Articles from The Harmonist

The distinction between sat and a-sat is not merely subjective. One cannot become sat by simply wishing to be sat. The conditioned soul cannot get rid of his fetters of relative cognition by his own efforts. Mental speculation is bound to lead its victim into a blind lane. No amount of mental cogitation can produce real enlightenment or afford real relief from our blinding limitations. It will not do to call any condition good if it is to be found to be of no use to the soul. All impermanent relief is thus proved to be really illusory and, therefore, harmful in one way or another, in as much as it tends to perpetuate the delusion. This is the radical defect of so-called conventional morality. This defect cannot be removed by persisting in the old groove. It is necessary to find out a method of getting out of the vicious groove if any permanent and real relief is to be expected.

The unfortunate Mayavadi, being deprived of the association of devotees, fails to understand the words spoken by the devotees and considers the devotee to be a babbler like himself. But who is ultimately cheated by this? The devotee, by rejecting the bad association of the Mayavadi and by dint of serving Hari, has reached the highest position. The Mayavadi, along with a few more backwards materialists, thinks that he has preached gaura-bhakti (albeit mixed with Mayavada). In reality, it is like stealing iron from a blacksmith and they are simply creating an unsubstantial, materialistic, greedy sampradaya. Comparatively, if one follows the path shown by the Rupanugas and mentally leaves the association of uselessly argumentative, atheistic Mayavadis, then hari-bhajana becomes easy.

What are the Scriptures? They are nothing but the record by the pure devotees of the Divine Message appearing on the lips of the pure devotees. The Message conveyed by the devotees is the same in all ages. The words of the devotees are ever identical with the Scriptures. Any meaning of the Scriptures that belittles the function of the devotee who is the original communicant of the Divine Message contradicts its own claim to be heard. Those who think that the Sanskrit language in its lexicographical sense is the language of the Divinity are as deluded as those who hold that the Divine Message is communicable through any other spoken dialects.

This life is short in comparison with the eternal life. We should pay more attention to preparation for that life. We may attend to some of our primary necessaries of this life and need not be deprived. But this need not lead us to forget that this is not the summum bonum and to consider that we should have purely mundane interest and should have no interest in the eternal Transcendental.

The method of submissive listening to the tidings of the spiritual world, which transcends without ignoring this phenomenal universe, from the lips of emancipated souls who serve eternally and exclusively the real Truth, is only way of obtaining the grace of Divine enlightenment. The Harmonist stands for this principle by theory and practice. She is by principle and practice the eternal and exclusive servant of the servants of the Lord and her sole duty is to try to please only them, and thereby continue the method and purpose of Thakur Bhaktivinode, embodied in the Sajjanatoshani, the humble maid-in-waiting on the servants of the Lord.