fall from spiritual world
|
As long as a living entity is pure, he is in complete harmony with the desires of the Supreme Lord, but as soon as he becomes impure he is in disharmony with the desires of the Lord. By contamination he is forced to transfer to this material world. Therefore let us consider how these two contaminated persons should be punished. The punishment should be apt, for thus benefit can eventually be bestowed upon them. Since they find duality in the existence of Vaikuntha life, they are contaminated and should be removed from this place to the material world, where the living entities have three kinds of enemies.
(More...) The reason for pure souls' coming into the existential circumstances of the material world, which is considered to be the criminal department of the Supreme Lord, is stated in Bhagavad-gita, Seventh Chapter, 27th verse. It is stated that as long as a living entity is pure, he is in complete harmony with the desires of the Supreme Lord, but as soon as he becomes impure he is in disharmony with the desires of the Lord. By contamination he is forced to transfer to this material world, where the living entities have three enemies, namely desire, anger and lust. These three enemies force the living entities to continue material existence, and when one is free from them he is eligible to enter the kingdom of God. One should not, therefore, be angry in the absence of an opportunity for sense gratification, and one should not be lusty to acquire more than is necessary. In this verse it is clearly stated that the two doormen should be sent into the material world where criminals are allowed to reside. Since the basic principles of criminality are sense gratification, anger and unnecessary lust, persons who are conducted by these three enemies of the living entity are never promoted to Vaikunthaloka. People should learn Bhagavad-gita and accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, as the Lord of everything; they should practice satisfying the senses of the Supreme Lord instead of trying to satisfy their own senses. Training in Krsna consciousness will help one be promoted to Vaikuntha.
(More...) Because the Lord's pastimes in the material world are always performed with His associates, not with others, He has to find some devotee who will play the part of an enemy. The Lord replied: O brahmanas, know that the punishment you inflicted on them was originally ordained by Me, and therefore they will fall to a birth in a demoniac family. But they will be firmly united with Me in thought through mental concentration intensified by anger, and they will return to My presence shortly.
(More...) The Lord stated that the punishment inflicted by the sages upon the doorkeepers Jaya and Vijaya was conceived by the Lord Himself. Without the Lord's sanction, nothing can happen. It is to be understood that there was a plan in the cursing of the Lord's devotees in Vaikuntha, and His plan is explained by many stalwart authorities. The Lord sometimes desires to fight. The fighting spirit also exists in the Supreme Lord, otherwise how could fighting be manifested at all? Because the Lord is the source of everything, anger and fighting are also inherent in His personality. When He desires to fight with someone, He has to find an enemy, but in the Vaikuntha world there is no enemy because everyone is engaged fully in His service. Therefore He sometimes comes to the material world as an incarnation in order to manifest His fighting spirit.
(More...) In Bhagavad-gita also it is said that the Lord appears just to give protection to the devotees and to annihilate the nondevotees (Bg. 4.8). The nondevotees are found in the material world, not in the spiritual world; therefore, when the Lord wants to fight, He has to come to this world. But who will fight with the Supreme Lord? No one is able to fight with Him! Therefore, because the Lord's pastimes in the material world are always performed with His associates, not with others, He has to find some devotee who will play the part of an enemy. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord says to Arjuna, "My dear Arjuna, both you and I appeared many, many times in this material world, but you have forgotten, whereas I remember." Thus Jaya and Vijaya were selected by the Lord to fight with Him in the material world, and that was the reason the sages came to see Him and accidentally the doorkeepers were cursed. It was the Lord's desire to send them to the material world, not perpetually, but for some time. Therefore, just as, on a theatrical stage, someone takes the part of enemy to the proprietor of the stage although the play is for a short time and there is no permanent enmity between the servant and the proprietor, similarly the sura-janas (devotees) were cursed by the sages to go to the asura-jana or atheistic families. That a devotee should come into an atheistic family is surprising, but it is simply a show. After finishing their mock fighting, both the devotee and the Lord are again associated in the spiritual planets. That is very explicitly explained here. The conclusion is that no one falls from the spiritual world or Vaikuntha planet, for it is the eternal abode. But sometimes, as the Lord desires, devotees come into this material world as preachers or as atheists. In each case we must understand that there is a plan of the Lord. Lord Buddha, for example, is an incarnation, yet he preached atheism: "There is no God." But actually there was a plan behind this, as explained in the Bhagavatam.
(More...) Here is clear proof of how a living entity coming originally from Vaikuṇṭhaloka is encaged in material elements. Lord Brahma continued: Those two principal doorkeepers of the Personality of Godhead have now entered the womb of Diti, the powerful semina of Kasyapa Muni having covered them.
(More...) Here is clear proof of how a living entity coming originally from Vaikunthaloka is encaged in material elements. The living entity takes shelter within the semina of a father, which is injected within the womb of a mother, and with the help of the mother's emulsified ovum the living entity grows a particular type of body. In this connection it is to be remembered that the mind of Kasyapa Muni was not in order when he conceived the two sons, Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu. Therefore the semina he discharged was simultaneously extremely powerful and mixed with the quality of anger. It is to be concluded that while conceiving a child one's mind must be very sober and devotional. For this purpose the Garbhadhana-samskara is recommended in the Vedic scriptures. If the mind of the father is not sober, the semina discharged will not be very good. Thus the living entity, wrapped in the matter produced from the father and mother, will be demoniac like Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu. The conditions of conception are to be carefully studied. This is a very great science.
(More...) Imported quote 13110 There are different types of philosophers-mimamsakas, atheists, astronomers, sexualists and so many other classifications of mental speculators. The real conclusion is that it is our work only that binds us within this material world in different varieties of life. How these varieties have sprung up is explained in the Vedas: it is due to the desire of the living entity. The living entity is not a dead stone; he has different varieties of desire, or kama. The Vedas say, kamo 'karsit. The living entities are originally parts of the Lord, like sparks of a fire, but they have dropped to this material world, attracted by a desire to lord it over nature. That is a fact. Every living entity is trying to lord it over the material resources to the best of his ability.
(More...) Imported quote 13509 The word askhalita indicates that orders by the king could not be disobeyed by anyone in the entire world. Such orders, however, were never issued to control saintly persons or the descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. The Supreme Lord is known as acyuta, and Lord Krsna is addressed as such by Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita (senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me 'cyuta). Acyuta refers to one who does not fall because He is never influenced by the modes of material nature. When a living entity falls down to the material world from his original position, he becomes cyuta, which means that he forgets his relationship with acyuta. Actually every living entity is a part and parcel or a son of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When influenced by the modes of material nature, a living entity forgets this relationship and thinks in terms of different species of life; but when he again comes to his original consciousness, he does not observe such bodily designations. This is indicated in Bhagavad-gita by the words panḍitaḥ sama-darsinaḥ (Bg. 5.18).
(More...) Imported quote 13721 When one's mind and senses are attracted to sense objects for enjoyment, the mind becomes agitated. As a result of continually thinking of sense objects, one's real consciousness almost becomes lost, like the water in a lake that is gradually sucked up by the big grass straws on its bank.
(More...) Imported quote 13724 In this verse it is very nicely explained how our original Krsna consciousness becomes polluted. Gradually we become almost completely forgetful of our relationship with the Supreme Lord. In the previous verse it is recommended that we should always keep in touch with the devotional service of the Lord so that the blazing fire of devotional service can gradually burn into ashes material desires and we can become liberated from the repetition of birth and death. This is also how we can indirectly keep our staunch faith in the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the mind is allowed to think of sense gratification continuously, it becomes the cause of our material bondage. If our mind is simply filled with sense gratification, even though we want Krsna consciousness, by continuous practice we cannot forget the subject matter of sense gratification. If one takes up the sannyasa order of life but is not able to control the mind, he will think of objects of sense gratification-namely family, society, expensive house, etc. Even though he goes to the Himalayas or the forest, his mind will continue thinking of the objects of sense gratification. In this way, gradually one's intelligence will be affected. When intelligence is affected, one loses his original taste for Krsna consciousness.
(More...) Imported quote 14188 It is said in the Prema-vivarta that when a living entity wants to enjoy material nature, he is immediately victimized by the material energy. A living entity is not forced to come into the material world. He makes his own choice, being attracted by beautiful women. Every living entity has the freedom to be attracted by material nature or to stand as a hero and resist that attraction. It is simply a question of the living entity's being attracted or not being attracted. There is no question of his being forced to come into contact with material energy. One who can keep himself steady and resist the attraction of material nature is certainly a hero and deserves to be called a gosvami. Unless one is master of the senses, he cannot become a gosvami. The living entity can take one of two positions in this world. He may become a servant of his senses or he may become master of them. By becoming a servant of the senses, one becomes a great material hero, and by becoming master of the senses, he becomes a gosvami, or spiritual hero.
(More...) Imported quote 14504 The brahmana continued: My dear friend, even though you cannot immediately recognize Me, can't you remember that in the past you had a very intimate friend? Unfortunately, you gave up My company and accepted a position as enjoyer of this material world.
(More...) Imported quote 14505 The natural position of the living entity is to serve the Lord in a transcendental loving attitude. When the living entity wants to become Krsna Himself or imitate Krsna, he falls down into the material world. Since Krsna is the Supreme Father, His affection for the living entity is eternal. When the living entity falls down into the material world, the Supreme Lord, through His svamsa expansion (Paramatma), keeps company with the living entity. In this way the living entity may some day return home, back to Godhead.
(More...) By misusing his independence, the living entity falls down from the service of the Lord and takes a position in this material world as an enjoyer. That is to say, the living entity takes his position within a material body. Wanting to take a very exalted position, the living entity instead becomes entangled in a repetition of birth and death. He selects his position as a human being, a demigod, a cat, a dog, a tree, etc. In this way the living entity selects a body out of the 8,400,000 forms and tries to satisfy himself by a variety of material enjoyment. The Supersoul, however, does not like him to do this. Consequently the Supersoul instructs him to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord then takes charge of the living entity. But unless the living entity is uncontaminated by material desires, he cannot surrender to the Supreme Lord. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord says:
(More...) "O scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of desire and hate." (Bg. 7.27) All living beings in the material world are influenced by the three modes of material nature. Even Lord Brahma is in the mode of goodness. Similarly, the demigods are generally in the mode of passion, and living entities lower than the demigods, such as human beings and animals, are in the mode of ignorance, or in mixed goodness, passion and ignorance. Therefore Amsuman wanted to explain that because his uncles, who had burnt to ashes, were under the modes of material nature, they could not understand Lord Kapiladeva. "Because You are beyond even the direct and indirect intelligence of Lord Brahma," he prayed, "unless we are enlightened by Your Lordship it will not be possible for us to understand You."
(More...) Imported quote 14511 My dear gentle friend, both you and I are exactly like two swans. We live together in the same heart, which is just like the Manasa Lake. Although we have been living together for many thousands of years, we are still far away from our original home.
(More...) Imported quote 14512 The original home of the living entity and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the spiritual world. In the spiritual world both the Lord and the living entities live together very peacefully. Since the living entity remains engaged in the service of the Lord, they both share a blissful life in the spiritual world. However, when the living entity wants to enjoy himself, he falls down into the material world. Even while he is in that position, the Lord remains with him as the Supersoul, his intimate friend. Because of his forgetfulness, the living entity does not know that the Supreme Lord is accompanying him as the Supersoul. In this way the living entity remains conditioned in each and every millennium. Although the Lord follows him as a friend, the living entity, because of forgetful material existence, does not recognize Him.
(More...) Imported quote 14514 When the living entity falls down, he goes into the material world, which was created by the external energy of the Lord. This external energy is described herein as "some woman," or prakrti. This material world is composed of material elements, ingredients supplied by the mahat-tattva, the total material energy. The material world, created by this external energy, becomes the so-called home of the conditioned soul. Within this material world the conditioned soul accepts different apartments or different bodily forms and then travels about. Sometimes he travels in the higher planetary systems and sometimes in the lower systems. Sometimes he travels in higher species of life and sometimes in lower species. He has been wandering within this material universe since time immemorial. As explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:
(More...) Imported quote 14522 The factual position of both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entity is qualitatively one. The Supreme Lord is the Supreme Spirit, the Supersoul, and the living entity is the individual spiritual soul. Even though both of them are original spiritual identities, the living entity forgets his identity when he comes in contact with material nature and becomes conditioned. At such a time he identifies himself as a product of the material nature. Because of the material body, he forgets that he is the eternal (sanatana) part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in this way: mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhūtaḥ sanatanaḥ. The word sanatana is found in several places in Bhagavad-gita. Both the Lord and the living entity are sanatana (eternal), and there is also a place known as sanatana, beyond this material nature. The real residence of both the living entity and God is the domain of sanatana, not this material world. The material world is the temporary, external energy of the Lord, and the living entity is placed in this material world because he wanted to imitate the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this material world he tries to enjoy his senses to his best capacity. All the activities of the conditioned soul within this material world are perpetually taking place in different types of bodies, but when the living entity acquires developed consciousness, he should try to rectify his situation and again become a member of the spiritual world. The process by which one can return home, back to Godhead, is bhakti-yoga, sometimes called sanatana-dharma. Instead of accepting a temporary occupational duty based on the material body, one should take to the process of sanatana-dharma, or bhakti-yoga, so that he can put an end to this perpetual bondage in material bodies and once again return home, back to Godhead. As long as human society works on the basis of false material identification, all the so-called advancements of science and philosophy are simply useless. They only serve to mislead human society. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanaḥ. In the material world, the blind simply lead the blind.
(More...) Imported quote 14534 Originally the living entity is a spiritual being, but when he actually desires to enjoy this material world, he comes down. From this verse we can understand that the living entity first accepts a body that is human in form, but gradually, due to his degraded activities, he falls into lower forms of life-into the animal, plant and aquatic forms. By the gradual process of evolution, the living entity again attains the body of a human being and is given another chance to get out of the process of transmigration. If he again misses his chance in the human form to understand his position, he is again placed in the cycle of birth and death in various types of bodies.
(More...) The desire of the living entity to come into the material world is not very difficult to understand. Although one may be born in a family of Aryans, where there are restrictions against meat-eating, intoxication, gambling and illicit sex, still one may want to enjoy these forbidden things. There is always someone who wants to go to a prostitute for illicit sex or to a hotel to eat meat and drink wine. There is always someone who wants to gamble at nightclubs or enjoy so-called sports. All these propensities are already within the hearts of the living entities, but some living entities stop to enjoy these abominable activities and consequently fall down to a degraded platform.
