F: Traditional Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the West

The following are reflections on the status and growth of classical Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the West, extracted from my writings at Vilasa Kunja forums.

The entirety of what we understand as traditional Gaudiya Vaisnavism in the West (WTGV) is geographically very scattered, leading to the exact problems I have noted in my blog and brought up on a number of occasions. Let me start off with an expression of concern I find weighing on my heart whenever I reflect on the global scenario of traditional Gaudiya Vaisnavism in the West in the context of my gurubhais.

Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaja has over 100 initiated Western disciples since 1994. Where are they? I have now been in Vraja for a total of two years since 2002. I've seen Niyama-sevas, and I've seen Gaura-purnimas, the peak travel times. Of the 100 disciples, I've seen a handful. Looking at a list of devotees initiated before me, some 80 of them, aside those living in Vraja, I've seen four or five, and I've heard news of a few more. Less than ten total. Where are the rest, what are they up to? I've been trying to ask around, but nobody seems to have a clear idea.

This, to me, speaks of a grave concern. People are unshielded, out in the open. "Fire at will," said the commandress of the material world. Even many gurubhais of mine who have received diksa and pranali are fairly scattered – sharing a wide range of interests in the diverse topics of the mundane world, interests disconnected from bhajana. Granted, in the beginning we may be scattered and that's all right, but the path is about dovetailing, refining and purifying our interests – not about cultivating them further!

Then, communities are vital. Very few will survive without community support. Only exceptionally strong individuals with deep devotional samskaras and firm practice will make it through longer periods of deprivation from Vaisnava-sanga. To think one will make it through on one's own is to be proud, and pride comes before the fall. How many tales and real life examples are there of Vaisnavas gradually getting steered off the path with the powerful and subtle allurements of daivi-maya? Has not enough been said of the importance of sadhu-sanga? Hear Thakur Mahasaya's wisdom on uncontrolled desires:

anyathA svatantra kAma, anarthAdi yAra dhAma,
bhakti pathe sadA deya bhaGga |
kibA se korite pAre, kAma krodha sAdhakere,
yadi hoy sAdhu janAra saGga? || PBC 23 ||

"Otherwise, independend desires in the abode of anarthas and the rest –
They always twist and bend the path of bhakti!
What can they do, lust and anger to the sadhakas,
If there is the company of saintly people?"

Peer pressure and so forth only work for so long. In the long run, should one keep doing sadhana as a matter of duty without a self-nourishing taste, the support of peer pressure will become a source of deep frustration that both leads one to discard the practice or substantial amounts thereof, as well as to ill feelings towards the sources of pressure. I am not alone in sharing the experience. Depending on the form and nature of peer pressure, especially if imposed from the side of people with less than pristine hearts, it may bear very adverse effects on one's sadhana in the end. The real need is for company that can infuse one with positive inspiration and, most of all, substantial taste. In the company of whom one can see and witness the reality of the path we travel. From that follow confidence, determination and the other virtues that help us carry on.

Such company can only come to fulfillment when there are mutual endeavors for the attainment of uttama-bhakti, a sincere heart's endeavor to let go of the mundane and to reach for devotional attainment as the primary task of life. For such, there must be focus, for without focus there is no power. Power, as in the other-worldly infusion that carries you through and helps you find strength and fulfillment. As the sunrays focused through a magnifying glass have the power to create fire, so does the all-pervasive and ever-available mercy of Thakur and Vaisnavas create fire when the rays of their good will are brought into sharp focus.

Then, all of that in practice:

Will we all eventually move to Vrindavan? Perhaps we will, perhaps we won't. Perhaps we'll move tomorrow, perhaps after a decade or two as our children have grown up. In the meantime, we need to be doing something meaningful! Then,

Will their ever be a "Traditional" Temple in the USA? Oh yes, I have no doubt there will be one in due course of time. As for when, that I cannot see. But yes, I feel it is desirable in the global evolution of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. The details of making that a success or a failure are something outside the scope of this post.

Is there any idea among our Guru-Jana that we should go and preach to the wider world? The principle of sharing is deeply engrained in Gaudiya Vaisnavism from the very beginning, with Sri Caitanya's descent and his munificent gift, followed by the pioneer efforts of Srinivasa, Syamananda and Narottama.

In what way and how? In a grand diversity of ways, each according to his and her own capacity and inclinations. Reaching out should be the loving sharing of a precious gift in the spirit of friendship and equanimity, taking place naturally in the life context we find ourselves in. No imposing is there, yet there is unreserved sharing where there is the interest in receiving, where there are people with open hearts.

Most people are not cut out to be "preachers", in as much as it means going out among the masses for education and infusion of divine inspiration. For success in such a task, one needs a substantial storehouse of accumulated spiritual power channeled out through mind and intelligence that are apt in catering to the needs of diverse individuals. Therefore, even many great mahatmas have not come out in the capacity of acarya figures in any larger scale – though the waves of their influence have been felt in the sampradaya.

At what point do people pick up and move their family to be closer to other Vaishnavas? When there is the desire, and when it becomes practically possible (through committed endeavors).

Where would we go? And with this, you hit the core of the problem... It seems as if there are no concentrations of our blend of Vaisnavas anywhere. Wherever you would go at this moment, you would find another Vaisnava in a situation similar to yours. Of course two are more than one, but that does not a community make. However it is a start, and when we have nothing, we have to start somewhere! Every construction begins with the joining of the first two parts.

Practically, I cannot say to where or to whose proximity one could move to. Everyone will have to see for themselves where they find Vaisnavas in whose company they feel content, with whom they find some synergy and familiarity in spirit. I have been trying to create contacts and mediums of communication to pave way for this to become a reality, yet I feel the task is a long way from success.

Physical proximity aside, one of the steps we ought to be taking forward is upping the medium of communication from written to spoken – for speech carries more effect than written content, as speech carries attitudes and emotions with more depth and clarity.

We could schedule phone conference meetings. There are instant messenger applications with phone conferencing facility widely available, and atop that many can be used free of charge. This would be one step onward towards creating deeper relationships between Vaisnavas of our flavor. And those relationships, in turn, are the foundation on which more in the way of a community will be built.

Q&A: Mundane music, movies and literature: Are they harmful for the practice of bhakti?

Q: Are mundane music, movies and literature harmful for the practice of bhakti? If one is attached to them, will the genre make any difference, for example documentaries vs. romance, or classical music or ragas vs. techno?

A: As a matter of general principle, mundane music, movies and literature are harmful for the development of bhakti. When assessing the devotional worth of a sense object, one must evaluate its effect on the consciousness. If a sense object does not contribute to the positive cultivation of awareness of and love for Krishna, it is contrary to devotion.

The fruit of subjecting one to mundane influences is the development of mundane desires: saGgAt saJjAyate kAmaH. Asat-sanga, or the company of the unholy, has been mentioned in countless scriptures as being contrary to devotion. Thakur Mahashaya writes in his Prema-bhakti Chandrika:

asat saGgati sadA, tyAga koro anya gItA, karmI jJAnI parihari dUre |
kevala bhakata saGga, prema-bhakti-rasa raGga, lIlA-kathA vraja-rasa-pure || pbc 15

"Always give up the company of the unholy and all other songs, stay afar from the pursuers of worldly fruits and the speculators. Keep only the company of devotees, seek delight in prema-bhakti-rasa, and engage in lila-katha in Vraja, the abode of rasa."

Were you to keep the company of the worldly or seek pleasure in their amusements, whether through direct company or vicariously enjoying through worldly movies, music and literature, you would develop attachment to the same, and in proportion your taste for Vraja-rasa would dwindle. Therefore, stay aloof!

The question is sometimes asked, "But there are some movies that contain some spiritual ideas, sometimes quite similar to our philosophy. Surely it is all right to watch them?" The inquirer must then consider this: What is the motivation in watching it? You can read the scriptures or discuss with sadhus and hear spiritual ideas that do not only resemble it, but are the real thing itself. What more could you gain from a movie made by worldly authors? How much of the input of the movie is truly of spiritual import, and how many undesired influences are introduced in the course of the movie? We are yet to hear of a mainstream movie where the balance would have been tipped in favor of positive spiritual influences in the context of our desired mode of bhajan.

