TLC – The Teachings of Lord Caitanya—Part 09 VIHE

Giriraj Swami: I was a little late because I was trying to finish the homework, but I couldn’t because some of the papers were submitted late. So I’m just going to return the ones that were submitted on time. And I’ll return the other ones maybe Sunday morning. And I also thought of giving the exam on Tuesday.

Devotees: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: So you can hand in your homework for the past week as soon as you can, even before Monday so I can see it, and then, or even Monday, and I’ll try to return it early a little before the exam so you can see the comments.

Now also to help you, I’ve made a list of the important verses covering the different topics that we have discussed day-by-day. And if you know the concepts explained in the verses then you’ll have the basic idea of today’s topic. And I will put asterisks beside nine of the verses. This covers all the eighteen days, so I put asterisks by nine of the verses, which are especially important for your preaching, for your practicing of Krishna consciousness, and for your doing well in exam. So we will pass these out.

Especially the ones with asterisks, that two, you should know in transliteration—jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’ and anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ, and if possible, you should learn some of the others. If anyone has any homework, you can hand it in now.

One point from the homework is about sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. So who can explain what the three terms mean?

Devotee: Sambandha is relationship with the Supreme Lord [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: So what is the relationship? Sambandha means relationship so what is the relationship?

Devotee: jīvera ‘svarūpa’

Giriraj Swami: Some people think that they are servants, until they become Krishna, merge with Krishna. So, eternal servant is very important. Srila Prabhupada said, “We are personalists to the end.” Actually there is no end in Krishna Consciousness. And then what is abhidheya? Abhidheya is the process by which one achieves the goal and what is the process?

Devotee: Sādhana-bhakti.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, devotional service, bhakti-yoga. And what is the goal? Not Krishna, kṛṣṇa-prema because when one gets kṛṣṇa-prema, one automatically gets Krishna, Krishna comes under the control of prema so prema is actually superior to Krishna. So, we want to get prema, then we will get Krishna automatically. 

Now coming to the definition of uttamā-bhakti, what is the verse in Sanskrit?

Devotee:

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

[Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 19.167]

Giriraj Swami: And what is the explanation?

Devotee: That bhakti is not covered by [Unintelligible] ānuśīlanaṁ means constant service, this is svarūpa-lakṣaṇa [Unintelligible] it is not covered by jnana, karma, ādy, it’s not covered by speculation or fruitive work.

Giriraj Swami: What is your name?

Devotee: [Unintelligible] krpa dasa from Holland.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, very good. Now, ānuśīlanaṁ means continuous activity or cultivation. Now with what is the cultivation performed? What do we do the service with?

Devotee: Body, mind, words.

Giriraj Swami: Body, mind, and words in sādhana-bhakti. In fact the sixty-four items of vaidhi- sādhana-bhakti are supposed to engage the complete faculties of the living entity – body, mind, and words. And what about when we enter the higher stages and faint in ecstasy? Is that devotional service? What is, how is it devotional service?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, there are various stages where a devotee sort of sees Krishna and enters the pastimes of Krishna, which are actually beyond the body, mind, and words. They are beyond body, mind, and words, but they are still considered bhakti. That’s true, the person remembers, and the intense form of remembrance leads to direct association. Then how does someone enter into devotional service?

Devotee: By the mercy of a pure devotee.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, by the mercy of the pure devotee. And how does someone get the mercy of a pure devotee?

Devotee: By his great fortune.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, by his great fortune. And, how does one achieve great fortune?

Devotee: By his previous pious activities.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, by his previous pious activities. And what kind of pious activities?

Devotee: Devotional service.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, devotional service or service to a pure devotee, knowingly or unknowingly. He does some service and by the accumulation of such service, he becomes fortunate. When he becomes fortunate, then he is able to get the mercy of a Vaishnava or accept the mercy of a Vaishnava. So when he gets the mercy of a Vaishnava, what happens? What is the beginning of devotional service?

Devotee: Shraddha, faith.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, shraddha, faith because in one sense although the pure devotee may give the same instructions to so many people, but only the fortunate ones are able to develop faith, and if they develop faith, then they can accept the process.

Devotee: Shraddha comes first before sādhu-saṅga? 

