BY PRACTICING BHAKTI-YOGA, IF THE PERFORMER IS NOT PURIFIED FROM MATERIAL CONTAMINATION, HE MUST BE A PSEUDODEVOTEE

[Tamohara dasa ADMIN.]

Govinda DasadasaPrabhupada D'only savior

 

 

 

 

Govinda Dasadasa

BY PRACTICING BHAKTI-YOGA, IF THE PERFORMER IS NOT PURIFIED FROM MATERIAL CONTAMINATION, HE MUST BE A PSEUDODEVOTEE. FOR SUCH AN IMPOSTER THERE IS NO REMEDY FOR BEING FREED FROM MATERIAL ENTANGLEMENT.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam » Canto 2 » Chapter 2 » Text 37:

(Sri Sukadeva Gosvami to King Pariksit):

पिबन्ति ये भगवत आत्मनः सतां कथामृतं श्रवणपुटेषु सम्भृतम् ।

पुनन्ति ते विषयविदूषिताशयं व्रजन्ति तच्चरणसरोरुहान्तिकम् ॥३७॥

pibanti ye bhagavata atmanah satam

kathamrtam sravana-putesu sambhrtam

punanti te visaya-vidusitasayam

vrajanti tac-carana-saroruhantikam

SYNONYMS

pibanti--who drink; ye--those; bhagavatah--of the Personality of Godhead; atmanah--of the most dear; satam--of devotees; katha-amrtam--the nectar of the messages; sravana-putesu--within the earholes; sambhrtam--fully filled; punanti--purify; te--their; visaya--material enjoyment; vidusita-asayam--polluted aim of life; vrajanti--do go back; tat--the Lord's; carana--feet; saroruha-antikam--near the lotus.

TRANSLATION

Those who drink through aural reception, fully filled with the nectarean message of Lord Krsna, the beloved of the devotees, purify the polluted aim of life known as material enjoyment and thus go back to Godhead, to the lotus feet of Him [the Personality of Godhead].

PURPORT

The sufferings of human society are due to a polluted aim of life, namely lording it over the material resources. The more human society engages in the exploitation of undeveloped material resources for sense gratification, the more it will be entrapped by the illusory, material energy of the Lord, and thus the distress of the world will be intensified instead of diminished. The human necessities of life are fully supplied by the Lord in the shape of food grains, milk, fruit, wood, stone, sugar, silk, jewels, cotton, salt, water, vegetables, etc., in sufficient quantity to feed and care for the human race of the world as well as the living beings on each and every planet within the universe. The supply source is complete, and only a little energy by the human being is required to get his necessities into the proper channel. There is no need of machines and tools or huge steel plants for artificially creating comforts of life. Life is never made comfortable by artificial needs, but by plain living and high thinking. The highest perfectional thinking for human society is suggested here by Sukadeva Gosvami, namely, sufficiently hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam. For men in this age of Kali, when they have lost the perfect vision of life, this Srimad-Bhagavatam is the torchlight by which to see the real path. Srila Jiva Gosvami Prabhupada has commented on the kathamrtam mentioned in this verse and has indicated Srimad-Bhagavatam to be the nectarean message of the Personality of Godhead. By sufficient hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the polluted aim of life, namely lording it over matter, will subside, and the people in general in all parts of the world will be able to live a peaceful life of knowledge and bliss.

For a pure devotee of the Lord, any topics in relation with His name, fame, quality, entourage, etc., are all pleasing, and because such topics have been approved by great devotees like Narada, Hanuman, Nanda Maharaja and other inhabitants of Vrndavana, certainly such messages are transcendental and pleasing to the heart and soul.

And by the constant hearing of the messages of the Bhagavad-gita, and later of Srimad-Bhagavatam, one is assured herein by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami that he will reach the Personality of Godhead and render Him transcendental loving service in the spiritual planet of the name Goloka Vrndavana, which resembles a huge lotus flower.

Thus by the process of bhakti-yoga, directly accepted, as suggested in this verse, by sufficient hearing of the transcendental message of the Lord, the material contamination is directly eliminated without one's attempting to contemplate the impersonal virat conception of the Lord. And by practicing bhakti-yoga, if the performer is not purified from the material contamination, he must be a pseudodevotee. For such an imposter there is no remedy for being freed from material entanglement.

[Synonyms,Translation and Purport by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedantaswami Prabhupada reproduced herein by this

menial servant.]

[Tamohara dasa ADMIN.]

Brahmananda: Why won't God make me surrender?

Srila Prabhupada : No. Krishna is not an idiot like you. Because Krishna has given you some freedom, so he doesn't want to touch it. This is Krishna. What he gives, he never takes away. It's not some stupid reward that "I give you something, then I take back". Krishna does not do such things. He gave you some freedom so you can use it.

yathechchhasi tatha kuru

| BG 18.63 |

Krishna says in the Bhagavat-Gita, "Do whatever you want." This freedom is naturally given. You are human. If you don't engage yourself in Krishna Consciousness, Nature will take away that privilege and you will become a dog. Krishna does not take away, but his agent, Maya, will.

From a conversation on a morning walk

13 September 1975 , Vrindavan

[Tamohara dasa ADMIN.]

The conditioned soul, eternally sleeping in darkness, does not understand his self-interest. He simply tries to become happy by making material adjustments, but this is impossible. It is therefore said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: [SB 7.5.31] due to gross ignorance, the conditioned soul does not know that his real self-interest is to take shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. To try to become happy by adjusting the material atmosphere is a useless endeavor. Indeed, it is impossible.

Srila Prabhupada Purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.6.19

[Tamohara dasa ADMIN.]

Gavin Swinden

 

(But this is false because you do not know where is that gentleman Washington has gone. We are simply worshiping a shadow. A photograph, a statue. But we do not know where is actually that spirit soul, his transmigration of the soul)

"Take for example that we sometimes worship our past leaders. In your country, George Washington, or in our country, Gandhi or somebody else. But this is false because you do not know where is that gentleman Washington has gone. We are simply worshiping a shadow. A photograph, a statue. But we do not know where is actually that spirit soul, his transmigration of the soul. The soul goes to another body and we foolishly worship the dead body, which is useless.

This is called bhūtejyā. In Sanskrit language it is called bhūtejyā. Ghost worship. Yānti bhūtāni bhūtejyā. So this is only sentiment. But because all the name, fame, assets materially gained, it ends with that body, it remains with that body. Now you have to begin another body according to your own karma. But the spiritual effect which you acquire, that goes with you. Because you are spirit, it goes with the spirit. And the material asset left with this material..."

(Prabhupada Lecture, September 16, 1966, New York)