Devotee: Maharaj, I read that in the dream state the living entity also sees. So, what is that medium by which one sees in a dream? What kind of ‘eye’ is that?
Srila Guru Maharaj: The mental system, that is, the subtle-body within called suksma-deha, cannot only see; he has eyes, ears, the sense of touch, as well as all the other senses. Everything that exists in the form of flesh and blood is also there in our subtle body. It is closer to our real self and is more perfect than this external body. Everyone has that mental system. There is a mental world with its own government where Yamaraj is the judge. Independent of the physical body, the mental body can live and move in different levels in that subtle region. Good and bad are there in degrees, but all within the jurisdiction of the three modes of nature within this brahmanda, this material universe.
Sri Ramanuja Acharya says that dreams are not false. Just as we have experiences in our waking life, we also live through many experiences in dreams. In our dreams, we feel pain and pleasure; thereby, many of our reactions are finished. By suffering in the physical life, the result of bad karma finishes. By feeling pleasure, our punyam, merit, is exhausted. Similarly, in a bad dream we feel some pain, and as a result some of our previous bad karma finishes, and in a good dream when we feel happiness and pleasure, some punyam resulting from our piety is finished. That kind of life is also ‘real’ in the mundane sense.
The higher planetary systems Bhu, Bhuva, Sva, Maha, Jana, Tapa, and Satya are various stages within material existence, but where are they? They are not in the physical plane but in the mental plane, the world of mental experience.
Devotee: So are the living entities there already living in their subtle bodies, not in gross bodies of flesh and blood?
Srila Guru Maharaj: Yes. Even the trees and stones have their subtle bodies, but they are not awakened sufficiently. The degrees of awakenment are all different. Misconception under the modes of mundane nature (guna-mayi) extends, according to its degree, up to Satyaloka, the plane of Lord Brahma, and finally the negative side merges into Viraja and is finished. Then, the spiritual plane begins with Brahmaloka, the spiritual effulgence, and ascends though the levels of spiritual variegatedness from Sivaloka to Vaikuntha. Above that is Ayodhya, then Dvaraka, and finally Vrndavan in Goloka. So, gradation extends everywhere up to Svayam Bhagavan in Radha Kunda. There are the Rasa-lila, the Govardhan-lila, and the Pastimes at Radha Kunda, and in all these, the standard of measurement is according to the rasa, the anandam — the degree of ecstatic joy. Each individual country has its own currency such as dollars, pounds, rupees, roubles, yen, etc., but the international standard is gold. Similarly, rasa or anandam is the universal standard by which we are to measure what is high and what is low.
Devotee: Why don’t the Gaudiya Vaisnavas use any yoga practices such as yoga-asanas, pranayam, etc. in their service to Krishna?
Srila Guru Maharaj: The Gaudiya Vaisnavas discard any artificial things. God is with the heart, and that is the important part. We are to appeal to the heart and have transaction with the heart, and not that by manipulation of the natural forces we shall gain some mystic power and try to exert that on God. Is that a form of worship? For one who has a heart, the hearty transaction is the most natural. And that is service. Satisfaction is for the Lord, so what is the value of trying to gain some power from elsewhere and by dint of that, to try to encroach upon Him? What is the result of doing yoga? It will give some power, but what effect can that power have on Him? None. We are not to try to exert our energy upon Him, but the opposite is necessary. We are to consider that we are the most fallen of the fallen and the meanest of the mean. «I want Your grace. Please accept me as a slave, as Your meanest servant.» This is the way to approach the higher and not that we are to gather some power and by dint of that power jump on that superior entity, for that is not the process of getting Him, of receiving His favour. Favour is favour!
The Lord is all-complete and all-perfect. If we want His favour, we must approach keeping ourselves in the meanest position. We have no position. We are nowhere. We are wholesale dependent upon Him. This is our natural position, our constitutional position. We are wholly dependent upon Him. So, any petition to Him must be with this temperament: «I want Your favour. Your grace. Please accept me. I am so heinous, so sinful, and the meanest of the mean. You are my best friend, but neglecting You, I left and went somewhere else to search for my prospect. I was so mean. I am not only a sinner, but I am a traitor, a treacherous man.» In this way, we are to go back to our highest and most affectionate friend.
What help will this yoga power do for me? He is above all seduction. Shall I think that with the power of yoga I shall influence Him to favour me? It is not possible for Him to be controlled in any way by yogic power, so yoga can give me no benefit. What will yoga do for me? He is all-independent, absolute. He is perfect in Himself. To try to exert other influences upon Him will have no effect; rather, that will anger Him. Instead we are to approach Him with some recommendation or with a guardian.
