The Cause of Confusion and Dissension in the Krishna Consciousness Movement (Part 3)

3. On the whole: Not serious about Krishna Consciousness Bhagavad-gita 2.41 vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-shakha hy anantas ca buddhayo vyavasayinam

Translation

Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.

Purport

A strong faith in Krishna consciousness that one should be elevated to the highest perfection of life is called vyavasayatmika intelligence. The Chaitanya-Charitamrita states: shraddha-shabde vihvasa kahe sudhrudha nishcaya krshne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. When one is engaged in the duties of Krishna consciousness, he need not act in relationship to the material world with obligations to family traditions, humanity, or nationality. Fruitive activities are the engagements of one's reactions from past good or bad deeds. When one is awake in Krishna consciousness, he need no longer endeavor for good results in his activities. When one is situated in Krishna consciousness, all activities are on the absolute plane, for they are no longer subject to dualities like good and bad. The highest perfection of Krishna consciousness is renunciation of the material conception of life. This state is automatically achieved by progressive Krishna consciousness. The resolute purpose of a person in Krishna consciousness is based on knowledge ("Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhaḥ") by which one comes to know perfectly that Vasudeva, or Krishna, is the root of all manifested causes. As water on the root of

a tree is automatically distributed to the leaves and branches, in Krishna consciousness, one can render the highest service to everyone—namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc.

If Krishna is satisfied by one's actions, then everyone will be satisfied.

Service in Krishna consciousness is, however, best practiced under the able guidance of a spiritual master who is a bona fide representative of Krishna, who knows the nature of the student and who can guide him to act in Krishna consciousness. As such, to be well-versed in Krishna consciousness one has to act firmly and obey the representative of Krishna, and one should accept the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master as one's mission in life. Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Ṭhakur instructs us, in his famous prayers for the spiritual master, as follows: yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasādo yasyaprasadanna gatih kuto pi dhyayam stuvams tasya yashas tri-sandhyam vande guroh sri-caranaravindam.

"By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied.

And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Krishna consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master." The whole process, however, depends on perfect knowledge of the soul beyond the conception of the body—not theoretically but practically, when there is no longer chance for sense gratification manifested in fruitive activities. One who is not firmly fixed in mind is diverted by various types of fruitive acts.

“After receiving the spiritual master’s mercy, one must repeat his instructions, and this is called shravana-kirtana-hearing and chanting. One who has not properly heard from the spiritual master or who does not follow the regulative principles is not fit for chanting (kirtana). This is explained in Bhagavad-gita (2.41): vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana. One who has not listened carefully to the instructions of the spiritual master is unfit to chant or preach the cult of devotional service. One has to water the bhakti-lata-bija after receiving instructions from the spiritual master.” (CC Madhya 19.152)