How to Knock
By Prof. Jatindra Mohan Ghose, M.A, B,L.
"KNOCK, and the door will be open on to you"- so says the holy Bible. Let us see what it means.
We may at once say, the general run of readers of the Bible understand it in quite a different light from the Indian Transcendentalists. The apparent meaning of the text is - and this is the interpretation of almost all people- that if we endeavour patiently and persistently we can reach the goal and acquire the desired objects. So that the acquisition of the desired thing rests entirely with us, it is within our means and reach and there is nothing else that may count in the fulfilment of our desired.
We admit, there is a good deal of truth in the above meaning put upon it, and it may hold good more or less in almost all cases. Yet we must say, there is not the whole truth in this meaning. Although this interpretation may be partly acceded to with regard to efforts for things mundane, it cannot be so admitted in the case of matters spiritual; moreover, the above truth has been said with regard to spiritual truth.
In whatever sphere, spiritual or material, the above saying may be applied, in its popular interpretation, one factor is generally and sadly ignored- that is-the opener of the door. Efforts of knocking in varying degrees and methods no doubt rests with a particular individual. But to judge its propriety, earnestness, intensity and the rightness of the method, and the freedom of giving response to it, depends entirely upon the mercy of the Master of the house inside the door in whose hands the key is. The Master may take mercy and respond: He may open the door, let the knocker in show him things within, and may bestow upon him anything He likes. The knocker may only knock and pray, it is for the Master to listen to the prayer and open the lock. The Master has the absolute liberty and authority in this matter.
Nor can the man break open the door and capture the things from the inside. Even in this material world in one out of a hundred cases, one can hardly break open the door of the house of another. Then what to speak of breaking open the gate of the transcendental region of the Lord? Efforts of mortal beings do not reach the gate of Heaven so easily.
So, in order to properly understand the true meaning of the passage quoted above, two things have always to be borne in mind, viz., the freedom of an individual to knock and pray, and the absolute freedom of the Lord to show mercy. We are free conscious beings, and can and do make a free choice of doing anything or not. When we make the right choice and go the right way, we prosper and become happy; otherwise we suffer. We may choose to make efforts for knowing the truth and to pray to the Lord to reveal it. But our desire and prayer to must be sincere and ardent, and our efforts must be directed in the right way. Improper method and misdirected efforts will only lead to disappointment. Here comes in the necessity of submission to and help from an expert who knows the Truth and can be a proper guide. He knows the right method- which is again the eternal method-and is competent to properly advise and lead the sincere seeker to the ultimate goal. Our individual freedom does not preclude such advice and guidance from the expert, the true preceptor. Rather, proper use of freedom implies it. It is our free choice to submit to him for attaining true and eternal freedom. For to know the truth is the highest freedom. Such submission to the good preceptor, i.e., the expert, continues even when we have reached the Truth. For the Absolute Truth or Godhead ever reveals Himself, that is, responds-through the good preceptor who is in eternal communion with Him on the same transcendental plane, and is His eternally associated Counterpart, Bound as we are in this limited world with limited capacities, our poor efforts of themselves cannot go very far and transcend the mundane limit. It is the mercy and help of the good preceptor eternally playing the role of the Saviour that accepts and complements our efforts and reaches them to the Holy feet of the Godhead. Our knocking reaches the door only through the preceptor-the Saviour. So that our knocking practically means earnest and complete submission and abandonment to the feet of Godhead's Saviour on this earth. Then and then only have we properly and surely knocked. We may know really and reasonably expect a response, and the response too now really begins to descend. Sincerity and earnestness are established in proportion to the submission to the preceptor. It may now please God to open the door. As a matter of fact, under such circumstances, i.e., on the completion of submission. God does respond and fling open the door of His mystery and beauty to the ardent votary. Although He is absolute free in this matter of showing mercy and opening the door, yet when the good preceptor or the Saviour takes along the submitted Soul up to the door and appeals in His favour, God withholds His freedom and blesses the devotee with His infinite mercy of revelation. This is what is meant by saying Godhead, the Absolute Lord of the Universe, is submissive to (the wishes of) His devotee. This is how proper knocking is done and the door opens up. Indian transcendentalists,-true devotees-understand the text of the Bible quoted above in this sense only-which is really the true meaning of the text. It is so declared in the Sruti-Truth is not attainable by mere mental speculation, neither by extraordinary merit nor by extensive learning. Truth may be attained by him alone whom Truth selects, i.e., He pleases to favour. To him (the favoured or the chosen) Truth reveals His ownself,-(Kat.Upa 1-2-23)
