Pure Devotional Service. Lecture 1
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · 2022
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Mangalacharan prayers and invocation
Om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-ślākayā, cakṣun unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikaṁ vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sajīvaṁ sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇa-pāda-rādhā-saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandhu jagat-pate gopa-gopī-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te tapta-kāñcana-gau-rāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaḥ ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare ājānu-lambita-bhujau kanaka-avadātau saṅkīrtanaika-pitarau kamalāyatākṣau viśvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma-pālau vande jagat-priya-karau karuṇāvatārau mamāviśam mama prasūtaṁ sañjīvayati akhila-śakti-dharaḥ sva-dhāmnā śravāṅ-vacaḥ-karaṇa-sāṅkā-rāmāṇi bhagavate puruṣāya tubhyam tathākṣaj 'āvayi sitam no matir atpyaituki
Ajanu Lambi T Bujokana Kavanatu Sankirtanaika Pitaks, Dishwambaro Dja Waru Yuga Dharma Palu Van Deja Jagat Priya Karu Karunavatarishi Mamavachimam Prasuctam Sanji Vaya Kila Shakti Darah Swadamstchahastacharana
Shravanatva Gadi, Rananda Mau Bhagavathe Puru Shaytu. thatoksaj, avay sitam no matir atpyaituki, so I will speak a little bit tonight and tomorrow night about the topic of Sudha Bhakti or pure devotional service.
And this topic is very important for us because uh we always have to check whether I perform pure devotional service or not. We have so many different desires within our hearts, so many different motivations,
and it's so easy to start performing bhakti with the idea of achieving something else, not uh Krishna's service. And the main point is that Suddha Bhakti of your devotional service is extremely powerful.
But uh oftentimes we do not experience this power in our life in reality. Because there is some power within our bhakti which is blocking the power of uh devotional service of the power of bhakti.
The example is given by Silajiva Gaswami that there is Chandrakanti Mani. It's a special jewel which do not exist at this moment of time, but uh it blocks the power of fire to burn.
If you have a ring with this Chandrakanti mani on your finger, you can put Even though the power of the fire is very strong, the fire can burn, but uh Chandrakanti mani blocks this power and it will not affect us because of this.
Footprints of Lord Chaitanya in Jharkhand
In a similar way, uh there is some power which blocks the power of bhakti. And uh this power which is blocking the power of bhakti is called offense or aparādha.
Just today I spoke with Indradyumna Swami and he went uh to pilgrimage uh to Jharkhand Forest. A Vakarima in the Rumna Maharaj Sankura Gardine Erawanse Jarikanda Jungalma And he told me that this is really amazing place.
He said you have to drive, you know, for two and a half hours in the middle of nowhere. All of a sudden there is a place where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had kirtan with tigers and deers and elephants.
Garikudaira Pugisaki Pasame Jari Kanda could jungle Kabitma Chitana Mahaprabhu, Sankir and Gariko.
And he said on the stone there you can clearly see the footprints of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Balabhadra Bhtacharya, not only this, but also footprints of the tigers and deers dancing together.
Mahampur, Balawada Vatacharyako, Saranchina China, Tiata Bhag, Bhalu, Sophie Janawa, Haruko, Natchiko, Saranchina Rusa.
Yeah, they just n near you y you see the footprint of the deer and this you see the footprint of the tiger and they're dancing.
And he said, it's not just one footprint, but there is the whole chain of footprints because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had the whole Harinam with deers and tigers and elephants through the forest and they're following him like Harinam party.
He said you can go through this mm footsteps for two kilometers and you still can see that it's going on.
And Sanatana Goswami actually was so impressed by this by the power of this place, the power of the Kirtan which was performed by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in this place, that he came to this place twice before coming to Puri and uh that's where he contracted his disease.
And uh in uh Alalanath near uh Jagannātha Purī uh there is a there is a rock where the whole body of Lord Chaitanya is imprinted.
