All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru Gaurāṅga
By Śrīla Shyam Das Baba (Date 29.06.2024)
We should never violate the instructions of śāstra vichar, because Bhagavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa has given the following advice to Arjuna in Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā that—
tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te
kāryākārya-vyavasthitau
jñātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaṁ
karma kartum ihārhasi (Bg. 16.24)
One should therefore understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.
As per the scriptural evidences found in Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa or Śrīmad Bhagavat Mahā Purāṇa etc. we know that—‘Brahmahatyā papa’ was divided and distributed into four parts which was committed by the king of heaven Indra. Those women and trees and water and land they all took the share of that ‘Brahmahatyā papa’ which was committed by the king of heaven Indra Mahārāj by killing Trasta Nandan Visvarūpa. Those women, trees, water and land all they took the share of that Brahmahātya papa which was committed by him. Mother earth (Dharaṇī-devī) Bhuśakti Viṣṇupriya Devi (or Kamakshya Devi) also took the share of that Brahmahatyā Papa, so as a result particularly on that Amabichi tithi Dharaṇī-devī—she becomes sick due to period time, so anyhow it is strictly prohibited to disturb Dharaṇī-devī during that period, then what to speak about digging the earth. ‘Amabichi tithi’ – this not being a Vaiṣṇava tithi – we cannot get any direct instruction about this in our Vaiṣṇava śāstra like Hari-bhakti-vilāsa etc. openly, but according to Brhad-bhagavatāmṛta vichar we should give honour and respect to any form of svarūpa śakti, even if coming indirectly like Durga, Chamunda etc. Some slokas are given from Brhad-bhagavatāmṛta for your kind consideration.
evaṃ dharaṇy api jñeyā parāś ca bhagavat-priyāḥ |
tathaiva bhagavac-chaktir api sā jñāyatāṃ tvayā || 172 ||
Just as Mahā-Lakṣmī is Bhagavān’s beloved, so is Dharaṇī-devī. One should understand that this is so for all the śaktis of the Lord.
mahā-vibhūti-śabdena yoga-śabdena ca kvacit |
yogamāyādi-śabdena ya kvacic ca nigadyate || 173 ||
The Lord’s śakti is known variously in different places by such names as Mahā-vibhūti, Yoga, and Yogamāyā.
ya sāndra-sac-cid-ānanda-vilāsābhyudayātmikā |
nityā satyāpy anādy-antā yānirvacyā svarūpataḥ || 174 ||
This śakti of Śrī Bhagavān, which is the concentrated essence of eternality (sat), cognizance (cit), and pleasure (ānanda), manifests the glorious opulence of the Lord’s pastimes. She has no beginning and no end, and she is beyond description, being eternal, absolutely real, and unlimited.
bhagavad-bhajanānanda-vaicitrī-jananī hi sā |
nānā-vidho bhagavato viśeṣo vyajyate yayā || 175 ||
This śakti manifests all of the Lord’s incarnations and Their distinct characteristics, and because of this, she is known as the mother of the varieties of pleasure of bhajana. In other words, she expands the bliss of loving service to the Lord in ever-fresh forms.
athaiva lakṣmyā bhaktānāṃ bhakter lokasya karmaṇām |
sā sā viśeṣa-vaicitrī sadā sampadyate yataḥ || 176 ||
Through the agency of that śakti, Lakṣmī, the distinct varieties of Bhagavān’s devotees, His devotional service, His abodes, and all His pastimes are forever manifest.
sā ca tasyāś ca sā ceṣṭā jñeya tac-chuddha-sevākaiḥ |
atarkyā śuṣka-dustarka-jñāna-sābhinna-mānasaiḥ || 177 ||
Only Bhagavān’s pure devotees can understand this śakti and her strength and activities. Those whose minds are contaminated by dry knowledge can never understand her.
sā parāparayoḥ śaktyoḥ parā śaktir nigadyate |
prabhoḥ svabhāvikī sā hi khyātā prakṛtir ity api || 178 ||
Of the two potencies of Śrī Bhagavān, known as parā (absolute) and aparā (material), she is classified as the superior potency. She is svābhāvikī (innate), having arisen from the Lord’s inherent nature, and in some places, she is known as prakṛti (nature).
