The Vasudeva Conception - all in all truth (science of devotion)

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

Dear Swami Gaurangapada and assembled devotees,

please accept my simple obiesances.

I wish to share briefly the importance of devotional service in comparison to 'dry' renunciation. Also, the importance of having strong determination to dovetail all of one's activities in the devotional science of service mood. All the senses; seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling...and the mind faculty. Infact, all faculty that has been given us by God's unlimited kindness.

Considering the great gift which awaits all sincere devotees, 'knowledge revealed in the heart due to dictation by the Lord within', opening to us what actual all in all truth is; This human birth and good assocociation is a very rare opportunity, no moment should we wasted in mundane affairs. Instead all good intelligence can be applied in the search for truth, the search for Sri Krsna (son of Vasudeva).

 

om namo bhagavate vasudevaya SB1.1.1

 

namas tasmai bhagavate

vasudevaya vedhase

papur jnanam ayam saumya

yan-mukhamburuhasavam SB2.4.24

 

sa va ayam yat padam atra surayo

jitendriya nirjita-matarisvanah

pasyanti bhakty-utkalitamalatmana

nanv esa sattvam parimastrum arhati SB1.10.23

TRANSLATION

Here is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead whose transcendental form is experienced by the great devotees who are completely cleansed of material consciousness by dint of rigid devotional service and full control of life and the senses. And that is the only way to purify existence.

PURPORT

As it is stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord can be known in His real nature by dint of pure devotional service only. So it is stated here that only the great devotees of the Lord who are able to clear the mind of all material dust by rigid devotional service can experience the Lord as He is. Jitendriya means one who has full control over the senses. The senses are active parts of the body, and their activities cannot be stopped. The artificial means of the yogic processes to make the senses inactive has proved to be abject failure, even in the case of great yogīs like Viśvāmitra Muni. Viśvāmitra Muni controlled the senses by yogic trance, but when he happened to meet Menakā (a heavenly society woman), he became a victim of sex, and the artificial way of controlling the senses failed. But in the case of a pure devotee, the senses are not at all artificially stopped from doing anything, but they are given different good engagements. When the senses are engaged in more attractive activities, there is no chance of their being attracted by any inferior engagements. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the senses can be controlled only by better engagements. Devotional service necessitates purifying the senses or engaging them in the activities of devotional service. Devotional service is not inaction. Anything done in the service of the Lord becomes at once purified of its material nature. The material conception is due to ignorance only. There is nothing beyond Vāsudeva. The Vāsudeva conception gradually develops in the heart of the learned after a prolonged acceleration of the receptive organs. But the process ends in the knowledge of accepting Vāsudeva as all in all. In the case of devotional service, this very same method is accepted from the very beginning, and by the grace of the Lord all factual knowledge becomes revealed in the heart of a devotee due to dictation by the Lord from within. Therefore controlling the senses by devotional service is the only and easiest means.

in service...Nava Gauranga dasa.

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Re: Is japa recommended for Kaliyug ?

This translation of the Vayu Purana verses does not seem to be fully correct. The recommended primary path in Satya Yuga as confirmed in the other Puranas is "meditation"...dhyayate vishnum...which means thinking about the Lord's form in our heart which may or may not be accompanied by Mantra Japa. Lord Krishna confirms in the Gita which He spoke in the Dvapara Yuga that of all sacrifices I am the sacrifice of Mantra Japa so Japa cannot only be for Satya Yuga. When it is stated in the above quote from the Vayu Purana that chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord is the Yuga Dharma of Kali Yuga, it means chanting both in the form of Japa and Sankirtana. In Satya Yuga people performed meditation on the form of the Lord as primary process which may be accompanied by Japa of the Mantras beginning from om, klim etc. But in Kali Yuga, the recommended process of Japa is of the Namatmaka Mantras (Universal Mantras of the Holy Names of the Lord) like Nityaananda, Gauraanga, and, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare..Hare Raama Hare Raama Raama Raama Hare Hare. So the Meditation of Satya Yuga may sometimes also be called Japa because it may sometimes be accompanied by silent mental chanting of the om, klim Mantras etc. but it is different from the Japa (Namatmaka) chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord in Kali Yuga. I hope this helps. Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shri Guru Parampara!

Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.

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Is japa recommended for Kaliyug ?

Following is from Vayu Purana

“‘In Satya-yuga I am pleased by japa (meditation), in Treta-yuga by performance of sacrifices and fruitive activities, in Dvapara-yuga by My Deity worship, and in Kali-yuga I am pleased solely by the chanting of My holy names.’      

The demigod Brahma said: ‘O ocean of mercy, please describe to us the nature of this process of loud chanting of Your holy names. How should it be performed so that Your Lordship will be most pleased?’

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: ‘O Brahma, please listen very carefully and I will describe to you the most exalted process of sankirtana, which is the essence of all the essential things.

“‘Sankirtana is the sweet singing of My holy names with great devotion and attachment, in various musical notes, melodies & modes, accompanied by  the music of mridangas, karatalas, and other musical instruments.

Dear Swamiji, here it has been stated that japa is recommended only for Satayug. It says that in Kaliyug we should sing the names of God in in various musical notes, melodies & modes, accompanied by  the music of mridangas, karatalas, and other musical instruments.However I am only doing japa (which is actually recommended for Satayug) and not doing any singing with musical instruments then I am going on the right path ?

Sincerely,
Mihir.

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Re: Chanting more than one mantra on our beads...

One does not have to wait for Diksha or Initiation to begin chanting the Holy Names. The Holy Names deliver anyone and everyone anywhere and everywhere irrespective of any qualifications or disqualifications. Naama Guru Ashraya and Diksha connects us to our Acharyas and Parampara through our Guru and speedens up the process to attain Prema via Naama Bhajana. Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita states:

diksa-purascarya-vidhi apeksa na kare
jihva-sparse a-candala sabare uddhare

"Chanting does not wait (expect) for Diksha (Initiation) or purificatory rites and delivers a person who simply starts vibrating the holy name with one's lips even if that person belongs to the lowest class [chandala] of mankind."

Of course in the above verse, only deliverance is mentioned and not the attainment of prema or pure love. So chanting without Diksha will take us upto deliverance and chanting under the shelter of a Naama Tattva Paraayana Guru with Diksha or Shiksha Ashraya will quickly take us to the attainment of Prema. I hope this makes it more clearer. Nice question Thomas. Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!

Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.

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Re: Chanting more than one mantra on our beads...

Dear Swami Gaurangapada,

Thank you for your kind answer, but what if the seeker isn't yet initiated or taking direction from any guru?  Should he bother to chant, or is such chanting a useless endeavor?

Hare Krishna,

Thomas (aka: neodasa)

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