jueves, 8 de septiembre de 2011

OFFER YOURSELF, NOT JUST THE MANGO ---- San Francisco, California, June, 11, 1998

OFFER YOURSELF, NOT JUST THE MANGO ---- San Francisco, California, June, 11, 1998

Oṁ viṣṇupāda paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja 

Nowadays, pure bhakti (devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa) is very rare. Most devotees who perform bhakti are adopting karma-miśra bhakti, jñāna-miśra bhakti, and yoga-miśra bhakti. Their bhakti is contaminated with all these impurities, yet they think that they are doing pure bhakti.

We must know what pure bhakti is.

What is karma-miśra bhakti?
If someone has not taken initiation from Gurudeva and has no knowledge of his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, will his practice of bhakti be pure?

If you do not understand something, you can ask questions. This is not a formal lecture; it is an iṣṭha-goṣṭhī (discussion about Kṛṣṇa). In this way you will have a more clear understanding of the truths of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

What is karma?

Karma is any activity or endeavour that is performed with a desire to enjoy the result. If you are chanting, remembering, or performing any other devotional activity, but you want to enjoy the results of those activities, that is called karma-miśra (miśra means ‘mixture’) bhakti.

When there is no relation with devotion, when an activity is performed only to taste the results for ourselves, this is pure karma. We may do something for ourselves, like eating a mango.

Who is eating?
Who is enjoying it?

I am enjoying. So, to eat a mango is pure karma. There is no relation with bhakti at all.

However, suppose you think:

“I have offered this mango (I have not offered myself). I will now take the remnants of the prasāda mango, and I will become very healthy and strong.”

That is called karma- pradhānī -bhakti. In this case, karma is prominent and bhakti is subordinate. This is karma-miśra.

When bhakti is more powerful and the desire to personally taste the result of karma is less, this is called pradhānī-bhūta-bhakti. Here bhakti is prominent and karma is also there, but this is not in the category of karma-miśra.

When someone has no desire at all for personal enjoyment, and his only desire is to serve Kṛṣṇa, and he is engaging in śravaṇam (hearing about Kṛṣṇa), kīrtanam (chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name and describing His glories), Viṣṇu smaraṇam (remembering Him), pada sevanam (serving His lotus feet or visiting the holy places), arcanaṁ (worshipping Him), vandanaṁ (offering Him prayers), dāsyaṁ (becoming a servant), sakhyam (becoming a friend) and ātma-nivedanam (fully surrendering oneself) to please Gurudeva and Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, that is called pure bhakti or uttama-bhakti.

anyābhilāṣitā śūnyaṁ jñāna-kārmādy anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

["The cultivation of activities that are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or in other words the uninterrupted flow of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, performed through all endeavours of the body, mind and speech, and through the expression of various spiritual sentiments (bhāvas), which is not covered by jñāna (knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma (reward-seeking activity), and which is devoid of all desires other than the aspiration to bring happiness to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is called uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service."
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Pūrva-vibhāga 1.1.11)]


This is uttama-bhakti. If it is not uttama-bhakti, then it must be mixed with karma, jñāna, yoga, dry austerities and so on.

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

[“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.”
(Bhagavad Gītā 9.26)]

This is also not so high.

Why?

We should try to offer our soul, ourselves, all our senses and our heart – everything – first to Gurudeva, and then to Kṛṣṇa.

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau
bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā
kriyeta bhagavaty addhā
tan manye 'dhītam uttamam

[Prahlāda Mahārāja said:

These nine processes (described above) are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. 7.5.24)]

If a person has not surrendered himself at the lotus feet of Gurudeva, Śrī Śrī Rādhā Kṛṣṇa, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he can offer something to Kṛṣṇa, but it may be that Kṛṣṇa will partly accept it, not wholly. On the other hand, if that person has surrendered himself, telling Kṛṣṇa:

“Now I am Yours. You are my beloved,”

Or

“You are my son,”

Or

“You are my friend,”

Then whatever he does is pure bhakti.

