Hare Krishna,
I happened to read in one of the Iskcon articles that a soul progresses from being a Shiva worshiper to a Vaishnav. Pls throw some light on this.
Regards,
Karishma
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Lord Brahma for example did not worship Lord Shiva first but found Lord Vishnu. So interesting what type of article was that...
It is true Lord Shiva is the expansion of Sada Shiva who is Sankarshana who is the expansion of Lord Narayana so not an ordinary being.
But it is not a fact that everyone will first worship Lord Shiva then only Lord Vishnu or Krishna.
Your servant,
Paramatma Sandarbha
Anuccheda 106
1 The attempt to be independent of the Lord or to take shelter of someone other than the Lord is treated with contempt in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 6.9.22):
"Free from all material conceptions of existence and never wonderstruck by anything, the Lord is always jubilant and fully satisfied by His own spiritual perfection. He has no material designations, and therefore He is steady and unattached. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the only shelter of everyone. Anyone desiring to be protected by others is certainly a great fool who desires to cross the sea by holding the tail of a dog."*
2 The word "avismitam" means "because there is nothing that He does not already know, the Lord is never surprised by anything." "Avismitam" may also be interpreted to mean that the Lord is eternally smiling". "Svenaiva labhena paripurna-kamam" means "by His own activities His desires are fulfilled." The Lord does not need anyone else to fulfil His desires. That is the meaning. "Samam" means "He is equipoised in all circumstances", "prasantam" means "He is peaceful because His heart is free of all impurity", "balisah" means "a fool who is not dear to the Lord", and "atititarti" means "desires to cross".
3 These fools are described in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.2.27):
"Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance worship the forefathers, other living beings and the demigods who are in charge of cosmic activities, for they are urged by a desire to be materially benefited with women, wealth, power and progeny."*
4 In Skanda Purana in the conversation of Brahma and Narada, it is said:
"One who neglects Lord Vasudeva and worships someone else neglects his mother and bows down before a degraded woman."
5 In another place in the Skanda Purana it is also said:
"One who turns from Lord Vasudeva and worships someone else is a bewildered fool that turns from nectar and drinks the violent poison halahala."
6 In the Mahabharata it is said:
"One who turns from Lord Vishnu and worships someone else is a person that rejects a pile of gold and takes instead a pile of dust."
7 Shri Satyavrata Muni tells the Lord (Shrimad Bhagavatam 8.24.49):
"Neither all the demigods, nor the so-called gurus nor all other people, either independently or together, can offer mercy that equals even on ten-thousandth of Yours. Therefore I wish to take shelter of Your lotus feet."*
8 That both Brahma and Siva are devotees of Lord Vishnu and engage in His devotional service is described in Shrimad Bhagavatam. About Lord Brahma it is said (Shrimad Bhagavatam 2.9.5-9):
"Lord Brahma, the first spiritual master, supreme in the universe, could not trace out the source of his lotus seat, and while thinking of creating the material world, he could not understand the proper direction for such creative work, nor could he find out the process for such creation."*
"While thus engaged in thinking, in the water Brahmaji heard twice from nearby two syllables joined together. One of the syllables was taken from the sixteenth and the other from the twenty first of the sparsa alphabets and joined to become the wealth of the renounced order of life.*
"When he heard the sound, he tried to find the speaker, searching on all sides. But when he was unable to find anyone besides himself he thought it wise to sit down on his lotus seat firmly and give his attention to the execution of penance, as he was instructed.*
"Lord Brahma underwent penances for one thousand years by the calculations of the demigods. He heard this transcendental vibration from the sky, and he accepted it as divine. Thus he controlled his mind and senses, and the penances he executed were a great lesson for the living entities. Thus he is known as the greatest of ascetics.*
"The Personality of Godhead, being thus very much satisfied with the penance of Lord Brahma, was pleased to manifest His personal abode, Vaikuntha, the supreme planet above all others. This transcendental abode of the Lord is adored by all self-realised persons freed from all kinds of miseries and fear of illusory existence."*
Lord Siva is described in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 12.13.16):
"As the Ganges is the best of rivers, infallible Lord Krishna is the best of deities and Siva is the best of the worshippers of Lord Vishnu, so Shrimad Bhagavatam is the best of Puranas."
9 This is also described in the Twelfth Canto, where Markandeya Muni says to Lord Siva (Shrimad Bhagavatam 12.10.34):
"But I do request one benediction from you, who are full of all perfection and able to shower down the fulfilment of all desires. I ask to have unfailing devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead and for His dedicated devotees, especially you."***
10 The words "tatha tvayi" here show that Siva is a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. That is the meaning.
In the Eight Canto the Prajapatis pray to Siva (Shrimad Bhagavatam 8.7.33):
"Exalted, self-satisfied persons who preach to the entire world think of your lotus feet constantly within their hearts. However, when person who do not know your austerity see you moving with Uma, they misunderstand you to be lusty, or when they see you wandering in the crematorium they mistakenly think that you are ferocious and envious. Certainly they are shameless. They can not understand your activities."*
11 In the Fourth Canto the Pracetas say to eight-armed Lord Vishnu (Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.30.38):
"Dear Lord, by virtue of a moment's association with Lord Siva, who is very dear to You and who is Your most intimate friend, we were fortunate to attain You. You are the most expert physician, capable of treating the incurable disease of material existence. On account of our great fortune, we have been able to take shelter at Your lotus feet."*
12 A person who thinks Lord Vishnu is equal to other deities cannot attain devotional service. That idea is a great impediment to devotional service. This is explained in the Vaishnava Tantra:
13 "Although he may meditate on the Lord with unbroken thoughts, the dull-witted person who thinks Lord Vishnu equal to other deities does not attain unalloyed devotional service to Lord Hari.
14 "One who thinks the demigods headed by Brahma and Siva are equal to Lord Narayana is a great offender to the Lord."
15 The impersonalists and the devotees in santa-rasa think other deities are equal to Lord Narayana. An example of this is given in the story of Markandeya Muni, where Siva says (Shrimad Bhagavatam 12.10.20-22):
16-17 "The inhabitants and ruling demigods of all planets, along with Lord Brahma, the Supreme Lord Hari, and I, glorify, worship and assist those brahmanas who are saintly, always peaceful, free of material attachment, compassionate to all living beings, purely devoted to us, devoid of hatred and endowed with equal vision."*
18 "These devotees do not differentiate between Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and me, nor do they differentiate between themselves and other living beings. Therefore, because you are this kind of saintly devotee, we worship you."*
19 The meaning may also be interpreted: "We worship (imahi) you (yusman), the pure devotees headed by Markandeya".
20 "You are all devotees of the Lord, and as such I appreciate that you are as respectable as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. I know in this way that the devotees also respect me and that I am dear to them. Thus no one can be as dear to the devotees as I am."*
21 In another passage it is said (by Lord Siva in Shrimad Bhagavatam 8.7.40):
"My dear gentle wife Bhavani, when one performs benevolent activities for others, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is very pleased. And when the Lord is pleased, I am also pleased, along with all other loving creatures. Therefore, let me drink this poison, for all living entities may thus become happy because of me."*
22 That Markandeya Muni is a pure devotee of the Lord had been previously described in these words (of Lord Siva in Shrimad Bhagavatam 12.10.6):
"Surely this saintly brahmana does not desire any benediction, not even liberation itself, for he has attained pure devotional service unto the inexhaustible Personality of Godhead."***
23 This verse was spoken by Lord Siva to Markandeya Muni. By appearing before him, Lord Siva broke the meditative trance of Markandeya Muni. In this way he appeared before the sage.
