Srimad Bhagavatam 11.10.13 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | 2 April 2021
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11 Chapter 10 Verse 13.
ŚB 11.10.13
vaiśāradī sāti-viśuddha-buddhir
dhunoti māyāṁ guṇa-samprasūtām
gunāṁś ca sandahya yad-ātmam etat
svayaṁ ca śāṁyaty asamid yathāgniḥ
Synonyms
vaiśāradī — available from the expert; sā — this; ati-viśuddha — most pure; buddhiḥ — intelligence or knowledge; dhunoti — repels; māyām — illusion; guṇa — from the modes of material nature; samprasūtām — produced; guṇān — the modes of nature themselves; ca — also; sandahya — completely burning up; yat — from which modes; ātmam — constituted; etat — this (material existence); svayam — itself; ca — also; śāṁyati — is pacified; asamit — without fuel; yathā — just as; agniḥ — fire.
Translation
By submissively hearing from an expert spiritual master, the expert disciple develops pure knowledge, which repels the onslaught of material illusion arising from the three modes of material nature. Finally this pure knowledge itself ceases, just as fire ceases when the stock of fuel has been consumed.
Purport
The Sanskrit word vaiśāradī means “that which is derived from the expert [viśārada].” Perfect transcendental knowledge comes from the expert spiritual master, and when such knowledge is heard by the expert disciple, it curbs the waves of material illusion. Since the Lord’s illusory energy acts eternally within the material world, there is no possibility of destroying illusion. One may, however, destroy the presence of illusion within one’s own heart. To accomplish this the disciple must become expert in pleasing the expert spiritual master. As one advances to the perfectional stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, experiencing the presence of the Lord everywhere, one’s attention shifts to the transcendental platform. At that time, pure knowledge itself, one’s constant technical awareness of illusion, diminishes, just as fire diminishes and is extinguished after consuming its stock of fuel.
Śrīla Madhvācārya has quoted from several Vedic scriptures to show that māyā, or material illusion, is just like a witch who always haunts the conditioned souls. Māyā offers the conditioned souls whatever they like within the three modes of nature, but such offerings are all just like fire that burns the heart to ashes. Therefore, one must understand that the material world is a hellish place, offering a permanent situation to no one. Externally we experience many things, and internally we contemplate our experience, formulating plans for future action. Thus internally and externally we are victims of ignorance. Real knowledge comes from the Vedas, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of perfect wisdom. If we become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, taking complete shelter of the Lord, there will be no scarcity of pleasure, because the Lord is the reservoir of all pleasure, and His devotees freely move within that reservoir.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So this further explains the idea that the guru gives knowledge. And if we have knowledge, we destroy ignorance. However, here an added statement is given. After it destroys the ignorance, then that knowledge disappears. An example is given of fire. When it burns up all the fuel, then the fire disappears. So that looks a little surprising. Because if we develop bhakti and we attain the Lord and we destroy material nature, we don’t suddenly have loss of consciousness of Krishna [Laughs]. So one way of explaining this is that, in the process of cultivating knowledge or jñāna, when one gets the result, liberation, the jñāna disappears. So in the 11th canto of Bhagavatam it is explained that the process of jñāna yoga arises from sattva guna. And when one gets liberation, there can be no more sattva guna. So therefore, that process of jñāna which gave rise to the liberation is no longer present in liberation.
So bhakti is a little different. Pure bhakti does not arise from the gunas. It arises from the svarūpa-śakti of the Lord. So if we do bhakti in this world and we attain prema, how can it get destroyed? Because the svarūpa-śakti of the Lord is eternal. And one of the main elements in the svarūpa-śakti is samvit. So samvit means knowledge. So and of course, in bhakti itself, in bhava stage, that bhava consists of samvit and hladini. So therefore, knowledge, spiritual knowledge does not disappear.
So in jñāna, it can be said yes, jñāna disappears. In the state of liberation, there is no awareness of another object. There is just consciousness. So therefore, in that sense we don’t say we get knowledge of anything [Laughs]. And certainly the sattva guna process of jñāna yoga is no longer present in that liberation. So we could say that, in bhakti, yes, bhakti and prema fine, but as long as we are in the material world, we are doing sadhana bhakti. But the activities of sadhana bhakti such as hearing and chanting etc, they also don’t disappear. So in the spiritual world those activities that are done in sadhana bhakti are still present.
