Karmi, Sakama Bhakta, Nishkama Bhakta and Pure devotee.
- Veerendra Ekbote
As per 13th chapter of Bhagvad Gita any action performed by a Jiva or living entity depends upon 5 factors which are field of action, performer of action or living entity, Karma or action performed, Kala or time factor and Daiva or destiny which governs the outcome of the action performed by a living entity. Of which the first 3 are within the scope or control of a living entity i.e. field of action, performer of action or the living entity and Karma performed by the living entity.
The other 2 i.e. Kala or time factor and Daiva or destiny is controlled by the Supreme Lord Krishna that controls the actions of every living entity and is responsible for the actions performed by giving living entity either favorable or unfavorable result or reactions as per the action perfomed since the Supreme God is situated within every living entity as the Parmatma and guides the fallen living entity unto the path of Self-realization in each of his birth or lifetime until he achieves eternal life in the spiritual world. The Supreme Lord as the KaalPurush governs the time factor which decides the life duration of every living entity or Jiva in the material world in which the Jiva performs action throughout his lifetime while getting reactions accordingly for his actions which will either bound him in the repeated cycle of birth and death or will free him from material bondage. The Supreme Lord Krishna as the Supreme Controller or Parmeshwar controls the destiny or Daiva of each and every living entity in the material world and rewards the Jiva accordingly with the appropriate fruits of action as per their good, bad, sinful or pious actions performed by the living entity.
Therefore Bhagvan Krishna instructs Arjuna in the 3rd chapter of Bhagvad Gita to perform Karma or action in detachment by not getting attached to the fruits of action and surrender the fruits of action performed to me or Bhagvan Krishna who is the Supreme Controller or Parmeshwar. Thus the Supreme Lord Krishna instructs living entity or Jiva to perform Naishkarmya or the actions which will not cause bondage to him in the material world wherein the living entity is compelled to take repeated birth and death for the reactions of his Karma or actions performed.
At this stage I would like to mention the action performed by a gross materialist or Karmi and the fruits of his action or reaction he gets by performing those activities or actions as is mentioned by Lord Krishna in Bhagvad Gita with respect to the devotees of the Supreme Lord who are performing devotional service of the Supreme Lord while performing their Karmic activities in the material world and are categorized as Sakama Bhakta, Nishkama Bhakta and a pure devotee.
As the name indicates a Karmi is a gross materialist who is indulged in sense gratification activities of enjoying his senses and satisfying his belly by performing Karmic activities throughout his life that will bound to his own Karma or action. A Karmi performs activities which will lead him to hellish conditions after death because of his indulgence in sinful activities such as meat eating, intoxication, gambling and illicit sex and will transfer him to take birth in animal species because of his animal consciousness of sleeping, eating, mating and defending. A Karmi does not follow the instructions of Bhagvan Krishna as mentioned in 3rd and 5th chapter of Bhagvad Gita and does not take up the path of Krishna consciousness in order to get purified from material contamination or following the path of Karmayoga or Naishkarmya as is instructed by Bhagvan Krishna wherein the Karmi will gradually get elevated to the level of performing devotional service unto Krishna and become a devotee of the Supreme Lord.
Above the stage of Karmi is the level of Yogi who surrenders to God by performing meditation on the Parmatma feature of God situated within his heart, above Yogi is the stage of Gyani who is in pursuit of spiritual knowledge and realizes the Supreme truth by cultivating knowledge of the Supreme. All the paths that lead to Supreme Lord Krishna that of Karma and Gyan culminates in Bhakti. Therefore performance of devotional service or Bhakti is the most easiest and sublime path to attain love of Godhead as compared to the other processes of God realization.
The devotees or Bhaktas of the Supreme Lord perform nine types of devotional service which starts by hearing of the glories of the Supreme Lord as mentioned in Bhagvatam and other Vaishnav literatures, remembering and chanting the holy names of the Supreme Lord purifies the devotee of material contamination and makes him eligible to enter the eternal spiritual world. The devotees of Bhagvan Krishna as per their devotion and the mode of surrender to Krishna are Sakama Bhakta, Nishkama Bhakta and pure devotees of the Supreme Lord or Shuddha Bhakta.
Sakama Bhakta performs devotional service or Bhakti unto the Supreme Lord Krishna but expects something in return for the Bhakti performed by him. The relationship of the Sakama Bhakta with the Supreme Lord is reciprocal and the devotee’s Bhakti is motivated for gaining the mercy of the Supreme Lord as compared to the Nishkama Bhakta and pure devotee. Most of the Karmis and Demigod worshippers who gradually become devotees of the Supreme Lord are Sakama Bhaktas. A non-devotee who approaches Krishna for want of wealth, is in distress, is inquisitive and is in search of knowledge regarding the Supreme Lord becomes eventually a Sakama devotee of the Supreme Lord. All these devotees glorify the Supreme Lord through prayers to fulfill their material desires and are above the category of demigod worshippers. They have full faith in the Supreme Lord Krishna and consider Lord Krishna to be the Supreme Controller and the cause of all causes and rely on his mercy by remaining surrendered to the Supreme Lord for the Supreme Lord blesses them and drive away their sufferings and miserie. The Sakama devotees realize that they as living entities are part and parcels of the Supreme Lord Krishna and by surrendering to the Supreme Lord in devotion, the eternal time factor governed by Krishna who is also the controller of their destiny will shower his mercy upon them.
The stage of Nishkama Bhakta is higher than that of Sakama Bhakta in terms of spiritual realization and surrender to the will of Supreme Lord. The Nishkama Bhakta realizes that everything belongs to the Supreme Lord and that he is not the proprietor of anything in this material world. He surrenders everything to the Supreme Lord while performing devotion and his devotion to the Supreme Lord Krishna is Ahaituki Apratihata which means unalloyed, unmotivated devotional service which means he follows the instructions as mentioned by Supreme Lord Krishna in 3rd and 5th chapter of Bhagvad Gita and surrenders the fruits of his actions to Krishna by not remaining attached to its outcome. Therefore a Nishkama devotee does not have to beg for mercy before the Supreme Lord as like the Sakama Bhakta since he is already getting mercy of the Supreme Lord due to his unalloyed unmotivated devotional service unto the Supreme Lord. The stage of Naishkarmya or Nishkama Bhakti is prescribed by Supreme Lord Krishna to human society in the Bhagvad Gita so that they can attain the eternal spiritual world while doing their daily Karmic duties of performing their occupation and surrendering the fruits of their action to Krishna by remaining detachment from the fruits of the actions performed because the Supreme Lord controls the eternal time factor and destiny of a living entity eventually.
A pure devotee or a Shuddha Bhakta is in the highest stage of God realization as compared to Sakama Bhakta and Nishkama Bhakta and always remain surrendered to Bhagvan Krishna. A Shuddha Bhakta or pure devotee manifests within himself 27 qualities of a pure devotee as mentioned in 12th chapter of Bhagvad Gita and as mentioned by Rupa Goswami in Nectar of Devotion. A pure devotee remains equipoised or balanced in both adversity and normal condition and prays to the Supreme Lord just like Mata Kuntidevi that “O my Supreme Lord, let there be calamities so that I can remember you again and again”. A pure devotee remains ecstatic in any situation of his life or in his any birth because he does not want to remain away from the association of Supreme Lord and his holy names. The pure devotee does not have any desires in his life but to please the Supreme Lord and his devotees and perform unalloyed unmotivated devotion unto the Supreme Lord nor does wish to have liberation. A pure devotee just wants to be with the Supreme Lord in any situation of his life or in his any birth so that he may not forget him. That is the pure God consciousness of a pure devotee.
|| Ananyayasyachintayomam ye Bhaktyastvam Paryupaste |
Nityabhiyuktachetasam Yogakshemam Vahamyaham ||
|| Manmana madbhakto madyaji mama namaskuru |
Mamevaisheshyi Satyam te pratijane priyoasi me ||
|| Sarvadharmanparityajya mamekam sharanam Vraja |
Aham tvam sarvapapebhyo mokshayishyami mam suchaha ||
|| Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare |
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ||
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Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare