BY: SUN STAFF
Nov 2, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Bhakti-sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
Volume Three
Anuccheda 148
1 Direct devotional service, where one gives gifts to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is better than ordinary work in this world. Devotional service is thus the actual process of religion. The Lord explains this in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.19.21):
"O Uddhava, greatest of saints, in a dangerous situation an ordinary person cries, becomes fearful and laments, although such useless emotions do not change the situation. But activities offered to Me without personal motivation, even if they are externally useless, amount to the actual process of religion."***
2 Simply by hearing about devotional service one can become purified of all past sins. This is explained in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.12):
"Pure devotional service rendered to the Supreme Lord is spiritually so potent that simply by hearing about such transcendental service, by chanting its glories in response, by meditating on it, by respectfully and faithfully accepting it, or by praising the devotional service of others, even person who hate the demigods and all other living beings can be immediately purified."*
3 In the Padma Purana, Magha-mahatmya, the Yamadutas say:
"Then Yamaraja said to us: Be respectful to the devotees of Lord Visnu. Do not approach anyone that worships Lord Visnu.
4 "Do not approach a person in whose home a devotee of Lord Visnu eats. Do not approach a person who associates with devotees of Lord Visnu. Such a person is already free from all sins."
5 In the Brhan-naradiya Purana, at the end of the story of Yajnamali, it is said:
"Even great sinners that associate with the devotees of Lord Hari are automatically freed from all their sins."
6 Yamaraja confirms this in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.29):
"My dear servants, please bring to me only those sinful persons who do not use their tongues to chant the holy name and qualities of Krsna, whose hearts do not remember the lotus feet of Krsna even once, and whose heads do not bow down even once before Lord Krsna. Send me those who do not perform their duties toward Visnu, which are the only duties in human life. Please bring me all such fools and rascals."*
7 In the previous verse Yamaraja said (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.28):
"Paramahamsas are exalted persons who have no taste for material enjoyment and who drink the honey of the Lord's lotus feet. My dear servants, bring to me for punishment only persons who are averse to the taste of that honey, who do not associate with paramahamsas and who are attached to family life and worldly enjoyment, which form the path to hell."*
In this verse Yamaraja says, "Bring to me for punishment only persons who are averse to the taste of the honey of Lord Krsna's lotus feet."
8 In the verse before that (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.27) Yamaraja explains:
"My dear servants, please do not approach such devotees, for they have fully surrendered to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are equal to everyone, and their narrations are sung by the demigods and the inhabitants of Siddhaloka. Please do not even go near them. They are always protected by the club of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore Lord Brahma and I and even the time factor are not competent to chastise them."*
In this verse Yamaraja forbids his messengers to approach the Lord's devotees, who see everyone with equal vision and whose pure glories are sung by the demigods and the inhabitants of Siddhaloka.
9 Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.29 (quoted in text 6), says, "Please bring to me only those persons who do not use their tongues (jihva) to chant the holy name (namadheya) and qualities (guna) of Krsna (bhagavat), whose hearts (cetah) do not remember (smarati) the lotus feet of Krsna (tac-caranaravindam) even once (ekada) and whose heads (sirah) do not bow down (namati) even once before Lord Krsna (krsnaya)."*
10 The Skanda Purana describes the glories of bowing down before the Lord in these words:
"A person who even only pretends to bow down before Lord Krsna is at once freed from the sins accumulated in a hundred births."
Because bowing down before the Lord is so glorious, Yamaraja says (in Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.29 quoted in text 6), "Do not bring to me anyone who bows down before Lord Krsna. Please bring me only fools and rascals (asatah)." The reason they are fools and rascals is given in these words: "They do not perform their duties toward Visnu (akrta-visnu-krtyan).
11 The relationship between religious duties and devotional service to Lord Visnu is explained in the Skanda Purana, Reva-khanda, where Lord Brahma says:
"O Lord Kesava, a person who performs all his religious duties must be Your devotee. O Lord Kesava, a person who performs only sins cannot be Your devotee.
12 O Lord Hari, when someone who is not Your devotee performs pious deeds, all his pious deeds become sins. O Lord Hari, even if he has performed all pious deeds, a person who is not Your devotee stays always in hell. On the other hand, if Your devotee commits sins, even up to killing a brahmana, he is at once freed from the offense."
13 In the Padma Purana the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:
"If someone commits a sin for My sake, his sin counts as a pious deed. If someone performs pious deeds without worshipping Me, then by My power, his pious deeds count as sins."
14 Srimad Bhagavatam (7.11.11) lists some of the activities of devotional service in these word:
"These are the general instructions to be followed by all human beings: hearing about the activities and instructions given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead (who is the shelter of the saintly persons), chanting about those activities and instructions, always remembering these activities and instructions, trying to render service, performing worship, offering obeisances, becoming a servant, becoming a friend, and surrendering one's whole self."*
15 They who do not worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead will fall down from their puffed up positions. This is explained in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.2-3):
"From the mouth of Brahma the brahmanical order has come into existence. Similarly, from his arms the ksatriyas have come, from his waist the vaisyas have come, and from his legs the sudras have come. These four orders and their spiritual counterparts (brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa) combine to make human society complete.*
"If one simply maintains an official position in the four varnas and asramas but does not worship the Supreme Lord Visnu, he falls down from his puffed up position into a hellish condition."*
16 That everyone should engage in devotional service is confirmed by the Lord Himself in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.43):
"Everyone should engage in devotional service to Me."
17 That one should always engage in devotional service is explained in the following words of the Padma Purana:
"Krsna is the origin of Lord Visnu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the sastras should be the servants of these two principles."*
18 In Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.29, quoted in text 6, the word "akrta-visnu-krtyan means "they who do not glorify, remember, or bow down before the Lord, or serve Him in other ways." Although these persons have tongues with which to glorify the Lord and other senses with which they may serve Him in many ways, they do not wish to glorify or serve Him.
19 Here Yamaraja, the teacher of the science of devotional service, mentions "remembering the lotus feet of the Lord". The remembrance here, is not limited to the Lord's lotus feet, however, but includes all the features of the Lord. Here Yamaraja says, "Bring to me only the non devotees. Do not bring the devotees." The Sruti-sastra explains: "Yamaraja punishes the conditioned souls."
20 That Yamaraja does not punish the devotees is also described in these words (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.190:)
"Although not having fully realise Krsna, persons who have even once surrendered completely unto His lotus feet and who have become attracted to His name, form, qualities and pastimes are completely freed of all sinful reactions, for they have thus accepted the true method of atonement. Even in dreams, such surrendered souls do not see Yamaraja or his order carriers, who are equipped with ropes to bind the sinful."*
21 This verse explains that they who remember Lord Krsna's lotus feet do not even see Yamaraja's carriers, who are equipped with topes to bind the sinful.
22 This is also explained in the Nrsimha Purana where Yamaraja says:
"I am Yamaraja. The creator Brahma has deputed me to punish and reward the conditioned souls. I punish they who turn from their spiritual master and from Lord Hari. I bow down to offer my respects to they who bow down before Lord Hari's feet.
23 In the Amrta-saroddhara portion of the Skanda Purana, Yamaraja says:
"Neither Brahma, Siva, Agni, Indra, nor the other demigods, nor I myself have the power to punish the great souls that have become servants of Lord Visnu."
24 The verse quoted in the beginning of this anuccheda was spoken by Sri Yamaraja to his messengers.
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