Question: You mentioned in one of your articles that when one commits an offense he/she may lose śraddhā. In Nāmarasa’s podcast you also mentioned that once we have real faith we cannot lose it. I believe by real faith you mean śāstrīya–śraddhā, not laukikī. I assume this because if one has śāstrīya–śraddhā one will avoid offenses very carefully as you mentioned in a previous article about symptoms of śraddhā described by Jīva Goswāmī. So, does it mean that by committing a serious offense one may only lose his/her laukikī–śraddhā, right?
Answer: Yes, by real śraddhā I mean śāstrīya–śraddhā. By committing offense one can lose laukikī- as well as śāstrīya–śraddhā.
Question: Can we say that laukikī–śraddhā comes from bahirangā-śakti and śāstrīya–śraddhā comes from antarangā–śakti?
Answer: Yes, laukikī–śraddhā is from the guṇas of prakṛti and śāstrīya–śraddhā is antarangā–śakti.
Now you may question how can offenses, which are obviously material, make one lose one’s śāstrīya–śraddhā. Antarangā–śakti is not inert but conscious. Therefore, it comes by the grace of a devotee, and it can leave if one acts against a devotee or Bhāgavan.
Question: I am wondering how a devotee with śāstrīya–śraddhā would act against śāstra? If one is clear about what is pleasing to Bhāgavan and devotees why would he/she commit an offense?
Answer: I did not say that he would do it. But if he does, then the effect will be there. The possibility is there. Śrī Rupa Gosvāmī writes that one can even lose bhāva by committing offence to a devotee who is dear to Kṛṣṇa – bhāvo’pyabhāvam āyāti kṛṣṇapreṣṭhāparādhatah.
Question: You also mentioned that bhakti, antarangā–śakti, or Bhakti Devī is not just energy but a person. It means she can decide to enter or go away from our hearts according to her will. When we speak about Bhakti Devī, yogamāyā, or daivi-prakṛti do we mean Śrī Rādhā?
Answer: No. They are different personalities, but Śrī Rādhā is the sum total of all energies.
Question: When we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa what should the meaning of Hare Kṛṣṇa be? Should we pray, O antarangā–śakti, please enter my heart, please engage me in the Lord’s service.
Answer: It’s your choice what you pray for.
Question: Is śraddhā also a person? If so, who is it?
Answer: Śraddhā Devī.
Question: What is the real identity of Śraddhā Devī? Is she one of the gopīs or another associate of the Lord?
Answer: She is an associate of the Lord.
Question: Can Śraddhā Devī manifest in the heart of the devotee who studies śāstra (Gītā, Bhāgavatam) without associating and learning personally from a guru? Such as in case when a guru is not available and only the books of gurus and ācāryas are available.
Answer: No.
Question: Can niṣṭhā, ruci, or āsakti develop in a devotee who does not study śāstra much or at all? Say the person only chants and offers other services, for example, book distribution or Deity worship.
Answer: Theoretically yes, but practically no. It is not possible to get out of māyā without knowing what is māyā. We can live in some utopian world, but bhakti is not that easily available. This is the harsh, unpalatable truth that devotees who do not want to study śāstra dislike hearing. They argue against śāstra study and give examples how somebody was a pure devotee but did not study any śāstra. Even if there are some cases, that does not obviate the need to study śāstra. First of all, it may not be true that such devotees did not study śāstra. Hagiography is not always true. The person who writes such biographies may be writing things that he has heard but never verified. Such stories may be good inspiration for us but they can also mislead us.
Secondly, such devotees may have studied in their past life but did not attain perfection in that life. They took up the process by the practice of their past life, as described in Gītā (6.44), like Jaḍa Bharata. Therefore, our pramāṇa is śāstra, and not just some hagiographic stories. Stories are acceptable if they do not contradict śāstra. The fact is that the words such as niṣṭhā, ruci, or āsakti, that you have used, are coming from śāstra. That means you want the result described in the śāstra without following it. Will it not amount to an offense to śāstra – śruti-śāstra-nindanam? You may argue that you are not doing śāstra-nindā. I think not following śāstra, and to believe that you can get the result described in śāstra without following śāstra amounts to śāstra-nindā. Kṛśṇa says very clearly that if one acts without following the śāstra-vidhi, one will not attain perfection. (Gītā 16,23) What can be a more clear statement than this?
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