Article by Upendranath Dasa
The Komala and Madhyama Divide
A madhyama, seeks other madhyamas for association to discuss the Absolute Truth adhikari.
A madhyama, seeking other madhyamas for association to discuss the Absolute Truth, on the Basis, and in the Pursuance, of the Bhagavad-gita 10.9,
“The thoughts of My pure devotees, dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.”
Such madhyamas, will canvass far and wide. Madhyamas will give a chance to people to find out if they are komalas or madhyamas by inclination.
In the end, however, the madhyamas focus on exchanges with other madhyamas rather than harm the faith of the komalas who may pitch up from time to time and even want to float arguments for blind faith, which some are more adept than others at hiding. They usually try to present their anti-rational stance as a superior understanding of God, superior faith and so on.
Meanwhile, God Himself is saying,
“The topmost devotee has faith that is not blind.”
Why? Because such devotees have a rational approach to bhakti (logic and reason based on the shastra).
In the Gita we find this verse (10:10):
“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”
In the purport Prabhupada explains the madhyama eligibility in the course of explaining buddhi-yoga, which he says is a “very significant” word in the verse. In fact, he equates bhakti yoga with buddhi yoga:
“In this verse the word buddhi-yogam is very significant. We may remember that in the Second Chapter the Lord, instructing Arjuna, said that He had spoken to him of many things and that He would instruct him in the way of buddhi-yoga. Now buddhi-yoga is explained. Buddhi-yoga itself is action in Krishna consciousness; that is the highest intelligence. Buddhi means intelligence, and yoga means mystic activities or mystic elevation. When one tries to go back home, back to Godhead, and takes fully to Krishna consciousness in devotional service, his action is called buddhi yoga. In other words, buddhi-yoga is the process by which one gets out of the entanglement of this material world. The ultimate goal of progress is Krishna. People do not know this; therefore, the association of devotees and a bona fide spiritual master are important. One should know that the goal is Krishna, and when the goal is assigned, then the path is slowly but progressively traversed, and the ultimate goal is achieved.”
Then, two paragraphs later, Prabhupada explains the komala shraddha platform, stating that if the person is “not intelligent enough to make progress, then “Krishna from within gives him instructions.” He mentions this point twice, to emphasize that the lack of intelligence can be a serious matter. And the implication is that while those persons may be successful in their bid for Krishna consciousness, they are not quite as eligible as the persons he described in the first paragraph of the same purport.
“A person may have a bona fide spiritual master and may be attached to a spiritual organization, but still, if he is not intelligent enough to make progress, then Krishna from within gives him instructions so that he may ultimately come to Him without difficulty. The qualification is that a person always engage himself in Krishna consciousness and with love and devotion render all kinds of services. He should perform some sort of work for Krishna, and that work should be with love. If a devotee is not intelligent enough to make progress on the path of self-realization but is sincere and devoted to the activities of devotional service, the Lord gives him a chance to make progress and ultimately attain to Him.”
So, we have the komala party and the madhyama party and if we belong to one group, we are advised to leave the other group be, and vice versa.