1. Bhakti Sandarbha 236
çaraëäpatti = the condition HAVING ATTAINED SURRENDER; being already
surrendered
Afflicted by fear of saàsära by the enemies in the form of the six vargas (lust,
greed, anger, delusion, pride and envy) one surrenders to the Lord, being
without any other shelter. Though a person desires bhakti, he is afflicted by
aversion to the Lord caused by the six vargas. Thus the person surrenders.
There are two methods of taking shelter of the Lord: by announcing that one
has no other shelter and by giving up other means of shelter by using good
intelligence. The first type is illustrated:
martyo måtyu-vyäla-bhétaù paläyan
lokän sarvän nirbhayaà nädhyagacchat
tvat pädäbjaà präpya yadåcchayädya
susthaù çete måtyur asmäd apaiti
No one in this material world, fearful of the snake of time, has become free
from fear, even by fleeing to various planets. But now that you have appeared,
death is fleeing in fear of you, and the living entities, having obtained shelter
at your lotus feet by your mercy, are fearless and tranquil. SB 10.3.27
The second type is illustrated:
tasmät tvam uddhavotsåjya codanäà praticodanäm
pravåttià ca nivåttià ca çrotavyaà çrutam eva ca
mäm ekam eva çaraëam ätmänaà sarva-dehinäm
yähi sarvätma-bhävena mayä syä hy akuto-bhayaù
O Uddhava! Give up çruti and småti, the path of enjoyment and the path of
renunciation, desire to hear more about dharma, and what you have already
heard about dharma. Surrender to me alone, the soul of all beings, using all
methods, with bhäva in your mind. You will be fearless by my mercy. SB
11.12.14-15
2. Amnaya Sütra 58
sä ca çaraëäpatti-lakñaëä
sä – that; ca – and; çaraëa – surrender and taking shelter; äpatti – attainment;
lakñaëä – characteristic.
Faith is characterized by taking shelter of the Lord and surrendering unto Him.
Commentary by Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura
In the Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad (6.18) it is said:
yo brahmäëaà vidadhäti pürvaà
yo vai vedäàç ca prahiëoti tasmai
taà hi vedam ätma-buddhi-prakäçaà
mumukñur vai çaraëam ahaà prapadye
“Because I desire liberation, let me surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who first enlightened Lord Brahmä in Vedic knowledge through Lord Brahmä’s heart. The Lord is the original source of all enlightenment and spiritual advancement.”*
In the Bhagavad-gétä (18.66), Lord Kåñëa explains:
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”* In the Vaiñëava Tantra it is said:
änukülyasya saìkalpaù
prätikülyasya varjanam
rakñiñyatéti viçväso
goptåtve varaëaà tathä
ätma-nikñepa-karpaëye
ñaò-vidhä çaraëagatiù
“The six divisions of surrender are: 1. the acceptance of those things favorable to devotional service, 2. the rejection of unfavorable things, 3. the conviction that Kåñëa will give protection, 4. the acceptance of the Lord as one’s guardian or master, 5. full self-surrender, and 6. humility.”*
In Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 22.102) it is said:
çaraëa laïä kare kåñëe ätmä samarpaëa
kåñëa täre kare tat-käle ätma-sama
“When a devotee thus fully surrenders unto Kåñëa’s lotus feet, Kåñëa accepts him as one of His confidential associates.”
3. Rupa Goswami – BRS 1.2.198
Ätma-nivedanam in its pure form is rare because of the difficulty in execution, not because of having an elevated status, since it may be executed even without bhäva. Sakhya is rare because of the difficulty in execution and its extremely elevated status, since sakhya in its pure form possesses the most elevated bhäva. However if ätma-nivedanam becomes mixed with emotional relationships, it will become rare because of its elevated status as well. Pure ätma-nivedanam is seen in Bali Mahäräja when he gave himself to the Lord. Çaraëäpatti is acceptance of the Lord as one’s protector (as the predominant factor) but ätma-nivedanam is making oneself the possession of the Lord. That is the distinction between the two.
4. BVT ~ Bhakti-tattva-viveka
In relation to the adhikära for çuddha-bhakti, Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé has written
(Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu 1.2.14):
yaù kenäpy ati-bhägyena jäta-çraddho ’sya sevane
nätisakto na vairägyabhäg asyäm adhikäry asau
“When one is not too attached to or detached from this material world and by
some good fortune develops faith in the service of Kåñëa’s lotus feet, he is
considered to possess the adhikära for çuddha-bhakti.”
The purport is that when worldly people realize the futility of material existence
after being afflicted by various types of distress and by suffering in the absence
of their desired objects, they begin to lead their lives in a mood of detachment
from the material world. If by some good fortune at such a time they acquire the
association of Bhagavän’s devotees, they enquire from them and come to
understand that there is no higher destination than the attainment of Bhagavän.
Gradually they develop firm faith in this and engage in bhajana. At that time it
can be said that they have developed çraddhä in kåñëa-bhakti. This very çraddhä
is the root cause of the eligibility for çuddha-bhakti, as confirmed by Çréla Jéva
Gosvämé’s explanation (found in Bhakti-sandarbha, Anuccheda 172) of these
verses from Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.20.27-28):
jäta-çraddho mat-kathäsu nirviëëaù sarva-karmasu
veda duùkhätmakän kämän parityäge ’py anéçvaraù
tato bhajeta mäà prétaù çraddhälur dåòha-niçcayaù
juñamäëaç ca tän kämän duùkhodarkäàç ca garhayan
Çré Kåñëa says, “My devotees who have developed faith in hearing the narrations
of My pastimes remain detached from fruitive activities and try to accept the
objects of the senses just enough to maintain their lives, knowing well that
sense enjoyment leads to a miserable result. Still enduring the reactions to their
previous karma and endeavoring to become free from the cycle of the pleasant
and unpleasant results which arise from such activities, they sincerely regret
those fruitive activities and silently condemn them. They simply tolerate the
reactions to those activities while simultaneously remaining engaged in My
bhajana with firm faith and resolve.”
While explaining the above verses which describe how a faithful devotee
performs bhajana, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé has commented in the Bhakti-sandarbha,
“tad-evam-ananya-bhakty- adhikäre hetuà çraddhä-mätram uktvä sa yathä
bhajeta tathä çikñayati,” which means that çraddhä is the sole cause of the
adhikära to perform çuddha-bhakti. Çréla Jéva Gosvämé also mentions, “çraddhä
hi çästärtha-viçväsaù. çästraà ca tad açaraëasya bhayaà tac charaëäsyäb-hayaà
vadati. ato jätäyäù çraddhäyäs tat çaraëäpattir eva liìgam iti,” which means faith
in the words of the scriptures is called çraddhä.
The scriptures mention that those who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of
Bhagavän have nothing to fear, but those who have not done so remain fearful.
Thus, it can be understood from the symptoms of çaraëäpatti whether or not
çraddhä has developed within someone.
What is çaraëäpatti? Çréla Jéva Gosvämé writes “jätäyäà çraddhäyäà sadä tad
anuvåtti-ceñtaiva syät” and “karma-parityägo vidhéyate,” which means upon the
appearance of çraddhä, kåñëänuvåtti-ceñöä or the constant endeavor to serve
Kåñëa is always visible in a person’s behavior and the tendency to perform
karma or fruitive activities is altogether removed. This is çaraëäpatti.
In Çrémad Bhagavad-gétä (18.66), after giving separate explanations of karma,
jïäna and bhakti, through a most confidential statement Bhagavän has given
instruction on çaraëäpatti:
sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo mokñayisyämi mä çucaù
We should understand the words “sarva-dharma” in this verse to mean dharmas
which are obstacles to çaraëäpatti such as the pursuance of one’s occupational
duties within the varëäçrama system and the worship of demigods. Çré Kåñëa is
saying, “Rejecting all of these, one should perform çaraëäpatti unto Me,
meaning one should develop exclusive çraddhä towards engaging in My
bhajana. Don’t be fearful of the reactions which come to those who commit the
sin of rejecting their occupational duties. I assure you that I will free you from
the reactions of all such sins.”
The doubt may arise that the word çraddhä, meaning faith, actually refers here
to respect. The paths of karma, jïäna and so forth also require çraddhä. Thus
çraddhä is not only the cause of bhakti, but of karma and jïäna also. The
philosophical principal is that the word çraddhä actually means feelings of faith
in the injunctions of the scriptures, and included within this feeling another
sentiment certainly exists which is called ruci or taste. Despite possessing faith,
one may not desire to participate in a particular activity unless he has developed
ruci for it.
Çraddhä in the paths of karma and jïäna is always mixed with a particle of
bhakti in the form of ruci. Only through the influence of this fraction of bhakti
are the paths of karma and jïäna able to yield any result. Similarly, the çraddhä
which develops for bhakti is endowed with ruci, and this çraddhä is none other
than the seed of the bhakti-latä or creeper of devotion which is sown in the
heart of the jéva.
Çraddhä in the paths of karma and jïäna is mixed with ruci for the activities of
karma and jïäna respectively, but the nature of this çraddhä is different. Only
the çraddhä which is endowed with ruci for bhakti culminates in the symptoms
of bhakti. This is called çaraëäpatti.
Only when one’s ruci for bhakti advances through the progressive stages of
sadhu-saìga, the performance of bhajana, anartha-nivåtti and finally assumes
the form of niñöhä does it become çuddha-ruci. Thus çraddhä is a separate tattva
or entity from bhakti.
Çréla Jéva Gosvämé writes in Bhakti-sandarbha, “tasmäc chraddhä na bhakty
aìgaà kintu karmaëy asamartha vidvat tävad ananyatäkhyäyäà bhaktäv
adhikäri-viçeñaëam eva.” Hence, çraddhä is not a limb of bhakti, but an attribute
for the adhikära for çuddha-bhakti resulting from one’s having become
indifferent to the activities of karma-käëòa. It says in Çrémad-Bhägavatam
(11.20.9):
tävat karmäëi kurvéta na nirvidyeta yävatä
mat-kathä-çravaëädau vä çraddhä yävan na jäyate
Çré Kåñëa says, “One should continue performing his occupational duties as
long as he hasn’t become indifferent to them and hasn’t developed çraddhä
towards hearing the narrations of My pastimes.”
The purport is that one is qualified to renounce his occupational duties only
when he develops çraddhä in hearing the narrations of Kåñëa’s pastimes. This is
the conclusion of the scriptures.
To clarify a possible doubt here, we must note that if çraddhä, which is the very
cause of the qualification for çuddha-bhakti, is itself not a limb of bhakti, then
how can jïäna and vairägya, which in some instances manifest before the
appearance of çraddhä, be limbs of bhakti? Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé says (Bhaktirasämåta-sindhu 1.2.248):
jïäna-vairägyor bhakti-praveçäyopayogitä
éñat prathamam eveti näìgatvam ucitaà tayoù
“In some particular instances jïäna and vairägya may be useful while a devotee
is in the initial stages of entering into bhakti-tattva, but they can never be said
to be limbs of bhakti.”
Hence, it is an established fact that only that çraddhä which is endowed with the
symptoms of çaraëäpatti is the cause of the qualification for çuddha-bhakti.
Sometimes people are heard saying that faith in hearing the narrations of
Kåñëa’s pastimes is developed by some through the strict performance of their
occupational duties, by some through the cultivation of jïäna and by others
through renunciation of the objects of the senses. But such statements are
erroneous. It is possible that these processes may have been cultivated just prior
to the appearance of çraddhä, but through a more detailed analysis it becomes
apparent that somehow or another there must have been some sat-saìga or
association with devotees just between the two instances; that is, between the
cultivation of the above-mentioned processes and the appearance of çraddhä. In
this context the following verse from Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.51.53) is worthy
of consideration:
“O my dear infallible Lord! Becoming opposed to You, the living entity
sometimes attains worldly sense pleasure by pursuing the path of karma and
sometimes attains liberation through the cultivation of jïäna. Thus he is
entangled in the repeated cycle of birth and death. If while wandering in this
way the jéva somehow becomes fortunate and receives the association of Your
devotees, with great determination he fixes his intelligence at Your lotus feet,
understanding You to be the only shelter of saintly persons, the origin of all
creation, both material and spiritual, and the ultimate goal.”
