śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ

Secrets of the Undiscovered Self

His Divine Grace
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

For more eBook titles on bhakti-yoga by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, please visit

www.purebhakti.com

© 2014 Gaudiya Vedanta Publications. Some Rights Reserved.

Amazon Kindle Edition

To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.purebhakti.com/pluslicense or write to: gvp.contactus@gmail.com

Digital Edition:

ePub: ISBN 978-1-63316-067-5

Kindle: ISBN 978-1-63316-066-8

Printed Edition: ISBN 81-86737-37-5

First Printing: 25,000

Second Printing: 50,000

Third Printing: 50,000

Fourth Printing: 40,000

Fifth Printing: 40,000

Sixth Printing: 30,000

Painting of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa © Śyāmarāṇī dāsī. Used with permission.

All other paintings, as well as all quotes and photos of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja © Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Intl. Used with permission. www.krishna.com

Many participated in completing the publication of this booklet in the role of editors, editorial advisors, designers, artists, typists, transcribers, proofreaders and technical assistants. They include: Śrīpāda Bhaktivedānta Mādhava Mahārāja,Śrīpāda Bhaktivedānta Vaikhanas Mahārāja, Atula-kṛṣṇa dāsa, Ānīta dāsī, Brajanātha dāsa, Dhananjaya dāsa, Giridhārī dāsa, Gauraṅgī dāsī, Gurūttama dāsa, Jaya-gopāla dāsa, Mahāprabhu dāsa, Nanda-kiśora dāsa, Nandimukhi dāsī, Nāndinī dāsī, Premavatī dāsī, Rādhā-kānta dāsa, Śānti dāsī, Sudarśana dāsa, Sundara-gopāla dāsa, Śyāmarāṇī dāsī, Vaijayantī-mālā dāsī, Vasanti dāsé and Viśvambhara dāsa. ePub Encoding • Sanātana dāsa

Dedication

I beg the mercy of mu Gurudeva, nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. I off thousands of humble obeisances unto his lotus feet, and the same humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of my śikṣā-guru, nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja.

In the present day, it was my śikṣā-guru who unlocked the treasure of Vedic wisdom for the entire world. The key to the treasure is in his hands and in my Gurudeva’s hands. They have given me their key, and they have ordered me to share that treasure with you all.

Tridaṇḍi bhikṣu
Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa

Special thanks to all the book distributors, for helping to bring this publication to our respected readers.

Contents

Dedication

Guru-paramparā Images

Preface

We Are Pure Spirit Souls

We Are Not These Bodies

A King in Illusion

We Are Part and Parcel of the Supreme Self

The Nature of the Supreme Self

The Process of Self-Realization

The Bona Fide Guide

Paintings

About the Author

Book List

Websites

Preface

The purpose of this booklet is to introduce the readers to the beauty and wonder of their own natural being. Sages say that our souls are each more brilliant and powerful than thousands of suns, and that we come to experience this by hearing from those who are self-realized. Secrets of the Undiscovered Self is a transcription of a discourse given by such a self-realized personality, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, a pre-eminent saint and one of the foremost teachers of divine wisdom in the present day. He gave this discourse in March 2002, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The preface of this booklet contains the words of another transcendental personality, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, famous throughout the world as Śrīla Prabhupāda, who is intimately related with Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja as an instructing guru and a dear friend. Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja regards Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja as a main inspiration for his regularly traveling the surface of the globe and teaching the secrets of the undiscovered self.

Herein, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja gives an analogy of a bird in a cage, comparing the bird to the soul and the cage to the body that covers it. He writes, “We are neglecting our real comfort and identifying the material cage with ourselves. We have concentrated all our energies for the meaningless upkeep of the material cage for its own sake, completely neglecting the captive soul within. The cage is meant for the undoing of the bird; the bird is not meant for the welfare of the cage. Let us, therefore, deeply ponder this. All our activities are now turned toward the upkeep of the cage, and the most we do is try to give some food to the mind by art and literature. But we do not know that this mind is also material in a more subtle form.”

“The self is beyond the gross body and subtle mind. He is the potent active principle of the body and mind. Without knowing the need of the dormant soul, one cannot be happy simply with emolument of the body and mind. The body and the mind are but superfluous outer coverings of the spirit soul. The spirit soul’s needs must be fulfilled. Simply by cleaning the cage of the bird, one does not satisfy the bird. One must actually know the needs of the bird himself.

“The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill his desire for complete freedom. He wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead.”

Speaking in a simple yet profound manner, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja elaborates on the difference between the body and the soul: “If we meditate upon this body and study whether or not the body is our true identity, we will come to the conclusion that we are the knower of the body – not the body. The body is simply the field of our activities.

“This good intelligence applies even in a child. You may show a child his finger and inquire, ‘What is this?’ The child will reply, ‘It is my finger.’ The child will never say, ‘I finger.’ Who am ‘I’? That should be the inquiry.”

The histories in this booklet actually took place. They have been taken by Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja from the parts of the Vedas called the Purāṇas and Upaniṣads. The names of all the personalities herein are in the ancient Sanskrit language. Following the tradition of our spiritual preceptors, we use standard diacritical markings to indicate the pronunciation of Sanskrit words. Pronounce ā like a in father, ī like ea in neat, ū like oo in root, ṛ like ri in rip, ṁ and ṅ like ng in hung, ś and ṣ like shin shy, and c like ch in chap.

Editorial Team

Secrets of the Undiscovered Self

We Are Pure Spirit Souls

Long ago there lived a powerful sage named Aṣṭāvakra Ṛṣi. The sage was curved in eight parts of his body, and when he walked his movements were quite peculiar and awkward. He was also very ugly, and ordinary people often laughed at the sight of him. Although externally he was awkward and crooked, internally his heart was pure because he had realized his eternal transcendental identity. He knew and realized the difference between the body and the soul.

Once, Aṣṭāvakra Ṛṣi arrived in the assembly of the great king Mahārāja Janaka to attend an assembly of saintly persons. As he entered the assembly, everyone present began to laugh at him. Hearing them, Aṣṭāvakra Ṛṣi also began to laugh. The members of the assembly were surprised and said to each other, “We are laughing at him, but he is laughing even more loudly than us. Why is this?”

Janaka Mahārāja rose from his throne and asked Aṣṭāvakra Ṛṣi, “Why are you laughing so loudly?”

The sage replied, “I thought I was coming to join an assembly of saints and sages, but instead I have stumbled into a convention of shoemakers. A shoemaker’s interest is only in leather and skin ; he sees only if the good or bad quality of skin. Your interest is in seeing if someone is beautiful or ugly, healthy or disabled, young or old. Your minds are absorbed in these temporary things. You are not seeing my soul as saintly persons would. It is simply illusion to place importance on the external, temporary body while being oblivious to the eternal soul dwelling within.”

Janaka Mahārāja’s heart was deeply penetrated by Aṣṭāvakra Ṛṣi’s words. He realized that the sage was a liberated soul, and worthy of deep respect. With great honor he offered his own throne to the sage, bowed down to him, and accepted him as his instructing spiritual master.

We Are Not These Bodies

The body is not the self. What is this material body? It is a bag of bones, blood, urine and many other unclean substances. The mind is also part of the material body and is different from the soul. It experiences temporary mundane emotions as real, thus causing much anguish and only a little pleasure. We are individual souls, not these bodies or minds.

These bodies are mortal; all the doctors and scientists of this world cannot prevent old age. One day, twenty, thirty, or fifty years from now, the body will become old. Its beauty and power will disappear; walking will be difficult without the help of a cane, and after some time death will come. At that time we will have to give up everything we have accumulated during this lifetime. Nothing in this world will be able to save us from continued suffering – only God and Śrī Guru can save us in all respects. If we realize this and engage in His loving service, we will become happy.

As spiritual souls, we are all parts and parcels of the same God, the Supreme Lord. Souls in all species of life – from the lowest, such as plants and animals, to the highest, such as humans and demigods – are His infinitesimal parts and parcels. The ancient scriptures of India, the Vedas, say, “God is one. Everything in this world is merely an expansion of His power, or energy.” Atheists, who don’t believe in God, believe in the world of nature. They believe that everything comes from nature and returns to nature. The world of nature in which they have placed their faith, however, is simply a part of the energy of that Supreme Lord.

We are minute parts of the Supreme, and we are the manifestations of His marginal energy (taṭastha śakti), but unfortunately we have turned away from Him and have forgotten who we are. We think that these material bodies are our real selves. We spend our days collecting money and securing positions, thinking that these things will make us happy – but this conception is totally wrong.

A King in Illusion

[The history of Aṣṭāvakra Ṛṣi illustrates that we are not these mortal bodies. The following history describes how another great sage, Viśvāmitra Muni, helped another righteous king to realize and correct his misconception regarding his own identity. In days of yore, kings greatly honored holy men, and therefore Viśvāmitra was able to help him.]

In ancient India there lived a great and very powerful emperor named Hariścandra. His wife’s name was Śaibya and his beautiful young son was Rohitasva. Hariścandra was extremely truthful; he never told a lie or tolerated any untruth, and he was renowned throughout the world for his generosity to all creatures. Although he possessed such qualities, an exalted sage named Viśvāmitra was concerned for his spiritual welfare.

Viśvāmitra thought, “The truth that Hariścandra follows is merely worldly truth, and worldly truth has no real value. Except for devotees of the Lord, no one in this world can speak the actual truth. If I ask him, ‘What is your name?’, he will say, ‘My name is Hariścandra.’ ‘Who are you?’ ‘I am the Emperor.’ ‘Who is he?’ ‘He is my son.’ ‘Who is she?’ ‘She is my wife.’ But in reality there is only one truth: We are not mortal bodies. We are spirit souls, servants of the Supreme Truth., the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Viśvāmitra Muni’s concern grew. He was convinced that King Hariścandra’s happiness and eternal well-being would lie only in a proper spiritual understanding, and he was convinced that his misfortune would lie in his lack of such understanding.

One night, by his mystic power, he appeared to the king – by entering his dream – and he told him, “You are an excellent king. You are very generous, a truthful speaker and you worship God. Because you are so pious I am confident that you will give me whatever I ask you for. I want something from you.”

Hariścandra awoke from his sleep and replied, “Certainly, I will donate anything you ask for.”

Viśvāmitra voiced his request, “I want your entire kingdom.”

Hariścandra replied in his sleep, “Of course, I will give it to you.”

By the next morning, after awakening, he forgot what had happened in his dream.. Later that morning, Viśvāmitra again approached him. He asked, “Do you remember any dream you had last night?” “Yes, I remember.” “You gave me your entire kingdom.” “I may have given it, but it was only in a dream.” “No, it was not just a dream. I actually came to you in your dream last night.”

Aware that by divine power great sages can go practically anywhere and perform wondrous activities that would appear to ordinary people as magic, the king believed his words.

Viśvāmitra continued, “So now, in your fully wakened state, you should say, ‘I vow to give you my kingdom.’”

Hariścandra said, “Yes, I vow that my kingdom is now yours.

According to ancient Indian culture, if someone gives in charity, he gives some a monetary donation (daksina) in addition to his gift. Viśvāmitra therefore asked Hariścandra to give him some additional money. “Without a donation of coins,” Viśvāmitra said, “no vow is complete. Something has to be given – even if it is only one percent of the value of your gift.”

“How many coins would you like, O great sage?” Hariscandra asked. Viśvāmitra replied, “Ten thousand gold coins.” Hariścandra immediately ordered his treasurer, “Give the sage ten thousand gold coins.” Viśvāmitra smiled and said, “Liar, it seems that you are going back on your word. You gave me your entire kingdom. Since your treasury is now also mine, how can you instruct the treasurer to give me gold? You will have to think of another way to give me this donation.”

Hariścandra agreed, and said that he would take a loan from someone in the kingdom. But Viśvāmitra said, “The citizens are also mine. You may not take a loan from any of them.”

The king thought, “All I have left are my wife, my son and myself – everything else is gone.” He told the sage, “I will sell myself, my wife and my son, and then I will pay you.”

Viśvāmitra replied, “You cannot sell yourself within my kingdom. You can do so only outside.”

Since the kingdom of Hariścandra encompassed the entire Earth, he was now quite perplexed as to what to do. Viśvāmitra then said, “Although Kāśī is within my kingdom, it is not considered part of this world. It is the abode of the demigod Lord Śiva. If you go there you will be outside my kingdom. You can go there to sell yourself, but do not forget to pay me.”

Hariścandra, his wife and his son had to go to Kāśī by foot, because his chariots and horses now belonged to Viśvāmitra. After traveling for many days they finally arrived in Kāśī and Hariścandra began calling out to the residents, to see who would purchase him. At that time a low caste sweeper, the owner of a crematorium, told him that he would purchase him if he would perform duties at the cremation grounds. No one else had offered to purchase him, so Hariścandra accepted and was paid five thousand gold coins. To make up the other five thousand gold coins, he sold his wife and child to a very cruel person of the priestly caste (brāhmaṇa) and then he paid Viśvāmitra the promised donation.

When someone sells a cow, he is no longer the owner of that cow. Similarly, Hariścandra was not the king now, nor was he the husband of his wife or the father of his child. However, he still somewhat identified himself as such. He thought, “I was a king. I am the husband of Śaibya and the father of Rohitasva.”

After some time, by the mystic power of Viśvāmitra, a snake bit Hariścandra’s son and killed him. It was late at night during the rainy season and bitter winds now blew along with a heavy downpour of rain. The cruel brahmana owner of Śaibya told her, “Make your own independent arrangements to cremate your child. I have already spent money to purchase you and I will not spend any more coins to cremate your son. Immediately take this dead body away from here.”

So, on that dark night, the weeping Śaibya took her son’s body in her arms and carried him to the cremation grounds on the bank of the Ganges, the same cremation grounds where her husband stood guard. Hariścandra did not recognize her and, although she was poor and destitute, he told her, “You cannot cremate this child without paying the fee.” She had no money with which to pay. All she had in the world was the dead body of her son wrapped in her veil.

Just then a lightening bolt flashed, and Hariścandra saw that it was his own wife standing before him. He never expected to see his son there – dead – nor did he expect to see his wife in her distressed and worn condition. His heart broke and he began to weep, crying out, “Oh God, what has happened?”

Now he was in a dilemma. He wept – but he tried to be true to his new identity as a guard at the cremation grounds. Being very strict in what he considered his sense of duty, he told Śaibya, “Still you should pay me. I am the watchman of this crematorium.”

“I have nothing to give,” she replied, “except half of my veil.”

As Śaibya began to tear that veil, Viśvāmitra, along with Lord Nārāyaṇa (one of the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead), and demigods such as Yamarāja (the lord of death) and Lord Brahmā (the creator of the universe and the head of the demigods) immediately appeared on the scene, calling out, “The examination has ended!”

Viśvāmitra placed his hand on the dead body of the son and said, “Rise quickly, my child!” Within a moment the boy stood up, his eyes gazing toward the sky.

Viśvāmitra told Hariścandra, “I took everything away from you and now I am returning it. The kingdom is again yours. With your new realizations, you are now qualified to leave your worldly responsibilities and enter the forest to meditate on God.

“O king! In this world no one can speak the truth, in the real sense. You are not Hariścandra. This is the name of your physical body. And what is this body made of? It is a combination of blood, flesh, urine and stool. When you think, ‘I am a father, husband, king and so forth,’ how is it the truth? You, the soul within the body, are the eternal servant of God. You are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. You are not of this world. Try to serve God and chant His holy name.”

King Hariścandra had previously believed in some conception of the Supreme and had dutifully worshipped Him, but his heart was not devoted nor was he surrendered to Him. He was devoted to the false truths of this world. Therefore, even in his palace he could never experience any happiness in truth. By the mercy of Viśvāmitra Muni he achieved the full-fledged freedom of his transcendental nature, the freedom for which every living being is anxious. Moreover, an incarnation of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Rāma, later appeared in his dynasty.

When Visvamitra left along with others, King Hariscandra also went to the forest for engagining in devotional service to the Supreme Lord after crowning his son Rohitasva as his successor to the throne.

What would have taken many lives of endeavor to achieve, he achieved in only a few moments by the arrangement of the powerful sage. And, by that same arrangement, others may learn from hearing this history from the Vedas.

We Are Part and Parcel of the Supreme Self

The Vedas instruct us, “Don’t live in darkness; move toward the light.” “Light” refers to knowledge of our true spiritual form, of the Supreme Lord of whom we are minute parts and parcels, and of the eternal relationship of loving service we have with Him. That Supreme Lord is known in the Vedas as Lord Kṛṣṇa, which means the all-attractive reservoir of complete pleasure, knowledge and eternal existence. He has many manifestations and they are all non-different from Him. He is the supreme person we generally call God, Allah or Jehovah. To serve Him in our constitutional or spiritual form is light, and this service brings full and eternal happiness.

“Darkness” refers to the state of spiritual ignorance. To be in darkness or ignorance means to be attached to objects related to this body and to have a sense of possessiveness toward the things of this world. Everyone in this world wants to be completely happy and no one wants to suffer. We can see, however, that despite people’s endeavors to attain happiness since time immemorial, they have not been truly successful. Medicines, trains, airplanes and now computers have been invented with the intention of creating convenience and happiness, and new forms of entertainment have been designed for this purpose. But has all this given anyone lasting inner happiness? It is especially thought that accumulating wealth can buy happiness, but who has ever become permanently happy by becoming wealthy?

There is, however, a transcendental science, a spiritual scientific process that leads one to eternal happiness and puts an end to one’s cycle of birth and death. That science is called bhakti-yoga, or pure devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Performance of bhakti-yoga does not require money, nor does it require us to expend much energy, but by practicing it we attain everlasting happiness. Just over five hundred years ago, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa descended to this world in the form of His own devotee, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and He demonstrated the process of performing pure devotion to God. By that process one realizes his own self as an eternal servant of God, and as His part and parcel. He experiences love and affection for all living beings, knowing they are part and parcel of the same God, and he naturally attains true inner happiness.

In this world it is absurd to think that one can have love and affection for all living entities. If you show affection or get too close to a ferocious tiger it will attack you, and a poisonous snake may bite you. If you really want to love all beings, first love the Supreme Lord. That love will automatically be distributed to all beings and in this way everyone can be happy. This is true love and affection. In that realm of love even tigers and bears can be calmed and quieted. Great sages of the past who resided in dense forests were never attacked by tigers or other wild beasts. If we can attain that love for the Supreme, we can truly love all others.

The Nature of the Supreme Self

[In order to be attracted to love that Supreme Being, we first need to know who He is, what His nature is, and what His attractive qualities are.]

One who can create entire universes cannot be formless or without attributes. He must have all varieties of power and opulence. All the forms we see in this world have come from Him, so how can He Himself be formless? The Bible says that God has created man in His own image, and this is also confirmed in the Vedas.

He is ever-existing, and in the Vedas He is called Brahman (which refers to the impersonal effulgence of His body), Paramātmā (His partial manifestation as the Supersoul in the heart of all beings) and Bhagavān (the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who embodies all opulence, sweetness, and powers). Of these three, only Bhagavān is complete. Brahman and Paramātmā are His partial expansions. Everything is present in Bhagavān.

He is so large that complete universes are contained within Him. Simultaneously, He is so minute that He resides in each and every atom – in every atom of air, in every atom of fire and in every atom of water. He is everywhere and He can hear everything.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one without a second. He is the same God for the Christians, for the Muslims, for the Hindus and for all others. There are not different Gods. He is the same God, the same Allah, the same Christ. Just as there is one sun and one moon for the entire world, there is one God for all people. How can there be more than one God? There is only one God, but He appears differently according to individual vision.

For fifteen days the moon appears to gradually increase in size until it becomes full. Its size then begins to decrease until it becomes a new moon on the last day of the lunar month. In this way it appears that there are fifteen different moons. These “moons” are not different from each other; only their names and appearances differ: full moon, new moon, quarter moon and so on. Similarly, there is only one God, but people have, in ignorance, separated themselves from each other and from Him, due to their different languages and conceptions of Him.

All forms and incarnations of God are His manifestations and are non-different from Him. Some, being more complete, are more powerful; and some are less powerful – just as the full moon is always the same moon, perceived as full, new, quarter, etc. In reality the moon is always full, but we see it to be waxing or waning. In the same way Lord Kṛṣṇa is one without a second, and He has innumerable manifestations who are all non- different from Him. He sometimes manifests in this world personally, and sometimes He sends His associates here to disseminate pure knowledge. In this world all souls are His eternal servants, but we have forgotten Him since the beginning of creation. He sometimes descends, therefore, and performs very sweet and powerful pastimes to attract us and engage us in His service.

No one doubts the existence of the sun, so why should one doubt the existence of the creator of the sun or thousands of suns? That personality can create millions upon millions of worlds in a moment, and He can also destroy them. He comes to this world only to save us from suffering, by establishing a relationship with us and by engaging us in His loving service. There is no other way to become happy in this or any other world. There is only one God, and ignorance of our eternal, individual relationship with Him is the only cause of our unhappiness.

We need not fear serving Him, thinking it to be like serving someone of this world where the master gains and the servant only experiences the trouble of his labour. It is not like that in the realm of spiritual love. One receives great happiness in serving Him, a very relishable love and affection that is even more than one receives by serving one’s wife, husband, children, father and so on. There are oceans of love and affection in Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental realm. Have very firm faith in this. Do not doubt that we are spirit souls, parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that we are His eternal servants.

The Process of Self-Realization

In the previous age of Satya-yuga, the Age of Goodness, mankind lived pious, peaceful and pure lives of thousands of years. At that time, great sages used to see Him by meditating upon Him. In this present age it is not possible to meditate so deeply, because our minds are unsteady. Such meditation can be achieved, however, by chanting His name, and by this process we can realize His mercy and actually see Him. The Vedic literatures recommend that to attain pure love of God in this current age, one chant: “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare. Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.”

In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only process to achieve God-realization and self-realization is to chant the holy names of the Lord, and this is easy to do. These names may be chanted by anyone of any language – whether one is English, Malaysian, Indian, Spanish or Chinese. People of all faiths call out to that one God, who is very beautiful, charming, powerful and merciful. He can come and play with you in any relationship – as a master, friend, son or beloved.

For the chanting of these names to be truly effective, however, they should be chanted according to an authentic process, given by the Supreme Lord Himself. Otherwise, such chanting will not produce the desired result. Knowledge of this transcendental process and its goal has descended through a line of disciplic succession of pure spiritual masters, beginning from the Supreme Lord Himself. Those who have heard directly from Him appear in that succession of perfect masters, and a disciple of such a spiritual master can chant successfully.

The Bona Fide Guide

The bona fide spiritual master, or guru, tells us, “Give me your ears. I do not want all of your senses – only your ears.” Among all the senses, only the ears can hear sound vibration, and thus transcendental words. The guru coming in disciplic succession helps us surrender to God by engaging our function of hearing. Through this vibration of sound, his transcendental words enter the heart of the disciple and reveal Kṛṣṇa, God Himself, who is hidden in everyone’s heart. No sense but the ears can perceive this transcendental sound.

There are two kinds of sound vibration. One is transcendental and is beyond this material world (śabda-brahma). It comes from the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself via the disciplic succession. The other is ordinary material sound vibration, which comes from the vibration of the material tongue. One who has not extensively practiced bhakti-yoga and who is not perfect may give Kṛṣṇa’s holy name and various mantras to others, but the sound vibrations spoken by him will have no spiritual effect. Although such sounds are by nature powerful and transcendental, they must be imbued with realization. Otherwise, they will manifest as worldly, mundane words. If a guru is not sufficiently expert in chanting transcendental sound and has no realization of its nature, that sound vibration will not produce any real fruit in the heart of the person who receives it from him. Only self-realized souls perfectly utter sabda-brahma, or transcendental sound, and one should receive it from them.

The definition of bhakti, pure devotion, is given in the Vedic scriptures as follows: “Pure devotional service is the cultivation of activities that are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Lord Kṛṣṇa, or in other words, the uninterrupted flow of service to Kṛṣṇa, performed through all endeavors of the body, mind and speech, and through the expression of various spiritual sentiments. This pure bhakti is not covered by knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation or by reward-seeking activity, and it is devoid of all desires other than the aspiration to bring happiness to Kṛṣṇa.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11)

The same Vedic scriptures contain many verses that explain the quality of a person who, because of his own pure devotional service, can actually help us. One such verse is as follows: “Any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The symptom of the bona fide guru is that, having left aside all material desires, he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of the Supreme Godhead.. He is renounced from the material world.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.97)

