20240810 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta 1.6. Determining the Sādhana

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

First Shower — Sixth Stream

Determining the Sādhana

At that time, the sādhaka in his bhakti-sādhana, abandoning niyamāgraha, abandons some rules and accepts some prohibitions according to his qualification.

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 100.20.26

sve sve ’dhikāre yā niṣṭhā
sa guṇaḥ parikīrtitaḥ
karmaṇāṁ jāty-aśuddhānām
anena niyamaḥ kṛtaḥ
guṇa-doṣa-vidhānena
saṅgānāṁ tyājanecchayā

“It is firmly declared that the steady adherence of transcendentalists to their respective spiritual positions constitutes real piety and that sin occurs when a transcendentalist neglects his prescribed duty. One who adopts this standard of piety and sin, sincerely desiring to give up all past association with sense gratification, is able to subdue materialistic activities, which are by nature impure.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we should focus our desires on the spiritual standard, and lose all desires for material goals. So the real standard of purity, of piety is wanting to serve the Lord. And by that type of desire and activities one loses the taste for material sense gratification.

Sixty-four limbs of sādhana-bhakti

The description of sādhana-bhakti is found in the words of the Lord (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.114-129) namely:―

vividhāṅga sādhana-bhaktira bahuta vistāra
saṅkṣepe kahiye kichu sādhanāṅga-sāra

guru-pādāśraya, dīkṣā, gurura sevana
sad-dharma-śikṣā-pṛcchā, sādhu-mārgānugamana

kṛṣṇa-prītye bhoga-tyāga, kṛṣṇa-tīrthe vāsa
yāvan-nirvāha-pratigraha, ekādaśy-upavāsa

dhātry-aśvattha-go-vipra-vaiṣṇava-pūjana
sevā-nāmāparādhādi dūre visarjana

avaiṣṇava-saṅga-tyāga, bahu-śiṣya nā kariba
bahu-grantha-kalābhyāsa-vyākhyāna varjiba

hāni-lābhe sama, śokādira vaśa nā ha-iba
anya-deva, anya-śāstra nindā nā kariba

viṣṇu-vaiṣṇava-nindā, grāmya-vārtā nā śuniba
prāṇi-mātre mano-vākye udvega nā diba

śravaṇa, kīrtana, smaraṇa, pūjana, vandana
paricaryā, dāsya, sakhya, ātma-nivedana

agre nṛtya, gīta, vijñapti, daṇḍavan-nati
abhyutthāna, anuvrajyā, tīrtha-gṛhe gati

parikramā, stava-pāṭha, japa, saṅkīrtana
dhūpa-mālya-gandha-mahāprasāda-bhojana

ārātrika-mahotsava-śrīmūrti-darśana
nija-priya-dāna, dhyāna, tadīya-sevana

‘tadīya’ — tulasī, vaiṣṇava, mathurā, bhāgavata
ei cārira sevā haya kṛṣṇera abhimata

kṛṣṇārthe akhila-ceṣṭā, tat-kṛpāvalokana
janma-dinādi-mahotsava lañā bhakta-gaṇa

sarvathā śaraṇāpatti, kārtikādi-vrata
‘catuḥ-ṣaṣṭi aṅga’ ei parama-mahattva

sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa
mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana

sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga
kṛṣṇa-prema janmāya ei pāṅcera alpa saṅga

“On the path of regulative devotional service, one must observe the following items:

(1) One must accept a bona fide spiritual master.

Jayapatākā Swami: So that is very clear. One has to find a bona fide guru and take his instruction what to do.

(2) One must accept initiation from him.

(3) One must serve him.

Jayapatākā Swami: We try to do service to the spiritual master. This is a very important thing.

(4) One must receive instructions from the spiritual master and make inquiries in order to learn devotional service.

Jayapatākā Swami: I was advised that each time I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda I should say something humbling myself and something in praise, glorify him and then ask for some mercy, some benediction.

(5) One must follow in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas and follow the directions given by the spiritual master.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, our activities are guided by the activities of our ācāryas and previous ācāryas. So, in this way, we practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness in everything and we think if this is authorized by guru and our previous ācāryas.

The next steps are as follows:

(6) One should be prepared to give up everything for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction, and one should also accept everything for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction.

Jayapatākā Swami: So if there is something we are very attached which is against the regulative principles, [audio break] things Kṛṣṇa is not against. You can be a brahmacārī, you can be a gṛhastha or a vānaprastha or sannyāsī. But if there is some aspect when breaking the four principles then that would give up [audio break] for pleasing Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, we have to chant 16 rounds. We accept things as the blessing of Kṛṣṇa.

(7) One must live in a place where Kṛṣṇa is present — a city like Vṛndāvana or Mathurā or a Kṛṣṇa temple.

Jayapatākā Swami: You know Navadvīpa dhāma is a place where Kṛṣṇa is present. Also, Kṛṣṇa is present in the temple. So we live here.

(8) One should acquire a livelihood that is just sufficient to keep body and soul together.

Jayapatākā Swami: The present world is that everyone has a job. Intellectuals, professors, military, government officers, businessmen, workers. It is not just because someone is receiving a salary in this material world, he is naturally a śūdra. But because we have a career just to earn lots of money, that is not something we are meant to do. We need enough to keep our body and soul together.

(9) One must fast on the Ekādaśī day.

(10) One should worship dhātrī trees, banyan trees, cows, brāhmaṇas and devotees of Lord Viṣṇu.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see we respect things that are dear to Kṛṣṇa and devotees and all these things are dear to Kṛṣṇa.

(11) One should avoid offenses against devotional service and the holy name.

Jayapatākā Swami: We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and we hear the ten offences against the holy name at the time of initiation.

The twelfth item is to give up the company of non-devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: The association of non-devotees, they do not like to talk about Kṛṣṇa. The devotees love to talk about devotional service.

(13) One should not accept an unlimited number of disciples.

Jayapatākā Swami: I was ordered by Śrīla Prabhupāda to accept unlimited disciples. But sometimes I have to suffer.

(14) One should not partially study many scriptures just to be able to give references and expand explanations.

Jayapatākā Swami: Some people read various scriptures just to quote against others.

(15) The devotee should treat loss and gain equally.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the mentality of a devotee. He wins some he loses some, he is equal in all circumstances.

(16) The devotee should not be overwhelmed by lamentation.

Jayapatākā Swami: You know we are all going to lose our parents, our loved ones, sooner or later. But we should not be overcome by lamentation and forget Kṛṣṇa.

(17) The devotee should not worship demigods, nor should he disrespect them.

Jayapatākā Swami: Demigods are usually sakāma devotees. In any case they are demigods because they are devotees, but they can give some material benefits. So we don’t particularly want anything material. But we don’t also disrespect them, we respect them because they are devotees.

Similarly, the devotee should not study or criticize other scriptures.

Jayapatākā Swami: We have Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, etc. So we should not particularly study other scriptures just to gain knowledge. I have been thinking that I would like to bring the Christians, Islamists, etc. and I was wondering in the Bible how much does it say about God the Father. Because it seems they say a lot of Jesus. He said to love God. Does it say anything else about God?  I was wondering. We may have someone else to do the research.

(18) The devotee should not hear Lord Viṣṇu or His devotees blasphemed.

Jayapatākā Swami: That is very clear.

(19) The devotee should avoid reading or hearing newspapers or mundane books that contain stories of love affairs between men and women or subjects palatable to the senses.

Jayapatākā Swami: As preachers when we travel, we should know about the disturbances there. But in general, we should be careful about what we read.

(20) Neither by mind nor words should the devotee cause anxiety to any living entity, regardless, how insignificant he may be.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is very interesting because we should be very careful with insects, we should avoid killing them unnecessarily. Śrīla Prabhupāda had a dark blue velvet curtain that would attract mosquitos. But his servant said, oh, we can just kill them. We can murder them. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you put curtains that attract mosquitos and then you want to kill them! So that is very offensive!

So don’t wear velvet dress to attract mosquitos!

Kṛṣṇe matir astu! Who is online on zoom?

I remember how in Southern USA, there were bugs stuck to each other maybe they were having sex, and they were smashed against the windshield of the vehicle and killed as it moved, and the windshield was covered with killed bugs.

Today after Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class I saw some devotees from Eastern countries and Australia as well. How was the class yesterday in the Nāma-haṭṭa?