By Gaurav Mittal
The process of bhakti is simple. One needs to follow simple steps (sadhana) which bring us closer to Krishna.
S-1. Krishna is Supreme Lord of everything (sarva loka mahesvara). Krishna is within everyone ready to guide everyone as the Supreme friend. He reciprocates to everyone who turns towards Him..
S-2. One needs to focus his/her mind upon Krishna. This principle is accepted as foremost, i.e., one should always remember Krishna and never forget Him. Srimad Bhagavatam states that this can be achieved by chanting or focusing our mind on Krishna’s names, lilas (pastimes), rupa (form) and yash (glories).
S-3. One needs to lead life with detachment, equanimity and sense control and tolerate sense perceptions. One needs to be equanimous in duality (samatvam yogam ucyate). One cannot focus one’s thoughts and mind upon Krishna unless one practices these qualities.
Leading life in the above ways leads to realizations. When we focus our mind upon Krishna, then Krishna in our heart removes ignorance and gives us knowledge or direct perception of truth. The purpose of sadhana is to realize following points:
R-1. Bhakti results in peacefulness, satisfaction and later on, in bliss. Bhakti completely satisfies our self. (SB 1.2.6 yayatma suprasidati).
R-2. We are not the body but spirit soul is basic lesson in Bhagavad Gita. One realizes his own self being different from body as one advances in bhakti.
R-3. SB 1.2.12 states pasyanty atmani catmanam. This means that one sees Paramatma within oneself (refer to word to word translation). So, by practicing bhakti one is able to see Krishna within one’s heart.
R-4. Humility automatically comes when one sees paramatma in other living entities. One learns that other living entities are also loved by Krishna and Krishna is ready to accompany everyone to guide them out of his causeless love. Therefore, one worships, loves and respects all living entities seeing Krishna within them.
R-5. Realizing oneself as soul results in sense control, equanimity, tolerance etc.
R-6. In advanced stages, one also realizes the true form of Krishna which is beyond material domain and which cannot be understood in terms to matter. Such realization is called bhagavan realization.
The above simple statements can help to guide devotees to answer simple questions.
Who is advanced devotee? One does not become advanced by conversion or by number of followers. Nor one becomes advanced by fancy lectures or kirtans. One becomes advanced when one realizes points mentioned in R-1 to R-6.
One question is how to handle fall down? To understand this first one needs to understand realizations mentioned above R-1 to R-6. A advanced person realizes points mentioned in R-1 to R6. Those who don’t have glimpse of realizations in R-1 to R-6 are not advanced. Does a devotee who has fallen down realized points mentioned in R-1 to R-6? If he has realized points R-1 to R6, then he will still remain in contact with Krishna (paramatma) in his heart and most probably, will recover from fall down as paramatma will continue to guide this person. But if this person was pretender i.e a person who was without substantial realizations mention in R-1 to R-6, then such person was already fallen. How can already fallen person fall down?
If one cannot realize points mentioned in R-1 to R-6, then one does not need to complicate philosophy. One needs to accept his inability to advance and pray to Krishna.
Also, real service to Srila Prabhupada is to make ourselves realize points R-1 to R-6. When we have realized these, then one will help oneself by going back to Krishna and also, one will help others to come closer to Krishna and also, help create peace and happiness in society. But if people have not realize these points and take position of worship and act as pretense, then such people will first destroy their spiritual life and also, create chaos in society.
We need to look within and see whether we realize R-1 to R-6. If we don’t then we should humbly accept ourselves as fallen and practice S-1 to S-3 to increase our bhakti. Instead of hiding truth and pretending oneself to be advance even without realizations (R-1 to R-6), one needs to be honest about oneself and give up pretionsion to help his own advancement and also, to help mission of Srila Prabhupada.
If you realize that R-1 to R-6, then congratulations on your success in the path of bhakti and Srila Prabhupada is really proud of you.
My humble request to leaders of Iskcon is to not encourage pretension. Srila Prabhupada was completely against pretension and also, such pretension will take pretender away from Krishna. One should never encourage hiding truth. It is geat disservice if leaders set such example or try to show that Srila Prabhupada encouraged false pretension.
Thank you,
Gaurav Mittal