Source
Texts:
The
Symptoms of Conditioned and Liberated Living
Entities
Text
1
The Supreme
Lord said: 'The explanation of due to My modes being bound and
being liberated is that in reality they are not of the modes at
all; my illusory energy is not the cause of the bondage or
liberation of [relating to] Me.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Uddhava, due to
the influence of the material modes of nature, which are
under My control, the living entity is sometimes designated
as conditioned and sometimes as liberated. In fact, however,
the soul is never really bound up or liberated, and since I
am the supreme Lord of mâyâ, which is the cause
of the modes of nature, I also am never to be considered
liberated or in bondage.
Text
2
Lamentation and
illusion, happiness and distress and the accepting of a
material body under the influence of mâyâ is the
conditioned existence that as a figment of the intelligence,
just as a dream, indeed is not the real
existence.
Just
as a dream is merely a creation of one's intelligence but
has no actual substance, similarly, material lamentation,
illusion, happiness, distress and the acceptance of the
material body under the influence of mayâ are all
creations of My illusory energy. In other words, material
existence has no essential reality.
Text
3
Please,
Uddhava, understand that knowledge and ignorance, are two of My
manifested energies that, produced by My original potency, give
rise to bondage and liberation [*].
O
Uddhava, both knowledge and ignorance, being products of
mâyâ, are expansions of My potency. Both
knowledge and ignorance are beginningless and perpetually
award libertation and bondage to embodied living
beings.
Text
4
Of
the living entity, that for sure is part and parcel of My
Oneness o great intelligence, is since time immemorial the
bondage there of ignorance and is similarly the opposite there
of the knowledge.
O
most intelligent Uddhava, the living entity, called
jîva, is part and parcel of Me, but due to ignorance
he has been suffering in material bondage since time
immemorial. By knowledge, however, he can be
liberated.
Text
5
Let
Me now, my dear, dilate about the different characteristics of
the opposing natures of being conditioned and being liberated,
thus situated in one manifestation of character.
Thus,
My dear Uddhava, in the same material body we find opposing
characteristics, such as great happiness and misery. That is
because both the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is
eternally liberated, as well as the conditioned soul are
within the body. I shall now speak to you about their
different characteristics.
Text
6
By
chance these two friends, these similar birds, made a nest in
one tree and one of them is eating the fruits of the tree while
the other is not to the food, although he is superior in
strength [see also 6.4:
24].
By
chance, two birds have made a nest together in the same
tree. The two birds are friends and are of a similar nature.
One of them, however, is eating the fruits of the tree,
whereas the other, who does not eat the fruits, is in a
superior position due to His potency.
Text
7
He not eating
the tree its fruits, being omniscient knows himself
[Himself] as well as the other one who filled with
ignorance indeed for ever is bound; he who is full of knowledge
indeed is for ever liberated [see also B.G.:
4:
5].
The
bird who does not eat the fruits of the tree is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who by His omniscience perfectly
understands His own position and that of the conditioned
living entity, represented by the eating bird. That living
entity, on the other hand, does not understand himself or
the Lord. He is covered by ignorance and is thus called
eternally conditioned, whereas the Personality of Godhead,
being full of perfect knowledge, is eternally
liberated.
Text
8
An enlightened
person, as having risen from a dream, sees himself though
present in the body not as the body; a foolish person though
being situated in the body sees, just as in a dream, himself
not as such [he is identified, see B.G.
16:
18].
One
who is enlightened in self-realization, although living
within the material body, sees himself as transcendental to
the body, just as one who has arisen from a dream gives up
identification with the dream body. A foolish person,
however, although not identical with his material body but
transcendental to it, thinks himself to be situated in the
body, just as one who is dreaming sees himself as situated
in an imaginary
body.
Text
9
Even by the
senses generated of the modes being of the senses to the
objects generated by the modes, is the enlightened soul, who
accepting them indeed is not affected by desire, not falsely
identified that he should make it [see B.G.
3:
28].
An
enlightened person who is free from the contamination of
material desire does not consider himself to be the
performer of bodily activities; rather, he knows that in all
such activities it is only the senses, born of the modes of
nature, that are contacting sense objects born of the same
modes of nature.
Text
10
By providence
under the influence of karma being situated in this material
body produced from the modes, is someone foolish thereupon so
bound to 'I am the doer' [see also B. G.
3:
27].
An
unintelligent person situated within the body created by his
previous fruitive activities thinks, "I am the performer of
action." Bewildered by false ego, such a foolish person is
therefore bound up by fruitive activities, which are in fact
carried out by the modes of nature.
