Letter 34 - You are never alone,...

Faith and determination afford one forgiveness for one’s offences • You are never alone • The meaning of sarva-dharmān parityajya • The six enemies of the soul • The use of mṛdaṅga and karatāla

श्री श्री गुरु-गौराङ्गौ जयतः

śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ

Śrī Nīlācala Gauḍīya Maṭha Gourbatsahi, Swargadwar (Purī) Orissa 18/8/1976

Sādara sambhāṣaṇa pūrvikeyam—

Dear——! I arrived in Purī and received your three inland letters dated 2/8/76, 12/8/76, and 13/8/76.

Why are you spending your days in so much unrest? In the preliminary stages, aparādha and whatnot can occur, but Śrī Nāma Prabhu Himself eradicates that upon assessing a person’s one-pointedness and conviction in bhajana. There is a means for trees, grass, shrubs, creepers, birds, and animals to obtain auspiciousness, so where is the hindrance to hari-bhajana for human beings, a superior creation, and especially those who are faithful souls? The mistakes you think you have made until now will be forgiven as a result of your faith and determination. For the followers of Śrī Hari, guru, and Vaiṣṇavas, the only real path to spiritual well-being is to accept their chastisement without consideration. As they gradually proceed along the path of sādhana, the sādhakas and sādhikās can prepare themselves, and then, in the realm of bhajana, they also obtain the proper qualification to hear. “I am not progressing in my sādhana-bhajana, O merciful guru and Vaiṣṇavas! Give me strength to do bhajana, so that my eagerness to attain the well-being of my soul increases day by day.” This is the only thing a follower should pray for.

The moment you think you are niḥsaṅga (without devotee association) or alone is when doubts, dilemmas, and fears will come and devour you. You are never alone; śrī guru and Bhagavān are with you at all times, directly and indirectly. Know that in the form of caitta-guru, Śrī Bhagavān is granting inspiration at all times, and guru and Bhagavān are always showering their good wishes and auspicious blessings upon you. Hence, in śāstra, the word niḥsaṅga has been used to refer not to being alone but to being in good association. Try to remain under the shelter of Śrī Hari, guru, and Vaiṣṇavas at all times. You will not run into any obstacles. By their causeless mercy, all of your obstacles and hindrances will be dispelled. …

I am providing a few brief answers to your questions:

1. Sarva-dharma, in the verse “sarva-dharmān parityājya^[1]” refers to the dharma of the worldly and social realm, to naimittika-dharma (casual acts of piety), and even to dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. This verse has conveyed the topic of abandoning materialistic varṇāśrama-dharma. To give up all mundane ego of being the doer and to accept the shelter of Śrī Bhagavān is ātma-samarpaṇa (submission of the soul). It is by this that one attains immortality. As long as the soul’s complete indifference to material objects does not appear, he wanders throughout Veda-dharma, or karma-kāṇḍa and jñāna-kāṇḍa. Rousing faith in bhagavat-kathā is the chief purpose of scripture. Everything else is a secondary affair. They [the scriptures] have given instructions to give up not just the fruits, but also [the processes to attain those fruits, like] karma, jñāna, and yoga, to not take the shelter of the various presiding demigods, and to take full shelter of ananyā-bhakti (one-pointed devotion). This ananyā-bhakti is perfected by the special mercy of Śrī Bhagavān. One who evaluates the faults and merits of the injunctions and prohibitions of śāstra and grasps the ultimate conclusion is the most intelligent. This is the subject under discussion. Bhajana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is being specially indicated in this case.

2 Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhu has conveyed the topic of the the six enemies of the soul (ṣaḍ-varga) in Upadeśāmṛta. 

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has explained the vāco-vegam verse by giving a poetic translation as follows:

वाक्य-मनो-वेग, क्रोध-जिह्वा-वेग, उदर-उपस्थ-वेग; मिलिया ए सब, संसारे भासाये, दितेछे परमोद्वेग

vākya-mano-vega, krodha-jihvā-vega, udara-upastha-vega; miliyā e saba, saṃsāre bhāsāye, diteche paramodvega^[2]

“The impulses of speech, mind, anger, taste, belly, and genitals come together, sweeping me into material existence and giving me supreme distress.” 

The cravings of the tongue, belly, and genitals–these three are particularly deadly. Persons who covet these three sense objects–the greed to eat nice things, to eat more than necessary, and gratifying the sense of touch (biological appetite)–can never perform bhajana of Kṛṣṇa. Śiśna + udara = śiśnodara. Śiśna refers to the female and male reproductive organs. In this case, śiśna means mundane lust aimed at satisfying one’s own senses. People otherwise misunderstand. 

That is why in the Gītā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa instructs Arjuna on “lust that is not contrary to religion”.

आत्मेन्द्रिय-प्रीति-वाञ्छा—तारे बोलि ‘काम’, कृष्णेन्द्रिय प्रीति-वाञ्छा धरे ‘प्रेम’ नाम&न्ब्स्प्;

Ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā—tāre boli ‘kāma’, kṛṣṇendriya prīti-vāñchā dhare ‘prema’ nāma 

“The desire to satiate one’s own senses is called lust; the desire to please Kṛṣṇa’s senses bears the name of love.”

If you properly study this couplet from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta [Ādi-līlā 4.165], you will be able to understand the difference between kāma and prema. The kāma of the Vraja gopīs has become known as prema. This subject is understood according to individual qualification.

3. The tradition of performing śrī nāma-kīrtana with mṛdaṅga and karatālas has been going on since the time of Śrīman Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, and others all did kīrtana of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra with mṛdaṅga and mandirā (cymbals). That is why the succeeding generation of Vaiṣṇava poets all made similar injunctions. Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura, Śrīla Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and others have indicated the same in various verses. Here, there are no rules or prohibitions about a fixed or unfixed number as with japa. The mahā-mantra is to be both chanted and sung. The differences and specialities of mental chanting, vocalized chanting, and quiet chanting are proof of that. The gopīs also used mṛdaṅga, mandirā, vīṇā and other instruments specified by ancient sages who utilized these in performing kīrtana of Kṛṣṇa. Hence, the use of khola (mṛdaṅga) and karatāla has endured since very ancient times.

I will give you a list of books, as I have a responsibility to collect vital books and distribute them. You can read Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. I will give you other books later. With all the books you read, keep very detailed notes. This will be of great use later. Accept my affectionate blessings. What more can I say? Iti—

Your eternal well-wisher, Śrī Bhaktivedānta Vāmana

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Bhagavad-gītā (18.66)

[2]:

Śaraṇāgati, Hari He! Prapañce Paḍiyā (2) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura