Verdict of sastra : moment's association with sadhu,all perfections are obtained

[krsna 3]

 

 

SADHU SANGHA

 

by His Divine Grace

Om Visnupad Srila Bhakti Promod Puri Goswami

 

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, addressing Srila Sanatana Goswami, one of His foremost intimate associates, said:

 

krsna-bhakti-janmomud hoy sadhu-sango

krsnaprem janme, tniho punoh mukhyo ango

(Cc. Madhya 22.83)

The root cause of devotional service to Lord Krsna is association with advanced devotees. Even when one's dormant love for Krsna awakens, association with advanced devotees is most essential.

 

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, commenting on this verse, writes: "Although it is absolutely true that association with advanced devotees is the prime cause which gives birth to devotional service to Sri Krsna, yet even at the stage when love for Krsna awakens in the devotees heart, it is indeed again association with advanced devotees that is counted as the principle devotional limb in the loving exchanges with Sri Krsna." The reason being:

 

mahot-krpa bina kono karme 'bhokti 'noy

krsna-bhokti dure rohu samsar nahe kkhoy

(Cc. Madhya 22.51)

 

Unless one is favored by a pure devotee, he cannot attain the platform of devotional service. To say nothing of Krsna-bhakti, or loving devotional service to Krsna, one cannot even be free from the entanglement of material existence." My most worshipful spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada, comments on this verse in his 'Anubhasya': "It is impossible to cultivate devotional service to Sri Krsna, which is absolutely transcendental, by executing fruitive pious activities, which are mundane performances although they are recommended in the karmakanda section of the Vedas. Only by receiving the mercy of a devotee of Lord Krsna is it possible to become eligible to engage in devotional service. Devotion to Sri Krsna is almost a dream, because event the shackles of material existence cannot be cut by any other means. Compassion is not to be found in any living being other than a Vaisnava, a pure devotee of Krsna. He alone is the transcendental being amongst all others. By mundane consideration some materialists think that a Vaisnava is a mundane personality like them, but in truth the devotee of Krsna, who has renounced the material world, is an incomparable superexcellent being. Knowing him to be a true well-wisher of all living entities, if one prays to him for mercy then one becomes free from all material desires and attraction for sense gratification and only then can one become a fit candidate for engaging in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord Krsna."

 

The great devotee Jada Bharat, in the guise of a brahmana, describes to King Rahugana the process of how to begin devotional service as recorded in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

 

rahuganaitat tapasa na yati

na cejyaya nirvapanad grhad va

na cchandasa naiva jalagni-suryair

vina mahat-.-rajo-'bhisekham

 

My dear King Rahugana, unless one has the opportunity to smear his entire body with the dust of the lotus feet of a pure and elevated devotee, it is impossible to develop devotion to the Supreme Lord Hari. There are many other processes to understand the Absolute Truth, but the Absolute Truth is only revealed to one who has attained the mercy of a great devotee. (Bhag. 5.12.12)

 

The greatest of devotees, Sri Prahlad Maharaja addressed his father Hiranyakasipu, as stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

 

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim

sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah

mahiyasam .-rajo-'bhisekam

niskincananam na vrnita yavat

(Bhag. 7.5.32)

 

"As long as one does not smear his entire body with the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee who is free from all material atachment, one cannot develop attraction for the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord who is glorified for His uncommon and wonderful pastimes."

 

The purport of this verse is that only by the grace of a pure and elevated Vaisnava are the unwanted material desires in the heart (anarthas ) extirpated so that as a result one receives the shelter of Lord Krsna's lotus feet. Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami has described in the Chaitanya Caritamrta sixty-four limbs of devotional service, of which five have been specifically stressed by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

 

sadhu-sango, namkirton, bhagavat-srabon

mathura-bas, sri-murtir sraddhaye sebon..

sakol sadhon-srestho ei panco ango

krsna-prem janmaye ei pancer alpo sango

ek ango sadhe, keho sadhe bohu ango

'nistha' hoite upojoy premer tarongo.

(C.c. Madhya 22.128,129,134.)

 

"Association with more advanced devotees, chanting the holy name, hearing and studying the Srimad Bhagavatam, living in the sacred dham of Vrndavana, Mathura and worshiping the Lord's Deity with faith and devotion-these five limbs of pure devotional service are the best amongst all the others. Even a slight application of these awakens love for Krsna. A devotee may diligently engage in any one of the limbs of devotion or in many; the result is that his steadfastness in devotional service will produce waves of love for Krsna in his heart."

