All glories to Sree Sree Guru and Gauraṅga
Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda used to say, “Any condition in which we are put into at present according to our previous karma-phal should be accepted gladly. That is also one kind of kṛpā sent by the Supreme Lord.”
The following śloka from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can inspire us to think of everything in this positive way.
tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan nāmas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk (ŚB 10.14.8)
“Our Adi Guru Brahmaji is saying that I should think of any situation I am put into, whether it externally seems to be good or bad, as a positive development. I must also think that any set of circumstances I find myself in is mercifully being granted to me by the Supreme Lord according to my previous activities (karma-phal). By this understanding and with a good measure of patience, I will be enabled to live my life very peacefully and without any grievances. Such a peaceful person will ensure their own upliftment up to mukti-pada. As per Gauḍīya siddhānta, we know that “muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthiti” This means that to realize the eternal svarūpa of the jīva (jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa) is actual mukto (or mukti).”
Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda used to say, “If I want to get control over the material world then this will become a great bondage for me.” It is difficult to find a single person who has realized this vital point in their heart. But still, sādhu-guru-Vaiṣṇava can help us to develop this realization.
“ajarama ara bhath pragya
vidgares adthavya cirtayate
grihita iva kesashu mrityu na
dharma matraech” – (Nīti śāstra)
Man is mortal. Death is assured. Whoever does not realize that death can come at any time will have no stability in life. A person should think that Yamarāja is standing very near. Only with such clarity is it possible to do hari-bhajana. Whoever cannot develop the understanding that Yamarāja is ever present is in denial that death can come at any time. Such foolishness will lead a person to lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā etc. (profit, respect, position, material education, money, etc.) Why is this so? By refusing to accept that death is possible at any moment, a person does not make the best use of their time.
Rāvaṇa was unable to realize that death would come someday. Therefore, he was always occupied with kāminī and kanchan. The brothers Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa were also engaged in the pursuit of kāminī and kanchan.
Very often Śrī Gurudeva used to joke with me nicely. He would say, “Vaiṣṇava hobe iya chelo mone bado swaad tṛṇād api śloka sune poda galo baat.” Guru Mahārāj meant, “My Son, I wanted to become a Vaiṣṇava. But when I came across this śloka by Śrīman Mahaprabhu ‘tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ’ (Śikṣāṣṭaka, verse 3) then I made a decision not to become a Vaiṣṇava. I realized it is quite impossible for me.”
It is quite impossible for a bonded soul to attain tṛṇād api bhāva. Only by the mercy of guru Vaiṣṇava is it possible to become a “Tṛṇād api Vaiṣṇava.” This is the ugly truth of the whole human civilization. People cannot tolerate each other. Nobody wants to become humble. Instead, everybody wants to get control over others. Under these circumstances, how can we possibly expect peace and prosperity to prevail on this earth?
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate
“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature. “ (B.G. 3-27)
Even though all actions are actually being performed by the mode of prakṛti, people remain ignorant to this and foolishly refuse to give up their egoism. They are too caught up in their doership conception.
We can also see the mystery of creation from Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā Chapter 3, Verse 10:
saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā
purovāca prajāpatiḥ
anena prasaviṣyadhvam
eṣa vo ’stv iṣṭa-kāma-dhuk (B.g. 3.10)
“In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Viṣṇu, and blessed them by saying, ‘Be thou happy by this yajña [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you all desirable things.’
Chapter 3, Verse 11 and 12 continue:
devān bhāvayatānena
te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ
parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ
śreyaḥ param avāpsyatha (B.g. 3.11)
“By your sacrifices the celestial gods will be pleased, and by cooperation between humans and the celestial gods, prosperity will reign for all.”
This pertinent advice was mercifully given in the Bhagavad-gītā by the Supreme Lord. But who will pay attention to His words and actually follow His suitable instructions? So, few do follow and the result is that the total ecological system, including the mutual interest of all the jīvas, is totally disturbed at present.
annād bhāvanti bhūtāni
parjanyād anna-sambhāvaḥ
yajñād bhāvati parjanyo
yajñaḥ karma-samudbhāvaḥ (B.g. 3.12)
“All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.”
