Three Types of Siddhas

Srila Gurudeva: Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura is saying that the bona fide Vaisnava should be bhakti-siddha. There are two kinds of siddhas: jnana-marga siddha and bhakti-marga siddha. Jnana-marga siddha is perfect in the path of impersonal knowledge. Bhakti-marga siddha are those who are expert in bhakti. They are both considered siddha, perfect. Those who are perfect in bhakti-marga are of three kinds. One is bhagavata-parsada-deha-prapta, those who have achieved their nitya-siddha deha, spiritual form, and they are serving Radha-Krsna conjugal with that eternal body.

An example of this is Narada Muni nowadays. At first he was a bhakti sadhaka, then he became a bhava-bhakti sadhaka. At last he became perfect and achieved a parikara-deha, his nitya-siddha deha. The second type of bhakti siddha is nirdhuta-kasaya, those whose all kinds of anarthas are washed away. But a small scent may still be there. Like Sukadeva Gosvami, he is nirdhuta-kasaya. There is not any chance that any nama-aparadha or offenses or anarthas will come. There is no chance. But he has not received his parikara deha yet.

Then the third type is murcchita-kasaya, like Narada in his first stage, when he had darsana of Narayana for a second. When Narayana disappeared, He began to cry and weep, rolling down on the earth. Then a voice came from the sky and said, “Don’t be so worried. You should chant and remember Me and while wandering throughout the whole world and giving your association to all qualified persons, after that, a day will come when you will keep your feet on the head of death and you will come to Me. Then you will be perfect.”

So when he was wandering in this world, giving his association to the sons of Daksa Prajapati, the Pracetas and all others, at that time, he was a murcchita-kasaya bhakti-siddha. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura is saying that if anyone is so fortunate to have the association of a Vaisnava like them, by their causeless mercy, bhakti will come at once. They will change in a moment. By their desire, anything can be done. Pure bhakti will come. They can show that person Krsna. They are so powerful because they are perfect. But it is very rare to have the association of anyone like this.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura clarifies and reconciles all these things. How can we achieve this? He is taking one sloka from Srimad-Bhagavatam and reconciling everything, explaining the meaning of who is a madhyama-adhikari Vaisnava. It has been said that an uttama-adhikari is always absorbed in krsna-prema, so he cannot teach anyone. But we see that Narada Gosvami, Sukadeva Gosvami, Sanaka and Sanat-kumara, they are all preaching. Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself is absorbed in the mood of Radha, but yet He is preaching. Sanatana and Rupa Gosvami, what are they? Are they madhyama or uttama?

No doubt they are uttama. But they are acting like a madhyama-adhikari. So if a Guru is an uttama-adhikari like nirdhuta-kasaya or murcchita-kasaya or a parikara-deha, no harm. By the desire of Krsna, they can come here and associate.

[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on April 29th, 1998, France, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 27]

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