Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 75 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

প্রার্থনা করিব সদা,        শুদ্ধভাবে প্রেমকথা,

নাম মন্ত্রে করিয়া অভেদ ।

নৈষ্ঠিক করিয়া মন,        ভজ রাঙ্গা শ্রিচরণ,

পাপগ্রন্থি হবে পরিচ্ছেদ ॥ ৭৫ ॥

prārthanā kariba sadā,        śuddha-bhābe prema-kathā,

nāma mantre kariyā abheda |

naiṣṭhika kariyā mana,        bhaja rāṅgā śri-caraṇa,

pāpa-granthi habe pariccheda || 75 ||

     I shall always pray to hear talks of prema in a pure state of mind. I make no distinction between nāma and mantra. O mind! If you worship the crimson feet of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava with firm faith, the knot of sin will be completely severed.

Devout Bhajana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, while teaching his own mind about devout bhajana, the high-souled author is also alluding to some valuable information regarding the practice. He first says, prārthanā kariba sadā, śuddha-bhābe prema-kathā. “I shall always pray to hear talks of prema in a pure state of mind.” In a pure state means in a singleminded way devoid of any desire for one’s own happiness. Though we always talk about pure bhajana or desireless bhajana, in fact, pure bhajana free from any search for personal happiness is very rare and is dependent on the mercy of Śrī Guru, the Vaiṣṇavas and Śrī Hari. Because of being absorbed in desires for women, gold, profit, adoration, high position and other things related to the body, various kinds of subtle desires for personal happiness have secretly pervaded the heart. At the end of Śrī-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa it is written that the hope for high position and fame exists even in the heart of one who has renounced everything.

sarva-tyāge’py aheyāyāḥ 

sarvānartha-bhuvaś ca te |

kuryuḥ pratiṣṭhā-viṣṭhāyā 

yatnam asparśane varam ||

     “Even by renouncing everything, the hope for pratiṣṭhā (high rank or celebrity), which is the root of all anarthas, is not abandoned. The sādhaka must be particularly careful not to touch this excrement.” Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has called this hope for name and fame ‘the unchaste wife of a dog-eater.’ pratiṣṭhāśā–dhṛṣṭā śvapaca-ramaṇī me hṛdi naṭet kathaṁ sādhu-premā spṛśati śucir etan nanu manaḥ (Manaḥ-Śikṣā 7). “O mind! An unchaste wife of a dog-eater dances in my heart in the form of yearning for fame. How can pure, holy love ever touch such a heart?” To benefit the sādhakas, the great souls cast light in various ways upon the sādhakas’ hidden desires for personal happiness. Śrīla Premānanda Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has written the following in his Manaḥ-Śikṣā:

ore mana ki tora bujhibāra bhula |

kahicha bedera pāra, karicha niṣiddhācāra, bhāba dekhi āpanāra mūla ||

muktike aiśvarya bali, dūrete diyecha pheli, iṅgite bujhāo ei tattva |

anitya asāra artha, se bhāla sadāi prārthya, yā lāgi rajanī dibā matta ||

nirhetu yājana kara, hetu se chāḍite nāra, kathāya birakta e saṁsāra |

sarbasva balicha yāra, dite eka baṭa tāra, se cāhile kaha āpanāra ||

kaha bhaji bṛndābana, ghare sukha bāsa mana, bhālabāsa basana-bhūṣaṇe |

santuṣṭa mānicha māne, mahākrodha apamāne, ātma-sukha ghucila kemane ||

kahicha gopīra dharma, ki bujhicha tāra marma, svabhāba chāḍite nāra tile |

dekhiyā pāicha sukha, prakṛti bāghinī mukha, sarbātmā sahite yei gile ||

śuna kahe premānanda, bicārile saba dhanda, kahile śunile kibā haya |

‘hari hari’ abirata, kaha ei prema-patha, nirmala haibe suniścaya ||

     “O mind! Have you misunderstood? You said that you are beyond the Vedas, yet you engage in forbidden acts. I see your essence and your origin. You have said that true freedom is to possess great wealth, and yet you squander it away. Help me to somehow understand this. Wealth is temporary and unsubstantial. Thinking it beneficial and always to be desired, you madly chase after it, day and night. You say you perform religious rituals without any motive, but the real reason is that you are unable to give them up, while saying you have no attachment to this world. You said you would give away all your possessions, but if someone asks for even one cowrie, you tell them it all belongs to you. O mind, you say ‘I worship Vṛndāvana in my home, where I live very happily, satisfied with love, nice clothes and ornaments.’ But you have acknowledged that through pride, anger and contempt you lost that happiness. How did this happen? You talk about the dharma of a gopī; have you understood the spirit of it? You are unable to even slightly let go of your own nature. Seeing that you have found some happiness, the tigress of material nature swallows that along with your entire self. Premānanda says, ‘Please listen; if you think about it, you will see it is all a trick. What is the point of speaking or hearing of it? Just chant hari hari constantly. Without doubt, you will become pure on this path of love.’”

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, “I shall always pray at the feet of my beloved deity to be able to hear, sing and remember the stories about Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love with a pure and desireless heart, free from the expectation of personal happiness.” Prayer removes the barriers to Śrī Bhagavān’s compassion. A person whose citta (mind/heart) is pervaded by the impressions of various kinds of hopes and longings cannot by the power of his own sādhana give up the desire for personal happiness and attain pure consciousness. If Śrī Hari’s compassion falls upon a devotee as a result of prayer, he is able to easily get the blessing of continuously hearing with a pure heart discussions about the love of his cherished deity. This should be the understanding in this context.

     Then he says, nāma mantre kariyā abheda. In becoming mantras, the names of Śrī Bhagavān, such as Kṛṣṇa, Govinda and so on, have been given dative case endings and combined with words such as namaḥ and svāhā by the sages, and are comprised of six parts including ṛṣi. Therefore, in reality there is no difference between mantras and Śrī Bhagavān’s names. The question may be asked that if there is no difference between mantra and nāma, and that without relying on dīkṣā-puraścaryā, nāma impartially gives prema to one who performs kīrtana, then what is the need for mantra-dīkṣā? Regarding this, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda says, nanu bhagavan-nāmātmakā eva mantrāḥ. tatra viśeṣeṇa namaḥ-śabdādy-alaṅkṛtāḥ śrī-bhagavatā śrīmad-ṛṣibhiś cāhita-śakti-viśeṣāḥ śrī-bhagavatā-samamātma-sambandha-viśeṣa-pratipādakāś ca, tatra kevalāni bhagavan-nāmāny api nirapekṣāny eva parama-puruṣārtha-phala-paryanta-dāna-samarthāni; tato mantreṣu nāmato’py adhika-sāmarthye’labdhe kathaṁ dīkṣādy apekṣā? ucyate–yadyapi svarūpato nāsti, tathāpi prāyaḥ svabhāvato dehādi sambandhena kadarya-śīlānāṁ vikṣipta-cittānāṁ janānāṁ tat saṁkocīkaraṇāya śrīmad-ṛṣi-prabhṛtibhir atrārcana-mārge kvacit kācin-maryādā sthāpitāsti. tatas tad-ullaṅghane śāstraṁ prāyaścittam ubhāvayati (Krama-Sandarbhaḥ commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.18). It may be said, “Because mantras are composed of Śrī Bhagavān’s various names, each mantra is specific. According to Bhagavān’s desire, Śrī Nārada and other ṛṣis have adorned his names with namaḥ and other words and deposited a particular śakti in each mantra. Therefore, mantras establish a specific relationship between the mantra-chanter and Śrī Bhagavān. But Śrī Bhagavān’s names do not depend on anything else and can by themselves even give prema, the parama-puruṣārtha, the supreme goal of life. Therefore, we see more power in nāma than in mantra. So why does one who performs nāma-kīrtana need mantra-dīkṣā?” In reply to this question, he says, “In principle, it may not be necessary to accept dīkṣā due to the power or influence of Śrī Harināma, as in the case of Śrī Ajāmila. Still, to curtail the engagement of scatterbrained humans in frequently abominable actions related to the body, which is naturally devoted to enjoyment, Śrī Nārada and other ṛṣis have established some guidelines in various places on the arcana-mārga. For those who do not comply with those guidelines, śāstra has prescribed various kinds of penance. Therefore, the need for mantra-dīkṣā must certainly be recognized.” Specifically, when a person accepts mantra-dīkṣā from a sad-guru who has the characteristics mentioned in śāstra, the gloom is driven out from his māyā-darkened mind by Śrī Guru’s mercy. After his mind becomes steady, no longer distracted by sense-objects, he can engage in bhajana. Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Nandanandana has in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga accepted mantra-dīkṣā from Śrīpāda Īśvara Purī. At the beginning of his instructions to Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī regarding the sixty-four components of bhajana, he says, śrī-guru-pādāśraya, dīkṣā, gurura sebana; sad-dharma-śikṣā-pṛcchā, sādhu-mārgānugamana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.115). “Shelter at the feet of Śrī Guru, initiation, service to Śrī Guru; receiving instructions in transcendental dharma and asking questions; following the path of the holy ones.” By these words he has pointed out the instruction or guideline that mantra-dīkṣā comes from a guru who has received it through a true paramparā. This is also seen to be the practice of the great souls.

