Catching the Supersoul (Sankhya #18)
The soul is eternally connected with Krsna in a bond of love. What prevents us from exerting this natural characteristic is just our material coverings.
« SANKHYA, The Philosophy of Lord Kapila
Catching the Supersoul
What is the result of developing all the attributes mentioned in the previous verses?
"When one is fully qualified with all these transcendental attributes and his consciousness is thus completely purified, he is immediately attracted simply by hearing My name or hearing of My transcendental quality.
As the chariot of air carries an aroma from its source and immediately catches the sense of smell, similarly, one who constantly engages in devotional service, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can catch the Supreme Soul, who is equally present everywhere." (SB 3.29.19-20)
The soul is eternally connected with Krsna in a bond of love. What prevents us from exerting this natural characteristic is just our material coverings. Just like the light of a lamp can be obscured by a cloth covering it, or the color can be changed if it has to pass through a colored glass, the original propensity of the soul of love for Krsna is covered and perverted by contact with matter and expressed in abnormal ways. By following the devotional process, according to the rules and regulations, these contaminations are removed and our original transcendental qualities manifest.
In this material world, everyone looks for happiness in their own way. Some look for happiness in living a natural life, others in indulging in consumerism, or even in the degradation of drugs and promiscuous relationships. This desire for happiness is natural because happiness is the natural condition of the soul. However, because we look for it in the wrong places, we are frustrated. Krsna is everywhere as the Supersoul, but as long as our consciousness is covered by all sorts of material coverings, we are not aware of Him, just like someone who has his nose blocked will not be able to feel the smell of a flower, even if very close to him.
Similarly, Krsna is present everywhere as Paramatma, but we are not able to notice Him because our spiritual senses are covered. By the process of Krsna consciousness, we can unblock ourselves and again come to Him.
Prabhupada gives a beautiful analogy in his purport: "As a breeze carrying a pleasant fragrance from a garden of flowers at once captures the organ of smell, so one’s consciousness, saturated with devotion, can at once capture the transcendental existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, in His Paramātmā feature, is present everywhere, even in the heart of every living being."
The way Prabhupada phrases the ideas in the translation of the verse also calls our attention to another detail: Krsna is the enjoyer and we are enjoyed by Him. We are eternally bound to Krsna in a bond of love, and therefore when Krsna feels happy, we automatically feel happy, just like a parent becomes automatically happy when the child is happy due to the bond between them. We are like the air, and Krsna is like the sense of smell. As the air carries the aroma of a flower, we should similarly saturate ourselves with devotional sentiments, and bring them to Krsna, who can relish them. The crucial difference between a true Vaishnava and a Sahajiya is that a Sahajiya wants to enjoy Krsna, while a true devotee wants to give pleasure to Krsna through his offerings. The Sahajiya is still lost in the false concept of being the center, still acting under the false ego, while the devotee is reviving his original consciousness of submission to the desires of the Lord.
How a devotee should deal with others
"I am present in every living entity as the Supersoul. If someone neglects or disregards that Supersoul everywhere and engages himself in the worship of the Deity in the temple, that is simply imitation.
One who worships the Deity of Godhead in the temples but does not know that the Supreme Lord, as Paramātmā, is situated in every living entity’s heart, must be in ignorance and is compared to one who offers oblations into ashes.
One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities.
My dear mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalia, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple.
Performing his prescribed duties, one should worship the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead until one realizes My presence in his own heart and in the hearts of other living entities as well.
As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook.
Therefore, through charitable gifts and attention, as well as through friendly behavior and by viewing all to be alike, one should propitiate Me, who abide in all creatures as their very Self." (SB 3.29.21-27)
Mayavadis sometimes protest that since God is everywhere, what is the need to go to the temple? Vaishnavas counter this by arguing that if God is everywhere, why not in the temple? Although the Lord is everywhere, we can't easily perceive Him, therefore He very kindly offers us the opportunity of seeing and serving His personal form in the temple.
