ExamDiff Pro Diff Report

KB 1970-2-32 / Prayers by the Personified Vedas

32 / Prayers by the Personified Vedas

King Pariksit inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami about a very

important topic in understanding transcendental subject matter.

His question was, "Since Vedic knowledge generally deals with

the subject matter of the three qualities of the material

world, how then can it approach the subject matter of

transcendence, which is beyond the approach of the three

material modes? Since the mind is material and the vibration

of words is a material sound, how can the Vedic knowledge,

expressing by material sound the thoughts of the mind,

approach transcendence? Description of a subject matter

necessitates describing its source of emanation, its qualities

and its activities. Such description can be possible only by

thinking with the material mind and by vibrating material

words. Although Brahman, or the Absolute Truth, has no

material qualities, our power of speaking does not go

beyond the material qualities. How then can Brahman, the

Absolute Truth, be described by your words? I do not see how

it is possible to understand transcendence from such

expressions of material sound."

The purpose of King Pariksit's inquiring was to ascertain from

Sukadeva Gosvami whether the Vedas ultimately describe the

Absolute Truth as impersonal or as personal. Understanding of

the Absolute Truth progresses in three features -- impersonal

Brahman, Paramatma localized in everyone's heart and, at last,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna.

The Vedas deal with three departments of activities. One is

called karma-kanda, or activities under Vedic injunction

which gradually purify one to understand his real position;

the next is jnana-kanda, the process of understanding the

Absolute Truth by speculative methods; and the third is

upasana-kanda, or worship of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead and sometimes of the demigods also. The worship of the

demigods recommended in the Vedas is ordered with the

understanding of the demigods' relationship to the Personality

of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has many parts

and parcels; some are called svamsas, or His personal

expansions, and some are called vibhinnamsas, the living

entities. All such expansions, both svamsas and vibhinnamsas,

are emanations from the original Personality of Godhead.

Svamsa expansions are called Visnu-tattva, whereas the

vibhinnamsa expansions are called jiva-tattva. The different

demigods are jiva-tattva. The conditioned souls are generally

put into the activities of the material world for sense

gratification; therefore, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita, to

regulate those who are very much addicted to different kinds

of sense gratification the worship of demigods is sometimes

recommended. For example, for persons who are very much

addicted to meat-eating, the Vedic injunction recommends that

after worshiping the form of the goddess Kali and sacrificing

a goat (not any other animal) under karma-kanda regulation,

the worshipers may be allowed to eat meat. The idea is not to

encourage one to eat meat, but to allow one who is

persistent to eat meat under certain restricted

conditions. Therefore, worship of the demigods is not worship

of the Absolute Truth, but by worshiping the demigods one

gradually comes to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead

in an indirect way. This indirect acceptance is described in

the Bhagavad-gita as avidhi. Avidhi means not bona fide.

Since demigod worship is not bona fide, the impersonalists

stress concentration on the impersonal feature of the Absolute

Truth. King Pariksit's question was, which is the ultimate

target of Vedic knowledge -- this concentration on the

impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth or concentration on

the personal feature? After all, both the impersonal and the

personal features of the Supreme Lord are beyond our material

conception. The impersonal feature of the Absolute, the

Brahman effulgence, is but the rays of the personal body of

Krsna. These rays of the personal body of Krsna are cast all

over the creation of the Lord, and the portion of the

effulgence which is covered by the material cloud is called

the created cosmos of the three material qualities -- sattva,

rajas and tamas. How can persons who are within this clouded

portion called the material world conceive of the Absolute

Truth by the speculative method?

In answering King Pariksit's question, Sukadeva Gosvami

replied that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has created

the mind, senses and living force for the

purpose of sense gratification in transmigration from one

kind of body to another, as well as for the purpose of

allowing liberation from the material conditions. In other

words, the senses, mind and living force can

be utilized for sense gratification and transmigration from

one body to another or for the matter of liberation. The Vedic

injunctions are there just to give the conditioned souls the

chance for sense gratification under regulative principles,

and thereby also give them the chance for promotion to the

higher conditions of life; ultimately, if the consciousness is

purified, one comes to his original position and goes back

home, back to Godhead.

The living force is intelligent. One therefore has to utilize

his intelligence over the mind and the senses. When the mind

and senses are purified by the proper use of intelligence,

then the conditioned soul is liberated; otherwise, if the

intelligence is not properly utilized in controlling the

senses and mind, the conditioned soul continues to

transmigrate from one kind of body to another simply for sense

gratification. Another point clearly stated in the answer of

Sukadeva Gosvami is that the Lord created the mind, senses and

intelligence of the individual living force

. It is not stated that the living entities themselves

were ever created. Just as the shining particles of the sun's

rays are always existing along with the sun, the living

entities exist eternally as parts and parcels of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. The

conditioned souls, although eternally existing as part of the

Supreme Lord, are sometimes put within the cloud of the

material concept of life, in the darkness of ignorance. The

whole Vedic process is to alleviate that darkened condition.

Ultimately, when the senses and mind of the conditioned being

become fully purified, he then comes to the original position,

called Krsna consciousness, and that is liberation.

In the Vedanta-sutra, the first sutra, or code, questions

about the Absolute Truth. Athato brahma-jijnasa: What is the

nature of the Absolute Truth? The next sutra answers that the

nature of the Absolute Truth is that He is the origin of

everything. Whatever we experience, even in this material

condition of life, is but an emanation from Him. The Absolute

Truth created the mind and senses and intelligence. This means

that the Absolute Truth is not without mind, intelligence and

senses. In other words, He is not impersonal. The very word "

created" means that He has transcendental intelligence. For

example, when a father begets a child, the child has senses

because the father also has senses. The child is born with

hands and legs because the father also has hands and legs.

Sometimes it is said, therefore, that man is made after the

image of God. The Absolute Truth is therefore the Supreme

Personality, with transcendental mind, senses and intelligence.

When one's mind, intelligence and senses are purified of

material contamination, one can understand the original

feature of the Absolute Truth as a person.

The Vedic process is to gradually promote the conditioned soul

gradually from the mode of ignorance to the mode of passion

and from the mode of passion to the mode of goodness. In the

mode of goodness there is sufficient light for understanding

things as they are. For example, from earth a tree grows, and

from the wood of the tree, fire is ignited. In that igniting

process we first of all find the smoke, and the next stage is

heat, and then fire. When there is actually fire, we can

utilize it for various purposes; therefore, fire is the

ultimate goal. Similarly, in the gross material stage of life

the quality of ignorance is very much prominent. Dissipation

of this ignorance takes place in the gradual progress of

civilization from the barbarian stage to civilized life, and

when one comes to the form of civilized life, he is said to

be in the mode of passion. In the barbarian stage, or in the

mode of ignorance, the senses are gratified in a very crude

way, whereas in the mode of passion or in the civilized stage

of life, the senses are gratified in a polished manner. But

when one is promoted to the mode of goodness, one can

understand that the senses and the mind are only engaged in

material activities due to being covered by perverted

consciousness. When this perverted consciousness is gradually

transformed into Krsna consciousness, then the path of

liberation is opened. So it is not that one is unable to

approach the Absolute Truth by the senses and the mind. The

conclusion is, rather, that the senses, mind and intelligence

in the gross stage of contamination cannot appreciate the

nature of the Absolute Truth, but, when purified, the senses,

mind and intelligence can understand what the Absolute Truth

is. This purifying process is called devotional service, or

Krsna consciousness.

In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that the purpose of

Vedic knowledge is to understand Krsna, and Krsna is

understood by devotional service, beginning with the process

of surrender. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, one has to think

of Krsna always. One has to render loving service to Krsna

always, and one has to always worship and bow down

before Krsna. By this process only can one enter into the

kingdom of God without any doubt.

When one is enlightened in the mode of goodness by the process

of devotional service, he is freed from the modes of ignorance

and passion. The

word atmane indicates the stage of

brahminical qualification in which one is allowed to study the

Vedic literatures known as the Upanisads. The Upanisads

describe in different ways the transcendental qualities of the

Supreme Lord. The Absolute Truth, the Supreme Lord, is called

nirguna. That does not mean that He has no qualities. It is

only because He has qualities that the conditioned living

entities can have qualities. The purpose of studying the

Upanisads is to understand the transcendental quality of the

Absolute Truth, as opposed to the material qualities of

ignorance, passion and goodness. That is the way of Vedic

understanding. Great sages like the four Kumaras, headed by

Sanaka, followed these principles of Vedic knowledge and came

gradually from impersonal understanding to the platform of

personal worship of the Supreme Lord. It is therefore

recommended that we must follow the great personalities.

Sukadeva Gosvami is also one of the great personalities, and

his answer to the inquiry of Maharaja Pariksit is authorized.

One who follows in the footsteps of such great personalities

surely walks very easily on the path of liberation and

ultimately goes back to home, back to Godhead. That is the way

of perfecting this human form of life.

Sukadeva Gosvami continued to speak to Pariksit Maharaja. "My

dear King," he said, "I will narrate in this regard

a nice story. This story is important because it is in

connection with Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This narration is a conversation between Narayana Rsi and the

great sage Narada. Narayana Rsi still resides in

Badarikasrama in the Himalayan hills and is accepted as an

incarnation of Narayana. Once when Narada, the great

devotee and ascetic amongst the demigods, was traveling in

different planets, he desired to personally meet the

ascetic Narayana in Badarikasrama and offer him his

respects. This great sage incarnation of Godhead, Narayana Rsi,

has been undergoing great penances and austerities from

the very beginning of the creation in order

to teach the inhabitants of Bharatavarsa how to attain the

highest perfectional stage of going back to Godhead. His

austerities and penances are exemplary practices for the

human being."

Badarikasrama is situated in

the northernmost part of

the Himalayan Mountains and

is always covered with snow. Religious

Indians still go to visit this place

during the

summer season, when the snowfall is not very

severe

. Once,

the incarnation of

God Narayana Rsi was sitting amongst many devotees in the

village known as Kalapagrama. Of course, these were not

ordinary sages who were sitting with Him, and the great sage

Narada also appeared there. After offering his respects to

Narayana Rsi, Narada asked Him exactly the same question asked

by King Pariksit of Sukadeva Gosvami. When Narada asked

this question of Narayana Rsi, the Rsi also answered by

following in the footsteps of His predecessors. He narrated a

story of how the same question had been discussed on the

planet known as Janoloka. Janoloka is above the Svargaloka

planets, such as the moon, Venus, etc. In this planet, great

sages and saintly persons live, and they were also discussing

the same point regarding the understanding of Brahman and His

real identity.

The great sage Narayana began to speak. "My dear Narada," He

said, "I will tell you a story which took place long, long

ago. There was a great meeting of the denizens of the heavenly

planets, and almost all of the important brahmacaris, such as

the four Kumaras -- Sanat, Sanandana, Sanaka and Sanatana

Kumara -- attended. Their discussion was on the

subject matter of understanding the Absolute Truth, Brahman.

You were not present at that meeting because you went to

see My expansion Aniruddha, who lives on the island of

Svetadvipa. In this meeting, all the great sages and

brahmacaris very elaborately discussed the point about which

you have asked me, and it was very interesting.

The discussion was so delicate that even the Vedas were unable

to answer the intricate questions raised."

Narayana Rsi told Naradaji that the same question which

Naradaji had raised had been discussed in that meeting in

Janoloka. This is the way of understanding through the

parampara, or disciplic succession. Maharaja Pariksit

was sent to Sukadeva Gosvami; Sukadeva Gosvami

referred the matter to Narada, who had in the same way

questioned Narayana Rsi, who had put the matter to still

higher authorities in the planet of Janoloka, where it was

discussed among the great Kumaras -- Sanat, Sanatana, Sanaka

Kumara and Sanandana. These four brahmacaris

are recognized scholars in the Vedas and

sastras. Their unlimited volumes of knowledge, backed by

austerities and penances, are exhibited by their sublime,

ideal character. They are very amiable and gentle in behavior,

and for them there is no distinction between friends, well-

wishers and enemies. Being transcendentally situated, such

personalities as the Kumaras are above all material

considerations and are always neutral in respect to material

dualities. In the discussions held among the four brothers,

one of them, namely Sanandana, was selected to speak, and the

other brothers became the audience to hear him.

Sanandana said, "After the dissolution of the whole cosmic

manifestation, the entire energy and the whole creation in its

nucleus form enters into the body of Garbhodakasayi Visnu. The

Lord at that time remains asleep for a long, long time, and

where there is again necessity of creation, the Vedas

personified assemble around the Lord and begin to glorify Him,

describing His wonderful transcendental pastimes. It is

exactly like a king: when he is asleep in

the morning, the appointed reciters come around his bedroom

and begin to sing of his chivalrous activities, and while

hearing of his glorious activities, the king gradually awakens.

"The Vedic reciters or the personified Vedas sing thus: 'O

unconquerable Lord, You are the Supreme Personality. No one is

equal to You or greater than You. No one can be more glorious

in his activities. All glories unto You! All glories unto You!

By Your own transcendental nature You fully possess all six

opulences. As such, You are able to deliver all conditioned

souls from the clutches of maya. O Lord, we fervently pray

that You kindly do so. All the living entities, being Your

parts and parcels, are naturally joyful, eternal and full of

knowledge, but due to their own faults they try to imitate You

by trying to become the supreme enjoyer; thus they disobey

Your supremacy and become offenders. And because of their

offenses, Your material energy has taken charge of them; thus,

their transcendental qualities of joyfulness, bliss and wisdom

have been covered by the clouds of the three material

qualities. This cosmic manifestation, made of the three

material qualities, is just like a prison house for the

conditioned souls. The conditioned souls are struggling very

hard to escape from the material bondage, and according to

their different conditions of life they have been given

different types of engagement. But all engagements are

based on Your knowledge. Pious activities

can be executed only when

inspired by Your mercy. Therefore,

without taking shelter at Your lotus feet one cannot surpass

the influence of material energy. Actually, we, as

personified Vedic knowledge, are always engaged in Your

service to help the conditioned soul understand You.'"

This prayer of the Vedas personified illustrates that the

Vedas are meant for helping the conditioned souls to

understand Krsna. All the srutis or personified Vedas

offered glories to the Lord again and again, singing, "Jaya!

Jaya!" This indicates that the Lord is praised for His

glories. Of all His glories the most important is His

causeless mercy upon the conditioned souls in reclaiming them

from the clutches of maya.

There are unlimited numbers of living entities in different

varieties of bodies, some moving and some standing in one

place, and the conditioned life of these living entities is

due only to their forgetfulness of their eternal relationship

with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the living

entity wants to lord it over the material energy by imitating

the position of Krsna, he is immediately captured by the

material energy and, according to his desire, is offered a

variety of 8,400,000 different kinds of bodies. Although

undergoing the threefold miseries of material existence, the

illusioned living entity falsely thinks himself the master of

all he surveys. Under the spell of the material energy,

which represents the threefold material qualities, the

living entity is so entangled that it is not at all possible

for him to become free unless he is graced by the Supreme Lord.

The living entity cannot conquer the influence of the

material modes of nature by his own endeavor, but because

material nature is working under the control of the Supreme

Lord, the Lord is beyond its jurisdiction. Except for Him, all

living entities, beginning from Brahma down to an ant, are

conquered by the contact of material nature.

Because He possesses in full the six opulences of wealth,

strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, the Lord

alone is beyond the spell of material nature. Unless the

living entity is situated in Krsna consciousness, he cannot

approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet the Lord, by

His omnipotency, can dictate from within as the Supersoul. In

the Bhagavad-gita,

the Lord advises

, "Whatever you do, do for Me; whatever you

eat, first of all offer to Me; whatever charity you want to

give, first give to Me; and whatever austerities and

penances you want to perform, perform for Me." In this

way the karmis are directed to gradually develop Krsna

consciousness. Similarly, Krsna directs the philosophers to

approach Him gradually by discriminating between Brahman and

maya. At last when one is mature in knowledge, he

surrenders unto Krsna. As Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita, "

After many, many births, the wise philosopher surrenders unto

Me." The yogis are also directed to concentrate their

meditation upon Krsna within the heart, and by such continued

process of Krsna consciousness the yogi can

become free from the clutches of material energy. But, as

is stated in Bhagavad-gita, because the devotees are engaged

in devotional service with love and affection from the very

beginning, the Lord directs them so

that they can approach Him without difficulty or deviation.

Only by the grace of the

Lord can the living entity understand the exact position of

Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan.

The statements of the personified Vedas give clear evidence

that the Vedic literature is presented only for understanding

Krsna. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that

through all the Vedas it is Krsna alone who has to be

understood. Krsna is always enjoying, either in the material

world or in the spiritual world; because He is the supreme

enjoyer, for Him there is no distinction between the material

world and spiritual worlds. The material world is an

impediment for the ordinary living entities because they are

under its control, but Krsna, being the controller of the

material world, has nothing to do with the impediments it

offers. Therefore, in different parts of the Upanisads, the

Vedas declare, "Brahman is eternal, full of all

knowledge and all bliss, but the one Supreme Personality of

Godhead is existing in the heart of every living entity."

Because of His all-pervasiveness, He is able to enter not only

into the hearts of the living entities, but even into the

atoms also. As the Supersoul, He is the controller of all

activities of the living entities. He is living within all

of them and witnessing their actions, allowing them to act

according to their desires, and also giving them the results

of their different activities. He is the living force of all

things, but still He is transcendental to the material

qualities. He is omnipotent; He is expert in manufacturing

everything, and on account of His superior, natural knowledge,

He can bring everyone under His control. As such, He is

everyone's master. He is sometimes manifest on the surface of

the globe, but He is simultaneously within all matter.

Desiring to expand Himself in multi-forms, He glanced

over the material energy, and thus innumerable living entities

became manifest. Everything is created by His superior energy,

and everything in His creation appears to be perfectly done

without deficiency.

Those who aspire for liberation from this material world

must therefore worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the

ultimate cause of all causes. He is just like the total mass

of earth, from which varieties of earthly pots are

manufactured: the pots are made of earthly clay, they rest on

the earth, and after being destroyed, their elements

ultimately merge back into earth. Although the Personality of

Godhead is the original cause of all varieties of

manifestation, the impersonalists especially stress the Vedic

statement, sarvam khalv idam brahma: "Everything is Brahman."

The impersonalists do not take into account the varieties of

manifestation emanating from the supreme cause of Brahman.

They simply take into consideration that everything

emanates from Brahman and after destruction merges into

Brahman and that the intermediate stage of manifestation is

also Brahman. Although the Mayavadis believe that

prior to its manifestation the cosmos was in Brahman, after

creation it remains in Brahman and after destruction it

merges into Brahman, they do not know what Brahman is. This

fact is clearly described in the Brahma-

samhita: The living entities, space, time, and the material

elements like fire, earth, sky, water and mind, constitute the

total cosmic manifestation, known as bhur bhuvah svah,

which is manifested by Govinda. It flourishes on the strength

of Govinda and after annihilation enters into and is conserved

in Govinda. Lord Brahma therefore says, "I worship Lord

Govinda, the original personality, the cause of all causes."

The word Brahman indicates the greatest of all and the

maintainer of everything. The impersonalists are attracted by

the greatness of the sky, but because of their poor fund of

knowledge they are not attracted by the greatness of Krsna. In

our practical life, however, we are attracted by the greatness

of a person and not by the greatness of a big mountain.

Actually the term Brahman can be applied to Krsna

only; therefore in the Bhagavad-gita Arjuna admitted that

Lord Krsna is the Parambrahman, or the supreme rest

of everything.

Krsna is the Supreme Brahman because of His unlimited

knowledge, unlimited potencies, unlimited strength, unlimited

influence, unlimited beauty and unlimited renunciation.

Therefore, the word Brahman can be applied to

Krsna only. Arjuna affirms that because the impersonal Brahman

is the effulgence emanating as rays of Krsna's transcendental

body, Krsna is the Parambrahman. Everything is

resting on Brahman, but Brahman itself is resting on Krsna.

Therefore Krsna is the ultimate Brahman or

Parambrahman. The material elements are accepted as

inferior energies of Krsna because by their interaction

the cosmic manifestation takes place, rests on Krsna, and

after dissolution again enters into the body of Krsna as His

subtle energy. Krsna is therefore the cause of both

manifestation and dissolution.

Sarvam khalv idam brahma means everything is Krsna,

and that is the

vision of the mahabhagavatas. They see everything

in relation to Krsna. The impersonalists argue that Krsna

has transformed Himself into many and that

therefore everything is Krsna and worship of everything is

worship of Him. This false argument is answered by Krsna in

the Bhagavad-gita: although everything is a transformation of

the energy of Krsna, He is not present everywhere. He is

simultaneously present and not present. By His energy He is

present everywhere, but as the energetic He is not present

everywhere. This simultaneous presence and non-

presence is inconceivable to our present senses. But a clear

explanation is given in the beginning of the Isopanisad, in

which it is stated that the Supreme Lord is so complete that

although unlimited energies and their transformations are

emanating from Krsna, Krsna's personality is not in the least

bit transformed. Therefore, since Krsna is the cause of all

causes, intelligent persons should take shelter of His lotus

feet.

Krsna advises everyone just to surrender unto Him alone, and

that is the way of Vedic instruction. Since Krsna is the cause

of all causes, He is worshiped by all kinds of sages and

saints by observance of the regulative principles. When

there is a necessity for meditation, great personalities

meditate on the transcendental form of Krsna within the heart.

In this way the minds of great personalities are always

engaged in Krsna. With minds engaged in Krsna, naturally

the captivated devotees simply talk of Krsna.

Talking of Krsna or singing of Krsna is called kirtana. Lord

Caitanya also recommends kirtaniyah sada harih

, which means always thinking and talking of Krsna and

nothing else. That is called Krsna consciousness. Krsna

consciousness is so sublime that anyone who takes to this

process is elevated to the highest perfection of life -- far,

far beyond the concept of liberation. In the Bhagavad-gita,

therefore, Krsna advises everyone always to think of Him,

render devotional service to Him, worship Him and offer

obeisances to Him. In this way a devotee becomes fully Krsna-

ized and, being always situated in Krsna consciousness,

ultimately goes back to Krsna.

Although the Vedas have recommended worship of different

demigods as different parts and parcels of Krsna, it is to be

understood that such instructions are meant for the less

intelligent class of men, who are still attracted by material

sense enjoyment. But the person who actually wants perfect

fulfillment of the mission of human life should simply worship

Lord Krsna, and that will simplify the matter and completely

guarantee the success of his human life. Although the sky, the

water and the land are all part and parcel of the material

world, when one stands on the solid land his position is more

secure than when he stands in the sky or the water. An

intelligent person, therefore, does not stand under the

protection of different demigods, although they are part and

parcel of Krsna. Rather, he stands on the solid ground of

Krsna consciousness. That makes his position sound and secure.

Impersonalists sometimes give the example that if one stands

on a stone or a piece of wood, one certainly stands on the

surface of the land, because the stone and wood are both

resting on the surface of the earth. But it may be replied

that if one stands directly on the surface of the earth, he is

more secure than on the wood or stone which are

resting on the earth. In other words, taking shelter of

Paramatma or taking shelter of impersonal Brahman is not as

secure a course as taking direct shelter of Krsna in Krsna

consciousness. The position of the jnanis and yogis is

therefore not as secure as the position of the devotees of

Krsna. Lord Krsna has therefore advised in the Bhagavad-gita

that only a person who has lost his senses takes to the

worship of demigods. And regarding persons who are attached to

the impersonal Brahman, the Srimad-Bhagavatam says, "My dear

Lord, those who are thinking of themselves as liberated by

mental speculation are not yet purified of the contamination

of material nature because of their inability to find the

shelter of Your lotus feet. Although they rise to the

transcendental situation of existence in impersonal Brahman,

they certainly fall from that exalted position because they

have neglected to desire Your lotus feet." Lord Krsna

therefore advises that the worshipers of the demigods are not

very intelligent persons because they derive only temporary,

exhaustible results. Their endeavors are those of less

intelligent men. But the Lord assures that His

devotee has no fear of falling.

The personified Vedas continued to pray: "Dear Lord,

considering all points of view, if one has to worship

someone superior to him, then just out of good behavior

one should stick to the worship of Your lotus feet because You

are the ultimate controller of creation, maintenance and

dissolution. You are the controller of the three worlds, Bhur,

Bhuvar and Svar, You are the controller of the fourteen upper

and lower worlds, and You are the controller of the three

material qualities. Demigods and persons advanced in spiritual

knowledge are always engaged in hearing and chanting about

Your transcendental pastimes because this has the

specific potency of nullifying the accumulated results of

sinful life. Intelligent persons factually take a dip in the

ocean of Your nectarean activities and very patiently hear

of them. Thus they immediately become freed from the

contamination of the material qualities; they do not have to

undergo severe penances and austerities for advancement of

spiritual life. This chanting and hearing of Your

transcendental pastimes is the easiest process for self-

realization. Simply by submissive aural reception of the

transcendental message, one's heart becomes cleansed of all

dirty things. Thus Krsna consciousness becomes fixed in the

heart of a devotee.

"The great authority Bhismadeva has also given the opinion

that this process of chanting and hearing about the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is the essence of all Vedic

ritualistic performances. Dear Lord, the devotee who wants to

elevate himself simply by this process of devotional

activities, especially by hearing and chanting, very soon

comes out of the clutches of the dualities of material

existence. By this simple process of penance and austerity

the Supersoul within the devotee's heart becomes very

pleased and gives the devotee directions so that he may go

back to home, back to Godhead. It is stated in the Bhagavad-

gita that one who engages all his activities and senses in the

devotional service of the Lord becomes completely pacified

because the Supersoul is satisfied with him; thus the devotee

becomes transcendental to all kinds of dualities, such as heat

and cold, honor and dishonor. Being freed from all dualities,

he feels transcendental bliss, and he no longer suffers cares

and anxieties due to material existence. Bhagavad-gita

confirms that the devotee who is always absorbed in Krsna

consciousness has no anxieties for his maintenance or

protection. Being constantly absorbed in Krsna consciousness,

he ultimately achieves the highest perfection. While in the

material existence, he lives very peacefully and blissfully

without any cares and anxieties, and after quitting this body

he goes back to home, back to Godhead. The Lord confirms in

the Bhagavad-gita, 'My supreme abode is a transcendental place

where going no one returns to this material

world. Anyone who attains the supreme perfection, being

engaged in My personal devotional service in the eternal abode,

reaches the highest perfection of human life and doesn't

have to come back again to the miserable material world.'

"My dear Lord, it is imperative

that the living entities be engaged in Krsna consciousness,

always rendering devotional service by prescribed methods

such as hearing and chanting and executing Your orders. If a

person is not engaged in Krsna consciousness and devotional

service, it is useless for him to exhibit the symptoms of life.

Generally it is accepted that if a person is breathing he is

alive. But a person without Krsna consciousness

may be compared to a bellows in a blacksmith's shop. The big

bellows is a bag of skin which exhales and inhales air, and a

human being who is simply living within the bag of skin and

bones without taking to Krsna consciousness and loving

devotional service is no better than the bellows. Similarly, a

nondevotee's long duration of life is compared to the long

existence of a tree, his voracious eating capacity is compared

to the eating of dogs and hogs, and his enjoyment in sex life

is compared to that of hogs and goats.

"The cosmic manifestation has been possible because of

the entrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Maha-

Visnu within this material world. The total material energy

becomes agitated by the glance of Maha-Visnu, and only then

does the interaction of the three material qualities begin.

Therefore it should be concluded that whatever material

facilities we are trying to enjoy are available only due to

the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

"Within the body there are five different departments of

existence, known as annamaya, pranamaya,

manomaya, vijnanamaya and, at last, anandamaya.

In the beginning of life, every living entity is food

conscious. A child or an animal is satisfied only by getting

nice food. This stage of consciousness, in which the goal is

to eat sumptuously, is called annamaya. Anna means food.

After this one lives in the consciousness of being alive. If

one can continue his life without being attacked or destroyed,

one thinks himself happy. This stage is called pranamaya,

or consciousness of one's existence. After this stage, when

one is situated on the mental platform, that consciousness is

called manomaya. The material civilization is

primarily situated in these three stages, annamaya,

pranamaya and manomaya. The first concern of

civilized persons is economic development, the next concern is

defense against being annihilated, and the next consciousness

is mental speculation, the philosophical approach to the

values of life.

"If by the evolutionary process of philosophical life one

happens to reach to the platform of intellectual life and

understands that he is not this material body, but is a

spirit soul, then

by evolution of spiritual life he comes to the

understanding of the Supreme Lord or the Supreme Soul. When

one develops his relationship with Him and executes devotional

service, that stage of life is called Krsna consciousness, the

anandamaya stage. Anandamaya is the blissful life of

knowledge and eternity. As it is said in the Vedanta-sutra,

anandamayo 'bhyasat. The Supreme Brahman and the

subordinate Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead and

the living entities, are both joyful by nature. As long as the

living entities are situated in the lower four stages of life,

annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya and

vijnanamaya, they are considered to be in the material

condition of life, but as soon as one reaches the stage of

anandamaya he becomes a liberated soul. This

anandamaya stage is explained in the Bhagavad-gita as the

brahma-bhuta stage. There it is said that in the

brahma-bhuta stage of life there is no anxiety and no

hankering. This stage begins when one becomes equally disposed

toward all living entities, and it then expands to the stage

of Krsna consciousness in which one always hankers to render

service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This

hankering for advancement in devotional service is not the

same as hankering for sense gratification in material

existence. In other words, hankering remains in spiritual life,

but it becomes purified. When our senses are

purified, they become freed from all material stages, namely

annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya and

vijnanamaya, and they become situated in the highest

stage -- anandamaya, or blissful life in Krsna

consciousness. The Mayavadi philosophers consider

anandamaya to be the state of being merged in the Supreme.

To them, anandamaya means that the Supersoul and the

individual soul become one. But the real fact is that oneness

does not mean merging into the Supreme and losing one's own

individual existence. Merging in the spiritual existence is

the living entity's realization of qualitative oneness with

the Supreme Lord in His eternity and knowledge

aspects. But the actual anandamaya (blissful) stage is

obtained when one is engaged in devotional service. That is

confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. Mad-bhaktim labhate param:

the brahma-bhuta

anandamaya stage is complete only when there is the

exchange of love between the Supreme and the subordinate

living entities. Unless one comes to this anandamaya

stage of life, his breathing is like the breathing of a

bellows in a blacksmith's shop, his duration of life is like

that of a tree, and he is no better than the lower animals

like the camels, hogs and dogs.

Undoubtedly the eternal living entity cannot be annihilated at

any point. But the lower species of life exist in a miserable

condition, whereas one who is engaged in devotional

service of the Supreme Lord is situated in the pleasurable or

anandamaya status of life. The different stages

described above are all in relationship with the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Although in all circumstances there

exist both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living

entities, the difference is that the Supreme Personality of

Godhead always exists in the anandamaya stage, whereas

the subordinate living entities, because of their minute

position as fragmental portions of the Supreme Lord, are prone

to fall to the other stages of life. Although in all the

stages both the Supreme Lord and the living entities exist,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always transcendental to

our concept of life, whether we are in bondage or in

liberation. The whole cosmic manifestation becomes possible by

the grace of the Supreme Lord, it exists by the grace of the

Supreme Lord, and when it is annihilated, it merges into the

existence of the Supreme Lord. As such, the Supreme Lord is

the supreme existence, the cause of all causes. Therefore the

conclusion is that without development of Krsna consciousness,

one's life is simply a waste of time.

Those who are very materialistic and cannot understand

the situation of the spiritual world cannot understand the

abode of Krsna. For such persons, great sages have recommended

the yogic process whereby one gradually rises from meditation

on the abdomen, which is called muladhara or manipuraka

meditation. Muladhara and manipuraka are technical terms which

refer to the intestines within the abdomen. Grossly

materialistic persons think that economic development is of

foremost importance because they are under the impression that

a living entity exists only by eating. Such grossly

materialistic persons forget that although we may eat as much

as we like, if the food is not digested it produces the

troubles of indigestion and acidity. Therefore, in itself,

eating is not the cause of the vital energy of life.

For digestion of eatables we have to take shelter of another,

superior energy, which is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita as

vaisvanara. Lord Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that He helps

the digestion in the form of vaisvanara. The Supreme

Personality of Godhead is all-pervasive; therefore, His

presence as vaisvanara is not extraordinary.

Krsna is actually present everywhere. The Vaisnava, therefore,

marks his body with temples of Visnu: he first marks a tilaka

temple on the abdomen, then on the chest, then between the

collarbones, then on the forehead, and gradually he marks the

top of the head, the brahma-randhra. The thirteen temples of

tilaka marked on the body of a Vaisnava are known as follows:

On the forehead is the temple of Lord Kesava, on the belly is

the temple of Lord Narayana, on the chest is the temple of

Lord Madhava, and on the throat, between the two collarbones,

is the temple of Lord Govinda. On the right side of the waist

is the temple of Lord Visnu, on the right arm is the temple of

Lord Madhusudana, and on the right side of the collarbone the

temple of Lord Trivikrama. Similarly, on the left side of the

waist is the temple of Lord Vamanadeva, on the left arm is the

temple of Sridhara, on the left side of the collarbone is the

temple of Hrsikesa, on the upper back the temple is called

Padmanabha, and on the lower back the temple is called

Damodara. On the top of the head the temple is called

Vasudeva. This is the process of meditation on the Lord's

situation in different parts of the body, but for those

who are not Vaisnavas, great sages recommend meditation on the

bodily concept of life -- meditation on the intestines, on the

heart, on the throat, on the eyebrows, on the forehead and

then on the top of the head. Some of the sages in the

disciplic succession from the great saint Aruna meditate on

the heart because the Supersoul is also staying within the

heart along with the living entity. This is confirmed in

Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter, wherein the Lord states, "I

am situated in everyone's heart."

For the Vaisnava, the protection of

the body for the service of the Lord is a part of devotional

service, but those who are gross materialists accept the body

as the self. They worship the body by the yogic process of

meditation on the different bodily parts, such as manipuraka,

dahara and hrdaya, gradually rising to the brahma-randhra on

the top of the head. The first-class yogi who has attained

perfection in the practice of the yoga system ultimately

passes through the brahma-randhra to any one of the planets in

either the material or spiritual worlds. How a yogi can

transfer himself to another planet is very vividly described

in the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

In this regard, Sukadeva Gosvami has recommended that the

beginners worship the virata purusa, the gigantic universal

form of the Lord. One who cannot believe that the Lord can be

worshiped with equal success in the Deity or arca form, or

who cannot concentrate on this form, is advised to worship the

universal form of the Lord. The lower part of the universe is

considered the feet and legs of the Lord's universal form, the

middle part of the universe is considered the navel or abdomen

of the Lord, the upper planetary systems such as Janoloka and

Maharloka are the heart of the Lord, and the topmost planetary

system, Brahmaloka, is considered the top of the Lord's head.

There are different processes recommended by great sages,

according to the position of the worshiper, but the ultimate

aim of all meditational and yogic processes is to go back home,

back to Godhead. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, anyone who

reaches the highest planet, the abode of Krsna, or even the

Vaikuntha planets, never has to come down again to this

miserable material condition of life.

The Vedic recommendation, therefore, is that one make the

lotus feet of Visnu the target of all one's efforts. Tad

visnoh paramam padam, Visnuloka or the Visnu planets,

are situated above all the material planets. These

Vaikuntha planets are known as sanatana-dhama, and they are

eternal. They are never annihilated, not even by the

annihilation of this material world. The conclusion is that if

a human being does not fulfill the mission of his life by

worshiping the Supreme Lord and does not go back to

Godhead, then it is to be understood that he

has been frustrated in fulfilling the main purpose

of human life.

The next prayer of the personified Vedas to the Lord concerns

His entering into different species of life. It is stated in

Bhagavad-gita, Fourteenth Chapter, that in every species

and form of life the spiritual part and parcel of the Supreme

Lord is present. The Lord Himself claims in the Gita that He

is the seed-giving father of all forms and species, and

therefore they must all be considered sons of the Lord. The

entrance of the Supreme Lord into everyone's heart as

Paramatma sometimes bewilders the impersonalists, who think in

terms of the equality of the living entities with the

Supreme Lord. They think that because the Supreme Lord

enters into different bodies along with the individual soul,

there is no distinction between the Lord and the

individual entities. Their challenge is, "Why should

individual souls worship the Paramatma or Supersoul?"

According to them, both the Supersoul and the individual soul

are on the same level; they are one, without any difference

between them. There is a difference, however, between the

Supersoul and the individual soul, and this is explained in

Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter, wherein the Lord says

that although He is situated with the living entity in the

same body, He is superior. He is dictating to or giving

intelligence to the individual soul from within. It is clearly

stated in the Gita that the Lord gives intelligence to the

individual soul and that both memory and forgetfulness are due

to the influence of the Supersoul. No one can act

independently of the sanction of the Supersoul. Therefore, the

individual soul acts according to his past karma, reminded by

the Lord. The nature of the individual soul is forgetfulness,

but the presence of the Lord within the heart reminds him of

what he wanted to do in his past life. The intelligence of the

individual soul is exhibited like fire in wood. Although fire

is always fire, it is exhibited in a size proportionate to the

size of the wood. Similarly, although the individual soul is

qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord, he exhibits himself

according to the limitations of his present body.

The Supreme Lord or the Supersoul is said to be eka-rasa. Eka

means one, and rasa means mellow. The transcendental position

of the Supreme Lord is that of eternity, bliss and full

knowledge. His position of eka-rasa does not change in the

slightest when He becomes a witness and advisor to the

individual soul in each individual body.

