personal, no

Imported quote 13711

When one is liberated from the material qualities, he does not do anything for his personal sense gratification. At that time all activities performed by him are absolute. In the conditioned state there are two kinds of activities. One acts on behalf of the body, and at the same time he acts to become liberated. The devotee, when he is completely free from all material desires or all material qualities, transcends the duality of action for the body and soul. Then the bodily concept of life is completely over. Therefore Srila Rūpa Gosvami says: iha yasya harer dasye karmana manasa vaca/ nikhilasv apy avasthasu jivan-muktaḥ sa ucyate. When one is completely fixed in the service of the Lord, he is a liberated person in any condition of life. He is called jivan-muktaḥ, liberated even within this body. In such a liberated condition, there is no distinction between actions for sense gratification and actions for liberation. When one is liberated from the desires of sense gratification, he has no longer to suffer the reactions of lamentation or illusion. Activities performed by the karmis and jnanis are subject to lamentation and illusion, but a self-realized liberated person acting only for the Supreme Personality of Godhead experiences none. This is the stage of oneness, or merging into the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This means that the individual soul, while keeping his individuality, no longer has separate interests. He is fully in the service of the Lord, and he has nothing to do for his personal sense gratification; therefore he sees only the Supreme Personality of Godhead and not himself. His personal interest completely perishes. When a person comes out of a dream, the dream vanishes. While dreaming a person may consider himself a king and see the royal paraphernalia, his soldiers, etc., but when the dream is over, he does not see anything beyond himself. Similarly, a liberated person understands that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord acting in accordance with the desire of the Supreme Lord, and as such there is no distinction between himself and the Supreme Lord, although both of them retain their individuality. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. This is the perfect conception of oneness in relation to the Supersoul and the soul. (More...)

Imported quote 16504

Actually, ecstatic samadhi or absorption in the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be achieved by constant engagement in His service, and this constant engagement in devotional service can be performed only when one is working under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master. The Vedas therefore instruct that in order to know the science of devotional service, one has to submit himself unto the bona fide spiritual master. The bona fide spiritual master is he who knows the science of devotional service in disciplic succession. This disciplic succession is called srotriyam. The prime symptom of one who has become a spiritual master in disciplic succession is that he is one hundred percent fixed in bhakti-yoga. Sometimes people neglect to accept a spiritual master, and instead they endeavor for self-realization by mystic yoga practice, but there are many instances of failure, even by great yogis like Visvamitra. Arjuna said in the Bhagavad-gita [6.34] that controlling the mind is as impractical as stopping the blowing of a hurricane. Sometimes the mind is compared to a maddened elephant. Without following the direction of a spiritual master one cannot control the mind and the senses. In other words, if one practices yoga mysticism and does not accept a bona fide spiritual master, he will surely fail. He will simply waste his valuable time. The Vedic injunction is that no one can have full knowledge without being under the guidance of an acarya. Acaryavan puruso veda: one who has accepted an acarya knows what is what. The Absolute Truth cannot be understood by arguments. One who has attained the perfect brahminical stage naturally becomes renounced; he does not strive for material gain because by spiritual knowledge he has come to the conclusion that in this world there is no insufficiency. Everything is sufficiently provided by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A real brahmana, therefore, does not endeavor for material perfection; rather, he approaches a bona fide spiritual master to accept orders from him. A spiritual master's qualification is that he is brahmanistham, which means that he has given up all other activities and has dedicated his life to working only for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. When a bona fide student approaches a bona fide spiritual master, he submissively prays to the spiritual master, "My dear Lord, kindly accept me as your student and train me in such a way that I will be able to give up all other kinds of processes for self-realization and simply engage in Krsna consciousness, devotional service." (More...)

Imported quote 17763

My point is one God. Ultimately you want to merge in the formless, or you want some material facilities, or you want to serve Krishna as His personal associate. Never mind, whatever you want, you worship one God, Krishna, and not bothering with the ultimate gain. The ultimate gain can be achieved as one desires. Krishna is all powerful, so if somebody wants material gain from Krishna, it is not difficult for Him to award such benediction. Similarly, if anyone wants to merge in the Impersonal Brahman effulgence, formless, He can also award the facility. In the same way, if anyone wants to associate with Krishna in five transcendental relationships, he can award also that facility. So, my point is, that whatever you want at the end, that doesn't matter, but you worship Krishna, and He will award whatever you desire. One God, Krishna, means that let everyone come to one God, Krishna, and be engaged in Krishna Consciousness, and the award will be as the devotee desires. This is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita; "catur vidha bhajante mam''. Also, it is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, as follows:

akama sarva kama va moksa kama udaradhih
tivrena bhakti yogena yajeta paramam purusam

Akama means the devotees, sarvakama means the fruitive workers or Karmis, and Moksakama means the salvationist who wants to merge in the formless Brahman. So there are three classes of men and all are recommended to worship the Supreme Person Krishna with great energy of devotional service. So we invite everyone to join this movement, accepting Krishna as the tangible God for all practical purposes, and the worship of God is made easy by chanting the Mantra Hare Krishna, which is accepted even in far Western countries. You will be pleased to know that Hare Krishna Mantra is being chanted not only in America, but also in Europe by my record albums, and followers. I have got already invitations from many parts of Europe and they are appreciating my movement. Nobody feels reluctance in joining the chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra. Your good self also believes in the Mantra and certainly in Krishna as God. I have seen it that Swami Akhandananda worships Krishna in his apartment in Bombay. So we request everyone to worship Krishna and chant the Mantra, irrespectively, never mind whether one is a devotee, a fruitive worker, or a salvationist at the ultimate goal. We don't disagree with anyone, namely the Karmis, Jnanis, Yogis, etc, although we are devotees. We simply request everyone to worship Krishna as the Supreme Lord and join with us in this great movement of Krishna Consciousness!

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Imported quote 17865

So this is the topmost devotee: prepared to do anything, without any consideration. That is pure devotee. Anyabhilasita-sūnyam anukūlyena krsnanusilanam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu ]. There should be no personal desire. That should be zero. Anyabhilasita-sūnyam jnana-karmady-ana... Simply one should try to please Krsna. There is no other consideration-only to satisfy Krsna. That is pure bhakti. That is explained by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, (More...)

This is perfect conclusion, that "I shall execute the desire of Krsna." But Krsna is not physically present before me. Then how I shall know what Krsna desires? That is not very difficult. Krsna's representative is there, the spiritual master. If you fulfill the desire of the spiritual master, then you fulfill the desire of Krsna. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadaḥ. That is stated by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. If you please your spiritual master, then you know that "I have pleased Krsna." Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatiḥ kuto 'pi: "If you displease your spiritual master, then you are nowhere. Your position is lost." (More...)

Imported quote 18686

This is perfection: "I am fully satisfied." Svaccha, santa, no demand. No demand. That is position: no demand. Svamin krtartho 'smi varam na yace. This is the highest perfection. That is called svacchatvam avikaritvam santatvam. And this santatvam cannot be attained unless you become pure devotee and fully dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the standard of santatvam or vasudeva-sabditam. Svacchatvam santatvam. Everyone is hankering after santatvam, the whole world, because in the material world you cannot be on the platform of santatvam. Only on the spiritual platform. And when you are engaged in the service of the Lord, then you will get this position, svacchatvam avikaritvam santatvam. (More...)

If Maya has got hold of some one, what is his situation, just like a small girl who is haunted by a ghost and, you must have seen also, she speaks all nonsense things. So one who is under the grip of maya they will talk like that, which has no meaning and that is not true also, everything is a lie, maya itself is a lie, so one who is infected by maya will only lie, so there cannot be peace in this way. krsna-bhakta-niskama, why is a devotee of Krsna without desires, because he does not pray for anything from God, Although one can see some devotee who go to God and pray, just like Dhruva Maharaja went and God himself says Catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtinaḥ, so if someone goes to God for asking something then he is pious, he is a good man, he is pious, he is distressed, he is diseased, if he is praying to God that is not bad because, at least he approached God and those who are duskritina they will say that what will God do for us, forget all this God business, all these big people who are sitting with all the money kill them and take the money, what will God do, Why did God make us sad we don't want such a God, all these things are there, so they are called duskritina, sukritina and duskritina Na Mam Duskritina Mudha Prapadyante Naradhama, there are four kinds of sinful people and there are four kinds of pious people. Those who are sukritivan, sukritivan means one who has some backing of pious activities they are called sukriti, As it is mentioned in the scriptures that go to Prayaga and take a bath in the holy waters, the pious results that are accumulated in this one day that will lead to devotional service, slowly slowly accumulating pious results, when all the sins will be destroyed completely, Yesam anta-gatam papam, for those whose sins are completely destroyed, jananam punya-karmanam, this is pious activity just like our material life, this is only to perform sinful activities, that is why it is said in the scriptures, you do this pious activity, bathe in this way, do this austerity, fast in this way, at least do some charity, perform some austerity, do some sacrifice Yajna-dana-tapaḥ-kriya na tyajyam, this is mentioned in Bhagvad Gita, if one has become a renouncer, he has become a sanyasi, that does not mean that you leave these three things also, sacrifice, charity and austerity, bhramachari, grahasta, vanaprastha and sanyasi, So grahasta and brahmacari should perform sacrifice, grahasta should do some charity also and sanyasi should perform austerities, these are the injuctions in the scriptures, one takes sanyasa then he has left austerities also, everything he left, he left the world so he left austerity also, no that is not the thing, God says Yajna-dana-tapaḥ-kriya na tyajyam these things should not be left, may he be a sanyasi or a grahasta, these three things should be performed, So those who perform these activities properly as per the direction of the scriptures, they are called pious, because they are pious, when there is misery, but they are pious, by leaving God no one can become pious, I do not believe in God and I have become pious he is the greatest sinner how is he pious. Those who do not believe in God they are greatest sinners, how are they pious, that is why God says Catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtinaḥ arjuna, So in this also there is no peace, Pious people go to God and if they ask something from God, in that also there is no peace, Why? because their objective is that by performing devotional service, I can get this thing, No that is not, it should be desireless, I don't want anything from God, It is proper for me, God is my master I am servant, that is why serving God is my only duty, that is a pure devotee anyabhilasita-sūnyam, one has some objective to perform devotional service, that by performing devotional service I will be able to get this, I am sad, because of disease, I am miserable, O lord give me some relief I will chant Hare Krsna mantra, no this is also offense, pure thought, this is also one of the ten offenses, to perform nama kirtana there are ten kinds of offences, within that there is one offence namas subah kriya mucis pramada, if some one thinks of Hari nama, just like one does charity, sacrifice etc as per the vedic scripture, do not think it to be a part of this pious activity, No, the fruit of chanting the holy names of the Lord is Love of Godhead. Love of Godhead, that is what is wanted, I have love within me, I want to give Love to others, this is the desire of my heart, everyone, child, animals, birds, old, in the heart of everyone there is something called love, I want to give it to someone, but that love since it is not directed to the right place, all this love which we see is only for two days. Real love can be done with God only, not with the world and by loving God, one will automatically love the world, because he is able to see God, so by seeing God he knows, all the things in existence belongs to God, all the living entities are part and parcel of God, that is why naturally they love everyone, that is why love of Godhead should be there, within that all other love, Love for the country, love for the society and other all love, there are many loves people have discovered now a days, but because since there is no love for Godhead in that, all that love is temporary, its temporary, that is why Caitanya Mahaprabhu says prema pumartho puman, for giving that love there is incarnation of Caitanya, that is why Rupa Goswami says maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradayate, Rupa Goswami says in this same Prayag area when he met Caitanya Mahaprabhu, first he fell at his feet like a stick (More...)

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