The Guru and Vaisnavas are our guardians. We are not to go to any external power of nature but to His agents and ask them to plead for us. By yoga, we can acquire some subtle power, but no power can work on Him against His sweet will. We must approach Him in the line of His sweet will and with those who have faith in His sweet will. Those who have faith in His sweet will are His devotees. Through them, we must approach Him and not by any attempt through any other power, for that will give just the opposite result. If we want to know Him, it is futile! We cannot know Him by our attempts. Still, if we find such necessity, we shall pray, «Please make Yourself known to me»; otherwise, it is not necessary to waste our energy asking that He will reveal Himself. If we can leave the idea that we must know Him, then that request becomes redundant. Rather, our mood should be, «I want to satisfy You. I want to contribute something for Your satisfaction. Please accept me. You are full. You are perfect. You have no needs, but for my necessity please give me some sort of service.» Service means in the line of satisfaction to Him, and that should be our attitude to approach Him. To approach a friend, an affectionate friend, so many mystic persons should not be called to help in our attempt.
yamadibhir yoga-pathaih kama-lobha-hato muhuh
mukunda-sevaya yadvat tathatmaddha na samyati
It may be possible for us to control our senses to a certain extent and for some time by the practice of yoga, but yoga cannot give the Absolute. That He is Absolute means He is above all. Absolute means that He is self-sufficient; He is not dependent on any other thing. Yoga can only help us to control our mental and physical anomalies or eccentricities, that too only for the time being, not for eternity. For the time being, lust, anger, greed, illusion, etc. (kama, krodha, lobha, moha, etc.) all may be brought under control but only for some temporary period. Mukunda-sevaya: but if we can engage ourselves in the service of Mukunda, then all disturbances will leave us once and for all. By finding the sweet taste in His service and company, all these so-called charming proposals will retire eternally. The charm for lust, the charm for anger or for greed, all these things will vanish altogether and won’t come back again if only we can get the taste of serving the Lord, Mukunda.
naham vedair na tapasa na danena na chejyaya
sakya evam-vidho drastum drstavan asi yan mama
bhaktya tv ananyaya sakya aham evam-vidho ’rjuna
jnatum drastun cha tattvena pravestun cha parantapa
«All other means fail. Only exclusive devotion can draw Me as you see Me here, Arjuna, but other things cannot lead to such a position. Temporary devotion also will not be sufficient, but what is necessary is permanent, exclusive devotion.»
sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja
«Reject all else and only concentrate on My own self for that is the only sort of devotion that can draw Me to the devotee. All else is futile and shameful. It is not that someone will come with hired persons to canvas Me. No! My agents are the best benefactors to you. They are searching to canvas persons in My favour. My agents are there and not for any business purpose. Their business is to do good to others, and with this idea so many agents are out to canvas for Me. Come through them, and do not seek any recommendation from outside to use various means to try to force Me to favour you. That is not the proper path, but come to Me through My own agents. They have no aspiration to fulfil for themselves. They are all-given to My service, and they are wandering trying to recruit persons, to benefit them. So, come through My agents, never otherwise. What is yoga? There is air and there are so many things, but by controlling those do you think you will force Me to come to you? I am the Absolute Autocrat. I don’t care for anything else. I have no necessity to care for anything else. Not any force, any tactics, any cunning methods, any canvassing — nothing can influence Me. I am the Autocrat. And admitting the line of autocracy, try to come to Me. There are many demigods. They are making trade, but I am not amongst the commodities of their trading. None can make trade with Me. I am Absolute. I look only for devotion, exclusive devotion which is not formal, but natural, hearty, and sincere. I look for that. I look for the heart and not for anything else: bhava-grahi-Janardanah.»
patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayachchhati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah
«Whatever My devotee offers to Me with sincere devotion, with sincere affection, I accept that. It does not matter whether it is a leaf, a flower, water, or anything else. Rich food or rich presentations are not necessary for Me, but what I want is the heart. I want sincerity and good faith. That is the highest requirement within Me.» There is a carefully written poem: «O Krishna, You have everything, but only You do not have Your heart. Your heart has been stolen by the gopis. You have everything except for Your heart and mind. They are not present in You for they have already been stolen by the gopis. So, You take my heart. You accept my mind. That is what is wanting in You, so please accept my heart and mind for Yourself. Your heart is missing, and that has attracted my heart towards You, so please take it.»