Ordained actions have their origins in the Vedas and the Vedas proceed from Ananta Deva, the indestructible Supreme Lord, who is always present in yajña (sacrifice). The Vedas spell out the relationships we should have with nature and with each other. But these wholesome connections have been destroyed by modern civilization. What is the consequence of these deviations? We see that there are problems all over the world and no real solutions. Directly or indirectly, everything is done by the Supreme Lord. Let us not forget this fact. People will naturally suffer for the wrong activities they continue to perform. Reaction is a natural function of nature.
We can benefit from some very important lessons found in the Mahābhārata. When the Pañca-pāṇḍava (five Pandavas) were sent to exile for 12 years, they did not become impatient. They trusted that Kṛṣṇa was always there with them. One day, they went to Kamavan in search of drinking water. The four brothers left one by one, but they didn’t return. Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāj watched this tragedy and ultimately had to go in search of them. He finally found his four brothers lying at the bank of the Dharmakund River. There he received notice from Dharmarāja (Yamarāja) in the guise of a crane not to touch the water of the pond without first answering some questions. The inquiries put to Yudhiṣṭhira provide valuable instructions for baddha jīvas. Some of those questions are given below:
1) Ko Modohete? Who is truly happy?
2) Kim Ascarya? What is the most astonishing thing?
3) Kau Panthaha? What is the real path to follow in this life?
4) Kach Bharta? What is news? (What is the real situation in the material world?)
Dharmarāja (Yamarāja) speaking- “mam atema chaturaha prashnana kathiathva jalanpibo“.
Answer to question 1- ” panch maheanyi shesthva shakam pachati sreya grehya anranni ch apravasi ch s hi varichara modhete.”
In the fifth part of the day or the 6th part of the daytime (Yama) if somebody going to cook some spinach and rice, what he could manage very easily, going to take prasadam after offering to Supreme Lord and also who is not indebted to anybody and going to stay in his own place not in foreign country, he is actually happy.
Answer to question 2- “aham niyani bhutani gachanti ho amaleyam sheshaha sthavaram icchanti- kim ascharayam atha param”.
Day and night all jīvātmā going to Yamarāja, but even after watching the instability of life, the rest of the people going to think that we are not going to die. What can be more surprising than this?
Answer to question 3- “tarko aprathistho sruteyo vibhinaya|nayaako rishir yasyo matam nabhinayam / dharma’s tattavam nihitam guhayam mahajeno yeno gatho supanthaya||
Logical interpretation cannot stand in the way of that Absolute Truth. Different śrutis are going to speak different way (Apparently: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham)- By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas. The topmost secrecy of dharma resting at the heart cave, so it is impossible for common people to understand. So, to follow those mahājana (guru-varga) is the best way.
Answer to question 4- “asmin mahamoha maye katahe”
There is a very big frying pan which is called Maya (Moha) in which all jīvas are being cooked by the fire of Sun God and day and night acting as a fuel and all months and seasons are being used as a big spoon to handle those jīvas already in the frying pan, and the cooker is kal (time).
This is the breaking news of this material world. This crisis, which is creating more questions than answers, is a catalyst that is now an unveiling for a blind society. They don’t understand the value of human life. It is right in front of them but remains a mystery. Many are trapped in what seems a hopeless condition.
Except for elevated personalities like sādhu–guru-Vaiṣṇava who can save the whole world? We can remember the first śloka of Upadeśāmṛta by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpad:
vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt
“A genuine sādhu who has full control over all of the sense organs and can control the powerful urges of speech, mind, eating, and body, etc., can get control over the whole world as a genuine guru. In other words, the whole world can become disciples of such a self-controlled sad-guru.”
The only way to save yourself from the fire of suffering which is grasping the whole world is to become absorbed in hari-bhajana. As long as we are busy trying to rectify the problems of the mundane world, we cannot do hari-bhajana. In the present material crisis, even the so-called experts are failing, having no clear idea how to save us. The situation is out of control and is deteriorating more rapidly than we could have imagined. The destiny of human civilization is always controlled by an unknown superpower that we know to be the Supreme Lord. He alone is the Supreme Divinity. Man can propose but God can dispose.
