Oink! Honk! Hoot! E=mc*2.....
AGTSP.... paoho.
We have just spent like two hours..... two hours, editing Sriman Radhika-raman Das and Srinatha Krsna Das et al's editing of our Tava Pache Pache commetary on NoI.
Ooof. Feel like a horse stepped on our head harshly. (Get it? Get the pun???)
All we got done was the Preface!
Yes, that is what a book takes. Editing for grammar, spelling. Then going back over and looking at who is your audience, what is the flow of ideas? What is the strategy? Editing again.
Well here is what we have so far. Please give your honest criticisms. It is better to have wise man for an enemy, than a fool for a friend.
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Tava Pāche Pāche
Afterwords to the Nectar of Instruction
Preface (to TPP)
This Tava Pache Pache is an effort to make the Nectar of Instruction of His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, more and more accessible to the whole world. Srila Prabhupada said that there should be a copy of NoI in every home. We hope to find a little place among so many other parallel efforts to glorifiy His Divine Grace and his golden Vedic literatures.
Of course, in turn we have been inspired by the quality and technique of Waves of Devotion by H. H. Danudhara Swami which gives illumination to Srila Prabhupada's Nectar of Devotion.
For whom are we writing this TPP? Who is our more specific audience? In our curriculum, we suggest reading NoI even in the bhakta program when you are getting ready for first initiation or even when you are just first experimenting with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our epistemology is not that we study one thing and then leave it, going on to the next. Rather, we go through each book again and again, but each time with more depth, more depth. It is a spiral education.
In this edition of TPP, we are working through NoI carefully, looking up all the references, considering each phrase in depth. So, I would say that we are really focusing on people who are preparing to take sannyāsa, part of the Bhakti-vaibhava curriculum. Of course ladies don't take Sannyasa formally but they also must become Goswamis. In other words, we can read NoI casually for the first time, and then read it again for bhakti-śāstri, and then again at the bhakti-vaibhava level. This TPP is focusing on this level of devotee.
Preface
At the beginning of the Preface to the Nectar of Instruction, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes:
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is conducted under the supervision of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, or Bengali Vaiṣṇavas, are mostly followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, of whom the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana are direct disciples. Therefore Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung:
rūpa-raghunātha-pade ha-ibe ākuti
kabe hāma bujhaba se yugala-pīriti
“When I am eager to understand the literature given by the Gosvāmīs, then I shall be able to understand the transcendental loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.”1
In our detailed study of NoI, we have tried to look up every citation that Śrīla Prabhupāda uses. The above verse is part of the song that begins with 'gaurāńga' bolite habe pulaka-śarīra. We find it as one of only two songs that Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes in full in all of his purports. Special song?
The other song, nārada muni, bājāy vīṇā ,occurs in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Canto Six. This song, 'gaurāńga' bolite habe, is in the purport to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.17 (Easy to remember “1, 7, 1, 7”) which talks about the Pañca Tattva, and Gadādhara Paṇḍita in particular. (Actually, the last verse of the song is omitted in the CC purport.) This song is so important; parts of it are cited again and again in Prabhupāda’s books. Furthermore, this is the first song in Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura’s Prārthanā, and it is the summary of our entire philosophy. It describes the entire course of our spiritual development — from attachment to the material world, to getting free from our sinful reactions, to being able to appreciate Vṛndāvana Dhāma, to getting the mercy of the mañjaris, to being able to enter into Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s affairs. Thus, it is like a summary of all the songs that follow in Prārthanā. We've memorized it, sing it, give fantastric seminars on it.
Thus we can see how the citations in Nectar of Instruction are not just random; they seem to be essential texts and dialogs used by the acharyas to illustrate the points under discussion. Since Upadeśāmṛta, Nectar of Instruction, is an overview of our entire philosophy, from the simplest to the most advanced, these citations lead us to a more detailed study of our entire philosophy and culture from the simplest to the advanced. For all of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books NoI makes a fantastic study guide, a wonderful curriculum.
At first, we can just read the NoI, and then we can start looking at citations, conducting a more in-depth study. Memorizing these citations will give you an incredible resource for your teaching in every circumstance. To help with this we are offering an Appendix to the NoI with a list of all the citations and exact links to their source.
Śrīla Prabhupāda continues:
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in order to bestow upon human society the benediction of the science of Kṛṣṇa.
Very often, Śrīla Prabhupāda talks about the science of Kṛṣṇa. Science is the predominating philosophy of life in the present day, life comes from matter, we can explain everything by molecular-atomic theory. So here we are talking about the science of Kṛṣṇa. And what is the most exalted aspect of that science? “The most exalted of all the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa are His pastimes of conjugal love with the gopīs.”
We wonder how much we can talk about Srimati Radharani and the gopis in the begning stages of our preaching, but right here, in the Preface Srila Prabhupāda mentions the gopīs and Srimati Radharani. Yet, in what way, and to what extent?
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the best of the gopīs. Therefore, to understand the mission of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and follow in his footsteps, one must very seriously follow in the footsteps of the Six Gosvāmīs—Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha, Śrī Jīva, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and Dāsa Raghunātha.
They can be, should be, introduced in this general sense, no?
Then, everyone is interested in Mission Statements, so here we have one. So concise, so clear. You can use it for your institution: We should understand Lord Caitanya's mission and help him in his mission by studying the works of the Goswamis. Of course those works are imbedded in Srila Prabhupada's books and we can expand this Mission Statement as we go ahead, but already we have so many gifts from this Preface, the Mission Statement for out Anjana Suta Academy.
Notice that Prabhupāda mentions by name all Six Gosvāmīs here. He does this often. For our purification and for his satisfaction? He began the preface by mentioning Rūpa Gosvāmī, since he is the author of the book, and then Lord Caitanya, whose representative is Rūpa Gosvāmī. We find a verse in the invocation to the Bhagavad-gītā:
śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ
sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
This is the verse that specifically establishes Rūpa Gosvamī as the ācārya, the authorized representative of Lord Caitanya. Because there are so many people who claim to follow Lord Caitanya but do not follow Rūpa Gosvāmī, therefore Śrīla Prabhupāda first introduces Rūpa Gosvāmī, and then mentions the Bengali Vaiṣṇavas, Lord Caitanya, and finally the Six Gosvāmīs.
We can actually see a parampara in this preface. Many of Srila Prabhupada's book are prefaced this way, no? Explaining our epistemology through parampara.
- Krsna
- Radha
- Lord Caitanya
- Rupa Goswami
- Six Goswamis
- Narottama Das Thakura
- Gaudiya Vaisnavas
- Us.
If we can just know these great acharyas we will have wonderful link to the Supreme Absolute Truth.
Thus, our mission in the Anjana Suta Academy is to understand Lord Caitanya’s mission and follow in his footsteps. How can we do that? We must very seriously follow in the footsteps of the Six Gosvāmīs.
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī was the leader of all the Gosvāmīs, and to guide our activities he gave us thisUpadeśāmṛta (The Nectar of Instruction) to follow. As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left behind Him the eight verses known as Śikṣāṣṭaka, Rūpa Gosvāmī gave us Upadeśāmṛta so that we may become pure Vaiṣṇavas.
Now, this is very heavy glorification of Upadeśāmṛta. Śrīla Prabhupāda is more or less putting it on the same level as Śikṣāṣṭaka, the only work ever written by Lord Caitanya. All of our philosophy is contained in the Śikṣāṣṭaka, and it comprises a full chapter in the Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 20). As Śrīla Prabhupāda is citing the Śikṣāṣṭaka here so we should look it up, apply it in our practices. He quotes the full Śikṣāṣṭaka at the end of the introduction to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and also in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya as Lord Caitanya’s Mission.
Rupa Goswami gave us the Upadeśāmṛta so that we may become pure Vaiṣṇavas.
Upadeśāmṛta is sufficient for us to become pure Vaiṣṇavas? When Śrīla Prabhupāda came to San Francisco for ratha-yātrā in the Fall of 1975, he gave a class, and I was able to hear this directly from his Divine Grace's lips:
“Anybody who chants
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
and follows it with
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
has achieved the perfection of life, but if you want to preach, you should probably read my books.”
Can we add that by reading Prabhupāda’s books, we can also accelerate the process of chanting these two mantras? In many ways, if we chant our rounds, really understand the Upadeśāmṛta and follow all the material cited, then the Upadeśāmṛta certainly seems sufficient literature for us more gorilla headed soldiers in Lord Rama's army to become pure Vaiṣṇavas.
This mostly completes the preface to the NoI. Actually, maybe because it is so short, the Preface and Introduction to NoI are both included in the short preface.
In general, a preface should include 1) the purpose of the book, 2) the qualifications of the writer, 3) qualifications expected of the reader and 4) circumstances under which the book was written. For example, a preface might say, “My name is Bill Smith, and I work at Center High School in central Indiana in the center of the United States, and we discovered that there were no good books on calculus for high school students. I am a mathematics teacher, and so in the year 1965, my fellow teachers, students, and I wrote this book. It is expected that the student will have already finished analytical geometry before starting this book.” Has Srila Prabhupada thus informed us in his prefatorial material?
Then, an introduction discusses the content of the book, either by summarizing the entire book or by just introducing the first part. At this point, we see that Śrīla Prabhupāda offers an introduction to The Nectar of Instruction by introducing the first verse:
In all spiritual affairs, one’s first duty is to control his mind and senses. Unless one controls his mind and senses, one cannot make any advancement in spiritual life. Everyone within this material world is engrossed in the modes of passion and ignorance. One must promote himself to the platform of goodness, sattva-guṇa,by following the instructions of Rūpa Gosvāmī, and then everything concerning how to make further progress will be revealed.
We must realize the first Text, vaco vegam, manasa, kridha vegam, and then... we get clear insights. The same concept is found in the four nutshell verses of Bhagavad-gītā,10.8-11. (Another neumonic device. It is easy to remember the verse numbers because the first one is “10.8 or 108”.) There, Kṛṣṇa says:
teṣām evānukampārtham
aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
In other words, if we are in the mode of goodness, if we are second initiated devotees, and if we are constantly engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, worshipping the Deity, then Kṛṣṇa within the heart will enlighten us. Srila Prabhupāda gives a very strong declaration of this in the purport. Even if you cannot take advantage of your spiritual master's movement or his association, if we are sincere and fixed in the mode of goodness, then Kṛṣṇa in the heart will reveal to you how to make further progress.
In that case, we should not doubt our intuition and inspiration. Someone may say, “Prabhu, do this,” or “do that.” We may have a neurotic authority in our institution. Or someone may say, “You know that I am your wife. Do what I say,” or “I am your husband. Do what I say.” Well, if we have some intuition about things and if we are in the mode of goodness, sattva-guṇa, then we should also respect our intuition as an authority, but of course any inspiration we have in devotional life should be confirmed with guru, sadhu, sastra: our own spiritual master, the previous and contemporary gurus, and scripture. The first verse of Upadeśāmṛta will talk about how to be in sattva-guṇa and evaluate ourselves.
Everything concerning how to make further progress will be revealed.
Of course, “will be revealed” will usually mean that a particular purport or phrase, or advice from a situation, will be revealed to us. Kṛṣṇa will reveal to us through an external source, which is how it usually happens, but then it is confirmed from within. We will have a strong intuitive confirmation, “Yes, this is Kṛṣṇa talking to me.” Then, again, especially for critical issues, we should carefully confirm it externally with guru, sādhu and śāstra, and bona fide ISKCON GBC authority.
Next:
Advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness depends on the attitude of the follower.
Attitude means buddhi, intelligence, perspective. Advancement depends upon our perspective. In Hindi, ISKCON is called the Antarāṣṭrīya Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta Saṅga. Bhāvanāmṛta means consciousness.
yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
Whatever bhāva, buddhi, perspective, attitude, consciousness we have at the time of death, that is where we go.
When an airplane is landing, it has to have a proper attitude toward the runway. The pitch, the roll and the yaw all have to be correct. “Pitch” is how much the nose is up or down, “roll” is how much the wings are rotating from horizontal and “yaw” is how much the aircraft is turned relative to the line of flight, whether it is going in with the wing towards the runway, rather than the nose. That can happen.
Thus, we have to have the proper attitude. This is bhāva. Our bhāva is fixed up in the morning, especially during maṅgala ārati, while chanting the morning songs, meditating to get the proper intelligence and perspective. Then, on that basis we can plan, think — manas.
Next:
A follower of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should become a perfect gosvāmī. . . One who wants to become a perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa must become a gosvāmī.
This is important distinction of the steps to perfectin. The NoI will make us gosvāmīs but will offer further guidance for training through raganuga-bhakti, prema-bhakti, even to the level of Radha Kunda. A perfect gosvāmī may not be a perfect devotee yet.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has given many other books, such as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava, but Upadeśāmṛta constitutes the first instructions for neophyte devotees.
Here we have a whole curriculum introduced to us if we want to follow these links. Upadeśāmṛta is a summary, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is the complete science and the two dramas, Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava, are a demonstration of that science. They show us all the mellows in action.
Vidagdha-mādhava is about Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. (The “V”s match, Vidagdha and Vṛndāvana) and Lalita-mādhava is about Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā, but Upadeśāmṛta, Prabhupāda says, constitutes “the first instructions for neophyte devotees.” Therefore we feel justified in making it the foundation of our entire educational curriculum.
One should follow these instructions very strictly.
Yes, we are still working on that.
Then it will be easier to make one’s life successful. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Here Prabhupāda finishes off the preface with a sacred “Hallelujah”—Hare Kṛṣṇa.! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!!
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
September 20, 1975
Viśvarūpa-mahotsava
Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandira
Ramaṇa-reti
Vṛndāvana, India
That is when Prabhupāda released the book—September 20, 1975. Viśvarūpa-mahotsava comes around September every year, about the same time as the disappearance day of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, appearance day of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and Vāmana-dvādaśi. That whole week is a festival, and in particular, Viśvarūpa-mahotsava was the anniversary of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s sannyāsa. How could Prabhupāda not be thinking about that when he dedicated this book?
This year, Upadeśāmṛta will be 50 years old. We can have a birthday cake with 50-candles on it, organize a nice festival, read the entire book, distribute one case. In fact, on our annual Vaiṣṇava calendar, we can have an anniversary celebration for so many of Prabhupāda’s books, since he mentions the dates and other information.
Finally, we have Prabhupāda’s signature here. Try copy it — I dare you. Rāgānuga. If you try, you will glimpse the intensity of Prabhupāda’s consciousness, his dancing movement, full of curls and spins. To be dancing after Srila Prabhupāda — such an incredible experience.
We thank the readers for their association and request their forgiveness for our many,many, inadequacies. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
1? Quotations from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, including Nectar of Instruction, were verified and referenced using the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase at www.vedabase.io. It is with deep gratitude that we thank the Bhaktivedanta Archives, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, and vedabase.io for keeping Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings accessible as books, recordings, VedaBase software, and online. All quotations from Śrīla Prabhupāda are copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
