Purification of the heart is the prime duty of the leader. ILS
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · Майапур · 2014
Главы
Oma Gyanati Miranda Gyanam Jana Sala Kaya Chaksurun Militam Yala Tasmay Sri Gura Venama. Namam Vishnu Padaya Krishna Prashtaya Buddhale Srimati Bhaktividanta Swaminitinamini Sakripa Sindhu Bhiva Cha Patitana Pavane Byovishnava Bionamoram Jair Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhupita Nanda Syadvaita Badahara Srivasad Bhta Brinda, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Ajana Lambiokana Gavada Sankirtanaika Bitaraka Malayakakswambaru
I'm very honored by the presence of all of you.
Purification of the heart for leaders
Especially Bhani Maharaj, the Nanda Maharaj and others senior devotees. A couple of days back I gave this presentation about the purification of a heart, of the heart as the prime duty of the leader.
And I will repeat it today for those of you who are not there in case you're interested. Just a few thoughts uh about this important topic. And I require your blessings to be able to say something once well.
As I said it will be just a few points they are of course somewhat coherent and uh connected with each other. But nevertheless.
Um I was uh giving yesterday and some other day the presentation about the culture of empowerment.
What is the culture of empowerment constitutes of and I'm trying to make a point there that the culture of empowerment is not just delegation.
Sometimes we uh do uh think that empower people means to delegate some responsibilities which we have naturally. the notion or the concept of empowerment is much broader than just delegation.
You know sometimes oftentimes I see that leaders are very eager to delegate their responsibilities.
They are ready to delegate their responsibilities but the complaint which I always uh hear in these cases is that nobody is ready to take the responsibilities.
All these people are solely responsible, you know, they they are not ready to take responsibilities. They are not taking responsibilities. I am ready to give some part of my duties to somebody, but nobody wants.
Nobody is eager. Nobody is around. And there is always, it's more or less like a constant refrain of leader, you know, nobody wants to take responsibility. There's no people who are ready to do this.
And my little presentation yesterday was about this and this is also somewhat connected with this whole uh notion of this understanding of empowerment. Uh that uh to successfully empower people uh and that's the main point which I'm trying to make, uh you uh have to have some qualities within yourself.
And the prime and most important quality is the purity of the heart.
Faith as organizational capital
I was trying to speak uh about this during Bhagavatam class, and this is something something some re some related topic also.
The first point which I wanted to make is that uh any organization to function properly as Prabhupada explains in Bhagavad-gītā needs uh buildings, needs uh manpower, resources, capital.
But uh I want to ask you what is the real capital in our organization. Of course, Prabhupada definitely means it literally capital means capital.
Capital means money, capital means you know some physical, so to speak, resources which help us function in this world.
But if we take this notion of capital in a little figurative way, we will understand that the capital is something which uh provides particular organization to function.
And uh I would uh uh ask you this question: what is the real capital in our organization?
And if we have this capital we are capable of uh functioning in this world and we are company uh capable of spreading the mission of Krishna consciousness. So what is the capital? Huh? Devotees? Huh? Any other idea?
Willing us to learn. To learn. Okay. What else? Yes. Loyalty of the members. Good. Good. Yes. Faith. Faith. You said faith. Yeah. This is the yes. Purity. Yeah.
Basically the answer I was looking for is this faith. And of course the other answers uh are correct. You know, if people have faith, they have enthusiasm, if they have enthusiasm, you know, they're there, they're staying there, therefore devotees are there.
If people have faith, they are loyal to the organization, they are working very actively and so on and so forth.
So I would introduce first this particular notion that the main capital which we have, the main thing which gives us ability to function in this world is faith.
And if if devotees have faith, if people have faith, if they are capable of creating faith in the hearts of devotees, then everything is there. The success will be coming, there is no doubt about it.
So this notion of śraddhā or faith is very important. And my next question would be you know if a leader in any organization having some position in an organization is not careful
about wasting the money or the main capital of this organisation, how he would be dealt with by the higher leadership? What would be the what what should be the proper uh dealings with such a leader?
Creating faith through heart purity
You know, obviously he should be punished, he should be you know like the other day I was giving this uh presentation and one mataj said So
basically uh the first point which I wanted to make very clear is that uh the prime duty of a leader is to create faith into subordinates. It's to create faith in people, is to be able to create faith.
And the purity of the heart is the prerequisite of this.
If we don't have the purity of the heart, if in other words, if we are somewhat insincere ourselves then we will not be able to create faith and we will not be able to inspire people and uh nothing will work.
And the contrary, if we destroy the faith of people.