aṃśāḥ bahu-vidhās tasyā lakṣyante kārya-bhedataḥ |
tasyā eva praticchāyā-rūpā māyā guṇātmikā || 179 ||
Based on the variety of activities she performs, the elements or divisions of this parā-śakti appear in many different forms. Illusory Māyā, which comprises the three modes of material nature, is like her shadow.
mithyā-prāpañca-jananī mithyā-bhrānti-tamomayī |
ato’nirūpyānity-ādyā jīva-saṃsāra-kāriṇī || 180 ||
This inert (jaḍa) Māyā is the mother of the illusory material world. As she is the embodiment of ignorance and delusion, her nature is beyond description. Although she has imprisoned the living beings in the repeated cycle of birth and death from time without beginning, Māyā is destroyed when the living being receives knowledge of his constitutional position, and therefore, she is understood to be non-eternal. She is known as beginningless because she is like the shadow of the internal spiritual energy, cit-śakti-māyā.
So what’s wrong in it — if we just avoid digging the earth during that period? Anyway Prakṛti Ma (Nature mother) – she is the mother of everybody, I mean all creatures, and she takes care of us all the time. All our gross body (material body) and subtle body etc. everything coming from Prakṛti Ma.
From Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā we know the following ślokas in favour of the siddhānta vichar—
bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (Bg. 7.4)
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego – all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate (Bg. 3.27)
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.
How to ignore or avoid her dignity, whereas we know Bhagavat svarūpa śakti indirectly coming to us in the form of Bahiraṅga śakti like the shadow of that svarūpa śakti.
sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā
chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā
icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi TEXT 44
The external potency Māyā who is like the nature of the shadow of the cit potency, is worshipped by all people as Durgā, the creating, preserving and destroying potency (agency) of this mundane world. I adore the primaeval Lord Govinda in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself.
Especially in Śrī Brhad-bhagavatāmṛta it is confirmed by Śrīla Sanatana Gosvāmī pad in the form of some advice coming out from the Lotus mouth of Śrī Naradji Mahārāj to Gopa Kumar that—Time to Time as and when required Bhagavad svarūpa śakti coming in different forms to bestow kripa on us, so they should be given full respect and honour from heart. Also, Śrīman Mahāprabhu never wanted to teach us to ignore or avoid anybody, not even any Demigods like Brahmā, Śiva, Durga, Ganapati etc. because from Haribhakti Sudhodoya we know the following śloka—
hari reva sada aradhaya sarva deveswareswara
ete brahma – rudra adi na avagyaya kadacana
(from Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya Padma Purāṇa vacan)
Hari must be an object of our absolute worship, I mean surely Hari is an object of our absolute aradhana, but for that reason we should not ignore or dishonour any demigod like Brahmā, Shankar etc.
If we can carefully go through all in details about Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s South Indian trip or North Indian Trips or anywhere He went – we can see that He never wanted to ignore even any demigod. He went to all different pilgrimages and temples etc. including Rameshwaram, Venkattachalam, Śrī Rāṅgam, Kanyakumarika, Śrī Shailyam, Rishavparvatam, Kasi Visvanatham, etc., I mean not only Viṣṇu tirtha but also other tirthas He touched with full honour and respect to teach us. He paid respect to each and everybody, even those Tattvavadis, Buddhists, Māyāvadis or Bhattatharis etc. they also never got any bad treatment from Him, rather they got the opportunity to rectify themselves by watching His extremely sweet idealism. Also, we know from Srīmad-Bhāgavatam that Prakṛti Mata or Pṛthvī Mata went to convey her own painful situation to Kṣīrodakśāyī Viṣṇu with all other Demigods like Shankar, Indra, Varuṇa, headed by Pitāmaha Brahmā. After hearing the extremely painful situation of Pṛthvī Ma- Bhagavan assured her to descend shortly to solve all the problems. Also, Bhagavan in the form of Varāhadeva delivered Pṛthvī Ma, and due to the association of Bhagavan – Pṛthvī Ma got one baby (Narakāsura). Also from tenth canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam we know that Bhagavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa already declared (in SB 10th canto) that Māyā śakti can get puja with full respect in different form like Ambika, Kṛṣṇa , Durga, Vaishnavi Devi or Vindyachal Vasini etc.
Gaura Hari Hari Bol