The individual soul, beginning from Lord Brahma down to

the ant, exhibits his spiritual potency according to his

present body. The demigods are in the same category with the

individual souls in the bodies of the human beings or in the

bodies of lower animals. Intelligent persons, therefore, do

not worship different demigods, who are simply infinitesimal

representatives of Krsna manifesting in conditioned bodies.

The individual soul can exhibit his power and potencies only

in proportion to the shape and constitution of the body. The

Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, can exhibit His full

potencies in any shape or form without any change. The

Mayavadi philosophers' thesis that God and the individual soul

are one and the same cannot be accepted because the individual

soul has to develop his power and potencies according to the

development of different types of bodies. The individual soul

in the body of a baby cannot show the full power and potency

of a grown man, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna,

even when lying on the lap of His mother as a baby, could

exhibit His full potency and power by killing Putana and other

demons who tried to attack Him. Therefore the spiritual

potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is said to be

eka-rasa, or without change. Therefore the Supreme Personality

of Godhead is the only worshipable object, and

this is perfectly known to persons who are uncontaminated by

the force of material nature. In other words, only the

liberated souls can worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Less intelligent Mayavadis take to the worship of

demigods, thinking that the demigods and the Supreme

Personality of Godhead are on the same level.

The personified Vedas continued to offer their obeisances. "

Dear Lord," they prayed, "after many, many births, those who

have actually become wise take to the worship of Your lotus

feet in complete knowledge." This is also confirmed in the

Bhagavad-gita, wherein the Lord says that after many, many

births, a great soul or mahatma surrenders unto the Lord,

knowing well that Vasudeva, Krsna, is the cause of all causes.

The Vedas continued: "As has already been explained, since our

mind, intelligence and senses have been given to us by God,

when these instruments are actually purified there is no

alternative but to engage them all in the devotional service

of the Lord. A living entity's entrapment in different species

of life is due to the misapplication of his mind, intelligence

and senses in material activities. Various kinds of bodies are

awarded as the result of a living entity's actions, and they

are created by the material nature according to the living

entity's desire. Because a living entity desires and deserves

a particular kind of body, it is given to him by the material

nature under the order of the Supreme Lord."

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Third Canto, it is explained that

under the control of superior authority a living entity is put

within the semina of a male and injected into the womb of a

particular female in order to develop a particular type of

body. A living entity utilizes his senses, intelligence, mind,

etc., in a specific way of his own choosing and thus

develops a particular type of body within which he becomes

encaged. In this way the living entity becomes situated in

different species of life, either in a demigod, human or

animal body, according to different situations and

circumstances.

It is explained in the Vedic literatures that the living

entities entrapped in different species of life are part and

parcel of the Supreme Lord. The Mayavadi philosophers mistake

the living entity for the Paramatma, who is actually sitting

with the living entity as a friend. Because the Paramatma,

the localized aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

and the individual living entity are both within the body, a

misunderstanding sometimes takes place that there is no

difference between the two. But there is a definite difference

between the individual soul and the Supersoul, and it is

explained in the Varaha Purana as follows. The Supreme Lord

has two kinds of parts and parcels: the living entity is

called vibhinnamsa, and the Paramatma or the plenary

expansion of the Supreme Lord is called svamsa. The svamsa

plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality is as powerful as

the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. There is not even

the slightest difference between the potency of the Supreme

Person and that of His plenary expansion as Paramatma, but the

vibhinnamsa parts and parcels possess only a minute portion of

the potencies of the Lord. The Narayana-Pancaratra states that

the living entities who are the marginal potency of the

Supreme Lord are undoubtedly of the same quality of spiritual

existence as the Lord Himself, but they are prone to be tinged

with the material qualities. Because he

is prone to be subjected to the influence of material

qualities, the minute living entity is called jiva. Sometimes

the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also known as

Siva, the all-auspicious. So the difference between Siva

and jiva is that the all-auspicious Personality of Godhead is

never affected by the material qualities, whereas the minute

portions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are prone to be

affected by the qualities of material nature.

The Supersoul within the body of a particular living entity,

although a plenary portion of the Lord, is worshipable by the

individual living entity. Great sages have therefore concluded

that the process of meditation is designed so that the

individual living entity may concentrate his attention on the

lotus feet of the Supersoul form (Visnu). That is the real

form of samadhi. The living entity cannot become liberated

from material entanglement by his own effort. He must

therefore take to the devotional service of the lotus feet of

the Supreme Lord, or the Supersoul within himself. Sridhara

Svami, the great commentator on Srimad-Bhagavatam, has

composed a nice verse in this regard, the purport of which is

as follows: "My dear Lord, I am eternally your part and parcel,

but I have been entrapped by the material potencies, which

are also an emanation from You. As the cause of all causes,

You have entered my body as the Supersoul, and I have the

prerogative to enjoy the supreme blissful life of knowledge

along with You. Therefore, my dear Lord, please order me to

render You loving service so that I can again be brought to my

original position of transcendental bliss."

Great personalities understand that a living entity entangled

in this material world cannot become freed by his own efforts.

With firm faith and devotion, such great personalities engage

themselves in rendering transcendental loving service to the

Lord. That is the verdict of the personified Vedas.

The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, it is very

difficult to achieve perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth.

Your Lordship is so kind to the fallen souls that You appear

in different incarnations and execute different activities.

You appear even as a historical personality of this material

world, and Your pastimes are very nicely described in the

Vedic literatures. Such pastimes are as attractive as the

ocean of transcendental bliss. People in general have a

natural inclination to read narrations in which ordinary jivas

are glorified, but when they become attracted by the Vedic

literatures which delineate Your eternal pastimes, they

actually dip into the ocean of transcendental bliss. As a

fatigued man feels refreshed by dipping into a reservoir of

water, so the conditioned soul who is very much disgusted with

material activities becomes refreshed and forgets all the

fatigue of material activities simply by dipping into the

transcendental ocean of Your pastimes. And eventually he

merges in the ocean of transcendental bliss. The most

intelligent devotees, therefore, do not take to any means of

self-realization except devotional service and constant

engagement in the nine different processes of devotional life,

especially hearing and chanting. When hearing and chanting

about Your transcendental pastimes, Your devotees do not care

even for the transcendental bliss derived from liberation or

from merging into the existence of the Supreme. Such devotees

are not interested even in so-called liberation, and certainly

they have no interest in material activities for

elevation to the heavenly planets for sense gratification.

Pure devotees seek only the association of paramahamsas, or

great liberated devotees, so that they can continually hear

and chant about Your glories. For this purpose the pure

devotees are prepared to sacrifice all comforts of life, even

giving up the material comforts of family life and so-called

society, friendship and love. Those who have tasted the nectar

of devotion by relishing the transcendental vibration of

chanting Your glories, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,

Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, do

not care for any other spiritual bliss or for material

comforts, which appear to the pure devotee to be less

important than the straw in the street."

The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, when a person is

able to purify his mind, senses and intelligence by engaging

himself in devotional service in full Krsna consciousness, his

mind becomes his friend. Otherwise, his mind is always his

enemy. When the mind is engaged in devotional service of

the Lord, it becomes the intimate friend of the living entity

because the mind can then think of the Supreme Lord always.

Your Lordship is eternally dear to the living entity, so when

the mind is engaged in thought of You, one immediately feels

the great satisfaction for which he has been hankering life

after life. When one's mind is thus fixed on the lotus feet of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one does not take to any

kind of inferior worship or inferior process of self-

realization. By attempting to worship a demigod or by taking

to any other process of self-realization, the living entity

becomes a victim of the cycle of birth and death, and no one

can estimate how much the living entity becomes degraded by

entering the abominable species of life such as the cats and

dogs."

Sri Narottama dasa Thakur has sung that persons who do not

take to the devotional service of the Lord but are attracted

to the process of philosophical speculation and fruitive

activities drink the poisonous results of such actions. Such

persons are forced to

take birth in different species of life and

are forced to adopt obnoxious practices like

meat-eating and intoxication. Materialistic persons

generally worship the transient material body and forget the

welfare of the spirit soul within the body. Some take shelter

of materialistic science to improve bodily comforts, and some

take to the worship of demigods in order to be promoted to the

heavenly planets. Their goal in life is to make the material

body comfortable while forgetting the interest of the

spirit soul. Such persons are described in the Vedic

literature as suicidal because attachment for the material

body and its comforts forces the living entity to wander

through the process of birth and death perpetually and suffer

the material pangs as a matter of course. The human form of

life is a chance for one to understand his position, and

the most intelligent person takes to devotional service just

to engage his mind, senses and body in the service of the Lord

without deviation.

The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, there are many

mystic yogis who are very learned and deliberate in achieving

the highest perfection of life. They engage themselves in the

yogic process of controlling the life-air within the body.

Concentrating the mind upon the form of Visnu and controlling

the senses very rigidly, they practice the yoga system, but

even after much laborious austerity, penance, and regulation,

they achieve the same destination as persons who are inimical

toward You. In other words, both the yogis and great, wise

philosophical speculators ultimately attain the impersonal

Brahman effulgence, which is also automatically attained by

the demons who are regular enemies of the Lord. Demons like

Kamsa, Sisupala and Dantavakra also attain the Brahman

effulgence because they constantly meditate upon the Supreme

Personality of Godhead.

Women such as the gopis were attached to Krsna and

captivated by His beauty, and their mental concentration on

Krsna was provoked by lust. They wanted to be embraced by the

arms of Krsna, which resemble the beautiful round shape of a

snake. Similarly, there are the Vedic hymns, and we also

simply concentrate our minds on the lotus feet of Your

Lordship. Women like the gopis concentrate upon You dictated

by lust, and we concentrate upon Your lotus feet

to go back home, back to Godhead. Your enemies also

concentrate upon You, thinking always how to kill You, and

the yogis undertake great penances and austerities just to

attain Your impersonal effulgence. All these different persons,

although concentrating their minds in different ways, achieve

spiritual perfection according to their different perspectives

because You are equal to all Your devotees."

Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse in this regard: "My

dear Lord, to be engaged always in thinking of Your lotus feet

is very difficult. It is possible by great devotees who have

already achieved love for You and are engaged in

transcendental loving service. My dear Lord, I wish that my

mind also may be engaged somehow or other on Your lotus

feet, at least for some time."

The attainment of spiritual perfection by different

spiritualists is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, wherein the

Lord says that He grants the perfection the devotee desires in

proportion to the devotee's surrender unto Him. The

impersonalists, yogis and the enemies of the Lord enter into

the Lord's transcendental effulgence, but the personalists who

are following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of

Vrndavana or strictly following the path of devotional service

are elevated to the personal abode of Krsna, Goloka Vrndavana,

or to the Vaikuntha planets. Both the impersonalists and the

personalists enter into the spiritual realm or the spiritual

sky, but the impersonalists are given their place in the

impersonal Brahman effulgence, whereas the personalists are

given a position in the Vaikuntha planets or in the Vrndavana

planet, according to their desire to serve the Lord in

different mellows.

The personified Vedas stated that persons who are born after

the creation of this material world cannot understand the

existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by

manipulating their material knowledge. Just as a person born

in a particular family cannot understand the position of his

great-grandfather who lived before the birth of the recent

generation, we are unable to understand the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Narayana or Krsna, who exists

eternally in the spiritual world. In the Eighth Chapter of the

Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that the Supreme Person, who

lives eternally in the spiritual kingdom of God (sanatana-

dhama), can be approached only by devotional service.

As for the material creation, Brahma is the first created

person. Before Brahma there was no living creature within this

material world; it was void and dark until Brahma was born on

the lotus flower sprouted from the abdomen of

Garbhodakasayi Visnu. Garbhodakasayi Visnu is an expansion of

Karanodakasayi Visnu, Karanodakasayi Visnu is an expansion of

Sankarsana, and Sankarsana is an expansion of Balarama.

Balarama is an immediate expansion of Lord Krsna. After the

creation of Brahma, the two kinds of demigods were born:

demigods like the four brothers Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana

and Sanat-kumara, who are representatives of renunciation of

the world, and demigods like Marici and their descendants who

are meant to enjoy this material world. From these two kinds

of demigods were gradually manifested all other living

entities, including the human beings. Thus any living

creature within this material world, including Brahma, all

the demigods and all the raksasas, are to be considered modern.

This means that they were all recently born.

Therefore, just as a person recently born in a family

cannot understand the situation of his distant forefather, so

anyone within this material world cannot understand the

position of the Supreme Lord in the spiritual world because

the material world has only recently been created. Although

they have a long duration of existence, all the manifestations

of the material world, namely, the time elements, the living

entities, the Vedas, and the gross and subtle

elements, are all created at some point. Anything

manufactured within this created situation or accepted as a

means to understanding the original source of creation is to

be considered modern.

Therefore by the process of self-realization or God

realization through fruitive activities, philosophical

speculation or mystic yoga, one cannot actually approach the

supreme source of everything. When the creation is completely

terminated, when there is no existence of the Vedas, no

existence of material time, no existence of the gross and

subtle material elements, and when all the living entities are

in the nonmanifested stage resting within Narayana, then

all these manufactured processes become null and void and

cannot act. Devotional service, however, is eternally going on

in the eternal spiritual world. Therefore the only factual

process of self-realization or God realization is devotional

service, and if one takes to this process he takes to the

real process of God realization. Srila Sridhara Svami has

therefore composed a verse in this regard which conveys the

idea that the supreme source of everything, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, is so great and unlimited that it is

not possible for the living entity to understand Him by any

material acquisition. Everyone should therefore pray to the

Lord to be engaged in His devotional service eternally, so

that by the grace of the Lord one can understand the supreme

source of creation. The supreme source of creation, the

Supreme Lord, reveals Himself only to the devotees. In the

Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita the Lord says to Arjuna, "My

dear Arjuna, because you are My devotee and because you are My

intimate friend I shall therefore reveal to you the process of

understanding Me." In other words, the supreme source of

creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be

understood by our own endeavor. We have to please Him with

devotional service, and then He will reveal Himself to us.

Then we can understand Him to some extent.

There are different kinds of philosophers who have tried to

understand the supreme source by their mental speculation.

There are generally six kinds of mental speculators, and

they are called sad-darsana. All these philosophers

are impersonalists and are known as Mayavadis. Every one of

them has tried to establish his own opinion, although they all

have later compromised and stated that all opinions lead to

the same goal and that every opinion is therefore valid.

According to the prayers of the personified Vedas, however,

none of them are valid because their process of knowledge is

created within the temporary material world. They have all

missed the real point: the Supreme Personality of Godhead or

the Absolute Truth can be understood only by devotional

service.

One class of philosophers, known as Mimamsakas, represented by

sages such as Jaimini, have concluded that everyone should

be engaged in pious activities or prescribed duties and

that such activities will lead one to the highest perfection.

But this is contradicted in the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-

gita, where Lord Krsna says that by pious activities one may

be elevated to the heavenly planets, but as soon as one's

accumulation of pious activities is used up, one has to leave

the enjoyment of a higher standard of material prosperity in

the heavenly planets and immediately come down again to these

lower planets, where the duration of life is very short and

where the standard of material happiness is of a lower grade.

The exact words used in the Gita are ksine punye

martya-lokam visanti. Therefore the conclusion of

the Mimamsaka philosophers, that pious activities will lead

one to the Absolute Truth, is not valid. Although a pure

devotee is by nature inclined to pious activities, no

one can attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

by pious activities alone. Pious activities may purify one of

the contamination caused by ignorance and passion, but this

is automatically attained by a devotee who is

constantly engaged in hearing the transcendental message of

Godhead in the form of the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam or

similar scriptures. From the Bhagavad-gita we understand that

even a person who is not up to the standard of pious

activities but who is absolutely engaged in devotional service

is to be considered well situated on the path of spiritual

perfection. It is also said in the Bhagavad-gita that a person

who is engaged in devotional service with love and faith is

guided from within by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The

Lord Himself as Paramatma, or the spiritual master sitting

within one's heart, gives the devotee exact directions by

which he can gradually go back to Godhead. The conclusion of

the Mimamsaka philosophers is not actually the truth which can

lead one to real understanding.

Similarly, there are Sankhya philosophers, metaphysicians or

material scientists who study this cosmic manifestation

by their invented scientific method and who do not recognize

the supreme authority of God as the creator of the cosmic

manifestation. Rather, they wrongly conclude that the

reaction of material elements is the original cause of

creation. The Bhagavad-gita, however, does not accept this

theory. It is clearly said therein that behind the cosmic

activities is the direction of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. This fact is corroborated by the Vedic injunction

asad va idam agra asit, which means that the origin of

the creation existed before the cosmic manifestation.

Therefore, the material elements cannot be the cause of

material creation. Although the material elements are accepted

as material causes, the ultimate cause is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead Himself. The Bhagavad-gita says,

therefore, that material nature works under the direction of

Krsna.

The conclusion of the atheistic Sankhya philosophy is that

because the effects of the material worlds

are temporary or illusory, the cause is therefore also

illusory. The Sankhya philosophers are in favor of voidism,

but the actual fact is that the original cause is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and this cosmic manifestation is

the temporary manifestation of His material energy. When this

temporary manifestation is annihilated, its cause, the eternal

existence of the spiritual world, continues as it is, and

therefore the spiritual world is called sanatana-dhama, the

eternal abode. The conclusion of the Sankhya philosopher is

therefore not valid.

Then there are the philosophers headed by Gautama and Kanada.

They have very minutely studied the cause and effect of the

material elements and have ultimately come to the conclusion

that atomic combination is the original cause of creation.

Present material scientists also follow in

the footsteps of Gautama and Kanada, who propounded this

theory of paramanuvada. This theory, however, cannot be

supported because the original cause of everything is not

inert atoms. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-

Bhagavatam as well as in the Vedas, wherein it is stated eko

narayana asit, Only Narayana existed before the creation. The

Srimad-Bhagavatam and Vedanta-sutra also say that the

original cause is sentient and both indirectly and directly

cognizant of everything within this creation. In the Bhagavad-

gita Krsna says, aham sarvasya prabhavah: "I am

the original cause of everything," and mattah sarvam

pravartate: "From Me everything comes into existence."

Therefore, atoms may form the basic combinations of material

existence, but these atoms are generated from the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Thus the philosophy of Gautama and

Kanada cannot be supported.

Similarly, impersonalists headed by Astavakra and later on by

Sankaracarya accept the impersonal Brahman effulgence as the

cause of everything. According to their theory, the material

manifestation is temporary and unreal, whereas the impersonal

Brahman effulgence is reality. But this theory cannot be

supported either, because the Lord Himself says in the

Bhagavad-gita that this Brahman effulgence is resting on

His personality. It is also confirmed in the Brahma-samhita

that the Brahman effulgence is the personal bodily rays of

Krsna. As such, impersonal Brahman cannot be the original

cause of the cosmic manifestation. The original cause is the

all-perfect sentient Personality of Godhead, Govinda.

The most dangerous theory of the impersonalists is that when

God comes as an incarnation He accepts a material body created

by the three modes of material nature. This Mayavadi theory

has been condemned by Lord Caitanya as most offensive. He has

said that anyone who accepts the transcendental body of the

Personality of Godhead to be made of this material nature

commits the greatest offense at the lotus feet of Visnu.

Similarly, the Bhagavad-gita also states that only the fools

and rascals deride the Personality of Godhead when He descends

in a human form.

Lord Krsna, Lord Rama and Lord Caitanya

actually moved within human society as human beings.

The personified Vedas condemn the impersonal conception as a

gross misrepresentation. In the Brahma-samhita, the body of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as ananda-

cin-maya-rasa. The Supreme Personality of Godhead

possesses a spiritual body, not a material body. He can enjoy

anything through any part of His body, and therefore He is

omnipotent. The limbs of a material body can perform only a

particular function, just as hands can hold but they

cannot see or hear. Because the body of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is made of ananda-cin-maya-rasa or

sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, He can enjoy

anything and do everything with any of His limbs. Acceptance

of the spiritual body of the Lord as material is dictated by

the tendency to make the Supreme Personality of Godhead

equal to the conditioned soul. The conditioned soul has a

material body. Therefore, if God also has a material body,

then the impersonalistic theory that the Supreme Personality

of Godhead and the living entities are one and the same can be

very easily propagandized.

Factually, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes He

exhibits different pastimes, and yet there is no

difference between His childish body when He is lying on the

lap of His mother Yasoda and His so-called grown up body

fighting with the demons. In His childhood body also, He

fought with demons such as Putana, Trnavarta, Aghasura,

etc., with strength equal to that with which He fought in

His youth against demons like Dantavakra, Sisupala and

others. In material life, as soon as a conditioned soul

changes his body, he forgets everything of his past body, but

from the Bhagavad-gita we understand that Krsna, because He

has a sac-cid-ananda body, did not forget instructing the

sun-god about Bhagavad-gita millions of years ago. The

Lord is therefore known as Purusottama because He is

transcendental to both material and spiritual existence. That

He is the cause of all causes means that He is the cause of

the spiritual world and of the material world as well. The

Supreme Personality of Godhead is omnipotent and omniscient.

Therefore, because a material body can be neither omnipotent

nor omniscient, the Lord's body surely is not material.

The Mayavadi theory that the Personality of Godhead comes

within this material world with a material body cannot be

supported by any means.

It can be concluded that all the theories of the material

philosophers are generated from the temporary illusory

existence, like the conclusions in a dream. Such conclusions

certainly cannot lead us to the Absolute Truth. The Absolute

Truth can only be realized through devotional service. As

the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita, bhaktya mam abhijanati,

"Only by devotional service can one understand Me."

Srila Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse in this regard,

which states: "My dear Lord, let others be engaged in

false argument and dry speculation, theorizing upon their

great philosophical theses. Let them loiter in the darkness of

ignorance and illusion, falsely enjoying as if very learned

scholars, although they are without knowledge of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. As far as I am concerned, I wish to be

liberated simply by chanting the holy names of the all-

beautiful Supreme Personality of Godhead -- Madhava, Vamana,

Trinayana, Sankarsana, Sripati and Govinda. Simply by chanting

His transcendental names, let me become

free from the contamination of this material existence."

In this way the personified Vedas said, "My dear Lord, when

a living entity, by Your grace only, comes to the right

conclusion about Your exalted transcendental position, at that

time he no longer bothers with the different theories

manufactured by the mental speculators or so-called

philosophers." This is a reference to the speculative theories

of Gautama, Kanada, Patanjali and Kapila (Nirisvara). There

are actually two Kapilas: one Kapila, the son of Kardama Muni,

is an incarnation of God, and the other is an atheist of the

modern age. The atheistic Kapila is often misrepresented to be

the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared as the

son of Kardama Muni during the time of Svayambhuva

Manu. Lord Kapila, the incarnation of Godhead, appeared

long long ago; the modern age is the age of Vaivasvata

Manu, whereas He appeared during the time of Svayambhuva Manu.

According to Mayavadi philosophy, this manifested world or

the material world is mithya or maya, false. Their

preaching principle is brahma-satya jagat-mithya. According

to them, only the Brahman effulgence is true, and the

cosmic manifestation is illusory or false. But according to

Vaisnava philosophy, this cosmic manifestation is

caused by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the

Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that He enters within this

material world by one of His plenary portions, and thus the

creation takes place. From the Vedas also, we can understand

that this asat or temporary cosmic manifestation is also an

emanation from the supreme sat or fact. From the Vedanta-

sutra also it is understood that everything has emanated from

the Supreme Brahman. As such the Vaisnavas do not take

this cosmic manifestation to be false. The

Vaisnava philosopher sees everything in this material

world in relationship with the Supreme Lord.

This conception of the material world is very nicely explained

by Srila Rupa Gosvami, who said that renunciation of

this material world as illusory or false without

knowledge that the material world is also the manifestation of

the Supreme Lord is of no practical value.

The Vaisnavas, however, are free of attachment to this world

because generally the material world is accepted as

an object of sense gratification. The Vaisnavas are not in

favor of sense gratification; therefore, they are

not attached to material activities. The Vaisnava accepts this

material world according to the regulative principles of the

Vedic injunctions. Since the

Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of

everything, the Vaisnava sees everything in relationship with

Krsna, even in this material world. By such advanced knowledge,

everything becomes spiritualized. In other words, everything

in the material world is already spiritual, but due to our

lack of knowledge we see things as material.

The personified Vedas presented the example that those who are

seeking after gold do not reject gold earrings, gold bangles

or anything else made of gold simply because they are shaped

differently from the original gold. All living entities are

part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and are qualitatively one

, but they are now differently shaped in 8,400,000

species of life, just like many different ornaments which have

been manufactured from the same source of gold. As one who is

interested in gold accepts all the differently shaped gold

ornaments, so a Vaisnava, knowing well that all living

entities are of the same quality as the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, accepts all living entities as eternal servants of

God. As a Vaisnava, then, one has ample opportunity to serve

the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by reclaiming these

conditioned, misled living entities, training them in Krsna

consciousness and leading them back to home, back to Godhead.

The fact is that the minds of the living entities are now

agitated by the three material qualities, and the living

entities are therefore transmigrating, as if in dreams, from

one body to another. When their consciousness is changed into

Krsna consciousness, however, they immediately fix Krsna

within their hearts, and thus their path for liberation

becomes clear.

In all the Vedas the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the

living entities are stated to be of the same quality --

caitanya, or spiritual. This is also confirmed in the Padma

Purana, wherein it is said that there are two kinds of

spiritual entities; one is called the jiva, and the other is

called the Supreme Lord. Beginning from Lord Brahma down to

the ant, all living entities are jivas, whereas the Lord is

the Supreme four-handed Visnu or Janardana. The

word atma can be applied only to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, but because the living entities are

His parts and parcels, sometimes the word atma is applied to

them also. The living entities are therefore called jivatma,

and the Supreme Lord is called Paramatma. Both the Paramatma

and jivatma are within this material world, and therefore

this material world has a purpose other than sense

gratification. The conception of a life of sense gratification

is illusion but the conception of service by the jivatma to

the Paramatma, even in this material world, is not at all

illusory. A Krsna conscious person is fully aware of this fact,

and thus he does not take this material world to be false,

but acts in the reality of transcendental service. The devotee

therefore sees everything in this material world as an

opportunity to serve the Lord. He does not reject anything as

material, but dovetails everything in the service of the Lord.

Thus a devotee is always in the transcendental position, and

everything that he uses becomes spiritually purified by being

used in the service of the Lord.

Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse in this regard: "I

worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is always

manifested as reality even within this material world, which

is considered by some to be false." The conception of the

falsity of this material world is due to lack of knowledge,

but a person advanced in Krsna consciousness sees the Supreme

Personality of Godhead in everything. This is actually

realization of the Vedic aphorism, sarvam khalv idam brahma: "

Everything is Brahman."

The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, less intelligent

men take to other ways of self-realization, but actually there

is no chance to become purified from material contamination

or to stop the repeated cycle of birth and death unless

one is a thoroughly pure devotee. Our dear Lord, everything

is resting on Your different potencies; and everyone is

supported by You, as is stated in the Vedas (eko bahunam yo

vidadhati kaman). Therefore Your Lordship is the supporter and

maintainer of all living entities -- demigods, human beings

and animals. Everyone is supported by You, and You are also

situated in everyone's heart. In other words, You are the root

of the whole creation. Therefore those who are engaged in

Your devotional service without deviation always worship

You. Such devotees actually pour water on the root of the

universal tree. By devotional service, therefore, one

satisfies not only the Personality of Godhead but also all

others, because everyone is maintained and supported by Him.

Because he understands the all-pervasive feature of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a devotee is the most

practical philanthropist and altruist. Such pure devotees,

thoroughly engaged in Krsna consciousness, very easily

overcome the cycle of birth and death, and they as much as

jump over the head of death."

A devotee is never afraid of death or of changing his body;

his consciousness is transformed into Krsna consciousness, and

even if he does not go back to Godhead, even if he

transmigrates to another material body, he has nothing to fear.

A vivid example is Bharata Maharaja. Although in his next

life he became a deer, in the life after that he became

completely free from all material contamination and was

elevated to the kingdom of God. The Bhagavad-gita affirms,

therefore, that a devotee is never vanquished. A devotee's

path to the spiritual kingdom, back home, back to Godhead, is

guaranteed. Even though a devotee slips in one birth, the

continuation of his Krsna consciousness elevates him further

and further until he goes back to Godhead. Not only does a

pure devotee purify his own personal existence, but whoever

becomes his disciple also ultimately becomes purified and

able to enter the kingdom of God without difficulty.

Not only can a pure devotee easily surpass

death, but by his grace his followers also can do so

without difficulty. The power of devotional service is so

great that a pure devotee can electrify another person by his

transcendental instruction on crossing over the ocean of

nescience.

The instructions of a pure devotee to his disciple are also

very simple. No one feels any difficulty in following in the

footsteps of a pure devotee. Anyone who follows in

disciplic succession from recognized devotees of the Lord,

such as Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, the Kumaras, Manu, Kapila,

King Prahlada, King Janaka, Sukadeva Gosvami, Yamaraja, etc.

, very easily finds the

door of liberation open. On the other hand, those who are not

devotees but are engaged in uncertain processes of self-

realization, such as jnana, yoga and karma, are understood to

be still contaminated. Such contaminated persons, although

apparently advanced in self-realization, cannot even liberate

themselves, not to speak of others who follow them. Such

nondevotees are compared to chained animals, for they are not

able to go beyond the jurisdiction of the formalities of a

certain type of faith. In the Bhagavad-gita they are condemned

as veda-vadah. They cannot understand that the Vedas deal

with activities of the material modes of nature -- goodness,

passion and ignorance.

Lord Krsna advised Arjuna that one has to go beyond the

jurisdiction of the duties prescribed in the Vedas and take to

Krsna consciousness, devotional service. It is said in the

Bhagavad-gita, nistraigunyo bhavarjuna, "My dear Arjuna, just

try to become transcendental to the Vedic rituals." The

transcendental position beyond the Vedic ritualistic

performances is devotional service. In the Bhagavad-gita the

Lord clearly says that persons who are engaged in His

devotional service without adulteration are situated in

Brahman. Actual Brahman realization means Krsna consciousness

and engagement in devotional service. The devotees are

therefore real brahmacaris because their activities are always

in Krsna consciousness, devotional service.

The Krsna consciousness movement is therefore a supreme

call to all kinds of religionists asking them with great

authority to join this movement by which one can learn how to

love God and thus surpass all formulas and formalities of

scriptural injunction. A person who cannot overcome the

jurisdiction of stereotyped religious principles is compared

to an animal chained up by his master. The purpose of all

religion is to understand God and develop one's dormant love

of Godhead. If one simply sticks to the religious formulas and

formalities and does not become elevated to the position of

love of God, he is considered to be a chained animal. In other

words, if one is not in Krsna consciousness, he is not

eligible for liberation from the contamination of material

existence.

Srila Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse which says,

"Let others engage in severe austerities, let others

fall to the land from the tops of hills and give up their

lives, let others travel to many holy places of pilgrimage for

salvation, or let them be engaged in deep study of

philosophy and Vedic literatures; let the mystic yogis engage

in their meditational service, and let the different sects

engage in unnecessary arguing as to which is the best. But it

is a fact that unless one is Krsna conscious, unless one is

engaged in devotional service, and unless one has the mercy of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot cross over this

material ocean." An intelligent person, therefore, gives up

all stereotyped ideas and joins the Krsna consciousness

movement for factual liberation.

The personified Vedas continued their prayers. "Our dear Lord,

Your impersonal feature is explained in the Vedas: You have

no hands, but You can accept all sacrifices which are offered

to You; You have no legs, but You can walk more swiftly than

anyone. Although You have no eyes, You can see whatever

happens in the past, present and future. Although You have no

ears, You can hear everything that is said. Although You have

no mind, You know everyone and everyone's activities, past,

present and future, and yet no one knows who You are. You know

everyone, but no one knows You; therefore, You are the oldest

and supreme personality."

Similarly, in another part of the Vedas it is said, "You have

nothing to do. You are so perfect in Your knowledge and

potency that everything becomes manifest simply by Your will.

There is no one equal to or greater than You, and everyone

is acting as Your eternal servant." Thus the Vedic

statements describe that the Absolute has no legs, no hands,

no eyes, no ears and no mind, and yet He can act through His

potencies and fulfill the needs of all living entities. As

stated in the Bhagavad-gita, His hands and legs are everywhere;

He is all-pervasive. The hands, legs, ears and eyes of

all living entities are acting and moving by the direction of

the Supersoul sitting within the living entity's heart. Unless

the Supersoul is present, it is not possible for the hands and

legs to be active. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is so

great, independent and perfect, however, that even without

having any eyes, legs and ears, He is not dependent on others

for His activities. On the contrary, others are dependent on

Him for the activities of their different sense organs. Unless

the living entity is inspired and directed by the Supersoul,

he cannot act.

The fact is that ultimately the Absolute Truth is the Supreme

Person. But because He is acting through His different

potencies which are impossible for the gross materialists to

see, the materialists accept Him as impersonal. For example,

one can observe the personal artistic work in a painting of a

flower, and one can understand that the color adjustment, the

shape, etc., have demanded the minute attention of the

artist. The artist's work is clearly exhibited in a painting

of different blooming flowers. But the gross materialist,

without seeing the hand of God in such artistic manifestations

as the actual flowers blooming in nature, concludes that the

Absolute Truth is impersonal. Actually, the Absolute is

personal, but He is independent. He does not require to

personally take a brush and colors to paint the flowers, but

His potencies are acting so wonderfully that it appears as if

flowers have come into being without the aid of an artist. The

impersonal view of the Absolute Truth is accepted by less

intelligent men because unless one is engaged in the service

of the Lord, he cannot understand how the Supreme is acting --

he cannot even know the His name. Everything about the

His activities and personal features is revealed to the

devotee only through his loving service attitude.

In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said, bhoktaram yajna-

tapasam: the Lord is the enjoyer of all kinds of

sacrifices and of the results of all austerities. Then again

the Lord says, sarva-loka-mahesvaram: "I am the proprietor of

all planets." So that is the position of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Although He is present in Vrndavana

and enjoys transcendental pleasure in the company of

His eternal associates, the gopis and the cowherd boys,

His potencies are acting under His

direction all over the creation. They do not disturb

His eternal pastimes.

Through devotional service only can one understand how

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable

potencies, simultaneously acts impersonally and as a person.

He is acting just like the supreme emperor, and many

thousands of kings and chiefs are working under Him. The

Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme independent

controlling person, and all the demigods -- including Lord

Brahma, Lord Siva, Indra the King of heaven, the king of the

moon planet, and the king of the sun planet -- are working

under His direction. It is confirmed

in the Vedas that the sun is

shining, the air is blowing, and fire is distributing heat

out of fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The

material nature is producing all kinds of movable and

immovable objects within the material world, but none of them

can independently act or create without the direction of the

Supreme Lord. All of them are acting as tributaries, just

like subordinate kings who offer their annual taxes to the

emperor.

The Vedic injunction states that every living entity lives by

eating the remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Personality

of Godhead. In great sacrifices the injunction is that

Narayana should be present as the supreme predominating Deity

of the sacrifice, and after the sacrifice is performed,

the remnants of foodstuffs are distributed amongst the

demigods. This is called yajna-bhaga. Every demigod has an

allotment of yajna-bhaga which he accepts as prasadam. The

conclusion is that the demigods are not independently powerful;

they are posted as different executives under the order of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they are eating

prasadam or the remnants of sacrifices. They are

executing the order of the Supreme Lord exactly according to

His plan. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is in the

background, and His orders are carried out by others.

It only appears that He is impersonal. In our grossly

materialistic way, we cannot conceive how the Supreme Person

is above the impersonal activities of material nature.

Therefore the Lord explains in the Bhagavad-gita that there is

nothing superior to Himself and that the impersonal Brahman is

subordinately situated as a manifestation of His personal rays.

Sripada Srila Sridhara Svami has therefore composed a nice

verse in this regard: "Let me offer my respectful obeisances

unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has no material

senses but through whose direction and will all the material

senses are working. He is the supreme potency of all material

senses or sense organs. He is omnipotent, and He is the

supreme performer of everything. Therefore He is worshipable

by everyone. Unto that Supreme Person do I offer my respectful

obeisances."

Krsna Himself declares in the Bhagavad-gita that

He is

Purusottama, which means the Supreme Personality.

Purusa means person, and uttama means supreme or

transcendental. Also in Bhagavad-gita the Lord declares that

because He is trascendental to all sentient and insentient

beings, He is therefore known as the purusottama. In another

place the Lord says that as the air is situated in the all-

pervading sky, so everyone is situated in Him, and everyone is

acting under His direction.

The Vedas personified continued. "Our dear Lord," they prayed,

"You are equal to all, with no partiality toward a particular

type of living entity. As Your parts and parcels,

all living entities enjoy or suffer in different

conditions of life. They are just

like the sparks of a fire. Just as sparks dance on a blazing

fire, so all living entities are dancing on Your support. You

are providing them with everything they desire, and yet You

are not responsible for their position of enjoyment or

suffering. There are different types of living entities --

demigods, human beings, animals, trees, birds, beasts, germs,

worms, insects and aquatics -- and all are enjoying or

suffering in life by resting on You. The living entities

are of two kinds: one class is called ever-liberated, nitya-

mukta, and the other class is called nitya-baddha. The nitya-

mukta living entities are in the spiritual kingdom, and the

nitya-baddha are in the material world.

"In

the spiritual

world both the Lord and the

living entities are manifest in their original

status, like live sparks in a blazing fire. But in the

material world, although the Lord is all-pervasive in His

impersonal feature, the living entities have forgotten their

Krsna consciousness, just as

sparks sometimes fall from a blazing fire and lose their

original brilliant condition.

