Diferent kinds of human being and devotees. by Sri Gurudev B.V.Narayan Goswami Maharaj

In this world there are two kinds of human beings. A person of the first kind does not know who God is or who he himself is. He is always absorbed in sense gratification, thinking, “I am this physical body.” Such sensually absorbed persons are also of two kinds. Some are like animals and some are like demons.
Demons are always against devotion. Animal-like persons are not against it, but they are not favorable because they are always engaged in their sense gratification. They are fully ignorant. Though their shapes are human, they are like animals, who are also always engaged in sense gratification. Dharme nahina pasubhisumana. They are like cows or other animals. They are like she-hogs, he-dogs, camels, and the most ignorant animals – the donkeys. Those who are not demons, but are not doing bhajana, are like very ignorant donkeys. They are kicked by the hind legs of the she-donkeys and are always taking all the burden of the washerman. Those who do not do bhajana are in this category, even though they have human forms.

Those who are favorable to devotion are also of two kinds. Those of one kind are doing something, but they are not following the process, etiquette, and rules and regulations of devotees or devotion. They are in great numbers, whereas real devotees are very few in number, and even among this small number of devotees there are so many kinds. Some are initiated, but not properly. They are initiated by kula-gurus or fallen, so-called gurus who are not qualified, and third-class bogus gurus who have the false ego of being a guru. These devotees are greater in number.

Those who are initiated by qualified devotees, who have taken diksa but not properly, not by vidva-virudhi (taking the instructions of guru and scriptures in the heart) think, “Oh, my fire sacrifice has been done, and my gurudeva has given me a sacred thread.” And the ladies think, “Oh, gurudeva has given me a name.” They wear big, big tilaka and kanthi-mala, but there is no real diksa, no divya-jnana, and no disappearance of unfavorable and sinful activities. These devotees are greater in number than real devotees, and most of us are in this category. 

Some may be above this, but the greater number is of this class. They have no real relation with Krsna; no tattva-jnana of krsna-tattva, bhakti-tattva, jiva-tattva, or maya-tattva. They don’t know who is Krsna, what is the philosophical truth about Krsna, devotion, or rasa. They only sit and act out the moments of saying the mantras, but what they are doing, they themselves don’t know. Or, they may chant some mantras like, ‘aim gurave namah,’ but where are their minds? After ten minutes they catch themselves and think, “Oh, what am I doing?” They were either sleeping or thinking of other things. Next they chant, ‘klim caitanyaya,’ but their mind was absent. Again, after half an hour, they think, “Oh, what am I doing?” They are struggling in this way, and their number is also greater.

Perhaps we are in this category. When worldly affairs come into their mind, like their job or anything else of that nature, they are very careful and cautious. Their minds are always in computers and here and there. They cannot give their energy to the guru-mantra, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, or any mantra. Some pure devotees may come to visit, and they are then somewhat inspired, but after those pure devotees leave, the inspiration also leaves. Their number is also greater than that of real devotees.

In the category of those who are above this, there is still something lacking. Such devotees cannot follow ‘trinad api sunicena taror avi sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih.’ They cannot even follow the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami in Upadesamrta (Text 1):

    vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegami
      jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
       etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
     sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat

 [“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”]

I think that so many devotees do not know what this means. They never care about it. You can imagine what kind of devotees they are.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Srila Sanatana Gosvami in Varanasi, “You should be Bhadra, gentle and sober, by dress.”  At that time Srila Sanatana Gosvami had a long beard and hair, and he wore very dirty clothes. He looked like a Muslim street beggar who was going to Mecca to chant “Allah, Hoda.” He at once went to the Ganges, shaved and put on tilaka, and now he looked like a Vaisnava. We also see here that there are so many who do not put on tilaka and are not shaved. They wear one strand of neck beads and that one strand does not even touch their necks. This means they have no interest in all these devotional principles. They are coming to classes, and therefore some attraction is there, but they don’t want to follow all the regulations.

Even in the military there are rules and etiquettes. The soldiers must wear military uniform, otherwise they will be punished at once. They have to run two miles with very heavy guns and boots: “Quick march, quick march, double march.” That is discipline. Similarly, there is also some Vaisnava discipline. If we cannot obey and follow Vaisnava etiquette and discipline, how will we obtain this very high-class of Vraja-prema? Vraja-prema is not so easy to attain. It is stated in the scriptures that the chanting of one holy name is sufficient for perfection. We are chanting so many names, but not experiencing any results.

So you will have to follow all these principles. First Vaisnava etiquette: We see that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami and all their associates are all paramahamsas, and still, all of them followed Vaisnava etiquette. Then why should we not follow? It is not sufficient to simply wear mala, beads. First there must be etiquette, and this is called Vaisnava-sadacara.

For whom was jail created? For persons who are not following rules and regulations, for those who are causing disturbance to others. We have no taste. How will this taste come? If we follow the rules and regulations given by Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then taste will come. If we neglect these regulations, however, and do not follow Vaisnava etiquette, how can we hope to attain Vraja-prema? Rather, we will have to be punished.

For those who are following the etiquette, it is said,

vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat
           
If you want to master anything, you must follow some rules and regulations: daily reading, and completing the task given by your professor or teacher. There must be daily attendance, but not only attendance. There must also be careful study and hearing.

Vaco vegam – controlling the tongue. The tongue is very much uncontrolled. It has no backbone. It can twist to this side and that side, and it can become long or short. But it has no bone, and therefore it is uncontrolled. It may be possible to control the air, but not the tongue.

The tongue creates all kinds of problems. Draupadi was a very high-class lady devotee, always following all the rules and regulations. She was able to control herself and even her five husbands. But she once said to Duryodhana, “Blind father, blind son.” She said only these words. Duryodhana became very angry and this caused the whole Mahabharata battle where millions of people were killed. Another example is that of Sita-devi, the wife of Lord Ramacandra. She also did not control her tongue. [She was perfect, but to fulfill her Lord’s mission, she acted in this way. –ed] She said something to Laksmana, and for this reason the whole Ramayana battle took place.

So try to control your tongue. If you want to be peaceful and do bhajana, don’t quarrel with your wives and husbands, your sons and daughters, and other devotees. I see that so many problems are coming, only due to the uncontrolled tongue. From today on you should promise, “I will not quarrel with my husband or wife, children, gurudeva, and all other devotees.” If you control your tongue, anger will also be controlled. Without this, you cannot control your anger.

The tongue also always wants to taste very delicious things. If you do not control it, lust will increase.  Your stomach will be destroyed and you will very soon become old and helpless. Srila Rupa Gosvami tells how to control the six urges in the next verse:

atyaharah prayasas ca
prajalpo niyamagrahah
jana-sangas ca laulyam ca
sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati
[“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required, (2) overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to attain, (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters, (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically, (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kåñëa consciousness, and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.”]
         
 Don’t take very rich foodstuff. Don’t engage very much in the activities of your five senses, otherwise this will also be atyaharah. What did I say?

Prema-prayojana dasa: Srila Gurudeva is explaining that the fault of over-eating is not only the fault of the tongue. All five senses can be guilty of ‘over-eating.’ If the eyes are wandering here and there and looking towards material sense-objects…

Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: You may see a very beautiful teenage lady, and by chance your eyes go there. Take that glance and turn it towards Krsna, the Deities, and the Vaisnavas. If you are looking, looking, looking, and looking, attachment will come and you will become the servant of that lady. You will not be able to control yourself. This is true of all the senses.

‘Atyahara preyasas.’ Don’t try to become astrologers, and don’t read books other than bhakti books. Don’t go to palm-readers, who will tell you, “This is your lifeline, this is your money-line, and this is your son and daughter line.”

Always try to engage all your senses in krsna-bhakti, in the development of your Krsna consciousness, learning how you can please your gurudeva. This is sufficient. If you have not studied in school or college, there is no harm, because only by chanting, remembering, serving, and obeying your gurudeva can you be happy. There are so many examples, as in the lives of Haridasa Thakura and others. You cannot be happy by material endeavors. Don’t try to be expert in worldly things. Try to be expert in krsna-bhakti. Try to develop the pure name.

‘Atyaharah prayasas ca prajalpo.’ Don’t talk prajalpa. Don’t speak about silly things. Only speak about that which is favorable for bhakti. If you are speaking about Krsna and krsna-bhakti, this is okay; but if you are merely criticizing those like Kamsa or Jarasandha, it is not good. What should you do? Give up all these things. Only glorify Nanda, Yasoda, the gopis, gopas, Krsna, and all the devotees. Be far away from all these other things.

Don’t care so much for your life maintenance. You can do something when you are a lower class devotee. When you become more mature, however, you will not have to do anything. Whatever you need will very easily come.

‘Prayasas ca prajalpo niyamagrahah.’ You should think, “I must chant.” How much? One lakh. (sixty-four rounds) If you cannot do this, then chant fifty thousand names, or thirty-two rounds – not less than that. If you cannot do that, then somehow chant twenty-five rounds. And if you cannot do that, then go to the ocean and jump in at once. Then, in another life you will be able to chant. If you cannot chant this much in this lifetime, then certainly go to the Pacific Ocean or Atlantic Ocean. You can do this, and there is no harm in it.

If you want to be a devotee, then try to follow all these regulations. If you are chanting and in the meantime your gurudeva or any high-class of devotee comes to give a lecture, what should you do? Should you try to continue your chanting and complete your rounds, or should you go and hear your gurudeva’s lecture? What should you do? You should hear. By hearing, your holy name will be very high-class and you can also complete your rounds. You will be able to do many rounds. So don’t do ‘niyamagrahah.’ What is this ‘niyamagrahah’? You should explain the two kinds.

Prema-prayojana dasa: Here Srila Gurudeva is explaining the meaning in the word ‘niyamagrahah.’ ‘Niyamagrahah’ means to not follow the rules and regulations. This point is very clear, but the second meaning of the word ‘niyamagrahah’ is to excessively follow the rules and regulations in such a way that it does not actually enhance your bhakti, but rather becomes an impediment.

Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: If you want to develop your Krsna consciousness and you want taste in the name and pastimes of Krsna, then you must follow the third verse: