BY: SUN STAFF
Feb 05, CANADA (SUN) — By HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, 'Back to Godhead' - Volume 3, Part 8, June 29, 1956
An Essential Service, Part Two
So the anchor or life is fixed up deep in the water of nescience for sense gratification. Unless this anchor of sense gratification is not raised up from the water, the so-called civilization will rot in a stagnant pool without any progress towards the destination of life.
Because the civilization is not moving we are always in the same port of problematic life. The schemes and plans are useless scrap of papers only when there is flood and earthquakes on the very face of the plan makers. These are warnings of mother material Nature confirming Her superiority always over the plan making misleaders. 'Back to Godhead' wants to rectify these misleaders first and therefore it is an essential service.
The anchor of sense gratification, which is a stumbling block on the path of progress, is manifested in five different symptoms. They are as follows:—
(1) Attachment to the material body due to ignorance of spiritual facts.
(2) Attachment to our kinsmen on account of bodily relations.
(3) Attachment to the land of birth as also to all sorts of material possessions such as house, furniture, estates, property, business papers and all such relative things.
(4) Attachment to the holy water without knowing the persons who make it holy.
(5) Attachment to material science which always remains a mystery for want of consultation with liberated soul.
We have already discussed about these attachments or anchors of the boat of human body in our article the S.R.C. catastrophe. These attachments have been explained in the Bhagwat Geeta in details in the 15th chapter. They have been compared with a deeply rooted banyan tree ever increasing its solidarity. It is very difficult to uproot such strong banyan tree but the Lord has suggested the means in the following manner. (Bg. 15.3-4).
Na, Rupam,
Ashya, Iha, Tatha, Upalavyate, Na, Anta,
Na, Cha, Adi, Cha, Sampratistha,
Aswathwam, Enam, Subirudha, Mulam,
Ashanga, Sastrena, Dridhyna, Chhittva.
Tatah, Padam, Parimargitabyam,
Jasmin, Gatwa, Na, Nibartanti, Bhuyah.
Tameba, Chadyam, Punsham, Prapadya.
Jatah, Prabrithi, Prashita, Purani.
Nobody has yet either a scientist or a speculative philosopher come to any final conclusion about the cosmic situation. They have nothing more than to forward different theories only about it. Some of them say that material world is reality and others say that it is false dream. And there are some others also who say that it is ever existing. So there are different views of different mundane scholars. But with all it is an actual fact that no mundane scientist or speculative philosopher has ever discovered the cosmic beginning or its limit. Nobody can say when it had begun, how does it stands or floats in the air. They might theoretically ascertain some law like law of gravitation or so but actually they cannot bring it in practical use.
Can any scientist float a bulky mass of earth by the law of gravitation? No that is not possible. So the theory of the law of gravitation is false or a half-truth. So for want of actual knowledge of the truth, everyone is anxious to forward his own theory for some reputation but the actual fact is that this material world is full of miseries and nobody can overcome them simply by forwarding some theories on it.
The Personality of Godhead who is fully cognizant of everything within His creation informs us for our interest only that should we desire to get rid of this miserable material existence, we must non-cooperate with everything material. To make the best use of a bad bargain our material existence should be cent percent spiritualised like the iron is made red hot in connection with fire. The iron is not fire but it can be turned into just like the fire by constant relation with the fire.
Similarly non-attachment of material activities can be effected by spiritual activities only and not by material inertia. Material inertia is the negative side of material actions but spiritual activity is not only the negation of material action but also it is the possession of real life. And we must be anxious to search out this eternal life of spiritual existence or the life in Brahman. The life in Brahman is described here as the eternal country wherefrom nobody has got to come back again if anyone is able to enter into that eternal kingdom. That eternal kingdom is the Kingdom of God.
The beginning of our present material life is untraceable nor do we require to bother about it and we can remain satisfied only by the conviction that this material life is begun from a time immemorial and what we have to do now is to surrender unto the Supreme Lord Who is the original cause of all causes.
The preliminary qualifications therefore for going 'Back to Godhead' are as follows as stated in the Bhagwat Geeta. (Bg. 15.5)
Nirmana, Moha, Jita, Sanga, Doshah, Adhyatmanitya, Vinibritya, Kama, Dwandai, Vimukta, Sukha, Dukha, Samgai, Gachhanti, Amudha, Padam, Abyam, Tat.
One who is convinced of his spiritual identity and thereby freed from the material conception of existence, who is thus freed from an illusion, who is transcendental to the qualities of material nature, who is constantly engaged in the matter of understanding spiritual knowledge and who has taken complete leave from the business of sense enjoyment—can go Back to Godhead.
Such person is called 'Amudha' as distinguished from the 'Mudhas' or the foolish ignorant because he is freed from the duality of happiness and distresses.
And what is the nature of the Kingdom of Godhead? It is described in the Bhagwat Geeta (Bg. 15.6) as follows:—
Na, Tad, Vashayete, Surya, Na, Shasanka, Na, Pavoka,
Jad, Gatya, Na, Nibartante, Tad, Dhama, Pavamam mama.
Although every place is within the Kingdom of God because He is the Supreme Proprietor of all the 'Lokas' or places, yet His Personal Dhama or abode is completely different from the one in which we are living now. It is therefore called the Paramam or the most superior Dhama. Even on the earth in which we are at the present moment placed down—there are different grades of places and countries. On this earth the portion which is occupied by Kashmere and neighbouring places is called the Bhusarga or the earthly heaven. Besides this earth there are innumerable globes, distributed all over the universes. Some of them are far superior places and some of them are far inferior places than this earth. But all these places, within the jurisdiction of external energy material nature, do require the rays of the Sun, the rays of the Moon or the light of the fire for their existence.
All these globes and planets are in the region of darkness and to illuminate them properly there is need of the Sun, the Moon and the fire.
But against this experience of dark regions extending up to the Brahma Loka the topmost region of the cosmos—there is another spiritual region which is described as the superior nature where there is no need of Surya, or the Sun, Shasanka or the Moon and Pavaka or the fire. This Dhama is described in the Upanishad (Sruti) as follows:—
Na, Tatra, Surya, Bhati, Na, Channra, Taraka,
Nema, Vidyata, Bhanti, Kutah, Ayam, Agni.
Tameba Bhantam, Anubhati, Sarbam,
Tasya, Bhasa, Sarbam, Ebam, Bibhati.
"There is no need of the Sun, the Moon, the stars neither it is illumined by an electrical lightening and what to speak of the fire. All these universes are illumined by a reflection of that light and because that superior nature is always self-illumined therefore we can experience a glow of light even in the dense darkness of night."
In the "Haribansa" the same nature is explained as follows:—
Tat, Param, Paramam, Brahman,
Sarbam Bibhajate, Jagat.
Mama, Eba, Tadghanam, Teja,
Jnatum, Arhasi, Bharata.
"The glaring effulgence of Impersonal Brahman illumines the whole existence both material and spiritual. But oh Bharata! You must understand it that this illumination of Brahman is the glare of My Personal concentrated glow."
In the Brahma Samhita also this is confirmed. Now what we have to understand from this is as follows:—
Nobody can discover the abode of the Personality of Godhead even by the light of the Sun, the Moon or the light of the fire. And one who can attain to that spiritual abode of the Personality of Godhead can enjoy spiritual eternal bliss without any interruption. And the conclusion is, therefore, that 'Kshara' or the fallible living entities have two phases of existence. The one is called material existence which is full of threefold miseries of birth, death, old age and diseases. And the other is called spiritual existence where there is incessant spiritual life of eternity, bliss and knowledge. In the material existence, the 'Kshara' living being is overpowered by material conception of his body and mind but in the spiritual existence he can relish always the happy transcendental contact of the Personality of Godhead. Such devotee, even if he appears to be alone in the lonely jungle, is always in the company of the Supreme Lord with all paraphernalia. This is a stage of realisation and not of explanation. We can simply get a slight hint of the transcendental stage.
"Back to Godhead" tries to bring in that supramental consciousness to the humanity at large and therefore it is an essential service. The only qualification for attaining this stage of life is to non-cooperate with sensual material conception of life.
Attachment or the anchor of the human boat as we have discussed above is this sensual material conception of life which can at once be turned over by devotional service. Anyone can adopt this principle of devotional service even in the midst of various material engagement, he can alone become transcendental to such material conception of life liberated from the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Such person is admitted in the Kingdom of God the Paramam Dhama.
To read 'Back to Godhead' regularly and to try to imbibe the principles stated therein is also transcendental to the three modes of nature and therefore it is essential service.
Everyone therefore who is ordinarily engaged in material affairs may derive highest benefit from the pages of "Back to Godhead" helping all people to cut off the root of the indefatigable banyan tree described above. To accept "Sannyas" as a matter of show is a mockery pure and simple. The sadhus and sannyasis as we have discussed in our article "Who is a Sadhu" can never go across the river of nescience by stamping them falsely with an affixation of so-called "Ananda." This so-called "Ananda" is sure to evaporate within no time if he has no real taste in the transcendental loving service of Godhead. We have read the life of a greatly advertised Swami with the affix of "Ananda" and have seen how the so-called "Ananda" vanished like a magic colour. So this is all nonsense.
One must be trained up only to renounce everything of material conception and try to relish spiritual mellow in every object. This stage is attainable only by devotional service and nothing else. And by such service only one can at once get into liberation (Mukti) even during the lifetime of this material body.
One should therefore take advantage of the instruction of Bhagwat Geeta as stated in the 12th chapter. The simplest and easiest process of material liberation in any stage of life is described there. Everyone should adopt the principle for his own interest and the articles of Back to Godhead will help all its readers to reach the desired stage. In the 14th Chapter of Bhagwat Geeta, the manifestations in different varieties of the modes of Nature have been thoroughly discussed and the transcendental nature of all devotional service is also described there. All kinds of spiritual endeavours are more or less tinged by the colour of material quality but pure devotional services are transcendental to all such colourful affairs. Candidates desiring to go 'Back to Godhead' need not artificially adopt the principles of such designated resignations but they can only resign themselves on the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord the Personality of Godhead—Lord Krishna.
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
