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Founder-Acharya of the world-wide Hare Krishna Movement, Brahma Sampradaya Acharya

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4, Chapter 22 (4.22.24): Prithu Maharaja's Meeting with the Four Kumaras

TEXT 24
ahimsaya paramahamsya-charyaya
smritya mukundacharitagrya-sidhuna
yamair akamair niyamaish chapy anindaya
nirihaya dvandva-titikshaya cha

SYNONYMS
ahimsaya—by nonviolence; paramahamsya-charyaya—by following in the footsteps of great acharyas; smritya—by remembering; mukunda—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; acharita-agrya—simply preaching His activities; sidhuna—by the nectar; yamaih —by following regulative principles; akamaih—without material desires; niyamaih—by strictly following the rules and regulations; cha—also; api—certainly; anindaya—without blaspheming; nirihaya—living simply, plain living; dvandva—duality; titikshaya—by tolerance; cha—and.

TRANSLATION
A candidate for spiritual advancement must be nonviolent, must follow in the footsteps of great acharyas, must always remember the nectar of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must follow the regulative principles without material desire and, while following the regulative principles, should not blaspheme others. A devotee should lead a very simple life and not be disturbed by the duality of opposing elements. He should learn to tolerate them.

PURPORT
The devotees are actually saintly persons, or sadhus. The first qualification of a sadhu, or devotee, is ahimsa, or nonviolence. Persons interested in the path of devotional service, or in going back home, back to Godhead, must first practice ahimsa, or nonviolence. A sadhuis described as titikshavah karunikah (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.21). A devotee should be tolerant and should be very much compassionate toward others. For example, if he suffers personal injury, he should tolerate it, but if someone else suffers injury, the devotee need not tolerate it. The whole world is full of violence, and a devotee's first business is to stop this violence, including the unnecessary slaughter of animals. A devotee is the friend not only of human society but of all living entities, for he sees all living entities as sons of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not claim himself to be the only son of God and allow all others to be killed, thinking that they have no soul. This kind of philosophy is never advocated by a pure devotee of the Lord. Suhridah sarva-dehinam: a true devotee is the friend of all living entities. Krishna claims in Bhagavad-gita to be the father of all species of living entities; consequently the devotee of Krishna is always a friend of all. This is called ahimsa. Such nonviolence can be practiced only when we follow in the footsteps of great acharyas. Therefore, according to our Vaishnava philosophy, we have to follow the great acharyas of the four sampradayas, or disciplic successions.

Trying to advance in spiritual life outside the disciplic succession is simply ludicrous. It is said, therefore, acharyavan purusho veda: one who follows the disciplic succession of acharyas knows things as they are (Chandogya Upanishad 6.14.2). Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.12] in order to understand the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master. The word smritya is very important in spiritual life. smritya means remembering Krishna always. Life should be molded in such a way that one cannot remain alone without thinking of Krishna. We should live in Krishna so that while eating, sleeping, walking and working we remain only in Krishna. Our Krishna consciousness society recommends that we arrange our living so that we can remember Krishna. In our ISKCON society the devotees, while engaged in making Spiritual Sky incense, are also hearing about the glories of Krishna or His devotees. The shastra recommends, smartavyah satatam vishnuh: Lord Vishnu should be remembered always, constantly. Vismartavyo na jatuchit: Vishnu should never be forgotten. That is the spiritual way of life. Smritya. This remembrance of the Lord can be continued if we hear about Him constantly. It is therefore recommended in this verse: mukundacharitagrya-sidhuna. Sidhu means "nectar." To hear about Krishna from Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita or similar authentic literature is to live in Krishna consciousness. Such concentration in Krishna consciousness can be achieved by persons who are strictly following the rules and regulative principles. We have recommended in our Krishna consciousness movement that a devotee chant sixteen rounds on beads daily and follow the regulative principles. That will help the devotee be fixed in his spiritual advancement in life.

It is also stated in this verse that one can advance by controlling the senses (yamaih). By controlling the senses, one can become a svami or gosvami. One who is therefore enjoying this supertitle, svami or gosvami, must be very strict in controlling his senses. Indeed, he must be master of his senses. This is possible when one does not desire any material sense gratification. If, by chance, the senses want to work independently, he must control them. If we simply practice avoiding material sense gratification, controlling the senses is automatically achieved.

Another important point mentioned in this connection is anindaya—we should not criticize others' methods of religion. There are different types of religious systems operating under different qualities of material nature. Those operating in the modes of ignorance and passion cannot be as perfect as that system in the mode of goodness. In Bhagavad-gita everything has been divided into three qualitative divisions; therefore religious systems are similarly categorized. When people are mostly under the modes of passion and ignorance, their system of religion will be of the same quality. A devotee, instead of criticizing such systems, will encourage the followers to stick to their principles so that gradually they can come to the platform of religion in goodness. Simply by criticizing them, a devotee's mind will be agitated. Thus a devotee should tolerate and learn to stop agitation.

Another feature of the devotee is nirihaya, simple living. Niriha means "gentle," "meek" or "simple." A devotee should not live very gorgeously and imitate a materialistic person. Plain living and high thinking are recommended for a devotee. He should accept only so much as he needs to keep the material body fit for the execution of devotional service. He should not eat or sleep more than is required. Simply eating for living, and not living for eating, and sleeping only six to seven hours a day are principles to be followed by devotees. As long as the body is there it is subjected to the influence of climatic changes, disease and natural disturbances, the threefold miseries of material existence. We cannot avoid them. Sometimes we receive letters from neophyte devotees questioning why they have fallen sick, although pursuing Krishna consciousness. They should learn from this verse that they have to become tolerant (dvandva-titikshaya). This is the world of duality. One should not think that because he has fallen sick he has fallen from Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness can continue without impediment from any material opposition. Lord Sri Krishna therefore advises in Bhagavad-gita (2.14), tams titikshasva bharata: "My dear Arjuna, please try to tolerate all these disturbances. Be fixed in your Krishna conscious activities."

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