Liberation / Self Realization / samadhi

Therefore Vaisnava philosophers do not accept sayujya-mukti to be within the category of mukti. According to them, mukti means transferral to the loving service of the Lord from one's position of serving maya. Lord Caitanya also says in this connection that the constitutional position of a living entity is to render service to the Lord. That is real mukti. When one is situated in his original position, giving up artificial positions, he is called mukta, or liberated. In the Bhagavad-gita this is confirmed: anyone who engages in rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord is considered to be mukta or brahma-bhuta. It is said in Bhagavad-gita that a devotee is considered to be on the brahma-bhuta platform when he has no material contamination. In the Padma Purana this is also confirmed: mukti means engagement in the service of the Lord. (More...)

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 Rupa Gosvami says: iha yasya harer dasye karmana manasa vaca/ nikhilasv apy avasthasu jivan-muktah 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-muktah, 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...)

The liberated person has no attachment for anything material or for sense gratification. He understands that everything is connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that everything should be engaged in the service of the Lord. Therefore he does not give up anything. There is no question of renouncing anything because the paramahamsa knows how to engage everything in the service of the Lord. Originally everything is spiritual; nothing is material. In the Caitanya-caritamrta also it is explained that a maha-bhagavata, a highly advanced devotee, has no material vision, sthavara-jaṅgama dekhe, na dekhe tara murti/ sarvatra haya nija istadeva-sphurti (Cc. Madhya 8.274). Although he sees trees, mountains, and other living entities moving here and there, he sees all as the creation of the Supreme Lord, and, with reference to the context, sees only the creator and not the created. In other words, he no longer distinguishes between the created and the creator. He sees only the Supreme Personality of Godhead in everything. He sees Krsna in everything and everything in Krsna. This is oneness. (More...)

Moksa, or liberation, has to be taken very seriously, even at the sacrifice of the other three items. As advised by Suta Gosvami in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam, religious principles are not based on success in economic development. Because we are very attached to sense gratification, we go to God, to the temple or churches, for some economic reasons. Then again, economic development does not mean sense gratification. Everything should be adjusted in such a way that we attain liberation. Therefore in this verse, liberation, moksa, is stressed. The other three items are material and therefore subject to destruction. Even if somehow we accumulate a great bank balance in this life and possess many material things, everything will be finished with death. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that death is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who ultimately takes away everything acquired by the materialistic person. Foolishly we do not care for this. Foolishly we are not afraid of death, nor do we consider that death will take away everything acquired by the process of dharma, artha and kama. By dharma, or pious activities, we may be elevated to the heavenly planets, but this does not mean freedom from the clutches of birth, death, old age and disease. The purport is that we can sacrifice our interests in traivargya-religious principles, economic development and sense gratification, but we cannot sacrifice the cause of liberation. Regarding liberation, it is stated in Bhagavad-gita: tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (Bg. 4.9). Liberation means that after giving up this body one does not have to accept another material body. But to the impersonalists liberation means merging into the existence of impersonal Brahman. But factually this is not moksa because one has to again fall down into this material world from that impersonal position. One should therefore seek the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in His devotional service. That is real liberation. The conclusion is that we should not stress pious activities, economic development and sense gratification but should concern ourselves with approaching Lord Visnu in His spiritual planets, of which the topmost is Goloka Vrndavana where Lord Krsna lives. Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is the greatest gift for persons who are actually desiring liberation. (More...)

In this verse it is specifically advised that instead of wasting time in the human form of life endeavoring for economic development and sense gratification, one should try to cultivate spiritual values by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is existing within the individual soul within everyone's heart. The individual soul and the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Paramatma feature are both sitting within this body, which is covered by gross and subtle elements. To understand this is to attain actual spiritual culture. There are two ways of advancing in spiritual culture-by the method of the impersonalist philosophers and by devotional service. The impersonalist comes to the conclusion that he and the Supreme Spirit are one, whereas devotees or personalists realize the Absolute Truth by understanding that the Absolute Truth is the supreme predominator and we living entities are predominated; therefore our duty is to serve Him. The Vedic injunctions say: tat tvam asi, "You are the same," and so'ham, "I am the same." The impersonalist conception of these mantras is that the Supreme Lord or the Absolute Truth and the living entity are one, but from the devotee's point of view these mantras assert that both the Supreme Lord and ourselves are of the same quality. Tat tvam asi, ayam atma brahma. Both the Supreme Lord and the living entity are spirit. Understanding this is self-realization. The human form of life is meant for understanding the Supreme Lord and oneself by spiritual cultivation of knowledge. One should not waste valuable life simply engaged in economic development and sense gratification. (More...)

All material changes and material progress taking place by the wonderful interaction of matter are under the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Events in the material world are not taking place blindly. If one always remains a servant of Krsna and engages everything in His service, one is accepted as jivan-mukta, a liberated soul, even during his lifetime within the material world. Generally liberation takes place after one gives up this body, but one who lives according to the example of Prthu Maharaja is liberated even in this lifetime. In Krsna consciousness the results of one's activities depend on the will of the Supreme Person. Indeed, in all cases the result is not dependent on one's own personal dexterity but is completely dependent on the will of the Supreme. This is the real significance of phalam brahmani sannyasya. A soul dedicated to the service of the Lord should never think of himself as the personal proprietor or the superintendent. A dedicated devotee should prosecute his work according to the rules and regulations described in devotional service. The results of his activities are completely dependent on the supreme will of the Lord. (More...)

Self-realization does not mean something humbug. Self-realization means to understand his real constitutional position, what I am. Just like Sanatana Gosvami approached Srila Gaurasundara, Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He asked, ke ami: "Who I am?" Ke ami... Ke ami, kene amaya jare tapa-traya [Cc Madhya 20.102]: "What is my constitutional position? Why I am suffering the threefold miseries of this material existence?" This is the enquiry. Everyone is suffering. Somebody is in ignorance: although he is suffering, he is thinking that he is very well. This is called maya. Maya means you are accepting something which is not. This is called maya. Ma ya: "What you are accepting, that is false." This is called maya. So we are accepting, "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am black," "I am white," "I am thin," "I am fat." So this is maya. So when we give up this maya conception of life, that is mukti. You may remain in the same body, but if you are not under maya, bodily concept of life, that is called mukti, liberation. (More...)

First of all, abhayam. Abhayam means we are always afraid. We are always agitated, anxiety, because I am thinking, "I am this body." But if you are completely realized that you are not this body, you are something else, spirit soul, then I am immediately free from anxieties. That is called abhayam-no more fear, no more anxiety. Because everyone is ultimately afraid of being killed. But if he understands fully that he is not this body, then killed or not killed, he is not any attached to this body. Narottama dasa Thakura says, therefore, deha smrti nahi jar, samsara bandhan kaha tar[?]: "If one becomes free from the bodily concept of life, then where is material miseries?" Material miseries does not affect him. He know that... Just like I am putting on this shirt. If it is torn, so am I affected? I am not affected. I am within this shirt. Similarly, if I am fully convinced that I am not this body, then if there is some injury or some disease or some mishap in the body, I am not concerned because I know that I am not this body. That is self-realization. (More...)

So it is not limited under certain country, certain atmosphere or certain population. Krsna consciousness is open for everyone. So therefore our request is that these Europeans and Americans who have taken to Krsna consciousness just become perfect in the understanding of this science and become guru and deliver the whole world. (More...)

That is His mission. He is requesting every Indian, every Indian, because they have got the facility for understanding what is Bhagavad-gita, what is Srimad-Bhagavatam, what is Vedas. They have got this opportunity. Therefore He says, janma sarthaka kari': "You have taken your birth in India. You make your life successful by taking advantage of these scriptures, and then assimilate the knowledge and preach all over the world." They are in darkness. That is being repeatedly said. But we are not taking advantage of. We are so misfortunate. We are misguided by the so-called leaders that we are neglecting this valuable literature which is spoken by Bhagavan. We are talking of some nonsense. That is our misfortune. So we have to take knowledge from Bhagavan and spread it all over the world. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's... So He says that "You become guru." He says, amara ajnaya guru hana [Cc Madhya 7.128]: "By My order." Don't become a so-called guru, manufactured guru. "You become guru by following My instruction." Amara ajnaya guru hana. (More...)

This is Vedic injunction. He's also living entity, we are also living entity, but He is supreme and we are subordinate. That is the difference. Eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. This is our position. This is self-realization. When you understand this, that "Krsna, or the Supreme Lord, or God, whatever you say, He's the whole spirit soul, and we are fragmental portion of that spirit soul, and He's the maintainer; we are maintained. He is the predominator; we are predominated," so this is first realization, brahma-bhuta. This is called brahma-bhuta. And if you make more advance in brahma-bhuta stage, then maybe after many births you can understand what is Krsna. That is the ver... Bahunam janmanam ante [Bg 7.19]. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. When one is perfectly jnanavan, wise, then his business is vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg 7.19]. Then he can understand that Vasudeva, the son of Vasudeva, Krsna, is everything. That realization required. That is the perfection of Krsna consciousness. (More...)

O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.

Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation. In the varnasrama institution, the fourth stage of life, namely the renounced order (sannyasa) is a painstaking situation. But one who is serious about making his life perfect surely adopts the sannyasa order of life in spite of all difficulties. The difficulties usually arise from having to sever family relationships, to give up the connection of wife and children. But if anyone is able to tolerate such difficulties, surely his path to spiritual realization is complete. Similarly, in Arjuna's discharge of duties as a ksatriya, he is advised to persevere, even if it is difficult to fight with his family members or similarly beloved persons. Lord Caitanya took sannyasa at the age of twenty-four, and His dependants, young wife as well as old mother, had no one else to look after them. Yet for a higher cause He took sannyasa and was steady in the discharge of higher duties. That is the way of achieving liberation from material bondage. (More...)

O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of heat and cold, happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation. (The Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 2.14, 15) (More...)