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GAUDIYA
Spiritual Monthly

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Vol. LIV JANUARY 2011 No. 5

MANGALÂCHARANAM

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O God, if our devotion to Thee becomes firm and steady, then
wilt Thou, as a matter of course, appear in us with Thy Divine
Adolescent Form. Then emancipation itself will serve us with
folded arms and the fruits dharma (ritualistic virtue), artha
(affluence or means by which objects of desire are secured) and
kama (enjoyment) will be waiting for the time (when their service
may be requisitioned).
-Sri Leelãshuka Bilvamangala

JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA 1

˛
 Pithy Precepts of Srila Prabhupâd
Subject-matter
of Vedanta.
Arrangement
According to
Panchanga Nyaya: –
The arrangement of the
Aphorisms is called in
four principle chapters
and each chapter is
again divided into four
sub-chapters known
as Padas or quarters of the principal heads.
Each pada has dealt with a different subject
and this department consists of some
aphorisms or a singular aphorism even
where five different syllogistic aspects are
dealt with. Whenever a theme is under
consideration of a particular Adhikarana
we observe the five stages of dealing with
the subject, viz., Vishaya (subject),
Samshaya (doubt), Purvapaksha
(opposite argument), Siddhanta
(harmonised conclusion) and Sangati
(consistency of the conclusion). No
subject-matter can be confidently accepted
unless it passes through the five processes
of logical or rational departments. The
different commentators have arranged and
treated the subjects in different ways. So
the Adhikaranas are not accepted in the
same line by every commentator. Some
Aphorisms are accepted by a particular
commentator as Purvapaksha and by
another as Siddhanta. So there is a change
traceable in dealing with the Aphorisms.
The Subject-matter of different
Chapters of Brahma Sutras:–
The four chapters are designated as
(1) reconciliation of all Shastras in
Scriptures (Samanvaya), (2) consistent
reconciliation of apparently conflicting
hymns (Avirodha), (3) the process of
2
2 THE GAUDIYA
attaining the Goal (Sadhana) and (4) the
desired fruit accrued by such procedure
(Phala).
Different Commentaries:
1. Srimad Bhagavatam:– We often
hear that the different systems of religious
currents in India have more or less derived s
their orgin from the different interpretations
of Vedanta. None is recognised as the
leader of a school unless he can maintain his
position as a commentator of Vedanta-
Darshan which is known as the treatise of
the Vedas as well as an authoritative
refutation of all the different systems that
might oppose the original source of religions
of India. Two contending parties have
decided the fate of Religious India, viz. the
philosophers who have got a tendency to
differ from the religionists by their rationalism,
and secondly, the communities who have
secular views different from those entertained
by religionsts. Early inculcations of religious
view would show us a less civilised
interpretation of usages in society; whereas
when they were opposed by different
scholastic views, they mended their course
a little to meet the invaders their exploitations.
The Aphorisms were meant to give an
undeviated decision of the apparently
conflicting impressions of the hymns, but a
frustration of the aim and object to gain some
designed results transpired according to the
whimsical temperament of the anti-Vedantists
who had an inimical motive of attacking the
undeviated devotional principles. An
apprehension was detected by the writer of
Aphorisms of such insinuations; so he
undertook the task of furnishing a true
interpretations that might check the exploiting
stultified from diverting the people from the
Absolute Truth.
JANUARY 2011
 Thus Spake Srila Âchâryadeva
A fascination for
the ejnoyment of
karma fruits makes us
forget the true
significance of karma
in our life as a whole.
We have forgotten to
take into account the
meaning of karma in
the totality of our life.
Intoxicated with the
outward glamours of so-called successful
karma which we call civilisation we turn a
deaf ear to its true inner significance. We
turn away from its inner evolution. Every
right-thinking soul must admit that this is the
worst tragedy underlying modern
civilisation. Thus instead of showing the
path of liberation for which the human spirit
yearns, his karma binds him down in its
satanic coils and life beomes encumbered
with baffling complexities at every moment.
The real aim of karma is not enjoyment
which must be ephemeral and misleading;
but awakening of the inner consciousness
and yearning to know the Truth–
tattwajijnasa.
The karma binds the human soul with
sin instead of showing it the way of its ever-
desired emanicipation and every moment
the life becomes shattered by the various
intricacies and failures. So many
disappointed persons, specially many
westerners have begun to consider the life
as a curse. The Srimad Bhagavata has
stated that the aim of karma is not to have
the enjoyment which is very transitory and
also it leads the person astray. But the
karma also creates consciousness in the
mind and stirs it up to search for the Truth,
the Tattvas. So the Gita has also said in
sloka IV/18 that ––
Among the human beings, he is the p
JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA
wisest who finds non-action (akarma) in
action (karma) and action (karma) in non-
action (akarma). Such man is the Yogi and
the performer of all actions (the point stressed
here is the action without any desire, for the
result–nishkama-karma).
‘‘Karmakanda jnanakanda sakali
visher bhanda Amrita boliya yeva khaye,
Nana yoni sada fire Abhakshya
Bhakshan kare Tar janma adhahpate
yaye.’’
The system of karma and jnana are
the pitcherful poison. Those who drink the
contents of those pitchers pass through
various births eating all uneatables. His birth
down-grades him.
To become karmi or jnani is not the
function of the jivatma. To serve Sri
Kirshna is his permanent function of day to-
day. The Sri Krishna Kirtana, when done
improperly yield the shadow of the real
welfare but never the real self-welfare. It is
necessary to weed out the grass plants for "
rendering welfare to the paddy plant. But
care must be taken not to weed out the m.
paddy plant along with the grass plant.
Srila Narottam Thakur, the renowned
Vaishnava Acharya in his book called
‘‘Prema Bhakti Chandrika’’ has written a
poem,
,b
the english rendering of which is:–
‘Don’t have a liking for sin. The sinner
is a down-graded person. Keep him at a
distance. The comfortable denizen (Sukher
Dham) is a void. Don’t utter its’ name.
Leave away both the mukti and virtue. The
loving service to God, the Prema Bhakti, is
the ocean of nectar. Always go deep into it.
The rest are almost the ocean of alkali (the
n
kshar). All the sufferings will be covered
and you will constantly enjoy happiness if
T
you can achieve the Paratattva.’
3
 It is really true that the karmins do not
find any real peace in life which is the result
achieved by performance of karma.
Elevation or the physical and mental
amelioration of the world is the ultimate goal
of fruitful action. They think that by the.
mechanical performance of elaborate rituals
they will get pleasure in Heaven. The
karmins thus become despaired of their
own system and try to seek elswhere the
real peace, which they think will be available
in the culture of Jnana. But to speak the
truth, they do not find it in this system also
as the Jnana they think will bring about
cessation of all affliction, which they call
mukti (salvation). But the real significance
of mukti is existence of self in its real nature
(swarupena avasthiti hi mukti) and this
is the positive aspect of mukti consisting of
possession of bliss, while the former is the
negative aspect having no real existence.
With mukti there is destruction of birth and
rebirth, but the world, being a manifestation
of brahman is never destroyed except when
Krishna wishes to take it back within
Himself. Wisdom and ignorance are both an
constituents of maya. This ultimate end of
Jnana is liberation or emancipation from
worldly bondage.
The latter form of mukti is attainable
by association with real sages to whom the
aspirant gets an oppportunity to listen to. The
discourse of sadhus about the glory and
immense power of God is very pleasing to
the heart and ear. Continued listening to the
discourse
civre soon generates reverence,
devotion and attachment to God. All the
doubts are dispelled and attachment to the
mundane objects disappears, all karma
tendency diminishes and the listeners
become fortunate to have a communion with
the Supreme Lord. Study of scriptures
and sacred texts has been enjoined on
aspirant as obligatory.

ALMANAC for the months of JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2011

16.01.2011 Sun Putradâ Ekâdashi Fasting. Nextday Pârana between 6.25 and
9.59 a.m. Demise of Srimad Bhakti Sharan Madhusudan Maharâj
17.01.2011 Mon Appearance of Srila Jagadish Pandit
22.01.2011 Sat Demise of Sripad Nityânanda Brahmachâri
23.01.2011 Sun Demise of Srimad Nayanânanda Dâs Bâbâji Maharâj 302.9
24.01.2011 Mon Appearance of Srila Gopâlabhatta Goswâmi, Disappearance of Srila
Râmachandra Kavirâj
25.01.2011 Tue Disappearance of Srila Jayadeva Goswâmi
26.01.2011 Wed Disappearance of Srila Lochan Dâs Thâkur.
27.01.2011 Thu Demise of Srila Bhakti Vilâs Thâkur
29.01.2011 Sat Demise of Srila Gadâdhara Dâs Bâbâji Maharâj
30.01.2011 Sun Pakshavardhini Mahâdwâdashi Fasting, Next day Pârana between
6.22 and 10.21 a.m.e
08.02.2011 Tue Vasanta Panchami. Advent of Sri Vishnu Priyâ Devi, Appearance of
Srila Pundarika Vidyânidhi, Srila Raghunâtha Dâs Goswâmi, Srila
Raghunandana Thâkur. Disappearance of Srila Viswanâtha
Chakravorty Thâkur. Demise of Srimad Bhakti Vivek Bhârathi
Maharâj. Saraswati Pujâ
10.02.2011 Thu Advent of Srila Advaita Achârya
12.02.2011 Sat Disappearance of Srila Madhvâchârya
13.02.2011 Sun Disappearance of Srila Râmânujâchârya
14.02.2011 Mon Bhaimi Ekadâshi and Advent of Lord Sri Varâha Deva Fasting. 28.9
Next day Pârana between 6.14 and 9.59 a.m.

4 THE GAUDIYA JANUARY 2011

m
 SRI GURU PRESHTHA
THE BELOVED OF SRI GURU
Sripad B.S.Narayan Maharaj

(Contd. from December issue) Chaitanya’s instructions of ‘being humbler

Lord Gauranga is the only shelter of than a blade of grass, forbearing like a
pure devotees, so also He is the only patient tree, not expecting self respect, and
Object served in association of pure giving due respect to all others, while always
devotees. For the realization of this fact, chanting Divine Names and narrations.’
the devotional doctrine ‘Achintya When the wealth and resources of the
Bhedabheda’ unites together all my beloved mission started growing, it created
and friendly disciples in one thread along prejudicial feeling of the worldly-minded
with my previous spiritual Masters who people, to subject me too to discomfort.
shower their affectionate benedictions upon In search of seclusion I began to often dwell
me. This is the very spirit of Brahma Sutra, in the Ekayan Math of Hansa Kshetra,
which unites all the away from Sri
Vedic doctrines Mayapur. Feeling
which apparently Note for my plight of
appear to be Wherever ‘Srila Prabhupad’ is inconvenience,
mutually contro- mentioned it refers Srila Bhakti my beloved
versial. Srimad Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Kunjada took up
Bhagavatam is the Thakur only, Who is the illustrious the initiative and
genuine com- Founder Acharya of Parent arranged for my
mentary of the Organisation Sri Chaitanya Math,of stay at Sri
Brahma Sutras. the present Gaudiya Vaishnava Chaitanya Math
The essence of Movement throughout the world. compound itself,
revealed scriptures by constructing a
is manifested in the room for me
two holy books namely, ‘Sri Chaitanya through Sri Bhakti Vijay and accommodated
Bhagavata’ and ‘ Sri Chaitnya Charitamrita.’ u me there. As a result of it, I could remain at
These are the verbal representation of the the upstairs of Bhakti Vijay Bhavan as a
Supreme Lord, in Bengali language. This servant of the ‘Garuda-Stambha’ in
is the very fructification of the words of poet Chaitanya Math. Lord Sri Narasimha, the
devotee Nayanananda. Among the fivefold redeemer of devotees’ sufferings has
chief organs of devotion, the most prevailed upon Sri Ganesha and taken away
prominent are Sri Hari Nama Sankirtana his monopoly. As separated from the Lord,
and the reading of Srimad Bhagavatam. the combined feeling of goodness (sattva) o
This is the eternally manifested spiritual and ignorance (tamoguna) is Ganapati. Sri
service of the Lord; this itself is the service Prahlada who tolerated innumerable
of the devotees; this constitutes the doctrine sufferings in life is more ideal for the
of ‘simultaneous distinction and identity.’ devotees, than the demigod Ganesha.
Spiritually enlightened Prahlada has guided
I am a person fully committed to Lord
the masses afflicted by worldly sufferings

JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA 5

 towards the holy path of spiritual culture.
Sri Prahlada, acting like a ‘Garuda-
Stambha’ has initiated the masses in the vow
of serving Lord Narasimha. Sri Anjaneya
too as Garuda-Stambha in Rama Lila has
shown the ideal devotional service of Lord
Sri Ramachandra to the world. Our Lord
Sri Gaur Sundar being the very fountainhead
Avatari, is identical with Lord Krishna, the
Spouse of Srimati Radhika, hence He
dwells upon the same throne as Lord
Krishana along with various extensions of
the Lord, pertaining to the sentiment of
Madhura Rasa. As the devotees, associates
and servitors of those divine extensions,
various groups and arrays of different
categories are there. The replica of my
preceptors, and the replica of my beloved
disciples, both shall remain on the throne of
Sri Radha – Govinda. Yet, with the intrinsic
P view of being my favorite, in the
consideration of the ideal “Sri Svarup
Damodar’s Raghunath,” my “Sneha –
Vigraha” is the most intimate person for me
like Sri Raghunath to Sri Rupa Goswami.
Due to my aversion for service, in the name
of serving ‘one’, now I have to serve
innumerable entities. Most of them desire
to become the servants of name, fame and
wealth of this organization. Such persons if
tend to deprive me from the whole-hearted
affection of my beloved, even to a smallest
degree, I solicit for their mercy and request
them that, they should never become
indifferent towards the service of my
honourable beloved. As long as you remain
rof
incapable of realizing the nature of devotion
due to your ignorance about the ‘Achintya
Bhedabheda’- View towards the ‘object of
service’, how can you achieve the grace of
all-benevolent Lord Sri Gaur-Gadadhar,
t Lord Shiva. In this material world, people
through your mundane efforts? Everything
related to my Gaura is all-well. Scattering
away of the students by Lord Gauranga,
6 THE GAUDIYA
refuting Mayavada by Him, affection
between Gadadhara and Gauranga,
Gadadhara’s grace upon Vallabhacharya,
Nityananda’s grace for Kala Krishanadas,
Jayadeva’s love for Padmavati, Vidyapati’s
love for Lachima, Gauranga’s affection
towards Gunaraj Khan, my beloved’s
affection
P for his relatives, – all these things
should not cause any agitation in our minds
to degrade us from the level of devotion. If
we properly realize the doctrine of Achintya
Bhedabheda, we should strive to serve all
those who are fully dedicated to our mission. o
We need not engage in any kind of worldly
activity, as we are eternally chained to the
loving bondage of Lord Sri Radha Krishna.
Being bound by this spiritual chain, we
visualize the Supremacy of Krishna-aspect,
as compared to the Brahman-aspect of God.
The fuller aspect of the Divinity is found in
the Mathura-Krishna, whereas the fullest
aspect is found in Vrindavan-Krishna.
Dwaraka-Krishna is the full aspect of the
Divinity. There is no comparison to the flood
of divine love that is present in the service of
Vrindavan-Krishna.
o be How lovable is Sri
Balarama in Vraja! How darling are the
comrades of Lord Krishna such as Subala
-Sakha etc! Where is such loving sentiment
in South India? There we find the harsh
sunshine of monism, all majestic ideology of
Vishistadvaita. Dvaita doctrine of
Madhvacarya is said to be endowed with
the blossoming devotion to Lord Krishna,
but that too is lacking in the intimate love for
the Lord. In the southern-most tip of our
country we find Kanya Kumari Durga, the
daughter of ocean, lonely standing in the
love-lorn separation from Lord-Krishna.
Instead of knowing her as a Gopika
pining to meet her Lord of Love, these
people try to see her as the spouse of
are quite fond of perverted vision of all the
divine events.
(to be contd .....)
JANUARY 2011
 MAHÂBHÂRATA
Sri M.C.Mahesh
(Contd. from December issue)
Karna came to block Bheema’s path
and the two brothers fought a duel. The
other combatants were surprised to see the
wrestler Bheema wield his bow so skilfully!
Bheema glared at his foe in anger and often
roared in defiance. Karna, however, was
rather collected and fought with the grace
of an archer. His face was handsome and
his features chiselled. His wavy hair was
cascading down his conch-neck.
Oftentimes his bow was shattered by
Bheema and oftentimes he lost his chariot.
Seeing Karna’s plight Duryodhana sent his
brothers Durjaya and Durmukha to offer
assistance. But they fell wriggling on the
ground, pierced by Bheema’s arrows.
Several more of Duryodhana’s stalwart
brothers came to Karna’s assistance and
perished one by one. Durmarshana was
one of them, and Bheema was now fighting
with the wise and righteous Vikarna. As
Vikarna fell bleeding and fatally injured
Bheema lamented in an anguishing pain
‘‘Alas Vikarna! Even moralistic persons
like you and Bheeshma have to perish in
this cataclysm. You had the courage to do
justice to Draupadi in the hall of games
when she was in torment. Even the
grandsire sat mum then! But for the fact
that I have taken a vow to annihilate all the
hundred sons of Dhritarashtra I would have
never slain you in combat.’’
Karna was now really angry with
Bheema and strung his heavy bow and shot
down Bheema’s horses and driver.
Bheema’s weapons lay in splinters and he
jumped from his carriage and threw on
Karna whatever he could catch hold of: the
limbs of crushed elephants and horses,
JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA
chariot-wheels and flagstaffs, and the
remnants of broken weapons. Brushing
aside the motley collection of arms come
hurling on him, Karna flicked Bheema
contemptuously with the tip of his bow.
‘‘You are a fool and a glutton – what
do you know about the science of war! Go
and order cooks and servants in Virata’s
kitchen!
rp Seek the protection of Arjuna who
is a seasoned archer.’’
Remembering his promise to Kunti and
recollecting the harrowing look on her aged
face Karna spared Bheema’s life.
Arjuna was piercing through the
tightly-knit needle when Bhurishravas came
to the fore, leaving his position on
uq
Jayadhratha’s flanks, Satyaki intercepted
his advance and engaged his inveterate foe
to settle a score. A streak of personal
vendetta underscored this hatred: the
ancestors of Satyaki among the Yadavas
had always hated the ancestors of the Kuru "
veteran Bhurishravas. The combatants lost
their chariots and bows and were clashing
with their swords and shields. The clanking
sound of thrusting swords was heard.
Bhurishravas was an unparalleled
swordsman and soon Satyaki’s sword and
shield were hacked to bits. Satyaki fell
rolling on dusty ground and Bhurishravas
pinioned him down with his foot. Seizing
his sword in his right hand, Bhurishravas
was about to strike down a helpless Satyaki.
Krishna could perceive this flurried
moveent from a distance.
‘‘Arjuna, that old Kuru veteran is about
to strike down your friend!’’
‘‘Bhurishravas has not called me to
battle! However, I cannot look on while he uoy
harasses a prostrate foe.’’ "
7
 "
.
’Arjuna’s arrow came swishing and
sliced off the assaulter’s right arm. The
B sword he brandished fell clattering to the
ground.
Like a tree uprooted by a storm a
maimed Bhurishravas looked askance at
Arjuna.
‘‘Who taught you this wilyt deed! Was
it one of your teachers of old –– Drona and
Kripa? Or did Indra teach you this
manoeuvre in heaven? It must be the work
of that cowherd Vasudeva–the Yadavas are
indeed a despicable race!’’
‘‘I have breached the rules of combat
by striking at you when uncalled for battle.
However, have you not transgressed those
very same rules by assaulting a weaponless
and a prostrate chieftain?’’
Rising his left hand in acknowledgement
of Arjuna’s defence the handicapped Kuru
warrior decided to end his life. He spred
out a seat of arrows with his left hand and
sat immersed in yoga.
Satyaki rose and, picking up his
sword, lunged at a defenceless Bhurishravas.
Even as Krishna and Arjuna tried in panic
to remonstrate with him the irate
o Krishna whispered a silent prayer and
Satyaki chopped off the hoary head of
Bhurishravas.
There were shouts of horror not only
from the Kauravas but also from Krishna
and Arjuna !
‘‘Alas!’’ mused a despondent Arjuna
‘‘The life of a kshatriya is despicable. With
each passing day the rules of combat are
flouted more and more mercilessly. Let us
all censure our own wicked ways!’’
The sun was wheeling his way towards
the west and there was not much time to
lose. Kirshna blew a call for help on his
conchshell-trumpet Panchajanya. Hearing
the pure notes of the rishabha swara Daruka
8 THE GAUDIYA
rode Krishna’s chariot to battle. Seeing the
chariot of the invincible sky-blue god scything
through their ranks, the Kauravas made way
in fear. They offered no resistance to its
progress that looked like the march of doom!
Satyaki ascended this chariot that had
the pennant of an eagle fluttering atop its
hood. Daruka’s skill in navigating the chariot
and Satyaki’s mastery of archery were
appreciated by all onlookers. Karna himself
lost his chariot and had to stand on ground
with his strung bow!
Arjuna mowed down all the soldiers
who flanked the monarch of Sindhu. Just
five combatants were in between him and
Jayadratha–Duryodhana, Karna,
Ashwatthama,
"Y Kripa and Shalya. Arjuna
harassed all six of them with his arrows and
struck down Jayadratha’s boar-banner.
Jayadratha’s charioteer was also pierced and
slightly unheeding.
Krishna was now rather apprehensive.
‘‘Arjuna, I will obscure the sun with my
cosmic illusion. When Jayadratha drops his
bow in relief you must strike him down. We
cannot fight fair and win at this juncture.’’
"
the power of his yoga enveloped the sun in a
shroud of mist. (In some of the more popular
recensions of the Mahabharata, Krishna
envelops the sun with his chakra. This
conjecute is not wholly unfounded, for
Krishna’s discus is a symbol of the path of
yoga. There is seven chakras or plexuses in
the gross and subtle bodies of all humans,
whose consciousness can be awakened on
meditation. The other emblems of Krishna
also symbolise multifarious paths to the
divine. The moon-white conchshell
represents the path of jnana yoga and the
delicately pink lotus symbolises the sweet
path of love for God. Krishna’s club is a
metaphor for the path of work–for work is
JANUARY 2011
 fraught with misery and this path is as hard
as a club! This allegory occurs in one of
the hymns of the Bhagavata Purana.) A
sudden darkness settled down on the field"
and the six warriors dropped their weapons
in glee. Jayadratha craned his neck to
witness the pale twilight that had settled on
the western horizon.
Krishna urged Arjuna to action.
‘‘Jayadratha is unsuspecting–strike
him down now! However, his head should
not fall on the ground. Place it on his father’s
lap–the ascetic Vriddhakshatra is even now
engaged in askesis in nearby
Samantapanchaka.’’
Arjuna fitted the anjaleeka arrow to
his bowstring and infused it with the
mysterious power of the pashupata chant.
Like a hawk swooping down upon its prey
the crescent-headed arrow sliced off
Jayadratha’s head! The power of Arjuna’s
askesis made on unimaginable wonder
occur. The missile swished through the air
carrying the head with it and dropped it on
Vriddhakshatra’s lap. The splatter of blood
on his ochre robes shook him up from his
contemplation. Even as he stood up
Jayadratha’s head rolled on the ground.
Vriddhakshatra was flabbergasted, but not
for long. He found his head crack apartno
into a hundred fragments. He found his
spirit merge in the timelessness of eternity.
It was in this stillness of nothingness that he
found out his true existence.
Krishna narrated the story of
Jayadratha’s birth and Vriddhakshatra’s
curse to a perplexed Arjuna. He removed
the inky shroud of darkness and the setting n
sun was now visible. The Kauravas had
again been cheated by the wily Krishna!
The blue gods of eternity blew on their
silvery shells. Hearing the triumphant blare
of the conchs Panchajanya and Devadatta,
an apprehensive Yudhishthira found peace.
JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA
Duryodhana went to Drona and
complained in a stricken voice ‘‘Jayadratha
was cut down before our very eyes and I
weep when I think of Duhshala! Our old
war veteran Bhurishravas has fallen in battle.
So many of our invincible heroes–Shruthayu
and Shrutayudha and others–have persihed
ignominiously. Several of my invincible and
stalwart brothers like Durjaya, Durmukha,
Durmarshana and Vikarna are now dead.
Even a hundred Ashwamedha Yajnas will
not cleanse this sin of mine!’’
Drona was touched to the quick at this
insult ‘‘Let the battle continue even during
the night! I will not remove my armour
today.’’
Seeing the Kaurava hosts embark on
another assault Yudhishthira ordered his men
toe meet them fittingly. Thus was an inhuman
battle fought at night in blatant violation of
the codes of war! All the soldiers on foot
in either army carried torches while the
combatants mounted on horses and
y
elephants and those riding chariots fought
the battle. The shimmering flicker of blazing
torches juxtaposed starkly with the pale
gloom of night. The vultures were crying
hoarse and swooping down on fallen men.
Their weird and raucous cries and shrieks
frightened even the stoutest of warriors.
There were many jackals slinking !
aroud the periphery of battle, waiting to drag
away fallen man. The poet paints a ghastly
picture of this midnight battle. Even the imps
."
and goblins and ghouls of the other world
W
were crowding round the welkin to watch
the eerie slaughter. The demons grow more
powerful at inauspicious night and
Ghatotkacha and his army of demons struck
terror in the Kaurava ranks. Ghatotkacha
was bald and of a black-blue complexion.
Two pointed teeth protruded from his lips
that seemed to stretch from ear to ear. The
skins of tigers and bears were draped over
9
 his sumptuous chariot. His horses were stout
and rather ghastly to look at. Atop his flag-
pole fluttered a pennant bearing the ensign
of an eerie vulture. The ensemble was as
frightening as the dismal night itself ?
Ghatotkacha was using the powers of
illusion to mesmerise his opponents.
Ashwatthama was one of the few Kuru
warriors who could meet this deception with
e his celestial weapons. As Ghatotkacha’s
bonds of magic lay sundered on meeting the
mendicant-warrior’s astras the screen of
illusion lifted and the Kuru cried in cheer. Inu
another part of the battlefield Sahadeva met
Karna in combat. Sahadeva’s bow was
shattered apart and his weapons lay in a pile
of splinters. As Karna’s swishing arrows
tore through his chariot-wheels he jumped
down and defended himself with the debris
of his shivered chariot!
Lightly flicking Sahadeva with the tip
of his bow Karna sneered ‘‘You can never
overcome me in battle!’’
Sahadeva was rather perplexed when
his life was spared! Karna kept his promise
well and this chivalrous streak in his rather
gloomy psyche ennobles him in our critical
eyes.
Ghatotkacha clashed with Karna
towards the later part of the night. He
whirred at him razor sharp discuses and
pulled him with lassoes and harassed him
with other missiles. Karna’s arrows cut
down these bonds. Ghatotkacha rose to
the sky and made himself invisible. He
caught the Kurus in a net of enchantments
and spells. Balls of scorching fire hurled
down on his foes but Karna extinguished
them with a jet of water. Karna’s weapons
of sentience exposed Ghatotkacha to him.
All around Karna were Kuru warriors rolling
on the mud and yelling in pain. The ones
yet alive shrieked their piteous appeal ‘‘Use
10 THE GAUDIYA
the dart of Indra and save us from this
excruciating torment!’’
Karna’s compassionate heart was
stricken on witnessing this gruesome
spectacle. He was again deceived by the
play of fate! Himself a fatalist he reconciled
himself to his end. This dart could never
more be used on Arjuna and thus his own
end was well nigh!
Karna hurled Indra’s spear at the !
demon. The shakti whizzed through the
darkness and, piercing Ghatotkacha’s chest,
came out right through and vanished into the
starry constellation of Indra’s heaven. The
demon used his illusion even on his death and
swelled his injured body to gigantic
dimensions. As he collapsed on the field one "
whole akshauhini of Kaurava soldiers were
crused to death!
On hearing the triumphant cries of the
D
Kurus the Pandavas were all dejected. Only he
the sky-blue cowherd laughed!
Arjuna turned in an angered surprise
‘‘You are crazy as usual!’’
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JANUARY 2011
 Krishna smiled bewitchingly ‘‘Karna
deprived of his shakti is now vulnerable.
That dart could have taken life out of you!
Every day during battle I used to cloud
Karna’s memory and mesmerise him into
forgetting this spear. Otherwise, he would
have slain you long before!’’
The chivalrous Arjuna still protested
‘‘But you have offered Ghatotkacha as
stake!’’
Krishna was now even more shocking
‘‘He is only a demon!’’
Can a god grow so machiavellian! But
that is the surface and the core is divine.
He is compassionately inscrutable. Can a
mortal grasp the structure of Krishna’s
unpredictable morality!
The battle was resumed next morning.
Drupada rushed upon Drona, his foe of old .
with whom he had a score to settle. Drona
hurled a penetrating spear on the chest of
his foe. Shattering the breastplate it tore
through Drupada’s heart and the king of
Panchala lay on the field, drenched in a pool
of blood. Virata advanced to the front and
took the place of his friend. But he too
collapsed in his fight with the invincible
Drona.
Drona was harassing his old foe, the
Panchalas, with his divine weapons. He
summoned the brahmastra and released it
on the rank and file of the Panchala army
that was not conversant with its usage. This
was in blatant violation of the established
codes of war. Twenty thousand Panchala
warriors were scorched to death by the ni
smouldering fire of this weapon.
The saptarishis––Vishwamitra,
Vashishta, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja,
Gautama, Atri and Kashyapa, who are
visible as a constellation of stars in the
zodiac–assembled before Drona. They
JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA
spoke in unison about the horrors of an
unrighteous battle ‘‘It is against our moralistic
tradition to use these powers of heaven
against common soldiers. Fight if you must,
but adhere to the codes of accepted
behaviour.....’’
They added with a sigh ‘‘However,
your days on earth are done!’’
The supernal glow of the seven sages
melted away into a constellation of stars.
Meanwhile, Krishna spoke to Arjuna
‘‘Drona can never be overcome in battle by
fair means. If he hears that his dear son
Ashwatthama is dead, he will be paralysed
by grief and we can kill him.’’
Arjuna disapproved of this
unchivalrous idea though all others accepted
it. After a good deal of deliberation
Yudhishthira spoke ‘‘Let it be so!’’
It was surprisingly strange!
Yudhishthira had accepted to commit the sin
of telling a lie just as Shiva had quaffed the
poison that had been churned out of the
ocean of milk. Had not Rama slain Vali in
blatant violation of the rules of war!
Bheema plunged into the heart of his
own army and brought down his iron club
on the head of an elephant by name
Ashwatthama. The elephant trumpeted in
pain and fell on its knees, rolling in a pool of
blood.
Having committed this inhuman deed
the stentorian giant approached his teacher
and said with embarrassment ‘‘I have killed
Ashwatthama in battle!’’
Drona was nonplussed on hearing the
news. He knew that his son had the boon
of having an everlasting life and doubted the
veracity of Bheema’s claim. Knowing that
Yudhishthira would not speak a lie even to
gain sovereignty over the three worlds he
11
 turned to him in despair ‘‘Yudhishthira, have
they slayed my son ?’’
Krishna whispered to the honest
prince ‘‘You have to tell a lie to save your
army!’’
Yudhishthira was bamboozled by this
predicament. He steeled his heart and
shouted ‘‘Ashwatthama is dead.’’
Overcome with remorse he whispered
faintly ‘‘An elephant of that name has fallen
in battle.’’
The clamour of conchshells and
kettledrums and the blare of martial
instruments and the din of battle drowned
Yudhishthira’s confession. Drona heard
only the first half of the conversation.
(In the popular versions of the
Mahabharata, Krishna blows on his
conchshell Panchajanya to obscure
Yudhishthira’s confessing accents.)
Yudhishthira’s chariot–driven by
horses of the colour of osprey–had always
traversed a path four inches above the
ground. On account of his adherence to
truth he had been journeying above the path
taken by mortals. As soon as he lied the
chariot came crashing down to earth and
the horses began to trot the dusty ground!
Drona was nonplussed on hearing the
news. The sages of heaven had prophesied
his end. Overcome with grief on hearing
the news of the death of his only son for
whose sake he had endeavoured all his life,
a stricken Drona doffed his armour and laid
aside his bow and arrows. He sat on the
platform of his chariot immersed in yoga.
He meditated on the all-pervasiveness of
brahman. His soul left his body shattering
through an opening in the head. The ascent
to heaven is portrayed thus in an
anthropomorpic sense. Sanjaya who was
given the power of clairvoyance could
witness this spectacle. Arjuna and Krishna
could perceive this too, for they were the
12 THE GAUDIYA
ancient gods Nara and Narayana. Far away
in another part of the battlefield the two
immortals Kripacharya and Ashwatthama
also witnessed the same spectacle. Their
r practise of psychic-control had conferred this
power on them. Strangely enough the
erstwhile paragon of righteousness, the now
untruthful Yudhishthira, witnessed Drona’s
ascent to heaven and was ashamed!
Dhristhadyumna rushed on Drona with
a sword whirling in his hand.
Arjuna stopped him with a stricken voice
‘‘Our Guru has already reached the heavens.
Do not tarnish our reputation by disfiguring
his body’’
The vengeful Dhrishtadyumna would not
listen. With a swift stroke he chopped off the
preceptor’s head that was crested with flowing
and fleecy hair. He flung the sanguine head
on the ground and danced in glee, exulting in
the thought of fulfilling the purpose for which
he had taken birth from a sacrificial fire.
(to be contd......)
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JANUARY 2011
 Sridham Mayapur
The Holy Birth-Place of
The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Prof. Sri Nishi Kanta Sanyal
(Contd. from December issue)
For these reasons the ordinary
illiterate Gaudiya Vaishnava thinks that the
present town is the same as the old town
of Navadwip in which the Lord was born.
But in the town of Navadwip itself the
population still retain a confused and dim
memory of old events and believe that the
actual birth-site disappeared long ago under
the water of the Bhagirathi. The present
desire to ascertain the actual site of Nativity,
made itself felt as a spiritual duty about
hundered and fifty years ago. It was
reinforced by scientific, literary, sectarian
and patriotic curiosity generated by western
education and the example of European
savants and explorers. The old site of
Sridham Mayapur was actually identified
and shrines were erected thereon about
more than hundred years ago. We shall
consider later on the detailed evidence on
which that identification is based.
In concluding these preliminary
observations regarding the object and
method of quest of Sridham Mayapur we
have purposely confined our attention to
the implications of the spiritual issue. The
empiric scientific method has nothing to do
with such issue and is, indeed, at liberty to
arrive at its own conclusion by its own
method regarding the position of the
mundane village. We have no quarrel with
the empiric scientist who is out in search of'.
the site of what he necessarily regards as
the old Bengali village of Mayapur. Only
we do not admit either his method or object
JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA
to be wholly identical with ours. We hold
that Sridham Mayapur, which chooses to
appear to those enquirers as the mundane
village Mayapur, is not an ordinary village
of this world but is really the eternal spiritual
Abode of the Divinity Himself. Although
the site of Advent may appear to our senses i
and sensuous judgment to be no other than
an object of this world and amenable to
the laws of enquiry applicable to the
phenomenal world it is nevertheless really
no part of it. But at the same time if the
empirical enquiry and observation happen
as in this case to be directed to the
substance itself under the impression that it
is the shadow, the methods of empiric
science cannot stil be final and must be
misleading when they are applied to the
determination of a spiritual locality which
by its nature lies completely outside their
jurisdiciton. By sufficiently recognising the
presence of these special factors in the quest
of the Abode of god as distinct from a
mundane village we obtain the true method
which is the empiric method subordinated
to the special requirements of the higher or
spiritual quest. The purely empiric method
is inapplicable for the purpose of actually
obtaining the knowledge of the spiritual
which is neither a precept nor a concept
although when it choses to descend to this
world it is pleased to put on the appearance
of a mundane object in order to come within
the view of the people of this world. It is
the latter circumstance which seems to
render the empiric method applicable. Such
application if it be deliberate cannot avoid
13
 the charge of being unscientific and profane
and deserves the severest condemnation on
the ground that it ignores wholly the
possibility of the descent of the spiritual to
the mundane plane and by implication of
all dealing with the spiritual in this world or
in the other worlds of all religious activity as
such. The only logical alternative to this that
has ever been offered to our consideration
is the method that admits the possibility of
the spiritual descending into this world, and
adjusting itself to the requirements of such
admission. The only adjustment of this
nature that is perfectly rational is complete
readiness to accept the help of the
transcendental teachers who rely on the
revealed scriptures so far as such help
appears to us to be really in conformity with
the object in view which is no less than
finding the holy Abode of the Divinity
Himself. The testimony of the revealed
Scriptures as expounded by the
transcendental teachers, therefore, offers
the only standing ground at all available to
the consistent enquirer of the affairs of the
spiritual realm who is not likely to improve
the prospect of attaining to the knowledge
of the Absolute by refusing to serve It by
the present resources of his limited reason
with loyal and humble conviction of its
limitations. The Pandits and Bhattacharyyas
actually resident at Navadwip at the time
of the appearance of Supreme Lord failed
to realise the truth by following the dogmatic
empiric methods. Even if the whole world
is convinced that the identification of the holy
site by Sri Jagannath Das Babaji announced
by Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur is empirically
tenable it will be no nearer the truth than the
misguided Pandits of Navadwip unless it is
also prepared to renounce the lead of
empiric dogmatism out of deference to the
constituent principles of free and impartial
reason imperfectly mirrored in the
14 THE GAUDIYA
conclusions of empiric logic itself and submit
to the enlightened in a truly rational spirit.
The fundamental categories are five in
number, viz. (1) Godhead in Himself as the
One, (2) His unmanifested power or essence
as the One, (3) His plenary extended or
manifested Self, (4) Individual Souls, (5)
Phenomenal world (Pradhan). Sridham
Mayapur, the innermost part of Swetadwip
or Navadwip, belongs to the category of
Godhead’s plenary extended Self.
nru
Individual souls are either free or
unfree, Godly or un-Godly. The unfree souls
regard phenomenal Nature as Supreme
(Pradhan) and themselves as part and parcel
of it. Individual souls that are unfree on
attainment of the emancipated condition of
perfect freedom from all limitations realise
Nature to be but the perverted reflection of
the extended plenary Divine Self, being
related to the spiritual plenary manifestation
as shadow to substance, and themselves as
akin to the spiritual world by virtue of
spiritual essence which happens to be the
only constituent principle of their own real
nature, notwithsatnding their liability to be
overcome by the potency of phenomenal
Nature due to their tiny magnitude.
When unfree souls are acted upon by
the plenary spiritual power of Godhead they
are unable to understand that She is different
from the non-spiritual or phenomenal power.
They are accordingly disposed to respond
to such events by the process by which they
are accustomed to behave towards
phenomenal Nature. Such response
necessarily fails to establish touch with the
transcendental power.
In this dilemma plenary power offers
Herself to be approached by unfree souls
by their limited proclivities to enable them
to receive spiritual enlightenment.
(to be continued)
JANUARY 2011 tuo
 Views on Creation
Sri Nimananda Dasadikari Sevatirtha
People generally ask three questions
–– whence is this creation ? Why is this
creation ? And when is this creation ?
Different schools of thought give different
replies to them. These are empirical
questions and their empirical solutions are,
indeed, not possible. Yet two sets of replies
to these questions commend themselves for
or discussion – one given by the Mayavadi
School of thought, and the other given by
the Vaishnava School of thought. The
former, proceeding from the known to the
unknown, has, in fact, tackled these
problems in an empiric way. The latter,
proceeding from the veiled absolute
knowledge to the known, has given a
solution of them as found in the scriptures
which are infallible guides in matters spiritual.
The Mayavadi does not believe in the
existence of a personal God as the creator
of this world. According to him God is
impersonal. He is indistinguishable. There
is none to know Him and there is none
whom He knows. The existence of this
creation is due to Maya or ignorance. It is
unreal and merely phenomenal. It is an
illusion. The ignorance which is the cause
of the creation is not eternal and
consequently phenomenon as the creation
is also not eternal. You think it exists, and
therefore it exists; but as soon as you think
otherwise it ceases to exist for you. The
world is of your own creation, and you are
yourself one of the things of this creation.
You are both the subject and the object of
your creation. As you realise yourself, all Sri.
this Meum et Tuum, difference and
differentiation of the world go once for all.
What is then left is Brahma, and you are
That.
JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA
Now who will solve these problems
for you and whom can you approach for
their solution ? So long as you are under
the influence of this Maya, you cannot trust
yourself nor can you trust any other man
who is equally illusory. None of you ––
yourself and your adviser –– have any locus m.
standi in positive reality. But the solution
also necessarily lies entirely with you. You
realise and know. It is a matter of
experience
of thh V ishnand
oug t, and the other iveng by the a ava snot of credence. You
cannot ask these questions. For in that case
you take away the world from itself. You
cannot measure the world by when, why
and whence. It is because that whence,
why and when are themselves the world,
and that illusory self that goes to ascertain
the why, the whence and the when of the
world is itself not different from these things.
To know the world you must be something
different from the world, something beyond
the world. But you are not that. You being
the world, it is not possible for you to know
it. A man in a dream cannot say when his
dream begins. For the dreaming self and
the object of the dream make their
appearance in the dream simultaneously and
are therefore themselves the dream.
The Vaishnavas, the true Vedantists,
on the other hand, abhor such a solution as
blasphemous. They say ‘‘God is, the world
is and Jiva or the individual soul is.’’ They
are distinct entities, coexisting. None of
them are false.
The world is an everchanging reality
but God and Jiva are unchanging realities
as master and servant. As the sun and its
rays are one so God and Jiva are one.
‘‘My Father and I are one.’’ God is all
knowledge, and He cannot forget Himself
15
 into a man. He is ever perfect and
forgetfulness cannot enter into His character.
He is all-powerful, and there is nothing to
overpower Him. Maya is His handi-work,
His maid and not His mistress.
Mayavadin’s God is a helpless chap always
in the grip of Maya. He cannot get away
from her. If at one time He thinks Himself
free, at another time he is made to lick the
dust at the feet of Maya. His freedom from
Maya is most unsteady. If His thraldom
were illusion, His freedom is nothing better
than it.
The Vaishnava’s God is a
transcendental personal entity. He is the
Supreme Being. One without a second. He
is the Fountainhead of all energies three of
which are known as Atma-shakti, Jiva-
shakti and Maya-shakti. In Atma-shakti
is manifested the Chit world or the
Vaikuntha, in Jiva-shakti is manifested the
limited, imperfect souls or Jivas and in
n Maya-shakti is manifested the Achit world
that we see. The insentient Nature which is
the cause of the insentient world supplies
us with the physical body. Our imperfection
leads us to seek for enjoyment in an
atmosphere independent of God when we
become encased in this body as
punishment. Our attempt to become free
has led us to bondage. Thus encased we
forget our real self and always identify our
self with the body. This is our ignorance. If ro
ignorance is gone, we realise ourselves as
the slave of God. Our measured eternal
self is not illusory but the identification of
our self with our body is illusory. Once we
overcome this illusion we do not fall into it
again.
For a fallen individual soul the world
begins from the day when he is conscious
in it. It is therefore not at all possible for it
to ascertain the whence the why and the
16 THE GAUDIYA
when of the world. It being now of the world
cannot measure it. But nevertheless, the
world is there. It is not false or illusory as is
supposed by the Mayavadi. Jiva and the
world are at once distinct and nondistinct
from God. To human scope this simultaneous
existence of distinction and non-distinction
is inconceivable. In all-embracing reality all
is possible. We cannot separate the idea of
the world from that of God. God and the
world are one. When there is God there is
manifestation just as whenever there is the
sun there are rays.
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JANUARY 2011
 The Erotic Principle and Unalloyed Devotion
Sri Narayan Das Bhakti Sudhakar
(Contd from December issue)
What we actually do, although we are
not fully conscious of this, is that we only
serve our senses because our souls are so
constituted that they can offer, but cannot
receive, any service. As we cannot serve
ourselves if we also do not want to serve
Sri Krishna we are thereby reduced to the!
necessity of self-delusion. In this deluded
state we wrongly suppose ourselves to be
the proprietors of our senses that is to be
like Krishna. This applies equally to either
sex. The males as well as the females of
this world equally regard themselves as the
owners of their senses and their senses as
the means of self-gratification. In this sense
all of us irrespective of sex are males, i.e.,
masters or enjoyers in the spiritual sense,
although this is a delusion: because by
constitution we are not masters but servants.
Krishna is the only Master of everything
including our souls. This fact is reflected in
a perverted way in the principle of sex. We
belong to the category of property to which
our senses also belong. Hence it is
practicable to identify ourselves with our
senses in the deluded state of sin and
mistake its supposed pleasure as that of
ourselves. But as a matter of fact in the
spirit there is no dividing line separating the
soul from its senses as master from property.
All this is only very faintly perceptible to
our present reason. In the fallen state we
suppose that the senses, conceived as
different from ourselves, are pleased if we
follow their dictates, again conceived as
separate from ourselves, in the exercise of
our function of self-consciousness. The
milk-maids of Vraja are the property of
Krishna and are fully conscious of this
JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA
relationship. This attitude is expressed by
saying that they are females. In Vraja the
males are those who are less spiritual that
is to say who are still under partial delusion
although in touch with Krishna. The milk-
maids of Vraja are neither the masters nor
the slaves of their senses as we want to be.
They are not like our speculative moralists
who are engaged in chasing the shadow.
They are the only realists. They know which
none of us really knows, that everything
belongs to Krishna, serves only Krishna and
that everything is also privileged to realise
that Krishna is its master. This is the purely
spiritual state. The milk-maids of Vraja
alone possess this perfectly pure vision.
Therefore they alone are truly females, that
is to say, servants of Krishna, realising as
they do that nothing including themselves
belongs to themselves but that everything,
themselves as well as their senses, belongs
to Krishna. The empiric moralists overlook
the fact that our senses are not really ours.
We cannot make our eyes see or our noses
to smell. They do not obey us. They obey
their real Master to whom alone they
belong. Everything is subordinate to
Krishna. Everything really ministers only to
His pleasure. It is not inconsistent with but
the complete fulfilment of the moral principle.
The female principle in the form of
subordination to the male is a real fact of
our spiritual existence. Krishna is the only
Male, all the rest of us are females. This is
the exact opposite of the current ideal viz.
that we are the only males and everything
else is female that is to say intended for our
enjoyment. The soul function freely in the
realm of the Absolute where it is conscious
of its real relationship with Krishna. Its
17
 ej
function is crippled, thwarted and distorted
the moment it chooses to set up master on
its own account, that is to say wants to play
the role of a male. This perverted activity is
stopped on all sides by the resistance of the
Absolute Truth. It falls out with everything
as soon as it falls out with Krishna. In its
attempt to enjoy everything it is punished
by those very things which serve to lure them
to deeper depths of ignorance by a delusive
response to their frantic attempts after
sensuous gratification. In the normal state
those very objects help them in serving Sri
Krishna. To sum up the soul retains its
natural condition as long as it serves the
Absolute with all the resources of the
principle of self-consciousness. But its will
is free. It may not like to serve the Absolute.
This is the abuse of its free choice in as much
as it is an offence against the principle of
pure reason which also is part and parcel
of its eternal nature. In consequence of its
choosing deliberately to act in opposition
to the dictates of reason the delusion that it
is an entity existing independently of Krishna
takes firm possession of it. It now finds
itself exiled from the realm of the Absolute
and functioning in strict subordination to the
delusive or material power of Sri Krishna.
In this new world the fallen soul tries to
please itself with the help of its reason on
which it has deliberately put various
limitations. Thus is evolved the principle of
the false ego (Ahamkara).
We are all egotists. When we read
the Bhagavatam we, therefore, necessarily
regard Krishna Himself as an egotist like
ourselves seeking after material, sensuous
enjoyment by means of His superior
powers. To the egotist the service of the
milk-maids of Vraja, therefore, appears in
the guise of the sad lot of the imagined
victims of his own unprincipled lust. But
the egotist never wants to be the object of
another’s enjoyment. This is true both of
18 THE GAUDIYA
d
the female as well as of the male. The
suffragettes are not false to their sex. They
are only trying to shake off the unnatural
domination of persons who do not themselves
like to submit to be enjoyed on the pretext
of sex. The real fact, however, is that both
sexes like to enjoy and not to be enjoyed.
They are all males. There are no real females
or objects of enjoyment in this world but only
a universal hankering for enjoyment. In the
spiritual realm Krishna is the sole Enjoyer
and everything else an object of His
enjoyment. But this arrangement is not the
distortion or denial but the fulfilment of all
the real wants of the true selves of every
object.
As Sri Krishna is the sole Master He is
also the only Servant. In the Absolute all tI s
i
ends meet. It is Krishna, Who serves Himself
and no one can serve Krishna except Himself.
It is, therefore, not possible for us either to
be masters or servants independently of
Krishna. We are Krishna and yet not
Krishna. We are of His essence but are not
the source of the essence. But although we
are of His essence we are liable to be deluded
by another power which also belongs to
Krishna and which is called by our scriptures
by the name of Maya (i.e., by which is
measured, the principle of limitations). The
soul in the pure state is subject to no
limitations although it is only a small fraction
of the Divine spiritual essence because in
the spirit there are no such hard and fast
dividing lines enabling it to be measured like
material phenomena. This, however, is also
liable to be misunderstood. The human soul
is a tinty part of the Divine spiritual essence
functioning in the realm of the Absolute which
is free from limitations but liable to be
expelled from the spiritual world if it ever
forgets its own littleness and abjures the
guidance of Krishna.
(to be continued)
JANUARY 2011
 Naishkarmya Bhakti - The Path to Moksha
Dr. R. N. Krishna
Nw˛…mÁÆ ƒÁÃÏtzƒÁÆ tzƒN˛yåãtåÁÆ Y @
åãtTÁzúNÏ˛™Á∫ÁÆ TÁzuƒãtÁÆ å™Áz å™: @@˛
EÁzÊ å™Áz ßTƒoz ƒÁÃÏtzƒÁÆ @@
All religions in this world accept God and
recommend prayer to enable humankind to lead to
Heaven. The greatness of our Sanatana Dharma
lies in the fact that the root cause of creation, the
purpose of the variegated life forms including the
reasons for the wide variety of individual souls are
explained. Human life is described as something
very special since human beings alone can achieve
the Highest Goal in life–Moksha.
Amongst all our itihasas and Puranas Srimad
Bhagavatam holds a special place because it
explains the path to Moksha i.e. Krishna Bhakti is
the only resort. The opening chapter of Srimad
Bhagavatam clearly states how and why this is so.
ƒÁÃÏtzƒz ßTƒuo ßuO˛ÆÁzT: üÆÁzu\o: @
\åÆuo EÁ∆Ï ƒ{∫ÁSÆÊrÁåÊ ÆoΩ ot“{oÏN˛™Ω @@
á™|: ÀƒåÏu…bo: úÏÊÃÁÊ uƒ…ƒMÃzå N˛sÁÃÏ Æ: @
åÁznúÁtÆzoΩ Æut ∫uoÊ »™ Lƒ u“ Nz˛ƒ¬™Ω @@
According to our shastras Dharma is of two
types–Pravritti Lakshana and Nivritti Lakshana
Dharma. The practise of Pravritti Dharma entails
performing actions to achieve some material objects
or goals in Life. And to achieve this end we perform
Karma as prescribed in the scriptures–say, for
begetting a son or achieving material wealth etc.
This kind of practice of Dharma is said to be the
‘‘lower’’form of Dharma. Whereas Nivritti Dharma
that one practices through listening to the Divine
Glories and pastimes of the Supreme Being,
Bhagavad Aradhana etc. without hankering on the
fruits/results of the devotional practice is termed as
‘‘Para Dharma’’– the highest form of Dharma. Why
so ?
This is beautifully explained by sage Narada
to king Prachinabarhi as follows:
ÆtÁn™Áå™uƒrÁÆ ßTƒãoÊ ú∫Ê TϪ™Ω @
úϪ ÀoÏ uƒ ¶Ázo TÏmz Ï üNw˛oz: Àƒ–N˛Ω @@
JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA
TÏmÁuß™Áåy à otÁ N˛™Á|um NÏ˛ªozƒ∆: @
∆ÏM¬Ê Nw˛…mÊ ¬Ázu“oÊ ƒÁ ÆsÁN˛™Á|uß\ÁÆoz @@
Å˛uYnúÏ™ÁåΩ Å˛uYÄÁ Àfiy Å˛uYëÁÁzßÆ™ãááy: @
tzƒÁz ™åÏ…ÆuÀoÆ|SƒÁ ÆsÁN˛™|TÏmÊ ßƒ: @@
qÏnúu∫oÁz ÆsÁ tyå: ÃÁ∫™zÆÁz Tw“Ê Tw“™Ω @
Y∫åΩ uƒãtuo ÆuÒ…bÊ tlg™Áztå™zƒ ƒÁ @@
osÁ N˛Á™Á∆ÆÁz \yƒ GÄÁÁƒYúsÁ ß¿™åΩ @
GúÆ|áÁz ƒÁ ™ÜÆz ƒÁ ÆÁuo ut…bÊ uüÆÁuüÆ™Ω @@
ÆsÁ u“ úϪ Áz ßÁ∫Ê N˛™| u∆∫ÃÁ TϪ™Ï˚“åΩ @
oÊ ÀN˛ãázå à EÁáz osÁ ÃÁ|: üuouN¿˛ÆÁ: @@
The individual jiva soul though is a part of the
self illuminating Divine Being he forgets that the
Lord is Antaryami residing within himself and is
deluded by the falsehood that the body is his soul and
performs all actions with no control over himself
dragged about by the three gunas. And based on
these actions he obtains different births. Sometimes ú
a man sometimes a woman sometimes an animal
and so on. Just as a hungry dog which is grieved
goes from place to place in search of food obtains
food or is chased away depending on the good or bad
deeds performed. Therefore, all types of actions/
karma performed to relieve a jiva from grief or to
obtain some material objects will always be afflicted
by any of these three–Adhyatmika,Adhidaivika and
Adhibhautika – that is pain and sorrow caused by
one’s own self or due to fate or due to natural
calamities. Therefore all such Karma is futile–just
as a person tries to relieve a burden on his head but
places the same burden on his shoulder !
On the other hand – Para Dharma-Bhakti shown
towards the Lord Krishna– without expecting any
results or fruit of the karma performed leads Vairagya
and Jnana that gives rise to Moksha. How ?
á™|ÀÆ ÿÁúƒT|ÀÆ åÁsÁz|sÁ|ÆÁzúN˛¡úoz @
åÁs|ÀÆ á™{|N˛ÁãoÀÆ N˛Á™Áz ¬ÁßÁÆ u“ À™wo: @@
N˛Á™ÀÆ åzuã¸Æüyuo¬Á|ßÁz \yƒzo ÆÁƒoÁ @
\yƒÀÆ o‹ƒu\rÁÃÁ åÁsÁz| Æ≥Áz“ N˛™|uß: @@
oÀ™ÁtzNz˛å ™åÃÁ ßTƒÁåΩ ÃÁnƒoÁÊ úuo: @
»Ázo√Æ: N˛yuo|o√Æ≥Á ÜÆzÆ: úÓ[Æ≥Á uånÆtÁ @@
«ÁwlƒoÁÊ ÀƒN˛sÁÊ Nw˛…m: úÏlÆ»ƒmN˛yo|å: @
19
y
r Y K * q w s v x ge
h a fgszxaAvfkc f a*.tewq
”˘ão:ÀsÁz ÿ߸Áum uƒáÏåÁzuo ÃÏ”nÃoÁ™Ω @@
LƒÊ üÃëÁ™åÃÁz ßTƒÙuO˛ÆÁzTo: @
ßTƒ‹ƒuƒrÁåÊ ™ÏO˛ÃWïÀÆ \ÁÆoz @@
The Bhagavatam explains that pure
Bhakti does not create any craving for the
results of the action performed to achieve
material objects/goals. Hence there is no
desire to enjoy the worldly objects that lead
to pleasing the sense organs-therefore there
is no attraction towards performing karma
to satisfy the never-ending cycle of action-
Enjoyment of the fruits of action-
consequent pleasure of the sense organs
and once agian performing actions to fulfil
desires .....and so on and so forth. This
causes the human being to get caught in an
incessant cycle and we are never able to
be released from the whirlpool of samsara.
On the other hand, pure unalloyed
Bhakti to Lord Krishna leads to vairagya–
non attachment towards all that is material
and hence jnana arising out of a pure
cleansed mind. Since the mind is the sole
cause for all actions and hence pain and
pleasure or joy and sorrow hankering for
wants and needs which are never fulfilled
the mind is the sole reason for the cycle of
birth and death – samsara. Therefore,
purifying the mind is of utmost importance.
And for this to happen Bhakti–total
surrender unto the Feet of the Lord–Who
is Sacchidananda – Bliss personified
without any limitation of time or space and
Who is always present everywhere at all
times is most essential. The Lord out of
His unbounded mercy conditions the mind
of its hankering for temporal objects and
relieves it of all Karma.
How is jnana revealed in a pure mind?
We must realise that the Supreme Lord is
not located at a distaant place in Heaven.
He is residing inside the hearts of all jivas–
the individual souls. He is the Antaryami,
therefore when we surrender unto the Lord
with such a pure mind the Lord reveals
Himself. Just as dark clouds that block the
20 THE GAUDIYA
Y
sol
u
dazzling brightness of the sun when blown
away by the wind is revealed so also, a
pure bhakta is devoid of the false
identification that ‘‘I am the knower I am
the doer’’.
This is explained further: When one is
constantly soaked in devotion to Lord
Krishna all the polluted thoughts due to long
earned Karma Vasanas from all our previous
janma are blown away. Every individual soul
and so
is bound by Maya to the three gunas––
Sattvaguna, Rajoguna and Tamoguna.
Constant devotion to Lord Krishna blows
away the Rajoguna and Tamoguna which
induce kama or desire and greed, ignorance,
etc. Sattvaguna qualities such as a mind free
from all the above impurities and fixed on
devotion to Lord becomes free from all types
of attachment, bondage etc. Thereupon the
Lord who dwells in the soul reveals himself
and the pure devotee experiences Supreme
peace and Bliss. Let us all by the divine
h
Grace of Lord Krishna achieve the parama
purushartha of Life – Moksha.
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 »y »y TϪ TÁ{∫ÁWÁ{ \Æo:
SRIMAD BHAGAVADGITA
»y™ÙTƒËyoÁ
YoÏsÁ|zDÜÆÁÆ: CHAPTER-IV
rÁåuƒßÁTÆÁzT: JNANA VIBHAGA YOGA
(Contd. from December issue)
sun-god told his son Vaivasvata Manu.
Spiritual Knowledge handed down Again this Manu told this immortal spiritual
through Arjuna knowledge to his son Ikshvaku by virtue of
»yßTƒÁåσÁY -- lineage. 1
Sri Bhagavanuvacha -- LƒÊ ú∫©ú∫ÁüÁõo u™™Ê ∫Á\ |ÆÁz uƒtÏ: @
F™Ê uƒƒÀƒoz ÆÁzTÊ üÁzO˛ƒÁå“™√ÆÆ™Ω @ à N˛Á¬zåz“ ™“oÁ ÆÁzTÁz å…b: ú∫Êoú @@ 2
uƒƒÀƒÁã™åƒz üÁ“ ™åÏu∫flƒÁN˛ƒz§¿ƒyoΩ @@ 1˛ Evam paramparâprâpta
mimam râjarshayo viduh |
Imam vivasvate yogam sa kâleneha mahatâ
proktavâ naha mavyayam |
vivasvânmanave prâha yogo nashtah parantapa || 2
manu rikshvâkavebraveet || 1 ú∫Êoú = O Arjuna, the Tormantor of
nk
enemies, ∫Á\ |Æ: = the saintly kings, uƒtÏ: =
The Blessed Lord said –
reveived, F™Ê = this knowledge, LƒÊ = thus,
E“™Ω = I, üÁzO˛ƒÁåΩ = told, F™Ê = this, üÁõoÊ = handed down, ú∫©ú∫Á = in preceptorial f
E√ÆÆÊ = eternal (as this is the essence of the line of succession. Ã: = This sampradaya
Vedas which are ever-freed and also its . of, ÆÁzT: = spiritual knowledge , å…b: = is
results are permanant), ÆÁzTÊ = spiritual (however) broken, F“ = here in this world,
knowledge, (the consummation of the ™“oÁ N˛Á¬zå = by the influence of powerful
consecrated devotional socio-religiousb time.
actions) to, uƒƒÀƒoz = the sun-god Vivasvan O Arjuna ! the Tormentor of enemies,
a devotee and the originator of the Kshatriya the saintly kings received this knowledge
lineage, uƒƒÀƒÁåΩ = the sun-god, üÁ“ = told,' thus handed down in preceptorial line of ˛
™åƒz = his son Vaivasvata Manu, ™åÏ = succession. This Sampradaya of spiritual
again this Manu, E§¿ƒyoΩ = told this immortal knowledge is (however) broken here in this
spiritual knowledge, FflƒÁNÏ˛ = to his son world by the influence of powerful time.
Ikshwaku by virtue of lineage. yb
betr th Refer Srimad Bhagavatam (XI.14.3). 2
The Blessed Lord said, –– I told this à LƒÁÆÊ ™ÆÁ ozD˘ ÆÁzT: üÁzO˛: úÏ∫Áoå: @
eternal (as this is the essence of the Vedas
which are everfresh and also its results are ßO˛ÁzDuà ™z ÃQÁ Yzuo ∫“ÀÆÊ ÿzotÏ™™Ω @@ 3
permanant) spiritual knowledge (the Sa evâyam mayâ teadya
yogah proktah purâtanah |
consummation of the consecrated bhaktoasi me sakhâ cheti
devotional socio-religious actions) to the rahsyam hyetaduttamam || 3
sun-god Vivasvan, a devotee and the à Lƒ EÆ™Ω = The selfsome, úÏ∫Áoå: =
originator of the Kshatriya lineage. The nu eternal and blissful, ÆÁzT: = spiritual

JANUARY 2011 THE GAUDIYA 21

 knowledge, üÁzO˛: = is told, oz = to you, E˘ speaking His Own glories as displaying
= now, ™ÆÁ = by Me, Fuo = because, Euà conceit. It is only for the spiritual benefit of
= you are, ™z = My, ßO˛: = loyal devotee, the persons who hear them. It should be
ÃQÁ Y = and faithful friend. LooΩ u“ = this understood that this is for the purpose of
indeed, G™™Ω = is the supreme, ∫“ÀÆ™Ω = dispelling the doubts of the ignorant persons.
secret knowledge. 4
The selfsame eternal and blissful -
The Lord reveals His Real nature and
spiritual knowledge is told to you now by Supreme Power
Me. Because you are My loyal devotee »y ßTƒÁåσÁY :-
and faithful friend. This indeed is the §“Óuå ™z √ÆoyoÁuå \ã™Áuå oƒ YÁ\|Ïå @
supreme secret knowledge. (Bear this
confidential Spiritual knowledge in mind as
oÁãÆ“Ê ƒzt ÃÁ|um å nƒ“Ê ƒzns ú∫Êoú @@ 5
this is the essence (the secret) of all doctrines Sri Bhagavânuvâcha –
inculcated in the Vedas. Bahuni me vyateetâni
Refer Srimad Bhagavatam (I.1.8). 3 janmâni tava chârjuna |
tânyaham veda sarvâni
Arjuna questions the eternal nature na tvaham vettha parantapa || 5
of Amnaya
The Supreme Lord replied – E\|Ïå =
E\Ï|å GƒÁY :- Arjuna, §“Óuå = many, \ã™Áuå = births,
Arjuna Uvacha
and te √ÆoyoÁuå = have gone, ™z = of Mine, oƒ Y =
and of you too. ú∫ãoú = But, Arjuna, the
Eú∫Ê ßƒoÁz \ã™ ú∫Ê \ã™ uƒƒÀƒo: @ afflictor of enemies, E“Ê = I, ƒzt = know,
N˛s™zou˚\ÁåyÆÁÊ nƒ™ÁtÁ{ üÁzO˛ƒÁuåuo @@ 4 ÃÁ|um = all, oÁuå = of them, nƒÊ = (whereas)
Aparam bhavato janma you, å ƒzns = do not know.
param janma vivasvatah |
kathametadvijâneeyâm
The Supreme Lord replied, Arjuna,
tvamâdau proktavâniti || 4 many births have gone of Mine and of you
too. But, Arjuna, the afflictor of enemies, I
Arjuna said – ߃o: = Your, \ã™ = know all of them, whereas you do not know.
birth, Eú∫Ê = is later, uƒƒÀƒo: = Vivasvan’s, I make My Descent in this world, you
\ã™ = birth, ú∫Ê = is much earlier, N˛sÊ = too, as My Parshada (associate devotee)
How, uƒ\ÁåyÆÁÊ = am I to understand, LooΩ appear with Me to fulfil the purpose of My
= that, nƒÊ = You, üÁzO˛ƒÁåΩ = told, Fuo = this Pastimes. As omniscient Supreme Lord, I
spiritual knowledge, EÁtÁ{ = (to Vivasvan) can remember them all, whereas you being
in the beginning ? anu-chit (spiritual atomic part) cannot
Arjuna said, Your birth is later. remember. As I cover your real nature by
Vivasvan’s birth is much earlier. How am I My inconceivable Energy (Yogamaya) to
to understand that You told this spiritual carry out My Pastimes, you, thinking of
knowledge (to Vivasvan) in the beginning ? yourself as the son of Kunti, a kshatriya, in
To clear the doubts of ignorant persons o this sojourn, afflict the enemies.
who do not know the omniscience and Refer Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat Adi. 3-
eternal nature of Lord Krishna, Arjuna made 52; Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya. 20- a
e
Lord to speak Himself about His real nature 380, 381; Gopalatapani Upanishad Purva.
of His Form and Birth for the benefit of the 20,21; Chandogya Upanishad 7.26.1;
world. He should not be criticised for (contd. on page 24)

22 THE GAUDIYA JANUARY 2011

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 Srimad Bhagavatam X.8.15 and X.51.36.
E\ÁzDuú ÃëÁ√ÆÆÁn™ÁßÓoÁåÁ ™yæÁ∫ÁzDuú ÃåΩ @
üNw˛uoÊ ÀƒÁ™uá…eÁÆ Ã©ßƒÁ©ÆÁn™™ÁÆÆÁ @@ 6
Ajoapi sannavyayâtmâ
bhutânâmeeswaroapi san |
prakritam svâmadhishthâya
sambhavâmyâtmamâyayâ || 6 space. No amount of human reasoning,
E\: Euú ÃåΩ = Although I am unborn,
E√ÆÆ = and have indestructible, EÁn™Á =
nature, F|æÁ∫ÁzDuú ÃåΩ = and although I am
the Lord, ßÓoÁåÁÊ = of all the universe, ÃÊ߃Áu™
= make My descent in the forms of devas,
humans and crawling animals and other
forms, Euá…eÁÆ = taking the help of, ÀƒÁ™Ω =
My Own, üNw˛uoÊ = Potency, EÁn™™ÁÆÆÁ =
through the agency of the Enlightening
Energy.
Although I am unborn and have
industructible nature and although I am the
Lord of all the universe make My Descent
in the forms of devas, humans and crawling
animals and other forms, taking the help of
My Own Potency through the agency of
the Enlightening Energy.
There is a great gulf of difference
between the births of the jivas and the
Lord’s Descents. Jivas come into existence
under the influence of Lord’s Maha Maya,
the unconquerable Deluding Energy.
Whereas Lord manifests His Own Eternal
controlling Potency (Enlightening Energy).
The conditioned Jivas are born under the
influence of My Maha Maya – My External
Deluding Energy, which deprives them from
the memories of their previous births. But
the Lord out of His Own Sweet Will make
His Descents among Devas, humans or
even lower animals. Jivas are enveloped
by subtle and gross bodies. Whereas
Lord’s Transcendental Beautiful Human
Form is never covered because His Body,
Mind and Soul all are same and
Transcendental. Lord can out of His Own
242 4 THE GAUDIYA
Sweet Will Power and prerogative can
manifest His Eternal Beautiful Human Form
with His Own Abode in the mundane plane
without any change and not being controlled
by the limitations of time and space. Because
the Lord’s Yogamaya is inconceivable to the
limited human intelligence and time and
however clever, is competent enough to
comprehend and measure the Pastimes of
the Lord. This is the Divine characteristic of
the Lord.
Refer Chandogya Upanishad 7.24.1;
Mahanarayana Upanishad 2.3; Padma 5
Purana –– ‘‘pratyaksham cha harer janma
vikarah kathamchana’’.
Refer Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita B
Madhya Leela 20.169; 20.382-393;
Srimad Bhagavatam III.2.15; Padma
Purana; Sri Mahabharat; Vasudeva
Upanishad, Vasudeva Adhyatma,
Narayanadhyatma, Brahmanda Purana and
Laghu Bhagavatamritam Purva Khanda 363,
385-392 and 421,424. 6
( (to be contd...)
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