Blog

Once, an astrologer named Sarvajna came to the house of a poor man.
Surprised at the man’s wretched condition, he asked him why he was so
unhappy and why he languished in such poverty even though his wealthy
father had left him a large treasure. Unfortunately, the man’s father
died in a foreign place and did not disclose the location of his
assets; thus, the man suffered the distress of poverty because he was
ignorant of his rightful inheritance. Only the astrologer, whose name
means “the omniscient one,” had the power to identify the hidden
treasure and, just as important, the knowledge of the proper procedure
to uncover it.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explained to Sanatana Goswami that the
astrologer represents Vedic literature, which is meant to guide people
toward the ultimate treasure of love of Godhead. Just as the
astrologer’s good news solved the poor man’s problems, the Vedic
scriptures can solve our greatest problem: our spiritual poverty, the
cause of our suffering in the temporary material world. The Vedic
scriptures (and their representatives, the pure devotees) advise us to
take to the path of Krishna consciousness so that we can reestablish
our relationship with our spiritual father, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Sri Krishna. Just as the astrologer’s words established the
poor man’s connection with his hidden treasure, the Vedic scriptures
establish our connection with Krishna, the supreme treasure.

For that connection to be established, we must first recognize our
degraded condition, in which we are forced to suffer the “kicks of
material nature,” to use Prabhupada’s phrase. Lifetime after lifetime,
we repeatedly accept different kinds of bodies and suffer birth, old
age, disease, and death in the material world. Our desire to end our
distressed condition serves as an impetus for spiritual inquiry, just
as the poor man’s impoverished condition led him to welcome the
astrologer into his home. His curiosity to find out if his future
promised any relief drove his inquiry. If we, too, become curious
about our own suffering in the material world, then we can seek
knowledge about our constitutional position, which is free from
suffering. The revealed scriptures and liberated souls can help us
understand that our true identity is spiritual, not material. We are
not these temporary bodies, but eternal souls, and our ultimate
happiness lies in understanding our eternal loving relationship with
the Supreme Soul, Sri Krishna.

The man in the parable suffered due to his ignorance of his father and
his father’s property. Likewise, we are suffering due to our ignorance
of our Supreme Father, Krishna. As tiny spiritual particles, we are
part of Krishna, just as sparks are part of a fire. The Lord is sat,
cit, and ananda, eternally full of knowledge and bliss, and so are we;
however, we have falsely identified ourselves with the temporary
material nature and have forgotten who we really are. We are sons and
daughters of the wealthiest person (wealth is one of His six primary
opulences), but we have accepted repeated birth and death, pain and
suffering, out of ignorance of our constitutional position as
inheritors of Krishna’s unlimited blessings. But what is our actual
hidden treasure, and how do we uncover it?

In Bhagavad-gita, Krishna declares that He is the ultimate goal (9.18)
and the object of all religion and scriptures (15.15). Srila
Prabhupada tells us that pure Krishna consciousness (knowledge of
Krishna and devotion to Him) is our “birthright” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.1.5, Purport). So our ultimate treasure is Lord Krishna and pure
devotional service to Him, but just knowing that does not help us; we
not only need to identify our goal, but we must know how to reach it.
Thus, the astrologer not only informed the poor man about his
inheritance, but also provided a “map” to uncover it. He significantly
cautioned against certain pathways that might appear promising but
would ultimately lead to catastrophe. The poor man’s treasure was
buried under his house, but he would not reach it by digging on the
southern, western, or northern sides of the house. Those locations
would prove disastrous for the eager treasure-hunter, but a slight
attempt made on the eastern side of the house would uncover the
unimaginable reward.

South: Karma-kanda

In His teachings to Sanatana Goswami, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu clearly
explained the meaning of these injunctions to emphasize their
importance. The astrologer told the poor man that the southern
(dakshina) side of the house was full of angry wasps and drones. In
Bengali, the language in which Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was speaking, the
word dakshina is used to denote “south” as well as the practice of
giving charity to priests after performing religious rituals. In the
context of the parable, the southern side represents ritualistic
performances with the expectation of material benefits. This means
that mere attachment to ritualistic procedures cannot yield the
ultimate spiritual goal. If we try to understand the Absolute Truth by
the method of fruitive activity (karma-kanda), we will be figuratively
bitten by poisonous insects and will not be able to dig for the
ultimate treasure.

The bites of poisonous insects represent the suffering brought on by
fruitive activities. When we follow the path of fruitive activities,
we are subject to the law of karma, which, simply put, means that
every action causes some kind of reaction. When we commit sins, we are
liable to be punished. The stings of wasps and drones aptly represent
those punishments. But even if we perform pious activities and earn
relatively pleasant karmic results (such as promotion to higher
planets for greater enjoyment and longevity), we are still not freed
of materialistic desires, and we will be forced to suffer material
existence birth after birth. Our ultimate treasure will remain
unreachable.

West: Jnana-kanda
The astrologer also cautioned the man against digging on the western
side of the house, where his hands would not even touch the treasure
because ghosts fiercely guarded it. Ghosts represent mental
disturbances that bewilder our concentration and shake our resolve.
The western side of the house represents jnana-kanda, philosophical
speculation, which not only fails to grant the ultimate treasure, but
causes us to deviate from its pursuit. No amount of scholarly research
can help us understand Krishna, because He is transcendental to all
mundane knowledge. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila
Prabhupada’s spiritual master, once lamented, “The self-luminous path
of pure devotion is completely covered by millions of thorns in the
shape of foolish arguments and wordy wrangling.” (Lecture in
Vrindavan, 1928) Here, these “foolish arguments” and “wordy wrangling”
take the shape of ghosts who eclipse the real treasure of pure
devotional service.

North: Impersonal Yoga
The astrologer also warned the poor man that a big black serpent would
devour him if he dug on the northern side. Perhaps the most dangerous
of all, this direction represents impersonal mystic meditation or
yoga. The gaping mouth of the black snake of impersonalism sits like a
trap, ready to swallow anyone who treads too closely. The philosophy
of impersonalism imagines God to be a formless void and proposes that
anyone can become God by merging into Him. This false logic runs
directly opposite the principle of devotional service, which is based
on loving reciprocation between the Lord and His devotees. Without
such a reciprocal relationship, there can be no exchange of love, nor
any bliss. Impersonalism, which is actually atheism thinly disguised
as spiritual practice, results in spiritual suicide and is the
greatest enemy to devotional service.

East: The Treasure
Real yoga means to link ourselves with the Supreme Lord, not to merge
into His existence; it means to establish an eternal link of
reciprocal love between the Lord and His devotee. Thus, the astrologer
finally revealed the true path to success: “If you dig up a small
quantity of dirt on the eastern side, your hands will immediately
touch the pot of treasure.” The eastern side represents bhakti-yoga,
the path of devotional service, whereby a slight effort will yield the
ultimate treasure. Srila Prabhupada confirms, “It is only the eastern
side, devotional service, that enables one to attain life’s real goal
. . . devotional service to Krishna is the real treasure house for the
living entity.” As Krishna declares in Bhagavad-gita (18.55), one can
understand Him as He is, and thereby become eligible to enter His
spiritual abode, only through devotional service.

After finishing the parable, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu quoted from the
Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.14.20–21), in which Krishna
tells His friend Uddhava about the supremacy of devotional service:

My dear Uddhava, neither through ashtanga-yoga [the mystic yoga system
to control the senses], nor through impersonal monism or an analytical
study of the Absolute Truth, nor through study of the Vedas, nor
through austerities, charity, or acceptance of sannyasa can one
satisfy Me as much as by developing unalloyed devotional service unto
Me. Being very dear to the devotees and sadhus, I am attained through
unflinching devotional service. This bhakti-yoga system, which
gradually increases attachment for Me, purifies even a human being
born among the dog-eaters. That is to say, everyone can be elevated to
the spiritual platform by the process of bhakti-yoga.

Thus the Lord Himself (in the forms of both Krishna and Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu) glorifies pure devotional service as the only means to
attain the Supreme Lord. Such devotional service must be unalloyed and
unflinching, or unmixed and unending. Our goal is not material wealth,
or even liberation from material existence, but the spiritual bliss of
pure devotional service (see Cc. Madhya 20.142). As the pure devotee
Prahlada Maharaja taught his friends, “The Lord is pleased only if one
has unflinching, unalloyed devotion to Him. Without sincere devotional
service, everything is simply a show.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.7.52)

Pure devotional service is not only the means to our ultimate goal,
but is itself the greatest treasure. On the absolute platform, there
is no difference between loving service to Krishna and Krishna
Himself. As Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains, “In the Vedic
literatures, Krishna is the central point of attraction, and His
service is our activity. To attain the platform of love of Krishna is
life’s ultimate goal. Therefore Krishna, Krishna’s service, and love
of Krishna are the three great riches of life.” (Cc. Madhya 20.143)

Pure love of Godhead is the natural propensity of every living entity,
but it becomes covered by ignorance just as clouds cover the brilliant
sun. Pure devotional service can drive away those clouds and revive
our dormant love of God with the sunlight of transcendental knowledge.
The heart being the "house" for the soul, the poor man’s treasure
buried beneath his house corresponds to the dormant love of God buried
in our hearts. As Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains: nitya-siddha krishna
prema, “Pure love for Krishna is eternally established in the hearts
of the living entities.” (Cc. Madhya 22.107) We are, almost literally,
sitting on top of our hidden treasure. But why can’t we perceive it?

After millions of lifetimes in different species in the material
world, our identification with matter has blinded us not only to the
location of our treasure, but also to its very existence.
Materialistic desires—chiefly, the desire to enjoy independently of
Krishna, the supreme enjoyer—are just like dirt that fills our heart
and buries our ultimate treasure beneath its filthy clutter. When we
practice devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide
spiritual master, our hearts are cleansed of the “dirt” of material
contamination and our dormant love of God reawakens.

Back to Godhead Article :: Issue Apr/May 2011