Nectar of Instruction — 1
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.1.9–10) Parīkṣit Mahārāja placed a number of intelligent questions before Śukadeva Gosvāmī. One of these questions was: “Why do people undergo atonement if they cannot control their senses?” For instance, a thief may know perfectly well that he may be arrested for his stealing, and he may actually even see a thief arrested by the police, yet he continues to steal. Experience is gathered by hearing and seeing. One who is less intelligent gathers experience by seeing, and one who is more intelligent gathers experience by hearing. When an intelligent person hears from the lawbooks and śāstras, or scriptures, that stealing is not good and hears that a thief is punished when arrested, he refrains from theft. A less intelligent person may first have to be arrested and punished for stealing to learn to stop stealing. However, a rascal, a foolish man, may have the experience of both hearing and seeing and may even be punished, but still he continues to steal. Even if such a person atones and is punished by the government, he will again commit theft as soon as he comes out of jail. If punishment in jail is considered atonement, what is the benefit of such atonement? Thus Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired: dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyāṁ yat pāpaṁ jānann apy ātmano ’hitam karoti bhūyo vivaśaḥ prāyaścittam atho katham kvacin nivartate ’bhadrāt kvacic carati tat punaḥ prāyaścittam atho ’pārthaṁ manye kuñjara-śaucavat He compared atonement to an elephant’s bathing. The elephant may take a very nice bath in the river, but as soon as it comes onto the bank, it throws dirt all over its body. What, then, is the value of its bathing? Similarly, many spiritual practitioners chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and at the same time commit many forbidden things, thinking that their chanting will counteract their offenses. Of the ten types of offenses one can commit while chanting the holy name of the Lord, this offense is called nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ, committing sinful activities on the strength of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra . Similarly, certain Christians go to church to confess their sins, thinking that confessing their sins before a priest and performing some penance will relieve them from the results of their weekly sins. As soon as Saturday is over and Sunday comes, they again begin their sinful activities, expecting to be forgiven the next Saturday. This kind of prāyaścitta, or atonement, is condemned by Parīkṣit Mahārāja, the most intelligent king of his time. Śukadeva Gosvāmī, equally intelligent, as befitting the spiritual master of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, answered the King and confirmed that his statement concerning atonement was correct. A sinful activity cannot be counteracted by a pious activity. Thus real prāyaścitta, atonement, is the awakening of our dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Real atonement involves coming to real knowledge, and for this there is a standard process. When one follows a regulated hygienic process, he does not fall sick. A human being is meant to be trained according to certain principles to revive his original knowledge. Such a methodical life is described as tapasya . One can be gradually elevated to the standard of real knowledge, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by practicing austerity and celibacy ( brahmacarya ), by controlling the mind, by controlling the senses, by giving up one’s possessions in charity, by being avowedly truthful, by keeping clean and by practicing yoga-āsanas . However, if one is fortunate enough to get the association of a pure devotee, he can easily surpass all the practices for controlling the mind by the mystic yoga process simply by following the regulative principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness – refraining from illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling – and by engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master. This easy process is being recommended by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. First one must control his speaking power. Every one of us has the power of speech; as soon as we get an opportunity we begin to speak. If we do not speak about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we speak about all sorts of nonsense. A toad in a field speaks by croaking, and similarly everyone who has a tongue wants to speak, even if all he has to say is nonsense. The croaking of the toad, however, simply invites the snake: “Please come here and eat me.” Nevertheless, although it is inviting death, the toad goes on croaking. The talking of materialistic men and impersonalist Māyāvādī philosophers may be compared to the croaking of frogs. They are always speaking nonsense and thus inviting death to catch them. Controlling speech, however, does not mean self-imposed silence (the external process of mauna ), as Māyāvādī philosophers think. Silence may appear helpful for some time, but ultimately it proves a failure. The meaning of controlled speech conveyed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī advocates the positive process of kṛṣṇa-kathā , engaging the speaking process in glorifying the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The tongue can thus glorify the name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord. The preacher of kṛṣṇa-kathā is always beyond the clutches of death. This is the significance of controlling the urge to speak. The restlessness or fickleness of the mind ( mano-vega ) is controlled when one can fix his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Madhya 22.31) says: kṛṣṇa – sūrya-sama; māyā haya andhakāra yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa, tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra Kṛṣṇa is just like the sun, and māyā is just like darkness. If the sun is present, there is no question of darkness. Similarly, if Kṛṣṇa is present in the mind, there is no possibility of the mind’s being agitated by māyā’s influence. The yogic process of negating all material thoughts will not help. To try to create a vacuum in the mind is artificial. The vacuum will not remain. However, if one always thinks of Kṛṣṇa and how to serve Kṛṣṇa best, one’s mind will naturally be controlled. Similarly, anger can be controlled. We cannot stop anger altogether, but if we simply become angry with those who blaspheme the Lord or the devotees of the Lord, we control our anger in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu became angry with the miscreant brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi, who blasphemed and struck Nityānanda Prabhu. In His Śikṣāṣṭaka Lord Caitanya wrote, tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā: “One should be humbler than the grass and more tolerant than the tree.” One may then ask why the Lord exhibited His anger. The point is that one should be ready to tolerate all insults to one’s own self, but when Kṛṣṇa or His pure devotee is blasphemed, a genuine devotee becomes angry and acts like fire against the offenders. Krodha, anger, cannot be stopped, but it can be applied rightly. It was in anger that Hanumān set fire to Laṅkā, but he is worshiped as the greatest devotee of Lord Rāmacandra. This means that he utilized his anger in the right way. Arjuna serves as another example. He was not willing to fight, but Kṛṣṇa incited his anger: “You must fight!” To fight without anger is not possible. Anger is controlled, however, when utilized in the service of the Lord. As for the urges of the tongue, we all experience that the tongue wants to eat palatable dishes. Generally we should not allow the tongue to eat according to its choice, but should control the tongue by supplying prasāda . The devotee’s attitude is that he will eat only when Kṛṣṇa gives him prasāda . That is the way to control the urge of the tongue. One should take prasāda at scheduled times and should not eat in restaurants or sweetmeat shops simply to satisfy the whims of the tongue or belly. If we stick to the principle of taking only prasāda, the urges of the belly and tongue can be controlled. In a similar manner, the urges of the genitals, the sex impulse, can be controlled when not used unnecessarily. The genitals should be used to beget a Kṛṣṇa conscious child, otherwise they should not be used. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement encourages marriage not for the satisfaction of the genitals but for the begetting of Kṛṣṇa conscious children. As soon as the children are a little grown up, they are sent to our gurukula school, where they are trained to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees. Many such Kṛṣṇa conscious children are required, and one who is capable of bringing forth Kṛṣṇa conscious offspring is allowed to utilize his genitals. When one is fully practiced in the methods of Kṛṣṇa conscious control, he can become qualified to be a bona fide spiritual master. In his Anuvṛtti explanation of Upadeśāmṛta, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes that our material identification creates three kinds of urges – the urge to speak, the urge or demands of the mind and the demands of the body. When a living entity falls victim to these three types of urges, his life becomes inauspicious. One who practices resisting these demands or urges is called tapasvī, or one who practices austerities. By such tapasya one can overcome victimization by the material energy, the external potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When we refer to the urge to speak, we refer to useless talking, such as that of the impersonal Māyāvādī philosophers, or of persons engaged in fruitive activities (technically called karma-kāṇḍa ), or of materialistic people who simply want to enjoy life without restriction. All such talks or literatures are practical exhibitions of the urge to speak. Many people are talking nonsensically and writing volumes of useless books, and all this is the result of the urge to speak. To counteract this tendency, we have to divert our talking to the subject of Kṛṣṇa. This is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.10–11): na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśik-kṣayāḥ “Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there.” tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api nāmāny anantasya yaśo ’ṅkitāni yat śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ “On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.” The conclusion is that only when we talk about devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead can we refrain from useless nonsensical talk. We should always endeavor to use our speaking power solely for the purpose of realizing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As for the agitations of the flickering mind, they are divided into two divisions. The first is called avirodha-prīti, or unrestricted attachment, and the other is called virodha-yukta-krodha, anger arising from frustration. Adherence to the philosophy of the Māyāvādīs, belief in the fruitive results of the karma-vādīs, and belief in plans based on materialistic desires are called avirodha-prīti . Jñānīs, karmīs and materialistic plan-makers generally attract the attention of conditioned souls, but when the materialists cannot fulfill their plans and when their devices are frustrated, they become angry. Frustration of material desires produces anger. Similarly, the demands of the body can be divided into three categories – the demands of the tongue, the belly and the genitals. One may observe that these three senses are physically situated in a straight line, as far as the body is concerned, and that the bodily demands begin with the tongue. If one can restrain the demands of the tongue by limiting its activities to the eating of prasāda, the urges of the belly and the genitals can automatically be controlled. In this connection Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says: śarīra avidyā jāla, jaḍendriya tāhe kāla, jīve phele viṣaya-sāgare tā’ra madhye jihvā ati, lobhamāyā sudurmati, tā’ke jetā kaṭhina saṁsāre kṛṣṇa baḍa dayāmaya, karibāre jihvā jaya, sva-prasāda-anna dila bhāi sei annāmṛta khāo, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa gāo, preme ḍāka caitanya-nitāi “O Lord! This material body is a lump of ignorance, and the senses are a network of paths leading to death. Somehow or other we have fallen into the ocean of material sense enjoyment, and of all the senses the tongue is the most voracious and uncontrollable. It is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world, but You, dear Kṛṣṇa, are very kind to us. You have sent this nice prasāda to help us conquer the tongue; therefore let us take this prasāda to our full satisfaction and glorify Your Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and in love call for the help of Lord Caitanya and Prabhu Nityānanda.” There are six kinds of rasas (tastes), and if one is agitated by any one of them, he becomes controlled by the urges of the tongue. Some persons are attracted to the eating of meat, fish, crabs, eggs and other things produced by semen and blood and eaten in the form of dead bodies. Others are attracted by eating vegetables, creepers, spinach or milk products, but all for the satisfaction of the tongue’s demands. Such eating for sense gratification – including the use of extra quantities of spices like chili and tamarind – is to be given up by Kṛṣṇa conscious persons. The use of pan, haritakī, betel nuts, various spices used in pan-making, tobacco, LSD, marijuana, opium, liquor, coffee and tea is indulged in to fulfill illicit demands. If we can practice accepting only remnants of food offered to Kṛṣṇa, it is possible to get free from māyā’s victimization. Vegetables, grains, fruits, milk products and water are proper foods to offer to the Lord, as Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself prescribes. However, if one accepts prasāda only because of its palatable taste and thus eats too much, he also falls prey to trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us to avoid very palatable dishes even while eating prasāda . If we offer palatable dishes to the Deity with the intention of eating such nice food, we are involved in trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. If we accept the invitation of a rich man with the idea of receiving palatable food, we are also trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. In Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Antya 6.227) it is stated: jihvāra lālase yei iti-uti dhāya śiśnodara-parāyaṇa kṛṣṇa nāhi pāya “That person who runs here and there seeking to gratify his palate and who is always attached to the desires of his stomach and genitals is unable to attain Kṛṣṇa.” As stated before, the tongue, belly and genitals are all situated in a straight line, and they fall in the same category. Lord Caitanya has said, bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe: “Do not dress luxuriously and do not eat delicious foodstuffs.” (Cc., Antya 6.236) Those who suffer from diseases of the stomach must be unable to control the urges of the belly, at least according to this analysis. When we desire to eat more than necessary we automatically create many inconveniences in life. However, if we observe fasting days like Ekādaśī and Janmāṣṭamī, we can restrain the demands of the belly. As far as the urges of the genitals are concerned, there are two – proper and improper, or legal and illicit sex. When a man is properly mature, he can marry according to the rules and regulations of the śāstras and use his genitals for begetting nice children. That is legal and religious. Otherwise, he may adopt many artificial means to satisfy the demands of the genitals, and he may not use any restraint. When one indulges in illicit sex life, as defined by the śāstras, either by thinking, planning, talking about or actually having sexual intercourse, or by satisfying the genitals by artificial means, he is caught in the clutches of māyā . These instructions apply not only to householders but also to tyāgīs, or those who are in the renounced order of life. In his book Prema-vivarta, chapter seven, Śrī Jagadānanda Paṇḍita says: vairāgī bhāi grāmya-kathā nā śunibe kāne grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe yabe milibe āne svapane o nā kara bhāi strī-sambhāṣaṇa gṛhe strī chāḍiyā bhāi āsiyācha vana yadi cāha praṇaya rākhite gaurāṅgera sane choṭa haridāsera kathā thāke yena mane bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe hṛdayete rādhā-kṛṣṇa sarvadā sevibe “My dear brother, you are in the renounced order of life and should not listen to talk about ordinary worldly things, nor should you talk about worldly things when you meet with others. Do not think of women even in dreams. You have accepted the renounced order of life with a vow that forbids you to associate with women. If you wish to associate with Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you must always remember the incident of Choṭa Haridāsa and how he was rejected by the Lord. Do not eat luxurious dishes or dress in fine garments, but always remain humble and serve Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in your heart of hearts.” The conclusion is that one who can control these six items – speech, mind, anger, tongue, belly and genitals – is to be called a svāmī or gosvāmī . Svāmī means master, and gosvāmī means master of the go, or senses. When one accepts the renounced order of life, he automatically assumes the title of svāmī . This does not mean that he is the master of his family, community or society; he must be master of his senses. Unless one is master of his senses, he should not be called gosvāmī but go-dāsa, servant of the senses. Following in the footsteps of the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, all svāmīs and gosvāmīs should fully engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As opposed to this, the go-dāsas engage in the service of the senses or in the service of the material world. They have no other engagement. Prahlāda Mahārāja has further described the go-dāsa as adānta-go, which refers to one whose senses are not controlled. An adānta-go cannot become a servant of Kṛṣṇa. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.30) , Prahlāda Mahārāja has said: matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho ’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām “For those who have decided to continue their existence in this material world for the gratification of their senses, there is no chance of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, not by personal endeavor, by instruction from others or by joint conferences. They are dragged by the unbridled senses into the darkest region of ignorance, and thus they madly engage in what is called ‘chewing the chewed.’”
Let there be all victory for Śrī Rādhā-ramaṇa. I offer prayers unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is accompanied by the unfet tered ascetic (avadhūta) Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, the identical manifestation of Śrī Baladeva, by Śrī Advaita Ācārya, the incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu, by His potencies such as Śrī Gadādhara and by His associates like Śrīvāsa. I take shelter of that Mahāprabhu, who is the fountainhead of all potencies of the world. I offer prayers with great respect and affection unto Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, whose entire wealth is śṛṅgāra-rasa. This means that the sole purpose of his life is to describe śṛṅgāra-rasa, also known as unnatojjvala-prema-rasa, the highest and most radiant divine love of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. He is always immersed in the service of the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā- Govinda. He has purified all the living entities of this world by giving instructions on the methodology by which this type of prema may be obtained. I offer praṇāma unto Śrī Gopāla-bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who is very merciful to the destitute and wretched living entities, who are enamoured with the external energy. I offer praṇāma once more unto the ocean of mercy Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the incarnation who sanctifies this Kali-yuga, who distributes śrī- harināma and love of God (bhagavat-prema) and who delivers the souls (jīvas) of this Earth. I offer prayers unto Śrī Gopīnātha dāsa,
a disciple of Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and servant of Śrī Rādhā-ramaṇa, who has benedicted innumerable living entities by bestowing śrī gaura-bhakti. I offer praṇāma unto my gurudeva, Śrī Jīvana-lāla, of whom I am the grandson and servant. Offering praṇāma unto all of them, I am beginning this brief explanation of the verses of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta, written by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī for the benefit of the sādhakas. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī has defined uttama-bhakti as the cultivation of activities for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, performed with a favourable mood, which is devoid of all other desires and which is not covered by knowledge aiming at the oneness of the jīvas with the Lord (jñāna) or by activity not meant exclusively for the Lord’s pleasure (karma). How can such uttama-bhakti manifest in persons whose hearts are filled with shortcomings such as lust and anger? In the Padma Purāṇa it is said:
śokāmarṣādibhir bhāvair ākrāntaṁ yasya mānasam kathaṁ tatra mukundasya sphūrti-sambhāvanā bhavet
How can Śrī Mukunda ever be manifest to a person whose heart is invaded by lamentation, anger and other agitations?