Some sparks fall onto dry grass and thus ignite

another big fire. This is a reference to the pure devotees who

take compassion on the poor and innocent living entities. The

pure devotee enlightens Krsna consciousness in the hearts of

the conditioned souls, and thus the blazing fire of the

spiritual world becomes manifest even within this material

world. Some sparks fall onto water; they immediately lose

their original brilliance and become almost extinct. This is

comparable to the living entities who take their birth in the

midst of gross materialists, in which case their original

Krsna consciousness becomes almost extinct. Some sparks fall

to the ground and remain midway between the blazing and

extinct conditions. Thus some living entities are without

Krsna consciousness, some are between having and not having

Krsna consciousness, and some are actually situated in Krsna

consciousness. The demigods in the higher planets, beginning

form Lord Brahma, Indra, Candra, the sun-god, the moon-god,

and various other demigods, are all Krsna conscious. Human

society is between the demigods and the animals, and thus some

are more or less Krsna conscious, and some are

completely forgetful of Krsna consciousness. The third-grade

living entities, namely the animals, beasts, plants, trees and

aquatics, have completely forgotten Krsna consciousness. This

example stated in the Vedas of the the sparks of a

blazing fire is very appropriate for understanding the

condition of different types of living entities. But above all

other living entities is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Krsna or Purusottama, who is always liberated from all

material conditions.

"The question may be raised as to why the living entities have

fallen by chance into different conditions of life. To answer

this question, we first have to understand that there cannot

be any influence of chance for the living entities; chance is

for nonliving entities. According to the Vedic literatures,

living entities have knowledge, and thus they are called

caitanya, which means in knowledge. Their situation in

different conditions of life, therefore, is not accidental. It

is by their choice because they have knowledge. In the

Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, 'Give up everything and just

surrender unto Me.' This process of realizing the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is open for everyone, but still it is

the choice of the particular living entity whether to accept

or reject this proposal. In the last portion of the Bhagavad-

gita, Lord Krsna very plainly said to Arjuna, 'My dear Arjuna,

now I have spoken everything to you. Everything now depends on

whether you choose to accept it.' Similarly, the

living entities who have come down to this material world have

made their own choice to enjoy this material world. It is not

that Krsna sent them into this material world. The material

world is created for the enjoyment of living entities who

wanted to give up the eternal service of the Lord to become

the supreme enjoyer themselves. According to Vaisnava

philosophy, when a living entity desires to gratify his senses

and forgets the service of the Lord, he is given a place in

the material world to act freely according to his desire, and

therefore he creates a condition of life in which he either

enjoys or suffers. We should know definitely that both

the Lord and the living entities are eternally cognizant.

There is no birth and death for either the Lord or the living

entities. When creation takes place, it does not mean that

the living entities are created. The Lord creates this

material world to give the conditioned souls a chance to

elevate themselves to the higher platform of Krsna

consciousness. If the conditioned soul does not take advantage

of this opportunity, then after the dissolution of this

material world, he enters into the body of Narayana and

remains there in deep sleep until the time of another creation.

"In this connection the example of the rainy season is very

appropriate. Seasonal rainfall may be taken as the agent for

creation because after the rainfall the wet fields are

favorable for growing different types of vegetation. Similarly,

as soon as there is creation by the Lord's glancing over the

material nature, immediately the living entities spring up in

their different living conditions, just as different types of

vegetation grow after a rainfall. The rainfall is one, but the

creation of the different vegetables is varied. The rain falls

equally on the whole field, but the different vegetables

sprout up in different shapes and different forms according to

the seeds planted. Similarly, the seeds of our desires are

varied. Every living entity has a different type of desire,

and that desire is the seed which causes his growth in a

certain type of body. This is explained by Rupa Gosvami by the

word papa-bija. Papa means sinful. All our material desires

are to be taken as papa-bija, or the seeds of sinful desires.

Bhagavad-gita explains that our sinful desire is that we

do not surrender unto the Supreme Lord. The Lord therefore

says in Bhagavad-gita, 'I shall give you protection from

the resultant actions of sinful desires.' These sinful desires

are manifested in different types of bodies; therefore, no one

can accuse the Supreme Lord of partiality in His giving one

type of body to a certain type of living entity and another

type of body to another living entity. All the bodies of the 8,

400,000 species come according to the mental condition

of the individual living entities. The Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Purusottama, only gives them a chance to act

according to their desires. Therefore, the living entities are

acting, taking advantage of the facility given by the Lord.

"At the same time, they are born from the

transcendental body of the Lord. This relationship between the

Lord and the living entities is explained in the Vedic

literatures, wherein it is said that the Supreme Lord

maintains all His children, giving them whatever they want.

Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gita, the Lord says, 'I am the seed-

giving father of all living entities.' It is very simple to

understand that the father gives birth to the children, but

the children act according to their own desires. Therefore the

father is never responsible for the different futures of his

children. Each child can take advantage of the father's

property and instruction, but even though the inheritance and

instruction may be the same for all the children, out of their

different desires, each child creates a different life and

thereby suffers or enjoys.

"Similarly, the Bhagavad-gita's instructions are equal for

everyone; everyone should surrender unto the Supreme Lord, and

He will take charge of them and protect them from sinful

reactions. The facilities of living in the creation of the

Lord are equally offered to all living entities. Whatever

there is, either on the land, on water or in the sky, is

equally given to all living entities. Since they are all

sons of the Supreme Lord, everyone can enjoy the material

facilities given by the Lord, but unfortunate living entities

create unfavorable conditions of life by fighting among

themselves. The responsibility for this fighting and creating

favorable and unfavorable situations of life lies with the

living entities, not with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Therefore, if the living entities take advantage of the Lord's

instructions as given in the Bhagavad-gita and develop Krsna

consciousness, then their lives become sublime, and they can

go back to Godhead.

"One may argue that because this material world is created by

the Lord, He is therefore responsible for its condition.

Certainly He is indirectly responsible for the creation and

maintenance of this material world, but He is never

responsible for the different conditions of the living

entities. The Lord's creation of this material world is

compared to the cloud's creation of vegetation. In the rainy

season the cloud creates different varieties of vegetables.

The cloud pours water on the surface of the earth, but it

never touches the earth directly. Similarly, the Lord creates

this material world simply by glancing over the material

energy. This is confirmed in the Vedas: He threw His glance

over the material nature, and thus there was creation. In the

Bhagavad-gita it is also confirmed that simply by His

transcendental glance over the material nature, He creates

different varieties of entities, both movable and immovable,

living and dead.

"The creation of the material world can therefore be taken as

one of the pastimes of the Lord; it is called one of the

pastimes of the Lord because He creates this

material world whenever He desires. This desire of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is also extreme mercy on His part

because it gives another chance to the conditioned souls

to develop their original consciousness and

thus go back to Godhead. Therefore no one can blame the

Supreme Lord for creating this material world.

"From the subject matter under discussion, we can gain a clear

understanding of the difference between the impersonalists and

the personalists. The impersonal conception recommends merging

in the existence of the Supreme, and the voidist philosophy

recommends making all material varieties void. Both these

philosophies are known as Mayavada. Certainly the cosmic

manifestation comes to a close and becomes void when the

living entities merge into the body of Narayana to rest until

another creation, and this may be called an impersonal

condition, but these conditions are never eternal. The

cessation of the variegatedness of the material world and the

merging of the living entities into the body of the Supreme

are not permanent because the creation will take place again,

and the living entities who merge into the body of the

Supreme without having developed their Krsna consciousness

will again appear in this material world when there is another

creation. The Bhagavad-gita confirms the fact that this

material world is created and annihilated. This is going on

perpetually, and conditioned souls who are without Krsna

consciousness come back again and again whenever the material

creation is manifest. If such conditioned souls take advantage

of this opportunity and develop Krsna consciousness under the

direct instruction of the Lord, then they are transferred to

the spiritual world and do not have to come back again to the

material creation. It is said, therefore, that the voidists

and the impersonalists are not very intelligent because they

do not take shelter under the lotus feet of the Lord. Because

they are less intelligent, these voidists and impersonalists

take to different types of austerities, either to attain the

stage of nirvana, which means finishing the material

conditions of life, or to attain oneness by merging into the

body of the Lord. All of them again fall down because they

neglect the lotus feet of the Lord."

In the Caitanya-caritamrta, the author, Krsnadasa Kaviraja

Gosvami, after studying all the Vedic literature and hearing

from all authorities, has given his opinion that Krsna is the

only supreme master and that all living entities are His

eternal servants. His statement is confirmed in the prayers by

the personified Vedas. The conclusion is, therefore, that

everyone is under the control of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, everyone is serving under the supreme direction of

the Lord, and everyone is afraid of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. It is out of fear of Him that activities are being

rightly executed. Everyone's position is to be subordinate to

the Supreme Lord, yet the Lord has no partiality in His view

of the living entities. He is just like the unlimited sky; as

the sparks of a fire dance in the fire, similarly, all living

entities are like birds flying in the unlimited sky

. Some of them are flying very high, some are

flying at a lesser altitude, and some are flying at a still

lesser altitude. The different birds are flying in different

positions according to their respective abilities to fly, but

the sky has nothing to do with this ability. In the Bhagavad-

gita also, the Lord confirms that He awards different

positions to different living entities according to

their proportionate surrender. This proportionate reward by

the Personality of Godhead to the living entities is not

partiality. Therefore, in spite of the living entities' being

situated in different positions, in different spheres, and in

different species of life, all of them are always under

the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

, and yet He is never

responsible for their different living conditions. It is

foolish and artificial, therefore, to think oneself equal to

the Supreme Lord, and it is still more foolish to think that

one has not seen God. Everyone is seeing God in His

different aspects; the only difference is that the theist

sees God as the Supreme Personality, the most beloved, Krsna,

and the atheist sees the Absolute Truth as ultimate death.

The personified Vedas continued to pray. "Our dear Lord

from all Vedic information it is understood that

You are the supreme controller, and all living entities are

controlled. Both the Lord and the living entities are called

nitya, eternal, and so are qualitatively one, yet the singular

nitya, or the Supreme Lord, is the controller, whereas the

plural nityas are controlled. The individual controlled living

entity resides within the body, and the supreme controller, as

Supersoul, is also present there, but the Supersoul is

controlling the individual soul. That is the verdict of the

Vedas. If the individual soul were not controlled by the

Supersoul, then how could one explain the Vedic version that a

living entity transmigrates from one body to another, enjoying

and suffering the effects of his past deeds?

Sometimes he is promoted to a higher standard of

life, and sometimes he is degraded to a lower standard of

life? Thus the conditioned souls are not only under the

control of the Supreme Lord, but they are also conditioned by

the control of the material nature. This relationship of the

living entities to the Supreme Lord as the controlled and

the controller definitely proves that although the Supersoul

is all-pervasive, the individual living entities are never all-

pervasive. If the individual souls were all-pervasive, there

would be no question of their being controlled. The theory

that the Supersoul and the individual soul are equal is

therefore a polluted conclusion, and no sensible person

accepts it; rather, one should try to understand the

distinctions between the supreme eternal and the subordinate

eternals."

The personified Vedas therefore concluded, "O Lord, both You

and the limited dhruvas, the living

entities, are eternal. The form of the

unlimited eternal is sometimes calculated as the universal

form, and in the Vedic literatures like the Upanisads, the

form of the limited eternal is vividly described. It is said

therein that the original spiritual form of the living entity

is one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair. It is

stated that the spirit is greater than the greatest and

smaller than the smallest. The individual living entities, who

are eternally part and parcel of God, are smaller than the

smallest. With our material senses, we can perceive neither

the Supreme, who is greater than the greatest, nor the

individual soul, who is smaller than the smallest. We

have to

understand both the greatest and the smallest

from the authoritative sources of Vedic literature

. Vedic literature states that the Supersoul is

sitting within the body of a living entity and is

as big as a thumb. Therefore the argument may be put forward,

how can something the size of a thumb be accommodated within

the heart of an ant? The answer is that this thumb measurement

of the Supersoul is imagined in proportion to the body of the

living entity. In all circumstances, therefore, the

Supersoul and the individual living entity cannot be taken as

one, although both of them enter within the material body of a

living entity. The Supersoul living within the heart is for

directing or controlling the individual living entity.

Although both are dhruva, or eternal, the living entity is

always under the direction of the Supreme.

"It may be argued that because the living entities are born of

the material nature, they are all equal and independent. In

the Vedic literature, however, it is said that the Supreme

Personality of Godhead impregnates the material nature with

the living entities, and then they come out. Therefore, the

appearance of the individual living entities is not factually

due to material nature alone, just as a child produced by a

woman is not her independent production. A woman is first

impregnated by a man, and then a child is produced. As such,

the child produced by the woman is part and parcel of the man.

Similarly, the living entities are apparently produced by the

material nature, but not independently. It is due to the

impregnation of material nature by the supreme father that

the living entities are present. Therefore the argument that

the individual living entities are not part and parcel of

the Supreme cannot stand. For example, the different parts and

parcels of the body cannot be taken as equal to the whole;

rather, the whole body is the controller of the different

limbs. Similarly, the parts and parcels of the supreme whole

are always dependent and are always controlled by the source

of the parts and parcels. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita

that the living entities are part and parcel of Krsna:

mamaivamso. No sane man, therefore, will accept the theory

that the Supersoul and the individual soul are of the same

category. They are equal in quality, but quantitatively the

Supersoul is always the Supreme, and the individual soul is

always subordinate to the Supersoul. That is the conclusion of

the Vedas."

Two significant words used in this connection is yanmaya

and cinmaya. In Sanskrit grammar, the word mayat is used

in the sense of transformation, and also in the sense of

sufficiency. The Mayavadi philosophers interpret

that yanmaya or cinmaya indicates that

the living entity is always equal to the Supreme. But one has

to consider whether this affix, mayat, is used for

sufficiency or for transformation. The living

entity never possesses anything exactly in the same proportion

as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, this mayat

affix cannot be used to mean that the individual living entity

is self-sufficient. The individual

living entity never has sufficient knowledge; otherwise, how

could he have come under the control of maya, or the material

energy? The word sufficient can be accepted,

therefore, only in proportion to the magnitude of the living

entity. The spiritual oneness of the Supreme Lord and the

living entities is never to be accepted as homogeneity. Each

and every living entity is individual. If homogeneous oneness

is accepted, then by the liberation of one individual soul,

all other individual souls would have been liberated

immediately. But the fact is that every individual soul is

differently enjoying and suffering in the material world.

The word mayat is also used in the sense

of transformation, or sometimes it is also used to mean by-

product. The impersonalist theory is that Brahman Himself has

accepted different types of bodies and that this is His lila

or pastime. There are, however, many hundreds and thousands of

species of life in different standards of living conditions,

such as human beings, demigods, animals, birds and beasts, and

if all of them were expansions of the Supreme Absolute

Truth, then there would be no question of liberation because

Brahman is already liberated. Another interpretation put

forward by the Mayavadis is that in every millennium different

types of bodies are manifested, and when the millennium is

closed, all the different bodies or expansions of Brahman

automatically become one, ending all different manifestations.

Then in the next millennium, according to this theory, Brahman

again expands in different bodily forms. If we accept this

theory, then Brahman becomes subject to change. But this

cannot be accepted. From Vedanta-sutra we understand that

Brahman is by nature joyful. He cannot, therefore, change

Himself into a body which is subject to painful

conditions. Actually, the living entities who are

part and parcel of Brahman are infinitesimal

particles prone to be covered by the illusory energy.

As explained before, the particles of Brahman are like sparks

blissfully dancing within a fire, but there is a chance of

their falling from the fire to smoke, although smoke is

another condition of fire. This material world is just like

smoke, and the spiritual world is just like a blazing fire.

The innumerable living entities are prone to fall down to the

material world from the spiritual world when influenced by

illusory energy, and it is also possible for the living entity

to become liberated again when by cultivation of real

knowledge he becomes completely freed from the contamination

of the material world.

The theory of the asuras is that the living entities are born

of material nature, or prakrti, in touch with the purusa. This

theory also cannot be accepted because both the material

nature and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are eternally

existing. Neither the material nature nor the Supreme

Personality of Godhead can be born. The Supreme Lord is known

as aja, or unborn. Similarly, the material nature is also

called aja. Both the terms, aja and aja, mean unborn.

Because both the material nature and the Supreme Lord are

unborn, it is not possible that they can beget the living

entities. As

water in contact with air sometimes presents innumerable

bubbles, so a combination of material nature and the

Supreme Person causes the appearance of the living entities

within this material world. As bubbles in the water appear in

different shapes, similarly the living entities also appear in

the material world in different shapes and conditions,

influenced by the modes of material nature. As such, it

is not improper to conclude that the living entities appearing

within this material world in different shapes, such as human

beings, demigods, animals, birds, beasts, etc., all get

their respective bodies due to different desires. No one can

say when such desires were awakened in them, and therefore it

is said, anadi-karma: the cause of such material existence is

untraceable. No one knows when material life began, but it is

a fact that it does have a point of beginning because

originally every living entity is a spiritual spark. As sparks

falling onto the ground from a fire have a beginning,

similarly the living entities coming to this material world

have a beginning, but no one can say when. Even during

the time of dissolution, these living entities

remain merged in the spiritual existence of the Lord, as

if in deep sleep, but their original desires to lord it over

the material nature do not subside. Again, when there is

cosmic manifestation, they come out to fulfill the same

desires, and therefore they appear in different species of

life.

This merging into the Supreme at the time of

dissolution is compared to honey. In the honeycomb, the

tastes of different flowers and fruits are conserved. When one

drinks honey, one cannot distinguish what sort of honey has

been collected from what sort of flower, but the palatable

taste of the honey presupposes that the honey is not

homogeneous, but is a combination of different tastes. Another

example is that although different rivers ultimately mix with

the water of the sea, that does not mean that the individual

identities of the rivers are thereby lost. Although the water

of the Ganges and the Yamuna mixes with the water

of the sea, the River Ganges and River Yamuna still continue

to exist independently. The merging of different living

entities into Brahman at the time of dissolution involves the

dissolution of different types of bodies, but the living

entities, along with their different tastes, remain

individually submerged in Brahman until another manifestation

of the material world. As the salty taste of seawater and the

sweet taste of Ganges water are different, and this difference

continuously exists, so the difference between the Supreme

Lord and the living entities continually exists, even though

it appears that at the time of dissolution they

merge. The conclusion is, therefore, that even when the living

entities become free from all contamination of material

conditions, they merge into the spiritual kingdom, for still

their individual tastes in relationship with the Supreme Lord

continue to exist.

The personified Vedas continued: "Our dear Lord, it is

our conclusion that all living entities

are attracted by Your material energy, and only due

to their mistakenly identifying themselves as products of the

material nature are they transmigrating from one kind of

body to another in forgetfulness of their eternal relationship

with You. Because of ignorance, these living entities

are misidentifying themselves in different species of

life, and especially when they are elevated to the human form

of life, they identify with a particular class of men, or a

particular nation or race or so-called religion, forgetting

their real identity as eternal servants of Your Lordship. Due

to this faulty conception of life, they are undergoing

repeated birth and death. Out of many millions of them, if one

becomes intelligent enough, by association with pure devotees,

he comes to the understanding of Krsna consciousness and comes

out of the jurisdiction of the material misconception."

In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is confirmed by Lord Caitanya

that the living entities are wandering within this universe in

different species of life, but if one of them becomes

intelligent enough, by the mercy of the spiritual master and

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, then he begins his

devotional life in Krsna consciousness. It is said, harim vina

na mrtim taranti: without the help of the Supreme Personality

of Godhead, one cannot get out of the clutches of repeated

birth and death. In other words, only the Supreme Lord, the

Personality of Godhead, can relieve the conditioned souls from

the cycle of repeated birth and death.

The personified Vedas continued: "The influence of time --

past, present and future -- and the material miseries, such as

excessive heat, excessive cold, birth, death, old age,

disease, are all simply the movement of Your eyebrows.

Everything is working under Your direction. It is said in the

Bhagavad-gita that all material activity is going on under the

direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.

All the conditions of material existence are

opposing elements for persons who are not surrendered unto You.

But for those who are surrendered souls and are in full Krsna

consciousness, these things cannot be a source of fearfulness.

When Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared, Prahlada Maharaja was

never afraid of Him, whereas his atheist father was

immediately faced with death personified and was killed.

Therefore, although Lord Nrsimhadeva appears as death for

an atheist like Hiranyakasipu, He is always kind and is the

reservoir of all pleasure to the devotees like Prahlada. A

pure devotee is not, therefore, afraid of birth, death, old

age and disease.

Sripada Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse

, the purport of which is as follows: "My dear Lord, I

am a living entity perpetually disturbed by the conditions of

material existence. I have been cracked into different pieces

by the smashing wheel of material existence, and because of my

various sinful activities while existing in this material

world, I am burning in the blazing fire of material reaction.

Somehow or other, my dear Lord, I have come to take shelter

under Your lotus feet. Please accept me and give me protection.

" Srila Narottama dasa Thakur also prays like this: "My

dear Lord, O son of Nanda Maharaja, associated with the

daughter of Vrsabhanu, I have come to take shelter under Your

lotus feet after suffering greatly in the material condition

of life, and I pray that You please be merciful upon me.

Please do not kick me away; I have no other shelter but

You."

The conclusion is that any process of self-realization or God

realization other than bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, is

extremely difficult. Taking shelter of devotional service to

the Lord in full Krsna consciousness is therefore the only way

to become free from the contamination of material conditional

life, especially in this age. Those who are not in Krsna

consciousness are simply wasting their time, and they have no

tangible proof of spiritual life.

It is said by Lord Ramacandra, "I always give confidence and

security to anyone who surrenders unto Me and decides

definitely that He is My eternal servant because that is My

natural inclination." Similarly, Lord Krsna says in the

Bhagavad-gita, "The influence of the material nature is

insurmountable, but anyone who surrenders unto Me can verily

overcome the influence of material nature." The devotees are

not at all interested in arguing with the nondevotees to

nullify their theories. Rather than wasting their time, they

always engage themselves in the transcendental loving service

of the Lord in full Krsna consciousness.

The personified Vedas continued: "Our dear Lord, although

great mystic yogis may have full control over the elephant of

the mind and the hurricane of the senses, unless they take

shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, they fall victims to

the material influence and never become successful in their

attempts at self-realization. Such unguided persons are

compared to merchants going to sea on a ship without a captain.

By his personal attempts, therefore, no one cannot get

free from the clutches of material nature. One has to accept a

bona fide spiritual master and work according to his direction.

Then it is possible to cross over the ocean of nescience of

material conditions. Sripada Sridhara Svami has composed a

nice verse in this connection, in which he says, "O all-

merciful spiritual master, representative of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, when will my mind be completely

surrendered unto your lotus feet? At that time, only by your

mercy, I shall be able to get relief from all obstacles to

spiritual life, and I shall be situated in blissful life."

Actually, ecstatic samadhi, or absorption in the Supreme

Personality of Godhead can be achieved by constant engagement

in His service, and this constant engagement in devotional

service can be performed only when one is working under the

direction of a bona fide spiritual master. The Vedas therefore

instruct that in order to know the science of devotional

service, one has to submit himself unto the bona fide

spiritual master. The bona fide spiritual master is he who

knows the science of devotional service in disciplic

succession. This disciplic succession is called srotriyam. The

prime symptom of one who has become a spiritual master in

disciplic succession is that he is one hundred percent fixed

in bhakti-yoga. Sometimes people neglect to accept a spiritual

master, and instead they endeavor for self-realization by

mystic yoga practice, but there are many instances of failure,

even by great yogis like Visvamitra. Arjuna said in the

Bhagavad-gita that controlling the mind is as impractical as

stopping the blowing of a hurricane. Sometimes the mind is

compared to a maddened elephant. Without following the

direction of a spiritual master one cannot control the mind

and the senses. In other words, if one practices yoga

mysticism and does not accept a bona fide spiritual master, he

will surely fail. He will simply waste his valuable time. The

Vedic injunction is that no one can have full knowledge

without being under the guidance of an acarya. Acaryavan

puruso veda: one who has accepted an acarya knows what is what.

The Absolute Truth cannot be understood by arguments. One who

has attained the perfect brahminical stage naturally becomes

renounced; he does not strive for material gain because by

spiritual knowledge he has come to the conclusion that in this

world there is no insufficiency. Everything is sufficiently

provided by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A real

brahmana, therefore, does not endeavor for material perfection;

rather, he approaches a bona fide spiritual master to accept

orders from him. A spiritual master's qualification is that he

is brahmanistham, which means that he has given up all

other activities and has dedicated his life to working only

for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. When a bona

fide student approaches a bona fide spiritual master, he

submissively prays to the spiritual master, "My dear lord,

kindly accept me as your student and train me in such a way

that I will be able to give up all other kinds of processes

for self-realization and simply engage in Krsna consciousness,

devotional service."

The devotee engaged by the direction of the spiritual master

in the transcendental loving service of the Lord contemplates

as follows: "My dear Lord, You are the reservoir of pleasure.

Since You are present, what is the use of the transient

pleasure derived from society, friendship and love? Persons

who are unaware of the supreme reservoir of pleasure falsely

engage in deriving pleasure from sense gratification, but this

is transient and illusory." In this connection, Vidyapati, a

great Vaisnava devotee and poet, says, "My dear Lord,

undoubtedly there is some pleasure in the midst of society,

friendship and love, although it is materially conceived, but

such pleasure cannot satisfy my heart, which is like a desert."

In a desert there is a need of an ocean of water. But if only

a drop of water is poured on the desert, what is the value of

such water? Similarly, our material hearts are full of

multi-desires, which cannot be fulfilled within the

material society of friendship and love. When our hearts

begin to derive pleasure from the supreme reservoir of

pleasure, then we can be satisfied. That transcendental

satisfaction is only possible in devotional service, in

full Krsna consciousness.

The personified Vedas continued: "Our dear Lord, You are sac-

cid-ananda-vigraha, the ever-blissful form of

knowledge, and because the living entities are parts and

parcels of Your personality, their natural state of existence

is to be fully conscious of You. In this material world,

anyone who has developed such Krsna consciousness is no longer

interested in the materialistic way of life. A Krsna conscious

being becomes disinterested in family life or opulent living

conditions, and he requires only a little concession for

his bodily needs. In other words, he is no longer

interested in sense gratification. The perfection of human

life is based on knowledge and renunciation, but it is very

difficult to attempt to reach the stage of knowledge and

renunciation while in family life. Krsna conscious persons

therefore take shelter of the association of devotees or

sanctified places of pilgrimage. Such persons are aware of the

relationship between the Supersoul and the individual living

entities, and they are never in the bodily concept of life.

Because they always carry You in full consciousness within

their hearts, they are so purified that any place they go

becomes a holy place of pilgrimage, and the water which washes

their feet is able to deliver many sinful persons hovering

within this material world."

When Prahlada Maharaja was asked by his atheistic father to

describe something very good which he had learned, he replied

to his father that for a materialistic person who is

always full of anxieties due to being engaged in temporary and

relative truths, the best course is to give up the blind well

of family life and go to the forest to take shelter of the

Supreme Lord. Those who are actually pure devotees are

celebrated as mahatmas, or great sages, personalities perfect

in knowledge. They always think of the Supreme Lord and His

lotus feet, and thus they become automatically

liberated. Devotees who are always situated in that position

become electrified by the inconceivable potencies of the Lord,

and thus they themselves become the source of liberation for

their followers and devotees. A Krsna conscious person is

fully electrified spiritually, and therefore anyone who

touches or takes shelter of such a pure devotee becomes

similarly electrified with spiritual potencies. Such devotees

are never puffed up with material opulences. Generally, the

material opulences are good parentage, education, beauty and

riches, but although a devotee of the Lord may possess all

four of these material opulences, he is never carried away by

the pride of possessing such distinctions. Great devotees of

the Lord travel all over the world from one place of

pilgrimage to another, and on their way they meet many

conditioned souls and deliver them by their association and

distribution of transcendental knowledge. They

reside in places like Vrndavana, Mathura, Dvaraka, Jagannatha

Puri and Navadvipa because only devotees assemble in such

places. In this way they

take

advantage of saintly association,

and by

such association the devotees

advance more and more in Krsna consciousness. Such advancement

is not possible in ordinary household life which is devoid of

Krsna consciousness.

The personified Vedas continue: "Our dear Lord, there are

two classes of transcendentalists, the impersonalists and the

personalists. The opinion of the impersonalists is that this

material manifestation is false and that only the Absolute

Truth is factual. The view of the personalist, however, is

that the material world, although very temporary, is

nevertheless not false, but is factual. Such

transcendentalists have different arguments to establish the

validity of their philosophies. Factually, the material world

is simultaneously both truth and untruth. It is truth because

everything is an expansion of the Supreme Absolute Truth, and

it is untruth because the existence of the material world is

temporary; it is created, and it is annihilated. Because of

its different conditions of existence, the cosmic

manifestation has no fixed position. Those who advocate

acceptance of this material world as false are generally known

by the maxim brahma satya jagan mithya. They put forward the

argument that everything in the material world is prepared

from matter. For example, there are many things made of clay,

such as earthen pots, dishes and balls. After their

annihilation, these things may become transformed into many

other material objects, but in all cases, their existence as

clay continues. An earthen water jug, after being broken, may

be transformed into a bowl or dish, but either as a dish, bowl

or water jug, the earth itself continues to exist. Therefore,

the forms of a water jug, bowl or dish are false, but their

existence as earth is real. This is the impersonalists'

version. This cosmic manifestation is certainly produced from

the Absolute Truth, but because its existence is temporary, it

is therefore false; the impersonalists' understanding is that

the Absolute Truth, which is always present, is the only truth.

In the opinion of other transcendentalists, however, this

material world, being produced of the Absolute Truth, is also

truth. The impersonalists' counter-argument is that the

material world is not factual because sometimes it is

found that matter is produced from spirit soul, and

sometimes spirit soul is produced from matter. Such

philosophers push forward the argument that although cow dung

is dead matter, sometimes it is found that scorpions come out

of cow dung. Similarly, dead matter like nails and hair comes

out of the living body. Therefore, things produced of a

certain thing are not always the same.

On the strength of this argument, Mayavadi philosophers

establish that although this cosmic manifestation is

certainly an emanation from the Absolute Truth, the cosmic

manifestation does not necessarily have truth in it. According

to this view, the Absolute Truth, Brahman, should therefore be

accepted as truth, whereas the cosmic manifestation, although

a product of the Absolute Truth, cannot be taken as truth.

The view of the Mayavadi philosopher, however, is stated in

the Bhagavad-gita to be the view of the asuras, or demons. The

Lord says in Bhagavad-gita, asatyam apratistham te jagad

ahur anisvaram

. The asuras' view of this cosmic manifestation is

that the whole creation is false. The asuras think that the

mere interaction of matter is the source of the creation, and

there is no controller or God. But actually that is not

the fact. From the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, we

understand that the five gross elements -- earth, water, air,

fire and sky -- plus the subtle elements -- mind, intelligence

and false ego -- are the eight separated energies of the

Supreme Lord. Beyond this inferior material energy, there is

a spiritual energy, which is known as the living entities. The

living entities are also accepted as the superior energy of

the Lord. The whole cosmic manifestation is a combination of

the inferior and superior energies, and the source of the

energies is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme

Personality of Godhead has many different types of energies.

That is confirmed in the Vedas: parasya saktir vividhaiva

sruyate. The transcendental

energies of the Lord are variegated, and because such

varieties have emanated from the Supreme Lord,

they cannot be false. The Lord is ever-existing, and the

energies are ever-existing. Some of the energy is temporary --

sometimes manifested and sometimes unmanifested -- but that

does not mean that it is false. The example may be given that

when a person is angry he does things which are different from

his normal condition of life, but that the mood of

anger only appears and disappears does not mean that the

energy of anger is false. As such, the argument of the

Mayavadi philosophers that this world is false is not accepted

by the Vaisnava philosophers. It is confirmed by the Lord

Himself that the view that there is no supreme cause

of this material manifestation, that there is no God, and that

everything is only the creation of the interaction of matter

is a view of the asuras.

The Mayavadi philosopher sometimes puts forward the argument

of the snake and the rope. In the dark of evening, a curled up

rope is sometimes, due to ignorance, taken for a snake. But

mistaking the rope as a snake does not mean that the rope or

the snake is false, and therefore this example, used by the

Mayavadis to illustrate the falsity of this material world, is

not valid. When a thing is taken as fact but actually has no

existence at all, it is called false. But if something is

mistaken for something else, that does not mean

that it is false. The Vaisnava philosophers use a very

appropriate example comparing this material world to an

earthen pot. When we see an earthen pot, it does not at once

disappear and turn into something else. It may be temporary,

but the earthen pot is taken into use for bringing water, and

we continue to see it as an earthen pot. Therefore, although

the earthen pot is temporary and is different from the

original earth, still we cannot say that it is false. We

should therefore conclude that the entire earth and the

earthen pot are both truths because one is the product of

the other. We understand from Bhagavad-gita that after the

dissolution of this cosmic manifestation, the energy

enters into the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme

Personality of Godhead is ever-existing with His varied

energies. Because the material creation is an emanation from

Him, we cannot say that this cosmic manifestation is a product

of something void. Krsna is not void. Whenever we speak of

Krsna, He is present with His form, quality, name, entourage

and paraphernalia. Therefore, Krsna is not impersonal. The

original cause of everything is neither void nor impersonal,

but is the Supreme Person. Demons may say that this material

creation is anisvara, without a controller or God, but such

arguments ultimately cannot stand.

The example given by the Mayavadi philosophers that inanimate

matter like nails and hair comes out from the living body is

not a very sound argument. Nails and hair are undoubtedly

inanimate, but they come not from the animate living being,

but from the inanimate material body. Similarly, the argument

that the scorpion comes from cow dung, meaning that a living

entity comes from matter, is also not sound. The scorpion

which comes out of the cow dung is certainly a living entity,

but the living entity does not come out of the cow dung. Only

the living entity's material body, or the body of the scorpion,

comes out of the cow dung. The sparks of the living entity,

as we understand from Bhagavad-gita, are impregnated

within material nature, and then they come out. The body of

the living entity in different forms is supplied by material

nature, but the living entity himself is begotten by the

Supreme Lord. The father and the mother give the body which is

necessary for the living entity under certain conditions. The

living entity transmigrates from one body to another according

to his different desires. The desires in the subtle form of

intelligence, mind and false ego accompany the living entity

from body to body, and by superior arrangement a living entity

is put into the womb of a certain type of material body, and

then he develops a similar body. Therefore, the spirit soul is

not produced from matter, but it takes on a particular type of

body under superior arrangement. To our present

experience, this material world is a combination of matter and

spirit. The spirit is moving the matter. The spirit soul (the

living entity) and matter are different energies of the

Supreme Lord. Since both energies are products of

the supreme eternal or the supreme truth, they are therefore

factual; they are not false. Because the living entity is part

and parcel of the Supreme, he is existing eternally.

Therefore, there cannot be any question of birth or

death. So-called birth and death occur because of the material

body. The Vedic version sarvam khalv idam brahma means that

since both the energies have emanated from the Supreme Brahman,

everything that we experience is not different from

Brahman.

There are many arguments about the existence of this material

world, but the Vaisnava philosophical conclusion is the best.

The example of the earthen pot is very suitable: the form of

the earthen pot may be temporary, but it has a specific

purpose. The purpose of the earthen pot is to carry water from

one place to another. Similarly, this material body, although

temporary, has a special use. The living entity is given a

chance from the beginning of the creation to evolve different

kinds of material bodies according to the reserve desires he

has accumulated from time immemorial. The human form of body

is a special chance in which the developed form of

consciousness can be utilized.

Sometimes the Mayavadi philosophers push forward the argument

that if this material world is truth, then why are

householders advised to give up their connection with this

material world and take sannyasa? But the Vaisnava

philosopher's view of sannyasa is not that because the world

is false, one must therefore give up material activities. The

purpose of Vaisnava sannyasa is to utilize things as they are

intended. Srila Rupa Gosvami has given

two formulas for our dealing with this

material world. When a Vaisnava renounces this materialistic

way of life and takes to sannyasa, it is not on the conception

of the falsity of the material world, but to devote himself

fully to engaging everything in the service of the Lord. Srila

Rupa Gosvami therefore gives this formula: One should be

unattached to the material world because material attachment

is meaningless. The entire material world, the entire cosmic

manifestation, belongs to God, Krsna. Therefore, everything

should be utilized for Krsna, and the devotee should remain

unattached to material things. This is the purpose of

Vaisnava sannyasa. A materialist sticks to the world for sense

gratification, but a Vaisnava sannyasi, although not accepting

anything for his personal sense gratification, knows the art

of utilizing everything for the service of the Lord. Srila

Rupa Gosvami has therefore criticized the Mayavadi sannyasis

because they do not

know that everything has a utilization for the service of the

Lord. On the contrary, they take the world to be false and

thus falsely think of being liberated from the contamination

of the material world. Since everything is an expansion of

the energy of the Supreme Lord, the expansions are as real as

the Supreme Lord is.

That the cosmic world is only temporarily manifested does not

mean that it is false or that the source of its manifestation

is false. Since the source of its manifestation is truth, the

manifestation is also truth, but one must know how to utilize

it. The same example can be cited:

the temporary earthen pot is produced from the whole earth

, but when it is utilized for a proper purpose, the

earthen pot is not false. The Vaisnava philosophers know how

to utilize the temporary construction of this material world,

just as a sane man knows how to utilize the temporary

construction of the earthen pot. When the earthen pot is

utilized for a wrong purpose, that is false. Similarly, this

human form of body, or this material world, when utilized for

false sense gratification, is false. But if this human form of

body and the material creation are utilized for the service of

the Supreme Lord, their activities are never false. It is

therefore confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that a little

service attitude in utilizing this body and the material

world for the service of the Lord can deliver a person from

the gravest danger of life. When they are properly utilized,

neither the superior nor inferior energies emanating from the

Supreme Personality of Godhead are false. As far as fruitive

activities are concerned, they are mainly based on the

platform of sense gratification. Therefore an advanced Krsna

conscious person does not take to them. The result of fruitive

activities can elevate one to the higher planetary system, but

as it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, foolish persons, after

exhausting the results of their pious activities in the

heavenly kingdom, come back again to this lower planetary

system and then again try to go to the higher planetary system.

Their only profit is to take the trouble of going and coming

back, just as at present many material scientists are spoiling

their time by trying to go to the moon planet and again come

back. Those who are engaged in such activities are described

by the Vedas personified as andha-parampara, or blind

followers of the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. Although such

ceremonies are certainly mentioned in the Vedas, they are not

meant for the intelligent class of men. Men who are too much

attached to material enjoyment are captivated by the prospect

of being elevated to the higher planetary systems, and so they

take to such ritualistic activities. But a person who is

intelligent, or who has taken shelter of a bona fide spiritual

master to see things as they are, does not take to fruitive

activities, but engages himself in the transcendental loving

service of the Lord.

Persons who are not devotees take to the Vedic ritualistic

ceremonies for materialistic reasons, and then they are

bewildered. A vivid example can be given: an intelligent

person possessing millions of dollars in currency notes

does not hold the money without using it, even though he knows

perfectly well that the currency notes in themselves are

nothing but paper. When one has one million dollars in

currency notes, he is actually holding only a huge bunch of

papers, but if he utilizes it for a purpose, then he benefits.

Similarly, although this material world may be false, just

like the paper, it has its proper beneficial utilization.

Because the currency notes, although paper, are issued by the

government, they therefore have full value. Similarly, this

material world may be false or temporary, but because it is an

emanation from the Supreme Lord, it has its full value. The

Vaisnava philosopher acknowledges the full value of this

material world and knows how to properly utilize it,

whereas the Mayavadi philosopher, mistaking the

currency note for false paper, gives

it up and cannot utilize the money. Srila Rupa Gosvami

therefore declares that if one rejects this material world as

false, not considering the importance of this material world

as a means to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such

renunciation has very little value. A person who knows the

intrinsic value of this material world for the service of the

Lord, who is not attached to the material world, and who

renounces the material world by not accepting it for sense

gratification is situated in real renunciation. This material

world is an expansion of the material energy of the Lord.

Therefore it is real. It is not false, as it is sometimes

concluded from the example of the snake and the rope.

The personified Vedas continued: "The cosmic manifestation,

because of the flickering nature of its impermanent existence,

appears to less intelligent men to be false." The Mayavadi

philosophers take advantage of the flickering nature of this

cosmic manifestation to prove their thesis that this

world is false. According to the Vedic version, before the

creation this world had no existence, and after dissolution

the world will no longer be manifested. Voidists also take

advantage of this Vedic version and conclude that the cause of

this material world is void. But Vedic injunction does

not say that it is void. The Vedic injunction defines the

source of creation and dissolution as yato va imani bhutani

jayante, "He from whom this cosmic manifestation has emanated

and in whom, after annihilation, everything will merge." The

same is explained in the Vedanta-sutra and in the first verse

of the First Chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam by the words

janmadyasya, He from whom all things

emanate. All these Vedic injunctions indicate that the cosmic

manifestation is due to the Supreme Absolute Personality of

Godhead, and when it is dissolved it merges into Him. The

same is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: this

cosmic manifestation is coming into existence and again

dissolving, and after dissolution it merges into the existence

of the Supreme Lord. This statement definitely confirms that

the particular energy known as bahi-ranga-maya, or the

external energy, although of flickering nature, is the energy

of the Supreme Lord, and as such it cannot be false. It simply

appears to be false. The Mayavadi philosophers conclude that

because the material nature has no existence in the beginning

and is nonexistent after dissolution, it is therefore false.

But by the example of the earthen pots and dishes the Vedic

version is presented: although the existence of the particular

by-products of the Absolute Truth are temporary, the energy of

the Supreme Lord is permanent. The earthen pot or water jug

may be broken or transformed into another shape, such as that

of a dish or bowl, but the ingredient, or the material basis,

namely the earth, continues to be the same. The basic

principle of this cosmic manifestation is always the same,

Brahman, or the Absolute Truth; therefore, the Mayavadi

philosophers' theory that it is false is certainly only

mental concoction. That the cosmic manifestation is flickering

and temporary does not mean that it is false. The definition

of falsity is that which never had any existence but is

existing only in name. For instance, the eggs of a horse or

the flower of the sky or the horn of a rabbit are

phenomena which exist only in name. There are no horse's eggs,

there is no rabbit's horn, nor are there flowers growing

in the sky. There are many things which exist in name or

imagination but actually have no factual manifestation. Such

things may be called false. But the Vaisnava cannot take this

material world to be false simply because of its temporary

nature is manifesting and again dissolving.

The personified Vedas continued to say that the Supersoul

and the individual soul, or Paramatma and jivatma, cannot be

equal in any circumstance, although both of them are sitting

within the same body, like two birds sitting in the same tree.

As declared in the Vedas, these two birds, although sitting as

friends, are not equal. One is simply a witness. This bird is

Paramatma, or the Supersoul. And the other bird is eating

the fruit of the tree. That is the jivatma. When there is

cosmic manifestation, the jivatma, or the individual soul,

appears in the creation in different forms, according to his

previous fruitive activities, and due to his long

forgetfulness of real existence, he identifies himself with a

particular form awarded to him by the laws of material nature.

After assuming a material form, he becomes subjected to the

three material modes of nature and acts accordingly to

continue his existence in the material world. While

enwrapped in such ignorance, his natural opulences, although

existing in minute quantity, are almost extinct. The

opulences of the Supersoul, or the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, however, are not diminished, although He appears

within this material world. He maintains all opulences and

perfections in full and yet keeps Himself apart from all

the tribulations of this material world. The conditioned soul

becomes entrapped in the material world, whereas the Supersoul,

or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, leaves it without

affection, just as a snake sheds his skin. The

distinction between the Supersoul and the conditioned

individual soul is that the Supersoul, or the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, maintains His natural opulences, known

as sad-aisvarya, asta-siddhi and asta-guna.

Because of their poor fund of knowledge, the Mayavadi

philosophers forget the fact that Krsna is always full of

six opulences, eight transcendental qualities and eight kinds

of perfection. The six opulences are that no one

is greater than Krsna in wealth, in strength,

in beauty, in fame, in knowledge and in

renunciation. The first of Krsna's eight transcendental

qualities is that He is always untouched by the contamination

of material existence. This is also mentioned in the

Isopanisad: apapa-viddham: just as the sun is never polluted

by any contamination, the Supreme Lord is never polluted by

any sinful activities. Similarly, although Krsna's actions

might sometimes seem to be impious, He is never polluted by

such actions. The second transcendental quality is that Krsna

never dies. In the Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter, He informs

Arjuna that both He and Arjuna had many appearances in this

material world, but He alone remembers all such

activities -- past, present and future. This means that He

never dies. Forgetfulness is due to death. As we die, we

change our bodies. That is forgetfulness. Krsna, however, is

never forgetful. He can remember everything that has happened

in the past. Otherwise, how could He remember that He first

taught the Bhagavad-gita yoga system to

the sun-god, Vivasvan? Therefore, He never dies. Nor does He

ever become an old man. Although Krsna was a great-grandfather

when He appeared on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, He did not

appear as an old man. Krsna cannot be polluted by any sinful

activities, Krsna never dies, Krsna never becomes old, Krsna

never becomes subjected to any lamentation, Krsna is never

hungry, and He is never thirsty. Whatever He desires is

perfectly lawful, and whatever He decides cannot be changed by

anyone. These are the transcendental qualities of Krsna.

Besides that, Krsna is known as Yogesvara. He has all

opulences or facilities of mystic powers, such as anima-siddhi,

the power to become smaller than the smallest. It is stated

in the Brahma-samhita that Krsna has entered even within the

atom, andantarastha-paramanu-

cayantarastham. Similarly, Krsna, as

Garbhodakasayi Visnu, is within the gigantic universe, and He

is lying in the Causal Ocean as Maha-Visnu in a body so

gigantic that when He exhales, millions and trillions of

universes emanate from His body. This is called mahima-siddhi.

Krsna also has the perfection of laghima: He can become the

lightest. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that it is because

Krsna enters within this universe and within the atoms that

all the planets are floating in the air. That is the

explanation of weightlessness. Krsna also has the perfection

of prapti: He can get whatever He likes. Similarly, He has the

facility of isita, controlling power. He is called the supreme

controller, Paramesvara. In addition, Krsna can bring anyone

under His influence. This is called vasita.

Krsna is endowed with all opulences,

transcendental qualities and mystic powers. No ordinary living

being can be compared to Him. Therefore, the Mayavadis'

theory that the Supersoul and the individual soul are equal is

only a misconception. The conclusion is, therefore, that Krsna

is worshipable and that all other living entities are simply

His servants. This understanding is called self-realization.

Any other realization of one's self beyond this relationship

of eternal servitorship of Krsna is impelled by maya. It is

said that the last snare of maya is to dictate to the

living entity to try to become equal to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. The Mayavadi philosopher claims to be

equal to God, but he cannot reply to the question of why he

has fallen into material entanglement. If he is the Supreme

God, then how is it that he has been overtaken by impious

activities and thereby subjected to the tribulations of the

law of karma? When the Mayavadis are asked about this, they

cannot properly answer. The speculation that one is equal to

the Supreme Personality of Godhead is another symptom of

sinful life. One cannot take to Krsna consciousness unless he

is completely freed from all sinful activities. The very fact

that the Mayavadi claims to become one with the Supreme Lord

means that he is not yet freed from the reactions of sinful

activities. Srimad-Bhagavatam says that such persons are

avisuddha-buddhaya, which means that

they falsely think themselves liberated, although at the same

time they think themselves equal with the Absolute Truth.

Their intelligence is not purified.

The personified Vedas said that if the yogis and the jnanis do

not free themselves from sinful desires, then their particular

process of self-realization will never be successful. "My

dear Lord," the personified Vedas continued, "if saintly

persons do not take care to eradicate completely the roots of

sinful desires, they cannot experience the Supersoul, although

He is sitting side by side with the individual soul. Samadhi,

or meditation, means that one has to find the Supersoul within

himself. One who is not free from sinful reactions cannot see

the Supersoul. If a person has a jeweled locket in his

necklace but forgets the jewel, it is almost as though he does

not possess it. Similarly, if an individual soul meditates but

does not actually perceive the presence of the Supersoul

within himself, he has not realized the Supersoul." Persons

who have taken to this path of self-realization must therefore

be very careful to be uncontaminated by the influence of

maya. Srila Rupa Gosvami says that a devotee should be

completely free from all sorts of material desires. A devotee

should not be affected by the resultant actions of karma and

jnana. One simply has to understand Krsna and carry out

His desires. That is the pure devotional stage.

"Mystic yogis who still have

contaminated desires for sense gratification never become

successful in their attempt, nor can they realize the

Supersoul within the individual self. As such, the so-called

yogis and jnanis who are simply wasting their time in

different types of sense gratification, either by mental

speculation or by exhibition of limited mystic powers, will

never become liberated from conditional life and will continue

to go through repeated births and deaths. For such persons,

both this life and the next life become sources of tribulation.

Such sinful persons are already suffering tribulation in this

life, and because they are not perfect in self-realization

they will be plagued with further tribulation in the next life.

Despite all endeavors to attain perfection, such yogis,

contaminated by desires for sense gratification, will continue

to suffer in this life and in the next."

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur remarks in this connection

that if sannyasis and persons in the renounced order of life

who have left their homes for self-realization do not engage

themselves in the devotional service of the Lord but become

attracted by philanthropic work, such as opening educational

institutions, hospitals, or even monasteries, churches or

temples of demigods, they find only trouble from such

engagements, not only in this life but in the next. Sannyasis

who do not take advantage of this life to realize Krsna simply

waste their time and energy in activities outside the

jurisdiction of the renounced order of life. A devotee's

attempt to engage his energies in such activities as

constructing a Visnu temple is, however, never wasted. Such

engagements are called Krsnarthe akhila-cesta, variegated

activities performed to please Krsna. A philanthropist's

opening a school building and a devotee's constructing a

temple are not on the same level. Although a philanthropist's

opening an educational institution may be pious activity, it

comes under the laws of karma, whereas constructing a temple

for Visnu is devotional service.

Devotional service is never within the jurisdiction of the law

of karma. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that devotees

transcend the reaction of the three modes of material nature

and stand on the platform of Brahman realization: brahma-

bhuyaya kalpate. The Bhagavad-gita says, sa gunan

samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate: devotees

of the Personality of Godhead transcend all the

reactions of the three modes of material nature and are

situated on the transcendental Brahman platform.

The devotees are liberated both in this life and in the

next. Any work done in this material world for Yajna or Visnu

or Krsna is considered to be liberated work, but without

connection with Acyuta, the infallible Supreme Personality of

Godhead, there is no possibility of stopping the resultant

actions of the law of karma. The life of Krsna consciousness

is the life of liberation. The conclusion is that a devotee,

by the grace of the Lord, is liberated, both in this life

and the next, whereas karmis, jnanis and yogis are never

liberated, either in this life or in the next.

The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, anyone who, by

Your grace, has understood the glories of Your lotus feet is

callous to material happiness and distress. The material

pangs are inevitable as long as we are existing within the

material world, but a devotee does not divert his attention to

such actions and reactions, which are the results of pious and

impious activities. Nor is a devotee very much disturbed or

pleased by praise or condemnation by the people in general.

A devotee is sometimes greatly praised by the people in

general because of his transcendental activities, and

sometimes he is criticized, even though there is no reason for

adverse criticism. The pure devotee is always

callous to praise or condemnation by the ordinary people.

Actually, the devotee's activities are on the transcendental

plane. He is not interested in the praise or condemnation of

people engaged in material activities. If the devotee can thus

maintain his transcendental position, then his liberation in

this life and in the next life is guaranteed by the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. A devotee's transcendental position

within this material world is maintained in the association of

pure devotees, simply by hearing the glorious activities

enacted by the Lord in different ages and in different

incarnations."

The Krsna

consciousness movement is based on this principle. Srila

Narottama dasa Thakur has sung, "My dear Lord, let me be

engaged in Your transcendental loving service, as indicated by

the previous acaryas, and let me live in the association of

pure devotees. That is my desire, life after life." In other

words a devotee does not much care whether or not he is

liberated, but he is anxious only for devotional service.

Devotional service means that one does not do anything

independently of the sanction of the acaryas. The actions of

the Krsna consciousness movement are directed by the previous

acaryas, headed by Srila Rupa Gosvami; in the association of

devotees following these principles, a devotee is able to

perfectly maintain his transcendental position.

In the Bhagavad-gita, the Lord says that a devotee who knows

Him perfectly is very dear to Him. Four kinds of pious men

take to devotional service. If a man is pious, then in

his distressed condition, he approaches the Lord for

mitigation of his distress. If a pious man is in need of

material help, he also prays to the Lord for such help. If a

pious man is actually inquisitive about the science of God, he

also approaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.

Similarly, a pious man who is simply anxious to know the

science of Krsna also approaches the Supreme Lord. Out of

these four classes of men, the last is praised by Krsna

Himself in the Bhagavad-gita. A person who tries to understand

Krsna with full knowledge and devotion by following in the

footsteps of previous acaryas conversant with the scientific

knowledge of the Supreme Lord is praiseworthy. Such a devotee

can understand that all conditions of life, favorable and

unfavorable, are created by the supreme will of the Lord. And

when he has fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the

Supreme Lord, he does not care whether his condition of life

is favorable or unfavorable. A devotee takes even an

unfavorable condition to be the special favor of the

Personality of Godhead. Actually, there are no unfavorable

conditions for a devotee. He sees everything coming by

the will of the Lord as favorable,

and in any condition of life he is simply enthusiastic to

discharge his devotional service. This devotional attitude is

explained in the Bhagavad-gita: a devotee is never distressed

in reverse conditions of life, nor is he overjoyed in

favorable conditions. In the higher stages of devotional

service, a devotee is not even concerned with the list of do's

and do not's. Such a position can be maintained only by

following in the footsteps of the acaryas. Because a pure

devotee follows in the footsteps of the acaryas, any action he

performs to discharge devotional service is to be

understood to be on the transcendental platform. Lord Krsna

therefore instructs us that an acarya is above criticism. A

neophyte devotee should not consider himself to be on the same

plane as the acarya. It should be accepted that the acaryas

are on the same platform as the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

and as such, neither Krsna nor His representative acarya

should be subject to any adverse criticism by the neophyte

devotees.

The personified Vedas thus worshiped the Supreme Personality

of Godhead in different ways. Offering worship to the Supreme

Lord by praying means remembering His transcendental qualities,

pastimes and activities. But the Lord's pastimes and

qualities are unlimited. It is not possible for us to remember

all the qualities of the Lord. Therefore, the personified

Vedas worshiped to the best of their ability, and at the end

they spoke as follows.

"Our dear Lord, although Lord Brahma, the predominating deity

of the highest planet, Brahmaloka, and King Indra, the

predominating demigod of the heavenly planet, as well as the

predominating deities of the sun planet, the

moon planet, etc., are all very confidential directors of this

material world, they have very little knowledge about You.

Then what to speak of ordinary human beings and mental

speculators? It is not possible for anyone to

enumerate the unlimited transcendental qualities of Your

Lordship. No one, including the mental speculators and

the demigods in higher planetary systems, is actually able to

estimate the length and breadth of Your form and

characteristics. We think that even Your Lordship does not

have complete knowledge of Your transcendental qualities. The

reason is that You are unlimited. Although it is not befitting

in Your case to say that You do not know Yourself, it is

nevertheless practical to understand that because You have

unlimited qualities and energies and because Your knowledge is

also unlimited, there is unlimited competition between Your

knowledge and Your expansion of energies."

The idea is that because God and His knowledge are both

unlimited, as soon as God is cognizant of some of His energies,

He perceives that He has still more energies. In this way,

both His energies and His knowledge increase. Because both of

them are unlimited, there is no end to the energies and no end

to the knowledge with which to understand the energies. God is

undoubtedly omniscient, but the personified Vedas say that

even God Himself does not know the full extent of His energies.

This does not mean that God is not omniscient. When an actual

fact is unknown to a certain person, this is called ignorance

or lack of knowledge. This is not applicable to God, however,

because He knows Himself perfectly, but still His energies

and activities increase. Therefore He also increases His

knowledge to understand it. Both are increasing unlimitedly,

and there is no end to it. In that sense it can be said that

even God Himself does not know the limit of His energies and

qualities.

How God is unlimited in His expansion of energies and

activities can be roughly calculated by any sane and sober

living entity. It is said in the Vedic literature that

innumerable universes issue forth when Maha-Visnu exhales in

His yoga-nidra, and innumerable universes enter His body

when He again inhales. We have to imagine that these universes,

which, according to our limited knowledge, are expanded

unlimitedly, are so great that the gross

ingredients, the five elements of the cosmic manifestation,

namely earth, water, fire, air and sky,

are not only within the

universe, but are covering the universe in seven layers,

each layer ten times bigger than the previous one. In this way,

each and every universe is very securely packed, and there

are numberless universes. All these universes are floating

within the innumerable pores of the transcendental body of

Maha-Visnu. It is stated that just as the atoms and particles

of dust are floating within the air along with the birds and

their number cannot be calculated, so innumerable universes

are floating within the pores of the transcendental body of

the Lord. For this reason, the Vedas say that God is beyond

the capacity of our knowledge. Abanmanasagocara:

to understand the length and breadth of God is beyond the

jurisdiction of our mental speculation. Therefore, a person

who is actually learned and sane does not claim to be God, but

tries to understand God, making distinctions between spirit

and matter. By such careful discrimination, one can clearly

understand that the Supreme Soul is transcendental to both the

superior and inferior energies, although He has a direct

connection with both. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna

explains that although everything is resting on His energy, He

is different or separate from the energy.

Nature and the living entities are sometimes designated as

prakrti and purusa respectively. The whole cosmic

manifestation is an amalgamation of the prakrti and purusa.

Nature is the ingredient cause, and the living entities are

the effective cause. These two causes combine together, and

the effect is this cosmic manifestation. When one is fortunate

enough to come to the right conclusion about this cosmic

manifestation and everything which is going on within it, he

knows it to be caused directly and indirectly by the Supreme

Personality of Godhead Himself. It is concluded in the Brahma-

samhita, therefore, isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-

vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam

After much deliberation and consideration, when one has

attained the perfection of knowledge, he comes to the

conclusion that Krsna, or God, is the original cause of all

causes. Instead of speculating about the measurement of God --

whether He is so long or so wide -- or philosophizing, one

should come to the conclusion of the Brahma-samhita: sarva-

karana-karanam: "Krsna, or God, is the cause of all causes."

That is the perfection of knowledge.

Thus the Veda-stuti, or the prayers offered by the personified

Vedas to the Garbhodakasayi Visnu, were first narrated in

disciplic succession by Sanandana to his brothers, all of whom

were born of Brahma. In the beginning the

four Kumaras were the first-born of Brahma; therefore

they are known as purva-jata. It is stated in the Bhagavad-

gita that the parampara system, or the disciplic succession,

begins with Krsna Himself. Similarly, here, in the prayers of

the personified Vedas, it is to be understood that the

parampara system begins with the Personality of Godhead

Narayana Rsi. We should remember that this Veda-stuti is being

narrated by Kumara Sanandana, and the narration is being

repeated by Narayana Rsi in Bodi Asrama. Narayana Rsi

is the incarnation of Krsna for showing us the path of self-

realization by undergoing severe austerities. In this age Lord

Caitanya demonstrated the path of pure devotional service by

putting Himself in the role of a pure devotee. Similarly, in

the past Lord Narayana Rsi was an incarnation of Krsna who

performed severe austerities in the Himalayan ranges. Sri

Narada Muni was hearing from Him. So in the statement given by

Narayana Rsi to Narada Muni, as it was narrated by Kumara

Sanandana in the form of the Veda-stuti, it is understood that

God is the one supreme and that all others are His servants.

In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is stated, ekala isvara krsna:

"Krsna is the only Supreme God." Ara sava

bhrtya: "All others are His servants." Yare yaiche nacaya, se

taiche kare nrtya: "The Supreme Lord, as He desires, is

engaging all living entities in different activities, and

thus they are exhibiting their different talents and

tendencies." This Veda-stuti is thus the original instruction

regarding the relationship existing between the living entity

their different talents and tendencies." This Veda-stuti is

thus the original instruction regarding the relationship

existing between the living entity and the Supreme Personality

of Godhead. The highest platform of realization for the living

entity is the attainment of this devotional life. One cannot

be engaged in devotional life or Krsna consciousness unless

he is fully free from material contamination. Narayana Rsi

informed Narada Muni that the essence of all Vedas and

Vedic literatures (namely, the four Vedas, the Upanisads, the

Puranas) teaches the rendering of

transcendental loving service to the Lord. In this connection

Narayana Rsi has used one particular word -- rasa. In

devotional service this rasa is the via media or the basic

principle for exchanging a relationship

between the Lord and the living entity. A rasa is also

described in the Vedas as isavasya: "The Supreme Lord

is the reservoir of all pleasure." All the Vedic literatures,

the Puranas, the Vedas, the Upanisads, the

Vedanta-sutras, etc., are teaching the living entities how

to attain the stage of rasa. The Bhagavatam also says that the

statements of the Mahapurana (Srimad-Bhagavatam)

contain the essence rasas in all Vedic literatures.

Nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam. The Bhagavatam

is the essence of the ripened fruit in the tree of the Vedic

literature.

We understand that with the breathing of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead there issued forth the four Vedas,

namely the Rg-veda, the Sama-veda, Yajur-veda,

and the Atharva-veda, and the histories like the

Mahabharata and all the Puranas, which are also considered to

be the history of the world. The Vedic histories like the

Puranas and Mahabharata are called the fifth Veda.

The verses of Veda-stuti are to be considered

the essence of all Vedic knowledge. The four Kumaras and all

other authorized sages know perfectly that devotional service

in Krsna consciousness is the essence of all Vedic literatures,

and they are all preaching this in different planets,

traveling in outer space. It is stated herein that such sages,

including Narada Muni, hardly ever travel on land; they are

perpetually traveling in space.

Sages like Narada and the Kumaras travel throughout the

universe in order to educate the conditioned souls and show

them that their business in the world is not that of sense

gratification, but of reinstating themselves again in their

original position of devotional service to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. It is stated in several places that

the living entities are like sparks of the fire, and the

Supreme Personality of Godhead is like the fire itself.

Somehow or other when the sparks fall out of the fire

they lose their natural illumination; thus it is ascertained

that the living entities come into this material world exactly

as sparks fall from a great fire. The living entity wants to

imitate Krsna and tries to lord it over material nature

; thus he forgets his

original position, and his illuminating power, his spiritual

identity, is extinguished. However, if a living entity takes

to Krsna consciousness, he is reinstated in his original

position. Sages

and saints like Narada and the Kumaras are traveling

all over the universe educating people and encouraging their

disciples to preach this process of devotional service so

all the conditioned souls may be able to revive their

original consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, and thus gain

relief from the miserable conditions of material life.

Sri Narada Muni is a naistika-brahmacari. There are four

types of brahmacari, and the first is called savitra, which

refers to a brahmacari who, after initiation and the sacred

thread ceremony, must observe at least three days celibacy.

The next is called prajapatya, which refers to a brahmacari

who strictly observes celibacy for at least one year after

initiation. The next is called brahma-brahmacari, which refers

to a brahmacari who observes celibacy from the time of

initiation up to the time of the completion of his study of

Vedic literature. The next stage is called naistika,

which refers to a brahmacari who is celibate throughout his

whole life. Out of these, the first three are upqrvma,

which means that the brahmacari can marry later on after the

brahmacari period is over. The naistika-brahmacari

is completely reluctant to have any sex life; therefore the

Kumaras and Narada are known as naistika-brahmacaris.

The

brahmacari system of life is especially advantageous in that

it increases the power of memory and determination. It is

specifically mentioned in this connection that because Narada

was naistika-brahmacari he could remember whatever

he heard from his spiritual master and would never forget it.

One who can remember everything perpetually is called sruta

-dhara. A sruta-dhara brahmacari can repeat all

that he has heard verbatim without notes and without reference

to books. The great sage Narada has this qualification, and

therefore, taking instructions from Narayana Rsi, he is

engaged in propagating the philosophy of devotional service

all over the world. Because such great sages can remember

everything, they are very much thoughtful, self-realized and

completely fixed in the service of the Lord. Thus the great

sage Narada, after hearing from his spiritual master Narayana

Rsi, became completely realized. He became established in the

truth, and he became so happy that he offered the following

prayers to Narayana Rsi.

A naisthika-brahmacari is also called vira-vrata

Narada Muni

addressed Narayana Rsi as an incarnation of Krsna, and he

specifically addressed him as the supreme well-wisher of the

conditioned souls. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that Lord

Krsna descends in every millennium just to give protection to

His devotees and to annihilate the nondevotees. Narayana Rsi

also being an incarnation of Krsna, is also addressed as the

well-wisher of the conditioned souls. As stated in the

Bhagavad gita, everyone should know that there is no well-

wisher like Krsna. Everyone should understand that Lord Krsna

is the well-wisher of everyone and should take shelter

unto Krsna. In this way one can become completely confident

and satisfied knowing that he has someone who is able to give

him all protection. Krsna Himself, His incarnations and His

plenary expansions are all supreme well-wishers of the

conditioned souls, but Krsna is the well-wisher even for the

demons, for He gave salvation to all demons who came to

kill Him at Vrndavana; therefore Krsna's welfare activities

are absolute, for even though He annihilates a demon or

gives protection to a devotee, His activities

are one and the same. It is said that the demon Putana was

elevated to the same position as Krsna's mother. When

Krsna kills a demon it should be known that the demon is

supremely benefited by this; however, a pure devotee is

always protected by the Lord.

Narada Muni, after offering respects to his spiritual

master, went to the asrama of Vyasadeva and narrated the

entire story to his disciple. Thus Narada Muni, being

properly received by Vyasadeva in his asrama and seated very

comfortably, began to narrate what

he had heard from Narayana Rsi. In this way Sukadeva Gosvami

informed Maharaja Pariksit of the answers to his questions

regarding the essence of Vedic knowledge and regarding what is

considered to be the ultimate goal in the Vedas. The supreme

goal in life is to seek the transcendental blessings of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus become engaged in the

loving service of the Lord. One should follow in the footsteps

of Sukadeva Gosvami and all the Vaisnavas in the

disciplic succession and should pay respectful obeisances unto

Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari. The four

sects of Vaisnava disciplic succession, namely the Madhva-

sampradaya, the Ramanuja-sampradaya, the Visnusvami-

sampradaya and the Nimbarka-sampradaya, in pursuance of

all Vedic conclusions, agree that one should surrender unto

the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Vedic literatures are divided into two parts: the srutis

and the smrtis. The srutis are the four Vedas: Rk, Sama,

Atharva and Yajus, and the Upanisads, and the smrtis are

the Puranas like Mahabharata, which

includes Bhagavad-gita. The conclusion of all these is

that one should know Sri Krsna as the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. He is the Parampurusa, or the Supreme

Personality of Godhead under whose superintendence material

nature works, being created, maintained and destroyed.

After the creation, the Supreme Lord incarnates into three,

Brahma, Visnu and Lord Siva

. All of these take charge of the three

qualities of material nature, but the ultimate direction is in

the hand of Lord Visnu. The complete activities of material

nature under the three modes are being conducted under the

direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. This

is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, nyadarsana,

and in the Vedas: sa aiksata.

The atheistic Sankhyaite philosophers offer

their arguments that this material cosmic manifestation is due

to prakrti and purusa. They argue that nature and material

energy constitute the material cause and the effective

cause. But Krsna is the cause of all causes. He is the cause

of all material and effective causes. Prakrti and

purusa are not the ultimate cause. Superficially it appears

that a child is born due to the combination of the father and

mother, but the ultimate cause of both the father and the

mother is Krsna. He is therefore the original cause, or the

cause of all causes, as confirmed in the Brahma-samhita.

In the material nature, both the Supreme Lord and the living

entities enter. The Supreme Lord

Krsna, by one of His plenary expansions, manifests as

Ksirodakasayi Visnu and the Maha-Visnu, the gigantic Visnu

form lying in the Causal Ocean. Then from that gigantic form

of the Maha-Visnu, the Garbhodakasayi Visnu expands in

every universe. From Him, Brahma, Visnu and Siva expand.

Visnu enters into the hearts of all living

entities, as well as into all material elements, including the

atom. The Brahma-samhita says: andantarastha-paramanu-

cayantarastham. He is within this

universe and also within every atom.

The living entity has a small material body taken from various

species and forms, and similarly the whole universe is but the

material body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This body

is described in the sastras as virata rupa. As the individual

living entity maintains his particular body, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead maintains the whole cosmic creation and

everything within it. As soon as the individual living entity

leaves the material body, the body is immediately annihilated,

and similarly as soon as Lord Visnu leaves the cosmic

manifestation, everything is annihilated. Only when

the individual living entity surrenders unto the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is his liberation from material

existence assured. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:

mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te.

Surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead

is therefore the cause of liberation and nothing

else. How the living entity becomes liberated from the modes

of material nature after surrendering unto the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is illustrated by a

sleeping man within a room. When a man is sleeping, everyone

sees that he is present within the room, but actually the man

himself is not within that body, for while sleeping a man

forgets his bodily existence, although others may see that his

body is present. Similarly, a liberated person engaged in

devotional service of the Lord may be seen by others to be

engaged in the household duties of the material world, but

since his consciousness is fixed in Krsna he does not live

within this world. His engagements are different, exactly as

the sleeping man's engagements are different from his bodily

engagements. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that a

devotee engaged full time in the transcendental loving service

of the Lord has already surpassed the influence of the three

modes of material nature. He is already situated on the

Brahman platform of spiritual realization

, although he appears to be living within the body or

within the material world.

Srila Rupa Gosvami stated in this connection in his

Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu that the person whose only desire is to

serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be situated in

any condition in the material world, but he is to be

understood as jivanmukta, that is to say he is to be

considered liberated while living within the body or the

material world. The conclusion, therefore, is that a person

fully engaged in Krsna consciousness is a liberated person.

Such a person has actually nothing to do with

the material world. Those who are not in Krsna

consciousness are called karmis and jnanis, and they hover on

the bodily and mental platforms and thus are not liberated.

This situation is called kaivalya-nirasta-yoni. A person

situated on the transcendental platform becomes freed from the

repetition of birth and death. This is also confirmed in

Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter. Simply by knowing the

transcendental nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna, one becomes free from the chains of the repetition of

birth and death, and after quitting his present body he goes

back home, back to Godhead. This is the conclusion of all the

Vedas. Thus

one should surrender unto the lotus feet of

Lord Krsna after understanding the prayers offered by the

personified Vedas.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Volume,

Thirty-second Chapter, of Krsna, "Prayers by the Personified

Vedas."

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KB 87: Prayers by the Personified Vedas
 
CHAPTER EIGHTY–SEVEN
 
Prayers by the Personified Vedas
 
King Pariksit inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami about a very 
important topic in understanding transcendental subject matter.
 His question was, "Since Vedic knowledge generally deals with 
the subject matter of the three qualities of the material 
world, how then can it approach the subject matter of 
transcendence, which is beyond the approach of the three 
material modes? Since the mind is material and the vibration 
of words is a material sound, how can the Vedic knowledge, 
expressing by material sound the thoughts of the material mind,
 approach transcendence? Description of a subject matter 
necessitates describing its source of emanation, its qualities 
and its activities. Such description can be possible only by 
thinking with the material mind and by vibrating material 
words. Brahman, or the Absolute Truth, has no 
material qualities, but our power of speaking does not go 
beyond the material qualities. How then can Brahman, the 
Absolute Truth, be described by your words? I do not see how 
it is possible to understand transcendence from such 
expressions of material sound."
 
The purpose of King Pariksit's inquiry was to ascertain from 
Sukadeva Gosvami whether the Vedas ultimately describe the 
Absolute Truth as impersonal or as personal. Understanding of 
the Absolute Truth progresses in three features -- impersonal 
Brahman, Paramatma localized in everyone's heart, and, at last,
 the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
 
The Vedas deal with three departments of activities. One is 
called karma-kanda, or activities under Vedic injunction, 
which gradually purify one to understand his real position; 
the next is jnana-kanda, the process of understanding the 
Absolute Truth by speculative methods; and the third is 
upasana-kanda, or worship of the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead and sometimes of the demigods also. The worship of the 
demigods recommended in the Vedas is ordered with the 
understanding of the demigods' relationship to the Personality 
of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has many parts 
and parcels; some are called svamsas, or His personal 
expansions, and some are called vibhinnamsas, the living 
entities. All such expansions, both svamsas and vibhinnamsas, 
are emanations from the original Personality of Godhead. 
Svamsa expansions are called visnu-tattva, whereas the 
vibhinnamsa expansions are called jiva-tattva. The different 
demigods are jiva-tattva. The conditioned souls are generally 
put into the activities of the material world for sense 
gratification; therefore, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita, to 
regulate those who are very much addicted to different kinds 
of sense gratification, the worship of demigods is sometimes 
recommended. For example, for persons very much 
addicted to meat-eating, the Vedic injunction recommends that 
after worshiping the form of goddess Kali and sacrificing 
a goat (not any other animal) under karma-kanda regulation, 
the worshipers may be allowed to eat meat. The idea is not to 
encourage one to eat meat but to allow one who insists 
on eating meat to eat it under certain restricted 
conditions. Therefore, worship of the demigods is not worship 
of the Absolute Truth, but by worshiping the demigods one 
gradually comes to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead 
in an indirect way. This indirect acceptance is described in 
the Bhagavad-gita as avidhi. Avidhi means "not bona fide." 
Since demigod worship is not bona fide, the impersonalists 
stress concentration on the impersonal feature of the Absolute 
Truth. King Pariksit's question was, Which is the ultimate 
target of Vedic knowledge -- this concentration on the 
impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth or concentration on 
the personal feature? After all, both the impersonal and the 
personal feature of the Supreme Lord are beyond our material 
conception. The impersonal feature of the Absolute, the 
Brahman effulgence, is but the rays of the personal body of 
Krsna. These rays of the personal body of Krsna are cast all 
over the creation of the Lord, and the portion of the 
effulgence which is covered by the material cloud is called 
the created cosmos of the three material qualities -- sattva, 
rajas and tamas. How can persons who are within this clouded 
portion, called the material world, conceive of the Absolute 
Truth by the speculative method?
 
In answering King Pariksit's question, Sukadeva Gosvami 
replied that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has created 
the mind, senses and living force of the living entity for the 
purpose of sense gratification and transmigration from one 
kind of body to another, as well as for the purpose of 
allowing liberation from the material conditions. In other 
words, one can utilize the senses, mind and living force 
for sense gratification and transmigration from 
one body to another or for the matter of liberation. The Vedic 
injunctions are there just to give the conditioned souls the 
chance for sense gratification under regulative principles, 
and thereby also to give them the chance for promotion to 
higher conditions of life; ultimately, if the consciousness is 
purified, one comes to his original position and goes back 
home, back to Godhead.
 
