Pratiñöhä Parivarjana
by
Çréla Saccidänanda Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura
[NOTE: This page uses Balarama font (available here) for better transliteration of Sanskrit into English]
In the depths of jïäna, vairägya
and so on, and behind all religion, lies the desire for
honour and distinction To the
degree that we endeavour to develop ourselves spiritually, to become religious,
to maintain a renounced life, and to deliberate on and discuss jïäna, we desire our own pratiñöhä
(honour and
distinction). This desire contaminates our hearts and pollutes our characters.
Although we make a great effort to control lust, anger, greed, illusion and
envy, and although we perform severe austerities to control the senses,
concealed within our hearts the desire for pratiñöhä, in the form of a wild infant
animal, continues to grow. I learn añöäìga-yoga with a desire to become a famous yogé. If anyone one tells me that my yoga
lessons are merely a
show, I burn in anger. I discuss and deliberate upon many çästras
in my endeavour to
merge into brahma. If I hear someone say that this process is
fruitless, my mind becomes disturbed and I condemn the accuser. We learn ten
kinds of dharma,
such as control of the mind and the external senses, austerity and
truthfulness, and in carrying out our worldly activities we perform daily
obligatory religious duties (nitya-karma) and occasional religious duties
(naimittika-karma). If someone says that karma-käëòa is simply useless labour, my mind
suffers; I become unhappy because my pratiñöhä is being made to appear
insignificant. Those who desire bhukti
and mukti are restless and slaves of the desire for pratiñöhä When the karmé,
jïäni, yogé and so on search in hope of attaining
the fruit of enjoyment and liberation, how can they have any peace? They cannot
relinquish the desire for pratiñöhä.
This desire is very insignificant, however, in those Vaiñëavas who have no
thirst at all for bhukti and
mukti. Present-day Vaiñëava äcäryas desire pratiñöhä and are intolerant Nowadays,
the äcäryas of
vaiñëava-dharma
cannot tolerate the
slightest disrespect. From the outset,they endeavour
to enhance their dignity by placing their feet on the heads of all. It is not
unreasonable for an äcärya to
receive respect from others. But if he courts that respect for himself, where
is his real value?
Furthermore, he becomes angry with someone who does not offer him säñöäìga-daëdavat praëämas,
full prostrated obeisances. Such anger is abominable. Well-mannered people respect
an äcärya by offering him a separate seat.
This is correct and in accordance with çästra, but if the äcärya
is angered by someone
else sitting on that seat, it is most unfortunate. All such behaviour solely arises
from the desire for pratiñöhä. It is extremely difficult to give up the desire for pratiñöhä Many
Vaiñëavas have given up their homes and accepted the dress of a renunciant.
Peace-loving people who consider that householders have the greatest desire for
pratiñöhä leave
their homes and accept the dress of renunciants. In that renounced situation,
however, pratiñöhä arises
with an even greater intensity than before! If one who has accepted the dress
of a renunciant is not offered respect, he becomes particularly angry. If the
desire for pratiñöhä is
present in householder Vaiñëavas and Vaiñëavas in the renounced order, what can
be said of others? The desire for
pratiñöhä is not removed without kåñëa-sevä When we
collect and contemplate upon the instructions of great people, we understand
that as long as we cannot give up the desire for pratiñöhä, we cannot consider ourselves
Vaiñëavas. Real humility is not found in mere words. I say that I am not worthy
of being the servant of a servant of the Vaiñëavas, but all the while within my
mind I think that anyone hearing me say this will glorify me, thinking
me a pure Vaiñëava. Alas! The desire for pratiñöhä does not want to abandon us. For
this reason the best of Vaiñëavas, Çréla Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé, says: pratiñöhäçä dhåñöä çvapaca-ramaëé me hådi
naöet kathaà
sädhuù-premä spåçati çucir etan nanu manaù sadä tvaà sevasva prabhu-dayita-sämantam
atulaà yathä täà niñkäçya tvaritam iha taà veçayati
saù How will
my heart touch this pure sädhu-prema as long as the shameless dog-eating lady in the form of pratiñöhä
dances there? O mind!
You should therefore serve those pure Vaiñëavas who are the incomparable
commanders of the army of your master, Çré Kåñëa. They will then remove that dog-eating lady from the temple of
your heart and allow prema to enter. (Çré Manaù-çikñä 7) Extinction of the desire for
pratiñöhä in the association of viçuddha Vaiñëavas What can
we gather from the words of this mahäjana, Çréla Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé? We
understand that the desire for pratiñöhä can never be removed by studying
and discussing çästra, by hearing instructions from those who have not attained
prema, nor
by practising various bodily processes of yoga. It can only be removed by
associating with and serving viçuddha Vaiñëavas. Having searched for and found such
Vaiñëavas, it is our ultimate goal to associate with and serve them. To accept sat-saìga is
non-different from giving up asat-saìga By
associating with Vaiñëavas, saintliness (sädhutä) will manifest in our hearts and
sinfulness will be completely removed. When our hearts are clean, a ray from
the sun of prema will
enter. This ray, which enriches our hearts with prema, comes from the heart of a saintly
Vaiñëava. This is the only way to attain prema and give up pratiñöhä. It is the natural method to
become a sädhu. All
other approaches are fruitless labour. In conclusion, attaining one’s eternal
transcendental nature is non-different from removing one’s temporary material
nature.
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