     Or, nāma mantre kariyā abheda means there is no difference between nāma and mantra, in the sense that nāma has also been called a mantra. For example, the thirty-two-syllable hare-kṛṣṇa-nāma has been called a mahāmantra. Regarding this, we see the following in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.19, in the description of the glories of the Holy Name:

yathāgadaṁ vīryatamam 

upayuktaṁ yadṛcchayā |

ajānato’py ātma-guṇaṁ 

kuryān mantro’py udāhṛtaḥ ||

     In the narration of the deliverance of Ajāmila, the viṣṇudūtas said to the yamadūtas, “Just as a powerful medicine destroys the disease of someone who ingests it, though the person may not understand how it works, in the same way, if one even ignorantly chants a mantra consisting of Bhagavān’s names, the fruit of nāma is spontaneously obtained. The power of a thing is never dependent on intellect or knowledge.” In his Krama-Sandarbha commentary on this verse, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, mantra-śabdenātra nāmoktiḥ–mantrasya tathā prabhāve śraddhādy-apekṣatvād asya tu tad-anapekṣatvād atraiva mantra-śabdasya mukhyā-vṛttir ity abhiprāyeṇa jñeyā. “Here, the word mantra is understood to mean nāma. Though by nature, nāma and mantra are one, still, mantras rely on faith and so on. Because in nāma there is no such reliance, it is to be understood that nāma bears primary significance among the words of a mantra.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, naiṣṭhika kariyā mana, bhaja rāṅgā śri-caraṇa, pāpa-granthi habe pariccheda. “O mind! If you worship the crimson feet of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava with firm faith, the knot of sin or ignorance will be completely severed.” When niṣṭhā (firm faith) appears, bhajana-śaithilya (bhajana-fatigue) completely disappears; even during incessant bhajana, no weariness is felt. These five kinds of anarthas are also removed: laya (drowsiness at the time of śravaṇa-kīrtana and so on), vikṣepa (distraction, concern about news of worldly matters at the time of bhajana), apratipatti (even though no drowsiness or distractions are present, one is still incapable of doing bhajana), kaṣāya (impurities, saṁskāras of anger, greed, pride and so on) and rasāsvāda (lack of mental absorption in bhajana due to thoughts of sense enjoyment). Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has referred to dhruvānusmṛti, or remembrance of Śrī Bhagavān that is continuous like a stream of oil, as naiṣṭhikī-bhakti or firm devotion: naiṣṭhikī-bhakti-dhyānākhyā dhruvānusmṛtir ity ucyate (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 198). Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.17-18 says that hearing and chanting śrī-hari-kathā is the only way to obtain naiṣṭhikī-bhakti:

śṛṇvatāṁ svakathāṁ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ |

hṛdy-antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi 

vidhunoti suhṛt-satām ||

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu 

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā |

bhagavaty uttamaśloke 

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī ||

     “Situated in the heart, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa destroys the inauspicious desires for worldly pleasure in the minds of those devout souls who listen to his stories, which bestow virtue when heard or sung. In this way, when inauspiciousness has been mostly destroyed through continuous bhāgavata-sevā (service to the bhaktas and/or study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam), firm devotion to the preeminent Śrī Kṛṣṇa appears.” The reading āstika kariyā mana is also seen. āstikyam asti vedaika-gamyaṁ vastv iti niścayaḥ. “Āstikyam (theism) is the conviction that truth can only be obtained through the Vedas.” This means one must worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with śraddhā or faith in the words of śāstra and the mahājanas. Some people have interpreted āstikyam as having established a self-concept of one’s own siddha-svarūpa and one’s own relationship with Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. In this context, this is also a good interpretation.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 74 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

কর্মী জ্ঞানী মিছাভক্ত,        না হবে তাতে অনুরক্ত,

বিশুদ্ধ ভজন কর মন ।

ব্রজজনের যেই রীত,        তাহাতে ডুবাও চিত,

এই সে পরমতত্ত্ব ধন ॥ ৭৪ ॥

karmī jñānī michā-bhakta,        nā habe tāte anurakta,

biśuddha bhajana kara mana |

braja-janera yei rīta,        tāhāte ḍubāo cita,

ei se parama-tattva dhana || 74 ||

     O mind! Do not be attached to the karmīs, jñānīs and false bhaktas. Perform pure bhajana. Immerse your thoughts in the ways of the Vraja people. This is a great treasure of the supreme reality.

A Treasure of the Highest Truth

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is again teaching the sādhakas the method of vraja-bhajana through varjanātmaka (abandoning) and grahaṇātmaka (accepting) instructions to his own mind. First, he gives a varjanātmaka instruction, saying, karmī jñānī michā-bhakta, nā habe tāte anurakta. In the previous verse, the exalted author has forbidden the association of karmīs, jñānīs and so on even in times of difficulty. Again in this verse he says to abandon any attachment for them. It seems that the statements in the previous verse refer to pure or exclusive karmīs and jñānīs, meaning those who consider karma, jñāna and so on as capable of bestowing svarga (heaven) and mokṣa (liberation) without the help of bhakti. Actually, bhakti binu kona sādhana dite nāre phala, saba phala deya bhakti svatantra prabala; ajā-gala-stana nyāya anya sādhana, ataeba hari bhaje buddhimān jana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 24.92-93). “Without bhakti, no sādhana can give any result. Bhakti is independent and powerful and brings all success. Other sādhanas are like the nipples on a goat’s neck. Therefore, intelligent people worship Śrī Hari.” Because karma, jñāna, yoga and so on are similar to sādhanas, they are referred to as such, but in fact they are not. The method by which a desired object is obtained is rightly called a sādhana, but karma, jñāna and so on cannot bestow any fruit without the help of bhakti. For this reason, independent of bhakti, all other sādhanas are like the nipples on a goat’s neck. The nipple-shaped lumps of flesh on the neck of a goat are called nipples, but they never actually produce milk. Like that, karma, jñāna and so on are never able to produce results without the help of bhakti. But because the external religious activities of those paths resemble sādhanas, they have been called sādhanas. In truth, bhakti-mukha-nirīkṣaka karma-yoga-jñāna (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.17). “Karma, yoga and jñāna gaze upon the face of bhakti.”

     For this reason, those karmīs and jñānīs who are relatively intelligent practice karma, jñāna and so on mixed with bhakti to obtain the fruits of the respective sādhanas as mentioned in the śāstras. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya had seen the bhajana of these mixed bhaktas and, in his wisdom as a pure bhakta, is cautioning the bhakta-sādhaka who is devoted to bhajana to not develop attachment for them because their association is harmful to pure bhakti. In some books, the reading karmī, jñānī, miśra-bhakta, nā habe tāya anurakta is seen. Michā-bhakta means those who are deceitful or hypocritical. A pure bhakta must not become attached to those dishonest people who externally wear the dress, tilaka and mālā of a bhakta but whose bhajana is pretense only. In fact, they are attached to women and wealth. They must be avoided because their association is dangerous. Such Vaiṣṇava behavior has been indicated in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.87: asat-saṅga tyāga ei baiṣṇaba-ācāra, strī-saṅgī eka asādhu kṛṣṇābhakta āra. “It is a Vaiṣṇava practice to abandon the association of dishonest or immoral people. One such person is attached to women and another has no faith in Kṛṣṇa.”

     Or, karmī jñānī michā-bhakta can mean that if at any time bhakti is seen among the karmīs, who engage in fruitive work, and the jñānīs, who contemplate undifferentiated brahman, they should be known as michā-bhaktas. If the mercy of some great soul falls upon them, they can become bhaktas in the future, but for now, associating with them in their current condition can hinder one’s advancement in bhakti. Therefore, the sādhaka should give up any attachment for them.

     Then, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya gives a grahaṇātmaka instruction by saying, biśuddha bhajana kara mana. After taking shelter of the path of śuddha-bhakti, one’s bhajana becomes pure and genuine. In determining the nature of śuddha-bhakti, the Śrī-Gopāla-Tāpanī-Śruti says, bhaktir asya bhajanaṁ tad ihāmutropādhi-nairāsyenāmuṣmin manaḥ kalpanam etad eva hi naiṣkarmyam. Bhakti means worship of Śrī Bhagavān that is devoid of all kinds of desires regarding this life and the next, with the mind and all the senses continuously devoted to him. This constant absorption in meditation upon him is known as naiṣkarmya.

     Here, by the correlation of bhajana and naiṣkarmya it is indicated that if a bhakta is engaged in bhajana, all of his past desires for fruitive actions as well as his present ones are destroyed, and his mind, free of any unessential relations, remains fully absorbed in the service of Śrī Bhagavān. This is called viśuddha or pure bhajana. Smṛti also says, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (Śrī-Nārada-Pañcarātra). “Śrī Kṛṣṇa is known as hṛṣīkeśa, controller of the senses. When a devotee, after abandoning all desires regarding this life and the next, serves Śrī Kṛṣṇa with his senses, intending only to please him, this is called uttamā-bhakti.”

     After deliberating upon all such statements from śruti and smṛti, Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has revealed a complete definition of viśuddha-bhakti in a single verse of his Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ. It should be known that this definition extends everywhere, whether in vaidhī-mārga, rāga-mārga, sādhana-bhakti, sādhya-bhakti, bhāva or prema. The verse is,

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam |

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā ||

     “Favorable, devoted service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa that is devoid of any other desire and is not covered by jñāna or karma is called uttamā-bhakti.” The word anuśīlanam here is, like the verb, understood immediately by the meaning of its root. Verbal roots have two kinds of meanings: pravṛtti and nivṛtti. These two kinds of actions are manifested in the form of bodily, verbal and mental endeavors. Endeavors of the body, mind and speech originating from pravṛtti (desire to act) are described as serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa with one’s body; singing his names and about his qualities, pastimes and so on with the power of one’s speech; contemplating his forms, qualities and pastimes with one’s mind and always keeping love for him in one’s heart. Endeavors of the body, mind and speech that originate in nivṛtti (renunciation) include giving up nāmāparādha (offenses to the Holy Name) and sevāparādha (offenses while performing service).

     Bhakti is also divided into sopādhika (with material qualities) and nirupādhika (without material qualities). Bhakti has two kinds of upādhis or defining qualities: one is anyābhilāṣa (other desires) and the other is anya-miśraṇa (mixing with something else). Other desires means desire for sense-enjoyment, desire for liberation and so on. Mixing with something else means being covered by karma, jñāna and so on. If service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is devoid of the desire for anything else, is free from admixture, and is practiced by absorption in pure hearing and chanting, it is called nirupādhika-bhakti. This is viśuddha-bhajana.

     The karma alluded to above means regular and occasional actions such as acts of charity and taking of vows, as mentioned in the smṛti-śāstras. Jñāna here means nirviśeṣa-brahma-jñāna, or knowledge that establishes the unity of the jīva and brahma. But in śuddha-bhakti also the acts of worship and praise are absolutely necessary, as is knowledge related to the goal and the method (siddhānta-jñāna). Without these, there is no bhajana. Such karma and jñāna is direct bhakti.

     The word ānukūlya implies a favorable inclination toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It has been used in regard to attaining the state of bhakti because even though hostile behavior can be pleasing to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there is no devotion in it. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the narration of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastime of being tied with a rope, it is described that Mother Yaśodā put him down from her lap, though he was hungry and irritable, to go stir the milk that had boiled over. Mother Yaśodā’s action was not pleasing to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but because it was done for his benefit, it has been called bhakti. On the other hand, when the asuras fight with the great hero Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they cause him to taste yuddha-rasa (the pleasure of combat). This is pleasing to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but because of the inherent hostility involved, it does not attain the nature of bhakti. Therefore, viśuddha-bhajana is the repeated practice of actions that please Śrī Kṛṣṇa, such as hearing and chanting about him, worshiping him, praising him and so on without a trace of desire for one’s own sense-pleasure.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, braja-janera yei rīta, tāhāte ḍubāo cita, ei se parama-tattva dhana. Also within viśuddha-bhajana, rāgānugā-bhajana is practiced in allegiance to Vraja’s madhura-rasa type of rāgātmikā-bhakti. The glorious gift of Śrīman Mahāprabhu in this particular kali-yuga, it is a very mystical type of bhakti-yoga also practiced and preached by his dear companions Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Sanātana and others. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, braja-janera yei rīta, tāhāte ḍubāo cita. Here, braja-jana (people of Vraja) means in a broader context that all his nitya-siddha companions in Vraja have given up thinking of him as God and just consider him to be an ordinary dear friend or relative. mora putra, mora sakhā, mora prāṇapati (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta): “My son, my friend, my lover.” They have become wholly absorbed in him, submerged in the rasa of love for him. In the same way, the sādhaka must become submerged in the sweet worship of Vraja in allegiance to them. The meaning is that in Vraja, the nitya-siddha companions in dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and madhura-bhāvas eternally perform loving service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the mood of an ordinary dear friend or relative. Devotees in the Vraja mood perform bhajana in allegiance to the nitya-siddha-pārṣadas of the respective bhāvas, in dāsya and the other rasas, according to the ruci (taste) born of their association with a great soul or from the mercy of a great soul. When they achieve success in bhajana, they will obtain the loving service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Śrī Vṛndāvana in that particular bhāva. This is the method of Vraja’s pure rāga-mārga-bhajana. In Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 9.128-131, Śrīman Mahāprabhu said the following to Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa:

braja-lokera bhābe pāi tāṅhāra caraṇa |

tāṅre ‘īśvara’ kari nāhi jāne braja-jana ||

keho tāṅre putra-jñāne udūkhale bāndhe |

keho tāṅre sakhā-jñāne jini caḍe kāndhe ||

‘brajendra-nandana’ tāṅre jāne braja-jana |

aiśvarya-jñāna nāhi–nija sambandha manana ||

braja-lokera bhābe yei karaye bhajana |

sei jana pāya braje brajendra-nandana ||

     “One can attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet through the moods of the residents of Vraja. They do not perceive him as God. Someone considers him her son and ties him to a grinding mortar; someone else considers him a friend, and after defeating him, rides on his shoulders. They know him as Vrajendra-nandana, the son of the king of Vraja. They do not consider his divinity; they only think of him in terms of their relationships with him. Whoever performs bhajana in the mood of the Vrajavāsīs gets Vrajendra-nandana in Vraja.”

