The Pathway to Highest Blessedness by Bhaktisddhanta

8/13/2019 The Pathway to Highest Blessedness by Bhaktisddhanta

1/21

The Pathway to Highest Blessednessby Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura

Bimala Prasada Dutta (Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati)

Two ways are found in the world in order to earn knowledge about some particular object. One is to make anattempt for it with the help of our experience about the world; the other is that, realizing the inefficiency of theworldly experience, we should entirely surrender ourselves to the personage who has come down from the realm to

which the re uired knowledge relates, and ac uire it from him through the ear. !ome one many "sic# uestion$%&hen we are inhabitants of this world, how, after fully relin uishing our experience about it, can we take refugewith some super'mortal being() *n answer it is to be said that it will not do to get afraid of the difficulty; to knowthe truth, there should be a great strength of mind. +ou will not learn how to swim, if, seeing the water, you getafraid. !elf'surrender is not a very difficult thing$ that is rather very natural and easy for the soul. &hatever iscontrary to self'surrender, is rather unnatural and difficult. *f we want to learn about od, we will have to learnfrom -is agent. &hen we listen to him, we must stop all our experience about the world and all misleadingargumentations. *t is by continually listening to the strong and forceful narratives about od s glories that all theevils like of heart weakness will be li uidated. There will appear an unprecedented courage in the heart. Then willarise, in its full glow, self'surrender which is the natural virtue of the soul. Then will reveal itself in that self'surrendered heart, the self'manifested truth of the transcendental region of the fourth dimension. *t is in this way

that truth can be known; there is no other way in which can be realized the real truth beyond all deceitfulness.There is a distinction between divine and mundane topics. There are two senses in which a word is used; one refersto a transformable object of the world, creating forgetfulness about od; and the other to an eternal object leadingto the conception of an excited feeling towards od s own divine realm. One ac uires fitness to take od s /amesafter learning from the 0charya s mouth about the difference between od as the &ord of 1aikuntha or thetranscendental &orld, and the mundane words of this world, limited by maya.

*t is in the nature of jiva averse from od to cherish desires to majesty, power, knowledge, indifference to theworld, fame and affluence. 2an is divested of his virtue of sub'servience to od and uru by such an enjoyingmood as$ %* shall remain independent; for dependence means serving the desires of others and my own desires toenjoyment are not fully satisfied thereby.) 3ut such a jiva does not feel that these 4majesty, power, etc.5 cannot be


2/21

owned by any jiva whose constitutional nature is eternal servitorship to od. They can stay only in od. These sixexcellences were glorified when they stayed naturally in !hrila 6aghunatha 7asa oswami, for he never attemptedto get them. 0ll majesty, power supernatural, etc., were under his thumb. 3ut he never hankered after these, norwas he anxious to make a display thereof, like the karmis, jnanis, yogis and tapasvis. These were gloried at the feetof !hri 6aghunatha, staying there even in an unlimited degree beyond what these people would not be luckyenough to possess, but he never did any trafficking in them; nor even did he ever make any attempt for abnegationlike the pithless aspirers thereafter. 3ut the climax of the achievement of all asceticism was glorified in his person.

&hy did not 6aghunatha attempt abnegation, etc. 8very jiva is anxious to get his wished'for object. This is not bad, if it centers round 9rishna. -e attains to such a status as that of 6aghunatha, who loves 9rishna a hundred'fold better than himself. *n his prayer to !hri 6adha, 6aghunatha said ":# %!omehow * have spent my life in highexpectations of the ocean of nectar; if even yet you do not show kindness towards me, then what is the necessity ofmy life, of my residence in the 3raja or even with 9rishna() -as any one ever heard of such a climax of theattainment of abnegation( -e does not want even !hri 9rishna without the service of !hri 6adha. !uch a maximumheight of abnegation is not possible for a man of this world unless he has been, like 6aghunatha, drenched with themoisture of the race of !hri !warupa oswami; none else can even explain this standard of abnegation. *s it

possible for him to crave for the six terrestrial excellences as above, who does not want 9rishna even withoutservice to 6adha( &hat an amount of service done to the highest darling of 9rishna and what a degree of thehighest love felt for her can endow one with such a spirit(

od has said " #$ %0 truly intelligent person should shun evil company but seek association with holy saints who,with their instructions, gnaw the knot of the worldly attachments of our mind.) The meaning is that for our truewell'being we should always accept the guidance of the true uru 4spiritual guide5 and should not be misled by

pseudo'gurus. The uru never accepts the preyah'panthaa 4way to pleasure5, but he is a shreyah'panthi 4i.e., hefollows the way to the true well'being5. -e gives others 4i.e., his disciples5 the same instruction to walk along thereal path as he has received from his own uru, of course a true one. *f a disciple asks permission of the uru fordrinking, he is sure to disapprove of it and never to grant it. &hen the uru does not indulge the disciple in his

prayer for things after his mind, he may dismiss the uru. !uch disciples accept only the gurus that are ready tosupply fuel for their sensualism. 0cceptance of a uru has become a fashion now'a'days, not for the disciple s truewell'being, but for getting one s sensual pleasures approved of. !uch appointments satisfy only the social or familycustoms, like those of barbers and washers.

0s soon as a truth is ascertained, it should be ardently given effect to then and there. The span of our life beingvery short, we should not mis'spend even a moment, of what still remains, in attending to our worldly affairs bututilize it in the performance of our service to -ari. 9ing 9hattanga and 0jamila attained their highest good byspending only one muhurtha 4forty'eight minutes5 and only the time of death respectively in


3/21

*ndra to /anda5 or a husband 4like the sacrificial 3rahman of 1raja to his wife devoted to !hri 9rishna5. !uch wasthe case with !hri 6amakrishna 3hattacharya who wisely courted his father s certain displeasure to secure his truewell'being.

&ho is the true uru( -e who is constantly engaged in the service of -ari. &ho is the truly "?# learned man( -ewho in the words of od 9rishna is well conversant with the correct knowledge of the bondage of a jiva and hisdeliverance therefrom. &e should accept only him as our uru who employs cent percent of his time in od sservice; otherwise we should fail miserably in following him. The !hri @haitanya @haritamrita has taught us$ %0true uru teaches his disciple after his own behaviour and practice; one can not be the teacher of 7harma, if onedoes not perform it himself.) "A#

Brom the !hruti we get the instruction that an en uirer after the true knowledge about Tat 4 od5, should approach auru, with necessary articles for initiation, who is conversant in the 1eda and steeped in 3rahman 4 od5. This

instruction has also been given in the !hrimad 3hagavatam, "C# %0n en uirer after the highest well'being shouldsurrender himself to a uru who is fully versed in the 1eda as well as =ara'3rahman and who has thereby becomethe shelter of true peace.)

The platform speakers of improper conduct, skilled in speeches only, or the professional priests cannot be urus.&hen a man does not keep himself engaged all the while in -ari'bhajan 4service of -ari5, then he is anxious to beoccupied with other things on the strength of !hri /ama and committing the great aparaadha 4spiritual offence5utilizing !hri /ama in sinful affairs. 0 stipend'holder or a contractor cannot be a uru, nor a blind reader of the!hrimad 3hagavatam. Birst of all refrain from approaching the professional priest. !ee whether he devotes his timefully to 3hagavata or not. 0ll the time of one who is steeped or accomplished in =ara'3rahman is fully occupiedwith the service of od.

Brom whom is the 3hagavatam to be heard( The 3hagavatam is to be heard from or to be studied with a true1aishnava. The 3hagavatam cannot come out of the mouth of one who is not a 3hagavata or true devotee.=retending to be a reader of the 3hagavatam one such leads others astray. -e is deceived himself and, as such, hedeceives others. -ow can the 3hagavatam which is not different from !hri 3hagavan have a full play on thetongues of the professional readers who pose as scholars conversant in reading it before others, but have no truedevotion in -im, being engaged in worldly enjoyments( On the plea of discoursing the 3hagavatam, they onlygratify their own senses, instead of the senses of !hri 9rishna. 0 person anxious for his true well'being shouldnever come in contact with such professional readers and thereby court their own downfall, falsely thinking thatthey would get true benefit by accepting them as true urus and listening to them as disciples.

-ow can those act as Dagad' urus or true instructors of people who are busy with the maintenance of their wivesand children, who give full steps to their desire for enjoyments arising out of illusion, who try to employ od &hois the highest 8ntity to be adored and served, for supplying them fuel for the fire thereof( &hat do we see in the!hrimad 3hagavatam and in the conduct and preaching of !hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhu and -is devotees( !uch

people as cherish in their hearts fear, affliction, wrong illusory ideas, desire, greed, feeling of discomfiture,concerning body, wealth, friendly relation, etc., on account of their attachment to some second object besides -im,have not surrendered themselves to od. !uch non'dedicated persons cannot advise others to surrender themselvesto od. 8ven if they give verbal instructions therefore, such conduct is not effective. Only such a 2ahabhagavata4great devotee of od5 as is a nishkinchana 4having nothing to call his own in the world5 and has sincerelysurrendered himself to 9rishna or is -is exclusive servitor all the twenty'four hours of the day can legitimatelyoccupy the 0charya s seat.

Those who attend to the service of od s /ame, od s 7hama 40bodes5 and od s 7esire 49ama5 are the only persons really adorable in the world. /o being can extricate himself from wrong understandings due to mayawithout doing service to !hri /ama 47ivine /ame5. 0s the result of service to !hri /ama, men can get rid of all

prejudices and be settled in the service of 9rishna'7esires 49rishna 9ama !eva5. Brom 7harma'!eva one can berid of the clutches of the tremendously dangerous doctrine, %* am the


4/21

danger in the shape of the desire for gratifying one s senses; and being free from the temporal lust one can befirmly established in the service of the Transcendental 9ama'deva 4viz 9rishna5 and of 9ama' ayatri.

*f we are fortunately able to secure attachment towards 9rishna'9ama'!eva, then we can change the direction ofthe course of the different inferior desires that have arisen in us for sensual enjoyments in connection with ourmaterial body, and also that of the road we are running along under the direction of our subtle body i.e., the mind,if it has grown apathetic towards attempts for od s services; they will then take just the contrary trend.

0nd that 9rishna'9ama'!eva is available, if we engage ourselves in the service of 7hama. 7hama means Erays ,Eprowess , Einfluence , Ehome , Eplace , Ebody , Ebirth , etc. 0ccording to the sense accepted by the truly learnedsavants, !hridhama is that in which there is no malice, jealousy, nor evanescence, and that which is eternally self'manifested, spiritual and blissful. !hri @haitanya 7eva, having made -is 0dvent in that 7hama, has made theworld conscious of the spirituality of a holy place.

Bailing to realize the dignity of 7hama, we had no predilection for 7hama !eva and not so much faith in theworshippable representative, 4murti5 of od, having remained engaged in studies, full of the understanding that weshall van uish the people of the world by means of dialectics, splendour of erudition and glory of exemplarycharacter. 3ut some holy saints engaged in 7hama'!eva have enlightened us saying that it would bring us thehighest welfare. -e who seeks connection with 7hama, finds his attachment to grama 4or domesticated life andconnection therewith5 soon li uidated. Then !hri /ama !eva, the means of attaining true blessedness, soon bringsus our real end viz., 9rishna'9ama.

!hri 1aikuntha'/ama alone has come down to this earth, and it is in !hri 7hama that !hri /ama has beendeposited. The presence of /ama'!eva does not give the real end, viz. 9rishna'9ama'!eva to one who disconnectsoneself from !hri 7hama.

!ome people attempt at ac uiring heroism through karma; some again strive for fulfilling other desires, someothers 4jnanis5 for culturing 3rahman; yet others 4yogis5 for getting accomplishment of oneness with od. 3ut weknow that worships for dharma, artha, kaama or moksha are mere pretences; these are only connected with baseselfishness. They have nothing to do with liberated souls, but are only the ravings of conditioned or fettered souls.


5/21

4devotees of od5. Their only duty is to cut through the kinds of accumulated evil designs of jivas; and only this istheir natural motiveless desire.

The worldly people generally cherish doubleness of heart or duplicity, speaking out one thing abroad andconcealing a different thing inside. 0nd the funny part of it is that they are anxious to present this doubleness ofheart to the public as liberality or the virtue of conciliation. These double'tongued men give to the creeds of

persons, who are candid and do not adopt duplicity themselves, the designations of sectarianism, bigotry etc. 3utwe should associate only with those who are candid, and not with the others.

The common decision of men, whether discriminative or otherwise, is not identical with Truth. The common senseof the people of blind following, like dumb'drive cattle, is always defective with errors and mistakes produced only

by the faculty of the mind, and there may be in it some appearance of truth; but that is only relative or for the time being and no real truth. -uman intellect, driven as it is by rajas and tamas cannot penetrate into the deliberations ofunmixed sattva guna. !o when one gives the advice to add the attempts of jnana, yoga, karma etc., of the world,

born of the gunas, to pure 3hakti free from any of the three gunas of prakriti in order to make it complete it would be to our benefit not to accept such sweet food adulterated with a mixture of mortar. 9arma, jnaana, yoga, etc.&hen, however, these acknowledge the supremacy of 3hakti, then that 3hakti, though mixed up with karma and

jnaana, may be helpful to lead one along the road to pure 3hakti. &hen pure 3hakti is attained, the mixed state isno more there. This has been thus stated in the =ancharatra$ %The acts that are prescribed in the !hastras for theservice of -ari, constitute ordained 3hakti, through the performance of which true 3hakti is available.) "H#

The shrewd devotees of od must clearly point out to the absolute monists that their principle of naiskarmya orcessation of activities aiming at freedom from all desire for the fruit, is a misnomer, for there is in it ample touch ofdesire for fruits. Their attempt for peace with emancipation is nothing better than the gratification of their ownsenses devoid of their attachment to od. The principle of their 2ayavada is this$ %*nasmuch as we have to remainafflicted with the three kinds of trouble in the world, it is necessary to get rid of the evils of the world having originin the three gunas 4primordial elements, sattva, rajas and tamas, of which matter is composed5. *f we can do awaywith the triangle of knowledge, knowable and knower, we shall not have a separate existence and our doctrine of3uddhism in which the annihilation of sentience is emancipation. 3ut the full manifestation of sentience is still inthe 6eal 8ntity and it will ever remain so. They cannot understand how they got their conditioned state nor whatwould be their free state. Their conception of emancipation is totally wrong.

*f some one raises the point that there is no need of devotion which induces taking shelter at the Beet of od andthat one can cross the worldly ocean only by means of the dry'knowledge 4of the absolute monists5, he is referredto the answer given by !hri 3rahma in his panegyric of !hri 9rishna "I# $ %O


6/21

old 4i.e. money5, women, or at best honour and respect as a pious or holy man. 3ut all these things arecontemptible. Dust before 3hakti 4devotion5 is generated, men get sufficient intelligence to understand that theseare not important things. 0nd what is emancipation too( The thirst after it grows with the inordinate desire that *should be free from all distresses leaving the others to suffer them.

7ue to our radical unrighteousness, i.e., our predilection for keeping away from our eternal function of service tood, we are going astray, being misled by some environing affairs, i.e. we are trying to secure pleasures for

ourselves in preference to those for od, having been thrown off from our true object. 3ut the saintly personageswho are free from all spitefulness do not suffer these inconveniences; they are established in the highest form ofrighteousness, having taken shelter with od. !pitefulness exists only among those who are averse to remembranceof od. !pitefulness comes when one is engaged as the servant of the five evils, viz. lustfulness, etc. &e adopt the

principle of clipping one s own nose for making another s journey inauspicious, believing in the concept ofmonopolizing all the pleasure to oneself and enviously hindering others pleasure. 8very human being shouldcultivate the highest form of righteousness. *t is proper to bid farewell to such ideas as, %* shall be lustful, wrathful,covetous, distracted and proud); everyone here has got the capability to be all this. &hen all these accumulatetogether, spitefulness appears. *f we do not serve them, then there will be no spitefulness. 3ut at present, it has

become customary to dress up these foes of ours, and serve them, but not to serve od. Those who do not serveod necessarily become servants of the group of six enemies. Those who culture the 8ternal 8ntity should not be

servants of this group. !o long as men are not free from spitefulness, the instruction about the highest righteousnessdoes not enter their ears.

7evotion to od is attainable through association with those who serve -im and -is devotees. They have made theservice of od the very essence of their life. They have made the narrations of the /ames, 0ppearance, 0ttributesand sports of od the mainstay of their existence and are always engaged in discourses about Them. There is notonly a great difference between the deliberations about od among the common people and those among thedevotees, but they are of uite contrary natures. 2any among the common people are inclined to worship od,&hom they know to be the giver of pleasure and happiness for mundane and celestial pleasure; those who are,however, more intelligent, i.e., who are outwardly renouncers, but are, at heart, the topmost enjoyers, pretend toworship od in order to be e ual to the 0ll'8njoyer od and merge in -im. 2en, midway between these classes,worship od with the purpose of ac uiring eight modes of power for accomplishment of desires, like subtility,lightness, etc. Though there is a pretence of worship in them they have not admitted the eternal /ames,0ppearances, etc., of od. They regard the !upreme 2aster of all as governed by karma. The so'calledworshippers do not, in particular, serve od for -is service and for -is pleasure; on the contrary they make the


7/21

The religion that the devotees adopt is found in the !hrimad 3hagavatam. That religion is not worldly nor does it pertain to the next world, nor is it means for any class of men, nor to be observed by men of a particular stage oflife, nor is it prescribed for the people of a particular country of the world, nor is it special for either boys, or old

people or young men, or women or males, or birds or beasts, or insects, or worms, but it is applicable to allcountries, all times and all people for it is the religion of the soul, not of the body or the mind. That religion is theeverlasting religion, !anatana 7harma, religion for all creatures.

That religion is free from any craftiness, deceitfulness, or pretence. That religion does not promise to give the performers of its rites any pleasure of the body and the mind, or supernatural power or emancipation. That religionis not the fraudulent religion which at first deludes its observers with the gift of men and money to those who wantthem, keeps them infatuated with those transients, and eventually snatches these away back from them. 0gain, thereligion that, giving the aspirants for siddhi 4accomplishment of esoteric power5 opportunities for ac uiring thesiddhi, makes them intoxicated with the enjoyment of power and pelf, and at last, when their passion for goodfortune is finished up, gives them more troubles than before, '' such a religion which destroys the siddhi in the end,is not the religion of the !hrimad 3hagavatam.