The purport of this statement is that when contaminations such as lust, anger and greed arise within the mind, the six overwhelming passions mentioned in the original verse cause the mind to become thoroughly engrossed in fleeting objects of sensual gratification. The cultivation of unalloyed bhakti is never possible in such a contaminated heart. Therefore, the instruction is given here to subdue these passions, which impede the development of bhakti. The sādhaka who can tolerate these passions can instruct the entire world. The conclusion is that a sādhaka who has conquered his senses and subdued these passions can purify all the jīvas of the world by his resolute and pure uttama-bhakti. Everyone may become the disciple of such a great personality.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.14.24) it is said:
vāg gadgadā dravate yasya cittaṁ rudaty abhīkṣṇaṁ hasati kvacic ca vilajja udgāyati nṛtyate ca mad-bhakti-yukto bhuvanaṁ punāti
My dear Uddhava, My devotee whose voice becomes choked up with prema, whose heart softens and begins to flow with spiritual emotion, who cannot cease from crying even for an instant, who sometimes bursts into laughter, sometimes begins to sing very loudly, abandoning all shyness, and sometimes dances, purifies not only himself but the entire world.
It is essential to note here that by subduing the six passions described already, what is obtained is merely the qualification to enter the realm of bhakti. These are not direct limbs of devotional practice (sādhana-bhakti) but, rather, the doorway through which one may enter the realm of bhakti. Because bhakti is the self-manifest function of the Lord’s internal potency (svarūpa-śakti), when it makes its appearance these six passions automatically become pacified.
śrī godruma-candrāya namaḥ
Obeisance unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the moon of Śrī Godruma.
yat kṛpā-sāgarodbhūtam upadeśāmṛtaṁ bhuvi śrī-rūpena samānītaṁ gauracandraṁ bhajāmi tam
I worship Śrī Gauracandra, the ocean of mercy from which arose a stream of nectar collected by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and brought forth in this world as Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
natvā grantha-praṇetāraṁ ṭīkā-kāraṁ praṇamya ca mayā viracyate vṛttiḥ pīyūṣa-pariveśanī
Bowing down with great humility, I offer praṇāma unto the author of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, and unto the commentator, Śrī Rādhā-ramaṇa dāsa Gosvāmī. Thus I begin this commentary, which is an offering of nectar.
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11)
The cultivation of activities that are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or in other words the uninterrupted flow of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, performed through all endeavours of the body, mind and speech, and through the expression of various spiritual sentiments (bhāvas), which is not covered by knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation (jñāna) or by reward- seeking activity (karma), and which is devoid of all desires other than the aspiration to bring happiness to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is called uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service.
Adopting all those things mentioned in the above verse as favourable and renouncing all that is unfavourable, one adopts the cultivation of activities meant exclusively for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is this cultivation, or bhagavad-anuśīlana, which is the primary objective of persons intent on bhajana. The acceptance of that which is favourable and the rejection of that which is unfavourable are not direct limbs (aṅgas) of śuddha-bhakti. Rather, they are aspects of that faith which is characterized by surrender (śaraṇāgati), which in turn bestows qualification for bhakti. This is expressed as follows in the Vaiṣṇava-tantra (quoted in Bhakti- sandarbha, Anuccheda 236):
ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso goptṛtve varaṇaṁ tathā ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ
There are six symptoms of self-surrender: (1) Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpa – fully surrendered sādhakas should accept only those things that are favourable for prema-bhakti. (2) Prātikūlya- vivarjana – they should completely reject those things that are unfavourable for prema-bhakti. (3) Rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāsa – they have firm faith that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is their only protector, that there is no protector other than Kṛṣṇa, and that one cannot obtain protection by any other activity. (4) Goptṛtve varaṇa – surrendered devotees have absolutely no doubt that Kṛṣṇa is their only guardian and maintainer. (5) Ātma-nikṣepa – offering the self to the Lord is expressed in this attitude: “I am incapable of doing anything independently. Unless Kṛṣṇa desires, no one can do anything.” Devotees who have no other resort (ātma-nikṣepa) have this kind of faith. (6) Kārpaṇya – humility is expressed as follows: “I am very fallen and insignificant.” Unalloyed devotees are possessed of this very firm and simple faith. To possess all these attitudes is called śaraṇāgati.
In this verse the instruction is given to abandon that which is unfavourable. One who is able to tolerate the overwhelming passions of speech, mind, anger, tongue, belly and genitals can instruct the entire world. In the Padma Purāṇa it is said:
śokāmarṣādibhir bhāvair ākrāntaṁ yasya mānasam kathaṁ tatra mukundasya sphūrti-sambhāvanā bhavet
How can Śrī Mukunda ever be manifest to a person whose heart is invaded by lamentation, anger and other agitations?
The purport of this verse is that lust, anger, greed, illusion, intoxication, envy and other irritations always arise within the mind
and thus attract the mind toward material sense objects. This is effected through six agencies: (1) by the urge to speak or the use of words that create distress for others; (2) by the agitation of the mind or the innumerable desires and plans fabricated within the mind; (3) by anger or the use of harsh words; (4) by the vehemence of the tongue or the greed to relish six kinds of taste, namely sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, salty and astringent; (5) by the urge of the belly or the drive to eat more than necessary; and (6) by the agitation of the genitals or the desire for the cohabitation of men and women. Thus agitated, the cultivation of śuddha-bhakti is not possible. In order to make the heart of those who are pursuing the path of bhajana intent on bhakti, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī has composed this verse first. The attempt to restrain these six urges does not constitute bhakti-sādhana, rather it is a staircase to ascend to the platform of eligibility through which one may enter the temple of bhakti. On the paths of fruitive activity (karma) and the cultivation of knowledge (jñāna), one is instructed to curb these six urges. These instructions, however, are not applicable for pure devotees. In the scriptures, hearing, chanting and remembrance of the names, form, qualities and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are described as actual bhakti. These six urges present various types of obstacles in the immature stage for the practitioner entering the path of bhakti. At that time the devotee, by taking shelter of the mood of exclusive śaraṇāgati and by avoiding the ten kinds of offences to the holy name (nāma-aparādha), becomes fit to dispel these obstacles through the power of harināma- kīrtana and so on. The association of spotless saints (sādhus) plays a very significant role in this matter. The Padma Purāṇa says:
śrutvāpi nāma-māhātmyaṁ yaḥ prīti-rahito ’dhamaḥ ahaṁ mamādi paramo nāmni so ’py aparādha-kṛt
Those who, in spite of hearing the astonishing glories of the holy name, maintain the conception that “I am this material body” and that “worldly objects are ‘mine’ ” and who display no persistence in or love for the utterance of the holy name are also offenders to the holy name.
The devotees are intent on practical renunciation (yukta- vairāgya) and thus they remain aloof from dry renunciation. Therefore, the regulation to abandon all contact with the sense objects does not pertain to them. When the agitation of the mind is withdrawn or, in other words, when one is devoid of thirst for material enjoyment, the impetuosity of the eyes, the life air, the hearing propensity and all other drives become pacified. Therefore, persons who have gained victory over these six overwhelming passions can conquer the entire world. The instruction to tolerate these urges is given only for householder devotees, because before giving up householder life one must first have abandoned all types of urges.
The supremely compassionate Śrī Śacīnadana Gaurahari, who purifies the fallen souls, displayed unlimited mercy toward the jīvas, who are ravaged by the influence of Kali and averted from the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, by manifesting the instructions known as Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka. In these verses He has very succinctly propounded in the form of codes all the instructions regarding the truths of sambandha1, abhidheya 2 and prayojana 3 for the living entities. His most beloved Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī heard all these extremely confidential truths of devotional tenets (bhakti-tattva) from His lotus mouth at Jagannātha Purī and Prayāga. Not only did he hear these teachings, but the all-powerful embodiment of prema, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, invested his heart with the potency by which he could realize these confidential truths of bhakti. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī revealed these instructions in simple and straightforward Sanskrit language in his books such as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, Lalita-mādhava, Vidagdha-mādhava, Stava-mālā 1 Sambandha is the principle regarding the mutual relationship between the Lord, the living entities and the material energy. –Ed. 2 Abhideya is the means by which the ultimate goal is achieved, in other words, the practices of sādhana-bhakti. –Ed. 3 Prayojana is the ultimate goal of devotional life, kṛṣṇa-prema. –Ed.
