NOD – VIHE Nectar of Devotion—Part 14

Giriraj Swami: Now, on page seventy-eight is a very important verse (BRS 1.2.238 and Cc Madhya 22.133) about the five potent forms of devotional service:

durūhādbhuta-vīrye ‘smin
śraddhā dūre ‘stu pañcake
yatra sv-alpo ‘pi sambandhaḥ
sad-dhiyāṁ bhāva-janmane

“The power of these five principles is very wonderful and difficult to understand. Even without faith in them, a person who is offenseless can awaken his dormant love of Kṛṣṇa simply by being a little connected with them.”

So, what is the goal of sādhana-bhakti?

To attain bhāva-bhakti, and here Srila Rupa Gosvami states that even by a little contact with the five potent forms of devotional service, one can attain bhāva-bhakti, but we engage in the five potent forms of devotional service day after day and year after year, but we don’t experience dormant love for Krishna. Why?

Devotee: It’s the holy name.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, because we commit offenses, but if we don’t commit offenses that even by a slight contact with the five potent processes, one can experience dormant love of Krishna. Now here it mentions without faith, even without faith. Even without faith means that if one engages in the five potent forms or any one of the five potent forms of devotional service without offenses, then he can attain bhāva-bhakti—independent of any stage of sraddha. There are seven stages of sraddha; adau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅga tato bhajana-kriyā anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā tato ruci athāsaktis, but the five potent forms are so powerful that independent of having attained any of the stages of sraddha, if one can engage without offense one can attain bhāva-bhakti.

There are three divisions of devotional service. sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti, and prema-bhakti. So, the seven categories that come in sādhana-bhakti are considered stages of sraddha or phases of sraddha. Of course, sraddha is there in prema also, but as a matter of speech when the acharyas want to refer to the seven stages within sadhana, they call them stages of sraddha.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Oh, it’s in the explanation of this verse, and it’s also, I read it in one place where Bhaktivinoda Thakura talks about the sahajiyās, and he says that the sahajiyās try to build rasa on some stage of sraddha, but rasa cannot be built on any stage of sraddha, it comes at bhāva.

So now, we’ve basically completed the discussion of the sixty-four items. The only thing left are the five verses composed by Rupa Gosvami in glorification of the five potent forms of devotional service. So, I myself wanted to touch on two of the sixty-four items which we didn’t really discuss, and if any of you want to ask any questions, you can, and then we’ll go on to the next discussion.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: A brilliant deduction. He says that if we are not at the stage of bhāva-bhakti, then the implication is that we are committing offenses, and it is true. What are the seven stages?

They are mentioned here in the verse book in the fourth wave of the eastern division. I think it’s 1.4.15 and 16, which come on pages 114 and 115.

adau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo ‘tha bhajana-kriyā.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Of course, sādhu-saṅga means associating with devotees, but their associating with devotees means in a preliminary stage: we meet the devotees, we hear from them about devotional service, we see them engage in devotional service, and gradually we become convinced that we should also engage in devotional service. Then bhajana-kriyā, then we surrender to the spiritual master and process of bhakti.

You see śraddhā, sādhu-saṅga, bhajana-kriyā, anartha-nivṛttiḥ, niṣṭhā, ruci, and āsakti come within sādhana-bhakti, and those are called stages of sraddha. So sometimes the word sraddha is used to indicate all seven, then bhāva and then prema. It’s just a way. It’s just a reference.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: It goes to bhāva directly. The four Kumaras is an example. Bilva Mangala Thakura, he was almost in no stage and very quickly he came to bhāva. You be the example. Why look to others? You’ll be the example yourself.

Okay, I want to read this portion—Not accepting unfit disciples, constructing many temples, or reading many books. This is page sixty-five in The Nectar of Devotion. Srila Prabhupada writes, “if one very carefully reads Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and The Nectar of Devotion, that will give him sufficient knowledge to understand the science of Krishna consciousness. One need not take the trouble of reading other books.”

And in commenting on the same item of devotional service in Caitanya-caritāmṛta makes practically the same statement. So, should one read other books besides Srila Prabhupada’s books? And if so, when should he and under what conditions? Janardhan?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well. in the quote from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he says, I’ll read it:

“One should not partially study a book just to pose oneself as a great scholar by being able to refer to scriptures. In our Krishna consciousness movement, we have therefore limited our study of Vedic literatures to Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. These four works are sufficient for preaching purposes. They are adequate for the understanding of the philosophy and the spreading of missionary activities all over the world. If one studies a particular book, he must do so thoroughly. That is the principle. By thoroughly studying a limited number of books, one can understand the philosophy.”

