Q. 186. HOW CAN ONE ACHIEVE THE SHELTER OF THE LORD`S LOTUS FEET ?
A. BY SRILA PRABHUPADA.
tadā pumān mukta-samasta-bandhanas
tad-bhāva-bhāvānukṛtāśayākṛtiḥ
nirdagdha-bījānuśayo mahīyasā
bhakti-prayogeṇa samety adhokṣajam
SYNONYMS
tadā — at that time; pumān — the living entity; mukta — liberated; samasta-bandhanaḥ — from all material obstacles on the path of devotional service;tat-bhāva — of the situation of the Supreme Lord's activities; bhāva — by thinking; anukṛta — made similar; āśaya-ākṛtiḥ — whose mind and body; nirdagdha— completely burned up; bīja — the seed or original cause of material existence; anuśayaḥ — desire; mahīyasā — very powerful; bhakti — of devotional service; prayogeṇa — by the application; sameti — achieves; adhokṣajam — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the reach of the material mind and knowledge.
TRANSLATION
The devotee is then freed from all material contamination because he constantly thinks of the Lord's pastimes and because his mind and body have been converted to spiritual qualities. Because of his intense devotional service, his ignorance, material consciousness and all kinds of material desires are completely burnt to ashes. This is the stage at which one can achieve the shelter of the Lord's lotus feet. (Srimad Bhagavatam).
PURPORT
When a devotee is completely purified, he becomes anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya. In other words, all of his material desires become zero, being burnt to ashes, and he exists either as the Lord's servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover. Because one thinks constantly in this way, one's present material body and mind are fully spiritualized, and the needs of one's material body completely vanish from one's existence.
An iron rod put into a fire becomes warmer and warmer, and when it is red hot it is no longer an iron rod but fire. Similarly, when a devotee constantly engages in devotional service and thinks of the Lord in his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he no longer has any material activities, for his body is spiritualized.
Advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very powerful, and therefore even during this life such a devotee has achieved the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. This transcendental ecstatic existence of a devotee was completely exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya writes as follows:
tad-bhāva-bhāvaḥ tad yathā svarūpaḿ bhaktiḥ
kecid bhaktā vinṛtyanti gāyanti ca yathepsitam
kecit tuṣṇīḿ japanty eva kecit śobhaya-kāriṇaḥ
The ecstatic condition of devotional service was completely exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who sometimes danced, sometimes cried, sometimes sang, sometimes remained silent, and sometimes chanted the holy name of the Lord. That is perfect spiritual existence.
Replies
A. BY SRILA PRABHUPADA.
viṣayān dhyāyataś cittaḿ
viṣayeṣu viṣajjate
mām anusmarataś cittaḿ
mayy eva pravilīyate
SYNONYMS
viṣayān — objects of sense gratification; dhyāyataḥ — of one who is meditating on; cittam — the consciousness; viṣayeṣu — in the objects of gratification;viṣajjate — becomes attached; mām — Me; anusmarataḥ — of one remembering constantly; cittam — the consciousness; mayi — in Me; eva — certainly;pravilīyate — is absorbed.
TRANSLATION
The mind of one meditating upon the objects of sense gratification is certainly entangled in such objects, but if one constantly remembers Me, then the mind is absorbed in Me. (Srimad Bhagavatam).
PURPORT
One should not think that one can attain complete transcendental knowledge of Kṛṣṇa by mechanically engaging in worship of the Lord. Lord Kṛṣṇa states here that one must endeavor constantly to keep the Lord within one's mind. Anusmarataḥ, or constant remembrance, is possible for one who always chants and hears the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
It is therefore stated, śravaṇam, kīrtanam, smaraṇam: the process of devotional service begins with hearing (śravaṇam) and chanting (kīrtanam), from which remembrance (smaraṇam) develops.
One who constantly thinks of the objects of material gratification becomes attached to them; similarly, one who constantly keeps Lord Kṛṣṇa within his mind becomes absorbed in the Lord's transcendental nature and thus becomes qualified to render personal service to the Lord in His own abode.