Topic: Madhurya Kadambini
Today we will be discussing Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur’s Madhurya Kadambini. Madhurya means sweetness. Kadambini means trout. It refers to the shower of Krishna consciousness that is going to inundate the whole world. Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur explains the gradual elevation to the level of devotion, beginning with how devotion sprouts. Devotion begins with the faith in the process of devotional service. Shraddha or faith as defined in Chaitanya Charitammrita as the unflinching faith in the process of devotional service and to come to the realization that it is the perfection of religion. All activities are performed if we just render devotional service to Krishna.
He explains as how faith in this process begins. He concludes from the scriptures that bhakti is rendered unconditionally. Bhakti is not even achieved by yogic perfection or jnani. Bhakti arises due to the causeless mercy of a devotee. Most of us are here because of Srila Prabhupada. It is his causeless mercy that brought us to ISKCON. Therefore, the only reason or the way, a person can develop devotion is by the causeless mercy of devotees. We see that most of the devotees join because in some way or the other they came in contact with Srila Prabhupada’s books. Prabhupada’s mercy is being showered upon the whole world in the form of his books. Hence it is a very important service. One example is that in France there is an elderly old person who even in his wildest dream wouldn’t have thought that he would become a devotee. He was a retired person and had been a corporate executive. He purchased a copy of Bhagavad Gita As It Is and placed it in his shelf. He never bothered to read it ever since he bought it. One day, he developed some paralysis and was bed ridden for around 2 months. All he could do was sit back and read books. He happened to pick this Bhagavad Gita As It Is and started reading it. He felt that this Bhagavad Gita is not a fictitious story and lot of things in it made sense to him. He became curious to know more as he finished reading it. The back cover of book had the address of New Mayapur. He recuperated and the first thing he did was to travel all the way to New Mayapur (around 700Kms). He drove that distance and he coincidentally arrived on the day before Gaura Purnima. Although he was philosophically convinced, he didn’t have enough faith to accept the process. As he saw the festival of Janmastami and Guara Purnima, he was literally shedding tears of ecstasy. The ISKCON devotees there explained him about the financial situation of New Mayapur and he assured that to support them. He sold all of his properties and holdings and was willing to donate it to ISKCON. I advised him to give half of them to his children and the other half to ISKCON. He is a full time devotee and played a very significant role is reviving New Mayapur. This is the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. Who could have imagined a 62 year old retired company executive to join this movement? It is not easy for him to adjust with young devotees. A person of that age must have been set and his flexibility must have been reduced considerably. He not only moved into the temple but brought his mother along with him. His conviction is that she is going to die and let her so in the Krishna conscious environment. I wonder often that it would be interesting if we could compile a book on how different devotees came to Krishna consciousness.
The seed of devotional creeper is planted in the field of heart unless it is not dry like a desert due to sinful activities. Prabhupada was so emphatic about giving up the sinful activities in order to become a devotee. Meat eating, intoxication, gambling and illicit sex are the four pillars on which the sin thrives on. One’s heart becomes fertile when one stops all these activities. It is like clearing off the unwanted elements in the field of heart. When the seed is sowed in the field of heart, one has to water it by chanting and hearing to make seed of devotion sprout. When the seedling sprouts, two limbs manifest namely, kleshagni and shuvada. Klesha means suffering and gna means to kill. Shuvada means all auspiciousness. So, these two limbs manifest in the field in which the devotion has been planted and watered regularly. All the sufferings due to material nature is destroyed and all auspiciousness becomes manifest in one’s heart.
There are five kinds of sufferings namely, aviddha, ashmita, dvesh, raag and avinivesh. The word klesha is also mentioned in Bhagavad Gita in the context of impersonalism. The people, who are attached to impersonalism, simply invite misery to themselves. Aviddha means ignorance of the temporary nature of this material world. It is to consider the temporary thing to be eternal. This material nature is a reflection of the spiritual world. In monsoon period, the water accumulates and we see the reflection of the trees on the water. The reflection disappear the moment water dries up. Similarly, the material nature is a temporary manifestation of the spiritual reality. Ashmita means me and mine. It is to consider the senses to be the self and the sense perception to be real. The body is mistaken as me and belongings of the body as mine. Raag is attachment to the sense objects that are pleasing to our senses. Dvesh is aversion to suffering that is not pleasing to the senses. Avinivesh is attachment to the body and having the fear of death.
One who renders devotional service is free from these sufferings. Let us consider these aspects practically. Aviddha is completely absent as we have come to the realization that this material nature is temporary and our real goal is to go back to Godhead. Ashmita has been considerably reduced although we had not completely got rid of that mentality. All of us have given up our attachment to our family, possession and fame to become devotees. The attachment we now have got a spiritual shape. Now we think that I am a servant of Krishna instead of I am the master of the material nature. Dvesh is the aversion to the sufferings. We initially used to be so much averse and anxious in dealing with difficult situations. Ever since we became devotees, we are completely detached. The devotees are neither afraid of death as they know that death is just a change of body. The only fear of a devotee is that he might not remember Krishna at the time of his death. Therefore his only prayer is to be always engaged in Krishna’s service.
Visvanath Chakravarthi explains the different stages of devotional service and the way one attains it. The first stage of devotional service is the stage where one is full of enthusiasm. It is compared to a child getting a new book. The child is so attached to it that it holds on to it all the time. The next stage is called intense and dilute stage. Sometimes he is very intensely inclined towards rendering devotional service and some other times he is not so inclined. Then comes the stage, where he is in conflict with himself. He is in duality whether or not to renounce the household life. On one hand, he feels that he must renounce and go to Vrindavan. On the other hand, he feels that he has to take care of so many subjects and also he could become a good devotee being a householder itself. The next stage is the stage of war with material sense objects. He realizes that in order to go to spiritual nature one must abstain from the objects of material nature. Hence he tries to conquer them. In that war, sometimes he is successful and some other times he falls down. The fifth stage is called the stage of inability to perform the prescribed duties. The difference between the fourth and fifth stage is that in the war with material nature one’s inability is to win over the sense objects where as in the other stage one’s inability is to make spiritual progress. The sixth stage is the stage to float in the facilities that have been bestowed on the devotee due to the recognition of his service. In Chaitanya Charitammrita, it has been mentioned that the growth of the main branch of the creeper can be inhibited by too many of its side branches. Therefore, it is very important that a devotee doesn’t indulge in the distinction, adoration and profit that he acquires in the path of devotional service.
He explains the different types of unwanted attachments (anarthas). They are dushkritatho (attachment due to sinful activities), shukrititho (attachment due to pious activities), aparaditho(attachment due to offenses) and bhaktitho (attachment due to devotional service). The first one is the attachment due to one’s sinful activities. The second one is attachment to the enjoyment in material nature instead of Krishna. One example is demigods. The demigods accept Krishna or Vishnu. But they do not want unflinching devotion to Krishna. They prefer heavenly enjoyment and they pray to Narayan to drive away the demons. Aparaditho is the attachment one develops due to offenses, one has previously committed. They are further categorized into two types- the offenses in serving the Lord and the offenses to the Holy Name. It has been mentioned that offenses in service of the Lord is expiable but the offense to the Holy Name is inexpiable. The most abominable offense is to commit sinful activities on the strength of Holy Name. Finally, bhaktitho is the attachment due to devotional service. A devotee is provided with the facilities to execute devotional service as he becomes recognized. Visvanath Chakravarti describes five ways to become free from these attachments. They are ekadesha vartini, bahudesha vartini, prayiti, purnam and atyantithi.
Thank you all very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.