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Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare,
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
And now, Chapter 11: The Symptoms of a Sādhu.
TEXT 21 titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ
suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām ajāta-śatravaḥ santaḥ
sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ TRANSLATION
The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities.
He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics
are sublime. PURPORT
A sādhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord. His concern, therefore, is to
enlighten people in devotional service; that is his mercy. He knows that without devotional
service, human life is spoiled. A devotee travels all over the country, from door to
door, preaching, "Be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Be a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Don't spoil your life
in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human life is meant for self-realization,
or Kṛṣṇa consciousness." These are the preachings of a sādhu. He is not satisfied with his own
liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most compassionate personality toward
all fallen souls. One of his qualifications, therefore, is kāruṇika, great mercy to the
fallen souls. While engaged in preaching work, he has to meet with so many opposing elements,
and therefore the sādhu has to be very tolerant. Someone may ill-treat him because the conditioned
souls are not prepared to receive the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. They don't
like it; that is their disease. The sādhu has the thankless task of impressing upon
them the importance of devotional service. Sometimes devotees are personally attacked
with violence. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces,
and Lord Caitanya's principal assistant, Nityānanda, was violently attacked by Jagāi and Mādhāi.
But still they were tolerant because their mission was to deliver fallen souls. A sādhu
is merciful because he is the well-wisher of all living entities. He is not only a well-wisher
of human society, but a well-wisher of animal society as well. The word sarva-dehinām refers
to all living entities who have accepted material bodies. Not only does the human being have
a material body, but other living entities as well. The devotee of the Lord is merciful
to everyone—cats, dogs, trees, etc. He treats all living entities in such a way that they
can ultimately get salvation from this material entanglement. Śivānanda Sena, one of the disciples
of Lord Caitanya, gave liberation to a dog by treating the dog transcendentally. There
are many instances where a dog got salvation by association with a sādhu, because a sādhu
engages in the highest philanthropic activities for the benediction of all living entities.
Yet although a sādhu is not inimical toward anyone, the world is so ungrateful that even
a sādhu has many enemies. What is the difference between an enemy and
a friend? It is a difference in behavior. A sādhu behaves with all conditioned souls
for their ultimate relief from material entanglement. Therefore, no one can be more friendly than
a sādhu in relieving a conditioned soul. A sādhu is calm, and he quietly and peacefully
follows the principles of scripture. A sādhu is also one who follows the principles of
scripture and at the same time is a devotee of the Lord. One who actually follows the
principles of scripture must be a devotee of God because all the śāstras instruct us
to obey the orders of the Personality of Godhead. A sādhu, therefore, is a follower of the scriptural
injunctions and a devotee of the Lord. All good characteristics are prominent in a devotee,
and he develops all the good qualities of the demigods, whereas a nondevotee, even though
academically qualified, has no good qualifications or good characteristics according to the standard
of transcendental realization. There are 8,400,000 life forms according to
the Padma Purāṇa, and the ātmā is the same in all of them. The sādhu can understand this,
as Bhagavad-gītā (5.18) indicates: vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini śuni caiva śvapāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ "The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge,
sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a
dog-eater [outcaste]." It is not that a brāhmaṇa is the same as a
dog, but that the brāhmaṇa is a spirit soul, and the dog is also a spirit soul. We are
conditioned according to our different bodies, which are given by superior forces. Yamarāja
offers the living entity a body according to his karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1].
We have already discussed the point that bodies are awarded according to one's qualifications.
If we acquire the qualities of a brāhmaṇa and work as a brāhmaṇa, we become a brāhmaṇa.
If we act as a dog and do the work of a dog, we become a dog. Nor should one think that
simply because one is born as a brāhmaṇa, one is automatically a brāhmaṇa. There are
characteristics mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā by which one can tell to which caste one belongs.
Śrīdhara Svāmī has also noted that birth is not everything. One has to acquire the qualities.
Whatever body we may have, our position is temporary. We cannot remain in any position
indefinitely. We may think that at present we are Americans and are very happy, and that's
all right. We may chalk out our plans for continued happiness, but nature will not allow
us to stay indefinitely. As soon as nature calls, we die and give up our post. Then we
have to take the post of a dog, a cat, a demigod, a human being or whatever. We are now given
a most exalted life form, that of a human being, but if we do not act accordingly, we
have to take a lower body. This is karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1].
We should therefore be very careful in this human form that our aim is to become devotees
of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is the path of liberation. Previously, great personalities in India used
to go to the forest in order to meditate to stop the repetition of birth and death. That
is the highest occupation for man, and actually every man is meant for that. Unless we conquer
repeated birth and death, we simply waste our lives like animals—eating, sleeping,
defending and mating. People in this age especially cannot distinguish between animal life and
human life. They think the difference is that animals sleep in the street and human beings
sleep in nice apartments. However, the śāstras do not define civilization in this way. Whether
one sleeps in the street or in an apartment, the activity is the same. A dog may eat out
of a garbage can, and a human being may eat on a golden plate, but this does not mean
that they are engaged in different activities. In either case, both the dog and the man are
taking food into their bodies. A dog may have sex in the street, and a human being may have
sex in a very nice bed in a secluded place, but that does not change the activity. People
are thinking that advancement of civilization means improving eating, sleeping, mating and
defending, but actually these activities have nothing to do with civilization. They simply
tighten our bondage to material life. Human life is meant for yajña, sacrifice for
the satisfaction of the Supreme Person. We may perfect our activities, but our success
lies in satisfying Kṛṣṇa by our talents. Presently we may be attached to material activity, but
we should transfer that attachment to a sādhu. Then our lives will be successful. Presently
we are attached to money, women, nice houses, country, society, friends, family and so forth.
This attachment is called arjanaṁ paśu. The word paśu means "rope." When we are bound
with a rope, we are helpless, and now we are bound by the guṇas, or the three modes of
material nature. The word guṇa also means "rope." We cannot free ourselves, for we are
conditioned. We cannot move freely without the sanction of the supreme authority. It
is generally said that not a blade of grass moves without God's sanction. Similarly, we
cannot do anything without the supervision of a superior authority.
It is not that God has to take personal supervision of this. parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate...
na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate: in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.8 [Cc. Madhya 13.65,
purport]), it is thus stated that the Supreme Lord does not have to act personally. He has
many agents to perform everything for Him. We are so controlled that we are not even
free to blink our eyes. We may be moving our hands very freely, but at any moment they
can be immediately paralyzed. Presently I am claiming, "This is my hand." But what is
this? The hand could be paralyzed immediately. This is conditioned life, and how can we improve
it? Our business is to become liberated from all this conditioning. How is this possible?
Sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam (SB 3.25.20). We have to turn our attachment
from material things to a sādhu. 'Sādhu-saṅga', 'sādhu-saṅga'-sarva-sastre kaya: [Cc. Madhya
22.54] this is the advice of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. All śāstras advise us to associate
with a sādhu. Even Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, the great politician, recommended: tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ
bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. One Vaiṣṇava householder asked Caitanya Mahāprabhu what the duty of
a householder is, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately replied, asat-sanga-tyaga-ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra:
"Don't associate with nondevotees, but search out a sādhu." (Cc. Madhya 22.87)
At the present moment it is very difficult to avoid the company of asādhus, those who
are not sādhus. It is very difficult to find a sādhu for association. We have therefore
started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to create an association of sādhus so that
people may take advantage and become liberated. There is no other purpose for this society.
Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (6.47) that the first-class sādhu is one who is always
thinking of Him. This process is not very difficult. We should always think of Kṛṣṇa,
but how is this possible? We think of our business, our dog, our family, our lovable
object and so many other things. We have to think of something; without thinking, we cannot
remain. We simply have to divert our thoughts to Kṛṣṇa. It is the sādhu's business to teach
this, and one can learn this in the association of a sādhu. Actually a sādhu will not teach
anything else. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15). This is the
way to make spiritual advancement. One has to associate with a sādhu. Often the sādhu's
task is a thankless one, but he has to be tolerant. Despite all the trouble a sādhu
may encounter, he is very merciful upon fallen conditioned souls. He sees that people are
suffering due to a lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and because he is always thinking of the welfare
of others, he is suhṛt. Other people are always envious, but the sādhu is always thinking
how to save others from the clutches of māyā. A sādhu is kind not only to human beings but
to cats, dogs, trees, plants and insects; he will hesitate even to kill one mosquito.
He does not simply think, "I shall just take care of my brother." He looks on all living
beings as his brothers because Kṛṣṇa says that He is the father of all living entities.
Because a sādhu lives in this way, he does not create enemies. If there are enemies,
they become enemies out of their own character, not out of any provocation on the part of
a sādhu. A sādhu simply teaches, "My dear human being, my dear friend, just surrender
to Kṛṣṇa." Enemies arise due to man's envious nature. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that there are
two envious animals—serpents and men. Although you may be faultless, either may kill you.
Of the two, Cāṇakya paṇḍita says that the envious man is more dangerous because a serpent
can be subdued by chanting a mantra or by some herbs, but an envious man cannot be so
subdued. In Kali-yuga, practically everyone is envious, but we have to tolerate this.
