Guest guest Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 Plate Eighteen: "When Vyasadeva was following his son, Srila sukadeva Gosvami, they came upon some damsels bathing naked in a pond. Sukadeva was also naked, yet the maidens did not cover themselves when he passed by. However , they did cover themselves when the fully clad Vyasadeva approached. Astonished at the apparently inconsistent behavior of the young girls, Vyasadeva asked them to explain. "Your son is purified of all material contamination " they said, "so when he looks at us he makes no distinction between male and female. But as a householder, you do make such distinctions. Therefore, while we feel no shame before your son, we must cover ourselves before you." Is this sort of unattached state to materialism really possible? This is the main verse that attracted me to this book. Can we really come to a state where we find no distinction between male and female bodies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 i doubt it's possible for the majority of people. most likely those with mental disorders can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 You mean Suka had a mental problem of some sort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 Yes certainly its possible. In fact to be so attached to God that the illusory forms of this world have no sway over your mind is the natural state of the living being. Our present state is the unnatural one. The vast majority of living beings are like Sukadeva. The attainments of others that we read about in books like the Bhagavatam are also statements to inspire us to reach towards our own potential. Differences will be there according to our own individual tastes, but in time, with persistent practice and realization, we are meant to be like Sukadeva and Narada Muni. In material life we all lack proper self esteem(esteem for the self) so these things seem impossible, but they are actually the practical result of Krsna Conscious practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 <<Is this sort of unattached state to materialism really possible? >> yes. but it is not easy to reach sukadeva's level. however, any progress up is worth having. one should never pretend he/she has reached that state. one should respect another who has made more progress than one or is beihnd on the path. jai sri krishna! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahnava Nitai Das Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 Note to guest above: When trying to quote someone, don't use '<' characters. This board interprets it as html code and makes it disappear. Instead use [ quote ] in the beginning and [ /quote ] at the end. This will convert the quoted text into an indented paragraph with lines before and after the quote like this: This is a quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raguraman Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 i doubt it's possible for the majority of people. most likely those with mental disorders can. What is your faith ? If you have back bone you should register and then post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmygoddess Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 i have no faith whatsoever. maya has kicked me so hard that i've fallen and can't get up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 No such thing as 'can't get up'. 'Won't get up' is a problem we are all struggling with. When you get tired of just lying there you will find a way to rise. He who lives within us will pick us up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 but I feel as if I can't get up. It is not possible for me to get up. I get myself attracted to all these distractions in bhakthi it is impossible for me to remember krishna and my eternal nature for atleast a day non stop. The above quote which explains suka deva's condition gives me strength and an idea that some one else has does it. but then again, one of my friends said that he was born that way. does any one know another instance where a person is born in materialism but got free like suka deva? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 If it can, how much should one chant each day to relieve oneself of all sorts of mental conditionings of this material world? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 Well Narada Muni. Young son of a poor single mother. He associated with and served some elevated Bhaktivedantas and they blessed him. He got their prasad and thus he was initiated into spiritual life. It is important that we not get discouraged by measuring ourselves against the lives of these great souls. It's hard to do but we must be patiently determined. Afterall if we don't make the necessary moves to rise up we will then surely sink father down, all the way to forms similar to rock like. Now rising up from that platform is really tough. look how far you are.A human form with a healthy interest in this subject. Compare your situation to all the other life forms around you and see how close you really are. We should know that Krsna will not ignore us if we reach out to Him. Afterall he has been with us, waiting for us to come to a stage where we can become conscious of Him. We are now at that stage and He will help us. We just need to keep approaching Him, with some trust, like a helpless child trusting their parent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 Your insight into this matter gives me more strength, but do you know what prabhupada said on this issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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