KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.1.21
- No spiritual process( karma yoga, jnana yoga, dhyana yoga, pantheism etc,…) can be successful without connection with Krsna. Even the impersonalists become obsessed with the personal feature of the Lord after a pure devotee intervenes. Example – 4 Kumaras, Sukhdev Goswami, etc.,
- There are 3 stages of spiritual advancement –
- Sambandha-jñāna: refers to establishing one’s original relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
- Abhidheya: refers to acting according to that constitutional relationship,
- Prayojana: is the ultimate goal of life, which is to develop the love of Godhead (premā pum-artho mahān).
- Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa
- one can obtain freedom from material existence.
- one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.
- one can completely be liberated from conditioned existence
- one can directly engage in the service of the Lord
- one can overcome all misconceptions and entanglement in the material world
- A person who is addicted to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very easily gets the opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.
- Simply addressing the energy of the Supreme Lord as Hare and the Lord Himself as Kṛṣṇa very soon situates the Lord within the heart of the devotee. By thus addressing Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, one directly engages in His Lordship’s service.
- The essence of all revealed scriptures and all knowledge is present when one addresses the Lord and His energy by the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
- Caitanya Maha Prabhu’s spiritual master instructed Him, – that one must read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and with scrutiny to gradually become attached to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
- The holy name and the Lord are identical. One who is completely free from the clutches of māyā can understand this fact. This knowledge, which is achieved by the mercy of the spiritual master, places one on the supreme transcendental platform.
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu hints that to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa one does not need to speculate on the philosophical aspects of the science of God.
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as an ideal teacher, shows us how a disciple should deal with his spiritual master. Whenever there is doubt regarding any point, he should refer the matter to his spiritual master for clarification. in any condition, even when liberated, we should never think of ourselves as independent of the spiritual master, but must refer to him as soon as there is some doubt regarding our progressive spiritual life.
- One who chants maha-mantra sincerely under the guidance of a bonafide spiritual master increases attachment for Kṛṣṇa, and therefore he sometimes cries, sometimes laughs, sometimes dances, and sometimes chants. These symptoms are very prominently manifest in the body of a pure devotee.
- ‘It is the nature of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra that anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa. It is the preliminary stage ( bhāva, ecstasy, which is the point at which revelation begins) in developing one’s original love for God. Lord Kṛṣṇa mentions this bhāva stage in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8)
- Therefore, It is the aspiration of a devotee that while he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra his eyes will fill with tears, his voice falters and his heartthrobs. These are good signs in chanting the holy name of the Lord.
SB 2.1.21 TRANSLATION:
O King, by this system of remembrance and by being fixed in the habit of seeing the all-good personal conception of the Lord, one can very soon attain devotional service to the Lord, under His direct shelter
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CLASS NOTES:
SUCCESS OF MYSTIC PERFORMANCES IS ACHIEVED ONLY BY THE HELP OF THE DEVOTIONAL ATTITUDE.
Pantheism, or the system of feeling the presence of the Almighty everywhere, is a sort of training of the mind to become accustomed to the devotional conception, and it is this devotional attitude of the mystic that makes possible the successful termination of such mystic attempts. One is not, however, elevated to such a successful status without the tinge of the mixture in devotional service.
The devotional atmosphere created by pantheistic vision develops into devotional service in later days, and that is the only benefit for the impersonalist.
It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5) that the impersonal way of self-realization is more troublesome because it reaches the goal in an indirect way, although the impersonalist also becomes obsessed with the personal feature of the Lord after a long time.
Mayavadis are guaranteeing themselves a fall down. However, one may achieve spiritual perfection by the association of a pure devotee. Kumaras only became actual devotees when they bowed down the feet of Narayana and smelled the Tulasi leaves. Sukhdev Goswami also was an impersonalist, he stayed in the mother’s womb, and after hearing from his father he became a devotee. No spiritual process (karma yoga, jnana yoga, dhyana yoga,…) can be successful without connection with Krsna.
Maharaj was offering a banana to Krsna’s picture. He met an impersonalist who was dressed like a sadhu and he said he was born in Vrindavan. Maharaj was so happy to meet him. He was new to the movement very excited to meet someone from Vrndavan. He did not meet Prabhupada yet. Sadhu took the banana from Maharaj and gave it to the girl who came there. “Why did you take the banana from me?” He said your guru did not
teach you, this girl is Krsna.” Later that sadhu was doing all twists and turns and asanas on the stage. Later Maharaj understood that the person gave the banana to the girl not because she was Krsna. Because of his attraction towards her.
Unless the impersonalists get into the association of pure devotees, they remain incomplete.
