Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on the sixth verse of Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
The following is a translation of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s poetic Bengali translation, Bhāṣā, and Bengali prose commentary, Anuvṛtti, on Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhu’s Śrī Upadeśāmṛta.
These texts were published in Śrī Gauḍīya Darśan, in Volume 2, Issue 11, 10 June 1957, Volume 2, Issue 12, 12 July 1957, and Volume 3, Issue 1, 12 August 1957. In combination with Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur’s Pīyūṣa-varṣiṇī-vṛtti, they were also published as a book from Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh by Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj in 1970.
“The Upadeśāmṛta of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī is also extremely good for us.”
—Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj,
Affectionate Guidance
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta Verse Six
দৃষ্টৈঃ স্বভাবজনিতৈর্ব্বপুষশ্চ দোষৈ-
র্ন প্রাকৃতত্বমিহ ভক্তজনস্য পশ্যেৎ ।
গঙ্গাম্ভসাং ন খলু বুদ্বুদফেনপঙ্কৈ-
র্ব্রহ্মদ্রবত্বমপগচ্ছতি নীরধর্ম্মৈঃ ॥৬॥
dṛṣṭaiḥ svabhāva-janitair vapuṣaś cha doṣair
na prākṛtatvam iha bhakta-janasya paśyet
gaṅgāmbhasāṁ na khalu budbuda-phena-paṅkair
brahma-dravatvam apagachchhati nīra-dharmaiḥ [6]
dṛṣṭaiḥ–Because [you have] vision doṣaiḥ–of the faults svabhāva-janitaiḥ–within the inborn nature cha–and vapuṣaḥ–the body bhakta-janasya–of a devotee iha–in the material world, na paśyet–do not see [them to be] prākṛtatvam–mundane. ambhasām–The water gaṅgā– of the Ganges na khalu–never apagachchhati–loses [its nature as] brahma–spiritual dravatvam–liquid dharmaiḥ–because of the nature nīra–of water— [because of] budbuda–bubbles, phena–foam, [and] paṅkaiḥ–mud.[6]
Do not consider devotees in this world mundane because you see faults in their nature and body. The water of the Ganges never loses its spiritual nature because of bubbles, foam, and mud, which are natural in water.
Bhāṣā
শুদ্ধ কৃষ্ণভক্ত, তাঁর স্বাভাবিক দোষ ।
আর তাঁর দেহ‑দোষে না করিহ রোষ ॥১॥
śuddha-kṛṣṇa-bhakta tā̐ra svabhāvika doṣa
āra tā̐ra deha-doṣe nā kariha roṣa [1]
roṣa kariha nā–Do not become angry [with] śuddha–pure bhakta–devotees kṛṣṇa–of Kṛṣṇa doṣe–because of faults [within] tā̐ra–their svabhāvika–nature āra–or doṣa–faults [within] tā̐ra–their deha–body. [1]
Do not become angry with pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa because of faults within their nature or body.
প্রাকৃত‑দর্শনে দোষ যদি দৃষ্ট হয় ।
দর্শনেতে অপরাধ জানিবে নিশ্চয় ॥২॥
prākṛta-darśane doṣa yadi dṛṣṭa haya
darśanete aparādha jānibe niśchaya [2]
yadi–If, [with] prākṛta–material darśane–vision, [such] doṣa–faults haya–are dṛṣṭa–seen, jānibe–know niśchaya–for certain [that there is] aparādha–offence darśanete–within [such] vision. [2]
If, with material vision, such faults are seen, then know for certain that there is an offence within such vision.
হীন‑অধিকারী হয়ে মহতেব দোষ ।
সিদ্ধভক্তে হীনজ্ঞানে না পাবে সন্তোষ ॥৩॥
hīna-adhikārī haye mahatera doṣa
siddha-bhakte hīna-jñāne nā pābe santoṣa [3]
[If someone,] haye–being [of] hīna–lower adhikārī–qualification, [sees] doṣa–faults mahatera–within a great soul, [then] pābe nā–they do not find santoṣa–satisfaction [in having] hīna–a lower jñāne–conception [of that] siddha–realised bhakte–devotee. [3]
If someone of lower qualification sees faults within a higher devotee, they never find satisfaction in having a lower conception of that realised devotee.
ব্রহ্মদ্রব-গঙ্গোদক‑প্রবাহে যখন ।
বুদ্বুদ্-ফেন‑পঙ্ক‑জলের মিলন ॥৪॥
অন্যজন গঙ্গালাভে হেয় কভু নয় ।
তদ্রুপ ভক্তের মল কভু নাহি রয় ॥৫॥
brahma-drava gaṅgodaka pravāhe yakhana
budbuda-phena-paṅka-jalera milana [4]
anya-jala gaṅgā-lābhe heya kabhu naya
tad rūpa bhaktera mala kabhu nāhi raya [5]
yakhana–When [there is] milana–a meeting jalera–of water [containing] budbuda–bubbles, phena–foam, [and] paṅka–mud pravāhe–with the current udaka–of the water gaṅgā–of the Ganges, [which is] drava–liquid brahma–spirit, gaṅgā–the Ganges [water] kabhu naya–is never heya–contaminated lābhe–by mixing [with the] anya–other jala–water. tad rūpa–Similarly, mala–contamination bhaktera–within a devotee kabhu nāhi–never raya–exists. [4–5]
When water containing bubbles, foam, and mud enters a stream of Ganges water, which is liquid spirit, the Ganges water is never contaminated by mixing with the other water. Similarly, a devotee is never contaminated.
