topmost

A directly Kṛṣṇa conscious person is the topmost transcendentalist because such a devotee knows what is meant by Brahman or Paramātmā. His knowledge of the Absolute Truth is perfect, whereas the impersonalist and the meditative

A transcendentalist should always try to concentrate his mind on the Supreme Self; he should live alone in a secluded place and should always carefully control his mind. He should be free from desires and feelings of possessiveness. (More...)

Krsna is realized in different degrees as Brahman, Paramatma and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna consciousness means, concisely, to be always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. But those who are attached to the impersonal Brahman or the localized Supersoul are also partially Krsna conscious, because impersonal Brahman is the spiritual ray of Krsna and Supersoul is the all-pervading partial expansion of Krsna. Thus the impersonalist and the meditator are also indirectly Krsna conscious. A directly Krsna conscious person is the topmost transcendentalist because such a devotee knows what is meant by Brahman or Paramatma. His knowledge of the Absolute Truth is perfect, whereas the impersonalist and the meditative yogi are imperfectly Krsna conscious. (More...)

Nevertheless, all of these are instructed herewith to be constantly engaged in their particular pursuits so that they may come to the highest perfection sooner or later. The first business of a transcendentalist is to keep the mind always on Krsna. One should always think of Krsna and not forget Him even for a moment. Concentration of the mind on the Supreme is called samadhi or trance. In order to concentrate the mind, one should always remain in seclusion and avoid disturbance by external objects. He should be very careful to accept favorable and reject unfavorable conditions that affect his realization. And, in perfect determination, he should not hanker after unnecessary material things that entangle him by feelings of possessiveness. (More...)

All these perfections and precautions are perfectly executed when one is directly in Krsna consciousness because direct Krsna consciousness means self-abnegation, wherein there is very little chance for material possessiveness. Srila Rūpa Gosvami characterizes Krsna consciousness in this way: (More...)

A Krsna conscious person well knows that everything belongs to Krsna, and thus he is always free from feelings of personal possession. As such, he has no hankering for anything on his own personal account. He knows how to accept things in favor of Krsna consciousness and how to reject things unfavorable to Krsna consciousness. He is always aloof from material things because he is always transcendental, and he is always alone, having nothing to do with persons not in Krsna consciousness. Therefore a person in Krsna consciousness is the perfect yogi. (More...)

"When one is not attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Krsna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness." (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu ) Money is undoubtedly coming in great quantities, but we should not be attached to this money for sense gratification; every cent should be spent for spreading the Krsna consciousness movement, not for sense gratification. There is danger for a preacher when he receives great quantities of money, for as soon as he spends even a single cent of the collection for his personal sense gratification, he becomes a fallen victim. The preachers of the Krsna consciousness movement should be extremely careful not to misuse the immense quantities of money needed to spread this movement. Let us not make this money the cause of our distress; it should be used for Krsna, and that will cause our eternal happiness. Money is Laksmi, or the goddess of fortune, the companion of Narayana. Laksmiji must always remain with Narayana, and then there need be no fear of degradation. (More...)

The topmost transcendentalists or the liberated souls realize Him by advanced experience of transcendental knowledge, and therefore they take pleasure in the discussion of the transcendental qualities of the Lord\'s pastimes.

O King Pariksit, mainly the topmost transcendentalists, who are above the regulative principles and restrictions, take pleasure in describing the glories of the Lord. (More...)

The topmost transcendentalist is a liberated soul and, therefore, is not within the purview of the regulative principles. A neophyte, who is intended to be promoted to the spiritual plane, is guided by the spiritual master under regulative principles. He may be compared to a patient who is treated by various restrictions under medical jurisdiction. Generally, such liberated souls also take pleasure in describing the transcendental activities. As mentioned above, since Narayana, Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is beyond the material creation, His form and attributes are not material. The topmost transcendentalists or the liberated souls realize Him by advanced experience of transcendental knowledge, and therefore they take pleasure in the discussion of the transcendental qualities of the Lord's pastimes. In the Bhagavad-gita, the Personality of Godhead declares that His appearance and activities are all divyam, or transcendental. (Bg. 4.9) The common man, who is under the spell of material energy, takes it for granted that the Lord is like one of us, and therefore he refuses to accept the transcendental nature of the Lord's form, name, etc. The topmost transcendentalist is not interested in anything material, and his taking interest in the matter of the Lord's activities is definite proof that the Lord is not like one of us in the material world. In the Vedic literatures also, it is confirmed that the Supreme Lord is one, but that He is engaged in His transcendental pastimes in the company of His unalloyed devotees and that simultaneously He is present as the Supersoul, an expansion of Baladeva, in the heart of all living entities. Therefore, the highest perfection of transcendental realization is to take pleasure in hearing and describing the transcendental qualities of the Lord and not in merging into His impersonal Brahman existence, as the impersonalist monist aspires. Real transcendental pleasure is realized in the glorification of the transcendental Lord, and not in the feeling of being situated in His impersonal feature. But there are also others who are not the topmost transcendentalists, but are in the lower status, and who do not take pleasure in describing the transcendental activities of the Lord. Rather, they discuss such activities of the Lord formally with the aim of merging into His existence. (More...)

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