The following history illustrates how the heinous criminal Vālmīki became a great devotee by associating with a self-realized spiritual master who had the above-mentioned qualities. Vālmīki, though born into the priestly (brāhmaṇa) caste, associated with bad men. As a result he became a ferocious dacoit, even murdering many sages. He once approached the exalted sage Nārada Muni to kill him, but as he moved toward him Nārada raised his hand and said, “Stop!” The astonished Vālmīki was forced to freeze his movements and thus a mood of submission to Nārada entered his heart. Nārada then revealed to him the reactions that would come to him as a result of his abominable sins. Vālmīki took shelter of Nārada and inquired from him how to become free from those reactions.

Nārada said, “Sit down here and chant ‘Rāma Rāma Rāma Rāma Rāma.’ (Rāma is the name of one of Kṛṣṇa’s incarnations.) Do this and nothing else.” Vālmīki tried, but the reactions to his sinful activities had fructified to the point that he was unable to chant that divine name of Rāma. Nārada cleverly told him, “If you cannot pronounce Rāma, you can chant māra.”

Marā (which in the Sanskrit language means “die”) has the same syllables as Rāma said backwards. When māra māra is chanted repeatedly, it automatically becomes “Rāma Rāma.” Having given Vālmīki these instructions, Nārada left that place.

Vālmīki was easily able to chant māra māra, and continued chanting for thousands of years while waiting for his guru’s return. During that time he did not eat or even pass stool and urine. Termites ate his flesh, blood and other bodily substances, gradually enclosing him in a valmik, which means ‘termite-hill’ (similar`to an ant hill). In this way, nothing but a skeleton remained of his own body, although it appeared that he had a body and it was covered with earth. In due course of time, Brahmā, the chief demigod and original guru of the disciplic succession of gurus, came to that place. Upon seeing the condition of Vālmīki’s body, Lord Brahmā sprinkled water upon him from his sacred water pot while uttering mantras, and Vālmīki’s body then became that of a beautiful youth. Brahmā told him, “Now you have perfected the chanting of your mantra; you have realized the Supreme Lord.”

[Later on, in the course of his meditation (samadhi), the great sage Vālmīki composed the famous Rāmāyaṇa, the authorized history of Lord Rāma, whose name he was chanting. Written hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Rāmāyaṇa is considered to be one of the main Vedic scriptures as well as one of the first spiritual episc in India. Vālmīki compiled it in the first days of Lord Rāma’s descent to this world. -ed]

In this day and age it is not possible for us to perform such austerity. We find it difficult to refrain from eating, drinking or sleeping for just one day, what to speak of several years, and we cannot be fully absorbed in meditation for twelve hours, six hours or even one hour. But there is a process that we can easily follow, and this process is the essence of all Vedic scriptures. Take the seed of the perfect transcendental name of Kṛṣṇa by accepting initiation from a bona fide guru. Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and you will very easily find happiness.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

About Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

On the sacred and auspicious day of Maunī Amāvasyā, 1921, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja took his divine birth in a devout Vaiṣṇava family in Tivārīpura, in the state of Bihar, India.

In February, 1946, he met his gurudeva, Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and his life of complete and exemplary dedication to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, or the path of kṛṣṇa-bhakti in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, began to manifest.

He accompanied his gurudeva on his extensive preaching tours throughout India, actively assisting him in propagating the teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the eternal benefit of the living entities in this world. This included regularly hosting the thousands of pilgrims attending the yearly circumambulation of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma, the appearance place of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma, the appearance place of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

His gurudeva had instructed him to translate the writings of prominent Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas into Hindi, a task he assiduously assumed throughout his entire life and which resulted in the publication of nearly fifty Hindi sacred texts. Later, most of these invaluable masterpieces were translated into English and other major languages of the world.

For many years, he traveled throughout India to spread the message of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, and it was for this end, also, that in 1996, he journeyed abroad. During the next fourteen years, he circled the globe more than thirty times. Whether he was in India or abroad, his preaching always bore the distinctive characteristic of boldly unmasking any misconception obscuring the specific purposes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s advent, in strict adherence to the desire of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda and in perfect congruence with the conceptions of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s foremost follower. Thus, in present times, in upholding the glorious tenets of the Gauḍīya sampradāya, he performed the function of a true ācārya.