It is not possible for an ordinary creature to achieve this end independently of direction and assistance from the good preceptor. The secret of successful knocking and prayer is never known to an ordinary being, for it concerns a thing belonging to a plane beyond and above the mental, and passes all ordinary human comprehensions. No amount of mental, activities and earthly learning is of any avail in comprehending things of the spiritual plane. Accordingly a course of discipline is indispensably necessary in order to qualify for admission into the Kingdom of Heaven-to learn to rise above the plane of mental existence for eternally living in the spiritual plane. The good preceptor-the spiritual guide-can train up and enable a man to rise above the mortal mental and physical existence so that the man can reach the gate of Truth and properly knock at it. As has been said above this good preceptor-although appearing in human garb, and seemingly moving like an ordinary mortal,-is ever one of the spiritual plane but mercifully come down to this earth, is firmly established in the Absolute truth, perfectly competent to answer all questions and remove all doubts of a sincere seeker, and to enlighten and show the way. It is the preceptor who takes the devoted seeker, and to aloft, the only condition of his such selfless and invaluable service being absolutely unselfish and perfect surrender on the part of the seeker himself. Of course, such a good preceptor-the Super man-cannot be found out at every turn of the street. Yet he is, and is not unavailable to a sincere seeker. For he is ever here by the infinite of God for helping such seekers. And it is a very curious secret and inscrutable Divine Law that such a preceptor is found out and trusted upon by an earnest and sincere seeker only and non else. Further it is another such law that whenever the merciful God is pleased to reveal Himself (Truth) to any soul on the earth, He does it through the Acharyya, The good preceptor who is his trusted eternal servant, by creating a keen desire for such an Acharyya-the spiritual guide, and persuading a sincere faith and reliance on the Acharyya, in the mind of the seeker of truth. If one would believe in such Acharyya, well and good. If not ,he is doomed to grope about in the meshes of darkness of ignorance for long and long till he is made to put faith and seek shelter in the ever merciful Acharyya. Whatever and however much may be said against this, it is but divine dispensation. There is no other way.
The seeker now surrenders to the good preceptor and becomes his disciple. The preceptor too accepts him and sets him on a course of discipline. He is now set on the path to the gate of Truth, and with the preceptor's constant and unstinted help at every step makes advance towards the goal. The good preceptor teaches him how to approach and knock. He gradually approaches and ultimately reaches and knocks. The Lord is now pleased with him at his sincere and disinterested devotion, and mercifully opens up the door of the realm of Truth and eternal bliss. He is admitted in and here begins the devotee's new yet eternal spiritual life of uninterrupted direct service of the Lord, and he is constantly merged in the ocean of perfect bliss. Here too the devotee finds himself beside his ever merciful good preceptor who has ungrudgingly gives him all directions and opportunities of enjoying the bliss.
The seeker first learns to knock and then knocks. The door is flung open, and he is permitted in and finds himself face to face with infinite Truth. This light in which the Indian transcendentalists understand this passage of the Bible will appeal and be intelligible to those only who have firm faith in the Godhead as also in the good preceptor-the true servant of God.
Sree Raghunath Das Goswami
THE word "Goswami” means 'master of the senses or master of the world'. One who is the master of his senses is necessarily also 'master of the world'. The six Goswamis who are the original exponents of the teachings of Sri Chaitanya should not be regarded as mere authors or geniuses. They are acharyas whose function consists in expounding Shastras by simultaneously leading the spiritual life embodied therein. They are seers and saints in one. This one combination of transcendental scholarship with spiritual life is insisted upon by Sri Chaitanya as the necessary qualification of all teachers of the living truth. It is quite possible for a person to possess the spiritual life without being a master of the Shastras just as it is possible for a person to have excellent physical health without a knowledge of the principles of medical science. One who is able to help others to attain the spiritual life by his writing, speeches and conduct must be well-versed in the Shastras. But the successful worldly physician need not necessarily be himself healthy. The spiritual physician is, however, required to be both thoroughly acquainted with the principles of his science and be himself a perfectly healthy person. These two conditions were satisfied by six Goswamis, the authorised exponents of the teachings: of Lord Chaitanya, of whom Sri Raghunath Das is one.
The purpose of this discourse is to present a brief account of the life of Sri Das Goswami one of the six original Goswamis of the Goudiya Community which follows Sri Chaitanya, as recorded mainly in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita written by his contemporary and disciple, Krishna Das Kabiraj Goswami. The attainment of the purpose is of course conditional on following on the method illustrated by the life of the hero of this discourse. The lapses and blunders of an aspiring novice on the path of spiritual enlightenment, who is free from guile, are, however, graciously overlooked by Sri gurudeva in order to afford an opportunity of self-improvement through association in spiritual service, to fallen jivas. This small effort is humbly offered to the lotus feet of Sri Gurudeva and the Vaishnavas in the hope that their kind acceptance will save the writer from the offence of ignorant presumption.
Sri Raghunath Das Goswami appeared in this world at the village of Krishnapur in the modern district of Huguli in Bengal in the year 1414 of the saka era, corresponding to 1492 A.D., seven years after the birth of Sri Chaitanya. The village can be reached from the Trishbigha Station on the E.I. Ry. Line from where it is about a mile and a half distant. It still contains a shrine of Sri Sri Radha Govinda which is unwisely considered to be the worship established originally by Gobardhan Mazumdar, the father of Sree Raghunath Das. While still a mere lad, Raghunath Das had the good fortune, which is the cause of the subsequent spiritual turn in his life, of meeting Thakur Haridas while the letter was staying in the house of Balaram Acharyya, the family priest of the Mazumdars, at the letter's village of Chandpur to the east of Krishnapur. Thakur Haridas was then on his way to Santipur after he left Benapole. The little child experienced an irresistible attraction for Thakur Haridas and was often with him. Shortly after Raghunath's marriage when he was about sixteen years old he met Sri Chaitanya for the first time at the house of Advaitacharyya at Santipur while the Lord was staying there immediately after acceptance of sannyas. Sri Advaita Prabhu was well known to the Mazumdars and specially to Gobardhan who was indefatigable in the service of the Acharyya. For this reason Advaitacharyya was well disposed towards Raghunath and it was by the favour of Advaita that Raghunath obtained the remains of the Lord's meal and the sight of His holy feet for the space of several days.
Sri Chaitanya proceeded to Puri and Raghunath, on his return home, went mad with love for the Lord. He fled from home again and again in order make his way to Nilachal but was brought back by his father every time after he had proceeded some distance. Then his father had him bound hand and foot and set five men to watch him and four servants and two Brahmanas to keep him company at all time. Very much grieved by being thus prevented from going to Puri, Raghunath passed his days of close captivity with a sad heart till Sri Chaitanya came to Santipur a second time on His way back to Puri from Ramkeli.
Raghunath pressed his father hard for permission to come over to Santipur for a sight of the feet of the Lord giving out that it would be impossible for him to survive if the permission was refused. Gobardhan Mazumdar accordingly sent his son to Santipur with abundance of rich presents and escorted by a large number of attendants, requiring him to return home soon. Raghunath attended on the supreme Lord at Santipur for seven days and importuned Him night and day as to how he was escape from his keepers and accompany the Lord to Nilachal. The omniscient Lord who was aware of the actual state of his mind communicated to him the hope of deliverance by way of instruction.
The Lord said, 'Be calm and go back home. Don't be mad. People attain the shores of the ocean of the worldly sojourn by slow degrees. Don't imitate the asceticism of an ape for the applause of the people. Enjoy the legitimate things of this world being free from attachment. Let your devotion be of the heart and let your external conduct be as of this world. Even so Krishna will speedily deliver you. When I come back to Nilachal after visiting Brindaban find some pretext for coming up to me.' Krishna will cause the trick to suggest itself to you at the time. Who can keep back one to whom Krishna is merciful? The Supreme Lord sent him away with these words.
Raghunath on his return home acted according to the instructions of the Lord. He gave up all his external asceticism and madness and applied himself to the performance of all legitimate work in the spirit of complete detachment. Raghunath led a life which resembled that of worldly people although he was at heart wholly unattached to the things of this world. His parents supposed that Raghunath's temporary madness was cured and he had once again become a normally worldingly like themselves. They were very glad at this supposed change.
When Raghunath received the tidings of the Lord's return from Mathura he made ready to join Him. At this stage a great mishap befell the family. There was a high Mahammadan official who was 'the Choudhury' of the district Saptagrama. Hiranya Das, the elder brother of Gobardhan, secured the sole right of collecting the revenues of the district on a permanent basis. The Mahammadan was chagrined on finding his own authority supplanted in this manner, Hiranyadas undertook to pay to the royal treasury twelve lacs out of a net collection of twenty lacs of rupees. The truck went against him as he got nothing. He made effective representation to the king against the Mazumdars. The vizir came down in person to inquire. Hiranyadas fled. Raghunath was put in chains. They rebuked him everyday threatening him with punishment unless he could make his father and uncle deliver themselves up. They had a mind to beat Raghunath. But whenever they tried to act according to their resolve the sight of Raghunath made them desist. They were really afraid at heart of the superior intelligence of the Kayastha noble and although they stormed and blustered, feared to strike their prisoner. Thereafter Raghunath bethought of a means of extrication out of the difficulty, and laid his plan in the form of a humble supplication at the feet of the Moslem. 'My father and uncle are as two brothers of yourself. You always quarrel among yourselves by fraternal right. You sometimes quarrel and then love one another again. There is no certainty of your changing moods. Let all three brothers meet to-morrow. I am a son to you even as I am of my father. I am your protégé and you are my protector. It is not meet for a protector to punish his protégé. You are well versed in all the scriptures and resemble a great Pir'.
The Moslem's heart was deeply moved by the words of Raghunath and he began to weep, the tears trickling down his beard. The tyrant confessed that from that day Raghunath was really as a son to him and that he would devise a method of setting him free that very day. He then procured the release of Raghunath by interceding with the Vizir. He then spoke kindly to Raghunath, 'Your uncle is unwise. He gets eight lacs. I am his lawful co-sharer. He ought to give me something. Bestir yourself and get your to meet me. Let him settle it in the way that appears to him to be fair. I entrust the whole matter to you'. Thereafter Raghunath effected a reconciliation between his uncle and the Mahammadan. He had gained a controlling influence over the Moslem and settled everything peacefully.
(To be continued.)
