Hare Krsna,

SB 3.29.21-24

In BG 5.29, Lord Krsna gave the world a famous ‘peace formula’.

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.

In this lesson, Lord Kapiladeva gives us another extension of the same peace formula – if we see that the Supreme Lord, as Paramatma, is situated in every living entity’s heart and therefore treat the person with due respect and compassion, true peace can prevail on this planet. If we sincerely acknowledge that every person we meet has the same Supreme Lord in his/her heart, where is the scope for disrespect, envy, and ill-treatment? This is a matter of deep realization. We often treat the Deity form of the Lord and the devotees with deep respect and adoration. But when we meet regular people on the street, we try to avoid them thinking that we need not associate with them. Treating people with indifference may still be alright. But to harm the people, in whose heart the Supreme Lord resides, is a great sin. This is why every scripture of every faith teaches us to be kind to others.

The Holy Bible (Matthew 7:12) says “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Confucius said, “What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others.” Epicurus said, “Neither to harm, nor be harmed.” All of these tenets are based on the premise that the Lord resides in everyone’s heart.

If we truly see the Lord within every living entity, there will be no unnecessary killing of animals for human consumption. There will be no slaughterhouses. There will be no distrust and ill-treatment of illegal immigrants and minorities. There will be no wars across the borders. There will be no immigration systems. There will be no inter-religious conflicts. There will be no ‘Black Lives Matter’ and white supremacy movement. We all are created equal because we all are equally parts and parcels of the same Supreme Lord. There is no cause for discrimination.

We devotees should also take these instructions very seriously. We tend to forget them when dealing with others. I want to share a personal observation in this regard. This is common observation that lots of guests visit our temples during regular days, Sunday Feast program or during major festivals such as Sri Krsna Janmashtami, Diwali, etc.) The prasadam in our temples are very popular. Guests and devotees queue up during prasadam distribution. Very regularly we see a few devotees jump the line for prasadam plates. Their regular excuse is they are busy and need to get back to their services; they cannot afford to stand in the long line. This transgression increases in proportion to the seniority (by age or experience). No one says anything to them. It’s mostly the junior devotees who serve prasadam; they prefer to stay silent and get on with their service. I have always wondered where does this attitude of disrespecting the guests and jumping the line come from? Don’t they remember that every guest visiting the temple is a guest of Sri Sri Radha Krsna? What if Srila Prabhupada or Lord Caitanya or Lord Krsna or Srimati Radharani visits the temples in the guise of guests? Would these people have the audacity to behave similarly? Would they say, ‘O Prabhupada! I have an important service to do. Do you mind if I get ahead of you in the line’?

This attitude stems from the simple fact that they do not see guests as manifestation of the same worshipable Supreme Lord.  They do not see that our dear Lord resides in every guest. If we can remember this simple fact, then we will never think of showing disrespect to anyone. The Supreme Lord is not pleased when we worship His Deities but do not show kindness to His children.

As devotees it is extremely important that we remember, realize, and practically apply these teachings of Lord Kapiladeva. We cannot become a pure devotee if we do not develop in us kindness, love, compassion, gratitude, and respect to every living entity. Pure devotional service means pleasing the Lord by all means. And this includes pleasing the Lord by pleasing His parts and parcels in whom the Lord resides.

SB 3.29.21-24: I am present in every living entity as the Supersoul. If someone neglects or disregards that Supersoul everywhere and engages himself in the worship of the Deity in the temple, that is simply imitation. One who worships the Deity of Godhead in the temples but does not know that the Supreme Lord, as Paramātmā, is situated in every living entity’s heart, must be in ignorance and is compared to one who offers oblations into ashes. One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities. My dear mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalia, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu (1.3.1), Srila Rupa Goswami gave nine symptoms of bhava bhakti or devotees who are situated in pure devotional service:

1. Perseverance: remaining tolerant and patient, even amid disturbance.
2. Utilization of time: Constant engagement in devotional service.
3. Detachment: Completely indifferent to the objects of sense gratification.
4. Absence of false prestige or pridelessness: To feel humble, free from the longing for being shown respect.
5. Hope: To be always certain that Krishna will bestow His mercy on oneself.
6. Intense Eagerness: An intense eagerness to achieve one’s desired supreme object.
7. Nama-gane sada ruci: Thirst arising out of affection for constantly chanting the Lord’s holy names.
8. Attachment to God’s qualities: A natural attachment to describe Lord’s qualities, pastimes and so on.
9. Desire to Live in Dhama: The desire to reside in the places of the Lord’s pastimes such as Vrndavana.

Srila Prabhupada has touched upon a few of these characteristics in his purports of the lesson. He writes that pure devotees are completely detached from any tinge of sense gratification that appears in the form of material or spiritual desires, or liberation in the form of salokya, sarsti, sarupya, samipya, or ekatva. “A pure devotee does not render loving service to the Personality of Godhead for any cause or for any benefit, material or spiritual. This is the first symptom of unalloyed devotion.” (SB 3.29.11-13 Purport)

He also writes that “A pure devotee must engage in the service of the Lord twenty-four hours a day, without cessation; his life is so molded that at every minute and every second he engages in some sort of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (SB 3.29.11-13 Purport)

As far my situation is concerned, I do not even have the courage to think that I will ever reach the level of pure devotional service anytime soon. This is because the mountain of anartas (unwanted bad habits), conditioning from past and present lives, and lack of any good qualification is so high and insurmountable. Therefore the only hope is hope as Srila Rupa Goswami has mentioned above –  hope that Krsna will certainly bestow His mercy in me and on all of us.

However, I need to do my part. In meditating on areas that I need to improve upon to attain the stage of pure devotional service, a few stand out.

1. Controlling my mind: I need to absorb my mind more intensely in Krsna consciousness. Lord Kapila mentioned that one’s mind should be at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I have difficulty controlling my mind and dovetailing it to Krsna’s service always. My mind is all over the place; it is hard for me to focus on any one thing for a long time. Like a restless monkey, my mind constantly jumps from thoughts of bhakti, to work, to bodily maintenance, to recreation, and so on. Unless I train my mind to fully devote to Krsna consciousness, my spiritual progress will be slow.
2. Using my time always for Krsna: Unless I engage my time fully in the service of the Lord twenty-four hours a day, there is no possibility of attaining the stage of pure devotion. I have increased my chanting rounds and other sadhana practices. But I get tired after a while and resort to other non-devotional activities. Performing bhakti seriously is an extremely intense matter. My body, mind, and senses are not able to cope with that level of intensity yet. I cannot chant 24 hours a day. I cannot read or hear 24 hours a day. I cannot do menial services for a long time due to bodily limitation. I hope with gradually with sustained practice, I will be able to devote more time to Krsna.
3. Getting rid of unwanted bad habits: Some of my anarthas are so deep-rooted that they are hard to get rid of. I have realized that I cannot uproot them on my own endeavors. Only Krsna can uproot them just as He killed the demons who represented different anarthas. Therefore, I need to surrender to Krsna more.
4. Improving the quality of my chanting: Chanting is my only hope and something that we all have some control over. I need to improve my quality of chanting. As I mentioned in my previous forum post, I was not guided properly during my early days in ISKCON. There was too much push to increase the number of rounds rather than increase the quality of chanting. I still carry that baggage. As soon as I think of the desire to improve my quality of chanting, my mind tells me that it is going to take a long time to complete my 16 rounds. Then I fall back on speed to finish my rounds, and thus hamper the quality of chanting. Basically what I am doing is chanting in the mode of ignorance or passion. This is the result of bad association and bad guidance as mentioned above. Srila Prabhupada said in the previous lesson that we should not keep company with a Vaisnava who is in the mode of ignorance. I wish I had known this when I started in ISKCON. I wish I had the right knowledge to discriminate between the various types of Vaisnavas. On the positive side, it’s not too late to correct the wrongs and bad practices.

Thankfully, I do not have any desire for any of the five kinds of liberation. I honestly don’t know what they mean or what their experience is like. Thank God! I also do not have many material desires except the desire that somehow my material life is not too disturbed that it will hamper my bhakti.

As we discussed agreed in today’s Zoom session, let’s keep going on this journey. There is no cause for disappointment, hopelessness, or giving up. We may not have any qualification. Krsna and His pure devotees are our only hope, shelter, and lighthouse of bhakti. We are all in this together. Let us keep marching forward holding each other’s hands for support, encouragement, guidance, understanding, compassion, and love. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In my personal bhakti journey, I have gone through all the three categories of devotional service.

Phase 1: Devotional service in the mode of goodness

Before I came into the association of devotees in ISKCON, I had the good fortune of receiving Bhagavad Gita As It Is from a sankirtana devotee here in USA. Of course, I read many versions of Bhagavad Gita in India but none of them left a lasting impression. But Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is changed everything – not immediately but gradually over the course of many years. When I read BG As It Is for the first time, I did not understand everything. The only two things I took away from that book are – (a) Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, (b) I must serve Him. Since I had no proper guidance from anyone on how to serve Krsna, I used to offer everything to Krsna based on the instructions in BG 9.27:

O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.

I hadn’t started hearing and chanting yet. I guess I would call this the phase of devotional service in the mood of goodness. I didn’t know fully what I was doing but at least I was trying to please Krsna even though I had material desires then.

BG 3.29.10 Purport: But if this offering process is in the mode of goodness rather than in pure devotion, then the interest is different. The four āśramas and the four varṇas act for some benefit in accordance with their personal interests. Therefore such activities are in the mode of goodness; they cannot be counted in the category of pure devotion.

Phase 2: Devotional service in the mode of ignorance

This would come as a shocker to many. As soon as I came into close association of devotees in one of the temples in USA, I had to undergo tremendous pressures. They would try to make me a pure devotee in one day. I was forced to buy lots of books (even though I neither had time nor proper philosophical grounding to understand these books). I was forced to start chanting as many rounds as possible immediately. If I started with one round, I was asked to jump to 4 rounds, then 8 rounds, and so on. As a show of their accomplishment, they would issue me a certificate that certifies that I am chanting number of fixed rounds every day. The devotee who encouraged (aka pressurized me) to chant would get the credits from his superiors. Of course, there was also pressure to donate monthly to the temple. All these happened within first couple of months of joining ISKCON. I was also cheated of my money by a particular devotee. On top of this, my family was not supportive of me joining ISKCON because they heard stories of bad experiences from other people. I was very angry and vengeful. I would call this devotional service in the mode of ignorance. It is unbelievable that I fell from devotional service from the mode of goodness (pre-ISKCON days) to devotional service in the mode of ignorance (ISKCON days). I do not appreciate nor understand these kinds of preaching strategies. Therefore, whenever new devotees come in my association, I never pressurize them to do anything. They are like flower buds. We need to give them time and space to bloom fully. Let them do whatever they like to do for Krsna joyfully.