Envious people create many impediments to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, but we have
to tolerate them. There is no alternative. One must be peaceful and depend on Kṛṣṇa in
all circumstances. These are the ornaments of a sādhu. We should find a sādhu and associate
with him. Then our path of liberation will be open.
In the next verse, Lord Kapila further explains the activities of a sādhu.
TEXT 22 mayy ananyena bhāvena
bhaktim kurvanti ye dṛḍham mat-kṛte tyakta-karmāṇas
tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ TRANSLATION
Such a sādhu engages in staunch devotional service to the Lord without deviation. For
the sake of the Lord he renounces all other connections, such as family relationships
and friendly acquaintances within the world. PURPORT
A person in the renounced order of life, a sannyāsī, is also called a sādhu because he
renounces everything—his home, his comfort, his friends, his relatives and his duties
to friends and to family. He renounces everything for the sake of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. A sannyāsī is generally in the renounced order of life, but his renunciation will be
successful only when his energy is employed in the service of the Lord with great austerity.
It is said here, therefore, bhaktim kurvanti ye dṛḍham. A person who seriously engages
in the service of the Lord and is in the renounced order of life is a sādhu. A sādhu is one who
has given up all responsibility to society, family and worldly humanitarianism, simply
for the service of the Lord. As soon as he takes his birth in the world, a person has
many responsibilities and obligations—to the public, demigods, great sages, general
living beings, parents, forefathers and many others. When he gives up all these obligations
for the service of the Supreme Lord, he is not punished for his renunciation. But if
for sense gratification a person renounces these obligations, he is punished by the law
of nature. Kṛṣṇa and all the śāstras say that our only
obligation is to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we take to His service, we are
no longer obliged to anyone. We are free. How is this possible? By almighty God's power.
A man may be condemned to death, but if a president or a king excuses him, he is saved.
Kṛṣṇa's final instruction in Bhagavad-gītā is to surrender everything to Him. We can
sacrifice our life, wealth and intelligence, and this is called yajña. Everyone has some
intelligence, and everyone uses his intelligence in one way or another. Generally people use
their intelligence in trying to gratify their senses, but even an ant can do this. We should
try to gratify not our senses but Kṛṣṇa's senses. Then we become perfect.
We have to learn this purificatory process from a sādhu. Inasmuch as we try to gratify
our senses, we become attached to the material world. We may render service to the sādhu
or to Kṛṣṇa. The sādhu is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. He will never say, "Serve me," but
will say, "Serve Kṛṣṇa." Therefore we have to approach Kṛṣṇa through the sādhu. This
is confirmed by the Vaiṣṇava ācārya Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra
pāyeche kebā. We cannot directly approach Kṛṣṇa; we have to go through the transparent
via media, Kṛṣṇa's representative. Those who are after material concessions go
to different demigods. They take something from Śiva, Durgā, Kali, Gaṇeśa, Sūrya and
whomever. However, it was the goddess Pārvatī who asked Lord Śiva, "What is the best type
of worship?" Lord Śiva advised, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param (Padma Purāṇa).
"My dear Pārvatī, of all kinds of worship, worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the best." Then he
added: tasmāt parataraṁ devī tadīyānāṁ samarcanam. "And even better than the worship of Lord
Viṣṇu is the worship of a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee." Spiritual life begins with the association
of a devotee, a sādhu. One cannot progress an inch without the mercy of a sādhu. Prahlāda
Mahārāja has also indicated this: naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim
spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ mahīyasāṁ pada-rajo-'bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat "Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust
of the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava completely freed from material contamination, persons
very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the
Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking
shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination."
(SB 7.5.32) Hiraṇyakaśipu asked Prahlāda Mahārāja, "My dear son Prahlāda, how have you become
so advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Although Hiraṇyakaśipu was a demon, he was nonetheless
inquisitive. Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, "My dear father, O best of the asuras, one can
receive Kṛṣṇa consciousness only from the instructions of a guru. One cannot attain
it simply by speculating. Ordinary men do not know that their ultimate destination is
to return to Viṣṇu." In the material world, people are always hoping for something. They
hope against hope, yet their hopes will never be fulfilled. People are trying to become
happy by adjusting the external energy, but they do not know that happiness cannot be
achieved without approaching God. People are thinking, "I must first of all see to my own
interest." That's all right, but what is that interest? That they do not know. People are
thinking that by adjusting the material energy they will be happy, and everyone is trying
this individually, collectively or nationally. In any case, it is not possible. People will
ultimately be frustrated. Why attempt a process that will ultimately meet with frustration?
It is therefore said: adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB
7.5.30). People are being baffled in so many ways because they cannot control their senses.