In liberation, there is no study of vedanta. But in spiritual world, people are singing the name of the Lord, they are hearing about the Lord etc. So the activities we do in sadhana bhakti are also eternal. Of course, in sadhana bhakti, we do have some anarthas. So those anarthas are not eternal, they are dissipated by bhakti itself. So whatever anarthas we have obstructs our realization of the Lord. And when we are in prema, then there is no more obstructions.
So any material process that we may use in bhakti yoga, such as our material senses and our material mind, material logic, certainly those are not present in the spiritual world. But we do have a spiritual body, spiritual senses, spiritual intelligence, spiritual logic. So therefore, the process of bhakti is quite different from the process of jnana. The process of bhakti is such that, the nature of the jiva becomes fully manifest. So the nature of the jiva is to know things and to experience bliss. And in prema, the jiva can directly see and know the Lord and experience bliss in relation to the Lord. So certainly everything material ceases in prema but the activities and the knowledge of the jiva do not cease.
For that reason, the devotees condemn that process of jnana. In the perfection of jnana, there is no, jiva doesn’t know anything, it doesn’t experience anything. So in bhakti, yes, there is experience, there is knowledge, but it is completely different from material experience and material knowledge.
So therefore, this example given here does not really apply to the process of bhakti. But it applies to jnana. Or, of course, we can take it to a lower stage, even karma. In order to go to swarga loka, we do different activities of karma yoga. When we enjoy the results, we give up all those activities. So once we achieve the goal, we give up the means. So the goal of bhakti is prema. The means is sadhana bhakti. So we can’t say we give up sadhana bhakti when we attain prema. However, the whole process of bhakti is one. The means and the goal are actually non-different. So we have bhakti as sadhana and bhakti in prema. So the bhakti is never given up. So bhakti simply transforms from sadhana to prema. So all we can say is, concerning bhakti is, yes, if we attain the fire or we attain the goal, then eventually the means, sadhana disappears. But bhakti doesn’t disappear. So that simply means that bhakti progresses from an imperfect state to a perfect state. That’s all it means.
So there is no real difference between sadhana and sadhya, the goal. So, of course, we can take that with the example of chanting the holy name. So for us, the chanting of the name of Krishna is the sadhana. It’s the yuga dharma. So we practice it in order to attain prema. But in prema, we are also chanting the name of the Lord. So the name is present in sadhana, the name is present in prema. So what is the difference? The only difference is that we are chanting with the utmost purity in prema. So bhakti is sadhana and bhakti is sadhya and the holy name is sadhana and the holy name is sadhya. So we never give up the chanting of Krishna’s name. Rather, the name becomes perfect in prema.
So this distinguishes the process of bhakti from karma, jnana and yoga. There, the process or the means is different from the goal. And the sadhana is continued until one attains the goal. Once one attains the goal, you give up the sadhana. That means all of those yogas are temporary. The process of bhakti is eternal. That is natural because everything spiritual is eternal. And that means that, all the other processes or yogas or sadhanas are material [Laughs]. They are all temporary.
So in this way, we understand the superiority of bhakti. Other processes are within the gunas. Bhakti yoga is beyond the gunas. So that is why we have statements in the Bhagavad Gita as performing bhakti yoga, you are beyond the gunas. So for some devotees, this may look contradictory. Say, I chant Hare Krishna, but I am still in the gunas [Laughs]. So what this means is, that the process of bhakti is beyond the gunas, the chanting, the name is beyond the gunas. But your mind and your senses may be in the gunas [Laughs].
So the example is given of the sun and the sky. So, of course, when we have the sun, sometimes there is clouds. And sometimes the clouds cover the sky completely. And you can’t even see the sun. But that doesn’t mean the sun isn’t there. And if you go up in an airplane above the clouds, then the sun is shining as brightly as ever. So the process of bhakti and chanting the name are like the sun. And the only problem is, because we do have gunas, etc, covering our mind, etc., then it’s like the clouds. But the process of bhakti is pure. So the impurities are in the individual. However, if the sun keeps shining and shining and shining, eventually the clouds disappear. So if one continues the process of bhakti or chanting, then, eventually all of the clouds or the anarthas disappear. So then we understand that the name and the process of bhakti are actually transcendental.
There is one offense to the holy name, to consider that chanting of the holy name is one of the karma kanda ritualistic activities for going to swarga loka. So this means that we consider that chanting the name and the process of bhakti are material. Certainly, the processes of karma, jnana and yoga are material. But as I explained, the process of bhakti is not material at all. So we can never compare it to karma. It does not arise from the gunas. And it produces something beyond the gunas. So it is quite different from the process of karma.
