Tapasya dāsa and Tapasvini dāsī
prajapates te vacasādhisa tantya
lokāḥ kilāyaṁ kāma-hato nubaddhaḥ
ahaṁ ca lokānugato vahāmi
baliṁ ca śuklān imaisayā tubhyam
O my Lord, You are the master and protector of all living entities. Under Your control the conditioned souls constantly fulfill their desires, as if bound by a rope. O embodiment of religion, I also follow in their footsteps and to You, who are eternal time, I offer sacrifices.
Śrīla Prabhupāda refers here to a verse from the Kaṭha Upaniṣad:
nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām
eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān
This means that the Lord is the Supreme Being among all living beings; He maintains all living entities and fulfills their desires. Whoever is able to recognize that the Supreme Lord is in our hearts is dhīra – undisturbed. Such a person will indeed achieve full peace and satisfaction. Kardama Muni addresses Kṛṣṇa as that Lord who fulfills the desires of all living entities. He says that everyone is under Kṛṣṇa’s control, under His guidance. That is the meaning of the Supreme Lord – He is the Supreme Controller, and every living entity is under His control.
Here the example is given of being bound by a rope. Everyone is controlled by Kṛṣṇa either directly or indirectly. The conditioned soul is controlled by Kṛṣṇa in an indirect way, which is expressed in the fact that the living entity tries to satisfy its senses. When the conditioned soul thinks that by satisfying the senses it is becoming independent, that is exactly when it comes under the control of another energy of the Lord. Similarly, everyone follows the laws established by the state – indirectly or directly. For those who think they will not follow these laws there is a special arrangement called prison. In prison one is forced to follow the laws of the state. So in every case one is bound by the Lord’s energy. Everyone is controlled, just as animals are controlled by a rope. But this being bound in the conditioned state is a situation in which we suffer and cannot find happiness.
The soul by nature seeks freedom. It seeks liberation, the possibility of acting freely. It is contaminated by its material desires, which place it in material nature. In the purport there is the question: since Kardama Muni was so advanced in spiritual life, why did he not ask the Lord for liberation? He was speaking directly with Kṛṣṇa, he had darśana of the Supreme Lord. Normally anyone would think that when one comes to this platform of direct contact with Kṛṣṇa, then one automatically becomes free from all material desires. But the Lord allows the living entity to keep its material desires as long as it wants to. He creates facilities for the fulfillment of those desires. Just as the demigods have material desires to control, so Kṛṣṇa says:
“All right, become demigods. In this way you can fulfill your desire to be controllers and at the same time perform some service for Me. All right, you want to control the whole universe? Become Brahmā!”
Kṛṣṇa is always creating facilities for the living entities to fulfill their desires. Therefore, as long as someone maintains his material desires, there is no question of liberation from material bondage. But that does not mean there is no possibility of natural purification. That is the whole program that Kṛṣṇa gives in the Vedas:
“All right, you are a rascal, you want to enjoy material life, but at least do not degrade yourself and do not entangle yourself still more in material life. Rather, follow My instructions so that you can rise in spiritual life. In this way you will attain happiness. After all, is it not happiness that you really want?”
Kṛṣṇa says to the conditioned soul:
“You want this, you want that, you desire so many things. But why do you want all these things? Because you want to be happy. So all right. Just understand what real happiness is and follow My instructions to attain it. Do not invent your own program for achieving happiness, because it will not work.
“I am very sorry, conditioned soul, but no matter how much you think you are intelligent, your plans will not succeed.”
This is what we, as devotees, must also remember – that our independent plans will never bring happiness. Sometimes we take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness with great enthusiasm, wanting to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, but with the passing of time we start to make our own plans. Sometimes these plans are connected with another person of the opposite sex. Śrī Viṣṇupāda told a story about Tapasya dāsa and Tapasvini devī dāsī. It is quite a popular story, one that we can observe very often.
Tapasya dāsa is a brahmacārī and he sees a wonderful brahmacāriṇī, Tapasvini devī dāsī. He thinks: “Just look how devoted she is. Just look how renounced she is! I myself am not so devoted and renounced, and if I could serve together with her, she would certainly help me make advancement in devotional service.” Tapasvini devī dāsī is thinking the same thing about Tapasya dāsa. So, because there is a desire, there is the Supersoul and there is the temple president – and a marriage takes place.
At the beginning everything is really wonderful – just like Lakṣmī and Nārāyaṇa. Except that there is one problem: “There is too much tapasya! Where is the opulence of Lakṣmī and Nārāyaṇa?” This question first appears in the mind of Tapasvini d. d. “There is too little space here. This little temple is not enough for us. We cannot live in such conditions, we need some house. And all this tapasya of going out every day on saṅkīrtana – it is too much. And besides, it is said in śāstra (she starts quoting śāstra) that family life means there must be children.”
In the meantime the determination of Tapasya dāsa to perform tapasya breaks down. He no longer gets up as early as before. Before, he used to get up at 4:00, now he gets up at 5:00, at 6:00, at 7:00… Gradually he only comes to the temple for the morning prasādam.
When he already has his apartment and children, he comes to the temple only for the Sunday program, then only for the feast. In the meantime he constructs an entire philosophy to explain why he has to act in this way. This philosophy is called neo-Hinduism. As a Hindu he has all kinds of ideas about how the temple should be managed. His wife also has many wonderful ideas, but they will not lift even one finger to serve the temple – they will only have good suggestions and many critical remarks. In this way Tapasya dāsa and Tapasvini d. d. dive into material life.
The point is that Kṛṣṇa allows everyone to strive to fulfill his plans. Therefore, as devotees, we should be determined to remain under the direct control of Kṛṣṇa all the time. In this way we will have guaranteed eternal, real happiness.
Now I would like to go on with the discussion of the Bhagavad-gītā, especially the third chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. As we mentioned yesterday, at the beginning of the Third Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna expresses his confusion. Essentially he has the wrong conception that spiritual life means inactivity. He says: “On one hand You tell me to engage in fighting, and on the other hand You say that intelligence is better than fruitive work.” He thinks that intelligence is synonymous with the absence of activity. He asks for an explanation, so Kṛṣṇa explains.
In verse 4 of this chapter Kṛṣṇa explains naiskarmya – freedom from action – and siddhi – perfection. Both of these things are needed in order to attain full realization. He explains that naiskarmya – freedom from reaction – is not an automatic result of not acting, and that renunciation does not automatically bring perfection. This was Arjuna’s wrong conception: that absence of action would bring freedom from reaction, and that renunciation would bring spiritual perfection. So Kṛṣṇa says that no, it is not automatic at all. In fact, you will not achieve either of these things if there is no surrender. One can be a renounced person, but if one is not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, one will not attain perfection. Why? Because there will be no change of heart, and that is necessary to attain perfection. His renunciation will be artificial. Kṛṣṇa says that he will become mithyācāra – he will perform renunciation only for show; he will simply be a cheat.
Ācāra means activity, and mithyā, as in brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, means something that has no value. So mithyācāra means a cheater. Kṛṣṇa wants that we also not be such cheaters; He wants us to achieve success in spiritual life. In verse 8 He raises the topic of duty. As we explained yesterday, the subject of the Bhagavad-gītā is what our duty is. In verse 8 Kṛṣṇa says: “Perform your prescribed duties. In any case you must act, so act according to your duty.” Kṛṣṇa mentions this again at the end of the Bhagavad-gītā: “Now decide what you want to do. In any case you will have to engage in fighting, because you are a kṣatriya. But if you do not perform your duty, then you will sin.”
Then, beginning from verse 9, Kṛṣṇa presents the idea of performing one’s duties for Lord Viṣṇu. In fact, this is a kind of revolutionary idea. Everyone thinks: “I will perform my duties for my country, my family, and so on.” No one even thinks that there is such a thing as performing one’s duties for the satisfaction of God. But Kṛṣṇa explains: “If you do not dedicate your duty for My satisfaction, then you will be bound.” He says that in this universe an entire system has been established of performing one’s duties for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu. He says that the Lord has sent all the demigods, all the people and all the sacrifices so that we can achieve happiness. “By following this system you will attain happiness. And if you do not follow this system, then” – as He explains in verse 16 – “moghāṁ pārtha sa jīvati – you will waste your life.” Why is that? Āgāyur indriyārāmo – you will simply be satisfying your senses.
So, up to this point Kṛṣṇa has explained the system of gradual elevation. But beginning from verse 17 He introduces a very interesting idea: what happens in the case of a person who is already self-realized? Does such a person have any duties to perform? No. Kṛṣṇa says that actually he has no duties to perform. So Arjuna might have thought: “Oh, in that case I will become self-realized and then I will not have to fight in this battle.” But Kṛṣṇa says in the next verse:
“A self-realized person has no purpose to achieve by performing his prescribed duties, nor any reason not to perform them.” This is a kind of ironic phrasing. Then Kṛṣṇa gives the example of a person who was self-realized and still performed his duties. He says: “Even King Janaka, although he was self-realized, was a great king, and yet he performed his duties. Therefore you should follow his example.”
In verse 21 He states: “Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow in his footsteps.” Therefore you, as an ordinary person, should follow in the footsteps of King Janaka. When you become a great person, when you attain self-realization, you will also perform your duties so that others may follow you.
In the following verses Kṛṣṇa says: “Even I act. Do you think that I am not self-realized?” God is supremely self-realized. So He says: “Even I work. If I did not act, everything would turn into hell, because everyone would imitate Me. There would be complete chaos in society. Therefore follow My example. I work, so you also should work.” In the next chapter Kṛṣṇa explains what His duty is. What is Kṛṣṇa’s duty? Who knows? Three things: protecting the devotees, annihilating the demons, and establishing the principles of religion. These are Kṛṣṇa’s duties, and He performs them very conscientiously.
Then verse 30 sums up this whole chapter: “Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desire for profit, with no sense of proprietorship and free from lethargy, fight!” He says: “Whether you are self-realized or not self-realized, you should perform your duty.” In the next verse He repeats: “Perform your duties,” and this should be done with one thing and without another thing. It should be done with faith and without envy.
At the end of the Seventeenth Chapter Kṛṣṇa says that duties performed without faith in the Supreme have no value. If you perform duties with faith, but without envy, what is the result? You free yourself from karma. In verse 34 He explains what self-realization really is. Essentially, self-realization means freedom from attachment and aversion. So the whole system of performing duties is meant to achieve this very thing – to become free from attachment and aversion. The general principle in performing duties is that while doing them we offer the results to Kṛṣṇa.
At the end of the Third Chapter Arjuna asks a very important question: “What is it that makes a person not perform his duties?” (Sinful activities are activities that are not in accordance with our duties. Kṛṣṇa says in the Second Chapter: “If you do not fight in this battle, you will incur sin.”) So what is that thing which stops someone from performing his duties? Kṛṣṇa says that it is lust and only lust. But He does not stop there. He says:
“Therefore, in the very beginning conquer this symbol of sin – lust. How to do that? Niyamya, bharatarṣabha – by regulation.” That is the conclusion of the Third Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. In fact, in this one chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā there is amazing knowledge. We can also see that throughout the entire Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa is very systematic. He dispels all the doubts that the conditioned soul could have regarding surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is why we must regularly study the Bhagavad-gītā and learn what Kṛṣṇa says. Do not think that the Bhagavad-gītā is only for karmīs: “I am already surrendered, so I no longer need to be convinced.” No, we are not as qualified as Arjuna. Arjuna heard the Bhagavad-gītā in less than an hour and he was completely convinced.
He went to the battlefield and was victorious. We also have to fight a battle with māyā, and māyā is very strong. We cannot even imagine how strong she is. Therefore, to conquer her we must be fully equipped with the weapons of knowledge. And we must also have great strength to wield these weapons. What is the use of a sharp sword if you cannot even pick it up? In Jaipur in Rajasthan there is an arms museum. There you can see huge, enormous swords. Those kṣatriyas of the past were evidently huge, great, strong men. They had to be strong just to hold such a sword. We would need two people simply to lift it up.
So we may have a sharp sword – we may study śāstra and have very sharp intelligence – but if we do not have the spiritual strength that comes from tapasya, those spiritual weapons will have no value. Both of these things must be present. We must properly understand what spiritual life is, properly understand Kṛṣṇa’s instructions – and we must have tapasya – the willingness to accept difficulty for Kṛṣṇa. We must also have faith in Kṛṣṇa and be free from envy – envy of Kṛṣṇa and of His devotees. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Are there any questions?
QUESTION: Is devotion and surrender the same thing?
ANSWER: They are very closely connected. If there is surrender without devotion, that will also be mithyācāra, some kind of pretension. If there is devotion without surrender, it is only a show, something superficial. Devotion is the mentality of love. It naturally includes faith in Kṛṣṇa and the desire to please Him. Surrender also includes the faith that if I do what Kṛṣṇa desires, He will protect me. Both of these things exist together. We may say, “Oh, I love God!” But where is the surrender? Where is the willingness to carry out God’s instructions? Someone may appear very surrendered, but may have material motivations.
QUESTION: What is the most important factor for increasing our faith in Kṛṣṇa? The association of devotees, studying…?