SB 3.29.8 Purport: One who approaches the Supreme Lord to render devotional service but who is proud of his personality, envious of others or vengeful is in the mode of anger. He thinks that he is the best devotee. Devotional service executed in this way is not pure; it is mixed and is of the lowest grade, tāmasaḥ.

Phase 3: Devotional service on the mode of passion

I would say I fall into this category from time to time. I do not have any desire for material enjoyment, fame and opulence. But I do execute devotional service to Krsna from time to time to get relief from immediate material distress -such as sickness in the family, financial/job crisis, etc. I am not sure whether praying to Krsna for such relief can be considered pure devotional service because there is an element of self-interest in my service. I am basically treating the kind Lord as my order supplier. There is an element of separatist mentality.

SB 3.29.9 Purport: Mixed devotees, or devotees in the modes of passion and ignorance, think that the interest of the Supreme Lord is supplying the orders of the devotee; the interest of such devotees is to draw from the Lord as much as possible for their sense gratification. This is the separatist mentality. Actually, pure devotion is explained in the previous chapter: the mind of the Supreme Lord and the mind of the devotee should be dovetailed. A devotee should not wish anything but to execute the desire of the Supreme. However I do not have the Mayavadi mentality where I think myself one with the Supreme Lord. I am an eternal servant of Krsna, and I must serve Him favorably always.

Phase 4: Pure Devotional Service

My desire and ultimate goal are to reach the stage of pure devotional service. I want to serve Krsna without any material desire, fruitive goals, and mental speculation. I want to please Krsna without any tinge of selfishness and sense-gratification, and under the guidance of my spiritual master and the scriptures.

BRS 1.1.11: ‘When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, as Kṛṣṇa desires.’

SB 3.29.10 Purport: Pure devotional service as described by Rūpa Gosvāmī is free from all material desires. Anyābhilāṣitā–śūnyam. There can be no excuse for personal or material interest. Devotional activities should be transcendental to fruitive activities and empiric philosophical speculation. Pure devotional service is transcendental to all material qualities.

SB 3.29.8 Purport: In pure devotional service, the only motive should be to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is not actually a motive; that is the pure condition of the living entity. In the conditioned stage, when one engages in devotional service he should follow the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master in full surrender. The spiritual master is the manifested representation of the Supreme Lord because he receives and presents the instructions of the Lord, as they are, by disciplic succession…To act under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master with a motive to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pure devotional service.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Having gone through a few chapters of Lord Kapiladeva’s teachings to His mother Devahuti, I could see a pattern in His instructions on detachment and devotional service to the Supreme Lord. He arrives at the path of liberation from material bondage and bhakti through different angles.

In chapter 25 (The Glories of Devotional Service), Lord Kapiladeva recommends that bhakti performed without material desires consisting  of (i) senses that serve the Supreme Lord as confirmed by the scriptures and guru and (ii) mind that is exclusively dedicated to the Lord on a spontaneous level (bhava) is superior to liberation. Such bhakti quickly destroys the subtle body as the digestive fire consumes food. He concludes by saying that the greatest benefit can be achieved only by offering one’s mind in intense bhakti to the Lord. (SB 3.25.32, 33, 44)

In chapter 26 (Fundamental Principles of Material Nature), Lord Kapiladeva explains the different features of material elements, knowing which one (i) is freed from influence of material modes, (ii) attains perfection of self-realization, and (iii) cuts the knot of attachment to material world. (SB 3.26.1-2). He concludes by saying that the goal of understanding the material elements is to contemplate the Supersoul through devotion, detachment and spiritual knowledge. (SB 3.26.72)

In chapter 27 (Understanding Material Nature), Lord Kapiladeva explains that one can get liberation by intense practice of devotional service. By such serious practice, the influence of prakrti over jiva can be removed, just as wooden sticks that cause a fire are themselves consumed by it. Prakrti cannot harm one who knows the absolute truth or the elements, has fixed his mind on the Supreme Lord, and rejoices in the self. When his heart is no longer attracted to the by-products of yoga, he can attain liberation, where death cannot overcome him. (SB 3.26.21-22, 26, 30)

Now in chapter 28, Lord Kapiladeva talks about different limbs of astanga-yoga but stresses on dhyana/meditation on the individual limbs of the Lord as perfect way to attain liberation. By such meditation, one gradually develops love for the Lord, exhibiting symptoms like the hairs standing and tears rolling. Gradually, one withdraws his hook-like mind from all material activity. Once the mind is fully detached from material contamination, the body of such a liberated yogi is taken charge of by the Lord. Such liberated yogi sees the presence of the Supersoul in all beings and all beings in the Supersoul. The yogi knows the oneness and difference between the Supreme Lord and the tiny living entities (acintya-bheda-abhedha tattva). Lord Kapiladeva wants us to fully understand the distinction between the body and the spirit. Our children, wealth, etc. are not really ours; they are related to the body. As long as the body exists, such false relationships also exist. There is a difference between the body and the soul just as there is a difference between blazing firewood, sparks, the flame and smoke from the fire. Similarly, the Supersoul is different from the individual soul, who is combined with the senses, the five elements and consciousness. That Supersoul quantitatively different from the small individual soul.

One who understands the distinction between the Supersoul and the individual soul is above lamentation and is in a peaceful position. The living entity knows that he can never become quantitatively as big as the Supersoul; he will always be subservient to the Supersoul. The small living entities are eternally part and parcel, and therefore it is not possible for them to be quantitatively as great as the Supersoul. The small living entity is eternally a servant of the Supreme Lord. Once when is firmly fixed in this understanding and therefore surrenders to the Supreme Soul, he can become free from the spell of maya. Krsna, being the Lord of the illusory energy, can order the insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul. He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on the surrendered soul and out of His paternal affection for the living entity, who is originally a beloved son of the lord. Therefore surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is the only means to get free from the clutches of the stringent material nature.

