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We sometimes love the body or sometimes love the mind or sometimes love the soul, or in this way, but the ultimate aim is to love Krsna. That is our natural instinct

Expressions researched:
"we sometimes love the body or sometimes love the mind or sometimes love the soul, or in this way, but the ultimate aim is to love Kṛṣṇa. That is our natural instinct"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The spirit soul is loved because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore ultimate goal is Kṛṣṇa. We do not know that. Therefore we sometimes love the body or sometimes love the mind or sometimes love the soul, or in this way, but the ultimate aim is to love Kṛṣṇa. That is our natural instinct.

We have seen it practically. Many big, big sannyāsīs and transcendentalists, they give up this world as mithyā, or false, and take to sannyāsa, but after some time, again they come back to this material world for executing philanthropic activities like opening hospitals or opening schools and other philanthropic activities. It so happens because they cannot fully realize the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Person, they again come to these material persons. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find, Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19), which means, "After many, many births, the jñānīs after speculative knowledge, when actually they come to the platform of knowledge, they surrender unto Me or they understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

The next line is, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). One who can understand Kṛṣṇa, whose another name is Vāsudeva—so He is everything, He is the origin of everything—one who can understand, he is supposed to be mahātmā, the liberated soul, or the great soul, mahātmā. Mahā means great; atmā means soul. But sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ: it is very difficult to find out such mahātmā. So the Kṛṣṇa devotees who are engaged in these missionary activities, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they are not ordinary persons. They are mahātmā, but very rarely to be found. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. So although everyone is searching after Kṛṣṇa, either in impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā, the person who has understood Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, he is the greatest, I mean to say, successful man within this world.

In another place Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa never says that "By mental speculation or yogic mystic practice, one can understand the Supreme Lord." Never says that. It is clearly said that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Tattvataḥ means in truth. To understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, that requires bhakti or bhakti-yoga, not the jñāna-yoga or karma-yoga, haṭha-yoga or any other yoga system. By other yoga system like jñāna-yoga, karma-yoga, haṭha-yoga, you can understand Kṛṣṇa partially. As I have explained, that somebody is seeing the mountain as hazy cloud, and somebody is seeing as greenish something, and somebody is seeing actually the mountain with all varieties, so without bhakti-yoga realization of the Absolute Truth is partial. In another place Kṛṣṇa says:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
(BG 6.47)

He clearly says that, "Out of the many varieties of yogīs, one yogī, or the bhakti-yogī, who is always thinking of Me within his heart, he is first class."

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching everyone to become the first-class yogī. This movement is giving everyone the chance of chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, which means always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. As soon as you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and if you hear—the chanting process is you chant and hear—then immediately you become in the samādhi state, absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. This is not our manufactured way. It is all authorized by the Vedic scripture.

Therefore our request is that if you want to become first-class yogī according to the authorized statement of Vedas, then you take to this mahā-mantra, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. The chanting, the purpose of chanting is that it is addressing, Hare. Hare means addressing the energy of Kṛṣṇa. The energy is called Harā. Kṛṣṇa is called Hari, and His energy is called Harā, or Rādhā. Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā, or Hari, Harā. So the form of addressing is Hare. Those who know Sanskrit, there is . . . the example is just like latā. Latā word, the note of address is late. Similarly, Harā is the word, and the note of address is Hare. So the request is, "O the energy of Kṛṣṇa, O Lord Kṛṣṇa, please accept me in Your service." Without going through the energy of Kṛṣṇa, nobody can approach Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Those who are mahātmās, actually, after many, many lives' cultivation of knowledge, when one becomes fully cognizant of Kṛṣṇa's position, he surrenders. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. So that is also explained, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13): "Those who are mahātmā, they have taken shelter of the superior energy, daivīṁ prakṛtim."

Therefore we worship Kṛṣṇa not alone—Kṛṣṇa with Rādhārāṇī. You have seen the picture. Kṛṣṇa is standing with Rādhārāṇī. So that is full realization of the Absolute Truth. Without energy, simply energetic Kṛṣṇa, that is not full realization. So all the Vaiṣṇavas, they worship the Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead with the energy. Just like there are many devotees, Sītā-Rāma. They worship Mother Sītā and Rāma. There are other Vaiṣṇavas who worship Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, and Nārāyaṇa. In this way, we Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇavas, we worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

So in this way the process of approaching the Absolute Truth is one straight line, but it is a matter of progress. One who has progressed hundred steps, another has progressed thousand steps, another has progressed many other more steps, but the aim is the same: Kṛṣṇa. Anyone . . . anyone in transcendental line, they are aiming at Kṛṣṇa. This can be understood in another way: Just like every one of us, we love our body. Or I love your body. But what is the reason? The reason is because the spirit soul is there. Nobody loves a body, either his own body or other's body, when it is dead. Therefore the conclusion is that each, every one of us, we love our body because I, the spirit soul, is there. Therefore the conclusion is that I love myself, or yourself, the spirit soul. Then the next question will be, "Then why one should love the spirit soul?" The spirit soul is loved because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore ultimate goal is Kṛṣṇa. We do not know that. Therefore we sometimes love the body or sometimes love the mind or sometimes love the soul, or in this way, but the ultimate aim is to love Kṛṣṇa. That is our natural instinct.

Page Title:We sometimes love the body or sometimes love the mind or sometimes love the soul, or in this way, but the ultimate aim is to love Krsna. That is our natural instinct
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-12-13, 06:16:47
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1