NOD – VIHE Nectar of Devotion—Part 08

Giriraj Swami: So, what is the theme of Chapter Four? He said that the happiness that the devotees derive from devotional service is greater than any other happiness. Okay, say.

Devotee: The devotees are not interested in any sense gratification derived from karma or jnana or they are not interested in liberation or the opulences of Vaikuntha. They are not even interested in the four types of liberation.

Giriraj Swami: Now he is getting there.

Devotee: They are only interested in Krishna and serving Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: He said that devotees are not interested in any other process except devotional service, they are not interested in liberation, they are not interested in the opulences of Vaikuntha, they are only interested in serving Krishna.

So now, out of all of the statements, all of which are true statements, which summarizes the theme of Chapter Four?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Devotional service minimizes the value of liberation.

Devotee: In order to taste the pure rasa, one has to give up many desires.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Devotee: Rupa Gosvami explains that the pleasure of devotional service towards Krishna’s lotus feet is far greater than the pleasure derived from mukti.

Devotee: Rupa Gosvami summarizes that as long as there are material desires [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: The basic theme is summarized in the title, ‘Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation.’ And the purport of the verses quoted is that pure devotees have no desires for liberation. Of course, earlier in the Third Chapter, Rupa Gosvami had stated that as long as one is haunted by the witches of bhukti and mukti, or in other words as long as one has desires for bhukti and mukti, he can’t relish the sweet taste of devotional service. So pure devotees are free from desires for bhukti and mukti. And the Fourth Chapter specifically cites evidence to the effect that pure devotees have no desires for mukti. And they don’t even accept mukti, even if it is offered to them by the Lord Himself. So how does the fact that pure devotees have no desires for mukti relate to the definition of bhakti? One word, one word from the definition of uttamā-bhakti. Kavi?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: No, yes.

Devotee: Unalloyed bhakti.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, unalloyed, and in Sanskrit?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Not unalloyed, no, that’s jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. It’s close, it‘s related, ānuśīlanaṁ means cultivation.

Devotee: Anyābhilāṣitā.

Giriraj Swami: Anyābhilāṣitā, anyābhilāṣitā, one should have no other desire; anyābhilāṣitā means one should have no other desire. So not having desire for bhukti and mukti is the explanation of the word anyābhilāṣitā, one should have no other desire. It is very scientific, actually.

Okay, now at the end of the Chapter, Srila Rupa Gosvami says that pure devotees have no desires for any type of liberation. But they may accept the liberation of living on the planet of the Lord. They are actually not accepting liberation, but they are accepting the situation for the service of the Lord. Although pure devotees automatically get mukti, they have no desire for mukti. That is the qualification of pure devotees. 

I will give one example. Srila Prabhupada was living in a grass hut in Mayapur at first. After some time, the devotees built one marble and brick and cement building. So, when the building was ready, they wanted Srila Prabhupada to move there, but Srila Prabhupada refused to move there. He said, “My hut is in the mode of goodness, and your building is in the mode of passion. So, I want to stay in my hut.” So, the devotees kept saying how they had built the building for Srila Prabhupada, and they wanted Srila Prabhupada to live there, and Srila Prabhupada refused to live there. Then, one devotee got the intelligence to say to Srila Prabhupada that, “If you move to the new building, you will have better facility to preach. As long as you stay in the grass hut, very few people will come to hear you, but if you move to the new building, more people will be attracted, and more people can be accommodated, so you will have better facility to preach.” Then Srila Prabhupada said, “All right, for the sake of preaching, I can go there.” So he did not accept the building as a place to live. He did not accept the building as an improvement in living conditions. But for the sake of preaching, he agreed to move into the building.

So in the same way, pure devotees will not accept any type of liberation even if offered by the Lord Himself. But for the sake of service, they may accept it, if it is favorable for service. Then Rupa Gosvami says that all of the pure devotees [those] who have no desire for anything except devotional service are wonderful. But of all of them, the devotees of Govinda or Krishna are the best. Because other devotees may be attracted to the service of Krishna, but the devotees of Krishna are never attracted to any other form of Godhead. So we will discuss that in a minute. But I just want to point out something on page thirty-five in the verse book. The purport to the verse which is Ādi-Līlā, Chapter Six, Text Forty-two, contains one after the other so many verses quoted by Rupa Gosvami in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu about the fact that devotional service surpasses liberation, and pure devotees have no desire for liberation what to speak of other achievements like worldly happiness. So I felt like the purport was a good example of how Srila Prabhupada was a grateful follower of Rupa Gosvami. The purport follows exactly the quotations cited by Rupa Gosvami, devotional service surpasses all liberation and then at the end of the purport, Srila Prabhupada gives various references from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, citing the Chapter and verse numbers, and those are the same verses from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Rupa Gosvami has cited in the relevant section of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. So this is rūpānugas. Rupa means Rupa Gosvami and ‘anuga’ means follower. And earlier we read the purport about sinful reactions. The purport also followed exactly the discussions about kleśaghnī in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. And in some cases, Prabhupada actually quoted the Sanskrit aprārabdha-phalaṁ pāpaṁ, and in some cases he just paraphrased the Sanskrit in English. He followed exactly, not only the line of thinking of Rupa Gosvami but the quotations cited by Rupa Gosvami.

Now, coming back to the different types of devotees, Rupa Gosvami said that all of them are wonderful, but the devotees of Lord Krishna are the best. And he quotes one verse which appears on page thirty-eight [BRS 1.2.59]:

siddhāntatas tv abhede ‘pi
śrīśa-kṛṣṇa-svarūpayoḥ
rasenotkṛṣyate kṛṣṇa-
rūpam eṣā rasa-sthitiḥ

“According to transcendental realization, there is no difference between the forms of Nārāyaṇa and Kṛṣṇa. Yet in Kṛṣṇa there is a special transcendental attraction due to the conjugal mellow, and consequently He surpasses Nārāyaṇa. This is the conclusion of transcendental mellows.” 

So here we refer to the discussion between Lord Chaitanya and Venkata Bhatta. Venkata Bhatta was a brahman in South India and when Lord Chaitanya went to Sri Rangam to spend the four months of the rainy season, Venkata Bhatta invited Him to stay with him. Venkata Bhatta had one son who also got the opportunity to serve Lord Chaitanya, and the son later became known as Gopala Bhatta Gosvami.

Lakshmi underwent austerities to get the association of Krishna, but she could not succeed because no one can get the association of Krishna or attain the service of Krishna unless he follows in the footsteps of the residents of Vrindavan. And the residents of Vrindavan do not see Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they only know Him as the son of Nanda Maharaja. And specifically, because Lakshmi wanted to enjoy the rāsa dance with Krishna, and especially if one wants to enter the rāsa dance, he has to follow in the footsteps of the gopīs. Then Lord Chaitanya quoted one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which appears on page forty, very nice verse:

“Great sages by practicing the mystic yoga system and controlling the breaths conquer the mind and senses, thus engaging in mystic yoga and seeing the Supersoul within their heart. They ultimately enter into impersonal brahman along with the enemies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, the damsels of Vraja, the gopīs, want to embrace Kṛṣṇa in His arms which are like serpents. Being attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs ultimately tasted the nectar of the lotus feet of the Lord. The Upanishads, (this means śruti-gaṇas or personified Vedas), the Upanishads have also tasted the nectar of His lotus feet by following in the footsteps of the gopīs.” 

Now, although the śruti-gaṇas worship Lord Krishna in the mood of the gopīs or in the ecstasy of the gopīs, still they could not enter into the rāsa dance or enter into the pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan. They had to actually take birth as gopīs in Vrindavan. And taking birth as gopīs in Vrindavan, they could enter the pastimes of Krishna. 

So Lakshmi was not able to enter the pastimes of Krishna because she was not prepared to give up her form as Lakshmi. She was not prepared to follow the gopīs. She was not prepared to take birth in Vrindavan. She is the most chaste wife of Narayana. If she were to enter the rāsa dance, she would have to take birth from some gopī in Vrindavan. She would have to marry some gopa, and in the dead of night, she would have to sneak out of the house and meet Krishna in the forest of Vrindavan, which was too much for her to do. So, she could not enter. She could not enter.

