Srimad Bhagavatam 11.12.14-15 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | 13 June 2021
jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī
gopījana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī
yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana
yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
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 12 Verse 14-15.
ŚB 11.12.14-15
tasmāt tvam uddhavotsṛjya
codanāṁ praticodanām
pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca
śrotavyaṁ śrutam eva ca
mām ekam eva śaraṇam
ātmānaṁ sarva-dehinām
yāhi sarvātma-bhāvena
mayā syā hy akuto-bhayaḥ
Synonyms
tasmāt — therefore; tvam — you; uddhava — O Uddhava; utsṛjya — giving up; codanām — the regulations of the Vedas; praticodanām — the injunctions of supplementary Vedic literatures; pravṛttim — injunctions; ca — and; nivṛttim — prohibitions; ca — also; śrotavyam — that which is to be heard; śrutam — that which has been heard; eva — indeed; ca — also; mām — to Me; ekam — alone; eva — actually; śaraṇam — shelter; ātmānam — the Supersoul within the heart; sarva–dehinām — of all conditioned souls; yāhi — you must go; sarva–ātma–bhāvena — with exclusive devotion; mayā — by My mercy; syāḥ — you should be; hi — certainly; akutaḥ–bhayaḥ — free from fear in all circumstances.
Translation
Therefore, My dear Uddhava, abandon the Vedic mantras as well as the procedures of supplementary Vedic literatures and their positive and negative injunctions. Disregard that which has been heard and that which is to be heard. Simply take shelter of Me alone, for I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, situated within the heart of all conditioned souls. Take shelter of Me wholeheartedly, and by My grace be free from fear in all circumstances.
Purport
Śrī Uddhava inquired from Lord Kṛṣṇa about the symptoms of saintly persons and liberated souls, and the Lord has replied in terms of different levels of spiritual advancement, distinguishing between those who are able to understand Lord Kṛṣṇa to be the principal goal of life and those loving devotees who accept Lord Kṛṣṇa and devotional service to Him as the only goal of life. Lord Kṛṣṇa also mentioned that He is captured by His loving devotees and even by those who sincerely associate with His loving devotees. Among all the devotees, the gopīs of Vṛndāvana were described by the Lord as having achieved such a rare state of pure devotional service that Lord Kṛṣṇa personally feels constantly indebted to them. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Lord Kṛṣṇa previously kept the gopīs’ love for Him concealed in His heart because of its confidential nature and the Lord’s own gravity. Finally, however, even Lord Kṛṣṇa could not remain silent about the intense love of the gopīs, and thus in these verses the Lord reveals to Uddhava how the gopīs loved Him in Vṛndāvana and brought Him fully under their control. The Lord would relax in secret places with the loving gopīs, and by conjugal spontaneous affection the greatest love was exchanged between them.
As explained by the Lord in Bhagavad-gītā, one cannot achieve the perfection of life merely by renouncing the material world or by executing ordinary, sectarian religious principles. One must actually understand the identity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and by associating with His pure devotees one must learn to love the Lord in His personal, original form. This love may be expressed in either the conjugal, parental, fraternal or serving rasa, or relationship. The Lord has elaborately explained to Uddhava the system of philosophical analysis of the material world, and now He clearly concludes that it is useless for Uddhava to waste time in fruitive activities or mental speculation. Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa is hinting that Uddhava should assimilate the example of the gopīs and try to advance further in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by following in the footsteps of the cowherd damsels of Vraja. Any conditioned soul who is unsatisfied with the cruel laws of nature, which impose disease, old age and death, should understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa can deliver all living beings from the problems of material existence. There is no need to entangle oneself in unauthorized, sectarian rituals, injunctions or prohibitions. One should simply surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa, following the example of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. By the authorized regulated process of bhakti-yoga, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one easily achieves spiritual perfection.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So after elaborately explaining many different processes, many of which were mixed with karma and jnana, austerity, etc., finally we have a statement by Krishna Himself in which He rejects all of these. This is similar to Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita where at the end He says, sarva dharman parityaja [Bg 18.66], give up all dharmas.
So of course Krishna has explained karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and astanga-yoga in the Bhagavad Gita, also in the Bhagavatam. So then we will ask, why does He explain all of these if He says, give them up? So He describes these different processes for different types of people. And in describing these different processes He also praises them so that these people with different qualifications will pick up those practices.
Nevertheless, the process of bhakti is superior to all of these processes. And one does not depend on any other process. So the more we depend on other processes, the more this is an impediment to bhakti. So therefore, one who is practicing pure bhakti may perform jnana or yoga or karma, etc. But he should never be attached to those processes.
So, of course we can ask, why do them at all? Some people have attachment and therefore they do these things. That attachment in itself is an anartha. So it creates some impurity in the bhakti. So therefore, the only way we can do those activities is to do them but with no attachment. So the only reason we do them is to teach other people.