That religion, too, is not the 3hagavata religion which, in the beginning, binds the practicant with the bondage ofthe rules of negation 4like Enot this, Enot this 5, and then takes him to the other side of the accomplishment ofenjoyment making his desire all the stronger for being one with od, and through the will of od 4whose will islaw5 confers on him an immovable body either of a tree or stone, etc., as the result of immense greediness. The3hagavata'dharma is not of the nature of a jar of poison with a little milk floating at the top like such religions, but,on the other hand, it is the highest religion made by the -ighest 8ntity for our guidance, and followed by Only the=aramahamsas 4devotees void of all blemishes5. This religion not only delivers its followers from the sufferings ofthree kinds 4i.e., those caused by the body and mind, by the gods and by nature5, but finally eradicates theseobstacles and bestows eternal good. The followers of this religion get the service of the -ighest od on the otherside of the ocean of greediness and infatuation, instead of falling victims to the temptations of bhukti 4enjoyment5,mukti 4emancipation5 and siddhi 4esoteric power5. Bor ac uiring this religion we should carry out the command of


8/21

creature is noticeable the uest for the pleasure of this gratification of desires from the very first day of theappearance of instinct till the end. The very moment a man feels his own existence, that very feeling leads himtowards that pleasure. radually the inclinations growing out of the desire are fostered in association with theenvironments. The eyes grow alert in the cultivation of the objects of sight, activity is noticed in the ears towardsthe objects of audition, the function of the nose is awakened for picking up fragrances, the attempt of the tongue isobserved for relishing tastes, and there is seen dermatic activity for appreciating touches. The organs of action likethe foot, hand, voice, etc., give expression to their respective functions with the help of those of the organs of senselike the eyes, ears, etc. &ith the abundance of the feeling of existence, the perception of the nature of the desireterminates in only its own pleasure. The man is then engaged in his worldly activities. -e begins work, being

prompted by the feeling of egotism as the enjoyers of this mundane world. 3eing thwarted by the previous desiresof former births he is at every step made to roam about from the shelter of one desire to that of another.

&hen the growing desire is not thwarted by the previous desires the jiva feels gratified at the fulfillment of both thedesires. 3ut when the two types of desires are antagonistic to each other, the jiva, hankering after satisfaction,getting dissatisfaction instead, banishes the desire even as a son carrying a wrong name is banished and becomes

busy in endeavouring to obtain another son. *n some cases, being successful in getting the son after his desire, he isencouraged in worldly matters with efforts for gaining the desired fruit to a large extent. 2en with worldlyattachments through desires apply the power of the newly grown desires against their own previous desires. Thisstruggle is the uest for pleasures as relished by the new desires.

3eing led by their worldly or secular intellect, men are often seen to be on the alert to define non'secular ortranscendental intellect depending, as they do, on their simplicity such as is prevalent in the material or secularaffairs. &hen controlled by that alertness, their idiocy in the form of their mundane simplicity takes them towardsthe company of persons deceived like themselves. Trying in vain to define the transcendental nature and todescribe the position free from the covetous spirit born of the desires, they fall into the deep gloom ofunpleasantness. The state of apartness from covetousness, too, which they had built in their imagination with theirsimple intellect, becomes converted to a wave of the ocean of desires. The previous evil desires deceived them insuch a way that they, unable to extricate themselves from the clutches of that deception, began to rise and sink inthe uag of these desires. 0 man of simple consciousness, deceived to think himself free from covetousness, butsmarting with the poison of desires, makes, out of simplicity, a mechanical distinction between worldly andtranscendental things, and the world appears to his deceived faith as divided merely into lives of attachment anddetachment. !uch a man terms the world of attachment as of mundane nature, and adorns the state of detachmentwith the glorious appellation of Etranscendant .

2an, as distinct from the lower creation, can ponder over the past and the present but we often notice strikingdifficulties among the decisions reached by human deliberations. Those who are anxious to be considered ascivilized are of the opinion that, %*f we can observe the civic rules, then there will be no mutual friction and we canlive uite in comfort and happiness, even though godless.) !uch a consideration finds great favour with theadvocates of the path of karma. There are again some others who consider that, %This world is a place of troubles;it is necessary to be ever away from here; for this the perception of non'distinctiveness of the reality is necessary,which means salvation$ this salvation is to be wished for.) The devotees of od express no such opinion. Thosewho want to remove their wants by means of enjoyment are desirous of the fruit of enjoyment, whereas those whowant to do it by the process of renunciation are desirous of emancipation. 3ut the devotees of od desire neitherenjoyment, nor emancipation. &hen, for want of an exact knowledge about the truth, we rely on relativeknowledge, our want is not removed therewith; all our acts evaporate like camphor. The patch along which therewill be neither want nor that merger with non'distinctiveness, is that of chid'vilaasa 4pleasure of pure sentience5. *fwe lose all the benefit of liberation, being liberated in name only, that liberation should not be called trueliberation; it amounts only to self'destruction. *t is not at all indicative of intelligence to do away with both thedisease and the patient together.

2any, when troubled with the distresses and miseries of the world, think of being delivered from the world, likethe old woman of the fable who, while gathering fuel logs from the wood, complained against od for giving herall her distress and hardships, and invoked =luto 4god of death5 to come and take her away to his place; when =luto


9/21

actually came before her, she did not want to go with him, but asked him only to help her to lift the load to herhead. Thus she wished to live among the privations and troubles of the world, though she was given the chance of

being relieved there from. !uch is the case with those who, being troubled with worldly hardships, want liberation;within them, too, the stream of worldly desires flows like the river =halgu beside aya whose stream of water runs

beneath the cover of a sandy surface. 0 jiva cannot get the eternal well'being, if he adopts the course of those whoare desirous of the fruits of worldly enjoyments or of others averse to the enjoyment of the fruit. They are all, self'deceived and are hypocritical. Jntil they become sufficiently fortunate, their hypocrisy is not exposed before the

public, when they may feel their mistake.

Those who have got self'realisation and know the truth about the soul serve od in this world, not busy in theenjoyment of the world like those that are desirous of the fruit of enjoyment, nor thrown off from the track of theirtrue well'being by considering the ways and articles of the service of od as only worldly matters. They serve odin this world and also in the world beyond. They ever announce the truth that jivas have no other duty than to serve

od'head. They are truly wise, ever anxious to see jivas ac uire the true welfare. The human race mostly consistsof mere infants in respect of paramaartha 4spiritual outlook5. Dust as infants do not understand their own good, butat times make efforts to place their hands on flames or get impatient to grasp the moon within their hold, so men,too, always act in various ways like infants. 3ut the wise person, accomplished in soul'realisation, ever makeefforts to do good to these infant'like men. 2en attain their good, only when they give up the deliberations arisingout of their mental nature, take advice from these wise persons, 4viz.5 the devotees of od who are true well'wishers of all and are ready to accept their guidance in all ways. 0ll may ac uire perfect welfare by obeying od sinstructions embodied in the 1edic treatises. 3eyond this, men have nothing else for guidance among themselves.

*t is only those that can be said to have adopted the !reya =anthaa or 3etter 6oad ":K# leading to the true well'beingof men, who are bent towards the service of od, being attracted towards -im with the tie of the purest lovenatural to his essential constitution as purely sentient 4chit5 jiva. *n their heart has grown the true 6asa 4pure chit,sentimental sweetness5 as considered in relation to the final 6eality; and they have had recourse to the


10/21

8ternity, !entience and 3liss, must continue for ever; otherwise your deliberation will end in the 3uddhisticconception of the morphologists or mere logomachy of the 2ayavadis. !o long as the principle of materialdistinctiveness is not destroyed, men will have to keep away from the vicinity of 6eality, being satisfied only withmaterialism; but the moment their sentience is roused up, they will understand the distinctiveness of chit, and it isthen that they will ac uire competence to listen to the !hrimad 3hagavatam. Other people have to enter either thefold of henotheism or impersonalism. &e should cultivate the Transcendental 6asa after getting beyond the regionof material distinctiveness. *n the @hhandogya Jpanishad 47ahar section5 there is a list of many desires, for theattainment of each of which a special resolution is to be made. !o long as these desires are indulged in, people willget their demands fulfilled in accordance with their desires, as said by od in the ita "::# that those, who led bytheir taamasa nature worship +akshas, 6akshas, 1inayakas and otherbhutas, get their place with these. Thesedesires continue till we get the inclination to satisfy the 7esire of od.

*t is necessary to get rid of the inconveniences of jivas here and of the dirt of the three kinds of human sufferings.!ome think it worth while to keep within the evils of the material world and repeatedly come within their region,so that they may, in future, chalk out means to secure enjoyment of pleasures. 3ut this is not the trend of thoughtwith those who are really liberated. *f man, waking up from the depth of sleep, becomes alive to sentience andknows his identity with the knowledge of the soul, then he may bid adieu to the drawback of the perception of whatis not the soul. 0ll the variegations of 1aikuntha were even then existent, when the functions of maya weredormant and the cosmic evolution of matter did not begin; they are still there and they will continue to stay in thefuture, too.

&hen the principle of 8kaayana or intentness with singular concentration was prevalent, i.e., in the !atya'yuga4golden age5, only /arayana was worshipped. 8kaayana means no numbering. &hen that principle was stopped,i.e., in the Treta'yuga, the intent concentration received a set back and misery visited men. Then Trayi 4triple formof the 1eda5 came into existence, originating the 9arma'kaanda thereof from =ururava. ": # !hridhara !wamipada inhis tikaa 4commentary5 has thus given the gist of the two !hlokas$ %*n the !atya'yuga almost all the people, beingof the saatvika nature, were given to contemplation; but in the Treta'yuga, when the nature of rajas was

predominant, the 1eda was divided and the department of karma, the ceremonial rites etc., was introduced.)

Then we have ":>#$ %&hat could be got by men meditating on 1ishnu in the !atya'yuga, by people performingsacrifices in the Treta'yuga and by persons worshipping od in the 7vapara'yuga is available in the 9ali'yugafrom -ari'kirtana.) The only resource in the present era is -ari'kirtana. &e should know the 6eality therefrom. *tis not necessary to take the help of what appears to be the truth. Those who adopt the way of karma labour undermuch trouble, while the idea of their oppositionists is impersonal. *n the ita ":?# the


11/21

are the dues for such people as giving up 3hakti, the only way to true wellbeing, take troubles for comprehendingtheir oneness with od, just as no grain comes to the lot of persons thrashing the husk. ":A# Burther %O


12/21

achieved the strong attachment to 3hakti and the conse uent awakening of the perception of the 7ivine !portseverywhere from which is available the culmination of extreme sweetness. &ith !hri 9rishna s race, jivas maymake their worldly desires inoperative, and thus liberated, may secure abstinence from things other than 9rishna,through 9rishna'kirtana 4i.e., the chanting of -is /ames and lories5. They may also, when they are desirous ofemancipation, give up such desire by taking this antidote against worldliness, may have the perception of od, and,when they are desirous of worldly enjoyments, may be stirred with pure devotion after giving up such desire with9rishna s race by means of the repetition of what has been carefully heard about !hri -ari s lories pleasant

both to the ear and the mind. Thus it is the 7ivine race that should be adopted as shelter and protection under allcircumstances.

*t is only those, who have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity of listening to the wonderful teachings of!hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhu about the universal relativity 4sambandha5, means or expedient 4abhidheya5 and needor object 4prayojana5, that know that men get non'plussed about their spiritual deity in the midst of their attemptsfor ac uiring trivarga 4the three main objects of human pursuit, viz., dharma, artha, and kaama, i.e., virtue, wealthand desire,5 and that those who hanker after the fourth object, viz., moksha or emancipation, have gone all the moreastray than they; whereas the persons who have adopted shelter with 3hagavan, are not only rid of the knowledgeabout non'distinctive 3rahman available by perception, but are also above the craving for the mere vicinity ormerger in =aramatma, a partial phase of od, being free from the wrong conception of -is plenary character.8ngaged, however, in the service of the =lenary 9nowledge or !entience, being well'established in their owneternal position, they have not kept their eternal endeavour, within the mere proximity to =aramatma as conceivedwith the predilection for non'distinctiveness or notion of the oneness of matter and non'matter. On the other handthey have ascertained, as their object, the need of eternally tasting the sweetness of the full sentient 3liss with theirown nature as jivas of atomic eternal existence with sentient bliss. This is not an ephemeral conception generated

by any physical or mental ideology. *t is through a course of the cultivation of the thoughts about od that thedesire, knowledge, and activities of the jivas in their essential and eternal nature become the subject'matter ofone s everlasting conception. Then they are no more dragged into undesirable regions by temporal thoughts aboutdharma, artha, kaama and moksha 4i.e., chaturvarga5, while attempting to ascertain the proper object of human

pursuit. Then no more do they deviate, under the influence of bodily and mental concerns, from the right rackleading to the ascertainment of the true object of life, nor do they fall off from eternal devotion in order to offer anyrespect to karma, jnana, etc., by creating some disturbance against the culture of !hri 9rishna with a lovingdisposition, in the garb of karmis, jnanas and men with other desires. The teachings of !hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhuare abundantly present in the !hrimad 3hagavatam and treatises following in its wake; they are available in thegood company of the followers of the !hrimad 3hagavatam and center round the highest object of human pursuit,the achievement of self'con uest i.e., love of od.

The professors of non'distinction of 3rahman call the annihilation of conception as emancipation with a desire foreffecting a reconciliation between the principles of sattva and tamah 4the highest and the lowest of the three

properties of matter5. That is of two kinds, viz., non'sentience averse to the service of 1ishnu or merger intomatter, and the state of material conciliation apathetic to 1ishnu s service or merger into sentience. &hen a jivagets rid of the 2ayavada of the principle of tamah and becomes established in the service of 0bsolute !attva4 od5, he is able to do away with the opposition of the antagonists of the 1aishnavas with the aid of !udarsana or1aishnava'7arsana, and blind the eyes, intent on enjoyment and renunciation, of the philosophers of wrong vision

by using that weapon 41ishnu s disc !udarsana5. Then that jiva, freed from the shackles of avidyaa 4i.e.,identification of the self with the body5, gets a strong attachment for the eternal servitorship to !hri ourasundara4@haitanya 2ahaprabhu5 &ho is identical with !hri 1rajendra'nandana, !hri 9rishna.

&e get the essence of !hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhu s teachings in -is !ikshashtakam. -is


13/21

*f a man desires to see -is Borms of 3eauty, he should know that it is not visible to his material eye. The form or beauty which is acceptable to the sense of vision, is an object of enjoyment. *t is od 9rishna &ho is the 8njoyerand not an object of enjoyment. 0n enjoyable object gratifies our senses. !o, as the !hrimad 3hagavatam says,

od is not visible to our eye, what the eye sees is not the 3eauty of od.

0mong the objects of the material world, there is a distinction between a name and its possessor i.e., the person orthing whose name it is. 3ut this is not the case with the /ames of !hri 9rishna, which are Transcendental. Bor thisreason @haitanya 2ahaprabhu said$ %!hri !ankirtana should be our only means for getting the object of our

pursuit, viz.,


14/21

9irtana is called !ankirtana when it is performed by many persons together. 3ut will it be worth the name of!ankirtana, if some worthless people, without any ardour for od s service, shout together( *t will be true -ari'!ankirtana when we join the !ankirtana of true devotees who serve od according to the principles laid down inthe 1edas and allied !hastras. On the other hand it is not -ari'!ankirtana when we take part in the 9irtanaconducted for the prevention of the epidemic of cholera or pox, or prosperity in trade, or for gain, respect andfame; such a 9irtana is 2aayaa'kirtanaG

!o longs as we keep away from joining the 9irtana conducted by those who hold perfect 9rishna'kirtana, mayawill be deluding us in various ways. *f we join the 9irtana of such people as are not anxious for their own truewell'being, who hood'wink themselves then no well'being will be attained by us. There will be no !ankirtana, ifwe follow such people as have imitatively decorated their bodies and beads with marks of a 1aishnava withoutreceiving instructions from true 1aishnavas, and shout out some names appearing like od s /ames only inexternal sound.

8ngaged in !hri 9rishna'!ankirtana, we entirely get rid of the tendency of securing worldly aggrandizement.Jnder the influence of the moonlight of 9rishna'9irtana, the lily of true welfare blooms. !cholarship is thegreatest in a devotee absorbed in the chanting of !hri /ama. Through it is available the flow of the tasty !weetnessof @hit 4sentience5 in the heart, when one becomes totally free from the attempts to be busy with the current ofthought of the external world i.e., the greed for ac uiring transient pleasures and when all roughness of the heart isset at rest and it is understood that 2ayavada 4absolute monism5 is not worth acceptance.

8veryone is competent for !hri 9rishna !ankirtana.


15/21

respect and is the giver of respect to others. 7o not remain maddened with the thoughts that you are a great expertand very intelligent.) * have adopted this instruction of oura !undara 4!hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhu5. *f any oneattacks me then * should put up with it and chant -ari'nama; * should know that od has thus given me a chance to

be lower than blade of grass; knowing this, * should be all the more encouraged to take -ari'nama morevigorously. 3ut when somebody speaks disrespectfully about a true 1aishnava, my uru'deva, then my lowlinessas that of a blade of grass should consist in at once giving him a proper teaching with as much vigour as ever. *nthe 9arma'kaanda there is no true lowliness of a blade of grass, but there is only insincere cringing before others tosecure their favour.

&e should ever remain engaged in -ari'kirtana i.e., discourses through which our inclination for the service ofod -ari will be increased; other topics are calculated only to incite our enjoying mood. *t is only -ari'kirtana by

which jivas attain their true well'being and that is 9rishna'kirtana. 9rishna'kirtana is not to be performed onlythrough melodious musical tunes, chimes, etc. !hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhu has not asked us to be proficient in highclass music and to become well'practiced in the airs of expert musicians; -e has told us to perform hari'kirtanaconstantly, -ari'kirtana does not consist in gratifying our own mundane senses, but in the gratification of !hri9rishna s Transcendental !enses.

7ealing with the process of the practice of !hri /ama, !hri @haitanya, 2ahaprabhu has laid stress on the chanterof !hri /ama to be free from all sorts of fraudulent craftiness or other motives than 3hakti. The paraa'dharma 4thehighest spiritual practice5 or the 3hagavata'dharma is performed only through !hri /ama'kirtana, and that is the7harma divested of all trickish artifices 4including even the desire for emancipation5 as explained in the annotation" C# of !hridhara !vamipada. &e should not make attempts for wealth, man'power, learning, gain, adoration,honour, etc., which are fraudulent and which almost cent per cent people are hankering after. &e should not utilize

/ama'sankirtana for the purpose of 7harma, artha, kaama and moksha. /o prayer should be made to od through-is /ames for our personal or collective peace and pleasure; we should not make -im play the servant for us. 3oththe karmis striving for the first three of the above four objectives and the jnaanis striving for the fourth one areengaged in reducing the !upreme


16/21

3hagavatam, nor will there by any. *n this book has been presented a consideration of gradual evolution, from better to better of sceptic, atheistic, attributeless, neuter, masculine, couple, consort by marriage, lastly that of paramount love of opis ' such different conceptions. !hri 9rishnaLs !ports are described in the tenth canto; butwhat was the necessity of composing the preceding nine cantos( *n them have been shown the deliberation of theseconceptions to prepare the ground for introducing the main subject, viz., the description of 9rishnaLs transcendentalsportive dalliances with opis out of wed'lock, in the opi' ita, etc., of the tenth canto. There had been many whohad read the !hrimad 3hagavatam before !hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhu came into this world, but only those have

been able to comprehend the real import and the actual object of the !hrimad 3hagavatam, that have read it afterreading the !hri @haitanya @haritamrita written by !hri 9rishnadasa 9aviraja oswami, one of -is chief followersin the line of !hri 6upa oswami; they have read the !hrimad 3hagavatam inside the @haritamrita. The unrefinedease'loving people pretending to be 1aishnavas may read the !hrimad 3hagavatam, the mercenary discoursersmay explain it; but they only misconstrue and cover the true reading according to the !hri @haitanya @haritamrita.Their elucidation may please the mind of their readers; but with that they may only make the way to hell easier ofaccess for themselves and their admirers.

The !hrimad 3hagavatam, as defined in its third !hloka, is the succulent fruit of the 9alpataru or desire'yieldingtree, viz., the 1eda. The non'devotees crave for dharma, artha, kaama and moksha. The desire of mentaldetermination of those whose desires for enjoyment or emancipation have been set at rest and who have passed

beyond the realm of mental speculation is not after such insipid or unsavoury things. 8njoyment'hunters andritualists for worldly well'being are after deteriorated unsavoury tastes, and monists of non'distinct conceptionaspire after insipid tasteless realisation. The 3hagavatam does not produce fruits of such bad taste or tasteless ones.*t can be fully traced in the 3hagavatam how the distinction between the inner thoughts of LvishayaL and LaashrayaLi.e., the recipient and the giver of service has shown a gradual development through the various evolutionary stagesof being contracted, slightly blossoming, blooming, thriven, matured and ripened. Only those are competent totaste this fruit of the /igama 41eda5 9alpataru i.e., 3hagavata, who having fully surpassed the stage of worldly

perceptions have reached the stage of transcendental excellence when their hearts have been brightened up withvishuddha'sattwa 4supra'naturally good uality5, fit to receive the sweet mellowness of love which is ultra'mundane. 0nd they are permanently possessed of the purest ecstatic mood. This fruit too is succulent, havingnothing solid in it like the skin, stone, fibres and other parts fit to be abandoned. There is much rejectable elementin the books on enjoyment'hunting, karma, jnaana, yoga or devotion mixed with these. *n the !hrimad 3hagavatamthere are no such despicable elements. *ts sweet succulent mellowness is to be tasted all along, even afteremancipation. 0nd the really emancipated souls are permanent relishers of the !hrimad 3hagavatam.

Those who, instead of listening to 3hagavata discourses of liberated =aramahamsa 1aishnavas, make a fuss oflistening 3hagavata to the professional or other discourses who are full of tendencies harmful to the culture of truewell'being, do so for sensuous gratifications through poetic, literary, grammatical and such other kinds of falseappreciations. They are debarred from tasting the pure juicy sweetness of the 3hagavatam, but are deluded to thinkthe bad taste or indifferent taste as the true taste of the 3hagavatam. &hen persons sure of the transitoriness ofhuman life like =arikshit listen to the 3hagavatam discourse from liberated =aramahamsa 1aishnavas like !hri!hukadeva, they become eternal tasters of the 3hagavata'rasa, absolved from all worldly attachment.

=ure jnaana 4sentience5, pure vairaagya 4abstinence5 and devotion are convergent, meaning the same thing.8verything therein culminates in nais'karma 4freedom from karma5 instead of the gratifications of the senses. &ealand woe are two different things. *f you roam about for your welfare or happiness, woe is your due.


17/21

*f you read other books than the 3hagavatam you come under the influence of the processes of karma and jnaana, pleasure and pain, birth and death. +ou may get dharma 4punya5, artha 4wealth5 and kaama 4fulfilment of desire5.One, desirous of emancipation 4moksha5, may renounce the worldly life, but one such does not serve od. *t isonly the devotees that do it. od is not served even by the practice of astaanga'yoga which gives you siddhis orvidbhutis like animaa power to be infinitesimal5, laghimaa 4power to be as light as hydrogen5, etc. not to speak ofthe salvationist who may want to get rid of the weal and woe of the worldly life and to be the recipient ofenjoyment in the negative form.

The 3hagavatam speaks of him who has adopted the way of karma, jnaana or yoga as having adopted the wrongcourse.


18/21

such a thing that makes one take pains to bring down love attainable by only the true highest jnana about od tothe level of jnana as commonly understood.

