ENTERING THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

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Entering the Spiritual World"Everything in the spiritual

world is substantial and original. This material world is only an imitation.... It is

just like a cinematographic picture, in which we see only the shadow of the

real thing." In this lecture, delivered in October 1966 in New York City, Srila

Prabhupada gives an amazing glimpse into the nature of the spiritual world

and some positive instructions on how to arrive there at the end of life's

perilous journey.paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanahyah sa sarvesu bhutesunasyatsu na vinasyati"Yet there is another

unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested

and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this

world is annihilated, that part remains as it is." (Bhagavad-gita 8.20) We cannot calculate the length and

breadth of even this universe, yet there are millions and millions of

universes like this one within the material sky. And above this material sky there is

another sky, which is called the spiritual sky. In that sky all the planets are

eternal, and life is eternal, also. We cannot know these things by our

material calculations, so we must take this information from the Bhagavad-gita. This material manifestation is only

one fourth of the whole manifestation, both spiritual and material. In

other words, three fourths of the total manifestation is beyond the covered,

material sky. The material covering is millions and millions of miles

thick, and only after penetrating it can one enter the open, spiritual sky. Here

Krsna uses the words bhavah anyah, which mean "another nature." In

other words, there is another, spiritual nature besides the material one we

ordinarily experience. But even now we are experiencing the

spiritual as well as the material nature. How is that? Because we

ourselves are a combination of matter and spirit. We are spirit, and only as

long as we are within the material body does it move. As soon as we are out of

the body, it is as good as stone. So, since we can all personally perceive that

there is spirit as well as matter, we should also know that there is a spiritual

world as well. In the Seventh Chapter of

Bhagavad-gita Krsna discusses the spiritual and material natures. The spiritual

nature is superior, and the material nature is inferior. In this material world the

material and spiritual natures are mixed, but if we go beyond this material nature altogether--if we go to the spiritual world--we will find only the

superior, spiritual nature. This is the information we get in the Eighth Chapter. It is not possible to understand

these things by experimental knowledge. The scientists can see millions and

millions of stars through their telescopes, but they cannot approach them. Their

means are insufficient. What to speak of other planets, they cannot approach even

the moon planet, which is the nearest. Therefore, we should try to realize

how incapable we are of understanding God and God's kingdom by experimental

knowledge. And since getting understanding this way is not possible, it is

foolishness to try. Rather, we have to understand God by hearing

Bhagavad-gita. There is no other way. No one can understand who his father is by

experimental knowledge. One has to simply believe his mother when she says,

"Here is your father." Similarly, one has to believe Bhagavad-gita; then one can get all the information. Nonetheless, while there is no

possibility of experimental knowledge about God, if one becomes advanced in

Krsna consciousness he will realize God directly. For example, through

realization I am firmly convinced of whatever I am saying here about Krsna. I am not

speaking blindly. Similarly, anyone can realize God. Svayam eva sphuraty

adah: Direct knowledge of God will be revealed to anyone who sticks to the process

of Krsna consciousness. Such a person will actually understand, "Yes,

there is a spiritual kingdom, where God resides, and I have to go there. I must prepare

to go there." Before going to another country, one may hear so much about

it, but when he actually goes there he understands everything directly.

Similarly, if one takes up the process of Krsna consciousness, one day he'll

understand God and the kingdom of God directly, and the whole problem of his life will

be solved. Here Krsna uses the word sanatanah

to describe that spiritual kingdom. The material nature has a beginning and

an end, but the spiritual nature has no beginning and no end. How is that?

