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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Who are you really and what were you before?


Pyramids of Cambodia and Mexico Part II



There’s a line in Casablanca where Humphrey Bogart is falling in love with Ingrid Bergman. He smiles the ironic Bogart smile and says, “Who are you really, and what were you before?”
  Resultado de imagen para humphrey bogart casablanca
Who are you really? And what were you before?

The world is a mysterious place.  We study the past to understand our future. We search for origins to better understand our destiny. Earlier this year I journeyed to Cambodia to seek the roots of civilisation among the ruins of Angkor Wat. The ancient temple complexes of the Khmer are the most extensive in the world and hold precious secrets about the mysteries of human society.



Were the ancient cultures of the world somehow connected through commerce and transportation, albeit primitive?  We've all heard the outlandish theories from pseudo-scientists like Von Daniken and his chariots of the gods, how strange beings from other planets colonised the earth.

Resultado de imagen para von daniken chariots of the gods

Ancient Astronaut at the controls of his Rocket Ship?

An ancient landing strip in the Andes can only be seen from an aerial view high in the sky. Why was it built?

Resultado de imagen para von daniken chariots of the gods
Was this an ancient landing strip in the deserts of Peru?

And yet while these theories are outlandish, they do raise valid questions about the nature of lost civilisations. We often take the narrative of progress as a given. Our society has made more scientific progress in a generation than in a thousand generations before us.  There are those who believe in this narrative about the relentless march of progress. But are we really superior to the cultures that went before us? What did they know and when did they know it. These are questions belonging to a discipline called cultural anthropology.

Who were the Khmer and how was their civilisation related to ancient India? These temples were built between 700 AD and 1400 AD. Before London and Paris were bustling cities, a vast settlement covered the area around the Tonle Sap lake. Rice was cultivated.
Perhaps a million people lived and worshipped here.  What was their fascination with Shiva, with Vishnu, and with Buddha? They lived thousands of miles away from the Himalayas and built replicas of Mount Meru, which they considered the centre of the universe.


Angkor Thom

Apsaras carved in stone at Angkor Thom


Their warriors conquered the region, sailing in boats up the Tonle Sap river to the Mekong, conquering territories for their kings and building a vast system of water-works, aqueducts, and irrigation systems to service their rice paddies.  They traded in gold and silver, wore fine jewellery and silk gowns with gold threads. They knew Sanskrit and Khmer and were known to the Chinese.





How great is our hubris that we dismiss these civilisations as "primitive." Are we really so advanced? Is our own attempt at society really so superior?




 Is the stone face that of a god or a conqueror? This face smiled on people who lived simply in communities where rice and sunshine were plentiful, along with fruits, flowers, coconuts and bananas. They wore fine cloth, slept on grass mats and worked together to great works of architecture that have lasted centuries. Was their life truly more primitive than our own? 


Our modern international community is divided. Wars rage around the globe constantly without cessation. We pour poison into the oceans, destroy coral reefs that have taken millions of years to form, melt glaciers with global warming, and fight wars over oil. Are we really so much more advanced? 

We have stumbled upon nuclear technology and hold the world hostage to the atomic bomb. But is this really the crowning achievement of humanity? Our electronic tablets give us more information than humans knew for centuries. The whole of the Alexandrian library, the complete works of Shakespeare, and the encyclopaedia of Diderot fits in the palm of our hands. But are we wiser? Or have these devices stripped us of our memories? Now that we can take photos with ease and post them around the world on the internet have we lost our true vision? The ancients had to remember their precious moments. Wasn't the fragility of their memory a goad to sharpen their sight? Could it be that our ancestors needed their memory and their sight, and so their remembrance was more vivid, their sight more accurate?  In recent history, Mozart was able to compose complex sonatas as a child. His peers were able to appreciate his ability. Today's music is as insipid as it is ever-present. But we seem to lack the attention span to sit quietly and hear, as Mozart did, the complex harmonies of the soul. Were our ancestors more sensitive spiritual than we are?

Perhaps in gaining so much through our precious science and technology, we have also paid a price.

As I try to make sense of these questions, my travels brought me from the  pyramids of Cambodia to the pyramids of Mexico. 

The pyramids of Cambodia raise some serious questions about cross-cultural convergence. While many anthropologists dismiss any communication between the continents in ancient times, it's difficult to explain away the similarities between the pyramids of Koh Ker, shown here, and the Pyramids of Mexico.

I've touched on this theme before: 

When I visited the pyramids of Koh Ker I couldn't escape the eery feeling that I had been here before.
Pyramids of Koh Ker, Cambodia
 This pyramid was an ancient Shiva temple, deep in the heart of the jungles of Cambodia.



Here it is from another angle. We're looking at the pyramid from the East. The sun is setting behind the pyramid in the West. This is a "step" pyramid, much different from the Egyptian model.  There is a shrine to Shiva within the temple located to the left in the photo above. There is a Shiva lingam. Worship in this temple took place over a thousand year period, beginning in the 8th or 9th Century. It was later abandoned when people moved on and joined the prospering Khmer civilisation at Angkor, closer to the rice paddies of the Tonle Sap Lake.


