Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 50-51

व्यापारो मनसश्च यत्र न गतः सम्भावनाभावतो

यत् स्वप्नः किमथेन्द्रजालमथवा भ्रान्तिः सुदीर्घैव मे ।

तत् किं ह्लादि किमार्तिदं किमुभयं किंवा न तन्नापि त-

च्चेतोविद्रुति-कारकं च मनसो मूर्छाकरं चाभवत् ॥ ५० ॥

vyāpāro manasaś ca yatra na gataḥ sambhāvanābhāvato

yat svapnaḥ kim athendra-jālam athavā bhrāntiḥ sudīrghaiva me |

tat kiṁ hlādi kim ārtidaṁ kim ubhayaṁ kiṁvā na tan nāpi tac-

ceto-vidruti-kārakaṁ ca manaso mūrchā-karaṁ cābhavat || 50 ||

     “Where the mind has never gone, there is a lack of clear perception. Whether it was a dream, a magic spell, or my long-continuing delusion, or whether it caused me joy or pain, or both, or neither, I cannot say. But I do feel that that which caused my heart to melt and that which caused my mind to swoon are one and the same.” (Ānanda-Vṛndāvana-Campūḥ 11.222)

अथ श्यामाह–

केलीकलाध्ययन-कौशलमेकदैव

न स्यादतः किमपि नो भवती विवेद ।

भूयस्ततः सखि! विलासगुरोः सकाशाद्

यत्नादधीष्व यदि विज्ञतमासि भूष्णुः ॥ ५१ ॥

atha śyāmāha–

kelī-kalādhyayana-kauśalam ekadaiva

na syād ataḥ kim api no bhavatī viveda |

bhūyas tataḥ sakhi! vilāsa-guroḥ sakāśād

yatnād adhīṣva yadi vijñatamāsi bhūṣṇuḥ || 51 ||

  Hearing this, Śyāmalā replied, “You can’t be an expert in the amorous arts while you’re still a mere student. Therefore, you don’t know very much yet. Friend, if you really want to be a wise person, you should once again approach your vilāsa-guru and try to learn more.” (Ānanda-Vṛndāvana-Campūḥ 11.224)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 26 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

না করিহ অসৎ চেষ্টা,        লাভ পূজা প্রতিষ্ঠা,

সদা চিন্ত গোবিন্দচরণ ।

সকল বিপত্তি যায়,        মহানন্দ সুখ পায়,

প্রেমভক্তি পরম কারণ ॥ ২৬ ॥

nā kariha asat ceṣṭā,        lābha pūjā pratiṣṭhā,

sadā cinta gobinda-caraṇa |

sakala bipatti yāya,        mahānanda sukha pāya,

prema-bhakti parama kāraṇa || 26 ||

     Do not engage in mundane endeavors or try to attain profit, adoration and distinction. Always contemplate Śrī Govinda’s lotus feet. All your troubles will go away and you will receive great joy and pleasure. This is the best way to attain prema-bhakti.

Giving up Mundane Endeavors and the Desire for Fame

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya discusses some obstacles to bhajana in the form of mundane endeavors and the desire for profit, adoration and distinction, and then he establishes the remedy. nā kariha asat ceṣṭā, lābha pūjā pratiṣṭhā. Asac-ceṣṭā means all endeavors that produce results that are not eternal, are transitory or that perish in a moment. All such endeavors are called asac-ceṣṭā. The meaning is that other than actions related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, his bhakta and bhakti, all activities concerning the destructible material body and things connected to it are asac-ceṣṭā. The bhakta who desires his highest welfare must give up all such unholy acts and constantly engage his body, mind and senses in transcendental activities, or sac-ceṣṭā, related to Śrī Bhagavān, Śrī Guru, the Vaiṣṇavas and bhakti. A question may be asked here. All the gṛhastha-bhaktas who have taken to the path of bhajana by accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of a true guru generate their livelihoods by doing business, working at jobs, farming the land and so on. Are all those activities asac-ceṣṭā? The answer is no, they are all sac-ceṣṭā or holy because the bhaktas who have taken shelter at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet belong to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s world. Their houses, wives, friends and relatives, wealth and property have all been offered at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Their homes, work and so on are all dedicated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sevā, not for independently maintaining themselves. Therefore, these things are included in the process of bhajana. Actually, all of the sheltered bhakta’s endeavors are dedicated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and everything is offered for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s happiness. Even working to earn one’s living and so on can help one to realize prema. Śrī Kṛṣṇa personally said to Uddhava, mad-arthe dharma-kāmārthān ācaran mad-apāśrayaḥ, labhate niścalāṁ bhaktiṁ mayy uddhava sanātane (Bhāg. 11.11.24). “O Uddhava! The bhakta who takes shelter of me and engages in activities of righteousness, economic growth and sense enjoyment for my satisfaction attains unwavering devotion to me, the eternal person.” By these words from the Lord’s lotus mouth, it is clearly understood that if the bhakta dedicates his householder duties, wealth or wealth-producing worldly activities, desires, longings, intentions and so on to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, these actions produce prema. But the sādhaka must be vigilant so that “Theft does not exist in the temple of love.” It is not that one says everything belongs to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and then engages in business for his own happiness. If one performs work for his own happiness, his worldly property and riches become the cause of material bondage. For this reason, we have been directed by the śāstras and the words of the mahājanas to abandon such improper actions.

     Like asac-ceṣṭā, the bhakta must renounce profit, adoration and distinction, which are powerful impediments to bhakti. These anarthas are called bhaktyuttha-anarthas, or arisen from the practice of bhakti, because they make themselves known to the bhakta according to the level of his bhajana. Like thieves, they carry the bhakta’s bhajana boat to Rasātala, the lowest of the seven underworlds. Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has called the hope for pratiṣṭhā or distinction a shameless outcaste woman. pratiṣṭhāśā dhṛṣṭā śvapaca-ramaṇī me hṛdi naṭet, kathaṁ sādhu-premā spṛśati śucir etan nanu manaḥ (Manaḥ-Śikṣā 7). “O mind! The desire for fame dances like a shameless outcaste woman in my heart. How can pure love touch such a heart?” Dhṛṣṭā means shameless. This immodesty does not want to leave the heart of the sādhaka for any reason. At the end of Śrī Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, the following is written: sarva-tyāge’py aheyāyāḥ sarvānartha-bhuvaś ca ye, kuryuḥ pratiṣṭhā-viṣṭhāyāḥ yatnam asparśane varam (20.370). “Even those who are capable of renouncing everything are not able to give up the root of all anarthas, the desire for fame and distinction. The sādhaka must make a special effort to avoid touching this excrement.” In Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, profit, adoration and distinction have been called sub-branches of the creeper of devotion. When sprinkled with the water of hearing, chanting and so on, they begin to grow and eventually obstruct the growth of the main creeper of devotion. seka-jala pāñā upaśākhā bāḍi’ yāya, stabdha hañā mūla-śākhā bāḍite nā pāya. prathamei upaśākhāra kariye chedana, tabe mula-śākhā bāḍi’ yāya bṛndābana (CC. Mad. 19.160-161). If the sādhaka is unable to taste the nectar of Śrī Hari’s names, qualities, pastimes and so on, this hope for profit, adoration and distinction expands its influence in his heart. Those sādhakas whose only goal is to please Śrī Bhagavān are desireless, pure-hearted and devoted to bhajana. They are satisfied with whatever they have and are adorned with the qualities of humility, modesty and so on. They easily cast all harmful anarthas far away.

     Then Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, sadā cinta gobinda-caraṇa. After giving up all the harmful impediments to bhajana, the sādhaka who desires the highest blessing always thinks of Śrī Govinda’s lotus feet. The word caraṇa has been written here with great devotion. In fact, the remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s wonderfully sweet names, form, qualities, pastimes and so on has been described. Just as the attention of one contemplating the sense objects is absorbed at every moment in those sense objects, in the same way, by remembering Śrī Govinda, the attention of the meditator becomes absorbed in Śrī Govinda. viṣayān dhyāyataś cittaṁ viṣayeṣu viṣajjate, mām anusmarataś cittaṁ mayy eva pravilīyate (Bhāg. 11.14.27). viṣaya-dhyānāsaktaṁ cittaṁ yathā viṣaya-mādhurya-nimagnaṁ dṛṣṭaṁ tathaiva madīya-dhyānāsaktaṁ man-mādhurya-mātra-nimagnaṁ syāt (Sārārtha-Darśinī Ṭīkā). “When someone’s mind is attached to contemplating the sense objects, it becomes submerged in the sweetness of those objects and is unable to think of Śrī Bhagavān. In the same way, the mind that becomes attached to meditating on me is submerged in my sweetness and has no inclination for thinking or knowing about anything else.”

