Nectar of Instruction — 8
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
Since the mind may be one’s enemy or one’s friend, one has to train the mind to become his friend. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is especially meant for training the mind to be always engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s business. The mind contains hundreds and thousands of impressions, not only of this life but also of many, many lives of the past. These impressions sometimes come in contact with one another and produce contradictory pictures. In this way the mind’s function can become dangerous for a conditioned soul. Students of psychology are aware of the mind’s various psychological changes. In Bhagavad-gītā (8.6) it is said: yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram taṁ taṁ evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” At the time of death, the mind and intelligence of a living entity create the subtle form of a certain type of body for the next life. If the mind suddenly thinks of something not very congenial, one has to take a corresponding birth in the next life. On the other hand, if one can think of Kṛṣṇa at the time of death, he can be transferred to the spiritual world, Goloka Vṛndāvana. This process of transmigration is very subtle; therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī advises devotees to train their minds in order that they will be unable to remember anything other than Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the tongue should be trained to speak only of Kṛṣṇa and to taste only kṛṣṇa-prasāda . Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī further advises, tiṣṭhan vraje: one should live in Vṛndāvana or any part of Vrajabhūmi. Vrajabhūmi, or the land of Vṛndāvana, is supposed to be eighty-four krośas in area. One krośa equals two square miles. When one makes Vṛndāvana his residence, he should take shelter of an advanced devotee there. In this way one should always think of Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes. This is further elucidated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.294): kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā “A devotee should always reside in the transcendental realm of Vraja and always engage in kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭham, the remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His beloved associates. By following in the footsteps of such associates and by entering under their eternal guidance, one can acquire an intense desire to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Again Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī states in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.295): sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ “In the transcendental realm of Vraja [Vraja-dhāma] one should serve the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with a feeling similar to that of His associates, and one should place himself under the direct guidance of a particular associate of Kṛṣṇa and should follow in his footsteps. This method is applicable both in the stage of sādhana [spiritual practices executed while in the stage of bondage] and in the stage of sādhya [God realization], when one is a siddha-puruṣa, or a spiritually perfect soul.” Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has commented as follows upon this verse: “One who has not yet developed interest in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should give up all material motives and train his mind by following the progressive regulative principles, namely chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa and His name, form, quality, pastimes and so forth. In this way, after developing a taste for such things, one should try to live in Vṛndāvana and pass his time constantly remembering Kṛṣṇa’s name, fame, pastimes and qualities under the direction and protection of an expert devotee. This is the sum and substance of all instruction regarding the cultivation of devotional service. “In the neophyte stage one should always engage in hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā . This is called śravaṇa-daśā, the stage of hearing. By constantly hearing the transcendental holy name of Kṛṣṇa and hearing of His transcendental form, qualities and pastimes, one can attain to the stage of acceptance called varaṇa-daśā . When one attains this stage, he becomes attached to the hearing of kṛṣṇa-kathā. When one is able to chant in ecstasy, he attains the stage of smaraṇāvasthā, the stage of remembering. Recollection, absorption, meditation, constant remembrance and trance are the five items of progressive kṛṣṇa-smaraṇa . At first, remembrance of Kṛṣṇa may be interrupted at intervals, but later remembrance proceeds uninterrupted. When remembrance is uninterrupted, it becomes concentrated and is called meditation. When meditation expands and becomes constant, it is called anusmṛti . By uninterrupted and unceasing anusmṛti one enters the stage of samādhi, or spiritual trance. After smaraṇa-daśā or samādhi has fully developed, the soul comes to understand his original constitutional position. At that time he can perfectly and clearly understand his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is called sampatti-daśā, the perfection of life. “Caitanya-caritāmṛta advises those who are neophytes to give up all kinds of motivated desires and simply engage in the regulative devotional service of the Lord according to the directions of scripture. In this way a neophyte can gradually develop attachment for Kṛṣṇa’s name, fame, form, qualities and so forth. When one has developed such attachment, he can spontaneously serve the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa even without following the regulative principles. This stage is called rāga-bhakti, or devotional service in spontaneous love. At that stage the devotee can follow in the footsteps of one of the eternal associates of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. This is called rāgānuga-bhakti . Rāgānuga-bhakti , or spontaneous devotional service, can be executed in the śānta-rasa when one aspires to be like Kṛṣṇa’s cows or the stick or flute in the hand of Kṛṣṇa, or the flowers around Kṛṣṇa’s neck. In the dāsya-rasa one follows in the footsteps of servants like Citraka, Patraka or Raktaka. In the friendly sakhya-rasa one can become a friend like Baladeva, Śrīdāmā or Sudāmā. In the vātsalya-rasa, characterized by parental affection, one can become like Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā, and in the mādhurya-rasa, characterized by conjugal love, one can become like Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or Her lady friends such as Lalitā and Her serving maids ( mañjarīs ) like Rūpa and Rati. This is the essence of all instruction in the matter of devotional service.”
