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Hearing to See
An informal discourse by
Çré Çrémad Bhakti Rakñaka
Çrédhara Gosvämé Mahäräja
Absolute Will and Absolute
Vision
Man proposes and God disposes Proposal is directed upwards, and disposal comes
down. The waves of
suggestion and acceptance are all the Lord’s pastimes.
naiva tasya kåtenärtho
näkåteneha kaçcana
na cäsya sarva-bhüteñu
kaçcid artha-vyapäçrayaù
Bhagavad-gétä (3.18)
In this world, a self-realized person who rejoices in the soul
does not accrue piety by the performance of actions, nor does he incur sin by
abstaining from duties. Amongst all living entities, from the highest life-forms
of the planet of Lord Brahmä down to the world of
immobile organisms, he never depends on anyone for any personal demand
whatsoever.
For one who is self-realized, any and every wave is welcome for
he is able to read the deeper meaning.
åte ’rthaà yat pratéyeta
na pratéyeta cätmani
tad vidyäd ätmano
mäyäà
yathäbhäso yathä tamaù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (2.9.34)
Çrémad-Bhägavatam asks, “What is the conception of mäyä ?”
Åte ’rthaà yat pratéyeta – what seems to
us to be the correct reading of the environment, is actually not so. Artheñu abhijïaù – Kåñëa knows the meaning and purpose of every incident. Many
events are harmonised and are for the purpose of
serving Him. But when there is localised interest,
there is a clash. Imperial and universal interests clash with provincial and
local interests. Artheñu abhijïaù. He alone can
know why each straw is moving to this side or that. He alone is the knower of
everything.
Only Kåñëa knows what purpose is
served by the grass bending in the wind to this side, not that. All these
movements taken together in harmony, go to Him. Artheñu
abhijïaù svaräö.
He is not answerable to anything or anyone.
The universal meaning of every event and incident, even the
movement of a piece of straw, is allpurposeful and
all-meaningful to the Absolute. It all contributes to the absolute satisfaction
of Kåñëa. That is the meaning of the phrase, åte ’rthaà yat pratéyeta.
Artheñu abhijïaù. Artha
means “universal”. And what is the real purpose of every movement? It is
for the one Universal Absolute. That absolute current goes towards the
satisfaction of Kåñëa.
The Plane of Ignorance and
Error
But that reading is not possible for the superficial jévas. The jévas
cannot read or conceive the real meaning of everything. The jéva will have his own
reading of the circumstances, but that will be superficial, and that is mäyä. We may interpret in our own way the reason for
an earthquake, a storm, or anything, but that reading is from our local
interest – the real meaning is hidden. This is mäyä,
and on the basis of that we are performing so many activities. All our interpretations
are from the plane of local interest, so give it up!
sarva-dharmän parityajya
mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
Bhagavad-gétä (18.66)
Give up your local interest and identify yourself
with the current of
that plane of universal interest.
åte ’rthaà yat pratéyeta
na pratéyeta cätmani
Without knowing the real meaning, what we feel and read is the
wrong reading of the environment – it is mäyä.
We miss the universal purpose, and from local interest we read, “Oh, this is
for this purpose, this is for that purpose.” But this is local interest. What we
conceive, feel, trust and believe, is not in consonance with the universal
reading; it is mäyä. Even our belief is within
the realm of mäyä. Our conceptions will have
no standing in the interest of the Absolute. What we read with our local
interest, we will not find if we read from the universal interest.
Our disease of local interest and conception will be cured and removed when we see that
everything is meant for Kåñëa and we become one
with that interest.
åte ’rthaà yat pratéyeta
na pratéyeta cätmani
tad vidyäd ätmano
mäyäà
yathäbhäso yathä tamaù
That feeling, that conception, is known as mäyä,
“that which is not”. It is apparent, but not real. What is not real, that is mäyä. Even what I think to be real is not. Mä-yä – mä means
“no”, and yä means “what” – “what is
not.” Apparently it seems to be so, but the fact is, it is not. That is mäyä. In such a plane we eliminate the infinite
interest and instead see by measuring according to our own interest. We measure
everything from the angle of vision and standpoint of our own selfish interest.
