Post by niscala on Sept 14, 2013 23:20:44 GMT -5
BHAKTI IS DELIBERATE EFFORT, INTENSE COVETOUS DESIRE, AND GREED
The step from vaidhi to raganuga is a deliberate conscious one, Those who say it is automatic or the result of preaching may equate preaching as that deliberate effort, but as has been pointed out, preaching is a limb (anga) of bhakti and as such, it can be performed either in the vaidhi or the raganuga mood. One may be preaching in vaidhi, or move deliberately upwards to preach in raganuga.
Bhaktivinode Thakura, in his Sri Chaitanya Siksamrita, has described that the soul naturally evolves upwards, first from animalistic materialism, to the theistic morality of varnasrama, to vaidhi bhakti and finally to raganuga bhakti, but none of these transitions are automatic. Each requires great effort and desire to overcome the attachment to the former rung. As he writes:
“On the path of gradual development, care must be taken to to become steadily elevated to a higher level, no matter what the present level. By good fortune, the tendency of the soul is to elevate itself gradually, but there are certainly obstacles along the path, and so the soul may fail to reach the ultimate goal. Those who desire to reach a higher standard must always be conscious of this fact. In progressing from one level of life to the next, two things should be considered. The aspirant should be firmly fixed in one position to take a firm step to the next higher level. Then in order to advance successfully to the higher level, when one foot gives up the previous place, that foot must firmly fix itself in the higher level before the other foot can follow on to that new level. Simultaneously, the aspirant must give up attachment to the lower level, becoming firmly established on the higher level. By moving too quickly, the aspirant will fall. By moving too slowly the results will come slowly...
Some people lament that they have not attained devotion to Krsna but at the same time they do not make any real attempt to raise themselves to the level of Krsna bhakti. They remain bound to one of the levels and do not attempt to progress to the practices of the next higher level- this is known as niyamagraha. If people stop at one stage, how can they expect to progress to the top? Thus, many devotees on the level of vaidhi-bhakti make no attempt to progress to bhava bhakti, but then lament they have not attained bhava”
“Real attempt” and “must give up attachment” and “progress to the practices of the next higher level” all indicate deliberate effort and desire. There is nothing automatic about it.
How one makes this deliberate step to ragaunuga or nishta bhakti is also described. First one must be firmly situated in the level before it- anartha nivritti. Through humility and introspection and primarily through the help of the Lord within, one's anarthas become progressively and painfully more and more obvious. One then feels lost and hopeless, powerless to overcome the illusory energy. One feels thoroughly unqualified. This may be spurred on by humility and awareness of subtle desires, or if that is not present, the illusory energy may help by causing gross fall down. Then one of two things may happen, If one's faith is compromised, one falls from the path. One feels that the process is too hard for me, I should try something else. If however, faith is strong, then the feelings of hopelessness and desperation continue. Finally, they reach a cathartic point where one feels that on one's own, by one's own efforts, I am going nowhere. I cannot do it. One then “lets go”, as Draupadi did, of all confidence in oneself, and like a baby weeps helplessly for the Lord to intervene, to come into one's heart and clear out these unwanted things- I have tried, I failed, I give up. Only you can do it, oh hari-nama!
Such intense feelings of longing, such intense desire and reaching out like a child to be picked up, is the pre-qualification for entering raga, which is characterized not exactly by the clearing of desires, anartha nivritti, but by the inflammation of desires that ever increase upon themselves to reach a fever pitch. Thus, lobha, or spiritual greed is a first step on the raga path. It is far greater than the desire to move from varnasrama to vaidhi, or from materialistic life to varnasrama, regulated theistic morality. That is why it is called greed- it becomes so intense, it can only be called an obsession. A greedy person is obsessed with his object of greed. Being thus obsessed, and feeling hopelessly inadequate, leads to the feeling of desperation for hari nama to enter my heart, and clear out all the dirt. I cannot do it. I tried and I failed.
Listening to a devotee on the raga path, again and again describe this as the only qualification for success, I can understand its importance. I have only ineptitude in such an attitude myself. I pray that by writing about it, I may please him and get his mercy.