24 This is described in Shrimad Bhagavatam (12.10.13):
"Shri Markandeya saw Lord Siva suddenly appear within his heart. Lord Siva's golden hair resembled lightning, and he had three eyes, ten arms and a tall body that shone like the rising sun. He wore a tiger skin, and he carried a trident, a bow, arrows, a sword and a shield, along with prayer beads, a damaru drum, a skull and an ax. Astonished, the sage came out of his trance and thought, 'Who is this, and where has he come from?'"***
25 At first describing the idea of the equality of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, and then affirming Lord Vishnu's superiority, Siva says (Shrimad Bhagavatam 12.10.20-21):
"The inhabitants and ruling demigods of all planets, along with Lord Brahma, Lord Hari, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, and I, glorify, worship and assist those brahmanas who are saintly, always peaceful, free of material attachment, compassionate to all living beings, purely devoted to us, devoid of hatred and endowed with equal vision."
26 That Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.2.24-26):
"Firewood is a transformation of earth, but smoke is better than the raw wood. And fire is still better, for by fire we can derive the benefits of superior knowledge (through Vedic sacrifices). Similarly, passion (rajas) is better than ignorance (tamas), but goodness (sattva) is best because by goodness one can come to realise the Absolute Truth.*
"Previously all the great sages rendered service to the Personality of Godhead due to His existence above the three modes of material nature. They worshipped Him to become free from material conditions and thus derive the ultimate benefit. Whoever follows such great authorities is also eligible for liberation from the material world.*
"Those who are serious about liberation are certainly non-envious and they respect all. Yet they reject the horrible and ghastly forms of the demigods and worship only the all-blissful forms of Lord Vishnu and His plenary portions."*
27 This is confirmed by Lord Siva in the Brahma Purana:
"A person who yearns to see me or to see grandfather Brahma should yearn to see all-powerful Lord Vasudeva."
28 This is so because by understanding Lord Vishnu everything is understood. This is also confirmed in these words of Sarvabhauma, who was initiated by Cintamani:
29 "I have given my heart to Krishna, who wears a garland of forest flowers. I have not given it in the same way to Lord Siva, who wears a garland of skulls. I am like a peacock that rejoices when a dark cloud comes but does not rejoice when the clouds are white.
30 The demigods are lakes, the demigoddesses rivers, and Lord Vishnu, the master of the universes, is an ocean. Still, only the dark cloud of Lord Krishna can remove the thirst of this cintamani cataka bird."
31 Therefore, because He is a Vaishnava, Lord Siva should be worshipped. Some Vaishnavas say that if the worship of Lord Siva is compulsory, still one can worship the Supreme Lord Vishnu instead of Lord Siva. That is described in the following story from the last part of the Vishnu-dharma Purana:
A pure devotee brahmana names Visvaksena used to live on the earth. One day he sat down at the edge of a forest. Then the son of a village leader approached him and said, "Who are you?" When the brahmana had told his story the leader's son said to him, "Today I have a headache and therefore it is not possible for me to worship Lord Siva. You please worship him in my place. At that point there is the following passage of one and a half verses:
32 "When this was said, he replied, 'We are pure devotees of Lord Hari. Only Lord Hari, who expands in four forms, or His devotee, should be worshipped. We will worship no one else. Go away."
33 Then the leader's son took a sword and raised it to cut off the brahmana's head. Stunned and not wishing to die in that way, the brahmana thought for a moment and said, "Very well, I will go there." In his mind the brahmana thought, "Because he destroys the universe and expands the mode of ignorance, Lord Siva is the deity of ignorance. However, because Lord Nrsimhadeva kills the demons situated in the darkness of ignorance, and because He thus dispels the darkness of ignorance, Lord Nrsimhadeva is like a sun risen to dispel the darkness of ignorance. Therefore, instead of worshipping Lord Siva, I will worship Lord Nrsimhadeva to dispel ignorance."
Then, taking a handful of flowers, the brahmana said, "Obeisances to Lord Nrsimha!" Filled with anger, the village leader's son at once raised his sword. At that moment the Siva-linga opened and Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared and killed the village leader's son and his associates. This Siva-linga, famous by the name "Linga-sphota" (the linga that opened), is situated in the southern provinces.
34 The pure Vaishnavas give all honour to Lord Siva because he is a pure Vaishnava also. Sometimes some people become Vaishnavas by worshipping Lord Siva. This is explained in the Adi-varaha Purana:
35 By worshipping Lord Siva for many thousands of births a person become wise and free from all sins. Then he becomes a Vaishnava."
36 Between the devotees of Lord Nrsimha and Lord Siva there is a very close connection. This is described in Shri Nrsimha-tapani Upanisad (1.5.10):
"A hundred brahmacaris equal one grhastha. A hundred grhasthas equal one vanaprastha. A hundred vanaprasthas equal one sannyasi. A hundred sannyasis equal one chanter of Siva-mantras. A hundred chanters of Siva-mantras equal one teacher of the Atharva-angirasa part of the Vedas. A hundred teachers of the Atharva-angirasa part of the Vedas equal one chanter of the king of mantras."
The "king of mantras" here is the mantra glorifying Lord Nrsimhadeva.
37 Because the devotees of Lord Siva thought Lord Siva is independent of Lord Vishnu, Bhrgu Muni's curse could not be overcome. This is explained in these words of the Fourth Canto (Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.2.27-28):
38-39 "When all the hereditary brahmanas were thus cursed by Nandisvara, the sage Bhrgu, as a reaction, condemned the followers of Lord Siva with this very strong brahmanical curse. One who takes a vow to satisfy Lord Siva or who follows such principles will certainly become an atheist and be diverted from transcendental scriptural injunctions."*
40 The methods of worshipping Lord Siva is described in the Vedas are proper, but the methods of Siva-worship described in other, non-Vedic, books are offensive and not proper. Shrimad Bhagavatam and other books that oppose these non-Vedic books are authorised Vedic scriptures. The Suta-samhita and similar books that support the non-Vedic scriptures are not authorised scriptures. Therefore the fault (of Lord Siva's followers in this verse) is that they thought Lord Siva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead independent of Lord Vishnu. It is Lord Vishnu who is the root from which the Vedic scriptures have grown. That is described in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.2.31):
41 "The Vedas give the eternal regulative principles for auspicious advancement in human civilisation which have been rigidly followed in the past. The strong evidence of this principle is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is called Janardana, the well-wisher of all living entities."*
42 In this verse the word "yat-pramanan" means that Lord Vishnu is the root of the Vedas. Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.2.23-26 also confirms the importance of devotional service to Lord Vishnu.
43 This is also described in the Hari-vamsa, where Lord Siva says:
"O brahmanas learned in the transcendental scriptures, you should always meditate on Lord Hari. Always recite the mantras glorifying Lord Vishnu and always meditate on Lord Kesava."
44 Devotion to Lord Siva has that nature. The Vaishnava scriptures describe the methods of worshipping transcendental Deities beyond the material nature with a method of worship that is also beyond the coverings of the external material world. The Lord's associates, who manifest humanlike pastimes as the Lord also does, perform Vedic sacrifices and other kinds of worship only to please the Lord. In this way King Yudhisthira performed the rajasuya sacrifice and other devotees also performed other similar activities. It should be understood that the demigods worshipped in these rituals are worshipped as representatives of the Lord's great potencies. This is explained by Prahlada Maharaja in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam (7.10.32):
45 "Prahlada Maharaja then worshipped and offered prayers to all the demigods, such as Brahma, Siva and the Prajapatis, who are all parts of the Lord."*
46 Shri Yudhisthira said to the Lord (Shrimad Bhagavatam 10.72.3):
"O Govinda, I wish to worship Your holy expansions by the Rajasuya sacrifice, the king of Vedic performances. Please grant that we may do this, my Lord."***
47 The demigods are therefore manifested by the Lord's potencies. In the Padma Purana, Karttika-mahatmya, the Lord Himself explained this to Shri Satyabhama:
48 "The worshippers of Surya, Siva, Ganesa, Vishnu, and Sakti eventually attain Me as rivers attain the ocean.
