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— { Sri Sri Prapanna-Jivanamritam } —
CHAPTER 4
Sri Bhakta-vachanamritam—Words of Nectar from the Devotees
Pratikulya-vivarjjanam—
Rejection of the Unfavorable
bhagavad-bhaktayor bhakteh, prapatteh pratikulake
varjjyatve nischayah prati-, kulya-varjjanam uchyate [1]
The principle to reject everything opposed to the service of the Lord and His devotee, and to similarly abstain from everything opposed to an attitude of surrender, is known as pratikulya-vivarjjanam—Rejection of the Unfavorable.
pratikulya-varjjana-sankalpadarsah—
na dhanam na janam na sundarim, kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare, bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi [2]
the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyachandra
The ideal in the resolve to reject the unfavorable—
"O Lord of the universe, I have no desire for wealth or worldly promotion,
nor do I desire wife, family, and society, nor do I aspire for Vedic
religiosity or mundane scholarship. The only aspiration in my heart is that
in my every birth I may have unmotivated devotion for You."
atrapi tathaiva—
nastha dharme na vasu-nichaye naiva kamopabhoge
yad yad bhavyam bhavatu bhagavan purva-karmanurupam
etat prarthyam mama bahu-matam janma-janmantare 'pi
tvat padambhoruha-yuga-gata nischala bhaktir astu [3]
Sri Kulasekhara
A similar expression of the same ideal—
"O Lord, I have no faith in religiosity, economic development, or sense
enjoyment. May all these things come to pass as they are ordained, according
to my previous karma. But my earnest prayer is that birth after birth
I may have unflinching devotion for Your lotus feet."
hari-sambandha-hinam sarvam eva varjjaniyam—
na yatra vaikuntha-katha sudhapaga
na sadhavo bhagavatas tad asrayah
na yatra yajnesa-makha mahotsavah
suresa-loko 'pi na vai sa sevyatam [4]
prayers by the demigods
Everything devoid of a relationship with Lord Hari should be
rejected—
"One should not reside wherever the river of nectarean tidings of Krishna
does not flow, wherever Krishna's surrendered devotees cannot be found, and
wherever the grand festival of chanting Krishna's holy name is not
conducted—even if it is heaven."
vyavaharika-gurvadayo 'pi pratikulam ched varjjaniya eva—
gurur na sa syat svajano na sa syat
pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat
daivam na tat syan na patis cha sa syan
na mochayed yah samupetamrtyam [5]
Sri Rsabhadeva
When the traditional guru and guardians are found to be unfavorable, they
too must surely be abandoned—
"One who cannot save other souls from the world of impending death—that is,
one who cannot teach the path of devotion—he cannot be a teacher, although he
may be called 'guru'; he cannot be a relative—he is not worthy of the
designation; he cannot be a father—he is not qualified to beget a son; she
cannot be a mother—she should not bear a child; he cannot be a god—the
demigods who cannot deliver others from material bondage are not entitled to
accept worship from human society; and he cannot be a husband—his hand is not
fit to accept in marriage."
sarvendriyair eva pratikula-varjjane sankalpah—
ma draksam ksina-punyan ksanam api bhavato bhakti-hinan padabje
ma srausam sravya-bandham tava charitam-apasyanyad-akhyana-jatam
ma spraksam madhava! tvam api bhuvana-pate! chetasapahnavanan
ma bhuvam tvat saparya-parikara-rahito janma-janmantare 'pi [6]
Sri Kulasekhara
The resolve to reject everything unfavorable, by means of all the
senses—
"O Madhava, let me not see the unvirtuous persons who are devoid of devotion
for Your lotus feet, and let me not hear the narratives which do not describe
Your divine personality. O Lord of the universe, may I never have any contact
with those bereft of faith in You, and moreover, lifetime after lifetime, may
I never be without the company of Your associates who are devoted to Your
loving service."
vyavaharikadaraniyany api tuchchhavat tyajyani—
tvad-bhaktah saritam patim chulukavat khadyotavad bhaskaram
merum pasyati lostravat kim aparam bhumeh patim bhrtyavat
chinta-ratnachayam silasakalavat kalpadrumam kasthavat
samsaram trna-rasivat kim-aparam deham nijam bharavat [7]
Sarvajna
One should also be indifferent towards commonly respected objects—
"O Lord, Your devotee sees the ocean to be as insignificant as a palmful of
water, the sun as a glow-worm, Mount Sumeru as a pebble, a king as a servant,
wish-fulfilling gems as rocks, a desire-yielding tree as wood, worldly
aspirations as straw, and he even sees his own body as a trifling weight to
carry: he knows all objects unfavorable to devotion as trivia."
hari-vimukha-sanga-phalasya anubhuti-svarupam—
varam hutavaha-jvala-, panjarantar-vyavasthitih
na sauri-chinta-vimukha-, jana-samvasa-vaisasam [8]
Katyayana
A realization of the result of associating with those who are averse to
the Supreme Lord Hari—
"One should endure the pain of being locked in a cage surrounded by blazing
fire, rather than keep the distressing association of persons averse to
Krishna consciousness."
anya-devopasakanam svarupa-parichayah—
alinganam varam manye, vyala-vyaghra-jalaukasam
na sangah salya-yuktanam, nana-devaika-sevinam [9]
kesanchit: revered votary
The actual position of the worshippers of 'other gods'—
"Better to be embraced by a snake, a tiger, or a crocodile than to suffer
the agony of associating with persons who worship the various demigods."
bhakti-badhaka dosas tyajyah—
aty-aharah prayasas cha, prajalpo niyamagrahah
jana-sangas cha laulyan cha, sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati [10]
Sri Rupa Goswami
Personal defects that obstruct devotion must be forsaken—
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atyanta sangrahe yara sada chitta dhaya, atyahari bhakti-hina sei samjna paya prakrta vastura ase bhoge yara mana, prayasi tahara nama bhakti-hina jana krsna-katha chhadi' jihva ana katha kahe, prajalpi tahara nama vrtha vakya kahe bhajanete udasina karmete pravina, bahv-arambhi se niyamagrahi ati dina krsna-bhakta-sanga bine anya-sange rata, jana-sangi ku-visaya-vilase vivrata nana-sthane bhrame yei nija svartha-tare, laulya-para bhakti-hina samjna deya nare ei chhaya nahe kabhu bhakti adhikari, bhakti-hina laksya-bhrasta visayi samsari |
(Bengali verse by Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura)
|
"(i) For over-acquisition, one whose mind does always run: avaricious nondevotee—he should thus be known. (ii) One who hankers to exploit some object mundane: non-devotee, overendeavorer—as such he is known. (iii) One whose tongue speaks all but holy talks of Krishna: he is just a gossiper of insignificant banter. (iv) Apathetic to devotion, skilled in exploitation: so wretched—proud usurper of the higher devotee's position. (v) Associates with all except Lord Krishna's pure devotees: a mundane socializer in the mud of fleeting fancies. (vi) Who wanders hither and thither for his own selfish plan: fickleminded nondevotee—is known such a man. In these six ways, never fit to render pure devotion: bereft of love divine—fallen, materialistic person." |
(Bengali verse translation)
yosit-sangasya pratikulyam—
niskinchanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya
param param jigamisor bhava-sagarasya
sandarsanam visayinam atha yositan cha
ha hanta hanta visa-bhaksanato 'py asadhu [11]
the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanyachandra
The severe adversity of female companionship—
"Alas, for a renunciate who desires to completely cross over the ocean of
mundanity and engage in the divine loving service of the Supreme Lord, to
ogle a materialist and a woman is more wicked than drinking poison."
hari-vimukhasya vamsadisv adaro bhakti-pratikulah
dhig janma nas tri-vrd yat tad, dhig vratam dhig bahu-jnatam
dhik kulam dhik kriya-daksyam, vimukha ye tv adhoksaje [12]
sacrificial brahmanas
Esteem for elevated birth and culture of a person averse to Lord Hari is
unfavorable for devotion—
"Our three births (seminal, investiture with the sacred thread, and
sacrificial [saukra, savitrya, and daiksya]) are
condemned, our vow of chastity is condemned, our profuse knowledge of the
Scriptures is condemned, our lineage is condemned, and our proficiency in
prescribed religious rites is condemned—all is lost, because we have become
averse to the transcendental Supreme Lord."
