Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 28 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

আপন ভজন পথ,        তাতে হব অনুরত,

ইষ্টদেব-স্থানে লীলাগান ।

নৈষ্ঠিক ভজন এই,        তোমারে কহিল ভাই,

হনুমান তাহাতে প্রমাণ ॥ ২৮ ॥

āpana bhajana patha,        tāte haba anurata,

iṣṭadeba-sthāne līlā-gāna |

naiṣṭhika bhajana ei,        tomāre kahila bhāi,

hanumān tāhāte pramāṇa || 28 ||

     Become devoted or ceaselessly faithful to your own bhajana path. Sing of līlā in the place of your iṣṭadeva. Oh brother, I say to you, this is firm bhajana, of which the exemplar is Śrī Hanumān.

Naiṣṭhika-Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is now discussing naiṣṭhika-bhajana, firm and steady worship. In this verse, both the bhakta’s niṣṭhā (firm faith or trust) in his own bhajana and his niṣṭhā in his worshipable Śrī Bhagavān have been demonstrated. He first mentions bhajana-niṣṭhā: āpana bhajana patha, tāte haba anurata, iṣṭadeba-sthāne līlā-gāna. “Become devoted or ceaselessly faithful to your own bhajana path.” Niṣṭhā means steadiness; at the appearance of niṣṭhā, one remains constantly and steadily engaged in bhajana. As a result of continuously hearing śrī-hari-kathā from the mouths of sādhus, one’s anarthas go away and steadiness in bhajana appears. This is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.17-18:

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ |

hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām ||

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā |

bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī ||

     “Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the friend of the sādhus. Hearing or chanting about him bestows virtue. When he enters the hearts of those who hear his stories, all inauspicious things there, meaning anarthas, are destroyed. After continuously serving the devotees (or the Bhāgavatam), when one’s anarthas and so on are nearly destroyed, firm devotion to the illustrious Śrī Bhagavān then appears.” Because of the presence of these five kinds of obstacles in the anartha state––laya, vikṣepa, apratipatti, kaṣāya and rasāsvāda––niṣṭhā is not seen to appear in bhajana. The gradual increase of sleepiness at the time of kīrtana, śravaṇa and smaraṇa is called laya (mental inactivity, rest). Being concerned with news about worldly affairs while performing kīrtana and so on is called vikṣepa (distraction). The inability to perform kīrtana and so on even though laya and vikṣepa are not present is called apratipatti (lack of power). Saṁskāras or mental impressions of anger, greed, pride and so on are called kaṣāya (impurities). The lack of absorption of the mind in kīrtana and so on at the appearance of happiness related to some sense object is called rasāsvāda (perception of pleasure). The absence of these obstacles during bhajana is a symptom of the birth of niṣṭhā. At the appearance of niṣṭhā, though engaged constantly in śravaṇa, kīrtana and other forms of bhajana, the sādhaka feels no fatigue. Therefore, devotion or constant attachment to one’s own bhajana path has been called naiṣṭhika-bhajana. 

     Within naiṣṭhika-bhajana, one of the limbs is singing of līlā in the presence of one’s iṣṭadeva. Iṣṭadeva means one’s beloved arcā-vigraha (deity form) or alternatively, because Śrī Guru and other great Vaiṣṇavas are to be worshipped like Śrī Hari, they are also iṣṭadevas. Singing of one’s favorite bhagavad-līlās in their presence is an unfailing method for getting prema. Śrī Bhagavān feels great joy when he hears his own pastimes. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa heard the praise of his own qualities from the mouth of Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, he was overjoyed and personally gave the name Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam to his poem. Arranging for Śrī Gurudeva and other highly realized bhaktas to hear the singing of śrī-kṛṣṇa-līlā is also an excellent sevā. If the sādhaka gets the mercy of Śrī Guru, the Vaiṣṇavas and Śrī Bhagavān through this limb of bhajana, nothing remains unattainable for him.

     Or, iṣṭadeba-sthāne could also mean that residing in the places of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes such as Śrī Vṛndāvana or some other holy place and singing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlās is one principal limb of bhajana. Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma is the place of great stimulation for śrī-kṛṣṇa-līlā. Here among the speakers of hari-kathā, for example, śrī-kṛṣṇa-līlā-rasa is revealed; this is not possible elsewhere. Moreover, by singing of śrī-kṛṣṇa-līlā in Vraja Dhāma, sevā of the great souls residing there is perfectly accomplished. As a result of this, the sādhaka succeeds in obtaining an indescribable object of human pursuit. One day my most honorable Śrī Śrīla Guru Mahārāja said, “By serving the Vaiṣṇavas living in Śrī Vṛndāvana with śrī-hari-kathā, you get a treasure higher even than the attainment of Śrī Bhagavān.” It is not that just by finding Śrī Bhagavān, one has the ability to relish him; the asuras during the time of Śrī Bhagavān’s manifest līlā are evidence of that. But by hearing and chanting śrī-hari-kathā in the association of the highly advanced bhaktas living in Śrī Vṛndāvana, one gets a delightful taste of bhagavad-rasa. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya therefore said, iṣṭadeba-sthāne līlā-gāna.

