Hare Krishna!
One of the greatest gifts we receive from The Lord Sri Sri Krishna as devotees, is our guru maharaja. When we take to spiritual life we discover that we do not have to wander about aimlessly, leaving many of our own questions up for speculation.
I, of course, find myself in this situation quite often. And when confusion arises I seek guidance, teaching, and deliverance from that confusion from my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila B.K. Giri Maharaja. His knowledge is infinite as is his patience, tolerance, and devotion to his mission.
Recently I found myself in a cycle of challenging Maya through my own thoughts and actions. I’m only aware of this because of a warning His Divine Grace gave me when he saw I was exhibiting certain behaviors.
Below I am posting the email I sent to him, as well as his response. Please note- some text has been omitted to maintain relevance to the subject of challenging Maya.
Dear Srila Giri Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
I pray you are well.
[omitted text]
The dates you mentioned in your mail are perfectly fine. It will be such an honor to have your Divine Grace here. Also, everyone is of course welcome.
One thing to note is that those dates do fall into the hottest time of the year. After May is the rainy, cooler season (like now). However, the ashram will be fully ready for your visit and comfort.
I’ve been thinking alot about one of our previous discussions about challenging Maya. I’ve recently been in situations, although not too severe, but setbacks nonetheless that I attribute to sloppy inner dialogue and challenging Maya.
This awareness has led me to pay more attention to those thoughts bouncing around in my head, which, when I catch them, I immediately make a conscious effort to replace them with the Mahamantra.
I say things to myself like “I got this” or “Nothing can stop me now” then later to discover I didn’t “have it” and there are many things that can stop me.
May I ask your Divine Grace’s teaching and thoughts on calming the inner dialogue and transforming these thoughts into something less challenging? Is this karma?
I pray you remain safe and healthy, by His mercy.
Your servant,
Jagadananda dasa
Dear Sriman Jagadananda dasa,
Please accept my blessings and well-wishes.
I’ve been thinking alot about one of our previous discussions about challenging Maya. I’ve recently been in situations, although not too severe, but setbacks nonetheless that I attribute to sloppy inner dialogue and challenging Maya.
Challenging maya is a fool’s errand. We cannot stand against her for she represents the Lord’s Divine potency which deludes the conditioned souls.
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
Synonyms
daivī — transcendental; hi — certainly; eṣā — this; guṇa-mayī — consisting of the three modes of material nature; mama— My; māyā — energy; duratyayā — very difficult to overcome; mām — unto Me; eva — certainly; ye — those who; prapadyante — surrender; māyām etām — this illusory energy; taranti — overcome; te — they.
Translation
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
Bg. 7.14
Only by surrender to the Lord and His representative, the spiritual master, are we able to have a footing on firm ground undisturbed by maya.
This awareness has led me to pay more attention to those thoughts bouncing around in my head, which, when I catch them, I immediately make a conscious effort to replace them with the Mahamantra.
An excellent idea.
I say things to myself like “I got this” or “Nothing can stop me now” then later to discover I didn’t “have it” and there are many things that can stop me.
One need only look above at the sky, the sun and moon, the stars; or to the horizon over vast land, or forest or ocean to grasp one’s smallness. And that is only a microcosm of our position in relation to the earth, the universe, the innumerable universes and finally, the Infinite.
From that perspective, there are so many things that can stop us. Excepting the Infinite, we have nothing to do with them, they are, in the world of relativity, also tiny, like us. The soul is endowed with one power that supersedes any roadblock that might arise from any mundane barrier. It is described here:
Bhakti does not depend on the environment or on the dealings of others. It is ahaituky apratihata. Nothing can obscure that flow except our own ego. I am my own greatest enemy.
uddhared atmanatmanam
natmanam avasadayet
atmaiva hy atmano bandhur
atmaiva ripur atmanah
“We can elevate ourselves or degrade ourselves. We are our own best friend or worst enemy.” No force outside can check us if we are sincere. Of course for beginners there is some concern about a proper environment for spiritual cultivation, but even that is also dependent on the nature of their sincerity, or sukrti: na hi kalyanakrt kascid durgatim tata gacchati. The assurance is given here by Krsna. He says, “I’ll be there to look after you in any unfavorable circumstance. I am omniscient. And I am omnipotent also. So if anyone is directed towards Me, I’ll look after him.” And it has also been seen in history, in the cases of Dhruva, Prahlada, and so many others. Sincerity is invincible. Even obstacles may improve our position if we can take them in the right way. From a higher angle of vision it may be seen that everything is coming to help us.
—Srila Sridhara Maharaja, Loving Search for the Lost Servant (p18)
May I ask your Divine Grace’s teaching and thoughts on calming the inner dialogue and transforming these thoughts into something less challenging? Is this karma?
ŚB 5.7.11 [Highlighting added]
tasmin vāva kila sa ekalaḥ pulahāśramopavane vividha-kusuma-kisalaya-tulasikāmbubhiḥ kanda-mūla-phalopahāraiś ca samīhamāno bhagavata ārādhanaṁ vivikta uparata-viṣayābhilāṣa upabhṛtopaśamaḥ parāṁ nirvṛtim avāpa.
Synonyms
tasmin — in that āśrama; vāva kila — indeed; saḥ — Bharata Mahārāja; ekalaḥ — alone, only; pulaha-āśrama-upavane — in the gardens situated in Pulaha-āśrama; vividha-kusuma-kisalaya-tulasikā-ambubhiḥ — with varieties of flowers, twigs and tulasī leaves, as well as with water; kanda-mūla-phala-upahāraiḥ — by offerings of roots, bulbs and fruits; ca — and; samīhamānaḥ — performing; bhagavataḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ārādhanam — worshiping; viviktaḥ— purified; uparata — being freed from; viṣaya-abhilāṣaḥ — desire for material sense enjoyment; upabhṛta — increased; upaśamaḥ — tranquillity; parām — transcendental; nirvṛtim — satisfaction; avāpa — he obtained.
Translation
In the gardens of Pulaha-āśrama, Mahārāja Bharata lived alone and collected a variety of flowers, twigs and tulasī leaves. He also collected the water of the Gaṇḍakī River, as well as various roots, fruits and bulbs. With these he offered food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, and, worshiping Him, he remained satisfied. In this way his heart was completely uncontaminated, and he did not have the least desire for material enjoyment. All material desires vanished. In this steady position, he felt full satisfaction and was situated in devotional service.
Purport
Everyone is searching after peace of mind. This is obtainable only when one is completely freed from the desire for material sense gratification and is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Worship of the Lord is not at all expensive. One can offer the Lord a leaf, a flower, a little fruit and some water. The Supreme Lord accepts these offerings when they are offered with love and devotion. In this way, one can become freed from material desires. As long as one maintains material desires, he cannot be happy. As soon as one engages in the devotional service of the Lord, his mind is purified of all material desires. Then one becomes fully satisfied.
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self. By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.” (Bhāg. 1.2.6-7)
These are the instructions given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the supreme Vedic literature. One may not be able to go to Pulaha-āśrama, but wherever one is one can happily render devotional service to the Lord by adopting the processes mentioned above.
May I ask your Divine Grace’s teaching and thoughts on calming the inner dialogue and transforming these thoughts into something less challenging?
You asked for my “teaching and thoughts”, a natural question for a disciple; maybe not such a good question for a disciple’s guru.
Sometimes I feel embarrassed and/or deficient that I have nothing original to offer. I have no genius or special insight. What little I know seems to me to be common knowledge that is available to everyone who cares to consider it.
Therefore, I don’t care much for my own “teaching and thoughts.”
There are times when I think the light bulb has gone off and feel elated at having some unique insight; only to discover some time later it had already been written about in one of our scriptures or spoken about by one of our predecessors. Then the telescopic system (each acharya’s insights extends and clarifies our understanding of the Supreme, like each addition of a lens in a telescope furthers one’s vision) collapses upon me and I find myself helpless to do anything more than look to the knowledge already collected by previous acharyas.
Like you, when any question arises, I look to my gurus for their “teaching and thoughts”, knowing they are perfect and the only teaching and thoughts worth disseminating; the only teaching and thoughts that are truly useful to help the conditioned souls and give joy to the devotees.
Reading your question I thought to answer it with this verse:
vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.
It is a good answer, but then I happened to see it connected to its predecessor (sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo . . . ) and then to the verse and purport above referring to Maharaja Bharata (ŚB 5.7.11). Then I appreciated how much more completely and beautifully your question had been answered by my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.
Looking still further into the matter I was flooded with so many relevant verses, purports and teachings that I was reminded of Sri Krishna Chaitanya’s sixty-one explanations of the atmarama verse and the infinite nature of the subject matter, all of which is related to your question about “calming the inner dialogue and transforming these thoughts into something less challenging.”
In essence, your questions are, or should be, the questions of everyone and it was asked very succinctly by Sri Sanatana Goswami:
‘ke āmi’, ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya’
ihā nāhi jāni — ‘kemane hita haya’
“Who am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble? If I do not know this, how can I be benefited?”
CC Madhya 20.102
The answer is in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The answer is the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gita, and Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, and, and… and so many other works of our Sri Guru Varga.
I can give a partial answer, but there you will find the full answer.
My answer comes by looking to the answers already given. In that vein, here are some more of my teaching and thoughts on the matter:
CC. Madhya 24
Text 4: Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “My Lord, I have heard that previously, at the home of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, You explained the ātmārāma verse in eighteen different ways.
Text 5: “ ‘Those who are self-satisfied and unattracted by external material desires are also attracted to the loving service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose qualities are transcendental and whose activities are wonderful. Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is called Kṛṣṇa because He has such transcendentally attractive features.’ [the Atmarama verse]
Text 6: “I have heard this wonderful story and am therefore very inquisitive to hear Your explanation again. If You would kindly repeat it, I would be very pleased to hear.”
Text 7: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “I am one madman, and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya is another. Therefore he took My words to be the truth.
Text 8: “I do not recall what I spoke in that connection, but if something comes to My mind due to association with you, I shall explain it.
Text 9: “Generally by Myself I cannot give an explanation, but by the strength of your association something may manifest itself.
and:
Text 317: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Why are you glorifying Me personally? You should understand the transcendental position of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why don’t you consider this important point?
Text 318: “Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is as great as Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord and shelter of everything. In each and every verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in each and every syllable, there are various meanings.
Text 319: “The form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is given in questions and answers. Thus the conclusion is established. By hearing these questions and answers, one is highly astonished.
This is an interesting point: “Generally by Myself I cannot give an explanation, but by the strength of your association something may manifest itself.” It is true for me also. Therefore, I like your questions because they point me in the direction of my Guru Varga where, upon searching there, we find the source of all knowledge, the Infinite, Reality the Beautiful, Sri Krishna.
Reading these words of yours “May I ask your Divine Grace’s teaching and thoughts” is a type of glorification of me to which I am inclined to respond: “Why are you glorifying Me personally? You should understand the transcendental position of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why don’t you consider this important point?”
But then there is this: “The form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is given in questions and answers. Thus the conclusion is established. By hearing these questions and answers, one is highly astonished.”, which means you must ask questions and I must give answers in the hope we will become “highly astonished.”
All in all it is an enticing prospect.
Is this karma?
It is Krishna’s mercy.
[omitted text for relevance to the topic]
I pray this finds you well in health and spirits.
With affection,
Swami B.K. Giri