Q&A: Discussing one's bhajan with others

Q: Is it all right to discuss one's bhajan with others? Perhaps one may have an exceptional dream or a realization during bhajan – to whom may one speak of it, and to whom not?

A: We sometimes come across Vaisnavas who are fond of liberally sharing of their experiences, gained in dreams and in wakefulness all the same. However, visions and dreams with special spiritual significance are private matters one should cherish within the chamber of the heart. By airing them out in the public, their impact on the self fades and vanishes over time.

As recommended in Hari-bhakti-vilasa:

svapne vAkSi-samakSaM vA Azcaryam atiharSadam /
akasmAd yadi jAyeta na khyAtavyaM guror vinA //2.143//

"In dreams, or before one's eyes, if an astonishing, thrilling event suddenly occurs, it is not to be told of to others aside the guru."

If there are senior Vaisnavas in whom we have deep faith, and whom we regard essentially in the capacity of a guru, dreams and other special events may be disclosed to them as well.

However, only one who has digested and well internalized the experience may share it with others. Even then, they are to be shared with the faithful alone – with those who will respect and find deep inspiration in the same. Revealing heart's matters before the faithless is wholly improper. If this warning is not paid heed to, we gradually lose the impact of the experience, and additionally risk becoming subject to pride and a host of other vice arising from an inflated sense of self-importance and the possible admiration of others.

Again, in the words of Narottama Das Thakur Mahasaya from his Prema-bhakti-candrika:

Apana bhajana kathA, na kahiba yathA tathA, ihAte haiba sAvadhAna /

"The topics of your own bhajana, speak not of them here and there. In this, I shall exercise caution."

Then, he notes: rAkha prema hRdaya bhariyA – "Protect your love, burying it within your heart!" He says, gupate sAdhibe siddhi – "Perfection is attained in secrecy." The intimacy of experiences with God is likened to the lovers' relationship in an apt metaphor found in Hatha-yoga-pradipika (3.9):

gopanIyaM prayatnena yathA ratna-karaNDakam /
kasyacin naiva vaktavyaM kula-strI-surataM yathA //

"Hide them with persevering effort,
as you would a basket of jewels –
Truly don't speak of them to anyone,
As a noble lady wouldn't speak of making love."

Therefore, accomplished Vaisnavas never share of their experiences in bhajana in public. The absence of replies does not make a commentary on the presence or absence of experiences as such. Often, it only tells of the wisdom of silence. Those who have something factually precious to share will carefully guard it as a hidden treasure. Access to such treasures is gained through gaining the Vaisnava's confidence, for such things are not to be squandered in broadcasting to a mixed audience, as one would not hurl bucketfuls of pearls before the swine.

Again, in the words of Sri Jiva from his Bhakti-sandarbha (339):

atra ca zrI guroH zrI bhagavato vA prasAda labdhaM sAdhana sAdhyagataM svIya sarvasva bhUtaM yat kim api rahasyaM tat tu na kasmaicit prakAzanIyam yathAha:

"Then, the secrets of one's own that are obtained with practice and in attaining perfection – with the grace of Sri Guru and Sri Bhagavan – are never to be disclosed to anyone. As in the Bhagavata:

naitat parasmA AkhyeyaM pRSThayApi kathaJcana /
sarvaM sampadyate devi deva guhyaM susaMvRtam // BhP 8.17.20

"This is not to be disclosed to outsiders, even if inquired on by someone;
All the secrets of the gods, O Devi, will yield their fruit when well concealed."

The warnings aside now, observe the merits of containing the experience – at the opening of Rupa's Utkalika-vallari, one of his final works:

prapadya vRndAvana-madhyam ekaH
krozann asAv utkalikAkulAtmA /
udghATayAmi jvalataH kaThorAM
bASpasya mudrAM hRdi mudritasya //1//

"Cast down amidst Vrindavana is one
In tears with the longings of an agitated heart
I shall reveal the fierce burning
The marks of tears imprinted in the heart."

The word bASpa means tears, and it means steam as well. Countless tears have left their deep wounds in Rupa's heart. The outburst of seventy verses of intense emotion are the result of decades of withholding an immeasurable depth of feelings. Read the description of Bhakti-ratnakara:

eka dina rAdhA-kRSNa viccheda kathate /
kANDaye vaiSNava mUrccha-gata pRthivite //
agni-zikhA prAya jvale rUpera hRdaYa /
tathApi bAhire kichu prakAza nA haYA //
karu dehe zrI-rUpera niHzvAsa sparzila /
agni-zikhA prAYa sei dehe braNa haila //
dekhiYA sabAra mane haila camatkAra /
aiche zrI-rUpera kriyA kahite ki Ara //

"One day, the separation of Radha and Krishna was discussed;
The Vaisnavas cried, falling senseless on the ground.
Rupa's heart was ablaze like the tip of a flame,
And yet outside nothing was manifest at all.
Whose body Sri Rupa's exhalation would touch,
That body would be burnt, as if touched by a flame.
Seeing this, astonishment filled all –
Such are Sri Rupa's deeds, what more can one say?"

This is the power of conserving emotion and experience within. This is the power of devotion contained. Do not build up your bhajana only to waste it away, let it not be blown with the wind to a thousand directions.

* * * * * * *

Q: What kinds of experiences can be revealed, and what ought to be kept hidden?

A: There are experiences that are very particular, and the revealing of which would set one apart from others and draw particular attention to oneself. Such experiences should be kept carefully under a lid, even among an assembly of devotees.

For example – you have had a dream where Thakur has given you a beautiful darshan or an advice, or you have had a vision at the time of illness that has cured you, or a strong experience has cast you into an ocean of anubhava and sattvika-bhava – things like this you should keep carefully hidden.

The experience you note is a beautiful experience, but it is a general experience, and something that can be easily shared by many. In fact, if someone is not moved to tears after reading of the acts and character of saints like this, there is something very wrong. Even a worldly person would feel moved at the sight of such sincerity.

Still, something such as what you mention should not be spoken to non-devotees, but in an assembly of devotees it is fine. I have been particularly protective of the sanctity of this forum's atmosphere especially for the aim of our being able to speak and have exchanges more freely than we could have had at places like Gaudiya Discussions with a completely mixed member base. This is why we also have members only sections and a public section here. I can't recall to which you posted the passage you cite, but it didn't strike me as inappropriate; rather I was very pleased to read it, and it no doubt serves as inspiration for others, too, to read and hear such narrations.

There are fine lines, and the lines are subjective to a great many factors that make up what you are, contributing to your eligibility to do diverse things. Your own borders are only found through experience and reflection.

Padavali: I Heard the Saint Say (Narottama)

"When shall I become a resident of Vrindavana?"

– From Srila Narottama Das Thakur Mahasaya's Prarthana –

-o)O(o-

śuniẏāchi sādhu-mukhe bale sarva-jana /
śrī rūpa-kṛpāẏa mile yugala caraṇa //

“I’ve heard from the saints’ mouths, and so say all,
With Śrī Rūpa’s grace, the feet of Yugala are attained.”

hā hā prabhu sanātana gaura-parivāra /
sabe mili vāñcha pūrṇa karaha āmāra //

“Hā hā! Master Sanātana, the companions of Gaura!
All of you, make my desires fulfilled!”

śrī rūpera kṛpā yena āmā prati haẏa /
se pada āsraẏa yāra sei mahāśaẏa //

”Should Śrī Rūpa’s grace fall upon me...
Whose is the shelter of those feet, he is great indeed!”

prabhu lokanātha kabe saṅge laẏe yābe /
śrī rūpera pāda-padme more samarpibe //

“When will master Lokanātha go, keeping me with him,
And offer me at Śrī Rūpa’s lotus feet?”

heno ki haibe mora narma-sakhī-gaṇe /
anugata narottame karibe śāsane //

“Then, shall it happen to me that the dear sakhīs
Will scold Narottama, who has become their follower?”

-o)O(o-

UP 1: Introduction - The Author, Foundational works of direct inspiration

To establish the motive for studying the text, we need to understand the glory of the author. Thakur Mahashaya praises Srila Rupa Goswamipad with the following words:

zrI-caitanya-mano'bhISTaM sthApitaM yena bhU-tale |
so'yaM rUpaH kadA mahyaM dadAti sva-padAntikam ||

"He, who established Sri Chaitanya's heart's desire in this world,
That Rupa -- when will he give me the shelter of his feet?"

It was with a force no other than Sri Chaitanya's direct inspiration that his works were composed. Krishnadas Kaviraja writes in the introductory shloka of Rupa-siksha (CC 2.19.1):

vRndAvanIyAM rasa-keli-vArtAM
kAlena luptAM nija-zaktim utkaH |
saJcArya rUpe vyatanot punaH sa
prabhur vidhau prAg iva loka-sRSTim ||

"The topics of the rasa-laden pastimes of Vrindavan
were lost in the course of time; eagerly, with his own potency
the Lord empowered Rupa to unearth them once again,
just as he once empowered Brahma at the dawn of creation."

In brief he taught Rupa from without, from within he filled him with astonishing power for compiling bhakti-shastras, unveiling the sadhana (method) and the sadhya (object) for the benefit of one and all.

The works of Sri Rupa, and with him, the other Goswamis of Vrindavan, are the foundation of our sampradaya. They are the foremost of our siksha-gurus. Wholeheartedly embracing and applying their teachings is a wonderful seva indeed, delivering a matchless gift of devotional feeling.

- I know that some of the pastimes were lost. But can anybody list all the pastimes he unearthed? And of course how?

What does it mean, how were the pastimes lost? Knowledge of them was lost.

There are essentially two ways in which the pastimes were "unearthed". The first is, of course, through direct descriptions of the said pastimes. The second is through giving instructions through which the people of this world could come to a point where they can personally witness the nitya-lila within their hearts -- even in this lifetime!

Aside express narrations of lila, his works are filled with buds of pastimes. All the examples of Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu and Ujjvala-nilamani, for example, that demonstrate a particular aspect of bhava are snippets of an unfolding pastime, and the worship and contemplation of such verses will unveil the full beauty of the pastimes.

How were they discovered once again? Through direct perception of the divine reality.

- The Muslim rulers devastated most of the temples in Vraja, right? So the six Goswamis unearthed the pastime-places and built temples there. Inner-guidance via Mahaprabhu.

I believe the devastation of temples primarily took place in the post-Goswami period. With the influence of time, the precious pastime-places had fallen into forgetfulness. The discovery of pastime-places, lupta-tIrtha-uddhArana played an important role in re-establishing the glory and the knowledge of the Vraja-pastimes. As Mahaprabhu called to be done, lupta-tIrtha saba tAhAG kariha pracAraNa - "Make known all the lost sacred places."

How does a Nitya Siddha like Sri Rupa Manjari know how to save the baddha-jivas in a step by step path?

There are two prominent reasons for this.

1. When coming to this world, his knowledge is covered by yoga-maya, allowing him to experience the course of a "regular" sadhaka's life. Therefore, we find the early acharyas writing such heartfelt prayers of longing as found in Thakur Mahashaya's Prarthana.

2. A person in the highest awareness can understand the principles at work on the lower stages through observation even without personal experience.

- This sounds a little to me as if such prarthanas were written under the influence of (yoga)maya. Isn't it possible that our Acharyas also wrote longingly with the intention of setting an example or representing a model of what a Gaudiya aspirant's mood should be?

For a prayer to contain the full potency, one must directly feel what he writes. A mere emulation will not do. Therefore, Bhagavan has arranged in such a way that his nitya-siddha parshadas have also tasted the bhajan-madhuri present at the different stages of bhakti-sadhana. That being said, of course they set an example, a model of what the ideal mood ought to be.

UP 0: Sri Upadeshamrita - The Nectarine Teaching

The following is a series of post from a brief study group I led on the first verse of Rupa Goswami's Upadeshamrita at the Vilasa Kunja forums. The study follows a formula of opening text followed by questions and answers. Sometimes the initial questions I drafted weren't taken up, though they would have been pertinent; in such cases, I have left them in the end for the reader to reflect on.

Introduction to the work

Sri Upadeshamrita, included in Sri Rupa Goswamipad's Stava-mala, is perhaps the most famous, yet concise, delineation of the sequence of bhajan to be adopted in our sampradaya.

In its eleven verses, the author examines the following themes:

1. The urges to be overcome for gaining eligibility for bhakti-sadhana;
2. The six items that destroy the practice of devotion;
3. The six items that perfect the practice of devotion;
4. The six flavors of loving exchange with devotees;
5. Behavior to be adopted with three different kinds of devotees;
6. Relating to the apparent flaws and shortcomings of devotees;
7. Purifying the heart through worshiping the name;
8. The sequence of bhajan, embracing the raga-marga;
9. The gradation of divine abodes, the glories of Radha-kunda;
10. The gradations of dearness to Krishna, the glories of Sri Radha;
11. The great fortune and blessing of this path of worship.

One who wishes to perfect his practice of bhajan, and become accomplished like mahatmas of yore, should diligently study this text and implement the instructions into his life of bhajan. The sequential path presented by the author contains immeasurable potency for the upliftment of the sadhaka when applied in all earnestness and sincerity of heart.

The work contains two flavors of amrita-instructions. The first amrita is that which leads us to immortality, which lifts us beyond the mundane world in the form of the varieties of restrictions given with the aim of shielding the creeper of devotion from unwanted and destructive influences. The second amrita is the nectar flooding the heart as the gates to the kingdom of devotional worship open and one embarks on the tasteful path of bhajan.

Neglecting the instructions in this eleven-fold treatise on the sequential practice of sadhana, one wastes his precious days reaching for the flower on the sky, the utopia that will never become concrete by neglecting the recommended approach. Let us, therefore, study this text with due enthusiasm and embrace the power it yields through practical implementation.

- What is the proper spirit in which the text is to be studied?

The text should be studied with an open, receptive heart. One should feel willing to take the instructions seriously and to amend one's life accordingly. All of this, in a spirit of service to the author and to one's guru-varga, with all due gratitude, recognizing that without the said instructions we would be aimless, lost in a shoreless ocean of confusion.

- Where does the uplifting potency of the work arise from?

There are two main factors. First, following the instructions prepares our heart to contain the treasure of bhakti and molds our minds into a form in which they are always bent on engaging in devotional activities. Second, a great power arises from the satisfaction of the author, as he feels that his work has become successful, that someone has taken it seriously and applies it in all earnestness. The power of the grace of Sri Rupa and other purva-acharyas is powerful indeed. zrI-rUpa-kRpAya mile yugala-caraNa.

- How to get that uplifting potency of work? Is it only some motivation system or something even superb? By the "work" I'm assuming meaning "following the instructions perfectly".

Cast your heart at the feet of the author, your instructing guru. Hold nothing in your life as important as embracing those instructions. That'll attract the presence of the grace-potency contained in the text and propel you swiftly onward on the path of devotion.
Which Gaudiya acaryas have commented on Sri Upadeshamrita? In your class you mention Radha Raman das Goswami as an important commentator -- can anything be said about him, his life, when he lived, other writings, etc?

To the best of my knowledge, there is only one old commentary, that of Radharaman Goswami. In the commentary, the author identifies himself as a disciple and grand-son of of Jivana Lal Goswami. Though the commentary does not specifically state so, I am under the impression that Jivana Lal was a disciple of Gopinath Adhikari, a disciple of Gopal Bhatta Goswami's, reasoning by the course of the mangalacharan going directly from Gopinath to Jivana Lal.

If this assumption is correct, he lived in the fourth generation after the Goswamis. Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhan mentions that Radharaman Goswami has also written a commentary called Dipika-dipani on Sridhar Swami's Bhavartha Dipika. In that work, the author notes that he is the son of Govardhan Lal Goswami. I do not have access to that work, and cannot therefore say how elaborate it is or whether further biographical data would be contained therein. His commentary on Upadesamrita, the Upadesha-prakasika, is concice, mainly offering definitions of words and relevant references from the Bhagavata and other sources.

As for other commentaries, what is commonly available are the commentaries of Bhaktivinoda Thakur (Piyusa-varshini) and Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati (Anuvritti). Then, there are also other commentaries from Bhaktisiddhanta's followers, such as the tika of Bhaktiprasad Puri. There is a publication on the market with several commentaries from Gaudiya Math acharyas. Then, of course, there is A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's rendition published as "The Nectar of Instruction", drawing largely from Bhaktivinoda's and Bhaktisiddhanta's editions.

Baladeva has commented on Stava-mala, at least on some sections of the work. I have never seen the text, it does not seem to be available on the market. I would expect that, had he commented on Upadeshamrita, it would be available in print along with Radharaman Goswami's. There may be some manuscripts of other tikas stacked up somewhere, I am not aware of anything noteworthy.

The English rendition of Radharaman Goswami's tika published from GVS leaves room for improvement in accuracy. God willing, we'll present the tika, bundled with further annotations, in the course of this study. The Sanskrit text of the tika will be available shortly, as I finish keying it in.

- Upadeshamrita doesn't seem to have received much attention back in the early days, and seems to have been first popularized by the Gaudiya Math.

Some titles just seem to come into vogue later on. The Gita, as a famous example, saw its first Gaudiya commentary with Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur, followed soon after by Baladeva's.

Commentaries on Vilapa Kusumanjali are very few and far between. The edition published by Sri Ananta Das Babaji features the rather short and technical tika of Bangeshwar Vidyalankar, and incorporates material from the comments of Madhusudan Das Adhikari and the notes made of the lectures of Ananda Gopal Goswami. I believe Bangeshwar dates to somewhere in the 19th century, and the other two are both 20th century figures.

Radha-rasa-sudhanidhi of Prabodhananda Sarasvati is another such title. I don't have a copy at hand just now, but I believe Babaji Maharaj mentions some earlier work of Madhusudana Das Adhikari's in his preface - beyond that, I am not aware of any tikas.

I believe Baladeva has written a tika on the entire Stava-mala. I've never gotten my hands on a copy of the work, I would be very interested. Many of the smaller works of the Goswamis are really not very extensively commented on.

- Is the content of Upadeshamrita entirely original?

Verses one though three are adaptations of earlier verses on similar themes. The source of the first is unknown to me. The second and the third are near-identical adaptations from Hatha-yoga-pradipika, a 13th century yogic text. SaDbhir yogo prasidhyati! The principles are fairly universal, so I guess there's no need to re-invent the wheel - just polish it a bit.