Overview

In Vaiṣṇava Nindā (Offences to Devotees) which was first printed in the May-July issues of the 5th Volume of Sajjana-toṣaṇī in 1893, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura describes the different categories of jīvas and Vaiṣṇavas and explains the dangers of committing offences to them. This Bengali article was translated into English by Swami B.V. Giri and Sanātana Dāsa.


Four Categories of Jīvas
Sin and Aparādha
Three kinds of Vaiṣṇavas
Nāmābhāsa and the Pure Name


Of all the various offences a jīva can commit, no offence is as severe than offending a Vaiṣṇava. Thus it is crucial to deliberate upon the meaning of vaiṣṇava-nindā according to the śāstras. It is said in Skanda Purāṇa:

nindā kurvanti ye mūḍhā vaiṣṇavānāṁ mahātmanām
patanti pitṛbhiḥ sārdhaṁ mahā-raurava-saṁjṣite

hanti nindati vai dveṣṭi vaiṣṇavān nābhinandati
krudhyate yāti no harṣaṁ darśane patanāni ṣaṭ

“Those fools that blaspheme those great souls who are devoted to Viṣṇu fall down into the hell known as Mahā-raurava, along with their descendants. There are six types of behaviour that result in such a fall down – killing a Vaiṣṇava, blaspheming him, feeling malice towards him, not greeting him upon seeing him, becoming angry with him and not feeling happiness upon seeing him.”

It is written in the Bhāgavatam:

nindāṁ bhagavataḥ śṛṇvaṁs tat-parasya janasya vā
tato nāpaiti yaṁ so ‘pi yāty adhaḥ sukṛtāc cyutaḥ

“One who, upon hearing blasphemy of the Lord or those who have dedicated their lives to Him, the Vaiṣṇava, do not leave that place immediately, lose their sukṛti and fall down.”

Four Categories of Jīvas
Having thus been warned about offending Vaiṣṇavas, it is essential to first ascertain who is a Vaiṣṇava, and understand which activities cause vaiṣṇava-aparādha. All jīvas belong to one of four categories – ordinary jīvas, religious jīvas, brāhmaṇas and vaiṣṇava-prāya-jīvas (those who resemble Vaiṣṇavas) and vaiṣṇava-jīvas.

Sin and Aparādha
With the understanding that Śrī Kṛṣṇa resides in all beings, one should show respect to every jīva. Amongst them, some special honour should be shown to religious jīvas. It is an essential duty to show honour to the brāhmaṇa-jīva and the vaiṣṇava-prāya-jīva and we are instructed to worship the feet of the vaiṣṇava-jīva. If we neglect to show respect to the ordinary jīvas, special honour to the religious jīva, and proper respect to brāhmaṇa-jīvas and vaiṣṇava-prāya–jīvas, then we invite sin upon ourselves. But to show disrespect or dishonour to a vaiṣṇava-jīva is an aparādha. Performing ordinary penances can erase so many sins, but an aparādha is not dispelled so easily. Sins influence the gross and subtle bodies. Aparādha specifically affects the jīva’s very soul and causes him to fall down. Thus, whoever wishes to perform bhajana of the Lord must guard against committing aparādha (this is compulsory).

Three kinds of Vaiṣṇavas
In the Śrīmad Bhāgavata, there are three ślokas that are found below that describe the categories of Vaiṣṇavas as vaiṣṇava, vaiṣṇavatara and vaiṣṇavatama (primary, greater and outstanding). The kaniṣṭḥa Vaiṣṇava is described thus:

arcāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

“One who accepts a mundane lineage and engages in worshipping the śrī-mūrti of Hari, yet does not worship the devotees of Hari is a kaniṣṭḥa Vaiṣṇava, which means he is just entering the science of devotion (bhakti-tattva).” (Bhāg, 11.2.47)

The actual difference between the mundane faith of this world and faith based on the śāstras (śāstrīya-śraddhā) is that mundane faith only manifests from worldly education. Śāstrīya-śraddhā, means that one develops faith in the words of the śāstras, and with help of its pramāṇas (scriptural evidence), then faith in the Vaiṣṇavas arises. When śāstrīya-śraddhā arises, then the jīva becomes a madhyama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava. Until the time that śāstrīya-śraddhā appears in a sādhaka, his tendency to perform karma does not diminish. Thus, Śrīman Mahāprabhu has said:

śuddha-vaiṣṇava nahe kintu vaiṣṇavera prāya

Such persons are not pure Vaiṣṇavas, but they are similar to Vaiṣṇavas. Only by genuine sādhu-saṅga, can the kaniṣṭḥa Vaiṣṇava, who is a Vaiṣṇava-prāya–jīva, become a pure Vaiṣṇava. Then there is the madhyama Vaiṣṇava:

īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣāyaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ

“One who has love for the Supreme Lord, who is friendly to the Vaiṣṇavas, kind to those who are inexperienced in bhakti-tattva, namely jīvas who are vaiṣṇava-prāya and for living beings that are inimical or unfavourable towards the Lord and the Vaiṣṇavas, he shows negligence. Thus he takes the position of indifference, tolerance or rejection.” (Bhāg,11.2.46)

Considering even the envious to be inexperienced in the field of bhakti, the madhyama Vaiṣṇava gives them the opportunity to serve the Vaiṣṇavas. Only a madhyama Vaiṣṇava is qualified to serve the Vaiṣṇavas. Because kaniṣṭḥa Vaiṣṇavas do not engage in such service, they are known as Vaiṣṇava-prāya. They cannot be called Vaiṣṇavas. Then there is the uttama Vaiṣṇava:

sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ
bhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ
(Bhāg,11.2.45)

He who experiences the presence of the Lord in all living beings, who perceives that all entities (including himself) are able to receive divine connection with the truth pertaining to Bhagavān (bhagavata-tattva), and that their very existence rests in Bhagavān, who sees everyone in the world as a Vaiṣṇava and considers them all to be under His shelter – such a person is known as an uttama Vaiṣṇava. Such a devotee sees no difference between a Vaiṣṇava and a non-Vaiṣṇava.

Thus it can be ascertained that when those who were at the stage of kaniṣṭḥa, that attain śāstrīya-śraddhā and become qualified to serve the Vaiṣṇavas, should be known thereafter as Vaiṣṇavas until they attain the other symptoms of a madhyama Vaiṣṇava. A madhyama Vaiṣṇava is known as Vaiṣṇavatara. The uttama Vaiṣṇava is known as Vaiṣṇavatama. Here, it is important to understand how Mahāprabhu has revealed these three types of Vaiṣṇavas to us. It has been discussed in this way:

ataeva yāra mukhe eka kṛṣṇa-nāma
seita vaiṣṇava tāra karaha sammāna

“One who chants the Name of Kṛṣṇa even once is Vaiṣṇava. Therefore, you should show all respect to him.” (Cc. Madhya 15.111)

kṛṣṇa-nāma nirantara yāṅhāra vadane
sei se vaiṣṇavatara, bhaja tāhāra caraṇe

“One who constantly chants Kṛṣṇa’s Name is Vaiṣṇavatara and one should render service to his feet.” (Cc. Madhya 16.72)

yāṅhāra darśane mukhe āise kṛṣṇa-nāma
tāṅhāre jāniha tumi vaiṣṇava-pradhāna
krama kari kahe prabhu vaiṣṇava-lakṣaṇa-
vaiṣṇava vaiṣṇavatara āra vaiṣṇavatama

“One who inspires others to chant the Name of Kṛṣṇa merely by their darśana is known as Vaiṣṇavatama and is considered to be the topmost Vaiṣṇava. Thus, Mahāprabhu explained the gradations of Vaiṣṇavas and their qualities – Vaiṣṇava, Vaiṣṇavatara and Vaiṣṇavatama.” (Cc. Madhya16.74–75)

According to the instructions of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, simply by uttering kṛṣṇa-nāma, one attains the platform of a Vaiṣṇava. Amongst kaniṣṭḥa devotees, those who are considered as Vaiṣṇava-prāya, namely those who are considered as Vaiṣṇavābhāsa (possessing the external appearance of a Vaiṣṇava) only chant nāmābhāsa – not the real Name. Those that are able to chant śuddha-nāma, even once, are pure devotees. Those who constantly chant śuddha-nāma are Vaiṣṇavatara. Those that make the Holy Name appear on the lips of others simply by their very presence are considered to be Vaiṣṇavatama.

At this point, another observation needs to be made and that is that becoming a pure devotee does not depend upon taking formal dīkṣā etc. It is said that dīkṣā is the process where one is elevated to the position of Vaiṣṇava-prāya by accepting a mantra for worshipping the Deity of Hari. In terms of nāma-tattva, dīkṣā is not essential. As the Lord has said:

prabhu kahe- yāṅra mukhe śuni eka-bāra
kṛṣṇa-nāma sei pūjya śreṣṭha sabākara

“Mahāprabhu said – One from whose mouth the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa is heard even once is considered to be worshipful and is the best amongst human beings.” (Cc. Madhya 15.106)

eka kṛṣṇa-nāme kare sarva-pāpa-kṣaya
nava-vidha bhakti pūrṇa nāma haite haya

“Even uttering Kṛṣṇa’s Name once destroys all sins. It is only through the Holy Name that one achieves perfection through the nine-fold process of bhakti.” (Cc. Madhya 15.107)

dīkṣā-puraścaryā-vidhi apekṣā na kare
jihvā-sparśe ācaṇḍāla sabāre uddhare

“In order to chant the Holy Name, one is not required to undergo the process of dīkṣā or the rite of puraścaryā. When it connects with the tongue, the Holy Name delivers everyone – even caṇḍālas.” (Cc. Madhya 15.108)

anuṣaṅga phale kare saṁsārera kṣaya
citta ākarṣiyā kare kṛṣṇe-premodaya

“Simultaneously, while chanting the Holy Name, the repeated cycle of birth and death is eliminated. Thus the heart is attracted to Kṛṣṇa and divine love is awakened.” (Cc. Madhya 15. 109)

ataeva yāra mukhe eka kṛṣṇa-nāma
sei vaiṣṇava kari tāra parama sammāna

“One who even chants the Holy Name even once is considered to be a Vaiṣṇava. Therefore you should show him great honour.” (Cc. Madhya 15.111)

Nāmābhāsa and the Pure Name
There is no time to discuss the difference between the Holy Name and nāmābhāsa here. That shall be specifically discussed at another time. However, concerning this point, this much can be said – when the Name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted with śāstrīya-śraddhā, which means with pure surrender (śaraṇāgati), then it is actually the Name proper. When the Name is chanted with various desires or when it is covered by jnana, karma, vairāgya etc. it is nāmābhāsa. The chanting of nāmābhāsa can result in mukti, but nāmābhāsa never appears from mouth of a Vaiṣṇava. He only chants śuddha-nāma.

When the Holy Name is chanted by one who has knowledge of His intrinsic spiritual form (svarūpa), who realises that nāma and nāmi (the Name and the Named) are non-different, and who realizes that the Holy Name only manifests within the spiritual senses of the jīva, then it can be said to be the Name proper. When that Name manifests upon someone’s tongue even once, that person becomes a Vaiṣṇava. When the Name does appear, all of one’s sins, both prārabdha and aprārabdha (manifest and unmanifest sins) are destroyed. Prema arises the instant the Holy Name appears. A Vaiṣṇava is naturally decorated with all good qualities and is free of all faults. It is stated in the Caritāmṛta:

sarva mahā-guṇa-gana vaiṣṇava-śarire
kṛṣṇa-bhakte kṛṣṇera guṇa sakali saṣcāre

“All great qualities reside in the body of a Vaiṣṇava and all the qualities of Kṛṣṇa manifest in His devotees.” (Cc. Madhya 22,76)

vidhi-dharma chāḍi’ bhaje kṛṣṇera caraṇa
niṣiddha pāpācāre tāra kabhu nahe mana

“Although a Vaiṣṇava may neglect the regulative principles (vidhi-dharma) he worships Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Thus his mind is never tainted by the desire to perform sinful activities.” (Cc. Madhya 22.142)

ajṣāne vā haya yadi pāpa upasthita
kṛṣṇa tāṅre śuddha kare nā karāya prāyaścitta

“However, if a Vaiṣṇava somehow performs sinful activities, Kṛṣṇa purifies him and that devotee does not have to go through any type of ritual atonement.” (Cc. Madhya 22.143)

jṣāna-vairāgyādi bhaktira kabhu nahe aṅga
ahiṁsā yama niyamādi bule kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṅga

“Jnana and vairagya etc. are not limbs of bhakti. Non-violence, control over the mind and senses etc. automatically follow a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. “(Cc. Madhya 22.145)

asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra
strī-saṅgi eka asādhu kṛṣṇābhakta āra

“It is the proper conduct of a Vaiṣṇava to reject bad association such as those who associate with women, the unholy and those who are averse to Kṛṣṇa.” (Cc. Madhya 22.87)

From the very day that the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa manifests on a person’s tongue even once, that jīva will lose all taste for sinful activities. What to speak of sinful activities, he will also lose taste in pious activities. The Vaiṣṇava, Vaiṣṇavatara and Vaiṣṇavatama are without material contamination (niraṣjana), pure (nirmala) and sinless (niṣpāpa). However, if it is seen that a person has an inclination towards performing sinful acts, then he should not to be counted amongst the Vaiṣṇavas. Even kaniṣṭḥa Vaiṣṇavas are not inclined towards pious or sinful activities. Pure Vaiṣṇavas are faultless and therefore cannot be criticized. Those that do so spread lies about Vaiṣṇavas and speak ill about them. Such wicked persons enviously criticize Vaiṣṇavas in the following three ways –

Wicked persons discuss faults that were present in a person before śuddha-bhakti manifested within him. However, when bhakti manifests in the heart, all faults quickly disappear.

During the short time that unwanted desires are being removed from the heart, wicked people criticize him for any faults that still remain within him.

The third topic of discussion for wicked people is that although a pure Vaiṣṇava has no inclination towards faulty activities, sometimes (without any conceivable reason) some prohibitive habits manifest. Such faults never remain permanently within a Vaiṣṇava. However, wicked people discuss these faults and consequently fall down due to the fault of blaspheming a Vaiṣṇava. Therefore, in Nāma-tattva-ratna-mālā, it has been said:

prāg bhakte rūdyād doṣāḥ kṣayā-vaśiṣṭa eva ca
daivot pannaś ca bhaktānāṁ naivalocyaḥ kadācana
sad uddeśyāmṛte yastu mṛṣāpavādam eva ca
doṣānālocayat yeva sa sādhu-nindakoh ādhamaḥ

“One should not consider the faults of a devotee, especially those impurities that were there before devotion manifest within him, those that temporarily remain but are presently perishing through his practice of bhakti, and those that may appear in him by chance. One who reflects upon these faults is guilty of sādhu-nindā and is most fallen.”

O readers! Any faults that were previously in a Vaiṣṇava before bhakti appeared within him should never be considered, unless there is some noble intention in doing so. A Vaiṣṇava should never be criticized for the insignificant residue of his previous faults, which is why Śrī Kṛṣṇa has explained the following in Bhagavad-gītā:

api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati

“Even if one is impious and has committed abominable acts, if he worships Me with one-pointed devotion, such a person should be considered saintly because his determination is perfect. He quickly becomes virtuous again and attains everlasting peace. O Kaunteya, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” (Gītā 9.30–31)

Through the influence of bhakti, all abominable activities that may have existed before the appearance of bhakti, which seemed to be one’s very own nature, are reduced day by day and are finally destroyed within a short time. Discussing the faults of a Vaiṣṇava without a virtuous intention results in vaiṣṇava-aparādha. If one sees some fault in a Vaiṣṇava that appears due to divine providence, one should still not blaspheme that Vaiṣṇava. In this regard, Karabhājana has said:

sva-pāda-mūlam bhajataḥ priyasya
tyaktānya-bhāvasya hariḥ pareśaḥ
vikarma yac cotpatitaṁ kathaṣcid
dhunoti sarvaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ

“One who gives up everything to engage in worshipping the lotus feet of Hari is very dear to the Lord. Even if somehow the tendency to perform sinful activities appears within him, the Supreme Lord, who resides within the heart, destroys the reactions to such sins.” (Bhāg,11.5.42)

Apart from well-intended discussions of those faults that may arise accidentally, one is liable to commit the offense of criticizing a Vaiṣṇava. The fundamental point here is that slandering and blaspheming a Vaiṣṇava, due to any of the three faults previously mentioned, leads to nāmāparādha, and if one commits nāmāparādha, then divine revelation (sphūrti) of the Holy Name will never manifest. One cannot become a Vaiṣṇava without such revelation of the Holy Name.

At this stage in our discussion, an opposing point of view may arise – would it be proper to deliberate on other types of faults found in a Vaiṣṇava besides the three that have already been mentioned? The answer is that no other type of fault can exist within a Vaiṣṇava apart from the three mentioned above. If someone has another type of fault that does not fit in with one of these three divisions, then, according to the śāstras, they cannot be considered to be a Vaiṣṇava. Actually, we should seriously consider the fact that without proper motivation, it is improper to reflect upon the faults of any jīva. To blaspheme a Vaiṣṇava is an offence. Blaspheming other jīvas is a sin. A Vaiṣṇava has no desire to perform such sinful activities.

Yet if one has proper intentions in pointing out another’s faults, then śāstra does not consider that as an offence. There are three types of proper intention – if we expose someone’s sins in order that they ultimately attain auspiciousness, then such discussions are favourable. If we deliberate on a sinner’s vices in order to benefit the whole world, then this should be counted as an auspicious action. If such deliberations are for one’s own spiritual benefit, then such an aspect carries no fault.

When one reflects upon the histories concerning the previous life of Vālmīki or the previous activities of Jagāi and Mādhāi etc. then such deliberations are actually free of sin. When a disciple prays to the guru to identify a true Vaiṣṇava, the guru, desiring auspiciousness for the disciple and the whole world, may draw attention to a non-Vaiṣṇava whose behaviour is actually unholy as well as those who are saintly Vaiṣṇavas. With the intention to guide others to accept shelter at the feet of real Vaiṣṇavas, it is not sādhu-nindā or vaiṣṇava-aparādha to reject the company of such deceitful dharma-dhvajis (religious pretenders). Even if criticism arises towards a specific person, it is still free from any fault. These are all examples of criticizing with a proper motivation.

O readers! You must think carefully upon this serious subject matter. According to proper devotional conclusions, you must show honour to true Vaiṣṇavas and without any hesitation whatsoever, abandon the company of non-devotees. If one blasphemes a genuine Vaiṣṇava, then the transcendental truth concerning the Holy Name (nāma-tattva) will never manifest within one’s heart. In this way, the Bhāgavata instructs us thus:

tato duḥsaṅgam utsṛjya satsu sajjeta buddhimān
santa evāsya chindantimano-vyāsaṅgam uktibhiḥ

“It is for all these reasons that those who are intelligent reject the association of the wicked and associate with those who are saintly. This is because the instructions of such saintly persons cut through the excessive unholy attachments found within the mind.” (Bhāg,11.26.26)

Do not think that by considering oneself to be a sādhu, one can serve those that are asādhu and receive the same result as serving a genuine sādhu. As mentioned previously, it is essential for a madhyama-adhikārī to serve a sādhu, because the kaniṣṭḥa does not serve sādhus and the uttama-adhikārī is not able to distinguish the difference between a sādhu and a non-sādhu.

Since you are all madhyama-adhikārīs it is mandatory for you to search for a sādhu, befriend him and also show mercy upon the non-devotees, or in some instances, disregard them. If you abandon your own adhikāra, then you will be at fault. The Bhāgavata’s instruction in regard to faults and virtue is this:

sve sve ‘dhikāre yā niṣṭhā sa guṇaḥ parikīrtitaḥ
viparyayas tu doṣaḥ syādubhayor eṣa niścayaḥ

“Steadiness in one’s own proper position is considered to be piety. The opposite is considered to be a fault. In this way, the two are clearly ascertained.” (Bhāg,11.21.2)

Even if unconsciously you come into bad association, you will still become an offender to bhakti. Thus the Bhāgavata says:

saṅgo yaḥ saṁsṛter hetur asatsu vihito ‘dhiyā
sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto niḥsaṅgatvāya kalpate

“If, due to faulty intelligence, one unwittingly comes into bad company, this will still lead to one falling into material bondage. However, in the same way, if one accepts the association of sādhus, such association will easily lead one away from bad company.” (Bhāg, 3.23.55)

The glories of the great devotees (uttama-bhaktas), who see everyone as saintly, is declared in such devotional literatures as Bhakta-mālā, Prapannāmṛta etc. – however, madhyama Vaiṣṇavas should not imitate this. Such behaviour leads to the fault known as anadhikāra-carcā (not acting according to one’s proper qualification) and they will fall down in no time. May the pure devotees mercifully consider our dissertation on all these subjects to have been properly motivated.

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Overview

In “The Secret of the Lord’s Appearance According to the Gītā” (Gītāra Janma Rahasya), Śrīla Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda explains the transcendental position of Śrī Kṛṣṇa based upon the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. This Bengali article was translated by Swami B.V. Giri & Sanātana Dāsa.

In the beginning of Śrīmad Bhagavad-Gītā’s fourth chapter, which is entitled Jṣāna-yoga (the yoga of knowledge), Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa-candra told Arjuna that previously He had instructed the sun-god on the topic of the perfection of niṣkāma-karma (activities without material desires) within jṣāna-yoga. The sun-god explained this knowledge to Manu, who in turn instructed Ikṣvāku. In this way the saintly kings obtained realisation of yoga via the paramparā. This system of yoga almost perished due to its absence for a long time.

This knowledge was given by Him to Arjuna because Arjuna was His devotee and friend. After hearing this from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna played the role of a materialistic historian and put forward the argument, “O Kṛṣṇa! Sūrya was born many years before and You were born in recent times. How can I believe that You have instructed Sūrya on the above-mentioned yoga many years before?” Śrī Kṛṣṇa answered –

bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna
tānyahaṁ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṁ vettha parantapa

ajo ‘pi sannavyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro ‘pi san
prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣhṭhāya sambhavāmyātma-māyayā

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge

janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna
(Gītā 4.5-9)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “My dear Parantapa Arjuna! Both you and I have passed through many births. Being the Supreme Lord, I remember all of them. You are a minutely conscious jīva, hence you don’t remember any of them. Whenever I descend to the world, My perfected devotees also appear with Me to nourish My pastimes. But I am the only all-knowing Puruṣa who is cognizant of everything. Although all of you and I come to this world again and again, there is a categorical difference between My appearance and yours. I am the Master of all creation, beyond birth and imperishable by nature. With the help of My internal potency, I appear in this world. But the jīvas are controlled by My māyā-śakti to take birth in this world. In this way they cannot remember their previous births. As a result of their karma, taking shelter of their subtle body (liṅga-śarīra), they attain another birth. I appear in the form of demigods, and even in lower species etc. This occurs only due to My independent desire to this effect. Unlike the jīva, My pure conscious form is not covered by a gross and subtle body. Whatever eternal form I have in Vaikuṇṭha, that very same form I manifest effortlessly in this material realm. You may ask, how does pure consciousness manifest within the material realm? Listen – My power is indisputable and beyond the reach of all types of thought processes. Therefore whatever can be possible through it cannot be understood simply by your reasoning. It is enough if you dutifully understand with your normal intelligence that Bhagavān, who is unimaginably powerful, is not bound by any regulation pertaining to this material world.”

By His will He can manifest the entire vaikuṇṭha-tattva effortlessly in its pure form in this mundane world, or convert the entire material creation into the spiritual world. In that place, My saccidānanda-vigraha (form of eternity, bliss and knowledge) is beyond the rules of this material realm and in spite of manifesting in this world, it remains completely pure. How can it be doubted?

Although māyā, who controls the jīvas, is also owned by Me, one must also understand that My very own nature is spiritual. My potency is one, yet to Me that potency is spiritual while to the conditioned jīvas it is the illusory potency and has various kinds of influence.

I appear only due to My supreme will. Whenever I desire, I manifest. Whenever there is degradation in dharma and a rise of adharma, then I manifest due to My own will. My rules and regulations governing universal affairs are unconquerable.

However, due to the influence of time, when all these rules and regulations lose their qualities for no particular reason except for faults arising with the passing of time, adharma gains more prominence. Except for Me there is no one who is capable of rectifying those faults. Therefore, I appear with My own cit-śakti in this material world and rectify the degradation of dharma.

It is not that I appear only in the land of Bhārata. Depending on the necessity, I appear in all places inhibited by demigods or demons due My own will. So do not think that I never appear in the land of mlecchas and other lower races. Depending on the extent and depth to which those men have accepted true dharma as their own religion, then that much degradation is also rectified and I safeguard dharma as a śaktyāveśa-avatāra.

But in the land of Bhārata, since varṇāśrama-dharma is effectively practiced there as one’s prescribed duty (sva-dharma), I consider the countrymen of this land as My subjects and I am more concerned in mercifully establishing dharma there. Therefore, you will observe all the most charming avatāras such as the yugāvatāras, aṁśāvatāra etc. within the land of Bhārata. Where there is no varṇāśrama-dharma there is no proper execution of niṣkama-karma-yoga or the perfection of jṣāna-yoga or the ultimate achievement of bhakti-yoga. But if it is observed among the lower classes (outside the varṇāśrama system) that there is a significant advancement in bhakti, it should be understood that it is the result of a devotee’s mercy that there is a sudden connection established.

Within the saintly kings and others who are My devotees, I give them the empowerment in order to establish varṇāśrama -dharma. But for those sādhus who are great devotees, to save them from non-devotees, it becomes essential for Me to descend. Thus, by becoming the yugāvatāra I protect the sādhus, isolate the non-devotees and establish them in the religions meant for annihilation (nāśya-dharma), and by preaching the devotional processes of hearing and chanting, I establish the jīva’s eternal constitutional position. It is said that I descend in every age – from this you can accept that I also descend in the age of Kali. The avatāra for the age of Kali will establish the most rare prema only with the help of the paraphernalia used in kīrtana. Since He has no other purpose, in spite of this avatāra being the best of all avatāras, He is hidden from the common people in general. My greatest devotees will naturally be especially attracted by that avatāra. You will also be able to observe this by descending as His associate. This avatāra, who is the deliverer from the age of Kali, will only annihilate the evil-propensity. Apart from that there is no killing of demons as in other ages. This is the supreme secret regarding this hidden avatāra.

One who realises, through proper deliberation of previously revealed knowledge, the inconceivable spiritual potency through which I accept My divine birth and activities, never takes birth again after he leaves his body. He comes under the influence of the manifestation of My spiritual potency, the hlādinī-śakti, and achieves My eternal service.

Those who, due to lack of proper knowledge, come to the conclusion that My birth, activities and form are manifest from this material world and are temporary and mundane, are cast into this cycle of birth and death as a result of their ignorance. By coming to such conclusions, men under the influence of materialistic activities remain entangled in mundane deeds. Without the mercy of a sādhu, they cannot attain pure devotion.”

Overview

“Topics in Praise of Śrī Gaṅgā Devī” (Śrī Gaṅgā-devīr-māhātmya Viṣaye Arthavāda) was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇi, Vol 10, Issue 4 in 1899. Herein, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes about the purity of the Gaṅgā as well as the offences one may commit in bathing in her waters. This Bengali article was translated into English by Swami B.V. Giri.


By bringing Gaṅgā down to the earth, Bhagīratha delivered his ancestors and since then, various śāstras have proclaimed the glories of Gaṅgā. Those who do not honour Gaṅgā ridicule such words of praise. Not so long ago, a very famous and learned American chemist gave some words of praise to our Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā). Previously, he had been in Bhārata-varṣa for a few days. After testing it for microscopic bacteria, he reported that the Ganges water was completely free of contamination and that there was absolutely no trace of impurities nor any malignant microscopic bacteria, whereas all other rivers and tributaries throughout the world are presently contaminated by huge amounts of impure substances, the Gaṅgā of Bhārata, in all respects, is completely devoid of impurities and is pure in every sense.

After microscopic analysis of a container of Ganges water, he came to understand that the glories of Gaṅgā, as stated in the Hindu śāstras, are completely true. After returning to his country, he published the results of this great discovery in all the newspapers. He also declared that it was not only Gaṅgā that was pure, but the water from all the rivers and streams that are connected to the Gaṅgā. He ascertained through specific experimentation.

If the glories of the Gaṅgā had not been included in the śāstras, but instead had been written according to the opinions of scientists, then ordinary people would not respect Gaṅgā so much. Having the highest regard for dharma, the esteemed authors of our śāstras, have presented the spirit of pure dharma in all respects, and there has been a great amount of benefit due to this. If they had instead based universal laws and regulations upon dry evidence provided by mundane science, then perhaps the mood of dharma found in Bhārata could never have spread throughout the world as much as it has today.

It would be insufficient to consider the glories of Gaṅgā simply from a mundane perspective. There are twenty-four tattvas (elements) within this material world.

The jīva is the twenty-fifth element. The jīva’s gross body is comprised of the twenty-four material elements. The jīva’s ātmā, which is the twenty-fifth element, transcends these. He is beyond prakṛti (material nature) and is thus known by the word ‘aprākṛta’ (transcendental). Parabrahma is also a completely transcendental element. Another name for Parabrahma is Viṣṇu. Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam – these words are found again and again throughout the Vedas. Gaṅgā-devī has manifest from the feet of Viṣṇu. Therefore, when some mundane praise is found concerning the waters of the Gaṅgā, all the śāstras accept it. The esteemed American scholar and the respected authors of various periodicals have simply been bewildered by Gaṅgā’s mundane glories.

However, there are unlimited glories present within Gaṅgā-devī that exceed such mundane glories. The assembly of pure devotees has revealed that if one resides near the Gaṅgā and drinks her waters, then devotion to Hari will manifest. Such water emanates from the divine lotus feet of the supremely merciful Parameśvara, and that water has the potency to awaken devotion to the lotus feet of Hari – Vyāsa and other maharṣis have declared this everywhere. Within this material world, the jīvatmas are covered by impurities and are absorbed in the misery of forgetfulness of Hari. When they bathe in the waters of the Gaṅgā and sing about the qualities of Hari, then devotion arises within their consciousness. Only those who are most fortunate can realize the supreme qualities of Gaṅgā. Those who are deprived of good fortune remain confined only to Gaṅgā’s material qualities. If it is said that many people take bath in the Gaṅgā and drink her waters but never worship Hari, then it may be answered that the qualities of an object can only be extended to another object when there is no obstruction.

Electricity can only be transmitted to an object that is a good conductor. It cannot transmit its qualities to an object that is a bad conductor. Similarly, amongst the jīvas, those that commit certain aparādhas become bad conductors of bhakti, just as with electricity. Those that chant the Holy Name and perform sinful activities are nāma-aparādhīs (offenders to the Holy Name). Those that perform sinful activities, expecting that Gaṅgā-devī’s glories will relieve them of reactions are severe offenders to Gaṅgā-devī. All kinds of sins are sent far away by bathing in Gaṅgā, but the aforementioned offense is not sent far away by bathing in the Gaṅgā. Those who commit this offense become bad conductors and are incapable of realising the unlimited glories of Gaṅgā. Due to this, nowadays people cannot perceive Gaṅgā’s spiritual potency – their intelligence only allows them to perceive the material nature of her waters.

Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā – Illuminations on the Essential Meaning of Gāyatrī
Chapter Seven – Śrī Prakāśinī Vṛtti Illuminations on Śrī Gopāla Mantra and Kāma Gāyatrī Following the Commentary of Śrila Jiva Goswāmī on Śrī Brahma Saṁhitā

by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

All glory to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, all glories to the Golden Moon of Śrī Māyāpura. We find in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.234-241 the narration of how Śrī Caitanya found the Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā while touring South India.

From Cape Comorin Śrī Caitanya went to the bank of the Payasvinī river. After bathing He went to the Ādi-Keśava temple where He met with the great devotees. It was there that He obtained the ancient manuscript of the fifth chapter of Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā. This gave Śrī Caitanya unlimited joy, and divine ecstatic symptoms appeared in His body — trembling, weeping, perspiring; He was stunned, thrilled with ecstasy. Śrī Caitanya had the manuscript copied very carefully.

siddhānta-śāstra nāhi ‘brahma-saṁhitā’ra sama
govinda-mahimā jṣānera parama kāraṇa
alpākṣare kahe siddhānta apāra
sakala-vaiṣṇava-śāstra-madhye ati sāra

“There is no scripture equal to the Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā as far as the final spiritual conclusion is concerned. Indeed, that scripture is the supreme revelation of the glories of Lord Govinda, for it reveals the topmost knowledge about Him. Since all conclusions are briefly presented in Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā, it is essential among all the Vaiṣṇava literatures.” (C.c. Madhya-līlā 9.239-240)

The following verses from Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā reveal the ontological purport of gopāla-mantra and kāma-gāyatrī:

karṇikāraṁ mahad-yantraṁ ṣaṭ-koṇaṁ vajra-kīlakam
ṣaḍaṅga-ṣaṭpadī-sthānaṁ prakṛtyā puruṣeṇa ca
premānanda-mahānanda-rasenāvasthitaṁ hi yat
jyotīrūpeṇa manunā kāma-bījena saṅgatam

“The center of the divine lotus is the core of Kṛṣṇa’s residence. It is presided over by the Predominated and Predominating Moiety. It is mapped as a hexagonal mystic symbol. Like a diamond, the effulgent Supreme Entity of Kṛṣṇa, the fountainhead of all divine potencies, presides as the central pivot. The great mantra of eighteen syllables, which is formed of six integral parts, is manifest as a hexagonal place of sixfold divisions.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.3)

Kṛṣṇa’s līlā or pastimes are of two basic types, either manifest or unmanifest. The pastimes of Vṛndāvana that may be revealed to the vision of humans is manifest kṛṣṇa-līlā. whereas that which remains invisible to the eye is unmanifest kṛṣṇa-līlā. In Goloka, the unmanifest līlā is ever manifest, and in Gokula the manifest līlā is manifest to the worldly eye when Kṛṣṇa wills it.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has stated in his Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha, aprakaṭa-līlātaḥ prasūtiḥ prakaṭa-līlāyām abhivyaktiḥ: “Manifest līlā is the revelation of unmanifest līlā.” It is also further said in Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha, śrī-vṛndāvanasya prakāśa-viśeṣo golokatvam; tatra prapaṣcika-loka-prakaṭa-līlāvakāśatvenāvabhāsamānaṁ prakāśo goloka iti samarthanīyam. The meaning is that any ‘interval’ which is found in Kṛṣṇa’s manifest līlā in the illusory world is filled by those pastimes that have their subtle presence in the background in an unmanifest way; they are the pastimes of Goloka or Goloka līlā.

All these points are harmonized by Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī in his Laghu-Bhāgavatāmṛtam: yat tu goloka-nāma syāt tac ca gokula-vaibhavam; tādātmya-vaibhavatvaṣ ca tasya tan mahimonnateḥ – Goloka is the transcendental manifestation of the higher transcendental glories of Gokula. So Goloka is simply the selfsame manifestation of the majesty of Gokula.

Although each and every pastime of Kṛṣṇa is not manifest in Gokula, all His pastimes are eternally manifest in Goloka. The revelation to the conditioned souls of the unmanifest līlā of Goloka — Goloka being the selfsame majestic manifestation of Gokula – is of two types, namely through worship by mantra (mantropāsanā-mayī) and by pure spontaneity (svārasikī). Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī has explained in his writings that any one of the various locations and associated circumstances of the divine pastimes have their constant localized existence, and so may be meditated upon by the appropriate mantra. The meditational revelation of Goloka that arises from the constant localized mantra meditation upon a location corresponding to a singular pastime is mantropāsanā-mayī-līlā. But those pastimes that pervade many localities with manifold divine sports and revelries are full of variegated spontaneity, and thus they are svārasikī, that is, they are revealed to the devotees whose transcendental spontaneity has matured.

Both meanings are in this verse. Firstly, in the pastimes indicated in eighteen syllables, the bases of the mantra are delegated, their appropriate localities in order that each one manifest a particular pastime of Kṛṣṇa:

kliṁ kṛṣṇāya govindāya gopī-jana-vallabhāya svāhā

This mantra is said to be formed of six integral parts of six metric bases, which are:

1.kṛṣṇāya
2. govindāya
3. gopī-jana
4. vallabhāya
5. svā and
6. hā
The formation of the mantra is thus shown to be the consecutive placement of these six limbs.

The great hexagonal mystic symbol (or circle of the Lord’s dominion, mahad-yantra) is explained as follows: the seed (bīja), the impelling principle or desire-seed (kama–bīja) — klīṁ — is the central pivot within the symbol. By concentrating one’s thoughts upon the transcendental truth with the help of such a formula, one can attain perception of the truth as Candradhvaja (Lord Śiva) did.

The teachings of Gautamīya Tantra state, svā-śabdena ca kṣetrajṣo heti cit-prakṛtiḥ parā: The word svā indicates kṣetra-jṣa or the soul, and hā indicates the higher transcendental nature. According to Śrī-Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, uttarād govindāyety asmāt surabhiṁ go-jātiṁ; tad uttarād gopījanety asmāt vidyāś caturddaśa, tad attarād vallabha, etc.

In this line, one may have realization of a localized pastime through the agency of worship by the mantra. This is the objective of worship by mantra.

The general purport of the uttarād govindāyety asmāt verse of Śrī-Hari-bhakti-vilāsa is that one who is deeply aspiring to enter into Kṛṣṇa’s divine pastimes must, with proper perspective of his relationship in the Absolute (sambandha-jṣāna) born of devotional serving disposition (bhakti-rasa), render service unto Kṛṣṇa with the spiritual inner self. One’s relationship with the divinity is established when this intrinsic knowledge is realized:

The intrinsic form of Kṛṣṇa
The intrinsic form of Kṛṣṇa’s divine pastimes in Vraja,
The intrinsic form of His intimate attendants, the gopīs,
The intrinsic form of full self-surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, in the wake of tad vallabha, those who are His most beloved — the gopīs,
The pure soul’s divine intrinsic form (of divine cognition), and
cit-prakṛti or the intrinsic divine nature, viz. the intrinsic nature of the soul to render divine service unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
One who is properly established in such relativity in the Absolute attains firmness (niṣṭhā) in the soul’s engagement in divine practice (abhidheya), and comes to know the only life-nectar or prospect (prayojana) to be the joy of service to the supreme male, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in the ‘ego’ of a predominated maidservant of Śrī Rādhā. This is the underlying purport.

So initially, the ‘meditational’ pastimes of Goloka and Gokula may appear in the heart of a devotee in the stage of holy practice (sādhana) through worship by the mantra, and secondly, the unrestricted ‘free-willed’ pastimes are revealed to the devotee in the stage of perfection (siddha). This is the general position of Goloka or Gokula, which will be further illumined as the text evolves.

The meaning of jyotī-rūpeṇa manunā is that the transcendental purport is revealed in the mantra, and linking that with the transcendental desire (aprākṛta–kāma) of pure love for Kṛṣṇa, the life of one who goes on serving in this line becomes saturated with supreme ecstasy of joyous love divine or premānanda-mahānanda-rasa. Such eternal pastimes full of love and joy are ever refulgent in Goloka.

tat-kiṣjalkaṁ tad-aṁśānāṁ tat-patrāṇi śrīyām api

“The core of that eternal holy abode which is called Gokula is the hexagonal land of Kṛṣṇa’s abode. The stamens or petals are the residences of the cowherds or gopas, who are Kṛṣṇa’s own, His dearmost friends and high loving devotees that are part of His own self. Those abodes appear like many walls, all beautifully effulgent. The extensive foliage of that lotus constitutes the sub-forests that are the abodes of the loving damsels of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, headed by Śrī Rādhikā.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.4)

The transcendental Gokula is in the form of a lotus flower. Its core is hexagonal; in the center is the Predominated and Predominating Moiety, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, who are the objective of the eighteen-syllable mantra. Their various subjective personal expansions (intimate serving associates) of intrinsic divine potency surround Them. The seed is Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

The Gopāla-tāpanīyopaniṣad states, tasmād oṁkāra-sambhūto gopālo viśvasambhavaḥ, klīm oṁkārasya caikatvaṁ paṭhyate brahma-vādibhiḥ. Oṁkāra means Gopāla, who is both the potency and the potent, and klīṁ means oṁkāra. Therefore, klīṁ or the primary desire-seed (kāma–bīja) expresses the transcendental reality of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

uvāca puratas tasmai tasya divyā sarasvatī
kāma-kṛṣṇaya govinda-ṅe gopījana ity api
vallabhāya priyā vahner mantraṁ te dāsyati priyam

“Then the divine vibration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Divyā Sarasvatī, said to Brahmā as he saw darkness all around; ‘O Brahmā, klīṁ kṛṣṇaya govindāya gopī-jana-vallabhāya svāhā — this mantra (gopāla-mantra) will bring about the fulfillment of all your cherished desires.’ ” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.24)

The mantra of eighteen syllables (gopāla-mantra) including the seed of aspiration (klīṁ) is supreme. It has two attributes, one of which is to impel the pure soul towards the supreme charmer of the heart, Kṛṣṇa – the Lord of Gokula, the Lord of the gopīs. This is the acme of the soul’s divine pursuit. When the devotee practitioner becomes free from selfish desire, he can attain to the perfection of divine love, prema, in this way. Yet in the case of the practitioner who harbours some personal desires, this supreme mantra fulfills those desires too. In the divine concept, the seed of aspiration is intrinsic within the lotus of Gokula; and the seed of desire reflected in material objects fulfills all kinds of desires in the māyik (illusory) world.

tapas tvaṁ tapa etena tava siddhir bhaviṣyati

“O Brahmā, execute penance while contemplating upon this mantra, and you will attain to all perfection.” (Tx. 25)

atha tepe suciraṁ prīṇan govindam avyayam
śvetadvīpa-patiṁ kṛṣṇaṁ goloka-sthaṁ parātparam
prakṛtyā guṇa-rūpiṇyā rūpiṅyā paryyupāsitam
sahasra-dala-sampanne koṭi-kiṣjalka-bṛṁhite
bhūmiś cintāmaṇis tatra karṇikāre mahāsane
samāsīnaṁ cidānandaṁ jyotīrūpam sanātanam
śabda-brahmamayaṁ veṇuṁ vādayantaṁ mukhāmbuje
vilāsinīgaṇavṛtaṁ svaiḥ svair aṁśair abhiṣṭutam

“Desiring to attain the grace of Govinda, Brahmā took up practicing long penance for the pleasure of that Lord of Śvetadvīpa, who is none other than Kṛṣṇa in Goloka. Brahmā’s meditation followed in this line. In the land made of wish-fulfilling gems is a thousand-petalled lotus flower that blooms with millions of stamens. In the centre of the lotus is a grand throne, upon which the eternal Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of the effulgence of divine loving ecstasy, is seated. On His lotus lips the flute of transcendental sound is vibrating sonorously, and His glories are sung by the gopīs of His pastimes (who surround Him), along with the gopī’s associates who are their respective personal expansions. As the supreme worshippable object, He is worshipped (from outside) by prakṛti (māyā), who is the embodiment of material qualities (guṇas).” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.26)

Māyā’s nature is materially active (rājasika), and she assumes the forms of Durgā, etc., embodying the qualities of material truth, activation and inertia or sattva, rajaḥ and tamo guṇa. However, the object of Māyā’s meditation is completely transcendental and thus she, the embodiment of inferior potency, meditates upon Kṛṣṇa with a reverential or worshipful attitude.

Whoever has material hankering in the heart should worship Māyā Devī’s object of adoration. Even without worshipping Māyā Devī, such worshippers will attain success by worshipping Māyād Devī’s object of worship. The purport of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam verse akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāradhīḥ, tīvreṇa bhaktiyogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param is that although the various demigods as expansions of the power of the Supreme Lord are the bestowers of certain rewards, an intelligent person nonetheless worships with resolute devotion the Supreme Godhead, who is replete with the potency to bestow all fruits.

Thus Brahmā meditated upon Māyā Devī’s reverentially worshipful truth, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme enjoyer of His pastimes in Goloka. Pure devotion that is free from all kinds of fleeting desires in niṣkāma-bhakti, or devotion devoid of vested interest or selfishness. The devotion of Brahmā and personalities of his general caliber is sakāma or possessing some personal interest. Still, even within devotion with vested interest there is a selfless stage, and this will be elucidated in the last five verses of Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā. As long as one has not attained to svarūpa–siddhi or perfection in one’s divine self, the method given herein is the convenient way of rendering devotional service for the fallen conditioned soul.

atha veṇu-ninādasya trayī-mūrttimayī gatiḥ
sphurantī praviveśāśu mukhābjāni svayambhuvaḥ
gāyattrīṁ gāyatas tasmād adhigatya sarojajaḥ
saṁskṛtaś cādiguruṇā dvijatām agamat tataḥ

“Thereafter, the gāyatrī of threefold form, that is, of the form of oṁkāra (oṁ), emanated as the beautiful harmonious sequence of the song of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s flute. Entering the ears of Brahmā, it was swiftly manifest within his lotus mouth. Thus Brahmā who was born of the lotus flower, received gāyatrī as it emanated from the divine flute song of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and so he was initiated by the Supreme Lord, the original guru, and elevated to the status of twice-born (dvija).” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.27)

The divine vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute is a sound of truth, cognizance and ecstasy (sac-cid-ānanda–maya), and so the paragon of the Vedas is present within that divine sound. Gāyatrī is a Vedic metre embracing both meditation and prayer in a compact form. Furthermore, kāma–gāyatrī is topmost since the prayer and meditation contained within it are of the nature of full-fledged divine pastimes in a manner not found in any other gāyatrī.

Kāma-gāyatrī, which is the gāyatrī taken after the eighteen-syllabled gopāla-mantra, is klīṁ kāmadevāya vidmahe puṣpabāṇāya dhīmahi tan no ‘naṅgah pracodayāt. In this gāyatrī, the realization of the līlā of divine pastimes of Śrī Gopī-jana-vallabha, the beloved of the gopīs, after complete meditation upon Him, and the prayer to attain to the service of that transcendental cupid is indicated. In the entire transcendental world there is no higher pursuit for divine love in the shelter of an ecstatic relationship with Him.

As soon as that gāyatrī entered into the ears of Lord Brahmā, he attained the purificatory initiation into the status of the twice-born, or dvija, and began to sing the gāyatrī.

Any jīva who has properly received this gāyatrī has attained to divine rebirth. This rebirth means entrance into the transcendental plane, something infinitely superior to the status of the initiation or second birth of the materially conditioned souls that is given according to their nature or lineage in the material world. By divine initiation – the rebirth that is the attainment of divine birth, one reaches the spiritual world – the ultimate glory of the jīva.

trayyā prabuddho ‘tha vidhir vijṣāta-tattva-sāgaraḥ
tuṣṭāva vedasāreṇa stotreṇānena keśavam

“Becoming enlightened by meditation upon that threefold gāyatrī, Brahmā became acquainted with the ocean of truth. Then he worshipped Śrī Kṛṣṇa, singing His transcendental glories by this hymn (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā), which is the quintessence of all the Vedas.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.28)

By meditating upon the kāma-gāyatrī, Brahmā began to conceive, ‘I am an eternal maidservant of Kṛṣṇa.’ Although the profound mysteries of servitorship as a maidservant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa were not necessarily revealed to him, his discrimination between spirit and matter developed to such a degree that an ocean of truth came within his grasp. When all the expressions of the Vedas thus became manifest within him, he sung this hymn, which expresses the quintessence of all the Vedas. Because in all respects this hymn is replete with the Vaiṣṇava siddhānta (perfect conclusions or truths of Vaiṣṇavism), Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught it to His personally favored devotees. The good readers may take the opportunity to daily sing and relish this hymn with devotion.

cintāmaṇi-prakara sadmasu kalpavṛkṣa
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-saṁbhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“Surrounded by millions of wish-fulfilling trees, in abodes made of multitudes of wish-yielding gems, He who tends the ever-yielding cows and who is perpetually served with great affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs (Goddesses of Fortune) – the primeval Lord Govinda do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.29)

veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ
barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam
kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“Always playing the flute, His eyes like blooming lotus petals, His head adorned with a peacock feather, His beautiful form the hue of a blue cloud; with the unique beauty that charms millions of Cupids – the primeval Lord Govinda do I adore.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.30)

ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī-
ratnāṅgadaṁ praṇayakelikalā-vilāsam
śyāmaṁ tribhaṅgalalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“Around His neck is a garland of forest-flowers swinging to and fro, and adorned with a peacock feather locket; His flute held in hands adorned with jewelled bracelets, He who eternally revels in pastimes of love, whose charming threefold curved form, Śyāmasundara, is His eternal feature – that primeval Lord Govinda do I adore.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.31)

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti
paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship that primeval Lord Govinda, whose form is all-ecstatic, all-conscious and all-truth, and thus, full of the most dazzling splendour; every part of that transcendental form possesses the functions of all His senses, as He eternally sees, maintains and regulates infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.32)

advaitam acyutam anādim anantarūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ navayauvanaṁ ca
vedeṣu durllabham adurllabham ātmabhaktau
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship that primeval Lord Govinda, who is unapproachable by even the Vedas, yet attainable by the soul’s devotion; He is one without a second, the infallible, beginningless and endless; He is the beginning; and despite being the oldest personality He is the beautiful eternally adolescent youthful male.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.33)

panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-saṁpragamyo
vāyor athāpi manaso munipuṅgavānām
so ’py asti yat-prapadasīmny avicintya-tattve
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“The yogīs tread the path of strictly controlling the life-breath, or the greatest sages tread the path of sharpening their perceptions by assiduous rejection of the non-real, in quest of the non-differentiative brahman; they all aspire to reach that supramundane truth beyond the worldly intellect; and after trying for billions of years, they may reach only the boundary of His lotus feet – it is that primeval Lord Govinda who I do worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.34)

eko ’py asau racyituṁ jagadaṇḍa-koṭiṁ
yac-chaktir asti jagadaṇḍacayā yad-antaḥ
aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇucayāntara-sthaṁ-
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“He – the one truth, both potency and potent – His potency in creating billions of universes is not separate from Him; every universe is within Him, yet simultaneously He is situated within every atom in complete form. Such is the primeval Lord Govinda whom I do worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.35)

yad-bhāva-bhāvita-dhiyo manujās tathaiva
samprāpya rūpa-mahimāsana-yāna-bhūṣāḥ
sūktair yam eva nigama-prathitaiḥ stuvanti
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship the primeval Lord Govinda for whom the hearts of mankind melt in Love. Those persons attain the glory of their beauty, their seats, conveyances and ornaments; and they sing His glories by the mantra hymns of the Vedas.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.36)

ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“He eternally resides in His holy abode of Goloka with His transcendental second nature, the own self of His ecstasy potency replete with the sixty-four sublime arts – Śrī Rādhā and Her various personal plenary expansions, Her female companions, whose hearts are filled with the supreme rasa, the joy of divine love; that primeval Lord Govinda – the life and soul of His beloved – do I adore.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.37)

premāṣjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“The sādhus, their eyes tinted with the unguent of love, see within their hearts that Śyāmasundara Kṛṣṇa of inconceivable qualities; that primeval Lord Govinda do I adore.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.38)

rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalāniyamena tiṣṭhan
nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kiṁ tu
kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“The Lord has shown in the world many avatāras such as Rāma, by expanding His plenary expansions and expansions of those expansions anon; and He, Kṛṣṇa, also came Personally – that primeval Lord Govinda do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.39)

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam
tad-brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship that primeval Lord Govinda. Because His power and effulgence is the source of that which is described in the Upaniṣads as the non-differentiated brahman, being distinct from the domain of millions of planets and planes like Earth, etc., it appears as the indivisible, infinite, Absolute Truth.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.40)

māyā hi yasya jagad-aṇḍa-śatāni sūte
traiguṇya-tad-viṣaya-veda-vitāyamānā
sattvāvalambi-parasattva viśuddha-sattvaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship that primeval Lord Govinda, the all-good, transcendental pure existence; whose inferior potency is Māyā, of the trimodal nature of sattva, rajaḥ, and tamo-guṇa – the propagator of that Vedic wisdom which pertains to the world.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.41)

ānanda-cinmaya-rasātmatayā manaḥsu
yaḥ prāṇināṁ pratiphalan smaratām upetya
līlāyitena bhuvanāni jayaty ajasraṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“He whose divine ecstatic form is reflected in the minds of those who remember Him, as He perpetually conquers the world in His play – that primeval Lord Govinda do I adore.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.42)

goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya
devi maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu
te te prabhāva-nicayā vihitāś ca yena
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“First there is Devī-dhāma [mundane world], then Maheśa-dhāma [abode of Maheśa]; and above Maheśa-dhāma is Hari-dhāma [abode of Hari]; and above all is His own home, Goloka. He who has ordained the appropriate powers pertaining to each and every one of those abodes – that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.43)

sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā
chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibhartti durgā
icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“The intrinsic or divine potency’s shadow is personified as the Māyā potency who accomplishes creation, sustenance and dissolution, and who is worshipped in the world as ‘Durgā’; by He whose wish she acts – that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.44)

kṣīraṁ yathā dadhi vikāra-viśeṣa-yogāt
saṣjāyate na hi tataḥ pṛthag asti hetoḥ
yaḥ śambhutām api tathā samupaiti kāryyād
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“As milk becomes transformed into yogurt by reacting with an added agent, yet yogurt is not separate from its origin – milk, similarly, for accomplishing a particular task, He who assumes the nature of ‘Śambhu’ – that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.45)

dīpārccir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya
dīpāyate vivṛta-hetu-samāna-dharmmā
yas tādṛg eva hi ca viṣṇutayā vibhāti
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“As the flame of one original lamp, when transmitted to another, burns separately as the expanded cause with the same nature of intensity, so also, He who shines in (Viṣṇu’s) dynamic nature – that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.46)

yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga
nidrām ananta-jagad-aṇḍa-saroma-kūpaḥ
ādhāra-śaktim avalambya parāṁ svamūrttiṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“With infinite universes in the pores of His body, He assumes His supreme figure called Śeśa, the reservoir of almighty power personified; He who reclines on the causal ocean, enjoying His trance of divine sleep, that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.47)

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-bilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“The lifespans of Brahmā and the gods of the universes born from the pores of the divine body of Mahā-Viṣṇu last for only one exhalation of Mahā-Viṣṇu; And Mahā-Viṣṇu is the portion of a portion of that Primeval Lord, Govinda, who I do worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.48)

bhāsvān yathāśma-śakaleṣu nijeṣu tejaḥ
svīyam kiyat prakaṭayaty api yad-vad-atra
brahmā ya eṣa jagad-aṇḍa-vidhāna-kartā
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“As the Sun, Sūrya, manifests some of his light in the gems named after him as sūrya-kānta, similarly, He by whom Brahmā is empowered to create the entire material universe – the primeval Lord Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.49)

yat-pāda-pallava-yugaṁ vinidhāya kumbha-
dvandve praṇāma-samaye sa gaṇādhirājaḥ
vighnān vihantum alam asya jagat-trayasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“For the power to crush the obstacles of the three worlds, He whose lotus feet Gaṇeśa perpetually holds upon the pair of nodes of his elephantine head – the Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.50)

agnir mahī gaganam ambu marud diśaś ca
kālas tathātma-manasīti jagat-trayāṇi
yasmād bhavanti vibhavanti viśanti yaṣ ca
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“Fire, earth, sky, water, air, space, time, soul mind – the three worlds are created of these nine elements; He from whom these elements are born, in whom they remain, and in whom they enter in the end – that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.51)

yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ
rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ
yasyājṣayā bhramati saṁbhṛta-kāla-cakro
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“With unlimited brilliance and power, the Sun is the king of all the planets, the resort of all the gods – the personified eye of the universe. He upon whose order the Sun, mounting the wheel of time, runs his perpetual orbit – that Primeval Lord, Govinda, do I worship.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.52)

dharmo ’tha pāpa-nicayaḥ śrutayas tapāṁsi
brahmādi-kīṭa-patagāvadhayaś ca jīvāḥ
yad-datta-mātra-vibhava-prakaṭa-prabhāvā
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship the primeval Lord Govinda, by whose conferred power is manifest the potency in – religion, irreligion or all types of sins, the Śrutis, the penances and all beings from Brahmā to the worm and insect.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.53)

yas tv indragopam athavendram aho sva-karma-
bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam ātanoti
karmāṇi nirddahati kiṁ tu ca bhakti-bhājāṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“Whether one may be the tiny insect indragopa or the great king of the gods, Lord Indra, He impartially awards all souls on the path of karma the fruits befitting their deeds; yet it is so wonderful! He burns at the root all the karma of the souls who adore Him – I worship Him, that primeval Lord Govinda.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.54)

yaṁ krodha-kāma-sahaja-praṇayādi-bhīti-
vātsalya-moha-guru-gaurava-sevya-bhāvaiḥ
saṣcintya tasya sadṛśīṁ tanum āpur ete
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“Those who cultivate their thoughts of Him through anger, amour, natural friendship, fear, parenthood, delusion, reverence and servitorship attain to bodies of a form and nature appropriate to the mood of their meditation. I worship that primeval Lord Govinda.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.55)

śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntāḥ parama-puruṣaḥ kalpataravo
drumā bhūmiś cintāmaṇi gaṇamayī toyam amṛtam
kathā gānaṁ nāṭyaṁ gamanam api vaṁśī priyasakhī
cid-ānandaṁ jyotiḥ param api tad āsvādyam api ca
sa yatra kṣīrābdhiḥ sravati surabhībhyaś ca sumahān
nimeṣārdhākhyo vā vrajati na hi yatrāpi samayaḥ
bhaje śvetadvīpaṁ tam aham iha golokam iti yaṁ
vidantas te santaḥ kṣitī-virala-cārāḥ katipaye

“That place where the divine Goddesses of Fortune are the beloved, and Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Male, is the only lover; there all the trees are divine wish-fulfilling trees, the soil is made of transcendental gems and the water is nectar; where every word is a song, every movement is dancing, the flute is the dearmost companion, sunlight and moonlight are divine ecstasy, and all that be is divine, and enjoyable; where a great ocean of milk eternally flows from the udders of billions of surabhī cows and the divine time is eternally present, never suffering the estrangement of past and future for even a split second – that supreme transcendental abode of Śvetadvīpa do I adore. Practically no one in this world knows that place but for only a few pure devotees – and they know it as Goloka.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.56)

athovāca mahāviṣṇur bhagavantaṁ prajāpatiṁ
brahman mahattva-vijṣane prajāsarge ca cen matiḥ
paṣca-ślokīm imāṁ vidyāṁ vatsa dattāṁ nibodha me

“Upon hearing these quintessential hymms of Brahmā, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa said unto him, “O Brahmā, if with knowledge of transcendental science you wish to create progeny, then, My dear one, hear the wisdom of these five ślokas from Me.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.57)

The names Kṛṣṇa and Govinda express the form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord, and when Brahmā earnestly chanted those names, the Lord was propitiated. The desire for creation was in Brahmā’s heart. Kṛṣṇa then explained to Brahmā how transcendental exclusive devotion can be accomplished by a soul engaged in worldly occupations by combining his worldly activity with the desire to follow the order of the Lord.

The transcendental science is knowledge of the Supreme Divinity. If with such knowledge you wish to create progeny, hear the teachings of bhakti that I shall impart to you in the next five ślokas. That is how to practice bhakti by executing worldly duties in the form of following the Lords order.

prabuddhe jṣāna-bhaktibhyām ātmany ānanda-cinmayī
udety anuttamā bhaktir bhagavat-prema-lakṣaṇā

“When transcendental experience awakens by means of knowledge and devotion, the highest devotion symptomized by love for the Supreme Lord, Śri Kṛṣṇa, the beloved of the soul, awakens in the devotee’s heart.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.58)

The meaning of actual knowledge or jṣāna is sambandha-jṣāna — perspective of the correlation of the transcendental, the material, and Kṛṣṇa. Here, psychic, mental or intellectual knowledge or impersonal Brahman liberation is not indicated because such knowledge is opposed to devotion. Sambandha-jṣāna or knowledge of the soul’s relativity in the absolute constitutes the teachings of the first seven of the ten fundamental divine principles known as daśa-mūla.

According to the scriptures that expound pure devotion, the principle of abhidheya or means to the end is the cultivation of divine service for Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental pleasure by the practices of hearing, chanting, remembering, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, worshipping, praying, servitude, friendship, and self-surrender. This is elaborately described in the holy book Śri Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.

By such knowledge and devotion, devotion in love divine is awakened and blooms in the heart of the devotee. This is the ultimate in devotion, and the objective of all spiritual endeavor for the jīva (prayojana).

pramāṇais tat sadācārais tad abhyāsair nirantaram
bodhayann ātmanātmānaṁ bhaktim apy uttamāṁ labhet

“Supreme devotion is attained by gradually increasing perception of one’s intrinsic self through constant self-cultivation following authority, virtuous practices, and practicing spiritual life.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.59)

Authority refers to the scriptures that teach us about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such as the Vedas, Purāṇas, Śrimad Bhagavad-gītā, etc. Virtuous practices refers to the practices of the true devotee saints, and the practices inspired by divine love in the hearts of the pure devotees who follow the path of love for the Lord. By practicing spiritual life it is meant that one should learn about the daśa-mūla or ten fundamental divine principles from the scriptures, and after receiving as directed therein the holy name of the Lord – embodying His name, form, qualities, and pastimes — one should go on with the constant practice of His divine service, taking the name regularly every day.

It must be clearly understood that in this practicing spiritual life, scriptural cultivation and saintly association (sādhu-saṅga) are necessary. When virtuous practices are combined with the service of the name, the ten offenses to the holy name can no longer endure. To faithfully follow the sādhus who hear and chant the glories of the name without any trace of offense is the true practicing of spiritual life. In the heart of one who faithfully continues his practicing spiritual live in this line, the objective, which is devotion in divine love, makes Her gracious appearance.

yasyāḥ śreyaskaraṁ nāsti yayā nirvṛtim āpnuyāt
yā sādhayati mām eva bhaktiṁ tām eva sādhayet

“Sādhana-bhakti or practicing devotional life is the means to the objective – prema-bhakti, devotion in love. Of all that is auspicious, there is absolutely nothing beyond prema-bhakti – She brings in her retinue of divine ecstatic joy, and she can give Me to My devotee.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.60)

There is no greater good for the jīva beyond prema-bhakti. It is the objective of all devotional practices, and the ultimate transcendental ecstasy of the soul. It is only by virtue of prema-bhakti that one can attain the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. One who cultivates his practicing devotional life with deep longing and earnestness for that objective will attain that treasure – others cannot.

dharmmān anyān parityajya mām ekaṁ bhaja viśvasan
yādṛśī yādṛśī śraddhā siddhir bhavati tādṛśī
kurvvan nirantaraṁ karmma loko ‘yam anuvarttate
tenaiva karmmaṇā dhyāyan māṁ parāṁ bhaktim icchati

“Abandon all other types of religion and serve Me with resolve. One will attain perfection according to the nature of his faith. Perpetually pursuing worldly occupations or karma, the people of this world remain in the world. Meditate upon Me through the execution of your particular work, and you will attain loving devotion, the supreme transcendental devotion.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.61)

The dharma – religion, nature, or function of the character of pure devotion, śuddha-bhakti – is the actual jaiva-dharma or eternal nature and original function of the soul. As many other religions may be found in the world, every one of them are superficial in comparison to the original function. The superficial dharmas are numerous, including the cultivation of jṣāna or knowledge of Brahman aiming at nirvāṅa (cessation of embodied existence); the eightfold and allied forms of yoga aiming at becoming one with the Supersoul; pious worldly works by the way of karma–kāṇḍa aiming at mundane pleasures; jṣāna-yoga as a relative combination of karma and jṣāna; and barren renunciation.

The Lord is saying that one should give up all these attempts and embrace the religion of bhakti – devotion, and serve and adore Him. Exclusive faith in Him is viśvāsa – resolve; that resolute faith gradually becomes more and more lucid, and from that develops niṣṭhā, ruci, āsakti, and bhāva – firmness, taste, depth in taste, and heartfelt sentiment of divine love. Perfection is attained in proportion to purity of one’s faith.

If the question is raised, “If in this way one is to be constantly engaged in pursuing perfection in devotion, how will he maintain his body, and how will the world go on? And when society and one’s body cease to function, how will a man pursue perfection in devotion when he is dead?” In order to slash such a doubt the Lord is saying that the karma or work that people of this plane perform to sustain the world should be executed as a meditation, and destroy the karmic or exploitative nature of those actions; and thus establish their devotional quality.

Man passes his life by engaging in three types of actions: bodily, mental, and social. The manifold bodily activities include eating, sitting, walking, reclining, sleeping, evacuating, dressing, etc.; the mental activities include thought, remembrance, concentration, realization, feeling happiness and unhappiness, etc.; and the social activities include marriage, the relationship of ruler and subject, brotherhood, assemblies for performing sacrifice, public welfare works, family maintenance, receiving guests, customary formalities, offering due respect to others, etc.

When these actions are performed for the sake of one’s own enjoyment, they are known as karma–kāṇḍa; when they are performed for an opportunity of attaining enlightenment, they are known as karma-yoga or jṣāna-yoga; and when they are executed as functions conducive to the practicing life of devotion, they are known as gauṇa-bhakti-yoga or the indirect application of devotion. But only action that is symptomized by pure worship is known as direct devotion.

Thus the Lord is saying that your every act will be meditation upon Him when you give due time to practicing direct devotion whilst otherwise rendering indirect devotion in accordance with the formalities demanded by the world. In this respect, despite acting in the world – performing karma – the jīva does not become averse to the service of the Lord by turning outward to mundane trappings.

This way of activity is the practice of turning inward. As it is stated in the Īśopaniṣad: īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvvaṁ yat kiṣ ca jagatyāṁ jagat, tena tyaktena bhuṣjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasyacid dhanam. Our revered commentator on Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā (Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī) has stated, tena īśa-tyaktena visṛṣṭena – it’s purport being that whatever one accepts, when accepted as prasāda, or grace of the Lord – and thus as one’s fortune – then actions lose their quality of karma and take on the quality of bhakti. Therefore, the Īśopaniṣad states, kurvan eveha karmāṇi jijīviśec chataṁ samāḥ, evaṁ tvayi nānyatheto ‘sti na karmma lipyate nare: if one acts in this way even if he lives for hundreds of years he cannot be daubed by karma.

The liberationist or jṣāna-oriented interpretation of these two mantras is that they mean renunciation of the fruits of one’s work, but from the standpoint of bhakti, the purport is that, by offering everything to the Lord, one gains His grace or prasāda. So worldly occupations are to be executed along with the meditation of remembering the worship of the Supreme Lord in arcanā-mārga or the path of due reverence for the Deity.

Now, Brahmā has a desire in his heart for creation. If that desire is fulfilled along with the meditation of following the order of the Lord, by virtue of that action carrying the symptom of surrender to the Lord, it will be an indirect religious function favourable to the nourishment of and within the purview of devotion. This is the reasonable way of the Lord’s instruction to Brahmā.

The jīva who has attained to bhāva or internal, heartfelt devotion, is naturally indifferent to all but Kṛṣṇa, and so such an instruction does not apply in his case.

ahaṁ hi viśvasya carācarasya
bījaṁ pradhānaṁ prakṛtiḥ pumāṁś ca
mayāhitaṁ teja idaṁ vibharṣi
vidhe vidhehi tvam atho jaganti

“Hear Me, O Vidhe! I am the seed – the primal principle of the world of moving and stationary beings; I am the elements, I am the predominated, I am the predominator. The fiery spirit of Brahman that abides in you has been conferred unto you by Me; now, adopting that prowess, create the world of stationary beings.” (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.62)

Some philosophers conclude that the undifferentiated element of brahman becomes transformed and takes on the appearance of having attributes in the form of this mundane world; or Māyā becomes divided and becomes the mundane world, and undivided it is brahman; or brahman is the object and the world is its reflection; or the entire world is the jīva’s illusion. Others think that by nature God is the one; the soul is the one, and although the universe or mundane world is the one principle, it is eternally distinct in an independent manner. Or that God is the absolute specific and the relative – both spirit and matter, are the specified – yet all are one truth. Others think that by dint of inconceivable potency the truth sometimes appears as one or sometimes dual. Yet others conclude that the doctrine of an impotent ‘one’ is meaningless, so brahman is replete with pure potency, and it is the eternally pure, one-without-a- second truth.

All these theories have their origin in the Vedas, with support in the Vedānta-sūtras. Although none of them can claim to expound the truth in every respect, each carry a certain degree of truth. They – not to mention the theories of Sāṅkhya, Pātaṣjala, Nyāya, and Vaiśeṣika that are all contradictory to the Vedic teachings, and theories such as Pūrva-mīmāṁsā, etc., that solely favor fruitive pursuits in conformity with a section of the Vedas – owe their existence to their superficial reliance upon the Vedānta.

Thus, the Lord says to Brahmā that you and your pure divine succession are to abandon all these theories and accept the supreme principle of acintya-bhedābheda – inconceivable simultaneous oneness and distinction. Then you will be able to become a true devotee.

The underlying gist of the Lord’s words is that the animate world is composed of jīvas and the inanimate world is composed of matter. Of these, His divine potency (parā-śakti) – by its marginal power – has manifest the jīvas and His secondary potency (aparā-śakti) has manifest the material world. He is the seed of everything. In a form non-different from each of those potencies of His, He controls them by the potency of His will. By various stages of transformation, those potencies have become pradhāna (the elements), prakṛti (the predominated), and puruṣa (the predominator). So although as the potency principle He is pradhāna, prakṛti, and puruṣa, as the potency principle He is eternally distinct from all those potencies. Such simultaneous oneness and distinction has come into being by virtue of His inconceivable potency.

Therefore the Lord says that by embracing the wisdom of the correlation of the inconceivably one and distinct entities of; the soul, the world, and Kṛṣṇa, let the attainment of divine love for Kṛṣṇa by the practice of pure devotion be the eternal divine teaching handed down in Brahmā’s divine succession.

Overview

Markaṭa Vairāgī (‘Monkey Renunciates’) was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol.8, Issue 10 in 1897. In this article, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura discusses Mahāprabhu’s instructions to Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī as well as the two types of fake renunciates found in both the gṛhastha āśrama and the sannyāsa āśrama.

When Śrī Śrī Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa and came to Śāntipura, then Raghunātha Dāsa, the son of Govardhana Majumdar, came and fell at the Lord’s feet. After staying close to the Lord’s feet for five to seven days, he returned home as per the Lord’s instruction. Being most distressed, he desired to go to Nīlācala, but his mother and father did not let him go. Again, when the Lord came to Śāntipura, he took permission from his mother and father and came to the feet of the Lord, praying to be free from his household bonds. Then the Lord taught him this:

sthira haṣā ghare yāo, nā hao vātula
krame krame pāya loka bhava-sindhu-kūla

markaṭa-vairāgya nā kara loka dekhāṣā
yathā-yogya viṣaya bhuṣja anāsakta haṣā

antare niṣṭhā kara, bāhye loka-vyavahāra
acirāt kṛṣṇa tomāya karibe uddhāra

“Be patient and return home. Do not be a madman. Gradually you will be able to cross the ocean of material existence. Do not show off to the public by becoming a monkey-like renunciate. For now, enjoy things in a proper way, but do not become attached to them. Develop determination internally, but externally behave like an ordinary man. Very soon Kṛṣṇa will liberate you.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya–līlā 16.235-237)

Again, in the sixth chapter of the Caritāmṛta it is written:

prabhura śikṣāte teṅho nija-ghare yāya
markaṭa-vairāgya chāḍi hailā viṣayi-prāya
bhitare vairāgya bāhire kare sarva-karma
dekhiyā ta’ mātā-pitāra ānandita mana

“According to the Lord’s instruction, Raghunātha Dāsa returned home, and giving up his markaṭa-vairāgya, he became almost a materialist. Internally he was renounced and externally he performed all activities. Seeing this, the minds of his mother and father were happy.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 6.15)

In relation to Choṭa Haridāsa, it is written in the Second Chapter of Śrī Caritāmṛta:

prabhu kahe vairāgī kare prakṛti sambhāṣaṇa
dekhite nā pāroṅ āmi tāhāra vadana
durvāra indriya kare viṣaya-grahaṇa
dāravī prakṛti hare munerapi mana

“The Lord said – I cannot look at the face of a renunciate who converses with women. The senses are so strong that they desire to accept the objects of the senses. Even the mind of a muni is attracted to the wooden form of a woman.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 2.117-118)

kṣudra-jīva saba markaṭa-vairāgya kariyā
indriya carāṣā bule prakṛti sambhāṣiyā

“There are insignificant jīvas who engage in markaṭa-vairāgya. They wander around chatting with women.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 2.120)

prabhu kahe mora vaśa nahe mora mana
prakṛti-sambhāṣī vairāgī nā kare darśana

“The Lord said – My mind is not under My control! It refuses to see a renunciate who speaks with women.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 2.124)

In all these verses, the phrase ‘markaṭa-vairāgī’ is used. It is the duty of all to inquire what is the true meaning of the phrase markaṭa–vairāgī. Being a markaṭa–vairāgī is a particular offence, there is no doubt about this. It is easy to understand how offensive they are since the Lord refuses to see or touch them. The merciful Lord has descended in Kali-yuga to deliver the fallen, so all conscientious persons can understand how base and depraved such a person is if He is denying them. Thus, those who believe in Vaiṣṇava dharma should be very careful to avoid the company of markaṭa–vairāgīs and be cautious of becoming markaṭa–vairāgīs themselves.

