The Characteristics of Faith from Bhakti Sandarbha

Tatiya Sthan

I posted some material about śraddhā. This appears to  be the result of a discussion I was having with Babaji. My opinion on Hindu nationalist reactions to things like Ganesh on toilet seats and so on was that it was a bit hysterical and diminished Hindu gravitas. Babaji did not agree. This was stated in relation to Vaishnavas distress at the popular Radha-Krishna TV serial, which I saw in fact was popular with many devotees in Vrindavan.

Other links: Śraddhā and Bhakti Sandarbha; Label shraddha

2021

यन्मर्त्यलीलौपयिकं स्वयोग-मायाबलं दर्शयता गृहीतम्।
विस्मापनं स्वस्य च सौभगर्द्धेः परं पदं भूषणभूषणाङ्गम् ॥

yan martya-līlaupayikaṁ sva-yoga-
māyā-balaṁ darśayatā gṛhītam |
vismāpanaṁ svasya ca saubhagarddheḥ
paraṁ padaṁ bhūṣaṇa-bhūṣaṇāṅgam ||

Uddhava told Vidura:

Showing the power of His own Yogamāyā,
He took this form, suitable for human pastimes
which, being the supreme seat
of an ever-increasing wealth of beauty,
amazes even Himself.
It beautifies the very ornaments that adorn it. (SB 3.2.12)

This verse is quoted the central pramāṇa in PrītiS 80. Prabhupāda Prāṇa Gopāla Gosvāmī quotes the Caitanya Caritāmr̥ta here, from Sanātana-śikṣā:

kṛṣṇera yateka khelā, sarbottama nara-līlā,
nara-bapu tāhāra sbarūpa
gopa-beśa, beṇu-kara, naba-kiśora, naṭa-bara,
nara-līlāra haẏa anurūpa

Of all the games Krishna plays, the best of all are his pastimes as a man,
for this human form is His actual, eternal identity.
Dressed as a cowherd boy, a flute in his hand,
eternally ever youthful, appearing like a terpsichorian--
It is all just like the doings of an ordinary man. (101)

kṛṣṇera madhura rūpa śuna sanātana
ye rūpera eka kaṇa ḍubāẏa saba tribhuvana
sarba prāṇī kare ākarṣaṇa

Now just listen, my dear Sanatan,
to the description of Krishna’s sweet beauty.
Just a drop of that beauty
submerges the three planes of existence,
attracting all living beings to Him. (102)

yogamāyā cic-chakti viśuddha-sattba-pariṇati
tāra śakti loke dekhāite
ei rūpa-ratana bhakta-gaṇera gūḍha-dhana
prakaṭa kailā nitya-līlā haite

Krishna desired to show the world
the power of Yogamaya, His internal spiritual energy,
the transformation of spiritual being in its purest state.
He did so by revealing this jewel-like form of beauty,
this secret treasure of all devotees,
manifesting it from His eternal pastimes. (103)

rūpa dekhi' āpanāra kṛṣṇera haila camatkāra
āsbādite mane uṭhe kāma
sva-saubhāgya yāɱra nāma saundaryādi-guṇa-grāma
ei-rūpa nitya tāra dhāma

So beautiful is this form that when Krishna sees it,
He Himself is astonished
and the desire to relish it completely rises up in His mind.
This form is thus called “Krishna’s own good fortune”;
it is the eternal abode of all of Krishna’s virtues,
beginning with His unequalled beauty. (104)

bhūṣaṇera bhūṣaṇa aṅga tāheɱ lalita tribhaṅga
tāhāra upara bhrū-dhanu-nartana
terache netrānta bāṇa tāra dṛḍha sandhāna
bindhe rādhā-gopī-gaṇa-mana

Krishna’s body ornaments the ornaments that He wears.
He poses in an attractive curved posture,
His bow-shaped eyebrows dance,
firing arrows of oblique glances, whose aim is true,
piercing the minds of Radha and the gopis. (105)

brahmāṇḍopari para-byoma tāhāɱ ye sbarūpa-gaṇa
tāɱ-sabāra bale hare mana
pati-bratā-śiromaṇi yāɱre kahe beda-bāṇī
ākarṣaẏe sei lakṣmī-gaṇa

Beyond this material universe lies the transcendent sky,
where the Lord’s infinite expansions reside
Krishna’s beauty is so great it attracts even them.
It forcibly steals the minds of the Lakshmis,
who are glorified in the Vedas
as the crown jewels of devoted wives. (106)

caḏhi gopī-manorathe manmathera mana mathe
nāma dhare madana-mohana
jini pañcaśara-darpa svayaṁ naba-kandarpa
rāsa kare layā gopī-gaṇa

Riding in the gopis’ mind-chariot,
Krishna churns the mind of the mind-churner;
thus earning the name "enchanter of Desire."
Shaming Desire who attacks with five arrows
He Himself becomes the new Cupid,
and takes the gopis to the circle dance. (107)

nija-sama sakhā-saṅge go-gaṇa-cāraṇa raṅge
bṛndābane svacchanda bihāra
yāɱra beṇu-dhbani śuni sthābara-jaṅgama prāṇī
pulaka kampa aśru bahe dhāra

With His same-age friends, he enjoys grazing the cattle
and playing freely in the woods of Vrindavan.
When He plays on His flute,
all living entities moving and unmoving
have goose bumps, they tremble,
while tears flow in torrents from their eyes. (108)

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2019

[I hadn't expected to be back in Canada so soon. This time I have made no effort to seek speaking engagements or to do any self promotion. First of all, I  have my Sandarbhas work and I was giving Zoom classes in Sanskrit. Then there was Covid, about which I have no further comment. ]

So, only eight more days and I will be flying to Canada. I will be there for the next three months, returning to India at the beginning of September, if all goes well.

Anyone in the USA Northeast or in the Quebec/Ontario part of Canada who is interested in inviting me to speak on Vrindavan-katha, I will be available. Please get in touch with me here.
Jai Radhe!

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2017

Since I have been reading about shraddha in the Bhakti Sandarbha, I will try to discuss this subject over the next few days. Let me begin by giving Jiva Goswami's definition of faith, which is repeated several times and is brief and clear:

Faith is a belief in the truth of the scriptures that deal with bhakti.

Faith is the qualification for bhakti. This is where the discussion begins. Though faith is not directly a part of bhakti, because bhakti, being directly a part of the svarūpa-śakti of Bhagavan, is independent of any belief or otherwise on the part of a being. The only problem is the recipient. If the recipient is crystal clear and innocent, then bhakti will act immediately, as it did with Ajamila. If not, it is like fire and wet fuel, it will take time.

Faith is, then, an intellectual act. Here is a verse that is taken from Brahma Vaivarta (I imagine this is a Madhva pramāṇa):

किं सत्यमनृतं चेह विचारः सम्प्रवर्तते।
विचारेऽपि कृते राजन्नसत्यपरिवर्जनम्।
सिद्धं भवति पूर्णा स्यात् तदा श्रद्धा महाफला॥

O King, at first one investigates whether statements are true or false. Once such an investigation is complete, one's complete rejection of the false is successful. At this point one’s śraddhā becomes complete and yields the supreme fruit.

This actually comes at the end of the discussion of the symptoms of someone in whom faith has arisen. Jiva draws an exact correlation between faith and śaraṇāgati, or taking refuge in the Lord, with its six characteristics. But even if one takes refuge and does not fully display the six characteristics of śaraṇāgati, one still can have sufficient faith to abandon one's adhikāra for karma, and adopt ananyā bhakti, single-minded devotion to Krishna to the exclusion of all other duties.

As a matter of fact, one is obliged to do so. One IS one's faith. To the extent that we follow through on our faith, that is the extent to which we are genuine in our path, or perfected in our path.

Mahant Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji Maharaj's commentary on Bhakti Sandarbha 173.

Śrī Jīva says that the natural symptom of śraddhā is taking refuge in Bhagavān (śaraṇāpatti). Later [Anuccheda 236] it will be explained that such taking refuge means a resolve to accept that which is favorable to devotion, to reject that which is unfavorable, to have faith that Bhagavān will give protection, to accept Bhagavān as one’s maintainer, to offer oneself to Bhagavān, and to be humble.
If one studies śāstras such as Bhagavad Gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam from a qualified devotee, then one naturally gets such śraddhā. This is because one will find statements throughout the scripture wherein Bhagavān promises to protect His devotee or one will read stories depicting such things. Therefore, hearing śāstra is important to get firm faith.

The second symptom of śraddhā is that a devotee does not act in a way to incite feelings of pity in others in order to get some material help from them. Such behavior is contrary to śraddhā. Any one who acts in this way has no faith that Bhagavān is the supreme master of the universe and is compassionate on His devotees. A devotee does not go to rich people and beg from them. This is an insult to Bhagavān. It is like a son of a very wealthy person who goes to some small businessman and asks him for a few dollars. If the boy's father comes to know of it he will feel insulted. A devotee should not feel indigent in front of materialistic people. This is not humility but weakness of heart and sign of lack of śraddhā. One should remember Śuka’s rhetorical question, "Why do the wise flatter those who are blinded by their wealth?” (kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān, 2.2.5)

 
The third symptom of śraddhā is that one fully accepts the statements of śāstra that describe the articles, qualities, actions related to Bhagavān as non-material even though they may not appear to be so to one with mundane vision. For example, Vrindavan is described as spiritual place, the abode of Kṛṣṇa. But when one sees it, it does not seem different from any other place. But a devotee believes it to be transcendental; he or she has no doubt about it. The same is true about the form of Bhagavān in the temple, the objects offered to Him, and so on. Although a devotee may not experience the power of these objects as described in the śāstra, he or she has faith that it is true. The reason for this is śraddhā, which is to believe in the meaning of the words of śāstra. The power of these objects may not be manifest because Bhagavān or bhakti do not want to reveal themselves. Alternatively, it may be because of the offenses that their power remains unmanifest.

 
The fourth symptom of śraddhā is that such a devotee will assiduously engage in bhakti. He or she has no interest in any thing else. There is nothing that can deviate the mind of a devotee having śraddhā. This is true for both the practicing and the perfected devotee. The practicing devotee is eager to attain perfection and the perfected one is relishing it at every step and thus cannot imagine doing anything else.

The fifth symptom is that a devotee with śraddhā is very sincere and straightforward. Earlier crookedness or hypocrisy was described as a principal effect of offenses. The effect of śraddhā is simplicity. A devotee has no desire for name and fame. A true devotee therefore makes no effort to achieve these. Pratiṣṭhā śūkarī-viṣṭhā – personal honor is compared to a sow's feces.

 
The sixth symptom of śraddhā is that a devotee will avoid offenses very carefully, especially criticism or disrespect to great devotees of Bhagavān.

The seventh symptom is that a devotee will make no effort for sense pleasure. If however, because of past karma one does get the opportunity for material pleasures and due to past saṁskāras is unable to reject them, then he or she will feel humbled and will pray for the grace of Bhagavān. A devotee will not become absorbed in sense pleasure.

In this context Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī makes a very valuable observation. He writes that the devotee spoken of in Gītā 9.30 as behaving in an abominable manner is not a devotee having śraddhā based on śāstra. His śraddhā is coming from social convention. This is the type of śraddhā described in Gītā 17.1-4. A devotee with scriptural faith (śāstrīya-śraddhā) will not engage in any act forbidden in śāstra. That is the very meaning of śāstrīya-śraddhā. Thus there are two types of śraddhā one based upon śāstra and and other on social convention. Most people will have some combination of the two.

 
It is for people who have śāstrīya-śraddhā that Kṛṣṇa ordains them to give up karma and engage in bhakti only. Therefore, the statements of śāstra that say that one should not disturb the mind of people engaged in karma, and those that ordain one to abandon karma are for two different classes of people. The first type of statement is for those who do not have śraddhā in bhakti, and the second is for those who have acquired śraddhā.

From this analysis it is clear that śāstrīya-śraddhā cannot manifest in an ignorant person. Only those who have heard śāstra from a qualified teacher can have śāstrīya-śraddhā, not others. It is for the second type of person that Kṛṣṇa advises not to make them give up karma (Gītā 3.26). They should first be inspired to listen to śāstra. And if they become inquisitive about śāstra they should be given śāstrīya knowledge and then advised to take to bhakti. However, if they are not willing to hearing śāstra they should not be given shastric knowledge. Otherwise, it will be an offense on the part of the instructor.

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2015

Loving Vrindavan. Last night I went to Radha Raman, Tatia Sthan and Goda Vihar. What a place Vrindavan is.

I went to Tatia Sthan inspired by a book by Surya Kanta Goswami, a Bihariji sevadhikari called Nikunj ka rahi, "Pilgrim to the Nikunj". It is a recounting of the life story of Bhagavat Rasik, who was the eighth in line from Swami Haridas and a Mahant of Tattia Sthan. This is at the beginning of the 19th century.

Surya Kanta Goswami's descriptions of the Vrindavan of that time and the vairāgya and loving attraction to the Dham is inspiring me all over. I may try to translate it for Vrindavan Today. Where's the time, right? But there is an important mood here.

After Tattia Sthan, I came back to Radha Raman. I guess I was covered with sand from paying my dandavats. I saw Chandan Goswami. I took the dust of his feet and he took the dust from my head. Radhe Radhe.

The thing about sampradaya is that we are all merging into the ocean of Vrindavan Dham and its rasa.

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2009

Five best verses from Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya.

tvat-sākṣāt-karaṇāhlāda-viśuddhābdhi-sthitasya me |
sukhāni goṣpadāyante brāhmāṇy api jagad-guro ||

O Lord ! O guide to the world! For one like me, who is completely merged in the pure ocean of bliss that comes from seeing you directly, the pleasures of Brahman realization appear to be as tiny as a cow’s hoofprint. (HBS 14.36, BRS 1.1.39, CC 1.7.97)