People Without Diksha Will Be Born as Animals?
Harikatha, Sreela Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
In the devotional and other Vedic scriptures we sometimes find statements that seem very fundamentalist and hard. For instance in Hari Bhakti Vilas, it is mentioned that people who have not taken diksha will be born as animals in their next life. How are we supposed to interpret this kind of statement as I cannot take it literally?
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Yes, here I search about the verse and I got it here. In Hari Bhakti Vilas Chapter 2, 6th verse:
adīkṣitasya vāmoru kṛtaṁ sarvaṁ nirarthakam
paśu-yonim avāpnoti dīkṣā-virahito janaḥ
(Hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.6)And Sanatan Goswami our Guru, original Guru, we may say he wrote commentary on this Hari Bhakti vilasa, personally written by Gopal Bhatta Goswami but explanation has been given by Sanatan Goswami. This is a reference from Vishnu Jamal. Vishnu Jamal scripture whatever karma is done by any person without initiation without taking initiation is all karma, actions, it becomes futile. Any person without initiation will be born as a beast, pashu means beast, with horn, hairs or tail. But there are various meanings. It is very difficult for the vaishnavas to understand Sanskrit. Even it is very difficult for us also nowadays. Because pashu has got various meanings. But we think pashu means only animal. A beast with fur, hairs and tail, then devayoni, the demigods, they are worshipped there. He may be born as a fool, fool means FOOL, an idiot or as a spirit, ghost all these things. Pashu has got so many meanings. Our Sanatana Goswami has not written any explanation of this. He has written but this verse he has not written; So he has not spoken anything against it also. Here, you have to understand, if you give something to Supreme Lord by your material ego, there is no guarantee that Supreme Lord will accept it. Without devotion He will not accept. How we can worship Supreme Lord? You have to take mantra through bonafide preceptorial channel. Now you have got one instance about Brija mandal parikrama. For Krishna bhakti there is also preceptorial channel. You have to take mantra from bonafide preceptorial channel and by uttering that mantra after taking mantra you have to memorize that and learn how to worship deities from an experienced person, devotee and after that you worship. You give it by uttering that mantra. There is possibility of Guru’s taking the offerings, Mahaprabhu is taking the offerings, Radhakrishna is taking the offerings because of the preceptorial channel it will go to Krishna, through Brahma from Guru. From Guru you will find, Madhavacharya and also Vedavyas Risi, Narada Goswami, Brahma and Supreme Lord. So the form is there and Supreme Lord can take, there is possibility. By that. Your energy will go towards Krishna, by mantra if you do it. So you see suddha bhakta they do not want to go to get the position of a demigod. Even they do not want to be the creator of Brahmanda. You will find Vitrasuraa.
When Supreme Lord appeared and told him, “Whatever you want I shall give you. Do you want the property of Dhruva, become a King?”
Vitrasura, “No.”
“Do you want to be Brahma, the proprietor of the 14 worlds, No. Do you want to be master of the world?”
“No.”
“Nether world?”
“No.”
“What you want? 18 kinds of Yogic realizations? I can give you.”
“No.”
“Do you want emancipation?”
“No.I do not want anything except your service.”
Bhaktivinoda Thakur has written in his hymn, kita janama haun yatha tuaa das bahir mukha brahma janme nahi aasha, I do not want to become Brahma, whatever species you make me, you may give me body of an insect. Let me be born as an insect. But I should be in the surroundings of devotees. My prayer is I should be born with the surroundings of, association of devotees. That is my prayer. But according to my karma, whatever you want, whatever desire you have, to make me born in any specie, I am ready. Even I do not want to become Brahma, get the highest position. No, because at that time his all energy will be spent for the administration of the 14 brahmandas. I want to engage myself fully for the service of Krishna. I do not want this. Let me get my birth as insect, but within the association of the sadhus. Why we should be perturbed by hearing this pashu. Pashu has got different meanings, not only animals. But if you want to become an Indra or a demigod, you want? That will also be finished. Suddha Bhakta does not want this, any status in this mundane world. It is non-eternal. You see here it is written. In the devotional and other vedic scriptures. This is devotional scripture, not vedic scripture, Vishnu Jamal. We sometimes find statements that seem very fundamentalist. But I have become fundamentalist. I do not know the meaning of the Pashu. There are so many meanings. I think the meaning of pashu means animal. Then I become fundamentalist. This should not be the case. You have to go through this, in the dictionary so many meanings are there and heard. For instance in Hari Bhakti Vilas it is mentioned the people who have not taken diksha will be born as animals or as demigod, as spirits, as ghosts as stupid person like this. There are so many meanings. How are we supposed to interpret this kind of statements. I myself cannot take it myself, I cannot take it literally. There is some meaning with it, because western devotees they do not know all the meanings. There are various meanings of one word. There are many other faiths in which God is worshipped. Yes, God is equal to all. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered his own personal associates to preach his teachings throughout the world. It should not be confined to India. Because I have come to give that prem, most valuable prem, after a long time, in one day of Brahma and that should be distributed to all. So you should go, whether they accept it or not, you should preach that, there is no other way except Harinam. There is no other way, no other way, no other way and love for Krishna. This should be informed. So they went to different places. Previously nobody went and now Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s direction, they went to all the places, countries of this world to spread over. Those who have got fortune they have accepted this teaching.
11 June, 2005, Srila Gurudev answering question in a video conference at Kolkata
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya
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