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Tag: Progress
Slow and Steady
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj discusses the tṛṇād api principles in depth.
amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
We should take resort to kīrtan always, but Mahāprabhu recommends that our attitude should be such: tṛṇād api sunīcha, taror api sahiṣṇu, amānī mānada. It is generally upwards, all towards high. Our attitude will be humble, and if we think that we are being done wrong still also we shall take to patience. Amānī, under no circumstances shall we work for our own position and prestige. That should not be our aim.
Amāninā mānadena, and we shall try to respect everybody. It is all mostly connected towards the upper world, towards the Vaiṣṇava world. Tṛṇād api sunīcha, taror api sahiṣṇu, amānī mānada. Our conduct will be always like that, and then only can we thrive well in our campaign.
Slow and steady wins the race: it is a long journey, not a journey to finish within a few hours, or few days, or few years. It is a continued appointment. It is to go on a long way, so we are to adjust accordingly. It is not that we shall run quickly and then we shall stop and sleep, it is not a matter of that type. But it is a long way: we shall have to walk on, and so our attitude will be such, then we will be successful.
Tṛṇād api sunīcha, we should not extend any cause for resistance, which will create resistance. We won’t create such circumstance that invite resistance. Taror api sahiṣṇu: still, if any resistance unexpectedly approaches me, I shall try my best to forbear, being conscious that my guardian’s eye is over me. He is also eager to help me in my campaign. I am not alone; I may go on confident that there is a person above to redress any wrong that can be shown to me. So I may not take initiative in the beginning.
Amāninā, and I won’t allow any other object to come and pollute my aim, the pure purpose of my life. I will have such purity of purpose. The pratiṣṭhā will come, or any other temptation will come, and induce me to go ahead—I won’t, I should never allow anything other than the satisfaction of Guru, Gaurāṅga, Vaiṣṇava, etc. No other element can enter there on my path. The purity of purpose will always be maintained very scrupulously.
Mānadena, and I won’t shrink to give proper conduct, to show proper conduct to my environment. That is, I won’t expect that they will come and help me. Amāninā mānadena, I won’t think, “Why are they not coming to help me?” No: “They are engaged in their own business. It is my own, alone I shall go on with my duty, I won’t be always searching that someone must come and help me.” Mānadena, “They are doing, let them do their own duty; this is mine, I shall go alone with this.”
amāninā mānadena kīrtaniya sadā hariḥ
With this attitude we shall go on. Only with this sort of adjustment may my concentration be more and more intense; my confidence in Kṛṣṇa will be more and more increased and my duty will be purer if I couch myself in such a way. Kīrtaniya sadā Hari. Hari kīrtan.
This will also make us conscious that such sorts of hindrances, obstacles, are almost sure to come to attack us. So you are already given this instruction, that whenever you begin, all these things will come to attack you. But you are already being given this instruction that if they come on your way, and it is almost sure that they will come, you are to deal with them in such a way.
Gaura Haribol, Gaura Haribol, Gaura Haribol.
Source
Spoken 17 February 1982
The Advance Towards Truth
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj describes the eliminative, yet accommodating nature of progress.
The Absolute cannot admit any secondary position. He cannot tolerate that He will be second to someone, because He is absolute. He is not second to anyone, so no partnership is conceivable there. “I am such.” In logic we read, “as connotation increases, denotation decreases. When denotation increases, connotation decreases.” This religious conception is there everywhere.
muktānām api siddhānāṁ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 6.14.5)
jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ, karmibhyaś chādhiko yogī
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, 6.46)yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yukta-tamo mataḥ
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, 6.47)The gradual development of sraddhā: elimination and improvement. Improvement means elimination. Improvement means elimination, so those that are very particular about quality cannot mix with the mass, and hankering of mass qualification or capacity. They are always trying to go higher in an eliminative nature. They are ruthless. They are ruthless in their progressing, eliminating nature.
While Yudhiṣṭhir Mahārāj was making advancement in his mahāpraṣṭhān, Draupadī, Sahadev, and Nakul were all falling down, and asking why it is so: “We are so intimately connected with you Maharaj, and you are going up, while we fall down.” Carelessly Yudhiṣṭhir Mahārāj was going up, “Oh you had such defect, so you fell down.” One by one, Draupadī, Sahadev, Nakul, Arjuna, Bhīma. “Why I am falling down?” “You had such defect of this nature, so you fall down.” Without caring he is marching onward.
Should we mark that this is a type of selfishness? No. To advance towards truth, it cannot be so. Truth is distributed by Himself. Truth is not only wholesome, but it is also distributive, self-distributive in nature, so I am going only to enhance that. By serving Him I am going to help Him in His self distribution. It is universal. Apparently, in the worldly sense, in the external sense, it may be thought to be very narrowed, but it is more universal from the qualitative difference.
Eliminating stone, earth, and water we are going to ether, but ether is more extensive than the earth. Water is more extensive than the earth, then the air is more extensive, spacious than the water. In this way, the gross is being eliminated and we are approaching towards sukṣma, subtle. We are going from subtler to subtlest, and in one sense that is more accommodating. Svayaṁ Bhāgavan Kṛṣṇa, the whimsical, absolute good, is at the back of every form of truth, so approaching Him is outwardly eliminating, but inwardly accommodating. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Nitāi Gaura.
This post is a continuation of No Partnership.
Source
Spoken 16 January 1982
No Partnership
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj describes the type of exclusive adherence Śrī Vrajendra Nandan Kṛṣṇa expects from His devotees.
“I distribute truth by instalment, according to the capability of those to whom I give. One will have such fine understanding as to understand, as to know, as to feel, that this is his order, but to a particular group. But more intelligent and higher minded persons may cross those rulings and advance further.
“There are so many scriptures to be ignored, so many sādhus of that level to be ignored, and even the society and well wishers, well wishers of different interests—everything should be ignored if you want Me as Kṛṣṇa, Svayaṁ Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, especially in Vṛndāvan, Vraja. I can’t tolerate any partner of any shade in My dealings with everyone. No partnership. I am the absolute enjoyer. I cannot tolerate any partnership, even with whom you should have some obligation, such as the guru section, pīta, mātā, the relatives, the parents, so-called superiors. None I can tolerate. If you have any partnership then I am not there. I am not there. I want cent per cent. If you want Me then I want to have cent per cent in quality. You may have to attend those duties but outwardly, as a show. You may make a show in attending to those duties, but I want the innermost heart. There I am. I am there. Otherwise you will have to come to My outer expression; I will engage you with one of so many other forms of mine. But Vrajendra Nandan, if you want Vrajendra Kiśor, you may have no other partner. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
sva-janam ārya-pathaṁ cha hitvā
bhejur mukunda-padavīṁ śrutibhir vimṛgyām
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 10.47.61)“The Vedas, the rulings, law books, religious law books also cannot express, but they’re aiming at such a thing. Śrutibhir vimṛgyām, all the revealed truth, revealed expressions are aiming towards this but can’t express it fully. That is, My nature is such. I am most selfish in that respect, so selfish that even the scriptures cannot measure it. They fail to measure and express, that I am so selfish.”
But you will try to understand that He is your absolute good.
Source
Spoken 16 January 1982
Utilise Everything
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj explains how to adjust to our present environment.
Student: Should we pay much attention to circumstances presented to us by the material energy? Are they at any time an indication of a higher purpose, of the spiritual energy?
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: To certain extent, as much as it will help us make progress towards the spiritual, we may take help from our paraphernalia. Our present paraphernalia should be utilised for higher realisation everywhere. We should take advantage of our present position wholesale. Yukta-vairāgya: even food, rest, sleep—we shall take advantage of all these things in the midst of which we find ourselves at present in such a way that they may help us the most to go up. Such utilisation of them we shall accept (yukta-vairāgyam). Everything may be utilised, even what may seem to be dangerous or undesirable.
na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaśchid durgatiṁ tāta gachchhati
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 6.40)If we are sincere, then we will see that so many dangers and difficulties come to us to help us, to test us, and we can utilise them for realisation of our higher purpose. Not only favourable things, but unfavourable things also may be utilised for our progress.
tat te ’nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇaḥ
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.14.8)My own karma, a bitter experience, will teach me a good lesson that my connection with all these things has a reaction. So, I must not stay here in the land of reaction any longer. Unfavourable things will help us from the negative side.
