By Hansadutta das
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Text 24
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In you, in me, and everywhere else
there is but one all-pervading Supersoul. Due to impatience, you are
getting angry with me in vain. If you want to quickly attain the
transcendental nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, be
equal-minded in all circumstances.
In this verse, the nature of the Supersoul (Paramatma)
feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is mentioned. In Bhagavad-gita
Krishna says, "The living entity is seated, as if on a machine made of
material energy, and I am directing the wanderings of all living beings
all over the universe." (Bhagavad-gita 18.61) Krishna
says, "From Me alone comes knowledge, remembrance and forgetfulness. I
am the knower of the Vedas, I am the compiler of the
Vedas, and by all the Vedas I am to
be known." ( Bhagavad-gita 15.15)
There are three features of understanding the Absolute
Truth: Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. Although the Supreme Absolute
Truth is the same, depending on the angle of vision from which the
candidate is seeing, he experiences the Absolute Truth either
impersonally as Brahman, locally as Paramatma (the Supersoul) or
personally as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.
In the Vedic literature, the example of a mountain is
given. A mountain seen from a very far distance appears as a kind of
blue hazy mass without any distinctive features. When we come closer to
the same mountain, we can distinguish that it has some shape, that
there are trees and other kinds of vegetation on the mountain. When we
actually walk on the mountain, we can see all the very distinct
features of that mountain--men, animals, trees, flowers and greenery.
This is one example from the Vedas. Another example to
illustrate this point is the sun.
The sun, when we first emerge from a dark place, is experienced as
effulgent light, blinding us without any distinctive feature. Upon
closer focus,
we find that the effulgence of the sun radiates from a localized place,
the sun planet. When we enter into the planet of the sun, we shall find
there is a presiding deity, who is controlling both the planet and the
sunshine. He is the sun god. Similarly, the Supreme Absolute Truth is
experienced first as the all-pervading light, known as the brahmajyoti,
which is illuminating everything and upon which everything is resting.
On closer examination, we find that the effulgence of
the brahmajyoti is emanating from a particular place, from the
Supersoul, who is present in everyone's heart as four-armed Vishnu. On
the highest platform of spiritual realisation, we find that the
Paramatma is just a feature of the original Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Krishna, or Govinda. Govindam adi-purusham tam aham
bhajami. ( Brahma-samhita) The adi-purusha,
or original person, is Govinda. Ishvarah paramah krishnah
sach-chid-ananda-vigrahah/anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam
(Brahma-samhita ): "The Supreme Controller is Krishna."
In this way, different kinds of transcendentalists realise the Absolute
Truth in different ways. Although the Absolute Truth is one and the
same
object, our awareness or understanding of Him depends upon the angle of
vision from which we are approaching. The jñanis, who
are
addicted to mental speculation and knowledge, realise the Absolute
Truth
as impersonal Brahman. The yogis, who are addicted to
meditation by the ashtanga-yoga process, realise the Supreme
Absolute Truth as the localized Paramatma within the heart. The
devotees, who are attached to rendering transcendental loving service
to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, realise the Lord as Govinda or Shyamasundara, the beautiful
two-armed
form, holding a flute and dancing in Vrindavana.
Every living creature is an inseparable, eternal part
and parcel of the Supreme Lord. In Bhagavad-gita Krishna
says:
vidya-vinaya-sampanne
brahmane gavi hastini
"A learned
pandit sees a dog, a dog-eater, an elephant, a cow
and a
brahmana all on an equal level." (
Bhagavad-gita
5.18) We have to practice Krishna consciousness by following the
instructions of the
Bhagavad-gita. The gross materialists
have no knowledge of the soul beyond this body and have no faith in
God. They see just the external energy and therefore hey see varieties
of living entities, such as animals, birds, aquatics, human beings and
demigods. Thus they are always arbitrarily distinguishing that some are
good and some are bad. Just as we have experience in America that there
is always friction between black men and white men.
The white men always think that they are better than
black men, simply because of the difference in color. Or another
distinction that is made is between the communists and the capitalists.
In this way, on the material platform, there is always friction and
disharmony on account of external differences. But from Bhagavad-gita
we learn that we have to see the equal nature of all living entities,
both in their happiness and distress, because the living entities are
not actually products of
material energy. Rather, the material energy is created by the living
force.
So vidya-vinaya-sampanne/brahmane gavi hastini. We have
to see everyone on the spiritual platform as eternal servants of
Krishna.
Unless we come to this platform, we cannot actually be
happy. We can come to the spiritual platform instantly, simply by
vibrating the transcendental name, pastimes and qualities of the
Supreme Lord. That is called kirtan. Shravanam kirtanam
vishnoh smaranam. Everyone likes to speak. That is a gift to the
living entity in the human form of life. Although animals also make
sounds, they cannot vibrate transcendental sound. Their noises are all
material. They are absorbed
in the bodily conception of life, and thus animals are only making
sounds
related to this false material conception. The animals are all talking
about
finding food, finding shelter, defending themselves and sex indulgence.
That is the subject matter of animals. The human beings are supposed to
be above animals, because they can vibrate the message of Godhead.
Therefore
in the human society there are Vedas, or scriptures, and
they
should be the subject of human conversation. Athato
brahma-jijñasa: "In the human form of life, one is
supposed to inquire about the Absolute Truth." (Vedanta-sutras)
Eating, sleeping and sex are necessities which come
automatically on the basis of one's karma, corresponding to
one's previous actions. This life is the result of the activities of
the last life, and the activities in this life will determine what kind
of life we have next. Our happiness and our distress is already
arranged due to our past activities, just as the pay cheque we receive
this month is the result of the work we did last month, and according
to the work we do this month, we get the pay cheque next month.
Similarly, our happiness and distress in life is already fixed. No one
can increase it by hard labor. Therefore, we should be satisfied with
what comes of its own accord and tolerate the reverses in life as being
destined to come on account of our past activities.
Bhagavad-gita says:
yesham tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
"One who has acted piously in this life and
in previous lives, and whose sinful reactions are eradicated, can
engage himself in pure devotional service." (
Bhagavad-gita
7.28) We must become free from the reactions of sinful deeds, and that
is effected by executing devotional service.
mam cha yo'vyabhicharena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpatee
"One who engages himself in pure, unalloyed
devotional service and does not fall down under any circumstances at
once
transcends the level of material nature and comes to the stage of
Brahman."
(
Bhagavad-gita 14.26) Although we may not be free from
sinful reactions, and we might not have acted piously in the past, if
we act strictly according to the order of the spiritual master and
Krishna,
then we shall immediately transcend the reactions of sinful life.
brahmanda bhramite kona bhagavan jiva
guru-krishna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija
After wandering in the material creation up and
down in the universe and passing through 8,400,000 species of life, a
fortunate person meets a pure devotee of the Lord and receives the seed
of bhakti-yoga (bhakti-lata-bija). (Chaitanya-charitamrita
Madhya-lila 7.19.151)
That is our position. By good fortune we have met a pure
devotee of the Lord, and we have received from him the seed of
devotion. Now we have to protect the seed of devotion, sow it carefully
in our heart and water it regularly. Then we can make advancement in
Krishna consciousness. The seed of devotion is the holy name of the
Lord: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare
Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The watering process is kirtan
and japa, and we have to protect the plant by not committing
any of the ten offences in the matter of chanting the holy name. Then
the devotional creeper will begin to climb up and eventually reach the
limits of the universe, penetrate, enter the spiritual sky and take
shelter on the planet of Goloka Vrindavan under the lotus feet of
Krishna. Then it will produce the fruit of devotion, which is krishna-prema
(love of God). Love of God is the ultimate perfection of human life,
and everyone can taste the eternal nectarean
fruit of love of God, simply by following the order of the spiritual
master.
It is so easy.
Our movement is aiming at this
krishna-prema. We want
krishna-prema,
love of Krishna. So for love of Krishna we have to give up the love of
other things; otherwise, our progress will be checked. We have to be
prepared to give up everything for Krishna--our friends, our relatives,
our countrymen, our wealth, our prestige. We must be prepared to give
up all kinds of material comfort and practice penance and austerity.
Tapo
divyam putraka yena sattvam: "We should be prepared to endure
any hardship in the discharge of
devotional service." (
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1) Life is a
struggle to exist. We are always being harassed by material nature in
the
form of bodily pains, in the form of other living entities giving us
trouble
and supernatural reactions in nature, like hurricanes, floods, drought,
etc. We have to tolerate all these things and concentrate on devotional
service. We should minimize bodily service or material service and
increase
devotional service.
Those living in the temples are living there by the
grace of Krishna. They have nothing to worry about. They are on a
transcendental oasis in the desert of material existence. As soon as
they go outside the temple compound, they find that they are in a
polluted, chaotic atmosphere. So a devotee goes out from the temple not
for material enjoyment, but he goes out to spread this Krishna
consciousness to the ignorant mass of people. In order to do the
missionary work, we have to be very careful to keep ourselves always
purified. The temple is meant for purification. It is a place to come,
take shelter, take prasadam (spiritual food), and to revive our
spiritual strength so that we can again go and preach
the message of Krishna. Hare Krishna.
