The main topic in this third part is the description of the stages of the process of devotional service, described in the remaining verses of the second chapter.

In the second part of the course, we studied the sex questions the sages asked Sukadeva Goswami and their answers.

The six questions were:

1- What is the ultimate good for people?
A: Loving, unmotivated, and uninterrupted devotional service to the Lord. (1.2.6)

2- What is the essence of the scriptures?
A: The process of devotional service is the essence. There is nothing superior. By practicing devotional service one develops causeless knowledge and detachment from the world. (1.2.7)
We also studied the next three verses, 1.2.8 to 1.2.10

3- Why did Krsna appear as the son of Devaki?
A: To give association to His devotees and benefit all people who are in the mode of goodness. In the process, He also kills the demons and reestablishes the principles of dharma, but these are secondary reasons. (1.2.34)

4- What are the activities of the Lord connected with the creation of the material universes?
A: As Maha-Vishnu He creates the material universes, as Garbhodakasayi Vishnu He enters inside each universe and becomes the father of Brahma and as Ksirodakasayi Vishnu He lays down in the ocean of milk and permeates everything as Paramatma. (SB 1.2.30-33)

5- What are the incarnations of the Lord and their pastimes?
A: This is answered in chapter 3 and the rest of the Srimad Bhagavatam.

6- What became the shelter of the religious principles after Krsna left our planet?
A: The Srimad Bhagavatam gives light to the people who lost their spiritual vision due to the darkness of Kali-yuga (1.3.43)

We can see that the verses at the beginning of the chapter, from 1.2.6 to 1.2.10 answer the first two questions, and the last verses of the second chapter, from 1.2.30 to 1.2.34 answer the next two.

What about the other verses from the second chapter, from 1.2.11 to 1.2.29? What do they speak about? That’s what we will study today.

After answering that the process of devotional service is the essence of all scriptures and explaining that the goal of performing our duties is to gradually elevate ourselves to that platform, Suta Goswami describes the process of devotional service in more detail. In one sense, all these verses are still part of the answer to the second question, but to make it easier to follow we first studied the short answers for all six questions and now we will study the details of the process of devotional service given in the second chapter, describing how can we attain this ultimate goal, and how to surpass the difficulties we can come upon on this path.

Since all these verses are very significant, today we will go slowly, studying the meaning of each verse.

The first one, 1.2.11, is very important. That’s a verse that you may want to memorize:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.”(SB 1.2.11)

Different transcendentalists have different ideas about God. To some (the impersonalists), God is a formless, spirit, that is eternal and transcendental to the material world. To others (the yogis), God has a form, situated inside the heart. For the devotee, however, God is a blue boy who plays the flute and cultivates loving relationships with His devotees.

At first, these there ideas may appear contradictory, but that’s not the case. God has these three aspects simultaneously. The impersonal Brahmajoti is just the effulgence of His body, Paramatma is his localized aspect, present everywhere, while the Bhagavam aspect is the complete aspect of God as a person, who performs wonderful activities. Paramatma also includes Brahman realization, while Bhagavan realization includes all three aspects simultaneously.

Prabhupada gives the example that Brahman realization is just like looking at a mountain from very far away and seeing just some haze covered by clouds. Paramamtma realization is like seeing the same mountain a little closer, where one can see the form of the mountain, but without much detail, while Bhagavan realization is comparable to someone going up the mountain and interacting with the people living there.

This verse is useful to contest all kinds of impersonalist philosophies, reinforcing the correct conclusion about the Absolute Truth.

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada mentions that:

“Less intelligent students of either of the above schools sometimes argue in favor of their own respective realization, but those who are perfect seers of the Absolute Truth know well that the above three features of the one Absolute Truth are different perspective views seen from different angles of vision.”

The main point of this verse is that devotional service is not just a process meant for sentimental people as often promoted by impersonalists, but actually the only perfect method to fully understand God. This is explained in the next verse:

“The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the Vedānta-śruti.” (SB 1.2.12)

By studying Vedic knowledge, one can develop knowledge and detachment. When one becomes successful in this study, he or she may come to the platform of devotional service and when finally becoming successful in that, he may finally realize the absolute truth.

All other processes recommended in the Vedas, be it the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, renunciation, austerities, and so on have actually just the goal of gradually elevating a person to the platform of devotional service. Therefore, if a person can somehow become situated in serving Krsna, it’s concluded that he already graduated in all the other processes, since he is already acting on a higher platform. If one achieves the goal, this means he already passed through all the previous stages.

This is indicated in verse 13:

“O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.” (SB 1.2.13)

There are however different classes of devotees. They are all elevated because they are all trying to serve Krsna, but at the same time, they differ in their level of realization.

In his purport, Prabhupada explains that there are three classes of devotees. The third-class devotees are still attached to material association and struggling with material desires. For them (us), apart from the basic process of hearing and chanting, deity worship in the temple according to the rules and regulations is strongly recommended. If a devotee can go regularly to the temple and be involved in the services there he or she can gradually advance.

The second-class devotees are devotees who become free from material association and learn to properly behave towards the Lord, other devotees, the innocent, and the envious. On this platform, one becomes gradually knowledgeable in the scriptures, and as a result, he can help others to advance in Krsna Consciousness. By doing that one increases his own realization and progress further.

Finally, the first-class devotee is the one who develops love for Krsna. Because in this stage one loses interest in material activities, one becomes peaceful and thus can fully concentrate on chanting and developing his personal relationship with Krsna. However, many devotees on this platform decide to continue preaching and helping others, and these are actually the best of all.

Srila Prabhupada mentioned that some devotees like to chant and others like to preach. However, some devotees like to chant and also to preach, and these are the best.

In other words, the different processes taught in the Vedas have the goal of simply elevating one to the platform of devotional service. When one finally comes to the devotional platform, there is further work to be done, progressing through the three categories of devotees, all the way up to the platform of love for Krsna. This is the supreme goal, after which there is nothing more to be achieved.

Having understood that devotional service is the ultimate goal, we come to verse 14, which describes the process in itself or, in other words, what we should do once we decide to serve Krsna:

“Therefore, with one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees.” (SB 1.2.14)

Apart from our material desires, another formidable obstacle in our spiritual path is karma. Our karma is compared to a bunch of knots in a rope that binds us to this material world. Karma makes us take birth in a certain place, become part of a certain family, live in a certain place, have a certain circle of friends, work on a certain job, have certain positive and negative personal characteristics, and so on. We always have a certain degree of choice, but it is actually much more limited than we like to think.

We may complain that we don’t have enough time to practice spiritual life because we have to struggle so hard to live, because we live too far away from the temple, because our relatives or spouses are not devotees, because other people are mean to us, or cheat us, or even because we can’t wake up early to chant, because our minds are too unstable, and so on. However, what we may fail to realize is that most of it comes from our Karma. In this way, karma more often than not puts us in situations that are unfavorable to cultivate our spiritual practice.

The scariest of all however is that karma can affect the way we think. The values and mental paradigm we have in this life are also a result of our past actions, and thus also connected with karma. In this way, karma can also make things quite hard for us when we speak about understanding spiritual knowledge.

What is the solution? We have to break through this tangle of knots and gradually free ourselves from these impediments. Only when the knot of our previous karma is destroyed we gain the freedom to change our lives.

How can we do that? The next verse teaches:

“With sword in hand, intelligent men cut through the binding knots of reactionary work [karma] by remembering the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, who will not pay attention to His message?” (1.2.15)

The sword mentioned here is transcendental knowledge, which must be combined with devotional service. In the Bhagavad-Gita Krsna says that we should control the mind using the intelligence, but later He says that just like the mind and senses, the intelligence is also occupied by lust, and thus can’t be trusted. At first, it may appear as a contradiction, but it is not so.

The material intelligence is mainly subservient to the mind, working to satisfy the different material desires that come from it. When Krsna says we should control the mind using intelligence, He means a different type of intelligence: spiritual intelligence, which in turn comes from hearing from the scriptures and receiving instructions from pure devotees of the Lord.

If we hear something genuine, coming from Krsna, and we accept it, we gradually develop our spiritual intelligence, which in turn helps us to control the mind. This same spirtual intelligence when used to engage in spiritual activities, chanting and remembrance of the Lord becomes also the sword that can help us to cut through the knots of karma, freeing ourselves from this material world.

However, often the problem is that we don’t have a taste for hearing, just as we may not have a taste for chanting and doing other aspects of our spiritual practice. What should we do in this case?

Verse 16 answers:

“O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vāsudeva.” (1.2.16)

Amongst all devotees, pure devotees who accept personal inconveniences to spread Krsna’s messages are the most dear of all. By serving such devotees we can gradually develop their qualities, and thus acquire a taste for hearing about Krsna. This happens because Krsna feels indebted when we offer respects or try to assist His dear servants in any way, and thus becomes inclined to more directly help us to come closer to Him. Srila Prabhupada explains that it may be very difficult to please a very rich and powerful man, but if one can please his child by giving a small sweet he immediately gets his favor. Similarly, it may be difficult to directly approach Krsna, but His pure devotees are much more accessible.

Srila Prabhupada explains this point in his purport:

“The servants of God come to propagate God consciousness, and intelligent people should cooperate with them in every respect. By serving the servant of God, one can please God more than by directly serving the Lord. The Lord is more pleased when He sees that His servants are properly respected because such servants risk everything for the service of the Lord and so are very dear to the Lord. The Lord declares in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.69) that no one is dearer to Him than one who risks everything to preach His glory. By serving the servants of the Lord, one gradually gets the quality of such servants, and thus one becomes qualified to hear the glories of God.”

One may argue that apart from acquiring a taste for hearing and chanting, there is still another formidable obstacle, which is the desire for material enjoyment. Even advanced devotees can sometimes fall down, so what is the hope for us? The next verse answers that:

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (1.2.17)

Once we acquire a taste for hearing the message of Srimad Bhagavatam, our path back to Godhead becomes wide open, because by seeing this sincerity Krsna Himself, in the form of Paramatma inside the heart starts to clean such material desires. As a result, we can focus on the transcendental message.

Actually, Krsna is capable of clearing the material desires of everyone, but He does that only when one becomes sincere in the spiritual path. Often we want to hold to our bad habits and material desires, maintaining some hope of doing it secretly, or satisfying such material desires in the future. Because we are still holding on to such desires, Krsna doesn’t clean them away, even if we are chanting. Holding to them is the result of a conscious choice, and Krsna respects this choice. As we become more sincere, by following the process of hearing and chanting, serving advanced devotees, and hearing transcendental knowledge from them, we gradually become more sincere, start to give up such material desires and as a result, Krsna starts to clean them away.

As Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purport:

“The Lord is reciprocally respondent to His devotees. When He sees that a devotee is completely sincere in getting admittance to the transcendental service of the Lord and has thus become eager to hear about Him, the Lord acts from within the devotee in such a way that the devotee may easily go back to Him. The Lord is more anxious to take us back into His kingdom than we can desire. Most of us do not desire at all to go back to Godhead. Only a very few men want to go back to Godhead. But anyone who desires to go back to Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa helps in all respects.”

After we become eager to hear, the cleaning of the material desires from the heart starts. What is the next step? This is described in the next verse. This is another important verse that you may consider trying to memorize:

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

“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.” (SB 1.2.18)

The verse mentions “nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā” (regularly serving the Bhāgavata). Srila Prabhupada explains that there are two Bhāgavatas: the book bhāgavata and the devotee Bhāgavata. As he explains: “A devotee Bhāgavata is as good as the book Bhāgavata because the devotee Bhāgavata leads his life in terms of the book Bhāgavata and the book Bhāgavata is full of information about the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhāgavatas. Bhāgavata book and person are identical.”

By associating with these two Bhāgavatas, we can progress on the path of devotion. As Srila Prabhupada mentions: “by such sincere association of the Bhāgavatas one is sure to receive transcendental knowledge very easily, with the result that he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord.”

Srila Prabhupada explains that by “almost completely destroyed” (naṣṭa-prāyeṣv) Srila Suta Goswami means that about 75% of all inauspicious things, such as our material desires, anarthas and so on eliminated from the heart, and this gives a chance of becoming fixed in the process of loving devotional service to the Lord (bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī). Once we become strongly fixed we can continue our process of hearing, chanting, and spreading Krsna Consciousness without interruption, and this can bring us to ultimate perfection.

We often practice devotional service as a series of sprints, going for mangala-artik for a few days and then stopping, chanting 64 rounds for a few days and then stopping, distributing books for a few days and then stopping, becoming overly enthusiastic during a festival and them apathetic after returning home, and so on. Although this can help us in the beginning, progressing to advanced stages of devotional service requires attaining stability in our practice. As already declared, devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. This passage teaches us how to reach this level.

What happens when we finally reach this level of irrevocable devotional service? The effects are described in verse 19:

“As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.” (SB 1.2.19)

As the verse describes, the visible result is that one becomes completely happy. This however does not come by magic. Srila Prabhupada explains that the original position of the soul is to be always fully satisfied in spirtual bliss. This bliss is different from the satisfaction of a foolish person who may also be always happy due to ignorance. Instead, a devotee in such a stage is happy due to realizing his constitutional spiritual position and becoming free from material influence.

The reason we feel miserable in conditioned life is due to the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance. These lower modes cover our original spiritual knowledge and make us identify with the body and become absorbed in material activities under the influence of lust, anger, etc. Material activities are based on attachment, and they always result in bewilderment and frustration, because in the material world, everything is unstable and temporary, and as a result, we are always anxious about losing what we have and not being able to attain the things we want.

When we become fixed in the platform of devotional service we finally become free from the influence of passion and ignorance, and consequently free of lust, desire, hankering, etc. With this, all unhappiness and lamentation disappear and we become first situated in the mode of goodness, and later we transcend even the mode of goodness and become situated in the transcendental platform. When we finally achieve this transcendental platform, our devotional service matures and we become able to see Krsna face to face. As Prabhupada explains:

“The soul’s activity becomes adulterated in contact with matter, and as such the diseased activities are expressed in the form of lust, desire, hankering, inactivity, foolishness and sleep. The effect of devotional service becomes manifest by complete elimination of these effects of passion and ignorance. The devotee is fixed at once in the mode of goodness, and he makes further progress to rise to the position of vasudeva, or the state of unmixed sattva, or śuddha-sattva. Only in this śuddha-sattva state can one always see Kṛṣṇa face to face by dint of pure affection for the Lord.”

Krsna confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita, where He says: “One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.”

As we can see, there is a progression of the path of devotional service that is described in these verses. By serving pure devotees we get some taste for hearing and chanting, and by this taste, we become regular in our practice. By this regular practice we reach the stage where we become “almost cleansed” and this helps us to improve our practice and remain fixed, eventually reaching the platform of irrevocable loving service described in this verse. When this happens, the influence of passion and ignorance disappears, and we become completely happy in the transcendental platform. From there we progress further, up to the point of attaining love for Krsna.

In his purport, Prabhupada mentions that “for a devotee the entire world is as good as Vaikuṇṭha, or the spiritual sky.” This of course describes the position of a pure devotee, who is in the transcendental platform, just like when Prabhupada mentions that “A devotee is always in the mode of unalloyed goodness; therefore he harms no one” or when he later mentions that “A pure Vaiṣṇava is a liberated soul and is transcendental even to the position of a brāhmaṇa.”

We tend to use the words “devotee” or “Vaishnava” loosely to describe anyone who has started in the devotional process, no matter how imperfect, but Prabhupada often uses these words in the full meaning, meaning a pure devotee who attained this stage of being situated in the transcendental platform.

The influence of the modes of passion and ignorance is a great hindrance to our spiritual progress. Not only that, but they make us feel miserable also. That’s one of the reasons Krsna explains so much about the three modes in the Bhagavad-Gita, so we can learn to recognize attitudes, habits, ideas, etc. connected with the lower modes and gradually become free of them. We often have the idea that it’s very difficult to advance in spiritual life, what to say about attaining an advanced stage of devotional service, but that’s just because we are struggling with the influence of the lower modes. When we can finally become free from them our progress becomes much faster.

We thus come to the two last verses of this passage:

“Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association.
Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master.” (SB 1.2.20-21)

Spiritual knowledge is absorbed in two stages: first, we get some information, by reading it in some book or hearing from someone else (jnana), and later we finally realize it (vijana). Simple book knowledge has limited application in our practical lives, because it’s hard to relate it to practical situations, or even properly understand it. However, when this knowledge is realized, it suddenly becomes real. We can then finally see what it really means and see its application in practical situations of life. This realization however does not come automatically: it comes from the spiritual master, saintly Vaishnavas, and the Lord inside our hearts. It also requires us to have the necessary level of purification, since a broken glass can’t hold any water, even if a good quality is poured on it. We may receive lots of mercy, but we still need to have the necessary qualifications to be able to hold it.

This qualification is gradually attained, but it becomes prominent when we achieve the stage of unalloyed Goodness mentioned in this verse. It happens that passion and ignorance are not just detrimental in the sense we feel miserable, engulfed in hankering and lamentation, but also because it covers our capacity to understand spiritual knowledge.

As long as we are strongly influenced by passion and ignorance, we see and hear everything through the filter of these two modes. Apart from that, intelligence contaminated by passion and ignorance becomes flat (like a chapati), working under the material duality of good and bad, black and white, hot and cold, etc., and in this way incapable of understanding the delicate details of transcendental knowledge. Our comprehension improves dramatically when we reach the mode of goodness and becomes fully developed when we reach the transcendental stage of suddha-sattva or pure goodness.

In this way, one cuts to pieces all misgivings, and the knot of material illusion inside the heart is destroyed. One then finally realizes the Lord in truth, and this completely stops the chain of actions and reactions that bind us to this material world.

What exactly is this knot of illusion in the heart?

It’s called ahaṅkāra. This is the false ego that makes us refuse our eternal position as servants of Krsna and instead accept different temporary identities in this material world. False ego ties us firmly to this material world, making us incapable of understanding the difference between spirit and matter. This false ego can manifest itself on many different levels, and it is difficult to even notice, what to say about being given up. A devotee may be chanting and studying the scriptures for many years, constantly repeating that he is not the body, but may reveal himself as a nationalist when his country goes to war. A senior lady may have studied the whole Srimad Bhagavatam multiple times, but still become angry when some young man tells her that ladies are less intelligent. These identifications with different material labels go very deep into the heart.

However, when the knot of ahaṅkāra, the knot that ties spit to matter, is finally cut from the heart, all doubts are cleared off, and one can finally see himself as an eternal spirit soul and realize his eternal relationship with the Lord. At this stage, the last vestiges of karma are destroyed and one becomes finally free. Even while still living in this material world, one acts in a transcendental stage, and his actions no longer create any reaction.

In this way, verses 1.2.11 to 1.2.21 explain to us how the Srimad Bhagavatam can help us to go all the way from the elementary stage of understanding the Krsna Consciousness including all other stages of God’s realization to the ultimate level of becoming free from all material entanglements and attaining our eternal position in pure love of Krsna. All these topics will be gradually explained and expanded throughout the whole of Srimad Bhagavatam, but these eleven verses give us all this knowledge in a nutshell.

• Explanation of the levels of spiritual development by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura connects verses 16 to 21 with the 14 stages of spiritual development, showing how this passage of the Srimad Bhagavatam teaches us, in a nutshell, how to achieve ultimate perfection. Naturally, just understanding this description will not make us pure devotees, but it can help us to become aware of the path ahead of us.

According to his explanation, verses 16 and 17 describe the first five stages:

“O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vāsudeva.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

1- Satam krpa: the mercy of devotees. By the causeless mercy of devotees, we get the opportunity to engage in the second stage. Causeless means there is no cause, devotees are compassionate to all and are willing to bestow their mercy on anyone who crosses their path.

2- Mahat-seva: service to devotees. By serving devotees the process of cleansing the heart starts.

3- Sraddha: faith. By serving devotees and associating with them we acquire some preliminary faith in the process of bhakti, and this allows us to develop our practice.

4- Gurupadasraya: seeking the shelter of a bonafide spiritual master. What is the difference between friendly association with devotees, and the association with the spiritual master? Prabhupada answers on BG 2.7. When we talk with friends we may or not follow what they say, but talks with the spirtual master are serious. When we accept a spiritual master we give him the authority for correcting us and keeping us on the right path.

5- Bhajanesu sprha: eagerness to worship the Lord. By properly following the principles of bhakti under the instructions and example of the spiritual master, one eventually develops a taste for serving the Lord. From this taste of serving the Lord, the desire for material enjoyment is gradually cleansed.

Verse 18 describes three more:

“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.”

6- Bhakti: Here loving devotional service to the Lord starts to manifest.

7- Anarthapagamam: At this stage, obstacles on the path are cleared. The anarthas in the heart are almost completely removed. This is the realization of the sentence naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu (all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed) mentioned in the verse.

8- Tatha Nistha: As a result of the clearing of anarthas, there is finally bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī, one becomes very steady on the practice of devotional service, and by this practice advances further.

Text 19 describes two more:

“As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.”

9- Ruci: Taste. At this stage, one develops arucya (distaste) for sense enjoyment, and conversely develops a taste for spiritual practice. This level comes as a result of the stages of Gurupadasraya and Bhajanesu sprha that start earlier. The stage of bhajanesu sprha is a form of preliminary eagerness to serve and worship, but ruci is real spiritual taste.

10- Atha Asakti: firm attachment. This is the phase where one becomes firmly attached to the service of Krsna.

Texts 20 and 21 describe the last four:

“Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association.
Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master.”

11- Ratih: fondness. At this stage, love of Godhead starts to manifest. One becomes fully satisfied in serving the Lord.

12- Prema: pure love. This is the stage where one’s love for Krsna becomes fully manifested. Ratih is like dawn, where the light of the sun starts to manifest, while Prema is like midday, where the sun is at its maximum.

13- Atha darsanam: direct audience. Following the development of pure love, one starts to directly experience the Lord’s form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

14- Harer madhuryanubhava: At this stage one’s spiritual body is fully manifest and one can directly associate with Krsna.

A similar description of these different levels of spiritual development is given in the Caitanya Caritamrta, Madya-lila (23.14-15).

1- Sraddha: faith.
2- Sadhu-sanga: association with devotees.
3- Bhajana-kriya: performance of devotional service under the shelter of the spirtual master.
4- Anartha nivrtti: the diminishing of unwanted habits and attachments.
5- Nistha: steadiness, firm faith.
6- Ruci: taste.
7- Asakti: firm attachment.
8- Bhava: love.
9- Prema: pure love for Krsna.

That’s basically the same description, but some of the levels are combined, and thus we have only 9 levels instead of 14. The meaning however is the same.

There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding these levels of bhakti and many not very bonafide schools concoct many different processes to attain so-called prema.

As far as explained by Lord Caitanya, however, love for Krsna is an intrinsical part of the soul and has just to be awakened through the practice of devotional service. It appears naturally through spiritual practice in the association of pure devotees after all anarthas and other impediments are cleared. Prema is thus not obtained from an external source.

This is described on CC Madhya 22.107, a verse that was directly spoken by Lord Caitanya:

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya
śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.”

The unbonafide processes, on the other hand, are described by Srila Prabhupada on Nectar of devotion (ch. 16):

“The siddha-praṇālī process is followed by a class of men who are not very authorized and who have manufactured their own way of devotional service. They imagine that they have become associates of the Lord simply by thinking of themselves like that. This external behavior is not at all according to the regulative principles. The so-called siddha-praṇālī process is followed by the prākṛta-sahajiyā, a pseudosect of so-called Vaiṣṇavas. In the opinion of Rūpa Gosvāmī, such activities are simply disturbances to the standard way of devotional service.”

• Only Krsna should be worshipped

The verses from 1.2.22 to 1.2.28 compose a separate section inside this chapter. This section explains that one should serve only Krsna, instead of approaching different demigods for material results. Demigods are still part of the world, and thus are still prisoners here, just like us. No prisoner can give freedom to another prisoner, therefore the fruits of pure devotional service described in the previous chapters can be bestowed by Krsna alone.

“Certainly, therefore, since time immemorial, all transcendentalists have been rendering devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, with great delight, because such devotional service is enlivening to the self.” (1.2.22)

The process of devotional service is nothing new, it has been practiced since the beginning of the universe. Lord Brahma meditated in the absolute truth for 100 celestial years at the beginning of his current day and as an answer was able to see Krsna’s pastimes in Vrindavana and receive all the Vedas through the sound of his flute. The four Kumaras were initially impersonalists, but they became Vaishnavas after feeling the aroma of Tulasi leaves offered to the Lord. Narada Muni, who in his previous life was the son of an ordinary maidservant became completely awakened to his original transcendental position by just hearing about Krsna from a group of pure sages.

One may understand the uselessness of worshiping the smaller demigods, but what about the worship of great demigods like Lord Brahma or Lord Shiva? The next verse answers:

“The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature, namely passion, goodness and ignorance, and just for the material world’s creation, maintenance and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Of these three, all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Viṣṇu, the form of the quality of goodness.” (1.2.23)

The verse concludes that only Lord Vishnu can give one the ultimate benefit. Brahma and Shiva are departmental heads of the universe in control of the material modes of passion and ignorance. Creation is made possible by Brahmana’s association with the mode of passion, and the final destruction of the universe happens due to the efforts of Lord Shiva, who controls the mode of darkness. Materialistic persons worship Lord Brahma and Shiva for material benefits, but they do so only because of ignorance. Hiranyakashipu, for example, was a devotee of Lord Brahma, while most other demons are devotees of Lord Shiva. However, the limited material blessings they obtain as the fruit of this worship can’t protect them from ultimate death.

In this way, although pure devotees respect demigods as servants of the Lord, they worship only the form of goodness, Lord Viṣṇu, in His various forms, culminating with Krsna, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead.

As Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purport:

“The prison house of the material world is created by Brahmā under instruction of the Personality of Godhead, and at the conclusion of a kalpa the whole thing is destroyed by Śiva. But as far as maintenance of the prison house is concerned, it is done by Viṣṇu, as much as the state prison house is maintained by the state. Anyone, therefore, who wishes to get out of this prison house of material existence, which is full of miseries like repetition of birth, death, disease and old age, must please Lord Viṣṇu for such liberation.”

To reinforce this point, Srila Suta Goswami describes the comparative value of the three modes of material nature, helping us to understand why the worship of Lord Vishnu is more valuable than the worship of demigods:

“Firewood is a transformation of earth, but smoke is better than the raw wood. And fire is still better, for by fire we can derive the benefits of superior knowledge [through Vedic sacrifices]. Similarly, passion [rajas] is better than ignorance [tamas], but goodness [sattva] is best because by goodness one can come to realize the Absolute Truth.” (1.2.24)

Wood is just gross matter and thus represents the mode of ignorance. Smoke is a subtle form of matter and is thus considered better than wood, although smoke in itself is not very useful. Fire however is beneficial, because one can use fire to perform Vedic sacrifices. In the same way, passion is better than ignorance, but only through the mode of goodness can one obtain perfect spiritual knowledge and liberate himself from birth and death.

In his Bhakti Sandarbha, Srila Jiva Goswami explains that passion is better than ignorance because from passion one can gradually elevate himself to goodness, something that is impossible when one is in ignorance. Passion is also better because in passion there is the impetus to work, one can thus work for Krsna, or offer the fruits of this work to Krsna. Therefore, the first stage of spiritual life is to elevate ourselves from ignorance to passion by executing practical services to the pleasure of Krsna, and from this platform, we can try to gradually elevate ourselves to the mode of goodness, where the excesses of the mode of passion are balanced, and our vision of the Lord becomes more stable. If we remain in ignorance, we will remain submerged in sleep, lamentation, doubt, and illusion, and it will be practically impossible for us to go anywhere.

Just like beings in the mode of ignorance, such as ghosts, spirits, materialistic men, and demons are naturally attracted to worshipping Lord Shiva, transcendentalists who attained the mode of goodness become automatically attracted to worship Lord Vishnu. Vaishnavas sometimes worship Lord Shiva as a devotee of the Lord, but this worship is fundamentally different from the worship of Lord Shiva as a demigod performed by materialists.

The process of worshiping the Supreme Lord with the idea of becoming purified of all material contamination has existed since the beginning of the universe. Great sages and spiritual authorities such as Lord Brahma, Narada, Lord Siva, Manu, Kapila, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Sukadeva Gosvami, Bali, Yamaraja and the four Kumaras. However, in our age, this pure knowledge becomes covered and worship of different demigods as well as different forms of religion practiced for material gain become more prominent. To counteract this, the Srimad Bhagavatam teaches us the proper goal of life.

“Previously all the great sages rendered service unto the Personality of Godhead due to His existence above the three modes of material nature. They worshiped Him to become free from material conditions and thus derive the ultimate benefit. Whoever follows such great authorities is also eligible for liberation from the material world.” (1.2.25)

One important point when we speak about the worship of demigods is that while devotees don’t worship them, we shouldn’t disrespect them either. A devotee respects all living entities, what to say about the demigods who act as Krsna’s departmental heads in the management of the material world? Some forms of demigods are ghastly, like Mahākālī and all of them are temporary, but a devotee situated in the mode of goodness has no grudge against them, or against those who worship them.

“Those who are serious about liberation are certainly nonenvious, and they respect all. Yet they reject the horrible and ghastly forms of the demigods and worship only the all-blissful forms of Lord Viṣṇu and His plenary portions.
Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance worship those in the same category — namely the forefathers, other living beings and the demigods who are in charge of cosmic activities — for they are urged by a desire to be materially benefited with women, wealth, power and progeny.” (1.2.26-27)

In reality, the material blessings received by worshipers of different demigods are ultimately given by Lord Vishnu, therefore even if one has material desires, he will be better off praying to Lord Vishnu instead of worshiping demigods. Still, people who are very anxious for material benefits are impelled by the three modes of nature to worship different demigods as well as other types of powerful beings. However, they may still gradually become attracted to the service of Krsna if they have the opportunity to get in contact with devotees, hear about Krsna, chant the holy names, take prasadam, and so on. These activities purify in an imperceptible way, changing people’s consciousness.

As Krsna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, everything we do should be done as a sacrifice to Him. To understand Krsna and reconnect ourselves with Him is the ultimate goal of life. This ultimate conclusion of the scriptures is made clear in the last two verses of this section:

“In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please Him. Yoga is for realizing Him. All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by Him only. He is supreme knowledge, and all severe austerities are performed to know Him. Religion [dharma] is rendering loving service unto Him. He is the supreme goal of life.” (1.2.28-29)

All the topics described in the Vedas have the ultimate goal of bringing one to Krsna. When the Vedas recommend sacrifices and different ceremonies, this is done with the sole purpose of gradually elevating one in the direction of Krsna. When the Vedas recommend worship of demigods or speak about the impersonal aspect of the absolute, this is done just to help people who are still deep in ignorance to start their spiritual path. Similarly, when the Vedas recommend the practice of meditation, or following the rules of the Varnasrama system, all of this is offered with the goal of helping one to gradually come closer to Krsna. The same applies to all other categories of knowledge offered in the Vedic literature as well as the practice of austerities and so on. When these activities are practiced separately from Krsna Consciousness, the real result is lost.

The remaining verses in the second chapter, from SB 1.2.30 to 1.2.33 describe the incarnations of the Lord engaged in the creation and maintenance of the material universes: Lord Maha-Vishnu, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu and Ksirodakasayi Vishnu. We already studied these verses in the second session.