The following is a transcription of a discourse on Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Mādhurya–kādambinī delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Vṛndāvana, India on October 21, 2005

(The following class was given during the 2005 Vraja-maṇḍala parikramā. On that day, the devotees visited the holy pastime place called Māna-sarovara, and Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja gave hari-kathā there. Then, at about 5:00 pm, he gave his regular class at Gopinath Bhavan on the shore of Yamunā. In that class, attended by about 1,000 devotees from all over the world, he discussed more about Māna-sarovara, and he also continued his lecture course on Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s book, “Mādhurya–kādambinī.”:)

Even though you all returned from parikramā after 3:30 pm, still you have assembled here to hear hari-kathā. Today, we went to Māna-sarovara, and we spoke some hari-kathā there. We explained how Śrīmatī Rādhikā did māna (entered a sulky mood) in rāsa-sthalī, and from there, She went through Māna-galī, Dāna-galī, Prema-galī and Kuñja-galī. Weeping in anger, She went to the solitary place called Māna-sarovara. Then, Śrī Kṛṣṇa somehow discovered Her whereabouts and went there to pacify Her.

Māna has been described by different persons in many different ways. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives one instance of māna. He tells how Kṛṣṇa dressed Himself as a brāhmaṇa boy and came to Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s house like a sannyāsī. Begging donations, He called out, “Bhikṣām dehi, bhikṣām dehi. Oh, please give Me charity. Give Me charity.” Jaṭilā looked at Him and thought, “If we don’t give the sannyāsī a donation and he leaves empty-handed, it will be a great misfortune for us. All our cows may die, and my son may also die.”

She stepped forward to give the sannyāsī a donation of grains and other items, but He refused to receive [a donation] from an old woman. Jaṭilā then told Lalitā, “Oh, call my daughter-in-law. She should give bhikṣā.”

Rādhikā objected, saying, “I don’t deal with other men.” Jaṭilā, Kuṭilā, Lalitā and Viśākhā cajoled Her, and thus, She was forced to donate. She took a plate in Her hands and piled it high with rice, flour and other items. She came to the door and offered it to the sannyāsī, but he said, “Oh Rādhā, I am not interested in these items. I did not come here for this donation. I came to take Your sulky mood. Please donate it to Me and be pleased with Me.”

Realizing now that this sannyāsī was Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, Śrīmatī Rādhikā smiled. She threw everything from the plate onto his head and, laughing, went inside. In this way, all Her māna was finished. So, māna is of great importance in our bhakti literature.

Now, we will speak about Mādhurya-kādambinī. Suppose an aspiring sādhaka (spiritual practitioner) comes to the lotus feet of Guru and accepts dīkṣā and śikṣā (initiation and relevant spiritual instructions). In that case, he can then enter the realm of bhajana (devotional activities).

There are two types of bhajana – niṣṭhitā-bhakti and aniṣṭhitā-bhakti. The first type is niṣṭhitā – steady devotional service. In this stage, the disciple will not be weak in his bhajana. He continues his bhajana without any fear of falling down. The second type is aniṣṭhitā bhakti – unsteady devotional service. In this stage, the disciple is plagued by many material desires coming into his heart. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has described this:

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.18)

[“By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.”]

This is aniṣṭhitā-bhakti (unsteady devotional service). Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that aniṣṭhitā-bhakti is of six types: utsāha-mayī, ghana-taralā, vyūḍha-vikalpā, viṣaya-saṅgarā, niyamākṣamā and taraṅga-raṅgiṇī. I will explain them one by one.

The first type of unsteady bhakti is utsāha-mayī. Utsāha means enthusiasm. When the student starts his studies, the teacher will encourage him by saying, “Oh, you are so good, so good. You are doing very nicely.” After a few days, the student thinks, “Oh, now I’m such a big scholar. I know everything.” He is now so enthusiastic. Previously, he was afraid to go to school, but now he takes his books and runs to school enthusiastically. In the same way, when the aspiring sādhaka first comes to the path of bhakti, he approaches Gurudeva and accepts harināma. Gurudeva says, “Oh, you cannot chant 64 rounds? No problem. Just do as many as you want. If somehow you can do 16 rounds, your material attachments will be destroyed, and very quickly, you will attain love for the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.” The disciple then becomes very enthusiastic and happy with his chanting and other duties, and he thinks, “Yes, I have started to do bhajana.”

We are just like this. Even in our present stage, we think, “I’m really doing bhajana now – fully.” Somebody may be chanting one lakh of harināma (100,000 names or 64 rounds), but when the Guru instructs or chastises him, pointing his finger and telling him what he is doing wrong, his eyes open up in surprise. Gurudeva tells him, “You have so many desires and anger in your heart. You should follow the first verse of Upadeśāmṛta – vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ. You should control your mind and your senses, your tongue, belly and genitals. And you should follow the second śloka – atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca. Don’t over-eat, over-collect and over-endeavour for material things.”

Then the disciple thinks, “Oh my God, I’m not doing any bhajana. I haven’t even started.” He understands his position for some time, but after a while, he thinks, “I am a great scholar, so I don’t need to go to Guru. I will just do bhajana on my own. There is no need to go to Guru.” And he takes off. In this way, the new devotee is enthusiastic initially, but later, he becomes discouraged, and his enthusiasm weakens. In the stage of bhajana-kriyā, this type of unsteady bhakti is called utsāha-mayī.

The second type is called ghana-taralā. A new student will start to study the Vedic scriptures. When he understands something, he is enthusiastic, but when he doesn’t understand it because the subject matter is too difficult, he loses enthusiasm and becomes upset. In the same way, in this stage, the new devotee may sometimes practice the limbs of bhakti very enthusiastically – his practice is very ‘thick’. And sometimes, if he meets some obstacles, he experiences weakness, and his practice of bhakti becomes very ‘thin’.

You should realize this fact.

Sometimes, studying many scriptures, endeavouring to remember all the subjects therein, and endeavouring to learn many verses also become obstacles to bhakti. For example, someone who knows many things from reading and hearing the scriptures and can recite many verses may still struggle with lust, anger, and pride. Have his material desires left him or not? Does he have pride or not? Is he greedy for association with women? Is he still anxious for his name and fame?

We will have to consider whether or not we have acquired the four symptoms:

tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

Śikṣāṣṭaka (3)

[“One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”]

Are you giving respect to all others? Are you demanding respect for yourself? You will have to look at all these things. You may have read many books and memorized many verses, but if lust and anger do not go from your heart, how can śuddha-bhakti (pure bhakti) come? How can we enter into the verses? And how can we understand the scriptures?

We have to follow Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī has stated in Manah-śikṣā:

pratiṣṭhāśā dhṛṣṭā śvapaca-ramaṇī me hṛdi naṭet
kathaṁ sādhu-premā spṛśati śucir etan nanu manaḥ
sadā tvaṁ sevasva prabhu-dayita-sāmantam atulaṁ
yathā tāṁ niṣkāśya tvaritam iha taṁ veśayati saḥ

Manah-śikṣā, verse 7

[“O mind! How can pure divine love appear in my heart as long as the shameless dog-eating outcaste woman of the desire for prestige audaciously dances there? Therefore, always remember and serve the immeasurably powerful commanders of the army of Kṛṣṇa, the beloved devotees of the Lord. They will banish this outcaste woman at once and initiate the flow of immaculate vraja-prema in your heart.”]

That pratiṣṭhā, desire for name and fame, is like a dog-eating prostitute dancing in the heart, and mukti-vyāghra, the desire for impersonal liberation, is like a tigress.

So consider how much bhakti you have. When women see men, does lust come? When men see women, do they feel lust? You must consider, “When someone checks my name and fame, do I become angry with that person? Do I have pride?” You must look at yourself and think about this. If you have these faults, how can bhakti come? Yours is then only a shadow of bhakti. Hearing about all these considerations, you must examine your heart and think, “Oh, I don’t have bhakti.”

If we consider all these things, we become hopeless – this is our nature. So think about this. You have heard hari-kathā and lived with your Guru for many years. Why do you still have so many material desires? How is it that the desire to marry is still in your heart? You should already know scripture, and you must have attained some renunciation.

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.7)

[“By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.”

When pure (śuddha) bhakti enters the heart, one automatically attains jñāna – knowledge of kṛṣṇa-tattva, and vairagya – detachment from material enjoyment. When we are still beset by lust, anger and pride, we must ask ourselves, “Where am I? What is my position? Oh, I feel hopeless.”

Twenty to twenty-five years have passed, and still, this anger, lust and desire for fame have not left you? These things must be dispelled.

When we consider our position we become a little hopeless. In this regard, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has written in Stava Mālā:

prācīnānāṁ bhajanam atulaṁ duṣkaraṁ śṛṇvato me
nairāśyena jvalati hṛdayaṁ bhakti-leśālasasya
viśvadrīcīm agha-hara tavākarṇya kāruṇya-vīcīm
āśā-bindū kṣitam idam upaity-antare hanta śaityam

[“I am very weak and lazy to do even the smallest devotional service. Therefore, when I hear of the peerless and difficult-to-perform services performed by the great devotees in ancient times, my heart burns with despair. On the other hand, O Lord, O killer of Aghāsura, when I hear that Your waves of mercy splash everyone, from the demigod Brahmā down to the most insignificant creature, and even to the demon Aghāsura who was the embodiment of sin, then my heart becomes sprinkled with a cooling drop of hope.”]

The meaning of this prayer is as follows: “Alas! Seeing the sādhana of the previous great practitioners of bhakti, I have become hopeless.” We have only one hope. What is that? The mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu flows everywhere, and even one drop can drown us. Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī performed astonishing austerities. The detachment of Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī was very severe. Before him, many devotees performed austerities for thousands of years – and look at us in comparison.

Think about this. What are you doing? Now it is the month of Kārtika, and we eat so many delicious foods up to our neck and even more, and we rest and drink and enjoy in many ways. We are hearing beautiful kīrtanas. Where is the severe sādhana? Where? Therefore, think, brothers and sisters. Leave your pride, try to gain victory over your lust, and try to do bhajana of Kṛṣṇa. There is no other way to achieve this most elevated bhakti.

Therefore, stay with the Vaiṣṇavas; never leave them. In their association, you will be disciplined and protected. Study our books. Listen carefully and take these words in your heart. Following the Vaiṣṇavas, you should lament, “Oh, my pride and lust have not left me. Fie on me, fie on me!” You should think like this. Look at yourself and lament for your condition. Only in this way can you give up all these bad qualities. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura wrote all this, and now I’m just repeating a shadow of what he wrote.

The third type of unsteady bhakti is called vyūḍha-vikalpā, oscillation of the mind. A person accepts dīkṣā and śikṣā from Guru and starts his bhajana. At that time, so many contrary ideas were running through his mind. He thinks, “Why should I do bhajana alone? After all, I have my family. My Gurudeva will give Vaiṣṇava dīkṣā to my father, mother, wife and children. I will build a small temple in my home, and we will serve God together there. I will do bhajana, and my family members will do bhajana.”

But then he reconsiders, “Hold on, this is not a good idea. After all, there were many great devotees like Śrī Nārada Ṛṣi, Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and others who left their homes and went to live in Vṛndāvana, Navadvīpa, Jagannātha Purī or any of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s other pastime places. If I stay with my family members, my material desires will continue to plague me. I should leave my family and go to live in Vṛndāvana. I don’t want to live in Western countries or anywhere other than Vṛndāvana. Where will I live there? I will build a room by the side of Sevā Kuñja, and from my room, I will be able to look out at Sevā-kuñja. Living like this, my life will be successful.” Both men and ladies think in this way.

And then, when he thinks about leaving home, his mind oscillates again. He thinks, “Oh, how can I leave them? After all, I still haven’t fulfilled all my material desires. To renounce in an immature state is not good. Therefore, I will continue living with my family to fulfil all my material desires. When I am fully satisfied, my mind automatically gives up these attachments. Then I will leave home. Why should I go now? When I’m old, everything material will automatically no longer interest me.”

He thinks like this, and then again, he wonders, “Should I leave now and take sannyāsa, or should I wait a few days? It will be good if I stay for a little while longer.”

Lord Kapiladeva has warned, “Beware! The Lord Himself created Māyā and has come to you as a young woman under the pretext of serving you. She is beautiful, seems very sweet, and serves a lot. But you should understand that she is pulling you to your death.” She is like a blind well covered with grass. A blind well looks very nice on top, but inside, it is full of suffering. She is like an oil well that has caught fire. There are many oil wells in various places. Kerosene and petrol come from these oil wells; if there is fire, as soon as it touches the oil, it spreads everywhere. Women should understand this is for men, and men should understand it for women.

By nature, ladies are very sweet, but after some time, they become ferocious, like Durgā. In a second, a lady can plunder your wealth and cut off your head. And men are the same. Of course, this does not apply to the Vaiṣṇavīs who are absorbed in bhajana, like Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī, Mālinī-devī and Gaṅgāmātā Gosvāminī. The entire world worships them. Think about all these things.

When we hear about these examples from śāstra, we should believe that family life is like a blind well covered with grass. Understand that it is a mirage, a false impression. There is no happiness in that association. Even if there is any so-called enjoyment, then diseases like tuberculosis or cancer also come. People drink wine to be happy, but when one drinks too much, he gets cancer of the liver and dies or goes mad. We must have strong faith and understanding that this tendency to enjoy material happiness is the cause of all miseries and sufferings.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam tells the history of Bharata Mahārāja. We should think like him. He ruled the entire Earth and enjoyed material opulence for thousands of years. He was still in his youth when he left his kingdom with a beautiful wife and affectionate children to do bhajana. He left them just as one leaves stool after evacuating. It was very difficult to renounce them, but he left everything.

Listening to such examples, the aspiring sādhaka thinks again and tries to leave household life. He decides, “Oh, I will not live in this world.” Ladies think the same, “I will not stay in worldly life.” But then again, they consider other examples from scripture, “Oh, alas! Alas! I want to leave home, but it is such a great sin to leave my old parents all alone. Who will take care of them? And now I have small children and a beautiful wife. What will happen if I leave them? They will all be helpless. If my father dies in grief, this sin will come to my head. It will be my fault. My wife is very innocent and does not know anything about worldly matters. My children are very young – who will look after their education and maintain them? They will become orphans with no one to protect them. How will they live without me?”

Thinking like this, the aspiring sādhaka’s mind oscillates. First, he decides to leave the house, but his determination to renounce everything is destroyed. He thinks, “Oh, leaving old parents and small children is unfair. It’s not right.” Then his mind changes again: “Oh, I will go. My parents, my children, and my wife will somehow live without me. They won’t die.” Then he reconsiders, “Oh, it is alright if I stay. My mind is still full of material desires. It is not only because of my old parents, wife, and children. I have just started a new business with many new shops, and if I leave, it may fail, and I may become a beggar. I may have to beg alms on the street, simply living as a beggar.”

In this way, the mind of a householder, who cannot decide what to do, oscillates back and forth. Lord Kapiladeva explains that because the householder is always attached to the objects of the senses – house, wife, children and wealth – his mind is always disturbed.

What to speak of householders, even those who entered the renounced order, accepting sannyāsa and saffron cloth, cannot keep their vows. I know so many people who left their homes and were previously doing daṇḍavata parikramā, wearing only one cloth in the winter and walking in wooden sandals – and today, where are they? They have left bhakti completely and have no connection with bhajana, Guru, or Vaiṣṇavas. They returned to their houses and married again. I have seen thousands of people come and go like this.

This is called vyūḍha-vikalpā, indecision or oscillation of the mind. I will tell you more later. Oh, my brothers and sisters, don’t be angry with me. My words may pinch, but these are not my own words. I am just speaking about what Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has written.

Source: Purebhakti.com

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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)