However, another mistake is to see the Lord only in the temple and fail to see the Supersoul everywhere, inside the heart of every living entity. When we develop this mentality, we disregard and commit violence to others, which Lord Kapila condemns. As He mentions, "One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities."
A devotee who worships the deity while disregarding other living entities and other devotees is called a separatist because he is acting against the desires of the Lord. Although we are allowed to act inimically toward others due to our free will, the Lord is not satisfied by this behavior. One can't satisfy a person by flattering him while mistreating his children. Even if he worships the deities very well, the Lord is not satisfied with His service. Lord Kapila compares this worship by a person who is inimical toward other living entities with someone offering oblations of ghee into ashes. A person can derive benefits by executing fire sacrifices and other ceremonies, but ghee offered into ashes will not award results.
Lord Kapila also mentions that one who maintains this inimical mentality never attains peace of mind. He goes further by stating "As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook." This doesn't mean the Lord is personally punishing them, like believed in Christianity, but it hints at the fact that this mentality keeps us in the material platform, which means we will have all kinds of anxieties, starting from fear of death. In this way, we remain engulfed in material suffering because of this envious mentality, and the Lord approves that because material suffering is the system material energy uses to correct our mistaken mentality.
Our path to spiritual progress passes thus through not only worshiping the Lord but also learning to properly respect all living entities. Everyone should be treated with consideration and care, according to their respective positions and mentalities, as well as our relationship with them. A sannyasi may be offered reverences, while a child may be patted for example. A dog may be given a piece of food, and so on. This is encapsulated in SB 4.11.13, where Svāyambhuva Manu mentions: "The Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality."
Prabhupada also explains this point in his purport: "In purified consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one sees the presence of Kṛṣṇa everywhere. Therefore if one only engages in Deity worship in the temple and does not consider other living entities, then he is in the lowest grade of devotional service. One who worships the Deity in the temple and does not show respect to others is a devotee on the material platform, in the lowest stage of devotional service."
Together with the instruction of not committing violence against others, there is also the instruction of offering them mercy. Real mercy means to connect them with the Lord, bringing them somehow in contact with Krsna consciousness. For this, we can distribute books, organize public programs, broadcast Krsna consciousness over the internet, and so on. When we speak about temple worship, the most natural way is to give them prasadam.
When we install a deity, be it in a temple or in our houses, this means to invite the Lord to be personally present there. Inviting the Lord does not necessarily mean performing a certain ceremony: as soon as we worship the deity and perform a kirtan, the deity can be considered installed. Once the Lord is invited to live in our place, we should serve Him by offering food, flowers, etc. the prasadam should then be given to other people, so they can receive the mercy of the deity. If we install a deity in our homes and just eat all the prasadam ourselves, this is not as satisfying to the Lord. As Prabhupada mentions in his purport:
"As such, temple worship necessarily includes distribution of prasāda. It is not that one should create a temple in his private apartment or private room, offer something to the Lord, and then eat. Of course, that is better than simply cooking foodstuffs and eating without understanding one’s relationship with the Supreme Lord; people who act in this manner are just like animals. But the devotee who wants to elevate himself to the higher level of understanding must know that the Lord is present in every living entity, and, as stated in the previous verse, one should be compassionate to other living entities. A devotee should worship the Supreme Lord, be friendly to persons who are on the same level and be compassionate to the ignorant. One should exhibit his compassion for ignorant living entities by distributing prasāda. Distribution of prasāda to the ignorant masses of people is essential for persons who make offerings to the Personality of Godhead."
When one is lost in passion and ignorance, one often sees Krsna consciousness as some kind of ritualistic religion that needs to be imposed on people, much like some Christians and Muslims. Without understanding what Krsna consciousness really is, he acquires some faith in certain rituals and external symbols and thinks he is doing good by imposing these stereotyped views on others. With this mentality, he may try to practice Krsna consciousness by worshiping the deity and following other spiritual practices while committing verbal or physical violence toward others. However, as Lord Kapila mentions, that is simply an imitation. Progressing through this stage demands taking out the colored glasses by progressing out of the modes of passion and ignorance, which passes through acquiring and realizing transcendental knowledge in association with enlightened devotees. Real preaching work means to elevate people to the platform of Krsna consciousness, and not just convert them from a certain material designation to another.
Prabhupada concludes his purports in this section by criticizing the concept of Daridra Narayana, which was widely propagated by Gandhi as part of his social movement and is still popular in India. In this concept, one embraces the Mayavada idea of accepting everyone as Narayana, and claims that poor people are the Daridra Narayana, or "poor Narayana". One thus puts himself in a superior position, by giving charity to the so-called poor-Gods, who are thus seen as dependent on one's gifts. Prabhupada protests against this concept in many of his purports, arguing that Narayana can't ever become poor, since He is the husband of the Goddess of fortune. Poor people are just conditioned souls who misused their independence and are now reaping the results of their actions. They should be helped, but not by claiming they are Narayana.
Varieties of living entities
The teachings that Lord Kapila transmits to us are based on seeing all living beings as parts and parcels of the Lord, but at the same time consider practical aspects while relating to each. Some living entities may be given charity in the form of prasadam and other gifts, to others, we may behave friendly, and so on. We should not behave friendly towards a tiger, by embracing him, etc. but we can give him prasadam. Lord Kapila also explains the scale of spiritual evolution that determines how much a living entity has revived his original consciousness. It starts with the simplest living organisms and culminates with the pure devotee who is fully awakened to his eternal connection with Krsna. Association with a horse or an elephant will not be very productive or conducive to our spiritual advancement, but the association with a pure devotee is extremely valuable. One should receive a human guest inside his house, offering him a bed and other facilities, while a dog should be offered food while remaining outside of the house. A tree can't be received inside one's house, nor offered prasadam, but it can be given water and protected, for example. Just because all living beings are souls, it does not mean one should treat all in exactly the same way. By this description, He teaches us about these practical distinctions. As Prabhupada explains in his purport:
"According to the Vedic system, a dog is not allowed to enter the house. Because of their uncleanliness, cats and dogs are not allowed within the apartment of a gentleman, but are so trained that they stand outside. The compassionate householder will supply prasāda to the dogs and cats, who eat outside and then go away. We must treat the lower living entities compassionately, but this does not mean that we have to treat them in the same way we treat other human beings. The feeling of equality must be there, but the treatment should be discriminating. Just how discrimination should be maintained is given in the following six verses concerning the different grades of living conditions."
Here are the six verses with the explanations of Lord Kapila:
"Living entities are superior to inanimate objects, O blessed mother, and among them, living entities who display life symptoms are better. Animals with developed consciousness are better than them, and better still are those who have developed sense perception. Among the living entities who have developed sense perception, those who have developed the sense of taste are better than those who have developed only the sense of touch. Better than them are those who have developed the sense of smell, and better still are those who have developed the sense of hearing. Better than those living entities who can perceive sound are those who can distinguish between one form and another. Better than them are those who have developed upper and lower sets of teeth, and better still are those who have many legs. Better than them are the quadrupeds, and better still are the human beings. Among human beings, the society which is divided according to quality and work is best, and in that society, the intelligent men, who are designated as brāhmaṇas, are best. Among the brāhmaṇas, one who has studied the Vedas is the best, and among the brāhmaṇas who have studied the Vedas, one who knows the actual purport of Veda is the best. Better than the brāhmaṇa who knows the purpose of the Vedas is he who can dissipate all doubts, and better than him is one who strictly follows the brahminical principles. Better than him is one who is liberated from all material contamination, and better than him is a pure devotee, who executes devotional service without expectation of reward. Therefore I do not find a greater person than he who has no interest outside of Mine and who therefore engages and dedicates all his activities and all his life — everything — unto Me without cessation." (SB 3.29.28-33)
The body a living entity can obtain is the result of the combination of one's desires and how much he can pay in terms of pious deeds. It's just like selecting an apartment: the final choice will be a combination of our preferences and how much we can pay. As mentioned in the 5th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, the soul prefers bodies with human forms, such as human beings and demigods, but in the impossibility of obtaining one, the soul may settle on anything available, just to have the opportunity to perform material activities. Souls who misuse their independence are degraded to lower species of life, where their free will is limited, and they lose the possibility of acting in criminal ways. They are then forced to perform their actions according to the laws of nature. In this condition, the soul gradually develops a new material identity by going through different species of life, gradually evolving in the direction of the human form. As Prabhupada mentions, sometimes a soul can take shelter even in a stone or mountain, and in this case the symptom is that this stone or mountain grows, serving as a field of activity for the soul residing there. Generally speaking, however, inanimate objects are different from living beings.
When it comes to living beings, the simplest organisms are basically unconscious, just absorbing nutrients from the environment and growing. Some plants however show some degree of sense perception, being able to "see" by identifying obstacles with their roots and branches as they grow, as well as to display some rudimentary sense of smell based on specialized cells that work more or less as part of the sense of touch. This allows these plants to display some level of consciousness, avoid obstacles while growing, communicate with other plants by releasing aromatic substances, identify predators, react to them by releasing certain chemicals (showing thus a rudimentary propensity for defense), and so on.
Better than these plants that have sense perception based on touch, are fish, because they have a developed sense of taste. Better than fish are insects such as bees, which have a developed sense of smell, and better are reptiles (starting from snakes) that have a developed sense of hearing. Most insects, fish, and reptiles can see to some degree, but higher animals can see in more detail, and thus distinguish one form from the other, like birds that use their vision to find food and prey. These are considered higher.
We can see that although simple, the description of Lord Kapila is quite accurate in identifying the level of development of consciousness in different living entities based on simple characteristics. The teachings of Lord Kapila offer thus also a study of anthropology, explaining the evolution of the soul, starting from the simplest organisms all the way to the most culturally and intellectually developed human beings. Although short, this study is thus in many aspects more advanced than modern anthropological studies, which often make wrong assumptions.
More advanced than birds and other entities that can see are the ones who have developed upper and lower sets of teeth, which indicates that one is getting closer to the human level. In the Taittiriya Upanisad is described that the upper and lower jaw in a human being indicate the division between the animal consciousness, focused on just satisfying the needs of the body, and higher consciousness that can be used to understand spiritual matters. Developed upper and lower sets of teeth are found only in higher animals, such as mammals and evolved reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Similarly, animals that have four legs are superior to insects and other creatures that have many legs, and better than four-legged animals are human beings.
The Vedas count the different species as 8,400,000, and from these, 400,000 are human beings. This number includes species of human beings found on other planets, such as Kinaras, and others, but even on our planet, there are thousands of different species of human beings. This is because the Vedas count species according to the level of consciousness, and not according to genetic similarity. Not all human beings have the same level of consciousness, therefore they are counted as different species, regardless of physical or genetic characteristics. This shows how a human body is not the end of the evolutionary process: once attaining a human body, the soul has still to progress from uncivilized life to civilized life and then gradually progress all the way to the level of a pure Vaishnava. The Vedas also bring the rather revolutionary concept that a human being can evolve to a higher grade of consciousness without having to change his body, through the appropriate purificatory process. A mleccha can thus become a Brahmana or even a pure Vaishnava.
Modern societies are generally considered evolved due to technical development, but according to the Vedic classification, we are uncivilized, because we don't follow the regulations of the Varnasrama system, which is considered the beginning of civilized life. Inside a varnasrama society, Brahmanas are considered the most evolved, because they are focused on developing their spiritual understanding. Even the platform of a Brahmana is, however, not perfect. A Brahmana has to carefully study the Vedas, and from Brahmanas who have done so, the best is one who comes to understand the real conclusion of the Vedas, which is to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This understanding has three stages: Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. A Brahmana who reaches the third stage comes to the stage of devotional service as a Vaishnava. The Vaishnava is thus the conclusion of the evolution in the brahminical stage. This supports the conclusions of our previous acaryas that a person who is following Vaishnava principles and worshiping the Lord by his practice of devotional service is automatically a Brahmana, just like one who has a million has automatically a thousand and a hundred.
Still more evolved than a Vaishnava who can understand the purpose of the Vedas is one who can explain it and destroy all doubts. However, just understanding the philosophy is not the conclusion: one has to be able to follow all standards and show proper Brahminical behavior. In other words, he has to practice what he teaches. Still more evolved is one who is in a liberated platform, free from material contamination, and even higher is a pure devotee, who serves the Lord without any expectation of reward. Such a pure Vaishnava can act as an acarya, training others to be elevated to a similar standard.
As Prabhupada explains: "Further, there may be a learned brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇava who can explain clearly and eradicate all doubts, but if he does not follow the Vaiṣṇava principles, then he is not situated on a higher level. One must be able to clear all doubts and simultaneously be situated in the brahminical characteristics. Such a person, who knows the purpose of the Vedic injunctions, who can employ the principles laid down in the Vedic literature, and who teaches his disciples in that way, is called an ācārya. The position of an ācārya is that he executes devotional service with no desire for elevation to a higher position of life."
Prabhupada also mentions three categories of Vaishnavas, divided according to their level of realization. Vaishnavas in the first group have a sufficient understanding of the scriptures to sustain their own practice but are not well-versed enough to explain it to others in a convincing way. Vaishnavas in the second group have a deeper understanding and can explain this knowledge to others, helping them to also come to the platform of devotional service, but they are still progressing in terms of realization. The third group is composed of the perfect Vaishnavas who have concluded this process of realization and can see everything in the Lord and the Lord in everything. Lord Kapila concludes by stating that He can find no person higher than such a pure Vaishnava who has no separate interest and dedicates all his actions, thoughts, and words to the service of the Lord without cessation. On SB 1.2.6 it is mentioned that devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. Such a pure devotee is one who achieved that. That's the ultimate goal of life.
The ultimate goal
"Such a perfect devotee offers respects to every living entity because he is under the firm conviction that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has entered the body of every living entity as the Supersoul, or controller.
My dear mother, O daughter of Manu, a devotee who applies the science of devotional service and mystic yoga in this way can achieve the abode of the Supreme Person simply by that devotional service.
This puruṣa whom the individual soul must approach is the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as Brahman and Paramātmā. He is the transcendental chief personality, and His activities are all spiritual." (SB 3.29.34-36)
Apart from respecting every living being as a soul, part and parcel of Krsna, another reason is the presence of the Supersoul inside their hearts. Understanding that Krsna is personally present in all bodies as the Supersoul, how can we disrespect or cause harm to anyone? Apart from that, although the Supersoul is not affected by material circumstances, He observes everything and is compassionate to the sufferings of the souls who are His parts and parcels. Therefore, when we cause harm to any living entity, we act against the will of the Supersoul, and we become thus entangled in the karmic reactions.
One of the ten offenses is to chant the holy names as a way to neutralize sinful acts committed willingly. By chanting the holy names we can easily become free from all past sinful reactions, as well as reactions for sins committed accidentally, but we should not think that by chanting and following the devotional service we become immune to all kinds of sinful acts and become entitled to harm others. One of the problems with practicing devotional service covered by passion or ignorance is exactly that we tend to see ourselves as higher or more important than others, and thus think we are entitled to harm or punish them. This is a symptom that we are still practicing devotional service under the spell of the false ego, and thus our practice is nourishing our material identity, making us think we are great devotees, higher than others. We are supposed to see ourselves as smaller as we progress, not bigger.
A pure devotee who became free from the spell of false ego treats everyone with respect, according to the practical considerations described previously. He can see both the soul and the Supersoul situated in every heart, and can also understand that although both share the same spiritual nature, they are separate individuals. He sees every body as a temple, where the Lord resides accompanied by His part and parcel, and thus offers respect to all such temples. In the Jaiva Dharma, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes many episodes where Vaishnavas would offer obeisances even to atheists, offering their respects not to the conditioned material identity, but to the Supersoul residing in their hearts. Interestingly, is exactly this meek behavior, combined with a deep understanding of the philosophy that allows such great Vaishnavas to convert even staunch atheists to the practice of devotional service. We can observe this in the encounters of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and Prakasananda Sarasvati, amongst other incidents. An intermediate devotee lacks such deep realization and thus his power to transmit Krsna consciousness is limited.
These three verses are a conclusion of the description of the process of devotional service described by Lord Kapila in the previous verses. Although Lord Kapila describes the practice of mystic yoga, the ultimate goal is pure devotional service, therefore the process He describes is not different from what we practice apart from a few details. We meditate on the deity instead of meditating in Paramatma inside the heart, but the process of meditation in the form of the Lord is the same. Similarly, we chant the Mahamantra instead of the Omkara, but the process of reciting and fixing our attention on the transcendental sound vibration is the same. When the processes of Karma, Jñāna or Yoga are practiced with some other purpose, they are considered separate processes, but when they are practiced with the goal of achieving devotional service, they are considered part of the bhakti process. We can see that in the Bhagavad-gita Prabhupada consistently translates terms such as Karma-yoga, Jñāna-yoga, etc. as "devotional service", instead of classifying them as separate processes.
The ultimate goal of the process of devotional service is pure love of Godhead, which is the ultimate perfectional stage of the soul. Because different processes such as Karma-yoga, Jñāna-yoga, Buddhi-yoga, etc. lead to this ultimate goal, they are considered different limbs of the same process.
Devotional service can be performed in different ways. One can use his hands and legs to collect different ingredients to worship the deity, or one may do the same in his meditation. One may travel around the world teaching people about Krsna consciousness, or one may just sit in one place, writing books or simply meditating in the form, qualities, and activities of the Lord. All these different forms of service are accepted by the Lord, the only distinction is the degree of attention and love with which they are performed. Narada Muni serves the Lord by traveling around the universe, chanting and preaching, Ambarīṣa Maharaja was serving the Lord by worshiping the deity, while Kardama Muni was serving mentally in his yogic trance, but ultimately there is no difference between their service, they are all pure devotees.
In his purport, Srila Prabhupada gives an interesting example to show how the development of our propensity of service to the Lord is the process of achieving ultimate happiness. The capacity of the soul for enjoyment is very small. The Lord is like a very rich man and the individual soul is like a pauper. Although the pauper has no resources for enjoying independently, when he cooperates with the rich man, aligning his desires with his desires, he can enjoy in cooperation with him. In this case, the enjoyment is shared equally. When the soul is connected with Krsna in love, abandoning his separatist mentality, he can experience enjoyment on the same level as the Lord. However, when we try to enjoy independently, we experience only frustration.
As he explains: "The quality of puruṣa exists both in the Supreme Godhead and in the living entity. Puruṣa means “enjoyer,” and the spirit of enjoyment is present both in the living entity and in the Supreme Lord. The difference is that the quantity of enjoyment is not equal. The living entity cannot experience the same quantity of enjoyment as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. An analogy may be made with a rich man and a poor man: the propensity for enjoyment is present in both, but the poor man cannot enjoy in the same quantity as the rich man. When the poor man dovetails his desires with those of the rich man, however, and when there is cooperation between the poor man and the rich man, or between the big and the small man, then the enjoyment is shared equally. That is like bhakti-yoga. Puruṣaḥ puruṣam vrajet: when the living entity enters into the kingdom of God and cooperates with the Supreme Lord by giving Him enjoyment, he enjoys the same facility or the same amount of pleasure as the Supreme Personality of Godhead."