and others. These sacred jewels of literature are a mine of good fortune filled with the priceless gems of prema. Śrī Upadeśāmṛta is one such invaluable jewel of prema. It is a necklace for the devotees of Mahāprabhu (gaura-bhaktas). Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī collected the essence of all the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and offered it as a gift to the genuine sādhakas. In Śrī Upadeśāmṛta two kinds of instruction are given. The first is to give up things that are unfavourable to bhakti, and the second is to adopt things that are favourable to bhakti. As long as the sādhaka fails to apply these two kinds of instruction in his life, there is no possibility that bhāva-bhakti 4 will manifest in his heart, what to speak of prema-bhakti 5. At present, there are many persons who adhere to various types of fabricated views, to doctrines that display only an external veneer of religion but are actually opposed to bhakti, to ideas that are contrary to the Vedas, to opportunistic views, and to the doctrines of imitationism (sahajiyā), impersonalism (Māyāvāda) and other diverse and contrary opinions. All such persons fear the instructions given in the form of this Upadeśāmṛta, considering them to be the personification of Yamarāja, he who administers punishment to the deceased. But faithful persons who study and recite this Upadeśāmṛta with great love and apply it in their lives will become free from all kinds of doubt in regard to bhakti and will easily attain first bhāva-bhakti and finally the most rare prema-bhakti. Therefore, holding the dust of the lotus feet of the gurus following in the line of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī upon my head, this Śrī Vārṣabhānavī-dayita dāsa, the servant of the Lord of the life (prāṇanātha) of Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī Śrīmatī Rādhikā, is setting down this commentary of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta
4 In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.3.1), bhāva is defined as follows: “Bhāva-bhakti is a special manifestation of the potency of unalloyed goodness (śuddha-sattva). In other words, the constitutional characteristic of bhāva-bhakti is that it is a phenomenon entirely constituted of śuddha-sattva. It is like a ray (kiraṇa) of the sun of prema and it softens the heart by various tastes (ruci).” –Ed. 5 In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.4.1), prema is defined as follows: “Bhāva-bhakti which melts the heart much more so than in its initial stage, which greatly augments the feeling of transcendental bliss, and which bestows a deep sense of possessiveness (mamatā) in relationship to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called prema by the learned.” –Ed.
named Anuvṛtti. The purpose of doing so is to immerse the jīvas in Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, which was revealed by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and which was practised and preached by the Vaiṣṇava preceptors who follow Śrī Rūpa (rūpānuga-vaiṣṇava-ācāryas), such as Śrī Gaura- kiśora dāsa Bābājī and Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. There are three kinds of overwhelming passions observed in worldly living entities attached to material sense enjoyment: the urges of speech, mind and body. When one falls into the powerful current of these three impetuous demands, it is very difficult to gain deliverance. Falling into the stream of repeated birth and death, such living entities are deprived of their spiritual well-being. But self-controlled persons who tolerate these demands are not overwhelmed by material sense enjoyment. They are competent to vanquish this material world. The demands of speech refer to the speculations of the followers of impersonalism (nirviśeṣa-vādīs), which are opposed to bhakti; to the logical deliberations of the result-oriented workers ensnared in material activities, which stress the fruits of action; and to all talk not related to the service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa but related to varieties of desire for material enjoyment. The demands of speech do not refer to those words that apply to the service of the Lord. On the contrary, such talks should be considered as the fruit of tolerating the demands of speech. Sometimes, although one adopts a vow of silence, he expresses desires for material enjoyment and so on simply by his bearing or by writing. These are also included within the demands of speech. The agitations of the mind are of two types: (1) avirodha- prīti – unimpeded attachment and (2) virodha-yukta-krodha – anger arising from impediments. Attachment for the faith of the Māyāvādīs, veneration for the adherence to result-oriented activity and belief in the ideas of those who have many desires not related to the service of Kṛṣṇa, are three kinds of avirodha-prīti. Mere indifference to the activities of the jñānīs, karmīs and persons possessing other desires is but the unmanifest or undeveloped stage of unimpeded attachment. When there is an impediment to the fulfilment of material desires, when one fails to obtain the cherished
fruit of one’s work, and when in spite of all endeavour one does not obtain liberation (mukti), anger comes about. To meditate upon the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not a form of mental agitation, rather it is the means by which all mental agitation becomes pacified. The demands of the body are also of three types: the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals. Anxiousness to relish any of the six kinds of taste6 and greed to enjoy animal flesh, fish, eggs, wine, excessive ghee, milk, rabaḍī (a condensed milk-sweet), cream and so on is known as the impetuosity of the tongue. Sādhus also avoid eating foods that are overly bitter or spiced with hot chilli. Consumption of betel nut, the mixture of betel with various spices (pāna), cigarettes, marijuana, hemp, opium and other intoxicating substances, as well as onions and garlic, are also counted as impetuous demands of the tongue. Sādhakas of bhakti must never indulge in these intoxicants. One should very carefully save oneself from the vehemence of the tongue by honouring the food remnants (mahā-prasāda) of Bhagavān and His devotees. Although mahā-prasāda may be very tasteful, it is not included within the demands of the tongue. By honouring it with great faith one can conquer the demands of the tongue. But if on the pretext of accepting prasāda one desires one’s own enjoyment and cunningly relishes its taste, that is also included as the passion of the tongue. To eat very costly and delicious food items such as rabaḍī and cream offered to the demigods (devatās) at the houses of wealthy persons is detrimental for renounced (niskiñcana) Vaiṣṇavas. In order to satisfy the lust of the tongue one may become ensnared in various types of reprehensible behaviour and bad association. In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 6.227, 236) it is said:
jihvāra lālase jei iti-uti dhāya śiśnodara-parāyaṇa kṛṣṇa nāhi pāya
bhālo na khāibe āra bhālo nā paribe
Persons who are prone to carnal pleasure and eating too much and who run here and there to satisfy the greed of the tongue never obtain Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