If we kill the enthusiasm, the spirit of enthusiasm in the people, which is again a result of our improper behavior and lack of purity, the uh ulterior motives within our heart and everything else.
So on the contrary, if we destroy the faith of people, we are basically destroying the capital of our organization.
Instead of increasing our organization, strengthening our organization, we are weakening our organization. So that's the first uh idea or the first uh understanding.
So actually the successes of a leader should be measured to the proportion of how he is uh able or capable of creating or at least maintaining the faith in the leaders. And therefore, sorry, not in the leaders of devotees.
You know and and it for that he needs to have some minimal purity of the heart.
You know, he may not be completely pure, but at least some minimum purity should be there to maintain the faith uh in devotees to maintain the faith uh in people. So this is uh one thing which I wanted to make from the beginning why it is the prime duty to have the pure heart because uh you know, this is what leaders in any organization are supposed to do.
They have to increase the capital.
So the next point which I wanted to make again in relation to this previous point is that I already said that the notion of empowerment in my humble opinion is much more powerful, is much broader than the notion of just mere delegation.
The empowerment means basically to give power to the people to act to give them power to act properly within the framework of a Krishna conscious society. To provide them with this power.
And the people they have this power to act properly. Basically, when we are talking about empowerment of other people, we are talking about giving them qualification, right?
You know, uh to be able to function, to be able to do something uh within Krishna consciousness movement, people need qualification.
And what is the uh main and basically the only qualification which uh somebody requires to be a devotee. What is the qualification? What is the adhikar to practice bhakti. Faith. Yeah, right. We know. Śraddhā means adhikāra.
Śraddhā is not a part of bhakti. It's interesting that Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, he stresses this point and also Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in a number of occasions he says that śraddhā as such is not a process of bhakti.
The process of bhakti is śravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam Faith is not there. Faith is the prerequisite.
It's outside of the realm of practice of bhakti, but it's a very necessary and a very important prerequisite to practice bhakti. Without faith you cannot practice bhakti.
And therefore again to empower people to practice bhakti you have to be able to at least maintain or better to create the faith.
And together with the notion of empowerment comes the notion of disempowerment, which I wanted to again say that this is a little uh new point.
Uh you know disempowerment means that we deprive people of power to act properly, deprive people of power to act as devotees.
And we as the leaders have plenty of opportunities to deprive people to act as devotees. We have a special privilege to really destroy the faith in the people.
You know, not only as I said, you know, you may be okay as a leader if you are not increasing the capital of the organization. At least you should maintain it.
But uh uh you you you should not destroy the capital of the organization and what I want to say is that we may disempower people not just by not delegating them certain responsibilities which we have.
We uh can greatly disempower people around us by uh showing wrong example. You know you don't have to do anything basically, to disempower people around you. You just have to be not a proper example.
And people will feel total, complete emptiness in the heart, they will feel that something is lacking in their life, they will feel lack of enthusiasm just by seeing at you as a leader.
So, again, this concept of empowerment and disempowerment, I think it's very important for any leader to understand that you know to empower people it's not a specific process so to speak. Of course, if you delegate there is a specific process which you should follow. It's a systematic process, it's being taught in the management seminars.
But uh you know if you don't behave yourself properly, the result will be disempowerment of people even if they are not directly dependent on you.
Just by the mere fact that you are a leader in a religious organization and and you are not uh you know meeting the uh highest possible standard of uh this particular religious organization on the principles which is being spread by this religious organization, you will have this effect of disempowering people.
We know this in our rich and very eventful history.
You know we because sometimes people they think you know that it's to inspire other people uh you have to you have to really give the pep talks and you have to really you know yell on a high pitch, you know, just surrender, you know, distribute books, hard uh
But uh uh you know there uh I I think it's Saint Franciscus he said that everyone has to preach and sometimes he has all he he can even talk.
Meaning that if you want to preach, sometimes you can talk, you know, to preach, but uh the main point in preaching is not to talk.
The main point uh in preaching is to behave and uh by uh not behaving yourself uh properly we will uh disempower people or we will deprive them of the faith.
And then uh next point which again uh is connected to this or um the next thing which I wanted to introduce or explain to you how I see it. And please bear with me, it's my understanding,
and if you find it uh helpful, I I have never seen the description which I will make anywhere in the scriptures uh as such. Although I mean uh there is some confirmation to this.
Ultimate goals and intermediate steps
And it's related to the topic which was there before. So, what I will explain now very strong and interesting point.
In a couple of purports in Bhagavad-gītā. In a number of purports he stresses the point of seeing the ultimate goal as the prerequisite of gradual process.