However things do not end with surrender. The real activity – pure devotional service – begins from the point of complete surrender to the Lord. Before full surrender and release from maya, one engages in activities based on false identification with the body. When one is situated in his real self, then the activities of Brahman realization begin. Activity never stops. It just gets purer and more blissful with the level of surrender.

BG 18.54: One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.

Perfect devotional service means completely free from the spell of maya, and this stage is attainable only at the stage of brahman.

How fortunate are we to be able to engage in devotional service to the Lord beginning with hearing and chanting. Our devotional service may not be pure and perfect yet; but we are on the path of attaining complete liberation from the spell of maya on our way to achieving self-realization and pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord. The journey is long, and the destination seems very far away. But we are getting closer to Krsna’s lotus feet each day by practicing bhakti sincerely. Lord Kapiladeva gives us the assurance that

“For those who engage in devotional service there is no spell of māyā, and their situation is all-perfect. The duty of the living entity, as a part and parcel of the whole, is to render devotional service to the whole. That is the ultimate perfection of life.” (SB 3.28. 44 Purport)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

One of the beautiful things of studying Srimad Bhagavatam regularly and scrutinizingly, especially in the association of like-minded devotees and under the guidance of our experienced teachers, is that it inspires me to revisit some of the fundamental concepts of Krsna consciousness philosophy from time to time. This lesson provided one such instance where I had to question my understanding about the nature of gross and subtle bodies. We have been studying this topic throughout Lord Kapiladeva’s teachings to Mother Devahuti and surprisingly the doubt did not arise in my mind until now.

This lesson has been an eye-opener especially when I got to the section where it is mentioned that we do not need to engage the mind artificially after a certain point. Secondly, when it is mentioned that samadhi is the highest stage of meditation, it is a shocker to hear Srila Prabhupada’s statement that “meditation, which is an action of the mind, is not the perfect stage of samādhi, or absorption.” He also says that “In the beginning the mind is employed in attracting the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but in the higher stages there is no question of using the mind.” (SB 3.28.34 Purport)

This naturally begged the question: if we have no use of the mind in the higher stages, how do devotees in the spiritual world (such as the gopis) always remain absorbed in remembering Krsna? Isn’t this not a function of the mind? Then I remembered something. The mind is part of the subtle body; we have both gross and subtle body. Once we become liberated and give up our material body to attain our eternal spiritual form, we relinquish both our gross and subtle bodies. This means we also give up the mind, intelligence, and false ego. If we do not have the mind in the spiritual form, how do we constantly think about Krsna and have our desires? This really left me bewildered. Eventually I had to place my doubt to our dear teacher – HG Dhruva Maharaja prabhu. He responded immediately and put all the doubts to rest.

In essence, Dhruva prabhu’s response is that we also have our senses, mind, intelligence, ego, feelings, and desires in our spiritual form. Just like the senses we have in our material bodies; we have the same senses in our spiritual body. The only difference is that the soul’s senses, intelligence, mind, ego, feelings, and desires are pure and transcendental and fully awakened in relation to Krsna. Spiritual bodies are eternal and full of knowledge and complete happiness. Free of the limitations of matter, simply by their will they can achieve, acquire, or do almost anything. He said that our material body is only a covering on our spiritual body. The natural spiritual impulses are filtered through contaminated consciousness, false ego, intelligence, and mind……then manifest as if generated from the material subtle material elements. The spiritual impulses flow through subtle material energy and only appear as if generated from one’s mind and intelligence.

He also gave the example of Krsna having His own senses, desires, and thoughts. This led me to another chain of dangerous thought. If my earlier misconception of jivas having no sense in the spiritual world is true, then this principle should also apply to Krsna. After all, jivas are qualitatively same as Krsna but quantitatively different. Then I realized that depriving Krsna of any sense would have been a major Mayavada fallacy. Mayavadis attribute Krsna having no senses; they think He is Nirguna. Suddenly the inner Paramatma made me remember a famous beautiful verse of Sri Brahma Samhita 5.32 which stopped by erroneous thought from going further:

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti
paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.”

The essence of this verse is that Krsna also has senses like us, but His senses are completely spiritual. He performs all varieties of divine spiritual functions with every one of His limbs.

Therefore, the takeaway for me from this great topic is that we have to purify our material senses to revive the covered spiritual senses. And for this we need to engage the mind constantly in the process.

“The mind is used to purify the senses, but when the senses are purified by meditation, there is no need to sit in a particular place and try to meditate upon the form of the Lord. One becomes so habituated that he automatically engages in the personal service of the Lord.” (SB 3.28.34 Purport)

When the mind is thus completely freed from all material contamination and detached from material objectives, it is just like the flame of a lamp. At that time the mind is actually dovetailed with that of the Supreme Lord and is experienced as one with Him because it is freed from the interactive flow of the material qualities. (SB 3.28.35)

Thus situated in the highest transcendental stage, the mind ceases from all material reaction and becomes situated in its own glory, transcendental to all material conceptions of happiness and distress. At that time the yogī realizes the truth of his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He discovers that pleasure and pain as well as their interactions, which he attributed to his own self, are actually due to the false ego, which is a product of ignorance. (SB 3.28.36)

“When the devotee’s mind is purified and he understands that his mind has to be dovetailed with the desires of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has attained the perfectional, transcendental stage, which is beyond the perception of material distress and happiness…When the mind is dovetailed to act according to the desire of the Lord, one has attained the transcendental stage.” (SB 3.28.36 Purport)

Therefore, we have to engage in chanting the holy name of the Lord using our mind and tongue. Ceto-darpana-marjanam. By chanting the holy name, we will be able to purify our gross and subtle senses and become fully free from contaminated consciousness.

