Having just finished reading Guru Maharaja's Tattva-Sandhbarba, I would like to humbly ask a few questions before re-reading.
Guru Maharaja states, “… the extent to which we diminish our physical needs, the mental realm become accessible to us” (p. 178). Does this refer to maintaining the four regulative principles, living simply and avoidance of hoarding material assets?
“… going beyond the power of thought we realize the self,” (p. 179). Is this accomplished by attentive and continuous sravanam and kirtanam and control of the mind to perform such activities properly?
If Krishna’s name is not different from Him, is the chanting of Krishna nama a meditation on consciousness itself, albeit Supreme Consciousness? Or does this practically occur when one is chanting suddha-nama?
Is it correct to say that sravanam and kirtanam are the only means to transcend the body and mind along with any other techniques that improve those two activities (i.e. asana, pranayama)?
Dandavats,
It’s great to hear that you are planning to immediately re-read Tattva-sandarbha. It is such an important book and impossible to fully assimilate in one reading. Guru Maharaja has told me many times that it is essential to know this book for preaching.
I’ll take a stab at your questions.
Guru Maharaja states, “… the extent to which we diminish our physical needs, the mental realm become accessible to us” (p. 178). Does this refer to maintaining the four regulative principles, living simply and avoidance of hoarding material assets?
Although the things you mentioned here will definitely diminish one’s physical needs, Guru Maharaja was speaking in a more general sense here. The principle he describes is applicable even for those who are completely materialistic: for example, many people describe that when they are very absorbed in contemplating something they forget to eat. Another example is Einstein, who could be very forgetful about things relating to the physical realm.
“… going beyond the power of thought we realize the self,” (p. 179). Is this accomplished by attentive and continuous sravanam and kirtanam and control of the mind to perform such activities properly?
This quote is describing self-realization, which can be accomplished by various means, but the means recommended for this age, as you mentioned, is kirtana. This point is established the Bhagavatam’s beginning, middle, and end. The references to sankirtana in the middle and end of the Bhagavatam point to sankirtana directly, but one may question how the first verse does.
In the first verse, Vyasadeva says, satyam param dhimahi, “Let us meditate on the supreme absolute truth.” Dhimahi in this verse indicates Gayatri, which uses the same word. Thus, as the Garuda Purana confirms, the Srimad Bhagavatam is a commentary on Gayatri. Dhimahi, which means meditate, is plural. So we have to ask ourselves, what kind of meditation can you do with a group? The answer is obvious: sankirtana.
Jiva Goswami has explained that param indictates Radha and Krsna. Vyasadeva purposely used the singular, neuter gender. Radha and Krsna are one in mahabhava: in love, two become one. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Satyam means that their pastimes go on eternally. When you meditate with a group on Radha and Krsna performing their pastimes eternally, this is sankirtana, which was brought to this world by Mahaprabhu, Radha and Krsna combined in mahabhava (the highest love).
Because the Srimad Bhagavatam and Gayatri are one, we can understand that Gayatri, the flute song of Krsna, is also sankirtana. In his famous commentary on Brahma Gayatri, Srila Sridhara Maharaja said:
The word gayatri comes from two Sanskrit roots: ganat and trayate. Trayate means positive attainment to the final stage (sva-rupena vyavashitih). And ganat means not mere sound, but musical sound. That musical sound which grants us the highest positive deliverance indicates the sankirtana of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the flute song of Sri Krsna.
Therefore, Gayatri, sankirtana, and the flute song of Krsna are all synonymous and they enable us to realize our true self, our highest potential, in the sublime pastimes of Radha and Krsna in Vrindavana.
If Krishna’s name is not different from Him, is the chanting of Krishna nama a meditation on consciousness itself, albeit Supreme Consciousness? Or does this practically occur when one is chanting suddha-nama?
Yes, chanting is a meditation on the Supreme Consciousness. Cit means consciousness/knowledge. Krsna is cit (consciousness) and more: sat (eternity/existence) and ananda (bliss). Guru Maharaja gives a very detailed analysis of how Krsna’s form (which is nondifferent than his name) is transcendental existence, consciousness, and bliss in his commentary on Gopala-tapani Upanisad (p 66-70). Another name for Krsna is sat-cid-ananda-vigrahah, the form of eternity, knowledge, and bliss.
In Goloka Vrindavana, the bliss aspect of Krsna takes precedence over the other two aspects. To be blissful, one must exist and be conscious, so ananda includes cit and sat and more. The Paramatma (Supersoul) represents sat, Brahman represents cit, and Bhagavan (Krsna) represents ananda.
I once heard a beautiful example of how the form and name of Krsna are identical:
It is as though liquid rasa were poured into two molds, one in the form of a human and the other in the form of syllables. One is the human form--Syamasundara, Vamsidhari, Tribhangi --and the other is the maha-mantra. The two are embodied rasa and consciousness, an fathomless ocean of the highest joy.
So even when we are not chanting suddha-nama, we are meditating on the Supreme Consciousness, but we will realize much more as we advance. The progression of realization is from name to form to qualities to pastimes.
It looks like I have run out of time, so I’ll leave the last question for someone else.
Happy studying!
Ys,
Vrindaranya
harer nama harer nama
harer nama eva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."
Is it correct to say that sravanam and kirtanam are the only means to transcend the body and mind along with any other techniques that improve those two activities (i.e. asana, pranayama)?
Transcending the body and mind means (in the most basic sense) to realize the self as distinct from matter; that one is a spark of eternal consciousness with the potential for infinite bliss. Sravanam and kirtanam are not the only means to realize this--there are other methods, astanga-yoga (eight-limbed yoga) in particular, that will afford one self-realization. However, as Vrindaranya mentioned, in Kali-yuga the method for self-realization, and more, God realization, is nama sankirtana. We should also understand clearly that in comparison to what nama-kirtana as exemplified and taught by Caitanya Mahaprabhu will give us--prema--methods like astanga-yoga are vastly inferior; they will give self-realization, maybe Brahman realization, and perhaps (at best) Paramatma realization. Moreover, kirtana is far easier to do than the path of mystic yoga. So on the one side we have a relatively easy path with an incredibly high and valuable fruit, while on the other we have an extremely time-consuming and arduous path with a paltry fruit when compared to love of God. This is confirmed by Lord Brahma himself in the Brahma-samhita (5.34):
"The yogis tread the path of strictly controlling the life-breath, or the greatest sages tread the path of sharpening their perceptions by assiduous rejection of the non-real, in quest of the non-differentiated Brahman; they all aspire to reach that supramundane truth beyond the worldy intellect; and after trying for billions of years they may reach only the boundary of his lotus feet--it is that primeval Lord Govinda whom I worship."
Contrast this with the following verse from Rupa-Gosvami's Padyavali:
"O Bhagavan, when someone desires to chant your holy name, sins tremble in fear, the glory of material illusion faints unconscious, Yamaraja's scribe Citragupta becomes happy and gazes at the chanter's toenails with awe and reverence, and Lord Brahma prepares madhuparka with which to worship him. O Lord, what more can we say than this?" (author unknown)
Sri Krsna nama-sankirtana ki jaya! Kirtaniya sada harih!
It should be noted that according to Gaudiya siddhanta other means of liberation such as jnana and yoga will not be effective in granting one liberation unless they are assisted by bhakti. Some bhakti must be there.
Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond to my neophyte questions.
On page 2, Gurudeva states that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's religion is "passionate love of God," while His method is "chanting the names of God."
On page 4 he states that dharma means religion. Is religion the same as dharma in the context above? Or is dharma more of a formalized religion/religious duty?
In the usual sense the term dharma refers to ordinary religion wherein God is seen as our order supplier: 'Lord give me my daily bread.' This is in contrast to Mahaprabhu's prema-dharma, the religion of passionate love of God where the devotee prays to be used however Krsna deems fit: aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam (Siksastaka 8).
is the chanting of Krishna nama a meditation on consciousness itself, albeit Supreme Consciousness?
The idea (of Vrindaranya) that the concluding words of the Bhagavata’s opening stanza, “satyam param dhimahi,” speak of Krsna sankitanam because the word “dhimahi” is plural is insightful. Meditation is usually a solitary affair. Further support for this contention can be drawn from SB 11.5.33’s description of Mahaprabhu, which states dhyeyam sada . . . te caranaravrindam, “Your lotus feet are the object of constant meditation.” What kind of meditation can be constant, or performed anywhere at all times? Sri Krsna sankirtanam is niyamita smarane na kala, “It can be performed anywhere at any time with no hard and fast rules.” When he says this in his Siksastakam, Mahaprabhu is speaking about kirtanam but then includes nama smaranam (smarane). Practically he is merging the two together—kirtanam and smaranam. The illustrious Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada has done the same when he writes kirtana prabhave smarana svabhave, “Engaging in kirtanam enables one to meditate on one’s true nature (svarupa).” This is also the verdict of revealed scripture. Brhad-bhagavatamrta states
bhayantarasesa-hrsika-calakam
vag-indriyam syad yadi samyatam sada
cittam sthiram sad-bhagavat-smrtau tada
samyak pravateta tatah smrtih phalam
“If the sense of speech, which sets all the external and internal senses in motion, is brought under control, then the mind becomes stable and can properly engage in transcendental remembrance of the Lord. Remembrance thus develops as the fruit of chanting.”
Real smaranam is the fruit of kirtanam. Furthermore,
sankirtanad dhyana-sukham vivardhate
dhyanac ca sankirtana-madhuri-sukam
anyonya-samvardhaka-tanu-bhuyate
‘smabhis tayos tad dvayam ekam eva tat
“Sankirtana expands the joy of meditation, meditation the sweet joy of sankirtana. In our experience the two methods fortify one another and are therefore actually one.”
Spoken by the inhabitants of Vaikuntha.