BY: SUN STAFF
Dec 13, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Bhakti-sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
Volume Six
Anuccheda 234
1 In order to understand the best kind of devotional service, these different varieties of devotional service have been described. That best kind is svarupa-siddha devotional service. Because in it one desires only to engage in devotional service, svarupa-siddha devotional service is transcendental and free of both material desires and the influence of the modes of nature.
Because it is free of all sense of material possessiveness, it is better than the previously described varieties of devotional service. Svarupa-siddha devotional service is described in the following words of Srimad Bhagavatam (3.29.11-14):
2-3 "The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when one's mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone's heart. Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord.*
4 "A pure devotee does not accept any kind of liberation: salokya, sarsti, samipya, sarupya or ekatva, even though they are offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead."*
5 "By attaining the highest platform of devotional service, as I have explained, one can overcome the influence of the three modes of material nature and be situated in the transcendental stage, as is the Lord."*
6 The word "mad-guna-sruti-matrena" does not describe the attainment of any goal other than devotional service. The word "sarva-guhasayah" means "invisible to the material senses, He manifests His eternal form in the hearts of the conditioned souls". "Mayi avicchinna mano-gatih" means "the activities of the mind go to Me without being interrupted or diverted to anything else." This uninterrupted activity of the mind is explained with an example in the phrase beginning with "yatha". In this example the word "gatih" is understood in the second part. That is because this passage is written in the Vedic style. The word "laksanam" means "nature".
7 Here someone may object: How is it possible to hear the glories of the Lord? The Lord is completely different from the world of matter, and the material mind has no power to understand Him. For these two reasons it is not possible for anyone to describe His glories.
To this objection the following reply is given: In this verse the word "ahaituki" means "without seeking any other result", "avyavahita" means "pure devotional service (svarupa-siddha bhakti) not aropa bhakti or any other kind of imperfect devotional service, which is naturally filled with obstacles and defects. The words "ya bhaktih" refer to devotional service like this, pure devotional service (svarupa-siddha). In this kind of devotional service one is able to serve the Lord with one's ears and other senses. The words "matra", "avicchinna", "ahaituki" and other words here show that in this condition the mind is perfectly able to worship the Lord in this way.
8 Pure devotional service is described by the Lord Himself in these words of Srimad Bhagavatam (11.25.26):
"A worker free of attachment is in the mode of goodness, a worker blinded by personal desire is in the mode of passion, and a worker who has completely forgotten how to tell right from wrong is in the mode of ignorance. But a worker who has taken shelter of Me is understood to be transcendental to the modes of nature."***
By thus taking shelter of the Lord and performing other devotional activities one becomes free from the grip of the material modes. In this way one becomes able to hear and understand the Lord's glories.
9 The Lord describes His glories in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.13.40):
"All superior transcendental qualities, such as being beyond the modes of nature, detached, the well-wisher, the most dear, the Supersoul, equally situated everywhere, and free from material entanglement - all such qualities, free from the transformations of material qualities, find their shelter and worshipable object in Me."***
10 In this way it is said that the Lord's qualities are spiritual, not material. In Srimad Bhagavatam 3.29.13 (quoted in text 4) the word "ahaituki" (without material motive) is explained. In this verse the Lord declares, "A pure devotee (janah) does not accept (na grhnanti) salokya or any other kind of liberation, even though they are offered (diyamanam) by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, if by accepting that liberation the devotee is not able to serve the Lord (mat-sevanam vina)." For the sake of serving the Lord the devotee will accept liberation, but for his own sake the devotee will not accept liberation. That is the meaning here.
Here the word "sarsti" means "possessing opulences like the Lord's opulences". "Ekatva" means either merging into Bhagavan or merging into Brahman. In either situation because one has merged into the Lord one has no opportunity to serve Him, and for this reason the devotees never accept these impersonal liberations. That is the meaning. In the next verse it is said that pure devotional service (bhakti-yogakhyah) is beyond the touch of the modes of material nature. It is the highest platform of spiritual attainment (atyantikah).
11 In Srimad Bhagavatam (3.15.48) it is said:
"Persons who are very expert and most intelligent in understanding things as they are engage in hearing narrations of the auspicious activities and pastimes of the Lord, which are worth chanting and worth hearing. Such persons do not care even for the highest material benediction, namely liberation, to say nothing of other less important benedictions like the material happiness of the heavenly kingdom."*
The liberation described here is impersonal liberation, where one merges into the existence of the Lord.
12 Here someone may object: If it is so that one must become free from the three modes of material nature before the Lord will appear before him and grant him liberation, then how is it possible that devotional service has the qualities you have described? How can it be self-perfect?
This objection is answered by the passage beginning with the word "yena". Here the Lord says, "One should not become discouraged and abandon his activities of devotional service, for by engaging in devotional service one will eventually attain a spiritual nature like Mine (mad-bhavaya). Then I will directly appear before you. In this way one becomes qualified (upapadyate) for spiritual life."
13 In Srimad Bhagavatam (5.19.19-20) it is said:
"If one's position is ascertained by a bona fide spiritual master and one is properly trained to engage in the service of Lord Visnu according to the four social divisions (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra) and the four spiritual divisions (brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa), one's life becomes perfect.*
"After many, many births, when the results of one's pious activities mature, one gets an opportunity to associate with pure devotees. Then one is able to cut the knot of bondage to ignorance, which bound him because of the varied fruitive activities. As a result of associating with devotees, one gradually renders service to Lord Vasudeva, who is transcendental, free from attachment and to the material world, beyond the mind and words, and independent of everything else. That bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Vasudeva, is the real path of liberation."*
14 There are many different paths of devotional service, which is free from the touch of the modes of material nature. This is explained in the beginning of the passage under discussion here (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.29,7):
15 "O noble lade, there are multifarious paths of devotional service in terms of the different qualities of the executor."*
16 Here the word "margaih" means "with different kinds", "margena" means "with different kinds of activities, such as hearing, with different kinds of consciousness, with different rasas, which begin with servitorship, with different modes of nature, which begin with the mode of ignorance, and with different activities of the modes of nature, which begin with ignorant violence." In this way the people have different kinds of consciousness (pumsam bhavo vibhidyate).
17 In the Mukta-phala-tika, Srila Bopadeva comments on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.29.14 (which was quoted in text 5):
"Here the word 'atyantikah' means 'nothing is greater than it'. The 'it' referred to here is 'bhakti-yoga', which is mentioned in the word 'bhakti-yogakhyah'. This is so because that is the primary meaning. Other paths make one attracted to things other than Lord Visnu. They do not bring the same result as bhakti-yoga."
18 Devotional service is defined in the following words of Sri Gopala-tapani Upanisad (1.14):
"Devotional service to Lord Krsna is performed when the heart no longer desires any material benefit to be obtained in this life or the next. This is freedom from the bonds of karma."
19 In the Satapatha-brahmana it is said:
"Yajnavalkya said: Wishing to please Him, one should lovingly worship Lord Hari."
20 Here the word "premna" means "with pleasing Him as one's only desire", and "atma-hitaya" means "for His benefit".
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