A Conversation Between Two Friends – 4
Narendra: Brother Devendra! The scriptural statements and reasoning you are presenting seem to be true, yet my mind hesitates to abandon my previously held belief. I have heard that some great personalities have shown that by worshipping Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Kālī, Durgā, Śiva, Gaṇeśa, Allah, Christ, a grinding stone, etc., one can attain the same Supreme God. Is this not true?
Devendra: Brother! Once the mind accepts something, it is not easy to disengage it from that conviction. Especially, the bound soul has a greater inclination towards preyaḥ (immediate pleasure) rather than śreyaḥ (ultimate good). Even though the path of ultimate good is the real truth, not everyone can tread it. Without great sukṛti, the supreme truth and the highest reasoning do not find a place in the heart. Hence, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states:
“muktānām api siddhānāṁ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ
sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣv api mahā-mune”
Brother Naren, only by the results of great fortune can a soul take refuge in pure devotion. The fact that there are more practitioners of karma, jñāna, and yoga proves that those paths are far inferior to śuddha-bhakti (pure devotion). It is easy to find millions of self-proclaimed liberated jñānīs and accomplished yogīs, but it is extremely rare to find even one devotee fully dedicated to Nārāyaṇa. Therefore, being established in pure devotion requires immense accumulated sukṛti.
In this pure devotion, the object of worship is not imaginary. There, the ‘worshipable’ (sevya), the worshipper (sevaka), and the service (sevā) are all eternal. The relationship between the worshipper and the ‘worshipable’ is inseparable. The object of a pure devotee’s worship is Śrī Bhagavān alone; hence, He alone is eternally established in the position of being worshiped. A pure devotee never considers subordinate deities, living entities, or material energy to be the object of worship. Once a pure devotee accepts someone as the worshipful Lord, he can never replace Him with another. Just as a chaste wife does not give place in her heart to anyone other than her husband, similarly, a pure devotee does not display the “generosity” of a prostitute by worshipping anyone other than his bhajanīya-tattva (‘worshipable’ truth). This principle is vividly seen in the character of Śrī Hanumān, a devotee in the mellow of servitude (dāsya-rasa) to Śrī Rāmacandra. He is quoted as saying:
“śrī nāthe jānaki-nāthe cābhede paramātmani
tathāpi mama sarvasvaḥ rāmaḥ kamala-locanaḥ”
From this statement, one can understand the steadfast devotion of a pure devotee towards his worshipful Lord. When Kṛṣṇa, during His pastimes in Śrī Vṛndāvana, hid Himself and appeared in the form of Nārāyaṇa, the gopīs could not offer their worship to Him. Similarly, in the pastimes of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the dedication of Anupama Prabhu and Murāri Gupta to their chosen object of worship testifies to this. I will now narrate something of the account of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta regarding Murāri Gupta’s steadfast devotion; please listen:
“murāri-guptere prabhu kari’ āliṅgana,
tāṅra bhakti-niṣṭhā kahena, śuna bhakta-gaṇa
The Lord embraced Murāri Gupta and spoke of his steadfast devotion, saying, “Listen, O devotees!
pūrve āmi iñhāre lobhāila bāra bāra,
parama madhura, gupta vrajendra-kumāra
“Previously, I tempted him repeatedly, telling him, ‘O Gupta, how supremely sweet is the prince of Vraja.’
svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa—sarvāṁśī, sarvāśraya,
viśuddha-nirmala prema, sarva-rasa-maya
“‘Kṛṣṇa Himself is Bhagavān, the source of all, the shelter of all; prema for Him is pure, immaculate and filled with all rasa.
sakala-sad-guṇa-vṛnda-ratna ratnākara,
vidagdha, catura, dhīra, rasika-śekhara
“‘He is an ocean containing all the jewels of all virtuous qualities; He is the crest jewel of those who are artistically expert in the affairs of love, who are clever, patient, and who are connoisseurs of rasa.
madhura-caritra kṛṣṇera madhura-vilāsa,
cāturya, vaidagdhya kare yā̃ra līlā-rasa
“‘Kṛṣṇa’s sweet character and delightful pastimes are filled with cleverness and loving artistic excellence.
sei kṛṣṇa bhaja tumi, hao kṛṣṇāśraya,
kṛṣṇa binā anya upāsanā mane nāhi laya
“‘Worship that Kṛṣṇa and take shelter of Him; do not entertain any other form of worship in your mind.’
ei mata bāra bāra śuni’ vacana,
āmāra gaurave kichu phiri’ gela mana
“Hearing such words repeatedly, his mind got turned around a little, due to his reverence for Me.
āmāre kahena,—‘āmi tomāra kiṅkara,
tomāra ājñākārī āmi nahi svatantara
“He said to me, ‘I am your servant; I am not independent; I am your obedient follower.’
eta bali’ ghare gela, cinti’ rātri-kāle,
raghunātha-tyāga-cintāya ha-ila vīkale
“Saying this, he returned home and spent the night distressed, thinking about giving up Raghunātha:
kemane chāḍiba raghunāthera caraṇa!
āji rātrye prabhu mora karāha maraṇa!
“‘How can I give up Raghunātha’s feet? O Lord, let me die tonight!’
ei mata sarva-rātri karena krandana,
sūryāsti nāhi, rātri karena jāgaraṇa
“In this way, he wept all night; there was no sunset for him; he remained awake the entire night.
prātaḥkāle āsi’ mora dharila caraṇa,
kāṅdite kāṅdite kichu kare nivedana
“In the morning, he came and grasped My feet, weeping and weeping, trying to offer some humble plea.
raghunāthera pāya muñi beciyāchi māthā,
kāḍhite nā pāri māthā, mane pāi vyathā
“‘I have sold my head at Raghunātha’s feet; I cannot take it back, and for this, my mind is pained.’
śrī-raghunātha-caraṇa chāḍāna nā yāya,
tava ājñā bhaṅga haya, ki kari upāya!
“‘The feet of Śrī Raghunātha simply cannot be abandoned, but failing to do so, I am disobeying Your order. What solution can I find [in this predicament]?’
tāte more ei kṛpā kara dayāmaya,
tomāra āge mṛtyu hauka, yāuka saṁśaya!
“‘O merciful one, [the only solution I can come up with is to ask You] please grant me this one favor—let me die right now, right in front of You, so that all doubts [regarding how impossible it is for me to give up Śrī Raghunātha] are banished!’
eta śuni’ āmi baḍa mane sukha pāilu,
iñhāre uṭhāñā tabe āliṅgana kailu
“Hearing this, I felt great joy in My heart, and lifting him up, I embraced him.
sādhu sādhu, gupta, tomāra sudṛḍha bhajana,
āmāra vacaneha tomāra nā ṭalila mana!
“‘Bravo, bravo, Gupta! Your devotion is extremely steadfast; even by My words, your mind did not shift!’
ei mata sevakera prīti cāhi prabhu-pāya,
prabhu chāḍāileha, pada chāḍāna nā yāya!
“I want that a servant should have such love for his lord’s feet; even if the lord tries to shake him off, the servant cannot let go of His feet.
ei mata tomāra niṣṭhā jānibāra tare,
tomāre āgraha āmi kainu bāre bāre
“I tested your steadfastness repeatedly, just to understand this conviction of yours.
sākṣāt hanumān tumi śrī rāma-kiṅkara,
tumi kene chāḍibe tāṅra caraṇa-kamala!
“You are Hanumān himself, the servant of Śrī Rāma; how could you ever abandon His lotus feet?”
One who lacks such steadfastness in their worshipful object can never be called a great devotee (bhakta-mahājana). Therefore, if someone worships Kṛṣṇa at one time, Kālī at another, Gaṇeśa at yet another, along with various other deities, it is proven that they have never received the grace of Bhakti-devī (the goddess of devotion). Such practitioners adopt the philosophical stance of “sādhakānāṁ hitārthāya brahmaṇaḥ rūpa-kalpanā – the ability to imagine forms exists simply to help practitioners,” considering the nirviśeṣa brahma (the attribute-less divinity) to be the ultimate reality and, during their practice, assign an imaginary “form” to it—whether it be Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Kālī, or even a mortar and pestle. However, they believe that this “form” of their object of worship is not eternal, that their object of worship is actually formless. In the perfected state, they believe that this form will no longer be perceived and that their own existence will also dissolve. They believe that in the state of perfection, there will be no distinction between themselves and their worshipful object, that the undifferentiated, formless brahma is the only ultimate reality. Because the tripartite relationship between sevyā, sevaka, and sevā—the object of worship, worshipper, and worship—dissolves for them, they are deprived of prema (divine love), which is attainable only through pure devotion. O brother Naren! There is nothing more supreme than bhagavat-prema (divine love of God). The scriptures describe it as the pañcama-puruṣārtha (fifth goal of human life). The scriptures declare that the bliss of brahma (brahmānanda) is a mere puddle in the face of the vast ocean of this divine love.
Although the external appearances of the worship of an impersonalist (nirviśeṣa-vādī) and a devotee (bhakta) may seem similar to an ignorant observer, there exists a fundamental opposition in their underlying sentiments. The impersonalists consider the form, qualities, pastimes, and associates of Śrī Bhagavān to be illusory. They believe that when any very large portion of brahma becomes affected by māyā, it is referred to as ‘Bhagavān,’ and that in a liberated state, there is no existence of a form that is Bhagavān. The nirviśeṣa-vādīs do not have the fortune to perceive anything other than the attribute-less, formless brahma.
In contrast, the pure devotee knows that Śrī Bhagavān is the master of māyā; He can never be influenced by māyā. He is immersed in playful pastimes with His infinite energies for all eternity in infinite forms. His śrī-vigraha (transcendental form) is not material. It is composed of sac-cid-ānanda (eternity, consciousness, and bliss). That form eternally resides in the spiritual realms of Goloka and Vaikuṇṭha. By the influence of His inconceivable potency, He manifests this form even in the material world. From His three principal potencies, the spiritual world (vaikuṇṭha-jagat), the material world (māyika-jagat), and the soul world (jaiva-jagat) are manifested. The spiritual world and the soul world are eternal. The material world is manifested from His jaḍā-śakti (material energy). Its present manifestation dissolves during the mahā-pralaya (great annihilation) and lays dormant in a subtle form within the jaḍā-śakti, only to be re-manifested by His will.
The impersonalists consider this material world to be false, believing it to have no absolute existence. They consider any distinction apart from the formless brahma to be an illusion created by māyā, akin to mistaking a rope for a snake. They believe that the temporary existence of the material world is merely an illusory perception, and they consider even the existence of the individual soul to be illusory. They believe that in the state of liberation nothing called a ‘jīva’ remains. For devotees, the infinite pastimes and attributes of brahma remain manifest, while for the impersonalists, they are unmanifest. The impersonalists view reality to be an undifferentiated singularity (nirviśeṣa eka), whereas the devotees perceive it as a differentiated unity (saviśeṣa eka).
The vastu (Absolute Reality) contains viśeṣa-dharma (the existence of unique features), which is why specialities and variegation are perceived in the material world. That is something the impersonalists would rather toss to the wind. However, they have never managed to establish their doctrine with the corroboration of scripture and logic. That is why this doctrine has been thoroughly refuted by the four great Vaiṣṇava ācāryas belonging to the Śrī, Brahmā, Rudra, and Sanakādi traditions. Furthermore, Śrīman Mahāprabhu, by converting prominent Advaita philosophers like Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, the scholars of South India, and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī of Kāśī to the path of devotion, demonstrated the fallacies of Advaita philosophy to the world.
Brother! Any philosophy opposed to viṣṇu-bhakti is demonic. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states:
dvau bhūta-sargau loke ’smin daiva āsura eva ca |
viṣṇu-bhaktaḥ bhaved daiva āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ ||
[In this world, there are two types of created beings—divine and demonic. The devotees of Viṣṇu are divine, while those opposed to Viṣṇu are demonic.]
The demons always view Viṣṇu as a rival and attempt to usurp Viṣṇu’s position. They are never prepared to consider themselves inferior to Him and to serve Him. Similarly, the followers of Kevalādvaita philosophy (absolute monism) do not want to accept the eternal nature of devotion and service. Their mūla-mantra (fundamental tenet), “so ’ham”, means “I am that tattva.” They think, “There is no difference between That (the Absolute Truth) and myself.”
Thus, their worship is nothing but a deception, similar to the worship rendered by Vṛkāsura, who, disguised as a devotee, sought a boon from Śiva so that he could touch Śiva on the head and destroy him. Likewise, the impersonalists seek to occupy the position of the worshipful object by means of worship. This mentality is not at all different from the demonic one. Devotees consider such an attitude highly offensive. They never aspire to assume the position of the object of service. Instead, their sole ambition is the service of their eternal worshipful Lord in all conditions, whether bound or liberated.
Even though Vṛkāsura received Śiva’s boon, he ultimately failed and was destroyed. Similarly, the impersonalists, through their pursuit of “so ’ham” philosophy, attempt to annihilate consciousness itself. Once they are in the state of liberation, how will they have the opportunity to understand whether they have become ānanda-maya brahma (blissful divinity) or nirānanda-maya brahma (divinity devoid of bliss)? They have no capacity to experience anything in that state. So then, who will reap that bliss?
Brother, devotees are not so foolish. They always remain connected with the blissful Supreme, eternally experiencing the bliss of service and attaining ultimate fulfillment—this is the proof of their superior cleverness. (To be continued…)