Thank you, Dhruva Maharaja prabhu, for your help in enhancing my understanding.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Since it is strongly recommended that our meditation should start with the lotus feet of the Lord, I would like to stick to the lotus feet for my forum meditation (considering my neophyte status).

CC Madhya 8.252:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “What should all living entities constantly remember?”

Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “The chief objects of remembrance are always the Lord’s holy name, qualities and pastimes.”

There are many forms of meditation and meditation techniques. But in the conversation above, Sri Ramananda Raya indicates that the chief meditation is to fix one’s mind on the beautiful lotus feet of the Lord. It is said that Krsna’s lotus feet are the perfect object of meditation because they remove all fear, remove ignorance, sever attachment to material life, gives liberation, and fulfills the desires of the devotees.

SB 3.28.21 Purport: If a yogī looks upon the marks of the Lord’s sole and on the blazing brilliance of His nails, then he can be freed from the darkness of ignorance in material existence. This liberation is not achieved by mental speculation, but by seeing the light emanating from the lustrous toenails of the Lord. In other words, one has to fix his mind first on the lotus feet of the Lord if he wants to be freed from the darkness of ignorance in material existence.

In all scriptures we find that meditation on the lotus feet of the Lord is the only way for purification from all material contamination and attain pure devotional service. We find immense glorification of the Lord’s lotus feet in all the scriptures. And when the scriptures and acharyas tell us to surrender to God, we are asked to surrender at the Lord’s lotus feet because the Lord protects and blesses everyone by His lotus feet. That’s why scriptures/acharyas generally do not instruct us to take shelter at His hand or face. In the case of humans, people in general use their feet to kick or stamp others, whereas the Lord’s lotus feet are glorified as the only place to go for shelter from all troubles in this world. What to speak of ordinary living entities, even Lord Siva became more auspicious and important by accepting the Ganges water on his head. (Radha-Govinda Meditation Techniques)

SB 3.28.22: The blessed Lord Śiva becomes all the more blessed by bearing on his head the holy waters of the Ganges, which has its source in the water that washed the Lord’s lotus feet. The Lord’s feet act like thunderbolts hurled to shatter the mountain of sin stored in the mind of the meditating devotee. One should therefore meditate on the lotus feet of the Lord for a long time.

One thing that I find really perplexing is that one will not be able to fix his mind on the Lord’s lotus feet if one does not have a pure heart and a peaceful mind. On the contrary, it is said the purity of heart and mind is not without meditation on the lotus feet of the Lord. So it is a paradox. It is kind of a chicken and egg story; what came first? When our mind is filled with material desires, lust, anger and greed on account of its association with the material energy from time immemorial, it is just impossible to fix the mind on the lotus feet of the Lord. However, that purity of heart and a peaceful mind is attained only by meditating on His lotus feet.

SB 3.28.22 Purport: The mind of the conditioned soul, on account of its association with the material energy from time immemorial, contains heaps of dirt in the form of desires to lord it over material nature. This dirt is like a mountain, but a mountain can be shattered when hit by a thunderbolt. Meditating on the lotus feet of the Lord acts like a thunderbolt on the mountain of dirt in the mind of the yogī. If a yogī wants to shatter the mountain of dirt in his mind, he should concentrate on the lotus feet of the Lord and not imagine something void or impersonal. Because the dirt has accumulated like a solid mountain, one must meditate on the lotus feet of the Lord for quite a long time.

The true mission in life is to cross the ocean of nescience, of repeated birth and death. SB 10.2.30 says, “O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one’s meditation on Your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of mahājanas [great saints, sages and devotees]. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf.”

“For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the demon Mura, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint. His goal is paraṁ padam, or Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.” (Bhāg. 10.14.58)

Therefore, it is important that chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord must go in conjunction with the meditation on the Lord’s lotus feet. By chanting Krsna’s holy names, one attains both peace and purity. We can take shelter of His lotus feet by chanting His holy names. It takes humility and surrender to do so. The Lord’s lotus feet are the perfect shelter because they protect the devotees from the dangers of material life. When Akrura was going to Vraja and saw the lotus footprints of the Lord, he got down from his chariot and began to roll in the dust and pray to these footprints. Similarly, if we take shelter of Krsna’s lotus feet and meditate on Them, then naturally we will attain Krsna’s shelter.

After studying this lesson, it is my personal sankalpa to practice meditation on Krsna’s beautiful lotus feet, especially while chanting the holy name. I keep the picture of the sole of Krsna’s lotus feet with its various symbols in front of me during my japa. I thank our teachers for sharing the picture in the lesson post. I especially suffer from immense fear about everything. That fear can be mitigated only by fixing my mind and taking shelter of Krsna’s lotus feet.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In Bhakti-Rasamrta Sindhu (BRS 1.2.4), Srila Rupa Goswami has summarized the whole essence of Krsna consciousness in the following verse –

Yena kena prakarena manah Krsna nivesayet

“Somehow or other just engage your mind in Krsna.”

Also, in Padma Purana there is a famous verse,

smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇurvismartavyo na jātucitsarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syuretayor eva kiṅkarāḥ

“‘Kṛṣṇa is the origin of Lord Viṣṇu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the śāstras should be the servants of these two principles.’”

In this regard, the teachings of both Lord Kapiladeva and Lord Caitanya are the same because the ultimate goal is one – to always fix the mind on Krsna. Only the process to attain the goal is different according to time, place, and circumstances. Lord Kapiladeva’s instructions to Mother Devahuti were practical and possible during Satya-yuga. What is possible then is not possible now. What to speak of now? It was not even possible 5000 years ago. Five thousand years ago, Arjuna had much better facilities than we do now, yet he refused to accept the system of dhyana-yoga recommended by Lord Krsna. Arjuna said:

BG 6.33-34: O Madhusūdana, the system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady. The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kṛṣṇa, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.

If the environment was not conducive 5000 years ago for yogic practice, things are harder now. The present age is characterized by a bitter struggle for existence.

SB 1.1.10: “O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.” (SB 1.1.10)

With such a disturbed mine, it is almost impossible to perform astanga-yoga in the present age. It is difficult to master correct asanas, regulate breathing, withdraw the senses from material objects, and so on.

The ultimate stage of astanga-yoga is samadhi. Samadhi is the state of the mind’s being virtually absorbed in the Lord. Performing the eight-limbed astanga-yoga is liking taking stairs to the top of the building (samadhi). Lord Caitanya is so kind that He has given us an elevator to reach the top. That elevator is the constant chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord and thus fixing the mind on the Lord.

SB 3.28.11 purport — “For every item in the yoga system there is a parallel activity in bhakti-yoga, but the practice of bhakti-yoga is easier for this age. What was introduced by Lord Caitanya is not a new interpretation. Bhakti-yoga is a feasible process that begins with chanting and hearing. Bhakti-yoga and other yogas have as their ultimate goal the same Personality of Godhead, but one is practical, and the others are difficult.”

Even five thousand years ago, Lord Krsna confirmed to Arjuna that of the two processes (astanga-yoga and bhakti-yoga), the path of bhakti-yoga is better and one can reach the highest platform by this process.

BG 6.47: And of all yogīs, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself and renders transcendental loving service to Me – he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport, “The culmination of all kinds of yoga practices lies in bhakti yoga…If one is fortunate enough to come to the point of bhakti-yoga, it is to be understood that he has surpassed all other yogas.”

SB 3.28.18 purport — “One has to fix his mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly. When one is accustomed to thinking of one of the innumerable forms of the Lord — Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, Rāma, Nārāyaṇa, etc. — he has reached the perfection of yoga. This is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā: a person who has developed pure love for the Lord, and whose eyes are smeared with the ointment of transcendental loving exchange, always sees within his heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotees especially see the Lord in the beautiful blackish form of Śyāmasundara. That is the perfection of yoga.”

BG 6.47 Purport: The ideal yogī concentrates his attention on Kṛṣṇa, who is called Śyāmasundara, who is as beautifully colored as a cloud, whose lotuslike face is as effulgent as the sun, whose dress is brilliant with jewels, and whose body is flower-garlanded. Illuminating all sides is His gorgeous luster, which is called the brahma-jyotir. He incarnates in different forms such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha and Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He descends like a human being, as the son of mother Yaśodā, and He is known as Kṛṣṇa, Govinda and Vāsudeva. He is the perfect child, husband, friend and master, and He is full with all opulences and transcendental qualities. If one remains fully conscious of these features of the Lord, he is called the highest yogī.

Therefore, it is a matter of great comfort that the eight-limbed astanga-yoga and the nine-limbed bhakti-yoga (Sravan, kirtanam, visno smaranam, etc.) are one and the same thing. The process of meditating on the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within oneself and the process of chanting the glories and pastimes of the Lord are the same. The only difference is that hearing and fixing the mind on the pastimes of the Lord through the chanting of the Holy Name is easier than visualizing the form of the Lord within one’s heart.

It is said that whatever purpose is served by a small well of water is naturally served in all respects by a large lake (BG 2.46). Similarly whatever purpose is served by the practice of astanga-yoga taught by Lord Kapiladeva is easily served by the process of chanting the Holy Name of the Lord taught by Lord Caitanya.

Let us therefore chant the Holy Name of the Lord with full relish, attention, and detachment because is the yuga-dharma of this age.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Hearing Lord Kapila’s various yoga practices in SB 3.28 sounds overwhelming and makes me quite discouraged. Hearing Him speak about concentrating the mind, performing prescribed duties, being satisfied with gain achieved by the grace of the Lord, being frugal in eating, living a secluded life, practicing nonviolence and truthfulness, abstaining from sex life, performing austerity, being clean, studying the Vedas and worshiping the Lord are just too many mountains to climb. As such, I am struggling with chanting attentively and following the four regulative principles while performing my so-called material duties. This itself is too much austerity for me. As if this is not enough, Lord Kapila continues to recommend more yoga practices and austerity. Looks like I can never make it to attaining perfection.

Srila Prabhupada’s statement is also a bit confusing. On one hand, he recommends us to go back to Godhead and not struggling in this material world. On the other hand, he says, “A mixed devotee engages in devotional service for the spiritual benefit of being eternally engaged in the transcendental abode of the Lord in full bliss and knowledge.” (SB 3.27.27 Purport) Is desiring to go back to Godhead and serve Krsna doesn’t fall under pure devotional service? I am confused.

