Çré Saphalä Ekadäsé Issue no:126 22nd December 2019 THE CHARActERISTICS OF A SAINTLY PERSON HOW TO PLEASE THE SUPREME LORD? IS IT PROPER TO TOUch A SANNYÄSÉS FEET? Srila Narada Muni Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura ONE CAN ONLY BE SAVED BY ONE'S POSITION AS A SAINTLY PERSON THE ASSOCIATION OF SAINTS His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakura ONE SHOULD NEVER CRITICIZE THE CHARActERISTIC OF A SAINTLY PERSON AN EXALTED VAISNAVA Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Srila Vrindavan Das Thakura Circulaton 29, 551 Issue no 126, Page — 2 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä presence of the air by the aromas it carries, so, under the guidance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can understand the living soul by these three divisions of intelligence. These three divisions, however, are not the soul; they are constituted of the three modes and are born of activities. Through polluted intelligence one is subjected to the modes of nature, and thus one is conditioned by material existence. Like a dreaming state in which one falsely suffers, material existence, which is due to ignorance, must be considered unwanted and temporary. Therefore, my dear friends, O sons of the demons, your duty is to take to Krishna con- sciousness, which can burn the very seed of fruitive activities which have been artificially created by the modes of material nature. This heightened consciousness will then stop the flow of the materially contaminated intelligence HOW CAN WE PLEASE THE SUPREME LORD? in all phases - wakefulness, dreaming and deep Srila Narada Muni sleep. In other words, when one takes to Krish- na consciousness, his ignorance is immediately Sri Prahlada said: In the midst of the Lord’s dissipated. eight separated material energies, the three Of the different processes recommended for modes of material nature and the sixteen trans- disentanglement from material life, the one per- formations of them [the eleven senses and the sonally explained and accepted by the Supreme five gross material elements like earth and water], Personality of Godhead should be considered flawlessly perfect. That process is the perfor- the singular spiritual soul exists as the observer. mance of duties by which love for the Supreme Therefore, all the great äcäryas have concluded Lord develops. To begin this process, one must that the individual soul is circumstantially con- accept the bona fide spiritual master and render ditioned by these material elements. There are service unto him with great devotion and faith. two kinds of bodies for every individual soul - a Whatever one has in one’s possession should be gross body made of five gross elements, and offered to the spiritual master, and in the associa- a subtle body made of three subtle elements. tion of saintly persons and devotees one should Within these bodies, however, is the spirit soul. worship the Lord, hear the glories of the Lord One must find the soul by analysis, saying, “This with faith, glorify the transcendental qualities and is not it. This is not it.” Thus one must separate activities of the Lord. The practicioner should spirit from matter. always meditate on the Lord’s lotus feet, and Sober and expert persons whose intellects worship the Deity of the Lord strictly according have been purified by extensive analytical study to the injunctions of the scriptures and guru. One of spiritual reality should search for the spirit should always remember the Supreme Person- soul in terms of the soul’s connection with and ality of Godhead in His localized representation distinction from all things that undergo creation, as the Paramatma, who is situated in the core maintenance and destruction. Intelligence can of every living entity’s heart. Thus one should be perceived in three states of activity wakeful- offer respect to every living entity according ness, dreaming and deep sleep. The person who to that living entity’s position or manifestation. perceives these three is to be considered to be By following these procedures one is able to the original master, the ruler, the Supreme Per- dispell the influence of the enemies of spiritual sonality of Godhead. As one can understand the emancipation, namely lust, anger, greed, illusion, Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 126, Page—3 madness and jealousy. When one is thus aloof of all living entities. Indeed, He is the well-wisher from these base qualities, one can render pure and friend of all living entities, and there is no devotional service to the Lord. In this way one difficulty in worshiping Him. Why, then, should surely attains the platform of loving service to the people not engage in His devotional service? Why Supreme Personality of Godhead. are they so addicted to unnecessarily producing One who is situated in devotional service is cer- artificial paraphernalia for sense gratification? tainly the controller of his senses, and thus he is a One’s riches, beautiful wife and female friends, liberated person. When such a liberated person, one’s sons and daughters, one’s residence, one’s the pure devotee, hears of the transcendental domestic animals like cows, elephants and hors- qualities and activities of the Lord’s incarnations es, one’s treasury, economic development and in Their various pastimes, He experiences great sense gratification; indeed, even the lifetime in joy. At that time his hair stands on end on his which one can enjoy all these material plenitudes body, tears fall from his eyes, and in his spiritual are certainly temporary and flickering. Since the realization his voice falters. Sometimes he very opportunity of human life is temporary, what openly dances, sometimes he sings loudly, and benefit can a sensible man who has understood sometimes he cries. Thus he expresses his tran- himself to be eternal gain from these material scendental jubilation. luxuries ? In this way a perfect devotee appears like a It is learned from Vedic literature that by per- person haunted by a ghost as he laughs and forming great sacrifices one may elevate himself very loudly chants about the qualities of the Lord. to the heavenly planets. However, although life Sometimes he sits to perform meditation, and he on the heavenly planets is hundreds and thou- offers respects to every living entity, considering sands of times more enjoyable than life on earth, them a devotee of the Lord. Constantly breathing the heavenly planets are not pure [nirmalam], very heavily, he is heedless of social etiquette as even there we find the taint of material exis- and loudly chants like a madman, “Hare Krishna, tence. The heavenly planets are also temporary, Hare Krishna! O my Lord, O master of the uni- and therefore they are not the goal of life. The verse!” The devotee is then freed from all material Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, contamination because he constantly thinks of has never been seen to or heard of possessing the Lord’s pastimes and because his mind and inebriety. Consequently, for your own benefit body have been assimilated by the spiritual en- and self-realization, you should worship the Lord ergy. Because of his intense devotional service, with great devotion, as described in the revealed his ignorance, material consciousness and all scriptures. kinds of material desires are completely burnt to A materialistic person, thinking himself very ashes. This is the stage at which one can achieve progressive and intelligence, continually acts for the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet. economic development. However, as enunciated The real problem of life is the repetition of birth in the Vedas, again and again, he is frustrated by and death, which is like a wheel endlessly rolling material activities, either in this life or in the next. up and down. This cycle, however, completely Indeed, the results one obtains are inevitably stops when one makes contact with the Supreme the opposite of what he desires. In this material Personality of Godhead. In other words, by ex- world, every materialist desires to achieve hap- periencing the transcendental bliss realized from piness and diminish his distress, and therefore constant engagement in devotional service, one he acts accordingly. In actuality, however, one is is completely liberated from material existence. happy only as long as one does not endeavour All learned men know this. for happiness. As soon as one begins his activities Therefore, my dear friends, O sons of the asur- intended to create happiness, his conditions of as, immediately begin meditating upon and wor- distress begin. A living entity desires comfort for shiping the Supersoul who is within everyone’s his body and makes many plans for this purpose, heart. O my friends, sons of the asuras, the Su- but actually the body is the property of others. preme Personality of Godhead in His Supersoul Indeed, the perishable body embraces the living feature is ever present within the core of the hearts entity and then leaves him aside. Since the body www.ibmedu.org Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya Issue no 126, Page — 4 Top left 4 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä itself is ultimately meant to become stool or earth, feet of Mukunda, who can deliver liberation, what is the meaning of the paraphernalia related he is actually situated in the most auspicious to the body, such as wives, residences, wealth, condition of life, exactly like ourselves. children, relatives, servants, friends, kingdoms, My dear friends, O sons of the demons, you treasuries, animals and ministers? They are also cannot please the Supreme Personality of God- temporary. What more can be said about this? head by becoming perfect brähmaëas, demi- All this material paraphernalia is very dear to gods or great saints; nor can you please Him us as long as the body exists.