It is not only those who leave their homes and take up sannyāsa that become markaṭa–vairāgīs. There are many amongst householders also. Therefore there are two types of markaṭa–vairāgīs i.e. the householder markaṭa–vairāgī and the non-householder markaṭa–vairāgī. When Dāsa Gosvāmī was a householder, then Mahāprabhu gave advice about the householder markaṭa–vairāgī. When giving instructions about Choṭa Haridāsa, He indicated the markaṭa–vairāgīs in the bhikṣu–āśrama (renounced order). We should now observe – what are the characteristics of the markaṭa–vairāgī amongst the householders and what are the characteristics of the markaṭa–vairāgī amongst those who have renounced their home?

First let us talk about the householder markaṭa-vairāgī. It is found within the words of Śrī Mahāprabhu that among the householders, those who are anxious to leave home unnecessarily are atyācārīs (negligent of their duties). Until the time and qualification are proper, no householder can go and join the bhikṣu-āśrama. All those householders who feign a display of possessing a mood of renunciation are wicked.

To enjoy household affairs without attachment is the dharma of a householder-Vaiṣṇava, Just as there is a decline in one’s Vaiṣṇava qualities when one is attached to sense-enjoyment, there is also a similar decline when one engages in bhoga-tyāga – abandoning one’s home or remaining at home for no reason. It is necessary for a householder to experience detachment to the objects of the senses in order to possess the qualification to leave home.

External renunciation is extremely contaminating for a householder. Externally enjoying material things accordingly and cultivating internal dispassion is the dharma of a householder. When firm renunciation is in full force, then that is the time and qualification to leave home. All those householders who carry the burden of wearing kaupīna and having dreadlocks are called markaṭa-vairāgīs. He who is married with a wife is a householder. Sannyāsa is the name given to renouncing one’s wife after vowing to observe dharma and virtue. When renunciation has not completely filled the heart, one has no eligibility to follow it. When there is such a strong attachment to kṛṣṇa-kathā that there is no taste or chance to enjoy other material objects, then the qualification for renunciation is born. It is from attachment to Kṛṣṇa that a natural distaste for other things arises. Inner renunciation cannot come from anything else. The distrust in material things that arises through the practice of viveka (discrimination) and other such causes is not permanent. But dispassion born from bhakti remains in the heart. According to the Dharma Śāstra, those who are legally married are without sin. Inter-caste marriages are not according to śāstra and one does not achieve the dharma of a householder from that. Fallen yogīs or those connected with them cannot be called householders. Gṛhastha–dharma is based upon varṇāśrama. Intercourse amongst antyajas (outcastes) is merely a careless use of the senses to a certain extent. If householders desire to become Vaiṣṇavas, they should be especially careful to give up markaṭa–vairāgya.

Therefore the instructions to Śrī Dāsa Gosvāmī by Śrī Mahāprabhu are of a character to give advice to people about the good character of a householder Vaiṣṇava. Due to the teachings of the Lord, he went home, gave up the previous characteristics of markaṭa-vairāgya and made efforts to enjoy material things. The meaning of this is that despite outwardly accepting all material activities, he began to nurture dispassion inwardly. The meaning of the phrase viṣayi-prāya (almost a sense-enjoyer) is that although he accepted material things such as clothes, activities, behaviour etc., within his heart, he did not enjoy them.

The Lord referred to Dāsa Gosvāmī’s father as vaiṣṇava-prāya (almost a Vaiṣṇava). This means that despite his accepting vaiṣṇava-dīkṣā, possessing the external characteristics of a Vaiṣṇava, worshipping the Devas, following vratas, going on pilgrimage, and showing hospitality to guests, in his heart he was a sense-enjoyer. It is preferable to be a sense-enjoyer than a vaiṣṇava–prāya. If a person who is a vaisnava–prāya does not try to elevate his wife in the association of sādhus, he can also be classified as a markaṭa-vairāgī. Wearing the garb of a sannyāsī, introducing oneself as a renunciate, endeavouring to perform excessive detachment, or identifying with the external signs of a Vaiṣṇava – all this is markaṭa–vairāgya for a householder. All these are against the instructions of Mahāprabhu and is opposed to proper conduct. Those who engage in arthavāda (speculative interpretations) to support all sorts of sense-gratification are also in that category.

Now let us deliberate upon how many forms of markaṭa–vairāgya there are amongst those persons who have renounced their homes. A householder who abandons his household dharma before natural renunciation has fully manifest due to the emergence of bhakti, is likely to develop markaṭa-vairāgya. The enjoying tendency has not left him. The influence of temporary renunciation will subside. The instinct to converse and associate with women gradually becomes stronger and great depravity ensues. No matter how much bhakti is there, there will be a delay in the removal of that desire.

Choṭa Haridāsa left his body and attained Gandharvaloka. That is the nature of bhakti. In whichever heart she arises, she destroys any anartha at the root which is residing there. After experiencing all the pleasures of puṇya, renunciation eventually manifests. In that position, devotees who maintain some material desires experience the pleasures of that world. All pāpa within their hearts is eventually burned. In this way, Choṭa Haridāsa who had a desire to associate with women, attained a planet where he could fulfill his desire and Bhakti Devī would gradually award him with renunciation.

Despite what the Lord said about Haridāsa, for the community of Vaiṣṇavas who have renounced their homes, he is a markaṭa-vairāgī. The Lord says that a person who has accepted sannyāsa which has been witnessed by the people and by dharma, can no longer associate with women. Even if he intends to perform some proper or righteous action, it is not appropriate for him to speak to a woman. If a renunciate keeps a maid in his ākhaḍā (monastery) or kuṣja on the pretext of her washing the plates of the Deity, according to the Lord, he is also a markaṭa–vairāgī.

The Lord said, “I cannot see the face of a renunciate who violates his own position and dharma by conversing with a woman. In other words, I cannot keep him in My pure Vaiṣṇava sampradāya. Although a renunciate may be strict, there is still a possibility that he will become degraded by conversing with women. All the senses are naturally weak and they are always greedy for their own objects. Therefore a renunciate will always take special care to stay away from gazing at women. Look, even the mind of a muni becomes restless if he sees the form of a woman made of wood.”

At this point, it can also be concluded that if a renunciate watches a woman in a theatre and observes her gestures, he undoubtedly behaves like a markaṭa-vairāgī. Any renunciate who indulges in listening to dramas or goes to the theatre is at fault. He is an insignificant jīva, i.e. one who has weakness of heart (hṛdaya-daurbalyā) yet he carries the marks of a renunciate. In other words, by conversing with women he is allowing his senses to wander. The markaṭa-vairāgīs who visit women in the name of begging or mādhukarī, all the renunciates who talk with women under the pretext of collecting alms can never remain or take a position in the sampradāya of Mahāprabhu. When the other Vaiṣṇavas petitioned on behalf of Haridāsa, the Lord said, “I cannot in any way keep a renunciate who associates with women near Me because I do not want to even touch him. So why are you requesting Me? My mind is not My own. I do not wish to see a markaṭa-vairāgī nor do I wish to touch his body!”

Alas! Where do these words of chastisement from the pure character of Lord Gauracandra now remain! Due to the influence of Kali, there is a prevalence of Vaiṣṇavas that are both markaṭa–gṛhasthas and vairāgīs who are a blight on this pure sampradāya. How many householder Vaiṣṇavas are attempting to save themselves from their own wrongdoings by assuming the false signs of renunciation. If true renunciation exists in them, then they may leave their home forever, wear a kaupīna and remain with their guru. Moreover, they should not converse with women. If the tendency to associate with women remains anywhere in the heart, then they should not accept the garb of a renunciate. Always elevate the ātmā through sādhana and always feel the bliss of kṛṣna-nāma, and markaṭa-vairāgya will be removed. There is no necessity to busy oneself in accepting renunciation prematurely.

Both householders and renunciates are eligible for kṛṣṇa-bhakti. What are the benefits derived from an āśrama? Let us consider. It cannot be said that all persons are qualified to be in an āśrama. Most people are eligible for the gṛhastha-āśrama. Less people are qualified for the vairāgya, vānaprastha and brahmacārī āśramas. What is at the basis to attain qualification for those āśramas? Is it age or nature? Age alone cannot be said to be the basis. Many old men are crawling within their minds. They are indeed old. There are no teeth, all their hairs have gone grey, but using hair dye and adding silver teeth, they remain busy in enjoyment just like a young boy. When all those old people do not have detachment, then age cannot be said to be the main cause of renunciation. As long as enjoyment or the desire for material things stays in the heart, then the natural disposition of a gṛhastha will remain strong. However, when bhāva for Bhagavān arises in the heart, there will be a natural feeling of disgust towards sense-objects – that nature is at the root of the vairāgya-āśrama.

Whether a man possesses the nature of a householder or he achieves the nature of renunciation, bhakti is his wealth. That wealth of bhakti is wisdom, or whatever activity or conduct is favourable to bhakti. Bhakti is the cultivation of serving Kṛṣṇa favourably. Therefore, for one whose household dharma is conducive for the cultivation of serving Kṛṣṇa, household dharma is better. And for one whom the vairāgya-āśrama is favourable for the cultivation of serving Kṛṣṇa, for him renunciation is better. Anarthas increase and bhakti decreases due to a neglect of proper qualification. Thus, if one is able to give up markaṭa-vairāgya, the excellence of bhakti arises for both the householder and the renunciate.

The anarthas of the jīva are of four kinds:

1) svarūpa-bhrama (misconceptions concerning one’s intrinsic nature)

2) asat-tṛṣṇa (the thirst for material things)

3) aparādha (offences)

4) hṛdaya-daurbalyā (weakness of heart)

By engaging in bhajana, if these four kinds of anarthas are removed, then one’s bhajana becomes stable. Markaṭa-vairāgya is primarily hṛdaya-daurbalyā. If this is removed then potency arises in one’s bhajana. The staunch enemies of the jīva such as hypocrisy, wickedness, the desire for prestige etc. are defeated and pure bhakti manifests and the jīva achieves success.