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Bhakti Master Class Eastern Ocean

First Wave Part 1

Bhakti Master Class Eastern Ocean First Wave: Part 1


by David Bruce Hughes
(Gaurahari Dsnuds Bbj) Published by

Esoteric Teaching Seminars


esotericteaching.org ISBN 978-0-557-07748-9

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Bhakti Master Class Introduction .......................1
Why Study r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu?.......................3 The Ocean of Bhakti-rasa ..............................................9 Uttama-Bhakti: Pure Devotional Service ...................13 Transcending Mixed Bhakti.........................................19 Spontaneous Love of Godhead ....................................27 Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu ...................................35 rla Rpa Gosvm.......................................................39

Session 001: The Key to Everything ................45


Hearing from the Highest Source ................................47 The Key to Understanding Everything .......................49 Magalcaraam Verse ................................................51 Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu Presents Rasa-tattva ............53 Vidhur Jayati Means Ka ..........................................55 Nothing Compares to Prema........................................57 Principles of Vedic Exegesis .........................................61 Pure and Impure Bhakti ...............................................65 Ka Consciousness is an Experience ........................69

Session 002: A Love Supreme............................71


Qualities of r Ka ...................................................73 Ka Contains All Rasas.............................................75

Glories of the Mdhurya-rasa ......................................79 Rdhr, the Topmost Gop .....................................83 Perfect Love...................................................................87 Sdhana-bhakti: Begin with the End in Mind ............89 Love Means Service ......................................................91 The Greatest Benefit ....................................................93

Session 003: Incomparable Bhakti ..................95


The Key to Understanding Rasa ..................................97 Transcendental Inspiration ..........................................99 Invoking Gurus Mercy ...............................................103 Great Fish in the Ocean of Bhakti-rasa ....................105 Liberation: Why Bother? ............................................109 Satisfaction for the Soul .............................................113 The Richness of Bhakti ..............................................117 Looking for Love .........................................................119

Session 004: Unassailable Bhakti ..................123


The Ocean of Bhakti-rasa ..........................................125 Go to the Source .........................................................127 Oneness Means Nothingness .....................................131 Dousing the Fiery Critics............................................135 You Cant Argue With Taste.....................................139 Bhakti is Complete in Itself........................................143 The Scam of Mixed Bhakti ........................................147

Session 005: A Glimpse of Pure Bhakti ........151

Humility in Service .....................................................153 The Rarity of Pure Bhakti ..........................................155 In God We Trust.........................................................157 Quality over Quantity ................................................159 Kas Reciprocation .................................................163 Taste is Required ........................................................165 Stages of Bhakti...........................................................167 Unconditioned Bhakti ................................................169 Theres No Stopping Bhakti.......................................173

Session 006: The Supreme Path .....................175


Pure Bhakti is Purely Spiritual ...................................177 The Deception of Mixed Bhakti ................................179 Pure Bhakti Attracts All ............................................181 Overcome Offenses.....................................................183 Intense Desire is the Key............................................185 The Roadblock of Material Desire ............................187 The Need for Spiritual Pleasure ................................189 Dont Sit on the Fence ...............................................191 Trust in Your Heart ....................................................195

Session 007: The Highest Bhakti ....................197


Unceasing Unmotivated Bhakti .................................199 Active and Emotional Bhakti ....................................203 Sttvika-Bhvas and Anubhvas ...............................205 Serving Ka and His Devotees Alone....................209

Kas Form and Bhakti ............................................211 Extracting the Essence ...............................................215 From Sdhana to Prema .............................................219

Session 008: Ka and Bhakti: The Same akti .........................................................................221


Bhakti Must Be Favorable ..........................................223 Pick Your Friends Wisely ...........................................227 Ka is the Doer ........................................................231 What is Material Desire?............................................233 Learn to Love ..............................................................237 Just Do It .....................................................................241

Session 009: Know Thy Bhakti ........................245


The Problem of Identity .............................................247 The Cultivation of Bhakti ..........................................249 The Primacy of Intent ................................................253 Bhakti Stands Alone ...................................................257 Bhakti and Karma .......................................................261 How to Worship..........................................................265 The Wheat and the Chaff ..........................................269 Shoot for the Rhinoceros............................................273

Session 010: Desire to Go Higher ..................275


Pure Bhakti Beats Everything ....................................277 The Secret of Happiness ............................................281

Dissatisfaction with Material Action ........................285 Ka is in Your Heart................................................287 Reject Mixed Desires ..................................................289 Real Ka Consciousness ..........................................293 Try to Blow Kas Mind ..........................................295 A Cultivation of Taste ...............................................299 Other Books ................................................................303 David Bruce Hughes ...................................................305

by David Bruce Hughes (Gaurahari Dsnuds Bbj)

Bhakti Master Class Introduction

Topics
Why Study r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu? The Ocean of Bhakti-rasa Uttama-bhakti: Pure Devotional Service Transcending Mixed Bhakti Spontaneous Love of Godhead Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu rla Rpa Gosvm

Why Study r Bhakti-rasmtasindhu?


This Bhakti Master Class series is a detailed, verse-by-verse study of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. We know Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu in the West as The Nectar of Devotion, by A. C. Bhaktivednta Swami Prabhupda, which is a summary study of the original work. rla Prabhupda also did this with r Caitanya-caritmta to publish Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and the Tenth Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam was published as a summary study known as KA Book or KA, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately rla Prabhupda didnt have the time to finish translating the complete Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. There were also other books he wanted to translate, such as Vednta-stra, and gradually his disciples are finishing the work for him. This translation work is a great contribution to the Vaiava literature. This series is based on an edited version of a translation of r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu by my Godbrother Bhnu Svm. It includes two important commentaries, one by Jva Gosvm and another by Vivantha Cakravart hkur, that illuminate the intended meaning of the text. Sometimes devotees ask why we focus on the study of r Bhakti-rasmtasindhu. After all, rla Prabhupda preached mostly from Bhagavad-gt and rmad-Bhgavatam; his classes on r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu are comparatively few. The short answer is that without a deep understanding of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, our knowledge of bhakti is insufficient to attain the higher stages of the path chalked out by Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu.

Bhakti Master Class Introduction

If, however, Ka consciousness is properly understood as a transformation of consciousness and meaning, from the mundane to the transcendental ontological platform, then all gross and subtle anarthas (polluted desires in the heart) are easily vanquished and the higher stages of ecstatic devotional service are easily reached. The primary subject of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is rasa-tattva. Tattva means a division of knowledge or a certain set of truths. The Vedas describe various tattva such as jva-tattva, viu-tattva and akti-tattva, but the most important tattva is rasa-tattva because it completely describes the field of possible relationships between the soul and the Lord. There is nothing more important than this relationship, because this is the actual substance of our eternal life. In the Bhagavad-gt, Ka presents bhakti as the final conclusion:
man-man bhava mad-bhakto mad-yj m namaskuru mm evaiyasi satya te pratijne priyo si me Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. [Bhagavad-gt 18.65]

Furthermore, Ka doesnt want us to divide our attention between Him and other things. He demands:
sarva-dharmn parityajya mm eka araa vraja Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.

[Bhagavad-gt 18.66]

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That is Kas requirement for His mercy. Yet Bhagavad-gt only gives a basic explanation of the principle of surrender and devotion. It doesnt describe all the details or possibilities of this relationship. Once a devotee passes Kas test of total surrender, what comes next? This is described in rmad-Bhgavatam, which is a vast encyclopedia of bhakti. It contains numerous accounts of the lives of pure devotees, describing various aspects of their relationship with the Lord: their background, devotional mood, spiritual practice and the result of their spiritual practice. rmad-Bhgavatam is also the history of the appearances of the Lord throughout the material creation. It is striking that every appearance of the Lord is part of a relationship between Him and His devotee. The Lord doesnt arbitrarily appear in this world; He comes to perform pastimes in relationship with His devotees. When He leaves this world it is also in relationship with His devotees, and then He goes back to the spiritual worldwhere He has eternal relationships and beautiful loving pastimes with His devotees. rmad-Bhgavatam is not just a collection of stories; it is an ontological literature designed to lift us from the mundane to the transcendental platform of consciousness. rla Prabhupda very clearly stated this key fact as follows:
The human society, at the present moment, is not in the darkness of oblivion. It has made rapid progress in the field of material comforts of life, education and economic development of the entire world. But it suffers a pin-prick somewhere in the social body at large and therefore there is large scale quarrel even on less important issues. Therefore there is the want of the clue as to how they can become one in peace, friendship and prosperity by the common cause. Srimad Bhagwatam will fill up this gap by ontological aspect of human
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education. It is therefore a cultural presentation for re-spiritualisation of the entire human society. [rmad-Bhgavatam, original Delhi edition, Preface. Emphasis added.]

Our ontology is the lens through which we evaluate our experience; it determines how we look at the world. An ontology contains categories of perception, and our experience is the substance of perception. Experience is the content and ontology is the context that gives it meaning. Together they define our consciousness. The stories in our ontology determine the value we assign to our experiences. If we do not have any stories about a particular type of experience, we tend to assign little or no value to it. The effect of this is almost as though we never had the experience at all. This is why ontology is tremendously important. In spiritual life, we are trying to cleanse our hearts and change our consciousness. Specifically, we are trying to establish a loving service relationship with the Lord. How are we going to do this unless we know how the relationship works, unless we have an ontological background with which to understand the meaning of the different things that happen in this process? If we dont have this background, we can very easily be cheated; we can very easily miss significant spiritual experiences. r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu gives us this background. rmad-Bhgavatam describes relationships between the Lord and His devotees in the form of stories. rla Rpa Gosvm has ontologically analyzed these stories in r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, following the instructions of Lord Caitanya. So Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu presents an ontological system of classification by which all different rasas, or types of relationship with the Lord, can be described. The different varieties, permutations and even the different

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methods of attaining these relationships are all explained in tremendous detail. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu teaches pure devotional service, uttama-bhakti. If you want to be a pure devotee then Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is your step-bystep manual. If you want to satisfy and please Ka, then heres how you do it: everything you need to know is in r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu.

Bhakti Master Class Introduction

The Ocean of Bhakti-rasa


Rasa means taste, nectarspiritual nectar. What is this nectar? It is the flavor of ecstatic love between the devotees and the Lord. This relationship is very sweet, very affectionate, very ecstatic; its full of charged devotional energy. Its dynamic, going through different phases and moods, and is always expanding. Therefore, Rpa Gosvm titled his analysis of Lord Caitanyas teachings the bhakti-rasa-amta-sindhu. Bhakti is devotional service. Rasa is the taste of this devotional relationship between the devotee and the Lord. Amta is a special word with two meanings: a-mta means no death or immortal. Amta also means the nectar of immortality drunk by the demigods. Although it doesnt give them actual immortality, it gives them a lifespan equal to the duration of the material creation. But even better than that amta is the nectar of this devotional service, bhakti-rasa, because it is eternal. And there is so much of this nectar its called an ocean, sindhu. So Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu means the ocean of the nectarean taste of the immortal eternal relationship of devotional love between the devotees and Ka. The title is very descriptive, for thats precisely the subject matter of this book. Its not merely poetic or metaphorical, but an exact description of the contents. Rpa Gosvms style of writing is very exact and scientific. Although he uses poetic or metaphorical statements at times to describe things that are very difficult to describe in ordinary words, he always does so with great exactitude. Every word is used with mathematical precision to describe a particular state of consciousness or transcendental emotion.
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Since Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu discusses the relationship between the jva and the Lord, everything in this book is on the spiritual platform. Although the conditioned soul has a material body, the instructions and philosophy in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu include how to engage the material body in the transcendental service of the Lord. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu gives the process for reviving this close devotional relationship with the Lord. It gives a process based on a transcendental ontological analysis of rmad-Bhgavatam. Everyone wants to know the secret of spiritual life, so here it is: you need to have a transcendental ontology. I can hear the comments already: A what? Cant I just give money or distribute books? No. That wont get you where you want to go. You have to change your consciousness; you have to change your mood. You must have a mood of pure love toward Ka. And when you have this mood of pure love, then Ka reciprocates that mood. Its simple for the simple: just love Ka. Love Ka in whatever mood that you want to love Him, and He will respond. For those who are still very complicated, they have to purify themselves. There is a preliminary process that they have to go through to get to that stage. We want to teach devotional service on this platform of spontaneous love for Ka, because this is the actual platform of pure devotional service, uttama-bhakti. This is the actual kind of devotional service that pleases Ka. We want Ka to be pleased with our service. But before one can reach the platform of rgnuga-bhakti, spontaneous devotional service, Rpa Gosvm gives the preliminary qualifications in the Eastern Ocean of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, the 64 agas of vaidh-bhakti. When one has mastered these preliminaries then they can enter into the
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Southern Ocean of bhva-bhakti, actual transcendental devotional service itself. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is divided into four divisions or four Oceans: the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern. And within each of these oceans there are several chapters or Waves. Each Wave is a specific topic in the study of devotional service that brings us closer to Ka. By reading and studying Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu were surfing on these waves in the ocean of ecstatic bliss. This is our mood as we study this great scripture, which is the foundation of our lineage, the foundation of the Ka Consciousness movement. Theres nothing higher than this, no higher knowledge, no higher topics in all the Vedas. If you understand this Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, then you can understand everything else. And if you dont understand this Bhaktirasmta-sindhu, then everything else will be a mystery to you because you wont have the background knowledge; you wont have the ontology to decode the meaning properly. Before approaching Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, some preliminary studies and preparations are necessary. You should have a general background in Vedic philosophy, Bhagavad-gt and r opaniad; if you have read the Mahbhrata and Rmyaa, thats even better. However, the main qualification is to have a strong desire to be a pure devotee. If you dont have this desire you will wonder, Why are they talking about all this? It wont make sense. But if you desire pure devotional service, then this study of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu will be very meaningful and valuable for you.

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Uttama-Bhakti: Pure Devotional Service


The most important loka in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu gives the definition of uttama-bhakti (pure devotional service):
anybhilit-nya jna-karmdy-anvtam nuklyena knulana bhaktir uttam The highest bhakti is defined as continuous service or emotions directed towards Ka, His expansion forms or others related to Him, with a pleasing attitude towards Ka. It should be devoid of desires other than the desire to please the Lord, and unobstructed by impersonal jna, the materialistic rituals of karma or other unfavorable acts. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.11]

The characteristics of uttama-bhakti given in this loka are divided into svarpa-lakaa, essential or primary characteristics, and taastha-lakaa, secondary characteristics. Svarpa-lakaa: There are three primary characteristics of pure devotional service: Pure devotional service is for Ka or those related to Him. Pure devotional service is an active engagement. Pure devotional service is executed with positive intent. Taastha-lakaa: There are two secondary characteristics of pure devotional service: Pure devotional service is free from ulterior motive.
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Pure devotional service is not covered by jna or yoga. Each word in the loka is significant in describing these characteristics. Lets take a closer look at them:

KaPure devotional service is for Ka or those related to Him


The most essential attribute of pure devotional service is that it is performed only for the pleasure of Ka, and no one else. However, Ka is also pleased when we serve His intimate servants, and therefore such service is included in the definition of uttama-bhakti. Jva Gosvm comments:
Because this definition also includes persons related to Ka as well as Ka Himself, it avoids the fault of being too narrow. Thus, agas of bhakti such as taking shelter of gurus lotus feet may be included in bhakti.

AnulanamPure devotional service is an active engagement


Anulanam means cultivation by following the previous teachers. There are two aspects of this: pravtti, or activities favorable to Ka consciousness, and nivtti, avoidance of activities unfavorable to Ka consciousness. Pure devotional service is possible only by the mercy of Ka and His pure devotees; thus in the loka under discussion, the prefix anu [by following] links lanam [activities] to Ka. Therefore initiation by a bona fide spiritual master is an indispensable feature of the spiritual path. All activities in Kas service are directly under the control of His internal pleasure potency. Therefore the spiritual masters of the lineage descending from Ka are all servants of rmat Rdhr. To reach success in attaining pure devotional service, we must connect ourselves with Her by accepting initiation into the guru-parampar. In this way all our life energy can become spiritualized by connection with the original source.
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nuklyenapure devotional service is executed with positive intent


Sometimes Ka derives pleasure from fighting with demons, but the activities of the demons are not considered devotional service because of their inimical intent. Therefore r Rpa Gosvm qualifies his definition of pure devotional service with nuklyena, positive intent. It indicates that a favorable attitude toward Ka is an essential attribute of pure devotional service. Although the demons activities sometimes please Ka, they are not accepted as devotional service because they lack positive intent. On the other hand, sometimes Kas devotees perform activities that apparently displease Him. However, these activities are accepted as devotional service because they are performed with love. For example, Mother Yaod sometimes chastises her son, but this is accepted as pure devotional service because it is done out of love for Him.

Anybhilit-nyampure devotional service is free from ulterior motive


Anybhilit-nyam means devoid of any other desire. Any desire other than the devotional service of the Lord is material desire. Even if a desire is apparently spiritual, such as the desire for liberation, it is considered material because its motive is selfish benefit and not devotional love. Ordinary desires such as the instinct for self-preservation, to eat or take reasonable care of the body are not out of the range of devotional service, as long as they do not become the motivational focus of our life. The body must be kept fit to engage in meaningful service to Ka. The point is, the objective of even ordinary desires must ultimately be the pleasure of the Lord.

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Jna-karmdy-anvtampure devotional service is not covered by jna, karma or yoga


It is not that we must completely abstain from all philosophical speculation or rational thought, as long as the aim of such reasoning is to confirm the conclusions of the stra and the instructions of the spiritual master and other great souls. Philosophical defeat of opposing systems of thought is also valuable in preaching, although not necessary for pleasing Ka Himself. Similarly, we can engage in ordinary social and religious activities (karma), as long as these engagements do not become more prominent than our direct engagements in bhakti. One should not be a full-time fruitive worker, philosopher or speculator and a part-time devotee, but a devotee who occasionally engages in karmic activity to maintain himself and his family responsibilities. In conclusion, r Rpa Gosvms definition of uttama-bhakti is perfect. Each word is so precise and exact that once we understand it, we cannot mistake anything else for pure devotional service. His definition is neither overly exclusive nor overly inclusive, and it applies perfectly to all stages of devotion, from the neophyte stage of practice to the exalted stage of prema-bhakti. The entire content of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is based upon this scientific definition of pure devotional service. Every bona fide student of this path of bhakti must be completely familiar with it and able to apply it in practice.

Qualities of Pure Devotional Service


In the First Wave of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, r Rpa Gosvm explains that there are three categories of pure devotional service: Sdhana-bhakti: devotional service in practice.
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Bhva-bhakti: devotional service in ecstasy. Prema-bhakti: devotional service in pure love of Godhead. It is also described that pure devotional service displays six transcendental qualities: Kleaghn: pure devotional service brings immediate relief from all kinds of material distress. ubhad: pure devotional service is the beginning of all auspiciousness. Sudurlabh: pure devotional service is rarely achieved. Moka-laghutkta: Those in pure devotional service deride even the conception of liberation. Sndrnanda-vietm: pure devotional service automatically puts one in transcendental pleasure. r kkari: pure devotional service is the only means to attract Ka. Each successive stage of devotional service generates two of these transcendental qualities. Sdhana-bhakti, in its pure stage, displays the qualities of kleaghn and ubhad. Bhva-bhakti displays the same qualities as sdhana-bhakti, plus sudurlabh and moka-laghutkta. Prema-bhakti displays all the previous qualities, with the addition of sndrnanda-vietm and r kkari. This explains the following statement by rla Prabhupda in the Nectar of Devotion:
Generally it is understood that in the category of devotional service in practice there are two different qualities, devotional service in ec-

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stasy has four qualities, and devotional service in pure love of Godhead has six qualities. [Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 2]

These are the wonderful transcendental results of following the path of uttama-bhakti as defined in r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Any other standard of bhakti is a deviation, and therefore such results cannot be guaranteed.

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Transcending Mixed Bhakti


rla Prabhupda gave great mercy to the fallen inhabitants of the West; he brought them to the authentic Vaiava path and revealed the confidential methods that lead to the highest attainments of bhakti. He gave them the opportunity to attain the transcendental qualities that accompany pure devotional service. However, very few of his disciples have followed this path to its ultimate conclusion. Many of them have become attached to management and politics; too much money and not enough good sense. Therefore many have fallen down, if not into sinful activities then into the misconception that Ka consciousness is just another mundane religion. Thus their spiritual lives remain incomplete. Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu appeared in this world to teach the remarkable process of uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service to Ka, whose benefits are inconceivably greater than vaidh-bhakti, mixed devotional service to the Lord. To appreciate this, one must understand the distinction between mixed and pure devotional service. In my experience most devotees are in the neophyte stage of bhakti, laboring under the misconception that if they perform a sufficient quantity of mixed devotional service, they will attain the incomparable benefits of pure devotional service. But Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu clearly states:
sudurlabh sdhanaughair ansangair alabhy sucird api hari cvadeyeti dvidh s syt sudurlabh Pure bhakti is rarely attained. Bhakti is difficult to attain in two ways: if undertaken in great quantity but without attachment [sakti], bhakti cannot be attained even after a long time; and even

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if practiced with attachment, Ka does not give bhakti to the practitioner immediately. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.35]

The stage of sakti is very high, even beyond anartha-nivtti or complete cessation of material desire. If one cannot rid oneself of all material desires, both gross and subtle, there is no question of attaining the special benefits of pure bhakti. We dont want devotees to repeat the error of our Godbrothers and others who think that the exalted qualities of pure bhakti are obtainable by casual, neophyte or even offensive service. This is why we are taking up this great study of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, and everyone should follow along carefully to get the incomparable benefit of transcendental confidential pure loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu. Without the proper ontological background, one can very easily be cheated. Some spiritual teachers take scriptural statements out of context and present them as, This is what you should do, and one may not realize there is a much broader range of choices. There are many incompetent people who misrepresent themselves as great authorities on spiritual life. But because they dont know the complete science of bhakti, they present their lower level of understanding as the complete Absolute Truth. So when people approach them, they give some very simple, easy instruction: Chant a little Hare Ka, take a little prasdam, read a little Bhagavad-gt and just do your workand dont think about it because Ka will take care of everything. That sounds very good, just like it sounds really good to most people when the minister says, Just believe in Jesus Christ and youll be saved. Thats it; thats all you have to do: just believe. You dont have to know anything and you dont have to do much of anything. Theres no process; just believe.
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Of course theres actually a lot more required to attain any meaningful advancement, but the sales pitch is, Just believe, give money, be a loyal member, and you will get all the benefits. This kind of cheating business goes on only because people do not know the science of spiritual life and consciousness. They dont know the methods or the expected results. But all this knowledge is given in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. In rmad-Bhgavatam there are many very exact, highly technical statements about devotional service; but because theyre in the form of stories, if one doesnt have the analytical background knowledge presented in r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, they wont be able to apply the wisdom in their own life; they wont get pure devotional service, uttama-bhakti. The means of recognizing and attaining uttama-bhakti is precisely the subject of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Uttama-bhakti is very confidential, difficult and rare to attain. It is so powerful that Ka Himself becomes controlled by it. Therefore, He does not give it out very easily. Attaining uttama-bhakti requires transcendental knowledge, technical skill and dedicated personal practice over a long span of time. But whats the alternative? Being cheated by engaging in some materialistic process of religion. Almost all of the devotees we meet are like that. They pray to Ka, they chant Kas Holy Name, but actually their desire is, Ka please help me with my work, with my business, with money, with my family problems. Ka do this for me; Ka do that for me. Whats the difference between them and the nave Christian who approaches Jesus for some material benediction? Theres a song, Oh Lord, wont you buy me a Mercedes-Benz? which mocks this materialistic approach to religion. But actually most devotees arent a whole lot different.

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Most devotees are in the neophyte stage because they maintain some material attachment and perform their devotional service to further their material process. The Lord fulfills the desires of everyone and so they obtain their material benefitsbut they dont obtain Ka. But pure devotees are only interested in achieving the transcendental service of the Lord, which is nondifferent from Him in quality. Therefore the Lord is the only desire of the pure devotees. Devotional service is the only perfect spiritual process for achieving the highest result: direct association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Ka. Devotees whose objective is to associate personally with the Lord have no desire to accept the activities of karma-ka or jna-ka, for pure devotional service is above both. The devotees accept only the upsanka process of pure devotional service.
iti bhgavatn dharmn ikan bhakty tad-utthay nryaa-paro mym ajas tarati dustarm Thus learning the science of devotional service and practically engaging in the devotional service of the Lord, the devotee comes to the stage of love of Godhead. And by complete devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nryaa, the devotee easily crosses over the illusory energy, My, which is extremely difficult to cross. [rmad-Bhgavatam 11.3.33]

Merely executing ones external religious duty according to vara and rama is not as good as offering all the results of ones activities to the Lord. When one gives up all fruitive activity and occupational duty he attains sva-dharma-tyga, wherein he takes to the renounced order. That is certainly better. However, better than the renounced order is cultivation of knowledge mixed with devotional service.
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Yet all these activities are external to the activities of the spiritual world. There is no touch of pure devotional service in them. Uttama-bhakti devoid of karma, jna and yoga is a different subject matter; it is the highest transcendental platform. This ultimate perfection cannot be attained by empiric philosophy, nor merely by good association. In Jaiva-Dharma, rla Bhaktivinod hkur quotes Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu and comments:
Now I can truly realize the importance of these wonderful words composed by rla Rpa Gosvm sarva thaiva durho yam abhaktair-bhagavad-rasa tat pdmbuja-sarvasvair bhaktair evnurasyate vyattya bhvan-vartma ya camatkra-bhra-bhu hdi sattvojjvale bha svadate sa raso mata Those who are convinced that the lotus feet of r Ka are the summum bonum of life are the purest of devotees, and they alone are capable of relishing bhakti-rasa. Those whose hearts are bereft of bhakti and rampant with mundane emotion are generally contaminated by impure habits and are fond of logic and argumentation. They can never perceive this transcendental rasa. The person who has transcended the noumenal plane and whose consciousness and heart have been enlightened by the brilliance of pure goodness that ushers the dawn of magnificent transcendental bhva is alone able to experience rasa. [r Bhakti-rasmtasindhu 2.5.131-132] True rasa is not available upon the material plane; it is of the spiritual world. As the jva is cit-ka, a spark of spiritual energy, rasa manifests within his consciousness. Rasa appears only in deep bhaktisamdhi, devotional meditation. Those who have received the grace of r Gurudeva and have realized the distinction between uddha-sattva
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[pure goodness] and mira-sattva [mixed goodness] are free from all doubts.

There is a profound difference between the ordinary goodness found in the material world and the pure goodness of the transcendental plane. The root of this difference has to do with our intention. When our intention is to benefit ourselves, we are capable of action in the mode of goodness, but such action is still contaminated with the conception of selfishness. Pure goodness, on the other hand, is bereft of all sense of selfbenefit, and seeks only to benefit the Beloved or object of service, namely r Ka Himself. We can neither understand this subtle distinction nor purify ourselves from the desire for self-benefit by any process other than pure bhakti. Karma, jna and yoga are all predicated on the assumption of activity for the purpose of benefiting oneself. Pure bhakti is the only platform on which action is performed in pure loving service without desire for oneself. One only desires more and more service for the Beloved, and r Ka reciprocates by arranging more and more facility for the devotee to engage in His transcendental loving service. r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu details all the steps from the beginning of devotional service through the highest perfection of prema-bhakti. Therefore every devotee who sincerely wants to attain the highest perfectional stage of Ka consciousness must study this great transcendental literature. My concern has always been that devotees do not give enough attention to r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. This process of pure devotional service is a very confidential topic, and although mentioned in rmad-Bhgavatam, it is not explained there in detail. Actually, it is very difficult to understand rmad-Bhgavatam properly without Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. The fact that

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so few of my Godbrothers have attained authentic transcendental consciousness is proof of this. However, uttama-bhakti is the principal subject matter of Bhakti-rasmtasindhu, which discusses it more elaborately than any other Vedic literature. Hopefully this detailed study of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu will bring some balance to the devotional society. It will clarify the understanding of pure devotional service and will certainly provide a powerful impetus to make ones life and consciousness perfect.

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Spontaneous Love of Godhead


There are two ways to foster bhakti: Vaidh-bhakti: regulated devotional service inspired by scriptural rules. Rgnuga-bhakti: spontaneous devotion inspired by lobha, or greed. While there is ample explanation of vaidh-bhakti in other works, only Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu elaborately discusses spontaneous devotion and higher stages such as bhva-bhakti and prema-bhakti. Moreover, of these two methods, rla Rpa Gosvm gives more importance to lobha, as expressed in his Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu:
tat tat-bhava-di-mdhurye rute dhr-yad-apekate ntra stra na yukti-ca tallobhotpatti-lakaam After the devotee has heard the detailed descriptions of the sweetness of Lord Kas loving spiritual sentiments [bhvamdhurya] with His associates, he is spontaneously drawn towards those sentiments of Kas beloved associates. Such a devotee, desiring to possess those feelings, shakes free the shackles of logic and scriptural bindings. Liberating himself from these bonds is the devotees first symptom of lobha. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.2.292]

Regarding this verse rla Vivantha Cakravart hkur says:


When a devotee becomes greedy for Ka while hearing about the different ecstatic emotions displayed by a parikra [confidante] participating in Kas Vraja pastimes, the devotee thinks, Let this spiritual emotion also bloom in my heart. Such meditations are never interrupted by a need to seek consent from either the scriptures or logic. If by chance a devotee feels any uncertainty, then his desire to possess the spiritual emotions of a parikra cannot be called lobha. No one can ever develop lobha from following scriptural injunctions, nor
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can one obtain the desired spiritual object if the mind is endlessly analyzing whether or not one is eligible. Real lobha appears spontaneously when one sees or hears about Ka. Lobha has two divisions according to the two sources from which it may develop: the pure devotees mercy and the Supreme Lords mercy. The first division of lobha, that which is owing to the devotees mercy, is of two kinds: ancient and modern. Ancient lobha appears by the mercy of pure devotees steeped in the same sweet, eternal devotional mellows relished by the constant associates of Lord Ka. When lobha originates from the grace of pure devotees in the present time it is known as contemporary, or modern. When lobha starts from the previous birth and begins to bloom in the present life, then the devotee must take shelter of a guru who is a rgnuga pure devotee. The second kind of lobha, or modeni-lobha, is developed only after the devotee takes shelter of his spiritual master. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu confirms: ka tat-bhakta kruya-mtra lobhaika hetuk pui-mrga-tay kaicid iyam rgnugocyate Lobha is produced solely by the mercy of Ka and His pure devotees. Devotion initiated by such lobha is defined as rgnuga-bhakti; sometimes it is termed pui-mrga-bhakti. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.2.309] When both kinds of devoteesthe one yearning for ancient lobha, the other for modern lobhahear how to acquire the devotional mellows possessed by Kas eternal associates, or nitya-parikras, they seek guidance from the proper scriptures. This is because the authorized method for attaining bhva is delineated in scriptural injunctions and purports; no other sources for receiving this information are indicated anywhere. The following analogy illustrates this point: A person becomes greedy for milk and its products, but first he must want to know how
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to procure milk. He then has to seek advice from a trustworthy person conversant with the subject who will tell him how to purchase a cow and how to take care of her properly. In other words, knowledge on a subject cannot be simply inventedproper guidance is necessary. As Lord Brahm explains in the rmad-Bhgavatam: yathgnim edhasy amta ca gou bhuvy annam ambdyamane ca vttim yogair manuy adhiyanti hi tv gueu buddhy kavayo vadanti As one can derive fire from wood, milk from the milk-bag of the cow, food grains and water from the land, and prosperity in ones livelihood from industrial enterprises, so by practice of bhakti-yoga, even within this material world, one can achieve Your favor or intelligently approach You. Those who are pious all affirm this. [rmad-Bhgavatam 8.6.12] For a rga-bhakta (the devotee following the path of rgnuga-bhakti) this intense eagerness for hearing and chanting about the all-purifying qualities and activities of Ka begins with the rga-bhaktas surrender to the lotus feet of his guru, and continues to flourish until he attains his spiritual goals. The more a devotee is purified by hearing and chanting, the more spiritual realizations he will have; just as medicine applied correctly to diseased eyes cures them, hearing and chanting cures the devotee of material ignorance. [Rgavartma-candrik]

The formula for this concentrated medicine is only found in r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu. It is described very nicely in the five Waves of the Southern Ocean as a combination of five bhvas: vibhva, anubhva, sttvikabhva, vyabhicr-bhva and sthyi-bhva. This transcendental prescription coming from the original physician, Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu, is powerful enough to cure all our material diseases and restore us to full spiritual health.

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Only when in full spiritual health will we be able to satisfy Ka. As we previously discussed, mixed devotional service does not satisfy Ka. In fact, even pure devotional service is not enough to satisfy Ka. Ka desires devotional service on the platform of rga-mrga, spontaneous love driven by pure attraction for His beauty and sweetness:
aivarya-jnete saba jagat mirita aivarya-ithila-preme nhi mora prta Knowing My opulences, the whole world looks upon Me with awe and veneration. But devotion made feeble by such reverence does not attract Me. [r Caitanya-caritmta, di 3.16] vrajera nirmala rga uni' bhakta-gaa rga-mrge bhaje yena chi' dharma-karma By hearing about the pure love of the residents of Vraja, devotees will worship Me on the path of spontaneous love, abandoning all rituals of religiosity and fruitive activity. [r Caitanya-caritmta, di 4.33] prema-rasa-nirysa karite svdana rga-mrga bhakti loke karite pracraa rasika-ekhara ka parama-karua ei dui hetu haite icchra udgama The Lord's desire to appear was born from two reasons: He wanted to taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and He wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction. Thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all. [r Caitanyacaritmta, di 4.15-16]

Notice the prominence of the term rga-mrga in these lokas. A devotee may follow all the rules and regulations of the scriptures very strictly, and may even be promoted to the Vaikuha planets, but that's no guarantee
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that they can actually satisfy Ka. They may have opulences, mystic powers, and great attainments of spiritual life, and may even be engaged in pure devotional service without material activities, but because they have selfish desire for opulence, Ka is not fully satisfied. Ka is fully satisfied with the residents of Vndvan who are in pure love with Him, with no desire for material or spiritual opulence, or personal benefit. They just love Ka with all their hearts, without any feeling of awe and reverence. This is the essential nature of uttama-bhakti. The love of the residents of Vndvan for Ka is very intimate, devoid of any hint of fear. And what is awe and reverence but a certain flavor of fear, "O God, You're so great and I'm nothing, please help me." It's a kind of pathos. But the devotees in Vndvan are completely in love with the Lord in servitude, friendship, parenthood, or conjugal love. They have no feeling of awe. They think of Ka as their equal, as their dearmost friend. The Lords parents think they're Ka's superiors. Ka loves this; He enjoys it. Why? Because nothing can threaten Ka. Nothing can detract from His supreme position. He is constitutionally the Supreme Personality of Godhead, eternally. There's nothing that can unseat Him from that position or threaten His supremacy, His absolute mastery of everything and everyone. So He doesn't mind taking a subordinate position, even to the rascal living entities in this material world. We often see that someone desires to enjoy a material position and Ka fulfills his desire. It doesnt matter whether they are pious, whether they worship Him, or even if they are atheistic. Ka, as the dearmost friend of every living entity, fulfills their desire. It says in the Upaniads:

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nityo nityn cetan cetannm eko bahn yo vidadhti kmn


Among all the eternal, conscious beings, there is one Supreme who fulfills the desires of everyone else. [Kaha Upaniad 2.2.13]

That's the difference between the jva and Bhagavn: the jva is desiring and Bhagavn is fulfilling that desire. God is fulfilling that need as the dearmost friend situated on the same tree of the body. This is His unconditional love for His creations. We're all sons and daughters of God. So He's fulfilling whatever desires we have. The difference between devotees and non-devotees is that the devotee recognizes this friendly relationship and acts appropriately toward the Lord by offering devotional service. Devotees in the neophyte stage are in the mood of awe and reverence because they realize the tremendous difference between themselves and the Lord, I'm nothing and He's everything. And this is true. But the Lord is always the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What does He gain by someones awe and reverence? And what does He lose if they are in a more familiar mood of friendship to Him? Absolutely nothing. He doesn't lose anything if the devotee relates to Him as an equal, or even as a superior. It's no problem for Him if the devotees are in a friendly mood. Respect is automatically there when there is love. The devotees love Ka so much that they would never do anything to hurt Him. Not that they could hurt Him, but this is their attitude: always favorable toward the Lord. This is one of the integral qualities of pure devotional service. It's always favorable and from the intention to benefit the Lord: to help Him, and to give Him pleasure and service. All the devotees in Vraja feel that the Lord is their best friend. And the Lord is our best friend; He is everyone's best friend. But only the rga-

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mrga devotees have realized it, because only they have given up all distance or separation and become intimate devotees of the Lord. The path of devotional service must not be reduced to an external religious process based on the rules and regulations of scripture. Although it may begin from there, it must help the aspiring devotee advance to rgnuga-bhakti, spontaneous loving service. Ultimately, by relentless determination to make progress on this path and avoid complacency and niyamgraha (attachment to a lower stage), the devotee should reach the perfectional stages of bhva and prema. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu gives this progressive path, beginning from the regulative principles of scriptural injunctions up to the highest platform of pure spontaneous devotional service. Therefore it is unique, even in the Vedic literature, for it educates the devotee in the highest and most esoteric science of rasa-tattva, or how to satisfy Lord r Ka.

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Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu

Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu

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Generally devotees concentrate on Ka, chant the Holy Name of Ka, think of Ka and consider Ka as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But many devotees, especially in India, do not realize the importance of Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu. Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu reveals Ka to the aspiring devotee. In fact, were it not for Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu we would not even know the places of Kas earthly pastimes in Vndvan, because they had become covered over by the passage of time (over 4,000 years) since Kas appearance. Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu went to Vndvan, remembered and rediscovered the locations of Kas pastimes and instructed His disciples to renovate them. Thus today we are able to visit these places and experience the transcendental bliss of Vndvan-dhma. Moreover, Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu also revealed the inner moods of Ka and His devotees to an unprecedented extent. Normally the transcendental pastimes of the Lord and His intimate devotees are very confidential. When Ka was present on this planet, not even Kas family members, the Yadu dynasty, knew of them in detail. But Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu revealed these pastimes, explaining their deep meaning through His disciples like rla Rpa Gosvm, thus opening these pastimes to all sincere devotees.
sei paca-tattva mili pthiv siy prva-premabhrera mudr ughiy pce mili lue prema, kare svdana yata yata piye, t bhe anukaa The characteristics of Ka are understood to be a storehouse of transcendental love. Although that storehouse of love certainly came with Ka when He was present, it was sealed. But when r Caitanya Mahprabhu came with His associates of the Pacatattva, they broke the seal and plundered the storehouse to taste

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transcendental love of Ka. The more they tasted it, the more their thirst for it grew. [r Caitanya-caritmta, di 7.20-21]

In fact, Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself:


yad advaita brahmopaniadi tad apy asya tanu-bh ya tmntar-ym purua iti so sya-vibhava a-aivaryai pro ya iha bhagavn sa svayam aya na caitanyt krj jagati para-tattva param iha What the Upaniads describe as the impersonal Brahman is but the effulgence of His body, and the Lord known as the Supersoul is but His localized plenary portion. Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ka Himself, full with six opulences. He is the Absolute Truth, and no other truth is greater than or equal to Him. [r Caitanya-caritmta, di 1.3]

Although Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu is Ka Himself, He has appeared in the mood of His greatest devotee, rmat Rdhr:
rdh ka-praaya-viktir hldin aktir asmd ektmnv api bhuvi pur deha-bheda gatau tau caitanykhya prakaam adhun tad-dvaya caikyam pta rdh-bhva-dyuti-suvalita naumi ka-svarpam The loving affairs of r Rdh and Ka are transcendental manifestations of the Lords internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Rdh and Ka are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united in the form of r Ka Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of rmat Rdhr, although He is Ka Himself. [r Caitanya-caritmta, di 1.5]

Ka appears in the form of Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu to understand Himself from rmat Rdhrs point of view:
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r-rdhy praaya-mahim kdo vnayaivsvdyo yendbhuta-madhurim kdo v madya saukhya csy mad-anubhavata kda veti lobht tad-bhvhya samajani ac-garbha-sindhau harndu Desiring to understand the glory of Rdhrs love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of rmat ac-dev, as the moon appeared from the ocean. [r Caitanya-caritmta, di 1.6]

All these important concepts are explained in detail in the opening chapters of r Caitanya-caritmta; I am only giving a summary here. But before beginning our detailed study of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, we must understand the ontological significance of this book. r Bhakti-rasmtasindhu is the ocean of immortal nectar, issuing from the lotus mouth of Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. He is giving the esoteric key to unlock the mysteries of rmadBhgavatam and relish the sweetness of rasa. Therefore it is stated in the loka quoted above, when r Caitanya Mahprabhu came with His associates of the Paca-tattva, they broke the seal and plundered the storehouse to taste transcendental love of Ka. If we follow the process of pure devotional service [uttama-bhakti] with the understanding of rasa-tattva given in r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, then we shall certainly be successful in reaching the highest spiritual perfection.

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rla Rpa Gosvm

rla Rpa Gosvm

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o ajna-timirndhasya jnjana-alkay cakur unmlita yena tasmai r-gurave nama r-caitanya-mano-bha sthpita yena bh-tale svaya rpa kad mahya dadti sva-padntikam I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him. When will rla Rpa Gosvm Prabhupda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet? [Bhagavad-gt As It Is, Introduction]

Of the many great cryas, rla Rpa Gosvm has been given the honor of establishing the mano-bham (the hearts innermost desire) of Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu.
prema-rasa-nirysa karite svdana rga-mrga bhakti loke karite pracraa rasika-ekhara ka parama-karua ei dui hetu haite icchra udgama The Lords desire to appear was born from two reasons: the Lord wanted to taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and He wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction. Thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all. [r Caitanyacaritmta, di 4.15-16]

Lord Caitanya met rla Rpa Gosvm at Prayg, the confluence of the rivers Yamun and Gag. There the Lord instructed him for ten days continuously on the most intimate secrets of uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service. The Lord told him:
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prpra-nya gabhra bhakti-rasa-sindhu tomya ckhite tra kahi eka bindu The ocean of the transcendental mellows of devotional service is so large that no one can estimate its length and breadth. However, just to help you taste it, I am describing one drop. [r Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya 19.137]

Later, Lord Caitanya instructed rla Santana Gosvm in Vras. Therefore, rla Rpa Gosvms and Santana Gosvms understanding and realization of the mellows of devotional service, and specifically the mellow of conjugal love, were extremely exalted. Lord Caitanya Himself only left eight verses of written instruction, known as r ikaka. Everything else He gave to Rpa Gosvm, and instructed him to write books to propagate this Esoteric Teaching, which is the essence of rasa or devotional mellows. rla Rpa Gosvm wrote many books on the science of Ka and rasatattva, such as r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, r Ujjvala-nlamai, r Vidagdha-mdhava and r Lalita-mdhava. He clarified Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhus inner meaning by revealing the importance of parakyarasa: the mood of paramour love between Lord Ka and the gops. Therefore rla Rpa Gosvm is the person who established within this world the innermost desire of Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhus heartHis mano-bham. The fact that rla Rpa Gosvm could understand and realize the confidential hearts desire of Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu indicates that he is an eternal associate of the Lord, specifically empowered to reveal this great teaching to the denizens of Kali-yuga. Whenever the Lord descends, He brings His eternal associates because factually only they can understand and help Him in His pastimes.
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When we speak of a king it is naturally understood that the king is accompanied by his confidential associates, like his secretary, private secretary, aide-de-camp, ministers and advisers. So also when we see the Lord we see Him with His different energies, associates, confidential servitors, etc. So the Supreme Lord, who is the leader of all living entities, the Lord of all devotee sects, the Lord of all opulences, the Lord of sacrifices and the enjoyer of everything in His entire creation, is not only the Supreme Person, but also is always surrounded by His immediate associates, all engaged in their loving transcendental service to Him. [rmad-Bhgavatam 2.9.15 Purport]

As an eternal confidential associate of Lord r Ka Caitanya Mahprabhu, rla Rpa Gosvm could understand His deepest intentions, and also explain them in logical and highly poetic lokas. Rpa Gosvms books express the highest, most confidential truths of Vaiava philosophy and practice. r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is the ontological analysis of rmadBhgavatam. rla Rpa Gosvm shows how all the categories of ecstatic spiritual consciousness are described in rmad-Bhgavatam. He backs up all of his points by extracting authoritative quotations from rmadBhgavatam and other bona fide Vedic literatures. His powerfully persuasive style of presentation, which he himself called quiet conviction, is also the manner of exposition followed in rla Prabhupdas books and our own writings. These esoteric deliberations and philosophical conclusions are extremely deep and difficult to understand. Therefore it is essential to come under the guidance of a self-realized guru, associate with pure devotees, and give ones full time, energy and enthusiastic work in service and in chanting the Holy Names of Ka. One should also make a great effort to under-

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stand and realize why rla Rpa Gosvm appeared, and why he wrote so many wonderful transcendental books Of all the books by rla Rpa Gosvm, this Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is his most celebrated work because of its transcendental significance as the key to the secrets of rmad-Bhgavatam and the Vndvan pastimes of Ka. Therefore, all sincere devotees in the line of Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu must study it carefully, scrutinizingly, to understand His real mission.

The sacred Samdhi (tomb) of rla Rpa Gosvm at the Rdh-Dmodara Temple in Vndvan

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Session 001: The Key to Everything

Topics
Epistemology: hearing from the highest source Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is the key to understanding everything Magalcaraam verse Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu presents rasa-tattva Vidhur jayati means Ka Nothing compares to prema Principles of Vedic exegesis Discriminating between pure and impure bhakti Ka consciousness is an experience

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Hearing from the Highest Source


Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is extremely important for devotees. Weve often discussed ontology (the science of meaning) and epistemology (the science of knowing). How do we know what we know? And how do we know the meaning of what we know? The shortest path to knowing something is to hear from an authority. There are three ways of learning:
First-class learning is by hearing. Second-class learning is by seeing anothers example. Third-class learning is by trial and errormostly error.

Hearing is perfect. If you hear from a qualified person, you can instantly learn everything perfectly; there is no need for trial and error. So, if we want to know about devotional service and Ka, we should hear from Lord r Caitanya Mhaprabhu and people who heard from Him, such as Rpa Gosvm, Santana Gosvm, Jva Gosvm, Gopla Bhaa Gosvm, Raghuntha Bhaa Gosvm and Raghuntha Dsa Gosvm: the six Gosvms of Vndvan. These six Gosvms were Lord Caitanyas most intimate disciples who took up His preaching work. Caitanya Mhaprabhu left only eight verses known as ikaka. ik means instruction and aaka means eight. He left these eight instructions so that everyone could attain love of Godhead. But these verses are very condensed, powerful and confidential; you have to be very intelligent and advanced to understand them. So for less advanced devotees, Caitanya Mhaprabhu specifically instructed Rpa Gosvm to write. In fact all the six Gosvms cooperated in this writing endeavor, although only one of their names may appear as the author. They researched stra for appropriate verses to support and explain Lord Caitanya Mhaprabhus philosophy and methods.
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For example, Jva Gosvm was Rpa Gosvms nephew and came to Vndvana as a young boy. He became Rpa Gosvms research assistant, compiling authoritative scriptural references and incorporating them into Rpa Gosvms works. Rpa Gosvm appreciated this service so much that he ascribed the authorship of some of his books to Jva Gosvm. Jva Gosvm then wrote commentaries on many of Rpa Gosvms books, including this Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, because he was in an excellent position to know Rpa Gosvms intention.

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The Key to Understanding Everything


Of all these books, Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is the best. Why do I say that, even though there are many wonderful books by the Gosvms like Ujjvala-nlamai, Bhakti-ratnkara and Hari-bhakti-vilsa? Because if you understand this one book, Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, you can understand everything else: Caitanya-caritmta, rmad-Bhgavatam and even the most esoteric books by the Gosvms on the science of spiritual life. Why? Because Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu gives the background ontology, the background philosophy, the terminology, the structure of bhakti itself. Since the conclusion of these other scriptures is bhakti, if you understand bhakti you can automatically understand all of them. If you dont understand bhakti, youll misunderstand all these books. Youll mistake them as promoting karma, dharma, jna, yoga, or something other than pure bhakti. But it is stated very clearly in Vednta-stra that the aim of all the Vedas is pure bhakti. The actual aim of the Vedas is Ka Himself. Ka states this in the Bhagavad-gt [6.14, 9.18, 12.20], but unless you have the background you wont understand it. As we explained in the previous session, the background you have when you approach an experience will determine the meaning that it has for you. So the experience of studying the Vedas or performing devotional service has to happen against the ontological background of pure bhakti given in r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Otherwise you will misunderstand. You wont get pure love of Godhead; youll get some mixed result. Theres pure devotional service, uttama-bhakti, and mixed devotional service, mira-bhakti. Devotional service can be mixed with various different things:

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Karma, fruitive activities Jna, transcendental or speculative knowledge Dharma or religiosity, the urge to accumulate pious activities for future rewards in the heavenly planets Yoga, the acquirement of mystic powers

When people approach devotional service with these different motives, this is called mixed devotional service. Actually its a kind of offensive devotional service in the neophyte stage. But once we understand the real meaning of bhakti, were in a position to perform uttama-bhakti. Uttama-bhakti means pure devotional service. Pure devotional service is the fundamental quality of bhakti that is not mixed with any other process. It has no contamination of karma, jna, yoga or any other kind of fruitive activity or self-realization. Pure devotional service is defined in the very first chapter of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, and the succeeding chapters elaborate on it with innumerable examples. Anyone who studies this book will be clear on what is meant by pure bhakti, which is the key to understanding all the Vedic literatures.

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Magalcaraam Verse
Before we begin our study of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, let us invoke auspiciousness with the r Guru-pram and the r Rpa-pram mantras.
om ajna-timirndhasya jnjana-alkay cakur unmlita yena tasmai r-gurave-nama r-caitanya-mano-bha sthpita yena bh-tale svaya rpa kad mahya dadti sva-padntikam I was born in the darkness of ignorance and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the light of transcendental knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him. I also offer my respectful obeisances unto rla Rpa Gosvm, Santana Gosvm, and the other Gosvms of Vndvan who actually manifested the desire of Lord Caitanya Mhaprabhu. May they have mercy upon us.

The opening verse of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu reads:


akhila-rasmta-mrti prasmara-ruci-ruddha-trak-pli kalita-ym-lalito rdh-preyn vidhur jayati Ka, the destroyer of all sin and the bestower of all bliss, the very form of the highest bliss, filled with all rasas, excels all others in glory. He brings Trak and Plik under His control by the diffusion of His beauty; He accepts ymal and Lalit as His equals; and gives pleasure to Rdh by His excellent qualities. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.1]

This verse also has an alternate translation:


The full moon, which destroys suffering and creates happiness by its cooling rays, shines everywhere with its excellent qualities and beauty. It is the very form of nectar, filled with all tastes. It eclipses the host of stars by its light, accepts the playful gestures of the night, and fondly enters the Vikh nakatra in the spring season. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.1]
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Such wonderful poetry! These verses are very tasteful and exhibit the highest standard of artistic expression. Now lets read Jva Gosvms commentary:
r Rpa, eternal peace incarnate, identical in mood to Santana, his elder brother, and whose younger brother was r Vallabha, is the means of my success and the good fortune of all the jvas. Obsessed by the desire to benefit all the devotees of the Lord, the esteemed author r Rpa compiled this remarkable work, the scripture called r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, using the rasas presented in rmadBhgavatam which appeared within the lotus bud of his heart.

In other words, Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is a derivative work. It is derived from the material presented in rmad-Bhgavatam concerning the transcendental pastimes of the Lord in relationship with His devotees. That relationship is called rasa, the sweet taste of transcendental love in different flavors.

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Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu Presents Rasa-tattva


There are innumerable varieties of rasa. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu describes all the different categories of rasa and the means to attain them. This rasa-tattvathe truth of rasa, or transcendental ecstatic relationship with the Lordunderlies all the different truths in the Vedic scriptures. There are many Vedic scriptures on many topics, but the ultimate goal of all of them is rasa. If you can understand this topic, you can understand everything. Rpa Gosvm announces to the whole world by this verse that his purpose is to describe these different relationships between Ka and His devotees to benefit all the devotees. We wish to present these exalted topics for exactly the same reason. Jva Gosvm describes Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu as a remarkable work and comments, The scripture called Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu uses the rasas presented in rmad-Bhgavatam which appeared within the lotus bud of his heart. In other words, Rpa Gosvm realized all these rasas; he didnt just write a theoretical or philosophical work. It is not an ordinary literary work, but a reflection of these rasas which were realized in his heart, which is compared to a lotus bud. A lotus bud is very beautiful, and is the precursor of the lotus blossom which is considered to be the most beautiful thing in nature. This is an oblique reference to his eternal identity as Rpa Majar. We will explain the esoteric meaning of this later. Jva Gosvm continues:
Discerning that what will be described is the most exalted among all topics, he adds the introductory magala verse to indicate this, and thus announces that the whole of this work is auspiciousness incarnate.

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The opening verse of any Vedic work is called magalcaraa. Magala means auspicious and caraa is a ritual worship performed for selfpurification. A Vedic author beginning any auspicious work purifies himself by means of writing a certain kind of verse. This verse is usually intended as a glorification of the main Deity described in the work, which in this case is r Ka. So Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.1 is the magalcaraa verse for this stra.

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Vidhur Jayati Means Ka


Jva Gosvm goes on to describe each word in this verse. The first word he describes is vidhu. Its near the end of the verse: vidhur jayati. Of course jayati indicates auspiciousness and victory. It also indicates birth; for example, Ka-jayant means the appearance of Ka. Hes indicating the birth of this knowledge in the world, for this knowledge was forgotten. It became obscured and secret by neglect, and so nobody could understand it. Today many temples in India are in a state of neglect because people dont realize their value. Similarly, the value of this science of rasa-tattva was not properly appreciated, and so after Kas disappearance it was allowed to decay to the point where it was practically forgotten. But when Lord r Caitanya Mhaprabhu appeared, He injected this same knowledge back into human society by His own pastimes and teachings. Lord Caitanya directly instructed Rpa Gosvm for ten days at Prayg and this book is that instruction being written down for the benefit of all the devotees. The word vidhu is further explained as follows:
Vidhu refers to r Ka. Vidhu, Ka, excels in all excellent qualities [vidhur jayati]. Vidhu, meaning He who is marked with the rvatsa symbol, indicates a general form of the Lord who makes successive appearances in the world.

In other words, Mah-Viu. rvatsa is a curl of hair on the chest of the Lord where the goddess of fortune places her head, and this is how the Lord is recognized in the Vaikuha planets.
It also specifically indicates Ka. The reason is this: vidhu stands for vidhunoti, which means he defeats. It indicates the person who transcends all suffering, or the person who surpasses all other things. Vidhu
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can also stand for vidadhti, which means he produces. This indicates the person who produces all happiness, or the person who causes everything. In this way, the meaning of vidhu can be derived. Considering these factors, one can come to a conclusion about the meaning of vidhu. One must conclude that vidhu means Ka. He alone is famous for His ability to liberate even the demons (and thus destroys even their suffering). He alone is famous for His ability to surpass all others by His powers. He alone is famous for bestowing happinessup to the greatest happiness found in His most astounding prema.

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Nothing Compares to Prema


Prema is defined elsewhere in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu as superconcentrated loving happiness. It is so concentrated that its like a solid; it is impenetrable like a diamond. When one is in this state, nothing else can reach him. His concentration on this point of relationship with the Lord is absolute, and his bliss is so intense its impenetrable. Nothing can cut his mood of bliss. In krtan we have a little drop of bliss, but Ka is an ocean of bliss. So if we have access to this ocean then why would we want some river of liberation or some other small body of water such as the lakes of material knowledge or the puddles of material sense gratification? If you taste this prema even one time, you will be astounded, astonished, flabbergasted. You cant imagine that such happiness could exist. Its so much beyond any other kind of happiness that you cant even measure it in those terms. Theres no comparison because once prema takes root in the heart, it is eternal. That means nothing can destroy it, nothing can change it, nothing can make it go away. Once you taste prema there is no question of any other kind of happiness. Its all just insignificant. Somebody might ask, Well, is it ten times better than my material happiness? Is it a hundred times better? Or a thousand times? Thats the wrong question. Thats called frog philosophy. Dr. Frog lives in a well and all he sees is his little puddle at the bottom. His cousin comes from the ocean and says, Hey Doc! I just went and saw the ocean. Dr. Frog asks, Well, how big is it? Is it bigger than my well? Dude, you cant imagine. Its just so big, I mean its enormous. Well, is it ten times as big as the well? A hundred times as big as the well?

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Its the wrong question. Among bodies of water, the ocean is in a class by itself. You cannot measure the ocean in terms of the well; the comparison would be meaningless. Similarly you cannot measure the happiness of being in touch with Ka by any material standard. You cannot measure the quality of material happiness versus spiritual happiness. If you try to measure Ka by your current standard of happiness, youre asking the wrong question; youre trying to do the wrong thing, and youll get the wrong answer. Ka is in a class by Himself, and so a relationship with Him is also in a different class from all other relationships. You cant imagine it and you cant measure it in terms of anything else. The only way you can understand it is by following the process. And to follow the process, you first have to understand it properly. Jva Gosvm continues:
He alone is famous as svayam bhagavn, the original cause of everything. Therefore, His names are particularly mentioned in the Amarakoa with great prominence, with such statements as vasudevosyajanaka: His father is Vasudeva.

There is a footnote here:


A list of names of Viu is given in the Amara-koa, but among them many specifically refer to Ka.

Jva Gosvm is giving one of the names on this list, vasudevosya-janaka: His father is Vasudeva. The Amara-koa is the standard Sanskrit dictionary. I always insist on scrutinizing study, which means looking up every word in the dictionary. Many people think of this as an absurd rule or my speculation, but in fact this comes from authorized sources: Rpa Gosvm, Santana Gosvm and Jva Gosvm, the originators of our disciplic lineage. You must look up every word in the dictionary and know its meaning and derivation.
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All these meanings of vidhu are made clear by the word jayati: He excels [jayati] all others. This means, He exists with all the most excellent qualities. That indeed refers only to Ka. The present tense is used to dispel the conception of common people that He cannot be perceived now, since He was visible only for the period of His descent.

If we are studying the history of Ka as one who appeared a long time ago and can never be seen again, then it becomes dry, academic and useless. But no, we can see Ka now. We can be in love with Ka now. We can have so many pastimes with Ka now. Crucial to attaining this love of Ka is perfect understanding of the philosophy and method of Ka consciousness, bhakti-yoga. The meaning of every single word in this loka is absolutely significant. When the Gosvms wrote these commentaries, they all referred to the Amara-koa dictionary as the authority for the meaning of the words. As devotees we also follow the same principle of accepting dictionary definitions. This is very important because the Myvds, the impersonalists, take the words of scripture, break them up into their roots, and then speculate some completely fantastic meaning that has nothing to do with the context.

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Principles of Vedic Exegesis


The bona fide principle of interpretation of obscure passages is explained by Baladeva Vidybhaa in his introduction to Vednta-stra. An obscure passage is defined as a loka whose dictionary meaning does not make sense in the current context. In such cases, it has to be interpreted according to the following guidelines:
upakramopasahrv abhyso prvata-phalam artha-vdopapatt ca liga ttparya-niraye The factors to consider in interpretation of obscure passages are the beginning, the ending, what is repeated again and again, what is unique and novel, the general purpose of the book, the authors statement of his own intention, and appropriateness. [Govindabhsya, Introduction]

All these factors must be considered, instead of simply speculating some meaning based on word roots. The Nyyakas who useor rather misuselogic, say that logic alone is the means for interpreting any text. But logic which is separated from the context or intention of the work can do a disservice, because it can lead us to read some meaning into the text thats not in the original. If the passage is perfectly clear just by looking up the meaning of the words in the dictionary, theres no need for interpretation at all. If we apply these criteria to Sanskrit lokas, we see that they cannot be interpreted whimsically or speculatively. They have to be interpreted according to the original meaning, and especially according to the authors intention, what he repeats again and again and so on. We find in rmadBhgavatam, Bhagavad-gt, and Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, that Ka is repeated again and again. Therefore vidhu in this verse can only refer to

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Ka. Jva Gosvm supports this conclusion with references from rmadBhgavatam illustrating Kas qualities:
Destroying all suffering: vijaya-ratha-kuumba tta-totre dhta-haya-ramini tac-chriyekaye bhagavati ratir astu me mumror yam iha nirkya hat gat sva-rpam At the moment of death, let my ultimate attraction be to r Ka, the Personality of Godhead. I concentrate my mind upon the chariot driver of Arjuna who stood with a whip in His right hand and a bridle rope in His left, who was very careful to give protection to Arjunas chariot by all means. Those who saw Him on the Battlefield of Kuruketra attained their original forms after death.[rmad-Bhgavatam 1.9.39] Surpassing all others: svaya tv asmytiayas tryadha svrjya-lakmy-pta-samasta-kma bali haradbhi cira-loka-plai kira-koy-eita-pda-pha Lord r Ka is the Lord of all kinds of threes and is independently supreme by achievement of all kinds of fortune. He is worshiped by the eternal maintainers of the creation, who offer Him the paraphernalia of worship by touching their millions of helmets to His feet. [rmad-Bhgavatam 3.2.21] Bestowing the greatest happiness: yasynana makara-kuala-cru-karabhrjat-kapola-subhaga savilsa-hsam nityotsava na tatpur dibhi pibantyo nryo nar ca mudit kupit nime ca
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Kas face is decorated with ornaments, such as earrings resembling sharks. His ears are beautiful, His cheeks brilliant, and His smiling attractive to everyone. Whoever sees Lord Ka sees a festival. His face and body are fully satisfying for everyone, but the devotees are angry at the creator for the disturbance caused by the momentary blinking of their eyes. [rmadBhgavatam 9.24.65]

Ka has these little earrings in the shape of makara, sharks or dolphins, that swing back and forth. The significance is that the close devotees of Ka are considered to be sharks in the ocean of bliss. The shark is very powerful and the dolphin is very intelligent. Similarly, the highest devotees are very strong; they engage all other devotees by their influence, because their strong love for Ka is so attractive. And they are so intelligentemotionally intelligentthey can attract even Ka by their pure service. Here's another verse about the Lord bestowing the greatest happiness:
k stry aga te kala-padyata-veu-gtasammohitrya-caritn na calet tri-lokym trailokya-saubhagam ida ca nirkya rpa yad go-dvija-druma-mg pulakny abibhran Dear Ka, what woman in all the three worlds wouldnt deviate from religious behavior when bewildered by the sweet, drawn-out melody of Your flute? Your beauty makes all three worlds auspicious. Indeed, even the cows, birds, trees and deer manifest the ecstatic symptom of bodily hair standing on end when they see Your beautiful form. [rmad-Bhgavatam 10.29.40] yan martya-llaupayika sva-yogamy-bala darayat ghtam vismpana svasya ca saubhagarddhe para pada bhaa-bhagam
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The Lord appeared in the mortal world by His internal potency, yoga-my. He came in His eternal form, which is just suitable for His pastimes. These pastimes were wonderful for everyone, even for those proud of their own opulence, including the Lord Himself in His form as the Lord of Vaikuha. Thus His [r Kas] transcendental body is the ornament of all ornaments. [rmadBhgavatam 3.2.12]

r Ka is so beautiful that even Nryaa is blown away by His beauty.

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Pure and Impure Bhakti


Every word in these scriptures is significant and is chosen for its precise meaning. Theyre not accidental; theyre not simply poetry or metaphor; theyre not exaggeration. Theyre more like scientific formulas where every letter and symbol is used with great exactitude, and every operation carried out with great precision. If you follow the formula, you will get a standard result: pure bhakti. Once you know the actual meaning of the scriptures, you can follow the process properly. By following the process you will get the experience of Ka consciousness. A devotee who really understands these scriptures will know what authentic spiritual life is, because he has the description, the formula, the scientific specification in his mind. Then when he encounters it in his devotional practice, he can recognize it as the real thing. And he will also recognize the bogus thing, the impure thing masquerading as bhakti. For example, many people get deceived by pyrite which is fools gold. They spend a lot of time digging it up, and then when they try to sell it, the assayer deems it worthless. An expert can recognize pyrite just by looking. Its too shiny and has a particular plasticky texture. Real gold isnt that shiny. Yoga, karma, jna or sense gratification may masquerade as bhakti. Many people think that if they worship God nicely, then their business will go well, theyll get a better job, or whatever it is that they want. Their idea of religion is that I go to God and pray, and He gives me what I want. Great. Except the problem is that God isnt like that. God is not a businessman; He doesnt say in Bhagavad-gt, You come and pray to Me and Ill make your business go very well. No, He says, You come and surrender everything, then well talk.

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sarva-dharmn parityajya mm eka araa vraja Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. [Bhagavad-gt 18.66]

First come and surrender. Ka says Just think of Me all the time, become My devotee, bow down to Me, worship Me, love Me with all your heart [Bhagavad-gt 9.34]. But if you cant do that, then follow the principles of regulated devotional service because in that way you will develop a desire to attain Me. If you cant do that, then work for Me. [Bhagavad-gt 12.9-11]. In other words, Dont expect Me to give you the results of your fruitive activity, but you give the results of your fruitive activity to Me. Ka wants to give you something much better than this nonsense materialistic business. We often see that aivites, Myvds and Buddhists are very materially opulent, but the devotees of Ka are impoverished, living very simply. Why? Nrada asked Ka the same question in rmad-Bhgavatam and Ka replied:
r-bhagavn uvca yasyham anughmi hariye tad-dhana anai tato dhana tyajanty asya svajan dukha-dukhitam sa yad vitathodyogo nirvia syd dhanehay mat-parai kta-maitrasya kariye mad-anugraham The Personality of Godhead said: If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another. When he becomes frustrated in his

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attempts to make money and instead befriends My devotees, I bestow My special mercy upon him. [rmad-Bhgavatam 10.88.8-9]

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Ka Consciousness is an Experience
Ka is trying to arrange our situation to give us His special mercy. What is that special mercy? Simply Himself. He gives Himself to His devotees, and this is so much better than any material reward, mystic power or speculative knowledge. Anything else you can imagine is going to be inferior to the taste of this eternal relationship with Ka. This is what we keep trying to tell people, and they keep misunderstanding it. They imagine, If I get this or that, then Ill be happy and everything will be wonderful. But even if they get their desired object, its nothing when compared with this happiness of being in love with Ka in pure devotional service. Nothing compares to prema. Ka consciousness is an experience; it cant be explained. Just like I may be enjoying some wonderful prasdam but I cant explain the taste. Its not possible. I can spend hours attempting to explain, but it wont do justice to the taste. Similarly, I could spend days trying to explain the taste of devotional service to Ka, but ultimately you just have to try it; you have to experience it for yourself. That is the only way you are going to understand. Just let me say that its fantastic. Its unprecedented. Its astounding. Its awesome. No, its more than awesome. Its flabbergasting! Hare Ka!

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Session 002: A Love Supreme

Topics:
The Qualities of r Ka Ka Contains all Rasas Glories of the Mdhurya-rasa Rdhr, the Topmost Gop Perfect Love Sdhana-bhakti: Begin with the End in Mind Love Means Service The Greatest Benefit

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Qualities of r Ka
In this session well continue with the magalcaraam, the opening verse from Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu.
Ka, the destroyer of all sin and the bestower of all bliss, the very form of the highest bliss, filled with all rasas, excels all others in glory. He brings Trak and Plik under His control by the diffusion of His beauty; He accepts ymal and Lalit as His equals; and gives pleasure to Rdh by His excellent qualities. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.1]

The qualities of bhaktiespecially pure bhaktiare amazing. Pure bhakti is the solution to all problems, the cure for all suffering and the path of liberation. Where does bhakti get these qualities? Bhakti gets its qualities from Ka. The qualities of r Ka are extremely elevated, and now were going to hear about them via Jva Gosvms commentary on r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu.
Acting as the source of all others: ete ca-kal pusa kas tu bhagavn svayam All the lists of incarnations of Godhead submitted herewith are either plenary expansions or parts of the plenary expansions of the Supreme Godhead, but Ka is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. [rmadBhgavatam 1.3.28]

Plenary means invested with the complete potency of Ka. The first plenary expansion of Ka is Lord Balarma, from Whom expands the catur-vyha: Sakaraa, Aniruddha, Vsudeva and Pradyumna.

