Introduction a Introduction
please Me greatly and thus advance him on the path toward eternal life
Yüklə 8,84 Mb.
|
please Me greatly and thus advance him on the path toward eternal life. COMMENTARY The Supreme Lord said, “O Uddhava, you had asked Me to describe what kind of devotional service is pleasing to Me. Here is the answer—you should offer respect and worship to My deity form and to My devotees. You should offer all your possessions for My service, thinking that ‘everything I have has been given to me by the Lord for use in His service.’ With this attitude, one should offer to the Deity whatever he has at his disposal. One should surrender one’s body and very self at the lotus feet of the Lord. One should glorify the Lord’s transcendental birth and activities, and sing His glories in the association of devotees. One should observe My festivals, such as Janmäńöamé, with singing, dancing, and the playing of musical instruments. One should arrange for very The Symptoms of Conditioned and Liberated Living Entities 183 opulent worship of the Lord by offering new clothes, ornaments, sweets, flower garlands, sandalwood paste, and so on, during festivals such as Holi. One should observe religious vows like Ekädaçé, worship the Deity, and one should arrange flower gardens, individually or collectively, for My service. One should arrange a place for enacting the pastimes of the Lord. One should sweep the temple of the Lord and then smear it with cow dung mixed with water. Thereafter, when the temple room is dry, one should sprinkle scented water and then decorate the floor with auspicious drawings. In this way, one should engage in My temple as a menial servant. Just as a servant of the king works for his satisfaction, one should engage in My service, giving up all sense of miserliness. One should give up the desire for personal aggrandizement. One should not use a ghee lamp that has been offered to Me for his own use, such as to illuminate his own room. One should only partake of that food which was first offered to Me. As dictated by etiquette, one should distribute the remnants of My food to the Vaińëavas, and then honor the prasäda oneself. It is stated in the çästra that the merit one obtains by fasting for six months can be attained in Kali-yuga simply by partaking of one morsel of Lord Vińëu’s remnants. One should meditate upon My form within his heart, chant My holy names, accept the remnants of My food, drink the water that has washed My feet, and touch the remnants of My flowers to one’s head. One who follows all these principles is to be considered as on the same platform as the infallible Lord Vińëu. One should offer to Me the thing that is most dear to him in this world. However, although wine is very dear to Lord Baladeva, it should never be offered to the Deity because there is no mention of such a practice in the çästra. Among all these practices, the most effective is the offering of one’s most dear thing for the service of the Lord. PURPORT Pure devotees never consider the things of this world to be meant for their personal enjoyment, without connection to Kĺńëa consciousness. Pure devotees consider themselves the eternal servants of the Lord, and never make false claims of being themselves the Lord. Knowing the pure devotee to be the Lord’s representative, sent into this world by His mercy, fortunate people touch his feet, have his darçana, worship him, serve him, glorify him, offer obeisances to him, and appreciate his transcendental qualities. One should not consider the Deity, the Lord in the heart, and the pure devotees of the Lord to be separate from one another. One should know that the Absolute Truth is one, while manifesting in infinite varieties. One should faithfully hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the spiritual master, while fully surrendering unto the Lord, offering all of one’s possessions to Him in His service. Indeed, one should
184 UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ consider his very self as being meant for the pleasure of the Lord and for no other purpose. The word varńa refers to a period of time, as well as a tract of land. Yäträ refers to the performance of religious celebrations current at various places and at various times. The performance of worship is called balividhäna. There are two kinds of initiation, Vedic initiation and initiation conducted in pursuance of the Vedic literature. The word
by all Vaińëavas. The firm determination to engage in the Lord’s service is indicated by the word vratadharaëa. Impersonalists do not accept the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should give up the association of such persons and work, either individually or collectively, to make flower gardens and fruit orchards for the service of the Deity, äçramas for the residence of devotees, and temples so that people in general can take part in the worship of the Lord. Giving up all false pride, one should sweep the floor of the Lord’s temple, smear it with cow dung, sprinkle it with scented water, and then draw auspicious symbols, engaging just like a menial servant. One should never make such endeavors simply to enhance his prestige. One should never consider himself to be a great devotee, and one should never brag about his devotional activities. One should not employ a lamp that was offered to the Lord for serving his own purpose, such as illuminating his residence. One should never offer to the Lord something that was given to someone else, or used by him. Being impelled by material desires, one should not utilize what is dear to him for his personal sense gratification. Rather, he should offer his favorite things for the service of the Supreme Lord. By doing so, one will attain eternal benefit. One should not become bewildered by thoughts of material enjoyment and thus forget the service of the Supreme Lord. All of one’s wealth and family members should be engaged for the Lord’s satisfaction and this will save one from increasing his material bondage.
