r Apar Ekds Issue no:62 22nd May 2017

The Characteristics Of Liberated Souls

Features
The Characteristics Of Rsabhadeva
Srila Sukadeva Goswami

The Eight Symptoms Of A Jivan-Mukta

His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

At What Stage is
A Bhakta Considered My-Mukta?
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

A Devotee Is Free
From All Material Designations
Srila Jagadananda Pandita

Can A Person Become Liberated

Simply By Becoming A Sannys?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
 Issue no 62, Page 2 nitya bhgavata-sevay
The Characteristics Of Rsabhadeva populace in terms of the Vedic religious system.
Srila Sukadeva Goswami To support Him in this, Maharaja Nabhi entrusted
Him into the hands of learned brhmaas,
Sri Sukadeva Goswami said: Sri Rsabhadeva who would guide Him in His governmental
was born as the son of Maharaja Nabhi. From His administration. Then Maharaja Nabhi and his
very birth He manifest symptoms of the Supreme wife, Merudevi, went to Badarikashrama in the
Lord, such as marks on the bottom of His feet Himalayan Mountains, where the King very
(flag, thunderbolt, etc.). This child was equal jubilantly and with expertise engaged himself
to everyone and was very peaceful. He could in performing austerities and penances. In full
control His senses and His mind, and, possessing samdhi he worshiped the Supreme Personality
all opulence, He did not hanker for material of Godhead, Nara-Narayana, who is Krishna in
enjoyment. Endowed with all these attributes, the His plenary expansion. By doing so, in course of
son of Maharaja Nabhi became more powerful time, Maharaja Nabhi was elevated to the spiritual
day by day. Seeing this, the citizens, learned world known as Vaikuntha.
brhmaas, demigods and ministers wanted
Rsabhadeva to be the appointed ruler of the earth. Glories Of Maharaja Nabhi
When the son of Maharaja Nabhi became visible,
He evinced all good qualities described by the yasya ha paveya lokv udharanti
great poets, namely, a well-built body with all the
symptoms of the Godhead, personal prowess, O Maharaja Pariksit, to glorify Maharaja Nabhi,
strength, beauty, name, fame, influence and the sages of yore composed two verses:
enthusiasm. When His father Maharaja Nabhi,
saw all these qualities, he thought his son to be
the best of human beings or the supreme being. ko nu tat karma rjarer
Therefore he gave Him the name Rsabha. nbher anv caret pumn
Indra, the King of heaven, who is very materially apatyatm agd yasya
opulent, became envious of King Rsabhadeva. hari uddhena karma
Consequently, he stopped pouring water on the
planet known as Bhrata-vara. At that time the Who can attain the perfection of Maharaja
Supreme Lord, Rsabhadeva, the master of all Nabhi? Who can duplicate his activities? Because
mystic power, understood King Indras purpose of his devotional service, the Supreme Personality
and smiled to Himself. Then, by His internal of Godhead agreed to become his son.
potency (yoga-my), He showered profuse
rainfall on His kingdom, which was known as brahmayo nya kuto nbher
Ajanbha. Due to getting a perfect son as he vipr magala-pjit
had desired, King Nabhi was overwhelmed
with transcendental bliss and was always very yasya barhii yajea
affectionate to Him. With ecstasy and a faltering daraym sur ojas
voice he addressed Him saying, My dear son, my
darling. The mentality of accepting the Supreme Who is a better worshiper of brhmaas than
Lord, the father of all as his son was brought about Maharaja Nabhi? Because he worshiped the
by the yoga-my energy of the Lord. Out of His qualified brhmaas to their full satisfaction,
supreme good will, the Lord became his son and the brhmaas, by their brahminical prowess,
dealt with everyone as if He were an ordinary brought before Maharaja Nabhi the Supreme
human being. Thus King Nabhi began to raise Personality of Godhead, Narayana.
his transcendental son with great affection, and he
was overwhelmed with transcendental bliss, joy Household Life Of Rsabhadeva
and devotion.
After Maharaja Nabhi departed for
Popularity Of Rsabhadeva Badarikashrama, the Supreme Lord, Rsabhadeva,
understood that the kingdom was His field of
King Nabhi understood that his son, activities. He therefore became exemplary in His
Rsabhadeva, was very popular with the behavior and taught the duties of a householder by
citizens and government officers and ministers. first accepting brahmacarya under the direction
Understanding the popularity of his son, Maharaja of spiritual masters. He also went to live at the
Nabhi enthroned Him as the emperor of the world spiritual masters place, the gurukula. After His
with the duty of giving protection to the general education was complete, He gave gifts (guru-
 nitya bhgavata-sevay top right 3 Issue no 62, Page3

