dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau
nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau
And now, Chapter 5: The Purity of Devotional Service.
lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau
All of the previous instructions imparted by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his broad statements
can be summarized thus: as long as one is materially inclined or desirous of merging
into the spiritual effulgence, one cannot enter into the realm of pure devotional service.
Next, Rūpa Gosvāmī states that devotional service is transcendental to all material
considerations and that it is not limited to any particular country, class, society
or circumstance. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, devotional service is transcendental and has
no cause. Devotional service is executed without any hope for gain, and it cannot be checked
by any material circumstances. It is open for all, without any distinction, and it is
the constitutional occupation of the living entities.
In the Middle Ages, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya's great associate Lord Nityānanda,
a class of priestly persons claimed to be the descendants of Nityānanda, calling themselves
the gosvāmī caste. They further claimed that the practice and spreading of devotional service
belonged only to their particular class, which was known as Nityānanda-vaṁśa. In this way,
they exercised their artificial power for some time, until Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
Ṭhākura, the powerful ācārya of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, completely smashed their
idea. There was a great hard struggle for some time, but it has turned out successfully,
and it is now correctly and practically established that devotional service is not restricted
to a particular class of men. Besides that, anyone who is engaged in devotional service
is already at the status of being a high-class brāhmaṇa. So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
Ṭhākura's struggle for this movement has come out successful.
It is on the basis of his position that anyone can now become a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, from any
part of the world or any part of the universe. Anyone who is a pure Vaiṣṇava is situated
transcendentally, and therefore the highest qualification in the material world, namely
to be in the mode of goodness, has already been achieved by such a person. Our Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement in the Western world is based on the above-mentioned proposition
of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, our spiritual master. On his authority,
we are claiming members from all sections of the Western countries. The so-called brāhmaṇas
claim that one who is not born into a brāhmaṇa family cannot receive the sacred thread and
cannot become a high-grade Vaiṣṇava. But we do not accept such a theory, because it is
not supported by Rūpa Gosvāmī nor by the strength of the various scriptures.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī specifically mentions herein that every man has the birthright to accept
devotional service and to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. He has given many evidences from many scriptures,
and he has especially quoted one passage from Padma Purāṇa, wherein the sage Vasiṣṭha tells
King Dilīpa, "My dear King, everyone has the right to execute devotional service, just
as he has the right to take early bath in the month of Māgha [December-January]." There
is more evidence in the Skanda Purāṇa, in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa portion, where it is said,
"In the country known as Mayūradhvaja, the lower-caste people who are considered less
than śūdras are also initiated in the Vaiṣṇava cult of devotional service. And when they
are properly dressed, with tilaka on their bodies and beads in their hands and on their
necks, they appear to be coming from Vaikuṇṭha. In fact, they look so very beautiful that
immediately they surpass the ordinary brāhmaṇas." Thus a Vaiṣṇava automatically becomes a brāhmaṇa.
This idea is also supported by Sanātana Gosvāmī in his book Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, which is the
Vaiṣṇava guide. Therein he has clearly stated that any person who is properly initiated
into the Vaiṣṇava cult certainly becomes a brāhmaṇa, as much as the metal known as kaṁsa
(bell metal) is turned into gold by the mixture of mercury. A bona fide spiritual master,
under the guidance of authorities, can turn anyone to the Vaiṣṇava cult so that naturally
he may come to the topmost position of a brāhmaṇa. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī warns, however, that if
a person is properly initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, he should not think that
simply by the acceptance of such initiation his business is then finished. One still has
to follow the rules and regulations very carefully. If after accepting the spiritual master and
being initiated one does not follow the rules and regulations of devotional service, then
he is again fallen. One must be very vigilant to remember that he is the part and parcel
of the transcendental body of Kṛṣṇa, and that it is his duty as part and parcel to give
service to the whole, or Kṛṣṇa. If we do not render service to Kṛṣṇa then again we fall
down. In other words, simply becoming initiated does not elevate one to the position of a
high-class brāhmaṇa. One also has to discharge the duties and follow the regulative principles
very rigidly. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī also says that if one is
regularly discharging devotional service, there will be no question of a falldown. But
even if circumstantially there is some falldown, the Vaiṣṇava need have nothing to do with
the prāyaścitta, the ritualistic ceremony for purification. If someone falls down from
the principles of devotional service, he need not take to the prāyaścitta performances for
reformation. He simply has to execute the rules and regulations for discharging devotional
service, and this is sufficient for his reinstatement. This is the mystery of the Vaiṣṇava (devotional)
cult. Practically there are three processes for
elevating one to the platform of spiritual consciousness. These processes are called
karma, jñāna and bhakti. Ritualistic performances are in the field of karma. Speculative processes
are in the field of jñāna. One who has taken to bhakti, the devotional service of the Lord,
need have nothing to do with karma or jñāna. It has been already explained that pure devotional
service is without any tinge of karma or jñāna. Bhakti should have no tinge of philosophical
speculation or ritualistic performances. In this connection Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī gives
evidence from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto, Twenty-first Chapter, verse 2, in which
Lord Kṛṣṇa says to Uddhava, "The distinction between qualification and disqualification
may be made in this way: persons who are already elevated in discharging devotional service
will never again take shelter of the processes of fruitive activity or philosophical speculation.
If one sticks to devotional service and is conducted by regulative principles given by
the authorities and ācāryas, that is the best qualification."
This statement is supported in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Fifth Chapter, verse 17, wherein
Śrī Nārada Muni advises Vyāsadeva thus: "Even if one does not execute his specific occupational
duty, but immediately takes direct shelter of the lotus feet of Hari [Kṛṣṇa], there will
be no fault on his part, and in all circumstances his position is secure. Even if, by some bad
association, he falls down while executing devotional service, or if he doesn't finish
the complete course of devotional service and dies untimely, still he is not at a loss.
A person who is simply discharging his occupational duty in varṇa and āśrama, however, with no
Kṛṣṇa consciousness, practically does not gain the true benefit of human life." The
purport is that all conditioned souls who are engaged very frantically in activities
for sense gratification, without knowing that this process will never help them get out
of material contamination, are awarded only with repeated births and deaths.
In the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is clearly stated by Ṛṣabhadeva to His sons,
"Persons engaged in fruitive activities are repeatedly accepting birth and death, and
until they develop a loving feeling for Vāsudeva, there will be no question of getting out from
these stringent laws of material nature." As such, any person who is very seriously
engaged in his occupational duties in the varṇas and āśramas, and who does not develop
love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, should be understood to be simply
spoiling his human form of life. This is confirmed also in the Eleventh Canto
of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Chapter, verse 32, in which the Lord says to Uddhava, "My
dear Uddhava, any person who takes shelter of Me in complete surrender and follows My
instructions, giving up all occupational duties, is to be considered the first-class man."
In this statement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is understood that people who
are generally attracted to philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic, political and
social welfare activities may be considered nice men only in the calculation of the material
world. From Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other authentic Vedic scriptures we learn further that if
a person simply acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and discharges devotional service, he is considered
to be far, far better situated than all of those persons engaged in philanthropic, ethical,
moral, altruistic and social welfare activities. The same thing is still more emphatically
confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto, Fifth Chapter, verse 41, in which Karabhājana
Muni addresses Mahārāja Nimi as follows: "My dear King, if someone gives up his occupational
duties as they are prescribed for the different varṇas and āśramas, but takes complete shelter,
surrendering himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, such a person is no more a debtor,
nor has he any obligation to perform the different kinds of activities we render to the great
sages, ancestors, living entities and family and society members. Nor has he any need to
bother executing the five kinds of yajñas [sacrifices] for becoming free from sinful
contamination. Simply by discharging devotional service, he is freed from all kinds of obligations."
The purport is that as soon as a man takes his birth, he is immediately indebted to so
many sources. He is indebted to the great sages because he profits by reading their
authoritative scriptures and books. For example, we take advantage of the books written by
Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva has left for us all the Vedas. Before Vyāsadeva's writing, the Vedic
literature was simply heard, and the disciples would learn the mantras quickly by hearing
and not by reading. Later on, Vyāsadeva thought it wise to write down the Vedas, because in
this age people are short-memoried and unable to remember all the instructions given by
the spiritual master. Therefore, he left all the Vedic knowledge in the form of books,
such as the Purāṇas, Vedānta, Mahābhārata and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
There are many other sages, like Śaṅkarācārya, Gautama Muni and Nārada Muni, to whom we are
indebted because we take advantage of their knowledge. Similarly, we are obliged to our
forefathers, because we take our birth in a particular family, where we take all advantages
and inherit property. Therefore, we are indebted to the forefathers and have to offer them
piṇḍa (prasāda) after they are dead. Similarly, to the people in general we are also indebted,
as well as to our relatives, friends and even animals such as cows and dogs who render us
so much service. In this way, we are indebted to the demigods,
to the forefathers, to the sages, to the animals and to society in general. It is our duty
to repay them all by proper discharge of service. But by the one stroke of devotional service,
if someone gives up all obligations and simply surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, he is no longer a debtor, nor obliged to any other source of benefit.
In Bhagavad-gītā also, the Lord says, "Give up all your occupations and just become surrendered
unto Me. I give you assurance that I shall give you protection from all sinful reactions."
One may think that because he is surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead he
will not be able to perform all of his other obligations. But the Lord says repeatedly,
"Don't hesitate. Don't consider that because you are giving up all other engagements there
will be some flaw in your life. Don't think like that. I will give you all protection."
That is the assurance of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā. There is additional evidence in the Agastya-saṁhitā:
"As the regulative principles of scripture are not required by a liberated person, so
the ritualistic principles indicated in the Vedic supplements are also not required for
a person duly engaged in the service of Lord Rāmacandra." In other words, the devotees
of Lord Rāmacandra, or Kṛṣṇa, are already liberated persons and are not required to
follow all the regulative principles mentioned in the ritualistic portions of the Vedic literature.
Similarly, in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Chapter, verse 42, Karabhājana Muni
addresses King Nimi and says, "My dear King, a person who has given up the worship of the
demigods and has completely concentrated his energy in the devotional service of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead has become very, very dear to the Lord. As such, if by chance or
mistake he does something which is forbidden, there is no need for him to perform any purificatory
ceremonies. Because the Lord is situated within his heart, He takes compassion for the devotee's
accidental mistake and corrects him from within." It is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā in many
places that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, takes a special interest in His devotees
and declares emphatically that nothing can cause His devotees to fall down. He is always
protecting them.