HOW SHOULD A DEVOTEE BEHAVE?

official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 7

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 7, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

      `Trn'a'dapi suniicena taroriva sahis'nun'a
	Ama'ninam' ma'nadeyam' kiirtaniiyah sada' harih.'

	Regarding the first duty of a devotee it has been said, `Trn'a'dapi suniicena.' Trn'a' means `grass'. Even though grass is one of the most beautiful things on this Earth, it remains one of the lowliest. Yet without it millions of animals would not have been able to sustain their lives. If there is anything which properly represents the state of egolessness, it is grass. Humans should always be free from ego, free from any superiority complex. Each complex, be it fear, defeatist, superiority or inferiority complex is a type of psychic disease. Complexes originate in a certain environment and in due course become completely overpowering. They are most detrimental to human progress. A person seeking all-round welfare should not allow any complex to take root in the mind.

      All are the progeny of Parama Purus'a . Even so, some people think that because they are endowed with less intellect, knowledge, financial capacity or physical strength than others, they are inferior. Such an inferiority complex contracts their minds and retards their progress. It must be overcome .

      Fear complex is even more harmful than inferiority complex. People suffer from it, often without reason, when they encounter something more powerful than themselves. For example, thinking that a ghost is nearby, a man becomes terrified - his mind contracts and he becomes paralysed. Were he to take a few steps forward he would discover that the ghost does not exist at all. Fear, in most cases is baseless. If one marches on with courage, one finds that there was no reason to be so afraid.

      I had a certain acquaintance whose garden was quite large. One night his wife thought she saw a ghost in a corner of the garden. In Bihar, a female ghost is called `chudel' in Hindi. At the sight of the imagined ghost she cried out in fear, and fainted. She never regained consciousness and died some time later. The next night the same gentleman came out of his house at the same time. He also thought he saw the ghost. `Why should people have to die one after the other in this way?' he thought. Stepping forward to strike at the imaginary ghost with a stick, he suddenly saw that it was nothing but a bush which, in the moonlight, looked just like a human being. His wife had died for nothing, terrified by the deceptive image of a bush. Most so-called ghosts are like this. Towards the end of the rainy season rotting vegetation often gives out a gas, called marsh gas or will-o'-the-wisp, which bursts into flame when it comes in contact with oxygen. This burning gas may easily be taken to be a ghost. This is how a fear complex can develop.

      The defeatist complex also strikes deep in the human mind. `How will I possibly be able to do the work? How will I be able to fight against such heavy odds? How will I be able to do my job properly?' Because people think like this before they act, they are unable to do their work properly. The defeatist complex weakens their minds. Had they been bolder they would have been more successful.

      One must uproot all sorts of complexes from the mind. No complex should be entertained in the physical, psychic or spiritual spheres because all are equally detestable.

      The most dangerous complex in the spiritual sphere is the superiority complex. It occurs when one feels oneself to be greater than others in knowledge, intellect, wisdom, and so on, and eventually leads to one's downfall. On the spiritual path, the most essential thing is to withdraw the mind from all kinds of objects, concentrate it on one point, and finally surrender it to Parama Purus'a. But those suffering from a superiority complex, and thus an over-inflated ego, find it impossible to withdraw the mind from its objects and, to their frustration, find that the mind easily slips away from its point of concentration. They will never be able to surrender such a mind to Parama Purus'a. These people fail to realise that the more the ego is inflated, the more the mind loses its weight, just as the more rice is puffed, the lighter it becomes - inside is nothing but air. To prevent this from happening the following advice has been given: `Trn'a'dapi suniicena.' Always remember that you should never give any indulgence to any superiority complex under any circumstances. That would be most harmful; it would be the greatest foolishness on your part.

      `Ta'roriva sahis'n'un'a''. Those who overreact at the least provocation lose their power of judgement. One's internal power is determined by the degree of control one has over one's nerve cells. A person who cannot tolerate even a single provocative word obviously has no control over the nerves. His enemies can take full advantage of him by easily provoking him. He will never be able to do anything great because his self-confidence is easily shattered. One must always be in control of one's nerve fibres and for that one must develop the power of tolerance. It is highly gratifying to note that many of our members were able to properly maintain control over their nerve cells and fibres while in prison during the period of Emergency [From June 1975 to March 1977 the Government of India proclaimed a State of Emergency and put hundreds of innocent citizens behind bars], even under the pressure of circumstances . That period was very painful and it certainly seemed many a time that things were getting beyond our endurance. To many it actually reached that stage and yet, even when faced with such tremendous circumstantial pressure, they tolerated immense hardship and, as a result, have now acquired the capacity of endurance. This is a fact. Everything has two sides - good and bad. Hence it is said, `Ta'roriva sahis'n'un'a'' [with the power of endurance of a tree].

      `Ka't'iieha taru yena kichu na' bolal
	Shuka'iya' marile ka're pa'nii na'maurgayo'.

      [When the tree is felled, it does not object;
	And when it withers, it does not ask for water.]

      The same idea has found a place in the `Caetanya Carita'mrta'[The most authentic book on the life and teachings of Caetanya Mahaprabhu, written by Krs'n'adas Kaviraja]. In Bengali there is a proverb: `Je sai se rai'. [The tolerant one survives].

      `Ama'ninam ma'nadeyam'. Human beings neglect many things in this world without any plausible reason. They forget that Parama Purus'a resides in every object, even the most neglected one. They fail to look at the world with proper social benevolence. Suppose a pig is writhing in pain. The onlookers casually say, `Well, it's only a pig - let it die,' and thus neglect Parama Purus'a in the form of a pig. Such an error will result in their overall progress being retarded. One should not detest anything as everything is a manifestation of Parama Purus'a. Parama Purus'a cannot hate anyone or anything in this world - how can He, all are His manifestations - so on what grounds can humans hate anyone or anything. If one hates His manifestation it means that one hates Parama Purus'a Himself. Let no human being be so arrogant. It has been said, `Ama'ninam ma'nadeyam' '- respect the disrespected. Those who are disrespected and rejected by society should also be recognised by us as manifestations of Parama Purus'a. We must respect them with due honour as Parama Purus'a has chosen to manifest them in that particular way. We should always be very courteous to them. Hence the third duty of a devotee is to respect those people whom no one respects. We must approach those who are unloved, ridiculed, and in need of affection, and tell them we care for them. By honouring them and restoring their dignity we will make them happy; their minds will become filled with joy.

      `Ama'ninam ma'nadeyam kiirtanyah sada' harih'.

      It is not with one's own strength and intellect that one does great things in life, but with the strength and intellect given by Parama Purus'a. Most of the credit for one's great actions should therefore go to Him. Someone who donates 100 million rupees to a worthy cause will be called a philanthropist. But the question is, who actually owns the money? In fact it is Parama Purus'a's money which happens to come in the possession of that so-called philanthropist. The main credit should therefore go to Parama Purus'a and the secondary credit to the donor whom Parama Purus'a was kind enough to use as a medium. That is why, if anyone is to be praised in this world, if anyone's virtues are to be extolled loudly through kiirtana, it should be Parama Purus'a. Kiirtana means to utter good words loudly; not mentally, nor in a whisper, but loud enough for everyone to hear. It is never done secretly, but always openly. There is no place in a devotee's life for hypocrisy - the devotees thoughts, words and actions will never be contradictory. These simple and straightforward people will say what they think and do what they say. So devotees will openly sing praises to Parama Purus'a. Kiirtana means, as I said a little earlier, to sing the Lord's glory in a loud voice.

      `Kiirtanya sada' Harih.' What is the meaning of `Hari'? Philosophy says that this universe is the playground of Hari and Hara. Hari maintains this universe and Hara destroys it. What form does this destruction take? He withdraws the objects of the world into Himself and projects them again in a newer form. Suppose you create an image of a wicked demon in your mind but decide that it is too dreadful. You can easily annihilate it and create an image of an honest person in its place. You can easily create and destroy images in your mind - you are doing this all the time. In the same way, Parama Purus'a withdraws an image or an idea into Himself and the very next moment sends another image or idea back into the universe. It is not destruction or dreadful annihilation as people are generally prone to believe, but withdrawal followed by the creation of a the same image in a newer way invested with a greater capacity. Does Hari send back a person who has been liberated from all sorts of past sam'skaras by dint of sa'dhana'? No, a person who attains permanent liberation is assimilated into Him. Hari here means Parama Purus'a. The entity which is instrumental for the withdrawal of everything is called `Hara' and the entity responsible for the creation of unit beings is called `Hari'. This is the fundamental difference between Hari and Hara.

      Hara is derived from two letters: `ha' and `ra'. `Ha'is the acoustic root of the etherial factor and `ra' the acoustic root of energy. So the entity who,by virtue of His tremendous power, withdraws and projects all the five fundamental factors up to the etherial factor, is called Hara.

      What is Hari's role? Human beings have been committing numerous crimes and sins for lives together resulting in a huge pile of sins as high as the Himalayas. If they have to carry the full load of those sins, they will surely break their backs; and if they have to atone for them all, they will have to return to this world again and again for at least 20 generations. Now,the question arises, why should Hari exist? Why should Parama Purus'a exist if He cannot help individuals? Well, He does render assistance and in that capacity He is called Hari. `Harati pa'pa'ni ityarthe harih.' One who steals others sins to lighten their burden and pave the way for their liberation, is called Hari. Why would Hari steal sins? Stealing, after all, is a despicable act. What is stealing? Stealing is taking things which belong to others without their permission. Why should He wish to steal others' things? It does not seem to be a very wise thing to do. On closer analysis, however, it is seen to be a most commendable act because the main purpose of Hari's theft is to lighten the burden of the devotees load; otherwise they will never attain liberation, but will continue to suffer from the reactions of sins for lives together. What does He want? As His devotees have surrendered everything to Him, He would like to relieve them of the burden of their sins. He wishes to say to His devotees, `My dear children, give me all your sins. You won't be able to carry such a heavy load of sins. Remember that you have been committing sins for lives together and it will take you as many as 20 lives to undergo the consequences. So it would be better for you to give me all your sins to free yourself of your burden'.

      `Siunca vhiks'u imam' na'vam' sitta' te lahumassati
	Chetva'ra'gam' ca dosam' ca tato niva'n'amehisi.'

	`Oh sailor, your boat has become full of water. You should bale all the water out to lighten your boat and ensure your safe passage across the river. You should bale out the water from the front, middle and back of the boat to make it lighter'.

      These are the teachings of Lord Buddha. Who is Brahma? He is the one who frees an individual from the burden of past, present and future sins.

      `Yassa pure ca pa pacche ca majjhe ca natthi kim'canam'
	Akimca'nam' ana'da'nam' tamaham' bru'mi bra'hman'am'

      One whose past, present and future sins have been removed has become a pauper. Such a person has no need to ask for anything. One who does not accept anything from anyone is called `Brahmana'.

      So Hari wants His devotees to unburden themselves by giving away their sins. However, a true devotee will say, `Oh Lord, I can give you my all, but I cannot give you my sins. Let me carry the load of my sins myself. How could I possibly hand over my load of sins to you? I have committed the sins so why should You have to carry the load? Your proposition is absurd. However much you love me, under no circumstances can I give you my sins.'

      It is a fact that Hari loves His devotees very much; so much that perhaps He even loves them more than He loves Himself. So what does He do? He steals the devotees' sins without them knowing. There is no other option, as the devotees refuse to give Him their sins voluntarily. Devotees may offer delicious dishes or even holy basil leaves, but under no circumstances will they part with their sins. He is compelled to steal their sins when their backs are turned. One who steals others sins is called Hari.

      For whom should a human being do kiirtana? For Parama Purus'a and no one else, because no one else is as generous as Hari, no-one else is as loving and affectionate. Only Hari is the Supreme Shelter for unit beings. That is why it is said, `Kiirtaniiyah sadah Harih.' Sadah means `always'. Whenever you have even a single moment to spare, do kiirtana.

26 December 1978, Kalika'ta'