Jaiva Dharma - Chapter 1 - 0
Jaiva Dharma - Chapter 1 - 0
Premadasa Babaji and Sannyasi Maharaja danced and performed kirtana for a long time. When they stopped,
they spoke together on many topics. Finally, Premadasa Babaji said very humbly, “O Mahatma, kindly stay here in
Pradyumna-kunja for a few days just to purify me.”
The sannyasi said, “I have offered my body at your lotus feet. Why do you speak of a few days only? My
anxious prayer is that I may serve you until I give up this body.”
Sannyasi Thakura was an erudite scholar of all the sastras. He knew very well that if one stays in the residence
of the guru, one will naturally receive the guru’s instructions, so he took up residence in that grove with great delight.
After a few days Paramahamsa Babaji said to the elevated sannyasi, “O Mahatma, Sri Pradyumna Brahmacari
has mercifully given me shelter at his lotus feet. At present he lives in the village of Sri Devapalli on the outskirts of Sri
Navadvipa-mandala, where he is absorbed in the worship of Sri Nrsimhadeva. Today, after collecting alms, let us go
there and take darsana of his lotus feet.”
Sannyasi Thakura replied, “I will follow whatever instructions
Sannyasi Thakura humbly offered obeisances at the lotus feet of his parama-guru and said, “Prabhu, you are an
associate of Sri Caitanyadeva and you can purify hundreds of arrogant sannyasis like me just by your merciful glance.
Please bestow your mercy upon me.”
Sannyasi Thakura had no previous experience of the reciprocal behavior between Vaisnavas. However, he
accepted the mutual dealings that he observed between his guru and parama-guru as the sad-acara (proper etiquette)
that he himself should follow, and from that day on, he behaved accordingly toward his own guru without a trace of
duplicity. When the evening arati was over, the guru and sisya returned to Sri Godruma.
A few days after residing in the kunja, Sannyasi Thakura became anxious to inquire about spiritual truths from
Paramahamsa Babaji. By this time, the sannyasi had adopted all the ways of a Vaisnava, except for his outer dress.
During his previous training, Sannyasi Thakura had developed qualities such as full control over his mind and senses,
and had become firmly established in the conception of the non-dual, all-pervading Absolute (brahma-nistha). In
addition, he had now acquired staunch faith in the transcendental pastimes of Parabrahma Sri Krsna, and had become
deeply humble.
One morning, after performing ablutions at the break of dawn, Paramahamsa Babaji sat in the madhavi grove
chanting hari-nama on his tulasi-mala. At that time, Sri Sri Radha and Krsna Yugala’s nisanta-lila (Their pastimes just
prior to dawn) gradually manifested within his heart. Because this was the time that Sri Sri Radha and Krsna part from
each other’s company, leaving the kunja to return to Their respective homes, Paramahamsa Babaji felt great pangs of
separation, and tears of love streamed continuously from his eyes. While absorbed in meditation on this pastime, he
was internally engaged in service appropriate for that period of the day in his perfected spiritual form; thus, he had lost
all awareness of his physical body. Sannyasi Thakura was captivated by Babaji’s state, and sat beside him, observing
his sattvika-bhavas, transcendental symptoms of ecstasy.
Paramahamsa Babaji said to him, “O sakhi, silence Kakkhati (Srimati Radhika’s monkey) at once, otherwise
she will rouse Radha-Govinda from Their sleep of divine pleasure; then Lalita-sakhi will become distressed, and will
rebuke me. Look there! Ananga Manjari is signaling for you to do this. You are Ramana Manjari and this is your
designated service. Be attentive in this regard.”
After uttering these words, Paramahamsa Babaji fell unconscious. From that moment, Sannyasi Maharaja, now
acquainted with his spiritual identity and service, engaged himself accordingly. Thus, the day dawned and the morning
“From this statement it is clearly understood that the only real substance is that which is related to the Supreme
Transcendence. Sri Bhagavan is the only real Entity (vastava-vastu). The living entity (jiva) is a distinct or individual
part of that Entity, while maya—the potency that produces bewilderment—is the energy of that Entity. Therefore, the
word vastu refers to three fundamental principles: Bhagavan, the jiva, and maya. Knowledge of the mutual relationship
between these three principles is known as pure knowledge (suddha-jnana). There are innumerable apparent
representations of these three principles, and they are all regarded as avastava-vastu, unreal substances. The
classification of phenomena into various categories such as dravya (objects) and guna (qualities), which is undertaken
by the Vaisesika school of philosophy, is merely a deliberation on the nature of avastava-vastu, temporary objects.
“The special characteristic (visesa-guna) of any truly abiding substance is its factual nature. The jiva is a real
entity, and his eternal characteristic quality is his true nature.”
Sannyasi Maharaja said, “Prabhu, I want to understand this
topic very clearly.
Babaji Mahasaya replied, “Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, who was an object of the mercy of Sri
Nityananda Prabhu, showed me a manuscript that he had written with his own hand. Sriman Mahaprabhu has instructed
us on this subject in the book named Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 20.108) as follows:
The jiva who has forgotten Krsna has been preoccupied with
the external potency since time without beginning. Consequently,
Krsna’s illusory potency (maya) gives him misery
in the form of material existence.
“Krsna is the complete transcendental substance (cid-vastu). He is often compared to the sun of the spiritual
realm, and the jivas are compared to the sun’s atomic particles of light. Jivas are innumerable. When it is said that they
are individual parts of Krsna, it does not mean that they are like the pieces of stone that form a mountain. Although
innumerable jiva portions emanate from Sri Krsna, He is not diminished by this in the slightest. For this reason,
the Vedas have compared the jivas in one respect to sparks emanating from a fire. In reality, no adequate comparison
can be made. No comparison—whether to sparks of a blazing fire, atomic particles within the rays of the sun, or gold
produced from powerful mystic jewels—is completely appropriate. The true nature of the jiva is easily revealed in the
heart, but only when the mundane conception of these comparisons is given up.
“Krsna is infinite spiritual substance (brhat-cid-vastu), whereas the jivas are infinitesimal spiritual substance
“The jiva is by nature both an eternal servant of Krsna, and a representation of His marginal potency. This
demonstrates that the jiva is distinct from Bhagavan, yet at the same time is not separate from Him. He is, therefore, a
manifestation that is both different and non-different (bhedabheda-prakasa). The jiva is subject to domination by maya,
whereas Bhagavan is the controller of maya. Herein lies an eternal distinction between the jiva and Bhagavan. On the
other hand, the jiva is by his constitutional nature a transcendental entity, cid-vastu, and Bhagavan is also by nature cid-
vastu. Moreover, the jiva is a special potency of Bhagavan. Herein lies the eternal non-distinction between these two.
Where eternal distinction and non-distinction are found at one and the same time, eternal distinction takes prominence.
“The nitya-dharma of the jiva is servitorship to Krsna. When he forgets this, he is subjected to the tyranny of
maya, and from that very moment he becomes diverted from Krsna. The fall of the jiva does not take place within the
context of material time. Accordingly, the words anadi-bahirmukha are used, meaning that the jiva has been diverted
since time without beginning. From the moment of this diversion and the jiva’s entry into maya, his nitya-dharma
becomes perverted. Therefore, by the association of maya, the jiva develops nisarga, an acquired nature, which thus
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