Smaraṇam - The Devotee's Fixed Contemplation

In the systematic science of bhakti-yoga, contemplation, or smaraṇam (remembrance), occupies the crucial third stage, immediately following śravaṇam (hearing) and kīrtanam (chanting). For a devotee, contemplation is not a vague mental exercise, but a precise, fixed meditation on the spiritual sound vibration, names, and forms of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This process allows the devotee to remain constantly situated on the transcendental platform, ensuring all spiritual desires are fulfilled.

The Progression of Devotional Service

Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that mental absorption is a direct result of the quality of our auditory engagement. If one hears and chants perfectly, contemplation naturally follows.

• As soon as you become expert in hearing and chanting, then the next stage is smaraṇam. Smaraṇam, thinking of. Anything you speak or hear, later on you contemplate, you meditate, smaraṇam. So smaraṇam is the third stage.
• Devotees who constantly hear, chant, contemplate and cause others to remember Your transcendental names and forms, are always on the transcendental platform, and thus they can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This fixed, constant engagement with the transcendental names and forms of the Lord is the mark of a sincere devotee and the direct means of understanding the Absolute Truth.

The Subject of Fixed Meditation

For the devotee, the subject of contemplation is always the personal, beautiful form and pastimes of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This contemplation is the key to spiritual advancement, allowing one to cultivate a specific, eternal relationship with the Supreme.

• O sinless mother Devakī, after the expiry of twelve thousand celestial years, in which you constantly contemplated Me (Kṛṣṇa) within the core of your heart with great faith, devotion and austerity, I was very much satisfied with you.
• Akrūra sat on his bed and began to reflect that all the desires he had contemplated while coming from Mathurā to Vṛndāvana had been fulfilled.

This internal absorption is a source of continuous pleasure and serves as the highest form of worship, completely detaching the devotee from all material allurements.

• The devotee contemplates, "Since You (Lord) are present, what is the use of the transient pleasure derived from society, friendship and love."

The Perfection of Contemplation

The ultimate goal of smaraṇam is to maintain unbroken consciousness of the Lord, ensuring that one’s final thoughts dictate one’s destination after death. The sincerity and fixity of the devotee's contemplation ensures a return to the spiritual world to serve the Lord.

• If one is thus constantly engaged during his lifetime, after giving up the body he will return back to Godhead to serve Śrī Rādhā in the same way as he contemplated during his life on the banks of Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

Conclusion

The contemplation of a devotee is a sacred, fixed process that transfers the individual soul from the material platform to the transcendental. By consistently engaging in śravaṇam, kīrtanam, and smaraṇam, the devotee purifies their entire existence, realizing that all true pleasure is found in the presence of the Lord, rendering the search for transient material happiness futile.

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Contemplation of a Devotee of God. We invite you to click the link above to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.