jade chid-buddhir varjjaniya—
yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijyadhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhichij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva gokharah [13]
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
The mentality of considering mundane objects to be conscious elements is
unfavorable—
"One who considers his gross body to be himself, but does not identify
himself with a devotee of the Lord; who considers wife, family, and
associated paraphernalia to be his possessions, yet does not feel affection
or attachment for a devotee of the Lord; who considers a graven image of
earth or other substance to be God, yet does not conceive of the worshippable
position of a devotee of the Lord; who considers some river or lake to be a
holy place of pilgrimage, yet does not perceive a devotee of the Lord to be
the abode of divinity incarnate such a person is an ass among cows: a
colossal fool."
chit-tattve jada-buddhir jadadhina-buddhir va aparadhatvena
parivarjjaniya—
archye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhir
visnor va vaisnavanam kali-mala-mathane pada-tirthe 'mbu-buddhih
sri-visnor-namni-mantre sakala-kalusa-he sabda-samanya-buddhir
visnau sarvesvarese tad-itara-sama-dhir yasya va naraki sah [14]
Sri Vyasadeva
The offensive mentality of considering worshippable, conscious divine
forms to be mundane or subordinate to mundanity must be totally
abandoned—
"Anyone who considers the worshippable Deity to be stone; who considers the
Vaishnava Guru to be a mortal man; who considers a Vaishnava to be limited by
the confines of caste, lineage, or creed; who considers the holy footwash of
Lord Vishnu or a Vaishnava to be ordinary water; who considers the holy name
and mantra of Lord Vishnu, which vanquish all sins, to be common sound
vibration; and who considers the God of gods, Lord Vishnu, to be merely on
the level of the demigods—such a person is a diabolical devil."
tapah prabhrtinam pratikulyam—
rahuganaitat tapasa na yati
na chejyaya nirvapanad grhad va
na chchhandasa naiva jalagni-suryair
bina mahat-pada-rajo 'bhisekam [15]
Sri Jadabharata
The adversity of all attempts based on austerity, etc.—
"O Rahugana, without one's head being adorned with the dust of the holy feet
of a pure devotee, one can never attain devotion for the Supreme Lord by
austerity, by Vedic worship and religiosity, by following the vow of
monkhood, by following the religious duties of married life, by study and
recitation of the Vedas, or by worshipping water, fire, or sun."
achyuta-sambandha-hina-jnana-karmader api pratikulyam—
naiskarmyam apy achyuta-bhava-varjjitam
na sobhate jnanam alam niranjanam
kutah punah sasvad abhadram isvare
na charpitam karma yad apy akaranam [16]
Sri Narada
The adversity of pursuits based on knowledge (jnana) and action
(karma) devoid of any relationship with the Supreme Lord Hari—
"When unadulterated knowledge that is devoid of action and its reactions is
never becoming without a devotional relationship with the Infallible Lord,
how then will action, which is ill-fated by nature, ever be exhalted without
being offered to the Almighty, even if it is utterly selfless?"
yamadi-yoga-sadhanasya varjjaniyata—
yamadibhir yoga-pathaih, kama-lobha-hato muhuh
mukunda-sevaya yadvat, tathaddhatma na samyati
Sri Narada
The futility of sense control by yogic practice—
"The agitated mind, repeatedly taken captive by its enemy in the form of
depravity rooted in lust and greed, is directly mastered by serving the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda. It can never be likewise checked or
pacified by practicing the eightfold yogic discipline, which is generally
based on sensual and mental repression [yama, niyama,
etc.]."
brahma-sukhagrah pratikula eva—
tvat-saksat karanahlada-, visuddhabdhi-sthitasya me
sukhani gospadayante, brahmany api jagad-guro [18]
Sri Prahlada
Eagerness to attain to the bliss of Brahman must be known as unfavorable
to devotion—
"O Guru of the universe, now that I can directly behold Your divine form, I
reside within the ocean of pure ecstasy. And all other pleasures, including
the bliss of merging with Brahman, appear as insignificant as the water in a
cow's hoofprint."
mukti-sprhayah pratikulyam—
bhava-bandha-chchhide tasmai, sprhayami na muktaye
bhavan prabhur aham dasa, iti yatra vilupyate [19]
Sri Sri Hanuman
The aspiration for liberation is particularly unfavorable—
"I have no aspiration for that liberation which is meant to sever material
bondage, and in which the relationship, 'You are master, and I, servant,' is
completely lost."
sayujya-mukti-sprha auddhatyam eva—
bhaktih seva bhagavato, muktis tat pada-langhanam
ko mudho dasatam prapya, prabhavam padam ichchhati [20]
Siramauli
The aspiration to become one with the Absolute is nothing more than
arrogance—
"Bhakti is the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and
mukti is the overstepping of that service. Who is the fool that
hankers for liberation's throne, rejecting the servitorship of the Lord?"
