Awakening the Soul's Dormant Nature - Attaining Kṛṣṇa
The human form of life is an engineered opportunity meant for solving the real problems of existence, which are birth, old age, disease, and death. At the present moment, foolish materialists are wasting their valuable energy by making complex plans for economic development and bodily gratification. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches us that real success means awakening our dormant love of God and entering into our eternal relationship with the Supreme Person. By turning our ears to the authorized message of the scriptures and engaging our senses in pure devotional service, we easily pierce through the heavy coverings of māyā and achieve the ultimate destination of the soul.
The Great Science of Divine Attainment
Materialistic philosophers try to understand the Absolute Truth by heavy mental arguments or dry academic study, but their independent business is completely baffling. True knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be attained by devotional service only, and nothing else. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a profound science containing immense literatures, which must be utilized by serious students to awaken their original consciousness. When a person realizes that Kṛṣṇa is the unique object of all worship and love, he ceases his mundane work and dedicates his mind, intelligence, and life to the execution of bhakti.
- All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider to be just like My own self. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he is sure to attain Me, the highest and most perfect goal.
- He (the first class devotee) understands perfectly that the ultimate goal of life is to attain to the transcendental loving service of Krsna, and he knows that Krsna is the only object of worship and love.
- Krsna consciousness is a great science with immense literatures, and we should utilize them for the attainment of bhakti.
- The knowledge of the Personality of Godhead may be attained by devotional service only.
Escaping the Temporary World of Miseries
The material world is explicitly defined by the Lord as a place of temporary suffering, where every conditioned living entity is undergoing a severe struggle. Human beings cannot find any lasting happiness here, because the laws of nature constantly inflict the miseries of repeated birth and death. The only actual solution to this existential crisis is to elevate our consciousness to the spiritual platform and achieve the Lord's supreme planet. The great souls who successfully attain Kṛṣṇa never return to this temporary world, because they have achieved the highest perfection of life.
- "After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection" - BG 8.15.
- After attaining Me (Krsna), the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.
- After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.
- The solution to these problems (birth, old age, disease, and death) is given here in Bhagavad-gita (8.15): if one attains to Krsna's platform he does not have to return again to this earth of birth and death.
The Essential Necessity of Faith and Scripture
A person who chooses to act according to his own whimsical, concocted ideas can never achieve success or realize the Absolute Truth. The codes of the śāstra are explicitly given by God to guide the human society away from the animalistic propensities of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Those who are completely unfaithful to this path of devotional service are rejected by the Lord and are forced to rotate indefinitely within the cycles of nature. True intelligence means submitting our mind to the regulative principles of the scriptures, which gradually purifies our daily activities and guarantees our safe transference to the spiritual sky.
- Krsna clearly says: Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world - BG 9.3.
- One who acts without following the regulations of the scriptures will not attain the Absolute Truth. He will get some temporary result, but not the ultimate end of life.
- Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world.
- Those who attain once to Me, they will have never to come again to this place of miseries. - So here is the hint that by Krsna consciousness, if we remain always in Krsna consciousness, then our transference to that planet of Krsnaloka is guaranteed.
The Supreme Power of Spontaneous Love
While the method of regulative sādhana-bhakti is absolutely necessary for the beginners, it ultimately finds its fulfillment in the stage of spontaneous attachment. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa cannot be captured in His original form simply by mechanical rules or majestic worship; He comes under control only when a devotee develops unadulterated love. By following in the exact footsteps of the pure residents of Vrajaloka, who possess an intense, natural longing for the Lord, the soul easily achieves His personal shelter. This spontaneous love is the topmost secret of the Vedas, and it quickly attracts the heart of Kṛṣṇa.
- By executing spontaneous devotional service in Vrndavana, one attains the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
- By following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of the planet known as Vrajaloka or Goloka Vrndavana, one can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Krsna.
- One should simply understand that Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja in Vrndavana, the friend of the cowherd boys and lover of the gopis, is actually the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is attained by spontaneous love.
