ACTION IN GOD CONSCIOUSNESS

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Whether in the spiritual sky or the material sky, the individual

spirit soul is constitutionally the same. It is said that he is one

tenthousandth

part of the tip of a hair. This means that our position is

that of a small particle. But spirit can expand. Just as we develop a

material body in the material world, we develop a spiritual body in the

spiritual world. In the material world, expansion takes place in contact

with matter. In the spiritual world, this expansion is spiritual.

Actually, the first lesson of Bhagavad-gita is, " I am spirit soul.

I am different from this body. " I am a living force, but this material

body is not a living force. It is dull matter, and it is activated only

because spiritual force is present. In the spiritual world, everything

is living force; there is no dead matter. There, the body is totally

spiritual. One may compare the spirit soul with oil and the body with

water. When oil is in water, there is a distinction, and that

distinction always remains. In the spiritual sky, there is no question

of oil being placed in water. There everything is spirit.

The impersonalists do not want to develop a body. They simply want

to remain spiritual particles, and that is their idea of happiness. But

we bhakti-yogis (Vaisnavas) want to serve Krsna, and therefore we

require hands, legs, and all the other bodily parts. Indeed, we are

given these bodies in order to serve Krsna. Just as we develop a

material body in our mother's womb, we can similarly develop a spiritual

body in the spiritual world.

The spiritual body is developed through the practice of Krsna

consciousness. This material body is spiritualized by this bhakti-yoga

process. If you place an iron within fire, the iron becomes so hot that

it also becomes fiery. When the iron is red hot, it acquires all the

qualities of fire. If you touch something with that iron, that iron will

act as fire. Similarly, although this body is material, it can become

spiritualized through Krsna consciousness and act as spirit. Although

copper is just a metal, as soon as it comes in contact with electricity,

it becomes electrified, and if you touch it, you will receive an

electric shock.

As soon as your body is spiritualized, material activity ceases.

Material activity means acting for sense gratification. As you become

spiritualized, material demands dwindle until they become nil. How is

this possible? In order for an iron to act as fire, it must remain

constantly in contact with fire. In order for the material body to

become spiritualized, one must remain constantly in Krsna consciousness.

When this material body is fully engaged in spiritual activities, it

becomes spiritual.

According to the Vedic system, the body of a high personality, a

sannyasi, is not burned but buried, because a sannyasi's body is

considered spiritual, having ceased to engage in material activities. If

everyone in this world engages fully in Krsna consciousness and ceases

to work for sense gratification, this entire world will immediately

become spiritual. Therefore it is necessary to learn how to work for the

satisfaction of Krsna. This requires a little time to understand. If

something is used for Krsna's satisfaction, it is spiritual. Since we

are using microphones, typewriters, etc., in order to talk and write

about Krsna, they become spiritualized. What is the difference between

prasada and ordinary food? Some people may say, " What is this prasada?

We are eating the same food. Why do you call it prasada? " It is prasada

because it has been offered for Krsna's satisfaction and has thus become

spiritualized.

In a higher sense, there is no matter at all. Everything is

spiritual. Because Krsna is spiritual and matter is one of the energies

of Krsna, matter is also spiritual. Krsna is totally spiritual, and

spirit comes from spirit. However, because the living entities are

misusing this energy--that is, using it for something other than Krsna's

purposes--it becomes materialized, and so we call it matter. The purpose

of this Krsna consciousness movement is to respiritualize this energy.

It is our purpose to respiritualize the whole world, socially and

politically. Of course, this may not be possible, but it is our ideal.

At least if we individually take up this respiritualization process, our

lives become perfect.

In Bhagavad-gita (9.22) Krsna says that He provides for His

devotees by giving them what they lack and preserving what they have.

People are very fond of saying that God helps those who help themselves,

but they do not understand that helping yourself means putting yourself

under Krsna's protection. If one thinks, " Oh, I can help myself. I can

protect myself, " one is thinking foolishly. As long as my finger is

attached to my body, it is useful, and I may spend thousands of dollars

to preserve it. But if this finger is cut off, it is useless and is

thrown away. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Krsna, and helping

ourselves means putting ourselves in our proper position as His parts

and parcels. Otherwise we are only fit to be cast away. The finger can

help itself only when situated properly on the hand and working on

behalf of the entire body. If the finger thinks, " I will separate myself

from this body and simply help myself, " that finger will be cast away

and will die. As soon as we think, " I shall live independently of

Krsna, " that is our spiritual death, and as soon as we engage in Krsna's

service, as His part and parcel, that is our spiritual life. Therefore,

helping oneself means knowing one's actual position and working

accordingly. It is not possible to help oneself without knowing one's

position.