Then Lord Chaitanya explained the same thing, which Rupa Gosvami says that the devotees of Krishna are never attracted by any other form of Godhead. And he cited the example that one time Krishna left the gopīs and hid behind some bush in Vrindavan. Then the gopīs were roaming about the forest of Vrindavan looking for Krishna. Finally, they were coming to the exact place where He was hiding, and He knew that they would catch Him. So He came out from behind the bush and assumed the four-handed form of Narayana. And as soon as the gopīs saw the four-handed form of Narayana, their ecstatic love abated, in other words they couldn’t feel the same ecstasy for Narayana as for Krishna. Actually, not even Narayana but Krishna assuming the form of Narayana. They couldn’t feel the same ecstasy as for Krishna Himself. They said: “Oh, Lord Narayana, Namaskar, You are here, have You seen Krishna, we are looking for Krishna, did you see Him? Where is He?” That’s all, they were only interested in Krishna, not even Krishna in the form of Narayana, what to speak of Narayana Himself. So this is the specialty of the devotees of Krishna. This is the specialty of Krishna that He has four characteristics, which even Narayana does not possess. And those actually come later, but we can look at them. Well, I’ll find it, and then I’ll give you the exact page number. Anyway, who knows what are the four qualities are that Krishna has that even Narayana does not have? Locana?

Locana: Līlā mādhurya.

Giriraj Swami: Līlā mādhurya, which means?

Locana: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, very sweet pastimes like the rāsa dance. Syama Kund?

Syama Kund: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, He attracts all living entities with His flute song.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, His beauty. This specifically refers to the beauty of Krishna.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, surrounded by wonderful devotees, specifically the gopīs who are in mādhurya-rasa.

Okay, now what is the main theme of Chapter Five?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, devotional service is open to everyone. But that, more or less, is the first statement in the Chapter.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, the Chapter is called, ‘The Purity of Devotional Service.’ That is the theme. But what is the meaning of the purity of devotional service?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well, you can stop because you got it, you got it. It is not dependent on any other process. In other words, the purity of devotional service is such that it should not be mixed with any other process. It is independent of all other processes. And it should not be mixed with any other process and what word or words from the definition of pure devotional service are explained by the theme of the Chapter?

Devotee: Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, pure devotional service should not be covered by any other process and especially, the Chapter deals with karma. The Chapter specifically deals with karma, for example the first statement is that devotional service is open to everyone. That means, striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās, all different castes and communities. So someone is born in a particular body, in a particular family, in a particular caste, in a particular community because of his karma, because of his karma. So the fact that anyone, regardless of birth or caste can take to devotional service proves that devotional service is independent of karma. Then, one after the other, Rupa Gosvami lists various processes, which come in the category of karma which pure devotees are not required to follow. And what are they? One process per person.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Prāyaścitta, and what is prāyaścitta?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, prāyaścitta means atonement or expiation that one has performed some sinful activity, so he performs some specific rituals or some specific act of atonement to counteract the sinful reactions. But both come in the category of karma, meaning the sin is karma and the atonement is karma. So in the beginning of the Sixth Canto, when Śukadeva Gosvami spoke about atonement, Maharaja Pariksit could not accept it. He said, “How can you nullify one karma by another karma? Both are temporary. And he gave the example of the elephant who takes bath in the river to become clean, and then he comes out of the river and again covers himself with dirt and dust. So what is the purport of the example of the bathing of the elephant? So he has no need for prāyaścitta, in fact he can get better results from bhakti. Then what other process?

Devotee: Varnashrama-dharma.

Giriraj Swami: Varnashrama-dharma, he doesn’t have to follow varnashrama-dharma. And what category does varnashrama-dharma come in?

Devotee: Karma.

Giriraj Swami: Karma, then what’s next?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well, he doesn’t, yes true, he doesn’t have to study the Vedas, he doesn’t have to study the Vedas, which don’t deal with devotional service. That’s true.

nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna

trai-guṇya-viṣayā vedā

nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna

The Vedas deal mainly with the three modes of nature. We should rise above the three modes of nature, devotional service.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Correct, correct. Actually, many are mentioned in one verse, very nice verse [BRS 1.2.68] from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.41) on page forty-two:

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ
na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan
sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

“One who has given up all material duties and taken full shelter at the lotus feet of Mukunda who gives shelter to all is not indebted to the demigods, great sages, ordinary living beings, relatives, friends, mankind, or even one’s forefathers who have passed away.”

So when one is born, he has so many debts to pay, but if one surrenders to Krishna and engages in devotional service without reservations, he has no more debts to anyone. All debts are paid by serving Krishna. Srila Prabhupada gives the example that if you don’t pay your taxes, you will have to bribe so many government officers, but if you pay your taxes, you don’t have to worry about any government officer. They are bound to do their duty to you because you have paid your taxes. So you just pay your taxes to the government treasury, and the government treasury distributes the taxes in the form of salaries to all of the officers. You don’t have to bribe them separately. So, in the same way just by serving Krishna, we serve every living entity. We don’t have to try to serve them separately. And there is also the other verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that by pouring water on the root of the tree, all the branches and leaves and flowers are nourished. Similarly, by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the demigods and all living entities are satisfied. Then what else? Some new hands. And what other process does Rupa Gosvami says we don’t need to follow? He completed the verse about watering the root by saying that if we gave food to the stomach, we don’t have to feed the other parts of the body.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, he does not have to follow Vedic rituals, and Rupa Gosvami concludes by saying, the verse is also quoted here on page forty-four. Oops, where did it go, forty-five?

“One who has given up everything and taken full shelter at the lotus feet of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is very dear to Krishna. If he is involved in sinful activity by accident, by accident not intentionally, the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is seated within everyone’s heart removes his sin without difficulty.” 

Krishna says the same thing in Bhagavad-gītā, kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā, that He rectifies the devotee from within the heart. The devotee does not have to undergo any other process of atonement or rectification. He just simply has to continue in devotional service. And the purity of devotional service itself will rectify him with the mercy of the Lord. So who can quote one famous verse from Bhagavad-gītā, which Rupa Gosvami also quotes in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu? It summarizes the whole thing together.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. All dharmas that means karma, jnana, yoga, tapasya, vairāgya, everything, give it all up and just surrender to Krishna and engage in devotional service and ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi. He will protect you from all sinful reactions. And, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi means also that He will protect you from all obstacles on the path of devotional service. So any questions? Yes.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Exactly, exactly. She said that sometimes sarva-dharmān parityajya is translated to give up all other religions like Christianity, Islam, and so on. Then she says that almost all other religious processes are mixed with karma and jnana, which is true, that they don’t have a clear idea of pure devotional service. There is some bhakti. When they chant the glories of the Lord or pray to the Lord, there is some bhakti, but it is mixed with desires for elevation to better material enjoyment or desire for liberation and fruitive activities and impersonal speculation. So that’s true.

Giriraj Swami: Varnashrama-dharma is to help to gradually elevate people so that they can come to the platform of pure devotional service. Like we discussed the other day that sometimes before we plant the seed, we have to prepare the soil, so varnashrama- dharma helps to prepare the soil by making them regulated, sukṛtina, sukṛtina means regulated. So catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ, four types of pious people, and in the purport, Srila Prabhupada says pious people means regulated people who follow varnashrama-dharma. So it helps them come to the stage where they can accept the instructions of the pure devotee about pure devotional service and take to the practice of pure devotional service. But it is not directly bhakti, but it helps prepare one for bhakti.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: He says it is a comment. He said that following varnashrama-dharma is for mixed devotees who mix fruitive activities with devotional service, karma-miśra bhakti. That is true but one of the sixty-four items of devotional service is dāsya, and one meaning of dāsya is for pure devotees, they can perform the practices of varnashrama-dharma that are favorable for devotional service. And then it comes in the categories of devotional service. They don’t follow everything, but they follow some of the things which are favorable. And that comes in the category of dāsya, serving the Lord. Okay, last question.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami : Yes, you should give up all of your duties and come to Vraja, join the VIHE, become pure devotee. Actually, Arjuna was already Krishna’s friend, what was the need of Krishna to say sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, just surrender to Krishna. He was more than surrendered to Krishna; he was Krishna’s friend. So what does Arjuna have to learn about surrender? He was already Krishna’s friend. He could only learn something more from the residents of Vraja. All right.