Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Bg 17.4

yajante sāttvikā devān
yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi rājasāḥ
pretān bhūta-gaṇāṁś cānye
yajante tāmasā janāḥ

Synonyms: 

yajante — worship; sāttvikāḥ — those who are in the mode of goodness; devān — demigods; yakṣa–rakṣāṁsi — demons; rājasāḥ — those who are in the mode of passion; pretān — spirits of the dead; bhūta–gaṇān — ghosts; ca— and; anye — others; yajante — worship; tāmasāḥ — in the mode of ignorance; janāḥ — people.

Translation: 

Men in the mode of goodness worship the demigods; those in the mode of passion worship the demons; and those in the mode of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits.

yajante sāttvikā devān, so the faith in the devatas is in goodness

yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi rājasāḥ, when one is in passion one worships Yakshas and Rakshashs, 

And when one is in ignorance  pretān bhūta-gaṇāṁś cānye, one worships the pretas the bhutas all these kind of creatures. 

yajante tāmasā janāḥ, when one is in ignorance

We have general understanding that those in goodness worships Lord Vishnu, in passion worships Lord Brahma and those is ignorance worships Lord Shiva. Also there are three different types of Puranas divided as per the modes. This is simplistic understanding. All the puranas talk about same universe and talk about all these personalities and other demigods also. But the realities that are depicted in different purans about what are the aspects of the people, what are the understanding and conceptions of the people those changes. And in tamasic puranas largely the aspiration and the conceptions are more in tuned with those who are in mode of ignorance. So it is not that those Purans don’t mentioned Lord Vishnu but the focus is on tamasic achievements and tamasic ambitions and accordingly the whole Purana is molded. So these Puranas are not considered to be wrong but catering to a lower level of reality and to the extent these Purana talks about higher reality to that level it is accepted otherwise they are not.

There are different levels, first faith in scripture itself is in mode of goodness.

So faith in worship of Lord Vishnu is Goodness, goodness

Faith in worship of Lord Brahma is in Goodness, passion

Faith in worship of Lord Shiva is in Goodness, ignorance.

For example all the animals are in the mode of passion but it is mentioned that cow is in mode of goodness, Lion in passion and monkey, jackal in ignorance. So in animal bodies in general are in mode of ignorance as they cannot perceive spiritual realities exception Gajendra who has practiced spiritual life in previous body. So spiritual life cannot be started in animal bodies but spiritual life may be continued in animal body.  

Jananand Maharaj has written a book Animals in Krishna Consciousness mentioned various animals who are devotees even in present or in recent times. 

If someone practice spiritual life how can one became a dog? This is same principle how Bharat Maharaj became a dear. There is a spiritual principle and there is material principle, in real life no principle applies in isolation because real life is complex, the spiritual principle is, once one started a spiritual life, one will continue that, Neha Vikrama Naso Asthi Pratyayo Na Vidyate, if one attracts attraction for Krishna that may be covered but that will not be lost that will stay, on the other hand if one is attached to something material and thinks of that at the time of death, that is what one will get. So if both these principles will conflict then what happens? In case of Bharat Maharaj because he was attracted to dear he gets dear body but because he was attracted towards spirituality so that is also not lost. So at material level he got a dear body but he did not get a dear consciousness. 

So cows are in ignorance, goodness

Lions are in ignorance, passion and 

Monkeys in ignorance, ignorance

So that is why although we consider cows to be sacred but in SB when a person is considered fool he is compared to cows also. Selile Buddi…Go Kharah…verse.

Shiva Purana:

In Skanda Purana following is mentioned: (Skanda Purana is considered Tamasik)

shiva-shastreshutad grahyambhagavac-chastra-yogi yat

paramovishnur evaikastajjnanam moksha-sadhanam

shastranamnirnayastveshastad anyanmohanayahi

-SkandaPurana,Lord Shiva tells Karttikeya

shiva-shastreshu tad grahyam, means any scripture that talks about Lord Shiva like Shiva Puran that should be accepted tad grahyam.

When it should be accepted? 

bhagavac-chastra-yogi yat, only when, Yogi means (connection or agreement), only when it is in connection or agreement with Bhagvat Shahstra, Bhagvad Shahstras examples are Vishnu Puran, Bhagvad Puran, Padma Puran etc.

Why it is so? 

