Jaiva-dharma (The Universal Religion)

Chapter One

Jiver Nitya O Naimittik Dharma

The Soul's Eternal and Temporary Natures

Of all earthly realms, Jambudvipa is the best. Of all places in Jambudvipa, Bharata-varsa is the best. Of all places in Bharata-varsa, Gauda-desa is the best. Of all places in Gauda-desa, Sri Nabadwip-mandala is the best. In one part of Sri Nabadwip-mandala, on the Ganga shore, the beautiful village of Sri Godruma is splendidly manifested eternally. In ancient times many bhajananandi devotees made their homes in the gardens of Sri Godruma.

In that place, in a cottage of vines, a surabhi cow once worshipped Lord Gaurasundara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not far from that place was a bhajana-kutira named Pradyumna-kunja. In that bhajana-kutira thick with vines, a paramahamsa babaji, who was an initiated disciple of the Supreme Lord's personal associate Pradyumna Brahmacari, always stayed, rapt in the bliss of worshipping the Lord (bhajanananda).

Aware that Sri Godruma is not different from Sri Nanda-grama in Vrindavan, Sri Prema-dasa Babaji, who was learned in all the scriptures, also took shelter in that holy place. Every day he chanted Lord Hari's holy names two hundred thousand times. Every day he offered hundreds and hundreds of dandavat obeisances to all the Vaishnavas. He maintained his life by madhukari begging at the homes of the cowherd people there. He strictly followed the rules of a saintly life.

When he had finished all his spiritual duties, he would not waste his time with gossip. Rather, he would read, with tears in his eyes, the Prema-vaivarta of Lord Gaurasundara's dear associate Jagadananda Pandita. At those times the devotees in that forest grove would listen with love and devotion. And why not? The book Prema-vaivarta is full of the sweet mellows (rasas) of devotional service. Also, this babaji read it so sweetly that hearing its words at once extinguished whatever remained of the poison fire of material desires in the hearts of the devotees.

One afternoon, when he had finished the chanting of all his rounds, the paramahamsa babaji sat down in his madhavi-vine covered cottage and read from "Prema-vaivarta" and as he read he became plunged in the ocean of devotional love. At that moment an austere sannyasi approached him and again and again offered dandavat obeisances at his feet.

Plunged in devotional bliss, the babaji was for a moment unaware of external events. Finally seeing the sannyasi prostrate before him, the babaji who was more humble than a blade of grass, at once bowed down to greet him. Saying, "O Lord Chaitanya, O Lord Nityananda, please be merciful upon me, a fallen soul," the babaji began to weep.

Then the sannyasi said to the saintly babaji, "O master, I am very lowly and fallen. Why, imitating my actions, do you mock me in this way?" Then, taking the dust of the babaji's feet, the sannyasi sat down before him.

Giving the sannyasi a tree bark sitting place, and then sitting beside him, the babaji, his words choked with spiritual love said, "O master, I am a fallen soul. How may I serve you?"

Setting down his kamandalu, the regal sannyasi respectfully folded his hands and said, "O master, I am very unfortunate. I studied the sankhya, patanjala, nyaya, vaisesika, purva-mimamsa, and uttara-mimamsa philosophies. I studied the Vedanta, Upanisads, and many other scriptures also. I travelled on pilgrimage to Varanasi and many other holy places. I spent much time debating with others the meaning of the scriptures.

"It is twelve years now since I accepted a sannyasi danda from Srila Saccidananda Sarasvatipada. After I accepted the danda I spent my time always travelling to all the holy places. Wherever I went in Bharata-varsa I always associated with the sannyasi followers of Sankaracarya. Passing through the stages of kuticaka, bahudaka and hamsa, after a few days I attained the stage of paramahamsa. Then I stayed always at Varanasi.

"Observing a vow of silence, I took shelter of the sayings 'aham brahmasi' (I am Brahman), 'prajnanam brahma' (Brahman is consciousness), and 'tat tvam asi' (You are that), which Sankara declares are the maha-vakyas (most important statements of the scriptures).

"Then one day a saintly Vaishnava singing songs about Lord Hari's pastimes came before me. Opening my eyes wide, I gazed at him. He was bathed by the tears flowing from his eyes, and the hairs of his body stood erect in ecstasy. In a choked voice he chanted "Sri Krishna Chaitanya! Prabhu Nityananda!' Again and again he danced with faltering steps. Sometimes he fell to the ground.

"As I gazed at him and heard his song, my heart became filled with love, a love I have no power to describe. Even though I became filled with love, I followed the rules of paramahamsa life and I did not speak a word to him.

"I am pathetic, my rules of paramahamsa life are pathetic, and my so-called good fortune is also pathetic. Why did I not speak to him?

"Since that day my heart has been irresistibly drawn to the feet of Sri Chaitanya. I became very agitated. I spent many days searching for that Vaishnava, but I did not see him anywhere.

"When I saw that Vaishnava and heard the holy names from his mouth I became filled with a pure and sacred bliss. Before that time I did not know that such a bliss existed anywhere. I did not think it was possible for a human being to experience such bliss.

"After some days of thinking I decided that it would be best for me to take shelter of the feet of a Vaishnava. Then I left Varanasi and went to Sridham Vrindavan.

"There I saw many Vaishnavas. Every one of them was calling out the names, 'O Sri Rupa! O Sri Sanatana! O Sri Jiva Gosvami!' and lamenting. They were all meditating on Sri Sri Radha-Krishna's pastimes and in voices choked with love, calling out the name of Nabadwip.

"From that moment I have yearned to see Nabadwip. After a long journey from Sri Vraja-dham, I arrived in Mayapura a few days ago.

"In Mayapura town I heard of your glories, so now I have come to take shelter of your feet. Please be merciful to me, accept me as your servant, and give my story an ending that is good."

Weeping again and again, and humbly placing a blade of grass between his teeth, the saintly paramahamsa said, "O saintly sannyasi, I am very unfortunate. I fill my belly, I sleep, I speak useless gossip. In this way I have wasted my life.

"Now I pass my days in the place where Sri Krishna Chaitanya enjoyed His pastimes. Still, I have no power to taste what is true love for Lord Krishna.

"You are fortunate. Gazing at a Vaishnava, for a moment, you tasted that love. You have received the mercy of Lord Krishna Chaitanya. If, when you taste pure spiritual love, you once remember this fallen person, my life will be a great success."

Speaking again and again in this way, the saintly babaji tightly embraced the saintly sannyasi and bathed him with the tears flowing from his eyes. Touched by a Vaishnava, the saintly sannyasi felt an emotion he had never known before. He danced and wept. As he danced, he sang this verse:

Glory to Sri Krishna Chaitanya! Glory to Lord Nityananda! Glory to my spiritual master, Sri Prema-dasa! Glory to the bliss of devotional service!

After a long time of chanting and dancing the two of them talked about many things. Saintly Prema-dasa Babaji humbly said, "O great soul, please stay in this Pradyumna-kunja for some days and purify me."

The saintly sannyasi replied, "I place my body in the service of your feet. What to speak of a few days, I will serve you to the end of my life. That is my wish."

The saintly sannyasi was learned in all the scriptures. He knew well the spiritual benefit to be attained by staying in the spiritual master's home and studying under his guidance. Therefore he very happily stayed for some says in that forest grove.

After some days the paramahamsa babaji said, "O great soul, Sri Pradyumna Brahmacari Thakura kindly keeps me at his feet. Today he is rapt in the worship of Lord Nrsimha in the village of Deva-palli in the outskirts of Nabadwip-mandala. When we have finished our madhukari begging for alms, let us go and see him.

Crossing the Alakananda River, the two of them came to Deva-palli at two in the afternoon. Then, crossing the Suryatila River, they saw the Supreme Lord's personal associate Sri Pradyumna Brahmacari in the temple of Lord Nrsimha.

From a distance the paramahamsa babaji offered dandavat obeisances to his spiritual master. Melting with love for the Lord's devotees, the saintly brahmacari at once left the temple, with both hands lifted up the paramahamsa babaji, affectionately embraced him, and inquired about his welfare.

After a long talk about spiritual matters, the paramahamsa babaji introduced the saintly sannyasi. The saintly brahmacari respectfully said, "You have attained a proper spiritual master. You should learn Prema-vaivarta from Prema-dasa. It is said (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, Madhya 8.128):

"Whether one is a brahmana, sannyasi or sudra, regardless of what he is, he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Krishna."*

Then the saintly sannyasi humbly offered dandavat obeisances to his parama-guru (the spiritual master of his spiritual master) and said, "O master, You are a personal associate of Lord Chaitanya. Your glance of mercy can purify hundreds of arrogant sannyasis like myself. Please be merciful to me."

The saintly sannyasi was not experienced in the relationships among devotees. Still, he could see the relationship of the guru and parama-guru, and he did act in the way a sincere disciple should to his spiritual master. Then, after seeing the sandhya-arati, the two of them returned to Sri Godruma.

After some days had passed in this way, the saintly sannyasi desired to learn the spiritual truth from the paramahamsa babaji. Except for his garments, the sannyasi had become like the Vaishnavas. Controlling his mind and senses, and filled with a host of virtues, he had full faith in the spiritual path. In addition to that, he was very humble and he now had faith in the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Lord.

One morning, at sunrise, the paramahamsa babaji sat in his cottage of madhavi vines and chanted his rounds on tulasi beads. As he remembered the Lord's pastimes of leaving Vrindavan, tears flowed again and again from his eyes. Now aware of his original spiritual form and forgetful of his external material body, he became engaged in a service appropriate for that time of morning. Approaching, the saintly sannyasi could see that the babaji was plunged in an ecstatic trance.

Staring at the sannyasi, the paramahamsa babaji said, "O gopi friend, please silence that monkey, so he will not break the happy sleeping of our Radha-Govinda. If They waken, then our friend Lalita will be unhappy and she will rebuke me. Look! Ananga-manjari is signalling that it be done. You are Ramana-manjari. This is the service given to you. Please be careful and attentive."

Speaking again and again in this way, the paramahamsa babaji finally became unconscious. Now understanding his identity in the spiritual world, the saintly sannyasi became engaged in those services.

Then the sun rose and the beauty of dawn became manifest. The birds sang. Gentle breezes blew. The morning sunlight made the cottage of madhavi vines very beautiful, beautiful beyond description.

The paramahamsa babaji was sitting on a seat made from banana bark. Gradually he regained external consciousness. Then he continued to chant the holy names. At that time the saintly sannyasi offered dandavat obeisances to the feet of the babaji, humbly sat down beside him, and said, "O master, this lowly person has a question. Please answer his question and make his burning life cool and happy again. Please sprinkle the nectar of Vraja on his heart, a heart burned by the fire of impersonalism."

The babaji replied, "You are qualified to hear answers. Please ask your question, and I will reply as I am able."

The sannyasi said, "O master, for many days I have heard about religion. I have asked many people about the truth of religion. Sad to say, their answers were not in harmony with each other. Therefore I ask: What is the true duty of the individual soul? Why do different teachers give different explanations of the truth of religion? If there is only one truth, why do the philosophers not agree in their opinions?"

Meditating on the feet of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu, the saintly babaji replied, "O fortunate one, as far as my understanding allows, I will tell you the truth of religion. Please listen.

"The eternal nature of a thing is its eternal religion. The religion of something comes from its original identity. When Lord Krishna desires to create something, He creates its original nature. That original nature is its eternal religion. However when a thing comes into contact with other things, its nature may become changed. After some days that changed state becomes firmly established and it seems to be the eternal nature of the thing. However this changed nature is not in truth the real nature of the thing. These changed natures are called nisarga. I will give you an example of such a changed nature. Water has an original nature. The original nature of water is that it is liquid. However, in contact with certain circumstance, that nature becomes changed and the formerly liquid water may become solid ice. That is the changed nature of water, which seems to be its original nature. However, this changed nature is not eternal. It is always temporary. It is manifested for some reason, it remains for some time, and eventually it disappears of its own accord. On the other hand, the original nature of a thing is eternal. Even when the changed nature is manifested, the original nature remains, although it is dormant. In the course of time, when circumstances are favourable, the original nature is again openly manifested.