     After that he said, sakala bipatti yāya, mahānanda sukha pāya, prema-bhakti parama kāraṇa. The meaning is that if the sādhaka gives up all mundane endeavors along with the desire for profit, adoration and distinction and meditates constantly on Śrī Govinda’s lotus feet, then all his troubles are driven away and he receives mahānanda, or the treasure of extreme joy. It should be understood that this is also the best means to attain prema-bhakti. It could also mean that prema-bhakti is the best means or principal cause of attaining Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and that prema-bhakti itself is attained by the aforementioned process. Therefore, every sādhaka who desires to attain prema must make a serious effort to give up mundane activities and the desire for profit, adoration and distinction and to meditate constantly on Śrī Govinda’s lotus feet. At the end of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Sūta Muni described the fruit of contemplating Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet to the ṛṣis headed by Śaunaka: avismṛtiḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ kṣiṇoty abhadrāṇi ca śaṁ tanoti, sattvasya śuddhiṁ paramātma-bhaktiṁ jñānaṁ ca vijñāna-virāga-yuktam (Bhāg. 12.12.55). “Constant remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet destroys all inauspiciousness, expands the ultimate good, purifies the mind and heart, causes the appearance of bhakti at Śrī Bhagavān’s feet and bestows realization, detachment and knowledge.”

Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 48-49

इति सप्रणयवाचा सादरं पृच्छ्यमाना पटवृत-मुखचन्द्रा स्वच्छचित्ता बतासौ ।

मुदमथ जनयन्ती पार्श्वगानां सखीनामवनि-निहित-दृष्टिं सस्मितः प्रत्युवाच ॥ ४८ ॥

iti sapraṇaya-vācā sādaraṁ pṛcchyamānā

paṭa-vṛta-mukhacandrā svaccha-cittā batāsau |

mudam atha janayantī pārśvagānāṁ sakhīnām

avani-nihita-dṛṣṭiṁ sasmitaḥ pratyuvāca || 48 ||

     Being questioned by Śyāmalā in this respectful and affectionate way, pure-hearted Rādhā covered her moonlike face with her dress and looked toward the floor. Surrounded by her joyful sakhīs, she smiled sweetly and began to speak.

क्वाहं स्थिता क्व चलिता क्व च वा स पन्था नीतास्मि केन नलिनाक्षि तदीय पार्श्वम् ।

किंवा बभूव मयि तत्र समेतवत्यां जानाम्यहं यदि तदा भवती न वेत्ति ॥ ४९ ॥

kvāhaṁ sthitā kva calitā kva ca vā sa panthā

nītāsmi kena nalinākṣi tadīya pārśvam |

kiṁvā babhūva mayi tatra sametavatyāṁ

jānāmy ahaṁ yadi tadā bhavatī na vetti || 49 ||

     “O lotus-eyed one! If I know where I was, where I went, on what path I walked with him, or how I arrived in such and such a place, how is it that you don’t know?”* (Ānanda-Vṛndāvana-Campūḥ 11.221)

*(“After all, I never do anything without consulting you.”) 

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 25 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

আপনি পলাবে সব,        শুনিয়া গোবিন্দ-রব,

সিংহ-রবে যেন করিগণ ।

সকল বিপত্তি যাবে,        মহানন্দ সুখ পাবে,

যার হয় একান্ত ভজন ॥ ২৫ ॥

āpani palābe saba,        śuniyā gobinda-raba,

siṁha-rabe yena kari-gaṇa |

sakala bipatti yābe,        mahānanda sukha pābe,

yāra haya ekānta-bhajana || 25 ||

     When the six enemies hear the name of Govinda, they all flee of their own accord, like a herd of elephants runs from the roar of a lion. All troubles go away for one who performs exclusive bhajana, and he feels great bliss and contentment.

Ekānta-Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse it is being described that desire, anger and the other enemies that are not expelled from the bhakta’s heart as a result of his sādhana flee of their own accord. āpani palābe saba, śuniyā gobinda-raba, siṁha-rabe yena kari-gaṇa. Just as an elephant in rut runs away when he hears the roar of a lion, in the same way, desire, anger and the other enemies spontaneously flee from the sādhaka’s heart upon hearing the sound of Śrī Govinda’s name, or about his qualities, pastimes and so on. 

     The words rava and śabda both mean sound. The power of sound is that it causes one to be aware of an object of sense perception. In the material world, the power of sound is seen even in the names of mundane objects. If one hears the word tamarind, water appears on the tongue; by hearing the word ghost, fear is aroused. If there is an experience of such power in the sounds of worldly things, then what is so amazing about those enemies leaving the sādhaka’s heart and running away forever after hearing the powerful transcendental sounds of Śrī Govinda’s names, qualities and pastimes in which his own complete spiritual potency has eternally been stored? In fact, it should be understood that the direct result of hearing about Śrī Govinda’s names, qualities and so on is the attainment of prema at his lotus feet. As a secondary result, it makes kāma and the other enemies run away. Moreover, the intended meaning of the word rava is that even if someone calls out the name of some worldly man called Govinda, when the six enemies hear that sound they flee from the heart. In the Skanda-Purāṇa it is written, govinda-nāmnā yaḥ kaścin naro bhavati bhūtale, kīrtanād eva tasyāpi pāpaṁ yāti sahasradhā. “In this world, if the name of a person called Govinda is simply mentioned, thousands of sins are driven away.” This is known as nāmābhāsa, a faint or indistinct presence of the holy name. yadyapi anyatra saṅketa haya nāmābhāsa, tathāpi nāmera teja nā haya bināśa (CC. Antya 3.55). “If the holy name is mentioned in reference to something else, this is nāmābhāsa. Still, the power of the name is not destroyed.” Because Śrī Bhagavān’s names are complete and non-different from the one being named, even when nāmābhāsa occurs, their extraordinary power remains manifest. The meaning of the word ābhāsa is reflected. A ray of reflected sunlight is naturally softer or dimmer than rays directly from the sun in the sky. In the same way, even if nāma in the state of ābhāsa manifests slightly less power, by this nāmābhāsa, the four goals of life including mukti are obtained. Under those circumstances, what more can be said regarding the destruction of sin and suffering or the six enemies?

     Then Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, sakala bipatti yābe, mahānanda sukha pābe, yāra haya ekānta-bhajana. When the enemies run away, the sādhaka will be freed from danger or difficulty, meaning that by the destruction of anarthas, firmness  in and taste for bhajana and attachment for Śrī Bhagavān will gradually appear in the heart and mind of the sādhaka. Then the sādhaka can be blessed with constant bhajanānanda or the joy of serving Śrī Bhagavān. The sādhaka will then immediately be endowed with ekānta-bhajana, meaning bhajana that is continuous and free from any other desire. The purport is that as long as kāma and the other enemies reside in the heart and mind of the sādhaka, his heart and mind will be tossed about in the waves of various kinds of desires, such as for profit, adoration and distinction. Therefore, even though he has taken shelter of the path of exclusive bhajana, if waves of desire and longing still remain in his heart and mind, his bhajana is not truly exclusive or constant. For example, the mind of a chaste wife who is very devoted to her husband, though he may be dead, is not attached to anything but him. But when a woman who has no such devotion to her husband sees some other handsome man, her mind will very likely be agitated. This is how it should be understood.