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These are plenary expansions, and Their expansions are on the level of Mah-Viu and Garbhodakay Viu. Theyre considered partial expansions because They dont manifest all the 64 qualities of Godhead; well discuss this in more detail in the Southern Ocean of Bhakti-rasmtasindhu.
Another quality of Ka is that He exists eternally with all excellences: jayati jana-nivso devak-janma-vdo yadu-vara-pariat svair dorbhir asyann adharmam sthira-cara-vjina-ghna su-smita-r-mukhena vraja-pura-vanitn vardhayan kma-devam Lord Ka lives eternally with all excellences among the cowherd men and the Ydavas and is conclusively both the son of Devak and Yaod. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty and the cowherd men, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious in Vraja, Mathur, and Dvrak. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert, and the suffering of separation of the inhabitants of Vraja and Dvrak. His beautiful smiling face always increases the desires of the gops of Vndvana and women of Mathur and Dvrak. He remains eternally in this situation. [rmad-Bhgavatam 10.90.48]

Ka has all excellences, which are a permanent feature of His transcendental form. He never loses any of His powers or opulences.

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Ka Contains All Rasas


Another quality of Ka is akhila-rasmta-mrti: He is the source of all the forms of the different rasas, the ecstatic moods of loving enjoyment.
The cause of all these outstanding qualities (destroying all suffering, surpassing all, bestowing the greatest bliss, and being the source of everything) is then described. His unique feature which is the cause of all qualities is His form of supreme bliss [amta-mrti] since He contains all twelve rasas [akhila-rasa] starting with nta.

Rasa means a taste of enjoyment. Everyone has some taste or mood that they enjoy, and everything they enjoythe activities, the paraphernalia, the different objects of enjoyment that they try to collectis based on this fundamental mood. There are five basic devotional moods: neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parenthood and conjugal love.
tatra mukhya mukhyas tu pacadh nta prta prey ca vatsala madhura cety am jey yath-prvam anuttam Mukhya-rasa [primary rasa]: The primary bhakti-rasas are five: nta [neutrality], prti [servitorship], preyo [friendship], vatsala [parenthood] and madhurya [conjugal love], in order of [increasing] excellence. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 2.5.115]

There are also seven indirect moods:


atha gaua hsyodbhutas tath vra karuo raudra ity api bhaynaka sa bbhatsa iti gaua ca saptadh Gaua-rasa [secondary rasa]: There are seven secondary rasas: hsya [humor], adbhuta [astonishment], vra [heroism], karua

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[lamentation], raudra [anger], bhanyaka [fear] and bbhatsa [disgust]. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 2.5.116]

Ka is the source of these rasas, all of which are found in His pastimes and form. Heres evidence from rmad-Bhgavatam:
nanda-mrtim upaguhya dtma-labdha hyat-tvaco jahur anantam arindamdhim Taking Him into their hearts through their eyes, they embraced Him, the embodiment of all ecstasy, and as their bodily hairs stood on end, O subduer of enemies, they forgot the unlimited distress caused by His absence. [rmad-Bhgavatam 10.41.28] tvayy eva nitya-sukha-bodha-tanv anante myta udyad api yat sad ivvabhti This universe appears real because it is manifested by the potency of illusion emanating from You, whose unlimited transcendental forms are full of eternal happiness and knowledge. [rmadBhgavatam 10.14.22]

Heres a really good one:


mallnm aanir n nara-vara str smaro mrtimn gopn sva-jano 'sat kiti-bhuj st sva-pitro iu mtyur bhoja-pater vir avidu tattva para yogin vn para-devateti vidito raga gata sgraja The various groups of people in the arena regarded Ka in different ways when He entered it with His elder brother. The wrestlers saw Ka as a lighting bolt [vra-rasa], the men of Mathur saw Him as the best of males [vimaya-rasa], the women as cupid in person, [mdhura-rasa], the cowherd boys as their relatives [sakhya-rasa and hsya-rasa], the impious rulers as a chastiser [raudra-rasa], His parents as their child [vtsala-rasa and karuarasa], the king of the Bhojas, Kasa, as death personified [bhaynaka-rasa], the unintelligent as the Supreme Lords univer-

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sal form [bbhatsa-rasa], the yogs as the Absolute Truth [ntarasa], and the Vis as their supreme worshipable Deity [dsyarasa]. [rmad-Bhgavatam 10.43.17]

All the rasas are present in this one verse. The different people present in the wrestling arena saw Ka in their own way, because of the differences in their consciousness. This happens all the time. People see the same thing differently, according to their desires and mentality. A passerby may see a car crash and think, Oh, thats terrible! What a tragedy. An ambulance driver would think, I have to get to work now. A lawyer may think, I can make some money. The victims relatives would be grief-stricken because their loved one was injured. Everyone sees the same object or event differently, according to their desire. Therefore it is natural that everyone also sees Ka according to their desire. Whats striking is that Ka manifested all twelve possible rasas in one activity. Thats why Ka is so wonderful. Kas qualities reflected in the consciousness of the devotees gives rise to rasa. Ka has all qualities. A pure devotee manifests a relationship in one of the five principal rasas, depending on which of Kas qualities he is most attracted to. The decorations of the seven indirect rasas will then manifest around that. So Ka can walk into a room filled with twelve devotees who have twelve different relationships with Him. Everybody is experiencing some kind of rasa in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but not all of those are considered devotional service. Devotional service requires a positive attitude toward Ka. For example, Kasa was intensely absorbed in thoughts of Ka, but he was thinking of Ka as death personified. Ka may have enjoyed killing Kasa, who even got liberation, but his activities dont

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count as devotional service because they were not done with the intention of pleasing Ka. On the other hand, when Mother Yaod put Ka down to stop the pot of milk from boiling over, Ka was not pleased and started to cry. In spite of Kas displeasure, her activity is accepted as devotional service because her intention was to serve Him nice sweet rice.

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Glories of the Mdhurya-rasa


Ka can manifest all rasas simultaneously. This is His great excellence. Nobody else is capable of thisnot even the other Personalities of Godhead, because none of Them have this particular glory of the mdhuryarasa known as parakya-rasa. Parakya means unmarried conjugal love. Svakya means married conjugal love, and we see many other forms of Godhead manifesting that rasabut only Ka manifests the parakyarasa. Therefore Kas glories exceed all the other Personalities of Godhead. The next line of the magalcaraam verse is:
prasmara-ruci-ruddha-trak-pli One sees the superiority of Kas appearance in this world through the supreme position of His followers who are endowed with the highest quality of rasas. This reaches its highest degree with those persons endowed with the supreme conjugal rasa (and thus the magala verse depicts Kas relationship with the gops). gopyas tapa kim acaran yad amuya rpa lvaya-sram asamordhvam ananya-siddham dgbhi pibanty anusavbhinava durpam eknta-dhma yaasa rya aivarasya What austerities the gops must have performed! With their eyes they always drink the nectar of Lord Kas form, which is the essence of loveliness and is not to be equaled or surpassed. That loveliness is the only abode of beauty, fame, and opulence. It is self-perfect, ever fresh, and extremely rare.[rmad-Bhgavatam 10.44.14]

The gops have a special position where they can perceive all of Kas opulences. Nobody else gets to see these confidential things within the
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groves of Vndvanonly the gops and their servants. Even the other inhabitants of Vndvan dont get to see these most intimate pastimes. Thus, to see the complete opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must enter into these conjugal pastimes of Goloka Vndvan. This is why the conjugal rasaespecially in Vndvanis praised so greatly: only in these gra pastimes are the complete glories of Ka revealed. The mdhurya-rasa is also known as di-rasa [the original rasa], because it includes the qualities of all the other rasas. All the rasas can be found within the mdhurya-rasa. Here are some more excellent verses:
trailokya-lakmy-eka-pada vapur dadhat His transcendental body, the exclusive abode of beauty and opulence within the three worlds, shone brilliantly as the gops worshiped Him. [rmad-Bhgavatam 10.32.14] tatrtiuubhe tbhir bhagavn devak-suta madhye man haimn mah-marakato yath In the midst of the dancing gops, Lord Ka appeared most brilliant, like an exquisite sapphire in the midst of golden ornaments. [rmad-Bhgavatam 10.33.6]

rmad-Bhgavatam is telling us that if we want to see the greatest beauty, we should approach Lord Ka in this conjugal mood and become servants of the gops:
gop-bhartu pada-kamalayor dsa-dsnudsa [r Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya 13.80]

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My name comes from this verse. It means that one should aspire to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the gops. This is the best position because only in this way does one get to see Ka in His original form, His complete opulence, without any covering, without anything left out. Thats Ka. All other manifestations are derived from that view of Ka. So that original view of Ka in the mdhurya-rasa is the most coveted, rare, amazing and astonishing thingthe highest experience of any spiritual path. No other spiritual path can offer this, not even the other Vaiava sampradyas. They go up to vtsalya-rasa [parental relationship] but they dont give this conjugal relationship, which is very rare. Its only by the mercy of Lord Caitanya that we have access to this.

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Rdhr, the Topmost Gop


The next verse is about the gops.
The chief ten among all the gops are described in the Uttara-khaa of the Bhaviya Pura: gopl plik dhany vikhny dhanihak rdhnurdh sombh trak daam tath The ten chief gops are Gopl (head of a group friendly with Candrval), Plik (friendly with Candrval), Dhany (an unmarried gop), Vikh (Rdhs sakh with her own group), as well as Dhanih (Lalits sakh), Rdh, Lalit (also known as Anurdh), Candrval (also known as Sombh, Rdhs chief competitor), Trak (Rdhs sakh, somewhat distant) and Daam.

These ten gops are the leaders of the groups of gops that serve Ka in the forest of Vndvan. These groups are called yuthas or gaas, and they each have a different mood within the conjugal mood. They have different functions and services that they perform.
With the intention of showing the devotees with the highest rasa, and in order to show the successive superiority of rasa in pairs of chief gops, Rpa Gosvm first mentions the two gops Trak and Pl, who are of lesser stature of the chief gops, and points out the excellence of rasa by their example. Ka controls [ruddha] Trak and Pl by His beautiful features [ruci], which radiate outwards [prasmara]. ... The two chief gops of medium status are then described. Ka accepts ymal and Lalitmaking them His very self.

Thats an expression which means theyre very dear friends. Ka accepts these gops as equal to Himself. Why? Because they have a deeper under-

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standing and realization of the conjugal rasa, and they help Rdh and Ka meet and realize Their desires in conjugal love.
Then the supreme among the chief gops is mentioned. Ka gives most pleasure to Rdh [rdh-preyn]. ... In consideration of Rdhs most extraordinary nature, She is not described in a similar way as the two other pairs of gops. In the first two pairs of gops, Ka is the agent of enjoying but in the case of Rdh, He gives pleasure to Her. Therefore, She must be considered to be the chief gop. This fact is mentioned in the Padma Pura, describing Rdh-kua: yatha rdh priy vio tasy kuam priya tath sarva-gopu saivaik vior atyanta-vallabh Rdhs kua is as dear to the Lord as Rdh Herself. She alone among all the gops is dearest to the Lord. [Padma Pura, Krtika Mhtmya] The Matsya and Skanda Puras also show Her as the main gop in Vndvan, though the statement is made considering Her nondifferent from Rukmi only in the sense that ... as Rukmi is the chief queen in Dvrak, Rdh is the chief gop in Vndvan. In the k-pariia it is said: rdhay mdhavo devo mdhavenaiva radhik vibhrjante janeu Among all people, Ka eternally shines with supreme qualities in the company of Rdh. And Rdh shines with supreme qualities only in the company of Ka. It is Rdh, therefore, who is described in the following Bhgavatam verse:

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anayrdhito nna bhagavn harir vara yan no vihya govinda prto ym anayad raha Certainly this particular gop has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, Govinda, since He was so pleased with Her that He abandoned the rest of us, and brought Her to a secluded place. [rmadBhgavatam 10.30.28]

This is a verse from the description of the rasa dance, where the gops and Ka were dancing. Suddenly Ka disappeared with Rdh, and the rest of the gops were left wondering why. The answer is that She has perfectly worshiped Him. Ka gets complete satisfaction only from Rdh. She is the chief among all devotees. The gops are very exalted devotees, and so are the other residents of Vndvan. But even among the gops, Rdh is the topmost. The other gops are considered expansions of Her and reflect Her various qualities. We will discuss these technical aspects of rasa in great detail. The subject of rasa is so extensive that its like an ocean. The qualities of rasa that one can relish are unlimited, eternal, ever-expanding and ever-fresh. Therefore it requires an extensive explanation to understand bhakti-rasa. What is bhakti? And what is rasa? Bhakti is the method of reviving our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. We are not these bodies; we are spirit souls emanated by the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Ka, and the proof of this is explained in this first verse of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu: He displays more exalted qualities than all other Personalities of Godhead, Who are
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simply His expansions. Ka is the original from Whom all others are derived, just as Rdh is the original devotee from Whom all other servants of God expand, including ourselves. Therefore our relationship is with Ka, and specifically with Rdh because were all Her servants. This is the meaning of dsnudsa. Rdh is a servant, ds, and were also servants, dsa. But were not independent servants; were dsnudsa, following in the footsteps of the servants. If we follow in the footsteps of Rdh then we will be very successful in pleasing Ka, and will get a relationship with Ka of the same or similar quality as Rdh. Obviously bhakti is not a thing of this world. Its not material at all, although we perform actions with our material senses in the very neophyte stage. But even those actions have to be accompanied by some spiritual quality. That spiritual quality is love.

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Perfect Love
Spiritual life and love are virtually synonymous. You cant have real love without spiritual life, and you cant have spiritual life without love. Any attempt to do so is misguided, and will be a complete failure. Ka may be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He isnt a cranky old man sitting on a cloud, hurling thunderbolts at people and condemning them to hell. No, He is a beautiful eternal youth, simply playing in the spiritual world, enjoying ecstatic pastimes of love with His devotees eternally. Ka has nothing to do; everything is done automatically by His potencies, simply by His desire. This is the meaning of omnipotence. He does whatever He likes to do. And what does He like to do? He likes to love His devotees; He likes to engage in pastimes of love. This is God. God means the highest aesthetic person, the most creative person, the most beautiful person, the most loving and beloved person. Otherwise what meaning is there to God? Love means a relationship with God. You cannot have love in the material world; you cannot have love with other living entities devoid of a relationship with God, because all those relationships are imperfect. Everything in this material world is imperfect. There are always mistakes, our mind and senses are imperfect, and of course, we have the well-known human tendency to cheat. Therefore every relationship in this material world is covered by these erroneous or illusory qualities. How can you have love in an atmosphere like that? You can only have love when the relationship is based on or related to our original eternal relationship with Ka. In order to be satisfying, a relationship has to be eternal. If we really have love, we dont want it to end. Any relationship in this material world is
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bound to end, and so that cant be love. It could be a reflection or imitation of love, but its not real love. Real love is eternal and flawless. Its not that one day youre in love and the next day youre fighting. No. Real love is always sweet, always beautiful and always growing. Its perfect. Thats what love means: a perfect relationship. Perfectly beautiful, perfectly pleasing, perfectly aesthetic. In this material world there are no relationships like that. We can only dream about it; its just a desire. If we want to enjoy that kind of relationship, we have to approach Ka. Bhakti is the art of reviving our original loving relationship with Ka, and rasa is the particular taste of that relationship. Of the five primary rasas, the mood of conjugal love is the highest because it contains all the others. Therefore we want to approach Ka in this mood of conjugal love. Since were celibate, you might say, What do you know about conjugal love? Well actually, quite a bit. For example, if a couple is engaged to be married and expect to live together for the rest of their lives, neither would have an affair during the engagement. That would ruin everything. Were in the same position. If we have an affair with someone else while were engaged to be married to Ka, what kind of an engagement is that? What kind of love is that? What kind of dedication and commitment is that? Thats not spiritual love. Thats not eternal. Thats not perfect. So if were serious about conjugal love with Ka, were going to be celibate in this world. In the spiritual world its a different story, but Im getting ahead of the subject.

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Sdhana-bhakti: Begin with the End in Mind


Sdhana-bhakti is the process of reviving our relationship with Ka. It begins with different bodily activities by which we try to develop our spiritual qualities, purify our consciousness and approach Ka in different ways according to the science of bhakti. For example we chant, play musical instruments, dance and perform Deity worship with our material senses. We also use the mind by engaging in study, contemplation, memorizing different prayers and stories about Ka, thinking about Kas qualities and thinking about our service to Ka. So the body and mind should be engaged in Kas service even though theyre material, because theyre Kas energy. This is the basic principle of sdhana. As we advance in sdhana beyond the neophyte stage, once we attain anartha-nivtti, cessation of material desire, we enter the second stage of sdhana, called rgnuga-sdhana. Rgnuga-bhakti is real bhakti-sdhana, in which we begin to cultivate a particular mood of love toward Ka. This mood is called rasa. The specific rasa that each of us has with Ka already exists; it exists eternally, without beginning or end. This is called sthy-bhva, steady loving ecstasy. In material existence our sthy-bhva has become covered over by this material body and mind, but by performing sdhana we cleanse this contamination. In particular, by chanting the Holy Name of the Lord we cleanse the contamination of the mind and heart, and revive our original relationship, our original understanding and mood of love toward Ka. The beginning stage of sdhana involves the material body and senses, but the middle stage of sdhana involves this cultivation of rasa. The higher
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stage, when sdhana becomes mature, is called bhva-bhakti. Bhva-bhakti means that one fully recovers ones sthy-bhva or transcendental ecstatic feeling toward the Lord. One achieves the highest perfection of premabhakti only by cultivating this feeling. This is the goal toward which all bhakti is developed. If we dont have a conception of sdhana-bhakti based on this goal of attaining prema, our sdhana will fail. We will not attain prema-bhakti. We have seen this happen many times, which is why I mention it. Many devotees begin the process of sdhana with some misconception. They start thinking that success in devotional service means attaining a high position in a religious organization, collecting many followers or a lot of money, power or fame. They want some kind of recognition and influence over other people, and pursue these things with more enthusiasm than their actual relationship with Ka. Because of this they eventually fall down from bhakti. Their bhakti is only a shell; theyre faking it, pretending to be a bhakti-yog while on the inside theyre actually trying to get fame, money and power. A shell has no substance inside; its hollow and so eventually falls apart. Thus we see that these devotees cannot continue their sdhana over a long period of time, because they remain in the stage of mixed devotional service and do not attain the higher stage of bhakti-sdhana: rgnuga-bhakti.

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Love Means Service


Rgnuga-bhakti is attained when one reaches the stage of anartha-nivtti. Anartha-nivtti means that all material desires, material activities and imperfections of the mind and heart are cleansed. One has no more material desires. All his desires are centered on satisfying Ka. Rgnuga-bhakti doesnt mean that we just sit in a corner and chant, and never go anywhere or do anything. It means we perform all our activities with the aim of satisfying Kanot for our own satisfaction. We act out of love. It is not a change in activity but a transformation of our motivation. Love means service. If we really love somebody, then of course we want to please them by our service. Its not just a sentimental expression, I love you, that isnt followed up with action. No, love is a practical thing: service. My service is teaching. Im trying to show my students how to preach by my example, because the great need in the world today is for people who can teach and present this science of bhakti-rasa. Thats why were focusing on Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Even among devotees, there is a great misunderstanding of this particular topic: what is bhakti, and what is rasa? Because of this, we see some very strange things. One older devotee from India claims to teach rgnugabhakti, but gives more rules than standard bhakti. Rgnuga means spontaneous. How can it be spontaneous if its rule-based? This is a fundamental misunderstanding of what rgnuga-bhakti is. Rgnuga-bhakti means youre free from rules. In the beginning stages of bhakti the rules are necessary, but once you understand their purpose you
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earn the freedom to go beyond them. A real expert is someone so competent at following the rules that he transcends them and attains their purpose. And in bhakti, the purpose of the rules is very simple: always remember Ka, never forget Ka. If you simply remember Ka constantly, consistently and favorably for a long time, you will develop bhakti. It might sound simple but its not easy, because in this world there are many distractions. In a devotional community these distractions are minimized and one can focus on remembering Ka. The easiest way to do this is to always chant Kas name: Hare Ka or o namo bhagavate vsudevya. There are many ways to remember Ka: doing service for Ka, hearing about Ka, reading about Ka, worshiping in the temple, cleaning, cooking, painting and we even use computers quite creatively to serve Ka. All our activities can be engaged in serving Ka, no matter what our interests are or what the level of our intelligence is. Thats the beginning of devotional service, karma-yoga. Then, after a short period of time, one begins to think of Ka favorably because he starts getting the results of karma-yoga, which include economic development, various kinds of blessings, auspiciousness and relief from material distress. Any engagement in bhakti-yoga bestows so many benefits, far more than can be described. However, if we are in love with Ka then it is very easy to remember Him.

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The Greatest Benefit


The greatest benefit of Ka consciousness is Ka consciousness itself, because simply by thinking of Ka, one experiences so much pleasure. All the verses that we quoted earlier from rmad-Bhgavatam describe how wonderful Ka and His activities are, how beautiful His form is, how Hes full of all rasas, full of all flavors of enjoyment, how Hes on the topmost level of artistic craftsmanship, how His relationships are so beautiful, aesthetic, wonderful and true. Who would not want to be in relationship with a person like Ka? Only a fool! And so this world is full of fools and rascals who dont want to be in relationship with Ka, but who want to try to imitate the qualities of Ka as the enjoyer, the owner, the creator, the controller, the doer and the knower. Of course theyre not very good at that; especially when they try to imitate Ka as a lover, they completely fail. So when we give up this foolish and futile imitation of Ka, and instead begin to serve Him, we begin our engagement in bhakti. This bhakti can go from the beginning stage up to a very high stage of realization. So high that it never actually ends; it continues forever. Thats another wonderful quality of bhakti: its eternal. The path of bhakti is never exhausted; you never reach the end. You never get to the point where you say, Yeah, Ive been here. I know that. No. Its everexpanding, more and more astonishing at each turn. You think it just cant get any betterand then it does! Bhakti is the eternal engagement for the eternal spirit soul. Even if we want material pleasure, bhakti is still the best thing because it will get you material pleasure almost effortlesslyand then youll see how insignificant material pleasure is, compared with spiritual pleasure. The real enThe Greatest Benefit 93

joyment and purpose of life is to taste this spiritual pleasure of bhakti: bhakti-rasa. Rasa means taste. Someone who has taste knows about aesthetics, knows whats pleasing, and they exercise this taste in their activities. Because of this, they enjoy life more than the typical person. We should endeavor to acquire taste. If we dont have it, then we should desire to acquire good taste. And the best taste, of course, is the appreciation of the qualities and activities of Ka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Hare Ka!

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Session 003: Incomparable Bhakti

Topics:
The Key to Understanding Rasa Transcendental Inspiration Invoking Gurus Mercy Great Fish in the Ocean of Bhakti-rasa Liberation: Why Bother? Satisfaction for the Soul The Richness of Bhakti Looking for Love

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The Key to Understanding Rasa


In previous sessions of this Bhakti Master Class series, we discussed how Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu came to be written by the inspiration of Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Ka in this Kali-yuga. Lord Caitanya continuously instructed Rpa Gosvm at Prayg for ten days, and then commanded him to write books based on His instruction. These instructions are the highest, most complete exposition of devotional service to the Supreme Lord, because they are given by the Supreme Lord Himself, Who appeared as His own worshiper. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is perhaps the most important of all of Rpa Gosvms books because it gives the background philosophy by which all the other rasa-stras, including rmad-Bhgavatam, must be understood. Pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord is a very elevated and technical subject that requires a lot of education, training and experience to master. If you just pull a book off the shelflike rmad-Bhgavatam, Lalita-Mdhava, Vidagdha-mdhava or Ka-Karmtaand start reading, you would encounter so many expressions related to rasa. Without the understanding of rasa given in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu and similar works like the Nrada-bhakti-stras, you wouldnt be able to understand anything. When Westerners came to India and read some of these books, they couldnt understand anything. They got it completely wrong; they thought Ka was a village god and that His activities were mythology, because they could not understand the nature of the sweet relationship between the soul and God, or rasa. Similarly, before those who are neophytes in devotional service can advance, they must study this profound wisdom of rasa-tattva. Rasa means the sweet emotional relationship beSession 003: Incomparable Bhakti 97

tween the soul and the Lord. This is the essence of bhakti. If we are to become advanced in bhakti we have to learn this great science of how to cultivate rasa. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is the key to understanding, practicing and experiencing rasa for ourselves.

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Transcendental Inspiration
In this session well continue where we left off in Bhakti Master Class Session 002, with the second verse:
hdi yasya preraay pravartitoha varka-rpopi tasya hare pada-kamala vande caitanya-devasya I offer my respects to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord in the form of Caitanya-deva. Though I am a vile person by nature, by His inspiration within my heart, I have undertaken this work. [r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu 1.1.2]

Here is Jva Gosvms commentary:


In this verse, the author offers his respects to the avatra who delivers the people of Kali-yuga by spreading devotion to Himself, r-r Ka-Caitanya-deva, the Supreme Lord, and particularly to His lotus feet, which have become his shelter. By His inspiration within my heart I have been able to accomplish this work. He addresses himself as low [varka-rpa] out of humility. Sarasvat however cannot tolerate that. Therefore, she produces another meaning. Vara also means the best. combined with k becomes kyati , which means boldly indicates. Therefore, varka stands for varam kyati. She praises him as the person who is clearly indicated as the best. The word api in the verse indicates that only by the inspiration of the Lord, and not otherwise, will the person be able to dedicate himself to writing a worthy literary work.

This is the second verse, the opening of the book. rla Rpa Gosvm is trying to set the mood and tone for the whole work. It begins with a statement of the authors feeling of humility, where he says, I am a low, vile person by my very nature. I have no qualification for understanding this bhakti; but somehow or other by the inspiration of
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Mahprabhu I have now been engaged in the task of spreading this knowledge. Its the nature of a bhakta to feel very low and unqualified. We also feel unqualified to spread this very high knowledge. But our spiritual master rla Prabhupda engaged us in this work, so somehow or other by his inspiration and mercy its turning out successfully. The second part of the purport is interesting. Jva Gosvm often became the defender of his uncle Rpa Gosvm, whose knowledge and understanding of the Vedas was quite controversial in his time and faced many challenges. Therefore Jva Gosvm says, Even after he addresses himself as low out of humility, Sarasvat cannot tolerate that. Sarasvat is the goddess of learning, and is in charge of Sanskrit grammar. Jva Gosvm takes the same words and interprets them differently by using Sanskrit roots, dhtus. He skillfully derives the opposite meaning: that Rpa Gosvm is the best of men, who boldly indicates the actual truth. The guru looks at himself as being very low and unqualified, but the disciple always sees his guru as being the most qualified. This is a perfect example of the mood of bhakti and the relationship between the guru and disciple. Finally, the conclusion is that the only way someone can write a worthy literary workwhich means a book of transcendental knowledgeis by the direct inspiration of the Lord. If we try to write something or speculate something from our own opinions or knowledge, it will fail. It may get us a little temporary influence, but it wont have any potency and certainly wont endure.

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When rla Prabhupda came to the West he introduced this subject of bhakti, which had not been studied or understood very well by Westerners. Up until then there had been teachers from India who had come to the West and explained yoga, meditation and different types of liberation, but their orientation was mostly impersonal. In impersonalism there cannot be any bhakti because bhakti means love, and love can exist only in a relationship between persons. The Supreme Lord is a person, the di-purua or original person, and the worshiper is also a person. When these two persons have a wonderful sweet relationship based on transcendental love, this is bhakti. But none of the teachers who came from India before rla Prabhupda were bhaktas; they were all impersonalists, voidists or Buddhists, saying that nothingness is the Absolute Truth. Of course, love is not possible in nothingness or void. Impersonalism actually means extinguishing ones individuality and personality, and so theres no question of love in that event. rla Prabhupda was the first teacher to come from India and give the means by which we can experience transcendental love, bhakti. Westerners are proud by nature, but when we begin to study bhakti, if we are intelligent we quickly realize that we are fallen and limited in every way. Bhakti is the actual conclusion of the Vedas. If you study the Vedas properly, you will also come to the same conclusion and engage yourself in cultivating this transcendental relationship of pure devotional service to the Lord.

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Invoking Gurus Mercy


The next verse reads:
virma-mandiraty tasya santana-tanor mad-asya bhakti-rasmta-sindhur bhavatu sadyam pramodya May this work named the ocean of nectar composed of bhakti-rasa always serve as the recreation hall of my Lord manifested in the form called Santana [Gosvm] for His pleasure. [r Bhakti-rasmtasindhu 1.1.3]

Jva Gosvms commentary:


Praising his guru Santana as the avatra of his worshipable Lord, the author makes a prayer. This scripture is called the ocean of nectar, in which the nectar is bhakti-rasa. May this work serve as the resting place of my Lord r Ka who, though always situated in His own form [santana-tano], manifests many other forms including the body called Santana. In addition, the ocean is the resting place of another eternally perfect form called Nryaa. In this case the normal meaning of santana [eternal] is taken.

Theres a footnote here:


Thus, the verse is a metaphor. As Nryaa, with eternal body, lies down on the milk ocean and takes rest, may Santana, the empowered expansion of Ka, lie down and take rest in the work called the ocean of bhakti-rasa.

This is another example of the disciple worshiping his guru. In this case Rpa Gosvm is worshiping Santana Gosvm, the eldest of the six Gosvms. The concept of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu was actually Santana Gosvms idea: to make a deep ontological analysis of bhakti; to give the complete explanation of the terminology, concepts and classifications of
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different types of bhakti. In this way, anyone desiring to to cultivate bhakti would have the necessary background knowledge and the scientific explanation of bhakti; they would be able to approach this great science without any confusion or misconception. We have seen that neophyte devotees who attempt to practice bhakti without the necessary ontological background frequently misunderstand it, and consequently become deviated into pratih: falldowns such as sense gratification, pride, pursuit of temporary name and fame, useless logic and argument, institutional politics and so forth. These anarthas occur specifically because they lack the understanding of rasa-tattva necessary to taste real transcendental pleasure. r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu supplies the ontological background necessary to understand and relish Kas transcendental pastimes as presented in rmad-Bhgavatam, without which they may seem to be merely pleasant mythological stories.

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Great Fish in the Ocean of Bhaktirasa


bhakti-rasmta-sindhau carata paribhta-kla-jla-bhiya bhakta-makarn alita-mukti-nadkn namasmi I offer my respects to the devotees who are like makaras, kings among fishes, frolicking in the sweet ocean of devotional rasa; who disregard the insignificant rivers of liberation; and who are free from fear caused by the net of time. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.4]

Heres Jva Gosvms commentary on this verse:


Having offered his respects to r Santana by name (but through literary device), the author offers his respects to all the other devotees who are also dear to him, without specifying particular devotees. The devotees are compared to makaras. The makara is an aquatic animal and is called as the king of fish.

This is another metaphor. Rpa Gosvm is comparing the great devotees to makaras. The makaras are great fish, even greater than the timigila fish. A timigila fish can swallow a whale just like a snack. In the oceans of this world we dont see such a fish; but in the causal oceanthe ocean of the higher worldthere are many fish that are too big to live in this worldly ocean. Just because we dont experience something in this worldlike a particular kind of fish in this earthly oceandoesnt mean it doesnt exist someplace else in Gods great creation. Similarly, just because we dont normally experience pure love of God, pure bhakti, it doesnt mean that someone else is incapable of that experience. Just because we are fallen, unintelligent, contaminated and degradedand as a result cant imagine pure, unconditional, unselfish, eternal love and service of the Supreme
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Personality of Godheadit doesnt mean that no one else can have it. If we can imagine it, think about it and write about it, then certainly it must exist somewhere. In fact, this exalted pure love does exist in great personalities who have realized rasa-tattva. These great personalities are compared to great fish that exist in the oceans of higher planets. These great fish dont go into the rivers because the rivers are insignificant; they arent big enough for them. A great fish coming to the mouth of a river would see how small and shallow it is; the fish would immediately reject the river and simply go back into the open sea. Similarly, the rivers of impersonal liberation [moka] and voidism are too small for the great devotees. The great devotees need more facility; they need more space than that; they need a bigger game. These very small and insignificant philosophies, like impersonalism and voidism, cant hold the interest of a truly spiritually developed person for very long. As soon as he hears about them he rejects them, because they offer no support for bhakti. The great devotees reject these impersonal and actually materialistic ideas because theyre not big enough, theyre not complex enough, theyre not rich enough, beautiful enough and theyre not satisfying to the soul. So if these great souls have rejected this nonsense idea then we should also follow in their footsteps and not entertain the idea that we are God, or that the Absolute Truth is nothingness. These are all very poverty-stricken concepts compared to bhakti. If you will kindly remain patient and go through the whole science of bhakti-rasa with us, you will also see what a great ocean it is, a vast science, complete and extensive. You will know it to be so vast that you could never find its limit even in a thousand lifetimes, a million years or even sahasra-koi years. Thats the way it has to be, because spiritual life is
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unlimited and eternal. You never find any end or any insufficiency in it. Its ever-expanding, ever-fresh, always beautiful, increasingly interesting and satisfying. Thats pure bhakti.

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Liberation: Why Bother?


Jva Gosvms commentary continues:
The devotees are similar to the makara in three ways. Firstly, the devotees as makaras joyfully swim in unlimited bhakti-rasa, which is compared to an ocean of nectar, which is the final shelter of various types of rivers of liberation and is full of the highest bliss. Secondly, the devotees ignore liberation which is compared to a river [alita-mukti-nadkn]the happiness of merging in brahmaneven though that happiness cuts the bondage of birth and death, and even though that happiness flows eternally, just as a river provides relief and flows constantly without ever stopping. Sometimes the word andta is seen in place of alita in the verse. The devotees ignore liberation because they prefer to play in the ocean of bhakti-rasa. This is illustrated in the following verses: slokya-sri-smpyasrpyaikatvam apy uta dyamna na ghanti vin mat-sevana jan A pure devotee does not accept any kind of liberationslokya, sri, smpya, srpya or ekatvaeven though they are offered by the Supreme Personality of Godheadif that does not include service to Him. [rmadBhgavatam 3.29.13] mat-sevay pratta te slokydi-catuayam necchanti sevay pr kuto nyat kla-viplutam My devotees, who are always satisfied to be engaged in My loving service, are not interested even in the four principles of liberation [slokya, srpya, smpya and sri], although
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these are automatically achieved by their service. What then is to be said of perishable happiness such as elevation to the higher planetary systems? [rmad-Bhgavatam 9.4.67]

The five types of liberation are:


Slokya: to reside on the same planet as the Lord. Srpya: to have the same form as the Lord. Smpya: to have the personal association of the Lord. Sri: to have the same opulences as the Lord. Syujya or Ekatva: to merge into the existence of the Lord.

Devotees can sometimes accept the first four types of liberation if they include facility for devotional service to the Lord. However, they never accept the fifth kind of liberationimpersonal liberation, or merging into the existence of the Lordbecause it extinguishes their personal existence, without which there cant be any service or love. The devotees may sometimes accept the other kinds of liberation, but only if they can offer their service to the Lord in the spiritual world. The interesting thing about the first four kinds of liberation is that they are automatically given to devotees who attain pure devotional service. The devotees automatically go to the planet of the Lord; they automatically get a form similar in quality to the Lord and engage in wonderful pastimes eternally in the spiritual world. People struggle so hard to gain liberation. But we see that the impersonalists are actually unable to gain itor they wouldnt be opening hospitals and running charitable organizations. They would be so satisfied with their spiritual relationship with the Lord that they wouldnt have any need for these material engagements. To attain some kind of liberation before becoming a pure devotee, we have to earn itwhich would be a huge undertaking lasting many life110 Bhakti Master Class Eastern Ocean First Wave Part 1

times. But we can have pure bhakti now, simply by desiring it. The problem is that we dont know how to desire pure devotional service. As a result we cheat ourselves by desiring something inferior like liberation. Generally the Lord doesnt even offer his devotees liberation, material enjoyment, or anything that would retard their devotional advancement. But if we desire some kind of liberation, Hell give it to us because He actually fulfills all our hearts desires. But the rewards of pure bhakti automatically include all kinds of liberation. If you didnt know this, it might make sense to pursue these kinds of liberation. But once you know this, why not just go for the highest? Why would you strive for anything other than pure bhakti? Jva Gosvm continues:
Thirdly, in the ocean of bhakti-rasa, they disregard [paribhta] the fear arising from time, which causes a succession of miseries through the bondage of birth and death, just as fish swimming in the deep ocean are free from the fear of the fishermens nets [paribhta-kla-jlabhiya]. This is understood from the following verse: te deva-siddha-parigta-pavitra-gth ye sdhava samado bhagavat-prapann tn nopasdata harer gadaybhiguptn nai vaya na ca vaya prabhva-nma 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 the demigods and the inhabitants of Siddhaloka sing their narrations. Please do not even go near them. The club of the Supreme Personality of Godhead always protects them, and therefore Lord Brahm, I, and even the time factor are not competent to chastise them. [rmad-Bhgavatam 6.3.27]
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This loka is spoken by Yamarja in the story of Ajmila. Rpa Gosvm compares the miseries caused by time to fishermens nets. In the deep ocean, the range of their net is insignificant. The ocean is miles deep in places, while their net is maybe a hundred feet at most. So the fish escape the suffering of being trapped in the net by diving deep into the ocean. Similarly, the devotees escape the suffering caused by the net of time by diving deep into the ocean of bhakti-rasa.

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Satisfaction for the Soul


Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is an ocean of the nectar of rasa. Rasa means that which is relishable and tasteful. When we see someone enjoying life, who is expert in different tasteful arrangements for enjoyment, we say that they have taste or style. What is taste? Taste means knowledge of what is enjoyable, and style means elegance and sophistication. Rasa is all about taste, and maturity in devotional service means a polished style of giving pleasure to the Lord. One of Kas names is Rasarja, the king of taste and style. Rasa is the prime subject matter, or the prime process for enjoying life because it is amta. Amta means nectar, but it also means deathless or eternal. When we offer rasa to Ka He enjoys, and then we get to enjoy His remnants as prasdam. If we really want to enjoy, we must enjoy something eternal. If we try to enjoy something material, we know that it is temporary, that is going to disappear or die. We would always have the specter of death hovering over our enjoyment. We would know that someday this method or object of enjoyment is going to be destroyed. So why should we accept this kind of enjoyment that is simply temporary, conditional and bound to end? We are eternal spirit souls; we are pure consciousness, so why should we accept a form of enjoyment that is inferior to our own self? It is simply a disturbance to the mind and heart. This body, mind, intelligence and false ego are all inferior to the soul. Enjoyment of the false ego means to think, I am the enjoyer of all I survey; enjoyment of the mind is to engage in different kinds of speculation; enjoyment of the body is to gratify the material senses. All these types of enjoyment are inferior and in bad taste, because they are not on the same
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platform as our real self; they are not on the same level as the soul. The soul is eternal, transcendental and subtle. Therefore nothing material can ever satisfy the soul, and this manifests in peoples behavior: they enjoy something for a while, and then give it up to enjoy something else. For example, people engage in sex life for a few minutes, and then light up a cigarette. If sex life was really that enjoyable, why dont they continue with it? Why stop it and do something else? This is called bhoga-tyga. Bhoga means sense enjoyment and tyga means renunciation. Everyone exhibits this bhoga-tyga: trying to enjoy one thing, then giving it up to try and enjoy something else. The businessman works hard all week in the office, but he cant enjoy that perpetually; so on the weekend he gives up his office work and tries to enjoy in a club or takes a holiday. But thats too expensive, so he has to give that up and go back to work to save more money. This is going on; this is material life. But the devotees do the same thing every day: chanting the name of the Lord, preaching, studying, playing beautiful music, all for the pleasure of Ka. We have the best food, the best music and the best knowledge. Its a nice, clean and simple life. As devotees, we always make beautiful arrangements for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, and consequently we get to live in beautiful surroundings and circumstances. Even so, we live very simply; we dont care for elaborate arrangements for our sense gratification. This is actually more pleasurable because we dont have to spend so much time taking care of our possessions. There are so many practical advantages of being a devotee. And thats the least of it because the real pleasure we experience is internal, due to our wonderful relationship with Ka.

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Were not trying to squeeze a little drop of enjoyment out of this harsh material world. We simply do our duty externally, live simply, and internally we relish our relationship with Ka. This is the real taste, the real source of enjoyment. This is bhakti-rasa amta: the deathless nectar of devotional relationshipecstatic transcendental love.

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The Richness of Bhakti


There are many flavors of bhakti, ecstatic love of Ka. An ice cream store may have twelve, twenty-seven or a hundred and fifty flavors; but bhakti-rasa has twelve basic flavors that can be combined in unlimited different ways. The twelve notes of the musical octave can be combined into an unlimited number of pleasing compositions. Similarly, if you know what youre doing, you can make unlimited tasteful and relishable mixtures of these different flavors of bhvas and rasas. This is very pleasing to Ka. The devotees are always relishing these beautiful tastes of relationship with Ka, and as a result they dont feel compelled to seek inferior forms of enjoyment in the material world. This is real happiness; this is real enjoyment. This is real pleasure because its spiritual, its internal. You cant see it, touch it or measure it with any kind of instrument because its pure consciousness, but its definitely there, and we can taste it. When we sit down to a nice meal and eat our fill, we feel satisfied. No one else can measure that satisfaction, but it is certainly real to us. Just as certain as that kind of satisfaction is the satisfaction we get internally from our engagement in bhakti-rasa. Without that inner satisfaction, we cant remain steady in bhakti. Ive been studying and practicing this bhakti path since 1967over forty years nowand I cant imagine doing anything else. I would never go back to my previous lifestyle, even though it would be considered desirable by many: I was a successful musician and composer, I was traveling with a great jazz band and performing gigs. But I gave it all up to become a devotee because I wasnt getting the taste that I was after; I wasnt getting

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the full enjoyment from those material activities that I got from spiritual activities in the service of Ka. We have to understand what real enjoyment is. Real enjoyment is spiritual rasa. Trying to gratify our senses in the material world is a very poor substitute for actual enjoyment, because it doesnt really satisfy us. Thats why materialists always go through bhoga-tyga, alternating enjoyment and renunciation. We want something thats going to satisfy us eternally, that will never wear out, always be fresh and new, ever-expanding, everdeepeningand only bhakti fits that description. Theres nothing else like pure bhakti. We have looked through the philosophies, religions and practices of different groups all over the world, and never found anything even close to the wonders of bhakti. Im not just referring to an armchair reading of books; Ive gone to the East, studied deeply with Taoist and Tantric masters and practiced various mystic processesbut theres just nothing like devotional service. Even in India there are many arts and sciences derived from Vedic knowledge, but most of them are not pure. They have some contamination or distortion introduced by people with poor understanding and realization. Therefore they cannot provide the deep ecstatic spiritual pleasure of bhakti.

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Looking for Love


Everybody wants love. The impersonalists have reached the conclusion that love is phony. They say, Love is false, its disappointing. Lets just deny it; lets just get rid of it. But love is based on being a person, because it is a relationship between persons. Love, relationship, is fundamental to being a person. So then the impersonalists also have to get rid of being a person. They cut off their nose to spite their face, as the expression goes. Its a kind of suicide; a kind of self-destruction. They think, I cant have love in this material world? Then Im not going to love anybody at all. Im just going to become nothing! I really think their motivation is spiteful like that. I think theyre very bitter, and so they perform self-destructive activities as a way to punish other people who didnt love them the way they thought they deserved to be loved. Their mood is like an angry three-year-old. We need to overcome that petty spitefulness. Nobody in this material world is going to love you the way you think you deserve to be loved because frankly, were not capable of it. Were just fallible limited human beings. Were tiny, very ignorant, selfish and foolish. So human beings cannot really give the kind of love that the soul wants and needs. Only God can give that kind of love. But Ka remains in the background until we approach Him.
ye yath m prapadyante ts tathaiva bhajmy aham All of themas they surrender unto MeI reward accordingly. [Bhagavad-gt 4.11]

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Ka responds in kind to the way we approach Him. So if we ignore Him, try to forget Him, He merges into the background and we dont see Him at all. But if we approach Him with love, He responds with love. And of course, unlike the love of human beings, His love is unlimited and perfect. Its not that devotees completely withdraw from relationships with other people and focus exclusively on Ka. No, our principal relationship is with the Lord but we also have relationships with His devotees. When a living entity attains the spiritual world, someone is his mother, his father; he has brothers and sisters, other devotees become his friendsbut his primary relationship is with Ka. Ka is the center and everything else revolves around Him. Thats what were training for; thats why we have a saga. Saga means association of devotees, and it is a way to practice having devotional relationships centered on Ka that dont create karmic entanglement. All relationships in the material world include karmic results: every action gets an equal and opposite reaction. So every time we have an activity in a relationship thats on the material bodily platform, we have to stick around to accept the resultant karma. It pushes our liberation back and locks us into a karmic cycle of cause and effect, sasra. But when we want to get out of this karmic cycle of birth and death, we enter into relationships with other transcendentalists who are on the spiritual platform, with Ka as the center. No human being is the center; rather than relationships in our material identities we relate to each other as servants of Ka. That does not create karma. The relationships in a devotional saga are practice for the spiritual world, where we have similar eternal relationships with other devotees.

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Thats why devotional service is called the ocean of nectar of bhakti-rasa. Its not just a puddle of nectar or a glass of nectar; its an ocean of nectar. We never run out of wonderful relationships to explore in the spiritual worldbut theyre all centered on Ka, just like the relationships in our saga are based on satisfying rla Prabhupda and the Deities. So its not that we dont love our fellow human beings. We love them to the best of our ability, but we dont make false claims like, Im going to love you forever and make you completely happy. Instead we say honestly, Im not perfect. I cannot make you fully happy, but I will try my best to serve you by introducing you to this highest knowledge and practice. If you pursue this bhakti and develop it in your own life, it will make you fully happy because Ka will reciprocate your loving service. The impersonalists dont believe that. Theyve been cheated by everyone else, have lost all faith and are disgusted by the whole world. They just want to end it all by becoming impersonal, zero or merging into nothingness or everythingness. Thats their misconception and its very sad. Fortunately we are students of a perfectly self-realized soul, rla Prabhupda. He revealed this teaching to us, and similarly were passing it on to you. The service that we are offering is to go through the whole of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu scrutinizingly and analyze its application and purport. That will solve all problems and resolve all doubts. But you need to have the patience and the discipline to absorb all this knowledge, and then you can benefit from it. Once you understand what bhakti-rasa is, you will not want or need any other enjoyment because bhakti is self-sufficient. Bhakti is its own cause and its own result. It is completely transcendental, self-referential and independent of knowledge, renunciation, fruitive activity and liberation.
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If you just concentrate completely on bhakti, youll get the highest result. This is the message of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Hare Ka!

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Session 004: Unassailable Bhakti

Topics:
The Ocean of Bhakti-rasa Go to the Source Oneness Means Nothingness Dousing the Fiery Critics You Cant Argue With Taste Bhakti Is Complete In Itself The Scam of Mixed Bhakti

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The Ocean of Bhakti-rasa


Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu establishes the platform of pure bhakti, uttamabhakti. Uttama-bhakti is a special kind of bhakti that is not mixed with karma, jna, yoga or any other activities that distract us from the real purpose of bhakti, which is simply to love Ka. There are so many ways to love Ka, and Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu will discuss all these flavors of bhakti. This is a huge, unlimited field; thats why its called Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Sindhu means ocean. You can get lost in this ocean of bhakti, this ecstatic loving relationship with Ka, and never come back to this nasty material world. Thats the whole point: to stay in bhakti-rasa. There are many rasas, many emotional tastes, many different flavors of relationship. Bhakti-rasa is extremely complex; it has to be that way because it is going to be our engagement for eternity. There has to be enough variety of tastes so that we can continue to explore and experience this ocean of tasteful relationships with the Lord without ever becoming bored, tired or running out of different varieties of experience. Lets continue exploring this ocean by reading Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.5:
mmsaka-baavgne kahinm api kuhayann asau jihvm sphuratu santana sucira tava bhakti-rasmtmbhodhi O Santana, may your ocean of bhakti-rasa remain for a long time, restricting the harsh arguments of the proponents of karma and jna, just as the ocean restricts the flame of the vaab fire. [r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu 1.1.5]

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Rpa Gosvm is addressing his guru, Santana Gosvm, who was the source of inspiration for this work. This ontological analysis of bhakti-rasa was written by Santana Gosvms mercy. r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is very special because its based on all the wonderful stories in rmad-Bhgavatam about the pastimes of Lord Ka. There are many other scriptures which recount the same topics, but they dont do so in an analytical way; they present them in a narrative way. They dont discuss the deep meaning of these pastimes, which are an ocean of bhakti-rasa.

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Go to the Source
One of the characteristics of this ocean is that it restricts the harsh arguments of the karms and jns. What does that mean? If you walk down a street or open a web page, you see many advertisements: Eat this, buy this, smoke this, do this, go here, go there, watch this show, listen to this. Everyones telling us, You should enjoy this material world. Its a wonderful life. Isnt it great? This is the essential flavor of karma: to do some work. The karms put forward very harsh arguments: You should serve this material taste. You should give up spiritual life and transcendental philosophy. Become like us and enjoy with us. Join the party! And of course, theres always the price of a ticket. You have to buy something, join something or do something that limits your freedom instead of expanding it. Thats why these arguments are called harsh. Similarly, the jns also argue, You should accept our arguments and our story of why the world is the way it is, and then base your activities on that. Join our church, our religion, our political party. Their ultimate argument is that you should accept the philosophy that everything is nothing, and the only meaning of existence is impersonal liberation (merging into the oneness of everything). All of these theories are simply fallible human speculation. Real knowledge comes from the original Vedic scriptures and their authorized translations by self-realized souls situated in the disciplic succession from Ka. The translator also has to provide the original text, or else you can be sure theres some cheating going on: the translator is interpolating the scripture to match his own ideas; hes giving his own opinion, not the opinion
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of the Vedas. In my experience, rla Prabhupda is the only translator of Vedic works who provides the complete original text. This is very important because it provides transparency. Anybody can look up all the words in a Sanskrit dictionary and check Prabhupdas work to make sure its an accurate translation. But if you look at books by other svms and yogs, they never provide the original text. At most, they may provide a few quotationswhich they take out of context and twist to fit their speculations. We dont accept this. The Vedas have a standard philosophy, which is summarized in the Vednta-stra. The Vednta-stra has four parts called Adhyyas.
In the First Adhyya, the Vedic background philosophy is explained. In the Second Adhyya, all the competing philosophies are defeated, including Buddhism, Jainism, impersonalism, voidism and other man-made religions like aktism and Sahajiyism. In these errant philosophies, you will find every type of false religion that exists outside of pure Vednta. In the Third Adhyya, the author gives the supreme spiritual path of bhakti. Finally in the Fourth Adhyya, he describes the results of practicing bhakti.

So half of Vednta-stra is about bhakti directly, and the other half is about the preliminaries to bhakti. Interestingly, however, most writers on Vednta come to the opposite conclusion: that bhakti is not a big deal; that bhakti is just one of the means to attain liberation. But Vednta-stra closes by stating that the original conclusion of the Vedas is nothing but bhakti. Furthermore, the original commentary on the Vednta-stra by the author himself is rmad-Bhgavatam, which is nothing but a narration of stories about the Lord and His devotees. It supports the same conclusion as Vednta-stra. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is the ontological analysis of the pastimes presented in rmad-Bhgavatam. So the whole Vedic literature actually presents a single unified philosophy, a sin128 Unassailable Bhakti

gle theory. If we accept that theory and act according to it, we get the results. So the jns get it completely wrong because they dont go back to the original text and they dont take the commentaries coming from the lineage of Ka. Instead they take some other opinion, some recent speculation.

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Oneness Means Nothingness


The idea of oneness started with Buddhism. Buddhism gave the idea that everything is ultimately nothing (a void)and there are innumerable variations on that theme.1 Its very popular because if everything is nothing, it doesnt matter what we do. Theres no standard of morality; theres no Absolute Truth. Such people are fond of saying, All paths lead to the same place. Do whatever you like! You dont have to follow any rules. Isnt that great? People accept this false teaching because it is packaged in an attractive sales pitch. Its just like if someone tells you, This is pure gold. You should buy it!and you buy it without even looking at it. People buy into these false teachings and think theyre free to do whatever they want. But theyre not free; they simply turn into slaves of their senses, slaves of their minds. By accepting this philosophy, people end up following their senses and thus pave their path to a hellish existence. The senses will be very happy to engage a person in all kinds of nonsense twenty-four hours a day, if he follows them. Its like taking poison. The idea that everything is nothing is also poisonous. It will destroy your intelligence and discrimination. You will not be able to tell what is good or bad, what is right or wrong. Intelligence is required to regulate the senses appropriately and engage them in bhakti. That intelligence comes from the Vedas. If we pervert the conclusions of the Vedas, we ruin our intelligence because we cut ourselves off from the original source. If you actually accept the nonsense idea that Everything is nothing, and we will merge with everything at the end of this life, that really restricts
1

For a more detailed discussion on the ontological equivalence of impersonalism and voidism, refer to the essay Oneness Means Nothingness, by David Bruce Hughes (Gaurahari Dsnuds Bbj). Session 004: Unassailable Bhakti 131

your choices, because in that philosophy there is no bhakti, there is no God and there is no love of God. The only eternal thing in that philosophy is onenessor nothingness. Oneness means nothingness, because perception is based on contrast. Imagine sitting in a black chair, in a black room with a black rug, with all the lights out at midnight on an overcast, moonless night. A black cat pads silently through the room. Will you notice it? No way. If the same black cat walks through a white room with a white rug at noon on a brilliant clear day, then will you see it? Of course, because of the contrast. Contrast is necessary for perception. Without perception there is no consciousness because there are no impressions [saskras]. The jns are actually arguing that you should give up experience and perceptions, give up consciousness, become unconscious and just merge into the oneness of everything and stay like that forever. This is the ultimate restriction: you have to give up everythingeven your own existence. So, needless to say, these are very harsh and nasty arguments. They attack our very nature, our very humanity, our very spirit. The karms want us to become a slave of material enjoyment, and the jns want us to become a slave of some fictional liberation which, incidentally, they cannot show that anybody has ever attained. The yogs are so dry and the jns are even drier, because they have to forcibly give up the objects of the senses; they struggle to attain renunciation. But we devotees attain renunciation without any strugglein fact, with joy. We take things in the mode of goodness, offer them to Ka and then enjoy Kas remnants.

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If we accept these impersonal argumentswhich are basically liesand give up our freedom to serve these lies, then we are defeated in our purpose of life. The purpose of life is simply to enjoy. This is so natural and obvious. If we dont consider the fact that we are a being of pure consciousnesssoul, tmthen we restrict our choice of enjoyment to the tastes of this material world, which are limited. They have a beginning and an end, and theyre imperfect in many ways. But when we accept that we are eternal spirit souls, beings of pure consciousness, we open ourselves to a whole range of choices of enjoyment based on our spiritual existence. This implies a relationship with God, because if we are spiritual beings then what is our source? What is our origin? It has to be God; it cant be anything else. Its impossible for a spiritual being to be born from matter. Its also impossible for a more intelligent being to be born from a less-intelligent being; rather, its the other way around. We see all the time that children are born less intelligent than their parents. Therefore the natural conclusion is that if we exist and we are intelligent beings, there must be a superintelligent being Who is our source. This is God. So then what is our relationship with God? This is the subject of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu.

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Dousing the Fiery Critics


Heres Jva Gosvms purport to this verse [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.5]:
He [Rpa Gosvm] prays to the lotus feet of guru for the continued presence of his scripture, which will eliminate the criticisms of challengers. The challengers [mmsaka] are of two types: those who deliberate on karma, and those who deliberate on jna. Jihvm, referring to fire, means a flame as well as a tongue. This flame or tongue is described as belonging to the vaab fire [vaabgneh-jihvm] to distinguish it from the well-known seven flames [tongues] of the fire, which are used to consume the sacrifices.

There is a footnote explaining the vaab fire:


Under the ocean near the South Pole, a fire from the lower regions emerges from a hole called the mouth of the mare [vaab]. Aurva, born in the Bhgu dynasty, when about to be killed by the sons of Krtavrya, produced a fire out of his wrath. This fire threatened the whole world. The Bhrgavas persuaded Aurva to cast it in the ocean, where it remains concealed with the face of a horse.

Jva Gosvms purport continues:


Just as the ocean always remains present to restrict the flame of the vaab fire, this work, the ocean of bhakti-rasa, should always remain present to restrict the power of speaking [the tongues] of the mmsakas. From taking the whole meaning of the verse, it should be understood that his desire is not just restriction but extreme restrictioncomplete extinction of their criticisms. In the case of the ocean, restriction of the fire occurs because of the oceans natural possession of huge quantities of water, which is one type of rasa or liquid. In the case of the present work, the restriction of the criticism takes place because of the natural sweetness [rasa] of the work.
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Another meaning is that, by the metaphor, he is pointing out the difference between this work (an ocean of rasa) and the regular ocean. The vaab fire is present permanently in the regular ocean. However, he is expecting that somehow or other the protests of the mmsakas will be very transitory because of the presence of his work. With that in mind, he makes his request that the work remain permanently. Thus, the meaning of the verse would be, Though the ocean restricts the vaab fire but does not extinguish it, may this work somehow completely extinguish the criticisms of the mmsakas.

The mmsakas are the followers of the Mms, a class of Vedic literatures dealing with logic and arguments. The people who study this are very argumentative, and like to debate using logic. They like to apply logic to everything, but this is not a very good way to ascertain the conclusions of the Vedas. The last verses of this First Wave of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu state:
svalppi rucir eva syd bhakti-tattvvabodhik yuktis tu keval naiva yad asy apratihat atra prcnair apy uktam yatnenpditopy artha kualair anumtbhi abhiyuktatarair anyair anyathaivopapdyate Even if one has a little taste for this topic of bhakti, he can understand it. He who tries to understand bhakti by dry logic cannot understand it, because logic is insubstantial. Concerning this topic it is said by the ancient authorities: A person more skillful at logic can bring about a conclusion different from what was carefully proven previously by another skillful logician. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.45-46]

I can establish one argument, and then a better debater or logician can establish the opposite conclusion. We often see people who change their minds or opinions when faced with opposing arguments. For example,
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someone may be a member of one religion but then may be persuaded to take up another religion. But in the case of bhakti, logical arguments are inconclusive because bhakti is all about taste, and so depends a great deal on the person tasting.

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You Cant Argue With Taste


If you like something, have taste for it and get pleasure from it, how can anybody prove that its wrong? Taste is completely subjective. Nobody can prove that you dont feel what you feel. The nature of consciousness is also completely subjective. Each individual has a separate consciousness, and nobody can know the contents of another persons consciousness unless they reveal it. Therefore it follows that nobody can present a convincing argument of why you should give up bhakti; on the other hand, nobody can present a convincing argument of why you should take up bhakti. The only effective argument is, Try it; youll like it. We perform bhakti because it tastes good, because its wonderful, because its beautiful. This is love, and the mind is more attracted by love than anything else. Our problem in the material world is that we have chosen the wrong objects of love. We have chosen to love persons and things that are impermanent. And then when they go away, when they change, when they leave us or reject us, were very disappointed; we become cynical and say Love is just a myth. No, its not a myth. The fact that there is a false love means that somewhere there is a real love. For example, the reason imitation gold has any value at all is because real gold exists. It would be foolish to say, There is no such thing as real gold, just because we got duped into buying imitation gold. Similarly, people become deceived by the love, the enjoyment, and the work of the material world expecting, This is going to satisfy me. And when they dont find that satisfaction, they feel cheated. The material world is intrinsically disappointing. We want something that is perma-

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nent, eternal, changeless, ever-fresh and always satisfying to the soul. The only thing like that is bhakti. You can try many other spiritual paths and religions, you can go to this church, that temple, this synagogue, that mosque and this teacher Something-nanda Svmand theyll give you all kinds of mumbojumbo. But then finally, just by chance, maybe you will try this bhakti. If you do, you will see that the taste of bhakti is out of this worldliterally out of this world. So we invite youand Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu invites youto taste this ocean of bhakti, and you will never be disappointed. You just have to try it. Try it and youll like it: thats really the only argument one can give. We have no taste for all those other complex philosophical entanglements. We dont like the debating mood. We just want to please Ka, and if Ka is pleased then we are automatically pleased. Learning logic and how to present arguments is something that we do as devotees simply to help others get out of material existence. Its part of our compassionate nature. But its far better to engage people directly in bhakti by hearing and chanting the Hare Ka mha-mantra.
ravaa krtana vio smaraa pda-sevanam arcana vandana dsya sakhyam tma-nivedanam iti pusrpit viau bhakti cen nava-laka Hearing and chanting about the transcendental Holy Name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord ones best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him
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with the body, mind and words)these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. [rmad-Bhgavatam 7.5.23-24]

The most successful preaching program that we ever had was to go out on the street and do real sakrtan, giving the Holy Name directly. rla Prabhupda set this up: he would have the devotees put down a nice oriental rug, and then one devotee with the harmonium would lead; there would be a tnpura, mdaga and karatlas; on one side there would be a prasdam table, and on the other side there would be a book table. Prabhupda even taught the devotees how to dance the Swami-step. It was a little piece of the spiritual world, right on the street; a little street theater of caitanya-ll. It was a dynamite program, and so many devotees were made that way all around the world. This was the best program because it directly gave people the sound of the Holy Name being chanted very nicely, without any argument or philosophy. It gave them a taste. Logic is useless when it comes to bhakti; what matters is taste. I may like vanilla ice cream, and you may like chocolate ice cream. They are both flavors of ice cream, but they look and taste different. Who can say which is better? Its a matter of taste. Similarly, bhakti is also a matter of taste. Some peoples taste in bhakti is for servitorship: O God, You are so great and I am so small, all I can do is try to serve You with my mind, words and actions. Thats their mood. Others have a friendly relationship with God, and their mood is, Come on, lets play like friends. Their mood is like that of an equal. There are even devotees whose mood is of a superior. For example, Mother Yaod will say, Ka come here! Its time for You to take Your bath. Maybe Ka is out playing and doesnt want to take His bath.

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Shell grab Him by the ear and pull Him in because she is in a superior position, and the Lord accepts her in that position because of her love. And then there are the gops and other lovers of the Lord, who love Him in a conjugal mood. Of course this subject is way beyond any other spiritual path, and is known only to the cognoscentithe real insiders who know the esoteric meaning of the scriptures.

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Bhakti is Complete in Itself


When we understand these different flavors of love for God, we start to get a taste for the subject of relationship with God. Once we do that, we can understand this bhakti-rasa, because bhakti is on its own platform. Its completely transcendental. No other thing is the cause of bhakti; only bhakti begets bhakti. A person who is attracted to bhakti feels that attraction because he had some contact with it in a previous lifetime. Maybe they met some devotees, chanted the Holy Name of the Lord or studied some of the bhakti scriptures. By that prior association they have a taste for bhakti and can understand it; others cannot. A person who has a particular taste for bhakti can never be dissuaded; they can never be convinced that their taste for bhakti is false. Prabhupda used the example that if someone honors a full plate of very nice prasdam offered to Ka, theyre going to feel satisfied. No one can convince them that theyre not satisfied or that they should go out to a restaurant. Similarly, one who has tasted bhakti would be so completely satisfied by that taste that nobody could persuade them to give it up and take up the life of a karm or a jn. Bhakti is nothing but pure bliss, and the more that we engage in bhakti the more bliss we feel. In this way our appreciation for bhakti only deepens. Bhakti is the only result of bhakti. Bhakti does not give fruitive results or speculative knowledge; it gives transcendental results. It gives spiritual knowledge and deepens our relationship with God. Although sometimes Ka may give material opulence to a devotee, He only does so when He

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knows the devotee will not be deviated from bhakti by receiving those blessings. Ka is very kind. We should take shelter of the knowledge and practices given in r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu, and mold our life in such a way that we gradually reduce our entanglement in karma and jna, and increase our activities in bhakti. People who are engaged in karma cannot do so continuously. They go to their job, and then at the end of their day they go home and relax. Why dont they just stay in the office if its so nice? Because its not really very nice. That taste is not something they can relish twenty-four hours a day; they need a break from it. You cant engage in anything of this world continuously. But when you taste this bhakti-rasa, its ever increasing, ever-fresh, always tasteful, and you can engage in it continuously. Bhakti is a taste that you can relish for your whole life, and never get tired of it. In fact, it only becomes more tasteful the more you engage in it. This is the transcendental mystery of bhakti: that bhakti is not dependent on the three modes of material naturegoodness, passion and ignorance. Although transcendental knowledge of the scriptures, renunciation and performance of pious or religious activities are helpful to approach bhakti, once we are actually on the platform of bhakti we dont need those other things. Bhakti is its own source of knowledge, its own cause of renunciation and its own generator of pious activities. We dont need anything outside of bhakti to sustain our bhakti. r Mdhavendra Pur, a great devotee and crya in the line of the devotees, says:

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sandhy-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bho snna tubhya namo bho dev pitara ca tarpaa-vidhau nha kama kamyatm yatra kvpi niadya ydava-kulottasasya kasa-dvia smra smram agha harmi tad ala manye kim anyena me O my prayers three times a day, all glory to you. O bathing, I offer my obeisances unto you. O demigods! O forefathers! Please excuse me for my inability to offer you my respects. Now wherever I sit, I can remember the great descendant of the Yadu dynasty [Ka], the enemy of Kasa, and thereby I can free myself from all sinful bondage. I think this is sufficient for me.

Heres a person who is very learned, cultured, pure, religious and civilized, but because of his taste for bhakti hes saying, All that I was doing previously, all the knowledge I had and all this religiosity is useless. All I want is to be engaged in tasting this sweet name of Govinda for the rest of my life. So Im giving up my material position; Im giving up my material relationships and material labels that I accepted in the past, thinking This is my self. Now I have discovered my real self as a spiritual being who engages in constant, ever-increasing pastimes of love with the Supreme Lord. Thats my real being, my real nature. How do I know its real? Because it gives me continuous pleasure.

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The Scam of Mixed Bhakti


sa vai pus paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokaje ahaituky apratihat yaytm suprasdati The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. [rmad-Bhgavatam 1.2.6]

This is the standard of pure bhakti: ahaituky apratihat, which means constant engagement without any motivation. Motivation means, Im going to get something else out of this. By chanting this mantra, Im going to get money, fame, strength or mystic powers. But we dont think like that. We are ahaituki: without any motivation. This is pure devotional service. A criticism I have of my Godbrothers is that, in the name of preaching, they have encouraged mixed devotional service. Mixed devotional service means theres some vaidh-bhakti, but then there are fruitive activities: selling books, raising money, building temples, recruiting followers etc. These are actually religious activities in the mode of goodness. People get entangled in them thinking, This is bhakti, but actually its not pure bhakti because they still have some personal motivation, thinking, Im going to do this and get some benefit. As long as they think like that its not bhakti, its fruitive activity. The nature of fruitive activity is that one performs activities for his future benefit. It may be in the mode of goodness; it may be pious; it may be in relation with Vedic knowledge, but its not accepted as pure bhakti by Lord r Caitanya Mahprabhu. Pure bhakti begins when we develop the intention that we want to please Ka. When we perform activitiesand it could be the very same activiSession 004: Unassailable Bhakti 147

tiesif the motivation is not to please or benefit ourselves but to please Ka, thats bhakti. My Godbrothers have not made this distinction very clear, in the name of preaching. But the result is that the whole path of bhakti then becomes subverted or compromised with material activities. Yet nobody points this out. Instead the devotees accept the pitch that, As long as you keep working and give donations to the temple you will advance in devotional service. But one day theyre going to wake up and realize, Ive been wasting my time! I could have been engaged in loving pastimes with the Lord directly. But nobody tells them that or shows them how to do it. So they go along day after day, year after year, not knowing the difference between mixed bhakti and pure bhakti. But only pure bhakti gives the astonishing results of bhva and prema. Our aim is not simply pious activities that lead to material benefits and promotion to higher planets, or ultimately liberation. All of that is selfishness; all of that is in the mode of goodness. Its religion. Were talking about something higher. Were talking about uddha-sattva. uddha-sattva means pure goodness. On that platform of pure goodness is pure devotional service, pure bhakti. That is real sattva, which results in sttvika-bhvas: transcendental ecstatic symptoms in the body. We have to hold them back, otherwise we wont be able to do any serviceand people will think were nutcases. Real bhakti means that were not thinking of any benefit for ourselves. This is why the attitude of service is so important. One should become a servant first of Ka, then of his guru, then of the other devotees and then of all the people of the world.