The highest jnana is that about the relation between the =ossessor of =otency and -is =otency; some other jnanathan this is known as common jnana. *n other words, it is to know the od and the jivas in respect to their truecharacters that constitutes true jnana. There is no other function of jnana than to have this knowledge. -ere is theultimate goal of jnana. The professors of jnana have no competence to go further. 0 jiva becomes maddened aftergetting even an iota of the


19/21

2ayavada 4absolute monism5. 3y them were not accepted the poisoned sweet'meat'balls, very pleasant to children,of the knowledge of absolute 3rahman that of non'distinctiveness, that of nature in 9apilaLs !amkhya, etc. Theknowledge of the soul, the perception of the soul, the potency'possessing 8ntity, of relativity, of potency, etc.,contribute to the excellence of the tastable objects for the culturist of love. They have got sufficient experience todistinguish between nectared and poisonous foods. There are many among the audiya 1aishnavas 4followers of!hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhu5, who are able to give advice as to how the poisonous sweetmeat'balls are preparedand how oneLs self'destruction is caused by tasting them. 3ut they do not boast of their greater knowledge than thatof the professors of jnana, not being maddened with self'conceit, like them. *t is good for the professors of jnana tostudy what !hrimad 6upa osvami, the top'most 0charya, has written in his treatise, the 3hakti'6asamrita'!indhu, for them, and to accept the teachings thereof with humility. &hat benefit is there in the religion in whichthe distressing pangs of appetite, viz., the attempts of the jnani for ac uiring jnana, are ignored(

Brom the teachings of


20/21

know about the assemblies in which large audiences listened to the discourses on the 3hagavatam. !hri @haitanya2ahaprabhu and the followers of the teachings of the !hrimad 3hagavatam have ever advised the people of theworld that !hravana 4audition or listening5 and 9irtana 4recapitulation or chanting5 are the surest means for theattainment of the highest blessedness.

/o truly wise man says that only the inert and mute persons can ac uire 3hakti. ' ?, !hri Diva oswami'pada has written thusagainst silent deliberations and in favour of 9irtana 4recapitulation of instructions as heard from true devotees5$MThe chanting of odLs /ames should be loud. !hri /arada has said about himself to !hri 1yasadeva L* began toroam about in the worlds loudly uttering the /ames of -ari avoiding all shyness, and remembering -is loriousactivities "> #L. 0lso !hri @haitanya 2ahaprabhu for the deliverance of the people of the 9ali'yuga has given thefamous instruction Lto constantly chant the /ames, etc., of -ari, being humbler even than the blade of grass, withgreater forbearance even than a tree, claiming no honour for self, but giving it to others.L Though the other items of3hakti have got to be performed in the 9ali'yuga, that should be done in accompaniment with 9irtana.

*t is only in a place where -ari'9irtana is a scarcity, and where there is no propagation of -ari'9atha, that theworldly talk about artificial meditation, etc., is prevalent. &here ever there is no association with truly holy menthere are assemblies, meetings, etc. in which there is association with Divas confined within the clutches of maya.There is no yukta'vairaagya 4proper abnegation5 of transcendental nature where there is no !hravana'9irtana4listening or audition followed by chanting or recapitulation of -ari'katha5, but where discourses on phalgu'vairaagya 4false asceticism5 have been held to mislead the deceived society. The latter asceticism is a worldlymatter and, as such, it cannot bring the jivas any good. -ow will they understand, unless they are fortunate enoughto come in contact with !adhus, that one who under the influence of false asceticism, thinks of the culture about!hri 9rishna as a worldly affair, commits a spiritual offence, and that one, who sees worldly affairs and !hri9rishna as e ual, accepts the most venomous 2ayavada( &ill a culturist of devotion be saved from the aspirationafter worldly honour and celebrity, if he thinks himself lonesome and reticent away from association with !adhus,and conceiving, unholy ideas of fancied deliberations( *s it not the ultimate limit of the abominable nature of fameand celebrity to cherish the evil desire of uprooting the fame and celebrity of 3hakti through the propagation ofmaya or 2ayavada( *f a jiva, under the influence of conceits against the soul, thinks himself as an emancipationistor an elevationist or a cynic, and being anxious to establish his own worldly fame and celebrity commits the grandmistake of cherishing in his heart antagonistic ideas against the culture of 3hakti with transcendental audition andrecapitulation "sic# and that of cherishing the wrong idea that the devotees, too, may have the ordure of hankeringafter worldly fame, '' then, knowing him to be a self'destroyer, the devotees will keep silently away from hiscompany.

The /ames and the /ami 4their =ossessor5 are non'distinct or the same. This will be particularly realised when ourunfortunately evil predicament is over. 0s soon as 9rishna'/ama is uttered, being rid of spiritual offences, youwill yourself feel that it is from /ama alone that all accomplishment is available. &hen a person utters /ama,gradually the distinction between the gross and the subtle body in his egoism vanishes and his own accomplishednature reveals itself. &hen oneLs own accomplished nature appears, along with the utterance of 9rishnaLs /ame,-is Borm is visible in the transcendental manner. *t is !hri /ama that uncovers the jivaLs true nature and drags himto 9rishnaLs 6upa 4Borm5 una 40ttributes5 and


21/21

9rishna, the different forms of enticement held out by maya cannot overpower us. 9eep always engaged in theaudition 4listening5 and vocalisation 4reproducing5 of -is lories, discourses about -ari with the devotees that may

be available for association. Then with the gradual improvement of your 3hajan, you will feel your own humilityand lowliness. +ou should know that Lthe highest soul knows himself to be the lowestL.

FOOTNOT S

":# 1ilapakusumanjali :K .

" # 3h. N*. C C."># vide 1. A :H."?# 3h. N*. :I.?:."A# 2undaka. :. .: ."C# 1ide. N*. >. :."F# @. @handrodaya 1***. ?."H# 0lso 3h. 6.!. :. . H."I# 3h. N. > '>>.":K# 1ide 9atha :. .:' ."::# 1ide *N. A.": # 3h. *N.:?.?H'?I.

":># 3h. N**.>.A .":?# 1ide N**.A'.":A# 3h. N.:?.>'?.":C# 3h. N. .> .":F# 3h. *.A.: .":H# 3h. **.I.>>.":I# 3h. **.I.> ." K# 1ide **. .: A': C." :# 3h. 1*.>' , N**.>.A:'A ." # 1ide ***.?':K." ># 1ide F>." ?# 1ide N*':>F." A# *sso. I." C# 1ide :.:. ." F# 3h. ::.:.::." H# 1ide. N**.:>.:H." I# 1ide ***.:I.">K# 3.6.!. :.:.::.">:# @.@. 2.F': H': I."> # 3h. :.:A. F.

Published in The Harmonist ( Sree Sajjanatoshani )

Date post:	04-Jun-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	aexb123
View:	222 times
Download:	0 times

The Pathway to Highest Blessedness by Bhaktisddhanta

Documents