SaUYaaeR_iGanb]aRř >aUraTMaaSavR>aUTaaiNa>ad]PaUJaaPadaiNaMae ))42))
The Symptoms of Conditioned and Liberated Living Entities COMMENTARY 185 Uddhava had asked, “Where should I worship You? The Lord herein replies, “There are eleven places where you can worship Me, such as the sun, fire and so on.” TEXTS 43-45 SaUYaeRTauivŰYaa}aYYaahivzaGanaEYaJaeTaMaaMa( ) AaiTaQYaeNaTauivPa[aGa]yeGaaeZv®YavSaaidNaa ))43)) vEZ vaYaaEMau:YaiDaYaaTaaeYaed]VYaESTaaeYaPaur>SarE> ))44))
SQai<@le/MaN}aôdYaE>aaeRGaEraTMaaNaMaaTMaiNa ) +ae}aj&SavR>aUTaezuSaMaTveNaYaJaeTaMaaMa( ))45))
186 UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ COMMENTARY How should I adore My worshipable Lord in all these manifestations? The answer is given in these three verses. PURPORT It is not possible to understand the transcendental Lord simply by accumulating knowledge with the help of materially conditioned senses. Considering this, one should not think of the sun, fire, the brähmaëas, cows, Vaińëavas, the sky, air, water, the earth, and the individual spirit souls as devoid of any relation with the Absolute Truth, and thus to be avoided. Rather, one should accept all these entities as being favorable for the execution of one’s devotional service. As soon as one sees anything as separate from the Lord’s service, one will certainly neglect it. These entities should be accepted as worshipable because of their relationship with the Lord. The things mentioned in these verses are to be worshiped in various manners. By the hymns of Ĺk, Säma, and Yajur Vedas, one should worship the sun. By offering ghee into the sacred fire, Agni is worshiped. By receiving them as honored guests, the brähmaëas are worshiped. By feeding them nice grass, the cows are worshiped. By following his orders and thinking of him as an instructor and an eternal friend, a Vaińëava is worshiped. By constant meditation, the Lord within the heart is worshiped. The air is worshiped by considering the life-air to be the most important element. Water is worshiped by offerings of water and flowers. The earth is worshiped by performing the nyäsa mantras. The Supersoul is worshiped by offering Him one’s dearest possessions, and all living entities are worshiped by treating them with equal vision.
iDaZ Yau˘&-cTau>auRJa&XaaNTa&DYaaYaŕceRTSaMaaihTa> ))46))
One should worship the Supreme Lord with a controlled mind, as being present in these entities. This worship is actually the worship of Lord Näräyaëa, although it
The Symptoms of Conditioned and Liberated Living Entities 187 appears to be the worship of many separate entities. The worshipers of Çré Rämacandra should also meditate on their worshipable Lord and offer worship as prescribed herein.
By worshiping all these as if they were independent entities, one will be considered a pantheist, or one who worships many gods. One should meditate on the form of Lord Näräyaëa, who holds a conch, disc, club, and lotus in His hands, as being situated within all these entities. In this way, the worship of all these entities will be in relation to Lord Hari.
wíaPaUTaeRNaMaaMaev&YaaeYaJaeTaSaMaaihTa> ) l/>aTaeMaiYaSaŮi˘&-MaTSMa*iTa>SaaDauSaevYaa ))47)) ińöä-pürtena mäm evaŕ yo yajeta samähitaů labhate mayi sad-bhaktiŕ mat-smĺtiů sädhu-sevayä One who worships Me in full concentration by performing sacrifices and activities meant for the welfare of others, attains unflinching devotional service unto Me. By rendering service to saintly persons, he achieves realized knowledge of Me. COMMENTARY An advanced devotee performs his service meticulously because it is his very life and soul. His austerities are never artificial because he keeps his body healthy so that he can properly execute his service to his spiritual master and the Supreme Lord. PURPORT The congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord and the worship of the spiritual master are the best means for rising to the platform of pure devotional service. It is far better to chant the holy name of the Lord in the association of sincere devotees than to simply practice some form of dry renunciation or fruitive sacrifices. This is the process recommended for this age and those who are actually intelligent will perform kĺńëa-saěkértana with great enthusiasm. 188 UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ TEXT 48 Pa[aYaeai˘-YaaeGaeNaSaTSa®eNaivNaaeÖv ) NaaePaaYaaeivŰTaeSaMYak( Pa[aYa O Uddhava, I am the supreme shelter and goal of life of the devotees. If one does not engage in My devotional service, which is received by the association of My pure devotees, there will be no means for his escaping material existence. COMMENTARY The paths of jďäna and bhakti have both been described but here it is said that deliverance from material existence is possible only by devotional service, which is to be performed in the association of devotees. Pure devotional service to the Lord is called kevala-bhakti, whereas devotional service mixed with speculative propensities is called guëa-bhüta-bhakti, or devotional service polluted by the material modes of nature. Actually, as stated in the Çrémad Bhägavatam, pure devotional service automatically awards one knowledge and detachment. On the other hand, without devotional service, the cultivation of knowledge cannot award one perfection. Processes for spiritual perfection other than devotional service are described as being like the nipples on a goat’s neck. One can never hope to get milk from such useless nipples and one cannot achieve perfection by any process other than devotional service. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.19.9) Çré Uddhava said: täpa-trayeëäbhihitasya ghore santapyamänasya bhavädhvanéha paçyämi nänyac charaëaŕ taväěghri-dvandvätapaträd amĺtäbhivarńät My dear Lord, for one who is being cruelly burned in the blazing fire of material miseries, having fallen into the network of material existence, I do not see any other possible shelter besides Your two lotus feet, which are a shower of nectar extinguishing the fire of suffering. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (12.4.40) Çré Çukadeva Gosvämé has said: saŕsära-sindhum ati-dustaram uttitérńor nänyaů plavo bhagavataů puruńottamasya The Symptoms of Conditioned and Liberated Living Entities lélä-kathä-rasa-nińevaëam antareëa puŕso bhaved vividha-duůkha-davärditasya 189 For a person who is suffering in the fire of countless miseries and who desires to cross the insurmountable ocean of material existence, there is no suitable boat except that of cultivating devotion to the transcendental taste for the narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s pastimes. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (4.31.12) Närada Muni has said: kiŕ vä yogena säěkhyena nyäsa-svadhyäyayor api kiŕ vä çreyobhir anyaiç ca na yaträtma-prado hariů Transcendental practices that do not ultimately help one realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead are useless, be they mystic yoga practices, the analytical study of matter, severe austerity, the acceptance of sannyäsa, or the study of Vedic literature. All these may be very important aspects of spiritual advancement, but unless one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, all these processes are useless. PURPORT The Supreme Personality of Godhead alone is the ultimate goal and shelter of saintly persons. Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation are not the ultimate goals of life. Although these are desired by the conditioned souls, they are full of inauspiciousness. By constantly engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord in the association of devotees, one certainly achieves the ultimate goal of life. TEXT 49 AQaETaTParMa&Gauů&Xa* SauGaaePYaMaiPav+YaaiMaTv&Mae>a*TYa>SauôTSa%a ))49))
190 UDDHAVA-GÉTÄ COMMENTARY The sages headed by Çaunaka have said in the first chapter of the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.1.8) brüyuů snigdhasya çińyasya guravo guhyam apy uta, that a bona-fide spiritual master will impart transcendental knowledge unto the heart of a sincere disciple. Uddhava had surrendered to Lord Kĺńëa, and in reciprocation, the Lord imparted to him transcendental understanding. It is a fact that only unto one who has absolute faith in the Supreme Lord and the spiritual master is the mystery of spiritual understanding revealed. Other processes of elevation are incapable of delivering the desired results because it is only by devotional service that the Lord becomes actually pleased. Simply by accepting the association of pure devotees and working under the direction of the spiritual master, one attains all perfection of life. This is the essential understanding gained by study of this chapter.
CHAPTER 6 BEYOND RENUNCIATION AND KNOWLEDGE CHAPTER SUMMARY In this chapter, the glories of sädhu saěga, and the superexcellence of the Vrajaväsis’ ecstatic love for Kĺńëa, are described. The association of saintly devotees can destroy one’s attachment to material life and can even bring the Supreme Lord, Çré Kĺńëa, under one’s control. Neither mystic yoga, Säěkhya philosophy, following religious principles, studying the Vedas, performing austerities, cultivating dry renunciation, performing welfare activities, giving charity, observing vows such as fasting, worshiping the demigods, chanting secret mantras, nor visiting holy places of pilgrimage can give one the same result. In every age there are demons, animals, birds, and other lower classes of beings who are in the modes of passion and ignorance, as well as human beings such as vaiçyas, çudras, women, and outcastes who cannot study the Vedas. Nevertheless, by the association of saintly devotees, they can attain the supreme abode of the Lord. On the other hand, without such association, even those who very seriously endeavor for perfection in mystic yoga, the cultivation of knowledge, giving charity, observing vows, and practicing renunciation, are generally incapable of attaining the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The young damsels of Vraja, ignorant of the true identity of Çré Kĺńëa, considered Him to be their paramour. Simply by the influence of Lord Kĺńëa’s association, they attained the supreme Absolute Truth, which is rarely attained by even demigods like Lord Brahmä. These gopés of Vraja were so deeply attached to Kĺńëa that they considered an entire night in His association to be just a moment. When Akrura took Kĺńëa and Baladeva to Mathurä, the gopés considered a night in separation from Kĺńëa to be as long
as a kalpa. The gopés, who were afflicted by separation from Kĺńëa, could not imagine anything pleasant other than Kĺńëa’s association. Therefore the gopés’ love for Kĺńëa is certainly incomparable. After imparting these instructions to Uddhava, Lord Çré Kĺńëa concluded by saying that he should give up the considerations of religion and irreligion as described in the çrutis and smĺtis, and instead take shelter of the example of the women of Vĺndävana. Yüklə 8,84 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
|