spiritual

The word Klim added to the Gayatri Mantra is explained in Brahma Samhita as the transcendental seed of love of Godhead, or the seed of the Kamagayatri. The object is Krishna, Who is the evergreen Cupid. And, by utterance of Klim Mantra, Krishna is worshipped. In the Gopal Tapini Upanishad, it is further stated that when we speak of Krishna as Cupid we should not misunderstand that He is the Cupid of this material world. As we have explained, Vrindaban is the Spiritual Abode of Krishna, and so this word Cupid is also spiritual and transcendental. One should not misunderstand the material Cupid and Krishna as being on the same level. Material Cupid is the attraction of this external flesh and body, but the spiritual Cupid is the attraction of the Supersoul upon the individual soul.    (More...)

Just like dog is engaged in one kind of activity, and the cat is engaged in one kind of activity, or the human being is engaged in another kind of activity, so these differences of activities are due to the difference of body, ksetra. But when you come to the platform of soul, when you understand that "I am not this body," then the activity is different. That activity is called spiritual activity. The material activity and spiritual activity.
So material activity and spiritual activity. So long we are under the concept of bodily life, our activities are material. But as soon as you understand that "I do not belong to the body. I am not this body, but I am spirit soul, aham brahmasmi…" The exact Vedic language in this connection is called aham brahmasmi: "I am spirit soul." This knowledge is perfect. So long we are under the concept of body, that "I am this body," that is ignorance. There are different kinds of bodies and different activities in accordance to the different types of bodies. A dog enjoys one kind of activity, a cat enjoys another, and a human enjoys another. There are differences of activity due to differences of body. When we come to the platform of truth, however, and understand that we are not these bodies, then our activities change from material activities to spiritual activities. As long as we are operating under the bodily conception of life, our activities are material, but as soon as we understand, "I do not belong to this body, aham brahmasmi, I am spirit soul," our activities will be in accordance to that realization, that is to say that they will cease to be motivated from the material or bodily platform. Knowledge of our proper identity as separate from the body is real knowledge, but this knowledge is denied as long as we cling to bodily identification.    (More...)

Whatever form of material existence one is in, one is invariably ignorant of his real situation. In other words, existence in the material world is due to the multiple reactions to our sinful lives. Ignorance is the cause of sinful life, and sinful life is the cause of one's dragging on in material existence. The human form of life is the only loophole by which one may get out of this entanglement. The Vedas, therefore, give us a chance for escape by pointing out the paths of religion, economic comfort, regulated sense gratification and, at last, the means to get out of the miserable condition entirely. The path of religion, or the different kinds of sacrifice recommended above, automatically solves our economic problems. By performance of yajna we can have enough food, enough milk, etc.-even if there is a so-called increase of population. When the body is fully supplied, naturally the next stage is to satisfy the senses. The Vedas prescribe, therefore, sacred marriage for regulated sense gratification. Thereby one is gradually elevated to the platform of release from material bondage, and the highest perfection of liberated life is to associate with the Supreme Lord. Perfection is achieved by performance of yajna (sacrifice), as described above. Now, if a person is not inclined to perform yajna according to the Vedas, how can he expect a happy life? There are different grades of material comforts in different heavenly planets, and in all cases there is immense happiness for persons engaged in different kinds of yajna. But the highest kind of happiness that a man can achieve is to be promoted to the spiritual planets by practice of Krsna consciousness. A life of Krsna consciousness is therefore the solution to all the problems of material existence.    (More...)

The four divisions of human life, namely the brahmacari, the grhastha, the vanaprastha, and the sannyasi, are all meant to help men become perfect yogis or transcendentalists. Since human life is not meant for our enjoying sense gratification like the animals, the four orders of human life are so arranged that one may become perfect in spiritual life. The brahmacaris, or students under the care of a bona fide spiritual master, control the mind by abstaining from sense gratification. They are referred to in this verse as sacrificing the hearing process and the senses in the fire of the controlled mind. A brahmacari hears only words concerning Krsna consciousness; hearing is the basic principle for understanding, and therefore the pure brahmacari engages fully in harer namanukirtanam-chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord. He restrains himself from the vibrations of material sounds, and his hearing is engaged in the transcendental sound vibration of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna. Similarly, the householders, who have some license for sense gratification, perform such acts with great restraint. Sex life, intoxication and meat eating are general tendencies of human society, but a regulated householder does not indulge in unrestricted sex life and other sense gratifications. Marriage on principles of religious life is therefore current in all civilized human society because that is the way for restricted sex life. This restricted, unattached sex life is also a kind of yajna because the restricted householder sacrifices his general tendency toward sense gratification for higher transcendental life.    (More...)