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The Message of Godhead Bhagavänera 3 by Çré Çrémad Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja for better transliteration of Sanskrit into English]
There are many reasons for an äsurika or godless nature.
However, in this present article I am discussing three that are
prominent—namely, lust, anger and greed. These three propensities have been
described as doorways leading to hell and destroyers of the soul. Bhagavän is the sole master and
enjoyer of creation. When we forget this, a strong desire to enjoy this visible
world is born within us. When desires are unfulfilled they give rise to anger,
under the influence of anger we become frustrated, and like the jackal’s plea
of “sour grapes” 1 we portray the act of renunciation. Lying at the root of
this kind of pretentious renunciation is a greater greed and desire for sense
gratification. It is one more layer of material desire. Unless a person crosses
beyond these levels of bhoga and tyäga, enjoying and rejecting, and becomes situated on the platform
of the soul, he cannot understand the message of Godhead and he will thus continue
to remain under the influence of an äsurika mood. If we want to make progress on the
path of auspiciousness for the soul by becoming free from an äsurika existence, then the only
method is to act according to the injunctions of çästra. Irresponsible, independent and unlawful
acts are all born of lust, by which one will never be able to cross beyond
anger and greed and obtain true happiness and the ultimate destination. Thus,
who will reveal how ‘in the dispensation of providence’2 mankind can obtain peace
or the ultimate destination? Çästra is our only support. If we work according to its injunctions we
can receive freedom from unlawful and whimsical acts. The age in which we presently live is called Kali-yuga, the
dreadful age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Almost all people of this age have short
lives, dull intelligence and misfortune, and are always persecuted by disease
and distress. Consequently, they do not have a natural inclination for the
instruction of çästra. Practically all the religionists of the world, be they Hindu,
Muslim, Christian, and so on, live whimsically by transgressing the laws of
their own scriptures. All these
people, what to speak of following the laws of çästra, misinterpret them. They
gradually become firmly established in an äsurika
nature in the form of sense enjoyment born out of their
worldly desires. Bhagavän and His devotees are always concerned how to rescue the kali-hat jéva, conditioned
souls frustrated by the effects of Kali-yuga. The Vaiñëava devotees of Bhagavän
are like desire-fulfilling trees and oceans of mercy. In order to deliver the jévas tormented by Kali, the Vaiñëavas,
even after fulfilling whatever desires or prayers the jévas have, make arrangements to
establish their sambandha, their relationship with Bhagavän. Whatever means the Saviour
of the fallen, Gaurasundara Çré Caitanyadeva, has prescribed, after having seen
the jévas’ miserable
condition is alone the sole injunction of the çästras
for all common people. Purifying the heart through the
study of the Vedas, Vedänta and its supplimentary parts was possible in other ages, but that is now no longer
feasible. The previous system required maintaining strong celibacy, which is beyond the capacity of common people
nowadays. Therefore, people with many impurities cannot gain anything through study of Veda and Vedänta. To explain Vedänta to these unqualified people devoid of saàskära is a total waste of time. Çré Caitanyadeva indeed
bestowed His mercy to this kind of kali-hat jéva. Consequently, those who are unable to accept the mercy of Çré
Caitanyadeva will remain deceived forever. Is there any doubt about this? Those fortunate people who, after
deliberating upon the compassionate process of Çré Caitanya, have become able
to receive it, are no longer ‘in the dispensation of providence’ punishable by mäyä. However, for those under the
control of the beginningless cycle of karma and tormented by mäyä, Bhagavän has arranged karma-yoga. Learned scholars say that after wandering amongst 8,400,000
species of life, (900,000 types of aquatics, 2,000,000 species of immobile
life, trees, mountains and so on, 1,100,000 species of insects and worms,
1,000,000 species of birds,
3,000,000 species of animals and 400,000 species of humans in the gradual
development of the state of material consciousness), one is born within the
human society in bhärata-bhümite haila manuñya-janma yära janma särthaka kari’ kara para-upakära “One who takes a human birth in
the should make his life successful, and then work for the ultimate benefit of others.” (CC Ädi 9.41) The success of human life is attained by following the guiding
path of those mahäjanas from Bhärata. The sages of We can see in other places,
especially in Western countries, that there has been great research and progress
made in material science, which is only based on the mind and body created by mäyä, the deluding potency. For this
reason, Western people who are ‘in the dispensation of providence’,
receive no rest of any kind. Indian people, being fond of imitating such
people, are also walking on the path of destruction. At present they have given
up their own culture to become beggars at the doors of others, and under the
influence of this ‘dispensation’ of mäyä, they boldly claim themselves to be an independent nation.
There is nothing to gain by that. The process and means of
perfection in the eternal sambandha, abhideya and prayojana between the infinitesimal soul and the infinite Supreme have
never been discussed in Western countries. Therefore, although these countries
prosper from the mundane point of view, they are tossed about
in the painful burning poison of materialism, and Indians also become corrupted
in that burning poison, thinking themselves successful. Now many Western
thinkers are looking towards Bhagavän Çré Kåñëa, considering
the distressful future of the living entities, instructed the Bhagavad-Gétä and His
instructions flowed from His lotus mouth like a pacifying shower onto the
poisonous fire of materialism. There is a need to understand the great
difference between general karma and the karma-yoga mentioned in the Bhagavad-gétä. At present
there are many who identify themselves as karma-yogés
in a so-called karma
sampradäya. Nevertheless, they are seen
enjoying the fruits of their own work. In many places in Bhagavad-gétä, Bhagavän Çré
Kåñëa has referred to the process of buddhi-yoga. The meaning of buddhi-yoga
is bhagavad-bhakti and Çré Kåñëa has said: “dadämi
buddhi-yogaà taà yena mäm upayänti te” (BG 10.10)--“I bestow the transcendental knowledge by which they
come to me.” Elsewhere He has said: bhaktyä
mäm abhijänäti (BG 18.55)—“It is only by unalloyed Bhakti that one can behold Me; that is, know Me in truth.” He has also said: “bhaktyäham ekayä grähyaù” (SB
11.14.21)— “I am to be obtained by unalloyed
devotional service.” Therefore the buddhi-yoga
by which one can obtain Him is none other than bhakti. It is a well-known fact that one
can attain Bhagavän through bhakti; consequently one of His names is bhakta-vatsala, one who is
especially affectionate towards His devotees. Through buddhi-yoga one can adopt karma-kauçala, the art of
work, and by that art alone mankind can be peaceful or find rest ‘in the
dispensation of providence.’ We can clearly see the mood of buddhi-yoga in the Bhagavad-gétä (2.39, 40): eñä te ’bhihitä säìkhye / buddhir yoge tv imäà çåëu buddhyä yukto yayä pärth / karma-bandhaà prahäsyasi “O Pärtha, thus far I have
explained this knowledge of säìkhya-yoga,3 but now I
will impart to you the science of bhakti-yoga, by which you will become freed from the bondage of this
material world.” nehäbhikrama näço ’sti / pratyaväyo na vidyate svalpam apy asya dharmasya / träyate mahato bhayät “Endeavors on the path of bhakti-yoga are neither fruitless nor
subject to loss. Even a little progress frees one from fear and the greatest of
dangers in this material world.” It is a very difficult affair for the people of the modern world
to discover peace by the analytical method of säìkhya-yoga. However, the peace one may obtain through buddhi-yoga, or bhakti-yoga, belittles the
highest worldly gain or peace in the form of brahmänanda, the bliss experienced by being situated in the nature of brahman. The
development of karma in relation to Bhakti never goes in vain, or is destroyed. Therefore, to the degree
it is performed, that amount will be permanently secured. Even a little
performance of bhakti rescues one from the greatest of fears—the bindings of the
material world. 1 Once a jackal came across a grapevine. The tasty looking
fruits hung high above his head, and as he tried to reach up and pick one, he
found to his dismay that it was beyond his grasp. Again and again he tried but
to no avail. Finally, he scorned in frustration: “The grapes are sour,” and ran
off with his tail between his legs (Païca-tantra
stories). 2 “In the dispensation of providence” means
the living entities reception of his karma-phala, or the fruits of pious and impious deeds. 3 Säìkhya-yoga is defined by Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura as follows:
“That which properly illuminates the vastu-tattva
or essential reality of an object.” (BG Bhäv. 2.39) This is the third in the series of “Bhagavänera Kathä” articles by Çré Çrémad Bhaktivedänta
Swämé Mahäräja,
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