"I and My"

By Nitya-lila pravista Om Visnupada 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Sadhak Muni Goswami Maharaja. First part of a lecture delivered on the public program – Sunday 2nd January 2011

There are two types of living entities. Nitya-baddha and nitya-siddha. The whole life of the former consists only in running for "my" and "I". So, this is called Maya, or illusion. Those with the universal consciousness, the second part, they're conscious of the universal interest, and that means God. They're God conscious. Their interest is to satisfy God. One is called conditioned, "nitya-baddha" it is called in sanskrit, and then there are those who are engaged in the satisfaction of the Supreme, of the Infinite, they are called "nitya-siddha". They are liberated. Liberated from birth, disease, old age, and death. They are always happy because they do not experience birth, disease, old age, or death. We are nitya-baddhas, which means we are eternally conditioned living entities, because our interest is to work for our satisfaction. That means provincial consciousness, and that means that our world, our universe, is very small. Some may only care for themselves. It is a very egoistic way of thinking. Some care more for family, country, animals, and the environment. But this is all conditioned.

We should understand the reason why all the living beings coming here to this material world. Does anyone know why we are here? Because we do not have an interest to satisfy the Supreme interest, we want to satisfy our personal interest. Because of this we are coming to this conditioned world, where there is birth, disease, old age, and death. So we want to be separated from the universal interest, that means "separate" interest. Because of this we are going through many phases of happiness and distress. Sometimes happiness, sometimes distress; sometimes suffering, sometimes pleasure; according to our desire.

This conditioned world has laws. Whatever I do here or whatever I desire, I will get the result, the fruit. Just as it is has been said, "as I sow, so shall I harvest". I sow nice things here, I do pious activity, I do good to others, I will get good things. I will do some harm to others, I will perform criminal activities, I will get some punishment. This is the law of this material nature. Nobody can escape. Nobody can escape these universal laws. They are made like this for conditioned souls, for those who don't want to stay in the universal interest, in the association of the Supreme. They will come here to experience the pleasure of material life.

For example, once there was a businessman from Iran. I told him this material life has laws. According to your action, you will harvest, you will get the fruit. If you kill and eat animals, then you should expect that you will also be eaten in one your next lives. He said, "I am like a warrior." He had been in the Iranian War. He had been shot, he was a ksatrya. He said, "I don't care. I am ready to get the body of an animal and be slaughtered in the next life." It's easy to say, if you have a human body now…but if you come into the situation that somebody comes at you with a knife, and you will be killed, or eaten up, then it is not very pleasurable. So, it is foolish, for humans to think like this, because it will give pain to us. It is not natural to be killed in this way, to suffer all the consequences of our past activities.

For this there is given some knowledge, called Vedas, which means knowledge, tattva or truth. And it is given all over the world. Different cultures and different kinds of religions are similar. The most detailed and explicitly described truth about the laws of material nature, the Supreme, the Infinite, the Cause of All Causes, is given in the Vedas. And there is also given the process of how to become free of the laws of this material nature: that for all activities I have to give reactions. It is called prayascita. There is yoga prayascita, karma prayascita, jnana prayascita, and bhakti prayascita. Karma prayascita means, when I perform many good activities I will counteract the bad activities. I will destroy the negative. But the good activities also have some reaction. So I might destroy many activities, but still the root, the desire to enjoy separate from the Supreme, is still rooted in our hearts. Jnana prayascita, means to become free of all karma, but you will not be free from the desire to enjoy this material world. Bhakti prayascita, means through bhakti, surrender and devotional service to the Supreme, by establishing a relationship to the Supreme, you will uproot the roots of enjoying this material world.

It's compared to a bamboo forest. You have seen a bamboo forest? In India you can see this, the bamboo grows very close together. Sometimes the wind comes and the bamboo is rubbing together. And sometimes fire is coming from this rubbing, and the whole bamboo forest is burning down. Like this is jnana prayascita. The whole forest of our sinful desire will be destroyed. But the interesting thing is, that when the rainy season comes, this bamboo forest grows back, because the roots have not been destroyed. Because of this, bhakti prayascita is most powerful. Simply by chanting the name of Hari, the roots of our being the enjoyer of this material world, of being the exploiter, will be destroyed. The root will be destroyed. You will have no desire to enjoy "I and my". Your interests will be to become a servant of the Supreme, and to experience unlimited bliss and happiness, without problems. There are no problems on this plane, the transcendental plane. But because we have no idea what this transcendental plane is, we have no experience and we also don't believe in it. Basically, we are not believing in God. We have no faith in God, and we are always acting without the knowledge that God is the Supreme, and everything is under His control.

(To be continued)