Lord
Caitanya Preached Pure Devotional Service
“In conclusion,
Lord Caitanya does not teach that the constitutional position of the soul
is anything more than impersonal realization of Lord Krishna in his impersonal
Brahman effulgence.”
That is Shambhuddhi’s own conclusion, that is not what
Srila Prabhupada explains neither what Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja is saying
in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, nor the conclusion of the acaryas.
His own words are contradictory, “Lord Caitanya explains
to Rupa Goswami that shanta-rasa does not possess even the smallest of intimacy
with Lord Krishna and that the impersonal Brahman and the Paramatma are prominent.”
Paramatma realization is not impersonal realization:
“Real yogis meditate upon the transcendental form of
the Lord as He stands on the whorl of the lotus of their hearts, the jewellike
nails of His lotus feet glittering.”-SB.4.8.50.
And there are many other quotes in the sastras in this
regard.
This constitutional position is explained by Lord Sri
Krishna Himself in Bhagavad-gita (18.54). The brahma-bhuta stage is the realization
of aham bhramasmi, “I am not this matter, I am spirit soul, I am of the nature
of Brahman”. At this stage is when
real bhakti begins. The Vaisnava’s realization is that if he is brahman then
his nature is to be engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord. To
be engaged in activities of the nature of
Brahman, not in material activities. This is also the explanation of
the famous Tat tvam asi sutra. The
Vaisnavas acaryas had explained it to mean, “You are of the same nature of
the Supreme therefore your nature is to be engaged in the spiritual activities
of devotional service to the Lord.” Or it also means, “You are His”. You belong
to the Supreme Lord and therefore you have an eternal relationship of service
to Him.
brahma-bhutah
prasannatma
na
socati na kaksati
samah
sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktin
labhate param
“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes
the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is
equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional
service unto Me.”
PURPORT
To the impersonalist, achieving the brahma-bhuta stage,
becoming one with the Absolute, is the last word. But for the personalist,
or pure devotee, one has to go still further to become engaged in pure devotional
service. This means that one who is engaged in pure devotional service to
the Supreme Lord is already in a state of liberation, called brahma-bhuta,
oneness with the Absolute… This is the brahma-bhuta stage, and this stage is attained very easily
by the pure devotee. In that stage of existence, the idea of becoming one
with the Supreme Brahman and annihilating one’s individuality becomes hellish,
and the idea of attaining the heavenly kingdom becomes phantasmagoria,
and the senses are like broken serpents’ teeth. As there is no fear
of a serpent with broken teeth, so there is no fear from the senses when they
are automatically controlled… Such a stage can be achieved
by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, who preached pure devotional service in this
age.-Bg.18.54.
Lord Caitanya Himself says:
jivera ‘svarupa’ haya——krisnera ‘nitya-dasa’
“It is the living entity’s constitutional position to
be an eternal servant of Krishna”.
Not the impersonal
position! This quality of service to the Lord is the basic ingredient. Next
is the further realization:
Gopi-bhartur pada-kamalayor dasa-dasa-dasa-dasanudasa.
To serve Sri Krishna who is the Lord of the gopis, always accompany by Srimati
Radharani. But one cannot serve Him directly, but rather thru the servant
of the servant of the servant of the gopis. Our link to this chain of servants
of the Lord is our spiritual master, and we cannot give him up as the mayavadis
do.
This is the progression on this chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrita,
Madhya 19, about shanta rasa and the other mellows:
“When one is fully attached to Krishna’s lotus feet,
one attains the samata stage. The word ‘samata’ is derived from the word ‘sama’;
therefore santa-rasa, the position of neutrality, means being fully attached
to the lotus feet of Krishna. This is the verdict from the mouth of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself. This state is called self-realization.-Text
211.
“‘These are the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead:
“When one’s intelligence is fully attached to My lotus feet but one does not
render practical service, one has attained the stage called santa-rati, or
sama.” Without santa-rati, attachment to Krishna is very difficult to achieve.’-Text
212.
