Those material languages cannot help us to reach Vaikuntha-jagad, but when svarup shakti of Bhagavan can enter into someone then any language can work like magic, or even without any language – Part 3

All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru-Gauranga

Those material languages cannot help us to reach Vaikuṇṭha-jagad, but when svarūpa śakti of Bhagavān can enter into someone then any language can work like magic, or even without any language – Part 3

By Śrīla Śyāma Dāsa Bābā

Date: 05.06.2025

(continuation of the second part)

Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda Paramahaṁsa Jagad Guru said that— “Every word has a two-fold aspect; conveying a meaning based on knowledge and a meaning based on ignorance. The aspects of words that indicate something other than Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu or Śrī Caitanya, conveys the meaning based on ignorance. In actual knowledge everything indicates Kṛṣṇa and signifies Kṛṣṇa.”

In this world, subtle beings or objects lord over and control gross beings or objects. It is for this reason that sound rules over the whole world and controls every object (vastu). All transactions—such as sales and purchases of land—and all communications—whether done face to face or from a distance via technology—take place through the medium of sound alone. However, the sound of this world is simply a manifestation of Bhagavān’s external potency (aparā-śakti), and it is therefore unable to enter Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual world. This sound can travel and thereby exercise control only within this material world, or, at most, within the boundaries of the fourteen planetary systems, but not beyond that limit.

In this material world all languages are used to convey jaḍa-sabdhā (material sound vibration). The root cause of this material sound vibration is ignorance (avidyā). All bonded souls (bādha jīvas), they are since time immemorial in ignorance (avidyā) and therefore not capable to free themselves from this material bondage without the help of aprākṛta śabda brahma.

anādy-avidyā-yuktasya

puruṣasyātma-vedanam

svato na sambhavād anyas

tattva-jño jñāna-do bhavet                                             (ŚB 11.22.10)

Because anyone under the coverage of Māyā (ignorance) has some limitation, beyond which it is impossible to go. There must be some other personality who is established in absolute knowledge about that Absolute Truth and who can impart this knowledge to someone.

We also know from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta that—

bhrama, pramāda, vipralipsā, karaṇāpāṭava

īśvarera vākye nāhi doṣa ei saba                                            (Cc Ādi 2.86)                          

"The material defects of mistakes, illusions, cheating and sensory inefficiency do not exist in the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (or those great sādhus)."

Śrīla Saranga Gosvāmī Mahārāj (also known as Aprākṛta Prabhu) used to say that— “To err is human. However learned and intelligent a man may be, he is prone to error and evil. The greatest philosopher should always remember that human nature is apt to make various errors at every moment, especially when we try to judge that which is spiritual and eternal using our empiric knowledge. Reason is undoubtedly the greatest of all human excellences, but it has its own jurisdiction. Nature has indeed favoured some persons with superior powers of intellect. Yet our mind is always prone to change. We accept a theory today and reject it a few days later. Everyone experiences the fallacy of theories established by renowned men. The great differences in quality we often perceive between works crafted by the mind of the same man should discourage dogmatism.

The condition of the human body varies according to the time and weather, undergoing more transformations than the moon itself; so also must the state of the mind rise and fall like mercury in a tube. One hour the mind is as pure as ether, and the next moment it is as foul as the thickest fog. Where, then, is the reliability of the human intellect? Where are the grounds to boast its prowess? This fickleness of the mortal frame, this instability of human wisdom, should teach us humility and abate our pride. This point is overlooked by many philosophers, most of whom are found to be strongly prejudiced in favour of their own preferred opinions. Prejudice, or prepossession, generally stands like a stumbling block in the way of justice and does not allow our reason to look beyond it. It is this fatal propensity that shamefully misleads our judgment. To avoid being led astray by such a dangerous error, we must be very careful to deprive ourselves of acquired prejudices and hear impartially before we pass a sweeping remark on any subject. It is admitted on all counts that the powers of the mind depend upon the organs of the body, which alter over time. The mind, being inseparably connected with matter, cannot proceed beyond material phenomena. It therefore has no access to the spiritual world, the door to which is shut to all who want to enter with their prepossessions or dim light of worldly wisdom.”

It is evident throughout all authentic śāstras that without the kṛpā and guidance of pure guru-Vaiṣṇava it is impossible to realize something about that absolute truth, I mean regarding The Supreme Lord and His devotees. What to speak of realizing something about that Absolute Truth, one cannot even free oneself from the bondage of material existence without the kṛpā of a mahāt (a great sādhu).

mahat-kṛpā vinā kona karme 'bhakti' naya

kṛṣṇa-bhakti dūre rahu, saṁsāra nahe kṣaya                        (Cc Madhya 22.51)

"Until and unless someone can get the favour of a pure devotee, till then he (or she) cannot attain the platform of aprākṛta sevā. What to speak about kṛṣṇa-bhakti, even one cannot be relieved from the bondage of Māyā (material existence)."

Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Bhāratī Gosvāmī Mahārāja used to explain the extraordinary specialties of śabda-brahma in the following way—

“Beyond this material sound, there exists another type of sound called śabda-brahma, which is the manifestation of Bhagavān in the form of sound. This śabda-brahma is the sound of Vaikuṇṭha, and is the subtlest of all the objects in that realm.

The name ‘Kṛṣṇa’ is the subtlest of all transcendental sounds. In Kaṭhpaniṣad (1.2.20), Kṛṣṇa is described as being aṇor anīyān, or subtler than the subtlest. Kṛṣṇa is the subtlest personality, and the sound of His name is the subtlest transcendental sound. Thus, kṛṣṇa-nāma is most powerful and able to control everything.

The ordinary sound of this material world is lifeless, whereas śabda-brahma possesses consciousness. Material sound requires a medium, whether personal or mechanical, to be transported from one place to another, but śabda-brahma is so powerful that it can travel by its own independent will. Material sound is devoid of form, whereas śabda-brahma has an extremely beautiful transcendental form.

Every word of śabda-brahma possesses its own independent form. Kṛṣṇa-nāma also has a very beautiful form (svarūpa); It has ears, a nose, a mouth, eyes, feet, arms, a head and so on. It eats, walks, engages in mutual exchanges, rests, gives pleasure and also tastes happiness, and devotees therefore refer to kṛṣṇa-nāma as a personality: Śrī Nāma Prabhu. With this understanding, one of our guru-vargas, Śrī Bhagavān dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja of Kālanā, used to serve Śrī Nāma Prabhu as one would a Deity (vigraha) by offering bhoga, offering pūjā, putting Him to sleep and so forth.

These are only some of the many reasons why kṛṣṇa-nāma is non-different from Śrī Kṛṣṇa. By hearing these truths, we can understand the superiority of kṛṣṇa-nāma and why śrī kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana is foremost among all the forms of kīrtana.”

(Taken from Caitanya Vani VOL1 by Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Bharati Gosvāmī  Mahārāj)

(To be continued....)

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