VMA 2.50 : Respect for the residents of Braj, even from afar, leads to the greatest benefit

Prabodhananda Saraswatipada changes subject here after many verses dominated by visions of the divine abode and its Lord and Lady. Ending with the prayer for his mind and vision to be transformed by the grace of the Dham, he now turns to the sādhaka devotees and glorifies them over the next five verses (2.50-55). 

A corner of the Vamsivat forest near Bhandiravan.

daviṣṭhe yas tiṣṭhed atikukṛti-niṣṭhaḥ kuviṣaye

sakṛd vṛndāṭavyās tṛṇakam api vandeta sukṛtī |

sa tat-prāṇasyocchṛṅkhala-nikhila-śakteḥ karuṇayā

dhruvaṁ dehasyānte hari-padam alabhyaṁ ca labhate ||2.50||

Should a person devoted to extremely wicked acts
be situated in a contemptible region, far, far away,
if he should offer respects to even< Vrindavan's smallest blade of grass, he becomes pious and at the time of death, by the mercy of him who is its life and soul, who has the power to unshackle all from material bondage, certainly attains the otherwise unattainable feet of Lord Hari.

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Prabodhananda Saraswatipada changes subject here after many verses dominated by visions of the divine abode and its Lord and Lady. Ending with the prayer for his mind and vision to be transformed by the grace of the Dham, he now turns to the sādhaka devotees and glorifies them over the next five verses (2.50-55). His starting point, however, is not to glorify the advanced devotee sādhaka residing in the Dham, but to speak of the minimal possible definition of a devotee, one who is still engaged in non-devotional activities and has thus not received the grace of residence in the Dham, but still from afar has some recognition of the its glory and the good fortune of its residents.

yaḥ atikukṛti-niṣṭhaḥ daviṣṭhe kuviṣaye tiṣṭhet

The word viṣaya is generally understood to mean sense-object, but its primary meaning is actually a sphere of influence of a king, dominion or kingdom. That this is the meaning is made clearer by the adjective daviṣṭha which is a superlative of "far," i.e., "the furthest." If it were taken to mean evil sense objects then atikukṛti-niṣṭhaḥ, "committed to wicked deeds," would be redundant. So, even one who lives in an evil country far far away from Vrindavan and is furthermore fixed up in evil deeds, if he should offer respects to the meanest creature or living being from the Holy Dham, he is to be considered will reap the benefits of such an act and attain the abode of Lord Hari.

Some may argue that it is impossible for any place in creation to be considered evil by nature, but for a devotee of the Dham, any place where there is no association of devotees, no talk of Krishna or Nama sankirtan, no matter how glorious, is indeed unsuitable for residence. If Krishna himself cannot leave Vrindavan, and if Radha and the gopis and the other Vrindavan associates of the Lord can never leave the Dham, then certainly a devotee who wishes to be close to them finds it uncomfortable to be anywhere else.

na yatra vaikuṇṭha-kathā-sudhāpagā

na sādhavo bhāgavatās tad-āśrayāḥ

na yatra yajñeśa-makhā mahotsavāḥ

sureśa-loko’pi na vai sa sevyatām

Even if it be the abode of Brahmā, the chief of the gods,
one should not reside in a place where the nectar rivers
of Bhagavān’s pastimes do not flow,
where no saints fully surrendered to Bhagavān have taken up residence,
and where there are no festivals
in the form of sacrifices for the pleasure of Bhagavān. (5.19.24)

For a devotee, to be excluded from the bliss of the Dham is a kind of separation that is unbearable. It is natural for one who experiences such separation to feel great humility, to suspect that he has committed some offense that has resulted in his being excluded from the Abode. Exhortations from Prabodhananda's own work (See 1.13, 1.39, etc.) to avoid offenses to the Brijvasis remind one that this could be the source of the problem. The solution therefore is to beg forgiveness or offer praises to all residents of the Dham.

Of course, we have all heard how Lord Brahma and Uddhava desired to be born as blades of grass in Vrindavan. So respect for the Dham's flora and fauna is fairly easy. What fault can we possibly find with them? They lack the capacity to find fault and simply passively accept the blessing of being trod on by the devotees and residents of the Holy Land.

It is a bigger problem dealing with human beings, with whom there is always a possibility of various kinds of conflict. But Vrindavan and its residents are svataḥ-siddha. If we recognize that a piece of grass has Krishna residing in its heart, then what can be said of the premi devotees who reside there? God's presence in everyone's heart is indeed a universal truth, but according to the a fortiori principle it is even more true for the residents of Braj.

tomāra hṛdaye sadā govinda viśrāma | govinda kahena, mama vaiṣṇava-parāṇa || 

"Ohe Vaishnava Thakur! Govinda has made his permanent residence in your heart. Govinda himself says that the Vaishnava is my life and soul." (Narottam Das)

The biggest obstacle to harmony seems to arise from sectarianism. It is natural to have faith in one's own guru and the teachings that he gives, but if this gives rise to disdain or enmity for those who have other traditions, then one should understand that one's faith has not fully fructified. All the rasika acharyas from Vrindavan, whatever differences may have existed historically between their traditions, avoid such enmity by encouraging each other to honor their respective gurus and be devoted to them. They see the differences as cosmetic for the goal of all is Radha-Krishna prema.

There is a tradition in Vrindavan of knowing the best of each other's texts and being able to speak the siddhāntas of a particular sampradāya to its own members and being well received and at the same time exposing its glories and the glories of its honored saints to those in other lineages. This tradition perhaps had its beginnings with Nabha Das's Bhakta-māla.

Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta, even though written by Prabodhananda Saraswati, who offers his obeisances to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (VMA 1.1) does not belong to any sampradāya. Like Vrindavan itself, it transcends sectarian thinking and points to that state. Those who follow the Mahimāmṛta will automatically be obliged to offer their respects to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Others have imitated the Mahimāmṛta, such as Dhruva Das in his Vrindavana-sata-lila, but without mentioning Prabodhananda or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. How can we understand the course of history in which influences other than the immediate are not recognized?

There are many reasons for sectarian differences that causes conflict when there is so much that we may have in common. It is a psychological effect that Freud called "the narcissism of small differences" whereby the ego seeks differences in order to maintain distinctive individuality and superiority. According to the Gita, the ability to find commonality is the sign of the sattva-guna, an intellectual attachment to analysis of differences is rājasika, while blind attachment to one's own absolute superiority is tāmasika.

One must learn to encourage other sādhakas in their niṣṭhā. Those who are rājasika emphasize differences, but such an approach is not usually helpful to an audience of beginners that is looking to be inspired in their sādhana and their commitment to the path given by their guru. Sad-guru-niṣṭhā is what is to be supported, regardless of sect.

It is true that individual sects might not find close (svajātīya) mood with other sects' siddhāntas or whatever. But sattva-guṇa means to seek out and find common ground, appreciation for the positive points in other sects' doctrines.

So an important part of the Vrindavan tradition is to glorify the activities of the Vaishnavas, regardless of their sect, in particular those who aim at loving service to the Divine Couple. Does it not give pleasure to hear of the virtues of the great renounced devotees and the stories of how they received the Lord's mercy? Does that not inspire everyone?

All of this is an extension, a positive development, on Krishna's verse in the Gita.

na buddhi-bhedaṁ janayed ajñānāṁ karma-saṅginām

joṣayet sarva-karmāṇi vidvān yuktaḥ samācaran

The wise should not disturb the intelligence of the ignorant who are attached to fruitive work. Rather, he should encourage them to perform their prescribed duties, while himself setting the example. [Gītā 3.26]

sve sve'dhikāre yā niṣṭhā sa guṇaḥ parikīrtitaḥ
viparyayas tu doṣaḥ syād ubhayor eṣa niścayaḥ

Firm commitment (niṣṭhā) to acting according to one's own level of attainment (adhikāra) is called virtue. The opposite is called vice. This is the long and short of virtue and vice. (11.21.2)

So let us all take shelter of the Dham and encourage everyone to seek the prema-sevā of the Divine Couple without falling into the trap of the narcissism of small differences.

vṛndāṭavī sahaja-vīta-samasta-doṣā

doṣākarān api guṇākaratāṁ nayantī |

poṣāya me sakala-dharma-bahiṣkṛtasya

śoṣāya dustara-mahāgha-cayasya bhūyāt ||

Vrindavan is naturally free of all flaws;
it transforms those who are reservoirs of faults
into reservoirs of virtue.
May it protect me,
who have been excommunicated by every religion,
and may it dry up all my terrible sins. (1.39)

VMA 2.47-49: May that pair of adolescent lovers manifest before my eyes
VMA 2.44-46: Vrindavan is the celestial stage for the Divine Couple's dance of love
VMA 2.41-43: The service activities of the manjaris.
VMA 2.40 : Taking shelter of the handmaids of Radha