“‘The word “sama” or “santa-rasa” indicates that one
is attached to the lotus feet of Krishna. “Dama” means controlling the senses
and not being deviated from the Lord’s service. Endurance of unhappiness is
“titiksa,” and “dhriti” means controlling the tongue and the genitals.’-Text
213.
“Giving up all desires not connected with Krishna is
the business of one who is in santa-rasa. Only a devotee of Krishna can be
situated on that platform. He is thus called a santa-rasa-bhakta.- Text214.
“When a devotee is situated on the platform of santa-rasa,
he desires neither elevation to the heavenly planets nor liberation. These
are the results of karma and jñana, and the devotee considers them no better
than hell. A person situated on the santa-rasa platform manifests the two
transcendental qualities of detachment from all material desires and full attachment to Krishna.-Text 215.
These are the two qualities of shanta rasa present in
all the other mellows as Srila Prabhupada explains in text 217. The qualities of shanta rasa and bhrama-bhuta
stage explained in Bhagavad-gita 18.54 are the same. Na socati na kaksati,
“He never laments nor desires to have anything”; he has no material aspirations.
In text 214 Srila Prabhupada explains, “When one is not agitated or disturbed,
he can immediately realize his relationship with Krishna. A santa-rasa devotee
is therefore always fixed in realization. This instruction was given by the
Lord Himself to Uddhava. The beginning of pure devotional service is called
anyabhilasita-sunya. When one is situated on the platform of neutrality, he
is freed from the material platform and fully situated in spiritual life”.
In this text 215 is mentioned that the devotee does not
desire elevation to the heavenly planets nor liberation. These are the results
of karma and jñana, and the devotee considers them no better than hell. In
his purport to Bg. 18.54, Srila Prabhupada says, “This is the brahma-bhuta
stage, and this stage is attained very easily by the pure devotee. In that
stage of existence, the idea of becoming one with the Supreme Brahman and
annihilating one’s individuality becomes hellish, and the idea of attaining
the heavenly kingdom becomes phantasmagoria, and the senses are like
broken serpents’ teeth.”
“‘A person who is devoted to the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Narayana, is not afraid of anything. Elevation to the heavenly
kingdom, condemnation to hell and liberation from material bondage all appear
the same to a devotee.’-Text 216.
“These two qualities of the santa stage spread through
the lives of all devotees. They are like the quality of sound in the sky.
Sound vibration is found in all material elements.-Text 217.
“It is the nature of santa-rasa that not even the smallest
intimacy exists. Rather, knowledge of impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma
is prominent.-Text 218.
PURPORT
Because of an impersonal impression of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, a devotee in the santa-rasa relationship worships the impersonal
Brahman or localized aspect of the Absolute Truth (Paramatma). He does not
develop a personal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri
Krishna. [One must read Srila Prabhupada’s puport to text 228 to gain further
understanding].
“On the platform of santa-rasa, one realizes only his
constitutional position. But when one is raised to the platform of dasya-rasa,
he better understands the full opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.-Text
219.
“On the dasya-rasa platform, knowledge of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is revealed with awe and veneration. By rendering service
unto Lord Krishna, the devotee in dasya-rasa gives constant happiness to the
Lord.-Text 220.
“The qualities of santa-rasa are also present in dasya-rasa,
but service is added. Thus the dasya-rasa platform contains the qualities
of both santa-rasa and dasya-rasa.-Text 221.
“The qualities of santa-rasa and the service of dasya-rasa
are both present on the platform of sakhya-rasa. On the platform of fraternity,
the qualities of dasya-rasa are mixed with the confidence of fraternity instead
of awe and veneration.-Text 222.
“On the sakhya-rasa platform, the devotee sometimes offers
the Lord service and sometimes makes Krishna serve him in exchange. In their
mock fighting, the cowherd boys would sometimes climb on Krishna’s shoulders,
and sometimes they would make Krishna climb on their shoulders.-Text 223.