Text
11
Thus is an
intelligent person, wherever engaging his senses, indifferent
as he is in resting, sitting, walking, bathing, seeing,
touching, smelling, eating, hearing and so on, not bound that
way.
An
enlightened person fixed in detachment engages his body in
lying down, sitting, walking, bathing, seeing, touching,
smelling, eating, hearing and so on, but is never entangled
by such activities. Indeed, remaining as a witness to all
bodily functions, he merely engages his bodily senses with
their objects and does not become entangled like an
unintelligent person.
Text
12-13
Even though
situated in the material world does he, completely aloof from
its ruling powers, cut all doubts to pieces by the most expert
vision as sharpened through detachment, just as the sky, the
sun and the wind are aloof; like having awakened from a dream
has he turned away from the separateness of
things.
Although
the sky, or space, is the resting place of everything, the
sky does not mix with anything, nor is it entangled.
Similarly, the sun is not at all attached to the water in
which it is reflected within innumerable reservoirs, and the
mighty wind blowing everywhere is not affected by the
innumerable aromas and atmospheres through which it passes.
In the same way, a self-realized soul is completely detached
from the material body and the material world around it. He
is like a person who has awakened and arisen from a dream.
With expert vision sharpened by detachment, the
self-realized soul cuts all doubts to pieces through
knowledge of the self and completely withdraws his
consciousness from the expansion of material variety.
Text
14
The person free
from desire of whom the functions of the life-breath, the
senses, the mind and the intelligence are completely freed is,
though being situated in a body, certainly of His
qualities.
A
person is considered to be completely liberated from the
gross and subtle material bodies when all the functions of
his vital energy, senses, mind and intelligence are
performed without material desire. Such a person, although
situated within the body, is not entangled.
Text
15
He
who in the body is attacked by the violent or at some other
time for some reason is worshiped, is, being intelligent, by
that not affected [see B.G. 14:
22-25].
Sometimes
for no apparent reason one's body is attacked by cruel
people or violent animals. At other times and in other
places, one will suddenly be offered great respect or
worship. One who becomes neither angry when attacked nor
satisfied when worshiped is actually intelligent.
Text
16
Those
who are working or speaking very nicely or badly are by a
saintly person praised nor criticized; freed from good and bad
qualities he sees things equally [see also B.G.
5:
18].
A
saintly sage sees with equal vision and therefore is not
affected by that which is materially good or bad. Indeed,
although he observes others performing good and bad work and
speaking properly and improperly, the sage does not praise
or criticize anyone.
Text
17
One who is
satisfied within should not act, speak or contemplate in terms
of good and bad; with this way of life should a muni wander
just like a dull materialistic person [see also
5.9].
For
the purpose of maintaining his body, a liberated sage should
not act, speak or contemplate in terms of material good or
bad. Rather, he should be detached in all material
circumstances, and taking pleasure in self-realization, he
should wander about engaged in this liberated life-style,
appearing like a retarded person to outsiders.
Text
18
Of one who,
fully versed in the vedic literatures, is not as clever with
the Supreme [Lord], is the fruit of his great labor
certainly like that of one taking care of a cow giving no
milk.
If
through meticulous study one becomes expert in reading Vedic
literature but makes no endeavor to fix one's mind on the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, then one's endeavor is
certainly like that of a man who works very hard to take
care of a cow that gives no milk. In other words, the fruit
of one's laborious study of Vedic knowledge will simply be
the labor itself. There will be no other tangible
result.
Text
19
O Uddhava, he
who takes care of a cow that has given her milk, an unchaste
wife, a body always dependent upon others, unworthy children,
an unworthy recipient while donating, and wants to speak
missing the knowledge of Me [see also 10.14:
4 and
5.6:
11],
suffers one misery after the other.
My
dear Uddhava, that man is certainly most miserable who takes
care of a cow that gives no milk, an unchaste wife, a body
totally dependent on others, useless children or wealth not
utilized for the right purpose. Similarly, one who studies
Vedic knowledge devoid of My glories is also most
miserable.
Text
20
A wise person,
my best, should not sanction those expressions which are not of
respect for My purifying activities or wanted appearance as the
pastime incarnations [lîlâ-avatâras]
of maintenance, creation and annihilation of the world, o
Uddhava.
My
dear Uddhava, an intelligent person should never take to
literatures that do not contain descriptions of My
activities, which purify the whole universe. Indeed, I
create, maintain and annihilate the entire material
manifestation. Among all My pastime incarnations, the most
beloved are Krishna and Balarâma. Any so-called
knowledge that does not recognize these activities of Mine
is simply barren and is not acceptable to those who are
actually intelligent.
