Smaranam

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

5:05 PM

SB 10.3.11

Devotional service in the mind

NOD 10, techniques of hearing and remembering Second wave of the Eastern section
concerning Sadhana bhakti
Meditation on one’s service, from another purāṇa:
Constantly serving the Lord with items produced in the mind, some devotees have directly
attained the Lord, who is not approachable for others by words or mind. BRS 1.2.182
Jiva Goswami comment. on BRS - Story of a brahmana in South India Pratiṣṭhānapura
Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa
How many of us can do the same? Distracted minds - who can meditate with no distraction

Gaudiya vaishnavism - SMARANA - main limb of raganuga bhakti

Definition of vaidhi and raganuga bhakti “When devotion is prompted by scriptural
injunctions, then that is called vaidhi-bhakti, but when it is prompted simply by spiritual
greed for the bhava of Vrajvasis, then it is called raganuga-bhakti.” SVCT, Ragavartma
candrika

An approach to raganuga bhakti called Siddha Pranali - since 17th century

Gaudiya world - popular in last 20 years
Siddha pranali diksha - the process of giving ekadasha bhava - 11 items of a spiritual
identity(name, form, age, dress, residence, seva, relationship, yuhtha - group, instruction,
ambition, mood
Smarana as the primary limb in raganuga bhakti -Meditation on astha kaliya lila

Authentic process but not the only process for practicing raganuga bhakti
Coming from the line of Sri Dhyanacandra Gosvami, who was the first to mention ekadasa-
bhava in his Sri Gaura Govinda Arcana-smarana Paddhati (1650 AD approx.).
That siddha-pranali was not practiced or taught by the Six Gosvamis.
Rupa Goswami in BRS:
seva sadhaka rupena siddha rupena catra hi
tad bhava lipsuna karya vraja-lokanusaratah

Mānasī sevā needs a sāttvic mind, especially freedom from desire to enjoy the
association of the opposite gender

Historically Too much stress on siddha rupena seva, manasi seva by the proponents of
raganuga bhakti resulted in sad state of the sampradaya, broken temple, no preaching, no
printing books…..

That siddha-pranali should never be given to kanistha-adhikaris - degradation of

the sampradaya
But unfortunately it is : examples

Mockery - Farce - two devotees having same Siddha deha, one getting two different from
same guru or two diff. gurus Cheating business
Harming the personal spiritual life and the reputation of the sampradaya

Deception - giving siddha pranali diksha to neophytes

Letter of November 1930 by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur: " ....By attaining anartha-
nivritti, one’s svarupa is automatically awakened, and the eternal mode of thinking that is innate to
it manifests. Those who profess to teach or reveal this identity are deceitful, for it cannot be done.
On the other hand, if a devotee receives some inspiration after sincerely chanting for a long time, he
should go to a sad-guru or an advanced devotee and ask that it be confirmed and purified by him.
The svarupa has eleven aspects (ekadasa-bhava). There are many cases of unscrupulous gurus who
artificially force-feed these topics to unqualified practitioners, yet that cannot be called a symptom
of spiritual perfection . Those who have achieved ‘svarupa-siddhi ‘ gain such realization through
internal revelation; the guru’s only involvement is to assist his disciples’ ongoing advancement. As a
sadhaka progresses toward siddhi, all these things are naturally revealed within the heart that
sincerely hankers for service.
Meditating on sex life Prakrita Sahajiya
"he is given this meditation, although he is not qualified, the practice of this meditation will naturally
agitate his mind. Externally he will make a show of being a sadhu, but internally his mind will be
completely full of the desire for sex. Then he has to become a hypocrite here, in the land of Sri Krsna. In
the name of doing the highest sadhana, he will become a debauchee. He will be forced to engage in illicit
sex life" Haridas Shastri

opens the door of misconceptions and leads the devotee into the swamp of practices that
are incongruent with his stage of development.
the guru does not know all the details of the svarupa of the neophyte disciple.
Sri Krsna will not reveal the disciple’s svarupa to the guru, nor will Sri Krsna inspire the
guru to reveal it to the disciple before the disciple has developed mature lobha, at least in
the stage of ruci

UNDERSTANDING SMARANAM
Why people fall for this deception:
SECRET -2006 bestseller Rhonda Byrne 30mil. copies, Law of attraction - whatever you
focus on you attract to your life
Idea that by visualizing pastimes and projecting yourself within you will one day be there -
"More you believe in your imaginary siddha deha more you are there."
Without genuine lobha and predominately sattvic mind this process is simply self-
deception.

Not understanding what SMARANAM actually is, and how it is actually performed
They think that the word smaranam used by our Gosvamis means the same as the word
“remember” that regular people use in everyday life.
Rupa Goswami: smaranam means contact of the mind with Sri Krsna’s name, form, etc.
atha smṛtiḥ—
yathā kathaṁ cin-manasā sambandhaḥ smṛtir ucyate ||175||
Somehow or other connecting the mind to the Lord is called remembrance
(BRS 1.2.175) In other words, factual contact of the mind with Sri Nama Prabhu; factual
contact of the mind with his divine form, not your imagination; contact of the mind with the
actual pastimes, not your mechanical visualization of something you have no experience of.
It does not mean contact of the mind with the external syllables of namaparadha.
It does not mean contact of the mind with material samskaras aroused by reading the lila
Perception of an object- material/spiritual
There are three features of a perception:
1) The sound of a word.
2) The meaning of that word.
3) Perception of the actual object indicated by the word.
These three are distinct for material objects. The experience of the oneness of these three
features in relation to a material object is called kalpana or vikalpa – imagination. (tatra
sabdārtha-jnāna-vikalpaih sankirnā savitarkā samāpattih – Yoga Sutra1.42)
However, for spiritual objects, manifestations of advaya-jnana-tattva, the nondual-
conscious-reality, there is no difference at all between the sound, the meaning, and the
object. In this case, it is the perception of the difference between these three that
constitutes kalpana or vikalpa. The Lord’s name and form are vikalpa-rahita
(Bhag.6.8.32) (the absence of difference).
The sixth offence is described:
hari-nāmni kalpanam
To give some concocted interpretation on the meanings of the Holy Name.
to cover the potency of the Sri Nama Prabhu with imagination is an offense to the Holy
Name
If one makes separate endeavors to mechanically visualize pastimes with the
material mind while ignoring the sound of the Holy Name, wherein the actual pastimes
factual exist, that means that he thinks that the Holy name is different from the lila, then
the subject of one’s visualization is entirely prakrta in nature. And he can be called prakrta-
sahajiya.
as long as the mind is inflicted with duality, there can be no awareness of any aspect of
Sri Krsna, the advaya-jnana-tattva, or even of brahman, the least of his attributes.
It should be understood that genuine smaranam performed while chanting arises
automatically when Sri Nama Prabhu is uncovered from the influence of kalpana.
Therefore, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura writes: so’pi smarana-prayatnah
sravana-kirtanavato bhaktasya nāvasyaka (Bhag 2.8.4) “For he who engages in
hearing and chanting there is NO necessity to endeavour for smaranam.” That is,
smaranam takes place automatically.
Those who engage in mechanical lila smarana while chanting are simply covering the
potency of the sun of the Holy Name with the dark clouds of massive amounts of kalpana –
and calling it “lila-smaranam”.
Hearing and chanting is the sadhana to purify the heart in the beginning stages of bhakti
If smaranam is a sadhana to purify the heart in the stages before nistha, why does
Srila Jiva Gosvami say the exact opposite in Bhakti Sandarbha 275?
atha saranāpatty-ādibhih suddhāntah-karanas cet.. smaranam kuryāt
"By surrender, hearing and chanting, and so on, IF the citta has become pure, one may
take up the practice of smaranam." Bhakti Sandarbha 275.
Srila Jiva Gosvami say that even nama-smaranam cannot be properly performed without
a pure citta
nāma-smaranam tu suddhāntah-karanatām apeksate
"Nama-smaranam certainly depends on the antah-karana (citta) being suddha."
This further illustrates the point that our material concept of the word “remember” and the
sense in which the Gosvamis use the word “smaranam” are completely different. Anyone
can “remember” Sri Krsna’s name, as we all do, but only those with a pure citta can do
“smaranam” of Sri Krsna’s name.
pure antah-karana simply means predominantly sattvika citta, since the element of
citta in its uncorrupted state is predominantly sattvika.
How the heart becomes suddha, clean or satvic?
In the words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
saṅkīrtana haite pāpa-saṁsāra-nāśana
citta-śuddhi, sarva-bhakti-sādhana-udgama
By chanting the holy name sinful material existence is destroyed, heart is purified and all
varieties of devotional service are awakened. CC 3. 20.13
“Once the citta is pure, then all the genuine practices of sadhana-bhakti begin.
Another approach to raganuga bhakti - everything is revealed by the name
“At first a person must hear the holy name to achieve purity of the antahkarana, or
psychological faculty (citta). Thereafter, when his citta has become pure, it is a fit
appearance place for the Lord’s beautiful form, and as soon as the Lord’s form thoroughly
manifests in his heart as a result of hearing descriptions of that form, the devotee
experiences revelations (sphurti) about the Lord’s qualities. As the Lord’s qualities fully
unfold, the defining characteristics of His associates (and thus His own defining
characteristics and His unique interrelationship with each of them) are exhibited. After
that, when the Lord’s name, form, qualities and associates have completely manifested in
the bhakta’s heart, the Lord’s pastimes blossom in their full splendour. The progression of
sädhana has been delineated in this way with the intention of acquainting the devotees
with the sequential process involved in the Lord’s appearance within their hearts. The
same sequence is applicable in regard to the practice of kirtana, chanting, and smaranam,
remembrance.” (Bhakti Sandarbha 256)

Offenceless chanting - the only way to realize lila

We must learn to hear the holy name with one pointed attention
Manana - reflection The word manana means to reflect on the subjects which one has
heard or read about, along with their meaning. Without this kind of reflection, hearing
alone is incomplete and ineffective.

Story of Gokarna - Bhāgavata-māhātmya

The instructive tale of Gokarṇa is found in the section of Padma Purana known as “The
Glories of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam” (Bhāgavata-māhātmya). Gokarṇa was the adopted son
of the brahmin Ātmadeva and his wife Dhundhulī. Dhundhulī and her husband also raised
her sister’s child Dhundhukārī, who unfortunately was very wicked. Because of his sinful
life, when Dhundhukārī died he became a ghost and haunted his family’s village. Out of
compassion for his stepbrother, Gokarṇa recited the entire 12 cantos of the Bhāgavatam
over a period of seven days and, when it was over, Dhundhukārī was liberated from his
ghostly body. Where he had previously been invisible, he suddenly appeared before the
entire assembly of devotees in a wonderful form, described in the Bhāgavata-māhātmya as
follows:

divya-rūpa-dharo jātas tulasī-dāma-maṇḍitaḥ

pītavāsā ghana-śyāmo mukuṭī kuṇḍalānvitaḥ

“Dhundhukārī manifested before them in a marvelous, beautiful deep blue-colored form,

garlanded with tulasī leaves and wearing a yellow cloth, a jeweled crown, and earrings.”
(Bhāgavata-māhātmya 5.51)

Dhundhukārī prostrated himself before his stepbrother and thanked him sincerely for
having recited the entire Bhāgavatam for his benefit. As he was himself energetically
glorifying the seven-day recital of the Bhāgavatam, a marvellous celestial carriage, attended
by residents of the Vaikuṇṭha world, descended into the midst of the assembly, brightening
the surroundings with their effulgence. Before the eyes of the amazed spectators,
Dhundhukārī boarded the lustrous carriage. Before leaving, however, Gokarṇa asked the
denizens of Vaikuṇṭha the following important question:

“There were many people in the audience who were purified by listening to the
Bhāgavatam recital. Why then were celestial carriages not brought for all of them? I
observed them all participating equally in the act of hearing. Please explain, O beloved of
Hari, why there is a difference in the results they have gotten?”
(Bhāgavata-māhātmya 5.69-70)

The associates of the Lord answered by speaking the following verses:

śravaṇasya vibhedena
phala-bhedo’tra saṁsthitaḥ
śravaṇaṁ tu kṛtaṁ sarvair
na tathā mananaṁ kṛtam
phala-bhedas tato jāto
bhajanād api mānada

“The difference in results comes of the differences in the quality of their hearing. Everyone
present, it is true, listened to the Bhāgavatam, but not everyone reflected on what they had
heard. The difference in results came from this, as well as from the quality of their worship,
O respectful one.” (Bhāgavata-māhātmya 5.71)

“The ghost listened for seven days, but each night he worshiped the Lord, during which
time he reflected with concentration on what he had heard. Knowledge which is unstable is
lost, as is the learning of someone who has been inattentive. Japa done without
concentration or hearing advice which comes from a doubtful source are both
wasted. A land without Vaishnavas is worthless, as is the offering of oblations by a person
without qualifications, charity given to an unlearned person, and a family which has no
ethical principles. In order to obtain the fruits of hearing the Bhāgavatam, one should have
faith in the words of the spiritual master and an attitude of humility about his own worth;
he should be victorious over the flaws of the mind and have unswerving concentration on
the topics he is hearing.

“When all these people hear the Bhāgavatam a second time, they too will gain eternal
residence in Vaikuṇṭha, of this there is no doubt. As for you, Gokarṇa, Govinda will
personally take you to Goloka, the abode of the cows”
(Bhāgavata-māhātmya 5.72-77)

After thus speaking to Gokarṇa, the associates of Lord Hari began to loudly sing the Lord’s
names, ascending to Vaikuṇṭha with the transformed Dhundhukārī.

In the following month of Śrāvaṇa, Gokarṇa undertook a second Bhāgavata-saptāha. The

same audience was again present, but this time they listened more carefully than they had
previously. At the end of the week, there was the most wonderful epiphany. Śrī Hari
Himself descended into the assembly, surrounded by innumerable associates in
innumerable celestial carriages. The sounds of prayer and glorification resounded in every
direction. Even Lord Hari Himself added to the auspicious cacophony by blowing the conch
Pāñcajanya, which He always holds in His hand. The Lord then embraced Gokarṇa tightly,
transforming the devotee, who took the dark form of a Vaikuṇṭha resident with four arms,
yellow silk dress, and jewelled crown and earrings. Instantly, everyone in the assembly was
similarly transformed. Even other creatures, and lower-caste residents of the village were
also transformed into divine beings and, as a result of Gokarṇa’s mercy, were given places
in the celestial carriages and taken to the transcendental abode sought after by the great
yogis. The Lord of the cows, Gopāla, took Gokarṇa, His dearmost devotee, with Him to His
own abode of Goloka.