We can understand by a simple example: Sometimes, when there is a snowfall,

we see that the whole sky is covered by a cloud. But actually that cloud is

covering only an insignificant part of the whole sky. Because we are very

minute, however, when a cloud covers a few hundred miles of the sky, to us the

sky looks completely covered. Similarly, this entire material manifestation

(called the mahat-tattva) is like a cloud covering an insignificant portion of

the spiritual sky. And just as when the cloud clears we can see the bright,

sunlit sky, so when we get clear of this covering of matter we can see the

original, spiritual sky. Furthermore, just as a cloud has a

beginning and an end, the material nature also has a beginning and an end, and

our material body also has a beginning and an end. Our body simply exists for

some time. It takes birth, grows, stays for some time, gives off some

by-products, dwindles, and then vanishes. These are the six transformations of the body.

Similarly, every material manifestation undergoes these six transformations.

Thus at the end this whole material world will be vanquished. But Krsna assures us, paras tasmat

tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah: "Beyond this destructible,

cloudlike material nature, there is another, superior nature, which is eternal. It has no

beginning and no end." Then He says, yah sa sarvesu bhutesu nasyatsu na vinasyati: "When this material manifestation is annihilated, that superior nature

will remain." When a cloud in the sky is annihilated, the sky remains.

Similarly, when the cloudlike material manifestation is annihilated, the spiritual sky remains. This is called avyakto 'vyaktat. There are many volumes of Vedic

literature containing information about the material sky and the spiritual sky.

In the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam we find a description of the spiritual

sky: what its nature is, what kind of people live there, what their features are--everything. We even get information that in the spiritual sky there are

spiritual airplanes. The living entities there are all liberated, and when they fly in

their airplanes they look as beautiful as lightning. So, everything in the spiritual

world is substantial and original. This material world is only an imitation.

Whatever we see in this material world is all imitation, shadow. It is just

like a cinematographic picture, in which we see only the shadow of the real

thing. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.1) it is

said, yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa: "This material world is illusory." We

have all seen a pretty mannequin of a girl in a shopkeeper's showcase. Every sane

man knows that it is an imitation. But the socalled beautiful things in this material

world are just like the beautiful "girl" in the shopkeeper's

window. Indeed, whatever beautiful thing we see here in this material world is simply an imitation of the real beauty in the spiritual world. As Sridhara Svami

says, yat satyataya mithya sargo 'pi satyavat pratiyate: "The spiritual world

is real, and the unreal, material manifestation only appears real." Something

is real only if it will exist eternally. Reality cannot be vanquished. Similarly,

real pleasure must be eternal. Since material pleasure is temporary, it is not

actual, and those who seek real pleasure don't take part in this shadow pleasure.

They strive for the real, eternal pleasure of Krsna consciousness. Here Krsna says, yah sa sarvesu

bhutesu nasyatsu na vinasyati: "When everything in the material world is

annihilated, that spiritual nature will remain eternally." The aim of

human life is to reach that spiritual sky. But people do not know the reality of

the spiritual sky. The Bhagavatam says, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum:

"People do not know their self-interest. They do not know that human life is meant

for understanding spiritual reality and preparing ourselves for being

transferred to that reality. It is not meant for remaining here in the material world." The whole of Vedic literature instructs us like this. Tamasi ma jyotir

gamah: "Don't remain in the darkness; go to the light." This material world is

darkness. We are artificially illuminating it with electric lights and fires and

so many other things, but its nature is dark. The spiritual world, however, is not

dark; it is full of light. Just as on the sun planet there is no possibility

of darkness, so there is no possibility of darkness in the spiritual nature,

because every planet there is selfilluminated. It is clearly stated in

Bhagavad-gita that the supreme destination, from which there is no return, is the

abode of Krsna, the Supreme Person. The Brahmasamhita describes this supreme abode as

ananda-cinmaya-rasa, a place where everything is full of spiritual

bliss. Whatever variegatedness is manifest there is all of the quality of spiritual

bliss--nothing there is material. That spiritual variegatedness is the

spiritual expansion of the Supreme Godhead Himself, for the manifestation there

is totally of the spiritual energy. Although the Lord is always in His

supreme abode, He is nonetheless allpervading by His material energy. So by His

spiritual and material energies, He is present everywhere--in both the

material and the spiritual universes. In Bhagavad-gita, the words

yasyantah-sthani bhutani indicate that everything is sustained by Him, whether it be

spiritual or material energy. It is clearly stated in

Bhagavad-gita that only by bhakti, or devotional service, can one enter into the

Vaikuntha (spiritual) planetary system. In all the Vaikunthas there is only one

Supreme Godhead, Krsna, who has expanded Himself into millions and millions

of plenary portions. These plenary expansions are four-armed, and They preside

over innumerable spiritual planets. They are known by a variety of names:

Purusottama, Trivikrama, Kesava, Madhava, Aniruddha, Hrsikesa, Sankarsana,

Pradyumna, Sridhara, Vasudeva, Damodara, Janardana, Narayana, Vamana,

Padmanabha, and so on. These plenary expansions are like the leaves of a tree, the main

trunk of the tree being like Krsna. Krsna, dwelling in Goloka Vrndavana, His

supreme abode, systematically and flawlessly conducts all affairs of both

universes (material and spiritual) by the power of His all-pervasiveness. Now, if we are at all interested in

reaching Krsna's supreme abode, then we must practice bhakti-yoga. The word

bhakti means "devotional service," or, in other words, submission to the

Supreme Lord. Krsna clearly says, purusah sa parah partha bhaktya labhyas tv ananyaya.

The words tv ananyaya here mean "without any other

engagement." So, to reach the spiritual abode of the Lord, we must engage in pure devotional

service to Krsna. One definition of bhakti is given in

the authoritative book Naradapancaratra: sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam hrsikena hrsikesa- sevanam bhaktir ucyate "Bhakti, or devotional service,

means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality

of Godhead, who is the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders

service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. First, he is freed

from all material designations, and second, his senses are purified simply by being

employed in the service of the Lord." Now we are encumbered by so many

bodily designations. "Indian,American,African,"

"European"--these are all bodily designations. Our bodies are not we ourselves, yet we identify with

these designations. Suppose one has received a university degree and identifies

himself as an M.A. or a B.A. or a Ph.D. He is not that degree, but he has

identified with that designation. So, bhakti means to free oneself from these

designations (sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam). Upadhi means "designation." If someone

gets the title "Sir," he becomes very happy: "Oh, I have this 'Sir' title." He forgets that this title is only his designation--that it will exist only as long as he has

his body. But the body is sure to be vanquished, along with all its

designations. When one gets another body, he gets other designations. Suppose in the

present lifetime one is an American. The next body he gets may be Chinese. Therefore, since we are always changing our bodily designations, we should stop

identifying them as our self. When one is determined to free himself of all

these nonsensical designations, then he can attain bhakti. In the above verse from the

Narada-pancaratra, the word nirmalam means "completely pure." What is

that purity? One should be convinced, "I am spirit (aham brahmasmi). I am not this

material body, which is simply my covering. I am an eternal servant of Krsna; that is

my real identity." One who is freed from false designations and fixed in his

real constitutional position always renders service to Krsna with his senses

(hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate). The word hrsika means "the

senses." Now our senses are designated, but when our senses are free from designations,

and when with that freedom and in that purity we serve Krsna--that is devotional

service. Srila Rupa Gosvami explains pure

devotional service in this verse from Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.1.11): anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam anukulyena krsnanu- silanam bhaktir uttama "When first-class devotional

service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, of knowledge

tainted by monistic philosophy, and of fruitive action. A pure devotee must

constantly serve Krsna favorably, as Krsna desires." We have to serve Krsna favorably,

not unfavorably. Also, we should be free from material desires

(anyabhilasita-sunyam). Usually one wants to serve God for some material purpose. Of course, that is

also good. If someone goes to God for some material gain, he's far greater than

the person who never goes to God. That is admitted in Bhagavad-gita (7.16): catur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukrtino 'rjuna arto jijnasur artharthi jnani ca bharatarsabha "O best among the Bharatas

[Arjuna], four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me--the

distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching

for knowledge of the Absolute." But it is best that we not go to God with some

desire for material benefit. We should be free of this impurity

(anyabhilasita-sunyam). The next words Rupa Gosvami uses to

describe pure bhakti are jnana-karmadyanavrtam. The word jnana refers to the effort

to understand Krsna by mental speculation. Of course, we should

try to understand Krsna, but we should always remember that He is unlimited and

that we can never fully understand Him. It is not possible for us to do this.

Therefore, we have to accept whatever is presented to us in the revealed

scriptures. The Bhagavad-gita, for example, is presented by Krsna for our

understanding. We should try to understand Him simply by hearing from books like

Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. The word karma means "work with some fruitive

result." If we want to practice pure bhakti, we should work in Krsna consciousness

selflessly--not just to get some profit out of it. Next Srila Rupa Gosvami says that

pure bhakti must be anukulyena, or favorable. We must culture Krsna

consciousness favorably. We should find out what will please Krsna, and we

should do that. How can we know what will please Krsna? By hearing Bhagavad-gita and

taking the right interpretation from the right person. Then we'll know what

Krsna wants, and we can act accordingly. At that time we will be elevated to first-class devotional service. So, bhakti-yoga is a great science,

and there is immense literature to help us understand it. We should utilize

our time to understand this science and thus prepare ourselves to receive the supreme benefit at the time of our death--to attain to the spiritual planets,

where the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides. There are millions of planets and

stars within this universe, yet this entire universe is only a small particle

within the total creation. There are many universes like ours, and, as

mentioned before, the spiritual sky is three times as large as the total material

creation. In other words, three fourths of the total manifestation is in the

spiritual sky. We get information from

Bhagavad-gita that on every spiritual planet in the spiritual sky there is an expansion

of Krsna. They are all purusa, or persons; they are not impersonal. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, purusah sa parah partha bhaktya labhyas tv ananyaya: One can

approach the Supreme Person only by devotional service--not by

challenge, not by philosophical speculation, and not by exercising in this yoga or that

yoga. No. It is clearly stated that one can approach Krsna only by surrender and

devotional service. It is not stated that one can reach Him by philosophical

speculation or mental concoction or some physical exercise. One can reach

Krsna only by practicing devotion, without deviating to fruitive activities,

philosophical speculation, or physical exercise. Only by unalloyed

devotional service, without any admixture, can we reach the spiritual world. Now, Bhagavad-gita further says,

yasyantah-sthani bhutani yena sarvam idam tatam. Krsna is such a great person

that although situated in His own abode, He is still all-pervading, and

everything is within Him. How can this be? The sun is located in one place, but the sun

rays are distributed all over the universe. Similarly, although God is situated

in His own abode in the spiritual sky, His energy is distributed everywhere.

Also, He's not different from His energy, just as the sun and the sunshine are not

different, in the sense that they are composed of the same illuminating

substance. So, Krsna distributes Himself everywhere by His energies, and when

we become advanced in devotional service we can see Him everywhere, just as one

can light a lamp anywhere by plugging it into the electric circuit. In his Brahma-samhita, Lord Brahma

describes the qualifications we require to see God: premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena

santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti. Those who have

developed love of God can constantly see God before them, twenty-four hours a day. The

word sadaiva means "constantly, twenty-four hours a day." If one is

actually God-realized, he doesn't say, "Oh, I saw God yesterday night, but now He's not

visible." No, He's always visible, because He's everywhere. Therefore, the conclusion is that we can see Krsna everywhere, but we have to develop the eyes to see Him. We can

do that by the process of Krsna consciousness. When we see Krsna,

and when we approach Him in His spiritual abode, our life will be successful,

our aims will be fulfilled, and we'll be happy and prosperous eternally.THE COMPLETE BOOK 'JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY' IS IN ATTACHMENTHARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HAREHARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE.

 

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