Liberated souls | The Hare Krishna Movement

The Wise Man

20 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya Tags: entanglement in material energy, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krsna conscious person, Liberated souls, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, material nature, miseries in material existence, Nimi, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, The Wise Man, three modes of material nature, unalloyed devotee, Vedic literatures

Teachings of Lord Caitanya
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Four

The Wise Man

Since no one can trace the history of the living entity’s entanglement in material energy, the Lord says that it is beginningless. By beginningless it is meant that conditional life exists prior to the creation; it is simply manifested during and after the creation. Due to forgetfulness of his nature, the living entity, although spirit, suffers all kinds of miseries in material existence. It should be understood that there are also living entities who are not entangled in this material energy but are situated in the spiritual world. They are called liberated souls and are always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service.

Meditation upon the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa

05 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Narada Muni, Srimad Bhagavatam Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krsna, Liberated souls, meditate on the lotus feet of the lord, Narada Muni, Personality of Godhead, supersoul, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vyasa, Vyasadeva

This morning I was reading from the First Canto, sixth chapter of the Srimad Bhagavatam entitled “Conversation Between Nārada and Vyāsadeva”. Here Śrī Nārada Muni is explaining how it is, he attained his present transcendental body, and his encounter with the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This is a beautiful chapter and I find myself reading it again and again.

After that, under the shadow of a banyan tree in an uninhabited forest I began to meditate upon the Supersoul situated within, using my intelligence, as I had learned from liberated souls.

As soon as I began to meditate upon the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead with my mind transformed in transcendental love, tears rolled down my eyes, and without delay the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared on the lotus of my heart.

O Vyāsadeva, at that time, being exceedingly overpowered by feelings of happiness, every part of my body became separately enlivened. Being absorbed in an ocean of ecstasy, I could not see both myself and the Lord.

The transcendental form of the Lord, as it is, satisfies the mind’s desire and at once erases all mental incongruities. Upon losing that form, I suddenly got up, being perturbed, as is usual when one loses that which is desirable.

I desired to see again that transcendental form of the Lord, but despite my attempts to concentrate upon the heart with eagerness to view the form again, I could not see Him any more, and thus dissatisfied, I was very much aggrieved.

Seeing my attempts in that lonely place, the Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental to all mundane description, spoke to me with gravity and pleasing words, just to mitigate my grief.

O Nārada [the Lord spoke], I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and who are not completely free from all material taints can hardly see Me.

O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires.

Srimad Bhagavatam
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
First Canto, Chapter 6, Text 15-22

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Kṛṣṇa-kathā

30 Aug 2013 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna-katha, Vaisnava Vocabulary Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krishna, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna-katha, Krsna_katha, Liberated souls, narrations spoken about Krsna, narrations spoken by Krsna, path of liberation, Srila Prabhupada, topics about krishna

Here is a another word for your vaisnava vocabulary; Kṛṣṇa-kathā. The following is from the Introduction to the Krsna Book and how narrations describing the transcendental activities of the Lord are relished by liberated souls. But whether one is liberated or is trying to be liberated, or is even grossly materialistic, the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa are worth studying. The more people know about Kṛṣṇa, the more they will be perfectly benefited in this human form of life.

…Kṛṣṇa-kathā means narrations about Kṛṣṇa. There are two kṛṣṇa-kathās: narrations spoken by Kṛṣṇa and narrations spoken about Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavad-gītā is the narration or the philosophy or the science of God, spoken by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the narration about the activities and transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Both are Kṛṣṇa-kathā. It is the order of Lord Caitanya that Kṛṣṇa-kathā should be spread all over the world, because if the conditioned souls, suffering under the pangs of material existence, take to Kṛṣṇa-kathā, then their path of liberation will be open and clear. The purpose of presenting this book is primarily to induce people to understand Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa-kathā, because thereby they can become freed from material bondage. (from introduction to “Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead”)

Under the Direction of God (Krishna)

15 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Book Changes, Mahesh Raja das Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, book changes, conditioned souls, God, great scholar, Krishna, Krsna, Liberated souls, prakrta shajiyas, sahajiyas, srila prabhupada conversations, Srila Prabhupada lectures, Srila Prabhupada's writting, transcendental literature

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Under the Direction of God (Krishna)
His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada speaks as Krsna speaks

“It is not possible for a common man to write books on bhakti, for his writings will not be effective. He may be a very great scholar and expert in presenting literature in flowery language, but this is not at all helpful in understanding transcendental literature. Even if transcendental literature is written in faulty language, it is acceptable if it is written by a devotee, whereas so-called transcendental literature written by a mundane scholar, even if it is a very highly polished literary presentation, cannot be accepted. The secret in a devotee’s writing is that when he writes about the pastimes of the lord, the lord helps him; he does not write himself.

We Don’t Allow Any Literature Not Given by Liberated Soul
compiled by Sriman Mahesh Prabhu

The difference between Srila Prabhupada’s books and other so-called gurus’ (conditioned souls) writing is Srila Prabhupada’s instruction was coming directly from Krsna. This is the transcendental platform.

Srila Prabhupada encouraged his disciples, however, to write their realizations. Other conditioned souls may present their nonsense commentaries on Bhagavad-Gita etc., but they will never be quoted for references. Srila Prabhupada is on the trancendental platform and Krishna speaks through him, consequently only he will be quoted for reference.

Transcendental Vision

01 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Kali Yuga, Time Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, astrologer, astronomer, duration of life, future of mankind, influence of time, Kali-yuga, Liberated souls, millennium, Srimad Bhagavatam, the great sage vyasadeva, Time, Vyasadeva

…The unmanifested forces of time are so powerful that they reduce all matter to oblivion in due course. In Kali-yuga, the last millennium of a round of four millenniums, the power of all material objects deteriorates by the influence of time. In this age the duration of the material body of the people in general is much reduced, and so is the memory.

The great sage Vyāsadeva could see this by his transcendental vision. As an astrologer can see the future fate of a man, or an astronomer can foretell the solar and lunar eclipses, those liberated souls who can see through the scriptures can foretell the future of all mankind. They can see this due to their sharp vision of spiritual attainment. (from purport to SB 1.4.17-18)

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Associating with Kṛṣṇa

28 Mar 2011 2 Comments

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Beyond Birth & Death Tags: Beyond Birth & Death, bhagavad-gita, Hare Krishna Hare Rama Hare Hare, Liberated souls, spiritual sky, Vaikuntha planets

Beyond Birth & Death
Chapter 5
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The inhabitants of the Vaikuṇṭha planets in the spiritual sky are all liberated souls.

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt. He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Pārtha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.” (Bg. 8.5, 8.8) Such meditation on Kṛṣṇa may seem very difficult, but it is not. If one practices Kṛṣṇa consciousness by chanting the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, he will be quickly helped. Kṛṣṇa and His name are nondifferent, and Kṛṣṇa and His transcendental abode are also nondifferent. By sound vibration we can have Kṛṣṇa associate with us”.