NECTAR OF DEVOTION

Part Six

1. Recite Nana sastra vicaranaika......Yesterday we

discussed the basic
qualifications for devotional service in terms of 3 levels of
candidates. We read yesterday about how bhukti and mukti
are like two witches that can bewilder the aspiring devotee.
Actually, of the two, mukti is worst.

In other words, it's easier for an ordinary karmi to take to

Kåñëa consciousness than for a confirmed mayavadi. And
therefore, although both are witches, the desire for bhukti and
the desire for mukti, but the desire for mukti is worse and
therefore Rupa Goswami quotes in chapter four a series of
verses describing how a devotee has no desire for mukti. How
a devotee is so satisfied in devotional service, he doesn't
desire mukti, or how a devotee is already liberated by
devotional service without any separate effort. The devotee
doesn't try for mukti, that's the definition - anyabhilasita
sunyam — he has not other desire except to serve Kåñëa.

But Kåñëa Himself may award liberation to the devotee. And

the devotee will not accept it for his own sake, but for the
sake of Kåñëa, if Kåñëa wants him to come to Kåñëa's planet
and serve Him there, if he understands that that's the desire
of Kåñëa, then he may accept and go to the planet of Kåñëa.
Not for his own sake, but for the sake of Kåñëa's service. And
the same series of verses actually takes up most of this
chapter. There's so many verses, Rupa Gosvami has quoted
so many verses, just to convince us to give up the desire for
mukti and Çréla Prabhupäda has included most of them in this
chapter four.

The desire for liberation may also infiltrate our devotional

service in the form of not being willing to surrender to service
because we feel it may interfere with our enjoyment. If some
service is very demanding we feel we may suffer, so we may
not be prepared to do it, even though we are being asked to.
Careful analysis of the verses presented here will reveal a
variety of reasons why pure devotional service surpasses
liberation, and will thus inspire the devotee to reject all
desires for bhukti and mukti.

Påthu Mahäräja's prayer (top, page 37), shows that a devotee

does not seek impersonal liberation because it offers no
opportunity to hear the Lord's pastimes chanted by pure
devotees, or to relish the delightful honey of the Lord's lotus
feet. Instead of mukti, Påthu Mahäräja prays for "Millions of
tongues and ears" so he can constantly chant and hear the
Lord's glories. In the prayer of Bharata Mahäräja (bottom of
page 37) we see how an uttama-bhakta is ready to easily give
up all material comforts. Lord Çiva's statement (second
paragraph, page 38) reveals the devotee's total disinterest in
heaven or hell. He simply desires the Lord's service.

Finally, on page 44 (bottom) the fact that devotional service is

beyond liberation is shown in the stories of the four Kumaras,
and also Çukadeva Goswami. It is expressed in the
“ätmaräma” verse in Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.7.10):

ätmärämäç ca munayo
nirgranthä apy urukrame 
kurvanty ahaitukéà bhaktim
ittham-bhüta-guëo hariù

“All different varieties of ätmärämas [those who take pleasure

in ätmä, or spirit self], especially those established on the
path of self-realisation, though freed from all kinds of material
bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto
the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord
possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract
everyone, including liberated souls.”

Even though Çukadeva was liberated he was attracted back

to the açräma of his father by the recitation of Çrémad-
Bhägavatam.
This chapter is also discussing how devotional service is
beyond any material enjoyment, although it is mainly
discussing about liberation. The example of someone who
gave up material enjoyment because of devotional service is
Dhruva Mahäräja.

2. So in chapter four, although most of the statements

are on the
subject of "Devotional Service Surpasses all Liberation", you
may notice that the last verses are about how the devotional
service of the Våndävana devotees is higher than that of the
devotees of any other form of the Lord. at the end of the
Chapter, some interesting statements about devotees of
Narayana and devotees of Kåñëa.

First there is a discussion about how pure devotees don’t

accept any type of liberation. Of course, there is no question
that the devotee will accept impersonal liberation, but one
might ask about the other types of liberation, such as living
on the same planet as the Lord, having the same opulences of
the Lord, and so on. Someone who wants liberation, even
personal liberation, is not a pure devotee if he accepts
liberation for the sake of personal enjoyment. We may give
the example of the spiritual master, that someone may want
to be near the spiritual master, but he may not be interested
only in the service of the spiritual master and he may think
that if he's with the spiritual master, he may get so many
facilities and so on. So the pure devotee does not want
liberation, although someone who is not a pure devotee may
want liberation, even one of the four types that allow
devotional service. But if the Lord wants that the devotee
should serve Him on the same planet, then the devotee can
accept.

The five types of liberation are: (1) to become one with the
Lord, (2) to live on the same planet as the Lord, (3) to obtain
the same bodily features as the Lord, (4) to have the same
opulences as the Lord and (5) to have constant association
with the Lord.
(sälokya—living on the same planet; särñöi—having the same
opulence; sämépya—to be a personal associate; särüpya—
having the same bodily features)

3. Now amongst the devotees who actually achieve

liberation, there are devotees of Narayana and other
incarnations and there are devotees of Kåñëa. So Rupa
Goswami says that the devotees of Kåñëa are the best
because the devotee of Kåñëa can never be attracted by any
other form of the Lord, whereas devotees of other forms of
the Lord may become attracted to the form of Kåñëa. Then
again, at the end of the chapter, Srila Prabhupada mentions
that the devotee will be situated in a relationship that fully
satisfies him and he will not want to change his position for
any other. So the two statements appear to be contradictory.
How can they be reconciled?

There are two examples: Gopa Kumara and Lakñmi devi. In

Gopa Kumara’s case through spiritual practice he went up
through different levels to the spiritual world, Vaikuntha,
Ayodhya, Dvaraka but he wasn’t satisfied, because by nature
he was a cowherd boy.

Eventually, in Dvaraka, Narada and Uddhava they detected

the truth. So they spoke to Gopa-Kumara and Gopa-Kumara
was actually hesitant to express himself, because generally
wherever Gopa-Kumara went, the devotees were fully
satisfied and they wanted him to experience the same as
them, so in Vaikuntha all the devotees wanted him to
experience the bliss of serving Näräyana, in Ayodhya all the
devotees wanted him to experience the bliss of serving Lord
Räma, but he was hesitant to express himself, but Narada and
Uddhava, being very experienced and expert devotees, they
could detect. And in the course of the discussion, Gopa-
Kumara admitted the fact that he was not fully satisfied, that
he was always thinking of Kåñëa, and the cows and
Govardhana.
Then they advised him that he should return to earth and
resume his spiritual practices in Vrindavana, and by the
mercy of the spiritual master and by strong feelings of
separation, he would ultimately attain Kåñëa in Goloka
Vrindavana and so Gopa-Kumara did come back, he followed
the instructions and he achieved it. So, but generally, by the
arrangement of the Lord, if someone has the seed of some
particular relationship with the Lord, then by the arrangement
of the Lord, that devotee will come in contact with someone
who will guide him towards that perfection. But if by chance
someone does attain Vaikuntha, but he has the seed of some
higher relationship, then he can come back to earth because
there's no spiritual practices in Vaikuntha. He can come back
to earth, engage in spiritual practices here, and attain his
goal.

4. Then there is the example of Lakñmi devi from the

Caitanya-caritämåta. This is illustrating the point that it is
possible for someone to become attracted by a rasa other
than the one which is natural to them. It would appear that
that would only really happen in an upward manner. And it
would seem that it is very rare, as we have only heard of one
example — Lakñmi.

So during the rainy season Lord Caitanya stayed at Sri

Rangam in South India with Vyenkata Bhatta who was in the
Ramanuja Sampradaya. And Vyenkata Bhatta thought that
the worship of Lakñmi-Narayana was higher, was highest. And
Lord Caitanya could understand his mentality. And many
devotees of Narayana think that Narayana is the original and
He is the Supreme and Kåñëa is an incarnation of Narayana.
So very soon Lord Caitanya and Vyenkata Bhatta became
very intimate and friendly. So Lord Caitanya said to him, "Your
Lord is the master of Vaikuntha and My Lord is only a cowherd
boy. So how is it that Lakñmi, who is the most chaste wife of
Narayana wanted to enjoy pastimes with My Lord Kåñëa, Who
is only a cowherd boy".
So Vyenkata Bhatta replied, "Lord Kåñëa and Lord Narayana
are one and the same, but the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa are
more relishable due to their sportive nature. Since Kåñëa and
Narayana are both the same personality, Lakñmi’s association
with Kåñëa does not break her vow of chastity. Rather, it was
in great fun that the goddess of fortune wanted to associate
with Lord Kåñëa."

Then the next verse appears in Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu:

"Vyenkata Bhatta continued, `According to transcendental
realisation, there is not difference between the forms of
Narayana and Kåñëa. Yet in Kåñëa there is a special
transcendental attraction due to the conjugal mellow, and
consequently He surpasses Narayana. This is the conclusion
of transcendental mellows.”

5. So actually Kåñëa has four qualities which Narayana

does not have and they're all especially attractive. So who
can name them?

********** This is all in the context of telling the story

of Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu and Vyenkatta Bhatta
************

He's surrounded by wonderful devotees who have a

higher level of love of God than the devotees of any
other form of the Lord. In the other forms the devotees
have only neutral relationship or servant relationship or
friendship with some touch of servant. but they don’t have
pure friendship or parental or conjugal. So that is the special
quality of the devotees of Kåñëa, the devotees of Vrindavana.
They do not think that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, but they just think that Kåñëa is their son, their
friend and so on. therefore Kåñëa is called "akhila rasamrta
murtih" which we read in the first verse of Bhakti-rasamrta-
sindhu. He is the reservoir of all pleasures and all rasas. Five
direct, and seven indirect.
For example, when Lord Kåñëa entered the wrestling arena at
Mathura, 10 types of people saw Him in 12 ways. In this way
His position as the reservoir of all rasas was confirmed:

Direct rasas:
1. The sages became rapt in meditation (çänta)
2. The menial servants danced (däsya)
3. Kåñëa's friends smiled broadly (sakhya, hasya)
4. His mother wept warm tears (vatsalya, compassion)
5. The girls gazed at Kåñëa from the corner of their black eyes
(madhurya)

Indirect rasas:
6. The demoniac priests curled their lips in distaste
(ghastliness)
7. The great wrestlers became red (anger)
8. The great demons became devastated (dread)
9. The chivalrous fighters became excited (chivalry)
10. The leaders of the demigods become struck with wonder
(astonishment)

He possesses incomparable beauty, more than any

other form of Godhead. Even Kåñëa (in other features) is
attracted by Våndävana Kåñëa. In Lalita Madhava it is said:

Kåñëa: (the hairs of His body standing up with excitement) My

dear friend, this dramatic actor appears like a second form of
My own self. Like a picture, He displays My pastimes as a
cowherd boy, overflowing with wonderfully attractive
sweetness and fragrance, which are so dear to the damsels of
Vraja. When I see such a display, My heart becomes greatly
excited. I long for such pastimes and desire a form exactly
like the damsels of Vraja.

Dvaraka Kåñëa then gets up to go and embrace the actor

playing Himself in Våndävana, but Uddhava stops Him:

Uddhava: Lord, this is a scene in a play.

We also see this attractiveness described in the conversation
between Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu and Vyenkata Bhatta in
Caitanya-caritämåta.

His flute playing. Çréla Jéva Goswami explains in his

Sankalpa Kalpadruma: “With the sweet music of his flute your
beloved makes the demigods and the birds tremble. Even
more wonderful, He makes the unconscious beings and the
lifeless objects tremble also. If by sounding His flute Your
master, Kåñëa, calls the cows to the water, the sweet flute-
sound makes the cows stunned with ecstasy, and they stand
motionless with half-chewed cud in their mouths. The flute-
sound even makes the water become stunned, and for a
moment it is no longer liquid but hard like stone.

“Seeing that on a hill with no streams or lakes the cows have

become thirsty, Your master plays His flute. The flute-music
makes the hill melt in ecstasy, providing water for the cows.
Lord Kåñëa calls the cows by playing their names on His flute.
Do they come to Him because they recognise their names in
the flute-music? or are they merely attracted by the sweet
sound?

“One time, at midday, in the summer, in a place without any

shade, Kåñëa played His flute and created clouds that gently
sprinkled water on the cows. One day, His heart melting with
kindness, Kåñëa played His flute. The flute music made the
hills melt, and Kåñëa left His footprint in a momentarily
softened stone there. Sometimes He turns His flute into a
boat and ferries the cows and gopas across a river. The sweet
flute-music makes the river become stunned and hardened,
and then the cows and gopas wonderfully walk to the other
side.”

His wonderful pastimes, which are more beautiful than

the pastimes of any other form of the Lord. In Nectar of
Devotion it is said: “In the Båhad-vämana Puräëa, the Lord
says, “Although I have many fascinating pastimes, whenever I
think of the räsa-lélä, which I perform with the gopés, I
become eager to have it again.” One devotee has said, “I
know about Näräyaëa, the husband of the goddess of fortune,
and I also know about many other incarnations of the Lord.
Certainly all the pastimes of such incarnations are exciting to
my mind, but still the pastimes of the räsa-lélä performed by
Lord Kåñëa Himself are wonderfully increasing my
transcendental pleasure.”

6. Then Return to the Story of Lord Caitanya and

Vyenkata Bhatta

Vyenkata had explained that there is no difference between

Lord Kåñëa and Lord Narayana, so there was no contradiction
in Lakñmi wanting to associate with Kåñëa. But then Lord
Caitanya asked him why Lakñmi was not able to do so.

The thing is that she would have had to give up her position
as the big Goddess of Fortune, and then become a gopi in
Våndävana and learn how to serve Kåñëa in that way. She
would have had to take birth...Just see what it would have
meant. She would have had to take birth in the womb of a
gopi, she would have had to take birth as a baby in
Vrindavana. She would have had to grow up in a cowherd
family. Then she would have had to get married to somebody.
Then she would have had to cheat her husband, cheat her
elders and cheat her relatives and meet Krsna. She wasn't
prepared. It was too much.

So devotional service is the highest activity, higher

than sense gratification or liberation, and devotional
service to Lord Kåñëa is the highest form of devotional
service