Hare Krishna, today article: Are we performing bhakti by engaging physical body or sense organs? is from Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Gosvami
Prayers
Śrī Guru-Praṇāma:
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
caksur unmīlitaṁ yena
tasmai śrī-guruve namaḥ
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.”
Two important verses:
suna suna nityananda, suna haridasa
sarvatra amara ajna karaha prakasa
prati ghare ghare giya kara ei bhiksa
‘bala krsna, bhaja krsna, kara krsna-siksa’
“Listen, listen, Nityananda! Listen, Haridasa! Make My command known everywhere! Go from house to house and beg from all the residents, ‘Please chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna, and practise what Krishna teaches.’” (Sri Chaitanya-bhagavat, 2.13.8-9)
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverence is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”
Mahā-mantra Hare Kṛṣṇa:
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Are we performing bhakti by engaging physical body or sense organs?
Bhakti Ballabh Tīrtha Gosvāmī
We have to remove all kinds of false ego completely. Should there be any false ego, karma will predominate, not bhakti. If we do anything by means of our false ego, vanity, we will get only temporary, mundane benefits. We will become more attached to this world. This world is made of matter. Consequently, our minds will become inert like matter. Our minds will have no connection with the spiritual realm. After performing such activities, we will find ourselves in the same position as we were when we first started. We cannot get bhakti by only moving from place to place and going through motions. This is not bhakti. This is karma.
There are sense organs and objects of the sense organs. Without them, we cannot move. But, simply engaging the sense organs and the objects of sense organs is not bhakti if the ego is not correct. By performing devotional practices while deluded by egoistic misconceptions, we will achieve only material benefit. If we think “I am of Kṛṣṇa! I am of the Vaiṣṇavas! I am of the guru!” while engaging the sense organs and the objects of the sense organs, we will actually be practising the devotional forms.
By the fruit we can understand whether or not we have come in contact with Krishna. When you perform any kind of bhajana, if it comes from the core of the heart, you will never be able to give up that worship of your most beloved. When you get a spontaneous glimpse of contact with Kṛṣṇa, you will experience a thrilling sensation of ecstasy. How could you give that up? You will not wish to give up any form of devotion. When there is the thought in your mind to give up worship, then it means that you have not come in contact with Bhagavān and His transcendental qualities.
