Chapter Seven
The Willing and The Able
by
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj
Devotee: When we play a recording of our Gurudev, are these sound vibrations actually transcendental or does the sound have to be heard from the person directly?
Śrīla Guru Mahārāj: When I joined, newly I was sent with a particular sannyāsī to Benares. I appreciated his explanation of the scriptures such as Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. One day he told me, “Now the atmosphere here has been created in such a way that if I am ordered to construct a centre of our own, purchasing land, etc, then I can do, but that won’t be sanctioned by the authorities, because in that way I would become increasingly glorified. I would gain more pratiṣṭhā.”
Presently I wrote in a letter to my Guru Mahārāj: “This Mahārāj has created a good, favourable atmosphere here. If he is ordered to construct a centre of our own, perhaps he can do. I think Benares is an important place, a meeting place of all different religious sections, so I feel we should have our own centre here. I pray that you may encourage this sannyāsī to arrange for it to happen.” We were at that time in a hired house, and the Deities were also established there.
The reply did not come directly to me, but the general-secretary wrote to me, “We already know that his preaching is very successful. You try to listen to his analytical explanation of Bhāgavatam and enrich yourself by that.” No mention was made about the point I had made. After some time our Śrīla Prabhupād went to Benares for some other purpose, and perhaps when I was alone, he suddenly said to me, “What will be the effect of karma-kāṇḍa? Karma-kāṇḍa is to use our energy for our own satisfaction, and not meant for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. What is the necessity of connecting something according to our whim? Only we shall do what Kṛṣṇa will desire, and that will be service.” He gave an example: “Suppose a Vaiṣṇava or the Lord has instructed, ‘Bring me some flowers’, and I collect the flowers, but as I am about to give them to him, he says, ‘No, no. I don’t want flowers, bring me water.’ If even at that time, I press him, ‘Oh, already you have ordered me to bring flowers, please accept these’, it will be karma-kāṇḍa. It will be thrusting my will upon him, it will not be service.” Because he is independent, he may order something — and again he may cancel that same order. He is in such a position that he is not bound by his own previous expression; he is independent of that. The will is everything, and he can express his will and he can withdraw his will. His position is such. Independent. His independence is of such quality and characteristic. Similarly, the highly powerful brāhmaṇs can give a curse such as one that will cause full forgetfulness — and they can withdraw it too.
Karṇa went to Paraśurām disguised as a brāhmaṇ. Then Paraśurām taught him everything about weapons. One day Paraśurām went to sleep putting his head on the thigh of Karṇa. Indra, in the form of a worm, then pierced through the thigh of Karṇa and bit into the head of Paraśurām. Paraśurām started, “What is this?” Blood flowed and smeared over his body. Paraśurām then confronted Karṇa, “You are not a brāhmaṇ! A brāhmaṇ cannot tolerate like this; therefore, you must be a kṣatriya. Why have you come to me? You have taken all this education about weapons from me by falsehood. Therefore, I throw a curse that at the time of your greatest need you will forget everything.” He thereby withdrew all the learning he had given. Free-will is of such nature that it may sometimes give a commitment, but, if necessary, it may withdraw from all commitment.
There are so many political heads of a nation who sometimes give commitments and try to oblige. They try to oblige, but, if necessary for the good, they may retract that and guide by ordinance. Similarly, the scriptures are something like that. The śāstras are written by the mahātmās who give instructions through the medium of so many symbols in the form of letters of the alphabet. That has some value, but that value is not to the same degree as we find in the writer; it is something less. Similarly, if the will, the centre from which the vibration is passing, is still in connection — i.e. if consent is there — it will work. Our Guru Mahārāj gave Hari-nām initiation to a man in Dhaka who was due to pass away within a few days. He spoke the mantra over the phone. His consent was there, so it was effective. And when instruction is given as in a book, or recorded on a tape recorder and broadcast in many ways, it has its value, but the powerhouse is above all.
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na chāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ
“Everything is in Me, and I am nowhere: nothing is in Me.” Acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. He can withdraw and also He can pervade through everything. It is His will. Many people may read the śāstra, but if there is any curse upon someone, he will not receive any benefit by such reading, or even from the Original Person or by any faithful connection with Him. He will be barred.
