Devotional service should be a fundamental part of all activities carried out by the devotees of Revolutionary Gnosticism. Devotional Service, which we shall call Bhakti-Yoga, is an important link for the purification and illumination of our spirit and contributes greatly to the awakening of our consciousness.
Srila Rupa Gosvami, a great master of India, has said that any book illuminating the path of the spirit and devotional service should be considered a revelatory scripture. It is of great importance to reach a comprehension of the universality of God, to study with an open mind all the sacred scriptures revealed by God through time, and all the different cultures of humanity. It is vital for the pure devotee to reach the comprehension that all religions are precious pearls strung on the golden thread of the divine collar. Each religion fulfills a valuable role at the different levels of being in humanity. However the one great universal and true religion that comes before all the distinct religions is that of LOVE.
"There are three permanent things: faith, hope and love, but the most important of the three is love". Corinthians 1, 13-13-.
The person that acts in accordance with the principles
of the scriptures is called SASTRA-CAKSUS: 'he who can see through the eyes
of the Sacred Scriptures'. He who likes to read spiritual literature, the Sacred
Scriptures and all that is related to Devotional Service achieves a different
vibration in his aura and mind, because he gradually develops and reaches superior
intellectual centres of a mind in the service of God. It is the same for those
that develop a taste for devotional and spiritual music, they develop a superior
emotional centre, based on inspiration and intuition.
Clearly, a mind full of devotion and spirituality is easier to control than
a mind full of hate, sensuality and materialism.
The Maha-Mantra
Many people have heard the Maha-Mantra;
HARE KRISHNA, HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA, HARE HARE
HARE RAMA, HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA, HARE HARE
However very few really know what this means as they interpret it theoretically or in an intellectual way. The PADMA PURANA says, "the feeling to sing Hare Krishna is present in all those who for many births have searched for and adored God."
This is why the Sacred Scriptures affirm that there is no difference between the Saintly names of God and God himself, because these saintly names have a sonorous vibration that is not material. This is why those that are tied in the material knot do not understand them. As the Deva Shiva said, "practice even without understanding will be understood by your body, and after some time understanding will reach you spontaneously."
In the same way, Srila Rupa Gosvami offered respectful reverence to Sri Sanatana Gosvami who was physically his elder brother, but was also his spiritual master.
There exists a great ocean of understanding that is Krishna,
an ocean in whose depths the devotees of Krishna are immersed.
There are also those who do not accept Krishna, but embrace esotericism and
all that is related with it. They are impersonal people traveling along small
rivers that finally reach larger rivers, which finally and inevitably will all
reach the ocean. Krishna is the great ocean and we who represent the Revolutionary
Gnosticism affirm absolutely that He is the cause of all causes.
The mundane people are occupied in material things, while the philosophers spend
their time speculating without considering that their intellect is only an instrument,
a tool used by the original teachers for a greater end.
The Intellectual is preoccupied with obtaining powers
of the mind, while the esoteric person wishes to discover mysteries beyond this
dimension. These disciplines are useful in certain moments, however none of
these are concerned with devotional service, but instead with obtaining a personal
egotistical benefit.
The priority is to learn to develop and expand the consciousness of Krishna
with love and spontaneity. This is a spiritual cultivation called ANUSILANA,
and requires devotional activities. Without this action the consciousness alone
does not have the help to awake. These precious devotional activities can be
realised with the body by taking care of one's energy, and with the mind by
taking care of one's thoughts.
Cultivating the waking up of the consciousness of Krishna is not a material
quality. It has three energies:
1-External: The material cosmic manifestation.
2-Marginal: Those entities that live as such.
3-Internal: The spiritual world.
When living entities occupy themselves with the activities of internal energy, they become conscious of Krishna. Energy is a type of force that can be spiritualized or become more material, according to the type of activity and use that we make of it. Thinking, feeling and desiring are actions of the mind, and when we wish to make something material, the activity is manifested via the material senses.
Spiritual activities are manifested in the interior via the consciousness, which is why it is said that the Anusilana cultivation of the consciousness of Krishna is not material. We should search before all else for Krishna, for He will give us first the Kingdom of the Skies whereupon all else will be superfluous.
Everything that is in the consciousness of Krishna, is directly under the control of spiritual energy. Krishna is God, and is the cause of all causes. We should begin by looking for Krishna and step by step we will understand where he is and that this place is Kuruksetras' field of battle.
