What is spiritual Life??? .... to reestablish the forgotten relationship with God.

[krsna]

 

 

Questions and Answers from Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti are online on AskTheSwami.org:

 

 

 

Question:

 

Why did it take so long for me to get the grace of Sri Krishna Chaitanya?

 

Are we actually so bad that we have to stay here for so long?

 

Or is it more a sad story about us, the little fallen souls?

 

At the same time this question is a little bit stupid, because I think I got some grace from Sri Chaitanya; otherwise I could not write His Name. I find that paradoxical, but I know that I am not in full knowledge either. Do you have any thoughts about that rather uncomfortably situation?

 

My practical life doesn't seem to come along with the knowledge I recieved.

 

Answer:

 

Spiritual life is all about developing transzendental love.

 

There was a great yogi who underwent severe austerities for many many decades. One day, when Narada Muni passed by, the yogi said: 'Narada Muni, so nice to meet you. Where are you going?' 'I am going to visit Visnu', replied Narada Muni. 'Really?', wondered the yogi, 'you are able to visit Visnu? How did you do that?' 'It was a blessing, Visnu gave me this instrument, a vina, and I am able to travel on the sound of that instrument', answered Narada Muni. Then the yogi asked: 'Can you do me a favour please? When you meet Visnu, please tell Him that there is a yogi who has been performing hard austerities for a long time. How many births will he have to take in this world until he reaches perfection?' Narada Muni said: 'Yes, I will ask Visnu for you, don't worry.'

 

Then Narada Muni went on and a little later he met a craftsman sitting in a meadow and doing his work. It was a simple and very poor man. The craftsman saw Narada Muni, offered his obeisances and asked: 'Oh, Narada Muni, please give me your blessings. Where are you going?' 'I am going to visit Visnu', replied Narada Muni. 'Visnu? You are able to visit Visnu? Wow. Can you do me a favour please?', asked the craftsman, 'How much more time do I have to stay in this world and suffer?' Narada Muni answered:'Yes, no problem. I will ask Visnu.'

 

So Narada Muni went to Visnu and told Him the story of the two persons. Visnu spoke: 'When you see them again, they will ask you what I have been doing. Tell them I was pushing an elefant through the eye of a needle. And depending on their reaction you will know my answer for them.' Narada Muni was pretty much surprised by this information but whatever Visnu says He would do.

 

The next time Narada Muni passed by our yogi, the yogi received him: 'Narada Muni, what a fortune to meet you again. Did you meet Visnu?' 'Yes', replied Narada Muni. 'And, did you ask Visnu?', the yogi wanted to know. 'Yes', said Narada Muni. 'And what did Visnu do?', asked the yogi impatiently. 'He was pushing an elefant through the eye of a needle', was the answer of Narada Muni. Then the yogi uttered: 'Come on Narada, stop telling jokes. I am a serious yogi. Don't tell me such ridiculous stories. Is there nothing reasonable you can tell me?' 'Well, yes', said Narada Muni, 'there is a message for you: you will still have to spend thousands of lives here in this world before you can reach perfection.'

 

After that Narada Muni continued his travel and met the craftsman again. The craftsman was very happy to see Narada Muni and spoke: 'Oh, Narada Muni, you are back already. Did you see Visnu? Did you ask Him? What has Visnu been doing when you met Him?' Narada Muni responded: 'Visnu was pushing an elefant through the eye of a needle.' 'Oh', said the craftsman, 'that is fantastic. I could never have imagined something like that. That is wonderful.' Astonished Narada Muni looked at the craftsman and asked: 'My dear craftsman, do you believe that story? Who could possibly push an elefant through the eye of a needle?' The craftsman replied: 'Ah, what do you think? Do you see that huge Banyan tree over there? It was in a tiny little seed and now it produces millions of seeds itself every year. If the Lord can put such a large tree in such a small seed, why should He not be able to push an elefant through the eye of a needle? That really would be nothing for Him.' Then Narada Muni responded: 'Well, I have also a message for you, dear craftsman: right after leaving this body you will go back to home, back to Godhead.'

 

So this is the crucial point. It is not a question of knowledge but a question of realization and good faith. All the rules, regulations and good advice in the Vedic scriptures help us to become established in the mode of goodness. But the actual goal of live is to develop real service, real love for the Lord. That is only possible by the mercy of the Lord himself. What we can do is to accept a spiritual master, who is experienced in Vedic knowledge, engage our senses in his devotional service and spread the glories of the Lord by chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. That will clean our consciousness from all material impurities, and we will become established in goodness. It will enable us to come closer to the perfection of a living being: to reestablish the forgotten relationship with God.