Day 48: Lord Krishna the supreme ultimate reality.
Jan 25, 2016 Mon 04:38 am
advaya-jnana tattva-vastu krsnera svarupa
brahman atma bhagavan tina tanra rupa
Lord Krishna the supreme ultimate reality can be perceived in any or all of three ways. As Brahman which is the magnificent impersonal effulgence emanating from the spiritual worlds, as Paramatma the all permeating aspect of the spiritual soul in every living entity and as Bhagavan the eternal spiritual form of the Supreme Lord Krishna.
Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi-lila, chapter 2, verse 65
namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad dhitaya krsnaya govindaya namo namah
Let me offer my humble obeisance unto Lord Krishna, who is the worshipable deity for all brahminical people, who is the well-wisher of the cows and brahmanas and who is always benedicting all the universes.
Visnu Purana, Canto 1, chapter 19, verse 65
So always remember Lord Krishna and never forget Lord Krishna. When you eat always remember Lord Krishna. When you drink always remember Lord Krishna. When you walk always remember Lord Krishna. When you talk always remember Lord Krishna. When you work always remember Lord Krishna. When you play always remember Lord Krishna. When you go to sleep always remember Lord Krishna. When you awake always remember Lord Krishna. In all that you do always remember Lord Krishna and always do all that you do for the satisfaction of Lord Krishna. This is the complete understanding of what Lord Krishna means when He says mad-bhakto become My devotee.
Although it is understood that there always will be some jnana and karma they both must always be exclusively dependent upon the service of bhakti otherwise they both will cover our bhakti or devotion. When one uses jnana or knowledge for the service of bhakti then by that process itself it becomes bhakti and when one uses karma or actions for the service of bhakti then by that process itself it also becomes bhakti. This is very confidential information.
One performs the very same action in the exact same situation but due to the intention and quality it becomes bhakti or else remains jnana or karma. In learning to discern these things it is very beneficial to receive the compassionate guidance of a spiritual master in the authorised line of disciplic succession. This is an extremely important principle and should be carefully contemplated giving it adequate attention and consideration.
In general everything that we have and everything that we do should be done for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. This means connected directly to Him in His service. Spiritually inclined and pious people all over the world are following this maxim. But the most munificent and magnanimous Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the previous acaryas in authorised disciplic succession have given us the special instruction to verily offer our very selves fully to the Supreme Lord Krishna with complete surrender. Then everything we do will be automatically reserved in the service of loving devotion to Him. Whatever we do should be for the satisfaction of Lord Krishna. Then whatever will comes to us will be automatically offered to Him. In this way we become exclusively His by performing bhakti in loving devotional service to Him exclusively.
The nine ways to perform bhakti in devotion to the Supreme Lord Krishna:
1) sravanam - hearing about Lord Krishna
2) kirtanam - glorifying Lord Krishna
3) smaranam - remembering Lord Krishna
4) pada-sevanam - attending at the feet of Lord Krishna
5) arcanam - worshipping Lord Krishna
6) vandanam - praying to Lord Krishna
7) dasyam - becoming a servitor to Lord Krishna
8) sakhyam - becoming a dear friend to Lord Krishna
9) atma-nivedanam - fully surrendering unto Lord Krishna
Learning to perform these nine types of bhakti is the topmost knowledge because it allows us to establish a personal relationship with the Supreme Lord Krishna. In order to properly establish this personal relationship in the beginning stages it is necessary for us to offer everything first to the spiritual master who will then make the offering to Lord Krishna for us. This is because the spiritual master already has an established relationship with Lord Krishna which he received from his spiritual master in disciplic succession and it is he who establishes our bhakti relationship with Lord Krishna in devotional service also following the authorised line of disciplic succession.
Bhakti is extremely difficult to attain in life because it also requires that we have some sukriti or pious merit from a previous birth. Without pious merit from spiritual activities performed in a previous birth it is not possible to attain the platform of loving devotional service in this life. But by the mercy of Lord Krishna through the potency of the spiritual master in direct disciplic succession from Him which also comes from pious merit derived form a previous life and by the mercy of the Vaisnava devotees of Lord Krishna then pure loving devotional bhakti will surely manifest within us.
As the Ganga river descends from the Himalaya mountains and flows naturally to the ocean without making a special effort in the same we want our bhakti to flow from our hearts naturally to Lord Krishna without effort.
There are two distinct processes within these nine types of bhakti:
1) vaidhi-bhakti -devotion strictly following the rules and regulations
2) raganuga-bhakti -spontaneous loving devotion from the heart
Devotion works in these two ways and we must always follow them both. Externally we must perform vaidhi-bhakti in devotional service attentively following all the regulations and injunctions ordained by scripture while internally we will be performing raganuga-bhakti in devotional service within our mind and heart in so many sublime and wonderful ways. With tears flowing from our eyes due to feelings of seperation from the presence of Lord Krishna we should conceive our heart as a beautiful scented flower and offer that flower by our minds and hearts to the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.
One absorbed in raganuga-bhakti should perform devotional service in this manner. Overwhelmed in a great mood of seperation from Lord Krishna while having the one pointed desire of uniting with Him eternally we should see all the realizations within our hearts in the form of flowers and collecting them all string these wonderful realizations together just like a flower garland and humbly offer them to the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.
Great enthusiasm and eagerness to have the association of Lord Krishna is a prerequisite for attaining bhakti. This expressed in hearing and glorifying the Supreme Lord and is also further sub-divided into two types:
1) nisthata-bhakti-devotion performed with resolute faith
2) anisthata-bhakti-devotion performed without resolute faith
Although we have begun the practice of bhakti are faith is not yet resolute. So we must make the endeavour to achieve nistha or firm resolute faith. Then after we have achieved nistha and are beginning our practice of bhakti we must also transcend the four kinds of anarthas or reactions which are:
1) bhaktyottha-reactions arising from imperfect service
2) duskrtottha-reactions arising from previous piety
3) sukrtottha-reactions arising from previous sins
4) aparadhottha-reactions arising from offenses in chanting
But there is another reaction more devastating than all the others combined and this reaction we must unceasingly gaurd against or our bhakti is ruined.
1) Vaisnava aparadha-the utterly destructive and totally devastating reaction from an offense committed knowingly or unknowingly unto a Vaisnava devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna.
I now beseech all of you with full compassion to be very, very vigilant against making any type of offense consciously or otherwise by thought, word or deed unto a Vaisnava devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna for it will certainly destroy all your chances for progress in spiritual life totally devastating all your possibilities at the very root. So even in your dreams gaurd against this most heinous of offenses known as Vaisnava aparadha.
By taking great care in avoiding Vaisnava aparadha and neutralizing the four anarthas our nistha or faith will become resolute and we can then begin to make progress in our bhakti. From nistha comes ruci or inspiration where we begin to relish our devotion and from ruci comes asakti or attachment where we cannot give up our devotion at any cost.
We should have firm faith and complete attachment in our devotion and also to the object of our devotion which is Lord Krishna. When our inspiration reaches a certain level of attainment it will mature within both of these and then by the mercy of the spiritual master and Lord Krishna our heart will never deviate. All this is also included within the advice of mad-bhakto become my devotee.
Arjuna after reflecting on this second instruction and contemplating the situation on the battlefield concluded that it would also be very difficult for him to engage in devotional service in this way and follow the advice of mad-bhakto while fighting a war and so he humbly requested Lord Krishna to give him a method of salvation more simple and easy.
Avinash Patra, Sr