- There are two kinds of devotional activity - spontaneous and regulative. By spontaneous devotional service, one attains the original Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and by the regulative process one attains the expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Executing Prescribed Duty in Fixed Consciousness
A very dangerous misconception among mundane people is that spiritual realization requires a person to abandon his practical duties and become an idle beggar. The Bhagavad-gītā entirely condemns this lazy mentality and instead orders us to fight for the cause of God. Arjuna was a warrior, and Kṛṣṇa did not tell him to run away to the jungle; rather, He commanded him to continue his prescribed duty of fighting while keeping his mind and intelligence fixed on the Lord. When our daily work is fully dedicated to Kṛṣṇa in this active way, our ordinary activities are transformed into pure karma-yoga, and our ultimate success is guaranteed without a doubt.
- Arjuna, you should always think of Me (Krsna) in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.
- Arjuna, you should always think of Me (Krsna), and at the same time you should continue your prescribed duty and fight. With your mind and activities always fixed on Me and everything engaged in Me, you will attain to Me without any doubt.
- Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.
- Therefore, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.
Overcoming the Obstacles of the Senses
The path of bhakti is completely universal and does not depend on any material qualifications like high birth or aristocratic pedigree. A person born in a low-class family is fully fit to achieve the lotus feet of the Lord, whereas a proud brāhmaṇa who lacks devotion is completely rejected. However, the real obstacle on this path is our uncontrolled tongue, belly, and genitals. One who runs here and there trying to satisfy his palate and gratify his lower senses is completely unable to develop spiritual attachment. By practicing sense control and becoming humble and meek, even the most fallen creatures can easily overcome their conditioning and achieve the supreme favor of God.
- Behold the great fortune of the devotee Kholaveca. Lord Brahma and Siva shed tears upon seeing his greatness. One cannot attain Lord Krsna by any amount of wealth, followers, or learning. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is controlled only by pure devotion.
- If one becomes very humble and meek, he can easily attain the lotus feet of Krsna in this Age of Kali. That is the fulfillment of all great sacrifices, penances and austerities.
- One need not have taken birth in an aristocratic brahmana family to attain the lotus feet of Krsna, nor is a person born in a low family unfit for achieving Krsna’s lotus feet.
- That person who runs here and there seeking to gratify his palate and who is always attached to the desires of his stomach and genitals is unable to attain Krsna.
The Critical Transition at the Moment of Death
The ultimate test of our lifelong spiritual practice takes place at the critical moment when we must leave our material body. The laws of nature dictate that our next destination is decided entirely by the specific thoughts and desires that occupy our mind at the time of death. If a person spends his entire life chasing material illusions, he will surely remain trapped in the cycle of birth and death. However, whoever quits his temporary body while completely absorbed in remembering Kṛṣṇa alone is immediately released from the material modes. Such a fortunate soul receives an eternal, spiritual body and instantly achieves the supreme, transcendental nature of the Lord.
- A person who at the end of his life quits his body thinking of Krsna attains the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord, but it is not true that a person who thinks of something other than Krsna attains the same transcendental state.
- And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me (Krsna) alone at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
- Anyone who quits his body, at the end of life, remembering Me (Krsna), attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of of this.
- Whoever, at the time of death, quits his body remembering Me (Krsna) alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
Conclusion
The urgent duty of every human being is to wake up his dormant spiritual nature before his valuable life is cut short by time. As Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes on every page of his books, our hard material struggle can only be finished when we fully commit ourselves to the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We must completely reject the foolish methods of independent planning and sensual gratification, which only bind the soul to the miseries of this temporary world. By regulating our lives according to the scriptural instructions and continuously dedicating our daily work to the pleasure of God, our internal heart is thoroughly purified. Ultimately, by maintaining this unalloyed devotion up to the critical moment of death, we transcend the material modes and receive our original spiritual body. This pure process easily returns the liberated soul back to the spiritual sky, where we achieve the eternal nature of Kṛṣṇa and live forever in His blissful association.
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 Krsna. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.