Progress means elimination, to give up the present, and acceptance, to welcome the bright future.
adhaḥ-kṛtam indriyajaṁ jñānaṁ yena saḥ adhokṣaja
The substance, the truth, is such that He has kept you and all your senses below Him. He has transcended your world of experience. So, He is adhokṣaja, undistinguishable at your present position. He is only distinguishable by the scripture. There, we can get some hint, and from the saints, some hint. Otherwise, He is undistinguishable.
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ
(Kaṭha-upaniṣad: 1.2.23)Only when He will come to us will we be able to understand Him, and that also only partially. For now, we are making a sacrifice for the unseen, we are surrendering to the unseen, because we are disgusted with the present.
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 4.34)Praṇipāt: I surrender to that truth. Why? I am disgusted with the present. Praṇipāt means wholesale concentration, exclusive concentration: I come here to get relief, to work for my relief. I am disgusted. Then, paripraśna, honest enquiry. And sevā, what do I want from Him? Only that He will utilise me for His purpose. It is not that I shall get some valuable things there, take them back, and utilise them here to fulfil my lower purpose. Not that. Sevā means I am seeking only my master, that I can be a slave to him. With this spirit, we must approach. Sevā: I want higher company only to be utilised by Him. I want to serve, not to enjoy, to exploit. Praṇipāt, paripraśna, and sevā: with this attitude, we should be a seeker of the truth.
Source
Spoken 3 July 1982.
On the Way
Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj explains how we will proceed on the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Question: Even though someone may say that they have not come face to face with or seen Kṛṣṇa or Mahāprabhu, still they must have some experience in their practice to know they are on the right path. Isn’t it?
Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj: If I am trying to go to Delhi, I can read from a guidebook that tells me the correct path to Delhi. From the main road, there are many channels and sub-channels, but I need to go from here to Delhi. When I am sure that I want to go Delhi, then I shall go and take the road to Delhi, and on both sides I will see so many symptoms.
When I pass Bandel, I will see Bandel, and then Burdwan, Asansol, Dhanbad, and so on. If I see these symptoms, then I know, “Yes, I am going forward.” This is enough for me. It is not necessary to immediately see Delhi. When I read the guidebook, look on both sides of the road, and find, “I can see this, I can see that, I can see that”, then I must hopeful: “Yes, I am going the right way, and one day I must reach Delhi.” And when I reach Delhi, there a guide will also be necessary. Otherwise, I will not know where anything is. So, there also I must search for a guide. In this way, our destiny must give us our desired fulfilment.
If I immediately want to see Kṛṣṇa or Mahāprabhu, I can see everything but I cannot digest it. And it is not necessary. I can see Delhi in a photo, I can read about the environment of Delhi in a book—I can learn everything about Dehli. I cannot go to Delhi immediately , but it is possible to get there by flight within two hours. That is our sādhana-bhakti and rāga-bhakti; there are many ways to get there.
When I came and joined Śrīla Guru Maharaj, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj, I immediately went to Purī because Guru Mahārāj needed me with him there. For that reason I could go. Otherwise, I did not go to Kalna for maybe twenty-five years. Kalna is twenty-five kilometres from here, but I did not go there. Katwa is twenty-six or twenty-eight kilometres from here, but I did not go there. I had no scope to go.
When the super devotee gives us a chance to serve him, then we can easily go to Purī and Vṛndāvan, no problem. Within six months, I saw all the holy places in Vṛndāvan, Purī, and Delhi—everything. Why? Guru Mahārāj wanted me with him for his service, and in that way I went there.