     The goal of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas is to worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the mood of a mañjarī or maidservant of Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Therefore, they worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in rādhā-snehādhikā-bhāvollāsā-rati (having more affection for Śrī Rādhā than Śrī Kṛṣṇa), submerged in the stream of love flowing from Vraja’s nitya-siddhās Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, Śrī Rati Mañjarī and so on; or in other words, by dedicating their hearts and minds to following the moods of the mañjarīs. This is the highest level of rāga-mārga-bhajana. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is Campaka Mañjarī, who is most dear to Śrī Rādhārāṇī, and is an ācārya of mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā. Therefore, braja-janera yei rīta, tāhāte ḍubāo cita means to absorb the citta (mind, heart) in following the moods of the nitya-siddhā-mañjarīs of Vraja. This is the highest level the jīva-śakti can attain in the realm of bhakti. Therefore he says, ei se parama-tattva dhana. “This is a great treasure of the supreme reality.”

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 73 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

অন্যের পরশ যেন,        নহে কদাচিৎ হেন,

ইহাতে হইব সাবধান ।

রাধাকৃষ্ণ নাম গান,        এই সে পরম ধ্যান,

আর না করিহ পরমাণ ॥ ৭৩ ॥

anyera paraśa yena,        nahe kadācit hena,

ihāte haiba sābadhāna |

rādhā-kṛṣṇa nāma gāna,        ei se parama dhyāna,

āra nā kariha paramāṇa || 73 || 

     I shall be careful to avoid contact with other types of sādhakas. Singing the names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is the highest meditation. There is nothing you must prove.

     टीका–अन्येर–योगिन्यासिकर्मिज्ञानिप्रभृतीनाम् । कदाचित्–आपद्यपि यथा स्पर्शनं न भवेत् तथा सावधानो भवामि ॥

The Highest Meditation

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, the high-souled author instructed his own mind to become submerged in the prema-bhakti ocean of nectar. Now he is teaching the method for attaining that prema-bhakti. His instructions are of two kinds: (1) varjanātmaka–of the nature of abandoning, and (2) grahaṇātmaka–of the nature of accepting. First, he gives a varjanātmaka instruction by saying, anyera paraśa yena, nahe kadācit hena, ihāte haiba sābadhāna. Here, the word anyera (of others) means that the bhakta-sādhaka must avoid the association of sādhakas from other paths, such as karma, jñāna, yoga and so on, meaning the yogīs, sannyāsīs, karmīs and jñānīs. The reason is that as the result of contact with them, by seeing, touching and so on, there remains a strong possibility that one may develop a fondness for their goals and practices while losing interest in one’s own pure bhakti. In the first chapter of the second section of Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda’s Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam, we see that a certain simple-hearted brāhmaṇa named Janaśarmā, who lived in Kāmarūpadeśa, received the ten-syllable mantra of Śrīman Madana-Gopāladeva, along with the method to worship him, from Kāmākhyā Devī in a dream. Still, as a result of the association of karmīs and jñānīs in Gaṅgāsāgara and Kāśī, he became attracted to their customs and practices and desired to adopt their path. Only by the power of mantra-japa and the divine command of Devī and Śrīman Mahādeva was he able to resist joining them. Therefore, the bhakta-sādhaka should avoid the association of such people, who are always reproached by the śuddha-bhaktas. The bhakta-sādhaka must thus be careful to avoid their association even in times of need. To censure the karmīs, jñānīs and others who were averse to Śrī Gaura’s lotus feet, Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda said the following:

dhig astu brahmāhaṁ-vadana-pariphullān jaḍa-matīn

kriyāsaktān dhig dhig vikaṭa-tapaso dhik ca yaminaḥ |

kim etān śocāmo viṣaya-rasa-mattān nara-paśūn

na keṣāṁcil leśo’py ahaha milito gaura-madhunaḥ || 

     “Shame on the karmīs, the frowning ascetics and the aṣṭāṅga-yogīs. Shame on all those dull-minded jñānavādīs who horripilate in joy by merely saying ‘I am brahma.’ Alas! Why grieve for man-animals who are intoxicated by sense-enjoyment? None has even tasted a drop of the nectar of Śrī Gaura’s lotus feet.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Candrāmṛtam 8) The bhaktas must surely avoid contact with the recipients of such a reproach from the high-minded ones.

     Then, to impart a grahaṇātmaka teaching, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nāma gāna, ei se parama dhyāna, āra nā kariha paramāṇa. In this half-verse, he instructs his mind to engage in rāgānugā-bhajana. For sādhakas on the path of rāga, the two principal limbs of bhajana are kīrtana of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s names and meditation on their forms, pastimes and so on. In Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.5.218, Śrī Nārada taught Gopakumāra about vraja-bhajana:

tad dhi tat-tad-vraja-krīḍā-dhyāna-gāna-pradhānayā |

bhaktyā sampadyate preṣṭha-nāma-saṅkīrtanojjvalam ||

     ṭīkā–adhunā sādhanam āha–tad dhīti. tāsāṁ tāsāṁ vraja-krīḍānāṁ bhagavad-gokula-līlānāṁ dhyānaṁ cintanaṁ gānaṁ saṅkīrtanaṁ te pradhāne mukhye yasyās tayā bhaktyā nava-prakārayā prema sampadyate susiddhati. tatraiva viśeṣam ekam āha–preṣṭhasya nijeṣṭatama-devasya, preṣṭhānāṁ nija-priyatamānāṁ bhagavan-nāmnāṁ saṅkīrtanena ujjvalaṁ prakāśamānaṁ śuddhaṁ vā. gānety uktvā nāma-saṅkīrtane prāpte’pi nija-priyatama-nāma-saṅkīrtanasya premāntaraṅga-tara-sādhanatvena punar viśeṣeṇa nirdeśaḥ.