Here I am at the Pyramid of La Cañada de La Virgen, in Mexico. This looks like a miniature of the above Shiva temple.  This pyramid is built as an observatory. There is a large, shallow reflecting pool behind the pyramid that was build for observing the reflections of the stars, planets, and moon. One can mark the position of various stars with sticks and so make calculations. A low wall around the back of the pyramid is notched for observing the position of the sun. The Aztecs knew the sun calendar and understood the movements of the stars. This area was close by a river. It was an active centre about a thousand years ago, but when the weather changed and the river´s bed moved, the people moved on as well.

Museo de Antropologia, Ciudad de Mexico
A good place for fathoming the secrets of pyramids is the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City.  I´ve been here a few times and always learn something new. I was here last week on some other business in Mexico City and thought I´d try to make some sense of it all.

The National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia) in Mexico City is dedicated to understanding the Mayan and Aztec cultures and their impact on the region. 

It has the world's largest collection of Precolombian Meso-American art as well as a mind-numbing array of artefacts from pyramids around Mexico.

All of Mexico is an archeological zone, and if you dig deep enough where you´re standing you´ll find evidence of previous American civilisations.


In Pre-historic times, people in northern mesa-america were cave-dwellers. They carved their living spaces out of rock walls like these


It's hard to know much about their quotidian lives, apart from what we can gather by the artefacts they left behind: a few shards of pottery, broken bits of glass, turquoise jewellery, tools made of stone and obsidian...


We know that Mexico's ancestors lived in communities near water sources. They had common living areas, perhaps lived in extended families with upstairs and downstairs systems much like this replica.


They made tiny figures of jade, turquoise and semi-precious stones. Were these figures toys? Or perhaps household gods? They may have been representations of important family members or community leaders.  The ceramics from the Northern regions of Mexico have formal designs, but lack sophistication.



But the pyramid structures are found in the North as well as the South. Attempts to date these structures are based on their sophistication, the precision of their orientation, as well as architectural details and the carbon-dating of remains found in settlements nearby.


One of the most curious details that I found striking is the absolute dearth of metals: no iron weapons of any kind, no tools. As I visited one exhibit after the next I found little or no evidence of metal-work, with the exception of ornaments and jewellery. A few tiny needles made of gold, an occasional copper fish-hook. But the entire culture of pre-Columbian Mexico up until the conquest seems to be neolithic, an advanced stone-age culture.



These tiny figures may have been gods or toys.

 Social organization was formal. Even in this strange neolithic culture, towns were laid out according to plans. 



People smoked clay pipes, shaped in anthropomorphic forms, especially snakes. 



While at first glance these paintings may appear "primitive," they compare well to the art in many modern museums from the Louvre to the Hermitage.


Given that this work was carved in stone with stone tools, it has remarkable power, centuries after it was conceived and executed.


The tiny figures remain a mystery, but these figures from the Monte Alban civilisation of  Oaxaca show greater delicacy in the handling of materials. In the foreground are ornaments made of copper. 


These stone masks from Oaxaca demonstrate a greater range of expression.




The Aztecs practiced human sacrifice. This stone figure, called "Chac Mool" had a special purpose. He has a container over his belly meant to hold the  hearts of the sacrificial victims.



A theme that may tie the ancient cultures of Cambodia and Mexico together are the large stone serpents one finds everywhere. Here in Mexico the cult of Quetzalcoatle the Plumed Serpent ushers in the summer and winter solstices when the shadow of the snake climbs down the steps of the pyramids at Kukulkan, in the Yucatan.



Walking through the gardens of the museum I saw replicas of the distinct styles of pyramids that haunt the four corners of Mexico. As I strolled the gardens I was reminded of Angkor. I felt I could have been back in the jungles of Kbal Spean, where the sacred river flows over a thousand Shiva Lingams.







 The stone carvings here, while cruder in nature than those of Angkor, recall the stone pillars of Suryavarman II and the bas reliefs of the Mahabharata that were found deep in the Cambodian jungle by French explorer Henri Mouhot in the 19th Century.








Here in Mexico, I feel close to Angkor. I cannot but feel that these two cultures are somehow linked. I know it is not fashionable among archeologists to posit a connection across the oceans, but it is an inescapable conclusion. It may be pointed out that the halls of academe have their own politics as do national governments and that it is not in the national interest of Mexico or Cambodia to imply that their culture was somehow influenced from abroad.  It is also true that Cambodia's architectural schools were stunted and deformed by so much colonial rule and war.  The budget for an international team of qualified academics interested in studying this fascinating relationship is prohibitive. Any synchronicity between these cultures will have to be studied further by minds better qualified than my own. Still, I can't help wonder.



These are the jade death masks of ancient leaders who ruled over the valley of Mexico when Europe's royalty was in its infancy.



This king was buried with jade mask and earrings.  The wrist ornaments and rings are made of finely polished jade.



One of the areas of convergence between Mexico and Cambodia is the cult of death. Where in South East Asia, the god of death was the Hindu Yamaraja, in Mexico he was worshipped as Xipe Totec.


The huge Olmec heads originally found in Veracruz served the same purpose as the giant Roman statues commemorating emperors: to cow the people into submission before their governors.



And yet these so-called "primitive" peoples had deciphered the astronomical code of the solar calendar, knowledge that was unavailable to the Europeans at the time. When priests in so-called "advanced" cultures calculated passover by the lunar calendar, the Aztecs and Mayans followed the 365 1/4  days of the solar year.

The Original Solar Calendar used by Montezuma's priests

And while Cambodian priests recited the Hindu legends of the Naga serpents (http://mexpostfact.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-snake-people-continuedastika.html who ruled the underworld, Mexico exalted the serpent king Quetzal-coatl, here depicted in stone carving.



The Roman empire's descent into decadence included so-called "games" where gladiators made to use lead swords fought the notorious Emperor Commodus. Commodus, of course, slaughtered the hapless slaves using sharpened steel and accompanied by bodyguards who would protect him.



In Mexico a warrior was chained to the carved stone above. The runnel in the stone was a carved channel meant to conduct his blood to a cup used in appeasing the sun-god. When the god was satisfied, new fire was created and another 52 years of sunshine was guaranteed.


In another version of the same sacrifice, this stone was bound to the ankles of a warrior who would fight with blunt weapons the brave men who killed him with obsidian swords, in an Aztec version of Commodus and the gladiators.

After a day wandering about the museum, I began to see some lines of investigation that might be fruitful. And yet I still had a lot of problems that remained to be solved. But I couldn't see everything in one day. I'll write more about my discoveries in this space, as time permits.


Mexico's National Anthropology Museum also has a number or  of ethnographic exhibits about Mexico's present-day indigenous groups, so you can see how the ancient lives on in the present. There are large halls dedicated to each of the cultural regions of Mesoamerica and the ethnological exhibits are located on the second floor. 

You could easily spend a full day here..

As I stumble aimlessly from one exhibit to the next in search of lost clues my wife Aurora sits patiently. When we finished, she asked me, "Did you get the answers you were looking for?"

I told her, "Some. But there were still more questions than answers."

"They also serve who only sit and wait."
  







Monday, December 21, 2015

Qualities of a Vaishnava

The Twenty-six Qualities of a Vaiṣṇava

৩.২৫

সেই সব গুণ হয ৱৈষ্ণৱ-লক্ষণ্ 
সব কহা না যায, করি দিগ্-দরশন. 
কৃপালূ, অকৃত-দ্রোহ, সত্য-সার, সম নির্দোষ, 
ৱদান্য, মৃদু, শুচি, অকিঞ্চন. 
সর্ৱোপকারক, শান্ত, কৃষ্ণৈক-শরণ অকাম, 
অনিহ, স্থির, ৱিজিত-ষড্-গুণ. মিত-ভুক্, 
অপ্রমত্ত, মানদ, অমানি
গম্ভির, করুণ, মৈত্র, কৱি, দক্ষ, মনুই.

3.25
sei saba guṇa haya vaiṣṇava-lakṣaṇ 
saba kahā nā yāya, kari dig-daraśana. 
kṛpālū, akṛta-droha, satya-sāra, sama 
nirdoṣa, vadānya, mṛdu, śuci, akiñcana. 
sarvopakāraka, śānta, kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa 
akāma, aniha, sthira, vijita-ṣaḍ-guṇa. 
mita-bhuk, apramatta, mānada, amāni
gambhira, karuṇa, maitra, kavi, dakṣa, manui. 

All these transcendental qualities are the characteristics of pure Vaiṣṇavas:
They cannot be fully explained, but I shall try to point out some of the important
qualities:

Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless,
magnanimous, mild, and clean. They are without material possessions, and they
perform welfare work for everyone. They are peaceful, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa,
and desireless. They are indifferent to material acquisitions and are fixed in
devotional service. They completely control the six bad qualities: lust, anger,
greed, pride, illusion, and envy. They eat only as much as required, and are
sober. They are respectful, grave, compassionate, and without false prestige.
They are friendly, poetic, expert, and silent, that is they do not speak
whimsically. (Cc. Madhya 22.77-80) 


Vaiṣṇavas see With Equal Vision

३.२६
विद्या-विनय-सम्पन्ने 
ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि 
शुनि चैव श्व-पाके च 
पण्डिताः सम-दर्शिनः

3.26
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne 
brāhmaṇe gavi hasten 
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca 
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

The learned devotee sees with equal vision (by dint of true knowledge) the
brāhmaṇa, the cow, the elephant, the dog, and the outcaste.
(Bhagavad-gītā 5.18)

३.२७
महत्-सेवां द्वारम् आहुर् विमुक्तेस् 
तमो-द्वारं योषितां सङ्गि-सङ्गम् 
महान्तस् ते सम-चित्ताः प्रशान्ता 
विमन्यवः सुहृदः साधवो ये

3.27
mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes 
tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam 
mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā 
vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye

Service to mahātmās opens the door to liberation. The path to hell is wide open
for those who associate with people fond of women and sex. The great devotees
are equipoised. They do not see any difference between one living being and
another. They are peaceful, and are fully engaged in devotional service. They
are devoid of anger and they work for the benefit of everyone. They do not
behave in any abominable way. Such persons are known as mahātmās. (Bhāg.
5.5.2)

३.२८
ये वा मयीशे कृत-सौहृदार्था जनेषु देहम्भर-वार्तिकेशु
ग्र्हेशु जायात्मज-रातिमत्सु न प्रीति-युक्ता यावद्- अर्थाश् च लोके

3.28
ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeśu
grheśu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu na prīti-yuktā yāvad- arthāś ca loke

Those who are interested in reviving their Kṛṣṇa consciousness and increasing
their love of Godhead do not like to do anything that is not related to Kṛṣṇa.
They are not interested in mingling with those who are busy maintaining their
bodies by eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. They are not attached to their
homes, although they may be householders. Nor are they attached to wives,
children, friends, or wealth. At the same time, they are not indifferent to the
execution of their duties. Such persons are interested in collecting only enough
money to keep their body and soul together These are the characteristics of a
devotee. (Bhāg. 5.5.3)


The Lord is Conquered by Devotion

३.२९
अहं भक्त-पराधिनो 
ह्य् अस्वतन्त्र इव द्विज 
साधुभिर् ग्रस्त-हृदयो 
भक्तैर् भक्त-जन- प्रियः

3.29
ahaṁ bhakta-parādhino 
hy asvatantra iva diva 
sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo 
bhaktair bhakta-jana- priyaḥ

I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not
independent. I sit within the core of their heart. What to speak of My devotees
even those who are devotees of my devotees are very dear to Me. (Bhāg. 9.4.63)

३.३०
साधवो हृदयं मह्यं साधूनां हृदयं त्व् अहम्
मद्-अन्यत् ते न जानन्ति नाहं तेभ्यो मनाग् अपि

3.30
sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham
mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api

My pure devotees are always in my heart, and I am always in their heart. My
devotees know nothing but Me, and I know nothing but them. (Bhāg. 9.4.68)


A Vaiṣṇava is Supremely Merciful

३.३१
भवद्-विधा भागवतास् तिर्थ-भूताः स्वयं विभो
तीर्थी-कुर्वन्ति तिर्थानि स्वान्तः-स्थेन गदाभृता

3.31
bhavad-vidhā bhāgavatās tirtha-bhūtāḥ svayaṁ vibho
tīrthī-kurvanti tirthāni svāntaḥ-sthena gadābhṛtā 

Devotees are themselves the highest places of pilgrimage, capable of giving
benediction to all, for they always carry the
Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, within their
heart. Thus they purify the holy places of pilgrimage as well as those who visit
such places. (Bhāg. 1.13.10)


३.३२
यन्-नामं-श्रुति-मात्रेण पुमान् भवति निर्मलः
तस्य तीर्थ-पदः किं वा दासानाम् अवशिष्यते

3.32
yan-nāmaṁ-śruti-mātreṇa pumān bhavati nirmalaḥ
tasya tīrtha-padaḥ kiṁ vā dāsānām avaśiṣyate 

If simply by hearing Śrī Kṛṣṇa's holy name one becomes supremely purified,
who can imagine the purifying power of chose who are constantly engaged in
service to His lotus feet? What is impossible for such persons? (Bhāg. 9.5.16)

The Glories of the Vaiṣṇavas

३.३३
स्व धर्म-निष्ठः शत-जन्मभिः पुमान्
विरिञ्चताम् एति ततः परं हि माम् 
अव्याकृतं भागवतो ऽथ वैष्णवं 
पदं यथाहं विबुधाः कलात्यये

3.33
sva dharma-niṣṭhaḥ śata-janmabhiḥ pumān
viriñcatām eti tataḥ paraṁ hi mām 
avyākṛtaṁ bhāgavato 'tha vaiṣṇavaṁ 
padaṁ yathāhaṁ vibudhāḥ kalātyaye

One who perfectly follows his duty in varṇāśrama- dharma for one hundred
births can attain the position of Brahmā. One who is more qualified can attain
the position of Śiva. A Vaiṣṇava, however, is immediately promoted to the
spiritual planets far beyond even my abode. That transcendental position is so
difficult to realize that I, Lord Śiva, and the other gods can attain those spiritual
planets only after the ultimate annihilation of the material world. (Bhāg.
4.24.29)

৩.৩৪
নযন ভরিযা দেখ দাসের প্রভাব 
হেন দাস্যভাবে কৃষ্ণে কর অনুরাগ
অল্প হেন না মানিহ "কৃষ্ণ-দাস" নাম 
অল্প-ভাগ্যে দাস নাহি করে ভগবান্ 
দাস-নামে ব্রহ্মা-শিব হরিষ-অন্তর 
ধরণী-ধরেন্দ্র চাহে দাস অধিকার

3.34
nayana bhariyā dekha dāsera prabhāva 
hena dāsyabhāve kṛṣṇe kara anurāga
alpa hena nā māniha "kṛṣṇa-dāsa" nāma 
alpa-bhāgye dāsa nāhi kare bhagavān 
dāsa-nāme brahmā-śiva hariṣa-antara 
dharaṇī-dharendra cāhe dāsa adhikāra

[Lord Caitanya said] Just see the influence of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. With such a
mentality of service, cultivate a deep attachment to Kṛṣṇa. If, however, you are
devoid of a service attitude and do not wish to call yourself "Kṛṣṇa-dāsa," you
will be most unfortunate: the Lord will never accept you as His servant. Brahmā
and Śiva, although they are the masters of the universe, take endless delight in
the name "Kṛṣṇa-dāsa" and pray for the qualification to become servants of
Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (Cb. Madhya 23.463-464, 472)
3.35

কীট জন্ম হৌ যথা তূযা দাস
বহির্-মুখ ব্রহ্ম-জন্মে নাহি আশ

kīṭa janma hau yathā tūyā dāsa
bahir-mukha brahma-janme nāhi āśa

Let me take birth as a worm as Your servant. O Kṛṣṇa, I would forsake a birth
as Brahmā, if that birth was devoid of Your service. (Śaraṇāgati, Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura)

The Glories of the Servants of the Vaiṣṇavas

३.३६
मज् जन्मनः फलम् इदं मधु-कैटभारे मत् प्रार्थनीय मद् अनुग्रह एष एब
त्बद् भृत्य-भृत्य-परिचारक-भृत्य-भृत्य भृत्यस्य-भृत्यम् इति मां स्मर लोकनाथ

3.36
maj janmanaḥ phalam idaṁ madhu-kaiṭabhāre 
mat prārthanīya mad anugraha eṣa eva
tvad bhṛtya-bhṛtya-paricāraka-bhṛtya-bhṛtya 
bhṛtyasya-bhṛtyam iti māṁ smara lokanātha 

O Supreme Lord of all, slayer of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha! Please be
merciful to me and grant my prayer that You may remember me as a servant of
Your servant's servant, a servant of such a servant of Your servant's servant, a
servant of a servant of Your servant's servant, and a servant of Your servant's
servant servant.

[Note: Śrīla Prabhupāda often alluded to this verse in his lectures by
stressing that a Vaiṣṇava aspires to become the servant of the servant of the
servant of the Lord one thousand times removed.]

 Further Glories of Vaiṣṇavas

३.३७
साधूनां सम-चित्तानां सुतरां मत्- कृतात्मनाम्
दर्शनान् नो भबेद् बन्धः पुंसो ऽक्ष्णोः सबितुर् यथा

3.37
sādhūnāṁ sama-cittānāṁ sutarāṁ mat- kṛtātmanām
darśanān no bhaved bandhaḥ puṁso 'kṣṇoḥ savitur yathā

When one is face to face with the Sun, there is no longer darkness for one's
eyes. Similarly, when one is face to face with a sādhu who is fully determined
and surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, one will no
longer be subject to material bondage. (Bhāg. 10.10.41)

३.३८
न ह्य् अम्-मयानि तीर्थानि न देबा मृच्-छिला- मयाः
ते पुनत्य् उरु-कालेन दर्शनाद् एब साधबः

3.38
na hy am-mayāni tīrthāni na devā mṛc-chilā- mayāḥ
te punaty uru-kālena darśanād eva sādhavaḥ 

Water alone does not make a sacred place holy. Nor is it earth nor clay that
composes the form of the Deity. The waters of the Ganges, visits to holy places,
and the worship of the Śālagrāma-śīla purify one only after a long time, but
saints like you purify instantly by their very sight. (Bhāg. 10.84.11)

Oh Mind!

Who is a Vaiṣṇava?










Gaudiya Kanth-hara was compiled during the lifetime of Bhaktisiddhānta Sāraswati Ṭhākura and was especially dear to him. He many contributions to this work. Among them was the following poem: Dushta-mana! which translates as Wicked Mind! 

 This is an especially harsh criticism of the mind. 

Bhaktisiddhānta Sāraswati was a harsh critic of hypocrisy  As this is directed towards his own mind in his humility, we may also apply the principles of self-examination to our own mind. Do we come up to the mark?  One must, of course, be careful about criticising others or applying Bhaktisiddhānta's standards to others. 

Spiritual advancement requires purposeful self-criticism. Jesus Christ said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." One must always remember the principles of humility before using these harsh words against someone else.  Anyone who can apply this rigorous standard is worthy of the high reputation of a great devotee.







Gaudiya Kanthahara Third Jewel continued...

3.24 duṣṭa mana! by Bhaktisiddhānta Sāraswati Ṭhakura

দুষ্ট মন! তুমি কিসের ৱৈষ্ণৱ? প্রতিষ্ঠার তরে, নির্জনের ঘরে, তৱ "হরিনাম" কেৱল কৈতৱ: জডের প্রতিষ্ঠা, শূকরের ৱিষ্ঠা, জান না কি তাহা "মাযার ৱৈভৱ"
কনক-কামিনী, দিৱস-যামিনী, ভাৱিযা কি কাজ, অনিত্য সে সব: তোমার কনক, ভোজের জনক, কনকের দ্ৱারে সেৱহ "মাধৱ." কামিনীর কাম, নহে তৱ ধাম, তাহার মালিক কেৱল "যাদৱ." প্রতিষ্ঠাশা-তরু, জদ-মাযা-মরু
না পেল "রাৱণ" যূঝিয "রাঘৱ:" ৱৈষ্ণৱী প্রতিষ্ঠা, তাতে কর নিষ্ঠা, তাহা না ভজিলে লভিবে গৌরৱ. হরিজন-দ্ৱেষ, প্রতিষ্ঠাশা ক্লেশ, কর কেন তবে তাহার গৌরৱ. ৱৈষ্ণৱের পাছে, প্রাতিষ্ঠাশা আছে, তাঽত কভু নহে "অনিত্য-ৱৈভৱ."
সে হরি সম্বন্ধ, শূন্য-মাযাগন্ধ, তাহা কভু নয "জডের কৈতৱ": প্রতিষ্ঠা-চণ্ডালী, নির্জনতা-জালী
উভযে জানিহ মাযিক-রৌরৱ. "কীর্তন ছাডিব, প্রতিশ্ঠা মাখিব," কি কাজ ঢুঞ্ডিযা তাদৃশা গৌরৱ: মাধৱেন্দ্র পুরী, ভাৱ-ঘরে ছূরি, না করিল কভু সদাই জানৱ.
তোমার প্রতিষ্ঠ, "শূকরের ৱিষ্ঠা," তার সহ সম কভু না মানৱ: মৎসরতা-ৱশে, তূমি জডরসে, মজেছ ছাডিযা কীর্তন-সৌষ্ঠৱ. তাই দুষ্ট মন, "নির্জন-ভজন," প্রছারিছ ছলে "কূযোগী-ৱৈভৱ" প্রভু সনাতনে, প্রভু যতনে
শিক্ষা দিল যাহা চিন্ত সেই সব
সেই দুঽটি কথা, ভূলঽ না সর্ৱথা, উচ্চৈস্ৱরে কর "হরিনাম-রৱ"
"ফল্গু" আর "যুক্ত," "বদ্ধ" আর "মুক্ত," কভু না ভাৱিহ ঽেকাকার সব
"কনক-কামিনী," "প্রতিষ্ঠা-বাঘিনী," ছাদিযাছে যারে সেই তঽ ৱৈষ্ণৱ:
সেই "অনাসক্ত," সেই "শুদ্ধ ভক্ত," সংসার তথায পায পরাভৱ "যথাযোগ্য-ভোগ," নাহি তথা রোগ, "অনাসক্ত" সেই, কি আর কহব
"আসক্তি রহিত" "সম্বন্ধ-সহিত," ৱিষয-সমূহ সকলি "মাধৱ."
সে "যুক্ত-ৱৈরাগ্য, "তাহা তঽ "সৌভাগ্য," তাহাই জডেতে হরির ৱৈভৱ:
কীর্তনে যাহার, "প্রতিষ্ঠা-সম্ভার,"
তাহার সম্পত্তি কেৱল "কৈতৱ."
"ৱিষয-মুমুক্ষু," "ভোগের বুভুক্ষু," দুযে ত্যজ মন, দুই "অৱৈষ্ণৱ" "কৃষ্ণের সম্বন্ধ," অপ্রাকৃত স্কন্ধ, কভু নহে তাহা জডের সম্ভৱ" "মাযাৱাদী জন," কৃষ্ণেতর মন,
মুক্ত অভিমানে সে নিন্দে ৱৈষ্ণৱ ৱৈষ্ণৱের দাস, তৱ ভক্তি-আশ, কেন ৱা ডাকিছ নির্জন-আহৱ
যে "ফাল্গুর্-ৱৈরাগী," কহে, নিজে, "ত্যাগী," সে না পারে কভু হৈতে "ৱৈষ্ণৱ."
হরি-পদ ছাডিঽ, নির্জনতা বাডিঽ, লভিযা কি ফল, "ফল্গু" সে ৱৈভৱ. রাধা-দাস্যে নহি ছাড ভোগ-অকি প্রতিষ্ঠাশ নহে কির্তনন্-গৌরৱে
কেন ৱা নির্জন-ভজন-কৈতৱ. ৱ্রজৱাসি-গণ, প্রচারক-ধন, প্রতিষ্ঠা-ভিক্ষুক তাঽর নহে "শৱ." প্রাণ আছে তাঽর, সে হেতু প্রচার, প্রতিষ্ঠাশা-হীন "কৃষ্ণ-গাথা" সব. শ্রী-দযিত দাস, কীর্তনেতে আশ,
কর উচ্চৈঃ-স্ৱরে "হরি-নাম-রৱ."

কীর্তন-প্রভাৱে, স্মরণ হৈবে, সে কালে ভজন-নির্জন সম্ভৱ.

duṣṭa mana! tumi kisera vaiṣṇava? pratiṣṭhāra tare, nirjanera ghare, tava "harināma" kevala kaitava: jaḍera pratiṣṭhā, śūkarera viṣṭhā, jāna nā ki tāhā "māyāra vaibhava"
kanaka-kāminī, divasa-yāminī, bhāviyā ki kāja, anitya se saba: tomāra kanaka, bhojera janaka, kanakera dvāre sevaha "mādhava." kāminīra kāma, nahe tava dhāma, tāhāra mālika kevala "yādava." pratiṣṭhāśā-taru, jada-māyā-maru
nā pela "rāvaṇa" yūjhiya "rāghava:" vaiṣṇavī pratiṣṭhā, tāte kara niṣṭhā, tāhā nā bhajile labhibe gaurava. harijana-dveṣa, pratiṣṭhāśā kleśa, kara kena tabe tāhāra gaurava. vaiṣṇavera pāche, prātiṣṭhāśā āche, tā'ta kabhu nahe "anitya-vaibhava."
se hari sambandha, śūnya-māyāgandha, tāhā kabhu naya "jaḍera kaitava": pratiṣṭhā-caṇḍālī, nirjanatā-jālī
ubhaye jāniha māyika-raurava. "kīrtana chāḍiba, pratiśṭhā mākhiba," ki kāja ḍhuñḍiyā tādṛśā gaurava: mādhavendra purī, bhāva-ghare chūri, nā karila kabhu sadāi jānava.
tomāra pratiṣṭha, "śūkarera viṣṭhā," tāra saha sama kabhu nā mānava: matsaratā-vaśe, tūmi jaḍarase, majecha chāḍiyā kīrtana-sauṣṭhava. tāi duṣṭa mana, "nirjana-bhajana," prachāricha chale "kūyogī-vaibhava" prabhu sanātane, prabhu yatane
śikṣā dila yāhā cinta sei saba
sei du'ṭi kathā, bhūla' nā sarvathā, uccaisvare kara "harināma-rava"
"phalgu" āra "yukta," "baddha" āra "mukta," kabhu nā bhāviha 'ekākāra saba
"kanaka-kāminī," "pratiṣṭhā-bāghinī," chādiyāche yāre sei ta' vaiṣṇava:
sei "anāsakta," sei "śuddha bhakta," saṁsāra tathāya pāya parābhava "yathāyogya-bhoga," nāhi tathā roga, "anāsakta" sei, ki āra kahaba
"āsakti rahita" "sambandha-sahita," viṣaya-samūha sakali "mādhava."
se "yukta-vairāgya, "tāhā ta' "saubhāgya," tāhāi jaḍete harira vaibhava:
kīrtane yāhāra, "pratiṣṭhā-sambhāra,"
tāhāra sampatti kevala "kaitava."
"viṣaya-mumukṣu," "bhogera bubhukṣu," duye tyaja mana, dui "avaiṣṇava" "kṛṣṇera sambandha," aprākṛta skandha, kabhu nahe tāhā jaḍera sambhava" "māyāvādī jana," kṛṣṇetara mana,
mukta abhimāne se ninde vaiṣṇava vaiṣṇavera dāsa, tava bhakti-āśa, kena vā ḍākicha nirjana-āhava
ye "phālgur-vairāgī," kahe, nije, "tyāgī," se nā pāre kabhu haite "vaiṣṇava."
hari-pada chāḍi', nirjanatā bāḍi', labhiyā ki phala, "phalgu" se vaibhava. rādhā-dāsye nahi chāḍa bhoga-aki pratiṣṭhāśa nahe kirtanan-gaurave
kena vā nirjana-bhajana-kaitava. vrajavāsi-gaṇa, pracāraka-dhana, pratiṣṭhā-bhikṣuka tā'ra nahe "śava." prāṇa āche tā'ra, se hetu pracāra, pratiṣṭhāśā-hīna "kṛṣṇa-gāthā" saba. śrī-dayita dāsa, kīrtanete āśa,
kara uccaiḥ-svare "hari-nāma-rava."
kīrtana-prabhāve, smaraṇa haibe, se kāle bhajana-nirjana sambhava.

O wicked mind! What kind of Vaiṣṇava are you? You go off to chant in a
solitary place, but your chanting is only for name and fame (pratiṣṭhā). It is
nothing but hypocrisy. Such mundane name and fame is hog's stool.

Position, reputation, name and fame is only a snare of māyā.

Day and night you think of nothing but women and money. Why waste your time meditating on things that are temporary? You think money is the father of enjoyment, but money is not meant for your pleasure. When you claim wealth as your own, it only creates within you a lust for enjoyment. Your money should serve Kṛṣṇa, who is Mādhava, the husband of the goddess of
fortune and the enjoyer of all wealth. Satisfying the desire of beautiful women is never your domain; it is the domain of their proprietor Yadav.

 He alone can fulfill the hankering of their heart. Rāvana fought Rāma in order to achieve the highest prestige (pratiṣṭhā), but that prestige was only an illusion. His hope for prestige had grown as mighty as a great tree within the forest of desires within his heart, but the soul can find no
cooling shade there, for the "forest" is really only a mirage in the desert of
material illusion. Don't be like Rāvana, who wanted to enjoy the position of
Rāma.

Accept the position of the servant of Viṣṇu. 

Take your stand upon the foundation of pure devotional service, giving up all your hopes for false
prestige, and thus become a genuine Vaiṣṇava.

If you don't worship the position of the Vaiṣṇava, you will be doomed. Those who go to great trouble in hopes for prestige as great devotees, are envious of devotees and are rewarded for their trouble with a hellish life.

The genuine fame that follows a Vaiṣṇava is not the
same as the temporary fame that follows pretenders. The fame that follows a
Vaiṣṇava does not stink of māyā.

It has no trace of the treachery of pretentious imposters. The selfpromotion
and fame of a pseudo Vaiṣṇava is like a dog- eating whore: it is unchaste and unprincipled. Their solitary bhajan is counterfeit.

O mind, know that both the artificial fame and bogus bhajana of pseudo-devotees is a hellish
phantasmagoria.

They think: "I shall give up the kīrtana of the holy name and
pray for fame and position."

But what is the use of such "fame'"?

O mind, know for certain that Mādhavendra Purī never cheated himself in this way by robbing himself of his own internal treasure and proclaiming his greatness to the world. O mind, your fame is hog stool. No one shall ever be the equal of Māhavendra Purī, so why do you wish to compete with him for fame? Under the control of envy, you have drowned yourself in the ocean of mundane
rasa and material enjoyment. The only thing you have truly renounced is the sublime Kṛṣṇa kīrtana in the association of devotees.

O wicked mind! Your so-called solitary worship is preached and practiced by
wicked imposters who impersonate devotees for nefarious purposes. With great
care you should consider what Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu taught Sanātan Goswāmī:

Loudly chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Never forget the two most
valuable things he taught Sanātana: phalgu and yukta, "real and false
renunciation;" and baddha and mukta, "freed and enslaved."

Never mistake one for the other, or think them to be the same. 

Money, women, and fame are like tigers.

A Vaiṣṇava gives them up and keeps them at a distance. Such a devotee, who is without
material attachments, is a śuddha-vaiṣṇava.

Such a devotee has conquered over the material world and its
illusions of enjoyment. Accepting only what is needed in the service of the Lord,
he remains free from the diseased mentality of material enjoyment and dedicates
himself to the Lord's service. Free from all false attachments he sees everything
in relationship to Kṛṣṇa, understanding that everything is meant for the
pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He knows that to engage everything in the service of
Kṛṣṇa is real renunciation. Because he understands that the true position of
renunciation is in dedicating everything to Kṛṣṇa, he is truly fortunate.

Although he lives within the material world he dwells within the revelation of
Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, and experiences the extension of the spiritual world within
the material world.

On the other hand, one who chants the holy name of the Lord for name and
fame is simply a hypocrite and a cheater. His renunciation is false.

O mind!

give up the association of both those who want liberation and those who want
material enjoyment. They are all non devotees.

What is in connection with Kṛṣṇa is aprākṛta: non material and supra
mundane.

The divine things in relation to Kṛṣṇa should never be seen as
material.

By virtue of its divine connection with
Kṛṣṇa a thing becomes transcendental. It is therefore impossible for it to be anything less than divine. Every wave is favourable.

The māyāvādīs can never think of Kṛṣṇa. Proud of their piety, they think
themselves liberated and blaspheme the
Vaiṣṇavas.

O mind:

your only prayer is to be the servant of the devotees. Make this prayer
your only contemplation. Why do you want to go off and leave the devotees. A
phalgu-vairāgī does not understand that the true meaning of renunciation is
devotion.

In the dress of a devotee, such an impostor calls himself a tyāgī, a
great renouncer, but he is only a great pretender. He will never be a true
Vaiṣṇava. Giving up the lotus feet of Śrī Hari, he leaves the Lord's service
behind in order to perform his "worship" in a solitary place. Having left the
service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the association of devotees, what will he get by
becoming famous as a humble man? Those who, in a false spirit of
renunciation, give up the service of Kṛṣṇa, the association of Vaiṣṇavas and the
order of the guru to execute solitary bhajana may sit in their hut and chant, but
the only fruit they get is false. What is the use of such foolishness?


O mind! Always engage yourself in the service of Śrī Rādhā, and keep aloof
from the snake of material enjoyment. There is nothing glorious about
performing kīrtana simply for name and fame. You are the eternal servant of
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Why then do you renounce her for the cheating process of
nirjana-bhajana? Why do you run after false renunciation and so give up the
service of Śrī Rādhā? The residents of Vṛndāvana are the real object of
preaching. They do not aspire for false prestige, nor are they devoid of life, as
are the false renunciates. Those who have spiritual vitality can preach and
instill spiritual life in their audience. Preaching is the symptom of vitality. One
who preaches the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is devoid of hopes for
prestige.


Śrī Dayita Dāsa, (Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta) the humble servant of Śrī Rādhā and
her beloved Kṛṣṇa always hopes for kīrtana, and begs everyone to sing the holy
name of the Lord aloud. By the influence of such kīrtana, one may gradually
come to the exalted stage of smaraṇam, wherein one constantly remembers the
pastimes of Kṛṣṇa within one's mind. Nirjana- bhājana is conceivable only after
attaining this advanced level of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti. (Mahājana-racita Gīta,
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.)