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03/08/98 - 1678
Is Preaching The Essence Or Something More?
(VNN) - by Swami B.G. Narasingha
In the later pastimes of His Divine Grace Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa
Astotara-sata Sri Srimad A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
he manifested many Divine Instructions in the presence of those
who served his lotus feet with great love and affection.
Although Srila Prabhupada, from an external point of view, may
have appeared to be suffering physically due to his deteriorated
bodily condition - His Divine Grace always remained absorbed in
the plane of transcendence - remembering the lotus feet of his
most worshipable Deities, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Sri Sri Krishna
Balaram, and Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar.
One day, seeing that it was with great difficulty that Srila Prabhupada
continued to speak into the tape recorder - translating the verses
of the Srimad Bhagavatam and giving his Bhaktivedanta Purports
- Srila Prabhupada's secretary (Sripad Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja)
asked him why he continued to translate and preach at this advanced
stage of life - when in fact Srila Prabhupada had already written
so many books and preached all over the world. The secretary suggested
that Srila Prabhupada's daily working on the Bhagavatam was not
necessary at this time.
Srila Prabhupada replied very humbly by telling us the story of
the "Good Soldier." Srila Prabhupada said, "Even if a good soldier
(who serves in the army of the King) is struck down on the battlefield
and his head is severed from his shoulders - still even if he
is lying on the ground in such a condition - if he is a "good
soldier" he will try to wave his sword in the air with the hopes
that he will somehow strike the enemy." "Similarly, Srila Prabhupada
said, "I am a servant in the army of my Guru Maharaja and as long
as I have life I must preach - even in my present condition (and
he waved his hand about in the air as if waving a sword)." Then
shortly before departing from this world Srila Prabhupada gave
a blessing to the devotees present- he said, "Live long and preach."
It was indeed a favorite saying of Srila Prabhupada (and also
of Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur) that, "Prana arthe yanra sei hetu
pracara - One who has got life, he can preach." Preaching (kirtan)
is actually real bhajan - not simply sitting idle- at least that
was the opinion of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and
our Guru Maharaja. In the logo of the Gaudiya Math, which was
designed by Saraswati Thakura and which Srila Prabhupada had painted
on the left and right sides of the main gate at ISKCON Mayapur
(still existing), we find that the mrdanga drum and the printing
press are located in the section of the logo under raganuga bhakti.
Certainly a contrast of thought to those that think that kirtan,
(preaching, and book distribution) is a lower form of bhakti -
the higher form of bhakti being to always discuss gopi-rasa.
Is preaching the essence? Preaching is something more - Preaching
is the highest form of bhajan life. Just consider the following:
Kirtan, book publishing, and thus distribution also have been
accepted by Saraswati Thakura and other great acharyas as service
in the line of raganuga (also rupanuga). To write about the Lord
is also kirtan and similarly to preach (to assert and convert
others) is also kirtan (when our preaching is performed for the
pleasure of Krishna and His pure devotees it is kirtan).
In his song Vaisnava Ke (Who is a Vaisnava) Saraswati Thakura
says,
kirtana prabhave, smarana haibe
sekale bhajana nirjana sambhava
"Internal rememberance (smarana) can occur by the power of kirtan,
and only then is solitary (nirjana) service possible."
The Guardian of Devotion, Srila B.R. Sridhar Deva Goswami Maharaja
has said, "So also, to be engaged in (preaching) answering the
questions of the environment automatically demands concentration,
which is very rare in this age. When one is doing kirtan, he automatically
cannot but give all concentration and attention. He cannot speak
independently; intuitively, he must be all-attentive. For this
reason, kirtan (preaching) has been recommended as the highest
form of bhajan, especially in the age of Kali." (Sermons of the
Guardian of Devotion Ch 2, Bhajan - Real & Apparent, pp.24)
Of course we must raise the question here, "Preaching about what
and printing books about what? And what is the conception in kirtan?
Surely if such things are in raganuga bhakti they must have some
distinguishing characteristic.
To answer my own question I must say that - Certainly every musical
sound made with a mrdanga, kartals, and shouting the name is not
really kirtan. Kirtan which is performed for gaining prestige
and fame - which is filled with the false ego of being the enjoyer
and does not carry the proper service attitude is not really kirtan
(suddha-nama) and thus it cannot be raganuga. Similarly, to preach
with the view to become a world acharya and to do good to the
people is also not pure devotion due to being tinged with the
false ego that I am the doer. Thus every book published under
the banner of "we are preaching" does not actually come under
the category of raganuga bhakti. Even when such books seemingly
only speak about prema, gopis, manjaris, and other such lofty
topics this does not mean that such books are automatically raganuga.
We should remember that the sahajiya section also publishes books
on such topics. Real raganuga necessitates higher backing - from
above (the subjective plane) the inspiration to preach and write
must come down to us - then it is transcendental - then that may
be considered raganuga.
Sometimes devotees like to read many unauthorized books with a
view to deepen their understanding of raganuga but unfortunately
the unauthorized attempt to enter into aprakrta-lila never attains
success. What then to speak of reading books, etc. that are simply
concerned with varieties of mundane topics such as; vegetarianism,
social politics, the "Big War", ghost busting, worshiping crystals,
alien beings, New Age prophecies, etc. (I say this because it
is a fact that devotees these days tend to not only absorb themselves
in reading unauthorized books but in publishing them as well.)
Such books are certainly not raganuga because they are lacking
the sense of serving disposition in the inner plane of divine
service to the Supreme Lord - although such topics may sometimes
be beneficial from a mundane point of view they are not aprakrta-katha,
transcendental topics of conversation and thus they cannot help
us to advance in Krishna consciousness (Krishna prema).
Before one can attain prema he/she must acquire the necessary
qualifications. Without proper progress in the right line it will
all be imagination - a madman's feat. Srila Sridhar Maharaja used
to say, "One must gradually reach the plane of truth, suddha-sattva.
There are so many planes to cross - Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar,
Janar, Tapar, Satya-loka, Viraja, Brahmaloka. Mahaprabhu says
that the creeper of bhakti grows and rises up to Goloka, and she
has to cross all these planes. (Sermons pp.29)
upajiya bade lata brahmananda bhedi yaya
viraja brahmaloka bhedi paravyoma paya
tabe yaya tad upari goloka-vrndavana
krsna-carana-kalpavrkse kare arohana
"The creeper of devotion is born, and grows to pierce the wall
of the universe. It crosses the Viraja river and the Brahman plane,
and reaches to the Vaikuntha, finally reaching to embrace the
wish-yielding tree of Krishna's Lotus Feet." (Cc Madhya-lila 19.153-4)
But the pseudo-devotees do not want to cross these planes - they
want everything cheaply. They want to go on uttering the names
of gopis but in their next life they will attain the bodies of
mundane women - bewildered by the three modes of material nature
- they will not attain the aprakrta-gopi-deha, the form of a gopi
in the transcendental land of Vraja.
Srila Gaura Kishore dasa Babaji Maharaja used to say with regard
to those who think they can enter the higher plane simply by imitating
the higher devotees; "If a lady enters into a maternity ward,
she cannot produce a child only by imitating the sounds and symptoms
of labor. Many things are necessary before that. Only by imitation,
bhajan cannot be effected. One must have connection with suddha-sattva,
the real plane, and then all the higher symptoms may appear. Otherwise,
only those speculative antics will manifest."
Even a liberated soul, aprakrta-jiva, should externally take constant
shelter of kirtan (chanting harinama) - that is the advice of
Bhaktivinode Thakur - Internally, such a liberated soul (in the
eternally perfected form as a gopi) should render service to Srimati
Radharani while deeply meditating on Sri Krishna's eight-fold
daily pastimes (asta-kaliya-lila). In other words Bhaktivinode
Thakur says - This is the culmination of bhajan for devotees who
have taken shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's lotus feet. (The
deep meditation on Sri Krishna's eightfold daily pastimes (asta-kaliya-lila)
is not possible for those who are filled with material desire,
misconceptions, and the likes of which that come with being a
neophyte)
So how can one think that preaching (kirtan) is something inferior
to meditation (remembering Krishna's pastimes) when even the aprakrta-jivas
are advised to take shelter in kirtan? Such thinking is certainly
due to a lack of proper knowledge (sambandha-jnana). Those who
have no real sambandha-jnana are not fit for entering into the
higher plane of Krishna consciousness. They are also not fit to
preach the message of Mahaprabhu because they cannot impart to
others the proper method by which the living entity attains the
ultimate goal of life.
Indeed, at present there are certain parties of devotees around
the world who are at serious odds with each other over the "preaching"
issue (even to the point of physical outbursts) - I wonder though,
how well either parties have grasped the "essence"? Though one
thing is for certain - they all became devotees because of preaching.
Param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtan!
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~ S r i N a r a s i n g h a C h a i t a n y a M a t h a ~
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