Summary of our article
Even for our own benefits, Supreme Personality of Godhead humbly begging us,“Whatever You do, whatever You eat,… do that as an offering to Me. Always think of Me …”, even while breathing, eating, walking etc. “Thus You will come to Me without fail. I promise You this because You are My very dear friend.” BG 9.27,18.6-65.
- In this article we recall initial feeling, what newcomers express and many of us experiences in early days.
- Then we set up question for this article: “Who each of us can personally experience this good fortune and infinite, endless, unlimited happiness, blissfulness and Prema Bhakti in our personal day-to-day live forever?”.
- To answer on question, we bring up our hypothesis (in short): “IF perform the Vaidhi-Sadhana-Bhakti path or a conscious Balanced and Healthy lifestyle in at least following 14 of our day-to-day main activities, as eating, sitting, walking etc. – for Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s pleasure, THEN in this way, we can most likely experience the ultimate goal of life, causeless mercy of Guru and Sri Sri Radha Krishna in the form of Prema Bhakti.”
- Then we define some important bricks for our present building, to see in more detail way our hypothesis:
1. Conscious and Unconscious activities.
2. Emotional Involvement.
3. Three aspects of all our activities: adhyatmika, adibhautika, and adidaivika.
4. Vaidhi-Sadhana-Bhakti path, Raganuga-bhakti path and percentage 90/10.
5. Sruti, Smriti and Sad-acara (good behavior).
6. Balanced and Healthy lifestyle and Mode of goodness.
7. Our most often used activities in our day-to-day life.
8. Material or Spiritual.
- By discussing details on all 8 points we come to conclusion of our offer “IF perform the Vaidhi-Sadhana-Bhakti path or a conscious Balanced and Healthy lifestyle in at least 14 of our day-to-day main activities, as eating, sitting, walking etc. – for Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s pleasure, THEN in this way, we can most likely experience the ultimate goal of life, causeless mercy of Guru and Sri Sri Radha Krishna in the form of Prema Bhakti.”
- And finally we resume our article in this way: “By practising Balanced and Healthy lifestyle, as Lords Sri Krishna and Sanatana Gosvami prove, we can be wealthy, healthy and wise with Krishna Conciousness. And if we can not be Krishna Conciousness with wealth, health, happiness and blissfulness in our day-to-day life, then this is our voluntary free chose to suffer as miserable miser, who not use his inherited wealth, health and knowledge from his own sake, not fro sake of his closes and beloved ones. :-(“
Whole article
Even for our own benefits, Supreme Personality of Godhead humbly begging us, “Whatever You do, whatever You eat, whatever You offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform—do that as an offering to Me. Because you … are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you My supreme instruction, the most confidential knowledge of all. Hear this from Me, for it is for Your benefit. Always think of Me …”, even while hearing, speaking, breathing, seeing, smelling, touching, eating, sitting, standing, walking, evacuating, urinating, lying down, and sleeping. “Thus You will come to Me without fail. I promise You this because You are My very dear friend.” BG 9.27,18.6-65.
“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Whoever chants the holy name of Krishna just once is worshipable and is the topmost human being. Simply by chanting the holy name of Krishna once, a person is relieved from all the reactions of a sinful life. … By chanting the holy name of the Lord, one dissolves his entanglement in material activities. After this, one becomes very much attracted to Krishna, and thus dormant love for Krishna [Prema Bhakti] is awakened.” CC Madhya 15. 106-107 , 109
Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Divine Merciful couple Sri Sri Radha Krishna.
Again and Again and Again we can hear from newcomer, even to hum we preach, Glories of Krishna’s Holy Names: “Krishna’s names is so wonderful, Kirtan give me so sheer experience of joy, happiness, bliss. I never in my life experience something like this. Just by Chanting Krishna’s names, my body hears standing on end, limbs are shivering, voice is choked, tears pouring from my eyes… From that exact moment, when I start chant Krishna’s names, all my life change for much better. I was able to give up so deadly bad habit… I was able to give up so wretched character… My associations was changing for much better. Now Devotees are my best friends in life. I never experienced so friendly, caring, loving, supporting, encouraging etc relationships. Now just by chanting Krishna’s names I am getting all in my life: wealth, health, friends, character, good fortune and infinite, endless, unlimited happiness and bliss. 🙂 🙂 :-)”
Who each of us can personally experience this good fortune and infinite, endless, unlimited happiness, blissfulness and Prema Bhakti in our personal day-to-day live forever?
For sure there are hundreds and hundreds of answers on this eternal question, all around pure Devotional services “sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam …” SB 7.5.23-24 because that a clear fact for beloved Vaishnavas “harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam / kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha” CC. Adi 17.21.
In this introductory article we try to explain in short form different angles of one of countless ways, what A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktivedanta Sarasvaty Takurs, Bhaktinoda Takurs, Srile Jiva Goswamy, Srila Sanatana Goswamy etc explaining and offering for all of us, any Vashnava in any lining and sampradaya. Base of this article is His Holiness Bhakti Vijnana Goswami Maharaj course of lectures “Scientific Basis of Krishna Consciousness” given for Vaishnavas in Moscow at 2010.
Our hypothesis, “IF on every single day we sincerely and consciously perform Sruti, Smriti and Sad-acara (good behaviour) – which are proper guidelines for the Vaidhi-Sadhana-Bhakti path or a conscious Balanced and Healthy lifestyle – for Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s pleasure. That includes sravanam kirtanam visnoh … and at least following 14 of our day-to-day main activities: (1) hearing, (2) speaking, (3) breathing, (4) seeing, (5) smelling, (6) touching, (7) eating, (8) sitting, (9) standing,(10) walking, (11) evacuating, (12) urinating, (13) lying down, and (14) sleeping. THEN in this way, we can most likely experience the ultimate goal of life, causeless mercy of Guru and Sri Sri Radha Krishna in the form of Prema Bhakti.”
Not let us define some important bricks for our present building, to see in more detail way our hypothesis.
1. Conscious and Unconscious activities.
The Kali yuga in SB call as yantra yuga. Why? Because we tend to become more and more mechanical, we just fly on autopilot through the day, thought our life and lives of others. As H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj said, ‘That what we do in previous 24 hours will give deepest influence on our daily chanting’. If we are going through the day mechanically on autopilot, then most safely in the same way we will behave while chanting Krishna’s Holy Names and carry out others so crucial Devotional Services. Acting mechanically or unconsciously means inattentively, insensitivity, negligently, carelessly, casually etc without noticing person and personal details. Because generally we are not consciously enemy and wretched, this mechanical or unconscious actions is the main cause for all ours Nama and Vaishnava aparadhas. Knowing this our present tendency, Srila Prabhupada a deliberate named our movement as “International Society for Krishna Consciousness” and not “International Society for Krishna Action”. That mean Consciousness and not external action is crucial in order to receive causeless Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s mercy in form of Prema Bhakti.
2. Emotional Involvement.
By the words of Radhanat Swami Maharaj, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami Maharaj and others senior devotees, emotional involvement are extremely important factor to receive causeless mercy of Sri Sri Radha Krishna in form of Prema Bhakti. On extend, in which we can invest our own deep and meaningful emotions in Chanting and Hearing “sravanam kirtanam visnoh …” and others Devotions Services, on that extend process will works deeper and give us deeper and deeper impression or samskara of Krishna Consciousness.
3. Three aspects of all our activities: adhyatmika, adibhautika, and adidaivika..
Each action by our body, mind and words include in self three aspects:
= adhyatmika – growth or physical aspects like growth materials nature and body, mind;
= adibhautika – subtle or esoteric aspects like subtle materials nature and other living beings;
= adidaivika – divine or transcendental aspect like higher power and demigods as His direct representatives.
By respecting and caring for all these three aspects simultaneously, we can get benefits in all there aspects of our own life and lives of others. As Srila Sanatana Gosvami write in Sri Hari Bhakti Vilas 3.18: аcar bhutidzhananam acharya kirti vardhanah / acharad vardhate chi ayur acar khanty laksanam. “The sadachar gives the correct behaviour: wealth, fame, long life [health] and gives freedom from poverty and other bad things.” In this way wisely practicing both sravanam kirtanam visnoh… and proper sadachar for Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s pleasure ultimately we can receive Prema Bhakti.
4. Vaidhi-Sadhana-Bhakti path, Raganuga-bhakti path and percentage 90/10.
“There are two divisions of bhakti-yoga: sadhana-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti. Srila Prabhupada has elaborately explained in his book The Nectar of Devotion the progress of the devotee from sadhana-bhakti, or the execution of regulative principles, to raganuga-bhakti, or service executed in love of Godhead. According to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, a liberated soul is always enthusiastic due to the appearance of transcendental ecstasy within his body. Thus he always aspires to remain overwhelmed in chanting the glories of the Personality of Godhead, Hari.” SB 11.3.31.p.
“The bhakti process, as performed under the regulative principles of vaidhi-[sadhana]-bhakti, or devotional service following the prescribed rules and regulations, is defined by the revealed scriptures and confirmed by great Acaryas. This practice can help the neophyte devotee to rise to the stage of raganuga-bhakti, in which the Lord responds from within as the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master as Superconsciousness.” SB 3.5.5.p.
As we speak in article “Science base for Personal Development”, generally all of us are extremely dependent on our external present environment. That by it self mean, right now we are not Supernatural Being or Pure Raganuga Bhaktas. Vaidhi-Sadhana-Bhakti path or Balanced and Healthy lifestyle means gradually increase mode of goodness and let go or decrease mode of passion and ignorance in our present actions, association, environment and life in general. Right now, less than 2, 5 max 10 % of us are Supernatural Beings empowered by Supreme Power. That mean, only 2, 5 max 10 % of us can achieve our higher goals even of cost of neglecting laws of material nature, laws of modes of nature, laws of Balanced and Healthy lifestyle. Supernatural Beings, able wisely use given Supernatural or Mystic power for long time in Their day-to-day life, like fly in the sky, go through the walls, in needful situation for action mutilate present body, stop breathing, eating, drinking and same time physically acting with Supernatural power. For everyone else of us, who in reality are not Supernatural Beings, recommended respect and follow laws of nature, laws of Balanced and Healthy lifestyle. On extend, in which we are respect and follow these laws, on that extend gradually we can achieve our higher goals and ultimately Supreme Success in our life Prema Bhakti. Moreover, Balanced and Healthy lifestyle are proper way for Vaidhi-sadhana-bhakti path and all of us can come up to the level of Supernatural Beings or Raganuga Bhaktas and in order to please Sri Sri Radha Krishna be able to control and not be distracted by five senses and our mind.
5. Sruti, Smriti and Sad-acara (good behavior).
“Unless, therefore, devotional service is established on the principles of sruti, smiti, purana or pancaratra authorities, the make-show of devotional service should at once be rejected. An unauthorized devotee should never be recognized as a pure devotee. By assimilation of such messages from the Vedic literatures, one can see the all-pervading localized aspect of the Personality of Godhead within his own self constantly. This is called samadhi.” SB 1.2.12p
Sreela Rupa Goswami said: “Sruti Smriti Puranadi Pancharatrabidhin bina /Aikantiki Harerbhakti utpataiba kalpate. Translate: Pseudo-devotional activities without reference to the standard scriptures as above mentioned, are simply acts of disturbances in the name of spirituality. The performer of Samkirtan must refrain from such disturbing elements.” (The Science of Congregational Chanting of the Name of the Lord
(Samkirtan) BTG 1944 Volume 1, Parts 1-4, 1944 Message of His Divine Grace Sree Sreemad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Moharaj the celebrated Acharya (Spiritual Head) of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas spoke the following few lines as His Message just a few days (23rd December, 1936) before His passing away from this mortal world.)
“tahare se bali dharma, karma sadacara/ isvare se priti janme sammata sabara Sad-acara means good behavior. Translate: “Being cultured, educated, very active and religious means developing natural love for Krishna.” (Antya 3.44) Everyone has dormant love for Krishna , and by culture and education that has to be awakened. That is the purpose of this Krishna consciousness movement.” SB 4.29.50p
On extend, in which we follow and cultivat Sruti, Smriti and Sad-acara in our whole life in holistic way according with Krishna’s desires which are written in Vedic Sruti, Smriti and Sad-acara scriptures, then we can get success in present activities in this life, in next life and ultimate get full success of life – Prema Bhakti. If not, then generally we are going to straggle by useless labour as this clearly said in SB 1.2.8: “The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labour if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.” There for Krishna giving for us knowledge in Vedic scripture in every detail, who to maintain our life in all levels: physical, emotional, professional, social and ultimately spiritual.
6. Balanced and Healthy lifestyle and Mode of goodness
In other words Balanced and Healthy lifestyle simple means Mode of goodness.
“There is no possibility of one’s becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough. He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practising the yoga system.” BG 6.16-17
Balanced and Healthy lifestyle according to rules and regulations lay down by Guru/Sadhu/Shastras can be really helpful highway, which can help all of us come to favorable place like airport, the level of stedy satva guna “… as the mode of goodness increases in strength, one can completely give up the modes of passion and ignorance, and gradually one transcends even the material mode of goodness. … Then one achieves the transcendental platform of direct relationship with the object of his meditation, the Supreme Lord.” SB 11.9.12
“The Vedas prescribe and forbid various activities to lift the conditioned soul to the material mode of goodness, and from that point he should rise to the spiritual platform by transcendental knowledge. … The function of Vedic literature is to engage each individual at the particular level on which he is presently situated and gradually elevate him to the perfection of life. The material mode of goodness is not itself spiritual, but it does not impede spiritual life. Since the material mode of goodness purifies one’s consciousness and creates a hankering for higher knowledge, it is a favorable platform from which to pursue spiritual life, just as the airport is a favorable place from which to travel.” SB 11.7.8
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “When one’s peaceful consciousness, strengthened by the mode of goodness, is fixed on the Personality of Godhead, one achieves religiosity, knowledge, detachment and opulence.” SB 11.19.25
7. Our most often used activities in our day-to-day life.
The Personality of Godhead replied: “Merely renouncing all activities yet not engaging in the devotional service of the Lord cannot make one happy. But a thoughtful person engaged in devotional service can achieve the Supreme without delay. One who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, and who controls his mind and senses is dear to everyone, and everyone is dear to him. Though always working, such a man is never entangled. A person in the divine consciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping and breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, or opening or closing his eyes, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them.” BG 5.6-9
Others quotes on same subject “Our most often used activities in our day-to-day life“.
Why Krishna, Uddhava, Narada and Arjuna describe exactly these threaten activities, like: (1) hearing, (2) speaking, (3) smelling, (4) breathing, (5) seeing, (6) touching, (7) eating, (8) walking or moving about, (9) standing, (10) sitting, (11) evacuating, (12) urinating, (13) lying down, (14) sleeping etc, when They try describe someone whole life? If we just callback our last week day-to-day activities, then 99.9% of all our activities can be described by these only 14 activities written beyond. It is surprising or not? 🙂
8. Material or Spiritual.
“In human society there are various activities performed for the protection of one’s wealth and life by one’s words, one’s mind and one’s actions, but they are all performed for one’s personal or extended sense gratification with reference to the body. All these activities are baffled because of being separate from devotional service. But when the same activities are performed for the satisfaction of the Lord, the beneficial results are distributed to everyone, just as water poured on the root of a tree is distributed throughout the entire tree.” SB 8.9.29t
“… The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the only enjoyer and proprietor of everything (bhokta-ram? yajña-tapasa-m? sarva-loka-mahes’varam [Bg. 5.29]). Therefore any activity performed for the Supreme Lord is permanent. As a result of such activities, the performer is immediately recognized. Na ca tasma-n manus?yes?u kas’cin me priya-kr?ttamah? [Bg. 18.69]. Such a devotee, because of full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is immediately transcendental, although he may superficially appear to be engaged in materialistic activities. The only distinction between materialistic activity and spiritual activity is that material activity is performed only to satisfy one’s own senses whereas spiritual activity is meant to satisfy the transcendental senses of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By spiritual activity everyone factually benefits, whereas by materialistic activity no one benefits and instead one becomes entangled in the laws of karma.” SB 8.9.29p
Now let us build our hypothesis house for Pure Krishna Consciousness, by using our below describes bricks.