Śrīla Swāmī Mahārāj [Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Mahārāj Prabhupād] told me many times, “You come with me, and I will show you our centres all over the world. You must give a report to Guru Mahārāj about how they are going.” At that time, however, I had no scope to go with Swāmī Mahārāj. Guru Mahārāj was sick; I could not leave Guru Mahārāj. I said, “Yes, Mahārāj, later I shall see. Later I shall see.” I did not get scope at that time, but if I got the scope then, I would easily go, but with the association of the higher devotee. It is possible. I have never ridden in an aeroplane, and I have no hankering to ride in an aeroplane, but if any chance comes at any time, I shall ride one. That is not a problem, but I need the sevā of Guru Mahārāj. If it is necessary for sevā, then I must go, and the chance also must come to me.
Reference
Excerpt from an informal talk given by Śrīla Govinda Mahārāj, 8 August 1989.
Rare Dedication
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj describes the attitude of a progressive practitioner.
When you feel, “I am not making any progress,” then we can say that you have something. If you have not made any progress, you could not have expressed this. To express that you have nothing shows that you have some property, that you have some understanding of what you are trying to attain. What is Vaishnavism? Sriman Mahaprabhu showed its highest position,
na prema-gandho ’sti darapi me harau
krandami saubhagya-bharam prakasitum
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Madhya-lila, 2.45)“I do not have even a little bit of Krishna-prema. I have no Krishna-prema, yet sometimes I cry. Why? I cry to show others how much love for Krishna I have. Actually I have no attachment to Krishna.”
Prema means the deepest form of attachment. One who can feel it, who has it, can say, “I have nothing.” That is, he can understand what is what: what is illusion, what is chaos, and what is smoke. One who has knowledge of what is real can say what is smoke and what is chaos. So you must have some knowledge if you can say, “I have nothing. I have made no progress.”
To hear such expressions is good news. Guru Maharaj sometimes told the devotees this.
Everyone will not be perfect. It is the truth. In Bhagavad-gita it is said,
bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah
(Srimad Bhagavad-gita: 7.19)“Amongst millions of people it is very rare to find one with Krishna-prema.”
Still, it is necessary to try: to try, and try again. What else is there to do? All other pursuits in the mundane world are meaningless. Everything is nothing here. That is why it is called maya. Maya means ‘no-thing’. Everything we see in the mundane world is illusion.
Illusion is one of Krishna’s powers. Krishna’s power of illusion is called maya. Conditioned souls are attacked by maya, but Krishna also tries to help them with His advice. If we follow that, we must arise from maya.
When someone sees his friend fighting with a dacoit or tiger in a dream, he tries to awaken his friend. Then his friend sees, “Yes. It was a dream. There is no danger.” Krishna’s advice for us, as found in Srimad Bhagavad-gita and other scriptures, is like this.
Everyone must try follow it. There is no other way. Srila Rupa Goswami explained how to try in one of his verses, which I put on Srila Guru Maharaj’s temple.
virachaya mayi dandam dina-bandho dayam va
gatir iha na bhavattah kachid anya mamasti
nipatatu sata-kotir nirmalam va navambhas
tad api kila payodah stuyate chatakena
(Stavamala)“The chataka bird waits for rain drops from the clouds. It does not drink any other water. I am waiting like a chataka bird for You to be merciful to me. I will not accept medicine or food or anything from anywhere else. I shall wait for Krishna to be merciful to me; I do not want anything else. Many things may be very valuable, but I do not want them. Both rain and lighting bolts can come from the sky; I shall wait for rain even if there is the danger of lightning. Like a chataka bird, I am looking for only the ecstasy of Krishna’s mercy.”
We shall try in this way. We do not want anything else; we want only the Lord’s mercy.
Birth after birth we are running in this mundane world, and running after illusion. When we have got some sense in this life, we must try to keep ourselves apart from the illusion. That is our only duty now. Still, it is necessary to maintain our mundane life. So we shall do so only for that cause. Why we are living? Why are we alive? For Krishna’s service. That is why we are alive. Otherwise, it is not necessary to live in this world.
yajna-sishtasinah santo muchyante sarva-kilbishaih
bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pachanty atma-karanat
(Srimad Bhagavad-gita: 3.13)If we do anything for ourselves, those actions will be sins. Only what we do for Krishna will be service and devotion. So we must maintain ourselves for Krishna’s service. We must try to maintain our lives in that way.