     “Vraja-prema is attained by performing the nine kinds of bhakti, principally by remembering and singing about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vraja. Moreover, there is a remarkable statement here saying that bhakti is made radiant by the singing of one’s favorite names of Śrī Bhagavān. Although the word gāna (singing) is understood to refer to nāma-saṅkīrtana, still, it is mentioned here separately because singing one’s own favorite names of Bhagavān is a very personal way to attain prema.” Therefore, under the pretext of instructing his own mind, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is advising sādhakas who are devoted to yugala-bhajana to sing the names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa that are most dear to them. Śrīmat Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has written the following in his Abhīṣṭa-Sūcana-Stava:

rādheti nāma nava-sundara-sīdhu-mugdhaṁ

kṛṣṇeti nāma madhurādbhuta-gāḍha-dugdham |

sarva-kṣaṇaṁ surabhi-rāga-himena ramyaṁ

kṛtvā tad eva piba me rasane kṣudhārte ||

     “The name Rādhā is delicious like fresh, sweet nectar. The name Kṛṣṇa is delightful like amazing condensed milk. O my hungry tongue! Always drink these two substances chilled with fragrant ice made of love.” Great souls who are devoted to serving the Divine Couple contemplate and sing the thirty-two-syllable ‘hare kṛṣṇa’ mahāmantra composed of eight pairs of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s names. The word hare is the vocative of the word harā (a thief). She who steals Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s heart and mind with her beauty, sweetness and love is called Harā or Śrī Rādhā. Moreover, the word rāma here does not refer to Dāśarathi Rāma. The word rāma is derived from the verbal root ram (to make happy). Thus, rāma refers to Śrī Rādhā-Ramaṇa, the lover of Harā Śrī Rādhā. Therefore, this mahāmantra consists of sixteen names of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the vocative case.

     Or, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nāma gāna, ei se parama dhyāna: singing the names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is prema itself, the most desirable of all things, which is to be contemplated always and exclusively by the sādhaka. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has written the following in Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.3.164-166:

nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ proktaṁ

kṛṣṇasya prema-sampadi |

baliṣṭhaṁ sādhanaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ

paramākarṣa-mantravat ||

tad eva manyate bhakteḥ

phalaṁ tad rasikair janaiḥ |

bhagavat-prema-sampattau

sadaivāvyabhicārataḥ ||

sal-lakṣaṇaṁ prema-bharasya kṛṣṇe

kaiścid rasa-jñair uta kathyate tat |

premṇo bhareṇaiva nijeṣṭa-nāma-

saṅkīrtanaṁ hi sphurati sphuṭārtyā ||

     “Śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana is an intimate and extremely powerful sādhana for attaining the treasure of śrī-kṛṣṇa-prema. It is like a mantra with intense magnetism. The bhakti-rasikas also consider śrī-nāma-saṅkīrtana as the fruit of bhakti because it is always very effective in producing the inexhaustible treasure of bhagavat-prema. Some knowers of rasa regard nāma-saṅkīrtana as the svarūpa (natural state or form) of prema. If one wholeheartedly sings the names of his own beloved deity, by the influence of prema he will have a personal vision of that deity.” Therefore, the state of being both cause and effect is seen in saṅkīrtana and prema, and because of the non-difference between cause and effect, the non-difference of saṅkīrtana and prema is realized.

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, āra nā kariha paramāṇa, meaning that other than singing the names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, there is nothing you must prove, no other goal or means you must ascertain, and no other practices based on scriptural authority or instructions you must accept. If one sings the names of one’s cherished deity with love, that śrī-nāma causes the other limbs of bhakti to appear and very quickly blesses the sādhaka with the gift of prema. Śrīman Mahāprabhu has said,

saṅkīrtana haite pāpa-saṁsāra-nāśana |

citta-śuddhi, sarba-bhakti-sādhana-udgama ||

kṛṣṇa-premodgama, premāmṛta-āsvādana |

kṛṣṇa-prāpti, sebāmṛta-samudre majjana ||

     “From saṅkīrtana the world of sin is destroyed, the mind and heart are cleansed and the nine kinds of bhakti-sādhana arise. Love for Kṛṣṇa appears and the bhakta tastes the nectar of prema. Then Kṛṣṇa is attained and the bhakta is immersed in the ambrosial ocean of sevā.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 20.13-14)

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 72 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

প্রেমভক্তি সুধানিধি,        তাহে ডুব নিরবধি,

আর যত ক্ষারনিধি প্রায় ।

নিরন্তর সুখ পাবে,        সকল সন্তাপ যাবে,

পরতত্ত্ব কহিনু উপায় ॥ ৭২ ॥

prema-bhakti sudhā-nidhi,        tāhe ḍuba nirabadhi,

āra yata kṣāra-nidhi prāya |

nirantara sukha pābe,        sakala santāpa yābe,

para-tattva kahinu upāya || 72 ||

     Prema-bhakti is like an ocean of nectar; submerge yourself in it continuously. Everything else is like an ocean of salt. You will get endless happiness and all your afflictions will go away. I shall explain the method for attaining the supreme truth.

The Prema-Bhakti Ocean of Nectar

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya rejected everything that covers or opposes bhakti, such as puṇya and mukti. In this verse he urges his mind to taste the blessed sweetness of prema-bhakti-rasa. prema-bhakti sudhā-nidhi, tāhe ḍuba nirabadhi, āra yata kṣāra-nidhi prāya. Prema-bhakti is like an ocean of nectar. Bhakti is a special faculty of the hlādinī-śakti, the essence of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s svarūpa-śakti, and is therefore naturally most enjoyable. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written the following in his Śrī-Paramātma-Sandarbhaḥ: kiṁca parama-sāra-bhūtāyā api svarūpa-śakteḥ sāra-bhūtā hlādinī nāma yā vṛttis tasyā eva sāra-bhūto vṛtti-viśeṣo bhaktiḥ. “The principal faculty of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti is called hlādinī. The principal faculty of the hlādinī-śakti is called bhakti.”

     Echoing this conclusion, Śrīpāda Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa has written the following in his book Siddhānta-Ratna: bhagavad-vaśīkāra-hetu bhaktiḥ kiṁ svarūpeti; kiṁ prākṛta-sattva-maya-jñānānanda-rūpā kiṁvā bhagavad-jñānānanda-rūpā athavā jaiva-jñānānanda-rūpā uta hlādinī-sāra-samaveta saṁvit-sāra-rūpeti? nādyaḥ bhagavato māyā-vaśyatvāśravaṇāt, svataḥ pūrṇatvāc ca, na dvitīya atiśayāsiddheḥ nāpi tṛtīya jaivayos tayoḥ kṣodiṣṭatvāt. kintu caturtha evāsau bhaved iti. “What is the nature of bhakti, which is the only cause of Śrī Bhagavān’s subjugation? Is bhakti the prākṛta-sattva-jñānānanda-rūpā, or the bhagavat-jñānānanda-rūpā, or the jaiva-jñānānanda-rūpā or the hlādinī-sāra-samaveta-saṁvit-sāra-rūpā? Meaning, is bhakti the dharma of the heart and mind, or the dharma born of the nature of Paramātmā, or the natural dharma of the jīvātmā, or is it another state wherein the essence of the hlādinī-śakti born of Śrī Bhagavān’s nature is combined with the essence of his saṁvit-śakti? These are four questions produced by doubt regarding bhakti. The cause of the doubt is that while there is joy and realization in bhakti, there is also joy and realization in ordinary sattva-guṇa. Because of this similarity, the question arises as to whether bhakti is the form of happiness coming from awareness of ordinary sattva-guṇa. Or, there is knowledge and joy in Śrī Bhagavān’s form, which is composed of sac-cid-ānanda. When that knowledge and joy are reflected in the heart of the jīva, is it called bhakti? Or is bhakti the happiness of the jīva, whose form is atomic consciousness? Or is bhakti the result of the combined essences of the hlādinī-śakti and the saṁvit-śakti, which are faculties of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti?

     If we say that bhakti is the dharma of the heart and mind, which are faculties of sattva-guṇa, one may conclude that Śrī Bhagavān suffers the defect of being enchanted by māyā. In all śāstras it is seen that Bhagavān is submissive to bhakti, but nowhere is it seen or heard that he is controlled by the illusory sattva-guṇa. Therefore, after rejecting the first thesis, he mentions the second. The second thesis is that bhakti is the knowledge and joy born of Śrī Bhagavān’s nature; but how is that possible? In this, the fault of too little proof occurs because there is more ānanda or joy in bhakti than even Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpānanda (natural joy). Abandoning his svarūpānanda, he longs to experience the joy of bhakti. The third thesis is also not reasonable because the knowledge and happiness of the jīva is by nature atomic and therefore insignificant. It is never possible to attract the powerful, sac-cid-ānanda-maya Śrī Bhagavān with such insignificant knowledge and happiness. Thus, after one sees the inconsistencies or improbabilities in these three propositions, he must accept the fourth, based on the evidence. Bhakti is the state wherein the essences of the hlādinī and saṁvit-śaktis, which are born of the essence of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti, have been combined.

     eṣā tu bhaktis tan-nitya-parikara-gaṇād-ārabhyedānīṁ taneṣv api tad-bhakteṣu mandākinīva pracarati. atas tad-bhakta-kṛpayaiva labhyeti bhāgavatādi saṁvādaḥ. sā tathābhūtā nitya-dhāmni nitya-pārṣadeṣu nityaṁ cakāsti sura-sarid iva tad-bhakta-praṇālyā prapañce’vatarati (Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa). Prema-bhakti exists within Śrī Bhagavān’s eternal companions. If a sādhaka’s heart is cleansed by hearing, chanting and so on, prema-bhakti descends like the current of the Mandākinī River through the channel of bhaktas (śrī-guru-praṇālī) into the material world. When that eternally perfect kṛṣṇa-prema appears in the sādhaka’s heart and mind, it blesses him with boundless transcendental joy.

     There is no comparison anywhere to the taste of prema-bhakti. Still, to give the worldly people a little idea of that spiritual joy, it has been compared to the taste of nectar, which is the most enjoyable thing in this world. But he does not just say sudhā, or nectar; he says, prema-bhakti sudhā-nidhi: the enjoyment of prema-bhakti-rasa is like an ocean of nectar. The taste of one drop makes all other happiness insignificant. Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has written the following in the auspicious invocation of his Dig-Darśinī commentary on Śrī-Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam:

bhaktir yā nikhilārtha-varga-jananī yā brahma-sākṣāt-kṛter

ānandātiśaya-pradā viṣaya-jāt saukhyād vimuktir yayā |

śrī-rādhā-ramaṇaṁ padāmbuja-yugaṁ yasyā mahānāśrayo

yā kāryā vrajalokavad-gurutara-premṇaiva tasyai namaḥ ||

     “I bow to Śrī Bhakti Devī, the goddess of devotion, who is the mother of virtue, wealth, enjoyment and liberation; who gives joy beyond that of brahman; who makes all sense-enjoyments insignificant; whose great shelter is the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Ramaṇa; whose every action is heavy with love like that of the residents of Vraja.” In this verse, the enjoyment of sādhana-bhakti has been discussed. There is no lack of enjoyment even in sādhana-bhakti because of its homogeneity with prema-bhakti. Sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the primary, comparative and superlative states of the same condition. The difference is that the enjoyment of sādhana-bhakti is watery whereas the enjoyment of prema-bhakti is very thick. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has instructed his mind to submerge itself in the ocean of the nectar of prema-bhakti. tāhe ḍuba nirabadhi. There is no need for an entire ocean of prema-bhakti in order for one to always be submerged in it; one drop of prema-bhakti can drown the whole world. In Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.49, Śrīman Mahāprabhu says, śuddha-prema-sukha-sindhu, pāi tāra eka-bindu, sei bindu jagat ḍubāya. The meaning is that in śuddha-prema (pure love), there is immeasurable rasa or enjoyment. By tasting only one drop of it, one realizes that the happiness derived from worldly sense-pleasures, wealth, accomplishments and so on, as well as the bliss of liberation, are both insignificant. They are not only insignificant; they are considered contemptible and extremely harsh. For this reason, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has said, āra yata kṣāra-nidhi prāya. “Everything else is like an ocean of salt.”

     After that, he said, nirantara sukha pābe, sakala santāpa yābe, para-tattva kahinu upāya. The enjoyment of prema-bhakti is everlasting; prema-bhakti keeps the loving devotee submerged in an ocean of unabated delight. Concomitantly, it destroys all kinds of afflictions. This is the only way to thoroughly experience Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, the supreme reality (para-tattva-vastu).

pañcama-puruṣārtha sei prema-mahādhana |

kṛṣṇera mādhurya-rasa karāya āsvādana ||

premā haite kṛṣṇa haya nija-bhakta-baśa |

premā haite pāya kṛṣṇa-sebā-sukha-rasa ||

     “The fifth goal of life is the great treasure of prema, which causes one to taste Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya-rasa. Because of prema, Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes under the control of his devotees. Because of prema, the devotees experience the nectarous joy of serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 7.144-145)

     Or, para-tattva means the specific svarūpa-śakti called parā which is to be ascertained by the self-evident, unparalleled śruti and smṛti. When the para-tattva is manifested in its preeminent state, it acquires the name puruṣottama or supreme person. When the śakti called parā is manifested in its preeminent state, it bears names like dharma and so on. For example, the parā-śakti is personally revealed in the form of dharma, expressed as knowledge, happiness, compassion and sweetness. If expressed as sound, it is Śrī Bhagavān’s names and statements; if as the earth, it is the dhāma; if as the ideal woman composed of the essence of hlādinī (joy) combined with saṁvit (consciousness), it is Śrī Rādhā and others.* By saying ‘the means of attaining the supreme truth,’ it has also been implied that one who is submerged in prema-bhakti spontaneously enjoys the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s forms, names and qualities; the sweetness of the dhāma; the sweetness of compassion and so on.

*The conclusion of Govinda-Bhāṣya on sūtra 3.3.42 of Vedānta-Darśana

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 71 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

পাপ না করিহ মন,       অধম সে পাপী-জন,

তারে মুই দূরে পরিহরি ।

পুণ্য যে সুখের ধাম,        তার না লইহ নাম,

পুণ্য মুক্তি দুই ত্যাগ করি ॥ ৭১ ॥

pāpa nā kariha mana,       adhama se pāpī-jana,

tāre mui dūre parihari |

puṇya ye sukhera dhāma,        tāra nā laiha nāma,

puṇya mukti dui tyāga kari || 71 ||

     O mind, do not sin! Sinful people are most wicked; I stay away from them. Do not speak of puṇya, which is the abode of happiness. I give up both virtue and liberation.