Their only possibility of rescue is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in this verse it is said: mayy ananyena
bhāvena bhaktim kurvanti ye dṛḍham. Prahlāda Mahārāja simply thought of Kṛṣṇa.
Because of this, he had to undergo a great deal of trouble given by his father. Material
nature will not give us freedom very easily. If we become strong enough to try to capture
the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, māyā will try to keep us under her clutches. However, if one
gives up everything for Kṛṣṇa's sake, māyā can have no effect. The most excellent example
of this is the gopīs. They gave up everything—family, prestige and honor—just to follow Kṛṣṇa.
That is the highest perfection, but that is not possible for ordinary living entities.
We should, however, follow the Gosvāmīs in their determination to worship Kṛṣṇa.
Sanātana Gosvāmī was an important minister in the government of Hussain Shah, but he
gave up everything to follow Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He adopted the life of a mendicant
and lived under a different tree every night. One may ask, "After giving up material enjoyment,
how can one live?" The Gosvāmīs lived by dipping into the ocean of the transcendental loving
affairs between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. Since that was their asset, they could live very
peacefully. We cannot simply give up everything. We will become mad if we try to give up everything
without having staunch faith in Kṛṣṇa. Yet if we find Kṛṣṇa's association, we can easily
give up our opulent positions—our family, business and everything. However, that requires
sādhu-saṅga [Cc. Madhya 22.83], association with a sādhu, a devotee. When we associate
with a devotee, the day will eventually come when we can give up everything and become
liberated persons, fit to return home, back to Godhead.
presently we are attached to material enjoyment, and Kṛṣṇa even gives us a chance to gratify
our senses. He lets us enjoy ourselves to the fullest extent because we have come to
this material world to enjoy sense gratification. However, this is called māyā, illusion. It
is not really enjoyment, but simply struggle. When one realizes that he is simply struggling
life after life, that there is actually no real enjoyment in the material world, one
becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That realization requires knowledge, and that knowledge can
be acquired by association with a sādhu, a devotee.
Freedom from this struggle with material existence is further explained by Lord Kapila in the
next verse. TEXT 23
mad-āśrayaḥ kathā mṛṣṭāḥ śṛṇvanti kathayanti ca
tapanti vividhās tapa naitān mad-gata-cetasaḥ
TRANSLATION Engaged constantly in chanting and hearing
about Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sādhus do not suffer from material miseries
because they are always filled with thoughts of My pastimes and activities.
PURPORT There are multifarious miseries in material
existence—those pertaining to the body and the mind, those imposed by other living entities
and those imposed by natural disturbances. But a sādhu is not disturbed by such miserable
conditions because his mind is always filled with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and thus he does
not like to talk about anything but the activities of the Lord. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did not speak
of anything but the pastimes of the Lord. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. He engaged
his words only in glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ordinary conditioned
souls, being forgetful of the activities of the Lord, are always full of anxieties and
material tribulations. On the other hand, since the devotees always engage in the topics
of the Lord, they are forgetful of the miseries of material existence. Thus they differ from
other living entities, who are simply suffering. There is no one in the world materially engaged
who can boldly say, "I am not suffering." I challenge anyone to say this. Everyone in
the material world is suffering in some way or another. If not, why are so many drugs
being advertised? On the television they are always advertising tranquilizers and pain
killers, and in America and in other Western countries they are so advanced that there
are dozens of tablets for various pains. Therefore there must be some suffering. Actually, anyone
who has a material body has to accept suffering. There are three types of suffering in the
material world: adhyātmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. Adhyātmika refers to the body
and mind. Today I have a headache or some pain in my back, or my mind is not very quiet.
These are sufferings called adhyātmika. There are other forms of suffering called adhibhautika,
which are sufferings imposed by other living entities. Apart from this, there are sufferings
called adhidaivika, over which we have no control whatsoever. These are caused by the
demigods or acts of nature, and include famine, pestilence, flood, excessive heat or excessive
cold, earthquakes, fire and so on. Nonetheless, we are thinking that we are very happy within
this material world, although in addition to these threefold miseries there is also
birth, old age, disease and death. So where is our happiness? Because we are under the
spell of māyā, we are thinking that our position is very secure. We are thinking, "Let us enjoy
life," but what kind of enjoyment is this? Obviously we have to tolerate suffering. One
of the characteristics of a sādhu is tolerance. Everyone is tolerant to a degree, but a sādhu's
tolerance and an ordinary man's tolerance are different. This is because a sādhu knows
that he is not the body. According to a Bengali Vaiṣṇava song: deha-smṛti nāhi yāra saṁsāra-bandhana
kāhāṅ tāra. If we properly understand that we are not
the body, although we may suffer, we will not feel the suffering as acutely. For instance,
if one thinks, "This is my car," and is very attached to it, he suffers more when it is
wrecked than a person who thinks, "It can be repaired, or I can leave it." It is a question
of mental absorption. Because he is more like an animal, a materialist suffers more. The
devotee, on the other hand, takes Kṛṣṇa's advice in Bhagavad-gītā (2.14):
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
"O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress and their disappearance
in due course are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons.