When he was in this ecstatic mood, you know, his whole body is there. You can again clearly see his huge body imprinted in the rock. Purna Sari Kona Chinasa. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Bhava Vesh ka Pura Sari ka Chinna.
So the point here is that bhakti is so powerful that even stones, if somebody has bhakti, even stones will be melted.
But when we practice bhakti uh our stone like heart doesn't melt. There is no chinna on our heart. There is no footprint or the imprint of bhakti in our heart. We don't cry.
You know Hare Krishna Hare Krish yeah Hare Krishna Hare Krishna.
Danger of mixed forms of bhakti
Answers Ardina. So basically, in this little discourse which we will have tonight and tomorrow night, we will try to understand what is lacking Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
was very much concerned with this, and he said that in his little book, Bhakti-tattva-viveka, where he explains the svarūpa of śuddha-bhakti.
He explains that there are too many mixed forms of the bhakti, and therefore, because bhakti is mixed with something else, uh this, foreign element uh which is against the nature of bhakti, uh it's actually destroys the power of bhakti to affect our heart and the heart of other people.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura... you know, he basically says that the main problem is that uh we don't perform pure devotional service, we perform some mixed form of devotion.
And he says that this the fruits of this mixed bhakti is not as desirable and there is a lot of problem and therefore we don't experience the real power of bhakti in our heart.
Udisio Gontabutis la Praptogana Satino, or it here is some hypothetizan. And he says if we really consider or think about the nature of pure bhakti that will have double effect.
He says that uh due to this process we will clearly understand what is śuddha-bhakti. We will be able to really uh understand what it means and our ignorance will be gone.
Wabatanjaki you vididwara hamir should ramra sanga budna so rahamra agyanbodizanja. And we also um be able to be protected from this mixed forms of bhakti.
Because there is a lot of temptation to do to to mix something with the bhakti together. Especially in this Kali Yuga. In Kali Yuga there is very uh very fashionable to mix everything. It's called fusion.
You go to restaurant and there's some fusion kitchen, you know. It's just mixing everything together. So we are practicing fusion bhakti. Fusion. But we should practice śuddha-bhakti.
So and actually this is not uh only modern phenomena. It has been always like this: you know, people they would always mix something with the bhakti.
Yukune Adunikura Madryana uh so so be some money big televoke Misa Kim Jan.
And therefore in Bhakti Sandharva Shila Jivagaswami he gave a very elaborate klassification and he talks about uh something like hundred plus hundred twenty or so different uh varieties of bhakti.
Misrid bhakti and only one pure bhakti. And it's very difficult to find one among one hundred and twenty, you know.
And the problem why this problem arises because we all have our uh different understandings and we kind of reflect our understanding our samskaras our experience onto the area of bhakti and we try to practice bhakti according to our understanding.
And Bhakti is very subtle. Bhakti is not very gross. Hatha yoga is much more gross than bhakti.
So there you have to practice some asana and of course there there are also some subtleties. But bhakti is much more subtle than this.
After you got a Belegon money, you are this toolza, is much as an oritari could repetitive six months, or wakti, or this such mazar.
So the point is that we all have our material conceptions and we reflect our material conceptions uh into the area of bhakti.
And it's very difficult to distinguish where our material conception starts and where the bhakti ends, you know, or whether so when our material understanding of bhakti starts and when the real bhakti should the bhakti ends.
The very beautiful Leela is explained in Antia Lila of Chaitanya Cheritamritav Brahman from Bengal came to Jagannathapuri. And he wrote a beautiful drama about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
And he wanted to read this drama to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself.
And other devotees they were listening to this drama and they were very overwhelmed and amazed, such a beautiful poetical composition of this Bengali Brahman.
And then Swarub Dhamadhar listened to this drama. He listened the first verse of this drama and He criticised severely. He found so many faults in just one verse.
But what happened here, you know, that we have this Brahman and he's supposedly very pure from Brahminical background. He wanted to express his admiration about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
But uh, in reality he writes something which is contaminated by this uh all these mixtures of uh Maya Vato Gnana or Karma.
Uh Parivarmajan Mika Brahmartera Unko Sabeta Vani Ramratio Rajatana Mahaprabhu Kobarima, you not a Sunara Mahaprabula, Vakara Kushilan Santi, so the Kintio, the Rabastama, Unko Natakmache, uh Mahavatku Mistrantiu.
And the vote is cannot really distinguish one from another. They say oh very good, very good, very nice. So devotional. Hare Krishna.
And therefore, our practice is not so powerful. Therefore, the effects of the practice are not so powerful.
Pure devotion in the Sri Sampradaya
Salichaina this currently is go uh sari by rekusaina. And therefore different acharyas they gave their definitions and we have to really understand what we mean when we say bhakti or pure devotional service.
Concept of Śuddha-bhakti is coming from Śrī Sampradāya from Rāmānujācārya. Yo, Śuddha-bhakti Kvarimati, Śrī Sampradāya, Rāmānuja Sampradāya around each other.
And Rāmānuja Sampradāya they're very, very careful not to worship anyone else but only Nārāyaṇa. In uh uh uh uh in Śrī Sampradāya uh those who are real followers of Śrī Sampradāya they will not even enter Śiva Temple.
For them it's a big apparatus. They will they will avoid Śiva Temple.
In Kanchipuram there are the Kanchipuram is uh holy place for Śrī Sampradāya, not only you know it's divided in Śiva Kanchi and Vishnu Kanchi. And in Śiva Kanchi there are Śiva temples and Vishnu Kanchi there are Vishnu temples.
So the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas they they don't even step into other part of the city where the Śiva temples are there Śrī Bajnavarti Kotarun. Śivakan sit tarp.
So careful they are to to point their devotion to direct their devotion towards Krishna and only towards Krishna on towards Nārāyaṇa and Vishnu.
So, this concept of pure devotion should be pure devotional service in Rāmānuja Sampradāya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu took this concept of ananya-bhakti, pure devotional service, from Śrī Sampradāya to Gauḍīya Sampradāya.
And uh basically this uh this concept is very much prominent in our tradition. That's what I want to say. And therefore uh Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī gave the definition of pure devotional service.
Let's talk a little bit about this definition of uh pure devotional service by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Yeah. So the whole Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is uh Paribasha Pustakam. It's the book of definitions.
Because to enter into some culture you have to very clearly know what uh the words which the people use uh mean exactly the exact definitions of the words being used.
Because we always you know we use words very uh loosely, indiscriminately. You know, I I love you. What does it mean? You know we know what it means.
Kinaki baked your man sobday soral therikali sostarukma pregane out of anyunsa cosalimatila prema girns, buzekopaniola, tara bhakti orasiv uh you prem you subda o la militia So,
of course, you all know the definition of pure devotional service. Let's chant it together. Anja Vilasita Sunjam jnana karmajana vritam Anukliana Krishna Nu silanam bhtir utama So
First of all, uh, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is asking very important questions. He says Rūpa Gosvāmī says this is uttamā-bhakti. Does it mean that there is Adhamabhakti, some uh lower kind of bhakti.
Can you say that somebody is practicing Adhama Bhakti I'm practicing Uttama Bhakti, he is practicing Adham Bhakti. It he says actually bhakti is only one. Bhakti is always pure.
Bhakti is the uh Shakti uh it's Swayam Shakti of Bhagavan himself. How it can be Adha? It cannot be Adhama. Bhakti Swayam Bhagavan Khaktiyo Banityo Adam Munikuri Samba. And it's always pure.
Because Because it's not, you know, it's it it cannot mix with with anything else. So basically when uh Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura he gives a very interesting explanation.
He says when Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī speaks about uttama Bhakti, he says he basically means that yes, bhakti is always pure, but it's like water. Water is always pure, right?
Well when we say water, water means water, it means pure water. But still there can be some mixture of some foreign elements into the water. Therefore when we when somebody gives us water, we ask is it pure water or not?
