Shastra Quiz 28

Śrī Jīva Goswami glosses yadṛchhayā as:

kenāpi parama-svatantra-bhagavad-bhakta-saṅga-tat-kṛpā-jāta-maṅgalodayena

– by the auspicious fortune born of the grace issuing from the association of a devotee of Bhagavān, who is supremely independent (parama-svatantra) [in the matter of bestowing such grace]

By yadṛchhayā one gets sādhu-saṅga that instills śraddhā in bhakti. This faith then inspires the person for further sādhu-saṅga which results in bhajana-kriya etc.

Learn more: On Vaishnava Culture and Customs

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī explains that surrender can be undertaken in two ways. The first occurs when a person who has tried everything else but failed to solve the problems of material life finally surrenders to Bhagavān. An example of this type of surrender is Gajendra (lit., “chief of the elephants”), whose leg was caught by a crocodile. First he tried to release himself by his own power. Then he appealed to his family members for help, but still he was unsuccessful. Finally, he gave up and just surrendered to Bhagavān.

This story also hints at the plight of the conditioned beings. The word gaja, which means “an elephant,” is derived from the root gaj, meaning “to be intoxicated.” On this basis, a conditioned human being is also a gaja, because he is intoxicated by ignorance and caught in the clutches of māyā. He struggles to release himself in order to feel free. But whatever efforts he makes in this regard serve only to implicate him still further. Friends and relatives, whom he approaches for help, cannot deliver him, because they themselves are bound. Thus, the struggle continues until, like Gajendra, one takes shelter of Bhagavān, the Master of māyā.

The second type of surrender comes about when someone who had previously surrendered to some other cause or person out of ignorance later realizes his mistake and surrenders to Bhagavān. An example of this is seen in the brāhmaṇas of Mathurā, who were first surrendered to varṇāśrama-dharma but later surrendered to Kṛṣṇa.

Learn more: Surrender.

One must be free from Nama-aparadha to get the blessings of the Name. One of the aparadhas is guroravajna – disrespect to guru. Now, to do that, one must have a guru. Otherwise, the term aparadha makes no sense. This is the implied meaning of the aparadha (vyanjana vritti).

The other aparadha is sruti-sastra-nindanam – criticizing sruti and scriptures based on sruti. Not following the scripture knowingly is as good as criticizing it. The very sastra which gives so many details and glorification of the Name also instructs about the need to take a guru. Accepting one part and rejecting the other is called ardha-kukkuti-nyaya –– the half-hen principle, i.e., that I accept what is convenient and leave what is troublesome. This does not work.

Moreover, there are descriptive and injunctive statements. They must be distinguished. All the glorificatory statements are descriptive, but diksha is an injunction. It cannot be avoided. All this is explained in the booklet Nama Tattva.

Learn more: Necessity of Diksha and Chanting

Although the Name is all-powerful, it does not reveal its power to a person who is not free of offense, niraparādha. There are ten major offenses against the Name and one of them is śruti-śāstra-nindanam – criticizing śruti and smṛti. Criticizing is not just a verbal thing. It also includes not respecting what is stated in them. Accepting a guru is one of the important instruction of the śastra. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmi lists accepting guru as the primary step on the path of sādhanā bhakti which leads to prema. So if one chants the Name without accepting a guru avoiding offenses then the Name will guide such a person to a guru. This is the verdict of Śri Viśvanatha Cakravartī Ṭhākura in his commentary on the story of Ajāmila in Śrīmad-Bhāgavata.

Learn more: No Bhakti Without Surrender.

In Anuccheda 9 of Tattva Sandarbha, with the phrase tad-bhajana-lakṣaṇa-vidheya, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states that the devotional turning of all faculties to Śrī Kṛṣṇa (bhajana), as explained in the Vedic scriptures, is the means for actualizing the final goal, prema-bhakti.

Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī cites verse SB 11.3.21 in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu to describe both the guru and the disciple. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī also cites this same verse in his book Hari Bhakti Vilāsa in a similar context, and Sanātana Gosvāmī elaborates on it further in his commentary.

The verse is as follows –

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

Therefore, one desirous of knowing the ultimate welfare should resort to a teacher who is well versed in scripture, has realized the absolute reality, and thus is fully peaceful.

The qualifications of the teacher then are as follows. He/she is

• śābde niṣṇātaṁ – expert in the knowledge of sastra.
  The word niṣṇātaṁ means that a person is drenched in knowledge, like one is drenched when taking a shower.
• pare niṣṇātaṁ – has realization of it.
  The guru is also drenched (niṣṇātaṁ) in experience of parabrahman, and not only knowledge.
• Practices it in his/her own life.

To recognize a genuine teacher is not easy. The śābde niṣṇātaṁ part may be easier to determine. One can inquire about

1. Whether the guru spent a significant amount of time with their guru (several years). This is recommended by Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī in the Hari Bhakti Vilāsa (pp. 32 onwards).
2. Whether the guru took systematic training in the different darśanas.
3. Whether the guru is well-versed in Sanskrit, the language of the scriptures.

These are some basic standards that should be met. Of course, it is not possible to discern the pare niṣṇātaṁ part for any disciple.

In Śrīmad Bhagavata Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa mentions only two types of dīkṣā, namely Vedic and Pāñcarātrikī

vaidikī tāntrikī dikṣā madīya-vrata-dhāraṇam (SB 11.11.37).

Learn more: Guru-tattva: Different Kinds of Dīkṣā

The word svarūpa is copiously used throughout the Sandarbhas. None of the usages refer to the existence of an original form for the jīva. In many places, Śrī Jīva uses the word to convey ‘inherent’ nature, specifically to refute the claim of the Advaitavādis that Bhagavān’s qualities such as His śaktis are not inherent in Him, but superimposed (āropita) by the agency of māyā on Brahman. Likewise, Śrī Jīva uses the word svarūpataḥ to convey the meaning that the jīva is inherently distinct from Bhagavan (jīvasya svarūpata eva parameśvarād vailakṣaṇyam, Tattva-sandarbha Anuccheda 32 ).

The jīva has a form in Goloka Vṛndāvana, but only in the sense that it identifies with that form; the form remains external to it. This is similar to the jīva’s situation in the material body. But the form in Goloka is eternal and not material. As such, it can well be considered to have become ‘inherent’ to the jīva in the sense that it is permanent. But the jīva’s form is made of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s svarūpa-śakti. This fundamental fact does not change.

The jīva’s bhāva or loving mood for Śrī Kṛṣṇa decides the form to be attained in Goloka. This bhāva is received through the agency of the guru. That is, disciples get the bhāva that their gurus have, who received it in turn from their gurus. As such, there is no choice in the matter.

Learn more: Relation between Jiva and Siddha Deha