“Awe and veneration are absent on the platform of fraternity,
since this rasa is predominated by service imbued with confidentiality. Therefore
sakhya-rasa is characterized by the qualities of three rasas.-Texts 224.
“On the platform of sakhya-rasa, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Kåñëa is controlled by the devotees who are intimate with Him and
think themselves equal to Him.-Text 225.
“On the platform of parental love, the qualities of santa-rasa,
dasya-rasa and sakhya-rasa are transformed into a form of service called maintenance.-Text
226.
“The essence of fraternal love is intimacy devoid of
the formality and veneration found in dasya-rasa. Due to a greater sense of
intimacy, the devotee functioning in parental love chastises and rebukes the
Lord in an ordinary way.-Text 227.
“On the platform of parental love, the devotee considers
himself the Lord’s maintainer. Thus the Lord is the object of maintenance,
like a son, and therefore this mellow is full of the qualities of four rasas—santa-rasa,
dasya-rasa, fraternity and parental love. This is more transcendental nectar.
PURPORT
In his Amrita-pravaha-bhasya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
gives us a short summary of this complicated description of the different
rasas. He states that by becoming firmly fixed in the Lord’s service, one
is devoid of all material desires. These are the two transcendental qualities
on the santa-rasa platform. Just as sound vibration is found in all the material
elements, these two qualities of santa-rasa are spread throughout all the
other transcendental mellows, which are known as dasya-rasa, sakhya-rasa,
vatsalya-rasa and madhura-rasa. Although in santa-rasa there is attachment
for Krisha in awe and veneration—since the two valuable transcendental qualities
of this rasa are attachment for Krishnaa and detachment from material desires—nonetheless
the sense of intimacy is lacking. The reason for this is that in santa-rasa
attachment for impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma is prominent. In
other words, the sense of intimacy by which one thinks of Krishna as one’s
only shelter and friend is absent in santa-rasa because one accepts Krishna
as the impersonal Parambrahma or localized Paramatma. This understanding is
based on the speculative knowledge of the jñani. However, when this knowledge
is further developed, one is convinced that the Paramatma, the Supreme Lord,
is the master and that the living entity is His eternal servant. One then
attains the platform of dasya-rasa. In dasya-rasa the Lord is accepted with
awe and veneration. Thus the active service that is absent in santa-rasa becomes
prominent in dasya-rasa. In other words, in dasya-rasa the qualities of santa-rasa
are present, and service also becomes predominantly visible. Similarly, when
this same rasa is developed into fraternity (sakhya-rasa), a friendly intimacy
is added. There is no awe or veneration in sakhya-rasa. Therefore sakhya-rasa
is invested with the qualities of three rasas—santa, däsya and sakhya. Similarly,
on the platform of parental love, the qualities of çänta-rasa, dasya-rasa
and sakhya-rasa are fully developed in another form—the sense of maintaining
the Lord. Therefore on the platform of parental love there exists a combination
of the qualities of four transcendental mellows—santa, dasya, sakhya and parenthood.
The mellow of parenthood puts the devotee in the position of a maintainer.
Indeed, without formality the devotee takes the position of maintainer and
regards the Lord as the object of maintenance. Thus on the platform of parental
love the qualities of four transcendental mellows of love of Krishnaa are
present.-228.
“The exchange of spiritual happiness between Krishna
and His devotee in which Krishna is controlled by His devotee is compared
to an ocean of nectar into which the devotee and Krishna plunge. This is the
verdict of learned scholars who appreciate Krishna’s opulence.-Text 229.
“‘Again let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. O my Lord, I offer my obeisances hundreds
and thousands of times with all affection because by Your personal pastimes
You plunge the gopis into an ocean of nectar. Appreciating Your opulence,
devotees generally declare that You are always subjugated by their feelings.’-Text
230.
“On the platform of conjugal love, attachment for Kåñëa,
rendering service unto Him, the relaxed feelings of fraternity and the feelings
of maintenance all increase in intimacy.-Text 231.
