The Nature of Pure Devotion

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada · New York · 1974

Chapters

[leads chanting of verse] [devotees repeat]

Scientific basis of devotional service

SB 1.2.20एवं प्रसन्नमनसो भगवद्भक्तियोगत: ।भगवत्तत्त्वविज्ञानं मुक्तसङ्गस्य जायते ॥ २० ॥evaṁ prasanna-manasobhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥbhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁmukta-saṅgasya jāyateThus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association.[break] SB 1.2.20एवं प्रसन्नमनसो भगवद्भक्तियोगत: ।भगवत्तत्त्वविज्ञानं मुक्तसङ्गस्य जायते ॥ २० ॥evaṁ prasanna-manasobhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥbhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁmukta-saṅgasya jāyateThus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association.

Prabhupāda: Bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. It is not sentiment; it is vijñāna. Vijñāna means science. To become a devotee does not mean a sentimentalist. Sentimentalist has no value. One who had... There is sentiment.

That is emotional sentiment in the... Just like this child is dancing. It is not sentiment—he has no sentiment—but he is dancing from the spiritual awakening. This dancing is not dog’s dancing. This is...

One who is feeling love of Godhead, he is dancing. The more one feels love of Godhead, he can dance, he can chant, he can cry. There are so many..., eight kinds of aṣṭa-sāttvika-vikāra

= transformation of the body, tears in the eyes. So bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. SB 2.9.31श्रीभगवानुवाचज्ञानं परमगुह्यं मे यद्विज्ञानसमन्वितम् ।सरहस्यं तदङ्गं च गृहाण गदितं मया ॥३१॥śrī-bhagavān uvācajñānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ meyad vijñāna-samanvitamsarahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ cagṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayāThe Personality of Godhead said: Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully.

Kṛṣṇa said to Brahmā, jñānaṁ me parama-guhyaṁ. To know about Kṛṣṇa, it is very, very confidential. It is not ordinary thing. Vijñāna. Therefore many scientists, they are also joining our movement.

Many Doctor of Philosophy, Chemistry, they are understanding this is a science, and the more you make propaganda, I mean, the higher circle of the society, the learned scholars, professors, scientists, philosophers, they will join.

Rejecting material and cheating religion

And for them we have got so many books. We have proposal to publish eighty books. Out of them, we have published about fourteen books. So it is a science.

Otherwise, why Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has devoted eighteen thousand verses for understanding? Hmm? In the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra

that cheating, sentimentalism, the so-called religious system, is projjhita, is kicked out.

There is no such place here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Projjhita. Just like you brush something with broomstick or something and throw away the dust, similarly, the dusty things, so-called sentimental religionism, is not here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is a science.

Parama-guhyaṁ: very confidential. To understand Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary thing. Kṛṣṇa says, BG 7.3मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥३॥manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣukaścid yatati siddhayeyatatām api siddhānāṁkaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥOut of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

So this truth is understandable through the..., through Kṛṣṇa or through Kṛṣṇa’s representative. In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says,

BG 7.1श्रीभगवानुवाचमय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः ।असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ॥१॥śrī-bhagavān uvācamayy āsakta-manāḥ pārthayogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥasamśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁyathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇuThe Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.

Mad-āśrayaḥ. Mad-āśrayaḥ means "Under My..., under Me." Actually it means, mad-āśrayaḥ means, one who has taken the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, or one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa without any reservation.

He is called mad-āśrayaḥ, or one who has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa perfectly.

So this yoga, this bhakti-yoga, as it is stated here, bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ, so bhagavad-bhakti-yoga can be learned when one takes fully shelter at the lotus feet of a bhagavad-bhakta. That is called bhagavad-bhakta. You, you cannot become bhagavad-bhakta independent, without caring for your spiritual master.

Role of the spiritual master

That is nonsense. That is rascaldom. He will never be able. We are singing daily, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo. But you do not know the meaning, unfortunately.