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The devotee does the best service for everyone in the world simply by propagating this devotional service. Devotional service means to think of Kas benefit, to think of Kas happiness. That is the specific qualification of the pure devotee: he always thinks, How can I please Ka? Thats our aim. We trust Ka. Now heres where the self-benefit comes in: we trust that Kas character is so high, Ka is so pure and so loving, Ka is so generous and kind, that if we dedicate our lives to pleasing Him, we dont have to worry about anything: Ka will take care. And its a fact; He does take care, and we experience this every day. So now we want to encourage others to come onto this platform of pure bhakti and experience it for themselves, by studying and putting into practice the wonderful secrets of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Hare Ka.

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Session 005: A Glimpse of Pure Bhakti

Topics:
Humility in Service The Rarity of Pure Bhakti In God We Trust Quality Over Quantity Kas Reciprocation Gotta Have Taste The Stages of Bhakti Bhakti is Never Conditioned Theres No Stopping Bhakti

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Humility in Service
In this session we begin with the sixth verse of the First Wave of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu.
bhakti-rasasya prastutir akhila-jaga-magala-prasagasya ajenpi maysya kriyate suhdm pramodya Though I am ignorant, I have undertaken this work concerning bhakti-rasa related to Ka, Who is auspicious for the whole world, for the joy of my friends. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.6]

Rpa Gosvm is expressing a very nice sentiment here. As devotees we naturally feel this way when we encounter Kaor anything related to Kabecause He is so high, so pure and so beautiful. When we consider our own faults and ignorance, we feel very unqualified. This is a rasa called dainya [humility]. Dainya is one of the chief features of nta-rasa. nta-rasa is neutral adoration in awe and reverence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The platform of actual spiritual life begins from the feeling of dainya: O my dear Lord, Youre so wonderful and magnificent. You have so many beautiful qualities and transcendental potencies, so many wonderful pastimes and so many great devoteesand Im just nothing. I really dont know anything; I just have this desire in my heart, somehow or other, to advance in spiritual life. And I am hoping against hope to achieve Your mercy. In this verse, Rpa Gosvm is expressing his humble sentiment of not feeling qualified for this task, but he is taking it up anyway for the pleasure of the devotees. This should be our attitude, that I dont know anything; Im fallen and a rascal in so many ways. But to please my spiritual master and the other devotees, Im taking up this service even though Im unSession 005: A Glimpse of Pure Bhakti 153

qualified to do it. Of course, the implication is that Ka will give His mercy and enable us to complete our service, because were doing it for the pleasure of His devotees. We also feel very unqualified for this preaching work, but I could see that nobody else was actually following rla Prabhupdas instructions. Therefore, out of a desire to please rla Prabhupda and all the sincere devotees, I took up this work simply because nobody else was doing it. That was the only reason, and that feeling has motivated my service and preaching activities for many years now. By Kas grace we now have a team of devotees who are serious, dedicated and ready to go into pure bhakti. This is what we aimed for; this is why we started our own saga and developed our own line of preaching.

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The Rarity of Pure Bhakti


There are many devotees engaged in mixed devotional service, but hardly anyone who has taken up the path of pure bhakti. Most devotees are mixing devotional service with fruitive activity. It is very common for people to join a bhakti community only for some material benefit. In the Bhagavad-gt, Ka says:
catur-vidh bhajante m jan suktino rjuna rto jijsur arthrth jn ca bharatarabha O best among the Bhratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me: the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute. [Bhagavad-gt 7.16]

Ka calls those four kinds of men pious, but He doesnt call them transcendental because theyre motivated by their own personal benefit. They engage in devotional service in the hope that they will get some relief from their distress, some economic development, some knowledge they didnt have beforeor because they know they have to do it as their duty. All of these motivations are inferior to the motivation required for pure bhakti. The motivation for pure bhakti is, I love Ka and I only want to please Him. Thats all. Pure bhakti does not have any relation to this material world. It does not have any effect on this material body. It doesnt give any blessings that you can take to the bank. Pure bhakti is completely transcendental and spiritual. It is wonderful, special and unique.

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Pure bhakti is also very rare. Even among thousands of people who know the Absolute Truth of the Vedas, there may be only one or two who are actually practicing pure bhakti.
manuy sahasreu kacid yatati siddhaye yatatm api siddhn kacin m vetti tattvata Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth. [Bhagavad-gt 7.3]

Even those in a liberated condition due to their Vedic knowledge may not be practicing pure bhakti. Although they may be devotees who have been chanting for many years, we generally find they have some mixture of desires separate from pure bhakti: they want a good name, a nice position, fame or power. It is important to understand the difference between pure bhakti and motivated or mixed bhakti [mira-bhakti]. Mixed bhakti has some goal other than satisfying Ka. It is certainly pious activity in the mode of goodness, and leads to many good things; whatever you desire you can get from bhakti. But the point is that whatever you can desire is going to be less than the ultimate benefit attainable by bhakti, which is Ka Himself.

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In God We Trust
It all boils down to how much we trust Ka. Do we trust that Hes going to reciprocate with us spontaneously in an inconceivable, astonishing and wonderful way? Or do we want to make a deal with Ka: Ka, Ill chant sixteen rounds a day and then You solve my material problems. Thats karma-yoga, not devotional service. Thats activity in the material mode of goodness, not uddha-sattva or transcendental activity. If we really understand and trust Ka, then as soon as we understand the importance of pure devotional service, well give up all these material activities, and trust that Ka is going to maintain us somehow or other. Ka Himself promises:
anany cintayanto m ye jan paryupsate te nitybhiyuktn yoga-kema vahmy aham But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental formto them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have. [Bhagavad-gt 9.22]

So if one becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, the Lord will certainly meet His promise to maintain His surrendered devotees. This is our experience. How He does it is very mysterious, but everything is taken care of because we are engaged on this platform of pure devotional service. But if youre not surrendered, if youre not following all the principles or if youre not 100 percent engaged in devotional service, theres no guarantee that Ka is going to maintain you. To the degree that you want to act for your own benefit, youre not engaged in pure devotional service; youre not surrendered to Ka.
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For example, if you get married to somebody and they say, Six nights a week I will sleep with you, and the other night I will sleep with somebody else. Are you going to accept that? Youd have to be a fool to accept that. Similarly, if we give some part of our time to Ka, and spend the rest of our time acting for our own benefit in fruitive material activities, what is Ka going to think? Oh this nonsense, hes not really surrendered to Me. Hes just pretending to be a devotee. Hes a very neophyte devotee who doesnt even trust Me to take care of him. I am the Supreme Lord, the Creator of all the universes, and he thinks I cannot maintain My own devotee. Ha! Kas just going to laugh and say, Let Me know when you get serious, OK? Then youre on your ownwhich is where you wanted to be, isnt it? So Ka gives you the result of your desire, and you have to make your own way in the world. The necessity of making your own way is going to conflict with the time that you want to invest in bhakti, and thats going to hinder your advancement and lower the quality of your consciousness. Thats why its so critical to propagate the correct understanding of pure devotional service, uttama-bhakti. It has no mixture of fruitive activities, speculation, mystic powers or any other desire. If we engage in devotional service with some other desire, were cheating ourselves. Were not cheating Ka. Ka cant be cheated; Hes the Supreme, and knows everything thats going on. But if we have the opportunity to engage in pure devotional serviceand anyone hearing or reading this has that opportunitybut we still maintain some other desire in our hearts, were simply cheating ourselves by delaying our engagement in pure devotional service.

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Quality over Quantity


Pure bhakti is not about the quantity of bhakti. Its automatically assumed that a pure devotee is going to be engaged twenty-four hours a day in bhakti and nothing else. Some devotees think that if they do more hours of service in a day, they will make more advancement. But first they have to consider the quality of their service. We make advancement not by the quantity but by the quality of our devotional service. Theres a famous verse in rmad-Bhgavatam:
yan-nmadheya-ravanukrtand yat-prahvad yat-smarad api kvacit vdo pi sadya savanya kalpate kuta punas te bhagavan nu darant To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters immediately becomes eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the Holy Name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him. [rmad-Bhgavatam 3.33.6]

This verse is quoted later in this First Wave, and we will discuss it deeply in a subsequent session. It is very important to understand that the quality of devotional service is much more important than the quantity. If you chant with offenses or perform service thats contaminated by selfish desire, you will not get the same level of reciprocation from Ka that comes from chanting or serving purely, with no selfish desire. You can chant a hundred rounds a day of offensive mah-mantra, and not get the advancement that comes from chanting even one name of Ka offense-

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lessly. Of course, to chant one name of Ka offenselessly, the rest of your life has to be offenseless as well. If Ka is pleased with your service then you will feel pleased, satisfied, happy, blissful, detached and peaceful. If you experience bhva [ecstatic spiritual emotions] and the symptoms of sttvika-bhva [bodily symptoms of intense spiritual ecstasy], then youre certainly feeling bhakti and Ka is certainly pleased. All these things will be discussed in tremendous detail in this series. There are eight sttvika-bhvas:
te stambha-sveda-romc svara-bhedotha vepathu vaivaryam aru pralaya ity aau sttvik smt The eight sttvika-bhvas are paralysis, perspiration, hair standing on end, choking of the voice, trembling, changing color, tears and fainting. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 2.3.16]

These sttvika-bhvas are intense experiences of ecstasy. Those who are in pure Ka consciousness constantly experience these ecstatic emotions internally, and sometimes when theyre especially intense they also manifest outwardly in the body. If our spiritual desires are satisfied, we feel happy. If we feel unhappy in any way, it means we are imperfect in our spiritual practices. One who practices bhakti-yoga very nicely is always in bliss. Thats what bhakti is: concentrated, full-strength bliss. Anyone who practices this bhaktiyogaeven for a little whileknows and feels this. You will know when the quality of your bhakti is improving. If you eat a nice full meal then youll be very satisfied; nobody has to tell you. If you

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feel sufficient bliss, then youre well-situated. But if you still feel like you want more, then you have to increase your standard of practice. Observe how much you love Ka. How much of your life do you live simply for the pleasure of Ka? Thats your bhakti quotient. Were aiming at a 100-percent bhakti quotient. Anyone on that platform is very advanced and is going to a very nice placein fact theyre already there. But first of all, one should be completely free from material activities. Thats the standard of pure bhakti. If youre still engaged in material activities, theres no question of being in pure bhakti. So you have to inspect yourself honestly and say, How much of my life and energy is actually engaged in pleasing Ka? Thats the degree of your advancement in pure bhakti. Devotees may say, I rise early in the morning, I follow all these rules and Im engaged according to the order of my spiritual master, who is in the parampar. Therefore if I follow whatever he says, that should be pure devotional service, right? Well, maybe it is and maybe it isnt. This is not something that we can judge externally. This is on the honor system. You have to examine your own heart and be very honest with yourself: Am I performing devotional service because I only want to please Ka, or is it really because I want something for my own pleasure in return? Ka knows your desire. Maybe you can fool others, but you cant fool Ka. So you should judge yourself by the degree to which you honestly desire to please Ka, to give Ka your love.

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Kas Reciprocation
In transcendental activity were detached from the result because we understand that Ka is so intelligent, resourceful, insightful, loving, wonderful and kind that He will arrange some benediction for us thats beyond our ability to even imagine. Why should we ask for trivial, temporary material things from Ka? Ka can give anything. He can give something so wonderful that we could never anticipate or speculate it. He can even give Himself. And if Ka gives Himself, then who cares if were in the material world or the spiritual world, in heaven or hell? We will be in so much bliss that we wont have time to notice. The real reward of loving Ka is Ka Himself. He really should be all that we desire, because if we get Ka we get everything. We should let go of petty desires for material thingsor even spiritual things like liberationand just trust that Ka is going to reward our service in a way that is so wonderful and astonishing that we cant even imagine it. Consider the story of Sudm Brhmaa. Sudm Brhmaa was Kas Gurukula classmate, so He was already a pure devotee and an eternal associate of the Lord. But later on he had economic problems and was living in poverty. Sudma visited Ka and offered Him just a couple of handfuls of chipped ricethe lowest quality of rice which is not even considered offerable in many temples. Ka received Sudm very nicely, sat him on His own bed and even washed his feet. After making his humble offering of chipped rice, Sudm completely forgot to ask Ka for any benediction. He just said, O Ka, thank You for being so kind to me.

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But when Sudm returned home he was astonished to behold heavenly buildings and beautiful people dressed in wonderful garments and jewels. His own wife looked so beautiful in her spiritual body that he couldnt even recognize her. She had to tell him, Im your wife. As soon as they embraced, Sudm regained his spiritual body. So we can see how Ka is the most expert at coming up with ways to benedict His devotees. The devotees dont have to worry about that at all; they simply engage in pure bhakti with the sole desire of pleasing Ka. Their pure bhakti is so wonderful that it even attracts Ka, Whose body is made of pure transcendental bliss. The devotees in Kas personal association are filled with so much bliss that they even forget their own names, where they are, and what theyre doing. They become completely overwhelmed, because Kas body is pure ecstasy. So our desire is that we want Kaand He is attainable only by pure love.

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Taste is Required
Lets read Jva Gosvmis explanation of this verse [r Bhakti-rasmtasindhu 1.1.6]:
I do not really have the power to bring about conciliation between scholars who are favorable and unfavorable to spiritual rasa, but for that purpose I have made this scripture. This is expressed in this verse.

In other words, we dont want to get into debates and arguments with scholars, because logic and argument are very insubstantial. You might hear someone argue a particular point and say, Yeah, that makes sense, and take up that opinion. Later you might hear another logicianwho may be better than the first oneargue an opposing point and you may think, I never thought about it that way. I guess thats right!and youll change your opinion. So what use are all these opinions, logic and arguments? We discussed this in the last session, that bhakti ultimately depends on taste. If we have a taste for bhakti, well recognize the beauty of bhakti; if we dont have any taste for bhakti, we wont get it no matter how many logical arguments we hear. But if you can understand the significance of pure love of the Supreme Lord, then bhakti is for you. To the degree that this ideal makes sense to you, that is the degree to which you have had previous contact with bhakti, either in this life or in a previous lifeor somehow or other, by mercy, by practice or by taste.

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The commentary continues:


As in verse two, he [Rpa Gosvm] calls himself ignorant [aja], out of humility. The other positive meaning of aja, however, is with whom no wise man can compare. In that case, the world api would function as an expletive with no particular meaning.

The phrase ajenpi is found at the beginning of the second line in the loka; aja-ena-api, if you separate the words. Looking at it in that way the opposite meaning is derived, that Rpa Gosvm is not ignorant but a scholar beyond compare. Why? Because he speaks from the highest conclusion of the Esoteric Teaching of the Vedas, which is pure love of Godhead without any motivation, without any cessation. Theres no cessation because when we love God purely, its so ecstatic that we dont feel like doing anything else. We dont have to break our devotional service to do other things. We should know the symptoms of pure bhakti, and all these things will be described in tremendous detail in Bhakti-rsamta-sindhu. Just by following this series, by the association of hearing these topics, you will also become situated on that platform. Thats our aim and the purpose of this series.

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Stages of Bhakti
The next few verses talk about the structure of Bhakti-rsamta-sindhu.
grantha-vibhga etasya bhagavad-bhakti-rasmta-payonidhe catvrah khalu vakyante bhg prvdaya kramt The divisions of the book: In this sweet ocean of bhakti-rasa offered to the Lord, four sections, starting with the Eastern section, will be expounded one after another. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.7]

There are four divisionscalled Oceansin this book: the Eastern, the Southern, the Western and the Northern Oceans.
tatra prve vibhgesmin bhakti-bheda-nirpake anukramea vaktavya lahar catuayam The Eastern Ocean defines the different types of bhakti. This will be discussed in four successive Waves [chapters]. [r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu 1.1.8]

Rpa Gosvm is using a wonderful metaphor because bhakti is just like an ocean of nectar, and in any great ocean there are bound to be successive waves, one after another. In the Eastern Ocean there are four waves, or chapters, and the next verse describes them:
dy smnya-bhakty-hy dvity sdhannvit bhvrit tty ca tury prema-nirpik The First Wave of the Eastern Ocean is concerned with bhakti in general. The Second Wave describes sdhana-bhakti. The Third Wave describes bhva-bhakti. The Fourth Wave describes premabhakti. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.9]

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There are three stages of bhakti: sdhana-bhakti, bhva-bhakti and premabhakti. When Rpa Gosvm mentions bhakti, he means pure bhakti. Although he does mention the preliminary stage of bhakti practice in the chapter on sdhana-bhakti, he doesnt spend much time on it; he just says that it is a transitional introductory stage between karma-yoga or mixed bhakti and pure bhakti. Our actual focus is only on pure bhakti. The First Wave of the Eastern Ocean describes the characteristics of pure bhakti in general. The Second Wave describes sdhana-bhakti, which means practice. Practice means youre not perfect. Anyone who has acquired any kind of skillwhether its sports, mechanics or any kind of knowledgeknows that without practice, one cannot reach the expert stage. Sdhana-bhakti is divided into two stages:
the stage of vaidh-bhakti, which means devotional service according to the rules and regulations of the scriptures, and rgnuga-bhakti or spontaneous devotional service.

Pure bhakti begins in the second stage of sdhana-bhakti. When a person first comes to bhakti they have to follow the rules and regulations. But as soon as one gets a taste for bhakti, the rules and regulations become subservient to ones taste or desire to perform bhakti. This is known as rgnuga-bhakti, devotional service by the potency of spontaneous love. The next stage is bhva-bhakti, in which ecstatic emotions begin to manifest. And later, in prema-bhakti, these emotions reach tremendous concentration and power, and thats the actual stage of perfection.

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Unconditioned Bhakti
The theme of the whole first First Wave of Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is how pure bhakti is superior to any other practice. The basic principle of that superiority is the fact that bhakti is completely transcendental; it does not rely on any material situation, qualities or activities. Sometimes mixed devotees engaged in fruitive activities say that they dont have time to chant sixteen rounds of the mah-mantra, so they chant a different mantra that takes less timeor dont chant at all. This is a completely mixed-up kind of logic; one should not chant a mantra because it takes less time. The very nature of a mantra is beyond this material world, beyond time. Its eternal, its part of the spiritual world. So there should never be any consideration of time in the chanting of a transcendental mantra. The time of day, the order or sequence of events that has to take place, or the amount of time required to chant a specified number of repetitions of the mantra should not be any consideration. If they are, then were placed in the position of putting material limitations on a transcendental processwhich is absurd, since the goal of chanting the mantra is to transcend material limitations. To put material limitations on the mantra is a reductio ad absurdum which nullifies the whole point of chanting the mantra. Man means mind and tra means to free or deliver. So mantra means to free the mind. From what? From the qualities of material existence. Therefore it is absurd to try to impose qualities of materialism on the chanting, practice or meaning of the mantra; thats a logical contradiction. We dont accept that kind of materialistic logic in devotional service. Devotional service is completely transcendental. That means no material
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conditions apply to bhakti. For example, its stated in the Padma Puraand also in the di Purathat there is no limitation on who can practice bhakti. Its not that one needs a certain kind of birth, a certain kind of body, a particular level of intelligence or any other material quality. Anyone and everyone can practice bhakti, even animals and plants. The first item of devotional service is hearing [ravaam]. Anyone can hear the krtan of the Holy Name. Even the dogs, cats and trees can hear the Holy Name, and they actually make advancement by that hearing. In their next life, they get another opportunity to meet with devotees and practice devotional service. Thus we can understand that devotional service is so auspicious because it is not subject to any material limitations or conditions. One of the big stumbling blocks on the path of bhakti is that in the beginning we tend to regard it as another material activity, subject to all the limitations and conditions of material life. But its not material activity. Bhakti is completely unconditioned and unconditional; its eternal, spiritual and transcendental, just like Ka. You never find Ka being limited by the modes of material nature. Similarly, you can never find a situation where bhakti is limited. Therefore, anyone who thinks the mantra should be subject to some material condition has misunderstood the whole point. This is what inevitably happens when we try to live a mixed lifestyle that contains both spiritual and material activities, because material activities are contentious and competitive by their very nature. As soon as we try to do something in the material world, there will be some opposition or resistance from people or circumstances. As soon as
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we try to accomplish anything in this world, theres going to be some competition. Somebody else is going to try to do it better, faster or cheaper. So material activities are competitive, and when we try to mix them with spiritual activities theres going to be some contention between our spiritual life and our material life. This usually manifests in the form of time, because trying to make a living by performing fruitive activities is very time-consuming.

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Theres No Stopping Bhakti


We are conditioned by the idea that we are the doers, we are the owners and controllers, were the knowers and the enjoyers. All of these are false conceptions. We think, I have to take care of myself; I have to make my living, otherwise I wont be able to maintain my life. We dont understand that Ka is not a poor man. Ka promises in the scriptures that He will maintain the souls who are surrendered unto Him.
sarva-dharmn parityajya mm eka araa vraja aha tv sarva-ppebhyo mokayiymi m uca Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear. [Bhagavadgt 18.66]

The question may come up, How can you say that bhakti is not dependent on any material conditions or activities? After all, we have to use the material body in order to perform these activities. The answer is that the activities of bhakti can be performed just as easily with the spiritual body as with the material body; in fact much more easily, because the spiritual body is naturally inclined toward bhakti. The conditioned material body has to be purified of its material conditioning before it can be used to perform pure bhakti. So bhakti is not even dependent on the material body, which is simply an instrument. If we happen to be identified with the material body, then thats the tool we use to perform the activities of bhakti. But since those activities can very easily be performed in the spiritual body as well, there are no material impediments, conditions, requirements or resources necessary to perform bhakti.
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Bhakti can even be performed in the mind by visualization. It doesnt require anything external. You could be totally paralyzed in the hospital and still perform the activities of bhakti just by your imagination, and thats perfectly valid. It has just the same effects as performing those activities physically, or in the spiritual body. Whatever form of existence you have available to you, you can engage that in bhakti. No matter what condition of life you are in, you can perform bhakti simply by desiring to. Theres absolutely nothing that can stop anyone from performing bhakti, which is of the same quality as the Supreme Lord. So by associating with the activities of bhakti, one associates with Ka directly. This is the greatness and wonder of bhakti. Hare Ka.

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Session 006: The Supreme Path

Topics:
Pure Bhakti is Purely Spiritual The Deception of Mixed Bhakti Pure Bhakti Attracts All Overcome Offenses Intense Desire is the Key The Roadblock of Material Desire The Need for Spiritual Pleasure Dont Sit on the Fence Trust in Your Heart

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So far in our study of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu we have covered the first nine verses, which were basically the invocation and a description of the books structure. In this session we will take up the tenth verse, in which Rpa Gosvm opens the actual subject of the First Wave.
tatrdau suhu vaiiyam asy kathayitu sphuam lakaa kriyate bhakter uttamy sat matam In the First Wave or chapter, in order to describe clearly the superiority of bhakti to other processes, the unique characteristics of uttama-bhakti will be related, as approved by the cryas. [r Bhakti-rsamta-sindhu 1.1.10]

Here is Jva Gosvms commentary:


In the First Wave of the Eastern division [tatra], first of all [dau], the characteristics of uttama-bhakti or pure bhakti will be dealt with [kriyate].

Kriyate means action or work.


The whole of bhakti will not be discussed. The reason is given. This is in order to describe clearly the supreme position of bhakti. When bhakti is not pure, and is covered by other desires in the form of jna and karma, its strength is not full. With such impure types of bhakti, the characteristics appear only partially. (Thus, mixed bhakti cannot be used to show the supreme nature of bhakti). This is understood from the following verse: yasysti bhaktir bhagavaty akican sarvair guais tatra samsate sur harv abhaktasya kuto mahad-gu manorathensati dhvato bahi

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One who has unflinching devotion [uttama-bhakti] unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead must have all the good qualities of the demigods, and contrarily one who is not a devotee of the Lord must be hovering in the darkness of mental speculation and, thus, must be engaged in material impermanence. [rmad-Bhgavatam 5.8.12]

When we talk about pure bhakti, we are talking from the platform of anartha-nivtti. Pure bhakti has three stages: the rgnuga section of sdhana-bhakti, then bhva-bhakti and finally prema-bhakti. Pure bhakti is the only method of spiritual advancement that is purely spiritual. It has no material qualities at all, and because of this even Ka is attracted by it. All other spiritual methods, including mixed bhakti, are covered by faults or defects in the form of some material process. That covering could be:
Karma [fruitive activity], where one engages in work in order to attain some selfish benefit. Jna [mental speculation], where one tries to juggle words and concepts in order to attain some kind of liberation. Yoga, where one does different manipulations of the breath and mind to attain mystic powers.

Or it could just be that a person is so conditioned by material nature that he cannot perform pure bhakti and keeps getting sidetracked into material desires. Thats the case with most people who attempt the bhakti path: they suffer from the anartha of hdaya-daurbalyam, weakness of the heart. In other words, they cannot bring themselves to make a total commitment to bhakti.

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The Deception of Mixed Bhakti


Everyone wants the supreme attractive qualities of bhakti. When they are seen in a pure devotee like rla Prabhupda, everyone is amazed, attracted and wants these qualities for themselves. But at the same time theyre often unable to give up their attraction to material things like karma, jna and yogafrom gross sex life and sense enjoyment all the way up to subtle things like pride, jealousy and the desire for position, prestige and recognition. So they do a little bhakti and then they do a little karma; they do a little bhakti and then they do a little jna; they do a little bhakti and then they do a little yoga. Their bhakti is covered by fruitive activities in the form of Vedic rituals, big temple projects, big societies and assemblies, and all the politics and nonsense that goes on in them. Their bhakti is covered by desires and activities for personal sense gratification. But this is not pure bhakti. This is going to Ka and trying to make a deal: Hey Ka, Ill worship you a little bit in return for my sense gratification. And they do attain their sense gratification:
nityo nityn cetana cetannm eko bahn yo vidadhti kmn Among all the eternal living beings, there is one Supreme Being, who fulfills the desires of all the others. [Kaha Upaniad 2.2.13]

Ka fulfills the living entities desires. If they want enjoyment in the heavenly planets, they get it; even if they want liberation, they attain it. But they dont get pure bhakti, which is superior to all those other things. Because of this, their bhakti does not manifest the supremely attractive qualities of pure bhakti.

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The superiority of bhakti is only present in its completely pure state. Otherwise, being covered by these lower qualities of karma, yoga, and jna, it appears to be like them. This is why jns, for example, say, Yes, were doing bhakti. We go to the temple, we offer incense and study scripture. This is bhakti. No its not bhakti, because the ultimate aim of their socalled devotional service is to attain liberation for their personal happiness. That impure motivation spoils their so-called bhakti and reduces it to the level of karma-yoga. Another very common example is when a person tries to perform devotional service for material benefit: economic development, sense gratification or relief from suffering. They certainly attain those material benefits, but they do not attain the exalted results of pure bhakti. In such cases, it may superficially appear that bhakti is equal to other spiritual or religious processes like karma, jna or yoga. But thats only because its not pure bhakti; the neophyte practitioners are contaminating it with their impure desires. As soon as bhakti becomes covered over by these material qualities its not pure, and therefore it does not demonstrate the exalted and astonishing qualities of pure devotional service.

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Pure Bhakti Attracts All


When a persons motivation becomes so completely pure that he just wants to serve and please Ka and Kas devotees, all the attractive features of bhakti automatically manifest in him. He doesnt have to try to manifest them. Its not like rla Prabhupda was sitting there thinking, OK, now Im going to attract everybody. Sometimes the parents of the devotees would criticize rla Prabhupda, Youve hypnotized my son. And one time he responded, Yes, its something like that. The explanation is that the beautiful and attractive qualities of Ka also manifest in bhakti, because bhakti comes from the svarpa-akti, the same energy that manifests Kas wonderful form, which is very attractive to everyone. So those qualities also manifest in the person performing pure bhakti, and people are attractedeven though they cant understand why. They just know that somehow or other this person has something special. They cant even define what it is. But we know what it is: pure devotional service. Pure bhakti is so powerful that even Ka becomes controlled by it. This is why Ka does not give it very easily. He places many obstacles, many tests in the path of the aspiring devotee. We often see that many devotees cant pass these tests, and so they fall down or even fall away from the bhakti path completely. Its very rare that someone can attain pure bhakti, pure devotional service. But thats our standard, because its Kas standard.

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Overcome Offenses
Usually devotees become stuck due to offenses [apardhas] in their devotional service. For example, disobeying the order of the spiritual master or thinking that hes an ordinary human being. This is the third offense against the Holy Name. One should not minimize the orders of the spiritual master. A devotee may think the spiritual master doesnt understand something; he may think that he knows better. But he should still follow the orders of the spiritual master, because to do otherwise is an offense that will kill the creeper of bhakti. The spiritual masters order should be accepted simply because he is on the transcendental platform and knows what will satisfy Ka. From a material point of view there may be some flaw; but bhakti is not material, because bhakti is only pure love for Ka, Kas form, Kas pastimes, Kas devotees and Kas qualities. If we have real bhva, transcendental emotion for these things, we will automatically serve them nicely. In the presence of coverings such as karma, jna and yoga, the wonderful qualities of bhakti dont manifest completely. Similarly, in the presence of apardha [offenses], all the wonderful qualities of bhakti disappear because its not pure. The fifth offense in chanting the Holy Name is:
To consider the glories of chanting Hare Ka to be imagination. [Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 8]

The Holy Name of the Lord is completely spiritual and fully potent, so as soon as anyone chants it, all the benefits of chanting the Holy Name are there. But in the presence of offenses, the person is not pure and so can-

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not receive those benefits. If something is given to them but they dont have the ability to receive it, they cant accept it. To receive the complete benefits of bhakti, we have to be perfectly pure. If were not pure, although we may perform devotional service we wont be able to receive its many wonderful benefits and qualities. They will remain in virtual form but they wont manifest. As soon as we become pure, the full qualities of bhakti will immediately manifest. Chanting the Holy Name and doing different kinds of devotional service are very wonderful activities that lead to spiritual emancipation and ecstatic love of Ka; but if we commit offenses, we may not be able to realize those benefits until we take care of those offenses and purify ourselves properly.

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Intense Desire is the Key


Devotees also get stuck because they dont do the internal work to change their consciousness. They could avoid getting stuck simply by desiring pure bhakti. The only qualification for pure bhakti is the greed to have it.
tatra adhikr rgtmikika-nih ye vraja-vsi-jandaya te bhvptaye lubdho bhaved atrdhikravn The qualification for rgnuga-bhakti is as follows: That person who is greedy for attaining a bhva similar to that of the inhabitants of Vrajawho are fixed solely in rgtmika-bhaktiis qualified for rgnuga-bhakti. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.2.291]

Greed means an unreasonable strong desire: I want to please Ka. I want this pure bhakti. I dont know what it is or how to do it, but I know that I want it. Ka please, somehow or other, give it to me. Thats the first stage. If you keep up that desire for long enough, Ka will give it to you. He wants to give it to you; He wants everyone to have it. Thats the whole purpose of existence as far as Hes concerned. From Kas perspective, it is very wonderful when a materially conditioned spirit soul prays, Please Ka, I want pure bhakti. It may take some time to get from wherever you are to pure bhakti, but dont give up that desire. Thats why were preaching like this; were preaching so that everyone will think, Oh man, this pure bhakti, this is the stuff, man. I want that. That sounds good. Give me some of that. If you just keep that desire and persist, youll get it eventually. Thats the whole point: by desiring pure bhakti with great intensity, Ka will give it. Hes just waiting for the day when His devotee realizes, Im
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wasting my time with mixed devotional service. I should only want pure devotional service. Then Ka goes, Yes, come on! Because that is what satisfies and pleases Him. Of course Hes going to give pure devotional servicebut first Hes going to make sure that youre sincere. Thats the way Ka operates. Hes going to test you; Hes going to dangle all kinds of distractions in front of you to see if youre really going to stay on the path. So be ready for that. But the way to attain pure bhakti is simply to desire it, and gradually everything else will be revealed. Thats why we study Bhakti-rsamta-sindhuto cultivate the desire for the platform of pure bhakti. Its only by investigating pure bhakti that we can clearly see the superiority of the bhakti path. Its completely pure and springs from the spiritual platform.
golokera prema-dhana hari-nma-sakrtana This process of chanting the Holy Name of the Lord is coming directly from the spiritual world. [Hari-Hari Biphale, Verse 2]

This process of chanting the Holy Name [nma-sakrtana] was introduced by the Supreme Lord Himself in the form of r Caitanya Mhaprabhu, the incarnation of Ka as His own devotee. Therefore immediately from the very beginning, it is totally spiritual. Its not coming from this material world; its coming from the spiritual world, from the Supreme Person Himself, Who is showing us how to be His devotee.

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The Roadblock of Material Desire


The highest teachings of pure bhakti outlined in r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu were given by Lord Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Therefore we should receive this understanding of pure devotional service with great attention, and very carefully put it into practice in our own lives. We shouldnt be concerned with material obstacles, like I dont have any money, I have some medical condition, I have so many sense desires, I cant control my senses, or I have no time. All of these are simply material impediments, but bhakti is completely spiritual. So if you really want to engage 100 percent in the service in the Lord, theres nothing stopping you. You can just sit in meditation and perform all kinds of bhakti practices within. If your material situation is not harmonious with bhakti, you can get out of that situation and go to another one. Whats stopping you? Whats stopping you is only your self-imposed limitations, your self-imposed material desires. These are called concoctions because theyre not at all necessary. If you completely surrender to Ka and become His devotee, He has promised to protect you.
sarva-dharmn parityajya mm eka araa vraja aha tv sarva-ppebhyo mokayiymi m uca Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear. [Bhagavadgt 18.66]

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Ka is good to His word; He does not break His promise to the devotees. We experience this every day. Were following up on Kas promise and making a promise of our own: Im going to engage 100 percent in Your service, and Im not going to do anything else. Now its up to You to maintain me. This may mean that we go through a period where we have to live very simply and austerely. We may not have the level of sense gratification that the demons have trained us up to expect in material life. Some people think they need so much material sense gratification, but actually this is the poison that is the cause of all their suffering. I dont know why, but this seems really hard for people to understand. Suffering is the result of sinful activities, and sinful activities come in the form of sense gratification. To gratify our senses were willing to perform so many sinful activities, and the result is that we have to suffer. This chasing after sense gratification is actually the cause of all our suffering. If a person goes to the doctor and says, Doc, Im having trouble with my liver. Whats your lifestyle? I drink a bottle of scotch everyday. The doctors going to say, To get well, you have to stop that. You have to stop drinking before you can expect your liver to get better. I can treat it, but whats the use of treating it if you continue drinking? Similarly you have to stop breaking the regulative principles and committing offenses to the Holy Name before you can expect to make significant spiritual advancement.

