Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvāda - 8.244 - 8.257–260
Questions and Answers
13.06.2011
Commentary by ŚRĪ ŚRĪMAD BHAKTIVEDĀNTA NĀRĀYAṆA GOSVĀMĪ
MAHĀRĀJA
What is the topmost knowledge?
8.244
prabhu kahe,—“kon vidyā vidyā-madhye sāra?”
rāya kahe,—“kṛṣṇa-bhakti vinā vidyā nāhi āra”
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Of all types of knowledge, which is the most
important?”
Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is the essence of all knowledge.
Apart from this there is no other type of knowledge.”
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has explained that in the first line
Mahāprabhu asks a question, and in the second line, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya gives
the answer. Mahāprabhu asked:
“Which type of knowledge is the topmost?”
and Rāya replied:
“Apart from knowledge of kṛṣṇa-bhakti, there is no other knowledge.”
This means that, although the jīva is an eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
because of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s external, or illusionary, potency, the jīva forgets his
constitutional position and considers his temporary gross body to be his
eternal identity. The knowledge about how to become situated in one’s pure
eternal form from such a condition, and to realise one’s nature as being a
servant of Kṛṣṇa – this constitutes sādhana, specifically the performance of
bhakti to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. By this knowledge one can understand jīva-tattva,
māyā-tattva, bhāgavat-tattva, and all other tattvas progressively. Ultimately,
the unconquerable Śrī Kṛṣṇa is controlled by the śuddha-bhakti of a devotee.
That knowledge, or vidyā, which is above all others, is knowledge of
the nature of devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Material knowledge (jaḍa-vidyā) leads to
material enjoyment, but that vidyā which gives knowledge of viṣṇu-bhakti is far
superior to even knowledge of the impersonal Brahman (brahma-vidyā), which is
beyond any material knowledge. However, even superior to knowledge of viṣṇu-bhakti
is knowledge of kṛṣṇa-bhakti.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam supports
this siddhānta in so many places:
tat karma hari-toṣaṁ yat
sā vidyā tan-matir yayā
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.49)
“Factual work, or karma, is that by which one can satisfy Śrī Hari.
Factual vidyā, or knowledge, is that by which one’s mind is absorbed in
Bhagavān.”
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau
bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā
kriyeta bhāgavaty addhā
tan manye ’dhītam uttamam
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.23–24)
Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja says: “The bhakti of Bhagavān Viṣṇu has nine
limbs: hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form,
qualities, and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu; remembering them; serving His lotus
feet; offering the Lord respectful worship; offering prayers to the Lord;
becoming His servant; becoming His friend; and surrendering everything unto
Him. If one performs these nine limbs of devotion with a mood of surrender,
then we should know this to be the topmost knowledge of the scriptures. His
cultivation of the scriptures is successful.”
And it is also described here:
idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā
sviṣṭasya sūktasya ca buddhi-dattayoḥ
avicyuto ’rthaḥ kavibhir nirūpito
yad-uttamaśloka-guṇānuvarṇanam
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.22)
“Learned persons accept as the pinnacle of knowledge the very best
verses, which describe Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s qualities and activities.”
In the following verses spoken between Śrīman Mahāprabhu and Śrī
Rāmānanda Rāya, there is a gradation and comparison between the relative worth
of material objects and transcendental objects, as well as a discussion of
subject matter affiliated with Goloka and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unmotivated devotional
service. The material conception is thus defeated and the worth of
transcendence is established.
What is the most glorious act?
8.245
‘kīrti-gaṇa-madhye jīvera kon baḍa kīrti?’
‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta baliyā yāṅhāra haya khyāti’
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then asked: “Out of all glorious activities of
the jīva, which is the greatest?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “To be called a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is
the topmost glory of the jīva.”
In the material world there are many, many glories that may be
attributed to a jīva, like wealth, wonderful qualities, intelligence, or fame.
However, all such reputation is related to this material body. Upon the body’s
demise, this fame is destroyed along with it. The greatest form of fame in this
world is therefore to become a premī-bhakta, because such fame is directly
related to the soul. The soul is unending and eternal. Factually, it is
composed of eternality, knowledge, and bliss (sac-cid-ānanda-maya). Since the
soul is never destroyed, the devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are likewise never
destroyed. Devotees of Kṛṣṇa are just like a boat, and one cannot know how many
jīvas they shelter and ferry across the ocean of birth and death. The devotees alone secure the
qualification to serve their worshipful Lord. Performing such service, they
successfully dispel lamentation, illusion, and attachment forever.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.19.40)
says:
vidyātmani bhidā-bādhaḥ
“Knowledge of the soul
nullifies duality.”
To be known as a devotee of
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the greatest fame. It is the jīva’s considered opinion, due to his
greed for material objects of sense enjoyment, that service to inert matter
constitutes the greatest fame. Actually, the best position is to be known as a
viṣṇu-bhakta, which is superior even to the topmost fame within this material
world. This means to be afforded the position of a knower of Brahman. Yet,
greater than the glory of being a devotee of Śrī Viṣṇu is to be renowned as a
devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Indra states in Garuḍa Purāṇa:
kalau bhāgavataṁ nāma
durlabhaṁ naiva labhyate
brahma-rudra-padotkṛṣṭaṁ
guruṇā kathitaṁ mama
“In this Age of Kali, it is
extremely rare to find one who is celebrated as an excellent devotee, or a
bhāgavata. However, such a position is superior to that of the major
demigods like Brahmā and Mahādeva.”
In Itihāsa-samuccaya, in the conversation between Śrī Nārada and Puṇḍarīka,
Śrī Nārada says:
janmāntara-sahasreṣu
yasya syād buddhir īdṛśī
dāso ’haṁ vāsudevasya
sarvān lokān samuddharet
“‘I am Bhagavān Vāsudeva’s
servant.’ A person who realises this after thousands and thousands of
births can deliver the entire universe.”
In the conversation between
Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, as recorded in the Ādi Purāṇa it states:
bhaktānām anugacchanti
muktayaḥ śrutibhiḥ saha
“The liberated souls
(mukta-puruṣas) and the Vedic literatures follow the footsteps of the devotees
of the Lord.”
In Bṛhad-nāradīya Purāṇa, it
is further stated:
adyāpi ca muni-śreṣṭhā
brahmādyā api devatāḥ
prabhāvaṁ na vijānanti viṣṇu-bhakti-ratātmanām
“Until today, even the great
sages and demigods such as Brahmā did not know the influence of a devotee
absorbed in viṣṇu-bhakti.”
The Garuḍa Purāṇa similarly
states:
brāhmaṇānāṁ sahasrebhyaḥ
satra-yājī viśiṣyate
satra-yāji-sahasrebhyaḥ
sarva-vedānta-pāragaḥ
sarva-vedānta-vit-koṭyā viṣṇu-bhakto
viśiṣyate
vaiṣṇavānāṁ sahasrebhya
ekānty eko viśiṣyate
ekāntinastu puruṣā gacchanti
parama padam
“Out of thousands of brāhmaṇas,
one who is qualified to perform sacrifices is the best, and out of many
thousands of such qualified brāhmaṇas, one who is learned in the Vedānta is
considered the best among all. Out of thousands of such knowledgeable brāhmaṇas,
one who is a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu is the best, and out of many thousands of
devotees of Viṣṇu, one who is a one-pointed Vaiṣṇava is the best. Indeed, such
an unalloyed Vaiṣṇava certainly attains the supreme destination.”
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(3.13.4), it is stated:
śrutasya puṁsāṁ
sucira-śramasya
nanv añjasā sūribhir īḍito
’rthaḥ
tat-tad-guṇānuśravaṇaṁ
mukunda-
pādāravindaṁ hṛdayeṣu yeṣām
“O muni, hearing the
qualities of a devotee in whose heart the lotus feet of Śrī Mukunda are always
present is the main fruit of one who has undergone long, hard endeavour in the
study of the scriptures. This is the opinion of learned persons.”
In Nārāyaṇa-vyūha-stava it
is said:
nāhaṁ brahmāpi bhūyāsaṁ
tvad-bhakti-rahito hare
tvayi bhaktas tu kīṭo ’pi
bhūyāsaṁ janma-janmasu
“I do not aspire to take
birth as a Brahmā, if I am to be a Brahmā devoid of devotion. I am praying to
get the association of Your devotees, even if I have to take thousands of
births as an insect.”
sva-dharma-niṣṭhaḥ
śata-janmabhiḥ pumān
viriñcatām eti tataḥ paraṁ
hi mām
avyākṛtaṁ bhāgavato ’tha vaiṣṇavaṁ
padaṁ yathāhaṁ vibudhāḥ
kalātyaye
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.29)
Śrī Mahādeva says to Śrī
Maitreya: “A person who properly executes his occupational duty, or varṇāśrama-dharma,
for one hundred births becomes qualified to occupy the post of Brahmā, and if
he becomes even more pious, he can approach me (Lord Śiva). A person who is an
unalloyed devotee of Śrī Viṣṇu is immediately promoted after death to the
supreme destination, which is completely beyond the material universe. I myself
in my Rudra form, as well as other ruling demigods, attain these planets only
after the destruction of this material world and our positions within it.”
śriyam anucaratīṁ
tad-arthinaś ca
dvipada-patīn vibudhāṁś ca
yat sva-pūrṇaḥ
na bhajati nija-bhṛtya-varga-tantraḥ
katham amum udvisṛjet pumān
kṛta-jñaḥ
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.31.22)
“By nature Bhagavān is
completely full of bliss. He does not care for the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī,
who always remains engaged in His service, or for the kings who perform
everything to attain her favour, or for the other demigods. Despite
this, He becomes dependent on His devotees. Aho! How could a person who is
actually grateful, be able to leave Śrī Hari, who is such an ocean of mercy,
even for a moment?”
In the words of Śrī Brahmā:
tad astu me nātha sa
bhūri-bhāgo
bhave ’tra vānyatra tu vā
tiraścām
yenāham eko ’pi
bhāvaj-janānāṁ
bhūtvā niṣeve tava
pāda-pallavam
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.30)
“Therefore, O Bhagavān, I
pray to be so fortunate that in this life or the next, whether I take birth as
any kind of bird or beast, I may be a servant of any of Your servants, and
again be able to engage in devotional service to Your lotus feet.”
In regard to Śrī Prahlāda
being the best of all the devotees, Śrī Rudra says:
bhakta eva hi tattvena
kṛṣṇaṁ jānāti na tv aham
sarveṣu hari-bhakteṣu
prahlādo ’ti-mahattamaḥ
(Skanda Purāṇa)
“A devotee is one who
understands Kṛṣṇa in truth. I am not among them. Amongst all of Śrī Hari’s
devotees, Prahlāda Mahārāja is the best.”
In addition:
kvāhaṁ rajaḥ-prabhāva īśa
tamo ’dhike ’smin,
jātaḥ suretara-kule kva
tavānukampā
na brahmaṇo na tu bhavasya
na vai ramāyā,
yan me ’rpitaḥ śirasi
padma-karaḥ prasādaḥ
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.26)
Prahlāda Mahārāja is saying:
“O my Lord, just look at my
position. I was born in a demonic family full of the hellish material qualities
of passion and ignorance.
What is to be said of Your causeless mercy?
You are glorious! You offered Your supreme mercy and kept Your lotus
hand on my head. This is the topmost reward and fully removes material
miseries. You never did this for Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, or even for Lakṣmī.”
bhāvanti puruṣā loke
mad-bhaktās tvām anuvratāḥ
bhavān me khalu bhaktānāṁ
sarveṣāṁ pratirūpa-dhṛk
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.10.21)
Bhagavān Śrī Nṛsiṁha-deva is saying: “O My son Prahlāda! The people in
this material world who will follow your example will become My devotees. You
are an ideal for all of My devotees.”
The Pāṇḍavas are far superior, even to bhakta Prahlāda:
yūyaṁ nṛ-loke bata bhūri-bhāgā
lokaṁ punānā munayo ’bhiyanti
yeṣāṁ gṛhān āvasatīti sākṣād
gūḍhaṁ paraṁ brahma manuṣya-liṅgam
sa vā ayaṁ brahma mahad-vimṛgya
kaivalya-nirvāṇa-sukhānubhūtiḥ
priyaḥ suhṛd vaḥ khalu mātuleya
ātmārhaṇīyo vidhi-kṛd guruś ca
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.10.48–49)
The spiritual master of the demigods, Śrī Nārada Muni, said to the Pāṇḍavas:
“O Yudhiṣṭhira, of all the people on this Earth planet, your good fortune is
exceedingly glorious, because the Absolute Truth, Parabrahman, the
all-pervading Supersoul, has taken a human form and secretly lives in your
palace. Great saintly persons, who purify the entire creation, again and again
visit you and your palace for His darśana.”
“Great saintly persons continually search for Him, the Paramātmā, the
Parabrahman, and the all peaceful embodiment of topmost ecstasy, who is
completely devoid of even the slightest trace of māyā. That same Śrī Kṛṣṇa for
whom they search is your beloved friend, well-wisher, your maternal cousin,
worshipful deity, obedient servant, and spiritual master. Indeed, He is like
your very own self.”
Superior to the Pāṇḍavas are the Yādavas:
aho bhoja-pate yūyaṁ
janma-bhājo nṛṇām iha
yat paśyathāsakṛt kṛṣṇaṁ
durdarśam api yoginām
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.82.28)
At the time of the solar eclipse at Kurukṣetra, the assembled earthly
kings said: “O King of the Bhojas, Ugrasena, among all the men of this world,
only the lives of you Yadus are truly successful. You are glorious! You are
greatly blessed, because you continuously behold Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is rarely
visible even to great yogīs.”
tad-darśana-sparśanānupatha-prajalpa-
śayyāsanāśana-sayauna-sapiṇḍa-bandhaḥ
yeṣāṁ gṛhe niraya-vartmani
vartatāṁ vaḥ
svargāpavarga-viramaḥ svayam
āsa viṣṇuḥ
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.82.30)
“O Ugrasena, you have marital and blood relationships with Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Not only that, you constantly see and touch Him and you walk, talk, sleep, sit,
and dine with Him. You are caught in the net of family affairs, which is the
path to hell, but in your palace the all-pervading Lord Viṣṇu, the mere darśana
of whom makes one forget about residence in heaven and liberation, has taken
one form and resides there with you.”
Uddhava is superior to the Yadus:
na tathā me priyatama
ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ
na ca saṅkarṣaṇo na śrīr
naivātmā ca yathā bhavān
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.14.15)
“O Uddhava, as a premī-bhakta you are more dear to Me than My son,
Brahmā; than Śaṅkara; than My real brother Balarāma; and than Lakṣmī, who is My
wife. You are dearer to Me than My own self.”
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.16.29), Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:
tvaṁ tu bhāgavateṣv aham
“O Uddhava, you represent Me amongst My premī-bhaktas; indeed, you are
Me,”
Also again in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.4.31):
noddhavo ’ṇv api man-nyūno
“Uddhava, you are not even
fractionally less than Me.”
Superior to Śrī Uddhava are
the gopīs of Vraja:
etāḥ paraṁ tanu-bhṛto bhuvi
gopa-vadhvo
govinda eva nikhilātmani rūḍha-bhāvāḥ
vāñchanti yad bhāva-bhiyo
munayo vayaṁ ca
kiṁ brahma-janmabhir ananta-kathā-rasasya
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.58)
Śrī Uddhava prayed: “Of all embodied beings upon this earth, these
gopīs are certainly the best and they alone are successful, because they have
the utmost divine ecstasy named mahābhāva for the soul of all souls, Bhagavān
Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Their most exalted loving position is coveted not only by those who
are desirous of liberation due to being afraid of material existence, nor only
by greats saints and liberated mukta-puruṣas, but also by devotees such as
myself. However we are unable to achieve it. If one cannot achieve the rasa
emanating from topics of the kathā of Bhagavān, then what is the benefit of
taking birth again and again as Lord Brahmā and having a life span of millions
of years?”
In Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa, Śrī Brahmā says to Bhṛgu and the other ṛṣis:
śaṣṭi-varśa-sahasrāṇi mayā taptaṁ tapaḥ purā
nanda-gopa-vraja-strīṇāṁ pāda-reṇūpalabdhaye
tathāpi na mayā prāptās tāsāṁ vai pāda-reṇavaḥ
nāhaṁ śivaśca śeṣaśca śrīśca tābhiḥ samāḥ kvacit
“Although I performed severe austerities for sixty thousand years to
attain the dust from the vraja-gopīs’ lotus feet, I was unable to attain it.
You should clearly understand that I (Brahmā), Śaṅkara, Śeṣa, and Lakṣmī are
not equal to the vraja-gopīs.”
In the Ādi Purāṇa, Śrī Bhagavān says:
na tathā me priyatamo brahmā rudraś ca pārthiva
na ca lakṣmīr na cātmā ca yathā gopī-jano mama
“O Pārtha (Arjuna), not even Brahmā, Śiva, Lakṣmī-devī, or even My own
self is as dear to Me as the gopīs of Vraja.”
Among the vraja-gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhikā is the most excellent, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa
is indeed Her dear-most beloved. Taking Her mood and complexion He came as Śrī
Gaurāṅga, whose topmost confidential servitor is Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmīpāda. Śrī
Rūpa’s single-pointed followers are widely celebrated as rūpānugas, and he is
described thus in Caitanya-candrāmṛta:
āstāṁ vairāgya-koṭir bhavatu śama-dama-kṣānti-maitry-ādi-koṭis
tattvānudhyāna-koṭir bhavatu bhavatu vā vaiṣṇavī-bhakti-koṭiḥ
koṭy-aṁśo ’py asya na syāt tad api guṇa-gaṇo yaḥ svataḥ-siddha āste
śrīmac-caitanya-candra-priya-caraṇa-nakha-jyotir-āmoda-bhājām
“Persons who are receiving the bliss coming from the rays of the
effulgent toe nails of the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s beloved
devotees are fully qualified with all transcendental qualities. The unlimited
good qualities that are found in the devotees of Viṣṇu, such as strong
renunciation, equanimity, sense control, forgiveness, and friendship with all
living entities, even if multiplied millions of times, cannot be compared to a
fraction of the transcendental attributes of those who are the recipients of
the mercy of the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.”
What is the greatest
treasure?
8.246
‘sampattira madhye jīvera
kon sampatti gaṇi?’
‘rādhā-kṛṣṇe prema yāṅra,
sei baḍa dhanī’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Of
all the different varieties of riches, what is the greatest treasure of the
jīva?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied:
“Whoever possesses the wealth of prema to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is the wealthiest.”
In this world, the jīvas
possess many sorts of wealth, but these material riches are destructible. From
the ancient past till now they have they not given anyone any real happiness,
nor shall they ever do so in the future. Never mind the ordinary jīvas,
Indra’s opulences and Lord Brahmā’s own planet are destructible and thus are
merely fleeting. Such wealth may be destroyed at any moment. Yet, whoever
possesses the wealth of prema to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is truly the wealthiest
person. Even Svayam Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the wealth of the wealthy,
personally runs behind such a person. In actual fact, such a premī-bhakta is
able to bestow his incalculable wealth of prema upon another and make him
completely happy forever.
The suffering jīva is full of material desires to enjoy, and is totally
addicted to matter. He pursues sense gratification and so considers the
attainment of material wealth to be his primary duty. But if one
comprehensively deliberates upon the various categories of wealth, with subtle
spiritual discrimination, then factually no other wealth can compare with the
wealth of prema for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.
kim alabhyaṁ bhāgavati
prasanne śrī-niketane
tathāpi tat-parā rājan
na hi vāñchanti kiñcana
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.39.2)
“O Parīkṣit, is there anything unattainable for those devotees who have
pleased Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the shelter of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune?
Such devotees can obtain whatever they may fancy, even though they do
not desire anything.”
What is the greatest
distress?
8.247
‘duḥkha-madhye kona duḥkha haya gurutara?’
‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta viraha vinā duḥkha nāhi dekhi para’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Of all kinds of unhappiness, which is the
most distressful?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Separation from the devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa
is truly the greatest misery. There is no suffering worse than this.”
Only they who know the essence of bhakti can really know the glories of
the devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and they alone can appreciate the association of a
devotee as being the supreme gain. No one else can understand this. It has been
said:
sva-jīvanādhika-prārthya-śrī-viṣṇu-jana-saṅgateḥ
vicchedena kṣaṇañ cātra na sukhāṁśaṁ labhāmahe
(Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.5.54)
Mahārāja Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira said: “In fact, the association of devotees of
Bhagavān Śrī Viṣṇu is more precious to us than our own life. On the other hand,
due to separation from those very devotees in this world, we cannot get even a
moment of happiness now.”
Kṛṣṇa says elsewhere:
mām anārādhya duḥkhārtaḥ
kuṭumbāsakta-mānasaḥ
sat-saṅga-rahito martyo
vṛddha-sevā-paricyutaḥ
“One who fails to worship Me, who is overly absorbed in material life,
who does not stick to the path of devotional service, who does not affiliate
with saintly personalities, and who does not serve his elders, is a most
unhappy fellow.”
Who is truly liberated?
8.248
‘mukta-madhye kon jīva mukta kari’ māni?’
‘kṛṣṇa-prema yāṅra, sei
mukta-śiromaṇi’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu then said:
“Out of all liberated persons, which jīva should be accepted as truly
liberated?”
Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “He who has prema for Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the crown
jewel of all liberated persons.”
The real meaning of mukta, or liberated soul, is one who is freed from
material bondage. Those fortunate persons in whom kṛṣṇa-prema is present are
factually the crown jewels among liberated personalities.
Parīkṣit Mahārāja has said:
muktānām api siddhānāṁ
nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ
su-durlabhaḥ praśāntātmā
kotiṣv api mahā-mune
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.14.5)
“O great sage, even out of many millions of perfected and
liberated persons, it is very difficult to meet a mahā-puruṣa who is completely
and exclusively dedicated to Bhagavān. Such a premī-bhakta day and night
remains immersed in the pure nectar of kṛṣṇa-prema and by continually savouring
that indescribable nectar, he becomes forgetful of his own body.”
jāya prema bhayo mana-mohana se
vānai choḍa diyā sabaro ghara bārā
bhāva-vibhora rahe niśi-dina
aura nayana bahata avirala
dhārā
masta rahe, alamasta rahe
bāke pīche ḍolata nanda ko
lālā
‘sundara’ aise bhakta ke
hita
bauhe pasārata madana gopālā
“Those who have love and
affection for Madana-mohana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, leave everything for Him, including
wife, children, relatives, and home. They are always sinking in love and
affection for Him, and due to that love, tears continually flow from their
eyes. Such devotees are always blissful, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa always follows behind
them wherever they may go. Madana-mohana Śrī Kṛṣṇa waits to embrace such
devotees with arms wide open.”
A kṛṣṇa-premī-bhakta is
factually liberated in the above manner.
What is the greatest
song?
8.249
‘gāna-madhye kona gāna—jīvera nija dharma?’
‘rādhā-kṛṣṇera prema-keli’—yei gītera marma’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Among many songs, which one is the natural
activity of the living entity?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Songs that describe Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s
love-filled pastimes (prema-keli-līlā) are the vital core of all.”
Without intrinsic dharma, nothing can exist; without the intrinsic
dharma of the soul, the soul cannot exist. Every question asked by Śrīman
Mahāprabhu referred to the soul; He never inquired using the words “human
beings” or “mankind.” For the benefit of the jīvas, Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked
about duties pertaining to the intrinsic activity (svarūpa-dharma) of the jīva.
Therefore, it is the constitutional position of the living being to perform saṅkīrtana,
or congregational chanting, of the loving pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Owing to
the great ecstasy of prema inherent within Their amorous pastimes, simply
hearing such songs creates an awakening within one’s internal consciousness.
Thus, a song that intrinsically consists of such glorification is the real
essence of all songs. Those songs that are found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam – such as
Veṇu-gīta, Gopī-gīta, Bhramara-gīta, and Yugala-gīta – are classified as being
svarūpa-dharma, or the constitutional function of the spirit soul. Sāma Veda is
a body of prayers that are also accepted as songs. By nature the jīva is the
eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is, therefore, his factual religion to sing
about the pastimes of his worshipful deity.
anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ
mānuṣaṁ deham āsthitaḥ
bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍa
yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.36)
In order to bestow His mercy upon the jīvas, Śrī Bhagavān manifests His
human-like form and performs such pastimes that induce anyone who hears about
them to become devoted to Him. The
living beings, now dedicated to the Lord, become ecstatic in prema and begin to
sing of His pastimes.
The best of saints, Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī, has said that when Śrī Kṛṣṇa goes to the forest for
cow-grazing, He gets tired from walking so far. Using a friend’s lap as
a pillow, He falls asleep. Some friends massage His feet, while others fan Him
very slowly. To please Him while He rests happily, the animals and birds sing
of His amorous pastimes with Śrī Rādhā.
What is the most beneficial activity?
8.250
‘śreyo-madhye kona śreyaḥ jīvera haya sāra?’
‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṅga vinā śreyaḥ nāhi āra’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Out of all beneficial activities, which is
the most favourable for the living entities?”
Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “There is no pursuit more auspicious than to
associate with Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s devotees.”
Śreya means “auspicious.” The result of affiliating with Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
devotees is that one is able to obtain kṛṣṇa-prema. Therefore, the association of these devotees is
the ultimate form of good fortune. Having forgotten his svarūpa as the eternal
servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the jīva instead becomes the servant of the illusory
potency (māyā), and as he is ground upon the mortar of māyā, he suffers great
misery. However, when the jīva gains the association of one of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
devotees by devotional activities that he has performed unknowingly or even
accidentally (ajñāta-sukṛti), then under the shelter of those elevated souls,
he is gradually enabled to comprehend his state of opposition to Bhagavān,
whereupon he abandons sensual happiness, and begins to internalise himself. The
devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are just like veritable touch-stones, which convert iron
into gold, and they can transform the jīvas who come in their association into
touch-stones as well.
manye bhāgavataḥ sākṣāt
pārṣadān vo madhu-dvisaḥ
viṣṇor bhūtāni lokānāṁ
pāvanāya caranti hi
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.28)
The king of Videha, Śrī Nimi
Mahārāja, is saying to Śrī Nārada, the saint among the demigods: “My lord, I
understand that you are indeed an eternal associate of Bhagavān Madhusūdana,
because such eternal associates travel everywhere in order to purify the
materialistic living entities.”
ata ātyantikaṁ kṣemaṁ
pṛcchāmo bhāvato ’naghāḥ
saṁsāre ’smin kṣaṇārdho ’pi
sat-saṅgaḥ śevadhir nṛṇām
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.30)
“O great souls, who purify
the three worlds! I ask you – what is the svarūpa, or nature, of supreme
auspiciousness?
And what is the sādhana to
attain that?
In this world, even half a
moment’s association with a devotee is the cause of supreme good fortune for
mankind.”
Who should the living
entity remember at every moment?
8.251
‘kāṅhāra smaraṇa jīva karibe
anukṣaṇa?’
‘kṛṣṇa-nāma-guṇa-līlā—pradhāna
smaraṇa’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked:
“Whom should the jīva remember at every moment?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied:
“The principle objects to keep in mind are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names, forms, qualities,
and pastimes.”
In the first stage of
sādhana, remembrance is done forcefully, but as the living being’s oppositional
stance towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa gradually diminishes, to that extent the natural
remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names, forms, qualities, and pastimes takes place.
Ultimately, the devotee will not desire to discuss mundane topics, even for a
second. Dedicated to not wasting even one second of time, he thus considers
wasting a mere moment as being equivalent to universal devastation:
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan
hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca
smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.36)
“Therefore, O Parīkṣit,
human beings, always and in every circumstance, with their complete energy,
should remember, glorify, and hear about Bhagavān Śrī Hari.”
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī in Śrī
Bhakti-sandarbha has described five types of smaraṇa, or remembrance. They are:
(1) smaraṇa – to
initially inquire, just slightly, about Śrī Kṛṣṇa
(2) dhāraṇā – to remember Śrī Kṛṣṇa to a limited extent
(3) dhyāna – to experience a partial manifestation, or catch a
momentary vision, of Śrī Bhagavān in the heart; or to glimpse His form, dress,
or ornaments
(4) dṛḍha-smṛti – to
retain a fixed meditation upon Bhagavān
(5) samādhi – to
receive darśana, or sphūrti, of Bhagavān’s līlās, which are filled with
varieties of rasa.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, and
pastimes are all of the same nature as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is
the most important remembrance, of which the foundation, or root, is the
congregational chanting of the holy name:
‘kṛṣṇa-nāma’, ‘kṛṣṇa-guṇa’,
‘kṛṣṇa-līlā’-vṛnda
kṛṣṇera svarūpa-sama—saba
cid-ānanda
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
Madhya-līlā 17.135)
“The holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
His transcendental qualities and pastimes as well as the very svarūpa of Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
are all equal. They are all cidānanda, or spiritual and full of bliss.”
What is the most
important meditation?
8.252
‘dhyeya-madhye jīvera
kartavya kon dhyāna?’
‘rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāmbuja-dhyāna—pradhāna’
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
asked: “Of all types of meditation, which one should the jīva engage in as his
actual religious duty?”
Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya
replied: “The most important meditation is to contemplate the lotus feet of Śrī
Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.”
The samādhi of the jñānīs
and yogīs is nirvikalpa, a state in which the meditator, the object of
meditation, and the act of meditation, do not endure. Since everything becomes
śūnya, or zero, neither the realization nor the perceiver lives on. Conversely,
in the samādhi of the devotees, the meditator, the object of meditation (Śrī
Bhagavān), and the meditation process all continue. Meditating upon the
divine pastimes of the Supreme Person, the devotee obtains a sphūrti, or a
vision within the heart, of them, and he actually sees his object of
meditation:
tasmād ekena manasā
bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca
dhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca nityadā
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.14)
“Therefore, with a one-pointed mind, one should constantly hear about,
chant, meditate upon, and worship Bhagavān, who is very affectionate to His
devotees.”
Where should one reside?
8.253
‘sarva tyaji’ jīvera kartavya kāṅhā vāsa?’
‘śrī-vṛndāvana-bhūmi yāṅhā nitya-līlā-rāsa’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Where should the jīva reside, abandoning
everything?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “One should live in Vraja-bhūmi, Śrī Vṛndāvana,
where the rāsa-līlā is eternally performed.”
Among the diverse pastimes of akhila-rasāmṛta-sindhu Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the
rāsa-līlā festival reigns as the crest jewel of all. Every other pastime is
contained within this rāsa-līlā, which occurred in the supreme abode, Śrī Vṛndāvana.
Whoever possesses the single-minded
greed to attain vraja-prema should reside only in Śrī Vṛndāvana. Śrī Rāmānanda
Rāya’s precise meaning is that one should live in Vṛndāvana, which is manifest
here on earth, and which is special as it provides the setting for the
extraordinary rāsa-līlā. There are three principle manifestations of Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma:
aprakaṭa, prakaṭa, and dṛśyamāna.
(1) aprakaṭa – the
supreme abode, Śrī Goloka-dhāma, which exists eternally and which is entirely
beyond the material elements.
(2) prakaṭa –
everything that accompanies the Lord’s appearance in this world. Because
Bhagavān performs His manifest pastimes here in this world, the material nature
is involved in His pastimes.
(3) dṛśyamāna – that
which is within the common, sensual jurisdiction of general people.
