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." The tapasya ofchanting and glorifying the name, form, and pastimes of the Lord is a very easypurifying process by which everyone can become happy.Therefore everyone whodesires the ultimate cleansing of his heart must adopt this process.Otherprocesses, such as karma, jnana, and yoga, cannot cleanse the heart absolutely.Mayavadis, or impersonalists, cannot glorify the name, form, and pastimes ofthe Lord because they think that God has no form and that His pastimes are maya,illusory.Why should God not have a form? We have a form because our father hasa form.So why should the supreme father not have a form? In the Bhagavad-gita(14.4) Krsna says, aham bija-pradah pita: "I am the seed-giving father of allbeings." The Christians also believe that God is the supreme father.If the sonsall have forms, how is it that the father has no form? We cannot be born of afather who is formless.Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: "Krsnais the supreme controller and the cause of all causes, and He possesses aneternal form of knowledge and bliss." (Brahma-samhita 5.1) Vigraha means "form."If God is the cause of all causes, the creator, and He is creating all theseforms, how can He be formless?God has a form, but it is not a form like ours.His form is sac-cid-ananda,but ours is just the opposite.God's form is sat, eternally existing, whileman's form is asat, temporary.God's form is cit, full of knowledge, but ours isacit, full of ignorance.And His form is full of ananda, bliss, but ours is fullof nirananda, misery.It is only because we cannot conceive of a form sodifferent from ours that sometimes it is said God is nirakara, without form.God's form is transcendental.That means His body is not material butspiritual.His form is of a different nature than that to which we areaccustomed.In the Vedas it is said that God sees but that He has no eyes.Thismeans that God's eyes are unlike ours--they are spiritual, not material.We cansee only so far, whereas God can see everything because He has eyes everywhere.His eyes, His form, His hands and legs are of a different nature than ours.Unlike our knowledge, Krsna's knowledge is unlimited.As He says in theBhagavad-gita (7.26), "I know past, present, future--everything." Earlier(Bhagavad-gita 4.5) He reminds Arjuna, "Both you and I have taken many births.Iremember them all, but you have forgotten them." Thus there is no limit to Hisknowledge.His knowledge, His body, and His happiness are completely differentfrom our knowledge, body, and happiness.Therefore it is only out of ignorancethat some people say the Absolute Truth is nirakara, formless.Thinking that God has no form is just imagination.It is material thought.Wehave a form, so He must have a form, though not a form like ours.Only foolsthink God is ultimately formless.Krsna declares this in the Bhagavad-gita(7.24): avyaktam vyaktim apannam manyante mam abuddhayah."Unintelligent menthink that I was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality." Inanother place in the Bhagavad-gita, those who deride the personal form of Godare called mudhas, or asses.God certainly has a form, but His form is entirelydifferent from ours.That is the real understanding of nirakara.And just as Krsna's form is not like our material forms, so His pastimes arealso not of this material nature.Anyone who knows this is immediatelyliberated.Krsna confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9),janma karma ca me divyamevam yo vetti tattvatahtyaktva deham punar janmanaiti mam eti so 'rjuna"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities doesnot, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, butattains my eternal abode." Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna purely, onecan come to understand the pastimes of the Supreme Lord and thus becomeliberated.Chanting is easy and sublime.One who offenselessly chants Hare Krsnawill always remember Krsna's form, pastimes, qualities, and entourage, and thatremembrance will liberate him from all sinful reactions and all materialbondage.The Visnudutas here declare that although there are many methods prescribedin the Vedas for attaining liberation from sinful reactions, these methods areall insufficient, because they cannot elevate a person to the standard ofabsolute purity.Those who practice other methods of purification mentioned inthe Vedas generally desire some material benefit, such as elevation to theheavenly kingdom.But a devotee does not care for elevation to the heavenlyplanets [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]