Cleansing Process of Bhakti-yoga (Anartha-nivṛtti)
The conditioning of the living entity within the material world is rooted in a misunderstanding of the self, often manifesting as false ego and unwanted material desires. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the practice of bhakti-yoga is not merely a religious sentiment but a scientific cleansing process known as anartha-nivṛtti. By engaging the senses in the service of the Supreme Lord, the devotee gradually purifies their consciousness, removing the contamination of material nature that binds the soul to the cycle of birth and death. This article explores the practical application of this cleansing process, its methodology, and the symptoms of advancement which manifest as detachment from worldly entanglements.
Nature of Contamination and the Cleansing Process
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the root cause of material suffering is the accumulation of anarthas, or unwanted things, arising from the false ego. The goal of bhakti-yoga is not to artificially negate the ego but to cleanse it, transforming the consciousness from material identification to spiritual service.
- Ahankara cannot be abolished. Ahankara will be there, but ahankara has to be cleansed. Therefore bhakti-marga, the path of bhakti-yoga, is the cleansing process, clearing process.
- Anartha means meaningless. No artha. Artha means meaning. So if we want to stop this anartha, misconception of life, then we have to take to bhakti-yoga.
- If we turn our attention to Krsna's service, to bhakti-yoga, we can force ourselves to give up all anarthas, unwanted things.
- Whatever abominable characteristics we have developed, if we want to counteract it, we have to take to bhakti-yoga only. Anartha. Anartha. We have developed so many anartha. We don't require it, but we have developed all these symptoms.
Hearing and Chanting as the Primary Method
The actual execution of this cleansing process begins with the tongue and the ear. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that bhakti-yoga starts with the chanting of the holy name and hearing about the Lord, which acts as a powerful medicine to remove the material disease.
- Ahankara cannot be abolished. Ahankara will be there, but ahankara has to be cleansed. Therefore bhakti-marga, the path of bhakti-yoga, is the cleansing process, clearing process.
- Bhakti-yoga begins with sravanam kirtanam visnoh (SB 7.5.23), hearing and chanting of Lord Visnu's names, as in the maha-mantra - Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
- Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that the devotee sow the seed of bhakti-yoga in his heart and nurture it by the watering of hearing and chanting the holy name, fame, etc., of the Lord.
- The potency of bhakti-yoga begins simply with the chanting of the Lord's name.
Detachment and Freedom from Material Desires
As the heart is cleansed, a devotee naturally develops vairāgya, or detachment from material enjoyment. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that true advancement in bhakti-yoga is tested by the diminution of sex desire and the lack of attachment to material possessions, even while living in the material world.
- Bhakti-yoga leads to gradual evaporation of the sex desire, which is summarized in three headings, namely profit, adoration and distinction.
- Janayaty asu vairagyam. A man is tested how much he has advanced in bhakti-yoga by his detachment from material enjoyment. If one is attached to sense enjoyment, at the same time he poses himself as a great devotee, that cannot work.
- In the bhakti school, a householder brahmacari is allowed controlled sex life because the cult of bhakti-yoga is so powerful that one automatically loses sexual attraction, being engaged in the superior service of the Lord.
- Because they are devotees of Vasudeva, they are no longer attached to these material things. This is the result of bhakti-yoga, which enables one to be detached from material enjoyment.
Superiority and Efficacy of Bhakti-yoga
Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently contrasts the direct power of bhakti-yoga with other gradual processes of self-realization. He describes bhakti as the "blacksmith's hammer" that finishes the business of material life immediately, unlike the slow "goldsmith's hammer" of other yoga systems.
- The blacksmith's method and the goldsmith's method. The goldsmith, he has got a small hammer - tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk. And the blacksmith has a big hammer - dumh, finish. So our is blacksmith method. We take the big hammer of bhakti-yoga and finish all.
- If you take this bhakti-yoga, immediately you take the help of the elevator and within a second you are on the hundredth floor. This is the process, direct process.
- Practically everyone can see that you Western boys and girls, so many anarthas you practice, but as soon as you come to bhakti-yoga, everything is finished.
- By the process of bhakti-yoga, even a child less than five years old, or anyone of any age, can be purified. That is the special significance of bhakti-yoga.
Conclusion
The cleansing process of bhakti-yoga is the ultimate solution for the conditioned soul seeking relief from the miseries of material existence. Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms that by sincerely adopting this path—specifically through hearing and chanting—one can remove all anarthas, attain genuine detachment, and revive their eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. It is a powerful, direct, and universally applicable method that transforms the consciousness from matter to spirit.
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 Bhakti-yoga - Devotional Service to God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.