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"Abandoning all meritorious performances serve Me with faith. The realization will correspond
to the nature of one's faith. The people of the world act ceaselessly in pursuance of
some ideal. By meditating on Me by means of those deeds one will obtain devotion characterized
by love in the shape of the supreme service."
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī's purport:
"The function characterized by unalloyed devotion is the real function of all individual souls
(jīvas). All other varieties of function are activities of the external cases. These exoteric
and esoteric dharmas(functions) are manifold, e.g., nondifferential knowledge of the Brahman
aiming at extinction of individuality. the aṣṭāṅga-yoga-dharma having as its goal attainment
of the state of exclusive existence (kaivalya), atheistical fruitive ritualism aiming at material
enjoyment, jñāna-yoga-dharma seeking to combine knowledge with fruitive activity and the practice
of the function of barren asceticism. Getting rid of all these, serve Me by pure devotion
rooted in faith. Exclusive faith in Me is trust. Faith in the form of trust by the process
of gradual purification tends to become a constant engagement (niṣṭhā), an object of
liking (ruci), of attachment (āsakti) and a real sentiment (bhava). The more transparent
the faith, the greater the degree of realization. If you ask--How will the preservation and
conduct of worldly affairs be feasible if one is continuously engaged in the endeavor
for the realization of bhakti? What also will be the nature of the endeavor for the realization
of bhakti when the body will perish consequent on the cessation of the function of the body
and of society?
In order to strike at the root of this misgiving the Supreme Lord says, "This world subsists
by the constant performance of certain activities. Fill all these activities with meditation
of Me. This will destroy the quality that makes those activities appear as acts done
by you. They will then be of the nature of My service (bhakti).
"Mankind live by the threefold activities of body. mind and society. Eating, seating,
walking, resting, sleeping, cleansing the body. covering the body. etc., are the various
bodily activities; thinking, recollecting, retaining an impression, becoming aware of
an entity. feeling pleasure and pain, etc., are the mental feats; marrying, practicing
reciprocal relationship between the king and subject, practicing brotherhood, attending
at sacrificial meetings, offering oblations, digging wells, tanks, etc., for the benefit
of the people, maintaining one's relations, practicing hospitality. observing proper civic
conduct, showing due respect to others are the various social activities. When these
acts are performed for one's selfish enjoyment, they are called karma-kāṇḍa; when the desire
for attainment of freedom from activity by knowledge underlies these actions, they are
termed jñāna-yoga or karma-yoga. And when these activities are managed to be performed
in this way that is conducive to our endeavor for attainment of bhakti they are called jñāna-bhakta-yoga,i.e.,
the subsidiary devotional practices. But only those activities that are characterized by
the principle of pure worship are called bhaktiproper. My meditation is practiced in every act when
bhakti proper is practiced in due time while performing the subsidiary devotional activities
in one's intercourse with the ungodly people of this world. In such position, a jīva does
not become apathetic to Godhead even by performing those worldly activities. This constitutes
the practice of looking inwards, i.e., turning towards one's real self, vide Isopanisad--
īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā ma gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam
The commentator says in regards to this, tena īśa-tyaktena visṛṣṭena.The real significance
being that if whatever is accepted be received as favor vouchsafed by the Supreme Lord, the
worldly activity will cease to be such and will turn into service of Godhead (bhakti).
So Isavasyasays kurvann eveha karmāṇi... karma lipyate nāre.
If the worldly acts are performed in the above manner one does not get entangled in karma
even in hundreds of years of worldly life. The meaning of these two mantras from the
jñāna point of view is renouncement of the fruits of one's worldly actions; but from
thebhakti point of view they mean the attainment of Kṛṣṇa's favor (prasādam) by their transfer
to His account. In this method, which is the path of arcana, you should do your duties
of the world by the meditation of worshiping Godhead thereby. Brahmā cherishes the desire
for creation in his heart. If that creative desire is practiced by conjoining the same
with the meditation of obeying therein the command of the Supreme Lord, then it will
be a subsidiary spiritual function (gauṇa-dharma) being helpful for the growth of the disposition
for the service of the Divinity by reason of its characteristic of seeking the protection
of Godhead. It was certainly proper to instruct Brahmā in this manner. There is no occasion
for such instruction in the case of a jīva in whom the spontaneous aversion for entities
other than Kṛṣṇa manifests itself on his attainment of the substantive entity of spiritual devotion
(bhava)."
"Listen, O Vidhi, I am the seed, i.e., the fundamental principle, of this world of animate
and inanimate objects. I am pradhāna [the substance of matter], I am prakṛti [material
cause] and I am puruṣa [efficient cause]. This fiery energy that belongs specially to
the Brahman, that inheres in you, has also been conferred by Me. It is by bearing this
fiery energy that you regulate this phenomenal world of animate and inanimate objects."
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī's purport:
"Certain thinkers conclude that the nondifferentiated Brahman is the ultimate entity and by undergoing
self-delusion (vivarta) exhibits the consciousness of differentiation; or, the limiting principle
itself (Māyā), when it is limited, is the phenomenal world and is itself the Brahman,
in its unlimited position; or, the Brahman is the substance and this phenomenal world
is the reflection; or, everything is an illusion of thejiva. Some think that Godhead is evidently
a separate entity. Jīva is another different entity. and the phenomenal world, although
it is a singular principle, exists separately as an eternally independent entity; or, Godhead,
is the substantive entity and all other entities, as cit anda-cit attributes, are one in principle.
Some suppose that by the force of inconceivable potency sometimes the monistic and sometimes
the dualistic principle is realized as the truth. Some again arrive at the conclusion
that the theory of the nondual minus all potency is meaningless; whence the Brahman is the
one eternally unalloyed entity vested with the pure potency.
These speculations have originated from Veda relying on the support of the Vedānta-sūtra.
In these speculations although there is no truth that holds good in all positions, there
is yet a certain measure of truth. Not to speak of the anti-Vedic speculations Sāṅkhya,
Pātañjala, Nyāya and Vaiśeṣika, nor even of Pūrva-mīmāṁsā which is fond of exclusive fruitive
activity in conformity with the teaching of one portion of the Veda, the bodies of opinions
detailed above have also come into existence by relying outwardly on the Vedānta itself.
By discarding all these speculations, you and your bona fide community should adopt
the ultimate principle identical with the doctrine of acintya-bhedābheda (inconceivable
simultaneous distinction and nondifference). This will make you eligible for being a true
devotee. The basic principle is that this animate world is made up of jīvas and the
inanimate world is constituted of matter. Of these all the jivashave been manifested
by My supreme (para) potency and this phenomenal world has been manifested by My secondary
(apāra) potency. I am the cause of all causes. In other words, I regulate all of them by
the power of My will although I am not a different entity from the marginal and material (taṭastha
and acit) potencies. By the transformation of those distinct potencies pradhāna (substantive
material principle), prakṛti (material cause) and puruṣa (efficient cause) have been produced.
Hence although as regards the subjective nature of all potency I am pradhāna, prakṛti and
puruṣa, yet as the possessor of power I am eternally distinct from all those potencies.
This simultaneous distinction and nondifference has also sprung from My inconceivable power.
So let the attainment of love for Kṛṣṇa by the practice of pure devotion through the
knowledge of their mutual true relationship that subsists between the jīva, the jaḍa (matter)
and Kṛṣṇa based on the principle of inconceivable simultaneous distinction and non-difference,
be My instruction for being handed down in the order of spiritual preceptional succession
in your community (Śrī Brahma-sampradāya)."