Making quick progress in spiritual advancement

Lecture by Sri Stoka Krishna Dasa

Srimad Bhagavatam Canto – 2.3.8

dharmartha uttama slokam
tantuh tanvan pitrn yajet
raksa kamah punya janan
ojas kamo marud ganan

TRANSLATION

One should worship Lord Vishnu or His devotee for spiritual advancement in knowledge and for protection of heredity and advancement of a dynasty one should worship the various demigods.

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Pure devotional service is specially meant for those who are intelligent; the others, who take to worshipping the demigods, are not so intelligent. The Vedas describe different types of worship for different classes of people. The real purpose of the Vedas is not that one be satisfied with some material gain by demi god worship or sacrifice.

The demi gods are not ultimately independent in awarding the benefits to the worshipers. They are able to award certain benefits only in a particular department. Sukadeva Goswami says that if somebody desires to be absorbed in the impersonal brahma jyoti effulgence, one should worship Brahma or one who desires powerful sex should worship Indra.

The less intelligent persons are advised to worship specific demi gods and gradually they are brought to the level of understanding that they have to be sanctioned by the master of all demi gods, Lord Vishnu. A reminder is always given, when there is death or when one realizes that such material benefits are temporary.

The Bhagavad gita and all the Vedic literatures also point out that the worshipers of the demi gods cannot elevate themselves beyond going to the planet of the particular demi god. The very planets of the demi gods are temporary places -

a brahma bhuvanal lokah
punar avartino 'rjuna

Unless one is sufficiently intelligent, one will not accept such instructions from the Bhagavad gita. Krishna summarizes the entire Vedic knowledge and gives the real essence. The bulk of the Vedas is called the karma kanda portion because most of the people in this world are interested only in material enjoyment so that at least through performing sacrifices or worshiping demi gods; even without their knowledge they are coming in contact with the Supreme Lord.

Nonetheless by even indirect contact with the Supreme Lord, a person is elevated to a higher status, his intelligence becomes broadened. This is the real spiritual advancement of knowledge. In the human form of life, the intelligence is sufficiently developed to make this enquiry about brahma jijnasa – the Absolute Truth.

Many times Prabhupada says the Bhagavad gita is meant for human beings, not for cats and dogs. Vyasadeva has compiled Vedic literature for human beings. A human being has this enquiry to make - athatho brahma jijnasa - now that you have got human form of life enquire into what is Brahman. They are in search of the truth and there is relative truth and Absolute Truth. The relative truth will not satisfy the soul.

That’s why in the beginning of the Bhagavatam, in the opening verse Vyasadeva says, - satyam param dhimahi – I meditate upon Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead - om namo bhagavate vasudevaya- because He is the Absolute Truth – satyam param. In this material world we have experience of relative truth, which is not truth in all phases of time – past, present and future.

A human being has developed intelligence to recognize that relative truth is not truth because he sees that it is not true in all phases of time. Therefore he gives up this relative truth and wants to progress to the realm of Absolute Truth. One comes to the platform of knowledge beyond simply desiring some material gain. There are some people who are simply living like animals - dvipala pashu. They limit their activities, their knowledge, etc., to just how to eat, sleep, have some sense enjoyment or how to defend oneself – ahara, nidra, bhaya, maithuna – then their intelligence is not on the level of human beings, it is on the same level as that of animals. That’s why the scriptures say that for human beings there is an extra activity and that is pursuing the path of religion. This actually entails as Prabhupada says dharmartha uttama slokam – one should worship Lord Vishnu or His devotee for spiritual advancement in knowledge.

The Bhagavad gita clearly distinguishes between the body and the soul. While explaining that Krishna says that a person who is really in knowledge does not lament for any condition of the body. One is elevated by this instruction to go beyond simply some material gain in terms of bodily pleasure. Krishna says that body is temporary but you are not the body, you are spirit soul. Even in this life as human beings we can understand the body is changing, I am the same person, therefore I am not the body -

dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara

Systematically Krishna is taking us through all these different realizations on the path of spiritual advancement and summarizing the whole range of Vedic instruction. Especially in Kali yuga it is not possible that people may actually take the advantage of the human form of life by gradual elevation through following the Vedic directions. That’s why the Bhagavad gita and Bhagavatam are meant for people in Kali yuga.

In the Mahabharata this dharma is described specially by Bhishma deva in his instructions to Yudhisthira. Human being means he has to follow the dharma, he has to practice religion. That is the bulk of the text of Mahabharata. But again Yudhisthira is enquiring what is the essence of all this dharma. Because in Kali yuga to follow that dharma there is no possibility that people can really make progress on the path of dharma by following all those directions. The same essence is given by Krishna in the Bhagavad gita.

In the Mahabharata Vyasadeva is explaining all the various types of dharma and in case somebody misses that he is giving the essence of the entire dharma portion in the Bhagavad gita as part of the Mahabharata. He is meant for the welfare of the entire human society who have got this 

Bhagavad gita is described as the preliminary study of Bhagavatam. Simply by hearing the Bhagavatam, one is able to satisfy all his desires even for material enjoyment, it also results in purification of the heart.

Spiritual advancement of knowledge means there has to be a change of heart, becoming more intelligent in that one’s enquiry is not simply how I can elevate myself through different levels of material advancement but how I can come to the point of enquiring about the Absolute Truth. This is made possible by taking to worship of Krishna or through pure devotional service. Direct contact with Krishna means one is able to make very quick progress on the path of spiritual advancement; which means one becomes wise - bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate and this wisdom is that simply surrender to Krishna, man mana bhava mad bhakto mad yaji mam namaskuru - think of Krishna, worship Krishna, become His devotee. Direct contact with Krishna is only through pure devotional service which means akamaha – one gives up all pursuit of material desires including the desire for liberation - moksa kama, sarva kamo. This is really broadening one’s intelligence udara dhih, the benefit of pure devotional service.

Therefore Sukadev Goswami even though in the beginning he says one may worship the virat rupa of the Lord or one may worship the form of the Lord in the heart - paramatma but ultimately he concludes by telling - best is you worship directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His feature as Bhagavan. Therefore Prabhupada says that making progress on the path of spiritual advancement is ultimately reviving the eternal relation with Lord Vishnu in His impersonal effulgence, His localized paramatma feature and ultimately His personal feature. In the Bhagavad gita and the Bhagavatam it is pointed out very clearly that the Absolute Truth is realized in three phases - but the highest understanding is that of the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Sukadeva Goswami concludes this question by Parikshit Maharaja as to what is the duty of a person who is about to die depending on what his desire is, at the end of his life, what does he want to attain? Accordingly he may worship some demi god; he may meditate on the virat rupa and transfer himself to some higher planets or get some mystic power.

Ultimately worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna purusam param.

(The above transcripts have been edited for better readability. However they have not been verified and confirmed by the original speaker.)

Sri Stoka Krishna Dasa is a full-time missionary with ISKCON since 1989. He is presently the Governing Body Commissioner - ISKCON Bangalore Group of Temples and Treasurer & Governing Council Member, ISKCON Bangalore Society.