Bhakti-katha The Science of Devotion

[From "Renunciation Through Wisdom", Ch.2]

Everything Is Achieved by Serving Lord Krsna.

While instructing Srila Rupa Gosvami on the science of devotional service, Lord Caitanya discussed in some detail the material world and the living entities. He pointed out that among the 8,400,000 species of life—900,000 species of aquatics, 2,000,000 kinds of plants, 1,100,000 varieties of insects, 1,000,000 species of birds, 3,000,000 kinds of beasts, and 400,000 species of humans—Homo sapiens are clearly in the minority. Furthermore, humans are subdivided into three categories, namely, the uncivilized, the half-civilized, and the civilized. Also, many who supposedly belong to the civilized group act without restraint and discipline, only for the purpose of enjoyment.

In this way they create chaos for the rest. Their sole intention in life being to gratify their senses (their instruments of enjoyment), they always try to keep their senses in fit working condition. They even go to the extent of transplanting monkeys’ organs into their bodies once they get too old to enjoy with the vigor of youth.

Such gross sense enjoyers do not understand that the mind is more subtle than the sense organs and superior to them. Superior to the mind is the intelligence, and behind the intelligence is the false ego, which is far superior to the intelligence and which covers the spirit soul. Philosophical inquiry into the existence of the soul will remain a subject beyond the reach of these gross materialists.

The gross sense enjoyers are actually to be counted among the animals, because man has more serious matters to attend to than just titillating his senses. Hence he is considered the most advanced among all the living entities. And indeed we do find that some men comprehend the gravity of human life. They carefully reject chaotic living, emulate the exemplary lives of saintly persons, and direct their lives in such a way as to fulfill the purpose of human life.

Followers of various religions—such as the Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists—all adhere to the rules of their faith according to the intensity of their belief and the circumstances in their respective countries. Lord Krsna speaks of these persons in Bhagavad-gita (7.3):

manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah

"Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in Truth."

Since time immemorial, living entities have been going through many lower species of life, gradually rising through the evolutionary process and, due to some good fortune, receiving a human birth. In the lower species of life the spirit souls are densely covered by the material modes, and thus carnal appetites dominate their lives. Among the human species, some denounce sensual pleasures and are honored by the world as a saints, yogis, philosophers, scholars, and so on. They experience mental perceptions far superior to gross sensual experiences, and may reach even subtler levels of fine intellect. But even more subtle than the intellect is the spirit soul. So true spirituality, or the real religion of the living entity, means to be situated in self.

Except for the religion of the self, all paths and religions are pseudo-spiritual exercises consisting only of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending oneself from danger. These are the primary activities of the animals. The lower species cannot elevate themselves by executing the religion of the self, or soul. But since human beings are inherently able to practice the religion of the self, some endeavor to reach perfection. Only as a human being can one make such inquiries as “Who am I?” and “Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble?”

Human life alone affords one the chance to attain unending happiness. In this life one should think, “Although I do not want suffering, it nevertheless comes; although I do not desire death, it forcibly snatches away my life; although I detest old age, when my youth is finished I will surely begin to age; and although I try to be free from disease and disaster, they never leave me alone.” Although he sees all this suffering, a fool works hard to make his life comfortable, whereas an intelligent person calmly considers his situation and thinks of the best means to end his distress once and for all. When such thoughts become frequent and sincere, his search leads him to inquire into the Absolute Truth. Such a person takes up the path of self-realization. He may have many duties, but because of his previous pious activities such a wise person will execute these duties and at the same time confront the realities of birth, death, old age, and disease.

The lower stratum of those who strive for perfection are the karmis, or fruitive workers, who look to gratify their senses. Above them are the jnanis, or seekers of knowledge, who restrain the urges of their senses and become situated on the subtle, mental plane. Superior to them are the yogis who seek mystic perfection. Lord Caitanya has described all these persons as asanta, restless. Among them, those who are free of all material designations and are rid of the false ego, and who are thus liberated beings situated in the self—they alone can understand Lord Krsna, the Supreme Person, in truth. When they become fully conversant with the science of Krsna consciousness, such saintly souls can act as spiritual masters for all humanity, regardless of any external designation. Lord Caitanya confirms this in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 8.128):

kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya

"Whether one is a brahmana, a sannyasi, or a sudra—regardless of what he is—he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Krsna."

Therefore we can conclude that neither the karmis nor the jnanis can fathom the depths of the science of devotional service to Krsna. Especially the foolish karmis are disqualified, for they generally consider Lord Krsna an ordinary mortal, and this disregard for the Lord leads them to misconstrue the meaning of His words in the Bhagavad-gita.

Humanity, now in the grips of the evil influence of the Age of Kali, has become callous to any spiritual culture. Thus people pass their time in the animalistic activities of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. What to speak of cultivating spiritual knowledge about the Supreme Lord, Krsna, they cannot even spare the time for religious rituals or the pursuit of transcendental knowledge.

If one strictly follows the scriptural directions for cultivating karma and jnana, one purifies his consciousness enough to understand the science of Krsna to a certain degree. The final conclusion of jnana is that once one attains the state of oneness with the Absolute, then the doors of an even higher state, that of devotional service to Lord Krsna, open up.

Since this state of oneness is practically impossible for the people of Kali-yuga to attain, in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna Himself has taught the science of devotional service to Himself. Then, knowing that the unfortunate human beings of this age would misunderstand even His own words, Lord Krsna again appeared—this time in the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, a pure devotee of the Lord—to teach the world the essence of the Bhagavad-gita through His personal example.

Lord Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the source of everything, but envious and cunning people try to refute this fact. Thus He appeared as Lord Caitanya and taught that Lord Krsna is the source of everything. There is no difference between the instructions of Lord Krsna and those of Lord Caitanya. The object of worship is the same. Still, the unfortunate people of this age refuse to accept these teachings. Trying to give them Krsna consciousness is, as the well-known expression goes, like “casting pearls before a herd of swine.” The human beings afflicted by Kali-yuga are like a herd of swine. The Lord has shown them boundless mercy by widely teaching the science of devotional service to Krsna, which is rarely attained even by Lord Brahma. Yet because it has been so easy for them to come by this precious and rare commodity, they have abused the mercy shown them. This is another manifestation of their misfortune. By teaching them the science of self-realization, Lord Krsna has twice personally tried to save the people of this age from groveling in carnal pleasures, and both times they have converted those divine instructions into a means and an excuse for pursuing sense gratification.

When presented with a colorful glass doll and a diamond, a child will naturally be attracted to the doll and not the priceless jewel. Similarly, the people of Kali-yuga, endowed as they are with limited intelligence, have rejected the priceless diamond of devotional service to Krsna and instead chosen the cheap doll of fruitive activity and dry speculation. Just as the child cannot comprehend that the invaluable diamond can purchase many thousands of cheap glass dolls, so the less intelligent people of Kali-yuga cannot understand that krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma-krta haya: “By rendering transcendental devotional service to Lord Krsna, one automatically performs all subsidiary activities.”

Those who know the science of Krsna consciousness automatically know of subsidiary subjects like fruitive activity, speculative knowledge, yoga, charity, penance, austerity, and chanting mantras. Lord Krsna confirms this in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:

By executing devotional service to Me, My devotees easily acquire everything that can be attained by performing penances, fruitive activity, philosophical speculation, renunciation, yoga, charity, religiosity, and other pious acts.