Shastra Quiz 41

People in the lower guṇas have a natural affinity for, or faith in, the worship of lesser deities. This is called svabhāvajā śraddhā, or faith born of nature. In the seventh chapter of Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that He strengthens the faith of such people. Why?

Because He does not oppose the will of the living being. To deny their will would mean they would be deprived of the possibility of loving and serving Him voluntarily, and it is only freely-given love that pleases Him. So, as Paramātmā, He guides them internally, while externally offering them scriptural support, and thus they develop firm faith in the deity of their choice.

Ultimately, such persons are never satisfied, because the devas do not have the power to liberate them from the entanglement of karmic reactions, good or bad, or from material desires. Only Mukunda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) can free living beings from the bondage of karma. Sooner or later they will realize this fact and take to devotion of Viṣṇu

Although there is no absolute difference among the three aspects of the One Absolute Reality, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī’s evaluation is that Bhagavān is the most complete manifestation (pūrṇa-āvirbhāva), replete with unparalleled variegated potencies.

In comparison to Bhagavān, Brahman and Paramātmā are incomplete manifestations (asamyagāvirbhāva) of the One Absolute Reality. The realization of Bhagavān naturally includes that of Brahman, but not vice versa.

Vidhūta-bheda-moha (free from the delusion of duality) means to be free from the mistaken idea that Bhagavān’s forms are many in number, in other words, to awaken to the vision of unity within all of Bhagavān’s forms.

This does not mean, however, that one perceives absolute nondifference between Bhagavān and the living beings.

The general principle is nādevo devam arcayet —“One who is not of the Divine should not worship the Divine,” and, devaṁ bhūtvā yajeta devam —“Worship the Divine after becoming divine.”

Since all living beings in the material world have material bodies, it is necessary to first acquire divine qualities before performing deity service.

“Become divine in order to worship the Divine,” does not mean that one should meditate upon oneself as the Deity. Such meditation is called ahaṅgrahopāsanā and should be shunned by those who aspire to walk the path of devotion.

Nor should one meditate upon oneself directly as being one of the eternal associates of the Lord, such as Nanda Mahārāja or Yaśodā Rāṇī. This is also considered ahaṅgrahopāsanā. In his commentary on BRS 1.2.306, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has forbidden such meditation.

The purport is that to serve the Lord one has to see beyond all ephemeral designations related to the material body, made of the pañca-bhūtas,and situate oneself in one’s eternal constitutional relation with the Lord. This is called bhūta-śuddhi, or becoming free from bodily designations. This is the true meaning of “becoming divine.”

Thinking oneself as a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī is material because these are material designations.

When Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on the phrase projjhita-kaitava (SB 1.1.2), he says that the prefix pra implies that the mere desire for liberation is also an example of a cheating mentality (kaitava).

The heart of such a yogī is not completely pure. A pure-hearted person never abandons the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa under any circumstances, certainly not due to a preference for His Brahman aspect:

dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati
mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā

"The person whose heart has been washed clean never abandons Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Like a traveler who has returned home, he is free from all distress." (SB 2.8.6)

oṅkāraś cātha śabdaś ca dvāv etau brahmaṇaḥ purā
kāṇṭhaṁ bhittvā vīniryātau tena māṅgalikāv ubhau

The word oṁ and the word atha emanated from the throat of Śrī Brahmā at the beginning of creation, and therefore, both are considered auspicious.

In Bhagavad Gītā Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, “I reveal Myself to all who surrender unto Me, exactly in accordance with the essential nature of their surrender.” Yathā, or “in accordance with the essential nature,” in this statement signifies the inner disposition of the devotee, the mode of worship, the devotee’s conceptual outlook in regard to Bhagavān’s form, and similar factors that contribute to and define the nature of the surrender undertaken.

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In Anuccheda 84 of Śrī Bhagavat Sandarbha, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī refers to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s teachings to Uddhava, wherein He implies that devotional service is the subsequent and more comprehensive praxis, subsuming brahma-jñāna within its fold.

The Lord explains that jñānīs should leave aside their jñāna-sādhana, using it as a springboard, rather, into the total feeling and awareness of devotion. He says that jñāna is not the final destination, but only a means to become free from material attachment:

yo vidyā-śruta-sampanna ātma-vān nānumānikaḥ
māyā-mātram idaṁ jñātvā jñānaṁ ca mayi sannyaset

"A person who has imbibed the truth of scripture, who has realized the self, and whose wisdom is not based merely upon inference, should offer that wisdom (jñāna) to Me, knowing well that this world is a manifestation of māyā." (SB 11.19.1)

Śrīdhara Svāmī comments that such relinquishment of jñāna is called vidvat-sannyāsa. The best examples of vidvat-sannyāsa are the Kumāra brothers and Śukadeva Gosvāmī. They set aside jñāna and took to devotion, being captivated by the Lord’s qualities.

Giving up jñāna means shifting the context of awareness from indeterminate Brahman to the distinct transconventional Entity, Bhagavān, equipped with infinite potency. The recommendation in this verse is specifically for those who follow the path of jñāna. As far as devotees are concerned, they take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa from the very beginning.