“All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 5.18.12)

Download this episode (right click and save)

यस्यास्ति भक्तिर् भगवत्य् अकिञ्चना
सर्वैर् गुणैस् तत्र समासते सुराः
हराव् अभक्तस्य कुतो महद्-गुणा
मनोरथेनासति धावतो बहिः

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

“There is one particular teaching I seem to notice repeatedly. I hear it all the time. At this point, it is almost like a song, with its predictable refrain. There are derivatives of the same teaching, such as the description of watering the roots of the tree instead of the individual branches. We put food in the mouth so that it reaches the stomach. This is the proper way to nourish the individual components, such as the legs, hands, brain, and vital organs. In fact, there is really no other way to feed the human being. You have to work within the system; the delivery mechanism is already there. You simply have to honor that system, respect that there is a primary point of entry. You may be able to get around that with the assistance of advanced technology, but you still rely on the majority of the mechanism for the ultimate delivery of nutrients.

“The teaching which I referenced is of the qualities of the devas. These are the gods. They are administrators within the material world. They are thus still bound, in a sense. Except they have the highest standard of living. They are in the mode of goodness, sattva-guna. As human beings, naras, we have combinations of the different modes. We might even weave in and out of different standards during a single lifetime. Think of the person who falls so low because of drug and alcohol addiction. The same person then later becomes a pastor at the local church. They go from dejected and ignored to hopeful and respected.

“The teaching is that from following bhakti-yoga the individual will acquire all of the qualities of the devas. There is no reason to specifically target ascension to the heavenly region. There is no reason to pay strict attention to this ritual or that in order to acquire a bodily condition that is entirely in sattva-guna. Bhakti-yoga will take care of everything necessary. This is due entirely to the object of worship. He has the power to lift His supporters into the superior position, such as when the residents of Gokula-Vrindavana were protected underneath the hill-turned-umbrella named Govardhana.

“The thing is, the devas are amazing. We might refer to them as demigods, as they can do amazing things. They have awesome responsibilities. Speaking of Govardhana, that incident involved Indra, who is the king of the devas. He can direct clouds of devastation to target certain areas. Are you telling me that through following bhakti-yoga I will be able to do the same? Will I be able to create the entire universe, following the lead of Lord Brahma? Will I be able to dance to effect the dissolution of the entire cosmos? Do you see what I am getting at? There are people who have been following devotional service for years who still do not see any advanced abilities. How are they like the devas, then?”

The teaching is directly from Shrimad Bhagavatam. The Sanskrit term of relevance is guna. In this context, it refers to a quality. As Shri Krishna describes in Bhagavad-gita, the different modes have corresponding standards of happiness. The mode of goodness is notable in that the experience might be like tasting poison in the beginning. But if you remain true to the process, then the ultimate yield is nectar.

यत् तद् अग्रे विषम् इव
परिणामे ’मृतोपमम्
तत् सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तम्
आत्म-बुद्धि-प्रसाद-जम्

yat tad agre viṣam iva
pariṇāme ’mṛtopamam
tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam
ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam

“That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.37)

In terms of our understanding, bhakti-yoga has a corresponding mode. It is described as shuddha-sattva. This is pure goodness. The guna in this case no longer becomes an impediment. It is neither binding nor limiting. It is a guna in the way the term applies to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

When we speak of gunas for the Supreme Lord, these are transcendental qualities. These are glories. He is both nirguna and saguna. This is simply for our understanding. He is nirguna in the sense that no qualities can ever bind Him. He is never impacted, affected, limited, or uplifted through association with material elements. After all, He controls the material nature, prakriti.

At the same time, He is saguna. He has distinguishable features. These qualities are gunas, but not in the traditional sense. The acharyas enthusiastically recommend guna-gao. Sing the glories of the Supreme Lord. Those glories are transcendental and also infinite. In the same way that time continues to elapse, with the compendium of history ever-expanding, with every passing moment the appreciation of the one of transcendental glories continues to increase.

नारायण-पराः सर्वे
न कुतश्चन बिभ्यति
स्वर्गापवर्ग-नरकेष्व्
अपि तुल्यार्थ-दर्शिनः

nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve
na kutaścana bibhyati
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv
api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ

“Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 6.17.28)

The gunas for the devas ultimately land in a condition of happiness. The happiness for the devotees is on an equal level, but absent any conditions. This means that the devoted soul can be elevated to heaven, demoted to a hellish region, or remain exactly where they are. Regardless of the location, their happiness will continue. They will not need to command a cloud of devastation or administer a particular element. They do not need to assume the identity of a planet or keep watch over a specific region.

If called upon to do so, they will happily oblige, but their connection to Bhagavan will remain. As Goswami Tulsidas humbly requests, the only desire is to stay in the association of the holy name. This is one way to exercise the choice in devotion, and this way is especially recommended for the individuals enduring the current degraded period known as Kali.

जल थल नभ गति अमित अति अग जग जीव अनेक
तुलसी तो से दीन कहँ राम नाम गति एक

jala thala nabha gati amita ati aga jaga jīva aneka
tulasī to se dīna kaham̐ rāma nāma gati eka

“There are an infinite number of living beings, both moving and nonmoving, who have many different abodes, with some residing in the earth, some in the sky, and some in the water. But O helpless Tulsi, for you Shri Rama’s holy name is your only home.” (Dohavali, 37)

In Closing:

As qualities of devas to assume,
Then power over clouds to presume?

Or to create universe given the chance,
Or destroy everything with a dance?

Truth that the same standard to apply,
In goodness without having to try.

But even higher since pure throughout,
Serving Hari from within and without.

Categories: questions

Tags: bhagavatam, bhakti, dailyprompt, demigods, poem, poems, poetry