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The Need for Spiritual Pleasure


Somehow or other we have to detach ourselves from this concocted need for too much material pleasure. The best way to do this is to experience spiritual pleasure.
viay vinivartante nirhrasya dehina rasa-varja raso py asya para dv nivartate The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness. [Bhagavad-gt 2.59]

We automatically experience spiritual pleasure when we give Ka pleasure, because Ka is the root of our own existence. Ka wants pure love and unending enjoyment. As His spiritual children, we inherit His qualities and so we also want pure love and unending enjoyment. Thats the nature of the spirit soul. When we give spiritual enjoyment to Ka, because He is at the center of our being, we also get enjoyment. Its so simple. We cannot get pure love and unending enjoyment in the material world, because everything here is temporary. Any material object of affection has to change, and when that happens we lose that objectit goes away or rejects us. In any case, this material enjoyment is not satisfying to the soul; only spiritual enjoyment is.

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Dont Sit on the Fence


Devotional service is the cure for the poison of material life. But if we continue to engage in material sense gratification, how can we expect our devotional service to counteract it? How can we expect to be cured if we keep taking the poison? This is the conflict between material life and spiritual life. In the beginning of devotional service, every devotee has to work through this conflict. Let me tell you from personal experience, the best thing is to just jump into devotional service with both feet and learn how to swim. This is a very deep ocean of bhakti and so you might feel overwhelmed, but you cannot drown in this ocean. This ocean will actually will give you perfect health, spiritual life and everything youve ever dreamed of. You just have to jump into this ocean of bhakti by following the instructions given in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Do not try to sit on the fence. Sitting on the fence is another way of saying, No, Im not going to do it. Yoda says, Do or not do. There is no try. Make up your mind. Be honest about it. Dont say Im trying, or Maybe in the future. No, either do it or dont do it. Take responsibility for your decision and accept the consequences, whatever they are. Thats honest. But dont try to say, Well, Im working on it. Im really trying. Im thinking about it. Come on, either you want to do it or you dont. We should become sincere, try to eliminate this doubt from our system, and find a level of devotional service that were comfortable with and can remain steady onand stick to that until we work our way out of it. Dont artificially try to jump onto a level of practice you cant sustain. Thats very dangerous, because you will commit offenses and fall down. We dont want that; we want people to become cured of their material
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disease. So the best way is to take the slow, careful road, and just be steady. And own that; take responsibility for it. Ka says in the twelfth chapter of Bhagavad-gt:
mayy eva mana dhatsva mayi buddhi niveaya nivasiyasi mayy eva ata rdhva na saaya atha citta samdhtu na aknoi mayi sthiram abhysa-yogena tato mm icchptu dhanajaya abhyse py asamartho si mat-karma-paramo bhava mad-artham api karmi kurvan siddhim avpsyasi athaitad apy aakto si kartu mad-yogam rita sarva-karma-phala-tyga tata kuru yattmavn reyo hi jnam abhysj jnd dhyna viiyate dhynt karma-phala-tygas tygc chntir anantaram Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt. My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulated principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way you will develop a desire to attain to Me. If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the
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perfect stage. If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated. If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind. [Bhagavad-gt 12.8-12]

Were trying to encourage everyone to attain the stage of pure devotional service. But if you cant do that, it doesnt mean you should give up. You should take the next level down and do that; and if you cant do that, then take the next level down according to Kas instructions, according to whatever stage of spiritual life you can remain steady on. Its far better to be steady on a lower level of practice than to try to jump up to a higher level of practice artificially, and fall down. Be honest with yourself and say, This is where Im at; this is what I can do. I cant do more than this right now, and I just want to stay on this platform until Ive developed a little more. Thats alright. But on the other hand, dont cheat yourself by sitting on the fence instead of trying to become advanced in bhakti. Dont hesitate to perform devotional service even if there is some uncertainty. There will always be some uncertainty until the day Ka appears to you, blesses you and accepts your service. There will always be the question, Am I doing this right? Thats the way Ka is. Hes very shy; He doesnt just come out and give you a reading. He leaves it up to you. You have develop the expertise to understand whether your service is pleasing to Ka or not. And its actually very simple: you just have to look within your heart to see if your desire is pure.
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Trust in Your Heart


Were so used to mental models and were so conditioned by material existence, that even in devotional life we dont trust our own intuition to look within our hearts. Our heart will tell us everything we need to knowonce it is pure. So in the beginning you have to constantly check your mental map: Is my heart pure? Am I going off here? Is this actually material? Theres a lot of hesitation: Is this right? Should I be doing this? If youre intelligent, youll ask your guru. You will eventually find that certain activities and moods in Ka consciousness are very reliable. They will become the core of your service, and youll begin to build on them. When those particular kinds of service become second natureso natural and easy though repetition over many yearsthey become the foundation of your bhva. Were studying Bhakti-rsamta-sindhu so that we can understand the structure of bhva: vibhva, anubhva, sttvika-bhva, vyabhicr-bhva and sthyi-bhvathe five kinds of bhvas that combine to produce rasa. Rasa is what Ka enjoys, and what the soul enjoys. When we know how to make this mysterious rasa, we can enjoy unlimitedly because we have the confidence that we know how to give Ka pleasure eternally. Were not going to fall down or make an offense. When we have that confidence its smooth sailing, and the lighthouse of pure bhakti guides us home, back to Godhead. Hare Ka.

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Session 007: The Highest Bhakti

Topics:
Unceasing Unmotivated Bhakti Active and Emotional Bhakti Sttvika-Bhvas and Anubhvas Serving Ka and His Devotees Alone Ka's Form and Bhakti Extracting the Essence From Sdhana to Prema

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Unceasing Unmotivated Bhakti


In the previous session of Bhakti Master Class we discussed the superiority of uttama-bhakti, pure bhakti. Now we will look at the precise definition of uttama bhakti:
anybhilit-nya jna-karmdy-anvtam nuklyena knulana bhaktir uttama The highest bhakti is defined as continuous service or emotions directed towards Ka, His expansion forms or others related to Him, with a pleasing attitude towards Ka. It should be devoid of desires other than the desire to please the Lord, and unobstructed by impersonal jna, the materialistic rituals of karma or other unfavorable acts. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.11]

In his commentary, Jva Gosvm discusses the deep meaning of each Sanskrit word in this verse, beginning with anulanam:
r Rpa begins the book by describing the characteristics of uttamabhakti. Just as a verb is only understood through the sense of its verbal root [dhtu], so the word anulanam must be understood only through the sense of its verbal root.

There is a footnote:
l means to act, to practice, to serve, to worship and to meditate. Anu means continuous or with devotion. Words can usually be resolved into verbal roots after removing the affixes. The senses of the roots [dhtvartha] are found in the Dhtu-pha of Pini. By studying the sense of the dhtu of a word, one can understand the full scope of meaning in the derived word. Some roots may have only one meaning and some may have several meanings. Some of the meanings may be active and some may be passive. l has two distinct meanings. One meaning is passive: samdhi
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[contemplation]. The other meaning is active: upadhraa [to hear attentively, to perceive, or to cultivate].

Here non-active refers to a passive action or a receiving action. Both meanings of the verbal root anu and all the meanings of l are valid, including meditation or contemplation. So anulanam means to serve, to act, to practice, to worship or to meditate with devotion or continuously. This definition of anulanam becomes the root of the conception of bhakti. Thus bhakti means to serve, practice, act or meditate continuously with devotion. It is not that we get tired of performing bhakti and then perform other activities; that's mixed bhakti. Real bhakti starts as soon as we reach anulanam, continuous devotional service. We might change the mode of our service: sometimes we chant, sometimes we discuss philosophy, sometimes we cook for the Lord and sometimes we clean the temple. We may perform many different activities, but all of them are devotional service. Even sleeping and eating can be devotional service because the body has to be maintained. We are not taking care of the body for our own sense enjoyment, but for use in Ka's service. Therefore we are always engaged in service to the Lord, anulanam. This service must not only be continuous but also unmotivated.
sa vai pus paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokaje ahaituky apratihat yaytm suprasdati The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the tran200 Bhakti Master Class Eastern Ocean First Wave Part 1

scendental Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. [rmad-Bhgavatam 1.2.6]

This verse expresses the same thought as Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.11, the verse currently under discussion. We want to serve continuously and without any selfish desire. Our desire should be only for Ka's benefit, otherwise that's not pure bhakti; that's mixed bhakti.

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Active and Emotional Bhakti


Jva Gosvm continues by discussing the different forms of anulanam or continuous service:
The signification of the verbal root l is twofold: pravtty-tmika, expressing action (to worship, practice and serve) and nivtty-tmika, expressing non-action (to be intensely absorbed). Thus anulanam or continuous service has an active form [ce-rpa] using the body, words or mind and an emotional form [bhva-rpa] consisting of affection [prti] and despair [vida] of the mind.

There is a footnote:
Meditation using the mind with conscious intention would be included in ce-rpa-anulana [the anulanam of active form] but the emotional states in the mind, either temporary (vyabhicr-bhvas such as vida) or permanent (sthyi-bhvas such as prti-rati) are bhva-rpa. This bhva-rpa-anulanam takes place on attaining bhva and prema. Thus, the activities of sdhana-bhakti are classed as ce-rpa. At the level of bhva and prema, ce-rpa-anulanam takes the form of anubhvas.

When we are engaged in pure bhakti, it's very hard to distinguish between the ce-rpa [the active part of the service] and the bhva-rpa [the feelings derived from that activity]. The two of them seem to merge into one. We forget our physical existence and the body becomes spiritualized; ones siddha body [spiritual body] and material body act together. For example, when we're in a very sweet and intense krtan, the feelings that we have (which are bhva-rpa) and the activity of chanting (which is ce-rpa) become merged; experientially we can't tell the difference between the two. The physical act of chanting seems to be the source or embodiment of the bliss derived from the process.
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However, for purposes of analysis Jva Gosvm distinguishes between the two because one is done by the material body (the ce-rpa, or physical aspect of anulanam) and the other is done by the spiritual body (the bhva-rpa, or the ecstatic emotional aspect). In the beginning of bhakti, especially during sdhana-bhakti, the anulanam [continuous devotional service] is mostly done with the body. Then as a devotee advances, gradually more and more of the service is performed internally in the spiritual body. In the higher stages of bhakti, the bhva-rpa can be experienced without the ce-rpa. A person at the stage of bhva or prema feels ecstatic emotions within, whether theyre engaged in external physical activity or not. At that point the service relationship has become completely spiritualized. There is another footnote:
Vivantha Cakravart hkurs commentary also mentions that the avoidance of sev and nma-apardhas, and other agas [11-20, dealing with prohibitions] mentioned in the section on sdhana-bhakti should be included in another class called abhva-rpa-anulanam. This is not included in ce-rpa, since it does not involve action. It is also not included in bhva-rpa anulana, since it is not connected with emotional states.

In other words, these are activities of bhakti that are not accompanied by ecstatic feelings of love. These are most commonly the prohibitions such as the regulative principals, avoiding meat eating, intoxications, gambling ,illicit sex, and association with non devotees etc.

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Sttvika-Bhvas and Anubhvas


Jiva Gosvms commentary continues by classifying sttvika-bhavas and anubhvas.
However, emotional states of sattva, and even non-sattva, are included in ce-rpa-anulanam because both are expressed by action. Sattvas are intense emotions that overcome the heart, but under the pressure of a limited body, spontaneously manifest bodily transformations (action) called sttvika-bhavas. Even though the action is unconscious and the origin is emotion, it is classed as ce-rpa because of the consequent and obvious active element.

The sttvika-bhvas are symptoms of the external body in response to our internal relationship with Ka.
te stambha-sveda-romc svara-bhedotha vepathu vaivaryam aru pralaya ity aau sttvik smt The eight sttvika-bhvas are paralysis, perspiration, hairs standing on end, choking of the voice, trembling, changing color, tears and fainting. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 2.3.16]

There is a footnote explaining the mechanism of sttvika-bhvas:


Sttvika-bhvas have a strong internal emotional component called sattva, which forcibly interacts with pra, which in turn affects the elements earth, water, fire, ether and pra [air] in the body, which causes external symptoms in the body, voice and mind. Because they are not conscious actions, though they involve action, they are distinct from anubhvas.

In other words, the pra becomes excited by ecstatic emotions and contacts the elements of the body, causing physical symptoms. When the pra contacts the water element, there are tears. When the pra conSession 007: The Highest Bhakti 205

tacts the air element, there's choking of the voice. When the pra contacts the ether element [space], there's fainting. The material body has limitations and so it cannot take a large amount of energy running through it. If a lot of energy comes through the material body from the spiritual platform, it has to ground that energy in the material elements. At this point the material body begins to express sttvikabhva, these ecstatic symptoms. The specific sttvika-bhva expressed depends on which way the pra is directed and which element of the body the pra is in touch with. It may be in touch with multiple elements, in which case multiple sttvikabhvas will manifest at the same time. That's when things get really interesting. There are five or six different levels of sttvika-bhva depending on the intensity and the number of elements contacted. Its a very complicated and elaborate science, which Rpa Gosvm will explain elaborately later on in the chapter on sttvika-bhvas. In the West we dont have terminology to describe these symptoms of ecstatic love. This is probably because of the limitations of Western religion; people don't experience them except under very rare circumstances. Even then they are usually misunderstood as some kind of physical affliction. Even when Lord Caitanya exhibited ecstatic symptoms, such as shaking of the body and fainting, He would say that he had epilepsy. That way He wouldn't have to try and explain Kas involvement because that would put Him into the ecstatic mood all over again. So He would explain it away by saying, "I have epileptic seizures now and then, and the people around Him would try and treat Him with different medicines. Of course it didn't change anything; the emotions were too intense. Jva Gosvm continues:
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Other emotions, which are not so intense, and are not classed as sattvas, if they are similarly eclipsed in favor of conscious actions, are called anubhvas. Though the immediate cause is emotion, anubhvas are classed as ce-rpa because of the preponderance of conscious action.

Anubhvas arise after contact with the Lord; anubhva literally means following the original bhva. First comes vibhva, the initial contact or original feeling in the heart toward the Lord, and then comes the anubhva, which is an emotion expressed as different activities.
ntya viluhita gta kroana tanu-moanam hukro jmbhaa vsa-bhm loknapekit ll-sravoahsa ca ghr-hikkdayopi ca The external transformations known as anubhvas are actions, such as dancing, rolling on the ground, singing, shouting, stretching the body, bellowing, yawning, breathing heavily, disregarding others, drooling, laughing loudly, whirling around and hiccups.[r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 2.2.2]

These anubhvas are under the control of the will, but when the emotion becomes so strong that it's no longer controllable, then the sttvika-bhvas manifest.

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207

Serving Ka and His Devotees Alone


The next word that Jva Gosvm examines is knulanam, found in the second line in verse 1.1.11:
nuklyena knulana bhaktir uttama

Jva Gosvm says:


With this consideration of ce-rpa bhakti [devotional activities of the body] and bhva-rpa bhakti [devotional activities of the heart], anulanam means service for persons related to Ka or service for Ka directly. That is the meaning of knulanam. Because this definition also includes persons related to Ka as well as Ka Himself, it avoids the fault of being too narrow.

The scope of bhakti is now being described. Bhakti is not only anulanam, it's knulana: service either to Ka directly or to those who are related to Ka, such as Ka's devotees, Ka's family members, Ka's cows, Ka's qualities, His philosophy, His temple, His way of life and His instructions. Anything related to Ka can also be an object of devotional service.
Thus, agas of bhakti such as taking shelter of guru's lotus feet may be included in bhakti, even in bhva-rpa-anulanam.

Aga mean limb. Sixty-four agas or limbs of vaidh-bhakti are given in the second wave of Bhakti-rsamta-sindhu. If we also count the different types of bhvas and states of ecstatic love, there are hundreds of limbs of bhakti. All of them are offerable either to Ka or to Ka's devotees, especially the guru and the pure devotees.

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These agas of bhakti may even be included as bhva-rpa-anulanam. We can feel ecstatic emotions in relation to these agas of bhakti because they're of the same quality as Ka. They're all pure and transcendental. Jva Gosvm also adds:
At the stage of bhva, sthyi-bhvas and vyabhicri-bhvas may be expressed in relation to guru within this definition of bhakti.

The relationship with the guru is one of master and servant. Therefore, even if one's sthyi-bhva in relation to Ka is something else, the sthyibhva of servitude will be manifested in relationship with the guru at all times. This definition of bhakti is not too narrow; it focuses not only on Ka but also on things related to Him. The definition is not too broad either, because it insists that the object of our service, our anulanam, must be purely spiritual. That means it rejects mixed bhakti as being part of pure devotional service. We should not become emotionally attached to an organization because they always include a material component by their very nature. Religious organizations are mixed devotional service; theyre not fully transcendental. They may contain transcendental elements, but they're also covered over by some material energy. We have to be cautious about developing devotional sentiments or attachment toward those organizations. Devotional service is acceptable as pure bhakti only when its object and methods are completely spiritual and eternal like Ka's flute, Ka's land of Vndvan, Ka's cows and Ka's devotee. We can form nice devotional relationships with these things.

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Kas Form and Bhakti


Jiva Gosvm continues by describing the pure spiritual nature of bhakti:
This service or anulanam, obtainable only by the mercy of Ka and His devotees, is a transformation of the Lord's svarpa-akti, and thus is not material but spiritual. However, one should understand that though it is purely spiritual, it makes its appearance (and is not created since it is eternal).

Pure bhakti is not made or manufactured, but simply appears, just like Ka. Ka is not born, nor does He die. He appears in the material world through His devotees, and then He leaves. For example, the sun rises at a certain point on the horizon and it sets at another point on the horizon. When the sun sets we can't see it, but that doesn't mean the sun doesn't exist; the sun alway exists. It just appears at a certain point and disappears at a certain point. Ka and His devotional service are also like that. Devotional service is actually eternal; it simply appears at a certain place or point in time according to our vision.
Devotional service makes its appearance in the body, mind, and words by taking over the functions of the body, mind and words. This will be clarified later on.

There is a footnote:
Anulanam at the stage of bhva displays transformations of the svrupa-akti.

Svarpa means the eternal form. Svarpa-akti is the means by which Ka manifests His eternal form, and bhakti is also manifested by the same potency. That means bhakti is an inseparable part of Ka's form;
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theyre basically one thing. Wherever Ka's form is present, bhakti is also there and vice versa. Ka is very beautiful so wherever He appears, people are going to admire His beauty; this is bhakti. This admiration of Ka's beauty, His form and His many wonderful qualities completely takes over the functions of the body, mind and words; one becomes fascinated. In the presence of a very beautiful, wise, intelligent or powerful person, there's no question about who is going to be the center of attention. The nature of a person who has extraordinary qualities is to dominate the context around them because of the attractive features of their qualities. Ka has unlimited attractive qualities so He becomes the center of attention when His form manifests in any waysuch as the form of the Deity or even the description of His form. For example, Rukmi fell in love with Ka by hearing narrations about Him. She had never even seen Ka, but simply by hearing about Ka she became so attracted that she was ready to give up everything to marry Him. Similarly, devotees hear many narrations about Ka from stra, and this leads to Ka's form manifesting within their hearts. Because Ka's form is there, bhakti is also there. As soon as we begin to appreciate Ka's qualities or serve Him in any way, even by contemplation, that's immediately bhakti. That Ka's form and bhakti are manifested by the same spiritual potency, the svarpa-akti, is a wonderful thought. It means that by surrendering our lives, by giving our time and energy to this bhakti process, we have actually become part of Kas form.

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A spiritual master was once asked, "What is your identity in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya?" He replied, "You're looking at it." We are actually participating in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu because He gave this process of bhakti, and we are engaged in that process by following His instructions. Thats pretty awesome. It may be 500 years later, but Ka's svarpa and our svarpa are eternal, so theres no consideration of time. These activities are beyond time. Even if we visit the spiritual world, stay there for millions of years and then come back to this world, we will see that Vndvan and Mypur will still be there. It may be a different yuga or it may even be a different creation; that doesnt matter. All the activities of devotional service are eternal. They will still be performed just as they are now. People will still study Vedic scriptures, read Sanskrit, chant mantras and perform Deity worship. The circumstances, language or even the planet may changeand everything will change in this material worldbut the one thing that never changes is bhakti because it is part of Ka's transcendental form. That's an astonishing thought.

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213

Extracting the Essence


Jva Gosvm continues his commentary :
In this verse, the word Ka also indicates bhakti for other forms of God, because Ka is Svayam-Bhagavn, including all other forms of God (such as Nsiha and Nryana). Gradation of these forms will be considered later.

Ka is Svayam-Bhagavn, the original Personality of Godhead. Therefore we can offer bhakti to Ka Himself or to any of His forms. We can learn to do this from Ka Himself through His parampar. Ka teaches the gops how to dance and how to relish rasa. He teaches them how to create rasa, this mystical drink with five transcendental ingredients. Through Kas guidance the gops also become expert in rasa, just like Him. Then they can teach others. That's why, in general, the spiritual masters in our line are considered to be either gops or assistants to the gops [majars]. The spiritual masters share the mood that bhakti is all about making lots of rasa for Ka. There is deep meaning to the image of the gops churning butter. Churning butter means extracting the essence from the milk. Milk is the symbol of religion, sometimes called liquid religion, because milk is completely pure. By this churning process, the gops are extracting the essence of that purity from the milk. In the same way, by mixing rasaby dancing with Kathe gops are extracting the essence from all religious practices, because all practices of religion are ultimately aimed at developing love of God. This love of God is perfectly expressed in the rsa dance; in fact, music and dance are the two most important devotional arts. The gops are the masters of the rsa
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dance, so theyor their assistantscan teach the conditioned souls how to engage in this dance. This is why in devotional service we see so much repetition and following involved, anulanam. Another meaning of Anu is following. So anulanam also means serving by following in the footsteps of the previous cryas. Hence, verse ten said:
tatrdau suhu vaiiyam asy kathayitu sphuam lakaa kriyate bhakter uttamy sat matam In the First Wave or chapter, in order to describe clearly the superiority of bhakti to other processes, the unique characteristics of uttama-bhakti will be related, as approved by the cryas. [r Bhakti-rsamta-sindhu 1.1.10]

As approved by the cryas. We don't speculate our methods of devotional service; we follow the approved process shown by the cryas. That way theres no guesswork, and we also dont make any mistakes. Learning by hearing is the perfect learning method because if we hear from someone who is perfect and follow their instructions, our problems are solved automatically. We don't have to experience many painful mistakes. Thats the preferred way of learning. We should emulate the gops by taking this process of religion and churning out or extracting the real essence: love of Godhead. By putting this into practice in our lives, everything will be successful. To make butter requires a lot of effort at first, and then the enjoyment comes at the end. We mix the milk for a while, and then all of a sudden it becomes butter, right at the end. But without doing all the mixing first, or
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just by churning in an easy fashion, the milk won't make butter. The process requires a certain concentrated effort.

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From Sdhana to Prema


Churning butter is a nice analog to the process of bhakti itself because the final stages go very fast. At first it can seem like you're getting nowhere: "I'm working so hard and doing so much, but nothing's happening." And then toward the end, things start moving very fast; it all comes together. In the stage of sdhana, the qualities of bhakti are still developing. They develop quite slowly over 20 to 30 years of practice. But once bhva is attained, the degree of manifestation of bhakti's qualities is comparatively much quicker. It may be another 10 to 20 years, and then you're in prema. Even though the stage of bhva is more complex, by the time a devotee reaches it, they have so much experience and confidence in their practice that they can advance through it very quickly. They have finally figured out the transcendental logic, the emotional logic that drives bhakti. Usually by that time they have realized their sthyi-bhva, and they know their role in relation to the Lord. At the conclusion of the bhva stage, Ka will manifest to the devotee and accept his service. Thats the beginning of the prema stage, but even that takes some time to manifest fully. It doesn't happen instantly. These things take time because they're very complicated and subtle. It takes the mind and heart some time to process all of the emotional implications of each level of realization, but there are definite boundaries between them. In the neophyte stage, your mental picture is defective. You don't understand bhakti properly, and that's why you make so many offenses.

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Then in the rgnuga-sdhana-bhakti stage, you're past anartha-nivtti. Anartha-nivtti means that all these material thingskarma, jna, yoga, sense gratification and offensesfinally disappear. Rgnuga means you finally get it; you want to do this service from yourself, not because of external considerations. However, in the rgnuga stage, you still have the mental map of how bhakti works. You are driving by a map that is largely intellectual in nature; a mental picture of what bhakti is according to your understanding. By the time one attains bhva, it's no longer mental; it's all in the heart. Everything has been internalized: the complicated structure of bhvas and all the strasthe complete science of bhakti. One has realized a personal vocabulary of emotional states that is satisfying both to the devotee and to Ka. Thats the main differentiation between the rgnuga-sdhanabhakti stage and the bhva-bhakti stage. Then in the prema stage, the bhva that one discovers in the bhva-bhakti stage becomes extremely condensed, extremely potent, and one begins to operate on a whole new level, completely trusting Ka. In such an exalted state, there is an unlimited amount of bliss and anybody can achieve this by practicing pure devotional service, as defined in this verse by rla Rpa Gosvm. In the next session we will continue to explore this verse and dive deeper into the ocean of pure bhakti. Hare Ka.

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Session 008: Ka and Bhakti: The Same akti

Topics:
Bhakti Must Be Favorable Pick Your Friends Wisely Ka is the Doer What is Material Desire? Learn to Love Just Do It

221

Bhakti Must Be Favorable


We continue our study of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.11, which gives the definition of pure devotional service.
anybhilit-nya jna-karmdy-anvtam nuklyena knulana bhaktir uttam The highest bhakti is defined as continuous service or emotions directed towards Ka, His expansion forms or others related to Him, with a pleasing attitude towards Ka. It should be devoid of desires other than the desire to please the Lord, and unobstructed by impersonal jna, the materialistic rituals of karma or other unfavorable acts. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.11]

In the last session we discussed the meaning of the term knulanam, which means service for Ka and persons related to Him, such as the devotees. Anu in this context means uninterrupted, and l means service. Therefore anulanam means to render service uninterruptedly. So pure bhakti is the rendering of service uninterruptedly to Ka and His devotees. Anything related to Ka is also of the same transcendental quality as Ka. Our service must be directed toward transcendental objects, such as Ka Himself, His devotees, His qualities, abode, pastimes, names, activities and philosophy. The next term we're going to discuss is nuklyena. This is the beginning of the second line of the verse:
nuklyena knulana bhaktir uttam

Jva Gosvm comments:


The word nuklyena [with favorableness or friendliness] is the descriptive element of anulanam or service. It is necessary in order to
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limit the definition of bhakti. The definition of bhakti cannot be established with a disagreeable attitude towards Ka [pratiklya]. The word nuklyena in conjunction with knulanam means behavior pleasing for Ka.

This is not necessarily behavior that we consider pleasing, but that Ka considers pleasing.
Pratiklya means the opposite: behavior disagreeable for Ka.

There are many things we may consider very nice, that Ka actually doesn't like. We should be prepared to give those up and engage only in nuklya activities that are pleasurable to Ka.
Because this word is in the instrumental case [nuklya becomes nuklyena], it indicates that favorableness is a necessary qualifier for defining anulanam, not as a secondary element that can be assumed to exist in anulanam and which need not be mentioned separately.

In other words, we don't assume that anulanam is automatically favorable; we make it very explicit that this continuous service must be favorable. Why? Because there are instances of people who thought of Ka constantly but unfavorably.
An objection may be stated as follows. When someone says, Prepare the weapon-bearers [warriors] for battle, he means as well that the warriors should also bring the weapons. Similarly, the word anulanam, service to Ka, is sufficient to define bhakti, since nuklya is implied by the word anulanam. It is not necessary to mention it separately. Bhakti means actions directed to Ka is a sufficient definition.

Jva Gosvm is considering this doubt: Why do we need the word nuklyena in the definition of bhakti?

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The response is as follows. When someone says, Feed the weaponbearers, he does not mean that the weapons should also be brought to the dinner table.

This is the conception of appropriateness. Just because a person is a warrior, it doesnt mean he brings his weapons to dinner.
Thus, in all cases, the mention of weapon-bearers does not imply that they bring their weapons. Similarly, the word anulanam, if used alone, may not include favorableness in all cases. Actions directed to Ka with concentration are not always favorable.

The example of Kasa is mentioned in a footnote here:


Kasa meditating constantly on Ka with an intention of killing Him is thus rejected, although it is anulanam of Ka. Thus, the word nuklyena must accompany anulanam in the definition of bhakti.

The commentary continues:


There may be another objection. We could just say, Perform favorable bhakti without even mentioning anulanam, for the word bhakti alone implies service. For instance, when we say, The king goes out traveling, we also imply that he goes along with his retinue. Similarly, when we mention bhakti it includes service and other items as well. That is true. However, by omitting the word anulanam, there will be no clear indication of the different shades of meaning inherent in the root l.

In the last session we discussed the active and passive meanings of the Sanskrit word l, which is the root of the verb anulanam. It can mean either active service or contemplative service. In other words, it can mean performing actions that are favorable to Ka, or it can mean simply contemplating Ka favorably.
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Consequently (by omitting the word anulanam) there would be no indication of the different modes of bhakti [ce-rpa and bhva-rpa anulanam].

We have already discussed these two modes of bhakti in the previous session. In the early stages of bhakti, everything is based on activities performed by the bodily senses according to the rules and regulations of scripture. However, in the advanced stages, the external activities become very much secondary to the internal mood of favorable contemplation of Ka. This mood is called bhva. Bhva-bhakti is a much higher level of bhakti than vaidh-bhakti, which is generally considered the neophyte stage.

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Pick Your Friends Wisely


Jva Gosvm continues:
The word anulanam is specifically supplied in the definition in order to comprehend the full sense of the root. Furthermore, in order to define bhakti completely, the prefix anu is added to lanam [service] to indicate that the service should be continuous [anu]. nuklyena knulanam, continuous service or emotions directed towards Ka, His expansion forms or others related to Him, with a pleasing attitude towards Ka, is the essential characteristic [svarpa lakaa] of bhakti.

There is a footnote here:


This phrase [nuklyena knulanam] is somewhat ambiguous since it can mean, having an attitude to please Ka or something which is pleasing to Ka. Therefore, Vivantha Cakravart hkur in his commentary says that it must only mean having an attitude to please Ka.

The definition of bhakti given here is both inclusive and exclusive. Its inclusive because it allows for different levels or stages in the practice of bhakti. But its also exclusive because it denies that thinking of Ka unfavorably could be accepted as bhakti. The definition also denies that interrupted service toward Ka could be accepted as bhakti. We see in many devoteesespecially in the neophyte stagethat their service is interrupted; its not continuous. They come to the temple and serve Ka for a little while, and then go outside and perform their material activities. Is that kind of service accepted as bhakti? Well, it's in the gray area. It's putting God into a box: Were going to have God-time for two hours on
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Sunday morning. The rest of the time we don't think about God, and we do whatever we like. In this way God, His service, thoughts about Him and positive relations with Him are put under some kind of limitation. This limitation could be of any kind. For example, if we're unableor unwillingto give up certain activities that are inimical toward bhakti, like sense gratification, that is a way of limiting bhakti. Engaging in such activities does not fit the definition of bhakti because it does not have a favorable attitude toward Ka. Instead, its done with the attitude of, "Ka, please go away for a while so I can do my nonsense." That's not pure bhakti. A person has to be engaged in activities that are favorable to Ka 24 hours a day, without deviation, to be accepted as a pure devotee. Why is all this important? Because we want to associate with pure devotees, we should know how to recognize them. We do not want to be associated with mixed devotees. This is one of the basic principles of bhakti, which will be discussed in the next chapter on sdhana-bhakti. The principle is that we give up the association of non-devoteesand we also give up the association of mixed devotees if we want the highest pure bhakti. How can we engage in pure devotional service if we associate with people who have accepted a lower standard? If we do that, we will also accept a lower standard by their influence. More precisely, by accepting their association, we would accept the validity of that lower standard by implication. This is why we don't associate with big organizations and religious groups, and maintain a little distance from them. It's not that we hate them; we have nothing against them. We actually wish them well, but we don't want to associate with people who would influence us to reduce our stan228 Bhakti Master Class Eastern Ocean First Wave Part 1

dard or to compromise Rpa Gosvm's principles. This is very important because it gives an insight into how we structure our activities and our saga. We want to encourage people to come to this platform of pure devotional service. To accomplish that, they need education and encouragementbut they also need a carefully chosen environment of devotees with whom to associate. For example, we dont accept the close association of people who are not ready to make a total commitment to pure devotional service. Thats very important. If someone wants to perform mixed devotional service, thats alrightas long as they do it outside our close association.

