Contents

Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Sri Jaiva-dharma

Volume Three

 
Table of Contents

Chapter Twelve - Nitya-dharma O Sadhana
Eternal    Religion    and   Devotional   Service    in    Practice

Chapter Thirteen - Nitya-dharma O Sambandhabhidheya-prayojana (Pramana-
vicara O Prameya Arambha)
Eternal Religion and Sambandha, Abhidheya, and Prayojana
(Evidence and Truth)

Chapter Fourteen - Nitya-dharma O Sambandhabhidheya-prayojana (Prameyantar-
gata Sakti-vicara)
Eternal Religion and Sambandha, Abhidheya and Prayojana (A Description of
the Lord's potencies)

Chapter Fifteen
Nitya-dharma O Sambandhabhidheya Prayojana (Prameyantargata jiva-vicara)
Eternal Religion and Sambandha, Abhidheya, and Prayojana
(The Individual Spirit Souls)

Chapter Sixteen
Nitya-dharma O Sambandhabhidheya Prayojana (Prameyantar-gata Maya-kavalita Jiva-vicara)
Eternal Religion and Sambandha, Abhidheya and Prayojana
(The Individual Souls Swallowed by Maya)

Chapter Seventeen
Nitya-dharma O Sambandhabhidheya Prayojana (Prameyantar-gata Maya-mukta-jiva-vicara)
Eternal Religion and Sambandha, Abhidheya, and Prayojana
(The Souls Free from Maya's Prison)

Chapter Twelve
Nitya-dharma O Sadhana
Eternal Religion and Devotional Service in Practice
      Sri  Navadvipa-mandala is the best of all holy places in  the
world.   It  is  a thirty-two mile eight petal lotus  flower.   The
whorl  of  that lotus flower is Sri Antardvipa.  In the  centre  of
Antardvipa  is Sri Mayapura.  To the north of Sri Mayapura  is  Sri
Simantadvipa.   In  Simantadvipa is a temple of Sri  Sinmanta-devi.
To the north of that temple is Bilva-puskarini, and to the south is
Brahmana-puskarini.   The region that contains Bilva-puskarini  and
the Brahmana-puskarini is called Sumuliya by the people in general.
Therefore the village of Sumuliya-grama is in the northern part  of
Sri  Navadvipa.  At the time of Sri Mahaprabhu this place  was  the
home  of  many, many panditas.  This village was the home of  Saci-
devi's  father, Sri Nilambara Cakravarti.  Not far from  his  house
lived a vaidika brahmana named Vrajanatha Bhattacarya.  By studying
in a school at Bilva-puskarini, in a few days he had attained great
learning in nyaya-sastra, learning that was like a shoreless ocean.
All  the  famous  panditas of Bilva-puskarini,  Brahmana-puskarini,
Mayapura, Godruma, Madhyadvipa, Amraghatta, Samudragar, Kuliya  and
many   other  places  also  were  embarrassed  and  frustrated   by
Vrajanatha's  skill in newer and newer logical arguments.   In  the
assemblies  where  the panditas were invited, Vrajanatha  Pancanana
became  like  a lion attacking a herd of elephants.  Raising  newer
and  newer  arguments, he made the panditas burn  with  anger.   Of
these  panditas  a  very  hard-hearted  logician  decided  to  kill
Pancanana  by casting a spell from the Tantras.  Day after  day  he
stayed in the cremation ground of Rudradvipa and chanted mantras to
kill his foe.
     It was a frightening new-moon night.  Blinding darkness filled
every  direction.   At  midnight in the cremation  ground  Naiyika-
cudamani  called out to his worshipable deity, "O mother  only  you
should  be worshipped in the Kali-yuga!  I have heard that you  are
very  easily pleased by even a little chanting of your mantras  and
you  easily  grant boons.  O mother with the terrifying face,  your
servant has performed great austerities and chanted your mantra for
many  days.   Please be merciful this one time.  O mother,  I  have
many  faults.  Still, you are my mother.  Please forgive my  faults
and  appear  before me.  Again and again screaming,  Tarka-cudamani
offered  oblations into the fire and chanted a mantra  with  Nyaya-
pancanana's  name.  What wonderful power did that  mantra  possess!
At  that  moment the sky became  covered with clouds.   A  powerful
wind blew.  A deafening thunder sounded.  Again and again there was
lightning.   Many grotesque ghosts could be seen.   Intoxicated  by
drinking  the  sacrificial wine, Cudamani called  out,  "O  mother,
please  don't delay!"  At that moment a voice spoke from  the  sky.
"Do not worry.  Nyaya-pancanana will not continue as a logician for
many  more  days.  In a few days he will renounce logical  debates.
Then  he  will become silent.  He will be your opponent no  longer.
Be  peaceful  and  go  home."  Hearing this  voice  from  the  sky,
Cudamani  became  happy.   Again  and  again  he  offered  dandavat
obeisances  to  Lord  Siva, the author of  the  Tantras.   Then  he
returned home.
      Vrajanatha Pancanana became a dig-vijayi pandita when he  was
only  twenty one years old.  Day and night he studied the books  of
Gangesopadhyaya.   Seeing  many  faults  in  Kanabhatta  Siromani's
commentary,  he  wrote  his own.  He never thought  about  material
affairs.   Neither  would he turn his ear to spiritual  life.   His
whole  life  was logic, filled with phrases like "ghata,  pata  and
avaccheda,  vyavaccheda".   Even when  he  was  resting,  sleeping,
eating  or  walking  about, his heart was rapt in  logic,  thinking
about  the nature of time, reality, solids, liquids and a  host  of
other  things.  One day at sunrise at the Ganges' shore, as he  was
analysing the sixteen categories enunciated by Gautama Muni, a  new
nyaya  student  asked, "O saintly Nyaya-pancanana, have  you  heard
Nimai  Pandita's  analysis of the atomic theory?"   Nyaya-pancanana
roared  like  a  lion,  "Who is Nimai Pandita?   Do  you  speak  of
Jaganatha  Misra's son?  What was His argument?  Please  tell  me."
The new student said that some days before in Navadvipa there was a
great   person  named  Nimai  Pandita.   He  was  very  expert   in
considering  many  different arguments  of  the  nyaya-sastra.   He
thoroughly  embarrassed  and defeated Kanabhatta  Siromani.   Nimai
Pandita had travelled to the father shore of the ocean of the nyaya-
sastras.   Even though He was so learned, in the end He  considered
the  nyaya-sastras to be insignificant.  He came  to  consider  all
material knowledge unimportant.  He became a sannyasi and travelled
from  place  to  place preaching the chanting of Lord  Hari's  holy
names.  The Vaisnavas say He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself, and they worship Him by chanting the "Gaura-Hari"  mantra.
O  saintly  Nyaya-pancanana, please take  a  look  at  His  logical
arguments."   After hearing this praise of Nimai Pandita's  logical
arguments,  Pancanana  began  to  collect  some  of  those   famous
arguments.   It  is  the  nature of a man  that  when  he  is  very
interested in a certain subject, he will honour the great  teachers
of  that subject.  Also. people tend not to honour great men  while
they  are  alive,  but  only after they  are  dead.   Thus,,  after
studying  Nimai  Pandita's logical arguments, Nyaya-pancanana  held
Him in great esteem.  He would say, "O Nimai Pandita, if only I had
been  born during Your time!  Then I could have been Your  student!
Then I could have attained great learning!  O Nimai Pandita, please
just once enter my heart! You are in truth the Supreme Brahman.  If
this  were not so, then how could these wonderful logical arguments
have entered Your intelligence?  You are in truth Lord Hari with  a
fair  complexion.   How  can this not be?   You  created  the  most
wonderful  logical arguments.  You destroyed the blinding  darkness
of  ignorance.   Now is especially the time of blinding  ignorance.
You  are  fair and effulgent.  You throw the darkness of  ignorance
far  away.  You are Lord Hari Himself.  How can this not  be?   You
enchanted  the  minds  of  the entire  world.   With  Your  logical
arguments  You have certainly enchanted my mind."  Again and  again
speaking  words like these, Vrajanatha became like  a  madman.   He
called out, "O Nimai Pandita!  O Gaura-Hari!  Please be merciful to
me!"  He called out, "When will I be able to make logical arguments
like  Yours?   Please be merciful to me, so I  can  become  a  most
powerful scholar of the nyaya-sastra!"
      Vrajanatha  thought, "The worshippers of Gaura-Hari  must  be
attracted to Him as I am, because of His great skill in  logic.   I
must  see  if  they  have  any books about logic  written  by  Him.
Thinking  in  this  way, Vrajanatha decided to associate  with  the
devotees of Lord Gauranga.
     Thus Vrajanatha again and again loudly chanted "Nimai Pandita!
Gaura-Hari!"  and  many other holy names  of  the  Lord.   He  also
desired  to associate with the devotees of Lord Gaura.   These  two
acts brought him great spiritual merit just on the verge of bearing
fruit.   One day, as he was taking his meal, he asked his  paternal
grandmother,  "O saintly grandmother, did you ever see  Gaura-Hari?
When  she heard the name of Lord Gauranga, Vrajanatha's grandmother
began  to think of her childhood.  She said, "Ah, will the charming
form of Gauranga ever again come before my eyes?  Who can remain  a
materialists after seeing Him?  When He chanted the holy  names  of
Lord  Hari,  even  the animals, birds, trees and vines  all  became
stunned, overcome with spiritual love.  When I think of Him,  tears
from  my  eyes stream over my chest."  Vrajanatha asked, "O saintly
grandmother,  do you know any stories about Him?"  The  grandmother
replied,  "Yes.   When He came to His maternal uncle's  house  with
Mother  Saci,  the  elderly  women of  our  family  serve  Him  the
vegetable  saka.   Praising  the  saka,  He  happily  ate  it.    O
Vrajanatha,  when His mother brought the plate of  saka,  he  said,
"Saka  is the favourite of the logician Nimai Pandita", and he  ate
it with great relish.  No one can describe how much Vrajanatha, who
was  completely uninterested in spiritual life, became attached  to
Nimai Pandita because of Nimai's great learning in logic.  He  took
a  fancy  to  Nimai.  When he heard Nimai's name he  became  happy.
When  he  gave alms to a beggar, he always said "Jaya Sacinandana!"
he  would visit the pandita babajis of Sri Mayapura, listen to them
chant  the holy names of Lord Gauranga, and ask them many questions
about  the Lord's victories in learned debate.  In this way two  or
four  months passed.  Vrajanatha was now a changed man.  Previously
it  was  only  the descriptions of Nimai's learning in  logic  that
pleased him.  Now any talk about Nimai pleased him.  Now he was  no
longer interested in logic.  The logician Nimai no longer lived  in
his heart.  Now it was the devotee Nimai who lived there.  When  he
heard the sounds of khola and karatalas, his heart danced.  When he
saw  the  pure  devotees, he bowed down before them  in  his  mind.
Declaring  that  it  was  the  birthplace  of  Lord  Gauranga,   he
worshipped  the land of Navadvipa.  Vrajanatha was now  polite  and
gentle.   His  opponents in the debating arena could see  that  his
heart  had become calm and cool.  No longer was he eager to  shower
them with arrows of logical arguments.  Nyaya-cudamani thought  his
worshipable deity had made Vrajanatha powerless.  Now he felt safe.
      One day, in a secluded place, Vrajanatha said to himself, "If
Nimai  could  abandon the path of logic and turn  to  the  path  of
devotion,  then  what  is the harm we do  the  same?   When  I  was
obsessed  with  logic,  I could not hear the  name  of  Nimai  with
attention and devotion.  Then the nyaya-sastra had me in its  grip.
Then  I ignored eating, sleeping, and everything else.  Now I  look
at  the  world  with different eyes.  The arguments of  the  nyaya-
sastra no longer enters my mind.  Now only the name Gauranga enters
my  minds.   Now  when  I see the Vaisnavas  dancing  I  think  how
beautiful  the  dancing is.  But I am born in  an  exalted  vaidika
brahmana  dynasty.   My  dynasty  is  honoured  in  society.    The
Vaisnavas are very respectable people.  Still, it is not good  that
I  join them.  I worship Lord Gaura only within my thoughts.   That
is  the only proper way for me to act.  There are many Vaisnavas at
Sri  Mayapura, at the place where the Kazi broke the drums  and  at
the  place  where there are many sannyasis.  When I see  how  their
faces  are  effulgent,  I become happy at heart.   Among  them  Sri
Raghunatha dasa babaji greatly attracts my mind.  I think I  should
study  the bhakti-sastras under his guidance.  In the Vedas  it  is
said (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 4.5.6):
      "One  should  always  gaze upon, hear about,  think  of,  and
meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
      Although  the word "mantavyah" (one should think  about  Him)
here  certainly  refers  to  the nyaya-sastras,  where  by  logical
analysis  one  gradually attains knowledge of the Supreme,  I  have
already spent a long time studying logic.  Now I think it is  right
for me to do a little more "srotavyah" (hearing about the Supreme).
For  a long time logic was my life and soul.  Now I desire to  take
shelter of Lord Gaura-Hari's feet.  A little after sunset I will go
to  see Sri Raghunatha dasa babaji.  I think that is the best thing
to do."
      The  day  was ended.  The sun was almost invisible.   A  very
gentle  breeze blew from the south.  In every direction  the  birds
had  gone to their nests.  One by one the stars were visible in the
sky.  At that time the Vaisnavas had begun the arati and kirtana in
the  courtyard of Srivasa's home in Sri Mayapura.  Vrajanatha  then
slowly  entered and sat down under the bakula tree in the place  in
Srivasa's courtyard where the khola was broken.  As he listened  to
the  chanting  in  the arati of Lord Gaura-Hari, his  heart  became
softened.   When  the kirtana ended, one by one the Vaisnavas  came
and  sat  under  the  bakula tree also.   When,  proclaiming  "Jaya
Sacinanandana!,  Jaya  Rupa-Sanatana!  and  Jaya  Dasa   Gosvami!",
elderly Raghunatha dasa Babaji Mahasaya also entered the courtyard,
all  the elder Vaisnavas greeted him with dandavat obeisances.   In
that  situation Vrajanatha could not avoid also bowing down  before
him.   Seeing  the  effulgence of Vrajanatha's  face,  the  elderly
babaji embraced him and sat down beside him.  He asked, "Baba,  who
are  you?"  Vrajanatha replied, "I am a person who thirsts for  the
truth.   I  have decided to learn the truth from you.   A  Vaisnava
sitting nearby knew who Vrajanatha was.  He said, "He is Vrajanatha
Nyaya-pancanana.  In understanding nyaya-sastra no pandita  in  Sri
Navadvipa is his equal.  Nowadays he has attained a little faith in
Lord  Sacinanandana.  Thus hearing the glories of  Vrajanatha,  the
elderly babaji politely said, "Baba, you are a pandita, and we  are
poor   fools.    You  reside  in  the  holy  abode  of   our   Lord
Sacinanandana.  It is you who should be merciful to us.  How can we
teach  you?   It  is you who should mercifully tell us  about  Lord
Gauranga, and thus makes us cool and peaceful."  As the two of them
conversed, all the Vaisnavas gradually left to fulfil their various
duties.  Only the old babaji and Vrajanatha remained.
      Vrajanatha said, "O saintly babaji, I was born as a brahmana.
Therefore I am very proud of my learning.  I am so proud that I see
the  entire  world as my possession.  I do not know that  I  should
honour  saintly persons.  How did I become fortunate,  that  I  now
have  some faith in your saintly character and actions?  How can  I
know  that?   I  wish to ask one or two questions.   Please  answer
them.  I do not come to mock or trick you.  Please tell me: What is
the  true goal of life and how may the spirit soul attain it?  When
I  studied  nyaya-sastra  I came to the firm  conclusion  that  the
Supreme   Lord  and  the  individual  spirit  soul  are   different
eternally.   It is only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord  that  the
individual  spirit soul can attain liberation.  The Supreme  Lord's
mercy  is then the means by which one attains liberation.  By  that
means, then, one attains the goal of life.  Many times I asked  the
nyaya-sastra.,  'What  is the true goal of life  and  how  may  the
spirit  soul attain it?', but the nyaya-sastra gave me no  answers.
I  was  always thwarted.  Please tell me your idea of what  is  the
goal of life and the way to attain it."
      Sri  Raghunatha dasa babaji was very wise.  For many days  he
had  lived  at Radha-kunda, where he took shelter of Sri Raghunatha
dasa  Gosvami's feet.  There he spent every afternoon listening  to
Lord Gaura's pastimes from Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's own mouth.
Many  times  Sri Raghunatha dasa Babaji and Sri Krsnadasa  Kaviraja
would  discuss  the spiritual truth, and if any doubt  arose  among
them,  they  would  ask Sri Raghunatha dasa  Gosvami  to  give  the
answer.   At  that  time Sri Raghunatha dasa Babaji  was  the  most
prominent  of the pandita babajis.  Many times he and  Prema  dasa,
the paramahamsa babaji of Sri Godruma, would discuss the nature  of
pure  spiritual  love  for the Lord.  Happy  to  hear  Vrajanatha's
question,  he  replied, "O saintly Nyaya-pancanana,  a  person  who
after  studying  the nyaya-sastra is eager to understand  the  true
goal  of  life and the way to attain it is very fortunate  in  this
world.  Why should he not be considered fortunate?  Nyaya-sastra is
an  attempt  to  understand  what  is  the  most  important  thing.
Scholars  who  understand that grasp the truth of the nyaya-sastra.
However, they who study nyaya-sastra only to attain skill in debate
do  not  repeat the true fruit of nyaya.  Their labour is  all  for
nothing.   Their  lives  are wasted.  What  is  attained  when  one
follows the path that leads to the truth is called the true goal of
life.   The  method one adopts to attain that goal is  the  way  of
attaining  the  true  goal of life.  According to  their  different
qualifications, the individual souls trapped in the material  world
have  differing  conceptions of what is  the  true  goal  of  life.
Still,  the  true  goal  of  life is only  one.   It  is  not  two.
According  to  their  different qualifications,  the  spirit  souls
proclaim  three  different  goals of life.   They  are:  1.  bhukti
(material  sense gratification), 2. mukti (impersonal  liberation),
and  3.  bhakti (devotional service).  They who yearn for  material
pleasures  and  are  bound by ropes of material  karma  affix  that
bhukti  is  the true goal of life.  The scriptures are a  kamadhenu
cow  that  fulfils all desires.  Whatever one desires, there  is  a
description somewhere in the scriptures of how to attain  it.   For
they  who desire material pleasures, the scriptures give the karma-
kanda  section  of the Vedas.  The residents of the material  world
generally  yearn  for material pleasures, so the  scriptures  gives
certain  specific  instructions to them.  They  who  have  material
bodies  generally  think sense pleasures  are  the  best  and  most
important attainment.  The material world is, after all, the  abode
of material sense pleasures.  The material sense pleasures the soul
attains  from the time of birth until the time of death are  called
'pleasures  this world', and the material sense pleasures  one  may
attain after dying are called 'pleasures of the next world'.  There
are  many  different  kinds of pleasure  in  the  next  world.   In
Svargaloka  and  Indraloka there are the pleasures  of  seeing  the
apsaras'  dancing,  the  pleasure  of  drinking  heavenly   nectar,
smelling  the  flowers  and other scented objects  in  the  Nandana
gardens,  seeing  the beauty of Indrapuri and the Nandana  gardens,
hearing  the singing of the gandharvas and others, and living  with
the  Vidyadharis are all pleasures attainable in Svargaloka.  To  a
lesser degree these same kinds of material sense pleasure are  also
available  in Tapoloka and Maharloka.  In Bhuloka (the  earth)  the
material  sense  pleasures are gross.  As one goes  to  higher  and
higher  planets, the sense pleasures become more and  more  subtle.
In this way they are different.  Still, they are all material sense
pleasure.   It  is  not  that any of them are  not  material  sense
pleasures.   None of these planets are spiritual.  The subtle  body
of  mind,  intelligence and false ego is a perverted reflection  of
spirit.  In the higher planets the pleasures are pleasures  of  the
subtle  body.  All these different kinds of material pleasures  are
called  'bhukti'.  The conditioned souls trapped in the  circle  of
karma take shelter of karmic activities in order to attain material
sense  pleasures.  That is called their 'sadhana', the  means  they
adopt  to  attain what they see is the true goal of life.   In  the
Yajur Veda (2.5.5.) it is said:
      "One  who  desires  to attain Svargaloka should  perform  the
asvamedha-yajna."
      Thus  the  asvamedha-yajna, agnistoma-yajna,  visvadeva-bali,
istapurta, and darsa-paurnamasi are some of the ways the scriptures
give  for  the conditioned soul to attain material sense pleasures.
In  this  way the materialists say that material sense pleasure  is
the  true goal of life.  Then there are other persons who, tortured
by  the  flames of trouble that must accompany life in the material
world,  know  that the fourteen material worlds filled  with  sense
pleasures  are  all unimportant and unworthy places, and  therefore
yearn  to  escape  the circle of karmic reactions.   These  persons
think  that  liberation is the true goal of life.  They think  that
material  sense  pleasures are the ropes  that  bind  them  to  the
material  world.   Therefore they say, 'Let they whose  desire  for
material  pleasures has not been destroyed follow the karma-kanda's
prescription  for attaining sense pleasures.  Nevertheless  in  the
Bhagavad-gita  (9.21) it is said: ksine punye martya-lokam  visanti
(When  they have thus enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, they  return
to  this  mortal planet again.  Thus, through the Vedic principles,
they achieve only flickering happiness*).  In this sloka it is seen
that material sense pleasure is not eternal.  At a certain point it
certainly wanes and perishes.  It must perish.  It is material.  It
is  not  spiritual.  One should therefore strive to attain a result
that  is eternal.  Liberation is eternal.  Therefore liberation  is
the true goal of life for all spirit souls.  The fourteen practices
that  begin with renunciation are the way to attain it.   Therefore
they are the way of attaining the true goal of life.  Therefore  to
understand the true goal, of life and the way to attain, one should
study  the  jnana-kanda portion of the Vedas'.  The scriptures  are
like  a  kamadhenu  cow  in  that  the  scriptures  give  different
attainments  to  different  living  entities  according  to   their
different  qualification.  Even if a spirit soul attains impersonal
liberation,  that liberation is not the final goal  of  life.   The
highest  stage of impersonal liberation is called 'nirvana',  where
the  individual  souls imagine that they cease to exist.   However,
the spirit souls exist eternally.  That is their nature.  Therefore
this   imaginary  'nirvana'  never  actually  occurs.    That   the
individual spirit souls are eternal is confirmed by these words  of
Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.13):
      'The  Supreme  Lord  is  eternal and the  living  beings  are
eternal.   The Supreme Lord is cognisant and the living beings  are
cognisant.'*
      In  this  way  the Vedic mantras affirm that  the  individual
spirit  soul  exists eternally.  It is not possible  for  something
that exists eternally to ever cease to exist.  They who affirm that
the individual spirit soul continues to exist even after liberation
also  affirm  that neither 'bhukti' (material sense pleasures)  nor
'mukti'  (liberation) are the final, highest goal of  life.   These
are  lesser  goals.  All activities are in relation to a particular
goal  and  a  method of attaining that goal.  The  goal  is  called
'sadhya',  and  the  means  by  which  one  attains  it  is  called
'sadhana'.   Think of it in this way: goals and ways  of  attaining
them  are  like  links in a chain.  What at first is  considered  a
goal,  later  becomes a means and something else is the  goal.   In
this  way goals and means are like links in a chain, with each goal
being  eventually  hanged into a means for attaining  a  new  goal.
Continuing in this way there is one final goal that does not become
the  means of attaining another goal.  That final goal is  'bhakti'
(devotional  service).  Therefore devotional service is  the  final
goal,  because  devotional service is the  eternal  nature  of  the
individual  spirit souls.  The activities of human beings  are  all
various  links  in  this chain of goals and means.   The  different
kinds  of  karmic  activities are different links  in  this  chain.
Following  them,  the different kinds of philosophical  speculation
(jnana)  are  also links in this chain.  After the links  that  are
philosophical  speculation, come to the link  'bhakti'  (devotional
service).   The  goal  of fruitive activities (karma)  is  material
sense  pleasure  (bhukti).   The goal of philosophical  speculation
(jnana)  is  impersonal liberation (mukti).  The goal of devotional
service  (bhakti)  is pure love of God (prema-bhakti).   The  final
conclusion, then, is that bhakti is the final means, and  the  goal
attained   by   bhakti  is  bhakti.   Fruitive  work  (karma)   and
philosophical  speculation (jnana) are then only  the  primary  and
intermediate links in the chain of means of goals.  They  are   not
the goal."
      Vrajanatha:  It  is  said  in the scriptures  (Brhad-aranyaka
Upanisad 4.5.25 and 2.4.24):
     "Who is the seer and who the seen?"
     It is also said (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 1.4.10):
     "I am Brahman."
     It is also said (Aitareya Upanisad 1.5.3):
     "Brahman is spiritual truth."
     It is also said (Chandogya Upanisad 6.8.70):
     "O Svetaketu, you are that."
     In these and many other passages of scripture it is not at all
seen that devotional service is the final goal.  Therefore, how can
it be wrong to say that impersonal liberation is the final goal?
      Babaji:  I  have  already said that the goals  are  different
according  to  the different desires of the living entities.   They
who  yearn  after material sense pleasures do not accept liberation
as  the  final  goal.   To  these  persons  the  scriptures  advise
(Apastamba Srauta-sutra 2.1.1):
     "They who perform the caturmasya-yajnas attain immortality."
      There  are also many other passages like this.  Baba, is  the
word  'mukti' (liberation) of any use at all?  The fruitive workers
(karmis) do not aspire for it.  They ask, "Why is the word  'mukti'
(liberation)  never mentioned in the mantras of  the  four  Vedas?"
One or two karmi philosophers claim that renunciation is only meant
for  the  incompetent, and they are competent should be engaged  in
fruitive  work  (karma).  These instructions  are  written  in  the
scriptures  so  that  persons  situated  in  the  lowest  level  of
spiritual qualification may be steady in their duties.  It  is  not
auspicious  for  the living entities to shirk the duties  that  fit
their  spiritual  qualification.  When a person is  steady  in  the
duties  for which he is qualified, he easily becomes qualified  for
the  next  level of duties.  Therefore the Vedas do  not  criticise
being  steady  in  one's duties.  Rather, one  who  criticises  the
performance of duties himself falls down.  The souls in this  world
who have become advanced in spiritual life have all reaped the good
results  of  being  steady in their duties.  The  impersonal  path,
where  one  employs  philosophical speculation  (jnana)  to  attain
liberation, is not revealed to persons qualified only for  fruitive
work (karma).  The impersonal path, where one employs philosophical
speculation  (jnana) to attain liberation, is not  praised  in  the
presence  of persons qualified only for fruitive work.   The  Vedic
mantras  praise  it  only in the presence of persons  qualified  to
follow the impersonal path.  As the impersonal path is superior  to
the  path  of fruitive work, so the path of devotional  service  is
superior to the impersonal path.  By speaking words like "tat  tvam
asi"  (You are that) and "aham brahmasi" (I am Brahman), the  Vedic
mantras  make  the impersonalist steady in his duty  of  acting  to
attain liberation.  The Vedas are not to be blamed for doing  that.
Still,  the  impersonal  liberation  described  there  is  not  the
ultimate stage.  The final conclusion of the Vedic mantras is  that
the  final  goal  is  love  of God and that  goal  is  attained  by
performing devotional service.
     Vrajanatha: Is it possible that great maha-vakyas of the Vedas
have describe only secondary goals and  means?
      Babaji: You may call some mantras maha-vakyas, but the  Vedas
themselves do not distinguish any particular mantras as better than
the others.  In order to claim that their doctrine is superior, the
impersonalist  teachers have labelled some mantras maha-vakya,  and
all  other  Vedic mantras are subordinate to it.  If one wishes  to
call  all the statements of the Vedas maha-vakyas, there is nothing
wrong  in  that.   However, if one wishes to label  one  particular
mantra the maha-vakya, and all the others ordinary vakyas, then one
commits  an  offense to the sacred Vedas.  In the  Vedas  there  is
praise  for fruitive work (karma), praise for impersonal liberation
(mukti),  and praise for many other goals and means also.   Still,,
one  must consider everything as a whole and determine what is  the
final  conclusion of all the Vedas.  The Vedas are like a cow,  and
the  milkman is Lord Krsna.  It is He who reveals the true  purpose
of all the Vedas.  He explains (Bhagavad-gita 6.46-47):
      "A  yogi  is  greater  than  the ascetic,  greater  than  the
empiricist  and  greater than the fruitive  worker.   Therefore,  O
Arjuna, in all circumstances be a yogi.*
      "And  of  all  yogis, he who always abides in Me  with  great
faith,  worshipping Me in transcendental loving  service,  is  most
intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all."*
     In the Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.23) it is also said:
      "Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in  both
the  Lord  and  the spiritual master are all the imports  of  Vedic
knowledge automatically revealed."*
     In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad (1.14) it is said:
      "Devotional service to Lord Krsna is performed when the heart
no  longer desires any material benefit to be obtained in this life
or the next.  This is freedom from the bonds of karma."
     In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (1.4.8) it is said:
     "One should worship the Supreme Lord, considering Him the most
dear."
     In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (4.5.6) it is also said:
      "One should gaze on the Supreme Personality of Godhead,  hear
about Him, think of Him, and meditate upon Him."
     One who analyses these statements of the Vedas will easily see
that  devotional service is described in the Vedas as the means  to
attain the goal of life.
     Vrajanatha: In the karma-kanda section of the Vedas it is said
that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate awarder  of
the  fruits of karma.  In this way the karma-kanda enjoins  one  to
have  faith  in  devotional  service.   In  the  jnana-kanda  also,
pleasing  Lord  Hari  by  engaging in  His  devotional  service  is
described  as  one  of the four means of attaining  the  goal.   If
devotional  service  is thus one of the means  employed  to  attain
sense  gratification  and  impersonal  liberation,  then  how   can
devotional  service  be  the  final  goal  of  life?   When   sense
gratification or impersonal liberation are attained, then the means
employed  to  get them are thrown away.  That is what is  generally
taught.  Please give me some clear teaching on this point.
      Babaji:  In the karma-kanda portion of the Vedas it  is  said
that  one  should engage in devotional service in order  to  attain
sense gratification, and in the jnana-kanda portion of the Vedas it
is  said that to attain impersonal liberation one should engage  in
devotional  service.   That is true.  Without  first  pleasing  the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, no one can attain any result.   The
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the abode of all potencies.   The
individual  spirit souls and the material worlds are only  a  small
part  of the Lord's potencies.  The Supreme Lord is not pleased  by
fruitive work (karma) or impersonal speculations (jnana).  However,
when  karma and jnana take shelter of devotional service, they  can
give certain results.  Therefore it is said that in karma and jnana
the  reflection  of  devotional service is present.   However,  the
devotional  service seen in karma and jnana is not pure  devotional
service.   It  is  merely a reflection of true devotional  service,
present  there  to  give  certain  results.   This  reflection   of
devotional  service  is  of two kinds: 1. the  reflection  of  pure
devotional  service,  and  2. the reflection  of  mixed  devotional
service.  The reflection of pure devotional service I will describe
later.   The  reflection of mixed  devotional service is  of  three
kinds: 1. the reflection of devotional service mixed with karma, 2.
the  reflection of devotional service mixed with jnana, and 3.  the
reflection  of devotional service mixed with both karma and  jnana.
At  the  time of performing a yajna one may say, "O Indra, O Surya,
please be merciful and give me the result of this yajna."  This  is
an example of the reflection of devotional service mixed with karma
(karma-viddha-bhakty-abhasa).    Some   philosophers   call    this
reflected devotional service karma-misra bhakti (devotional service
mixed   with  karma),  and  others  call  it  aropa-siddha   bhakti
(artificial  devotional service).  Another example is seen  in  the
words, "O Krsna, pushed by fear of repeated birth and death, I  now
approach You.  Day after day I chant the Hare Krsna mantra.  Please
be merciful and give me impersonal liberation."  Another example is
the words, "O Supreme Lord, You are Brahman, and I have fallen into
the  abyss  of maya.  Please pick me up and make me one with  You."
These  two  statements are examples of the reflection of devotional
service  mixed  with jnana.  Some philosophers call  this  kind  of
reflected devotional service jnana-misra bhakti (devotional service
mixed   with  jnana),  and  others  call  it  aropa-siddha   bhakti
(artificial   devotional  service).   All  these   reflections   of
devotional service are different from pure devotional service.  The
devotional  service described by the Lord Himself in  Bhagavad-gita
6.47 (sraddhavan bhajate yo mam) is pure devotional service.  It is
that  kind  of  devotional service that we adopt as  the  means  to
attain  the goal of prema (pure love of God).  Karma and jnana  are
the  means to attain sense gratification and impersonal liberation.
They  are   not the means for the individual spirit soul to  regain
his eternal nature."
       After  hearing  all  this,  Vrajanatha  could  not  ask  any
questions.  He though, It will be good to make the argument for the
nyaya-sastra wait for a while as I think about this subtle  points.
The saintly babaji is especially learned about this topic.  In time
I will ask him questions and then I will learn what is the truth of
this.   Now  it is night.  I should return home."  Then  Vrajanatha
said aloud, "O saintly babaji, I have learned many truths from  you
today.   From  time  to  time I will return.   Please  continue  to
instruct  me.  You are a very great teacher, and I am dependent  on
your  mercy.  There is one thing I wish to know.  When I hear  your
reply  I will depart.  Did Lord Gauranga the son of Saci write  any
book of His teachings?  I would like to have such a book."
     Babaji: Sri Sri Mahaprabhu did not write any book Himself.  By
His  order  His followers wrote many books.  Mahaprabhu  personally
wrote eight verses, called Siksastaka, which are like a jewels  the
devotees  wear around their necks.  The teachings in them are  very
profound.  Studying these deep truths, the devotees have written  a
poem  called Dasa-mula (the Ten Roots).  In this poem the goal  and
the  means  are  briefly  described  in  terms  of  sambandha  (the
relationship  of  the  living entities and the Supreme),  abhidheya
(the activities of that relationship) and prayojana (the final goal
of life).  You should begin by understanding this poem.
      Vrajanatha replied, "As you order.  Tomorrow evening  I  will
return  and  learn this Dasa-mula from you.  You are my  siksa-guru
(instructing  spiritual  master).  I offer dandavat  obeisances  to
you."   The  saintly babaji politely embraced him and said,  "Baba,
You  purify  the  community  of brahmanas.   Please  come  tomorrow
evening.  That will please me very much."

Chapter Thirteen
Nitya-dharma   O   Sambandhabhidheya-prayojana  (Pramana-vicara   O
Prameya Arambha)
Eternal  Religion and Sambandha, Abhidheya and Prayojana  (Evidence
and Truth)
      The  next  evening Vrajanatha sat down under the bakula  tree
facing the courtyard of Srivasa's home.  The saintly elderly babaji
had  developed  a  kind of paternal love for  Vrajanatha.   He  was
waiting  for  Vrajanatha  to come.  When  Vrajanatha  arrived,  the
babaji  at once came out from the courtyard.  Embracing Vrajanatha,
he  took  him to his cottage (bhajana-kutira) in a grove of jasmine
vines to one side of Srivasa's courtyard.  Touching the dust of the
saintly  babaji's feet, Vrajanatha thought that his  life  had  now
become successful.  He humbly said, "O saintly babaji, please teach
me  the  Dasa-mula, which contains the essence of our Lord  Nimai's
teachings."
      His  heart  blossoming  with  happiness  to  hear  this  very
appropriate  question,  the  elderly babaji  said,  "Baba,  I  will
explain the Dasa-mula to you.  You are a pandita.  Please carefully
understand  the truths described in these verses.  The first  verse
is this:
      "The Vedas teach that Lord Hari is the Supreme Truth.  He has
all  potencies  and He is an ocean of the nectar of  transcendental
mellows.   The  individual spirit souls, which are  His  parts-and-
parcels, are divided into groups, some swallowed up by the material
energy, and others free from her clutches.  Everything that  exists
is  simultaneously  one and different from  Him.   Pure  devotional
service  is  the way to attain Lord Hari.  The goal of life  is  to
love  Him.   This Lord Gauracandra personally taught to the  living
entities."
      In the verses that begin here, Sriman Gauracandra teaches ten
truths  to  the faithful souls.  Of these the first verse describes
the  various  kinds  of  evidence, and the  remaining  nine  verses
describe  various truths learned from these evidences.   First  the
evidence  is  given, and then the truths that may be  learned  from
that  evidence.  Evidence is called 'pramana'.  The  verse  I  have
just  recited is an introductory verse that contains a  summary  of
the  "Dasa-mula".  The verse that follows it is the first verse  of
the Dasa-mula proper.  In verses two through eight the relationship
(sambandha) of the souls and the Lord is revealed.  In  verse  nine
the activities (abhidheya) of that relationship are described.   In
verse  ten  the  true  need of the living entities  (prayojana)  is
described.  The meaning of the introductory, summary verse is this:
The  word 'amnayah' means 'the statements of the Vedas as they  are
understood  through  the  disciplic succession."   The  Vedas,  the
Srimad  Bhagavatam and other Smrti-sastras that follow  the  Vedas,
and  the direct perception and other kinds of evidence that support
the  evidence  of scripture are all called 'pramana', or  evidence.
These evidences support the following definite conclusions: 1. Lord
Hari  is  the Supreme Truth, 2. He has all potencies, 3. He  is  an
ocean of the nectar of transcendental mellows, 4. the two liberated
and  conditioned souls are His parts-and-parcels, 5. some souls are
imprisoned  by  the  material energy,  and  others  free  from  her
clutches,  6.  the  entire material universe, which  contains  both
matter  and  spirit,  is  inconceivably,  simultaneously  one   and
different from Him, 7. devotional service is the way to attain Lord
Hari, and 8. the goal of life is to love Lord Krsna.
      After hearing this summary verse, Vrajanatha said, "O saintly
babaji,  now  is  not the time for me to ask any questions.   After
you  recite  the  first verse I will speak any questions  that  may
arise  in my heart.  Hearing this, the elderly babaji said,  "Good.
Good.  I will recite the first of these mula verses.  Please listen
carefully.
      "The  self-evident  Vedas, which by  Lord  Hari's  mercy  are
obtained  from the disciplic succession beginning with the  demigod
Brahma,  and  which are accompanied by other sources  of  evidence,
such  as direct perception, are the evidence for the following nine
truths.   Ordinary logic, called 'tarka', has no power to  enter  a
discussion of these truths."
      Vrajanatha:  Is  there any evidence i the Vedas  that  Brahma
taught disciples?
     Babaji: Yes.  There is.  In the Mundaka Upanisad (1.1.1) it is
said:
      "Brahma,  who  is  the  first demigod,  the  creator  of  the
universe,  the  protector of the worlds,  spoke  knowledge  of  the
Supreme,  the first of all kinds of knowledge, to his  eldest  son,
Artharva."
     There it is also said (Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.13):
     "Brahma taught him the science of the eternal Supreme Person."
      Vrajanatha:  Is there any evidence that when they  wrote  the
Smrti-sastras  the  sages gave the proper  interpretations  of  the
Vedas?
      Babaji: In Srimad Bhagavatam, which is the crest jewel of all
scriptures,  the  Supreme Personality of Godhead  Himself  explains
(11.14.3):
      "At  the time of cosmic annihilation, the Vedas became  lost.
At  the beginning of the next creation I again taught the Vedas  to
the demigod Brahma, for the principles of true religion are My very
heart.  Then Brahma repeated this knowledge to his first son  Manu.
Then  the  seven great sages, whose leader is Bhrgu,  learned  this
knowledge from Manu."
     Vrajanatha: Why is there a Vaisnava disciplic succession?
     Babaji: Misled by impersonalism, many people in the world have
left the true path.  If the devotees untainted by impersonalism  do
not  have  their  own disciplic succession, then it  will  be  very
difficult  to  associate with true devotees of the  Lord.   In  the
Padma Purana it is written:
      "Unless you are initiated by a bona-fide spiritual master  in
the  disciplic succession, the mantra that you might have  received
is  without  any effect.*  The four Vaisnava disciplic successions,
beginning  from Laksmi-devi, Brahma, Siva and Sanaka  Kumara,  have
purified the entire world."
      Of all of these, the disciplic succession from Lord Brahma is
the  oldest.   The  disciplic succession  begins  with  Brahma  and
extends even to the present day.  The Vedas, Vedangas, Vedanta, and
other  scriptures have been passed down unchanged from  an  ancient
time, carefully preserved by the disciplic succession.  Nothing has
been  changed  or  added to the scripture under  the  care  of  the
disciplic succession.  Therefore no one should doubt that the Vedas
and  other  scriptures that are accepted by the bona-fide disciplic
succession  are authentic.  There is a great need for  a  bona-fide
disciplic  succession.  Therefore from the earliest time the  great
saints have followed the bona-fide disciplic succession.
       Vrajanatha:  Are  there  complete  lists  of  the  disciplic
successions?
     Babaji: The lists contain the names of only the most important
acaryas.  It is their names that are included in the lists.
      Vrajanatha:  I  wish  to  hear the list  of  acaryas  in  the
disciplic succession from Brahman.
     Babaji: Here is the list:
      "Lord Brahma is the direct disciple of Visnu, the Lord of the
spiritual sky.  His disciple is Narada, Narada's disciple is Vyasa,
and   Vyasa's  disciples  are  Sukadeva  Gosvami  and  Madhvacarya.
Padmanabha  Acarya is the disciple of Madhvacarya, and Narahari  is
the  disciple  of  Padmanabha Acarya.  Madhava is the  disciple  of
Narahari,   Aksobhya  is  the  direct  disciple  of  Madhava,   and
Jayatirtha  is the disciple of Aksobhya.  Jayatirtha's disciple  is
Jnanasindhu,  and  his disciple is Mahanidhi.   Vidyanidhi  is  the
disciple  of Mahanidhi, and Rajendra is the disciple of Vidyanidhi.
Jayadharma  is  the  disciple  of  Rajendra.   Purusottama  is  the
disciple  of  Jayadharma.  Sriman Laksmipati  is  the  disciple  of
Vyasatirtha,  who is the disciple of Purusottama.  And  Madhavendra
Puri is the disciple of Laksmipati."*
      Vrajanatha: In this verse it is said that the Vedas  are  the
'only evidence', and direct perception along with the other sources
of  evidence, should be accepted only to help in understanding  the
Vedas.  However, nyaya, sankhya and the other philosophies are also
sources  of  evidence.  The Puranas, direct perception,  inference,
comparison,    the   Vedas,   the   Vedic   histories    (Itihasa).
Understanding    something    by   its    absence    (anupalabdhi),
circumstantial  evidence (arthapatti), and  probability  (sambhava)
are all considered different sources of evidence.  Why should it be
considered  that  some  kinds of evidence are  more  valuable  than
others.   If  direct  perception and inference are  not  considered
sources  of evidence, then what kind of knowledge will one be  able
to get?  Please explain this so that I may understand.
      Babaji: Direct perception and other sources of evidence  like
it  all depend on the material senses.  The material senses of  the
conditioned   soul  are  subject  to  four  defects:    1.   bhrama
(mistakes),  2. pramada (illusions), 3. vipralipsa (cheating),  and
4.  karanapatava (sensory inefficiency).  How can one  attain  true
knowledge with such faulty instruments?  The Supreme Personality of
Godhead  Himself  appeared in the hearts of the  great  saints  and
sages  as they were rapt in meditation on Him.  The Lord then  gave
them  the  perfect knowledge that is the Vedas.  Therefore  without
fear one can accept the Vedas as truth.
      Vrajanatha:  Please  explain these  four  defects:  mistakes,
illusions, cheating, and sensory inefficiency.
      Babaji:  When the imperfect material senses make mistakes  in
perceiving the world around it, that is called 'bhrama'.  Seeing  a
mirage  in  the  desert  is an example  of  such  a  mistake.   The
intelligence of the conditioned souls is limited.  Therefore,  when
such  a  limited  intelligence tries to  understand  the  unlimited
Supreme  Truth, the limited intelligence is bound to be  illusioned
in  many  ways.  That is called 'pramada'.  An example of  this  is
seen  when  the material intelligence, limited by time  and  space,
questions  how the Supreme Person could have created  the  material
world  of  time  and  space.   Doubt is called  'vipralipsa'.   The
material   senses  are  not  very  efficient  tools  for  acquiring
knowledge.  When they make mistakes again and again that is  called
'karanapatava'.
      Vrajanatha:  Do not sensory perception and other  sources  of
knowledge have any value at all?
     Babaji: Is there a way to understand the material world except
with  the  material  senses and other like  sources  of  knowledge?
Still,  all  these sources of knowledge are powerless to understand
the  spiritual  world.  For the spiritual world the Vedas  are  the
only  source  of  knowledge.  If sense perception and  these  other
sources of evidence confirm the truths revealed in the Vedas,  then
the  knowledge and other life sources of knowledge may be  accepted
only when they confirm the teachings of the self-perfect Vedas.
     Vrajanatha: Are the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and other
like scriptures not sources of true knowledge?
      Babaji:  The  Bhagavad-gita has come from the  mouth  of  the
Supreme Lord Himself.  It is also called the Gita Upanisad.  It  is
counted  as  one of the Vedas.  Because they are the  teachings  of
Lord  Gauranga,  the ten verses of Dasa-mula are also  one  of  the
Vedas.   The  Srimad  Bhagavatam is  an  anthology  of  the  truths
described  in the Vedas.  It is the crest jewel of all  sources  of
knowledge.  If they confirm the Vedas' teachings, the other  smrti-
sastras are also sources of true knowledge.  The tantra-sastra  are
of  three  kinds:  1. those in the mode of goodness,  2.  those  in
passion,  and  3. those in ignorance.  Among them, the  pancaratras
and  other  tantras in the mode of goodness expand the confidential
portions of the Vedas' teachings.  The word 'tantra' comes from the
verbal  root  'tan' (to expand). Therefore these tantras  are  also
counted among the sources of true knowledge.
      Vrajanatha: The Vedas consist of many different books.  Among
them which should be accepted and which not?  Please tell me.
      Babaji:   In  the  course  of time certain  unscrupulous  men
interpolated many new chapters, mandalas, and mantras in  the  text
of  the Vedas.  Therefore it is not that all the parts of the Vedas
should be accepted.  What in the course of time the acaryas in  the
bona  fide  disciplic  succession have  accepted,  that  should  be
considered   the   actual  Veda.   What  they  have   rejected   as
interpolations should not be accepted.
      Vrajanatha: What books of the Vedas have the acaryas  of  the
bona fide disciplic successions accepted?
      Babaji: The acaryas have accepted the twelve Upanisads  named
Isa,  Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya,
Chandogya, Brhad-aranyaka and Svetasvatara, as well as the  Gopala-
tapani  Upanisad, the Nrsimha-tapani Upanisad and other like tapani
Upanisads,  as well as the brahmanas, mandalas, and other  portions
of  the  Rg,  Yajur,  Sama, and Atharva Vedas.   The  acaryas  have
accepted all these books as sources of genuine knowledge.
      Vrajanatha:  You said that material logic  has  no  power  to
understand spiritual things.  What is the proof of that?
     Babaji: In the Katha Upanisad (1..2.9) it is said:
     "The spiritual truth cannot be understood by material logic."
     In the Vedanta-sutra (2.1.11) it is said:
      "Transcendental topics cannot be understood  by  argument  or
logic."*
      In  these and other statement of the Veda and Vedanta  it  is
seen  that material logic cannot be counted on as a source of  true
spiritual knowledge.  In the Mahabharata (Bhisma-parva 5.22) it  is
said:
       "Anything  transcendental  to  material  nature  is   called
inconceivable,  whereas arguments are all mundane.   Since  mundane
arguments  cannot touch transcendental subject matters, one  should
not  try  to  understand  transcendental  subject  matters  through
mundane arguments."*
      In  these  words of the Mahabharata, the limits  of  material
logic  are  seen.   The conclusion of devotional  service  is  also
explained  in  these words written by Srila Rupa  Gosvami  (Bhakti-
rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.32):
      "For persons who have a natural taste for understanding books
like  Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.  Devotional  service  is
easier  than for those simply accustomed to mental speculation  and
argumentative processes."*
       Material   logic  cannot  bring  a  definitive,   conclusive
understanding.   This is described in the following words  (Bhakti-
rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.33):
      "A  person may become governed by certain convictions derived
by  his own arguments and decisions.  Then another person, who  may
be a greater logician, will nullify these conclusions and establish
another  thesis.  In this way the path of argument  will  never  be
safe or conclusive."*
      If  this  is so, then what is the use of material  logic  and
argument?
      Vrajanatha:  O saintly babaji, I accept that the self-perfect
Vedas  are  the best of all sources of knowledge.  If they  try  to
contradict  the Vedas, the logicians are merely speaking  in  vain.
Now please recite the second verse of the Dasa-mula.
     Babaji:
     "Lord Hari is the only Supreme Truth.  Brahma, Siva, and Indra
bow  down  before Him.  The impersonal Brahman, which is completely
untouched by matter, is the effulgence of His transcendental  form.
The all-pervading Supersoul is His expansion.  He is the father  of
the material universes.  He is the lover of Sri Radha.  His form is
splendid like a dark monsoon cloud.  He is completely spiritual."
     Vrajanatha: The Upanisads teach that the impersonal Brahman is
the highest truth and it is beyond the touch of matter.  Why, then,
does  Sriman  Gaura-Hari affirm that it is the effulgence  of  Lord
Hari's body?  Please explain that to me.
      Babaji:  Lord  Hari  is the Supreme Personality  of  Godhead,
Bhagavan.   The  word  'bhagavan'  means  "He  who  possesses   six
opulences".  In the Visnu Purana (6.5.47) it is written:
       "Full   wealth,  strength,  fame,  beauty,   knowledge   and
renunciation  -  these  are  the  six  opulences  of  the   Supreme
Personality of Godhead."*
      These  six  opulences are interrelated, like the limbs  of  a
body.   Which  of them is the body?  Which of them are  the  limbs?
The  body is the resting place of the limbs.  The tree is the body,
and  the  branches are the limbs.  The whole form is the body,  and
the  hands and feet are included among the limbs.  The body is  the
resting  place of the limbs.  Of the Supreme Lord's opulences,  His
handsomeness  is the body and the other opulences  are  the  limbs.
Wealth, strength, and fame are three limbs.  The effulgence of fame
consists  of knowledge and renunciation.  Therefore these  two  are
the  effulgence of one of the limbs.  They are the opulences of  an
opulence.  They are not direct opulences themselves.  Knowledge  of
changeless spirit and renunciation of matter are the parts  of  the
body  of  the  impersonal Brahman.  The impersonal Brahman  is  the
effulgence  emanating  from the spiritual worlds.   The  unchanging
inactive  formless,  qualityless Brahman  is  not  the  independent
highest  truth.   It  is  the form of the  Supreme  Personality  of
Godhead that is the independent highest truth.  The light of a fire
is not independent.  It is the fire itself that is independent, and
the light is merely one of the fire's qualities.
      Vrajanatha: In many places in the Vedas, after the impersonal
Brahman  was  described,  the text declared,  "Om  Santih.  Santih.
Harih.  Om."  In the way the Vedas affirm the superiority  of  Lord
Hari.  Who is Lord Hari?
     Babaji: Lord Hari is Radha and Krsna, who enjoy transcendental
pastimes.
      Vrajanatha: I will ask about this later.  Now please tell me:
What  kind  of  expansion  of the Supreme Lord  (bhagavan)  is  the
Supersoul (paramatma), the father of the material universes?
      Babaji:  Employing the two opulences of wealth and  strength,
the  Supreme  Lord  created  the material  world  of  maya.   After
creating the world, the Lord expanded Himself as Visnu and  entered
it.   When the Lord expands Himself, each expansion is perfect  and
complete.   This  is  described in the following  words  of  Brhad-
aranyaka Upanisad (5.1):
      "The  Supreme Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete,
and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such
as  this  phenomenal  world,  are perfectly  equipped  as  complete
wholes.   Whatever  is  produced of  the  complete  whole  is  also
complete in itself.  Because He is the complete whole, even  though
so  many  complete units emanate from Him, He remains the  complete
balance."*
      Therefore  the Supersoul (paramatma), is Lord Visnu,  who  is
perfect  and complete, who has entered the material world, and  who
protects  the material world.  Lord Visnu thus manifests  in  three
forms,  as:  1.  Karanodakasayi  Visnu,  Ksirodakasayi  Visnu,  and
Garbhodakasayi Visnu.  The Karana Ocean, which is also known as the
Viraja  River,, lies on the boundary that separates  the  spiritual
and  material  worlds.   To  that place Lord  Maha-Visnu  goes  and
reclines  on  the  Karana Ocean.  Thus He is Karanodakasayi  Visnu.
Glancing at her from far away, the Lord employs Maya-devi to create
the material world.  The Lord Himself describes this in these words
of Bhagavad-gita (9.10):
      "The material nature is working under My direction, O son  of
Kunti, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings."*
     In the Vedas it is said (Aitareya Upanisad 1.1.):
      "The Supreme Personality of Godhead glanced over the material
creation."*
     It is also said (Aitareya Upanisad 1.1):
      "The  Supreme  Personality  of Godhead  created  this  entire
material world."*
     The Supreme Lord, whose glance is so powerful, expands Himself
as  Garbhodakasayi  Visnu  and  enters  the  material  world.   The
particles of light that constitute Lord Maha-Visnu's glance are the
conditioned spirit souls.  Into the heart of each conditioned soul,
the Lord enters in a form the size of a thumb.  That form is called
Ksirodakasayi Visnu or Hiranyagarbha.  Thus the Supreme Personality
of Godhead and the individual spirit soul both reside in the heart.
This  is  described in the following words of Svetasvatara Upanisad
(4.6):
      "The  individual  spirit  soul  and  the  Supersoul,  Supreme
Personality of godhead, are like two friendly birds sitting on  the
same tree."*
      In  this  way  the  Sruti-sastra explains  that  the  Supreme
Personality of Godhead and the individual spirit soul are like  two
birds.   The bird that is the Supreme Personality of Godhead  gives
the  fruits  of  karma, and the bird that is the individual  spirit
soul  tries to enjoy the material world.  In Bhagavad-gita  (10.41-
42), the Supreme Lord declares:
      "Know  that  all  beautiful, glorious, and  mighty  creations
spring from but a spark of My splendour.*
      "But  what  need  is  there, Arjuna, for  all  this  detailed
knowledge?  With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and  support
this entire creation."*
      Therefore  the  Supersoul (paramatma), who  creates,  enters,
protects  and controls the material world, is an expansion  of  the
Supreme Personality of Godhead (bhagavan).
      Vrajanatha:  I  accept  that the impersonal  Brahman  is  the
effulgence  of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's body  and  that
the  Supersoul is His expansion.  Now please tell me:  What is  the
proof  that  Lord  Krsna  is  the  original  form  of  the  Supreme
Personality of Godhead?
      Babaji:  The Supreme Personality of Godhead has all  opulence
and  sweetness eternally.  When His opulence is manifested,  He  is
Lord Narayana, the master of the spiritual world and the origin  of
Lord  Maha-Visnu.  Thus when His pastimes of opulence are  manifest
He  is  Lord  Narayana,  and  when His pastimes  of  sweetness  are
manifest, He is Lord Krsna.  Lord Krsna possesses the highest limit
of  sweetness.  The effulgence of His sweetness is so great that it
eclipses   all   opulence  that  exist  anywhere.   Therefore   the
conclusion  is that Lord Narayana and Lord Krsna are not different.
However,   in  the  spiritual  world  the  greatest  sweetness   of
transcendental mellows is present in Lord Krsna.  He is the highest
resting place of all transcendental mellows.  This is explained  in
the following words of the Rg Veda (1.22.164.31):
      "I have seen a certain gopa dressed in colourful garments and
accompanied  by many beautiful girls as He wanders the pathways  in
the  spiritual  world.  That same gopa again and again  enters  the
material worlds and stays in the hearts of the living beings."
     In the Chandogya Upanisad (8.13.1) it is said:
      "To  attain Sri Radha I surrender to Lord Krsna.   To  attain
Lord Krsna I surrender to Sri Radha."
       These   verses  describe  the  liberated  souls  and   their
relationship with Lord Krsna.  In Srimad Bhagavatam (1.3.28) it  is
said:
      "All  of the above-mentioned incarnations are either  plenary
portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but  Lord
Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead."*
     In the Bhagavad-gita (7.7) Lord Krsna Himself declares:
     "O conqueror of wealth (Arjuna), there is no truth superior to
Me."*
     In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad (1.20) it is said:
       "Lord   Krsna  is  the  worshipable,  all-pervading  supreme
controller, and although He is one, He manifests in many forms."
      Vrajanatha: Lord Krsna has an average-sized form.  How can He
be present everywhere?  If we accept that Lord Krsna has a form, we
must  also accept that His form can only stay in one place at time.
Now He must fall under the control of the material modes. No longer
can  He  be  supremely independent.  How call all these defects  be
removed from Lord Krsna?
      Babaji:  Baba,  you  are a conditioned soul  trapped  in  the
material world of maya.  That is why you have all these doubts.  As
long  as  it is bound by the ropes of maya, your intelligence  will
never  be able to touch the transcendental reality.  When it  tries
to  understand  the  pure spiritual reality, it  will  assume  that
spirit has qualities and forms just like those of matter.  When  it
does  this,  the intelligence becomes worried that it has  followed
the  wrong path.  Then the intelligence begins to imagine that  the
Supreme  Spirit  has no form and no qualities.   In  this  way  the
intelligence becomes cheated and cannot understand the truth  about
the  Supreme  Spirit.  In truth the defects you think might  affect
the  ordinary sized form of Lord Krsna do not have any  bearing  on
His  true  spiritual  form.  The idea that the  Supreme  Spirit  is
"formless",  "unchanging", and "inactive"  are  ideas  obtained  by
looking  for  the exact opposites of what appears in  the  material
world.   These are also qualities of a certain kind.  Qualities  of
another  kind  are Lord Krsna's handsome form, His face  blossoming
with  happiness,  His  lotus  eyes,  His  lotus  feet,  which  give
peacefulness  to the devotees, and all His graceful  limbs  perfect
for enjoying transcendental pastimes.  This pure spiritual  form of
Lord  Krsna  is one feature of the Lord.  When these two  features,
the  personal and impersonal, are considered, it is seen  that  the
average-sized form of Lord Krsna is the most handsome and pleasing.
This is described in the following words of Sri Narada-pancaratra:
      "Lord Krsna is supremely independent.  His form and qualities
are  free  of any possible flaw.  His body is not like  the  bodies
made  of  matter.  His hands, feet, face, belly, and all the  other
parts  of His body are all made of transcendental bliss and nothing
else.   Lord  Krsna is not different from His body.   He  does  not
reside in a material body from Himself, as the conditioned souls in
the material world do.  He and His body are one."
      Lord Krsna's form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss.
His  qualities are not material.  Nothing about Him is material  in
even the slightest degree.  He is not limited by material time  and
space.  His form is fully present in every place for all time.   He
is  one.   His  form has all knowledge.  The material world  is  so
large  it  cannot  be  measured by the conditioned  souls.   It  is
natural  that  a  form  of  average size  could  never  be  present
everywhere in the material world.  However, in the spiritual  world
all  qualities  have limitless power.  Therefore the  average-sized
form of Lord Krsna can be present everywhere.  That is actually one
of  its  natural qualities.  In the material world an average-sized
form  cannot  be  all-pervading.  However, the  supremely  handsome
spiritual  form  of  Lord  Krsna is certainly  all-pervading.   The
extraordinary  qualities of that form are very different  from  the
qualities of material forms.  That spiritual form is very glorious.
Can  anyone be more glorious than the all-pervading Supreme Spirit?
In  the  material  world everything is limited by time  and  space.
What  is  the glory of a form that is free from the limits of  time
and present everywhere?  Lord Krsna's transcendental abode of Vraja
is  described  in the Chandogya Upanisad, which calls  it  "Brahma-
pura".   That  abode is perfectly spiritual.  It has all  spiritual
wonders.   Its  activities  are  all  spiritual.   Its  places  are
spiritual.  Its land and water are spiritual.  Its rivers and trees
are spiritual.  Its sky is spiritual.  Its sun, moon, and stars are
all  spiritual.  They have not the slightest drop of  any  material
flaw.   Rather  they  filled with spiritual  bliss.   O  baba,  the
Navadvipa-Mayapura where you are sitting now is that same spiritual
world.   However, because you are trapped in Maya's net you  cannot
reach  out  and  touch it.  When you attain the mercy  of  a  great
saintly  person  you  will see that everything  in  this  place  is
spiritual.   Then  you  will be living in the  spiritual  world  of
Vraja.   When did you get the idea that the average-sized  form  of
Lord Krsna could have any flaws?  The glory of Lord Krsna's average-
sized  spiritual  form is far from what your material  intelligence
can  understand.   This  has  happened  because  in  the  past  you
committed many impious deeds.
      Vrajanatha:  O  saintly babaji, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna's  forms,
beauty,  features, pastimes, companions, homes, forest-groves,  and
all  else of Them are purely spiritual.  A wise man will not  doubt
that.   However,  in what times and places do They  manifest  Their
forms, abodes, and pastimes?
     Babaji: Sri Krsna is the master of all potencies.  He can make
any  possible thing possible.  There is nothing surprising in this.
He  is  playful  and enjoys transcendental pastimes.   Whatever  He
wishes  is at once accomplished.  He has all powers.  If He wishes,
He  can  bring  His transcendental form and abode to  the  material
world.  There is no doubt of that.
      Vrajanatha:  The doubt is this.  By His own will  Lord  Krsna
appears  in  the material world.  However, the people who  see  Him
tend  to think that His "transcendental abode" is a material  place
like other material places, His "transcendental form" is a material
form   like   the   forms  of  ordinary  human  beings,   and   His
"transcendental   pastimes   in  Vraja"   are   ordinary   material
activities.   Why do they see like that?  If it is true  that  Lord
Krsna has mercifully appeared within the material world, why do not
all people see that His form is spiritual?
     Babaji: One of Lord Krsna's limitless transcendental qualities
is  His  mercy  to His devotees.  Employing His hladini  sakti,  He
gives  His devotees the power to see that everything about  Him  is
spiritual.   To  His  devotees  He  reveals  everything  about  His
transcendental pastimes.  However, the non-devotees' eyes, ears and
other  senses, which are contaminated by many offenses, cannot  see
any  difference  between  the pastimes of  the  Lord  and  ordinary
historical  narratives of human activities.
      Vrajanatha: Did not Sri Krsna descend to this material  world
to show mercy to the people in general?
      Babaji:  His descent to this world brings all auspiciousness.
When  He  descends  to this world and manifests His  transcendental
pastimes,  the  devotees can see that His  form  and  pastimes  are
purely  spiritual.  The non-devotees surely see them  as  material.
Still, merely by seeing them, the non-devotees gain great spiritual
merit.   When  this  spiritual merit accumulates and  becomes  very
great  they  become able to have faith in pure devotional  service.
Therefore  the Lord's descent to this world brings a great  benefit
to the conditioned souls.
       Vrajanatha:  Why  are  Lord  Krsna's  pastimes  not  clearly
described in every page of the Vedas?
      Babaji:  On  every page the Vedas again and  again  sing  the
glories  of  Lord  Krsna's  pastimes.   In  some  places  they  are
described  directly and in other places they are  only  hinted  at.
When  the  words  of the texts directly refer to  Lord  Krsna,  the
description  is direct.  An example of that is the following  words
of the Chandogya Upanisad:
      "To attain Sri Radha I take shelter of Lord Krsna.  To attain
Lord Krsna I take shelter of Sri Radha."
      In  these words and the words that follow it in the Chandogya
Upanisad,  the liberated souls and their service to Lord  Krsna  in
the different rasas is clearly described.  When the words only hint
at  the description of Lord Krsna, the description is indirect.  In
the conversations of Yajnavalkya, Gargi and Maitreyi (in the Brhad-
aranyaka  Upanisad),  the description of Lord  Krsna  is  at  first
indirect,  and  then at the end direct.  In some places  the  Vedas
have described Lord Krsna's eternal pastimes directly, and in other
places,  chanting  the glories of the impersonal  Brahman  and  the
Supersoul, the Vedas have described Lord Krsna only indirectly.  In
truth,  the  Vedas have taken a vow to chant the  glories  of  Lord
Krsna.
     Vrajanatha: O saintly babaji, Lord Krsna is the Supreme Truth.
Of  this there is no doubt.  However, what is the status of Brahma,
Siva,  Indra,  Surya, Ganesa, and the other demigods worshipped  in
this  world?  Please tell me.  Many brahmanas say that Siva is  the
Supreme  Truth and no one is higher than Him.  I was  born  in  the
family of such a brahmana, and I have heard and repeated this  idea
since childhood.  What is the truth of this?  Please tell me.
      Babaji: Now I will describe to you the relative merits of the
ordinary living entities, the demigods and demigoddesses worshipped
in  this  world,  and the Supreme Personality of  Godhead.   Please
listen.   I  will now repeat to you a list of some of Lord  Krsna's
transcendental qualities.  They are described in these words  of  a
great philosopher (Srila Rupa Gosvami's Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu:
       "Krsna,   the   supreme  hero,  has   the   most   beautiful
transcendental body.  This body possesses all good features.  It is
radiant  and  very  pleasing to the eyes.  His  body  is  powerful,
strong and youthful.*
      "Krsna is the linguist of all wonderful languages.  He  is  a
truthful  and very pleasing speaker.  He is expert in speaking  and
He is very wise, learned, scholar and a genius.*
      "Krsna  is very expert in artistic enjoyment.  He  is  highly
cunning,  expert, grateful and firmly determined in His  vows.   He
knows  how  to deal according to time, person and country,  and  He
sees  through the scriptures and authoritative books.  He  is  very
clean and self-controlled.*
      "Lord Krsna is steady, His senses are controlled, and  He  is
forgiving, grave, and calm.  He is also equal to all.  Moreover, He
is  magnanimous,  religious, chivalrous, and kind.   He  is  always
respectful to respectable people.*
      "Krsna  is very simple and liberal, He is humble and  bashful
and He is the protector of the surrendered soul.  He is very happy,
and  He is always the well-wisher of His devotee.  He is auspicious
and He is submissive to love.*
     "Krsna is very influential and famous, and He is the object of
attachment  for everyone.  He is the shelter of the  good  and  the
virtuous.   He  is  attractive to the minds of  women,  and  He  is
worshipped by everyone.  He is very, very rich.*
      "Krsna  is  the  Supreme, and He is always glorified  as  the
Supreme  Lord  and  controller.  Thus all the previously  mentioned
transcendental  qualities are in Him.  The fifty qualities  of  the
Supreme Personality of Godhead above mentioned are as deep  as  the
ocean.  In other words, they are difficult to comprehend.*
      "These  qualities  are sometimes very minutely  exhibited  in
living   beings,  but  they  are  fully  manifest  in  the  Supreme
Personality of Godhead.*
      "Apart  from  these  fifty qualities, there  are  five  other
qualities  found  in the Supreme Personality of  Godhead  that  are
partially present in demigods like Siva.*
      "These qualities are: 1. the Lord is always situated  in  His
original  position, 2. He is omniscient, 3. He is always fresh  and
youthful, 4. He is the concentrated form of eternity, knowledge and
bliss, and 5. He is the possessor of all mystic perfection.   These
are another five qualities, which exist in the Vaikuntha planets in
Narayana,  the  Lord  of Laksmi.  These qualities  are  present  in
Krsna,  but are not present in demigods like Lord Siva or in  other
living  entities.   These are: 1. inconceivable supreme  power,  2.
generating  innumerable  universes from  the  body,  3.  being  the
original  source of all incarnations, 4. bestowing  salvation  upon
enemies  killed and 5. the ability to attract exalted  persons  who
are  satisfied in themselves.  Although these qualities are present
in  Narayana,  the dominating Deity of the Vaikuntha planets,  they
are even more wonderfully present in Krsna.*
     "Apart from these sixty transcendental qualities, Krsna has an
additional  four  qualities, which are not  manifest  even  in  the
personality  of  Narayana.  These are: 1. Krsna is  like  an  ocean
filled with eaves of pastimes that evoke wonder within everyone  in
the  three  worlds.  2. In His activities of conjugal love,  He  is
always surrounded by His dear devotees who possess unequalled  love
for  Him.   3.  He attracts the minds of all three  worlds  by  the
melodious  vibration  of  His flute.  4. His  personal  beauty  and
opulence are beyond compare.  No one is equal to Him, and no one is
greater   than  Him.   Thus  the  Supreme  Personality  of  Godhead
astonishes all living entities, both moving and non moving,  within
the three worlds.  He is so beautiful that He is called Krsna.*
      "Above  Narayana,  Krsna  has  four  specific  transcendental
qualities  -  His  wonderful pastimes, an  abundance  of  wonderful
associates who are very dear to Him (like the gopis), His wonderful
beauty  and  the wonderful vibration of His flute.  Lord  Krsna  is
more  exalted  than ordinary living beings and demigods  like  Lord
Siva.   He  is  even  more exalted than His own personal  expansion
Narayana."*
     These sixty-four opulences are fully, eternally and splendidly
manifest  in  Lord Krsna, whose pure spiritual form is eternal  and
full  of  knowledge and bliss.  The last four opulences are present
only  in the form of Lord Krsna.  They are not present in even  the
Lord's  pastime  incarnations.  Now that these four  qualities  are
excluded,  the  remaining sixty qualities are fully and  splendidly
manifest in Lord Narayana, who is the master of the spiritual  sky,
and  whose  form  is  perfectly  spiritual.   When  the  next  five
opulences  are  excluded,  the remaining fifty-five  opulences  are
present  in  Lord Siva and other exalted demigods.   Drops  of  the
remaining  fifty  opulences may be seen in  the  individual  spirit
souls.    Siva,  Brahma,  Surya,  Ganesa,  and  Indra  are  partial
expansions  of the Lord.  Given jurisdiction to rule  over  certain
affairs of the Lord's opulences.  Still, they are individual souls,
servants  of the Supreme Lord.  By their mercy many people attained
pure  devotional  service.  They are rulers  over  the  conditioned
souls,  and that is why they are objects of worship in the material
world.   The  worship of them gradually leads  to  worship  of  the
Supreme  Lord.   If  they give to certain souls the  gift  of  pure
devotional  service  to  Lord  Krsna,  those  souls  consider  them
spiritual  masters and worship them eternally.  Lord Siva,  who  is
filled  with  devotion to the Supreme Personality  of  Godhead,  is
considered  non-different from the Supreme Lord Himself.   That  is
why  people addicted to the ideas of impersonalism take shelter  of
Him and consider Him the highest form of the Supreme.

Chapter Fourteen
Nitya-dharma O Sambandhabhidheya-prayojana (Prameyantar-gata Sakti-
vicara)
Eternal  Religion  and  Sambandha, Abhidheya,  and  Prayojana  (The
Lord's Potencies)
      When he thought of what he heard the previous night from  the
elderly  babaji, Vrajanatha became filled with bliss.  He  thought,
"Ah!   The teachings of Lord Gauranga are wonderful!  When  I  hear
them  my  heart becomes filled with nectar.  When I hear them  from
the  saintly babaji's mouth, my thirst to hear them increases  more
and  more.   No  part of them seems illogical.   They  seem  to  be
supported by the scriptures.  I cannot understand why the brahmanas
criticise   them.   I  think  they  criticise  because   they   are
impersonalists.    Thinking  in  this  way,  Vrajanatha   came   to
Raghunatha  dasa  Babaji's  cottage.  Seeing  the  saintly  babaji,
Vrajanatha offered dandavat obeisances.  The saintly babaji happily
embraced  him and made him sit down next to him.  With  an  earnest
heart  he  said, "O master, I wish to hear the third verse  of  the
Dasa-mula.  Please kindly recite it.  The hairs of his body upright
with spiritual happiness, the saintly babaji recited:
      "Glory  to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who  is  never
touched  by  material  changes.   He  is  not  different  from  His
spiritual potency.  He is situated in His own transcendental glory.
From  Him  are  manifested His spiritual potency by which  all  His
desires are fulfilled, His potency of the individual spirit  souls,
and His potency of inanimate matter."
      Vrajanatha:  The brahmanas say that when the Supreme  is  the
impersonal  Brahman He has no potency.  It is only when He  appears
as the Supreme Controller that He has potencies.  What do the Vedas
teach about this?
      Babaji:  In  every  feature of the  Lord  His  potencies  are
manifested.  The Vedas (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8) declare:
      "He  does  not possess bodily form like that of  an  ordinary
living  entity.  There is no differences between His body  and  His
soul.  He is absolute.  All His senses are transcendental.  Any one
of  His  senses  can  perform  the function  of  any  other  sense.
Therefore,  no  one  is  greater than Him or  equal  to  Him.   His
potencies  are  multifarious, and thus His deeds are  automatically
performed as a natural sequence."*
      The  Lord's  iccha-sakti, the potency that  fulfils  all  His
desires, is described in these words (Svetasvatara Upanisad 1.3):
     "Rapt in meditation, the sages then saw the mysterious potency
and transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the  first  cause, who alone dominates the secondary  causes,  from
time to the individual living entity."
      The  Lord's  jiva-sakti, the potency that is  the  individual
spirit souls, described in these words (Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.5):
     "An unborn man enjoys an unborn red, white and black woman who
bears  many children like herself.  Another unborn man first enjoys
and then forsakes her."
      (Translator's Note: The unborn woman is the material  nature.
The colours red, white and black are the modes of passion, goodness
and  ignorance.   The  many children are  the  ingredients  of  the
material universes.  The first unborn man is the conditioned  soul.
The  second  unborn  man  is the soul who, after  trying  to  enjoy
matter, finally renounces the world and attains liberation).
     The Lord's maya-sakti, the potency that is the material world,
is described in these words (Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.9):
      "The  Vedas describe a bewildering variety of hymns, prayers,
sacrifices, rituals, vows, austerities, history and predictions  of
the future.  Simply by studying the Vedas, it is very difficult for
the  conditioned  soul,  illusioned by  maya  and  trapped  in  the
material  world, to understand the Supreme Personality of  Godhead,
the  controller  of  the illusory potency and the  creator  of  the
material universes."*
      The  words  'parasya saktih' (in Svetasvatara  Upanisad  6.8)
indicate  that  of  all  the  Lord's  potencies  one  is  the  most
important.   The  Vedas never say that the Supreme  has  a  feature
without  potencies.   When  He has qualities,  He  is  the  Supreme
Personality  of  Godhead.   When He has no  qualities,  He  is  the
impersonal  Brahman.  It is the Lord's most important potency  that
manifests  His feature as impersonal Brahman.  In this  way  it  is
seen  that the impersonal Brahman does indeed have a potency.  That
most  important  potency has been described in the  Vedas  in  many
places,  where  it is called by many names, such as  'para  sakti',
'svarupa-sakti', and 'cit-sakti'.  The impersonalists imagine  that
the  impersonal Brahman has no potencies.  The truth  is  that  the
impersonal   Brahman   is   beyond   the   understanding   of   the
impersonalists.   The  Vedas  affirm  that  the  Supreme  has   two
features, one with qualities and the other without qualities.  That
the  impersonal feature of the Lord has potencies is  explained  in
these words of the Vedas said (Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.1):
      "Although  he has no qualities, by His potencies the  Supreme
created the great variety of the material world."
      That  the  personal  feature of the  Lord  has  potencies  is
explained in these words of the Vedas (Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.1):
      "Employing  His  potencies, the Supreme  Person  created  the
material world."
      In  this way you can see that the Supreme is never bereft  of
His   potencies.    The  self-manifest  Supreme  Lord   is   always
accompanied by them.  The self-manifest Lord who is the  master  of
three  eternal potencies is described in this mantra of  the  Vedas
(Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.16):
      "The  Supreme Lord, the creator of this cosmic manifestation,
knows  every nook and corner of this creation.  Although He is  the
cause  of  creation, there is no cause for His appearance.   He  is
fully aware of everything.  He is the Supersoul, the master of  all
transcendental  qualities,  and He is the  master  of  this  cosmic
manifestation  in  regard to bondage to the  conditional  state  of
material existence and liberation from that bondage."*
      The  three potencies of the Lord are described in this verse.
Here  the word 'pradhana' refers to the Lord's maya-sakti, the word
'ksetrajna'  refers to the potency of the individual spirit  souls,
and  the  word  'ksetrajna-pati' refers  to  the  Lord's  spiritual
potency.   The idea that when the Supreme manifests His  impersonal
feature  He  has no potencies, and when He manifests  His  personal
feature He has potencies is an idea created in the fertile workshop
of  the  impersonalists' imaginations.  In truth the Lord is always
the  master of all potencies.  When the Lord is situated in His own
glory,  and  when His original, natural condition is  manifest,  in
other  words,  when He is manifested as the Supreme Person,  He  is
always  accompanied by His potencies.  Thus His desires are  always
fulfilled.
      Vrajanatha: If He is always accompanied by His potencies, and
if everything is done by His potencies, then How is He independent,
and how is it that His desires are always fulfilled?
     Babaji: In the scriptures it is said:
     "The potencies and the master of potencies are not different."
      The  potencies  thus  do  whatever the  master  of  potencies
desires.   The  duty of the maya-sakti is to manifest the  material
universe.   The  duty  of the jiva-sakti is to  manifest  the  many
individual spirit souls.  The duty of the cit-sakti is to  manifest
the spiritual world.  After assigning these different duties to the
cit-sakti, jiva-sakti and maya-sakti, the Supreme Lord steps  back,
untouched and unchanged.  If these actions are performed because of
His desire, how can He remain aloof and unconcerned?  If He desires
that  certain things be done, he will certainly be affected by  the
result.
      Vrajanatha: When the scriptures say the Lord is not affected,
the  meaning is that the Lord never undergoes any material changes.
His  material  potency is a reflection of His  internal,  spiritual
potency.  Whatever the material potency maya does may be real,  but
it does not exist eternally.  The changes that maya produces do not
last  eternally.   Whatever changes the Lord may  manifest  in  His
desires  of  in  His pastimes are all manifested by  His  spiritual
potency,  cit-sakti.   These  changes  are  manifestations  of  His
spiritual  love,  and  therefore they are  free  of  any  fault  or
impurity.  They are included within spiritual knowledge.   Although
it  is  by His wish that the maya-sakti creates the material world,
the Supreme Lord remains perfectly spiritual in His nature.  In the
great  varieties created by His spiritual potency, cit-sakti, there
is no touch of matter, or maya.  When they hear the descriptions of
the  great  variety  manifested by the  Lord's  spiritual  potency,
ordinary  people,  whose intelligence cannot conceive  of  anything
beyond  matter, assume that those descriptions must be descriptions
of  material things.  Thus they are like people who, suffering from
jaundice,  see everything is yellow, or they are like  people  who,
standing  in  the shadow of a cloud cannot see the sun.   The  root
meanings  is  this:  The material potency is a  reflection  of  the
spiritual  potency.   Therefore  the  variety  manifested  in   the
material  world  is a reflection of the variety manifested  in  the
spiritual  world.  To one who looks superficially they seem  to  be
the same.  However, the truth is that they are exact opposites.   A
mirror's  reflection of a man's body seems just like  the  original
body.   However, the position of all the various limbs is  inverted
in the reflection.  In the reflection the right hand is on the left
and  the  left hand is on the right.  Therefore, material eyes  see
the  varieties of the spiritual and material worlds to be the same,
although  to  spiritual  eyes see that they are  indeed  opposites.
Actually  the  material variety is a perverted  reflection  of  the
spiritual variety.  Superficially they seem the same, but in  truth
they  are  different.  Free from material changes,  and  His  every
desire  at  once  fulfilled,  the Supreme  Personality  of  Godhead
controls the material potency, maya and gives her various tasks  to
fulfil.
     Babaji: Which of Lord Krsna's potencies is Sri Radhika?
      Vrajanatha:  Lord  Krsna is the master of  potencies  in  His
perfect,  original  form.  Srimati Radhika is the  potency  in  its
perfect,   original  form.   Srimati  Radhika   is   the   original
manifestation of the Lord's internal, spiritual potency.   As  musk
is  not  different from its fragrance, and as fire is not different
from its power to burn, so Radha and Krsna, who enjoy the nectar of
transcendental pastimes together, are eternally different  and  not
different  from each other.  From the internal potency, Sri  Radha,
are  manifested  the three potencies 'cit-sakti'  (spirit),  'jiva-
sakti'  (the  individual souls), and 'maya-sakti' (matter).   These
three  are seen to be three different kinds of kriya-sakti (potency
of  action).   The cit-sakti is also called 'antaranga-sakti',  and
the jiva sakti is also called 'tatastha-sakti'.  The maya-sakti  is
also  called  'bahiranga-sakti'.  Although it is  one,  the  Lord's
internal potency assumes these three forms in order to act in these
different ways.  All the eternal opulences of the internal  potency
are  fully manifested in the cit-sakti.  An atomic fragment of each
of  these  opulences is present in the jiva-sakti, and a  perverted
reflection  of  them  is present in the maya-sakti.   The  internal
potency  is  also  manifested in three  other  ways.   These  three
manifestations are called: 1. hladini, 2. sandhini, and 3.  samvit.
They are described in these words of the Dasa-mula:
     "Glory to Lord Sri Krsna, who enjoys nectar pastimes in Vraja,
who  plays in a nectar ocean of transcendental mellows, who  enjoys
the  feelings  of  ecstatic love brought by the Hladini-sakti,  who
tastes  the nectar of the confidential love brought by the  samvit-
sakti, and who resides in the pure transcendental abode created  by
the sandhini-sakti."
      Thus the Lord's internal potency manifests three features: 1.
hladini, 2. sandhini and 3. samvit. The hladini-sakti which in  its
complete  form  is  Sri  Radha, the daughter of  Vrsabhanu,  brings
transcendental  bliss  to  Lord Krsna.  The  form  of  the  highest
ecstatic love (maha-bhava), is the very dear and pleasing  to  Lord
Krsna.   She  expands into many other forms.  She  expands  as  the
eight  principal gopis (asta-sakhi), the dear gopis  (priya-sakhi),
the  gopis speaking joking words (narma-sakhi), the gopis more dear
than  life  (prana-sakhi), and the most dear gopis (parama-prestha-
sakhi).   These  four kinds of gopis are manifested  for  different
kinds  of  devotional  service.  These gopis are  eternally-perfect
souls who reside in the spiritual world of Vraja.  The samvit-sakti
manifests the different relationships of the people of Vraja.   The
sandhini-sakti manifests the land, water, villages, forests,  hills
like Govardhana Hill, pastime-places of Sri Krsna, Sri Radha, Their
gopa  and gopi friends, Their servants, the cows, and all the other
residents  of  Vraja, their spiritual forms, and the  paraphernalia
used  in  their pastimes.  Pushed by the feelings of ecstatic  love
brought  by  the  hladini-sakti, Lord Krsna is always  filled  with
transcendental  bliss.  The activities of love are brought  by  the
samvit-sakti, activities like Lord Krsna attracting  the  gopis  by
playing  on  the  flute, His herding the cows, and  His  rasa-dance
pastimes.   To  perform  all  these activities,  Lord  Krsna  takes
shelter  of  His samvit-sakti.  Always swimming in  the  nectar  of
transcendental mellows, Lord Krsna enjoys pastimes in the  land  of
Vraja,  a  land manifested by the sandhini-sakti.  Of all spiritual
abodes, the land of Vraja is the best.
      Vrajanatha:  You  have  said that  the  internal  potency  is
manifested as the hladini-samvit, and sandhini potencies.   A  tiny
fragment  of the internal potency is the jiva-sakti and a perverted
reflection of the internal potency is the maya-sakti.  Please  tell
me how the hladini, samvit and sandhini potencies work in the jiva-
sakti and maya-sakti.
      Babaji: In the jiva-sakti, which is an atomic fragment of the
internal  potency,  a fragmental part of these three  potencies  is
present.   There  the hladini-sakti is manifested  as  the  eternal
bliss of the impersonal Brahman, the samvit-sakti is manifested  as
the  individual  soul's awareness of impersonal  Brahman,  and  the
sandhini-sakti is manifested as the atomic spiritual forms  of  the
spirit  souls.   You  wished to know about  the  individual  spirit
souls.  That is how you should understand them.  In the maya-sakti,
the  hladini-sakti is manifested as material happiness, the samvit-
sakti  is  manifested as material knowledge, and the sandhini-sakti
is  manifested  as  the fourteen material worlds and  the  external
material bodies of the conditioned souls.
      Vrajanatha: If their activities are so easily explained,  why
are the Lord's potencies called 'inconceivable'?
      Babaji: When they are considered one by one, each feature  is
easily  understood.  However, when all the features are  considered
together,  they  are beyond understanding.  In the  material  world
mutually contradictory qualities do not exist together in the  same
place,  for  they would negate each other.  It is the inconceivable
nature  of  Lord  Krsna's potency that in the spiritual  world  all
mutually  contradictory qualities exist happily  together  and  the
result is very beautiful and pleasing.  In Lord Krsna the qualities
of having a form and being formless, being all-pervading and having
a  form present in one place only, being active and inactive, being
unborn  and  being  the  son  of Nanda, being  the  all-worshipable
Supreme Lord and being a gopa boy, being all-knowing and having the
limited knowledge possessed by a human being, having qualities  and
having  no qualities, being beyond conception and being sweet  like
nectar, being limited and unlimited, being far away and very  near,
being  completely aloof and also being afraid of the gopis' jealous
anger  are simultaneously present.  These numberless other mutually
contradictory  qualities  happily stay  together  in  Lord  Krsna's
transcendental form, in Sri Krsna's transcendental  abode,  and  in
Sri   Krsna's   transcendental  pastimes.   That   these   mutually
contradictory  qualities help Lord Krsna's  pastimes,  making  them
more  beautiful and pleasing is beyond human conception.  Therefore
it is said that the Lord's potencies are inconceivable.
     Vrajanatha: Is this idea supported by the Vedas?
      Babaji:  This  is accepted everywhere in the Vedas.   In  the
Svetasvatara Upanisad (3.19) it is said:
      "Learned transcendentalists explain that God is the greatest,
the  original person.  He has no material hands, but  He  can  take
anything.   He has no material legs, but He can travel faster  than
anyone.  He has no material eyes, but He sees everything.   He  has
no  material  ears, but He hears everything.  He knows  everything,
but no one knows Him."*
     In the Isa Upanisad (mantras 5 and 8) it is said:
      "The  Supreme Lord walks and does not walk.  He is far  away,
but  He is very near as well.  He is within everything, but yet  He
is outside of everything."*
     "Such a person must factually know the greatest of all, who is
unembodied, omniscient, beyond reproach, without veins,  pure,  and
uncontaminated,  the  self-sufficient  philosopher,  who  has  been
fulfilling everyone's desires since time immemorial."*
      Vrajanatha: Is it written in the Vedas that  by His own  will
the Supreme Lord sometimes descends to the material world?
      Babaji:  Yes.   In many places.  In the Kena Upanisad,  in  a
conversation  of  Siva  and Uma, it is  said  that  Indra  and  the
demigods  became very proud because they had conquered the  demons.
As  the  demigods were telling each other how wonderful they  were,
the  Supreme Lord assumed a wonderful form and appeared among them,
asked them why they were so proud, and gave them a single blade  of
grass  to  burn up with their own power.  In this way  the  Supreme
Personality  of  Godhead, who has wonderful powers, manifested  His
form  among the demigods.  An example of a mantra from that passage
is (Kena Upanisad 3.6):
      "Placing a blade of grass before him, the Supreme Lord  said:
'Burn this.'  With all his power, Agni attacked the blade of grass,
but could not burn it.  Returning to the demigods, Agni said: 'I do
not know who this yaksa is'."
     The hidden meaning of this passage is that the Supreme Lord is
a  person with an inconceivably handsome form, and who His own will
he  descends  to  the material world and enjoys pastimes  with  the
individual spirit souls.
      Vrajanatha: It is said that the Supreme Lord is an  ocean  of
the  nectar  of transcendental mellows, where is this said  in  the
Vedas?
     Babaji: In Taittiriya Upanisad (2.1) it is clearly said:
      "The  Supreme  Personality of Godhead  is  the  reservoir  of
transcendental   mellows.    When  one  understands   the   Supreme
Personality  of  Godhead,  the reservoir  of  pleasure,  Krsna,  he
actually  becomes  transcendentally blissful.*  Who  could  breathe
without  the  Lord giving breath?  Who could be happy  without  the
Lord giving happiness.  It is He who gives transcendental bliss."
      Vrajanatha: If He has a form of the nectar of bliss, why  can
the people of the material world not see Him?
      Babaji: The individual souls imprisoned in the material world
are of two kinds.  One faces Krsna and the other turns his back  on
Krsna.   The  soul  that turns away from Krsna cannot  see  Krsna's
handsomeness.  Instead he gazes on material sense objects and fixes
his  mind  in  thinking of material sense objects.  The  soul  that
turns toward Krsna turns away from the material world of maya.   He
is  able  to  see  the form of Lord Krsna.  In that Katha  Upanisad
(2.1.1) it is said:
      "A person eager for material pleasures cannot see the Supreme
Personality of Godhead within his heart.  Only a wise man who turns
from the world of matter can see the Lord within his heart."
      Vrajanatha:  The  Vedas say that the Supreme  Personality  of
Godhead is 'raso vai sah' (the reservoir of spiritual nectar).  How
do the Vedas describe the Lord's nectar spiritual form?
     Babaji: In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad (1.10) it is said:
      "The  Supreme Personality of Godhead is a cowherd  boy.   His
eyes  are  handsome lotus flowers, His complexion  a  dark  monsoon
cloud, and His garments lightning.  He has two arms.  He is rich in
transcendental knowledge.  He wears a garland of forest flowers."
      Vrajanatha: From this I can understand that the form of  Lord
Krsna  is  the eternal spiritual form of the Lord in the  spiritual
world.   He  is the form of spiritual nectar, He is the shelter  of
all.  He is not attained by impersonal speculation or any other non-
devotional means.  They who follow the path of astanga-yoga  search
after  the  Supersoul, who is His plenary portion.  The  impersonal
Brahman  is  the  effulgence  of His transcendental  body.   He  is
endowed with all spiritual qualities.  He is the highest object  of
worship  in  the  world.  He is not easy  to  see.   He  is  beyond
conception.  What method may a human being adopt to understand Him?
The  brahmanas cannot understand Him and neither can  the  candalas
understand  Him.   What method should one adopt to understand  Him?
It is very difficult to know how to please Him.
     Babaji: In the Katha Upanisad (2.2.13) it is said:
      "Only  saintly persons who can see, within and  without,  the
same  Supreme  Lord,  can actually attain to  perfect  and  eternal
peace."*
      Vrajanatha:  They who can see the Supreme Lord  within  their
hearts attain eternal peace.  However, what method should one adopt
to  see  the  Lord in this way?  That's what I would like  to  see.
That's what I don't understand.
     Babaji: In the Katha Upanisad (1.2.23) it is also said:
      "The Supreme Lord is not attained by expert explanations,  by
vast  intelligence, nor even by much hearing.  He is attained  only
by  one who He Himself chooses.  To such a person He manifests  His
own form."*
     In Srimad Bhagavatam (10.14.28) it is said:
      "My  Lord, if one is favoured by even a slight trace  of  the
mercy  of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of  Your
personality.   But those who speculate in order to  understand  the
Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even  though
they continue to study the Vedas for many years."*
      O baba, our Lord is very merciful.  The Lord of our hearts is
Sri Krsna.  Simply by studying and understanding the scriptures one
does  not attain Him.  Simply by being very intelligent or studying
from  many teachers one does not attain Him.  Only to one who says,
"Krsna  is my Lord," does Lord Krsna mercifully reveal His  eternal
spiritual  form of knowledge and bliss.  Think about this  and  you
will easily understand it.
      Vrajanatha:  Is  anything written in  the  Vedas  about  Lord
Krsna's spiritual abode?
      Babaji: It is described in many places.  In some places it is
called 'para-vyoma' (the spiritual sky), in other places 'samvyoma'
(the great sky), in other places 'brahma-gopala-puri' (the city  of
Lord  Gopala),  and  in other places 'gokula'  (the  world  of  the
surabhi  cows).  It is described in these words of the Svetasvatara
Upanisad (4.8):
     "In the eternal spiritual sky the demigods and the Vedic hymns
serve  the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  What will he  who  does
not  know  Him  do with the Vedic hymns?  They who  know  Him  have
attained the goal of life."
     In the Mundaka Upanisad (2.2.1) it is said:
      "The  Supreme  Personality of Godhead stays in the  effulgent
spiritual world."
     In the Purusa-bodhini-sruti it is said:
      "In  the  spiritual  world named Gokula,  in  the  circle  of
Mathura,  the Supreme Personality of Godhead stays, with Radha  and
Candravali at His sides."
     In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad it is said:
     "In the spiritual sky is the city of Lord Gopala."
      Vrajanatha: Tantrika brahmanas say that the potency  of  Lord
Siva is the 'adya sakti' (original potency).  Why do they say that?
     Babaji: The potency of Lord Siva is the maya-sakti.  From maya
the  three  material  modes: goodness, passion  and  ignorance  are
manifested.   The  brahmanas are in the  mode  of  goodness.   They
purely  worship  Goddess  Maya,  who  is  the  origin  of  material
goodness.  They who are in the mode of passion worship Goddess Maya
as  the mother of the mode of passion.  They who have taken shelter
of  the  mode  of  ignorance worship Maya  as  Goddess  Vidya,  the
controller of the mode of blinding darkness.  In truth, Maya  is  a
transformation  of  the  potency  of  the  Supreme  Personality  of
Godhead.   Maya is not a separate potency.  Maya is a shadow  or  a
reflection of the Supreme Lord's original spiritual potency.   Maya
imprisons  the  conditioned souls and  she  also  sets  them  free.
Persons  averse  to Lord Krsna she imprisons in the material  world
and  punishes.  Persons who are favourably inclined to  Lord  Krsna
she  places  in  the mode of goodness and gives knowledge  of  Lord
Krsna.   Persons  shackled and imprisoned by Maya cannot  see  that
Maya  herself  is  a  reflection of  the  Supreme  Lord's  original
potency.   It  is these persons who claim that Maya  is  the  'adya
sakti'  (original potency).  A person bewildered by Maya may  reach
the right conclusion if he has performed many pious deeds.  One who
has not performed pious deeds will not.
      Vrajanatha:  Among the servants of Lord Krsna  in  Gokula  is
mentioned someone named "Durga-devi".  Who is that "Durga"?
      Babaji: She is Yogamaya.  She is the seed that grows into the
changed  forms accepted by the cit-sakti (spiritual potency).   She
stays in the spiritual world, and there she is considered identical
with  the  Lord's internal potency.  It is by her  power  that  the
Lord's spiritual potency is reflected as the material potency maya.
The  Durga of the material world is a maidservant of her, Yogamaya,
who  is  the  Durga of the spiritual world.  This  spiritual  Durga
assists   in  Lord  Krsna's  spiritual  pastimes.   Manifested   as
Yogamaya,  in  the  spiritual world she makes the  nectar  of  Lord
Krsna's  pastimes by convincing the gopis that they are married  to
others  and  Krsna  is their paramour (parakiya-bhava).   She  also
arranges  for the Lord's rasa-lila pastimes.  This is described  in
these words of Srimad Bhagavatam (10.29.10):
      "Taking  shelter of His Yogamaya potency, Lord Krsna  enjoyed
the rasa dance."
      The  meaning  of  these statements is this:  Among  the  many
spiritual pastimes arranged by the Lord's internal potency are some
activities that seem to be situated in ignorance, although in truth
they  are  not situated in ignorance at all.  When these activities
that superficially appear to be situated in ignorance are useful to
make the nectar of Lord Krsna's pastimes sweeter, Yogamaya arranges
that  they  are manifested.  In this way the nectar of  the  Lord's
pastime is understood.
     Vrajanatha: I wish to understand something about the spiritual
abode (dhama) of the Lord.  Please be kind and explain this to  me:
Why  do  the  Vaisnavas  use  the word 'sridhama'  in  relation  to
Navadvipa?
      Babaji: Sri Navadvipa-dhama and Sri Vrndavana-dhama  are  not
different.   This  Mayapura is the highest  spiritual  abode.   Sri
Mayapura is to Navadvipa what Sri Gokula is to Vraja.  Mayapura  is
the  holiest place in Navadvipa.  In Srimad Bhagavatam (7.9.38)  it
is said:
      "O  Lord,  in  the age of Kali, however, You  do  not  assert
Yourself.*  In that age Your incarnation is hidden."
      As the Supreme Lord's incarnation is hidden in the Kali-yuga,
so the Supreme Lord's abode, Sri Navadvipa, is also hidden.  In the
age  of  Kali there is no holy place like Sri Navadvipa.  A  person
who  understands the spiritual nature of Sri Navadvipa  has  become
qualified to reside in the spiritual world of Vraja.  Material eyes
see  Vraja and Navadvipa are both material places, made of the five
material elements.  Only persons who have become fortunate to  have
their spiritual eyes opened are able to see the truth of these holy
abodes.
      Vrajanatha:  I  wish to know the truth about  Sri  Navadvipa-
dhama.
      Babaji: "Goloka", "Vrndavana", and "Svetadvipa" are the names
of  the  innermost places in the spiritual world.   In  Goloka  the
Lord's  svakiya pastimes are manifested, in Vrndavana the  parakiya
pastimes  are  manifested,  and in Svetadvipa  other  pastimes  are
manifested.  Gokula, Vrndavana, and Svetadvipa are not different in
nature.   Sri Navadvipa is therefore not different from  Svetadvipa
and Vrndavana.  The residents of Sri Navadvipa are most fortunate -
They are the eternal associates of Lord Gauranga.  It is because in
past  lives they performed many pious deeds that now they are  able
to reside in Sri Navadvipa.  The transcendental mellows (rasa) that
were  not  revelled  in  Sri Vrndavana have been  revealed  in  Sri
Navadvipa.   When a person becomes qualified, he is able  to  taste
the sweetness of those mellows.
     Vrajanatha: What is the size of Navadvipa-dhama?
      Babaji: The circumference of Sri Navadvipa is sixteen  krosas
(32  miles).   The holy abode of Navadvipa is an eight-petal  lotus
flower.  Eight of the dvipas form the eight petals, and the  island
in  the  middle is the whorl of the lotus.  The eight islands  that
are   petals   of   the  lotus  are:  Simantadvipa,   Godrumadvipa,
Madhyadvipa,  Koladvipa,  Rtudvipa, Jahndvipa,  Modadrumadvipa  and
Rudradvipa.   The whorl in the middle of the lotus  is  Antardvipa.
In  the  middle of Antardvipa is Sri Mayapura.  A soul who performs
sadhana-bhakti (devotional service in practice) in Navadvipa-dhama,
or  especially  in Sri Mayapura, quickly attains the perfection  of
prema  (pure love of God).  In the centre of Sri Navadvipa  is  the
very  holy place of Sri Jaganatha Misra's home.  The most fortunate
devotees  are  able to see Lord Gaurangadeva enjoying  His  eternal
pastimes in this holy place.
      Vrajanatha: Does the Lord's internal potency arrange for Lord
Gaurangadeva's pastimes?
      Babaji:  As Sri Krsna's pastimes are arranged by the internal
potency, so Lord Gauranga's pastimes are arranged in the same  way.
There  is not the slightest difference between Lord Krsna and  Lord
Gauranga.   In his notebook, Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami  explains
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 1.5):
      "The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna are transcendental
manifestations  of  the  Lord's internal  pleasure-giving  potency.
Although  Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, They separated
Themselves eternally.  Now these two transcendental identities have
again united in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya.  I bow down to Him,
who  has  manifested Himself with the sentiment and  complexion  of
Srimati Radharani although He is Krsna Himself."*
      Lord  Krsna and Lord Caitanya are both manifested  eternally.
No  one  has  the power to say which of Them came first  and  which
second.  It cannot be said that Lord Caitanya was manifested  first
and Sri Sri Radha-Krsna were manifested second.  Neither can it  be
said  that  Sri  Sri  Radha-Krsna were manifested  first  and  Lord
Caitanya  was  manifested second.  The truth is that Lord  Caitanya
and Sri Sri Radha-Krsna both exist eternally.  All the pastimes  of
the  Supreme are eternal.  A person who thinks that of the pastimes
of  Lord  Caitanya  and  the pastimes of Sri Sri  Radha-Krsna,  the
pastimes of one is more important and the pastimes of the other  is
less  important,  does  not understand  the  truth.   He  does  not
understand the nectar of the Lord's pastimes.
      Vrajanatha:  If  Sri  Gauranga is the original  form  of  the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, then how should one worship Him?
      Babaji: As one worships Lord Krsna by chanting the names  and
mantras of Lord Krsna, so one should worship Lord Gaura by chanting
the names and mantras of Lord Gauranga.  One may worship Lord Gaura
by chanting Krsna-mantras, or for that matter one  may worship Lord
Krsna  by  chanting Gaura-mantras.  They are all the same.   Anyone
who  thinks Lord Krsna and Lord Gaura are different is a fool.   He
is a servant of Kali-yuga.
       Vrajanatha:   If  Lord  Caitanya  is  the  hidden   (channa)
incarnation  described in the Seventh Canto of  Srimad  Bhagavatam,
how are there any mantras to worship Him?
      Babaji:  The Tantras that openly give mantras for worshipping
the  openly manifested incarnations of the Lord secretly reveal the
mantras for worshipping the secret, hidden incarnation of the Lord.
People  whose  intelligence  is  not  crooked  can  understand  the
presence of these mantras.
      Vrajanatha: How does one worship the Divine Couple,  Sri  Sri
Radha-Krsna, while one is engaged in worshipping Lord Gauranga?
      Babaji: There are two ways one may worship the Divine Couple,
Sri  Sri  Radha-Krsna,  while one is engaged  in  worshipping  Lord
Gauranga.  These two ways are: 1. arcana-marga (Deity worship)  and
2.  bhajana-marga  (the practices of devotional service).   In  the
path of arcana-marga one worships Gaura-Visnupriya, and in the path
of bhajana-marga one worships Gaura-Gadadhara.
     Vrajanatha: Which potency of Lord Gauranga is Sri Visnupriya?
      Babaji:  Generally the devotees say she is  the  Lord's  Bhu-
sakti.   But  the truth is that she is samvit-sakti accompanied  by
the  essence  of  the hladini-sakti.  This means that  she  is  the
Goddess of Devotion, Bhakti-devi and during Lord Gauranga's  advent
she  comes to help Him preach the glories of the holy name.  As the
nine  islands  of  Sri Navadvipa-dhama embody  the  nine  kinds  of
devotional service, so Srimati Visnupriya is also the nine kinds of
devotional service personified.
      Vrajanatha: Can it be said, then, that Sri Visnupriya is  the
Lord's internal potency?
      Babaji:  How  can  there be any doubt?  Is not  the  internal
potency (svarupa-sakti) the same as the samvit-sakti accompanied by
the essence of the hladini-sakti?
      Vrajanatha:  O master, soon I will learn the  proper  way  to
worship  Lord Gaura, but now a question has entered my  mind.   The
cit-sakti,  jiva-sakti,  and maya-sakti  are  manifested  from  the
Lord's  internal  potency (svarupa-sakti), and  the  hladini-sakti,
samvit-sakti,  and  sandhini-sakti are  also  manifested  from  the
internal  potency.   All  that is done is apparently  done  by  the
Lord's potencies.  The spiritual world, spiritual bodies, spiritual
relationships,  and spiritual pastimes are all  manifested  by  the
Lord's  potencies.   Does  Lord Krsna,  the  master  of  all  these
potencies, do anything Himself?
      Babaji:  That  is a difficult question.  Are  you  trying  to
attack an old man with arrows of logical puzzles?  The question  is
simple,  and it has a simple answer.  Still, it is hard to  find  a
person  qualified to understand the simple answer to this question.
I will speak.  You please try to understand my words.  Lord Krsna's
name,  forms,  qualities, and pastimes are all  manifested  by  His
potencies.  Still, Krsna's supreme independence and His desires are
not  manifested  by His potencies.  They are part  of  His  nature.
They  are  manifested by the Supreme Personality of Godhead  alone.
Lord  Krsna  can do anything He wishes.  He is the shelter  of  His
potencies.   Krsna is the enjoyer.  His potencies  are  enjoyed  by
Him.   Krsna is independent.  His potencies are dependent  on  Him.
At  every  turn the independent Supreme Personality of  Godhead  is
surrounded by His potencies.  Still, He remains always perfect  and
always  independent.   Although He  is  always  surrounded  by  His
potencies,  He  is  also always their master.   When  human  beings
understand  the  Supreme they must do it through  the  aid  of  the
Lord's potencies.  Therefore it is hard for them to understand that
the Supreme Lord is the master of all potencies, and He is actually
beyond the influence of His potencies.  However, a devotee who  has
attained  love  (prema)  for the Lord can  directly  see  that  the
Supreme  Lord  is the master of all potencies and is  beyond  their
influence.   Devotional  service (bhakti)  is  one  of  the  Lord's
potencies,  and  therefore is feminine in  nature.   Following  the
Lord's  internal  potency, the potency of  devotional  service  can
bring  one  to  the  position where one can directly  perceive  the
masculine nature of Sri Krsna, the independent, self-willed supreme
male.
      Vrajanatha: If there is a being beyond the influence  of  the
potencies,  that being must be the impersonal Brahman described  in
the Upanisads.
      Babaji: The impersonal Brahman described in the Upanisads has
no desires.  The 'purusa' described in the Upanisads is Lord Krsna,
the  supreme  male.   He  is filled with desires.   These  two  are
different  in  many  ways.  Impersonal Brahman  has  no  qualities.
Krsna,  completely  independent of His potencies,  has  a  host  of
qualities.  They are part of His character as the supreme male, the
supreme  enjoyer,  and the supreme independent  being.   In  truth,
Krsna and His potencies are not different.  The potency that allows
us  to see Krsna is also Krsna Himself.  Why not?  Sri Radha is the
most  exalted potency.  She serves Krsna and Krsna also serves Her.
They  worship  each other, and in this way they are different  from
each other.
      Vrajanatha: If the fact that Krsna has desires and enjoyments
are  proof  of His masculine nature, then how is it that Radha  has
desires and still a feminine nature?
      Babaji:  Srimati Radha's desires are subordinate  to  Krsna's
desires.  She never desires anything or does anything that  has  no
relationship  with Krsna.  That is Radha's desire.   Radha  is  the
purna-sakti  (complete potency) or adya-sakti  (original  potency).
Krsna is the supreme male.  He is the master and controller of  His
potency.
       At   this  point  in  their  conversation,  Vrajanatha  took
permission  to depart.  After offering dandavat obeisances  to  the
saintly  babaji, Vrajanatha happily returned to his home in  Bilva-
puskarini.  Seeing that day by day he was changing, his grandmother
said that it was time for him to get married.  Vrajanatha would not
listen  to  her.  Day and night he thought about what  the  saintly
babaji  was  teaching  him.  Thinking, "These  teachings  are  very
pleasing  to  my heart.  Now I will hear more teachings,  teachings
sweet like nectar," he happily went to Srivasa's courtyard.
Chapter Fifteen
Nitya-dharma  O Sambandhabhidheya Prayojana (Prameyantargata  jiva-
vicara)
Eternal  Religion  and  Sambandha,  Abhidheya  and  Prayojana  (The
Individual Spirit Souls)
      This  day  Vrajanatha came a little too  early  to  Srivasa's
courtyard.   The  devotees  living  in  Sri  Godruma  had  come  to
Srivasa's  courtyard to see the evening arati.  Paramahamsa  Babaji
Sri  Prema  dasa,  Vaisnava dasa, Advaita dasa and  all  the  other
devotees  had already entered the temple to see the arati.   Seeing
the residents of Sri Godruma, Vrajanatha thought, "Now I have their
association.   My  life  is now a great success."   Seeing  humble,
devoted,  smiling  Vrajanatha, everyone gave him  their  blessings.
When  after  a short time they left, going south to return  to  Sri
Godruma,  the  saintly  elderly  babaji  noticed  that  tears  were
streaming  from Vrajanatha's eyes.  Saintly Raghunatha dasa  Babaji
had  by  this  time developed strong affection for Vrajanatha.   He
asked  Vrajanatha, "Baba, why are you weeping?"  Vrajanatha  humbly
replied,  "O master, your teachings and association has brought  an
upheaval  in  my thoughts.  Now my heart understands how  worthless
the  material  world is.  My heart yearns to take shelter  of  Lord
Gaura's  feet.   In  my mind there is one question:  Who  am  I  in
reality, and why do I live in the material world?
      Babaji: Good.  With this question you have made me fortunate.
When  his auspicious day comes, a soul places this question  before
all  others.   When you hear the fifth verse of Dasa-mula  and  its
explanation, doubts will no longer live in your heart.
      "As sparks fly from a blazing fire, or rays of light fly from
the  sun,  so  the  individual spirit souls come from  the  Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Hari.  As the sparks and rays of light
are  at once different and not different from their source, so  the
individual  souls are different and not different from  Lord  Hari.
Lord  Hari  is  the supreme controller.  He is the  master  of  the
material  world.  The illusory potency maya is under  His  control.
The  individual soul is not like Him.  Even when he  is  liberated,
the soul is capable of coming under maya's control."
      Vrajanatha: That is a wonderful conclusion!  I wish  to  hear
the  evidence the Vedas give for it.  The words of the Supreme Lord
(Bhagavad-gita) are worthy evidence by themselves.   However,  when
they  are  supported by the words of the Upanisads, they  are  more
easily accepted by the people in general.
      Babaji:  These  truths are revealed in many passages  of  the
Vedas.  I will recite one or two of them.  Please listen carefully.
In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (2.2.20 and 4.3.9) it is said:
      "As tiny sparks fly from a fire, so all individual souls have
come from the Supreme."
      "A  person has two places: the spiritual world and the  place
where  the  spiritual world meets another world.  There is  also  a
third  place, a place of dreams.  Standing between them,  the  soul
sees  on  one  side the spiritual world and on the other  side  the
place of dreaming."
      This  passage  describes the individual soul's  (jiva-sakti),
which  can  reside  in  either  the spiritual  or  material  worlds
(tatastha).   In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (4.3.18)  it  is  also
said:
      "As a large fish in a river may go to one shore or the other,
so  a  person may go to one world or another.  He may go to a world
where he is awake, or may go to a world made of dreams."
      Vrajanatha: How does the Vedanta philosophy define  the  word
"tatastha?"
     Babaji: The place where a river's waters meet with the land of
the shore is called the 'tata'.  The 'tata' is then the place where
water  meets the land.  What is the nature of this 'tata'?   It  is
like  the thinnest of threads that runs along the boundary of  land
and water.  A 'tata' is like the finest of lines, so small that the
gross  material  eyes  cannot even see it .  In  this  example  the
spiritual  world is like the water and the material world  is  like
the  land.  The thin line that separates them is the 'tata'.   That
boundary  place is the abode of the individual spirit  souls.   The
individual spirit souls are like atomic particles of sunlight.  The
souls  can  see  both  the spiritual world and the  material  world
created  by  Maya.   The  Lord's spiritual potency,  cit-sakti,  is
limitless,   and  the  Lord's  material  potency,  maya-sakti,   is
gigantic.   Standing between them, the individual  spirit  soul  is
very  tiny.   The individual spirit souls are manifested  from  the
tatastha-sakti  of Lord Krsna.  Therefore the souls  are  naturally
situated on the boundary (tatastha) of matter and spirit).
      Vrajanatha: What is this 'tatastha' nature of the  individual
souls?
      Babaji:  Standing between them, the soul can  see  these  two
worlds.  The 'tatastha' nature of the souls refers to the fact that
they must be under the control of one of these two potencies.   The
actual  place of the 'tata' (shore may change.  What was  once  dry
land  may be covered with water, and what was once covered by water
may  again become dry land.  If he turns his gaze upon Lord  Krsna,
the soul comes under the shelter of Lord Krsna's spiritual potency.
But  if he turns away from Krsna and turns his gaze to the material
potency,  maya, then the soul is caught in maya's  trap.   That  is
what is meant by 'the soul's tatastha nature'.
      Vrajanatha: Does maya have anything to do with the nature  of
the spirit souls?
      Babaji:  No.   The  spirit  souls are  completely  spiritual.
However,  because they are atomic in size, the souls are  not  very
strong.   That  is  why maya can dominate them.   However,  in  the
soul's nature there is not the slightest scent of maya.
     Vrajanatha: I heard from my teacher that when it is surrounded
by maya, the impersonal brahman becomes the individual spirit soul.
When a small portion of the great sky is surrounded by the walls of
a  clay pot, it becomes the sky within a pot.  In the same when the
impersonal Brahman is surrounded by Maya, it becomes the individual
soul.  What does this mean?
      Babaji: That is just impersonalism (mayavada).  How can  maya
have  the  power  to touch the Supreme Brahman?  If  you  say  that
Brahman  has  no potency, then how can maya even approach  Brahman?
The  maya  potency has no independent power.  How can she have  any
effect  on  the Brahman?  It cannot be said that the great  Brahman
becomes  covered by maya and is then forced to suffer in  different
ways.   That  is not possible.  If Brahman's spiritual  potency  is
always  awake  and  vigilant, how can the insignificant  maya-sakti
defeat  her and proceed to create the individual souls from Brahman
in  this  way?   The Supreme Brahman is limitless and immeasurable.
How  can the limitless Brahman be broken into smaller souls in  the
same  way  the great sky is broken into the little skies  within  a
series  of  clay pots?  The idea that maya can have some effect  on
the  Brahman cannot be accepted.  Maya has nothing to do  with  the
creation of the individual spirit souls.  Although they are  atomic
in size, the individual spirit souls are superior to maya.
      Vrajanatha:  At another time another teacher  said  that  the
individual spirit soul is a reflection of Brahman.  As the  sun  is
reflected on the water, so the Supreme Brahman, reflected on  maya,
becomes the individual soul.  What does that mean?
      Babaji:  That is also impersonalism.  Brahman has  no  limit.
Something  that  is  unlimited cannot be reflected  anywhere.   The
Vedas do not teach that Brahman is limited.  This reflection-theory
should be rejected.
      Vrajanatha: Another time a dig-vijayi sannyasi said that  the
individual  spirit soul does not really exist.   The  idea  of  the
individual soul is only an illusion.  When the illusion  is  thrown
far away, only the undivided Brahman remains.  What does that mean?
      Babaji: That is also impersonalism.  That idea has no root in
the truth.  In the Chandogya Upanisad (6.2.1) it is said:
     "Brahman is one without a second."
      Do  these  words  of the Vedas mean that  only  Brahman,  and
nothing  else,  exists?  If nothing but Brahman exists,  then  from
where  has  this illusion come?  Whom does this illusion  bewilder?
If you say this illusion bewilders Brahman, then you make Brahman a
pathetic being.  If you say this illusion bewilders something other
than  Brahman,  then  you  contradict the idea  that  only  Brahman
exists.
      Vrajanatha: Another time a brahmana pandita of Navadvipa said
that  only  the individual soul exists.  In a dream he  experiences
material happiness and suffering.  When he wakes up from the dream,
he discovers that he is Brahman.  What does this mean?
      Babaji: That is also impersonalism.  Brahman has a dream  and
becomes  the  individual soul?  What proof do they have  for  that?
The  scriptures give the examples of mistaking the glittering on  a
seashell's surface for silver and mistaking a rope for a snake, but
these  examples  do not prove the impersonalist idea  that  Brahman
alone  exists.   These  words are only a  great  network  of  word-
jugglery meant to bewilder the people in general.
      Vrajanatha: The individual soul is not created by maya.  That
I  accept.   Maya  has the power to dominate the  individual  soul.
That I understand.  This is my question: Does the spiritual potency
(cit-sakti)  place the individual soul on the border (tatastha)  of
matter and spirit?
      Babaji: No.  The cit-sakti is the full manifestation of  Lord
Krsna's potency.  Whatever she creates is eternally perfect (nitya-
siddha).   The  individual spirit souls are not eternally  perfect.
By  engaging in the activities of devotional service (sadhana) they
may  become perfect (sadhana-siddha) and thus enjoy spiritual bliss
exactly  like  that enjoyed by the eternally perfect (nitya-siddha)
beings.    The  four  kinds  of  gopi-friends  (sakhi)  of  Srimati
Radharani  are eternally perfect beings (nitya-siddha).   They  are
manifested from the form of Srimati Radharani, who is the cit-sakti
Herself.  All the individual spirit souls are manifested from  Lord
Krsna's jiva-sakti.  The cit-sakti is Lord Krsna's complete potency
(purna-sakti).  The individual souls (jiva-sakti) are counted among
Lord   Krsna's  incomplete  potencies  (apurna-sakti).   From   the
complete potency complete and perfect things are manifested.   From
the  incomplete  potency all the individual souls, who  are  atomic
fragments  of consciousness, are manifested.  Lord Krsna  manifests
different  kinds  of entities according to the different  kinds  of
potencies He employs to create them.  When He is manifested in  His
cit-sakti,  He  appears  as Krsna and as Narayana,  the  master  of
Vaikuntha.  When He is manifested in the jiva-sakti, He appears  as
Baladeva,  His pastime form (vilasa-murti) in Vraja.   When  He  is
manifested  in  the maya-sakti, He appears as the  three  forms  of
Karanodakasayi Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi Visnu.
In  Vraja  He  appears  in  His original form,  as  Krsna,  a  form
manifested  by  His complete potency.  Appearing  as  Baladeva,  He
manifests  His sesa-tattva (nature of Lord Sesa).  In this  way  He
manifests  the  eight  kinds of services  the  eternally  liberated
associates  offer to Him.  Again in Vaikuntha He appears  as  Sesa-
Sankarsana  and  manifests the eight kinds of service  His  eternal
associates  offer to Lord Narayana.  Lord Sankarsana incarnates  as
Maha-Visnu.   He  becomes the resting-place of the  jiva-sakti  and
appears as the Supersoul in the hearts of all the individual  souls
residing  in  the material world.  All these individual  souls  are
attracted to maya.  As long as they do not attain the mercy of  the
Supreme  Personality  of Godhead and take  shelter  of  the  Lord's
spiritual  hladini-sakti, they are defeated  by  Maya.   Numberless
souls are defeated by Maya and cast into Her prison.  They are  the
followers  of  Maya's  three modes.  The conclusion  is  this:  the
individual  souls are manifested by the jiva-sakti.  They  are  not
manifested by the cit-sakti.
      Vrajanatha: I have heard that the spiritual world is  eternal
and  the  individual  spirit souls are also  eternal.   How  is  it
possible for eternal things to be born, created, or manifested?  If
there was a time when they were not manifested and they only appear
at a certain point in time, how can they be eternal?
      Babaji: The time and space present in the spiritual world  is
different  from  the  time  and space you  experience  now  in  the
material world.  In the material world time has three phases: past,
present  and future.  In the spiritual world time is not broken  in
that  way.   There  time is an eternal present.  In  the  spiritual
world  things  do  not come into being.  Everything  exists  in  an
eternal present.  When we who living in the world of material  time
and  space  try  to describe the spiritual world, we  tend  to  say
things  like, "The individual souls were created," "the  individual
souls   were  imprisoned  by  Maya",  "the  spiritual   world   was
manifested", and "the individual souls are spiritual and  were  not
created by maya".  When we talk in these ways we certainly show how
much  we  are influence by staying in this world of material  time.
As long as we stay in Maya's prison we cannot avoid talking in this
way.   That  is  why when we describe the individual souls  or  the
nature  of  spirit  we cannot avoid speaking in terms  of  material
time.   Therefore  we tend to speak in terms of  past  and  future.
Therefore  a  person  who tries to understand the  spiritual  world
properly  tries  to  speak in terms of an eternal  present.   Baba,
logic cannot help us understand these things.  Here logic should be
rejected.  Then you will be able to see the nature of spirit.  When
he  forgets  that  he  is eternally a servant of  Lord  Krsna,  the
individual  soul enters Maya's prison.  Originally  all  souls  are
Vaisnavas.   However,  they  become  two  groups:  1.  nitya-baddha
(eternally  imprisoned  by  Maya)  and  2.  nitya-mukta  (eternally
liberated).   A  human being bewildered by matter  cannot  describe
these  things.   Still, a saintly devotee can attain the  spiritual
vision  to  see  these  spiritual truths directly.   My  words  are
inevitably influenced by matter.  I will describe these  things  as
far  as I am able.  My words will inevitably be imperfect.  O baba,
you  will be able to see the pure spiritual truth.  However,  logic
will  not  help  you.  Why will logic not help?  Because  logic  is
useless  in  grasping what is beyond the mind's  understanding.   I
know  you will not be able to understand this all at once.   Still,
the more you follow the spiritual path the more you will be able to
see  the  difference  between matter  and  spirit.   Your  body  is
material.  All the body's actions are material.  But the  truth  is
that  You  yourself are not material.  You are a tiny  particle  of
conscious spirit.  The more you understand that truth, the more you
will  be able to perceive your own identity and the truth that  you
are  superior to the material world.  You will not understand  this
merely by hearing me tell you about it.  As you follow the path  of
regularly  chanting  the holy names of Lord Hari,  these  spiritual
truths  will gradually spontaneously appear before you.   Then  you
will understand the spiritual world.  As long as the mind and words
are  influenced by matter, try as one may one will not be  able  to
touch  the spiritual truth.  The Vedas (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.4.1.)
explain:
      "The  descriptive power of speech fails in the realm  of  the
Absolute Truth and the speculative power of the mind cannot achieve
Him."*
     My advice to you is: Don't ask anyone what they think of these
conclusions.   Experience them yourself.  I can only  give  a  hint
about them.
      Vrajanatha:  I  say this:  If the individual souls  are  like
sparks  from  a blazing fire or atomic particles of sunlight,  then
what is the function of the jiva-sakti potency?
      Babaji: Krsna is self-effulgent, like a blazing fire  or  the
sun.   Krsna is like a blazing fire.  In the centre of the fire  is
the  cit-sakti is present in fullness.  In addition to  the  centre
there  is  also a great expanse illuminated by the fire.  The  same
way  the Krsna-sun illumines a great area with sunlight.  The  rays
of  sunlight are particles of His internal potency (svarupa sakti).
Those  atomic particles that constitute those rays of sunlight  are
the  individual spirit souls.  The internal potency (svarupa sakti)
manifests  the  Krsna-sun planet itself.  The   sunlight  emanating
from  that planet is manifested by the cit-sakti and the individual
particles of light are manifested by the jiva-sakti.  Therefore the
individual spirit souls are manifested by the jiva-sakti.  This  is
described  in  the  following words of  the  Svetasvatara  Upanisad
(6.8):
      "The Lord's spiritual potency is manifested in many different
ways."
      In  this way the Lord's spiritual potency manifests the jiva-
sakti-sunlight,  which  shines  on the  borderline  (tata)  of  the
spiritual  and material worlds.  In this way the eternal individual
spirit souls are manifested.
      Vrajanatha: A blazing fire is material, the sun is  material,
and  sparks are material.  Why are material examples used  here  to
describe the spiritual truth?
      Babaji:  I  have already explained that when we  try  to  use
material  words to describe spiritual things, the faults of  matter
tend  to  slip into the description.  In this situation we have  no
choice  but  to use examples like the fire or the sun.   In  truth,
Lord  Krsna is much greater than the sun.  Lord Krsna's  circle  of
spiritual  potencies is much greater than the circle of  the  sun's
light.   Lord  Krsna's effulgence is much greater  than  the  sun's
light.   In  this  case certain features that may  be  similar  are
considered,  but in many other ways the two things  being  compared
are  not at all alike.  The sun and the sunlight are beautiful  and
glorious.  However, the sun is material and it also burns things to
ashes, and has many other like qualities also.  These qualities are
absent  in  the  spiritual truth.  When we say that  milk  is  like
water, we mean that as water is a liquid, so milk is also a liquid.
We  do  not mean that milk and water are identical in all respects.
If  that  were  so, why would we designate one thing  as  milk  and
another  as  water?  Therefore, when we use an example to  describe
something,  the example shows a similarity in only one point.   The
two things compared are not alike in everything.
     Vrajanatha: The individual soul-sunlight is simultaneously one
and different from the Krsna-sun.  How is this possible?
      Babaji:  In  the material world when one thing is  manifested
from  another,  the  thing manifested is either different  from  or
identical with its source.  That is the nature of material  things.
When  an egg comes from a bird, the egg and bird are then distinct.
The  egg  does not remain a part of the bird.  As long as they  are
not  cut off, the hair and nails of a human body remain part of it.
In  the world of spirit the situation is different.  When they  are
emanated  from  the  spiritual sun, the rays of spiritual  sunlight
remain  simultaneously one and different from  their  source.   The
rays  of  light  and the atomic particles of which those  rays  are
constituted  are not different from the sun that is  their  origin.
In  the  same  way the sunlight or the jiva-sakti  and  the  atomic
particles  of which that sunlight is composed, which particles  are
the  individual spirit souls, are not different from the  Krsna-sun
that is their origin.  In this way the individual spirit souls  are
not  different from Lord Krsna.  However, the individual souls  are
all  individual persons, and each of them has free-will.   In  this
way they are each eternally different from Lord Krsna.  In this way
the  individual spirit souls are simultaneously one  and  different
from Lord Krsna.  This is so eternally.  In this way the nature  of
spirit  is  different from that of matter.  The panditas also  give
another  example from the material world.  It is this: There  is  a
large  lump  of  gold, and from that lump a bracelet is  fashioned.
Because  it  is gold, the bracelet is not different from  the  gold
lump.   Still, because it is a bracelet, it is also different  from
the  lump  of  gold.  The example here does not  hold  in  all  its
details,  but  in  one  point  it holds.   The  Krsna-sun  and  the
individual souls-sunlight are one in the sense that they  are  both
spirit,  but  they  are  different in the sense  that  one  is  the
complete  spirit and the other is a tiny particle of  spirit.   The
impersonalists'  example of the 'sky within the clay  pot  and  the
great  sky  expanded  everywhere' does  not  properly  explain  the
spiritual truth.
      Vrajanatha: If spirit and matter are different, then why  are
these examples used?
      Babaji:  The nyaya philosophers like to divide the components
of  the material world into various categories, and then claim that
these  divisions  are eternal.  Matter and spirit  are  not  really
different from each other in that way.  As I said before, matter is
merely   a   perverted  manifestation  of  spirit.   The  perverted
manifested  and the original pure form from which it has  come  may
share  many  similar  features.   The  perverted  manifestation  is
certainly different from the original pure form, but still the  two
share  many  similarities.   Ice is a  perverted  manifestation  of
water.  Ice is different from water.  Still water and ice may  both
be cold and may share many other qualities also.  There may also be
differences.   Cold  and  hot water do not  share  the  quality  of
coldness.   However,  they  do  share  the  quality  of  liquidity.
Therefore  a  perverted manifestation may have many qualities  like
those  present  in  the  pure manifestation  that  is  its  origin.
Because  matter is a perverted manifestation of spirit, spirit  and
matter do have some similar qualities.  These similar qualities may
provide  material examples to describe spiritual things.  Here  the
example of 'arundhati-darsana-nyaya' (showing the position  of  the
star  Arundhati  in the sky by using an object on the  earth  as  a
point  of reference.  In this way one may say, "If you look between
these  two branches of this tree, the star in the sky shining there
is  Arundhati")  is appropriate.  In this way examples  drawn  from
material  things  can  be  used to reveal spiritual  truths.   Lord
Krsna's  pastimes are perfectly spiritual.  They have not even  the
slightest  scent of matter. Lord Krsna's Vraja pastimes  in  Vraja,
which  are  described in Srimad Bhagavatam are perfectly  spiritual
and not material.  When they are read to a circle of human hearers,
they  produce different results according to the qualifications  of
the  different people hearing them.  When people very  attached  to
matter  hear these pastimes they enjoy the material poetic language
and,  as  far  as  they  are  concerned,  think  they  are  hearing
description  of  an  ordinary  romantic  couple.   People   of   an
intermediate qualification think in terms of the 'arundhati-darsana-
nyaya'.   They  think these pastimes are examples  drawn  from  the
material  world to reveal spiritual truths.  Persons who  are  most
qualified  know  that these pastimes are spiritual  activities  far
beyond  the realm of matter.  These persons dive into an  ocean  of
nectar happiness to hear these pastimes.  Without speaking examples
like these, how can one teach the people about the spiritual truth?
The material  mind and material words are defeated when they try to
describe  these  things.   How will the  souls  imprisoned  in  the
material  world attain an auspicious life?  We do not see  any  way
other  than  by  speaking examples like the example of  'arundhati-
darsana-nyaya'.   Material  things are  either  one  or  different.
Spiritual  things  are not like that.  Lord Krsna,  His  jiva-sakti
potency  and  the  individual  spirit souls  manifested  from  that
potency  are  all inconceivable.  You should accept that  they  are
simultaneously one and different.
      Vrajanatha: In what ways are the individual spirit  soul  and
the Supreme Personality of Godhead different?
      Babaji:  First I will explain how the individual spirit  soul
and  the  Supreme Personality of Godhead are eternally one.   After
that  I will explain how They are eternally different.  The Supreme
Personality  of Godhead is consciousness, a knower, an  enjoyer,  a
thinker,  self-manifested, and visible to others.  He is  also  the
knower  of  all fields of activity and He is full of desires.   The
individual spirit soul is also consciousness, a knower, an enjoyer,
a  thinker, self-manifested, and visible to others.  He is also the
knower  of  a  field of activity and he is also  full  of  desires.
Because  He is the master of all potencies, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead has these qualities to the highest degree.  On the other
hand,  the  individual  spirit soul, possessing  only  very  slight
power, has these qualities in a very slight degree.  Although  they
are different in the sense that one is perfect and complete and the
other  is very small and atomic, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and  the individual spirit soul are alike in that They both possess
these  qualities.  The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master
of  all  potencies.   He  is the controller  of  the  svarupa-sakti
(internal potency), jiva-sakti and maya-sakti.  These potencies are
all  His  obedient maidservants.  He is their master.  Whatever  He
wishes, they do.  That is the nature of the Supreme Personality  of
Godhead.   He  is  subordinate to the Lord's other potencies.   The
word  'maya' is used in the Dasa-mula (in the verse quoted  in  the
beginning  of  this chapter) to mean not only the  Lord's  material
potency  but  also  His  internal  potency  (svarupa-sakti).    The
dictionaries explain:
     "That which measures is called 'maya'."
      According to this explanation, the word 'maya' refers to  the
potency  of  Lord  Krsna that manifests the  spiritual  world,  the
individual  spirit  souls, and the material world.   Understood  in
this  way,  the  word 'maya' refers to the Lord's internal  potency
(svarupa-sakti), not to His material potency.  Lord  Krsna  is  the
master of this maya potency.  The individual spirit souls are under
the  control  of  the  maya  potency.  This  is  described  in  the
following words of the Svetasvatara Upanisad (4.9-10):
      "It is very difficult for the conditioned soul, illusioned by
maya  and trapped in the material world, to understand the  Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the controller of the illusory potency  and
the creator of the material universes.*
      "One  should know that although maya (illusion) is  false  or
temporary,  the  background of maya is the  supreme  magician,  the
Personality of Godhead, who is Mahesvara, the Supreme Controller."*
      In  these  verses the word 'mayi' refers to Lord  Krsna,  the
controller  of maya, and the word 'prakrti' refers to His  complete
potency.   This  glorious quality (being the  controller  of  maya)
belongs   to  the  Supreme  Personality  of  Godhead  alone.    The
individual  souls  do  not possess it.  Even  the  liberated  souls
cannot  attain this quality.  In the Vedanta-sutra (4.4.17)  it  is
said:
      "Even  after he attains liberation, the individual soul  does
not have the power to create the material world."
       Therefore  the  conclusion  of  Vedanta-sutra  is  that  the
individual   souls  are  eternally  different  from   the   Supreme
Personality  of  Godhead.   The circle  of  the  wise  accept  this
conclusion.  This eternal difference is not an imagination.  It  is
eternally real.  The difference between the soul and the Lord  will
never  be  destroyed.  Therefore you should know that the statement
"The  individual spirit soul is eternally a servant of Lord  Krsna"
is one of the most important teachings of the scriptures.
     Vrajanatha: If they are eternally different, then how are they
not  different?   Should we accept the idea that  when  he  attains
nirvana, the soul becomes one with the Supreme?
      Babaji:  Baba,  it is  not like that.  At no  time  does  the
individual soul become non-different from the Supreme.
       Vrajanatha:  Then  why  do  you  say  that   the   soul   is
simultaneously one and different from the Lord?
      Babaji: In the sense that they are both spiritual in  nature,
Lord  Krsna  and  the individual soul are eternally not  different.
Otherwise, their natures are eternally different.  Their oneness is
eternal  and their difference is also eternal.  Their oneness  does
not  refer  to  the  other qualities of their  natures.   In  other
qualities  their difference is more prominent.  Therefore,  if  one
says that a house is simultaneously "the property of Devadatta" and
"without Devadatta's presence", then even though Devadatta  may  be
absent, the idea that it remains his property is the more important
of  the two ideas.  Now I will give another material example.   The
sky  is  a material thing.  If some portion of the sky is contained
within  a clay pot, the existence of the great sky outside the  pot
remains  more important than the sky within the pot.  In  the  same
way  the  eternal  difference between  the  Supreme  Lord  and  the
individual spirit soul is more important than their oneness.
      Vrajanatha:  Please describe the soul's eternal  nature  more
clearly.
      Babaji:  The individual spirit soul is an atomic fragment  of
consciousness.  He has knowledge.  He has ego, or a sense of  self,
and  he  calls  himself by the word "I".  He  is  an  enjoyer,  and
thinker, and a knower.  The soul has an eternal form.  That form is
spiritual and subtle.  That form has hands, feet, eyes, nose, ears,
and  other limbs, all handsome and graceful, superficially like the
limbs  of  an  ordinary material body.  That  body  is  made  of  a
spiritual  atom.  It is very handsome.  It is spiritual.   That  is
the  eternal form of the individual spirit soul.  When the soul  is
imprisoned  by Maya, the soul's original spiritual body is  covered
by  two  material  bodies.  One of these bodies is  called  'linga-
sarira"  (the  subtle body) and the other is called 'sthula-sarira'
(the  gross  body).  The linga-sarira covers the  atomic  spiritual
form  of  the  individual spirit soul.  From the time the  soul  is
first  imprisoned  in  the material world  until  the  time  he  is
released, the linga-sarira cannot be removed.  When the soul  takes
birth  in another body, he enters a different sthula-sarira  (gross
body).   He does not enter a different linga-sarira.  He keeps  the
same  linga-sarira.  The linga-sarira is one.  On the  other  hand,
the soul periodically leaves one sthula-sarira and, impelled by his
material  desires, accepts another sthula-sarira.  Thus,  following
the path of the five fires described in the Vedas, the soul attains
a  new  sthula-sarira.  These five fires, beginning with  "citagni,
vrsty-agni,  bhojagni  and reto-havanagni"  are  described  in  the
Chandogya  Upanisad and the Vedanta-sutra.  In this way  one  birth
follows  another.  According to the desires he had in his  previous
births,  the soul attains a particular kind of new body.   In  this
way  he  attains a certain kind of material nature and a particular
status  among  the castes.  According to the way  he  acts  in  the
varnasrama system, he gets an appropriate new body at the  time  of
death.   Meanwhile  his  original spiritual form  remains  covered,
first by the linga-sarira, and secondly by the sthula-sarira.
      Vrajanatha:   What  is  the difference  between  the  eternal
spiritual body and the linga-sarira?
      Babaji: The eternal body is an atomic particle of spirit.  It
has  no defects.  The soul may properly apply the word "I" to  this
body  alone.   The linga-sarira is composed of material perversions
of the soul's original mind, intelligence and ego.
      Vrajanatha:  How can mind, intelligence and ego be  material?
If they are material, how can they be conscious of anything?
     Babaji: Lord Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita (7.4-6):
     "Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false-
ego  -  altogether  these  eight  comprise  My  separated  material
energies.*
     "Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is
a  superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities  who  are
struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.*
      "Of  all that is material and all that is spiritual  in  this
world,   know   for  certain  that  I  am  both  its   origin   and
dissolution."*
      Look  at  these  words of Gita Upanisad.  Here  two  natures:
superior  (para) and inferior (apara) are described.  The  superior
nature  is  the jiva-sakti, and the inferior nature  is  the  maya-
sakti.  Because it is a particle of spirit, the jiva sakti is  here
called  'superior'.  On the other hand, the maya-sakti is  made  of
matter,  and  therefore  it is called 'inferior'.   The  individual
spirit  souls  are  different from the inferior, material  potency.
The  inferior  potency has eight elements: the five gross  elements
and  the three subtle elements of mind, intelligence and false ego.
When   they   are   manifested  in  the  material  potency,   mind,
intelligence  and ego are material in nature.  These three  form  a
body   made  of  consciousness,  but  that  consciousness  is   not
spiritual,  it  is material consciousness.  From the material  mind
all  else  is  manifested.  The mind is thus conscious of  material
objects  and  engaged in directing material activities.   Thus  the
material mind is the root from which material things grow.   It  is
not the root of spiritual things.  In the material consciousness is
placed the conception of what is good and what is  not good.   This
is called 'intelligence'.  This intelligence is material in nature.
From  this material intelligence material ego is manifested.   This
kind  of  ego  is  not spiritual in its nature.  When  these  three
material  elements (material mind, intelligence  and  ego)  combine
they  form  a  second body, which is called the linga-sarira.   The
material ego of this material linga-sarira then covers the  eternal
spiritual ego of the individual spirit soul.  In the soul's eternal
spiritual form, the spiritual ego understands its relationship with
the  spiritual  Krsna-sun.  When the soul attains liberation,  this
original  spiritual ego becomes uncovered and is openly manifested.
As  long  as  the linga-sarira covers the soul's eternal  spiritual
form,  the  soul tends to identify itself as matter.  At that  time
the  truth, that the soul is spiritual, is almost completely  lost.
The  linga-sarira is made of subtle matter and because it is subtle
it  is easily covered by another body, the sthula-sarira, which  is
made of gross matter.  When the covering of the sthula-sarira is in
place,  the  ego identifies with one of the castes or other  groups
(varnas)  of this world.  Because they are perverted manifestations
of  their  counterparts in the soul's original spiritual body,  the
material mind, intelligence and ego think they are really conscious
of the world around them.
      Vrajanatha: I understand now that the individual soul has  an
eternal  spiritual  form, each limb of which is very  graceful  and
beautiful.   When  the  soul is imprisoned by Maya,  that  original
spiritual  form is covered by the linga-sarira.  In  this  way  the
soul's  beauty  is  covered and hidden.  Then the  linga-sarira  is
covered  by  the  gross  sthula-sarira.  In  this  way  the  soul's
original form is completely hidden by a great apparatus of material
things.   My  question  is this: Is the liberated  soul  completely
perfect and free of any defect?
      Babaji:  Although he is free of defects, the atomic spiritual
soul is not perfect.  Why no?  He is very tiny and very weak.   For
this  reason one defect may be seen in the individual soul: because
he is so weak, when he comes into contact with maya-sakti, the soul
is  easily overpowered  and his original form becomes covered.   In
Srimad Bhagavatam (10.2.32) the demigods speak the following prayer
to the Supreme Lord:
      "O lotus-eyed one, those who think they are liberated in this
life  but do not render devotional service to You must be of impure
intelligence.  Although they accept severe austerities and penances
to   rise   to  the  spiritual  position,  to  impersonal   Brahman
realisation, they fall down again because they neglect  to  worship
Your lotus feet."*
      Therefore,  even when he is liberated, the individual  spirit
soul  is not very great and is always imperfect.  That is the truth
of the individual spirit souls.  The Vedas declare that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the controller of Maya, but on the  other
hand  the  individual spirit souls are so weak that at  any  moment
they may be overpowered by Maya.
Chapter Sixteen
Nitya-dharma O Sambandhabhidheya Prayojana (Prameyantar-gata  Maya-
kavalita Jiva-vicara)
Eternal  Religion  and  Sambandha,  Abhidheya  and  Prayojana  (The
Individual Souls Swallowed by Maya)
      After  he  had  heard  the Dasa-mula's  teachings  about  the
individual spirit soul, Vrajanatha lay in his bed in his  own  home
and deeply thought, "Who am I?"  that question was answered.  Now I
know  who I am.  I am an atomic particle of light shining from  the
spiritual sun of Lord Krsna.  I am atomic in size, and therefore  I
possess  consciousness, a spiritual identity, and a single drop  of
spiritual bliss.  I have a form made of a tiny fragment of  spirit.
I  am  very tiny and my form is somewhat like the moderately  sized
form  of Lord Krsna.  I cannot see my spiritual form.  That  is  my
misfortune.   That I am now very eager to see this  spiritual  form
means  that now I have become fortunate.  Why did I fall into  this
unfortunate  situation?   I  must  understand  that  very  clearly.
Tomorrow I will place this question before Sri Gurudeva's feet.  He
thought about it again and again.  After six hours of the night had
passed, the goddess of sleep came like a thief and gradually  stole
away his wakefulness.  Then the night was ending he dreamed that he
had  renounced  the material world and accepted the garments  of  a
Vaisnava.  When his sleep broke he though, "Now the Lord will  take
me  from  this  material life."  He went to the  family  shrine  of
Goddess Durga.  His students came, fell at his feet, and requested,
"We   have  come  to  study  logic.   Please  teach  us  the   book
Kusumanjali.  That is our wish."  Vrajanatha humbly replied,  "Like
Nimai  Pandita, I too have closed my books.  I have  made  my  mind
place  its gaze on a different path.  Please find another teacher."
One  by  one,  the  students left.  Then the matchmaker  Caturbhuja
Misra   visited  Vrajanatha's  grandmother  with  a  proposal   for
Vrajanatha's marriage.  He said, "Vijayanatha Bhattacarya comes  in
a  good family.  His daughter is very beautiful.  She would be good
for  your  grandson.   The Bhattacarya has  not  yet  promised  his
daughter  to anyone."  Hearing this marriage proposal, Vrajanatha's
grandmother  became  very  happy.   Vrajanatha  thought,  "What   a
calamity!  Now I have decided to renounce the world.  How  can  any
good come from this talking of my marriage?  With Vrajanatha on one
side  and  his mother, grandmother, and the elderly ladies  of  the
family on the other, there was much talking about it.  In that  way
the  day  passed.  At sunset there were clouds, thunder, and  rain.
That day Vrajanatha did not go to Mayapura.  The night passed.  The
next  day there was more talk about the marriage.  Vrajanatha could
not  peacefully  take  his meals or do anything  else.   At  sunset
Vrajanatha  approached the elderly babaji's cottages.   He  offered
dandavat  obeisances.   The saintly babaji  said,  "Last  night  it
rained,  so  you could not come.  Now I am very glad to  see  you."
Vrajanatha replied, "O master, many calamities have fallen upon me.
Later  I  will   tell  you about them.  For now  I  will  ask  this
question:  The  individual  soul is  pure  spirit.   Why  does  the
calamity  of  residing in the material world fall upon  him?"   The
saintly babaji smiled and recited this verse:
      "Covering them with gross and subtle material forms, chaining
them  with  the modes of nature, and pulling them with the  painful
ropes  of  karma, Maya leads to Svargaloka and to hell the criminal
souls who, forgetting their own spiritual welfare, have turned from
Krsna and become intent on their own happiness."
      In  Goloka,  which  is manifested by Lord  Baladeva,  and  in
Vaikuntha,  which  is  manifested by  Lord  Sankarsana,  numberless
individual  souls are eternal associates of the Lord.   There  they
taste  the  nectar of worshipping and serving the Lord.   They  are
always  inclined to spiritual things.  They seek the  happiness  of
worshipping  the  Lord.  They are always eager to serve  the  Lord.
Empowered by the Lord's jiva-sakti and cit-sakti, they always  have
great spiritual strength.  They never touch Maya.  They do not even
know  that  a  potency called maya-sakti exists.   Staying  in  the
middle of the circle of the spiritual world, they are very far away
from  Maya.   They  always swim in the ocean of  pleasure  that  is
worshipping and serving the Lord.  They know nothing of  suffering,
material   pleasure  or  selfish  pleasure.   They  are   eternally
liberated.   Love  for  the Lord is their entire  life.   What  are
grief, death, and fear they do not know.  When He glances at  Maya,
Lord  Karanodakasayi Visnu sends numberless atomic spirit souls  to
the  material world.  Because they are now on Maya's side, the many
creations of Maya now enter the pathway of their eyes.  These souls
have  all  the  qualities  of the soul I  have  already  described.
However, because they are atomic in size, from the border of matter
and  spirit  (tatastha) they must place their glance on either  the
spiritual  world or the material world.  The individual  souls  are
very  weak.   How can this not be?  These souls did not obtain  the
spiritual  strength that comes from the Lord's  mercy,  mercy  that
comes from properly serving Him.  That is why these souls develop a
desire to enjoy the pleasures that Maya offers.  These souls  enter
Maya's  world,  and  there Maya imprisons them for  what  seems  an
eternity.   When  these  souls again turn  to  spiritual  life  and
service  to the Lord, they can attain the Lord's mercy, which  will
give  them  spiritual  strength.   Then  they  can  return  to  the
spiritual  world.  Baba, I am very unfortunate.  I  have  forgotten
that I am eternally a servant of Lord Krsna.  I have entered Maya's
world, and here Maya keeps me imprisoned.  I have forgotten my  own
spiritual welfare.  I am very unfortunate!
      Vrajanatha: O master, why did some souls leave the borderline
of  matter  and spirit and enter the world of Maya?  Why did  other
souls go to the spiritual world?
     Babaji: Lord Krsna's own qualities are present in a very small
degree in the individual spirit souls.  Because Lord Krsna has free
will, so the individual souls eternally possess a small quantity of
free  will  also.   When  that  free will  is  used  properly,  the
individual soul is favourable to Krsna and turns toward Him.   When
the  free  will is misused, the soul is averse to Krsna  and  turns
away  from Him.  Then the soul tries to enjoy Maya.  Puffed up with
petty  pride, the soul thinks, "I am the enjoyer of matter."   Then
the  pure  spiritual form of the soul becomes covered by  the  five
kinds of ignorance that begin with illusion and false-ego.  Thus it
is  the  proper or improper use of free will that bring  us  either
liberation or imprisonment in the material world.
      Vrajanatha: Lord Krsna is supremely merciful.  Why, then, did
He  make  the individual spirit souls so weak that they  fall  into
Maya's world?
     Babaji: As He is merciful, so Krsna is also playful.  Desiring
many  different kinds of pastimes with individual spirit  souls  in
many   different  conditions  of  life,  He  created  many  exalted
conditions,   which  culminate  in  'maha-bhava'   great   ecstatic
spiritual love for the Lord., and He also created, with the help of
Sri  Radha's  expansion Maya, the degraded material  conditions  of
life,   which   reach  their  nadir  in  'ahankara'   (the   soul's
misidentification with matter).  In this way, by the  influence  of
Sri  Radha  there  is  the  attainment of limitless  transcendental
bliss,  and  by the influence of Maya there is a descent  into  the
lower  depths.   The  souls that thus enter Maya's  abyss  are  not
interested in their own spiritual well-being.  They are  averse  to
Lord Krsna and interested in their own selfish pleasure.  Thus they
go  down  lower and lower.  However, supremely merciful Lord  Krsna
sends His own personal associates from His own spiritual world into
the  material world to make these souls favourable to  Him  and  to
lift  them out of the abyss.  In this way some of the fallen  souls
gradually  become elevated and eventually return to  the  spiritual
world, where they become eternal associates of the Lord.
      Vrajanatha: Why must the individual souls suffer so the  Lord
can enjoy pastimes like these?
      Babaji: What should be said is this: It is by the great mercy
of  the  Lord  that the individual souls have free will.   Why  not
speak  in that way?  Inanimate matter is very lowly and unimportant
because  it  has no free will.  It is because they have  free  will
that  the  individual  souls can become masters  of  the  world  of
matter.   "Pain" and "pleasure" are two destinations the  mind  can
attain.   What  you and I may call "pain", another person,  who  is
attached to it, may call "pleasure".  All material pleasures  bring
only  pain  at  the  end.  They do not lead to anything  but  that.
Therefore  a person attached to material pleasures becomes  unhappy
at  the  end.  When that unhappiness becomes very acute,  the  soul
begins to desire happiness that is not mixed with sufferings.  From
that  desire  comes intelligence, and from that intelligence  comes
the   spirit  of  inquiry.   From  the  spirit  of  inquiry   comes
association  with  saintly persons, from association  with  saintly
persons  comes faith in spiritual life, and from faith in spiritual
life  one  becomes gradually elevated.  In this way what  began  as
pain became at the end the giver of auspicious happiness.  When  it
is  heated  and burnished, impure gold becomes pure.  In  the  same
way,  when  they suffer in Maya's material world, the impure  souls
averse  to  Lord Krsna and yearning to enjoy maya become  purified.
That  this suffering turns into the giver of happiness is the mercy
of  Lord Krsna.  Therefore they who are far-sighted see that  these
sufferings  of  the conditioned souls eventually  bring  auspicious
happiness.  They who are short sighted cannot see that.   They  see
only sufferings.
      Vrajanatha: Although they may bring happiness at the end, for
the  present  the conditioned souls' sufferings are  very  painful.
Could  not  the  all-powerful Lord invent  a  different  path,  one
without these sufferings?
      Babaji:  Lord Krsna enjoys many different kinds of  wonderful
pastimes.  This is one of His wonderful pastimes.  A person who  is
supremely  independent can enjoy many different kinds of  pastimes,
and  this may be one of them.  Why not?  If the Lord has every kind
of  pastime,  then no pastime may be rejected.  If one  pastime  is
substituted for another, then still some kind of troubles  must  be
expected.   Lord  Krsna  is  the supreme person  and  the  creator.
Everyone  is  subject  to His will.  If one person  is  subject  to
another's  will,  is there not some difficulty in  that?   If  that
difficulty  eventually leads to happiness, then it is no difficulty
at  all.   Why  do you say it is suffering and difficulty?   If  to
expand  Lord Krsna's pastimes the individual souls go through  some
difficulties,  the difficulties are only happiness.   Lord  Krsna's
pastimes are naturally full of bliss.  If an individual soul of his
own  free  will  voluntarily leaves those pastimes and  enters  the
world  of Maya and accepts the sufferings there, then if anyone  is
at  fault it is the individual soul who is at fault.  Krsna is  not
at fault.
      Vrajanatha:  In that situation, what is the  harm  that  Lord
Krsna  does  not give the soul free will?  Krsna knows  everything.
Therefore Krsna knows  if a certain soul will misuse his free  will
and  bring suffering to himself.  In that situation it is cruel  of
Krsna to give such a person free will.  Is it not?
     Babaji:  Free will is a precious jewel.  In the material world
there are many inanimate material objects.  None of them were given
the  jewel  of free will.  That is why inanimate objects are  lowly
and  unimportant.   If  he  had  not  been  given  free  will,  the
individual soul would be lowly and unimportant, just like inanimate
objects.   The  individual  soul is  a  tiny  particle  of  spirit.
Whatever qualities spirit has, the soul must also have.  Free  will
is  one  of the qualities of spirit.  Spirit can never be separated
from  its  eternal  qualities.  Therefore, as a  tiny  particle  of
spirit, the soul must have free will.  It is because they have free
will that the individual souls are superior to inanimate matter and
are  the  masters of the material world.  The souls, who  all  have
free  will,  are  all the dear servants of Lord Krsna.   When  they
misuse  that free will and enter the world of maya, merciful  Krsna
weeps  to  see how they are suffering.  Eager to deliver  them,  He
follows the individual souls into the material world. Ware that the
souls will not see His nectarean pastimes in the material world, He
brings   His  inconceivable  pastimes  there.   Seeing   that   the
conditioned  souls do not understand His pastimes, he  descends  to
Navadvipa and teaches them about His form, qualities, and  pastimes
and  about  His own holy name, which is the best way for  spiritual
advancement, and He also teaches them by acting the role of His won
devotee.   Baba,  how  can you place the blame on  merciful  Krsna?
Even  though  His  mercy is fathomless, you remain unfortunate  and
very pathetic.
      Vrajanatha: Is the maya-sakti then out enemy and the cause of
our  misfortune?  Krsna is all-powerful and all-knowing.  If  Krsna
had  driven Maya far away, then the individual souls would not have
to suffer.
      Babaji:   Maya  is  the  reflection of  the  Lord's  internal
potency.   She  is  a perverted manifestation of  the  Lord's  pure
spiritual  potency.   She purifies the criminal  rebellious  souls.
She  gives  them a way to reform themselves.  Maya is a maidservant
of  Lord Krsna.  She punishes the souls averse to Lord Krsna.   She
gives  them medicine and cures them.  By forgetting "I am eternally
a  servant  of  Lord Krsna", the individual souls commit  a  crime.
They are at fault.  It is because of this crime that the witch Maya
punishes  them.  These criminals souls are sent to the prison  that
is the world of Maya.  As it is out of kindness that a king sends a
criminal to prison, so it is out of kindness that Lord Krsna  sends
these criminal souls to the prison of the material world and placed
Maya there as the warden.
      Vrajanatha: If the material world is a prison, then what  are
the shackles?
      Babaji: Maya's shackles are of three kinds: 1. shackles  made
of  the  mode of goodness, 2. shackles made of the mode of passion,
and  3. shackles made of the mode of ignorance.  The criminal souls
are  bound with these shackles in different appropriate ways.  Some
souls  may  be  bound with goodness shackles, others  with  passion
shackles,  and  others with ignorance shackles.  All are  shackled.
There  may  be  golden shackles, silver shackles or iron  shackles.
Shackles made of different elements do not cease to be shackles.
      Vrajanatha: How can the shackles of Maya bind the soul, which
is an atomic particle of spirit?
      Babaji: Material things cannot touch spiritual things.   When
an  individual soul gets the idea "I am the enjoyer of  Maya",  the
subtle coverings of material ego is placed around him.  Covered  in
this way by subtle matter, his feet are bound with Maya's shackles.
The  individual  souls covered with material ego  in  the  mode  of
goodness  are the demigods residing in the higher material planets.
Their  feet  are  bound with the golden shackles  of  the  mode  of
goodness.   The individual souls covered with material ego  in  the
mode  of passion have a nature that is a combination of the natures
of  the  demigods and the human beings.  Their feet are bound  with
the  silver shackles of the mode of passion.  The individual  souls
covered  with material ego in the mode of ignorance are intoxicated
by material pleasures.  Their feet are bound with the iron shackles
of  the mode of ignorance.  None of these shackled souls can  leave
the prison.  All are troubled by many kinds of sufferings.
      Vrajanatha: What activities are done by the souls  in  Maya's
prison?
      Babaji:  Firstly  they  do what they can  to  enjoy  material
pleasures,  and secondly they do what they can to avoid  or  negate
the sufferings that come from the shackles they wear.
     Vrajanatha: Please describe to me the first of these actions.
      Babaji: The sthula-sarira is the gross material body covering
the  soul.   It  has six stages of existence: 1. the birth  of  the
material  body, 2. its maintenance, 3. its decline, 4. its  growth,
5.  its  change, and 6. its dissolution.  The gross  material  body
undergoes  these  six  changes.  Hunger,  thirst,  and  other  like
desires  are also part of the body's nature.  Pushed by the  desire
for  material pleasures, the soul within the material body  becomes
an  obedient  servant of eating, sleeping, associating with  women,
and  other  material activities.  To attain material  pleasures  he
performs the ten pious rituals that begin with birth and end on the
funeral  pyre.  He performs the eighteen kinds of yajnas  described
in  the  Vedas.   He hopes "By following the path  of  pious  deeds
(karma),  I  will  enjoy with the demigods in Svargaloka.   When  I
again enter the human realm, I will take birth in a brahmana's home
and  I  will enjoy many happinesses."  Or, the imprisoned soul  may
follow the impious path.  By performing many sins, he enjoys  sense
pleasures.   By  the first course of action one attains  Svargaloka
and  other  higher  material planets.  Then,  when  his  period  of
enjoyment ends, the soul again attains a human body.  By the second
course  of action one goes to hell because of his many sins.   When
his  period of suffering ends, the soul again attains a human body.
In  this  way the soul imprisoned by Maya travels on the  wheel  of
karma.  Day after day he struggles to enjoy material pleasures  and
he  tastes the fruits of his actions.  Thus, beginning at a time he
cannot  trace,  the  soul  wanders  in  the  material  worlds.   By
performing pious deeds, he briefly enjoys, and by performing  sins,
he briefly suffers.
     Vrajanatha: Now please describe the second kind of action.
      Babaji: Caught in a trap of many needs, the soul in  a  gross
material body suffers.  To drive away these sufferings, he acts  in
many  ways.  To drive away hunger and thirst, he struggles  to  get
food  and  drink.  So these things may come easily, he  labours  to
collect  money.  To drive away the cold, he collects clothing.   To
stop the thirst for sense pleasures he becomes married and performs
many  other  activities also.  To fill the needs and  increase  the
happiness of his family and descendants, he labours hard.  When the
gross  material body is attacked by disease, he must find medicines
or  other  ways  to  cure it.  To protect his  property  he  enters
disputes in the law courts.  Tossed about by the six waves -  lust,
anger,  greed,  bewilderment,  pride  and  envy  -  he  engages  in
fighting, argument, violence to others, tormenting others,  robbing
others' wealth, cruelty, senseless pride, and a host of other  evil
deeds.   So he can live independently, he builds his own house  and
performs  other  deeds.   In this way the  soul  in  Maya's  prison
struggles day and night to attain pleasure and stop distress.
      Vrajanatha:  Had Maya only covered the soul with  the  linga-
sarira (subtle body), would that not have been enough?
      Babaji:  No.  With just the linga-sarira, no one can  perform
actions.  Therefore the covering of the sthula-sarira (gross  body)
is  necessary.  Following the results of actions performed  by  the
sthula-sarira,  various desires are created  in  the  linga-sarira.
Following these desires, (at the time of his next birth)  the  soul
attains an appropriate new sthula-sarira.
      Vrajanatha: What is the relationship between actions and  the
results  they  bring?  The mimamsa philosophers say that  God,  who
awards the results of actions, is only a fiction, that every action
produces  something called an 'apurva' and this 'apurva' gives  the
result of the action.  Is this true?
      Babaji: The followers of karma-mimamsa do not understand  the
true conclusion of the Vedas.  Quickly glancing at the Vedic yajnas
and  other pious deeds, they come to a hasty conclusion.  The  true
conclusion  of  the  Vedas they do not grasp.   The  Vedas  explain
(Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.6 and Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.1):
      "In  the  individual spirit soul and the  Supersoul,  Supreme
Personality of Godhead, are like two friendly birds sitting on  the
same tree.  One of the birds (the individual atomic soul) is eating
the  fruit  of  the tree (the sense gratification afforded  by  the
material body), and the other bird (the Supersoul) is not trying to
eat these fruits, but is simply watching His friend."*
      Where  is  there any mention here of the mimamsa philosophers
'apurva'?   Any conclusion that denies the existence of God  cannot
be good.
     Vrajanatha: Why did you say that karma has no beginning?
      Babaji:  Material  desire is the root from  which  all  karma
(fruitive action) grows.  Ignorance is the root from which material
desires  grows.  That ignorance did not begin within the boundaries
of material time.  The ignorance that is the root of the individual
soul's  karma  begins  at  the  borderline  of  matter  and  spirit
(tatastha).   Therefore the beginning of karma occurs  outside  the
framework of material time.  In that sense karma has no beginning.
       Vrajanatha:  What  is  the  difference  between  'maya'  and
'ignorance'?
     Babaji:  Maya is Lord Krsna's potency.  Using this potency, He
created  the  material world to purify the rebellions souls.   Maya
has   two   features  'avidya'  (ignorance)  and  'pradhana'   (the
primordial  form  of matter).  Avidya directs her  efforts  to  the
individual  souls,  and pradhana directs its efforts  to  inanimate
matter.  From pradhana the material universes are manifested.  From
avidya   the  material  desires  of  the  conditioned   souls   are
manifested.   Maya also has two other features: 'vidya' (knowledge)
and  "avidya" (ignorance).  These two both direct their efforts  to
the individual spirit souls.  Avidya keeps the souls imprisoned  in
the material world, and vidya releases them from that prison.  When
the  criminal souls turn toward Lord Krsna, the vidya potency  acts
on  them,  and  when  the criminal souls forget Krsna,  the  avidya
potency acts.  Knowledge of Brahman is a specific feature of vidya.
The  first phase of vidya is pious deeds, and the concluding  phase
is  understanding  the truth.  Avidya covers  the  soul  and  vidya
uncovers him.
     Vrajanatha: What does pradhana do?
      Babaji:  In  the beginning the Supreme Lord employs  time  to
agitate  the  material  energy.  In this way  the  mahat-tattva  is
produced.   Agitated in this way, Maya's feature called  'pradhana'
creates   things.    From  the  mahat-tattva,  the   false-ego   is
manifested.  When false-ego is transformed by ignorance, the sky is
manifested.   From the sky, air is manifested.  From air,  fire  is
manifested.  From fire, water is manifested.  From water, earth  is
manifested.   In  this  way the five material elements,  which  are
called 'panca-maha-bhuta', are manifested.  Now please hear how the
five   'tan-matras'  are  created.   When  time   agitates   avidya
(ignorance),  jnana  (knowledge  of  the  impersonal)   and   karma
(fruitive action) are manifested from the mahat-tattva.   From  the
karma  thus manifested from the mahat-tattva, the modes of goodness
and  passion  are manifested, and from them come jnana  (knowledge)
and   kriya   (action).   From  the  mahat-tattva,   false-ego   is
manifested.   From  false-ego, intelligence  is  manifested.   From
intelligence, the quality of sound is perceived in the  sky.   From
sound  comes touch.  Thus sound and touch are manifested  the  air.
From them come 'prana' (the life-force), 'ojah' (energy) and 'bala'
(strength).  In fire are manifested form, touch, and sound.   Then,
by  the  transformation created by time, water  is  manifested.  In
water  are  taste, form, touch and sound.  A further transformation
brings earth, in which are fragrance, taste, form, touch and sound.
The   all-knowing   purusa-avatara  helps  these   changes   become
manifested.   False-ego has three features: 'vaikarika' (goodness),
'taijasa" (passion), and 'tamasa' (ignorance).  From false  ego  in
the  mode of goodness, material objects are manifested.  From false
ego in the mode of passion, the ten material senses are manifested.
There  are  two  sets  of senses: knowledge-acquiring  senses,  and
working  senses.  The knowledge-acquiring senses are:  eyes,  ears,
nose,  tongue,  and  skin.  The working senses are:  voice,  hands,
feet, genitals and rectum.  Even when the gross and subtle elements
are  assembled  together, nothing can happen until  the  individual
soul,  the  tiny  particle of spirit enters.  With  a  glance,  the
Supreme  Personality of Godhead places the individual soul  in  the
body  of  gross  and subtle elements, and only then does  the  body
begin  to move.  In this way the senses manifested by the modes  of
goodness  and passion come into contact with the sense-objects  the
pradhana has manifested through the mode of ignorance.  In this way
avidya  and  pradhana  act.   Maya  is  divided  into  twenty  four
categories: the five great elements, namely earth, water, fire, air
and sky, the five tan-matras, namely fragrance, form, taste, touch,
and  sound,  the  previously described ten knowledge-acquiring  and
working   senses,   and,  in  addition  to  these,   mind,   heart,
intelligence and false-ego.  Altogether these are the  twenty  four
categories of matter.  The conscious individual spirit soul is  the
twenty  fifth category in the body, and the Supreme Personality  of
Godhead, the Supersoul, in the twenty-sixth.
     Vrajanatha: In the human body of seven spans, what part is the
subtle  body, what part the gross body, and where in the body  does
the spirit soul reside?  Please tell me
      Babaji:  The sthula-sarira (gross body) consists of the  five
gross  elements (panca-maha-bhuta), five sense objects  (panca-tan-
matra) and the ten senses.  The linga-sarira (subtle body) consists
of  the  mind,  heart, intelligence and false-ego.  The  individual
spirit  false  thinks of this material body in  terms  of  "I"  and
"mine".  In this way he does not understand how his own welfare  is
best  served.   The soul, a tiny fragment of spirit,  exists  in  a
dimension  beyond  time,  space, and  the  other  features  of  the
material world.  Even though it is a tiny particle, the soul is all-
pervading within the material body.  As a tiny drop of sandal-paste
cools  the  entire body, so the soul, situated in one place  within
the  material body, is aware of the pleasure and pains of the  body
as a whole.
      Vrajanatha:  If  by his actions (karma) the  individual  soul
creates  his  own pleasures and sufferings, what does  the  Supreme
Personality of Godhead do?
      Babaji: The individual soul is the immediate cause,  but  the
Supreme  Personality  of  Godhead is the ultimate  cause.   By  his
various  actions,  the individual soul makes himself  qualified  to
receive  various results.  However, he does not have the  power  to
simply  take them.  All results must be given to him by the Supreme
Personality   of   Godhead,  the  ultimate  cause.    The   Supreme
Personality of Godhead gives the results, and the individual spirit
soul receives them.
     Vrajanatha: Through what different stages of life do the souls
imprisoned by Maya pass?
      Babaji: The souls imprisoned by Maya in a gross material body
pass  through  five  stages of existence.   They  are:  "acchadita-
cetana"   (covered  consciousness),  "sankucita-cetana"  (retracted
consciousness),    "mukulita-cetana"    (budding    consciousness),
"vikacita-cetana" (blossoming consciousness), and  "purna-vikacita-
cetana" (fully blossomed consciousness).
       Vrajanatha:  Which  souls  are  in  the  stage  of   covered
consciousness?
      Babaji:  The souls who reside in the bodies of trees,  grass,
and  stones  are in the stage of covered consciousness.   They  are
close  to being unconscious.  Forgetting that they are servants  of
Krsna,  they  have entered deeply into the realm of  matter.   They
have  no understanding of spirit.  All they know is the six changes
of  material life.  This is the lowest depth to which the soul  can
fall.  Ahalya, the yamalarjuna trees, and the seven tala trees  are
some examples the Puranas give of souls in this stage of existence.
Great  offenses push souls into that state, and Lord Krsna's  mercy
delivers them.
      Vrajanatha:  Which  souls  are  in  the  stage  of  retracted
consciousness?
      Babaji:  Animals, birds, snakes, fish, other water-creatures,
worms  and  insects  are  examples of  the  beings  with  retracted
consciousness.  The beings with covered consciousness exist on  the
verge   of   being   unconscious.   The   beings   with   retracted
consciousness  have  their consciousness  a  little  opened.   That
consciousness  is  directed toward eating,  sleeping,  fearing  and
bustling  to  and  fro  to fulfil a host of desires,  arguing  with
others  over  property claims and anger when  someone  is  wronged.
However, that consciousness remains unaware of the existence  of  a
world beyond the circle of matter.  Monkeys may be mischievous, may
give some thought to understanding the way things work, by thinking
"This  will  happen, and that will not happen", may  plan  for  the
future, and may show signs of gratefulness and other like feelings.
Some  animals have knowledge of the different properties of various
objects.   However,  the  animals  do  not  search  to  find   God.
Therefore  their  consciousness is said to be  retracted.   In  the
scriptures it is said that the great devotee Bharata took birth  as
a  deer and in that condition he was fully aware of the holy  names
of  the  Supreme  Lord.  However, Bharata was a special  case.   In
general,  animals  do  not have spiritual  knowledge.   Because  of
offenses, Bharata and Nrga became animals, but then by the mercy of
the  Supreme  Lord, they again attained an auspicious condition  of
life.
       Vrajanatha:  Which  souls  are  in  the  stage  of   budding
consciousness?
     Babaji: Conditioned souls in human bodies display three stages
of  consciousness: budding consciousness, blossoming consciousness,
and  fully blossomed consciousness.  There are five kinds of  human
beings:  immoral  people,  atheists who  follow  moral  principles,
people  who  believe  in  God and follow moral  principles,  people
engaged  in  practical  devotional  service  (sadhana-bhakti),  and
people  engaged in loving devotional service (bhava-bhakti).   Thus
the  categories are: people who because of ignorance or because  of
improper  knowledge become atheists, the immoral people, the  moral
atheists,  the  moral people who have a little faith  in  God,  the
people  who believe in God, the people who, following the rules  of
the  scriptures,  engage in sadhana-bhakti (devotional  service  in
practice), and the people who have attained love for God  and  thus
engage  in bhava-bhakti.  The immoral people and the two  kinds  of
atheists  are situated in the stage of budding consciousness.   The
people  who believe in God and the people engaged in sadhana-bhakti
are  situated  in  the stage of blossoming consciousness,  and  the
people  engaged in bhava-bhakti are situated in the stage of  fully
blossomed consciousness.
      Vrajanatha: For how many days do the souls situated in bhava-
bhakti continue to stay in Maya's prison?
      Babaji: This question is answered in the seventh verse of the
Dasa-mula.  Now it is night.  You should go home.
Chapter Seventeen
Nitya-dharma O Sambandhabhidheya Prayojana (Prameyantar-gata  Maya-
mukta-jiva-vicara)
Eternal Religion and Sambandha, Abhidheya and Prayojana (The  Souls
Free From Maya's Prison)
     The grandmother had already made arrangements for Vrajanatha's
marriage.  That night she told Vrajanatha all about it.  Not giving
any  reply,  Vrajanatha took his meal and went to bed.   Again  and
again  thinking about the pure spirit soul, he fell asleep late  at
night.   The  old  grandmother  kept  thinking,  "How  can  I  make
Vrajanatha  agree  to  the marriage?"  At  that  time  Vrajanatha's
cousin Vani-Madhava arrived.  The girl in the proposed marriage was
Vani-Madhava's cousin.  Vijaya Vidyaranta had sent  Vani-Madhava to
complete the arrangements for the marriage.  Vani-Madhava said,  "O
great aunt, why is there a delay?  Please quickly make arrangements
for  Vrajanatha's  marriage."  Vrajanatha's  grandmother  lamented,
"Brother, you are very expert.  You convince Vrajanatha to agree to
the marriage.  I told him about it, but Vrajanatha will not reply."
      Vani-Madhava  was short, with a short neck, dark  complexion,
and  blinking eyes.  He started many things, but he did  not  bring
any  of them to completion.  Hearing the old lady's words, he said,
"Nothing  can stop me.  If you command me, what can I not  do?   Do
you   know  how expert I am?  I can multiply a single coin  into  a
great sum.  Well, I will talk to Vrajanatha.  Will you not cook  me
a feast if I succeed?  The grandmother replied, "Vrajanatha went to
bed  right  after  his  meal."  Hearing  this,  Vani-Madhava  said,
"Tomorrow  I will come and take up the task", and left.   The  next
morning came.  Vrajanatha was sitting outside the shrine to Goddess
Durga.   Seeing Vani-Madhava, Vrajanatha said, "Brother,  why  have
you  come?"  Vani-Madhava replied, "O noble brother, for many  days
you  studied  and  taught the nyaya-sastra.  You  are  the  son  of
Haranatha  Cudamani.    Your  name  is  famous  in  every  country.
However,  you  are the only male in the family.  If  there  are  no
descendants, how can the family continue?  Brother, that is why  we
all   request  you:  Please  get  married."   Vrajanatha   replied,
"Brother,  why  do  you  agitate me for no reason?   I  have  taken
shelter  of  Lord  Gaurasundara's devotees.  Why would  I  want  to
marry?   When I stay near the Vaisnavas of Sri Mayapura,  I  become
filled  with happiness.  I do not think worldly life  is  good.   I
will take sannyasa.  I will take shelter of the Vaisnavas' feet.  I
tell  you this confidentially.  Please do not reveal it to anyone."
Seeing Vrajanatha's state of mind, Vani-Madhava thought, "This will
not be an easy path to tread.  I will have to trick him.  Cunningly
concealing what was in his heart, Vani-Madhava said, "I have always
helped  you.  When you were a student, I carried your books.   When
you take sannyasa, I will carry your danda and waterpot."
      Cheaters speak with a forked tongue.  To one person they  say
one thing, and to another person they say something different.   In
this  way they make trouble.  From what they say it is not at  once
seen  what is really in their hearts.  Honey sits on their  mouths,
and  poison  in their hearts.  Hearing Vani-Madhava's sweet  words,
Vrajanatha said, "brother, I know that for many days you have  been
my  true  friend.   My grandmother is an old lady.   She  does  not
understand  anything  that is very deep.   She  wants  to  push  me
together with this girl and throw me into a hell of household life.
If  you  can  stop her, I will be forever indebted to you."   Vani-
Madhava  said,  "Rest easy.  No one will do anything  against  your
wishes.   Friend, tell me one thing with an open heart, so  I  will
know how to help you.  I wish to know: Why do you hate the idea  of
getting  married?  Who taught you to become renounced?   Vrajanatha
told  Vani-Madhava all about how he had become renounced.  He  also
said,  "Elderly Raghunatha dasa Babaji in Mayapura is  my  teacher.
Every evening I go to him.  He has extinguished the blazing fire of
my  materialism.   He  has been very kind  to  me."   Fashioning  a
sinister  plot in his mind, Vani-Madhava though, "Now I have  found
his  weak point.  Now I will construct an expert stratagem.  I will
turn  his weakness against him."  Then he said aloud, "Brother,  in
secret  I will change your grandmother's mind.  But for now I  will
go  home."  After speaking these words, He first went home and then
by  a  side  road  he  quickly went to the  entrance  of  Srivasa's
courtyard  in  Sri  Mayapura.  Sitting under the  bakula  tree,  he
thought, "These Vaisnavas are plundering all the good things in the
world  for  their  own enjoyment!  What beautiful  homes!   What  a
pleasant  garden!   What a graceful courtyard!   What  a  beautiful
place!  One by one they sit in their bhajana-kutiras.  The Vaisnava
sit  and chant on japa beads.  They are like the bulls of religion.
They  are  free  of all cares!  After bathing in  the  Ganges,  the
respectable ladies of the neighbourhood bring them gifts of  water,
fruit, and various kinds of food.  The brahmanas used to get  gifts
like  that  for  performing karma-kanda  rituals.   Nowadays  these
babajis  enjoy them.  O fortunate age of Kali!  'He says  he  is  a
devotee  of Ramacandra, but in truth he is a devotee of Kali-yuga.'
Now I understand what that old saying means.  Alas! I am born in  a
brahmana's family in vain!  Nowadays no one gives us fruit!  No one
gives  even  water!  The Vaisnava says the follower  of  nyaya  are
fools  for talking so much about clay pots and scraps of cloth.   I
think  they  are  right.  At least about Vrajanatha.   Now  he  has
fallen  into  the  hands  of  these  wicked  people  wearing   only
loincloths.  I am Vani-Madhava.  I will straighten out  my  friend.
I  will  straighten out these wicked Vaisnavas too."   Thinking  in
this  way he entered one of the cottages.  By chance he had entered
the cottage of saintly Raghunatha dasa Babaji, who was sitting down
and  chanting  the holy names of Lord Hari.  A person's  nature  is
easily  seen on his face.  When the elderly babaji looked,  he  saw
that  Kali-yuga  personified stood before him  in  the  form  of  a
brahmana's  son.  Vaisnavas naturally think themselves  very  lowly
and  fallen.   When  enemies torment them,  they  are  patient  and
tolerant.  They wish good for all.  They don't require that  others
honour,  although they give honour to everyone else.  That  is  why
saintly  Raghunatha dasa Babaji gave all respects to his guest  and
politely  offered  him  a  place to  sit.   Vani-Madhava  was  very
emphatically  not  a  Vaisnava.  He did not understand  the  proper
etiquette  of  how  to approach a Vaisnava.  Thinking  the  elderly
babaji  a  sudra,  he gave a blessing to him.  The  saintly  babaji
asked  him, "Baba, what is your name?  My body, why have  you  come
here?"   When  the elderly babaji used the words "tumi"  (you,  the
young  boy)  and "ami" (I, the respectable gentleman), Vani-Madhava
became  angry.  Speaking crookedly, Vani-Madhava said, "Babaji!  Do
you  think  by  wearing  a  loincloth you  are  now  equal  to  the
brahmanas?   Ah  well,  it  must be.   There  is  one  thing  I,  a
respectable gentleman, would like to ask you, O young boy.  Do  you
know a Vrajanatha Pancanana?"
      Babaji: Please forgive my offense.  Please do not find  fault
with an old man's words.  Vrajanatha kindly comes here sometimes.
      Vani-Madhava: He is not an honest man.  He will be humble and
polite  for two or four days.  That is how he will bring you  under
his  control.  Then he will be able to make you do what  he  likes.
Seeing  the way you act, the Bhattacaryas of Belapukura have become
your  bitter enemies.  Consulting among themselves, they have  sent
Vrajanatha  to  you.  You are an old man.  You  should  take  care.
From  time  to time I will come and tell you of their plot.   Don't
tell  anyone about me.  If you tell them, it will not be  good  for
you.  Now I must go.
      After speaking these words, Vani-Madhava returned to his  own
home.
     After finishing his lunch, Vani-Madhava went to Vrajanatha and
said, "Brother, today I went to Mayapura on business.  There I  saw
an old Vaisnava.  Perhaps he was your Raghunatha dasa Babaji.  As I
talked with him, the topic of you came up.  He used a very bad word
to  describe you, a word one should not use for a brahmana.  At the
end  he  said,  "I will make Vrajanatha eat the remnants  from  the
plates of 36 low-caste people.  In that way I will destroy all  the
brahmanas."  Ha!  If panditas like you stay with such people,  then
no  one  will ever respect the brahmana panditas."  Vrajanatha  was
very surprised to hear all these words of Vani-Madhava.  There  was
no  knowing  why  the firm faith he had in the  Vaisnavas  and  the
devotion  he  had  for the elderly babaji suddenly became  doubted.
Vrajanatha said, "Brother, today I am very busy.  Please  go  home,
and  in time I will think about what you said."  Vani-Madhava  went
home.
      Vrajanatha  knew  well that Vani-Madhava was  double-hearted.
Vrajanatha  had been involved in nyaya logic, but he did  not  like
dishonesty.  Now he could see why Vani-Madhava offered to help  him
take  sannyasa.  He could understand Vani-Madhava's crooked  reason
for speaking favourably about sannyasa.  As he thought about it, he
concluded  that Vani-Madhava must have something to gain from  this
marriage,  and  Vani-Madhava  must have  gone  to  Mayapura  to  do
something  to further his crooked plot.  In his thoughts Vrajanatha
prayed  to the Supreme Lord, "O Supreme Lord, please give me strong
faith  in  my spiritual master and in the Vaisnavas.   Let  it  not
diminish  because of the misdeeds of cunning men.   As  he  thought
about  these  things,  the day came to an end.   With  an  agitated
heart, he went to Srivasa's courtyard at dusk.
      After  Vani-Madhava  had  left, the  saintly  elderly  babaji
thought, "That man is a brahmana-raksasa.  The scriptures declare:
      "In  the  Kali-yuga, raksasa take birth in  the  families  of
brahmanas."
      "That  man  is seen in those words.  He has pride  of  caste,
pride  even  though he has nothing really to be  proud  about.   He
hates the Vaisnavas.  He is a hypocrite, proudly waving the flag of
piety  while  he sins.  All these things are written on  his  face.
His  short neck, blinking eyes, and devious words all show what  is
in  his heart.  Ah, how pleasant and gentle is Vrajanatha, and  how
much  of  a  demon  is  this other fellow!  O Lord  Krsna,  O  Lord
Gauranga, please let me not associate with people like him.   Today
I will warn Vrajanatha about him."
      Vrajanatha entered the cottage.  The saintly elderly  babaji,
his  affection  for Vrajanatha now doubled, said, "Come  in,  baba.
Come  in,"  and embraced Vrajanatha.  Tears flowing from his  eyes,
Vrajanatha  kissed the dust of the babaji's feet.  Embarrassed,  he
could  not speak.  The saintly babaji said, "This morning  a  dark-
complexioned  brahmana  came here and spoke  some  very  disturbing
words.  Do you know him?"
      Vrajanatha:  O  master, you have explained to  me  that  many
different  kinds  of living entities live in this  material  world.
Among  all  these living entities, some envious beings  delight  in
troubling  others.   Among these envious beings  my  cousin  (I  am
embarrassed  to  call him my cousin) Vani-Madhava  is  one  of  the
foremost.   If we do not talk about him, that will make  me  happy.
The truth is that to you he speaks bad things about me and to me he
speaks  bad things about you.  He does this so we will think  badly
of  each  other and out friendship will break.  When you  hear  his
words, did you not form an opinion in your mind?
     Babaji: O Krsna! O Gauranga! For a long time I have served the
Vaisnavas.  By their mercy I have a little power to tell who  is  a
Vaisnava  and who is not a Vaisnava.  I have understood everything.
You need not say anything about this.
      Vrajanatha: Let us forget all he has said.  Please  tell  me:
How is the soul released from Maya's prison?
      Babaji: When you hear the seventh verse of the Dasa-mula, you
will find the answer to your question:
      "When  a  soul wandering from one species to another  in  the
material  world sees a Vaisnava filled with the nectar of  devotion
to  Lord  Hari, he becomes attracted to follow that Vaisnavas.   By
chanting  the  holy  names  of  Lord  Krsna,  that  soul  gradually
renounces  materialism,  and in the end  he  regains  his  original
spiritual  form.  In that form he enjoys the pure and sweet  nectar
of the spiritual mellows of direct service to Lord Krsna."
      Vrajanatha: I would like to hear one or two quotes  from  the
Vedas as evidence for these truths.
      Babaji:  In the Vedas it is said (Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.2  and
Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.7):
      "Although  the  two birds (the Supersoul and  the  individual
soul)  are on the same tree, the eating bird (the individual  soul)
is  fully  engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer  of
the  fruits of the tree.  But if in some way or other he turns  his
face  to his friend who is the Lord, and knows His glories, at once
the suffering bird becomes free of all anxieties."*
      Vrajanatha:  It  is  said that when he sees  the  worshipable
Supreme Lord and understands His glory, the individual soul becomes
free from anxiety.  Do these words describe 'liberation'?
      Babaji:  When  one is released from Maya's  prison,  that  is
called 'liberation'.  To attain liberation one must associate  with
saintly devotees of the Lord.  When he attains liberation, the soul
regains  its  original spiritual glory.  That  kind  of  liberation
should be sought.  In Srimad Bhagavatam (2.10.6) it is said:
      "Liberation  is the permanent situation of the  form  of  the
living  entity  after he gives up the changeable gross  and  subtle
material bodies."*
     When the soul is released from Maya's prison, at the moment he
is  at  once liberated.  However, when he is thus situated  in  his
original  form,  the soul begins to perform an  endless  series  of
spiritual  activities.  The soul's first need is to  perform  these
duties.  It may be said that liberation puts an end to a great host
of  sufferings.   However, beyond that, liberation brings  with  it
spiritual  bliss.   This  is described in the  following  words  of
Chandogya Upanisad (8.12.3):
      "Then  the  soul  leaves the material body and  goes  to  the
effulgent  Supreme Personality of Godhead.  The soul  then  regains
his  original  spiritual  form and in  that  form  he  enjoys  many
pastimes,  eating  and  playing with  the  Supreme  Personality  of
Godhead."
     Vrajanatha: What are the signs that show one has been released
from Maya's prison?
      Babaji:  Eight  signs are described in  these  words  of  the
Chandogya Upanisad (8.7.1):
     "One should seek a soul who is free from sins, old-age, death,
lamentation, hunger, and thirst, who desires the truth,  and  whose
thoughts are fixed on the truth."
      Vrajanatha: In the verse from the Dasa-mula it was said  that
when  he  attains  the association of a Vaisnava who  relishes  the
nectar mellows of  service to Lord Hari, the soul wandering in  the
cycle  of  birth  and death can attain auspiciousness.   I  have  a
question.   By practicing impersonal speculation, astanga-yoga,  or
other  auspicious deeds, does one not at the end attain  devotional
service to Lord Hari?
      Babaji:  With  His  own  transcendental  mouth,  the  Supreme
Personality of Godhead declares (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.12.1-2):
      "Neither  through  astanga-yoga (the mystic  yoga  system  to
control the senses), nor through impersonal monism or an analytical
study  of  the Absolute Truth, nor through study of the Vedas,  nor
through practice of austerities,  nor through charity,, nor through
acceptance  of  sannyasa,  nor through yajnas,  nor  through  Vedic
hymns,  nor  through going on pilgrimages,  nor  through  religious
duties  and  self-control can one attain Me as much as one  can  by
associating  with saintly devotees whose good association  releases
one from all that is inauspicious."
     In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (8.61) it is said:
      "Association is very important.  It acts just like a  crystal
stone,  which  will  reflect  anything  which  is  put  before  it.
Similarly,  if  we associate with the flowerlike  devotees  of  the
Lord, and if our hearts are crystal clear, then certainly the  same
action will be there."*
       Therefore  association  with  saintly  devotees  brings   an
auspicious result.  When the scriptures say one should live  alone,
the meaning is that one should associate only with devotees.  If by
accident   one unknowingly associates with devotees, he  attains  a
great benefit.  In Srimad Bhagavatam (3.23.55) it is said:
      "Association for sense gratification is certainly the path of
bondage.   But  the  same  type of association,  performed  with  a
saintly  person, leads to the path of liberation, even if performed
without knowledge."*
     In Srimad Bhagavatam (7.5.32) it is also said:
      "Unless  they smear upon their bodies the dust of  the  lotus
feet  of  a  Vaisnava completely freed from material contamination,
persons  very  much inclined toward materialistic  life  cannot  be
attached  to  the  lotus feet of the Lord, who is gloried  for  His
uncommon  activities.  Only by becoming Krsna conscious and  taking
shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be  freed
from material contamination."*
     In Srimad Bhagavatam (10.48.31) it is also said:
      "One can take advantage of the place of pilgrimage only after
going  there.  By worshipping the particular demigod,  it  takes  a
long  time for fulfilment of desire, but saintly persons like  you,
My  dear  Akrura,  can immediately fulfil all the  desires  of  the
devotees."*
     In Srimad Bhagavatam (10.51.53) it is also said:
      "O  my  Lord!   O infallible Supreme Person!  When  a  person
wandering  throughout the universes becomes eligible for liberation
from  material existence, he gets an opportunity to associate  with
devotees.  When he associates with devotees, his attraction for You
is  awakened.   You  are the Supreme Personality  of  Godhead,  the
highest  goal  of  the  supreme  devotees  and  the  Lord  of   the
universe."*
       Vrajanatha:  By  performing  pious  deeds  one  attains  the
association of saintly devotees.  What are these pious deeds?   Are
they not karma (Vedic rituals) and jnana (impersonal speculation)?
      Babaji: The scriptures describe pious deeds.  Pious deeds are
of  two kinds: 1. pious deeds that bring devotional service, and 2.
pious  deeds  that bring useless results.  Regular  and  occasional
Vedic  duties,  sankhya philosophy, and impersonal speculation  all
bring  useless  results.   Association with  saintly  devotees  and
contact with places, times and things that bring devotion bring the
result  of  devotional service.  As one accumulates these  results,
they  eventually  become so powerful that they bring  devotion  for
Lord Krsna.  The useless results produced by other pious activities
do  not accumulate in this way.  One enjoys their results and  then
they are gone.  In this material world pious activities like giving
charity  bring  material  enjoyment as  their  result.   Impersonal
speculation  and other like activities bring impersonal  liberation
as  their  result.  The activities do not have the  power  to  give
devotional  service.  Associating with saintly devotees,  observing
ekadasi, Janmastami, Gaura-purnima, and other holy days that instil
devotion   in  persons  observing  them,  worshipping  Tulasi-devi,
worshipping  the  Lord  in  His  temple,  honouring  maha-prasadam,
visiting  holy  places, and seeing and touching  the  devotees  all
bring the result of devotional service.
      Vrajanatha: If a person tormented by the troubles of material
life  flees from material illusion and intelligently takes  shelter
of Lord Hari's feet, will he not attain devotional service?
      Babaji:  If he intelligently understands that his  sufferings
are  all  caused by the illusory potency maya, and that the  entire
material world is by nature inauspicious, and that his only shelter
is  the  lotus feet of the Supreme Lord and the association of  the
Lord's  devotees,  then he will take shelter of  the  feet  of  the
devotees  who  have taken shelter of the feet of the Lord.   Taking
shelter  of  their  feet  is  the most effective  means  to  attain
devotional  service.  That is the way one attains the feet  of  the
Supreme  Lord.  In the beginning renunciation and the  intelligence
to  understand  what is auspicious and what is not  auspicious  are
certainly present, but they are of only secondary importance for  a
person  striving for devotional service.  Association with  saintly
devotees  is  the  most  important factor in  attaining  devotional
service.   Aside  from  that association, no other  means  is  very
important.
      Vrajanatha: What is the objection to saying that karma (pious
deeds), jnana (impersonal speculation), vairagya (renunciation) and
viveka  (the ability to understand what is auspicious and  what  is
not)  are  secondary  means that also help  one  attain  devotional
service?
      Babaji" There is an objection.  Generally, these means  bring
results  that  are  trivial and useless.   After  giving  the  soul
material  pleasures,  pious deeds go away.   Renunciation  and  the
ability  to understand what is auspicious and what is not  tend  to
lead  to  impersonalism.  Impersonalism tends to cheat the soul  of
the  opportunity to attain the Lord's feet.  One should  not  trust
these means to bring devotional service.  Sometimes these means may
take one to devotional service, but generally they do not.  On  the
other  hand, association with pure devotees does not bring  results
that  are  trivial  and  temporary.  Their  association  inevitably
brings one to pure love of God.  In the Srimad Bhagavatam (3.25.25)
the Supreme Lord explains:
      "In  the  association  of pure devotees,  discussion  of  the
pastimes  and activities of the Supreme Personality of  Godhead  is
very  pleasing and satisfying to the ear and heart.  By cultivating
such  knowledge  one  gradually becomes advanced  on  the  path  of
liberation,  and thereafter he is freed and his attraction  becomes
fixed.  Then real devotion and devotional service begin."*
      Vrajanatha: Association with saintly devotees is then the way
to  attain  devotional service.  First one hears from the devotees'
mouths  the  descriptions  of  Lord  Hari,  and  then  one  attains
devotional service.  Is that the right sequence?
     Babaji: I will tell you the right sequence.  Please listen.  A
soul  wandering from birth to birth in the material  world  may  by
destiny attain something that leads to devotional service.  In  the
course  of  his life, by destiny a soul may encounter  one  of  the
limbs of devotional service.  By chance he may fast on ekadasi,  or
see  and touch a holy place, receive a pure devotee as a guest,  or
hear  the holy names of Lord Hari, or the descriptions of  Him,  or
songs  about Him from the mouths of saintly devotees who have  Lord
Hari  as  their  only  possession.   If  a  person  performs  these
activities  with  a  desire to attain material sense  pleasures  or
impersonal  liberation, he will not attain  devotional  service  by
performing them.  However, if an innocent person by chance performs
these  activities  with  any motive to use  them  to  attain  sense
pleasure or impersonal liberation, then these activities will  lead
him  to devotional service.  When these devotion-giving pious deeds
accumulate  after many births, one finally attains  faith  in  pure
devotional  service.  Faith in pure devotional service creates  the
desire  to  associate  with  pure devotees.   By  associating  with
devotees  one  gradually  becomes engaged  in  sadhana  (devotional
service  in  practice)  and  bhajana (worship  of  the  Lord).   By
performing  bhajana  one  gradually  casts  all  unwanted  material
desires  far  away.  When material desires are cast far  away,  one
attains  pure  faith.  When faith becomes more and more  pure,  one
gradually attains 'ruci' (attraction to the Lord).  As one  becomes
more  and  more attracted to the beauty of the Lord, the attraction
becomes  transformed into attachment (asakti) to  the  Lord.   When
this attachment becomes fully manifested, one attains ecstatic love
(bhava or rati) for the Lord.  This ecstatic love turns into 'rasa'
(the  nectar mellows of a relationship with the Lord), which brings
'premotpatti'  (pure  love  for  the  Lord).   This  the  root   of
devotional  service is seeing and following pure  devotees  of  the
Lord.   The  conclusion,  then,  is  that  in  the  beginning   one
associates  with  devotees.  Then one  develops  faith.   Then  one
continues  to  associate with devotees.  The result of  associating
with  devotees is that one attains faith.  Faith is also  known  as
surrender  (saranapatti) to the Lord.  The first  association  with
the  devotees brings attraction to the places, times,  things,  and
persons  dear  to Lord Hari.  The first association  with  devotees
brings with it a faith that becomes manifested as surrender to  the
Lord.   This  is seen in the Lord's final teaching in Bhagavad-gita
(18.66):
     "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.
I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions.  Do not fear."*
      Here  the  word  "sarva-dharma" (all varieties  of  religion)
refers  to smarta-dharma (the rules of the smrti-sastras), astanga-
yoga,    sankhya,   jnana   (impersonal   speculation),    vairagya
(renunciation), and all other like varieties of religion.  None  of
these kinds of religion is able to fulfil the soul's true spiritual
needs.   Therefore in the Gita it is written that  these  religions
should  be  abandoned.   In pravrtti-sraddha (positive  faith)  one
thinks,  "I  know that Lord Krsna, whose form is the perfection  of
eternity,  knowledge, and bliss, and who enjoys pastimes in  Vraja,
is  the  spirit souls' only goal.  Therefore, completely  rejecting
material sense gratification, impersonal liberation, and any  other
non-devotional goal, with unalloyed spiritual love I now  surrender
unto  Him."  When this kind of faith arises, one becomes the humble
follower  of a saintly Vaisnava.  In this way one surrenders  to  a
saintly Vaisnava spiritual master.
     Vrajanatha: What are the soul's anarthas (unwanted things)?"
      Babaji:  There  are four kinds of anarthas:  1.  sva-svarupa-
aprapti  (things  that  prevent one from  reviving  one's  original
spiritual  nature), 2. asat-trsna (thirst for material things),  3.
aparadha  (offenses), and 4. hrdaya-daurbalya (weakness of  heart).
Forgetting  "I  am pure, a particle of spirit, a  servant  of  Lord
Krsna,  the imprisoned soul goes far away from his original nature.
That  the first anartha: sva-svarupa-aprapti.  One may think "I  am
material, and these material objects are my property".  In this way
one thirsts for happiness in the realm of material things.  This is
called  asat-trsna.  The three kinds of asat-trsna are:  1.  desire
for  good  children and descendants, 2. desire for  wealth  and  3.
desire  to  reside  in  Svargaloka.  The  ten  kinds  of  aparadhas
(offenses) I will describe later.  From hrdaya-daurbalya  (weakness
of  heart)  come  lamentation and a host of other problems.   These
four  anarthas  are  the natural property of  a  soul  shackled  by
material  ignorance.  By associating with devotees and  cultivating
Krsna  consciousness, the soul gradually throws these anarthas  far
away.   The  path  of  yoga,  which  consists  of  the  four  parts
pratyahara  (withdrawal from sense-objects),  yama  (self-control),
niyama  (restraint), and vairagya (renunciation), is  not  an  easy
path  to  follow.  It is filled with problems.  It does not  easily
lead  to  the  final  goal.  On the other hand,  cultivating  Krsna
consciousness  in the association of devotees is an  easy  path  to
follow.   It  easily  eclipses  anarthas  and  materialism.    When
materialism  is  eclipsed,  the  original  form  of  the  soul   is
spontaneously manifested.
       Vrajanatha:  Should  persons  free  of  anarthas  be  called
'liberated'?
      Babaji:  Please  reflect on these words of Srimad  Bhagavatam
(6.14.3-5):
      "In  this  material world there are many living  entities  as
atoms.  Among these living entities, very few are human beings, and
among them, few are interested in following religious principles.*
      "O  best of brahmanas, Sukadeva Gosvami, out of many  persons
who  follow religious principles, only a few desire liberation from
the  material  world.  Among many thousands who desire  liberation,
one  may actually achieve liberation, giving up material attachment
to  society,  friendship, love, country, home, wife  and  children.
And  among  many thousands of such liberated persons, one  who  can
understand the true meaning of liberation is very rare.*
      "O  great  sage,  among many millions who are  liberated  and
perfect  in knowledge of liberation, one may be a devotee  of  Lord
Narayana,  or  Krsna.  Such devotees, who are fully  peaceful,  are
extremely rare."*
     Only pure devotees are really free of anarthas.  Such devotees
are very rare.  One must search among many millions and millions of
liberated  souls  to  find  one who is a  devotee  of  Lord  Krsna.
Therefore  in this material world there is no group more  difficult
to associate with than the devotees of Lord Krsna.
      Vrajanatha: Does the word "Vaisnava" refer only to a Vaisnava
who has renounced family life?
      Babaji: The Vaisnava refers to a pure devotee of Lord  Krsna.
Such  a devotee may be either a householder or a sannyasi.  He  may
be  a  brahmana  or  a candala (outcaste).  He may  be  wealthy  or
poverty stricken.  To the extent that he has pure devotion to  Lord
Krsna, to that extent he is a pure devotee.
      Vrajanatha: You have explained that the souls swallowed up by
Maya are of five kinds.  In those five kinds of souls imprisoned by
Maya,  you included the sadhana-bhaktas (devotees in the  stage  of
devotional service in practice) and bhava-bhaktas (devotees in  the
stage  of spiritual love).  Which devotees are released from Maya's
prison?
      Babaji: From the moment he begins to live as a devotee of the
Lord,  the  soul  may  be said to be released from  Maya's  prison.
However,  the  final stage of release from Maya's  prison  is  only
attained when one attains the final stage of mature devotion to the
Lord.   Before  that  one is situated in the preliminary  stage  of
release  from  Maya's  prison.  When the gross (sthula-sarira)  and
subtle (linga-sarira) material bodies are both finally broken,  the
soul  attains  the final stage of release from Maya's  prison.   By
practicing  sadhana-bhakti (the practical activities of  devotional
service)  one  gradually attains bhava-bhakti  (spiritual  love  of
God).  When bhava-bhakti becomes strong and firm, the soul is able,
at  the  time  of leaving the gross body, to leave the subtle  body
also  and  be  situated  in his original spiritual  form.   Because
material  life  lingers  during the stage  of  sadhana-bhakti,  and
because  it  is  not yet completely removed even in  the  beginning
stages  of bhava-bhakti, the sadhana-bhaktas and bhava-bhaktas  are
included  among  the five kinds of souls swallowed  by  Maya.   The
materialists  and the impersonalists are certainly  to  be  counted
among the souls swallowed by Maya.  Among the liberated souls, they
who  have attained liberation by engaging in devotional service  to
Lord Hari have alone attained the true perfection of liberation.  A
soul  who  commits  offenses and is therefore  imprisoned  by  Maya
forgets "I am a servant of Lord Krsna".  That forgetfulness is  the
root  from  which his offenses grow.  Without the mercy  of  Krsna,
that  soul is not excused from his offense.  In the same way,  with
the mercy of Lord Krsna, that soul will not be released from Maya's
prison.   The  impersonalist sampradaya's faith that by cultivating
impersonal speculation they will attain liberation.  That faith  is
groundless.  Without first attaining Lord Krsna's mercy, no one  is
released from Maya's prison.  In Srimad Bhagavatam (10.2.32-33) the
demigods speak these two verses to explain this truth:
      "O  lotus eye one, those who think they are liberated in this
life  but do not render devotional service to You must be of impure
intelligence.  Although they accept severe austerities and penances
to   rise   to  the  spiritual  position,  to  impersonal   Brahman
realisation,  the fall down again because they neglect  to  worship
Your lotus feet.*
      "O  Madhava,  Supreme  Personality of Godhead,  Lord  of  the
goddess  of  fortune,  if  devotees completely  in  love  with  You
sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like non
devotees,  for  You  still  protect  them.   Thus  they  fearlessly
traverse  the heads of their opponents and continue to progress  in
devotional service."*
      Vrajanatha:  What are the different kinds of  souls  free  of
Maya's prison?
     Babaji: The souls free from Maya's prison are of two kinds: 1.
nitya-mukta (the souls who were never placed in Maya's prison), and
2. baddha-mukta (the souls who were at one time imprisoned, but now
are  free).  The nitya-mukta souls may be divided into two  groups:
1.  aisvarya-gata  (souls  who appreciate  the  Lord's  feature  of
opulence),  and 2. madhurya gata (souls who appreciate  the  Lord's
feature  of  sweetness).  The aisvarya-gata nitya-mukta  souls  are
personal  associates  of Lord Narayana, the  master  of  Vaikuntha.
They are particles of spiritual effulgence emanated from Lord Mula-
Sankarsana,  who  resides in Vaikuntha.  The  madhurya-gata  nitya-
mukta  souls are personal associates of Lord Krsna, the  master  of
Goloka  Vrndavana.   They  are particles  of  spiritual  effulgence
manifested  from  Lord Baladeva, who resides in  Goloka  Vrndavana.
The  baddha-mukta souls (who were once imprisoned but now are free)
are  of  three  kinds: 1. aisvarya-gata (souls who  appreciate  the
Lord's feature of opulence), 2. madhurya-gata (souls who appreciate
the  Lord's feature of sweetness), and 3. brahmajyotir-gata  (souls
situated within the Lord's spiritual effulgence).  Souls who during
their  period  of  practicing sadhana-bhakti are attracted  to  the
Lord's  opulence  become eternal associates of Lord  Narayana,  the
master of Vaikuntha.  They attain salokya-mukti (the liberation  of
residing  on the same planet as the Lord).  Souls who during  their
period  of  practicing sadhana-bhakti are attracted to  the  Lord's
sweetness,  after liberation enjoy the sweetness of direct  service
to Lord Krsna in the eternal spiritual abode of Vrndavana and other
like  abodes.   Souls  who  during  their  period  of  sadhana  are
attracted  to  become  one with the Lord, after  liberation  attain
brahma-sayujya-mukti (the liberation of merging with the Lord).  In
this way these souls are completely destroyed.
     Vrajanatha: What is the final destination of the soul who is a
devotee of Lord Gaura-kisora (Lord Caitanya)?
      Babaji:  Krsna and Gaura-kisora are not different.  They  are
both shelters of the feature of sweetness (madhurya-rasa).  They do
have one difference.  Madhurya-rasa (the Lord's sweetness) has  two
features:  1.  madhurya (sweetness), and 2. audarya (mercy).   When
sweetness  is prominent, Lord Krsna is manifested.  When  mercy  is
prominent,  Lord  Gauranga is manifested.  The spiritual  world  of
Vrndavana  is divided into two abodes: 1. the abode of Lord  Krsna,
and  2.  the  abode  of  Lord  Gaura.  The  eternally  perfect  and
eternally liberated souls who have sweetness first and mercy second
reside  in  Lord Krsna's abode.  They are Lord Krsna's  associates.
The  eternally perfect and eternally liberated souls who have mercy
first and sweetness second reside in Lord Gaura's abode.  They  are
Lord  Gaura's associates.  Some souls manifest two forms and reside
in  both abodes simultaneously.  Other souls manifest only one form
and  are present in one of the abodes and not in the other.   Souls
who during the time of sadhana worship only Lord Gaura, at the time
of  attaining  perfection go to Lord  Gaura's abode and  serve  Him
there.   Souls  who  during the time of sadhana worship  only  Lord
Krsna, at the time of attaining perfection go to Lord Krsna's abode
and  serve Him there.  Souls who during the time of sadhana worship
both Lord Krsna and Lord Gaura, at the time of attaining perfection
manifest two forms, go to both Lord Krsna's abode and Lord  Gaura's
abode,  and  in their two forms serve the two Lord's simultaneously
in  both  places.  This truth: that Lord Gaura and Lord  Krsna  are
simultaneously  one  and  different from  each  other,  is  a  very
confidential secret.
      After  hearing these teachings about the souls released  from
Maya's  prison, Vrajanatha, now filled with ecstatic love, fell  at
the feet of the elderly Vaisnava and stayed there for some minutes.
Weeping  and sweeping, the saintly babaji picked up Vrajanatha  and
firmly  embraced  him.   A good portion of the  night  had  already
passed.   Taking  leave  of the babaji, Vrajanatha  returned  home.
Travelling  on the path, he deeply thought about the  soul's  final
destination.   When he returned home and was taking  his  meal,  he
said  to  his  grandmother, "Grandmother, if you wish  to  continue
seeing me, you should stop all this talk of marriage and you should
not  allow  Vani-Madhava  to come here.  He  is  my  bitter  enemy.
Tomorrow  I  will refuse to talk with him.  You also should  ignore
him."   Vrajanatha's grandmother was intelligent.   Thinking  about
her  conversation  during the daytime with  Vani-Madhava  and  what
Vrajanatha  has  just told her, she decided to stop  the  marriage.
She  could  see  that  if  too much pressure  was  placed  on  him,
Vrajanatha  would go to Varanasi or Vrndavana.  That  she  did  not
wish.  She decided" "What will be, will be."