atyantika-laya-sprha viveka-hinataiva—
hanta chitriyate mitra, smrtva tan mama manasam
vivekino 'pi ye kuryus, trsnam atyantike laye [21]
kesanchit: revered votary
The astonishing indiscrimination in the aspiration for ultimate
dissolution—
"Alas, my friend, my heart is simply astonished when I think of all those
discriminating persons who aspire for self-extinction in perpetual,
indiscriminate absolution."
mukter-bhakti-dasya-vanchha bhaktes cha tat-sanga-nmalinyasanka—
ka tvam muktir upagatasmi bhavati kasmad akasmad iha
sri-krsna-smaranena deva bhavato dasi-padam prapita
dure tistha manag anagasi katham kuryad anaryam mayi
tvan-namna nija-nama-chandana-rasalepasya lopo bhavet [22]
kasyachit: votary
Liberation prays to become devotion's maidservant, and devotion apprehends
the impurity of liberation's association—
'Who are you'?
'It is I, liberation (mukti).'
'Why have you suddenly come here?'
'O lord, because you are always absorbed in thought of Sri Krishna, I have
been promoted to the position of your maidservant.'
'Just keep a little distance from me.'
'Oh! Why are you so harsh upon an innocent person like me?'
'By the mere mention of your name, the sandalwood paste or Gopi-chandana
tilaka that adorns my body, and which represents my reputation as a
devotee of the Lord, will vanish altogether.'
bahirmmukha-brahma-janmano 'pi pratikulata—
tava dasya-sukhaika-sanginam, bhavanesv astv-api kita-janma me
itarav asathesu ma sma bhud, api janma chaturmukhatmana [23]
Sri Yamunacharya
The adversity of being born as even Lord Brahma, but without Krishna consciousness—
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veda-vidhi anusare, karma kari' e samsare, jiva punah punah janma paya purva-krta karma-phale, tomara va ichchha-bale, janma yadi labhi punaraya tabe eka katha mama, suna he purusottama, tava dasa-sangi-jana ghare kita-janma yadi haya, tahate o dayamaya, rahibo he santusta antare tava dasa-sanga-hina, ye grhastha arvachina, tara grhe chaturmukha-bhuti na chai kakhana hari, kara-dvaya joda kari', kare tava kinkara minati |
(Bengali verse by Sri Bhakti Vinoda Thakura)
|
"According to Vedic injunction, who acts out his worldly function, that soul takes birth again and again; according to my previous action, or Your divine predilection, if another birth for me does remain: then just one thing I have to say, O hear me Lord, if You may: if within the home of your devotee I may be born in an insect body, that cannot but be Your mercy, in my heart I'll be ever happy. Devoid of Your devotee's company, in an ignorant nondevotee's family, to be born as even Brahma, the creator: for that, O Lord, I'll never ask You—with folded hands now before You, this is the earnest prayer of Your servitor." |
(Bengali verse translation)
gaura-bhakti-rasajnasya anyatra chid-rase 'pi pratikulyanubhutih—
vaso me varam astu ghora-dahana-jvalavali-panjare
sri-chaitanya-padaravinda-vimukhair ma kutrachit sangamah
vaikunthadi-padam svayan cha militam no me mano lipsate
padambhoja-rajas chhata yadi manag gaurasya no rasyate [24]
Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati
The pure devotee who knows the paramount, immaculate nectar of devotion
for Sri Chaitanyadeva distrusts all else, even to the point of considering
the culture of other spiritual relationships to be opposition—
"Let me remain within a cage of blazing fire, but never in the association of
persons averse to the holy lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. If I never
get even the slightest taste of the nectar of a tiny particle of the pollen
of the lotus feet of Sri Gauranga, my heart has no aspiration for a position
in the great spiritual planets headed by Vaikuntha—even if it is mine for the
taking."
