jueves, 25 de agosto de 2011

CRITICISE, AND LOSE THE HOLY NAME Bhagavat-saptāha [Part 1] Mathura, India: 1994

CRITICISE, AND LOSE THE HOLY NAME Bhagavat-saptāha [Part 1] Mathura, India: 1994

Oṁ viṣṇupāda paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

Today is the third day of our Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam classes. We are in the midst of relating the history of Ajāmila and the glories of chanting the holy names of the Lord. We see here that the holy name is so powerful that one does not require dīkṣā (brahminical initiation), or the five activities performed before taking dīkṣā, to assure full success. Just by naming his son Nārāyaṇa, which is the name of one of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s incarnations, Ajāmila began chanting the Lord's Holy Name. He had he taken dīkṣā when he first spoke the name of Nārāyaṇa. Furthermore, he was so fallen that there was not a single sin he had not committed. He used to take intoxication and engage in other illicit activities. Such a person uttered the name of the Lord when he named his son Nārāyaṇa, and received so much benefit.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that the very day Ajāmila named his son Nārāyaṇa; all his sins were finished – just by his first utterance of the holy name. After that, the rest of the holy names he called out constituted his sādhana. We see that all the while he was taking the name; he continued to act unlawfully – stealing, taking intoxication and so on. However, we should not consider his behaviour at this point to be sinful. Yes, these activities were going on, but they had no power in them. You can understand it like this – if you put some peas in the ground, they will sprout and grow. Now roast some peas and try to grow them. Even if you fertilize the ground with many kilos of cow dung and give it plenty of water, they will not sprout. Similarly, all Ajāmila’s sins were burned, simply by his calling out the names of Nārāyaṇa. Now his unlawful activities, which seemed like lowly fruitive activities in the eyes of ordinary persons, no longer constituted sin. His activities can be compared with a snake whose poisonous teeth have been pulled out. The snake still continues to bite because it is his habit, but there is no more poison. Similarly, now Ajāmila’s unlawful activities had no power to give any fruits to bind him. If a rope is burnt, its shape is still there in the ashes, but when one touches the ashes, the shape falls apart and cannot be used as a rope.

The result of Ajāmila chanting the names of Lord Nārāyaṇa was that he attained the association of the Viṣṇudūtas, who are associates of the Lord Himself, and inadvertently took dīkṣā initiation from them. Up to that point his chanting was called nāma-ābhāsa (the clearing stage of chanting), because whatever else he did, he had not committed any offences to a Vaiṣṇava. He had not disrespected the Vaiṣṇavas in this life or any previous life. By his nāma-ābhāsa he received the association of the Viṣṇudūtas, who gave him dīkṣā and explained to him the full glories of the holy names.

sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa
mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana

sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga
kṛṣṇa-prema janmāya ei pāṅcera alpa saṅga
(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 22.128-129)

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has promised:

“One should stay in Vṛndāvana under the guidance of a sadhu, chant the holy names, hear Śrīmad Bhāgavatam from the lotus mouth of a rāsika Vaiṣṇava and serve the Deity of the Lord. There is no doubt that by performing these five activities one will surely receive kṛṣṇa-prema.”

However, there is one condition – there should be no disrespect or offence to the Vaiṣṇava.

This is our dilemma. We are doing hari-nāma, staying in the holy place and hearing Bhāgavatam, but we are not really hearing. Sometimes, some of us only act as if we are following. We speak publicly on the Bhāgavatam and give instructions to others, but we do not protect ourselves from offense to Vaiṣṇavas. Joking and laughing, we somehow disrespect or criticise Vaiṣṇavas. The holy name (who is God Himself) cannot tolerate this. Therefore, we deceive ourselves and we are deprived of the real fruit of chanting the holy name. In this way, many lifetimes are wasted.

Therefore, be very, very cautious to avoid committing, by any means, offence to the Vaiṣṇavas; for offense to Vaiṣṇavas is offence to the holy name. If you see another devotee doing something wrong, do not look. There are elevated Vaiṣṇavas who will see their faults and rectify them. You cannot do so. Just tend to your bhajana.

If someone else is not doing bhajana, why are you worrying about it?

Just look at your own behaviour. We do not see our own faults, but we want to see others’ faults; and day and night we talk about this. Nowadays this is the fashion, and therefore we lose the chance to do bhajana.

Understand all this clearly. Wherever we see some kind of fall down, some disaster, some digression from bhajana or some material difficulties, the main cause for these is disrespect to the Guru and Vaiṣṇavas. Ajāmila was more fallen than fallen, but he did not disrespect anyone. He was sinful, but as soon as he had the association of Vaiṣṇavas he stopped his sinful activities and was able to chant the pure holy name. Wherever there is a little bit of disrespect for the Vaiṣṇavas, Guru, Saints, Sadhus, the holy abodes of the Lord in this world, or the holy names, there is a decline in bhakti.

You must have heard the story of Dīkṣā Prajāpati. He cursed Śrī Nārada Muni, saying:

“You gave my sons instructions on the performance of bhajana of the Supreme Lord, and now they have left home and family. You have ruined everything for me. For that I curse you that you will not be able to remain in one place longer than the time it takes to milk a cow.”

Śrī Nārada became very pleased, taking this as a benediction rather than a curse.

But how do other persons react?
There is a Hindi saying: if you place a thorn in someone’s path, what will happen?

That thorn will become three, like a trident, and will come back and pierce you. On the other hand, if you do good for others, you will be showered with flowers. We see what happened with Dakṣa Prajāpati. He gave a curse, and by that he first disrespected the Vaiṣṇava, then Guru and then God. Therefore, never keep bad thoughts in your mind to harm anyone. Even if someone is unjustly abusing you, just tolerate and not retaliate.

There is another very good example in the instance of Satī, also known by the names Umā and Pārvatī. She was wandering in the forest with her husband Lord Śiva. Śiva and Umā saw Lord Rāmacandra crying for His wife. Because Rāvaṇa had kidnapped Sītā-devī, Lord Rāma was wandering here and there, calling out:

“Oh, Sītā! Oh, Sītā!”

Lord Śiva saw Lord Rāmacandra lamenting like this, and he paid his obeisances at the Lord’s lotus feet from afar. Umā-devī asked:

“My lord, to whom are you paying obeisances?”

Śiva answered:

“Here is my Master. Here is my Lord Rāmacandra. I am paying obeisances to Him.”

She questioned him:

“How can He be God?

He is running after His wife and lamenting”.

Śiva answered,

“That is His transcendental pastime. You can test Him, if you don't believe me.”

Then Śiva left.

Disguising herself as Sītā, Umā went to test Rāma. She stood in front of Him, but taking no notice of her, He turned away and continued to call out for Sītā. She came in front of Him again and again. Finally He said:

“Mother Satī, you are roaming around here alone, but Śaṅkara has already left.

How can you remain here without him?”

She came to her senses and realised that her husband had spoken the truth about Rāma. Feeling very ashamed, she offered obeisances to Lord Rāma and then, wherever she looked, she saw Rāma with Sītā and His brother Lakṣmaṇa. In every tree, every shrub, every creeper, everywhere she saw Sītā-Rāma, Sītā-Rāma, Sītā-Rāma. She became confused and realised she had committed a very great offense. As soon as this thought came in her mind, she again saw Lord Rāmacandra looking in all directions and calling:

“Oh, Sītā! Oh, Sītā! Oh, Sītā!”

This pastime took place to show that Rāma is never separated from Sītā. His pastime is under the jurisdiction of the Lord's yogamāyā (spiritual desire) potency. This is His human-like pastime (naravat-līlā). He was actually crying for Sītā, but at the same time, in another prakoṣṭha (division or section of His pastimes), He is always with Her. He and Sītā-devī are never separated.

Now the doubt of Umā was removed. She returned to Lord Śiva, who understood internally everything that happened to her and had thus made a vow to remain silent. The demigods showered Śaṅkara with flowers, saying:

“Who can take a vow like you?”

Umā-devī asked:

“What vow have you taken?”

He remained silent and did not reply. Somehow she came to know of her husband's vow. From now on he would respect her as his mother. Because she had doubted her guru (Lord Śiva), disguised herself as Sītā, and lied to her guru when he had asked her if she had tested lord Rāma, Lord Śiva could no longer accept her as his wife. He entered a trance for thousands of years, and Satī felt severe separation from him. She thought:

"Śiva has left me. He is treating me like his mother because I took the form of Sītā. As long as I am in this body he will not accept me as his wife, so I will have to give up this body."

After some time, Satī's father Dakṣa, the son of Lord Brahma and great progenitor of the universe, began a sacrifice. Although every sacrifice is intended to please the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, all the demigods, especially Lord Brahma, Lord Śiva and the other principal demigods, are invited and take part. However, Lord Śiva was not invited to Dakṣa's sacrifice. The chaste Satī heard the heavenly denizens, who were flying in the sky; speak about the great sacrifice being performed by her father. She approached her husband and said:

 "My dear Lord, your father-in-law is now performing a great sacrifice. If you desire, we may also go."

Lord Śiva warned her not to go, due to her father's enmity and envy towards him - an enmity that had begun long before, in a former Age. Now Lord Śiva told Satī:

"A woman can go without an invitation to see her guru or her father and mother, but if her father thinks that her husband is his enemy, then she should not go to see him. You know that your father thinks I am his enemy, although I have never considered him as such."

Despite her husband's words, Satī was determined to go. She went, but upon her arrival she observed Dakṣa dishonouring him. She angrily condemned her father and glorified Lord Śiva in front of all present. Then, while meditating on Lord Śiva's holy lotus feet, she gave up her body in a mystic fire that manifested from her heart. By quitting her body, Satī was able to disconnect herself from her offensive father and transfer herself to another body in order to associate with Lord Śiva without that contamination. However, her main motive was to become free from the result of her own offenses, and again be accepted as Lord Śiva's beloved wife. In her next life she took birth as Pārvatī, the daughter of the Himalayas. In that birth she performed austerities for many years and achieved her desired goal. Satī-devī is a pure devotee. She is the Supreme Lord's divine energy, but she was playing a role in order to give lessons to ordinary persons.

So be very careful. You may not have faith in the words of Guru; you may not believe him when he says that the holy name is non-different from Lord Kṛṣṇa. Satī was not convinced when Lord Śiva, who was her guru as well as her husband, said:

“Oh, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

She thus committed such a serious offense that she had to give up her body as a result.

We must very deeply pay attention to the words of Śrī Gurudeva. If one neglects his words, one is bound to commit an offense. For that kind of person, gurudeva is always silent. He will not say anything to a person who neglects his words. One may hear so many good instructions, but if he has no faith in the words of guru, he will commit offenses. Whenever someone disrespects guru and Vaiṣṇavas, or sees some fault in them, he is actually reflecting the impure feelings of his own eyes and heart onto the Vaiṣṇavas. In reality, guru, Vaiṣṇavas, saints and Lord Śiva do not have any faults. To show this again and again, these examples from history are given.

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  • Rama Kānta Dāsa Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has promised: 

    “One should stay in Vṛndāvana under the guidance of a sadhu, chant the holy names, hear Śrīmad Bhāgavatam from the lotus mouth of a rāsika Vaiṣṇava and serve the Deity of the Lord. There is no doubt that by performing these five activities one will surely receive kṛṣṇa-prema.” 

    However, there is one condition – there should be no disrespect or offence to the Vaiṣṇava. 

    This is our dilemma. We are doing hari-nāma, staying in the holy place and hearing Bhāgavatam, but we are not really hearing. Sometimes, some of us only act as if we are following. We speak publicly on the Bhāgavatam and give instructions to others, but we do not protect ourselves from offense to Vaiṣṇavas. Joking and laughing, we somehow disrespect or criticise Vaiṣṇavas. The holy name (who is God Himself) cannot tolerate this. Therefore, we deceive ourselves and we are deprived of the real fruit of chanting the holy name. In this way, many lifetimes are wasted. 

    Therefore, be very, very cautious to avoid committing, by any means, offence to the Vaiṣṇavas; for offense to Vaiṣṇavas is offence to the holy name. If you see another devotee doing something wrong, do not look. There are elevated Vaiṣṇavas who will see their faults and rectify them. You cannot do so. Just tend to your bhajana. 

    If someone else is not doing bhajana, why are you worrying about it? 

    Just look at your own behaviour. We do not see our own faults, but we want to see others’ faults; and day and night we talk about this. Nowadays this is the fashion, and therefore we lose the chance to do bhajana. 

    Understand all this clearly. Wherever we see some kind of fall down, some disaster, some digression from bhajana or some material difficulties, the main cause for these is disrespect to the Guru and Vaiṣṇavas. Ajāmila was more fallen than fallen, but he did not disrespect anyone. He was sinful, but as soon as he had the association of Vaiṣṇavas he stopped his sinful activities and was able to chant the pure holy name. Wherever there is a little bit of disrespect for the Vaiṣṇavas, Guru, Saints, Sadhus, the holy abodes of the Lord in this world, or the holy names, there is a decline in bhakti.

    You must have heard the story of Dīkṣā Prajāpati. He cursed Śrī Nārada Muni, saying: 

    “You gave my sons instructions on the performance of bhajana of the Supreme Lord, and now they have left home and family. You have ruined everything for me. For that I curse you that you will not be able to remain in one place longer than the time it takes to milk a cow.” 

    Śrī Nārada became very pleased, taking this as a benediction rather than a curse. 

    But how do other persons react? 
    There is a Hindi saying: if you place a thorn in someone’s path, what will happen? 

    That thorn will become three, like a trident, and will come back and pierce you. On the other hand, if you do good for others, you will be showered with flowers. We see what happened with Dakṣa Prajāpati. He gave a curse, and by that he first disrespected the Vaiṣṇava, then Guru and then God. Therefore, never keep bad thoughts in your mind to harm anyone. Even if someone is unjustly abusing you, just tolerate and not retaliate.

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