Nomenclature of the Absolute (pg 35-38)
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But that is a partial aspect of Krishna Who is the fully manifest Rasa. We should resort to Krishna for the full aspect. We cannot conceive that Rudra and other gods are full, when Hara (Rudra) is perceived only as the destroying agency assuming a disfigured vision of the Object. He is not the full object of our worship. Brahma and Rudra are evolutionary and dissolutionary agencies of the eternal Sustainer Vishnu Who has three potencies. Rudra, the energy of destruction, cannot be placed in the position of the Sustainer Vishnu.
I do not mean that the Name of Rama should be placed in the same category with other minor gods, and He too is Vishnu. In other words, Rama is Krishna, Rama is an Avatara of the Fountainhead of all Avataras whereas Krishna is Avatari the very Fountainhead. Only four partially obscured aspects are to be found in Rama Who does not possess all the different aspects which encourage different kinds of Rasikas. But that is a partial aspect of Krishna Who is the fully manifest Rasa. We should resort to Krishna for the full aspect. We cannot conceive that Rudra and other gods are full, when Hara (Rudra) is perceived only as the destroying agency assuming a disfigured vision of the Object. He is not the full object of our worship. Brahma and Rudra are evolutionary and dissolutionary agencies of the eternal Sustainer Vishnu Who has three potencies. Rudra, the energy of destruction, cannot be placed in the position of the Sustainer Vishnu.
DISPOSABLE PLANET
Most people are not concerned about the problems we are creating on earth. Our whole attitude towards this planet is that it is disposable. Everyone thinks that they can take anything they want, exploit it, and then conveniently throw it away. So many things have become disposable, not only diapers, towels, plates and spoons, but babies, wives, husbands and old people too.
We should, therefore, dispel such erroneous impressions. He possesses only delegated power of Vishnu; but Vishnu is the Absolute entity. We must not be misled into committing this second offense.
(3) The Third offence is to show an apathetic mood towards the Guru. We must not neglect him. A man who thinks that he would lift himself up to the Absolute by his own attempts can never do so unless he accepts His favourite Counter-part, the Guru. The integrity of the entity should not be lost sight of when we get just a glimpse of the same through the Guru even as the existence of the Sun is only proved by the rays, but the rays themselves are not the sun complete. If a ray is asked 'Who are you?' then the ray will declare that he is the Sun. But if you ask again - 'Are you the whole of the Sun?' he will say in reply that he is only a part or pencil merely. So, infinitestimal that we are, the full knowledge has to come to us from the Fountainhead of Knowledge and is never secured here by our empirical activities. We must not be guided or induced by the knowledge of finitude of the phenomenal world. If we do so the result will be confined to the mundane horizon only and we would have no opportunity to go beyond this sphere. So we should always rely on the Scriptures and Guru whenever we seek for the transcendental message.
(4) Scriptures tell us many things of the transcendence to which we are debarred from having any access. We see all the horizon round us and we see half the sky when the bottom half is covered by the opaque earth. One quarter of the space is kept in front of us as we are not provided with eyes in our back, so three quarters are not visible to us at one time. So our arguments and our impressions, bearing on one quadrant only, are all necessarily partial. We must rely on the transcendental Sound of Scriptures which do not submit to our senses. We should not disregard the Scriptures as they are the only source of knowledge of the Absolute left for us.
(5) We know that we can get rid of all sorts of sins if we utter but once the Name. Having been assured of this fact, that one transcendental Name can relieve us of all sorts of sins done in this life and even those we have done in our past lives, we should not be encouraged to commit all kinds of wrongs in the hope that uttering the Name will efface them. The assurance that we can go on committing all sorts of wrongs will be the fifth offence and this offence would never be pardoned, inasmuch as it amounts to purposeful and deliberate meanness of intention. There are five other Offences left.
SPIRITUAL HUNGER IN A MATERIAL WORLD (OR : SPIRITUAL HUNGER)
If you believe that you are your body, you will strive endlessly to give your body sensual pleasure. You will struggle to fill up your inner emptiness with fleeting sensual flashes. But no amount of sensual pleasure will satisfy you. No matter how many taste orgasms, sexual orgasms, and other kinds of orgasms you may have, you still won't be actually satisfied. You'll always have a never ending desire for more.
(6) If we think that other acts like ablution in sacred water, virtuous deeds like Yajna (Sacrificing rituals), may lead us to the same result as the chanting of the Name, then this becomes the sixth offence.
(7) If we allow mind wandering during the chanting of the Name we would be committing the seventh offence.
(8) The eighth offence is committed when we associate worldly affairs of our perverted ego or mentality with the uttering of the Name.