Yasya prasādād: if the spiritual master is pleased, then Bhagavān is pleased; not that independently.

Yasya..., yasya prasādād. In the ten kinds of offenses, the first offense is guror avajñā [Padma Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa 25.15-18], disobeying the orders of guru. And especially guru’s business is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

And if a person blasphemes a person who is preaching all over the world Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the greatest offense.

But we are reading ten kinds of offenses, gurvaṣṭaka, and the guru’s... Do you know the meaning, what is that, śrī-guru-carana-padma? What is that song? Read it.

Devotee: Śrī-guru-carana-padma, kevala bhakati-sadma...

Prabhupada: Ahh.

Devotee: Bando mui sāvadhāna...

Prabhupada: Ah, sāvadhāna mate, "with great care." You sing this song—do you know the meanings? No. Who can explain the meaning? Yes, you explain.

Devotee: Śrī-guru-carana-padma means "the lotus feet of the guru." Kevala bhakati-sadma, that he is a reservoir of all devotion, or bhakti. Bando mui sāvadhāna means that we worship him with great awe.

Prabhupada: Hmm. Read. Read the other lines.

Devotee: Jāhāra prasāde bhāi...

Prabhupada: Ah, jāhāra prasāde bhāi. Then?

Devotee: E bha va toriyā jāi.

Prabhupada: E bha va toriyā jāi. If one is, I mean to say, favored by guru, then the path to cross over the nescience is clear. Jāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bha va toriyā jāi. Then, next line.

Devotee: Kṛṣṇa-prāpti hoy jāhā hāte.

Prabhupada: And krṣṇa-prāpti hoy jāhā hate: by the favor of guru one gets Kṛṣṇa. This is the...Yasya prasādād bhagavat. Everywhere.

This is bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. So one who has not attained this state, what is this bhagavad-bhakti? This is rascaldom. That is not bhagavad...

Bhagavad-bhakti—yoga. It is a kind of yoga, or the real yoga. Topmost yoga system is bhagavad-bhakti, and bhagavad-bhakti-yoga begins, ādau gurv-āśrayaḥ. First of all surrender to guru.

Transcendental nature of bhakti yoga

BG 4.34तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया ।उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः ॥३४॥"tad viddhi praṇipātenaparipraśnena sevayāupadekṣyanti te jñānaṁjñāninas tattva-darśinaḥJust try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.

The official initiation has no meaning. Unless one who has fully surrendered to guru, there is no question of initiation.

Divya jñāna hṛde prokāśito. Divya-jñāna means "transcendental knowledge." So to play tricks with guru, to become diplomat and intriguer, these rascaldom will not help bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. You can get some other things, some material profit, but spiritual life will be spoiled.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for spiritual enlightenment, not for how to get money, how to earn money. This is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches,

Śikṣāṣṭaka 4na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁkavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye

Na dhanaṁ. The materialists, they, what they want? They want money. They want many followers and many subordinates, or nice, beautiful wife. This is materialist. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu refuses. Na dhanaṁ: "No, no.

I don’t want money." This is teaching. Na dhanaṁna janaṁ: "I don’t want to rule over somebody." No. Na..., na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ; a poetic imagination of nice, beautiful wife.

"These things I do not want." What is? Then, bhagavad-bhakti-yoga, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4mama janmani janmanīśvarebhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayiThen bhagavad-bhakta do not want even liberation.

Why Kṛṣṇa..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu is saying janmani janmani, "birth after..."? One who is liberated, he does not take any more birth in this material world.

Those who are impersonalist, they merge into the effulgence, bodily rays of Kṛṣṇa, and those who are devotees, they get permission to enter into Vaikuṇṭha, or Goloka Vṛndāvana. [aside:] Don't make [indistinct].

So if we want prasanna mana, always jubilation—that is spiritual life. Not that always morose, making some plans. That is not spiritual life. You don’t find any materialistic person jubilant.

He is morose, and thinking, and smoking cigarette and drinking, making some big, big plan. That is materialist. And bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ = prasanna-manaso. In the Bhagavad-gītā,

BG 18.54ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥५४॥brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmāna śocati na kāṅkṣatisamaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣumad-bhaktiṁ labhate parāmOne who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.

Prasannātmā. This is spiritual life.

As soon as you become actually in spiritual life—never mind either you in impersonal philosophy or personal philosophy, both of them are spiritualist; only the difference is the impersonalists think that "I am spirit; God is spirit.

Therefore we one. We merge into this." Sāyujya-mukti. Kṛṣṇa gives them sāyujya-mukti. But that is not very safe, because ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].

Highest standards of spiritual love

Ānanda, real ānanda, cannot be realized oneself. There must be two. Love does not mean "I love myself" and meditate upon love. No. There must..., must be another person, lover.

Therefore dvaitavāda. As soon as you come to the bhakti school, there must be dvaitavāda: two—Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s devotee.

And the exchange of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s servant is called bhakti. The dealings, that is called bhakti. Therefore it is said, bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. Not monism, oneness.

There is always the bhakta, devotee, is trying to please Kṛṣṇa. They, just like gopīs, the topmost devotees, their only business is to please Kṛṣṇa. That’s all.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā [Caitanya-manjusa]. There cannot be better method of worship than the process which the gopīs adopted.

They did not care for anything. The gopīs, some of them were engaged in household affairs, somebody was talking with husband, some of them taking care of the children, some, some of them were boiling milk.

As soon as there was Kṛṣṇa’s flute, everything left undone. "Where you are going?" Husband, brother, father = "Where you are going?" "No, don’t care.

Kṛṣṇa’s flute is there; we do not know anything." This is devotion, the highest, topmost. Caitanya Mahāprabhu..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so strict that a woman could not come very near to offer him obeisances.

From little distance. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as a sannyāsī, He was so strict. Of course, that should be the principle, but especially in your country, that cannot be very strictly observed.

But at least one should be very careful. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so strict—He’s eulogizing the gopīs’ love of Kṛṣṇa. So that gopīs’ love is not ordinary thing, this. It is transcendental.

Otherwise, how Caitanya Mahāprabhu appreciates? How Śukadeva Gosvāmī appreciated kṛṣṇa-līlā? This kṛṣṇa-līlā is not ordinary thing. It is spiritual.

So unless one is situated firmly in bhakti-yoga, they should not try to understand what is the pastimes of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. That will be dangerous. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he says,

rūpa-raghunātha-pade hoibe ākutikabe hāma bujhabo se jugala-pīriti[Lālasāmayī Prārthanā 4]

Jugala-pīriti: the loving dealings between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Jugala, jugala means "couple"; pīriti means "love." So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, exalted ācārya, he said, "When I shall be able to understand?" Not that "I have understood everything." Not "I have understood everything." This is nice.

This is vijñānaṁ, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. So we should be very careful to understand the science. And the science can be understood through the mercy of the spiritual master.

Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād: first of all try to please your spiritual master. Then try to understand. So it is a great science.

This is the process. First of all surrender yourself = "Sir, I’ll surrender you." "All right." "Now I don’t like it." What is this? What is this surrender, "Now I don’t like it"? That means there was no surrender.

Path of surrender and service

Surrender does not mean, "Now I surrender, and if you do not please me, if you do not satisfy my senses, then I don’t like." That is not surrender. Surrender, the example is given by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura = dog.

Very good example. The dog surrenders to the master fully. Even the master kills him, he does not protest. This is example. vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, tomāra kukkurabhuliyā jānaha more

"Vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, my dear, my revered spiritual master, you are the best of the Vaiṣṇavas. Please accept me as your dog." That is surrender. So real surrender begins,

Āśrayah. Āśraya loiyā bhaje kṛṣṇa tāre nāhi tyāje [Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura]. One who executes devotional service, taking shelter of bona fide spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa will never give him up. He will accept him.