 

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, lst Canto, Chapter 2, Srila Suta Goswami, addressing Sri Saunaka Rsi and the assembly of sixty thousand sages in Naimisaranya, says that pious, conscientious persons who are attracted to devotional service, by developing a taste for hearing topics of Krsna consciousness from the holy lips of saintly souls and spiritual preceptors, become constantly engrossed in meditation on such subjects pertaining to Sri Krsna. The constant remembrance of krsna-katha (topics of Krsna) becomes the sword that cuts the binding knot of fruitive or reactionary work (karma-granthi-nibandhanam ). In this regard, Srila Visvanatha comments that karma-granthi or the knot of reactionary work is vartamana-janma-bhogyam prarabdha karma, or the reactions of past activities that one must experience in this lifetime. Hence, Srila Suta Goswami asks: "Therefore, which intelligent and conscientious person would not be eager and attracted to hear this message?"

 

The ignorant conditioned souls, confounded by false-ego and their misidentification with the gross and subtle mundane bodies, engage in fruitive works such as performing sacrifices, giving in charity etc., which become the very cause of their material bondage.

 

The taste for hearing krsna-katha severs this bondage. By discussing Lord Krsna's statement in the Bhagavad-gita (3.9) we understand that activities which are offered for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord are defined as yajna or sacrifice. All other activities except those which are offered as sacrifice are binding. However, even if activities are offered to the Supreme Lord, but at the root is the intention to enjoy the results, then also these activities become the cause of bondage. Thus Lord Krsna, by saying "mukta-sanga samacara "-meaning that activities offered to the Supreme Lord must be devoid of any desire to enjoy their results, is cautioning us against such action. On this verse Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura comments: "Such activities in bhakti-yoga will enlighten the heart with transcendental knowledge of the Supreme Lord leading to pure devotional service.

 

Srila Suta Goswami describes the process of developing taste (ruci ) for hearing krsna-katha in this verse from Bhagavatam:

 

susrusoh sraddadhanasya vasudeva-katha-rucih

syan mahat-sevaya viprah punya tirtha nisevanat

(Bhag. 1.2.16)

 

O twice born, Sage Saunaka and others, by circumambulating Visnudhama (places of pilgrimage) and serving a bonafide guru and the purified devotees of Krsna the faithful person develops taste and attachment for hearing Harikatha and the words of the sadhu, guru and sastra.

 

Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura writes in his Sararthdarsani commentary: "The good fortune of receiving the mercy of an elevated pure devotee by service to him results in rekindling of one's innate faith in the words of sadhu, guru, and sastra and finding the shelter of a bonafide spiritual master, who is the sum and substance of all holy places of pilgrimage and at whose lotus feet the faithful one who desires to hear krsna-katha can awaken his taste for krsna-katha." (The lotus-feet of the guru are considered to be the representative of all the holy places, hence the word punya-tirtha may also refer to the spiritual master."

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada writes in his purport: In trying to ascertain what awakens ruci or taste for hearing hari-katha in a faithful person, it is established that the faithful person desiring to deepen his faith and develop ruci must be willing to serve two worshipable objects. The heart of the pure devotee is a holy pilgrimage (punya-tirtha ). Enthusiasm in serving these two punya-tirthas kindles taste for hari-katha in the heart. The other object of worship and service that kindles taste is service to a pure and highly advanced devotee. The pure devotee who is endowed with all divine qualities and has no attraction for anything unconnected to Sri Krsna is a mahat, or a highly advanced devotee-as is described in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

 

yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana

sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah

 

The devotee who is completely detached and has unflinching devotion to Sri Krsna, all the good qualities of the demigods and Krsna are manifest in him.

 

Sri Akrura in his prayers glorifying Sri Krsna says: 0 Supreme Lord! My intelligence due to being attached to material desires is constantly preyed upon by lust and craving for fruitive activities and I am unable to bring my mind under control because it is incessantly goaded on towards matter by the impetuous senses. (Bhag. 10.40.27.)

