voluntary (suicide)

 
Imported quote 13878
From the description in this verse, it appears that Maharaja Prthu had no desire to promote himself to the higher planetary systems. He wanted to return home immediately, back to Godhead. Although Maharaja Prthu stopped all practice of mystic yoga after realizing Krsna consciousness, he nonetheless took advantage of his previous practice and immediately placed himself on the brahma-bhūta platform in order to accelerate his return to Godhead. The aim of this particular system of asana, known as the sitting posture for liberation, or muktasana, is to attain success in kunḍalini-cakra and gradually raise the life from the mūladhara-cakra to the svadhisthana-cakra, then to the manipūra-cakra, the anahata-cakra, the visuddha-cakra, and finally to the ajna-cakra. When the yogi reaches the ajna-cakra, between the two eyebrows, he is able to penetrate the brahma-randhra, or the hole in his skull, and go to any planet he desires up to the spiritual kingdom of Vaikuntha, or Krsnaloka. The conclusion is that one has to come to the brahma-bhūta stage for going back to Godhead. However, those who are in Krsna consciousness, or who are practicing bhakti-yoga (sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ smaranam pada-sevanam), can return to Godhead without even practicing the muktasana process. The purpose of muktasana practice is to come to the brahma-bhūta stage, for without being on the brahma-bhūta stage, one cannot be promoted to the spiritual sky. As stated in Bhagavad-gita: mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate/ sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhūyaya kalpate (Bg. 14.26). The bhakti-yogi, practicing bhakti-yoga, is always situated on the brahma-bhūta stage (brahma-bhūyaya kalpate). If a devotee is able to continue on the brahma-bhūta platform, he enters the spiritual sky automatically after death and returns to Godhead. Consequently a devotee need not feel sorry for not having practiced the kunḍalini-cakra or not penetrating the six cakras one after another. As far as Maharaja Prthu was concerned, he had already practiced this process, and since he did not want to wait for the time when his death would occur naturally, he took advantage of the sat-cakra penetration process and thus gave up the body according to his own free will and immediately entered the spiritual sky.    (More...)

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