     After that, he said, naiṣṭhika bhajana ei, tomāre kahila bhāi, hanumān tāhāte pramāṇa. After discussing niṣṭhā in bhajana, he now mentions niṣṭhā in one’s cherished deity form with the example of Śrī Hanumān. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has written about Śrī Hanumān’s niṣṭhā for his Lord in his commentary on Śrī Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 1.4.107, the purport of which goes like this: “One day, in the city of Dvārakā, as a joke to remove Śrī Garuḍa’s pride and to celebrate single-minded devotion at Śrī Bhagavān’s lotus feet, Śrī Dvārakānātha gave him an order: ‘O Garuḍa! Go to Kimpuruṣa-Varṣa, tell Hanumān I want to see him and then bring him here.’ After Śrī Garuḍa arrived in Kimpuruṣa-Varṣa, he said to Śrī Hanumān, ‘O Hanumān! Bhagavān Dvārakānātha Śrī Yādavendra has summoned you. Please go there quickly.’ Śrī Hanumān is solely devoted to Śrī Raghunātha’s lotus feet and was busily engaged in his sevā. Therefore, dismayed at the thought of having to interrupt his devotion to Śrī Raghunātha, he didn’t honor Garuḍa’s words. Because of that, Śrī Garuḍa became angry. When he was about to capture Śrī Hanumān to take him by force to Dvārakā, Śrī Hanumān instead effortlessly flung him with the tip of his tail and Garuḍa landed in faraway Dvārakā. Seeing Garuḍa bewildered, Śrī Bhagavān smiled and said, ‘O Garuḍa! Go there again and tell Hanumān that Śrī Raghunātha has called him.’ Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa became Śrī Rāmacandra and Śrī Balarāma became Lakṣmaṇa. Kṛṣṇa asked Śrī Satyabhāmā to become Sītā, but when she was unable to assume the form of Sītā, Śrī Bhagavān teased her and asked Śrī Rukmiṇī Devī to do so instead.* When Śrī Rukmiṇī Devī assumed the form of Sītā, Śrī Bhagavān, with her on his left side, sat upon the lion-throne in Dvārakā. Meanwhile, Śrī Garuḍa once again came before Śrī Hanumān and informed him of Śrī Bhagavān’s words. Though overwhelmed with joy by simply by hearing those words, Śrī Hanumān immediately took a mighty leap and landed in Dvārakā. Seeing Śrī Bhagavān in the form of his beloved Raghuvara, he propitiated him with sevā. When Śrī Bhagavān saw his devotion to his beloved Rāma, he became most delighted and gave him his desired blessing.” After that, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya quotes one verse from the lotus mouth of Śrī Hanumān.

*Here, Śrī Satyabhāmā’s inability to assume the form of Śrī Sītā does not indicate any inferiority in her power, but rather its superiority. Rukmiṇī Devī’s bhāva is similar to that of Śrī Sītā Devī, but Satyabhāmā Devī’s bhāva is such that she has sometimes been huffy toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which is completely impossible for Sītā Devī.

Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Prātaḥ 52-53

ततः श्रीराधिका प्राह–

मातः परं सुमुखि! यामि तदीय-पार्श्वं दूरादसौ नयनवर्त्म-निवर्तनीयः ।

अध्येतु नाम भवती तत एव तत्ते पाण्डित्यमेव मनसो रसदं मम स्यात् ॥ ५२ ॥

tataḥ śrī-rādhikā prāha–

mātaḥ paraṁ sumukhi! yāmi tadīya-pārśvaṁ

dūrād asau nayana-vartma-nivartanīyaḥ |

adhyetu nāma bhavatī tata eva tat te

pāṇḍityam eva manaso rasadaṁ mama syāt || 52 ||

     Rādhā responded, “O charming one, from now on I won’t go anywhere with him or even look at him from a distance. Perhaps you should learn from him instead. I would love it if you became a great scholar.” (Ānanda-Vṛndāvana-Campūḥ 11.226)

