Bhakti-sandarbha - Anuccheda 298 - tathA dIkSA-vidhAnena...

Bhakti Sandarbha, Anuccheda 298

yAni cAtra vaiSNava-cihnAna nirmAlya-dhAraNa-caraNAmRta-pAnAdIny aGgAni teSAM ca pRthak pRthak mAhAtmya-vRndaM zAstra-sahasreSv anusandheyam |

Some symptoms of a Vaishnava are the acceptance of flowers accepted by the Lord, acceptance of the nectarine water which has washed His feet, and so forth. In many many places in thousands of scriptures the multitude of their glory has been ascertained.

athArcanAdhikAri-nirNayaH |

Now eligibility for arcana is considered.

etad vai sarva-varNAnAm AzramANAM ca sammatam |
zreyasAm uttamaM manye strI-zUdrANAM ca mAna-da || [BhP 11.27.4]

"Indeed, this [arcana] is befitting for members of all castes (varna) and orders (asrama) of life. O magnanimous one, in my opinion also ladies and the working class of men can attain the supreme benefit from it."

sarva-varNAnAM traivarNikAnAm | tathA ca smRty-artha-sAre pAdme ca vaizAkha-mAhAtmye -

All castes here refers to three varnas. In the Vaisakhya-mahatmya of Padma Purana the essence of the import of smriti is presented:

Agamoktena mArgeNa strI-zUdrair api pUjanam |
kartavyaM zraddhayA viSNoz cintayitvA patiM hRdi ||
zUdrANAM caiva bhavati nAmnA vai devatArcanam |
sarve'py Agama-mArgeNa kuryur vedAnukAriNA ||
strINAm apy adhikAro'sti viSNor ArAdhanAdiSu |
pati-priya-ratAnAM ca zrutir eSA sanAtanI || [PadmaP 6.84.48, 52-4] iti |

"Through the path of the Agamas, ladies and workers may engage in the worship of Vishnu with faith, thinking of Him within their hearts. Indeed, also the working class of men can worship the Lord. The path of the Agamas, which follows the Vedas, is for everyone. Ladies who are dear and devoted to their husband are eligible for worshiping Vishnu and so forth. This is the eternal desire of the Srutis."

viSNu-dharme -
devatAyAM ca mantre ca tathA mantra-prade gurau |
bhaktir aSTa-vidhA yasya tasya kRSNaH prasIdati ||
tad-bhakta-jana-vAtsalyaM pUjAyAM cAnumodanam |
sumanA arcayen nityaM tad-arthe dambha-varjanam ||
tat-kathA-zravaNe rAgas tad-arthe cAGga-vikriyA |
tad-anusmaraNaM nityaM yas tan-nAmopajIvati ||
bhaktir aSTa-vidhA hy eSA yasmin mlecche'pi vartate |
sa muniH satya-vAdI ca kIrtimAn sa bhaven naraH || iti |

In Vishnu-dharma:

"Sri Krishna is satisfied with the one who is engaged in bhakti in eight ways, dedicated to the Lord, his mantra and the mantra-giving guru. (1) Being kind to His devotees, (2) Honoring and pleasing Him, (3) Regularly worshiping Him with a pure mind, (4) Renouncing hypocrisy, (5) Being attached to hearing narrations about Him, (6) Engaging all of one’s limbs in serving him, (7) Constantly meditating on Him, and (8) Accepting His name as one’s very life. These are the eight kinds of bhakti which even barbarians can adopt and become truthful sages and glorious among men."

kiM ca tattva-sAgare -
yathA kAJcanatAM yAti kAMsyaM rasa-vidhAnataH |
tathA dIkSA-vidhAnena dvijatvaM jAyate nRRNAm || iti |

Moreover in Tattva-sagara:

"Just as bell-metal becomes gold when treated with mercury, so men become twice-born through the method of diksa."

atha kRte zuklaz catur-bAhuH [BhP 11.5.19] ity AdinA yuga-bhede yaz copAsanAyAm AvirbhAva-bheda ucyate, sa ca prAyika eva | tebhyaz caturbhyo'nyeSAm upAsanA zAstrAd eva | anyathetaropAsanAyAH kAlAsamAvezaH syAt | zrUyante ca sarvatra yuge sarvopAsakAH | tasmAt sarvair api sarvadApi yathecchaM sarva evAvirbhAvAH pUjyA iti sthtitam | ata etad vai sarva-varNAnAM [BhP 11.27.4] ity AdikaM sarva-sammatam eva ||

"In the age of Satya the Lord is white and four-armed’ and so forth [BhP 11.5.19]. "Here the upasana for the different manifestations of the Lord during different yugas are ordained. In this way the scriptures of worship describe four different kinds of worship. Aside this, other kinds of worship can also be done at that time. It is heard [from the scripture] that in all yugas, all kinds of worship may be engaged in. Therefore during each yuga at all times, according to one’s desire one may worship any manifestation, thus it is established. "This is so for all castes" and so forth [BhP 11.27.4] approves that it is for everyone.

|| 11.27 || uddhavaH zrI-bhagavantam || 298 ||

Uddhava in the Srimad Bhagavata 11.27.

As always, Jagat, feel free to edit.

Bhakti Sandarbha, Anuccheda 298

What a Tonic

Thanks!

Radheeee

What about ladies who are not dear and devoted to their husbands or ladies who have no husbands? Are they also eligible for worshipping Vishnu?

No, unfortunately they are not.

WHAT?!

Very funny Madhava. It's a serious question.

Come on, do not be so cruel with them...

