A miracle called Faith and its Importance in the process of Bhakti or Devotional Life

Faith or Sraddha is the most important qualification and requirement for taking up and discharge of devotional service. In fact, one’s spiritual life actually begins with faith. Unless, one has a little faith in the Holy scriptures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatham one cannot begin his journey in spiritual life, how much ever knowledgeable and scholar one may be.

Actually, faith is required in every sphere and function of a human being. A person needs to have or put faith in so many things, even though they might go wrong or things do not work as planned. For example a person when he buys a flight ticket, he put faith in the Captain of the flight and the co-driver that they will actually, know flying the plane and will take him to the desired destination. Similarly, a person needs to be put faith in family members, relationships, friends, in the company that he works for to pay him the salary etc. Thus, even in the mundane material world and relationships faith is required, for devotional life or Bhakti the role of having faith a must.

Sraddha or faith which is favourable to the discharge of devotional service, as explained in Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 22.62, is the conviction that by rendering transcendental loving service to Krishna one automatically performs all subsidiary activities and achieves all perfection. Just like by watering the root of a tree, the whole tree, leaves, branches are nourished and by supplying the food to the stomach all the senses of the body are satisfied, similarly by engaging in devotional service one automatically satisfied all demigods and living entities. The Vedanta Sutra 1.1.12 says, Ananda-mayo bhyasat, by nature every living being is pleasure seeking and our faith is directed to wherever we believe that happiness will be found. The Bhagavad-Gita describes that one develops faith according to the mode of nature one has acquired. The initial faith or Sraddha in Bhakti can come from various ways like, mercy and association of devotees, piety which can act as a catalyst, ajnata sukruti – pious activities beyond one’s knowledge etc.

We also heard from Srila Prabhupad, on a personal level about the importance of faith and his experience of faith. He says that the simple secret of his success is because he believed firmly in the words of his guru which is to preach and spread the message of Krishna in the western, English speaking countries. Else where, Srila Prabhupad repeats the words of Lord Chaintanya and his full faith in those words by saying - The potency of spreading Krishna Consciousness is everywhere the same. That was experimented by me in your country, where I came alone without any support; and Krishna is so kind that He has sent me so many boys and girls like you. Lord Chaitanya said that every village and town on the surface of the world will know the message of the Sankirtana movement. This very statement affirms that in every village and town all over the world there are many candidates who are awaiting this message.

Similarly, we can see the incident of Hiranyakashipu and Prahlad maharaj. Hiranyakashipu once concluded that Supreme Lord does not exist in the world and tried to convince Prahlad in numerous ways. Because, he searched the entire universe and could not find Vishnu, who killed his brother, he thought that Lord was dead. Prahlad Maharaj, who is a Maha Bhagavatha and had supreme faith in the Supreme Lord could see him every where, even in a pillar. Chaitanya Charitamrita (Madhya 22.64) further confirms that, a faithful devotee is a truly eligible candidate for the loving service of the lord and based on his faith, he is classified as a topmost, an intermediate or an inferior devotee. As one is advancing in spiritual life one’s faith is growing.

It is stated in the Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23,

yasya deve para bhaktir

yatha deve tatha gurau

tasyaite kathita hy artha

prakasante mahatmanah

“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.”

This section of Bhagavad Gita, explains that there are three classes of Krishna Conscious persons which is determined by the amount of faith they have or achieved. The first class devotee is well versed in devotional literatures and has firm faith in the devotional service, shastra and Krishna. Second class, devotees does not have a advanced understanding of devotional scripture but, have firm faith in devotional service and Lord Krishna. Third classes, even though engaged in devotional service have no faith and cannot reach the highest stage and cannot continue the devotional service for long time and slip away. Thus, faith or Sraddha is very important in performing devotional service or Bhakti. What determines the stage, level or advancement one making in Bhakti depends on faith and one who is not faithful in devotional service cannot attain the Supreme Lord and return to the cycle of birth and death in the material world.