Mantra Nine of the Sri Isopanisadadham tamah pravisantiye vidyam upasatetato bhuya iva te tamoya u vidyayam ratahSrila Prabhupada's TranslationThose who engage in the culture of nescient activities shall enter into the darkest region of ignorance. Worse still are those engaged in the culture of so called knowledge.My NotesDictionary.com describes nescience (sanskrit adham) to be "lack of knowledge, ignorance." However, although people who engage in the culture of foolish activities are condemned to the darkest region of ignorance, people who pretend to be in knowledge but misuse their privilege are even lower then those in avidya (ignorance).
Buy a copy of the Sri Isopanisad
Mantra Eight of the Sri Isopanisad
sa paryagac chukram akayam avranam
asnaviram suddham apapa-viddham
kavir manisi paribhuh svayambhur
yathatathyato 'rthan vyadadhac chasvatinhyah
samabhyah
Srila Prabhupada's Translation
Such a person must factually know the greatest of all, the Personality of Godhead, who is unembodied, omniscient, beyond reproach, without veins, pure and uncontaminated, the self-sufficient philosopher who has been fulfilling every one's desire since time immemorial.
My Notes
- The fallen condition of the living entities is due entirely to forgetfulness of their relationship with god.
- As mentioned in B.G. (9.30-31), a devotee may appear to be su-duracara, not well behaved, in the beginning, but he should be excepted as pure because he is on the right path.
Srila Prabhupada makes his point very clear in this first note, "The fallen condition of the living entities is due entirely to forgetfulness of their relationship with god." We should always remember Krishna, and Prabhupad said in a 1974 correspondence that "To remember Krishna requires practice, and this is most easily done by chanting Hare Krishna mantra."
The second point is also very important, if we always remember it, it will help us not to commit offenses to the vaisnavas. Srila Prabhupada also said in a letter to Badarinarayana (1971), "The difference between a devotee and a nondevotee is this, just like the bee and the fly: the bee always is attracted by the honey and flies go to the open sores. So the devotee is only attracted by the good qualities in other people and does not see their faults." So we should always remember not to seek faults in other devotees, excepting them as pure because they are on the right path.
Buy a copy of the Sri Isopanisad
Mantrs Six of the Sri Isopanisad
yas tu sarvani bhutany
atmany evanupasyati
sarva-bhutesu catmanam
tato na vijugupsate
Srila Prabhupada's Translation
He who sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord, who sees all living entities as His parts and parcels, and who sees the Supreme Lord within everything never hates anything or any being.
My Notes
Kanistha-adhikari: Materialistic devotees who are simply trying to reach the spiritual plane.
Madhyama-adhikari: Adores the Lord, makes friends with those in devotional service, preaches to the innocent, who have no knowledge of the Lord, and avoids the athiests.
Uttama-adhikari: Doesn't descriminate, seeing every living being as part and parcel of the Lord.
Srila Prabhupada's Purport promotes the Uttama-adhikari as higher than the Madhyama-adhikari. However, although we should all aim to oneday be Uttama-adhikaris, we cannot skip the previous step. If a devotee is not elevated enough, and tries to see everyone equally like the Uttama-adhikari, he may become entangled by bad association, because of not avoiding the athiests. Therefore devotees should strive to be Madhyama-adhikaris until they have perfected this grade of self realization and truly do see all people equally and have become Dhiras (undisturbed).
"Amongst the devotees, there are three grades: kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari, and uttama-adhikari. So if the kanistha-adhikari thinks that "I have become uttama-adhikari," then he's a rascal. He's a rascal. If he wants to imitate the uttama-adhikari, then he's a rascal.”
~Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk February 4th 1976, Mayapur.
Buy a copy of the Sri Isopanisad
