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.
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