I have described how if faith is not strong, one falls away, as one's spiritual greed is not strong enough to pass the tests that anartha nivritti throw us. This stage by its nature, is a “make it or break it” stage, full of self-doubt and crises. If one is feeling peace and fulfillment in devotional service, one has not reached it yet. One is at bhajana kriya. Bhakti in the stage of raga is characterised not by peace, but the agitation of intense desire. One who has tasted even the smallest droplet of such spiritual nectar is never attracted again to the ocean of peace. Anartha nivritti facilitates that. But one's faith or foundation must be strong and one's motivation unwavering. Through good sadhu sanga this is possible.
We must become, as described above, obsessed with our object of greed- Krsna and the pastimes He enjoys with his devotees. Raganuga seems very selfish, because in it, we don't do anything because someone tells us to- we do it because we want to. We like to hear about certain types of pastimes, more than others. If we hear by rote of rule, by our authorities telling us “you should go to Srimad Bhagavatam class. It's at 8 am” or “read Srila Prabhupada's books, in the morning and evening” that is hearing, but in vaidhi bhakti. In ragaunuga bhakti, it is about me- what I want, in my relationship with the Lord. As long as we are hearing out of a sense of duty about what should be done, or what our temple president or even Srila Prabhupada wanted of us, that sense of duty and lack of obsessive greed, ensures we are firmly on the vaidhi path. Being so firmly situated, we may criticize those on the raga path as selfish, and if we give out books- also out of a sense of duty, or possibly honor, this “better than thou” attitude may become firmly established.
Besides that, even out of a sense of duty, when one considers not just obeying, but really pleasing Srila Prabhupada, we may remember that when he was asked “What will please you most?” he replied “You becoming Krsna conscious!”. If taking time out, to get strong within by constant hearing, chanting and remembering the name, form, fame and pastimes of Krsna, is needed for that, then we should do it, to please him most. (Then how potent will our preaching be? This is Aindra prabhu's point, most excellently and passionately argued in his deeply felt treatise “The Transcendental Heart of Book Distribution”
Abandoning such a sense of duty and entering the path of attraction, one should constantly hear Krsna lila in the association of pure devotees, if possible. Raganuga sravanam is hearing that which one is attracted to. If one is attracted to hearing about how the gopis serve Krsna- their qualities and the moods that they do it in, then one naturally hears and reads more and more of those pastimes, spurred on only by attraction. Then one proceeds to chanting in that mood, praying for their mercy. The same things happens in any of the rasas. Two things facilitate our progress- the negative realization of our helplessness and the subsequent feebleness and insufficiency of our own efforts, feeling amply and hopelessly unqualified, and the positive realization of sweet nectarean attraction. Spurred on ever more by attraction, and feeling more and more unqualified, one 's spiritual greed takes over, and in an ever more humble and appreciative mood, one reads with a greatly prayerful attitude and great hope and aspiration- desire- to become part of those pastimes, or as the acaryas put it “one covets a desire” It is called “coveting”, as we do not deserve it, feeling and knowing our ample disqualifications. We have no money for the goods, but want them anyway, and indeed we are obsessed with having them. That is greed.
Sometimes it is said that “one covets a secret desire”. Inflamed by greed, we become very fearful that our aspirations may be taken away by “skeletons in the closet”: the anarthas produced by bhakti, such as desire to be seen as an advanced devotee. No devotee should ever tell anyone that he is on the raga path. Greed by its nature is obsessive, and has only one object.
We should not become discouraged by our anarthas...and we should become discouraged by them. They are stumbling blocks, but while we have stumbled, we are in a low position, ready to call out for help. If we are in the process of stumbling, we are also desperately crying out for help. They are meant to discourage us from relying on our own efforts and accustom us to beg helplessly. We feel we are “up against a rock and a hard place” with no way out. This is a great place to be, in terms of spiritual catharsis. Security, comfort, respectability in the ISKCON society are protections against reaching this place. The temple room floor should be wet with tears after every kirtan, or something is not quite right, especially if “senior” devotees are present.
Therefore, maya arranges major stumbling blocks for us. Our gurus do not fall down- they fall up. Only when one is down, can one look up for help. They are being helped along by the illusory energy, and ultimately by the hand of Krsna. We all are. But if all we see around us is the hard ground and the rocks of hopelessness, and not the hopefulness of His kind hand, ready and ever willing to pull us up and out of our quandary, and have us part of His blissful spiritual entourage, then we will have reached the meeting place of two paths, and have gone the wrong way...