Giriraj Swami: No, first there is preliminary association with devotees by which faith and attraction are awakened. Then after the faith and attraction are awakened, then the person systematically associates with pure devotees.

Devotee: If someone performs ajñāta-sukṛti, is that considered material or spiritual? They perform some devotional activities, and they take some prasādam.

Giriraj Swami: It’s spiritual, it’s spiritual, but it’s not uttamā-bhakti because uttamā-bhakti is a continuous cultivation, and it’s free from other processes. So he might be a karmi and come to the temple for a feast. Yes, he might come for ‘Food for life’ and prasāda is spiritual so by taking prasāda, he will make spiritual advancement. But until he decides to surrender to Krishna and take up the process of devotional service, it’s not considered uttamā-bhakti but it is one of the items of devotional service, so sometimes it’s called sukṛti—bhakty-unmukhī-sukṛti to distinguish it from the same activity which can be done by a pure devotee as part of a systematic effort in devotional service but the activity is the same.

So what is the definition of faith?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: That may be the symptom of someone who has faith, but what is the faith itself?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that’s true, yes but more complete from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Devotee: Faith that through dedicating oneself to Krishna consciousness that all other types of obligations or duties or whatever will be satisfied.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, both ways. That all subsidiary activities are performed which means that the obligations are satisfied and any benefit you could get through the other activity will also be achieved. This is very important to know the definition of faith, shraddha because shraddha is the basis, and if we don’t actually have shraddha then we can’t enter the process.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well, when we come to surrender which, we will discuss today, one of the items is to have faith that Krishna will protect us. That’s true.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that’s also part of the process that we accept Krishna as our master, our Lord, our father, our friend, our guardian, yeah. But it doesn’t say, ‘No worries.’ We may have so many worries, but not for ourselves but for Krishna’s sake.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Devotee 2: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: That by engaging in devotional service, all other subsidiary processes are performed, all other achievements that one could get from the other processes will be achieved through devotional service. Now what are the three degrees of faith or three types of devotees with three degrees of faith. And what are the descriptions of uttama-adhikārī, madhyamādhikārī, and kaniṣṭhādhikārī?

Devotee: Uttama-adhikārī [Unintelligible]. . . madhyamādhikārī [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, but he can argue but he may not be able to defeat everyone. If someone is very strong in another type of argument he may not be able to defeat.

Devote: [Unintelligible] 

Giriraj Swami: No, he has the same faith otherwise he won’t be engaged in the process of devotional service. He is engaged in the process of devotional service because he has some amount of faith as described in the verse, but he can still become stronger otherwise he won’t.

Well, there are neophyte devotees who are mixed devotees, but here we are really. . . When we talk about uttamā-bhakti and shraddha, this is the shraddha that we need to begin uttamā-bhakti, and even a neophyte can begin with uttamā-bhakti and have enough faith that he can gradually make progress and come to the platform of madhyamādhikārī and uttama-adhikārī.

Like we read the other day from Srila Prabhupada’s purport that even the neophyte devotee who has full faith that the holy name of Krishna is identical to Krishna can be considered pure devotee although neophyte. Sometimes we say neophyte to indicate mixed devotees, then what you said would apply. Then what you said would apply that he doesn’t have so much faith that he won’t engage in other processes, but there are neophyte devotees who have sufficient faith only to engage in devotional service because there are different degrees of faith all the way along and at some stage, we may say neophyte-intermediate but it’s continuous appreciation.

Devotee: So you are saying Maharaja that neophyte devotee is having full faith he can also be described as being madhyam that he is on the more advanced level than kaniṣṭhā?

Giriraj Swami: Because yeah, yeah. In other words, there can be like kaniṣṭhā-kaniṣṭhā, madhyam-kaniṣṭhā, or uttamā-kaniṣṭhā, and I mean there, it’s just we are giving words to define general stages of progress but they are gradual, there is gradual growth.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: It says, “He worships the deity with faith.” The verse says, ‘with faith.’ See one classification of kaniṣṭhā, madhyam, and uttamā is based on faith, and another classification is based on attraction or love, and the two may not increase at the same rate. So someone might have more faith, someone might have more attraction and less faith. Throughout devotional service, just like in the state of sādhana-bhakti, there are two qualities—relief from material distress and auspiciousness—kleśaghnī and śubhadā.

There are six characteristics of pure devotional service and two especially appear in the stage of sadhana bhakti. One is kleśaghnī, which means relief from material distress and the other is śubhadā, which means appearance of auspiciousness. Now, in some devotees the relief from distress will happen sooner than the bestowal of auspicious qualities; and in others it may be the opposite, although generally as one becomes free from sinful reactions, one increases in auspicious qualities, but still the rate of one might be faster than the other. Similarly, when we try to become steady in devotional service, we try to become steady in our bodily activities and our vocal activities, and in our mental activities, but one might become steady in one’s bodily activities first and then in his vocal activities and in his mental activities or maybe not in that order at all; or he might be studying spiritual practices but not in good qualities, or someone may become steady in some good quality, but not in some spiritual practice.

So each person is an individual, and his rate of development in one aspect may be faster than his rate of development in another aspect even though they are in the same general stage of devotional advancement. So here, there are two classifications of kaniṣṭhā, madhyam, and uttamā. One according to faith and one according to attraction and love, but the two may not develop at the same [rate]. So one might be more advanced in one calculation than in another calculation. Now that the description of the kaniṣṭhā in terms of faith will be identical with the description of the kaniṣṭhā in terms of devotion.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: No, because he is in touch with Krishna. Krishna will give him intelligence.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Like when Maharaja Ambarish was in dilemma of breaking the Ekādaśī fast before Durvasa Muni appeared. So he consulted many brahmans, but they couldn’t solve the problem, and he himself solved the problem, and in the purport Srila Prabhupada says although he wasn’t a learned brahman, but because he was a pure devotee, he could understand the solution whereas the learned brahmans couldn’t. So the pure devotee is given the best intelligence by Krishna, dadāmi buddhi yogam taṁ.

Devotee: It’s not necessarily like logic, [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: You see there are uttama-adhikārīs, like the gopīs. Are the gopīs uttama-adhikārīs? More or less.

They may not know the scripture; they may not be learned but here again I remind us that we are learning the process of devotional service so that we as sādhakas will know how to advance.

Devotee: A very simple young girl by those standards but by our standards Jiva Gosvami is just an astronomical genius. So if they’re the same person, I just wonder what does that indicate?

Giriraj Swami: Jiva Gosvami is Vilasa Manjari in kṛṣṇa-līlā. Vilasa Manjari is Jiva Gosvami in caitanya-līlā, but so in one sense we are saying they are the same but in other sense they are not the same person. They have different moods; they have different characteristics. When Vilasa Manjari is acting as Vilasa Manjari, she may not be able to write the Ṣaṭ-sandarbhas, although she is higher or as high as someone who can write Ṣaṭ-sandarbhas. Similarly when Jiva Gosvami is meditating on Radha-Krishna’s pastimes, and he wants to enter the service of Radha and Krishna, but in the mood of separation he feels that he is not qualified. So he is feeling that Vilasa Manjari is higher than him, he aspires for the position of the Vilasa Manjari, and this again is the action of yoga-māyā. By the action of yoga-māyā, the same person will have a different mood, a different service.

Devotee: But is the intellect of Jiva Gosvami part of the character of Vilasa Manjari? Or are they like two personalities in one?

Giriraj Swami: It’s sort of a theoretical question because by the influence of yoga-māyā, Vilasa Manjari is very happy to clean the house, make cow dung patties, boil the milk. She is not feeling that she has to go to Benares and learn logic and shastra; whereas Jiva Gosvami he thought, I must go to Benares and learn, and he studied under one of the greatest scholars in Benares. So I would say potentially Vilasa Manjari has as much intelligence as Jiva Gosvami, but by the influence of yoga-māyā she is not thinking of using her intelligence in the same way. She is using her intelligence to sneak out of the house and help Radha and Krishna to meet and serve them.

Devotee: So it wouldn’t be that yoga-māyā – the veil of yoga-māyā – is lifted from Vilasa Manjari’s mind, consciousness to some extent that the intellect of Jiva Gosvami would?

Giriraj Swami: No, both are in the veil of yoga-māyā. It’s not that Jiva Gosvami is the real identity. He is the identity in caitanya-līlā and Vilasa Manjari in kṛṣṇa-līlā. And in kṛṣṇa-līlā, yoga-māyā acts so that the person thinks that Krishna is a beautiful boy, son of Nanda Maharaja, not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And in Jiva Gosvami, yoga-māyā works  that he doesn’t think that he is Vilasa Manjari in kṛṣṇa-līlā. He thinks he is a fallen soul in the material world, who has been saved by the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, who’s trying to achieve some service in kṛṣṇa-līlā. So both are under yoga-māyā. And as Keshava Bharati prabhu says, “Both are eternal.” Lord Chaitanya’s pastimes are eternal like Krishna’s pastimes. So Jiva Gosvami is eternally playing the same part in Chaitanya’s pastimes just like Vilasa Manjari is eternally playing the same part in Krishna’s pastime.

But due to yoga-māyā, Vilasa Manjari thinks she is a cowherd, a cowherd’s wife and due to yoga-māyā, Jiva Gosvami thinks that he is the younger brother of Rupa and Sanatana - nephew and like that. Here both are under the influence of yoga-māyā. We cannot say that one is more real than the other. The yoga-māyā is supreme, yoga-māyā is supreme. Everyone comes under yoga-māyā—Radha, Krishna, even Lord Chaitanya—everyone comes under her control.

Devotee: [Unintelligible] Why Uddhava told Vidura to approach Maitreya rishi?

Giriraj Swami: Because he was older and he was qualified to speak. It was a question of etiquette. So now today’s subject is surrender, but I think you should have read the verses, and we know the principle of surrender at least in theory, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. So I think everything that we’ve been reading is culminating in surrender, but when we surrender then we actually begin the practice of devotional service, so from next week we’ll actually start the discussion of the practice of devotional service. It took us two weeks to come to the point of surrender, and now that we are beginning the practice on Monday, within the next few weeks, we are going to go all the way from sādhana-bhakti, bhajana-kriyā, all the way to prema-bhakti and mahā-bhāva. So now that we’ve developed firm faith and are ready and have come to the point of surrender, we can actually begin the process and go very quickly.

So if there are any questions about surrender, we. . .

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Very good question, very good question—people surrender then something happens and they don’t want to surrender anymore, or at least not to the same extent as before, and one cause is what you said, “Bad association.” In other words, he has some tendency towards karma or jnana or something and by associating with karmis or jnanis or mixed devotees, his own tendency towards karma or jnana can become more prominent than his tendency for devotional service. So that’s why we have to be careful about associating with non-devotees because the non-devotees will either be karmis or jnanis or mixed devotees. And if we associate with them and we are not strong, then we can be influenced by them and then consider karma to be more important or jnana to be more important or whatever. Then we give up devotional service or devotional service becomes secondary to the other activities or like you said we may commit offenses. By committing offenses also, material desires become very prominent, and then it has the same effect that to fulfill the material desires, we engage in some other activity besides devotional service and we leave devotional service. Our devotional service becomes secondary compared to the other activities. Now as far as reviving the same degree of faith, well, there could be problems because Srila Prabhupada said that once someone leaves and then again comes back, it’s hard for him to regain the same position he had before he left, but it is possible, but it will take a lot of effort. In Mādhurya-kaḍambinī, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura discusses the effects of offenses that by the effect of offenses one can become so weak that he practically doesn’t have the strength to engage in devotional activities and even if he engages in them, he is so weak he can’t get the same benefit from them. So he is compared to the person who is wasted by some terrible disease, he cannot eat, he has no appetite, and even if he does eat, he can’t get the full nourishment but Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakura says he should continue and even though he doesn’t have much appetite, but if he keeps eating and even if he doesn’t get the full benefit, but he’ll get some benefit and gradually by continued efforts over a long period of time, he’ll gradually regain the strength, and then when he regains his strength, he’ll have full appetite and he’ll get the full benefit from the food. So it is possible but it. . . Just like in ordinary diseases if you suffer a relapse usually it’s harder to recover from the relapse than from the original disease. I know I had jaundice and with some difficulty, I recovered, but then we had a big feast at Mr. Sethi’s house and it relapsed, and then it was much harder to recover, much harder to recover. So we should be careful but still it’s possible, but we have to be very persistent in our effort to regain our position. Okay, so have a nice weekend. Hare Krishna!