Sakama Nishkam & Suddha Bhakti – Which is Superior? Why?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna Prabhu….My humble request you to please answer my doubt Prabhu,
REPLY:
There are three Primary types of Bhakti – Sakama Nishkam & Suddha Bhakti.
Sakama Bhakta expects some benefits also;
Nishkam Bhakta has no expectations;
Suddha Bhakta (Pure devotee) sees Krishna in everyone and everything and fully siurrendered to Krishna.
Let us now come to your question.
You are asking: Those who follow Sakama bhakti (expecting desires) get thousands of years in heavenly planets. Those who follow Pure devotion can not go to heavens and if they do not follow properly, they can not even go to Vaikunta. Thus., Pure devotees end up in getting nothing.
(THREE CATEGORIES OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE (BHAKTI)! READ HERE!)
This shows that you are making choices.
“Oh, if we follow Sakama Bhakti, if we are unable to qualify to go to vaikunta, we can go atleast to the heavens and live there happily for thousands of years and then again come back to the earth and continue devotion and then go to Vaikunta. But, I am following Pure devotion as taught by ISKCON. If I fail in Pure devotion, I can not get life in both the heavens and Vaikunta. Why can’t we follow Sakama Bhakti itself?”
Very interesting idea.
But, not a High grade idea.
Why?
This doubt arises because you think with another alternative place to go.
Ha ha….This is like wanting to become a sanyasi and safer side, have a girl ready to satisfy his senses whenever the senses disturb.
That is, having both material and spiritual desire.
Spiritual desire is to go back to Krishna. Material desire is to enjoy heavenly life for thousands of years if Vaikunta or Goloka is not possible now.
(NINE STAGES OF BHAKTI YOGA (ADVANCEMENT IN DEVOTION) EXPLAINED! READ HERE!)
See, if you have an alternate choice to go to heavens, remember, you can never go to Vaikunta because you have to cross the material sky to enter into the spiritual planets.
Because, where there can be material desire, liberation is not possible.
If you have both material as well as spiritual goals, you will be wasting thousands of years in the heavens and then get another birth after thousands of years.
Why?
Because, for the Pure devotees, there will be no desire to go and enjoy the heavenly planets.
In fact, they do not like to enjoy even while they are living on this earth. Then, how will they wish to have heavens as an additional option?
For pure devotees, living in the heavens is more painful than living in the hells, because they do not have any desire for enjoyment in heavens.
Once they start to taste the highest taste of the nectar of Krishna Bhakti, he will not get attracted with silly pleasures exist in the heavens that are short lived and come with the reactions.
Ok, let us now see the difference between the three paths – Sakama Nishkam & Suddha Bhakti.
If one follows Sakama Bhakti, he will take thousands of years to go to Vaikunta/Goloka. Because, he will spend thousands of years in heavens and hells and then again take birth on earth and practice devotion from where he left thousands of years ago in human birth. So, he may find it difficult to follow devotion as he spent thousands of years enjoying in the heavens. So, he may take thousands of years to go back to Krishna.
(How to face if Others are kidding your Krishna Bhakti Practices? READ HERE!)
At the same time, if he follows Nishkam Bhakti, though he could not attain perfection in this birth, he will DEFINITELY GET NEXT BIRTH ON THIS EARTH ITSELF IN A COMFORTABLE DEVOTEE FAMILY and he will immediately continue the devotion from where he left in the previous birth. So, either in the next birth or within a few births, he will attain Krishna. He need not wait for thousands of years wasting in the heavens.
In case he could follow Pure devotion (Suddha Bhakti), he may go back to Krishna even after this birth. He is with Krishna in this body itself.
Now, tell me, which is good – Sakama Nishkam & Suddha Bhakti?
Getting Krishna after thousands of years by following Sakama Bhakti, or, getting Krishna within a few births by following Nishkam Bhakti, or, even in this birth by following Suddha Bhakti?
Do you now realize how fortunate we are to have come across the preaching of Lord Gauranga and Srila Prabhupada?
I never follow a spiritual organization seeing its big air conditioned temples or comforts. Frankly speaking, I have also witnessed some issues in ISKCON ‘here and there’ among the devotees, managers, etc because such issues are unavoidable in any forum in which hundreds of people are there as all are not alike. And, there are some Politics among the devotees here and there. But, Still I am following the Selfless devotion recommended by Srila Prabhupada and have become a Diksha Disciple of an ISKCON Guru and also a Life Patron because ISKCON never preaches that we will get so many material comforts if we worship Krishna. They promote the devotion to Krishna thru Surrender and Sacrifice. This is the authentic and strong base for Srila Prabhupada’s movement. This is the PRIMARY reason for my being there. To avoid getting affected by the few negatives, I avoid taking positions though I am offered and am silently performing my service to Krishna that all of you know.
(How Devotional Service or Bhakti relieves from karma & material distress? READ HERE!)
So, ISKCON’s way of preaching is authentic. But, they should preach advanced concepts only to the really interested people to avoid even the Kanishta adhikaris deciding to avoid marriage and behaving like ‘Half Sanyasis’ and ‘Half Sense Gratifiers’ in some cases. So, they should select the ‘really’ interested devotees before practicing them with advanced concepts. This will avoid safeguarding their fall down later.
Both planting good seeds in the bad soil and planting bad seed in good soil – will not give ACTUAL results.
Otherwise, there are no flaws in their basic approach.
So, there are a few flaws in a few aspects in ISKCON, there are many good aspects with them.
How we take everything is important. For that, we need some maturity of mind.
Hope you are clear about Sakama Nishkam & Suddha Bhakti – Which is Superior and Why.
(DEVELOPMENT OF VAIDHI BHAKTI TO RAGHANUGA BHAKTI! READ HERE!)