20241005 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta 2.2. Pious Activity

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

Second Shower — Consideration of secondary rules

Second Stream — Pious Activity

(8) Two types of animal husbandry

Animal husbandry is a pious act. It is of two types, namely: —

1. Development and welfare of animal.

2. Protection and maintenance of animal.

It is the duty to develop all kinds of useful animals. Without the help of animals, the work of the world does not run well, so care should be taken to improve the shape, strength and nature of the animals. They thrive and develop if they are placed in some special conditions and their race is nourished through suitable mating of male and female. To improve the cow breed above all other animals is a necessary duty. With their help, the agricultural work and the bringing and sending of goods can be done well. Through strong and beautiful bulls, the cows should produce offspring. It is with this intention that younger bulls are released from karma on the occasion of honoring the dead during śrāddha. Free-roaming younger bulls become very large and strong, and become fit to be fathers of strong cow breed. As animals benefit the world, they should be nurtured and protected with food and shelter. Cow maintenance and cow protection work is known as a special piety producing work in India.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, now in the modern day, animal husbandry is not animal protection. Here the cows produce milk, then when they stop giving milk, they are sent to the slaughterhouse. So, in the Vedic times animals were being protected, especially the cows and bulls. The only animals used for food were goats and there is a mantra that was said in the ear of the goat – I will kill you now, but in the future, you can kill me. People don’t know what they are saying. But if you understand it is very fearful. Māṁsa, the Sanskrit word for meat – māṁ is me, sa is you. Means I kill you and you can kill me. So, protecting, mating, utilizing the animals is considered pious work. But there is no indication of any slaughtering. Now of course, people use tractors.

(9) The act of increasing the population is four types, namely:

1. Procreation of children by lawful wedlock.

2. Nurturing and protecting the born children.

3. Making children family worthy.

4. Teaching children the ultimate goal of spirituality.

After marrying a suitable bride at a suitable age, they will lead a family in harmony with each other according to the rules of protecting the health of body and mind.

Note:

gṛhārthī sadṛśīṁ bhāryām
udvahed ajugupsitām
yavīyasīṁ tu vayasā
yāṁ sa-varṇām anu kramāt

One who desires to establish family life should marry a wife of his own caste, who is beyond reproach and younger in age. If one desires to accept many wives he must marry them after the first marriage, and each wife should be of a successively lower caste.

A son and a daughter will be born in it by God’s will. Should carefully maintain and protect the offspring produced. Gradually give them instructions for education and other activities. When they grow up, teach them, how to earn money. When they are of suitable age, take care to give them in marriage making them gṛhasthas. At the appropriate age, teach the children bodily rules, religious principles and paramārtha-tattva (spiritual truth). In all these activities one should personally learn detachment.

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.17.51–55

yadṛcchayopapannena
śuklenopārjitena vā
dhanenāpīḍayan bhṛtyān
nyāyenaivāharet kratūn

kuṭumbeṣu na sajjeta
na pramādyet kuṭumby api
vipaścin naśvaraṁ paśyed
adṛṣṭam api dṛṣṭa-vat

putra-dārāpta-bandhūnāṁ
saṅgamaḥ pāntha-saṅgamaḥ
anu-dehaṁ viyanty ete
svapno nidrānugo yathā

itthaṁ parimṛśan mukto
gṛheṣv atithi-vad vasan
na gṛhair anubadhyeta
nirmamo nirahaṅkṛtaḥ

karmabhir gṛha-medhīyair
iṣṭvā mām eva bhaktimān
tiṣṭhed vanaṁ vopaviśet
prajāvān vā parivrajet

A householder should comfortably maintain his dependents either with money that comes of its own accord or with that gathered by honest execution of one’s duties. According to one’s means, one should perform sacrifices and other religious ceremonies. A householder taking care of many dependent family members should not become materially attached to them, nor should he become mentally unbalanced, considering himself to be the lord. An intelligent householder should see that all possible future happiness, just like that which he has already experienced, is temporary. The association of children, wife, relatives and friends is just like the brief meeting of travelers. With each change of body one is separated from all such associates, just as one loses the objects one possesses in a dream when the dream is over. Deeply considering the actual situation, a liberated soul should live at home just like a guest, without any sense of proprietorship or false ego. In this way he will not be bound or entangled by domestic affairs. A householder devotee who worships Me by execution of his family duties may remain at home, go to a holy place or, if he has a responsible son, take sannyāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we know that Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wanted to take sannyāsa. But other devotees said you are so strict in your gṛhastha life, so you already have sannyāsa. So, in 1973, in London, on his Vyāsa-pūjā address, Śrīla Prabhupāda told his gṛhastha devotees that he wanted all of them to be paramahaṁsas and that his guru was an ācārya. So Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had a child who was an ācārya. So he wanted all the gṛhasthas that their children should be ācāryas. A tall order! So paramahaṁsa means you are always Kṛṣṇa conscious. Everything you do, you do for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. The standard in Kali-yuga is not to accept sannyāsa but to be a gṛhastha. And do that with these four purposes. So Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted, they were preaching that the gṛhasthas should be very Kṛṣṇa conscious.

(9) Proper behavior

1. Forgiveness

2. Gratitude

3. Truthfulness

4. Simplicity

5. Not stealing

6. Non-acceptance

7. Kindness

8. Detachment

9. Respecting the śāstra

10. Pilgrimage

11. Proper judgement

12. Etiquette

13. Worshiping the Lord

1. Forgiveness

Giving up the desire to punish someone when they commit an offense is called forgiveness. Punishing an offender is not unjust, but pardoning is a higher justice than that. Prahlāda and Haridāsa Ṭhākura are worshiped as ideals of the world by forgiving their enemies

Jayapatākā Swami: Right now, we are seeing very dangerous situation. That Israel has killed some of the leaders of a group in Iran. Iran said, “I will punish you for your offence. Forgiveness is not an issue.” Israel said to Iran, “If you attack me, I will attack you.” And then Russia has said that if you allow missiles to enter Russia, then I will change my stand on nuclear weapons. So we are in a very dangerous time. Ukraine may send missiles to Russia. That is not unjust because Russia has been sending many missiles to Ukraine. But forgiveness is a higher principle. But nobody is thinking about forgiveness. So it is a very dangerous time. That we are having wars and counter wars, punishing an offender is not unjust. But forgiving is a higher justice. So, no one is talking about forgiveness. They are only talking about war.

2. Gratitude

Always acknowledging someone’s favor is called gratitude. Āryans are so grateful that they serve their parents as long as they can during their lifetime. When the parents die, accepting the hardship of impurity due to their death, giving up the pleasures of sleeping and eating food and performing their śrāddha with charity of feeding. Again, year after year, they express their gratitude to the parents by paying homage to them in the form of śraddhā-tarpana. Acknowledging gratitude towards everyone is a piety.

Jayapatākā Swami: We do the Bhīṣma-Pañcaka, he was a brahmacārī. We do the tarpana, etc. for him as a brahmacārī. And I was offered in the morning, a Japanese big apple. In the afternoon, Śaṅkīrtaneśvara offered me four more! So I have to express my gratitude! Even though it is incidental, if someone expresses his gratitude that is also considered good.

3. Truthfulness

Speaking that which can be believed to be true is called truthfulness. Truthful men are pious persons and worshiped in the world.

Jayapatākā Swami: Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was known as satyavādī because he would always say the truth. So Kṛṣṇa told him to say that Aśvatthāmā had fallen, but he knew that Aśvatthāmā was still alive. So then he hesitated. Then Kṛṣṇa told him to say Aśvatthāmā the elephant has died. So then he said very loudly Aśvatthāmā, and then softly (the elephant) has died. Because he was always truthful his chariot was above the ground. But when he hesitated to follow Kṛṣṇa, his chariot hit the ground. Then Kṛṣṇa said Aśvatthāmā (the elephant) has died and then his chariot came back up. So, it is said the earth, Pṛthivī devī cannot tolerate a liar. So always speaking the truth is a pious act.

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!