In this way we ignore the infinite representation, position, duty and service.
This is mäyä.
Yathäbhäso yathä tamaù – light and darkness both exist. The absence of truth is not
truth: it is tama, darkness, ignorance, mistake and error.
aham eväsam evägre
nänyad yat sad-asat param
paçcäd ahaà yad etac
ca
yo ’vaçiñyeta so ’smy aham
åte ’rthaà yat pratéyeta
na pratéyeta cätmani
tad vidyäd ätmano
mäyäà
yathäbhäso yathä tamaù
yathä mahänti bhütäni
bhüteñüccävaceñv anu
praviñöäny apraviñöäni
tathä teñu na teñv
aham
etävad eva jijïäsyaà
tattva-jijïäsunätmanaù
anvaya-vyatirekäbhyäà
yat syät sarvatra sarvadä
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (2.9.33–6)
The ontological base of the whole Çrémad-
Bhägavatam is contained within these four çlokas.* The Lord is present everywhere in a
direct or indirect way.
* The following are the translations of
these four “seed verses” of Çrémad-Bhägavatam
(2.9.33–6) known collectively as catuùçloké
Bhägavatam:
(33) [Çré Bhagavän
said to Lord Brahmä:] Before
the creation
of this world, only I existed.
The gross and the subtle,
up to the indefinable Brahman –
in other words the
cause (sat )
and the effect (asat) – did not exist. Nothing
other than I existed.
What is manifested in the form of
creation is also I, after
creation it is also I, and after annihilation
only I will remain.
(34) I, the Supreme Absolute Truth (parama-tattva),
am
the only real truth. Whatever
appears to be of any value,
if it is seen to be separate
from Me, or not existing within
Me, know it to be the product of My
illusory energy
(mäyä),
that reflection which appears to be in darkness.
(35) The five great elements of material creation enter
into the bodies of
all living entities, high and low, but at
the same time exist
independently. Similarly, I have
entered into all living
entities as the Supersoul, but at
the same time I am situated
independently in My own
transcendental nature.
(36) One who is searching after the Supreme Absolute
Truth must certainly search for it up to this, in all
circumstances
and by all possible means, in
all space and time,
through both direct (anvaya) and indirect (vyatireka)
means of deliberation.
To Hear & To Serve
One in the uttama-adhikära (highest)
stage makes no attempt to preach. Distribution of propaganda is for those in
the madhyama-adhikära (middle) stage.
It is there to take everyone from the narrow conception to the bright
conception, from the improper to the proper conception; and according to their
conception people will carry out their activities.
siddhänta baliyä citte nä
kara alasa
ihä haite kåñëa läge
sudåòha mänasa
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Ädi-lélä 2.117)
For us to be engaged more earnestly in service, sometimes hearing is necessary. To
hear just for the sake of hearing is luxury. But hearing for engagement,
that is proper hearing.
The master calls, “Oh you, please bring
me a glass of water.” But the student remains sitting. “Did you hear me?”
“Yes, I heard,” the student says, but still he remains sitting
tight. That sort of hearing won’t do! There is a saying amongst the sahajiyä section: “Gurudeva
asked for a glass of water, but I am engaged in harinäma.
‘No, Gurudeva, I’m engaged in harinäma.’
” This is self-deception.
Especially in the beginning, the importance will be the
consideration of urgency. Bhajana will
be present in Gurudeva as service in a higher degree,
but not in us. By serving him I can partake in kértana
of a higher quality; and that can come within me and improve the quality of
my kértana, and that can come within me and
improve the quality of my bhajana. Sädhu-saìga
and näma-kértana
are important. Näma-kértana has been
recommended, but not without the association of the sädhu.
That sädhu will be the higher, superior
quality devotee, and sädhu-saìga means
serving him.
Saìga does not mean just bodily association. Rather, saìga is possible only through the serving
attitude– not by opposite dealing or idly sitting. Saìga
means sat-saìga.