“On the platform of conjugal love, the devotee offers
his body in the service of the Lord. Thus on this platform the transcendental
qualities of all five rasas are present.-Text 232.
“All the material qualities evolve one after another
in the material elements, beginning from ether. By gradual evolution, first
one quality develops, then two qualities develop, then three and four, until
all five qualities are found in earth.-Text 233.
“Similarly, on the platform of conjugal love, all the
feelings of the devotees are amalgamated. The intensified taste is certainly
wonderful.”-Text 234.
“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then concluded, “I have simply
given a general survey describing the mellows of devotional service. You can
consider how to adjust and expand this. “When one thinks of Krishna constantly,
love for Him manifests within the heart. Even though one may be ignorant,
one can reach the far shore of the ocean of transcendental love by Lord Krishna’s
mercy.”-CC Madhya 19.235-236.
One cannot remain in the brahma-bhuta stage without engaging
in the service of the Lord:
“The yogi whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the
highest happiness. By virtue of his identity with Brahman, he is liberated;
his mind is peaceful, his passions are quieted, and he is freed from sin.”
PURPORT
Brahma-bhuta is the state of being free from material
contamination and situated in the transcendental service of the Lord. Mad-bhaktim
labhate param. One cannot remain in the quality of Brahman, the Absolute,
until one’s mind is fixed on the lotus feet of the Lord. Sa vai manah Krishna
-padaravindayoh. To be always engaged in the transcendental loving service
of the Lord, or to remain in Krishna consciousness, is to be factually liberated
from the mode of passion and all material contamination.-Bg.6.27.
In the word of Srimad-Bhagavatam unless one is engaged
in the service of the Lord one should fall from the brahman realization due
to fail to take shelter of the transcendental Lord Sri Krishna, whose eyes
are like lotus petals, and therefore having an impure intelligence (Bhag.
10.2.32):
ye
’nye ’ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
tvayy
asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
aruhya
kricchrena param padam tatah
patanty
adho ’nädåta-yuñmad-aìghrayah
“Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of
all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.”
PURPORT
The Lord has already explained to Arjuna the knowledge
of brahmabhuta. One who is in the brahma-bhuta condition is joyful; he never
laments, nor does he desire anything. That is due to confidential knowledge.
Krishna also discloses knowledge of the Supersoul. This is also Brahman knowledge,
knowledge of Brahman, but it is superior.-Bg. 18.63.
“Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to
you the most confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is
for your benefit.”
PURPORT
The Lord has given Arjuna confidential knowledge of the
Supersoul within everyone’s heart, and now He is giving the most confidential
part of this knowledge: just surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
At the end of the Ninth Chapter He has said, “Just always think of Me.” The
same instruction is repeated here to stress the essence of the teachings of
Bhagavad-gita. This essence is not understood by a common man, but by one
who is actually very dear to Krishna, a pure devotee of Krishna. This is the
most important instruction in all Vedic literature. What Krishna is saying
in this connection is the most essential part of knowledge, and it should
be carried out not only by Arjuna but by all living entities.-Bg. 18.64.
“Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me
and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise
you this because you are My very dear friend.”
PURPORT
The most confidential part of knowledge is that one should
become a pure devotee of Krishna and always think of Him and act for Him…These
words stress that one should concentrate his mind upon Krishna —the very form
with two hands carrying a flute, the bluish boy with a beautiful face and
peacock feathers in His hair. There are descriptions of Krishna found in the
Brahma-samhita and other literatures. One should fix his mind on this original
form of Godhead, Krishna.-Bg. 18.65.
So, we should meditate upon that beautiful bluish boy
Who plays His wonderful pastimes in Vrindavana.
-o-
Recently I found in the Sri Ramananda-Savada, a manuscript
by Srila Prabhupada made public by BG Narasimgha Swami, the following and
deals with the same topic.
Go Higher
An improved consciousness for the materialists is a desire
to either retire from material activities or stay at a place that is undisturbed
by the uproar of the modes of nature. The river Viraja is outside the boundary
of the material world where there is no disturbance from the three modes of
nature. The material world is the creation of the external energy of Godhead,
and Vaikuntha, the spiritual world, is the creation of the internal energy
of Godhead.
Viraja is situated between the material world and the
spiritual world. It is outside the boundary of both the material and the spiritual
world. However, renunciation without any positive engagement is imperfect
and cannot give the candidate the desired result of love of God.
The aim of Lord Caitanya is to bring people to the spiritual
world. Therefore, this suggestion of Ramananda, which does not take one within
the boundary of Vaikuntha, was also rejected by the Lord. Negating the material
activities or becoming disinterested in material activities does not suggest
accepting positive spiritual activities. Spiritual activities completely depend
on spiritual understanding. People having no realization of the spiritual
world cannot sustain themselves by giving up all other activities. One must
have a positive transcendental engagement. Otherwise, simply negating the
material activities of religiosity will not help one the slightest bit in
spiritual realization. By such renunciation, one will simply feed a void in
his life and will again be attracted by the material activities for want of
actual spiritual engagements. This sort of spiritual realization is another
type of impersonal conception and is therefore not ultimately suitable for
the prospective devotee.
Mixed Devotion
Ramananda, having realized the desire of Lord Caitanya,
then suggested an improved process, called calculated devotion (jnana-misra-bhakti).
Driven by a false sense of oneness with the Absolute Truth, the empiric philosopher
tries to make an analytical study of the cosmic situation to find out the
Absolute Truth. When he has done so, he becomes cheerful on account of his
self-realization.
The symptoms of perfect realization of the Absolute Truth,
which promote one to the stage of pure devotional service to the Personality
of Godhead, are described in the Bhagavad-gita (18.54). This was quoted by
Ramananda as a further improvement on the suggestion of renunciation of karma:
brahma-bhutah
prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
"The practitioner who has realized the Absolute
Truth as the nondifferentiated impersonal Brahman does not lament over any
material loss, neither does he desire any material gain. He is equipoised
towards all objects of the material world, and these conditions make him fit
to be promoted to the pure devotional service of Godhead."
However, the brahma-bhutah state of consciousness is
also not a fully transcendental state of spiritual existence. The supramental
consciousness, as exists in the spiritual kingdom of Vaikuntha, is a further
development. The brahma-bhutah state of consciousness is undoubtedly free
from gross material consciousness, and although touching the Absolute Truth
indicates a transcendental feeling, it is not the actual transcendental position
for realizing the activities of Vaikuntha. As such, it is also external.
Lord Caitanya wants the living entity to be free from
every type of material consciousness, including becoming unconcerned with
empiric knowledge and fruitive activities. One should stay in pure consciousness,
as even a slight tinge of material consciousness causes an impersonal conception
of the Absolute Truth. In all these different stages of material consciousness,
only imaginary arguments predominate over the Absolute Personality of Godhead.
Imaginary argumentative endeavors are detrimental to the pure devotional service
of Godhead, and, as such, even the liberated state as above mentioned is external.
This liberated state is something like the convalescent stage after relief
from a disease. If a convalescent person is not properly taken care of, a
relapse of the disease may mar the whole attempt at recovery.
In the brahma-bhuta liberated stage, one has not yet
obtained a resting place at the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead.
As such, one is still unsupported and thus runs the chance of falling down
again into material activities. It is therefore also external and thus the
fourth suggestion of Ramananda was rejected by Lord Caitanya.
Knowledge-free Devotion
Ramananda then suggested the beginning of pure devotional
service unconcerned with empiric knowledge or fruitive activity. To support
this suggestion, Ramananda quoted a statement of Brahma during his prayer
of regret before Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead:
jnane
prayasam udapasya namanta eva
jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam
stane stitah sruti-gatam tanu-va†-manobhir
ye prayaso ‘jita jito ‘py asi tais tri-lokyam
"O my Lord, those devotees who completely give up
the attempt to become one with You by the culture of empiric knowledge and
simply try to hear about Your glories from the mouths of self-realized saints,
and who live a virtuous life, can easily achieve Your favor although You are
unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds."(Bhag. 10.14.3)
This stage of culturing devotional service directly was
accepted by Lord Caitanya. All the previously described stages of the culture
of spiritual realization were rejected by Lord Caitanya most logically. The
Lord, however, accepted the universal method of hearing the glories of the
Personality of Godhead in all circumstances from the mouths of self-realized
souls and giving up the attempt to become one with Godhead.
The poison of attempting to become one with Godhead kills
the nucleus of devotional service. Anyone actually desiring to be engaged
in the transcendental loving service of Godhead must definitely give up this
idea for good. In the Caitanya-caritamrta, it is said that the idea of being
one with Godhead is the topmost type of pretension, and even a slight development
of this idea will completely eliminate the prospect for devotional service.
This is the most dangerous misconception in spiritual life and one should
at once give up the idea.
Hear From Self-realized Souls
A pure living entity, being always subservient to the
Almighty Godhead Sri Krsna, should reverentially give an aural reception to
the transcendental sound emanating from the mouth of a self-realized soul
describing the glories of the Personality of Godhead. Only a self-realized
soul can produce the powerful effect of transcendental sound. Devotees must
live thoroughly honest lives in all respects by their body, mind, and words.
These are the simple methods of culturing spiritual realization to its zenith
Therefore, the imaginary idea of becoming one with Godhead
is a mental creation of the empiric philosopher as a result of his material
vanity. Otherwise, the idea has no substance. The idea of becoming one with
Godhead is artificial (…)
The message of Bhagavad-gita is to be heard from a self-realized
soul and not from anyone speculating on dry subjects with imaginary meanings.
The un-bona-fide attempt at hearing will simply be a waste of time. The devotee
must always be careful that the speaker is in the transcendental line of disciplic
succession called the parampara. The qualification of the prospective devotee
should be that he must live an honest life by his body, mind, and words, which
will all depend on the mercy of Godhead.
-o-
The
Extraordinary Four Kumaras
The four Kumaras are the perfect example of this shanta
rasa. Initially they were already self realized in the Brahman stage, or brahma-bhuta,
but they further progressed.
“When the great sage Narada was glorifying the pastimes
of the Lord with his vina, the four Kumaras, headed by Sanaka, although merged
in the impersonal conception of Brahman, were trembling all over.”-NOD Ch.32
Symptoms of Continuous Love, Neutrality.
“When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasi leaves
from the toes of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead entered the
nostrils of those sages, they experienced a change both in body and in mind,
even though they were attached to the impersonal Brahman understanding.”
PURPORT
It appears from this verse that the four Kumaras were
impersonalists or protagonists of the philosophy of monism, becoming one with
the Lord. But as soon as they saw the Lord’s features, their minds changed.
In other words, the impersonalist who feels transcendental pleasure in striving
to become one with the Lord is defeated when he sees the beautiful transcendental
features of the Lord. Because of the fragrance of His lotus feet, carried
by the air and mixed with the aroma of tulasi, their minds changed; instead
of becoming one with the Supreme Lord, they thought it wise to be devotees.
Becoming a servitor of the lotus feet of the Lord is better than becoming
one with the Lord.-SB 3.15.43.
The position of the four Kumaras is extraordinary, they
are head of one of the four Vaishnava Sampradayas. They are also counted among
the twelve Mahajanas, authorities on devotional sevice (SB 6.3.20).
And further more, Srila Rupa Goswami sings in his Sri
Radhika-Stava (from Stava-mala).
karunam
kuru mayi karuna-bharite
sanaka-sanatana-varnita-carite
“O You who are filled with compassion! O You whose divine
characteristics are described by the great sages Sanaka and Sanatana [Sanatana
Gosvami o Sanatana Kumara]! O Radha, please be merciful to me!”