Giving up Sin, Virtue and Liberation

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya instructs his mind to give up sin, virtue and even the desire for liberation, all of which are impediments to bhakti. First, he says, pāpa nā kariha mana, adhama se pāpī-jana, tāre mui dūre parihari. If one remains engaged in sinful actions, his heart and mind become contaminated. Śrī Bhagavān’s name, qualities and pastimes never appear in such an impure citta. The desire to sin can never awaken in the mind of a faithful bhakta. Though the longing to enjoy may remain in his heart, it never produces sin. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.20.28 states, juṣamāṇaś ca tān kāmān duḥkhodarkāṁś ca garhayan, meaning, if a faithful bhakta is unable to give up sensual pleasures, he should continue to enjoy them while condemning them as sources of pain. In his commentary on this verse, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written the following: sahasā tyaktum asamarthatvāt kāmān juṣamāṇaś ca garhayaṁś ca. garhaṇe hetuḥ duḥkhodarkāṁ śokādi-kṛd uttara-phalān iti. atra kāmā apāpa-karā eva jñeyāḥ. śāstre kathaṁcid api anyānuvidhānāyogāt. pratyuta–‘parapatnī-paradravya-parahiṁsāsu yo matim. na karoti pumān bhūpa toṣyate tena keśavaḥ.’ iti viṣṇu-purāṇa-vākyādau karmārpaṇāt pūrvam eva tan niṣedhāt. ‘vikarma yac cotpatitaṁ kathaṁcid dhunoti sarvaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ’ (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.42) ity atrāpi kathaṁcit-śabda-prayogeṇa labdha-bhaktīnāṁ ca svatas tat pravṛtty-ayogāt. ‘nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir na vidyate tasya yamair iha śuddhiḥ’ iti pādma-padye nāmāparādha-bhañjana-stotrādau hari-bhakti-balenāpi tat-pravṛttāv aparādhāpātāc ca. ‘api cet sudurācāraḥ’ (Gītā 9.30) iti tu tad-anādara-doṣa-para eva, na tu durācāratā-vidhāna-paraḥ, ‘kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā (Gītā 9.31) ity anantara-vākye durācāratāpagamasya śreyastva-nirdeśād iti (Bhakti-Sandarbhaḥ 172). “‘If a faithful person is unexpectedly unable to give up sensual desires, he should engage in enjoyment while condemning it as ultimately being a source of misery or grief.’ Here, the word ‘desire’ should be understood to mean that it does not produce sin, because no recommendations for actions that produce sins have been given anywhere in śāstra. Rather, śāstra says, ‘O King, Śrī Hari is pleased with one who has no desire for another’s wife or possessions or to cause harm to him.’ That has been forbidden in this instruction, which is found in Viṣṇu-Purāṇa prior to the section on assignment of duties. ‘Even though sinful actions may somehow be performed by a bhakta who is devoted to worshiping the Lord’s lotus feet, those actions are destroyed by Śrī Hari situated within his heart.’ The word kathaṁcit (somehow) has been used in this statement from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to indicate the bhaktas’ lack of voluntary engagement in sinful activities. ‘One who engages in sinful behavior by the power of the Holy Name cannot be purified even by the rules of self-restraint.’ Statements such as this in the Nāmāparādha-Bhañjana-Stotra of Padma-Purāṇa proclaim that engagement in sinful acts on the strength of bhakti is an aparādha or offense. In Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā, Śrī Bhagavān has said in the api cet sudurācāraḥ verse that he considers a person who practices bhajana to be a sādhu, though he may indulge in unsavory practices. He is not giving a prescription to behave badly, as he has criticized wicked behavior as inauspicious. The reason is that in the next verse the Lord says that such a person quickly becomes righteous. By this statement he clearly indicates the absence of bad behavior.” Therefore, after humbly thinking of himself as sinful and suffering, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said to his own mind, “Do not sin.”

     Not to speak of sinful behavior itself, the bhakta-sādhaka must also keep his distance from sinful people. adhama se pāpī-jana, tāre mui dūre parihari. Sinful people are adhama, meaning lowest or most wicked. Just as a sādhaka undoubtedly attains the supreme good fortune through the power of good association (sat-saṅga), in the same way, extreme degradation is seen to occur as a result of bad association (asat-saṅga). The bodies and minds of the powerful, highly-qualified sādhu-mahātmās are so pure that their great qualities can sanctify the cittas of people nearby. In the same way, the cittas of corrupt and sinful people are so defiled by their evil mentalities that through their association the cittas of people around them are also defiled. A sick person who wants to get well understands that he must completely abandon harmful diets and so forth that cause the growth of disease and ultimately destroy the body. In the same way, sādhakas who have entered the path of bhakti and desire to practice bhajana must keep their distance from people who are sinful and suffering from it. For this reason, the abandonment of evil company has been included among the virtuous behaviors of a Vaiṣṇava. asat-saṅga tyāga ei baiṣṇaba-ācāra (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.87). Therefore, though one may be a sādhu, he should always remain cautious regarding such asat-saṅga.

     One may ask what the fate is of those who are sinful, suffering and distressed if the great sādhus remain at a distance, not giving them the holy association that would stop their sins and suffering and engage them in bhajana. Truly, the sādhu must through his association introduce them to the path of bhakti and turn them into virtuous people. But that requires that one have sufficient power. It is unwise to associate with a cobra while relying on medicine meant for a scorpion’s sting. Nothing beneficial can come from this. One should leave a place where he is not happy or where there is the likelihood of personal harm. To teach this to the society of sādhakas, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, the embodiment of prema, has requested that we avoid the company of sinful people.

     Then he said, puṇya ye sukhera dhāma, tāra nā laiha nāma, puṇya mukti dui tyāga kari. Here, the word puṇya means performing activities such as worship, sacrifice, charity, generosity and so on to attain mundane happiness in this life and heavenly happiness in the next. This puṇya is the abode of worldly happiness or the producer of material sense-enjoyment. It is possible that after experiencing misery for some time as the result of sinful actions and reactions, a jīva may become disinterested in worldly affairs and eager for the path of bhakti and the association of devotees. But as a result of puṇya, the jīva becomes intoxicated by sense-enjoyment and cannot give up his interest in the world. Absorption in Bhagavān is hardly possible for a citta absorbed in sense objects. From Śrī-Viṣṇu-Purāṇa: viṣayāviṣṭa-cittānāṁ viṣṇv-āveśaḥ sudūrataḥ, vāruṇī dig-gataṁ vastu vrajan naindrīṁ kim āpnuyāt. “It is very difficult for people whose minds are absorbed in sense-objects to direct them toward Bhagavān Śrī Viṣṇu. How can a person traveling toward the east obtain an object located in the west?” By these words we understand that absorption in Bhagavān is the complete opposite of absorption in sense-enjoyment. Moreover, for a person submerged in sense-enjoyment and blinded by the pride of wealth, the primary causes of bhakti, namely mahat-saṅga (the association of great souls) and mahat-kṛpā (the mercy of great souls), are difficult to attain. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.10.18 says, sādhūnāṁ sama-cittānāṁ mukunda-caraṇaiṣiṇām, upekṣyaiḥ kiṁ dhana-stambhair asadbhir asad-āśrayaiḥ. “Why should even-minded sādhus who long only to serve Śrī Mukunda’s lotus feet associate with wealthy people who are proud of their riches, attached to bad company, contemptible and dishonest?” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya therefore says to his own mind, puṇya ye sukhera dhāma, tāra nā laiha nāma. For the faithful bhakta, it is inappropriate to even speak of puṇya, which is the cause of sense-enjoyment. The rāgānugīya-sādhakas must give up all connection with sin and virtue brought about by dharma and adharma and perform abundant sevā to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Vrajadhāma. na dharmaṁ nādharmaṁ śruti-gaṇa-niruktaṁ kila kuru vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pracura-paricaryām iha tanu (from Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda’s Manaḥ-Śikṣā). “O mind! Give up completely the dharma and adharma of the Vedas and offer profuse service to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Vraja.”