āsām aho caraṇa-reṇu-juṣām
ahaṁ syāṁ
vṛndāvane kim api
gulma-latauṣadhīnām
yā dustyajaṁ sva-janam
ārya-pathaṁ ca hitvā
bhejur mukunda-padavīṁ
śrutibhir vimṛgyām
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.61)
Śrī Uddhava is saying: “The
best thing that could possibly happen for me is that I take birth in this Vṛndāvana
as a forest bush, creeper, herb, or even a medicinal root. Ah! If I could
become one of these then I would continuously be able to serve the foot-dust
from the lotus feet of the vraja-gopīs. If I could bathe myself in their
foot-dust then I would become most fortunate. How blessed are those gopīs. Just
see! They have abandoned those things that are most difficult to give up –
relations with their family members and the restrictions imposed by society and
seniors. They have obtained the lotus feet of Bhagavān, complete absorption in
those feet, and the topmost love for Him.
What more can I say?
Even the Śrutis, which are
the Vedic instructions that emanate from the breathing of the Supreme Lord, are
still searching for that the same super-excellent, love-laden form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
but they cannot attain it.”
What is the best topic to hear?
8.254
‘śravaṇa-madhye jīvera kon śreṣṭha śravaṇa?’
‘rādhā-kṛṣṇa-prema-keli karṇa-rasāyana’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Out of all topics to hear, which topic is the
best for the living entity?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Hearing about the amorous affairs of Śrī
Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, which is like a medicinal tonic for the ears (karṇa-rasāyana), is
the best of all.”
What to speak of the jīvas, even rasika-śekhara Śrī Kṛṣṇa hears the
songs describing His own loving affairs. After taking complete sannyāsa, Śrī
Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura was traveling towards Śrī Vṛndāvana, singing about the
sweet amorous pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Being unable to withhold Himself,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa began following behind him, listening to his singing. Eventually,
those songs were compiled into a book by the same Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura,
entitled Śrī Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta [meaning “that which pours nectar into the ears of
Śrī Kṛṣṇa”]. The amorous affairs of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are compared to the most
vital rasāyana, life-restoring tonic. Śravaṇa, or hearing, is of two types:
vicāra-pradhāna and ruci-pradhāna.
In vicāra (22) -pradhāna, the hearer is full of doubts, just like
Arjuna. In ruci-pradhāna, the hearer has no doubts in the statements of the
scriptures, and he hears the descriptions of the qualities of the Lord, with
great relish. Śrī Nārada is an example of this. It is also written:
vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhāgavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.40)
“O Parīkṣit, a grave person who faithfully and continuously hears the
narrations of the transcendental pastimes that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed
with the young girls of Vraja, and then describes those pastimes accordingly,
achieves supreme devotion for the lotus feet of Bhagavān. He very quickly
attains freedom from the diseases of the heart, which are the transformations
of lust.”
What is the most worshipable object?
8.255
‘upāsyera madhye kon upāsya pradhāna?’
‘śreṣṭha upāsya—yugala ‘rādhā-kṛṣṇa’ nāma’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Among all worshipable objects, which is the
best?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “The holy names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are the
chief worshipable object.”
Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī has said:
rādheti nāma nava-sundara
gīta-mugdhaṁ
kṛṣṇeti nāma
madhurādbhuta-gāḍha-rūpam
sarva-kṣaṇaṁ
surabhi-rāga-himena ramyaṁ
kṛtvā tad eva piba me rasane kṣudhārte
(Abhīṣṭa-sūcana, text 10)
“The name ‘Rādhā’ is just like fresh, pleasing nectar that enchants the
mind, and the name ‘Kṛṣṇa’ is like astonishingly sweet and thick condensed
milk. O tongue tortured by thirst, mix the two together, add the fragrant ice
of anurāga and continuously drink this superb beverage.”
Śrī Narottama Ṭhākura also
says:
rādhā-kṛṣṇa nāma gāṇa, ei se
parama dhyāna, āra nā kariha paramāṇa
The chanting of the holy
names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is the supreme meditation. Do not accept any other
process as the goal”
(Śrī Prema-bhakti-candrikā,
song 6 text 15).
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the very
source, or root cause, of all incarnations (bhāgavat-svarūpa), and His
hlādinī-śakti is Śrī Rādhā. Among couples such as Śrī Śiva-Pārvatī, Śrī Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa,
Śrī Sītā-Rāma, and Śrī Rukmiṇī-Kṛṣṇa, the name of the Divine Couple Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa
is indeed the ultimate object of worship for the jīvas:
etāvān eva loke ’smin
puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ
bhakti-yogo bhāgavati
tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.22)
“The supreme religious
activity, or duty, for the jīvas of this world is to attain devotional
sentiments for the lotus feet of the Lord, by methods such as chanting the holy
names.”
What is the fate of those
desiring liberation and those desiring sense gratification?
8.256
‘mukti, bhukti vāñche yei,
kāṅhā duṅhāra gati?’
‘sthāvara-deha, deva-deha
yaiche avasthiti’
Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked:
“What is the fate of those who desire liberation and of those who desire sense
gratification?”
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied:
“Those who desire liberation and those who desire sense gratification achieve
the bodies of non-moving species and demigods, respectively.”
Those who perform pious
activities in this world achieve the bodies of Indra (the king of heaven) or
other demigods. Alternatively, they are born into a high-class human family.
