Prakrita Rasa Sata Dushani 1

Prakrita Rasa Sata Dushani - Lion Like Verses Condemning Material Speculations 1

• Originally Written By Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja
• Translated By Jagannath Swami

Verse 1

O brothers of the universes of the transcendental truth of Krishna! By working like a dumb ass all day, the rasas of bhakti will never appear. Pure souls are not interested in further glorifying the mundane rasas which dominates this all too dark world of cheaters and cheated.

Verse 2
A disciple is never foolish enough like the materialists to ask the guru for instructions on how to live a life of desert like hankerings after desert like personalities. The guru is not a guru if he does not give his disciple a form of rasa which is imbued with rati or attachment to God.

Verse 3
A devotee is intelligent enough to not distinguish between the holy name and genuine spiritual rasas that are in harmony with pure devotional principles which are sound for both the guru and the disciple.

Verse 4
The holy name fails to appear before the vision of those who think in terms of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Transcendental spiritual realization of the Absolute Truth is reserved for those who see no hope in the enjoying attitude of the materialists.

Verse 5
If looking for lasting pleasure in mundane material things, the path of service to Godhead can never be successfully attempted. Mundane persons and objects should not be viewed as spiritual at any time; for a perverted reflection is not the original reflection.

Verse 6
The spiritual consciousness of the jiva is clearly distinct from the consciousness of the body, which is a most lamentable situation; causing trouble to the mind at every perceivable moment.

Verse 7
A devotee is quick to step away from all opportunities to please his senses by performing useless material activities which can confuse the neophytes due to not yet knowing the pleasures of serving Krishna purely and with a full heart.

Verse 8
The quality of selfishness can never be recognized as a quality of prema. The guru is wise enough to never flatter his disciple by saying that he is a reservoir of overflowing transcendental rasa when he is in actuality not on that divine level of supreme consciousness.

Verse 9 
Neither should the guru be favorable towards flattering himself by talking about his own level of advancement on the path of bhakti within his own mind and in a more verbal manner in order to attract more disciples.

Verse 10
No one in this universe can achieve any type of perfection by glorifying the deeds of frustrated jnanis and frustrated karmis. A devotee is he who no longer sees Krishna as an ordinary material personality.

Verse 11
Since Krishna cannot be understood through temporary analogies and symbols, Krishna is best understood and approached through His name, which is identical to His form and to His rasa.

Verse 12
Even when conversant with the science of rasa, there is much work left to be done on the part of everyone involved in the art of loving God.

Verse 13
No one can artificially force rasa to appear when chanting the holy names no matter how expert one is in deceiving others. The conception that rasa comes before the holy name appears on one’s tongue is most erroneous and backwards in thinking.
Verse 14
Faith in the holy names is the first ingredient in devotional service. Afterwards, if fortunate, rasa begins to develop in relation to one’s attachment to everything related to the process of purification.
Verse 15
The guru directs the disciple correctly by not giving him the false conception that rasa and rati are a part of the first stage of devotional expressions known as sadhana bhakti or the path of hard labor for initial God realization.
Verse 16
The awakening of bhava or the soul’s ecstatic features does not come without thoroughly going through the purifications needed by the soul to recognize its own fallen nature. However, a strict faith in vaidhi bhakti will not necessarily give way to a new type of blossoming faith in raganuga bhakti or the path of pure devotional sentiments.
Verse 17
When bhava does arise of its own natural accord, the strictness of the scriptures can be abandoned for the Super Soul’s pure and direct revelations to the heart of the unconditioned jiva. Merely putting one’s faith in the efficacy and spontaneity of raganuga bhakti does not guarantee that one is ready to be considered as such an elevated devotee of the Lord.
Verse 18
Without having a deep attachment to the Lord’s lotus feet, how can divine ecstasy and prema manifest? Wary of labeling neophytes as rasika bhaktas on the first day of initiation, time will tell if they are truly lovers of God through and through.
Verse 19
A raganuga bhakta does not believe in the oneness of everyone, but sees what they have to improve upon in order to taste the rasas that are daily relished by the more mature devotees.
Verse 20
Once the seed of bhava ripens and takes on a life of its own, vaidhi bhakti naturally disappears into the background of the soul’s relationship with Krishna.

Verse 21
Just by talking about the glories of raganuga bhakti is not enough to factually be a spontaneous devotee; for one who is still impure will still be prone to mentally try to figure out things that are above his present understanding of the totality of existence.
Verse 22
Reject all of one’s faith in the false promises of the materialists, be they the average karmi or the average devotee.
Verse 23
To be a rasika, all emotions of the false ego must be obliterated from one’s thinking processes and mental makeup.
Verse 24
Like a person who attempts to collect the fruits of a tree without first climbing the tree, a person attempting to be spontaneous in his devotions cannot reach that stage of cognizance without first adoring the treasure that is regulated devotional service.
Verse 25
Rasa does not mix well with one’s anarthas, for a deceptive mind cannot properly appreciate the sweetness of the holy names because of being preoccupied with many other less important things that are of a distracting nature.

Verse 26
The consciousness of the soul is incapable of resting within Krishna if bereft of the proper transcendental conclusions of the acharyas. Without knowledge of the different modes of relating with the Lord, there can be no acting upon such divine forms of knowledge.
Verse 27
One who is bewildered by the inaccurate thoughts of speculators is not performing good service works to Krishna, for the ultimate goal of life is not yet properly discerned and contemplated thoroughly enough.

Verse 28
Slow to understand the great philosophical truths surrounding Krishna, slow it will be to rise out of the platform of considering the service of Krishna as being equal to the service of a temporary material body.