     Those bhaktas who seek the highest benefit must abandon like seashells the desires for both bhukti (enjoyment) and mukti (liberation): puṇya mukti dui tyāga kari. Not to speak of the desire for enjoyment, even the desire for liberation, which brings an end to birth, death and other worldly miseries, is a hindrance to the desire for bhakti. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has written the following: bhukti-mukti-spṛhā yāvat piśācī hṛdi vartate, tāvad bhakti-sukhasyātra katham abhyudayo bhavet? (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.22). “As long as the demoness of longing for enjoyment or liberation remains in one’s heart, the joy of devotion cannot arise there.” Those who are free from the desire for mukti are especially blessed with the mercy of bhakti-devī: tatrāpi ca viśeṣeṇa gatim aṇvīm anicchataḥ, bhaktir hṛta-manaḥ-prāṇān premṇā tān kurute janān (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.2.23). “Bhakti Devī particularly steals with love the hearts, souls and senses of people who are devoid of the desire for liberation.” Therefore he said, puṇya mukti dui tyāga kari.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 70 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

রাজার যে রাজ্য-পাট,        যেন নাটুয়ার নাট,

দেখিতে দেখিতে কিছু নয় ।

হেন মায়া করে যেই,        পরম ঈশ্বর সেই,

তারে মন সদা কর ভয় ॥ ৭০ ॥

rājāra ye rājya-pāṭa,        yena nāṭuyāra nāṭa,

dekhite dekhite kichu naya |

hena māyā kare yei,        parama īśvara sei,

tāre mana sadā kara bhaya || 70 ||

     The royal activities of a king are like the dramatic performance of an actor, but the king is unaware. O mind! You must at all times fear Parameśvara, the lord of māyā.

The Performance of an Actor

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya described the impermanence of the body and related things as well as the unbearable miseries of the various hells after death. Then, under the pretext of instructing his own mind, he gave directions to help the worldly people refrain from misdeeds. In this verse, he states that a king’s attachment for his kingdom and wealth, not to mention that of ordinary people, is like the dramatic performance of an actor and nothing more. Then, under the guise of giving instructions to his own mind, he teaches the misbehaving people to refrain from sinful actions by maintaining fear of Śrī Hari, the lord of māyā. rājāra ye rājya-pāṭa, yena nāṭuyāra nāṭa, dekhite dekhite kichu naya. When an actor plays the part of a king on stage, he wears garments and jewelry like a king, makes statements about the administration of the kingdom or about his wealth and property, and displays the pride and arrogance of a king. He converses with his ministers, gives orders to his generals and so on, but none of it is real. The actors know it and the audience knows it. During the performance, he doesn’t acquire anything like a kingdom or wealth, and at the end, he takes off the garments and leaves them. Then only ordinary people like Rāma, Śyāma and Yadu remain; no one is a king or minister. In the same way, a king, his kingdom and his wealth are all like components of a dramatic performance and nothing more. The only difference is that the performance of an actor lasts for a few hours or one night and the performance of a king lasts for several years. When the play of his life comes to an end and his bodily covering detaches and falls away, all connections with his kingdom and wealth disappear. Taking on his head the burden of the results of his karma, he wanders on a journey through endless wombs and miserable worldly deserts and forests. Everyone can understand that an actor is not a real king, and that his royal activities are merely a dramatic performance. But in the play of māyā, her bewildering power is such that she gives the playactor king or other bewildered jīvas no understanding at all. Perhaps if this knowledge is given, the drama will not unfold in a proper way.

     Alternatively, nāṭuyāra nāṭa can mean ‘only the conjuring of a magician.’ The kingdom and wealth of a monarch are like the conjuring of a magician: momentary and illusory only. The great magician Śrī Bhagavān has cast a splendid spell over the world through his māyā-śakti composed of the three guṇas. The karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs and bhogīs have no means of escape from the bewildering power of the great enchanter’s magic. A magician’s acts of conjuring cannot perplex his close friends, relatives or sheltered servants. In the same way, bhaktas sheltered at Śrī Bhagavān’s feet do not feel the influence of the actions of māyā. In Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 7.14, Śrī Bhagavān says, 

daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā |

mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te ||

     “Composed of the three guṇas, this external energy of mine bewilders the jīvas and is very difficult to overcome. Only those who take shelter of me can cross over this ocean of illusion.” The person who renounces everything and takes shelter at Śrī Hari’s lotus feet obtains the treasure of śrī-bhagavad-bhajana and is forever blessed. Therefore, Śrī Bhagavān has taught us in Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 18.66 to give up our attachment to all illusory things and take shelter at his lotus feet:

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja |

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ ||

     “O Arjuna, abandon all dharmas, including varṇāśrama, and take refuge in me. I will free you from all sin; do not lament.” Here, the kingdom and wealth of a monarch have been called ‘a dramatic play’ or ‘the conjuring of a magician.’ No one should think that this universe created by māyā is an illusion like magic. This is the conclusion of the māyāvādīs. The universe is the illusory energy of Śrī Bhagavān. Therefore, though being transitory, it is not false. Actually, it is the mentality of ‘I and mine’ regarding the body and related things that is illusory like magic or simply delusion.

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, hena māyā kare yei, parama īśvara sei, tāre mana sadā kara bhaya. Though Śrī Bhagavān is the lord of māyā, or beyond māyā, and is reality composed of existence, consciousness and joy, under his shelter māyā is able to display her power to the jīvas who have turned away from his lotus feet. With the authority gained by taking shelter of Śrī Bhagavān and remaining dependent upon him, māyā performs the work of bewildering the jīvas who are disinterested in Bhagavān. Because of that, he says, hena māyā kare yei, parama īśvara sei. In the discussion of the characteristics of māyā in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.33, Śrī Bhagavān personally said,

ṛte’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta na pratīyeta cātmani |

tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ ||

     Śrī Bhagavān said to Brahmā, “O Brahmā, I am the embodiment of the highest truth. The belief that something is outside of me or independent of me is known as my māyā. It is like a reflection, or darkness.” When something is believed to be outside of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa-tattva, and at the same time cannot be perceived without svarūpa-tattva, that is māyā. This māyā is understood to be of two kinds: jīva-māyā and guṇa-māyā. By using the two examples of ābhāsa and tamas, Śrī Bhagavān has indicated the actions of jīva-māyā and guṇa-māyā. Jīva-māyā is like an ābhāsa. The radiant reflected image of a luminous object far away is called an ābhāsa. For example, if the sun’s reflection appears in a mirror, that reflection is called an ābhāsa. That reflection or ābhāsa manifests at a great distance from the sun, but if the sun did not exist, it would be impossible for the reflection to exist. In the same way, jīva-māyā is also situated outside of Śrī Bhagavān’s svarūpa. It has authority over the jīvas who have turned away from Śrī Bhagavān, but not over his svarūpa. Still, if Śrī Bhagavān did not exist, neither would māyā.

     If a person happens to see the lustrous mass of splendor of the reflected sun in the mirror, his power of sight is covered, his vision goes black and he sees colors like blue, yellow and so on before him. Moreover, these colors are sometimes seen to appear in various specific shapes. In the same way, jīva-māyā covers the knowledge of the jīva and causes guṇa-māyā, composed of sattva, rajas and tamas, to appear before him. After depositing the ignorance of these three guṇas over the jīva’s intelligence, it creates the vast universe. Although the original light is not situated in a shadow, without its support, darkness cannot exist. In the same way, guṇa-māyā is not perceived without Śrī Bhagavān, the embodiment of ultimate truth. Jīva-māyā has the faculty of being the instrumental or efficient cause while guṇa-māyā is the operative or material cause.

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has therefore said, hena māyā kare yei, parama īśvara sei, tāre mana sadā kara bhaya. “O mind! You must at all times fear Parameśvara, the lord of māyā.” The inclination to perform sinful acts may awaken in those who have no fear of God. The minds of those who fear God can never go to sinful thoughts. The purport is that the all-containing, all-pervading Parameśvara is the seer of everyone’s heart, mind, intellect and soul. No one can perform some misdeed and then avoid his sight. Someone may secretly commit a sinful act, and by avoiding the eyes of the worldly people, he can externally pretend to be a good person. But no one can throw dust in the eyes of the all-seeing Śrī Hari. Therefore, if one maintains this fear of God, it will be impossible for his sinful inclinations to awaken. Actually, God is the object of love, not of fear.