At this point, these questions may arise in the mind of a new sādhaka: “Where should one reside to cultivate the devotional
activities, headed by the chanting of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name, and how should one go about it?” This verse, which constitutes the essence of all instruction, has been composed to answer these questions. The conventional meaning of the name of Kṛṣṇa is drawn from the verbal root kṛṣ, which means to attract, or draw, toward oneself. Thus Kṛṣṇa is famed as the attractor of the hearts of all living entities in the entire world. In Vraja He is known also as Yaśodā-nandana, the darling son of Yaśodā. Therefore, all devotees should utilize the entirety of their time in engaging their tongues in performing kīrtana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names, form, qualities and pastimes and their mind in remembrance of Him. They should reside only in Śrī Vraja- maṇḍala and follow elevated devotees. How should one follow devotees? By two types of devotion: vaidhī (devotion performed in conjunction with the rules and regulations of the scriptures) and rāgānugā (spontaneous devotion). Accordingly, there are also two types of sādhakas: those who follow the path of vaidhī and those who follow the path of rāgānugā. Among these two, it is especially desirable to follow a rāgānuga-bhakta. The meaning of tad-anurāgi-janānugāmī is to follow the intimate, eternal devotees in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s vraja-līlā. One should cultivate kṛṣṇa-bhakti under the guidance of those rasika- gurus who are themselves followers of the intimate eternal devotees of Śrī Vrajendra-nandana, the enactor of human-like pastimes.
This verse describes the method of bhajana as well as the topmost place for performing bhajana. With the intention of incessantly executing the gradual process of sādhana, one should utilize every moment of his life by engaging the tongue in nicely performing kīrtana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names, form, qualities and pastimes and then the mind in smaraṇa, or remembrance, upon them. This process should be executed while residing in Vraja and under the guidance of devotees who are immersed in vraja-rasa. The performance of this mānasa-sevā, service rendered within the mind, is dependent solely upon residing mentally in Vraja.
By following the rules and regulations prescribed in the previous verses, a sādhaka should draw his mind away from everything unrelated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and engage his tongue in performing kīrtana of Kṛṣṇa’s nāma, rūpa, guṇa and līlā. Then, eventually, his mind will be able to enter into constant remembrance (smaraṇa) of Kṛṣṇa. While residing in Vraja, he should utilize all his time executing these activities under the guidance of devotees who are adept at relishing vraja-rasa. This is the essence of all instruction. In the devotional life of a sādhaka, śravaṇa-daśā, or the stage of hearing, comes first. In this stage, he hears kṛṣṇa-nāma and narrations of Kṛṣṇa’s form, qualities and pastimes. By doing this more and more, he gradually becomes more mature, then the stage of varaṇa-daśā begins. In this stage he begins performing kīrtana of those topics he was hearing. By performing kīrtana with the specific devotional mood one is cultivating, he enters smaraṇa- daśā, the stage of remembrance. Within the category of smaraṇa there are five stages: smaraṇa, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, anusmṛti and samādhi. Meditation where the mind sometimes becomes distracted is called smaraṇa. Smaraṇa that is devoid of such distraction is called dhāraṇā. Unbroken contemplation upon the object of meditation is called dhyāna. When dhyāna is performed constantly, it is called anusmṛti. When one’s meditation becomes entirely free from impediments and wholly uninterrupted, it is called samādhi. After smaraṇa-daśā, one enters the stage known as āpana-daśā. In this stage the sādhaka achieves realization of his pure spiritual identity. After this, in the stage known as sampatti-daśā, he attains vastu-siddhi. At this time he finally obtains a spiritual form and is appointed to his eternal service in the spiritual realm. When a devotee following the path of vaidhī-bhakti abandons his many varieties of material desires and performs bhajana in accordance with the instructions of śāstra, sad-guru and Vaiṣṇavas, ruci (taste) arises in his bhajana. Upon the appearance of this ruci, he abandons the path of vaidhī-bhakti and enters the path of rāgānuga-bhakti.
rāgātmikā-bhakti—‘mukhyā’ vraja-vāsī-jane tāra anugata-bhaktir ‘rāgānugā’-nāme Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.149)
That devotion whose very essence is constituted of eternal spontaneous attachment (rāga) is known as rāgātmikā-bhakti. That devotion is pre-eminent among all forms of bhakti and is splendidly manifest in the residents of Vraja. Devotion that follows in the wake of this rāgātmikā-bhakti is known as rāgānuga-bhakti.
iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ paramāviṣṭatā bhavet tan-mayī yā bhaved bhaktiḥ sātra rāgātmikoditā Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.272)
An unquenchable loving thirst (premamayī-tṛṣṇā) for the object of one’s affection (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) that gives rise to spontaneous and intense absorption (svārasikī paramāviṣṭatā) in that object is called rāga. Such rāgamayī-bhakti, or the performance of services – such as stringing garlands – with intense rāga, is called rāgātmikā-bhakti.
rāgamayī-bhaktir haya ‘rāgātmikā’ nāma tāhā śuni’ lubdha haya kona bhāgyavān Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.152)
Bhakti that consists of rāga is called rāgātmikā. If, upon hearing of this, a devotee becomes intensely anxious to obtain such devotion, he is considered to be most fortunate.
lobhe vraja-vāsīr bhāve kare anugati śāstra-yukti nāhi mane—rāgānugār prakṛti Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.153)
When one follows in the footsteps of the residents of Vraja by cultivating their devotional moods with intense hankering, he does not care for the injunctions of the scriptures or for logical arguments. This is the nature of spontaneous devotion.
bāhya, antara—ihāra dui to’ sādhana ‘bāhya’ sādhaka-dehe kare śravaṇa-kīrtana
‘mane’ nija-siddha-deha koriyā bhāvana rātri-dine kare vraje kṛṣṇera sevana Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.156–57)
The sādhana of rāgānuga-bhakti is of two types: external (bāhya) and internal (antara). Externally one performs hearing and chanting in the sādhaka-deha, the outer feature of a practitioner of bhakti. Internally, while contemplating one’s own perfected spiritual form, one renders service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vraja day and night.
sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.295)
A sādhaka who has greed (lobha) for rāgānuga-bhakti should serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa both in the sādhaka-rūpa and the siddha-rūpa in accordance with the bhāva of the eternal devotees residing in Vraja (vraja-parikaras) who possess the same mood for which he aspires. The sādhaka-rūpa refers to the physical body in which one is presently situated, and the siddha-rūpa refers to the internally contemplated spiritual form that is suitable to serve Kṛṣṇa according to one’s cherished desire.
nijābhīṣṭa kṛṣṇa-preṣṭha pācheta’ lāgiyā nirantara sevā kare antarmanā haiyā Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.159)
The eternal residents of Vraja are known as kṛṣṇa-preṣṭha, very dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Among Kṛṣṇa’s various devotees, those who possess the mood of service toward Him for which one intensely hankers are known as nijābhīṣṭa-kṛṣṇa-preṣṭha. Following in the footsteps of those beloved devotees of Kṛṣṇa for whose mood of service one hankers, one should constantly serve Kṛṣṇa within the mind through one’s internally conceived spiritual form.
kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.294)
The essential meaning of this verse is that in accordance with one’s own specific bhāva, the sādhaka should remember Śrī Kṛṣṇa and a particular eternal devotee of Kṛṣṇa who possesses the serving mood for which he aspires. He should be immersed in chanting the names of Śrī Kṛṣṇa that are related to His pastimes in Vraja and in hearing narrations of those pastimes. Also, those names and pastimes should be favourable to the sādhaka’s specific service aspirations. Finally, these activities should be performed while residing in Vraja.
dāsa-sakhā-pitrādi-preyasīra gaṇa rāga-mārge nija-nija-bhāvera gaṇana Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.161)
There are four moods of service included in the path of spontaneous devotion: those of the servants, friends, parents and conjugal lovers.
Those desiring to serve in the devotional mellow of neutrality (śānta-rasa) should aspire to be like the cows, sticks, buffalo horns, the flute, kadamba trees and so forth. Those aspiring to serve in the mellow of servitude (dāsya-rasa) should follow servants in Vraja such as Raktaka and Patraka. Devotees aspiring to serve in the mellow of fraternity (sakhya-rasa) should follow Śrī Baladeva, Śrīdāmā, Sudāmā and so forth. Devotees aspiring to serve in the mellow of parenthood (vātsalya-rasa) should follow Śrī Nanda and Yaśodā, and those aspiring to serve in the amorous mellow (madhura-rasa) should follow cowherd girls (gopīs) like Lalitā and Viśākhā. While residing in Vraja, one should immerse oneself in hearing narrations of the eternal devotees who serve in the mood for which one aspires. There is no greater place than Vraja-maṇḍala to perform bhajana of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, even such exalted devotees as Brahmā and Uddhava pray to take birth there as a blade of grass or a shrub.
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Source: vedabase.io