daki) to His spiritual masters and then began the performance of Vedic rituals. Thus they all became
life of a householder. He married a woman named perfectly qualified brhmaas.
Jayanti and begot one hundred sons who were as
powerful and qualified as He Himself. His wife Personal Characteristic And
Jayanti had been offered to Him by Indra, the King Behaviour Of Rsabhadeva
of heaven. Rsabhadeva and Jayanti performed
householder life in an exemplary way, carrying
out ritualistic activities ordained by the ruti and Being an incarnation of the Supreme Personality
smti stra. Of Rsabhadevas one hundred sons, of Godhead, Lord Rsabhadeva was fully
the eldest, named Bharata, was a great, exalted independent. His form was spiritual, eternal and
devotee endowed with great qualities. In his honor, full of transcendental bliss. He was never touched
this planet has become known as Bhrata-vara. by the four principles of material misery (birth,
After Bharata, ninety-nine other sons were born. death, old age and disease). Nor was He ever
Among them were nine elderly sons, named materially attached. He was always equipoised,
Kushavarta, Ilavarta, Brahmavarta, Malaya, and saw everyone on the same level. He was
Ketu, Bhadrasena, Indrasprk, Vidarbha and unhappy to see others unhappy, as He was the
Kikata. In addition to these sons were Kavi, Havi, well-wisher of all living entities. Although He
Antariksa, Prabuddha, Pippalayana, Avirhotra, was a perfect personality, the Supreme Lord and
Drumila, Camasa and Karabhajana. These were controller of all, He nonetheless acted as if He were
all very exalted, advanced devotees and authorized an ordinary conditioned soul. He strictly followed
preachers of rmad-Bhgavatam. These devotees the principles of varrama-dharma and acted
were glorious due to their unflinching devotion to accordingly. Over the course of time, the principles
Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. of varrama-dharma had become neglected;
Therefore they were very exalted. To satisfy therefore through His personal characteristics and
your mind perfectly, I (SukadevaGoswami) shall behavior, He taught the ignorant public how to
hereafter describe the characteristics of these perform duties within the varrama system. In
nine devotees when I discuss the conversation this way He regulated the household life of general
between Narada and Vasudeva. In addition to these populace, enabling them to develop religion and
nineteen sons mentioned above, there were eighty- economic well-being and to attain reputations,
one younger ones, all born of Rsabhadeva and sons and daughters, material pleasure and finally
Jayanti. According to the order of their father, they eternal life. Through His instructions on following
became very cultured, well-behaved, pure in their the principles of varrama-dharma, He showed
activities and expert in Vedic knowledge and the how people could remain as householders and at
 Issue no 62, Page 4
Top left 4 nitya bhgavata-sevay
great affection for the King and since this affection
was always growing they were never inclined to
ask for anything. Once while touring the world,
Lord Rsabhadeva, the Supreme Lord, reached a
place known as Brahmavarta. At that place was a
great conference of learned brhmaas, and all the
Kings sons attentively heard the instructions of
the brhmaas there. At that assembly, within the
hearing of the citizens, Rsabhadeva also instructed
His sons, although they were already very well-
behaved, devoted and qualified. He instructed
them so that in the future they could perfectly rule
the world.
rmad-Bhgavatam (BhgavataPura) Canto 5: The Creative Impetus
Chapter 4: The Characteristics of abhadeva, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Verses: 1-19.