And those who perform inauspicious activities repeatedly take the bodies of non-moving
species (such as trees), worms, insects, birds, and beasts. Those desirous of
liberation, who do not have any desire to enjoy materially, or in other words,
those whose activities are bereft of consciousness and whose consciousness is
in a sleep-like state, attain the bodies of non-moving species of life; while
those who are dedicated to material enjoyment attain bodies appropriate for
their desires by taking birth in the higher planets as demigods.
muktyai yaḥ prastaratvāya
śāstramūce mahāmuniḥ
gautamaṁ taṁ vijānītha yathā
vittha tathaiva saḥ
“Those who merge in the
undifferentiated Brahman (sāyujya-mukti) become unconscious like stones, and
achieve a state of spiritual inactivity (destruction). And those who follow the
theories of Gautama become liberated and achieve a similar state.”
The following pertains to
those who are possessed of desires for material enjoyment:
iṣṭveha devatā yajñaiḥ
svar-lokaṁ yāti yājñikaḥ
bhuñjīta deva-vat tatra
bhogān divyān nijārjitān
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.10.23)
“One who worships the
demigods, upon receiving the result of his pious activities, goes to the
heavenly planets where he enjoys just like a demigod.”
kvacit pumān kvacic ca strī
kvacin nobhayam andha-dhīḥ
devo manuṣyas tiryag vā
yathā-karma-guṇaṁ bhāvaḥ
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.29)
“According to the work he
has performed and the modes of nature he has acquired, the living entity takes
birth sometimes as a human being, sometimes as a demigod, and sometimes as a
bird, an animal, and so on. Blinded by ignorance, the jīva sometimes
becomes a man, a woman, and sometimes a eunuch.”
In the Śrīmad Bhāgavad-gītā (9.20–21), also, it says:
trai-vidyā māṁ soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpā
yajñair iṣṭvā svar-gatiṁ prārthayante
te puṇyam āsādya surendra-lokam
aśnanti divyān divi deva-bhogān
te taṁ bhuktvā svarga-lokaṁ viśālaṁ
kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti
evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā
gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante
“Those who are full of material desires and dedicated to fruitive
activities mentioned in the three Vedas, worship Me and drink somarasa, the
remnants of yajña, and pray to ascend to heaven. By the result of their pious
activities, they achieve the planet of Indra and enjoy the divine paraphernalia
suitable for the demigods.”
“After having enjoyed the vast expanses of the heavenly planets, when
their stock of pious activities is exhausted, then again they fall into this
world of birth and death. Thus, persons who practice this sakāma-karma, or
reward oriented activity as described in the three Vedas, are full of petty
material desires, and they repeatedly wander in the cycle of birth and death.”
The observation has been made that in some books, the words
mukti-bhukti have been substituted for the words mukti-bhakti. It follows that
those who desire bhakti, at the time of perfection, achieve the bodies of
associates of Śrī Kṛṣṇa that are suitable to their moods, and render loving
service to Him in concordance with their respective bhāvas, or feelings of
servitude. Their attainment of this service to the Lord has been compared to
attaining the body of demigods. As a result of gaining service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and
obtaining a body like that of a demigod, the word bhakti is sometimes used
instead of bhukti, for just as the demigods have freedom to enjoy varieties of
happiness, so, too, a devotee attaining an associate’s body gets to taste an
array of the most astonishing rasa by participating in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
8.257–260
arasa-jña kāka cuṣe jñāna-nimba-phale
rasa-jña kokila khāya premāmra-mukule
abhāgiyā jñānī āsvādaye śuṣka jñāna
kṛṣṇa-premāmṛta pāna kare bhāgyavān
ei-mata dui jana kṛṣṇa-kathā-rase
nṛtya-gīta-rodane haila
rātri-śeṣe
doṅhe nija-nija-kārye calilā
vihāne
sandhyā-kāle rāya āsi’
mililā āra dine
“Impersonalists (brahma-jñānīs) who are devoid of knowledge of
transcendental mellows are like the crows that continue to eat the bitter and
tasteless fruit of the neem tree, whereas those who enjoy the mellows of
bhakti-rasa (rasikas) are like the cuckoos who taste the soft and fragrant buds
of the mango of prema. The unfortunate empiric speculators (jñānīs) simply
experience the happiness of dry and tasteless impersonal knowledge, and
consider themselves fortunate. However, those who are truly fortunate constantly
drink the nectar of kṛṣṇa-prema. The jñānīs remain ignorant of the happiness of
bhakti-rasa, and merely desire to achieve the sāyujya-mukti of merging into
Brahman, which is dry (nīrasa), devoid of attributes, and which has no taste,
form, qualities, pastimes, or astonishing varieties of bliss. Thus they remain
absorbed in the delusion of the supposed oneness of the jīva and Brahman
(brahma-aikya-jñāna), which has no real existence at all. Being cheated of
bhakti-rasa, they simply chew the fruits of the neem tree in the form of the
four supposed mahā-vākyas, or principle statements, of the Vedas, by chanting
aham brahmāsmi (I am Brahman), etc.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has said that this false knowledge is
like the bitter fruit of the neem tree, which is very unpalatable and which is
enjoyed by crow-like jīvas who are quarrelsome and attached to false logic.
Thus prema is likened to the buds of a mango tree, whose taste is sweet, well
liked, and full of flavourful juice. The devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa who taste this
are compared to cuckoos. They are fortunate, while the jñānīs are bereft of
good fortune.
In this way, Śrīman Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya passed the full
night, relishing the rasa of kṛṣṇa-kathā, or topics of Kṛṣṇa, and thus as they
chanted, danced, and wept, the night ended. The next morning they departed to
perform their respective duties, but in the evening Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya returned
to meet the Lord again and pass the whole night as before.
(22) Vicāra means “analysis,” or “deliberation.”
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