"The original nature of a thing is eternal. Its changed nature is temporary. One who knows the truth knows the difference between the eternal and temporary nature. One who does not know the truth thinks the temporary nature is eternal."

Then the saintly sannyasi asked, "You speak of a 'thing' (vastu). What does this word mean?"

The paramahamsa replied, "The word 'vastu' is derived from the verb 'vas' (to exist) and the affix 'tu'. Therefore that which exists is called 'vastu'.

There are two kinds of vastus: Things that exist in reality and things that do not exist in reality. What exists in reality are spiritual truths and the spiritual goal of life. What does not exist in reality are material objects, material qualities, and the like. What exists in reality exists in truth. What does not exist in reality exists only in someone's mistaken belief.

"When a person believes something it may be that what he believes is the truth, or it may be that it is only an illusion. In Srimad Bhagavatam (1.1.2) it is said:

"The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all."*

In this way it is proved that the world of spirit is the true reality. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the only reality. From Him the many individual spirit souls, who are all his parts and parcels, are manifested, and from Him also the potency of illusion (maya) is also manifested.

"Therefore the word 'thing' (vastu) may be applied to three things: 1. the Supreme Personality of Godhead, 2. the individual spirit souls and 3. the illusory potency (maya). These three things exist in reality. Knowledge of the relationships that exist between these three things is said to be pure knowledge.

"There are many different conceptions of the true natures of these three things. These conceptions tend to be full of errors. The vaisesika philosophers, in their categorisation of things and qualities, believe to be true many things that are not true.

"Things that exist in truth have specific attributes. These attributes determine their nature. The individual spirit souls exist in truth. The individual spirit souls have specific attributes that are eternal. These determine the natures of the individual souls.

Then the saintly sannyasi said, "O master, I yearn to understand this properly."

Then the saintly babaji said, "A devotee named Krishnadasa Kaviraja, who has received the mercy of Lord Nityananda, showed me a manuscript of a book he had written, a book named Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta. In that book (Madhya 20.108 and 117) Sriman Mahaprabhu gives this instruction:

"It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Krishna because he is the marginal energy of Krishna and a manifestation simultaneously one and different from the Lord.*

"Forgetting Krishna, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy (maya) gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence."*

"Lord Krishna is the totality of spiritual existence. He is like a sun from which many spiritual universes have come. The individual spirit souls are rays of light from that Krishna-sun. There are many individual spirit souls.

"Someone may say, 'You say that the individual spirit souls are parts of Lord Krishna. This means that when He is broken up to become the individual spirit souls, Krishna ceases to exist. This is like a mountain that is broken up into many parts. When it is broken in this way the mountain ceases to exist.'

"To this I reply, You cannot speak in that way. If my opponent then protests, 'Why not?' then I reply: From Lord Krishna limitless individual souls are manifested as His parts and parcels. Still, Lord Krishna is not diminished even slightly because of that.

"In all the Vedas it is said that the individual souls are like sparks emanating from the blazing fire of Lord Krishna. However none of these comparisons give a completely accurate picture of the real truth. The examples of the great fire and the spark, the sun and the rays of light, and the alchemists stone and gold do not describe the entire situation. Therefore, rejecting these material analogies, one should look inside his own heart and there he will understand the truth of the soul's nature.

"Lord Krishna is the great spiritual being and the individual soul is the infinitesimal spiritual being. Lord Krishna and the individual soul are one in the sense that they are both spiritual. However, Lord Krishna is the complete whole and the individual souls are only parts of the whole. That is the difference between them.

"Lord Krishna is the supreme master eternally, and the individual spiritual soul is His servant eternally. In this way their natures are described.

"Lord Krishna is the supreme attractive, and the individual spirit soul is attracted to Him. Lord Krishna is the supreme controller, and the individual spirit soul is controlled by Him. Lord Krishna sees all, and the individual spirit soul is observed by Him. Lord Krishna is perfect, and the individual spirit soul is poor and lowly. Lord Krishna is all-powerful, and the individual soul is powerless. Therefore the eternal nature or religion of the individual soul is to be a faithful servant of Lord Krishna eternally.

"Lord Krishna is the master of limitless potencies. All these potencies are perfectly manifested in the spiritual world. For the manifestation of the individual souls one particular potency, the tatastha shakti is employed.

"The imperfect material universes are also manifested by one of the Lord's potencies. That is the same potency, called the tatastha shakti.

"This potency creates a world where spiritual beings and inanimate matter stay together in the same realm. In this way it creates a kind of relationship between the spiritual world and the material world.

"Spirit, which is conscious and pure, and matter, which is inanimate, are opposites. Therefore it is not really possible for the conscious spirit soul to have a relationship with unconscious and inanimate matter.

"The individual soul is a small particle of spirit. Nevertheless, one of the Supreme Lord's potencies makes some individual souls somehow have a relationship with matter. The potency that does this is called tatastha shakti.

"The place that exists between a river's water and the dry land is called tata (shore). Such a place touches both land and water. In that place between land and water the attributes of both the land and water are manifested.

"The individual soul is spiritual. Nevertheless the spiritual soul may be placed under the control of inanimate matter.

"Thus the individual soul is not like the spiritual world, which never comes into contact with the material world. Nor is the individual soul like inanimate matter. In this sense the individual soul is neither spirit nor matter. That is why it is true that the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the individual spirit souls are different beings eternally.

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of the illusory potency maya. Maya is under His control. On the other hand, the individual spirit soul may in some circumstances find himself under the control of maya. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the individual spirit souls and the illusory potency maya are three distinct entities eternally.

"That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the eternal root of all existence is confirmed by the following words of the Vedas (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13 and Sevatasvatara Upanisad 6.13):

Thus the individual spirit soul is a servant of Lord Krishna eternally. The spirit soul is manifested from the Lord's tatastha shakti. For this it may be concluded that the individual spirit soul is simultaneously one and different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

"The individual soul may sometimes find himself under the control of the illusory potency maya, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always the controller of maya. In this way the individual spirit soul and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are different eternally.

"The individual soul is spiritual in nature and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also spiritual in nature. Thus the individual soul is one of the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

"On the other hand, because he is part and parcel of Him, the individual soul is also not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead eternally.

"If the individual soul and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are simultaneously one and different eternally, then the eternal difference between them is most important.

"The eternal nature and duty of the individual soul is service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If he forgets this duty, the individual souls comes under maya's control. Then the soul stays away from Lord Krishna. That staying away from Lord Krishna means that the soul enters the material world.

"It is not possible to give an historical account describing when, in time, the soul first fell into the material world. That is why it is said 'anadi-bahirmukha' (the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial). This staying away from Krishna and the time of entering maya's world are both different from the soul's eternal nature. They are perversions of it.

"It is because he is in contact with maya and under her control that the soul's temporary nature and temporary duties are manifested. The eternal nature of the soul is one, unchanged, and completely faultless. The temporary natures, created by contact with the material world, are of great variety."

After speaking these words, the saintly paramahamsa babaji stopped and began to chant the names of Lord Hari. After hearing this description of the truth, the saintly sannyasi offered dandavat obeisances and said, "O master, today I will think over all that you have said. If I have any questions, tomorrow I will place them before your feet."

jnanam te' ham sa-vijnanam
idam vaksyamy aesatah
yaj jnatva neha bhuyo 'nyaj
jnatavyam avasisyate

Srila Sridhar Maharaj: Yes. What is material is only the misconception which is the cause of all this material existence. But it also has personality - Devi the goddess.

The world begins within misconception. When you have the proper conception, then you can read Krsna lila everywhere. Everything will excite you about Vrndavana. You won't see the outward thing if you are relieved from misconception. A madman has a maladjusted brain. He may be in the midst of friends, but he is lost in his madness, his paranoia. When he goes back to his normal position, he finds the same thing - all friends. In the same way, everything is all right - only the disease, our misconception needs to be removed.

Chapter Two

Jiver Nitya-dharma Suddha O Sanatana

The Soul's Eternal Nature is Pure and Everlasting

The next morning saintly Premadasa Babaji was plunged in the ecstasies of Vraja. Although the saintly sannyasi wished to place some questions before him, there was no opportunity. Then, in the afternoon, when they had finished their madhukari begging of alms, they both entered the cottage of madhavi and malati vines. The saintly paramahamsa babaji then kindly said, "O best of devotees, now that you have heard my explanation of the true nature of the soul, what is your conclusion?"

Happy to hear these words, the saintly sannyasi asked, "O master, if the individual spirit soul is by nature only atomic in size, how is it possible that his eternal nature is pure and perfect? If the soul is created at a certain point in time, then the soul's nature is also created at that time. If this is true, how can the soul's nature be eternally existing in past, present and future?"

Hearing this question the paramahamsa babaji meditated on the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya, smiled and then replied, "O noble-hearted one, even though he is atomic in size, the soul is nevertheless perfect, pure and eternal. His being atomic is only in relation to his substance. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishnacandra, is alone great in substance. The multitude of individual souls are His limitless atomic parts. Although the fire itself is not broken up into parts, many tiny sparks come from it. In the same way Lord Krishna, the supreme conscious being, is not divided into parts, but still a great multitude of individual spirit souls are manifested from Him. As each spark has all the power of fire, so each individual soul has all the powers of consciousness. As each spark has all the burning powers of fire, and can, in the right circumstances, start a fire that will burn down the entire material universe, so each individual soul has the ability to fall in love with Lord Krishnacandra. He has the ability to be plunged in an ocean of love for Lord Krishna. As long as he is not in touch with his original nature, the consciousness and atomic soul cannot manifest its natural powers. In truth the nature of the soul is considered in terms of the soul's perception of others. Thinking, 'What is the soul's eternal nature?', one should carefully search for the truth. The soul's eternal nature is love. Therefore the soul is not unconscious or inanimate. It is different from unconscious matter. The soul's nature is to be conscious. The soul's nature is to love. In its pure state, love is identical with devotional service to Lord Krishna. Therefore love, manifested as devotional service to Lord Krishna, is the original nature of the individual soul.

The individual soul may be situated in two states of existence 1. the soul's pure state and 2. the soul's state of material bondage. In the pure state the individual soul is manifested as pure spirit only, free of any contact with inanimate matter. In his pure state the soul is still atomic, and for this reason it is possible that he may change his state of existence. Because Lord Krishna is the supreme consciousness, He never changes His state of existence. In truth, Lord Krishna is supreme, perfect, pure and eternal. In the conditioned state the individual spirit soul is pathetic, broken and impure. In his original state, the soul is great, unbroken, pure and eternal. When the individual soul is in his pure state, his pure nature is manifested. But when the individual soul is in contact with the illusory potency Maya, the soul's pure state is not manifested. Then his original nature is perverted and he is impure. Then he does not take shelter of Lord Krishna. Then he is tormented by happinesses and sufferings. When he forgets the service of Lord Krishna, the soul finds himself situated in the material world of repeated birth and death.

As long as he remains pure, the individual soul retains his original nature; then from that original position he can make further progress and understand that he is a servant of Lord Krishna. However, when he comes into contact with the illusory potency maya, the soul becomes impure. In that condition the understanding of Lord Krishna's service is diminished. Then the soul accepts many different material bodies, one after another. When he is in contact with the illusory potency Maya, the individual soul is covered by a body of gross and subtle material elements. First, the soul identifies himself with the subtle material body. Second, he identifies himself with the gross material body. Third, he identifies himself as the subtle and gross bodies mixed together. In this way the soul's conception of his identity becomes changed. In his pure state the individual soul is an unalloyed devotee of Lord Krishna.

When he identifies himself as the subtle material body, the soul thinks of himself as the enjoyer of the fruits of his work. In this way his conception of himself as a servant of Lord Krishna becomes covered over by his misidentification of himself as the subtle material body.

When he identifies himself as the gross material body, the soul thinks, 'I am brahmana'. 'I am a king'. 'I am poor.' 'I am unhappy.' 'I am defeated by disease and grief'. 'I am a wife'. 'I am a husband'. Thus the soul's misidentification with the gross material body is manifested in a great variety of ways.

When the soul thus has a false conception of his identity, his original nature becomes perverted. The original nature of the pure soul is pure love. That pure love appears in the subtle material body in a perverted way as material pleasure, suffering, lust and hatred. That pure love is seen in the gross material body in an even more perverted way as material eating, drinking, and a host of other so-called pleasures derived from contact with inanimate matter. In this way you can see that the soul's eternal nature is manifested only when the soul is in his pure state of existence. When the soul is situated in material bondage, only the soul's temporary nature is manifested. Thus the eternal nature of the soul is that the soul is perfect, pure, and eternal. The temporary nature of the soul I will describe in more detail on another day.

In the scripture Srimad Bhagavatam pure devotional service to Lord Visnu is described. That devotional service is the eternal activity of the individual soul. Three different conceptions of the soul's nature are described in the material world. They are: 1. the eternal nature, 2. the temporary nature and 3. the nature that contradicts the eternal nature.

The conception that rejects the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the eternal soul is the third of these. The conception that accepts the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and declares that one should employ temporary, material means to win His mercy, is the second of these, the conception of the soul's temporary nature. The conception that declares that by employing the activities of spiritual love one should strive to attain direct service to Lord Krishna is the first of these, the conception of the soul's eternal nature.

The conception of the soul's eternal nature may be described differently in different countries, among different peoples, and in different languages, but these descriptions all refer to the same eternal nature of the soul. Still, the Vaishnava religion followed in India is the original form, the prototype of all these conceptions of the soul's eternal nature. And the form of the Vaishnava religion that Lord Chaitanya, who is the son of Sachi and the Lord of our hearts, taught the world is the purest form of the Vaishnava religion, the form that the great souls filled with the bliss of pure spiritual love accept and follow."

At this point the saintly sannyasi folded his hands and said, "O master, at every moment I see that what was taught by Lord Chaitanya, the son of Sachi, is the best form of the pure Vaishnava religion. I also see that the theory of impersonal monism taught by Sankaracarya is very wretched and horrible.

"Still, a thought has risen in my mind, a thought I will not accept it unless it is first placed before your feet. It is this: Is the state of deep ecstatic spiritual love revealed by Lord Chaitanya really different from the state of merging into the impersonal Supreme?"

When he heard the name "Sankaracarya" the paramahamsa babaji at once offered dandavat obeisances. Now he spoke the following words: "O noble-hearted friend, one should always think: 'Sankaracarya is Lord Shiva himself.' Sankaracarya is actually the spiritual master of all the Vaishnavas. That is why Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu honours him with the title acarya. Sankaracarya is a perfect Vaishnava.

"When Sankaracarya appeared in Bharata varsa there was great need for a guna-avatara of the Lord. The voidist philosophy of Buddha had already practically destroyed the teachings of the Vedas and the duties of varnasrama-dharma. Voidist Buddhism even denied the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although it did hint at the existence of the individual soul, Buddhism denied the soul's true eternal nature. At that time the brahmanas had practically become Buddhists and practically abandoned the religion of the Vedas.

"At that time extraordinarily powerful Lord Shiva descended as Sankaracarya to this world, re-established the authority of the Vedas, and transformed voidist Buddhism into the philosophy of Vedic impersonalism. For succeeding in this extraordinary work, the world will be long indebted to Sankaracarya.

"Every work in this world may be considered in two ways. Some work is useful in the context of a certain period of time, and other work is useful for all time. Sankaracarya performed work that was very important for that particular period in history.

From his efforts many good results came. Sri Ramanujacarya and Sri Madhvacarya built the palace of pure Vaishnava religion on the walls and foundation created by Sri Sankaracarya. Therefore Sankaracarya is a great friend of the Vaishnava religion. He is one of its founding teachers. The benefit created by Sankaracarya's teaching is now enjoyed, without any effort on their part by the Vaishnavas.

"Individual souls still in the grip of material bondage urgently need to understand their relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The individual soul is different from and superior to the gross and subtle material bodies in the material universes. The Vaishnavas and Sankaracarya agree on this point. They do not disagree on the spiritual nature of the individual soul.

"Liberation is defined as becoming free from the material world. Both agree on this also. Up to the stage of liberation Sankaracarya and the Vaishnavas agree on many points.

"By worshipping Lord Hari one purifies his heart and attains liberation. Sankaracarya teaches this also.

"However, about the state of existence that is superior to impersonal liberation Sankaracarya is silent. Sankaracarya knew well that if the individual soul employed the worship of Lord Hari as the way to proceed on the path of liberation, the soul would begin to taste the pleasures of devotional service and would eventually become a pure devotee of Lord Hari. It is for this reason that Sankaracarya, after showing the true path, did not reveal anything more about the secrets of Vaishnava religion.

"They who carefully study all his commentaries can see that this was Sankaracarya's hidden intention. It is only they who waste time merely circle the outskirts of Sankaracarya's teachings who stay far away from the Vaishnava religion.

"Being one with the Supreme Lord and attaining love for Him are, in one sense, the same thing. However, they who narrowly define oneness with the Lord in terms of Sankara's teachings make a claim that the monist unity is a superior stage of self-realization above love for the Lord.

"Consider, for a moment, the meaning of the word 'love'. The consciousness that attracts one spiritual entity to another spiritual entity is called 'love'. If the two spiritual entities are not in truth different from each other, they cannot love each other.

"All spiritual entities are naturally attracted to the supreme spiritual entity, Lord Krishnacandra. That attraction is called Krishna-prema, or love for Lord Krishna.

"Lord Krishnacandra and the individual spirit souls are eternally distinct spiritual entities. Therefore the love they bear for each other is an eternal fact.

"Three things exist eternally: 1. the enjoyer, 2. the enjoyed, 3. the way enjoyment is obtained. If the person who enjoys by loving another is identical with the object of his enjoyment or love, then the love he feels can never be eternal.

"If oneness is defined as the spiritual living entity's pure state, where he is free from any contact with matter, then oneness and spiritual love are identical.

"However, the present day pandita followers of Sankaracarya are not content to accept such a definition. Instead they undertake a great struggle to prove that the Vedas teach the existence of ultimately only one spiritual entity, an entity who transforms Himself into everything which exists. Such a view kills the eternal existence of love. The Vaishnavas have conclusively proved that this view contradicts the true teachings of the Vedas.

"Sankaracarya affirmed that the pure spiritual state is one of perfect oneness. However, his present-day followers do not understand the hidden meaning of his words. Thus they gradually ascribed to him a position not truly his own. They declared the various stages of pure spiritual love to be products of the illusory potency maya. It is for this reason that their theory is called mayavada. It is the lowest and most horrible of all theories in the world.

"The mayavada philosophers refuse to accept the existence of more than one spiritual entity. They refuse to accept the existence of spiritual love. They say that the supreme spirit (brahman) stays aloof from matter only as long as He remains one and undivided. They say that when He assumes any form of His own or the forms of the many individual souls He is in the grip of illusion (maya). Thus they think that the eternal, pure and spiritual form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a manifestation of the illusory potency maya. They think the separate existence of the individual spirit souls an illusion created by maya.

Thinking that spiritual love and its manifestations are all products of the illusory potency maya, they affirm that meditation on the oneness of everything is the only thing beyond maya's touch. Thus these bewildered fellows' idea of oneness is not at all the same as spiritual love.

"However, the spiritual love Lord Chaitanya tasted in His pastimes and taught to the world is completely beyond the touch of the illusory potency maya. That love is the highest fruit of pure spiritual oneness.

Mahabhava is a specific transformation of that pure spiritual love. It is a very intense form of the bliss of pure love for Lord Krishna. In it the confidential relationship between the lover and the beloved reaches an intensity never known before. On the other hand, the mayavada philosophy is shallow and unimportant. It can never understand that exalted love."

Then the saintly sannyasi respectfully said, "O master, my heart is filled with conviction that the mayavada theory is shallow and unimportant. Any doubt I had about that is now thrown far away by your mercy. Still, I myself wear the garments of a mayavadi sannyasi. Now I yearn to rid myself of them."

The saintly babaji replied, "O great soul, I do not teach that one should like or hate any particular kind of garments. When one's heart is purified, his garments will also become pure. When a person gives great respect to his outward garments, it shows that he does not give great attention to the condition of his heart.

"In my opinion one should first purify his heart. Then he may adopt the external activities and garments of a saintly person without committing an offense.

"In your heart become a sincere follower of Sri Krishna Chaitanya. Then you will naturally desire to accept the external things that are appropriate for that following. Let that be the way you act. Always remember these words of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, Madhya 16.238-239):

"You should not make yourself a show bottle devotee and become a false renunciant. For the time being enjoy the material world in a befitting way and not become attached to it.*

"Sri Chaitanya Mahaprahbu continued: Within your heart you should keep yourself very faithful, but externally you may behave like an ordinary man. Thus Krishna will soon be very pleased and deliver you from the clutches of maya."*

Understanding this, the saintly sannyasi did not say anything more about changing his garments. Folding his hands, he said, "O master, I am your disciple and I have taken shelter at your feet. Whatever instruction you give, I will place on my head without argument. By hearing your words I have understood that pure love for Lord Krishna is the only Vaishnava religion. That love is the eternal religion of the soul. That religion is perfect, pure and natural. How should I regard the other religions in the various countries of the world?"

The saintly babaji replied, "O great soul, religion is one. It is not two, and it is not many. There is only one religion for the soul. That religion is called the Vaishnava religion. There is no reason why religion should be different for different languages, countries and peoples. The religion of the soul may be called by different names, but it is not possible that there can be different religions. The religion of the soul is the pure love the atomic spiritual entity bears for the supreme spiritual entity. Because of differing material conceptions, some spirit souls have distorted that original religion and given it a variety of different shapes. The pure and original form of the soul's religion is the Vaishnava religion. Other so-called religions are merely distorted forms of the Vaishnava religion. Other religions are pure to the degree that they are like the Vaishnava religion.

"Some days ago, in Sri Vraja-dham, I placed this same question before the feet of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, who is a personal associate of Lord Chaitanya. "In the religion of the Yavanas there is a word 'esk'. Does this word mean pure spiritual love, or does it not." That was my question. The saintly Gosvami is learned in all scriptures, and he is especially learned in the language of the Yavanas. In that language his learning has no limit. Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, and many other learned scholars were also present in that assembly. Saintly Srila Sanatana Gosvami kindly replied in these words:

"Yes, the word 'esk' means love. When the Yavanas worship God they use the word 'esk'. However 'esk' is often used to mean material love also. Examples of this may be seen in the history of Layala Manjanu and the writings of Hafiz. The Yavana acaryas could not understand the true meaning of spiritual life. When they write of 'esk' they mean love in terms of either the gross or subtle material bodies. However, they could not distinguish between material love and pure spiritual love, and they could not understand pure love for Lord Krishna. I have not seen an accurate description of spiritual love in any of the books of the Yavana teachers. I have seen them only in the books describing the Vaishnava religion. The Yavana teachers use the word 'ru' to describe the pure individual soul. However they could not understand the soul in truth. They used the word 'ru' to describe the conditioned souls bound by maya. That was all they could understand. I have not seen a description of pure love for Lord Krishna in any but the Vaishnava religion. Generally speaking, pure love for Lord Krishna is described only in the books of Vaishnava religion. Pure love for Lord Krishna is described in these words of Srimad Bhagavatam (1.1.2):

"Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth..."*

"I am confident that before Sri Krishna Chaitanya came to this world, no one had given a complete description of pure love for Lord Krishna. If you have faith in my words, then you may accept this conclusion."

"After hearing these instructions, again and again I offered dandavat obeisances to Srila Sanatana Gosvami." At that time the saintly sannyasi offered dandavat obeisances.

Then the paramahamsa babaji said, "O great devotee, now I will answer your second question: Please listen with an attentive mind. The words 'the creation of the individual soul' or 'the fashioning of the individual soul' are all manifested by the illusory potency maya. They are material words that describe inanimate material things. The three divisions of time are: 1. past, 2. present and 3. future. These divisions refer to material time, time within the realm of the illusory potency maya. In the spiritual world the present exists eternally. In the spiritual world the past and future do not exist. Lord Krishna and the individual spirit soul exist in that eternal present. In this way the individual soul is eternal and his original nature, which is his pure love for Lord Krishna, is also eternal. Talk of the individual soul's being 'created' or 'fashioned' is a misconception, mistakenly imposing the time patterns of the inanimate material world on a spiritual entity. The atomic individual soul is spiritual and eternal. He existed before his entrance into the material world. Because in the spiritual world there is no past or future, whatever exists there exists in an eternal present. Therefore the soul and its nature are both eternal. They exist in that eternal present. I am only describing this in words. Your understanding will depend on your ability to understand the pure spiritual world. I can only give a hint here. In spiritual trance you will be able to see all this directly. The logic and argument of this material world will not help you to understand it. Your ability to directly perceive the spiritual world beyond the realm of matter will depend on how much you can loosen the shackles of material bondage. In the beginning you will see your own pure spiritual form. By again and again chanting the spiritual and holy names of Lord Hari, you will come to understand the nature of the soul. By practicing astanga-yoga or following the path of the impersonalists you will not be able to see the pure spiritual nature. By directly serving Lord Krishna you will be able to understand the eternal nature of the soul. Therefore you should chant the holy names of Lord Hari always and with enthusiasm. Only by chanting the names of Lord Hari will you make advancement in spiritual life. Again and again chanting the holy name of Lord Hari for some days, you will eventually attain love for the holy name, a kind of love you had never known before. Accompanying that love will be direct perception of the spiritual world. Of all the different activities of devotional service, chanting the holy names of Lord Hari is the most important and the most quickly effective. In Krishnadasa Kaviraja's delightful books (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, Antya 4.70-71) Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teaches:

"Among the ways of executing devotional service, the nine prescribed methods are the best, for these processes have great potency to deliver Krishna and ecstatic love for Him."*

"of the nine processes of devotional service, the most important is to always chant the holy name of the Lord. If one does so, avoiding the ten kinds of offenses, one very easily obtains the most valuable love of Godhead."*

"O great soul, if you now ask, 'Who is a Vaishnava?' I give this reply: A person who without offense chants the holy names of Lord Krishna is a Vaishnava. The Vaishnavas are again divided into three groups: 1. kanistha (neophyte), 2. madhyama (intermediate), and 3. uttama (advanced). One who from time to time chants the holy names of Lord Krishna is a neophyte devotee. One who always chants the holy names of Lord Krishna is an intermediate devotee. A person the sight of whose face causes others to chant the holy names of Krishna is an advanced devotee. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has taught us that one should not use any other criterion to determine who is a Vaishnava."

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

Singing these holy names, he danced again and again. From that day forward he found great pleasure in chanting the holy names of Lord Hari. Offering dandavat obeisances to his spiritual master's lotus feet, he said, "O master, please be merciful to this fallen person."

Chapter Three

Naimittik Dharma Asampurna, Heya, Misra O Acirasthayi

The Soul's Temporary Duties are Imperfect, Horrible, Contaminated and Short lived

The saintly sannyasi said, "Ah! Now I can see the wonderfully blissful spiritual abode. The Ganga shore is splendid, garlanded with light from many great jewel palaces, temples, and archways. In many places tumultuous chanting of Lord Hari's holy names fills the sky. Hundreds of devotees playing vinas chant and dance like Narada Muni.

"In one place Lord Shiva, the master of the demigods, manifests a white form. Playing a dambaru drum, he chants, "O Chaitanya, O maintainer of the universes, please be merciful to me!" Wildly dancing again and again, he finally falls to the ground.

"In another place four-faced Brahma lectures on the Vedas to an assembly of sages. He quotes and then purely explains these words (Svetasavatara Upanisad 3.12):

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Mahaprabhu who disseminates transcendental enlightenment. Just to be in touch with Him is to be correct with the indestructible brahmajyoti."*

"Everyone is intoxicated by drinking the nectar of Lord Chaitanya's holy names. From the gardens in the four directions come sweet humming sounds. Intoxicated by drinking the nectar of Lord Chaitanya's holy names, Prakrti-devi (the goddess of the material nature) fills every place with beauty and splendour. Ah! Now that I see the Sri Mayapura, what can I not see? What do I see now?"

Remembering his spiritual master, he said, "O master, now I understand. It is by your mercy that I am able to see the spiritual Mayapura. From this day I will stay in the association of Lord Chaitanya's devotees. Now that I have seen the spiritual Mayapura, I will wear tulasi beads, tilaka, and the writing of the holy names on my body. This I will do." Saying this again and again, the saintly sannyasi fell unconscious for a moment.

After a moment he became conscious again. However he could no longer see the wonderful spiritual vision he saw before. Weeping again and again, the saintly sannyasi said, "I am very unfortunate. By my spiritual master's mercy I was able for a moment to see the holy abode of Sri Nabadwip."

The next day the saintly sannyasi threw his ekadanda in the water, placed tulasi beads around his neck, wore Vaishnava tilaka on his forehead, chanted "Hari! Hari!" and danced. Seeing his wonderful new garments and demeanour, and remarking how fortunate he had become, the residents of Godruma offered dandavat obeisances to him. Embarrassed, the saintly sannyasi said, "It is by the Vaishnavas' mercy that I am now dressed like a Vaishnava. However, there is still a danger for me. Again and again I heard from my spiritual master's mouth these words (Sri Siksastaka 3, Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, Antya 20.21):

'One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honour, but is always prepared to give all respects to others, can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord."*

Then he remembered his Vaishnava spiritual master. He thought, "I should offer my obeisances to him." Again and again thinking in this way, he approached the paramahamsa babaji and offered dandavat obeisances to him.

Sitting in his cottage of madhavi vines, the saintly babaji was chanting the holy names of Lord Hari again and again. Seeing that the saintly sannyasi had completely changed his garments and was chanting the holy names with spiritual love, the babaji again and again bathed his disciple with the tears flowing from his eyes. Embracing him, the babaji said, "O Vaishnava dasa, by today touching your perfectly auspicious body, my life is now a great success."

When he heard these words, the saintly sannyasi at once threw far away his previous name. Now he accepted the name Vaishnava dasa. From that day on the saintly sannyasi began a new life. He threw far away his mayavadi-sannyasi garments and arrogant sannyasi name. In the afternoon many residents of Sri Pradyumna-kunja, Sri Godruma and Sri Madhyadvipa came to see the saintly paramahamsa babaji. They all sat in a circle around the saintly paramahamsa babaji. They all chanted the holy names of Lord Hari on tulasi beads. Some chanted "O Gauranga-Nityananda", others chanted "O Advaita, husband of Sita!", others chanted "Glory to the son of Saci!" Chanting again and again, their eyes became filled with tears. All the Vaishnavas conversed about spiritual matters. All the assembled Vaishnavas circumambulated the tulasi plant and offered dandavat obeisances to the assembled Vaishnavas. Vaishnava dasa circumambulated the tulasi plant and then he rolled about in the dust that had touched the Vaishnavas' feet. The saintly Vaishnavas said, "This is not the same sannyasi. Now his form is wonderful."

Rolling on the ground before the Vaishnavas, Vaishnava dasa said, "Today I have attained the dust of the Vaishnavas' feet. Now my life is a success. By my spiritual master's mercy I have learned the truth. Without the dust of the Vaishnava's feet, my future is not good. The dust of the Vaishnava's feet, the nectar water that has washed the Vaishnavas' feet and the nectar flood touched by the Vaishnavas' lips are three medicines to cure the disease of repeated birth and death. When he is cured of the disease of repeated birth and death, a person enjoys great pleasure. O Vaishnavas, formerly I was very proud of my great learning, but today there is no pride in my heart. I was born in a brahmana family, I studied all the scriptures and I entered the sannyasa-asrama. In this way my pride reached the highest point. When I was first attracted to the Vaishnava religion the seed of humbleness was planted in my heart. Gradually, by your mercy, I have thrown far away the pride I felt for my birth, learning and sannyasa. Now in my heart I know that I am only a small soul, a soul without any shelter. Without taking shelter of the Vaishnava's feet, for me there is no hope. My status as a brahmana, my learning and my sannyasa were actually making me degraded: leading me lower and lower. Therefore I truly make this request at your feet: "Please accept me as your servant."

Hearing Vaishnava dasa's humble words, the Vaishnavas said, "O best of the devotees, we are very eager to attain the dust from the feet of Vaishnavas like Vaishnava dasa. Please be merciful and make our lives successful by giving us the dust of your feet. You have attained the mercy of a saintly paramahamsa babaji. Please give us your association and purify us. Devotional service is attained by one who associates with devotees like yourself. This is confirmed by the following words of Brhan-Naradiya Purana:

"Devotional service is attained by associating with devotees. The association of devotees is attained by past pious deeds."

"Therefore it is because in the past we performed many devotional pious deeds that we have obtained your association. Because we have attained your association we may now hope to attain true devotional service."

Saintly Vaishnava dasa thus stayed among the devotees as they humbly offered obeisances to each other and conversed about devotional service. He looked splendid and glorious as in his hands he held new beads for chanting the holy names of Lord Hari.

That day a fortunate person came to that group of Vaishnavas. Since childhood he was able to read and write the language of the Yavanas. He imitated the activities of the Mohammedan kings and in their country he counted himself one amongst them. His home was in Santipura. He was born in a brahmana family. He associated with many wealthy men. For many days he enjoyed all worldly pleasures, but they did not make him happy. At the end he turned to religion and began chanting the holy names of Lord Hari. When he was a child he had studied ragas and raginis from a Delhi classical music teacher. He would employ this knowledge in melodiously singing the holy names of Lord Hari. Gradually he became famous as a singer and musician in Vaishnava circles, and his sweet singing was in great demand. After some days he began to understand the pleasures that reside in the Lord's holy names with the Vaishnavas there. He stayed at a Vaishnava's asrama. Accompanied by this Vaishnava, he came to the cottage of malati and madhavi vines in Pradyumna-kunja. Hearing from Vaishnava dasa of the Vaishnavas' saintliness and humbleness, some doubts still remained in his mind. With boldness and eloquence he placed a question before the assembled Vaishnavas.

He asked, "In Manu-samhita and the other dharma-sastras it is said that the brahmanas are the best caste. In those scriptures are described the brahmana's regular duties, which begin with chanting the Gayatri mantra. If these are the regular activities of the best caste, then why are the duties of the Vaishnavas different?"

The Vaishnavas did not reply. Afraid to dispute with this brahmana logician, they gave no answer. After the asker of the question had sung the holy names of Lord Hari, the Vaishnavas finally said, "The saintly paramahamsa babaji will answer your question. His reply will make us happy."

Hearing the order of the assembled Vaishnavas, the saintly paramahamsa babaji offered dandavat obeisances and said, "O saintly devotees, if you wish, then Sri Vaishnava dasa, the best of devotees, will give the proper answer." Everyone was happy with this proposal.

Hearing his spiritual master's words, and reflecting on his own good fortune, Sri Vaishnava dasa said, "I am very fallen, and I do not possess anything of any value. Therefore it is not right that I speak very much in the assembly of the saintly and wise. However, the spiritual master's order should always be respectfully carried on one's head. I have drunk the nectar of truth, nectar words that flowed from my spiritual master's mouth. Therefore I will repeat what I can remember of his words. That I will do." After speaking these words, Vaishnava dasa placed on all his limbs the dust from the feet of the saintly paramahamsa babaji. Then, offering dandavat obeisances, Vaishnava dasa spoke the following words:

"The original form of the Supreme is the supremely blissful Supreme Person (bhagavan). The impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of His transcendental body, and the all-pervading Supersoul is His expansion. Sri Krishna Chaitanya, who is the abode of all glory, and all pastimes, taught this to us. The Manu-samhita and other dharma-sastras, which are supplements to the original Vedas and which explain what should and should not be done, should be followed by the entire world. The religious activities of human beings are of two kinds: 1. vaidhi (spiritual rules and regulations to be followed), and 2. raganuga (spiritual activities to which one is naturally attracted and which one performs even without being impelled to do so by the rules of the scriptures). When he is under the control of the illusory potency maya, the human being must perform vaidhi spiritual activities. When he is freed from maya's grip, the human being need not perform vaidhi spiritual activities. Then his spiritual activities are raganuga. Engagement in raganuga spiritual activities is the pure state of the individual spirit soul, a state that is naturally pure, spiritual and free from matter. By Lord Krishna's wish the pure spirit soul may become free from the grip of matter. However, that is not Lord Krishna's wish. However, from the day Lord Krishna does not wish that the individual soul be liberated, from that day the soul is thrust into the calamity that is life in the material world. When he is thrust into the calamity of material life, the soul cannot truthfully be liberated from the grip of matter. When he is truthfully liberated from the grip of matter, the pure soul naturally engages in ragatmika spiritual activities. The spiritual activities of the people of Vraja are ragatmika. When the soul still resides in the calamity that is the material world, these activities are raganuga. As long as he engages in raganuga spiritual activities, the soul in the material world is happy. As long as he does not engage in raganuga spiritual activities, the soul in the material world is attracted to the illusions of maya. Attracted to maya, the soul becomes bewildered. Then he is not attracted to pure spirit. 'It is 'I' and 'It is mine' are the two conceptions maya thrusts upon the soul. Then the soul thinks, 'This material body is mine' and 'I am this body'. In this condition the soul loves persons who bring pleasure to his material body and hates persons who thwart the bringing of pleasure to his material body. Thus the bewildered soul becomes a slave of love and hatred. The bewildered soul thinks others are either his friends or his enemies in three ways: 1. saririla (in relation to material bodies) 2. samajika (in relation to society and social groups), and 3. naitika (in the context of ideas). One who unlawfully desires gold and women will find himself a slave to pleasures and pains. That condition of life is called samsara (enslavement in the world of repeated birth and death). One who is attached to the world of samsara is subject to birth, death, karmic reactions, and a variety of living conditions, some high and some low. Thus the souls bound by material illusion wander here and there in the material worlds. However, the souls attracted to spirit do not experience these troubles. They who are attracted to spirit attain their eternal spiritual nature. They who forget they are by nature small particles of spirit fall down into the experience of material life. Staying in the material world, they suffer many misfortunes, although they think they do not suffer misfortunes at all.

For the souls bound by maya, the activities of ragatmika are far away, while the activities of raganuga devotion to Sri Krishna are not accepted or wanted. It is only by the mercy of a devotee of the Lord that the activities of raganuga devotion may rise within a conditioned soul's heart. The activities of raganuga bhakti are rare and difficult to attain. The residents of the material world have been cheated of them, because they are unworthy to feel the joy of loving devotion.

However, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is all knowing and full of mercy. He sees that the souls imprisoned by maya have been cheated of their own inner wealth of spiritual activity. How will these souls attain auspiciousness? By what means will the souls bewildered by maya remember Lord Krishna? The answer is that by associating with saintly devotees the soul is able to understand that he is in reality a servant of Lord Krishna. The rules of ordinary piety do not enjoin that one associate with saintly devotees. How, then, does one associate with devotees, or what makes one desire to associate with devotees? The association of devotees does not generally happen when one follows the path of devotion following the rules and regulations (vidhi-marga) mentioned in the scriptures. That is not the way one comes to associate with devotees. It is from the merciful glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that the scriptures are created and, born from the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sun of the scriptures rises in the sky of the devotee's heart. In this way the rules of piety mentioned in the scriptures are manifested as a first step on the path of devotion.

In the beginning is the Veda. One part of the Veda teaches fruitive work, another part transcendental knowledge, and another part loving devotional service. The individual souls bewildered by maya are situated in different states of existence. Some are very bewildered, some are a little enlightened, and some are very enlightened. In this way the conditioned souls have different kinds of intelligence. The Veda teaches all these classes of souls. Although one may consider that the souls have an infinite variety of natures, still they are grouped into three broad categories: 1. those qualified to perform fruitive work (karma), 2. those eligible for transcendental knowledge (jnana), and 3. those eligible to engage in loving devotional service (prema) to the Supreme Lord. The Vedas thus describes these three categories of eligibility. The Veda's description of what should and should not be done by these three classes of living entities constitute Vaidhi-dharma (the rules of religion). When one actively performs pious deeds that is called vaidhi-pravrtti. They who do not follow the rules of Vaidhi commit sinful acts. Therefore living entities should always avoid actions that violate these rules and regulations. The name mleccha and other names also are given to they who are outside the jurisdiction of the Vedas. The conclusion, then, is that three classes of living entities are qualified to follow the Veda. For the universal benefit the great sages have written many books to supplement the hymns of the Veda. Manu and twenty other sages thus wrote the dharma-sastras to benefit the persons eligible to perform pious fruitive work (karma). Different philosophers wrote books of logic and philosophy to benefit the persons eligible for philosophical speculation (jnana). The great devotees wrote the Puranas and pure Tantras to teach the persons eligible to engage in devotional service (bhakti) and to guide their actions. This is the nature of all the Vedic literatures. The philosophy of the mimamsakas is not seen anywhere in the original scriptures. All of the points of philosophy that the mimamsakas like to claim as demonstrations of the superiority of their philosophy are all easily thrown into a dark hole of counter-arguments and doubts. In all the scriptures the uttara-mimamsa (Vedanta) philosophy is most clearly shown in Bhagavad-gita. The teaching of karma that ignores jnana is an atheists kind of karma creating activity, and that teaching should be rejected. In the same way the teaching of karma and jnana that ignores bhakti is atheistic karma and jnana. There are only three kinds of yoga: karma-yoga, jnana-yoga and bhakti-yoga. That is the Vaishnava description of the Veda's teachings.

The individual soul bewildered by maya first takes shelter of fruitive work (karma). Then he takes shelter of karma-yoga. At the end, when he comes to the conclusion of karma yoga and jnana yoga, he takes shelter of bhakti yoga. The soul bewildered by maya does not ascend only one step in the staircase. Ascending only one step of the staircase, he cannot enter the temple of devotional service.

What is taking shelter of fruitive work (karma)? Fruitive work is the activity performed by the body and mind while one is alive in the body. Fruitive work is of two kinds: 1. auspicious, and 2. inauspicious. By performing inauspicious work one attains an inauspicious result. Inauspicious work is called either 'papa' (sin) or 'vikarma' (evil work). When one does not perform auspicious work that is called 'akarma'. Both of these are bad. Auspicious work is good. Work is of three kinds: 1. nitya (regular), 2. naimittika (occasional) and 3. kamya (desired). Kamya work, where the desire for personal benefit is very prominent, should be avoided. Nitya and naimittika work, on the other hand, is work prescribed by scripture. Considering what should and should not be done, the scriptures explain what is nitya, naimittika and kamya work. Akarma (failure to do auspicious work) and vikarma (inauspicious work) are not the same as karma (auspicious work). When one avoids kamya work, then his work is nitya or naimittika. Work that brings auspiciousness to the body, the mind, other people or humanity at large, is called nitya work. Everyone should perform nitya work. When work prompted by a temporary circumstance is like nitya work in this way, it is called naimittika work. Chanting Gayatri, offering obeisances and cleanliness are activities that maintain one's own body and the welfare of society at large. So also do honest dealings and protection of those innocent persons who should in all circumstances be protected, such as the very old and young. All these are nitya work. Duties to one's deceased parents, other like duties, and atonement of sins are all naimittika work.

Nitya and naimittika work bring good to the world. Therefore the great sages order that such auspicious work should be performed. Considering the different natures of the human beings, they thus describe what is called the varnasrama system. According to their natural tendency for work, human beings are thus divided into four classes: 1. brahmana, 2. ksatriya, 3. vaisya, and 4. sudra. In this material world there are also four other divisions, called asramas. The four asramas are: 1. grhastha, 2. brahmacari, 3. vanaprastha and 4. sannyasi. They who are fond of performing akarma and vikarma work are called antyaja (the lowest) and nirasrama (outside the asrama system). The different varnas (classes) are determined according to 1. birth, 2. nature, 3. work and 4 qualities. Whenever the varnas are determined solely by birth, the meaning of the varnasrama system is lost. The different asramas are determined according to these states: 1. being married, 2. not being married, and 3. the renunciation of association with women. They who are married are in the grhastha asrama. They who are not married are in the brahmacari asrama. They who have renounced association with women are in the vanaprastha and sannyasa asramas. Of all the asramas, the sannyasa asrama is the best. Of all the varnas, the brahmana varna is the best. This is all described in the crest jewel of all scriptures, Srimad Bhagavatam (11.17.15-21) in the following words:

"The various occupational and social division of human society appeared according to inferior and superior natures manifest in the situation of the individual's birth.***

"Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, cleanliness, satisfaction, tolerance, simple straightforwardness, devotion to Me, mercy and truthfulness are the natural qualities of the brahmanas.***

"Dynamic power, bodily strength, determination, heroism, tolerance, generosity, great endeavour, steadiness, devotion to the brahmanas, and leadership are the natural qualities of the ksatriyas.***

"Faith in Vedic civilisation, dedication to charity, freedom from hypocrisy, service to the brahmanas, and perpetually desiring to accumulate more money are the natural qualities of the vaisyas.***

"Service without duplicity to the brahmanas, cows, demigods, and other worshipable personalities and complete satisfaction with whatever income is obtained by such service, are the natural qualities of sudras.***

"Dirtiness, dishonesty, thievery, faithlessness, useless quarrel, lust, anger, and hankering constitute the nature of those in the lowest position outside the varnasrama system.***

"Non violence, truthfulness, honesty, desire for the happiness and welfare of all others and freedom from lust, anger, and greed constitute duties for all members of society."***

In the assembly of the wise, everyone can understand the meaning of the scriptures. Therefore I shall not give any comment on these words. I will only say this: The duties of varna and asrama are the root of following the scriptures rules and regulations (vaidha). A country is impious to the degree it does not follow varnasrama.

"Now let us consider: How are the words 'nitya' (eternal) and 'naimittika' (temporary) used here with the word 'karma'? If we consider the deep meaning of the scriptures, we will see that these two words do not refer to the supreme spiritual goal of life. The terms are used with ordinary, or material meaning.

"Words like 'nitya-karma', 'nitya-tattva' and 'nitya-sattva' may be applied only to the soul's pure spiritual position. They cannot be used to refer to anything else. Therefore when the word 'nitya' is used to modify the word 'karma' that 'nitya karma', seemingly of the material world, indirectly refers to the eternal spiritual reality. The karma of the material world is never eternal. When karma is employed in karma yoga, karma yoga leads to the search for jnana (knowledge) and that search leads to bhakti (devotional service), then that karma and jnana may be called 'nitya' because they lead to something that actually is truly nitya.

"Therefore a brahmana's chanting of the Gayatri mantra is called a 'nitya karma' because, even though it is an activity in relation to the material body, it does have an oblique reference to the path of devotional service. Therefore these things may be called 'nitya' even though in themselves they are not really 'nitya'. Such a usage is called 'upacara' (a figure of speech).

"The word 'nitya karma' can be applied truthfully only to Krishna-prema (pure love for Lord Krishna). The word 'nitya karma' can be applied truthfully only to the realm of the spirit. When the activities of this material world are used for advancement in spiritual life, those activities may be called 'nitya karma'. There is nothing wrong with that usage. However, one who sees the truth does not call these activities 'nitya' (eternal). He prefers to call them 'naimittika' (temporary). It is not really true that the words 'nitya karma' and 'naimittika karma' may refer to materialistic activities.

"In truth, the eternal nature of the soul is purely spiritual. The religion that describes the pure soul is the real eternal religion. All other religions are temporary. Varnasrama dharma, astanga yoga, sankhya and austerities are all temporary. If an individual spirit soul is not bound by maya there is no need for him to follow any of these paths. These temporary religions are meant only for souls bewildered by maya. All these religions are intended for certain specific circumstances. Therefore the truth is that they are all temporary.

"The brahmanas are the best of the social classes, the brahmana' duty is to chant the Gayatri mantra, and the sannyasi's duty is to renounce other duties. However all these duties are temporary. All these duties are praised by the dharma-sastras, and they are good for some spiritual aspirants. Still, they are not in any way equal to the eternal duties of the soul, Srimad Bhagavatam (7.9.10) explains:

"If a brahmana has all twelve of the brahmanical qualifications (as they are stated in the book called Sanat-sujata) but is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is certainly lower than a devotee who is a dogeater but who has dedicated everything - mind, words, activities, wealth and life - to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee is better than such a brahmana because the devotee can purify his whole family, whereas the so-called brahmana in a position of false-prestige cannot purify even himself.*

*The twelve brahmanical qualifications here are: 1. truthfulness, 2. self-control, 3. austerity, 4. freedom from envy, 5. modesty, 6. tolerance, 7. freedom from malice, 8. sacrifice, 9. charity, 10 steadiness, 11. hearing the Vedas, and 12. observing vows. A brahmana who possesses these twelve qualities should be honoured by everyone in the world. However, if a brahmana has all these qualities but has no devotion for Lord Krishna, then that brahmana is degraded. Even a devotee who is a dogeater is better than such a brahmana. The meaning here is that the dogeater referred to is a person who has taken birth in a dogeater family, but by association with saintly persons becomes purified (samskara), and because of that purification engages in the eternal spiritual activities of the soul. The brahmana referred to here is a person who has taken birth in a brahmana family, but is averse to the eternal activities of the soul and prefers to perform temporary, material activities in their stead. Such a dogeater is better than such a brahmana.

"Human beings in the material world are of two kinds: 1. the intelligent, and 2. the unintelligent. The material world is filled with unintelligent human beings. Intelligent human beings are rare. Among such unintelligent persons, the brahmanas are the best, and thus the duties of the brahmanas, such as their chanting of the Gayatri mantra, are the best of these kinds of duties. 'Intelligent person' is a synonym for the word 'Vaishnava'. The activities of the Vaishnavas and the activities of unintelligent persons are inevitably very different. However the teachings of the Vaishnavas and the teachings of the unintelligent followers of the smrti-sastras (the so-called smartas) are not really opposed to each other. The teachings of the scriptures are always in harmony with each other. Intelligent persons accept the scriptures as their friends. They do not think that the different duties described in the scriptures have different purposes in the end. The duties prescribed in the scriptures for unqualified persons are indeed different from the duties prescribed for the intelligent. Still, these different activities have the same purpose at their root. For the unintelligent the scriptures prescribe temporary duties as most appropriate. However, temporary duties are all imperfect, horrible, contaminated and short lived.

"These temporary duties are not the same as directly spiritual duties. Temporary duties may be accepted when they follow the spiritual path. Then they help one to attain the spiritual nature. When the means does not lead to the goal, the means should be rejected. Therefore the means is not complete in itself. It is merely a part, a separated fragment of what will be the final goal. Therefore temporary duties are not complete. For example, a brahmana's chanting Gayatri, like his other duties as well, is subjected to various rules and meant to be performed only at certain specified times. All these duties are not manifested from the soul's natural spiritual activities. However, after many days of following such rules a person may become purified by associating with saintly Vaishnavas. Then he develops a liking for the spiritual holy name of Lord Hari. At that time he does not continue other activities, such as the chanting of Gayatri. Chanting the holy name of Lord Hari is the perfect spiritual activity. The chanting of Gayatri and other like activities are only various means to attain the goal, which is the chanting of Lord Hari's holy name. Therefore these activities are not the final perfection. Saintly persons teach that these temporary duties, while honourable in themselves, are still imperfect, horrible, contaminated, and short lived. The spiritual truth is the final goal. Because they bring one into contact with matter and materialists, temporary duties are horrible for the individual souls. Temporary duties are very material. Temporary duties bring with them many irrelevant results. The individual soul naturally attains these results. Even though he does not wish these petty results, he cannot escape them.

"For example, a brahmana's worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is good. However, a brahmana tends to think, "I am brahmana. Other souls are inferior to me." Such a falsely brahmana finds that his worship of the Lord brings a horrible result. Mystic powers obtained by practicing astanga-yoga also bring horrible results. They are very inauspicious for the individual souls. Material sense gratification and impersonal liberation are the two unavoidable friends of temporary duties. Only if he can cheat these two will the individual soul attain his root spiritual nature. Therefore temporary duties are very horrible for the individual soul.

Temporary duties are short lived. The soul's temporary duties are not performed in all situations and all times. For example: a brahmana's brahmana nature, a ksatriya's ksatriya nature, and other like natures also, are manifested because of a particular cause. When the cause ceases to be, these natures vanish. A person may in one birth be a brahmana and in the next birth an outcaste. Therefore the duties of the brahmana caste are temporary. They are not the original duties of the soul. Therefore in reference to temporary duties the phrase 'own duty' is only a figure of speech. That is why in every birth a soul's 'own duty' changes. However, in none of these births does the soul's eternal duty ever change. This eternal duty is the soul's true 'own duty'. Temporary duties are all short lived.

"If one asks, 'What are the duties of the Vaishnavas?' then I answer: The Vaishnavas' duties are the eternal duties of the soul. When he is liberated from the world of matter, the Vaishnava soul attains his pure spiritual body, and with that body he engages in devotional activities that express his spiritual love for Lord Krishna. When he resides in the material world, a person who is intelligent respectfully accepts every thing that advances his spiritual life and rejects all things that hinder it. He does not blindly follow the orders and prohibitions of the scriptures. When the scriptures encourage devotion to Lord Hari then such a person happily accepts those teachings. When the scriptures' teachings do not encourage devotion then he does not follow those teachings. In the same way a Vaishnava also honours or rejects the prohibitions taught in the scriptures. A Vaishnava is the best person in the world. A Vaishnava is the friend of everyone in the world. A Vaishnava is the auspiciousness of the world. In this way I have humbly said all I wish to say to this assembly of Vaishnavas. May the Vaishnavas wash away all my faults and mistakes."

After speaking these words, Vaishnava dasa offered dandavat obeisances to the Vaishnava assembly, and then sat down to one side. The Vaishnavas' eyes were filled with tears. With one voice the Vaishnavas called out, "Well done! Well done!" The four directions of Godruma forest echoed with "Well done! Well done!"

The brahmana singer who had first asked the question could see deep truth in many of the speaker's arguments. Although he still had some doubts, the seed of faith in the Vaishnava religion had been very firmly planted in his mind. With folded hands he said, "O great souls, I was not a Vaishnava. Again and again hearing Lord Hari's holy names, I have now become a Vaishnava. If you are merciful and teach me a little more, all my doubts will go far away."

Then Sri Prema dasa, the saintly paramahamsa babaji, mercifully said, "Stay with Sriman Vaishnava dasa. He is learned in all the scriptures. At Varanasi he deeply studied Vedanta-sutra and accepted sannyasa. By the limitless mercy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, who is the Lord of our lives, he was attracted to Sri Nabadwip. He knows all the truths of the Vaishnava religion. Deep love for Lord Hari's holy names has taken its birth within him.

The questioner was a pious man named Sri Kalidasa Lahiri. Hearing the saintly babaji's words, in his heart he accepted Vaishnava dasa as his spiritual master. In his mind he thought, "This person was born in a brahmana family and he accepted sannyasa. Therefore he is fit to teach a brahmana. Also, I see that he has deeply entered the truths of Vaishnava religion. From him I will learn much about the Vaishnava religion. Thinking in this way, Lahiri Mahasaya offered dandavat obeisances at Sri Vaishnava's feet and said, "O great soul, please be merciful to me." Offering dandavat obeisances to him, Vaishnava dasa replied, "If you are merciful to me, then I have attained my wish."

Lahiri Mahasaya's home was in a secluded part of the village. It was in a grove. In the middle was a cottage of madhavi vines and a platform of tulasi-devi. There were two rooms, one on each side. The yard was hedged with cita bushes. With a bela tree, nim tree, and some other trees bearing fruits and flowers, the place was charming. The proprietor of that grove was named Madhava dasa Babaji. At first the babaji had been a good soul, but by bad association he had fallen away from the Vaishnava religion. Because of improper association with a woman, his devotional practices were now dwarfed. Pushed by poverty, he could not live happily. He begged in many places and rented out one of his rooms. Lahiri Mahasaya was now staying in that room.

In the middle of the night Lahiri Mahasaya's sleep was broken. Again and again he thought of what Vaishnava dasa Babaji had said. Then he heard a sound in the courtyard. Coming outside, in the courtyard he saw Madhava dasa talking with the woman. Seeing him, the woman disappeared. Embarrassed before Lahiri Mahasaya, Madhava dasa stood motionless.

Tears in his eyes, Madhava dasa replied, "O my misfortune! What more can I say? What was I in the past? What am I now? How much faith the saintly paramahamsa babaji had in me! Now I am ashamed even to come near him."

Madhava dasa said, "The woman you saw was my married wife in my former asrama. A few days after I accepted a life of renunciation, she came to Sri Santipura and lived in a cottage she built by the Ganga's shore. Many days passed in that way. Walking by the Ganga's shore at Sri Santipura, I saw her and said, 'Why did you leave your home?' She told me, 'Material life is not good. Now that I am robbed of your feet, I will stay at a holy place and beg alms.' Not saying anything more, I slowly returned to Sri Godruma. At Sri Godruma I eventually stayed at a Sad-gopa's house. Every day, at some place or other, I would see her. The more I tried to avoid her, the more she tried to come near me. Now she stays at an asrama. She comes late at night and tries to ruin me. Now I am infamous everywhere. Because I now associate with her, my devotional service has become dwarfed. I am a cinder that blackens the family of Sri Krishna Chaitanya's servants. Since the time of Chota Haridasa's punishment, I am the one most deserving of punishment. Being merciful, the babaji of Sri Godruma have not yet punished me. But they do not trust me.

Hearing these words, Lahiri Mahasaya said, "Take care, O Madhava dasa Babaji". After speaking these words, he entered the house. The babaji sat on his own seat.

Lahiri Mahasaya could not sleep. Again and again he thought, "Madhava dasa Babaji has fallen down. He is like one who eats his own vomit. I should not stay in this house. Why not? Even if I do not fall down by associating with him, I will be criticised by others. Not trusting me, the pure Vaishnavas will not teach me.

At sunrise he went to Pradyumna-kunja, properly greeted Sri Vaishnava dasa and asked for a place to stay. When Vaishnava dasa informed the saintly paramahamsa babaji of this request, the babaji said he could stay in a cottage on one side of the forest. Lahiri Mahasaya stayed in that cottage and arranged to get prasadam at the home of a nearby brahmana.

Chapter Four

Nitya-dharmer Namantara Vaishnava-dharma

Another Name for the Eternal Religion is the Vaishnava Religion

It was shortly after dusk. Sitting on a leaf-seat in his cottage, Sri Vaishnava dasa chanted the holy names of Lord Hari. It was the dark fortnight. The night was gradually becoming dark. A flickering lamp burned in Lahiri Mahasaya's cottage. Seeing a snake at his doorway, Lahiri Mahasaya quickly trimmed the lamp and took up a stick to kill the snake, but when he came outside with his lamp he did not see the snake. Then Lahiri Mahasaya said to Vaishnava dasa, "Take care. A snake has entered your cottage." Vaishnava dasa replied, "Why do you worry about a snake? Come. Enter my cottage without fear." Lahiri Mahasaya entered the cottage and sat on the leaf seat. Still, his mind was agitated about the snake. He said "O noble-hearted one, Santipura is very good in this way. It is a city and there is no fear of snakes or other dangers. In Nadiya there is always fear of snakes. Especially Godruma and the other forest places. It is hard for a gentleman to live in those places.

Sri Vaishnava dasa babaji replied, "O Lahiri Mahasaya, it is foolish to let the mind be agitated over these things. You must have heard the story of Maharaja Pariksit in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Giving up all fear of snakes, with an unagitated mind he heard nectar descriptions of Lord Hari from the mouth of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. In this way he attained transcendental bliss. No snake can kill a man's spiritual body. The spiritual body is bitten only by the snake of separation from hearing the nectar topics of the Supreme Lord. The material body is not eternal. Some day you must give it up. One may do everything to maintain his material body but still whenever Lord Krishna wills that material body will certainly collapse, and one will not be able to protect it. If the time of one's death has not yet come, one may even sleep beside a snake, but the snake will not harm him. Therefore one who gives up fear of snakes or other dangers may be called a true Vaishnava. If it is afraid of every danger, the mind will always be restless. How can a restless mind always think of Lord Hari's lotus feet? Therefore one should abandon all fear of snakes and all attempts, born from that fear, to kill snakes.

Becoming a little faithful, Lahiri Mahasaya said, "O saintly one, your good words have made my heart fearless. I know that only a person with a noble heart is qualified to attain the final goal of life. The great souls who stay in mountain caves and worship the Lord there are never afraid of wild animals. On the contrary, it is because they fear the association of materialistic persons that they voluntarily live in the forest surrounded by wild animals."

The saintly babaji then said, "When Bhakti-devi (the goddess of devotional service) appears in someone's heart that heart naturally becomes exalted. The whole world loves such a person. Saints and ruffians alike, everyone loves a devotee of the Lord. Therefore every human being should become a Vaishnava."

Hearing this, Lahiri Mahasaya said, "You have given me great faith in the eternal religion. The Vaishnava religion is very close to the eternal religion. That is my belief. I am not convinced that the Vaishnava religion is completely identical with the eternal religion. Therefore I ask you to tell me what you think of all this. Vaishnava dasa babaji then said:

"In this material world two different religions are called by the name the Vaishnava religion. One is the pure Vaishnava religion and the other is the contaminated Vaishnava religion. The pure Vaishnava religion is one, although it is divided into four according to the different rasas. Thus there is the Vaishnava religion in servitorship (dasya), a Vaishnava religion in friendship (sakhya), a Vaishnava religion in parental love (vatsalya), and a Vaishnava religion in conjugal love (madhurya). Still, the pure Vaishnava religion is one. It is not many. 'The eternal religion' and 'the transcendental religion' are merely other names for the Vaishnava religion. The Sruti sastra declares:

"These words refer to the Vaishnava religion. This truth will gradually be revealed to you.

"The contaminated Vaishnava religion is of two kinds: 1. Vaishnava religion contaminated by fruitive work (karma) and 2. Vaishnava religion contaminated by the impersonalist fallacy (jnana). The activities of the Vaishnava religion as conceived by the smarta panditas are the Vaishnava religion contaminated by fruitive work. Although it includes initiation in chanting a Vishnu-mantra, this conception of the Vaishnava religion belittles the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead and makes Him subordinate to fruitive work. According to these people, even though He is the master of all the demigods, Lord Vishnu is merely a part of the process of karma and is Himself subject to the laws of karma. Thus karma is not subordinate to the will of Vishnu, but Vishnu is subordinate to the will of karma. According to them all worship and spiritual practices are merely various aspects of fruitive work, and therefore nothing is higher than fruitive work. This form of Vaishnava religion according to the conception of the mimamsaka philosophers has existed for many days. In India many follow this idea and they claims to be Vaishnavas. They do not accept the pure Vaishnavas to be Vaishnavas at all. Such is the misfortune of the mimamsakas.

Vaishnava religion contaminated by impersonal philosophy is also prevalent in India. According to the impersonalists, in order to attain the qualityless impersonal Brahman one should worship Surya, Ganesa, Shakti, Shiva or Vishnu. Then, when one attains perfect knowledge, he can discard the form that he had worshipped. Then, at the end, he attains the qualityless impersonal Brahman. Accepting these ideas, many persons dishonour the pure Vaishnava religion. The worship of Lord Vishnu is included in the impersonalists worship of five Deities (Surya, Ganesa, shakti, Shiva or Vishnu as described above), and that worship includes initiation, Deity worship, and the other aspects of devotion to Lord Vishnu. Sometimes it may even include the worship of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. Still, this is not the pure Vaishnava religion.

The pure Vaishnava religion is different from these kinds of contaminated Vaishnava religion. It is the true Vaishnava religion. Because of the defects of Kali-yuga, many people do not understand what is the pure Vaishnava religion. They think these varieties of contaminated Vaishnava religion are the true Vaishnava religion.

The worshippers of the Paramatma (Supersoul) wish to meet the Supersoul. Desiring to enter a mystic trance and there meet the Supersoul, they engage in kriya-yoga, karma-yoga, or astanga-yoga. According to these people, initiation into chanting Vishnu mantras, worship of Lord Vishnu, meditating on Lord Vishnu, and other kinds of devotional service, are all various aspects of karma-yoga. Among these people, Vaishnava religion contaminated by fruitive work is manifested.

Srimad Bhagavatam explains that the most fortunate persons are attracted to pure devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such persons engage in Deity worship and the other activities of devotional service. These activities of devotional service are not subordinate aspects of kriya-yoga, karma yoga or the speculations of the impersonalists. Rather, they are aspects of pure devotional service. These activities are the pure Vaishnava religion. Srimad Bhagavatam (1.1.1) explains:

"Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan."*

One should see in this way. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is not different from either the Paramatma or the impersonal Brahman, is the highest, the ultimate manifestation of the Supreme. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Lord Vishnu, who is supreme pure. Individual spirit souls that become His followers are also pure. The activity of such pure souls is called 'bhakti' (devotional service). Hari-bhakti (devotional service to Lord Hari) is also called by the names suddha-Vaishnava-dharma (pure Vaishnava religion), nitya-dharma (eternal religion), jaiva dharma (duty of individual souls), bhagavata dharma (religion of worshipping the Supreme Personality of Godhead), paramartha-dharma (way to attain the final goal of life), and para-dharma (highest religion). Religions that strive to attain the Paramatma and the impersonal Brahman are all temporary religions. A material motive pushes one to seek the impersonal Brahman. Therefore the religion of the impersonal Brahman is materially motivated and temporary. It is not eternal. The individual soul trapped in the material world is eager to escape his material bondage. To escape this material bondage the soul searches for the impersonal Brahman. In this way he takes shelter of a religion that is both temporary and materially motivated. Therefore the religion of seeking the impersonal Brahman is not eternal. Seeking the happiness of rapt meditation (samadhi), a soul may take shelter of the religion of seeking the Paramatma. Thus, seeking a more subtle kind of material pleasure, he follows a temporary religion based on a material motive. Therefore the religion of seeking the Paramatma is not eternal. The religion of serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead is alone eternal."

Hearing these words, Lahiri Mahasaya said, "Please described to me the pure Vaishnava religion. I am advanced in years. I take shelter of your feet. Please be merciful and accept me. I have heard it said that a person previously initiated and instructed by an unworthy person should find a worthy teacher and accept initiation and instruction from him. For some days I have heard your good instructions and now I have faith in the Vaishnava religion. Please be merciful. Teach me the Vaishnava religion and, when your teaching is concluded, initiate me and purify me.

A little embarrassed, the saintly babaji said, "Saintly brother, I will teach you as far as I am able, but I am not qualified to be an initiating spiritual master. However that may be, you should now learn about the pure Vaishnava religion.

"Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the original spiritual master of the entire world, teaches that there are three basic truths in the Vaishnava religion. They are: 1. sambandha (the relationship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the individual soul), 2. abhidheya (the activities in that relationship), and 3. prayojana (the final goal, which is pure love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead). One who understands these three truths can act properly. He is a pure Vaishnava, or a pure devotee of the Lord.

"Within sambandha are three distinct truths: 1. the material world, or the illusory potency maya, 2. the individual soul, or the subordinate living entity, and 3. the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one and unrivalled, the master of all powers, all attractive, the abode of all opulence and sweetness, and the only shelter of both the individual spirit souls and the illusory potency maya. Although He is the only shelter of both the individual spirit souls and the illusory potency maya, He is always supremely independent, and His transcendental form is both sublimely handsome and eternal. The impersonal Brahman effulgence is merely a distant reflection of the splendour of His limbs. With His potency of transcendental power He manifests the material universes and places the individual souls within them. Then He expands to become the Supersoul. As the Supersoul He enters the material universes. In this way He is the Supreme controller. When He manifests His feature of supreme opulence, He is Lord Narayana in the spiritual sky. When He manifests His feature of supreme sweetness, He is Lord Krishnacandra, the gopis' beloved in Goloka Vrindavan. His different forms and pastimes are all limitless and eternal. No person or thing is His equal. Nothing is superior to Him. All His forms and pastimes are manifested by his para shakti (transcendental potency). Of His many different transcendental potencies, three are especially known to the individual souls. One of these potencies is called the cit potency. Employing this potency, the Supreme Personality of Godhead enjoys all His transcendental pastimes. Another of these potencies is called the jiva potency or the marginal potency. By this potency limitless individual souls are manifested and maintained. The third potency is called the maya potency. By this potency all material things, material time, and material activities are manifested. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has a relationship with the individual spirit souls. The material energy and the individual spirit souls both have relationships with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead and the individual souls both have relationships with the material energy. These different relationships are called sambandha. Sambandha is understood when one understands these different relationships. Without first understanding these relationships it is not possible for anyone to become a pure Vaishnava."

Lahiri Mahasaya said, "From the Vaishnavas themselves I have heard that Vaishnavas surrender to their emotions and therefore they have no need for knowledge. What kind of statement is that? I myself, up to this time, have chanted the holy names of Lord Hari only to attain a certain feeling. I did not strive to understand any relationships."

The babaji said, "A Vaishnava's feelings of ecstatic love are the final result of his devotional service. However, such love must be pure. They who think that this ecstatic emotion culminates in oneness with the impersonal Brahman cannot have actions and ecstatic emotions that are pure. Their pure ecstatic emotions are all an empty show. A single drop of pure ecstatic love fulfils all the desires of the spirit soul. However, when that emotion is contaminated by impersonalism, the only result is trouble and calamity for the spirit soul. The devotional emotional displays of one who in his heart thinks he is not different from the impersonal Brahman are merely a trick to cheat the innocent people. Therefore pure Vaishnavas must thoroughly understand these relationships.

Faithful Lahiri Mahasaya then said, "Is there something higher than the impersonal Brahman? If the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin of the impersonal Brahman, then why do the philosophers not leave the impersonal Brahman and worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead instead?"

The saintly babaji laughed and said, "Brahma, the four Kumaras, Sukadeva Gosvami, Narada, Shiva, and all other truly great philosophers took shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's feet."

Lahiri Mahasaya said, "If the Supreme Personality of Godhead has a form situated within space, then that form must also be limited in spatial terms. How, then, can the spatially limited form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead be the resting place of the all-pervading, spatially limitless impersonal Brahman?"

The babaji replied, "Even in the material world the element ether is also all-pervading and spatially limitless. Why then should the impersonal Brahman be considered so glorious, merely because it is all-pervading and spatially limitless? From the splendour of His transcendental limbs the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests the all-pervading, spatially limitless impersonal Brahman, and at the same time His transcendental form is spatially limited, situated in a specific place. Who has seen anyone like Him? Because no one is like Him, and because He has no rival, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the impersonal Brahman. His form is wonderfully attractive. In His transcendental form all-pervasiveness, omniscience, omnipotence, the greatest mercy, and the greatest bliss are gloriously manifest in their completeness. Is this form good? What virtue does it not have? What power does it not have? Is an amorphous, all-pervading, unknowable something good? The truth is that the impersonal brahman is the qualityless aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Personality and impersonality exist side by side in the handsome form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonal Brahman is merely one aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This formless, changeless, qualityless, unknowable, immeasurable feature of the Lord is liked by short sighted persons. However, they who see everything do not like any feature but the original and complete form of the Lord. The Vaishnavas cannot place their faith in the formless impersonal Brahman, for to do so would block their eternal nature and also block their pure love for Lord Krishna. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, is the resting-place of both features: the qualityless Brahman and the quality-filled Supreme Person. He is an ocean of transcendental bliss, and therefore He is attractive to all pure spirit souls.

