Sastra

Sastra

from-

Sri Hari-bhakti-kalpa-latika

The Flowering Vine of Devotion to Lord Hari

[Even if served by those with personal motives, in a troublesome and annoying way, or with hypocrisy, the Lord liberates His devotees.]

verses 15 - 30

Preface- Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura found the unsigned manuscript of Sri Hari-bhakti-kalpa-latika, was impressed by it, and printed it in his magazine Sajjana-tosani. His son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, printed it as a book and kept it in print, reprinting it again and again. - Kusakratha dasa

O gentle reader, you may think: “Lord Siva, Narada Muni, and many others are the personal servants of the Supreme Lord. What am I but a small misbehaved child in their midst?” O gentle reader, do not become discouraged. Do not give up Lord Mukunda’s devotional service as something you cannot do. Although the Supreme Lord is the controller of everything, and although He is very difficult to approach, He is like an ocean of mercy and He is the dear friend of the devotees. He becomes controlled by devotion and shows mercy to His devotee, even if the devotee was born in a family of outcastes.

That Supreme Person, who is greater than the greatest, and after whom the yogis search, cannot be attained by studying the Vedas and Agamas, or by performing yoga, austerities, or fruitive activities. He is attained only by devotional service.

Although Dhruva Maharaja had never studied the Vedas and Agamas, and although he had never performed materially pious actions, he attained the supreme destination simply by performing devotional service to the Lord.

A father who sees his son eat clay, snatches it away and gives him a candy instead. In the same way, the Lord, who is very affectionate to His devotees, removes the material desires from those who, unaware of their actual spiritual nature, worship Him with material motives. The Lord gives them His intensely delightful lotus feet.

If even misbehaved persons, intent on their own happiness, attain Lord Hari’s lotus feet by occasionally worshipping Him, who can describe the good fortune of the saintly devotees, who worship the Lord in pure love?

Even if served by those with personal motives, in a troublesome and annoying way, or with hypocrisy, the Lord liberates His devotees. Who is more merciful than He?

If a person who has never attained any materially pious activities, worships Lord Hari’s lotus feet by offering some water and tulasi leaves, the Lord, Who is the friend of the devotees, and unapproachable by the materially pious, gives in return His own lotus feet.

The Lord becomes controlled by His devotees, although He does not show His mercy to the non-devotees, even if they are very pious, great yogis, or very rich and opulent. Why does the whole world not worship such a merciful Lord?

One who gives up all materially pious duties and with undeviating concentration continually worships the lotus feet of Lord Hari, will easily and happily climb to the Lord’s transcendental abode, stepping on the heads of the materially pious non-devotees.

Brightly blazing with the oil of love, the lamp of devotional service to the Lord completely destroys the darkness of past karma. Lord Hari is like an ocean of mercy for the distressed conditioned souls, or like an ocean of the nectar of transcendental bliss. Except for Him, who is able to rescue those burning in the forest fire of material existence?

Sober and discriminating persons who aspire to serve the lotus feet of Lord Hari easily conquer the unconquerable, inimical material senses. They who try to subdue the senses by practicing astanga yoga or following varnasrama-dharma, remain unsuccessful and do not become happy.

They who travel on the path of devotional service to the lotus feet of Lord Hari should abandon all activities prescribed by the varnasrama system for material improvement and sense-gratification. Day by day they should cultivate renunciation, until the Lord is personally manifest before them.

Somehow or other the author has not yet been able to describe the glories of the persons intent on chanting the glories of Lord Krsna. In this regard he says: One who has taken shelter of Lord Hari’s devotional service is an actual hero, an actual knower of the Vedas, and is actually fortunate and pious. Laksmi-devi, the goddess of fortune personally searches him out. He is the best of all.

Perception of spiritual truth takes shelter of him, the three-fold material miseries do not torment him, and the goals of human life (religion, sense gratification, economic-development, and liberation) beg to serve he who always finds pleasure in the Lord’s devotional service.

He who respectfully takes shelter of Lord Acyuta’s devotional service purifies the universe, makes the earth prosperous and auspicious, and easily crosses the ocean of repeated birth and death.

sastra two

Gunga Express Jayananda Prabhu Intelligencer