One may ask, well, of course karma yoga only gives you swarga loka, but jnana you get liberation which is beyond the gunas. So how can sattva guna, jnana give something beyond the gunas? So our acharyas explain, it cannot give liberation. But the jnani must also do a little bhakti. It’s because of the bhakti that the jnani can get liberation. In other words, liberation is dependent on the mercy of the Lord, not on anything material. The Lord is beyond the gunas. So he can bring you beyond the gunas. So if the jnani does not do bhakti, he cannot get liberation. Therefore, Bhagavatam says that, if a jnani who may think he is liberated, offends the Lord, he falls. So the jnani who refuses worship of the Lord, then he cannot get liberation. So in this way, we see the superiority of the bhakti process.
Hare Krishna !
Q & A :
1.) Maharaj, if pure bhakti does not depend on the gunas, mixed bhakti depends on gunas or not?
Well, it does not depend on the gunas, but we can say that the independent bhakti is mixed with the gunas, so that it becomes impure bhakti.
2.) Maharaj, Hare Krishna. In our pursuit of knowledge in bhakti, how do we ensure that, we are seeking that knowledge on the bhakti platform and not on the intellectual platform?
The best assurance is that we take the knowledge through our sampradaya and we learn through guru, devotees and acharyas.
Devotee: Sometimes we come up with too many questions, so it feels as if it’s on the intellectual plane and not in bhakti.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah. To some degree of course, we may have some questions because it looks like contradictions or whatever. So even the acharyas deal with this to some degree. However, there is a limit, that we can’t just go on asking questions for which, ultimately have, let’s say, are based on material logic. The whole point of questioning is, so that we can practice bhakti yoga properly. And if that is not the goal, then the questions are useless.
3.) Maharaj, are Brahmavadis people who have more bhakti than the Mayavadis?
Well, the Mayavadis reject the Lord, so therefore they do not get liberation [Laughs]. Some Brahmavadis may reject the Lord, some may accept Him [Laughs]. In any case, that bhakti is very little. It is so little that it allows to get liberation. Once they get liberation [Laughs] they have no more devotion to the Lord [Laughs].
4.) Maharaj, we find that compared to Advaita, in bhakti yoga there is more devotion to guru. Is that because that knowledge that we get from guru is eternal, like you explained that this knowledge is eternal?
Are you saying in the Vaishnavism, there is more devotion to guru?
Devotee: Yes Maharaj. In Advaitavada they will say like.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Well, actually, if you look at the quotes we have, most of those quotes are from the Upanishads. And those Upanishads are the same Upanishads that Shankaracharya [Laughs] uses for his [Laughs] exposition of Mayavada philosophy [Laughs]. And they also understand, to get liberation is not common, so therefore, they will also have to go through proper guru and teachings, etc [Laughs]. Probably in ISKCON maybe, or maybe in the Gaudiya sampradaya in general, but more in ISKCON, maybe that devotion to guru becomes a little extreme.
5.) What is the difference between chanting by a devotee who is in prema level and a devotee chanting in vaidhi or sadhana level?
The only difference it’s the same name. And name is like the sun, so the name is the name. It is not different in that sense. But a person in prema, when he is chanting the name, then that name is non-different from Krishna Himself. And the person doing sadhana, then, there is difference, he is not seeing [Laughs], he is not realizing Krishna when he is chanting the name. And that is because too many clouds.
6.) When Maharaj mentioned that at the level of prema, one chants with utmost purity, should we understand that the purity mentioned here means chanting in pure love of their Lordships?
Well, in prema then one has developed a spiritual body, so technically one’s chanting is in one’s spiritual body, one’s spiritual voice [Laughs]. And the spiritual body only develops because that particular jiva has established a pure relationship of prema with the Lord. If there is no relationship with the Lord in prema, there is no use for a spiritual body. And therefore in liberation, the jnani who is liberated, he doesn’t have a vigraha, spiritual form [Laughs].
7.) You mentioned pure bhakti doesn’t arise from gunas. Question is, when does pure bhakti arise in a devotee?
Well, as Rupa Goswami says, we have uttama bhakti or pure bhakti in sadhana, bhava and prema, so it may arise after faith. So it is pure because we are following that rule, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11). However, he would also say it’s not pure like the prema is pure, that’s also there. But if we don’t start practice of pure bhakti in sadhana, then we won’t get to prema.
8.) Maharaj, in this verse it says pure knowledge ceases, so it is not talking about bhakti yoga?
Well, as I said, generally, if you have knowledge of Krishna, realisation of Krishna which is pure knowledge, then how can that cease [Laughs]?
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura premanande Hari Haribol!!!