Although the object of our heart’s faith is infinite, still, some conceptions of Him have been given by the men of experience in the ocean of faith. In the ocean of faith, many have had their special experience, and that has been recorded in the scriptures. Through that we can approach the saints who stand like lighthouses to help us cross the ocean of nescience. But that must be bona fide and not merely a concoction or an imitation. It may also be possible to imitate the real thing by taking our mundane experience and thrusting it into the world of faith. So, we must approach that plane very carefully through the line of reliable saints.
We must be careful to know the qualifications of a real saint. Their symptoms are given in the scriptures. And who is a disciple and what should be his attitude? All these things are given in the scriptures. And faith is required in order to work in that substantial conscious world which is subjective. This is the most important thing that we have to remember: the Infinite is subjective. It can guide us and be affectionate to us. All these things are to be reckoned with. He can guide us. The revealed truth stands on this foundation: we cannot approach Krishna by the ascending method, but He can descend to our level to make Himself known. We must understand this very fundamental and substantial point: He can come to us, and only through faith can we come to Him.
Sraddha — faith — is more important than calculative truth. The example of great souls is more valuable to us than our human calculation. The external, material, physical truth does not have much value. Rather, it is a false attitude of mind which is very strong. That physical truth should not be given greater respect than the intuitive practices of pure devotees; rather, the intuition of a pure devotee should be given preference to the calculations of truth made by ordinary men. Faith has no connection with the so-called reality of this world. It is completely independent. There is a world which is guided only by faith (sraddhamayo ’yam lokah). Faith is everything there, and it is infinite and all-accommodating. In the world of faith, everything may be true by the sweet will of the Lord. And here, in the land of death, calculation is inconclusive and destructive in its ultimate goal; it has no ultimate value. It should be rejected. The knowledge that materialists come under, the fallible calculation of exploiting souls, has no value whatsoever. But in the world of the infinite, faith is the only standard by which everything moves.
svayam samuttirya sudustaram dyuman
bhavarnavam bhimam adabhra-sauhrdah
bhavat padambhoruha-navam atra te
nidhaya yatah sad-anugraho bhavan
Here, Srimad Bhagavatam says that just as in the vast ocean, when nothing else can be seen, the compass is the only guide, so in the world of the infinite, our only guide is the footsteps of those great souls who have traveled on the path of faith. The way has been marked by the holy footsteps of those who have gone to the highest quarter. That is our only hope. Yudhisthir Maharaj also says that the real secret is concealed in the hearts of saints, as treasure is hidden in a mysterious cave (dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam). The broad line towards the truth is chalked out by those who are going to the divine world. And that is our surest guide. All other methods of guidance may be eliminated because calculation is fallible.
Guidance comes from the Absolute Infinite. And His guidance can come in any form, anywhere, any time. With this broad view, we should realise the meaning of Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha means «without limitation». It is as if we are in a boat floating on the infinite ocean. Many things may come to help or hinder us. But only our optimistic good faith may be our guide, our Gurudev. The guide is Sri Guru.
nr-deham adyam sulabham sudurlabham
plavam sukalpam guru-karnadharam
mayanukulena nabhasvateritam
puman bhavabdhim na taret sa atma-ha
In the infinite ocean we have boarded our small boat, the human form of life, and our destination is uncertain and inconceivable. But it is conceivable to our Gurudev (Guru-karnadharam). Our Guru is our guide — the captain of the boat. And we must progress with sincere faith. We are trying to cross a horrible ocean with huge waves and dangerous sharks and whale-swallowing whales. It is full of danger. The guidance of saints is our only hope. We must depend on them. They stand like lighthouses in the infinite ocean to guide us to the land of faith. Faith means «hope in the infinite». Vaikuntha means «infinite». And sraddha means «good faith». Just as there is a place called the Cape of Good Hope, sraddha means surcharged with good hope in the infinite. Vaikuntha is infinite, and if we wish to draw the attention of the Infinite, the only way open to us is sraddha.
By sraddha alone, we can attract the Infinite. And when sraddha develops a definite form, after progressing through bhava, ecstatic emotion, sraddha becomes prema — divine love. Columbus set sail, and after a long voyage, finally arrived in America; he reached the land of good hope. In the same way, with hope, sraddha, faith, we may, after crossing Vaikuntha, arrive in the highest plane of the spiritual cosmos. Sraddha is our light in the darkness.
Only sraddha can guide us when we are travelers in the infinite. «I have heard that this is the way to that place» — that spirit will keep our hearts enlivened. The definition of sraddha is given in the Chaitanya-charitamrta: «Faith is the firm conviction that by serving Krishna, all other purposes are automatically served.» No risk, no gain. Greatest risk, greatest gain. Krishna reassures us, «I am everywhere — there is no need to be afraid at all. Just realise that I am your friend. I am all-in-all, and you are Mine. To believe this is your only fare for the journey to the land of faith.»
The Absolute Truth, the transcendental substance who is the object of our enquiry through faith, is endowed with all power and all consciousness. He is kind, benevolent, and sweet. His power is infinitely higher than ours, and we are infinitely smaller than Him. Our attitude should be that compared to Him; we are insignificant.
What, then, will be the real symptom of a disciple? Who is a real seeker of truth? What is the qualification of one who is searching after the truth — what is his attitude, his nature? And what will be the symptom of the Guru, the guide?
In Bhagavad-gita, Sri Krishna says:
tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah
«One can learn the truth only by submissively approaching and enquiring from those who have seen and experienced the truth. And by rendering service to them, one becomes initiated into transcendental knowledge.»
What is required? Pranipat, submission, and seva, service. Then, the enquiry will be bona fide; otherwise, it is a false transaction: it may have no value. It may all be a waste of energy. Genuine faith does not allow us to think ourselves at liberty to do anything and everything. If it is a real transaction, there must be some guidance from above. So, sraddha, faith, is the most important thing for a devotee.
When one develops faith, he will do anything to approach the higher subjective realm. One who has faith wants to connect with that higher substance which is composed of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. Faith moves in consideration of existence, knowledge, and love. And when these three main points are realised, our existence is fully satisfied. Faith asks us to approach the higher world, not the lower. And to think, «In every way, Krishna is superior; He is our guardian and well-wisher» is the basis of faith.
The rationalists are always searching with their scientific brains for different ways to utilise and command the things they have discovered in their research. But faith is concerned with a substance far higher in all respects than even the searcher himself. One who is an enquirer about a higher substance must enquire with what is generally known as faith.
Proper guidance in faith is also necessary, and that guidance is given by the higher plane. That must be the attitude of our enquiry or search if we are to be successful. So, Bhagavad-gita advises: «Pranipat, pariprasna, sevaya: surrender, enquire, and serve.» In the Upanisads, it is said:
tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigachchhet
samit panih srotriyam brahma-nistham
«To understand the Absolute Truth, one must approach a Guru who is fixed in spiritual knowledge and well-versed in the scriptures. And he must approach the Guru being prepared for sacrifice.» This is the general instruction of the Upanisads.
Srimad Bhagavatam (11.3.21) similarly advises:
tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreyah uttamam
sabde pare cha nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam
«One seriously inquisitive to search for his highest prospect should take complete shelter of a Guru who has deep realisations of the Supreme Lord and the inner meaning of the scriptures. Such spiritual masters have left aside all relative considerations in favor of the supreme absolute consideration.»
We should be very attentive to these things. We should try to understand through self-searching whether we are really approaching divinity through faith. We must also see to it that our faith is real. Proper faith and credulity are not the same. Whether one is a bona fide searcher with real faith or one whose faith is adulterated must be considered. And there are symptoms of real faith. We have to consult higher authorities to guide us, because faith is a most important thing. If we are searching for truth, we are dissatisfied with our present acquisition. We are taking a risk to jump into a higher prospect. We must therefore take guidance carefully. We must be attentive as far as possible. We are told that our present reason is not sufficient to help us; that more than reason, sraddha is needed, and sraddha also has its symptoms. Still, as far as possible we shall apply our reason.
When I first came to the mission, I thought, «The transcendental truths that I hear from these devotees do not come within the clutches of worldly intelligence, but still, when I want to throw myself into that association, I shall use my reason and intellect as far as possible, understanding that I am going to jump into something which will be beyond my control, beyond my calculation.» So, we must carefully understand what sraddha is, with guidance from saints, scriptures, and Gurus.
Of course, even if we are going the right way, it is never certain that the path will be free from obstacles. Even if we are making progress, unexpected hindrances may trouble us and delay our advancement. Though we see many around us falling or retreating, we must go forward. We should have the conviction to think that although many began with us on the path and are now going back, we shall have to go on. We shall have to strengthen our energy and go forward alone if necessary. Our faith should be so strong that we have the conviction to go on alone if necessary and by the grace of our Lord cross whatever difficulties we find on our way. In this way, we must make ourselves fit. We must develop exclusive devotion. Of course, we shall always try to find good association. Yet sometimes it may seem that there is no association, that we are alone. Still, we must go on and search out the beacon light of the truth.
Progress means eliminating one thing and accepting another. Yet we should be able to see that there are so many others who can help us in our progress in the line of dedication; we must go forward with our eyes open. And the scriptures describe many levels that we shall have to cross beyond in our progress. By elimination, the path of progress is shown from Brahma to Siva to Laksmi. At last, Uddhava is shown to be superior to all. But it is his opinion that the gopis are the highest devotees. This is confirmed by Rupa Goswami:
karmibhyah parito hareh priyataya vyaktim yayur jnaninas
tebhyo jnana-vimukta-bhakti-paramah premaika-nisthas tatah
tebhyas tah pasu-pala-pankaja-drsas tabhyo ’pi sa radhika
prestha tadvad iyam tadiya-sarasi tam nasrayet kah krti
«There are those in the world who regulate their tendency for exploitation in accordance with the scriptural rules and thereby seek gradual elevation to the spiritual domain. However, superior to them are those wise men who, having given up the tendency to lord over others, attempt to dive deep into the realm of consciousness. But far superior to them are the pure devotees who are free from any mundane ambitions and are liberated from knowledge, not by knowledge, having achieved divine love. They have gained entrance into the land of dedication and are engaged there spontaneously in the Lord’s loving service. Among all devotees, however, the gopis are the highest, for they have forsaken everyone, including their families, and everything, including the strictures of the Vedas, and have taken complete shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna, accepting Him as their only protection. But among all the gopis, Srimati Radharani reigns supreme. For Krishna left the company of millions of gopis during the Rasa Dance to search for Her alone. She is so dear to Sri Krishna that the pond in which She bathes is His very favorite place. Who but a madman would not aspire to render service, under the shelter of superior devotees, in that most exalted of all holy places?»