aikantika-bhaktasya ksayavasista-dosa-darsanagraho varjjaniyah—
drstaih svabhava-janitair vapusas cha dosair
na prakrtatvam iha bhakta-janasya pasyet
gangambhasam na khalu bud-buda-phena-pankair
brahma-dravatvam apagachchhati nira-dharmaih [25]
Sri Rupa Goswami
The tendency to find the dying remnants of personal defects in an exclusive devotee must be abandoned—
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svabhava janita ara vapu-dose ksane, anadara nahi kara suddha bhakta-jane pankadi jaliya dose kabhu ganga-jale, chinmayatva lopa nahe sarva-sastre bale aprakrta bhakta-jana papa nahi kare, avasista papa yaya kichhu-dina pare |
(Bengali verse by Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura)
|
"For defects in his nature, or defects in his body, one should never disrespect Lord Krishna's pure devotee. If mud, foam, and bubbles appear in Ganges water, it never loses divinity—so says the Scripture. The devotee of divinity—he does never sin, and if a remnant does remain, soon that too is gone." |
(Bengali verse translation)
para-dosanusilanam varjjaniyam—
para-svabhava-karmani, yah prasamsati nindati
sa asu bhrasyate svarthad, asatyabhinivesatah [26]
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
The practice of finding faults in others must be abandoned—
"To pointlessly judge others is a defect, and therefore such a practice must
be abandoned. O Uddhava, you should neither praise nor abuse the nature and
actions of others, because you will become preoccupied with falsehood and
your best self-interest will be lost."
vraja-rasasritanam bhukti-mukti-sprha tatha aisvarya-misra
vaikuntha-pati-sevapi tyajyatvena ganyah—
asad-varta-vesya visrja mati-sarva-svaharanih
katha mukti-vyaghrya na srnu kila sarvatma-gilanih
api tyaktva laksmi-pati-ratim ito vyoma-nayanim
vraje radha-krsnau sva-rati-manidau tvam bhaja manah [27]
Sri Raghunatha Dasa Goswami
For the pure devotees who have taken refuge in the mellow of pure devotion in Vrindavan, even the reverential service of Lord Narayana in Vaikuntha is considered to be as adverse as the aspiration for worldly pleasure or liberation-
|
krsna-varta bina ana, 'asad-varta' bali' jana, sei vesya ati bhayankari sri-krsna-visaya mati, jivera durllabha ati, sei vesya mati laya hari suna mana, bali he tomaya mukti-name sarddulini, tara katha yadi suni, sarvatma-sampati gili' khaya tad ubhaya tyaga kara, mukti-katha parihara, laksmi-pati-rati rakha dure se rati prabala ha'le, paravyome deya phele, nahi deya vasa vraja-pure vraje radha-krsna-rati, amulya dhanada ati, tai tumi bhaja chira-dina rupa-raghunatha-paya, sei rati prarthanaya, e bhaktivinoda dina-hina |
(Bengali poem by Sri Bhakti Vinoda Thakura)
|
"Anything but Krishna's message, know as falsehood such a passage, such a harlot is so very dangerous: devotion to the Lord Sri Krishna, rarely gotten by the jiva— that harlot steals away this consciousness. O dear mind, please hear my prayer: And if you hear the presentation of the tigress liberation, all the soul's good prospect she'll devour. Both temptations please abandon, and not to speak of liberation, curb attraction for the Lord Narayana; by attraction to that plane, to Vaikuntha you'll be hurled down— denied the chance to live in Sri Vrindavan. Love for Radha-Krishna in Vraja, bestows the most precious treasure; adore Them in your heart eternally; Rupa-Raghunatha's feet, for such devotion, does entreat this Bhakti Vinoda, bereft, in all humility." |
(Bengali verse translation)
iti sri-prapanna-jivanamrte
sri-bhakta-vachanamrtantargata-
pratikulya-vivarjjanam nama chaturtho 'dhyayah
thus ends the fourth chapter
Rejection of the Unfavorable
Words of Nectar from the Devotees
in
Life-Nectar of the Surrendered Souls
Positive and Progressive Immortality
CONTENTS:
• Preface
• Publisher's Note
• Foreword
• (1) Prelude to
Approaching Nectar
• (2) Nectar of Scriptural
Word
• (3) Acceptance of the
Favorable
• (4) Rejection of the Unfavorable
• (5) Confidence in the
Lord's Protection
• (6) Embracing the Lord's
Guardianship
• (7) Full Self-Surrender
• (8) Surrender in
Humility
• (9) Words of Nectar
from the Supreme Lord
• (10) Divine Remnants of
Nectar
• Selected Gems
 |
“Actually, we do not know what is service and what is karma. Sometimes we may do something that does not please our Guru because we do what our mind tells us to do.” | |
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