Going down memory lane, I remember several years ago in my childhood, witnessing a contrast between two classes of spiritualists in our village in Jharkhand. Jharkhand was home to several kinds and classes of spiritualists. There was a class of spiritualists who would come to our village, sing and dance, display ecstatic symptoms in Bhakti, but simultaneously indulge in intoxication, non vegetarian food and debauchery. Even in the middle of a performance, they would take breaks in between to smoke. And then on the other side was another team of impersonalists, hard core renunciates, with strong sense control and highly critical of the Bhakti Marg followers. Their main point for criticism was that the followers of the Bhakti Marg take advancement in spiritual life very easy without performing any sense control, study of the scriptures, renunciation, austerity etc, a point which was convincing to me and therefore for a long time I was their silent admirer.
Only until some time later, when my uncle introduced ISKCON and Krishna Consciousness in my village. Many children including me took up the process of Bhakti Yoga. I came to know that the path of Bhakti was “Kevala Ananda Kanda” a joyful path for self realisation. It was an elevator process as compared to the Staircase process of the other yoga systems. It was the easiest path of Self Realisation and that you could literally Chant, Dance and Feast your way back home back to Godhead. While I was being convinced that this was true, in the back of my mind however, I was also thinking whether the critical comments of the impersonalists in my village regarding the Bhakti marg were true?
Meanwhile, I was constantly reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and was happily startled to read one particular paragraph in the Bhagavad Gita As it is, an excerpt of that is given below:
“Although nondevotees declare that the path of bhakti, or devotional service, is very easy, they cannot practise it. If the path of bhakti is so easy, as the nondevotee class of men proclaim, then why do they take up the difficult path? Actually the path of bhakti is not easy. The so-called path of bhakti practised by unauthorised persons without knowledge of bhakti may be easy, but when it is practised factually according to the rules and regulations, the speculative scholars and philosophers fall away from the path.” – Bhagavad Gita 7.3 purport
Later on I read one more excerpt from Srila Prabhupada’s letter to one of his disciples. Where he says
”The determination is difficult, Krsna Consciousness is not difficult—Krsna Consciousness is natural. One knows how to love another, so instead of loving so many others, one can very easily take to the business of loving Krsna—this is determination. That much is required, otherwise Krsna Consciousness is not difficult.” – Letter to: Himavati, Los Angeles, 26 April, 1970
These words by Srila Prabhupada catapulted me right out of the silent admiration of the impersonalists and cleared my doubts about the sublime process of Bhakti. I felt deep gratitude flowing within me for Srila Prabhupada, the predecessor spiritual masters and Lord Caitanya for making Bhakti so easy, relevant and practical for people like me in Kaliyuga. Truly in my life too, Srila Prabhupada acted as his pranam mantra says…Nirvidesa Sunyavadi Pascatya dese tarine…
Bhakti is in fact the easiest process of Self Realisation as compared to the most difficult processes of other Yoga systems but as Srila Prabhupada states, when the path of Bhakti is practised factually according to the rules and regulations, it is not easy. And then if one is determined Srila Prabhupada says, Krishna Consciousness is not difficult. In other words, just because something is easier, it doesn’t mean it’s easy. Devotees should not take it easy when they are walking on this glorious path. They should be determined in the business of loving Krishna. Also I heard many times that Lord Caitanya made the process of Bhakti yoga even more easier in Kaliyuga, one just has to chant the Holy Names (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare) of the Lord sincerely and avoid committing sins. However again, the process is made easy for Kaliyuga that doesn’t mean that it’s easy.
In material life, one has to work very hard in order to survive and succeed. The same principle is there for spiritual life too. One must work hard in spiritual life to remain and make progress on this path. In the Vedas, there is an injunction. Utthista, Jagrata, Prapya varan nibhodata, Ksurasya dhara nisita duratyaya, durgam pathas tat kavoya vidanti. The meaning of the verse is Wake up sleeping souls, understand that it is rare to obtain a human body, walk on the spiritual path but know that it is like walking on a razor’s edge.
In other words, one must not be complacent and have a laid back attitude in spiritual life. Rather one must always be enthusiastic. Srila Prabhupada defines enthusiasm in spiritual life as endeavouring with intelligence. I heard from a senior Vaishnava, once we are not inspired in the activities of our spiritual life, if boredom sets in, we are just like a sitting duck for Maya. When the duck is moving, it’s harder to shoot. Sitting means you are available. So whether we feel enthusiastic or not, we must act enthusiastically.
While driving on a road, one must keep their vehicles in the middle of the road, away from both the sides. Similarly on the path of Bhakti, there are two extremes one could drive into. One, we have already discussed, to be relaxed and complacent in following the Do’s and Don’ts of the path. Another extreme is when devotees start thinking that the path of Bhakti may be the easiest path but somehow or other it is not easy for me. One’s desire to surrender and one’s ability to actually do it are two different things. One may think that the standards are very high and I cannot practise them so its better to give up the process altogether. Devotees get overwhelmed by the commitment, the dedication and detachment required for pure devotional service. In fact, many times, some devotees keep a double standard even in the association of other devotees. They try to cover their anarthas while posing as sincere devotees externally. Externally they may seem completely surrendered but internally one may be very uninspired and even go away from Krishna Consciousness.
One must not therefore not cover, but recover one’s spiritual standards. Instead of getting discouraged of not being able to reach the standards, one must aspire to reach the same. Slow but sure is our motto Srila Prabhupada said. One must make the ideal standards of Spiritual life as a Vision for their life. One must take advantage of the association of devotees and work furiously at one’s anarthas. And in order to do that, one may require to put aside one;s ego and share one;s heart, one’s struggles in spiritual life to senior Vaishnavas, a principle outlined by Srila Rupa Goswami in the Nectar of Instruction as “Guhyam Akhyati Prcchati”. This principle works for sure and gives immense strength to the aspiring Sadhaka. On the path of becoming a pure devotee, we first have to become devotees and then work on the purification part. In the journey of making Krishna our life, the first step is to make Him part of our life.
In conclusion, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, the parampara, Srila Prabhupada and his benevolent disciples, we have been awarded the easiest path of Self Realisation for this iron age. We have to sincerely and determinedly walk on this path with great enthusiasm, without being discouraged and take help from Sadhu, Sastra & Guru to somehow or other attain the priceless goal of Krishna Prema offered to us by Lord Caitanya.
Madhava Kumar Das