भ्राजन्ते वरदन्ति! मौक्तिकगणा यस्योल्लिखद्भिर्नखैः

क्षिप्ताः पुष्करमालयावृतरुचः कुञ्जेषु कुञ्जेष्वमी ।

शौटीर्याब्धिरुरोजपञ्जरतटे संवेशयन्त्या कथं

स श्रीमान् हरिणेक्षणे! हरिरभून्नेत्रेण बद्धस्त्वया? ॥ ५३ ॥

bhrājante varadanti! mauktika-gaṇā yasyollikhadbhir nakhaiḥ

kṣiptāḥ puṣkara-mālayāvṛta-rucaḥ kuñjeṣu kuñjeṣv amī |

śauṭīryābdhir uroja-pañjara-taṭe saṁveśayantyā kathaṁ

sa śrīmān hariṇekṣaṇe! harir abhūn netreṇa baddhas tvayā? || 53 ||

     Śyāmalā: “O one with perfect teeth! Broken by Kṛṣṇa’s nails, the gopīs’ beautiful pearl necklaces, their luster once covered by Kṛṣṇa’s garland of blue lotus, now glimmer as they lie scattered from bower to bower. O doe-eyed one, how have you captured that splendid ocean of manliness with only your glance and brought him to rest upon the slope of your breasts?” (Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi, Uddīpana-Vibhāva-Prakaraṇam 20)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 27 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

অসৎ-ক্রিয়া কুটিনাটী,        ছাড় অন্য পরিপাটি,

অন্য দেবে না করিহ রতি ।

আপন আপন স্থানে,        পিরীতি সভায় টানে,

ভক্তিপথে পড়য়ে বিগতি ॥ ২৭ ॥

asat-kriyā kuṭināṭī,        chāḍa anya paripāṭi,

anya debe nā kariha rati |

āpana āpana sthāne,        pirīti sabhāya ṭāne,

bhakti-pathe paḍaye bigati || 27 ||

     Give up immoral activities, deceitful behavior and other methods. Do not be attached to other gods and goddesses. Affection pulls everyone to where it is and causes them to fall from the path of bhakti.

Falling from the Path of Bhakti

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is mentioning some similar anarthas on the path of bhakti or bhajana that, being easily perceptible to the sādhaka’s intelligence, he has no desire for but that can still indeed block his progress. First, he says, asat-kriyā kuṭināṭī, chāḍa anya paripāṭi. The bhakti-sādhaka who desires to get prema must abandon immoral activities (asat-kriyā), deceitful behavior and any other methods. Lying, unkind behavior, animal slaughter, stealing and so on are asat-kriyā. We shall try to shed a little light on how by indulging in these immoral acts, the sādhaka causes powerful obstacles to arise in his life in the form of offenses (aparādha) that are destructive to bhakti. The primary result of bhagavad-bhakti is bhagavat-prema, love of God. This prema is produced in the bhakta’s heart when the darkness of ignorance is driven from it through the performance of śravaṇa, kīrtana and the other limbs of śuddha-bhakti. This is the conclusion of the bhakti-śāstras. Aparādhas or offenses are severe obstacles on this path of the dawning of prema. When these impediments are present, prema is not attained even if one practices the limbs of bhakti. This has been described repeatedly in the bhakti-śāstras. Therefore, among the Vaiṣṇavas, discussion of aparādhas is very important. Aparādha generally means the thirty-two offenses regarding sevā and the ten offenses regarding the holy name that are described in śāstra. Besides these, there are ordinary sinful acts prohibited by śāstra that in bhajana life ultimately become the more serious nāmāparādha or sevāparādha and are obstacles for attaining prema. For example, the following are all asat-kriyā: freely speaking lies while engaged in conversations, buying and selling, laughing and joking; taking others’ things, like books and so on, without asking, or asking for something and taking it, but then forgetting to return it; killing mosquitos, flies, bugs, rats, mice and so on without restraint; speaking harshly while dealing with the public, engaging in cruel behavior and so on. Even though these may be small sins for ordinary people, for the sādhakas they can eventually become more serious aparādhas and serve as powerful impediments to the attainment of prema. Therefore, the diligent bhakta-sādhaka must watch carefully for these things and give them up so he can progress on the path of bhajana.