So Bhakti is always utama. Bhakti is always spiritual, but you know we have to really understand what are the foreign elements which can be mixed with the bhakti.
And the first thing which we have to understand is svarūpa Swarupa Shakti or Svarupa Svarupov Bhakti. Svarupa of Sudha Bhakti. What is Swarupa of Sudha Bhakti?
And he says that in this definition there are two kinds of uh lakshanas of bhakti, two kinds of uh different signs of bhakti.
Primary characteristics and spirit of following
Svarup laksana and tatastalaksana. Is bhaktika duty laksana yota Swaruplaksana yatatasta laksana? Swarup laksana of bhakti is Anukulyana Krishna Anusilanam, right? You all know.
So the basically, the essence of Bhakti is that you have to do something which is favorable in the service to the Supreme Lord. So the essence of pure bhakti is this mood of service. We all have bhoga-vṛtti.
We have this inclination to enjoy. Āmi svāmī, āmi bhoktā—vṛttiḥ cha. And practicing bhakti we should somehow or other change this bhoga-vṛtti, the inclination to enjoy into the sevā-vṛtti, into the inclination to serve.
And the difference between the one and the other one is that in bhoga-vṛtti you're always concerned what will happen with me, what I will experience as a result of it.
But in sevā you're always concerned how he whom I serve will experience what I do. Therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, very beautiful definition. Very beautiful. He says bhakti is anugatya-dharma.
He says that the essence of bhakti is that this is actually coming from Jīva Gosvāmī, but Bhaktivinoda even compresses this.
Ānugatya-dharma means basically the activity which we are doing following somebody, not on our own. jīvo svāmī-bhoktā uh ki ye. What is sevā? He says sā ca sevā kāyikā vācikā mānasātmikā trividhānugatir ucyate.
Seva means three kinds of anugatya, three kinds of following. We're following behind Krishna by our kāyikā, by our body, by our vācikā, by our words and by our mānasā, by our thoughts, by our mind.
In other words, what is sevā? Seva means I do only what is pleasing to Krishna. Seva means I speak only what is pleasing to Krishna. I don't use bad words or whatever.
I try to follow him. And I think, not the way I want, not the way I want to do it, but the way Krishna wants me to do it.
So therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says basically bhakti means anugatya-dharma. I am anuga, I am a follower. As soon as you think, you know, initially we were supposed to give this seminar for the leaders.
As soon as you think you are the leader—there's no leaders here. We're all followers.
vāsiyāche gaurāṅga bhakta-gaṇa lañā sōkhī more netāu mōḥ oṅgārichu one is so one de key āmi āmāra patana jāniyā āmi sōpiyāchi āṞ — I always uh anugas, we are following, we are not leading, we are following behind Krishna. And uh only because we are following somebody can follow us because we are following behind Krishna.
So that's that's the first thing which we have to really understand. Sever means I am not independent. I am not inde I'm never independent. As soon as I think I am independent, I'm out.
I'm kicked out from this Krishna consciousness movement. People often have this idea, you know, then I you know I will I will become leader and as soon as I become leader I become independent. Forget it.
You become fallen if you think like this. Mopan ydinnetsu, Rajundin Manetitogotuma Sotantraunchu, the Rajundin Tama Sotantra Byrinis Kinunza. So that's the first thing which we have to really be uh very clear.
And then it's also very interesting because Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that in this Anu Silanam, we are talking about Anushilanam, the most important part in the whole thing is Anu. Anu means following. Anu sila num.
I am doing something, not which I invented. If Silaprabhad said that we should do bhakti, we should practice bhakti like this, you know, the we should follow what he says. He knows better.
Not that I invent sam mai special Nepali way of following bhakti.
