Attaining Liberation - The By-product of Pure Devotional Service
The concept of liberation, or mukti, is the ultimate goal of all Vedic philosophical systems. It represents total freedom from the miseries of material conditioning. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings clearly delineate the vast differences between the arduous, temporary liberation sought by impersonalists and the natural, eternal liberation effortlessly achieved by the devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The True Purpose of Human Life
Unlike animals, human beings have the developed intelligence to question their existence and put an end to their suffering. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the entire cosmic manifestation is created simply to give the conditioned souls a chance to rectify their rebellious mentality, become detached from sense gratification, and attain eternal liberation.
- A human being is especially meant to attain liberation from the bondage of birth, death, old age and disease.
- The purpose of the material manifestation is to give the conditioned soul a chance to attain liberation and return to the asraya-tattva, or the Absolute Truth.
- The real purpose of human life is to attain liberation from material entanglement. Such liberation may be achieved by many methods, but all of them more or less depend on tapasya, austerity, which begins with celibacy.
- If one prefers to remain in the dark well of household life because of uncontrolled senses he becomes increasingly entangled by ropes of affection for his wife, children, servants, house money. Such a person cannot attain liberation from material bondage.
The Inadequacy of Impersonalism
Many philosophers attempt to attain liberation through rigorous mental speculation, aiming to merge into the formless Brahman effulgence (sāyujya-mukti). Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly warns that this path is fraught with difficulties and is ultimately incomplete. Because the soul is by nature active and seeks pleasure, an impersonalist who fails to take up devotional service will inevitably fall from that liberated state back into the material world.
- The impersonalists and the yogis attain liberation only after much trouble and many, many births.
- One cannot attain liberation simply through philosophical speculation devoid of devotional service. However, if one renders devotional service, he is automatically on the Brahman platform.
- Because Mayavadi philosophers have no information regarding the transcendental service of Lord, even after attaining liberation from material activities and merging into the Brahman effulgence, they must come down again to this material world - Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.32.
- Even though the worshiper of impersonal Brahman can be highly advanced, he cannot attain liberation without discharging devotional service. Anyone who has realized himself as spirit soul can engage in devotional service.
The Natural By-product of Devotion
For a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, liberation is never the primary goal. Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully explains that when one fully surrenders to the Lord in love, liberation naturally follows as an automatic by-product. A devotee does not have to execute severe mystic yoga or dry speculation; simply by purifying one's consciousness through service, the highest liberated state is achieved without separate endeavor.
- Bhukti, material enjoyment, and mukti, liberation, are only by-products of devotional service. A devotee need not work separately to attain mukti.
- A devotee does not have to try separately to attain liberation.
- It is not a fact that one has to offer his material possessions to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and be liberated before he can engage in devotional service. A devotee automatically attains liberation without separate endeavors.
- Maharaja Pariksit said, "My dear lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is the bestower of both liberation and love of God simultaneously. Anyone who becomes a devotee of the Lord automatically attains liberation without having to make a separate attempt."
The Perfection of the Vaikuṇṭha Planets
True liberation is not the voiding of existence, but the perfection of spiritual variety. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes that devotees attain the four kinds of personal liberation (sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, and sāmīpya), allowing them to reside on the Vaikuṇṭha planets. In this state, the soul resumes its original, joyful constitutional position as an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Devotees, Vaisnavas, attain the liberations of sarupya, salokya, sarsti and samipya, whereas the Mayavadis are supposed to attain the liberation known as sayujya.
- Those engaged in devotional service according to the ritualistic principles mentioned in the scriptures attain these different kinds of liberation - sarsti, sarupya, samipya and salokya.
- One attains liberation when one gives up the false idea that the body is the self and when one resumes his actual position of service to the Lord (muktir hitvanyatha-rupam svarupena vyavasthitih) - Srimad Bhagavatam 2.10.6.
- Upon gaining such realization (that "I am God's eternal servant"), one attains liberation and becomes prasannatma, or jolly, for this is the constitutional position of the living entity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, attaining liberation is the ultimate necessity for the conditioned soul, but it can only be perfectly realized through the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches us that attempting to forcefully extract oneself from material nature through dry speculation leads only to temporary, impersonal relief. By simply hearing the pastimes of the Lord, chanting His holy names, and submissively rendering pure devotional service, any sincere soul can effortlessly bypass the pitfalls of material existence and attain eternal, blissful life in the 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 Attaining Liberation. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.