What is the proper time, and where does Srila Prabhupada refer us to other books?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Devotee: It says that Lord Rama thoroughly studied the Vedic literatures three times as all scholars do, so He indicates that we should read books at least three times. . .

Giriraj Swami: I will read one quote from Srila Prabhupada.

MORNING WALK CONVERSATION

Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I remember once I heard a tape where you told us that we should not try to read the books of previous ācāryas.

Srila Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Devotee: That we should not try to read Bhaktivinoda’s books or earlier books of other. . ., our ācāryas. So I was just wondering. . .

Srila Prabhupāda: I never said that.

Devotee: You didn’t say that? Oh.

Prabhupāda: How is that?

Devotee: I thought you said that we should not read the previous ācāryas’ books.

Prabhupāda: No, you should read.

Devotee: We should.

Prabhupāda: It is a misunderstanding.

Second Devotee: I think maybe he was thinking that there was some things about some of the Gauḍīya Maṭha books.

Prabhupāda: Maybe.

Second Devotee: And sometimes you said that it is better to read your books.

First Devotee: When the devotees went to India this year, they said that Acyutānanda Swami chastised them that “You should never. . . If I catch any of you buying Bhaktisiddhānta’s books from Gauḍīya Maṭha, then I will take it away,” something like this.

Second Devotee: Yeah, that was the reason he didn’t want the devotees going to Gauḍīya Maṭha. But there is nothing wrong with the idea of studying the previous ācāryas’ books.

Prabhupāda: No. Who said that is wrong? We are following previous ācāryas. I never said that.

Second Devotee: All of your commentaries are coming from the previous ācāryas.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Third Devotee: But that wouldn’t mean that we should keep all the previous ācāryas’ books and only read them.

Prabhupāda: That is already there. You first of all assimilate what you have got. You simply pile up books and do not read—-What is the use?

Third Devotee: First of all, we must read all your books.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Second Devotee: Practically speaking, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are giving us the essence of all the previous ācāryas’ books in your books.

Srila Prabhupāda: Yes.

COMMENT

So, I mentioned it because Srila Prabhupada has given us some literature to study thoroughly. And according to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and Caitanya-caritāmṛta, we should not read many books, and Srila Prabhupada has translated certain books which are sufficient for understanding the philosophy and preaching. So, I think that we should understand the principle that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to study all of his books first and then read other books.

I don’t know. I have just informally asked some devotees what they’re reading and quite a high percentage are reading other books besides Prabhupada’s books. So I thought that maybe I should say something, especially since it’s one of the items of devotional service – one of the principles of devotional service.

Devotee: Seriously, if we read Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, feeling of enjoying a traditional story and epic it gives a good basis for understanding the little philosophy from like he says that reading Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa are very relaxing and pleasure giving.

Giriraj Swami: He says reading the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa are very relaxing and pleasure giving, and it gives a good basis. He says reading the pastimes gives a good basis for the philosophy, but I thought the philosophy gave a good basis for the pastime.

That’s why we begin, actually we discuss the verse:

Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and śuka-mukhād, it was received from the lips of Sukadeva Gosvami, and the significance is that we should read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam through the paramparā as we discussed. And Srila Prabhupada comments that receiving the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam through the paramparā system means beginning with the First Canto because the previous acharyas have all said that we should begin with the First Canto and Second Canto, then go to the Third Canto, and Fourth Canto, and gradually come to the Tenth Canto which is Krishna’s pastimes.

And we also face another problem and that is in every place and even the same can be derived from the verses here, that we should receive the knowledge from the right source. Now the translator of any book is very important for the reader, and sometimes we don’t know who the translator is—whether he is little Mayavadi or little sahajiyā, we don’t know. And there are so many books that may interest us which are not translated by proper persons, and if we read them, we may get some somehow deviated.

So well, first of all we should study Srila Prabhupada’s books, and second of all we should be careful that if we are reading any other book it is coming from a proper person because most people as a general rule are either Mayavadis or sahajiyās; and when they translate from Sanskrit or Bengali or Hindi, there may be some contamination, which may affect us even if we are not conscious of it. Most likely we are not conscious of it. So that’s another consideration in reading books not translated by Srila Prabhupada.

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Now, here’s another point. The translator should be a proper devotee. So, if they’re Prabhupada’s disciples, if they’re serving Prabhupada in the association of other disciples of Prabhupada, and if they have good sadhana, they follow the regulated principles and so on, that gives them some authority. But another consideration is the level of advancement of the book because some books are very advanced, they’re not actually meant to be read by beginning devotees.

Like there is one story, that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati wanted to publish Govinda-Līlāmṛta, so he approached Bhaktivinoda Thakura, “I want to publish Govinda-Līlāmṛta.” So, Bhaktivinoda Thakura was not in favor of it but finally he said, “Alright, you are so eager to publish Govinda- Līlāmṛta, you can publish it—one copy, for you.”

So even if by chance the translation is correct if there is some Vaishnava who’s elevated enough to translate some book properly, but if the book is more advanced than appropriate for us, then we should not be anxious to read it.

Devotee: Is there some sort of system in ISKCON that has been made that oversees this?

Giriraj Swami: Well, it’s very difficult. It’s very difficult.

Devotee: It seems now that devotees now see the difference. Who is qualified, who is qualified to translate. . .

Giriraj Swami: Well, we discussed it, and we thought that there was some possibility that if we said that this book is restricted, then that would be the first book that devotees [would] want to read. “What is in it? Let me see.” It’s very difficult. Actually, the consensus is now at least amongst some of the devotees that the spiritual masters should guide the disciples as to what they should read; otherwise, it is a good question, but it’s not so easy just to. . . Like movies—good for the whole family, good for children, adults only—the fourteen-year-old sees in the newspaper, ‘Adults only,’ “That’s the one for us, let’s go.”

In principle, the disciple goes to the spiritual master to study the Vedas, so the spiritual master should guide the disciple not only in understanding the books that he is reading, but in what books he should read. If. . . Anyway, in principle.

Devotee: Bhaktisidhanta Sarasvati was encouraging disciples of any spontaneous initiative to write [Unintelligible] spread the movement through writing so he was inspiring his disciples to write and even this is when Srila Prabhupada went to the Gaudiya Matha, and he pointed out that the library didn’t have any books which are just the books that were that special.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, Prabhupada wanted his disciples to write according to their realization.

Devotee: We have to read at least our spiritual master’s books according to Srila Prabhupada.

Giriraj Swami: Yes anyway, I think these are the three main points:

First, we should thoroughly study Srila Prabhupada’s books, and even if we read other books, we should continue to study Srila Prabhupada’s books, and Srila Prabhupada’s books should be the main books for us.

Then the second point is, we should be careful about who the translator or the author is – whether he is qualified or not?

And we should also be careful about the level of the book. Are we reading something that’s above our level or not?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Well, you’ve raised a good point: That someone who’s been a devotee for a long time, and who has studied Srila Prabhupada’s books for a long time, may be reading other books, but it doesn’t mean that the junior devotees should imitate and try to read the same books as the senior devotee. That’s a good point.

Okay, we’ll briefly, I mean study thoroughly. We are not studying this thoroughly. You cannot study it thoroughly in one month, not at all.

Okay, I just wanted to comment on page 103, ‘Performing Devotional Service in Kārttika’ since tomorrow is the first day of Kartik.

“The Lord may offer liberation or material happiness to a devotee, but after some devotional service has been executed, particularly in Mathurā during the month of Kārttika, the devotees want only to attain pure devotional service unto the Lord.” (Padma Purāṇa)

In other words, if we have other motives the Lord will easily satisfy our other motives, but He doesn’t give pure devotional service so easily. But if one executes devotional service in Mathura during Kartik, he can develop the desire only to have bhakti, and then the Lord will give only bhakti. And it is said that Damodara is very kind to His devotees bhakta-vātsalya, and He pays great attention to even the smallest detail of the devotee. So similarly, the month of Damodara or the month of Kartik gives great benefit for even a little performance of devotional service.

Srila Prabhupada has compared rendering devotional service in Kartik to a sale in a shop - that sometimes a shop, in order to create interest and get customers, will have a sale, and goods which are worth much more are sold for a much cheaper price just so that the people become customers. Then after they become customers, the shop raises the prices to normal. So Kartik is like a sale, and you can go to the shop and get very costly valuables for a very small price.