     In Govinda-Bhāṣya 3.3.9, Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇapāda has written, “The bhaktas who are devoted to serving Śrī Hari are superior to those bhaktas who still want to enjoy the results of their work. This is because they are ekāntī, or devoted only to spiritual matters. Furthermore, among these ekāntī-bhaktas, those who are attracted to Śrī Hari in the form of Śrī Vrajendranandana are the highest of all. By their profound love, they have thoroughly enchanted Śrī Hari.” Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda also has written, tatrāpy ekāntināṁ śreṣṭho govinda-hṛta-mānasāḥ, yeṣāṁ śrīśa-prasādo’pi mano-hartuṁ na śaknuyāt. “Among the ekāntī-bhaktas, those whose minds have been stolen by Śrī Govinda are the best. Even Śrī Vaikuṇṭhanātha cannot attract them.” Needless to say, nothing else can steal their minds. Exclusivity (ekāntitva) originating from indifference to all worldly matters is of four kinds: (1) disregard of dharma, (2) disinterest in karma, jñāna and so on, (3) maintaining devotion even while troubled by impediments, and (4) exclusive dedication to prema. In this way, by the special grace of Śrī Hari, the ekānta-bhaktas become the exclusive receptacles for his mercy. By Śrī Hari’s mercy, all of their anarthas are quickly expelled and they get the treasure of pure bhajana. By tasting such bhajana-rasa, they are blessed with true joy. This is the essential meaning of this verse.

Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 46-47

अभिनव-लतिकेव वात-रुग्ना नवनलिनीव मतङ्गजेन भुग्ना ।

मृदुतर-नवमालिकेव धूता मद-मधुपेन विलक्ष्यसे त्वमद्य ॥ ४६ ॥

abhinava-latikeva vāta-rugnā

nava-nalinīva mataṅgajena bhugnā |

mṛdutara-nava-mālikeva dhūtā

mada-madhupena vilakṣyase tvam adya || 46 ||

     “Today you appear to be like a young creeper who has been injured by a strong wind, a tender lotus bud crushed by an elephant, and a soft, fresh garland abandoned by a drunken black bee.” (Ānanda-Vṛndāvana-Campūḥ 11.103)

अपि चिरमभिलष्यमाण एवं प्रणयिनि कोऽपि सुदुर्लभो हि लब्धः ।

अथ कथमियमन्यथाऽस्मदादेः फलितवती सखि! भाग्यकल्पवल्ली ॥ ४७ ॥

api ciram abhilaṣyamāṇa evaṁ

praṇayini ko’pi sudurlabho hi labdhaḥ |

atha katham iyam anyathā’smad ādeḥ

phalitavatī sakhi! bhāgya-kalpavallī || 47 ||

     “O affectionate one! Someone must have obtained something rare that they have wanted for a long time. Otherwise, dear friend, how has our creeper of good fortune become so fruitful?” (Ānanda-Vṛndāvana-Campūḥ 11.219)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 24 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

ক্রোধ বা না করে কিবা,        ক্রোধ ত্যাগ সদা দিবা,

লোভ মোহ এইত কথন ।

ছয রিপু সদা হীন,        করিব মনের ভিন,

কৃষ্ণচন্দ্র করিয়া স্মরণ ॥ ২৪ ॥

krodha bā nā kare kibā,        krodha tyāga sadā dibā,

lobha moha eita kathana |

chaya ripu sadā hīna,        kariba manera bhina,

kṛṣṇacandra kariyā smaraṇa || 24 ||

     But what will anger not possibly affect? I vow to give up anger completely, along with greed and illusion. By always remembering Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, I shall keep these six enemies weak and separate from my mind.

The Effects of Anger and so on and the Remedy

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, the inauspiciousness of anger, greed, illusion and so on and the way to remedy it is being discussed. krodha bā nā kare kibā, krodha tyāga sadā dibā. The faults of desire (kāma) were described in the previous verse and now the dangers of anger and so on are being delineated. Anger is the great enemy of mankind. In this world, there is no wicked act that anger cannot produce. In the Vana-Parva of the Mahābhārata, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said to Draupadī about the harmful effects of anger,

krodha-mūlo vināśo hi prajānām iha dṛśyate |

kruddhaḥ pāpaṁ naraḥ kuryāt kruddho hanyād gurūn api ||

kruddhaḥ paruṣayā vācā śreyaso’py avamanyate |

vācyāvācye hi kupito na prajānāti karhicit ||

nākāryam asti kruddhasya nāvācyaṁ vidyate tathā ||

hiṁsāt krodhād avadhyāṁs tu vadhyān sampūjayeta ca |

ātmānam api ca kruddhaḥ preṣayed yama-sādanam ||

kruddho hi kāryaṁ suśroṇi na yathāvat prapaśyati |

na kāryaṁ na ca maryādāṁ naraḥ kruddho’nupaśyati ||

     “O one with lovely hips! Anger is the cause of man’s ruination in this world. An angry person may commit sinful acts, even up to killing his guru. An angry person insults with harsh words even those described as the best of men. If someone is under the control of anger, he doesn’t know what should be said and what should not. In this world, there is no misdeed that an angry person will not perform or nothing unspeakable that he will not say. Due to the arousal of anger, a person may kill someone who should not be killed, or may worship someone who should be killed. An angry person may even send himself to hell. If one is angry, his intellect cannot ascertain the results of his actions. An angry person cannot understand what actions are appropriate or how to observe proper etiquette.”

     Besides this, it has been described in the medical śāstras that in some circumstances anger is the cause of diseases such as epilepsy, insanity, fainting, hemorrhaging from the nose, heart and stomach, vomiting blood and so on. It has occasionally been seen that even death can occur as a result of the incitement of anger. Therefore, krodha bā nā kare kibā, krodha tyāga sadā dibā. One must protect oneself at all times from the influence of anger. yas tu krodhaṁ samutpannaṁ prajñayā pratibādhate, tejasvinaṁ taṁ vidvāṁso manyante tattva-darśinaḥ (Mahābhārata, Vana-Parva). “The learned have given the name tejasvī, meaning powerful and glorious, to a person who by his wisdom has subdued the anger that has risen in him.” The kṛṣṇa-bhaktas, who are adorned with humility and modesty, have forever abandoned this great enemy. Only within the bounds of intolerance toward those who are inimical to Vaiṣṇavas does anger give assistance to their bhajana.

     Then he said, lobha moha eita kathana. The previous statement also applies to greed and illusion. Like anger, they too cause great harm to mankind. Understanding this, one must endeavor to protect oneself from their grip. Regarding the harm that greed can cause, we see the following in Mahābhārata, Udyoga-Parva: lobhaḥ prajñānam āhanti prajñā hanti hatā hriyam, hrīr hatā bādhate dharmaṁ dharmo hanti hataḥ śriyam. “Greed destroys the intellect. If the intellect is destroyed, modesty is also destroyed, meaning that a greedy person will shamelessly try to take the wealth, property and so on of others. If modesty is destroyed, dharma is destroyed; and if dharma is destroyed, everything that is auspicious is destroyed.” We see the following in the Hitopadeśa:

lobhāt krodhaḥ prabhavati lobhāt kāmaḥ prajāyate |

lobhān mohaś ca nāśaś ca lobhaḥ pāpasya kāraṇam ||

lobhena buddhiś calati lobho janayate tṛṣām |

tṛṣṇārto duḥkham āpnoti paratreha ca mānavaḥ ||

     “From greed, anger arises; from greed, desire is born; from greed, illusion and ruination appear. It is only greed that is the cause of sin. By greed, the intellect is agitated; because of greed, longing arises. A person afflicted by longing suffers both in this world and the next.” This greed, or lobha, is extremely difficult to restrain. If one gathered all the rice, barley, gold, animals and women of the world in one place and gave it to a greedy person, his greed would still not end. yat pṛthivyāṁ vrīhi-yavaṁ hiraṇyaṁ paśavaḥ striyaḥ, na duhyanti manaḥ-prītiṁ puṁsaḥ kāma-hatasya te (Bhāg. 9.19.13). The pacification of this greed, which is difficult to be curtailed, is never possible through sense enjoyment. Therefore, in Śrī Gītā 2.71, Śrī Bhagavān said, vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān pumāṁś carati niḥspṛhaḥ, nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sa śāntim adhigacchati. “A person who gives up all desires and lives his life unattached or free from greed, who is humble and unselfish, devoid of a sense of ownership over material things obtains true peace.” A person attains that incomparable treasure after casting off greed and anger. Though Mahārāja Bhartṛhari was a king, after obtaining through a life of asceticism an experience of happiness greater than royal wealth,  he said,

