Importance of Studying Shastra

The following is a question that addressed Babaji’s podcast interview with Namarasa.

Question: Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad Gītā, “O son of Pṛtha, those who take shelter in me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas, and śūdras—can attain the supreme destination” (Gītā 9.32).

These classes of people are generally not accustomed to study like a brāhmaṇa, so how can study be the only path to bhakti? This is why the supremely magnanimous Lord Caitanya distributed kṛṣṇa-prema through the Holy Names and not study, because Lord Caitanya, out of His mercy, wanted to make bhakti accessible to all, not only to studious brāhmaṇas. 

Answer: In my interview, I said that bhakti, as propagated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is understood only by studying it from the works of Gosvāmīs. You will agree that Mahāprabhu propagated uttamā-bhakti and asked Śrī Rupa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī to write books. It is well known that the bhakti that He propagated was not known to people of this world. The anarpita-carīṁ cirāt verse is proof of this fact. From this, you can understand that uttamā-bhakti is not easy to understand, even for learned people, because it is not material. We do not have any experience of it. We theoretically understand something new based on our past experience. Alternatively, we can know by direct experience. In the case of uttamā-bhakti, we do not have past experience unless we are continuing it from our past life. We also have no means to experience it directly unless we are fortunate to get the grace of an uttamā-bhakta. Therefore, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī calls this bhakti “mahā-durbodha,” extremely difficult to understand (Bhakti Sandarbha, Anuccheda 165). Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī lists sudurlabha, “very difficult to achieve,” as one of the six qualities of bhakti (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.17).

You will agree that to follow any path, you need to understand the path properly. If we do not understand the path or the process properly, we cannot follow it properly. If we do not follow it properly, we do not get the desired result. This is my conviction and experience. 

Your objection is based on the Gītā verse (9.32). On this, I want to say that this verse was spoken when the varṇāśrama system was functional. I do not understand the logic in citing this verse. In modern society, there is no restriction on education. When you say: “These classes of people are generally not accustomed to study like a brāhmaṇa, so how can study be the only path to bhakti?” What do you mean by the word brāhmaṇa? Where are the brāhmaṇas who are absorbed in studying śtra? The majority of my students who study śāstra are women and not brāhmaṇas. So, your objection is outdated and not based on practical experience. 

If your objection is correct, i.e., we do not need to study śāstra to understand bhakti, then I would like to see this in practice. Show me people who have not done a proper study of bhakti-śāstra yet are clear about the process and the goal. Moreover, they are actually achieving the goal. It is certainly not my experience. Instead, I find devotees who have been practicing for decades and have no clear understanding of the basic definition of uttamā-bhakti. People are confused even about simple concepts such as nāma, nāma-abhāsa, and nāma-aparādha. And I am not speaking about just being able to recite some verses but being very clear about the process and goal.