Long story short, there is no way I can achieve perfection in devotional service by my own endeavors. I am so materially conditioned and struggling to stay steady in bhakti. The only way I can achieve perfection is by the causeless mercy of Krsna. I need to do my part while at the same time must pray to Krsna for help. What is impossible with His mercy? By Krsna’s mercy, little Dhruva Maharaja attained perfection within six months. By His mercy, Gajendra was released from the jaws of the crocodile and became delivered. By His mercy, Mother Yasoda could bind Krsna after great endeavor. She kept trying again and again but each time the rope fell short by two fingers. Finally Krsna, seeing His mother becoming tired and exhausted, decided to be bound and come under her loving control. By Krsna’s mercy, Arjuna and the Pandavas were victorious in the battlefield of Kuruksetra against the Kauravas even though the latter had a greater army and more skilled warriors like Bhismadeva, Duryodhana, Karna, etc. If these great souls had to rely on Krsna’s mercy, what can an insignificant jiva like me accomplish by myself? I must therefore completely surrender to Krsna and pray for His mercy. Krsna promises in BG 9.22, “But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.”

In fact, one of the six limbs of surrender to Krsna(saranagati) is to be firmly convinced that Krsna will give us protection. No one else can actually give one protection, and being firmly convinced of this is called faith. Krsna is merciful to His devotees and gives them all protection from the dangers found on the path of devotional service. “The Lord helps the devotee to achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness by yoga, and when he becomes fully Kṛṣṇa conscious the Lord protects him from falling down to a miserable conditioned life.” (BG 9.22 Purport)

The best way achieve Krsna’s mercy is to follow the instructions of our acaryas and distributing Krsna consciousness to others. Our goal as devotees is to achieve Krsna prema, to join Krsna’s pastimes in Goloka Vrindavana. However, this is normally a very high and difficult goal. In the Brhad Bhagavatamrta, we get the information that even extraordinarily exalted devotees like Narada and Uddhava aspire to join Krsna’s pastimes there. The only real way for us is through the mercy of Lord Caitanya, who is easily satisfied when someone spreads Krsna consciousness.

“One should endeavor for that which is never obtained by wandering up and down the universe as a result of the reactions of karma. What is that? One should endeavor to become Krsna conscious. If one tries to spread Krsna consciousness all over the world, he should be understood to be performing the best welfare activity. The Lord is automatically very pleased with him. If the Lord is pleased with him, what is left for him to achieve? If one has been recognized by the Lord, even if he does not ask the Lord for anything, the Lord, who is within everyone, supplies him whatever he wants. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (tesam nityabhiyuktanam yoga-ksemam vahamy aham [Bg. 9.22]). Again, as stated here, tapyante loka-tapena sadhavah prayaso janah. The best welfare activity is raising people to the platform of Krsna consciousness, since the conditioned souls are suffering only for want of Krsna consciousness.” (SB 8.7.44 purport)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

It is conclusively established in the scriptures that one can get liberation from the bondage of material nature ONLY by performing pure devotional service unto the Supreme Lord.

BG 7.14: This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

On a side note, I could not fully understand from the conversation of Mother Devahuti and Lord Kapiladeva whether complete release from the material nature is possible for the spirit soul. What I understood is that complete release is not possible because both material nature and the spirit soul are two different potencies of the Supreme Lord. The spirit soul is the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, and matter is the external potency of the Lord. The two eternal potencies have somehow or other been combined, and therefore it is difficult to separate one from the other.

What struck me from their conversation is the usage of the words ‘seriously’ and ‘strongly’.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One can get liberation by seriously discharging devotional service unto Me and thereby hearing for a long time about Me or from Me. By thus executing one’s prescribed duties, there will be no reaction, and one will be freed from the contamination of matter. This devotional service has to be performed strongly in perfect knowledge and with transcendental vision. One must be strongly renounced and must engage in austerity and perform mystic yoga in order to be firmly fixed in self-absorption. (SB 3.27.21-22)

This shows that getting release from the material bondage is not easy. It is possible only by SERIOUS, STRONG, and STEADY engagement in devotional service. Lord Kapiladeva says that we must continue to hear about Krsna or from Krsna for ‘a long time’.

As conditioned souls living in Kali, we are restless to achieve immediate results. We want everything quickly and instantly. We want instant food, instant heating/cooling system, instant customer service, instant ordering and returning policy, etc. We carry this material conditioning to spiritual realm and expect immediate results. We perform bhakti for a few years and start doubting the process if we think we haven’t made much progress in bhakti. I have heard devotees complain, ‘I have been chanting for so many years but why am I not advancing?’ The answer lies in Lord Kapiladeva’s teachings. It is important to ask ourselves from time to time, “Am I performing bhakti seriously and strongly? Am I chanting without any offenses? Am I able to put my mind, action, and words in remembering Lord Krsna’s lotus feet?”

Bhakti is a relatively simple process as compared to jnana-yoga, astanga-yoga, and so on. What is difficult is to continue our bhakti for a prolonged period of time without observing symptoms of progress. It’s like being in-flight for a long time and not reaching anywhere. But the fact is we are travelling closer to our destination every minute. This is why Srila Rupa Goswami says in Nectar of Instruction Verse 3:

“There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.”

He mentions being enthusiastic, being confident and being patient. All three are important. It is important to always stay enthusiastic. Enthusiasm means action, but action for whom? The answer is that one should always act for Kṛṣṇa – kṛṣṇārthākhila-ceṣṭā (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu). Secondly, one should be confident and patient. The successful execution of Kṛṣṇa conscious activities requires both patience and confidence. A newly married girl naturally expects offspring from her husband, but she cannot expect to have them immediately after marriage. Of course, as soon as she is married she can attempt to get a child, but she must surrender to her husband, confident that her child will develop and be born in due time. Similarly, in devotional service surrender means that one has to become confident. The devotee thinks, avaśya rakṣibe kṛṣṇa: “Kṛṣṇa will surely protect me and give me help for the successful execution of devotional service.” This is called confidence. (NOI 3 Purport)

“Since all the devotees of the Lord are under the protection of His supreme potency, they should not deviate from the path of devotional service and take to the path of the karmī, jñānī or yogī. This is called utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, enthusiastically executing the regulative activities of devotional service with patience and confidence. In this way one can advance in devotional service without hindrance.” (NOI 3 Purport)

At a personal life, I have extremely confident about the process and promise of bhakti. What I am struggling with is complete absorption in the Supreme Lord. I am trying to be aware of the diktats of my mind and try to bring it back to Krsna whenever it deviates. This applies while chanting, reading, and performing services at home or temple. I think small steps like this will make a difference. I am not yet at a stage where I am able to fix my mind on Krsna 24 hours a day. Hopefully with patience and enthusiasm, I will get there some day. Therefore, I do not expect perfection in one lifetime. Considering my limited capability and late start to bhakti, I am determined to continue this process for many lifetimes. It is hard to erase countless lifetimes of material conditioning in one lifetime. This is why I like Lord Kapiladeva mentioning ‘hearing for a long time about Me or from Me.’ It is important to remain fixed in devotional service. Remaining fixed on the transcendental platform is liberation from material entanglement.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Studying Srimad Bhagavatam regularly removes our misconceptions about lot of things. I used to have some misunderstanding about the concept of liberation. I used to think that liberation is possible only when one is free from this material world. As long as one is in this material world, one is considered conditioned. Of course, this principle does not apply to liberated souls who come to this material world to execute Lord’s mission. For example, our dear Srila Prabhupada is eternally liberated. My misconception rose from the scriptural view that jivas are either eternally conditioned or eternally liberated (nitya-baddha and nitya-mukta). Therefore, for a conditioned jiva to transcend the conditioned stage, he has to transcend this material world first. The analogy is a prisoner in a prison. As long as he is inside the prison serving his sentence, he cannot be considered liberated. Only when he completes his sentence and is released from prison does he become liberated. I thought the same principle applied to material conditioning and liberation.

This lesson teaches us that one can attain liberation even while being in his so-called material body and within this material world. Liberation basically (at least in the beginning) means change in consciousness. As long as one thinks he is the enjoyer due to false ego, he is considered conditioned. But when one comes to the realization that he is an eternal servant of Krsna and acts in that consciousness, he is considered liberated.

The question is, how does a liberated soul think, feel, and act? The answer is given in SB 3.27.11. A liberation soul realizes the Supersoul to be – (a) transcendental, (b) manifest as a reflection even in the false ego, (c) the cause of prakrti, (d) pervading into everything, (e) one without a second, (f) absolute, and (g) the eyes of the illusory energy. This means a pure devotee (and a liberated soul) sees the presence of the Supreme Lord as a reflection in everything material manifested. He does not see anything but Krsna, and in everything he sees that the energy of Krsna is acting. This means he is no longer under the illusion of false ego but thinks that he is a spirit soul – part and parcel of Krsna. When one is reflected through the material contamination of the body and mind in false identification, he is in the conditional state, but when he is reflected in the pure stage, he is called liberated. (SB 3.27.13 Purport).

Next question is how does one become liberated? As our teachers posted in the forum post, the yogic process outlined by Lord Krsna to Arjuna is not possible in this age. It is said that in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed. (SB 1.1.10). Due to a troublesome and restless mind, it is not at all possible to perform the eight-fold mystic yoga process to attain liberation. Nor does one have a long-life span to achieve yogic perfection in this age.

Considering the miserable condition of the conditioned soul, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whose appearance day would be celebrated in a few days, advented in this age of Kali Yuga to bestow what no incarnation has ever bestowed before. He has given us nama-sankirtana (chanting of the Holy Name) by which we can achieve all perfection – even in this lifetime. Not only do we achieve liberation but also, we achieve Krsna-prema. What could be more glorious and higher than this? If we sincerely follow the teachings of Mahaprabhu, we will attain the goal of becoming a liberated soul. For this, we have to sincerely engage in the nine types of devotional service beginning from hearing, chanting, remembering, etc.

“By the practice of Krsna consciousness, however, one engages in nine types of devotional service to the Lord. The first and foremost of such devotional engagements is hearing about Krsna. This is a very powerful transcendental method for purging the mind of all misgivings….This is practical because by hearing about Krsna one becomes automatically attached to the Supreme Spirit. This attachment is called paresanubhuti spiritual satisfaction. It is just like the feeling of satisfaction a hungry man has for every morsel of food he eats. Similarly, by discharge of devotional service, one feels transcendental satisfaction as the mind becomes detached from material objectives. It is something like curing a disease by expert treatment and appropriate diet. Hearing of the transcendental activities of Lord Krsna is therefore expert treatment for the mad mind, and eating the foodstuff offered to Krsna is the appropriate diet for the suffering patient. This treatment is the process of Krsna consciousness.” (BG 6.35-36 Purport)

īhā yasya harer dāsye | karmaṇā manasā girā | nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu |jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

“A person acting in the service of Kṛṣṇa with his body, mind and words is a liberated person even in the material world, although he may be engaged in many so-called material activities.” (BRS 1.2.187)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!