Madhya19.146

TEXT 146

veda-niṣṭha-madhye ardheka veda ‘mukhe’ māne

veda-niṣiddha pāpa kare, dharma nāhi gaṇe

SYNONYMS

veda-niṣṭha-madhye—among persons who are followers of the Vedas; ardheka—almost half; veda—Vedic scriptures; mukhe—in the mouth; māne—accept; veda-niṣiddha—forbidden in the Vedas; pāpa—sins; kare—perform; dharma—religious principles; nāhi—not; gaṇe—count.

TRANSLATION

“Among human beings, those who are followers of the Vedic principles are considered civilized. Among these, almost half simply give lip service while committing all kinds of sinful activities against these principles. Such people do not care for the regulative principles.

PURPORT

The word veda means “knowledge.” Supreme knowledge consists of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead and our relationship with Him and acting according to that relationship. Action in accordance with the Vedic principles is called religion. Religion means following the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are the injunctions given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Āryans are civilized human beings who have been following the Vedic principles since time immemorial. No one can trace out the history of the Vedic principles set forth so that man might understand the Supreme Being. Literature or knowledge that seeks the Supreme Being can be accepted as a bona fide religious system, but there are many different types of religious systems according to the place, the disciples and the people’s capacity to understand.

TEXT 147

dharmācāri-madhye bahuta ‘karma-niṣṭha’

koṭi-karma-niṣṭha-madhye eka ‘jñānī’ śreṣṭha

SYNONYMS

dharma-ācāri-madhye—among persons who actually follow the Vedic principles or religious system; bahuta—many of them; karma-niṣṭha—attracted to fruitive activities; koṭi-karma-niṣṭha-madhye—among millions of such performers of fruitive activities according to Vedic principles; eka—one; jñānī—wise man; śreṣṭha—the chief.

TRANSLATION

“Among the followers of Vedic knowledge, most are following the process of fruitive activity and distinguishing between good and bad work. Out of many such sincere fruitive actors, there may be one who is actually wise.

PURPORT

TEXT 148

koṭi-jñāni-madhye haya eka-jana ‘mukta’

koṭi-mukta-madhye ‘durlabha’ eka kṛṣṇa-bhakta

SYNONYMS

koṭi-jñāni-madhye—out of many millions of such wise men; haya—there is; eka-jana—one person; mukta—actually liberated; koṭi-mukta-madhye—out of many millions of such liberated persons; durlabha—very rare; eka—one; kṛṣṇa-bhakta—pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

TRANSLATION

“Out of many millions of such wise men, one may actually become liberated [mukta], and out of many millions of such liberated persons, a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is very difficult to find.

PURPORT

TEXT 149

kṛṣṇa-bhakta——niṣkāma, ataeva ‘śānta’

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī——sakali ‘aśānta’

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇa-bhakta—a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa; niṣkāma—actually desireless; ataeva—therefore; śānta—peaceful; bhukti—of material enjoyment; mukti—of liberation from material activities; siddhi—of perfection in yogic performance; kāmī—those who are desirous; sakali—all of them; aśānta—not peaceful.

TRANSLATION

“Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.

PURPORT

The devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa has no desire other than serving Kṛṣṇa. Even so-called liberated people are full of desires. Fruitive actors desire better living accommodations, and jñānīs want to be one with the Supreme. Yogīs desire material opulence, yogic perfections and magic. All of these nondevotees are lusty (kāmī). Because they desire something, they cannot have peace.

TEXT 150

muktānām api siddhānāṁ

 nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ

sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā

 koṭiṣv api mahā-mune

SYNONYMS

muktānām—of persons liberated or freed from the bondage of ignorance; api—even; siddhānām—of persons who have achieved perfection; nārāyaṇa—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; parāyaṇaḥ—the devotee; su-durlabhaḥ—very rare; praśānta-ātmā—completely satisfied, desireless; koṭiṣu—among many millions; api—certainly; mahā-mune—O great sage.

TRANSLATION

“‘O great sage, out of many millions of materially liberated people who are free from ignorance, and out of many millions of siddhas who have nearly attained perfection, there is hardly one pure devotee of Nārāyaṇa. Only such a devotee is actually completely satisfied and peaceful.’

PURPORT

TEXT 151

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

SYNONYMS

brahmāṇḍa bhramite—wandering in this universe; kona—some; bhāgyavān—most fortunate; jīva—living being; guru—of the spiritual master; kṛṣṇa—of Kṛṣṇa; prasāde—by the mercy; pāya—gets; bhakti-latā—of the creeper of devotional service; bīja—the seed.

TRANSLATION

“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.

PURPORT

When we speak of brahmāṇḍa, we refer to the whole universe, or to the cluster of many millions of universes. In all the universes there are innumerable planets, and there are innumerable living entities upon those planets—in the air, on land and in the water. There are millions and trillions of living entities everywhere, and they are engaged by māyā in suffering and enjoying the results of their fruitive activity, life after life. This is the position of the materially conditioned living entities. Out of many of these living entities, one who is actually fortunate (bhāgyavān) comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone’s heart, and if one desires something, Kṛṣṇa fulfills one’s desire. If the living entity by chance or fortune comes in contact with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and wishes to associate with that movement, Kṛṣṇa, who is situated in everyone’s heart, gives him the chance to meet a bona fide spiritual master. This is called guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to bestow His mercy upon all living entities, and as soon as a living entity desires the Lord’s mercy, the Lord immediately gives him an opportunity to meet a bona fide spiritual master. Such a fortunate person is fortified by both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master. He is helped from within by Kṛṣṇa and from without by the spiritual master. Both are prepared to help the sincere living being become free from material bondage.

How one can become this fortunate can be seen in the life of Śrīla Nārada Muni. In his previous life he was born of a maidservant. Although he was not born into a prestigious position, his mother was fortunately engaged in rendering service to some Vaiṣṇavas. When these Vaiṣṇavas were resting during the Cāturmāsya period, the boy Nārada took the opportunity to engage in their service. Taking compassion upon the boy, the Vaiṣṇavas offered him the remnants of their food. By serving these Vaiṣṇavas and obeying their orders, the boy became the object of their sympathy, and by the Vaiṣṇavas’ unknown mercy, he gradually became a pure devotee. In the next life he was Nārada Muni, the most exalted of Vaiṣṇavas and the most important guru and ācārya of Vaiṣṇavas.

TEXT 152

mālī hañā kare sei bīja āropaṇa

śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana

SYNONYMS

mālī hañā—becoming a gardener; kare—does; sei—that; bīja—seed of devotional service; āropaṇa—sowing; śravaṇa—of hearing; kīrtana—of chanting; jale—with the water; karaye—does; secana—sprinkling.

TRANSLATION

“When a person receives the seed of devotional service, he should take care of it by becoming a gardener and sowing the seed in his heart. If he waters the seed gradually by the process of śravaṇa and kīrtana [hearing and chanting], the seed will begin to sprout.

PURPORT

To live with devotees or to live in a temple means to associate with the śravaṇa-kīrtana process. Sometimes neophyte devotees think that they can continue the śravaṇa-kīrtana process without worshiping the Deity, but the execution of such śravaṇa-kīrtana is meant for highly developed devotees like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who engaged in the śravaṇa-kīrtana process without worshiping the Deity. However, one should not falsely imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura and abandon Deity worship just to try to engage in śravaṇa-kīrtana. This is not possible for neophyte devotees.

The word guru-prasāda indicates that the spiritual master is very merciful in bestowing the boon of devotional service upon the disciple. That is the best possible gift the spiritual master has to offer. Those with a background of pious life are eligible to receive life’s supreme benefit, and to bestow this benefit, the Supreme Personality of Godhead sends His representative to impart His mercy. Endowed with the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master distributes the mercy to those who are elevated and pious. Thus the spiritual master trains his disciples to render devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called guru-kṛpā. It is kṛṣṇa-prasāda, Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, that He sends a bona fide spiritual master to the deserving disciple. By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, one meets the bona fide spiritual master, and by the mercy of the spiritual master, the disciple is fully trained in the devotional service of the Lord.

TEXT 153

upajiyā bāḍe latā ‘brahmāṇḍa’ bhedi’ yāya

‘virajā’, ‘brahma-loka’ bhedi’ ‘para-vyoma’ pāya

SYNONYMS

upajiyā—being cultivated; bāḍe—grows; latā—the creeper of devotional service; brahmāṇḍa—the whole universe; bhedi’—penetrating; yāya—goes; virajā—the river between the spiritual world and the material world; brahma-loka—the Brahman effulgence; bhedi’—penetrating; para-vyoma—the spiritual sky; pāya—attains.

TRANSLATION

“As one waters the bhakti-latā-bīja, the seed sprouts, and the creeper gradually grows to the point where it penetrates the walls of this universe and goes beyond the Virajā River, lying between the spiritual world and the material world. It attains brahma-loka, the Brahman effulgence, and penetrating through that stratum, it reaches the spiritual sky and the spiritual planet Goloka Vṛndāvana.

PURPORT

TEXT 154

tabe yāya tad-upari ‘goloka-vṛndāvana’

‘kṛṣṇa-caraṇa’-kalpa-vṛkṣe kare ārohaṇa

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; yāya—goes; tat-upari—to the top of that (the spiritual sky); goloka-vṛndāvana—to the planet known as Goloka Vṛndāvana where Kṛṣṇa lives; kṛṣṇa-caraṇa—of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa; kalpa-vṛkṣe—on the desire tree; kare ārohaṇa—climbs.

TRANSLATION

“Being situated in one’s heart and being watered by śravaṇa-kīrtana, the bhakti creeper grows more and more. In this way it attains the shelter of the desire tree of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally situated in the planet known as Goloka Vṛndāvana, in the topmost region of the spiritual sky.

PURPORT

TEXT 155

tāhāṅ vistārita hañā phale prema-phala

ihāṅ mālī sece nitya śravaṇādi jala

SYNONYMS

tāhāṅ—there in the spiritual world (in the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet); vistārita—expanded; hañā—becoming; phale—produces; prema-phala—the fruit known as love of Godhead; ihāṅ—in the material world, where the devotee is still present; mālī—exactly like a gardener; sece—sprinkles; nitya—regularly, without fail; śravaṇa-ādi jala—the water of śravaṇa, kīrtana and so on.

TRANSLATION

“The creeper greatly expands in the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, and there it produces the fruit of love for Kṛṣṇa. Although remaining in the material world, the gardener regularly sprinkles the creeper with the water of hearing and chanting.

PURPORT

TEXT 156

yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā

upāḍe vā chiṇḍe, tāra śukhi’ yāya pātā

SYNONYMS

yadi—if; vaiṣṇava-aparādha—an offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava; uṭhe—arises; hātī—an elephant; mātā—mad; upāḍe—uproots; vā—or; chiṇḍe—breaks; tāra—of the creeper; śukhi’—shriveling up; yāya—goes; pātā—the leaf.

TRANSLATION

“If the devotee commits an offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava while cultivating the creeper of devotional service in the material world, his offense is compared to a mad elephant that uproots the creeper and breaks it. In this way the leaves of the creeper are dried up.

PURPORT

One’s devotional attitude increases in the association of a Vaiṣṇava:

tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa
janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa

TEXT 157

tāte mālī yatna kari’ kare āvaraṇa

aparādha-hastīra yaiche nā haya udgama

SYNONYMS

tāte—therefore; mālī—the gardener devotee; yatna kari’—with great attention; kare—makes; āvaraṇa—protective fencing; aparādha—of offenses; hastīra—of the elephant; yaiche—so that; nā—not; haya—there is; udgama—birth.

TRANSLATION

“The gardener must defend the creeper by fencing it all around so that the powerful elephant of offenses may not enter.

PURPORT

While the bhakti creeper is growing, the devotee must protect it by fencing it all around. The neophyte devotee must be protected by being surrounded by pure devotees. In this way he will not give the maddened elephant a chance to uproot his bhakti creeper. When one associates with nondevotees, the maddened elephant is set loose. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, asat-saṅga-tyāga,—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra. The first business of a Vaiṣṇava is to give up the company of nondevotees. A so-called mature devotee, however, commits a great offense by giving up the company of pure devotees. The human being is a social animal, and if one gives up the society of pure devotees, he must associate with nondevotees (asat-saṅga). By contacting nondevotees and engaging in nondevotional activities, a so-called mature devotee will fall victim to the mad elephant offense. Whatever growth has taken place is quickly uprooted by such an offense. One should therefore be very careful to defend the creeper by fencing it in—that is, by following the regulative principles and associating with pure devotees.

Even if one thinks that there are many pseudo devotees or nondevotees in the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Society, still one should stick to the Society; if one thinks the Society’s members are not pure devotees, one can keep direct company with the spiritual master, and if there is any doubt, one should consult the spiritual master. However, unless one follows the spiritual master’s instructions concerning the regulative principles and chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, one cannot become a pure devotee. By one’s mental concoctions, one falls down. By associating with nondevotees, one breaks the regulative principles and is thereby lost. In the Upadeśāmṛta (2) of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, it is said:

atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati

“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required, (2) overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to attain, (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters, (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically, (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.”

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