Of course, we can ask, why even do that? The devotee is merciful to people who are less qualified. So if they can’t do bhakti, let them do these other processes. At the same time, the devotee should understand that bhakti does not depend on these processes. And therefore, one can do them without attachment or one can even give them up. One can give them up.
And that is the indication of this verse where it says, abandon the Vedic mantras. So the word he uses, utsrjya, completely reject [Laughs]. So all of these things that are said in the Vedic literature, forget everything. But this can only be done, if in rejecting those things, we also take complete shelter of Krishna. Until we take complete shelter of Krishna, then we should not reject all these other things.
So of course we can also argue, well, l am not completely surrendered so therefore I have to do this. So that is also true. To the extent we don’t surrender to Krishna, at least let us practice the Vedic principles. But as the devotee advances, he becomes less and less attached to following those principles.
By practicing bhakti, then the devotee will manifest all wonderful qualities. And therefore automatically he fulfills all of the rules of the Vedas. So following the Vedic rules is not simply to follow rules, they have a purpose. All of those rules are there so that we become completely detached from the material world.
And if we practice bhakti yoga, when we become completely attached to Krishna, naturally we are detached from everything in the world. And in these last verses where he describes the gopis, he makes this very evident. So the gopis were so attached to Krishna that they forgot about their bodies. They forgot completely about all the social rules. But this was replaced with complete absorption in Krishna. So therefore the gopis don’t have to follow any rules because naturally they are on the highest level of attachment to Krishna detachment from everything.
So in this verse, in verse 14 talks about pravritti and nivritti that is injunctions. Do this, do this, do this. Nivritti, don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t do that. So we do some actions, pravritti in order to elevate ourselves from lower gunas to the higher gunas. And then we have the injunctions, nivritti. Don’t do certain things in order to preserve our status and not let us fall to a lower position.
So all of this is to purify the jiva. If we perform bhakti, we get the same purification. As I said in the nectar of devotion, the principle of bhakti is two principles. Always remember Krishna, never forget him. So we have the positive injunction, remember Krishna, that’s pravritti. And then we have the negative one, don’t forget him.
So this nivritti is actually same as the positive one, always remember Krishna or don’t forget Krishna means remember him [Laughs]. But when we are completely attached to Krishna, then all of the nivritti takes place. We do not engage in sense activities. We do not engage in material enjoyment. We do not do sinful activities.
So the devotees in Prema have no fault, have no sin. And therefore we can never offend them. Devotees who are practicing, however, and not in Prema, then they may have anarthas, they may have attraction to material enjoyment. So in that stage of sadhana, we do have some nivritti . But all of these nivrittis are also related to bhakti.
So in the 64 angas of bhakti, Rupa Goswami mentioned some negative elements or nivritti. And along with that he gives some positive rules. So we have positive rules like approach and surrender to guru, take siksha and diksha, serve the guru. And of course this is related to performing bhakti. So it’s part of this process of surrendering to Krishna.
And then we have the counterpart, the negative principle. Don’t strive to make many disciples. In other words, we surrender to guru, not try to become a guru. We don’t read many scriptures in order to argue with others, show our learning and get money. We don’t try to get fame and name by making big projects. So we don’t commit violence against other living entities. We don’t commit aparadhas, Vaishnava aparadhas or even aparadhas against devatas. Rather, we respect all living entities. So all of these are essentially part of bhakti.
So in this way, the devotees main principle is surrender and anything that obstructs that, we avoid. So at one point, the Vedic mantras and all the ceremonies of the Vedic rituals, etc. may become obstacle before we reject. At the same time, they may assist the development of bhakti. Therefore, we accept them.
So within this prapanna or saranagati, there are six elements. So one of the first one is to accept what is favourable . Another one is to reject what is unfavourable . So we accept what is anukulya or favourable for development of bhakti. And we reject what is unfavourable to bhakti, that which obstructs bhakti. So following that principle is part of surrender itself.
So in this verse and in Bhagavad Gita, give up all dharmas, give up all Vedic mantras, because they are unfavourable. But this is always accompanied by the positive aspects, surrender to Krishna. So if we follow this principle, we can be successful.
Hare Krishna!
Q & A :
1.) Dandavat pranam Guru Maharaj. So the relationship based upon conjugal love, what is explained in the scriptures, seems to be somewhere in context with the mundane plane. But in the spiritual plane, this is something beyond that conjugal relationship. How do we understand that sort of relationship when we and how we can have complete surrender to have that sort of relationship?
Well, I explained before that we have 12 rasas in the spiritual world and we similarly have 12 rasas in the material world. And the 12 rasas in the spiritual world give bliss. And in the material world, they give us suffering. But we think they’re happiness, but actually they’re suffering. So, in the material world, we have different rasas like madhurya rasa, etc. And through these rasas, we try to be happy. And therefore, we accept them as favourable for ourselves. But, from the spiritual point of view, they are all unfavourable.
So, therefore, we say attachment to wife, attachment to children, attachment to house, all of these things should be rejected. They all revolve around the madhurya rasa, sakhya rasa, vatsalya rasa of the material world. So, we have to reject them all. If we get attached to them, we cannot advance in bhakti.