If you have many hundreds of cows, and you are only offering one litre of milk to Kṛṣṇa and nothing more, that is not pure bhakti. However, suppose you have offered yourself at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Gurudeva. You have nothing; you are a Vaiṣṇava with no other possession than Kṛṣṇa Himself. You are thinking that only by the remnants of Kṛṣṇa you are maintaining your life. You are thinking that whatever Kṛṣṇa provides, this is what you accept in order to continue your service. Everything is for service; nothing is for you.  At this stage you will not have to offer anything, because you have offered yourself.

What will you give to Kṛṣṇa?

You have offered your very self. This is pure bhakti.

Suppose you are a disciple of Gurudeva. You are not offering yourself, but you are offering fifteen million rupees to Gurudeva and you tell him:

“Gurudeva, I am offering this to you.”

On the other hand, suppose there is another disciple who has nothing to give. He has given everything to Gurudeva – his heart, his soul, and all his possessions, and he is serving – in this case, who is superior?

The other devotee is serving his Gurudeva throughout the day and night. He has nothing more to give because he has given himself, his property, his wife, and his children. Or maybe he has nothing to give, like Hanumān, yet he is giving everything he has to Kṛṣṇa. He has nothing more to offer Kṛṣṇa because he has offered himself. All his actions are performed as a servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is pure bhakti.

If one has not offered any part of himself – he is a very rich person and he has given millions upon millions of dollars – but he has not given himself, there is something lacking. His endeavours are not pure bhakti; they are karma-miśra. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains all of these important topics in his book Śrī Bhakti-tattva-viveka. Try to realise these truths.

[Śrīpād Āśrama Mahārāja:] Śrīla Gurudeva, in your first example you said that if one eats the mango for his own sense gratification and doesn’t offer it to Kṛṣṇa, this is karma, not karma-miśra?

[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja:] That is pure karma. There is no ‘contamination’ of bhakti (devotees laugh). But if I think:

“If I eat this mango without first offering it, then it will be a very big sin. I must offer it to Kṛṣṇa, then all the sin will be removed and I will taste Kṛṣṇa’s remnants.”

This is karma-miśra bhakti.

Pradhānī-bhūta bhakti is found in following the verse beginning:

“Patram puṣpam phalam”

 The person who is making his offering is only giving a fruit, not himself.

Someone may be giving the results of all his karmas. This type of bhakti may be found in the following verse:

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

[“O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.”
(Bhagavad-gīta, 9.27)]

He addresses Kṛṣṇa:

“I have taken bath and I am giving You the fruit of my taking bath. I am doing this and that, and giving You the fruit (result).”

But why are you not offering yourself?

Regarding those who have totally surrendered themselves: Arjuna is surrendered and the gopīs are surrendered. If the gopīs are eating something, they will not offer it to Kṛṣṇa in a formal way. They will not utter the offering mantra:

“Etat naivedyaṁ sa tulasī pānīya-jalam, śrīṁ klīṁ rādhā-kṛṣṇābhyāṁ namaḥ

Kṛṣṇa is sitting with them. They ask Him if He wants something and then they do not let Him have it. By their sweet behaviour they bring Him immense pleasure. This is pure bhakti because they have given everything. Nothing is theirs; their body, mind, and soul are Kṛṣṇa’s. Outwardly they are not offering Him what He wants, but they have offered their everything. This is pure bhakti.

It may be that when bhoga is given to Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he will eat it at once, without offering it to Kṛṣṇa. He will not make the offering with mudras (hand and finger gestures). [In vaidhī-bhakti one may use mudras to invite the Deity to sit upon an asana, etc. When offering bhoga, one remembers Gopāl-mantra and counts by mudra upon ones fingers.] There is no need for him to do this, and Hanumān will also not do this. When Śukadeva Gosvāmī eats the ‘un-offered’ foodstuffs, you may think:

“He is eating that without first offering it to Kṛṣṇa!”

If you think like this, you are a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī or lower than that. You cannot understand his exalted position.

The gopīs decorate themselves in order to become beautiful for Kṛṣṇa.

First try to offer yourself – your whole being. For gṛhasthas (householder devotees) this is very hard, but they may also offer themselves. As the Pāṇḍavas, the Gopīs and Ambarīṣa Mahārāja did, householders can do. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a king with a very big kingdom. He had sons, daughters, and wives, but he was a śuddha-bhakta (pure devotee) because he offered himself.

Now we should also know about ‘jñāna’. Worldly knowledge about anything is general material jñāna. When we come to the point of having no faith in material knowledge, realising that it cannot give us material pleasure or happiness in this or any other life (because material pleasure is allotted according to one’s karma, not according to the amount of material knowledge one possesses), then we want impersonal salvation or liberation (mukti). At that time we seek to understand the impersonal Absolute, and knowing it, the aim and object of our lives becomes salvation or liberation. We then think:

“I am the soul, not the body. The soul is not eating; the body is eating.”

He sees the soul as the self, but he has no knowledge of the Supersoul. His knowledge, or jñāna, is called nirviśeṣa-jñāna.

Jñāna is also of two kinds – nirviśeṣa-jñāna (a taste for voidism and impersonalism) and tattva-jñāna (knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the established philosophical truths in relation to Him). Tattva-jñāna is the first stage of bhakti. For one who only wants salvation, all of one’s activities are known as nirviśeṣa-jñāna.

Now, regarding the meaning of jñāna-miśra-bhakti:

A person may know that bhakti can do everything. In other words, he knows that by performing bhakti, material results will come; by performing bhakti, one can very easily attain mukti; and by performing bhakti one can attain Kṛṣṇa-prema. He thus gives up this nirviśeṣa-jñāna. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī and the Four Kumāras (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana, Sanaka kumara), were within this category of nirviśeṣa-jñānis. By the mercy of Brahma, the Four Kumāras gave up that jñāna, and by the mercy of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, gave it up. Thus they became pure devotees (śuddha-bhaktas).

ātmārāmāś ca munayo
nirgranthā apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim
itthaṁ-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ

[“All different varieties of ātmārāmas (those who take pleasure in ātmā, or spirit self), especially those established on the path of self-realisation, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls.”
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.10)]

By the mercy of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī realised the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa. He gave up impersonal jñāna and became a pure rāsika (knower of all transcendental rasas) tattva-jña (knower of all essential philosophical truths) bhakta.

[Śrīpād Āśrama Mahārāja:] My question is regarding the person who is doing karma-miśra bhakti. He knows that the goal is Kṛṣṇa, but he has some mixture….

[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja:] No, he does not know. He has no pure Guru and no association of pure bhaktas; that is why he does not know. If he gets good association, he will know all these truths. He will give up karma and become a pure bhakta.

[Śrīpād Āśrama Mahārāja:] So if someone theoretically knows, but still….

[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja:] He does not really know.

[Śrīpād Āśrama Mahārāja:] Like myself. I don’t actually know the goal, but I have some theoretical understanding.

[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja:] There is no contamination in your bhakti, but there is some weakness. Something is lacking. There is not so much sukṛti (spiritual pious credits) and saṁskāras (the impressions created on the heart by sukṛtis and bhakti). Such a person may be kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, but there is no contamination. There is some weakness (daurbalya) *[see Endnote 1] but still your activities are within the category of pure bhakti. You are chanting, remembering and performing the other limbs of devotional service. There is a mixture of karma and jñāna also, but bhakti is prominent, whereas karma and jñāna are secondary, in the background. You know the real aim and abject of life. Gradually, in the association of pure bhaktas, you will give up all other thoughts and habits because you know the real aim and object of life.

Karma-miśra bhaktas don’t know what pure bhakti is. You are in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; you are in the bhakti line. You have been initiated by undergoing proper dīkṣā and you have some relation with Guru, with Mahāprabhu and with Kṛṣṇa, but there is some weakness and something is lacking.

[Devotee:] You said the person following karma-miśra bhakti has no pure Guru. In the beginning, Dhruva Mahārāja was in the karma-miśra stage even though his Guru, Nārada, was a pure Guru.

[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja:] He could not follow Nārada. Nārada wanted to make Dhruva pure, but Dhruva was not in a position to totally follow. It may be that Guru is pure, but his disciples may not be pure. Nowadays it is like this. If there is a pure Guru, like Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura or Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, who has hundreds of thousands of disciples, he may have only one or two serious disciples – and they may be gṛhastha, not in the renounced order.

