nirvaireṇa bhayena vā

nirvaireṇa bhayena vā

snehāt kāmena vā yuñjyāt

kathañcin nekṣate pṛthak

By continuous enmity, by favorable relationships, or by conjugal feelings arising from strong spiritual affection out of fear of transgressing morality as an unmarried lover, or even as a married lover, the mind should concentrate on the Lord. One will realize a relationship with the Lord only according to the mode of practice.

“What is wrong with criticizing the Lord, since it does not affect the Lord in any way?” The criticizer will generate bad karma for himself. This stated through kaimutya.

 

nindāṁ bhagavataḥ śṛṇvaṁs tat-parasya janasya vā

tato nāpaiti yaḥ so 'pi yāty adhaḥ sukṛtāc cyutaḥ

 

One who hears blasphemy of the Supreme Lord or his devotees should immediately take action or should leave. Otherwise he will be put into hellish life.

 

This is true. There are two types of criticism: favorable and unfavorable. The favorable type of criticism is a transformation of prema.

 

mṛgayur iva kapīndraṁ vivyadhe lubdha-dharmā

striyam akṛta virūpāṁ strī-jitaḥ kāma-yānām

balim api balim attvāveṣṭayad dhvāṅkṣa-vad yas

tad alam asita-sakhyair dustyajas tat-kathārthaḥ

 

Like a hunter, he cruelly shot the king of the monkeys with arrows. Because he was conquered by a woman, he disfigured another woman who came to him with lusty desires. And even after consuming the gifts of Bali Mahārāja, he bound him up with ropes as if he were a crow. So let us give up all friendship with this dark-complexioned boy, even if we can't give up talking about him. SB 10.47.17

This is a spurt of light from the crest jewel of prema, not attained by anyone except the gopīs. Unfavorable criticism has two types: that arising from absorption in the Lord, and that which does not arise from absorption in the Lord. The first type takes place in Śiśupāla. The bad karma created by his criticism was destroyed immediately by his absorption in the Lord. By bhakti-yoga, he attained a neutral condition, and then attained qualification for vaidhi-bhakti. That is now described in seven verses. 

The meaning of the first statement in this verse therefore is: since the Lord is not pained by criticism and the sins of the criticizer are destroyed by that absorption, the mind should concentrate on the Lord with absorption as an enemy. Nirvaireṇa means “without enmity, with bhakti-yoga.” It refers to parental or other relationships mentioned as sambandha in verse 31. Kāma means kāma generated by prema (snehāt). Sneha cannot be regarded as a separate sādhana, since all the other sādhanas are in the instrumental case. The result is described. One should not see the Lord differently at all, but should directly see him according to one’s own emotions. However, in the case of those who have enmity or fear, the words mean “Either of these persons, having hatred or fear, does not see himself different from the Lord.” By attaining sāyujya, they realize themselves non-different from him. One statement can have a different meaning according to a difference in the person in question.  

The word yuñjyāt is in the potential mood. The mind should become absorbed in the Lord by continuous enmity, bhakti or conjugal feelings. This is a command. This however cannot apply to Śiśupāla and others, since they have no attraction for the Lord. One cannot also explain it as an order for others persons to have enmity towards the Lord seeing the example of Śiśupāla and others, since it is impossible to make a command to a devotee to do something unfavorable for the Lord. It is said ānukūlyasya grahaṇaṁ prātikūlyasya varjanam: those who surrender to the Lord accept what is favorable and reject what is unfavorable for the Lord. Nor does continuous enmity directed to other people by Śiśupāla generate absorption in the Lord, for this is contrary to thousands of contrary statements:

 

tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān saṁsāreṣu narādhamān |

kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu ||

 

I cast those hateful, cruel, and lowest of humans, constantly doing evil, into repeated birth and death in the wombs of demons. BG 16.19

 

One should also not say that continuous enmity for the Lord, after producing genuine attraction for the Lord, will not produce hell, since this genuine attraction did not occur in Śiśupāla. One should also not say that this is an arrangement for persons other than Śiśupāla, since one cannot find actions directed with enmity to the Lord in all the rules of scripture.

 

His enmity certainly created absorption in the Lord. By understanding that the Lord would kill him, he heard, saw and respected the Lord, just as a person, understanding that a tiger or snake will kill him, becomes absorbed in that animal with fear, and not in any other object.

 

Therefore some persons explain the verse as follows. Since the Lord gives benefit even to those with animosity, the mind should become absorbed in the Lord with a mood opposite to animosity, since that animosity is not proper. The word “therefore” at the beginning of the verse thus has a negative implied in it, but not written. The meaning would be “Therefore, those with animosity, giving it up, with a mood other than enmity, should engage the mind in the Lord as friend, or parent etc.”

 

What type of enmity is necessary? Continuous enmity (anubandhena) should be there, and this produces complete absorption in the Lord. One who has continuous enmity has absorption in the Lord. Weak enmity is excluded. 

 

Snehāt kāmena means “by lust caused only by affection.” This is further described by the word bhayena: by lust following after the young women of Vraja who had fear arising from rejecting the moral path of their elders. 

 

Bhayena vā indicates that there is also lust without fear. This indicates persons following after devotees like Rukmiṇī who had conjugal feelings in marriage without fear. Scriptures indicate both unmarried and married conjugal relationships.

 

jārabhāvena susnehaṁ sudṛṭaṁ sarvato ’dhikam

 

Strong affection greater than anything else arises by thinking of the Lord as one’s unmarried lover. Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa

 

agni-putrā mahātmānas tapasā strītvam āpire

bhartārañ ca jagad-yoniṁ vāsudevam ajaṁ vibhum

 

The great sons of Agni by austerities became women. Their husband was the unborn Lord Kṛṣṇa, cause of the universe. Kurma Purāṇa

|| 7.1.27 ||