Transcendental Nectar of Sadhu-Sanga

by

Sushen Krishna Das, Ph.D.

Bhaktivedanta Institute

www.mahaprabhu.net/harmonizer

jaga.suresh@gmail.com

Mob: +91-9748906907

This article is a response to this message.

Dear Ram Yadavji and Dilip Dasji:

Please accept our humble dandavat paranams.

Thank you for your encouragements for our humble services towards the satisfaction of Krishna and His dear devotees.

According to Vedic teachings the ultimate goal of life is not liberation (moksha). According to Sastras it is also considered to be disadvantageous to desire liberation. In the book "Teachings of Lord Caitanya" by His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, it is explained very nicely. In the chapter three Srila Sanatana Goswami saying to his spiritual master the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that, "My associations are all abominable, and I am fallen, the most wretched of mankind. I was suffering in the dark well of material enjoyment, and I never knew the actual goal of my life. Indeed, I do not even know what is beneficial for me. Although I am what is known in the world as a great learned man, I am in fact so much of a fool that I myself even think that I am learned. You have accepted me as Your servant, and You have delivered me from the entanglement of material life. Now please tell me what my duty is in this liberated state."

His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada says, "By this plea, we can understand that liberation is not the final word in perfection. There must be activities in liberation. Sanatana clearly says, "You have saved me from the material existence. Now, after liberation, what is my duty?""

In Sri Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 19.149 we find that

krsna-bhakta-niskama, ataeva 'santa'

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami-sakali 'asanta'

                                (Sri Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 19.149) 

Translation: Because a devotee of Lord Krishna is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jnanis desire liberation, and yogis desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.

This is also explained in detail in chapter one (see Chapter one: 'Utilising Our Fortune' in Divine Guidance) of the book Divine Guidance by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj says: "Asanta means people who are always disturbed by the illusory environment. However, one can automatically get relief from the reactions of his bad activities if he can have no desire for his own purpose but can constantly try to give satisfactory service to sadhu, Guru and Vaisnava.

Many of our friends always feel disturbances from their mundane activities. But they can control them very easily; the method is to try very intensely and exclusively to engage themselves in service to Guru and the Vaisnavas. Such service goes directly to Krishna. If they try in that way they will get relief from the illusory environment.

We are always between hopefulness and hopelessness! Hope comes when we are correcting ourselves in line with the transcendental world, but when we are disconnected from that level, then a hopeless position comes to us. It is, therefore, always necessary to keep connection with that transcendental level, and if we try in the way of service we will gain relief very easily.

kama esa krodha esa, rajoguna-samudbhavah

maha-sano maha-papma, viddhy enam iha vairinam

(Srimad Bhagavad-gita 3.37)

There are three kinds of qualities or modes of nature (gunas) always playing within our body and mind: sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna. Of these, sattva-guna sometimes can give a good result for our practicing life, but the true practicing life is mainly beyond the three qualities of nature, and that is called nirguna. Krishna advised in Srimad Bhagavad-gita: "You always try to stay in the level of nirguna where these three, sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna, have no play."

Sattva-guna can give us auspiciousness and take our mind to an auspicious level, but Krishna consciousness lives beyond even that. Attachment to Krishna is necessary. Rupa Goswami Prabhu quoted: 

krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih

kriyatam yadi kuto 'pi labhyate

tatra laulyam api mulyam ekalam

janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate 

Hankering is the main thing necessary to gain that transcendental knowledge. When that will reveal itself in our heart fully, other disturbances will automatically leave us, just as when the sun rises in the east, all darkness is dispelled from our section of the Earth. So it is necessary for us to have hankering for Krishna-bhakti.

We can see in the Vedas many varieties of auspicious practicing moods. The Vedanta, Puranas, Upanisads, etc. are all always indicating the nirguna plane and trying to take us to that level. If we cannot stay in that nirguna level we will not receive the full result, therefore our activity, mood, and everything, whether viddhi or raga, should always be such as to try to take us to that higher level. But we must want it, then we can go there, otherwise not. 

bhukti-mukti-sprha yavat

pisaci hrdi vartate

tavad bhakti-sukhasyatra

katham abhyudayo bhavet

When attachment and attraction for mundane things live within our heart, they are called pisaci, witches. If witches have us under their spell, then how can Krishna-bhakti live there? Srila Rupa Goswami says it is not possible. Still, if we try with our best mood of service to attain that position, we must get it. It may be sudden or it may be after a long time, but if we try we must get that position, there is no doubt. That attempt is called sadhana. Sadhana is 'the means to the end.' Generally our sadhana guides us to the upper level, and prevents us from falling down to a lower level.

Sravanam-kirttanam, etc. is bhakti-sadhana, but other kinds of sadhana exist under the guidance of different departments of Vedic knowledge, such as yoga-sadhana, jnana-sadhana, karmmasadhana, etc. The intention of all these types of practice is to take us to a higher position. But the topmost position, and the actual need for our supreme transcendental benefit, is only bhakti-yoga. Without bhakti-yoga, other kinds of sadhana such as bhukti or mukti cannot give us the proper result. So if we try to practice Sravanam, kirttanam, smaranam, vandanam, etc.-the nine kinds of bhakti-sadhana under the guidance of a proper sadhu then we will easily receive the good result.

This navadha-bhakti-pitha is Nabadwip-Dham. Each of the nine islands of Nabadwip gives some special facility for our practicing life. This place, Koladwip, is called pada-sevana ksetra, the place where we can gain direct connection with Krishna through the worship of His lotus feet. But if we really want that then we should sincerely try to get it through the expert-then easily we can have His connection.

In the Scriptures we can see that Krishna's devotee always tries to satisfy the devotees. That position is the supermost position, but at present we are living in another position, that is, mano-jagat, which means the mental world; and that mental world has grown up from the Maya-jagat, the illusory environment. First we must try to disconnect ourselves from the mental world, and fully surrender to Krishna, then we will receive help from Him.

krsna yadi krpa kare kona bhagyavane

guru-antaryami-rupe sikhaya apane

From Krishna comes inspiration to attain the transcendental world. He will send a sadhu, a Guru, a Vaisnava, and through them we will receive some light and strength-easily we shall be able to practice with their help, and attain our destination.

There is no doubt that all of you here are fortunate to have a connection with the transcendental world and to have hankering, otherwise why would you have come here? You must try to achieve that transcendental plane through your mood of service, and you will get it very easily if you try in the proper way. The proper way is to satisfy Guru and the Vaisnavas.

When Srila Guru Maharaj established this Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math he simply wanted a place to practice devotional life along with a very few followers. But now it has grown in a very big way, and day by day in order to help others, it is growing bigger. But the line of Srila Guru Maharaj is a very exclusive devotional line.

If we want to serve Srila Guru Maharaj exclusively and not see anything else, we will be relieved of all troubles. We must try to serve Guru very attentively, for only then will we get that chance, otherwise we will be cheated. Srila Guru Maharaj was very simple-hearted. He did not want to cheat anyone, and that is why he did not make many complications. In his life he only showed Krishna and Krishna-bhakti. We are also trying to proceed within the line of his vision, but if his mercy will not act within us, we will not get that. So in an exclusive way we must try to satisfy Srila Guru Maharaj. Then he will be very happy.

Under the guidance of our mind we may try many things, but that is not really bhakti. Our mind is always going this way and that way. The fickle and mad mind can do anything, but a good result will not always come from that. If we do good things then a good result will come to us, if we do not, then a bad result will come to us; such is our position. We will gain relief from the illusory environment only if in an exclusive way we try to follow our Gurudeva.

Many people can say many things, also the sastras are very vast! All the Scriptures are full of knowledge no doubt, but they are so vast that we cannot discover from them what is good for us. But the sadhu, Guru and the Vaisnavas simply try to satisfy Krishna, and if we follow them, we will easily get the full result of all scriptural advice. Therefore we shall try to proceed in a simple way. Mahaprabhu has also instructed us that it is not necessary to do many things-just chant Hare Krishna, engage in Vaisnava-seva and do Prasada-seva:

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirttana, bhagavat-sravana

mathura-vasa, sri-murttira sraddhaya sevana

sakala-sadhana-srestha ei panca anga

krsna-prema janmaya ei pancera alpa sanga

                                         (Sri Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 22.128 & 129)

Try to satisfy the servitors of Krishna and you will easily receive the result-Krishna-prema, through them. This path is very simple-chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, and engage in Vaisnava-seva. Don't look this side or that, but give your attention only to the service of Gurudeva and the Vaisnavas, and that will be helpful for you."