Like in the purport of Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti, he makes Purvakam Dadani Buddhi Yogam Tam Vyana Mamu Payanti, he uh makes a very interesting point.
He says the ultimate goal is Krishna. And if you see this ultimate goal is very clearly, then you will be able to achieve it for sure, hundred percent, through the series of gradual steps, progressive gradual steps.
In other words, Prabhupāda he makes and in another purport in Bhagavad-gītā in 2.66 I believe he makes the point that if you don't see if you're not connected with the ultimate goal, if somehow or other the ultimate goal is missed, then you will have disturbance within your mind, you will you will not be able to be steady, and so on so forth.
So uh Prabhupada stresses this point that you need to see the ultimate goal, but besides seeing the ultimate goal, which is very very important. You have also to know and if you see the ultimate goal very clearly you will be able to see the path which leads to this ultimate goal. You will see the gradual steps which you will have to make to reach this ultimate goal, and ultimately you will achieve this ultimate goal or the highest goal.
So the next point which I want to make and uh to try to uh you know think a little bit about and to to elaborate a little bit about together with you is that uh To be very clear about the goal.
And to be very enthusiastic about achieving the goal. You definitely need to see the intermediate goals. When the goal is too high, and we all know the goal is Krishna, right?
And it's aspiring to a certain extent, and we know the goal is love of God. But uh what I want to uh introduce now that uh you know uh when the goal is too high. Sometimes we may feel little discouraged.
Either because it's too high and may seem to be unachievable. You know sometimes when we hear this, you know, you have to chant twenty-four hours a day.
You know, uh who is really being inspired by this statement that you have to chant twenty-four hours a day?
You know, and sometimes when we hear the descriptions of Lord Caitanya when he was, you know, manifesting the symptoms of uh love of God, sometimes you cannot help but think, you know, do I really need it?
I mean I'm I'm I'm really sorry being such a heretic here, but but what I want to say is that is that when when we
hear you know that there was uh foam in the mouth of Lord Caitanya and he was just foaming in his mouth and yeah and he was thinking, big Jaga Jaga B and he was choking, you know.
It's a little difficult to relate to it in our present condition. It's it may not be exactly relevant to our day to day life. You know, if if we come to our wife and say my dear wife, you know You
You know, from tomorrow on I will be foaming in the mouth and chanting twenty-four hours a day. It may be relevant to you, it definitely will not be so relevant to your wife.
That may be another impediment on your progressive path towards Krishna. So, uh what I want to say: that it's uh to achieve this, and
Prabhupada stresses this in this purport that uh ultimate goal, you have to be very clear about the ultimate goal, no doubt about it. But uh if you see the ultimate goal, you will also see intermediate goals.
You will also see the goals which you will have to achieve gradually and by going step by step you know achieve the ultimate goal. So what I want to explain to you now is a very important thing.
Three categories of scriptural knowledge
How to see these goals and how to go step by step from goal to goal. We all know the essence of the
scriptures as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained them, he said that the essence of all scriptures is divided into three categories. What are these three categories? Sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana.
So number one is sambandha, just to establish the relation, our eternal relation with God, and then, to know the process of how to act in that relation, abhidheya. That's what we want to capture in bhakti.
What is prayojana? Is this how does this prayojana? That's why we're talking about this. Prayogena is the goal. You know, and basically prayogena, the very word prayogena means something with which you
uh want to be associated with prayojana, something vis you want with which you are connected. You attain something. Therefore this verbal root huj is
there prayana you know prayojana um what i would like to introduce now is uh a slightly different understanding than these three terms. We will keep prayojana as a goal as such.
And I want to ask you: what would be the alternative Sanskrit word for Abhidheya? Abhidhaya is a process, right? How we usually call Abhidheya? Sadhana, yes. Sadhana. And Sadhana we know.
Bhanu Maharaj will tell us that sadhana uh as opposed to sadhya is the systematic process to achieve sadhya the goal. Sadhana means something which you do to achieve the goal.
So uh let's for a moment uh you know let's for our discussion to change abhidheya into sadhana. They're gonna give you a sheet of paper. Plain blank and bow. Um and prayogena is the goal. Um Um okay.
So I want to change this word also, but before changing this word into something else, uh I want to ask you. Uh very interesting for you. Uh well uh let's try it.
Uh what uh how we can uh what would be the alternative for sambandha. What would be the alternative for sambandha? Knowledge. Yeah, it's definitely knowledge. It's sambandha jnana. getting desire to achieve the goal.
There are in 𝖲hāstra it is explained that there are two ways to achieve desires. There are desires of two kinds.
First kind of desire you already experienced something, and because you experience something you created some scar in your mind, because you have some some scar in your mind, you want to repeat the same experience if this experience is pleasurable.