Lahiri: Krishna was born, performed activities, and then left His body at death. How is it possible that His form is eternal?

Babaji: Sri Krishna's form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss. His birth, activities, and so called death are not material.

Babaji: The eternal Absolute Truth is beyond description. Pure souls see Lord Krishna's form and pastimes. These persons then describe these both with words. Those words are like ordinary historical accounts of material persons. They who know the true meaning of the Mahabharata and the other scriptures understand Lord Krishna's pastimes and other features in one way, and the unintelligent materialists understand Lord Krishna's pastimes and other features in a very different way.

Lahiri: When one meditates on Lord Krishna's form, in one's heart naturally arises the idea of a form limited by both time and space. What other way is there to think of Lord Krishna's form?

Babaji: Thinking is an activity of the mind. As long as the mind is not purified and spiritualised, the mind's activity of thinking and meditating cannot be spiritual in its nature. When it develops a devotional attitude, the mind gradually becomes spiritualised. Then the mind's activity of thinking and meditating is inevitably spiritual in nature. When the Vaishnava devotees, who delight in devotional service, chant the holy names of Lord Hari, the material world has no power to touch them. They are spiritualised. Residing in the spiritual world, they meditate on Lord Krishna's daily activities. In this way they attain the bliss of confidential service to the Lord.

Babaji: When you give up all material arguments and doubts, and when you chant the holy names day after day, then after a few days genuine spiritual understanding will rise in your heart. As long as those material arguments remain, your mind will stay in the shackles of material understanding. When you taste the nectar of the holy name, the material shackles will become loosened. Then the spiritual world will be gloriously manifested in your heart.

Babaji: The mind and words cannot understand it. Only when one attains the bliss of spiritual life can one understand it. Give up all your arguments and for a few days chant the holy names of Lord Hari. Then all your doubts will go far away. Then you will no longer ask any question of anyone.

Lahiri: I know that a person who has faith in Lord Krishna and tastes the nectar of His holy names attains the highest of all goals. I have well understood the relationship of the Lord and the individual soul. I will take shelter of the Lord's holy names.

Babaji: That is the best of all. Understand well your relationship with the Lord and you will directly see the spiritual truth.

Lahiri: I understand the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate form of the Supreme. The impersonal Brahman and the Supersoul are subordinate to Him. He is all-pervading. In the spiritual world He manifests His wonderful form. He is a person, He is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss, and He is the master of all potencies. Even though He is the master of all potencies, He is always overcome with bliss in the company of His hladini shakti (pleasure potency). Now please tell me about the individual spirit souls.

Babaji: Among the limitless potencies of Sri Krishna, one is called tatastha shakti. Positioned between the spiritual and material worlds, this potency can reside in either of them. This potency is also called jiva-tattva (the individual spirit souls). The individual souls are tiny particles of spirit. Because they are tiny particles, they may attain bondage in the material world. However, because they are pure spirit, they may also reside eternally in the supremely blissful spiritual world. The individual souls are of two kinds: 1. souls who reside in the spiritual world, and 2. souls in bondage who reside in the material world. Souls in bondage in the material world are of two kinds: 1. intelligent and 2. unintelligent. Birds, beasts and human beings who do not strive to attain the supreme spiritual goal are the unintelligent materially bound souls. Human beings who follow the path of the Vaishnava religion are intelligent. They who are not Vaishnavas do not actively strive for the real goal of life. Therefore the scriptures declare the service to Vaishnavas and association with Vaishnavas are the best of all activities. Intelligent human beings who have faith in the scriptures and chant the holy names of Lord Hari naturally associate with Vaishnavas. They who are not intelligent do not have faith in the scriptures and do not chant the holy names of Lord Krishna. Even though they may serve the Deity form of Lord Krishna according to the rules passed down through the disciplic succession, in their hearts such unintelligent persons do not properly honour Vaishnavas.

Lahiri: Now I understand the truth about Lord Krishna and the truth about the individual spirit souls. Now please tell me the truth about the illusory potency maya.

Babaji: Maya is matter. Maya is one of the potencies of Lord Krishna. Maya is also called apara shakti (material potency) and bahiranga shakti (external potency). As a shadow stays far away from light, so maya stays far away from Lord Krishna and His devotees. Maya manifested the fourteen material worlds, earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego, which makes one think 'I am this material body'. The gross and subtle material bodies of the bound souls are manifested by maya. When a soul attains liberation, his spiritual body is cleansed of maya's influence. To the extent he is tightly bound by maya, to that extent the soul is far away from Lord Krishna. To the extent the soul is free of maya's influence, to that extent the soul is able to see Lord Krishna face-to-face. The material universe, which is a place of sense-pleasures for the bound souls has sprouted from Lord Krishna's will. The spirit souls do not stay forever in the material world. The material world is only a prison for the spirit souls.

Lahiri: O master, now please tell me of the eternal relationship that exists between maya, the individual soul, and Lord Krishna.

Babaji: The tiny spirit soul is an eternal servant of Lord Krishna. The world of maya is the souls' prison. By associating with devotees and chanting the holy names, the soul attains Lord Krishna's mercy. Then, restored to his original spiritual form, the soul tastes the nectar of direct service to Lord Krishna in the spiritual world. These are the confidential relationships between these three. Without understanding this, how can anyone engage in devotional service?

Lahiri: If one should carefully attain this knowledge, must one become a great scholar before becoming a Vaishnava?

Babaji: A Vaishnava need not study different languages and not become a great scholar. To throw far away the bewilderments presented by maya, what the soul must do is take shelter of the feet of a genuine Vaishnava spiritual master. By the spiritual master's words of instruction and by the disciple's own spiritual activities, the disciple comes to understand the truth of these relationships. This is called diksa (initiation) and siksa (instruction).

Babaji: Living a moral life, one should serve Lord Krishna. This is called abhidheya. Because it is clearly described in the Vedas and all other scriptures, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called this activity abhidheya.

Lahiri (with tears in his eyes): O spiritual master, I take shelter of your feet. By hearing the honey of your words, I now understand my relationship with Lord Krishna. By your mercy all my previous ideas of caste, knowledge, and spiritual instruction are thrown far away. Now please mercifully instruct me about abhidheya.

Babaji: There need be no more worry. Now that you are humble, Sri Krishna Chaitanya will certainly be merciful to you. Association with devotees is the only cure for souls bound in the material world. The bona fide spiritual master mercifully teaches one how to serve Lord Krishna. By engaging in devotional service one gradually attains the goal of life. Thus devotional service is called abhidheya.

Babaji: Devotional service to Lord Hari is called bhakti. Bhakti has three stages: 1. sadhana (devotional service in practice), 2. bhava (ecstasy) and 3. prema (pure love). The beginning stage is sadhana. By again and again performing sadhana, bhava is manifested. When bhava becomes perfect it is called prema.

Lahiri: What are the different kinds of sadhana and how are they performed? Please teach me that.

Babaji: In his book Sri Hari-bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami has elaborately described all this. I will give a brief summary. There are nine kinds of sadhana. In Srimad Bhagavatam (7.5.23) it is said:

"Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia, and pastimes of Lord Vishnu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words serving Him with the body, mind and words) - these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service."*

Thus in Srimad Bhagavatam it is written that the nine kinds of sadhana-bhakti are: 1. hearing and 2. chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia, and pastimes of Lord Vishnu, 3. remembering them, 4. serving the lotus feet of the Lord, 5. offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, 6. offering prayers to the Lord, 7. becoming His servant, 8. considering the Lord one's best friend, and 9. surrendering everything unto Him. Describing the different limbs and sub-limbs that are parts of these, Srila Rupa Gosvami describes 64 different kinds of sadhana bhakti. While considering these points, another topic needs to be explained. Sadhana bhakti is of two kinds: 1. vaidhi (according to rules and regulations), and 2. raganuga (spontaneous). In vaidhi bhakti one engages in the nine kinds of activities previously described. In raganuga-bhakti one engages in the activities of sadhana bhakti, but one becomes a follower of the people of Vraja, and in one's mind one serves Lord Krishna as they do. One should engage in the kind of sadhana bhakti for which he is qualified.

Lahiri: How does one know he is qualified for one or the other of these kinds of sadhana bhakti?

Babaji: A faithful person who follows the rules and regulations is qualified. In the beginning his spiritual master teaches him vaidhi sadhana-bhakti. Then, when the disciple becomes qualified, the spiritual master teaches him how to worship the Lord by following the path of raganuga-bhakti.

Babaji: One who has not yet experienced in his heart the love that characterises raganuga-bhakti, and who instead wishes to serve the Lord according to the rules and regulations described in the scriptures is qualified to engage in vaidhi bhakti. One who does not wish to be ruled by the scriptures' rules and regulations in his devotional service to Lord Hari, and in whose heart a spontaneous love for Lord Hari's devotional service has become manifested, is qualified to engage in raganuga-bhakti.

Lahiri: O master, please tell me for which one I am qualified. I cannot understand these explanations of who is qualified for what. I do not know whether I should engage in vaidhi or raganuga bhakti.

Babaji: If you examine your heart you will understand where you are qualified. In your heart do you see the idea that it is not possible to engage in devotional service to Lord Hari without following the scriptures' teachings?

Lahiri: In my mind is the idea that sadhana-bhakti following the scriptures teachings brings the best result. But now in my mind I also think that devotional service to Lord Hari is a great ocean of nectar, and by engaging in devotional service I will gradually be able to taste that nectar.

Babaji: You can now see that the scriptures' rules and regulations are the ruler of your mind. Therefore you should engage in vaidhi bhakti. Gradually the spiritual love that is raganuga bhakti will manifest in your heart.

Hearing these words, Lahiri Mahasaya, his eyes now filled with tears, touched the babaji's feet and said, "Please be merciful and engage me as I am qualified. I am not able to understand my own qualifications." The saintly babaji then embraced him and made him sit down again.

Babaji: You should chant the holy names of Lord Hari. Taking shelter of the holy names is the most powerful of all kinds of devotional service. The name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are not different. By offenselessly chanting the holy names one quickly attains all spiritual perfections. Therefore with great faith you should chant the holy names. By again and again chanting the holy names, one engages in all nine kinds of devotional service. By chanting the holy names aloud one engages in sravanam (hearing) and kirtanam (chanting). As one chants the holy names one will naturally remember (smaranam) the pastimes of Lord Hari, and in one's mind one will serve His feet (pada-sevanam), worship Him (arcanam), offer obeisances to Him (vandanam), serve Him (dasyam), think of Him as a friend (sakhyam) and surrender everything to Him (atma-nivedanam). In this way one engages in all nine activities of devotional service.

Lahiri: My heart is very eager to receive the holy names. O master, please be merciful. Please don't delay any further.

Babaji: O great soul, without committing offenses, you should always chant this mantra:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

As he chanted these words again and again, the saintly babaji placed in Lahiri Mahasaya's hands a string of tulasi beads. Weeping, Lahiri Mahasaya again and again chanted the holy names on these beads. He said, "O master, I cannot express the happiness I feel today." Overcome with happiness, Lahiri fell unconscious at the babaji's feet. The saintly babaji carefully picked him up. After a long time Lahiri Mahasaya said, "Today I am fortunate. Never before have I been so happy."

Babaji: O great soul, you are fortunate, for you have faithfully accepted the holy names. Thus you have made me fortunate also.

From that day Lahiri Mahasaya chanted the holy names on those beads. Without fear he stayed in his cottage and chanted the holy names. Some days passed in this way. Lahiri Mahasaya wore the twelve tilaka marks. He did not eat anything but Krishna prasadam. Everyday he chanted two laksas of the

Jaiva-dharma (The Universal Religion)

by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

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