Service means activity, for when we serve someone, we are acting.

When we serve Krsna, we are preaching Krsna consciousness, or cooking,

or cleansing the temple, or distributing books about Krsna, or writing

about Him, or shopping for foodstuff to offer Him. There are so many

ways to serve. Helping Krsna means acting for Him, not sitting down in

one place and artificially meditating. Krsna consciousness means

activity. Whatever assets we have should be utilized for Krsna. That is

the process of bhakti-yoga. Krsna has given us a mind, and we must

utilize this mind to think of Krsna. We have been given these hands, and

we must use them to wash the temple or cook for Krsna. We have been

given these legs, and we should use them to go to the temple of Krsna.

We have been given a nose, and we should use it to smell the flowers

that have been offered to Krsna. Through the process of bhakti-yoga, we

engage all these senses in the service of Krsna, and in this way the

senses are spiritualized.

In Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna was refusing to act, and Krsna was

inspiring him to engage in activity. The entire Bhagavad-gita is an

inspiration to work, to engage in Krsna consciousness, to act on Krsna's

behalf. Krsna never tells Arjuna, " My dear friend Arjuna, don't concern

yourself with this war. Just sit down and meditate upon Me. " This is not

the message of Bhagavad-gita. We are not to refrain from all activity,

but only from those activities that impede our consciousness of Krsna.

Meditation means stopping all nonsensical activity. Those who are

advanced in Krsna consciousness are constantly working for Krsna.

A mother tells only her bad child to sit down and do nothing. If a

child can do nothing but disturb his mother, the mother says, " My dear

child, just sit down here and keep quiet. " But if the child can work

nicely, the mother says, " My dear child, will you please help me do

this? Will you go over there and do that? " Sitting still in one place is

just for those who do not know how to work sensibly. As long as the

child sits in one place, he does not raise havoc. Sitting still means

negating nonsense; it is not positive activity. In negation, there is no

life. Positive activities constitute life, and positive activity is the

message of Bhagavad-gita. Spiritual life is not " Don't do this. "

Spiritual life is " Do this! " In order to act properly, there are certain

things that one must know not to do; therefore certain activities are

forbidden. The whole Bhagavad-gita, however, is " do. " Krsna says, " Fight

for Me. " At the beginning of Bhagavad-gita, when Arjuna told Krsna, " I

will not fight, " Sri Krsna said,

kutas tva kasmalam idam

visame samupasthitam

anarya justam asvargyam

akirti-karam ariuna

" My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are

not at all befitting a man who knows the progressive values of life.

They lead not to higher planets, but to infamy. " (Bg. 2.2) Krsna

directly tells Arjuna that he is speaking like a non-Aryan--that is,

like one who does not know the spiritual values of life. So Krsna

consciousness does not mean sitting down idly.

Krsna Himself does not sit down idly. All His pastimes are filled

with activity. When we go to the spiritual world, we will see that Krsna

is always engaged in dancing, eating, and enjoying. He does not sit down

to meditate. Is there any account of the gopis meditating? Did Caitanya

Mahaprabhu sit down to meditate? No, He was always dancing and chanting

Hare Krsna. The spirit soul is naturally active. How can we sit down

silently and do nothing? It is not possible. Therefore, after Sri Krsna

outlined the sankhya-yoga system in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita,

Arjuna frankly said,

yo 'yam yogas tvaya proktah

samyena madhusudana

etasyaham na pasyami

cancalatvat sthitim sthiram

" O Madhusudana [Krsna], the system of yoga which You have

summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is

restless and unsteady. " (Bg. 6.33) Although Arjuna was highly elevated

and was Krsna's intimate friend, he immediately refused to take up this

sankhya-yoga system. In essence, he said, " It is not possible for me. "

How could it have been possible? Arjuna was a warrior, a householder,

and he wanted a kingdom. What time did he have for meditation? He flatly

refused to practice this type of meditational yoga, saying that the mind

is as difficult to control as the wind (Bg.6.34). That is a fact. It is

not possible to control the mind artificially; therefore we must engage

the mind in Krsna consciousness. Then it is controlled.

 

 

 

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