     In the same way, kuṭināṭī must also be abandoned. Kuṭināṭī means deceitfulness, hypocrisy and absorption in some other matter. Outwardly showing honor and so on to the sādhus, gurus, Vaiṣṇavas and Śrī Bhagavān while having no such faith or trust in one’s heart is called deceit. Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written in his Bhakti-Sandarbha that the cause of such deceitfulness is a vaiṣṇava-aparādha committed in either the current or a previous lifetime. This hypocrisy is a powerful impediment to bhakti. It must be given up by taking shelter of mahat-kṛpā, the mercy of the great souls, and by honest, straightforward behavior toward the sādhus, gurus and Vaiṣṇavas. Deception, duplicity, cheating, fraud, swindling, slyness and so on are synonyms of the word deceit. If these are employed in dealings with the guru and Vaiṣṇavas, they will eventually cause a terrible aparādha. Moreover, no regret even arises in such deceitful people’s minds; they think everything is fine and feel self-satisfied. As a result of this, the means for them to expel this deceit is also blocked. Therefore, the sādhaka must always be on guard so that this kuṭināṭī doesn’t get the opportunity to enter his mind through some weak point. ‘Absorption in some other matter’ means that the sādhaka’s mind is engrossed in various worldly sense objects unrelated to Kṛṣṇa. It is impossible for a mind to engage in contemplation of Śrī Bhagavān if it is distracted by objects of sense perception. After understanding the transient, changing nature of worldly, physical things and giving up attachment to insignificant or detestable mundane sense objects, the sādhaka must endeavor to devote his mind to the rasa of Śrī Bhagavān’s names, qualities, pastimes and so on. Or it could also mean that the sādhaka must abandon kuṭināṭī or deceit in the form of immoral actions.

     Similarly, the sādhaka must also give up other methods or systems. It is absolutely necessary that the sādhaka abandons any methods for seeking bodily happiness and focuses exclusively on the method of śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana. The reason is that if one remains absorbed in the happiness of the body and things related to it, one’s absorption in bhajana will gradually decrease. The sādhaka should accept only as much food, clothing and so on as is helpful to his bhajana-sādhana. If he takes more than that, he will gradually become attached or absorbed in those things and his bhajana will diminish. If he accepts comparatively less, his body and mind may wither and cause a disturbance to his bhajana. In a statement from the Nāradīya-Pañcarātra contained in the Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu, we see the following: yāvatā syāt svanirvāhaḥ svīkuryāt tāvad arthavit, ādhikye nyūnatāyāṁ ca cyavate paramārthataḥ. “One who understands the means by which his own bhakti or bhajana is supported should accept only that which is necessary to maintain the body and things related to it. If one accepts more or less than that, he will deviate from the supreme goal.” Oftentimes we imagine that there is some lack regarding the body and things related to it. We say, “Without this, I can’t carry on; without that, I won’t have enough; if things aren’t like this, I can’t succeed.” We repeat maxims of śaraṇāgati like ānukūlyasya saṅkalpa (resolving to do that which is favorable), and under the pretext of maintaining our bodies for doing bhajana, we try to gather more than necessary of the articles, substances and so on used in various methods for producing happiness and comfort for our bodies and things related. In fact, when one becomes foolishly absorbed in such systems or arrangements related to the body, his bhajana decreases, and instead of progressing on the path of bhakti, his forward movement is blocked.

      Ṭhākura Mahāśaya then says, anya debe nā kariha rati. “Do not become attached to devatās such as Brahmā, Rudra and so on, thinking them to be separate Supreme Lords.” Some people perform Śrī Kṛṣṇa worship but remain attached to other gods and goddesses. Some, though having taken shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, are unable to give up the worship of other devas and devīs as their family deities. Others, after hearing discussions about ananya-bhakti from the mouths of sādhus, or having personally read about it in books, think that worshipping other devas and devīs with articles that have been offered to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is faultless and not harmful to exclusive bhakti. Moreover, because of their affection for other devatās, some also eventually take shelter of śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana. ye’py anya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ, te’pi mām eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam (Gītā 9.23). “O Kaunteya! Those who are devoted to other devatās and worship them with faith also worship me, but that is avidhi-pūrvaka or not according to rule, meaning it contains no system for attaining liberation from saṁsāra or attaining Śrī Bhagavān.” After hearing such discussions of the Lord’s teachings in the Gītā, they worship the devas and devīs and pray to them for kṛṣṇa-bhakti, which is vidhi-pūrvaka, according to rule. Like this, even people who perform śrī-kṛṣṇa-bhajana remain attached in various ways to other gods and goddesses. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is aiming at those mentioned in this verse who are attached to other devatās when he says, āpana āpana sthāne, pirīti sabhāya ṭāne, bhakti-pathe paḍaye bigati. Regardless of the above-mentioned moods, the sādhaka who has taken shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet should not be attached to other devatās because the nature of prīti (love, attachment, fondness) is that it attracts one to where it is. If one has placed his affection in some other devatā, that affection pulls the mind and heart toward that particular deity. Because of this, the sādhaka falls from the path of bhakti, meaning that because this state of mind is harmful to exclusive bhakti, it blocks one’s path of progress in bhajana-sādhana. The affection of one’s heart must be offered completely at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. By doing this, one’s affection is no longer divided. If some worshipper of Śrī Kṛṣṇa retains affection for another god or goddess, he should still worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a singleminded way. As a result of his worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, those gods and goddesses will be pleased, whereas by worshipping them separately, they will never receive such pleasure. This has been discussed previously.