bhū paryaṅko nija-bhuja-latā kandukaṁ khaṁ vitānaṁ

dīpaś candro virati-vanitā-labdha-saṅga-pramodaḥ |

dik-kāntābhiḥ pavana-camarair vījyamānaḥ samantāt

bhikṣuḥ śete nṛpa iva bhuvi tyakta-sarva-spṛho’pi ||

     “After giving up all desires or greed, a mendicant sleeps like a king. The vast earth is his bed and his own arms his pillow. The sky stretches above his head like a canopy; the moon gives him cooling light like a jeweled lamp. Like a beloved wife, his indifference to the material world is his constant companion. His lovers, in the form of the ten directions, fan his body with a cāmara in the form of the wind.” (Vairāgya-Śatakam)

     Being content with whatever comes of its own accord, the bhaktas engage their greed in hearing hari-kathā in the association of sādhus and forever abandon their desires for worldly things. In this way, they attain the supreme peace. In the same way, the sādhaka must endeavor to give up knowledge-covering illusion, understanding it to also be a powerful impediment to bhajana. mama pitā mama mātā mameyaṁ gṛhiṇī gṛham, evaṁvidhaṁ mamatvaṁ yat sa moha iti kīrtitaḥ (Padma-Purāṇa). “My father, my mother, my wife, my home—this ‘my, my’ mentality toward worldly things at all times is known as moha, or illusion.” Moha is the cause of attachment to all temporary or perishable things. If there is no illusion, a person does not have so much greed or attachment for the fragile, transitory body and things related to it. By inquiring into one’s true nature or by gaining knowledge of the truth about oneself, everyone can attain the highest goal and be blessed with everlasting joy. kā tava kāntā kas te putraḥ saṁsāro’yam atīva vicitraḥ, kasya tvaṁ vā kuta āyātas tattvaṁ cintaya tad idaṁ bhrātaḥ (Moha-Mudgara). “Who is your wife? Who is your child? This material world is extremely strange. Whose son are you? From where have you come? O brother, think about this reality.” In Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha, Maharṣi Vasiṣṭha said to Śrī Rāmacandra,

kṛśo’tiduḥkhī baddho’haṁ hasta-padādimān aham |

iti bhāvānurūpeṇa vyavahāreṇa badhyate ||

nāhaṁ duḥkhī na me deho bandhaḥ kasmān mayi sthitaḥ |

iti bhāvānurūpeṇa vyavahāreṇa mucyate ||

nāhaṁ māṁsaṁ na cāsthīni dehād anyaḥ paro hy aham |

iti niścayavān antaḥ kṣīṇāvidyo vimucyate ||

kalpitaivam avidyeyam anātmany ātma-bhāvanāt |

puruṣeṇāprabuddhena na prabuddhena rāghava ||

     “‘I am weak, I am miserable, I am bound, I am a person with hands, feet and so on.’ By thinking in this way and behaving accordingly, a man is bound by the rope of illusion. ‘I am not miserable, this is not my body. How can I be bound?’ By thinking in this way and behaving accordingly, a man is freed from the rope of illusion. ‘I am not flesh, I am not bone. I am spirit, separate from the body.’ Thus, the ignorance in the heart of one with such firm conviction is destroyed and he is liberated. O Rāghava! By imagining the self to be part of that which is destitute of spirit, the ignorant person invents illusion. A discriminating person does not do this.” The wise devotees consider that their true condition is that they are sheltered at the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and by his mercy they cut the ropes of illusion regarding worldly sense objects. By employing moha or illusion in the form of mental stupefaction caused by separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they are blessed with a taste of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweet nectar.

     Finally, Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, chaya ripu sadā hīna, kariba manera bhina, kṛṣṇacandra kariyā smaraṇa. The meaning is that the bhaktas who have taken shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet do not conquer the six enemies like the jñānīs and yogīs, whose sādhanas require great endeavor. Due to the power of them having taken shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, the strength of these extremely formidable enemies is spontaneously diminished or weakened. The enemies then have no influence over the bhakta’s mind, which has been made firm by remembrance, meditation and so on. Śrī Bhagavān has said that by the power of taking shelter of him, the bhakta is easily freed from the influence of māyā and its resultant enemies: mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (Gītā 7.14).