"This is so for all castes" and so forth [BhP 11.27.4] approves that it is for everyone.

|| 11.27 || uddhavaH zrI-bhagavantam || 298 ||

Uddhava in the Srimad Bhagavata 11.27.

Dandavats. All glories to the Vaisnavas.

What makes you think Madhava is joking? If you know the answer to your question than it isn't a serious question afterall. Why does it always seem that you are looking for posts to take issue with?

Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa

If married women are not devoted to their husbands but rather long after other men, they are violating a very basic principle of dharma.

You can take pati-priya-ratAnAM as meaning "being fond of having sex with her husband", if you feel that is more suitable.

I do not understand why there is this need to find issues with every other post.

I wanted to explore a few different angles here.

1. The verse translation mentions women who are both devoted to and dear to their husbands. What about the women who may not be so loved by and dear to their husbands? What about the women who may be married and faithful to their husband but not so devoted to him. This term "devoted to husband" has alot of conotations in Indian society that it may not have in yours. For instance it connotes putting one's husband's desires, tastes and opinions before your own and even making one's bhajan secondary to pati-seva. So I wanted to explore this.


2. The verse deals specifically with married women. I wanted to explore if an unmarried woman was somehow seen at that time, or in this tradition, as ineligible for worshipping Vishnu.



There is a group of married women who were not devoted to their husbands and indeed longed after another man and they are glorified as the most eligible for worshipping Vishnu.

Manu Samhita:

janma jayate sudra
samskarad bhavet dvija
veda-pathad bhaved vipro
brahma-janatiti brahmanah

Can anyone say if this is meant to say that through samskaras anyone can become a brahmin?

(This is related to the original topic)

Might you have anything more specific on that reference? The meter does not add up. We need to see the context, too.

I could not find anything like this sloka in my Sanskrit text of Manu.

However Manu 2.172 states:

(He who has not been initiated) should not pronounce (any) Vedic text excepting (those required for) the performance of funeral rites, since he is on a level with a Sudra before his birth from the Veda.

and it is said:

janmanA jAyate zUdraH
karmaNA jAyate dvijaH

Sorry don't know where this one is from.

Keshava

If a woman, or sudra or anuloma applies for initiation and is possessed of good qualities, then they should gladly be accepted by the guru.

Visvamitra Samhita 3.27

(The preceptor should) similarly accept virgins and women with auspicious qualities.

Laksmi Tantra 41.13a

Girls are divided into two categories - brahmavadinis who are devoted to sacred learning, and sadyovadhus, who get married immediately upon reaching puberty.

Harita Smrti 20.23

An example of a lady brahmavadin is Gargi in Brhd Up.

Sayana Commenting on Rig Veda 5.61.8 says:

The wife and the husband being equal halves of one substance are equal in every respect, both should join and take equal part in all work - religious or secular.

After regarding himself as the preceptor and ascertaining that the disciple has all the necessary qualifications, the preceptor who is God himself should teach all the mantras. (And the same treatment should be extended) to a woman who respects her husband, does not neglect her religious and social duties, has a clear notion of truth and has obtained her husbands permission (to become an adept).

Lakshmi Tantra 21.40-41.

Again why the qualification for a woman is marriage and within her marriage respecting her husband and not neglecting her social duties (i.e. pati-seva) and above all why does she have to get her husband's permission?

Are similar things required of the husband in regards to his wife when seeking out a guru? Does he also have to have her permission?

Because of the Guru-in-law syndrome.

In order to avoid any potential conflict between the husband and the guru.

OK Keshava, here's a flurry for you;

In this regard, Srila Madhvacarya gives this opinion:
"A woman should think of her husband as the Supreme Lord. Similarly, a disciple should think of the spiritual master as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a sudra should think of a brahmana as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and a servant should think of his master as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way, all of them will automatically become devotees of the Lord. In other words, by thinking this way, all of them will become Krsna conscious."

IS THAT TRUE? WHERE DOES MADHVA SAY THAT? COULD IT NOT BE CONSIDERED IDOLATRY?

Srimad Bhagavatam 6.18.33-34

A husband is the supreme demigod for a woman. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vasudeva, the husband of the goddess of fortune, is situated in everyone’s heart and is worshiped through the various names and forms of the demigods by fruitive workers. Similarly, a husband represents the Lord as the object of worship for a woman.

Srimad Bhagavatam 6.19.17

Accepting her husband as the representative of the Supreme Person, a wife should worship him with unalloyed devotion by offering him prasada. The husband, being very pleased with his wife, should engage himself in the affairs of his family

SOMEONE CHECK THE SANSKRIT PLEASE. DOES IT SAY THIS? WHY WOULD THE BHAGAVAT, SUPPOSEDLY THE BOOK THAT DOES AWAY WITH ALL MUNDANE AND SECONDARY CONCEPTS OF DHARMA, SAY SUCH A THING?

Bhaktivedanta Swami quotes this in his commentary on Bhagavata 7.11.29. It is a translation of the following:



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The next one:


Sanskrit:


This worship of the husband is equated to devata-worship in the verse. We know how the Gita speaks of devata-worship. What a peculiar contradiction!

= = =


Sanskrit:



= = =

Not in the mood to comment on this further right now, but here are the ingredients, the Sanskrit you asked for.

Dear Betal,

Since the servants don't see their masters as God, why should you be bothered about references about the wife seeing the husband as God?

I think everyone admits that that is the way it was in those days.

As for nowadays, with the possible exception of GHQ and 16108 das, most people think women do have some individual worth as distinct from only in the domiciled association of their husbands, father and/or sons.

Keshava

PS I see my wife as a Goddess. Some days Laksmi and some days Kali.