Because paramo vishnur evaikas, Prama is Vishnu

tajjnanam moksha-sadhanam, understanding this knowledge that Lord Vishnu is Supreme that is the means for liberation.

Shastranam nirnayas tv eshastad, this is the Nirnaya conclusion of all scriptures.

tad anyan, if someone says anything else 

mohanayahi, it is not truth it is illusion.

We may wonder why scriptures wanted to delude us. Scriptures doesn’t want to delude us but it doesn’t want to impose on us anything which we are not ready to accept. 

So it is not a matter of delusion but it is a matter of elusion. So scriptures don’t delude but truth eludes us. So scriptures doesn’t wanted to delude us scriptures are reciprocal. As Krishna says Ye Yatha Mam Prapadyenta so similarly scriptures also reciprocate us. So if we are in tamo guna and we are attached to tamo guna then scriptures will reciprocate and reveal us tamasic reality.  If we are in passion then scriptures will reveal passionate reality to us. So when we go with open mind then the real truth comes to us otherwise we will find within scriptures and attracted to those things which are with our preconceptions. So we have to learn from those who are learned in conclusion of scriptures Shastranam nirnayas tv eshastad.

Vedic scriptures give information about what ghosts actually are. 

Normally soul with subtle body goes to another body but sometimes based on his Karma je will not get new body easily, also in case of suicide. So the subtle body and the soul without gross body is called ghost.

If that ghost enters body of other person so that the normal person become inactive. This happens basically with the person who is living in tamo guna. In 5th canto it is described ghosts are above human. Why? Because ghosts exist at subtle level, not that they are more evolved in their consciousness and because they are at subtle level they sometimes have more power than humans, if humans are living in tamsik like intoxication etc. then ghosts can come inside. They enter in another body wanting to enjoy as they have mind but not have body or senses e.g. when we are sick we cannot enjoy but wanted to enjoy. This was proved by renowned scientist Alfred Wallace, and he said that don’t assume that you know everything already. Dutkarma Prabhu in his book called human devolution talks about evidence of the existence of subtle realm like evidence of consciousness is past life memories, near death experiences. And evidence of mind. 

If we live in goodness and practice devotion then we need not have to be afraid of ghosts. 

Varieties of ghostly beings

Bhuta –Soul + Subtle body without gross body

Preta –soul + subtle body + transition body that is grosser than the subtle body and subtler than the gross body

Person on death -> Preta

Graduda Purana explains that when soul is getting another body first he gets a transition body as explained above. So everyone becomes preta. 

Preta + Pinda-dana ritual is complete -> Pitrayana; after 11/13 days,

Pindadan the food offered decided another body this process is not for devotees they have another process. For normal case when the pinda dana is complete the souls next body is prepared by that and then the Preta become the Pitra, ancestor.

Preta -> Pitra

Not all andcestors goes to Pitra Loka, average punya ->pitra loka, terrible work -> Naraka, extraordinarily punya -> Swarga loka.

Purport: Srila Prabhupada talked about Panchopasana.

Brief description about this (From Historical perspective and from the perspective of How Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur has explained it):

Panchopasana, Upasana means to worship and Pancha is five.

Before Shankaracarya, Buddisam and Jainism has spread all over the country started approximately in 5th century BC. After Ashoka became Buddhist then he uses states resources to spread it and it has spread and all kings has adopted it.

Chankya writes strongly cautioning kings to become too much influenced with Buddhism because his understanding was Buddhism is a religion which focuses on too much of negation and rejection of the world and kings have to be responsible competent and acting in the world. If the kings are renunciate then kings cannot be responsible for competent and diligent administration of the world. 

After this Shankaracharya came and spread the Vedic culture that time he saw that those who are following Vedic culture are doing a wide varieties of worships. So he said that Vedas talk about different deities so you can worship these five primary deities: 1. Vishnu 2. Shiva 3. Goddess 4. Surya and 5. Ganesh.

Shankaracharya was a covered personalist. He has written various Bhajans like Baj Govindam where he has talked about the personalism and devotion. But as far as philosophy that is taught he has talked Adveta Vedanta where he has talked that beyond these forms are impersonal Brahman which is highest reality. So one worship so that they can go from form to fromless, these are five esta devatas so that one can choose whichever esta devatas one like worship that esta devatas and one goes beyond matter to spirit and attain spiritual reality eventually. So the idea was one can choose whichever devatas one like to worship. 

How Panchopasana elevates as explained by Bhaktivinoda Thakura

There is a gradual progression from Shaktas to Vaishanavas:

1. Shakti –shaktas–nature worshipers –scientists

Shakti means energy or nature, energy is present in nature, so these are nature worshipers. So the understanding is there is nature which is pervading, nature is everything and we have to worship nature. So in a broad way we can say that scientists are nature worshipers. One just sees matter and energy and one doesn’t see beyond material nature. I bow down to the power of nature, tribal observe these and follow this. This is the first stage in the evolution of worship.

2. Surya –Sauryas–nature would be useless without energy

So one moves from matter, material phenomena, to energy which activate these material phenomena. 

OK nature has all the power lighting, strom etc where does all these power coming from? Ultimately it is coming from the sun. Sun is the source of all power. So sun should be worshiped. 

When someone is worshiping Surya they may not be thinking all these but Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur explained that this is the program by which evolution can take place. So that is Sauryas.

3. Ganesh –Ganapatyas–zoomorphism –supervising nature and energy is an animal-like being

Then one thinks ok I see nature I see energy but then I see energetic beings. We see powerful beings like lions, tigers, elephants and whales they have lot of power so there is matter and there is energy combined together. Then one starts worshiping some higher reality manifested in the form of animal. That is what is called philosophically as zoomorphism. Means morphise forms like zoo means animlas, so worshiping Absolute Truth in the form of animal. So one understand that supervising nature and energy is an animal-like being. So that doesn’t mean that people all over the world having such consciousness worships Ganesh but Ganesh like worship is having such consciousness. 

4. Shiva –Beyond all temporary matter is eternal spirit –impersonalism

At this stage one thinks that matter is having form but spirit is formless. So I have to go beyond form to formless. 

5. Vishnu –Conception of a human-like being controlling all of existence

Like there is a person in charge of government. 

Transcendental Vaishnavism –highest of all forms of worship

Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur differentiates between material Vaishnavism and transcendental Vaishnavism. 

When people consciousness is still materialistic they have not understood their own identity, existence of transcendental reality, existence of Supreme God in transcendental reality, then even if they are practicing Vaishnavism it is affected by modes. 

In SB 3rd Canto Kapila Dev described Bhakti in Goodness, Bhakti in passion and Bhakti in ignorance, 

and He talked about how devotees keep quarreling with each other that is Bhakti in ignorance. 

When devotees practice Bhakti for name and fame for power and prestige then that is Bhakti in the mode of passion. 

When devotees practice Bhakti for the sake of liberation not for the pleasure of Krishna but for liberation that is in the mode of goodness, 

it is rough analysis it is quite technical over there.

So Bhakti in itself is transcendental but when we are practicing Bhakti that time we may be practicing Bhakti within the modes. 

So similarly Vaishnavism can also be within the modes. E.g. we say that K.C. is for whole world China, Pakistan, Muslim, Christian but when it comes to taking initiation you should take initiation from my guru and my guru is better than other gurus. My guru is Indian guru but your guru is American guru. 

So we may talk lofty things in philosophy but while practicing we often quite divisive. I taught somebody but he is taking initiation from other then we feel you are betraying me, we cannot own someone, we cannot legislate inspiration, if that person is inspired by somebody he is having complete right to take initiation from other guru. 

So we cannot assume that because Vaishnavism is transcendental so our practice of Vaishnavism is also transcendental. 

So Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur explains that Transcendental Vaishnavism is the highest of all forms of worship.  

So when one is situated at spiritual level of consciousness at that time one sees true unity of all living beings and one works for the welfare of all on behalf of Krishna. That is what will truly unify. 

Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur is not especially talking about Ganesh worshipers when he is talking about Ganapatyas, yes he is talking about Ganesh worshipers but along with that he is talking that point that the various systems of worships that is there all over the world they can be class into these five levels and above that is transcendental Vaishnavism where the pure spiritual soul serves the pure Spiritual Personal Absolute with pure spiritual law that is completely transcendental. And all systems of worships are gradually meant for this it is like a pyramid to the pinnacle to the top that is pure devotional love. So in this way the transcendence is the ultimate goal beyond all that what we practice.

End of transcription.