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Vaiava-siddhnta-mala -
A Garland of Vaiava
Truths
1. Nava-prameya-siddhnta (Nine Truths of Evidence)
2. Bhagavan Alone is the Supreme Truth
3. He is Knowable by All the Vedas
4. The Universe is Real
5. Difference (Bheda) is Real
6. The Spirit Souls are the Servants of Sri Krsna
7. Different Levels of Jivas
8. Liberation is the Attainment of Krsna's Lotus Feet
9. Pure Worship if Krsna is the Cause of Liberation
10. Three Evidences-Spiritual Sound, Direct Perception and Logic
In 1892, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura published the book
Vaiava-siddhnta-mala from his headquarters in Bengal. Later he printed
individual chapters of Vaiava-siddhnta-mala as separate booklets for
public distribution.
Vaiava-siddhnta-mala (A Garland of Vaiava Truths) by Srila
Thakura Bhaktivinoda printed in 1892 and distributed as a preaching
pamphlet for spreading the Nama Hatta Program (the Marketplace of the
Holy Name)
First Chapter
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Nava-prameya-siddhnta (Nine Truths of Evidence)
QUESTION: What command has the supremely worshipable Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu given to us?
ANSWER: His order is thisthat we very carefully observe the nine
essential instructions of truth that have been handed down through the
guru-parampara (disciplic succession) from Sri Madhvacarya.
QUESTION: Who are the spiritual masters in the guru-parampara?
ANSWER: The adi-guru (original guru) of all the spiritual masters in
the disciplic succession is Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Showing His great mercy, He instructed Brahma, the adi-kavi (original poet
from whom the Vedic scriptures emanate). These truths were in turn taught
by Brahma to Sri Narada, by Narada to Sri Vyasa, and by Vyasa to Sri
Madhvacarya. Such instructions as received through this disciplic
succession are called guru-parampara-upadesa.
QUESTION: What are these nine essential instructions given to us by
Sri Madhavacarya?
ANSWER: They are thus: 1) Bhagavan (God) alone is the supreme
truth, one without a second. 2) He is the object of knowledge in all the
Vedas. 3) The universe is real (satya). 4) Differences (between God, souls
and matter) are real. 5) The spirit souls are the servants of Sri Krsna. 6) All
souls are different according to their different situations. 7) Liberation
(moksa) is the name of attainment of Bhagavan's lotus feet. 8) Bhagavan's
pure worship (amala bhajan) is the only way to attain liberation. 9)
Pratyaksa (direct perception), anumana (logic) and sabda (spiritual sound)
are the three types of evidence.
Second Chapter
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Bhagavan Alone is the Supreme Truth
QUESTION: Who is Bhagavan, the Supreme Perrsonality of Godhead?
ANSWER: Bhagavan is the one supreme being Who expands all souls
and all matter by His inconceivable energy (acintya-akti), and then enters
into these emanations as the Supreme Lord (vara-svarpa). He also
transcends all souls and matter as the impersonal brahman effulgence
(brahma-svarpa), which is far beyond all imagination. He manifests His
divine potency (para-sakti) to reveal His form of eternity, knowledge and
bliss (sac-cid-ananda-svarpa), thereby becoming the object of devotion for
all souls.
QUESTION: What are the various types of saktis (potencies) of the
Lord?
ANSWER: We are unable to fully describe the Lord's potencies. The
reason for this is that while His sakti has no boundaries, we have
boundaries. Therefore His energies are called para (above), because His
sakti is completely imperceptible to us. Above the veil of matter, in the
divine realm of His para-sakti, all things are accomplished effortlessly. The
opposing affairs of spirit and matter are conducted by the para-sakti
automatically.
QUESTION: Then is Bhagavan subordinate to the sakti?
ANSWER: It's not that Bhagavan is one thing and the sakti is another
thing; just as the burning power of fire is inseparable from the fire, so
Bhagavan's sakti is similarly inseparable from Bhagavan.
QUESTION: If Bhagavan, God, is the one and only Supreme Truth,
then why did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instruct His followers about
devotional service to Sri Krsna (krsna-bhakti)? Isn't Krsna just one aspect of
Bhagavan?
ANSWER: Bhagavan has six eternal qualities that make Him
all-attractive. He possesses unlimited and ever-expanding wealth, strength,
fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Different forms of the Lord
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(bhagavat-svarpa) manifest according to whether these qualities are
expressed to greater or lesser degrees. For example, when His wealth feature
is foremost, the He manifests as Narayana, the Lord of Vaikuntha. When
His beauty or sweetness predominates, then Bhagavan manifests as Sri
Krsna. The name Krsna means "all-attractive"; therefore Krsna is the
topmost supreme manifestation of Bhagavan.
QUESTION: How many types of forms does the Lord have?
ANSWER: All of His forms are fully conscious, supremely beautiful,
overflowing with divine bliss, all-attractive, vibrantly active, and
perceivable by pure love. According to the different natures of different
souls, the Lord's eternal form manifests in an infinite number of ways. Thus,
according to these differences in the Lord's manifestation,
different-natured souls are eternally attached to Him in their own original
forms. The form of Sri Krsna is the original form of Bhagavan that includes
all other forms of God.
QUESTION: What is Sri Krsna's lila?
ANSWER: Lila means "pastime" or "play". God is the origin of
everything, including the playful spirit. In the limitless realm of the
spiritual world, the most supremely charming portion is called Sri
Vrndavana. There, Sri Krsna displays His conjugal lila with His divine
feminine counterpart Sri Radha. When souls attain their own forms of
divine bliss, they become qualified to participate in Radha and Krsna's
eternal loving pastimes.
QUESTION: What are the obstacles to the attainment of Sri Krsna lila?
ANSWER: There are two types of obstacles: 1) material consciousness
(jada-buddhi) and 2) impersonal consciousness (nivisesa buddhi), which is
beyond the conception of material consciousness.
QUESTION: What is material consciousness?
ANSWER: Material consciousness is an awareness that is confined to
material place, time, objects, aspirations, thoughts and activities. According
to material consciousness, one thinks of Vrndavana as a material place.
Material consciousness divides eternal time into three parts: past, present
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and future. The objects of material consciousness are the perishable forms
of matter. Material aspiration refers to the hopes for impermanent
happiness, such as attaining higher and higher material pleasures. In this
condition, the soul can think only material thoughts. Such a soul imagines
the following temporary activities to be worthwhile: the culture of
civilization, moral ethics, scientific learning, industrial development, and
the increase of domestic prosperity.
QUESTION: What is impersonal consciousness?
ANSWER: The principle that separates one material object from
another is called visesa (distinction based upon material quality). When one
renounces material objects, one only gives up the conception of visesa or
material distinction. Consciousness then enters into nirvisesa
(nondistinction). In this condition, one is not able to perceive the
differences between material objects, since the self is situated in nirvana,
the impersonal state of negation. This state is not a happy one at all. Bereft
of the natural bliss of fully awakened consciousness, the soul's prema or
ecstatic love for Krsna remains concealed. The eternal pastimes of Sri Krsna
are beyond matter. They are endowed with cin-maya-visesa, or divine
distinction which is transcendental to distinction based upon material
quality.
QUESTION: If Sri Krsna's pastimes are beyond matter, then exactly
how does He enact His lila in the material world as He did 5000 years ago?
ANSWER: Sri Krsna-lila is certainly transcendental to matter, but by
the power of His inconceivable potency (acintya-akti) He manifests His
pastimes within the material sphere. Even so, Sri Krsna's pastimes never
blend with matter or become subject to the laws of matter. The pastimes of
Sri Krsna have two phases: 1) prakat (visible in the material world) and 2)
aprakat (visible only in the spiritual world beyond matter)and both are
visuddha-cinmaya or pervaded with the purest divine consciousness. His
pastimes are performed only in the most purely sacred realm of the splendid
spiritual forest of Sri Vrndavana. Their manifestation in the material world
and in the hearts of purified souls is only due to Krsna's causeless mercy.
Even when Krsna's lila is performed in the world of matter, the conditioned
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souls who are absorbed in material consciousness (jada-buddhi) are
unfortunately cheated; their contact with matter makes them see the lila
with faulty vision. Only souls free from jada-buddhi are able to understand
the truth. When one becomes relieved of faulty material vision, he is then
attracted to the Lord's pastimes. As long as the souls cannot understand Sri
Krsnatattva (the truth about the Lord), they cannot taste rasa or the pure
sweetness of loving exchanges with God.
QUESTION: The teachings of Sri Krsna-tattva are the religious
principles of the Vaiava-dharma. What about people who follow other
types of religion?
ANSWER: Different religions have different instructions for the
worship of either vara (the personal God), paramatma (the localized
Supersoul in the heart) or brahma (His all-pervading impersonal feature)
-but all three of these types of religions are ultimately pointing in the
direction of Krsna-tattva (the truth of Krsna). After the souls evolve
upward through their various paths of development, they eventually will
attain Krsna-bhakti (devotion to Krsna) in the end. Even though they
aspire for the incomplete goals of various religious paths, Krsna-bhakti is
always available to them, because the perception of Sri Krsna-tattva is the
ultimate knowledge inherent within each and every living entity.
Third Chapter
He is Knowable by All the Vedas
QUESTION: How can one know the truth of the Lord (Krsna-tattva)?
ANSWER: This can be known by the soul's own inner awareness of the
self-evident truth (svatah-siddha-jnana).
QUESTION: What is self-evident truth?
ANSWER: There are two kinds of jnana, or knowledge. One is
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selfevident (svatah-siddha), and the other is that which depends on the
senses (indriya-paratantra). Self-evident knowledge is the spiritual truth
that is inherently a feature of the pure soul's original form. It is eternal, just
as the totality of the divine realm of pure consciousness is also eternal. This
self-evident knowledge is called Veda or Amnaya. This Veda of the form of
pure knowledge (siddha-jnana-rupa) has incarnated within the material
world in the shape of the Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva texts. By studying
the Vedic texts the materially conditioned souls can acquaint themselves
with self-evident knowledge (svatah-siddha-jnana). Otherwise, whatever
knowledge they gather through the use of their physical senses is only the
inferior type of knowledge, indriya-paratantra (dependent upon the senses).
QUESTION: Can anyone know Krsna-tattva (the truth of the Krsna) by
indriya-paratantra-jnana (sensual knowledge)?
ANSWER: No. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is beyond
the scope of all the material senses. For this reason He is known as
Adhoksaja (adho=He who defeats, aksa=material perception, ja=knowledge
born of). The senses, and all mental conceptions gathered from
sense-perception, are ever-distant from Krsnatattva.
QUESTION: If Krsna is attainable only through self-evident knowledge
(svatah-siddha-jnana), then why can't we perceive Him through whatever
innate awareness we now have? Why must we study the Vedic scriptures?
ANSWER: The Veda is present in every pure spirit soul's existence in
the form of svatah-siddha-jnana. According to the different levels of
different souls in the materially conditioned state, this Veda will
spontaneously manifest itself to someone or remain veiled to someone else.
Therefore to help re-awaken the forgetful conditioned souls to the eternal
self-evident truths, the Veda incarnates in the form of written books that
are to be heard, recited and remembered.
QUESTION: But the scriptures say that Krsna is perceivable only
through bhakti (pure devotion). If this is true, how can it also be said that he
is to be perceived through jnana (knowledge), even the self-evident jnana?
ANSWER: Bhakti and svatah-siddha-jnana are just different terms for
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the same pure awareness of God.
QUESTION: Then why is jnana sometimes condemned in the bhakti
scriptures?
ANSWER: The bhakti scriptures glorify svatah-siddha-jnana as the only
auspicious knowledge. Condemned are indriya-paratantra-jnana (knowledge
based on sense perception) and nirvisesa-jnana (impersonal knowledge).
Nirvisesa-jnana and indriya-paratantrajnana are actually the same.
Nirvisesa-jnana is simply the negation of indriya-paratantra-jnana. It does
not bring one beyond sensual knowledge.
QUESTION: In the Vedic scriptures are found recommendations for
karma (fruitive work), jnana (speculative knowledge) and bhakti
(devotional service). Which of these three can reveal Krsnatattva?
ANSWER: There is no contradiction between the Vedic statements.
The karma recommended in the Vedas leads ultimately to Krsna. The
directions for cultivating jnana given in the Vedas ultimately bring one
beyond both indriya-paratantra-jnana and nirvisesajnana to the realm of
pure knowledge. The bhakti path naturally leads to a direct relationship
with Krsna. Therefore the Lord is to be known by all the Vedic scriptures.
Fourth Chapter
The Universe is Real
QUESTION: Some people say that the universe is false, being just a
fantastic display of maya (illusion). Is this correct?
ANSWER: The universe is real, but it is temporary and perishable. The
two categories "real" and "eternal" have separate applications. The material
universe is not eternal because eventually it will be destroyed according to
the Lord's desire. But it is a factual reality. Whenever the scriptures say that
the universe is false, it is to be understood that this statement merely refers
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to its temporary, perishable nature.
QUESTION: What is maya?
ANSWER: Bhagavan's divine potency (para-sakti) is composed of an
infinite variety of energies. Among all of these, three in particular are
known to us. These are 1) cit (consciousness), 2) jiva (the spirit souls), and
3) maya (illusion). From His cit potency, the Lord manifests His own forms
and pastimes (bhagavata-tattva-prakasa); from His jiva potency, the Lord
manifests a limitless number of infinitesimally small particles of
consciousness; from His maya potency, He manifests the material existence.
Whatever is produced from the maya potency is perishable, but for the
duration of its manifestation it is real.
Fifth Chapter
Difference (Bheda) is Real
QUESTION: In the Vedas, both Bhagavan and the jivas (souls) are
spoken of as being conscious (caitanya). Does that mean that there is no
real difference between the two?
ANSWER: No. Bhagavan's consciousness is all-pervading
(vibhu-caitanya). The jiva's consciousness is infinitesimal (anu-caitanya).
The difference between the two is not imaginary. Bhagavan is the Lord of
the maya-sakti. He is never in illusion. The jivas are subordinate to the
maya-sakti. They may fall into illusion when they leave the shelter of Krsna.
QUESTION: How many types of bheda (difference) are there?
ANSWER: There are two types of bheda: vyavaharika (conventional
difference) and tattvika (essential difference).
QUESTION: What is vyavaharika-bheda?
ANSWER: This can be seen in the difference between a clay pot and a
piece of cloth. These seem to be different things. But both originate from
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the same sourcethe soil of the earth. That means in their original or
essential condition as soil, there is no difference between clay and cloth.
The difference is merely conventional.
QUESTION: What is tattvika-bheda?
ANSWER: This is when one thing is different from another thing in its
function as well as in its original cause.
QUESTION: Is the difference between the jiva (soul) and Bhagavan
(God) vyavaharika or tattvika?
ANSWER: Tattvika.
QUESTION: How can that be?
ANSWER: Because in no condition can the jiva become Bhagavan.
QUESTION: Then how are we to understand the declaration of the
Upanisads, "tat-tvam-asi" ("you are the same")?
ANSWER: This declaration, taught to the great sage Sveta-ketu, means
that the soul is distinct from matter because it is caitanya (conscious). All
living entities are spiritual beings, different from their bodies formed of
unconscious matter. Thus they are the same. But it does not mean that the
anu-caitanya is the vibhu-caitanya.
QUESTION: But there are scriptural statements declaring the oneness
of the jiva with the all-pervading consciousness (brahman).
ANSWER: These statements are true, but they must be understood from
the proper viewpoint. From the point of view of the individual soul, the
difference (bheda) between jiva and brahman is eternal and true. But from
the point of view of brahman, the non-difference (abheda) is eternal and
true. Thus bheda and abheda are both eternal and true.
QUESTION: But isn't this contradictory?
ANSWER: The Lord's potency is inconceivable (acintya-akti). Within
His potency all contradictory truths exist in complete harmony. But because
the tiny jivas are so limited, they think that the resolution of such
contradictions is impossible.
QUESTION: If both viewpoints are true, why do the devotees of Krsna
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condemn the philosophy of oneness?
ANSWER: Because those who propound the philosophy of oneness say
that only the oneness of the soul with the supreme is eternal, and that all
difference is temporary. Sri Madhvacarya has established that the
difference is also eternal, and by proving this, he has ascertained the truth
of acintya-bhedabheda (simultaneous inconceivable oneness and difference).
Those who propound either only bheda (difference) or abheda (oneness)
adhere to a one-sided and incomplete philosophy.
QUESTION: Who teaches the doctrine of oneness?
ANSWER: The nirvisesa (impersonalist) philosophers teach the doctrine
of oneness. The savisesa (personalist) philosophers do not accept this
doctrine.
QUESTION: Who teaches the savisesa philosophy?
ANSWER: All the Vaiava sampradayas (schools) teach it.
QUESTION: How many sampradayas do the Vaiavas have?
ANSWER: There are four. All of these schools teach personal devotion
for Bhagavan; thus each in its own way differentiates the Lord (as the
object of devotion) from His energies. There is no actual disagreement
between the four Vaiava schools because they all reject the one-sided
philosophy of nondistinction between Bhagavan and the jivas.
QUESTION: If there is no disagreement between the four Vaiava
schools, why did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accept only the doctrine of Sri
Madhvacarya?
ANSWER: The special characteristic of Madhvacarya's doctrine is that
it very clearly and thoroughly defeats the doctrine of oneness. When the
jiva thinks himself one with God, he simply places himself into unnecessary
distress. To lead the souls along the path away from distress, Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu accepted the doctrine of Madhvacarya. But by doing so He did
not minimize the importance of the other three Vaiava schools.
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Sixth Chapter
The Spirit Souls are the Servants of Sri Krsna
QUESTION: What is the natural and eternal position (nitya-dharma) of
the spirit soul?
ANSWER: The nitya-dharma of the spirit soul (jiva) is service to Sri
Krsna (krsna-dasya).
QUESTION: What is the unnatural, fallen position (vaidharmya) of the
spirit soul?
ANSWER: The downfall of the jiva occurs: 1) when a deluded soul
accepts the doctrine of non-difference (abheda) and seeks impersonal
nirvana; or 2) when a foolish soul seeks advancement in material pleasures.
QUESTION: Why do you call all these things unnatural?
ANSWER: They are unnatural because the spirit soul is made of eternal
consciousness (cinmaya), and the eternal nature of that which is cinmaya is
happiness (ananda) and love (priti). In the impersonalistic doctrine of
nirvisesa there is no happiness; their ultimate goal is simply to negate the
soul. In the philosophy of the materialistic doctrine of visesa, the spiritual
identity of the soul is covered by material identity. Both the visesa and
nirvisesa philosophies cause the downfall of the jiva.
QUESTION: What kind of people aspire for material happiness?
ANSWER: People who are bewildered by their karma (fruitive work)
think themselves to be their bodies, which are the instruments of their
work. The identification with the physical body then expands into
identification with the pleasures and pains of the senses, which further
expands into identification with the material objects of the body's senses.
These people work hard to possess sense objects that they think will bring
pleasure to the body's senses and alleviate pain. But neither the body, its
senses or the sense objects have a real relationship with the soul, because
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they are temporary whereas the soul is eternal. Therefore there is no
possibility of attaining genuine happiness for the soul by struggling with the
body, its senses and its sense objects. The only result of this struggle is the
entanglement of the soul in more and more bodies, senses and sense objects
in future births in the cycle of samsara (repeated birth and death).
QUESTION: What about the practitioners of the physical yoga system?
ANSWER: They renounce the happiness of the senses so that they may
obtain power (vibhuti) by sense and mind control. But this is simply a more
refined form of bewilderment by karma. The fruit they want from their
work of discipline in yoga is the fruit of mystical power.
QUESTION: But if material happiness, impersonal nirvana and mystical
power are rejected, what remains for the soul to attain?
ANSWER: Rejecting all these, the soul will then rest in its own natural
enjoyment. The methods of sense gratification, impersonal meditation and
mystic yoga are called upadhika (artificial impositions on the soul). The
realization of the soul's own inner eternal bliss is nirupadhika (not artificial,
or perfectly natural).
QUESTION: What is the realization of the soul's own true happiness?
ANSWER: When the spirit soul gives up the illusory relationship with
matter and cultivates its eternal relationship with Krsna, a boundless joy
that is characteristic of its own pure consciousness arises in its being. That
is the natural happiness of the jiva.
Seventh Chapter
Different Levels of Jivas
QUESTION: Are all souls of one type, or are there different relative
levels?
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ANSWER: There are different relative levels among the jivas.
QUESTION: How many levels are there?
ANSWER: There are basically two: the level of the jiva's real and
eternal form (svarpa), and the level of the jiva's dream of a false material
designation (upadhi).
QUESTION: What is the false material designation of the soul?
ANSWER: The soul's material designation consists of all the forms of
maya (illusion) that encapsulate the soul as a result of having turned away
from Krsna.
QUESTION: Why don't all souls remain in their true position, free from
material designation?
ANSWER: Those souls who accept nothing other than service as their
eternal occupation never lose their transcendental position (svarpa). Their
attraction to Krsna is everlasting. But those who become obsessed with their
own separate so-called happiness turn away from Krsna and are immediately
shackled by maya in the prison of the material world.
QUESTION: Why doesn't Krsna protect spirit souls from the
unfortunate fate of falling down into the material world?
ANSWER: Krsna gives the spirit souls, who are His extended parts and
parcels, a free will. They may choose between loving Him or pursuing selfish
illusions. If a soul chooses to misuse its independence, then its svarpa or
essential eternal form is covered by dull matter. In this stupefied condition,
the soul cannot perceive its own blissful nature.
QUESTION: What is the eternal form (svarpa) of the jiva?
ANSWER: The jiva is made of eternal consciousness. Its only purpose is
to serve Krsna. By assuming its service role, the jiva is endowed by Krsna
with a form of pure bliss.
QUESTION: Are their levels of souls who are situated in their forms of
eternal service to Krsna?
ANSWER: There are five eternal relationships with Krsna. These
constitute levels of eternal existence.
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QUESTION: What are the five eternal relationships with Krsna?
ANSWER: The first is the neutral (santa) relationship. The second is
the servitor (dasya) relationship. The third is the friendly (sakhya)
relationship. The fourth is the parental (vatsalya) relationship. The fifth is
the conjugal (srngara) relationship.
QUESTION: Please explain these terms in greater detail.
ANSWER: The santa relationship does not involve a personal
relationship with Krsna. It is passive but reverential. The dasya relationship
is personal. It consists of a reverential mood of active service. The sakhya
relationship surpasses the limits of reverence and becomes friendly and
informal. In the vatsalya relationship, loving concern for Krsna overfloods
the limits of carefree friendliness. In the srngara relationship, loving
concern intensifies into an intimacy of the most brilliant beauty.
QUESTION: How many different levels of material consciousness are
there?
ANSWER: There are three: 1) concealed consciousness, like trees and
plants; 2) constricted consciousness, like animals and birds; 3) budding
consciousness, like human beings who are not yet spiritually awake. These
three subcategories fall within the basic category of upadhi-jiva, souls living
a dream of false identity. This category is also known as nitya-baddha-jiva,
or eternally conditioned souls.
QUESTION: How many levels of budding consciousness are there?
ANSWER: There are many different types. They may be roughly
classified as six levels. 1) Uncivilized tribes. 2) Civilized races with
developed material knowledge and industrial capabilities, but who are
ignorant of proper moral conduct and who have little faith in God. These
are the characteristics of the mlecchas (meat-eaters). 3) Civilized races that
follow no personal God but are very fond of the beauty of the material
world. Buddhist culture provides an example of this. 4) Civilized races that
follow an imaginary God. They worship various demigods, thinking them to
be supreme, and do good works in the hopes of being promoted to the
heavenly material planets where these demigods reside. This form of
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religion is called imaginary because they believe their conception of God to
be the highest, though it is still only material. 5) Civilized races that accept
the Original Transcendental Person as the true Supreme Lord, but who do
not perform devotional service to Him. 6) Civilized races that are fond of
nirvisesa philosophy (the doctrine of impersonal oneness).
QUESTION: Is there level that a soul must pass through to go from the
eternally conditioned state to the eternally liberated state?
ANSWER: From the nitya-baddha or eternally conditioned level the
soul must rise to the baddha-mukta level, at which the soul lives in the
material world but is not caught up in maya (illusion). From the
baddha-mukta level the soul may rise to the nitya-mukta (eternally
liberated) level, which is the level of svarpa-jiva (souls situated in the
reality of their own eternal forms).
QUESTION: Are there different types of baddha-mukta jivas?
ANSWER: There are two types: 1) those with blooming consciousness,
like the practicing devotees (sadhana-bhaktas) who serve Krsna by follow
the rules of the scriptures; and 2) those with fully flowering consciousness,
like the devotees who experience spiritual ecstasy while executing scriptural
duties.
QUESTION: Where do the nitya-baddha, baddha-mukta and
nitya-mukta souls reside?
ANSWER: The nitya-baddha and baddha-mukta souls reside in the
material world. The nitya-mukta souls reside in the spiritual world,
Vaikuntha (the place of no anxiety).
Eighth Chapter
Liberation is the Attainment of Krsna's Lotus Feet
QUESTION: How many kinds of liberation (mukti) are there?
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ANSWER: The Vedic scriptures inform us of five kinds of liberation.
These are 1) salokya (to live in the same Vaikuntha-world as the Lord), 2)
sarsti (to achieve divine opulences similar to the Lord's), 3) samipya (to
become a close associate of the Lord), 4) sarupya (to obtain a transcendental
form similar to that of the Lord, and 5) sayujya (to merge into the
impersonal effulgence of the Lord). The sayujya-mukti is not accepted by
the liberated souls who know the full truth of oneness and difference
(bhedabheda). The conception of absolute oneness of soul and God is
actually a mistake that results in the soul's becoming blinded by the glaring
rays of the brahmajyoti, the divine light that emanates from Krsna's spiritual
form. When the soul takes shelter of Krsna's lotus feet, the blinding power
of the brahmajyoti recedes to reveal the full truth. Taking shelter of Krsna's
lotus feet is therefore the true liberation.
QUESTION: Out of the different forms of liberation mentioned above,
why is it concluded that the only real liberation is the attainment of Krsna's
lotus feet?
ANSWER: The shelter of Krsna's lotus feet automatically frees one from
the influence of matter. The ecstatic bliss of drinking the nectar of the
Lord's lotus feet is the permanent spiritual situation. Without the shelter of
the Lord's lotus feet, the forms of liberation mentioned above will not last.
Ninth Chapter
Pure Worship if Krsna is the Cause of Liberation
QUESTION: What must one do to attain liberation in the form of
drinking the nectar of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna?
ANSWER: One tastes this nectar by engaging in pure devotional
worship of Krsna (amala-krsna-bhajan).
QUESTION: What makes amala-krsna-bhajan different from other
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worship?
ANSWER: Amala-krsna-bhajan is free from impurities and is performed
only for the purpose of attaining attraction to Krsna.
QUESTION: What are the impurities that hinder worship of Krsna?
ANSWER: There are three. These are the desire for material sense
gratification, the desire for impersonal liberation and the desire for mystic
powers.
QUESTION: What are desires for material sense gratification?
ANSWER: These are the desire to enjoy the immediate pleasures of this
world; the desire to help ourselves and others advance to a higher standard
of material enjoyment; and also the desire for the seeming peace that comes
from renouncing sense pleasures after one has enjoyed them to the fullest.
QUESTION: If all these forms of material sense gratification are to be
rejected, how will one maintain one's body? How will one benefit humanity?
How will one get relief when one is weary of sensual pursuits?
ANSWER: As long as one has a material body, it is not possible to
completely give up the affairs of the material senses, or welfare work
promoting the material benefit of others, or renunciation of sensual affairs
that have become stale and tasteless. Still, we should not desire them. We
should not waste time enthusiastically pursuing them.
QUESTION: But how can that be possible?
ANSWER: A devotee of Krsna depends upon Krsna for everything. His
life's activities are harmonized with the goal of serving and remembering
Krsna always.
QUESTION: But material life is very different from spiritual life. How
can one dedicate himself to Krsna and at the same time perform the tasks
expected of him by family and society?
ANSWER: Krsna consciousness means the awakening of the soul's
higher spiritual emotions of devotional attachment to Krsna. This
awakening takes place through the nine specific methods of bhakti-yoga
(the yoga of devotion). For instance, one should worship the beautiful form
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of Krsna. One should eat only prasadam, the remnants of pure vegetarian
foodstuffs that have been offered to Krsna in sacrifice. One should hear and
chant Krsna's holy name and the descriptions of His glories revealed in the
scriptural texts. When the devotee's spiritual emotions are awakened, he
sees his worldly duties in relationship to Krsna and not in relationship to
the demands of the material senses, family, society, and so on. Thus he
fulfills his responsibilities in a blissful mood of loving attachment to the
Lord.
QUESTION: But there are other ways to become released from material
life, aren't there? For instance, wouldn't the discipline of the hatha-yoga
system help me restrain my senses and attain samadhi?
ANSWER: You must understand your position. As a jiva (spirit soul),
you are dependenteither you are dependent upon Krsna or you are
dependent upon maya. If you do not awaken the higher attachment to
Krsna, then the lower attachment to material sense pleasure will remain
firmly rooted in your consciousness. Only by attaining the higher can you
renounce the lower. Merely restraining the senses from the lower objects
will not rid the consciousness of the taste for lower pleasures.
QUESTION: What are the nine methods of bhakti-yoga?
ANSWER: These are: sravana (hearing about Krsna), kirtana
(chanting), smarana (remembering), pada-sevana (rendering menial service
to Krsna), arcana (worshiping His divine form), vandana (offering prayers),
dasya (executing His mission), sakhya (becoming His friend) and
atma-nivedana (surrendering everything without reservation).
QUESTION: What is the goal of these methods of bhakti-yoga?
ANSWER: As explained before, these are methods of awakening the
pure spiritual emotions of attachment to Krsna. This spiritual awakening
culminates in Krsna-prema (love for Krsna).
QUESTION: What does a person with Krsna-prema experience?
ANSWER: Words fail to describe the ecstasy of Krsna-prema. It is the
bliss that all souls hanker for but fail to attain so long as their consciousness
is focused upon matter. May you taste it yourself. Then you will know.
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QUESTION: In striving for amala-krsna-bhajan (the pure execution of
the nine methods of bhakti-yoga), what hindrances must we overcome?
ANSWER: There are six. These are 1) vikarma (sinful activities), 2)
akarma (inaction), 3) bewilderment by karma, 4) dry renunciation, 5) dry
knowledge and 6) offenses.
QUESTION: What kinds of activities constitute vikarma?
ANSWER: There are four primary vikarmas (sinful activities). These are
meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling and intoxication. If one can cease from
these, he can gradually overcome any number of lesser vikarmas such as
envy, cruelty, hard-heartedness, anger, greed, selfishness, deceit, disrespect,
pride, delusion, uncleanliness and so on.
QUESTION: What is akarma (inaction)?
ANSWER: Akarma is the absence of auspicious deeds; for instance, the
reluctance of someone to perform the nine methods of bhakti-yoga would be
called akarma. The cause of akarma is atheism, ingratitude and lack of
association with devotees of Krsna.
QUESTION: What is bewilderment by karma?
ANSWER: The Vedic scriptures recommend pious material action
(karma) because these help a person to overcome vikarma and akarma.
Some prominent examples of pious karma are truthfulness, cleanliness,
simplicity, forgiveness, mercy, sense control, helping others, serving one's
superiors, charity and kindness to all living beings. Performance of such
good deeds promotes a person to a better material standard of existence. But
a comfortable material life may bewilder a person to the need for spiritual
advancement.
QUESTION: What is dry renunciation?
ANSWER: This is renunciation that is very troublesome to maintain
because it is unnatural. It is bereft of a higher transcendental taste.
QUESTION: What is dry knowledge?
ANSWER: This is knowledge that is not directly concerned with the
nine eternal truths that are the subject of this essay.
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QUESTION: What are offenses?
ANSWER: There are two kinds of offenses (aparadha): nama-aparadha
(offenses committed while chanting the holy names of Krsna) and
seva-aparadha (offenses committed while rendering other kinds of services
to Krsna).
QUESTION: In summary, what must one do to perfect
amala-krsna-bhajan?
ANSWER: One should live one's life in a detached mood, one should
cultivate pure knowledge of Krsna, and one should hear and chant the
glories of Krsna in the association of the Lord's devotees.
Tenth Chapter
Three Evidences-Spiritual Sound, Direct Perception and
Logic
QUESTION: What is evidence (pramana)?
ANSWER: Pramana is that by which the truth is ascertained.
QUESTION: How many types of evidences are there?
ANSWER: There are three: spiritual sound (sabdha), direct perception
(pratyaksa) and logic (anumana).
QUESTION: What is spiritual sound?
ANSWER: All the Vedic scriptures are evidence in the form of spiritual
sound. They are the incarnation of self-evident knowledge
(svatah-siddha-jnana). Sabda alone is the best evidence because it reveals
the truth that lies beyond material perception.
QUESTION: Can Krsna and the spiritual world be observed by direct
perception (pratyaksa) and logic (anumana)?
ANSWER: These are based upon material sense perception. They help
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us to understand the Vedic evidence in terms of our present condition. But
they themselves are unable to reveal eternal truths.
QUESTION: Then why are direct perception and logic accepted as
evidence?
ANSWER: Because they provide us with useful tools by which the Vedic
knowledge can be demonstrated and confirmed. When employed skillfully,
direct perception and logic reinforce faith in the sabda-bramana (evidence
of spiritual sound).