1. Conscious activities are sure way out of our entanglement in materials mind set and activities. In addition, the Unconscious exactly opposite – more and more entanglement in materials mind set and activities.
2. Conscious Emotional Involvement in pleasing activities to Sri Sri Radha Krishna increase our enthusiasm and taste for Prema Bhakti. Moreover, Conscious Emotional Involvement in pleasing activities to Sri Sri Radha Krishna increase and deepen our sure way out of our entanglement in materials mind set, activities and ultimately Prema Bhakti.
3. On extend, in with we are more Conscious of Three aspects of all our activities, in that extend we can get wealth, fame, long life or health … and ultimately Prema Bhakti.
4. Generally, we have three ways to be ultimately successful in this life by receiving Krishna’s mercy in form of Prema Bhakti.
1st way: Be all ready on farm level of Raganuga-bhakti as Avaduta, Utamaadhikari, MahaBhagavata, Mahajan, Eternal associate of Lord etc
2nd way: At least from now throughout whole life be fully surrender to Guru/Sadhu/Shastra: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja.
3rd way: Nicely follow Sadhana-bhakti path and consciously life Balanced and Healthy lifestyle.
5./6. Sruti, Smriti and Sad-acara (good behavior) are proper guidelines for Sadhana-bhakti path or conscious Balanced and Healthy lifestyle to increases the mode of goodness in strength. When we can completely give up the modes of passion and ignorance, then we can gradually transcends even the material mode of goodness and come to Raganuga-bhakti platform of pure goodness or Prema Bhakti.
7. Most important in our conscious Balanced and Healthy lifestyle at least include 14 main activities as (1) hearing, (2) speaking, (3) smelling, (4) breathing, (5) seeing, (6) touching, (7) eating, (8) walking or moving about, (9) standing, (10) sitting, (11) evacuating, (12) urinating, (13) lying down, (14) sleeping.
8. As said SB 8.9.29p, “The only distinction between materialistic activity and spiritual activity is that material activity is performed only to satisfy one’s own senses whereas spiritual activity is meant to satisfy the transcendental senses of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” That mean in our context, if we do same so common 14 activities, like hearing, speaking, smelling, breathing etc only to satisfy one’s own senses – then these activities are material. Whereas, if we do same activities to satisfy the transcendental senses of the Supreme Personality of Godhead – then these same activities are Spiritual as others 64 anga Bhakti activities for Sri Sri Radha Krishna pleasure.
And some time, if we are like dull donkey or ass and we can not find Healthy Balance between physical, mental, professional, social, spiritual health and Prema Bhakti, then Bhaktivedanta Sarasvati Takurs said, ‘Better to be sick with Krishna Conciousness who healthy without Krishna Conciousness.’
By practising Balanced and Healthy lifestyle, as Lords Sri Krishna and Sanatana Gosvami prove, we can be wealthy, healthy and wise with Krishna Conciousness. And if we can not be Krishna Conciousness with wealth, health, happiness and blissfulness in our day-to-day life, then this is our voluntary free chose to suffer as miserable miser, who not use his inherited wealth, health and knowledge from his own sake, not fro sake of his closes and beloved ones. 😦
By these eight steps, we can come to conclusion, which is personally Krishna Himself. (clarify the quote: From logic arguments, I am conclusion).
Our conclusion is, “IF on every single day we sincerely and consciously perform Sruti, Smriti and Sad-acara (good behaviour) – which are proper guidelines for the Vaidhi-Sadhana-Bhakti path or a conscious Balanced and Healthy lifestyle – for Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s pleasure. That includes sravanam kirtanam visnoh … and at least following 14 of our day-to-day main activities: (1) hearing, (2) speaking, (3) breathing, (4) seeing, (5) smelling, (6) touching, (7) eating, (8) sitting, (9) standing, (10) walking, (11) evacuating, (12) urinating, (13) lying down, and (14) sleeping. THEN in this way, we can most likely experience the ultimate goal of life, causeless mercy of Guru and Sri Sri Radha Krishna in the form of Prema Bhakti.”
Your humble servant and ever well-wisher BVG Janaka das
28 Apr 2011 – https://premabhakti.wordpress.com
Prema Bhakti attracted by a Balanced and Healthy lifestyle 