But, we can establish a relationship with Krishna. And in that relationship, there is no self-interest. So, this relationship is pure. And it gives rise to bliss. We can have similar relationships as madhurya rasa, sakhya rasa, vatsalya rasa, etc. But, there is no fault there. Rather, through these, one experiences the highest bliss. But, in order to get that experience, we have to give up all self-interests.
So, it is artificial to try to get happiness with no relationship at all. That is the position in impersonal Brahman. So, Krishna advises the devotees, you surrender to me. You develop a loving relationship with me. Then you can experience bliss. So, though there are similarities with the relationships in this world, there is also great difference. But we have to strive for these relationships in the spiritual world. That’s the meaning of bhakti. So, we can serve in any of these relationships.
2.) Maharaj, this is regarding the parinishta devotees who do guide other common people. They follow the process of karma and jnana, but without any attachment to those processes. Then, Narada Muni also condemned, or I would say instructed Vyasadeva that by doing that, he is confusing the common people. So, the question is, Maharaj, how is that we can continue to follow this process without attachment? Wouldn’t it not confuse the common people by doing this?
So, yes, we can teach people, encourage them to do karma yoga if they are not qualified for bhakti. And if they are mixed, as I said, then it cannot be pure bhakti. Then they can mix the elements. Therefore, the parinishta devotees can act in this way to encourage them. However, Bhagavatam, and of course Vyasadeva in writing the Bhagavatam has not really encouraged people to follow any other processes except bhakti. So therefore, if a devotee does follow some elements of karma yoga, it would only be for, of course, there are some people who may be mixed devotees and mix the elements, so it encourages them. The other is that only in that they are favourable for his bhakti. And when they are unfavourable , he will give them up.
3.) In the Vipralambha rasa or in the separation of Krishna, when the attachment becomes very strong, it needs a certain amount of qualification to attain that stage. So in that case, how should sadhakas meditate on this Vipralambha pastimes?
So we practice according to our qualification. And if we’re not attracted to the pastime, then we don’t meditate on it. If we have some attraction, then we can involve ourselves to some degree. Great attraction, then of course, we can go into details.
4.) In the purport, Krishna is recommending to assimilate the example of Gopis and to follow the footsteps of the cowherd damsels of Vraja. Rupa Goswami also says that Madhurya Rasa is the highest among other Rasa like Sakhya, Vatsalya, Dasya and Madhurya as Madhurya contains other Rasas as earth contains other material elements. So seemingly it looks like Dasya Bhava practiced by Hanuman or Sakhya Rasa practiced by Arjuna or cowherd boys or Vatsalya Rasa practiced by Yasoda or Devaki are inferior to Madhurya Rasa of Radharani and Gopis. How to please understand this Maharaj?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Is this about priority or what?
Devotee: How is that the other very close associates of Krishna they practice other Rasas but their Rasa is inferior to Madhurya Rasa?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Well, it’s not inferior in one sense. For the individual it is perfection. In the spiritual world there is no inferior or superior. Everything is best. From our point of view, we can analyze and say, this is higher, this is lower. And in one sense, yes, the gopis have more intense love than the others. So, in that sense, it is superior. At the same time, when one experiences Prema in any of its forms, that is considered to be ideal. So we no longer consider this is higher or this is lower. So in spiritual world the rational mind and analytical mind do not have a role to play. Nevertheless in the material world we can use that analytical mind guided by Acharyas and scriptures and we can figure out what is the highest bliss, what is the highest rasa what is the most intense prema. And we can make that our goal.
5.) The impersonalists reject the spiritual world and the Lord’s pastimes as they have no experience of them in the material world. On what basis does the devotee accept the pastimes of the Lord even though he has no factual experience of them?
We accept on the basis of scripture. Scripture tells us things which we cannot approach with the mind or the senses. If we get faith in the scriptures then we accept these.
6.) It seems the intense devotion of gopis controls the time space, even yogamaya and Supreme Lord at some instances. So can we say among all the Shaktis of the Lord and the Supreme Lord Shaktiman, Bhakti Shakti is superior to all other Shaktis of the Lord?
So it’s described, Bhakti is described as the essence of Hladini and Samvit Shaktis. And therefore in that sense it’s the best [Laughs].
7.) Maharaj mentioned about the analytical skills or use of our intelligence in the initial stage of Bhakti under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual master and progress in the process of, path of Bhakti. But when, as Maharaj mentioned, a devotee attains the highest stage of Prema, at that stage, it seems that intelligence or social customs are completely beyond those things and those things really does not matter to them. So can we say, Maharaj, at some certain instances, all these processes and rules is irrelevant for someone who has attained the Prema stage?
That is what is indicated in these verses today. At the same time, a person who has attained this stage, he has achieved the purpose of all of the rules. And therefore, there is no fault in him.
Hare Krishna.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura premanande Hari Haribol!!!