Rohininandana Dasa
HAIR SHIRTS. Little sleep. Cold showers. Dry crusts. Contrition. Severity. No affection. No sex. No fun.
These were some of the images the word austerity conjured up for me before I met Srila Prabhupada, who attracted me to a life of austerity by teaching the secret of divine austerity (tapo-divyam), or austerity for the pleasure of Lord Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada pointed out that any reasonable person, whether materialist or spiritualist, will agree that the purpose of life is pleasure. Everyone wants to be happy; the only question is how to find pleasure that truly satisfies. He argued that all of us in the material world are more or less selfish but we don't know our actual self-interest.
Srila Prabhupada explained that we are part of Krsna, like leaves on a tree or fingers on a body. As the self-interest of a thirsty leaf lies in letting water find the tree's root, and the self-interest of a hungry finger lies in putting food in the mouth, so our self-interest lies in pleasing Krsna.
Krsna's interest is our interest because we're never separate from Him. The Srimad-Bhagavatam describes Lord Krsna as atmanam akhilatmanam, "the original soul of all living entities." So to love Krsna is natural. When we realize this truth, what may now seem an austerity will be a blissful act of love. The devotee sage Narada says, aradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim/ naradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim: "If I am worshiping Krsna, what is the use of extraneous austerity? And if I'm not worshiping Krsna, what is the use of my austerity?"
Yet until I attain my natural, healthy state of pure love, I need to act in ways conducive to that end, to create an external and internal environment where love can grow. Srila Prabhupada therefore taught that austerity means to voluntary accept some physical inconveniences for spiritual advancement. Whatever we wish to achieve involves some effort. But effort does not necessarily imply drudgery. As we learn the transcendental art of dedicating our lives to Lord Krsna's service, an apparent hardship or problem can become a joy, a labor of love.
We don't need to go looking for difficulty. We'll get it naturally, by our karma, just as we get ease. But austerity means performing our service to Krsna despite any inconvenience that might come along.
Srila Prabhupada said there's no need to undergo the austerities of bygone ages, such as meditating alone in the jungle, eating only roots and leaves, sitting surrounded by fire and the blazing sun in summer, or standing in freezing water up to the neck in winter. Rather, he taught the austerities outlined by Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita (17.14-17):
"Austerity of the body consists in worship of the Supreme Lord, the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy, and nonviolence.
"Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.
"And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control, and purification of one's existence are the austerities of the mind.
"This threefold austerity, performed with transcendental faith by persons not expecting material benefits but engaged only for the sake of the Supreme, is called austerity in goodness."
Within the context of devotional service, this list of dos and don'ts although in some ways resembling my original idea of austerity becomes an exciting challenge. I've noticed that when I take up the austerities given in the list, I feel good, bright, and enlivened. I want to push forward along the spiritual path.
I also feel cleansed. Divine austerity acts like an invigorating shower, refreshing and cleansing us, no matter how dirty we may be.
The Sanskrit word for austerity tapasya includes the concept of heat. As heat purifies gold and increases its luster, so austerity burns away the dirty coverings of the soul and brightens one's spiritual luster.
Furthermore, Srila Prabhupada brought us a very special gift: the austerity called harinama-yajna, the sacrifice of chanting the holy name of the Lord. This transcendental austerity snaps material bonds, stimulates full life, opens wide the door to the highest bliss, and showers its practitioners with love. Our main austerity is to bathe in the brilliant waters of the holy name.
Rohininandana Dasa lives in southern England with his wife and their three children. Write to him in care of Back to Godhead.