(More...) Imported quote 14646 Thus the change of the gross body is not very important, but the change of the subtle body is important. The Krsna consciousness movement is educating people to enlighten the subtle body. The perfect example in this regard is Ambarisa Maharaja, who always engaged his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. Sa vai manaḥ krsna-padaravindayoḥ. Similarly, in this life we should always fix our mind on the lotus feet of Krsna, who is present in His arca-vigraha, the incarnation of the Deity in the temple. We should also always engage in His worship. If we engage our speech in describing the activities of the Lord and our ears in hearing about His pastimes, and if we follow the regulative principles to keep the mind intact for advancing in Krsna consciousness, we shall certainly be elevated to the spiritual platform. Then at the time of death the mind, intelligence and ego will no longer be materially contaminated. The living entity is present, and the mind, intelligence and ego are also present. When the mind, intelligence and ego are purified, all the active senses of the living entity become spiritual. Thus the living entity attains his sac-cid-ananda form. The Supreme Lord is always in His sac-cid-ananda form, but the living entity, although part and parcel of the Lord, becomes materially contaminated when he desires to come to the material world for material enjoyment. The prescription for returning home, back to Godhead, is given by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita:
(More...) Imported quote 14669 According to this explanation, one can clearly understand that originally the living entity was as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in his pure spiritual existence. However, when the mind becomes polluted by desires for sense gratification in the material world, the living entity drops into the material conditions, as explained in this verse. Thus he begins his material existence, which means that he transmigrates from one body to another and becomes more and more entangled in material existence. The process of Krsna consciousness, by which one always thinks of Krsna, is the transcendental process by which one can revert to his original spiritual existence. Devotional service means always thinking of Krsna.
(More...) Imported quote 15934 The central question, you say, is "Where is the soul, and where does it come from?" That is not difficult to understand. We've already discussed that the soul is residing in the heart of the living entity and that it takes shelter after death in another body. Originally the soul comes from God. Just as a spark comes from fire, and when the spark falls down it appears to be extinguished, the spark soul originally comes from the spiritual world to the material world, In the material world he falls down into three different conditions which are called the modes of nature. When a spark of fire falls on dry grass, the fiery quality continues. When the spark falls on the ground, it cannot display its fiery manifestation unless the ground is favorably situated. And when the spark falls on water, it becomes extinguished. As such, we find three kinds of living conditions. One living entity is completely forgetful of his spiritual nature; another is almost forgetful, but still there is an instinct of spiritual nature; and another is completely in search of spiritual perfection. There is a bona fide method for the attainment of spiritual perfection by the spiritual spark soul, and if he is properly guided then he is very easily sent back home, back to Godhead, wherefrom originally he fell down.
(More...) Imported quote 16032 Thus all living entities are part and parcel of Krsna. By Krsna it should always be remembered that we are speaking of God, Krsna denoting the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. As a fragment of gold is qualitatively the same as a gold reservoir, so the minute particles of Krsna's body are therefore qualitatively as good as Krsna. The chemical composition of God's body and the eternal spiritual body of the living entity is the same-spiritual. Thus originally, in our uncontaminated condition, we possessed a form as good as God's, but just as rain falls to the ground, so we come in contact with this material world, which is manipulated by the external material energy of Krsna.
(More...) Imported quote 16516 A Reflection on the Gosvamis • The speaker, Krsna, Prabhupada, emphasized the importance of chanting the holy name for all ages, especially in this age. • The speaker referred to the incident of Ajamila's deliverance from Srimad-Bhagavatam, which was written tens of thousand years ago. • The speaker emphasized the importance of receiving Vedic knowledge through the disciple chain, which is the business of the acarya. • The Gosvamis, who were highly posted ministers, were compared to the Gosvamis, who were either rich or great scholars. • The Gosvamis were exalted ministers in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah, but were living in poverty as poor mendicants. • The speaker, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada, introduced the concept of a sannyasi living in a palatial building, which may seem against the principles of the Gosvamis. • The speaker urged for the spiritual master to be lenient with the principles of Rūpa Gosvami. Understanding the Principles of Rūpa Gosvami and the Role of acarya • Rūpa Gosvami's principles are not about living under a tree overnight, but about making convenient means for people to attain them. • He recommends finding suitable means to attract people to Krsna consciousness, not just following rules and regulations. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Recommendations • Caitanya Mahaprabhu's principle is to chant the holy names of Hare Krsna for twenty-four hours to dismantle the structure of sinful life. • Chanting Hare Krsna mantra is sufficient to dismantle the structure of sinful life immediately. • Chanting Hare Krsna mantra is the greatest offense as it is a fact that one can become free from the effective result of sinful life. The Principle of bahudak • The principle of bahudak is that Krsna could talk with any living entity, not just mythological stories or fables. • Krsna's other quality is bahudak, which is natural as a father understands the language of his son. • This principle was proven when Krsna was present. Understanding the Language of Krsna • Krsna's language is not an allegorical fact but a fact that requires understanding. • Every living entity can speak, and understanding other's language is crucial. The History of Ajamila • The history of Ajamila's activities is not a story but a historical fact. • Hearing these stories can help one become free from the contamination of sinful life. The Confidential Teachings of Krsna • The teaching of Lord Krsna is highly confidential and should not be open to everyone. • The teaching that one must give up all religion and occupation is also highly confidential. Kirtana in Devotion • Kirtana is not just about chanting, but also about speaking about Krsna. • Speaking about Krsna should be with reference to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. • Praying and facing opposing elements is better than chanting Hare Krsna. The Culture of Bhakti • Bhakti involves following the spiritual master and always serving the Lord. • Regardless of speaking or speaking, one should always be engaged in the service of the Lord. • Arjuna's fight was not about pride, but executing the order. Understanding the Concept of Krsna and Brahmana • Krsna encourages preaching and meeting opposing elements. • It's important to follow the footsteps of your spiritual master or predecessor. The Importance of Bhagavata • Bhagavata should be heard from the recognized bhagavata, not from a professional man. • Professionals should not recite Bhagavata to earn money for their family expenses. The Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead • It should not be heard from a professional or unscrupulous man who is not a Vaisnava. The Role of Policemen • Policemen are meant for the sinful men, not for the devotees. • If a devotee remains factually a devotee of Krsna throughout their life, they are not meant for the hellish condition of life. The Role of Brahmana • Brahmana means a person who is always clean, internally and externally. • Those who keep themselves clean are considered brahmana. • A sannyasi is recommended to beg from the house of a brahmana. The Power of Chanting • A devotee is never sinful, even if they have fallen down. • Ajamila, the son of a brahmana, rose up simply by chanting. • This chanting leads to no fear of falling down and no eligibility to go to the hellish condition of life. (More...) You have boldly and alone accepted the awesome task of redirecting the foolish apelike men collectively known as human society. With your purified vision you have penetrated the hearts of men and cut the knots of transient attachments, giving us an opportunity to realize our present diseased condition and our eternal position of dependency on Krsna. Who but You Divine Grace could dare to single-handedly denounce without reservation everything that lacks connection through service to the supreme proprietor, Sri Krsna. As you have repeatedly said, "Our test is very simple; you simply ask someone if he accepts Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If he says no, then immediately you know that he is a mūḍha, foolish like an ass, rascal." Having rebelled against the enjoyment of the Supreme Lord, everyone in this conditional world of birth and death is falsely thinking themselves independent, making plans which are doomed. Who but Your Divine Grace would have the courage and compassion to repeatedly label these foolish mūḍhas in the category of hogs, dogs, camels and asses, simply to awaken them against their will to the responsibility of human life? It is by your divinely inspired efforts that in this insane misdirected society there stands a genuine hope of a revolution in the hearts of men. You alone can bring the real standard in all spheres of human endeavor. Like a physician, you see all in this world as diseased on account of forgetfulness of devotional service to Sri Krsna. You clearly see the suicidal course in rejecting the cure and therefore you are traversing this planet with hopes of delivering all the fallen souls. One who rejects the medicine of hari-nama, those who are faithless, must return to this dangerous world of repeated birth and death, mrtyu-samsara-vartmani. [Bg 9.3] What benefit will there be for these mūḍhas if in the next life they are going to become dogs?
(More...) Imported quote 17004 So God, the Supersoul is simply observing the activities of the individual soul. And He has given freedom to the individual soul, because the individual soul has come in this material world to enjoy independent of the Supersoul. That is the material disease. He has to remain under the protection... He is already under the protection of the Supersoul, but he is thinking that he is independent. That is called maya. He is not independent. As soon as there is cause of death, he is no more independent. He cannot say that "I have got so many business to do, perform. Give me some time." "No, immediately get out." So he is under control, fully controlled; still he is thinking that he is independent and he can do whatever he like. In this way his life is being spoiled, and he is becoming entangled by the activities.
(More...) Imported quote 17669 Krsna's arrangement is very complete. Pūrnam idam pūrnam adaḥ pūrnat pūrnam udacyate . Krsna has given us everything in complete. There is no question... Although we have come to this material world for undergoing some tribulation on account of our rebellious attitude towards Krsna... Krsna, we are meant for serving Krsna, but we have rebelled: "Why shall I serve Krsna? I shall serve my senses. I shall remain independent without Krsna." This is our folly. That is not possible. We have discussed already that without Krsna there is no question of happiness. There is no question of happiness. It is our... This is called ignorance.
(More...) There is something like... Our only fault is that we have forgotten Krsna and we have come to enjoy this material world. Material enjoyment means sense gratification. That's all. That is the material world. And spiritual world means there is no sense gratification, only activities for Krsna's satisfaction. That is spiritual world. The so-called material world can be converted into spiritual world when this Krsna consciousness is there, that everything should be used for Krsna's pleasure. That is spiritual world. Otherwise, it is material world. In the higher sense there is no material world at all. Sarvam khalv idam brahma [Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1].
(More...) Imported quote 18224 Because we are not meant for this service. We are, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches, jivera svarūpa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc Madhya 20.108-109]. Our main business is to serve Krsna. In Vrndavana, in Goloka Vrndavana, somebody is serving Krsna as His friend, cowherd boy. Somebody is serving Krsna as gopi, as lover. Somebody is serving Krsna as father and mother, Mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja. Somebody is Krsna's friend as servant, as tree, as water, as flower, as land, as cows, as calf. So many ways. This is our business. But somehow or other we did not like to serve Krsna. Therefore we have been put into the service of maya in three modes of nature. Just like a criminal. A criminal does not like to obey the laws of the state; therefore a criminal is put into the prison house and he's forced to abide by the law of the state. The state laws are there-either outside the prison house or inside the prison house. But one who does not obey ordinarily outside the jail the orders or the laws of the state, he is put into the prison house. But he cannot avoid the laws of the state. That is not possible. Because a citizen means he must abide by the laws of the state.
(More...) Imported quote 18454 So in this way, if we actually establish... Establish means reestablish. It is already established. We have got different types of relationship. That is called svarūpa-siddhi. Svarūpa-siddhi. When you are perfect in spiritual life, you will understand what is your relationship with Krsna automatically. That is called svarūpa-siddhi. You have got original relationship with Krsna. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti, Caitanya-caritamrta. That is a... Just like you are son of some gentleman. That is a fact. It is not that the son becomes father or the father becomes son. No. The son is son; the father is father. Similarly, we have got an eternal relationship with Krsna, either as father, or as lover, or as servant, like that. So that is self-realization. When you will be perfect in love, in loving Krsna, then in what status of life you will love, that you will under... That will be revealed. That is called svarūpa-siddhi. So svarūpa-siddhi is not something artificial. When one becomes perfectly spiritually realized, then he understands what is his relationship with Krsna and he begins his service in that relationship as father, as friend, as guru or as servant, like that.
(More...) Imported quote 18711 So some way or other, originally, we are all Krsna conscious, pure, svaccha. Svacchatvam avikaritvam. Now vikurvanat, now, being transformed or agitated somehow or other... Anadi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavarnava-jale. We cannot ascertain when this transformation took place. There is no necessity of making research how we fell in this material contamination or envelopment. But we should be intelligent enough to understand that we are fallen now. That is... How we fell, you can trace out the history, but it is very difficult because anadi karama-phale-nobody can ascertain. Just like when a man is diseased he goes to doctor. So when he goes to the doctor, the doctor gives him medicine according to the symptoms and the diagnosis. There is no necessity of find out the history, how he fell diseased. There is history, but that is not possible to trace out. Therefore it is said, anadi karama-phale. Anadi. Anadi means... Adi means the creation. Creation... Before creation I contaminated this desire, iccha-dvesa samutthena [Bg 7.27]. I became revolting to the desires. Krsna says... Every one of us revolting now also. Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66], but we are revolting: "Why? Why shall I surrender to You? This is too much You are demanding." This is going on. This is going on. This is the disease. And to cure the disease Krsna Himself comes. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati, tadatmanam srjami [Bg 4.7]. But we are so stubborn that we won't..., do not like to be cured.
(More...) Imported quote 18785 The same example as I have already spoken several times, that a gentleman takes his dog, chained, and the dog passes urine, and the gentleman also stands. He passes. He wants to go there, this and there, gives the facility-but under the control of the chain. Similarly, we, after forgetting our relationship with Krsna, when we want to enjoy independently, the chance is given. This chance is given. That is material world. We get a material body, and we are given chance to enjoy as we like. But that is not very fruitful for our satisfaction. After all, we are part and parcel of sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs 5.1].
(More...) Imported quote 19798 Devotee (2): If one is fortunate enough to revive his natural position in the spiritual sky, how can he keep from falling down again? Like, if an entity is fortunate enough to revive his natural constitutional position in the spiritual sky, how can he keep from falling...
(More...) Prabhupada: How your Nixon is dragged down? How your President Nixon is dragged down? He was in the exalted post, and why he was dragged down?
(More...) Devotee (3): They dragged him down.
(More...) Tamala Krsna: He broke the rules.
(More...) Prabhupada: Anyone, even in this world or spiritual world, he has got the potency of coming down by misusing his little independence. It is nothing like that, that if you become president, you are secure. If you are not perfect, then you will be dragged down. Or if you think imperfectly... The formula is that in the spiritual world everyone is engaged in the service of the Lord. There is no other conception, as in this material world everyone is engaged to serve his senses-he likes something, and he is engaged for that purpose. That service is there, but it is service to himself, his senses. But in the spiritual world there is no such thing as giving service to the senses. Simply giving service to the Lord. That is spiritual world. So as soon as you think that "Why shall I give service to Krsna? Why not become independent?" you fall down immediately. So there is potency of thinking like that.
(More...) As soon as one forgets the service of the Lord and he wants to become himself Lord, immediately maya will capture. This maya means this material world.
(More...) Prabhupada: No, God cannot be forced to come down. Then He is not God. You see? If God but comes here, He comes down by His own pleasure. You cannot force God. We get this information from Bhagavad-gita. He said that,
(More...) Imported quote 20124 The thing is that the living being is the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and some way or other he (the living being) has come in contact with the material energy with an enjoying spirit to lord it over the material nature which spirit is a perverted reflection of the Absolute Enjoyer the Lord. In other words the living being due to his desire of becoming an imitation Lord of the material nature, he is suffering the effects of material energy in the shape of threefold miseries as a matter of police action of the strong material nature. The foolish living being is trying to overcome the stringent laws of Nature by different plans which are being frustrated __ regular way. The last snare of Maya or the material __ is an offering of opportunity to become one with __ Absolute thereby misleading him (the __ perpetually to pull on the material bondage under different categories of life. He can only be saved from this turmoil by reviving his consciousness of surrender unto the Lord which only saves him from all effects of sin. That is the last instructions of the Bhagavad-gita.
(More...) Imported quote 20724 Everyone, of course, has his independence. That is the cause of our material life. Misusing that minute independence we are out of the spiritual world. If you want to go as husband and wife to see your parents that is not bad, but why avoid your responsibility which you have already taken? At least develop your assistant Devaprastha and when you see he is able to do nicely then you can change. I don't think a new man can manage as nicely as you were doing. I will also write to GBC of Hong Kong, Madhudvisa Maharaja, and learn if he plans to send a new man there.
(More...) Imported quote 21372 Regarding your question about the difference between the mind and the soul, in the Bhagavad-gita it is directly said that the mind is inferior energy in a subtle form, and soul, jiva, is superior energy. So they are completely distinct. Mind is not spiritual, but mind is a subtle material form. When the soul becomes captivated for enjoying the material world instead of rendering service to Krishna, that is the beginning of his falldown. When the living being thinks himself to be the enjoyer, that is called false ego. His constitutional position is to serve Krishna. So this false egotism degrades him to pollute the intelligence and the mind.
(More...) Imported quote 23374 Prabhupada: This is not wanted. He is spirit. He has nothing to do with this material world, but he wanted it. Or the real thing is that he wanted to enjoy by becoming the master. He is servant. Sometimes servants desire it, that "Why I become servant? Why not master?" That is natural. But the natural position of it is he is servant. If he remains servant of Krsna, then he's happy always. But because he desired to become master, so he cannot become master in the spiritual world, because in the spiritual world the master is one. So he is given the chance, "All right, go to the material world and become a master." But that is a falldown. So he's trying struggle for existence, and everyone is trying to become master. Even one is in this spiritual knowledge that "I am spirit soul," still he's trying to become master. That is Mayavada. They have understood that "I am not this body, aham brahmasmi, but I am the Supreme Brahman." The same disease is there-master. Therefore they are condemned, arūhya krcchrena param padam tataḥ [SB 10.2.32].
(More...) Imported quote 24031 Sometimes one such illusioned living being foolishly approaches some so-called great personality, who has become expert in the fields of karma, jnana, or yoga, to get some kind of relief. However, because such men have no knowledge of the eternal spiritual identity beyond this temporary body, and are bereft of a relationship with God, their instructions do not give him ultimate satisfaction. We have practical experience of this in the modern world. At present, the major portion of the human energy has been expended on vicious works with the aim of achieving a higher grade of sense gratification. This we have done. We have also invented innumerable philosophies and so-called "paths" by which we are trying to enhance our human experience. Yet, people are wondering why there is so much unhappiness and disunity and they have created many different "isms" in an attempt to deal with the situation. Unfortunately all such "isms" have helped only to intensify and not to diminish the problems of life. The leaders of the world, being blind to the knowledge of the self, can only give symptomatic treatment and cannot understand the root cause of the dissatisfaction which plagues all of us. That was described by Ramananda Raya to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya asked Ramananda Raya: "Of all kinds of distress, what is the most painful?" Ramananda Raya replied, "Apart from separation from the devotees of Krsna I know of no other unbearable unhappiness." In the light of this statement, we can understand that the present dissatisfaction experienced on all levels of our present social structure is not due to the government, crime, politics, economics, men, women, etc. Neither will it be mitigated by artificial methods for the so-called improvement of our living conditions. The real fact is that as long as any civilization or society is bereft of the association of the most confidential servitor of the Supreme Lord, Sri Gurudeva, there can never be even a moment of true happiness for anyone. We therefore long for the day when the bona fide acarya, Srila Prabhupada, will be recognized and sought after by the present world leaders for the absolute guidance required in order to progress. According to science's law of thermodynamics, a complex system, if left to itself, tends towards chaos and disintegration. Similarly any world organization which neglects the absolute direction of Lord Sri Krsna, the Vedas and the bona fide spiritual master will ultimately destroy itself. Modern day philosophers, politicians, social workers and all other theoreticians must give up their limited empiric endeavors which will never turn back the rising tide of degradation, either individually or collectively, and surrender, at once, to the lotus feet of the Guru. The spiritual master brings with him the won ingredient which, when added, will make the human endeavor meaningful and ultimately successful. That ingredient is devotional service to the Supreme Lord Krsna. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam this is explained: "The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self." In another place it is declared, "Anyone whose work is not meant to elevate him to religious life, anyone whose religious ritualistic performances do not raise him to renunciation and anyone situated in renunciation that does not lead him to devotional service to the Supreme Lord must be considered dead although he is breathing." We therefore offer millions of obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada, whose glorious appearance in this dead world is giving all living beings new hope for life. All glories, all glories to Srila Prabhupada, the Supreme Personality of servitor Godhead, who is as worshipable as Lord Krsna Himself! In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 1.45) it is declared, "According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures, the spiritual master is nondifferent from Krsna. Lord Krsna in the form of the spiritual master delivers His devotees." Millions of obeisances again and again to Srila Prabhupada, who is an ocean of compassion upon the fallen souls of the Western world. He is always situated in spiritual happiness, yet he also experiences unhappiness. He is unhappy to see the sufferings of others. Therefore, he is benedicting the entire world with his causeless mercy and delivering all living beings.
(More...) It is to be assumed that there is no possibility of a misunderstanding between the Lord and the devotees, but when there are discrepancies or disruptions between one devotee and another, one has to suffer the consequences, although that suffering is tempo These servants of Mine have transgressed against you, not knowing the mind of their master. I shall therefore deem it a favor done to Me if you order that, although reaping the fruit of their transgression, they may return to My presence soon and the time of their exile from My abode may expire before long.
(More...) From this statement we can understand how anxious the Lord is to get his servitor back into Vaikuntha. This incident, therefore, proves that those who have once entered a Vaikuntha planet can never fall down. The case of Jaya and Vijaya is not a falldown; it is just an accident. The Lord is always anxious to get such devotees back again to the Vaikuntha planets as soon as possible. It is to be assumed that there is no possibility of a misunderstanding between the Lord and the devotees but when there are discrepancies or disruptions between one devotee and another, one has to suffer the consequences, although that suffering is temporary. The Lord is so kind to His devotees that He took all the responsibility for the doormen's offense and requested the sages to give them facilities to return to Vaikuntha as soon as possible.
(More...) Ordinarily, there is no possibility that the four sages could be so angry with the doorkeepers, nor could the Supreme Lord neglect His two doorkeepers, nor can one come back from Vaikuṇṭha after once taking birth there. The Lord then said to His attendants, Jaya and Vijaya: Depart this place, but fear not. All glories unto you. Though I am capable of nullifying the brahmanas' curse, I would not do so. On the contrary, it has My approval.
(More...) As explained in connection with Text 26, all the incidents that took place had the approval of the Lord. Ordinarily, there is no possibility that the four sages could be so angry with the doorkeepers, nor could the Supreme Lord neglect His two doorkeepers, nor can one come back from Vaikuntha after once taking birth there. All these incidents, therefore, were designed by the Lord Himself for the sake of His pastimes in the material world. Thus He plainly says that it was done with His approval. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for inhabitants of Vaikuntha to come back to this material world simply because of a brahminical curse. The Lord especially blesses the so-called culprits: "All glories unto you." A devotee, once accepted by the Lord, can never fall down. That is the conclusion of this incident.
(More...) The sages were not actually within Vaikuṇṭhaloka, but were at the gate. It could be asked, "How could they return to the material world if they entered Vaikuṇṭhaloka?" But factually they did not enter, and therefore they returned. It is clear from this verse that all the incidents took place at the entrance of Vaikunthaloka. In other words, the sages were not actually within Vaikunthaloka, but were at the gate. It could be asked, "How could they return to the material world again if they entered Vaikunthaloka?" But factually they did not enter, and therefore they returned. There are many similar incidents where great yogis and brahmanas, by dint of their yoga practice, have gone from this material world to Vaikunthaloka-but they were not meant to stay there. They came back again. It is also confirmed here that the Lord was surrounded by many Vaikuntha airplanes. Vaikunthaloka is described here as having splendid opulence, far surpassing the splendor of this material world.
(More...) We can take it for granted that some of the living entities revolted against the laws of the Lord. It is a fact that there are two classes of men-those who are obedient to the laws of the Supreme Lord and those who are atheists or agnostics, who do not accept the existence of God and who want to create their own laws. They want to establish that everyone can create his own laws or his own religious path. Without tracing out the beginning of the existence of these two classes, we can take it for granted that some of the living entities revolted against the laws of the Lord. Such entities are called conditioned souls, for they are conditioned by the three modes of material nature. Therefore the words gunair vicitraḥ are used here.
(More...) We cannot argue about why false ego arises from pure consciousness. Factually, there is always the chance that this will happen, and therefore one has to be very careful. Not only must one come to the stage of pure Krsna consciousness, but one must also be very careful. Any inattentiveness or carelessness may cause falldown. This falldown is due to false ego. From the status of pure consciousness the false ego is born because of misuse of independence. We cannot argue about why false ego arises from pure consciousness. Factually, there is always the chance that this will happen, and therefore one has to be very careful. False ego is the basic principle for all material activities, which are executed in the modes of material nature. As soon as one deviates from pure Krsna consciousness, he increases his entanglement in material reaction. The entanglement of materialism is the material mind, and from this material mind, the senses and material organs become manifest.
(More...) Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/?qg=928
|