The Purifying Process

Therefore simply to have theoretical knowledge that "I am not this body" is not sufficient for liberation. Factual liberation means to know that the spirit soul is different from the body and then to act on that knowledge. Simply knowing theoretically that "I am not this body" is theoretical liberation, but real liberation means acting as if I am not this body. Aham brahmasmi: "I am Brahman." Liberation is a matter of activity, because constitutionally the spirit soul is always active. The spirit soul is never inactive at any point, either before or after liberation Therefore one who only knows theoretically that "I am not this body" and never acts on that platform, is not factually liberated. But one who acts in Krsna consciousness, or acts in knowledge that aham brahmasmi is of course liberated from the very beginning; and the action itself, which is performed as a sacrifice for Krsna or Visnu, is itself the purifying process, purifying the consciousness of all the dirty things accumulated for millions and millions of births.

As Krsna will tell Arjuna at the beginning of the next chapter, the real sannyasi, or person truly situated in renunciation, is not he who lights no sacrificial fire, or does no work, but he who is unattached to the fruits of his action; that is, he who does everything as an offering to the Lord. Renunciation becomes complete when it is in the knowledge that everything belongs to Krsna and that therefore I must use everything as if it is Krsna's. This is action based on knowledge. Similarly, it is the conclusion of Srila Rupa Gosvami's Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu that renunciation of things related to the Supreme, simply for the cause of liberation, even though those things appear material, is incomplete renunciation. Real renunciation means to renounce this idea of "I" and "mine." This is called false ego. Real ego is all right-the sense of identity with Krsna: "I am Krsna's"-but false ego means to claim Krsna's property as our own. Actually everything belongs to Krsna, but I am making a false claim: therefore the only thing I can possibly renounce is this false claim-everything else is Krsna's.