English
12 January 2020
What about the welfare of others?
Chanting is sadhana bhakti and the perfection of sadhana bhakti is bhava bhakti. Next is prema bhakti. We are sadhakas and we want to achieve bhava bhakti and Krsna prema is our prayojana. Sadhana is also called abhidheya in the words of sastras. We should know and understand our relationship with the Lord. You all are related to the Lord, in fact you are the Lord’s. You are a servant or a friend of the Lord.
nirodho 'syānuśayanam
ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ
muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ
sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ
Translation:
The merging of the living entity, along with his conditional living tendency, with the mystic lying down of the Mahā-Viṣṇu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation. Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies. (SB 2.10.6)
Slowly with sadhana bhakti one realizes this is my relation to this Lord. When I return to the Lord’s abode I will enter in this seva or this will be my service there. This will be my dress code there. These are different relations with the Lord. We all are servants of the Lord. Sakhya bhava, being a friend of the Lord is also a relation. Lord’s friends are His servants, also His parents and gopis are servants. And among those servants some play the role of His parents, friend and gopis.
jivera svarupa haya -- krsnera nitya-dasa
So we all are servants of the Lord, so this sambandha jnana. After sambandha is abhidheya - serving the Lord or accepting the sadhana of devotional service.
jiva krsna dasa ei visvasa karle ta ara dukha nai - performing sadhana bhakti,
yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam
Translation:
O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me. (BG 9.27)
Doing all this means abhidheya or sravanam hearing is special sadhana. There are two types of sadhana bhakti. Vaidhi and Raganuga sadhana bahakti. We Gaudiya Vaisnavas perform sadhana bhakti following some rules and regulations. Also there is Raganuga sadhana bhakti. Sakya bhava ( Lalita, Visaka or His friends like Subala)and Vatsalya bhava( Nandababa and Yasoda). Trying to develop bhava like them. Vaidhi bhakti followers achieve Vaikuntha and of Raganuga devotees achieve Golok dhama. Yesterday at Chowpatty temple I said every mantra has its mantra devata and by chanting those mantra we please that particular Devata. And the mantra upasak achieves that particular abode.
yānti deva-vratā devān
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām
Translation
Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me. (BG 9.25)
mad-yājino ’pi mām - demigods may be devata of some mantra.Krsna says to Arjuna those who worship Me and are upasaka of My mantra come to My dhama. Krsna is Supreme.
ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan
nanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintu
krsnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yo
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
Krsna becomes Rama or Krsna takes Rama avatar or Krsna becomes Nrsimha. Krsna has His own abode like Saket, Ayodhya dhama in Vaikuntha where all the avatars of Lord reside. Krsna has said,
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham [BG 4.7]
paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge [ BG 4.8]
Lord appears in different forms, so those forms are Krsna also and they are not Krsna also, one and different simultaneously.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Those who worship this mantra are all Gaudiya Vaisnava and Hare Krsna upasakas .chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Every mantra has its devata. So Devatas of this mantra are Radha Krsna. In this whole mantra there are only two names Radha and Krsna. Rama in maha-mantra is also Krsna. If someone feels this Rama is Sri Rama or Balarama that also is not wrong.
ramati ramayati ca, maya saha ramasva
We also plead to Lord Krsna please play pastimes with me. We have that right. Devata of this mantra is Radha Krsna. And Their abode is Vrndavan dhama.
The goal of those who chant this mantra is Goloka dhama. This all is vaidhi sadhana, our sadhana. There are 64 items of devotional service stated in the Nectar of Devotion by Rupa Goswami. And there are five maha sadhanas which are,
1. Bhagavat sravan
2. Sadhu sanga
3. Nama sankirtana
4. Dhama vasa
5. Vigraha ardhana
These are the 5 main items of devotional service. By accepting these sadhanas we also follow Raganuga sadhana. By Bhagavat sravan, nama sankirtana and sadhu sanga we hear about the acarya those who follow Raganuga sadhana. When we make them our heroes then we get their association. We all Gaudiya Vaisnavas are called Rupanuga - Rupa Anuga. Rupa Goswami was Rupa Manjari and the bhava of Rupa manjari has manifested in the life of Rupa Goswami. He has explained Raganuga bhakti in the books he has written.
One is sadhana bhakti and other is prayojana bhakti. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us Siksastaka
ceto darpan marjanam
In the first 5 slokas there is description of sadhana bhakti and in
nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya
vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira
pulakair nichitam vapuh kada
tava nama-grahane bhavishyati
In the 6th and 7th slok there is description of bjava bhakti.
ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam
adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah
Here prema bhakti is explained. So our goal is reaching prema bhakti.
Sambandha - Abhidheya - Prayojana
Prema is also called as pancam purusartha, as said by Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah
The words of Caitanya Mahaprabhu is final. prema pum-artho mahan. So prema is prayojana and also prayojana is loving devotional service. You also read the sastras and books of Srila Prabhupada - Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, Nectar of Instruction. Main sadhana is chanting.
The nine items of devotional service from sraddha to prema are also explained in Nectar of Instruction. There are only 11 slokas, but all 9 levels of devotional service are explained by Rupa Goswami.
Do not just chant, but also read books and preach. I said in Bhagavatam class that Advaitacarya was happy that Caitanya Mahaprabhu has appeared on his call, but He was performing kirtana amongst His associates. So he was sad that what will happen with others those who are ignorant. So he said, “Oh Lord, You are chanting in Srinivas angan but what about others.”
One day he reminded Caitanya Mahaprabhu that dharmasya glani has happened, now religion should be established. ‘I understood that so I called and You came but You are chanting amongst pure devotees only. Establish dharma.’ He listened to Advaitacarya and jiv jago, jiv jago, gauracanda bole and then started public chanting and dancing. If you are chanting I am busy but you are not preaching then He is not happy or Srila Prabhupada is not happy, Advaitacarya is also not happy with you. You are chanting but it's selfish behaviour. What about parmartha - the welfare of others?
bolo krishna bhajo krishna koro krishna-sikha
yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa
Understand this. You chant and also make others chant, distribute books, do public sankirtana, honor prasada and distribute prasada. Chant in the japa conference and encourage others to join the conference.
Hare Krsna