 

In the next verse he says : (Bhag.10.40.28)

 

so ham tabanghry upagatye smyasatam dusprapam

taccapyaham bhagavadanugraha isa manye

pumso bhaved yarhi samsarana pavarga

stvayyabja nabha sadupasanaya matih syat

 

O Supreme Lord, Padmanabha (Whose navel is shaped like a lotus), that a person of my ilk (refer to verse 10.40.27) should receive the shelter of Your lotus-feet which are unattainable by nondevotees, I consider to be your kindness alone. 0 Lord, when the living entity's attachment to family and material life reduces, only then by serving the saintly devotees does he develop attraction to You.

 

A finer analysis of this verse will show that receiving the Lord's mercy was contributed to by first receiving the pure devotee's grace. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarty delineates this point in a form of question and answer: The Supreme Lord asks: "At what stage does the living entity earn my benedictiontion?O Supreme Lord Padmanabha, when by serving a saintly soul a person awakens his natural attraction for You he then becomes a recipient. At which juncture is a saintly person served properly? At the time jiva develops disinterest in material activities. When does this disinterest develop? When he is benedicted by receiving the causeless mercy of a vaisnava saint. Thus, in the very beginning, the causeless mercy of a pure devotee is required, this sets into motion the process of material detachment from family etc. Therefore, service to a vaisnava devotee is the prime cause for acquiring Sri Krsna's grace.

 

This same truth is being reiterated by Sri Mucukunda in his prayers to the Supreme Lord in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

 

bhavapavargo bhramato yada

bhavejjanasya tarhyacyuta satsamagamah

satsangamo yarhi tadaiva sadgatau

paravarese tvayi jayate ratih

(Bhag. 10.51.53)

 

O Infallible Lord Acyuta! Chained to the ferriswheel of repeated birth and death when a person's material attachments subside he seeks out saintly association. As a consequence of associating with saintly personalities he awakens his dormant love for You, the Supreme Lord, who is the ultimate destination of the saintly devotees and is supreme controller of all cause and effects, and this leads him to final liberation.

 

Srila Cakravarti Thakura has also commented on this verse "If one proposes that without My (Supreme Lord's) mercy it is not possible to gain the association of saintly persons, hence My mercy is the primary cause, the answer is in the use of the word sadgatau, or the ultimate destination of the saintly devotees (i.e. The Supreme Lord). Due to the Supreme Lord's bhakta-vatsalya, or being affectionately protective of His devotees, He fulfills the desires of His fully surrendered devotees (bhaktavan-cakalpatara ) like a wishfulfilling desire tree, satisfying the devotee's desire to see Him, to serve Him and so on. Elsewhere the Lord states that He is controlled by the love of His devotees, meaning that although the Supreme Lord is an Absolute Autocrat, fully independent to do as and what he wishes, yet in dealing with His devotees He willingly relinquishes His independence and becomes submissive to His devotee's whims. Thus the Supreme Lord is subservient to and a captive to His devotee's love for Him. When this relationship is further analyzed it becomes apparent that all the Lord's activities are executed on the desire of His devotees and that He does not perform any work at His own will.

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is indeed the ultimate shelter and supreme destination of all the saintly souls, yet He always resides in the His devotees hearts, as He Himself declares that His devotees are as dear to Him as life itself. Although He gives and is the shelter to every living entity, His favorite residence is the pure devotee's heart. He willingly abjures His independence for the sake of His devotees--if and when the devotee feeds Him, He will eat, otherwise He will remain fasting. When the devotee wakes Him, He awakens, when he sits Him down, He sits, when he puts Him to rest, He sleeps-the pure devotees are His heart and soul, His entire treasure.

 

Therefore, in order to acquire the Lord's mercy one must first beg from the pure devotee his mercy, one must become the servant of the Supreme Lord's servitors. By His own statement, the Supreme Lord admits that worship of His devotees is greater than His own worship. Because:

 

sadhavo hrdayam mahyam

sadhunam hrdayam tv aham

mad anyat te na jananti

naham tebhyo manag api

(Bhag. 9.4.68)

 

Lord Narayana says to Durvasa Muni : The pure devotee is always within the the core of My heart, and I permanently reside in the pure devotee's heart-My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anything besides Them.

 

Therefore the scriptures enjoin

 

sadhusango, sadhusango sarbosastre koy

labomatro sausange sarbsiddhi hoy

(C.c. Madhya 22.54)

 

The verdict of all the revealed scriptures is that by a moment's association with a pure devotee, all perfections are obtained.