Sädhu-saìga: Serving the Sädhu
dadäti pratigåhnaöi
guhyam äkhyäti påcchati
bhuëkte bhojayate caiva
ñaò-vidhaà préti-lakñaëam
Çré Upadeçämåta (4)
The six types of loving exchanges among devotees are offering
gifts in charity, accepting gifts in charity, revealing one’s mind in
confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasäda
and offering prasäda. These are the
six kinds of association with a sädhu. It is
possible to accept higher association only when one has a serving attitude; otherwise
there is no saìga. To take lower association
means to exploit and enjoy, but higher association can only be achieved
through service. By
proper association the quality of your service will increase. Therefore sädhu-saìga –sädhu-sevä
– is of most importance.
The Gauòéya Maöha
stresses the importance of sädhu-saìga –
serving the sädhu. Whatever you do by the
command of the higher devotee will, through him, surely connect you with a
higher conception of the Absolute. Whatever you do, do with that connection
from above and carry out his order.
We have the experience of one sannyäsa
Godbrother who left the order and engagement of
his
Gurudeva and went to the
holy place of Badarikäçrama. Our Guru Mahäräja punished him for that. We can therefore see that
without the order from above, even going to the holy places may be punishable.
Without sädhu-saìga we
cannot connect with the
higher level. Therefore
even our chanting of the
Name may not be vaikuëöha-näma.
ataù çré-kåñëa-nämädi
na bhaved grähyam indriyaiù
sevonmukhe hi jihvädau
svayam eva sphuraty adaù
Çré Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.2.234)
The universal necessity is to learn and acquire a serving
attitude. If that is applied to näma-bhajana, or
any bhajana, it will be of great help to you.
Jiùva means “the tongue”, and nämädi
means “näma, rüpa,
guëa and lélä”.
On the tongue the Lord’s name (näma) will
appear; within the eye, His form (rüpa);
within the mind, His qualities (guëa); and in
the heart, His pastimes (lélä). All these will
come down to you, and everything about you will connect with that vaikuëöha-tattva.
It is not just a question of increasing the quantity, but
quality must be present. To be real bhakti, sevonmukha and sevä
presuppose surrender, and all this presupposes sädhu-saìga.
It all originates from the association of a sädhu.
From the positive direction it can come to us, so we must be thankful to that positive
source. The Lord is there, but His grace is coming through His agents, so His
agents should be welcomed and dealt with properly.
Whatever we can collect with our energy we should devote towards
sädhu and çästra.
Sädhu and çästra
are our two friends everywhere.
Complete Surrender
My Guru Mahäräja, Çréla
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Prabhupäda, one day explained what is a sädhu, and what is karma. He then
proceeded to explain that if a sädhu orders,
“Bring me a flower”, but when you bring the flower he says, “No, now bring me
some water”, and you object, “No, you ordered a flower and I brought it. Please
accept this flower”, then it will be
karma.
The sädhu is free. One
who thrusts the sädhu’s previous desire upon
him performs karma. At every moment he is free, so to follow his past
will, will be karma. You are always to be ready for the immediate need.
In the battlefield, if the general orders the army, “March this
side”, then after noticing that the circumstances have changed he says, “No, go
this other way!” then it won’t do for the soldiers to object by saying, “No!
You have already ordered us to go in this direction.”
Similarly the sädhu and guru
are always free, and their order should be taken in such a way. It is not
that we shall stick firmly to their first order; sädhu
and guru are living and independent.
On being asked to do a particular service, one disciple told our
Guru Mahäräja, “I need to know my itinerary at least
one week in advance.” Çréla Prabhupäda
replied, “But I received the order only five minutes ago; how could I inform
you earlier?” It is not a dead matter.
Of course, beginners will not be able to accept that. They will
receive their specific instructions just as a young boy is given the duty to
every day practice writing the alphabet, “ABC...” That is a particular stage.
He will then be taught how to spell by using those letters in a certain way.
And then later at every moment he will be ready to use the letters in many ways
according to the necessity of writing. The order may come to take down a
dictation, to write this and that. Just repeating “ABC...” is not sufficient.