Śrīla Prahlāda Mahārāj never wanted to protect himself from the attacks on him orchestrated by Hiraṇyakaśipu. In spite of this, his exceptional Śaraṇāgati at the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord gave him full protection all the time.
Śrīla Dhruva Mahārāj never tried to protect himself from tigers or lions in the forest while doing hari–bhajana in Madhuvan (Vṛndāvana). Yet his uncommon bhajana unto the Lotus Feet of Padma Palash Lochana Hari gave him full protection.
On the contrary, the full efforts of Rāvaṇa to protect himself and Lanka were an utter failure. Due to his aparādha at the Lotus Feet of Garuḍa Bhagavan Saubhari Ṛṣi was bound to lose all his bhajana power, which he has accumulated for 60,000 years.
In truth, the destiny of each human being is controlled by an unknown force which is beyond our imagination. The results of tsunamis, earthquakes, epidemics, world wars, riots or even famine are all very different. How much actual control do we have when any of these tragedies occur? Each living entity is really just a puppet on a chain.
Sometimes we see that small boys play with cards. They make different kinds of shapes and designs. But when it is time to go home they immediately finish playing, and it takes a split second for them to tear down what they built.
How was it possible for the Pañca-pāṇḍava to survive their life of exile for 12 years? They encountered countless problems. But none of these challenges stood in their way because of their strong faith in and love for the Lotus Feet of The Supreme Lord. Similarly, in the battle of Kurukṣetra, big big fighters like Pitama Bhīṣma, Guru Droṇācārya, Karṇa, Vikarṇa, and Aśvatthāmā were all on the battlefield against the Pañca-pāṇḍava. No one could stand against these warriors. Then how was it possible for the Pañca-pāṇḍava to prevail? It was only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa that their survival was possible.
How was it possible for Parikshit Mahārāj to survive inside the womb of his mother in the face of the dangerous Brahmastra?
We can even find in the Bhagavad-gītā how Śrī Kṛṣṇa was bound to show the Vishvarūpa to Arjuna. Lord Kṛṣṇa did so to prove that each and everything is done by Him alone, either directly or indirectly. Arjuna was an instrument, nothing else. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhagavan told Arjuna “nivit matra bhāva sarva sachi.” Then Arjuna could clearly see within the Visvarūpa of Kṛṣṇa that all the fighters, including Pitama Bhīṣma, Guru Droṇācārya, Aśvatthāmā, Karṇa, Vikarṇa and all the other soldiers, were already dead. This was shown by Śrī Kṛṣṇa even before the battle at Kurukṣetra had started. Time, space and matter are all controlled by Prabhu. So, it was possible for Kṛṣṇa to speak the whole Bhagavad-gītā in front of Arjuna before the war at Kurukṣetra even began.
Be assured that the power of bhajana can save you at all times. People tend to get caught up in the present moment, but in reality, you cannot even remain in the present because the conception of present time is so fleeting that nobody can catch it. Even as we utter the words “present tense,” within a fraction of a second all the syllables and sounds of “p-r-e-s-e-n—t-e-n-s-e” have moved into the past tense. This phenomenon of present time happens so quickly that it is beyond our capacity to comprehend. The present moment is gone in a flash. The whole concept is inconceivable to us. The progress of time happens so minutely. Even within every fraction of a second our body is changing imperceptibly.
But factors of time, space and matter are not at all applicable in nitya dhama. So be confident that your absorption in bhajana is the only thing that can save you.
In verse 8 of his Upadeśāmṛta, Rūpa Gosvāmī gave the final advice for all of us:
tan-nāma-rūpa-caritādi-sukīrtanānu-
smṛtyoḥ krameṇa rasanā-manasī niyojya
tiṣṭhan vraje tad-anurāgi janānugāmī
kālaṁ nayed akhilam ity upadeśa-sāram
“A rāgānugā devotee always sings the glories of Nāma Prabhu, Rūpa Prabhu, Līlā Prabhu, etc., under the guidance of a great rāgānugā guru. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpad advises us that we should make our mind and our speech parallel while doing “Su-kirtana” which is to remember the Brajvasis and their exclusive Seva. There should be a nonstop flow of seva inside the heart of a rāgānugā devotee. Such a devotee should utilize every moment in this service. This is the essence of all instructions.”
The word “anu” appears three times in this śloka to emphasize that bhakti must be done under the strict guidance of rāgānugā sad-guru.
A lusty, enjoying mood can never give us real peace
In fact, the root cause of the infinite number of problems we experience is the dirty kama inside of our hearts. Due to this very toxic lust we invite all of our countless problems.
dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ
saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ
kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate (B.g. 2-62)
“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.”
krodhād bhāvati sammohaḥ
sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ
smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo
buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati (B.g. 2-63)
“From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.”
rāga-dveṣa-vimuktais tu
viṣayān indriyaiś caran
ātma-vaśyair vidheyātmā
prasādam adhigacchati (B.g. 2-64)
“But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through regulative principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord.”
prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ
hānir asyopajāyate
prasanna-cetaso hy āśu
buddhiḥ paryavatiṣṭhate (B.G. 2-65)
“For one thus satisfied [in Kṛṣṇa consciousness], the threefold miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such satisfied consciousness, one’s intelligence is soon well established.”
The man dwelling on sense objects develops attachment for them; from attachment springs up (often unfulfilled) desire; from this frustration ensues anger; from anger rises infatuation; from infatuation confusion of memory; from confusion of memory, loss of reason; and from loss of reason one goes to complete ruin.
But the self-controlled sādhaka, who can enjoy the various sense objects through his senses, which are already disciplined and free from likes and dislikes, attains placidity of mind. With the attainment of such mental peace, all sorrows come to an end. The intelligence of such a tranquil-minded person withdraws itself from all other attachments and becomes firmly established in The Supreme Lord.
He who has not controlled his mind and senses cannot attain reason; nor can such an undisciplined mind think of God. The spiritually unfocused man can have no peace. How can there be happiness for one who is lacking peace of mind? The fanciful and undisciplined mind can lead to painful levels of existence that are beyond our imagination. When a bonded mind becomes the director of a bonded soul, then what can we expect from such a person? Directly or indirectly the activities of a baddha jīva will always go against nature. This is why we now see that natural balance is on the brink of total breakdown.
Even the scientists know from Newton’s Third Law of Motion that every action has its equal and opposite reaction. As long as so-called civilization goes against the will of The Supreme Lord, natural reactions on behalf of prakṛti will retaliate against us.
A strange consequence of lockdown is that natural balance is coming back to a normal level. Fresh air is blowing, there is less pollution, plastic and other garbage has been reduced to a very low level. Beasts and birds are enjoying free movement without human strictures oppressing them. We should take these facts as a direct indication of our need to go back to a normal and natural lifestyle.
Even the dogs on the street seem to be chastising human beings. They challenge us, “Oh! Human beings! We are dogs and sometimes we might fight with each other for bread. But why are you human beings always fighting with each other on so many grounds, both legally or illegally?”
If somehow our toxic kama can come to an end, then we will be free to live a very normal, simple and healthy lifestyle as shown to us by Bhagvan Śrī Kṛṣṇa. We know that Corona Virus can be very dangerous, but what is the source of this dreadful disease? By now we know that the virus originated as a biological weapon. Ecological balance is totally disturbed due to the dirty influence of civilization. Our ability to participate in systems of mutual co-operation and coordination has deteriorated. Human degradation has plummeted to such a deplorable level that we have no right to identify ourselves as a civilized society. We have become degraded.
No amount of prosperity or technological advancement or scientific achievement can give us happiness in any true sense. Planet Earth is faced with multiple dilemmas. Civilization is approaching a breaking point due to both national disputes and pollution. What is the ultimate goal of civilization? Does it wish to abolish the conception of The Supreme Lord? Does it wish to destroy faith in Him and love for Him? How misguided! Nobody can save us except for The Supreme Lord. So Hari-bhajan is the ultimate solution.
The Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote in Gitanjali:
yadi kono janame piyera hotel brajera rahal bhalo
tabe nibhiya dobo iho jagatera susabhatara alok
“If somehow in any birth I can get the scope to become a cowherd boy in Brajadhama, then I must put off the light of civilization of this material world (which is full of tension and anxiety and fighting).”
Truly yours in the service of Guru-Gauraṅga and GO MATA
Vaiṣṇava Das anudas
Shyam Das Baba