Okay now, we will go on. . . The five potent forms of devotional service are basically the five verses of Rupa Gosvami and the first verse is very famous. What does the first verse say about the Deity, Govinda? On page, in the verse book page seventy-nine.

“My dear friend, if you are indeed attached to your worldly friends, do not look at the smiling face of Lord Govinda as He stands on the bank of the Yamunā at Keśīghāṭa. Casting sidelong glances, He places His flute to His lips, which seem like newly blossomed twigs. His transcendental body, bending in three places, appears very bright in the moonlight.” (BRS 1.2.239 and Cc Ādi 5.224)

So here Rupa Gosvami says that if you are interested in the temporary happiness of society and society, friendship, and love, you should not see the beautiful form of Govinda. So, does it mean we should not see the beautiful form of Govinda? Naam Prabhu?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Should we be attached? No, it means we should see. It is a literary ornament, where he says the opposite of what he means. And the fact is that if you don’t become attracted to the beauty of Krishna, you will remain attracted to the maya of society, friendship, and love. So, we should go and give up our attachments to maya and become attached to Krishna.

Now at the end of the Chapter—Chapter Thirteen, Rupa Gosvami begins discussing some other items. After listing sixty-four items, Rupa Gosvami begins to discuss some other items which are not included. And the first which he discusses is varnashrama. And is varnashrama included as an item of devotional service? What evidence can you cite?

Devotee: The defeat of the Tattva-vādīs by Lord Chaitanya.

Giriraj Swami: The defeat of the Tattva-vādīs by Lord Chaitanya. What did Lord Chaitanya say to defeat them?

Devotee: He said that in this age the process is śravaṇam, kīrtanam, and the goal is Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Yes and some verses. Yes, that’s true.

Devotee: You mentioned the other day in the class about the verse from the Eleventh Canto.

Giriraj Swami: Very good. Very good. Rupa Gosvami has quoted the verse in the beginning of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu that if one follows the rules and regulations of varnashrama, but if he does not worship Lord Krishna, he falls down from his position and goes to hell. Some good students from the First Canto?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Exactly. First Canto, Second Chapter that “If one engages in his occupational duty, but if he does not develop attraction for the messages of Krishna—śrama eva hi kevalam—he has simply wasted his time.”

Yes,

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja-

“Give up all dharmas and just surrender to Krishna.”

Very good. Now Rupa Gosvami includes one verse (BRS 1.2.247 and Cc Madhya-līlā 22.61) which comes on page eighty-one of the verse book which explains, on page eighty, when someone is eligible to give up varnashrama-dharma. This is very important to know—when one is eligible or not, whether one is eligible or not.

tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta
na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā
śraddhā yāvan na jāyate        

“As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions.”

So, if we recall eligibility for devotional service, we will find one requirement is sraddha one should have faith that just by serving Krishna all other duties will be performed, and all one’s desires will be fulfilled, but if someone doesn’t have such strong faith, he won’t be able to give up varnashrama-dharma. He’ll think that if I give up my duties, what will happen to me? What will happen to my family? And so on.

But sometimes people even have theoretical knowledge that devotional service is right, and that actually they have nothing to do but devotional service, but still they cannot give up varnashrama-dharma, why? Because they are materially attached. So to be eligible for pure devotional service, one has to have faith and nāti-sakto, he should not be too attached. So if someone does not have sufficient faith, or if someone has too much material attachment, he should follow varnashrama-dharma. He is not eligible for pure devotional service. And by following varnashrama-dharma, associating with devotees, he can gradually become eligible.

Sometimes people begin the process of devotional service, and they leave. And why do they leave? Generally it’s for one of these reasons or both—they don’t have enough faith, or they have too much attachment to material things, so they leave.

Devotee: Bhaktivinoda Thakura [Unintelligible] about grihastha-ashrama.

Giriraj Swami: Well, he was in grihastha-ashrama, but day and night he was engaged in pure devotional service. He wasn’t engaged in the ritualistic ceremonies of varnashrama-dharma. It’s true. He was a grihastha, but it doesn’t mean that if one is grihastha, he can’t engage in pure devotional service. But he had so much faith that when he and his whole family were deathly ill and everyone was saying that he should compromise with the yogi, for the sake of himself and the family, he refused to compromise. That is faith. There is no doubt that he was engaged in pure devotional service. He never compromised any of the principles of pure devotional service for the sake of material comforts or personal considerations. But it doesn’t mean that if one is a householder, and if he works to maintain his family that he can’t engage in pure devotional service.