So this is one way of developing desires. Desires are based on our own experience, but there is another way of um achieving uh or of having desires and this is very widely used in the advertisement industry.
What is the other way to plant the desire within the heart of a people basically to give them some knowledge. You know, this is what you need. You don't have, you know, you have a stupid washing machine.
And you know, you have no idea what this washing machine is all about, what it is, but you see that some people are happy by using this washing machine.
And uh and they say, you know, this is Samsung washing machine or whatever. And then you say, yeah, I need Samsung washing machine. You don't have any experience but you get some knowledge about this.
And therefore some sambandha-jnāna is there, you know, we get the knowledge. How we get the desire to achieve Krishna? We don't have the experience of Krishna, right? Does anyone of course you know I don't have.
Does anyone of you has, you know, but we get the we get the knowledge and by getting the knowledge uh you know how nice it is that there is a nice weather in the spiritual world and nice prasādaṁ. And not much hassle and not much things like this.
So you get some this is this is some sambandha. But what I want to uh what I want to introduce is a slightly different concept here. The concept of adhikāra or qualification.
Adhikāra or qualification instead of sambandha, uh, for our discussion will give a little more a little more clear
understanding what I want to say adhikāra och qualification sambandha means to do, right? Sorry, sadhana means to do. Right? Prayodhana means to to get. Right? Prayojana, what you want to get.
Sadhana means what you want to do. What is Sadhikara? To be. To be. Okay?
You are in a certain level of existence, you are on a certain level of spiritual development, you're on a certain level of understanding uh and this is uh uh this
constitutes your adhikāra, your qualification. And then when you have this adhikāra qualification, you will do something uh you know and you get some extra knowledge. By this extra knowledge you develop desire to get something.
And when you develop desire to get something, you also get the knowledge of what you should do.
Therefore, sometimes it is said also, some sambandha-jñāna, abhidheya-jñāna, what what what is what you should uh, and prayojana-jñāna.
Uh what is the goal of your endeavors, what is the goal of uh of uh and what you're supposed to do. So if we take this is the next point if we take a long path
to an ultimate goal. And there are few of these intermediate goals which you want to come to. Then you know if you are in this point, in the point A. Then the point B towards the point A will be what?
Will be in this scheme. Will be prayojana, right? It's a prayojana. This is your intermediate goal. But when you at and and this is your adhikāra. On the point A is adhikāra, B is uh your prayojana and this stage.
You know, again I am explaining the gradual progression. So, but if you achieve the point B uh and you want to go to the point C, so what the point B will become? Adhikāra. And point C, your prayojana.
And when you achieve point C, then point C becomes your adhikāra and point D becomes your prayojana goal.
So what I want uh to explain here so that we know uh you know the gradual progression means you uh change your adhikāra. By uh having the intermediate goals uh you are going step by step.
And I already said before that uh you know to have to
be very clear about the ultimate goal, we have to have certain adhikāra. You know we may have some understanding of the ultimate goal of the highest possible goal, but to be really enthused by the highest possible goal,
we need to have certain adhikāra. Therefore, I said that this point of having uh
totally completely overwhelming love of God may not be relevant to us not because it's not a relevant goal, but because we don't have the proper
adhikāra for it. We are not yet ready to really have this goal as a goal as such. And therefore, it's very important to uh to know how it goes.
goal, and this goal becomes your adhikāra, you achieve the new goal, and this goal becomes your new adhikāra. And uh in this way you progressively following the path.
So, the next point, which I want to say to you, or to describe, about the purification of the heart. Because again, the purification of the heart is the topic of our discri uh of our of our uh uh uh seminar. So and again this is a little uh
Devotee association as spiritual qualification
this is I'm on a little shaky ground so please forgive me if you find this uh somewhat uh questionable but uh still I I would say that uh it makes sense at least it makes sense for me and I I wanted to share it with you.
As I said, the general adhikaro, general qualification for bhakti is what? Faith. Śraddhā. But as I also said that if we take this ladder of bhakti,
the ladder of devotional service which is described in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, uh then basically each each step on this ladder can become the adhikar it
becomes the adhikāra for the next step, right? You know, in the beginning we have śraddhā. Then the next point is what? Sādhu-saṅga. Sādhu-saṅga. And I would say that you know in of course in
the beginning our adhikāra is śraddhā, but the most important adhikāra which we have as devotees is sādhu-saṅga. Śrīla Prabhupāda said this on a number of occasions.
Sometimes devotees would ask them, would ask him, you know, they quoting this famous verse from the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Devahūti. Huti. You know what is the what is our qualification? Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Because Devahūti says that yad-jihvāgre, from the tip of your tongue, the holy name is dancing, it means that you already uh passed all the Vedic uh yajñas and all the things like this, you know.
And the what is they wanted to hear from Śrīla Prabhupāda some confirmation, you know, yeah. You already passed through it, you already you already beyond it, you already and Prabhupāda said you have zero qualification.
Zero qualification. I am your qualification. Prabhupāda said that because you are associating with me, you have some qualification.
So what I want to say now that uh actually to uh we need Shraddha in the very beginning but then the next most important qualification
which all of us have is the society of devotees is is, you know, Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say that if somebody thinks that uh he uh he he can uh progress on the path of bhakti outside of the
society of devotees, he's he's an al he's a lunatic. He is uh he's insane. You know, and it he specifically says you have to be in the association of devotees to progress.
And if you are on the stage, let's say we get some face and uh by having some face we uh uh associating with devotees and we see some some nice devotees, devotees who have some purity of the heart, then what would be our goal?
What is the goal which is relevant from the very beginning.
What I would uh suggest here and this is important for uh I would suggest that the goal which is relevant from the very beginning is the purification of the heart.
And this is exactly what Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says in Jaiva-dharma. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says in Jaiva-dharma that in the beginning when you chant the holy name, your goal which is not compromising with the purity of chanting.
But still, the goal of purification of the heart may seem somewhat material. You know, you just purify your heart. It's not that high goal that so somewhat high spiritual goal.
But Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura specifically says that in the beginning when you chant the holy name then the goal which is not compromising with the purity of chanting but still achievable and relevant is the purification of the heart.
So what I want to introduce now that in my humble opinion we can consider this letter letter of bhakti in a certain
way if our qualification or adhikāra is sādhu-saṅga. And if our prāpti, and this is adhikāra, and if our prāpti is anartha-nivṛtti or purification from anarthas in the heart. Then our sadhana will be what? Bhajanakriya.
And we know Bhajanakriya means sadhana.
But Bhajana Kriya in the association of devotees, in the society of devotees, when together with the devotees, we chant and hear and think and worship the deities together with the devotees in a proper framework.
Overcoming material attachments and anarthas
You know, so what I want to say is that in the in the very beginning this anartha-nivṛtti, anartha-nivṛtti is a proper goal. When we get this understanding, then this is something which we can relate to very easily.
We can understand that if my heart is a little more pure from this with anarthas from kāma, krodha, lobha, mada, mātsarya, Moha, you know, I will become little more happy.
The problem with this anarthanivriti, why it is such a difficult process and why it is such a painful process sometimes is that all the anartas which we have and please raise your hands who have some anartas still in the heart. I think it's unanimous.
So the problem of the Anarthas is that we subconsciously think that they are not anarthas, that they are actually arthas. That they are something valuable. You know, because they have they give us some advantage.
You know what is anartha? Anartha is nothing but a device uh to adjust to the atmosphere of this world. To be to exist in this world you need some anarthas.
Without an anartha, it's very difficult to exist. Even in this world. You know.
If you don't have, you know, how how you will survive if you don't have any pride or any, you know, and people, you know, to get some little extra lust, they pay a lot of money, you know, because this is something which is very valuable.
You know, it's it's uh uh it it's it's uh a normal thing, you know. All this all all what we think as an anartha uh uh is for normal people is artha.
You know, you tell people right there on the street that you have, you know, to get Krishna you have to get rid of lust. You know, and they will just spit on you. That unconsciously we hold through the this anartha.
We don't want to leave them.
Like this famous story about Ashtavakra Muni who was showing this, you know, he he was holding the column and saying, Leave me, leave me, leave me, leave me, and he said, You're crazy, you know.
He said, No, I'm not crazy, you're crazy. So and then there is a beautiful story. We sometimes may not understand that we are holding these anartas very tightly.
That in our subconsciousness we really value them and we think that this is something which we need. So there is a beautiful story which I first heard from Ravindra Svarupa. He quoted Saint Augustine.
In his confession, Saint Augustine says, when I was a young boy, I was very sincerely praying to the Lord, my dear Lord, please, please, please help me take my last away. And then very hastily I would say, but not now.
You know, take it away but little later. So we may not be on the level even of this level uh of introspection to understand that I don't need this, but at least theoretically,
we understand even from the beginning that we need to purify the heart.
And basically the first part of our presentation was about this, that at least theoretically we have to understand I have to have clean heart. If I want to lead others, I have to purify my heart.
And we have to know very well the process. The process is to do sadhana in the association of devotees, not alone,
not uh to be uh isolated somewhere and that's exactly what Anutham Prabhu was saying. Anutam Prabhu was saying uh the other day on the plenary in his presentation, then if there is some sign of isolation, it basically shows that something is wrong, that somebody doesn't really want to purify the heart.
So, one of the conditions of purification of the heart is that you uh you know you value the association of devotees. You are with the devotees, you're serving the devotees, and you sincerely want to purify the heart.
And this is the uh, as Prabhupada used to say, automatic process. If you are in the association of devotees, the heart will be purified. There is no doubt about it.
But then as I said, Anarthanivriti is not the ultimate goal. Anarthanivriti is the intermediate goal, important intermediate goal, which we will have to place ourselves.
And then as I said, that when we achieve the intermediate goal, when we achieve the anarchan anarthanaivriti. Then Anarthanivriti will become what? Adhikar. Adikar. Adikar.
And then uh when when the achieved, when the heart is somewhat purified from the grossest kinds of offenses or anartas, not offenses, offenses is the last thing which leaves the heart, but from some gross anartas which are there, gross material desire, then what will be our uh next intermediate goal?
Ruchi. To confirm this.
It's interesting because we know that Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thakur Prabhupada was very emphatic about this anarthanivriti. He was not going higher. He was very conservative as far as this highest realms of devotion are concerned.
And he was always stressing this point: anarthanivriti, anarthanivriti, anarthanivriti. You know, there is a famous lecture which people who have somewhat sahajaic
tendencies, and we know that he is Rūpānuga-viruddha- siddhānta-dhvanta-hariṇe, the one who destroyed the uh the darkness of this uh Rūpānuga-viruddha-apasiddhānta. So the people, even among his followers, the people who have little sahajiyā tendencies, they want to they they like to quote very much one of his lectures which he gave
on Rādhā-kuṇḍa. He said: OK, fine, for 20 years we have been trying to achieve anartha-nivṛtti. Now is the time to achieve artha-pravṛtti. Or you know, in other words, to pravṛtti artha-pravṛtti the uh you know now now Now it's the point to talk about something higher.
Something higher means here, taste. You know, anarthanivriti. So that's exactly what he says.
Progressing from purification to taste
He says: first you achieve anarthanivriti, then you put the next goal, and the next goal will become rute, spiritual taste. This is arta praviti.
You know, in the beginning it is very important to talk a lot and to give a lot of stress to this negative thing, purification of the heart, understanding what an artas are, what is there, what is happening within our heart, introspection, this and that.
But then you you know when achieve, when your heart is somewhat purified, and this is the position of the leader, then your next goal will become, which is relevant in this case, you know.
Because if in the beginning you start talking about the spiritual taste, I've seen how it how it sometimes you know I've seen some people are talking about spiritual taste. There is some artificiality in it.
So, but I want to ask you what will be the sadhana for this anarthanivriti if the goal is ruchi? Huh? Nista, yes.
You can ask me how NISTA, which is stability or stable face, can become sadhana. In my humble opinion, it's very simple. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains that what is Niṣṭhā?
Nishta means Trinada Pisu, Nichinata Rora Pisa Hishnu naamani na manadana kirtaniya sadahari.
And all these things, humility, tolerance, patience, respect, and the absence of desire to be respected by others can become sudden.
What I want to say is that you know in the beginning stages, our clear goal, relevant goal is anarchanivriti. When we achieve this goal, then our goal uh process, our goal is Ruchi, our process is humility.
Uh I want to say here also, and I think this is somewhat important. Um we like to stress the humility from the very beginning.
Kirtanya Sadahari we say about this you know but what I want to say also is that in the very beginning the humility cannot be practiced properly.
Because even to practice humility, to have humility as a sadhana, you need to have some adikhar, some qualification.
You know, in the beginning when we try to practice humility, when some people I've seen, you know, if you tell something really strongly, you know, be humble, be humble, be humble, you know, for fifteen minutes after the lectures, people may become really humble, you know.
And uh how they become humble? They just look in a very strange way, you know, I'm very humble, you know. What I want to say is that in the beginning, uh, we don't have adhikāra to practice humility.
And Prabhupada was very much aware about it. Sometimes, Prabhupada, not sometimes, many times. I would say most of the times.
Prabhupada would encourage not really humility but something opposite to the humility. He would say just do it. You know, he would encourage something which may seem to be as an ambition, and it was an ambition.
Why was Prabhupada doing it? Because he knew that if somebody, if you tell them from the very beginning, "Be humble."
You know, if from the very beginning you tell somebody who is a little ambitious to become humble, what he will do? Zero. Zero. And ultimately he will be frustrated.
So, what I want to say is that you know this progression of the purification of the heart in the beginning, you may sometimes encourage people to do something in the society of devotees, together with other devotees, so that some gross dirt within the heart would be cleansed through this process.
You, from the very beginning, you don't encourage. And I think, and I see it, especially when you counsel some devotees or whatever, sometimes it's necessary to stress not humility.
We have to stress humility all the time, that's true. But sometimes uh you know it's also necessary to uh to stress some other things.
Basically, what I want to say is that in the beginning we have to stress that you have to remain in the society of devotees. You have to be part of a group, bhaktivrikṣa, or counseling system or whatever.
This is, and within this framework, you do chant and speak and hear about Krishna, and this is the stress in the beginning.
But then, you know, at one point, when somebody is somewhat purified, then definitely this should be stressed.
And my next point which I wanted to make, and then you know you will be able to do it, you will be able to really practice
Qualifications and sadhana for leaders
it because you have the adhikāra, anartha-nivṛtti is adhikāra. So what I would say that anartha-nivṛtti is the adhikāra for a leader.
To be a leader, and I proved it, I tried to prove it before in the beginning when I said if you want to be a leader, anartha-nivṛtti is the adhikāra.
You basically have to pass this stage, you have to have this adhikāra already, you know, to function as a leader. Otherwise you will be dysfunctional. Your leading capability visb will be greatly uh greatly
how you say it, greatly you will be disabled or you will be greatly disempowered or whatever to to act as a leader if you are not. So as a leader this is the process.
As a leader you have to have some purity of the heart, you have to practice humility as your sadhana, as your daily sadhana.
You know, bow down, you know really you you have to practice passion so tolerance as a sadhana you know and as a leader you have plenty of opportunities to practice tolerance.
You know, it's a very advantageous position to be a leader because people will always criticize you. It's a very nice thing, you know. And uh you know you you have to practice respect.
This is the practice, this is the daily practice of the leader. It's it's it's a sadhana of the leader.
And then you will achieve taste and then next after the taste there will be ruchi and then bhāva will be the real goal and then āsakti will be your practice and then you know good luck, you're there, no problem. You're you know from there it's a very smooth path.
Uh this this this things are a little more difficult especially in the beginning and just one more little thing which I wanted to say what we are supposed to do if we are not on this level.
Like after the class which I gave today's Bhagavatam class, some devotees came to me and said who will want to become a leader after such a class?
Who will step into these muddy waters and you know to take these great responsibilities, this and that, you know. So please understand me right.
First of all, I don't want to discourage you by saying all these things. I don't want to discourage you from being a leader.
Just because of the mere fact that uh simple fact that every one of us is already a leader and we can't avoid it.
We are we already leader, being in this world, we are leader for somebody, you know, it may be leader for our little family or little this group, little bhaktivriks or whatever. We we will always be.
So we can't avoid responsibility and moreover if, we avoid this responsibility of taking this, we are effectively slowing down our progress.
To take more and more responsibility is the sure way uh to achieve the goal and uh to become really empowered uh by the service. So we have to take responsibility, we shouldn't be afraid.
So but my question uh to you which I wanted to deal very shortly because my time is over, you know, what do we do if we are not yet on the stage of anartha-nivṛtti?
If the gross anartas are still there but we're still playing the role of a leader. As I said, it's it's an adhikar to be a leader. That's the only adhikar. The practice is to be humble.
And we have seen in our society, we have seen leaders who perhaps were powerful leaders but perhaps we're not uh completely free from some gross anartas.
Um and uh you know and therefore they were not practicing exactly the humility they were rather on this stage and uh because of the isolation which uh unfortunately was there.
Overcoming subtle obstacles through service
They didn't purify the hearts through this process because they have chosen to be somewhat isolated on this first stages of development and uh not really properly practice bhajana kriya in the association of devotees.
So uh my understanding is that even if we are in such a position, even if we are already playing a role of a leader without being sufficiently qualified,
then then still there is something very important which we can do uh and still uh fit uh to this position and be ultimately achieved the success.
What uh it's uh I don't have unfortunately time to uh uh s say too much about this, but what I want to say is the point which which is there in Bhajan Rahasya of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Thakur.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Dvitiya Sadhana or Second Sadhana, which is basically the elaboration of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's meditation on the second verse of Śikṣāṣṭakam.
Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrpitā नियमितah smaranena kālaḥ... So he's speaking about this Anarthanibriti stage. He's talking about how to get rid of anartas?
And he is quoting so many many different verses from the scriptures to elaborate this point. What does it mean to purify the heart.
What one should do to achieve this purity of the heart, what is there, what is the process. And I noticed an interesting thing while thinking about this because it's a somewhat mysterious book.
Bhajan Rahasya, it's not an easy book. You know it's not just easy reading, you know, some entertainment. It's a it's a very deep uh uh uh Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is revealing his heart.
So in this chapter of Bhajan Rahasya, he quotes two verses from Manaḥ Śikṣā of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Only two verses.
In Manaḥ Śikṣā of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, there are five verses Progressively describing different anartas. Starting from our impediments. Starting with the external impediments, the impediments, you know which is the Sadvarta Veshi Vishrija Matisarvasva Haranih just give up all this idle talks and everything. Then the next thing is that internal impediments like lust and greed and you know which is there within the heart and he says this is like ducoids which are pulling you down into this well of material existence.
And then you know there are five verses which describe progressive stages of purifying from anarthas. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura speaks about two only of them. Out of five he only mentions two. In reverse order.
He mentions only six and seventh verse of Manak Shiksha and first he mentioned six verbs and that's about it.
He basically doesn't speak much about other anatas but he mentions first this seventh verse, and this seventh verse says that what is this?
Pratisha Dristasva Pacharamani Mehridina Ted. In my heart there is this obnoxious lady, Ramani. Ramani means prostitute. And she's Drishta. She's really she's really obnoxious. She is she is shameless.
Prate Shwapacharamani and she is meek she is dog eating lady. Nice very attractive Swapacharamani, what is this lady?
And she's dancing within my heart in a very, you know, in a very seducive way. What is this lady who is dancing in my heart? Pratista Asha, the desire for fame, name, glory, respect.
And he said, Katham Sadu Primas Prisati Shuti Ratanum How the very pure sadhu prema, the very pure prema will touch my heart.
If if the heart is so contaminated, if this lady is just you know doing her boogie boogie or whatever it is, you know, some oh no sorry Bharat Natyam She's if she's doing this Bharatna was in my heart. So he says, Katham Sadu Primas Prisati Shuchiri Danna Numanaha oh my mind.
And but then he says he gives the he gives the solution for this. And we know this is the last anartha, the last thing which leaves the heart. The desire for prestige, the desire for honor, the desire for respect.
It's a very difficult thing, you know, Sanatana Gosvāmī in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa says it's everything else may leave your heart, but this desire for prestige will still be there. Pratiṣṭhā-āśā. Very ardent desire.
And Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī gives a very, yeah, and then he says this lady has a lover. Boyfriend. And this boyfriend, you know, and they're together in the heart. She's not alone. She's never alone.
She likes, she has some very passionate lover, and this lover is kapaṭa-pūtinatī, the deceitfulness, hypocrisy within our heart. When we pretend being something which we are not, we are not simple, this and that.
Basically, you know, and he says, "sadā tvam sevasva prabhu-dayita-samantam-atulam," if you want to get rid of this lady, "tam Niṣkāśaya tvaritam... "īkṣatām veśayati saha".
If you want to really kick her out, get rid of her, "yada tvam," "yada tvam niṣkāsya tvaritam," niṣkāsya, drive her away, then there is one thing which we uh have to do. Sadat always.
Tvaṁ sevasva prabhu-dayita-sāmantam atulam. Please always serve. Sadā tvam sevasva. Sadā tvam. You, O mind. Sadā tvaṁ sevasva prabhu-dayita-sāmantam atulam.
Please serve to those devotees who are very dear to Prabhu, to Lord Krishna. Prabhu-dayita-samantam-atulam. Those people who are impeccably pure within the heart.
If you want to basically get rid of all the anarthas, if you want to achieve this stage, then there is a solution. Serve in our case, serve Śrīla Prabhupāda, serve his pure followers, serve this glorious mission.
And how to serve this sada always? Always serve this glorious mission. Sadā tvam sevasva prabhu-dayita-samantam-atulam.
And "yada tvam niṣkāsya tvaritam," this lady will be very quickly driven away with all other anarthas and "īkṣatām veṣayati saha," the pure love of God will enter in your heart and will leave your heart, will be in the throne of your heart.
So that's the advice we as a leader we have to, yes I'm finishing, we have to we have to serve always. In this capacity, not because we want respect. Not because we want to achieve something. But why do we do this?
Why why are we leaders? Because this is the opportunity to serve. We want to serve, we're serving this, and then this goal of anartha-nivritti and the higher goal, intermediate goal will be achieved.
So just being very much established in this position of a servant uh of Śrīla Prabhupāda and his society, we can achieve this goal by uh uh performing this very important service of being a leader in this society.
Thank you very much. We don't have time, so Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya.