Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta
Narayana Maharaja
Levels of Devotion
Germany: July 8, 2007 (cont.)
Srila Suta Gosvami explained:
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[The supreme occupation 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. (Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.2.6)]
Try to be like Pariksit Maharaja, who was cursed to die after seven days. He
forgot to take any prasadam, and he did not even drink any water during that
seven-day period. He did not sleep at all, for he was engaged day and night in
hearing Hari-katha. Then, after seven days he left his body without any
suffering and went to Goloka Vrndavana. Try to hear with the same absorption as
Pariksit Maharaja.
[Srila Narayana Maharaja then called on Sripad Padmanabha Maharaja to speak
about uttama-bhakti, after which he himself said:]
If you want to know more, you should read Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu-bindu by Srila
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. You must read this book. There you will find a
systematic way to express the topics of pure bhakti. You will see
pravritti-mulaka, nivritti-mulaka (positive and negative regulations of
devotion) *[See Endnote 1] and so on. There are so many things to tell.
anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anakulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11)
The word anukulyena refers to those activities which are favorable for
advancement in devotion. We should reject those practices that are not
favorable. We should accept those activities which are favorable for Krsnas
service. Not only to please Him we have to please Him and act for His benefit.
Mother Yasoda makes Krsna weep, but her activity is pure bhakti.
You should know that bhakti includes all the stages of bhakti, beginning from
the smallest fraction sraddha (faith). What is sraddha? It is the conviction
that if one performs Krsna-bhakti, his life will be successful. The desire to
abandon all desires other than to serve Krsna this desire is sraddha. From
where does sraddha come? This desire is transcendental; it comes only by
sadhu-sanga and from Gurudeva, by the mercy of Krsna. It is in the heart of
Krsnas associates, and from there it comes in the heart of the aspiring
devotee.
The outer symptom of sraddha is great faith in the words of Krsna, in the words
of scriptures such as Srimad-Bhagavatam, and in the words of the Guru. If one
has no faith in the scriptures, he has no sraddha. If he does not have strong
faith in the words of the Guru, he has no sraddha. If he has no faith in the
words of Krsna in Bhagavad-gita and especially in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, he has
no sraddha.
After this, the devotee associates with a pure devotee for a second time *[See
Endnote 2], and he realizes that a Guru is needed. Without Guru, one cannot
enter the realm of bhakti. We must take initiation from any bona fide Guru. Here
in this world there are thousands upon thousands of cheaters in the form of
Guru. They cheat others. They make disciples only for wealth. They cannot remove
the doubts and ignorance of their disciples. They cannot inject bhakti in their
disciples hearts. We should be careful to avoid such cheaters.
The primary limbs of bhakti are guru-padasraya (taking shelter of the lotus feet
of the guru) by initiation, taking siksa (instruction) from Gurudeva, and
visrambhena guru-seva (serving the Guru intimately). It is not possible to
advance in bhakti without serving a bona fide Guru:
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
[Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him
submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart
knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth. (Bhagavad-gita 4.34)]
If we are hearing from Gurudeva but not serving him, our hearing will bear no
fruit. We should serve him and obey him; then nistha (steadiness in devotion)
will come, and after that ruci (taste) and asakti (attachment to Krsna) will
come. After asakti, suddha-sattva (pure goodness), rati, will come. Rati is the
transcendental essence of samvit (Krsnas spiritual potency of knowledge) and
hladini sakti (His spiritual pleasure potency) on the basis of sandhini (His
spiritual existence).
Bhakti is of two kinds. One kind is vaidhi-bhakti and the other is
raganuga-bhakti. We should begin from vaidhi-bhakti. Then, by hearing the sweet
pastimes of Krsna from a bona fide Guru or sadhu, one may develop greed to serve
Krsna like His cowherd friends such as Sudama, Sridama, Madhumangal or Subal, or
like His parents Nanda Baba and Yasoda Maiya, or more than that, like the Gopis;
and more: like the palya-dasis of Srimati Radhika, the manjaris. This greed
comes gradually.
The essence of bhakti is the service of Radhika to Krsna, and it encompasses the
highest stages of prema, sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga, bhava, mahabhava,
rudha, adhirudha, modana and then madanakhya. The highest mood of loving service
to Krsna (mahabhava) is present in all of the gopis. It is partly in
Dvaraka-puri, in the Queens of Dvaraka like Satyabhama and Rukmini. However, the
higher stages of mahabhava, like adhirudha, are not found in anyone else except
the gopis.
Mohan (feelings of separation of a beloved in mahabhava) may also be slightly
present in Candravali and others like her, but the highest development of mohan
is only in Srimati Radhika. In mohan there are also citrajalpa *[See Endnote 3]
and all other ecstatic symptoms in the mood of separation; and this may be
present in Lalita or Visakha to some extent. Madanakhya-mahabhava is not found
in Candravali, or even in Lalita or Visakha. The topmost most mood,
madanakhya-mahabhava, is found only in Radhika, at the time of meeting. It may
be that when Krsna and Radhika are sitting and speaking together, Radhika is
thinking, Where is Krsna? Where is Krsna? She begins to lament and ask,
Where? Where? Where? This is madanakhya-mahabhava. This is not found in anyone
else but Srimati Radhika. Bhakti covers all stages up to this point.
[End of the continuation of Part One. Part Two was already sent to you as the
previous Hari-katha.]
[*Endnote 1 Of the sixty-four limbs of bhakti that are described in
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, the first ten beginning from taking shelter of the lotus
feet of a spiritual master, involve the cultivation of bhakti through endeavors
arising from positive activity (pravrtti-mulaka). These ten limbs are the
beginning forms of bhajana. After this the next ten limbs describe activities
that are to be given up. These include renunciation of the association of
non-devotees, avoidance of seva-aparadha and nama-aparadha, and so on. To
refrain from such activities is what is meant by the cultivation of bhakti
through endeavors arising from avoidance of negative activity (nivrtti-mulaka).
One should act in such a way as to exclude these negative items.
The meaning of the word anusilana has thus been defined in terms of endeavors or
cesta-rupa of two kinds, pravrttyatmaka and nivrttyatmaka, and in terms of
sentiments that arise in connection with such endeavors, bhava-rupa. When such
cultivation (anusilana) is in relation to Sri Krsna or when it is performed for
His pleasure, it is called bhakti. (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu, verse 1, Sri
Bindu-vikasini-vrtti, Comment)]
[Endnote 2 Sadhu-sanga is the root of bhagavad-bhakti (Caitanya-caritamrta,
Madhya-lila 22.83). In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.20.8) the Supreme Lord has said:
By virtue of the good fortune of their previous births, those in whom sraddha
is awakened towards My lila-katha are eligible to take up bhakti.
Srila Jiva Gosvami, in defining the word yadrcchaya (voluntarily, spontaneously
or by their own will) used in this sloka, has said: By the association of the
Lords supremely independent devotees and as a consequence of the mercy obtained
from them, one obtains great fortune (saubhagya). That saubhagya itself becomes
the eligibility for bhakti.
The meaning of saubhagya is that by the contact of sadhus in ones previous life
and by the mercy obtained from them, a very deep impression (samskara) is formed
upon the mind or heart. When it is nourished again in the present life, it
arises in the form of sraddha. This sraddha is the cause of the awakening of
bhakti. In this connection it is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.25.25):
satam prasangan mama virya-samvido
bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah
taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani
sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati
In the association of pure devotees one hears descriptions of My heroic deeds,
which are very pleasing to the ear and the heart. Such descriptions bestow real
knowledge of My excellence. By regular hearing and contemplation of such topics
one is liberated from ignorance, as a result of which one successively attains
sraddha, rati (bhava-bhakti) and prema-bhakti towards Me. (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu,
verse 3, Sri Bindu-vikasini-vrtti, comment)]
[Endnote 3 Citrajalpa is variegated speech; it is an ecstatic symptom
appearing in mohana-mahabhava. Ujjvala-nilamani (14.174, 17880) states it as
follows: It is virtually only within Srimati Radharani that the ecstasy of
bewilderment arises. She has attained to a special stage of this bewilderment, a
wonderful state that resembles delusion, and is known as divyonmada. It has many
aspects, which come and go unsteadily, and one of these manifestations is
citra-jalpa. This talk, induced by Srimati Radhika seeing Her beloveds friend,
is filled with covered anger and comprises many different ecstasies. It
culminates in Her intense, anxious eagerness. Citra-jalpa has ten divisions:
prajalpa, parijalpa, vijalpa, ujjalpa, sanjalpa, avajalpa, abhijalpa, ajalpa,
pratijalpa, and sujalpa.]
Editorial advisors: Pujyapad Madhava
Maharaja, Sripad Brajanath dasa, and Sri Prema-prayojana dasa
Editor: Syamarani dasi
Transcriber: Vasanti dasi
Typist: Janaki dasi
Proof-reader: Krsna-kamini dasi
Teachers 
