Envy (transcendant and shadow)

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

Dear Swami Gaurangapada and assembled devotees, please accept my dandavat pranams!

Here is an article I wrote for your pleasure:

Envy (transcendent and shadow)

Here is some collection of verses about envy. We can see that envy prevalent in this material world, and such is never found in the Spiritual Dimension. ‘All things’ in this shadowy material world are perverted reflection of spiritual realities and qualities. The distortion in this material world is due to a false lording mentality. That perverted lording mentality is not present in the Spiritual World. In the Spiritual World all pastimes are to enhance the Divine Couple – the pastimes of pure love.

We can also see when the Lord (Sri Krsna) comes to this world he enjoys sports. So various devotees come in the guise of demons to enhance the Lord’s great sporting ability. In this connection there is interesting commentary by Srila Prabhupada Nectar of Devotion:

“…there is a statement by Narada Muni to Yudhistira in the Srimad Bhagavatam 7.1.30. There Narada says, ‘My dear King, there are many devotees who first become attracted to the Personality of Godhead for purpose of sense-gratification, from being envious of Him, out of fear of Him, or from desiring to associate affectionately with Him. Ultimately these attractions become freed from all material contamination, and gradually the worshiper develops spiritual love and achieves that ultimate goal of life desired by the pure devotee.”

Srila Prabhupada goes on to say later in this section of the NOD…”The attraction of Kamsa to Krsna in fear and the attraction of Sisupala in envy are not accepted as devotional service, however, because their attitudes are not favourable.”

The demons actually attain impersonal liberation, as such a mood cannot enter into the pure service land of Goloka Vrindavan.

Interestingly in Gaudiya Sastra (transcendental literature) elaborating on the science of love of God, there is mention of envy. In Chapter 31 of Nectar of Devotion (commentary of Sri Bhakti-rasamrta sindhu by Srila Rupa Goswami) when find the following statement:

“All the previously mentioned thirty three symptoms of ecstatic love are called vyabichari, or disturbing. All these symptoms refer to apparantely disturbed conditions, but even in such disturbed conditions there is acute ecstatic love for Krsna….There are many disturbing symptoms in ecstatic love, such as envy, anxiety, pride, jealousy etc…”

We also find in very elevated scripture (that can only be tasted by the pure-rasika devotees) the following evidence of such things as transcendental envy:

From Ujjvala Nilamani:

“Jatila: My dear daughter Padma, from where have you come? Padma: Mother Jatila, I have come from Govardhana Hill. Jatila: Where are the gopis? Have you seen them? Padma: They are in front of the sun-god's temple. Jatila: Such a long time has passed. why has Radharani not come here yet? Padma: Krishna stopped Her as She was coming here. Please go now, find Her, and angrily attack Her.

The pratipaksa (enemy) sakhis manifest the following qualities in their words and actions: 1. cadma (trickery); 2. irsya (jealousy); 3. capala (fickleness); 4. asuya (envy); 5. matsara (hostility); 6. amarsa (anger); and 7. garvita (pride).”

So it must be noted here that such high transcendental emotions have nothing to do with the perverted qualities we have developed through the ignorance of sense gratification. But it may also be said that the Divine Literatures have been revealed for the purification and upliftment of all souls caught in illusion.

So, beginning a life of regulation under the guidance of a realized spiritual master, we can begin the gradual and progressive walk back to Godhead. By simple regulated practice such as hearing and chanting etc.

Beginning with hearing preliminary instruction, for example we are not this body, and the fact that sense gratification is the cause of bondage…combined with hearing the glorious pastimes of the Lord from sacred scripture, we can gradually be purified.

By all humility in following regulation, in due course as our hearts become further purified…one day we may be able to hear the spotless pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. But saying that, if we rush ahead into the rasika literature we will not understand its purport. Instead we will  the mistake comparing the all-pure with mundane affairs. Commiting the grossest of offences – trampling the delicate.

The vedic literature(s) is so great, that the texts have been written to elevate all classes of men. Similarly as divine love is ever-new, the rasika literature invokes service mood, to the Divine Couple, in the hearts of the spotless and pure.

So we can see that vedic literature, from the basic instructions on moral life, to the most elevated science of divine love, has been manifested by the Lord’s mercy, for all souls at various levels of spiritual development. Infact it is a great misjudgement to say that a  soul is not in service, even the atheist serves the Lord, who comes as cruel death.

So let us dive deeply into hearing, the heroic, the loving, the gentle, and adventurous (etc) pastimes of our beloved Lord Sri Krsna. Never running ahead of ourselves with false pride, but instead attuning our spiritual ear, to the gentle promptings of both internal and external Guru. For they will direct our life to its fullest potential.

Jaya Gurudeva!

Yous servant….Nava.

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