20220417 Relationship, Activities and The Goal - Three Subjects Explained In Every Aphorism of The Vedānta-Sūtra, P3

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 17th,2022 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat !

So from today's Lord Caitanya compilation book: Relationship with God, Activities in that relationship and the Ultimate goal are Three Subjects Explained In Every Aphorism of The Vedānta-Sūtra, Part 3

Haribol!

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.145

premā haite kṛṣṇa haya nija bhakta-vaśa
premā haite pāya kṛṣṇera sevā-sukha-rasa

Translation: “The Supreme Lord, who is greater than the greatest, becomes submissive to even a very insignificant devotee because of his devotional service. It is the beautiful and exalted nature of devotional service that the infinite Lord becomes submissive to the infinitesimal living entity because of it. In reciprocal devotional activities with the Lord, the devotee actually enjoys the transcendental mellow of devotional service.

Purport: Becoming one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not very important for a devotee. Muktiḥ svayaṁ mukulitāñjali sevate ’smān (Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 107). Speaking from his actual experience, Śrīla Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura says that if one develops love of Godhead, mukti (liberation) becomes subservient and unimportant to him. Mukti stands before the devotee and is prepared to render all kinds of services. The Māyāvādī philosophers’ standard of mukti is very insignificant for a devotee, for by devotional service even the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes subordinate to him. An actual example is that the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa became the chariot driver of Arjuna, and when Arjuna asked Him to draw his chariot between the two armies (senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me ’cyuta –Bg 1.21-22), Kṛṣṇa executed his order. Such is the relationship between the Supreme Lord and a devotee that although the Lord is greater than the greatest, He is prepared to render service to the insignificant devotee by dint of his sincere and unalloyed devotional service.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, being greater than the greatest Kṛṣṇa is receiving respect from everyone. So he likes to take the role of a subordinate to His devotee. But His devotee, by executing the devotional service gets that opportunity. But for a non-devotee Kṛṣṇa does not do the same. So, we can see that devotional service is such a great thing and by executing devotional service one become very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Even though the jīva is infinitesimal, he achieves this position where he is able to serve the lord as a superior. In the vātsalya-rasa, the parents see him or herself as a superior, in the sākhya-rasa, the devotee considers himself as equivalent to Kṛṣṇa. So, like when Kṛṣṇa was lifting the Govardhana hill, the cowherd boys thought they would help Kṛṣṇa and they put the stick under the hill. Actually Kṛṣṇa doesn’t need any help, but such is the relationship of friendship, and in the conjugal relationship, where Kṛṣṇa He acts like He is dependent on His gopī friends. So, this is only available by devotional service, where He accepts some inferior role out of reciprocation of love of the devotee

? Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.146

sambandhābhidheya-prayojanai brahmasūtrera pratipādya :—

sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana nāma
ei tina artha sarva-sūtre paryavasāna

Translation: “One’s relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, activities in terms of that relationship, and the ultimate goal of life [to develop love of God] — these three subjects are explained in every aphorism of the Vedānta-sūtra, for they form the culmination of the entire Vedānta philosophy.”

Purport: In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.5) it is said:

“A human being is defeated in all his activities as long as he does not know the goal of life, which can be understood when one is inquisitive about Brahman.”

It is such inquiry that begins the Vedānta-sūtra: athāto brahma-jijñāsā. A human being should be inquisitive to know who he is, what the universe is, what God is, and what the relationship is between himself, God and the material world. Such questions cannot be asked by cats and dogs, but they must arise in the heart of a real human being. Knowledge of these four items — namely oneself, the universe, God, and their internal relationship — is called sambandha-jñāna, or the knowledge of one’s relationship. When one’s relationship with the Supreme Lord is established, the next program is to act in that relationship. This is called abhidheya, or activity in relationship with the Lord. After executing such prescribed duties, when one attains the highest goal of life, love of Godhead, he achieves prayojana-siddhi, or the fulfillment of his human mission. In the Brahma-sūtra, or Vedānta-sūtra, these subjects are very carefully explained. Therefore one who does not understand the Vedānta-sūtra in terms of these principles is simply wasting his time.

This is the version of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.8):

One may be a very learned scholar and execute his prescribed duty very nicely, but if he does not ultimately become inquisitive about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is indifferent to śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (hearing and chanting), all that he has done is but a waste of time. Māyāvādī philosophers, who do not understand the relationship between themselves, the cosmic manifestation and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are simply wasting their time, and their philosophical speculation has no value.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is explaining the Vedānta sutra philosophy to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs that they should understand their relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead otherwise they are wasting their time. So, this principle is completely against the Māyāvādī philosophy and Sri Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is explaining this to the Māyāvādīs. So He is giving the sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana idea to the Māyāvādīs, and this way they can understand what their relationship is with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They asked for this and Lord Caitanya gave this to them. So in this way, He was able to convert all the Māyāvādīs into Vaiṣṇavaṣ We should also understand that how our relationship with the Personality of Godhead is the most important aspect. The devotees by giving pleasure to the Supreme Lord are tasting unlimited pleasure themselves. So, in this way Lord Caitanya presented devotional service to the Māyāvādīs and thus they became converted.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, 1. One’s Relationship with The Supreme Personality of Godhead, 2. Activities In Terms Of That Relationship, And 3. The Ultimate Goal Of Life [To Develop Love of God] Are Three Subjects Explained In Every Aphorism of The Vedānta-Sūtra, Part 3

Under the section: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas