All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga
(By the causeless mercy of Śrī Guru Gaudiya)
(Edited by Shri Shyam Das Baba Mahārāja)
“Smriti and vismriti” (memory & lost of memory) these two are the most vital points to be considered in the way of sādhana-bhajana. Smriti is sādhana and is the vitals of sādhya (The attainable object in the way of our bhajana) and vi-smriti is nothing but the deviation from that. All different kinds of vidhi and niṣedhāḥ belong to these two words; again all rāga or priti and virāga or repulsion– these two factors are dependent on these two words. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvamipad has given the description of smriti and vismriti in Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by quoting the following Padmapurāṇa śloka as a preface of discussion of sādhana–bhakti both in vidhi-marga and rāga-mārga.
smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur
vismartavyo na jātucit
sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur
etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ (BRS 1.2.8)
One should always remember Viṣṇu and should never forget Him. All injunctions and prohibitions are dependent on these two principles.
It is the duty to remember Viṣṇu always (nonstop remembrance) and not to forget Him. –This is the vital vidhi–niṣedhāḥ. All śāstras have quoted all different kinds of vidhi-niṣedhāḥ, but ultimately those are under the control of smriti and vismriti. “Antime nārāyaṇa-smriti” — The ultimate success of bhajana is śrī-nārāyaṇa-smriti at the end point of life.
Also, in this material world we can see that priti is always followed by smriti. No priti means no smriti. The symptom of anurāga or priti is only smriti. He who have priti in material objects surely he can maintain material smriti inside him. He who have priti in Śrī Kṛṣṇa topics or priti in Śrī hari-kathā, he surely can maintain continuous (nonstop) bhagavat-kathā-smriti. That is why we can see in Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa Śrīla Prahlāda Mahārāja speaking to Śrī Narasiṁha deva that—“
yá pritir avivekanam visayesy anapayini
tvām anusmaratah sā me hrdoyat napasar patu (From Viṣṇu Purāṇa)
Oh! My Lord just like those idiot people, those who are having tremendous priti in material objects, similarly I like to maintain such nonstop priti for You inside my heart followed by nonstop smriti. From Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa we know that because of continuous priti, nonstop smriti is quite natural. In this respect if some indifferent mood is found, then there cannot have positive smriti. This is true, but also, we know that from fear another kind of smriti can develop. Like the case of Kamsa, who had continuous smriti of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; but Vena Raja had no bhiti (fear) or pritti (loveful attachment) nothing. Śrī Naradji Mahārāja speaking to Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja—
gopyaḥ kāmād bhayāt kaṁso
dveṣāc caidyādayo nṛpāḥ
sambandhād vṛṣṇayaḥ snehād
yūyaṁ bhaktyā vayaṁ vibho (ŚB 7.1.31)
My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, those gopīs by their lusty desires, Kaṁsā by his fear, Śiśupāla and other kings by envious mood or enimity, those Yadus by their family relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you Pāṇḍavas by your great affection for Kṛṣṇa, and we by our loveful devotional service, have attained the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.
katamo ’pi na venaḥ syāt
pañcānāṁ puruṣaṁ prati
tasmāt kenāpy upāyena
manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet (ŚB 7.1.32)
Somehow or other, one must consider (remember) the form of Kṛṣṇa very seriously. Then by one of the five different processes mentioned above, one can attain the Godhead. Atheists like King Vena, however being unable to think of Kṛṣṇa’s form in any of these five ways, could not attain salvation. Therefore, one must somehow think of Kṛṣṇa, whether in a friendly way or inimically.
Oh, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja! Those gopīkas have attended (achieved) Kṛṣṇa by aprākṛta-kama, Kamsa by fear, Śiśupāla etc. by enmity, Vrisni Vamsi all they by relationship, you all Pandavas by affection and we all by loveful devotional mood; but none of the above five kinds of bhavas where found in Vena Raja. So anyway Vena had no connection or relation with Śrī Bhagavan, so he was totally devoid of smriti. We should remember that smriti coming out of fear is not at all Kṛṣṇa anushilan; on the contrary that should be treated as reverse (adverse) anushilan, so those who are praying for premananda in their life, for them this is very dangerous, because they can never expect that. So the siddhānta spoken by Śrī Naradji Mahārāja in front of Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja—tasmāt kenāpy upāyena manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet (SB 7.1.32 the last line), I mean somehow one must concentrate his mind in Kṛṣṇa, be it positive way or negative way, this is nothing but a flat common siddhanta applicable in general for all jivattmas.
This is nothing but a flat siddhānta applicable for all jivas (those who are with aversive mood or favorable mood) in general, which is surely not applicable for those devotees. Because though this common factor smriti is there both in a demon who is against Kṛṣṇa and also in a devotee who is having loveful attachment (priti) for Kṛṣṇa, but still the result is completely opposite. Śrīla Naradji Mahārāja wanted to say that even by hostile mood usually one can concentrate more (or can develop strong smriti) in Kṛṣṇa Bhagavan, but which is not so easy to get developed by bhakti-yoga. It is true, no doubt, but still devotees cannot follow that procedure of hostile mood to develop more and more concentration in Kṛṣṇa, only those demons can follow that procedure to get mukti.
tasmād vairānubandhena
nirvaireṇa bhayena vā
snehāt kāmena vā yuñjyāt
kathāñcin nekṣate pṛthak (SB. 7.1.26)
Therefore, by enmity or by devotional service, or by fear, or by affection or by lusty desire—by any one of those procedures—if a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind upon the Lord, still because of His blissful position, Bhagavan never feel any reaction inside heart, He is never affected by enmity or friendship.
yathā vairānubandhena
martyas tan-mayatām iyāt
na tathā bhakti-yogena
iti me niścitā matiḥ (ŚB 7.1.27)
Nārada Muni continued: By devotional service one cannot achieve so easily such intense absorption in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one can through enmity toward Him. That is my opinion.
kīṭaḥ peśaskṛtā ruddhaḥ
kuḍyāyāṁ tam anusmaran
saṁrambha-bhaya-yogena
vindate tat-svarūpatām
evaṁ kṛṣṇe bhagavati
māyā-manuja īśvare
vaireṇa pūta-pāpmānas
tam āpur anucintayā (ŚB 7.1.28-29)
A caterpillar confined in a hole of a clay wall by a wasp always thinks of the wasp in fear or enmity and later ultimately becomes a bee simply because of such absorbing remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other can think of Kṛṣṇa, who is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or as an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they ultimately can get Krsna.
Material body related smriti can put one in the ocean of material pain and pleasure, but the continuous strong smriti developed by a pure devotee in the way of his effort to search out the complete satisfaction of his Iṣṭa-deva–Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhagavan, surely can never allow him to develop body related material smriti (or saṁsāra smriti)