20240807 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta 1.6. Determining the Sādhana

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

First Shower — Sixth Stream

Determining the Sādhana

Vivartavāda (Theory of the illusion of the Supreme)

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.2–3

mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ
puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha
catvāro jajñire varṇā
guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak

ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād
ātma-prabhavam īśvaram
na bhajanty avajānanti
sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ

“Each of the four social orders, headed by the brāhmaṇas, was born through different combinations of the modes of nature, from the face, arms, thighs and feet of the Supreme Lord in His universal form. Thus the four spiritual orders were also generated. If any of the members of the four varṇas and four āśramas fail to worship or intentionally disrespect the Personality of Godhead, who is the source of their own creation, they will fall down from their position into a hellish state of life.”

Karma, yoga and knowledge are fruitless without devotion.

The Lord says that karma, aṣṭāṅga-yoga and knowledge have been prescribed in some scriptures as sādhana, so the less intelligent people not having grasped the purport of those scriptures and established them as the main abhidheya. Humans are of many types according to qualification and are of two types according to the difference in pravṛtti and nivṛtti. The sādhana which the persons of these qualifications have obtained to get to the higher position, is merely secondary and not the main sādhana or abhidheya. The result of all those sādhanas is merely a step up, so in the obtainment of greater goal, their results are temporary and insignificant.

Karma, yoga, jñāna and their various forms of processes have no power to give any kind of results if devotion is not intended. If they have kṛṣṇa-bhakti as the ultimate goal, then they yield some secondary results. Merely knowledge alone does not lead to liberation. Liberation is the first fruit that is obtained by the knowledge of relationship that is attained when the purpose is bhakti, gives as the first result of liberation. is the first. It is bhakti that effortlessly gives the insignificant secondary result of liberation.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the other practices, jñāna, yoga, etc. they are insignificant, they don’t have bhakti. The real goal, the real practice is bhakti-yoga. If someone doesn’t practice bhakti-yoga, the other practices are not very significant. I mean Kṛṣṇa, He is attracted by loving, devotional service. The vraja-vāsīs they show natural affection to Kṛṣṇa, and they render devotional service. Those who are just following jñāna, yoga, they are not able to attract the Lord like the vraja-vāsīs.

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.15.28

ṣaḍ-varga-saṁyamaikāntāḥ
sarvā niyama-codanāḥ
tad-antā yadi no yogān
āvaheyuḥ śramāvahāḥ

“Ritualistic ceremonies, regulative principles, austerities and the practice of yoga are all meant to control the senses and mind, but even after one is able to control the senses and mind, if he does not come to the point of meditation upon the Supreme Lord, all such activities are simply labor in frustration.”

Regarding karma it is to be stated that the karma is the name of dharma that is the activity suitable for four varṇas (social orders) and four āśramas (spiritual orders). This is called trivarṇika-dharma. In the second shower of this book, the statement of this trivargika-dharma is found. In this regard, the Lord’s advice is that the men gain strength in regulative devotional practice (vαidhα sādhαnα), while engaged comfortably in carrying out the maintenance of the body and family and so on. Therefore, advanced men are entitled to practice varṇāśrama-dharma, making it suitable for devotion to Kṛṣṇa. But those who are situated in varṇāśrama-dharma without aiming at devotion, go to hell even after practicing svadharma.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, someone who practices varṇāśrama without devotion for Kṛṣṇa, this is an interesting point. They can still go to hell, if they don’t have devotion for Kṛṣṇa! So it is very important, we only practice daivi-varṇāśrama if it includes bhakti-yoga. Otherwise, it is not considered complete.

The third shower of this book contains the description of sādhana-bhakti. When regulative devotional service (vaidha-sādhana-bhakti) becomes pure devotion, then it is worthy of attaining prema.

Love is eternally perfect

A living entity’s love for God is a living entity’s natural eternal dharma. That is the real goal of life to be attained. Herein there is an argument that if the goal to be obtained is eternal, then how can it become an object to be obtained. This is what the Lord has said in this connection.

ebe sādhana-bhakti-lakṣaṇa śuna, sanātana
yāhā haite pāi kṛṣṇa-prema-mahā-dhana

śravaṇādi-kriyā — tāra ‘svarūpa’-lakṣaṇa
‘taṭastha’-lakṣaṇe upajāya prema-dhana

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya
śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

“My dear Sanātana, please now hear about the regulative principles for the execution of devotional service. By this process, one can attain the highest perfection of love of Godhead, which is the most desirable treasure. The spiritual activities of hearing, chanting, remembering and so forth are the natural characteristics of devotional service. The marginal characteristic is that it awakens pure love for Kṛṣṇa. Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens. (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.104-107)

Jayapatākā Swami: So everyone of us have kṛṣṇa-prema in our hearts, but it is dormant, unless we awaken it by the process of chanting, hearing, etc. So sādhana-bhakti performed by devotees is different. It can awaken the attraction of love for Lord Kṛṣṇa. Just like the little child has the ability to talk to walk but it has to be invoked. So the child can talk when the parents talk to the child, the child naturally begins to talk. Just like a child can walk. These things are naturally in the nature of the child. Similarly, chanting and hearing awakens the natural love for Kṛṣṇa. So practice of bhakti-yoga by regulative principles reawakens our love for Kṛṣṇa. So, we see devotees chanting, dancing naturally, they start to feel eventually spiritual ecstasy. But we some of the devotees spinning around and dancing, actually these emotions are awakened.

TEXT: The purport of the Lord’s statement is that love is the perfected substance. That love is found in in the marginal characteristics (taṭasth’-lakṣaṇa) in the when the living entity under the illusion of māyā. It does not arise original characteristics (svarūpa-lakṣaṇa). The original characteristics (svarūpa-lakṣaṇa) of sādhana-bhakti are the activities of chanting, hearing, remembering etc., of Kṛṣṇa's name, qualities, form and pastimes.

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.23–24

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau
bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā
kriyeta bhagavaty addhā
tan manye ’dhītam uttamam

“Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So in Navadvīpa dhāma there are nine islands – each island is connected with one of the processes of devotional service. So if we practice anyone or more of these devotional services, even if it is following rules and regulations, gradually one can awaken his dormant love for Kṛṣṇa. So, that is how powerful bhakti-yoga is! All the practices like jñāna and yoga do not have that power. Bhakti-yoga with the nine processes has the power to awaken our dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.

TEXT: While performing that sādhana, love first emerges, just like a hidden fire, in the marginal characteristics (taṭastha-lakṣaṇa), and manifests itself in the original characteristics (svarūpa-lakṣaṇa), when the subtle body is destroyed i.e. at the time of vastu-siddhi (where both the gross and subtle material bodies are completely destroyed). Therefore, kṛṣṇa-prema is the perfected substance, that is not born by sādhana, but only by hearing and chanting and so on, it rises in the purified heart. In this, the necessity of sādhana will be evident.

This sādhana-bhakti is of two types i.e., vaidhi-sādhana-bhakti and rāgānuga-sādhana-bhakti.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, if one practices sādhana-bhakti by rules and regulations, and then one starts to enjoy them – these practices are naturally sādhana-bhakti. When one is more spontaneous, more natural, that is considered as rāgānuga. So when one is performing some sadhana by following rules and regulations, then one naturally performs that sādhana, that becomes one’s nature. So then that spontaneous devotion is called rāgānuga. So we want to practice sādhana-bhakti and when it becomes natural it becomes our second nature. Then we gradually move from the rules and regulations to rāgānuga.

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Did you see the devotees? Any questions?