Gaining a Great Deal of Spiritual Knowledge
Conditioned souls in the material world exhaust their lives pursuing temporary happiness, enduring immense distress for very little reward. Contrasting this futile struggle, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that by turning to the Vedic scriptures and the practice of pure devotional service, one can acquire a great deal of profound spiritual knowledge. This simple shift in consciousness saves the living entity from a great deal of suffering and immediately places them on the path to eternal liberation.
The Burden of Material Endeavors
The pursuit of material wealth and sense gratification is inherently fraught with anxiety and hardship. Despite immense efforts, the resulting happiness is entirely false and temporary. Highlighting this tragedy, Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that people undergo a great deal of distress simply to meet basic animalistic demands, ignoring the higher purpose of human life. This misdirected energy binds the soul tighter to the cycle of repeated birth and death.
- We try to be happy by obtaining money, but money is not very easily obtained, and we have to undergo a great deal of distress to get it. However, we accept this distress with the hope of getting some false happiness.
- People are also characterized in this age as being unfortunate. They have a great deal of difficulty meeting the primary demands of life - eating, defending, mating, and sleeping - necessities which are met even by the animals.
- They (people of this age) tend to be phlegmatic and slow and to sleep a great deal, and when they're not sleeping, they are busy earning money.
- Due to our manipulation of material activities, a great deal of dust has collected over our mind's clear mirror, and as a consequence we are unable to see things in perspective.
The Struggle of Alternative Paths
Those who attempt to achieve spiritual perfection through mental speculation or mechanical yoga systems face a steep and arduous climb. These processes require intense discipline, sensory control, and immense amounts of time. Analyzing these difficult methods, Śrīla Prabhupāda states that the yogi has to go through a great deal of trouble to purify the mind, whereas the devotee easily achieves the same result by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. The path of devotion is simultaneously sublime and accessible.
- Nondevotees, who do not take shelter of the Lord's lotus feet, try to cross the ocean of nescience by other methods (karma, jnana and yoga), but they have a great deal of trouble.
- The yogi obviously has to go through a great deal of difficulty to purify the atma (mind, body and soul), but it is a fact that this can be done most effectively in this age simply by the chanting of Hare Krsna. Why is this.
- The yogi should have his mind trained in such a way that as soon as his mind wanders from meditation on Visnu, he drags it back again. This requires a great deal of practice.
- The more you practice (chanting Hare Krsna) you will understand, because unless the heart is cleansed . . . it takes some time. Anything, any education, any schooling, it takes a little time to understand. But it does not take very much, a great deal of time.
The Inconceivable Wealth of Vedic Knowledge
Unlike the flawed speculations of modern science, the Vedic literatures provide exact, authorized details about the vastness of the spiritual reality. By accepting knowledge through the descending process of the disciplic succession, one gains immense insight without the need for cumbersome research. Revealing this treasure, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives a great deal of information regarding the spiritual planets, far beyond the reach of material spaceships.
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a great deal of information given about the Vaikuntha planetary systems which are beyond the material universe. Similarly, a great deal of inconceivable information is given in Caitanya-caritamrta.
- Even in the material world we accept a great deal of information sent thousands of miles by telephone or radio. In this way we also accept sound as evidence in our daily lives.
- Perhaps with a great deal of time, effort, and money a few men may be able to reach other planets by material means - spaceships, space suits, etc. - but this is a very cumbersome and impractical method.
- To become pious one generally has to endeavor a great deal, but if one simply hears the verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita one becomes pious automatically.
Conclusion
Human life is meant for realizing the Absolute Truth, not for laboring tirelessly for temporary material gains. As emphatically taught by Śrīla Prabhupāda, those who dedicate their energy to understanding the Vedic literature avoid a great deal of unnecessary suffering. By engaging in the joyful process of devotional service, the soul effortlessly attains a great deal of advancement, securing a permanent place in the eternal spiritual sky.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category A Great Deal. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.