[Devotee:] Is it not that the heart of a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī [neophyte or third-class devotee] is, because of the kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs lack of advancement, covered by the contamination of karma and jñāna?

[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja:] There may be some, but gradually he will develop his Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and give up all these things. If he has a lack of pure association and he is not ready to follow, and he therefore commits offenses, he will gradually go down. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura tells us that we should understand the meaning of karma, jñāna, and yoga, and then we should know what śuddha-bhakti really is. In śuddha-bhakti there is some gradation. We are in that gradation, we are not in karma-miśra. Try to understand.

A devotee may be performing svarūpa-siddha bhakti *[See endnote 2], but there are some gradations. He may not be engaged in uttama-bhakti, but he is doing some kind of bhakti. In the beginning stage he tries and promises to offer himself at his Gurudeva’s lotus feet. When he took Harināma and dīkṣā initiation, he promised:

“Gurudeva, I have offered myself to you. I will totally follow you. I have become yours.”

But he does not know what ‘offer’ means, and so he was not true to his word.

Gradually you will know all these truths. We will explain all these topics very clearly so that you will understand them, and your bhakti will automatically become very strong.

[Devotee:] Am I understanding correctly?
I think that you want to say that if by the association of Guru the aim and object is clear about what we have to do, and we want to surrender, then our bhakti is not karma-miśra?

[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja:] He has been initiated and has some relation with Guru, Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa by dīkṣā mantras, and he has offered himself.

[Devotee:] He has a desire to offer himself.

[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja:] He has offered himself, but he does not really know what ‘offering’ means. He may say to his Gurudeva:

“I am giving this to you.”
[Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja points to his own chaddar (woollen shawl).]

But then he thinks:

“That chaddar was so good.”

It is like this. He has given it, but he is still somewhat attached to it. He is thinking:

“I have given this.”

He is not thinking: “

This chaddar fully belongs to Gurudeva and Kṛṣṇa. I am not the owner.” 

A true devotee does not think:

“It was mine and I am offering it to Gurudeva,”

He thinks:

“It was a remnant of Kṛṣṇa. The real owner is Kṛṣṇa. He has mercifully given me this so that I would be able to serve my Guru, but actually it is not mine. My body is also not mine. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa.”

If one has this mood, he will attain pure bhakti. 

[*Endnote 1: Hṛdaya -daurbalya (weakness of heart) is of four kinds:

(1) Tuccha-āsakti (attachment for useless things),
(2) kuṭi-nāṭi deceitful behaviour).
The word kuṭi-nāṭi may be broken down into the constituent parts ku, ‘bad or evil’, and na or nāṭi, ‘that which is forbidden’. In that case it would mean ‘doing wicked deeds’ or ‘doing that which is forbidden’),
(3) Mātsarya (envy)
(4) Sva-pratiṣṭhā-lālasā (desire for one's own fame and prestige).
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura)]

[*Endnote 2: Three Types of Bhakti
One should also remember that bhakti is of three types: svarūpa-siddha (those endeavours which are purely constituted of the aṅgas of bhakti), saṅga-siddha (those endeavours which are associated with or favourable to the development of bhakti, but are not in themselves purely composed of bhakti), and āropa-siddha (those activities which, although not consisting of pure bhakti, are designated as bhakti due to their being offered to the Supreme Lord).

[Svarūpa-siddha bhakti may or may not be fully pure (uttama-bhakti). For example one may be performing rājasika svarūpa-siddha (svarūpa-siddha-bhakti mixed with the mode of passion). Only Nirguṇa svarūpa-siddha-bhakti can be said to be uttama-bhakti.]

Āropa-siddha-bhakti: Endeavours indirectly attributed with the quality of bhakti.
Endeavours which by nature are not purely constituted of bhakti – that is, anukūlyena-kṛṣṇānuśīlana, – and in which the performer, in order to fulfil his own purpose, offers his activities and their results to the Lord. This is called āropa-siddha-bhakti. In other words, because his activities are assigned (āropa) to the Supreme Lord, bhakti is attributed (āropita) to them.