The Eight Symptoms Of A Jivan-Mukta

His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
When Maharaja Nabhi saw that his son
Rsabhadeva was popular with the general
populace and the governmental servants, he chose
to install Him on the imperial throne. In addition,
he wanted to entrust his son into the hands of the
learned brhmaas. This means that a monarch
the same time become perfect. Whatever action was supposed to govern strictly according to
is performed by a great man, common men Vedic principles. He is supposed to be under the
follow. Although Lord Rsabhadeva knew all guidance of learned brhmaas, who could advise
confidential Vedic knowledge, which includes Him according to the standard Vedic scriptures
instructions on all occupational duties, He still like Manu-smti and similar stras. It is the duty
maintained Himself as a katriya and followed of all kings to rule the citizens according to Vedic
the instructions of the brhmaas as they related principles. According to Vedic scriptures, society
to mind control, sense control, tolerance and so is divided into four categoriesbrhmaa,
on. Thus He ruled the people according to the katriya, vaiya and dra. Ctur-varya
system of varrama-dharma, which enjoins may sa gua-karma-vibhgaa (Bg.
that the brhmaas instruct the katriyas and the 4.13). After dividing society in this way, it is the
katriyas administer the state through the vaiyas King's duty to see that everyone executes Vedic
and dras. Lord Rsabhadeva performed all principles according to his caste. A brhmaa
kinds of sacrifices one hundred times according must perform the duty of a brhmaa without
to the instructions of the Vedic literatures. Thus cheating the public. It is not that one attains the
He satisfied Lord Vishnu in every respect. All the name of a brhmaa without having the necessary
rituals were enriched by first-class ingredients. qualifications. In addition, retirement at the end
They were executed in holy places according of life is compulsory. Maharaja Nabhi, although
to the proper time and by priests who were all still a king, retired from family life and went with
young and faithful. In this way Lord Vishnu was his wife to a place called Badarikashrama in the
worshiped, and the prasda was offered to all the Himalayas, where the Deity Nara-Narayana
demigods. Thus the functions and festivals were all is worshiped. The King accepted all kinds of
successful. No one likes to possess anything that austerity very expertly and jubilantly. He did not
is like a will-o-the-wisp or a flower in the sky, for at all mind leaving his comfortable life at home,
everyone knows very well that such things do not although he was the emperor. Despite undergoing
exist. When Lord Rsabhadeva ruled this planet of severe austerities and penances, he felt very
Bhratavara, even common men did not want pleased at Badarikashrama, and he did everything
to ask for anything, at any time or by any means. there expertly. In this way, being fully absorbed in
This was because everyone was completely Krishna consciousness (samdhi-yoga), always
satisfied at heart. The people were absorbed in thinking of Krishna, Vsudeva, Maharaja Nabhi
 nitya bhgavata-sevay Issue no 62, Page5
Sinful activity involves illicit sex, meat-eating,
intoxication and gambling. Another symptom of a
liberated person is vijara, which indicates that he
is not subjected to the miseries of old age. Another
symptom is vimtyu. A liberated person prepares
himself in such a way that he does not take any
more material bodies, all of which are destined
to die. In other words, he does again not fall into
the cycle of repeated birth and death. Another
symptom is vioka, which indicates that he is
callous to material happiness and distress. Another
is vijighatsa, which indicates that he no longer
desires material enjoyment. Another symptom is
apipt, which means that he has no desire other
than to engage in the devotional service of Krishna,
his dearmost desirable Lord. A further symptom
is satya-kma, which indicates that all his desires
are directed to the Supreme Truth, Krishna. He
does not want anything else. He is satya-sakalpa.
Whatever he desires is fulfilled by the grace of
Krishna. First of all, he does not desire anything
for his material benefit, and secondly if he desires
anything at all, he simply desires to serve the
Supreme Lord. That desire is fulfilled by the Lord's
grace. That is called satya-sakalpa. Sri Sukadeva
says that the the devotee attains the qualities of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called
sadharma, (the same quality). Just as Krishna is
never born and never dies, His devotees who return
to Godhead never die and never take birth within
the material world.
rmad-Bhgavatam (BhgavataPura) Canto 5: The Creative Impetus
Chapter 4: The Characteristics of abhadeva, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Verse: 5, Purport.

At What Stage is
A Bhakta Considered My-Mukta?
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
attained success and was promoted to the spiritual
world, Vaikunthaloka. Raghunatha dasa Babaji, As soon as the jiva
This is the way of Vedic life. One must stop the is initiated into uddha-bhakti, he receives the
process of repeated birth and death and return designation my-mukta jiva, a liberated soul.
home, back to Godhead. We should act in such a However, he is only truly emancipated from the
way that after giving up this body, we will become subjugation of my when he has fully matured in
liberated from the bondage of repeated birth and sdhana-bhakti. Prior to this maturity, the jiva is
death. This is called jivan-mukti. SrilaViraraghava liberated only to the extent he has attained svarpa-
crya states that in the ChndogyaUpaniad gata-my-mukti, awareness of his constitutional
there are eight symptoms of a jivan-mukta, a spiritual nature and liberation from false ego.
person who is already liberated even when living Vastu-gata-my-mukti, complete liberation, takes
in this body. The first symptom of one so liberated place when the jiva is completely freed from his
is that he is freed from all sinful activity (apahata- gross and subtle material bodies and established in
ppa). As long as one is under the clutches of my his svarpa and his transcendental service. Sincere
in the material energy, one has to engage in sinful adherence to the process of sdhana-bhakti ignites
activity. Bhagavad-gt describes such people as at some stage the spark of bhva-bhakti. If the
duktina, which indicates that they are always flame of bhva-bhakti is kept burning and the
engaged in sinful activity. One who is liberated jiva has thus become firmly fixed in this elevated
in this life does not commit any sinful activities. state of spiritual consciousness, then at the time of
 Issue no 62, Page 6 nitya bhgavata-sevay

leaving the gross body, his subtle body will also that can fully release the jiva from the captivity of
dissolve and he will obtain his pure transcendental my.
svarpa and transcendental service. The monistic philosophers cultivating empirical
The material conditioning of the jiva remains knowledge are under the false impression that just
therefore throughout the period of sdhana-bhakti, by acquiring knowledge one can attain mukti.
even spilling over into the beginning stage of However, it is impossible to attain complete
bhva-bhakti, though only residual amounts persist. mukti without the benediction of Sri Krishna. In
Therefore, the authorities in our line have included the rmad-Bhgavatam, 10.2.32-33, this point is
sdhana-bhakti and bhva-bhakti within the five explained:
levels of consciousness considered my-kavalita,
under the influence of my. The gross materialist ye nye ravindka vimukta-mninas
seeking bhukti and the jn seeking mukti most tvayy asta-bhvd aviuddha-buddhaya
certainly also belong to these five levels. ruhya kcchrea para pada tata
Amongst those souls who are liberated, patanty adho ndta-yumad-aghraya
complete emancipation from subservience to
my is eventually accomplished only by those
jivas blessed with uddha-bhakti to Sri Hari. The O lotus-eyed one, those who think they are
imprisonment of the jiva began when the jiva forgot liberated in this life, but do not render devotional
his position as the eternal servant of Sri Krishna. service to You, must be of impure intelligence.
This forgetfulness is the original offence of the jiva Although they accept severe austerities and
and is the root of all the jivas subsequent offences. penances, and rise to the spiritual position, to the
Only the mercy of Sri Krishna can forgive all these impersonal Brahman realization, they fall down
offences and nothing else. Therefore, the mercy of again because they neglect to worship Your lotus
Sri Krishna alone is the indispensable instrument feet.
 nitya bhgavata-sevay Issue no 62, Page7
tath na te mdhava tvak kvacid mukti after death are in the debilitated situation
bhrayanti mrgt tvayi baddha-sauhd of brahma-syujya, amalgamation into the
tvaybhigupt vicaranti nirbhay impersonal brahma-jyotir.
vinyaknkapa-mrdhasu prabho Jaiva-dharma Chapter Seventeen: Nitya-dharma: Sambandha, Abhidheya
and Prayojana Part Five: The Liberation of the Jva from the Prison House
of My Translated by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Int. and Sarvabhvana
O Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhava, dsa
Your intimate and surrendered devotees are held
tightly by the bonds of love they have for Your
lotus feet. Hence, they are not afraid of falling A Devotee Is Free
from the path of bhakti, unlike those who proudly From All Material Designations
consider themselves as vimukta, liberated. O Lord, Srila Jagadananda Pandita
Your devotees are so well protected by You that
they dauntlessly dance on the heads of those who The natural propensity for one who is in the
try to hinder them. material concept of life is to be attracted to
Vrajanatha, How many types of my-mukta speculative knowledge, fruitive activities and the
jivas are there? designations of caste and social order. When the
Raghunatha dasa Babaji, Initially, there are two pure soul begins associating with the body, he
types of my-mukta jivas: the nitya-mukta jivas, develops the mood of false identification, thinking
eternally liberated souls; and the baddha-mukta in terms of 'me' and 'mine'. But one who is free
jivas, those who have attained liberation from from such false identification is to be considered
their previous conditioned, material existence. The an eternally liberated soul and dear to the Supreme
nitya-mukta jivas were never captured by my. Lord Hari.
They are categorized into two groups: nitya-mukta He who is free from possessiveness and is
jivas who are aivarya-gata, engrossed in the completely detached from material things does not
opulence of the Lord in a reverential mood; and make bodily distinctions like 'you' and 'me', which
those who are saturated in mdhurya-gata, the create imaginary friends and enemies. One who
nectarean moods of the divine conjugal love of Sri looks equally upon all living entities, making no
Sri Radha Krishna. distinctions between them, is equiposed ,and free
The aivarya-gata-nitya-mukta jivas are the from anxiety. He is certainly to be counted amongst
nitya-prads of Sri Narayaa, the presiding Lord the best of the devotees of the Lord.
of Vaikuntha. They are the particles of the spiritual Such a devotee never leaves the shelter of
effulgence emanating from Sri Mla-Sakaraa,
who resides in Vaikuntha.
The mdhurya-gata-nitya-mukta jivas are the
nitya-prads of Sri Krishna, the Lord of Vraja-
vndvana. They are the particles of the spiritual
effulgence emanating from the body of Sri
Balarma, who is situated in Goloka-Vndvana.
The baddha-mukta jivas after the attainment
of mukti are of three types: aivarya-gata, those
steeped in the opulences of the Lord; mdhurya-
gata, those absorbed by the sweetness of the Lord;
and brahma-jyotir-gata, those who meditate upon
the impersonal brahma-jyotir effulgence of the
Lord.
The jivas who in their period of sdhana
were inclined to the reverential moods of bhakti
in aivarya were elevated to the planets of Sri
Narayaa in Vaikuntha as the associates of His
nitya-prads. Those jivas who in their period of
sdhana were attracted to the intimate moods of
bhakti in mdhurya became the eternal residents of
Sri Krishnas Goloka-Vndvana and now relish
nectarine rasa as the associates of Sri Krishna
and His nitya-prads. However, those jivas
who sought to merge into the non-dual Absolute
Brahman and as a result have attained syujya-
 Issue no 62, Page 8 nitya bhgavata-sevay

the Lord's lotus feet, even if he is offered all the If after accepting sannysa one lovingly
opulence of the entire universe. The Lord's lotus serves Krishna with body, mind, speech, wealth,
feet are the most coveted object of the demigods knowledge, intelligence, and his possessions, he
and sages. Never for a single moment does he can both become liberated from material existence
forget the lotus feet of Sri Krishna. He is foremost and become a bhakta. It is impossible to attain
amongst the pure devotees of the Lord, and he is any benefit without rendering the Supreme Lord
always in a blissful state of consciousness. service. Whether one lives at home or in the
From Sri Prema-Vivarta of Srila JagadanandaPandita Translated by Temple, one must engage in the Lords service as
Sarvabhvanadsa. his life and soul. Then only can he please the Lord.
He must give up miserliness and the propensity to
Can A Person Become Liberated cheat. If he can make the Lords service the goal of
Simply By Becoming A Sannys? life, he can attain the Lords mercy in this lifetime.
AmtaV: Nectar of Instructions of Immoratality by Srila Bhaktisiddhnta
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
Sarasvat Compiled by Sripda Bhakti MayukhaBhgavatMahraja. Adapted
and Published by varadsa Translated from Bengali by Bhumipatidsa.
Dressing like a sannys and becoming a real
sannys are not the same thing. We have to take !! Sri Sri Nitai Gaurchandra Jayati !!
sannysa from material enjoyment and the desire
for liberation. One who has made Krishnas NBS Projects
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International Society for Krishna Consciousness
sense gratification, and liberation is the real Founder-crya: His Divine Grace
sannys. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda
To become a real sannys means to follow in the For subscriptions please visit
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to the transcendental Lord. In addition, dressing like
a sannys is nothing but imitation, pretense. Sri Our heart felt thanks to Isha Prakash Das for helping as Copy
Mahaprabhu states: partma-nih-mtravea- Editor, Vrajsevika Devi Dasi for her Sanskrit and Bengali Translations,
dhraa, mukunda-sevya haya sasra-traa: Rasa Manjari Devi Dasi for her assistance.
The real purpose of accepting sannysa is to Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of
dedicate oneself to the service of Mukunda. By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
serving Mukunda, one can actually be liberated Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
from the bondage of material existence. (Caitanya- All the paintings are copyrights of their respective artists.
caritmta, Madhya 3.8)
nitya bhgavata-sevay Issue no 62, Page9
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