BY: DAMAGHOSA DAS (ACBSP)
Mon, Nov 8, 2010 — Hare Krishna to all
Pranams
Glories to Prabhupada
Below is a very informative piece by Visvanatha Thakur in his
commentary to SB regarding 4 types of great souls, and
4 types of faultfinders.
Damaghosa Das (ACBSP)
Of Saints and Critics
Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur
For persons aspiring for service and ecstatic love for Krishna, fault finding is a great impediment. In his purport to Caitanya-caritamrta, adi 8.62, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has described the qualification of avaisnava:
It is a qualification of avaisnava that he isadosa-darsi: he never sees others’ faults. Of course, every human being has both good qualities and faults.
Therefore it is said, saj-jana gunam icchanti dosam icchanti pamarah: everyone has a combination of faults and glories. But avaisnava, a sober man, accepts only a man’s glories and not his faults, for flies seek sores whereas honeybees seek honey.
In his Sarartha-darsini commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam 4.4.12, Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur has described four types of saintly persons according to how they see good qualities and faults:
1) Mahat (“great person”) — Amahat has the ability to see some good in everyone. They also perceive faults in others, but they consider that those faults can be eventually transformed by certain methods into good qualities.
Thus, if they feel that a person may be benefited by discussing that person’s faults, they may, under appropriate circumstances, speak harsh words. Neem juice tastes very bitter, but it can cure diseases when administered appropriately. It should be noted that amahat will never reject or condemn a faulty person, but thinks only how that person may be benefited.
2) Mahattara (“greater person”) — Amahattara also sees good and bad qualities in others, but focuses on and praises the good qualities. Seeing a materialistic merchant, amahattara will think, “Although he is a sense-gratifier, he takes good care of guests and is worthy of deliverance.”
3) Mahattama (“especially great person”) — A mahattama sees whatever good qualities others have and magnifies them, not seeing even the smallest fault. Viswanath describes their attitude,
“This person has stolen my cloth because he is cold, and though he has a weapon, he doesn’t attack me because he is merciful. He is virtuous.”
4) Ati-mahattama (“extremely great person”) —
Anati-mahattama sees good qualities in others even where there are none. Their attitude is, “In this world there are no bad people. Everyone is good.”
Bibliography
— Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. English translation and commentary by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Los Angeles. 1975.
— Srimad Bhagavatam with commentaries by Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur.
Gaudiya Math. Bagbazar. 1992. Bengali.
— Srimad Bhagavatam, Sarartha Darsini commentary of Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur. English translation by Bhanu Swami. Sri Vaikuntha Enterprises. Chennai, India. 2009.
This sounds like Arjuna arguments about not wanting to fight.
The fact and the matter is that even Srila Prabhupada criticizes a lot of people.
From sahajiyas, politicians, cow killers, pretenders, impersonalists… rascals, as He calls them.
It is OK to not find fault in others who mind their own business. Sure, nobody’s perfect.
The majority of karmis are “sincerely ignorant”. Those on the spiritual path are sincerely trying.
But when it comes to people who pose as leaders, spiritual masters, evangelists…. and are going to influence many lives, what to speak of collecting lots of money too, then it is IMPERATIVE to have very sharp critical skills. It is very important to expose bogus, phonies, pretender, cheaters, since they can do so much harm to innocent and easily impressed “sheepish” persons. Hitler would be an extreme example.
It takes lots of strength and COURAGE to fight those demons. Lots of integrity. Some people even risk their lives. One of the way those first 11 gurus succeeded in their foolish attempt (for a little while at the least), is because they had the support of some other influential godbrothers, who were so willing to surrender to them and “show the good example”. In exchange of what, they got comfy positions and material rewards. Shame on them. Now, those sheepish cowards are the next generation of bogus gurus.
Hare Krishna devotees are not, for the most part, blind sentimental followers. Many highly intelligent, educated and rational beings gave up everything for Srila Prabhupada. But what went on after He left was an insult to their intelligence.
Lord Krishna is very merciful. Especially Lord Caitanya! There are so many stories of the “most fallen” being saved. All the big demons Krishna killed were saved. They were not hypocrites. Mrigari the hunter, Jagai and Madai…. But I have not found a single example, in all of the Scriptures, of a HYPOCRITE being saved by any kind of practices. Not even by chanting Hare Krishna. Not one. Krishna calls them the pretenders in the BG. No mercy for them. The deadly offense.
And we have witnessed in horror, in ISKCON, how those so-called pure devotees ended up falling so much lower that most ordinary “good karmi sincerely ignorant people” I know. Real criminals! I mean hard core criminals! After chanting Hare Krishna for so many years, this is what happened to them. Lowest of criminals…..
So it is a disservice to them to encourage their delusion. I mean the fake gurus. The criticisms I found on this site are extremely rational, well documented and compassionate. If you see a godbrother going the wrong way, you should have the courage to tell him. This is Vaisnava behavior at the highest. A Vaisnava is not afraid of the “unpalatable truth”. Prabhupada was a perfect example of it.
16 March 2011 FYI (and not wishing to find fault 🙂 – the last four classifications in the article above are not presently showing in the browser. It is only showing the four first categories from ‘mahat’ to ‘ati-mahattama’. YS
Dear Damaghosh Prbahu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Shrila Prabhupada. Thank you so very much prabhu for your sharing these beautiful teachings of our Sri Sri Vishvanatha Chakravati Thakur with us. How lucidly our wonderful acarya explains the levels of “non-criticism” in a gradually more elevated vaishnava. Something very much to aspire to. Oh, when will that day be mine!
I have learned a lot from some people including, interestingly enough though not surprisingly, from children.
The latter are often SO uncritical. They see the good everywhere, in everyone. They love everyone. They don’t take offence, don’t become angry, are always gentle, surrendered, sweet and submissive, and often so joyful. I have been shamed to behave in a more vaishnava way by these unpolluted souls. No wonder Jesus Christ of Nazareth said that if you want to go to my father’s kingdom you must first become as one of these.
And wasn’t our Param Vaisnava Mahajan Bhakta Prahlad very affectionately described by his classmates as “most gentle one”. He touched their hearts with his sravanam, kirtanam, vishnu smaranam-induced sweet, loving gentility. To be honest even when I know I’m pointing out a relevant fault in even demoniac karmi exploitive leaders and their uncaring ways, because I’m not a great saint, I feel it affects me. It can make one bitter and maybe just waiting to see the fault, maybe self-motivatedly to show off how I’m on top of things. Hmmmm! I know its certainly NOT one of the angas of bhakti or even of sub-religious principles to overengage time or effort in criticism.
I will think deeply on what you have written. Thank you again prabhu.
Your servant,
Kirtan Das