ADB: Smarana and Purity of Heart (Darshan transcript)

The following is a transcript of a discussion with Sri Ananta Das Babaji on the 23rd of March, 2005.

Smarana and Purity of Heart

23rd of March, 2005 – Radha-kunda

Babaji Maharaja: What?

Madhava: About meditation on our svarupa, and lila-smarana. The question is that, not my question but some devotees are asking, that it is quite hard to see yourself in your own svarupa, so perhaps what the acharyas have told, like the methods of meditation, is not sufficient for Western devotees, because Western devotee and Bengali devotee, Indian devotee, there are different mind. So whether...

Babaji Maharaja: Different mind not. Bhakti is for all universe. Not Bengali, not Orissan, not U.P. person, not any question for it. Bhakti is all universe. Then, Bengali and Western no matter. Jiva Goswamipada has written, that zuddhAntaH-karaNaz cet kIrtanAparityAgena smaraNaM kuryAt. If your heart clean, then you do this smarananga-bhajana, memory. And with memory, you of course chanting name, mala. zuddhantaH karanaz cet. Cet mane if. If your heart clean, then you - without avoiding harinama's chanting - do smarana. Astakaliya-lila-memory. It is Goswamipada advice. There is no Bengali-man, no Western man, there is no any difference. [laughs]

Madhava: For everyone.

Babaji Maharaja: By bhajan his heart clean, my heart clean, I, why, how I that understand? You understand when your, that, your astakaliya-lila want your mind. It is very nice, of course I will smarana it.

Madhava: Right.

Babaji Maharaja: And up to now, when that is very, your mind take very difficulty. No that easy it will come. And no that taste. Up to now you bring force of your sravana-kirtana, for bhajana, for raga bhajana. Then when will come that taste, and your mind also enter into pleasure, happiness for lila-smarana, that time you do lila-smarana, no problem.

Madhava: Their question is that sometimes, for example...

Babaji Maharaja: Western and here Indian, no matter...

Madhava: Right. For example, someone may say that chanting one lakha harinama is very troublesome, so maybe, because one time you told that if...

Babaji Maharaja: One time, one lakha harinama, or half lakha, or three lakhas, that is why your lila memory smarana take another time. And it is another thing. Name chanting, when your heart no clean, that time also you make chant three lakhas harinama, no problem. But which is memory of lila, smarana, for that need little pure heart.

Madhava: Right. Right.

Babaji Maharaja: So at first purify, you chant name, and puja, and sat-sanga and read your book, sravanam kirtanam, these all bhajana-bhakti path, and when your mind take pleasure, happiness and come taste...

Madhava: Then svarupa comes.

Babaji Maharaja: Before that, you can practice little little. How your mind gradually enters that lila.

Madhava: Right.

Babaji Maharaja: But by force and sixty-four hours I will do this bhajana that won't...

Madhava: Will not work.

Babaji Maharaja: Own power not possible, that will automatically will come.

Madhava: Right. So there is no short-cut. Some are thinking that because this bhajana-process is some slowly going, dhire dhire, but we want to go very fast, so we should find something different that will...

Babaji Maharaja: That is fast, but not your... like that, not can go to fast. You try, sadhaka, first, no heart not clean, then cannot that going fast, not possible. And if going fast, twenty-four hours taking this harinama, and that with your lila-smarana, then also that will be vidhi-bhakti, not raga-bhakti. Raga-bhakti, Jiva Goswamipada has written, raga-bhakti ruci. Ruci will come. Your no hunger, no appetite, and many kinds of your all good food, but no hunger...

Madhava: Right.

Babaji Maharaja: And when hunger, then come ruci. When you see that food, then greed and ruci. Like taste that lila-smarana, then will come ruci.

Madhava: Right.

Babaji Maharaja: Need, then very need. Jiva Goswamipada has written that raga-bhajana is ruci.

Madhava: So the method, the bhajana-marga and the methods that acharyas have given, they are already the fastest method.

Babaji Maharaja: Yes.

Madhava: The best method.

Babaji Maharaja: Gradually, dhire dhire dhire.