Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Madhya-līlā
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter 19
Madhya19.158
TEXT 158
kintu yadi latāra saṅge uṭhe ‘upaśākhā’
bhukti-mukti-vāñchā, yata asaṅkhya tāra lekhā
SYNONYMS
kintu—but; yadi—if; latāra—the creeper of devotional service; saṅge—with; uṭhe—arise; upaśākhā—unwanted creepers; bhukti—for material enjoyment; mukti—for liberation from the material world; vāñchā—the desires; yata—as many as there are; asaṅkhya—unlimited; tāra—of those unwanted creepers; lekhā—the writing.
TRANSLATION
“Sometimes unwanted creepers, such as the creepers of desires for material enjoyment and liberation from the material world, grow along with the creeper of devotional service. The varieties of such unwanted creepers are unlimited.
Madhya19.159
TEXT 159
‘niṣiddhācāra’, ‘kuṭīnāṭī’, ‘jīva-hiṁsana’
‘lābha’, ‘pūjā’, ‘pratiṣṭhādi’ yata upaśākhā-gaṇa
SYNONYMS
niṣiddha-ācāra—behavior not to be exhibited by a person desiring to become perfect; kuṭīnāṭī—diplomacy; jīva-hiṁsana—unnecessarily killing animals or the soul; lābha—profit according to material calculations; pūjā—adoration achieved by satisfying mundane people; pratiṣṭha-ādi—becoming an important man in material calculations, and so on; yata—all these; upaśākhā-gaṇa—unnecessary creepers.
TRANSLATION
“Some unnecessary creepers growing with the bhakti creeper are the creepers of behavior unacceptable for those trying to attain perfection, diplomatic behavior, animal-killing, mundane profiteering, mundane adoration and mundane importance. All these are unwanted creepers.
PURPORT
There is a certain pattern of behavior prescribed for those actually trying to become perfect. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we advise our students not to eat meat, not to gamble, not to engage in illicit sex and not to indulge in intoxication. People who indulge in these activities can never become perfect; therefore these regulative principles are for those interested in becoming perfect and going back to Godhead. Kuṭīnāṭī, or diplomatic behavior, cannot satisfy the ātmā, the soul. It cannot even satisfy the body or the mind. The culprit mind is always suspicious; therefore our dealings should always be straightforward and approved by Vedic authorities. If we treat people diplomatically or duplicitously, our spiritual advancement is obstructed. Jīva-hiṁsana refers to the killing of animals or to envy of other living entities. The killing of poor animals is undoubtedly due to envy of those animals. The human form is meant for the understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness (athāto brahma jijñāsā), for inquiring about the Supreme Brahman. In the human form, everyone has a chance to understand the Supreme Brahman. The so-called leaders of human society do not know the real aim of human life and are therefore busy with economic development. This is misleading. Every state and every society is busy trying to improve the quality of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. This human form of life is meant for more than these four animal principles. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending are problems found in the animal kingdom, and the animals have solved these problems without difficulty. Why should human society be so busy trying to solve these problems? The difficulty is that people are not educated to understand this simple philosophy. They think that advancement of civilization means increasing sense gratification.
There are many religious propagandists who do not know how the ultimate problems of life can be solved, and they also try to educate people in a form of sense gratification. This is also jīva-hiṁsana. Real knowledge is not given, and religionists mislead the general populace. As far as material profits are concerned, one should know that whatever material profit one has must be abandoned at the time of death. Unfortunately people do not know that there is life after death; therefore mundane people waste their time amassing material profit which has to be left behind at the time of death. Such profit has no eternal benefit. Similarly, adoration by mundane people is valueless because after death one has to accept another body. Material adoration and titles are decorations that cannot be carried over to the next body. In the next life, everything is forgotten.
All these obstructions have been described in this verse as unwanted creepers. They simply present obstacles for the real creeper, the bhakti-latā. One should be very careful to avoid all these unwanted things. Sometimes these unwanted creepers look exactly like the bhakti creeper. They appear to be of the same size and the same species when they are packed together with the bhakti creeper, but in spite of this, the creepers are called upaśākhā. A pure devotee can distinguish between the bhakti creeper and a mundane creeper, and he is very alert to distinguish them and keep them separate.