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Ka is the Doer
Actually, we want to encourage people to completely surrender to Ka, because that's what Ka says in the Bhagavad-gt:
sarva-dharmn parityajya mm eka araa vraja "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." [Bhagavad-gt 18.66]

Even for those with material needs, we recommend the chanting of r Viusahasranma. Someone may object that this is a materialistic practice. No, if we were encouraging materialism, we would encourage people to get a job with a big corporation or go back to school to get an advanced degree. But we know that such activities are actually against the principles of bhakti because they interrupt our devotional service and make us perform service to someone else. The chanting of Viusahasranma, however, is directly devotional service. It is given by the Lords representative, Bhmadeva, specifically for the common peoples material needs, which can be met by some arrangement of Ka. That's what most people dont get. They think they have to meet their material needs by making their own arrangement. They think they are the doers and the controllers, that they are responsible. But actually Ka is the doer, and by chanting Viusahasranma as a solution to material problems we recognize that fact. So this can actually be part of anulanam, because we don't have to interrupt our devotional service to take care of our material obligations. One should at least be ready to approachif not wholeheartedly adopt this level of nuklyena knulanam, meaning uninterrupted and undeSession 008: Ka and Bhakti: The Same akti 231

viated favorable service toward Ka with a positive attitude. This is the actual standard of pure devotional service. We see a lot of devotees go to the temple for the whole morning program, and then go out to work at a job or collect money on the streets. That is fruitive activity. There's no real need for it, and we're the proof of that. We're not collecting money. We don't even ask people for money, but somehow money comes. Money is necessary; thats the world we live in. But dont you think Ka is incapable of taking care of His devotees need for money? Of course he is. If you are doing pure devotional service and preaching nicely with enthusiasm and purity, there is no problem. Prabhupda used to say, Purity is the force. It is indeed the spiritual potency. If you are on the platform of pure devotional service, Ka is going to maintain you because you're totally surrendered to Him.

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What is Material Desire?


The next term is anybhilit-nyam, the first two words of the verse. So far we've been talking about the concept of bhakti in general. Now Jva Gosvm defines uttama bhakti, highest of pure bhakti.
To define the concept of uttama, two modifying phrases are added as secondary characteristics [taastha-lakaa]: anybhilit-nyam [it should be devoid of other desires] and jna-karmdy-anvtam [it should not be covered by jna, karma or other items]. The use of the word anya [other] in the phrase anybhilit-nyam indicates that bhakti should have only one desire (to serve the Lord, since bhakti is not devoid of desire) and no other desire.

The mind is full of desires: "I want this, I want that, I want to go here, I want to do this or that." Thats what the mind doesconstantly. The mind scans the senses and picks up on them. It then cooks up a desire according to whatever the senses are agitated about at the moment. Our desires run the whole gamut of the minds and senses activities: from the most gross desire, like sense gratification and sex life, all the way up to the most subtle desire for religious honor and spiritual recognition. These are the most subtle desires because they can easily masquerade as being spiritual. But they're not really spiritual at all because they are desires for self-benefit. Any desire for self-benefit is not accepted as bhakti. Of course we have to eat and sleep; we need clothing and a roof over our heads. These are ordinary desires and are not contrary to bhaktialthough in the highest stage of bhakti, even these desires go away. But during the course of our sdhana we need some facility, and thats alright. We can desire that, and its not against bhakti.

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But to desire self-benefit in the form of unnecessary facilities is material desire. Let me have a beautiful marble temple, and let me be the king of this temple and engage everyone in devotional service according to my direction!" This is subtle material desire because it appears to be linked with Ka but it's not. Its separate from Ka because we don't actually want Ka to be the one everyone's coming to see; we want them all to come and see us. This is personal desire, selfish desire. We see this kind of subtle desire in a lot of devotees. They want to attain some position, recognition or designation: The Grand Poobah of such-and-such group or temple. We don't care for these designations. We don't want any particular title. We don't want to be known as a famous preacher or teacher. We just want to do our service for Ka, and so we desire from Ka the minimum necessary facility for that. That's not against devotional service. There will be quite a discussion later on in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu about appropriate renunciation. One should practice renunciation of things which are useless or unnecessary for Ka's service. The nature of things that are necessary depends on our stage of advancement in bhakti. The degree of external facility that we require for our bhakti practice reduces as our internal realization grows. When we completely realize Ka, we don't need any external facility because we have internalized the whole process. But that's a very high stage. In the beginning we need some kind of temple, association, books to study, rules and a definite process, otherwise we get lost. We need some kind of a map to follow: "This is the way you go to Ka." And this map has to be comprehensible.

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Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu gives the whole map. Other booksbeginning with Bhagavad-gt, r opaniad and rmad-Bhgavatamalso give maps of bhakti. But their maps are in pieces, like a puzzle that we have to put together. In Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, Rpa Gosvm has done all the work of putting the puzzle together, and what we get is a neat step-by-step outline. What Rpa Gosvm has done is very impressive. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is like a software manual of how to go through this process step-by-step. As you go through the process, different indications are also given to help recognize where you are in the process: what stage you're at, what kind of sdhana you need to do to advance to the next stage, what qualities you need to develop and what qualities you need to renounce. Everything is there. It's the most wonderful book for the practice of devotional service, and that's why we're studying it.

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Learn to Love
The next phrase in the definition of pure bhakti that Jva Gosvm comments upon is jna-karmdy-anvtam.
Jna [knowledge] in the second phrase refers to inquiry concerning the impersonal brahman with no qualities. This should be rejected, but inquiry concerning the worshipable form of the Lord should not be rejected, for that knowledge is necessary in bhakti.

What is our aim? If we want to study knowledge with the aim of impersonal liberation, that's rejected in bhakti. We specifically reject impersonal liberation because it means there's no chance for performing bhakti. It is no accident that bhakti is offered to the personal form of the Lord. As we discussed in the previous section, bhakti comes from the same spiritual potency by which Ka manifests His form, the svarpa-akti. So bhakti and Ka's form are not two things, they're one thing. As soon as we engage in bhaktiespecially pure bhaktiwe actually have a direct connection with Ka's form. And since Ka's form is made of concentrated bliss, as soon as we have pure bhakti we also have complete happiness.
The word karma in this verse refers to daily and periodic duties enjoined in the smtis, and not the actions of serving the Lord, for serving the Lord is the very definition of anulanam or service.

The Vedic scriptures contain directions for performing different rituals on a daily or periodic basis. But in the beginning of rmad-Bhgavatam, Nrada chastises Vysadeva for this:
jugupsita dharma-kte 'nusata svabhva-raktasya mahn vyatikrama yad-vkyato dharma ittara sthito na manyate tasya nivraa jana

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The people in general are naturally inclined to enjoy, and you have encouraged them in that way in the name of religion. This is verily condemned and is quite unreasonable. Because they are guided under your instructions, they will accept such activities in the name of religion and will hardly care for prohibitions. [rmad-Bhgavatam 1.5.15]

The word condemned is used. Why? Because this kind of religiosity is a cheating business masquerading as authentic spiritual life. You do some ritual, give some charity or perform some auspicious work, and then you get some material result that you can enjoy. Thats karma-ka, where you make a deal with God: "OK God, I'll serve You but I expect some result in return." Thats not love; that's business. Its a very easy concept for the materially conditioned consciousness to understand, but it's vastly inferior to the result given by pure bhakti. To accept the results of your fruitive activities you have to sign up for another term of material existence: birth, death, old age, disease, material suffering of different kinds and karma. So karma-ka is only indirectly auspicious. Bhakti is the only directly auspicious activity given the scriptures. It's just very difficult for most people to understand, because they have impurities in their hearts. They prefer a business deal with God. They don't want to go into a relationship of pure love with God, because they don't trust Him. They themselves are untrustworthy, and so they conceive of God as being the same way: having some selfish desire for Himself. But how can God have any selfish desire? He already has everything. Nothing we have could actually please Himexcept our love. He wants our love. All offerings, rituals and processes that are performed with some material motivation are not satisfying to Ka; they don't really engage
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Ka. But the pure love of devotional service not only attracts Ka and engages Him, it actually controls Him. Well see as we get deeper into this discussion how that is so. Karma in this verse does not refer to the activities of the material body and senses in the service of Ka. Those activities comprise vaidh-bhakti, which is in a gray area between karma and jna on one side and bhakti on the other side. They are not against bhakti and so we accept them provisionally in the beginning, just like we accept a little jna [knowledge] and a little vairgya [renunciation] in the beginning of devotional service. They aid in preparing people for pure bhakti. A person has to first give up his nonsense; only then can he join a devotee saga to engage in pure devotional service. So a little knowledge and renunciation is good in the beginning, but too much of these make the heart hard; they make a person very brittle and stiff. To really appreciate devotional service, one's heart must be soft. We should have a kind, merciful and compassionate disposition. Compassion means that we feel another person's suffering as our own. A hard-hearted person can't do that; they're only thinking of themselves. To really love Ka we have to allow Ka's beauty, His good qualities, exalted character and His loving affectionate nature to melt our hearts. Only then can we have a real relationship with Ka. Otherwise we're simply pretending on an external level. So we should become openhearted, soft-hearted, giving and naturally merciful, because these are the qualities that allow us to attain the exalted platform of pure bhakti.

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Just Do It
Jva Gosvms commentary continues:
The word di [in jna-karmdy-anvtam] refers to practices such as renuciation [vairgya], yoga and skhya. These, as well as impersonal jna and smti actions, are obstructions to pure bhakti. Someone may propose that since the definition mentions knulanam, bhakti should also be defined using the word ka-bhakti. In response to this, it may be said that the definition uses the word bhakti rather than ka-bhakti because in the devotional scriptures the word bhakti alone is commonly used (though it refers to bhakti for Ka or Viu). This is shown in the next verse.

To summarize our definition so far, pure bhakti has the following characteristics:
anybhilit-nya: exclusive; without any competing desires jna-karmdy-anvtam: rejecting other materially motivated processes such as jna and karma nuklyena: favorable to Ka knulanam: uninterrupted, undeviated and unmotivated service to Ka

Bhakti is thus defined both positively and negatively. The positive aspect is the desire for Ka's welfare and pleasure. The negative aspect of the definition is the rejection of jna, karma and other non-devotional processes, which we can sum up as any selfish desire. We should desire to love Ka. This is, in fact, the active principle in devotional service. The way to advance on the path of bhakti is simply to desire to love Ka. I can't tell you how to desire; you just do it. If your mind or heart is not under enough control to desire to love Ka, then doing all all the other activities of bhakti is not going to help you. I've seen this many times in my
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Godbrothers. They practice all the external rules, regulations, rituals and activities; they go out preaching, collecting and making devotees. But they never get to the point where they can actually give up karma, jna and other material processes, because they still maintain some selfish desire. They want some honor, respect, position or designation, for which they work very hard. They have the same mood as a middle manager at a corporation: wearing the suit, coming in to work early, getting ready for the big meeting, etc. They have that same kind of industrious busy mood. But do they love Ka? No, not really. Do they desire to love Ka? No, not really. How can we say that? Because they don't love Ka. If they don't love Ka, it means they dont desire to love Ka. Thats the proof, because if someone desires to love Ka then of course Ka is going to fulfill that desire. He may not give it right away; it may take some time. But if someone cultivates this desire until it becomes the most important thing in their life, how is Ka going to refuse it? Ka wants us to love Him. That's the whole purpose of Vedic knowledge. The material creation exists only to give the conditioned souls a place where they can be trained up in pure devotional service. The actual conclusion of the Vedas is simply that one should love and serve Ka in a positive way, without deviation. Im constantly amazed by how close some people can get to devotional service and still get it wrong. Its so obvious to me! Somebody's got them under the whammy of some kind of my, some kind of reality-distortion field where they rationalize that being a devotee means they put their tilak on straight and neat, wear the right clothes and follow the externals perfectly.
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But bhakti is not a material corporation; you dont put on your uniform to go to work. This is something transcendental, something mystical. It's a mystery, which means that it is based on a divine revelation beyond human understanding. The divine revelation is when Ka reveals Himself. Only Ka can do thatand you can't make Him do it either. He does it in His own sweet time, and He will put you through all kinds of tests to purify you and make sure that you're sincere, before revealing His transcendental form. This brings us back to the wonderful insight into the nature of bhakti: that Ka's form and bhakti are manifested by the same akti, the same energy. So if you get bhakti right, you automatically get Ka's form. The fact that my Godbrothers have not received a revelation of Ka's form means they haven't got bhakti right. But if you're sincere, willing to be a little austere, and have some interest in bhakti, you can understand it. Its not beyond you at all, because you're a spirit soul and it's in your nature to be in a transcendental love relationship with Ka. That's who you really are. How do you discover and understand this? You have to practice this mystical method of chanting the Holy Name, engaging in devotional service. By this mystical method, somehow or other Ka reveals Himself to you. When that happens, all suffering is over. We're not telling you this because we want to control you, want you to give money or want you to come and join us. No, we want you to be happy like we are. If you follow this advice and engage in pure bhakti, you will also be engaged in pure bliss.

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The mantras of God's pure Holy Name that we chant and sing have no negative connotation whatsoever. Their only meaning is pure ecstasy, bliss and happiness itself. Its not even ordinary bliss, but concentrated blissprema. If you think these mantras have some other meaning then you have a mistaken idea. Dont mistake this process for any other process. It's not a way of organizing people politically; it's not a plot for world domination; were not trying to undo anybody else. All of that is irrelevant to what we're really doing, which is simply enjoying our relationship with Ka. That's all. But thats actually very significant because when we come into relationship with Ka, we also realize who we really are. That relationship is so satisfying that we lose all our material desires. Why should we engage in material activities and the concomitant suffering that's involved in them? Every time we perform material activities we're signing up for another term of material existence; were signing up for more suffering. Why would anybody in their right mind want to do that? Instead, we want to get free from material sufferingand that is possible by directly engaging in pure devotional service. You can do this, and if you do it you will find that everything we're saying is true. But you have to perform the experiment to find out. There's no other way, because I may talk very logically about it but somebody else may come along, who talks very logically and disproves it all. So the only actual proof is in the direct personal experience of bhakti itself. Otherwise you can never really know whether this is true or not. So come and experience pure bhakti, and find out for yourself. Hare Ka.

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Session 009: Know Thy Bhakti

Topics:
The Problem of Identity The Cultivation of Bhakti The Primacy of Intent Bhakti Stands Alone Bhakti and Karma How to Worship The Wheat and the Chaff Shoot for the Rhinoceros

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The Problem of Identity


We are an esoteric school. We create conditions that help us approach Ka so that He can reveal the mystery of real existence and life. What we perceive with our senses is unreal; its phony. Its just a set where we play a role: we dance and sing on the stage, and then return to our original identitywho we really are. But most people have no knowledge of who they really are, and so theyre always caught by surprise when the lights go out and the play is over. I have to give up this role?, they ask incredulously. But thats me! No, thats not you. Thats just a role you play temporarily in the world. You have to adjust your role to be in harmony with your real identity. That original identity is to be an eternal devotee of Ka. Your real activity is to offer continuous, unmotivated and positive service and love to Ka. When you do that, everything falls into place and comes into focus. There are no more worries; all doubts are vanquished. Unless we find a solution to the problem of identity and desire, there seems to be no end to sufferingand this is actually much more debilitating and depressing than the suffering itself. There is always going to be pain in this world. Pain is inescapable, but suffering is optional. Engaging in pure bhakti and studying it deeply are the solutions to this existential problem. Theres always going to be pain in this world. Pain is inescapablebut suffering is optional.

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The Cultivation of Bhakti


We will continue with our scrutinizing study of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, picking up from our last session dealing with verse 1.1.11, the definition of pure bhakti. We should know what pure bhakti is from the very beginning, so we know what were aiming for.
anybhilit-nya jna-karmdy-anvtam nuklyena knulana bhaktir uttam The highest bhakti is defined as continuous service or emotions directed towards Ka, His expansion forms or others related to Him, with a pleasing attitude towards Ka. It should be devoid of desires other than the desire to please the Lord, and unobstructed by impersonal jna, the materialistic rituals of karma or other unfavorable acts. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.11]

We have already covered Jva Gosvms extensive commentary on this verse in the last two sessions. There is an additional commentary on this verse by Vivantha Cakravart hkur, which we will now take up. It begins with a discussion of the word l. It is the root of the term anulanam, which means to serve with devotion and without interruption.
The active sense of the root l [pravttytmaka] is active cultivation involving the body, mind and words. Nivttytmak means that which is different from active.

In other words: passive, internal or contemplative. Bhakti is not just an external exercise of devotional service but also internal, involving emotions of the heart. In Western ontology theres very little information about emotions. But Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is like an encyclopedia of thousands of emotions. It also provides an ontological understanding of how transcendental emoSession 009: Know Thy Bhakti 249

tions are formed, and these transcendental emotions are what comprise bhakti.
The inactive sense of the root l takes the form of cultivation which uses emotions of joy and sorrow in the mind [prti-vidtmaka].

Prti means joy, vida means sorrow and tmaka means cultivation. We see here that not only joy, but also sorrow are cultivated in bhakti. Well see, by the end of the Southern Ocean, how even emotions of sorrow can be used in service to the Lord. In fact, the bliss associated with those emotions is more powerful, deeper and more satisfying than the emotions of so-called joy. Actually all emotions in bhakti are transcendental. We shouldnt bring our material prejudices into the realm of bhakti, because they dont apply. Just file all that away for now and try to understand this on a transcendental platform. The commentary continues:
[The internal cultivation] also takes the form of the sthyi-bhva on the levels of bhva and prema which will be explained later.

Sthyi-bhva is the principal mood of the devotee in his relationship with Ka. The devotees service relationship with Ka can be in one of five principal moods: neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parenthood and conjugal love. One of these five is the sthyi-bhva of every devotee. The cultivation of bhakti takes the form of the sthyi-bhva on the levels of bhva and prema, after all material conceptions are removed from the mind [anartha-nivtti].
What is indicated by the words sev-nma-apardhnm udbhavbhva krit [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.2.81] is a negative form of cultivation [abhva-rpa], avoidance of offense to the Name and the Deity.
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The positive cultivation of bhakti involves the performance of certain activities for Ka, while the negative cultivation involves the avoidance of certain activities. Thus lanam refers to service that is performed by both positive and negative means, by active and passive means, by external and internal meansin fact, by any means whatsoever.

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The Primacy of Intent


The commentary then discusses the meaning of the term nuklya in the verse.
The definition of nuklya as pleasing for Ka is both too extensive and too limiting. For instance, the action [anulanam] of a demon attacking Ka is the rasa of fighting [yuddha-vra-rasa] derived from the utsha-rati from Kas perspective.

Utsha means strength or energetic exertion. Yuddha-vra-rasa is the rasa of fighting [yuddha] and heroism [vra].
It is pleasing for Him since He takes pleasure in fighting with them. Yuddha-vra-rasa is expressed in the following verse: pati praynta subalasya putr pati-vrat cnujagma sdhv himlaya nyasta-daa-prahara manasvinm iva sat-samprahra The gentle and chaste Gndhr, who was the daughter of King Subala of Kandahar [or Gndhra], followed her husband, seeing that he was going to the Himlaya Mountains, which are the delight of those who have accepted the staff of the renounced order like fighters who have accepted a good lashing from the enemy. [rmad-Bhgavatam 1.13.30]

Dhtarra was the husband of Gndhr and the father of Duryodhana, the enemy of the Pavas. Even though he was defeated in the Battle of Kuruketra, Dhtarra kept his mood of heroism. Instead of accepting the hospitality of the Pavas he took up the renounced order and went to the Himlayas, where he left his body under spiritual discipline and vows. This indicates that he was still in the mood of yuddha-vra-rasa, fighting and heroism. Dhtarra showed by example that when a person
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is defeated by the material energy, if they have any intelligence, they engage in spiritual life.
Again, an illustration of the definition being too limited (if nuklya means pleasing to Ka) is given. When Yaod left Ka and went to take the milk off the fire, Ka was not pleased. (Thus Yaod would be excluded from the definition of bhakti.) The following example is given: sajta-kopa sphuritrudhara sandaya dadbhir dadhi-mantha-bhjanam bhittv mrur dad-aman raho jaghsa haiyagavam antara gata Being very angry and biting His reddish lips with His teeth, Ka, with false tears in His eyes, broke the container of yogurt with a piece of stone. Then He entered a room and began to eat the freshly churned butter in a solitary place. [rmad-Bhgavatam 10.9.6]

Ka was not very pleased, and threw a temper tantrum. But Yaods action is still considered as devotional service, because she did it with the intention to give pleasure to Ka.
In order to prevent the definition from being too extensive or too limiting, the definition of nuklyena should be explained as devoid of hostility on the part of the performer. This will exclude the demons, because they have hostility in the form of hatred for Ka. This definition will also not exclude Yaod because she is devoid of hostility to Ka.

Now Vivantha Cakravart hkur considers the following possible objection:


Therefore, let bhakti be defined in terms of nuklya, a friendly attitude directed to Ka. The word anulanam, which is modified by
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nuklya, is thus unnecessary, because bhakti can be defined merely as a favorable attitude toward Ka. This objection is rejected, since even a pot is devoid of hostility to Ka and is therefore pleasing to Him, but it cannot be described as having bhakti. Therefore, the word anulanam [constant, devoted service to the Lord] is also necessary.

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Bhakti Stands Alone


Vivantha Cakravart hkur now considers further qualifications of pure bhakti.
In order to define the highest bhakti [uttama-bhakti], two further descriptive phrases are added. What type of anulanam is this? It should be devoid of desires for obtaining results other than bhakti. smaranta smrayanta ca mitho ghaugha-hara harim bhakty sajtay bhakty bibhraty utpulak tanum The devotee who remembers and induces others to remember the Lord, Who takes away heaps of sin, develops symptoms like hairs standing on end by bhakti, which has sprung from bhakti. [rmad-Bhgavatam 11.3.31]

This verse explains that bhakti has no cause other than bhakti. Its on the transcendental platform. Dont think that you have a taste for bhakti because you read a book, donated some money or visited a website. No, if you have some taste for bhakti, it has come only from bhakti itself. The taste of pure bhakti is proper to pure bhakti alone. Other attitudes, actions or cultivations may support and help the entrance into bhakti, but once youre on the platform of actual bhakti, that alone is sufficient to support itself. Vivantha Cakravart hkur continues:
Bhakti which aims at achieving bhakti is proper, and bhakti which aims at achieving other goals is improper. In the verse, the phrase anybhila-nyam has not been used. Instead, the phrase anybhilit-nyam has been chosen. This means devoid of other desires which are as deep-rooted as ones nature. In death-threatening
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situations, a devotee may say, O Lord! Please save me from this danger. Because it is a sudden temporary desire, it is not harmful to his bhakti. That is because this desire arises beyond his control, opposite to his devotional nature. That desire is not his nature.

The devotee is not purposely cultivating desires such as, Ka, please save me. Please give me something to eat. Please take care of my rent this month. In fact, the devotee should cultivate a mood of, Ka, Im just doing this devotional service to gain a deeper realization of bhakti. Now You can take care of me or not, as You wish. The devotee should trust that Ka, with His unlimited resources and power, is going to take care. The aim of pure bhakti is also bhakti. Dont try to get anything else out of bhakti. Dont try to improve your material situation through bhakti; its not going to work. Its going to backfire because you will wind up committing offenses whenat some pointyou have to choose between bhakti and your material desires. Ive seen this numerous times with my Godbrothers, who entered into bhakti with some material desire for fame, power, wealth or position. Later, when it came right down to it and they had to choose between their selfish desires and pleasing Ka, they chose themselves. As a result they lost their taste for bhakti and gradually fell down. So dont make the mistake of trying to mix material activities and bhakti. They dont mix, and sooner or later it will cause problems in your devotional service.
How is anulanam further described? It is not covered by jna or karma or other items. Jnam means inquiry about the undifferentiated brahman, not inquiry about the worshipable Lord, for knowledge of the Lord is necessary for bhakti.

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tions to beat somebody down in an argument. There may be many reasons to study scripture, but the only valid reason in the course of bhakti is to learn more about Ka, the object of bhakti. For example, this study of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu is directly bhakti. It has no application in anything other than bhakti. It has no karma-ka rituals or jna-ka philosophical speculationin fact, it preaches against those processes. Scriptures such as Bhagavad-gt, rmad-Bhgavatam, Caitanya-caritmta, anything written by the six Gosvms of Vndvan, Caitanya-bhgavata and even Vednta-stra are all considered as bhakti-stra or rasa-stra because they aim at reestablishing our original ecstatic transcendental relationship with the Lord. The study of these scriptures is certainly devotional service, because it gives no result other than engaging in devotional service. That is the test. If the only result of studying a book is bhakti, then it is a bhakti scripture. Rituals like the Nryaa-kavaca and purificatory rites such as camana and bhta-uddhi are also considered to be bhakti. Even though materialistic people may also practice those rituals, we use them specifically to perform bhakti, and therefore they are transcendental.

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Bhakti and Karma


Karma refers to the daily and periodic duties enjoined by the smti scriptures, not to the services offered to the Lord, for devotional activities are anulanam. The word di (in jna-karmdy-anvtam) indicates engaging in sacrifices, renunciation, yoga, skhya and other such items. These items should not cover anulanam. The word nya [devoid] is not used in the second descriptive phrase, as it was in the first, namely, anybhil-nyam. The intention of using anvtam instead of nya is to forbid only those types of jna and karma which conceal bhakti.

There is a type of karma-yoga described in the Bhagavad-gtespecially in the fifth chapterwhere one offers the result of his work to the Lord. Such karma does not obscure bhakti, but is a necessary preliminary for bhakti. In fact, its one of the best ways to enter into bhakti. You can be a congregational member of an assembly of pure devotees and offer the results of your work for their benefit, for their preaching activities. This will remove all the karmic results from your past activities, and purify you to the extent where you can also come to the platform of pure bhakti.
Performing nitya-karmas [daily duties] with faith, out of fear of sin if one does not perform them, under the authority of rules, is a covering on bhakti.

This is because instead of performing pious activities out of love for Ka, one does it out of fear: If I dont follow all these rules and regulations, I will go to hell. I wont get the reward of going to heavenly planets. Out of desire and fear, one performs such material activities. But bhakti is simply love. Vivantha Cakravart hkur goes on to say:
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As well, performing them with faith that they will produce bhakti is also a covering on bhakti.

In other words, one may think, Im performing this karmic ritualinviting the Myvd brhmaas to my house to chant various prayers and hymnsso that in the future I may attain the platform of bhakti. That attitude is also a covering on bhakti. Remember: the cause of bhakti is bhakti, and the result of bhakti is also bhakti. So if you want bhakti, do bhakti. Dont do other rituals or practices. If you absolutely must deal with some difficult material situation, please chant r Viusahasranma. That will improve your material situation and, at the same time, establish you in bhakti. The only valid reason to perform bhakti activities like chanting the Holy Name is to improve our bhakti and increase our devotion. Interestingly, increasing devotion doesnt necessarily mean that we do more service, but that the service we do is of a higher quality; its purer and without offense. In later sessions of this series we will discuss how to avoid the various offenses, but the most important thing is that we remain present and available for Ka. You want to engage with Ka and meet Him. Dont be distracted by other thoughts. Just be there with Ka; hang out with the Holy Name, and gradually Ka will reveal Himself through that transcendental sound vibration.
However, a great devotee is not excluded from pure bhakti by performing raddhas to the pitas, if it is done without faith in their absolute nature, just to teach the common people.

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erent if he doesnt do it. Similarly, there are many duties that must be performed by members of Vedic society, otherwise they would be considered fallen. So a devoteeeven though he doesnt really believe in the absolute nature of those activitiesshould do them just to instruct the people in general to perform pious activities. Ka says in Bhagavad-gt:
tn aktsna-vido mandn ktsna-vin na viclayet But the wise should not unsettle [the mundane people], although these [mundane] duties are inferior due to the performers lack of knowledge. [Bhagavad-gt 3.29]

We shouldnt think, Im a devotee, so I can do anything I want. I can violate all the principles of society because Im transcendental. Thats not a very nice attitude. A devotee should always have a positive attitude toward other spiritual and religious practices. We dont want to get into useless arguments by telling everybody that theyre wrong, because theres a reason why those people are stuck in those practices. The reason has to do with their previous activities and the karma resulting from them. We have to accept the laws of the Lord that limit the activities of people with karmic reactions. The best thing we can do is give them positive impressions of bhakti, so that in the future theyll be able to rise above their karmic situation by the results of bhakti. The cause of bhakti is bhakti, and the result of bhakti is bhakti. People will make more advancement by having good feelings toward the devotees than if we try to get down in the trenches and argue our philosophy. The best presentation is simple and very positive.

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How to Worship
We now move on to verse 1.1.12, which was frequently quoted by rla Prabhupda:
yath r-nrada-pacartre sarvopdhi-vinirmukta tat-paratvena nirmalam hkea hkea-sevana bhaktir ucyate Thus, the Nrada-pacartra says: Bhakti is defined as service to the Lord using the senses. It should be done with the intention of pleasing the Lord, free from other desires, and unobstructed by other processes. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.12]

There is a short commentary by Jva Gosvm, where he compares this verse to the previous verse and shows their equivalence.
In this verse Tat-paratvena[with devotion to Him, taking Him as the highest object] is the equivalent of nuklyena [with a positive attitude toward Ka] in the previous verse. Sarvopdhi-vinirmukta [devoid of all conditions] is equivalent to anybhilit-nya [devoid of all other desires]. Sevana [service] is the equivalent of anulanam [constant service]. Nirmalam [without blemish] is equivalent to jna-karmdy-anvtam [without the contamination of non-devotional processeses]. The superior nature of this bhakti [uttamtvam] is understood by its very nature (and thus is not stated in words in this verse).

Nrada is one of the twelve great authorities on bhakti in the universe. Hes a very far-out character: hes always ecstatic, always chanting and always engaged in the Lords pastimes. He travels everywhere like a tranSession 009: Know Thy Bhakti 265

scendental spaceman and gives different messages to different people to facilitate the Lords pastimes. Hes very cool. Nrada gives this definition of bhakti in the Nrada-pacartra. Pacartra is a guide to spiritual activities, by which one worships the Lord with the five senses. He says here, Bhakti is defined as service to the Lord using the senses. In the rati ceremony, for example, all the objects of the senses such as nice scents, lamps, water, flowers, fans and mantras are offered to the Lord. Everything is there: earth, fire, water, air and ether. In this way we offer the senses and the sense objects back to their source, Ka. Similarly, when we worship the Ganges river, we take water from the river and offer it back into the river itself. In the same way we take the different energies and elements coming from Ka and offer them back to Ka. We also offer our bodily senses to Ka in the form of devotional activities: smelling the incense of the Lord, hearing the Lords Name, chanting, thinking about Ka and performing various services in the temple. In the beginning, Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu deals with all the practical arrangements required to serve the Lord nicely. Then it gradually goes to higher levels dealing with the different emotional states. It is our emotional states that actually comprise the majority of our service. In the Bible, Jesus says:
When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. [Mark 11:25]

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Dont go to the temple with anger toward anybody or with any outstanding emotional debts in your heart. Resolve everything and enter the temple completely available to the Lord. Most of the time we desire things for the future and lament about the past. We swing back and forth between hope and despair, desire and lamentation. The Supreme Lord is the source of everything. He loves you unconditionally and can give you anything you want. You shouldnt approach Him grumbling and muttering to yourself. Your heart should be clean, your mind should be pure and your attention should be on the present moment. This is very important, otherwise your attention will wander all over the universe and you will certainly make an offense. If you do that, the result of your chanting will be delayed. When you chant the Holy Name you should be very focused, not rushed, not at all under stress, angry or upset.
How is it possible for Mukunda to appear in the mind of a person afflicted with lamentation, anger or other emotions? [r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu 1.2.115]

The Lord doesnt go anyplace thats not pure. Therefore purity of heart is the first prerequisite for bhakti.
ceto-darpaa-mrjana Clean the mirror of the heart with the Holy Name. [r ikaka, Verse 1]

The process for cleaning the heart is chanting; but in order to chant without offenses, we have to first clean the heart to some degree.

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The Wheat and the Chaff


Certain pivotally important verses, such as the definition of pure bhakti in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.11, need to be studied very scrutinizingly because they distinguish our uttam bhakti lineage from lineages that accept mixed devotional service. A lineage that claims to be descended from a certain teacher but does not actually follow that teachers philosophy is called an apasampradya. Bhaktivinod hkur has described thirteen apasampradyas of Lord Caitanya, such as the Bulas, ulas, Kartbhajs and Gaurga-ngars. There are many groups of so-called devotees who dont actually follow the philosophy of Lord Caitanya. They get hung up on something other than pure bhakti, like vaidh-bhakti, mixed devotional service, jna or karma. Theres even a group that claims to teach pure bhakti in the spontaneous rgnuga mood, but what they do is make up rules about how youre supposed to feel. They have even more rules than regular vaidh-bhakti! Whats spontaneous about that? These are called apasampradyas and they are very dangerous, like a mislabeled product. If you go to a store and buy a bottle labeled olive oil, but that actually contains motor oil, it would be disaster. So we should be very careful and competent to recognize deviations from Lord Caitanyas pure teaching. How can we be sure of our judgment? We consult the authorized books. Any of rla Prabhupdas books or any rasa-stras of the six Gosvms are authorized, not to mention Bhagavad-gt, rmad-Bhgavatam and Caitanya-caritmta.

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For example, if Im reading a scriptural translation by a scholar who is not very devotional, how do I know where hes off? I go back to rla Prabhupdas original books and use those as my standard. If anything conflicts with Prabhupdas original work, its wrong. However, I know that the original scripture being translated is not wrong; so I dig deeper: I look up the words in the Sanskrit dictionary and re-translate or rewrite it so that it is harmonious with Prabhupdas words. We cant be lazy. We cant expect someone to drop a prepackaged solution in our lap. We have to take responsibility for doing the research. We have to know what the conclusion of our sampradya is. We have to see when somebody is off, and we have to know how to dig deep enough to extract the truth from the original texts. Everybody should learn Sanskrit. If you dont, youre going to get cheated sooner or later. Somebodys going to come along with a big title after their name or a big position in some organization, and give you a line of nonsenseand if you dont have the ability to go to the original source and see where theyre off, then you may accept the wrong instruction. I cant do anything to protect you from that, except to tell you, You have to be able to think for yourself. You have to be able to go to the original authorities and extract the meaning by the same process of scholarship that any good devotee scholar uses to translate those scriptures. Its hard work, and it takes a lot of thought and experience. You will go up wrong alleys sometimes, but you can always tell when that happens because your bhakti will lose its taste. If you start to lose your taste for bhakti, you know you have to take corrective action immediately. You have to find out whats wrong and fix it. It could be something as simple as not taking care of your health; or it could
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be reading too many books without having understood the terminology in foundational works like Bhagavad-gt and rmad-Bhgavatam. The knowledge we have is perfect. It comes from the perfect person, Bhagavn. If there has been some error in handing this knowledge down to us, we should take responsibility for correcting it. Nobody is going to help us with this; its up to us. So we need to have the tools, the ability and the willingness to do the work to get the correct teaching. That will help us very much. Thats why I encourage all my students to only accept books that contain the original text. Dont read books that dont have the original text, because theres no way you can verify whether the translation is accurate.

