20240924 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta 1.7. The Ultimate Goal of Life

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 — Seventh Stream

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.35

etāvaj janma-sāphalyaṁ
dehinām iha dehiṣu
prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā
śreya-ācaraṇaṁ sadā

It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words.

Becoming a servant of Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has no more sorrow or suffering.

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.36

tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenās
tāvat kārā-gṛhaṁ gṛham
tāvan moho ‘ṅghri-nigaḍo
yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ

My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, until people become Your devotees, their material attachments and desires remain thieves, their homes remain prisons, and their affectionate feelings for their family members remain foot-shackles.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.22.37

śārīrā mānasā divyā
vaiyāse ye ca mānuṣāḥ
bhautikāś ca kathaṁ kleśā
bādhante hari-saṁśrayam

Therefore, O Vidura, how can persons completely under the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa in devotional service be put into miseries pertaining to the body, the mind, nature, and other men and living creatures?

Jayapatākā Swami: Haribol! Does this work? All glories to Jānakī Rāmacandra dāsa!

Special care must be taken as to when the guru and relatives can be qualified to associate with.

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.18

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt
pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt
daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān
na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum

“One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.”

Ecstatic devotee’s life is very pure. Their tastes are always pure.

Jayapatākā Swami: Their taste is always pure. So this Bhāgavatam śloka says not to become a father, mother, etc. Don’t become any of this if you cannot deliver your dependents from the cycle of repeated birth and death. People have responsibility to deliver their relatives from the cycle of reincarnation. Most people think that if their son and daughter gets a nice degree from the university, gets a rich husband or a beautiful wife, their life is a success. But the real purpose of life is to establish your relationship with Kṛṣṇa and to be saved from the cycle of repeated rebirth.

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.23

arthendriyārāma-sagoṣṭhy-atṛṣṇayā
tat-sammatānām aparigraheṇa ca
vivikta-rucyā paritoṣa ātmani
vinā harer guṇa-pīyūṣa-pānāt

He has to make progress in spiritual life by not associating with persons, who are simply interested in sense gratification and making money. Not only such persons, but one who associates with such persons should be avoided. One should mold his life in such a way that he cannot live in peace without drinking the nectar of the glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. One can be thus elevated by being disgusted with the taste for sense enjoyment.

A brief summary of all these teachings is given to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī by Śrī Mahāprabhu in the sixth chapter of the Antya-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, 233–238.

hāsi’ mahāprabhu raghunāthere kahila
“tomāra upadeṣṭā kari’ svarūpere dila

‘sādhya’-’sādhana’-tattva śikha iṅhāra sthāne
āmi tata nāhi jāni, iṅho yata jāne

tathāpi āmāra ājñāya śraddhā yadi haya
āmāra ei vākye tabe kariha niścaya

grāmya-kathā nā śunibe, grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe
bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe

amānī mānada hañā kṛṣṇa-nāma sadā la’be
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sevā mānase karibe

ei ta’ saṅkṣepe āmi kailuṅ upadeśa
svarūpera ṭhāñi ihāra pāibe viśeṣa

Smiling, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Raghunātha dāsa, “I have already appointed Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī as your instructor. You may learn from him what your duty is and how to discharge it. I do not know as much as he. Nevertheless, if you want to take instructions from Me with faith and love, you may ascertain your duties from the following words. Do not talk like people in general or hear what they say. You should not eat very palatable food, nor should you dress very nicely. Do not expect honor, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and within your mind render service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. I have briefly given you, My instructions. Now you will get all details about them from Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya would assign someone to one of His senior secretaries like Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was assigned to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. So people in the material world, they think it is very good to dress in fine cloth, eat delicious food. So sometimes in devotional service we find very distinguished gentlemen coming to our temple. So we want to wear nice clothes. So we have nice guests, we give them good prasāda. We desire these things for others for preaching. If we desire for our satisfaction, it is being selfish.

Unflinching, undeviated intelligence

TEXT: In this instruction, Lord has confidentially told Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī about the system of eight-fold time pastimes. Elsewhere in this book, special instruction received from Śrī Svarūpa will be given. Devotees should take care to be eligible to accept these instructions.

Unflinching, undeviated intelligence is practice of vaidhi-bhakti in best and with single-minded attention, aiming at bhāva-bhakti and the practice of bhāva-bhakti with undeviated intelligence aiming at the appearance of prema – can be called as nirbandhini mati (Unflinching, undeviated intelligence). Bhakti-siddhi happens very quickly if that nirbandhini mati is present. Another name for this is appropriate sincere endeavor.*

Jayapatākā Swami: So there are different kinds of perfections. And they are achieved by fixed intelligence and focus in different activities in devotional service.

Note:

Nāradīya Purāṇa

acirād eva sarvārthaḥ
sidhyaty eṣām abhīpsitaḥ
sad-dharmasyāvabodhāya
yeṣāṁ nirbandhinī matiḥ

“Those who are eager to awaken their spiritual consciousness and who thus have unflinching, undeviated intelligence certainly attain the desired goal of life very soon.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So this verse is giving us some advice. We should fix our intelligence, undeviated, unflinching to our desired goal. By being very focused on what we want we can attain it very soon.

TEXT: The sādhakas should first take shelter of nirbandhini mati (Unflinching, undeviated intelligence). Don’t be indifferent about it by abandoning sincere endeavor.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the secret of advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness – having unflinching, undeviated, intelligence.

Koṭi, koṭi, koṭi, koṭi Krsne matir astu!