Prapanna-jivanamrita: Sincerity is invincible.

Prapanna-Jivanāmṛtam


द्वितियो ऽध्याय

Dvitiyo ‘dhyāya

Second Chapter

श्री शास्त्र-वचनामृतम्

द्वितियो ऽध्याय

Dvitiyo ‘dhyāya
Second Chapter

श्री शास्त्र-वचनामृतम्

Śrī Śāstra-Vacanāmṛtam
Holy Scriptural Nectar

CHAPTER II

तन् निष्ठस्य नाधोगतिः--

परमार्थम् अशेषस्य, जगताम् आदि कारणम्

शरण्यं षरणं यातो, गोविन्दं नावसीदति [११]

बृ. ना

tan niṣṭhasya nādhogatiḥ--

paramārtham aśeṣasya, jagatām ādi kāraṇam

śaraṇyaṁ ṣaraṇaṁ yāto, govindaṁ nāvasīdati [11]

bṛ. nā

A sincere, surrendered soul never falls down. Sincerity cannot be vanquished.

Śrī Govinda is the origina of the universe, the Supreme Truth and the shelter of all. One who surrenders sincerely to Śrī Govinda and takes refuge at his lotus feet can never be vanquished. (11) In Bhāgavad-gīta न हि कल्यान-क्रित् कश्छिद् दुर्गतिं तात गछ्छ्हति na hi kalyāna-krit kaśchid durgatiṁ tāta gachchhati  (Srimad Bhagavad-gita: 6.40. Sincerity is the best qualification. Sincerity is inner purity—śraddhā. Sincerity is invincible. 

[Editor's note: Writing in his Bhagavad-gītā purport on the above verse, Bhaktivedānta Swāmī comments, 

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.17) Śrī Nārada Muni instructs Vyāsadeva as follows:

tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer

bhajann apakko 'tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ
ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ

"If someone gives up all material prospects and takes complete shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no loss or degradation in any way. On the other hand a nondevotee may fully engage in his occupational duties and yet not gain anything." 

For material prospects, there are many activities both scriptural and customary. A transcendentalist is supposed to give up all material activities for the sake of spiritual advancement in life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. 

One may argue that by Kṛṣṇa consciousness one may attain the highest perfection if it is completed, but if one does not attain such a perfectional stage, then he loses both materially and spiritually. It is enjoined in the scriptures that one has to suffer the reaction of not executing prescribed duties; therefore one who fails to discharge transcendental activities properly becomes subjected to these reactions. 

The Bhāgavatam assures the unsuccessful transcendentalist that there need be no worries. Even though he may be subjected to the reaction of not perfectly executing prescribed duties, he is still not a loser, because auspicious Kṛṣṇa consciousness is never forgotten, and one so engaged will continue to be so even if he is lowborn in the next life. 

On the other hand, one who simply follows strictly the prescribed duties need not necessarily attain auspicious results if he is lacking in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.]

In his talks, Śrīdhara Mahārāja comments on the quality of sincerity in surrender as follows:

 "Be simple, be unassuming, be sincere. Otherwise, everything will be bogus. If you imitate that you are a sādhu, it is gone. Don’t try to imitate, to copy, but really try to be so. 

Don’t try to copy the external movements of a sādhu, but the inherent thing, the inner thing, try to hit that. Try to acquire the innermost thing. Try to enter into the heart of a Vaiṣṇava and not his figure nor dress. It is difficult, of course, to enter into the heart of a Vaiṣṇava because there is the Temple of the Lord. 

Still, try to connect and get even a speck, a drop, of the nectar that is within the heart of the Vaiṣṇava, that rasa, a drop of that rasa, is of the highest quality and divinity. Sincerity is invincible. Sincerity is inner appreciation for Mahaprabhu’s teachings. One who is sincere can recognise sincerity in others. One who is reasonable can appreciate reason in another person. Is it not? 

When one has a talent, one will see that talent in others. Sincerity can detect the absence of sincerity. And sincerity for what? It must be for dedication. And what is the characteristic of dedication? Die to live. And love means die to live, that is love divine. Every second you are dying and through that new death you are attaining, just as a diver in the sea who's searching for the jewels within the ocean. In every dive he comes out with some new jewelry. So die to live, accept something like death and come out with new jewel in your hand."

तन् निष्ठस्य नाधोगतिः--

परमार्थम् अशेषस्य, जगताम् आदि कारणम्

शरण्यं षरणं यातो, गोविन्दं नावसीदति [११]

बृ. ना

tan niṣṭhasya nādhogatiḥ--

paramārtham aśeṣasya, jagatām ādi kāraṇam

śaraṇyaṁ ṣaraṇaṁ yāto, govindaṁ nāvasīdati [11]

bṛ. nā

A sincere, surrendered soul never falls down. Sincerity cannot be vanquished.

Śrī Govinda is the origin of the universe, the Supreme Truth and the shelter of all. One who surrenders sincerely to Śrī Govinda and takes refuge at his lotus feet can never be vanquished. (11) In Bhāgavad-gīta न हि कल्यान-क्रित् कश्छिद् दुर्गतिं तात गछ्छ्हति na hi kalyāna-krit kaśchid durgatiṁ tāta gachchhati  (Srimad Bhagavad-gita: 6.40. Sincerity is the best qualification. Sincerity is inner purity—śraddhā. Sincerity is invincible.