Panikura dosrukura Amilian uh onujun sub the like, the month onomaria hamiru potshaw de so Pasizan uh Kinavandiki, Yamirli J Batayikutsa Sudha Vaktori on Sutisco onusaranga Yeah. Then Chester. Very good Nepali word.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that śīlanam anusīlananam śīlanam means chasta. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, sorry, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī commenting on this verse says that this means uh commenting on this verse says that this uh means
has two kinds: ceṣṭā-rūpa and bhāva-rūpa. Ceṣṭā-rūpa means your endeavors, you're doing something practical, and bhāva-rūpa means your emotion which you experience by practicing bhakti.
So I have to please Krishna by my endeavors and by my emotions. It basically means that I I should do something but I also have to feel something which is pleasing to Krishna. Krishna Kalaki Anagutibani Garna Parja.
And some people think that it means that we have to uh practice uh ceṣṭā-rūpa and bhāva-rūpa together. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says no, no, it's a mistake. He says that ultimately bhāva should follow your ceṣṭā.
In other words, we shouldn't really try to get into some emotional state because you know Krishna uh you know we should not really artificially try to enter into some emotion uh uh uh while f uh practicing bhakti.
Uh I'm really bhakti Gabezgada Karicha Kiltim Ruple Kune Bhama Prabheskarchu who is to uh on Bhti Gari one is to Zabrastigari Kuray now. Sometimes people you know they become little tired of following Vaidi Bhakti and
they think you know no no no bhakti means you know my heart is uh but this is sahaja. Oh bhakti vanikda So
basically, we have to really know how to do Chesta so that actually the real Bhava, real emotion towards the Lord would be invoked in our heart. That's very important. So that's uh that's about uh anuśīlanam.
Anugatya and śīlan basically means chestā-rūpa.
The m main thing is that we have to do something uh practical like chanting or studying or distributing books or whatever in this in the mode of service by following Krishna.
Krishna as the object of devotion
Onusilan ma onuanico on Sarangarni Bayo, Silana Money Cheshta, I'm Keniki Obia, su job Garney, Pustack Pani, Pusta Vitron Garney, or the Keniki Seba Garaksa, you say Anugo take up Habara Ragatabhat.
But then uh Rupa Goswami says very important thing, he says it's not bhakti is not anuśīlanam. Not only Anusilanam. It's Krishna Anusilanam. practice pure devotional service towards Krishna.
It's um it's very uh fanatical concept. Uh very you know some people may not appreciate it, but Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that you cannot really practice bhakti even towards Yeah.
Suddha Bhakti Keval Krishna Prati Matra whatever Really, the object of Sudha Bhakti, of pure bhakti, is only Krishna, not and not anyone else.
Because if you practice pure bhakti, the most powerful form of Bhagavān will be revealed to you. The method of practicing and the object towards which we practice they are interdependent.
It's very important to understand that uh you know so many people practice different kinds of bhakti. But as a result of their practice, some people they realize paramatma,
some people realize, you know, Mayavadis also practice some sort of bhakti And As a result of it they see the effulgence very very bright effulgence of Brahman, spiritual effulgence.
Some people they practice bhakti as a result of it, they they realize the four handed form of Nārāyaṇa.
But Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says it's very important. If you practice Suddha Bhakti, uh you will realize only Krishna and not anyone else. And therefore it's so important for us first of all to understand towards whom we are practicing
because even Nārāyaṇa cannot really reciprocate with our bhakti in a complete way. Koprativakti Gorishava Nikurat Sabdani Purvakan Pursa, inaki swimbagan Narayan Lipani, Amra Sudha Vatikov uh Pratyutra Gana Saknuna.
Even Nārāyaṇa himself meditates on Krishna. Some time ago we went to Sri Rangam. And in Sri Rangam there is this beautiful mūrti of Nārāyaṇa laying on Ananta Śeṣa. And uh in this uh Garbam How it is? Chamber.
Yeah, in this chamber in this uh Garbhagṛha. In the Garbhagṛha where uh Śrī Ranganatha is laying down and you know and enjoying his life uh on the walls of his Garbhagṛha there is pastimes of Lord Krishna.
And I asked why why there is Krishna līlā in uh in Nārāyaṇa chamber there explained. And uh they explained to me that he's Nārāyaṇa and he's meditating on his Krishna līlā because it's so sweet.
But we have never heard that Krishna is meditating on Nārāyaṇa līlā. It's Nārāyaṇa meditating on Krishna, not Krishna meditating on Nārāyaṇa. So even Nārāyaṇa is meditating on Krishna. Why you shouldn't meditate on Krishna?
So uh basically what is very important is that uh the process of pure devotional service and the object of pure devotional service are inseparable.
You can only realize Krishna by practicing Suddha Bhakti and uh by practicing Suddha Bhakti you can realize only Krishna. That's the point.
Krishna go uh you should have Krishna Kawhi Gana Saksha, Krishna Ganubhti Garavani, and Bala you should the Vhakti Gana Saksha. By some other methods you will have some other experiences, but uh we are
actually uh we want to experience the complete sweetness of Bhagavān. Complete sweet form. And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that this Bhagavān uh has has these two forms aiśvarya-maya rūpa and mādhurya-maya rūpa.
Aiśvarya-maya rūpa is four-handed form of Nārāyaṇa and mādhurya-maya rūpa his two handed form of Lord Krishna. And he says that in in the material world uh
Aiśvarya opulence always overshadows mādhurya. If you come to somebody who is very powerful and you know his power is completely uh completely blocks uh his human nature so to speak. But he says that in the spiritual world everything is uh vice versa, everything is upside down. In in the material world the Aishwarya is more valuable
than mādhurya. You know if if if you have garland from some forest flower and then there is some you know very opulent garland with some you know like like banknotes. Yeah banknotes. That's exactly what I wanted to say.
Sometimes you know devotees they put some garland with dollars. Which would which would you prefer? It's a stupid question, isn't it? So in the spiritual world mādhurya is more powerful than aiśvarya.
And therefore Krishna is more powerful than Nārāyaṇa. And therefore the uh the svarūpa of śuddha-bhakti is uh ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. This is the svarūpa-lakṣaṇa of Krishna bhakti.
So if we want to practice śuddha-bhakti, we have to really understand that I'm worshiping Krishna and only Krishna, nobody else.
I worship Caitanya Mahāprabhu because he is leading me to Krishna, because he is Krishna himself, but uh he is my uh upasya, he is my uh object of worship, he is my worshipable lord.
And I have to also very clearly understand what Krishna likes and what Krishna doesn't like. And the only way for me to understand what Krishna likes and what Krishna doesn't like is to follow the spiritual master I
don't know what Krishna likes, what Krishna doesn't like, but he knows what Krishna likes, what uh he doesn't like. Therefore, in our uh guru-gāyatrī-mantra when we meditate on Guru we say
kṛṣṇānanda guru is kṛṣṇānanda guru is somebody who knows how to please krishna how to give ananda to krishna guru-gāyatrī-prakārī. So that's this is the svarūpa-lakṣaṇa of pure bhakti. Very important.
Of course you all know this.
Secondary characteristics and overcoming material desires
Maybe I shouldn't speak about this, but it's it's good to remind. But then there is also very important thing and uh this topic we will not can not uh finish today. What is taṭastha-lakṣaṇa of the pure devotional service.
And taṭastha-lakṣaṇa we of course know this is uh an uh what is it? anya-bhilāṣitā-śūnyam jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. There's two elements of uh taṭastha-lakṣaṇa: anya-bhilāṣitā-śūnyam and jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam.
So So that's taṭastha-lakṣaṇa means that uh all uh extraneous desire, all other desires should be Sunyam, should be completely zero. What does it mean? Because we have so many desires.
How we can practice something without having any other desires? How is it possible? Is it really realistic, you know, to say, you know, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam? So let's analyze what does it mean exactly.
First of all, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains very important. He says: bhukti-mukti-spṛhā yāvat piśācī hṛdi vartate, tāvad bhakti- sukhasyātra katham abhyudayo bhavet.