Durvāsā cursed Śakuntalā: “You are neglecting me by engaging in deep meditation upon your husband. I am a respectable guest but you ignore me. I therefore curse you that if you are introduced to your husband, he won’t be able to remember a single thing about you.”
Then three friends of Śakuntalā came and petitioned, “Oh, Ṛṣi, be propitiated by us, please withdraw your curse.” As a result, he modified it so that if any reminding token be shown to the husband, he will be able to remember her.
The will, the intention, is the important part. What is coming must not be cut off from the source, the powerhouse. Not only the powerhouse keeper through whom it came, but also the faithful group, the associated clan, they can have some such power to stop as well as to open. It is not that if I have the tape recording, I have received everything from him, that I have full possession of his property. It cannot be done like that. Still, mainly it is conducted in such a manner through the scriptures: the various sages have written so many śāstras for us to read. However, our attention must be qualified to read such scriptures. Mere reading is intellectualism and that won’t do. We are to read in a proper way: praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā [with humility to the Guru who knows the truth, relevant enquiry to him, and service to him]. And, yāha, Bhāgavata pada vaiṣṇavera sthāne: through His agent, if we properly read, then it will be beneficial. Otherwise, due to our deceptive nature, we shall try to cast our own opinion in the name of the śāstra as Śaṅkar Āchārya did. He interpreted the Vedas, but he did not try to draw the real meaning of the Vedas. He cast his own opinion into the Vedas and gave that to us.
Mahāprabhu said of him, “Śaṅkar Āchārya has not accepted the teaching of the Vedas as it is. He modified the teachings of the Vedas by his own intellectual experience. Therefore, in his writings is not found their real purpose.” This was the charge against Śaṅkar Āchārya by Mahāprabhu.
Rūpa Goswāmī and Sanātan Goswāmī did not only write what Mahāprabhu taught directly to them, but, by the blessings of Mahāprabhu, they were able to express more. He told them, “I am inspiring you. I am giving some goodwill to you that will help you to face all possible difficulties when the necessity comes for you to refute the opposing elements. It will work at that time; My goodwill will be with you. It will come to your relief at the very time you are in need.” That was expressed by Mahāprabhu to both Rūpa and Sanātan.
Well-wishing without the help of sound is also possible. There is assertion in different planes to help the surroundings. To think good of someone has its value. If the Guru thinks good about the disciples, they may thrive thereby and achieve the real object of their search. Both parties have some part to play: one party must do the willing, and the other must have the receiving quality and attitude, then it will be transmitted from one place to another. If the door is closed on one side, there will be no effect. If there are the qualities of a Guru in one and the qualities of a disciple in another, when they both come together, the transaction begins.
Electricity cannot pass through anything and everything. Some things are non-conducting. The sincere receiving attitude from the disciple is a necessary part. Otherwise, no effect can be shown. If seeds are cast on stony ground, no crops will grow. When current passes through a medium that cannot cent per cent transmit, it becomes modified. In this way modification comes from Guru to disciple; some colour is added, and that is passed on and again added to, generation after generation.
Many disciples may hear from one Guru, but according to the variegatedness in their capacity of reception when they in turn will give delivery, there will be some sort of difference. At first the teaching was one, but now there is a jungle. Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā says,
imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam
vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave ’bravīt
evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa
sa evāyaṁ mayā te ’dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ
“I first gave this instruction of karma-yoga to Vivasvān, then from him to Manu who gave it to his son Ikṣvāku. Coming down in this way, it has gradually vanished. Now again I am saying that same old thing to you.” The spiritual truth becomes coloured by our prejudices. It becomes contaminated and modified by mundane thought.
On the banks of the Ganges there may be neem trees, tamarind trees, mango trees, etc. They all draw the same Ganges water for nourishment, but the produce of one is bitter, another is acidic, and another gives sweet fruits. They all are nourished from the same source, but according to their nature their produce vary.
Both Indra and Virochan are students of the Brahma conception of so ’ham. Indra thought so means the ātmā, and Virochan thought like a demon that so means this body. So ’ham: “I am that.” But who is ‘that’? Within the same class some thought it to refer to the soul, but some thought it referred to the body, thus they evolved their varying conceptions according to their local prejudices.