So, in the beginning of devotional life the student is asked, “Do
this. Do that.” But when he comes in connection with the living substance he
will be prepared for a new order to come, and he will have to follow that with
all alertness.
Connecting with the Living
Conception
When I was in Våndävana I had a desire
to meet with a sädhu who was the most
famous and respected siddha-bäbäjé of
that place. I had the chance to stay with him for a few days but, after
circumambulating Vraja-maëòala, my Çréla Prabhupäda told me he was a
kaniñöha-adhikäré. He explained that this bäbäjé, like a student, was only copying the
accepted practices of a sädhu. He was
following the stereotyped direction, chanting the Lord’s Names, doing mädhukaré, fasting, reading Çrémad-Bhägavatam
and performing the various formal duties recommended for beginners, but he
was not coming in contact with the living thing. He was simply undergoing
training. He was simply following the routine of training.
In the armed forces when the new recruits are in the training
period, they are asked to do something repeatedly, “Do this! Do this! Do this!”
So they engage themselves in that way.
The kaniñöha-adhikäré does
not know the spirit and therefore cannot connect with the living substance. He
therefore is in the preparatory life of a devotee and will repeatedly engage in
those practices.
The two or three times in the evening that I had gone to see
this bäbäjé, I had sat there silently. He had many
disciples there who respected him, two or four staying by his side. Nobody had
said anything to me and he could not tell that I was from the Gauòéya Maöha. I tried my best to
read him.
One such occasion was the holy Nåsiàha-caturdaçé
day, and a reading from Çrémad-Bhägavatam was
begun. He recited, and sometimes he spoke about various things. I continued my
watch over his activities, movements, etc., and sometimes it was as if I was
noticing Guru Mahäräja indicating to me that bäbäjé’s nature.
After two or three days I came to the conclusion that this man
was trying his best from this plane to go up. But our Guru Mahäräja
had come down from that plane and had a living programme
with a purpose to fulfil. He did not belong to this
world, but he came from the spiritual world on an order. Our Guru Mahäräja came down with something positive to give
to the world. He had some order
and plan: “Go and do this!”
But that bäbäjé was
trying his best to follow what has been recommended in the scriptures. We can
read about Rüpa, Sanätana
and others, and accordingly have some idea and try to practise
that. But that is theoretical practising: “This has
been recommended, let me practise all these things
and then I will get my desired result.” One who follows in this way is a kaniñöha adhikäré.
But the desired end and living result will come by working under the direction
of
guru and sädhu who are
already members of that plane. And that is not theoretical; it is practical.
The difference lies in the practical necessity of the service.
In this way I had also come to the conclusion, later to be
confirmed by Çréla Guru Mahäräja,
that this bäbäjé was a kaniñöha-adhikäré.
Duty & Service
Soldiers are sometimes ordered to do ordinary things – not only
fighting but also shovelling, clearing jungle and
many other duties. When marching against the enemy, they are to do whatever
duty comes before them. The circumstances are practical and living. It is not
mock fighting, but a real fight, yet they are not engaged in fighting at every
moment. Preparing for a fight has more value than mock fighting during a
training period, even though the mock fight seems like real fighting.
When the soldiers on the actual field find it necessary to do
some other duties, such as clearing the jungle or making a bridge or a path,
etc., it will have more value than a practice fight in peaceful circumstances.
Of course the position of the general – of Gurudeva
– is all-important: he must be real, not a
sham or imitation. If
the sädhu or guru is genuine, to
clean up his stool and urine may fetch more than worshipping the Deity. That is
because such activity has a practical connection. So, under the guidance of a
real äcärya, whatever we do – be it cooking,
looking after the cows, personal service or so many other duties – will have
more value than our independent reading of Çrémad-Bhägavatam.
That is possible because the äcärya is
actually leading a spiritual life and he has his mission to fulfil.
If we can help him, that will fetch a higher result for us. And I will be paid
by his coin, not by any gross thing.
Published in Centenary Anthology (Navadvépa:
1995)
RAYS OF THE HARMONIST No. 13 Karttika 2003
·