The step from vaidhi to raganuga is a deliberate conscious one, Those who say it is automatic or the result of preaching may equate preaching as that deliberate effort, but as has been pointed out, preaching is a limb (anga) of bhakti and as such, it can be performed either in the vaidhi or the raganuga mood. One may be preaching in vaidhi, or move deliberately upwards to preach in raganuga.
Bhaktivinode Thakura, in his Sri Chaitanya Siksamrita, has described that the soul naturally evolves upwards, first from animalistic materialism, to the theistic morality of varnasrama, to vaidhi bhakti and finally to raganuga bhakti, but none of these transitions are automatic. Each requires great effort and desire to overcome the attachment to the former rung. As he writes:
“On the path of gradual development, care must be taken to to become steadily elevated to a higher level, no matter what the present level. By good fortune, the tendency of the soul is to elevate itself gradually, but there are certainly obstacles along the path, and so the soul may fail to reach the ultimate goal. Those who desire to reach a higher standard must always be conscious of this fact. In progressing from one level of life to the next, two things should be considered. The aspirant should be firmly fixed in one position to take a firm step to the next higher level. Then in order to advance successfully to the higher level, when one foot gives up the previous place, that foot must firmly fix itself in the higher level before the other foot can follow on to that new level. Simultaneously, the aspirant must give up attachment to the lower level, becoming firmly established on the higher level. By moving too quickly, the aspirant will fall. By moving too slowly the results will come slowly...
Some people lament that they have not attained devotion to Krsna but at the same time they do not make any real attempt to raise themselves to the level of Krsna bhakti. They remain bound to one of the levels and do not attempt to progress to the practices of the next higher level- this is known as niyamagraha. If people stop at one stage, how can they expect to progress to the top? Thus, many devotees on the level of vaidhi-bhakti make no attempt to progress to bhava bhakti, but then lament they have not attained bhava”
“Real attempt” and “must give up attachment” and “progress to the practices of the next higher level” all indicate deliberate effort and desire. There is nothing automatic about it.
How one makes this deliberate step to ragaunuga or nishta bhakti is also described. First one must be firmly situated in the level before it- anartha nivritti. Through humility and introspection and primarily through the help of the Lord within, one's anarthas become progressively and painfully more and more obvious. One then feels lost and hopeless, powerless to overcome the illusory energy. One feels thoroughly unqualified. This may be spurred on by humility and awareness of subtle desires, or if that is not present, the illusory energy may help by causing gross fall down. Then one of two things may happen, If one's faith is compromised, one falls from the path. One feels that the process is too hard for me, I should try something else. If however, faith is strong, then the feelings of hopelessness and desperation continue. Finally, they reach a cathartic point where one feels that on one's own, by one's own efforts, I am going nowhere. I cannot do it. One then “lets go”, as Draupadi did, of all confidence in oneself, and like a baby weeps helplessly for the Lord to intervene, to come into one's heart and clear out these unwanted things- I have tried, I failed, I give up. Only you can do it, oh hari-nama!
Such intense feelings of longing, such intense desire and reaching out like a child to be picked up, is the pre-qualification for entering raga, which is characterized not exactly by the clearing of desires, anartha nivritti, but by the inflammation of desires that ever increase upon themselves to reach a fever pitch. Thus, lobha, or spiritual greed is a first step on the raga path. It is far greater than the desire to move from varnasrama to vaidhi, or from materialistic life to varnasrama, regulated theistic morality. That is why it is called greed- it becomes so intense, it can only be called an obsession. A greedy person is obsessed with his object of greed. Being thus obsessed, and feeling hopelessly inadequate, leads to the feeling of desperation for hari nama to enter my heart, and clear out all the dirt. I cannot do it. I tried and I failed.
Listening to a devotee on the raga path, again and again describe this as the only qualification for success, I can understand its importance. I have only ineptitude in such an attitude myself. I pray that by writing about it, I may please him and get his mercy.
