Honoring All, Desiring None
How does this become possible? The third line explains: amanina manadena—offer others respect without waiting for respect in return. However, if I offer respect to any mundane person, then I will become entangled in asat-sanga. The sadhaka is advised to make friendship with somebody who has this mood of amanina manadena. Otherwise, the materialistic qualities of an unqualified person will infect you like a poisonous virus.Sadhakas are thus instructed to follow certain guidelines so that they will be protected from harmful association. Some people claim to be maha-bhagavatas and think that they need not worry about asat-sanga, but such devotees are slowly derailed from the path of pure bhakti.
Bharata Maharaja tried to do bhajana alone. He renounced everything and went to the banks of the Gandak river, where he meditated on the Lord and came to an advanced stage of devotion. One day, he saw a tiger attacking a pregnant deer. The deer fled across the river and just at that moment, her baby fell from her womb into the river and floated away. Bharata Maharaja knew that the baby deer would die if he did not rescue it, so his compassion caused him to help the baby deer.
Maharaja raised the deer with great affection, with a heart softened from his devotional absorption. He made such a sweet relation with this deer that he was not able to forget it for even one minute. All his time became spent taking care of the deer and thus he forgot all about Bhagavan and chanting his mantras.
As soon as he would try to chant his mantras, the baby deer would come to him and nudge him with her head as if she wanted to say, “Hey, why are you silent? Why are you not giving me love and affection? Why are you not taking me on your lap and petting me? Why are you not feeding me nice grasses and leaves?”
Because of his absorption in the deer, Bharata Maharaja did not achieve perfection in that life, but rather, when he gave up his body, he became a deer in his next birth. This example shows that even after the manifestation of bhava, one can have difficulty in the performance of his bhajana. We should thus be careful to not develop material attachment to anything mundane. The sadhaka should only make a relation with someone who follows amanina manadena and chants the Lord’s name for many hours of the day. There is no need for any other relation.
saṅgaṁ na kuryāt pramadāsu jātu
yogasya pāraṁ param ārurukṣuḥ
mat-sevayā pratilabdhātma-lābho
vadanti yā niraya-dvāram asya
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.31.39
One who desires attainment of self-realization through engagement in My service and the ultimate perfection of bhakti-yoga, should never indulge in association with materialists and sense enjoyers. The saints declare that such association creates a doorway to hell for the sadhaka.
In order to perform yoga and cross maya, one has to avoid asat-sanga. Therefore, we should pray to the Lord to keep us always in saintly association.
ata ātyantikaṁ kṣemaṁ
pṛcchāmo bhavato 'naghāḥ
saṁsāre 'smin kṣaṇārdho 'pi
sat-saṅgaḥ sevadhir nṛṇām
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.28
O most auspicious one, I am asking You for the highest benediction. I wish to have the association of Your pure devotees because the association of Your devotees for even a moment is the most valuable gain in this world.
tato duḥsaṅgam utsṛjya
satsu sajjeta buddhi-mān
santa evāsya chindanti
mano-vyāsaṅgam uktibhiḥ
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.59
One should avoid wicked company and associate with devotees. With their realized instructions, such saints can cut the knot connecting one with activities unfavorable to devotional service.
The speech of the sadhus is like a sword that cuts the disciples anarthas. Who is a sadhu? One who is trnad-api-sunicena taror-api-sahisnuna.
Sambandha, Abhidheya, and Prayojana
Sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana can be found in this third verse. Trnad-api-sunicena taror-api-sahisnuna represents sambandha-jnana, amanina manadena stands for abhideya, and kirtaniyah sada harih is the prayojana. In order to make a relation with krsna-kirtana, one has to develop seva-vrtti, a service tendency. To whom should we render service? We should serve that person who follows amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih.
Rupa Gosvami gave us the following sloka:
kṛṣṇeti yasya giri taṁ manasādriyeta
dīkṣāsti cet praṇatibhiś ca bhajantam īśam
śuśrūṣayā bhajana-vijñam ananyam anya-
nindādi-śūnya-hṛdam īpsita-saṅga-labdhyā
Upadeśāmṛta 5
Offer respect in your mind to one who occasionally chants Krsna’s name, but do not offer pranama to him. You should also not approach him, because if you do so, he will stop chanting Hare Krsna and start telling you about his problems and engage in politics, which is like polluting the area with the bacteria in his mind.
Diksasti cet pranatibhis ca bhajantam isam. This next line of the sloka describes the dealings with somebody who has taken diksa. Diksa means to realize sambandha-jnana, our spiritual relationship, to have the mood ‘I am Yours’ and even if the whole world gets annihilated, I cannot leave You. One who has the mood of trnad-api-sunicena taror-api-sahisnuna has realized sambandha-jnana, and can be considered to have taken diksa.
Whereas one who has received the mantras, but has no relation to the Guru-varga and Krsna, and is devoid of the mood of trnad-api-sunicena, is not a true disciple with actual diksa. One who has entered real diksa will offer heartfelt pranama to the Guru-varga because he has sambandha-jnana and thus knows that all power, taste, and love for Krsna comes from them.
Rupa Gosvami’s verse continues: susrusaya bhajana-vijnam ananyam anya. Who should the sadhaka render service to? Render service and take shelter of the devotee who engages in ananya-bhajana, one-pointed devotion, and who continuously serves Krsna and the Vrajavasis. If you serve ordinary people, their qualities will come to you and you will be derailed from the path.
Serve a person who is susrusaya bhajana-vijnam ananyam anya—this is not my advice, it is the advice of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Nindadi-sunya-hrdam ipsita-sanga-labdhya. The last line of this verse instructs us to associate with those who never insult or cheat anybody, and also to endeavor to develop these same qualities ourselves. Without duplicity and with a simple heart, we should always be engaged in the service of Krsna. Only the sanga of such a person is desirable.
In the same way that a touchstone turns anything it touches into gold, the sadhaka becomes purified by the association of high-class Vaisnavas. But we also must be cautious, if we do not know how to approach a maha-bhagavata and behave in his association, then we will not receive his blessings and mercy. Therefore Mahaprabhu taught us this third verse, instructing us to become humble, tolerant, and respectful.
vaiṣṇava haite mane baḍa chilo sat
tṛṇād api sunīca śloke pade gelo bat
I had a great desire to be a Vaisnava, but when I came to this trnad-api-sunicena verse, I lost all hope.
Srila Gurudeva describes that the vairagis are jealous and envious of the bhaktas. They do not like loving devotional service and prefer to hide themselves in caves or in the jungle. But are they able to control their senses? Do they become rid of their pride and false ego? Do they become purified? Nobody is helping them and therefore they cannot progress. These are not the guidelines of bhakti. The meaning of trnad-api-sunicena is not that I am so humble before everyone, that anybody can chastise me, beat me, and kill me, and that I am their slave. This is not trnad-api-sunicena. We submit ourselves before the higher authorities, the Vaisnavas, not ordinary people.