The Science of Faith: The big and the small...

What is Faith?

The Science of Faith

When queried on how the science of faith, Śrīdhara Mahārāja spoke as follows in a lecture given on the 5^th  January 1983. I was personally present on the occasion when we recorded the following and it made a great impression on me. I have heard critics say that Śridhara Mahārāja is difficult to understand. To make this lecture a bit more readable I have included the Sanskrit as end-notes where too many Sanskrit quotes would interrupt the general flow of the discourse.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja:

 “What is the science of faith? The underlying principle of faith is this:  'śraddhā'-śabde--viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya:  "Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service. [i] ”

“Śraddha or faith means visvāsa, conviction, sudṛdha, very strong, unflinching faith; faith in sādhu-śāstra-guru, faith in saints, scriptures, guru, Kṛṣṇa. This is faith. If someone develops kṛṣṇa-bhakti, all their activities are finished: Nothing is left out if you have faith. We should have faith that if we do our duty towards the Absolute, then all our duties to the environment are automatically done."

“What is faith? Faith is the conviction that If I do my duty towards the center, everything is done.  The Upanishads say[ii] ‘Inquire into that upon knowing which, nothing further remains to be known. Try to achieve that upon gaining which, nothing further remains to be gained.’  Faith covers the whole by accepting one part, that is the peculiarity here: “If I can capture one thing the whole can be captured, if I love one the whole is loved. If I know one, the whole is known.” This is the idea of the Upanishads.  If anyone has got such sort of conception then that is the seed of faith and he approaches on that path of faith. By approaching the center, all the branches all that sprung from His approached. Pouring water into the root the whole tree is fed. Putting food into the stomach the whole body can be fed. [iii]

“The idea is something like if one gets the key he gets the gold inside the treasure chest. Such sort of confidence, that is śraddha, faith. A faithful soul approaches divinity in that way.

“Otherwise, being a part, how I can claim the whole?  Our inner necessity is to have the whole; but how it is possible? It is possible only through the heart. A poor girl  may have nothing but if she's married to a rich prince, through that tie of affection she may think that all the properties of the prince belong to her. The principle of faith in bhakti is something like that: Kṛṣṇa has everything under His control, we have nothing. But if we can establish a connection with Krsna through affection, then we can have everything thereby through Him.

“This is the idea mentioned in the Upanishads: yasmin vijñate sarvam evam vijñatam bhavati, yasmin prapte sarvam evam prāptam bhavati. “By getting Him one gets everything.” By capturing the fort we capture the country. By capturing the controller,  we capture the whole that He controls. So  bhakti is such an astounding thing that through faith, through sraddha, through dedication, bhakti, the small can control the big, an atom can control the center. This is the speciality of devotion, saranagati, surrender.

“Surrender is the most wonderful thing in the world; it which makes it possible for the small to control the great, the smallest to control the greatest, with only this means: through love, through surrender. The smallest part, the particle can control the whole only through faith, through surrender. He's so kind, kindness in His heart. By humility, by our incapacity: "I am the most wretched, most fallen so attraction should come to me. I'm the most negative, I represent the most negative aspect so the positive has got His, should have His greatest attention for this negative."

“So, so much praise is shown about bhakti in scripture. Bhakti can do what is impossible; can control the high to the lower. This is affection, this is devotion proper; devotion proper is such in characteristic, that the high is controlled.

“Suppose a General after conquering a country has come home and his young child is gesturing with his finger to come, and he is going. The General is exceedingly powerful and yet he is controlled by a child. Why? Through affection; to affection, or love, or faith, it is wonderful thing which can control the big for the low.

“So no such wonderful thing can ever be not only discovered but not even thought out, none can think also such things. But this is the real nature of faith, or devotion, or affection, what we call it. Where it is present, the big is controlled by the small, there bhakti is present there, bhakti is there, to be traced there. Where it is not seen no bhakti. Bhakti means this: that the big is controlled by the small, and the inner thread is that of devotion, affection, surrender, and love.  That is the real characteristic of bhakti. What a wonderful thing it is, and how powerful a thing it is; it is most strange, strange, strange.[iv]

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[i] শ্রদ্ধা-শব্দে--ৱিশ্ৱাস কহে সুদৃঢ নিশ্চয কৃষ্ণে ভক্তি কৈলে সর্ৱ-কর্ম কৃত হয Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 22.62

[ii] yasmin vijñate sarvam evam vijñatam bhavati, yasmin prapte sarvam evam prāptam bhavati   यस्मिन् विज्ञते सर्वम् एवम् विज्ञतम् भवति, यस्मिन् प्रप्ते सर्वम् एवम् प्राप्तम् भवति  Mundaka Upanisad 1.3

[iii] यथा तरोर् मूल-निषेचनेन

तृप्यन्ति तत्-स्कन्ध-भुजोपशाखाः

प्राणोपहाराच् च यथेन्द्रियाणां

तथैव सर्वार्हणम् अच्युतेज्या

yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena

tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ

prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇāṁ

 tathaiva sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.31.14

As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of the body, simply worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that Supreme Personality.

[iv] अहम् भक्त-परधिनो, ह्य् अस्वतन्त्र इव द्विज

सधुभिर् ग्रस्त-हृदयो, भक्तैर् भक्त-जन-प्रियः

aham bhakta-paradhino, hy asvatantra iva dvija

sadhubhir grasta-hṛdayo, bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ

The Lord tells Durvasa: "I am the slave of My devotees; I have no freedom apart from their will. Because they are completely pure and devoted to Me, My heart is controlled by them, and I reside always in their hearts. I am dependent not only on My devotees, but even on the servants of My devotees. Even the servants of My devotees are dear to Me." Srimad-Bhagavatam, 9.4.63