49 "Although I am one I appear in five ways. As a person named Devadatta may by the son of someone and have other relationships with other people and this way manifest different features and names in different circumstances, so I appear with different names and pastimes."
50 In truth, the Vaishnavas are the best of all. This is explained in the following verse, which appears in the Skanda Purana in the conversation between Narada and Brahma, and also in the Prahlada-samhita in the description of keeping a vigil during ekadashi:
51 "Neither a devotee of Surya, a devotee of Siva, a devotee of Brahma, a devotee of Sakti, nor a devotee of any other demigod is equal to a devotee of Vishnu."
52 The devotees of Surya and the devotees of other demigods do not attain the Supreme Personality of Godhead by worshipping the demigods. Only when they perform pure devotional service, done only to please the Lord, or when they die in a place sacred to the Lord, do they attain Him. In narrating the story of Devasarma and Canmdrasarma, who both worshipped the demigod Surya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead described this when He said:
53 "Because of the spiritual power of living in My holy place, and because of their pious conduct, these two devotees of Mine were brought by My associates to Lord Vishnu's transcendental abode.
54 "As long as they lived they worshipped the demigod Surya and performed many pious deeds. I became very pleased with their actions."
55 The holy place here is Mayapuri. When the Lord descended to the world these two devotees became Satrajit and Akrura. In the same way the devotee named Pundarika also attain the Lord by worshipping the Pitas.
56 That only by devotional service, which is not dependent on any other spiritual practice, one attains the Lord, is proved in the Lord's own words in Bhagavad-gita (9.23-25):
57 "Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way.*
58 "I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognise My true transcendental nature fall down.*
59 "Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods, those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors, those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings, and those who worship Me will live with Me."*
60 By worshipping Lord Vishnu one attains all virtues and shuns faults, which begin with blasphemy. This is described in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.3.26):
"One should have firm faith that he will achieve success in life by following those scriptures that describe the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan. At the same time, one should avoid blaspheming other scriptures. One should rigidly control his mind, speech and bodily activities, always speak the truth and bring the mind and senses under full control."***
61 This is also explained in the Padma Purana:
"All the great demigods should always worship Lord Hari. They should never disrespect Brahma, Siva or the other great souls."
62 In the Gautamiya Tantra also:
"A person who worships Lord Gopala but disrespects other dieties kills the present and previous pious credits he has earned."
63 The proper atonement for that offense is recitation of the following prayer from the Narayana-kavaca (Shrimad Bhagavatam 6.8.17):
"Hayasirsa mam pathi deva-helanat" (May Lord Hayagriva protect me from being an offender by neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord and the demigods).
64 In the Vishnu-dharma Purana the following story is recounted: In ancient times King Ambarisa worshipped the Lord by performing austerities for many days. At the conclusion of his austerities the Supreme Personality of Godhead, assuming the form of King Indra and riding on Garuda, who had been transformed into Airavata, appeared before him and offered him a benediction. Seeing the form of Indra, King Ambarisa bowed before Him and offered Him all respect. However, he did not wish any benediction from King Indra. He said, "The Lord whom I worship will give me benedictions. I will not accept benedictions from any one else. Then Indra said, "Whatever benediction He can give I can give also". When King Ambarisa still did not wish any benediction, Indra raised his thunder-bolt weapon to strike him, but still King Ambarisa would not accept any benediction from Him. At that moment the Lord became pleased. No longer appearing as Indra, the Supreme Person now showed His real form and gave His mercy to King Ambarisa.
65 An insult to Lord Siva is a great sin. This is described in the Fourth Canto (Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.2.24) where Nandisvara offers the following curse:
"Those who have become as dull as matter by cultivating materialistic education and intelligence are nesciently involved in fruitive activities. Such men have purposely insulted Lord Siva. May they continue in the cycle of repeated birth and death."*
66 Svayambhuva Manu said to Dhruva Maharaja (Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.11.33):
"My dear Dhruva, you thought that the Yaksas killed your brother, and therefore you have killed great numbers of them. But by this action you have agitated the mind of Lord Siva's brother Kuvera, who is the treasurer of the demigods. Please note that your actions have been very disrespectful to Kuvera and Lord Siva."*
After this, considering that Kuvera was Lord Siva's friend, Dhruva asked from him the benediction of always and in all circumstances being a pure devotee of Lord Vishnu. The meaning here is that a devotee only asks for the benediction of serving the Lord.
67 In the Kurma Purana the Lord says:
"A person who always worships Me with unalloyed love but also insults Lord Siva goes to hell."
68 This is also seen in the story of King Citraketu.
69 Lord Kapiladeva criticised disrespect toward even ordinary living entities, what to speak of disrespect to great souls like Himself. He said (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.21):
70 "I am present in every living entity as the Supersoul. If someone neglects or disregards that Supersoul everywhere and engages himself in the worship of the Deity in the temple, that is simply imitation."*
71 Here the word "bhutesu" means "the living entities, down even to the forms of life that do not even breathe, in whom the Supreme Lord appears as the Supersoul, and who will be described in the following verses", "bhutatma" means "the Supersoul in the heart", "tam mam avajnaya" means "by disrespecting the living entities one also disrespects Me, who am staying in their hearts", "kurute arca" means "worship of My form as the deity", and "vidambanam" means "a mocking imitation". That is the meaning. Lord Kapiladeva then says (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.22):
72 "One who worships the Deity of Godhead in the temples but does not know the Supreme Lord as Paramatma, is situated in every living entity's heart, must be in ignorance and is compared to one who offers oblations into ashes."*
73 Here the word "maudhyat" means "out of the mistaken idea that the Deity is made of stone or wood", "sarva-bhutesu isvaram mama hitva" means "not understanding that I am the Supersoul in all beings", and "arcam kurute" means "worships My Deity form". Such a person offers Me water and other things thinking I am an ordinary person and My Deity form is made of matter.
In the Agni Purana, in his lament for his dead son, King Dasaratha says:
74-75 "Did I think Lord Hari's Deity form was made of stone? In My heart did I fail to offer respect when I saw on the road a Vaishnava decorated with the signs of the Lord? Is that why, as a result of my misdeeds, I now suffer for the loss of my son?"
76 This is also described in the Padma Purana:
"One who thinks the Deity form of Lord Vishnu is made of stone, the spiritual masters are ordinary men, a Vaishnava belongs to a particular caste by birth, the water that has washed the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu or the Vaishnavas and that destroys the sins of Kali-yuga is ordinary water, the mantra of Lord Vishnu's holy name, which destroys all sins, is an ordinary sound, and Lord Vishnu is another demigod like the others, already lives in hell."
77 The verse quoted in text 72 means that the Supreme Lord says: "A fool, not seeing My presence within, does not respect all living entities. Because of this defect his spiritual activities are like offering oblations into ashes. Such a faithless person does not get any good result for his efforts." That is the meaning.
78 In Bhagavad-gita (17.1-3) this is explained:
"Arjuna inquired: O Krishna, what is the situation of those who do not follow the principles of scripture but worship according to their own imagination? Are they in goodness, in passion or in ignorance?*
"The Supreme Lord said: According to the modes of nature acquired by the embodied soul, one's faith can be of three kinds - goodness, passion or ignorance. Now hear about these.*
"According to one's existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has acquired."*
In this way one who has only the small faith possessed by ordinary people is considered a neophyte devotee. This kind of devotee is described in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.2.41):
79 "A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a prakrta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position."***
80 Such a neophyte devotee will eventually get the result of his devotional service, but he will not get it immediately. This will be explained in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.25):
"Performing his prescribed duties, one should worship the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead until one realises My presence in his own heart and in the hearts of other living entities as well."*
81 In these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.23) the Lord describes the result obtained by they who offend others:
"One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behaviour towards other living entities."*
82 Here the word "bhinna-darsinah" means "a person who sees the Supersoul present everywhere and in everyone's heart". The opposite of him is called "abhinna-darsi", which means a person who sees Shri Krishna, the supremely glorious son of Vraja's king, present everywhere. That is the meaning. The former kind of person is described by the words "maninah" (respectful to the Supreme Lord) and "baddha-vairasya" (inimical to other living entities).
83 Lord Krishna at once gives His mercy to a person who does not trouble others and who is kind to them as a father is to his son."
84 Lord Kapiladeva again explains (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.24):
"My dear Mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalisa, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple."*
85 In this verse the word "avamaniah" means "disrespectful". It is like the word "dvisatah (inimical) used (in Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.23, which was quoted in text 81).
86 It is also said (Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.23.3):
"Sharp arrows which pierce one's chest and reach the heart do not cause as much suffering as the arrows of harsh, insulting words that become lodged within the heart when spoken by uncivilised men."*
87 In this quote it is said that one thing is worse than the other. It is not the opposite. The violence here is not the same as the violence (dvisatah) mentioned previously (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.23, quoted in text 81).
88 In these verses the fault of not having faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead because of ignorance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described. In the following verse Lord Kapiladeva affirms that Deity worship performed according to one's own prescribed duties by a person who understands the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and because of that knowledge has faith in Him does not go in vain. He says (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.25):
89 "Performing his prescribed duties, one should worship the Deity of The Supreme Personality of Godhead until one realises My presence in his own heart and in the hearts of other living entities as well."*
90 This verse means: "Performing his prescribed duties (sva-karma-krt), one should worship (arcayet) the Deity (arcadau) of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as long as (tavat) one does not (na) realise (veda) My presence (mam) in the hearts of all living entities (sarva-bhutesu)." This activity (of Deity worship) is helpful for a person who, because he has not attained pure devotional service, does not have full faith in the Lord.
91 This will also be confirmed in the following words spoken by the Lord Himself (Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.20.27-28):
"Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories, being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery, but still being unable to renounce all sense enjoyment, My devotee should remain happy and worship me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activities.***
"When an intelligent person engages constantly in worshipping Me through loving devotional service as described by Me, his heart becomes fully situated in Me. Thus all material desires within the heart are destroyed.***
"The knot in the heart is pierced, all misgivings are cut to pieces and the chain of fruitive actions is terminated when I am seen as the Supreme Personality of Godhead."***
92 Therefore full faith in the Lord is higher than mere knowledge of the Lord. A faithful person who performs his prescribed duties need not worship the Deity or perform similar activities. However, until one comes to that stage one should faithfully worship the Deity and perform similar activities.
93 This will also be proved in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.20.9):
"As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by sravanam kirtanam visno, one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions.***
The meaning here is that one should not abandon Deity worship.
94 This is so because the Hayasirsa-pancaratra forbids the abandonment of Deity worship:
"As long as one lives he should not abandon Deity worship, but should continue to worship the Deity. One should continue until he gives up his life or until his head is severed.
95 A person who, although performing his prescribed duties and worshipping the Deity, is not kind to other living entities, does not attain perfection. The Lord confirms this (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.26):
96 "As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook."*
97 In this verse the Lord says: "A person who makes distinctions (antarodaram karoti) between himself and others does not see that I have made all living entities to be equals. Seeing hunger and other needs, he fills only his own belly. As death (mrtyuh) I cause the great (ulbanam) fear (bhayam) that is residence in the material world of birth and death to such a person, who sees a difference between himself and others (bhinna-drsah)".
98 The Lord then explains (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.27):
"Therefore, through charitable gifts and attention, as well as through friendly behaviour and by viewing all to be alike, one should propitiate Me, who abide in all creatures as their very Self."*
99 In this verse the word "atha" means "for this reason", "dana-manabhyam" means "by giving charity as far as one is able, or in the absence of giving charity by showing respect". The words "abhinna-caksusa" have already been explained.
The Lord of Vaikuntha tells the sages headed by Sanaka Kumara (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.16.10):
100 The brahmanas, the cows and the defenceless creatures are My own body. Those whose faculty of judgement has been impaired by their own sin look upon these as distinct from Me. They are just like furious serpents, and they are angrily torn apart by the bills of the vulturelike messengers of Yamaraja, the superintendent of sinful persons."*
101 The vision of seeing the living entities as different, where one sees some as superior and some as the best of all, is described in a general way in the following words, where Lord Kapiladeva says (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.28-33):
102 "Living entities are superior to inanimate objects, O blessed mother, and among them, living entities who display life symptoms are better. Animals with developed consciousness are better than them, and better still are those who have developed sense perception.*
103 "Among the living entities who have developed sense perception, those who have developed the sense of taste are better than those who have developed only the sense of touch. Better than them are those who have developed the sense of smell, and better still are those who have developed the sense of hearing.*
104 "Better than those living entities who can perceive sound are those who can distinguish between one form and another. Better than them are those who have developed upper and lower sets of teeth, and better still are those who have many legs. Better than them are the quadrupeds, and better still are the human beings.
105 "Among the human beings, the society which is divided according to quality and work is best, and in that society, the intelligent men, who are designated as brahmanas, are best. Among the brahmanas, one who has studied the Vedas is the best, and among the brahmanas who have studied the Vedas, one who knows the actual purport of Veda is the best.*
106 "Better than the brahmana who knows the purpose of the Vedas is he who can dissipate all doubts, and better than him is one who strictly follows the brahmanical principles. Better than him is one who is liberated from all material contamination, and better than him is a pure devotee, who executes devotional service without expectation of reward.*
107 "Therefore I do not find a greater person than he who has no interest outside of Mine and who therefore engages and dedicates all his activities and all his life-everything-unto Me without cessation."*
108 These verses show the hierarchy of living entities, each group better than the previous one. Here the word "adogdha dharman" means "a person who acts without material desires", "nirantarah" means "devotional service that is not mixed with impersonal knowledge or any other thing", "akartuh" means "devotional service where one surrenders to the Lord and does not work for one's own maintenance." In that condition, because one is free of false pride, he understands that he is completely dependent on the Lord. "Sama-darsanat" means "he thinks of the welfare of others because he knows that the Lord has created all living entities to be equal." The verses quoted in this passage (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.33) describe the distinctions between different kinds of living entities. The conclusion is that the Lord says: "one must offer great respect to My devotees, and to others one must also offer respects as it is appropriate and as one is able". That is the meaning.
109 Then Lord Kapiladeva explains (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.34):
"Such a perfect devotee offers respects to every living entity because he is under the firm conviction that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has entered the body of every living entity as the Supersoul or controller."*
110 The word "jiva-kalaya" here means "the Supersoul, who is present in the hearts of all living entities". Here the following statement of the Lord in Bhagavad-gita (9.29) should be remembered:
"I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him."*
In this way the neophyte devotees should respect all living entities, and the advanced devotees, who have full faith in the Lord, should see the Lord present everywhere.
111 This is also described in the Skanda Purana in these words:
"O hunter, good qualities like non violence, which have developed, are not very astonishing, for those who are engaged in the Lord's devotional service are never inclined to give pain to others because of envy."*
112 As will be explained later, the pure devotees, by following the example of the perfect residents of Gokula, attain the same virtues as the Lord. In this way they naturally become both renounced and non violent. This is described in the following words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.18.22):
113 "Self-controlled persons who are attached to the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna can all of a sudden give up the world of material attachment, including the gross body and subtle mind, and go away to attain the highest perfection of the renounced order of life, by which non violence and renunciation are consequential."*
114 The perfect devotees are described in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.2.45):
"The most advanced devotees sees within everything the soul of all souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna. Consequently he sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord and understands that everything that exists is eternally situated within the Lord."***
115 The devotees aspiring to become perfect are described in these words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.31.14-15):
"As pouring water on the root of a tree energises the trunk, branches, twigs and everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of the body, simply worshipping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that Supreme Personality."*
In this way the worship of the various demigods and the worship of the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead are described.
116 In this way the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original creator, is described. In these words it is proved that the worship of the Lord is unavoidable and must be performed. In other places in the scriptures it is also explained that in order to become free from material attraction and aversion one should worship the Lord.
Out of pure compassion for a living entity Bharata Maharaja abandoned his devotional service to the Lord. In that way compassion became an obstacle to his devotional service. By that example the idea that compassion for the living entities, and not the worship and service of the Lord, is the most important thing, is refuted.
Therefore one should always engage in those activities that are favourable for pure devotional service, which is beyond the material modes. This is explained in the following words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 3.29.15):
"A devotee must execute his prescribed duties, which are glorious, without material profit. Without excessive violence, one should regularly perform one's devotional activities."*
117 Here the word "ati" (without excessive violence) means that in performing kriya-yoga devotional service according to the regulations of the Pancaratras there may sometimes be some violence, as for example when one picks leaves or flowers.
One should not disrespect other deities, but rather one should honour them became of their relationship with the Supreme Lord. Worship of the demigods as if they were independent of the Supreme Lord is eloquently and vehemently rejected in these words:
"Free from all material conceptions of existence, and never wonderstruck by anything, the Lord is always jubilant and fully satisfied by His own spiritual perfection. He has no material designations and therefore He is steady and unattached. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the only shelter of everyone. Anyone desiring to be protected by others is certainly a great fool who desires to cross the sea by holding the tail of a dog."*
118 The verse (Shrimad Bhagavatam 6.9.22( quoted in the beginning of this anuccheda was spoken by the demigods to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Bhakti Tattva Viveka
Chapter 2
Excerpt
In present times we can easily point out viparita vastu me bhakti-buddhi-janita bhakti- abhasa which is produced by the visualisation of bhakti in activities which are actually opposed to bhaktiand which is prevalent in the pancopasana and in the ishvara-pranidhana or concentration upon the ishvara within the yoga process. Those known as pancopasanaconsider that there are five sampradayas—Shaiva (worshippers of Shiva), Shakta (worshippers of Durga), Ganapatya (worshippers of Ganesha), Saura (worshippers of Surya), and Vaishnava (worshippers of Vishnu). All five are followers of impersonalism. The Vaishnava line mentioned here is not the Vaishnava line which follows the genuine principle of bhakti. The four genuine Vaishnava sam- pradayas are not included within the Vaishnava pancopasana-sampradaya mentioned here. Shri Ramanujacarya, Shri Madhvacarya, Shri Vishnusvami and Shri Nimbaditya are the four acaryas of the four bona fide sampradayas of shuddha-bhakti which are described in the verse shri-brahma- rudra-sanakashcatvarah sampradayinah. To indicate these four sampradayas, it is said in the scriptures, “ sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nishphala matah,” which means mantras not accepted from the four bona fide sampradayas yield no results.
Vaishnavas who belong to the pancopasana section are basically impersonalists, not pure devotees. All the pancopasakas believe that the murtis of their five worshipable deities are ulti- mately imaginary. In other words they believe that brahma has no form and that these forms are conceived only as a convenience for worship while still in the bodily conception of life. According to their concept, when one’s worship becomes perfect they merge into impersonal brahma and the devotion they offered to those ‘imaginary’ murtis whom they consider to be the Rishvara is not eternal. This activity is simply jnanavrita-bhakti-abhasa. One cannot attain shud- dha-bhakti as long as he believes such jnanavrita-bhakti-abhasa to be real bhakti. If symptoms of bhakti such as trembling and the profuse shedding of tears are detected in the performers of this type of bhakti-abhasa, they should be taken only as symptoms produced by sensual pleasure and mere pratibimba or a reflection of the genuine symptoms. Just as the pan- copasakas display bhakti-abhasa towards their ‘imaginary’ murtis of demigods, similarly yogis also display trembling and shedding of tears towards their ‘imaginary’ murti of the Supersoul. These are all examples of pratibimba-bhakti-abhasa. The concept that pratibimba-bhakti- abhasa will gradually develop and will ultimately transform into shuddha-bhakti is totally false because by rejecting impersonal meditation and the benefits sought from fruitive activities the existence of this tattva ( bhakti-abhasa) totally vanishes. There remains no possibility of those practicing pratibimba-bhakti-abhasa actually being benefited unless they completely purify their consciousness from its very root. Impersonalists such as the four Kumaras and the top- most jnani Shukadeva Gosvami could only begin new and more exalted lives when they com- pletely renounced their previous faiths and accepted the path of bhakti. By the strength of their new, exalted lives they achieved the status of our acaryas.
From Sri Krishna Chaitanya
By Nishikant Sanyal
Excerpt
The political greatness of Magadha belongs to the Age of the progress of Indian empiric knowledge. The Puranas lament the final corruption of politics in the hands of the ‘upstart’ kings of Magadha who favoured the indiscriminate subordination of the spiritual to the secular authority in defiance of the methods of the theistic periods. Under the kings of the dynasties of Magadha Buddhism became the official and the predominant religion of India. But India progressed materially. Secular progress also characterized Indian society under the Gupta Emperors who belonged officially to the henotheistic cult of panchopasana or the worship of five principal gods, viz., Sakti, the Sun, Ganapati, Siva and Vishnu.
This worship of five gods (panchopasana) is the religion of the large majority of the ‘Hindus’ of the present day and requires a few words of comment as regards its origin and character and its place in the general scheme of religious evolution.
This worship by the fivefold orthodox Hindu community, corresponding to the five gods, viz., the Saktas, Sauras, Ganapatyas, Saivas, and henotheistic (panchopasaka) Vaishnavas, has prevailed in India from the remotest antiquity.
The tendencies of the human mind are of two kinds, viz., (1) those that are directed towards material objects, and (2) those that are turned towards the highest good. From the first of these issue such activities as those undertaken for the nourishment of the body, the building of a home, marriage, production of offspring, the pursuit of different secular studies, the earning of wealth, physical sciences, arts, government and the accumulation of merit by good deeds, etc., etc. Many of these worldly activities of men are identical with those of the lower animals; but the purposive utilitarian efforts of man are superior to similar instinctive endeavours of the lower animals. But men, even although they may carry on all efforts and acts conducive to worldly advantage, are considered to be only two-legged animals unless they make an attempt to place themselves under the guidance of their spiritual nature. The function of the pure soul is the natural religion of all animate beings. In the natural state the function that is proper to the soul is fully manifest. In the bound state this natural function, or religion, is reduced to the form of ‘quest’ after the highest good. The worldly activities already mentioned attain their fulfillment only if they are performed in subordination to the spiritual purpose; otherwise they fail to establish the highest position of man. Therefore, the first appearance of the effort for the highest good, differentiating itself from the exclusive pursuit of worldly interests, may be termed as a slight turning toward Godhead. From this stage to the highest spiritual state there is all infinity of gradations.
The Sakta religion is the name of the search of Godhead in the material world. In this religion material Nature is observed to be recognized as the supreme Regulatrix of the world. The customs and practices that are enjoined in the Sakta religion (dharma) are suitable for the stage of slight Godwardness. In reward to worldly people who have not yet begun to inquire after the highest good the customs recommended by the Sakta dharma may prove attractive and help to bring them over to the principle of the summum bonum. The religion that worships material energy is, indeed, the first spiritual effort of the bound soul and is extremely beneficial for people situated at that stage.
When the Godward tendency has acquired strength, in the second stage of advance, the superiority and efficacy of heat among material objects being noticed, the Sun as the source of all heat is accepted as the object of worship. This leads to the origin of the Saura cult. Subsequently, when even heat also comes to be regarded as material and lifeless, the principle of animation is recognized as superior to it and gives rise to the worship of Ganapati, who represents the principle of animality. This is the third stage. In the fourth stage, the pure human consciousness comes to be worshipped as Siva and gives rise to the Saiva creed. In the fifth stage appears the Vaishnava religion or the worship of the Supreme Soul as different from the fractional soul of the individual.
The religion that seeks the highest good is naturally divided into the above five grades. Therefore, in all countries these five religions have been prevalent in the different periods under different names. If we consider all the different religions that are current in this and other countries they can be put under one or other of the above classes. The Christian and Muhammedan bear a strong affinity to the Vaishnava religion of the henotheistic (panchopasaka) school. Buddhism and Jainism are similar to the Saiva cult. This is the scientific explanation of the differences between the different religions. Those who regard their own particular religion as the only true religion and stigmatize other religions as irreligion or pseudo-religion, are disabled by such prejudices from ascertaining the real Truth. As a matter of fact, having regard to the different stages, the respective religions should be considered as really different. But the religion that is natural to the soul is only one. In the graded condition of humanity it is not the duty of those who look to the essence of the matter to ignore this inevitable gradation of religion. In undertaking this discussion of the natural religion of the proper self of all animate beings we have no desire of withholding regard that is due to the respective grades of the different religions, in their natural and scientific order of precedence.
The eternal (sattvata) theistic function (Vaishnava dharma) is the only religion (dharma) that is proper to the soul; or, in other words, it is the eternal religion of all animation. But the Vaishnava religion that is found to exist in the community which professes illusionism (mayavada) is only a caricature of the religion of the pure soul. The so-called Vaishnava religion of the henotheistic (panchopasaka) school when it becomes free from mundane references, that is to say, from illusionism (mayavada), thereby attains to the nature of the eternal function (sattvata dharma). The distinction due to Dualism, Dualistic-Dualistic-non-Dualism, Absolute Monism and Distinctive Monism, professed respectively by the four theistic schools of the pure Vaishnavas, are merely indicative of the diversified character of the Vaishnava thought itself. This difference of school (sampradaya) is not due to any real difference of principle, Mayavada is the one creed which is really opposed to the principle of devotion. Those Vaishnavas who profess Mayavada are not theistic Vaishnavas at all.
The religious systems educed out of the perception of physical Nature, always fortified themselves by reference to old precedents and the Veda or the revealed Word. The philosophical systems which assumed their regular form in the sutra period, elaborated in the commentaries, furnished them with ready-made arguments, justifying their particular methods of worship and doctrine. All these were interconnected by their unity of outlook which was mundane and with the fruitive works and the gods and goddesses of the karmakandiya portions of the Veda and of the Tantras that were not spiritual. This is the tangled web of the current religious (?) life of India. It possesses an external appearance of being based upon the general body of the Scriptures of this country although showing a variety of faces that are by no means easily reconcilable with one another. Any systematic friendly treatment of current Hinduism is the despair alike of historians and philosophers. But in spite of their absurdities, their materialism which is often frankly explicit and their want of internal homogeneity, they have always impressed both outside and inside critics as presenting only the exterior or the covering matter that hides the sterling truth lying buried underneath. There are real grounds for such suspicion.
We have dealt elsewhere with the non-theistical philosophical systems which arose during the sutra period or the beginning of the rationalistic Age and also with the Buddhistic and Jain systems. The philosophy of theism was collated in the Brahmana sutra, known also as the Vedanta sutra. The Brahmana sutra produced its commentators through the agencies of both the theistic and non-theistic schools. The most famous, and one of the earliest extant, commentary belonging to the latter class, is that of Sankaracharya in which he expounds the Vedanta sutra with wonderful dialectic skill to prove the exclusive monistic view. Armed with this, Sankara, by appealing to the Authority of revealed theism, succeeded in patching up an apparent reconciliation among all the warring non theistic creeds by throwing over them the deceptive coating of Illusionism and winning over even the followers of Buddhism, who had till then been openly hostile to the Vedic tradition, within its roomy fold. Although the other rival philosophical systems were not altogether driven out of the field and even continued to inspire the various non-theistic creeds, the superior logic of the system of Sankara secured more or less the approval of all non-theistic cults, especially as it tolerated and supported the practices of all of them, differing apparently only in regard to their methods in pursuance of the common end to be attained by those methods.
The effective and uncompromising opponent of Sankara was the Vishnuvite thought itself which could not be stamped out by Sankara. The commentaries of Sankara were refuted by Sree Ramanuja and Madhvacharya who re-stated the theistic position by carefully exposing the errors of Sankara and laying bare his real object, which was different from his profession. Under the guise of loyalty to the revealed Word (sruti) Sankara proved even a greater enemy, on account of his profession of loyalty, of the theistic thought which was the real philosophy of the revealed Word, than even its open foes.
The Vishnuvite thought had been vigorously reinforced by the compilation of the two great epics, viz., the Mahabharata a and the Ramayana which in their present forms contain a good deal of interpolated matter. The process which was in progress, of rewriting in the new Sanskrit language the contents of the older original books, furnished the opportunity, which was not missed by the opponents of the theistic thought, of consciously. or unconsciously importing into the Vishnuvite Narrative of the Epics a good deal of the thoughts and ideas of the other creeds. The Mahabharata was at once recognized by the Vishnuvite teacher as the text-book of their religion. The significance of the Teachings and Activities of Sree Krishna was, however, most fully and clearly brought out in Sreemad Bhagavat Purana which devoted itself exclusively to the task of finally separating the grain from the chaff and presenting the history of theism in its unadulterated and highest form of perfection embodied in the Teachings and Activities of Sree Krishna. Sreemad Bhagavatam is the gathering up and the final and complete statement of the theistic position successively revealed in course of the Ages.
There is a class of thinkers, who without belonging to the school of successively heard transcendental sound, affect to value a religion in proportion to the antiquity of its origin. Revelation, according to such people, even if it were admitted as a true fact, by way of argument, could have taken place only in very remote times or at the very beginning of creation, and is, therefore, necessarily enshrined in the oldest (?) of all the extant Scripture, viz, the Rik Samhita. On this ground they are not disposed to regard as belonging to the class of revealed Scriptures any works that in their estimation appear to belong to an Age later than the Vedic. This view is directly opposed to such statements as that the Rik Veda itself is outside ‘Brahma Vidya’ or ‘para Vidya’, the knowledge of the Absolute. We have tried to explain the significance of such and similar statements that refuse to let the Brahman as transcendental Sound to be labeled, catalogued and finally closed in the manner that the physical scientist would like to do according to his limited notions that refer exclusively to the finite objects of this world. The ‘Word of God’ is not anything that is capable of being limited by space and time. That is also the reason why we are told that it is not possible for us to have any idea of Him except by the process of revelation. That which is unrelated to this world cannot be known by any kind of mundane reference, gross or subtle, physical or mental. Such prejudices, which the impartial voice of logic emphatically condemns, should be completely eradicated if we really want to acquire the spiritual perspective proper.
The Puranas, in their spiritual significance, are eternal. They are accordingly spoken of as appearing and disappearing, in accordance with the strict logic of unadulterated theism. The Age or country or person to which they choose to appear, does not in the least affect their eternal character. They are neither old nor new but eternal, i.e., situated beyond the scope of past, present and future. Unless this is remembered no one need pretend that he really accepts, tentatively or even for the sake of argument, the logical implications of theism. The esoteric side which alone is present to the view of limited minds represents the misleading view of the Absolute. This esoteric vision requires to be temporarily discarded in order to be able to loyally follow a theistic narrative that is derived from unimpeachable sources and for that reason alone entitled to such hearing from every one of us, for our own benefit.
In the light of the above observations it is possible to understand the meaning of those passages of the Scriptures that try to define the position of Sreemad Bhagavatam It is the only uncontaminated source of the revealed religion in its purity and completeness, available to us. Sreemad Bhagavatam is the explanation of the Brahma sutra; it settles the significance of the Mahabharata; it is of the nature of the commentary of the formula for delivering from worldliness (gayatri), the transcendental Sound Who is, as it were, the germ of all knowledge regarding the Absolute; and is the fulfillment of all the statements of the Vedas. ‘The substance of all the philosophy of the Vedas is called Sreemad Bhagavatam. Suka churned the butter from the curd of the four Vedas and Parikshit ate of the same. After Sree Krishna returned to His own Abode the Sun in the shape of this Purana has arisen of late for the enlightenment of the blinded souls of this Age of discord’ The position of the Sreemad Bhagavatam as being the premier among the sattvata Puranas is attested by various passages in the different Puranas.
The historian who maybe obsessed by his partiality for antiquity, being so wedded to the cult of time and space as to be unable to live in the pure atmosphere that is free from those dark vapours of this mundane world, should do well to take the help of those philosophers who possess a longer vision than his and who may warn him against riding an old error too hard as it is bound to expire in the process, if, indeed, it be his purpose to preserve it for the particular benefit of nobody.
This is so as regards the so-called historical position of Sreemad Bhagavatam. The nature of the actual contents of this unique work cannot be indicated in a few words. By the side of the revealed Word the Avataras of Vishnu constitute a Source of transcendental knowledge forming the truly historical manifestation of the Word of God. The Word of Godhead tells us about Godhead, His Activities, Qualities, Abode and Servitors. The Avataras are the descent of these into this world in a shape that is visible to all of us in the forms of apparent mundane occurrences, by reason of the mundane nature of our present vision. The revealed Word is explained and corroborated by the narrative of the deeds of the Avataras. If the gayatri is comparable to the first appearance of the bud, Sreemad Bhagavatam is like the full-blown flower, being the inspired narrative of the successive Avataras of Vishnu, culminating in the advent of Sree Krishna Himself, into this world.
Sree Krishna Chaitanya’s career and teaching offers the illustration of the Vaishnava religion in its highest development. The sankirtana of Krishna propounded by Sree Chaitanya is the highest form of worship of this religion, being equivalent to the loving service of Sree Krishna, as practiced by the milk-maids of Braja, the form itself being the method as well as the object of this transcendental worship. The nature of these will be explained in course of the narrative.
But we would avail of this opportunity to ask the reader not to accept the current practices of the pseudo-followers of Sree Chaitanya in Bengal and elsewhere as the religion taught by Sree Chaitanya. We would also request him to forget what is offered in the pages of certain modern writers as the so-called history of the movement. Both are concoctions of the imaginations of people who are themselves utterly ignorant of the transcendental nature of the spiritual function. Such travesty of the Truth as is offered by the pseudo-Vaishnavas and empiric writers, is the necessary consequence of attempting to practice and explain the religion by worldly people, in as much as its nature cannot be understood by the limited intelligence of persons leading a worldly life who may give themselves out to be the followers of Sree Chaitanya or who may be betrayed by their self-sufficiency born of utter ignorance to undertake to write its history. We may quote again the dictum of Sree Chaitanya, which is so apposite in this connection, viz. ‘no one is fit to teach the religion who does not practice it himself.’
The psilanthropic (prakrita sahajia) cult passing under the name of Vaishnavism, is allied to the practices of those who follow the teaching of the tamasika Tantras. This class of Tantras, which had their zealous followers in the tracts of Chittagong (ChattogRama), led in those parts to the practice of revolting sexual excesses in the name of religion, and from there the contagion was carried to different parts of the country which also had their own tamasika Tantrikas by whom they were welcomed. This feature of decadent Buddhism is quite well known. The natural transcendental function (aprakrita sahaja dharma) that finds expression in the genuine poems of Chandidas and Vidyapati, which were approved by Sree Chaitanya, belongs to the category of unalloyed devotion to Godhead. But those songs that now pass under the names of Vidyapati and Chandidas have suffered interpolation and alteration in the hands of the sensualists of former and present generations. The sensual feature is altogether absent from the practices recommended by Sree Chaitanya both by His own conduct as well as by His teachings. But many pseudo-sects that profess at the present day to be the followers of Sree Chaitanya try to pass off the sensual cult as the religion of pure love for Godhead taught by Sree Chaitanyadeva. The congregational chanting (sankirtana) as performed by these pseudo-Vaishnavas is nothing but a musical dissipation that falls in with their other taste for unbridled sexuality. It will appear in its due place in this narrative that the congregational chanting (sankirtana) propounded by Sree Krishna-Chaitanya is something that is altogether different, both as regards its method and object, from what now ordinarily passes under its name. In the concluding chapter of this work we will return to the details of the history and shall try to supply the reader with the real account of the development of pseudo-sankirtana among the sensualists. The process of misrepresenting the pure Vishnuvite religion by pseudo-followers and opponents in the various forms of pseudo-Vaishnavism and non-Vaishnavism, which operated with such signal consequences in the past, have not been less active during the four centuries that have elapsed since the disappearance of Sree Chaitanya, to obscure and misrepresent the religion of pure love for Godhead, taught and practiced by Him.
Nonsectarian Vaishnava-Dharma
Shrila Bhaktivinode Thakur comments on the
nature of sectarianism in the introduction
to his Shri Krishna Samhita:
The people of India and other countries may be divided into two categories: the asslike and the swanlike. Of these two, the asslike are in the majority. The swanlike are in the minority.
Swanlike people abstract the purport of the scriptures for their own advancement and thus benefit themselves. Everyone has the right to discuss spiritual topics. Yet people are divided into three categories according to their qualifications:
Those who do not posses independent power of discrimination are in the first category and are called kanistha-adhikaris, or neophytes with soft faith. They have no alternative to faith. If they do not accept whatever the compilers of the scriptures write as the order of the Lord, then they fall down. They are qualified only for understanding the gross meanings of the science of Krishna; they have no qualification for understanding the subtle meanings. Until these kanistha-adhikaris gradually advance by good association and instruction, they should try to advance under the shelter of faith.
Those who have not yet succeeded in connecting faith with argument are second grade persons, or madhyama-adhikaris.
And those who are expert in connecting these two are perfect in all respects. They are able to attain perfection by utilizing material resources in their independent endeavors. They are called topmost persons, or uttama-adhikaris.
Sectarianism is a natural byproduct of the Absolute Truth. When acaryas first ascertain and instruct the Truth, it is not polluted with sectarianism. But the rules and regulations received through disciplic succession regarding the goal and the method of achieving it are changed in due course of time according to the mentality and locale of the people.
A rule that is followed by one society is not necessarily accepted in another society. That is why one community is different from another. As a community gradually develops more respect for its own standards, it develops hatred towards other communities and considers their standards inferior.
These sectarian symptoms are seen in all countries since time immemorial. This is prominent amongst neophytes and found to some extent amongst madhyama-adhikaris. Amongst uttama-adhikaris, however, there is no trace of sectarianism. Adherence to a particular standard is the prominent symptom of a society.
There are three types of standards - alocakagata, alocanagata, and alocyagata:
Alocakagata is when sectarianists accept some external signs. Examples of alocakagata are tilaka, neck beads, saffron robes, and the baptism that is practiced abroad.
The different activities practiced in the process of worship are called alocanagata. Examples of alocanagata are sacrifices, austerities, fire sacrifices, vows, studying scriptures, deity worship, constructing temples, respecting the purity of various trees and rivers, dressing like sannyasis, acting like acaryas, dressing like brahmacaris or grhasthas, closing one's eyes, respecting particular types of books, rules and regulations in eating, and respecting the purity of particular times and places.
The examples of alocyagata are attributing personalism or impersonalism to the Supreme Lord, installing deities, exhibiting the mood of an incarnation of the Lord, speculating on heaven and hell, and describing the future destination of the soul.
The different forms of these spiritual activities create divisions of sectarianism. Differences that arise from places, times, languages, behaviors, foods, dresses, and natures of various communities are incorporated within people's spiritual practices and gradually make one community so completely different from another community that even the consideration that everyone is a human being may cease to exist.
Due to these differences there is disagreement, cessation of social intercourse, and fighting, even up to the point of killing one another. When an asslike mentality becomes prominent within the neophyte kanistha-adhikaris, they certainly indulge in these things. But if they develop a swanlike mentality, then they do not take part in quarrels; rather, they endeavor to attain a higher level.
Madhyama-adhikaris do not quarrel so much about external standards, but they are always attacked by philosophical disagreements. Sometimes they condemn the standards of neophytes and establish their own standards as superior. They condemn the neophyte's deity worship in order to establish the worshipable Lord as formless. In such cases, they are also considered asslike people. Otherwise, if they had a swanlike mentality and a desire to attain a higher level, they would respect others' practices and inquire about higher topics.
Contradictions actually arise only due to asslike mentality. Swanlike persons consider the necessity for different practices according to one's qualification, so they are naturally detached from sectarian quarrels. In this regard, it should be understood that both asslike and swanlike people are found amongst the kanistha-adhikaris and madhyama-adhikaris. I do not expect that asslike people will accept this book with respect.
If neophytes and madhyama-adhikaris become completely indifferent in regard to the contradictions found in various practices and try to advance further, then they become swanlike persons. Then they are our respectable and dear friends. Although swanlike personalities may accept a particular practice from birth or childhood according to instructions they have received, they nevertheless remain indifferent and nonsectarian.
The religious principles that will be explained and established in this book are very difficult to name. If these principles are given a particular sectarian name, then other sects will oppose them. The Shrimad Bhagavatam has therefore established sanatana-dharma as satvata-dharma, or religious principles related with the Absolute Truth. Another name for these religious principles is Vaishnava-dharma. Asslike Vaishnavas fall into the categories of:
Saktas (followers of Durga),
Sauras (followers of the sun-god),
Ganapatyas (followers of Ganesa),
Saivites (followers of Siva),
and Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu).
But swanlike Vaishnavas are nonsectarian and, therefore, rare.
These five types of spiritualists, as found in India, are named according to their respective qualifications. Human beings have two types of tendencies: arthic or material, and paramarthic or spiritual.
Material tendencies include maintaining the body, constructing a house, marrying, begetting children, studying, earning wealth, material science, factory work, acquiring and maintaining assets, and accumulating piety.
Although there are some similarities between the activities of humans and animals, the material endeavors of humans are nevertheless superior to the natural tendencies of animals. If after executing their material activities, human beings do not take shelter of their constitutional activities, then they are called two-legged animals.
The constitutional activities of a pure soul are called sva-dharma, or one's prescribed activities. The sva-dharma of a living entity is prominently manifested in his pure state of existence. In one's pure state of existence this sva-dharma is present in the form of spiritual activities.
All the above-mentioned material tendencies become successful when dovetailed with spiritual activities. Otherwise they cannot independently help one attain the highest goal.
From engagement in material activities up to the awakening of spiritual activities is called the preliminary stage of God consciousness. From this preliminary stage up to the uttama-adhikari stage there are innumerable levels:
ONE - Inquiring about the truth of the material world is called Sakta-dharma, because the predominating deity of the material world is goddess Durga. All behavior and practice instructed in Sakta-dharma is helpful only in the preliminary stage. Such behavior and practice is meant to bring one closer to spiritual life, and materialistic people may be attracted by this only until they begin to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth. Sakta-dharma is the living entity's initial spiritual endeavor, and it is extremely essential for people of that level.
TWO - When the preliminary stage is further strengthened, one attains the next level. One then considers the energy of work and the superiority of heat over dull matter, and one therefore accepts the sun-god, who is the source of heat, as one's worshipable deity. At that time, Saura-dharma is awakened.
THREE - Later, when one considers even heat as dull matter and animal consciousness as superior, one attains the third stage, Ganapatya-dharma.
FOUR - In the fourth gross stage, Lord Siva is worshiped as the pure consciousness of the living entities, and Saiva-dharma manifests.
FIVE - In the fifth stage, the consciousness of the living entity worships the supreme consciousness, and thus Vaishnava-dharma is manifest.
By nature, there are five types of paramarthic dharmas, or spiritual duties, which have been known throughout the world by different names at different times. If one considers all the different dharmas that are current in India and abroad, one can see that they certainly fall within these five categories.
The religious principles taught by Mohammed and Jesus Christ are similar to the religious principles taught by Vaishnava sects. Buddhism and Jainism are similar to Saiva-dharma.
This is a scientific consideration of truths regarding religious principles. Those who consider their own religious principles as real dharma and others' religious principles as irreligion or subreligion are unable to ascertain the truth due to being influenced by prejudice.
Actually religious principles followed by people in general are different only due to the different qualifications of the practitioners, but the constitutional religious principles of all living entities are one.
It is not proper for swanlike persons to reject the religious principles that people in general follow according to their situation. Therefore, with due respect to the religious principles followed by people in general, we will now discuss the living entity's constitutional religious principles.
Satvata-dharma, or nonsectarian Vaishnava-dharma, is the living entity's constitutional, or eternal, religious principles. The Vaishnava principles that are found in the Mayavada-sampradaya are only indirect imitations of those principles.
When such sectarian Vaishnava principles become transcendental, that is, when they are free of impersonalism, then they become Satvata-dharma, or religious principles related to the Supreme Truth. The different sampradayas, namely:
dvaita (dualism),
dvaitAdvaita (simultaneous oneness and difference),
suddhAdvaita (purified oneness),
and visistadvaita (specific monism)
that are found in satvata-dharma are nothing but wonderful varieties of sentiments within the Vaishnava science. Actually the various sampradayas are not the result of differences in the basic truth.
Impersonalism is diametrically opposite to the science of bhakti. Those Vaishnavas who have accepted impersonalism are not pure Vaishnavas.