They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bhārata, and one must learn to tolerate
them without being disturbed." In summer we suffer, and in winter we suffer.
In the summer, fire brings suffering, and in the winter the same fire is pleasing. Similarly,
in the winter, water is suffering, but in the summer it is pleasing. The water and the
fire are the same, but sometimes they are pleasing, sometimes they are not. This is
due to the touch of the skin. We all have some "skin disease," which is the body, and
therefore we are suffering. Because we have become such rascals, we are thinking, "I am
this body." According to the Āyur-vedic system, the body is composed of three material elements:
kapha-pitta-vāyu. The more we are in the bodily conception, the more we suffer.
Presently so many "ism's" are being developed according to the bodily conception—nationalism,
communism, socialism, communalism and so on. In Calcutta during the 1947 Hindu-Muslim riots,
there was more suffering because everyone was thinking, "I am a Hindu" or "I am a Muslim."
But, if one is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will not fight according to such conceptions,
A Kṛṣṇa conscious person knows that he is neither Hindu nor Muslim but the eternal servant
of Kṛṣṇa. Because people are being educated to become more body conscious, their sufferings
are increasing. If we reduce the bodily conception, suffering will also be reduced. Those who
are Kṛṣṇa conscious, who are always thinking of Kṛṣṇa within their minds and within their
hearts, are not suffering as much because they know that whatever they might suffer
is due to Kṛṣṇa's desire. Therefore they welcome suffering. For instance, when Kṛṣṇa was leaving,
Queen Kuntī said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, when we were in a dangerous situation, You were always
present as our friend and adviser. Now we are well situated with our kingdom, and now
You are leaving for Dvārakā. This is not good. It is better that we again suffer so that
we can always remember You." Thus the devotee sometimes welcomes suffering as an opportunity
to remember Kṛṣṇa constantly. When a devotee suffers, he thinks, "This is due to my past
misdeeds. Actually I should be suffering a great deal, but due to Kṛṣṇa's grace I am
suffering just a little. After all, suffering and enjoyment are in the mind." In this way,
a devotee is not greatly affected by suffering, and this is the difference between a devotee
and a nondevotee. Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five-year-old boy, had
to undergo a great deal of suffering at the hands of his father, who was torturing him
for being a devotee. The boy was trampled by elephants, thrown from a mountain, placed
in burning oil and thrown into a snake pit, yet he was silent during this whole ordeal.
Similarly, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, a Muhammadan by birth, was a very great devotee and was
always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That was his only fault. However, the Muslim Kazi called him
forth and said, "You are a Muhammadan, born in a great Muhammadan family, yet you are
chanting this Hindu Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. What is this?" Haridāsa Ṭhākura mildly replied,
"My dear sir, there are many Hindus who have become Muhammadans. Suppose I have become
a Hindu? What is wrong with this?" The Kazi became very angry and ordered Haridāsa Ṭhākura
to be whipped in twenty-two bazaars. This essentially meant that he was to be beaten
to death, but because he was such a great devotee he did not actually feel the pain.
Although a devotee may sometimes have to suffer, he tolerates the suffering. At the same time,
he is very kind to conditioned souls and tries to elevate them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This
is one of the primary features of a devotee's life. People are always putting a sādhu into
difficulties, but he does not give up his job, which is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness
so that others may become happy. It was Prahlāda Mahārāja who said: "My Lord, I am not suffering,
for I know the art of being happy." How is this? "Simply by hearing about You and chanting
about You I am happy." This is the business of a devotee—hearing and chanting about
the Lord. This is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ [SB 7.5.23]. Now this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ
is taking place all over the world through the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Even in ordinary life it is possible for the mind to be absorbed in such a way that even
a surgical operation may not disturb a man. Years ago, when Stalin had to undergo a surgical
operation, he refused the use of chloroform. If this is possible even in an ordinary materialistic
life, what to speak of spiritual life? One's mind should always be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
in thinking of Kṛṣṇa. It is Kṛṣṇa's injunction, "Always think of Me." The European and American
youths in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement have been accustomed to many bad habits since
birth, but now they have given these up. Many people think that it is impossible to live
without illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. One famous Marquess told one
of my Godbrothers, "Please make me a brāhmaṇa." My Godbrother said, "Yes, it is not a very
difficult thing. Simply give up these bad habits—intoxication, illicit sex, meat-eating
and gambling. Then you can become a brāhmaṇa." The Marquess then said, "Impossible! This
is our life." Actually we have seen that in Western countries older men cannot give up
these habits, and because of this they are suffering, yet many young boys and girls have
given them up, and there is no suffering. This is due to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
This process is open to everyone. Everyone has heard of the Bhagavad-gītā. We can attain
perfection simply by following the instructions given in this book. It is not necessary to
abandon our responsibilities. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was a great emperor administering to his kingdom,
yet at the same time he spoke only of Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested that His devotees
only talk about Kṛṣṇa. If we simply talk about Kṛṣṇa and hear about Him, the stage will come
when we will no longer suffer. This is called ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt in the Vedānta-sūtra.