But then again there are different types of work: brahmin’s work, kshatriya’s work, vaishya’s work, and Srila Prabhupada established ISKCON especially for brahmans who are able to live simply and depend on whatever the Lord provides. But then again, in case of emergency a brahman can act as a vaishya or even a kshatriya although he should avoid the work of a kshatriya because of the violence. But he should not accept the work of a sudra. So, we can say in Kali-yuga, there is an emergency because people don’t follow Vedic culture. So sometimes the brahmans have to work as vaishyas, but the main need in society is for brahmans. If brahmans can live like brahmans and maybe occasionally due to emergency they may accept some other work but mainly work as brahmans, then that will be the best service to humanity.

The brahman has six occupational duties: studying the scripture, teaching the scripture to others, worshiping the Lord, and engaging others in the worship of the Lord, and accepting charity, and giving charity. So basically, brahmans live by accepting charity and they live simply. If they live simply, people will be inclined to give charity.

Srila Prabhupada has explained that the four divisions brahman, kshatriya, vaishya, and sudra are distinguished by degrees of faith. That the brahman has the most faith—that whatever Krishna provides it is all right. We have the example of poor brahmans like Sudama who were happy with whatever the Lord provided.

Then next are kshatriyas, they also have to have faith that by their resourcefulness, by their heroism, they will be able to rule and extract taxes from the citizens.

And the vaishyas also have to have some faith that they will get customers. Srila Prabhupada gave two examples of vaishyas from Calcutta during the depression. During some depression many of the vaishyas didn’t really have work, but they felt, We are vaishyas so we must do business, so they would purchase some bags of rice and go door-to-door and sell the rice for just a little bit less than the price in the stores. So they maybe didn’t make much profit, but still they felt that We are vaishyas, we should do our duty, and not become sudras.

Srila Prabhupada gave another example of one young man who wanted to start a business in Calcutta, so he went to one rich man and asked for some capital to invest, and the rich man pointed out the window to the road where there was one dead rat on the road, and he said, “There is your capital.” Because it was during the time of the plague, and the municipality was paying two paisa or whatever it was, for any dead rat that was brought to them. So he went out on the street, he collected a few dead rats, and got a few paisa. Then he bought something and sold it, made a little profit, bought something and sold it, made a little profit, like that. So if someone has the spirit or the mood of vaishyas then he will do business, he won’t do service. He has faith that whatever it may be, Krishna will send some customers, He’ll give me some profit, and I’ll be able to live.

And sudras, they have very little faith. Unless they’re employed by some master and are assured that every week or every month they’ll get their salary, they’ll be in anxiety.

So brahman, kshatriya, vaishyas, and sudras are also distinguished by degrees of [faith] so even if one knows that devotional service is good theoretically, but if he is not materially exhausted if he still has some desires for material enjoyment, then he should work within varnashrama-dharma, until he becomes materially exhausted. Then he can just accept whatever he needs to keep the body and soul together and devote the rest of his energy to the Lord.

Okay now, very quickly and succinctly, we will discuss Chapter Fourteen which is called “Devotional Qualifications.” What does ‘devotional qualifications’ mean? Did any of you think of it, Krishna Priya? Oh Krishna Rupa, sorry.

What does one need to practice devotional service and what is the answer?

Devotee: [Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, he only needs the desire for devotional service. He only needs some taste for devotional service. He doesn’t need to do anything else. Very good answer. Now on page eighty-one, Caitanya-caritāmṛta quotes for one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (ŚB 11.20.31 and Cc Madhya 22.146) which Rupa Gosvami quotes in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.250):

tasmān mad-bhakti-yuktasya
yogino vai mad-ātmanaḥ
na jñānaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ
prāyaḥ śreyo bhaved iha        

“For one who is fully engaged in My devotional service, whose mind is fixed on Me in bhakti-yoga, the path of speculative knowledge and dry renunciation is not very beneficial.”

