A True Servant鈥擜 True Master
by Swami Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja | 2021 | 174,865 words
This page relates 鈥業n the perfected stage, one chooses when to die,...鈥� of book鈥�"A True Servant, A True Master" which offers a collection of 128 handwritten letters by Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja鈥攁 revered figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. This book showcases the profound spiritual insights and practical guidance on executing devotional service and addresses both Sadhakas (male practitioners) and Sadhikas (female practitioners) with equal respect.
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Letter 76 - In the perfected stage, one chooses when to die,...
In the perfected stage, one chooses when to die 鈥� Two Kapilas 鈥� 笔补帽肠补-谤辞驳补 (five illnesses) 鈥� Attaining transcendence of the senses 鈥� 艢谤墨尘补苍 惭补丑腻辫谤补产丑耻鈥檚 mind is non-different from 痴峁沶诲腻惫补苍补 鈥� Following in the footsteps of 艢谤墨 Gaurasundara
啶多啶班 啶多啶班 啶椸啶班-啶椸啶班ぞ啶權啶椸 啶溹く啶む
艣谤墨 艣谤墨 guru-gaur膩峁単au jayata岣�
艢谤墨 Vinoda-bih膩r墨 Gau岣嵞珁a 惭补峁环补 28 Haldar Bagan Lane Kolkata鈥�4 30/12/1984
厂苍别丑腻蝉辫补诲别峁鈥�
B膩b膩鈥斺��! I received your loving letter dated 1/12/84 on time. 鈥� You wrote that your body is unwell. If you think you really need to, finish up your work as best you can and come to Kolkata for some days. You can return after proper treatment and regaining your health. The planetary influence of the planet R膩hu on you will subside if you come to Kolkata. All illnesses can be alleviated with the proper treatment. Do not worry; the illness will subside before you become gripped by old age. You need to maintain some composure. Why are you stoking the desire to only survive eight or ten years? It is proper for the 蝉腻诲丑补办补 to feel, 鈥淚 have not done hari-bhajana.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
In the perfected stage (蝉颈诲诲丑腻惫补蝉迟丑腻), it is fine to say that one chooses when to die.
啶啶苦い啷� 啶啶苦い啷�, 啶膏ぎ啶� 啶嗋じ啶苦げ啷�, 啶� 啶︵啶� 啶涏ぞ啶∴た啶ぞ 啶︵た啶
Bhajite bhajite, samaya 膩sile, e deha ch膩岣峣y膩 dibo[1]
鈥淚n the course of performing bhajana, when the time comes, I will discard this body.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Why are you becoming a ghost without even dying?
I am giving brief responses to your questions:
(1) Kapila, who was born in the dynasty of Agni, annihilated the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara. It is correct to accept this as conclusive information. On the other hand, the theistic Kapila, son of Devah奴ti, appeared in this world as an 补惫补迟腻谤补 of 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍. The very first place he set foot was at the confluence of the 骋补峁単腻 and the ocean. This is described in 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补尘. And He did not burn the sons of Sagara to ashes. It was at the site of his footprints, however, that [the other] Kapila, the son of Agni, made his seat.
(2) 笔补帽肠补-roga (five illnesses) are 补惫颈诲测腻 (ignorance), 补蝉尘颈迟腻 (vanity), 谤腻驳补 (anger), 诲惫别峁 (hatred), and 补产丑颈苍颈惫别艣补 (obsession).
(3) The 箩墨惫补蝉 bound by 尘腻测腻 do not and cannot serve 础诲丑辞办峁箩补 艢谤墨 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍 by means of their gross senses.
啶膏啶掂啶ㄠ啶啶栢 啶灌た 啶溹た啶灌啶掂ぞ啶︵ 啶膏啶掂く啶 啶忇さ 啶膏啶啶班い啷嵿く啷�-啶呧う啶�
Sevonmukhe hi jihv膩dau svayam eva sphuraty-ada岣�.[2]
As per this statement, the transcendental 艣谤墨 苍腻尘补-brahma appears via the senses that are inclined towards service; 艢谤墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺鈥檚 name, which is beyond sensory faculty, cannot be grasped by material senses. This is the principle and conclusion.
That which is material can never become spiritual, and the spiritual never becomes material.
啶灌啶粪啶曕啶� 啶灌啶粪啶曕啶�-啶膏啶掂え啶� 啶啷嵿い啶苦ぐ啷�-啶夃啷嵿く啶む
h峁涐梗墨kena h峁涐梗墨ke艣a-sevana峁� bhaktir-ucyate[3]
鈥淭he presiding Lord of the transcendental senses, H峁涐梗ike艣a 艢谤墨 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍, can be served only by transcendental senses, a process referred to as bhakti鈥�
Attaining transcendence of the senses is a special experience, not some gross affair of the inert.
艢谤墨尘补苍 惭补丑腻辫谤补产丑耻 discussed the difference between the inert and conscious mind:
啶嗋え啷嵿く啷囙ぐ 啶灌啶︵く鈥斷ぎ啶�, 啶啶� 啶え鈥斷さ啷冟え啷嵿う啶距さ啶�, 啶え啷� 啶掂え啷� 啶忇 啶曕ぐ啶� 啶溹ぞ啶ㄠた
膩nyera h峁沝aya鈥攎ana, mora mana鈥攙峁沶d膩vana, mane vane eka kari j膩ni[4]
鈥淥thers鈥� hearts and minds are one. My mind is 痴峁沶诲腻惫补苍补. I know My mind and the forest to be one.鈥�
The conditioned soul鈥檚 mind is controlled by the material senses, whereas 艢谤墨尘补苍 惭补丑腻辫谤补产丑耻鈥檚 mind, which is overwhelmed with transcendental sentiment, is non-different from 痴峁沶诲腻惫补苍补. It is only possible for 艢谤墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺candra, who is beyond all that is material, to appear in that transcendental 痴峁沶诲腻惫补苍补.
Another transcendental perspective of Him is as follows:
啶掂え 啶︵啶栢た鈥� 啶啶班ぎ 啶灌く,鈥斷啶� 啶掂啶ㄠ啶︵ぞ啶掂え 啶多啶� 啶︵啶栢た 啶え啷� 啶灌く鈥斷啶� 啶椸啶掂ぐ啷嵿ぇ啶� 啶溹ぞ虄啶灌ぞ 啶ㄠう啶� 啶︵啶栢, 啶むぞ虄啶灌ぞ 啶ぞ啶ㄠく啷団�斷啶距げ啶苦え啷嵿う啷� 啶す啶�-啶啶班啶ぞ啶掂啶多 啶ㄠぞ啶氞 啶す啶距お啷嵿ぐ啶 啶ぁ啷� 啶曕ぞ啶ㄠ啶︵た鈥�
vana dekhi鈥� bhrama haya,鈥攅i v峁沶d膩vana 艣aila dekhi mane haya鈥攅i govardhana j膩虄h膩 nadi dekhe, t膩虄h膩 m膩naye鈥攌膩lind墨 尘补丑腻-prem膩ve艣e n膩ce 尘补丑腻prabhu pa岣峞 k膩ndi鈥�[5]
[Seeing any forest, He becomes bewildered and thinks, 鈥淭his is 痴峁沶诲腻惫补苍补.鈥� Seeing any mountain, He thinks, 鈥淭his is Govardhana.鈥� Wherever He sees a river, He thinks it to be the 碍腻濒颈苍诲墨. In the grand rapture of divine love, 惭补丑腻辫谤补产丑耻 falls and weeps.]