(9) The ninth offence would be committed when we consider the unique power attached to the utterance of the name as an exaggeration to induce us to submit to the process of singing.
(10) The tenth offence is to instruct Nama Bhajan to men who have no regard for Him.
These are the processes involved in our progress in devotional development. Eight different stages of a devotee are specified to make him acquainted with his progress. They are: -- (1) 'Sraddha' or confidence in the words of the Guru and the Shastras; (2) this reliance will encourage us to seek the company of the real Sadhus; (3) 'Sadhu-Sanga' or company of sadhus will lead to devotional activities; (4) such activities will have the effect of eliminating all evils associated with our wrong mentality. These four qualifications form the first division of the progrogressive [sic] stages of true devotion. Having gone through those we can earnestly and piously engage ourselves in Nama-sankirtana. Then follow the later four stages: the first stage is Nishthaa which is followed by Ruchi, and then by Aashakti and then our constant devotion is finally developed into Bhaava. Nishthaa is undeviating temper, Ruchi is predilection, Asakti denotes firm attachment and Bhaava is the blossomed state of Love whose distinguishing marks are Kshaanti, Abyarthakaalatva, Virakti, Maanashunyataa, Aashaabandha, Samutkaanthaa, Naamagaane-sadaa-ruchi, Aasaktistad-gunaakhyaane, Pritistad Vasati-sthale. In Bhava-bhakti we mark a composition of four ingredients with Rati.
No matter how much sensual pleasure people have, no matter how much they consume, they always want more. This endless personal craving manifests as ever increasing material consumption.
This mixture is known as Rasa or palatable drink. In this state we can set ourselves free from all mental speculations and we reach a plane where all sorts of good comes to us, to be relished in every way; and this can only be had, when we have a purified mind, free from any disturbance and absolutely peaceful. It is in this state that we are in full possession of Rasa. This state should not be confused with the worldly Rasa of sensuous enjoyment, as the enjoyment we are given in this world is temporal and inadequate. In the attainment of all this we should not, however, consider ourselves as identical with Him, but should surrender ourselves as His eternal servants. All the services that we are going to render to Him should be in His favour and interest and not in our favour or interest. When we chant His Name in this manner He will be on the look-out to regulate us and will automatically teach us the principle of Bhakti. The higher stage of Bhaava-Bhakti is known as Prema-Bhakti, or full Love of Krishna.
This love is the only thing to be sought from Krishna and He gives us all sorts of facilities by which we can offer our services to Him in any one of the five different stages. He has assured us firmly that He would accept us if we tend to submit to any one of the five. The only crucial point is that we should offer our services unconditionally so as to give something to our Lord and not to get something from the Lord. We should not have any desire ushering the devotional attempts and should not compel Him to give us something in return. If we have any the least touch of a selfish motive we will surely fail to prove ourselves genuine devotees. We should regulate ourselves in such a manner as to be always serviceable to Him and never desirous of getting from Him any boon or comfort in return. To get service from Him is to claim a part of the Enjoyer Krishna which is the greatest offence in a true devotee. So we should have a devotional temperament to Kamadeva (Madhava) and not the temperament of an enjoyer of this world. This is the true service to Him, which all unalloyed souls can do but which the mind cannot do properly when directed by wrong speculations. In fine I may say that we have many things to supplement these devotional topics by way of elucidating different ideas which are no doubt puzzling. The only thing that we should have is an unalloyed and unconditional devotional spirit which is quite different from the mentality of an elevationist or a salvationist. An unconditional devotional mood is the only function of the unalloyed soul. We should underline this cardinal point many times, and a full understanding of it will bring Prema for us from the Supreme Lord.
There is more than enough food, water, fuel and so on to satisfy the actual needs of everyone on the planet. But there is not enough to satisfy everyone's greed. Even if it were physically possible for you to consume all the food, water, and fuel in the world, you still would not be satisfied. "Material food" cannot satisfy spiritual craving. Since the materialist is never satisfied, he never feels that he has had enough.
If you are not engaged in the service of Hari, you will be either a jnaani (follower of absolute monism), or a karmi (performer of scriptural rites for securing pleasures in this life or the next), or an unabashed servant of worldly desires without restraint.
Therefore, it is necessary that you should call on Him, loudly uttering the mahaamantra [sic] (Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna etc). When you loudly recite Shri Krishna's Names, keeping count of the number of times they are uttered, all the evils are steadily got over; and lethargy vanishes with all its concomitant defects; and even people of an antagonistic nature, apathetic to Hari, will be forced to give up their mockery. "Those who come to scoff will remain to pray" with you.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Gita IV.11
[2] G. XVIII.66
[3] G. XVIII 66
[4] G. IX.23
[5] G. IV.11
[6] G. VII.14
[7] Gita, IX.27