Text
21
Thus by that
desire to know giving up the mistake of the self being separate
[**]
should one, fixing the mind in Me the All-pervading One
[see also B.G. 7:
19], put
an end to one's materialistic life [B.G.
18:
55].
Coming
to this conclusion of all knowledge, one should give up the
false conception of material variety that one imposes upon
the soul and thus cease one's material existence. The mind
should be fixed on Me, since I am all-pervading.
Text
22
If you're
incapable to fix the mind on the spiritual platform then try,
unwavering in Me, to perform activities without expectations
[B.G. 12:
11,
10:
10,
18:
54].
My
dear Uddhava, if you are not able to free your mind from all
material disturbance and thus absorb it completely on the
spiritual platform, then perform all your activities as an
offering to Me, without trying to enjoy the fruits.
Text
23-24
A
person of belief hearing the narrations about My birth and
activities, which purifying, singing and constantly remembered
are all-auspicious to the world, will, sheltered in Me for My
purpose performing the dharma, kâma and artha [the
purushârtas],
obtain unflinching devotion unto My permanence, o
Uddhava.
My
dear Uddhava, narrations of My pastimes and qualities are
all-auspicious and purify the entire universe. A faithful
person who constantly hears, glorifies and remembers such
transcendental activities, who through dramatic performances
relives My pastimes, beginning with My appearance, and who
takes full shelter of Me, dedicating his religious, sensual
and occupational activities for My satisfaction, certainly
obtains unflinching devotional service to Me, the eternal
Personality of Godhead.
Text
25
By
the devotion to Me obtained by the
sat-sanga
[the association with devotees] he becomes My
worshiper; that person undoubtedly easily achieves My abode as
revealed by My devotees.'
One
who has obtained pure devotional service by association with
My devotees always engages in worshiping Me. Thus he very
easily goes to My abode, which is revealed by My pure
devotees.
Text
26-27
S'rî
Uddhava said: 'What type of person would in Your opinion, o
Uttamas'loka,
be a saintly person, and what sort of worship unto You should,
as approved by Your pure devotees, be executed; please speak
about this to me, Your surrendered devotee who loves You as his
only shelter, o Master of the Universe, Supervisor of the World
and Commander of the Person.
S'rî
Uddhava said: My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of
Godhead, what type of person do You consider to be a true
devotee, and what type of devotional service is approved by
great devotees as worthy of being offered to Your Lordship?
My dear ruler of the universal controllers, O Lord of
Vaikunthha and almighty God of the universe, I am Your
devotee, and because I love You I have no other shelter than
You. Therefore please explain this to me.
Text
28
You the Supreme
God and Spirit alike the sky, the Original Person
transcendental to material nature, are incarnate, having
accepted different bodies, the Supreme Lord to the desire of
the ones belonging to You.
My
dear Lord, as the Absolute Truth You are transcendental to
material nature, and like the sky You are never entangled in
any way. Still, being controlled by Your devotees' love, You
accept many different forms, incarnating according to Your
devotees' desires.
Text
29-32
The Supreme
Lord said: 'Merciful, not causing harm, tolerant towards all
embodied, firm in the truth and a soul irreproachable;
equalminded, always acting for the better, of an intelligence
undisturbed by material desires, of restraint, soft-natured,
pure-hearted, non-possessive, not worldly, eating little and
peaceful; steady, with Me as the shelter, thoughtful, vigilant,
a profound soul, keeping respect, having conquered the
shath-guna,
modest, offering respect and invigorating; friendly,
compassionate and learned thus knowing the qualities and
deficiencies and as taught by Me, even giving up his own
religious preferences [see also B.G. 18:
66], is
he, in worship of all of Me, someone who indeed is the best of
the truthful [see also 5.18:
12, B.G.
12:
13-20
].
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Uddhava, a saintly
person is merciful and never injures others. Even if others
are aggressive he is tolerant and forgiving toward all
living entities. His strength and meaning in life come from
the truth itself, he is free from all envy and jealousy, and
his mind is equal in material happiness and distress. Thus,
he dedicates his time to work for the welfare of all others.
His intelligence is never bewildered by material desires,
and he has controlled his senses. His behavior is always
pleasing, never harsh and always exemplary, and he is free
from possessiveness. He never endeavors in ordinary, worldly
activities, and he strictly controls his eating. He
therefore always remains peaceful and steady. A saintly
person is thoughtful and accepts Me as his only shelter.
Such a person is very cautious in the execution of his
duties and is never subject to superficial transformations,
because he is steady and noble, even in a distressing
situation. He has conquered over the six material qualities
- namely hunger, thirst, lamentation, illusion, old age and
death. He is free from all desire for prestige and offers
honor to others. He is expert in reviving the Krishna
consciousness of others and therefore never cheats anyone.
Rather, he is a well-wishing friend to all, being most
merciful. Such a saintly person must be considered the most
learned of men. He perfectly understands that the ordinary
religious duties prescribed by Me in various Vedic
scriptures possess favorable qualities that purify the
performer, and he knows that neglect of such duties
constitutes a discrepancy in one's life. Having taken
complete shelter at My lotus feet, however, a saintly person
ultimately renounces such ordinary religious duties and
worships Me alone. He is thus considered to be the best
among all living entities.
Text
33
Those
who for sure thus knowing or not knowing, as to who I am and
how I am, with exclusive devotion worship Me, are by Me
considered the best devotees.
My
devotees may or may not know exactly what I am, who I am and
how I exist, but if they worship Me with unalloyed love,
then I consider them to be the best of devotees.
Text
34-41
Seeing,
touching and worshiping My appearance in this world do My
devotees rendering personal service offer prayers of
glorification and obeisances, regularly singing about My
qualities and activities. In hearing the topics about Me with
faith always meditating on Me, o Uddhava, do they as servants
in defense of the Soul offer all that they acquire. Discussing
My birth and activities taking great delight with musical
instruments and songs, dance they to the moon [at sundays
or lunar phases] having meetings and festivals in My
[god-]houses.
To all celebrations and annual festivities as mentioned in the
vedic literatures and their tantras
making offerings, observe they vows, being of initiation in
relation to Me. With the installation of My deity faithfully
attached, do they for themselves and for others as well
endeavor in working for flower gardens, orchards, playgrounds,
cities and temples. Straightforward as servants are they for My
sake in service of the house [the temple] thoroughly
cleaning and dusting, washing with water
[and cow-dung,
see also 10.6:
20*],
sprinkling scented water and making mandalas. Modestly without
pride, not advertising one's devotional service and not
reserving for oneself the light of the lamps presented to Me,
should one unto Me offer the thing most dear to oneself or
anything most desired in the material world, for that offer
qualifies one for immortality.
My
dear Uddhava, one can give up false pride and prestige by
engaging in the following devotional activities. One may
purify oneself by seeing, touching, worshiping, serving, and
offering prayers of glorification and obeisances to My form
as the Deity and to My pure devotees. One should also
glorify My transcendental qualities and activities, hear
with love and faith the narrations of My glories and
constantly meditate on Me. One should offer to Me whatever
one acquires, and accepting oneself as My eternal servant,
one should give oneself completely to Me. One should always
discuss My birth and activities and enjoy life by
participating in festivals, such as
Janmâshthamî, which glorify My pastimes. In My
temple, one should also participate in festivals and
ceremonies by singing, dancing, playing musical instruments
and discussing Me with other Vaishnavas. One should observe
all the regularly celebrated annual festivals by attending
ceremonies, pilgrimages and making offerings. One should
also observe religious vows such as Ekâdas'î and
take initiation by the procedures mentioned in the Vedas,
Pañcarâtra and other, similar literatures. One
should faithfully and lovingly support the installation of
My Deity, and individually or in cooperation with others one
should work for the construction of Krishna conscious
temples and cities as well as flower gardens, fruit gardens
and special areas to celebrate My pastimes. One should
consider oneself to be My humble servant, without duplicity,
and thus should help to clean the temple, which is My home.
First one should sweep and dust thoroughly, and then one
should further cleanse with water and cow dung. Having dried
the temple, one should sprinkle scented water and decorate
the temple with mandalas. One should thus act just like My
servant. A devotee should never advertise his devotional
activities; therefore his service will not be the cause of
false pride. One should never use lamps that are offered to
Me for other purposes simply because there is need of
illumination, and similarly, one should never offer to Me
anything that has been offered to or used by others.
Whatever is most desired by one within this material world,
and whatever is most dear to oneself &emdash; one should
offer that very thing to Me. Such an offering qualifies one
for eternal life.
Text
42
The
sun, the fire, the brahmins, the cows, the vaishnavas, the sky,
the wind, the water, the earth, the soul and all living beings,
my dearest, are all home to My worship
O
saintly Uddhava, please know that you may worship Me in the
sun, fire, brâhmanas, cows, Vaishnavas, sky, wind,
water, earth, individual soul and all living
entities.
Text
43-45
In
the sun indeed [one can find Me] by selected verses
[like the gâyatrî],
with worship and with obeisances [like with the
sûrya-namskar];
in the fire with offerings of ghee; to the best of the learned
one should be of worship for Me with being hospitable; in the
cows, My dear, is that done with offerings of grass and such
things. In the vaishnava one finds Me by honoring with loving
friendship, in the heart by being fixed in meditation within
the inner space, in the air by considering [Me as being in
the prâna,
by prânâyâma
see B.G. 4:
29]
the most important and in the water by keeping first the
essence of water [and such as a flower, a leaf, see B.G.
9:
26].
In the earth [one finds Me] offering pleasurable things
[like food], applying sacred mantra's from the heart
[see e.g. prasâda
sevâya
and bhoga
ârati]
and within the embodied self as the knower of the field
[see paramâtmâ
and B.G. 13:
3]
by worshiping Me with equilibrium [see niyama].
My
dear Uddhava, one should worship Me within the sun by
chanting selected Vedic mantras and by performing worship
and offering obeisances. One may worship Me within fire by
offering oblations of ghee, and one may worship Me among the
brâhmanas by respectfully receiving them as guests,
even when uninvited. I can be worshiped within the cows by
offerings of grass and other suitable grains and
paraphernalia for the pleasure and health of the cows, and
one may worship Me within the Vaishnavas by offering loving
friendship to them and honoring them in all respects.
Through steady meditation I am worshiped within the inner
space of the heart, and within the air I can be worshiped by
knowledge that prâna, the life air, is the chief among
elements. I am worshiped within water by offerings of water
itself, along with other elements such as flowers and
tulasî leaves, and one may worship Me within the earth
by proper application of confidential seed mantras. One may
worship Me within the individual living entity by offering
food and other enjoyable substances, and one may worship Me
within all living entities by seeing the Supersoul within
all of them, thus maintaining equal vision.
Text
46
Thus
devout meditating these ways should one fully absorbed be of
worship for My transcendental form equipped with the
conchshell, the disc, the club and the lotus flower
[see
picture].
Thus,
in the previously mentioned places of worship and according
to the processes I have described, one should meditate on My
peaceful, transcendental form with four arms holding a
conchshell, Sudars'ana disc, club and lotus flower. In this
way, one should worship Me with fixed attention.
Text
47
With
the desired and good works thus fully fixed in Me being of
worship obtains one by the fine quality of the service durable
bhakti and the remembrance of Me [see also B.G.
5.29].
One
who has executed sacrificial performances and pious works
for My satisfaction, and who thus worships Me with fixed
attention, obtains unflinching devotional service unto Me.
By the excellent quality of his service such a worshiper
obtains realized knowledge of Me.
Text
48
O
Uddhava, generally speaking are there, without the bhakti-yoga
attained through the association with the devotees, not any
means that actually work, because I am the true path of life
for the ones of virtue [see also 4.31:
12].
My
dear Uddhava, I am personally the ultimate shelter and way
of life for saintly liberated persons, and thus if one does
not engage in My loving devotional service, which is made
possible by associating with My devotees, then for all
practical purposes, one possesses no effective means for
escaping from material existence.
Text
49
Thus
o child of the Yadus, will I speak to you, as you are
listening, even of this [following] most confidential
highest secret, since you are My servant, well-wisher and
friend [compare B. G. 18:
63
& 68].
My
dear Uddhava, O beloved of the Yadu dynasty, because you are
My servant, well-wisher and friend, I shall now speak to you
the most confidential knowledge. Please hear as I explain
these great mysteries to you.
*:
The paramparâ adds: 'The Supreme Personality of Godhead
is not different from His potencies, yet He is always above
them as the supreme controller.... Liberation means that the
living entity should transfer himself to the spiritual potency
of the Lord, which can be divided into three categories -
hlâdinî, the potency of bliss; sandhinî, the
potency of eternal existence; and samvit, the potency of
omniscience.' This is another formulation of the divine in
terms of sat-cit-ânanda; Krishna as being eternity,
consciousness and bliss.
**:
Quoting from the Viveka, S'rîla
Madhvâcârya states that
nânâtva-bhramam, the mistake to the material
diversity, indicates the following illusions: considering the
living entity to be the Supreme; considering all living
entities to be ultimately one entity without separate
individuality; considering that there are many Gods
[independent of one another, see: 5.18:
12];
thinking that Krishna is not God [is not personal as well
as impersonal the complete whole, vâsudeva sarvam iti,
7:
19];
and considering that the material universe [the
impersonal] is the ultimate reality [see also
1.2:
11].
All these illusions are together fought by chanting the
mahâmantra
or attending to the
other bhajans
for two hours a day.
