Employed in the Service of God - The Art of Yukta-vairāgya
The secret to spiritual success is not to artificially reject the world, but to change how we interact with it. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because everything originally belongs to the Supreme Lord, utilizing our senses, wealth, and talents in His devotional service instantly purifies us and grants immediate liberation.
The Principle of Universal Ownership
True knowledge begins with understanding who actually owns the universe. Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that because everything is an emanation of the Lord's energy, nothing is inherently mundane; even the most ordinary objects become completely pure and spiritualized when directed toward His satisfaction.
- Everything belongs to God. Therefore everything should be employed in the service of God. This is our Krsna consciousness philosophy.
- Here (in Sb 3.21.31.) the Lord says: "You will see everything in the world to be nondifferent from Me." This means that everything should be considered a product of the Lord's energy, and therefore everything should be employed in the service of the Lord.
- When everything is employed in the service of the Lord, we can experience that there is nothing except the Supreme Brahman. The Vedic mantra that "everything is Brahman" is thus realized by us.
- I have already told you, Ivory Jewels, conchshell and cow dung are all pure. Everything is pure when employed in the service of the Lord.
Purifying the Senses
Our material bondage is simply the result of misusing our natural faculties. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that the senses are not meant to be stopped, but rather redirected; the moment they are employed in the loving service of the Supreme Lord, they are instantly cleansed of all material contamination.
- The senses are given to me for my enjoyment because I, I wanted it. Now our, the senses are already there in my spiritual life. I am misusing them. Without being, the senses being used in the service of the Lord, I am misusing it.
- The senses of the individual being are not his own; the devotee knows that such senses belong to the Supreme Lord and that they can be properly used when they are employed for the service of the Lord.
- When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one's senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.
- One is freed from all material designations, and, simply by being employed in the service of the Lord, one's senses are purified.
Perfection Through Duty and Opulence
Spiritual perfection does not require abandoning one's profession or status in society. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that any occupational duty, high quality, or material opulence achieves its ultimate, perfect purpose when the fruits of that labor are lovingly offered to the Supreme Lord.
- It is also confirmed by the Vedanta-sutra - that one can attain the perfection of life by discharging one's occupational duty and employing the results in the service of the Lord.
- One can attain the perfection of life by discharging one's occupational duty and employing the results in the service of the Lord. This method is confirmed by great personalities like Bodhayana, Tanka, Dramida, Guhadeva, Kapardi and Bharuci.
- High qualities in man serve one in the attainment of perfection only when they are employed in the service of the Lord.
- When a mature devotee is blessed with material opulence, he does not become affected adversely, for he knows how to employ material opulence in the service of the Lord. There are many such examples in the history of the world.
Transforming Material Energy
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement actively engages the world rather than retreating from it. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that intelligence, wealth, and the energy of even the renounced sannyāsīs must be vigorously employed to systematically redirect society's resources back to their rightful owner.
- The materialistic persons, their policy is to take, earn money like anything, and employ it in sense gratification. That is their policy. But our policy is to take away the money from the atheist and employ it to the service of Ramacandra.
- The initiated householders are supposed to be Brahmins, and according to scriptural injunction a Brahmin can accept charity for employing the income in the service of the Lord. The boys and girls who chant in the street are also giving in charity.
- A sannyasi is generally in the renounced order of life, but his renunciation will be successful only when his energy is employed in the service of the Lord with great austerity.
- In this verse (SB 4.25.28) all these inquiries are made by King Puranjana, the living entity who is bewildered and does not know how to employ his intelligence. Intelligence should be employed in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Immediate Liberation
The transition from material bondage to spiritual freedom is instantaneous upon surrender. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that the very act of engaging one's desires and senses in the service of the Lord is practical evidence of liberation, completely removing the soul from the bodily concept of life.
- As soon as we employ ourselves in the service of the Lord, we are liberated immediately. There is no need to pass through some preliminary process. This very act of engaging one's senses in the service of the Lord is evidence that one is liberated.
- Sacrifice means denying the interest of the senses. One has to learn this art by employing the senses in the service of the Lord during one's lifetime. One can utilize the results of such practice at the time of death.
- We are drawn into this material world by desire, but the same desire must be purified and employed in the devotional service of the Lord. Then our disease of wandering in the universe under different forms and conditions will end.
- A devotee who engages in the service of the Supreme Lord and who constantly thinks of Him should never be considered to have a material body.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully resolves the apparent conflict between living in the material world and achieving spiritual perfection. The philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness teaches that nothing needs to be artificially rejected, because everything ultimately belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The root cause of all suffering is simply the misuse of our senses, wealth, and intelligence for personal gratification. However, the exact same senses and opulences, when properly employed in the devotional service of the Lord, become the very instruments of our liberation. By executing one's occupational duties and redirecting the fruits of that labor toward Kṛṣṇa, a devotee is instantly freed from all material designations. This sublime process of yukta-vairāgya ensures that whether one is a wealthy householder or an austere sannyāsī, simply by keeping their energy completely employed in the service of God, they immediately transcend the bodily concept of life and secure their eternal return to 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 Employed in the Service of God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.