ANSWER: Everything we do is important. That is why we have the whole package of the program. Everything we do helps increase our faith in Kṛṣṇa – from getting up early in the morning, taking part in the program, honoring prasādam… That can also help us to better and better understand what Kṛṣṇa’s instructions are. Also, taking risks for Kṛṣṇa greatly increases one’s faith in Kṛṣṇa. Just like last year Indradyumna Swami told us about his adventures in the Amazon. At the beginning of that journey the boys who accompanied him were very young devotees, but after two months of such experiences, when they were constantly exposed to the danger of losing their lives, they became very strong devotees. They became very responsible and fixed. So taking risks for Kṛṣṇa is also highly recommended.
QUESTION: And what about regulations?
ANSWER: That is what we are doing: taking part in the program, chanting our rounds, studying, honoring prasādam… This is niyama – regulation. It also means that those who live in the gṛhastha āśrama should have regulated association with their wives. Regulation involves two things, one of them is control. It also means doing things in a systematic way, according to time. That is why we get up early in the morning at a fixed time. We do certain things at certain times. The senses have their demands, and in Kṛṣṇa consciousness we do not reject those demands. Rather, we satisfy those desires in a regulated way at appropriate times. Just as we do not eat prasādam all day long. It is not that we are constantly putting something into our mouths and excusing ourselves: “It’s prasādam, Prabhu!” No, we eat at certain times of the day.
QUESTION: Could Guru Mahārāja explain this point that by performing our duties we free ourselves from attachment? Is it all right that I am attached to some duties in devotional service and I suffer when someone else does them?
ANSWER: Attachment to one’s duty is not necessarily a bad thing. When there is talk here of becoming free from attachment, it refers to sense gratification. When you are attached to performing your duty, it is not the topmost platform, but it is certainly higher than not performing any duty at all. Pure devotion means that I will do anything for Kṛṣṇa no matter what. But that is a very high platform. Generally we are attached to performing certain kinds of duties. That is all right, it is not a problem, because Kṛṣṇa recognizes that we are in such a situation. In the Twelfth Chapter He says: “Engage yourself in bhakti-yoga and gradually you will develop the desire to attain Me.” Gradually you will come to the point where you will not care what you do – you will simply do everything for Kṛṣṇa. It is also good to become attached to your service so as to perfect it.
One should not be artificially unattached to one’s service and thus do everything in a half-hearted way. In Vṛndāvana there is a devotee – Vibhu Caitanya. He is about seventy-five years old, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda. He cooks for Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma-Rādhā-Śyāmasundara and Gaura-Nitāi. He cooks all the offerings – seven offerings a day – and he is seventy-five years old. He gets up at 2:00 in the morning and at 2:30 he is already in the kitchen cooking sweets for maṅgala-ārati. And the whole time he sings very nicely, like very nice little birds [laughter]. He does not allow anyone else to cook those offerings for Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma. He is very possessive.
QUESTION: Through renunciation we gain spiritual power, but there are so many concepts of what renunciation is. What is renunciation in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
ANSWER: In Kṛṣṇa consciousness, renunciation means the understanding that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. It is very easy to say this on a theoretical level. But each of us has such mental containers, and we usually think: “Yes, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, but these containers are mine.” Therefore, what exactly renunciation means is a rather individual thing. For each of us renunciation can mean something different. That is why each of us needs a spiritual master, because he points to that container and asks: “And what about this? Yes, you have renounced this, this and that, but what about this one?” But the general thing we must work on, and which is discussed at the end of the Third Chapter, is lust.
QUESTION: What could be a solution to neo-Hinduistic trends?
ANSWER: The solution is not easy, but one solution that I particularly recommend is to become attached to Kṛṣṇa’s instructions. We have seen devotees who for many years distributed books with great enthusiasm, and that is wonderful. Their service will always be appreciated by Kṛṣṇa. But then brahmacārī Tapasya dāsa meets Tapasvini d. d. and everything ends as we described. Mainly because there was a lot of book distribution, but no reading.
So when māyā comes, it is enough that she just moves her little finger, and Tapasya dāsa and Tapasvini devī dāsī, who are very weak because they have not been reading the books, very quickly fall down. So let us read these books and become trained. There is nothing wrong with being a gṛhastha, but one must be trained in that āśrama. There must be training for all āśramas. Everywhere in the purports Śrīla Prabhupāda writes that one should get training. Śrīla Prabhupāda gives this training in his books. So we just have to take advantage of the training he gives. O.K.