The living entity and Kṛṣṇa are both ānandamaya, transcendentally blissful. On that platform,
there is no possibility of material suffering. It is not a question of displaying some magical
feats. The greatest magic is freedom from suffering, and this is the freedom of a devotee.
When we feel pleasure from hearing about Kṛṣṇa and talking about Him, we should know that
we are making progress on the path of perfection. At that time, material suffering will not
be felt at all. This is the practical effect of rendering devotional service, which Lord
Kapila is pointing out to His mother. TEXT 24
ta ete sādhavaḥ sādhvī sarva-saṅga-vivarjitāḥ
saṅgas teṣv atha te prārthyaḥ saṅga-doṣa-harā hi te
TRANSLATION O My mother, O virtuous lady, these are the
qualities of great devotees who are free from all attachment. You must seek attachment to
such holy men, for this counteracts the pernicious effects of material attachment.
PURPORT Kapila Muni herein advises His mother, Devahūti,
that if she wants to be free from material attachment, she should increase her attachment
for the sādhus, or devotees who are completely freed from all material attachment. In Bhagavad-gītā
(15.5) it is stated, nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣāḥ. This refers to one who is completely freed
from the puffed up condition of material possessiveness. A person may be materially very rich or respectable,
but if he at all wants to transfer himself to the spiritual kingdom, back home, back
to Godhead, he has to be freed from material possessiveness because that is a false position.
The word moha used here means the false understanding that one is rich or poor. In this material
world, the conception that one is very rich or very poor—or any such consciousness in
connection with material existence—is false, because this body itself is temporary. A pure
soul who is prepared to be freed from this material entanglement must first be free from
the association of the three modes of nature. Our consciousness at the present moment is
polluted because of association with the three modes of nature; therefore in Bhagavad-gītā
the same principle is stated. It is advised, jita-saṅga-doṣāḥ: one should be freed from
the contaminated association of the three modes. Here also, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
this is confirmed: a pure devotee, who is preparing to transfer himself to the spiritual
kingdom, is also freed from the association of the three modes. We have to seek the association
of such devotees. For this reason we have begun the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness. There are many mercantile and scientific associations in human society established
to develop a particular type of education or consciousness, but there is no association
which helps one to get free from all material association. If anyone wishes to become free
from this material contamination, he has to seek the association of devotees, wherein
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is exclusively cultured. Because a devotee is freed from all contaminated
material association, he is not affected by the miseries of material existence, even though
he appears to be in the material world. How is it possible? A cat carries her kittens
in her mouth, and when she kills a rat, she also carries the *** in her mouth. Thus
both are carried in the mouth of the cat, but they are in different conditions. The
kitten feels comfort in the mouth of the mother, whereas when the rat is carried in the mouth
of the cat, the rat feels the blows of death. Similarly, those who are sādhus, or devotees
engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, do not feel the contamination of material
miseries, whereas those who are not devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness actually feel the miseries
of material existence. One should therefore give up the association of materialistic persons
and seek the association of those engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By such association
one will be benefited by spiritual advancement. By their words and instructions, one will
be able to cut off his attachment to material existence.
In this Kali-yuga, the present age, the dangerous modes of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, passion
and ignorance, are especially prominent. Practically everyone in this age is contaminated by ***
desire, greed and ignorance. It is said in the śāstras that in this age of Kali, sattva-guṇa,
the mode of goodness, is practically nonexistent. The Fourteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā nicely
explains how one can free oneself of contamination by the material modes. Now Kapiladeva advises,
"Mother, if you want to get rid of the contamination of material nature, you should associate with
a sādhu." Attachment to the material modes brings about our bondage. If we want to be
free from this bondage, we have to transfer our attachment to a sādhu.
Actually everyone is attached to something. No one can say that he is free from attachment.
The Māyāvāda and Buddhist philosophies tell us to become detached, but this in itself
is not possible. A child is attached to playing in so many ways, but gradually his attachments
should be transferred to reading and going to school to acquire an education. It is a
question not of stopping attachment but of transferring it. If one simply tries to put
an end to attachment, he will become mad. Something must be given in the place of attachment.
For instance, we tell our disciples to stop eating meat, but how is this meat-eating stopped?
In the place of meat, we are supplying kacaurīs, rasagullā and many other palatable things.
In this way, detachment is possible. First of all, nullify the inferior attachment, and
then supply a better attachment. There is no question of forcing a living entity. This
must be done gradually. A child may have some attachment, but by the system of replacing
attachment, his attachment is overturned. Similarly, our consciousness has somehow or
other become contaminated. Now it has to be purified. Then Kṛṣṇa consciousness will automatically
arise and awaken. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is our original consciousness,
but somehow or other it has become covered by material attachment. The question is how
to give up material attachment and become attached to Kṛṣṇa. The process is sādhu-saṅga
[Cc. Madhya 22.83], association with a sādhu. We have many attachments in this material
world, but we cannot make these attachments void. We simply have to purify them. Some
say that if the eye is diseased, it should be plucked out, but that is not treatment.
Treatment is removing the disease. Somehow or other there is a cataract, and if the cataract
is removed, one's eyesight will be revived. We have many desires, but we have to divert
these desires to Kṛṣṇa's service. For instance, we may be very attached to making money; therefore
Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes, go ahead and conduct your business. There is no harm. Simply give Me
the results." As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.27): yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam "O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that
you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform,
should be done as an offering unto Me." This is the beginning of bhakti-yoga. If we
conduct business and earn money, we should spend it for Kṛṣṇa. This is a form of bhakti.
Another vivid example is Arjuna, who was a fighter. By fighting, he became a devotee.
He did not become a devotee by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa but by fighting in the Battle of Kurukṣetra.
Kṛṣṇa advised him to fight, but because Arjuna was a Vaiṣṇava, in the beginning he was unwilling.
A Vaiṣṇava does not like to kill anything, but if Kṛṣṇa orders him, he must fight. He
does not fight out of his own will, because a Vaiṣṇava's natural instinct is not to do
harm to anyone. However, when a Vaiṣṇava knows that Kṛṣṇa wants a particular thing done,
he does not care for his own considerations. In any case, everyone has some particular
type of duty, an occupation. If we perform our occupation in the worship of Kṛṣṇa, our
life will be perfect. This is also the instruction given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.13):
ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
"O best of the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one
can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own occupation according to caste
divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead."
Formerly, the varṇāśrama-dharma was prominent, and everyone had a particular duty according
to his position in society. Now the occupational duties have expanded, but it doesn't matter
whether one is an engineer, a doctor or whatever. Simply try to serve Kṛṣṇa by the results of
work. That is bhakti. It is not the philosophy of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to disengage
people from their activities. One should engage in his occupation, but one should never forget
Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa advises us to always become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and we should always think that
we are acting for Kṛṣṇa. Of course, we should work by the order of Kṛṣṇa or His representative,
not whimsically. If we perform some nonsensical action and think, "I am doing this for Kṛṣṇa,"
that will not be accepted. The work must be verified by Kṛṣṇa's acceptance or by the acceptance
of Kṛṣṇa's representative. Arjuna did not fight without Kṛṣṇa's order; therefore we
must receive our orders also. We may say, "I cannot find Kṛṣṇa. How can I follow His
order?" It is the role of the sādhu to impart Kṛṣṇa's orders. Since Kṛṣṇa's representative
is the sādhu, Kapiladeva advises His mother to associate with sādhus.
We have described the symptoms of a sādhu, and we have stated that a sādhu should be
accepted by his characteristics. It is not that we accept anyone who comes along and
says, "I am a sādhu." The characteristics of a sādhu have to be present. Similarly,
it is not that anyone is accepted who comes along and says, "I am an incarnation of God."
There are characteristics of God given in the śāstras. Sādhu-saṅga [Cc. Madhya 22.83],
association with a sādhu, is very essential in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People are suffering
due to contamination by tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. The sādhu teaches one how to remain purely
in sattva-guṇa by truthfulness, cleanliness, mind control, sense control, simplicity, tolerance,
and full faith and knowledge. These are some of the characteristics of sattva-guṇa.
Instead of thinking, "Unless I have a drink, I will go mad," one should think, "Unless
I associate with a sādhu, I will go mad." When we can think in this way, we will become
liberated. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has stated that He wants every village in the entire
world to be a center for Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that people can take advantage of sādhus
and in turn become sādhus. This is the mission of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We simply
have to voluntarily undergo some penance in the beginning. It may be a little painful
in the beginning to refrain from illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, but
one has to be tolerant. To be cured of a disease, we may have to agree to undergo some surgical
operation. Although the operation may be very painful, we have to tolerate it. This is called
titikṣavaḥ. At the same time, we have to be kāruṇikāḥ—that is, we have to take compassion
upon fallen souls by going from town to town to enlighten others in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
This is a sādhu's duty. Those who are preachers are superior to those who go to the Himalayas
to meditate. It is good to go to the Himalayas to meditate for one's personal benefit, but
those who undergo many difficulties in order to preach are superior. They are actually
fighting for Kṛṣṇa's sake, and they are certainly more compassionate. Those sādhus who leave
Vṛndāvana to go fight in the world, to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, are superior sādhus.
This is the opinion of Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (18.68-69):
ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyam mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati
bhaktim mayi param kṛtvā mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ
na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ
bhavitā na ca me tasmād anyaḥ priyataro bhuvi
"For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed,
and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me
than he, nor will there ever be one more dear." If we want to be quickly recognized by Kṛṣṇa,
we should become preachers. This is also the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is
not that one should remain in India; rather, one should travel all over the world to preach
Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The sādhu is suhṛt; he is the well-wisher of everyone. This does
not mean that he is a well-wisher for an Indian nationalist or whatever. No, he is a well-wisher
even of cats and dogs. A devotee even wishes to benefit cats and dogs by giving them prasāda.
Once, when devotees from Bengal were going to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu, a dog began to
follow them, and the leader of the party, Śivānanda Sena, was giving prasāda to the
dog. When they had to cross a river, the boatman would not take the dog, but Śivānanda Sena
paid him more money and said, "Please take this dog. He is a Vaiṣṇava, for he has joined
our company. How can we leave him behind?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself actually threw
some of His food to the dog, and in this way the dog attained Vaikuṇṭha.
Not only is a sādhu everyone's well-wisher, but he is not an enemy of anyone. He is also
santa, peaceful. These are the preliminary characteristics of a sādhu. He is also attached
to no one but Kṛṣṇa. Mayy ananyena bhāvena. These are the external and internal symptoms
of a devotee. A devotee also respects the demigods because he knows their position in
relation to Kṛṣṇa. In Brahma-saṁhitā (5.44), the goddess Durgā is worshiped as the external
energy, or potency, of Kṛṣṇa. sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir eka
chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sa
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi "The external potency, māyā, who is of the
nature of the shadow of the cit, spiritual, potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgā,
the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval
Lord Govinda, in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself."
The goddess Durgā is so powerful that she can create, maintain and annihilate. However,
she cannot act independent of Kṛṣṇa. She is like a shadow of Kṛṣṇa. A sādhu knows that
prakṛti, nature, is working under Kṛṣṇa's direction. Similarly, a policeman knows that
he is not working independently but under government orders. This knowledge is required
in order that the policeman, who has some power, will not think that he has become God.
No, God is not so cheap. God has multienergies, and one of these energies is Durgā. It is
not that she is all and all, for there are many millions of Durgās, just as there are
many millions of Śivas and millions of universes. Although there are millions of demigods, God
is one. It is not that there are a million Gods. Of course, God can expand in millions
of forms, but that is different. A devotee offers respects to the demigods as the assistants
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not as the supreme power. One who does not know
God as He is considers the demigods to be supreme. Such people are less intelligent.
A devotee offers respects to the demigods, but he knows that the Supreme Lord is Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Actually a sādhu, a Vaiṣṇava, offers respects to everyone,
and he is ready to give up relatives and everything else for Kṛṣṇa's sake. A sādhu simply takes
pleasure in hearing about Kṛṣṇa and talking about Him.
There are many pastimes enacted by Kṛṣṇa. He fights and kills demons, and He performs
His pastimes with the gopīs. He plays as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana and as King of Dvārakā.
There are many books about Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-kathā, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has
already published many of them. Apart from Bhagavad-gītā, which is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, we
can read these other books. In this way, one can learn the art of becoming a sādhu. Simply
by hearing about Kṛṣṇa and speaking about Him, we will be immediately relieved from
the suffering of this material condition. As stated in this verse:
ta ete sādhavaḥ sādhvī sarva-saṅga-vivarjitāḥ
These symptoms are visible when one no longer has material attachment. A sādhu does not
think himself Hindu, Muslim, Christian, American, Indian or whatever. A sādhu simply thinks,
"I am the servant of Kṛṣṇa." Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, "I am not a brāhmaṇa,
kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī or whatever. I am simply the servant of the servant of
the servant of Kṛṣṇa [Cc. Madhya 13.80]." One need only learn this process in order
to render the best service to humanity.