He says when this desire for bhukti and mukti, bhukti- mukti-spṛhā, when desire, spṛhā, is there in the heart, and he says this is piśācī, this is like a ghost.
When the ghost of bhukti and mukti spṛhā, the desire for bhukti and mukti is in the heart, then tāvad bhakti-sukhasyātra katham abhyudayo bhavet, you will not be able to experience the bliss of bhakti.
Not bhukti and mukti, bhukti and mukti spṛhā or abhilāṣa, bhukti- mukti-abhilāṣa. Bhukti, mukti ainaki bhuktiram muktiko abhilāṣa.
It's like if you have some worms in your stomach, in your intestine, some worms which are eating some food. You know, you may eat so much food and you will still remain skinny.
Because and the worms will become really fat and healthy. Yeah, moto mota. I saw sometimes they're really long. Really long and motor.
So, and in the same way, if you have these desires, they are like worms within your heart. You do so much bhakti, you chant, you do kirtan, you do this, you do that, and still you don't experience the bliss of bhakti.
Ami tāri sebhāgarso kīrtan garsopānio havāna utiga nasteno. And this words become really motā. They become really fat. Kira thhiri moto śakti-śālī, exactly sahibāche. means that the practice of bhakti goes in vain.
Like the food, if we eat food and there are some, you know, these worms, the food doesn't really get uh you know doesn't give us any benefit. So it's very interesting why.
We should really ask first the question, how it works, why why what's wrong? You know, little material desire here and there, why bhakti doesn't work? Bhakti is such a powerful process. Why it doesn't work?
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains very beautifully. Please listen very carefully.
He says if you have some material desire, it means that there will be some envy in your heart. To enjoy and I see that somebody is enjoying more than me, the envy will arise within my heart.
Even if it's very innocent desire, for example, I want to be healthy. I have just this very innocent desire. I want to be healthy. What's wrong with it? But then I see somebody is more healthy than me.
And I feel you know how how dare he become more healthy than me? Something is wrong.
So this this envy envy basically means that uh y if somebody uh is higher than you you you you uh start developing bad feeling uh towards this person de
Therefore, as Srila Prabhupada says, "Irsyago habito da matsarīyam." The definition of matsarīyam is paraut karsa asahanam matsarīyam. When you cannot really tolerate when somebody is perfect better than you.
And this bad ill feeling towards somebody else because of this material desire actually is totally against the feeling of love.
Therefore, in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vyāsadeva says: "Nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām," you can only understand Krishna and you can only realize Krishna if there is no matsari in your heart.
Because love and matsarīya don't get together, they're incompatible. If there is matsarīya, there will be no love in your heart. And therefore, if you have material desires, love will not enter your heart.
You will only cherish uh this matsarī within your heart. And you will you will use bhakti uh to envy other people. I'm better than you, I'm better devotee than you, you know, whose you think you are.
Just because of this general desire to enjoy uh bhukti or Mukti. And even if somebody is, you know, mm trying to get mukti, I will still be envious because he is getting mukti and I'm not getting mukti.
So this is how the material desires they eat up the bhakti within our heart.
And therefore when we practice bhakti and at the same time we really cherish material desires within the heart, the effect uh of this is not there. So what to do? How you know we have this we have these desires.
How we can uh get rid of these desires uh and at the same time we practice bhakti and while we practice bhakti with with the desires it doesn't have uh the effect doesn't give us the experience good experience, so w what to do?
So Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī gives a very beautiful uh solution to this problem. He says Ruchim Udha uh Udvahatas Tatra Janassya Bajanehareh Visayesu Garisttupi Ragah Praya Viliate. He says that uh uh you know please listen.
Ruchim Udvahatas Tatra Janasya uh bajanehareh visayesu Garisto Pi. Even if you have Visayesu Garisto Api, even if you have very strong taste for material enjoyment, Visayesu Garisto Api.
Rupo Sami Batanunsa, itpia hamirko you bauti itchar e the problems on Sakisalisan Manipani. But still you have Fruci uh towards bajan of Lord Hari.
And then gradually, gradually this taste for material enjoyment will be willy at will just melt away, will be completely Is it logical?
You just said that you will never have Ruchi to Hari Bhajan if you have material desire and now Rupa Gaswami says even if you have very strong taste to material uh enjoyment uh but still you have Rchiu or taste for Hari Bhajan, then only uh you will get rid of this raga. Uh is it logical?
How is how is it compatible?
You just said that there is the cannot be ruchi in the heart if there is some material desire and immediately almost immediately you says uh Visayesu Garistapi, even if you have very strong desire to enjoy and still you have some ruchi, how is it possible?
Somebody can give me an answer to this. Where do you get this ruchi from if if you have such a strong taste for material enjoyment? The answer is that you get it from Patri.
The answer is that you you have to get it from from somebody who has it.
Then if you get it from somebody who has it, if you are in contact with somebody who has this ruchi for Haribajan, then gradually this test for material enjoyment will be melted out of your heart and uh your heart will become pure and you will be able to uh practice the pure devotional service.
So basically the beginning, the middle and the end of bhakti is all based on the association. Only if you have proper association you will be able to practice pure devotional service. Otherwise it's not possible.
Anyway, that's uh already it's too late, I don't want to uh speak more. Tomorrow we can continue this topic. There is a lot m more things to say.
And I I'll try to do some to give some practical hints what does it mean, but today was little introduction to the topic.
Association with devotees of other forms
Okay. Yes. I have one inquiry. Like uh listen about that uh devotee of Sri Sampradaya, they do not even associate with the uh Srivabhakta or Sriva Temple.
So in one of Sikha also we have studied that even do not think about Lord Nārāyaṇa, think about Krishna. So can we associate with the devotees, those who are devotees of Lord Nārāyaṇa?
We can associate with anyone but we have to really understand what association means. You know, association when when we are associating, especially if we are associating very closely, we're sharing our taste.
So and our ambition or something like this.
And therefore you know if therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says if you want to associate the association means the real association which will be helpful for your spiritual progress with the devotees who are more advanced than you and who have similar taste, who want to who are cultivating similar taste, the taste which you want to cultivate.
So that's very important. If the taste of bhāva which you are trying to cultivate is different, then two intimate association may not be productive.
You can still associate, you can still be friendly and you know, but too close association may not be so good.
Otherwise we're very respectful and we like them, but we have our little lālā in Vṛndāvana whom we want to associate. So that's the most important. Uh this is ghari yo bhakti margama aggressar unakalagicham with a
madariya madhamatikari afuanda mathiya afnubarabarko bakter sangasongar the kari chami bhti margama agari porchong at this currently Yes, please.
And uh Prophet also at the same time said devotees should be independently thoughtful, the Spadra often quotes. So um how do we understand till which degree or what is that independently thoughtful means?
At the same time, we don't want to be independent. Different people have different favorite quotes from Prabhupada.
Basically means that, you know, independently thoughtful means that if I established in our identity as a follower, as a disciple, as a servant.
Then within this identity, we can manifest our ability to be independently thoughtful.
Like it is said that in Rāmāyaṇa it is said that the servants are of three types and the best servant is uh you know the the worst servant is that he hears something and he doesn't do this.
Madhyama dasa he hears some agya, some order, and he does exactly what is said. And uh the best servant he hears some order and uh he does what is being said but he does more.
Like Prabhupada said, my Guru Maharaj told me to preach in the West, uh, but then I came to India and started preaching in India that was my own desire. So, so like Hanuman,
Hanuman he he went to search for Sita, but by the way he also burnt Lanka. That was his independently thoughtful manifestation. So but he was first and foremost established in this identity. I am the servant of Lord Rama.
And then you know and he he was following strictly his order and he found Sita and and then you know by the way he did so many other things. Okay, thank you very much. Okay, man.