At the age of ninety years, on December 29, 2010, he concluded his pastimes in this world at Cakratīrtha, in Śrī Jagannātha Purī-dhāma. The following day, in Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma, Śrī Gaurasundara’s fully empowered emissary, the very embodiment of His unique compassion, was given samādhi. He will never cease to reside in his divine instructions and in the hearts of those who are devoted to him.

English titles published by
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

Arcana-dīpikā • Beyond Nīrvāṇa • Bhagavad-gītā • Bhajana-rahasya • Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindu-bindu • Bhakti-rasāyana • Bhakti-tattva-viveka • Brahma-saṁhitā • Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta (Vol. 2.1)• Butter Thief • Caitanya Mahāprabhu – The Original Form of Godhead • Camatkāra-candrikā – A Moonbeam of Complete Astonishment • Controlled by Love • Dāmodara-līlā-mādhurī • Dāmodarāṣṭakam • Discerning the True Sentiments of the Soul • Distinctive Contribution of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī • Essence of All Advice • Essence of Bhagavad-gītā • Eternal Function of the Soul • Fearless Prince • Five Essential Essays • Gauḍīya Gītī-Guccha • Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism versus Sahajiyāism • Gaura-vāṇī Pracāriṇe • Gift of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu • Gīta-govinda • Going Beyond Vaikuṇṭha • Gopī-gīta • Guru-devatātmā • Happiness in a Fool’s Paradise • Harināma Mahā-mantra • Harmony • Hidden Path of Devotion • Impressions of Bhakti • Jaiva-dharma • Journey of the Soul • Letters From America • Maharṣi Durvāsā and Śrī Durvāsā-āśrama • Manaḥ-śikṣa • My Śikṣā-guru and Priya-bandhu • Navadvīpa-dhāma Māhātmya • Navadvīpa-dhāma Parikramā • Nectar of Govinda-līlā • Origin of Ratha-yātrā • Our Eternal Nature • Our Gurus: One in Siddhanta, One at Heart • Pinnacle of Devotion • Prabandhāvalī • Prema-sampuṭa • Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā • Rāga-vartma-candrikā • Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvāda • Saṅkalpa-kalpadrumaḥ • Secrets of the Undiscovered Self • Secret Truths of the Bhāgavatam • Shower of Love • Śikṣāṣṭaka • Śiva-tattva • Ślokāmṛtam • Ślokāmṛtam-bindu • Soul of Book Distribution • Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī – His Life and Teachings • Their Lasting Relation • To Be Controlled by Love • True Conception of Guru-tattva • Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi-kiraṇa • Upadeśāmṛta • Utkalikā-vallarī • Vaiṣṇava-siddhānta-mālā • Veṇu-gīta • Śrī Vraja-maṇḍala Parikramā • Walking with a Saint (2007, 2008, 2009) • Way of Love • Rays of the Harmonist (periodical)

Gaudiya Vedanta Publications (GVP)

publishes, preserves and distributes the books of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja. For more information on the contents of these books, please visit:

www.purebhakti.com
for news, updates, and free downloads of books, lectures and bhajanas.

www.purebhakti.tv

to watch and hear classes online, or get links and scheduled updates for live webcasts

www.harikatha.com
to receive, by email, the lectures and videos of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja on his world tours

If you are interested to know more about the books, lectures, audio recordings, videos, teachings, and the international society of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, please contact us at
connectwithussoon@gmail.com

or find a center in your area on
www.purebhakti.com/contact-us

YOUR COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK

We humbly invite our readers to submit any errors they may find in this publication at
www.purebhakti.com/gvp

YOUR SUPPORT

If you would like to support GVP’s publication, preservation and distribution of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s books, you can:

sponsor the endowment fund of a printed book will assure that when a book is first printed, there will always be funding to keep that book in print. For more information, please visit
www.mygvp.com

sponsor books for the GVP Book Distribution Program. This program is a federally approved 501 c3 non-profit religious organization that places Śrīla Gurudeva’s books in stores, libraries, prisons, hospitals, and many other locations. It makes the books available to all people at no cost or low cost. For more information, please visit
www.gvpbookdistribution.com