Comment

That bhakti in which there is a mixture of karma or desires for material enjoyment is called sakāma-bhakti or saguṇa-bhakti. Without the assistance of bhakti, karma cannot yield any fruit. Knowing this, many persons offer their prescribed duties for the satisfaction of the Lord, in order that He might fulfil their extraneous desires. The activities of such persons are not svarūpa-siddha-bhakti. Nonetheless, because they offer the fruit of their activity to the Lord, it is considered as a type of bhakti. Although their activities are offered for the satisfaction of the Lord, their motivation is that by pleasing Him, He may fulfil their extraneous desires. In this case their activities are attributed with the sense of bhakti. Therefore, such endeavours are known as āropa-siddha-bhakti.

Saṅga-siddha-bhakti: Endeavours associated with or favourable to the cultivation of bhakti.
There are other endeavours which, although not purely constituted of bhakti, anukūlyena-kṛṣṇānuśīlana, acquire a likeness to bhakti due to their being established as assistants to bhakti. Such endeavours are known as saṅga-siddha-bhakti. An example of this is found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3. 23-25) in the statement of Śrī Prabuddha Muni to Mahārāja Nimi:

"One should cultivate compassion towards others, friendliness, offering respect to others, cleanliness, austerity, tolerance, silence, study of the Vedas, simplicity, celibacy, non-violence, and so on. One should consider heat and cold, happiness and distress to be the same. One should perceive the presence of the Lord everywhere. One should live in a secluded place, renounce family attachments and remain satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord."

The behaviour or practices described in this verse are not by nature purely constituted of bhakti, but they are assistants to bhakti. Thus they are considered to be like associates of bhakti. If devotion to the Supreme Lord is removed from the twenty-six qualities mentioned, then the Lord has no direct relationship with the remaining qualities such as compassion, friendliness, tolerance, austerity, and so on. Only when these items exist as assistants to or associates of bhakti is their likeness to bhakti affected. Therefore, they are known as saṅga-siddha-bhakti. 

Svarūpa-siddha-bhakti: Endeavours purely constituted of uttama-bhakti
All favourable endeavours, such as hearing, chanting, remembering, and so on, as well as the manifestation of the spiritual sentiments which occur beginning from the stage of Bhāva, which are completely devoid of all desires separate from Śrī Kṛṣṇa and which are freed from the coverings of jñāna and karma are known as svarūpa-siddha-bhakti. In other words all endeavours of the body, words and mind which are related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and which are performed exclusively and directly for His pleasure without any interruption are known as svarūpa-siddha-bhakti.

Therefore, in the conversation between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raya Rāmānanda, found in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, both āropa-siddha and saṅga-siddha-bhakti have been described as external. (Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindhu 17-19)

Here there is a need to analyse the three different conceptions of bhakti. The first is called svarūpa-siddha bhakti, the second is saṅga-siddha bhakti, and the third is āropa-siddha bhakti. First we should understand svarūpa-siddha bhakti. Svarūpa-siddha means that devotional service which by constitution is composed entirely of the limbs of bhakti such as hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping, praying, becoming a friend and fully surrendering one’s soul. If someone is not doing this, but is doing something else, such as performance of prescribed duties in varṇāśrama-dharma, and still he thinks he is engaging in actual bhakti, he is actually superimposing the conception of pure bhakti onto something which is not pure bhakti. The word āropa means ‘to superimpose’, so āropa-siddha bhakti is the superimposition of the conception of devotion upon an activity which is constitutionally not devotion. Because Varna and āśrama are related to the physical body and not to the soul, therefore the consideration of varṇāśrama-dharma as pure bhakti is a superimposition.

If one engages in activities which are somewhat related to devotional service, such as giving donations to devotees, giving charity and so on, this is not actually devotional service – but it has some relationship with devotional service. This is called saṅga-siddha bhakti – the cultivation of qualities, sentiments, knowledge, and the understanding which is also included in pure bhakti, but which is itself not pure bhakti.” (Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, August 9, 2004)

If you have some worldly desire, or any desire, then your bhakti may be saṅga-siddha bhakti or āropa-siddha bhakti, but not pure transcendental bhakti. You should know what is āropa-siddha bhakti and saṅga-siddha bhakti. When all this is clarified for you, then you can engage all your senses in svarūpa-siddha bhakti; otherwise not. If you are doing any business, and by that business you make a very beautiful garden with many fruits and flowers, and you want to offer all these fruits and flowers to Kṛṣṇa, this is not pure bhakti. Pure bhakti consists only of hearing, chanting, remembering, etc. In pure bhakti one always chants and remembers Kṛṣṇa, and hears His pastimes in elevated association. Among all the limbs of bhakti, five limbs are most superior: sadhu-saṅga (association of pure devotees), nāma kīrtana (chanting the holy names of the Lord), bhagavat-śravaṇa (hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic scriptures from the lotus lips of those pure devotees), vṛndāvana or mathurā-vasa (living in Vṛndāvana or any of the holy places of the Lord’s pastimes), and Śrī mūrtira śraddhayā sevana (faithfully serving the Deity).” (Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, April 17, 2001)


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  • Rama Kānta Dāsa Nowadays, pure bhakti (devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa) is very rare. Most devotees who perform bhakti are adopting karma-miśra bhakti, jñāna-miśra bhakti, and yoga-miśra bhakti. Their bhakti is contaminated with all these impurities, yet they think that they are doing pure bhakti.

    We must know what pure bhakti is.

    What is karma-miśra bhakti?
    If someone has not taken initiation from Gurudeva and has no knowledge of his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, will his practice of bhakti be pure?

    If you do not understand something, you can ask questions. This is not a formal lecture; it is an iṣṭha-goṣṭhī (discussion about Kṛṣṇa). In this way you will have a more clear understanding of the truths of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

    What is karma?

    Karma is any activity or endeavour that is performed with a desire to enjoy the result. If you are chanting, remembering, or performing any other devotional activity, but you want to enjoy the results of those activities, that is called karma-miśra (miśra means ‘mixture’) bhakti.

    When there is no relation with devotion, when an activity is performed only to taste the results for ourselves, this is pure karma. We may do something for ourselves, like eating a mango.

    Who is eating?
    Who is enjoying it?

    I am enjoying. So, to eat a mango is pure karma. There is no relation with bhakti at all.

    However, suppose you think:

    “I have offered this mango (I have not offered myself). I will now take the remnants of the prasāda mango, and I will become very healthy and strong.”

    That is called karma- pradhānī -bhakti. In this case, karma is prominent and bhakti is subordinate. This is karma-miśra.

    When bhakti is more powerful and the desire to personally taste the result of karma is less, this is called pradhānī-bhūta-bhakti. Here bhakti is prominent and karma is also there, but this is not in the category of karma-miśra.

    When someone has no desire at all for personal enjoyment, and his only desire is to serve Kṛṣṇa, and he is engaging in śravaṇam (hearing about Kṛṣṇa), kīrtanam (chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name and describing His glories), Viṣṇu smaraṇam (remembering Him), pada sevanam (serving His lotus feet or visiting the holy places), arcanaṁ (worshipping Him), vandanaṁ (offering Him prayers), dāsyaṁ (becoming a servant), sakhyam (becoming a friend) and ātma-nivedanam (fully surrendering oneself) to please Gurudeva and Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, that is called pure bhakti or uttama-bhakti.

    anyābhilāṣitā śūnyaṁ jñāna-kārmādy anāvṛtam
    ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

    ["The cultivation of activities that are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or in other words the uninterrupted flow of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, performed through all endeavours of the body, mind and speech, and through the expression of various spiritual sentiments (bhāvas), which is not covered by jñāna (knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma (reward-seeking activity), and which is devoid of all desires other than the aspiration to bring happiness to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is called uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service."
    (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Pūrva-vibhāga 1.1.11)]

    This is uttama-bhakti. If it is not uttama-bhakti, then it must be mixed with karma, jñāna, yoga, dry austerities and so on.

    patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
    yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
    tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
    aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

    [“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.”
    (Bhagavad Gītā 9.26)]

    This is also not so high.

    Why?

    We should try to offer our soul, ourselves, all our senses and our heart – everything – first to Gurudeva, and then to Kṛṣṇa.