The living entity is intelligent. One therefore has to utilize 
his intelligence over the mind and the senses. When the mind 
and senses are purified by the proper use of intelligence, 
then the conditioned soul is liberated; otherwise, if the 
intelligence is not properly utilized in controlling the 
senses and mind, the conditioned soul continues to 
transmigrate from one kind of body to another simply for sense 
gratification. Another point clearly stated in the answer of 
Sukadeva Gosvami is that it is the mind, senses and 
intelligence of the individual living entity that the Lord 
created. It is not stated that the living entities themselves 
were ever created. Just as the shining particles of the sun's 
rays always exist with the sun, the living 
entities exist eternally as parts and parcels of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. But just as the sun rays are sometimes 
covered by a cloud, which is created by the sun, so the 
conditioned souls, although eternally existing as parts of the 
Supreme Lord, are sometimes put within the cloud of the 
material concept of life, in the darkness of ignorance. The 
whole Vedic process is to alleviate that darkened condition. 
Ultimately, when the senses and mind of the conditioned being 
are fully purified, he comes to his original position, 
called Krsna consciousness, and that is liberation.
 
In the Vedanta-sutra, the first sutra, or code, questions 
about the Absolute Truth. Athato brahma jijnasa: What is the 
nature of the Absolute Truth? The next sutra answers that the 
nature of the Absolute Truth is that He is the origin of 
everything. Whatever we experience, even in this material 
condition of life, is but an emanation from Him. The Absolute 
Truth created the mind, senses and intelligence. This means 
that the Absolute Truth is not without mind, intelligence and 
senses. In other words, He is not impersonal. The very word 
created means that He has transcendental intelligence. For 
example, when a father begets a child, the child has senses 
because the father also has senses. The child is born with 
hands and legs because the father also has hands and legs. 
Sometimes it is said that man is made after the 
image of God. The Absolute Truth is therefore the Supreme 
Personality, with transcendental mind, senses and intelligence.
 When one's mind, intelligence and senses are purified of 
material contamination, one can understand the original 
feature of the Absolute Truth as a person.
 
The Vedic process is to promote the conditioned soul 
gradually from the mode of ignorance to the mode of passion, 
and from the mode of passion to the mode of goodness. In the 
mode of goodness there is sufficient light for understanding 
things as they are. For example, from earth a tree grows, and 
from the wood of the tree, fire is ignited. In that igniting 
process we first of all find smoke, and the next stage is 
heat, and then fire. When there is actually fire, we can 
utilize it for various purposes; therefore, fire is the 
ultimate goal. Similarly, in the gross material stage of life 
the quality of ignorance is very prominent. Dissipation 
of this ignorance takes place in the gradual progress of 
civilization from the barbarian stage to civilized life, and 
when one comes to the stage of civilized life he is said to 
be in the mode of passion. In the barbarian stage, or in the 
mode of ignorance, the senses are gratified in a very crude 
way, whereas in the mode of passion, or in civilized 
life, the senses are gratified in a polished manner. But 
when one is promoted to the mode of goodness, one can 
understand that the senses and the mind are engaged in 
material activities only due to being covered by perverted 
consciousness. When this perverted consciousness is gradually 
transformed into Krsna consciousness, then the path of 
liberation is opened. So it is not that one is unable to 
approach the Absolute Truth by the senses and the mind. The 
conclusion is, rather, that the senses, mind and intelligence 
in the gross stage of contamination cannot appreciate the 
nature of the Absolute Truth, but when purified, the senses, 
mind and intelligence can understand what the Absolute Truth 
is. The purifying process is called devotional service, or 
Krsna consciousness.
 
In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that the purpose of 
Vedic knowledge is to understand Krsna, and that Krsna is 
understood by devotional service, beginning with the process 
of surrender. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, one has to think 
of Krsna always, one has to render loving service to Krsna 
always, and one always has to worship and bow down 
before Krsna. By this process only can one enter into the 
kingdom of God, without any doubt.
 
One who is enlightened in the mode of goodness by the process 
of devotional service is freed from the modes of ignorance 
and passion. In answering King Pariksit's question, Sukadeva 
Gosvami used the word atmane, which indicates the stage of 
brahminical qualification in which one is allowed to study the 
Vedic scriptures known as the Upanisads. The Upanisads 
describe in different ways the transcendental qualities of the 
Supreme Lord. The Absolute Truth, the Supreme Lord, is called 
nirguna. That does not mean He has no qualities. It is 
only because He has qualities that the conditioned living 
entities can have qualities. The purpose of studying the 
Upanisads is to understand the transcendental qualities of the 
Absolute Truth, as opposed to the material qualities of 
ignorance, passion and goodness. That is the way of Vedic 
understanding. Great sages like the four Kumaras, headed by 
Sanaka, followed these principles of Vedic knowledge and came 
gradually from impersonal understanding to the platform of 
personal worship of the Supreme Lord. It is therefore 
recommended that we must follow the great personalities. 
Sukadeva Gosvami is also one of the great personalities, and 
his answer to the inquiry of Maharaja Pariksit is authorized. 
One who follows in the footsteps of such great personalities 
surely walks very easily on the path of liberation and 
ultimately goes back home, back to Godhead. That is the way 
of perfecting this human form of life.
 
Sukadeva Gosvami continued to speak to Pariksit Maharaja. "My 
dear King," he said, "in this regard I shall 
narrate a nice story. This story is important because it is in 
connection with Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 
This narration is a conversation between Narayana Rsi and the 
great sage Narada." Narayana Rsi still resides in 
Badarikasrama and is accepted as an 
incarnation of Narayana. Badarikasrama
 is situated in 
the 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
northernmost part
 of the
 Himalayan Mountains and is
 always covered with snow. Religious Indians still 
go to visit this place 
during the summer
 season, when the snowfall 
is not very severe.
 
Once when Narada, the great devotee and ascetic 
among the demigods, was traveling among different planets,
 he desired to meet the ascetic Narayana personally in 
Badarikasrama and offer Him respects. This great 
sage incarnation of Godhead, Narayana Rsi, has been 
undergoing great penances and austerities from the very 
beginning of the creation to teach the inhabitants of 
Bharata-varsa how to attain the highest perfectional stage of 
going back to Godhead. His austerities and penances are 
exemplary practices for the human being. The incarnation of 
God Narayana Rsi was sitting among many devotees in the 
village known as Kalapa-grama. Of course, these were not 
ordinary sages sitting with Him, and the great sage 
Narada also appeared there. After offering his respects to 
Narayana Rsi, Narada asked Him exactly the same question 
King Pariksit asked Sukadeva Gosvami. Then
 the Rsi answered by 
following in the footsteps of His predecessors. He narrated a 
story of how the same question had been discussed on the 
planet known as Janaloka, which is above the Svargaloka 
planets, such as the moon and Venus. On this planet, great 
sages and saintly persons live, and they once discussed 
the same point regarding the understanding of Brahman and His 
real identity.
 
The great sage Narayana began to speak. "My dear Narada," He 
said, "I shall tell you a story which took place long, long 
ago. There was a great meeting of the denizens of the heavenly 
planets, and almost all the important brahmacaris, such as 
the four Kumaras -- Sanandana, Sanaka, Sanatana 
and Sanat-kumara -- attended. Their discussion was on the 
subject matter of understanding the Absolute Truth, Brahman. 
You were not present at that meeting because you had gone to 
see My expansion Aniruddha, who lives on the island of 
Svetadvipa. In this meeting, all the great sages and 
brahmacaris very elaborately discussed the point about which 
you have asked Me, and their discussion was very interesting. 
It was so delicate that even the Vedas were unable 
to answer the intricate questions raised."
 
Narayana Rsi told Naradaji that the same question 
Naradaji had raised had been discussed in that meeting on 
Janaloka. This is the way of understanding through the 
parampara, or disciplic succession. Maharaja Pariksit 
questioned Sukadeva Gosvami, and Sukadeva Gosvami 
referred the matter to Narada, who had in the same way 
questioned Narayana Rsi, who had put the matter to still 
higher authorities on the planet of Janaloka, where it was 
discussed among the great Kumaras -- Sanatana, Sanaka, 
Sanandana and Sanat-kumara. These four brahmacaris, the 
Kumaras, are recognized scholars in the Vedas and other 
sastras. Their unlimited volumes of knowledge, backed by 
austerities and penances, are exhibited by their sublime, 
ideal character. They are very amiable and gentle in behavior, 
and for them there is no distinction between friends, well-
wishers and enemies. Being transcendentally situated, such 
personalities as the Kumaras are above all material 
considerations and are always neutral in respect to material 
dualities. In the discussions held among the four brothers, 
one of them, namely Sanandana, was selected to speak, and the 
other brothers became the audience to hear him.
 
Sanandana said, "After the dissolution of the whole cosmic 
manifestation, the entire energy and the whole creation in its 
nucleus form enter into the body of Garbhodakasayi Visnu. The 
Lord at that time remains asleep for a long, long time, and 
when there is again necessity of creation, the Vedas 
personified assemble around the Lord and begin to glorify Him, 
describing His wonderful transcendental pastimes, 
exactly like servants of a king: when the king is asleep in 
the morning, the appointed reciters come around his bedroom 
and begin to sing of his chivalrous activities, and while 
hearing of his glorious activities, the king gradually awakens.
 
 
 
"The Vedic reciters, or the personified Vedas, sing thus: ‘O 
unconquerable Lord, You are the Supreme Personality. No one is 
equal to You or greater than You. No one can be more glorious 
in his activities. All glories unto You! All glories unto You! 
By Your own transcendental nature You fully possess all six 
opulences. As such, You are able to deliver all conditioned 
souls from the clutches of maya. O Lord, we fervently pray 
that You kindly do so. All the living entities, being Your 
parts and parcels, are naturally joyful, eternal and full of 
knowledge, but due to their own faults they imitate You 
by trying to become the supreme enjoyer. Thus they disobey 
Your supremacy and become offenders. And because of their 
offenses, Your material energy has taken charge of them. Thus 
their transcendental qualities of joyfulness, bliss and wisdom 
have been covered by the clouds of the three material 
qualities. This cosmic manifestation, made of the three 
material qualities, is just like a prison house for the 
conditioned souls. The conditioned souls are struggling very 
hard to escape from material bondage, and according to 
their different conditions of life they have been given 
different types of engagement. But since all engagements are 
based on knowledge supplied by You, the 
conditioned souls can execute pious activities only when 
You mercifully inspire them to do so. Therefore, 
without taking shelter at Your lotus feet one cannot surpass 
the influence of the material energy. Actually, we, as 
personified Vedic knowledge, are always engaged in Your 
service by helping the conditioned souls understand You.' "
 
This prayer of the Vedas personified illustrates that the 
Vedas are meant for helping the conditioned souls to 
understand Krsna. All the srutis, or personified Vedas, 
offered glories to the Lord again and again, singing, "Jaya! 
Jaya!" This indicates that the Lord is the most 
glorious. Of all His glories, the most important is His 
causeless mercy upon the conditioned souls in reclaiming them 
from the clutches of maya.
 
There are unlimited numbers of living entities in different 
varieties of bodies, some moving and some standing in one 
place, and the conditioned life of these living entities is 
due only to their forgetfulness of their eternal relationship 
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the living 
entity wants to lord it over the material energy by imitating 
the position of Krsna, he is immediately captured by the 
material energy and, according to his desire, is offered one 
variety of the 8,400,000 different kinds of bodies. Although 
undergoing the threefold miseries of material existence, the 
illusioned living entity falsely thinks himself the master of 
all he surveys. Under the spell of the material energy, 
represented by the threefold material qualities, the 
living entity is so entangled that he is not at all able
 to become free unless he is graced by the Supreme Lord.
 The living entity cannot conquer the influence of the 
material modes of nature by his own endeavor, but because 
material nature is working under the control of the Supreme 
Lord, the Lord is beyond its jurisdiction. Except for Him, all 
living entities, from Brahma down to the ant, are 
conquered by the contact of material nature.
 
Because the Lord possesses in full the six opulences of wealth,
 strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, He 
alone is beyond the spell of material nature. Unless the 
living entity is situated in Krsna consciousness, he cannot 
approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Lord, by 
His omnipotency, can dictate from within as the Supersoul how 
a living entity can gradually come to Him even while 
performing his ordinary work. As the Lord advises in the 
Bhagavad-gita, "Whatever you do, do it for Me; whatever you 
eat, first offer it to Me; whatever charity you want to 
give, first give it to Me; and whatever austerities and 
penances you want to perform, perform them for Me." In this 
way the karmis are directed gradually to develop Krsna 
consciousness. Similarly, Krsna directs the philosophers to 
approach Him gradually by discriminating between Brahman and 
maya, for at last, when one is mature in knowledge, he 
surrenders unto Krsna. As Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, "
After many, many births, the wise philosopher surrenders unto 
Me." The yogis are also directed to concentrate their 
meditation upon Krsna within the heart, and by such a 
continuous process of Krsna consciousness they can also 
become free from the clutches of the material energy. The
 devotees, however, are engaged 
in devotional service with love and affection from the very 
beginning, and therefore the Lord personally directs them so 
that they can approach Him without difficulty or deviation. 
This is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Only by the grace of the 
Lord can the living entity understand the exact position of 
Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan.
 
The statements of the personified Vedas give clear evidence 
that the Vedic literature is presented only for understanding 
Krsna. The Bhagavad-gita confirms that 
through all the Vedas it is Krsna alone who has to be 
understood. Krsna is always enjoying, either in the material 
world or in the spiritual world; because He is the supreme 
enjoyer, for Him there is no distinction between the material 
and spiritual worlds. The material world is an 
impediment for the ordinary living entities because they are 
under its control, but Krsna, being the controller of the 
material world, has nothing to do with the impediments it 
offers. Therefore, in different parts of the Upanisads, the 
Vedas declare, "The Supreme Brahman is eternal, full of all 
knowledge and all bliss. That one Supreme Personality of 
Godhead exists in the heart of every living entity." 
Because of His all-pervasiveness, He is able to enter not only 
into the hearts of the living entities, but even into the 
atoms also. As the Supersoul, He is the controller of all 
activities of the living entities. He lives within all 
of them and witnesses their actions, allowing them to act 
according to their desires and also giving them the results 
of their different activities. He is the living force of all 
things, but He is transcendental to the material 
qualities. He is omnipotent; He is expert in manufacturing 
everything, and on account of His superior, natural knowledge, 
He can bring everyone under His control. As such, He is 
everyone's master. He is sometimes manifest on the surface of 
the globe, but He is simultaneously within all matter. 
Desiring to expand Himself in multiforms, He glanced 
over the material energy, and thus innumerable living entities 
became manifest. Everything is created by His superior energy, 
and everything in His creation appears to be perfectly done, 
without deficiency. Those who aspire for liberation from this 
material world must therefore worship the Supreme Personality 
of Godhead, the ultimate cause of all causes. He is just like 
 
 
the total mass of earth, from which varieties of earthly pots 
are manufactured: the pots are made of earthly clay, they rest 
on earth, and after being destroyed, their elements ultimately 
 
merge back into earth,the original cause of all varieties of 
manifestation.
 
Employing this analogy
 of Brahman
 with earth
, the impersonalists especially stress the Vedic 
statement sarvam khalv idam brahma: "Everything is Brahman." 
The impersonalists do not take into account the varieties of 
manifestation emanating from the supreme cause, Brahman. 
They simply consider that everything 
emanates from Brahman and after destruction merges into 
Brahman and that the intermediate stage of manifestation is 
also Brahman. But although the Mayavadis believe that 
prior to its manifestation the cosmos was in Brahman, after 
creation it remains in Brahman, and after destruction it 
merges into Brahman, they do not know what Brahman is. The 
Brahma-samhita, however, clearly describes 
Brahman: "The living entities, space, time and the 
material elements like fire, earth, sky, water and mind 
constitute the total cosmic manifestation, known as Bhuh, 
Bhuvah and Svah, which is manifested by Govinda. It 
flourishes on the strength of Govinda and after annihilation 
enters into and is conserved in Govinda." Lord Brahma 
therefore says, "I worship Lord Govinda, the original 
personality, the cause of all causes."
 
The word "Brahman" indicates the greatest of all and the 
maintainer of everything. The impersonalists are attracted by 
the greatness of the sky, but because of their poor fund of 
knowledge they are not attracted by the greatness of Krsna. In 
our practical life, however, we are attracted by the greatness 
of a person and not by the greatness of a big mountain. 
Thus the term "Brahman" actually applies to Krsna 
only; therefore in the Bhagavad-gita Arjuna concluded that 
Lord Krsna is the Para-brahman, or the supreme resting 
place of everything.
 
Krsna is the Supreme Brahman because of His unlimited 
knowledge, unlimited potencies, unlimited strength, unlimited 
influence, unlimited beauty and unlimited renunciation. 
Ultimately, therefore, the word "Brahman" can be applied to 
Krsna only. Arjuna affirms that because the impersonal Brahman 
is the effulgence emanating as rays of Krsna's transcendental 
body, Krsna is the Para-brahman. Everything rests
 on Brahman, but Brahman itself rests on Krsna. 
Therefore Krsna is the ultimate Brahman, or Para-
brahman. The material elements are accepted as the inferior 
energy of Krsna. By their interaction the cosmic 
manifestation takes place, rests on Krsna, and after 
dissolution again enters into the body of Krsna as His subtle 
energy. Krsna is therefore the cause of both manifestation and 
dissolution.
 
Sarvam khalv idam brahma means that everything is Lord Krsna 
in the sense that everything is His energy. That is the 
vision of the maha-bhagavatas. They see everything 
in relation to Krsna. The impersonalists argue that Krsna 
Himself has been transformed into many and that 
therefore everything is Krsna and worship of anything is 
worship of Him. This false argument is answered by Krsna in 
the Bhagavad-gita: although everything is a transformation of 
the energy of Krsna, He is not present everywhere. He is 
simultaneously present and not present. By His energy He is 
present everywhere, but as the energetic He is not present 
everywhere. This simultaneous presence and 
nonpresence is inconceivable to our present senses. 
But a clear explanation is given in the beginning of the 
Isopanisad, in which it is stated that the Supreme Lord is so 
complete that although unlimited energies and their 
transformations emanate from Krsna, Krsna's 
personality is not in the least bit transformed. Therefore, 
since Krsna is the cause of all causes, intelligent persons 
should take shelter of His lotus feet.
 
Krsna advises everyone just to surrender unto Him alone, and 
that is the way of Vedic instruction. Since Krsna is the cause 
of all causes, He is worshiped by all kinds of sages and 
saints through observance of the regulative principles. As 
far as meditation is concerned, great personalities 
meditate on the transcendental form of Krsna within the heart. 
In this way the minds of great personalities are always 
engaged in Krsna. With their minds engaged in Krsna, naturally 
the captivated devotees simply talk of Krsna.
 
Talking of Krsna or singing of Krsna is called kirtana. Lord 
Caitanya recommends, kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]
, which means always thinking and talking of Krsna and nothing 
else. That is called Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness 
is so sublime that anyone who takes to this process is 
elevated to the highest perfection of life -- far, far beyond 
the concept of liberation. In the Bhagavad-gita, therefore, 
Krsna advises everyone always to think of Him, render 
devotional service to Him, worship Him and offer obeisances to 
Him. In this way a devotee becomes fully Krsna-ized and, being 
always situated in Krsna consciousness, ultimately goes back 
to Krsna.
 
Although the Vedas have recommended worship of different 
demigods as different parts and parcels of Krsna, it is to be 
understood that such instructions are meant for less 
intelligent men who are still attracted by material 
sense enjoyment. But the person who actually wants perfect 
fulfillment of the mission of human life should simply worship 
Lord Krsna, and that will simplify the matter and completely 
guarantee the success of his human life. Although the sky, the 
water and the land are all part of the material 
world, when one stands on the solid land his position is more 
secure than when he stands in the sky or the water. An 
intelligent person, therefore, does not stand under the 
protection of different demigods, although they are part and 
parcel of Krsna. Rather, he stands on the solid ground of 
Krsna consciousness. That makes his position sound and secure.
 
Impersonalists sometimes give the example that if one stands 
on a stone or a piece of wood one certainly stands on the 
surface of the land, because the stone and wood both 
rest on the surface of the earth. But it may be replied 
that if one stands directly on the surface of the earth he is 
more secure than if he stands on wood or a stone that 
rests on the earth. In other words, taking shelter of 
Paramatma or taking shelter of impersonal Brahman is not as 
secure a course as taking direct shelter of Krsna in Krsna 
consciousness. The position of the jnanis and yogis is 
therefore not as secure as the position of the devotees of 
Krsna. Lord Krsna has therefore advised in the Bhagavad-gita 
that only a person who has lost his sense takes to the 
worship of demigods. And regarding persons attached to 
the impersonal Brahman, Srimad-Bhagavatam says, "My dear 
Lord, those who think of themselves as liberated by 
mental speculation are not yet purified of the contamination 
of material nature because of their inability to find the 
shelter of Your lotus feet. Although they rise to the 
transcendental situation of existence in impersonal Brahman, 
they certainly fall from that exalted position because they 
deride Your lotus feet." Lord Krsna 
therefore advises that the worshipers of the demigods are not 
very intelligent persons because they derive only temporary, 
exhaustible results. Their endeavors are those of less 
intelligent men. On the other hand, the Lord assures that His 
devotee has no fear of falling.
 
The personified Vedas continued to pray, "Dear Lord, 
considering all points of view, if a person has to worship 
someone superior to himself, then just out of good behavior 
he should stick to the worship of Your lotus feet because You 
are the ultimate controller of creation, maintenance and 
dissolution. You are the controller of the three worlds, Bhuh, 
Bhuvah and Svah; You are the controller of the fourteen upper 
and lower worlds; and You are the controller of the three 
material qualities. Demigods and persons advanced in spiritual 
knowledge always hear and chant about 
Your transcendental pastimes because this process has the 
specific potency of nullifying the accumulated results of 
sinful life. Intelligent persons factually dip into the 
ocean of Your nectarean activities and very patiently hear 
about them. Thus they are immediately freed from the 
contamination of the material qualities; they do not have to 
undergo severe penances and austerities for advancement in 
spiritual life. This chanting and hearing of Your 
transcendental pastimes is the easiest process for self-
realization. Simply by submissive aural reception of the 
transcendental message, one's heart is cleansed of all 
dirty things. Thus Krsna consciousness becomes fixed in the 
heart of a devotee." The great authority Bhismadeva has also 
given the opinion that this process of chanting and hearing 
about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest 
religious process. And the Taittiriya Upanisad says that 
worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the essence 
of all Vedic ritualistic performances.
 
"Dear
 Lord," the personified Vedas 
continued, "the devotee who wants to 
 
elevate himself simply by the process of devotional 
activities, especially by hearing and chanting, very soon 
comes out of the clutches of the dualities of material 
existence. By this simple process of penance and austerity, 
the Supersoul within the devotee's heart is very much 
pleased and gives the devotee directions so that he may go 
back home, back to Godhead." It is stated in the Bhagavad-
gita that one who engages all his activities and senses in the 
devotional service of the Lord becomes completely peaceful 
because the Supersoul is satisfied with him; thus the devotee 
becomes transcendental to all dualities, such as heat 
and cold, honor and dishonor. Being freed from all dualities, 
he feels transcendental bliss, and he no longer suffers cares 
and anxieties due to material existence. The Bhagavad-gita 
confirms that the devotee always absorbed in Krsna 
consciousness has no anxieties for his maintenance or 
protection. Being constantly absorbed in Krsna consciousness, 
he ultimately achieves the highest perfection. While in 
material existence, he lives very peacefully and blissfully, 
without cares and anxieties, and after quitting this body 
he goes back home, back to Godhead. The Lord confirms in 
the Bhagavad-gita, "My supreme abode is a transcendental place 
from which, having gone, one never returns to this material 
world. Anyone who attains the supreme perfection, being 
engaged in My personal devotional service in the eternal abode,
 reaches the highest perfection of human life and does not 
have to come back to the miserable material world."
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, it is imperative 
that the living entities be engaged in Krsna consciousness, 
always rendering devotional service by such prescribed methods 
as hearing and chanting and executing Your orders. If a 
person is not engaged in Krsna consciousness and devotional 
service, it is useless for him to exhibit the symptoms of life.
 Generally if a person is breathing he is 
accepted to be alive. But a person without Krsna consciousness 
may be compared to a bellows in a blacksmith's shop. The big 
bellows is a bag of skin which exhales and inhales air, and a 
human being who simply lives within the bag of skin and 
bones without taking to Krsna consciousness and loving 
devotional service is no better than the bellows. Similarly, a 
nondevotee's long duration of life is compared to the long 
existence of a tree, his voracious eating capacity is compared 
to the eating of dogs and hogs, and his enjoyment in sex life 
is compared to that of hogs and goats."
 
The cosmic manifestation has been made possible because of 
the entrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Maha-
Visnu within this material world. The total material energy 
is agitated by the glance of Maha-Visnu, and only then 
does the interaction of the three material qualities begin. 
Therefore it should be concluded that whatever material 
facilities we are trying to enjoy are available only due to 
the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
 
Within the body there are five different departments of 
existence, known as anna-maya, prana-maya, mano-
maya, vijnana-maya and, at last, ananda-maya. In the 
beginning of life, every living entity is food conscious. A 
child or an animal is satisfied only by getting nice food. 
This stage of consciousness, in which the goal is to eat 
sumptuously, is called anna-maya. Anna means "food." After 
this one lives in the consciousness of being alive. If one can 
continue his life without being attacked or destroyed, one 
thinks himself happy. This stage is called prana-maya, or 
consciousness of one's existence. After this stage, when one 
is situated on the mental platform, his consciousness is 
called mano-maya. The materialistic civilization is 
primarily situated in these three stages, anna-maya, 
prana-maya and mano-maya. The first concern of 
civilized persons is economic development, the next concern is 
defense against being annihilated, and the next consciousness 
is mental speculation, the philosophical approach to the 
values of life.
 
If by the evolutionary process of philosophical life one 
happens to reach the platform of intellectual life and 
understands that he is not this material body but a 
spiritual soul, he is situated in the vijnana-maya stage. 
Then, by evolution in spiritual life, he comes to the 
understanding of the Supreme Lord, or the Supreme Soul. When 
one develops his relationship with Him and executes devotional 
service, that stage of life is called Krsna consciousness, the 
ananda-maya stage. Ananda-maya is the blissful life of 
knowledge and eternity. As it is said in the Vedanta-sutra, 
ananda-mayo 'bhyasat. The Supreme Brahman and the 
subordinate Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead and 
the living entities, are both joyful by nature. As long as the 
living entities are situated in the lower four stages of life 
--  anna-maya, prana-maya, mano-maya and 
vijnana-maya -- they are considered to be in the material 
condition of life, but as soon as one reaches the stage of 
ananda-maya, he is a liberated soul. This ananda-
maya stage is explained in the Bhagavad-gita as the brahma-
bhuta [SB 4.30.20] stage. There it is said that in the brahma-
bhuta stage of life there is no anxiety and no hankering. This 
stage begins when one is equally disposed toward all 
living entities, and it then expands to the stage of Krsna 
consciousness, in which one always hankers to render service 
unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This hankering for 
advancement in devotional service is not the same as hankering 
for sense gratification in material existence. In other words, 
hankering remains in spiritual life, but it becomes purified. 
Similarly, when our senses are purified, they are freed 
from all material stages, namely anna-maya, prana-maya,
 mano-maya and vijnana-maya, and they become situated 
 
in the highest stage -- ananda-maya, or blissful life in 
Krsna consciousness. The Mayavadi philosophers consider 
ananda-maya to be the state of being merged in the Supreme.
 To them, ananda-maya means that the Supersoul and the 
individual soul become one. But the real fact is that oneness 
does not mean merging into the Supreme and losing one's own 
individual existence. Merging into the spiritual existence is 
the living entity's realization of qualitative oneness with 
the Supreme Lord in His aspects of eternity and knowledge
. But the actual ananda-maya (blissful) stage is 
attained when one is engaged in devotional service. That is 
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg.
 18.54]. Here Lord Krsna states that the brahma-bhuta 
ananda-maya stage is complete only when there is an 
exchange of love between the Supreme and the subordinate 
living entities. Unless one comes to this ananda-maya 
stage, his breathing is like the breathing of a 
bellows in a blacksmith's shop, his duration of life is like 
that of a tree, and he is no better than the lower animals 
like the camels, hogs and dogs.
 
Undoubtedly the eternal living entity cannot be annihilated at 
any point. But the lower species of life exist in a miserable 
condition, whereas one who is engaged in the devotional 
service of the Supreme Lord is situated in the pleasurable, or 
ananda-maya, status of life. The different stages 
described above are all in relationship with the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. Although in all circumstances there 
exist both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living 
entities, the difference is that the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead always exists in the ananda-maya stage, whereas 
the subordinate living entities, because of their minute 
position as fragmental portions of the Supreme Lord, are prone 
to fall to the other stages of life. Although in all the 
stages both the Supreme Lord and the living entities exist, 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always transcendental to 
our concept of life, whether we are in bondage or in 
liberation. The whole cosmic manifestation becomes possible by 
the grace of the Supreme Lord, it exists by the grace of the 
Supreme Lord, and when annihilated it merges into the 
existence of the Supreme Lord. As such, the Supreme Lord is 
the supreme existence, the cause of all causes. Therefore the 
conclusion is that without development of Krsna consciousness 
one's life is simply a waste of time.
 
For those who are very materialistic and cannot understand 
the situation of the spiritual world, the 
abode of Krsna, great sages have recommended 
the yogic process whereby one gradually rises from meditation 
on the abdomen, which is called muladhara or manipuraka 
meditation. Muladhara and manipuraka are technical terms which 
refer to the intestines within the abdomen. Grossly 
materialistic persons think that economic development is of 
foremost importance because they are under the impression that 
a living entity exists only by eating. Such grossly 
materialistic persons forget that although we may eat as much 
as we like, if the food is not digested it produces the 
troubles of indigestion and acidity. Therefore, 
eating is not in itself the cause of the vital energy of life. 
For digestion of eatables we have to take shelter of another, 
superior energy, which is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita as 
vaisvanara. Lord Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that He helps 
the digestion in the form of vaisvanara. The Supreme 
Personality of Godhead is all-pervasive; therefore, His 
presence in the stomach as vaisvanara is not extraordinary.
 
Krsna is actually present everywhere. The Vaisnava, therefore, 
marks his body with temples of Visnu: he first marks a tilaka 
temple on the abdomen, then on the chest, then between the 
collarbones, then on the forehead, and gradually he marks the 
top of the head, the brahma-randhra. The thirteen temples of 
tilaka marked on the body of a Vaisnava are known as follows: 
On the forehead is the temple of Lord Kesava, on the belly is 
the temple of Lord Narayana, on the chest is the temple of 
Lord Madhava, and on the throat, between the two collarbones, 
is the temple of Lord Govinda. On the right side of the waist 
is the temple of Lord Visnu, on the right arm the temple of 
Lord Madhusudana, and on the right side of the collarbone the 
temple of Lord Trivikrama. Similarly, on the left side of the 
waist is the temple of Lord Vamanadeva, on the left arm the 
temple of Sridhara, on the left side of the collarbone the 
temple of Hrsikesa, on the upper back the temple called 
Padmanabha, and on the lower back the temple called 
Damodara. On the top of the head is the temple called 
Vasudeva. This is the process of meditation on the Lord's 
situation in the different parts of the body, but for those 
who are not Vaisnavas, great sages recommend meditation on the 
bodily concept of life -- meditation on the intestines, on the 
heart, on the throat, on the eyebrows, on the forehead and 
then on the top of the head. Some of the sages in the 
disciplic succession from the great saint Aruna meditate on 
the heart, because the Supersoul stays within the 
heart along with the living entity. This is confirmed in the 
Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter, wherein the Lord states, "I 
am situated in everyone's heart."
 
As part of devotional service, Vaisnavas protect 
the body for the service of the Lord
, but those who are gross materialists accept the body 
as the self. They worship the body by the yogic process of 
meditation on the different bodily parts, such as manipuraka, 
dahara and hrdaya, gradually rising to the brahma-randhra, on 
the top of the head. The first-class yogi who has attained 
perfection in the practice of the yoga system ultimately 
passes through the brahma-randhra to any one of the planets in 
either the material or spiritual worlds. How a yogi can 
transfer himself to another planet is vividly described 
in the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
 
In this regard, Sukadeva Gosvami has recommended that the 
beginners worship the virat-purusa, the gigantic universal 
form of the Lord. One who cannot believe that the Lord can be 
worshiped with equal success in the Deity, or arca form, or 
who cannot concentrate on this form is advised to worship the 
universal form of the Lord. The lower part of the universe is 
considered the feet and legs of the Lord's universal form, the 
middle part of the universe is considered the navel or abdomen 
of the Lord, the upper planetary systems such as Janaloka and 
Maharloka are the heart of the Lord, and the topmost planetary 
system, Brahmaloka, is considered the top of the Lord's head. 
There are different processes recommended by great sages 
according to the position of the worshiper, but the ultimate 
aim of all meditational yogic processes is to go back home,
 back to Godhead. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, anyone who 
reaches the highest planet, the abode of Krsna, or even the 
Vaikuntha planets, never has to come down again to this 
miserable material condition of life.
 
The Vedic recommendation, therefore, is that one make the 
lotus feet of Visnu the target of all one's efforts. Tad 
visnoh paramam padam: the Visnu planets, or 
Visnuloka, are situated above all the material planets. These 
Vaikuntha planets are known as sanatana-dhama, and they are 
eternal. They are never annihilated, not even by the 
annihilation of this material world. The conclusion is that if 
a human being does not fulfill the mission of his life by 
worshiping the Supreme Lord and does not go back home, back to 
Godhead, it is to be understood that he is breathing just 
like a blacksmith's bellows, living just like a tree, eating 
just like a camel and having sex just like the dogs and hogs. 
Thus he has been frustrated in fulfilling the specific purpose 
of human life.
 
The next prayer of the personified Vedas to the Lord concerns 
His entering into different species of life. It is stated in 
the Bhagavad-gita, Fourteenth Chapter, that in every species 
and form of life the spiritual part and parcel of the Supreme 
Lord is present. The Lord Himself claims in the Gita that He 
is the seed-giving father of all forms and species, who 
therefore must all be considered sons of the Lord. The 
entrance of the Supreme Lord into everyone's heart as 
Paramatma sometimes bewilders the impersonalists into
 equating the living entities with the 
Supreme Lord. They think, "Both the Supreme Lord 
and the individual soul 
enter into the various bodies; 
so where is the distinction? Why should 
individual souls worship the Paramatma, or Supersoul?" 
According to them, the Supersoul and the individual soul 
are on the same level; they are one, without any difference 
between them. There is a difference, however, between the 
Supersoul and the individual soul, and this is explained in 
the Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter, wherein the Lord says 
that although He is situated with the living entity in the 
same body, He is superior. He is dictating or giving 
intelligence to the individual soul from within. It is clearly 
stated in the Gita that the Lord gives intelligence to the 
individual soul and that both memory and forgetfulness are due 
to the influence of the Supersoul. No one can act 
independently of the sanction of the Supersoul. The 
individual soul acts according to his past karma, reminded by 
the Lord. The nature of the individual soul is forgetfulness, 
but the presence of the Lord within the heart reminds him of 
what he wanted to do in his past life. The intelligence of the 
individual soul is exhibited like fire in wood. Although fire 
is always fire, it is exhibited in a size proportionate to the 
size of the wood. Similarly, although the individual soul is 
qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord, he exhibits himself 
according to the limitations of his present body. But the 
Supreme Lord, or the Supersoul, is unlimited. He is said to be 
eka-rasa. Eka means "one," and rasa means "mellow." The 
transcendental position of the Supreme Lord is that of 
eternity, bliss and full knowledge. His position of eka-rasa 
does not change in the slightest when He becomes a witness and 
 
advisor to the individual soul in each individual body.
 
But the individual soul, from Lord Brahma down to 
the ant, exhibits his spiritual potency according to his 
present body. The demigods are in the same category with the 
individual souls in the bodies of human beings or in the 
bodies of lower animals. Intelligent persons, therefore, do 
not worship different demigods, who are simply infinitesimal 
representatives of Krsna manifest in conditioned bodies. 
The individual soul can exhibit his power only 
in proportion to the shape and constitution of the body. The 
Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, can exhibit His full 
potencies in any shape or form without any change. The 
Mayavadi philosophers' thesis that God and the individual soul 
are one and the same cannot be accepted because the individual 
soul has to develop his power according to the 
development of different types of bodies. The individual soul 
in the body of a baby cannot show the full power 
of a grown man, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, 
even when lying on the lap of His mother as a baby, could 
exhibit His full power by killing Putana and other 
demons who attacked Him. Thus the spiritual 
potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is said to be 
eka-rasa, or without change. The Supreme Personality 
of Godhead, therefore, is the only worshipable object, and 
this is perfectly known to persons who are uncontaminated by 
the modes of material nature. In other words, only the 
liberated souls can worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
 Less intelligent Mayavadis take to the worship of the 
demigods, thinking that the demigods and the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead are on the same level.
 
The personified Vedas continued to offer their obeisances. "
Dear Lord," they prayed, "after many, many births, those who 
have actually become wise take to the worship of Your lotus 
feet in complete knowledge." This is confirmed in the 
Bhagavad-gita, wherein the Lord says that after many, many 
births a great soul, or mahatma, surrenders unto the Lord, 
knowing well that Vasudeva, Krsna, is the cause of all causes. 
The Vedas continued: "As already explained, since the 
mind, intelligence and senses have been given to us by God, 
when these instruments are actually purified there is no 
alternative but to engage them all in the devotional service 
of the Lord. A living entity's entrapment in different species 
of life is due to the misapplication of his mind, intelligence 
and senses in material activities. Various kinds of bodies are 
awarded as the result of a living entity's actions, and they 
are created by the material nature according to the living 
entity's desire. Because a living entity desires and deserves 
a particular kind of body, it is given to him by the material 
nature, under the order of the Supreme Lord."
 
In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Third Canto, it is explained that 
under the control of superior authority a living entity is put 
within the semen of a male and injected into the womb of a 
particular female in order to develop a particular type of 
body. A living entity utilizes his senses, intelligence, mind 
and so on in a specific way of his own choosing and thus 
develops a particular type of body, within which he becomes 
encaged. In this way the living entity becomes situated in 
different species of life, either in a demigod, human or 
animal body, according to different situations and 
circumstances.
 
It is explained in the Vedic literature that the living 
entities entrapped in different species of life are part and 
parcel of the Supreme Lord. The Mayavadi philosophers mistake 
the living entity for the Paramatma, who is actually sitting 
with the living entity as a friend. Because the Paramatma (
the localized aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead) 
and the individual living entity are both within the body, a 
misunderstanding sometimes takes place that there is no 
difference between the two. But there is a definite difference 
between the individual soul and the Supersoul, and it is 
explained in the Varaha Purana as follows. The Supreme Lord 
has two kinds of parts and parcels: the living entity is 
called vibhinnamsa, and the Paramatma, or the plenary 
expansion of the Supreme Lord, is called svamsa. The svamsa 
plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality is as powerful as 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. There is not even 
the slightest difference between the potency of the Supreme 
Person and that of His plenary expansion as Paramatma. But the 
vibhinnamsa parts and parcels possess only a minute portion of 
the potencies of the Lord. The Narada Pancaratra states that 
the living entities, who are the marginal potency of the 
Supreme Lord, are undoubtedly of the same quality of spiritual 
existence as the Lord Himself, but they are prone to be tinged 
with the material qualities. Because the minute living entity 
is prone to be subjected to the influence of material 
qualities, he is called jiva, and 
sometimes the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also known as 
Siva, the all-auspicious one. So the difference between Siva 
and jiva is that the all-auspicious Personality of Godhead is 
never affected by the material qualities whereas the minute 
portions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are prone to be 
affected by the qualities of material nature.
 
The Supersoul within the body of a particular living entity, 
being a plenary portion of the Lord, is worshipable by the 
individual living entity. Great sages have therefore concluded 
that the process of meditation is designed so that the 
individual living entity may concentrate his attention on the 
lotus feet of the Supersoul form (Visnu). That is real 
samadhi. The living entity cannot be liberated 
from material entanglement by his own effort. He must 
therefore take to the devotional service of the lotus feet of 
the Supreme Lord, or the Supersoul within himself. Sridhara 
Svami, the great commentator on Srimad-Bhagavatam, has 
composed a nice verse in this regard, the meaning of which is 
as follows: "My dear Lord, I am eternally a part of You,
 but I have been entrapped by the material potencies, which 
are also an emanation from You. As the cause of all causes, 
You have entered my body as the Supersoul, and I have the 
prerogative of enjoying the supreme blissful life of knowledge 
along with You. Therefore, my dear Lord, please order me to 
render You loving service so that I can again be brought to my 
original position of transcendental bliss."
 
Great personalities understand that a living entity entangled 
in this material world cannot be freed by his own efforts. 
With firm faith and devotion, such great personalities engage 
themselves in rendering transcendental loving service to the 
Lord. That is the verdict of the personified Vedas.
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, it is very 
difficult to achieve perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth. 
Your Lordship is so kind to the fallen souls that You appear 
in different incarnations and execute different activities. 
You appear even as a historical personality of this material 
world, and Your pastimes are very nicely described in the 
Vedic literature. Such pastimes are as attractive as the 
ocean of transcendental bliss. People in general have a 
natural inclination to read narrations in which ordinary jivas 
are glorified, but when they become attracted by the Vedic 
scriptures which delineate Your eternal pastimes, they 
actually dip into the ocean of transcendental bliss. As a 
fatigued man feels refreshed by dipping into a reservoir of 
water, so the conditioned soul who is very much disgusted with 
material activities becomes refreshed and forgets all the 
fatigue of material activities simply by dipping into the 
transcendental ocean of Your pastimes. And eventually he 
merges into the ocean of transcendental bliss. The most 
intelligent devotees, therefore, do not take to any means of 
self-realization except devotional service and constant 
engagement in the nine different processes of devotional life, 
especially hearing and chanting. When hearing and chanting 
about Your transcendental pastimes, Your devotees do not care 
even for the transcendental bliss derived from liberation or 
from merging into the existence of the Supreme. Such devotees 
are not interested even in so-called liberation, and 
they certainly have no interest in material activities for 
elevation to the heavenly planets for sense gratification. 
Pure devotees seek only the association of paramahamsas, or 
great liberated devotees, so that they can continuously hear 
and chant about Your glories. For this purpose the pure 
devotees are prepared to sacrifice all comforts of life, even 
giving up the material comforts of family life and so-called 
society, friendship and love. Those who have tasted the nectar 
of devotion by relishing the transcendental vibration of 
chanting Your glories -- Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, 
Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare -- do 
not care for any other spiritual bliss or for material 
comforts, which appear to the pure devotee as less 
important than the straw in the street."
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, when a person is 
able to purify his mind, senses and intelligence by engaging 
himself in devotional service in full Krsna consciousness, his 
mind becomes his friend. Otherwise, his mind is always his 
enemy. When the mind is engaged in the devotional service of 
the Lord, it becomes the intimate friend of the living entity 
because the mind can then think of the Supreme Lord always. 
Your Lordship is eternally dear to the living entity, so when 
the mind is engaged in thought of You one immediately feels 
the great satisfaction for which he has been hankering life 
after life. When one's mind is thus fixed on the lotus feet of 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one does not take to any 
kind of inferior worship or inferior process of self-
realization. By attempting to worship a demigod or by taking 
to any other process of self-realization, the living entity 
becomes a victim of the cycle of birth and death, and no one 
can estimate how much the living entity is degraded by 
entering abominable species of life such as cats and 
dogs."
 
Sri Narottama dasa Thakura has sung that persons who do not 
take to the devotional service of the Lord but are attracted 
to the process of philosophical speculation and fruitive 
activities drink the poisonous results of such actions. Such 
persons eat all kinds of obnoxious things, such as meat, 
and take pleasure in alcohol and other intoxicants, and 
after death they are forced to take birth in lower 
species of life. Materialistic persons 
generally worship the transient material body and forget the 
welfare of the spirit soul within the body. Some take shelter 
of materialistic science to improve bodily comforts, and some 
take to the worship of demigods to be promoted to the 
heavenly planets. Their goal in life is to make the material 
body comfortable, but they forget the interest of the 
spirit soul. Such persons are described in the Vedic 
literature as suicidal, because attachment for the material 
body and its comforts forces the living entity to wander 
through the process of birth and death perpetually and suffer 
the material pangs as a matter of course. The human form of 
life is a chance for one to understand his position. Therefore 
the most intelligent person takes to devotional service just 
to engage his mind, senses and body in the service of the Lord 
without deviation.
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, there are many 
mystic yogis who are very learned and deliberate in achieving 
the highest perfection of life. They engage themselves in the 
yogic process of controlling the life air within the body. 
Concentrating the mind upon the form of Visnu and controlling 
the senses very rigidly, they practice the yoga system, but 
even after much laborious austerity, penance and regulation, 
they achieve the same destination as persons inimical 
toward You. In other words, both the yogis and the great, wise 
philosophical speculators ultimately attain the impersonal 
Brahman effulgence, which is automatically attained by 
the demons who are regular enemies of the Lord. Demons like 
Kamsa, Sisupala and Dantavakra attain the Brahman 
effulgence because they constantly meditate upon the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead out of enmity. The real point is to 
concentrate the mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 
Women such as the gopis were attached to Krsna, being 
captivated by His beauty, and their mental concentration on 
Krsna was provoked by lust. They wanted to be embraced by the 
arms of Krsna, which resemble the beautiful round shape of a 
snake. Similarly, we, the Vedic hymns, 
simply concentrate our minds on the lotus feet of Your 
Lordship. Women like the gopis concentrate upon You under 
the dictation of lust, and we concentrate upon Your lotus feet 
to go back home, back to Godhead. Your enemies also 
concentrate upon You, thinking always of how to kill You, and 
yogis undertake great penances and austerities just to 
attain Your impersonal effulgence. All these different persons,
 although concentrating their minds in different ways, achieve 
spiritual perfection according to their different perspectives 
because You, O Lord, are equal to all Your devotees."
 
Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse in this regard: "My 
dear Lord, to be engaged always in thinking of Your lotus feet 
is very difficult. It is possible for great devotees who have 
already achieved love for You and are engaged in 
transcendental loving service. My dear Lord, I wish that my 
mind may also be fixed somehow or other on Your lotus 
feet, at least for some time."
 
The attainment of spiritual perfection by different 
spiritualists is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, wherein the 
Lord says that He grants the perfection the devotee desires in 
proportion to the devotee's surrender unto Him. The 
impersonalists, yogis and enemies of the Lord enter into 
the Lord's transcendental effulgence, but the personalists who 
follow in the footsteps of the inhabitants of 
Vrndavana or strictly follow the path of devotional service 
are elevated to the personal abode of Krsna, Goloka Vrndavana, 
or to the Vaikuntha planets. Both the impersonalists and the 
personalists enter the spiritual realm, the spiritual 
sky, but the impersonalists are given their place in the 
impersonal Brahman effulgence, whereas the personalists are 
given a position in the Vaikuntha planets or in the Vrndavana 
planet, according to their desire to serve the Lord in 
different mellows.
 
The personified Vedas stated that persons born after 
the creation of this material world cannot understand the 
existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by 
manipulating their material knowledge. Just as a person born 
in a particular family cannot understand the position of his 
great-grandfather, who lived before the birth of the recent 
generation, we are unable to understand the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead, Narayana, or Krsna, who exists 
eternally in the spiritual world. In the Eighth Chapter of the 
Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that the Supreme Person, who 
lives eternally in the spiritual kingdom of God (sanatana-
dhama), can be approached only by devotional service.
 
As for the material creation, Brahma is the first created 
person. Before Brahma there was no living creature within this 
material world; it was void and dark until Brahma was born on 
the lotus flower that sprouted from the abdomen of 
Garbhodakasayi Visnu. Garbhodakasayi Visnu is an expansion of 
Karanodakasayi Visnu, Karanodakasayi Visnu is an expansion of 
Sankarsana, and Sankarsana is an expansion of Balarama, 
who is an immediate expansion of Lord Krsna. After the 
creation of Brahma, the two kinds of demigods were born: 
demigods like the four brothers Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana 
and Sanat-kumara, who are representatives of renunciation of 
the world, and demigods like Marici and their descendants, who 
are meant to enjoy this material world. From these two kinds 
of demigods were gradually manifested all other living 
entities, including the human beings. Thus all living 
creatures within this material world, including Brahma, all 
the demigods and all the Raksasas, are to be considered modern.
 This means that they were all born recently. 
Therefore, just as a person born recently in a family 
cannot understand the situation of his distant forefather, no 
one within this material world can understand the 
position of the Supreme Lord in the spiritual world, because 
the material world has only recently been created. Although 
they have a long duration of existence, all the manifestations 
of the material world -- namely the time element, the living 
entities, the Vedas and the gross and subtle material 
elements -- are created at some point. Thus any process 
manufactured within this created situation as a 
means for understanding the original source of creation is to 
be considered modern.
 
Therefore by the process of self-realization or God 
realization through fruitive activities, philosophical 
speculation or mystic yoga, one cannot actually approach the 
supreme source of everything. When the creation is completely 
terminated -- when there is no existence of the Vedas, no 
existence of material time, and no existence of the gross and 
subtle material elements, and when all the living entities are 
in the nonmanifested stage, resting within Narayana -- then 
all these manufactured processes become null and void and 
cannot act. Devotional service, however, is eternally going on 
in the eternal spiritual world. Therefore the only factual 
process of self-realization or God realization is devotional 
service, and one who takes to this process takes to the 
real process of God realization.
 
In this regard, Srila Sridhara Svami has composed a verse 
which conveys the idea that the supreme source of everything, 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is so great and unlimited 
that it is not possible for the living entity to understand 
Him by any material acquisition. One should therefore pray to 
the Lord to be engaged in His devotional service eternally, so 
that by the grace of the Lord one can understand the supreme 
source of creation. The supreme source of creation, the 
Supreme Lord, reveals Himself only to the devotees. In the 
Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says to Arjuna, "
My dear Arjuna, because you are My devotee and because you are 
My intimate friend, I shall reveal to you the process of 
understanding Me." In other words, the supreme source of 
creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be 
understood by our own endeavor. We have to please Him with 
devotional service, and then He will reveal Himself to us. 
Then we can understand Him to some extent.
 
There are different kinds of philosophers who have tried to 
understand the supreme source by their mental speculation. 
There are generally six kinds of mental speculators, whose 
speculations are called sad-darsana. All these philosophers 
are impersonalists and are known as Mayavadis. Every one of 
them has tried to establish his own opinion, although they all 
have later compromised and stated that all opinions lead to 
the same goal and that every opinion is therefore valid. 
According to the prayers of the personified Vedas, however, 
none of them is valid because their process of knowledge is 
created within the temporary material world. They have all 
missed the real point: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or 
the Absolute Truth, can be understood only by devotional 
service.
 
One class of philosophers, known as Mimamsakas, represented by 
sages such as Jaimini, have concluded that everyone should 
engage in pious activities or prescribed duties and 
that such activities will lead one to the highest perfection. 
But this is contradicted in the Ninth Chapter of the Bhagavad-
gita, where Lord Krsna says that by pious activities one may 
be elevated to the heavenly planets, but that as soon as one's 
accumulation of pious activities is used up, one has to leave 
the enjoyment of a higher standard of material prosperity in 
the heavenly planets and immediately come down again to these 
lower planets, where the duration of life is very short and 
where the standard of material happiness is of a lower grade. 
The exact words used in the Bhagavad-gita are ksine punye 
martya-lokam visanti [Bg. 9.21]. Therefore the conclusion of 
the Mimamsaka philosophers that pious activities will lead 
one to the Absolute Truth is not valid. Although a pure 
devotee is by nature inclined to perform pious activities, no 
one can attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead 
by pious activities alone. Pious activities may purify one of 
the contamination caused by ignorance and passion, but this 
purification is automatically attained by a devotee 
constantly engaged in hearing the transcendental message of 
Godhead in the form of the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam or 
similar scriptures. From the Bhagavad-gita we understand that 
even a person who is not up to the standard of pious 
activities but who is absolutely engaged in devotional service 
is to be considered well situated on the path of spiritual 
perfection. It is also said in the Bhagavad-gita that a person 
who is engaged in devotional service with love and faith is 
guided from within by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The 
Lord Himself as Paramatma, or the spiritual master sitting 
within one's heart, gives the devotee exact directions by 
which he can gradually go back to Godhead. The conclusion of 
the Mimamsaka philosophers is not actually the truth which can 
lead one to real understanding.
 
Similarly, there are Sankhya philosophers, metaphysicians or 
materialistic scientists who study this cosmic manifestation 
by their invented scientific method and do not recognize 
the supreme authority of God as the creator of the cosmic 
manifestation. They wrongly conclude that the 
reactions of the material elements are the original cause of 
creation. The Bhagavad-gita, however, does not accept this 
theory. It is clearly said therein that behind the cosmic 
activities is the direction of the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead. This fact is corroborated by the Vedic injunction 
sad va saumyedam agra asit, which means that the origin of 
the creation existed before the cosmic manifestation. 
Therefore, the material elements cannot be the cause of the 
material creation. Although the material elements are accepted 
as immediate causes, the ultimate cause is the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead Himself. The Bhagavad-gita says, 
therefore, that material nature works under the direction of 
Krsna.
 
The conclusion of the atheistic Sankhya philosophy is that 
because the effects -- the phenomena of this material world -
- are temporary, or illusory, the cause is therefore also 
illusory. The Sankhya philosophers are in favor of voidism, 
but the actual fact is that the original cause is the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead and that this cosmic manifestation is 
the temporary manifestation of His material energy. When this 
temporary manifestation is annihilated, its cause, the eternal 
existence of the spiritual world, continues as it is, and 
therefore the spiritual world is called sanatana-dhama, the 
eternal abode. The conclusion of the Sankhya philosophers is 
therefore invalid.
 
Then there are the philosophers headed by Gautama and Kanada. 
They have minutely studied the cause and effect of the 
material elements and have ultimately come to the conclusion 
that atomic combination is the original cause of creation. 
At present the materialistic scientists follow in 
the footsteps of Gautama and Kanada, who propounded this 
theory, called Paramanuvada. This theory, however, cannot be 
supported, for the original cause of everything is not 
inert atoms. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-
Bhagavatam, as well as in the Vedas, wherein it is stated, eko 
narayana asit: "Only Narayana existed before the creation." 
Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Vedanta-sutra also say that the 
original cause is sentient and both indirectly and directly 
cognizant of everything within this creation. In the Bhagavad-
gita Krsna says, aham sarvasya prabhavah [Bg. 10.8], "I am 
the original cause of everything," and mattah sarvam 
pravartate, "From Me everything comes into existence." 
Therefore, atoms may form the basic combinations of material 
existence, but these atoms are generated from the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. Thus the philosophy of Gautama and 
Kanada cannot be supported.
 
Similarly, impersonalists headed by Astavakra and later by 
Sankaracarya accept the impersonal Brahman effulgence as the 
cause of everything. According to their theory, the material 
manifestation is temporary and unreal, whereas the impersonal 
Brahman effulgence is reality. But this theory cannot be 
supported either, because the Lord Himself says in the 
Bhagavad-gita that the Brahman effulgence rests on 
His personality. It is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita 
that the Brahman effulgence is the personal bodily rays of 
Krsna. As such, impersonal Brahman cannot be the original 
cause of the cosmic manifestation. The original cause is the 
all-perfect, sentient Personality of Godhead, Govinda.
 
The most dangerous theory of the impersonalists is that when 
God comes as an incarnation He accepts a material body created 
by the three modes of material nature. This Mayavada theory 
has been condemned by Lord Caitanya as most offensive. He has 
said that anyone who accepts the transcendental body of the 
Personality of Godhead to be made of material nature 
commits the greatest offense at the lotus feet of Visnu. 
Similarly, the Bhagavad-gita also states that when
 the Personality of Godhead descends 
in a human form, only fools and rascals deride Him. This 
actually occurred when Lord Krsna, Lord Rama and Lord Caitanya 
moved within human society as human beings.
 
The personified Vedas condemn the impersonal conception as a 
gross misrepresentation. In the Brahma-samhita, the body of 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as ananda-
cinmaya-rasa. The Supreme Personality of Godhead 
possesses a spiritual body, not a material body. He can enjoy 
anything through any part of His body, and therefore He is 
omnipotent. The limbs of a material body can perform only a 
particular function; for example, the hands can hold but 
cannot see or hear. But because the body of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead is made of ananda-cinmaya-rasa and 
is thus sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], He can enjoy 
anything and do everything with any of His limbs. Acceptance 
of the spiritual body of the Lord as material is dictated by 
the tendency to equate the Supreme Personality of Godhead 
with the conditioned soul. The conditioned soul has a 
material body. Therefore, if God also has a material body, 
then the impersonalistic theory that the Supreme Personality 
of Godhead and the living entities are one and the same can be 
very easily propagated.
 
Factually, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes He 
exhibits a nonmaterial body, and thus there is no 
difference between His childish body when He is lying on the 
lap of His Mother Yasoda and His so-called grown-up body 
fighting with the demons. In His childhood body He also 
fought with demons, such as Putana, Trnavarta and 
Aghasura, with strength equal to that with which He fought in 
His youth against demons like Dantavakra and 
Sisupala. In material life, as soon as a conditioned soul 
changes his body he forgets everything of his past body, but 
from the Bhagavad-gita we understand that because Krsna 
has a sac-cid-ananda body He did not forget instructing the 
sun-god about the Bhagavad-gita millions of years ago. The 
Lord is therefore known as Purusottama because He is 
transcendental to both material and spiritual existence. That 
He is the cause of all causes means that He is the cause of 
the spiritual world and of the material world as well. The 
Supreme Personality of Godhead is omnipotent and omniscient. 
Therefore, because a material body can be neither omnipotent 
nor omniscient, the Lord's body is surely not material. 
The Mayavada theory that the Personality of Godhead comes 
within this material world with a material body cannot be 
supported by any means.
 
It can be concluded that all the theories of the materialistic 
philosophers are generated from temporary, illusory 
existence, like the conclusions in a dream. Such conclusions 
certainly cannot lead us to the Absolute Truth. The Absolute 
Truth can be realized only through devotional service. As 
the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita, bhaktya mam abhijanati: [
Bg. 18.55] "Only by devotional service can one understand Me." 
Srila Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse in this regard, 
which states, "My dear Lord, let others engage in 
false argument and dry speculation, theorizing upon 
great philosophical theses. Let them loiter in the darkness of 
ignorance and illusion, falsely enjoying as if very learned 
scholars, although they are without knowledge of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. As far as I am concerned, I wish to be 
liberated simply by chanting the holy names of the all-
beautiful Supreme Personality of Godhead -- Madhava, Vamana, 
Trinayana, Sankarsana, Sripati and Govinda. Simply by chanting 
Your transcendental names, O Lord Madhupati, let me become 
free from the contamination of this material existence."
 
In this way the personified Vedas said, "Dear Lord, when 
a living entity, by Your grace only, comes to the right 
conclusion about Your exalted transcendental position, 
he no longer bothers with the different theories 
manufactured by the mental speculators or so-called 
philosophers." This is a reference to the speculative theories 
of Gautama, Kanada, Patanjali and Kapila (nirisvara). There 
are actually two Kapilas: one Kapila, the son of Kardama Muni, 
is an incarnation of God, and the other is an atheist of the 
modern age. The atheistic Kapila is often misrepresented to be 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Kapila the 
incarnation of Godhead appeared as the son of Kardama
 Muni long, long ago, during the time 
of Svayambhuva Manu; the modern age is the age of Vaivasvata 
Manu.
 
According to Mayavada philosophy, this manifested world, or 
material world, is mithya or maya, false. The Mayavadi 
preaching principle is brahma satyam jagan 
mithya: "Only the Brahman effulgence is true, and the 
cosmic manifestation is illusory, or false." But according to 
Vaisnava philosophy, this cosmic manifestation is true because 
it is caused by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the 
Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that He enters within this 
material world by one of His plenary portions and thus the 
creation takes place. From the Vedas also we can understand 
that this asat, or temporary cosmic manifestation, is an 
emanation from the supreme sat, or fact. From the Vedanta-
sutra also it is understood that everything has emanated from 
the Supreme Brahman. Therefore the Vaisnavas do not take 
this cosmic manifestation to be false. Because the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead has entered this cosmic manifestation 
in the form of His plenary expansion and caused the creation, 
the Vaisnava philosophers see everything in this material 
world in relationship with the Supreme Lord.
 
This conception of the material world is very nicely explained 
by Srila Rupa Gosvami, who says that when persons 
renounce the material world as illusory or false without 
knowing that the material world is a manifestation of 
the Supreme Lord, their renunciation is of no value. 
The Vaisnavas, however, are free of attachment to this world 
because although the material world is generally accepted as 
an object of sense gratification, the Vaisnavas are not in 
favor of sense gratification and are therefore 
not attached to material activities. The Vaisnava accepts this 
material world according to the regulative principles of the 
Vedic injunctions and works without attachment. Since the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of 
everything, the Vaisnava sees everything in relationship with 
Krsna, even in this material world. By such advanced knowledge,
 everything becomes spiritualized. In other words, everything 
in the material world is already spiritual, but due to our 
lack of knowledge we see things as material.
 
The personified Vedas presented the example that those 
seeking gold do not reject gold earrings, gold bangles 
or anything else made of gold simply because they are shaped 
differently from the original gold. All living entities are 
part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and are qualitatively one 
with Him, but they are now differently shaped in 8,400,000 
species of life, just like many different ornaments 
manufactured from the same source of gold. As one who is 
interested in gold accepts all the differently shaped gold 
ornaments, so a Vaisnava, knowing well that all living 
entities are of the same quality as the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead, accepts all living entities as eternal servants of 
God. A Vaisnava, then, has ample opportunity to serve 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by reclaiming these 
conditioned, misled living entities, training them in Krsna 
consciousness and leading them back home, back to Godhead. 
The fact is that the minds of the living entities are now 
agitated by the three material qualities, and the living 
entities are therefore transmigrating, as if in dreams, from 
one body to another. When their consciousness is changed into 
Krsna consciousness, however, they immediately fix Krsna 
within their hearts, and thus their path toward liberation 
becomes clear.
 
In all the Vedas the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the 
living entities are stated to be of the same quality -- 
cetana, or spiritual. This is confirmed in the Padma 
Purana, wherein it is said that there are two kinds of 
spiritual entities: one is called the jiva, and the other is 
called the Supreme Lord. From Lord Brahma down to 
the ant, all living entities are jivas, whereas the Lord is 
the supreme four-handed Visnu, or Janardana. Strictly speaking,
 the word atma can be applied only to the Supreme Personality 
of Godhead, but because the living entities are His parts and 
parcels, sometimes the word atma is applied to them also. The 
living entities are therefore called jivatma, and the Supreme 
Lord is called Paramatma. Both the Paramatma and the jivatma 
are within this material world, and therefore this material 
world has a purpose other than sense gratification. The 
conception of a life of sense gratification is illusion, but 
the conception of service by the jivatma to the Paramatma, 
even in this material world, is not at all illusory. A Krsna 
conscious person is fully aware of this fact, and thus he does 
not take this material world to be false but acts in the 
reality of transcendental service. The devotee therefore sees 
everything in this material world as an opportunity to serve 
the Lord. He does not reject anything as material but 
dovetails everything in the service of the Lord. Thus a 
devotee is always in the transcendental position, and 
everything he uses becomes spiritually purified by being 
used in the Lord's service.
 
Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse in this regard: "I 
worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is always 
manifested as reality, even within this material world, which 
is considered by some to be false." The conception of the 
falsity of this material world is due to a lack of knowledge, 
but a person advanced in Krsna consciousness sees the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead in everything. This is actual 
realization of the Vedic aphorism sarvam khalv idam brahma: "
Everything is Brahman."
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, less intelligent 
men take to other ways of self-realization, but actually there 
is no chance of becoming purified from material contamination 
or of stopping the repeated cycle of birth and death unless 
one is a thoroughly pure devotee. Dear Lord, everything 
rests on Your different potencies, and everyone is 
supported by You, as stated in the Vedas: eko bahunam yo 
vidadhati kaman. Therefore Your Lordship is the supporter and 
maintainer of all living entities -- demigods, human beings 
and animals. Everyone is supported by You, and You are also 
situated in everyone's heart. In other words, You are the root 
of the whole creation. Therefore those who engage in 
Your devotional service without deviation, who always worship 
You, actually pour water on the root of the 
universal tree. By devotional service, therefore, one 
satisfies not only the Personality of Godhead but also all 
others, because everyone is maintained and supported by Him. 
Because a devotee understands the all-pervasive feature of 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is the most 
practical philanthropist and altruist. Such pure devotees, 
thoroughly engaged in Krsna consciousness, very easily 
overcome the cycle of birth and death, and they as much as 
jump over the head of death."
 
A devotee is never afraid of death, or changing his body; 
his consciousness is transformed into Krsna consciousness, and 
even if he does not go back to Godhead, even if he 
transmigrates to another material body, he has nothing to fear.
 A vivid example is Bharata Maharaja. Although in his next 
life he became a deer, in the life after that he became 
completely free from all material contamination and was 
elevated to the kingdom of God. The Bhagavad-gita affirms, 
therefore, that a devotee is never vanquished. A devotee's 
path to the spiritual kingdom, back home, back to Godhead, is 
guaranteed. Even though a devotee slips in one birth, the 
continuation of his Krsna consciousness elevates him further 
and further, until he goes back to Godhead. Not only does a 
pure devotee purify his own personal existence, but whoever 
becomes his disciple also becomes purified and is 
ultimately able to enter the kingdom of God without difficulty.
 In other words, not only can a pure devotee easily surpass 
death, but by his grace his followers can also do so 
without difficulty. The power of devotional service is so 
great that a pure devotee can electrify another person by his 
transcendental instruction on crossing over the ocean of 
nescience.
 
The instructions of a pure devotee to his disciple are also 
very simple. No one feels any difficulty in following in the 
footsteps of a pure devotee of the Lord. Anyone who follows in 
the footsteps of recognized devotees, 
such as Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, the Kumaras, Manu, Kapila, 
King Prahlada, King Janaka, Sukadeva Gosvami, Yamaraja and 
their followers in disciplic succession, very easily finds the 
door of liberation open. On the other hand, those who are not 
devotees but are engaged in uncertain processes of self-
realization, such as jnana, yoga and karma, are understood to 
be still contaminated. Such contaminated persons, although 
apparently advanced in self-realization, cannot liberate 
even themselves, what to speak of those who follow them. Such 
nondevotees are compared to chained animals, for they are not 
able to go beyond the jurisdiction of the formalities of a 
certain type of faith. In the Bhagavad-gita they are condemned 
as veda-vada-rata. They cannot understand that the Vedas deal 
with activities of the material modes of nature -- goodness, 
passion and ignorance. But as Lord Krsna advised Arjuna, one 
has to go beyond the jurisdiction of the duties prescribed in 
the Vedas and take to Krsna consciousness, devotional service. 
The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita, nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna: "
My dear Arjuna, just try to become transcendental to the Vedic 
rituals." This transcendental position beyond the Vedic 
ritualistic performances is devotional service. In the 
Bhagavad-gita the Lord clearly says that persons who are 
engaged in His devotional service without adulteration are 
situated in Brahman. Actual Brahman realization means Krsna 
consciousness and engagement in devotional service. The 
devotees are therefore real brahmacaris because their 
activities are always in Krsna consciousness, devotional 
service.
 
 
The Krsna consciousness movement therefore issues a supreme 
call to all kinds of religionists, asking them with great 
authority to join this movement, by which one can learn how to 
love God and thus surpass all formulas and formalities of 
scriptural injunction. A person who cannot overcome the 
jurisdiction of stereotyped religious principles is compared 
to an animal chained up by his master. The purpose of all 
religion is to understand God and develop one's dormant love 
of Godhead. If one simply sticks to the religious formulas and 
formalities but does not become elevated to the position of 
love of God, he is considered to be a chained animal. In other 
words, if one is not in Krsna consciousness, he is not 
eligible for liberation from the contamination of material 
existence.
 
Srila Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse in this 
regard: "Let others engage in severe austerities, let others 
fall to the land from the tops of hills and give up their 
lives, let others travel to many holy places of pilgrimage for 
salvation, or let them engage in deep study of 
philosophy and Vedic literature. Let the mystic yogis engage 
in their meditational service, and let the different sects 
engage in unnecessary arguing as to which is the best. But it 
is a fact that unless one is Krsna conscious, unless one is 
engaged in devotional service, and unless one has the mercy of 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot cross over this 
material ocean." An intelligent person, therefore, gives up 
all stereotyped ideas and joins the Krsna consciousness 
movement for factual liberation.
 
The personified Vedas continued their prayers: "Dear Lord,
 Your impersonal feature is explained in the Vedas. You have 
no hands, but You can accept all sacrifices offered 
to You. You have no legs, but You can walk more swiftly than 
anyone else. Although You have no eyes, You can see whatever 
happens in the past, present and future. Although You have no 
ears, You can hear everything that is said. Although You have 
no mind, You know everyone and everyone's activities, past, 
present and future, and yet no one knows who You are. You know 
everyone, but no one knows You; therefore, You are the oldest 
and supreme personality."
 
Similarly, in another part of the Vedas it is said, "You have 
nothing to do. You are so perfect in Your knowledge and 
potency that everything becomes manifest simply by Your will. 
There is no one equal to or greater than You, and everyone 
acts as Your eternal servant." Thus the Vedic 
statements affirm that the Absolute has no legs, no hands, 
no eyes, no ears and no mind, and yet He can act through His 
potencies and fulfill the needs of all living entities. As 
stated in the Bhagavad-gita, His hands and legs are everywhere,
 for He is all-pervasive. The hands, legs, ears and eyes of 
all living entities are acting and moving by the direction of 
the Supersoul sitting within the living entity's heart. Unless 
the Supersoul is present, it is not possible for the hands and 
legs to be active. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is so 
great, independent and perfect that even without 
having any eyes, legs or ears He is not dependent on others 
for His activities. On the contrary, others are dependent on 
Him for the activities of their different sense organs. Unless 
the living entity is inspired and directed by the Supersoul, 
he cannot act.
 
The fact is that ultimately the Absolute Truth is the Supreme 
Person. But because He acts through His different 
potencies, which are impossible for the gross materialists to 
see, the materialists accept Him as impersonal. For example, 
one can observe the personal artistic work in a painting of a 
flower, and one can understand that the color adjustment, the 
shape and so on have demanded the minute attention of an 
artist. The artist's work is clearly exhibited in a painting 
of different blooming flowers. But the gross materialist, 
without seeing the hand of God in such artistic manifestations 
as the actual flowers blooming in nature, concludes that the 
Absolute Truth is impersonal. Actually, the Absolute is 
personal, but He is independent. He does not require to 
personally take a brush and colors to paint the flowers, for 
His potencies act so wonderfully that it appears as if 
flowers have come into being without the aid of an artist. The 
impersonal view of the Absolute Truth is accepted by less 
intelligent men, because unless one is engaged in the service 
of the Lord one cannot understand how the Supreme is acting --
 one cannot even know the Lord's name. Everything about the 
Lord's activities and personal features is revealed to the 
devotee only through his loving service attitude.
 
In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said, bhoktaram yajna-
tapasam: [Bg. 5.29] "The Lord is the enjoyer of all 
sacrifices and of the results of all austerities." Then 
the Lord says, sarva-loka-mahesvaram: "I am the proprietor of 
all planets." So that is the position of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. While He is present in Goloka 
Vrndavana enjoying transcendental pleasure in the company of 
His eternal associates -- the gopis and the cowherd boys -- 
all over the creation His potencies are acting under His 
direction, without disturbing 
His eternal pastimes.
 
Only through devotional service can one understand how 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable 
potencies, simultaneously acts impersonally and as a person. 
He acts just like the supreme emperor, and many 
thousands of kings and chiefs work under Him. The 
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme independent 
controlling person, and all the demigods, including Lord 
Brahma, Lord Siva, Indra (the King of heaven), the king of the 
moon planet and the king of the sun planet, work 
under His direction. The Vedas confirm that it is out of 
fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that the sun is 
shining, the wind is blowing, and fire is distributing heat
. The 
material nature produces all kinds of movable and 
immovable objects within the material world, but none of them 
can independently act or create without the direction of the 
Supreme Lord. All of them act as His tributaries, just 
like subordinate kings who offer their annual taxes to the 
emperor.
 
The Vedic injunctions state that every living entity lives by 
eating the remnants of food offered to the Personality 
of Godhead. In great sacrifices the injunction is that 
Narayana should be present as the supreme predominating Deity 
of the sacrifice and that after the sacrifice is performed 
the remnants of food should be distributed among the 
demigods. This is called yajna-bhaga. Every demigod has an 
allotment of yajna-bhaga, which he accepts as prasadam. The 
conclusion is that the demigods are not independently powerful:
 they are posted as different executives under the order of 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they eat 
prasadam, or the remnants of sacrifices. They execute
 the order of the Supreme Lord exactly according to 
His plan. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is in the 
background, and because His orders are carried out by others,
 it appears that He is impersonal. In our grossly 
materialistic way, we cannot conceive how the Supreme Person 
is above the impersonal activities of material nature. 
Therefore the Lord explains in the Bhagavad-gita that there is 
nothing superior to Him and that the impersonal Brahman is 
subordinately situated as a manifestation of His personal rays.
 Sripada Sridhara Svami has composed a nice 
verse in this regard: "Let me offer my respectful obeisances 
unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has no material 
senses but through whose direction and will all the material 
senses are working. He is the supreme potency of all material 
senses or sense organs. He is omnipotent, and He is the 
supreme performer of everything. Therefore He is worshipable 
by everyone. Unto that Supreme Person do I offer my respectful 
obeisances."
 
Krsna Himself declares in the Bhagavad-gita that because He is 
transcendental to all sentient and insentient beings He is 
known as Purusottama, which means the Supreme Personality. (
Purusa means "person," and uttama means "supreme" or "
transcendental.") 
In another 
 
place the Lord says that as the air is situated in the all-
pervading sky, everyone is situated in Him, and everyone is 
acting under His direction.
 
The Vedas personified continued. "Dear Lord," they prayed,
 "You are equal to all, with no partiality toward a particular 
type of living entity. It is due to their own material 
desires that all living entities enjoy or suffer in different 
conditions of life. As Your parts and parcels, they are just 
like the sparks of a fire. Just as sparks dance in a blazing 
fire, all living entities are dancing on Your support. You 
are providing them with everything they desire, and yet You 
are not responsible for their position of enjoyment or 
suffering. There are different types of living entities -- 
demigods, human beings, animals, trees, birds, beasts, germs, 
worms, insects and aquatics -- and all enjoy or 
suffer in life while resting on You."
 
