The Ultimate Goal of LIfe

[ancient_paztriot]

SB 7.7.55

In this material world, to render service to the lotus feet of Govinda, the cause of all causes, and to see Him everywhere, is the only goal of life. This much alone is the ultimate goal of human life, as explained by all the revealed scriptures.

 

PURPORT

In this verse the words sarvatra tad-iksanam describe the highest perfection of devotional service, in which one sees everything with reference to Govinda’s activities. The highly elevated devotee never sees anything unrelated to Govinda.

 

sthavara-jangama dekhe, na dekhe tara murti

sarvatra haya nija ista-deva-sphurti

 

“The maha-bhagavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.” (Cc. Madhya 8.274) Even in this material world, a devotee does not see materially manifested things; instead he sees Govinda in everything. When he sees a tree or a human being, a devotee sees them in relation to Govinda. Govindam adi-purusam: Govinda is the original source of everything.

 

isvarah paramah krsnah

sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah

anadir adir govindah

sarva-karana-karanam

 

“Krsna, who is known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes.” (Brahma-samhita 5.1) The test of a perfect devotee is that he sees Govinda everywhere in this universe, even in every atomic particle (anda-ntara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). This is the perfect vision of a devotee. It is therefore said:

 

narayanam ayam dhirah

pasyanti paramarthinah

jagad dhananmayam lubdhah

kamukah kaminimayam

 

A devotee sees everyone and everything in relationship with Narayana (narayanam ayam). Everything is an expansion of Narayana’s energy. Just as those who are greedy see everything as a source of money-making and those who are lusty see everything as being conducive to sex, the most perfect devotee, Prahlada Maharaja, saw Narayana even within a stone column. This does not mean, however, that we must accept the words daridra-narayana, which have been manufactured by some unscrupulous person. One who actually envisions Narayana everywhere makes no distinction between the poor and the rich. To single out the daridra-narayanas, or poor Narayana, and reject the dhani-narayana, or rich Narayana, is not the vision of a devotee. Rather, that is the imperfect vision of materialistic persons.