I have described how if faith is not strong, one falls away, as one's spiritual greed is not strong enough to pass the tests that anartha nivritti throw us. This stage by its nature, is a “make it or break it” stage, full of self-doubt and crises. If one is feeling peace and fulfillment in devotional service, one has not reached it yet. One is at bhajana kriya. Bhakti in the stage of raga is characterised not by peace, but the agitation of intense desire. One who has tasted even the smallest droplet of such spiritual nectar is never attracted again to the ocean of peace. Anartha nivritti facilitates that. But one's faith or foundation must be strong and one's motivation unwavering. Through good sadhu sanga this is possible.
We must become, as described above, obsessed with our object of greed- Krsna and the pastimes He enjoys with his devotees. Raganuga seems very selfish, because in it, we don't do anything because someone tells us to- we do it because we want to. We like to hear about certain types of pastimes, more than others. If we hear by rote of rule, by our authorities telling us “you should go to Srimad Bhagavatam class. It's at 8 am” or “read Srila Prabhupada's books, in the morning and evening” that is hearing, but in vaidhi bhakti. In ragaunuga bhakti, it is about me- what I want, in my relationship with the Lord. As long as we are hearing out of a sense of duty about what should be done, or what our temple president or even Srila Prabhupada wanted of us, that sense of duty and lack of obsessive greed, ensures we are firmly on the vaidhi path. Being so firmly situated, we may criticize those on the raga path as selfish, and if we give out books- also out of a sense of duty, or possibly honor, this “better than thou” attitude may become firmly established.
Besides that, even out of a sense of duty, when one considers not just obeying, but really pleasing Srila Prabhupada, we may remember that when he was asked “What will please you most?” he replied “You becoming Krsna conscious!”. If taking time out, to get strong within by constant hearing, chanting and remembering the name, form, fame and pastimes of Krsna, is needed for that, then we should do it, to please him most. (Then how potent will our preaching be? This is Aindra prabhu's point, most excellently and passionately argued in his deeply felt treatise “The Transcendental Heart of Book Distribution”
Abandoning such a sense of duty and entering the path of attraction, one should constantly hear Krsna lila in the association of pure devotees, if possible. Raganuga sravanam is hearing that which one is attracted to. If one is attracted to hearing about how the gopis serve Krsna- their qualities and the moods that they do it in, then one naturally hears and reads more and more of those pastimes, spurred on only by attraction. Then one proceeds to chanting in that mood, praying for their mercy. The same things happens in any of the rasas. Two things facilitate our progress- the negative realization of our helplessness and the subsequent feebleness and insufficiency of our own efforts, feeling amply and hopelessly unqualified, and the positive realization of sweet nectarean attraction. Spurred on ever more by attraction, and feeling more and more unqualified, one 's spiritual greed takes over, and in an ever more humble and appreciative mood, one reads with a greatly prayerful attitude and great hope and aspiration- desire- to become part of those pastimes, or as the acaryas put it “one covets a desire” It is called “coveting”, as we do not deserve it, feeling and knowing our ample disqualifications. We have no money for the goods, but want them anyway, and indeed we are obsessed with having them. That is greed.
Sometimes it is said that “one covets a secret desire”. Inflamed by greed, we become very fearful that our aspirations may be taken away by “skeletons in the closet”: the anarthas produced by bhakti, such as desire to be seen as an advanced devotee. No devotee should ever tell anyone that he is on the raga path. Greed by its nature is obsessive, and has only one object.
We should not become discouraged by our anarthas...and we should become discouraged by them. They are stumbling blocks, but while we have stumbled, we are in a low position, ready to call out for help. If we are in the process of stumbling, we are also desperately crying out for help. They are meant to discourage us from relying on our own efforts and accustom us to beg helplessly. We feel we are “up against a rock and a hard place” with no way out. This is a great place to be, in terms of spiritual catharsis. Security, comfort, respectability in the ISKCON society are protections against reaching this place. The temple room floor should be wet with tears after every kirtan, or something is not quite right, especially if “senior” devotees are present.
Therefore, maya arranges major stumbling blocks for us. Our gurus do not fall down- they fall up. Only when one is down, can one look up for help. They are being helped along by the illusory energy, and ultimately by the hand of Krsna. We all are. But if all we see around us is the hard ground and the rocks of hopelessness, and not the hopefulness of His kind hand, ready and ever willing to pull us up and out of our quandary, and have us part of His blissful spiritual entourage, then we will have reached the meeting place of two paths, and have gone the wrong way...
