krishna. And in destination, it increases the bhakti in our heart and takes us to the spiritual world, not just to the impersonal spiritual sky, but to the spiritual planets where we live forever in love with Krishna and his intimate associates.
This is with respect to jnana. That jnana can be anukul if it is emphasising the difference between us and the Lord. It is talking about the glories of the Lord and it increases our devotion to the Lord and takes Him to Him, takes us to Him.
And it is praptikul if it, in intention, is focussing on just our oneness with God. In constitution, it focusses on the quality-less, formless, activity-less Brahman. And in destination, it dries up our emotions and takes us, at best, towards impersonal Brahman.
So this is how jnana is favourable and unfavourable, depending on what its intention, constitution and destination are. And then, this jnana, bhakti-anukul jnana, we don’t have to do any separate process, jnani process to acquire it. Just the shravanam and kirtanam that we do will help us to develop this jnana, bhakti-anukul jnana.
And then, what about vairagyam? So here, Rupa Goswami defines marakat vairagyam and phalgu vairagyam. We have discussed these concepts earlier. Marakat means monkey.
So monkey renunciation, Prabhupada would say that monkey seems to be very renounced, doesn’t have any home, lives in a forest and doesn’t even have any clothes. There are some renunciates called nagavavas who say they don’t wear any clothes. They say we want to live the way nature produced us.
So, nature produces without any clothes, so we will live without clothes. Well, we may say like that I want to live the way nature produced me, but then, nature itself changes me. When I am a baby, my desires are different and as I grow up, my desires become different.
So as I grow up, especially when we come into puberty, then the sexual attraction increases. And if one is unclothed, then it quite often happens that one feels more sexually agitated and one agitates others sexually. That’s why in civilised society, the clothes are prescribed almost everywhere.
So, the idea is that I may say I want to live the way nature has produced me, but nature itself changes me. And when we recognise that nature is changing us, then we should honour that and adapt our own dress accordingly. So anyway, the point which we are making over here is we are talking about renunciation.
So, like these unclothed renunciates, the monkeys may also wear and not wear any clothes. If they have no home, they have no clothes. But Prabhupada would say that they have sometimes dozens of she-monkeys, and they unite with anyone and everyone like that.
So, that way, the monkeys are not really renounced. There’s only a show of renunciation externally. But if you look closer, we’ll find that there is no renunciation.
So similarly, there are many people who act as renunciates, but they’re not renunciates. They bring a bad name to the renounced order. And that’s how renunciation is not all good.
So, this is false renunciation. There is internal attachment, but there is external show of detachment. Krishna also talks about this in Mithyacharya.
But this is Markatha Vairagya. What Sri Rupa Goswami talks about is two different kinds of Vairagyas. Markatha Vairagya is definitely not recommended.
But he talks about Yukta Vairagya and Phalgu Vairagya. Yukta Vairagya is to use in Krishna’s service whatever is usable, whatever is desirable. One is not attached for oneself.
Vishayan, sense objects. Without being attached to the sense objects, one uses as is required, as is appropriate. One does not become bound to oneself, but one sees the Krishna sambandha of everything and uses those in Krishna’s service.
So, we may use technology. For example, now we are using internet, we are using cell phones, we are using various other gadgets. Now, we don’t use it for our own enjoyment.
We use it for Krishna’s service. And that is Yukta Vairagya. And on the other hand, So, that which can be used in Krishna’s service, if one renounces that, not seeing the spiritual potential, then that is considered Phalgu Vairagya.
So, Phalgu Vairagya and Markatha Vairagya are not the same thing. Markatha Vairagya is making a false show of renunciation while being attached internally. Whereas Phalgu Vairagya is not understanding the spiritual potential of things.
And renouncing them, then they can be used in Krishna’s service. So, for example, Prabhupada would often quote that there was some sanyasi who was so detached that he would never accept money from anyone. And at one night where he would sleep under his mat, somebody put a coin.
And then he just couldn’t sleep when he lay down also. And then finally, he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t sleep, and then his followers came and then they searched. He says, as long as money is there next to me, he says, I will not, I cannot sleep.
And take the money away. And the money was taken away and then he went to sleep. And people say how renounced he was.
Just the presence of money took away his sleep. So, he can’t tolerate the presence of money. How detached he is.
But Prabhupada says, this is Phalgu Vairagya. Money, to see it as materially rejected is partial within. Of course, to see money as meant for our enjoyment is even more incomplete vision.
But the complete vision is to see money as Lakshmi Devi. And to use, to unite Lakshmi Devi with Narayan. That means to use money in Krishna’s service.
That is the proper vision. But to not see this is incomplete. That is Phalgu Vairagya.
Krishna Prabhupada would sometimes humorously say, that actually far from being renounced. If you give me donation in one hand, I will put ahead my next hand. So, what Prabhupada meant is that, not that he was greedy, but the point was that Prabhupada wanted to serve Krishna.
Prabhupada recognised the value of money in Krishna’s service. So, at one time somebody came to Prabhupada and gave a full suitcase. Prabhupada opened the suitcase.
It was filled with cash. And Prabhupada’s face lit up. And there were some guests over there.
They were shocked. Swami is so excited to see money. And Prabhupada immediately called disciples and said, Okay.
So, you take this. He took out some money. And he said, you take this and use it for printing books.
He said, you take this and start the temple construction. You take this and send it there for that devotee. You take this and do this.
And just within a few minutes, the suitcase was empty. And then they realised that Prabhupada was eager for money, but not money for use for himself. He wanted it all to be used for Krishna’s service.
And Prabhupada was happy, not just because he saw money, the way materialists see money. Oh, now I’ll get enjoyment. Prabhupada’s heart was filled with the desire to serve Krishna.
And the money was a tool by which he would fulfil the desire to serve Krishna. So, phalgu vairagya is not desirable. Some people say that internet is filled with so much garbage.
So, better never go to the internet only. So, never go to the internet. Now, this can be phalgu vairagya.
It’s not necessary that it has to be always phalgu vairagya. Yes, it is true that there is a lot of garbage in the internet. But it’s also true that people are there on the internet.
And if we don’t do our outreach on the internet, if we devotees don’t make our presence felt, there are impersonalists, there are people from other religions, there are other kinds of shallow teachers who are going to be present over there. And they will make their presence felt. And people will become attracted over there.
So, on the other hand, somebody sees, oh, there is potential for outreach over there. And then, therefore, that person starts making arrangements. And then that person starts tapping the potential.
Now, there is danger, no doubt. One has to be cautious. So, when we say yukta vairagya, we have to make sure that there is…the vairagya is there.
It’s not that vairagya is not there. So, if the vairagya is not there, if there’s no detachment, then one will not be able to keep the yukta. So, the vairagya has to be there along with the yukta.
Otherwise, we’ll take things, but instead of using them for Krishna’s service, we’ll use them for our own enjoyment. Sometimes, what would happen is the devotees, at early days of our movement, it would happen that when Srila Prabhupada started the Sunday love feast in New York. So, the devotees were very enthusiastic.
Oh, it’s a big feast. And one time it happened, the devotees, they cooked a feast for the big feast for the Sunday feast programme. And the devotees, before the Sunday feast programme started, they ate all the prasad.
And when Prabhupada started the Sunday feast lecture, the temple managers were in panic. The Sunday feast programme was going on, and there was no prasad left. So, what was cooked, Sunday feast is opulent food is cooked, and that is generally meant for the new devotees who are coming, new people, potential devotees who are coming.
Of course, devotees can also take the prasad. But the idea of the resident devotee, residential devotee, finishing all the Sunday feast before the guests for whom the prasad had come, so that is made, before the guests have come also, that was quite shocking. And it was quite displeasing.
So, then the devotees told, you cannot be selfish like this. They will cook more so that everybody gets enough to eat, but we have to keep the purpose in mind. So, yukta vairagya, some vairagya has to be there.
And while using certain technological gadgetry, if we find ourselves abusing it, and not being able to, we intend to use it right, but we tend to use it wrong. Then what should we do? Then we have to have some precautions. Either we stop using it, or we have some precautions by which we make sure that we don’t very easily misuse it.
As I said, on internet there is danger and there can be internet filters so that people who are using it, they don’t go to wrong sites or something like that. So, we just can’t reject many of the things in this world, because if we reject them, then we will be falling behind. So, yukta vairagya.
Yukta vairagya means recognising the potential of things to be used in Krishna’s service and using accordingly. So, here that’s what Srila Prabhupada talks about in his explanation of this subject. And based on Gopal Goswami’s book.
So, then you can read this. So, Prabhupada further explains. How? Now, Prabhupada gives another example.
So, after talking about jnana and vairagya, now jnana and vairagya are considered to be good qualities. So, does a devotee need to have good qualities? So, Prabhupada says a devotee is naturally non-violent and therefore doesn’t have to practise non-violence separately. Some people seek purification by joining a vegetarian movement.
But a devotee is automatically a vegetarian. He doesn’t need to practise separately in this matter or join a society of vegetarians. He is automatically a vegetarian.
So, here the point is, Mr. Prabhupada is doing a summary study over here. Sometimes the different points that are being mentioned may not be very clear for us. So, first he talks about jnana, he talks about vairagya and now he is talking about sadghuna, about good qualities.
So, jnana and vairagya can also themselves be said to be good qualities. But other good qualities also, like here the quality of non-violence. Now, Prabhupada says that actually, if we practise devotion, then naturally good qualities will develop.
Because the soul has good qualities and those good qualities are just covered over because of the conditioning. And as we become purified by the practise of bhakti, those conditionings are removed and when the conditionings are removed then naturally the good qualities become manifest. And here the example is of vegetarianism.
And like that there can be many other subjects. There are some societies which say, try to de-addict people of alcohol. So, it’s quite an alcohol de-addiction can be a quite serious endeavour and it’s not worthy.
It’s in some ways laudable. People whose lives have been ruined by alcohol, if their lives can be brought back online by freeing them from the clutches of alcohol, it is good. But actually, in bhakti that happens as a by-product.
To the extent a person practises devotional service seriously, then the person gets a higher happiness and with that higher happiness, the lower cravings go away. That’s what we have. From the beginnings of our spiritual life, we have this 400 principles which we follow.
And those 400 principles take people, take us away. They take us away from the self-defeating activities that trouble many people. So, like that, the good qualities develop in a devotee.
A devotee doesn’t have to do anything separately for developing good qualities. And Prabhupada tells from the story of Skanda Purana of the hunter. Now, there are various talks about hunters.
There is Mruga Ari also is a hunter. Mruga Ari. Ari means enemy.
Mruga is animal. So, he was an enemy of animals. And he would not only kill them, but he would torture them and kill them.
Half kill them and leave them to suffer torture for a long time. And after he became a devotee, then he was not even ready to step on an ant. And even when he wanted to offer obeisances to his spiritual master.
Now, somebody may rationalise. Oh! Offering obeisances to spiritual master is a higher purpose. So, why bother about ants? But he was not like that.
He was sensitive. Yes, I have to offer obeisances to my spiritual master. But why do these ants have to die? He gently brushed away the ants and then offering obeisances.
And then he was approaching his spiritual master with great gratitude and reverence. So, that way, that sensitivity comes, that non-violent non-violent sensitivity, non-violent mentality comes in a devotee by the practise of devotion itself. So, again, devotion is not dependent on good qualities.
Rather, good qualities develop from devotion. So, like that also, devotion, earlier we discussed, is not dependent on jnana and vairagya. By the same time, actually, if somebody has a devotion, then jnana and vairagya also develop.
Vasudeve bhakti bhakti yoga prayojita jnana yathya suvairagyam jnanam jyada hetukam suvasudeve bhagavati Lord Vasudev, who is the supreme lord, bhakti yoga prayojita prayojita Bhakti yoga is practised toward that person. There is a poetic metaphor over here that when a man and a woman unite, then children are born. So, Lord Vasudev is the supreme lord.
Bhakti yoga is a consort. And when there is union of the lord and bhakti yoga, then what happens? Two children are born. Who are they? Janayati.
Janayati means they are born. Ashu is quickly, not after a long time. Vairagyam Vairagyam means renunciation.
Jnanam jyada hetukam Ahetukam means unmotivated. So, knowledge developed is unmotivated. That means, what does unmotivated knowledge mean? This knowledge is not motivated by the desire for liberation, as is the knowledge of the impersonal.
This knowledge is simply the knowledge that deepens our love for Krishna. So, jnan and vairagya also develop in a devotee. Now, after talking about this, various elements, which are how various aspects of Vedic culture, how they are related or unrelated with bhakti.
Now, in this Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada continues the discussion and he talks about two things, ekanga and anekanga. Ekanga Anga means limb. So, practising one limb of ekanga or anekanga, practising many limbs of bhakti.
And he says, for example, we know that the nine limbs of bhakti, there are devotees who attain perfection by practising on one limb. So, Shravanam, Kirtanam, Vishnu, Smaranam, Padi, Sevanam, Archanam, Vandanam, Dasyam, Sakhyam, Atman, Vedanam. So, Shravanam.
Who attained perfection by Shravanam? Palchit Maharaj. Kirtanam? Chukadeva Goswami. Shravanam, Kirtanam, Vishnu, Smaranam? That is Prahlad Maharaj.
Shravanam, Kirtanam, Vishnu, Sevanam, Padi, Sevanam. Padi, Sevanam is Lakshmi Devi. Archanam, Vandanam, Dasyam.
Archanam is Pruthu Maharaj. Vandanam is when the Kakura was coming into the temple, went to Vrindavan, he offered beautiful prayers. Dasyam, that is Hanuman.
Sakhyam, Atman, Vedanam. Sakhyam is Arjuna. And Atman, Vedanam is Bali Maharaj.
So, there are examples of devotees who practise only one limb of bhakti and by that they attain perfection. And there are other devotees, for example, Ambarish Maharaj Prabhupada talks about over here. He engages all his senses in the Lord’s service.
Sabai manah krishna padar vindayor vachamsi vaikuntha guna anuvarnane. So, he uses his mind to think of the Lord. His vachamsi, his speech to vaikuntha guna anuvarnane, to glorify the Supreme Lord, to speak His glories.
And like that, he uses all his senses. And then he made his desires into his servants. He did not become a servant of his desires.
And so, here Ambarish Maharaj is beholding the Lord with eyes, serving the Lord with his feet by going to the holy places, dancing in the kirtan of the Lord. So, his rasa is much more exalted. It’s much more sweeter.
And sweeter not in terms of necessarily elevated rasa, but it’s in terms of experiencing the richness of bhakti. So, anekanga and anekanga. So, one can practise bhakti with one limb or with many limbs.
And both can help one to attain perfection. Now, what should we as sadhakas do? We should, our fundamental should also be somehow or other fix the mind of Krishna. That is what we should focus on.
So, when we focus on this, the idea is that fix the mind. So, sometimes we may find this too. One limb absorbs so much that we can completely go into it.
Some devotees like kirtans and for them kirtan itself is a whole universe. Okay, this tune can be some, this tune can be some, hundred tunes can be there. And then there can be variations in each tune.
Okay, with this tune, the gulamish should be played like this. The kartas should be played like this. With this tune, maybe some other background music is also helpful.
With this tune, no other background music is required. So, like that one can do so much analysis. And in that way, one can move forward in one’s spiritual life towards perfection.
So, ekanga or anekanga, it will depend on what will help us to best absorb ourselves in Krishna. That’s why Prabhupada says, liberation becomes the maid servant of the devotee. And Prabhupada again quotes, mukti, mukul, ranjali, asmati, sadhya, that mukti by folded hands serves the devotee.
Prabhupada says maid servant. Now, from the, now here, the wave of vaidhi bhakti will end and raganuga bhakti wave will start. So, Prabhupada points to that when he describes, Prabhupada says, the regulative principle of devotional service is sometimes described by authorities as the path of serving the Lord in opulence.
So, when we know the Lord’s glories and serve Him with that awareness, that is vaidhi bhakti, in awareness of the Lord’s glory. Now, from here onwards, raganuga bhakti will start. So, spontaneous devotional service.
And Prabhupada starts by saying that examples of spontaneous devotional service can be easily seen in Krishna’s direct associates in Vrindavan. And then the spontaneous dealings of the residents of Vrindavan in relationship with Krishna are called ragatmika. So, now there is sometimes a little confusion about these two terms.
Let me explain the meaning of these terms based on some simple Sanskrit etymology and then we will look at the way they are explained in Chaitanya Charita Amrit and then try to study, you see, how they are explained in nectar of devotion. So, ragatmika and raganuga. So, atmika means atma, relative to atma.
So, kamatmana swargapara. Kamatmana swargapara means, this is a verse which comes in the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, 2.43, kamatmana swargapara janma karma phalapadam kriya vishesha bahudam bhogeshwara yatantam. So, kamatmanaham.
So, those whose atma is kama, that means they think that their essential purpose of their existence is to fulfil kama, is to enjoy kama. Kamatmana swargapara. So, kamatmana.
So, ragatmika means, rag is the essence of their being. These are liberated devotees and their essential nature and purpose and perfection is to eternally serve the Supreme Lord. So, that is ragatmika.
And then there is raganuga. So, anuga means following. Raganuga means those who follow the path of raga.
So, it is said that, actually who are the devotees who follow the path of raga, raganuga? It’s not that they are pure devotees. The difference, if you remember, we discussed between vaidhi bhakti and raganuga bhakti. So, in sadhana bhakti, there are these two paths.
The difference between vaidhi bhakti and raganuga bhakti is, in vaidhi bhakti, the instructions come primarily from the vidhi, from the scriptural rule. Whereas, in raganuga bhakti, the instructions come, or the impetus for service comes primarily from one’s own inspiration. That is the difference between vaidhi and raganuga bhakti.
So, now here, let’s understand ragatmika and raganuga by looking at what is said in Chardamruta. So, let’s look at Chardamruta of Magdalila, 20.154. This is Dhanu Dharmara’s views of devotion. virajantim abhijetam prajavasi janadishu ragatmikam anushritam ragatmikam anushrita yasa raganuga uchyate yasa raganuga uchyate This is uchyate is said to be what is said to be raganuga.
Anuga means following. Following in the footsteps of those who are in ragamarga. And then, virajantim abhijetam that which is virajantim that is virajantim, which illumines and shines abhijetam is fully accepted.
prajavasi janadishu So, prajavasi janadishu. So, this ragatmika bhakti is present primarily in the residence of Vrindavan. ragatmika anushrita following in their footsteps those who are ragatmika bhaktas follow in the footsteps.
yasa raganuga uchyate So, that means the ragatmika devotees are the devotees in the spiritual world who are eternally there in the spiritual world. And raganuga are the devotees here who follow in the footsteps of the devotees in the spiritual world. So, it’s described in the elevated scriptures of the Gaudiya Vishnu Sastra that when a devotee is at a very advanced stage in devotion, then the devotee meditates on the lord, meditates on the associates of the lord and finds a particular associate most inspiring.
And when a person finds this particular associate most inspiring, then there’s a bond that’s formed between that associate and the lord. And that bond is based on or centred on spiritual attraction to Krishna. So, the devotee starts in the spiritual mood of honouring and of serving, start caring for, serving for the lord in the way this eternal associate serves.
That means there would be a devotee in the spiritual world who is Yashodamayi. And she is serving Krishna and then Yashodamayi and some associate from Nanda Maharaj’s house, one of the ladies, may fall in the material world. And when she falls in the material world, sorry, when one of the and one of the eternal associates of the lord is there in the spiritual world, doesn’t fall, but one of the eternal associates of the lord in the spiritual world.
And there’s a sadhaka in the material world. That sadhaka wants to, aspires to follow in the footsteps of the Yashodamayi serving Vatsalya Rasa. And there’s a devotee here in the material world.
And that devotee aspires to follow in the footsteps of the Yashodamayi. That means serve Krishna in the, in Vatsalya Rasa. Now this devotee in the material world may be in a male or a female form.
That doesn’t matter. Because the forms that we have here are just the results of past karma. They have got nothing to do with the original Swaroopa of the soul in the spiritual world.
So whatever be the form, the devotee feels inspired to serve in a particular way. And then when the devotee acts in that, goes absorbed into that mood then. See the mood of the Raga Atmika Bhakta.
And by that gradually the devotee starts developing in that mood of devotion and eventually enters into that mood. I enter into the spiritual world to become an assistant of Yashodamayi in the spiritual world. So that’s how Raga, Raga Anuga Bhakti is modelled on the Raga Atmika Bhakti.
Anuga means to follow. So the Raga Atmika Bhaktas. Raga is the essence of those devotees.
Yashodamayi her very essence and purpose of existence is loving and caring for Krishna. And based on that Raga Anuga. There may be some devotees who may serve over here in that mood.
So Yasa Raga Anuga Ujjite. That is Raga Anuga Bhakti. Now Raga Anuga is a very advanced stage and you cannot prematurely jump into it.
So once some of Manjula Prabhupada’s disciples first came to Vrindavan. They were quite excited. Oh! This is the place of Krishna, Radha and Krishna performed.
All the wonderful pastimes performed over here. Then they started going here and there. And one day Manjula Prabhupada found one devotee who had locked himself up in the room.
And they found that there were some strange noises coming from that room. And they tried to hear. What was it? They couldn’t make out.
And they found that it’s actually it seems to be like a bird. But then they realised after a while it’s a human being chirping like a bird. Trying to imitate the sounds of a bird.
Then they somehow got the door open and they found there was this devotee who was acting like a peacock. And he was moving the leg back and forth like a peacock, neck back and forth and trying to make sound like a peacock. And they said, Oh! What are you doing? He said, Actually I had gone to an advanced guru in Vrindavan.
And he told me that you are a peacock in this spiritual world. So I’m practising now. I’m practising as a peacock so that when I go back to the spiritual world, I’ll be a well-seasoned peacock.
So Prabhupada heard this is nonsense, Prabhupada said. We cannot prematurely artificially start imagining things like this. It is true that when devotee becomes advanced, Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes in Jaiva Dharma that when a devotee becomes very advanced the spiritual master calls the devotee and tells and reveals the Swaroopa of that devotee in the spiritual world.
Of course it’s not necessary that it has to happen for everyone because for some people Swaroopa Siddhi can happen after death also. So it’s not necessary that it has to happen for everyone in this life and it’s not that if it doesn’t happen that means one is not practising what he says properly. No.
One shouldn’t get paranoid about these things. But let’s look at another aspect about Raganuga Bhakti. Yeah.
Yeah. Ishte Swarasiki Raghah Parama Parama Vishtata Bhavet Tanmaye Yabhavet Bhakti Saatra Raghatmika Udita Saatra Saatra means that is Raghatmika Udita. It is said to be Raghatmika and then so this is Ishte Swarasiki Raghah unto the desired object of the life.
So for devotee that is Krishna. So Swarasiki Rasa means the sweetness mellow flavour. Swarasiki is one’s own mellow.
Raghah. Raghah means attachment. Parama Vishtata Parama Vishtata Parama Vishtata Bhavet Parama Vishtata That means absorption in the service of the Supreme in Bhavet.
There is Tanmaye Yabhavet Bhakti Tanmaye Yabhavet Bhakti. So there is Tanmaye means attachment. Bhavet Bhakti.
Attachment is filled with Bhakti. So Saatra Raghatmika Udita So when the devotee has very deep sense of devotion for Krishna, very strong attraction for Krishna, that is called Raghatmika and when there is a devotee who models one’s own life based on that advanced devotee that liberated eternal associates, devotional service, that is called as Raghanuga. Now, the word Ragha means colour.
So Raghanuga means one is trying to imbibe that colour and Raghatmika means that colour is deeply internalised. So what does this colour refer to? Just as when if I wear red coloured glasses then everything seems red to me. So Raghatmika means that the Ragh is so deep.
For Yashodamayi the Ragh, the Vatsalya Bhav is so deep that Yashodamayi naturally sees everything in relationship with Krishna and even Krishna himself from the motherly perspective. So she doesn’t see Krishna to be God. It’s Krishna as a child who needs my protection, who needs my discipline, who needs my mother’s milk or who needs me to feed him otherwise he will stay hungry.
So that is Raghatmika. That means the very essence of one’s life is coloured by that feeling and Raghanuga means one is trying to develop that feeling, one is trying to develop that colouring of the consciousness. Now after this describing Raghanuga and Raghatmika then he moves on to talk about two kinds of Raghatmika bhakti.
There is Sambandha Rupa and there is Kama Rupa. So to understand Sambandha Rupa and Kama Rupa let’s look at another verse, a famous verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam. Sri Rupa Goswami quoted this, 7.131 गोप्या कामाद भयाद कमसो वेश्याश्चेत्याद योन्रुपहा सम्मन्धाद वृष्णयास्नेहा यूयं भक्याव यंविभो So here there is a description of the different ways in which devotees can attain perfection.
So before and after this verse if you read the verses the point of this verse becomes clear the point of this verse is that all these people in this way, in these ways they absorb their mind in Krishna and by absorbing their mind in Krishna they attain perfection so गोप्या कामाद so by Kama, the Gopis were attracted to Krishna, भयाद, कमसो, straight forward Kamsa was extremely fearful, he decided that Kamsa at night when his wives would come next to him, he would just this is Krishna and Balarama coming so shaken, oh Krishna and Balarama so now how many people when they see their wife coming they think about Krishna and Balarama or when they see their husband coming they think of Krishna and Balarama, it’s very difficult we tend to see our spouse and material thoughts come up in our mind but Kamsa, we could say so Krishna wants this and when he saw his wife, he did not see his wife, he saw Krishna or he saw Balarama so how is that, he is so fearful, Krishna is going to come and kill me so now again the point here is not that fear is glorified it is not, if you remember अनुकूल्य उत्तमा भक्ति अनुकूल्य अन्या बिलाशिता शुन्यं यान कर्मागे नावगतम अनुकूल्येन कृष्णा अनुशीलनं भक्ति, अनुकूल्येन so it should be with the intent to please so he did not intend to please so here the point is not whether his intention was there or not, the point was that he was absorbed in Krishna and then देश्या चैद्या दयो न्दृपः देश्या, out of envy चैद्या दयो, चैद्या is referring to Shishupal so he was very envious of Krishna and he blasphemed Krishna and Krishna tolerated the blasphemy many times because he had given a benediction to Shishupal’s mother that I will tolerate up to 100 blasphemies, but if he blasphemes me more than that then I will kill him so in the Rajasuya Yajna when Krishna was at the Agra Puja, Shishupal became so enviously outraged blasphemed blaspheming Krishna and just actually on the more positive side, Keshav Kashmir started speaking, so 100 verses glorifying Krishna or glorifying Ganga came through his mouth so there is a flow of nectar but when Shishupal was angry he started, out of that envy he started blaspheming Krishna and 100 more blasphemies came out Krishna said now it is, Shishupal got so angry that he had forgotten to count Krishna had not forgotten to count and when the blasphemy count exceeded the mark, then Krishna sent his Sudarshan he was cut off but he was thinking of Krishna even when he was cut off his head was cut off sambandhad vrishnaya snehad yuyambhaktyavayam vibho sambandhad vrishnaya the vrishnis, when you understand they had relationship with Krishna based on Krishna was their child or Krishna was their cousin or Krishna was their uncle or Krishna was their grandfather like that they had relationships also and vrishnaya sambandhad snehad yuyambhaktyavayam vibho so yuyamb here Naraguni is speaking to the Pandavas, especially Yudhishthira Maharaj and he says, how are you related? you are related to snehad your relationship is of affection and then bhaya vrishnaya and all of us, Naraguni is putting himself in a lower position than everyone else bhaktyavayam vibho how are we related? we are related through the feeling of devotion so now how many are there here? vrishnaya vrishnaya three are there in the first two lines and then sambandha, vrishnaya so the six, one more is sambandha snehad yuyambhaktyavayam you are out of snehad that is the sixth one and seventh is bhaktyavayam so we devotees are out of bhakti now the seven rupa Goswami reduces to two how does he reduces them to two? he reduces them to two by analysis so which are the eternal rasas? so certainly kamsa is not eternally present in the spiritual world fearing Krishna so fear is not anukul to bhakti similarly envy is not anukul to bhakti so he leaves those two out vyad kamso desha chaityadaya these two he leaves out then there is sambandha vrishnaya that vrishnis are out of sambandha vrishnis they have intimate affection for Krishna and their affection is very exalted and very sweet and that is also ragatmika because they are in the eternal spiritual world eternally they are serving in the spiritual world now snehad yuyam so pandavas are in affection so is pandavas bhakti ragatmika? not necessarily the pandavas they have very sweet relationship with Krishna but rupa goswami explained that quite often their feelings are filled with ava and reverence they are aware of Krishna’s greatness and therefore he said this is also not an eternal category this is also not a not a distinctive category and then yu bhaktya yuyam so he said these are out of his humility he is putting himself we are actually meditating out of bhakti so this is more of at the level of duty, obligation and this is also not eternal so at the eternal level bhakti is in a particular rasa so he said in this way the ways of ragatmika bhakti are reduced from the seven categories in this verse to two the two are sammandha and kama and that’s how we have kama rupa and sambandha rupa now in one sense we could see that kama rupa is a type of sambandha rupa because even the devotee kama, sambandha means relationship and kama means also relationship kama means attraction we will look at what kind of attraction it is and that also involves some sambandha but in technical sense this kama is put separate because it is so preeminent, it is so extraordinary, it is so special that there is nothing like it that is special so even the yadus, the vrishnis, they are also very exalted devotees and they are also eternal associates of the lord and so one can model oneself on those eternal associates also, sambandha rupa but especially the Gaudiya Vaishnavas they exalt the devotees in Vrindavan and especially there is no one who worships like the Vadhus of Vrindavan, that is the Gopis, so they are the topmost devotees and kamaat so now here Rupa Goswami is at once prompt to differentiate between kama and prema, so we have discussed this earlier so kama is selfish kama is based on the desire for one’s own gratification whereas prema is based on the desire for Krishna’s pleasure, so the Gopis they may appear to be selfish sometimes, in the sense that sometimes the Gopis may be very very careful about their appearance, the way they are decorating themselves, the way they are dressing themselves and they may seem to be very conscientious but the purpose of that consciousness is Krishna’s pleasure they want to please Krishna they know that Krishna is going to behold us and if we are beautiful Krishna will be pleased, so although their actions may sometimes appear selfish, they are selfless they are motivated by the desire to please Krishna and we see that from another occasion when Krishna pleases the flute and calls them then what happens, now they are not thinking, sometimes a couple has to go out and the husband says now it is time we have to leave and the wife says no I have to dress, I have to dress and the wife keeps waiting her husband waiting, waiting, waiting she is concerned about her appearance so much she is not concerned there about making sure that whatever appointment, whatever place one has to go, one has to reach on time so the Gopis are not like that, Gopis are not telling Krishna we are not ready, wait when Krishna plays his flute calling the Gopis just leave and come, rush off immediately and it is described sometimes the Gopis are not even dressed properly so sometimes when they are applying some mascara in their eyes, mascara is applied only in one eye and in the other eye it is not applied or the dress which is meant for one part of the body is put on another part of the body they have an ornament only in one ear and not in the other ear, now this would consider to be a terrible thing most women would feel that if somebody, if they are forced to appear like this what will people think about me, they will be appalled, they will be horrified, even if they are forced they will not come, they will try to resist coming out in public not properly decorated and all but then when the Gopis saw that Krishna called them, immediately the Gopis went, their concern is simply Krishna’s pleasure so for Krishna’s pleasure they will dress themselves very opulently, very beautifully and other times for Krishna’s pleasure they will just leave everything and go whatever is required for Krishna’s pleasure so their love is completely pure and transcendental and Prabhupada would often say, here also Bhagavan Swami would say this point that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu knows the strict renunciate, why would he be attracted to anything here, which involves sexuality, no no he would never be attracted, but that is transcendent, we have discussed this difference earlier in our nectar of instruction also when we were discussing about Radharani’s love, that there is negative axis and there is positive axis, the male-female attraction is the negative axis, and at zero there is no attraction, and on the positive axis there is an attraction between Krishna and the devotees so the word calm is used, but calm this is not material calm this is actually, it’s very pure desire, but just because that desire cannot be understood at the material level so therefore, to give us a glimpse of the intensity of that desire the word calm is used it’s pure transcendental desire and this so, the Raghanuga Bhaktas, they model themselves on the Raghatmika Bhaktas, so Raghatmika in the advanced stage, a devotee thinks ok, this is a particular associate I want to model, I want to serve Krishna the way these devotees serve him and in that way one can absorb oneself in the Raghanuga Bhakti so we will discuss more about Raghanuga Bhakti in our next class