6 The six kinds of taste are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent.
One should not wear elegant and expensive clothes, nor should one eat delicious food.
Sādhakas should very carefully avoid these things. Gluttonous persons usually suffer from different types of diseases. By eating too much, many difficulties ensue. Persons who eat excessively generally become subservient to the demands of the genitals and thus become debauchees. By accepting bhagavat-prasāda in a suitable manner, by observing Ekādaśī in accordance with the regulations and by serving Kṛṣṇa, the demands of the belly are mitigated. The demands of the genitals are of two types: in accordance with scripture and not sanctioned by scripture. When a person who has attained maturity marries in accordance with scriptural regulations and observes the prescribed dharma for a householder (gṛhastha) by following the proper behavioural codes for begetting good progeny, he regulates the demand of the genitals. This is classified as sex indulgence in accordance with scripture. There are many different types of illicit sexual indulgence, such as transgressing scriptural and social codes and accepting another man’s wife, lusting after eight types of conjugal exchanges and enjoying the senses by artificial and licentious means contrary to scriptural codes. Both householders and renunciants who are sādhakas of bhakti should always remain aloof from the demands of the tongue, belly and genitals. In his book Prema-vivarta (7.3.1–4), the associate of Śrī Caitanyadeva, Śrī Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, has said:
vairāgī bhāi! grāmya-kathā nā śunibe kāne grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe jabe milibe āne
svapne o nā karo bhāi! strī sambhāṣaṇa gṛhe strī chāḓiyā bhāi! āsiyācho vana
jadi cāho praṇay rākhite gaurāṅger sane choṭa haridāser kathā thāke jeno mane
bhālo nā khāibe āra bhālo nā paribe hṛdayete rādhā-kṛṣṇa sarvadā sevibe
O Vaiṣṇava mendicant, O brother, whomever you should meet, do not hear from him or speak with him about mundane subjects. Do not speak intimately with a woman even in your dreams. O brother, you should give up your wife and household and retire to the forest. If you wish to develop love for the lotus feet of Śrī Śacīnadana Gaurahari, then you should always remember the example of Choṭa Haridāsa. If you desire bhagavad-bhakti, then you should not eat delicious food or dress yourself very luxuriously. In this way you should always serve Śrī Rādhā- Kṛṣṇa within your heart.
Only one who is fully able to tolerate the six urges of the body, mind and words that have already been described is fit to be addressed by the title of “Gosvāmī”, or one who is the master of his senses. Such Gosvāmīs are the true servants of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Those who, on the contrary, are controlled by these six demands should be called go-dāsa, servant, or slave, of the senses, and not Gosvāmī. Those who are go-dāsa, servants of the senses, are actually servants of the illusory energy (māyā). If, therefore, they desire to become servants of Kṛṣṇa, they should follow in the footsteps of those who are truly Gosvāmīs. There is no means other than this. Those whose senses are not controlled can never become devotees of Śrī Hari. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.30) Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja has said:
matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho ’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām
O Father, materialistic persons are simply milling over that which has already been milled and chewing that which has already been chewed. Because their senses are not controlled they are proceeding toward the dreadful hell of this material existence, repeatedly trying to enjoy that which has already been consumed. The intelligence of such materially attached persons cannot be turned toward Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa either by their own endeavour, by the instruction of others or by the association of similar materialistic persons.
My note
Source: vedabase.io