English
Theme: Svadhyaya, studying the scriptures
Hare Krishna! Recently in the Purushottam month, there was NCR(Delhi) leaders meeting in Vrindavan Gurukul. During that meeting, in the Bhagavatam class, there was discussion on ‘the importance of studying scriptures, svadhyaya’. So today, we will discuss that topic.
Why should we study the Scriptures?
There are 5 reasons.
It destroys 'aruchi', distaste, lack of interest in Bhakti. After some time in bhakti, devotees don’t find taste for the limbs of devotional service.
It destroys 'Trishna'. Trishna means a strong desire, craving for material things.
'Sattvashuddhi', it purifies our consciousness.
Then 'Haravabhakti', it increases devotion for Lord Hari.
'tat-puruse sakhyam', it establishes good relationships among devotees.
These five things develop when someone studies the scriptures properly. Today it is not possible to discuss all five points, but we will talk about 'aruchi'.
Definitions of Bhakti
Yesterday morning we were reading Narada Bhakti sutra. When Narada Muni started discussing various characteristics of Bhakti, definition of Bhakti, first thing he said is:
püjädisv anuräga iti päräsaryah
Translation:
Srila Vyasadeva, the son of Paräsara Muni, says that bhakti is fond attachment for worshiping the Lord in various ways. [Narada Bhaktisutra 2.16]
Bhakti means püjädisv anuräga to practice various limbs of devotional service, like worshipping the Lord, with anuräga, intense love. He is not saying that bhakti means simply practicing various limbs of devotion. He is saying bhakti means to follow these limbs with attachment, with love and Bhava. Same thing Lord Krishna mentions in Bhagavad Gita
sri-bhagavän uväca
mayy äsakta-manäh pärtha
yogam yunjan mad-äsrayah
asamsayam samagram mäm
yathä jnäsyasi tac chrnu
Translation:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Prthä, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt. [BG 7.1]
Here too, Lord Krishna says that Bhakti means when we follow the devotional limbs with attachment, äsakta-manäh, with a devoted mind. When Srila Prabhupada translated the word ‘Bhakti’, he said it means ‘devotional service’. And he didn’t just say ‘service’, but ‘devotional service’, because when service is performed with devotion then only it is called Bhakti. Then in BG 10.08 it is said:
aham sarvasya prabhavo
mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matvä bhajante mäm
budhä bhäva-samanvitäh
Translation:
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
budhä, one who is intelligent, one who is actually situated and established in knowledge, will bhäva-samanvitäh, with devotion and attachment he will perform devotional service. Same thing is mentioned in BG 7.1, mayy äsaktah, when the work is done with askati, attachment with the Lord that is called Bhakti. But how will such attachment develop?
How to develop ruchi?
The first step in this development is ‘ruchi’, taste. If you don’t have taste in the subject, how can you develop raga, attachment. And if we cannot develop taste, how can we perform other services or other limbs of devotional service? Developing this taste is very important. In ‘the meaning of the maha-mantra by Gopal Guru Goswami’ he says ruchir bhavatu me, 'O Radharani I beg at Your lotus feet, please develop within me taste for Your holy name, for Lord Sri Krishna and for His lotus feet. During our chanting we pray to develop this taste. Similarly regarding this it is mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam:
dharmah svanusthitah pumsäm
visvaksena-kathäsu yah
notpädayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam
Translation:
The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead. [SB 1.2.8]
Narada Muni says, na-utpädayed yadi ratim srama eva hi kevalam, If we are following any of the limbs of devotional service, but if we cannot develop taste for the devotional service of the Lord, to study the scriptures, then that is srama eva hi kevalam, just labor. We are not getting the expected result. In Narad Bhakti Sutra, Narad Muni says:
kathädisv iti gargah
Translation:
Garga Muni says that bhakti is fondness for narrations about the Lord, by the Lord, and so on. [Narada Bhaktisutra 2.17]
According to Garga Muni, Bhakti means to have strong attachment for hearing the Krishna Katha, narrations about Lord Krishna, to hear the glories of the Lord with anuraga, strong attachment in the heart. This is Bhakti. Then one might ask, how can this Ruchi, this Rati arise and be established? How this distaste which we have developed for Bhakti will be destroyed? The solution for this is only to study the scriptures. One more proof for this we get from Srimad Bhagavatam. When Narad Muni was sharing his realizations with Vyasudeva, he says:
tatränvaham krsna-kathäh pragäyatäm
anugrahenäsrnavam manoharäh
täh sraddhayä me 'nupadam visrnvatah
priya-sravasy anga mamäbhavad rucih
Translation:
O Vyäsadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great Vedäntists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Krsna. And thus as I listened attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead increased at every step. [SB 1.5.26]
He says, “When I was attentively hearing the Vedantists while they were discussing Krishna Katha, I developed the taste for hearing Krishna Katha." This proves that if someone thinks, "I will listen only when I will develop taste; I will listen Krishna Katha only when I will develop the attraction for the Lord", then it will never happen. Here it is said, first hear attentively, then the taste will develop. And when taste will develop, it will be easy to listen attentively. First we must make our best efforts to hear with attention, then the taste will develop and with it, attentive hearing will develop, because attention becomes very easy with attraction. Attention follows attraction. When there is attraction, it is easy to be attentive.
No one has to convince us to be attentive where we have already developed attraction. No one tells us to eat attentively. When gulab jamun is served to us, no matter where our mind is wandering, it will come back and focus on that gulab jamun. Even if we were sleeping, we will wake up immediately. No one has ever seen anyone eating rasmalai while sleeping. Sleeping and eating rasmalai, these two things cannot happen together. Because he is getting so much rasa, taste in that rasmalai, even if he was feeling sleepy, that sleep will go away. But we feel sleepy when we hear the Katha or while chanting. We start thinking about so many things while chanting and hearing. Why does this happen? Because we do not have taste for the holy name, taste for the Krishna Katha, and taste for studying the scriptures, svadhyaya. So to destroy this distaste, the solution given here is to study the scriptures, svadhyaya.
Perfection of svadhyaya (Guru Maharaja’s realisation)
Yesterday when we were in a meeting with Guru Maharaja. He was sharing his realization. When in this Purushottam month, Guru Maharaja was studying the 15th chapter of Bhagavad Gita, he felt that Lord Sri Krishna Himself is giving direct darshan through the purport of these slokas. Maharaja was saying, “When I go to get the scripture for study, I feel that I am going to have darshan of the Lord.’ This is the perfection of svadhyaya, studying the scriptures. Where else do we hear a similar realisation? In Caitanya Caritamrita in Srirangam, that Brahmana shared his realisation with Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He said, ‘When I take Bhagavad Gita in my hand, I see the Lord riding Arjuna's chariot. I cry seeing the bhakta vatsalta, compassion of Lord Sri Krishna. Like this to have darshan of Lord Sri Krishna in the pages of Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam is the perfection of svadhyaya, study of the scriptures. But one will reach this perfection only when he develops taste, attraction. Only when the taste develops in Bhakti, one can practice the limbs of devotional service.