Madhya19.160 TEXT 160 seka-jala pāñā upaśākhā bāḍi’ yāya stabdha hañā mūla-śākhā bāḍite nā pāya SYNONYMS seka-jala—sprinkling water; pāñā—getting; upaśākhā—the unwanted creepers; bāḍi’ yāya—grow luxuriantly; stabdha hañā—becoming stopped; mūla-śākhā—the chief creeper; bāḍite—to increase; nā pāya—is not able.
TRANSLATION “If one does not distinguish between the bhakti creeper and the other creepers, the sprinkling of water is misused because the other creepers are nourished while the bhakti creeper is curtailed. PURPORT If one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra while committing offenses, these unwanted creepers will grow. One should not take advantage of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra for some material profit. As mentioned in verse 159:
‘niṣiddhācāra’, ‘kuṭīnāṭī’, ‘jīva-hiṁsana’ The unwanted creepers have been described by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. He states that if one hears and chants without trying to give up offenses, one becomes materially attached to sense gratification. One may also desire freedom from material bondage like the Māyāvādīs, or one may become attached to the yoga-siddhis and desire wonderful yogic powers. If one is attached to wonderful material activities, one is called siddhi-lobhī, greedy for material perfection. One may also be victimized by diplomatic or crooked behavior, or one may associate with women for illicit sex. One may make a show of devotional service like the prākṛta-sahajiyās, or one may try to support his philosophy by joining some caste or identifying himself with a certain dynasty, claiming a monopoly on spiritual advancement. Thus with the support of family tradition, one may become a pseudo guru, or so-called spiritual master. One may become attached to the four sinful activities—illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating—or one may consider a Vaiṣṇava to belong to a mundane caste or creed. One may think, “This is a Hindu Vaiṣṇava, and this is a European Vaiṣṇava. European Vaiṣṇavas are not allowed to enter the temples.” In other words, one may consider Vaiṣṇavas in terms of birth, thinking one a brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇava, another a śūdra Vaiṣṇava, another a mleccha Vaiṣṇava and so on. One may also try to carry out a professional business by means of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra or reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or one may try to increase his monetary strength by illegal means. Also, one may become a cheap Vaiṣṇava by trying to chant in a secluded place for material adoration, or one may desire mundane reputation by making compromises with nondevotees concerning one’s philosophy or spiritual life, or one may become a supporter of a hereditary caste system. All these are pitfalls of personal sense gratification. Just to cheat some innocent people, one makes a show of advanced spiritual life and becomes known as a sādhu, mahātmā or religious person. All this means that the so-called devotee has become victimized by all these unwanted creepers and that the real creeper, the bhakti-latā, has been stunted.
Madhya19.161 TEXT 161 prathamei upaśākhāra karaye chedana tabe mūla-śākhā bāḍi’ yāya vṛndāvana SYNONYMS prathamei—from the very beginning; upaśākhāra—of the unwanted creepers; karaye—does; chedana—the cutting away; tabe—then only; mūla-śākhā—the chief creeper; bāḍi’—growing; yāya—goes; vṛndāvana—to the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.
TRANSLATION “As soon as an intelligent devotee sees an unwanted creeper growing beside the original creeper, he must cut it down instantly. Then the real creeper, the bhakti-latā, grows nicely, returns home, back to Godhead, and seeks shelter under the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. PURPORT If one is misled by unwanted creepers and is victimized, he cannot make progress back to Godhead. Rather, he remains within the material world and engages in activities having nothing to do with pure devotional service. Such a person may be elevated to the higher planetary systems, but because he remains within the material world, he is subjected to the threefold material miseries.
Madhya19.162 TEXT 162 ‘prema-phala’ pāki’ paḍe, mālī āsvādaya latā avalambi’ mālī ‘kalpa-vṛkṣa’ pāya SYNONYMS prema-phala—the fruit of love of God; pāki’—becoming mature; paḍe—falls down; mālī—the gardener; āsvādaya—tastes; latā avalambi’—taking advantage of the growing bhakti-latā; mālī—the gardener; kalpa-vṛkṣa pāya—reaches the desire tree in Goloka Vṛndāvana.
TRANSLATION “When the fruit of devotional service becomes ripe and falls down, the gardener tastes the fruit and thus takes advantage of the creeper and reaches the desire tree of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa in Goloka Vṛndāvana. Madhya19.163 TEXT 163 tāhāṅ sei kalpa-vṛkṣera karaye sevana sukhe prema-phala-rasa kare āsvādana SYNONYMS tāhāṅ—there (in Goloka Vṛndāvana); sei kalpa-vṛkṣera—of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, which are compared to a desire tree; karaye sevana—engages in the service; sukhe—in transcendental bliss; prema-phala-rasa—the juice of the fruit of devotional service; kare—does; āsvādana—tasting.
TRANSLATION “There the devotee serves the lotus feet of the Lord, which are compared to a wish-fulfilling tree. With great bliss he tastes the juice of the fruit of love and becomes eternally happy. PURPORT The word tāhāṅ indicates that in the spiritual world one can taste the juice of the fruit of devotional service and thus become blissful.
Madhya19.164 TEXT 164 eita parama-phala ‘parama-puruṣārtha’ yāṅra āge tṛṇa-tulya cāri puruṣārtha SYNONYMS eita—this; parama-phala—the supreme goal of life; parama—supreme; puruṣa-artha—interest of the living being; yāṅra āge—in the presence of which; tṛṇa-tulya—very insignificant; cāri—four; puruṣa-artha—the different types of human interests.
TRANSLATION “To taste the fruit of devotional service in Goloka Vṛndāvana is the highest perfection of life, and in the presence of such perfection, the four material perfections—religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation—are very insignificant achievements. PURPORT The highest achievement attained by the jñānīs, or impersonalists, is becoming one with the Supreme, generally known as mokṣa, liberation. The highest achievements of the yogīs are the eight material perfections, such as aṇimā, laghimā and prāpti. Yet these are nothing compared to the eternal bliss of the devotee who returns back to Godhead and tastes the fruit of devotional service to the lotus feet of the Lord. The material perfections, even up to the point of liberation, are very insignificant in comparison; therefore the pure devotee is never interested in such things. His only interest is in perfecting his devotional service to the Lord. The pleasure of the impersonalist, monist philosophers is condemned in the following verse, which is also found in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Lalita-mādhava.
Madhya19.165 TEXT 165 ṛddhā siddhi-vraja-vijayitā satya-dharmā samādhir brahmānando gurur api camatkārayaty eva tāvat yāvat premṇāṁ madhu-ripu-vaśī-kāra-siddhauṣadhīnāṁ gandho ’py antaḥ-karaṇa-saraṇī-pānthatāṁ na prayāti SYNONYMS ṛddhā—excellent; siddhi-vraja—of the groups of material perfections of the yogīs (aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti and so on); vijayitā—the victory; satya-dharmā—the religious principles of perfection (satya, śama, titikṣā and so on); samādhiḥ—the yogic perfection of meditation; brahma-ānandaḥ—the spiritually blissful life of the monist; guruḥ—very high in material considerations; api—although; camatkārayati—they appear very important; eva—only; tāvat—that long; yāvat—as long as; premṇām—of love of Kṛṣṇa; madhu-ripu—of Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of the Madhu demon; vaśī-kāra—in the controlling; siddha-auṣadhīnām—which is like perfect herbs that can control snakes; gandhaḥ—a slight fragrance; api—even; antaḥ-karaṇa-saraṇī-pānthatām—a traveler on the path of the heart; na prayāti—does not become.
TRANSLATION “‘As long as there is not the slightest fragrance of pure love of Kṛṣṇa, which is the perfect medicinal herb for controlling Lord Kṛṣṇa within the heart, the opulences of the material perfections known as the siddhis, the brahminical perfections [satya, śama, titikṣā and so on], the trance of the yogīs and the monistic bliss of Brahman all seem wonderful for men.’ PURPORT There are different types of perfections known as siddhi-vraja, and also the perfections of achieving brahminical qualifications, yogic trance and merging into the Supreme. All these material perfections are certainly very attractive for a mundane person, but their brilliance exists only as long as one does not take to devotional service. Devotional service can control the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme controller of all universal affairs. The five rasas (mellows) in the transcendental world are practiced by the inhabitants of Goloka Vṛndāvana in neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parental affection and conjugal love. All these please the Lord so much that He is controlled by the devotees. For instance, mother Yaśodā was so advanced in devotional service that Kṛṣṇa agreed to be controlled by her stick. In other words, the five principal mellows are so great and glorious that they are able to control the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the material world, however, the so-called siddhis, or perfections, manifest their brightness only as long as one is not interested in devotional service. In other words, the perfection of the karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs and others remains attractive only as long as one does not come to the point of devotional service, which is so great and significant that it can control the supreme controller, Kṛṣṇa.
Madhya19.166 TEXT 166 ‘śuddha-bhakti’ haite haya ‘premā’ utpanna ataeva śuddha-bhaktira kahiye ‘lakṣaṇa’ SYNONYMS śuddha-bhakti—pure devotional service without material contaminations; haite—from; haya—is; premā—love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; utpanna—produced; ataeva—therefore; śuddha-bhaktira—of pure devotional service; kahiye—let me explain; lakṣaṇa—the symptoms.
TRANSLATION “When one is situated in pure devotional service, he develops love of Godhead; therefore let me describe some of the symptoms of pure devotional service. PURPORT In the Bhagavad-gītā (18.55) it is said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. One cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead in truth unless he takes to devotional service.
Madhya19.167 TEXT 167 anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā SYNONYMS anya-abhilāṣitā-śūnyam—without desires other than those for the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, or without material desires (such as those for meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling and addiction to intoxicants); jñāna—by the knowledge of the philosophy of the monist Māyāvādīs; karma—by fruitive activities; ādi—by artificially practicing detachment, by the mechanical practice of yoga, by studying the Sāṅkhya philosophy, and so on; anāvṛtam—not covered; ānukūlyena—favorable; kṛṣṇa-anuśīlanam—cultivation of service in relationship to Kṛṣṇa; bhaktiḥ uttamā—first-class devotional service.
TRANSLATION “‘When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, as Kṛṣṇa desires.’ PURPORT This verse is also found in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11). As we can understand from the Bhagavad-gītā (9.34 and 18.65), the Supreme Personality of Godhead wants everyone to think of Him always (man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ). Everyone should become His devotee, not the devotee of a demigod. Everyone should engage in His devotional service, including arcana (Deity worship) in the temple. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. Everyone should offer obeisances, from moment to moment, to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These are the desires of the Supreme Lord, and one who fulfills His desires favorably is actually a pure devotee. Kṛṣṇa wants everyone to surrender unto Him, and devotional service means preaching this gospel all over the world. The Lord says openly in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.69), na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ: One who preaches the gospel of the Bhagavad-gītā for the benefit of all is most dear to Kṛṣṇa. The Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Lord so that human society can be perfectly organized from all angles of vision—politically, socially, economically, philosophically and religiously. From any point of view, human society can be reformed by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement; therefore one who spreads this philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the benefit of all conditioned souls in the universe is perfect in pure devotional service.
The criterion is that a devotee must know what Kṛṣṇa wants him to do. This understanding can be achieved through the medium of a spiritual master who is a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī advises, ādau gurv-āśrayam. One who is serious in wanting to render pure devotional service to the Lord must take shelter of a spiritual master who comes in the disciplic succession from Kṛṣṇa. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2]. Without accepting a bona fide spiritual master coming in the disciplic succession, one cannot find out the real purpose of devotional service. Therefore one has to accept the shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and agree to be directed by him. The first business of a pure devotee is to satisfy his spiritual master, whose only business is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And if one can satisfy the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa is automatically satisfied—yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. This is the success of devotional service. This is the meaning of the word ānukūlyena—that is, favorable devotional service to the Lord. A pure devotee has no plans other than those for the Lord’s service. He is not interested in attaining success in mundane activities. He simply wants success in the progress of devotional service. For a devotee, there cannot be worship of others or demigod worship. A pure devotee does not engage himself in such pseudo devotional service. He is interested only in satisfying Kṛṣṇa. If one lives only for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, it does not matter whether he belongs to this order of life or that order of life. One’s only business should be to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. This process is completely manifest in the activities of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It has been actually proved that the entire world can accept devotional service without failure. One simply has to follow the instructions of the representative of Kṛṣṇa.
Madhya19.168 TEXT 168 anya-vāñchā, anya-pūjā chāḍi’ ‘jñāna’, ‘karma’ ānukūlye sarvendriye kṛṣṇānuśīlana SYNONYMS anya-vāñchā—other desires; anya-pūjā—other types of worship; chāḍi’—giving up; jñāna—material knowledge; karma—material activities; ānukūlye—favorably; sarva-indriye—with all the senses; kṛṣṇa-anuśīlana—cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
TRANSLATION “A pure devotee must not cherish any desire other than to serve Kṛṣṇa. He should not offer worship to the demigods or to mundane personalities. He should not cultivate artificial knowledge, which is devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and he should not engage himself in anything other than Kṛṣṇa conscious activities. One must engage all one’s purified senses in the service of the Lord. This is the favorable execution of Kṛṣṇa conscious activities. Madhya19.169 TEXT 169 ei ‘śuddha-bhakti’——ihā haite ‘premā’ haya pañcarātre, bhāgavate ei lakṣaṇa kaya SYNONYMS ei—this; śuddha-bhakti—pure devotional service; ihā haite—from which; premā—unalloyed love of Kṛṣṇa; haya—there is; pañcarātre—in the Vedic literatures known as the Pañcarātras; bhāgavate—also in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; ei—these; lakṣaṇa—symptoms; kaya—are described.
TRANSLATION “These activities are called śuddha-bhakti, pure devotional service. If one renders such pure devotional service, he develops his original love for Kṛṣṇa in due course of time. In Vedic literatures like the Pañcarātras and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, these symptoms are described. PURPORT One has to develop his devotional service under the directions of a pure devotee, the spiritual master, and in accordance with the Vedic directions given in the Pañcarātra and Bhāgavata systems. The Pañcarātra system includes methods of temple worship, and the Bhāgavata system includes the spreading of Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy through the recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the discussion of philosophy with people who are interested. Through discussion, one can create an interest and understanding of the Pañcarātra and Bhāgavata systems.
Madhya19.170 TEXT 170 sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa- sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate SYNONYMS sarva-upādhi-vinirmuktam—free from all kinds of material designations, or free from all desires except the desire to render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tat-paratvena—by the sole purpose of serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead; nirmalam—uncontaminated by the effects of speculative philosophical research or fruitive activity; hṛṣīkeṇa—by purified senses freed from all designations; hṛṣīka-īśa—of the master of the senses; sevanam—the service to satisfy the senses; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; ucyate—is called.
TRANSLATION “‘Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.’ PURPORT This verse quoted from the Nārada-pañcarātra is found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.12).
Madhya19.171 TEXT 171 mad-guṇa-śruti-mātreṇa mayi sarva-guhāśaye mano-gatir avicchinnā yathā gaṅgāmbhaso ’mbudhau SYNONYMS mat—of Me; guṇa—of the qualities; śruti-mātreṇa—only by hearing; mayi—to Me; sarva-guhā—in all hearts; āśaye—who am situated; manaḥ-gatiḥ—the movement of the mind; avicchinnā—unobstructed; yathā—just as; gaṅgā-ambhasaḥ—of the celestial waters of the Ganges; ambudhau—to the ocean.
TRANSLATION “‘Just as the celestial waters of the Ganges flow unobstructed into the ocean, so when My devotees simply hear of Me, their minds come to Me. I reside in the hearts of all. PURPORT This verse and the following three verses are quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.29.11–14). They were spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the form of Kapiladeva.
Madhya19.172 TEXT 172 lakṣaṇaṁ bhakti-yogasya nirguṇasya hy udāhṛtam ahaituky avyavahitā yā bhaktiḥ puruṣottame SYNONYMS lakṣaṇam—the symptom; bhakti-yogasya—of devotional service; nirguṇasya—beyond the three modes of nature; hi—certainly; udāhṛtam—is cited; ahaitukī—causeless; avyavahitā—uninterrupted; yā—which; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; puruṣa-uttame—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION “‘These are the characteristics of transcendental loving service to Puruṣottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: it is causeless, and it cannot be obstructed in any way. Madhya19.173 TEXT 173 sālokya-sārṣṭi-sāmīpya- sārūpyaikatvam apy uta dīyamānaṁ na gṛhṇanti vinā mat-sevanaṁ janāḥ SYNONYMS sālokya—being on the same planet as Me; sārṣṭi—having opulence equal to Mine; sāmīpya—having direct association with Me; sārūpya—having the same form as Me; ekatvam—oneness with Me; api—even; uta—or; dīyamānam—being given; na—not; gṛhṇanti—accept; vinā—without; mat-sevanam—My service; janāḥ—the devotees.
TRANSLATION “‘My devotees do not accept sālokya, sārṣṭi, sārūpya, sāmīpya or oneness with Me—even if I offer these liberations—in preference to serving Me. Madhya19.174 TEXT 174 sa eva bhakti-yogākhya ātyantika udāhṛtaḥ yenātivrajya tri-guṇaṁ mad-bhāvāyopapadyate SYNONYMS saḥ—that (having the above symptoms); eva—certainly; bhakti-yoga-ākhyaḥ—called bhakti-yoga; ātyantikaḥ—the ultimate goal of life; udāhṛtaḥ—described as; yena—by which; ativrajya—transcending; tri-guṇam—the three modes of material nature; mat-bhāvāya—for direct touch with Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and My nature; upapadyate—one becomes qualified.
TRANSLATION “‘Bhakti-yoga, as described above, is the ultimate goal of life. By rendering devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one transcends the modes of material nature and attains the spiritual position on the platform of direct devotional service.’ Madhya19.175 TEXT 175 bhukti-mukti ādi-vāñchā yadi mane haya sādhana karile prema utpanna nā haya SYNONYMS bhukti—material enjoyment; mukti—to become liberated from material bondage; ādi—and so on; vāñchā—desires; yadi—if; mane—in the mind; haya—are; sādhana karile—even executing devotional service according to the regulative routine; prema—real love of Kṛṣṇa; utpanna—awakened; nā—not; haya—is.
TRANSLATION “If one is infected with the desire for material enjoyment or material liberation, he cannot rise to the platform of pure loving service unto the Lord, even though he may superficially render devotional service according to the routine regulative principles. PURPORT Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura mentions that if one maintains within his heart the desire to enjoy the result of good work, or, being embarrassed by the material world, the desire to get out of material entanglement, one will never be able to attain the transcendental mellows of devotional service. In other words, one must not desire material profit when rendering devotional service. Even if one follows all the sixty-four regulative principles, he cannot attain pure devotional service with a contaminated heart.
Madhya19.176 TEXT 176 bhukti-mukti-spṛhā yāvat piśācī hṛdi vartate tāvad bhakti-sukhasyātra katham abhyudayo bhavet SYNONYMS bhukti—for material enjoyment; mukti—and for liberation from material existence; spṛhā—desires; yāvat—as long as; piśācī—the witches; hṛdi—within the heart; vartate—remain; tāvat—that long; bhakti—of devotional service; sukhasya—of the happiness; atra—here; katham—how; abhyudayaḥ—awakening; bhavet—can there be.
TRANSLATION “‘The material desire to enjoy the material world and the desire to become liberated from material bondage are considered to be two witches, and they haunt one like ghosts. As long as these witches remain within the heart, how can one feel transcendental bliss? As long as these two witches remain in the heart, there is no possibility of enjoying the transcendental bliss of devotional service.’ PURPORT This verse is found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.22).
Madhya19.177 TEXT 177 sādhana-bhakti haite haya ‘rati’ra udaya rati gāḍha haile tāra ‘prema’ nāma kaya SYNONYMS sādhana-bhakti—the process of regularly rendering devotional service; haite—from; haya—there is; ratira—of attachment; udaya—the awakening; rati—such attachment; gāḍha haile—becoming thick; tāra—of this; prema—love of Godhead; nāma—the name; kaya—is said.
TRANSLATION “By regularly rendering devotional service, one gradually becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When that attachment is intensified, it becomes love of Godhead. PURPORT The Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.2) gives the following information about sādhana-bhakti:
kṛti-sādhyā bhavet sādhya-bhāvā sā sādhanābhidhā The process of devotional service—beginning with chanting and hearing—is called sādhana-bhakti. This includes the regulative principles that are intended to awaken one to devotional service. Devotional service is always dormant in everyone’s heart, and by the offenseless chanting of the holy names of the Lord, one’s original dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness is awakened. This awakening to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the beginning of sādhana-bhakti. This can be divided into many different parts, including faith, association with devotees, initiation by the spiritual master, engagement in devotional service under the instructions of a spiritual master, steadiness in devotional service and the awakening of a taste for devotional service. In this way, one can become attached to Kṛṣṇa and His service, and when this attachment is intensified, it results in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. The word rati is explained in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.3.41) as follows:
vyaktaṁ masṛṇatevāntar-lakṣyate rati-lakṣaṇam “When a tenderness of the heart is manifested, there is rati, or attachment. But those who are interested in being liberated from material bondage will not manifest this tenderness.” This attachment is not like material attachment. When one is free of material contamination, attachment for Kṛṣṇa’s service awakens and is called rati. In the material world there is attachment for material enjoyment, but this is not rati. Transcendental rati can be awakened only on the spiritual platform. Ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa (prema) is described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.41) as follows:
samyaṅ masṛṇita-svānto mamatvātiśayāṅkitaḥ “When the heart is completely softened and devoid of all material desires and when one’s emotional feelings become very strong, one becomes very much attached to Kṛṣṇa. Such purified emotion is known as pure love.”
Madhya19.178 TEXT 178 prema vṛddhi-krame nāma——sneha, māna, praṇaya rāga, anurāga, bhāva, mahābhāva haya SYNONYMS prema—ecstatic love for God; vṛddhi-krame—in terms of progressive increase; nāma—named; sneha—affection; māna—abhorrence; praṇaya—love; rāga—attachment; anurāga—further attachment; bhāva—ecstasy; mahā-bhāva—great ecstasy; haya—are.
TRANSLATION “The basic aspects of prema, when gradually increasing to different states, are affection, abhorrence, love, attachment, further attachment, ecstasy and great ecstasy. PURPORT In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, (3.2.84) sneha (affection) is described as follows:
sāndraś citta-dravaṁ kurvan premā ‘sneha’ itīryate “That aspect of prema in which the melting of the heart for the lover is concentrated is called sneha, or affection. The symptom of such affection is that the lover cannot for a moment remain without the association of the beloved.” A description of māna can be found in Madhya–līlā (Chapter Two, verse 66). Similarly, a description of praṇaya is also there. As far as rāga is concerned, the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (3.2.87) says:
snehaḥ sa rāgo yena syāt sukhaṁ duḥkham api sphuṭam “That stage at which affection for the beloved converts unhappiness into happiness is called rāga, or attachment. When one has such attachment for Kṛṣṇa, he can give up his own life to satisfy his beloved Kṛṣṇa.” Anurāga, bhāva and mahābhāva are described in the Sixth Chapter of the Madhya-līlā, verse 13. The purport to that verse explains adhirūḍha-mahābhāva.
Madhya19.179 TEXT 179 yaiche bīja, ikṣu, rasa, guḍa, khaṇḍa-sāra śarkarā, sitā, michari, uttama-michari āra SYNONYMS yaiche—just like; bīja—the seed; ikṣu—the sugarcane plant; rasa—the juice; guḍa—molasses; khaṇḍa-sāra—dry molasses; śarkarā—sugar; sitā—candy; michari—rock candy; uttama-michari—lozenges; āra—and.
TRANSLATION “The gradual development of prema may be compared to different states of sugar. First there is the seed of the sugarcane, then sugarcane and then the juice extracted from the cane. When this juice is boiled, it forms liquid molasses, then solid molasses, then sugar, candy, rock candy and finally lozenges. Madhya19.180 TEXT 180 ei saba kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasera sthāyibhāva sthāyibhāve mile yadi vibhāva, anubhāva SYNONYMS ei saba—all these; kṛṣṇa-bhakti—of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa; rasera—of the mellows; sthāyi-bhāva—continuous existence of ecstasy; sthāyi-bhāve—in this continuous existence of ecstasy; mile—one meets; yadi—if; vibhāva—special ecstasy; anubhāva—subecstasy.
TRANSLATION “All these stages combined are called sthāyibhāva, or continuous love of Godhead in devotional service. In addition to these stages, there are vibhāva and anubhāva. PURPORT Attachment for Kṛṣṇa never wanes; it increases more and more as one attains different stages. All the stages together are called sthāyibhāva, or continuous existence of ecstasy. The nine forms of devotional service are śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23]. When continuous love of Godhead is mixed with the processes of devotional service, it is called vibhāva, anubhāva, sāttvika and vyabhicārī. The devotee thus enjoys a variety of transcendental bliss. In his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura states that anubhāva can be divided into thirteen categories: (1) dancing, (2) rolling on the ground, (3) singing, (4) yelling, (5) jumping, (6) making loud noises, (7) yawning, (8) heavy breathing, (9) not caring for public opinion, (10) discharging saliva, (11) roaring laughter, (12) unsteadiness and (13) hiccuping. These are the symptoms of anubhāva. Thus the transcendental mellows are experienced in different stages. Similarly, there are many other forms of expression that have been analytically studied by the Gosvāmīs. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī gives each and every symptom a particular name.
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