When Parama Puruśa incarnates Himself as Táraka Brahma [the Liberating Supreme Entity] at a certain transitional period, the people of that period invariably enjoy some special privileges. The privileges enjoyed by the people are the veritable proof of Táraka Brahma’s advent or incarnation. Let us analyse how Vraja Krśńa and Párthasárathi Krśńa tried to help and actually did help elevate people on the path of spirituality.
When people attain progress in the realm of spiritual realization, that progress is divided into six stages – sálokya, sámiipya, sáyujya, sárúpya, sárśt́hi and kaevalya.
Sálokya: At the stage of sálokya, people feel that they have come onto the earth at the same time as Parama Puruśa. The greatest achievement of human life is that one has come to live in this world at the same time that Parama Puruśa Himself has chosen to incarnate on this earth as Táraka Brahma. The great devotee Vrindavana Das observed, “It is my greatest misfortune that I was not born at the same time that the Lord chose to incarnate Himself on this earth.”
E hena sampad kále gorá ná bhajinu hele
Tachu pade ná karinu ásh;
Shrii Krśńa Caetanya T́hákur Shrii Nityánanda
Guńa gáy Vrindávana Das.
He lamented, “How unfortunate I am that when the Lord was physically present on this earth, I did not come. I was born later.” It is truly a great misfortune, a spiritual affliction, to be born a little before or after the Lord’s advent – it is indeed a spiritual affliction. The very thought that Parama Puruśa was on earth at the same time that I was brings a sense of ecstasy, an immense joy. This state of joy or bliss is termed sálokya. (Loka means “the world”. In Bengali loka means “human being”, but in Sanskrit it means a stratum [in this case, the world].)
When Krśńa was in Vraja, the people felt intense joy and a sense of pride that a great personality in the form of a young man had chosen to live in their midst. Those who came in contact with Párthasárathi Krśńa also felt that Krśńa was with them, guiding them, on all strata.
Oddly enough Duryodhana, even though he was apparently Krśńa’s enemy, was convinced that Krśńa was not an ordinary person. He thought that if he could win Krśńa’s support, he would be very fortunate. So on the eve of the Kurukśetra war he went to Lord Krśńa to ask Him for help. Both Duryodhana and Arjuna went to Krśńa for help.(1) Arjuna was more advanced than Duryodhana so far as the realization of sálokya was concerned.
Duryodhana arrived at Krśńa’s palace before Arjuna to find Krśńa lying in bed with His eyes closed pretending that He was fast asleep. Arjuna came afterwards and took his seat near Krśńa’s feet. [Duryodhana had seated himself beside Krśńa’s head.] Suddenly Krśńa sat up and acted as if He had just awakened. He did it in such a way that He looked first towards Arjuna sitting near His feet and said, “Oh, welcome Arjuna, you’ve come. It’s good to see you.” Then He caught sight of Duryodhana and said, “Welcome Duryodhana, you have come too. It’s good to see you.”
This was all pretense, of course, because Duryodhana had actually come earlier. But his realization of sálokya was less than Arjuna’s; he did not have the deep realization that Parama Puruśa, Táraka Brahma, had incarnated on the earth. Hence he could not get the benefits of sálokya, while Arjuna easily could. Now the entity who was pretending to be asleep was not Vraja Krśńa, the constant wielder and player of the magic flute, but instead was Párthasárathi Krśńa, the keen-witted person, the person with the pinnacled intellect. Had He been Vraja Krśńa, he would have played His magic flute, drawing Duryodhana as close to Him as Arjuna. Here lies the difference between Vraja Krśńa and Párthasárathi Krśńa. Párthasárathi Krśńa employed the tactics of diplomacy whenever necessary – and in those days that was quite often.
Sámiipya: The second stage of spiritual realization is sámiipya. Now in the first stage, people realize they have been born at the same time and in the same world as their Lord. In the second stage, they feel close to Parama Puruśa, close enough to talk to Him on friendly terms, even regarding extremely personal matters, and thus be relieved and comforted by Him. Sometimes people feel so close to Him that they go to Him not necessarily to disclose their personal difficulties, but for relief, for consolation and to gain sufficient strength to withstand the difficulties and troubles, the storms and stresses, of personal life.
Many people who came to Vraja Krśńa – and they were very common people – had this realization of sámiipya. But those who had the privilege to come in contact with Párthasárathi Krśńa were either highly-educated people and great saints, or kings and dignitaries. Not everybody had the privilege to come into contact with Párthasárathi Krśńa and enjoy the realization of sámiipya.
Those who had the experience of sálokya or sámiipya had to pass through various difficulties and hardships. The path of attainment was in no way simple and smooth. In the case of Vraja Krśńa, the realization of sálokya and samiipya was attained with very little difficulty, but in the case of Párthasárathi, one would not necessarily get the realization of sámiipya as an inevitable concomitant of sálokya.
Sáyujya: Next comes the stage of sáyujya. It implies close contact, almost body contact, the closest proximity imaginable. Most of the people of Vraja had enjoyed the realization of sáyujya, for they had dined, sung, played the flute and danced with, and sat close to, their dearest Krśńa. But it was not so easy to attain the state of sáyujya with Párasaráthi Krśńa. Only Arjuna, the third of the five Pandava brothers, was blessed with this realization. None of the other brothers had the opportunity.
Sárúpya: The next stage of sádhaná [spiritual practice] is sárúpya. It implies that “Not only am I close to Him, but whenever I think of Him I see Him in all directions.” Now how do people attain this state of realization? One may attain this state by becoming His closest and most intimate companion – His father, mother, wife, son, or any near and dear relation – or one may realize Him in another way. If one commits many sins and becomes a confirmed sinner, one always remains in mortal fear and thinks of Him – “Ah me, I am doing such ignoble deeds, the Lord is watching everything.” While thinking thus, one either becomes mad or dies. Ravana(2) looked upon Parama Puruśa as his enemy, and ultimately died at the hands of Parama Puruśa.
Kansa also looked upon Parama Puruśa as his enemy. Consequently, just one week before his death, Kansa saw the reflection of Krśńa everywhere: in the sky, in the wind, in the trees and in the land and water. History tells us that in those days the primary school children were taught “Ka is for ‘Krśńa.’” The followers of Krśńa would say, “Ka is for ‘Krśńa.’” But Kansa, out of extreme fear of Krśńa – a kind of fear complex – demanded that teachers teach “Ka is for ‘Kansa’” instead. Kansa saw Him everywhere and consequently became mad: became mad a week before his death, and then met his physical death. (Ravana also looked upon Parama Puruśa as his enemy.)
Now it is true that one may attain Parama Puruśa by being His enemy, but that path is a torturous and cruel path. It would be better that no one be made to endure such afflictions, because such a person remains condemned by society as long as human history endures. When this realization of sárúpya (visualizing Parama Puruśa in each and every particle of this universe) results out of immense love for Parama Puruśa, that is the genuine realization, the true realization, and is something enjoyable, something exceedingly sweet and precious. When human beings become restless for the attainment of Parama Puruśa, when they strive hard to realize Him in all their actions (and ultimately succeed), their zeal, their irresistible urge for the Lord, is called arádhaná in Sanskrit (a – rádh + anat́ + tá [feminine suffix] = arádhaná), and the entity who does this arádhaná is known as “Rádhá”. Here Rádhá represents the mind of a devotee. The people of Vraja felt and realized Krśńa in all their thoughts and actions.
Jale Hari, sthale Hari, anale anile Hari,
Graha tárá súrje Hari, Harimay e trisaḿsár.
[Hari is everywhere, Hari is in everything: on land, in water, in wind and in fire. He is in the sun; He is in the three worlds.]
In the case of the sárúpya of Párthasárathi, people see Him in everything. The Pandavas experienced this realization as His inseparable friends and devotees, and the Kaoravas as His formidable foes. Those who are criminals or sinners think of Parama Puruśa as their enemy. “Look out,” Krśńa’s foes would think in fear, “here comes the enemy Párthasárathi Krśńa.” Thus the whole world became polarized during His lifetime. This polarization also took place during the period of Vraja Krśńa, but it remained partial. At the time of Párthasárathi Krśńa, the polarization became complete. Society became divided into opposing camps: on the one side those who were extremely committed to Him, ever ready to lay down their lives for His mission and ideology, and on the other side those who became so angry and so hostile that they could not even tolerate His name, far less His existence.
Sárśt́hi: Next comes sárśt́hi. Sárśt́hi occurs when spiritual aspirants realize Parama Puruśa in all possible ways and in all conceivable manners. Not only do the devotees see Him, they also remain united with Him, one with Him. That is, the sádhaka has the feeling that “I exist, He also exists, and there is a link between us.” There is a subject, there is an object, and there is a verb connecting the two. This is the proper significance of sárśt́hi. There is some difference between the meanings of sárśt́hi and of sárúpya. In sárúpya, the import is, “I exist and, my Lord, You also exist,” whereas in sárśt́hi it is, “I have become one with You.” But the question of my having become one with You remains. That is, there is an “I” feeling, though very tenuous. Otherwise how can I say that I have become one with You? To put the idea in another way, here in sárśt́hi the devotee and the Lord are extremely close, but duality remains nevertheless. The devotee exists and feels that his Lord is also there, so it is dualism. “I don’t want to become sugar, I want to taste sugar. If I become sugar, how will I enjoy the taste of it?”
Cini hate cáine re man,
Cini khete bhálabási.
–Ramprasad
Thus- there must be some sense of duality. This sense of duality, though very slight, is the last word in most of the Vaeśńava schools of philosophy and in most of the religions of the world. There are some Vaeśńava schools which insist that the last word is “Lord, only You exist.” This state of realization – “Only You exist” – is called kaevalya. In Vaeśńava scriptures, not much mention is made of kaevalya (though it is not altogether non-existent), for sárśt́hi is generally considered to be the highest stage. This stage of realization was attained through Vraja Krśńa, and also through Párthasárathi Krśńa, but in a different way. Generally speaking, the realization is similar in the cases both of Vraja Krśńa and of Párthasárathi Krśńa, but for Vraja Krśńa the realizations of sámiipya, sáyujya, sárúpya, and sárśt́hi came through madhura bháva [sweetness], pleasing ideation and intimacy at every stage, through joy and overflowing bliss. In the case of Párthasárathi Krśńa, the realization came through struggle, through privation and hardship. Unlike Vraja Krśńa, Párthasárathi Krśńa in the sálokya stage does not inspire the hearts of His devotees by playing beautiful music on His flute. On the contrary, His directives to His devotees are: “Do your worldly duties, build a stable society upon a sound economy, fight against injustice, and build a secure base for both individuals and the collectivity. Be pragmatic and remain united against all evil forces. Unite the different groups in society upon a common platform.”
You all know that it was Lord Shiva who first taught human beings how to live a systematic and harmonious life and how to oppose the fissiparous tendencies resulting from animal propensities. This was considered enough during Shiva’s time, but during Krśńa’s time there was greater social consciousness. Krśńa wanted to arouse a strong urge in people’s minds to fight against evil forces. Although Krśńa did not provide any socio-economic-political theory, He made people conscious in the social, economic and cultural spheres, and advanced society by providing inspiration in His own unique way. That is, Párthasárathi Krśńa helped the people to advance by expanding their social consciousness. That is why those who had received schooling from Párthasárathi jumped to the stage of sárśt́hi right from the lowermost stage of sálokya. They did not rise gradually to successively higher stages through joy and sweet blissful experiences, but advanced to the highest stage all at once. But this sudden expansion involved labour, toil and struggle. It entailed great risk and demanded uncompromising fighting spirit.
In the case of Vraja Krśńa, the devotee developed a unique spiritual consciousness. The one thought that filled a devotee’s mind was, “I want to go to Parama Puruśa,” and that journey passed through madhura bháva. Párthasárathi’s teachings were quite different. He said, “Well, you want to advance. That’s all right, but others must come with you. You must all come together.” This approach certainly impairs madhura bháva to some extent because it involves an element of roughness. If we are to use an analogy, we can compare a very sweet thick-skinned mango to Vraja Krśńa. You can easily peel away the skin and relish the sweet juicy fruit to your heart’s content – no trouble, only happiness. If someone asks you how sweet it is, you cannot express your delight in words and you illustrate the sweetness through gestures. But Párthasárathi Krśńa may be compared to a firm, ripe bel [wood apple] with a hard shell. You have to take some trouble to break the shell, and while breaking it you have to be careful not to let the fruit fall to the ground and smash into pieces. The pulp is no doubt very good for the stomach, perhaps even better than a mango, but it is not so nice to eat. It is not as juicy as a mango. If Vraja Krśńa can be likened to high quality cakes like gokulapiit́há or pát́i sápt́á, Párthasárathi Krśńa may be likened to sweets made of boiled, condensed sugar cane juice.
While analysing these six successively higher stages, one more thing must be considered. Not only human beings, but all expressions in this universe, have form and colour. One must establish oneself permanently above all tanmátras,(3) rising above sound, touch, form, taste and smell. When your mind rises above inferences of various wavelengths and finally attains the subtlest wavelength, a straight line, you realize that Párthasárathi is your dearest friend and nearest relation.
Atyágasahano bandhuh sadaevánumatah suhrd;
Ekakriyaḿ bhavenmitraḿ samapráńah sakhá smrtah.
“One who cannot tolerate separation from his or her friends is called bandhu.” The bonds of love are so strong that they cannot be snapped.
Sadaevánumatah suhrd – “when two friends are always in agreement, never differing from one another, they are suhrd.”
“When people pursue the same profession and discharge duties of the same nature, they are called mitram.” (For example, two lawyers or two physicians are mitram.)
“When the love between two friends is so close that they seem to be of one life, they are said to be sakhá.” Arjuna was the sakhá of Krśńa. Párthasárathi was the sakhá of Arjuna. Their mutual love was very deep.
Arjuna attained Krśńa, the real Krśńa, after negotiating the different stages from sálokya to sárśt́hi. Arjuna had to pass through enormous difficulties, sufferings and rigorous training. When he developed a psychic crisis on the battlefield, he was given severe psychic blows before he came to his senses. He then recognized Krśńa clearly and perfectly, and his life became fruitful.
How can one attain Puruśottama [the Cosmic Nucleus], Párthasárathi Krśńa? In the case of Arjuna, in the initial stages there were soft murmurings, but in the final stage there was the ear-shattering noise of Páiṋcajanya [the name of Krśńa’s conch] resulting in Arjuna’s final, supreme realization. However, things were different with Vraja Krśńa. His flute produced different notes at different times. When devotees achieve some spiritual progress through madhura bháva, they hear a sound similar to a cricket sound. If you meditate in a lonely place with deep concentration you will hear the sound of crickets. Of course the crickets become silent after a while, whereas the Cosmic sound never stops its continuous refrain. This is the first stage of the flute sound of Vraja Krśńa. There are other sounds at other stages such as the roaring of seas, the rumbling of clouds and, finally, at the stage of sárśt́hi, the pluta(4) sound of the oṋḿkára, continuing its eternal flow without any break or pause. But while hearing the sound of the oṋḿkára, sádhakas hear within it the sound of the flute. With their physical ears they hear it.
Adyápi sei kálácánd bánsharii bájáy;
Kona kona bhágyabán shuńibáre páy.
[Even to this day Lord Krśńa plays His flute. Only the blessed few can hear that holy sound.]
When a sádhaka attains this stage, he or she attains sárśt́hi, and feels, “Lord! You exist. I exist. We are so close that I have become You. You have become me.” One can attain sárśt́hi through Párthasárathi no doubt, but not of this kind. There the ideation is “O Parama Puruśa, O Lord, O Párthasárathi! You have made me exclusively Your own. My separate existence cannot be kept intact. I am a mere tool in Your hands. I will aim my arrow as You want me to. I am ready for all kinds of work.”
Footnotes
(1) Duryodhana was the eldest of the Kaorava brothers and leader of the Kaorava side in the Mahábhárata war. Arjuna was one of the Pandava brothers and went as a representative of the Pandava side. –Eds.
(2) The mythological king of Lanka in the Ramáyáńa epic. –Eds.
(3) Tanmátra literally means “minutest fraction of that”, i.e., of a given rudimental factor of matter. It is also translated “inferential wave”. The various types of tanmátra convey the senses of hearing, touch, form (vision) taste and smell. –Eds.
(4) Prolonged. See also Ch. 5. –Eds.
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