    śrī-prahrāda uvāca
    iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau
    bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā
    kriyeta bhagavaty addhā
    tan manye 'dhītam uttamam

    [Prahlāda Mahārāja said:

    These nine processes (described above) are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.
    (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. 7.5.24)]

    If a person has not surrendered himself at the lotus feet of Gurudeva, Śrī Śrī Rādhā Kṛṣṇa, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he can offer something to Kṛṣṇa, but it may be that Kṛṣṇa will partly accept it, not wholly. On the other hand, if that person has surrendered himself, telling Kṛṣṇa:

    “Now I am Yours. You are my beloved,”

    Or

    “You are my son,”

    Or

    “You are my friend,”

    Then whatever he does is pure bhakti.

    If you have many hundreds of cows, and you are only offering one litre of milk to Kṛṣṇa and nothing more, that is not pure bhakti. However, suppose you have offered yourself at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Gurudeva. You have nothing; you are a Vaiṣṇava with no other possession than Kṛṣṇa Himself. You are thinking that only by the remnants of Kṛṣṇa you are maintaining your life. You are thinking that whatever Kṛṣṇa provides, this is what you accept in order to continue your service. Everything is for service; nothing is for you. At this stage you will not have to offer anything, because you have offered yourself.

    What will you give to Kṛṣṇa?

    You have offered your very self. This is pure bhakti.

    Suppose you are a disciple of Gurudeva. You are not offering yourself, but you are offering fifteen million rupees to Gurudeva and you tell him:

    “Gurudeva, I am offering this to you.”

    On the other hand, suppose there is another disciple who has nothing to give. He has given everything to Gurudeva – his heart, his soul, and all his possessions, and he is serving – in this case, who is superior?

    The other devotee is serving his Gurudeva throughout the day and night. He has nothing more to give because he has given himself, his property, his wife, and his children. Or maybe he has nothing to give, like Hanumān, yet he is giving everything he has to Kṛṣṇa. He has nothing more to offer Kṛṣṇa because he has offered himself. All his actions are performed as a servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is pure bhakti.

    If one has not offered any part of himself – he is a very rich person and he has given millions upon millions of dollars – but he has not given himself, there is something lacking. His endeavours are not pure bhakti; they are karma-miśra. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains all of these important topics in his book Śrī Bhakti-tattva-viveka. Try to realise these truths.
  • Gaura Kishora Das hari hari kabe mora hoibe sudina !! Dandvat pranam
  • Rama Kānta Dāsa A person is said to have perfectly studied the scriptures if he is completely surrendered to Bhagavān Śrī Viṣṇu, if he is free from karma, janā, yoga and other obstructions, and if he is engaged in the nine kinds of bhakti: hearing topics related to Bhagavān (śravaṇam); chanting His name (kīrtanam); remembering His name, form, qualities and pastimes (smaraṇam); serving His lotus feet (pāda-sevanam); performing deity worship (arcanam); offering prayers (vandanam); becoming His servant (dāsyam); becoming His friend (sakhyam); and offering one’s very self (ātma-nivedanam). Only such a person’s study of the scriptures is successful.

    śravaṇa-kīrtana-ādi-bhaktira prakāra
    cid-ghana-ānanda kṛṣṇe sākṣāt yāṅhāra
    sarva-śāstra-tattva bujhi’ kriyā-para tini
    sarvārtha-siddhite tiṅha vijṣa-śiromaṇi

    Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti

    The nine kinds of devotion, navadhā-bhakti, comprise svarūpa-siddha-bhakti, unalloyed devotion. Other types of devotional practices fall into the categories of saṅga-siddha-bhakti, āropa-siddha-bhakti and so forth. It is essential that one completely surrender to Bhagavān, for one cannot enter svarūpa-siddha-bhakti without surrender. This is the import of the phrase iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau in this Text. According to Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, the word puṁsā here indicates the māyā-baddha-jīva, conditioned living entity, who is attached to sense enjoyment. The words bhagavaty addhā refer to the instruction to perform service to Bhagavān that is stimulated by devotion that flows like a continuous stream of oil.

    Ātma-nivedanam
    Dedication of the self

    The word ātmā refers to ahaṁtā (egoism), or in other words the sense of “I” pertaining to the body, as well as mamatā (possessiveness), or the sense of “mine” that is related to the body. To offer both of these to Kṛṣṇa is called ātma-nivedana.
    The living entity who is within the body is known as dehī, one who possesses the body, and aham, the ego, egoism or the self. When the living entity takes support of these two conceptions (i.e. the sense of possessing a body (dehī) and the sense of ego or self (aham)), it gives rise to the sense of “I”. The possessiveness or attachment that rests upon this sense of “I” is called dehī-niṣṭha-mamatā, or attachment grounded in the egoism of possessing a body.

    The sense of “mine” in relation to the body is called deha-niṣṭha-mamatā, or possessiveness related to the body itself. One should offer both the sense of “I” and the sense of “mine” to Kṛṣṇa. One should give up the conceptions of “I” and “mine” and adopt the conception that, “I am a servant of Kṛṣṇa, I accept only the remnants of Kṛṣṇa’s prasāda and this body is an instrument suitable for the service of Kṛṣṇa”. To maintain the body exclusively with this mentality is called ātma-nivedana.

    Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: We should pray: 

    "I have no realisation or real understanding. I have offered myself unto your lotus feet. Please, pracodayāt." 

    In all mantras you will see the word pracodayāt: 

    "Please mercifully manifest yourself, as you are, in my heart." 

    If anyone has unconditionally surrendered in this way, he becomes a qualified person. Kṛṣṇa will manifest to that person. Lord Nārāyaṇa Himself told so many things to Brahma: 

    "Who am I? 
    What is this world? 
    What is prema-bhakti? 

    He explained these truths, but Brahma could not realise them. 

    So what did He do? 

    He said: 

    "Oh, I am manifesting myself in your heart because you are surrendered." 

    Nowadays, people want to use their own intelligence. They don't want to surrender. They have no belief, no strong faith, in the words of Gurudeva. They have no faith even in the transcendental words of śāstra, or in the holy name. They think: 

    "I must go to any job and make some money." 

    They do not depend on the chanting of the holy name, and they do not surrender to their Gurudeva. 

    Contrary to this, Vyāsadeva gave up everything: 

    bhakti-yogena manasi
    samyak praṇihite 'male

    ["He fixed his mind, perfectly engaging it by the linking process of devotional service without any tinge of materialism. Thus he saw the Absolute Personality of Godhead along with His external energy, which was under full control." 
    (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.4.)] 

    He surrendered himself totally. At once he saw: 

    apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ 

    He saw Kṛṣṇa with Rādhikā, all the gopīs, Nanda, Yaśodā, and all their pastimes. It was like seeing a film. From Kṛṣṇa’s birth to His Dvārakā-līlā, Vyāsadeva saw all the secret truths, and then he wrote Bhāgavatam. 

    yasyāṁ vai śrūyamāṇāyāṁ 

    ["Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling of loving devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion, and fearfulness."
    (Śrīmad Bhagavān 1.7.7)] 

    We should therefore have so much strong belief in the name, and also in hearing hari-kathā from Sri Śukadeva Gosvāmī. We should offer our heart to them in śaraṇāgati. More than śaraṇāgati, we should do ātma-nivedanam. Śaraṇāgati will not do so much. It is the entrance gate to bhakti. After śaraṇāgati comes śravaṇam, kīrtanam, viṣṇu-smaraṇam, pāda-sevanam, arcanam, vandanam, dāsyam, sakhyam, and ātma-nivedanam. Arjuna is also ātma-nivedanam, but not in full. Bali Mahārāja is also, but not in full. Śaraṇāgati is also in Hanumān, but it is not full. It is in the Pāṇḍavas and in Uddhava, but not full. Even in Dvārakā, in Rukmiṇī and Satyabhāmā, it is not full. It is extremely high in Yaśodā, but not in full. She cannot give her body for the service of Kṛṣṇa as the gopīs can. Their ātma-nivedanam is complete. 

    Do you understand? 

    Śrīla dāsa: I can only hear more.

    Brajanātha: So in this world, the highest surrender is to be always hearing from that Vaiṣṇava who is so exalted?

    Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: But only rare persons can do this. Generally, those who have no Sukṛti will go to a false guru.

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