Jagadanand Pandit, one amongst Mahaprabhu’s associates, says, “gorār āmi gorār āmi mukhe bole nāhi cale, gorār āchār gorār vichār laile fal fale.” Only mere words are not sufficient to give us actual benefits.” Externally we may say, “I am of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, I am of Gauranga Mahaprabhu”, but I have not accepted His teachings, I have not acted upon it, I have not practiced it, what is the utility? What benefits will we get by mere words, “I am of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu”, “I am of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s associate”, “I am of Guru.” When we follow their teachings and conducts then we will get actual benefits. And what is that conduct? It is unalloyed pure devotion. It is discussed in Srimad Bhagavatam. Jīvās have the choice to follow different paths, amongst which bhakti-yoga (devotion to Supreme Lord) is topmost. It is written in Kaṭhopaniṣad, there are two paths: śreyaḥ-mārg—for getting eternal welfare and the other is preyaḥ-mārg—for getting material benefits, sensual pleasure. Preyaḥ-mārg seems pleasing to the senses but its consequences are not good. On the other hand, śreyaḥ-mārg is not pleasing to the senses but its end results are good. We do not like to follow śreyaḥ-mārg as it involves controlling our senses from their pleasures. Nine hundred and ninety nine persons amongst thousands follow preyaḥ-mārg. They are doing what they like. If you adopt the path of pleasure of the senses, it seems like ambrosia at first, but actually it is like poison—venomous poison. In the śreyaḥ-mārg, as you have to restrict and withdraw your senses, at first you may feel it like poison; you may feel pain; you cannot do whatever you like, but the fruit, the ultimate result of it is ambrosia. Those who want to perform devotion to the Supreme Lord; they accept the path of śreyaḥ, because by following preyaḥ-mārg, one cannot perform Bhajan.

śreyaś ca preyaś ca manuṣyam etas
tau saṁparītya vivinakti dhīrāḥ
śreyo hi dhīro ‘bhipreyaso vṛṇīte
preyo mando yogakṣemān vṛṇīte
(Kaṭhopaniṣad 2.2)

Human beings may be divided into two categories. There are persons who accept the path of eternal welfare, and there are persons who adopt the path of obtaining apparent sense pleasure. But those who are wise, who have depth of heart, know that, if you adopt the śreyaḥ path, then you will become free, you will get eternal welfare. And if, however, you adopt the path of pleasure, you will become entangled in this world of temporary things. You will be in bondage. Those who are not wise they take the path of pleasure, which is called ‘yogakṣema’. This means that you give your full energy to gain objects of enjoyment, so that you can experience sense gratification. In this way, all of your energy is spent in the pursuit of the acquisition of money and objects of enjoyment. After attaining all these things, you attempt to retain them. After earning money, all of your energy is spent in trying to preserve it. But those who are wise they adopt the path of śreyaḥ and get the actual welfare.

If some person is addicted to alcohol, if you ask him, “What benefit do you get by drinking alcohol? Your money is getting wasted. Alcohol it is injurious to your health, you will die early and also you are losing your good status in society, your piety is getting diminished and you will go to hell after death. You leave this bad habit.”

He will say, “I am addicted to it, how can I leave it?”

“If you do not leave it, it will not be good for you. You have adopted this bad habit and now you only have to leave it, otherwise ultimately you have to repent for it.”

“Okay, as you are saying; I will leave it; but it is very difficult to leave it all of a sudden.”

“Okay you leave it slowly.”

“I am addicted to have alcohol daily, but now I will try to have it alternate days, then I will take it after the gap of three days, then once in a week, once in fifteen day and then once in a month and finally I will leave it.”

You have to do austerity then only you will get welfare; if you do whatever you like then you will not get benefited. We like sense gratification but ultimately it is not good for us. It seems like ambrosia at first, but the consequences will be like poison.

Majority of the people of the world are following the path of preyaḥ so we also follow the crowd blindly. But it is like sheep following the herd of sheep, it does not see the ditch on the path, it blindly follows the herd. So, all of them will go to the ditch. The whole world is running behind material pleasures so we will also run behind it and one day will fall into a ditch. We should not do so; we should adopt the path of śreyaḥ. Śreyaḥ-mārg or the path of devotion, bhakti-mārg is topmost as it is said in the eleventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam’

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
yogās trayo mayā proktā
nṝṇāṁ śreyo-vidhitsayā
gyānaṁ karma ca bhaktiś ca
nopāyo ’nyo ’sti kutracit
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20.6)

Here, Supreme Lord says I have presented three kinds of yoga, paths of advancement according to the eligibility of the conditioned souls—the path of knowledge, the path of work and the path of devotion. Besides these three, there is absolutely no other means of elevation.

The Practitioners of all the three paths have to regulate their senses. But gyāna-yoga the path of knowledge is more difficult than the path of work, karma-yoga. And amongst all the three yoga, bhakti-yoga is the topmost.

Then further Supreme Lord says who is eligible for karma and gyāna yoga.

nirviṇṇānāṁ gyāna-yogo
nyāsinām iha karmasu
teṣv anirviṇṇa-cittānāṁ
karma-yogas tu kāminām
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20.7)

Those who are disgusted with material life and are thus detached from ordinary, fruitive activities, those who do not want anything in this world as well as do not want to enjoy the heavenly planets (svarga) after death, are eligible for gyāna-yoga. The path of philosophical speculation is recommended for them. Those who are not disgusted with material life, having many desires yet to fulfil, should seek perfection through the path of karma-yoga. And who is eligible for the path of devotion, bhakti-yoga?

yadṛcchayā mat-kathādau
jāta-śraddhas tu yaḥ pumān
na nirviṇṇo nāti-sakto
bhakti-yogo ’sya siddhi-daḥ
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20.8)

If somehow or other, by the virtue of sukṛti like serving Supreme Lord or His devotees, knowingly or unknowingly, one develops faith in hearing and chanting (hearing and chanting are the primary characteristics, svarūp lakṣaṇa, of a sadhu) My glories, such a person, being neither disgusted with or attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me.

When two materialistic people meet each other they can spend the whole night discussing about worldly things. But they feel sleepy if they are to hear the glories of the Supreme Lord. But when devotees meet each other they discuss only about the glories of the Supreme Lord.

mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā
bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ
tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 10.9)

Supreme Lord says those who take pleasure in constantly hearing and chanting My glories are eligible for the path of devotion.

There was one person who used to beg on the road outside our Kolkata Math, one devotee from the Math told him to come and stay in Math. By that he will get food and everything but for that he was told to follow a few conditions like; he should eat Prasadam only not outside food; should not consume intoxicants; should not have illicit connections with any woman; should not inflict injuries to anyone; should not eat onion, garlic, masoor etc. As he wanted some shelter anyhow, he agreed to all the conditions. Then he started living in the Math. After a few days he became very healthy as he was getting food three times a day. After about two to three months, it was found that he used to be present during Prasadam time but he stopped attending harikatha sessions. Then the devotees asked him, “You have come here to perform haribhajan, hearing and chanting the glories of name, form, qualities, pastime of Supreme Lord is the topmost limb of devotion. Here, devotees sing the glories of Supreme Lord, why do not you listen to them? He replied, “When I listen to harikatha, my mind becomes restless.” But when it comes to Prasadam, he is always ready. Then devotees heard that he also goes out to have tea and all. So they informed him that he is not eligible to stay in Math. And after a few days he left Math by his own and went somewhere. He did not have good impressions of previous births. Devotees allowed him to stay in the Math but his mind was becoming restless while listening to harikatha. And other times he was happily staying in Math. This is not good. He is not eligible for devotion.

What are the teachings of Shyamanand Prabhu and Vamsivadan Thakur? (This audio segment is taken from a harikatha spoken on their appearance day.) When we follow their teachings then we have accepted them in real sense. What is the teaching of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? He instructed about topmost devotion—hearing, chanting and remembering Supreme Lord.

So here Supreme Lord says in the shloka, those who have faith in hearing and chanting My glories is eligible to follow the path of devotion,

na nirviṇṇo nāti-sakto
bhakti-yogo ’sya siddhi-daḥ

He is neither like a gyāni who is mahā-tyagi—a great renunciate nor like a karmi—sense enjoyer. Mahā-tyagi means one who renounces everything, even the objects which are to be engaged in the worship of Supreme Lord, considering them as non-eternal, material things. It is said,

prapañcikatayā buddhyā
hari-sambandhī-vastunaḥ
mumukṣubhiḥ parityago
phalgu vairāgyaṁ kathyate
(Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.256)

“If someone renounces objects which are in relation to Supreme Lord considering them as material then such renunciation is considered to be falgu—false.”

If we do not accept the objects of worship of Supreme Lord, then how can we serve Supreme Lord? Rice, pulses, cement, sand etc. are the objects of this material word. But they are used for the service of Supreme Lord they become objects of His service. If we do not serve the Supreme Lord with these objects then how will we develop Love for Him? Will it happen just like that? If we will use these objects for our sense gratification then it will cause bondage in this world. You have to use the same things for the service of Supreme Lord. Use cement and sand for building a room for a devotee or a temple, cook rice and pulses and offer it to Supreme Lord, like that everything belongs to Supreme Lord and need to be engaged in His service only. By becoming a great renunciate (mahā-tyāgi) one does not become a devotee. A great renunciate, when he is given some money, he does not accept considering it as object of sense enjoyment. But one can accept money and use it for the service of the Supreme Lord. You do not accept it for yourself. If you accept it for yourself, even a single penny, then you will go to hell. But you can use it for service of Lord. Devotees dedicate their full life for the service of RadhaKrishna. That is devotion. Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami followed ayācaka-vṛtti—staying beneath a tree and maintain their life by mādhukari (collecting food by going door to door). They themselves performed severe austerities but had done many a things for the service of Supreme Lord. Sanatan Goswami built a temple for Madanmohan and performed so much of service to Him. If we do not engage our senses in the service of Supreme Lord, how will we develop love for Him?

What is bhakti?

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

(This verse quoted from the Nārada-pañcarātra is found in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.12 and Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita 19.170)

“Engaging the sense organs and the objects of the sense organs in the service of Hrishikesh, master of the senses, leaving all the material designations and considering ourselves of Krishna is called bhakti.”

With the knowledge that I am of Krishna, my relations are with Krishna, when we engage our senses, sense organs and object of the senses for the service of Krishna, then we shall have love for Him. He is the only master of all senses, Hrishikesh. All the sense organs and objects of sense organs must be engaged in His service, He is the only enjoyer and master of everything. We should get established in the knowledge that He is the only enjoyer and we should engage everything in His service, why we should be engaged in others service? The tendency to enjoy is not good. Even the tendency of renouncing is also not good because who can renounce? One who possesses something can only renounce. We have no right to enjoy or renounce something. One who is the owner of something can enjoy or can give it to others in charity or can renounce but am I the owner of anything? Our Parampujyapad Sridhar Deva Goswami Maharaj used to come in our Math before. Now he has entered in Nityalila, in the eternal pastimes of Supreme Lord. Before I joined Math, I heard many a times from my father that the meaning of Gita is renunciation. When I joined Math I heard from Srila Sridhar Deva Goswami Maharaj, in one of his harikatha, that one should leave the tendency of enjoyment as well as the tendency of renunciation. I was astonished to hear it. I did not hear such instructions before. I could understand his instruction about leaving the tendency of enjoyment, but could not understand why we should leave the tendency of renunciation also? He was on fourth floor in our Math; I went there to meet him. I offered my obeisance to him and asked, “I could not understand your instruction about leaving the tendency of renunciation.” He explained, “Do you own anything? You can enjoy things which are yours. Supreme Lord is the master of everything. All rights of enjoying or renouncing are reserved by Him. You do not own anything which you can renounce or which you can give in charity. You do not have any right to enjoy or renounce anything. If you think that you have rights to enjoy or to renounce anything then it is your ignorance. The tendency of enjoyment or tendency of renunciation is not good but the tendency of service is good.”

An example may be given here of Indian family-life. In India, when a chaste woman is married to a chaste man, that chaste woman, according to Indian social custom, belongs to that chaste man and even changes her family-descent from parents to husband. That husband is the owner of house, property as well as his wife. If that wife prepares many good dishes for her husband from the articles belonging to the husband and after preparing good palatable dishes, says to the husband, “I am giving these to you.” This sort of ego of contribution is wrong and will be ridiculous. She herself belongs to her husband, she prepared everything from the articles belonging to her husband , how can she give anything to her husband, she can only serve him with his things and by serving him she can conquer the heart of her husband. Our gross body and subtle body belongs to Supreme Lord, everything belongs to Supreme Lord. I am of Supreme Lord and all other things are of Supreme Lord, by using all these articles a devotee can serve Him and conquer Him. So, the tendency of enjoyment as well as the tendency of renunciation is not good, with that tendency one cannot serve Supreme Lord. A devotee neither enjoys anything like karmis nor renounces anything like a gyāni. He engages everything for the service of Supreme Lord.

I remember one incidence which I heard from the lotus lips of Gurudev. Once a well-known rich person came to one Tridandi Swami in Bagh Bazar Gaudiya Math and started praising Gaudiya Maths. He told, “You people of the Math are great renunciates. You do not consume tea, coffee or any other intoxicants. Even you do not take onion, garlic etc. I have not seen renunciates like you.” Then Swamiji replied, “No, No, we are not renunciates, you are even a greater renunciate than us.” Hearing so that person got ashamed, he put his both hands on his ears and said, “What are you saying? Please do not say like this. You do not know me. I drink alcohol, I eat meat etc. I eat all non-eatables things. Please do not call me a renunciate. Then again Swamiji said, “You are even greater renunciate.” That person said, “It incurs offense to me, please do not say like this.” Swamiji again told, “See! You are a great renunciate. We have renounced very insignificant things, which have no value, but you have renounced a greatest, most precious thing, Supreme Lord. So who is the greater renunciate?”

So to engage everything including oneself which belongs to Supreme Lord into the service of Him is the topmost devotion. To encourage us, once our Gurudev has instructed us in His writing, Āmār-bhajan—My Devotional Practice (an article), he has written in that, once a person came to him and asked him, “It is not that I have not any faith in Supreme Lord. I have faith in Him and in Harikatha also. I also have understood that material desires are painful, but I cannot leave those desires. So in such a situation should I leave my devotional practices?”

In reply to his query, Srila Gurudev narrated three verses from the eleventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam,

jāta-śraddho mat-kathāsu
nirviṇṇaḥ sarva-karmasu
veda duḥkhātmakān kāmān
parityāge ’py anīśvaraḥ

tato bhajeta māṁ prītaḥ
śraddhālur dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
juṣamāṇaś ca tān kāmān
duḥkhodarkāṁś ca garhayan

proktena bhakti-yogena
bhajato māsakṛn muneḥ
kāmā hṛdayyā naśyanti
sarve mayi hṛdi sthite
(SB 11.20.27-29)

Supreme Lord says that, “My devotees have awakened faith in the narrations of My glories. They are disgusted with material life and are thus detached from ordinary, fruitive activities in this world knowing that all the desires for sense gratification leads to misery. Wherever desires exist, miseries are also there. All the evil desires to enjoy this material world will surely give us sufferings.” I know it very well but still I cannot leave desires, what to do? Supreme Lord says,

tato bhajeta māṁ prītaḥ
śraddhālur dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
juṣamāṇaś ca tān kāmān
duḥkhodarkāṁś ca garhayan

“Still you do not leave My bhajan.” Ambarisa Maharaj was such a great devotee that even the curse of Durvasa Risi could not harm him. He was a great emperor of the whole world and a great devotee of Supreme Lord. He had not become a great devotee all of a sudden. No one can win over the desires in one day, no need to be disappointed. Sarvān kāmān śanair jahau—Ambarish Maharaj could remove all worldly desires gradually, by performing bhajan without deceitfulness. A conditioned soul cannot get the desired result all of a sudden. Supreme Lord says, “Do not leave My bhajan”. It is said, ‘hari se lāga rah re bhāi teri banat banat ban jāy’—if you keep worshipping Hari always then it is sure that you will attain the highest auspiciousness in due course of time. Supreme Lord says, “Worship Me with great faith and conviction.” If one may not immediately be able to completely extinguish the enjoying spirit, the Lord encourages such a devotee not to get disheartened or morose but to remain enthusiastic and to go on with his loving service. If you are not able to give up or relinquish your sense enjoying tendency immediately then accept the object of senses with a feeling of repentance thinking, “It is not good for my eternal welfare; it is going to ruin everything and I will have to give it up at any cost.” If we accept with such mentality then our attachment to it will diminish gradually. Do not accept it with easy mentality and with the feeling of enjoyment. While performing Haribhajan when we realize the sweetness of Supreme Lord then we could be saved. We should pay attention to the verse from Srimad Bhagavad Gita and its commentary by Bhaktivinoda Thakur, in this regard.

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate
(Bhagavad Gita 2.59)

“When a person experiences the higher taste his attachment to lower tastes automatically ceases.”

Bhaktivinoda Thakur writes in the commentary, karmis and gyānis try to restrict their senses by keeping sensual objects away from sense organs but this is not the process to control the senses organs, it will be futile. Foolish people try this way. Mahāgyāni Saubhari Risi tried to control his senses this way but he faced a spiritual fall by seeing the mating of fishes in water. Mahāyogi Vishwamitra faced fall down by having a sight of Manaka. Until you have tasted the higher mellows, you cannot leave the attachment for lower tastes. You have to realize the sweetness of Supreme Lord.

Our Paramgurudev even allowed persons having a little of faith in performing Haribhajan to stay in Math for sādhusang though they had kāma, krodha, lobha, moha and everything in them. Because while performing bhajan, gradually, they will develop the taste for Supreme Lord’s worship and their attachment for material world would diminish and will get permanent solution for all the problems. But until one has not tasted that sweetness, there always remains a fear of falling down. Just by restricting the senses, tendency of enjoyment will not go.

When I joined the institution, we used to observe Ekadashi vow with a great austerity. Only a few pieces of fruits were given to us. All were feeling pain in the stomach. What is the use of taking such small quantity (hunger will not be ceased)? Now we take large quantity of fruits especially in Punjab when we go, large quantity of fruits are given on Ekadashi. So much so that even on Dwadashi day (the next day of Ekadashi) we do not need to eat anything! But still our hunger does not get satisfied because we have become dependent on grains. We feel that we will die soon without eating rice. We prepare food items to be eaten on Dwadashi in advance. So by not taking food for one day, our tendency to eat does not go. By restricting senses from their object, one cannot become free from it but when we engage our senses in the service of the Supreme Lord, gradually, we relish the taste of His sweetness and then our attachment for the material objects diminish automatically. But until we experience that taste, fear of falling down is always there.

tato bhajeta māṁ prītaḥ
śraddhālur dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
juṣamāṇaś ca tān kāmān
duḥkhodarkāṁś ca garhayan

So Supreme Lord says here, “Always follow devotional path, bhakti-yoga. Do not leave that path. Engage yourself in śravaṇa (hearing) and kirtan (chanting). Then hṛdi sthite—I will enter into your heart and be situating there, I will destroy all the unwanted material desires present in your heart.” If I leave bhajan, who will destroy them? I am in ignorance, in darkness but by beating darkness with a stick, will I be able to dispel it? When light comes, darkness will go automatically and all the problems created by darkness will also go away. That light is Supreme Lord. Why the door of heart should be closed for Supreme Lord? Thinking like, “I have so many bad impressions of previous lives, I have enjoying tendency so I am not eligible to perform bhajan.” You should not stop bhajan. You continue anyways, do not leave it. Supreme Lord is always there behind you. He already has said, “My devotee should not worry.”

api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā
śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi
na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 9.30-31)

Lord says, “If My devotee, due to bad impressions of previous birth, commits the most abominable action but is engaged in one-pointed devotion to Me, consider him a sadhu, a saintly person. Because he will have repentance for that and that fire of repentance will burn all his sins to ashes quickly. He is to be considered saintly because by situating in his determination, quickly he will be righteous and will attain everlasting peace.”

He further says, “O son of Kunti, declare it boldly in the assembly of karmis, yogis, gyāni and worshiper of demigods that My devotee will never perish.” So why do we need to worry? Supreme Lord Himself has said it. He knows everything. So when we take shelter of one-pointed devotion, we have actually accepted the teachings of Shyamanand Prabhu, Krishna or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is non-different from Krishna. Supreme Lord Krishna has instructed the path of unalloyed devotion, bhakti-yoga and the same is also instructed by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Krishna said to Udhhava that, “By this bhakti-yoga, the mind will automatically get attached to Me.” Mahaprabhu also instructed the same,

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi.
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita Antya 20.29)

“O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth”

Where is the difference in teachings? If we follow the teachings of Krishna or Baladeva or Nityanand Prabhu or Their dear associates Shyamanand Prabhu or Vamsivadan Thakur, our life will be successful.