TEXT 10
Aparādha is of four kinds, as mentioned in the Āmnāya-sūtra:
kṛṣṇa-nāma-svarūpeṣu
tadīya-cit-kaṇeṣu ca
jñeyā budha-gaṇair nityam
aparādhāś catur-vidhāḥThe four kinds of aparādha are: (1) offences to Kṛṣṇa’s name (nāma-aparādha); (2) offences to Kṛṣṇa’s deity form (seva-aparādha); (3) offences to that which belongs to Kṛṣṇa, or in other words to Girirāja-Govardhana, the Gaṅgā, the Yamunā, the dhāma or the lotus feet of the devotees; and (4) offences to other living entities, who are all infinitesimal particles of spirit belonging to Kṛṣṇa.
kṛṣṇa-nāme, svarūpe o bhakte, anya nare
bhrama haite aparādha catuṣṭaya smare
TEXT 11
Hṛdaya-daurbalya is of four kinds, as stated in the Āmnāya-sūtra:
tucchāsaktiḥ kuṭīnāṭī
mātsaryaṁ sva-pratiṣṭhatā
hṛd-daurbalyaṁ budhaiḥ śaśvaj
jñeyaṁ kila catur-vidhamScholars consider hṛdaya-daurbalya to be of four types: (1) attachment to worthless objects; that is, objects unrelated to Kṛṣṇa; (2) hypocrisy and deceit (kuṭināṭī); (3) envy upon seeing the prosperity of others; and (4) desire for prestige and position (pratiṣṭhā).
kṛṣṇetara viṣaye āsakti, kuṭīnāṭī
para-droha, pratiṣṭhāśā ei ta’ cāriṭi
hṛdaya-daurbalya bali’ śāstre nirdhārila
chaya ripu, chaya ūrmi ihāte janmila
yata dina e saba anartha nāhi chāḍe
tata dina bhakti-latā kabhu nāhi bāḍhe
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
Hṛdaya-daurbalya gives birth to six enemies: lust (kāma), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), delusion (moha), pride (mada) and envy (mātsarya); and their waves result in distress (śoka), bewilder-ment (moha), hunger (kṣudhā), thirst (pipāsā), old age (jarā) and death (mṛtyu).
The creeper of devotion cannot grow as long as one does not give up these anarthas.
TEXT 12
All anarthas are nullified by nāma-saṅkīrtana. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.14) states:
āpannaḥ saṁsṛtiṁ ghorāṁ
yan-nāma vivaśo gṛṇan
tataḥ sadyo vimucyeta
yad bibheti svayaṁ bhayamIf a living entity who is caught in the whirlpool of material existence even once chants the name of Kṛṣṇa, he can be freed immediately. Even fear personified trembles upon hearing the name of Bhagavān.
e ghora saṁsāre paḍi’ kṛṣṇa-nāma laya
sadya mukta haya āra bhaya pāya bhaya
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
The far-sighted sages, reflecting on the terrible distress of the living entities in the frightful age of Kali, asked Sūta Gosvāmipāda, “O Saumya, how can the conditioned living entities, who are attached to material existence, become liberated?” Sūta replied, “Association with devotees of Bhagavān is the only means. Bathing in the Gaṅgā destroys sins, but all sins are nullified solely by having darśana of a devotee who is dedicated to the holy name. The direct result of associating with Bhagavān’s devotees and serving them is the attainment of prema. If a living entity merely utters the holy name at the time of death, Nāma Prabhu will bestow prema upon him.”
TEXT 13
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.37) states:
bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād
īśād apetasya viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ
tan-māyayāto budha ābhajet taṁ
bhaktyaikayeśaṁ guru-devatātmāThe jīva who is averse to Bhagavān forgets his own constitutional nature because of his association with māyā. Due to this forgetfulness, he becomes absorbed in the conception that he is the material body and thus thinks “I am a demigod”, “I am a human being”. In this state of bodily identification, he fears old age, disease and so forth. Therefore those who know the truth should consider their own guru as īśvara, the Supreme. In other words they should see him as their master who is non-different from Bhagavān and who is very dear to Him. Through exclusive devotion they should perform one-pointed worship of that īśvara, their guru.
kṛṣṇa chāḍi’ jīva kaila anyābhiniveśa
tāi tāra viparyaya-smṛti āra kleśa
sad-guru āśraya kari’ kṛṣṇakṛpā-āśe
ananya-bhajana kare yāya kṛṣṇa-pāśe
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
When the jīvas are averse to Bhagavān, they become absorbed in māyā and thus become materially conditioned. Māyā-devī, through her two functions of āvaraṇātmikā and vikṣepātmikā, makes the living entities wander in the prison-like material existence, suffering its torment by thinking they are the “experiencers” of happiness and distress. A person who is resolute takes shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide guru and is thus able to cross over this material existence. By accepting the guidance of a guru who has realised Bhagavān and by being absorbed in intimate service (viśrambha-sevā) to him, one attains the mercy of Bhagavān and material identification goes far away. One will attain knowledge of one’s own svarūpa, Bhagavān’s svarūpa, and the svarūpa of the illusory energy by understanding the spiritual master to be near and dear like his own soul and by serving him. By the guru’s mercy the living entity will ultimately be engaged in eternal service in Bhagavān’s abode.
TEXT 14
The characteristics of bhakti-yoga are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.12 and 1.2.7):
tac chraddadhānā munayo
jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā
paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁ
bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā
vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
A faithful person, after hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, automatically acquires bhakti endowed with knowledge and renunciation. By such bhakti he realises Bhagavān’s svarūpa in his heart and he realises his relationship with Him. Thus he obtains service to the Lord.
When the relationship between the Lord and the living entity is established, bhakti-yoga for Bhagavān Vāsudeva appears.
śraddhā kari’ nāma bhaje sādhu-kṛpā pāñā
itare virāga nitya-svarūpa bujhiyā
ihākei bali bhakti-yoga anuttama
bhakti-yoge sarva-siddhi yadi dhare krama
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
Sādhana of the non-dual Absolute Truth (advaya-jñāna-para-tattva) is of three kinds: jñāna, yoga and bhakti. The jñānīs realise Bhagavān as Brahman on the strength of their cultivation of knowledge. They see tat-padārtha, Bhagavān, within their souls (ātmās), they see their own souls in Īśvara and they also see taṁ-padārtha, all living entities, in Him. The yogīs realise the non-dual object as Paramātmā. All attempts made by the jīvas to attain renunciation through the cultivation of dry knowledge are useless. Renunciation (vairāgya) is an inherent result of bhakti and is easily attained through the practice of bhakti-yoga. The bhakti-sādhaka relishes the direct sweetness of the non-dual object on the strength of his devotion. The process of bhakti is to hear kṛṣṇa-kathā from the lotus mouth of the spiritual master. Knowledge endowed with a sense of one’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa appears through the process of bhakti by the means of hearing and chanting. The ācāryas have ascertained that the mood of service appears by hearing from authorities. The impersonalists do not follow this path of hearing, which is the descending path. Rather, they endeavour to take shelter of the doctrine of the ascending path. Their attempts are compared to trying to reach the sky by climbing on falling raindrops. When the living entity is absorbed in service to the object of bhajana and not in any other object, pure bhakti and proper renunciation (yukta-vairāgya) will arise.
TEXT 15
The fourth verse of the catuḥ-ślokī of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.36) states:
etāvad eva jijñāsyaṁ
tattva-jijñāsunātmanaḥ
anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṁ
yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā
One who is inquisitive about the truth of the self (ātma-tattva) inquires through direct (anvaya) and indirect (vyatireka) means of deliberation about that object, which is always eternal.
anartha-nāśera yatna dui ta’ prakāra
anvaya-mukhete vyatireka-mukhe āra
anvaya-mukhete vidhi bhajana-viṣaye
vyatireka-mukhete niṣedha nānāśraye
BHAJANA-RAHASYA-VṚTTI
After Brahmā took birth, he asked Śrī Bhagavān four questions, which Bhagavān answered through the catuḥ-ślokī. These four verses are famous as catuḥ-ślokī Bhāgavata because they are the seed of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They contain the very essence of the Vedas, Vedānta and so forth.
Philosophical knowledge of Bhagavān, the eternal form of Bhagavān, His qualities, pastimes and so on, are all described in the first verse in the form of aphorisms (sūtras). In the second verse, māyā-tattva, which is separate from Bhagavān’s eternal form, is discussed, as is the material world (jaḍa-jagat). The sambhanda-jñāna found in these two verses should be understood. The third verse describes the existence of Bhagavān’s eternal svarūpa, separate from His relationship of inconceivable difference and non-difference (acintya-bhedābheda) with the living entities and matter. It also describes how the living entities, by taking shelter of Bhagavān’s lotus feet, attain the treasure of the most elevated prema.
This Text 15 is the fourth verse of catuḥ-ślokī Bhāgavata, and it describes sādhana-bhakti, the means for obtaining the above-mentioned supreme goal. Direct following, or anvaya, means to accept the rules of sādhana-bhakti with a favourable mood. The word vyatireka is used in regard to avoiding those actions that are unfavourable and that cause obstacles in obtaining the desired goal. The path of sādhana is known as abhidheya (the process). In other words, that instruction which is obtained from the scriptures through direct interpretation (abhidhā-vṛtti) is known as abhidheya. This is described in this Text. Sādhana-bhakti, which is none other than abhidheya, is not dependent on time, place, performer or circumstance. The duty of all living entities is to perform sādhana-bhakti in all places, at all times and under all circumstances. The sādhaka should inquire and hear from the spiritual master about sādhana-bhakti.
In this Text the confidential meaning of “direct” and “indirect” indicates the union (saṁyoga) and separation (vipralambha) found in Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara’s amorous pastimes (śṛṅgāra-rasa) with His most beloved vraja-sundarīs. To deceive the conditioned living entities, all these priceless jewels are kept well protected in a box that the jñānīs and aiśvarya-bhaktas are unable to open. That guru who is adept at relishing the rasa of Vraja displays its contents only to his qualified disciples.
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