সাধুদোষ‑দ্রষ্টা যেই কৃষ্ণ‑আজ্ঞা ত্যজি’ ।
গর্ব্বে ভক্তিভ্রষ্ট হৈয়া মরে অধো মজি’ ॥৬॥
sādhu-doṣa-draṣṭā yei kṛṣṇa-ājñā tyaji’
garve bhakti-bhraṣṭa haiyā mare adho maji’ [6]
[Those] yei–who [are] draṣṭā–seers doṣa–of faults sādhu–within sādhus tyaji’–disregard kṛṣṇa–Kṛṣṇa’s ājñā–instructions, bhraṣṭa haiyā–deviate bhakti–from devotion garve–out of pride, maji’–fall adho–down, [and] mare–die. [6]
Those who see faults within sādhus disregard Kṛṣṇa’s instructions, deviate from devotion out of pride, fall down, and die.
Anuvṛtti
We should not look at a devotee with mundane vision just because there are faults within a devotee’s nature and body. Although bubbles, foam, and mud mix with the water of the Ganges, the water of the Ganges does not lose its nature as liquid spirit under the effect of water’s nature. Similarly, we should not think a devotee lacks devotion because we see mundane faults in them with our mundane vision.
api chet sudurāchāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvach-chhāntiṁ nigachchhati
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 9.30–1)
[“If even a very sinful person serves Me exclusively with devotion, he should be regarded as saintly, for his resolve is perfect. He swiftly becomes a person of virtuous practices and attains constant peace. O son of Kuntī, declare to the world that My devotee is never vanquished!”]
Even if a devotee of Kṛṣṇa does not take birth as a descendant of the Lord or an Āchārya, if we do not recognise them as a master of the senses (goswāmī) and a teacher (prabhu), then we are simply seeing them with mundane vision. A devotee born as a descendant of the Lord or an Āchārya and a devotee born in any other lineage are both devotees; we should not see the material faults or qualities of either of their bodies. If we, with worldly vision, conclude that a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa is equal to a nondevotee, then we commit offence. If someone who somewhat follows the path of devotion, however, considers themself a devotee and engages in mundane misbehaviour, then they will fall from the path of devotion into the shelter of its sub-branches [jñān, karma, and anyābhilāṣ]. When social or personal misbehaviour is seen in a pure, exclusive devotee, those who upon seeing it think less of them quickly become offenders of such Vaiṣṇavas. That said, our propensity for devotion is destroyed by the association of those who misbehave according to mundane vision prior to attaining exclusive devotion. If misbehaviour remains within a devotee who is an expert in service, however, those who see that, just by seeing it, become offenders. Therefore, it is forbidden to see devotees within the confines of mundane vision. The presence of such misbehaviour does not destroy exclusive devotion. In the eyes of unintelligent observers, however, it is a great disturbance. Those who do not see pure devotees with mundane vision and instead see their exclusive service quickly become free from such vision of misbehaviour in an advanced devotee and attain for themselves the status of a sādhu. All Vaiṣṇavas who have taken shelter of the path of devotion fall down if they think devotion to the Lord is confined only to descendants of the Lord (Mahāprabhu and His associates), an Āchārya, or a Vaiṣṇava and see, with their mundane vision, faults in the body or nature of devotees. They similarly fall down if they fail to understand the transcendental effects of devotion and with low vision try to subordinate an advanced devotee to an intermediate devotee. If we become maddened with pride in our seminal birth, fail to understand the behaviour of perfected devotees, and commit offences at their feet, devotion cannot remain within us. If we do not understand the behaviour of great, realised souls who have developed taste (ruchi) for the Lord’s service and think that they are fallen, then we commit offences to such Vaiṣṇavas. No soul ever attains good fortune by leering at the behaviour or thinking little of Vaiṣṇava Gurus who are great, realised souls. Therefore, thinking, based on mundane vision, that perfected devotees are simply materially conditioned souls, considering them disciples, and trying to ‘bring them to the proper path’ is an offence to such Vaiṣṇavas. Understanding that there is a difference between practitioners who have not developed taste and perfected devotees, we have to understand one of them to be a disciple and the other to be a Guru. We should not give advice to a Guru, and we should not accept advice from disciples. This should be understood.
Reference
Read Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s commentary on Śrī Upadeśāmṛta: verses one, two, three, four, and five.