The living entities are of two kinds: one class is called 
nitya-mukta, ever liberated, and the other is called nitya-
baddha, ever conditioned. The nitya-mukta living entities are 
in the spiritual kingdom, and the nitya-baddhas are in the 
material world. In the spiritual world both the living 
entities and the Lord are manifest in their original status, 
like live sparks in a blazing fire. But in the material world, 
although the Lord is all-pervasive in His impersonal feature, 
the living entities have forgotten their Krsna consciousness 
to a greater or lesser degree, just as sparks sometimes fall 
from a blazing fire and lose their original brilliant 
condition. The sparks fall into different conditions and 
retain more or less of their original brilliance. Some sparks 
fall onto dry grass and thus ignite another big fire. This is 
a reference to the pure devotees who take compassion on the 
poor and innocent living entities. The pure devotee ignites 
Krsna consciousness in the hearts of the conditioned souls, 
and thus the blazing fire of the spiritual world becomes 
manifest even within this material world. Some sparks fall 
onto water; they immediately lose their original brilliance 
and become extinct. They are comparable to the living 
entities who take their birth in the midst of gross 
materialists, in which case their original Krsna consciousness 
becomes extinct. Some sparks fall to the ground and 
remain midway between the blazing and extinct conditions. Thus 
some living entities are without Krsna consciousness, some are 
between having and not having Krsna consciousness, and some 
are actually situated in Krsna consciousness. The demigods in 
the higher planets -- Lord Brahma, Indra, Candra,
 the sun-god and various other demigods -- are 
all Krsna conscious. Human society is between the demigods and 
the animals, and thus some humans are more or less Krsna 
conscious and some are completely forgetful of Krsna 
consciousness. The third-grade living entities, namely the 
animals, beasts, plants, trees and aquatics, have completely 
forgotten Krsna consciousness. This example stated in the 
Vedas regarding the sparks of a blazing fire is very 
appropriate for understanding the condition of different types 
of living entities. But above all other living entities is the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or Purusottama, who is 
always liberated from all material conditions.
 
 
 
 
The question may be raised as to why the living entities have 
fallen by chance into different conditions of life. To answer 
this question, we first have to understand that there cannot 
be any influence of chance for the living entities; chance is 
for nonliving entities. According to the Vedic literature, 
living entities have knowledge, and thus they are called 
cetana, which means "in knowledge." Their situation in 
different conditions of life, therefore, is not accidental. It 
is by their choice, because they have knowledge. In the 
Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, "Give up everything and just 
surrender unto Me." This process of realizing the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead is open for everyone, but still it is 
the choice of the particular living entity whether to accept 
or reject this proposal. In the last portion of the Bhagavad-
gita, Lord Krsna very plainly says to Arjuna, "My dear Arjuna, 
now I have spoken everything to you. Now 
you may choose to accept it or not." Similarly, the 
living entities who have come down to this material world have 
made their own choice to enjoy this material world. It is not 
that Krsna sent them into this world. The material 
world was created for the enjoyment of living entities who 
wanted to give up the eternal service of the Lord to become 
the supreme enjoyer themselves. According to Vaisnava 
philosophy, when a living entity desires to gratify his senses 
and forgets the service of the Lord, he is given a place in 
the material world to act freely according to his desire, and 
therefore he creates a condition of life in which he either 
enjoys or suffers. We should definitely know that both 
the Lord and the living entities are eternally cognizant. 
There is no birth and death for either the Lord or the living 
entities. When creation takes place, this does not mean that 
the living entities are created. The Lord creates the 
material world to give the conditioned souls a chance to 
elevate themselves to the higher platform of Krsna 
consciousness. If a conditioned soul does not take advantage 
of this opportunity, after the dissolution of this 
material world he enters into the body of Narayana and 
remains there in deep sleep until the time of another creation.
 
 
 
In this connection the example of the rainy season is very 
appropriate. Seasonal rainfall may be taken as the agent for 
creation because after the rainfall the wet fields are 
favorable for growing different types of vegetation. Similarly,
 as soon as there is creation by the Lord's glancing over the 
material nature, immediately the living entities spring up in 
their different living conditions, just as different types of 
vegetation grow after a rainfall. The rainfall is one, but the 
creation of the different plants is varied. The rain falls 
equally on the whole field, but the different plants 
sprout up in different shapes and forms according to 
the seeds planted. Similarly, the seeds of our desires are 
varied. Every living entity has a different type of desire, 
and that desire is the seed which causes his growth in a 
certain type of body. This is explained by Rupa Gosvami by the 
word papa-bija. Papa means "sinful." All our material desires 
are to be taken as papa-bija, or the seeds of sinful desires. 
The Bhagavad-gita explains that our sinful desire is that we 
do not surrender unto the Supreme Lord. The Lord therefore 
says in the Bhagavad-gita, "I shall give you protection from 
the reactions of sinful desires." These sinful desires 
are manifested in different types of bodies; therefore, no one 
can accuse the Supreme Lord of partiality in giving one 
type of body to a certain type of living entity and another 
type of body to another living entity. All the bodies of the 8,
400,000 species are created according to the mental condition 
of the individual living entities. The Supreme Personality of 
Godhead, Purusottama, only gives them a chance to act 
according to their desires. Therefore, the living entities act 
by taking advantage of the facility given by the Lord.
 
At the same time, the living entities are born from the 
transcendental body of the Lord. This relationship between the 
Lord and the living entities is explained in the Vedic 
literature, wherein it is said that the Supreme Lord 
maintains all His children, giving them whatever they want. 
Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, "I am the seed-
giving father of all living entities." It is very simple to 
understand that the father gives birth to the children but 
the children act according to their own desires. Therefore the 
father is never responsible for the different futures of his 
children. Each child can take advantage of the father's 
property and instruction, but even though the inheritance and 
instruction may be the same for all the children, out of their 
different desires each child creates a different life and 
thereby suffers or enjoys.
 
Similarly, the Bhagavad-gita's instructions are equal for 
everyone: everyone should surrender unto the Supreme Lord, and 
He will take charge of one and protect one from sinful 
reactions. The facilities of living in the creation of the 
Lord are equally offered to all living entities. Whatever 
there is, either on the land, in the water or in the sky, is 
equally given to all living entities. Since all living beings 
are sons of the Supreme Lord, everyone can enjoy the material 
facilities given by the Lord, but unfortunate living entities 
create unfavorable conditions of life by fighting among 
themselves. The responsibility for this fighting and creating 
favorable and unfavorable situations lies with the 
living entities, not with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 
Therefore, if the living entities take advantage of the Lord's 
instructions as given in the Bhagavad-gita and develop Krsna 
consciousness, then their lives become sublime, and they can 
go back to Godhead.
 
One may argue that because this material world is created by 
the Lord, He is therefore responsible for its condition. 
Certainly He is indirectly responsible for the creation and 
maintenance of this material world, but He is never 
responsible for the different conditions of the living 
entities. The Lord's creation of this material world is 
compared to a cloud's creation of vegetation. In the rainy 
season the cloud creates different varieties of vegetation. 
The cloud pours water on the surface of the earth, but it 
never touches the earth directly. Similarly, the Lord creates 
this material world simply by glancing over the material 
energy. This is confirmed in the Vedas: "He threw His glance 
over the material nature, and thus there was creation." In the 
Bhagavad-gita it is also confirmed that simply by His 
transcendental glance over the material nature, He creates 
different varieties of entities, both movable and immovable, 
living and dead.
 
The creation of the material world can therefore be taken as 
one of the pastimes of the Lord; it is called one of the 
Lord's pastimes because He creates this 
material world whenever He desires. This desire of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead is also extreme mercy on His part 
because it gives the conditioned souls 
another chance to develop their original consciousness and 
thus go back to Godhead. Therefore no one can blame the 
Supreme Lord for creating this material world.
 
From the subject matter under discussion, we can gain a clear 
understanding of the difference between the impersonalists and 
the personalists. The impersonal conception recommends merging 
into the existence of the Supreme, and the voidist philosophy 
recommends making all material varieties void. Both these 
philosophies are known as Mayavada. Certainly the cosmic 
manifestation comes to a close and becomes void when the 
living entities merge into the body of Narayana to rest until 
another creation, and this may be called an impersonal 
condition, but these conditions are never eternal. The 
cessation of the variegatedness of the material world and the 
merging of the living entities into the body of the Supreme 
are not permanent, because the creation will take place again 
and the living entities who merged into the body of the 
Supreme without having developed their Krsna consciousness 
will again appear in this material world when there is another 
creation. The Bhagavad-gita confirms the fact that this 
material world is created and annihilated 
perpetually and that conditioned souls without Krsna 
consciousness come back again and again, whenever the material 
creation is manifest. If such conditioned souls take advantage 
of this opportunity and develop Krsna consciousness under the 
direct instruction of the Lord, then they are transferred to 
the spiritual world and do not have to come back to the 
material creation. It is said, therefore, that the voidists 
and the impersonalists are not very intelligent because they 
do not take shelter under the lotus feet of the Lord. Because 
they are less intelligent, these voidists and impersonalists 
take to different types of austerities, either to attain the 
stage of nirvana, which means finishing the material 
conditions of life, or to attain oneness by merging into the 
body of the Lord. All of them again fall down because they 
neglect the lotus feet of the Lord.
 
In the Caitanya-caritamrta, the author, Krsnadasa Kaviraja 
Gosvami, after studying all the Vedic literatures and hearing 
from all authorities, has given his opinion that Krsna is the 
only supreme master and that all living entities are His 
eternal servants. His statement is confirmed in the prayers by 
the personified Vedas. The conclusion is, therefore, that 
everyone is under the control of the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead, everyone is serving under the supreme direction of 
the Lord, and everyone is afraid of the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead. It is out of fear of Him that activities are 
rightly executed. Everyone's position is to be subordinate to 
the Supreme Lord, yet the Lord has no partiality in His view 
of the living entities. He is just like the unlimited sky; as 
the sparks of a fire dance in the fire, similarly, all living 
entities are like birds flying in the unlimited sky of the 
Supreme Lord. Some of them are flying very high, some are 
flying at a lower altitude, and some are flying at a still 
lower altitude. The different birds are flying in different 
positions according to their respective abilities, but 
the sky has nothing to do with this ability. In the Bhagavad-
gita the Lord confirms that He awards different 
positions to different living entities in proportion to 
their surrender. This proportionate reward by 
the Personality of Godhead to the living entities is not 
partiality. Therefore, in spite of the living entities' 
always being under 
 
the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in their 
different positions, spheres and species of life, He is never 
responsible for their different living conditions. It is 
foolish and artificial, therefore, to think oneself equal to 
the Supreme Lord, and it is still more foolish to think that 
one has not seen God. Everyone is seeing God according to 
his capacity; the only difference is that the theist 
sees God as the Supreme Personality, the most beloved, Krsna, 
and the atheist sees the Absolute Truth as ultimate death.
 
The personified Vedas continued to pray. "Dear Lord," 
they said, "from all Vedic information it is understood that 
You are the supreme controller and all living entities are 
controlled. Both the Lord and the living entities are called 
nitya, eternal, and so are qualitatively one, yet the singular 
nitya, or the Supreme Lord, is the controller, whereas the 
plural nityas are controlled. The individual controlled living 
entity resides within the body, and the supreme controller, as 
Supersoul, is also present there, but the Supersoul controls
 the individual soul. That is the verdict of the 
Vedas. If the individual soul were not controlled by the 
Supersoul, then how could one explain the Vedic version that a 
living entity transmigrates from one body to another 
and enjoys or suffers the effects of his past deeds,
 sometimes being promoted to a higher standard of 
life and sometimes being degraded to a lower standard
? Thus the conditioned souls are not only under the 
control of the Supreme Lord but are also conditioned by 
the control of the material nature. This relationship of the 
living entities with the Supreme Lord as the controlled and 
the controller definitely proves that although the Supersoul 
is all-pervasive, the individual living entities are never all-
pervasive. If the individual souls were all-pervasive, there 
would be no question of their being controlled. The theory 
that the Supersoul and the individual soul are equal is 
therefore a polluted conclusion, and no sensible person 
accepts it; rather, one should try to understand the 
distinctions between the supreme eternal and the subordinate 
eternals."
 
The personified Vedas therefore concluded: "O Lord, You 
are the unlimited eternal (dhruva), and the living 
entities are the limited eternals." The form of the 
unlimited eternal is sometimes conceived as the universal 
form, and in Vedic literatures like the Upanisads the 
form of the limited eternal is vividly described. It is said 
therein that the original, spiritual form of the living entity 
is one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair. It is 
also stated that spirit is greater than the greatest and 
smaller than the smallest. The individual living entities, who 
are eternally part and parcel of God, are smaller than the 
smallest. With our material senses we can perceive neither 
the Supreme, who is greater than the greatest, nor the 
individual soul, who is smaller than the smallest. From the 
authoritative sources of Vedic literature we have to 
understand both Him who is greater than the greatest 
and him who is smaller than the 
smallest. The Vedic literature states that the Supersoul is 
sitting within the heart of every living entity's body and is 
as big as a thumb. Therefore the argument may be put forward, 
How can something the size of a thumb be accommodated within 
the heart of an ant? The answer is that this thumb measurement 
of the Supersoul is imagined in proportion to the body of the 
living entity. In no circumstance, therefore, can the 
Supersoul and the individual living entity be taken as 
one, although both of them enter within the material body of a 
living entity. The Supersoul lives within the heart to 
direct or control the individual living entity. 
Although both are dhruva, or eternal, the living entity is 
always under the direction of the Supreme.
 
It may be argued that because the living entities are born of 
the material nature they are all equal and independent. In 
the Vedic literature, however, it is said that the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead impregnates the material nature with 
the living entities and then they come out. Therefore, the 
appearance of the individual living entities is not factually 
due to material nature alone, just as a child produced by a 
woman is not her independent production. A woman is first 
impregnated by a man, and then a child is produced. As such, 
the child produced by the woman is part and parcel of the man. 
Similarly, the living entities are apparently produced by the 
material nature, but not independently. It is due to the 
impregnation of the material nature by the supreme father that 
the living entities are present. Therefore the argument that 
the individual living entities are not parts and parcels of 
the Supreme cannot stand. For example, the different parts 
of the body cannot be taken as equal to the whole; 
rather, the whole body is the controller of the different 
limbs. Similarly, the parts and parcels of the supreme whole 
are always dependent and are always controlled by the source 
of the parts and parcels. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita 
that the living entities are parts and parcels of Krsna: 
mamaivamsah. No sane man, therefore, will accept the theory 
that the Supersoul and the individual soul are of the same 
category. They are equal in quality, but quantitatively the 
Supersoul is always the Supreme, and the individual soul is 
always subordinate to the Supersoul. That is the conclusion of 
the Vedas.
 
The significant word used in this connection is yan-maya, 
or cin-maya. In Sanskrit grammar, the word mayat is used 
in the sense of "transformation," and also in the sense of "
abundance." The Mayavadi philosophers interpret that 
the word yan-maya, or cin-maya, indicates that the 
living entity is always equal to the Supreme. But one has to 
consider whether this affix, mayat, is used for "
abundance" or for "transformation." The living 
entity never possesses anything exactly in the same proportion 
as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, this mayat 
affix cannot be used to mean that the individual living entity 
is quantitatively equal with the Lord. The individual 
living entity never has complete knowledge; otherwise, how 
could he have come under the control of maya, or the material 
energy? The word "abundant" can be accepted, 
therefore, only in proportion to the magnitude of the living 
entity. The spiritual oneness of the Supreme Lord and the 
living entities is never to be accepted as homogeneity. Each 
and every living entity is individual. If homogeneous oneness 
is accepted, then by the liberation of one individual soul, 
all other individual souls would have been liberated 
immediately. But the fact is that every individual soul is 
differently enjoying and suffering in the material world.
 
As mentioned above, the word mayat is also used in the sense 
of "transformation"; sometimes it is also used to mean "by-
product." The impersonalist theory is that Brahman Himself has 
accepted different types of bodies and that this is His lila, 
or pastime. There are, however, many hundreds and thousands of 
species of life in different standards of living conditions, 
such as human beings, demigods, animals, birds and beasts, and 
if all of them were plenary expansions of the Supreme Absolute 
Truth, then there would be no question of liberation, because 
Brahman would already be liberated. Another interpretation put 
forward by the Mayavadis is that in every millennium different 
types of bodies are manifest, and when the millennium is 
closed all the different bodies, or expansions of Brahman, 
automatically become one, ending all different manifestations. 
Then in the next millennium, according to this theory, Brahman 
again expands in different bodily forms. If we accept this 
theory, then Brahman becomes subject to change. But this 
cannot be accepted. From the Vedanta-sutra we understand that 
Brahman is by nature joyful. He cannot, therefore, change 
Himself into a body which is subject to so many painful 
conditions. Actually, the living entities are 
infinitesimal parts and parcels of Brahman, and as 
such they are prone to be covered by the illusory energy. 
As explained before, the particles of Brahman are like sparks 
blissfully dancing within a fire, but there is a chance of 
their falling from the fire to smoke, although smoke is 
another condition of fire. This material world is just like 
smoke, and the spiritual world is like a blazing fire. 
The innumerable living entities are prone to fall down to the 
material world from the spiritual world when influenced by the 
illusory energy, and it is also possible for the living entity 
to be liberated again when by cultivation of real 
knowledge he becomes completely freed from the contamination 
of the material world.
 
The theory of the asuras is that the living entities are born 
of material nature, or prakrti, in touch with the purusa. This 
theory also cannot be accepted, because both the material 
nature and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are eternally 
existing. Neither the material nature nor the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead can be born. The Supreme Lord is known 
as aja, or unborn. Similarly, the material nature is 
called aja. Both these terms, aja and aja, mean "unborn." 
Because both the material nature and the Supreme Lord are 
unborn, it is not possible that they can beget the living 
entities. But it is accepted in the Vedic literature that as 
water in contact with air sometimes presents innumerable 
bubbles, so a combination of the material nature and the 
Supreme Person causes the appearance of the living entities 
within this material world. As bubbles in the water appear in 
different shapes, the living entities also appear in 
the material world in different shapes and conditions, 
influenced by the modes of material nature. Therefore it 
is not improper to conclude that the living entities appearing 
within this material world in different shapes, such as human 
beings, demigods, animals, birds and beasts, all get 
their respective bodies due to different desires. No one can 
say when such desires were awakened in them, and therefore it 
is said, anadi-karma: the cause of such material existence is 
untraceable. No one knows when material life began, but it is 
a fact that it does have a point of beginning because 
originally every living entity is a spiritual spark. As a 
spark's falling onto the ground from a fire has a beginning, 
so a living entity's coming to this material world 
has a beginning, but no one can say when. Even though during 
the time of dissolution all the conditioned living entities 
remain merged within the spiritual existence of the Lord, as 
if in deep sleep, their original desires to lord it over 
the material nature do not subside. Again, when there is 
cosmic manifestation, they come out to fulfill the same 
desires, and therefore they appear in different species of 
life.
 
The living entities merged into the Supreme at the time of 
dissolution are compared to honey. In the honeycomb, the 
tastes of different flowers are conserved. When one 
drinks honey, one cannot distinguish what sort of honey has 
been collected from what sort of flower, but the palatable 
taste of the honey presupposes that the honey is not 
homogeneous but is a combination of different tastes. Another 
example is that although different rivers ultimately mix with 
the water of the sea, this does not mean that the individual 
identities of the rivers are thereby lost. Although the water 
of the Ganges and the water of the Yamuna mix with the water 
of the sea, the river Ganges and river Yamuna still continue 
to exist independently. The merging of different living 
entities into Brahman at the time of dissolution involves the 
dissolution of different types of bodies, but the living 
entities, along with their different tastes, remain 
individually submerged in Brahman until another manifestation 
of the material world. As the salty taste of seawater and the 
sweet taste of Ganges water are different and this difference 
continuously exists, so the difference between the Supreme 
Lord and the living entities continuously exists, even though 
at the time of dissolution they appear to 
merge. The conclusion is, therefore, that even when the living 
entities become free from all contamination of material 
conditions and merge into the spiritual kingdom, 
their individual tastes in relationship with the Supreme Lord 
continue to exist.
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, it is 
therefore our conclusion that all conditioned living entities 
are attracted by Your material energy and that it is only due 
to their mistakenly identifying themselves as products of the 
material nature that they are transmigrating from one kind of 
body to another in forgetfulness of their eternal relationship 
with You. Because of ignorance, these living entities 
misidentify themselves in different species of 
life, and especially when elevated to the human form 
of life, they identify with a particular class of men, or a 
particular nation or race or so-called religion, forgetting 
their real identity as eternal servants of Your Lordship. Due 
to this faulty conception of life, they are undergoing 
repeated birth and death. Out of many millions of them, if one 
becomes intelligent enough by associating with pure devotees, 
he comes to the understanding of Krsna consciousness and comes 
out of the jurisdiction of the material misconception."
 
In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is confirmed by Lord Caitanya 
that the living entities are wandering within this universe in 
different species of life, but that if one of them becomes 
intelligent enough by the mercy of the spiritual master and 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, then he begins his 
devotional life in Krsna consciousness. It is said, harim vina 
na mrtim taranti: without the help of the Supreme Personality 
of Godhead, one cannot get out of the clutches of repeated 
birth and death. In other words, only the Supreme Lord, the 
Personality of Godhead, can relieve the conditioned souls from 
the cycle of repeated birth and death.
 
The personified Vedas continued: "The influence of time -- 
past, present and future -- and the material miseries, such as 
excessive heat, excessive cold, birth, death, old age and 
disease, are all simply the movements of Your eyebrows. 
Everything is working under Your direction." It is said in the 
Bhagavad-gita that all material activity is going on under the 
direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. The 
Vedas continued: "All the conditions of material existence are 
opposing elements for persons who are not surrendered unto You.
 But for those who are surrendered souls and are in full Krsna 
consciousness, these things cannot be a source of fear."
 When Lord Nrsimha-deva appeared, Prahlada Maharaja was 
never afraid of Him, whereas his atheist father was 
immediately faced with death personified and was killed. 
Therefore, although Lord Nrsimha-deva appears as death for 
an atheist like Hiranyakasipu, He is always kind and is the 
reservoir of all pleasure for the devotees like Prahlada. A 
pure devotee is not, therefore, afraid of birth, death, old 
age and disease.
 
Sripada Sridhara Svami has composed a nice verse in this 
regard, the meaning of which is as follows: "My dear Lord, I 
am a living entity perpetually disturbed by the conditions of 
material existence. I have been cracked to pieces 
by the smashing wheel of material existence, and because of my 
various sinful activities while existing in this material 
world, I am burning in the blazing fire of material reactions. 
Somehow or other, my dear Lord, I have come to take shelter 
under Your lotus feet. Please accept me and give me protection.
" Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, also, prays like this: "My 
dear Lord, O son of Nanda Maharaja, associated with the 
daughter of Vrsabhanu, I have come to take shelter under Your 
lotus feet after suffering greatly in the material condition 
of life, and I pray that You please be merciful upon me. 
Please do not kick me away, for I have no other shelter than 
You."
 
The conclusion is that any process of self-realization or God 
realization other than bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, is 
extremely difficult. Taking shelter of devotional service to 
the Lord in full Krsna consciousness is therefore the only way 
to become free from the contamination of material, conditioned 
life, especially in this age. Those who are not in Krsna 
consciousness are simply wasting their time, and they have no 
tangible proof of spiritual life.
 
It is said by Lord Ramacandra, "I always give confidence and 
security to anyone who surrenders unto Me and decides 
definitely that He is My eternal servant, for that is My 
natural inclination." Similarly, Lord Krsna says in the 
Bhagavad-gita, "The influence of the material nature is 
insurmountable, but anyone who surrenders unto Me can verily 
overcome the influence of material nature." The devotees are 
not at all interested in arguing with the nondevotees to 
nullify their theories. Rather than wasting time, they 
always engage themselves in the transcendental loving service 
of the Lord in full Krsna consciousness.
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, although 
great mystic yogis may have full control over the elephant of 
the mind and the hurricane of the senses, unless they take 
shelter of a bona fide spiritual master they fall victim to 
the material influence and are never successful in their 
attempts at self-realization. Such unguided persons are 
compared to merchants going to sea on a ship without a captain.
" By one's personal attempts, therefore, one cannot get 
free from the clutches of material nature. One has to accept a 
bona fide spiritual master and work according to his direction.
 Then it is possible to cross over the nescience of 
material conditions. Sripada Sridhara Svami has composed a 
nice verse in this connection, in which he says, "O all-
merciful spiritual master, representative of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead, when my mind will be completely 
surrendered unto your lotus feet, at that time, only by your 
mercy, I shall be able to get relief from all obstacles to 
spiritual life, and I shall be situated in blissful life."
 
Actually, ecstatic samadhi, or absorption in the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead, can be achieved by constant engagement 
in His service, and this constant engagement in devotional 
service can be performed only when one works under the 
direction of a bona fide spiritual master. The Vedas therefore 
instruct that in order to know the science of devotional 
service one has to submit himself unto the bona fide 
spiritual master. The bona fide spiritual master is he who 
knows the science of devotional service in disciplic 
succession. This disciplic succession is called srotriya. The 
prime symptom of one who has become a spiritual master in 
disciplic succession is that he is one hundred percent fixed 
in bhakti-yoga. Sometimes people neglect to accept a spiritual 
master, and instead they endeavor for self-realization by 
mystic yoga practice, but there are many instances of failure, 
even by great yogis like Visvamitra. Arjuna said in the 
Bhagavad-gita that controlling the mind is as impractical as 
stopping the blowing of a hurricane. Sometimes the mind is 
compared to a maddened elephant. Without following the 
direction of a spiritual master one cannot control the mind 
and the senses. In other words, if one practices yoga 
mysticism and does not accept a bona fide spiritual master, he 
will surely fail. He will simply waste his valuable time. The 
Vedic injunction is that no one can have full knowledge 
without being under the guidance of an acarya. Acaryavan 
puruso veda: one who has accepted an acarya knows what is what.
 The Absolute Truth cannot be understood by arguments. One who 
has attained the perfect brahminical stage naturally becomes 
renounced; he does not strive for material gain because by 
spiritual knowledge he has come to the conclusion that in this 
world there is no insufficiency. Everything is sufficiently 
provided by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A real 
brahmana, therefore, does not endeavor for material perfection;
 rather, he approaches a bona fide spiritual master to accept 
orders from him. A spiritual master's qualification is that he 
is brahma-nistha, which means that he has given up all 
other activities and has dedicated his life to working only 
for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. When a bona 
fide student approaches a bona fide spiritual master, he 
submissively prays to the spiritual master, "My dear lord, 
kindly accept me as your student and train me in such a way 
that I will be able to give up all other processes 
of self-realization and simply engage in Krsna consciousness, 
devotional service."
 
The devotee engaged by the direction of the spiritual master 
in the transcendental loving service of the Lord contemplates 
as follows: "My dear Lord, You are the reservoir of pleasure. 
Since You are present, what is the use of the transient 
pleasure derived from society, friendship and love? Persons 
unaware of the supreme reservoir of pleasure falsely 
engage in deriving pleasure from sense gratification, but this 
is transient and illusory." In this connection, Vidyapati, a 
great Vaisnava devotee and poet, says, "My dear Lord, 
undoubtedly there is some pleasure in the midst of society, 
friendship and love, although it is materially conceived, but 
such pleasure cannot satisfy my heart, which is like a desert."
 In a desert there is need of an ocean of water. But if only 
a drop of water is poured on the desert, what is the value of 
such water? Similarly, our material hearts are full of 
multidesires, which cannot be fulfilled by 
materialistic society, friendship and love. When our hearts 
begin to derive pleasure from the supreme reservoir of 
pleasure, then we can be satisfied. That transcendental 
satisfaction is possible only in devotional service, in 
full Krsna consciousness.
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, You are sac-
cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], the ever-blissful form of 
knowledge, and because the living entities are parts and 
parcels of Your personality, their natural state of existence 
is to be fully conscious of You. In this material world, 
anyone who has developed such Krsna consciousness is no longer 
interested in the materialistic way of life. A Krsna conscious 
being becomes uninterested in family life
, where there is some concession for 
sense enjoyment. In other words, he is no longer 
interested in sense gratification. The perfection of human 
life is based on knowledge and renunciation, but it is very 
difficult to attempt to reach the stage of knowledge and 
renunciation while in family life. Krsna conscious persons 
therefore take shelter of the association of devotees or 
sanctified places of pilgrimage. Such persons are aware of the 
relationship between the Supersoul and the individual living 
entities, and they are never in the bodily concept of life. 
Because they always carry You in full consciousness within 
their hearts, they are so purified that any place they go 
becomes a holy place of pilgrimage, and the water which washes 
their feet is able to deliver many sinful persons loitering 
within this material world."
 
When Prahlada Maharaja was asked by his atheistic father to 
describe something very good which he had learned, he replied 
to his father, "For a materialistic person who is 
always full of anxieties due to being engaged in temporary and 
relative truths, the best course is to give up the blind well 
of family life and go to the forest to take shelter of the 
Supreme Lord." Those who are actually pure devotees are 
celebrated as mahatmas, or great sages, personalities perfect 
in knowledge. They always think of the Supreme Lord and His 
lotus feet, and thus they automatically become 
liberated. Devotees who are always situated in that position 
become electrified by the inconceivable potencies of the Lord, 
and thus they themselves become the source of liberation for 
their followers and devotees. A Krsna conscious person is 
fully electrified spiritually, and therefore anyone who 
touches or takes shelter of such a pure devotee becomes 
similarly electrified with spiritual potencies. Such devotees 
are never puffed up with material opulences. Generally, the 
material opulences are good parentage, education, beauty and 
riches, but although a devotee of the Lord may possess all 
four of these material opulences, he is never carried away by 
the pride of possessing such distinctions. Great devotees of 
the Lord travel all over the world from one place of 
pilgrimage to another, and on their way they meet many 
conditioned souls and deliver them by their association and 
distribution of transcendental knowledge. They generally 
reside in places like Vrndavana, Mathura, Dvaraka, Jagannatha 
Puri and Navadvipa because only devotees assemble in such 
places. In this way they give saintly association to one 
another and thus advance. So that every living entity can take 
advantage of the association of Krsna conscious persons, 
such great devotees open temples and asramas where Krsna's 
devotees assemble. By such association, people can 
develop more and more in Krsna consciousness. Such advancement 
is not possible in ordinary household life, which is devoid of 
Krsna consciousness.
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, there are 
two classes of transcendentalists, the impersonalists and the 
personalists. The opinion of the impersonalists is that this 
material manifestation is false and that only the Absolute 
Truth is factual. The view of the personalists, however, is 
that the material world, although very temporary, is 
nevertheless not false but factual. Such 
transcendentalists have different arguments to establish the 
validity of their philosophies. Factually, the material world 
is simultaneously both truth and untruth. It is truth because 
everything is an expansion of the Supreme Absolute Truth, and 
it is untruth because the existence of the material world is 
temporary: it is created, and it is annihilated. Because of 
its different conditions of existence, the cosmic 
manifestation has no fixed position." Those who advocate 
acceptance of this material world as false are generally known 
by the maxim brahma satyam jagan mithya. They put forward the 
argument that everything in the material world is prepared 
from matter. For example, there are many things made of clay, 
such as earthen pots, dishes and bowls. After their 
annihilation, these things may be transformed into many 
other material objects, but in all cases their existence as 
clay continues. An earthen water jug, after being broken, may 
be transformed into a bowl or dish, but either as a dish, bowl 
or water jug, the earth itself continues to exist. Therefore, 
the forms of a water jug, bowl or dish are false, but their 
existence as earth is real. This is the impersonalists' 
version. This cosmic manifestation is certainly produced from 
the Absolute Truth, but because its existence is temporary, it 
is false; the impersonalists' understanding is that 
the Absolute Truth, which is always present, is the only truth.
 In the opinion of other transcendentalists, however, this 
material world, being produced of the Absolute Truth, is also 
truth. The impersonalists argue that this
 is fallacious because it is 
sometimes found that matter is produced from spirit soul and 
sometimes that spirit soul is produced from matter. Such 
philosophers push forward the argument that although cow dung 
is dead matter, sometimes it is found that scorpions come out 
of cow dung. Similarly, dead matter like nails and hair comes 
out of the living body. Therefore, things produced of a 
certain thing are not always of the same quality as that thing.
 On the strength of this argument, Mayavadi philosophers try 
to establish that although this cosmic manifestation is 
certainly an emanation from the Absolute Truth, the cosmic 
manifestation does not necessarily have truth in it. According 
to this view, the Absolute Truth, Brahman, should therefore be 
accepted as truth, whereas the cosmic manifestation, although 
a product of the Absolute Truth, cannot be taken as truth.
 
The view of the Mayavadi philosophers, however, is stated in 
the Bhagavad-gita to be the view of the asuras, or demons. The 
Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita, asatyam apratistham te jagad 
ahur anisvaram / aparaspara-sambhutam kim anyat kama-haitukam: 
[Bg. 16.8] "The asuras' view of this cosmic manifestation is 
that the whole creation is false. The asuras think that the 
mere interaction of matter is the source of the creation and 
that there is no controller or God." But actually this is not 
the fact. From the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita we 
understand that the five gross elements -- earth, water, fire, 
air and sky -- plus the subtle elements -- mind, intelligence 
and false ego -- are the eight separated energies of the 
Supreme Lord. Beyond this inferior, material energy is 
a spiritual energy, known as the living entities. The 
living entities are accepted as the superior energy of 
the Lord. The whole cosmic manifestation is a combination of 
the inferior and superior energies, and the source of the 
energies is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme 
Personality of Godhead has many different types of energies. 
This is confirmed in the Vedas: parasya saktir vividhaiva 
sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. "The transcendental 
energies of the Lord are variegated." And because such 
varieties of energies have emanated from the Supreme Lord, 
they cannot be false. The Lord is ever-existing, and the 
energies are ever-existing. Some of the energy is temporary -- 
sometimes manifested and sometimes unmanifested -- but this 
does not mean that it is false. The example may be given that 
when a person is angry he does things which are different from 
his normal condition of life, but the fact that the mood of 
anger appears and disappears does not mean that the 
energy of anger is false. Therefore, the argument of the 
Mayavadi philosophers that this world is false is not accepted 
by the Vaisnava philosophers. The Lord 
Himself confirms that the view that there is no supreme cause 
of this material manifestation, that there is no God, and that 
everything is only the creation of the interaction of matter 
is a view of the asuras.
 
The Mayavadi philosophers sometimes put forward the argument 
of the snake and the rope. In the dark of evening, a curled-up 
rope is sometimes, due to ignorance, taken for a snake. But 
mistaking the rope for a snake does not mean that the rope or 
the snake is false, and therefore this example, used by the 
Mayavadis to illustrate the falsity of the material world, is 
not valid. When a thing is taken as fact but actually has no 
existence at all, it is called false. But if something is 
mistaken for something else that exists, that does not mean 
it is false. The Vaisnava philosophers use a very 
appropriate example, comparing this material world to an 
earthen pot. When we see an earthen pot, it does not at once 
disappear and turn into something else. It may be temporary, 
but the earthen pot is taken into use for bringing water, and 
we continue to see it as an earthen pot. Therefore, although 
the earthen pot is temporary and different from the 
original earth, we cannot say that it is false. We 
should therefore conclude that the earthen pot and the 
entire earth are both truths because one is the product of 
the other. We understand from the Bhagavad-gita that after the 
dissolution of this cosmic manifestation, the material energy 
enters into the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme 
Personality of Godhead is ever-existing with His varied 
energies. Because the material creation is an emanation from 
Him, we cannot say that this cosmic manifestation is a product 
of something void. Krsna is not void. Whenever we speak of 
Krsna, He is present with His form, qualities, name, entourage 
and paraphernalia. Therefore, Krsna is not impersonal. The 
original cause of everything is neither void nor impersonal 
but is the Supreme Person. Demons may say that this material 
creation is anisvara, without a controller or God, but such 
arguments ultimately cannot stand.
 
The example given by the Mayavadi philosophers that inanimate 
matter like nails and hair comes from the living body is 
not a very sound argument. Nails and hair are undoubtedly 
inanimate, but they come not from the animate living being 
but from the inanimate material body. Similarly, the argument 
that the scorpion comes from cow dung, meaning that a living 
entity comes from matter, is also unsound. The scorpion 
which comes out of the cow dung is certainly a living entity, 
but the living entity does not come out of the cow dung. Only 
the living entity's material body, or the body of the scorpion,
 comes out of the cow dung. The sparks of the living entities, 
as we understand from the Bhagavad-gita, are injected 
into material nature, and then they come out. The body of 
the living entity in different forms is supplied by material 
nature, but the living entity himself is supplied by the 
Supreme Lord. The father and mother give the body 
necessary for the living entity under certain conditions. The 
living entity transmigrates from one body to another according 
to his different desires, which in the subtle form of 
intelligence, mind and false ego accompany him 
from body to body. By superior arrangement a living entity 
is put into the womb of a certain type of material body, and 
then he develops a similar body. Therefore, the spirit soul is 
not produced from matter; it takes on a particular type of 
body under superior arrangement. According to our present 
experience, this material world is a combination of matter and 
spirit. The spirit is moving the matter. The spirit soul (the 
living entity) and matter are different energies of the 
Supreme Lord, and since both the energies are products of 
the Supreme Eternal, or the Supreme Truth, they are 
factual, not false. Because the living entity is part 
and parcel of the Supreme, he exists eternally. 
Therefore, for him there cannot be any question of birth or 
death. So-called birth and death occur because of the material 
body. The Vedic version sarvam khalv idam brahma means that 
since both the energies have emanated from the Supreme Brahman,
 everything we experience is nondifferent from 
Brahman.
 
There are many arguments about the existence of this material 
world, but the Vaisnava philosophical conclusion is the best. 
The example of the earthen pot is very suitable: the form of 
the earthen pot may be temporary, but it has a specific 
purpose. The purpose of the earthen pot is to carry water from 
one place to another. Similarly, this material body, although 
temporary, has a special use. The living entity is given a 
chance from the beginning of the creation to evolve different 
kinds of material bodies according to the reserve desires he 
has accumulated from time immemorial. The human form of body 
is a special chance in which the developed form of 
consciousness can be utilized.
 
Sometimes the Mayavadi philosophers push forward the argument 
that if this material world is truth, then why are 
householders advised to give up their connection with this 
material world and take sannyasa? But the Vaisnava 
philosophers' view of sannyasa is not that because the world 
is false one must therefore give up material activities. The 
purpose of Vaisnava sannyasa is to utilize things as they are 
intended to be utilized. Srila Rupa Gosvami has given 
transcendentalists two formulas for dealing with this 
material world. When a Vaisnava renounces the materialistic 
way of life and takes to sannyasa, it is not on the conception 
of the falsity of the material world but to devote himself 
fully to engaging everything in the service of the Lord. Srila 
Rupa Gosvami therefore gives this formula: "One should be 
unattached to the material world because material attachment 
is meaningless. The entire material world, the entire cosmic 
manifestation, belongs to God, Krsna. Therefore, everything 
should be utilized for Krsna, and the devotee should remain 
unattached to material things." This is the purpose of 
Vaisnava sannyasa. A materialist sticks to the world for sense 
gratification, but a Vaisnava sannyasi, although not accepting 
anything for his personal sense gratification, knows the art 
of utilizing everything for the service of the Lord. Srila 
Rupa Gosvami has therefore criticized the Mayavadi sannyasis 
with his second formula: "Because the Mayavadis do not 
know that everything has a utilization for the service of the 
Lord, they take the world to be false and 
falsely think they are liberated from the contamination 
of the material world." Since everything is an expansion of 
the energy of the Supreme Lord, the expansions are as real as 
the Supreme Lord is.
 
That the cosmic world is only temporarily manifested does not 
mean that it is false or that the source of its manifestation 
is false. Since the source of its manifestation is truth, the 
manifestation is also truth, but one must know how to utilize 
it. The example of the earthen pot may be cited again: 
the earthen pot produced from the whole earth is 
temporary, but when used for a proper purpose the 
earthen pot is not false. The Vaisnava philosophers know how 
to utilize the temporary construction of this material world, 
just as a sane man knows how to utilize the temporary 
construction of the earthen pot. When the earthen pot is 
used for a wrong purpose, that is false. Similarly, the 
human body or the material world, when used for 
sense gratification, is false. But if the human 
body and the material creation are used for the service of 
the Supreme Lord, their activities are never false. It is 
therefore confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that even 
slightly using the body and the material 
world for the service of the Lord can deliver a person from 
the gravest danger. When properly utilized, 
neither the superior nor inferior energies emanating from the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead are false.
 
As far as fruitive activities are concerned, they are mainly 
based on the platform of sense gratification. Therefore an 
advanced Krsna conscious person does not take to them. The 
result of fruitive activities can elevate one to the higher 
planetary system, but as it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, 
foolish persons, after exhausting the results of their pious 
activities in the heavenly kingdom, come back again to this 
lower planetary system and then again try to go to the higher 
planetary system. Their only profit is to take the trouble of 
going and coming back, just as at present many material 
scientists are spoiling their time by trying to go to the moon 
planet and again coming back. Those who are engaged in 
fruitive activities are described by the Vedas personified as 
andha-parampara, or blind followers of the Vedic ritualistic 
ceremonies. Although such ceremonies are certainly mentioned 
in the Vedas, they are not meant for the intelligent class of 
men. Men who are too much attached to material enjoyment are 
captivated by the prospect of being elevated to the higher 
planetary system, and so they take to such ritualistic 
activities. But persons who are intelligent, who have taken 
shelter of a bona fide spiritual master to see things as they 
are, do not take to fruitive activities but engage themselves 
in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
 
Persons who are not devotees take to the Vedic ritualistic 
ceremonies for materialistic reasons, and then they are 
bewildered. A vivid example may be given: an intelligent 
person possessing one million dollars in currency notes 
does not hold the money without using it, even though he knows 
perfectly well that the currency notes in themselves are 
nothing but paper. When one has one million dollars in 
currency notes, he is actually holding only a huge bunch of 
papers, but if he utilizes it for a purpose, then he benefits. 
Similarly, although this material world may be false, just 
like the paper, it has its proper beneficial utilization. 
Because the currency notes, although paper, are issued by the 
government, they have full value. Similarly, this 
material world may be false or temporary, but because it is an 
emanation from the Supreme Lord, it has its full value. The 
Vaisnava philosophers acknowledge the full value of this 
material world and know how to utilize it properly, 
whereas the Mayavadi philosophers fail to do so, just as 
those who mistake a currency note for ordinary paper discard 
it and cannot utilize the money. Srila Rupa Gosvami 
therefore declares that if one rejects this material world as 
false, not considering the importance of this material world 
as a means to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such 
renunciation has very little value. A person who knows the 
intrinsic value of this material world for the service of the 
Lord, who is not attached to the material world, and who 
renounces the material world by not accepting it for sense 
gratification is situated in real renunciation. This material 
world is an expansion of the material energy of the Lord. 
Therefore it is real. It is not false, as sometimes 
concluded from the example of the snake and the rope.
 
The personified Vedas continued: "The cosmic manifestation, 
because of the flickering nature of its impermanent existence, 
appears to less intelligent men to be false." The Mayavadi 
philosophers take advantage of the flickering nature of this 
cosmic manifestation to try to prove their thesis that this 
world is false. According to the Vedic version, before the 
creation this world had no existence, and after dissolution 
the world will no longer be manifested. Voidists also take 
advantage of this Vedic version and conclude that the cause of 
this material world is void. But the Vedic injunctions do 
not say that it is void. The Vedic injunctions define the 
source of creation and dissolution as yato va imani bhutani 
jayante, "He from whom this cosmic manifestation has emanated 
and in whom, after annihilation, everything will merge." The 
same is explained in the Vedanta-sutra and in the first verse 
of the First Chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam by the words 
janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1], "He from whom all things 
emanate." All these Vedic injunctions indicate that the cosmic 
manifestation is due to the Supreme Absolute Personality of 
Godhead and that when it is dissolved it merges into Him. The 
same principle is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: "The 
cosmic manifestation comes into existence and again 
dissolves, and after dissolution it merges into the existence 
of the Supreme Lord." This statement definitely confirms that 
the particular energy known as bahir-anga-maya, or the 
external energy, although of flickering nature, is the energy 
of the Supreme Lord, and as such it cannot be false. It simply 
appears false. The Mayavadi philosophers conclude that 
because the material nature has no existence in the beginning 
and is nonexistent after dissolution, it is false. 
But by the example of the earthen pots and dishes the Vedic 
version is presented: although the existence of the particular 
by-products of the Absolute Truth is temporary, the energy of 
the Supreme Lord is permanent. The earthen pot or water jug 
may be broken or transformed into another shape, such as that 
of a dish or bowl, but the ingredient, or the material basis, 
namely the earth, continues to be the same. The basic 
principle of the cosmic manifestation is always the same: 
Brahman, or the Absolute Truth; therefore, the Mayavadi 
philosophers' theory that it is false is certainly only a 
mental concoction. That the cosmic manifestation is flickering 
and temporary does not mean that it is false. The definition 
of falsity is "that which never had any existence but which 
exists only in name." For instance, the eggs of a horse or 
the horn of a rabbit or the flower in the sky are 
phenomena which exist only in name. There are no horse's eggs, 
there is no rabbit's horn, and there are no flowers growing 
in the sky. There are many things which exist in name or 
imagination but actually have no factual manifestation. Such 
things may be called false. But the Vaisnava cannot take this 
material world to be false simply because of its temporary 
nature, its manifesting and again dissolving.
 
The personified Vedas continued by saying that the Supersoul 
and the individual soul, or Paramatma and jivatma, cannot be 
equal in any circumstance, although both of them sit 
within the same body, like two birds sitting in the same tree. 
As declared in the Vedas, these two birds, although sitting as 
friends, are not equal. One is simply a witness. This bird is 
the Paramatma, or Supersoul. And the other bird is eating 
the fruit of the tree. That is the jivatma. When there is 
cosmic manifestation, the jivatma, or the individual soul, 
appears in the creation in different forms, according to his 
previous fruitive activities, and due to his long 
forgetfulness of real existence, he identifies himself with a 
particular form awarded to him by the laws of material nature. 
After assuming a material form, he is subjected to the 
three material modes of nature and acts accordingly to 
continue his existence in the material world. While he is 
enwrapped in such ignorance, his natural opulences
 become almost extinct. The 
opulences of the Supersoul, or the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead, however, are not diminished, although He appears 
within this material world. He maintains all opulences and 
perfections in full while keeping Himself apart from all 
the tribulations of this material world. The conditioned soul 
becomes enwrapped in the material world, whereas the Supersoul,
 or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, leaves it without 
being affected, just as a snake sheds his skin. The 
distinction between the Supersoul and the conditioned 
individual soul is that the Supersoul, or the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead, maintains His natural opulences, known 
as sad-aisvarya, asta-siddhi and asta-guna.
 
Because of their poor fund of knowledge, the Mayavadi 
philosophers forget the fact that Krsna is always full with 
six opulences, eight transcendental qualities and eight kinds 
of perfection. The six opulences are wealth, strength, beauty, 
fame, knowledge and renunciation. No one is greater 
than or equal to Krsna in these six 
opulences. The first of Krsna's eight transcendental 
qualities is that He is always untouched by the contamination 
of material existence. This is mentioned in the 
Isopanisad: apapa-viddham. Just as the sun is never polluted 
by any contamination, the Supreme Lord is never polluted by 
any sinful activity. Although Krsna's actions 
may sometimes seem impious, He is never polluted by 
such actions. The second transcendental quality is that Krsna 
never dies. In the Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter, He informs 
Arjuna that both He and Arjuna had many appearances in this 
material world, but that He alone remembers all such 
activities -- past, present and future. This means that He 
never dies. Forgetfulness is due to death. As we die, we 
change our bodies and forget. Krsna, however, is 
never forgetful. He can remember everything that has happened 
in the past. Otherwise, how could He remember that He first 
taught the yoga system of the Bhagavad-gita to 
the sun-god, Vivasvan? Therefore, He never dies. Nor does He 
ever become an old man. Although Krsna was a great-grandfather 
when He appeared on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, He did not 
appear like an old man. Krsna cannot be polluted by any sinful 
activity, Krsna never dies, Krsna never becomes old, Krsna 
is never subject to lamentation, Krsna is never 
hungry, and He is never thirsty. Whatever He desires is 
perfectly lawful, and whatever He decides cannot be changed by 
anyone. These are the eight transcendental qualities of Krsna. 
Besides that, Krsna is known as Yogesvara. He has all the 
opulences or facilities of mystic powers, such as anima-siddhi,
 the power to become smaller than the smallest. It is stated 
in the Brahma-samhita that Krsna has entered even within the 
atom (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-
stham [Bs. 5.35]). Similarly, Krsna, as Garbhodakasayi Visnu, 
is within the gigantic universe, and He is lying in the Causal 
Ocean as Maha-Visnu, in a body so gigantic that when He 
exhales, millions and trillions of universes emanate from His 
body. This is called mahima-siddhi. Krsna also has the 
perfection of laghima: He can become the lightest. It is 
stated in the Bhagavad-gita that it is because Krsna enters 
within this universe and within the atoms that all the planets 
are floating in the air. That is the explanation of 
weightlessness. Krsna also has the perfection of prapti: He 
can get whatever He likes. Similarly, He has the facility of 
isita, controlling power. He is called the supreme controller, 
Paramesvara. In addition, Krsna can bring anyone under His 
influence. This is called vasita.
 
In this way, Krsna is endowed with all opulences, 
transcendental qualities and mystic powers. No ordinary living 
being can compare to Him. Therefore, the Mayavadis' 
theory that the Supersoul and the individual soul are equal is 
only a misconception. The conclusion is, therefore, that Krsna 
is worshipable and that all other living entities are simply 
His servants. This understanding is called self-realization. 
Any other realization of one's self beyond this relationship 
of eternal servitorship to Krsna is impelled by maya. It is 
said that the last snare of Maya is her dictation to the 
living entity to try to become equal to the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. The Mayavadi philosopher claims to be 
equal to God, but he cannot reply to the question of why he 
has fallen into material entanglement. If he is the Supreme 
God, then how is it that he has been overtaken by impious 
activities and thereby subjected to the tribulations of the 
law of karma? When the Mayavadis are asked about this, they 
cannot properly answer. The speculation that one is equal to 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is another symptom of 
sinful life. One cannot take to Krsna consciousness unless one 
is completely freed from all sinful activities. The very fact 
that the Mayavadi claims to be one with the Supreme Lord 
means that he is not yet freed from the reactions of sinful 
activities. Srimad-Bhagavatam says that such persons are 
avisuddha-buddhayah [SB 10.2.32], which means that because 
they falsely think themselves liberated and at the same 
time think themselves equal with the Absolute Truth, 
their intelligence is not purified. The personified Vedas said 
that if the yogis and the jnanis do not free themselves from 
sinful desires, then their particular process of self-
realization will never be successful.
 
"Dear
 Lord," the personified Vedas continued, "if saintly 
persons do not take care to eradicate completely the roots of 
sinful desires, they cannot experience the Supersoul, although 
He is sitting side by side with the individual soul. Samadhi, 
or meditation, means that one has to find the Supersoul within 
himself. One who is not free from sinful reactions cannot see 
the Supersoul. If a person has a jeweled locket in his 
necklace but forgets the jewel, it is almost as though he does 
not possess it. Similarly, if an individual soul meditates but 
does not actually perceive the presence of the Supersoul 
within himself, his meditation is useless." Persons 
who have taken to the path of self-realization must therefore 
be very careful to avoid contamination by the influence of 
maya. Srila Rupa Gosvami says that a devotee should be 
completely free from all sorts of material desires. A devotee 
should not be affected by the results of karma and 
jnana. One has to simply understand Krsna and carry out 
His desires. That is the pure devotional stage. The 
personified Vedas continued: "Mystic yogis who still have 
contaminated desires for sense gratification are never 
successful in their attempt, nor can they realize the 
Supersoul within the individual self. As such, the so-called 
yogis and jnanis who are simply wasting their time in 
different types of sense gratification, either by mental 
speculation or by exhibition of limited mystic powers, will 
never be liberated from conditioned life and will continue 
to go through repeated births and deaths. For such persons, 
both this life and the next life are sources of tribulation.
 Such sinful persons are already suffering tribulation in this 
life, and because they are not perfect in self-realization 
they will be plagued with further tribulation in the next life.
 Despite all endeavors to attain perfection, such yogis, 
contaminated by desires for sense gratification, will continue 
to suffer in this life and the next."
 
 
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura remarks in this connection 
that if sannyasis (persons in the renounced order of life, 
who have left their homes for self-realization) do not engage 
themselves in the devotional service of the Lord but become 
attracted by philanthropic work, such as opening educational 
institutions, hospitals or even monasteries, churches or 
temples of demigods, they find only trouble from such 
engagements, not only in this life but in the next. Sannyasis 
who do not take advantage of this life to realize Krsna simply 
waste their time and energy in activities outside the 
jurisdiction of the renounced order. A devotee's 
attempt to engage his energies in such activities as 
constructing a Visnu temple, however, is never wasted. Such 
engagements are called krsnarthe akhila-cesta, variegated 
activities performed to please Krsna. A philanthropist's 
opening a school building and a devotee's constructing a 
temple are not on the same level. Although a philanthropist's 
opening an educational institution may be pious activity, it 
comes under the laws of karma, whereas constructing a temple 
for Visnu is devotional service.
 
 
Devotional service is never within the jurisdiction of the law 
of karma. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita
, sa gunan 
 
samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate: [Bg. 14.26] "
Devotees of the Personality of Godhead transcend all the 
reactions of the three modes of material nature and are 
situated on the transcendental platform of Brahman realization.
" The devotees are liberated in both this life and the 
next. Any work done in this material world for Yajna (Visnu, 
or Krsna) is considered to be liberated work, but without 
connection with Acyuta, the infallible Supreme Personality of 
Godhead, there is no possibility of stopping the resultant 
actions of the law of karma. The life of Krsna consciousness 
is the life of liberation. The conclusion is that a devotee, 
by the grace of the Lord, is liberated in both this life 
and the next, whereas karmis, jnanis and yogis are never 
liberated, either in this life or in the next.
 
 
The personified Vedas continued: "Dear Lord, anyone who by 
Your grace has understood the glories of Your lotus feet is 
callous to material happiness and distress." The material 
pangs are inevitable as long as we exist within the 
material world, but a devotee does not divert his attention to 
such actions and reactions, which are the results of pious and 
impious activities. Nor is a devotee very much disturbed or 
pleased by praise or condemnation from people in general. 
A devotee is sometimes greatly praised 
because of his transcendental activities, and 
sometimes he is criticized, even though there is no reason for 
adverse criticism. The pure devotee, however, is always 
callous to praise or condemnation by ordinary people. 
Actually, the devotee's activities are on the transcendental 
plane. He is not interested in the praise or condemnation of 
people engaged in material activities. If the devotee can thus 
maintain his transcendental position, his liberation in 
this life and the next is guaranteed by the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead.
 
 
 
 
A devotee's transcendental position within this material world 
is maintained in the association of pure devotees, simply by 
hearing the glorious activities enacted by the Lord in 
different ages and in different incarnations. The Krsna 
consciousness movement is based on this principle. Srila 
Narottama dasa Thakura has sung, "My dear Lord, let me be 
engaged in Your transcendental loving service, as indicated by 
the previous acaryas, and let me live in the association of 
pure devotees. That is my desire, life after life." In other 
words, a devotee does not much care whether or not he is 
liberated; he is eager only for devotional service. 
Devotional service means that one does not do anything 
independently of the sanction of the acaryas. The actions of 
the Krsna consciousness movement are directed by the previous 
acaryas, headed by Srila Rupa Gosvami; in the association of 
devotees following these principles, a devotee is able to 
perfectly maintain his transcendental position.
 
In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that a devotee who knows 
Him perfectly is very dear to Him. Four kinds of pious men 
take to devotional service. If a pious man is in 
distress, he approaches the Lord for 
mitigation of his distress. If a pious man is in need of 
material help, he prays to the Lord for such help. If a 
pious man is actually inquisitive about the science of God, he 
approaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. 
Similarly, a pious man who is simply eager to know the 
science of Krsna also approaches the Supreme Lord. Out of 
these four classes of men, the last is praised by Krsna 
Himself in the Bhagavad-gita. A person who tries to understand 
Krsna with full knowledge and devotion by following in the 
footsteps of previous acaryas conversant with scientific 
knowledge of the Supreme Lord is praiseworthy. Such a devotee 
can understand that all conditions of life, favorable and 
unfavorable, are created by the supreme will of the Lord. And 
when he has fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the 
Supreme Lord, he does not care whether his condition of life 
is favorable or unfavorable. A devotee takes even an 
unfavorable condition to be the special favor of the 
Personality of Godhead. Actually, there are no unfavorable 
conditions for a devotee. Knowing that everything is coming by 
the will of the Lord, he sees every condition as favorable, 
and in any condition of life he is simply enthusiastic to 
discharge his devotional service. This devotional attitude is 
explained in the Bhagavad-gita: a devotee is never distressed 
in reverse conditions of life, nor is he overjoyed in 
favorable conditions. In the higher stages of devotional 
service, a devotee is not even concerned with the list of do's 
and do not's. Such a position can be maintained only by 
following in the footsteps of the acaryas. Because a pure 
devotee follows in the footsteps of the acaryas, any action he 
performs to discharge devotional service should be 
understood to be on the transcendental platform. Lord Krsna 
therefore instructs us that an acarya is above criticism. A 
neophyte devotee should not consider himself to be on the same 
plane as the acarya. It should be accepted that the acaryas 
are on the same platform as the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
 and as such neither Krsna nor His representative acarya 
should be subjected to any adverse criticism by the neophyte 
devotees.
 
The personified Vedas thus worshiped the Supreme Personality 
of Godhead in different ways. Offering worship to the Supreme 
Lord by praying means remembering His transcendental qualities,
 pastimes and activities. But the Lord's pastimes and 
qualities are unlimited. It is not possible for us to remember 
all the qualities of the Lord. Therefore, the personified 
Vedas worshiped to the best of their ability, and at the end 
they spoke as follows.
 
"Dear Lord, although Lord Brahma, the predominating deity 
of the highest planet, Brahmaloka, and King Indra, the 
predominating demigod of the heavenly planets, as well as the 
predominating deities of such planets as the sun and the 
moon, are all very confidential directors of this 
material world, they have very little knowledge about You. 
Then what can ordinary human beings and mental 
speculators know of You? It is not possible for anyone to 
enumerate the unlimited transcendental qualities of Your 
Lordship. No one, not even the mental speculators and 
the demigods in higher planetary systems, is actually able to 
estimate the length and breadth of Your form and 
characteristics. We think that even Your Lordship does not 
have complete knowledge of Your transcendental qualities. The 
reason is that You are unlimited. Although it is not befitting 
to say that You do not know Yourself, it is 
practical to understand that because You have 
unlimited qualities and energies and because Your knowledge is 
also unlimited, there is unlimited competition between Your 
knowledge and Your expansion of energies."
 
The idea is that because God and His knowledge are both 
unlimited, as soon as God is cognizant of some of His energies,
 He perceives that He has still more energies. In this way, 
both His energies and His knowledge increase. Because both of 
them are unlimited, there is no end to the energies and no end 
to the knowledge with which to understand the energies. God is 
undoubtedly omniscient, but the personified Vedas say that 
even God Himself does not know the full extent of His energies.
 This does not mean that God is not omniscient. When an actual 
fact is unknown to a certain person, this is called ignorance 
or lack of knowledge. This is not applicable to God, however, 
because He knows Himself perfectly. But still, as His energies 
and activities increase, He also increases His 
knowledge to understand them. Both are increasing unlimitedly, 
and there is no end to it. In that sense it can be said that 
even God Himself does not know the limit of His energies and 
qualities.
 
How God is unlimited in His expansion of energies and 
activities can be roughly calculated by any sane and sober 
living entity. It is said in the Vedic literature that 
innumerable universes issue forth when Maha-Visnu exhales in 
His yoga-nidra and that innumerable universes enter His body 
when He inhales. We have to imagine that these universes,
 which according to our limited knowledge are expanded 
unlimitedly, are so great that the gross and subtle 
ingredients -- the five elements of the cosmic manifestation, 
namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, along with the total 
material energy and false ego -- are not only within the 
universe but cover the universe in seven layers, 
each layer ten times bigger than the previous one. In this way,
 each and every universe is very securely packed, and there 
are numberless universes. All these universes float 
within the innumerable pores of the transcendental body of 
Maha-Visnu. It is stated that just as the atoms and particles 
of dust are floating within the air along with the birds and 
their number cannot be calculated, so innumerable universes 
are floating within the pores of the transcendental body of 
the Lord. For this reason, the Vedas say that God is beyond 
the grasp of our knowledge. Avan-manasa-gocara: 
to understand the length and breadth of God is beyond the 
jurisdiction of our mental speculation. Therefore, a person 
who is actually learned and sane does not claim to be God but 
tries to understand God, making distinctions between spirit 
and matter. By such careful discrimination, one can clearly 
understand that the Supreme Soul is transcendental to both the 
superior and inferior energies, although He has a direct 
connection with both. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna 
explains that although everything is resting on His energy, He 
is different or separate from the energy.
 
Nature and the living entities are sometimes designated as 
prakrti and purusa respectively. The whole cosmic 
manifestation is an amalgamation of prakrti and purusa. 
Nature is the ingredient cause, and the living entities are 
the effective cause. These two causes combine together, and 
the effect is this cosmic manifestation. When one is fortunate 
enough to come to the right conclusion about this cosmic 
manifestation and everything going on within it, he 
knows it to be caused directly and indirectly by the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead Himself. It is concluded in the Brahma-
samhita, therefore, isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-
vigrahah / anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1].
 After much deliberation and consideration, when one has 
 
 
attained the perfection of knowledge, one comes to the 
conclusion that Krsna, or God, is the original cause of all 
causes. Instead of speculating about the measurement of God -- 
whether He is so long or so wide -- or falsely philosophizing, 
one should come to the conclusion of the Brahma-samhita: "
Krsna, or God, is sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1], the cause of 
all causes." That is the perfection of knowledge.
 
Thus the Veda-stuti, or the prayers offered by the personified 
Vedas to Garbhodakasayi Visnu, were first narrated in 
disciplic succession by Sanandana to his brothers, all of whom 
were born of Brahma at the beginning of the universe. The 
four Kumaras were the first-born sons of Brahma; therefore 
they are known as purva-jata. It is stated in the Bhagavad-
gita that the parampara system, or the disciplic succession, 
begins with Krsna Himself. Similarly, here, in the prayers of 
the personified Vedas, it is to be understood that the 
parampara system begins with the Personality of Godhead 
Narayana Rsi. We should remember that this Veda-stuti is 
narrated by Kumara Sanandana, and the narration is 
repeated by Narayana Rsi in Badarikasrama. Narayana Rsi 
is the incarnation of Krsna for showing us the path of self-
realization by undergoing severe austerities. In this age Lord 
Caitanya demonstrated the path of pure devotional service by 
putting Himself in the role of a pure devotee. Similarly, in 
the past Lord Narayana Rsi was an incarnation of Krsna who 
performed severe austerities in the Himalayan ranges. Sri 
Narada Muni was hearing from Him. So in the statement given by 
Narayana Rsi to Narada Muni, as narrated by Kumara 
Sanandana in the form of the Veda-stuti, it is understood that 
God is the one supreme and that all others are His servants.
 
In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is stated, ekale isvara krsna: [
Cc. Adi 5.142] "Krsna is the only Supreme God." Ara saba 
bhrtya: "All others are His servants." Yare yaiche nacaya, se 
taiche kare nrtya: "The Supreme Lord, as He desires, is 
engaging all the living entities in different activities, and 
thus they exhibit their different talents and 
tendencies." This Veda-stuti is thus the original instruction 
regarding the relationship existing between the living entity 
and 
the 
Supreme Personality 
of Godhead. The highest platform of realization for the living 
entity is the attainment of devotional life. One cannot 
be engaged in devotional life, or Krsna consciousness, unless 
one is fully free from material contamination. Narayana Rsi 
informed Narada Muni that the essence of all the Vedas and 
Vedic scriptures (namely, the four Vedas, the Upanisads, the 
Puranas and the Vedanta-sutra) is to render 
transcendental loving service to the Lord. In this connection 
Narayana Rsi has used one particular word -- rasa. In 
devotional service this rasa is the via medium, or the basic 
principle, for the exchange of dealings 
between the Lord and the living entity. Rasa is also 
described in the Vedas: raso vai sah. "The Supreme Lord 
is the reservoir of all pleasure." All the Vedic scriptures, 
including the Puranas, the Vedas, the Upanisads and the 
Vedanta-sutra, teach the living entities how 
to attain the stage of rasa. The Bhagavatam also says that the 
statements in the Maha-Purana (Srimad-Bhagavatam) 
constitute the essence (rasa) of all Vedic literature. 
Nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam: [SB 1.1.3] the Bhagavatam 
is the essence of the ripened fruit of the tree of the Vedic 
literature.
 
We understand that with the breathing of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead there issued forth the four Vedas, 
namely the Rg Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda 
and the Atharva Veda, and also the histories like the 
Mahabharata and all the Puranas, which are considered to 
be the history of the world. The Vedic histories like the 
Puranas and Mahabharata are called the fifth Veda.
 
The twenty-eight verses of the Veda-stuti are to be considered 
the essence of all Vedic knowledge. The four Kumaras and all 
other authorized sages know perfectly that devotional service 
in Krsna consciousness is the essence of all Vedic literature,
 and they preach this on different planets, 
traveling in outer space. It is stated herein that such sages, 
including Narada Muni, hardly ever travel on land; they 
perpetually travel in space.
 
Sages like Narada and the Kumaras travel throughout the 
universe to educate the conditioned souls 
that their business in the world is not that of sense 
gratification but of reinstating themselves in their 
original position of devotional service to the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. It is stated in several places that 
the living entities are like sparks of the fire and the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead is like the fire itself. 
If the sparks somehow or other fall out of the fire, 
they lose their natural illumination; thus it is ascertained 
that the living entities come into this material world exactly 
as sparks fall from a great fire. The living entity wants to 
imitate Krsna and tries to lord it over material nature in 
order to enjoy sense gratification; thus he forgets his 
original position, and his illuminating power, his spiritual 
identity, is extinguished. However, if a living entity takes 
to Krsna consciousness, he is reinstated in his original 
position. To preach this process of devotional service, 
sages and saints like Narada and the Kumaras travel 
all over the universe educating people and increasing their 
disciples. Their aim is that 
all the conditioned souls may be educated to revive their 
original consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, and thus gain 
relief from the miserable conditions of material life.
 
Sri Narada Muni is a naisthika-brahmacari. There are four 
types of brahmacaris. The first is called savitra, which 
refers to a brahmacari who, after initiation and the sacred 
thread ceremony, must observe at least three days of celibacy. 
The next is called prajapatya, which refers to a brahmacari 
who strictly observes celibacy for at least one year after 
initiation. The next is called brahma-brahmacari, which refers 
to a brahmacari who observes celibacy from the time of 
initiation up to the time of the completion of his study of 
the Vedic literature. The next stage is called naisthika, 
which refers to a brahmacari who is celibate throughout his 
whole life. Out of these, the first three are upakurvana, 
which means that the brahmacari can marry later, after the 
brahmacari period is over. The naisthika-brahmacari, however, 
is completely reluctant to have any sex life; therefore the 
Kumaras and Narada are known as naisthika-brahmacaris. Such 
brahmacaris are called vira-vrata because their vow of 
celibacy is as heroic as the vows of the ksatriyas. The 
brahmacari system of life is especially advantageous in that 
it increases the power of memory and determination. It is 
specifically mentioned in this connection that because Narada 
was a naisthika-brahmacari he could remember whatever 
he heard from his spiritual master and would never forget it. 
One who can remember everything perpetually is called a 
sruti-dhara. A sruti-dhara brahmacari can repeat verbatim all 
that he has heard, without notes and without reference 
to books. The great sage Narada has this qualification, and 
therefore, having taken instructions from Narayana Rsi, he is 
engaged in propagating the philosophy of devotional service 
all over the world. Because such great sages can remember 
everything, they are thoughtful, self-realized and 
completely fixed in the service of the Lord
.
 
 
 
 
Thus the great sage Narada, after hearing 
from his spiritual master Narayana Rsi, became completely 
realized. He became established in the truth, and he became so 
happy that he offered prayers to Narayana Rsi. Narada Muni 
addressed Narayana Rsi as an incarnation of Krsna and 
specifically addressed Him as the supreme well-wisher of the 
conditioned souls. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that Lord 
Krsna descends in every millennium just to give protection to 
His devotees and to annihilate the nondevotees. Narayana Rsi,
 being an incarnation of Krsna, is also addressed as the 
well-wisher of the conditioned souls. As stated in the 
Bhagavad-gita, everyone should know that there is no well-
wisher like Krsna. Everyone should understand that Lord Krsna 
is the supreme well-wisher of everyone and should take shelter 
of Him. In this way one can become completely confident 
and satisfied, knowing that he has someone who is able to give 
him all protection. Krsna Himself, His incarnations and His 
plenary expansions are all supreme well-wishers of the 
conditioned souls, but Krsna is the well-wisher even of the 
demons, for He gave salvation to all the demons who came to 
kill Him in Vrndavana; therefore Krsna's welfare activities 
are absolute, for whether He annihilates a demon or 
gives protection to a devotee, the result of His activities 
is one and the same. It is said that the demon Putana was 
elevated to the same position as that of Krsna's mother. When 
Krsna kills a demon, the demon is 
supremely benefited, as much as a pure devotee is 
benefited by always being protected by the Lord.
 
Narada Muni, after offering respects to Narayana 
Rsi, went to the asrama of Vyasadeva,
 his disciple. Being 
properly received by Vyasadeva in his asrama and seated very 
comfortably, Narada Muni narrated the entire story of what 
he had heard from Narayana Rsi. In this way Sukadeva Gosvami 
informed Maharaja Pariksit of the answers to his questions 
regarding the essence of Vedic knowledge and what is 
considered to be the ultimate goal in the Vedas. The supreme 
goal of life is to achieve the transcendental blessings of the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus become engaged in the 
loving service of the Lord. One should follow in the footsteps 
of Sukadeva Gosvami and all the other Vaisnavas in the 
disciplic succession and should pay respectful obeisances unto 
Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. The four 
sects of Vaisnava disciplic succession, namely the Madhva-
sampradaya, the Ramanuja-sampradaya, the Visnu-svami-
sampradaya and the Nimbarka-sampradaya, in pursuance of all 
Vedic conclusions, agree that one should surrender unto the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
 
The Vedic literature is divided into two parts: the srutis 
and the smrtis. The srutis are the four Vedas -- Rg, Sama, 
Atharva and Yajur -- and the Upanisads, and the smrtis are 
the Puranas and the Itihasas like the Mahabharata, which 
includes the Bhagavad-gita. The conclusion of all these is 
that one should know Sri Krsna as the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead. He is the Parama-purusa, or the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead, under whose superintendence material 
nature works. For creation, maintenance and annihilation
, the Supreme Lord incarnates into three -- 
Lord Brahma, Lord Visnu and Lord Siva -- after manifesting the 
material cosmos. All of these take charge of the three 
modes of material nature, but the ultimate direction is in 
the hand of Lord Visnu. The complete activities of material 
nature under the three modes are conducted under the 
direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. This 
is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (mayadhyaksena [Bg.
 9.10]) and in the Vedas (sa aiksata).
 
The atheistic Sankhyaite philosophers will of course offer 
their arguments that the material cosmic manifestation is due 
to prakrti and purusa -- material nature and the 
living entity, or the material cause and the effective 
cause. But Krsna is the cause of all causes. He is the cause 
of both the material and the effective causes. Prakrti and 
purusa are not the ultimate cause. Superficially it appears 
that a child is born due to the combination of the father and 
mother, but the ultimate cause of both the father and the 
mother is Krsna. He is therefore the original cause, or the 
cause of all causes, as confirmed in the Brahma-samhita.
 
Both the Supreme Lord and the living 
entities enter into the material nature. The Supreme Lord, 
Krsna, by one of His plenary expansions, manifests as 
Karanodakasayi, Maha-Visnu, the gigantic Visnu 
form lying in the Causal Ocean. Then from that gigantic form 
of Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu expands and enters 
into every universe. From Him, Brahma, Visnu and Siva expand. 
Visnu as Ksirodakasayi enters into the hearts of all living 
entities, as well as into all material elements, including the 
atom. The Brahma-samhita says, andantara-stha-paramanu-
cayantara-stham: [Bs. 5.35] "The Lord is within this 
universe and also within every atom."
 
The living entity has a small material body taken in various 
species and forms, and similarly the whole universe is but the 
material body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This body 
is described in the sastras as virat-rupa. As the individual 
living entity maintains his particular body, the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead maintains the whole cosmic creation, 
entering within it. As soon as the individual living entity 
leaves the material body, the body is immediately annihilated, 
and similarly as soon as Lord Visnu leaves the cosmic 
manifestation, everything is annihilated. Therefore only when 
the individual living entity surrenders unto the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead is his liberation from material 
existence possible. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: 
mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. 
Surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and 
nothing else, is therefore the cause of liberation
. How the living entity becomes liberated from the modes 
of material nature after surrendering unto the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead is illustrated by the example of a 
sleeping man within a room. When a man is sleeping, everyone 
sees that he is present within the room, but actually the man 
himself is not within that body, for while sleeping a man 
forgets his bodily existence, although others may see that his 
body is present. Similarly, a liberated person engaged in 
devotional service to the Lord may be seen by others to be 
engaged in the household duties of the material world, but 
since his consciousness is fixed in Krsna, he does not live 
within this world. His engagements are different, exactly as 
the sleeping man's engagements are different from his bodily 
engagements. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that a 
devotee engaged full time in the transcendental loving service 
of the Lord has already surpassed the influence of the three 
modes of material nature. He is already situated on the 
Brahman platform and is in the transcendental 
realm, although he appears to be living within the body or 
within the material world.
 
In this connection, Srila Rupa Gosvami states in his 
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu that the person whose only desire is to 
serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be situated in 
any condition in the material world, but he is to be 
understood as jivan-mukta; that is to say, he is to be 
considered liberated while living within the body or the 
material world. The conclusion, therefore, is that a person 
fully engaged in Krsna consciousness is a liberated person. 
Such a person actually has nothing to do with his material 
body or the material world. Those who are not in Krsna 
consciousness are called karmis and jnanis, and they hover on 
the bodily and mental platforms and thus are not liberated. 
This situation is called kaivalya-nirasta-yoni. But a person 
situated on the transcendental platform is freed from the 
repetition of birth and death. This is confirmed in the 
Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter: "Simply by knowing the 
transcendental nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, 
Krsna, one becomes free from the chains of the repetition of 
birth and death, and after quitting his present body he goes 
back home, back to Godhead." This is the conclusion of all the 
 
 
Vedas. Thus after understanding the prayers offered by the 
personified Vedas, one should surrender unto the lotus feet of 
Lord Krsna
.
 
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighty
-seventh Chapter of Krsna, "Prayers by the Personified 
Vedas."
 