Many studies of the Vedic philosophy do not see the great relation that exists between the battle of Kuruksetra and liberation through Krishna. Some separate the one from the other, believing that in this history Krishna is the most important, but this is not the case. Kuruksetra is the path of liberation and Krishna is the liberator. But it is not possible for us to liberate ourselves if each of us does not live in our interior the battle of Kuruksetra.
Krishna is the supreme instructor that will guide us to vanquish the internal enemies of this great battle. This is why all this is absolutely crucial. Everything that Krishna did and that is mentioned in the Vedic literature is important, because everything that Krishna does, he does from the platform of interior spiritual energy. This is the first thing that we must meditate upon in order to understand the teaching and beliefs of Sri Krishna.
To be a pure devotee of Krishna, we should also understand that any wish, with exception to the desire to serve God, is called a material desire. The ultimate end of all religion is God, and God is the basis of all. When one listens, talks, sings, dances or remembers with the consciousness of Krishna, when one fills his mind completely with Him, he is practicing BHAKTI; pure devotional service. When one identifies himself with belonging to a certain family, to a certain class, a certain society, a certain country, a certain religion, etc., he is imprisoned by definitions.
When one understands that he is eternally related to God, he understands why and how we should focus our energy. This is the consciousness of Krishna.
Classes of Liberation:
1. To return to God.
2. To live with God on his own planet.
3. To obtain the same physical traces of God.
4. To enjoy the opulence of God.
5. To live as a companion of God.
This is according to the Saintly scriptures of the Srimad
Bhagavatam. But the purest and most elevated devotion is to act with love for
service to Kapiladeva.
Sanat-Kumara says in the Srimad Bhagavatam that the ego of the human being is
so strong that it keeps us tied to material life like a tight noose whose knot
we can only learn to loosen once we awaken the consciousness of Krishna within
ourselves.
One should learn to be with silence for at least half an hour of each day. The system of yoga teaches us that if one becomes silent it is possible to understand God, silence is the eloquence of wisdom. Only through silence can we reach true illumination, but first we need to learn to be silent inside ourselves.
The Happiness of Supreme Love
Krishna is the God of love, he has different aspects and personalities. The
sacred scriptures say that it is Krishna who gives the supreme pleasure of love
to the Gopis. Since Krishna inhabits our hearts, it is there that we will find
the supreme fountain of love.
Couples who attain self-knowledge through love, love the interior Krishna, and love the presence of Krishna in the other. Krishna manifests in the male and female at the same time because Krishna is the perfect androgynous being. Such is the perfection of love.
In the Tantra Sastra Shiva says to his priestess Sati; "My beloved wife, for the person who has renounced before the lotus feet of Govinda -Krishna- through having developed consciousness of Krishna, can be conceded all perfections, and this person may enjoy pure spiritual pleasure."
The great mystery of spiritual love that the couples develop in the consciousness of Krishna can be understood as follows: Krishna is called Madana-Mohana, which means that he attracts Cupid and Radarani, his eternal consort. He is also called Madana-Mohana Mohini, that is, he who attracts the person who attracts Cupid. Krishna in this case represents the supreme male lover, and Radarani the supreme female lover, the two primary forces of nature.
This is how we can understand the mystery of spiritual love between the couple. Krishna is representative of the masculine force, he who attracts Cupid. Radarani is the representation of the female force, and attracts him to Cupid. She brings Cupid with her and they all fuse into one. A third force is created resulting from the union of the first two, and so are born the three primary forces: positive, negative and neutral; the saint of affirmation, the saint of negation and the saint of conciliation, all in one. This oneness is God, it is the Absolute renewing incessantly the sacred mystery of the twin souls, INRI. This is why the sacred scriptures say that Krishna can love all the Gopis at the same time, because he resides in the heart of each being and is the supreme fountain of all love.
Internal Christ and internal Krishna is the same thing.
God is LOGOS; the multiple, perfect, unity. Krishna represents the father, Christ
the son and Radarani the divine mother.
Alluding to all this, the Bhakti-Rasamrta-Sindhu says; "Devotional service
is divided into three categories.
1. Devotional service in the practical stage, which entails using our senses
in the service of Krishna, with the mind and the body co-existing in harmony.
2. Devotional service in a state of ecstasy, the interior adoration of the super-soul
that inhabits our heart.
3. Devotional service in a state of pure love, which is when the devotee has
placed himself beyond, on the highest platform of giving himself to God and
to his fellow beings, just as the great master Jesus did."
When we get caught up in material activities, we inevitably
accumulate vikarma; actions that should not be performed.
Through Sadana-Bhakti, the practice of devotional service, we can free ourselves
from vikarma.
The Sadana-Bhakti develops Raganuga, devotional service through the development of natural love, which enables the devotee to adore and give devotional service without the necessity of being ordered to do so by any spiritual master. And so a spontaneous and natural love is born for Krisha and for all, as is the desire to always serve God and humanity.
The couples that follow the path of GRIHASTA, or family life, can advance enormously if they reach the point of knowing the mysterious secrets of love and sexuality in the consciousness of Krishna.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam, also says that each one of us should dedicate ourselves to our particular duty, but the perfection of each work should be tested by knowing how satisfied Krishna is with such activities.
The Master Jesus told us; "He who would like the kingdom of the heavens should abandon his material possessions, carry his cross and follow me", Mark 10-21. Krishna says; "Abandon all your occupations and give yourself up to me; I will protect you from all sinful activity." Gita 18-66.
Krishna also tells us; "Do not consider that just because you have abandoned all other commitments, your life will be lacking in some way, do not think like this, I will give you all protection."
The Regulative Principles -Vaidhi-
There exist certain regulative principles that help us to develop consciousness of Krishna. For example, Sadhana-Bhakti is a principle that helps us to detach ourselves from the material, and its first phase is called Vaidhi-Bhakti, that is to say, the obeying of orders given by a spiritual master without being a traitor to him.
The Aratrika is another Vaidhi principle that consists of the adoration of deities. This principle allows us to become conscious of all those saintly masters that in one way or another are helping the sincere master. All this is realised as Vaidhi and serves as a ladder, where in order to climb it is necessary to start from the first rung.
All the principles of Vaidhi as discussed in the sacred scriptures of all peoples and cultures and their differing religions, has as a goal the development of Raganuga.
Raganuga, as explained previously, is the development
of natural and spontaneous love for God and our equals. It is not possible to
perfect love for God if we do not love our equals, but it is not about a sentimental
love, or attachment disguised as love. 'Love is the law, but conscious love.'
Love is a way of life, and a person who has reached this state does not need
the previous Vaidhi principles, because these qualities have been created in
his interior.
All paths have a principle, all ladders have their first rung. The development of Raganuga is an interior transformation that the submissive and obedient devotee obtains from the first Vaidhi principles. Humility is a very necessary condition; the devotee who is a traitor to his spiritual master will never be able to reach Raganuga. This is why in the ancient oriental schools of wisdom so much emphasis was made on loving the guru like God himself.
We should understand step by step the development of the consciousness of Krishna. When we truly develop Raganuga, all the other mechanic principles of the adoration of God are surplus. However, the devotee understands that all these primary principles invented by men and their religions were necessary in some moment for the development of true transcendental principles. This is why the secret teaching of the great Master Jesus was; "The law was made for men, but men were not made for the law".
The same occurs in the true love of the couples. The unique achievement of a state of love implies in effect a spiritual work. Any union or marriage in the superior planes, and all ritualistic, civil or ecclesiastic marriages are superfluous, or are useful only to the extent where they serve as a symbol of a union that is realised in the more subtle planes. The same is true of baptisms that are performed here on earth. They are only a symbol of the true baptism of the waters of the spirit. The spiritual titles received here on Earth are useless if we have not reached them in the interior planes.
The entire path that we cross on this Earth, when we
are involved in a true spiritual search, is a preparation for achieving the
true awakening of the consciousness of Krishna. The true fruits of this spiritual
work are only visible from the spiritual platform, and are only reflected on
the Earth by the pure devotees who are cleansed of pride, greed and vanity.
All desire to be great makes one smaller, and God himself will exalt all those
who practice humility.
That which others say about us is useless, whether it be good or bad. What is
important is that which we carry inside us, our consciousness. What is also
important is God's opinion of us. This is why all our lives should be focussed
in the service of God, to develop that channel that allows us to be guided by
the wisdom and love of the Father.
We should not long for powers as a goal of the spiritual path, power can corrupt the soul. Our true yearning should be happiness and an encounter with God, for there is no power that can surpass this. Free and spontaneous devotional service is the most elevated phase of Bhakti Yoga, and this most elevated of phases is Raganuga or the development of true love.
The sacred scriptures say that complete power, riches and knowledge are of no use to us if we do not have love. Love is a gift from God and when we conquer love, religion is no longer of any importance. For at this point, we know in our hearts that all is one and that we must fight to unite humanity and glorify God with all his saintly names, loving the richness of diversity of the spirit. God is the Logos, and the Logos is a multiple and perfect unity.
Vasudev
Gnosticismo Revolucionario de la Conciencia de Krishna
Colombia
Juridical Number: 1388 of 1988