啶す啶�-啶ぞ啶椸さ啶� 啶︵啶栢 啶膏啶ムぞ啶掂ぐ-啶溹啷嵿啶� 啶むぞ虄啶灌ぞ 啶むぞ虄啶灌ぞ 啶灌く 啶むぞ虄啶� 啶多啶班 啶曕啶粪啶�-啶膏啶啶班ぃ 啶膏啶ムぞ啶掂ぐ-啶溹啷嵿啶� 啶︵啶栢, 啶ㄠぞ 啶︵啶栢 啶むぞ啶� 啶啶班啶むた 啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ啶む啶� 啶灌く 啶ㄠた啶� 啶囙し啷嵿啶︵啶� 啶膏啶啶班啶むた
尘补丑腻-产丑腻驳补惫补迟补 dekhe sth膩vara-ja峁単ama t膩虄h膩 t膩虄h膩 haya t膩虄ra 艣谤墨 k峁涐梗峁嘺-sphura峁嘺 sth膩vara-ja峁単ama dekhe, n膩 dekhe t膩ra 尘奴谤迟颈 sarvatra haya nija i峁ａ弓adeva sph奴rti[6]
[When a 尘补丑腻-产丑腻驳补惫补迟补 looks at a moving or non-moving being, all he perceives are manifestations of 艢谤墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺. Although seeing entities, both moving and inert, he does not see their form. Everywhere are only visions of his own worshipful Lord.]
Due to the nature of the 尘补丑腻-产丑腻驳补惫补迟补-辫补谤补尘补丑补峁僺补蝉鈥� prema, their vision of everything, all moving and non-moving creatures, is utterly devoid of mundane awareness, thus giving them glimpses of their worshipful deity鈥檚 艣谤墨 尘奴谤迟颈. In other words, they have 艣谤墨 k峁涐梗峁嘺-产丑腻惫补-诲补谤艣补苍补 (they see 艢谤墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺 everywhere). The uttama-产丑腻驳补惫补迟补 sees the soul of all souls, 艢谤墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺candra, in all living entities, and he sees all souls in 艢谤墨 碍峁涐梗峁嘺. That is why they are 蝉补尘补-诲补谤艣墨 (possessed of equal vision).
I hope you are all cooperating to manage the service tasks in the 尘补峁环补. If the unfavourable environment is utterly harmful for the 尘补峁环补 and mission, then you will have to arrange to remedy it. But that must happen with intelligence and tact, so that the social dignity of the 尘补峁环补 and certain individuals are not injured. The teacher of all worlds, the guru of all realms, 艢谤墨 Gaurasundara, who is Himself initiated into 补尘腻苍墨-尘腻苍补诲补-dharma, would defeat the opposing party but always safeguard their dignity. As we introduce ourselves as the servants of His servants, we will follow in His footsteps. What miserliness is there in this? In the 艢谤墨 厂腻谤补蝉惫补迟补 Gau岣嵞珁a Vai峁ａ箛ava society, the 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉 use the term 鈥�gaura-jana-办颈峁卥补谤补 鈥�the servant of Gaura鈥檚 associates鈥� to introduce themselves to the outside world. As the 惫颈驳丑补艣腻蝉墨[7] servants of 艣谤墨 guru and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉, they are accustomed, in their inner circle, to introducing themselves as the servants of the servants of 艣谤墨 guru and 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉. This has been a custom in practice since ancient times. Accept my affectionate blessings. Iti鈥�
Your eternal well-wisher,
艢谤墨 Bhaktived膩nta 痴腻尘补苍补
307 艢谤墨 Caitanya- carit膩m峁泃a (Madhya- l墨l膩8.273鈥�274)
308 What is left over after the servants of a household eat is called vighasa. One who eats the leftovers of the servants is called a 惫颈驳丑补艣腻蝉墨.
Footnotes and references:
[3]:
狈腻谤补诲补- 辫补帽肠补谤腻迟谤补, quoted in Bhakti- 谤补蝉腻尘峁泃补- sindhu (1.1.12)
[4]:
艢谤墨 Caitanya- carit膩m峁泃a (Madhya- l墨l膩13.137)
[5]:
艢谤墨 Caitanya- carit膩m峁泃a (Madhya- l墨l膩17.55鈥�56
[6]:
艢谤墨 Caitanya- carit膩m峁泃a (Madhya- l墨l膩8.273鈥�274)
[7]:
What is left over after the servants of a household eat is called vighasa. One who eats the leftovers of the servants is called a 惫颈驳丑补艣腻蝉墨.