We already know from the paribhāṣya-sutra that jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam that the pure devotional service is not covered by karma or jnana, but they may be somewhat helpful in the beginning, slightly helpful in the beginning. In the sense that if one has knowledge, “I’m not the body,” it can help him to engage in devotional service. Or if one has some renunciation that he doesn’t want to enjoy material things, or he doesn’t want to perform sinful acts, it may be a little helpful at first. But once he engages in devotional service, he has no need to cultivate jnana or vairāgya separately. But actually, jnana and vairāgya will automatically develop in one who engages in devotional service:

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam        

“One who engages in bhakti-yoga, very quickly develops jnana and vairāgya.” (ŚB 1.2.7)

Then Rupa Gosvami explains why cultivation of jnana and vairāgya are not favorable, and he says that bhakti by nature is tender and soft, and that by long discussions and philosophical arguments, the heart becomes hard, and the nature of bhakti is soft. It actually goes against bhakti to argue and discuss, and argue, and discuss too much. Similarly, if one performs hard austerities, they may also make the heart hard, which is against the nature of bhakti. If someone says that bhakti needs some support that we are new in bhakti; bhakti needs some support from jnana and vairāgya, the answer is no. Bhakti needs no support from any other process. Bhakti is independent. In fact, bhakti becomes weak if it takes help from other processes. Advancement in bhakti depends only on the prior stage of advancement. It doesn’t depend on any external process. And if somebody raises the argument or the objection that the efforts that we make in the earlier stage of bhakti to become more advanced in bhakti will make the heart hard, then the answer is no. Because the very nature of bhakti is soft; bhakti means chanting, hearing, remembering Krishna, and those activities make the heart soft, not hard.

If the heart is becoming hard while we are engaging in devotional service, it means that there is something wrong. Either we are mixing jnana with it or we are mixing vairāgya with it, or we are committing offenses, but otherwise bhakti itself is soft, and bhakti will make the heart soft.

Well, we read one verse earlier, one of the items not to accept more than necessary. The explanation is [that] we shouldn’t artificially increase what we have, and we shouldn’t artificially decrease it because bhakti cannot be attained. Well certainly not by artificially increasing, it can’t be attained by artificially increasing one’s service, and it can’t be attained by artificially decreasing one’s facilities, but naturally one will develop renunciation by advancement in devotional service. But as a process giving up this, giving up that, it’s not a process.

There are occasions like on Janmashtami or other days, we fast or Ekadashis we fast, but if we try to do more austerities than what is prescribed in the scriptures, it may be artificial. We’ll come to what we should do. Okay, so then the next verses explain the same fact that bhakti does not depend on karma or jnana for success, but karma and jnana depend on bhakti for success. And the evidence is patanty adhaḥ—if one engages in varnashrama without bhakti, he falls down. And if one tries to merge into impersonal brahman but neglects the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, he also falls down. So, without some touch of bhakti, no one can succeed either in karma or jnana or in yoga, but bhakti can be successful without any help of any process.

Well here. There are some parallel verses in the verse book that’s 1.2.251–253 which come in The Nectar of Devotion and mainly on page 114.

Now, when vairāgya is not accepted as an item of bhakti, does it mean that we should indulge ourselves in increasing our material comforts and increasing our material enjoyment? No. Increasing material existence is the opposite of increasing spiritual consciousness.

So, the answer, what the devotee should do is given in the verse about yukta-vairāgya. Yukta-vairāgya is the answer for the devotee, what to do about material things. He should not enjoy them falsely, and at the same time, he should not renounce them falsely, but he should see them as the property of Krishna and engage them in the service of Krishna, and that is bhakti. Otherwise phalgu-vairāgya or artificial renunciation or false renunciation comes in ādy—jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. It is one of the things that covers the nature of bhakti.

I’ve passed out the verse. The verses are here in the verse book but not with each word, but actually the verses are very important, and we should know each word. So I passed out the papers, and we’ll discuss it tomorrow and then begin the section on—well if we finish in time—we’ll begin the section on rāgānugā-bhakti, and just to save you from some confusion, there is some editing mistake on page 119.

Here the word is printed rāgānugā but actually it should be rāgātmikā. If you see the original verses that Srila Prabhupada has translated from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is clear that it should be rāgātmikā.

I’m talking about the first two paragraphs. The first two paragraphs are about rāgātmikā-bhakti. Rāgānugā-bhakti follows in the wake of rāgātmikā-bhakti. So first we have to know the definition of rāgātmikā-bhakti, then we can know the definition of rāgānugā-bhakti because rāgānugā-bhakti follows in the wake of rāgātmikā-bhakti. So, we’ll begin this on Tuesday, and you should read Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen and outline them. They’re short chapters and we will discuss, and in the meantime, you can hand in your homework for Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen.