NOD Ch 2- The First Stages Of Devotion | Rus-Split | 21.5.91 | Śrīla Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Goswāmī Mahārājā

Which, as I briefly explained, was compiled by Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. So yesterday we had finished the first chapter of this book. So today we will discuss the second chapter, which is called "The First Stages of Devotion." And like yesterday, if we cannot finish our discussion before the Gaura-ārthi, Then we will continue the discussion after gorārthi. So in the discussion yesterday, we had discussed the different characteristics of pure devotional service that were given by Rūpa Gosvāmī. Now in the second chapter, Rūpa Gosvāmī talks about three, three different categories of devotional service: devotional service in practice, devotional service in ecstasy, and devotional service and pure love of Godhead. Devotional service and practice has been divided by Rūpa Gosvāmī into two categories: ecstasy in four categories and devotional service and pure love of God in six categories. Now devotional service in ecstasy and pure love of God will be discussed at a later stage in our discussion of Bhaktirasāmṛta-sindhu. At this stage, you won't be able to understand it. Therefore, in this Chapter 2, Prabhupada is just discussing what is known as devotional service in practice. So what does devotional service in practice mean? The meaning is very simple. It means that you employ the mind and the senses in service to the Lord. According to the Vedic information, we have knowledge-acquiring senses, working senses, object of the senses, And all these senses are supposed to work in activities in relationship to the Lord. So we have knowledge acquiring senses. What are the knowledge acquiring senses? Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, touch. These are called knowledge acquiring senses because it is through these senses that we obtain all the information. Just like if you want to see something, you can only see something there through the eyes. If we close your eyes and tell you to see something, you won't be able to see. Or if you want to hear something, you have to hear something through the ears. If we close your ears and tell you to hear, you won't be able to hear. And if you want to taste something, you can only taste through the ears, through the tongue. You cannot taste through the eyes or the ears. So these are the knowledge— there are 5 knowledge acquiring senses that we have just listed. Then you have 5 objects of the senses. For the eyes, the object is vision. For the ears, the object is sound. For the nose, the object is smell. For the tongue, the object is taste. And for the genitals, the object is touch. Then you have the, uh, the working senses: the hand, the leg, the evacuatory organs, the reproductive organs, the mouth. These are all the work— the working senses. So devotional service in practice means Our knowledge according senses, objects of the senses, working senses, have all to be used in relationship to the Lord. In the Bhaktirasamhita Sindhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī gives a very simple example. He gives the example of a small child. A small child, when he is born, he just crawls, isn't it? But then he crawls for 8 or 9 months, but after 8 or 9 months, The parents teach the child how to walk. Why? Because within the child there is the capacity to walk. And because there is the capacity to walk, when the parents train the child, he begins to walk. So similarly, Rūpa Gosvāmī says that devotional service is lying dormant in everyone's heart. But this, this has to be woken up. And the moment it is woken up, one becomes attracted to Kṛṣṇa. Because devotional service, even though it appears foreign to us, but it is not foreign to us. Just like all of you, you were not born in this Vedic culture. You had never even heard of Kṛṣṇa till about 4, 5, 10 years ago. You never even knew anything but Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra or Bhāgavad-gītā. But once all this was presented to you, you took to this process. And now this Kṛṣṇa conscious process appears so natural to all of you. And to many of you who are convinced about the value of devotional service, when you're not chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa or when you do something wrong, you feel embarrassed. So, so, so through these, through the simple example, we can see just with applying, just meditating, how each of you came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and how Kṛṣṇa consciousness appears very natural. All this goes to support Rūpa Gosvāmī's statement that devotional service is lying dormant in everyone's heart. So Ṛpa Gosvāmī further says, the devotional service in practice is called sādhna-bhakti. And sādhna-bhakti is divided in two categories. One is called vaidhī-bhakti, the other is called rāgānuga-bhakti. Rūpa Gosvāmī is explaining that the constitutional position of the living entity is to be happy. That is the nature of the jīva. But due to engaging in vikarmic activities, the living entity gets entangled in the cycle of birth and death. And vikarmic activities refers to activities against the laws of God. So as long as we engage in vikarmic activities, Rūpa Gosvāmī says, the living entity go on transmigrating from one prison cell to another prison cell. Vikarma means Activities which should not be done, activities which are forbidden. So Rūpa Gosvāmī says, just like a madman, a madman can also be cured if he's taken to the psychiatrist. A diseased man can also be cured if he's taken to the doctor. So Rūpa Gosvāmī says that the tendency to engage in forbidden actions, the vikarmic actions, can also be controlled Through the process of vaidhi-bhakti. Now with regards to execution of devotional service, Rūpa Gosvāmī has made another very significant point. He says that devotional service is a continuous process. Continuous process means that anybody who has taken to devotional service in this life has taken to it only because in his previous life also he had executed devotional service. You may think that you've come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness because some friend of you, yours, introduced you to the movement, or someone gave you a book. But bear in mind that you would not have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness if you would not have done devotional service in your past life. So Rūpa Gosvāmī's statement is very clear that devotional service is a continuous process. And if somebody is executing devotional service today, It is because he has also done devotional service in his past life. So all of you who are executing devotional service, or you may be staying at home and practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or you may be studying and coming to the temple once a week or whatever, are able to do this because in your past life you have rendered service. And in this life you're just continuing at the point you left off in your last life. So you may argue and say, "This is wonderful. So I don't have to become completely serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this life. In this life I'll make another 20% advancement, and then in my next life I'll continue it further. No problem. Why do you tell me to surrender completely now?" Because Kṛṣṇa is telling you to surrender now. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmaṁ parita-jyāmām ekaṁ caṇaṁ rāja-haṁ tvaṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣam imāṣucāra. It is Kṛṣṇa who is saying, "Give up everything and surrender unto Me now, now, now." Because the longer you stay in material existence, the longer you have to go through the miseries of birth and death. So as we said, devotional service and practice means sadhana-bhakti. And Rūpa Gosvāmī said sadhana-bhakti is to be divided in two parts: vaidhī-bhakti and rāgānuga-bhakti. So vaidhī-bhakti means vaidhī. Vaidhī is a Sanskrit word which means rules and regulations. So rules and regulations have to be there. Without rules and regulations, you cannot even execute bhakti. Many times people tell us, "I'm willing to take a spiritual life, but I don't want any rules and regulations." But without rules and regulations, you cannot have any spiritual life. Without rules and regulations, there cannot be any spiritual advancement. You can't even walk on the street without rules and regulations. You may say, "It's very hot, I'm going to walk naked," but the police will arrest you because the law of the country doesn't allow that. Whether you're driving your car or crossing the street or going through an educational system, you have to follow rules and regulations. So in devotional service also, we have rules and regulations, we have discipline. In the Bhāgavad-gītā, Prabhupāda says, "Disciple means discipline." So there must be spiritual discipline. So vaidhī-bhakti means rules and regulations. And these rules and regulations include offering of mangal arati in the morning, to refrain from sinful activities, to offer obeisances to the spiritual master, to chant 16 rounds a day and 25 on Ekadasi, to hear the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhāgavad-gītā. So these are various rules and regulations that act as a medicine that can destroy the sinful germs in the body. Therefore it is our experience that those devotees who sincerely follow these rules and regulations, they are able to make rapid advancement. And those who hesitate or avoid these rules and regulations, they keep remaining where they are. Do not underestimate the value of these rules and regulations in destroying our sinful tendencies. So these rules and regulations are meant to help us, not to restrict our freedom. To help us on spiritual path. Some of you who live in the Kriyāstha Ashram at home may be wondering if these rules and regulations also apply to you. Yes, they do apply to you also. Rūpa Gosvāmī, he quotes from the 11th canto of the Bhāgavatam in this chapter. And in quoting from the 11th canto, Rūpa Gosvāmī says, "The entire varnāśrama system is organized in such a manner that members of the four varnas and four āśramas may follow these rules and regulations and get purified. Rūpa Gosvāmī, in quoting from the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam, says that the four varnas and the four āśramas have all come up from the different part of the Lord's body. The brāhmanas, for example, they have come from the head of the Lord. The Kshatriyas, for example, have come out from the hands of the Lord, and the Vaishyas have come out from the belly of the Lord, and the Sudras have come out from the legs of the Lord. Now what does this mean? This has an important message. This conveys the duties of these four different varnas. Just like in a body, the head is the most important part, and without the head, the body is pronounced dead. So the Brahmanas constitute the head of the society, and their business is to guide society on the spiritual path. The Kshatriyas, they have come out from the hands of the Lord's body. What do you do with your hands? You give protection. So the Kshatriyas' business is to give protection to the weaker sections of society, namely the old people, the womenfolk, and the children, and to do the administration. The Vaishyas, as we said, have come out from the belly of the Lord, and their business is to take care of agricultural production and the cows. And the sudras, they have come out from the leg of the Lord's body. So their business is to serve the other three orders, the varnas. Because just like the leg supports the whole body, similarly the sudra must assist the vaishya, kshatriya, and brahmana. Now the āśramas, brahmachari, grihastha, vanaprastha, sannyāsa. In the 11th canto it is said,— that the sannyasis, they are coming from the head of the Lord's body. Because the sannyasis are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of society. The vanaprasthas have come out from the hand of the Lord's body. And the grihasthas from the waist. And the brahmacharis from the legs. This is in the 11th canto. So the 4 varnas and 4 āśramas, they all come from the Lord's body. And all these four varnas and āśramas are meant to follow the process of vaidhī-bhakti. For example, the brāhmana. So I'll just stop here and continue to the aṛti like yesterday. The point where I've stopped is, I've just finished describing the four varnas and āśramas are part of the Lord's body. There is one very important point that I have not discussed, which Rūpa Gosvāmī says how to succeed on the path of devotional service and practice. Any question for 2 minutes?

Yes. Well, you said that if we in this lifetime continue our devotional service, that means in previous lifetime we already began it. But what was the first? What was our beginning of devotional service? Maybe it was—

When did we begin devotional service?

Yes.

That unfortunately Rūpa Gosvāmī doesn't talk about, so I don't want to speculate. It is just like sometimes people would ask Prabhupāda, When did we fall from the spiritual world? That is not important. Just like when there's a fire, it doesn't matter how the fire started. The urgency is how to put the fire out. Yes, you had a question there. Same question. They say great people think alike.

So the question is, maybe in previous lifetimes we were great devotees, but we didn't want to serve Krishna, uh, in his spiritual world, but we preferred to serve him here in the material world. What do you think? Is it possible?

Well, if you want to make sure that you go on serving Krishna in the material world, you have to follow the process of vaidhī-bhakti. Otherwise, māyā won't let you do it. Māyā is very strong. Don't underestimate māyā. We should always be scared of māyā. We should never take devotional service for granted. That means we should never be so sure about devotional service. Sometimes devotees tend to be so confident that māyā can't touch them. That they take all the risk in executing devotional service. Just see how careful Haridas Thakura was. He was chanting 300,000 times a day. And when he was told by Caitanya Mahāprabhu when he was sick, now you stop chanting, you can take rest, he said, no, if I stop chanting, I'll fall in māyā. I can't stop. So what are we compared to Haridas Thakura? A spark in front of the sun. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Hare, Hare.