Why the lord himself took initiation from Prakashananda in Sankaracharya sampradaya. One day students said to him Gopi, Gopi, Why was he chanting Gopi… because he was seeing Gopis in his transcendental ecstasy. He took Sanyasa initiation in Sankaracharya sampradaya, so he can preach to everyone not only Vaishnavas. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya took Him under his purview and started teaching him Vedanta for an entire week. Caitanya MP did not say anything for the entire week. But in the end, MahaThe so-called kid knows Vedanta in and out. ..
Three stages to understand Krsna – Sambandha, Abhideya, Prayojana.
CC ADI 7.71: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, “My dear sir, kindly hear the reason. My spiritual master considered Me a fool, and therefore he chastised Me.
CC ADI 7.72: “ ‘You are a fool,’ he said. ‘You are not qualified to study Vedānta philosophy, and therefore You must always chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. This is the essence of all mantras, or Vedic hymns.
CC ADI 7.73: “ “ ‘Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa one can obtain freedom from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.
THREE STAGES TO UNDERSTAND KRSNA
According to the Vedic principles, there are three stages of spiritual advancement, namely:
Sambandha-jñāna: refers to establishing one’s original relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Abhidheya: refers to acting according to that constitutional relationship, and
Prayojana: is the ultimate goal of life, which is to develop love of Godhead (premā pum-artho mahān).
If one adheres to the regulative principles under the order of the spiritual master, he very easily achieves the ultimate goal of his life. A person who is addicted to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very easily gets the opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly
Simply addressing the energy of the Supreme Lord as Hare and the Lord Himself as Kṛṣṇa very soon situates the Lord within the heart of the devotee. By thus addressing Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, one directly engages in His Lordship’s service. The essence of all revealed scriptures and all knowledge is present when one addresses the Lord and His energy by the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, for this transcendental vibration can completely liberate a conditioned soul and directly engage him in the service of the Lord.
ŚRĪ CAITANYA MAHĀPRABHU PRESENTED HIMSELF AS A GRAND FOOL, YET HE MAINTAINED THAT ALL THE WORDS THAT HE HAD HEARD FROM HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER STRICTLY FOLLOWED THE PRINCIPLES STATED BY VYĀSADEVA IN ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM (1.7.6).
anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje
lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām
“The material miseries of a living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam], which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.”
One can overcome all misconceptions and entanglement in the material world by practicing bhakti-yoga, and therefore Vyāsadeva, acting on the instruction of Śrī Nārada, has very kindly introduced Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to relieve the conditioned souls from the clutches of māyā. Lord Caitanya’s spiritual master instructed Him, therefore, that one must read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and with scrutiny to gradually become attached to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
The holy name and the Lord are identical. One who is completely free from the clutches of māyā can understand this fact. This knowledge, which is achieved by the mercy of the spiritual master, places one on the supreme transcendental platform. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu presented Himself as a fool because prior to accepting the shelter of a spiritual master He could not understand that simply by chanting one can be relieved from all material conditions. But as soon as He became a faithful servant of His spiritual master and followed his instructions, He very easily saw the path of liberation. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra must be understood to be devoid of all offenses.
(CC ADI 7.74) CHANTING THE HOLY NAME IS THE ESSENCE OF ALL VEDIC HYMNS
“ ‘In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.’
(CC ADI 7.75)
“After describing the potency of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, My spiritual master taught Me another verse, advising Me to always keep it within My throat.
(CC ADI 7.76) FOR SPIRITUAL PROGRESS IN THIS AGE OF KALI, NO ALTERNATIVE TO THE HOLY NAME.
“ ‘For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.’
To chant the holy name of the Lord, one need not depend upon other paraphernalia, for one can immediately get all the desired results of linking with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
It may therefore be questioned why there is a necessity for initiation or further spiritual activities in devotional service for one who engages in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
The answer is that although it is correct that one who fully engages in chanting the holy name need not depend upon the process of initiation, generally a devotee is addicted to many abominable material habits due to material contamination from his previous life. In order to get quick relief from all these contaminations, it is required that one engage in the worship of the Lord in the temple. The worship of the Deity in the temple is essential to reduce one’s restlessness due to the contaminations of conditioned life. Narada muni and Rupa Goswami also confirm this.
(CC ADI 7.77)
“Since I received this order from My spiritual master, I always chant the holy name, but I thought that by chanting and chanting the holy name I had been bewildered.
(CC ADI 7.78)
“While chanting the holy name of the Lord in pure ecstasy, I lose Myself, and thus I laugh, cry, dance, and sing just like a madman.
(CC ADI 7.79) ŚRĪ CAITANYA MAHĀPRABHU HINTS IN THIS VERSE THAT TO CHANT THE HOLY NAME OF KṚṢṆA ONE DOES NOT NEED TO SPECULATE ON THE PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS OF THE SCIENCE OF GOD,
“Collecting My patience, therefore, I began to consider that chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa had covered all My spiritual knowledge.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu hints in this verse that to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa one does not need to speculate on the philosophical aspects of the science of God, for one automatically becomes ecstatic and without consideration immediately chants, dances, laughs, cries and sings just like a madman.
(CC ADI 7.80) ŚRĪ CAITANYA MAHĀPRABHU, AS AN IDEAL TEACHER, SHOWS US HOW A DISCIPLE SHOULD DEAL WITH HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER.
“I saw that I had become mad by chanting the holy name, and I immediately submitted this at the lotus feet of my spiritual master.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as an ideal teacher, shows us how a disciple should deal with his spiritual master. Whenever there is doubt regarding any point, he should refer the matter to his spiritual master for clarification. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that while chanting and dancing He had developed the kind of mad ecstasy that is possible only for a liberated soul. Yet even in His liberated position, He referred everything to His spiritual master whenever there were doubts. Thus in any condition, even when liberated, we should never think ourselves independent of the spiritual master, but must refer to him as soon as there is some doubt regarding our progressive spiritual life.
(CC ADI 7.81)
“ ‘My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? I have become mad simply by chanting this mahā-mantra!
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu prays in His Śikṣāṣṭaka:
yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me
“O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.” It is the aspiration of a devotee that while he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra his eyes will fill with tears, his voice falter and his heart throb. These are good signs in chanting the holy name of the Lord. In ecstasy, one should feel the entire world to be vacant without the presence of Govinda. This is a sign of separation from Govinda. In material life we are all separated from Govinda and are absorbed in material sense gratification. Therefore, when one comes to his senses on the spiritual platform he becomes so eager to meet Govinda that without Govinda the entire world becomes a vacant place.
(CC ADI 7.82) WHEN A DISCIPLE VERY PERFECTLY MAKES PROGRESS IN SPIRITUAL LIFE, THIS GLADDENS THE SPIRITUAL MASTER,
“ ‘Chanting the holy name in ecstasy causes Me to dance, laugh and cry.’ When My spiritual master heard all this, he smiled and then began to speak.
When a disciple very perfectly makes progress in spiritual life, this gladdens the spiritual master, who then also smiles in ecstasy, thinking, “How successful my disciple has become!” He feels so glad that he smiles as he enjoys the progress of the disciple, just as a smiling parent enjoys the activities of a child who is trying to stand up or crawl perfectly.
(CC ADI 7.83) ONE WHO CHANTS THE HARE KṚṢṆA MANTRA DEVELOPS BHĀVA
“ ‘It is the nature of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra that anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa.
In this verse it is explained that one who chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra develops bhāva, ecstasy, which is the point at which revelation begins. It is the preliminary stage in developing one’s original love for God. Lord Kṛṣṇa mentions this bhāva stage in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8):
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” A neophyte disciple begins by hearing and chanting, associating with devotees and practicing the regulative principles, and thus he vanquishes all of his unwanted bad habits. In this way he develops attachment for Kṛṣṇa and cannot forget Kṛṣṇa even for a moment. Bhāva is the almost successful stage of spiritual life.
A sincere student aurally receives the holy name from the spiritual master, and after being initiated he follows the regulative principles given by the spiritual master. When the holy name is properly served in this way, automatically the spiritual nature of the holy name spreads; in other words, the devotee becomes qualified in offenselessly chanting the holy name. When one is completely fit to chant the holy name in this way, he is eligible to make disciples all over the world, and he actually becomes jagad-guru. Then the entire world, under his influence, begins to chant the holy names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Thus all the disciples of such a spiritual master increase in attachment for Kṛṣṇa, and therefore he sometimes cries, sometimes laughs, sometimes dances and sometimes chants. These symptoms are very prominently manifest in the body of a pure devotee. Sometimes when our students of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement chant and dance, even in India people are astonished to see how these foreigners have learned to chant and dance in this ecstatic fashion. As explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, actually this is not due to practice, for without extra endeavor these symptoms become manifest in anyone who sincerely chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
(BG 4.10) BHAVA
According to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.4.15–16), the science of devotional service:
ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-
saṅgo ’tha bhajana-kriyā
tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt
tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas
tataḥ premābhyudañcati
sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ
prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
“In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for self-realization. This will bring one to the stage of trying to associate with persons who are spiritually elevated. In the next stage one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his instruction, the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional service. By execution of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master, one becomes free from all material attachment, attains steadiness in self-realization, and acquires a taste for hearing about the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This taste leads one further forward to attachment for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is matured in bhāva, or the preliminary stage of transcendental love of God. Real love for God is called prema, the highest perfectional stage of life.” In the prema stage there is constant engagement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE BONA FIDE SPIRITUAL MASTER, ONE CAN ATTAIN THE HIGHEST STAGE
So, by the slow process of devotional service, under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, one can attain the highest stage, being freed from all material attachment, from the fearfulness of one’s individual spiritual personality, and from the frustrations that result in void philosophy. Then one can ultimately attain to the abode of the Supreme Lord.