Mundane music is essentially a glorification of the ways of the world. A grand deal of the time in glorifying the pleasures of life, some of the time in exploring spirituality, in introspection. Yet, of what benefit will the diverse spiritual influences be to a loving devotee who casts afar even love for the Lord of Vaikuntha? In the words of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, in instructing his mind:

api tyaktvA lakSmI-pati-ratim ito vyoma-nayanIM
vraje rAdhA-kRSNau sva-rati-maNidau tvaM bhaja manaH || ms 4

"Also forsake love for the Consort of Lakshmi, as it'd lead you to Vaikuntha;
O Mind! Worship Radha and Krishna of Vraja, the bestowers of the jewel of their love!"

If one does has not imbibed this exclusive concept of devotion, how will the fruits of sadhana be tasted? The nectarine fruits of sadhana are available for the relish of those engaged in exclusive worship, casting afar both the mundane and the contrary spiritual tastes.

Are there gradations of difference between different modes of entertainment? Yes, certainly, inasmuch as all phenomena of the world are appearances of the three modes of nature. Pursuits for enjoyment and material progress are superior to madness and ignorance, and search for knowledge supersedes pursuits for enjoyement. Yet, they are all shackles binding us to the temporary world. In Sri Krishna's words to Arjuna:

trai-guNya-viSayA vedA nistrai-guNyo bhavArjuna |
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kSema AtmavAn || bg 2.45

"The Vedas deal with the enjoyments of the three modes; free yourself of the three modes, O Arjuna! Rise and be established in the eternal reality beyond duality, free from concerns of sustenance, established in the self!"

If this is true of the ancient literature of the sages, then how much more is this true of contemporary mundane literature! The question may again arise, "But surely the study of such literature may be undertaken as a matter of acquainting oneself with the ways of the world, to be able to present the path of devotion in a meaningful manner?" Thus speaks the preacher. The Bhagavata says:

veda-vAda-rato na syAn na pASaNDI na haitukaH |
zuSka-vAda-vivAde na kaJcit pakSaM samAzrayet || bhAg 11.18.30

"Do not devote yourself to the rituals of the Vedas, do not engage in arguments over fruitless topics with atheists and logicians, never take sides on such topics."

Sri Jiva Goswami comments on the words pASaNDI na syAd, iti pUrva-pakSa-jJAnArtham api pASaNDa-mataM nAbhyased ityarthaH - "Do not study the opinions of the atheists for the sake of gaining knowledge of counter-argumentation." Since mundane knowledge is not conclusive, but is ever-changing by its nature, there is no end in sight to entangling engagements in the realm of mundane knowledge.

The path of devotion stands on its own merit, it calls for no contextualization to exercise its effect. The message of devotion has a deep impact on the heart of the hearer when originating from a pure source, from a loving and spotless heart. The hearer, witnessing the other-worldly qualities of the speaker, will take a keen interest in the message without regard for the context it appears in. Whatever cultural or topical contextualization may be there, it must remain subservient to the effect of the devotee's own practice and absorption. One should keep his focus on cultivating the heart.

There are useful spheres of knowledge in the mundane realm; the classical arts of music, poetry and so forth are all worthy of being engaged as a matter of seva, of loving service. These classical arts are present both in this world and the world of divine play. Studying them with the aim of engaging them for the pleasure of Radha and Krishna is a worthy undertaking indeed, as long as the study is kept in the proper perspective. Familiarity with languages such as Bengali and Sanskrit opens new doors of devotional insight in the form of direct access to the countless works of divine inspiration in our vast canon of literature, and it bestows the ability to interact with sadhus in their native language.

Additionally, if there are fields of knowledge that must be pursued as a matter of fulfilling one's occupational duties and maintaining one's livelihood, and if such pursuits are undertaken in a spirit of detachment, they will not have an adverse effect on devotional cultivation, though they may certainly be a distracting and time-consuming factor. As long as one lives in this world in a situation short of full withdrawal from the world, a degree of awareness and information of the ways of the world is called for. Yet, one must always exercise caution and re-evaluate the nature of the situation and of one's heart's feeling in relation to the said undertakings.

The nature of the mind is to seek variety, to seek novelties; the nature of the senses is to be drawn to sense objects. In absence of spiritual counterparts, the two are naturally drawn towards mundane objects. One should, therefore, always seek to place himself in a position surrounded by divine objects and divine company. It is with this great need in mind that we are constantly striving to produce varieties of devotional media, facilitating different avenues of devotional interaction. It is our sincere prayer that the devotees scattered across the globe, often in isolation and amidst unfavorable influences, take full advantage of what is being offered.