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Shoot for the Rhinoceros


The apasampradyas all claim to represent Lord Caitanya, but they dont actually follow Him. They give some different conclusion or process. If you want to know what Lord Caitanya taught, look at His life. He went through a period of intense Vedic study and became a renowned scholar; but as soon as He came to the bhakti platform, His practice was pure spontaneous bhakti based on the chanting of the Holy Name, sakrtana. He had wonderful artists who assisted Him in His chanting pastimes. It wasnt like the typical temple today where people simply bang on the drums. What we want to do is set a standard that has actually descended from the original mood of Lord Caitanya. This fine artistic sense of beauty and rasa comes from spontaneous love of Ka, and attraction to His exalted qualities. Later in this series we will go deeply into the description of Kas 64 wonderful qualities. At least were trying to achieve this level of artistic expression. Most devotees are not trying to achieve any standard whatsoever. Even if we fall short, our intention is correct. rla Prabhupda said:
We should always be enthusiastic to try for shooting the rhinoceros. That way, if we fail, everybody will say Never mind, nobody can shoot a rhinoceros anyway, and if we succeed, then everyone will say, Just see what a wonderful thing they have done. [Letter to Balavanta, 22 December 1971]

I hope you stay with us on our wonderful adventure through this great ocean, Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Hare Ka.

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Topics:
Pure Bhakti Beats Everything The Secret of Happiness Dissatisfaction with Material Action Ka is in Your Heart Reject Mixed Desires Real Ka Consciousness Try to Blow Kas Mind

A Cultivation of Taste

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Pure Bhakti Beats Everything


We now continue to explore the definition of pure bhakti in r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu 1.1.13-15. Recall that pure bhakti is free from all desires other than the desire to please Ka:
r-bhgavatasya ttya-skandhe ca (3.29.12-14) ahaituky avyavahit y bhakti puruottame slokya-sri-smpya-srpyaikatvam apy uta dyamna na ghanti vin mat-sevana jan sa eva bhakti-yogkhya tyantika udhta This is also stated in the Third Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam [3.29.12-14]: These are the characteristics of transcendental loving service to Puruottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is without other desires, and it is not contaminated by karma or jna. In this type of bhakti, My devotees do not accept slokya, sri, srpya, smipya or oneness with Meeven if I offer these liberationsin preference to serving Me. This is called bhakti-yoga, and it is declared as the highest object of human pursuit. [r Bhaktirasmta-sindhu 1.1.13]

Jva Gosvm provides the following commentary:


In this verse, the word ahaituk [without cause] means anybhilitnya [devoid of other desires], and the word avyavahit [not separated] means jna-karmdy-anvtam [without any covering of jna, karma or other unfavorable items].

We discussed the words anybhilit-nya and jna-karmdy-anvtam in verse 11:


anybhilit-nya jna-karmdy-anvtam nuklyena knulana bhaktir uttam

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The highest bhakti is defined as continuous service or emotions directed towards Ka, His expansion forms or others related to Him, with a pleasing attitude towards Ka. It should be devoid of desires other than the desire to please the Lord, and unobstructed by impersonal jna, the materialistic rituals of karma or other unfavorable acts. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.11]

Jva Gosvm continues.


The bhakti mentioned here is bhva-rpa-bhakti.

There is a footnote:
That is because the previous lines of the Bhgavatam (spoken before this verse) described that ones desires flow to the Lord like the Gag.

The previous verse from rmad-Bhgavatam reads:


mad-gua-ruti-mtrea mayi sarva-guhaye mano-gatir avicchinn yath gagmbhaso mbudhau The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when ones mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyones 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. [rmad-Bhgavatam 3.29.11]

Sdhana-bhakti is all uphill: pushing to climb a mountain. But when you reach the peak, bhva-bhakti, you dont have to make an effort; its all downhill. The Ganges automatically flows down into the ocean and similarly, the devotees heart flows naturally toward the Lord in bhva-bhakti.
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Jva Gosvm continues:


However, the undeviating active form [ce-rpa] of this bhakti is also included. Its nature, of being free from other desires [ahaituk], is illustrated with the rejection of slokya etc. in verse 13: In this type of bhakti, My devotees do not accept slokya, sri, srpya, smipya or oneness with Me [rmad-Bhgavatam 3.29.13]

These are the five kinds of liberation. The devotees dont want these kinds of liberation because they prefer service. Jva Gosvm continues:
The word yasym [in which type of bhakti] should be understood to precede the statement of verse 13, so that its connected with the previous sentence. The word tyantika means the highest object of human pursuit.

The verses being discussed, rmad-Bhgavatam 3.29.11-14, are spoken by Ka in His form of Lord Kapiladeva, the son of Devahti. He gave the original theistic Skhya philosophy in which the ultimate aim is devotional service. In the course of discussing Skhya, Kapila gave instructions on bhakti that are substantially identical to the standard of bhakti given by rla Rpa Gosvm: it has to be purewithout any mixture of karma, jna or any other path.

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The Secret of Happiness


Almost everyone who begins the process of devotional service tries to use it to solve their own problems and meet their own needs. But the actual purpose of devotional service is simply to please Ka. When we please Ka, all our problems are automatically solved and our needs are taken care of. We dont even have to think about them. Thats the magic of devotional service.
anany cintayanto m ye jan paryupsate te nitybhiyuktn yoga-kema vahmy aham But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental formto them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have. [Bhagavad-gt 9.22]

Most people try to meet their various needs and desires by going out through the senses into the material world. They dont realize that the actual aim or object is within their own heart. The Lord is in the core of the soul and if we find Him, all our problems and issues are solved; all our desires are satisfied. Right now Hes hiding because we asked Him to: Lord, let me go to the material world where I dont have to see You, serve You or be reminded of You. We wanted to enjoy our senses and enjoy Gods energywithout the personal presence of God Himself. This unrestricted material enjoyment is most peoples idea of heaven. But actually its more like hell because every time you enjoy Gods energy without offering it to God, youre stealing. If you try to enjoy somebodys property without their permission, youre a thief; they can call the police
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and have you punished. Similarly, every time we try to enjoy the Lords energy without His permission we suffer some karmic reaction. God is real; He is not a fairy tale. This world is so messed up because everyone is a thief and a rascal; they are stealing from God because theyre not engaged in the service of the Lord. Therefore they cannot find happiness. The real definition of happiness and enjoyment is to use Gods energy in His service, for His pleasure. We discover very quickly that when we do this and God is pleased, we are also pleased. When we follow Gods instructions, the result is very nice because were no longer being thieves; were using Gods energy with His permission. We have an obligation to use the Lords energy for His service; thats what its for. He made this world for His enjoyment, not for our enjoyment. Its for His purposes, not for our purposes. Ka says in Bhagavad-gt:
yajrtht karmao nyatra loko ya karma-bandhana tad-artha karma kaunteya mukta-saga samcara Work done as a sacrifice for Viu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunt, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage. [Bhagavad-gt 3.9]

All our activities should be performed as a sacrifice to Ka. When we follow this instruction, everything goes very wonderfully. We directly ex-

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perience this every day because we spend all our time, energy and resources on trying to please Ka. Actually theyre not our resources, theyre Kas resources; its not our energy, its Kas energy. Whether we are in the heavenly planets, the earthly planets or the lower planets of the material world, or even in the spiritual world, everything around usincluding our own bodyis Kas energy. If we simply engage these things in Kas service, were going to be happy. If our primary engagement in life is serving Ka, if our primary relationship is with Ka and our whole purpose in living is to please Ka, it doesnt matter where we are or what kind of body we have. If Ka is happy, we will automatically be happy. In the course of our service, we may have to use Kas resources to satisfy the little needs we have like eating, sleeping and having a roof over our heads. Thats OK because we need these things to continue our service. Ka doesnt mind giving them because by serving Him were performing great welfare work for the benefit of the whole world.
sa vai pus paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokaje ahaituky apratihat yaytm suprasdati The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. [rmad-Bhgavatam 1.2.6]

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The pure devotees follow this standard and are constantly engaged in Kas service. They have no need to change their activities because they are completely happy. Devotional service is full of bliss and is so satisfying that we dont need any other process; it provides all our needs. We like doing it 24 hours a day and have no need to go on vacation or take a break.

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Dissatisfaction with Material Action


If you are restless and feel like you have to go somewhere else or do something else, it means youre not happy; youre not satisfied. A sign of dissatisfaction is to always think, I want this, I want that, I want to do this, I want to change that. People in material consciousness always try to do something else. This is called bhoga-tyga. They work all week at their jobs then on the weekend they do something else. Maybe they go home to rest, or maybe they take off and go to the mountains, the beach, the forest or the desert. Theyre not happy or satisfied and so they need this break. If their material activities were actually satisfying, they wouldnt want to change them. But even when they do go somewhere else, take a different name, change their hairstyle or change their dress, theyre still not happy. They still feel different kinds of pain and suffering. This is because they are running away from their true identity as an eternal spiritual entity, going out through the senses into this hostile world which is always going to change. The material world is completely different from their natural quality as spirit soulsso of course they dont feel satisfied. Unfortunately they usually try harder to satisfy themselves. They think they must have done something incorrectly and so they try again. They keep going out through the senses and keep experiencing the same thing over and over again. Theres a saying in America: If all you do is what you did, then what youll get is what you got. In other words, if you keep doing the same thing, youre going to keep getting the same result.
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I wish people would see this and just try to engage in Kas service, confident that He will satisfy their needs. But for some reason, most people cant see this. In my preaching work I often see otherwise intelligent peoplewho have a lot of knowledge in other subjectsunable to understand or implement this philosophy properly. It always amazes me. The problem is not that the philosophy is terribly complicated or difficult, but that their hearts are not clean. They have some desire to cheat Ka: Yes Ka, Ill serve you tomorrow; right now I want this. They mix their own personal desires with their devotional service in an incompatible way. The soul naturally desires to be happy, so were always going to have personal desires. We just have to find a way to engage those personal desires in the service of the Lord. For example, Im very fond of music. Before I was a devotee I was a professional musician, but it wasnt very satisfying because the materialistic music business is so corrupt, nasty, competitive and dishonestjust like any other business. I was very disappointed because in music I saw something perfect, beautiful and beyond this ordinary mundane world. In other words, I saw some reflection of God in music. When I was trying to make music for my own enjoyment, there was always some obstacle or problem. But all those problems disappeared when I became a devotee and decided to use my musical skills and talents for pleasing Ka. A source of suffering was turned into a source of happiness by engaging it in devotional service. The principle is very simple: engage everything in Kas service.

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Ka is in Your Heart
Ultimately everybody wants love; everybody wants pleasure. These things cant be found in the material world because material pleasure is always flawed; it never gives the real satisfaction that were looking for. Only transcendental pleasure can satisfy us because it is based on unconditional love. The Lord has unconditional love for each and every one of us: perfect eternal unlimited unconditional love. We cant get that quality of love from anybody else. You should be attracted to Ka because He is the source of everything you seek; any desire that you can possibly have is actually for His energy. Ka is right there in your heart and has been with you since time immemorial. So why not try something different for a change? Instead of trying to satisfy your desires by going outside, try going inside. Search for the Lord within your own heart and look for Him with love and affection. Ka says:
ye yath m prapadyante ts tathaiva bhajmy aham All of themas they surrender unto MeI reward accordingly. [Bhagavad-gt 4.11]

So if we approach Him with love and affection, He will respond. Yet most people dont approach Him at all. It takes a very rare type of person to go all the way through this process to the highest stage.

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manuy sahasreu kacid yatati siddhaye yatatm api siddhn kacin m vetti tattvata Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth. [Bhagavad-gt 7.3]

It doesnt have to be that way; everybody has the ability to perform pure devotional service. Unfortunately, very few people desire itand desire is what it is all about. Theres a very nice verse in r Padyval:
When there is hunger and thirst, tasting varieties of food and drink make one feel satisfied. Similarly, worshiping the Lord with pure devotion awakens powerful, astonishing and ever-increasing transcendental bliss within the heart. Pure devotional service in transcendental consciousness is very rare: it cannot be procured by ordinary religious or pious activity, even for hundreds of thousands of lives. It can be obtained only by paying one price: intense desire to attain it. If it is available somewhere, surely one must acquire it without delay. [r Padyval, 13-14]

If you feel transcendental bliss within your heart, why would you desire to go anywhere else or do anything else? You would be content with what youre doing. If Ka wants you to do something else or go somewhere else, Hell let you know. The process of devotional service makes us feel so satisfied, complete and happy, that we dont even want liberation. Even if Ka personally comes and says, You can come to My spiritual world and be with Me, a pure devotee would respond, OK, if You want me to; but Im OK here too, as long as I remain serving You, Ka. We dont want liberation, mystic powers or anything else; we just want pure bhakti.
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Reject Mixed Desires


The rejection of liberation and other processes shows the excellence of pure bhakti. The next verse of r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu says:
slokyetydi-padyastha-bhaktotkara-irpaam bhakter viuddhat-vyakty lakae paryavasyati The description of the excellence of the devotee in the above verse amounts to describing the characteristics of bhakti by revealing its purity. [r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.16]

Vivantha Cakravart hkur presents a possible objection:


How can a description of the excellence of devotees in the verse starting slokya ... be used to indicate bhakti? In this type of bhakti, My devotees do not accept slokya, sari, srpa, sampya or oneness with Meeven if I offer these liberationsin preference to serving Me. [rmad-Bhgavatam 3.29.13] That verse is placed in the middle of the other two verses (12 and 14) and cannot be removed from that context. Because it describes the glories of the devotees, it is not suitable for the topic.

This is an objection: How can a description of the excellence of devotees be used to describe the qualities of bhakti?
Verse 16 answers the objection. Because pure bhakti without other desires exists in that devotee, that devotee does not accept slokya and other goals. Therefore, the description of the glories of the devotee in the verse amounts to describing bhakti because the devotee reveals the purity of that bhakti.

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This only refers to pure bhakti, where there is no desire for karma, jna or yoga. We dont care about trying to demonstrate the artificial standard of renunciation that these other paths require. The definition of pure devotional service given by Rpa Gosvm doesnt say anything about renunciation. It simply requires that we do not have any desires separate from bhakti. Desire is very deep within the heart. It is not external; its internal and so only we can know our actual desires. However, a lot of us have artificially blocked ourselves from seeing our actual desires and emotions. We deceive ourselves into thinking we have pure spiritual desires, while our actions and words reveal that we still have desires for power, position, prominence, recognition and different kinds of designations. This is called pratih and it is a subtle form of sinful activity. It is a spiritual liability [anartha] because it prevents one from loving Ka; that kind of devotional service is still materially motivated. But devotional service has to be ahaituky [unmotivated], with the only desire being the desire to please Ka. Therefore, there is a tremendous qualitative difference in the effect of pure bhakti versus mixed bhakti. You can never get the results of pure devotional service by performing any amount of mixed devotional service. Devotees in mixed bhakti tend to think that the more they dothe more hours they serve or the more money they collectthe better the result. But bhakti is not material; it is completely transcendental, just like Ka. Ka is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the unlimited Creator, Controller, Maintainer and Destroyer of all the worlds. If the quantity of bhakti is what matters, how can tiny living entities like us satisfy Him? Any amount of service we do is infinitesimal compared to Him. We make
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progress in devotional service by the quality of our bhakti, not by the quantity. As long as you are on the level of mixed devotional service, the results you get will be limited to what mixed devotional service can provideno matter how much service you do. On the other hand, even a small amount of pure devotional service yields a far better result, a qualitatively different result, than any amount of mixed devotional service.

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Real Ka Consciousness
The difference between quantity and quality is also true of consciousness. People talk about consciousness expansion, but that is a misnomer. Expansion implies that we get more consciousness, but actually the amount of consciousness we have is fixed. What determines the difference in our experience is not the amount of consciousness, but the quality of consciousness that we have. Most people dont understand this because they treat consciousness with the same logic that they use for ordinary material objects. But its not a material object, and to think of it that way will lead us to wrong conclusions. We see this misunderstanding in many neophyte devotees. They talk very glibly about Ka consciousness, using it as a catch phrase, but they cannot define or explain consciousness. They dont understand what consciousness is or how it works. They are of the opinion that Ka consciousness means thinking about Ka. But thats not Ka consciousness; thats consciousness of symbols relating to Ka. Theres a difference between thinking and realization. Thinking means you maintain a copy of words within the mind that you can recall and perform certain logical operations on. You can come up with different conclusions by philosophical speculation, and if your knowledge and process of logic are accurate, you can actually reach correct conclusions by means of word jugglery. But this is very different from actual realization. Realization means to perceive something directly with ones consciousness. Actual Ka consciousness means to be directly conscious of Ka
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Himself, the transcendental Person. It does not mean consciousness of a symbol, word, concept or idea. When one is actually Ka-conscious, he can explain everything very clearly. In that state theres no question of falling down into material consciousness.

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Try to Blow Kas Mind


Unfortunately there are many devotees who do not make this distinction between thinking and realization. They have been devotees for a long time and think they know everything about devotional service. They dont seem to understand that bhakti is transcendental, not material. Devotional service is like Ka; its unlimited and ever-expanding. Even if the total compass of devotional service could be understood, the next moment it expands. Therefore it can never be understood completely, even by Ka, Who is always surprised by the newer and fresher arrangements His devotees make for His pleasure. People may have thought, Devotional service cannot possibly include flying in planes, and then rla Prabhupda travelled all around the world by flying in a plane, preaching and spreading the Holy Name everywhere. Suddenly, flying in a plane was included in devotional service by the arrangement of the devotees in their ever-expanding, ever-increasing efforts to please the Lord. Devotional service can never be limited, static or stereotyped; its always dynamic, always expanding and always increasing. Otherwise it wouldnt be relishable for Ka, Who Himself is eternal, ever-expanding and everfresh. If devotional service is always expanding and ever-fresh, it cant be reduced to routine rituals. Ever-fresh means there is always something new. Devotional service is not like classical music, where you follow the same part of a score over and over again. Devotional service is more like jazz; you might start from the score but once you get it, its never the sameits always new.

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I once ran a discussion group on rgnuga-bhakti. There were over sixhundred devotees in that group, but many of them had the mindset that nobody could attain rgnuga-bhakti. When I talked about my relationship with Ka, the devotees were completely shocked because they had never experienced an actual example of spontaneous devotional service to Ka. The devotees protested, You cant think that; you cant love Ka in that way. Its not in rla Prabhupdas books. They could not understand that books are finite and limited. Books can describe a limited number of classes of phenomena to help us understand a particular subject, but they cant expand dynamically to cover every possible instance, variation or permutation of a particular subject. This is especially true of a subject as dynamic as devotional service to Ka. The scriptures simply cant describe all the possibilities, and even if they could, somebody would soon create a new possibility. So the argument, You cant do that because its not in the book, does not apply to devotional service. It may apply to material processes, but not to spiritual processes. Devotional service has to be unlimited, otherwise an eternal spirit soul would run out of new possibilities; wed find ourselves doing the same thing over and over again for eternity. That would be horrible; it would be a kind of hell: death by boredom. We dont want to experience that ourselves, so why would we subject Ka to that kind of experience? Thats what people do when they get stuck in the mood of rules and regulations, and think it cant be any other way. They lose their creativity and freshness because they dont have a deep understanding of the subject; its

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not coming from their heart. Theyre on the mental platform, limited to the platform of vaidh-bhakti [rules and regulations]. Vaidh-bhakti is required for neophytes because it fits in a box; it is understandable. But real devotional service has to be dynamic, flexible, everexpanding, creative, exciting, interesting, far out and astonishing even to Ka. Ka doesnt say, I will reciprocate however they approach me, except for this because its not mentioned in the scriptures. He doesnt say that. Instead, He says:
ye yath m prapadyante ts tathaiva bhajmy aham All of themas they surrender unto MeI reward accordingly. [Bhagavad-gt 4.11]

Hes not threatened by our approach to love Him; Hes the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We cant blow His mindalthough He likes it when we try. But if you look deep enough, you can find every kind of relationship in the scriptures. There are so many examples in Bhakti-rsamta-sindhu alone. As we get deeper into it youll see that the possibilities within devotional service really are unlimited. Any relationship that you desire to experience is possible with Ka. I am not describing some unattainable far-off state; I am simply describing pure devotional service, the normal condition of the spirit soul. If one is not in the normal condition, he needs to take some medicine. That medicine is regulated devotional service [vaidh-bhakti] as described in Bhaktirsamta-sindhu.
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Once one starts to recover, he can take the next stages of medicine, which are spontaneous devotional service [rgnuga-bhakti] and then bhva-bhakti. The stage of bhva indicates an almost healthy conditiona release from the hospital so he can continue to recover at home. Finally, the stage of prema is the normal healthy condition.

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A Cultivation of Taste
In the beginning you have to stick to the authorized path. But as you advance, you have to make up your own path. You have to approach Ka from your heart; from your own realizations; from your real desires. Otherwise its not sincere, its not real. Externally the devotee still follows the rules and principles of vaidh-bhakti, but internally in his siddha form [his spiritual body] the devotee develops a personal relationship with the Lord. The devotee gradually increases this mood by developing his taste for the attractive qualities of the Lord that he finds most relishable. There are 64 qualities discussed in Bhakti-rsamta-sindhu, which we will discuss in great detail in later sessions. The qualities that the devotee finds most relishable are called the vibhva or the attractive cause of devotional service. The devotee can relish those qualities by his service activities. How do you know which taste to cultivate? The same way you decide which flavor to order in the ice cream store. You may have to try a few at first, but after a while you find your favoriteand you can order that flavor every single time. Its that simple in devotional service as well: you read about Kas pastimes in stra and hear about the different relationships devotees have with Him. Then, in your own heart, you can cultivate the tastes that appeal to you. The six Gosvms did this during japa. They kept a collection of verses that they found especially nectarean, and would relish them while chanting. This is how Padyval was written.
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The Gosvms would select verses that nourished their particular mood. Anything that nourishes the principal mood of the devotee is called a sacr-bhva. If a devotees mood is conjugal love, they read verses describing conjugal love and nourish that mood; they enjoy the taste of the verse. Taste means aesthetics. We are attracted by beautiful music because we have a taste for it. In japa we are developing our relationship with Ka in the most intimate way. Therefore we must find the emotional taste that turns us on, that attracts us to Ka, and we should relish that taste while we chant. Try it out. Relish some verses and let them guide you. Find the mood that appeals to you, pick out related verses and then relish them while chanting. Develop a taste for those verses. If we do this sincerely then every time we chant we should have ecstatic symptoms.
gaurga bolite habe pulaka-arra hari hari bolite nayane ba be nra When will that opportune moment come to me when there will be shivering of the body as soon as I chant Lord Gaurgas name? And after the shivering, while chanting Hare Ka, when will there be tears pouring down from my eyes? [Llasmay Prrthan 1]

Every time we chant the Holy Name we should be experiencing sttvikabhvas [ecstatic bodily symptoms], which are one of the five ingredients of rasa. If were not feeling bliss or getting ecstatic symptoms while chanting, it means were not chanting with sufficient intensity; our attention is divided among different things. When chanting, we should be able to realize
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a state of mind completely free from all material anxieties and thoughts, where were completely absorbed in the Holy Name. The Holy Name is so beautiful, wonderful and ecstatic; it has no material energy attached to it whatsoever. We must relinquish all material attachments and relish the Holy Name with no desires other than the desire to please Ka. Then our lives will be successful. Hare Ka.

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Other Books
by David Bruce Hughes (Gaurahari Dsnuds Bbj)
Published by Esoteric Teaching Seminars

! ere Be Wisdom 108 aphorisms demonstrating how God reciprocates our H sincere prayers, and glorifying His compassion for the enlightenment of all. PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More ! earch for the Absolute Truth We all have an urge within us to nd the S Absolute Truth. This beautifully illustrated book tells the true story of a coura-

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geous boys search. PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More ! he Book of Gethsemane Most people have heard the story of Jesus and T his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. What really happened while the disciples were asleep? PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More ! ransontology is a new technology of consciousness enhancement based on T the ancient Esoteric Teaching of the Sanskrit Vedas. PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More ! ecrets of the Soul Everyone has heard about the soul, but they dont have S a deep understanding of it. What and who is the soul? Where is his real home? PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More ! r opaniad is the rst (a) of the 108 Upaniads, is a great place to start your exploration of the authentic Vedic texts. PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More ! r Viusahasranma The Thousand Holy Names of Lord Viu for devo tees who want to chant this powerful prayer as a daily spiritual practice. PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More ! r Bhagavat-sandarbha (also known as a-sandarbha) is a collection of six works on the exalted philosophy and ontological position of rmad-Bhgavatam. PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More

( r Vednta-stra is the ultimate knowledge of the Vedas. Culturing tran


scendental consciousness is the only source of unconditional happiness. PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More ! r Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu provides the complete science of pure bhakti, the never-ending, ever-fresh experience of ecstatic spiritual love. PDF Paperback Multimedia iBook iOS App coming soon! More

Websites
Esoteric Teaching Bhakti Master Class Ocean of Nectar Transontology YouTube Bookstore

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David Bruce Hughes

Bhakti-sarvabhauma r Gaurahari Dsnuds Bbj (aka David Bruce Hughes) is one of the greatest exponents of the Esoteric Teaching, the science of higher consciousness, in the world today. David is a prolific, deeply thoughtful and provocative author, a Vedic astrologer, and an evocative spiritual musician, composer and recording artist, with many books and CDs on themes of devotion and spiritual life. He spent over 30 years at the feet of his exalted guru, studying the esoteric Vedic wisdom in the most sacred places of pilgrimage in India. He is also a profound spiritual Master Teacher and an engaging presenter who has held audiences all over the world spellbound with his fascinating talks. He combines an inclusive, broad-minded analytical approach to

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spirituality with the transcendent faith and passionate devotion of the Vedic line. He says, The direction of my life was set at age three, when I sincerely prayed to the Lord to send me a teacher on the level of Jesus Christ so I could learn how to have a direct personal relationship with Him. David is very sensitive to the quality of consciousness in the people he works with. He says, Faith is prerequisite to spiritual advancement. But to develop faith, people need certainty. Many people have lost faith because sectarian religion cannot answer their natural questions about life, love and how to attain real happiness. Before faith can take root, we need deep clarity on spiritual life. This can only come from understanding of the Esoteric Teaching. This transcendental knowledge gives us the certainty we need to recover our faith and make tangible progress toward spiritual enlightenment. David was born in Florida and grew up near New York City. His family members were dedicated Episcopalians, very active in the local church ministry. He showed a strong attraction to both spiritual life and music at an early age. He began working with electronics and computers in high school, where he taught himself digital logic and won several science fairs with his innovative projects. After he received perfect 800 scores in 3 of his SAT examinations, MIT offered him a scholarship in Nuclear Physics, but David turned it down to pursue his first love: music. A talented and largely self-taught musician, David won First-Chair Flute in the All-American High School Band competition in his senior year, and toured the US and Canada with the group. David went on to earn a BA in Musical Composition from Montclair Conservatory, working his way through school by playing jazz gigs and repairing early computers. While at Montclair, David won the gold medal of the prestigious NYU
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Young Composers Contest for three years running. This exposure led to a job with New Yorks Ames Agency as a television commercial and film composer. At Ames, David wrote and produced the award-winning score for Armstrong Tires Tiger Paws spots, one of the longest-running advertising campaigns in television history. Not satisfied with commercial success, David moved to New Mexico, where he worked with early digital computers and test systems in research programs at Sandia, Los Alamos National Laboratories and White Sands/ Alamogordo Proving Grounds. With the help and advice of senior Los Alamos scientists, he performed a series of groundbreaking laboratory experiments in the silence of the desert, exploring the effects of music and sound on living beings. The results of this work inspired him to study Vedic music and rasa-tattva (the art of transcendental emotions) with Indian maestro Ali Akbar Khan in San Rafael, California. He quickly became expert in Indian rga composition and improvisation, using voice, flute, esrj, srg, mdga and other exotic instruments. At this time David made a broad survey of Eastern philosophical and spiritual teachings. Besides reading very widely in the Indian spiritual traditions, he met and studied Vedic teachings with many svms and yogs teaching on the West Coast. By great good fortune he met his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivednta Svm (rla Prabhupda), a fully self-realized pure devotee and renunciant, prolific author, profound devotional musician and philosopher in the Brahma-Madhva-Gauya Vaiava lineage of Bengal, and was inspired to study bhakti-yoga, the profound wisdom path of the Esoteric Teaching of the Vedas, with him. David became a Vedic monk, accepting formal hari-nma initiation as Dsnuds Brahmacr from rla Prabhupda in New Orleans in 1974, and ordination as a Vedic brhmaa (priest) in Vrndavana, India in 1977.
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He lived and studied in traditional Vaiava and Tantric communities in India and various other parts of the world for over 20 years. He learned Sanskrit, deeply studied Bhagavad-gt and rmad-Bhgavatam, performed traditional temple music and dance, and led fire sacrifices and other Vedic ceremonies all over India. As a philosopher, he specialized in Vedic ontology and the epistemology of Vednta-stra, and became a major interpreter of the esoteric devotional scripture r Caitanya-caritmta, assisting his guru by editing the first English translation of the work. He also studied different forms of yoga including haha-yoga, rja-yoga, tantra-yoga, mantra-yoga and many more. Traveling four times around the world on teaching tours, he received many advanced initiations in esoteric philosophy and practices from important Vedic spiritual teachers. After David completed preliminary studies in yoga, Sanskrit, Skhya philosophy, temple worship, devotional music and dance, and Vedic mantras, his guru formally ordained David as a brhmaa or Vedic priest. David is one of few Westerners ever to be awarded this eminent Vedic distinction. Because of this uncommon initiation, acknowledging his penetrating knowledge of Vedic spiritual wisdomunparalleled qualifications for a Westernerand the personal recommendation of his guru, David was invited to study at a Tantric esoteric school in Nainital, India, in 1979. This school, situated near the source of the Ganges , is not only a fullyfunctional traditional Tantric community; it also safeguards a comprehensive repository of the Vedic and Tantric literatures. David was thus privileged to study both the complete theory and the esoteric practices of Yoga and Tantra at their source. His attainment in Tantra was recognized by formal initiation into Mdhyamka, the most esoteric of all Tibetan Tantric mysteries, under the direction of the Dalai Lama in 1983.

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A powerful presenter, during the 70s and 80s David led classes and workshops on Tantra and the Vaiava way of wisdom in Santa Cruz and Harbin Hot Springs, California; led a week-long Tantra retreat in Waimea, Maui; presented a 3-day workshop on sacred chants in Soho, London; taught Puranic wisdom and Sanskrit in Paris, France; toured and lectured in places as diverse as Alexandria, Greece; Constantinople, Turkey; Hamburg, Germany; Bern, Austria; Belgrade, Yugoslavia; Tehran, Iran and Kabul, Afghanistan; and spoke on bhakti-yoga to substantial audiences all over India, from Mumbai to Kolkata and from Badrinath to Trivandrum. In 1984-5 David hosted a radio show on transcendental music, Sacred Sounds, on the American Radio Network in Los Angeles. From 19851988 He was Co-Chairman of the Music Department at the Mypur Chandrodaya Gurukula, a traditional Vedic academy in West Bengal, India. He also presented a 10-day international seminar in sacred Vedic music there in 1988. Over the years he appeared on numerous radio and television programs explaining bhakti-yoga, devotional meditation practices and Vedic spiritual philosophy. In 1985 he wrote Sapta Svarah, his thesis for his Bhakti-vaibhava degree (the Vaiava equivalent of a Doctor of Divinity) on the correspondence between the esoteric Vedic musical system and the mathematical laws of Quantum Mechanics. He was also instrumental in creating the Usenet forum alt.religion.vaisnava, the first international Internet conference for Vedic bhakti-yogs. From 1989-1991 David was based on Guam, exploring the roots of traditional South Pacific island cultures such as the Chamorros and Micronesians. He visited traditional native communities in Yap, Palau, Ponape,

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Majuro and the Solomon Islands, studying these ancient cultures and artifacts to research their forgotten links to the Vedic civilization. In 1988, during prolonged deep meditation in a Himalayan cave, David received a mystical transmission of the Esoteric Teaching, the confidential meta-knowledge behind all genuine spiritual paths. This revelation, recounted in his book Search for the Absolute Truth, completed his education in the transcendental mysteries of spiritual life, opening to him the secret pathway to complete self-realization. Over the next decade, David implemented the secret practices of the Esoteric Teaching, completing the process of self-realization begun by his first initiation in 1971. This resulted in a confidential spiritual experience of the highest attainment on Kauai in January 2002 during a six-month solitary meditation retreat, successfully completing the quest for the highest degree of self-realization that he had begun more than fifty years before. David maintained a keen interest in aviation, science, computers and technology throughout his monastic life, keeping up with new developments and finding unique ways to apply technology in spiritual life. In Mumbai, he used computers to pioneer direct-mail fundraising for food relief for the poor, raising over 16 million rupees in less than a year. One of his direct-mail campaigns netted a 42% response! He uses computer technology extensively in his spiritual teaching work, maintaining contact and relationships with a worldwide network of students. Returning to the US Mainland in 1992, David used his technological expertise to establish a career as a senior technical writer and illustrator, writing and publishing books on advanced computer and software technologies for companies like Apple Computer, Digital Research, Westinghouse, and Hughes Technologies. An early adopter of the Internet, he built Web sites for clients such as Weyerhauser, Georgia-Pacific, Solutia,
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Equifax, First Data Corporation and many more. At this time he also became aware of the exciting spiritual potential of computers and nanotechnology, and helped found the first Internet forum for discussions on advanced Vedic spiritual topics. Since returning to the US, David published several books on traditional Vedic philosophy: r Viusahasranma and r Nsisahasranma. He also wrote and published original works such as Here Be Wisdom: 108 Aphorisms on Advanced Topics in Spiritual Life, and Search for the Absolute Truth. He issued several solo CDs of Vedic music and chanting: Friend of the Heart, Vipralambha, RagaJazz, Hare Ka Kirtan and companion CDs to r Viusahasranma and r Nsisahasranma. Davids publishing company, Esoteric Teaching Seminars, publishes and distributes his books and CDs online. David is working on several upcoming book and video projects. He currently lives in a rural retreat center in India with his close disciples.

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