Consciousness and Self XV: Vyasa and Narada

Vyāsa was a genius of great depth and vision. He had done his best to follow the path. Yet he too felt lost. Oftentimes even the dedicated souls feel lost and abandoned.

Jesus Christ himself in the Garden of Gethsemane lamented, “O my father, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Vyāsa had written the greatest saga ever: the Mahābhārata. But would his readers understand his message?

Everyone becomes discouraged on the path.

Even the great souls need guidance.

But in our greatest moment of need, we shall find solace. As long as we feel that we know the truth we remain ignorant. As long as we feel that we have something, we have nothing. Real wealth is found in emptiness, in need. Because in the greatest moment of need, we will find our inspiration. In the greatest moment of need, a teacher will appear to help us.

The day of the guru’s appearance is celebrated as the worship of Vyāsa (Vyāsa-puja), since Vyāsa is recognized as the original guru. We are often asked, “What is guru?” or “Who is a bona fide guru?” Vyāsa is considered the original guru. By studying his life’s example, we can understand what is guru.

The symptoms of the bona fide spiritual master are stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21):

तस्माद् गुरुं प्रपद्येत जिज्ञासुः श्रेय उत्तमम्

शाब्दे परे च निष्णातं ब्रह्मण्य् उपशमाश्रयम्

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

One who is searching for the Ultimate Truth must surrender to a guru who is expert in the śāstra, who knows the inner meaning of the Vedas, and who is fixed in the Absolute Truth. (Bhāg. 11.3.21)

An important guide for Vaishnavas is the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa of Sanātana Goswāmī. There we find the following:

कृपा-सिन्धुः सु-संपूर्नः सर्व- सत्त्वोपकारकः

निस्पृहः सर्वतः सिद्धः सर्व-विद्या-विशारदः 

सर्व-संशय-संछेत्ता ऽनलसो गुरुर् अहृत्य

kṛpā-sindhuḥ su-saṁpūrnaḥ sarva-sattvopakārakaḥ

nispṛhaḥ sarvataḥ siddhaḥ sarva-vidyā-viśāradaḥ 

sarva-saṁśaya-saṁchettā 'nalaso guru āḥṛtah

A true spiritual master is an ocean of mercy. He is complete and self-fulfilled. He has all good qualities; he works for the benefit of all souls, is free from lust, and has reached spiritual perfection. A real guru is alert in Kṛṣṇa’s service, well-versed in the scriptures. Because he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa he can remove all the doubts of his disciples.” (Hari-bhaktivilāsa by Sanātana Goswāmi 1.45,46 quoted from Viṣṇu-śmṛti Vacana)

A real guru who teaches by his example is called an āchārya. The word comes from Sanskrit word for right behavior, or ācār “one who knows or teaches (right) conduct”, i.e. a spiritual guide or teacher. What makes Vyāsa an achārya? And how does he teach by his example? I find these questions worthy of consideration.  Vyāsa is highly qualified, erudited in the Vedas and their conclusions. In fact, not only is Vyāsa versed in the Vedas, he wrote the Vedas. So there is no question of his qualification in terms of learning and realization. 

So Vyāsa is a finished professor in Vedic knowledge,. And yet Vyāsa himself accepts a guru. This is his  example. But how is it that the guru needs a guru?  Even the divinely inspired sometimes feel incomplete. If the guru is perfect and self-realized, how is it possible that he feels incomplete?  Is this merely humility? And then what is humility for a self-realized soul?

One who is on the path of divine love is never autonomous, for he depends on the mercy of God. No one is “perfect” in the sense of having accomplished “perfection.” For a surrendered soul perfection is defined in terms of Śaraṇāgati.  Complete perfection implies complete surrender. And surrender itself is a kind of incompleteness. A bit of a paradox. My Guru Mahārāja referred to this paradox as "Die to Live."

Surrender is a kind of sacrifice or death, where love is life. But surrender depends on the mercy of the Lord. Self-realization for a devotee is not a question of autonomy. It is not a question of sitting in a secluded place and meditating until I have realized my higher consciousness. It is a question of letting go, of sacrificing oneself through service, of surrender.  And even in surrender there is no guarantee of a result.  It is not that I follow a process to attain perfection, to achieve an objective. We do not go to Krishna to get something. Normally we think that by risking something I get something else. No risk, no gain. In the case of surrender we may risk everything. One may be entirely surrendered to Him, just as a dog is surrendered to his master. But still, the master may be capricious. We may risk everything and gain nothing. All risk, no gain. Krishna is a capricious master and his will moves in a crooked way. There is no guarantee that our surrender will result in some reward. We are fully dependent on his mercy. There is no justice system in Krishna bhakti. We depend on the mercy of God, not on an automous system of "self-realization." Realization of the "Self" implies a deeper understanding of our "Self" in relation with God. The highest relation is love. 

How can we explain Vyāsa’s despondency if he is not only versed in the Vedas, but worshipped everywhere as the original guru? If Vyāsa is perfectly fulfilled, how can he feel disappointed? If Vyāsa is the original guru, how can he feel incomplete? The Vedas are a masterwork respected everywhere as promoting the essential principles of religion.  What could possibly be lacking?  Divine love, or Krishna-bhakti was the missing element identified by Nārada.  Nārada identifies the cause of Vyāsa's despondency. While he had satisfied God by promoting the general principles of religion, he had fallen short by avoiding a more developed description of surrender and divine love.  The Bhāgavad-gita certainly mentions surrender to Kṛṣṇa. But the details of that surrender are not clear.

And Vyāsa, having avoided this discussion felt a kind of spiritual impoverishment. Even the greatest devotees feel loss, separation, abandonment, in the absence of the Lord’s mercy. It is the natural tendency of those on the path of divine love to feel spiritually impoverished and humble. This is called doinya.

As we have said, spiritual perfection does not imply autonomy or sovereignty, but divine slavery as in Hegel’s master-slave analogy. As Śrīdhara Mahārāja used to say: "Die to live: Slavery to the Absolute is the highest position of freedom." The absolute negative moiety is Śrī Rādhā. Her divine perfection is unquestionable. And yet, she feels incomplete without Kṛṣṇa. As the Golden Avatar, like a Golden Volcano of Divine Love, Chaitanya Mahāprabhu takes on the heart and halo of Śrī Rādhā, assuming her aura and mood of dedication. And yet, even in that high level of perfection he is devastated by the ecstasy of separation and declares, “I have no love for Kṛṣṇa!” This is doinya, or humility: increasing the negative tendency.

In his Śikṣāstakam, He says,

युगायितं निमेषेण चक्षुषा प्रावृषायितम् शून्यायितं जगत् सर्वं गोविन्द-विरहेण मे

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam

śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me

"O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence."

Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not claim to be a finished professor of the Vedas. Rather, he expresses the desperation of negativity, humility. He is expressing loss and abandonment. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is perfection; and yet he expresses the intense emptiness of a devotee who feels he will never achieve the goal. This is called doinya.

This intense emptiness is necessary for a true seeker of truth interested in the path of divine love. Even such an Caitanya Mahāprabhu, God Himself, when he comes in the mood of a Vaishnava feels himself empty and humble.

As Mahāprabhu teaches:

tṛṇād api sunīcena

taror api sahiṣṇunā

amāninā mānadena

kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

(CC Adi 17.31)(Śikṣāṣṭaka 3)

"One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." (Śikṣāṣṭaka 3)

One may speak of the “process” of surrender--as if by “following a process” we attain a certain result. But love is not a technique: it is both means and ends. Love is both the practice and the goal. And love demands humility, emptiness, desperation.

And so, desperation and despondency, a moment of need, feeling abandoned is natural for a devotee; the sense that “I will never attain the goal, I am lost.”

Vaishnavas naturally feel themselves to be the poorest of the poor. Amongst the humble, they are the most humble. They will feel they are lower than a blade of grass. That is called doinya.

And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura has given us a key idea by which to measure our sincerity, to understand who is a true devotee: Doinya. Humility natural, real humility.

Imitation, or a mere show of humility has no value; Proper humility can only occur when one feels this connection with the autocratic Lord, his master. The servant of an autocrat has no position, no room for ego.

Apparently negativity is a bad quality. We are taught to be assertive, aggressive, to be proud of who we are. We must think and act positively to be successful. We are not taught to consider the value of negativity, of humility.

But natural humility is true wealth. We may believe that gold and silver are wealth, or that beauty and education are wealth. We are educated to believe that power and strength and independence are wealth. But Bhagavan means “one who possesses all wealth, beauty, power, strength, knowledge, and independence.” How can one buy perfection from one who possesses everything? How can we bribe the Absolute? What kind of wealth could possibly capture the Divine Autocrat? The Divine Positive is attracted by negativity, by humility and service.

Only a real servant has such position with the master that the master becomes enslaved by service. Die to live. The Absolute Autocrat is attracted by the intense humility of the sincere servant, as in the example of Hegel’s master-slave analogy. Die to live.

God may be an absolute autocrat, by and for Himself, but he is not heartless: He is the origin of all ecstasy, anandamayo ‘bhyasat. But he is captured by the humility and service of his humble devotees. Since nothing more than service is necessary,  the question becomes how can we attain that position? How can we develop this humility, doinya, this feeling of emptiness, inner need, hankering after the Lord’s mercy? 

The greatest devotees are those who have the greatest need, not those of us who believe that  we are advanced devotees. Even following the rules and regulations, wearing the proper dress, tilak, and so on, we may become deluded by pride into thinking we have achieved the goal. And yet we may be devotees in dress only, enjoying the advantage of collecting donations from the faithful, eating well, and maintaining the holy places of pilgrimage. There are many such devotees, posing as saints. They may live comfortably, but they are missing the point. One who feels himself to be a finished professor or acharya is suffering from self-delusion.

Here, Vyāsa himself feels despondent. But if anyone has a claim to being a finished professor of the Vedas it is Veda Vyāsa. And yet he feels the need for guidance. He wants inspiration. Having completed the greatest work ever written, still he feels an inner need. Sitting on the banks of the Saraswati River, Vyāsa wants service. He wants deliverance.

When one achieves a high level of emptiness, humility, and surrender he is ready to accept the instruction of guru. In that moment of great need and inner hankering, the guru or spiritual guide may appear, just as Nārada appears to Vyāsa in his moment of need.

Vyāsa’s yearning was sincere and pure, and Nārada appeared to him to offer him service. The only price of service to the guru is this sincere yearning which is the basis of faith. When we receive the call to service, when we are challenged to serve by a higher power, we must not refuse. If we understand the value of a real connection with the spiritual guide, if we yearn for that connection, we can have it. The guru will make himself known to the sincere seeker, just as Nārada appeared before Vyāsa in his moment of despair.

So, true faith consists of this yearning for the truth, knowing that only a real connection with a sādhu can quench one’s inner thirst. And this is possible through surrender: By giving yourself, you can get the infinite.

When Vyāsa asks Nārada, “How did you come to this position?” Nārada explains that it is by the grace of the sādhus.

Nārada says, “O Muni, in the last millennium I was born as the son of a certain maidservant engaged in the service of sādhus who understood the conclusions of Vedānta. When these great devotees were living together during the four months of the rainy season, I was engaged in their personal service and they blessed me with their causeless mercy.” (S.B. 1.5.24)

Nārada explains that Vyāsa’s inner demand can be satisfied by Krishna consciousness, by performing the service of describing Krishna’s pastimes for the benefit of humankind. (SB 1.5.21)

Nārada tells Vyāsa, “talk about Krishna.”

This call for revealing the description of the Personal Godhead is reflected in the teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, where he says:

yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa

Chaitanya says, “There is no other duty, if you want to do anything good for the world talk about Krishna. Try to distribute Him, who can compensate for all other alternatives. Try to distribute that central and absolute thing to help the people, the environment. No other duty will help. There can be no holier duty, as He has come in this age of Kali. The prophecy of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu is presaged in the prophecy of Nārada.

In the same way that Śrī Caitanya tells his followers, “talk about Kṛṣṇa”, Nārada is telling Vyāsa that only the discussion of Kṛṣṇa,(kṛṣṇa-kathā) only a description of the grandeur and beauty of the higher plane only a careful delineation of the pastimes of Bhagavān will mitigate the attractions of the physical world. Such descriptions are sublime. Otherwise, without such descriptions, the traditional religion and social dharma given in Mahābhārata is dry and unattractive, a place of pilgrimage for crows.

So Nārada tells Vyāsa,

न यद् वचश् चित्र-पदं हरेर् यशो जगत्-पवित्रं प्रगृणीत कर्हिचित् तद् वायसं तीर्थम् उशन्ति मानसा न यत्र हंसा निरमन्त्य् उशिक्क्षयाः

na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśikkṣayāḥ

“Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there.” (SB 1.5.10)

तद्-वाग्-विसर्गो जनताघ-विप्लवो यस्मिन् प्रति-श्लोकम् अबद्धवत्य् अपि नामान्य् अनन्तस्य यशो ऽङ्कितानि यत् शृण्वन्ति गायन्ति गृणन्ति साधवः

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api nāmāny anantasya yaśo 'ṅkitāni yat śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

“On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.” (1.5.11)

Even if Vyāsa fails to compose his words perfectly, even if he lacks poetry or meter or rhyme, his work will be successful. Even if the form of his work is lacking, even if filled with grammatical mistakes, the substance will shine through and be accepted by the honest and faithful. And even if his service is imperfect, there is no loss or diminution. Sincerity is invincible.

Now, Vyāsa may have some misgivings about promoting paramahaṁsa-dharma. After all, his Mahābhārata is a masterwork of social dharma. But Nārada admonishes him not to worry. He explains that what is gained through being perfectly engaged in mundane dharma is relative and temporary, where spiritual advancement made through diving love is permanent:

“One leaves his “dharma” to engage in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. Again, a non-devotee who follows his “dharma” gains nothing.” (tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer SB 1.5.17)

“Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined should s only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable even by wandering from the topmost planet [Brahmaloka] down to the lowest planet [Pātāla].

“As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of time we obtain miseries even though we do not desire them.” (tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido SB 1.5.18)

Nārada continued smiling and speaking quite humbly before that great professor of the Vedas, encouraging him to write the Bhagavat:

“My dear Vyāsa, even though a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa sometimes falls down somehow or other, he certainly does not undergo material existence like others [fruitive workers, etc.] because a person who has once relished the taste of the lotus feet of the Lord can do nothing but remember that ecstasy again and again.” (na vai jano jātu kathañcanāvrajen SB 1.5.19)

Now, at this point, Vyāsa might have peppered Nārada with a million questions on how to go about writing the Bhāgavata. But Nārada trusted his disciple. He knew that Vyāsa alone had the power and the talent to write the Bhāgavata. Nārada would not interfere with the actual composition of the work. He had faith that Vyāsa was qualified to perform his service. Nārada gave divine inspiration to Vyāsa. He guided his vision. He gave Vyāsa a task which he was confident Vyāsa could complete.

He instructs Vyāsa, in all confidence, “Please, therefore, describe the almighty Lord’s activities which you have learned by your vast knowledge of the Vedas, for that will satisfy the hankerings of great learned men and at the same time mitigate the miseries of the masses of common people who are always suffering from material pangs. Indeed, there is no other way to get out of such miseries.”

(tvam apy adabhra-śruta viśrutaṁ vibhoḥ SB 1.5.40)

Vyāsa is curious about the life and origins of his gurudeva and puts some questions to him. And after satisfying his curiosity, Nārada departs, leaving his disciple to his service. “Nārada Muni bid farewell to Vyāsa, and vibrating on his vīṇā instrument, he left to wander the universe at his free will.” (SB 1.6.7)