Āśraya loiyā bhaje kṛṣṇa tāre nāhi tyāge āra saba more akaraṇa[?]. Others, they will simply waste their time, that’s all. So this is bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. Ādau gurv-āśrayaṁ sad-dharma-pṛcchā, sādhu-mārga-anugamanam

Everything is there in the devotional service, in The Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā we are publishing.

If you do not understand, if you think that "These books are for sale, and we are all learned. We have learned everything. Finished. Our business is finished," that will not improve the condition.

It is a science. As you learn science... Just like our Svarūpa Dāmodara, Doctor—so he is now Doctor. We have got another Doctor in New Vrindaban; he is also scientist.

So if you want to take the doctorate title, that is also the surrender. There are committees, three-, four-men committees. When they certify, "Yes. This is all right.

This thesis presented by such and such, it is approved," then you get. So everywhere there is tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet

So if we are not serious about understanding the science of Kṛṣṇa, if you take some opportunity to become this, to become that, and make some money, and this and that, then the whole thing is finished.

For opportunists there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For the real surrendered soul = mad-āśrayaḥ.

So bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. Everyone, we are at least here enlisted ourself to become a graduate in bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. This is the process. Mad-āśrayaḥ, Kṛṣṇa says.

Mad-āśrayaḥ means yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. To become under Kṛṣṇa or... That is not possible, because without taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s servant, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ Padyāvalī 74]...

We have to become servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Not aspiring, "I shall become directly servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is Māyāvāda. Our process is the servant of the...

Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, the servant of the... The more one has become servant of the hundredth generation down, he is perfect. So try to understand.

Practices for achieving spiritual liberation

Bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. This science, who can understand? Mukta-saṅgasya. Mukta means "liberated," and saṅga means "association." So association means we are always... We are contaminated by the material nature.

Sometimes we are good; sometimes we are passionate; sometimes we are rascal. There are three gunas. Some of them are very good, and some of them are passionate and some of them are rascals.

So we have to transcend even the platform of so-called goodness.

That is called mukta-saṅga. Because in the material life, we are always associating with these gunas, three qualities, guna-mayī, māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī. Guna-mayī. Guna, these three gunas. So it is very difficult.

Sometimes we are in the platform of goodness, then we fall down in the passion, then we fall down in ignorance. Or from ignorance I rise again in goodness and again fall down. This is going on.

But therefore you have to become mukta-saṅgasya, above all these qualities. Above all. "I am very good man. I am good manager. I am this...," you have to surpass that also. That is called mukta-saṅgasya.

But that mukta-saṅgasya is possible when we are sincerely engaged in devotional service. Just like the Deity worship. The Deity worship means gradually to become mukta-saṅga. Therefore Deity worship is essential.

There is process = You must all rise early in the morning; you must take bath; you should offer maṅgala-ārati. Then after that, after that dressing, some flowering.

In this way, if you always remain, then gradually you will become mukta-saṅga. [indistinct] The tongue..., as soon as you begin and devotional service that is the stage of mukta-saṅga. If you do not fall down, if we strictly follow the instruction of spiritual master and the śāstra and be engaged always in devotional service there is no question of fall down.

That is called mukta-saṅga. But if you deviate, if you do not like, then you will fall down. So when you become mukta-saṅga, mukta-saṅga begins the change is there, if you follow.

If you don't follow then you'll fall down. But if you remain on the platform then we should be able to understand, ...what is that?, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. The abosolute Truth about the supreme lord.

So I am very pleased that we are doing nicely and travelling I have seen at temples, so don't deviate.

Don't deviate from the instruction given by your spiritual master, make that your life and soul, and follow the regulative principles chant 16 rounds you'll never fall down.

Mukta-saṅga. Then gradually Kṛṣṇa will be revealed. Bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]